France
This coverage focuses on retail developments in France that are relevant to UK retail professionals, highlighting market trends, store openings and closures, cross-border strategies, leadership moves, and regulatory changes. Reporting provides insights into how French retail dynamics influence and intersect with UK businesses, supporting managers and executives monitoring international opportunities and challenges.
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Mar- 2020 -11 MarchHigh Street
B&M completes £11m disposal of German business
B&M European Value Retail has announced the completion of its German business disposal following a strategic review of the business. The group’s 80% controlling stake in the business was sold for €12.5m (£10.8 m) to a purchasing consortium led by AC Curtis Salta. The consortium also includes Wiebke Stern, Sebastian…
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Feb- 2020 -25 FebruaryBusiness Bites
Chlorinated chicken ain’t the way
The European Union will insist that the UK retains the current ban on chlorinated chicken as part of any free trade agreement that might be struck by the end of this year. It taps into one of the most symbolic arguments made during the last three years by those who…
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24 FebruaryAnalysis
Global stocks react badly to coronavirus update
It looks like efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak have not been entirely successful, and stock markets around the world are now beginning to react more profoundly than before. The FTSE 100 was down almost 3.3% at the time of writing, from 7,403 points to 7,159. For those not familiar…
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Jan- 2020 -29 JanuaryAnalysis
British Airways gets flighty and Starbucks smells the coffee over coronavirus
The business response to the coronavirus situation, which appears to be developing into a serious crisis, continues apace today. British Airways today announced that it was suspending all flights between the UK and Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus originally broke out. In a statement it said: “We have…
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22 JanuaryAnalysis
Ted Baker hanging by a thread amid £58m balance sheet black hole
If you have shares in Ted Baker, you are probably not having a good morning. The price has tanked by almost 7% after news broke that the fashion brand has found a £58m black hole in its accounts. There’s being a few hundred thousand or a few million short, but…
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21 JanuaryAnalysis
Global CEOs and the IMF reckon the UK is about to have a good year
It’s not often there is some incontrovertibly positive news about the economy, but today we’ve had some. Audit and business advisory firm PwC has polled 1,600 chief executives, and found that they think the UK is the fourth most important target in the world for companies looking to make investments.…
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Dec- 2019 -19 DecemberBusiness Bites
Airbnb is the latest ‘big tech’ monolith to run rings around our outdated legal apparatus
It may seem tangential to those who do not work in real estate, but there is a court case on the continent with major implications for the future of many sectors, which reached a critical phase yesterday. It is the case of Airbnb vs the French tourism association, in which…
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Nov- 2019 -20 NovemberDIY
Kingfisher sales take a tumble in Q3
Kingfisher, the parent company of B&Q and Screwfix, has announced a poor quarter of sales in its latest trading update. Total sales slumped by 3.2%, in what CEO Thierry Garnierd called a “disappointing” result. Like-for-like sales were also down 3.7% for the quarter. Kingfisher said that disruption from new product…
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19 NovemberComment
What retailers can learn from Europe’s top performers about transformation
With e-commerce being the fastest growing segment of the retail market in Europe and North America, it would be natural to assume that the online store should be the key focus for retailers. However, in reality, this is not so clear-cut. Following recent research from Google and e-commerce consultancy Practicology,…
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12 NovemberHigh Street
B&M profits plunge by 70% due to ‘disappointing’ German partner
Discount retailer, B&M has reported a 70% drop in profits from £59.5m to £32.3m during the first half of the year attributed to increased costs at its German Jawoll fascia. For the 26-week period ending 29 September, the retailer’s group adjusted profit before-tax decreased by 2.8% to £96m in comparison…
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