Colruyt Brings Nutrition and Health Together on a Single Site
Colruyt Group launched its first integrated group site in Oostkamp, West Flanders, combining a Colruyt supermarket, Jims fitness club, a Colruyt Group Academy, and a Collect&Go pickup point under one roof. The supermarket opened in February, the gym followed in early March, and the tenth Academy opened on April 2. The concept leverages the retailer’s expertise to make preventive health services more accessible while offering its signature low‑price groceries. Colruyt says it will invest in more such multi‑brand locations.
Belgian Shopping Center Is Embracing ‘Livestream Commerce’ on TikTok
Waasland Shopping in Saint‑Nicolas, Belgium, has launched a monthly livestream commerce series on TikTok, featuring influencer Jaël Ost and guest creators. The inaugural broadcast on April 2 attracted roughly 12,500 live viewers and generated an equal number of likes, while shoppers...
How Decathlon Plans to Reach One Billion Customers by 2030s
French sports retailer Decathlon posted strong financial results in 2025, with gross merchandise volume reaching €20.7 bn (about $22.6 bn) and net revenue climbing 4% to €16.8 bn ($18.3 bn). Operating profit surged 21% to €1.8 bn ($2.0 bn) and net profit rose 16% to €910 m...
Despite Declining Revenue, Pepe Jeans Is Back in the Black
Pepe Jeans reported a modest profit of £35,889 (≈ $44,900) for the last fiscal year, reversing a £328,012 loss (≈ $410,000) recorded in 2024. The turnaround came despite an 11.4% revenue decline, falling to £1.19 million (≈ $1.49 million) from £1.34 million (≈ $1.68 million). The British denim...
Four New Stores Set to Open for Jumbo Belgium
Jumbo Belgium is set to open four new supermarkets, with locations confirmed in Lokeren, Ingelmunster, Sint‑Pieters‑Leeuw, and a forthcoming store in Mortsel. The Ingelmunster outlet will feature 1,650 m² of floor space, while the Sint‑Pieters‑Leeuw store occupies a 4,000 m² former Makro...
![[In the Picture] Skins Focuses on the Experience in Knokke](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://i0.wp.com/www.retaildetail.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/SkinsKnokke3-Aangepast.jpg)
[In the Picture] Skins Focuses on the Experience in Knokke
On April 1, Dutch beauty retailer Skins launched its newest boutique in Knokke, Belgium, expanding its presence beyond Ghent, Antwerp and Brussels. The 1,200‑square‑meter shop curates a selection of international niche perfume, skincare and makeup brands such as Creed, Westman Atelier...
Retailer Becomes Brand: Belgian Home Chain Juntoo at a Turning Point
Juntoo, a Belgian home‑furnishings chain launched in 2021, now operates 22 stores and enjoys roughly 80 % aided brand awareness in Flanders. The retailer is shifting from a pure retail model to a full‑fledged interior design brand, designing all furniture in‑house....
Esprit: Revenue Halved but Losses Narrowed
Esprit has transitioned to a pure licensing model after selling most of its operational assets, effectively becoming a brand‑only business. In the first fiscal year post‑relaunch, revenue fell by roughly 50%, but the company’s losses narrowed dramatically compared with the...
April Fools’ Day in Retail: Baking Ice Cubes, Delivery Drive Perfume and Listening Mugs
Retailers seized April Fools’ Day to showcase playful, tech‑driven pranks, leveraging generative AI for rapid concept creation. Dutch electronics seller Coolblue released a tongue‑in‑cheek “eau de delivery” perfume mimicking the scent of delivery drivers, while Belgian‑Dutch water brand Spa promoted a...
Keurig Dr Pepper Completes Acquisition of JDE Peet’s and Appoints CEO
Keurig Dr Pepper has completed its acquisition of 96.22% of JDE Peet’s, moving to split the combined business into two publicly traded companies. The coffee arm, encompassing Keurig, Jacobs, Douwe Egberts, L’OR and Peet’s, will generate roughly €14 billion (about $15.3 billion) in annual...
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[In the Picture] Joybuy Launches Debut Campaign for the European Market
Joybuy, JD.com’s new European e‑commerce platform, has launched its first pan‑European advertising push. The campaign runs on major streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+ and HBO Max, and on over 2,000 digital outdoor screens across the continent. It highlights fast,...
