Retail

Bloomberg Stop & Shop reached a tentative contract deal with the union representing more than 30,000 of its New England employees, ending the biggest private sector strike in years. “The agreement preserves healthcare and retirement benefits, provides wage increases, and maintains time-and-a-half pay for current members,” chapters of the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) union said in a statement. …

Bloomberg It’s high in protein, low in sugar, and just right for the struggling American dairy industry. It’s Icelandic yogurt, also known as Skyr, and as the meteoric popularity of the Greek product fizzles, farmers are hoping the new variety will help lift them out of years of lackluster demand. A big reason dairy producers love it: Recipes for one …

Bloomberg Bed Bath & Beyond unveiled changes to its board of directors including the naming of Lead Independent Director Patrick Gaston as independent chairman, saying the moves were in response to shareholder feedback and connected to its commitment to accelerating board refreshment. Five current independent directors will step down from the board, with the five new independent directors being Harriet …

Bloomberg Pier 1 Imports Inc announced a plan to cut costs at the chain, which is under siege from newer online rivals. The company also announced an interim chief financial officer from AlixPartners LLP, a company known for its turnaround and restructuring practice. Part of Pier 1’s “action plan’’ includes generating cost savings and benefits of as much as $110 …

Bloomberg Call it the nostalgia factor: PepsiCo is getting a boost from some of its classic brands. The snack and beverage giant posted quarterly results that beat estimates, sending shares to the highest since at least 1980. The company’s sales growth was boosted by its key Frito-Lay operation and North American beverage unit, with its Pepsi soda line and Lay’s …

Bloomberg You’d need a cast of thousands to re-enact Black Friday at a Walmart store, so virtual reality comes in handy at the company’s training centres. Employees get to experience a shopper stampede on their headsets, part of a widening national effort that encompasses some 7,000 workers a week. The retail giant isn’t alone. From hotels to fast food chains, …

Bloomberg Canadian retailers emerged from months of slumping sales with a sharp rebound in February that may ease some worries about consumer weakness. Retailers posted a 0.8 percent gain in sales on the month, Statistics Canada said from Ottawa, versus economist expectations for a 0.4 percent gain. February’s increase was the strongest since May 2018, and follows six straight months …

Bloomberg Kering reported sales that narrowly beat analysts’ estimates as growth at its flagship Gucci brand cooled from last year’s relentless pace. Gucci’s growth has been slowing gradually in the third year of a blockbuster turnaround under CEO Marco Bizzarri and designer Alessandro Michele, whose decadent products like crystal-coated sunglasses and serpent-painted handbags ushered in an era of new maximalism …

Bloomberg UK retail sales unexpectedly increased for a third consecutive month in March, underlying the resilience of consumers in the face of Brexit uncertainty. The volume of goods sold in stores and online jumped 1.1 percent from February, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Sales excluding auto fuel increased 1.2 percent. Both measures had been expected to show a …

Bloomberg In a rare retreat for Amazon.com Inc, the e-commerce giant plans to shut down its Chinese marketplace business in July as it shifts its focus to offering mainland consumers overseas products rather than goods from local sellers. Amazon will keep running its other businesses in China, including Amazon Web Services, Kindle e-books, and cross-border operations that help ship goods …