Retail

Bloomberg Macy’s Inc was cut to junk by S&P Global Ratings, which said the department-store chain falls on the wrong side of changing consumer preferences. The company’s credit rating was lowered one notch to BB+ from BBB-, S&P said in a statement, citing its “excess stores.” The outlook is stable. Macy’s shares extended losses after the announcement. “Pressure is mounting …

Bloomberg Bed Bath & Beyond Inc is selling its PersonalizationMall.com business amid efforts to slim down, renew focus on its core home-furnishings business and reverse years of stagnant sales. The company agreed to sell the online personalised gift company for $252 million to 1-800-Flowers.com, it said. PersonalizationMall.com will continue to provide products and services to Bed Bath & Beyond and …

Bloomberg Carrefour SA’s Brazil unit rallied as investors cheered the French retailer’s move to accelerate the expansion of its cash-and-carry business in Latin America’s largest economy. Shares of Atacadao SA rose as much as 6.2% in Sao Paulo on February 17, the most in more than two months, after it agreed to buy 30 cash-and-carry stores and 14 gas stations …

Bloomberg Packaged-foods maker Conagra Brands Inc cut its sales and earnings forecast, blaming a slowdown at restaurants over the holiday season and subsequent weakness at retailers in January. The Chicago-based company now anticipates organic sales to be flat or to grow only 0.5% in the fiscal year that ends in three months, a reduction from its prior growth forecast of …

Bloomberg Macy’s Inc faces a difficult road as it dives into New York City real estate development. The struggling retailer, trying to generate cash off prime real estate in midtown Manhattan, recently unveiled plans for a 1.5 million-square-foot building atop its iconic store in Manhattan’s Herald Square. But the proposed office tower requires zoning changes that have to be approved …

Bloomberg Mitchell Modell, chairman and chief executive officer of Modell’s Sporting Goods, has a framed letter from his grandfather, Henry Modell, hanging on the wall of his New York City office. He said he likes to look it over, to remind him what’s at stake as he struggles to keep the 131-year-old family business afloat. “Keep and cherish the good …

Bloomberg Harrods Department Store Co, a big tourist attraction in London for Chinese shoppers, has prohibited staff from wearing masks when dealing with customers because it may fan unfounded concern about coronavirus. The luxury British department store said it’s not allowing face masks on shop floors due to the “risk of spreading further anxiety” among customers and staff. The move …

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc is severing ties with small delivery firms around the country — putting at least 1,300 drivers out of work — in an effort to eliminate partners that aren’t meeting its standards. Bear Down Logistics, an Illinois company that rapidly expanded over the past two years, is shuttering operations in five states and letting go of about 400 …

Bloomberg Walmart Inc’s Jetblack, a personal-shopping service for busy urban families, will cease operations on February 21, according to a company spokesman. The brainchild of Walmart’s online chief Marc Lore, Jetblack will be integrated into the parent company’s operations and its technology applied to other parts of the retailer. Nearly 300 employees will be let go as part of the …

Bloomberg Kraft Heinz Co, the iconic food giant created in a merger five years ago, was downgraded to junk by two credit raters, raising fresh worries among investors that a slowing economy could threaten the broader corporate bond market. The packaged-food company was cut one level to BB+ by S&P Global Ratings, following Fitch Ratings last week. It will now …