As well as toilet paper, there are many other food and non-food products: the two economies are deeply intertwined. And everyone, on both sides of the two borders, is expecting inflation to rise
The ‘mass’ market is increasingly focused on ready-made products, but if you have a trusted local fishmonger who offers something other than the ‘usual salmon’, you can eat better. This benefits both our health and the sea.
The story of Eataly from 2020 to the present day, including the latest developments in Verona and Bologna
There are major problems for cheese, milk, rice, wheat, fruit, vegetables and wine. But it is the olive groves that have been hit hardest: on top of the damage caused by climate change, there is also a very unclear political situation
An interesting survey of leading brands. And in Spain, the world’s leading producer of olive oil, the Andalusian cooperative Dcoop has denounced widespread fraud in Spain concerning refined olive oils. According to the stark accusation, in some cases these are mixed with lower-quality oils such as pomace and sunflower oils
The real crux of the matter is the rapid technological advancement of Walmart and Amazon, the undisputed market leaders, which European retailers can never hope to match, and which will continue to subject them to unfair competition from online platforms
The illegal labour scheme distorts prices. As well as measures to combat organised crime, the government could begin to tackle the issue of wages and consumer incentives: with wages and prices distorted by the Mafia, we won’t get very far
Unfortunately, Mango, which is a sound company, is not acquiring a stake in the business: on the other hand, given the current situation – with losses of 35 million for the year 2025 and three further closures – it was foreseeable that there would be no ‘white knights’ available to save Coin, whose brand seems to be slowly but surely fading away
Well done to Lidl for managing to make a name for itself for something I personally haven’t noticed: that the German discount chain is a high-quality supermarket
… The same method was used to defend public funding for the promotion of red and processed meat. When the Commission considered excluding these products from programmes in line with the European plan against cancer, Copa-Cogeca engaged with certain Commissioners, the wine and spirits organisations, and national associations. The restrictions were first watered down and then dropped altogether. The comment in the internal documents is succinct: “The lobbying has paid off.”
Lidl’s marketing would have us believe that it is a supermarket. It is not, and we explain why. Furthermore, the slogan ‘eat fresh’ used by Lidl to market itself to Europeans is somewhat misleading, and Lidl cannot be an ‘ambassador of Made in Italy’ if it sells pasta made from foreign wheat as ‘Italian’
“At Esselunga, we created the wine sections: we adopted the green colour for the fittings with my father, in Berlin, at the KaDeWe department store.” *Le Ossa dei Caprotti*, page 205
