Two of the world's dominant cotton merchants, Dunavant Enterprises Inc and Allenberg Cotton Co are in talks to merge their global operations, with a deal anticipated by the end of the third quarter.
South Africa's biggest union complained that state power firm Eskom had not so far brought any new offer to talks to avert a strike next week and said it was preparing for industrial action.
When Wal-Mart Stores Inc reports second-quarter results next week, it will provide a much-awaited glimpse into the state of consumer spending as measured by the billions of dollars that flow through its cash registers every quarter.
Brazil's retail sales data this week will likely show domestic consumption continues to grow steadily, pushing Latin America's largest economy out of recession at a fast pace.
If the strong earnings trend keeps up next week, black will be back in style on the balance sheets of more of the nation's retailers.
Macy's Inc reported worse-than-expected same-store sales in July, but forecast second-quarter earnings roughly three times greater than analysts were expecting, and shares jumped as much as 12 percent.
A small clothing maker called Scherr Inc filed a lawsuit last week against CIT Group, saying that the lender's financial problems and possible bankruptcy are threatening its business.
Gucci America sued several credit card processing companies for trademark infringement on grounds those companies facilitated the sale of counterfeit Gucci bags on the Internet.
Investors overlooked weak July sales results from some U.S. apparel chains and sent the shares of battered names such as Gap Inc, Limited Brands Inc and Zumiez Inc up on hopes of improvement later this year.
Sports Direct, Britain's biggest sporting goods retailer, faces an investigation by regulators into its purchase of 31 stores from rival JJB Sports after failing to find a buyer for five of the shops.
U.S. shoe and clothing maker Kenneth Cole Productions Inc posted a narrower-than-expected quarterly loss, helped by tight cost control and inventory management, and forecast a surprise third-quarter loss.
Got to get to Narita airport from downtown Tokyo but pressed for time? Soon you will be able to hire a Hermes helicopter - and make it in just 30 minutes.
Puma sales, which include consolidated and license sales, reached €636.5 million during the second quarter, a currency-adjusted decrease of 2.6% and an increase of 1.2% in Euro terms, marking a solid performance in a globally challenging environment.
John Lewis, the employee-owned group viewed as a barometer of British retail spending, posted a third consecutive big rise in weekly sales at its department stores, boosted by the "staycation" phenomenon.
Crocs Inc said it is on track to return to a profit next year after handily beating Wall Street estimates for the second quarter, and shares of the shoe company rose 28 percent.
