Retail

Bloomberg Going viral may soon be a requirement for products to get prime placement in a Debenhams store. At its “store of the future” northwest of London in Watford, England, Debenhams Plc is leveraging an online community of beauty-product enthusiasts to drum up foot traffic. The merging of online and in-store shopping experiences is the latest effort to transform the …

Bloomberg Sears Holdings Corp. is reviewing a proposal by Chief Executive Officer Eddie Lampert to keep the retailer alive by restructuring its debts and selling real estate. Plans outlined in regulatory filings include cutting debt by about 78 percent to $1.2 billion and extending near-term maturities, with annual interest savings of 80 percent. The proposal came from ESL Investments Inc., …

Bloomberg Unilever is campaigning to convince a growing number of dissenting UK shareholders that the company’s plan to consolidate its headquarters in the Netherlands has merit. The Anglo-Dutch consumer giant’s move to Rotterdam will have “great benefits” for UK investors, Chief Financial Officer Graeme Pitkethly said in a Tuesday interview with the BBC Radio 4 station, noting that they would …

Bloomberg Next Plc raised its sales and profit outlook for the year, a rare bright spot in a season of woe for UK retailers struggling against soaring summer temperatures and the threat of Amazon.com Inc. The apparel chain had warned in August that a boost to summer sales in early summer would wane as the season dragged on. Instead, the …

Bloomberg Washington Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) is exploring the sale of its retail portfolio, according to people familiar with the matter. The D.C.-based REIT is working with an adviser, which has contacted potential buyers, said the people, who asked not to be named because the information is private. The portfolio could fetch roughly $800 million, one of the people …

Bloomberg France’s grocery sector was thrown into tumult after Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA alleged it got approached about a merger by Carrefour SA, which denied making any proposal. Casino, the embattled owner of Monoprix and Geant supermarkets, said just before midnight Sunday that its board held a meeting after being contacted by Carrefour about a possible combination. Four hours later, Carrefour …

Bloomberg Handbag maker Michael Kors Holding Ltd. is nearing an agreement to buy Gianni Versace SpA after the iconic Italian fashion house drew interest from several suitors, people familiar with the plans said. Michael Kors may announce a deal as early as this week that values Versace at about $2 billion, said the people, who asked not to be identified …

Bloomberg Livspace, an online home interiors marketplace, raised $70 million in a round led by TPG Growth and Goldman Sachs to fund its expansion in India. The series C funding includes backing from existing investors Jungle Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners and Helion Ventures, the company said in a statement. Livspace said it’s on track to hit more than $100 million …

Bloomberg In the 1990s heyday of “cool Britannia,” designers John Galliano and Alexander McQueen ruled the runway, Burberry’s tartan was the design of the moment and model Kate Moss zipped around the globe to the tune of Oasis and the Spice Girls, sporting a Union Jack blazer. But the music has stopped and today’s fashion kids are more likely to …

Bloomberg UK suitmaker Moss Bros Group Plc is the latest retailer to wilt over the hot summer, warning that lower-than-expected store visits mean full-year profit will be “materially lower” than expected. The shares fell as much as 29 percent to a seven-year low after the company said like-for-like retail sales were down 6.9 percent in the first half. Full-year earnings …