Food

Carrefour had planned to open an automated store in the centre of Brussels, but technical and logistical considerations made the French retailer shelve its plans.

A merger of Belgo-Dutch supermarket group Ahold Delhaize and its American competitor Kroger would make sense and allow for 1.2 billion euros in synergies. Together, they would be able to increase their value in the United States by 36 %.

The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says a vegetarian or vegan diet for all is an absolute must to avoid our planet being damaged beyond repair. Pastures must also be converted into woodland, the IPCC says.

In September, French retail giant Carrefour is to open the first two stores of its Spanish discounter Supeco ('supermercado economico' or 'cheap supermarket') in France. The stores will open in Valenciennes, near the Belgian border. The discounter is going through a fast international growth.

Despite the strike at American subsidiary Stop & Shop, Ahold Delhaize was able to limit the damage to its financial results. Dutch bol.com performed strongly, Belgian Delhaize less so.

Changes in shopping behaviour in its customers force British market leader Tesco to cut 4,500 jobs in 153 proximity stores that carry the Tesco Metro banner. The size of these stores is somewhere in between that of hypermarkets and that of Express stores.

Royal Swinkels Family Brewers, the Dutch brewery that produces Bavaria, Palm and Rodenbach, has acquired a 40 % minority share in the Georgian brewery Argo.