Allemagne

Apcoa wants to turn its European network of car parks into distribution centres, where parcels are put into cargo bikes for deliveries in city centres. These should profit from a reduction in congestion and pollution.

German Henkel saw its sales decline slightly because of the coronavirus crisis, as hair salons and automobile manufacturers were forced to close. The soap and washing powder category did perform well, so much so that the Persil manufacturer increased its soap supply by 30 %.

Puma has seen its profits fall by nearly 62 % in the first quarter, while its revenue only fell by 1.3 %. E-commerce managed to save part of the sports brand's performance, but it looks like worse is yet to come.

German sports giant Adidas has been granted a three billion euro loan from the German government, in order to enable it to survive the impact of the coronavirus. In return, however, the company will temporarily not be allowed to pay dividends.

Lidl is publishing a list of the suppliers behind its private label brands in Germany. The discounter is one of the first chains in the world to disclose such sensitive information, and says it does so in a move to become more sustainable and transparent.

Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd are working on the previously announced standardisation of their private brands. By the end of this year, most of the assortment will be modified.

In 2019, Zalando realised another major growth in turnover and profit, with the fourth quarter seeing particularly good results. In the next few years, the German webshop will focus more on luxury brands and second-hand clothing.