Retail

Bloomberg Boohoo Group Plc lifted its full-year growth forecast after the online apparel seller’s Instagram-fuelled marketing strategy paid off over the holidays, offering a measure of relief to an embattled UK retail sector. The group lifted its growth forecast for the year to a range of 43 percent to 45 percent from a previous 38 percent to 43 percent after …

Bloomberg Lululemon Athletica Inc rose the most in more than four months after the yogawear company boosted its quarterly sales and profit forecast ahead of the ICR Conference in Orlando this week. The move follows a series of holiday sales misses last week and prompted a chorus of praise from analysts. “In what is turning out to be a more …

Bloomberg About half of Chinese consumers say they’re planning to spend more on luxury purchases this year in a recent survey as concerns mount that the slowing and trade war-battered economy may dent demand in the key market for premium goods. Weeks after Apple Inc said that lower-than-expected Chinese demand is hurting earnings, a new survey of 1,385 affluent consumers …

Bloomberg Luxury cosmetics firm L’Occitane International SA agreed to buy beauty and skincare brand Elemis for about $900 million, its biggest deal on record as the maker of organic lotions looks to expand in the US and UK. The Hong Kong-listed L’Occitane agreed to buy the privately-held Elemis from Steiner Leisure Limited, according to a statement from the companies. Steiner …

Bloomberg America’s biggest supermarket chain is seeing signs that US shoppers are getting nervous about the future. “It’s fascinating right now from a customer standpoint. They feel incredibly good about the economy but very nervous about where things are headed,’’ Kroger Co Chief Executive Officer Rodney McMullen said in an onstage interview at the National Retail Federation’s annual trade show …

Bloomberg Target Corp set a high bar for rival retailers with strong holiday sales, bolstering the industry’s hope that this will be America’s best shopping season in more than a decade. Target’s comparable sales grew 5.7 percent in the November-December period, beating some analysts’ estimates. It also maintained its full-year sales and earnings forecasts. Target went all out over the …

Bloomberg Calvin Klein is closing its Madison Avenue flagship store in New York this spring as the fashion label shakes up its strategy. The apparel maker owned by PVH Corp said it would begin using a “digital-first” approach and reorganise its North American division, combining operations in sportswear and jeans. Its higher-end Calvin Klein 205W39NYC business will get a makeover …

Bloomberg In an increasingly tough UK retail environment where the looming threat of Brexit has ground down consumer confidence, the holiday-shopping season was all about survival of the fittest. Tesco Plc, the country’s biggest retailer, weathered brutal price pressure and a decline in shopper visits better than smaller rivals, posting Christmas sales that beat expectations. But other stores more exposed …

Bloomberg UK bakery chain Greggs Plc provided some relief to the country’s beleaguered shopping districts with a bullish update on sales performance as year-end demand for its festive pastries surged. The shares rose as much as 7.7 percent to a record as the company raised its outlook for full-year adjusted pretax profit to at least 88 million pounds ($112 million), …

Bloomberg J Sainsbury Plc’s Christmas sales fell more than analysts expected as price-conscious UK shoppers turned to discounters for their turkey and stocking stuffers. The supermarket chain became the second of the big four UK grocers to highlight consumer unease over the holiday season, with Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc warning that the political stalemate over Brexit was making shoppers rein …