Retail

Bloomberg UK retail landlords are facing a hard reality: the rapid approval of a vaccine has come too late for thousands of their stores. The collapse of department store chain Debenhams Plc and Philip Green’s Arcadia Group this week caps an unremittingly brutal year for the owners of brick and mortar stores. The demise of these retailers alone threatens 16.6 …

Bloomberg Black Friday — once the ultimate US shopping day — is being disrupted like so much else in these Covid-19 times, with consumers largely avoiding malls and instead flocking online. What that means for overall sales for the holiday season remains to be seen, but it’s becoming clearer that the pandemic has only accelerated the move away from big …

Bloomberg South African retailers including The Foschini Group (TFG) Ltd and Woolworths Holdings Ltd are increasing investment in local clothing manufacturers — both to reduce a dependency on Chinese imports and secure a supply chain thrown into disarray by Covid-19 restrictions. The companies have signed up to an industry plan that includes a target to source 65% of their goods …

Bloomberg Mike Ashley, the founder of the Sports Direct sportswear chain, is prepared to offer a 50 million-pound ($66.5 million) loan to Philip Green’s Arcadia Group, which is teetering on the brink of administration, Sky News reported. The board of Frasers Group Plc, run by Ashley, has drawn up plans for an emergency loan to Arcadia, Sky reported, citing Chris …

Bloomberg Arcadia Group, the retail empire controlled by Philip Green is likely to file for administration in the UK as early as next week, putting 13,000 jobs at risk. The owner of the Topshop and Topman brands wrote in an emailed statement that it’s exploring “a number of contingency options” after the closure of its stores due to Covid-19 “had …

Bloomberg Francesca’s Holdings Corp is preparing to file for bankruptcy, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The boutique-style women’s clothing chain could file as soon as next week, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the process isn’t public. The plan could still change. Representatives for Francesca’s didn’t respond to multiple phone and email requests …

Bloomberg JD.com Inc’s logistics unit is considering an initial public offering (IPO) that could raise at least $5 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter. JD Logistics is targeting a valuation of about $40 billion, the person said, asking not to be identified as the information is not public. The company is leaning towards choosing Hong Kong as …

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc warehouse workers in Alabama filed a petition with the US National Labor Relations Board to form a union, the latest sign of strife between the online retailer and its large blue-collar workforce. The federal agency posted a notice for a hearing to determine if the petition meets the criteria to advance to the next step. With enough …

Bloomberg Macy’s Inc plans to devote more of its shelf space to Black-owned brands, becoming one of the most prominent names to join the nascent 15 Percent Pledge movement for racial equity in the retail world. The department-store chain follows retailers such as West Elm and Sephora signing onto the 15 Percent Pledge, a grassroots effort to increase representation of …

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc and other major retailers in France agreed to postpone Black Friday amid an outcry from smaller rivals, which have been campaigning to re-open physical stores before the promotional event. Amazon and traditional retailers, including Galeries Lafayette department stores, agreed to postpone the shopping holiday from November 27 to December 4. All non-essential stores in France have been …