BULGARIAN NEWS

The consumer confidence index of Bulgaria  dropped and consumers expectations worsened in October compared to levels recorded three months ago, the National Statistics Institute (NSI) said.Consumer confidence index fell 2.9 percentage points in October compared to July due to decreased confidence of both urban and rural population, by 3.0 and 2.8 percentage points...

Dimitar Zorov, chairperson of the Dairy Producers Association warned of possible bankruptcies of Bulgarian dairy producers, quoted by the Focus news agency.According to him, the situation of the dairy sector in Europe in general was dire, but the other EU countries had state policies for supporting the producers.“I hope that Bulgaria will also develop state policies, because...

X5 is in talks to sell 75% of its online division E5.ru. The value of the deal is estimated to be USD 10-40 million. The e-commerce platform E5.ru operates 2,000 pick-up points. X5’s representative Vladimir Rusanov said a decision is yet to be made. (www.kantarretailiq.com)

Delhaize Group revenues in Southeastern Europe increased by 3.7% to €751 million at actual rates (+4.3% at identical exchange rates), in the third quarter of 2014. The growth was mainly the result of store expansion at Alfa Beta (Greece) and Mega Image (Romania). Despite weak conditions in our markets and deflation inSerbia, we continued to increase our market share in all...

The Hungarian government will discuss new legislation that could ban supermarkets from opening on Sundays. The Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP), the minor ally of the ruling Fidesz party, tabled its plan proposing a weekly mandatory rest day for stores, a proposal not supported by Fidesz in 2011. According to newspaper Magyar Nemzet, the current plan...

Danone agreed to pay HK$4.39 billion ($566 million) for a 25 percent stake in Yashili International Holdings Ltd. (1230) under a plan to improve technology and boost production at the Chinese infant milk formula maker. The investment broadens Danone’s role in China’s baby formula market, which is projected to more than double to 191 billion yuan ($31 billion) in...

New data released by Euromonitor on the global retailing industry shows a steady growth of 5.3% in 2014 due to improved performance inWestern Europe. “Western Europe registered its biggest increase since 2008 while Eastern Europe experienced its biggest slowdown with 6% growth due to the conflict inUkraineand economic sanctions onRussia,” said Daniel Latev, Head of...

Metro Group, eBay and Paypal have been testing a new concept “The inspiration store”, which combines a physical store with online and mobile facilities aiming to create an omnichannel experience for shoppers. The store is located inBremen’s Weserpark shopping centre and allows customers to purchase products through digital displays inside and outside of the...