Outdoor group VF Corp, owner of brands like The North Face and Vans, saw its turnover halved last quarter, but is very optimistic about the long-term future as outdoors, sustainability, casual wear and digital sales are on the rise.

Even before Belgian fashion group FNG was declared bankrupt this morning, the banks have blocked its wages: it is possible employees have worked for nought last weekend.

The Belgian summer sales period suffered from the resurgence of Covid-19 and subsequent measures: its first-day turnover was only half that of last year.

Comparable sales went down more than 40 % at French luxury brand Hermès, which felt obligated to emphasise that the crisis is not over yet. 

Cosmetics lose their importance during lockdowns: L'Oréal's turnover went down more than expected, while profit dropped as well.

Amazon reached its highest profit ever thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic: it sold 40 % more than the year before, enabling profit to double to 5.2 billion dollars (4.4 billion euros).

Value products at Carrefour are given a new, more modern, brand identity: 'Simpl'. Products with the new branding will gradually appear on the shelves.

Even though Belgian restaurants, bars and non-food stores have been allowed to reopen for a long time, consumption has not yet recovered to pre-lockdown levels.

Dutch suit maker SuitSupply has improved dramatically from last year: its net loss is almost gone, and it found new capital to continue growth.

Mango is going to share part of its revenues from e-commerce with its franchisers as they "are undeniably responsible for the significant growth of the online business", the Spanish fashion group says.

AB InBev has suffered a huge downturn in beer sales last quarter, due to the measures to stop the spread of Covid-19. Profits went downhill even faster for the world's largest brewery group, which also had to admit a huge impairment in Africa.

Belgian fashion group FNG has filed for bankruptcy, as it was unable to find investors in time. The bankruptcy does not involve all of FNG's activities, however: the Dutch branch asks for protection against creditors, the Scandinavian branch is completely unaffected.

French luxury group Kering, owner of Gucci and rival to LVMH, saw its sales drop by 44 % in the past quarter. Despite the first signs of recovery after the lockdowns, especially in China, the second half of the year remains uncertain.

Helped by strong growth figures in Belgium, Spain and Brazil, French hypermarket chain Carrefour ended the first half of the year with results that were better than expected. The group is focusing even more strongly on cost savings in order to increase profitability.

Luxury is one of the worst hit sectors by the covid pandemic, as proven (again) by LVMH's half-year results. Turnover went down 27 %, net profit even 85 %.

Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn is expanding home deliveries of online orders to Belgium, nine years after opening its first store there and just a day after launching its Belgian app. The expansion starts in nine municipalities in the Antwerp region.

In response to the rising number of Covid-19 cases, the Belgian government has decided to adopt strict rules when it comes to shopping. 'Fun shopping' is banned: store visits need to be done with a face mask, alone and for maximum half an hour.

French retailer Carrefour and Uber Eats have extended their grocery delivery collaboration beyond France. Two Belgian cities will also take part in the pilot, which promises delivery within 30 minutes.

A few years after expanding to Belgium, Dutch chain Albert Heijn has now also launched its app in Belgium, showing customers recipes and discounts.

The Yoox Net-a-Porter Group and Armani have announced they will extend their collaboration: in better connecting online and offline, they want to improve the shopping experience for their customers.

Ten years of legal battles end in a defeat for Milka (Mondelez): German Ritter Sport is now the only brand that is allowed to produce square chocolate bars.

This weekend, electric car brand Polestar opens its first Spaces in the Benelux. 'Spaces' are not simply stores: buying a car is impossible, rather they are inspirational places with a digital focus.

Aldi calls on its suppliers to reduce their carbon footprint. Aldi Nord has published its third sustainability report, and raised its climate targets at the same time.

Walmart has resumed its attempts to sell its British subsidiary Asda, which it had paused because of the coronavirus crisis. The American retail giant says however that a positive result is not guaranteed.

The Belgian government is enforcing the wearing of face masks in shopping streets, starting this weekend. The Netherlands are still divided over the issue, despite the dramatic resurgence in the number of Covid-19 cases.

Belgian supermarket chain Colruyt has given each employee a smartphone to use at work, trying to become a fully ‘connected store’. The eponymous group's other chains, like Dreamland and BioPlanet, will follow suit later.

Dutch retailer Rituals is going to close some of its stores in the United States and focus more on online, because Americans are "more digital-minded".

Unilever has exceeded expectations last semester: profit grew even during the height of the Covid-19 crisis. Still, the company decided to divest (most of) its tea segment.

Dutch food wholesaler Sligro suffered a 17 % turnover drop last semester, as the Covid-19 fallout also halved its EBIT and pushed net profit far below zero.

French clothing retailer Tati is forced to close its last remaining store due to the coronavirus fallout, fierce competition and changing consumer habits. That spells the end for the iconic pink and white chequers.

The Covid-measures inflicted Coca-Cola with a 28 % turnover drop in the second quarter of its financial year. Still, the soft drinks producer remains hopeful as it sees signs of recovery.

Adevinta has purchased eBay's classified ads department. The online daughter of Norwegian media group Schibsted now gets a strong foothold in the Benelux, through 2dehands.be and marktplaats.nl.