Tag Archives: business

Reuters reports: Apple said it would re-close more than two dozen stores in seven states starting Thursday, including its home state of California, bringing total closures to 77 as coronavirus cases continue to rise. The stores will close in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada and Oklahoma, it said on Wednesday, when additional stores had already closed in Florida, Mississippi, Texas …

Courthouse News reports: The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 Tuesday that companies with “.com” in their names are eligible for federal trademark protection, even if their monikers are otherwise generic. “The appellate court also rejected the PTO’s contention that, as a rule, combining a generic term like ‘booking’ with ‘.com’ yields a generic composite,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote for the …

Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports: Orders are pouring in from retailers, offices, hospitals, and public transport companies, which are eager to get their hands on protective shields to separate employees from a coughing and sneezing public spreading the coronavirus. Like face masks and disinfectant, Plexiglas became omnipresent almost overnight, a translucent guard between cashiers, bus drivers, and receptionists on one side and …

USA Today reports: Segway, which boldly claimed its two-wheeled personal transporter would revolutionize the way people get around, is ending production of its namesake vehicle. The Segway PT, popular with tourists and police officers but perhaps better known for its high-profile crashes, will be retired on July 15, the company said in a statement. The transportation revolution that inventor Dean …

CNBC reports: A total of 11 Apple stores will close in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Arizona starting on Saturday. Customers who have products in those stores for repair will have the weekend to get their devices back, Apple said. All of the stores had been re-opened since Apple initially closed them in March. “Due to current Covid-19 conditions …

NBC News reports: The Aunt Jemima brand of syrup and pancake mix will get a new name and image, Quaker Oats announced Wednesday, saying the company recognizes that “Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype.” The 130-year-old brand features a Black woman named Aunt Jemima, who was originally dressed as a minstrel character. The picture has changed over …

USA Today reports: Weeks after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on May 22, car rental company Hertz is selling vehicles in its fleet at discount prices. As of Saturday morning, Hertz had thousands of used cars available on its website HertzCarSales.com. The volume of cars for sale in an area depends on the location used in the search and …

CNN reports: As many as 25,000 retail stores in the United States are expected to permanently close this year as consumer demand for discretionary items stalls and more people shift to online shopping, according to a firm that tracks the industry. So far in 2020, more than 4,000 stores have said they will permanently close, according to a report released …

ABC News reports: Victoria’s Secret is closing 250 stores in shopping centers, malls and other locations in the U.S. and Canada. This news comes as the lingerie giant continues to see a plummet in sales during the coronavirus pandemic. With these closures, the brand’s parent company, L Brands, will eliminate 22% of the company’s 1,091 stores in addition to 1.26 …

CNBC reports: Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday that it is discontinuing its talc-based baby powder in the United States and Canada as demand fell in light of mounting lawsuits that said it caused cancer. J&J attributed the decline “in large part to changes in consumer habits and fueled by misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage …

The New York Post reports: Pier 1 Imports is calling it quits. The bankrupt home-goods retailer has asked a court for permission to liquidate its remaining 540 stores once they reopen, ending a 58-year legacy of selling colorful glassware, wicker furniture and other home decor. “This is not the outcome we expected or hoped to achieve,” Robert Riesbeck, Pier 1’s …

The Washington Post reports: Apple’s retail stores are known for crowded areas of display devices ready for experimenting and the ability to make a purchase without needing to line up at a cash register. But as the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant reopens about 100 of its retail stores globally, the customer experience is bound to feel different. Apple will be …

CNBC reports: J.C. Penney, weighed down by debt and battered by the coronavirus, has filed for bankruptcy. Sales at J.C Penney have fallen annually since 2016. Its roughly 860-store footprint is less than a quarter of its store base in 2001. The company’s nearly $11 billion in sales for the last fiscal year are almost a third of its sales …

The San Diego Tribune reports: Souplantation, the popular buffet-style dining brand founded in San Diego 42 years ago, is closing all of its restaurants permanently, a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic that is likely to be the death knell for all self-serve eateries. The permanent shuttering of the 97 restaurants, including 44 in California, was announced Thursday following weeks of …

The Hill reports: Plant-based meat companies Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have seen surges in sales due to a shortage of beef and pork during the coronavirus pandemic. Beyond Meat reported its first quarter net revenues increased 141 percent from the previous year to over $97 million, compared to over $40 million in first quarter in 2019. Impossible Foods, which …

The New York Post reports: In an effort to protect customers from the coronavirus, some clothing retailers have decided to sequester clothes that have been tried on in a fitting room. Saks Fifth Avenue aims to take its clothing out of commission for 48 hours after being tried on, according to a spokeswoman. Macy’s is planning to quarantine its apparel …

USA Today reports: Gold’s Gym filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on the company’s business. With fitness centers in most of the nation shuttered due to COVID-19, Gold’s Gym said it was forced to seek relief from its creditors. The mostly franchised Gold’s Gym, which recently permanently closed 30 company-owned locations, said the …

Reuters reports: Macy’s Inc plans to reopen 68 U.S. stores on Monday in states that have loosened coronavirus lockdowns, the department store operator said on Thursday, as more retailers sought to get business going after a crushing month of closures. Cincinnati, Ohio-based Macy’s, the largest U.S. department store operator by sales, said it expects to have all of its roughly …

CBNC reports: Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson on Wednesday detailed how the coffee chain plans to operate U.S. cafes. as it moves to reopen “a significant number” of stores next week. Roughly half of Starbucks’ U.S. company-operated locations are closed. Those that have remained open during the pandemic have had drive-thru only service, Johnson said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.” …

Reuters reports: Amazon.com Inc has bought cameras to take temperatures of workers during the coronavirus pandemic from a firm the United States blacklisted over allegations it helped China detain and monitor the Uighurs and other Muslim minorities, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. China’s Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co Ltd shipped 1,500 cameras to Amazon this month in a …