Retail

Bloomberg Costco Wholesale Corp reported quarterly profit that fell short of estimates, and US sales, while still brisk, also slightly missed. The company’s shares fell in late trading. Same-store US sales excluding gas rose 5.2% in the quarter, falling just short of analysts’ projections compiled by Consensus Metrix. Earnings per share were $2.47, below the average estimate of $2.54. Costco …

Bloomberg Barneys New York Inc is in advanced talks with a group of retail industry investors looking to buy the company out of bankruptcy for about $220 million, according to people with knowledge of the situation. The effort is being led by Sam Ben-Avraham, known for his roles in starting New York retail store Atrium and streetwear brand Kith, the …

Bloomberg Bed Bath & Beyond reported a tenth straight quarter of falling sales, but assured investors it’s making progress towards stabilsation and an organisational overhaul. The shares bounced between losses and gains in late trading. Same-store sales, an important measure for retailers, fell 6.7% in the company’s second quarter. That’s more than analysts’ average estimate for a 5.3% decline, according …

Bloomberg Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) AB rose to the highest in almost two years after a popular summer collection helped the Swedish retailer put a dent into its bulging inventory. The stock rose as much as 7.5% after quarterly earnings gained for the first time this year. The third-quarter report was a rare bright spot in the gloomy world of …

Bloomberg PT Bukalapak.com raised capital from investors including Indonesian media giant Emtek and South Korea’s Shinhan Financial Group Co, a round of funding that valued the online marketplace at more than $2.5 billion. The Jakarta-based startup, which last month said it would cut about 10 percent of its workforce to focus on profitability, announced the transaction but wouldn’t provide more …

Bloomberg John Lewis Partnership Plc plans to cut one-third of the top jobs at its headquarters as it integrates grocer Waitrose with its department-store operations in response to tough UK retail competition. The reduction of 75 senior managers will save about 100 million pounds ($123 million) over time, the company said. Waitrose managing director Rob Collins plans to step down …

Bloomberg After Tesco Plc said Chief Executive Officer Dave Lewis will hand the baton to drugstore executive Ken Murphy, one analyst summed up his surprise by quipping, “Ken who?” While Murphy is known inside Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc for spearheading its push into China, he’s a relative unknown in London financial circles. Next summer he’ll take over the top job …

Bloomberg Mother Nature is figuring into consumers’ holiday spending plans this year. The environmental impact of fast-delivery options, which may include using planes and shipping multiple items separately, is a concern resonating with Americans, according to Accenture’s Annual Holiday Shopping Survey. Half of respondents said they’d choose options that leave a smaller carbon footprint, such as slower shipping or in-store …

Bloomberg Richemont is acquiring Italian jewellery brand Buccellati to bolster its existing portfolio of Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. The Swiss luxury-goods maker bought the Milan-based brand from Gangtai Group Corp, a Chinese investment company, for an undisclosed price. Luca Solca, an analyst at Sanford C Bernstein, said it probably paid less than the $250 million the Shanghai-based investment …

Bloomberg The UK’s accounting watchdog opened an investigation into Ernst & Young’s audit of Thomas Cook Group Plc’s financial statements after the 178-year-old tour operator collapsed. The Financial Reporting Council began the probe amid a growing political outcry over the failure last month, which cost thousands of jobs and left tourists stranded across Europe. The Big Four accounting firms have …