Plus Is Focusing on New Acquisitions After Costly Merger Years
Dutch supermarket chain Plus is shifting its strategy toward growth through acquisitions after years of merger‑related losses. The company posted a 2025 net loss of €56.2 million (approximately $61 million), up from €53 million in 2024, with €53.5 million of that loss tied to...
New CEO for Jumbo Belgium
Jumbo announced that Dutch entrepreneur Anrico Maat will replace Peter Isaac as director of its Belgian operations, while Isaac stays on as a strategic advisor. The change follows a restructuring aimed at accelerating growth toward a projected €500 million (≈$540 million) revenue...
Dutch Chocolate Makers Hands Off and Chocolatemakers Are Merging
Dutch chocolate makers Hands Off and Chocolatemakers are merging to create The Chocolate Impact Group. The combined entity currently generates about €8 million (≈$8.7 million) in revenue and targets €20 million (≈$21.8 million) within four years. Both firms specialize in sustainable chocolate and see...
Grocery Shopping Is Now the Second-Largest Online Sector in the Netherlands
Dutch e‑commerce is stabilizing, with total online spend projected at €35.7 billion in 2025 (about $39 billion), a modest 1 % dip from the prior year. While travel and event services are losing ground, physical goods are regaining momentum, propelled in part by...
Duvel Moortgat Looks Beyond Beer Following First Drop in Revenue in 20 Years
Duvel Moortgat, the Belgian brewer, reported a 1.7% revenue decline to €598 million (approximately $652 million) in 2025, marking its first sales drop in two decades, aside from the pandemic‑hit 2020. Volume fell about 2% to 2.2 million hl, prompting CEO Michel Moortgat to speed...
Albert Heijn Under Fire for Unhealthy Bulk Discounts
Albert Heijn, the Dutch market leader, runs over 1,000 bulk‑discount promotions each week, far outpacing rivals such as Jumbo and Plus. An analysis of 44,000 promotions across eight supermarket chains found that 57% were bulk deals, many tied to unhealthy...
Lidl Is Looking to Hire 240 New Employees in Belgium
Lidl announced plans to hire more than 240 new employees in Belgium over the next year as it targets opening six stores annually. The hiring spree includes store associates, logistics staff, and corporate roles, highlighted by a new 1,714 m² flagship...
Wasbar Launches a Franchise Scheme in Belgium and the Netherlands
Wasbar, a Belgian hospitality concept, is launching its first franchise location in Antwerp’s historic Melkmarkt district. The franchise will be operated by 25‑year‑old entrepreneurs Florjan Bex and Jonathan Habex, who have already worked within the brand. Owner Top Brands is...
Colruyt Is Rolling Out a Driverless Delivery Vehicle in Leuven
Colruyt Group’s Collect&Go is piloting an unmanned electric delivery vehicle in Leuven from mid‑May through August, marking Belgium’s first autonomous vehicle on public roads without a fixed route. The compact vehicle, limited to 25 km/h, can transport groceries for two customers,...
How Just Eat Takeaway.com Moves From Food Delivery to “On-Demand Retail”
Just Eat Takeaway.com is broadening its instant‑delivery platform beyond meals, adding partnerships with electronics retailer MediaMarkt and second‑hand seller CeX. The shift stems from observed cross‑selling, where customers added health, pet care, and other non‑food items to grocery orders. Pete...
Ikea Is Testing Quiet Hours in Mons
IKEA’s Mons store in Belgium will hold two weekly quiet hours, each Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., during which music, non‑essential announcements and aisle logistics are halted. The trial runs from April 3 to August 28 and aims to create a calmer...
Colruyt Is Selling Emergency Food Kits
Colruyt will start selling a 24‑hour emergency food kit on March 31 at about 80 Belgian stores, responding to consumer and government calls for short‑term self‑sufficiency. The basic package delivers roughly 3,100 calories and includes vegetarian meals, energy bars, drink powder,...
When AI Takes the Helm: Belgian Webshop Operates Completely Autonomously
Belgian startup NXTGN launched “Is This Real?”, an online T‑shirt shop run entirely by artificial intelligence. The AI generates daily designs based on current news, handles product creation, marketing, sales and automated newsletters without any human decision. Each design is...
