Bloomberg Mothercare Plc surged despite posting a large loss and falling sales, after it said it had made significant headway restructuring its operations. The baby and parents retailer’s shares rose as much as 19 percent, the most since March, after it said it reduced its store count to 79 from 134 a year earlier, a faster-than-expected pace. The retailer has …

Bloomberg Kenya Airways Chief Executive Officer Sebastian Mikosz will step down from the troubled state airline five months before the end of his three-year contract, according to a staff memo seen by Bloomberg. “I have made the decision to shorten my contract term and I have decided to resign on personal grounds effective from December 31,” Mikosz said in the …

Bloomberg Sales by Canadian wholesalers in March rose by the most in more than a year, another sign the economy is emerging from a temporary slow patch. Wholesale sales rose 1.4 percent during the month, the fastest increase since October 2017 and the fourth straight monthly gain, Statistics Canada reported. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg were expecting a gain of 0.9 …

Bloomberg The company that shook up Swiss watchmaking is looking to the fast-food industry for inspiration on how to spruce up retailing. Swatch Group AG, the maker of $50 plastic timepieces, is setting up a drive-through store where it will sell products from its namesake label packed in burger boxes and brown paper bags. The shop, next to the company’s …

Bloomberg Brazil’s Natura Cosmeticos SA agreed to buy rival Avon Products Inc in an all-stock deal valued at about $2 billion, positioning it as a growing force in the booming global cosmetics and skincare industry. Controlling shareholders of Natura, which bought the Body Shop retail chain in 2017, will form a new publicly traded holding company that will offer 0.3 …

Bloomberg Countries should cooperate in developing the internet, big data and artificial intelligence, China President Xi Jinping said in a letter to the China International Big Data Industry Expo that started on Sunday in the southwestern city of Guiyang, Xinhua reports. China attaches great importance to the development of the big data industry and is willing to explore a growth …

MANAMA / WAM Investcorp on Sunday announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Mercury Capital Advisors (Mercury), one of the leading institutional capital raising and investment advisory enterprises. As part of the transaction, Mercury will remain an independent business operating under its current leadership team. This investment is the latest milestone in Investcorp’s ambitious growth strategy to …

Bloomberg Liquefied natural gas buyers in China are seeking to swap their US shipments for cargoes from other nations after Beijing pledged to raise tariffs amid a deepening trade dispute, according to traders with knowledge of the situation. Some Chinese LNG buyers have approached suppliers about trading the US cargoes, which they’ve already committed to buy, for shipments from non-tariff …

Bloomberg QEP Resources Inc has attracted takeover interest from private equity giant Blackstone Group LP, as well as drillers Whiting Petroleum Corp and Callon Petroleum Co, according to people familiar with the matter. The Denver-based natural gas and oil explorer and producer said in February that it would explore a sale after activist investor Elliott Management Corp. made a $2 …

Bloomberg Big oil is shifting, ever so slightly, towards the electric car business. Chevron Corp. is offering electric car charging ports at a handful of gasoline stations in its home state of California, according to a statement. The fast-charging spots, located at five stations in the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas, are being installed by EVgo, which has …