Business category, Page 277
Streaming to subscriptions: Video games enter new frontiers
NEW YORK — The video game industry is entering new frontiers. In the past, you plunked down $60 at GameStop for a copy of Grand Theft Auto or Madden NFL and played it out — after which you could trade it in or let it gather dust. Now, you’ll increasingly...
Heinz introduces Kranch as latest mashup flavor
Ketchup and ranch equals … ‘Kranch?’ Heinz has done it again. This month the condiment giant rolled out its latest hybrid flavor: Kranch, a mashup of Ketchup and ranch. This brings the Heinz flavor combos to four, including Mayochup (mayonaise and ketchup), Mayocue (mayo and barbecue), Mayomust (mayo and mustard)....
CVS expands same-day prescription deliveries to 36 states
CVS Health is expanding same-day prescription deliveries nationwide in the latest push by drugstores to keep customers who don’t want to wait and are doing more shopping online. The drugstore chain says it can deliver medications and other products within a few hours to homes or offices from 6,000 locations....
Forget kibbles: U.S. sales of fresh pet food are soaring
DETROIT — Kibbles for Fido? Nope. These days he’s getting diced chicken with sweet potatoes and spinach. U.S. pet owners are increasingly feeding fresh food to their dogs and cats. Some order pre-proportioned meals of meat and vegetables or frozen raw meat online. Others find them in refrigerators at big...
Arconic to cut health care benefits to retirees
Arconic, the Alcoa spinoff with roots in the Alle-Kiski Valley, told retirees in recent letters it is making drastic cuts to their health care benefits and eliminating life insurance it had provided. Arconic told retirees about the move in letters dated March 29. Arconic has about 300 employees in a...
Aldi sets sustainability goals with consumers calling for less waste
Aldi is the latest supermarket chain to announce a sustainability push - an effort the company says will help it trim costs and stand out in a crowded field. The low-cost grocer, known for its spartan approach to retailing, plans to make all of its private-label packaging reusable, recyclable or...
High prices, interest rates push 1Q U.S. auto sales down 2%
DETROIT — Automobile sales in the U.S. fell 2% in the first quarter, another sign the nation’s economy is starting to slow. Automakers sold just over 4 million vehicles from January through March, according to Ward’s Automotive Intelligence, and industry analysts blame the decline on rising vehicle prices, competition from...
Elliott Group completes merger with Cryodynamics Division
Jeannette-based Elliott Group announced Tuesday that it has completed its merger with Ebara International Corp.’s Cryodynamics Division — 18 months after integration of the two entities began. The merged entity is now one of four business units within Elliott Group, which will maintain the Cryodynamics brand. “The merger of Ebara...
Family behind OxyContin calls opioid suit false, misleading
BOSTON — Massachusetts authorities created a false picture of the Sackler family’s role in promoting OxyContin, the Sacklers said Tuesday in their first court response to allegations that individual family members — not just their company, Purdue Pharma — helped fuel the deadly opioid epidemic. The Sackler family says a...
Women make up 24% of cybersecurity workforce, new study says
The gender problem in cybersecurity just might be getting a little better. Globally, women make up just 11 percent of the workforce; 14 percent in North America, according a 2017 report by the Center for Cyber Safety and Education. Those numbers have been relatively stable since 2013. But a new...
U.S. stock indexes cap listless trading day with mixed finish
A day of listless trading on Wall Street ended with an uneven finish for stock indexes as the market lost some of its momentum after a three-day winning streak. After a brief early slide, U.S. stocks mostly wavered between small gains and losses through the rest of the day, as...
AP: Most states’ sports betting revenue misses estimates
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — When the Patriots won the Super Bowl again — and covered the spread, too — all of New England was delirious, with the possible exception of Rhode Island’s tax collectors. The state’s sportsbooks lost $2.35 million because, come on, really, who’s going to bet against Tom Brady...
