Food
Rémy Cointreau ended the fiscal year thanks to slightly higher than expected sales, thanks to a strong second half of the year. The French spirits group is now expecting a 10 per cent increase in operating profit.
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Supermarket chain Mercadona, Spain's undisputed market leader, has had the best year in its history in terms of both sales and profits.
Nestlé performed better than expected in the first quarter. Increased demand for coffee and baked goods boosted sales.
Heineken sold as much beer in the last quarter as a year ago. The world's second-largest brewing group was able to compensate for the European lockdowns with growth in Asia and Africa.
French retailer Carrefour has had a solid first quarter, where especially the strong performance in the home market is a boost. In Belgium, the retailer gained market share again, the south of Europe remained somewhat below expectations.
The secret admirer of the Dutch specialist in plant-based meat substitutes Vivera has revealed itself. It is the Brazilian meat giant JBS, giving itself a more future-oriented profile in the run-up to a new attempt to take its American operations to the stock exchange separately.
Coca-Cola has exceeded its quarterly expectations, fueled by strong demand for its soft drinks. Especially in Asia, consumers appear to be returning to their pre-pandemic habits.
French retail groups Casino and Intermarché will not only purchase together, but will also develop digital services and produce private labels. It is the start of a redrawing of the French - and European - purchasing landscape.
PepsiCo again benefited in the first quarter thanks to consumers spending time at home and buying more snacks, crisps and oats. As a result, sales and profit exceeded Wall Street's expectations.
In the first three months of the year, Deliveroo received more than double the number of orders compared to the same period last year. The company does expect the growth to slow down as the Covid measures will be phasing out.
Hopr, Belgium's first online supermarket, will start its activities next Monday, 19 April. Trialling in Hasselt, the goal is to expand to the whole of Belgium by 2026.
In most European countries, food retailer brands maintained their volume share during the pandemic. "A sign of confidence," according to private label manufacturers. However, selling prices were under pressure.
Takeover rumours around Sainsbury's are once again abuzz as Czech investor Daniel Kretinsky has unexpectedly increased his stake in the British supermarket chain to 9.99 per cent.
On the Spanish island of Mallorca, Aldi Nord has reached a small milestone: the discounter has just opened its five thousandth supermarket in Europe.
It has been a historic year for supermarkets, and Tesco is no exception: the British market leader saw its sales rise by almost 9 %, but the extra costs were so high that profits fell by around 20 %.
Amazon has launched a new private label for food, called 'Aplenty'. This way, the online giant reinforces its ambitions in food retail.
