General

Charlie Temple, a Dutch online optician belonging to the GrandVision group, is expanding to two more markets: Austria and Belgium.

French luxury company Louis Vuitton wants to conquer the (still fragmented) jewellery market. As an eye-catcher, it is going to get the second-largest diamond ever cut in Antwerp and processed into smaller gemstones.

Dutch retailers, brace yourselves: Amazon is serious about its expansion to the Netherlands. The previously announced Dutch webshop is opening its doors later this year and will offer "millions of products" straight away. Will Belgium follow in the slipstream?

Storesquare, an e-commerce platform for small businesses, will not survive next February. Belgian owner Roularta says ambitions were not met, nor was the break-even point.

Film producer Warner Bros. has announced it will open an official Wizarding World store, the very first in the world, in New York. The opening of the store that is focused on the universe of Harry Potter and its spin-offs, is expected to happen this summer - hoping to make the most of the high season.

What will 2020 bring for the retail sector? Growing tensions between retailers and their suppliers, fears EuroCommerce director-general Christian Verschueren. He hopes that the new European Commission will put a strong stop to increasing protectionism.

Alibaba is trying to lure European sellers away from its American arch rival Amazon: the Chinese giant has scrapped its monthly fees and is now charging lower commissions than its main competitor.