News about Retail & HoReCa
Romanian company MAS, backed by Africa’s largest pension fund, has reached an agreement with AFI Europe (Netherlands), controlled by Israeli billionaires Roni and Yehuda Naftali, to acquire 6 open-air shopping centers in Romania for almost 200 million euros.
The Cricova winery ended 2025 under pressure from rising costs: production costs increased, profitability declined, and sales growth failed to keep pace with higher production costs.
Italian fashion holding Benetton continues to emerge from the protracted crisis, which has become one of the worst for the company in recent decades. At the end of 2025, the group managed to significantly reduce losses and come close to financial balance.
Official inflation in Moldova in annualized terms in April 2026 amounted to 6.8%. In the previous month it was 5.8%. So the April growth was the most significant since December 2025.
German retail giant REWE may close one of the longest chapters of its European expansion. The group is considering selling the Penny Market business in Italy in whole or in parts.
TikTok Shop is rapidly expanding across Europe, but its influence on major online retailers in the fashion industry remains limited. This is the conclusion reached by Goldman Sachs analysts in a new study on the development of social commerce.
Chinese online retailer Shein is acquiring US clothing brand Everlane from majority owner L Catterton.
Sales of KFC restaurants in Moldova decreased by 8% to RON 6.23 mln (EUR 1.2 mln) in the first quarter of 2026. This is reported by Wall-Street.ro with reference to the report of Sphera Franchise Group – the largest operator of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell chains in Romania and Moldova.
US holding Authentic Brands Group has announced the purchase of the Lee denim brand from Kontoor Brands, the owner of Wrangler and Helly Hansen. The value of the deal could reach $1 billion, including an initial payment of $750 million and additional payments tied to the future financial performance of the brand. The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2026.
European haute couture houses are increasing their presence in the United States, choosing American cities as venues for shows and cultural collaborations. From spectacular outings in Times Square to performances in the New York subway, Old World brands are increasingly choosing iconic urban spaces rather than traditional catwalks.
The establishment of a clear accommodation fee for hotels, as well as the need to revise the mechanism for calculating the market fee were discussed on the platform of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the RM.
In May on the fruit and berry market of Moldova, contrary to expectations, the prices for strawberries did not continue to decrease, but increased significantly – on average by 10-15%.
The launch of Swatch’s new limited edition watch, created in collaboration with Audemars Piguet, turned into a chaotic event around the world: from New York to Paris to London, the brand had to close dozens of stores and police had to intervene to disperse the crowds.
US coffee chain Starbucks announced on May 15 another round of layoffs among corporate staff and plans to close some regional support offices as part of its ongoing strategy to financially revitalize the business.
Retail turnover in Ukraine in the first quarter of 2026 increased by 11.2% compared to the same period of 2025. In March, the growth accelerated to 12.8 percent in annual terms, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine said.
French luxury holding LVMH has agreed to sell the Marc Jacobs brand to the American company WHP Global, which manages a number of fashion brands and actively buys fashion assets. G-III Apparel Group is also involved in the deal. According to Reuters and the Financial Times, the value of the brand could be about $1 billion.
Starbucks shares rose in pre-market trading after analysts at TD Cowen upgraded the stock to a “buy” rating and raised the price target to $120.
A heated discussion has erupted in the media about the reasons and consequences of the abolition of restrictions on trade markups on socially important goods from April 30 this year. Opposition politicians argue that this will lead to price increases and scare with the rise in the price of bread.
Russian travelers are actively reconsidering their preferences when planning foreign trips in the coming summer.
Due to the conflict over Iran, a Japanese snack food manufacturer is forced to abandon brightly colored packaging. Calbee Inc. announced that some of its products will temporarily switch to a black-and-white design due to disruptions in the supply of components for color ink.
