Anti-American sentiment, bankruptcies, Chinese takeovers and growing non-food discounters were some of the topics that attracted attention in 2025, if we are to judge by this chart of the twenty most popular articles.
The top 20
20. Next month, seven Cora hypermarkets will close their doors for good in Belgium. The announcement of this decision was not entirely unexpected, but it still caused understandable commotion.
19. As cheap non-food imports from China become more difficult, Temu is looking to become an FMCG player in Europe. The Chinese platform is already approaching local suppliers of food and cosmetics.
18. Carrefour is accelerating the clean-up in its international portfolio: Italy has been sold, its Polish operations are for sale, while explorations are ongoing for Romania and Argentina. CEO Alexandre Bompard wants to focus on three core markets: France, Spain and Brazil.
17. Ahold Delhaize is launching a range of 500 new private brand products in consistent packaging with labels in four languages, for its chains in Czechia, Greece, Romania and Serbia. The group is aiming to raise the sales share for private brands to 45 % by 2028.
16. American sporting goods giant Callaway has sold German outdoor brand Jack Wolfskin to Chinese group Anta Sports. It was not the only deal last year in which a European player fell into Chinese hands…
15. Carrefour has closed all its stores in Oman, following a similar withdrawal from Jordan two months prior. The French retailer has been targeted by boycott campaigns by groups who allege the retailer has ties to Israel.
14. The restart of bankrupt Dutch music retailer Bax Music is a fact. The company is one of the larger European players in its segment
13. Zalando announced the loss of 450 jobs in its customer service departments as part of a restructuring. The German online fashion giant says its current organisational structure is too complex.
12. An intriguing rumour: at the end of last year, Ahold Delhaize reportedly started secret preliminary talks with Carrefour, aiming to acquire the French chain. By January, however, the negotiations had already ended.
11. PVH, the holding company behind Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, is implementing layoffs at its regional headquarters in Amsterdam. The reorganisation follows a 300 million euro loss in the first quarter.
10. Probably the deal of the year: JD.com has reached an agreement with the major shareholders of Ceconomy, the owner of electronics chains MediaMarkt and Saturn. The Chinese e-commerce company aims to take over the entire company.
9. The potential disappearance of an iconic brand has caused considerable concern: Tupperware has closed its European factories in Belgium and Portugal…
8. … But reassurance soon followed. After French entrepreneurs took over the brand and distribution rights for France, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Poland, the Paris court has lifted judicial protection, ensuring the brand continues to exist.
7. In a new European campaign for Lidl‘s DIY private brand Parkside, German-American actor Ralf Möller appears alongside trusted ambassador Arnold Schwarzenegger.
6. For the first time, Lidl has opened a store that offers only non-food products. Under the name “Home & Living,” the retailer is showcasing six private labels in a store area of about 500 sqm, taking on Action and TEDi.
5. Belgian interior design chain Casa International filed for bankruptcy in March. The 63 stores in Belgium closed immediately, those abroad followed in the course of the year.
4. After Lidl announced the ‘biggest price cut of all time’ in Germany in May, rivals Aldi Nord and Süd launched the counterattack in a battle for price leadership that also affected other retailers.
3. United States President Trump’s threats to take over Danish Greenland has caused a rise in anti-American sentiments in Denmark. Salling, Denmark’s largest food retailer, has created a star-shaped label to indicate that a brand is European.
2. Unilever has chosen Magnum as the namesake for its ice cream division that went public in December. Meanwhile, the company is at odds with activist brand Ben & Jerry’s.
1. Australian shoe brand Ugg seems to be more popular than we could have suspected. The news about the brand being forced to change its name after it lost a legal battle with the American company that holds the overseas trademark, went viral.
