TOP NEWS
* Shopping malls operator Unibail-Rodamco SE agreed to acquire Australian rival Westfield Corp. for $15.7 billion, or an enterprise value of $24.7 billion, creating a portfolio of 104 assets, including the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris and New York's Westfield World Trade Center. The combined entity will hold properties with a gross market value of $72.2 billion, strategically positioned in 27 retail markets in the U.S. and Europe attracting 1.2 billion visitors annually.
* Southeast Asia's digital economy is expected to hit $50 billion in 2017, a 27% annual growth rate, higher than the previous 10-year estimate of 20%, according to research by Google Inc. and Singaporean wealth fund Temasek Holdings (Pte.) Ltd. The region's internet-based economy also is "on a solid trajectory" to reach $200 billion by 2025, recording the highest mobile usage in the world and doubling the monthly e-commerce activity of the U.S., the study added.
TEXTILES, APPAREL AND LUXURY GOODS
* Under Armour Inc. appointed Kelley McCormick to the newly created role of senior vice president of corporate communications, and Massimo Baratto as vice president and managing director of the activewear retailer's European business. The additions follow David Bergman's appointment as CFO on Dec. 4, along with the exit of footwear executive Peter Ruppe and co-founder Kip Fulks, who went on sabbatical in October.
* Birkenstock GmbH & Co. KG will end business relations with Amazon.com Inc.'s European unit, effective Jan. 1, 2018, after the retailer allegedly sold counterfeit Birkenstock products on its online portal. The German footwear company, which claims Amazon is yet to secure its offering from fake items, will stop deliveries to the e-commerce giant's Luxembourg-based arm due to its "breakdown in trust."
E-COMMERCE
* JD.com Inc. plans to enter the aviation sector to bolster its newly established logistics business, JD Logistics, the South China Morning Post reported, citing a statement by logistics planning and development head Bill Fu Bing at a Beijing forum. Bing reportedly said aviation will be key for logistics, and the Chinese e-commerce giant is "looking at" moving in to the industry.
* Deutsche Post AG's logistics arm DHL eCommerce hired ex-Google Inc. regional sales head and former Reliance Jio Chief Marketing Officer Neeraj Bansal as CEO as it plans to begin operations in India by March 2018, The Economic Times of India reported, citing two people close to the matter. DHL eCommerce reportedly is recruiting the rest of its Indian top management team, with four to five position already filled.
FOOD AND DRUG RETAILING
* Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. collaborated with nonprofit hospital NewYork-Presbyterian to launch a physician video-chat service to treat minor ailments at the U.S. drug retailer's Wall Street store. The service, which also will be available for New York customers online, will be offered at additional stores in New York in 2018.
* SuperValu Inc. signed a multiyear contract with San Francisco-based delivery service Instacart to roll out e-commerce sites in its retail divisions, namely SuperValu's Cub, Farm Fresh Food and Pharmacy, Shop 'n Save, and Shoppers Food and Pharmacy. The partnership will allow customers to place orders on the "Powered by Instacart" sites, which soon also will integrate the U.S.-based grocery chain's coupons and rewards.
* Guangzhou Tengshi Information Technology, which operates six automated convenience stores in Guangzhou, China, raked in more than 10 million yuan in its third funding round, the South China Morning Post reported, citing founder and CEO Luo Jiecheng. The company, which runs shops under the Magic House brand, reportedly plans to grow its store count in Guangzhou to 300 to 500 shops in 2018 and develop technologies with the capital.
HOUSEHOLD DURABLES AND SPECIALTY RETAIL
* Japanese consumer electronics company Sharp Corp. aims to generate ¥1 trillion from the sale of about three million smart appliances in Japan by fiscal 2019, up from 2016's outlook of 30,000 smart appliances and sales of ¥550 billion, the Nikkei Asian Review reported, citing Sharp Executive Managing Officer Masahiro Okitsu. The Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.-controlled retailer also plans to grow in artificial intelligence and the internet of things.
* Jewelry and accessories retailer Charming Charlie Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection and entered a restructuring agreement with a majority of its lenders and sponsors. The Houston-based company, which also secured a $20 million financing and a $35 million loan, aims to reduce debt and close underperforming stores with the move.
* Terminix International, a business unit of home and office services provider ServiceMaster Global Holdings Inc., said COO Marty Wick left the pest control service supplier to pursue other career opportunities. Augusto Titarelli, vice president of Terminix's north and international divisions, will temporarily be in charge of Terminix Residential's field operations.
INDUSTRY NEWS
* U.S. retailers are pushing up cutoff dates for online orders free of shipping costs for delivery on Dec. 25 to avoid an end-of-season sales rush that puts a strain on logistics, CNBC reported, citing a study by consumer analytics firm StellaService. Preliminary outcomes of the study reportedly found that the most common date set by retailers in 2017 is Dec. 19, compared with Dec. 21 in 2016 and Dec. 20 in 2015.
* Grocery prices in the U.K. rose 3.6% in the 12 weeks to Dec. 3, compared with the same period in 2016, its highest in four years, a study by Kantar Worldpanel showed. Sales at the U.K.'s four largest grocery chains collectively rose 1.9%, with Tesco Plc leading with growth of 2.5%, followed by J Sainsbury Plc at 2.0% and Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC at 1.4%.
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