Nestlé Moves Forward with Billion-Dollar Deal: Private Equity Firms Eye Perrier and San Pellegrino
Nestlé is advancing the sale of a 50% stake in its European water division, which includes premium brands such as Perrier, San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. The transaction is expected to value the division at roughly €5 billion (about $5.45 billion). Private‑equity heavyweight...
AB InBev Is Seeking a Successor for Its Outgoing Chairman
AB InBev’s chairman Martin J. Barrington will step down after nine years, ending a tenure that began in 2019. Barrington, a former Altria CEO, joined the board in 2015 and was granted two term extensions despite the company’s age‑limit rule....
Fonq, Dutch Home Decor Webshop, Declared Bankrupt
Dutch online home‑decor retailer Fonq, founded in 2003, announced bankruptcy after years of decline. The company once posted €66 million (≈ $71 million) in revenue in 2015 and was bought in 2016 by Ad Scheepbouwer, who hoped to expand sales to €200 million (≈ $214 million)....
Pernod Ricard Wants to Acquire Jack Daniel’s
French spirits giant Pernod Ricard and U.S. producer Brown‑Forman are in advanced talks to merge, which would combine Pernod’s €15 billion (≈$16.2 billion) valuation with Brown‑Forman’s $12 billion market cap. The combined entity would own a broad portfolio including Absolut Vodka, Havana Club rum,...
Grocery Shopping via ChatGPT: How Carrefour Is Embracing AI
Carrefour has become the first European retailer to embed its product catalogue directly into ChatGPT, allowing French users to browse items, check stock, and build a shopping cart within the AI chat interface. The service launched Thursday and is instantly...
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[Opinion] Retail Powerhouse Action Continues to Surge Forward at an Unprecedented Pace
Action, the Dutch non‑food discounter, posted €16 billion in revenue for 2025—about $17.6 billion—representing 16.1% growth and a footprint of 3,302 stores in 14 countries. The company’s rapid expansion underscores its unique blend of scale and operational speed, positioning it as Europe’s...
Colruyt Partners with Retail Media Platform in Which Ahold Delhaize Holds a Stake
Colruyt Group has teamed up with advertising platform Adhese to accelerate its retail media services, aiming to deliver omnichannel campaigns that leverage first‑party data. The partnership will provide the retailer with technology infrastructure, onboarding support, and scalable campaign management tools....
French Organic Grocery Chain La Vie Claire Ventures Abroad
French organic retailer La Vie Claire announced the acquisition of six Belgian stores that were previously part of the Biocap network. The deal positions Belgium as a launchpad for the chain’s broader European expansion. Belgium’s organic market surged 8.6% in...
Suntory Expands European Partnership with Keurig Dr Pepper
Suntory Beverage & Food Europe will produce and distribute Dr Pepper and Canada Dry across fifteen European countries, expanding its long‑standing partnership with Keurig Dr Pepper. The agreement, effective January 2026, adds these brands to Suntory’s existing Schweppes portfolio and...
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[In Depth] Is Carrefour Reconsidering the Sale of Its Belgian Division?
Carrefour Group officially dismissed speculation that it would sell its Belgian operations, reaffirming a long‑term expansion strategy in the market. The denial follows reports that German investment firm Aurelius, alongside local management, was exploring a takeover. Carrefour’s brief press release...
Carrefour Stores Sold Off in Italy Will Become Carrefour Again After All
Carrefour has reversed its 2024 exit from Italy by signing a three‑year franchise licence with NewPrinces Group, the buyer of its former stores. The €270 million (€≈$295 million) transaction closed on Dec 1, 2025, but the French brand will continue to operate under its...
Maxeda Raises 50 Million Euros and Welcomes New Majority Shareholder
Benelux DIY retailer Maxeda completed a €50 million (approximately $54 million) recapitalization, bolstering its balance sheet. The funding comes from GoldenTree Asset Management, which in turn secured a majority ownership stake. This capital injection strengthens Maxeda’s liquidity while shifting control to a...
Belgian Garden Center Chain Aveve Unveils New Concept and Sets Its Sights on Acquisitions
Belgian garden‑centre chain Aveve is rolling out a data‑driven store concept, beginning with pilot renovations in Bornem, Mechelen and Bree. The new layout tailors product zones to local customer profiles drawn from roughly one million loyalty cards, shifting from a uniform...
