Retail

  Seoul / Bloomberg Samsung Electronics Co. is considering introducing two new smartphone models that will feature bendable screens, including a version that folds in half like a cosmetic compact, people familiar with the matter said. The devices using organic light-emitting diodes could be unveiled as soon as early 2017, the people said, asking not to be identified because the …

  Switzerland / Bloomberg Nestle SA is banking on e-commerce sales to revive its struggling Chinese business, as the Swiss food company grapples with slowing growth and new shopping trends in the world’s largest consumer market. The maker of KitKat chocolates and Yinlu peanut milk began selling on Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s Tmall.com portal 67 brands it has never offered …

  Pretoria / Bloomberg Telkom SA SOC Ltd. said full-year earnings gained 16 percent as South Africa’s biggest landline provider cut almost 4,000 jobs, raised the dividend and embarked on the last financial year of its turnaround plan. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization was 11 billion rand ($729 million) in the year through March, compared with 9.4 billion …

  Shanghai / bloomberg Billionaire Wang Jianlin’s Wanda Cinema Line Co., whose shares have been halted since late February, surged by the 10 percent daily limit after it resumed trading on Monday as the Chinese tycoon seeks to inject Legendary Entertainment and other film-related businesses into the company. The stock climbed to 88.33 yuan in Shenzhen, compared with its previous …

  New York / Bloomberg Inside a 1.2 million-square-foot Wal-Mart Stores Inc. distribution center near its headquarters, a buzzing sound — like a swarm of bees — comes from an aisle of shelves laden with merchandise from diapers to microwaves. Flying up and down the seemingly endless aisle is a drone with a custom-built camera that takes 30 pictures a …

  Bloomberg Amazon boasted that its virtual assistant Alexa is capable of 1,000 “skills,” as the online retail giant bolsters defenses against rivals such as Google and Apple. The Seattle-based company said in a blog post that the programs were developed specifically for the voice-commanded Alexa software used in Amazon devices such as Echo and Fire TV. Amazon released voice-enabled …

  FAYETTEVILLE, Ark / AP Wal-Mart’s CEO urged employees to reimagine its future in a fast-shifting retail landscape. The company is at a crossroads, as its long-held dominance in pricing and convenience has been chipped away at by Amazon and dollar stores. But it’s fighting back on multiple fronts, growing more aggressive with prices and going after Amazon, both online …

LONDON / Reuters Gucci is on course to top 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion) in revenue for the first time this year as the Italian luxury brand’s revival gathers speed under its new leadership duo. Sales of items designed by new creative director Alessandro Michele have accelerated since March as more have reached shelves, Chief Executive Officer Marco Bizzarri told …

  MENLO PARK / Tribune News Service With a microphone floating in zero gravity, three astronauts aboard the International Space Station chatted with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg via live video about life in space. The social media company has been ramping up its efforts in live video this year, taking on Twitter-owned Periscope. The recent event was the first time …

  Singapore / Bloomberg Singapore’s state-owned investment firms Temasek Holdings Pte and GIC Pte, long-term Alibaba Group Holding Inc. investors, bought a combined $1 billion of stock in the Chinese e-commerce behemoth, the second-biggest stakes being sold by SoftBank Group Corp. The purchases add to the technology holdings of both investment firms. Temasek and GIC were early investors in Alibaba …