Five major private equity groups are among the first-round bidders for discount retailer Matalan, which is being auctioned with an estimated price tag of about 1.5 billion pounds ($2.50 billion).

General Growth Properties expects 170 of its corporate entities to exit bankruptcy by the end of this year after reaching an agreement with creditors to extend loans, the mall operator told U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York.

South African clothing and food retailer Woolworths expects a 20 percent fall in first-half earnings per share and said economic conditions were expected to be tough for the remainder of the 2010 financial year.

Off-price retailer Ross Stores Inc posted an in-line quarterly profit, helped by better margins, but the company maintained its fourth-quarter earnings forecast which was below market expectations, sending its shares down 4 percent.

U.S. teen clothing retailer Hot Topic Inc and Gymboree Corp, which caters to children, both forecast holiday quarter earnings below market estimates, sending their shares down in trading after the bell.

Discount retailer Stein Mart Inc posted a surprise third-quarter profit, helped by a 22 percent fall in selling, general and administrative (SG&A) costs.

Promotions and tighter cost controls helped Children's Place Retail Stores Inc beat market estimates by a penny, even as the company brought in more merchandise to prepare for the holiday selling season.

British clothing and food retailer Marks & Spencer named Marc Bolland as its next leader, passing over internal candidates to poach the marketing expert who led a turnaround at Wm Morrison Supermarkets.

Oakley, the second-largest brand behind Ray Ban at Italy's Luxottica, said it expected its business to improve in 2010 compared with this year and was planning a major commercial push in Europe.

Fast Retailing Co, operator of Uniqlo casual-clothing chain, said it would run a lottery offering $11 million in cash prizes to customers in a sales campaign starting on Nov. 21.

Swiss September retail sales fell 1.6 percent compared to a year earlier when adjusted for inflation and shopping days, potentially heralding a long-anticipated weakening in Swiss consumption.

Upscale department store operator Saks Inc reported a quarterly profit, beating Wall Street expectations for a loss, and its shares rose 5.5 percent.

Target Corp reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit, but remained cautious about the fourth quarter given a budding holiday season price war.

Off-price retailer TJX Cos Inc reported a higher-than-expected profit in the third quarter as cash-strapped consumers continued to flock to its stores for lower-cost apparel and home goods.

Department store group Debenhams announced a four-day sale starting on November 18 in a move which it predicts could spark a price war reminiscent of the frenzied discounting in the run-up to last Christmas.