Retail Tech & Spending: A Bayes Business School study observed 12,418 visits at a German supermarket chain and found shoppers using AI-assisted shopping carts spent 32% more, bought 25% more items, and stayed 23% longer than those with regular carts. Consumer Electronics/Trade Fair: At Germany’s Textilfabrik 7.0 in Mönchengladbach, NRW’s economic minister toured “smart and clean” textile R&D aimed at CO₂-neutral, circular production, including fungal decolourisation. E-commerce Fashion in Germany: lululemon launched an exclusive 55-piece collection with Zalando across key markets including Germany, using a Berlin/Munich campaign and video/social assets. Food Safety Watch: A new European Society of Cardiology study links higher blood levels of xylitol (a common sugar substitute in gums and foods) to higher risk of major cardiac events, including heart attack, stroke, or death. Competition & Software: Reuters reports EU antitrust scrutiny of Oracle’s licensing practices, in a case similar to one involving SAP. Sustainability & Packaging: RCS Group has started €75m construction of a plastics recycling expansion in Werne, targeting closed-loop recyclates for applications including food-grade HDPE. Macro Pressure on Consumers: Global bond yields jumped again on oil-price pressure from US-Iran tensions, pushing up borrowing costs that can feed through to mortgages and car loans.