Retail

Bloomberg Richemont slumped after the Swiss luxury-goods maker signaled that the recent boom in China is over and warned that a trade war could dent demand for Cartier necklaces and Piaget watches. The stock fell as much as 5.4 percent in early trading. Richemont reported an unexpected decline in first-half operating profit amid M&A-related costs and as the company sold …

Bloomberg UK lawmakers have written to the heads of online retailers including Amazon.com Inc. and Asos Plc to seek evidence about the environmental and social impacts of selling cheap clothes. The letter to the head of Amazon in the UK was prompted by evidence given to a panel of British politicians that heard the demand for affordable garments online is …

Bloomberg Ruyi Holding Group, the Chinese apparel firm that’s taking over Bally International AG, will slow its dealmaking after announcing more than $4 billion of overseas acquisitions in the past three years. The company will focus on integrating existing brands and ease its M&A pace in the short to medium term, chairman Qiu Yafu said in an interview in Hong …

Bloomberg Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. logged 213.5 billion yuan ($30.7 billion) in sales for its annual Singles’ Day extravaganza, setting a record as shoppers swarmed the e-commerce giant’s online bazaars. China’s largest company reported that Xiaomi Corp., Apple Inc. and Dyson Ltd. products were the top three brands in early sales. The annual retail celebration, originally dedicated to the nation’s …

Bloomberg Interloop Ltd., which makes socks for Nike and Adidas, is planning Pakistan’s biggest ever initial public offering by a private firm. The company plans to raise $51 million to expand its sock manufacturing capacity by around 20 percent and enter the denim business, said Chairman and Co-Founder Musadaq Zulqarnain. It will offer 12.5 percent of the business in the …

Bloomberg Marks & Spencer Group Plc said it may step up store closings as the troubled UK retailer reported another decline in sales. After announcing plans in May to shut about 100 of its large stores selling food and clothing, Chief Executive Officer Steve Rowe said that the number is only a “first stage” in the company’s turnaround plan. “It’s …

Bloomberg Walmart Inc. is rolling out the red carpet for shoppers during the Black Friday holiday weekend, doling out everything from deep discounts to free coffee and cookies. Its legions of store employees, though, won’t see anything special this year. Despite an extremely tight labour market, recent wage hikes by rivals and concerns that the historically frugal retailer will seek …

Bloomberg For once, Eddie Lampert is keeping his wallet in his pocket. Sears Holdings Corp. is closing in on a deal with new lenders to finance it through its bankruptcy, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Lampert and his hedge fund, ESL Investments Inc, won’t be participating. Then there’s the retail chain’s plan to auction off the …

Bloomberg Look out, Amazon: Walmart is coming to steal your lunch — and maybe dinner too. The world’s largest retailer has surpassed the e-commerce giant in a survey of online food shoppers, more of whom said they most recently visited Walmart’s site for groceries. Local supermarkets were in third place, fuelled in part by logistics provider Instacart, which handles orders …

Bloomberg Lowe’s Cos. is leaving Manhattan. The home-improvement retailer announced the closing of 51 under-performing stores, including two New York locations that the company hailed just three years ago as way to win over city dwellers. The move is part of new Chief Executive Officer Marvin Ellison’s push to get rid of distractions and focus on improving its core business …