and not in 1844 as we have always been 'told'. They were born in Scotland in the early 1800s: The Socialist Cotton Mill was the first to take care of the workers' meals and welfare. Access to healthy, speculation-free food, nutritional education, decent housing, medical care: if workers' welfare exists today, it is also due to the utopia of New Lanark. Below my great-grandfather a cooperator, in Albiate (MB).
Shein is exploring ways to restructure its US business in case the Trump administration sticks to punitive tariffs on Chinese imports, which has jeopardised its plans for a London stock market listing.
The fast fashion company's US business - which accounts for about a third of its $38 billion in annual revenue - will be put to the test when a tax exemption known as the "de minimis"...
...The US is replacing the 'de minimis' exemption - which applied to shipments valued at less than $800 - with a 120% tariff or a flat rate of $200, depending on how the goods are delivered. The changes will apply to shipments from China and Hong Kong...
About Shein read here
Every week, some 270 million customers and members visit Walmart's more than 10,750 shops and numerous e-commerce websites in 19 countries. With sales of $681 billion in fiscal year 2025, the company employs about 2.1 million people worldwide. Source
In the 'product' cauldron, one finds practically everything: the Food & Grocery and Beauty&Pharma segments show an above-average increase (with growth rates of around 7%), while Clothing, Computers & Consumer Electronics and Furniture & Home Living are in the average range, at around 5%/ 6%.
Overall, according to theNetcomm B2c eCommerce Observatory - School of Management of the Milan Polytechnic, online penetration of total Retail product purchases (online offline) is11.2% of the total and this marks an increase of just half a percentage point compared to 2024.
and initiating the delisting process from the São Paulo Stock Exchange (B3). The transaction, approved by 59% of minority shareholders, represents a strategic step to strengthen the group's presence in the Brazilian market, which contributes around 20% of Carrefour's global gross sales...With this acquisition, Carrefour aims to simplify its corporate structure and improve its operational agility in Brazil, a key market for the group. Full ownership will allow more efficient management and a greater ability to adapt to local dynamics
Below. Francesco De Marchi, head of the subsidiary where I worked in 1979
Chocolate - a universal symbol of comfort, pleasure and celebration - is about to become a luxury good [we have been saying this for years]. This is not a provocation: it is a snapshot of a market on the alert, overwhelmed by unprecedented price increases. In 2024, the cost of cocoa went up 300% wholesale. And the reasons go far beyond the law of supply and demand.
Plantations in West Africa, where most of the world's cocoa comes from, are increasingly suffering from climate change. High temperatures, erratic rainfall and increasingly difficult biodiversity management are putting the very survival of cacao trees at risk. To this is added an even more worrying phenomenon: some farmers in Ghana are abandoning cocoa to engage in illegal gold mining, a more profitable and immediate activity. The result is a hole in the market: a global shortage of about 500,000 tonnes of cocoa in 2024. A deep crack, which has prompted several companies to ask: can we imagine a future without chocolate - or, rather, without cocoa?
Read more in Il Gambero Rosso
Gambero Rosso did a taste test on 39 samples of spaghetti bought in supermarkets in Rome.
The blind tasting test was conducted by Maria Antonia Argenio, head of quality control at the Campania-based Graziano pasta factory in Monocalzati (AV), and two chefs, Giulia Mauro (Passepartout restaurant, Rome) and Jones Bargoni, assisted by two people from the Gambero Rosso editorial staff: Mara Nocilla and Eugenio Marini.
The cooking took place in unsalted water, respecting the timing indicated on the packaging, and the tasting was also done without salt and oil. As this was a tasting test, the tasters took into account evaluation criteria such as appearance, flavour, aromatic profile and consistency.
First: Garofalo then Todis (discount) then Voiello (Barilla), La Molisana, Esselunga, Granoro, Lidl, De Cecco, Consilia and PAM.
The only drawback: couldn't the list of the 39 samples taken into consideration be published?
