Cracks in the European Egg Market Deepen as the Bird Flu, Inflation Rage On

Confronted with what some have labeled a “winter of discontent” amid soaring inflation, consumers throughout the European Union appear to be leaning more heavily on eggs as a low-cost source of protein. But while eggs by nature are more affordable than competing proteins, part of their recent affordability is somewhat artificial in nature—not reflective of current market conditions but rather the result of retailers’ unwillingness to pay farmers a sustainable price for their eggs—or to pass those prices on to consumers.

The situation is much the same in the UK. According to Farming UK, the British Free Range Egg Producers Association advised retailers last November and again this February that its members could not continue to produce eggs at a loss and requested a 40p/dozen increase. They warned that there would be a scarcity of eggs going into the Christmas period if the situation was not addressed, but their pleas were largely disregarded. And now, the very shortages they warned of have come to pass. Faced with limited supplies, and in some cases, empty shelves, some of the UK’s largest retailers—Tesco, Lidl and Asda among them—are restricting customers to 2-3 boxes of eggs per shopper, a move that is expected to last beyond Christmas.

NRF Welcomes EU-U.S. Agreement on Transatlantic Data Flows

The National Retail Federation welcomed the announcement today that a long-sought agreement in principle on transatlantic data flows has been reached between the United States and the European Union.

“Transatlantic data flows are vitally important to global retailers that operate establishments in Europe or sell goods online or by mobile apps to European consumers,” NRF Senior Vice President for Government Relations David French said. “NRF and our members have long supported a coherent regulatory system for EU-to-U.S. data transfers that works for both consumers and businesses and provides..."

NRF Releases 2022 Top 50 Global Retailers

The National Retail Federation today released its annual list of the Top 50 Global Retailers. Conducted with Kantar, the 2022 Top 50 Global Retailers list is a compilation of the 50 most impactful international retailers based on their operations at the start of 2021.

Walmart continues to be the world’s largest retailer, having made significant investments in omnichannel marketplaces, in-store services and fulfillment models. Holding on to the same rankings as 2021, Amazon.com came in second, Schwarz Group came in at No. 3 and Aldi came in fourth. Costco came in as...