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☆ How to Increase the Value of Your Home With 5 Popular Home Improvements
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Daniel Bortz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Plus, data also suggests solar panels increase a home’s value somewhat when it comes time to sell. Does a new roof increase home value? Does a new kitchen increase home value? Does a new bathroom increase home value? “Classic subway tile is clean, simple and has a timeless appeal.”Do energy-efficient windows increase home value?

Persons: Daniel Bortz, ”, David Steckel, you’ll, Steckel, Mallory Micetich, Micetich, HomeAdvisor, Courtney Mason, Mason Organizations: Rewiring America, Census, Google, Energy Locations: New York, Riverside , Calif, Atlanta ,, Tampa, Fla

☆ Five takeaways about the consumer from Walmart, other retailers after a big week of earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

So far, at least five retailers – Target, Walmart, Tapestry , Bath and Body Works and Foot Locker – have spoken about sales trends across the country getting worse. The retailer's comparable sales in the U.S. declined 4.6% in the quarter versus the year-ago period. Target, Home Depot and Walmart all saw a noticeable pattern: Fewer pricey and fun items in shopping carts. At Home Depot, customers bought fewer big-ticket items like appliances and grills in the fiscal first-quarter. Customers at Walmart have become more selective when shopping for electronics, TVs, home items and apparel, Rainey told CNBC.

☆ If your home needs a renovation or repair, there are many ways to fund the project. Here’s how to get started.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Navy Federal Credit Union | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Funding options are available for financing a home project, such as equity loans, credit cards, and refinancing your mortgage. Plenty of funding options are available that can make all the difference in bringing any home renovation or repair to life, from a kitchen remodel to a roof replacement or water damage repair. Navy Federal Credit Union, for example, offers various options for its members depending on the scale of their home project. Discover more about these funding options by visiting Navy Federal Credit Union's Home Project Financing Center here. This sponsored post was created by Insider Studios with Navy Federal Credit Union.

☆ Ikea to invest over $2.2 billion in new U.S. store models, pickup locations in next three years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"It's also an indication of how important the U.S. market is for Ikea," Quiñones said. Down the road, some might open in locations that already have an Ikea store nearby, while others might open in cities without any Ikea presence. Ikea is also adding 900 new pickup locations to its slate, allowing customers to retrieve ordered goods from more convenient locations. Like omnichannel retail more broadly, order pickup options have flourished at a variety of retailers throughout the pandemic. The majority of Ikea's pickup locations will be tied to Ikea stores, and some stores will have multiple pickup locations, Quiñones said.

☆ Ready to remodel? Here are the home projects that will get you the best return on your investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The average homeowner shelled out $3,890 on renovations and remodeling in the past year alone, the report found. In some cases, they may get that money back when it's time to sell, but not all home renovations deliver the same return on investment. Overall, homeowners are getting just a 60% return on their renovation investments, according to the recently released 2023 Cost vs. Value report from Zonda Media, a housing market research and analytics firm. A minor kitchen remodel — like painting and updating the backsplash — did provide high returns, but major kitchen and bathroom remodels did not, the Zonda survey found. Even though both construction and financing costs are up, this decade could be "the golden age of remodeling," Tomalak said.

☆ Home Renovations Were Always Tough. Now Many Are Giving Up Mid-Project.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Rachel Wolfe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A surge of home renovations in recent years combined with a shortage of contractors is turning more repairs and remodels into never-ending nightmares. New homeowners and those renovating always expect projects to require more time and money than their contractor estimates. But for many, the costs have become so high and the waits so long that some are now abandoning projects midway, forcing them to live among half-finished renovations for months. Others are taking up the drywall themselves.

☆ Cash-strapped homeowners are swarming to HELOCs at the fastest rate in more than a decade to pay for food, gas, and renovations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Higher mortgage rates have curbed cash-out refinancing, one way of tapping the equity. HELOC rates have climbed, too, but homeowners have flexibility with how much financing they buy versus taking out a 30-year loan on the house. HELOC rates averaged 7.8% in mid February. High mortgage rates have created a lock-in effect in the US housing market as the majority of US home loans were created with 30-year rates below 4%. Since October, when he bought the property and started renovations, the interest rate on his loan has increased from 6.5% to 7.5%.

☆ Goldman Sachs says these stocks have major upside following earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Goldman Sachs analysts said this week there is a slate of stocks coming out of earnings that are just too attractive to ignore. CNBC Pro combed through Goldman Sachs' research to find the firm's top ideas for companies exiting quarterly reports. They include Tractor Supply, Charter Communications , Exxon Mobil , General Motors and Caterpillar. Tractor Supply The farm supply retailer continues to impress, according to Goldman analyst Kate McShane. The firm came away even more positive on the name after Tractor Supply's robust late January earnings report.

☆ Bright lights and snazzy mannequins: Walmart rolls out sleek new store designs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Melissa Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

In company surveys, he said nearly every shopper said the store's displays and mannequins encouraged them to browse longer. Walmart's new store design includes displays that show off how a customer could decorate a nursery or kitchen. Melissa Repko | CNBCWashington declined to share data about Walmart's store traffic and sales at its Springdale store and other flagships that have opened in recent months. Visits to its Walmart store in Springdale, Ark. Victor Millan, of Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, makes weekly shopping trips to the Walmart in Teterboro for groceries and other items.

