Word: chains
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...manicurist test she's taking the following week. But it costs nearly $20, three times what it would in the U.S. A knockoff 26-in. (65 cm) "PanaBlack" TV--one of those outdated crt behemoths--is listed at over $750. It's the result of a supply chain gone insane. Chinese influence is everywhere here--from the ubiquitous Yutong buses to the new renovations financed by the Chinese at Lenin Park on the outskirts of town and the three channels of Chinese state-run television that play in Havana hotel rooms. But unlike in the U.S., China hasn't flooded...
...realized that Freddy y Joel's Muy Cupcakery should co-brand and partner with a large baking conglomerate, since co-brand and partner with are terms I've heard my friends in Silicon Valley use. So I contacted Candace Nelson, who co-owns Sprinkles Cupcakes, a chain that Oprah Winfrey says is one of her favorites. When I mentioned the opportunity to take her five-store chain global, she became very interested. "Once we're up to the top 20 cities in America, we'd think about going to Mexico," she said. "We'd love some market research...
...Regional department-store chains in smaller to midsize cities are already under pressure, but some have an extra heap of woe. Women's retailer Bon-Ton faces a double challenge: softening sales and a mountain of debt resulting from its $1 billion buyout of 142 stores from Saks two years ago. Even powerhouse Dillard's, with stores spread across 29 states, is raising anxiety owing to weakening sales, down 10% for the quarter. In early November, Standard & Poor's lowered its corporate credit rating of Dillard's to B+ from BB-, citing the "deepening spending pull-back by consumers." Adding...
...credit, thousands of factories owned by Hong Kong firms are closing up in southern China's industrial heartland. This week, HSBC, the city's largest bank, said it would layoff about 450 people in Hong Kong due to deteriorating business conditions and a poor outlook for next year. Supply chain-management firm Li and Fung, which sources clothing and other consumer goods for major American retailers and brands, announced this month that it was "undertaking a critical review of its cost structure" and could lay off as much as 4% of its local staff by early next year. Merrill Lynch...
Ford is by no means wishing doom on its fellow Detroiters. It shares most of the same big parts suppliers, so a disruption in the supply chain that a bankruptcy would invariably cause would hurt Ford too, and even halt production temporarily. But longer term, customers might flock to a U.S. company that isn't in bankruptcy and thus stands 100% behind its products - and is free to operate without court supervision...