Retail

BLoomberg Associated British Foods Plc’s Primark reported a slowdown in sales growth in the first quarter, showing that even the most reliable fashion retailers aren’t immune to the rise of online shopping. At constant currency rates, Primark’s sales rose 7 percent in the 16 weeks to January 6, the London-based company said. That missed analysts’ estimates for growth of 10 ...

BLoomberg The UK economy isn’t going to pick up for at least the next two years as consumers struggle to lift spending. Respondents to Bloomberg’s first UK survey of 2018 showed few signs of new year optimism. The median forecast for growth this year was kept at 1.4 percent, and no acceleration is seen in 2019. While gross domestic product ...

Bloomberg Woolworths Holdings Ltd. plunged the most in almost two years after South Africa’s largest food and clothing retailer said sales growth slowed in the fiscal first half, while earnings also declined. Revenue increased by 2.5 percent in the 26-week period ending on December 24, compared with 6.7 percent the previous year, the Cape Town-based company said in a statement. ...

Bloomberg Montblanc, the penmaker that began making Swiss watches two decades ago, is shoring up its credentials as it expands with sports models near the price range where Rolex Group and Breitling AG timepieces start. The brand, owned by Geneva-based luxury-goods maker Richemont, is introducing a line of Timewalker sports watches with a mountain-climbing theme this year after entering the ...

Bloomberg The final numbers are in, and the past holiday season was indeed one of the best since the last recession—even if everyone didn’t partake in the good fortune. Sales rose 5.5 percent to $691.9 billion during November and December, the National Retail Federation said. The results exclude spending on cars, gas and restaurants. E-commerce and other sales that occur ...

Bloomberg The US Supreme Court will consider freeing state and local governments to collect billions of dollars in sales taxes from online retailers, agreeing to revisit a 26-year-old ruling that has made much of the internet a tax-free zone. Heeding calls from traditional retailers and dozens of states, the justices said they’ll hear South Dakota’s contention that the 1992 ruling ...

Bloomberg Investor D.E. Shaw & Co. has built an active stake in US home retailer Lowe’s Cos., according to people familiar with the matter. While D.E. Shaw’s specific plans for the investment couldn’t immediately be learned, the firm does plan to use its holding to agitate for changes at Lowe’s, the people said, asking not to be identified as the ...

Bloomberg A day after embarking on a pay hike, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is taking steps to shake up management at thousands of its stores. The world’s biggest retailer is removing about 3,500 store co-managers, a salaried role that acts as a lieutenant underneath each store manager, according to people familiar with the move. It’s also adding about 1,700 assistant store ...

Bloomberg Fashion house Gucci dipped into the culinary scene with the luxe Gucci Osteria, a green-walled, 50-seat restaurant nestled inside the new Gucci Garden, an experiential museum-retail concept in the historic heart of Florence, Italy. The chef is Massimo Bottura, the Modena-based proprietor of three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana, in 2016 named the best restaurant in the world. Now fully open to ...

Bloomberg The battle for e-commerce dominance in India between Amazon.com Inc. and local rival Flipkart Online Services Pvt. has opened the door for one of the nation’s largest logistics companies to reinvent itself. Mumbai-based Allcargo Logistics Ltd., with a presence in more than 160 countries, plans to transform into a business-to-customer company with a focus on e-commerce from its traditional ...