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Alimentation Couche-Tard must divest 35 gas stations to advance Giant Eagle deal, FTC says

Alimentation Couche-Tard must divest 35 gas stations to advance Giant Eagle deal, FTC says

Reuters3 days ago

TORONTO, June 26 (Reuters) - Canadian retailer Alimentation Couche-Tard (ATD.TO), opens new tab will be required to divest 35 gas stations in order to move forward with its proposed $1.57 billion acquisition of 270 retail fuel outlets from grocery store chain Giant Eagle, the Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday.
The proposed consent order would settle FTC charges that the deal was anticompetitive and would have likely led to higher fuel costs for consumers across Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, the commission said in a statement.

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Lululemon launches stunning attack on Costco and demands a trial by jury
Lululemon launches stunning attack on Costco and demands a trial by jury

Daily Mail​

time4 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Lululemon launches stunning attack on Costco and demands a trial by jury

Sportswear giant Lululemon is suing Costco for selling 'dupes' of its most popular sportswear products. The apparel brand, founded in 1998, has accused Costco Wholesale Corporation of infringing on its intellectual property by selling knockoffs - and is now demanding a trial by jury. Its Scuba hoodies and sweatshirts, Define jackets and ABC pants have all been copied by the general retailer, according to a lawsuit filed in a California court. Lululemon, based in Vancouver, Canada, has claimed that some of the alleged fakes are being sold under Costco's private label Kirkland. However, others are made by manufacturers Danskin, Jockey and Spyder. 'Some customers incorrectly believe these infringing products are authentic Lululemon apparel while still other customers specifically purchase the infringing products because they are difficult to distinguish from authentic Lululemon products, particularly for downstream purchasers or observers,' the 49-page lawsuit states. Lululemon has argued that it previously sent Costco cease and desist letters to no avail. It is now asking the court to step in and has asked for the matter to be heard in front of a jury. The apparel brand, founded in 1998, has accused Costco Wholesale Corporation of infringing on its intellectual property by selling knockoffs - and is now demanding a trial by jury Its ultimate aim is to order Costco to cease manufacturing, importing, marketing and selling the alleged dupes of Lululemon products. Lululemon also wants the retailer to remove any adverts - either in print or online - featuring the alleged dupes to be removed as well as forcing Costco to cover any lost profits incurred from the products. Costco has yet to file a response to Lululemon's lawsuit. has reached out for comment. The legal action comes after Lululemon's shares plunged 20 percent earlier this month as the athleisure brand suffered the consequences of Trump's tariffs. The brand — which has earned a cult following among millennial and Gen Z exercise enthusiasts — beat Wall Street's expectations for its first quarter earnings, but cut its guidance for the rest of the year. Sales were only up 1 percent year over year, compared to the 3 percent predicted by analysts. The company said the 'dynamic macroenvironment' of tariffs and concerns about an economic downturn meant it has to readjust. This will involve 'strategic price increases' to offset the negative effects of tariffs, chief financial officer Meghan Frank told analysts on the first quarter earnings call. 'It will be price increases on a small portion of our assortments, and they will be modest in nature,' she said. The company has already faced criticism for the price of some of its items, including $128 yoga pants. The price hikes will begin within a matter of weeks, Frank added. CEO Calvin McDonald said he was 'not happy' about US growth figures and acknowledged that consumers are nervously pulling back their spending. Lululemon has been hit hard by Trump's trade policies as it sources from China, currently under a 30 percent tariff, and a range of other countries currently levied at 10 percent.

As trade deal deadline looms, Trump says he'll write letters to countries about tariffs: ‘Dear Mr Japan, here's the story'
As trade deal deadline looms, Trump says he'll write letters to countries about tariffs: ‘Dear Mr Japan, here's the story'

The Independent

time8 hours ago

  • The Independent

As trade deal deadline looms, Trump says he'll write letters to countries about tariffs: ‘Dear Mr Japan, here's the story'

