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☆ When Science Class Is in a Former Macy’s
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Paul Sullivan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The mall, which is about 60 percent vacant, has a hodgepodge of other tenants. Call center workers are parking or being dropped off for their shifts. But on the other side of the parking lot, scores of young children dash out of cars and through a mall entrance. They’re not playing hooky; they’re going to school in a former J.C. Penney store. And if all goes according to plan, they will keep going there for years as the school adds more grades and takes over more of the mall each year.

Persons: It’s, They’re, Penney Organizations: Belk Locations: Sumter, S.C

☆ Sycamore to take apparel retailer Chico's FAS private for nearly $1 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 28 (Reuters) - Chico's FAS (CHS.N) will be taken private by Sycamore Partners for $938.1 million in an all-cash deal, the apparel retailer said on Thursday, sending its shares surging 63% in premarket trading. Sycamore is known to bet on retail and consumer investments and has stake in department store operator Belk, discount retailer Dollar Express and mall and web-based specialty retailer Hot Topic. The private equity firm has been trying to acquire Florida-based Chico's since 2015 after it failed to secure acceptable financing terms for its bid. In 2019, Sycamore had offered $407.8 million, which was eventually lowered to $350 million after Chico's financial performance worsened, but the deal was rejected by its shareholders. ..three brands Chico's, White House Black Market and Soma," Chico's CEO Molly Langenstein said.

Persons: Sycamore, Molly Langenstein, Savyata Mishra, Sriraj Kalluvila, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Chico's FAS, Sycamore Partners, Chico's, Belk, Dollar Express, Barington Capital Group, Black, Thomson Locations: Sycamore, Florida, U.S, Bengaluru

(AP) — Hurricane Lee looks poised to wallop New England later this week even as the region still deals with the impact of days of wild weather that produced torrential rain, flooding, sinkholes and a likely tornado. Areas from Watch Hill, Rhode Island, to Stonington, Maine — including Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket — are under a tropical storm watch. The National Weather Service in Boston said radar data and videos showed it was likely that a tornado damaged trees and power lines in Rhode Island and Connecticut on Wednesday. Heavy rain turned his swimming pool into a mud pit and filled his basement with 3 feet (91 centimeters) of water. In Providence, Rhode Island, downpours flooded a parking lot and parts of a shopping mall.

Persons: Hurricane Lee, Dan McKee, “, ” McKee, Sean Pope, ”, Maura Healey, Matthew Belk, Healey, Hurricane Lee didn’t, Dean Mazzarella, Mazarella Organizations: U.S ., National Hurricane Center, Cape, National Weather Service, Rhode, Gov, Massachusetts Gov, Firefighters Locations: LEOMINSTER, Mass, Hurricane, wallop New England, Stonington , Maine, U.S, Watch Hill, Rhode Island, Nantucket, Massachusetts, Rhode, Boston, Rhode Island and Connecticut, Lincoln , Rhode Island, Attleborough , Massachusetts, Leominster , Massachusetts, Providence , Rhode Island, Leominster, Danbury , Connecticut, Nova Scotia, Canada, England, Vermont

In recent weeks, U.S. consumers have seen high-profile food recalls for an unappetizing reason: They're contaminated with foreign objects that have no place on a dinner plate. “Extraneous materials” triggered nine recalls in 2022 of more than 477,000 pounds of food regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service — triple the number of recalls tied to food contaminated with toxic E. coli bacteria. Trader Joe’s wouldn’t elaborate on how material got into the foods that led to its recent recalls. In recent years, firms have become increasingly cautious and are recalling products more frequently than before, said Nathan Mirdamadi, a consultant with Commercial Food Sanitation, which advises the industry about food safety. Consumers who find foreign materials in food should notify manufacturers, experts said, but also realize that recalls are likely to stick around.

Persons: Tyson, Keith Belk, “ they’re, ” Belk, Nathan Mirdamadi, “ It’s, Mirdamadi, there’s, Dee, Ann Durbin Organizations: U.S . Food, U.S . Department of Agriculture’s, USDA, FDA, Regulators, ConAgra Brands Inc, Center for Meat Safety, Colorado State University ., Centers for Disease Control, Food Sanitation, Consumers, AP, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group Locations: U.S

But the new era at Twitter could also be an opportunity for the company to redefine its brand for the better. But it remains unclear what Twitter under Mr. Musk will actually be, Mr. Calkins said. Twitter before Mr. Musk weathered a number of controversies that rattled some advertisers and users. But this is a potential inflection point for Twitter, Mr. Miller said. “I think the brand is irrevocably damaged, actually, unless and until Musk finds somebody else to run Twitter,” Mr. Kwittken said.

☆ Worker was dead in Belk store bathroom for 4 days before being found, police say
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A 63-year-old worker died in the public bathroom of a South Carolina department store, but her body was not discovered for four days, authorities said. Bessie Durham, who worked for an outside company that cleans the Belk store at Columbiana Centre, was found dead Monday, investigators said. The Lexington County Coroner’s Office said there are no signs someone killed Durham or that she was using drugs. The store was open regularly over those four days and Kelly said police are investigating to see if anyone was negligent. “We’re still working with the store to find out what their process is to closing down the store, inspecting the store and things of that nature,” Kelly said.

☆ Ralph Lauren sells luxury at too steep a discount
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A man walks past Ralph Lauren Corp.'s flagship Polo store on Fifth Avenue in New York City, U.S., April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidNEW YORK, Sept 19 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Ralph Lauren (RL.N) laid out a promising financial outlook for investors on Monday. Since 2018, Ralph Lauren has closed more than two-thirds of its wholesale business by halting sales to department stores such as Belk, slashed promotions and lifted its average unit price 60%. The House of Polo trades at 10 times expected 2025 net profit, per estimates on Refinitiv, compared to Burberry’s (BRBY.L) 15 times and Prada’s 20 times. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

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