General

German department store chain Karstadt is to open two stores in Berlin, that aim to reinvent themselves as a "networked marketplace". It will be the first new Karstadt department stores in the German capital for thirty years.

While more than 2000 jobs are cut as Carrefour closes 243 stores, former CEO Georges Plassat has received a bonus of almost a million euro because of his "good results". The trade unions are not amused, Carrefour France has seen better days...

Counterfeit products cost the European Union 60 billion euro in turnover, which is over 7 % of the total turnover of the sectors concerned. Moreover, the counterfeiting costs Europeans almost half a million jobs. 

Belgian investment fund Core Equity will not take over the Dutch Hema group after all, as an agreement with franchisers about e-commerce could not be reached.

Alibaba will open five new warehouses, including one in Liege. The Chinese retail group will use its subsidiary Cainiao to expand its logistical network and technology.

Chinese retail giant Alibaba will invest 1.4 billion dollars in postal service ZTO and will obtain 10 % of the Chinese package service’s shares. Alibaba is also looking for a logistics center in Germany in order to conquer the European market.

German concept store chain Kauf Dich Glücklich will open its first non-German store in Amsterdam soon. Shoppers will be able to enjoy a mixture of interior design, cosmetics and fashion, all in Scandinavian style. Antwerp will soon follow.

Plastic straws, cotton wads are among the first victims of the European Commission’s war on disposable plastic. The largest polluters will be outlawed.

French supermarket group Intermarché will launch a new store for seniors, called “Bien Chez Moi”, which will combine products and services fit for an older clientele. 

Stores have growth in their sights: GfK forecasts that physical stores in Europe will generate an additional 2.1 % of turnover in 2018, after a 1.8 % turnover increase in 2017.

There is life after Delhaize: former Delhaize Belgium CEO, Denis Knoops, has become a majority shareholder at 1PopUpStore, which owns Chronostock, a company that is specialized in temporary stores.

(content provided by EuroCommerce) Speaking to mark the launch of the Benelux study on territorial supply constraints, EuroCommerce Director-General Christian Verschueren argued for the EU to act on big brands’ fragmentation of the European market.

Investor 3i wants to keep a hold of Action after all. Even though the owner made it seem like it was looking for a buyer, 3i now denies it.

British retailer Marks & Spencer wants a strict restructuring: in the next four years, it wants to shut down 100 British stores (instead of 60). “We need to do this to safeguard the future”, it said.

Action’s owner, investment firm 3i, aims to sell a part of the discount store chain next year. The Brits would want to sell a 35 % stake in the firm.

Belgian Core Equity holding is allegedly close to acquiring Dutch chain HEMA: a verbal agreement is apparently in place, all that is required are the signatures.

Despite Amazon’s attractive offer, Indian online retailer Flipkart has chosen for Walmart and (remarkably), Google owner Alphabet as the new owners of 75 % of Flipkart’s shares. The deal is said to be worth 15 billion dollar.

Chinese retail group Alibaba has published better-than-expected quarterly results: turnover went through the roof, but its profit is under pressure because of increased investments.