February, 2019

• 5 February

  Kirin expands its wellness business

  

  Bloomberg Kirin Holdings Co. agreed to acquire most of the biochemicals business from its Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co. unit in a transaction valued at 128 billion yen as it seeks to strengthen its budding consumer health-care segment. Kirin is purchasing a 95 percent stake in Kyowa Hakko Bio Co., which produces specialty chemicals and vitamins for the health and wellness ...

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• 5 February

  Billionaire’s wireless bankruptcy may aid richer brother

  

  Bloomberg In a twist to the tale of two rival billionaire brothers in India, a bankruptcy filing by Anil Ambani’s wireless carrier could have one clear winner — his elder sibling’s disruptive mobile phone unit. The process initiated in Mumbai, once admitted by the court, would leave Ambani’s Reliance Communications Ltd., or RCom, 270 days to repay debt or liquidate. ...

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• 5 February

  Bezos loses out to billionaire Ambani in India e-retail battle

  

  Bloomberg Amazon.com and Walmart Inc.’s plans to dominate India’s online retail landscape have been ambushed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political priorities heading into a tightening election. The vote, which must be held by May, has increased the influence of local retailers that lobbied for growth-crimping curbs on the US giants. On cue, India this month rolled out constraints on ...

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• 5 February

  Australian retail sales see biggest slump in a year

  

  Bloomberg Australian retail sales suffered the biggest drop in 12 months and imports slumped by the most in almost seven years, raising doubts about the resilience of household spending. Sales fell 0.4 percent in December, compared with estimates for an unchanged reading, statistics bureau data showed on Tuesday. Imports dropped 6 percent in the month, the worst result since February ...

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• 5 February

  Ocado in talks with retailers on potential deals

  

  Bloomberg Ocado Group Plc said it is talking to retailers about potential deals, renewing speculation about a possible partnership with Marks & Spencer Group Plc. The UK online grocer signed a number of technology licensing agreements in 2018, including a mammoth partnership with Kroger Co. in which the US supermarket chain agreed to buy a stake. Talk that Ocado might ...

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• 5 February

  dnata launches new resource management system in Dubai

  

  Dubai / Emirates Business dnata, one of the world’s largest air services providers, continues to drive innovation in the Middle East aviation industry by launching a new resource management system in Dubai. The new system, which includes a leading-edge software platform and advanced analytic tools, will help the company optimise operations and efficiently manage its 20,000 employees and resources at ...

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• 5 February

  European airline crews ditch Venezuela layovers

  Bloomberg The mounting political crisis in Venezuela has prompted European airlines to add a stop in the Caribbean so that pilots and flight attendants don’t have to spend the night in the strife-torn country. Spanish airline Iberia has begun using Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic as a staging post for its three weekly services from Madrid to Caracas, while ...

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• 5 February

  California, EPA trade barbs on fuel efficiency as deadline looms

  

  Bloomberg US and California officials agreed on one thing about auto emissions standards: they’re still miles from an agreement, with a crucial deadline just two months away. In separate comments, Sacramento and Washington’s top environmental regulators said they’ve yet to overcome a long-running impasse over the Trump administration’s proposal to cap auto emissions and fuel economy standards after 2020 and ...

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• 5 February

  UK services sector raises risks for economic growth

  

  Bloomberg The UK economy is at risk of stalling after growth in the services sector came close to a standstill, with firms growing increasingly anxious about Brexit. The purchasing managers index for services dropped to a 2 1/2-year low in January, IHS Markit said in a survey, falling more sharply than economists had forecast. Companies said they were less likely ...

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• 5 February

  J&J to settle bulk of consumer lawsuits

  

  Bloomberg Johnson & Johnson, the world’s largest maker of health-care products, has agreed to settle the bulk of consumers’ lawsuits alleging it sold defective artificial hips and misled patients about their dangers, according to a lawyer for the plaintiffs. “The parties have reached an agreement that hopefully will resolve most, if not all, of the litigation,’’ said attorney Mark Lanier, ...

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