n.430

Europe hit by strong heatwaves


France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey have been hit by strong heat waves with 'extreme heat and drought'. After the current pause, the waves will resume from 12 July onwards, at least in Italy. Temperatures are very high in the Mediterranean Sea and river flows are at their lowest. We recall the situation in Sicily, which is partly without water. On the seas read: The rise in temperature of European seas since the late 1970s Compiled on 6 July, updated on 7 July 2025

Climate changeWater
 

n.429

Carrefour Italy announces a ‘strategic reorganisation plan for its headquarters’


'Employment impacts' for 175 employees On this subject, read this article, an excerpt of which I enclose: Carrefour is reported to have begun negotiations with Conad, Lidl and Esselunga to sell off the entire network (the news is confirmed by Repubblica on 6 July 2025: ' The decision is closely linked to the complexity of market conditions in Italy, where the large-scale retail sector is characterised by intense and fragmented competition, declining purchasing power and constant pressure on margins, caused by energy and logistics costs and rising interest rates'). Then there is the squeeze of the discounters that are advancing and there are the hypermarkets that continue to retreat. Compiled 5 July, updated 6 July 2025

CarrefourConadDiscountEsselungaLidl
 

n.426

Half a million foreign workers in Italy in three years, but the number does not solve the delays in the camps


"...The main agricultural associations, from Coldiretti to Confagricoltura, express satisfaction with the three-year planning, but remain critical on the operational front."To date, few workers have entered Italy after the click day in February, while harvesting operations have already begun months ago," reads a note from Confagricoltura. Coldiretti calls for the possibility of submitting applications at any time of the year, with the support of the trade associations, to truly respond to seasonal needs. Because the point, they all say, is not how many workers arrive, but when'. We were already talking about this in 2020, at the time of Covid-19, in " The future of the Italian agri-food chain must be built together. With Mario Gasbarrino "

AgricultureColdirettiCovid-19
 

n.424

US: e-commerce from China, users drop


Temu's monthly active users, a measure of engagement on its app, plummeted 51 per cent to 40.2 million in the US between March and June, according to data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. The number of US shoppers using Shein's app also dropped over the same period, though not as dramatically. The fast fashion retailer recorded a 12% drop in monthly active users to 41.4 million, according to Sensor Tower. Shein and Temu pioneered a new e-commerce model that revolutionised the retail industry across the western world over the past five years...

E-CommerceNon-food
 

n.423

Schwarz Group (Lidl) expands into FMCG production


The Schwarz Produktion Group, part of the German giant Schwarz Group (owner of Lidl and Kaufland), announced its intention to acquire the honey and jam producer Göbber Group, founded in 1888 in Eystrup. The deal, which is subject to antitrust approval, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025. The seller is the parent company Mayntz, which has not disclosed financial details. Obviously, the products will serve the private label.

AntitrustLidlPrivate Label
 

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The agreement reached at the G7 on the exclusion of US digital giants from paying the global minimum tax (Gmt) is a breakthrough


From the Corriere della Sera Newsletter of 1 July: "There is a caveat, and how. It is the agreement reached at the G7 on the exclusion of American digital giants from paying the Global minimum tax (Gmt). With the Gmt, multinationals with more than 750 million turnover would have to pay a tax of at least 15%. Without Gmt, not even that. For Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti it would be 'an honourable compromise that protects our companies from automatic American retaliation'. De Bortoli's judgement, in his column Fragments, is opposite: "Why should large companies, not American ones, also be subject to an international tax agreement conceived, over the years, precisely to counter the shameful avoidance of those web multinationals that today one would like to save? The compromise, if there is one, will be dishonourable to Europe and also, in its own small way, to the Italian centre-right, which in its election campaign has always promised to fight the evasion of large foreign groups, especially digital ones. But Trump had not yet arrived in the White House'. If you want to understand why De Bortoli is right, read Amazon and big tech will never pay taxes.

Amazon