Retail

Bloomberg Swedish fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB said it’s increasing markdowns this quarter after accumulating a record pile of unsold garments worth more than $4 billion. Operating profit fell 62 percent to the lowest level in 16 years as inventory rose to 17.6 percent of sales in the first quarter. The stock slumped to the lowest in almost a ...

Bloomberg Going organic can come with a high price tag. Just ask Givaudan SA. The Swiss flavours and fragrance company agreed y to buy Naturex for about 1.3 billion euros ($1.6 billion), or 135 euros a share. That’s 42 percent above where the supplier of natural plant extracts closed in Paris trading. The deal values the Avignon, France-based company at ...

Bloomberg JD Sports Fashion Plc agreed to buy US sportswear retailer Finish Line Inc., seeking to snatch away a company in which Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct International Plc has built a stake. The agreement is valued at a total of $558 million. Ashley’s Sports Direct International, a UK rival of JD Sports, is the second-largest shareholder in Indianapolis-based Finish Line, ...

Bloomberg Best Buy Co., the large consumer electronics retailer, plans to sever ties to Chinese phone maker Huawei amid US government criticism of the phone maker, a person with knowledge of the matter said. Best Buy follows US mobile-phone carriers AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. in distancing themselves from Huawei, which has come under scrutiny by US officials concerned ...

Bloomberg Meituan Dianping, the Chinese food reviews and delivery giant backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd., has begun discussions on a Hong Kong initial public offering as soon as this year, according to people familiar with the matter. The company is weighing a valuation of at least $60 billion and is considering a listing in China as well if policy conditions ...

Bloomberg A Swedish private-equity firm co-founded by e-commerce pioneer Patrik Hedelin plans to more than double its capital with a new fund, according to people familiar with the process. eEquity aims to raise $183 million for its fourth fund, said the people, who declined to be identified as the information is not yet public. The Stockholm-based firm plans to close ...

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc., locked in a margin-crushing price war, is offloading costs onto suppliers and limiting the number of single, low-priced items shoppers can purchase in an effort to offset rising shipping costs. In a marked shift in strategy, the e-commerce giant is raising transportation fees for suppliers of beverages, diapers and other heavy, bulky products that are expensive to ...

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc. has looked at the possibility of expanding its retail footprint by acquiring some locations from bankrupt Toys ‘R’ Us Inc., according to people with knowledge of the situation. The online giant isn’t interested in maintaining the Toys ‘R’ Us brand, but has considered using the soon-to-be-vacant spaces for its own purposes, said the people, who asked not ...

Bloomberg British retailer John Lewis Partnership Plc is opening its 50th department store in London amid a spate of retail restructurings and outright collapses. In a bid to draw in shoppers, it’s doubling down on everything it says Amazon.com Inc. can’t do. The employee-owned retailer wants to build more personalised relationships with its customers through concierge-style services and educational sessions ...

Bloomberg This is how the grocery industry lives now. Regional chains are filing for bankruptcy. European-born discounters are expanding, forcing competitors to keep their own prices low. And Kroger Co. and Walmart Inc., the two largest grocers in the US, are investing in technology and expanding delivery as they try to fend off an incursion by Amazon.com Inc. It’s a ...