All Retail articles – Page 15
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ArticleItaly’s main buying groups merge
Italy’s two main buying groups, Vision Group and Netcity, will merge on Jan. 1, but will maintain their offices and staff based in Milan and Prato, near Florence. Vision Group has more than 2,100 associated optical stores, operating under different banners including VisionOttica’s, the group’s nationwide label with more than ...
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News briefsbrillen.de targets 200 German stores by end 2022
The German omni-channel eyewear retailer brillen.de, which is owned by SuperVista, plans to have a domestic network of 200 stores by the end of 2022 compared with over 90 currently. The banner has been expanding rapidly this year, opening more than 60 branches in the first ten months of 2020, ...
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News briefsMister Spex adds audio eyewear to its portfolio
The German optician and eyewear retailer Mister Spex has included audio glasses and sunglasses in its portfolio. Since Oct. 29, it offers Bose audio sunglasses on its online shop for customers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the so-called DACH business region. The models can also be found in some Mister ...
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News briefsKlarna snaps up Woilà
Klarna, the Swedish online payments group which offers ”buy now, pay later” solutions, has acquired the technology and team of the startup Woilà, whose app allows consumers to get refunds if the price of a product falls after an online purchase is completed. Klarna said the acquisition, for which terms ...
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News briefs
French economy risks “collapse” with new lockdown
A new total or partial Covid-19-related lockdown could lead to a “collapse” of the French economy, according to the Confederation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (CPME). CPME warned that companies are currently “much weaker” than in March, when the government introduced a lockdown, and many, especially the smaller ones, would ...
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News briefsRussian Post launches bonded warehouse pilot project
The Russian state mail operator Russian Post announced a pilot project to set up bonded warehouses, where goods liable to customs can be stored and handled without payment of duty. In the future, these warehouses could manage half of all sales of foreign online stores present in the country, the ...
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ArticleContrasting consumer sentiment across Europe
The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is beginning to stifle the previously expected recovery of the European economy, particularly for the consumption of non-essential products and services. Fortunately, it has not yet led to the retail lockdowns of the first wave in the spring – except in Wales and ...
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ArticleU.K. government under pressure over move to scrap tax-free shopping
The British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak is under mounting pressure from major retailers to reverse his decision to abolish duty-free shopping next year which they claim will lead to significant job losses. Leading U.K. fashion and luxury brands, including Paul Smith, Ted Baker, The White Company and Superdry, have warned ...
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ArticleU.K. threatens no-deal Brexit but talks to continue
Tensions on stalled Brexit trade talks intensified as Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, said Britons should prepare for a no-deal departure if the European Union (EU) did not compromise, raising the prospect of supply chain chaos across Europe. Johnson stopped short of saying he was walking away from the ...
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ArticleItalia Independent opens a new showroom in Milan
Italia Independent opened a new showroom in Milan, in via Fiori Chiari, in the heart of the bohemian Brera district. The location is also the company’s sole flagship worldwide after the company underwent a restructuring that led to the closure of all stores managed directly or franchised. It also replaces ...
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News briefs
Russian eyewear sales recover after lockdown
Russian eyewear sales have increased since the lifting in May of a Covid-19 related lockdown, partly because sunglasses are being used as protection against the virus as well as a proactive engagement of retailers with clients, according to the newspaper Delovoy Peterburg, citing market participants. Demand is currently stronger ...
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News briefsWalmart sells Asda to a group of investors
The American retailer Walmart has agreed to sell a majority stake in Asda, its British chain of supermarkets, to a group of investors comprising the brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa and TDR Capital. The deal values Asda £6.8 billion (€7.5bn-$8.8bn). Walmart will keep a minority stake in Asda. The deal ...
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ArticleAlibaba in partnership with the duty free retailer Dufry in omnichannel drive
The Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba has entered into a partnership with the Swiss duty free retailer Dufry that will further integrate online and offline shopping. The parties will form a strategic joint venture in China, and Alibaba will become a minority shareholder in Dufry.
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News briefs
Barton Perreira in James Bond licensing deal
Barton Perreira, a Los-Angeles based eyewear company, has signed an exclusive global James Bond licensing agreement with EON Productions with the release of the film No Time to Die. The brand is the eyewear partner of the film, in which feature three eyewear styles. Under the deal, Barton Perreira will ...
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ArticleStrong expansion for the Hallmann chain with MPG’s help
The Austrian-based Michael Pachleitner Group (MPG) reported on a strong expansion of the network of Optik Hallmann stores since it acquired a minority stake of 19 percent in the German chain in 2015, supplying it with German-made lenses. From only 40 stores at the time of the acquisition, it has ...
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News briefs
De Rigo in license agreement with Tumi
Tumi, a high-end brand of travel and business accessories, has signed with De Rigo an exclusive agreement for the design, production and distribution of sunglasses and prescription frames for both men and women. The collection is set to debut at Vision Expo East, scheduled for March 18-21, prior to its ...
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News briefs
Club OpticLibre expands in Belgium
Club OpticLibre, the French voluntary group of opticians, has reached an agreement to take over its Belgian peer Obos. The French company represents some 1,500 stores, 100 of which are in Belgium. With the tie-up, the network will exceed 1,700 locations and the firm aims to have sales of more ...
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ArticleEssilux to appeal Dutch court ruling on GrandVision
EssilorLuxottica has decided to file an appeal against a judgment dismissing its request for disclosure of information from GrandVision. The company repeated that it is concerned about GrandVision’s behavior in “continuing to deny access to important information” related to its handling of the Covid-19 outbreak. “Legal proceedings, including the appeal, ...
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News briefs
PayPal to launch buy now, pay later solution in Q4
PayPal, the American online payment provider, announced that it will launch early in the fourth quarter “Pay in 4”, a short-term installment payment scheme for customers in the U.S. The service will permit merchants to be paid upfront while customers can pay for purchases between $30 and $600 over a ...
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News briefsWalmart launches Walmart+ membership program
Walmart is launching the membership program Walmart+, its much anticipated response to Amazon Prime. Membership will be available to all U.S. customers on Sept. 15. It will cost $98 a year or $12.95 a month and includes a 15-day free trial period. Members will receive unlimited free delivery from stores, ...
