Shoes and clothing brand Geox is going to close about eighty branches in the coming years, fifty of which are in Europe. Last year the Italian retailer’s net loss increased fivefold to almost 25 million euros.

Discounter Aldi responds promptly to British market leader Tesco after it launched a price offensive last week: “We had a plan to price match Tesco but we didn’t want to put thousands of prices up.”

Ikea has just started selling its articles via Alibaba's Chinese e-commerce platform Tmall. It is the first time in its 77-year history that the furniture giant sells through a third party.

Amazon is going to sell its cashless store technology to other retailers. To this end, the American e-commerce giant has already established a new division.

Tesco has sold its last remaining Asian activities to CP Group. The company from Thailand pays 10.6 billion dollars (9.3 billion euros) for the 2,000 stores in Thailand and Malaysia. Britain's biggest supermarket chain now only retains a presence in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Central Europe.

Frits van Eerd, CEO of Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo, wants to expand into Wallonia - and from there, France. New markets can be conquered if a chain offers premium experience at discount prices, he says.

A new report links 83 large companies, including Adidas, H&M and Volkswagen, to forced labour in China. It says tens of thousands of Uyghurs are used as forced labourers at supply companies.

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.

The delisting conflict between Agecore and Coca-Cola is over in France (its products are back in Intermarché stores after what the chain calls a "balanced agreement"), but continues at Belgian Colruyt.

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.

Fabienne Bryskère has been appointed new CEO of Belgian distribution group Mestdagh. She succeeds Guillaume Beuscart, who left the company earlier this year.

Discounter Lidl is banning Danone products from its French shelves after a discussion about price transparency. The ban on eight references of the Danette and Activia brands enters into effect on 15 May.

British supermarket chain Tesco will lower the prices of hundreds of products to the level of Aldi's prices, and emphasise that with "Aldi Price Match" signs in the shelves.

German wholesaler Metro has been approached by American catering multinational Sysco about a takeover. The Americans want to buy Metro in order to continue their European expansion.

Massimo Dutti has launched its last kids collection: its parent company Inditex wants to concentrate all its children's fashion at the Zara brand.

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has had an excellent 2019. Turnover grew 25 %, while losses were turned into full-year profits again as it managed to keep costs under control.

Japanese fashion chain Uniqlo plans to open a fourth Belgian store next autumn, in one of Brussels' most important shopping streets.

American doughnut chain Dunkin’ has concrete plans to expand to Belgium, but which city will get the first Belgian store is not yet sure. Current plans point to Antwerp's Central Station area, but Brussels may yet steal first place.

A meeting between the new owner of Blokker, Dirk Bron, and the trade unions has not resolved much. The new owner repeated his promises and played down his past (and possible future) convictions, the trade unions promise not to strike for now but are not reassured either.

Luxury platform Farfetch achieved a turnover of more than a billion dollars in 2019, for the first time in its history. On the other side, its losses have increased considerably.

Belgian supermarket chain Colruyt has found an agreement with Douwe Egberts about its price conditions, and readmits the coffee products to its shelves. A similar deal with Coca-Cola has not yet been struck.

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.

Belgian brewery group AB InBev did achieve volume growth in 2019, but its profit was lower than expected. The world's biggest brewery group is worried about the consequences of the corona crisis during the coming months.

The new coronavirus is not just taking its toll on China, Italy and Korea: retailers worldwide are suffering as well. The efforts of Coolblue are a painful reminder of how dependent from China we really are. Is a new massacre looming in our shopping streets, virtual or otherwise?

French retailer Carrefour says its transformation plan is working and raises its ambitions. CEO Alexandre Bompard says their focus will be on customer satisfaction this year: convenience and e-commerce should make sure the numbers keep going upwards.

Will Ahold Delhaize's management board be devoid of Belgians soon? In April, the Belgian-Dutch retailer will elect its new management board, and there is only Belgian candidate. Dominique Leroy, however, is not without controversy. The last member of the founding family is set to leave as well.

Fnac Darty's turnover rose slightly in 2019, as new activities were successfully integrated. The French electronics group remains cautious for 2020.

Dutch eyewear retailer GrandVision suffered a profit drop last year, despite a 9 % turnover rise. Moreover, the acquisition by EssilorLuxottica is still on hold as European competition authorities want to further look into the deal.

Ahold Delhaize had already released its financial results a fortnight ago, but now the Dutch retail group has also published its full annual report. We shed some light on a few remarkable figures.

Belgian fruit and vegetable producer Greenyard saw its turnover rise 6.4 % in its financial year's third quarter, as it benefited of higher prices and regained some market share.

Coolblue has raised its prices significantly and halted marketing and affiliate actions - without communication. Due to the corona crisis, it seems: the Dutch retailer is afraid a reduced production in China will cause empty shelves and acts preemptively. But is that all there is to it?

German website Manager Magazin says both Aldi branches (Nord and Süd) are actively pursuing a plan to merge by 2022, ending a schism lasting half a century. As usual, the retailer denies, but it is certain that both entities are cooperating ever more closely.