Hema

HEMA wants to concentrate on its core markets and has therefore decided to close all six shops in the United Kingdom at the end of the summer. A decision on Spain may follow soon.

Ahold Delhaize has been criticised in the Dutch media, and specifically by the newspaper De Volkskrant, for how it uses its dominant market position. Without being able to present any hard evidence, the newspaper argues that Ahold Delhaize is "pushing the boundaries" in this regard. The supermarket group calls this an "inaccurate picture" but now faces a perception crisis.

Marks & Spencer is one of the first major brands to join the movement that is calling to end forced labour in the cotton and garment industry in the region of Xinjiang, China.

Investment company Parcom and family Van Eerd, owners of the Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo, are close to an agreement with three major Dutch banks on financing Hema's acquisition.

Hema has a (preliminary) deal with acquisition candidate Parcom and Jumbo family Van Eerd. The consortium has eight weeks to complete the financing. Meanwhile, the department store chain is also announcing good quarterly results.

Dutch retailer Hema has entered the Mexican market via a webshop. The opening of 200 physical stores - scheduled for this year - has been delayed due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo saw a 14 % turnover growth in the first six months of 2020, exceeding market growth of 8.5 %. Online sales exploded, but progress in Belgium was slower than expected and the La Place restaurants seem to be in a bit of a pickle.