n.940

It takes up to 16 kilos of wild fish to produce one kilo of ‘farmed’ bluefin tuna


It takes up to 16 kilos of wild fish to produce one kilo of ‘farmed’ bluefin tuna Bluefin tuna had recovered from overfishing. Now fattening farms are expanding and consuming enormous quantities of sardines, anchovies and mackerel... The paradox is particularly evident when one considers that aquaculture is generally cited as a means of easing the pressure on wild stocks, whilst this model continues to depend precisely on fishing...

Fish
 

n.939

OVS is stepping up its international expansion and is opening the group’s largest flagship store at the Dubai Mall


OVS is stepping up its international expansion and has opened the group’s largest flagship store at the Dubai Mall. The new store, which opened on 3 September, covers 2,500 square metres, employs 47 people and is managed directly by the company. It is a strategic showcase in the heart of one of the world’s leading retail hubs, visited by over 100 million people every year… The opening reinforces the group’s international expansion following recent openings in New Delhi and Mumbai, strengthening the link between India and the Middle East. “The new flagship store provides a prime showcase for all our brands,” said CEO Stefano Beraldo. This expansion follows a particularly successful 2025, which the group closed with sales of 1.746 billion euros and an EBITDA in excess of 218 million euros. With a network of over 2,600 shops… The brand’s overseas expansion is likely aimed at e-commerce.

E-CommerceNon-food
 

n.938

Large-scale retail in France: trends from 2016 to 2026


Growth in the 2016–2026 period for LCC ‘self-service’ fresh produce (pre-packaged, labelled and displayed in refrigerated cabinets) stood at 31 per cent. E-commerce at 140 per cent, discount stores at 64 per cent, neighbourhood shops at 50 per cent, supermarkets at 23 per cent and hypermarkets at 12 per cent. Supermarkets and hypermarkets are losing market share. Food e-commerce accounts for 8.3 per cent of the retail sector, whilst discount stores account for 14.1 per cent. Sources: Circana via Editions Dauvers

DiscountE-Commerce
 

n.937

China: instant retail – ‘quick commerce’ – is set to reach $178 billion by the end of the year


according to the government. Its competitors are Meituan, JD.com and Alibaba, which spent billions of dollars on vouchers, free deliveries and incentives for retailers last year. Now, so-called ‘instant commerce’ has established itself as the new battleground for online shopping. Whilst the companies’ spending spree has channelled billions in drinks towards budget-conscious consumers, analysts have stated that the most significant challenge lies in changing purchasing habits, particularly in major cities where consumers increasingly expect a range of goods, such as groceries and cosmetics, to arrive within 60 minutes. Home delivery of drinks and meals may generate frequent visits to the app, but the real opportunity lies in converting these visits into purchases of higher-margin non-food items... N.B.: The challenges facing quick commerce in Italy also stem from an unclear situation regarding delivery services. Drafted on 6 September, updated on 7 September 2026

AlibabaDeliveryE-CommerceNon-food
 

n.935

The 3-euro EU tax has caused a slump in Chinese parcel deliveries: Temu, Shein and AliExpress have seen sales fall by up to 40 per cent


A month and a half after the measurewas introduced, the first measurable effect was already evident: imports of small parcels from China to the European Union had fallen by between 30 per cent and 40 per cent. This was announced by theFrench Ministry of the Economy…(Italy has no data and had tried to ‘go its own way’). It is a measure designed to target the very business modelthat has madeTemuandSheinmass phenomena: individual shipments with a low unit value, sent directly from China to the end consumer, which until June benefited from a total customs exemption for all parcels under 150 euros… The measure is intended to be temporary. It will remain in force until awider reform of the European customs system is completed, which is expected within two years…Source Shein has an advantage over its Chinese competitors because it has a warehouse in Poland (which is, in fact, what Amazon has done, with e-commerce warehouses across Europe). Read more about it here.

