The United Kingdom

Dutch fashion platform Otrium made considerable losses in the past year. The company is 50 million euros in the red. The year before, losses were at 8.4 million euros. This is mostly due to bonuses as well as further company expansion.

Fashion platforms Asos and Boohoo are being investigated by the British Competition and Markets authority regarding greenwashing. Their claims about sustainability may be misleading the public. The CMA says it ‘won’t hesitate to take legal action’.

Just months after expanding to Germany and Ireland, Canadian ecommerce investor Clearco is cutting 25 percent of its staff. This comes down to 125 employees. The company points to ‘the current macroeconomic environment’.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK is investigating Amazon on its dominant position in the UK. Amazon could be distorting competition. “Any loss of competition is a loss to consumers”, says Sarah Cardell, general counsel at CMA.

Ecommerce giant Amazon is launching its first ‘micromobility’ hub in London. The launch consists of a fleet of e-cargo bikes and on-foot delivery staff. The hub will carry out around 5 million deliveries a year.

British online supermarket Ocado has raised 670 million euros (578 million pounds). With the money, the company wants to expand further in order to become the top provider for automated grocery fulfilment.

Amazon Fashion Luxury Stores is launching in 5 countries in Europe. The ecommerce giant will offer 8 brands at launch, planning to add more in the future. But the competition for luxury fashion retail in Europe is fierce.

British Frasers Group has bought Missguided, after the online fashion retailer collapsed into administration last Monday. The retail group has acquired Missguided for 23.5 million euros. The fashion retailer is planned to continue operating as a standalone business.

Inditex, the major clothing retail group from Spain, is now charging a fixed fee for online returns. The owner of brands such as Zara, Pull & Bear and Bershka is implementing this change in 30 countries. It wants to motivate customers to return items in brick-and-mortar stores.

Octopia Fulfillment, a logistics service provider from France, has announced that it will open new warehouses in the coming months. The company will launch warehouses in the UK and Germany, as an addition to its warehouses that are currently active in France and Spain. The expansion will further solidify the company's logistics network.

Online furniture retailer from the UK, Made.com, has announced an acquisition of Trouva. This lifestyle marketplace sells products from over 700 independent boutiques and brands. Through the acquisition, Made.com wants to grow its marketplace business.

Dutch fulfillment company Active Ants has announced that it is opening its fifth distribution center in September. After two sites in the Netherlands and an expansion to Belgium and Germany, the company will now take on England. "Coming to Northampton will allow us to increase our presence. Ultimately, we want to become the best fulfillment company in Europe", says co-founder Jeroen Dekker.

British startup Olsam, an ecommerce aggregator, has acquired US-based competitor MarketFleet. It's the second time that the company acquires another aggregator, after its acquisition of Flywheel Commerce in November last year. The company hopes to consolidate the market with this move.

Same-day delivery courier Gophr is integrating with Metapack, a delivery management software company. The partnership offers ecommerce retailers more same-day delivery options across the United Kingdom.

Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, eTail Europe had to be postponed for 18 months. This month it is returning for a two-day in-person event on April 25 and 26. So far, the organizers expect thousands of retailers to attend, visiting the keynote presentations and panel discussions.