Business category, Page 280
Amazon workers are listening to what you tell Alexa
Tens of millions of people use smart speakers and their voice software to play games, find music or trawl for trivia. Millions more are reluctant to invite the devices and their powerful microphones into their homes out of concern that someone might be listening. Sometimes, someone is. Amazon.com employs thousands...
Who’s winning, losing from coffee’s drop to a 13-year low
Coffee has been among the worst-performing commodities in the past few years as the world became awash with beans, and there are few signs of a meaningful rebound any time soon. With arabica languishing near a 13-year low and robusta futures also performing poorly, there are concerns that the industry’s...
Apple takes step toward curbing climate-warming emissions from its supply chain
Apple announced Thursday that 21 manufacturers in its supply chain have recently vowed to obtain all their electricity from renewable sources, bringing to more than 5 gigawatts the total amount of renewable energy that will be used by the company and its suppliers by 2020. That would bring the use...
Boeing makes 96 flights to test software on troubled Max jet
DALLAS — Boeing has made 96 flights to test a software update for its troubled 737 Max jet, according to the company’s CEO. Dennis Muilenburg said Thursday that more test flights are planned in the coming weeks as Boeing attempts to convince regulators that the plane is safe. The Max...
Jeff Bezos challenges retail rivals to match Amazon’s $15 minimum wage
Just five months after Amazon moved to a $15 minimum wage, chief executive Jeff Bezos has called on other retailers to match it. “Today I challenge our top retail competitors (you know who you are!) to match our employee benefits and our $15 minimum wage,” Bezos said in a letter...
National Enquirer parent explores possible sale of tabloid
NEW YORK — The supermarket tabloid under fire for paying hush money to a former Playboy model to help Donald Trump in his 2016 presidential campaign is on the auction block. The parent of the National Enquirer said Wednesday that it is exploring a possible sale as part of a...
U.S. budget deficit running 15% higher than a year ago
WASHINGTON — The federal government reported a $146.9 billion deficit in March, causing annual debt to rise 15% for the first half of the budget year compared to the same period in 2018. The Treasury Department said Wednesday in its monthly report that the fiscal year deficit has so far...
Hormel lawsuit reveals what ‘natural’ meat really means
Consumers want “natural” meat — and the biggest meat companies want to sell it to them. American shoppers are reaching for healthier, more environmentally and animal-friendly meat products, with 39 percent saying “all-natural” is the most important claim when purchasing red meat, according to a recent survey by Mintel. But...
Ghost of Toys R Us still haunts toy makers
NEW YORK — This year, children will have a hard time finding Uncle Milton’s glow-in-the-dark ant farm, or the gel and ant village version. Basic Fun, the parent company behind the brand, has stopped producing them and now makes just three versions — basic, giant and retro. Who’s to blame?...
Delta tops long-running ranking of U.S. airlines
Delta Air Lines comes in first in a long-running study that ranks U.S. airlines by how often flights arrive on time and other statistical measures. Researchers who crunch the numbers also say that as a whole, U.S. airlines are getting better at handling baggage and overcrowded flights and are getting...
John Dorfman: Baseball has 30-30 club; here’s 1 for companies
To join the 30-30 club in baseball, you have to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a season. Only 40 players have ever done it — stars such as Mookie Betts and Mike Trout. I have a 30-30 club for companies. It’s not as exclusive as baseball’s...
Environmental groups to sue Shell over climate change
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Climate activists are planning to deliver a court summons to Shell in a court case aimed at forcing the energy giant to do more to rein in carbon emissions. The summons is being delivered to Shell’s headquarters in The Hague on Friday afternoon. The move comes...
EU investigates video game companies over antitrust concerns
BRUSSELS — The European Union’s competition watchdog is stepping up its investigation of a U.S. video game platform and five game makers over concerns they blocked players from buying cheaper versions of games in other countries. The EU’s competition commissioner said Friday it issued a statement of objections to Valve...
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...
