<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55477c93dd089511188b45c2-1200-924/britains-prince-william-and-his-wife-catherine-duchess-of-cambridge-appear-with-their-baby-daughter-outside-the-lindo-wing-of-st-marys-hospital-in-london-britain-may-2-2015-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, appear with their baby daughter outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, in London, Britain May 2, 2015."><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Could the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge be Mothercare fans? We don't know</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Mothercare's turnaround plan is slowly paying off and it looks like it finally understands the internet.</p><p>The baby retailer's <span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="http://www.investegate.co.uk/mothercare-plc--mtc-/gnw/mothercare-plc---final-results/20150521070017H2975/">full-year results today</a> show numbers are moving in the right direction: losses have shrunk from £26.1 million ($40.53 million) to £13.1 million ($20.34 million), sales at its <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> shops - not including those closed in the year - rose for the first time in five years, and total sales inched 1% higher to £1.2 billion ($1.86 billion).</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">It may not seem like much but it's a big improvement for a retailer that looked in crisis just over a year ago. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Mothercare has struggled for the last five years due to competition from supermarkets and discounters like Primark. The company also failed to get to grips with internet shopping quickly enough.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/555d8710dd0895b73e8b4607-458-343/mothercare-share-graph.jpg" border="0" alt="Mothercare share graph"><p class="source"><span>Google Finance</span></p><p class="caption">A profit warning last year sent Mothercare shares falling 30%</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Mothercare hit the bottom last year after chief executive Simon Calver left the company. It followed a profit warning that sent shares tumbling over 30%.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">New boss Mark Newton-Jones was then drafted in to fix the business. Newton-Jones has plenty of experience in online retail, having run website Shop Direct for ten years. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Things were so bad then that Newton-Jones had to ask investors for £100 million ($155.27 million), in the form of a rights issue, to fund his turnaround plans.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">He's since closed 31 loss-making stores in the UK to get costs under control. But a big part of his plan to return to growth is to finally crack the internet - particularly mobile. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">It seems to be working. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Online sales have risen by 18% in the year to £</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">138 million ($214.27 million)</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, now making up 30% of all sales. Of that, 36% of sales are on mobile and a giant 82% of traffic to Mothercare's website is now on smartphones. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The company is still loss making and has a long way to go, but it seems like Newton-Jones' plan is working. Investors seem to think so too. Mothercare shares have risen around 20% over the last six months and has opened 1.2% higher this morning.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-omega-globemaster-watch-unboxing-2015-5">Forget the Apple Watch - here's the new watch everyone on Wall Street wants</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="5iaDNwdDrYYMm2yipFb14ndbRkPnemqO" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '5iaDNwdDrYYMm2yipFb14ndbRkPnemqO',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Mothercare's ravaged business is finally being saved by the internet

<p>Shares in British retailer Mothercare dropped are tanking on Thursday after it announced <a href="http://www.mothercareplc.com/~/media/Files/M/Mother-Care/Investor%20relations%20from%20October%202015/FY2016/Mothercare%20Q4%20to%202016-03-26_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">a hugely disappointing set of quarterly results.</a></p><p>Mothercare's stock crashed by as much as 19% at the open, falling to £1.52 per share from £1.88. Since then, shares have recovered a a little, but are still down more than 15% as of 9:15 a.m. BST (4:15 a.m ET), as investors react to the results. Here's how that looks:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/570f5360dd08959f7d8b4891-941-436/mom care april 14.png" alt="mom care april 14" data-mce-source="Investing.com" /><p class="source"><span>Investing.com</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The company, which makes products for young children, said that like-for-like sales were up 2.1% in the same period, but international sales were down 9.7% with currency further impacting retail sales in actual currency which were down 10.8% in the 11 weeks to March 26th.</p><p>Mothercare said the drop in oil prices affected consumer confidence in the Middle East, resulting in a significant decline in constant currency sales.</p><p>It added that China in particular was also affected by weakening consumer confidence, while Europe and South America were impacted by adverse currency moves.</p><p>Mark Newton-Jones, CEO of Mothercare, said he expected the overseas markets to stay tough for the time being:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"International continues to be adversely affected by the sustained economic and currency headwinds. Whilst all four regions are softer, the Middle East and China in particular have been impacted by weaker consumer confidence.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"In the year ahead, we expect to make further progress in the <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword>. However, our international markets are likely to remain challenging with the current trends in space, sales and currency continuing into the new financial year."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-economics-westeros-iron-throne-lannisters-2016-4">This hidden subplot of 'Game of Thrones' spells out the real trouble for the Lannisters</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="tvNncydDrkw0Adz4yS0Vsg8DPK1cte-i" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'tvNncydDrkw0Adz4yS0Vsg8DPK1cte-i',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Mothercare shares have crashed nearly 20% after a horrible set of results

