Retail

  Sydney / AFP Australian carriers Qantas and Virgin Australia told customers on Thursday not to use or charge Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 during flights after faulty batteries in the new smartphone caused some handsets to explode. Samsung, the world’s largest smartphone maker, said last week it was suspending sales of its latest flagship mobile device and recalling 2.5 million …

  Bloomberg When the going gets tough, Brits buy 4K TVs and fancy food mixers. Dixons Carphone, one of the retailers most exposed to the fall-out from Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, reported first-quarter sales that beat analyst expectations, and said it had seen “no detectable impact” from the referendum result on UK consumers. Britons it seems, have …

  Bloomberg Steinhoff International Holdings NV said it sees further opportunities for growth in its main markets as the acquisitive South African clothing and furniture retailer announced its latest purchase and reported a 20 percent rise in full-year profit. The company agreed to buy Tekkie Town, a South African shoe retailer with 302 stores, Steinhoff said in a report posted …

  Bloomberg Aritzia LP, the Canadian women’s fashion retailer, aims to raise about C$300 million ($234 million) from its initial public offering, in what would be the country’s largest IPO since the C$1.83 billion sale of electric utility Hydro One Ltd. in October. Aritzia shareholders Berkshire Partners and company founder Brian Hill plan to sell 20 million subordinate voting shares …

  Bloomberg Hong Kong 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 …

  Madrid / AFP Spain’s heavily indebted Telefonica said on Monday it plans to float a minority stake in infrastructure subsidiary Telxius and was mulling doing the same with its British unit O2. The Telxius listing is expected by the end of the year with a free float of at least 25 percent, the company said in a regulatory filing. …

  Bloomberg Poland’s largest trade union submitted a draft bill to parliament restrict retail trade on Sundays, rejecting warnings from employers’ groups that such regulation would eliminate a quarter of the 400,000 jobs at shopping centers across the country. The Solidarnosc union collected more than half a million signatures, or five times more than required to submit a bill to …

  Bloomberg For Marks & Spencer, abandoning Europe is back in fashion. Investors should be grateful, but really, they should look to clean up the domestic closet as well. In 2001, when then-executive chairman Luc Vandevelde pledged to revive the retail chain’s domestic performance, he abandoned its foray onto the continent. Today, battling nimbler rivals on its home turf, new …

  Bloomberg Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will relocate about 7,000 back-office workers as the world’s largest retail chain tries to make its stores more efficient. The employees — a handful at each of its 3,500 supercenters — will be moved to other parts of the stores, according to Deisha Barnett, a spokeswoman for the Bentonville, Arkansas-based company. The workers’ pay could …

  Bloomberg A consortium led by Simon Property Group Inc. and General Growth Properties Inc. won an auction for the assets of Aeropostale Inc., with a plan to keep open at least 229 of the bankrupt teen retailer’s stores. The bidding group will also keep the chain’s online business and licensing operation up and running, according to a statement. The …