Today In Connected Economy: Amazon Launches Retail Stores; Catapult Unveils Sports Fitness Tracker

In today’s top connected economy news, Parkopedia teams up with CarPay-Diem on in-car payment service expansion, while Amazon is planning to open brick-and-mortar retail stores. Plus, Catapult is rolling out a fitness tracker for athletes and coaches and RepairSmith snagged $42 million in funding.

Parkopedia Partners With CarPay-Diem To Expand In-Car Payment Services

Drivers in Europe now have access to an integrated multi-domain payment platform for their in-car payment needs, following a deal between Parkopedia and fuel payment provider CarPay-Diem.

The partnership with the CarPay-Diem startup will give Parkopedia, a leading parking service provider, the opportunity to expand its in-car “pay-at-the-pump” connected vehicle fueling services in the region, adding 3,500 more stations across six countries — Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

The company plans to increase from 3,500 stations to more than 60,000 stations across 18 countries, tapping into existing partnerships as CarPay-Diem broadens its reach within Europe over the next three years.

Amazon Hatching Strategy To Open Mega Brick-and-Mortar Stores

Amazon has mentioned that it plans to launch several brick-and-mortar retail locations that will operate similar to department stores. They will likely roll out initially in Ohio and California, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday (Aug. 19), citing sources.

The move is intended to expand Amazon’s footprint in retail sales of clothes, home goods, electronics and more, sources told the WSJ.

The first Amazon retail stores located in Ohio and California will average about 30,000 square feet, less than one-third of the 100,000 square feet that department stores typically occupy, the report noted.

Catapult Debuts Fitness Tracker For Athletes, Coaches

Sports performance analytics company Catapult on Wednesday (Aug. 18) announced the debut of its Catapult One fitness tracker, which provides athletes and coaches at varying levels the solution to monitor, evaluate and enhance athletic performance.

The wearable technology was developed by the same team responsible for delivering performance metrics to more than 3,200 sports teams globally, including EPL, NFL and NCAA, Catapult said in a press release.

Device features include sprint distance, acceleration and intensity. Designed for soccer players and soccer team use, Catapult One can also be used for American football, rugby, field hockey, cricket, lacrosse, tennis and Australian football.

Mobile Auto Repair Company RepairSmith Nets $42M In Funding

Full-service mobile auto repair and maintenance firm RepairSmith on Thursday (Aug. 19) announced it has raised $42 million in a Series B funding round from investors, including TI Capital, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche Ventures and Spring Mountain Capital.

RepairSmith will use the money as part of its service expansion beyond 650 cities and towns in six states to build on the 100,000 service appointments it has completed so far.

As part of the investment, RepairSmith appointed Ziad Ghandour of TI Capital and John L. Steffens of Spring Mountain Capital to its Board of Directors, joining Andreas Joerg and Thomas Vogel of Mercedes-Benz AG, among others.