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48619625.cms" /><br />
India is becoming a better place for children to live in with top global retailers eyeing the market here. The Children's Place, top childrenswear retailer in the US, is tying up with hospital chains in India to visit patients in maternity wards and gift merchandise for their newborns.
<br /><br /> "As the child grows, we are hoping they become regular consumers for our brand and we kind of adopt their fashion sense since birth," said J Suresh, managing director and CEO of <keyword id="589879" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Arvind-Lifestyle">Arvind Lifestyle</keyword>, which has a franchisee arrangement with The Children's Place (TCP) and plans to open 50 stores of the mass premium brand in the next four years, to ET. <br /><br />

	TCP is one of the several international brands foraying into kids' clothing and accessories market in India to cash in on a growing demand for branded products and to fill a vacuum created by domestic brands' failure to scale up.
<br /><br /> British denim brand <keyword id="737532" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Pepe-Jeans">Pepe Jeans</keyword> plans to bring in its kidswear range into the country this month and open 10 exclusive outlets, while French childrenswear brand Jacadi and Malaysian brand Poney are looking to expand their presence. <br /><br />

	Industry insiders say there's a gap in this market because Indian brands such as Weekender Kids, Catmoss, Gini and Jony, Jack n Jill and Lilliput have had to either shut shop completely or scale down operations over the last decade as they couldn't sustain the rapid expansion cost.
<br /><br />

	Even Mahindra Retail that entered the segment over five years ago with Mom and Me chain has shut nearly one-fourth of its stores.
<br /><br /> "New players will fill this void," said Govind Shrikhande, managing director at department store chain <keyword id="64373" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shoppers-Stop">Shoppers Stop</keyword>, to ET. "Most players lost out due to their own internal operational issues and not external factors since demand for such products has always been good," he said. <br /><br /> Shoppers Stop — which runs nearly 38 shops of <keyword id="128528" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mothercare">MotherCare</keyword>, a British retailer of products for expecting mothers and newborns, within its department stores — has seen share of kidswear in its overall sales double to 10 per cent over the past few years. <br /><br />

	Many global brands are exploring growth opportunities in emerging markets as economic growth and birth rates slow in western markets, and India is seen as a high-potential market.
<br /><br />

	"Among the emerging economies, India has the distinct advantage of being a country with promising economic outlook coupled with growing kids population and increasing discretionary spending on kids," Amit Gugnani, senior vice president at consultancy firm Technopak, told ET.
<br /><br />

	As much as 29 per cent of India's population is below 14 years, he said. For the US, Europe and Japan shares of children in their population are 19 per cent, 16 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively.
<br /><br /> A study by industry body <keyword id="6355988" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Assocham">Assocham</keyword> has estimated that kidswear market in the country will be worth Rs 95,000 crore by 2016, growing at a compound annual growth rate of about 20 per cent. <br /><br />

	The market is, however, largely controlled by unbranded local players.
<br /><br /> "While the kidswear market is very huge, the contribution of branded segment is not very high," Kavindra Mishra, CEO of <keyword id="3014364" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Pepe-Jeans-India">Pepe Jeans India</keyword> told ET. He, however, pointed out organised players are growing much faster than the overall market. <br /><br />

	"There is a vacuum in the branded kids wear category. And that is why the growth of the branded segment in this category is four times more than the rest of the category," Mishra said.
<br /><br />

	Industry insiders said childrenswear is not an easy market to be in.
<br /><br />

	The biggest challenge is, retailers have to handle 8-9 different sizes, nearly double the number of different fits for adults, putting constant pressure on supply chain.
<br /><br />

	Another issue is that since kids are expected to outgrow the clothes in less than a year, people expect their prices to be relatively cheap.
<br /><br />

	Some Indian kidswear brands are finding it difficult to compete with private labels and regional brands that have managed to decode the requirements of value conscious consumer better.
<br /><br />

	"What parents expect is that the price compared to the market abroad should be half, whereas the manufacturing cost is not half. This is one of the problems why no brand is being able to do well in kidswear in India," said Suresh of Arvind.
<br /><br />

	But this price restriction is slowly changing as kids begin to influence buying decision.
<br /><br />

	"Kids today are also becoming brand conscious and have their own preferences while the parents are ready to shell out money; probably it is the feeling that they couldn't do it so they want it for their kids," said Veena Satish, CEO of Raavee House of Chic that launched the first Jacadi store in Bengaluru earlier this year, to ET.

