Gaming Accessories Provider YAXO Expands into Polish Market
YAXO, a company offering gaming accessories at reasonable prices, has entered the Polish market.
Consumer
London Baby Food Brand Lune & Wild Secures €2.3 Million Series A to Expand Retail Presence
Lune & Wild, a London-based baby and children’s food brand, has raised €2.3 million in Series A funding to scale production and expand its retail footprint.
Unilever Acquires US Healthtech Startup Grüns for $1.2 Billion
Grüns, a US-based healthy consumer products startup, was acquired by Unilever for $1.2 billion. Grüns transformed supplements into gummies and achieved rapid growth through social media and online sales.
Amac Opens Flagship Store in Amsterdam’s CubeHouse with Cashless Innovation
Amac opened its first large store in Amsterdam, a flagship store in The CubeHouse, a hybrid wooden office building. The store is designed as a store of the future with a cashless system.
Henkel Strengthens Hair Care Portfolio with Three New Syoss Product Lines
Henkel’s Syoss brand expands its product line with Syoss by Palette Oleo Intense, Syoss Color Glaze, and Syoss Care Keratin
Romanian Startup Emotional Gym Launches ‘Emotional Fitness’ Platform as I Love Failure Conference Returns to Bucharest
Emotional Gym is a new startup founded by Cătălin Meșter, a Romanian entrepreneur previously involved with audiobook platform Voxa. The platform functions as an ’emotional fitness gym’ where users train emotional reactions to fear, shame, anxiety and rejection through repetitive exposure exercises. The platform aims to create authentic spaces where users share real difficulties and lessons learned, contrasting with traditional social media. Meșter is promoting the I Love Failure conference series and community, with the May 2026 event in Bucharest featuring over 150 participants and 6+ speakers.
German Court Expresses Doubts Over Class Action Against Amazon Prime Video Ad Introduction
The Consumentenbond Saxony is pursuing a class action lawsuit against Amazon Prime Video regarding the introduction of advertising in the streaming service. Over 200,000 people have joined the lawsuit. The consumer protection organization argues that Amazon informed customers of the change but did not obtain their consent before introducing mandatory advertisements. Users must pay an additional €3 per month to avoid ads. The Bavarian High Court has expressed serious doubts about the admissibility of the case, and a verdict is expected on July 17, 2024.
Airbnb Expands Beyond Accommodation with AI Travel Features and Multi-Service Platform
Airbnb announced new functionalities including car rentals, grocery delivery through Instacart partnership, airport transfers via Welcome Pickups, baggage storage through Bounce, boutique hotel integration in 20 cities (including Paris, London, Madrid, Rome, New York), FIFA 2026 World Cup experiences, and AI-powered features for trip planning and customer support in 11 languages.
Polish Retail Giant Empik Launches Photography Marketplace Platform
Empik, a Polish company, has launched a marketplace platform for photographers, positioning it as a photography-focused alternative to Allegro (Poland’s major e-commerce platform).
Romanian Wedding Planner Cristina Stan Transforms Hobby Into Professional Business Through BT Stup Entrepreneurship Program
Cristina Stan is a Romanian wedding and event planner who founded her business in 2021 after working four years in event planning agencies in Bucharest. She is a solopreneur who organizes weddings and events across Romania. She recently participated in the Avânt în antreprenoriat program by BT Stup, which helped her transition from running her business as a hobby to operating it professionally. She plans to target premium clients and mentor other event planners.