Retail

Bloomberg Tennis star Naomi Osaka surprised industry watchers by signing an endorsement deal with Nike Inc, switching from the US sports brand’s biggest rival, Adidas AG. The sports world had been anticipating that Adidas would pay a record sum to renew a clothing endorsement with No. 1-ranked Osaka, who seized global media attention by defeating Serena Williams at the US …

Bloomberg Alarmed at Amazon.com’s rapid growth in Europe, grocers are considering fighting back with the help of a tiny Portuguese startup. Sensei, a 16-month-old technology company based in Lisbon that’s backed by Germany’s Metro AG and Portugal’s Sonae SGPS SA, is pitching its technology to European supermarkets as they race the e-commerce giant to open the region’s first checkoutless stores. …

Bloomberg Investors shouldn’t fret over the growing list of departing Walmart Inc executives who were involved in tech and innovation, according to Bernstein. Recent departures do not imperil Walmart’s future because “the people Walmart needs to be innovators were never the ones coming from outside,” analyst Brandon Fletcher wrote in a note. Outsiders with their “worldview” aren’t helpful to Walmart …

Bloomberg Target Corp is boosting its minimum starting wage for the third time in as many years, distancing itself from rival Walmart Inc in a tight labour market. The cheap-chic retailer will move to $13 an hour in June, providing tens of thousands of workers a raise, the company said, without specifying exactly how many staffers would benefit. This follows …

Bloomberg Majid Al Futtaim Holding LLC, an operator of French retailer Carrefour SA outlets, plans to boost its presence in Kenya as it looks to expand into eastern and southern Africa. Growing the franchisee in Africa will boost competition for the likes of Shoprite Holdings Ltd, the continent’s biggest grocer, and Walmart Inc’s Massmart Holdings Ltd. Those companies are looking …

Bloomberg Whole Foods Market says it will lower prices on hundreds of grocery items this week, the latest effort to reshape the grocer’s pricey image under Amazon.com Inc. The Seattle retail giant touted a round of price cuts immediately after buying Whole Foods in August 2017 and over the last year worked to roll out grocery delivery from store locations …

Bloomberg Superdry Plc shares plunged as its board and top management resigned following a shareholder vote to bring back co-founder Julian Dunkerton at the helm of the UK apparel retailer. Chairman Peter Bamford, Chief Executive Officer Euan Sutherland and Chief Financial Officer Ed Barker will leave immediately, the company said. Dunkerton will take over as interim CEO and join the …

Bloomberg Retail tycoon Philip Day is bidding for Bonmarche Holdings Plc after buying a majority stake in the UK clothing chain, as he vies with billionaire Mike Ashley to dominate the nation’s struggling high street. Day is required to make a mandatory cash offer for Bonmarche at about 11.44 pence a share after acquiring 52 percent of voting rights in …

Bloomberg Walmart Inc will let customers order groceries by voice through Google’s smart-home assistant, an attempt to counter Amazon.com Inc’s growing clout in e-commerce. Beginning this month, Walmart shoppers can add items directly to their online shopping carts by saying “Hey Google, talk to Walmart.” Information from prior purchases will help identify the correct brand and size — like whether …

Bloomberg Kellogg Co agreed to sell its cookies and fruit snack brands including Keebler and Famous Amos to Ferrero SpA for $1.3 billion, as the cereal maker refocusses on the fast-growing parts of its business. The businesses generated sales of about $900 million in 2018, the companies said. The all-cash transaction is expected to close by the end of July. …