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	<br />
	(Image credits: Indiatimes)


India becoming a hotspot for global kids' fashion retailers

New Delhi, Reliance Brands, part of Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL), is planning to buy Ed-a-Mamma, a kidswear brand promoted by Bollywood actress <keyword id="6354526" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Alia-Bhatt" source="Orion">Alia Bhatt</keyword>, according to an industry source. The leading retailer would ultimately acquire the company, which specialises in providing sustainable clothing options for kids at affordable rates. <br /><br />Talks between Reliance Brands and the kidswear retailer, which mainly sells online are in the final stages, the industry source said. <br /><br />According to a media report, the deal is estimated to be around Rs 300 crore. <br /><br />The deal would help strengthen Reliance Brands' play into the branded kidswear segment, which is rapidly growing in the country. <br /><br />Ed-a-Mamma brand is owned by Eternalia Creative and Merchandising, in which Alia Bhatt is a director. The company was incorporated in 2019. <br /><br />An e-mail sent to Reliance Brands remained unanswered by the time of filing of the story. <br /><br />Established in 2007, Reliance Brands has collaborated with of over 50 international brands and operates over 2,000 stores in India. <br /><br />It has a portfolio of brand partnerships which includes AK-OK, Armani Exchange, Bally, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Canali, Coach, Diesel, Dune, Emporio Armani, Ermenegildo Zegna, Gas, Giorgio Armani, Hamleys, Hugo Boss, Jimmy Choo, Michael Kors, Mothercare, Muji, Paul &amp; Shark, Paul Smith, Pottery Barn, Ritu Kumar, Salvatore Ferragamo, Satya Paul, Steve Madden, Superdry, Scotch &amp; Soda, Tiffany &amp; Co, Versace, Villeroy &amp; Boch and West Elm. <br /><br />While RRVL is the holding company of retail operations of billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd.

