April 2023

The box office is slowly starting to recover after it took a hard hit during the pandemic. Now, three years later, things are looking up. According to CNBC, “The domestic box office reaped $1.8 billion during the first three months of the year, lagging 25% behind 2019 levels.” Last year, sales were 34% behind 2019’s pace. 2019 is reportedly the benchmark for the industry as the...

Amazon announced that its global online bookseller, The Book Depository, will be closing later this month on April 26.  The Book Depository has sold books to customers worldwide for almost two decades. Amazon told a spokesperson at BBC, "I can confirm that we've taken the difficult decision to close Book Depository.” The Book Depository also addressed the situation in a note on its website. “We are sorry...

Chipotle Mexican Grill has filed a lawsuit against Sweetgreen claiming the chain’s new “Chipotle Chicken Bowl” violates its trademark rights. The lawsuit was filed less than a week after the new menu item launched. According to CNBC, Sweetgreen’s stock had fallen 11% as of Wednesday afternoon. Sweetgreen co-founder and chief concept officer, Nic Jammet, announced the name of the new item was inspired by the “bold...

Bob Lee, tech entrepreneur and founder of CashApp, was tragically murdered in San Francisco early Tuesday morning in an apparent stabbing attack. According to Fox Business, the attacker has yet to be identified or apprehended. Friends and former colleagues in the tech industry expressed their condolences including Twitter CEO, Elon Musk. Musk responded to a user acknowledging the crime situation in San Francisco writing, “Very sorry...

L’Oréal has signed a deal with Natura & Co to acquire Aesop, an Australian luxury skincare brand. This $2.5 billion acquisition is the biggest deal L’Oréal has ever made, CNN reported. Aesop was founded in Melbourne in 1987. The now parent company, Natura & Co, got 65% stake in the company in 2012 and formally acquired it four years later. Since the acquisition, sales have soared...

A new consumer report revealed disturbing news about an iconic Easter candy. Peeps manufacturer, Just Born, is facing criticism for the use of Red Dye 3 in several of its candies. Red Dye 3, a known carcinogen, has been banned by the FDA from use in cosmetics but not food. Although food chemicals, including Red Dye 3, have been linked to serious health problems including “high...

This week, customers will notice some changes on Walmart’s website and mobile app. The goal of the changes was to make shopping online easier and more engaging, according to Walmart’s chief e-commerce officer, Tom Ward. Among the changes are bigger and glossier photos, videos and social media-inspired content, CNBC reported. “When you walk into a store, you get inspired and excited by what you see. And...

It was reported on Monday that McDonald’s had ordered corporate employees to work remotely this week as the offices were going to be closed. The Wall Street Journal reported the news claiming the company was preparing for company restructuring that includes employee layoffs. In a message viewed by the Wall Street Journal to employees, the company explained, “During the week of April 3, we will communicate...

Last week, Spirit Airlines announced its plans to hire more than 4,000 new employees this year. The new hires will include Pilots, Flight Attendants, Aviation Maintenance Technicians plus more, according to a press release. Linde Grindle, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Spirit Airlines, explained, "We're welcoming thousands of new Spirit Family Members across our network this year and have a broad range...

Facebook’s parent company has reportedly stopped offering remote work in new job listings amid reorganization and employee layoffs. Fox Business reported that people familiar with the situation claim hiring managers have been told they can no longer list the job location as outside an existing office or remote. However, this change is only temporary, according to a spokesperson for Meta. They told Fox Business, “"We remain committed...