Retailers in Belgium's neighbouring countries are getting the prospect of the ease of Covid restrictions: in the Netherlands, stores are allowed to welcome customers by appointment from 3 March. In the UK, all stores may be able to reopen normally on 12 April. 

Reckitt Benckiser recorded its highest ever sales growth last year, thanks to Dettol and the coronavirus. The group is now reviewing its brand portfolio to maintain the momentum: Scholl is already on its way out.

Oatly, which is causing a great furore with its oat milk, is preparing an IPO in New York. The producer of plant-based dairy alternatives would be worth up to 10 billion dollars there.

Due to the corona crisis, AB InBev sold significantly less beer in 2020. Profits also decreased significantly. Nevertheless, the brewer was able to grow again in the second half of the year.

French retail group Casino performed better than expected last year: thanks to the corona crisis, sales at convenience stores and e-commerce rose sharply. But trading profit is also on the rise, and debts are being reduced further. 

Belgian fashion chain PointCarré, part of Colruyt Group, has just opened a second French shop in Val de Briey. The multi-brand specialist also opens up its e-shop to French shoppers.

Stores have become an indispensable part of the omnichannel strategy in times of Covid: it is a place where parcels get prepared, sent or collected from. Deloitte believes this trend will continue. But how can it be done more efficiently?

Electronics group Fnac Darty, also the owner of Vanden Borre, benefited from a strong online year in 2020 and wants to hold on to that applying a new strategic plan. In Belgium, for instance, they will launch a subscription service for repairs.

Mosa Meat, the food pioneer that presented the world's first cultured meat burger in 2013, has raised the equivalent of 70 million euros in a new funding round. The money will serve to scale up the production of cultured meat.

Spanish fashion brand Mango is going to sell products of other brands through its webshop. Lingerie brand Intimissimi, part of the Calzedonia Group, will be the first new partner.

German supermarket group Rewe claims to be the second largest food retailer in Europe: Thanks to the corona crisis, the group has reached a turnover of more than 75 billion euros, leaving only Lidl owner Schwarz Group behind.

Since Brexit, (the smaller) whisky and gin distillers from the UK are having a particularly hard time exporting their products to the EU. The reason is very straightforward. Due to Brexit, the excise tax systems are no longer linked, which means all goods are stuck in warehouses awaiting the completion of formalities.

Next month the European authorities will discuss a possible ban on the use of certain terms to designate plant-based alternatives to dairy, better known as "Amendment 171". Alpro is calling on Europe to speak out against that amendment.

Zalando has expanded its second-hand webshop Zircle to Scandinavia. Customers in Sweden and Denmark can now also buy second-hand fashion items through the online platform.

In the significant fourth quarter of 2020, market leader Colruyt once again lost ground. The winners are Delhaize, Carrefour and Lidl. A consequence of the current Covid pandemic, or is there more to it?

After the commotion surrounding the takeover bid by Canadian group Couche-Tard, Carrefour chief Alexandre Bompard wants to turn the page. "We are back on the offensive," he states. "But I don't see any big opportunities in France right now."

Danone acquired the American plant-based food manufacturer Earth Island for an undisclosed sum. The French food giant also published its annual results today.

Handbag brand Hermès saw its sales drop by 7.2 per cent last year. However, the label managed to set an impressive growth track: by the fourth quarter, sales in Southeast Asia had already increased by 43 per cent.

In France, the buying centres of Intermarché are accused of "abusive commercial practices". The Ministry of Economy is taking the distributor to court, thereby potentially undermining the operation of alliances such as Agecore. 

For the first time, the stock value of Fast Retailing, the parent company of leisurewear chain Uniqlo, has surpassed the value of Inditex, the group that operates Zara, among others. In terms of market capitalisation, the Japanese fashion company is now at the very top of the global clothing industry.

Amazon is launching 'Build It', the latest project for its Day 1 Editions programme. Only when there is sufficient interest in a device or design will it be produced.

Spanish fashion company Mango has redesigned its store concept to better suit changing consumer behaviour. The first opening is planned for next month.

Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd are to merge their e-commerce activities in Germany and appear to be preparing to sell groceries online in the near future.

Walmart recorded a strong increase in sales during the Covid crisis, but unfortunately, it was unable to convert this growth into profit. The American retailer also worries about a meagre 2021, when the Covid measures are expected to phase out.

Massimo Dutti, an Inditex subsidiary, has implemented a new augmented reality function in its app: a virtual shoe fitting room.

Almost a third of the world's population is already shopping online. This is partly thanks to the Dutch, who are the most avid online shoppers in Europe. The Netherlands even has the second-best e-commerce climate in the world.

Gucci is causing luxury group Kering worries: Christmas sales were below par, especially compared to competitors such as LVMH. Is the brand with the capital G's, who is celebrating its centenary just this year, in bad shape?

With a comparable turnover growth of 7.8% last year, Carrefour says it realised its best performance since at least twenty years. In Europe, Belgium and Spain are among the best performers. Higher costs, however, put pressure on net profits.

It's not a pleasant day for Tony's Chocolonely. The Dutch advocate for fair chocolate has lost its "official" recognition by the organisation Slave Free Chocolate. A very harsh judgment, which shows little consideration for the broader picture.

After a particularly strong fourth quarter, in which sales rose by 18 per cent, Ahold Delhaize rounds off the full-year 2020 with double-digit sales growth. The strong online performance is striking: bol.com is also breaking records. However, net profits declined.

Adidas is selling its subsidiary brand Reebok. The sneaker brand is not doing well, and Adidas wants to concentrate fully on its own brand.