BMW skids into ice cream melee at Shanghai auto show

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Chinese internet users berated German automaker BMW on Thursday, accusing it of discrimination at the Shanghai auto show amid claims workers at its Mini booth favoured foreign over domestic visitors during an ice cream giveaway promotion. Mini apologised for the incident in question, saying in a statement on its official Weibo account…

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Investors warn big consumer firms over price hikes as competitors gain

By Richa Naidu and Jessica DiNapoli LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Consumer goods companies like P&G, Unilever and Nestle should start easing price increases as supply chain costs decline, investors told Reuters, worried that further hikes could hit market share and margin growth. The makers of everything from soap and ice cream to condoms and cleaning…

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GSK-spinoff Haleon forecasts 2023 organic revenue growth at top-end of view

(Reuters) – Consumer healthcare group Haleon expects 2023 organic revenue growth towards the upper end of its 4%-6% forecast, it said on Thursday, on strong demand and the restocking of its respiratory health products due to a bad cold and flu season. The company, the world’s biggest standalone consumer health business that sells non-prescription drugs,…

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Analysis-Seaplanes and tech gods: Spain’s drive to dish out $84 billion of EU cash

By Belén Carreño and Charlie Devereux MADRID (Reuters) – A request for seaplanes needed to fight forest fires is red-flagged because it could harm the environment. Companies seeking aid after being hammered by COVID are asked to show proof of a healthy balance sheet in recent years. They are among the discordant calls made by…

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Ad group Publicis sales jump as data-driven businesses strengthen

By Diana Mandia (Reuters) – French ad group Publicis’ revenues beat forecasts in the first quarter, driven by its digital and data-driven businesses amid rapid market changes and with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The company has relied on the evolution of its clients’ ad spend towards first-party data management, commerce and business…

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Analysis-Crisis radar falls on fault lines in Europe’s commercial property

By Chiara Elisei and Dhara Ranasinghe LONDON (Reuters) – European banks appear better positioned than U.S. peers to weather any stress from commercial property after an interest rate surge, but that does not mean Europe is out of the danger zone. Aggressive rate hikes, still working their way through the system, follows a pandemic that…

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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy to address Mexican lawmakers on Thursday

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will address Mexican lawmakers on Thursday by video, the lower house of Congress said, as he seeks support in his country’s war with Russia. The Mexican government has said it wants to remain neutral in the conflict, and some supporters of Ukraine have criticized leftist President Andres Manuel…

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