General

Belgian outdoor chain AS Adventure has acquired its German competitor McTrek. The acquisition opens up the largest European outdoor market for the Belgians, thanks to McTrek’s 39 stores and web shop.

Several American department store chains continue to underperform. Both Macy’s and Kohl’s experienced turnover slumps compared to the previous year, even though they both managed to beat analysts’ expectations.

Amazon is in talks with American event location owners to see whether it could sell tickets for their events on its web shop.

German Henkel has had a record second quarter, when turnover reached nearly 5.1 billion euro. For the first time ever, its six-month turnover surpassed the 10 billion euro milestone, thanks to its acquisition of laundry detergent company Sun.

Lion Capital has approached business bank Credit Suisse to look into “strategic options” for Hema, which basically means it has to find an interested buyer for the Dutch store chain.

Consumer spending in the UK has dropped for the third straight month in July. It is the first time in four years that there was a three-month drop, with analysts pointing to the Brexit.

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French company Bic, known for its disposable lighters, ball-point pens and razor blades, has seen its sales stagnate over the past six months. The board has immediately lowered its full-year growth forecast.

Just like many other companies, Nivea’s parent company, German Beiersdorf, was hit by a cyber-attack last year. However, its financial results show that the attack was rather easily overcome.

Dutch discount chain Action has had enormous success since its acquisition by investment firm 3i. It was the group’s best-performing company once more last year and sets its targets at a 10 billion euro turnover.

The IMF has issued its latest six-monthly World Economic Outlook, which again marked a continued shift towards protectionism in advanced economies. “This is short-sighted”, says EuroCommerce.

(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. 

Starting today, you can register for the annual RetailDetail Day, in Mechelen on 21 September. The widely varied program will bring together reputable retailers and digital innovators.

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.