Whole Foods lowering prices in move to shake ‘Whole Paycheck’ nickname
In a move to keep up with Walmart and other large chains, as well its continuing effort to change their image as a high-cost grocer, Whole Foods is lowering prices on hundreds of items on Wednesday. The company announced that they are cutting prices on fresh produce and expanding weekly...
Add Biogen, Walgreens to the Casualty List
Biogen Inc. and Walgreens Boots Alliance head my Casualty List this quarter. The list is for stocks that have been slammed in the latest quarter, and that I think have potential to regain their losses and then some. Over the years, the Casualty List has averaged a 17.3 percent gain...
U.S. safety agency opens probes into Hyundai, Kia fires
DETROIT — The U.S. government’s highway safety agency has decided to open two new investigations into fires involving Hyundai and Kia vehicles after getting complaints of more than 3,100 fires and 103 injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it granted a petition seeking the investigations from the nonprofit...
U.S. retail sales declined 0.2% in February
WASHINGTON — U.S. retail sales fell in February, as consumers pulled back their spending on building materials, groceries, furniture, electronics and clothing amid signs of a slowing economy. The Commerce Department said Monday that retail sales fell 0.2% in February, after posting an upwardly revised gain 0.7% in January. Over...
Thinking ahead: How to prepare next year’s tax filing now
If you weren’t happy with your tax bill this year, or you’re worried about next year’s, this is the time to take action. CHECK YOUR WITHHOLDINGS If you do only one thing, review the withholdings on your paycheck. The tax overhaul changed how much employers withhold from paychecks. If you...
Lyft’s shares soar as investors bet on ride-hailing future
Lyft’s shares soared as the company went public Friday, giving investors their first chance to bet on the future of the ride-hailing industry. The stock opened at $87.24, up 21 percent from its offering price of $72. Lyft won the race with its much larger rival Uber to go public,...
U.S. new-home sales increased 4.9 percent in February
WASHINGTON — Sales of new U.S. homes climbed 4.9 percent in February, an indication that falling mortgage rates have given a boost to demand from buyers. The Commerce Department said Friday that new homes sold at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 667,000 in February, an increase from an upwardly...
U.S. consumer spending edges up weak 0.1 percent in January
WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer spending edged up a tiny 0.1 percent in January, while incomes advanced a modest 0.2 percent in February, further evidence that economic activity may have decelerated after strong growth for most of last year. The Commerce Department said Friday that the weak gain in consumer spending...
Trump’s small-business health insurance plan struck down
WASHINGTON — A federal judge is striking down the Trump administration’s highly touted small-business health insurance plan, calling it an “end run” around consumer protections. The ruling Thursday by U.S. District Judge John Bates in Washington, D.C., is the second setback in a week for the administration’s health care initiatives....
4 issues home buyers will face this spring
As the spring home buying market kicks into high gear, house hunters may be mostly focused on lining up their financing and finding a place to purchase. While affordability and availability are two important aspects of the process, Dana Bull, a real estate agent with Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty...
Fatburger restaurants will now be called Skinnyburger
So many people were ordering Skinnyburgers at Fatburger that a name change was needed. FAT Brands Inc. announced Wednesday that it is renaming its Fatburger restaurants after its best-selling menu item. The 70-year-old burger chain had already put a healthy spin on their moniker by saying FAT stood for “Fresh,...
Facebook extends ban on hate speech to ‘white nationalists’
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook is extending its ban on hate speech to prohibit the promotion and support of white nationalism and white separatism. The company previously allowed such material even though it has long banned white supremacists. The social network said Wednesday that it didn’t apply the ban previously to...
Apple vs. Netflix: Why turf wars are flaring in big tech
Apple’s latest move into streaming video illustrates an escalating trend: Tech’s biggest companies, faced with limits to their growth, are encroaching on each other’s turf. Apple is taking on Netflix. Facebook is edging into Amazon’s sphere with its e-commerce plans. Google, which has already challenged Amazon and Microsoft in cloud...
