Food
Picnic almost doubled its turnover in 2019, although losses also increased. In the meantime, the online supermarket is preparing to expand into France - and who knows, into Belgium also?
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Takeover talks between Carrefour and Couche-Tard have been halted. However, both companies are looking at how they can work more closely together in the future.
General
French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire is already threatening to torpedo a possible takeover deal between Carrefour and Canadian Couche-Tard under the guise of "food sovereignty".
Half-empty shelves and scarcity of fish: barely two weeks after Brexit came into force, the chaos has arrived. A (non-exhaustive) overview.
In France, Black Friday will be delayed by one week: Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire is asking for the sales event to be postponed. Retailers agree on the condition that all stores are allowed to reopen.
Fashion
Le Printemps, the famous French chain of department stores, is also a victim of coronavirus. Four branches in France are closing, as are three branches of daughter chain Citadium.
Intermarché, Auchan and Carrefour facilitate access to their digital platforms and pick-up points for small independent retailers affected by the new lockdown. They are doing this out of solidarity, but also out of self-interest, of course.
No one knows how they will pronounce it, but from now on French consumers can also shop online at De Bijenkorf. Following the launch of a French-speaking Belgian webshop, the department store chain is now attacking France.
Action is testing a new store concept, which is twice as big as usual: in France, a 1,600 m² store has opened its doors, the largest of the non-food discounter to date.
Kenzo Takada, the founder of fashion brand Kenzo, died from the coronavirus. The colourful designer of Japanese origin died in Paris at the age of 81.
Did French President Macron himself ask for the takeover deal between LVMH and Tiffany to be blown up? While the rumour mill is running, the legal battle is taking shape: in January, the fate of the fiancées will be settled.
H&M subsidiary & Other Stories, which also has a range of beauty products, is testing a vending machine with its products in Paris. The retailer wants to promote contactless shopping during the coronavirus pandemic.
French sports goods specialist Decathlon opens a brand new concept, Decathlon DX. The 800 m² pilot store at the retailer’s headquarters is a concept store that will combine temporary thematic offers, 3D printing and RFID.
French hypermarket chain Auchan is laying off 1,475 employees as part of a major reorganisation: a change of strategy is now necessary as customers are buying more and more online and less and less in stores.
French retail chain Carrefour has started a test in Paris, with a pick-up point for pedestrians that is fully automated. There is even a separate part for frozen foods.
French supermarket chain Carrefour is trialling a check-out process where customers can reserve a certain time slot at the till. The service, called C'Réservé, will be tested in Villiers-en-Bière near Paris starting 25 August.
