Global Retail Intelligence

Dedicated to helping IBC members market and sell their products internationally by sharing information, providing networking opportunities and offering programs to assist, support, and educate.

Brazil Retail Sales Fell 4.3% in 2015

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that “Brazilian retail sales declined in 2015 for the first time in more than a decade, as Latin America’s largest economy shows no signs of recovery from recession. “Retail-sales volume fell 4.3% last year, compared with the prior year’s expansion of 2.2%, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, or IBGE, said Tuesday.…

Thirty-five percent of Chinese online shoppers bought goods from overseas

China Daily Europe has reported that Chinese consumers are reaching across borders to buy products. Several findings include: The United States remains the most popular destination for Chinese cross-border online shopping, while in 2015 Japan and South Korea took second and third place respectively. The overall incidence of Chinese cross-border online shopping has increased…

John Lewis to enter Middle East with Dubai tie-up

Reuters recently reported that John Lewis Partnership, Britain's largest department store group, is to enter the Middle East market, opening an outlet in Dubai next year as it steps up the pace of global expansion. Reuters said that “the employee-owned firm said on Monday the 15,000 square feet space, its largest such overseas concession, will open within the new flagship…

Lowe’s, Home Improvement Retailer, to Buy Rona of Canada for $2.28 Billion

North Carolina-based retailer, Lowe’s announced that it has “reached a friendly deal to acquire Rona”, a Canadian chain. According to the New York Times, “The acquisition will make Lowe’s the dominant home improvement company in Canada.” Read more here. …

China’s Consumers Begin to Awake

Andy Kessler, former hedge fund manager, has a recent piece in the Op Ed section of the Wall Street Journal in which he says, “This trend toward consumerism is already under way—China’s big cities are plastered with ads for Porsche, Gucci and Apple products. Some 600 million Chinese have smartphones. Uber and local Didi Kuaidi are battling it out to offer rides. Airbnb is…

Sainsbury Agrees on $1.9 Billion Deal for Home Retail Group

The Wall Street Journal reports that UK supermarket retailer Sainsbury has struck a deal to buy Home Retail group, parent of UK retailer Argos. Details are available from the Wall Street Journal here. (Subscription required) IBC Members may view the Key Retail Profiles on Argos and Sainsbury here. If you are a current IBC Member and need assistance with your username and…

Mexico: Online Retail

Article from: morningnewsbeat.com Bloomberg reports on how Mexico is becoming a hot market for online retailers. "In June," the story says, "Amazon.com Inc. began operating in Latin America’s second-largest economy -- where online retail sales, excluding travel and event tickets, are seen growing 30 percent to $5.7 billion this year, according to eMarketer. While Web-based…

UK Retail – Asda to Delay Store Expansion in London

Article By Saabira Chaudhuri The Wall Street Journal Asda, the U.K. supermarket chain owned by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., WMT 0.10 % on Monday moved to delay store expansion in London and scale back its “click-and-collect” program as the retailer works to reinvigorate its physical store base and fend off a pair of discounters that have badly squeezed its sales. The announcement…

Retail News from Around the World: 4/9/2014

Walmart India Planning a long run in India, Wal-Mart to open 50 wholesale stores in next 4-5 years, to enter ecommerce, strengthen compliance procedures: "Wal-Mart is committed to India and we are excited about our growth plans and we will continue to focus on the cash-and-carry format as we are very happy with the way it has shaped up in the last few years," Walmart Asia…