Reliance Brands to acquire Alia Bhatt-promoted kidswear brand Ed-a-Mamma

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Weeks after I gave birth, my doctor said sex was OK, but I was focused on how painful pooping was.</li><li>When it comes to maternal care, mothers are taught how to care for babies but not for themselves.</li></ul><p>Before I left the hospital with a challah-sized Ollie in my arms, none of the staff mentioned to me that my poop would likely turn into jagged fossils that would claw my insides on the way out. This created an internal wound that wouldn't heal. It kept getting irritated because I kept on pooping, as humans do. I filled with dread every time I felt the urge. Each day I sat on the toilet and pushed my nails into the pads of my thumbs, gritted my teeth, and cried. I administered daily ointment up my anus for six months.</p><p>Not to get too graphic — though motherhood is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/woman-pooped-pants-during-marathon-ran-with-it-in-shorts-2021-11"><u>a messy, bloody</u></a>, shit-filled experience — but I was still bleeding out of both holes at my six-week postpartum appointment, which was when my male doctor cheerfully announced I was cleared for sex with my husband, Paul. Why was the emphasis on whether I could accommodate my husband's penis, and not on my painful, bleeding orifices? Why was the satisfaction of a man's — presumed — sexual desires the main talking point at my doctor's appointment?</p><p>This focus on the penis, even in a maternal health setting, is a result of a healthcare system created by white cis men for themselves. Women <a target="_blank" href="https://orwh.od.nih.gov/toolkit/recruitment/history"><u>weren't even allowed</u></a> to be included in clinical trials until 1986, and it wasn't until 1993 that it became federally required to include women and people of color in clinical trials.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/weathering-discrimination-racism-stressors-black-women-health-2023-2"><u>Brown bodies and women's bodies</u></a> have never been the health system's main concern. It's the reason the true structural anatomy of the clitoris wasn't discovered <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/nov/01/the-sole-function-of-the-clitoris-is-female-orgasm-is-that-why-its-ignored-by-medical-science"><u>until 1998</u></a>. It's why the National Institutes of Health didn't have a branch to study vulvas, vaginas, ovaries, and uteruses <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/29/books/vagina-obscura-rachel-gross.html"><u>until 2014</u></a>.</p><h2>Maternal health makes the baby a priority — not the mother</h2><p>Maternal health is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/born-free-birth-in-america-documentary-ricki-lake-2023-6"><u>a valley of neglect</u></a>. At the hospital, they teach you how to diaper the baby, but they don't tell you what a healing vagina should feel like. Someone checks the baby's latch, but they don't teach mothers what to do when our nipples bleed. They make sure parents understand the healthy range for how often a baby pees and poops, but not how often is healthy for the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/my-mom-abandoned-me-when-i-was-a-chil-2023-9"><u>mother to cry</u></a>.</p><p>If the baby is healthy, American moms are booted from the hospital a couple of days after birth with some boat-sized maxi pads and the promise of a forthcoming bill. The medical system and society at large see a healthy baby as the goal, not a healthy mother.</p><h2>Having nonpainful bowel movements can make a world of difference</h2><p>By the time I gave birth to Mae, my second baby, in lieu of proper care structures, I'd learned how to take care of myself. Beginning with the first day of Mae's life, I took a stool softener every day. I didn't stop until she weaned at 18 months old and I no longer had to give her every ounce of water in my body. This worked like a charm — no fossil claws.</p><p>When I <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/gifts/baby-shower-gifts-under-50-dollars"><u>go to baby showers</u></a> now, I gift an economy-sized bottle of stool softener. It may not be pretty, or a registry item, but it's one small thing I can offer in the face of a system that isn't focused on truly caring for birthing people.</p><h2>Our well-being isn't high on the list of priorities</h2><p>I cannot make a list long enough to encapsulate all the ways mothers and birthing people are harmed by the structures that are supposed to support us in doing "the most important job in the world."</p><p>Each step on the motherhood journey is another piece of evidence that mothers' well-being is at the bottom of the culture's priority list — from prejudiced, substandard prenatal and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/advice-on-postpartum-care-2019-4"><u>postpartum care</u></a> with abysmal maternal health outcomes, to no federal <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/maternity-leave-around-the-world-2018-5"><u>family leave</u></a>, to inaccessible mental health treatment, to the lack of affordable early childcare education, to inadequate public schools — particularly for marginalized kids and families — to the childcare black hole every day after school from three to six o'clock and all summer long.</p><h2>Mothers are expected to be caregivers and receive little care in return</h2><p>The care infrastructure in the US is "Money or Mommy" — if families don't have the financial means to pay out of pocket for everything from medical expertise to childcare, the onus is on mothers to provide it. We rage because over and over the culture says to mothers, "You are the caregivers. We will not take care of you."</p><p>The refusal to invest in mothercare begins long before the baby is even born.</p><p>Around 33% of Americans <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/FT_18.07.17_IVF_W36_Topline.pdf"><u>reported in 2018</u></a> that they or someone they know has used some type of fertility treatment, and the global fertility industry was valued at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.economist.com/business/2019/08/08/the-fertility-business-is-booming"><u>$25 billion in 2019</u></a>. Yet insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other related treatments is limited at best, making the endeavor prohibitively expensive and out of reach for many. This discriminatory lack of access disproportionately impacts women, the LGBTQ community, and poor people. Like abortion, infertility is an issue of reproductive justice.</p><p><strong><em><span>Excerpted from "</span></em></strong><a target="_blank" href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/minna-dubin/mom-rage/9781541601307/"><strong><em><span>Mom Rage: The Everyday Crisis of Modern Motherhood</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>" by Minna Dubin. Copyright © 2023. Available from Seal Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.</span></em></strong></p>

After giving birth, I was in pain every time I had a bowel movement. Now I give stool softener at baby showers.

