Cnet
Nissan is partnering with electric car charging station firm EVgo to provide new Leaf owners with $250 in free charging. The program is called "Nissan Energy Perks by EVgo” and there are no strings attached, other than it only applies to purchases after Nov. 1. EVgo operates the largest network of fast-charging stations in the country, with 750 stations that include 30,000 plugs.
The Wall Street Journal
For companies, cutting down on single-use plastic is harder than consumers realize. “Companies such as Unilever and Nestlé SA are trying to use less, switch to other materials and persuade customers to use refillable containers,” according to The Wall Street Journal. “But those efforts face big challenges. Switching to paper or glass has its own environmental downsides, while refill models are often expensive or inconvenient. Efforts so far are small and it isn’t clear whether they will scale up.”
Chain Store Age
Victoria’s Secret has finally confirmed what has been speculated on for months: the lingerie retailer is cancelling its “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show,” which has aired on national TV since 2001. “We will be communicating to customers, but nothing that I would say is similar in magnitude to the fashion show,” Stuart Burgdoerfer, the company’s chief financial officer, told analysts during an earnings call.
NYSportsJournalism.com
The American Cancer Society is launching its annual Coaches vs. Cancer effort with more than 350 NCAA coaches and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The marketing effort, “
United Front,” includes a TV spot featuring Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), John Calipari (Kentucky), Tubby Smith (High Point) and Roy Williams (North Carolina). Over the past 26 years, Coaches vs. Cancer has raised more than $125 million in the fight against cancer.
Fast Company
Patagonia founder and chairman Yvon Chouinard didn’t have high hopes for Mother Earth amid climate change in 1994. “Regardless, Chouinard and his company have spent decades—and millions of dollars—fighting for environmental causes around the world while investing in more sustainable business practices,” according to Fast Company. Chouinard doesn't mince words about Jeff Bezos’ and Elon Musk’s interplanetary travel efforts: “I think it’s pretty silly. And not just silly, but it’s really a shame. The monies that are going to space exploration should be used to save our own planet right now. We’re in a triage situation.”
SiLive
Amazon employees from the Staten Island fulfillment center handed out 6,000 Thanksgiving meals to families across the borough on Saturday. To date, Amazon has donated more than $250,000 to food banks near its fulfillment centers in 2019. Meanwhile, workers from the same warehouse are planning a rally to demand better working conditions, according to the
New York Post. A labor advocacy group claims that workers at the facility are facing an injury rate that is three times higher than similar warehouse work and 15.2 times greater than any job category tracked by the government.
Bloomberg
Last week Warby Parker unveiled Scout, a line of daily contact lenses, in its first expansion beyond eyeglasses since the company was started almost a decade ago, according to Bloomberg. Priced at $440 yearly, the lenses will be slightly cheaper than many daily contacts "but will be sold with what Warby says will be a much improved ordering process."
Complex
President Donald Trump took to Twitter to proclaim he had "just opened" an Apple plant "that will bring high paying jobs back to America." The Austin facility has been open for several years and Twitter users were quick to call out Trump. “According to CNBC, the factory POTUS toured has been assembling MacBook Pros since 2013, when the tech giant announced it would bring some its manufacturing back to the States,” per Complex. “Furthermore, the facility in question isn't actually operated by Apple, but rather the company's contractor Flex Ltd.”
Chain Store Age
Nordstrom’s earnings exceeded analysts’ expectations last week, and the company subsequently raised the lower end of its full-year profit guidance, in contrast to forecast cuts in profits for other department store retailers, including Macy’s Inc. and Kohl’s Corp. “The retailer said its enhanced loyalty program, The Nordy Club, grew 13% in the quarter to more than 12 million active customers, and accounted for nearly 65% of sales for the third quarter,” according to Chain Store Age.
Bloomberg
"So far, Amazon’s serious foray into groceries is marked by head-scratching tactics and middling financial and strategic performance," writes Bloomberg's Shira Ovide in a post analyzing "its growing grocery sprawl," including Whole Foods; "Prime Pantry, a separate shopping club for bulky household goods; the 12-year-old Amazon Fresh grocery delivery service that is expanding"; and "a different supermarket chain that Amazon is starting from scratch."