Retail

  Bloomberg Walmart Inc will no longer require fully vaccinated employees to wear masks unless required by state or local rules, effective immediately. In addition, a policy allowing five extra days of paid time off for workers testing positive for Covid-19 will end on March 31 as planned, Walmart said. Daily health screenings will no longer be needed for workers, …

  Bloomberg Thousands of Italian cities shut off power at some of their biggest tourist attractions to protest spiraling energy costs. Municipal authorities from across the political spectrum banded together to highlight their call for 550 million euros ($627 million) in energy-cost relief from the government, as gas and electricity bills have risen by more than 30% this year. Italy …

  Bloomberg The union organizing Starbucks Corp. employees filed a federal complaint accusing it of illegally firing activist employees, marking a new and more contentious chapter in the efforts to expand labor representation among the company’s workers. In a filing with the National Labor Relations Board, the union, Workers United, said Starbucks violated federal law by firing seven employees at …

  Bloomberg Dunelm Group Plc, a UK home-furnishings company, is raising prices to protect profits from higher shipping and raw-material costs, adding to the string of bad inflation news for British shoppers. Consumers are already bracing for faster inflation after the Bank of England warned that it could top 7% this year. Tesco Plc Chairman John Allan said this week …

  Bloomberg US store shelves got a little emptier in the last three months of 2021, according to data provider NielsenIQ, which is unveiling a barometer of out-of-stock goods amid ongoing supply constraints. On-shelf availability slipped to 93.5% during the 13 weeks ending December 25 at supermarkets, mass retailers, drug stores and dollar stores, NielsenIQ said. That was a percentage …

  Bloomberg US retailers are bracing for more returns than usual, adding stress to an industry already grappling with increasing labor costs and supply-chain issues. Shoppers are expected to return more than $761 billion in merchandise sold last year, representing about 16.6% of total US retail sales, according to a survey of retailers. That’s up from 10.6% during 2020. Fraudulent …

  Bloomberg Shares of Chinese sportswear makers climbed as investors bet that Beijing’s Winter Olympics will help spur demand amid the government’s recent drive to increase health awareness. Anta Sports Products Ltd., which is supplying uniforms for athletes in the games, rose as much as 5.2%. Li Ning Co., founded by a medal-winning Olympic gymnast, jumped 6.8% as Hong Kong …

    Bloomberg Nestle SA agreed to acquire a majority stake in Orgain, a maker of plant-based protein powders and other products, expanding its nutrition portfolio. Butterfly Equity and Orgain founder Andrew Abraham will keep a minority stake, staying on as chief executive officer, the companies said, confirming an earlier report by Bloomberg about the sale. Financial details weren’t disclosed, …

    Bloomberg Starbucks Corp. shares pared an earlier loss in late trading after the company released an updated forecast that only projects a slight impact on profits despite a surge in costs related to labor and the ongoing pandemic. The company now sees earnings per share falling 4% to 6% in its current fiscal year, versus a prior view …

  Bloomberg UK retailers raised their prices at the fastest pace in more than nine years in January, a survey showed, passing on soaring costs to consumers already grappling with a cost-of-living squeeze. The report by the British Retail Consortium suggests inflation is spreading well beyond energy prices, with goods from food to furniture seeing prices driven higher in a …