France

British fashion retailer JD Sports has reached an agreement to take over Courir. The company will pay 520 million euros for the French retail chain. Courir has more than 300 stores and is active in several countries.

Online luxury sneaker marketplace Laced is expanding into Europe, with dedicated language websites for several countries. The United Kingdom-based company is first expanding to Germany and France. It is also planning to launch in Italy and the Netherlands at a later stage.

Amazon is making a fresh start with Amazon Shipping, the shipping service that online retailers can also utilize for orders beyond the platform. The service has been reintroduced in the United Kingdom and is now also accessible to online retailers in France, Italy, and Spain.

Marketplace solution provider Mirakl has secured 100 million euros in debt financing. The funding will be used to enhance its technology and to finance acquisitions. The company was already valued at over 2,92 billion euros in 2021, after a Series E funding round of 468 million euros.

French activists urge for legislative and regulatory measures against Shein, the fast fashion giant from China that is rapidly expanding in Europe. The activists are concerned about Shein's impact on the planet. "Behind the €2 t-shirts or €9 dresses lies an unbearable operating system that destroys the environment and human rights," they state.

Katchin, a marketplace for jewelry, watches, and accessories, has launched in Germany and France. This expansion follows its launch in the UK earlier this year. Katchin is a venture by the Fossil Group. It operates on Mirakl's marketplace software.

Ecommerce international expansion software provider Glopal has raised 20 million euros in a Series A funding round. The startup will expand its operations in Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States with a recruitment drive. Additionally, it will use the funding to invest in its technology.

Popular marketplace Wish is once again available in France. A year and a half ago, the state delisted the platform because of unsafe products. Now, the marketplace can be found in the biggest search engines and app stores again.

Last year, French ecommerce generated 146.9 billion euros in online sales of products and services. This is a growth of 13.8 percent when compared to 2021. The growth is mostly caused by the online service sector sales, as products sales fell 7 percent.

Non-food online sales in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain are expected to grow up to 4 percent. This is mostly driven by rising prices due to inflation. At the same time, sales volumes are set to fall up to 5 percent.

Beerwulf, the Heineken-owned online beer retailer, has launched its own marketplace in the Netherlands. Now, third party retailers can sell products on its platform. Beerwulf’s new platform will enter the United Kingdom in 2023, followed by Germany, France and Italy.

The French competition authority has ordered a fine for Essilor International, which produces lenses for glasses. The company banned selling its lenses on online platforms in the past. According to the watchdog, this has unfairly hindered ecommerce businesses.

Furniture and houseware retailer Home24 is expanding its marketplace to more European countries. The platform for third-party sellers launched in Germany this summer. By the end of 2022, it will enter Austria, France and Switzerland.

In online shops, 16 percent of products are out-of-stock. The United Kingdom and the Netherlands have the best product availability. Google Shopping, Facebook Product Ads and Amazon are the top three advertising channels for ecommerce sellers worldwide.

Dutch platform for returned goods New Returns, active in the Netherlands as 2dekansje.com, is expanding internationally for the second time in one year. It is launching in France with a different trade name, 2echoix.fr. The launch follows an earlier German launch with bwareshop.de in March.