The economy has changed Dollar General’ customer base. “We are seeing customer penetration growth across low, middle and high-income segments as customers across all income cohorts seek value at increasing rates,” said CEO Todd Vasos during the chain’s first-quarter earnings call. It’s a shift where wealthier customers have sought out the discount chain, which has
With so much of the reading experience moving from print to digital over the last three decades, even the biggest bookstore and newspaper chains are unable to keep large numbers of brick-and-mortar locations profitable. WH Smith, a major British legacy book and newspaper retailer that was founded by Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna in
Comcast, which owns Xfinity, is betting big on a slate of generous offers to deter customers from ditching its internet services. In the second quarter of 2026, Comcast lost 167,000 U.S. broadband customers, and revenue in this segment declined by 5.5% year over year, according to its latest earnings report. The losses come as the
A decline in public consumption of alcoholic drinks since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic has been a major factor in declining revenue in the beer, wine, and spirits sectors leading certain companies to file for bankruptcy protection. 128-year-old beer, wine, and spirits distributor Republic National Distributing Company was a major company affected as it
After closing more than two dozen restaurants over the past year, Panera Bread is overhauling its business with menu innovation, restaurant upgrades, and new marketing partnerships as café chains across the industry compete to attract increasingly value-conscious consumers. The company’s latest moves reflect a broader shift taking place across the fast-casual sector. As consumers become
When a retailer sells a product people no longer want or need at the same level they once did, it becomes challenging for that retailer to operate. Yes, you can cut expenses and close stores, but if customers aren’t buying, no amount of frugality will keep the doors open. That’s a challenge facing any chain
Rising traffic in the fried chicken dining sector, which rose 3% industrywide in 2025 according to Circana, wasn’t enough to prevent Popeyes franchisee Sailormen’s financial distress and bankruptcy filing in January 2026. Sailormen’s economic issues prompted it to divest of all of its restaurant locations. Bankrupt Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchisee Sailormen Inc., which operated 136 fried chicken locations when
At this stage of the year, parents all over the country are opening their wallets and hitting their local big-box stores to stock up on back-to-school items. And many are straining their budgets to do so. A good 45% of parents plan to take on debt to pay for back-to-school shopping this year, according to
With some of the city’s most iconic foods being pizza and the various dishes invented in the original red-sauce joints, Italian food in New York City dates back to the late nineteenth century when waves of immigrants from southern Italy started arriving in Lower Manhattan. Since then, New York’s Italian food scene has gone through
Grocery shoppers have become increasingly selective about where they spend their money. Higher food prices over the past several years have pushed consumers to compare prices more closely. That has created an opening for discount chains. And Aldi appears to be benefiting. The discount grocer has now opened its first store in Midtown Manhattan, bringing