AlibabaAmazonE-CommerceNon-foodShein
 

n.934

In Altroconsumo’s value-for-money ranking, Eurospin comes out on top among discount stores, whilst Dok, Coop and Famila dominate the supermarket and superstore categories for general shopping


The table to look at is the second one. The comparison in the first table is not very meaningful, partly because the products sold by discount stores, supermarkets and superstores are not the same. Conad comes top in terms of value for money if you look only at own-brand products (third table). Source Drafted on 2 September, updated on 3 September 2026

ConadCoopDiscountPrivate LabelSuperstores
 

n.933

The centre of the shelf is disappearing: budget and premium segments are growing. An analysis of ten years’ sales data


The middle ground is disappearing: budget and premium segments are growing. An analysis of ten years of sales An analysis of NielsenIQ reports from 2017 to 2026 shows how inflation, private-label products and new consumer priorities have progressively polarised the market. The mid-range segment is not disappearing, but it is losing its central role... In 2025, private-label brands will account for 23.3 per cent of the Hypermarket, Supermarket and Self-Service sector and 32 per cent of the total Italian omnichannel market. The most interesting finding is not merely the growth in market share, but rather who is losing ground. Between June 2024 and June 2025, the leading industrial brands remain essentially stable, rising from 10.55 per cent to 10.68 per cent within the Omnichannel segment. The other brands also remain stable. The ‘followers’, on the other hand, fall from 23.16 per cent to 22.73 per cent, whilst private-label brands rise from 31.79 per cent to 32 per cent...

Private Label
 

n.932

US, Dollar General: like-for-like sales rose by 3.5 per cent year-on-year in the quarter ending 31 July


"Our results reflect the company’s continued positive momentum, including the fifth consecutive quarter of growth in customer traffic and the sixth consecutive quarter of like-for-like sales growth across all four product categories," said Todd Vasos, CEO of Dollar General. Dollar General – a chain of ‘everything for...’ discount stores (offering very basic goods), much like Target – had been going through a long ‘rough patch’. And, like Target, and unlike Walmart, it is bucking the trend.

DiscountWalmart
 

n.931

Pasta made from 100% Italian wheat: the Ministry of Agriculture claims it is safer and healthier, but this is not true


From 21 August 2026, Rai channels will be airing the first advert in a new public information campaign dedicated to pasta, produced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests (MASAF), headed by Francesco Lollobrigida, in collaboration with ISMEA and the Italian Volleyball Federation. The stars of the advert are several champions from the men’s and women’s national volleyball teams, and the message is conveyed by some very well-known faces, such as Anna Danesi, Carlotta Cambi, Stella Nervini, Paola Egonu, Simone Giannelli, Daniele Lavia and Riccardo Sbertoli… The issue with the advert concerns the line spoken by Simone Giannelli, who says:“Don’t just choose based on price: greater safety, better health, more support for our businesses”. Meanwhile, Paola Egonu states:“With pasta made from Italian wheat, Italy wins”. The link between 100 per cent Italian wheat, greater safety and better health is completely unsubstantiated and entirely incorrect, as it suggests to consumers that there are health benefits which do not exist… Perhaps, given that Italian durum wheat is sold below cost and that over the past 13 years the area under cultivation has fallen by 10 per cent, whilst the proportion of demand met by domestic production has plummeted from 78 per cent to 56.5 per cent, what was needed was not an advert – paid for with our money – but a serious crackdown on unfair practices (which, as far as I am aware, nobody is carrying out). Drafted on 27 August, updated on 28 August 2026

AgriculturePasta
 

n.930

Gran Tour Italia (the Farinetti family, Eataly): they have paid 15.7 million over three years to avoid bankruptcy


To avoid bankruptcy, explains the newspaper *La Repubblica* in its Bologna edition, theFarinetti familyinjected4 million into the company’s coffersin 2024,6.7 million in 2025anda further5 millioninthe first six months of 2026 alone: makinga total of 15.7 million. Read also: Eataly: the losses at the Fico Eataly World food park and the loan under the ‘simplified procedure’

Eataly