Donald Trump showed no signs of having made progress towards his goal of making 90 trade deals in 90 days on Sunday, an ambitious target he set earlier this year while slapping sizable so-called 'reciprocal' tariffs on many U.S. trading partners. But he did vow to pen personalized letters to the leaders of foreign nations explaining his positions as he continued making demands of some of the country's closest allies. His comments came on Sunday as part of an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News's Sunday Morning Futures. They followed another difficult week for U.S. companies now dealing with the news that trade negotiations have completely broken down with Canada, the U.S.'s northern neighbor and top export market. In the interview, Trump seemed to imply that the tariff arrangements he was setting unilaterally in the White House would satisfy his definition of a 'trade deal' absent an actual, formal agreement between the U.S. and a foreign country. The 90-day deadline would fall on July 8, just over a week away. 'I'm going to send letters, that's the end of the trade deal,' the president told Bartiromo, after she asked for 'clarity' regarding the end of his 90-day freeze on the reciprocal tariffs. Up until now, the president has not made clear whether he will extend any of the pauses or put back into place his steep import duties on foreign goods, leveled at individual rates for dozens of countries. 'You're gonna send the letters,' Bartiromo repeated. Describing his intented message to Japan, a frequent target of his trade-related complaints, Trump dictated: 'Dear Mr. Japan, here's the story. You're going to pay a 25% tariff on your cars.' Trump's will-he-won't-he attitude on the reciprocal tariffs thus far was reported to have earned him a nickname on Wall Street earlier this year — TACO, which supposedly stands for Trump Always Chickens Out. The president's initial rollout of hefty tariffs on top of his earlier 10% across-the-board import duties sent markets into a tailspin, only for them to surge back into the green with the White House's announcement of a three-month pause. As that time frame has gone by, however, it's become clear that the White House appears to have made little progress towards securing agreements with trading partners. The UK and US announced an agreement in May, marking an exception to that trend, but issues remain around the imports of steel and aluminum. The only other exception to the White House's stalled negotiations appears to be China. U.S. and Chinese officials announced the framework of another trade agreement this past week, but details about what was secured in the deal remain sparse. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox Business Network that the U.S. secured an end to trade barriers surrounding China's supply of rare earth minerals. China's commerce ministry said in its own statement, according to the AP: 'China will, in accordance with the law, review and approve eligible export applications for controlled items. In turn, the United States will lift a series of restrictive measures it had imposed on China.'' Most US economists agree that consumers will face price hikes as a result of the tariffs snapping back into place, and could also see unemployment rise at the same time, a dynamic known as 'stagflation'. The Commerce Department revealed in a report this past week that the U.S. economy shrank by 0.5%, worse than expected, as a result of tariff-related disruptions in the spring.

India's Torrent Pharma to acquire controlling stake in JB Chem and Pharma
India's Torrent Pharma to acquire controlling stake in JB Chem and Pharma

Reuters

time10 hours ago

  • Reuters

India's Torrent Pharma to acquire controlling stake in JB Chem and Pharma

June 29 (Reuters) - India's Torrent Pharmaceuticals ( opens new tab said on Sunday it will acquire a 46.39% controlling stake in smaller peer JB Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals ( opens new tab from New York-based investment firm KKR (KKR.N), opens new tab, and plans to merge the two drugmakers. The transaction, announced in a joint statement released by the three companies, implies a total equity valuation of 256.89 billion rupees ($3.01 billion) for JB Pharma on a fully diluted basis. "This strategic alignment furthers our goal of strengthening our presence in the Indian pharma market, and building a larger diversified global presence," Torrent Executive Chairman Samir Mehta said in the statement. Under the terms of the deal, Torrent will initially acquire an equity stake in JB Pharma from KKR for 119.17 billion rupees. Following this, Torrent will launch a mandatory open offer to acquire up to an additional 26% of JB Pharma shares from public shareholders at 1,639.18 rupees per share. Torrent also signaled its intent to acquire up to 2.80% of equity shares from certain JB Pharma employees, the company said. The second phase of the transaction involves a merger of Torrent and JB Pharma through a scheme of arrangement. Upon merger, JB Pharma shareholders will receive 51 Torrent shares for every 100 JB Pharma shares held. KKR also confirmed the deal in a separate statement. "We are confident that the combined strengths of our organizations will unlock greater opportunities to enhance healthcare access across our markets," said JB Pharma CEO Nikhil Chopra. India is Torrent's biggest market by revenue, where it competes with peers such as Mankind Pharma ( opens new tab. Torrent offers drugs used to treat cancer, infections and diabetes, and has benefited from steady demand for its specialty and chronic illness drugs. For the January-March quarter, its consolidated net profit was up 11% from a year earlier. JB Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals, meanwhile, reported higher fourth-quarter profit in May. Along with the steady market for its gastrointestinal medicines, Metrogyl and Sporlac, the company also benefitted from demand for its drugs that treat chronic conditions such as hypertension. ($1 = 85.4400 Indian rupees)

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