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Alibaba completed the world's biggest IPO with its listing on the New York Stock Exchange last September

Alibaba's quarterly earnings plunge 28%

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba said its net profit for the three months ending December plunged 28% to $964m, hit by a one-off charge and higher taxes.

Business • 29 Jan 15

Unilever's underlying sales rose by 2.1% in the fourth quarter

Unilever posts weaker than expected fourth quarter

Consumer goods giant Unilever reported lower than expected fourth-quarter underlying sales growth due to weak emerging markets.

Business • 20 Jan 15

Tesco enjoyed an improved period of trade at Christmas, despite sales falling further

Supermarkets enjoyed sales growth over Christmas

Supermarkets enjoyed a 1.1% increase in sales over the Christmas period, according to figures from Kantar Worldpanel, as the sector benefitted from a slight improvement in consumer confidence.

Business • 19 Jan 15

Sales from Argos stores open over a year were up a weaker than expected 0.1% in the 18 weeks to January 3

Home Retail reports weak Christmas sales

The Home Retail group said it expected to post full-year profit before tax in line with expectations.

Business • 15 Jan 15

Debemhams' like-for-like sales fell 0.8% in the 19 weeks to January 10

Debenhams' quarterly sales fall

Department store Debenhams posted a fall in first-quarter sales, although there were signs of improvement over the key Christmas trading period.

Business • 13 Jan 15

BMW sold more than 2.1m vehicles last year, while Mercedes-Benz sold 1.65m

BMW and Mercedes report record sales for 2014

German automakers BMW and Mercedes have said they attained record sales in 2014, their fourth in a row, driven by rising demand in all regions.

Business • 09 Jan 15

Gartner predicts an 8% rise in tablet sales this year

Growth in tablet sales predicted to slow in 2015

Growth in the sales of tablets will continue to slow this year with the numbers shipped predicted to rise by around 8 per cent, according to new research.

Business • 05 Jan 15

John Lewis sales up nearly 5% in the five weeks to December 27

John Lewis may rein in Black Friday push next year

British department store chain John Lewis enjoyed the most lucrative week in its 150-year-history thanks to "Black Friday" business.

Business • 05 Jan 15

New car sales rose by 30% in 2014 - SIMI

New car sales rose by 30% last year when compared to 2013, according to the Society of the Irish Motor Industry.

Business • 02 Jan 15

Next announces a 50 pence special dividend for shareholders

Next full price sales up nearly 3%

Next signalled brighter prospects for UK retailers today with a solid rise in Christmas sales, especially online, without resorting to the discounting.

Business • 30 Dec 14

Shoppers queue outside Arnotts in Dublin for bargains

Shoppers expected to spend €230m in sales

Retail Excellence Ireland has said that it expects that shoppers will spend in excess of €230m today and tomorrow, which will be ahead of what was spent last year.

News • 26 Dec 14

Inditex sales for the nine-months to the end of October rose 10.5% to €12.7 billion

Inditex says winter sales brisk after warm autumn

Zara owner Inditex said sales for the start of its fourth quarter rose 14% as the retailer shrugged off a warm start to autumn which has hurt other European retailers.

Business • 11 Dec 14

Heineken sold sold less beer in both eastern and western Europe in the third quarter

Heineken reports surprise decline in beer sales

Heineken reported lower than expected beer sales in the third quarter as Europeans drank less during a wet summer, but retained its full-year outlook.

Business • 22 Oct 14

Soft drink sales are struggling, but energy drinks, teas and water were performing well

Earnings fall at Coca-Cola but sales volumes rise

Soft drinks king Coca-Cola made headway in global volume sales in its third quarter but net earnings fell sharply, hit by slower economic growth and volatile currencies.

Business • 21 Oct 14

Diageo said sales volumes fell 3.5% in the three months to the end of September

Diageo Q1 sales fall 1.5% on emerging markets

Diageo, the world's largest spirits company, today reported a 1.5% decline in first-quarter organic net sales.

Business • 16 Oct 14

SABMiller said that gains in Latin America, Africa and Europe offset declines in Asia and North America

SABMiller reports higher first-half revenue

SABMiller, the world's second-biggest beer maker, today reported a 5% rise in revenue for the first half of its financial year.

Business • 14 Oct 14

Domino's Pizza says on target to open 40-50 new stores in the UK by the end of the year

Domino's Pizza's Irish sales rise by 5.3%

Domino's Pizza has said it is benefiting from continued economic recovery in its markets, especially in Dublin.

Business • 02 Oct 14

Trading at Sainsbury's dragged down by competition in a UK grocery market growing at its slowest pace for over 20 years

Sainsbury's cuts full-year sales forecast

Britain's J Sainsbury cut its full-year sales forecast today after trading fell sharply in the second quarter

Business • 01 Oct 14

The world's second-biggest fashion retailer reported slower sales so far in September

H&M blames warm weather for sales slowdown

Hennes & Mauritz today reported slower sales so far in September after posting third-quarter profits right in line with analyst forecasts.

Business • 25 Sep 14

Morrisons' underlying half yearly profits dropped 51% to £181m

Morrisons' half yearly profits dive 51%

Profits at Morrisons have dived by more than half after the UK supermarket chain's sales were savaged in the industry's ongoing price war.

Business • 11 Sep 14

Next made a pretax profit of £324.2m in the six months to July, up from £271.8m the same time last year

Next reiterates guidance as H1 profits up 19%

Next posted a 19.3% rise in first half profit, with growth at both its stores and home shopping business.

Business • 11 Sep 14

Revenues at H&M have been buoyed by brisk spring and summer sales

H&M's July sales beat expectations

Swedish fashion firm Hennes & Mauritz said today that its sales jumped a higher than expected 17% in July from a year ago.

Business • 15 Aug 14

New Look said it has received an indicative offer for its loss-making French unit Mim

New Look's first quarter results exceed forecasts

British fashion retailer New Look said first-quarter sales and earnings exceeded its own expectations after it hit key trends.

Business • 12 Aug 14

Struggling French car maker PSA Peugeot Citroen said it had seen a growth in car sales

European car sales continue to rise

The number of new cars registered in Europe grew for the tenth consecutive month in June, according to new industry data, adding to evidence the embattled sector is recovering.

Business • 17 Jul 14

75.8 million personal computers were sold in the second quarter of 2014, up 0.1% on the same time last year

PC sales edge 0.1% higher in second quarter

The decline in sales of traditional personal computers seems to have bottomed out, after eight consecutive quarters of decline.

Business • 10 Jul 14