<ul><li>Kidswear witnesses 90% growth in a pandemic year, as parents choose to shop online from the comfort of their homes. </li><li>Myntra added 200+ kids brands during the pandemic to meet the latest need states of the consumers. </li><li>Myntra launches ‘Toys’ in the segment to boost the category. </li></ul>Kids’, as a category of apparel and accessories is emerging as a strong and promising segment for Myntra. As a platform that is aiming to holistically cater to the fashion needs of people under one roof, the kids’ category is an integral part of the overall value proposition of the online fashion platform and has registered a 90% growth over the last year. This may be attributed to the growing attractiveness of online shopping, from the perspective of safety, during the pandemic. <br /><br />As the nation’s largest destination for fashion, Myntra currently houses over 1.1 lakh styles from over 450 leading brands, in the kid’s category. Some of the leading brands on the platform in the Kids’ segment are, H&amp;M, UCB and GAP, among others, while leading products include, Dresses, T-shirts, Sweatshirts, Value Packs and Night Suits. The category also performed extremely well during the course of the pandemic, when its share of revenues doubled, registering strong organic growth for home wear and day wear article types, such as value packs, night suits and innerwear, among others. During the current year-end festive season, Myntra witnessed huge demand for party and outer wear, with sequins and embroidered dresses for girls and blazers and suits for boys. Winter Jackets and sweatshirts are also emerging as favourite among kidswear. <br /><br />Interesting facts on Kids wear:<br /><br /><ul><li>The ratio of products for boys and girls being sold on Myntra – 45:55 </li><li>Most searched product/style in the category – Girls (Dresses), Boys (T-shirts), Kids (Jackets)</li><li>Peak seasons – Festive season, summer holiday season, Children’s day</li><li>Upcoming trends in Kidswear – Printed joggers, colour blocked sweatshirts, brand carriers, casual dresses, smart sleepwear with witty quotes and cartoon printed T-shirts </li></ul>The ongoing End of Reason Sale, EORS, on Myntra which will end on 24 December, offers the perfect opportunity for parents to shop for winter wear for their children. On offer are over 150 brands and 11000 winter styles, with some of the top brands offering ‘Specially curated for Myntra’ ranges, bringing a very differentiated and fashionable line-up that is priced sharply. <br /><br />Strengthening the kids category even further, Myntra has launched ‘Toys’ on the platform recently, expanding its offerings in the segment. Coming as it does, ahead of Christmas, the section is live with 850 styles currently and on track to launching 1500 more in the next 3-4 months. Some of the leading brands in the segment include ToysRus, Disney, Barbie and Mattel among other leading toys brands in the country. <br /><br />Speaking on the segment, Ayyappan Rajagopal, Head of Business, Myntra, said, “The kids’ category is one of the major areas of focus for Myntra, especially after a very successful run in the recent months, peaking during the festive period. We have always been stronger in this segment in the metros and up north, and with the launch of a number of south and regional selection and brands our penetration into T2 and T3 cities has also increased significantly. Right now, we are witnessing over 100% growth in kids’ winter wear, with teens and pre-teens in the age group of 8 to 16 years, growing the highest. Overall, we are expecting strong traction in winter wear, T-shirts, dresses, infant apparel and ethnic wear, as a category in the days ahead.” <br /><br />Myntra strengthened its portfolio in the infant space with big launches like Chicco &amp; Mothercare. Along with that, many new launches like Max, Levi's kids, converse, Jordan helped the platform grow its footprint in the branded space. <br />

Exclusive: As Myntra’s kidswear segment grows by 90% in 2020, the platform forays into toys and adds 200 kids brands

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5def8411fd9db243c073c975-2400/2019-12-09t144250z1lynxmpefb813frtroptp4britain-election-debate.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: Conservative leader Boris Johnson speaks during a televised debate with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn ahead of general election in London, Britain, November 19, 2019. Jonathan Hordle/ITV/Handout via REUTERS " /><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p>Here is what you need to know.</p><p>1. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boris-johnson-campaign-day-may-cost-him-the-election-2019-12?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Boris Johnson had a disastrous day on the campaign trail which supporters fear could cost him the election</strong>. </a>A clip of Boris Johnson refusing to look at a photo of a sick 4-year-old boy went viral on Monday triggering a day of mistakes by the Tory campaign. Britain votes on Thursday. </p><p>2. <strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/morgan-stanley-cutting-1500-jobs-or-2-of-workforce-before-bonus-season-2019-12?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Morgan Stanley is cutting 1,500 jobs mostly in technology and operations. </a></strong>Bloomberg reported that most of the cuts are in tech and operations. "Other firms will likely announce cuts as planning for 2020 continues," CNBC wrote.</p><p>3. <strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/barclays-managing-director-list-56-new-mds-corporate-investment-bank-2019-12?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Barclays just announced 56 new managing directors in its corporate and investment bank. </a></strong>The bank named new MDs across banking, corporate banking, markets, and research.</p><p>4. <strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/citigroup-announces-137-new-managing-directors-in-trading-dealmaking-2019-12?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Citigroup just announced 137 new managing directors in its trading and dealmaking unit.</a></strong> Managing director is a coveted distinction at Citigroup and the highest title at the firm. The 137 promotions are an increase from 125 last year.</p><p>5. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/softbank-gives-up-investment-dog-walking-startup-wag-2019-12" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>SoftBank is selling back its stake in embattled dog-walking startup Wag, amid the company's 'painful' layoffs.</strong></a>SoftBank's Masayoshi Son seemed to express concern about Vision Fund's near-50% stake in the dog-walking startup in his latest investor presentation.</p><p>6. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/drowning-in-uncertainty-trade-questions-slow-investment-squeeze-profits-across-us-2019-12"><strong>Trade questions slow investment, squeeze profits across US</strong>. </a>From a denim plant in rural Georgia to a St. Paul, Minneapolis loudspeaker maker, nagging uncertainty over when President Donald Trump's trade wars might end, if ever, is confounding many US manufacturers.</p><p>7. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blackrock-investment-institute-modestly-positive-on-risk-assets-for-2020-2019-12"><strong>BlackRock Investment Institute 'modestly positive' on risk assets for 2020</strong>.</a> BlackRock was turning neutral on US equities, was modestly underweight European equities and underweight European government bonds, said the firm at a media briefing.</p><p>8. <strong>Stocks are dropping on Tuesday</strong>. US futures underlying the Dow (-0.4%), S&amp;P 500 (-0.3%) and the Nasdaq (-0.4%) are falling. In Europe, the DAX (-1.4%) and the Euro Stoxx 50 (-1.1%) are down considerably. Asian stocks closed mixed, with the Nikkei (-0.1%) and Hang Seng (-0.2%) falling but the Shanghai Composite (+0.1%) rose marginally.</p><p>9. <strong>There are no notable earnings from the US today.</strong> In the UK, Mothercare reports earnings.</p><p>10. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/economic-calendar"><strong>There is a stack of data on the docket today.</strong></a> Nonfarm productivity is the standout figure.</p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nintendo-winning-video-games-fastest-selling-console-2019-3">Nintendo Switch is the fastest-selling console of the current generation - here's why Nintendo is dominating video games</a></h3>                    <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/fx50Pyeh-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;"></iframe>            

