Walmart to phase out DEI initiatives amid escalated attacks from conservatives

Company will no longer consider race and gender when making offers to suppliers and will remove LGBTQ+ merchandise

UK prices for car repairs and electrical goods expected to rise due to budget

Halfords and AO.com say increases in employer national insurance will add to their costs

Philadelphia workers at Amazon’s Whole Foods file for first union election

Amazon has aggressively opposed efforts and is challenging the federal labor watchdog that ruled against its actions

‘Asda turnaround could take three to five years’: Allan Leighton returns to run retailer

Exclusive: The 71-year-old, who left in 2000, says he has three priorities to revive the supermarket chain for a second time

Retailers warn inflation could hamper UK shoppers in run-up to Christmas

British Retail Consortium figures come alongside data showing a fall in household disposable income

Macy’s says single employee was responsible for hiding up to $154m in expenses

Largest US department store chain delays release of quarterly earnings report to investigate ‘erroneous accounting entries’

What’s in store for returning Asda boss Allan Leighton?

The ex-CEO turned the troubled supermarket around once before. Now he faces a new battle, from sorting retail basics to rebooting IT

B&Q owner says budget uncertainty hit spending and tax rise will cost it £31m

Kingfisher says it faced weak market in October, as Greggs also complains of cost of national insurance increase

Amazon workers in 20 countries to protest or strike on Black Friday

Workers and their representatives to press US retailer to respect their rights and take action on the climate crisis

Retailers prepare for cautious Christmas as a chill settles on consumers

A late Black Friday and a mild October mean seasonal sales have got off to a slow start, and hopes are not high

Surrealism, cafes and lots (and lots) of cats: why Japanese fiction is booming

From tales of alienation to comforting novels set in bookshops, Japanese authors have written nearly half of this year’s bestselling translated novels in the UK. What’s their secret?

Doorscaping and stir-up Sunday: how Christmas traditions are changing

Britons are picking porchscaping over puddings but will the Royal Mint’s silver sixpence feed a revival?

UK private sector is contracting as firms give ‘thumbs down’ to the budget, hitting pound – as it happened

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

Milan’s Via Monte Napoleone becomes world’s most expensive shopping street

Rental growth and euro’s strength against dollar help a European street to top of list for first time in 34 years

Budget blamed for first contraction in private sector for a year

Fall in activity in November pinned on chancellor’s tax rises as official figures also show drop in October retail sales