EuroCommerce

❓ What do wholesalers actually do? Think about the last time you bought something in a shop, took medicine, or ate at a restaurant. Behind every product, there’s a wholesale operation making it happen. 📦 Wholesalers ensure that: ✔️Hospitals get life-saving medicines on time ✔️Restaurants receive fresh ingredients every day ✔️ Construction sites never run out of materials From #agriculture to #technology, #wholesalers connect every sector — but they rarely get the credit they deserve. #AppreciateWholesale 🎯 Let’s change that. Appreciate the invisible giant in your life: https://lnkd.in/e4DyvvUY Vanessa K. Leena Whittaker EUEW - European Union of Electrical Wholesalers GIRP - European Healthcare Distribution Association BGA UFEMAT METRO AG

📢 Don't miss the deadline! Register now to participate in our European Textiles’ Global Value Chains Report launch! 🔎 This report, developed by Copenhagen Economics, presents the complexities of the textile global supply chain, the societal and environmental challenges and the available opportunities for sustainability innovation 📅 25 March 2025 📍 Brussels, Belgium 🤝 It aims to foster collaboration between the relevant stakeholders to maintain the European Union at the forefront of the textile sector Join Andy Bounds, Safiul Azam, Mathias Kirkegaard, Sarah Negro and Andreas Dorner and learn more about what's next in the textile sector 📩 If you are interested in participating, send an e-mail to eurocommerce@eurocommerce.eu

❗As the Council working group under the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union meets next week to discuss the proposed #LatePayment Regulation, we would like to reiterate that a top-down imposition of strict caps for payment terms.. ❌ ignores the diversity of European businesses, long term relationships and the advantages freedom to agree payment terms offers to all parties. ❌ creates more complexity and reduces legal certainty for businesses, risking reducing the number of suppliers and penalising SMEs who have more rigid requirements. ❌ is out of touch with the reality of value chains that involve multiple different size actors. ❌ is contrary to competitiveness, the EU’s commitment to simplification and the fight against competitors from third-countries already not complying with our rules. ✔️Measures that promote a prompt payment culture without compromising contractual freedom include the EU Payment Observatory on Late Payment, CSRD, enforcement, mediation, and alternative dispute resolution. 💡 European businesses currently operate with 30 day, 60 day or more payment terms. They provide the flexibility and choice needed by different businesses to grow, compete, and invest. Long payment terms are NOT late payments if terms are agreed and followed. Wholesalers support their business customers – many of whom are SMEs - by providing them with supply chain financing through longer payment terms. The current rules offer contractual flexibility that is key to how Europe’s retail and wholesale sectors operate efficiently and effectively. Let’s focus on the problem rather than breaking a system that works for everyone. ➡️https://lnkd.in/dDDdsu4g #FlexNotFixed #eurocommerce #AppreciateWholesale Renew Europe BGA ASEDAS-Asociación Española de Distribuidores, Autoservicios y Supermercados Comeos Svenja Hahn BusinessEurope Fédération du Commerce et de la Distribution Stéphanie Yon-Courtin TIE: Toy Industries of Europe Luxembourg Confederation Daniel de Búrca Tsvetelina Penkova Niccolo Ciulli Leena Whittaker METRO AG Dr. Basak Babaoglu

Wholesalers are the invisible giants in our economy. They ensure that pharmacies are stocked, farmers have the equipment they need, and builders get materials for your home renovation. Consider what happens behind the scenes 📊 ✔️ 1.8 million wholesale enterprises across Europe ✔️ €660 billion in value-added annually ✔️ Over 10.6 million jobs supported It's time to recognise wholesale’s role in shaping the EU’s economy. It’s time to appreciate the invisible giant in your life 👇 #appreciatewholesale 📍 Explore our new resource and see the full picture: https://kont.ly/f61793d8 Markant Gruppe Grupo IFA METRO AG BGA EuCER EUEW - European Union of Electrical Wholesalers European Association of Chemical Distributors GIRP - European Healthcare Distribution Association UFEMAT

Today, EuroCommerce, Ecommerce Europe and Independent Retail Europe wrote to the European Commission to call for enforcement of the Digital Markets Act to preserve the viability of retailers online. 🛜 E-commerce will drive about 90% of overall growth in retail by 2030; 🛍️ Direct online sales channel are indispensable for all retailers - big and small - to remain competitive and reach consumers. For these reasons, the Commission must make sure that Google's compliance with the DMA for its shopping services: ➡️ safeguards visibility for direct results from retailers; ➡️ does not create additional levels of intermediation which will increase costs and confuse consumers; ➡️ ensures user choice. Read our statement below ⬇️ Ursula von der Leyen Teresa Ribera Henna Virkkunen Stéphanie Yon-Courtin Andreas Schwab

