Retail

  Bloomberg A Japanese retailer famous for minimalist products and no-logo branding is betting big on the world’s most colorful retail market as it pushes forward with an aggressive overseas expansion. Strong growth and demographic trends will eventually make India the second-largest international market for Muji stores after China, Satoru Matsuzaki, president of Muji-owner Ryohin Keikaku Co., said in an …

  Dubai / Emirates Business In a bid to offer Mideast customers direct access to commercial equipment on sale by contractors from world over; Grays Mideast Plant (GMEP) announced the launch of its full end-to-end online auctions on www.graysmideastplant.com. The strategic announcement included both the launch of its unparalleled website for online auctions as well its first construction and earthmoving …

  Bloomberg JD.com Inc. posted its first quarterly profit as a public company with the integration of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s Chinese web business and strong consumer spending driving a surge in sales. China’s largest e-commerce company after Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. has benefited from the rise of online shopping in a country with patchy retail infrastructure. JD, which bought Wal-Mart’s …

  Bloomberg Adidas AG is racing ahead in the U.S. with sales growth that’s outstripping archrival Nike Inc. as its namesake brand and Reebok capitalize on the trend for retro and “athleisure” fashions that are worn off the sporting grounds. North America was the German company’s strongest-performing region in the first quarter, with a sales increase of 31 percent at …

  RIYADH / Reuters State-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) has started the sale of its medical services business in Jeddah, valued at around $500 million, as part of a drive to reduce non-core assets, sources familiar with the matter said. The medical business, which is called Saudia Medical Services and owns a major hospital, could be attractive for investors as …

  Bloomberg J Sainsbury Plc is struggling to keep up with supermarket rivals and discounters in a UK grocery market under pressure from a Brexit-induced fall in the pound. Data from researcher Kantar Worldpanel showed on Wednesday that as well as lagging the growth of cut-price grocers Aldi and Lidl, Sainsbury’s food sales are also trailing rivals Tesco Plc and …

  Bloomberg Sony Corp. shares jumped to their highest since May 2015 after a bullish earnings report triggered analyst predictions that the electronics maker could achieve record profit this year. The Tokyo-based company rose 3 percent to 3,873 yen at the close in Tokyo on Monday after forecasting operating profit of 500 billion yen ($4.5 billion) for the fiscal year …

  DUBAI / Emirates Business The Japanese discount chain has opened a new store in Doha Festival City. The fourth Daiso Japan store in Qatar is the latest in several store openings in line with the company’s extensive regional expansion plans, bringing the count to 48 stores in the Middle East. In the Middle East, the brand is part of …

  Emirates Business MMD, Middle East brand licensing partner of Philips Monitors, unveils the new Philips B-line borderless LCD monitor series with Philips PowerSensor. The monitors come in three sizes and two resolutions. The smart and eco-friendly PowerSensor: cuts up to 80 percent of energy consumption. Best suited for the environmentally aware, and the cost conscious, the innovative Philips PowerSensor …

  Bloomberg French retail giants Carrefour SA and Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA have spent years battling for dominance on their home turf. Their new big battleground is almost 10,000 kilometers away. Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, has become a key factor in propping up Carrefour’s earnings in recent years amid disappointing growth in France. The grocer’s quarterly same-store revenue in Brazil …