Retail

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc acknowledged that a hiring and warehouse-building binge during the pandemic is catching up with the company as e-commerce sales growth inevitably slows from the torrid pace of the outbreak. That reality will weigh on revenue and profit going forward as consumers return to their pre-pandemic habits and inflation may cool their spending. Fuel and labour costs are …

  Bloomberg Chinese holidaymakers face another holiday season ruined by virus outbreaks and controls, with the government’s stringent Covid Zero restrictions and fears of infection expected to keep many people at home during the upcoming Labor Day break. Travel was already down in March, when the biggest Covid-19 outbreak in two years prompted officials to lock down major cities like …

Bloomberg J Sainsbury Plc said profit will fall this year as normal shopping habits return following the end of lockdowns and as shoppers feel squeezed by the higher cost of living. The supermarket chain forecast underlying profit before tax of 630 million pounds ($788 million) to 690 million pounds in the year through March, citing “significant external pressures and uncertainties.” …

  Bloomberg Aerospace and defense giant Raytheon Technologies Corp cut its 2022 sales forecast and warned of potential supplier constraints as it ends commercial ties with Russian customers and a titanium supplier. “We’re done in Russia. Full stop,” Raytheon’s Chief Executive Officer Greg Hayes said of the aerospace and defense conglomerate’s dealings with Russia in the wake of the nation’s …

  Bloomberg Unilever Plc is increasing the pressure on consumers worldwide with higher prices for Dove soap, raising the risk that shoppers may start to balk at spending more. All company reported sales growth at about double the pace analysts had expected. Unilever forecast full-year revenue growth at the top end of its forecast, though warned that profitability may suffer …

Bloomberg Harry’s Inc catapulted to fame by selling sleek, low-priced razors over the internet. A decade on, it’s now generating more than half of its sales from brick-and-mortar stores, its founders said. The closely held company, which made a splash taking on what founders Andy Katz-Mayfield and Jeff Raider saw as big corporations’ overpriced offerings, is seeing the sales payoff …

Bloomberg Simon Property Group and Brookfield Asset Management are offering to acquire retailer Kohl’s Corp in a deal that would be worth more than $8.6 billion, according to a report in the New York Post. Simon and Brookfield, which bought rival department-store chain JCPenney out of bankruptcy, have offered $68 a share, according to people with knowledge of the talks …

Bloomberg Walmart Inc is looking to boost its decor credentials with a new outdoor furniture line backed by Dave and Jenny Marrs, a builder-designer duo known for their home-remodeling shows on HGTV. The collection includes a porch swing and dining table from the couple, who star on the show Fixer to Fabulous. Walmart plans to add indoor furniture soon, Julie …

  Bloomberg Gap Inc plummeted after announcing trouble at Old Navy — the brand that generates half of its sales and is seen as the apparel giant’s growth generator going forward. Nancy Green, who joined Old Navy in 2019 after having run Athleta, is leaving soon, Gap said. An external search is under way for her replacement. The retailer also …

  Bloomberg UK convenience store operator McColl’s Retail Group Plc said it is in talks on a financing deal to save the company, but warned shareholders that they face wipeout even if a pact is reached. The stock plunged 55%. “A potential financing solution is under active discussion with its key commercial partner and lenders which would resolve the short …