10 things you need to know before opening bell

<p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5ab214101ac71f19008b46f5-949/gettyimages-801976498.jpg" alt="Customers are served in a branch of the Carpet Right store on June 27, 2017 in south London, England. The national carpeting chain has announced that it will close more stores in the wake of a fall in profits. (Photo by )" data-mce-source="Leon Neal/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Customers are served in a branch of the Carpet Right store on June 27, 2017 in south London, England." data-link="https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/license/801976498" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/license/801976498">Leon Neal/Getty Images</a></span></p><p class="caption">Customers are served in a branch of the Carpet Right store on June 27, 2017 in south London, England.</p></div><p></p></div></div></strong></p><ul><li><strong>Moss Bros issued a profit warning on Wednesday and Mothercare, which has already had a profit warning, said its lenders are relaxing debt covenants.</strong></li><li><strong>Carpetright has had to get an emergency £12.5 million loan, is trying to reduce its rent bill, and needs to raise as much as £60 million for a turnaround.</strong></li><li><strong>All three are struggling with a consumer spending squeeze and the rise of online, both of which are hitting UK High Streets hard.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p><br />LONDON - Updates from bricks-and-mortar retailers Moss Bros, Carpetright, and Mothercare highlighted the plight of Britain's High Street on Wednesday.</p><p>Traditional retailers with shops across the country are struggling to cope with falling consumer spending, caused by inflation, and the rapid rise of online shopping in everything from clothing to bedding.</p><ul><li>Suit hire company <strong>Moss Bros</strong> on Thursday issued a profit warning, telling investors it expects to "deliver profit at a level materially lower than current market expectations."</li><li><strong>Carpetright</strong>, which saw <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42744504">shares plunge 40% in January on a profit warning</a>, has had to tap up a major shareholder for a <a href="https://www.investegate.co.uk/carpetright-plc--cpr-/rns/shareholder-loan-and-strategy-update/201803210700063978I/">£12.5 million loan to keep the lights on</a>. It is also seeking a CVA - an emergency deal with landlords to reduce rents - and, even if successful, will still need to raise up to £60 million to drive a turnaround. The company, which is valued at just £28 million in the current market, is in discussion with its lenders about relaxing debt covenants.</li><li><strong>Mothercare</strong>, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/7bdf7889-3417-380c-ac1e-604acab49205">whose shares fell 25% on a profit warning in January</a>, said on Wednesday that discussions with lenders are "progressing constructively" and they have agreed to delay the testing of debt covenants. Progress, but from a low base.</li></ul><p>The plight of all three businesses highlights the crisis engulfing Britain's High Streets. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/toys-r-us-maplin-administration-jobs-at-risk-ceo-blames-brexit-2018-2">Toys R Us and Maplin have already gone into administration</a> and the restaurant sector, which was thriving a few years ago, is rapidly shrinking. Debenhams has issued a profit warning and New Look is seeking a CVA to slash its rent bill.</p><p>Traditional, bricks-and-mortar retailers are struggling amid a consumer spending slowdown and the relentless rise of online shopping. While High Street stores are issuing profit warnings, <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/r-amazon-is-now-second-most-valuable-us-listed-company-tops-alphabet-2018-3">Amazon on Tuesday overtook Google as the second most valuable company in the US</a> and <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/eve-sleep-ceo-jas-bagniewski-on-2017-results-and-expansion-plans-2018-3">online bed retailer Eve Sleep just last week touted sales growth of 132%.</a></p><p>Things may begin to ease slightly for retailers as inflation pulls back. The ONS announced on Tuesday that <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/uk-inflation-rate-in-february-brexit-2018-3">inflation fell from 3% to 2.7% in February</a>, meaning the spending squeeze that has hit the population since Brexit is beginning to ease.</p><p>But the relief may not come soon enough. The end of March is when quarterly rents are due from retailers and Fiona Cincotta, a senior market analyst at City Index, said earlier this month: <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/maplin-toy-r-us-carpetright-mothercare-and-more-point-to-high-street-crisis-2018-3">"There is a very good probability that more victims will fall."</a></p><p>And while inflation may be temporary, the rise of online is not. Rapidly rising online sales pose an existential threat to business with large numbers of expensive to run stores. Carpetright CEO Wilf Walsh blamed his problems on predecessors creating "an oversized property estate consisting of too many poorly located stores."</p><p>Walsh is now taking what Neil Wilson, a senior analyst at ETX Capital, dubbed "the nuclear option" to try and get his company fighting fit for the new economy.</p><p>But as we've seen from Toys R Us and Maplin, the shift from the old offline economy to the new digital one can sometimes simply be too much for retailers. For many of Britain's physical retailers, this is an all-or-nothing moment that they can't afford to get wrong.</p><p class="tagline"><a href="http://read.bi/retail-2018"><img src="https://media-bii-originals.businessinsider.com/5aaaa2023be59f18008b468f" alt="Exclusive FREE Slide Deck: The Future of Retail 2018 by Business Insider Intelligence" border="0" style="width: 100% !important" /></a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-trading-opportunities-alibaba-hsbc-jose-rasco-2018-3">An investment chief at HSBC sees huge trading opportunities outside the US</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/yO7kcO3l-xjRU7l6Z.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

