Retail

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 …

Bloomberg Claire’s Stores, known for tween jewellery and ear piercing, has become the latest victim of the retail apocalypse. The company filed for bankruptcy on March 19 and said it reached an agreement with creditors including its private-equity backer, Apollo Global Management LLC, to restructure around $1.9 billion in debt. Its plan to survive rests on its reputation for trendy …

Bloomberg The collapse of Toys ‘R’ Us Inc. is yet another blow for landlords, who now will have gaping holes of suburban retail space up for grabs. And few tenants would want them. The debt-laden toy chain, with more than 700 stores across the US, became one of the largest victims of the retail decline when it announced that it …

Bloomberg Wesfarmers Ltd.’s plan to spin off its Coles supermarket and convenience stores could put the Australian retailing giant in play. The business, which generated A$39.2 billion ($30.5 billion) in sales from 2,500 stores in fiscal 2017, could be attractive to a buyer looking to make a big splash Down Under, Citigroup Inc.’s Sydney-based credit specialist Anthony Ip said. “We …

Bloomberg In its race to catch Amazon.com Inc. in online retailing, Walmart Inc. issued misleading e-commerce results and fired an executive who complained the company was breaking the law, according to a whistle-blower lawsuit. Tri Huynh, a former director of business development at Walmart, claims he was terminated “under false pretenses” after repeatedly raising concerns about the company’s “overly aggressive …

Bloomberg L’Oreal SA is set to acquire the Canadian beauty tech company ModiFace, gaining tools for customers to test make-up and lipstick online. ModiFace’s augmented reality technology has been widely adopted by cosmetics makers since the company was founded in 2006 and helps power the mobile apps of LVMH’s Sephora and Estee Lauder. The Maybelline maker has built a stable …

Bloomberg The owner of the Zara clothing chain is facing skepticism among investors that it can keep up with the likes of Amazon.com Inc. in online retail. While Inditex SA’s e-commerce revenue surged 41 percent last fiscal year and its websites are attracting more than 10 million visits a day, total sales grew at the weakest pace in three years …