Retail

Bloomberg Sales by Canadian wholesalers in March rose by the most in more than a year, another sign the economy is emerging from a temporary slow patch. Wholesale sales rose 1.4 percent during the month, the fastest increase since October 2017 and the fourth straight monthly gain, Statistics Canada reported. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg were expecting a gain of 0.9 …

Bloomberg The company that shook up Swiss watchmaking is looking to the fast-food industry for inspiration on how to spruce up retailing. Swatch Group AG, the maker of $50 plastic timepieces, is setting up a drive-through store where it will sell products from its namesake label packed in burger boxes and brown paper bags. The shop, next to the company’s …

Bloomberg Brazil’s Natura Cosmeticos SA agreed to buy rival Avon Products Inc in an all-stock deal valued at about $2 billion, positioning it as a growing force in the booming global cosmetics and skincare industry. Controlling shareholders of Natura, which bought the Body Shop retail chain in 2017, will form a new publicly traded holding company that will offer 0.3 …

Bloomberg Kontoor Brands Inc, whose Lee line is already the biggest denim brand in China, plans to bring its other big American jeans name to the world’s largest consumer market within a year. “In January 2020, we are introducing Wrangler to the Chinese market because there’s an appetite,” Chief Executive Officer Scott Baxter said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. …

Bloomberg Zara owner Inditex SA promoted Carlos Crespo to chief executive officer, naming an insider to spearhead the fast-fashion giant’s push into e-commerce. Crespo, 48, who is currently chief operating officer of the world’s largest apparel retailer, will report to Executive Chairman Pablo Isla, 55, who’s yielding the CEO position. The new chief will be responsible for technology, procurement and …

Bloomberg Foot Locker Inc fell the most in nearly two years after it reported first-quarter sales and profit that missed analysts’ estimates. The athletic-shoe retailer’s shares tumbled as much as 19 percent in New York trading, the most since August 2017. The stock is now at its lowest level in a year, erasing a series of gains over the past …

Bloomberg Taco Bell has set its sights on bringing more Mexican food to India, the third-largest consumer market in the world, as the fast food chain seeks new drivers of growth outside of the slowing US market. The Yum! Brands Inc unit is planning 600 restaurants in the Asian nation over the next decade with master franchisee Burman Hospitality. That’s …

Bloomberg Massmart Holdings Ltd fell the most in three months as the troubled South African retail chain warned on profit and majority shareholder Walmart Inc sent one its own to help stem declines. Earnings may drop as much as 50 percent in the first five months of the year compared with a year ago, Massmart said, when the company also …

Bloomberg Marks & Spencer Group Plc plans to open more large food stores, shifting away from a strategy of expanding smaller convenience outlets as it prepares for an alliance with online grocer Ocado Group Plc. The prospect of another costly store revamp as profit falls weighed on the UK retailer’s shares, which declined as much as 5.4 percent on Wednesday. …

Bloomberg Ascena Retail Group Inc will start winding down its Dressbarn clothing chain, the latest upheaval in a continued retail shakeout. After trying to find a new owner, Ascena said that it’s preparing to close the approximately 650-store chain. No timeline was given, and stores will remain open until the wind-down commences. Ascena, whose brands have come under pressure as …