Retail

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc is in late-stage talks to acquire as much as 10 percent of India’s Future Retail Ltd, people familiar with the negotiations said, as the US company moves to bolster its brick-and-mortar presence in one of the world’s fastest-growing retail markets. India’s No. 2 retailer by turnover, Future is seeking a valuation of about 20 billion rupees ($281 …

Bloomberg Barneys New York Inc filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors and laid out plans to shutter most of its stores after getting squeezed by rising rents and fewer visitors to its luxury fashion stores. The Chapter 11 filing in New York allows the department-store chain to stay open while it seeks to sell a slimmed-down business and to negotiate …

Bloomberg Walmart is reportedly looking to sell ModCloth, the women’s apparel site it acquired two years ago, as it looks for ways to pare losses at its online business. “I can confirm that Walmart has received outside interest from buyers for ModCloth,” the site’s CEO Silvia Mazzucchelli told Glossy magazine. “We are in the process of exploring potential opportunities.” Recode …

Bloomberg Marks & Spencer Group Plc investors are increasingly pessimistic about the UK retailer after it announced a joint venture with tech startup Ocado Group Plc to deliver grocery orders in the UK and boost its food business. M&S shares have fallen 34 percent since the company said that it will finance the deal with a rights offer and dividend …

Bloomberg Tesco plans to cut 4,500 jobs as the supermarket operator slims down hundreds of stores and adds to the mounting toll on employment in UK shopping districts. Britain’s biggest retailer said it will streamline operations at its 153 medium-size Metro stores in city centers, while reducing opening hours at 134 Express convenience stores. The moves announced come on top …

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc’s determination to offer shoppers the best deals is prompting merchants selling products on its marketplace to raise their prices on competing websites, a testament to the company’s growing influence over the e-commerce market. Amazon constantly scans rivals’ prices to see if they’re lower. When it discovers a product is cheaper on, say, Walmart.com, Amazon alerts the company …

Bloomberg Next Plc shares surged after the company raised its financial guidance, helped by e-commerce investments that are keeping the UK retail bellwether ahead of troubled rivals. The apparel chain’s warehouse and distribution upgrades are boosting online sales, which rose 12 percent in the latest quarter, even as British department stores and other fashion chains sink deeper into trouble. The …

Bloomberg Vegan ice cream is a hot commodity these days. But violent storms that have devastated farms in Southeast Asia are threatening to take away one of its best ingredients — coconuts. Much of the world’s supply comes from the region, which is grappling with an increase in storms’ frequency and intensity because of warming seas. Coconuts’ natural creaminess is …

Bloomberg Walmart Inc appears be pondering whether to test waters in the world of cryptocurrencies, following the steps of Facebook Inc. The retailing giant applied to patent a way to use a digital coin tied to a traditional fiat currency, which could allow for cheaper and faster transactions as well as loyalty features, according to a filing by the US …

Bloomberg The University of California is looking to halt imports of vintage-style LED light bulbs that are sold at five of the nation’s biggest retailers, including Walmart Inc, Target Corp and Amazon.com Inc. The University of California Santa Barbara says the retailers should be paying it royalties from sales of the bulbs. Bed Bath & Beyond Inc and Ikea of …