🚀 Ensuring Fair Competition in EU Retail 🛒 European retailers and wholesalers are at the forefront of delivering value and innovation to consumers. But to sustain trust and fairness, we need effective enforcement of EU regulations that protect consumers and ensure a level playing field for all market participants—regardless of where they operate. 🔍 Key Concerns: 📦 A surge in low-value parcels from online platforms outside the EU—often evading customs checks—poses safety risks and unfair competition. 🧸 Reports of dangerous and non-compliant goods, including toxic toys and unsafe electronics, are rising. ⚖️ European businesses face higher costs to comply with EU standards, while foreign sellers benefit from loopholes, subsidies, and weak enforcement. 💡 Consumers need to trust that the products they buy are safe, compliant, and fairly traded—no matter how or where they shop. This trust fuels growth, innovation, and opportunities for all businesses. 🔗 More about the issue: https://lnkd.in/d3d3Mm4k 🗨️ What steps do you think are necessary to ensure compliance and fairness in the retail market? Share your thoughts below! 👇 #Compliance4All #RetailFairness #EURegulations #RetailInnovation #EuroCommerce

Back from Warsaw where we held our Board meeting earlier this week!   🤝 Quite an opportune moment and location to review with our members how priorities are shifting in light of new geopolitical developments and to engage with the Polish Presidency of the European Union. Retailers and wholesalers serve consumers and their business customers daily with choice at affordable prices; they are key contributors to local communities and employment. To continue to do this, in light of growing geopolitical pressures, we will need even greater focus on key essentials: ➡️ Simplify legislation and reduce regulatory complexity #competitiveness ➡️ work together with decision makers and other stakeholders as partners in the value chain ➡️ Support a robust #SingleMarket to support #investment; #SingleMarket4All ➡️ Ensure a level playing field with third country traders selling direct to consumers in the EU #Compliance4All   Our meeting was an opportunity to enjoy a fantastic visit programme of the old town, the museum of the rising and the vodka museum; around great food and drinks! Above all, it offered precious moments of exchange with our members! 🙏 Thank you Magdalena Sobkowiak, Ignacy Niemczycki and Joanna Trybus for engaging with us on the Polish Presidency priorities 🙏Thank you Renata Juszkiewicz and the POHID team for putting together such an amazing programme! 🙏Thank you Juan Manuel (Juanma) Morales Alonso and our Board members for your support and engagement!   #Poland25EU #PolskaPrezydencja #StandwithUkraine #Competitiveness #SingleMarket #EuroCommerce #Pohid

👩🦰Ahead of celebrating International Women’s Day on 8 March, the European Commission will deliver its roadmap for women’s rights. 💡Retail and wholesale is the largest sector for women entrepreneurs by a significant margin. ➡️62% of retail and wholesale’s workforce are women. ➡️One in five women entrepreneurs are operating in the sector. Our call to the Commission is to deliver action that will: ✅improve awareness and access to financing ✅develop mentorship and education for women ✅prioritise investment in childcare, enabling working parents to balance their professional and caregiving responsibilities effectively Empowering women in business will contribute to a more competitive Europe. Retailers and wholesalers are working on a wide range of voluntary initiatives to increase women’s participation in the labour market, providing equal opportunities for career advancement, and fostering inclusive work environments. #internationalwomensday #eurocommerce #retail #wholesale #unionofskills #pactforskills #skillspartnership #weltfrauentag Christel Delberghe Leena Whittaker Sara Pernas Paredes Valeryia Despaihne-Chernyak Paraskevi (Evi) Moutsipai Fabiola V. Carla Valeiras Álvarez Sarah Hautier Maria Spatioti Els Bedert Rafaella Bezerra Joanna Inglis-Dupont

🚀 Join us at the 12th Retail Innovation Summit, in partnership with Ecommerce Europe and Forum Europe 📅 10 April 2025 📍 Le Louise Hotel (Brussels, Belgium) This will be a key event to shape the future of retail and e-commerce, where industry leaders, policymakers and NGOs will come together to tackle the sector's challenges and opportunities ⚡ With the participation of Commissioner Michael McGrath, we will cover key topics for the sector, including ✅ Consumer rules and digital fairness ✅ Competitive single market ✅ Sustainability agenda Registration is open now! ➡️ https://kont.ly/846077df Ilya Bruggeman

📢 Join for the launch of our European Textiles’ Global Value Chains Report! Developed by Copenhagen Economics, it explores the complexities of the global supply chain and the opportunities for sustainable innovation 📅 25 March 2025 📍 Brussels, Belgium 💡 Learn more about the challenges faced by the textile industry and the efforts being made to maintain Europe at the forefront of the sector ✉️ Interested in participating? Contact us at eurocommerce@eurocommerce.eu