Fashion
The Belgian summer sales period suffered from the resurgence of Covid-19 and subsequent measures: its first-day turnover was only half that of last year.
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General
Amazon reached its highest profit ever thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic: it sold 40?% more than the year before, enabling profit to double to 5.2?billion dollars (4.4?billion euros).
Food
AB InBev has suffered a huge downturn in beer sales last quarter, due to the measures to stop the spread of Covid-19. Profits went downhill even faster for the world's largest brewery group, which also had to admit a huge impairment in Africa.
Even though Belgian restaurants, bars and non-food stores have been allowed to reopen for a long time, consumption has not yet recovered to pre-lockdown levels.
French luxury group Kering, owner of Gucci and rival to LVMH, saw its sales drop by 44?% in the past quarter. Despite the first signs of recovery after the lockdowns, especially in China, the second half of the year remains uncertain.
In response to the rising number of Covid-19 cases, the Belgian government has decided to adopt strict rules when it comes to shopping. 'Fun shopping' is banned: store visits need to be done with a face mask, alone and for maximum half an hour.
The Belgian government is enforcing the wearing of face masks in shopping streets, starting this weekend. The Netherlands are still divided over the issue, despite the dramatic resurgence in the number of Covid-19 cases.
French clothing retailer Tati is forced to close its last remaining store due to the coronavirus fallout, fierce competition and changing consumer habits. That spells the end for the iconic pink and white chequers.
The Covid-measures inflicted Coca-Cola with a 28?% turnover drop in the second quarter of its financial year. Still, the soft drinks producer remains hopeful as it sees signs of recovery.
The Covid-crisis accelerates the reorganisation plans at Marks & Spencer: the British retailer wants to make three years of progress in one year, at the cost of another 950 jobs.
More and more countries make face masks mandatory in stores: England joins the group on 24 July, France on 1 August. Even notorious opponents Boris Johnson and Donald Trump are now arguing for the face covering.
The coronavirus crisis is causing major shifts in the catering and food service market. While many traditional restaurants are closing, 'dark kitchens' are booming. The future is theirs, and here is why.
The lockdown measures against the coronavirus proved to be a blessing for meal supplier HelloFresh: in the second quarter just as in the first, demand for meal boxes increased sharply.
Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly important in the supermarket industry, but biased algorithms can cause great damage. Ahold Delhaize wants to pay more attention to this, CEO Frans Muller says.
PepsiCo saw its turnover drop 3.1?% in the three months until 13?June, but took heart from the encouraging sales growth of its cereals.
(update) French fashion chain Promod is reducing the size of its foreign activities. The German branch has started an insolvency procedure, the Belgian stores are also being looked into. However, only one Belgian store is closing.
