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Fashion Industry Driving Demand for Green Shipping, Maersk Says

Containers are seen on the Maersk's Triple-E giant container ship Majestic Maersk, one of the world's largest container ships, next to cranes at the APM Terminals in the port of Algeciras, Spain January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo
Containers are seen on the Maersk's Triple-E giant container ship Majestic Maersk, one of the world's largest container ships, next to cranes at the APM Terminals in the port of Algeciras, Spain January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo
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Fashion Industry Driving Demand for Green Shipping, Maersk Says

Containers are seen on the Maersk's Triple-E giant container ship Majestic Maersk, one of the world's largest container ships, next to cranes at the APM Terminals in the port of Algeciras, Spain January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo
Containers are seen on the Maersk's Triple-E giant container ship Majestic Maersk, one of the world's largest container ships, next to cranes at the APM Terminals in the port of Algeciras, Spain January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo

Fashion brands are a key driver of demand for green shipping fuels, according to shipping group Maersk (MAERSKb.CO), as the sector faces pressure from consumers and regulators to reduce their climate footprint.

Retailers ship huge volumes of clothes from production centres in countries such as China, Vietnam and Bangladesh to consumers around the world, causing carbon dioxide emissions, according to Reuters.

Overall, the textile industry is estimated to be responsible for between 2% and 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to a United Nations Environment Programme report published last month.

The shipping industry, which itself aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, has begun offering low-emission fuels such as biofuels made from cooking oil and food waste or methanol produced from renewable energy as an alternative to fuel oil.

The fashion industry accounted for 26% of the more than 240,000 containers that Maersk shipped last year using biofuels under its ECO Delivery contracts, making it the biggest sector using the low-emission fuel service, the company said.

"Many of the fashion brands have actually been the ones going for this," Josue Alzamora, global head of lifestyle vertical at Maersk, told Reuters at this week's Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen.

"Of course, fashion companies also feel the pressure from consumers," Alzamora said.

Nearly one out of 10 containers Maersk, the number two global ocean container shipping firm, handled for owners of fashion brands last year was shipped using biofuels, he said.

The ECO Delivery contracts are sold at a premium to regular shipping.

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Fashion

Storied Paris Department Store Seeks Bankruptcy Protection

(FILES) This photograph shows the BHV store (Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville) in Paris on October 5, 2025. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)
(FILES) This photograph shows the BHV store (Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville) in Paris on October 5, 2025. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)
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Storied Paris Department Store Seeks Bankruptcy Protection

(FILES) This photograph shows the BHV store (Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville) in Paris on October 5, 2025. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)
(FILES) This photograph shows the BHV store (Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville) in Paris on October 5, 2025. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)

Paris department store BHV Marais, which courted controversy last year with a partnership with Asian fast-fashion giant Shein, said Tuesday it had sought bankruptcy protection to protect its operations and jobs.

The bankruptcy procedure "is part of BHV's relaunch, not its failure," the company said, adding that the landmark store opposite Paris City Hall that employs 700 people will remain open.

The store's previous owner already had problems with brand-name boutiques it hosted over payment delays before it sparked controversy last year by announcing that BHV Marais would host Shein's first physical permanent store.

The announcement struck a raw nerve in a French public concerned about the disappearance of local jobs amid a flood of Asian imports, and triggered the departure of a number of brands.

The owner finally sold the business to a number of its managers in June, who promptly parted ways with Shein.

The new owners said that as part of that deal the ownership of part of the building was transferred, but they had yet to receive the funds, which adversely impacted their plans to revamp the business.

The owner of the building, the Canadian asset manager Brookfield, rejected that assertion, saying it does not have any outstanding sums due to BHV Marais.

French labor inspectors believe that BHV Marais has not been making payments, which its management has denied.

Fashion

L’Oreal Shares Bounce on Third-Quarter Sales

A L'Oreal sign is displayed at the beauty products section of a department store inside a shopping mall in Beijing, China June 10, 2025. (Reuters)
A L'Oreal sign is displayed at the beauty products section of a department store inside a shopping mall in Beijing, China June 10, 2025. (Reuters)
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L’Oreal Shares Bounce on Third-Quarter Sales

A L'Oreal sign is displayed at the beauty products section of a department store inside a shopping mall in Beijing, China June 10, 2025. (Reuters)
A L'Oreal sign is displayed at the beauty products section of a department store inside a shopping mall in Beijing, China June 10, 2025. (Reuters)

Shares in L'Oreal rose 4% on Friday, hitting their highest in more than two years, after the French cosmetics giant reported third-quarter sales well ahead of expectations on strong demand for premium products in China and elsewhere.

