Retail

  Bloomberg J Sainsbury Plc raised its profit forecast following strong Christmas sales, defying concern that supply chain problems and a surge of Omicron infections would hit demand over the festive period. Britain’s second-largest grocer said Wednesday earnings have been boosted by cost cuts, and as it matched prices of discounter Aldi on many products to attract shoppers who celebrated …

  Bloomberg Wall Street is keeping its faith in Amazon.com Inc., the only megacap technology stock with unanimous analyst buy ratings, even after the e-commerce giant lagged behind its peers by a huge margin for the past 18 months. Morgan Stanley grew more optimistic on the shares after their worst annual performance since 2014, raising its price target Monday and …

  Bloomberg China is urging consumers to boycott a promotion offered by KFC and toy retailer Pop Mart International Group Ltd., saying it encourages food waste— the latest example of a foreign brand running into trouble in the world’s second-largest economy. The China Consumers Association said in a statement Wednesday that one person bought 106 meals, spending nearly 10,500 yuan …

  Bloomberg Ikea imposed a financial penalty on unvaccinated UK employees who miss work if they are ordered to self-isolate after coming into contact with someone with Covid-19. If these workers become ill with the virus themselves, however, they will still receive sick pay as normal, Ikea said in a statement to Bloomberg. The changes, which came into effect in …

  Bloomberg Chinese cosmetics manufacturer Shanghai Chicmax Cosmetic Co. is planning an initial public offering in Hong Kong as soon as this year, according to people familiar with the matter. Shanghai-based Chicmax is working with China International Capital Corp., Citic Securities Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. on the proposed share sale that could raise several hundred million dollars, the …

  Bloomberg The bull market in the S&P 500 has further to run as the pandemic becomes endemic mid-year, according to Julian Emanuel, who in late 2019 correctly predicted the boom in retail investing. Continued fiscal and monetary support even if it’s diminishing — will help underpin US stocks this year along with historically low interest rates and robust US …

  Bloomberg Shares of technology and internet stocks fell on Monday, extending recent declines as investors continued to monitor a rise in Treasury yields. Losses were widespread across the group, with megacap names, semiconductor stocks and the software sector all tumbling. The group led broad declines in the US equity market, and the Nasdaq 100 Index fell more than 2%. …

  Bloomberg Lululemon Athletica Inc. shares tumbled after the company warned that financial results will come at the low end of previous guidance, saying the Omicron coronavirus variant was constraining its operations. Sales for the fiscal fourth quarter are trending towards the bottom of its range of $2.125 billion to $2.165 billion, the maker of yoga pants said in a …

  Bloomberg A US labor official granted a request by Arizona workers at Starbucks Corp. to hold an election that could expand the new unionized foothold at the retail coffee chain, rejecting the company’s arguments against holding store-by-store votes. The National Labor Relations Board’s regional director ordered that ballots be mailed out January 14 to employees at a store in …

  Bloomberg US labor board prosecutors are trying to violate Whole Foods Market’s copyright and constitutional rights by forcing it to let employees wear “Black Lives Matter” (BLM) masks at work, the Amazon.com Inc. subsidiary claims. In a December 17 filing with the National Labor Relations Board, Whole Foods denied the agency general counsel’s allegations that the company violated federal …