The German discount company plays on the fact that wagen means car but also trolley: the Ferrari is a wagen while Lidl is represented by a schoner wagen (a nicer trolley)
Price rises in recent years have not spared fish and seafood products. However, these account for 6.3% of purchases compared with 2024.
The sector is being driven by a passion for sushi and ‘ready-to-eat’ products.
Fish and shellfish continue to become more expensive on Italian dining tables. Yet despite this, the market continues to grow: particularly in the ready-to-eat segment. A look at Istat’s consumer price tables reveals that price rises have been evident in recent months too: in April, the ‘fish and seafood’ category recorded a 3% increase compared to 2025, with salmon showing the same rise, whilst prawns recorded a 3.7% increase. Even more striking are the long-term figures: a 32.8 per cent increase for fish and fish products between 2015 and 2025, whilst fresh or frozen seafood saw price rises of 40 per cent. Over the past ten years ,fish has therefore become a significantly more expensive product for Italian households, caught between inflation, rising energy costs, higher transport costs and tensions in international supply chains…
Of course, there is no analysis distinguishing between growth in value and growth in volume, but this is the trend. Below: the sushi corner and fish counter at a Pewex supermarket in Rome.
Drafted on 28 May, updated on 29 May 2026
For the first time, in fact, the EU Commission has triggered the shield provided by the regulation against foreign state aid.
Brussels in fact suspects that Jd.com received public subsidies from the Beijing government that enabled it to make a higher bid to take over the German group that controls the Mediaworld, MediaMarkt and Saturn chains. And which, in the future, may enable it to take advantage of the European market and distort competition, for instance by charging lower prices.
The EU Commission's investigation aims in particular to ascertain whether Jd.com has received privileged loans, tax incentives and public subsidies from the Chinese state. Brussels believes it has already found some clues to this effect, but reserves the right to go deeper in the investigation, which will be concluded by 2 October
In France, the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) meanwhile approved the proposedtakeover bid launched in January by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky to take control of electronics and cultural products specialist Fnac Darty. This decision will allow him to rise above the 50% shareholding threshold and block the Chinese takeover attempt.
Kretinsky also owns the French supermarket chain Casino.
On this topic read this article
Benetton Group CEO Claudio Sforza's intense recovery and relaunch plan is starting to bear fruit. In 2025 the Ponzano Veneto-based company has contained the red to €33 million, reducing losses by 65% compared to the €100 million of 2024 and by more than 85% compared to the €230 million of 2023, the Ansa agency specifies, underlining that the group can therefore aim for a balanced budget already this year, while keeping the macroeconomic situation under constant monitoring, including the conflict in the Middle East and the possible repercussions in terms of inflation, increased costs, and a contraction in consumption.
Cost containment has also translated into a rationalisation of the distribution network, with the streamlining of loss-making direct sales outlets and the termination of relations with insolvent partners in the indirect channel, which has contributed - together with the general context of difficulties in the textile-fashion sector - to a further reduction in turnover, which has already fallen below the billion euro threshold in 2024 (to be precise, 915 million euro). In 2025, sales stopped at just under 800 million, down by more than ten percentage points..
Very difficult for the group to compete in the current, increasingly complex environment.
Vegetable stock cube: Salt is always the first ingredient, with a percentage varying more or less from 35% to 50%, value
Esselunga, in addition to the 'standard' granulated vegetable stock (with 34% salt and 20% glutamate) has the Esselunga organic stock preparation, in which dehydrated vegetables are at the top of the ingredient list.
This is an exception: normally the various vegetable stock cube references consist largely of salt and glutamate; the overall picture is unhealthy .
It is pleasing that so many years after the launch of Esselunga Bio in 1999, the healthy role of some of the products in this line is recognised.
Accountant Vittorino Brambilla, senior buyer at Esselunga at the time - on my left below - was the architect.
The Court of Auditors is investigating the Italian Climate Fund, the EUR 4.4 billion vehicle to be used for climate change projects in countries with emerging economies..
According to IrpiMedia's reconstruction, the Court is investigating the government's decision to shift a large part of the Fund's resources (70%, i.e. around 3 billion) to the Mattei Plan, the initiative that according to the government will change relations between Italy and Africa, transforming the continent from a beneficiary of humanitarian aid to a new trading partner...
Among the projects that have benefited from the new criteria approved in March 2024 is one by Eni in Kenya that aims to create a supply chain for the production of biofuels..
In its reply to the Court of Auditors, the Presidency of the Council has in fact included an annex showing that the eligibility criteria for Fund interventions have been modified..
Below : a post by Coldiretti on the participation of Bonifiche Ferraresi in the Mattei Plan
Risiko in food delivery starts, German company has two proposals on the table and rises 10% in Frankfurt
In Italy Delivery Hero controls Glovo.
In addition to UberEats there is also Doordash which would like to acquire it.
Daniele Tirelli's comment on this is comprehensive: 'Unicoop's fruit and vegetables are unparalleled'
Read also this article on the importance of localism.
Lidl and Aldi would be interested.
Read more about the history of the discount chain co-founded by Rewe and Esselunga here.