3 updates from retail businesses show how the old economy is dying - and fast

<strong><br /></strong><ul><li><strong>SoftBank is investing $400 million into babycare startup FirstCry.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>The investment will help FirstCry become a unicorn, which are startups valued at over $1 billion.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>The Japanese investment firm already has a leading stakes in many other Indian unicorn startups.</strong></li></ul>SoftBank is leading yet another Indian startup into the unicorn club. The Japan-based investment firm has put in <a href="https://techcircle.vccircle.com/2019/01/22/exclusive-baby-products-e-tailer-firstcry-raises-150-mn-from-softbank">$400 million</a> into FirstCry, a Pune-based babycare and mothercare retailer.<br /><br /><br />The investment is being put in by SoftBank in tranches, with $150 million hitting FirstCry’s as the first round. The funding will take FirstCry’s valuation to <a href="https://yourstory.com/2019/01/softbank-invests-babycare-firstcry/">$800 million</a>, making it just $200 million short of becoming a unicorn, which in startup lingo is used to refer to companies valued at over $1 billion.<br /><br /><br />FirstCry, founded nine years ago, has a <a href="https://inc42.com/buzz/softbank-eyes-40-stake-in-firstcry-for-400-mn/">presence </a>in over 125 cities with 300 retail outlets.<br /><br />Its previous investors include <keyword id="145350" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IDG-Ventures">IDG Ventures</keyword>, SAIF Partners, Valiant Capital Partners and Indian businessman Ratan Tata. <br /><br /><br />Indian startups have seen some big successes lately, with eight<a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/india-picks-up-pace-in-producing-unicorns-8-new-startups-join-2018-club-118102501079_1.html"> unicorns </a>added to the prestigious club in just 2018, taking the total number of unicorns in the country to 18. <br /><br /><br />In what reflects SoftBank’s massive role in India’s startup scene, most members of this $1 billion-valuation club include Ola, Paytm, Policybazaar, <keyword id="2550719" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO-Rooms">Oyo Rooms</keyword>, among others -- are already backed by the investment bank. Its $100-billion Vision Fund has its eyes set on the Indian startup ecosystem. <br /><br /><br />See Also:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/after-minting-1-billion-from-flipkart-sale-sachin-bansal-is-now-betting-big-on-ola/articleshow/67526383.cms">Watch out Uber. Sachin Bansal gets Ola share after selling Flipkart</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/former-indigo-chief-is-aiming-to-make-the-6-year-old-oyo-the-worlds-largest-hotel-chain/articleshow/67536612.cms">A 6-year-old Indian startup wants to be world’s biggest hotel chain</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/byjus-is-going-global-with-its-latest-acquisition-of-us-based-osmo/articleshow/67569325.cms">Online tutoring startup Byju’s is the latest Indian ‘unicorn’ going global</a><br />

