Turkish investment in Serbia is expected to grow in the short term as the country offers the best conditions for foreign direct investments (FDI) in the Western Balkans. The Balkan country is offering financial incentives, such as government subsidies, as well as a prime strategic position as a link between southern and central Europe and the emerging markets of Eastern Europe, says Aleksandar Medjedovic the chairman of Turkey.

Currently, 12 or 13 Turkish companies operate factories in Serbia and their number is expected to double by the end of the year, as Turkish knitted fabric and knitwear manufacturers are being urged to set up manufacturing plants in Serbia.

Nis and the surrounding region has attracted a growing level of investment from foreign textile firms in recent years with manufacturers attracted by financial incentives, such as government subsidies, as well as its strategic position as a link between southern and central Europe and the emerging markets of Eastern Europe.

Turkish investors began looking at the Serbian market five years ago, when some companies opened factories in southern Serbia, mainly in the textile sector, and interest has been constantly growing, Medjedovic stated during the Vienna Economic Talks forum in Belgrade.

Most recently, Aster Textile, one of the largest and fast growing knitted jersey and woven womenswear, menswear and childrenswear producers in Turkey, invested €7.2 million on a new plant in the southern Serbian city of Nis. Of the total €7.2 million investment, €2 million was funded by State Aid. The site employs 250 people although this number is expected to rise to more than 2,000 over the next three years.

Aster stated that that within three yearsit would be producing garments worth around €60 million of women’s and menswear per year for some of the world's leading brands.

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is looking to provide same and next day deliveries to more than 600 million mainland Chinese consumers, with the opening of its own flagship online store on JD.com on Thursday.

That launch comes nearly a year after Walmart and JD.com, China’s biggest online retail service provider by revenue, formed a strategic alliance and more than a month since Walmart’s British supermarket chain Asda opened a store on the same platform.

Ben Hassing, the senior vice-president of e-commerce at Walmart China, stated thatWalmart is committed to providing the most trusted retail experience to consumers in China.

It assured mainland customers they would be buying only authentic, quality goods with categories including food, consumables, general merchandise, toys and apparel since all items are sourced through the same supply chain system that Walmart China’s network of stores use.

Walmart have made a US$50 million investment last October in New Dada, the joint venture between JD.com and delivery specialist Dada that operates the mainland’s largest on-demand logistics and online-to-offline grocery platform.

By the end of March, New Dada had partnered with 80 Walmart stores and 165 Yonghui Superstores to provide consumers with one-hour home delivery of groceries ordered through the JD Daojia Dada app. JD.com invested 4.3 billion yuan (US$624 million) to acquire a 10 per cent stake in Fuzhou-based Yonghui in 2015.

JD.com had 236.5 million active customer accounts at the end March. Orders placed through mobile accounted for 81 per cent of the total orders fulfilled by the company in the first quarter.

The deeper alliance between Walmart and JD.com could help bolster e-commerce spending on the mainland, already the world’s largest online retail market.

JD.com posted total revenue of US$28 billion last year, compared with rival Alibaba Group’s turnover. On the other hand according to Forrester research Mainland China is forecast to become the first market to reach US$1 trillion in total online retail sales by 2020, driven by a rise in mobile e-commerce transactions.

Collection of expanding fashion brands and retailer's locations across the U.S., is expanding its operations to include a new retail concept boutique in Minneapolis called Union 73. The new retail store opened at the Minneapolis City Centerat 40 South 7th Street, and is prepared to offer trendy, fast-fashion product at affordable prices. Union 73, the chic men's and women's retailer is the brainchild of entrepreneur, Marcus Lemonis, who is the star of CNBC's hit reality series, the profit in which he lends his expertise to assist struggling small businesses around the country.

Lemonisstated that the company is very excited to open the new Union 73 boutique in the beautiful and energetic Minneapolis City Center and its goal is to be the go-to trendy retailer in this community with our ever-changing collection of top quality men's and women's fashions, and we are offering over 1,500 pairs of jeans in all styles, washes and price points to start this new concept.

The 7,000-square foot boutique will feature an extensive selection of denim, jackets, tops, sweaters, dresses and bottoms, as well as a wide range of shoes, accessories and handbags, comprised of well-known national brands. The product base is finely crafted merchandise and the business model is focused on a strong commitment to one-on-one customer relationships.

Stephanie Menkin, president of the Marcus Lemonis Fashion pointed out saying that they are thrilled to introduce Union 73 to the fun, fashionable and diverse consumer base in the greater Minneapolis area, with affordably priced apparel for our transient consumer. The company is looking forward to offer monthly sales promotions for the customers and adding to overall growth as a company, with additional locations of Union 73 already in the works in Jacksonville, and Chicago.

Italian mill Berto is working to ensure that its manufacturing practices achieve sustainable products. With 130 years of business under its belt, Berto has proved to be a sustainable player in the denim market.

For autumn/winter 2018, Berto is offering bio eco denim, a collection of denim made with GOTS-certified organic cotton and GOTS-certified organic indigo dye.

The organic cotton is grown using methods with a low environmental impact. During the cultivation of organic cotton, neither pesticides nor chemical fertilizers are used. The cultivation process also requires a lower amount of water and helps prevent water contamination.

The organic indigo dye used in the collection stems from the processing of the leaves of the plant Indigofera Tinctoria. The cultivation of these plants occurs to the total exclusion of harmful chemicals. The indigo dye is extracted from the leaves through a process of bio-fermentation in water.

Berto is one of Italy’s premium fabric manufacturers. It operates a 100 per cent Made in Italy production chain.

Berto doesn’t use standard equipment. The machines are specially designed together with suppliers to ensure optimal performance. For selvedge denim, Berto even travelled back in time to find the perfect looms. All the blue selvedge fabrics are woven on Belgian Picanol shuttle looms from the 1950s. The looms were bought from a certified supplier and have been carefully restored and are constantly maintained to ensure the highest level of performance.