Retail

Bloomberg Will this year’s Black Friday finally spark a sustained retail comeback? While the answer remains to be seen, the sellers of outerwear and gadgets such as Apple AirPods and the Sony Playstation VR have reason to be encouraged. Those were some of the hottest sellers so far during the Black Friday weekend, the traditional kickoff to the holiday season. ...

Bloomberg At the entrance of Bergdorf Goodman, one of the world’s glitziest department stores, the morning after Thanksgiving, a store associate puts a few Saint Laurent handbags on top a glass case. He pauses and looks at the dozen or so people gathered. “Up to 40 percent off,” he announces to the early birds. They gasp and start analysing the ...

Bloomberg Fast Retailing Co., operator of the Uniqlo casual-wear brand, has applied to open stores in India as Asia’s largest clothing chain increases its reliance on overseas markets. The Japanese company submitted an application seeking government approval to do business in India under the Uniqlo brand name, according to a filing on India’s Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion website. ...

Bloomberg Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc is joining Airbus SE and Siemens AG in their quest to develop a 100-seater hybrid electric aircraft, giving the UK engine maker a seat at the table of a potential promising aviation technology. Rolls is tasked with helping develop a 2 megawatt electric drive for the aircraft, according to people with knowledge of the matter who ...

Bloomberg Brick-and-mortar retailers did enough things right on Black Friday to consider the event a success, even if the crowds of past years haven’t returned. Chains simplified promotions this year and took a keener eye to managing their inventory. At Wal-Mart Stores Inc., colour-coded maps helped shoppers navigate the aisles. Retailers also made headway with their e-commerce sites, aiming to ...

Bloomberg Happy Cyber Monday! I know—it’s next week. But really, is it? These days, pretty much every day in November offers an extravaganza of online savings. Walmart.com is shaving $549 off a 40-inch 4K HDTV, Amazon.com has a few pages of “Black Friday” deals and BestBuy.com is offering a “rush sale” and the chance to “get a jump on holiday ...

Bloomberg Swiss watch exports rose at the fastest monthly pace in more than four years in October, helped by an easy comparison with last year and fuelled by Asian demand for higher-priced timepieces. Shipments increased 9.3 percent to 1.85 billion francs ($1.9 billion) in October, the sixth consecutive monthly increase, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry said on Tuesday. ...

Bloomberg After years of watching shoppers flit from store to store in search of the biggest deals, US retailers are hoping their attempts at building some loyalty will finally pay off this holiday season. Chains have aggressively rolled out rewards programmes in recent years, and there are signs that the efforts are beginning to get results. Hollister’s stunning 8 percent ...

Bloomberg Alibaba Group’s $2.9 billion deal to buy a slice of China’s largest hypermart chain pits it against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in the world’s largest retail arena. China’s biggest e-commerce company agreed to acquire 36 percent of Sun Art Retail Group Ltd., which operates about 400 hypermarkets under the Auchan and RT-Mart banners. As part of the deal, France’s Auchan ...

Bloomberg Britain’s exit from the European Union could cost the UK aerospace industry 1.5 billion pounds ($2 billion) in extra customs expenses, the sector’s national lobby group said in a submission to lawmakers. The sum would come from “increased checks at the border” if British and EU processes do not remain harmonised, ADS Group said in evidence to Parliament’s Business, ...