The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
China’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd beat Wall Street estimates for third-quarter revenue on Tuesday, as its e-commerce business benefited from a switch to online shopping triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The results come as China clamps down on founder Jack Ma’s sprawling business empire, having forced the suspension of a blockbuster $37 billion IPO for Alibaba’s financial affiliate Ant Group.
Ma made his first public appearance in three months in January, helping allay investor concerns and boosting shares of Alibaba.
Alibaba’s post-Covid-19 Singles Day sales event, the world’s biggest online shopping event that eclipses the sales of US shopping holidays Black Friday and Cyber Monday, registered total sales of $74 billion in November.
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Core commerce revenue rose 38 percent to a record high of 195.54 billion yuan in the quarter, powered by the company’s China retail marketplaces as the economy rebounded from the Covid-19 crisis.
Revenue rose 37 percent to 221.08 billion yuan ($34.24 billion) in the three months ended December 31, above analysts’ estimates of 214.38 billion yuan, according IBES data from Refinitiv.
Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders was 79.43 billion yuan, or 28.85 yuan per American depository share, compared to 52.31 billion yuan, or 19.55 yuan per American depository share, a year earlier.
By Chavi Mehta and Josh Horwitz; editor: Sriraj Kalluvila.
The rental platform saw its stock soar last week after predicting it would hit a key profitability metric this year. A new marketing push and more robust inventory are the key to unlocking elusive growth, CEO Jenn Hyman tells BoF.
Nordstrom, Tod’s and L’Occitane are all pushing for privatisation. Ultimately, their fate will not be determined by whether they are under the scrutiny of public investors.
The company is in talks with potential investors after filing for insolvency in Europe and closing its US stores. Insiders say efforts to restore the brand to its 1980s heyday clashed with its owners’ desire to quickly juice sales in order to attract a buyer.
The humble trainer, once the reserve of football fans, Britpop kids and the odd skateboarder, has become as ubiquitous as battered Converse All Stars in the 00s indie sleaze years.