Articles by AFP
UK consumer goods giant Unilever to invest 1.5 billion dollars in Mexico
British consumer goods giant Unilever said Friday that it would invest 1.5 billion dollars in Mexico, which is wooing foreign companies in the face of US President Donald Trump's trade war. "This investment will create 1,200 new direct and indirect jobs in Mexico," Unilever's chief supply chain and operations officer Willem Uijen said at...
BusinessMemberMay 2, 2025
Showroomprivé: Turnover down nearly 17 percent in first quarter
Paris - Online sales group Showroomprivé recorded a year-on-year decline in turnover of 16.5 percent in the first quarter, amid a “persistently lacklustre market”, it announced on Wednesday. Over the first three months of the year, the group's turnover amounted to 127.5 million dollars (of which 99.2 million dollars in France), compared with...
BusinessMemberMay 1, 2025
Amazon says will not show US tariff costs on products
Retail giant Amazon insisted Tuesday it had never approved a proposal -- slammed by the White House -- to show consumers how much US tariffs add to each price tag. "The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products. This was never approved and is not going to happen," said...
BusinessMemberApr 29, 2025
The White House sharply criticises Amazon
The White House on Tuesday slammed Amazon over reports it would soon tell consumers how much US President Donald Trump's tariffs have contributed to the price tag on its goods. "This is a hostile and political act by Amazon," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a briefing in Washington. "Why didn't Amazon do this when the...
BusinessMemberApr 29, 2025
UPS says it will cut 20,000 jobs worldwide in 2025
Package delivery giant UPS said Tuesday it plans to cut 20,000 positions worldwide in 2025 following a significant drop in business for Amazon, its largest customer. UPS expects to "reduce our operational workforce by approximately 20,000 positions during 2025 and close 73 leased and owned buildings by the end of June 2025," the company said in...
BusinessMemberApr 29, 2025
SMCP sales increase in first quarter, except in asia
The sales of the ready-to-wear group SMCP, parent company of the brands Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot and Fursac, increased by 3.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, to 297 million euros, progressing in all geographical areas except Asia. Isabelle Guichot, chief executive officer of the group, highlighted “a complex and volatile...
BusinessMemberApr 29, 2025
TikTok exploits trade war to shift fake luxury goods
TikTok abounds with viral videos accusing prestigious brands of secretly manufacturing luxury goods in China so they can be sold at cut prices. But while these "revelations" are spurious, behind them lurks a well-oiled machine for selling counterfeit goods that is making the most of the confusion surrounding trade tariffs. Chinese content...
BusinessMemberApr 25, 2025
A lingerie brand ‘made in America’ threatened by Trump's tariffs
Los Angeles - After years spent in underground workshops in California, Francisco Tzul managed to get a job with an ethical lingerie brand 'Made in America'. But the garment worker now fears losing his job because of Donald Trump's tariffs. Since his return to power, the new American president has launched a protectionist offensive and triggered...
BusinessFeaturedMemberApr 24, 2025
Kering: sales down 14 percent in first quarter, weighed down by Gucci
Paris - Luxury group Kering, still weighed down by its flagship brand Gucci, announced on Wednesday a 14 percent drop in sales to 3.88 billion euros in the first quarter of 2025 and is "redoubling its vigilance to overcome macro- economic turbulence". "As we anticipated, Kering faced a difficult start to the year," said its chief executive...
BusinessFeaturedMemberApr 23, 2025
In Paris, the number of wholesale businesses dropped by 77 percent in 20 years
Paris - According to a study released on Wednesday, the number of wholesale businesses located on the ground floor of buildings in Paris dropped by 77 percent between 2003 and 2023. This was due to the relocation of production, disturbances in the neighbourhood, and rising property prices in the French capital. These businesses, which catered to...
BusinessMemberApr 23, 2025