German multinational Henkel has reached a record quarterly turnover of 5.14 billion euro, but higher prices for raw materials and adverse exchange rate effects have pushed expected profits down.   Growth everywhere With an

With “Your own car while you shop for groceries!”, Lidl proudly presents its new car sharing service in Germany. Fifty stores in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia will feature the service, starting in September.   Car

French kids fashion chain Tape à l’oeil has opened its first store in the centre of Brussels, that should build brand awareness among Dutch speaking Belgians.   Big targets The new store in the Anspach Center is located near the

In the United Kingdom, Amazon promises Amazon Prime members a next day delivery, but the Advertising Standards Authority now deems this claim misleading after a large number of complaints by dissatisfied customers.   Too late for the

A few female former employees have sued American sports brand Nike, claiming they have received lower wages than male colleagues and they have suffered inappropriate behaviour.   Macho culture Two women have started a class action

Even though HelloFresh had promised to be out of the red before the end of the year, the meal box provider now chooses new investments over achieving that result. Strong results make the company go for a further American

Belgian chain Casa has opened a new store in Olen Shopping Park, deliberately close to the new headquarters, which also features a new store concept.   New concept with industrial look The 440 sqm store features an industrial

As you can see, the RetailDetail website has just received a thorough facelift. The richness of our information offer is better reflected in the new layout and moreover, the website gives more attention to our other activities: the events,

Belgian retailer Colruyt Group has extended its 'till-free' test to three supermarkets of the OKay chain and one of OKay Compact, after having trialled it in Spar shops earlier.    Shop faster, pay mobile The pilot project of

Dutch fashion group WE International saw its turnover drop 2.8 % to 275.8 million euro, but its net profit remained stable because of the selling of real estate.   Hoping for improvement The owner of fashion chains WE and

French Decathlon has acquired Swiss sports store chain Athleticum from Maus Frères, who in return receive a minority stake in Decathlon Switzerland and an undisclosed fee.   Number three in Switzerland So far, Decathlon had only one

Japanese Rakuten, the world’s fifth largest e-commerce company, has posted a 16.4 % turnover growth in the first six months of 2018, while its profit grew even faster (+60 %). Still, the company sees the need for an internal

German sports brand Adidas has had a victorious quarter because of the World Cup football. Total turnover rose 4 % to 5.26 billion euro, a hefty 3.2 billion coming from shoe sales. Operational profit climbed 17 % to 592 million

Only 0.2 % of all Amazon Echo owners in the United States have actually bought something using their smart speakers. Is the technology worthless, or just not ready yet?   Tried, but not finished Trendhunters had predicted that

Belgian shoe store chain Schoenen Torfs has seen its turnover grow 7.6 % in 2017, but the company had to admit to a 9 % decrease in net profit. CEO Wouter Torfs aims for further growth online, in Wallonia and through cooperation with

Ahold Delhaize's turnover suffers from a tough American market, but the merger company saw more positive results in its home markets Belgium and the Netherlands. Online growth is a highlight in the company's results.   Delhaize sees

American retail giant Walmart sells most of its under-performing Brazilian branch to an investment group. The sale fits into a strategy to focus on growing markets.   Severe recession Walmart started its Brazilian activities in 1995

Reebok, sponsor of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has released a clothing line with the name of the popular Irish fighter Conor McGregor. That is confusing, Dutch fashion chain McGregor complains.   Controversial "Clothing has

Belgian Colruyt Group had a first with its latest yearly report, as it added a separate sustainability report to its already rather elaborate yearly booklet. Which facts were especially noteworthy? RetailDetail found it all

Brewery group Heineken has acquired a 40% stake in China Resources Beer Holdings, China’s largest brewer and owner of the world’s largest beer brand, Snow Beer. The deal gives the Dutch company better access to the huge Chinese

Belgian kitchen chain èggo continues its expansion: the Netherlands has become the fourth country in which the company is active, while in Belgium plans are revealed for a fiftieth store.   Breda is first Dutch store Eggo has opened

Meal delivery service Takeaway.com has seen its turnover grow by 42 % to 110.2 million euro in the first half of the year. The company still does not make profit, but the loss is shrinking.   Germany catching up to the

Fashion retailer Zara is starting home delivery from 2,000 shops worldwide. The fast fashion chain plans to integrate its entire stock, both online and offline.   Ship-from-store from 2000 shops   If an item is no longer

Dutch retail real estate fund Vastned has posted a rise in like-for-like gross rental and aims to continue its focus on top locations in city centres, but warns that real estate prices are increasing heavily in those places.   Scarce

In the second quarter of 2018, the members of the Belgian Luxembourg Council of Retail and Shopping Centers (BLSC) registered a 1.82 % drop in visitors compared to the same quarter in 2017.   Results differ The 22 shopping centres

German retail giant Metro is satisfied with the results so far in its fiscal year 2017/18, but sees the need to take measures in the difficult Russian market.    Wholesale keeps on growing Thanks to improvements in almost all

Dutch fashion chain Men At Work has found a new owner for its home market stores, as did the Belgian branch before. Victory & Dreams holding, which also owns Miller & Monroe and Witteveen Mode, acquires the bankrupt chain and promises the

Dutch electronics retailer Coolblue has launched its website and app in English as a third language (after Dutch and French), aiming to increase their service for English-speaking customers in the Benelux. However, the retailer does not (yet) speak

American shoppers will soon be offered a ride to Walmart... in a self-driving car. Google's sister company Waymo is rolling out a pilot in which around 400 regular customers will be taken to the hypermarket with an unmanned shuttle

Coca-Cola has had a strong second quarter, thanks to a growing focus on healthier soft drinks. Its new ice tea brand Fuze Tea is catching on and Coca-Cola Zero is doing well too.   Better than expected Although sales declined by

According to the European Court of Justice, the shape of chocolate bar KitKat is not distinctive enough to warrant protection. It is the umpteenth statement in a dispute with competitor Leo that has been dragging on for 11 years. Nevertheless, the