In October 2017 the Thematic University Network (Food) was started at the ANUGA Exhibition in Cologne as a manifest for blended learning about standards along the distribution from farm to fork. The former ERA-trainee Dr. Alina Pukhovskaya designed the www.european-retail-academy.org/TUN) as a multi-lingual option for global training.

Now Violena Nencheva from Bulgaria starts her ERA-training by pushing the Spanish TUN-Site ; her next step in applied sciences would be Middle- or South America. Language is important not only for the flow of product distribution but also for the knowledge distribution in a globalizing world as Prof.Dr.Hallier stated when welcoming Violena Nencheva.
 

The CREATIVITY of retail can be seen according to Prof.Dr.Hallier in a lot of short-term initiatives to protect consumers in the food business against COVID-19. Some of the best practices will become teaching material for blended learning at this Site in one of the next News-editions.

Part of the overall effort to contain the spread of the virus had been on the level with trading partners to guarantee supplies despite panic buying; instore-operations had been partly re-arranged ; own personnel had to be educated for the new situation and consumers to be instructed to change shopping-behavior; e-commerce had been speeded up to reduce risks for people better to stay at home. Prof Hallier gives a lot of credit-points to the "Heroes of Supply".
 

The University of National and World Economy (UNWE) in Sofia/Bulgaria celebrates this year its 100th anniversary. Its Scientific Conference "Trade in the Modern World - Trends and Good Practices" will be organized in November 2020. The lectures will be published later in the journal "Infrastructure & Communication".

Mass Production for consumer-goods is only possible by pre-packaging of industry. It is worth to mention according to Prof.Dr.Hallier that in Germany in context of the change of life-style after World War II in 1957 the Institute of Self-Service/ISB (today EHI) was founded to standardize within a dialogue with the branded goods - and package-industry solutions for the new store-formats "supermarkets". Examples of that meanwhile 60 years existing work-shop are publications like technical demands for one-way package or multi-trip.

In 1958 the packaging and machine sector founded the fair "Interpack" - followed in 1966 by the "EuroShop" exhibition of the retail institute : both today world-leaders of competence in their sectors at the Duesseldorf Fair Ground and show-cases for Applied Sciences. "The national GNP is determined by the amount of practical results from Research" Prof.Hallier claims.
 

Due to Corona Pandemy the 25th International CORP-Conference opening - planned as a physical ceremony in Aachen/Germany at April 15th 2020 - had to be postponed to autumn : and was therefore opened virtually for the first time.

CORP is according to Prof.Dr.B.Hallier giving each year the best survey about Liveable City Regions by present and future projects around the world. Another outstanding point is that all lectures/papers are available in the internet for years : for 2020 by (Link)