With no end in sight to COVID-19 dining restrictions, U.S. restaurants continue to take a huge hit. More than 110,000 restaurants — about 17% of the U.S. total — have closed permanently or long-term during the pandemic, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. More than 10,000 have closed over the last three months alone, according to the National Restaurant Association’s December data.

After 70 years and millions of copies, Ikea has opted to stop making its iconic catalog. At its peak in 2016, 200 million copies of the Ikea catalog were distributed in 50 countries and translated into 32 languages, per Fast Company. The retailer made the decision to sunset the catalog because media consumption has changed. Ever since Ikea’s ecommerce platform launched in 2001, consumers have been able to check the website whenever they needed new products.

When Virgin Galactic launches the first rocket-powered flight of its VSS Unity spacecraft out of New Mexico later this month, the pilots will be wearing flight suits made by Under Armour. The design is similar to those for passengers unveiled in October, but with additional black details to set the pilots apart on flights, Virgin Galactic said in a statement. Each flight suit features the pilot’s name embroidered on the chest.

Big brands are stepping up to pay for recycling efforts as consumers and legislators are pushing for answers to the growing mountain of packaging trash. “The makers of such products have long fought efforts to make them pay for the cost of dealing with packaging waste,” per The Wall Street Journal. “Now, trade groups that represent companies like Procter & Gamble Co. and PepsiCo Inc. are softening that stance, as consumers become more concerned about plastic waste and municipalities struggle to cover the costs of their recycling programs.

We mention Topshop parent Arcadia filing for bankruptcy in the story above, but this post drills deeper into the reasons why. Issues included "Topshop’s fixation on physical retail and unwillingness to let go of shops," along with the departure of the exec who made the brand into a "style mecca, creating well-designed, style-savvy clothing," according to Fast Company.

In "the most ambitious restructuring ever undertaken at the company, one that will help determine the future for traditional bookselling,"  Barnes & Noble is taking steps like "empowering store managers to curate their shelves based on local tastes," according to The Wall Street Journal. Leading the charge is  Chief Executive James Daunt, who has been in power since March 2019 and is "an independent bookseller at heart,”  independent bookstore owner Sarah McNally tells WSJ.

During a pandemic, every day is a “snow day” and staying home is losing its appeal. But Campbell’s Soup hopes to bring back some of the nostalgia surrounding the joy of cancelled classes. The company wants to preserve the "magical winter rite of passage" and is launching an online pledge to "Save the Snow Day," officials shared exclusively with USA Today. It's also launching another version of its classic "Snowbuddy" ad.

The pandemic has not helped stem the demise of brick-and-mortar retail, so it’s no surprise that Wayfair is shutting down its only standalone store. The Boston-based online seller of home goods told employees that it is shutting down the Natick Mall location on Dec. 31. “Wayfair opened it in 2019 as a way to test the waters for a broader brick-and-mortar strategy,” according to the Boston Globe.

Several airlines will begin offering a digital health pass that allows passengers to provide their COVID-19 test results before and after select flights. United Airlines piloted the program in October and now JetBlue, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, and Swiss International Air Lines are joining “a rapidly growing list of carriers, airports, and governments coming together to create a global health information network—with digital health app CommonPass at its center,” per Afar.

Amazon was edged out by Walmart for first-time app downloads on Black Friday. Amazon saw 106,000 installs on November 27 versus Walmart’s 131,000, Sensor Tower reports. “The data are a small but notable feather in Walmart’s cap as it seeks to gain ground against its digital-native rival in a world where consumers are growing accustomed to life without physical stores,” per Fast Company.