Breaking News
The Otto Group has raised €325 million through so-called “Schuldschein” loan – more than triple the originally targeted volume of €100 million. It is already the group’s third successful issuance since 2022. That’s a clear signal of how much confidence investors place in Germany’s largest marketplace group despite a challenging trade environment. Find out more on Retail-News
More News
Zalando lifts Q2 profit significantly
Zalando‘s gross merchandise volume rose 20.7% to €4.9 billion in the second quarter, while active customers grew 18.3% to 62.5 million. The partner business is accelerating faster than expected, gaining 3.2 percentage points to reach 36.9% of stand-alone B2C GMV. It is a clear shift toward a higher-margin, capital-light model. For 2026, Zalando now expects growth in the lower half of its previous 12–17% range. See more on EQS News
TikTok Shop on track for $125 billion in GMV
TikTok Shop hit roughly $50.3 billion in GMV in the first half of 2026, up 92% year-on-year – and could grow to as much as $125 billion this year. The US is now the platform’s largest single market ahead of Indonesia after doubling its GMV to $11.8 billion. In the UK alone TikTok Shop now counts more than 300,000 small businesses on the platform. Read more on Exciting Commerce (GMV) and Ecommerce News (UK)
Amazon invests over €300 million in Germany
Amazon is putting more than €300 million into overhauling its logistics centre in Pforzheim. The aim is to convert the warehouse from handling medium-sized items to small and medium-sized ones, with capacity for around 20 million products. The site’s workforce is set to double from over 1,000 to more than 2,000 employees by the end of 2029. Get more details on Ecommerce News
eBay Live grows strongly, Whatnot raises $545 million
eBay Live’s GMV grew companywide by roughly eightfold year-on-year in the second quarter. The platform is now opening its previously invite-only model to US sellers across more than 300 categories. Rival Whatnot is also thriving: the live-shopping company raised $545 million in a funding round, pushing its valuation to $20 billion – nearly double what it was a year ago. See more on ChannelX (eBay) and Exciting Commerce (Whatnot)
Argos launches curated marketplace
Argos, one of the UK’s largest omnichannel retailers, has gone live with its new marketplace. It is built on the Mirakl platform and currently featuring around 80 “Trusted Sellers”. Applications are open to international sellers too, with Argos stating it is prioritising curation over an open, unregulated marketplace. See more on ChannelX
Zooplus launches its own marketplace in Germany
Zooplus is turning its German online shop into a marketplace, adding roughly 10,000 extra products from third-party sellers to its assortment, 65 % of them pet accessories. Following France, where a similar model is already running, Germany is the next step in a platform strategy set to expand into further European markets. Get more details on etailment
Feel-Good News
One year of Bauhaus Marketplace: 100,000 new items
One year after the first order on the Bauhaus Marketplace, CDO Johannes Wechsler took stock: with the support of over 100 sellers, nearly 100,000 new items have been added to the assortment. He’s especially pleased that product reviews, delivery times and return rates are now on par with the company’s own assortment. Find out more on LinkedIn
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