Retail

Bloomberg Ralph Lauren Corp., the 50-year-old fashion brand known for its preppy style, is making good on its effort to rely less on markdowns—even if it means selling fewer clothes. The company posted earnings of $1.99 a share last quarter, topping analysts’ average projection by a dime. Ralph Lauren credited its pursuit of higher-quality sales channels and fewer discounts. Still, …

Bloomberg Kroger Co. wants to help out with your wardrobe. The largest US supermarket chain is launching an apparel line that it pledges will be “playful, simple and uplifting.” It will be sold in 300 stores, including Fred Meyer and Kroger Marketplace locations. Robert Clark, the company’s senior vice president of merchandising, said the brand “gives Kroger a chance to …

Bloomberg The chiffon dress with the pasta print should have been the tipoff. In September, the iconoclastic Italian designer house Dolce & Gabbana sent a parade of food-oriented outfits down the runway at the Paris show for its Spring 2018 collection, including high-waisted, carrot-and-radish-printed pants, a ruffled dress emblazoned with cannoli, and a skirt printed with cans of tomatoes. Turns …

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc. is scaling back its grocery delivery service Amazon Fresh in parts of at least seven states, tweaking its strategy after buying Whole Foods Market in June. The states affected are New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Connecticut and California. Amazon launched the Fresh delivery service a decade ago in Seattle, which was its first foray into …

Bloomberg The looming threat of Amazon.com Inc. siphoned billions in market cap from Under Armour Inc. to FedEx Corp. to Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.— more than $30 billion combined—in October. Companies are gearing up to face Bezos’s behemoth heading into the holiday season, with some appearing ready to get creative as the state of their industries is shaken. CVS Health …

Bloomberg Nakumatt Holdings Ltd., East Africa’s largest retailer, is seeking a court order to enter administration as part of a plan to revive its debt-laden business. The Kenyan company will go to court on November 8 for a hearing on the application, which proposes that “business-turnaround professional” Peter Kahi of PKF Consulting Ltd. be appointed as administrator, according to a …

Bloomberg Banks can hightail it from the UK. For retailers threatened by Brexit, it’s not so easy—they’ve got to stay put even if a disorderly departure from the European Union clogs trade routes and empties store shelves. As the UK charts an increasingly erratic course towards Brexit, retailers like Tesco Plc, J Sainsbury Plc and Next Plc that sell a …

Bloomberg Hermes International SCA said it will open two new leather-goods production sites over the coming two years in France to meet surging demand for products that include the $10,000 Birkin handbag. One facility will be located near Bordeaux and the other will be in the Paris region, Hermes said. Each will employ about 250 workers. Increasing production is a …

Bloomberg Shoprite Holdings Ltd. is in talks to open its first stores in Kenya by filling retail space left empty by the struggling Nakumatt Holdings Ltd. chain. “We are currently in talks with some of the property owners but nothing has been signed,” Shoprite director Gerhard Fritz said. Africa’s biggest food retailer is awaiting the outcome of merger talks between …

Bloomberg The latest installment of Under Armour Inc.’s best-selling sneaker is expected to be late hitting stores, dealing a blow to an athletic brand that’s trying to bounce back from sputtering growth. The adult version of the shoe—known as the Curry 4—was slated to hit stores last week. But Foot Locker Inc., Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. and Hibbett Sports Inc. …