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Netflix refuses to increase its bid to buy Warner Bros Discovery, paving the way for Paramount Skydance.


On Thursday 26 February, executives from the streaming giant said they "refused to comply" with Paramount Skydance's offer after the Warner Bros. board deemed it a "superior" proposal... US film and television group Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced on Tuesday 24 February that Paramount Skydance (PSKY) had submitted a new takeover offer of $31 a share, up from its previous offer of $30. Including WBD's debt, this target valuation is around $110 billion (EUR 93 billion).. We talked about it here

Streaming
 

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DoorDash – which owns Deliveroo – ended 2025 as the leading third-party marketplace by order volume in the US food and retail sector


DoorDash makes home deliveries but also does Quick Commerce . It works with large chains from McDonald's to Walmart. It offers service to restaurants to build their online presence and handle direct orders. In 2025 it acquired Deliveroo. ...An integration with ChatGPT now allows users to go from browsing recipes in their AI-based conversations directly to the DoorDash shopping cart.. Marketplace gross order value reached $29.7 billion in the quarter (*), an increase of 39%. Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders was $213 million, up 51% year-on-year, and adjusted EBITDA grew 38% to $780 million.. The company ended 2025 with over 56 million monthly active users and over 35 million paying subscribers through its DashPass, Wolt and Deliveroo Plus subscription programmes... Progressive Grocer (*) if you multiply by 4 it makes $118.8 billion Compiled 25 February, updated 26 February 2026

AIDeliveryE-CommerceMc Donald'sWalmart
 

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Flood revives concerns over rising food prices in Europe


The winter larder is depleted as rains devastate crops in Spain, Portugal, France and Morocco... "It is very difficult to replace some parts of the winter vegetable basket, especially those from Spain and Morocco, so I think we will see the effects very soon, and later on, we will probably also see effects on fruit, and then also on meat, dairy... and olive oil." Central banks have begun to recognise the influence of extreme weather on inflation dynamics... Financial Times Of course Sicily should also be considered.

Climate changeExtra Virgin Olive OilFruit and vegetablesInflationMeat
 

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Walgreens fires over 600 employees after takeover by private equity fund


. ..New York-based private equity firm Sycamore Partners completed its acquisition of the retail pharmacy company for $23.7 billion in August 2025. The deal came after a tumultuous few years for Walgreens, which saw the closure of more than 1,000 shops as the company struggled with slowing retail sales, growing online competition and challenges in other aspects of its business, including health services... Progressive Grocer

E-CommerceNon-food
 

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Big brands in trouble: Nestlé is selling 50% of Froneri which produces the ice creams it sells under its own brand (Maxibon, etc.)


Drafted on 22 February, updated on 24 February 2026 The Vevey-based multinational aims to focus on coffee, snacks and pet food. The sale of ice cream, which generates more than 5 billion in revenue and employs 12,000 people worldwide, follows that of water, which has been struggling for some time. This divestment follows that of Unilever's ice cream division, which has been in difficulty since the sale, probably also due to the success of anti-obesity drugs. In this regard, it should be noted that weight-loss injections are pushing the price of sugar to its lowest level in five years The futures price fell to less than half its level at the end of 2023 as GLP-1s reduce cravings for sweet snacks. Big brands are in trouble as Pepsi but alsoProcter and Gamble (Procter & Gamble misses revenue estimates due to slower growth in the US)prove. The exceptions seem to be local: Barilla (with an increasing share in pasta) and Ferrero (with increasing turnover and profits). On GLP-1 read here. Below the evolution of the share of private label products (MDD) and big brands. Thanks to Mario Gasbarrino.

BarillaFerreroNestlèPastaPrivate LabelUnileverWater