This Indian babycare startup is closing in on the unicorn club

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/51596446.cms" /><br /> World’s largest entertainment company <keyword id="46161" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Disney">Disney</keyword> is looking forward to opening stores in India, for which it is in talks with India's DLF Brands. The company wants to cash in on the growing demand for branded kids clothing and accessories in the country.<br />
<br />
The stores will be operated on a licensing and franchisee basis, four senior industry executives told ET.<br />
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Reports also say that Disney plans to open both large format flagship stores of 10,000 square feet and the average 1,000 sq ft of space, from where it would be easy to largely focus on apparel and toys. The bigger stores will have similar designs as its global designs, which were originally developed by Apple cofounder Steve Jobs when he had become the largest shareholder of the company.<br />
<br />
Timmy Sarna, DLF Brands CEO, told ET that it already had a licensing deal with Walt Disney to sell children's clothing in India but it was done through retail formats that were part of the group such as Mothercare.<br />
<br />
"DLF Brands will initially open around 50 Disney stores in the first phase and is already scouting for locations. Walt Disney Co could also explore owning or turning the licensee agreement into a joint venture with DLF depending on the performance," said one of the executives aware of the matter.<br />
<br />
On the international scale, Disney is the largest retail character licensor with $45 billion in retail sales. In India itself, it sells 3,000 stock keeping units (SKUs) of popular characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck in nearly a million stores as well as via ecommerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/disney/images/2/24/Mickey-Mouse-and-Friends-Wallpaper-disney-6603906-800-600.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100614021429"><em>Image source</em></a><br />


Disney is soon coming to the malls near you

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/54509041.cms" /> <br />
Maintaining over 20 per cent CAGR, wellness firm Himalaya Drug Company is looking at Rs 2,500 crore revenue next fiscal and plans to hire around 1,000 people as it enters new verticals and expands distribution network.<br />
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The homegrown firm had posted Rs 1,800 crore turnover last fiscal and is expecting Rs 2,100 crore sales in 2016-17.<br />
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"We are expecting revenues of up to Rs 2,500 crore in the next fiscal FY18 maintaining a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 20 per cent year-on-year," Himalaya Drug Company CEO Philipe Haydon told PTI.<br />
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At present, Himalaya's biggest vertical is personal care contributing 42 per cent to total sales, followed by pharmaceutical 32 per cent, baby care 15 per cent, animal health 5 per cent and wellness 5 per cent, he added.<br />
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"We have just launched mothercare products with the launch of 4 products followed by at least 8 products in next one and one and half years. We expect this segment to contribute to 5 to 6 per cent to our revenues in next two years," Haydon said.<br />
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The company is aiming to expand presence in all the verticals it is in, he added.<br />
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As part of the expansion process the company is also looking to add to its workforce which is around 9,000 to 10,000 at present.<br />
<br />
"We plan to add at least a 1,000 people during the next fiscal in all the verticals as we increase our verticals and distribution network that we are in," Haydon said.<br />
<br />
The company, which sells herbal products, is also enhancing its research in order to tap into the knowledge of ancient Indian medicinal practice and has developed a large research and development facility.<br />
<br />
"Our strong focus on innovation and rigorous research has helped us develop more than 300 products spanning 7 divisions and we will continue to explore the potential of Ayurveda in improving the quality of life," Himalaya Drug Company Chief Scientific Officer Rangesh Paramesh said.<br />
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Himalaya has spent years studying the therapeutic benefits of herbs to use in its products and every product is created following stringent standards of safety, efficacy and quality control, he added.<br />
<br />
It has a range of over 300 healthcare and personal care products including popular brands like Liv 52, Cystone, and Bonnisan. The company currently operates in over 90 countries.

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