Retail

  Bloomberg Teleperformance SA, a French call-center operator, is adding online phone and video translation by acquiring LanguageLine Solutions LLC for $1.52 billion from a U.S. private-equity firm. Paris-based Teleperformance, which has customers in industries including health care, insurance, banking and retail, said in a statement Monday it’s buying LanguageLine of Monterey, California, from Abry Partners and other investors in …

  Emirates Business Lenovo Group (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) on Sunday announced results for its first fiscal quarter ended June 30. Quarterly revenue was US$10.1 billion, a six percent decrease year-over-year (or four percent decrease in constant currency). Quarter-to-quarter, this represented a 10 percent increase. First quarter pre-tax income increases 297 percent year-over-year to US$206 million. Net income increases 64 …

  Bloomberg Nestle, the world’s largest food company, on Thursday reported a 9.1 percent fall in profits through the first six months of 2016, but said its sluggish performance should be reversed in a strong second half. The firm posted 4.1 billion Swiss francs ($4.3 billion, 3.9 billion euros) in profits through the first half of the year, a step …

Bloomberg Wal-Mart Stores Inc. increased its annual earnings forecast after second-quarter results topped analysts’ estimates, a sign the world’s largest retailer is pulling business away from rivals such as Target Corp. Sales at U.S. Wal-Mart stores open more than 12 months rose 1.6 percent last quarter, which ended July 31, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based company said in a statement Thursday. The …

AFP Singapore Telecom said on Thursday it will spend $1.8 billion to take a stake in Thailand’s Intouch and raise its share of India’s Bharti, boosting its access to fast-growing Asian and African mobile markets. SingTel, Southeast Asia’s biggest telecom group by revenue, will acquire 21 percent of Intouch and an additional 7.39 percent in Bharti Telecom from state-linked investment …

  Bloomberg European grocery sales rose the least on record in the second quarter amid a U.K. price war and sluggish consumption in Germany and France, a study showed. The amount spent on household goods increased by 0.8 percent from a year earlier, researcher Nielsen said in a report on Wednesday. That’s about half the growth achieved in the first …

  Bloomberg Target Corp. cut its annual forecast after sales slumped last quarter, hit by what Chief Executive Officer Brian Cornell described as a “difficult retail environment.” The company now expects earnings of $4.80 to $5.20 a share, excluding some items, compared with an earlier forecast of as much as $5.40. In the face of a skittish retail economy and …

  Bloomberg When US retail sales came in lower than expected last week, some began to worry that the average consumer wasn’t as strong financially as previously believed, but according to analysts at Macquarie Capital Markets Ltd., this is just a blip on the radar. While there are a number of reasons for consumers to be more cautious with political …

  AP Macy’s plans to close about 100 stores next year and boost its online investments, the nation’s largest department store chain said, as it tries to become more nimble in an increasingly fierce market. The closures represent close to 14 percent of its stores under the Macy’s brand. The company, which operates Bloomingdale’s stores as well, said it would …

  AP A sluggish month of retail spending has tempered expectations for the US economy’s growth in the coming months. Consumers pulled back on shopping and eating out in July after three straight solid monthly gains, the government said Friday. Those declines were offset by increases in auto sales and online and catalog sales. Many economists credited the surge in …