Retail

  Bloomberg Lululemon Athletica Inc employees will vote this month on unionising a store in Washington, testing the strength of an organising wave that’s been sweeping through previously union-free US retail firms. The US National Labor Relations Board has approved an agreement between the company and the new labor group organising the location, the Association of Concerted Educators (ACE), to …

Bloomberg Whole Foods Market co-founder John Mackey is planning a second act when he retires from the Amazon-owned grocer next month: building a chain of plant-based restaurants and wellness centres that offer fitness and spa services. Corporate records list Mackey, 68, as a partner in Healthy America LLC, a startup that raised about $31 million from investors earlier this year …

  Bloomberg Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd let go of 9,241 employees in the three months to June, according to the company’s latest filing. The Hangzhou-based firm reported it had just over 245,000 employees at the end of the most recent reporting quarter, cutting back during a period that marked its first ever contraction in revenue. Alibaba also …

  Bloomberg British clothing and housewares chain Next Plc is in talks to acquire a minority stake in troubled retailer Joules Group Plc for about £15 million ($18.1 million). The potential investment will be made “at no less than” its current market price, Joules said in a statement responding to a report it was looking to sell a roughly 25% …

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc said it would buy IRobot Corp, maker of the Roomba vacuum, for $1.65 billion as the e-commerce giant continues its push into internet-connected home devices and robotics. Amazon will pay $61 a share in cash for the Bedford, Massachusetts-based company, according to a statement. The offer, valued at $1.7 billion including debt, represents a premium of 22% …

Bloomberg EBay Inc reported second-quarter revenue that beat expectations and an upbeat profit outlook, evidence that a new focus on luxury items and collectibles is helping offset slowing sales and customer traffic. The shares rose about 5% in extended trading. Sales will be $2.29 billion to $2.37 billion in the period ending in September, the San Jose, California-based company said …

  Bloomberg Next Plc raised its profit forecast as the hotter weather and return to formal events encouraged more Brits to buy summer clothing but warned that worsening inflation could hit consumer sentiment. The British clothing and housewares chain said profit will be £860 million ($1.04 billion) this year through January, up from previous guidance of £850 million, according to …

  Bloomberg Fast Retailing Co will open its first GU store in the US, adding to its Uniqlo shops in the country as the apparel maker seeks a greater presence in the North American market. Opening this fall in Soho, New York, the pop-up store will be GU’s first outside Asia, where there are already 450 outlets selling more stylish …

  Bloomberg Beyond Meat Inc slashed its revenue outlook for the full year, saying that shoppers are trading down from its plant-based options to cheaper animal proteins. The shares, which have lost about 50% of their value so far this year, fell 1.1% in New York trading. The maker of plant-based burgers is in a race to increase output and …

  Bloomberg Just Eat Takeaway.com has launched its own service offering rapid delivery of grocery and convenience items in Berlin, pulling the firm deeper into an already crowded market. Just Eat’s so-called ‘dark store’ will target a delivery time of around 20 minutes and offer consumers more than 1,000 items from fresh produce to baby products under its local Lieferando …