World News by Wild Rose

A marooned three-metre-long (nine feet) shark in South Korea has drawn more than a million visitors to the coastal city of Busan, boosting local retail sales and triggering a trademark war, as authorities rush to stop opportunistic vendors from cashing in on the viral phenomenon. The shark, nicknamed “Bukangi” in reference to the park where it has become trapped, has become an internet darling and tourist sensation after non-stop local media coverage about multiple failed efforts to encourage it...

Japanese, South Korean and Thai brands have increased their share of new entrants in Hong Kong’s retail property market by 7 percentage points to more than one-third in the first nine months of 2026, while the demand for shops from mainland Chinese brands has slipped, according to Cushman & Wakefield. A slew of new brands helped lift the combined share of Japanese, South Korean and Thai brands to a three-year high, according to Cushman, which said it expected the trend to continue. This year,...

Hong Kong’s first Chinese-owned department store, Sincere, will close its historic branch in the city’s central business district in December after 126 years of retail history. The company revealed, however, that it would seek a new location in Central or Sheung Wan. Sincere announced on Sunday that the flagship store would shut in early December after lease renewal talks with the landlord broke down ahead of the tenancy expiring on December 31. “As a result, the Central store will cease...

Adrian Cheng Chi-kong, former heir apparent to Hong Kong’s New World Development (NWD), is expanding his K11 cultural retail business in mainland China, launching a venture of his own as his family’s property group grapples with heavy debt. Xiamen K11 Select, developed by Cheng’s K11 by AC Group along with state-owned Xiamen Rail Transit Group in the city in the southeastern province of Fujian, has attracted more than 2 million visits since its opening on September 22, with sales rising 32 per...

Hong Kong’s retail sales rose by 5.6 per cent year on year in August, with the latest figures showing consumer spending picking up after growth eased for two consecutive months. Retail sales value reached HK$32 billion (US$4.1 billion), according to provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Friday. Sales in the first eight months of the year rose by 8.5 per cent compared with the same period in 2025. “Growth was seen across many types of retail outlets, while online...

Three of South Africa’s biggest retailers are turning to new leadership to revive growth or accelerate turnaround plans as competition intensifies in one of the continent’s most developed consumer markets.

TJ Maxx has become a force in luxury retail, taking advantage of department stores canceling orders and brands clearing end of season lines. But whilst it’s good for shoppers as the average price of luxury goods increases, the strategy has risks for the store and the high-end labels, explains Bloomberg Opinion columnist Andrea Felsted. (Source: Bloomberg)

Bloomberg's Chris Rovzar joins Scarlet Fu and Tom Keene on "Bloomberg Money." They discuss the resurgence in suit sales for both men and women. (Source: Bloomberg)

Three repeat offenders have been sentenced to up to two years and two months behind bars for stealing 83 Jellycat and Labubu plushies worth a total of HK$115,200 (US$14,770) from a Hong Kong shopping centre last year. The District Court heard on Friday that the three men had stolen the popular merchandise from two claw machine shops at Kwai Chung Plaza on the instructions of other suspects who remain at large. A waiter, Tang Lik-ming, 35, and a wood painter, Wong Wai-chun, 36, pleaded guilty to...

Apollo Global Management Inc.-owned retailer Michaels Cos. used a windfall from tariff refunds to help cut its leverage, according to people familiar with the matter.

Coffee bars. Water parks. Retail therapy. ⁠North Korea – a country few would associate with leisure or pleasure – is experiencing an ⁠unlikely outbreak of fun. Leader Kim Jong-un, himself no stranger to indulgence, is orchestrating new ways for his citizens to spend ⁠their wealth. North Korea’s imports of massage equipment have surged 40-fold over the past decade, according to Chinese customs data. Treadmill shipments jumped over 600 per cent. Pianos and even bumper cars are pouring in, too. The...

Canada’s buy-local movement remains strong, but new tariffs could test how much more shoppers are willing to pay.

Barington Capital Group, the activist investor with a long track record in retail, has taken another stake in Bath & Body Works Inc. and is recommending the personal-care and fragrance store chain to explore a sale.

A source associated with the family says this is only a pause and not an end. Three different sources in the retail industry attributed the closure to differences within the promoter’s family

Macy's shares fell after the retailer offered third quarter guidance that disappointed investors. Bloomberg's Romaine Bostick spoke to CEO Tony Spring on the phone and has more. (Source: Bloomberg)

John Lewis Partnership Plc’s losses widened in the first half due to higher costs and shoppers reining in discretionary spending, undermining the British department store chain’s turnaround bid.

Six months’ salary in a single day. That’s the kind of payoff China’s boom in initial public offerings is handing to a lucky few.