Bloomberg Alibaba Group’s $2.9 billion deal to buy a slice of China’s largest hypermart chain pits it against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in the world’s largest retail arena. China’s biggest e-commerce company agreed to acquire 36 percent of Sun Art Retail Group Ltd., which operates about 400 hypermarkets under the Auchan and RT-Mart banners. As part of the deal, France’s Auchan ...

Bloomberg Britain’s exit from the European Union could cost the UK aerospace industry 1.5 billion pounds ($2 billion) in extra customs expenses, the sector’s national lobby group said in a submission to lawmakers. The sum would come from “increased checks at the border” if British and EU processes do not remain harmonised, ADS Group said in evidence to Parliament’s Business, ...

Bloomberg Inflation might be the Grinch that steals Christmas in Britain this year. UK household expenditure is set to fall 0.1 percent from a year earlier during the holidays, according to a report by Visa and IHS Markit published on Monday. The slump will likely emerge as a result of faster price growth and the resulting pinch on incomes. The ...