Retail

  Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc. will spend big in the coming months on warehouses, movies, gadgets and growth into India, renewing investor concerns that Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos cares more about generating revenue far in the future than turning a profit now. The company will double-down on its delivery system that gets products quickly into the hands of its customers. …

  Bloomberg Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc emerged as a surprise suitor for perennial bid candidate Mead Johnson Nutrition Co., starting talks on a $16.7 billion purchase of the baby food maker to build its faster growing consumer-health business and bolster its presence in Asia. The companies are discussing an offer of $90 a share in cash, Reckitt Benckiser said. That …

  Bloomberg Wireless carrier Vodafone Group Plc forecast full-year profit at the low end of its previous range, saying investments required to prop up its Indian unit will continue to hurt results as it negotiates to combine the business with a rival. “We anticipate intense competitive pressure in India in the fourth quarter and are taking a series of commercial …

  Bloomberg Hennes & Mauritz AB provided some much-needed good news for Europe’s struggling clothing retail market, reporting profit that topped estimates and setting a new annual growth target. After missing estimates for five of the previous six quarters, H&M said fourth-quarter pretax earnings rose to 7.41 billion kronor ($839 million), exceeding the 7.04 billion-kronor average estimate. A previous target …

  Bloomberg Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is scrapping its ShippingPass program, which struggled to compete with Amazon.com Inc.’s Prime, opting instead for a two-day shipping model that doesn’t have annual membership fees. Subscribers of ShippingPass, which had offered two-day delivery for a $49 membership, will receive refunds as the service is eliminated, Wal-Mart said in a statement. The new approach — …

  Dubai / Emirates Business JustKidding opened their retail operation in Abu Dhabi at Town Square, at Al Forsan Village located in Khalifa City ‘A’ area. Town Square is now home to several community focussed brands including JustKidding, a multi-brand retailer with all the leading baby brands under one roof. JustKidding was founded in 2006 by two loving and caring …

  Bloomberg Vodafone Group Plc is in discussions to merge its Indian unit with Idea Cellular Ltd. in a deal that would create the country’s largest cellular carrier and ease a worsening headache for Chief Executive Officer Vittorio Colao. The talks with Idea controlling holder Aditya Birla Group could lead to Vodafone splitting off its Indian business into a separate …

  Bloomberg Aramex PJSC, the Dubai-based courier and logistics company, is considering minimizing its operations in the UK and serving Europe through the Netherlands or France if Brexit agreements do not favour free trade flows. The company, which is listed on the Dubai Financial Market, would maintain a small hub in the UK but move the bulk of its operations …

  Bloomberg Reeling from a shaky holiday season and slowing mall traffic, US retailers are facing increasing pressure to close stores as more of their business migrates to the internet. More than 10 percent of US retail space, or nearly 1 billion square feet, may need to be closed, converted to other uses or renegotiated for lower rent in coming …

  Bloomberg Tesco Plc agreed to buy Booker Group Plc for about 3.7 billion pounds ($4.6 billion), pooling the UK’s biggest supermarket chain with the No. 1 food wholesaler and gaining access to the fast-growing market to supply restaurants and hotels. The grocer said it will pay a mixture of cash and shares worth 12 percent more than at Thursday’s …