Retail

Bloomberg After spending more than a century selling baby formula, Nestle SA realised it’s neglected another potential customer: mom. The Swiss food giant is expanding its offering for expecting and lactating women to add products that it says will help reduce health risks related to motherhood. The business could generate $500 million to $1 billion in 10 years, according to …

Bloomberg Tiffany & Co has quietly added thousands of manufacturing jobs over the past two years as it digs deeper into the diamond business. The jeweller has increased its staff by 2,300 employees since early 2017, about a 19 percent rise in headcount. Nearly all of the new jobs are in Tiffany factories abroad or jewellery manufacturing in the US. …

Bloomberg Sonic is doubling down on indulgent. The burger chain, squeezed by tough competition from larger rivals including Burger King and McDonald’s Corp, is adding a Red Bull frozen “slushie” to its menu next month, as it seeks to pull in the so-called young males who have remained loyal fast-food customers even as eating habits shift in the US. It’s …

Bloomberg Ascena Retail Group Inc continues to clean out its closets. The parent of Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant is exploring options for its lower-priced women’s clothing chain, Dressbarn, according to people familiar with the matter. It’s shopping the chain to potential buyers, said the people, who declined to be identified because the process isn’t public. The company didn’t reply …

Bloomberg Steinhoff International Holdings NV raised $332 million by selling its remaining shares in KAP Industrial Holdings Ltd as the embattled retailer looks to shore up its balance sheet. The owner of Conforama in France and Mattress Firm in the US sold its 26 percent stake in the South African industrial company at a 9.4 percent discount, Steinhoff said. The …

Bloomberg Bed Bath & Beyond Inc soared as much as 30 percent — the most intraday in 19 years — on news that activist investors plan to challenge the home-goods retailer’s directors in a proxy fight. The company responded by saying the investors have ignored its requests for feedback and only appear interested in gaining ammunition for an activist battle. …

Bloomberg Ascena Retail Group Inc, the owner of Ann Taylor and Dressbarn, soared after announcing it will sell a majority interest in its Maurices Inc chain to a private equity firm. The shares jumped the most in three months on the news. An affiliate of OpCapita LLP will buy a stake in the women’s clothing retailer in a deal valued …

Bloomberg Rebecca Esparza works with homeless people and, having once lived in a shelter herself, knows what it’s like to navigate the US economy if you don’t have much money. For most of her clients, cash is king because they lack access to the financial tools many Americans take for granted—checking accounts, debit cards, payment apps. Esparza worries that the …

Bloomberg This might sound familiar to Nike Inc investors. The world’s largest sportswear company delivered strong third-quarter earnings, but missed on one important metric: North American sales. The home market dogged Nike for much of 2017 and early 2018, and the latest sales miss sent the shares down as much as 4.3 percent in New York. Third-quarter sales in Nike’s …

Bloomberg France and Italy, already tussling over everything from immigration to economics, have added sunglasses to their list of grievances. When Ray-Ban owner Luxottica and French prescription lens-maker Essilor completed a $53 billion merger last October, the deal seemed to clear the way for the Italian company’s 83-year-old founder Leonardo Del Vecchio to hand over management duties and start transferring …