Sales from July ‌to September rose ‌7.7% on an adjusted like-for-like basis ‌to €11.56 ⁠billion ($12.95 billion), topping a ⁠consensus analyst forecast of 5.9% growth in a Visible Alpha poll, L'Oreal said late on Thursday.

The maker of Lancome creams and Prada perfumes beat estimates for growth in all regions apart from Latin America, with North Asia, which is ⁠predominantly China, significantly ahead. All of its ‌divisions apart from ‌its mass market unit exceeded expectations.

"L'Oreal, once again, beat a ‌high bar," Barclays analysts said in a note.

Analysts ‌at Jefferies called the report "an impressively strong update", highlighting a "momentum shift in China and Europe" that lifted the growth rate in its Luxe division.

The group generates ‌a third of its revenue from its luxury division, but in China that ⁠business ⁠accounts for about two thirds of its sales in the market, positioning it well for a pick-up in Chinese demand. L'Oreal says it is growing three times faster than the market in China.

Shares were up 4.4% at €431.2 ($482.60) by 0917 GMT, the highest since June 2024. The shares are up by more than 17% this year.

"We see scope for the shares to test €450 as investors increasingly recognize the durability of its superior growth profile," the Barclays analysts added.

Fashion

Gucci Owner Kering Drops 12% as Luxury Braces for Tough Winter

The logo of French luxury group Kering is pictured on the day of the Kering General Assembly meeting at the company's headquarters in Paris, France, May 28. (Reuters)
The logo of French luxury group Kering is pictured on the day of the Kering General Assembly meeting at the company's headquarters in Paris, France, May 28. (Reuters)
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Gucci Owner Kering Drops 12% as Luxury Braces for Tough Winter

The logo of French luxury group Kering is pictured on the day of the Kering General Assembly meeting at the company's headquarters in Paris, France, May 28. (Reuters)
The logo of French luxury group Kering is pictured on the day of the Kering General Assembly meeting at the company's headquarters in Paris, France, May 28. (Reuters)

Shares in Gucci owner Kering tumbled 12% on Friday after the group reported further sales declines, but said it would stick with CEO Luca de Meo's turnaround plan and accelerate store closures, aiming for 125 by year-end.

The recovery long promised by luxury brands seems nowhere in sight, as the expansion of war ‌in the Middle ‌East, along with China's tax crackdown on ‌the ⁠wealthy, piled further ⁠pressure on the world's biggest luxury conglomerates in the third quarter, and executives buckled in for a tough winter.

Riots in Paris, leaving Louis Vuitton shop windows smashed and electric-bike bonfires near luxury shopping hub Place Vendome, threw into sharp relief the political risk faced by luxury brands not just abroad but also ⁠at home.

Shares in LVMH and Hermes were ‌also down 1% to 1.5% on ‌Friday, as crude prices hit their highest level since early May, worsening ‌the squeeze on households that has curbed consumers' ability to ‌splurge on handbags and clothes.

Gucci's decline has continued despite de Meo's plan to make the brand's prices more enticing to middle-class consumers and creative director Demna's new collections hitting stores.

"The progress made on ‌improving brand desirability remains in its very early stages," JPMorgan analyst Chiara Battistini said in a ⁠note. Gucci ⁠sales improved in wholesale, but were down 6% overall as fewer shoppers visited its stores.

While Kering struggles to execute a turnaround against a weak economic backdrop, even high-end Hermes is showing signs of slowing, with its ready-to-wear division falling 2% in the third quarter due to weak Chinese demand. Overall, Hermes reported its weakest quarterly sales growth since 2020.

Across the sector, valuations have taken a beating as investors reassess future growth prospects. After a 40% slide in share price since January 1, Hermes' valuation is its lowest since 2014, while LVMH's is at a 10-year low.