The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that 'balsamic' is not a protected concept and therefore not exclusively Italian. The verdict is a blow to the professional association of vinegar makers from the Modena region.

French sports chain Decathlon has acquired Dutch hockey brand Dita from All Weather Sports. The former owner will retain control over the distribution of Dita products to hockey specialist stores.

The ongoing efforts of the consortium surrounding real estate investor X+Bricks to win over Metro's Real chain appear to be bearing fruit. The German wholesaler has confirmed that it has started exclusive negotiations with the consortium, to be completed by the end of January.

Irish Primark has said it will expand to Slovakia in 2022, with a shop in the Eurovea shopping centre in the capital Bratislava. The Central European country will then become the fifteenth market for the fashion discounter.

French luxury group Kering (Gucci) has been rumoured to make a bid on Italian clothing and lifestyle company Moncler. The expensive down coats producer would be the latest target in a continuing war with archrivals LVMH.

Marks & Spencer has rolled out vertical farm units in seven stores in London. The British department store chain grows fresh herbs in connected mini-greenhouses.

Belgian supermarket chain Delhaize is starting a pilot project aimed at consumers in a hurry, but with a craving for healthy food. Deliveroo and Takeaway.com couriers will deliver healthy orders (with Nutri-Score A, B or C) from stores in Antwerp and Brussels.

Dutch drugstore chain Etos is to start selling through webshop bol.com. With this move, both Ahold Delhaize subsidiaries are looking to strengthen their synergies.

Forget FedEx or UPS: Amazon is the world's largest logistics company. As a result of this focus, Amazon is also the quickest parcel delivery company in the United States.

Australians are buying fewer Christmas gifts this year, and opting for more useful and inclusive gifts. Here, too, 'more sustainable' gifts for the end of the year period are a growing trend, because things have reached their peak.

The United States has once again threatened to impose additional import duties on certain French products. The additional taxes (up to 100 %) are a retaliation for the digital tax that France has introduced.

Swedish fast-fashion retailer H&M has opened a new flagshipstore in Stockholm, where it trials sustainable initiatives. The most remarkable one is a fashion rental service, but the store also features a repair service and a beauty salon.

Famous British footwear designer Terry de Havilland has died at the age of 81. His creations were worn by stars like Amy Winehouse, Marianne Faithfull, David Bowie, Cher and Kate Moss.

Danish fashion group Bestseller (Jack & Jones, Vero Moda, Only) has increased its turnover by 7 % in its financial year 2018/19. However, due to major investments, the profit was lower than a year earlier.

Barry Callebaut, the world's largest chocolate producer, has grown significantly in recent years and intends to keep following the same path. CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique says his company is investing hundreds of millions in Belgium alone.

Dutch chain Hema and French Franprix are going to expand their collaboration, which started in August. The number of Franprix stores in which the Hema range gets its own corner, will be quadrupled.

Belgian bakery and restaurant chain Le Pain Quotidien is considering a thorough reorganisation of the shareholder structure. However, there are still several options for its practical implementation.

Brand manufacturers are making the supply chain unnecessarily complex and are undermining all the advantages of the European single market, says Ahold Delhaize CEO Frans Muller. He calls for greater transparency and for unified prices in Europe.

Action is writing one of the most spectacular growth stories of any foreign distributor in France. The discount chain opened its first French store in 2012, and only seven years later it already reached the milestone of five hundred stores.

The Dutch branch of the Hudson's Bay department store chain has requested deferment of payment. It is unclear whether the stores will remain open until the intended date, 31 December.

Mud Jeans, a pioneer in the leasing of jeans, has opened its first physical store in the Netherlands. Customers can try on all of the jeans, but they can't buy them: if you want a pair of jeans, you'll get it sent to your home afterwards.

The differences in prices between the supermarket chains in Belgium are increasing, consumer organisation Test-Aankoop found out. Market leader Colruyt and Dutch Albert Heijn are on top, while Delhaize, Carrefour and Makro see the top two speed away.

Strong identities are rewarded in retail: during this year's RetailDetail Night, brands that clearly distinguished themselves were celebrated and praised, as many retailers tried to overcome this difficult year by making a difference.

In an open letter to European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, 41 price comparison sites from 21 European countries are calling on the Commission to take action against what they call "the ongoing abuse of power by Google".

Dutch online supermarket Picnic has raised 250 million euros to build an automated distribution centre, that should be able to provide 150,000 families with groceries every week.

Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo has reprimanded a store manager who wanted to let his employees pay a fine if they let customers waiting for too long, after a social media backlash.

Online second-hand clothing platform Vinted has raised 128 million euros to further develop its platform and accelerate its expansion. After this new capital round, the company is now valued at around a billion euros.

Belgian chocolatier Pierre Marcolini is looking to sell his chain of luxury chocolate stores: he has sought the help of the Rothschild bank to manage the whole or a part of the eponymous chocolate brand.

Dutch shoe chain Omoda is to open a Danish web shop before the end of the year, expanding to Finland, Norway and Sweden in 2020.

Ahold Delhaize is testing three stores with automatic checkout: after two pilot stores in the Netherlands, a completely contactless store is now also opening in Massachusetts. Customers can just take their groceries and walk out, the payment is done automatically.

French chains Carrefour and Fnac Darty are going to move in together: the electronics retailer is going to open thirty stores in French Carrefour hypermarkets. Will Belgium follow suit?