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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: chain stores

chain stores stories: 13 news summaries
OPINION

 Why We Love 
 to Hate Anthropologie 

Man Shops Globe was widely panned—but Keith Johnson is just a 'whipping boy'

Oct 8, 09 11:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - Man Shops Globe, the show following Anthropologie buyer Keith Johnson, premiered last night to much scoffing from critics—or, as Erika Kawalek calls it on DoubleX, “Anthropologie Rage.” Heather Havrilesky mocks Johnson’s job of “traveling the globe to buy enormous overpriced pieces of weird, ancient... More »

MORE ABOUT:
entertainment • corporations • chain stores • antique • Jay-ZTV • Anthropologie

 Prof: Starbucks 
 Kills Community 

Conversation dies among coffee cups, wi-fi and headphones, says reasearcher

Sep 29, 09 1:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - Starbucks sells itself as a "third place" between work and home, but its customers fail to interact the way people used to in public spaces, according to history professor Tom Simon. "Rarely do these different people doing different things actually talk and exchange ideas. But talk and ideas... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Starbucks • coffee • chain stores • coffee shop

Starbucks' New Flavor: Local Shop Names

Giant rebrands one Seattle store '15th Avenue Coffee and Tea'

Jul 16, 09 2:03 PM CDT
(Newser) - With traffic waning, Starbucks has a new strategy: It’s dropping “Starbucks” from store names and rebranding them to reflect their neighborhoods, the Seattle Times reports. 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, for example, won’t feature the Starbucks logo—even bags of coffee will be labeled “15th Avenue.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Starbucks • coffee • Seattle • chain stores • coffee houses • coffee shop

 Tough Times 
 Push Chains to 
 Try New Fare 

McDonald's classy coffee, grilled KFC widen menus

May 27, 09 10:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Desperate times are driving chain restaurants to desperate measures—straying from their bread-and-butter dishes and diversifying the menu. KFC now sells grilled chicken, Domino’s offers subs, and McDonald’s dips into the world of espresso coffee, USA Today reports. “This is a defining moment for the industry,"... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Pizza Hut • Domino's Pizza • fast food industry • KFC • chain stores • menu • food industry • Arby's • Boston Market • restaurant industry • National Restaurant Association

Economic Squeeze Means Merry Christmas for Wal-Mart

Retailer expects blockbuster season as cash-strapped shoppers seek bargains

Nov 6, 08 3:33 AM CST
(Newser) - Wal-Mart is readying for bumper sales while most US retailers brace themselves for a miserable holiday season, the New York Times reports. Squeezed consumers are flocking to the discount chain as the economic downturn begins to bite. The firm is expected to report a modest increase in sales for October,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
retail • retail sales • Christmas • chain stores • holiday shopping • Wal-Mart

OPINION

Starbucks Helped Brew Meltdown—Just Check a Map

Coffee empire's rise tracked (and fueled) housing's, and store locator mirrors trouble spots

Oct 21, 08 3:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - A simple tool could hold the key to predicting where the financial crisis will strike next, Daniel Gross writes on Slate: Starbucks’ Internet store locator. “Having a significant Starbucks presence is a pretty significant indicator of the degree of connectedness to the form of highly caffeinated, free-spending capitalism that... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Starbucks • globalization • global economy • credit crisis • chain stores • financial crisis • financial meltdown • Daniel Gross

 Supermarkets Downsize
to Speed Up Shopping

'Express' outlets cut back on miles of aisles for rushed shoppers

Sep 10, 08 4:19 AM CDT
(Newser) - American supermarkets are starting to shrink after decades of getting bigger and bigger, the New York Times reports. The average supermarket is still larger than a football field, but retailers have begun opening smaller outlets to appeal to rushed consumers who want to pick up groceries without having to wander... More »

MORE ABOUT:
shopping • Whole Foods • supermarket • chain stores • groceries • grocery stores • Tesco • Wal-Mart

99 Cents Only Hikes Prices, But Only by 0.99 Cent

Discount chain follows 2 bum quarters with extra 99% of a penny

Sep 9, 08 2:52 PM CDT
(Newser) - The store where nothing costs more than 99¢ has become the store where nothing costs more than 99.99¢, reports the LA Times. The top price at 99 Cents Only will go up by 99/100 of a penny this month, say executives at the discount chain, who blame inflationary pressures.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
inflation • retail • retail sales • chain stores • price increases • discounts • retailers • 99 Cents Only

Wal-Mart Blog Lets Buyers Post Real Reviews

Some suppliers vexed, but site 'puts real personality out there'

Mar 3, 08 7:24 PM CST
(Newser) - Wal-Mart is letting its buyers blast or hail store products on a new blog, and do so freely—a shift for the once-strict corporate culture. Posts have so far panned Microsoft's Vista and a "Star Wars" movie, all while revealing favorite books, Bible quotes, and pets. "It puts... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Internet • corporate culture • blog • chain stores • Wal-Mart

OPINION

Fast Food:
The Healthy Alternative*

*That is, to nostalgic, even-more-caloric American diners

Dec 13, 07 7:37 PM CST
(Newser) - Don't blame McDonald's for America's obesity problem—in fact, thank it for providing a relatively healthy alternative to the even-fattier fare of "dives and diners," which offer delicacies like the "10-Storey Challenge Burger" and 72-ounce steaks, writes Greg Beato in Reason Magazine. Despite the graver health... More »

MORE ABOUT:
cholesterol • fast food • diner • healthy eating • burger • chain stores

Black Friday Getting Longer

Stores open earlier to boost profits, attract headlines

Nov 22, 07 8:08 PM CST
(Newser) - Stores will open earlier than ever on Black Friday, with midnight openings becoming more common, the AP reports. Wal-Mart, in fact, began its sales today. "You sell two sweaters and you've broken even,” said one analyst. But Gap chief Glenn Murphy will be out with the hordes, then... More »

MORE ABOUT:
shopping • JCPenney • business • US economy • chain stores • The Gap • department stores

(Newser) - Fast-food behemoth McDonald's took 20 years to open its 1,000th store, but 2007 has seen five chains join the four-digit club, USA Today reports. Of the success of Panda Express, Panera Bread, Papa Murphy’s, Sbarro, and Wing Street, one consultant says: “It's a landmark. It's a goal... More »

MORE ABOUT:
fast food • restaurant • fast food industry • chain stores

Starbucks Iced by Anti-Chain Measure

San Francisco uses
new law to kill coffee giant's 81st outlet

Sep 12, 07 2:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - San Francisco deployed new anti-chain-store regulations to block Starbucks from opening its 81st outlet in city yesterday. Acting on an appeal by local merchants,  supervisors found that the planning commission hadn't followed guidelines, voted in last fall, that make it tougher for chain stores to expand in the city,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
California • San Francisco • Starbucks • chain stores • Proposition G

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