C&A

C&A will undergo a major restructuring: the fashion group is opting for a leaner organisational structure, which involves merging and centralising some functions. It is not yet clear how many jobs will be lost.

How do you translate difficult terms like 'circular' and 'cradle to cradle' in a way that is understandable to retail staff and consumers? The way in which fashion retailer C&A meets this challenge can also inspire other retailers.

Increasingly, brands and retailers are willing to take a decisive stand: "Social responsibility is high on the agenda of managers, employees and consumers. There has been a structural change", Vlerick Business School's Gino Van Ossel thinks.

Setting up sales points in hypermarkets: the recipe seems to be working for C&A because this summer, the retailer has again opened two shop-in-shops in France, this time at Cora. Last year, the fashion chain set up a similar partnership with Géant Casino.

From now on Belgian retailers can also connect their physical stores directly to the Zalando platform to sell their products online. C&A is one of the first partners.

After C&A Germany joined Zalando's Connected Retail partner programme at the beginning of this year, the retailer is now extending the collaboration to seven other European countries. The Netherlands is among the first to follow. Belgium will join at a later stage.

Fashion retailer C&A, which already introduced a new logo and corporate identity, starts working now on a new store concept. In Zurich, the budget chain’s flagship store was the first to receive a makeover.