Retail

Bloomberg Kroger Co plans to close two Southern California supermarkets following passage of a local ordinance that requires grocery stores to raise their frontline workers’ hourly pay by $4. A Ralphs store and a Food 4 Less store in Long Beach, California, will close on April 17, the company said in a statement. A spokesperson declined to provide additional information ...

Bloomberg Hong Kong’s retailers didn’t see much benefit from the key holiday shopping season, with sales plunging in December after the government tightened controls to combat a surge in virus cases. Retail sales by value fell 13.2% from a year ago to HK$31.4 billion ($4.05 billion), after dropping a revised 4.1% in November, the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department ...

Bloomberg British bootmaker Dr Martens Plc soared in London trading after owner Permira Holdings and other shareholders raised 1.3 billion pounds ($1.8 billion) in an initial public offering, cashing in on the lasting popularity of its cult footwear. The stock surged 22% to close at 450 pence after pricing its IPO at 370 pence, the top end of an initial ...

Bloomberg Toys “R” Us has once again disappeared from America’s retail landscape. The former industry titan recently closed its only two US stores, including a location in New Jersey, according to a spokeswoman. The outlets were opened in late 2019 by Tru Kids Inc, an entity that acquired the brand’s intellectual property during the retail giant’s 2018 liquidation. The new ...

Bloomberg Years from now when the pandemic’s impact on global business is analysed, it’s likely that the most lucrative change will be how it pushed—or actually shoved—massive markets into the modern e-commerce era. In many countries, online shopping hadn’t been easy because of underdeveloped infrastructure and the reluctance, or inability, of consumers to use banks and electronic payment. That stalled ...

Bloomberg Levi Strauss & Co is expanding its partnership with retailer Target Corp well beyond blue jeans. The agreement will mark Levi’s first home-goods partnership, with new products including tableware and pillows, the companies said in a statement. The tie-up will also broaden its Red Tab brand within Target stores, with in-store displays planned at more than 500 locations by ...

Bloomberg Online greeting-card retailer Moonpig Group Plc and its shareholders plan to raise as much as 384 million pounds ($524 million) in an initial public offering in London, part of a rush of European companies looking to capitalise on robust stock markets and pandemic-fuelled sales growth. Moonpig is marketing as many as 113 million shares at 310 pence to 350 ...

Bloomberg Dr Martens owner Permira Holdings and other shareholders are looking to raise as much as 1.3 billion pounds ($1.8 billion) in an initial public offering of the shoemaker on the London Stock Exchange, betting on the enduring popularity of its cult leather boots. The company doesn’t plan to raise any money itself in the IPO. Private equity firm Permira ...

Bloomberg Shiseido Co is in advanced talks to sell its shampoo and affordable skincare business to CVC Capital Partners for 150 billion to 200 billion yen ($1.45 billion-$1.9 billion), as the Japanese cosmetics maker shifts its focus to premium beauty products, people with knowledge of the matter said. The board of Shiseido is preparing to vote on the divestment soon, ...

Bloomberg Online fashion retailers Boohoo Group Plc and Asos Plc are seeking to rescue ailing UK retail mainstay brands like Debenhams and Topshop. Boohoo said it’s buying the Debenhams brand for 55 million pounds ($75 million). Separately, Asos Plc said it’s in exclusive talks with administrators of Philip Green’s Arcadia Group Ltd to buy the UK retailer’s Topshop brand and ...