To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world:

January 31 – Walmart May Buy a Stake in India’s Answer to Amazon
Walmart is negotiating to acquire a 15% to 20% stake in India’s leading homegrown e-commerce firm Flipkart. A deal would give both companies a greater advantage in competing with Amazon in India, according to the sources. From Fortune

January 29 – Two UAE Firms Among World’s 250 Most Powerful Retailers
United Arab Emirates-based retail operators Majid Al Futtaim Holding and EMKE Group/LuLu Group International have made Deloitte’s new list of the 250 most powerful retailers in the world. Walmart and Costco top the list. From Khaleej Times

January 23 – Wal-Mart May Have to Unload Stake in Brazilian Unit at Discount
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced it is looking to sell part of its operations in Brazil due to many challenges and missteps by the retailer in the country. The retreat in Brazil allows the company to focus on other markets like Mexico, where its performance has been much better due to strong partnerships and key investments. From Reuters

January 18 – PriceSmart – Colombia Reached the Highest Sales Growth in 2017
Luis Fernando Gallo, country manager of PriceSmart in Colombia, indicated that the retailer had reached US$338 million in sales in 2017. *This article written in Spanish. From Portafolio

January 17 – Judith McKenna is Named President and CEO of Walmart International
Wal-Mart Stores Chief Operating Officer Judith McKenna was named president and chief executive of its international unit effective February 1. From CNBC

January 15 – More than 22 Malls Open in Colombia in 2018
The last quarter of 2017 brought great optimism for the retail industry in Colombia and this trend is forecasted to continue through 2018.  According to the Colombian National Mall Association (Acecolombia), 12 malls opened in 2017 with plans for double this to open in 2018. Bogota is sited as the city with plans for the greatest number of malls. *This article written in Spanish. From La República 

January 12 – Chlean Retailer, Cencosud Plans to invest US$400 Million in 2018
Cencosud anticipates that revenues will reach US$16.5 billion in 2018 and that it may increase investments to more than US$400 depending on the sale of non-strategic assets. *This article is written in Portuguese. From Exame

January 12 – Via Varejo, Brazil’s Largest Network of Electrics Stores (Casas Bahia and Ponto Frio) Plans to Change Store Formats to Warehouses for 220 Stores
The retailer aims to increase point of sale storage to allow for faster delivery of products to customers who buy online. *This article is writen in Portuguese. From Valor

January 11 – France’s Adea Plans to Merge Leroy Merlin and Akí in Several European Countries
Adeo’s structural objective is to reinforce synergies between its companies and the different markets in which it has stores. The store mergers are planned to begin in 2018 and to be completed by 2020. From Algarve Daily News

January 11 – Brazilian Retailer, Via Varejo, Begins Merchandise Pick-Up at Gas Stations and Post Offices
Via Varejo’s stores, Casas Bahia, Extra and Ponto Frio, will begin a text program next week to allow customers to retrieve merchandise purchased on the internet from lockers at gas stations or post offices. *This article is written in Portuguese. From Veja

January 11 – Sam’s Club Plans 40 Stores in China by 2020
The plan to increase store count from 19 to 40 represents Sam’s high confidence in the consumption power of its target shoppers. Since entering the market in 1996, Sam’s Club now has 1.8 million members in the Chinese mainland. From Shine 

January 11 – Carrefour Announces Acquisition of 17% Stake in Showroomprivé to Form Partnership
Showroomprivé, Europe’s second-largest online private sales player, signed a strategic agreement with Carrefour, which will 17% of the share capital of Showroomprivé from Conforama, a subsidiary of the Steinhoff group. From Business Insider

January 10 – JD.com Commits to Selling €2 BN in French Imports
During President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to China, JD.com’s chairman met with France’s president to discuss opportunities to allow access to French brands on the online portal. From RetailAnalysis

January 10 – Sainsbury’s Reports Record Sales for Christmas Week
UK Retailer, Sainsbury’s reported that their sales were up 1.2%, grocery sales grew 2.3% and general merchandise outperformed the market in the third quarter. From Sainsburys.com

January 10 – A Million Square Meters of New Shopping Space is Planned for Guangzhou, China in 2018
Three quality shopping malls went into operation in Guangzhou in the fourth quarter of 2017, bringing the total of quality shopping space to 5.36 million square meters in the city. The new space in Guangzhou is planned for the districts of Panyu and Baiyun. From China Daily

January 9 – Retail Sales in Turkey Have Risen for a Second Consecutive Month
October and November saw retail increases in retail sales, month-over-month of .9% and .7% respectively. From Business Insider

January 8 – Switzerland’s Coop Had a 3% Turnover Increase in 2017
Coop’s retail division saw a turnover of CHF 17.4 billion, with the Coop branded banner seeing traffic increase by 5.7% and net income rise to CHF 10.3 billion. From European Supermarket Magazine

January 8 – Migros Is Partnering with Tmall Global to Expand Product Offering
Migros began selling on Tmall Global under the name Orange Garten and offers a selection of household and personal care products, as well as a selection of food products. The retailer started selling the Orange Garten range in China through the online platform NetEase Kaola in September and is aiming to expand in the China market. From Planet Retail

January 8 – UK Distributor and Housewares Supplier, Eddingtons Acquires Assets from Stow Grow
Housewares distributor and product supplier, Eddingtons, will be adding Stow Grow’s kitchenware and giftware to its current selection of products after acquiring stock and intellectual property.  Key members of Stow Grow will join Eddingtons. From Housewares Live

January 7 – Brazil’s Pão de Açúcar Launches Changes for 5 Stores with 45 Additional Stores Updates Planned for 2018
Updated stores will feature a “fresh” section at the front as well prepared food options for quick, healthy meals.  Pão de Açúcar’s aim is to offer customers a more practical and enjoyable shopping experience. From European Supermarket Magazine

January 4 – Colombian Electrics Supplier Adjusts Sales Projections Based on Market Conditions
The number one Colombian electrics supplier modified their initial sales projections of $1 billion pesos in 2018 after ending 2017 with conditions that they cited as having impacted their sales projections, such as: market slowdown, inflation and high interest rates, the company adjusted their 2018 sales projections. *This article is written in Spanish. From América Retail

January 4 – Austria Retailer, Billa, Expanded Store Count by 31 and Saw Online Sales Increase of 40% in 2017
Now with a total of 1,069 outlets throughout Austria, Billa, a part of Germany’s Rewe Group not only added stores in 2017, but also renovated 48 stores. From European Supermarket Magazine 

January 4 – Alibaba Plans to Add 30 Additional Hema Stores in Beijing by the End of the Year
Adding to its 5 branches in Beijing, nearly 1.5 million Beijing residents live within a three-kilometer radius of a Hema store, availing the retailer’s delivery service to these customers within thirty minutes of ordering. From Alizila

January 2 – Homecenter Increased Online Sales 40% in 2017 
Sodimac’s Homecenter increased online sales 40% over their 2016 online sales. This is mainly attributed to the inclusion of different types of payment and new products being sold online. *This article is written in Spanish. From Dinero

January 2 – Marks & Spencer offloads Hong Kong and Macau Businesses
Retail giant Marks & Spencer has confirmed the sale and franchise of its 27-store business in Hong Kong and Macau as part of an overhaul of its international division. On Tuesday, the retailer said that Al-Futtaim will become the new sole franchisee for M&S in Hong Kong and Macau. From Independent.ie

The International Business Council is a special interest group of IHA members, dedicated to helping its membership market and sell their products internationally by sharing information, providing networking opportunities and offering programs to assist, support, and educate. Membership is free to all regular, IHA members – visit the IBC website to learn more.