General

(content provided by EuroCommerce) After more than four years of negotiation, the EU and Japan have reached a political agreement in principle on an Economic Partnership Agreement during Japanese Prime Minister Abe’s visit to Brussels. 

By the end of 2017, almost a quarter of everyone on the planet will be over the age of 50. This represents a huge opportunity for retailers but they must be wise, particularly in regard to their packaging choices, if they want to engage this demographic.

(advertorial) Shoptalk Europe is the big, new event for retail and ecommerce innovation. It covers the transformational trends, technologies and business models reshaping how consumers discover, shop and buy in an age of digital disruption. 

Research firm GfK’s recent study shows that the European consumer trust keeps growing, but there are vast differences depending on the country.

Macron effect

“One of the most obvious second quarter trends is the clearly visible positive effect Macron had on the French consumer trust. On the other side of the Channel, the British consumer is highly sceptic about the Brexit negotiations, reflected in its weaker score”, GfK consumer expert Rolf Bürkl said.

British Reckitt Benckiser, which owns brands like Durex, Calgon and Nurofen, has evaded hundreds of millions of euros in taxes through the Netherlands according to Oxfam Novib after it studies the company’s financial results.

It seems the cash register-free supermarket is the next big trend for many companies: Amazon and Albert Heijn now face competition from Chinese Alibaba, which just launched its own formula.

To invent a holiday and then reap the benefits: it is what Alibaba did with Singles Day and what Amazon has now done with Prime Day. Its third edition broke several records and generated a higher turnover for Amazon than Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

A court in the German city of Düsseldorf has registered the two separate companies that thus far made up the Metro Group. As of now, both companies feature on the stock exchange separately.

British store chain Marks & Spencer’s turnover grew several percent in the first quarter of its fiscal year 2017/2018. Nevertheless, the chain failed to turn the tide in its clothes division.

According to research firm Susquehanna, we may very well see a hostile Unilever take-over bid from Kraft Heinz soon, after the company recently rejected a normal bid.

(advertorial) Shoptalk Europe is the big, new event for retail and ecommerce innovation. It covers the transformational trends, technologies and business models reshaping how consumers discover, shop and buy in an age of digital disruption. 

Over the past few years, textile chain Zeeman invested a lot to remodel its store network and create a new image. Its improved results show that those investments are now paying off.

The European Commission labeled a new Polish retail tax an illegal form of state aid. Trade organization EuroCommerce says it is happy with the European Commission’s decision.

Amazon has just revealed its third Prime Day, which will be on the 11th of July. This counterpart to Black Friday, which is in the holiday season, will be filled with discounts all across the web shop.

Both Kinnevik and Rocket Internet have sold their final shares in Asian Lazada to Chinese Alibaba, which adds another 12.4 % of Lazada’s shares to its previous stake in the company.

The European Ecommerce Report 2017, a joint effort by Ecommerce Europe, EuroCommerce and the Ecommerce Foundation, states that European eCommerce will continue to grow, especially in Central and Eastern Europe.

Dutch store chain Hema has finally managed to turn the tide according to the first quarter results it recently published: turnover grew and the net loss dropped.

Only a few days after Kruidvat’s parent company, AS Watson had expressed an interest in Holland & Barrett, the chain was sold to a Russian billionaire who almost doubled AS Watson's offer.