☆ Burger King Hires a CMO for U.S. and Canada
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Katie Deighton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

Burger King named Patrick O’Toole as its chief marketing officer for the U.S. and Canada, as the burger giant pursues a $400 million turnaround plan. Mr. O’Toole is joining Burger King from PepsiCo Inc., where he was most recently the chief marketing officer of Mountain Dew. Burger King, part of Restaurant Brands International Inc., for decades held second place in sales behind McDonald’s Corp. in the so-called burger wars. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CMO Today CMO Today delivers the most important news of the day for media and marketing professionals. “Pat joins us at a milestone moment for the brand,” said Tom Curtis, president of Burger King North America.

☆ Subway to sell sandwiches in smart vending machines
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN Business —Your next Subway order could come from a vending machine. Subway reported strong third-quarter sales Monday and publicly unveiled its first Grab and Go “smart fridge” filled with premade sandwiches, snacks and drinks. Subway is rolling out Grab & Go fridges that have pre-mad sandwiches. In 2020 the company began selling premade sandwiches in regular fridges at retail locations like casinos, gas stations and airports. Subway attributed its recent success to its new “Subway Series” menu — which was streamlined to help speed up service — and an increase in digital orders.

☆ Target is remodeling more stores and some new ones will be bigger, brighter, and more sustainable — see what they'll look like
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Ann Matica | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Target announced it plans to open large-format stores, which will be nearly 150,000 square feet. The new design will help the company expand its online ordering services and in-store merchandise. More than 95 percent of digital orders are fulfilled at Target stores, and its same-day services account for more than 10 percent of overall sales, according to a company press release. According to the company, the new store design "infuses elements such as plants and regionally sourced reclaimed wood." On Thursday, the big-box retailers debuted the new large-format store design at its first location outside Houston in Katy, TexasTarget will continue to open stores of all sizes, but will focus on rolling out its large-format stores in the next few years.

☆ Home sellers desperate to get the highest possible price should consider these 9 quick upgrades that help add value to any property
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Experts told Insider which quick fixes they recommend to help buyers get the highest possible price. That leaves sellers scrambling to get the highest possible price for their property. The median asking price of new listings is up nearly 9% from this time last year to $383,000, while the median sales price is up 7% to $368,000, according to Redfin. It means sellers have to put in a little more effort to clinch the sale at all, not to mention to fetch the highest price. The Manhattan property sold for its full asking price: $775,000.

☆ Subway, offering a rare glimpse at its finances, says it’s hitting record sales
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Subway attributed its recent success to its new “Subway Series” menu, which was streamlined to help speed up service, and an increase in digital orders. “The results from the Subway Series launch and the positive reaction from guests and franchisees demonstrates that our transformation strategy is working,” said Trevor Haynes, president of Subway North America, in the release. The Subway Series is a more neatly organized menu, divided into four categories (Cheesesteaks, Italianos, Chicken and Clubs) and consisting of three sandwiches each. In another positive benchmark for the struggling chain, Subway said September sales grew nearly 11% compared to the same month a year earlier. System-wide sales at Subway’s US locations were $12.3 billion in 2013, which was its best year of the past 15 years.

☆ Burger King's new 'Royal Reset' would reward 800 top restaurants but could punish thousands of others. Analysts worry it could kick off a 'Darwinian' battle for survival.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Tim Powell, the managing principal at the consultancy Foodservice IP, said Burger King units were long overdue for modernization. But he questioned Burger King's "survival of the fittest" tactic. Jose Cil, the CEO of Burger King's Restaurant Brands International, said the turnaround plan was directed at lifting sales for all restaurants. "All of that will lead to an output which is increased traffic, increased sales, increased restaurant-level profitability, and growth for the brand, from a systemwide sales standpoint. US sales at Burger King increased nearly 4% in 2021.

☆ Burger King's $400 million turnaround plan favors 800 top-performing restaurants. It's a 'Darwinian' move analysts say could leave hundreds of franchisees in the lurch.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Burger King unveiled a $400 million "Reclaim the Flame" turnaround plan last week. Burger King's $400 million "Reclaim the Flame" turnaround plan calls for upgrading 800 of the company's top restaurants, a "Darwinian" move that could hurt hundreds of poor-performing locations left without financial support, analysts say. Tim Powell, the managing principal at the consultancy Foodservice IP, said Burger King units were long overdue for modernization. Jose Cil, the CEO of Burger King's Restaurant Brands International, said the turnaround plan was directed at lifting sales for all restaurants. "All of that will lead to an output which is increased traffic, increased sales, increased restaurant-level profitability, and growth for the brand, from a systemwide sales standpoint.

☆ Homeowners still want space to quarantine and take Zoom calls, even though the worst of the pandemic is over. 3 real-estate experts explain the trends they're seeing.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-02 | by ( Abigail Bassett | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Quarantine spaces, flexible rooms, and accessory dwelling units (ADUs), are hot trends right now. The lower level matched exactly the kind of space Trevett was looking to build out. Additional data from the NAHB shows that demand for things like flexible living spaces, dedicated office or Zoom spaces, outdoor spaces, laundry rooms, and home technology has risen during the pandemic. Adding more living space separate from the main home has also become more important for families considering the needs of aging parents and boomerang kids. "Having a dedicated quarantine space gives me a sense of relief," Trevett said.

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