Supermarket News
Southeastern Grocers, the operator of 366 Winn-Dixie stores, said despite a report to the contrary, there are no current plans to change to drop “Dixie” from its name. “While we have no immediate plans to rename this banner, we have always been and will continue to be responsive to the needs and concerns expressed by the communities we serve,” the company said in a release. In a high-profile move, the country band The Dixie Chicks changed their name last week to The Chicks.
Deseret News
Costco said in a recent post on Facebook that it has stopped selling $20 half-sheet cakes and is pointing customers to 10-inch round cakes, a better option for pandemic-inspired smaller gatherings. “The elimination of sheet cakes comes as public health officials warn people against large gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic,” per Deseret News. Sheet cakes, which serve about 50 people, are often purchased for large gatherings. Kroger and Sam’s Club also have stopped selling large cakes.
Seattle Times
Amazon will not slap its name on the side of the newly purchased KeyArena. Instead, the arena, which will house the city’s incoming NHL franchise and WBNA’s Storm, will be known as the Climate Pledge Arena. Putting its money where its mouth is, Amazon will power the arena 100% by renewable electricity when it opens by late-summer 2021 as it seeks to achieve a zero-carbon footprint.
The Wall Street Journal
Gilead Sciences says it will charge U.S. hospitals $3,120 for a typical patient with commercial insurance for the COVID-19 drug remdesivir, which "interferes with the new coronavirus’s ability to replicate within a patient’s cells,” according to The Wall Street Journal. “Under the company’s plans, Gilead will charge a higher price for patients with private insurance in the U.S., and a lower price for U.S. government health programs like Medicare and all other developed countries that insure their patients directly."
Consumer Reports
Bottled water made by Whole Foods and sold in U.S. stores and on Amazon contains potentially harmful levels of arsenic, according to Consumer Reports. “CR recently tested dozens of bottled water brands and found that Starkey Spring Water, introduced by Whole Foods in 2015, had concerning levels of arsenic, ranging from 9.49 to 9.56 parts per billion (ppb), at least three times the level of every other brand tested.”
Sports Business Daily
The NFL is expected to let teams sell camera-visible signage to local sponsors, sources tell Sports Business Daily. It is expected that at least the first six to eight rows of seating in every stadium will be off limits to fans. “Sources said those seats will be covered by tarps that could include sponsor logos, similar to how EPL teams repurposed empty seating sections for ads during its return to play last week,” per the pub. “There are restrictions designed to protect league sponsors. Team naming rights sponsors, local sponsors that don’t conflict with league sponsors, and local sponsors who …
Fortune
Macy’s is cutting another 20% of its corporate workers due to continuing hits to its sales numbers thanks to fallout from the pandemic. “In its first fiscal quarter, when all of its stores were closed for six weeks, sales fell 45% and its operating loss was around $1 billion,” according to Fortune. “While the bulk of Macy's stores have reopened, and business is recovering gradually, the retailer's sales are not likely to return to year-ago levels anytime soon, pressuring the company to further rein in costs.”
Chain Store Age
Walmart has opened another Walmart Health location, this time in Loganville, Georgia. “The format, which debuted last September, in Dallas, Georgia, features an array of primary and urgent care, dental, hearing and counseling services, and promises low and transparent pricing regardless of insurance services,” per Chain Store Age. Walmart Health unveiled a new prototype in Springdale, Arkansas on June 24. It will have a smaller footprint. Walmart Health will continue to expand, with new locations opening in Georgia this year.
The New York Times
A Missouri appeals court ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $2.1 billion in damages to women who blamed their ovarian cancers on the company’s talcum products, including its baby powder. “Johnson & Johnson still faces thousands of lawsuits from consumers who claim its talcum products were contaminated with asbestos that caused cancer,” per The New York Times. “The company announced last month that it would stop selling baby powder made from talc in North America, though it would continue to market the product elsewhere in the world.”
Washington Post
Before they knew that the quarantine and other pandemic-prodded behaviors would have to drag on indefinitely, some consumers and businesses begin plotting Covid-related branding opportunities, like “I Heart COVID-19” clothing. “There are dozens of profiteers and dreamers rolling the dice in trademark applications, from vaccine and test-kit names to ‘Warning: My Ride is Sicker than the Coronavirus’ clothing,” according to the Washington Post.