Electronics
Dutch electronics retailer Coolblue has expanded to Germany, with an e-commerce pilot in Düsseldorf launched today. The aim is to open physical stores soon as well.
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Fashion
Dries Van Noten opens its first store in China at the end of August. The Belgian fashion designer moves into a building of no less than 1,800 square metres in Shanghai.
General
To support the company's further European expansion, Ace & Tate raised over 14 million euros. The money will be used to open sixteen new stores.
Food
Amazon is attacking the supermarket landscape with several concepts at the same time: after the growth of home delivery during the corona crisis, the cash-less Amazon Go concept is expanding further, while "regular" supermarkets are also being added.
Lidl Belgium's fair trade chocolate bars 'Way to Go!' are going international: the chocolate is also finding its way onto store shelves in Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Even though Forever 21 only retreated from Europe in 2019, the American fast-fashion brand already eyes a return to the 'Old Continent'. A new, Europe-centred webshop should pave the way.
Furniture
Three years after leaving the Belgian market, the interior chain Habitat is back in the country. At first only with an online shop, it is also expected to reopen physical stores there soon.
Amazon grows ever more powerful in this coronavirus crisis as e-commerce booms like never before. The tech giant is investing in testkits and even in a corona-proof supply chain. Is the giant going to target health services? It may well be, professor Scott Galloway thinks.
Property
Ingka Centres, owner of shopping centres and part of the Ikea Group, wants to enter the American market. The real estate company is in talks to refurbish properties on central locations in major American cities.
French dairy giant Danone has launched a 'Plant-Based Acceleration Unit', which should push its plant-based turnover from two to five billion euros by 2025.
After a successful start in the French-speaking part of Belgium, French sneaker chain Courir plans to cross the language border soon, spurred by the ambitions of its new owner.
Mere, a hard-discounter from Russia, opens its third store in Germany and wants to expand further into Europe. The economic crisis caused by the coronavirus is an opportunity for the low-budget retailer.
Normally, Belgian 'healthy fast food chain' Foodmaker, was to open five new restaurants in the upcoming months. Due to the corona crisis, however, those plans are falling apart and the company must first of all try to survive now.
As of today, customers in the Benelux can visit amazon.nl for a range of more than one hundred million products in more than thirty categories. Before today, amazon.nl only sold books and Kindles; the Dutch had to go to the German site for the full product range.
Amazon would (finally) launch its complete webshop in the Netherlands next week, according to statements to several media offices. Currently, Amazon.nl is only a Kindle and book shop.
Danish toy maker Lego wants to open 150 new stores this year, on the back of an uplifting profit and revenue growth last year. Despite the growth coming mainly from China, the Danish company sees no reason to be pessimistic about the coronavirus.
