Frankfurt / AFP German retail sales, a closely watched measure of household confidence, declined in March, official data showed last week. Retailers’ sales fell by 1.1 percent in March compared with February, the federal statistics office Destatis said in a statement. The previous month, retail sales had remained unchanged. On a 12-month basis however, business increased, edging up by ...

Bloomberg Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA agreed to sell Vietnam’s Big C grocery chain to Central Group at an enterprise value of €1 billion ($1.1 billion), extending an Asian divestment programme aimed to reduce the French retailer’s debt. Casino will receive €920 million in proceeds, the St. Etienne, France-based company said in a statement last week. The disposal will bring the total ...

  Rome / AP Armed with shovels and sacks of cold asphalt, Rome’s residents fill potholes. Defying rats, they yank weeds and bag trash along the Tiber’s banks and in urban parks. Tired of waiting years for the city to replace diseased trees, neighbors dig into their own pockets to pay for new ones for their block. Romans are starting to ...

  Buenos Aires / AFP The paintings in Buenos Aires’ newest gallery may look like the work of great artists, but they are actually rip-offs — and the exhibition’s organsers want you to know it. One of the works doesn’t even look the part — it is supposed to be a masterpiece by the late Argentine painter Antonio Berni, but the ...

    Berlin / AFP Berlin has began restricting private property rentals through Airbnb and similar online platforms, threatening hefty fines in a controversial move meant to keep housing affordable for locals. The German capital fears that the growing trend of people letting out apartments to tourists through sites such as Airbnb, Wimdu and 9Flats is cutting into a limited property ...

  Sunaina Rana/ Emirates Business Envie Events produces, organises and promotes some of the most spectacular, immersive and innovative Dance Music Events in the Middle East. With over 25 years of combined experience in the entertainment, hospitality, and nightlife industry, the company’s events captivate tour senses and inspire a unique level of fan interaction being enhanced by state-of-the-art lighting, pyrotechnics ...

  Our Correspondent / EMIRATES BUSINESS Serafino Consoli has been a leader in the world of fine jewellery for over 50 years and is found in some of the world’s most beautiful locations. The maison’s revolutionary approach combines innovation with the finest of Italian goldsmithing traditions to create jewellery that is both unique and individual. The fine jewellery maison has ...

  DUBAI / WAM HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority ( DSOA ), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis , the integrated free zone technology park, approved the DSOA 2021 Strategy, which is based on UAE Vision 2021 and the Dubai Plan 2021 that provide an enabling operational framework for government entities ...

  ABU DHABI / WAM Juma Mohammed Al Kait, Assistant Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade Affairs, is heading the UAE trade and investment delegation during his visit to Spain from May 3-4, to attend the UAE-Catalonia Forum, organised by the ministry in cooperation with the UAE’s Consulate General in Barcelona city. While in Spain, the delegation ...

  Bloomberg Britain risks losing its influence on the global stage if it votes to leave the European Union in June, business leaders warned. Publicis Groupe SA Chairman Maurice Levy, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and Confederation of British Industry Director General Carolyn Fairbairn, making the case for Britain to remain in the EU in a Bloomberg Television panel ...