Retail

z Bloomberg Discount clothing chain Primark is betting that opening more and bigger stores will drive sales gains, bucking a trend in which competitors are scaling back their bricks-and-mortar presence. The apparel brand, owned by Associated British Foods Plc (AB Foods), expects new stores in the US and Europe to propel sales for the full year. The strategy runs counter …

Bloomberg Walmart Inc’s new policy discouraging patrons from openly carrying guns will rely heavily on signage and won’t require employees to confront every person carrying a firearm, according to a person familiar with the matter. The nuanced approach is designed to let people who are armed go about their business in a Walmart store, as long as they’re not making …

Bloomberg Lululemon Athletica Inc shares rose as much as 6.7 percent to a record high after again issuing a beat and raise quarterly report. “Lulu continued to show that it is in a league of its own,” Telsey Advisory’s Dana Telsey wrote. The retailer surprised the Street with a 500-basis point total comparable sales beat, even better than the 460-basis …

Bloomberg Louis Vuitton plans to add roughly 1,500 manufacturing jobs in France over the next three years, ramping up production to feed surging demand from China and other emerging economies. While the luxury label has opened factories in Italy, Spain and the US, Chief Executive Officer Michael Burke said it’s committed to keeping the majority of its supply chain in …

Bloomberg Campbell Soup Co agreed to sell its European potato chips business to Valeo Foods Group Ltd for about 66 million pounds ($80 million), the soupmaker’s latest divestment as it simplifies operations. Valeo, a Dublin-based food producer, will acquire the Yellow and Kettle brand chips for the European market, according to a statement. Campbell will retain the Kettle brand for …

Bloomberg Tadashi Yanai, Fast Retailing Co’s 70-year-old billionaire founder, said he would prefer to be succeeded by a woman, which would be better for Asia’s largest retailer. “The job is more suitable for a woman,” Yanai, the chief executive officer behind clothing giant Uniqlo, said in an interview. “They are persevering, detailed oriented and have an aesthetic sense.” As Yanai …

Bloomberg Fast-fashion giant Zara denied speculation on Chinese social media that the retailer’s employees were supporting anti-Beijing protests that disrupted some of its store operations. “Zara has never made any comments or undertaken any actions related to a strike in Hong Kong,” the company said in a post on its Weibo account. “Zara does not back a strike and supports …

Bloomberg Topsports International Holdings Ltd, the private equity-backed Chinese sportswear retailer, plans to seek Hong Kong stock exchange approval next week for its initial public offering, people with knowledge of the matter said. The company, which is a unit of women’s shoe retailer Belle International Holdings Ltd, plans to sell shares in September if it passes the listing hearing, according …

Bloomberg Steinhoff International Holdings NV nominated Mazars LLP’s Netherlands unit as its new group auditor as the South African retailer looks to make a fresh start after it was almost destroyed by an accounting scandal. Mazars accepted an offer to replace Deloitte, Steinhoff’s board said at its annual general meeting in an Amsterdam hotel. Shareholders will able to vote on …

Bloomberg Hudson’s Bay Co’s European adventure is nearing an end, as the Canadian retailer plans to close its 15 Dutch department stores, Het Financieele Dagblad reported. The company will shut the stores and dismiss the workforce of more than 1,400 by the end of the year, the Dutch newspaper said, citing a letter from Hudson’s Bay. A spokesperson wasn’t immediately …