![[Analysis] How China Sets the Standard for the Future of Luxury, Also in the West](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://i0.wp.com/www.retaildetail.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/shutterstock_gucci_asia.jpg)
[Analysis] How China Sets the Standard for the Future of Luxury, Also in the West
After years of rapid expansion, Chinese luxury shoppers are moving beyond sheer volume toward refined, identity‑driven consumption. The market is shifting from imported status symbols to products that express personal culture and trust. This maturation is reshaping demand both at...
Bol Also Allows Customers to Check Out at External Online Stores
Ahold Delhaize’s Dutch e‑commerce platform Bol is extending its checkout technology to third‑party online stores. The move lets merchants embed familiar payment methods such as iDEAL and pay‑later, aiming to cut friction and lift conversion rates. Initial integrations are live for...
The Buzz on Upfront in Rotterdam: Hype, Reinvention, or the Supermarket of Tomorrow?
Upfront, launched in 2019 on Rotterdam’s Van Nelle site, redefines the supermarket by offering a curated range of 185‑200 sports‑nutrition products in a minimalist, design‑forward space. The store replaces traditional baskets with cotton bags and uses subtle digital price tags,...
The Musketeers Brewery Acquires Triporteur Beers
The Musketeers Brewery in Sint‑Gillis‑Waas has acquired Belgian Original Maltbakery and Brewery (BOM Brewery) in West‑Flanders, bringing the Triporteur beer range under its umbrella. The deal fully integrates BOM Brewery, shifting Triporteur production and distribution exclusively to Musketeers’ Sint‑Gillis‑Waas facility....
Discount Retailer Kik Is Closing 300 Stores Across Europe
German discount retailer Kik announced a major network reshuffle, planning to close roughly 300 stores across Europe by the end of 2023, resulting in a net reduction of about 225 outlets to just over 4,000 locations. In Germany, around 135...
Lidl Belgium Is Changing Its Promotional Policy: Special Offers Starting Monday
Lidl Belgium is revamping its weekly flyer by launching special offers as early as Monday, expanding the promotional calendar to cover fresh, premium, private‑label, and seasonal items throughout the week. The new schedule creates four distinct promotion windows that mirror...
Aldi Belgium Is Using a Mobile Coffee Bar to Recruit New Employees
Aldi Belgium has launched a mobile coffee‑bar recruitment tour, inviting job seekers to interview over a cup of coffee and leave with a contract on the spot. The initiative follows pilot events that drew roughly 300 candidates per session and...
Decathlon Is Setting up Shop at Ikea in the Netherlands
Ikea will lease roughly 3,000 square meters of its Hengelo store to sports retailer Decathlon starting next year. The Dutch flagship is being downsized as customer behavior shifts toward online shopping, prompting a redesign of the home accessories area. The...
Construction on Brussels Shopping Center Broeklin to Begin This Fall
Construction of the Broeklin mixed‑use complex in Brussels will break ground this fall, with a target opening in the third quarter of 2028. The development comprises roughly 55,000 square meters of retail and office space, a 3,500‑seat theater, 23,500 square meters of...
Kave Home Continues International Expansion with Its First Belgian Store
Spanish design retailer Kave Home opened its first Belgian store in Ghent on March 26, expanding its European footprint. The brand now operates 140 stores across 80 countries and reported record revenue of €321.2 million (about $350 million), a 23 % year‑over‑year increase. Kave...
Ikea Restaurants Are Getting Digital Kiosks
After successful pilots in Spain and Portugal, IKEA has introduced digital ordering kiosks at its Liège, Belgium restaurant. The self‑service system lets customers order and pay via touchscreens, with an app option coming soon, while preserving traditional counter service. Early...
Biedronka Is Eyeing Carrefour’s Polish Division
Biedronka, Poland’s largest supermarket chain owned by Jeronimo Martins, has signaled interest in buying a sizable portion of Carrefour’s Polish assets. Carrefour is refocusing on its core markets of France, Spain and Brazil, leaving its Polish division up for sale....
Colruyt Is Testing a New Store Layout
Colruyt is piloting a new store layout in five Belgian locations, moving the wine aisle away from the entrance and replacing it with a rack that showcases top promotions and flyers. The change aims to make price‑driven offers immediately visible...