The week in business: 12 February

Retail • Bpost
National post office Bpost is planning to take over the management of 220 newspaper shops from Lagardere Travel Retail, which owns the Press Shop and Relay brands. The deal, which still has to be approved by the competition authorities, also includes 735 Kariboo locations for the delivery of packages.

Distribution • H&M
Clothing chain H&M is closing its distribution centre in Puurs, Antwerp province, with the possible loss of 162 jobs. The Swedish chain employs more than 2,000 people in Belgium, and unions hope staff can be found jobs elsewhere.

Sports equipment • Snauwaert
The former Beveren-based tennis equipment manufacturer, once a blue-chip name in the sport, is making a comeback after going bankrupt in 1991, following a move to Portugal. The company has been revived by Flemish entrepreneur Patrick Vanoppen and a group of investors and aims to produce 5,000 racquets a year.

Telecoms • Proximus
Proximus is to face charges of being involved in a tax fraud scheme built around the purchase and sale of paid text messages. Ten Antwerp companies bought the messages in bulk in other countries and sold them on to commercial partners here, among them SMS-games advertised on TV. The traders are accused of defrauding VAT authorities of some €1.8 million. The case will be heard in May.

Beverages • Nuestro Futuro
Officials working in the Flemish administration will now be served fair trade coffee in all government vending machines, the civil service magazine 13 reports. After a taste test, the administration’s vote went to an 100% Arabica-bean coffee produced by Guatemalan co-operative Nuestro Futuro.