Retail & Consumer Goods

BOSTON – November 03, 2026 -- Only 54% of consumers trust that advertised Black Friday prices are genuinely lower than usual, and one in five actively distrust them, according to a survey from Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Promotion fatigue is also spreading. 22% of consumers plan to spend less or skip year-end sales events because they believe discounts are available all the time.

Shoppers have not raised the bar for a good deal. The expected minimum discount eased to about 30%, from 32% in 2025.

The findings come from BCG's sixth annual Black Friday Consumer Study, which surveyed 10,220 consumers across ten countries ahead of Singles' Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The report is titled "For Year-End Sales Events, Trust Is the New Currency."

BCG senior partner Nate Shenck, a coauthor, said "Retailers can't discount their way past that" and added that the question this season is how to earn shoppers' trust.

GOTHENBURG – November 04, 2026 -- Zinzino's group revenue rose 1% in October to SEK 328.7 million, up from SEK 326.0 million a year earlier, as growth slowed sharply against the year-to-date pace.

Sales markets add 1% to reach SEK 325.1 million

Revenue from Zinzino's sales markets increased to SEK 325.1 million in October, compared with SEK 323.3 million in the prior-year month. The increase of SEK 1.8 million accounts for most of the group's monthly gain.

Faun Pharma external sales climb 33% to SEK 3.6 million

Faun Pharma's external sales rose to SEK 3.6 million from SEK 2.7 million. The unit remains small, contributing about 1% of group revenue for the month.

Cologne – November 04, 2026 -- European electronics manufacturers face sharply higher negotiating pressure after the EU Commission cleared JD.com's takeover of Ceconomy, the parent of MediaMarkt and Saturn, according to Björn Dahmen, Senior Partner at consultancy Simon-Kucher.

Central control makes international price gaps harder to defend

JD.com's data, purchasing and supply-chain expertise is likely to make MediaMarktSaturn's management more centralized and international, Dahmen said. Customer investments such as trade terms and temporary discounts become more transparent and comparable across markets. Unjustified international differences in prices and terms will no longer hold up, he said. Manufacturers without coordinated international pricing and terms management are exposed. Retail media is also set to gain importance as customer investments are distributed and managed centrally.

Guangzhou – November 03, 2026 -- Exhibitors in Phase 3 of the 140th Canton Fair pitched products built around fun, companionship and peace of mind, as emotional value becomes a key consumption driver across office supplies, toys and pet categories.

Office Supplies Exhibitors Add Play to Everyday Stationery

Pens are expected to be visually appealing, and staplers are designed to be cute as well as functional. 3D stickers have become a favorite among journaling enthusiasts. They require no glue and double as puzzles that users assemble, which turns decorations into interactive toys.

Toys Section Sells Comfort Through Bag Charms and Weighted Cushions

Bag charms in various designs were ubiquitous in the Toys Section. Animal-shaped sofa cushions in lazy, prone poses are filled with eco-friendly weighted glass beads that create a gentle hugging sensation.

STAMFORD – November 03, 2026 -- Curaleaf Holdings reported record third-quarter net revenue of $352.7 million, up 10.9% from $317.9 million a year earlier, as its international segment grew 28% and its domestic business grew 8%. Sequentially, revenue rose 3.6% from $340.1 million in the second quarter of 2026.

International sales reach $59 million as U.S. growth extends to a third quarter

International revenue totaled $59 million in the quarter. The U.S. business has now posted three consecutive quarters of year-over-year growth. Chairman and CEO Boris Jordan said cannabis demand stayed resilient despite mounting pressure on consumers.

Curaleaf secured its first two registrations for standardized cannabis preparations in Spain during the quarter.

Vancouver – November 03, 2026 -- GreenCore Solutions Corp. (GSC) launched an Agentic Shopping Hub that lists fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands' AI agents across 1.97 million points of sale in 20 markets, so shoppers' own agents can discover, verify and buy grocery products in a single call.

Hub gates every order against brand rules and barcode checks

Brands bring their own agents to the A2A-Grocery.ai hub, covering 8,619 retail banners. Each brand sets what its agents list, claim, price and sell, market by market, and the hub checks every order against those settings.

GSC's gtinfetch.ai, a GTIN resolver for AI agents, acts as a second factor on each order. It confirms barcodes, with 84 million in its database, before payment moves. GSC calls the approach "know your transactions" (KYT). The same record serves both the shopper's assistant and the retailer's agent.

MIAMI – November 03, 2026 -- YachtWorld, the online boat and yacht marketplace owned by Boats Group, reports a 25% increase in lead conversion rate since it moved to its redesigned website, as buyers spend more time on individual listings.

Buyers spend 35% longer on individual boat listings after the relaunch

Average listing visit duration rose 35% compared with the previous website. Boat detail page views per session climbed 26%, and search click-through rate gained 10%. Together, the figures show consumers viewing more inventory per visit and finding relevant listings faster.

Boats Group marketplaces see 30% more listing views before major boat shows

The results arrive as the fall boat show season brings buyers and sellers together at events worldwide. Boats Group's marketplaces record roughly 30% more listing views in the run-up to major shows. Buyers do much of their research online before they reach the docks.

Iselin, N.J. – November 03, 2026 -- Celerant Technology is adding three Worldpay-powered finance tools (Working Capital, Fee Assist and Disputes Defender) to the retailer dashboard in Version 2.9 of Stratus Enterprise and Cumulus Retail, at no added cost to users.

Working Capital delivers pre-approved financing offers with funds in as little as one business day

Eligible retailers processing payments through Worldpay will see pre-approved financing offers directly in their Celerant dashboard. The application takes minutes to complete, and approved funds can be available in as little as one business day.

Fee Assist and Disputes Defender target processing costs and dispute workload

Fee Assist lets eligible retailers offset credit card processing costs through a managed surcharge program designed to help ensure compliance with card network rules. It requires no separate integration.

Berlin – November 03, 2026 -- A coalition of 201 companies, associations and organizations from Europe's tobacco and nicotine value chain has appealed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to change course on pending EU regulation. The German industry association BVTE backs the initiative, which is dated November 3, 2026.

Three EU files converge before year-end

The Commission plans to table proposals by the end of the year to revise the Tobacco Products Directive and the Tobacco Advertising Directive. Meanwhile, the Irish Council presidency is pushing for agreement on the Tobacco Tax Directive at the ECOFIN Council on November 9.

The signatories warn that the burdens from the individual projects will compound one another and endanger investment, innovation and employment in Europe. They call for science-based, proportionate decisions that account for economic consequences.

St. Louis – November 03, 2026 -- Katie Lee, founder of St. Louis-based Italian food company Katie's, whose products are sold at more than 8,000 U.S. retail outlets, will speak at the New York Public Library's Thomas Yoseloff Business Center on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET.

NYPL hosts free hybrid session titled "The Power of Your Story"

Attendees can join in person at 455 5th Ave, 5th floor, New York, or online via Zoom. Registration is required through Eventbrite, with separate links for the in-person and online formats. Online attendees receive a Zoom link by confirmation email.

Lee, a high school dropout who battled addiction, will describe how her business was built on losses rather than wins. "Their story, all of it, is their superpower," she said.