Retail

  Bloomberg KFC’s partnership with an Alibaba affiliate puts the pressure on the Golden Arches in China more than ever. By allying with a backer of the country’s top food delivery website, KFC owner Yum Brands has taken a step toward solving the dilemma of slowing growth in its biggest market outside the US. It’s a deal that McDonald’s, which …

  Bloomberg From the annals of Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction comes news that the Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart is considering getting into bricks and mortar. The company that made a name for itself helping shoppers avoid physical stores may end up inviting them in. It’s not as preposterous as it sounds. Nor is it just a copy of Amazon’s …

  Bloomberg MTN Group Ltd. said Rob Shuter will start as chief executive officer more than three months early as the South African wireless carrier reported data traffic that more than doubled and raised its full-year forecast for subscriber growth. Shuter, who was hired from Vodafone Group Plc in June, will join Johannesburg-based MTN on March 17, the company said …

  Bloomberg Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has hit the reset button on its China strategy in dramatic fashion. The world’s largest retailer is making an ambitious push into e-commerce in China and aims to deliver goods from its stores around the world to Chinese consumers within hours. Shoppers in select remote villages could even see their Wal-Mart products being delivered by …

  Dubai / Emirates Business Musafir.com, the UAE’s first premium-experience travel website, announced the inauguration of a new flagship branch at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The new Musafir.com store was inaugurated by Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani, Chairman of the Department of Statistics and Community Development and Co-founder of Musafir.com, in the presence of Sachin Gadoya, Managing Director …

  Bloomberg McDonald’s Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steve Easterbrook has more tricks up his sleeve than serving Egg McMuffins all day. A series of upgrades at the company’s international locations — including technological advances like self-service kiosks — boosted sales in some of the restaurant’s chains biggest markets abroad and helped third-quarter results beat analysts’ expectations. While the introduction of …

  Bloomberg Nestle SA forecast the slowest full-year sales growth in more than a decade as food companies worldwide struggle against consumer resistance to price increases. Revenue will gain about 3.5 percent on an organic basis in 2016, the Vevey, Switzerland-based maker of Nespresso coffee said in a statement on Thursday, abandoning a goal for an increase of about 4.2 …

  New York / AFP US apparel group Gap Inc. will close its Banana Republic stores in Britain as it streamlines its brick-and-mortar presence outside North America in response to weak sales. Gap will shut all eight Banana Republic stores in Britain, a Gap spokeswoman said. The majority of closures will take place by the end of January. The apparel …

  Bloomberg UK retail sales stagnated for a second month in September as soaring prices and warm weather hit demand for clothing. The figures, from the Office for National Statistics Thursday, also showed that sales excluding auto fuel were unchanged from August. Small increases on both measures had been expected by economists. Clothing and footwear sales fell 2.8 percent after …

  Bloomberg Carrefour SA, France’s largest retailer, reported third-quarter revenue that beat analysts’ estimates on stronger-than-expected growth in its home country. Sales rose 3.2 percent on a like-for-like basis to 21.8 billion euros ($23.9 billion), Boulogne-Billancourt, France-based Carrefour said in a statement on Wednesday. Analysts expected 21.7 billion euros. In France, sales climbed 1.2 percent, beating the estimate for 0.5 …