After France, Italy fines Shein €1 million Europe On August 4, the Italian Competition Authority fined Infinite Styles Services, a subsidiary and manager of Shein‘s websites in Europe,…
India: Walmart subsidiary Myntra sued for tax fraud Asia In India, on July 23, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) filed a complaint against Walmart subsidiary Myntra (2024 market cap: 600 million dollars,…
EU-US tariffs: a 15% compromise, but luxury goods, cosmetics, and wine remains unclear Europe The framework agreement reached on July 27 between Trump and von der Leyen imposes tariffs of 15% on European exports. While aerospace and spirits are expected to be exempt, the extra costs for pharmaceuticals, wines, cosmetics and luxury goods is unclear. In return, the EU committed to massive investment in America and increasing imports from the U.S.A.
Regulatory: Pakistan tightens taxation on foreign platforms Asia On July 1, the Pakistani government imposed new taxes on foreign platforms operating online without a physical presence in the country.…
Algorithmic pricing: NRF strongly opposed to price transparency law Americas While a New York State law requires retailers to disclose use of pricing algorithms, the National Retail Federation is attempting to block this. The world’s largest retail federation claims the law demonstrates a lack of understanding of price personalisation practices and constitutes an infringement of freedom of enterprise.
E-commerce: China tightens regulations on pricing and algorithms Asia On June 27, 2025, the Chinese government adopted a new amendment to the law against unfair competition,…
Shein must pay €40 million fine for misleading business practices Asia Europe On July 3, the French Ministry of Economy fined ultra-fast fashion giant Shein 40 million euros for misleading business practices following an investigation by the General Direction for Competition Policy,…
Omnibus Directive takes another step towards deregulation Europe On June 23, European Member States adopted a common position on the Omnibus directive. This follows the Commission’s postponement of CSRD and duty of care in April 2025.…
Travel retail: China eases tax refunds to boost G.D.P. Asia At the end of April, Beijing lowered the tax refund threshold for foreign tourists and made immediate in-store refunds available across the country. China hopes this will attract more shoppers and increase travel retail sales as a share of G.D.P.
Apple compelled to open up iPhone contactless payment to competitors Europe On July 11, Apple (quarterly sales at the end of July: US$85.5 billion, up 4.9% year-on-year) made a commitment to the European Commission to open up iPhone contactless payment to competing payment apps.…
