Memphis, Tenn. — ServiceMaster Brands, a leading provider of essential cleaning and disinfecting services to homes and businesses, has entered into an exclusive agreement with Goldshield Technologies, maker of proprietary antiseptic and anti-microbial products that actively kill microorganisms on surfaces for up to 90 days. This new service offering is the next generation of infection prevention and will be available to all 1,200 ServiceMaster Restore and ServiceMaster Clean franchises nationwide. Goldshield products are EPA-approved for a wide variety of applications, including hospitals, daycares, schools, senior living facilities, gyms, salons and …
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Boca Raton, Fla. — Office Depot, a wholly owned subsidiary of The ODP Corporation, a leading provider of business services, products and digital workplace technology solutions through an integrated B2B distribution platform, is providing $1.5 million to Feeding America®, the largest domestic hunger-relief organization in the country, in support of its COVID-19 Response Fund to help local food banks across the country distribute more than 1.3 billion pounds of food to communities in need. “We are proud to support the Feeding America network of food banks as it works tirelessly …
Seattle — In its continued effort in prioritizing the health and well-being of partners (employees) and customers, Starbucks has announced that, beginning on July 15, it will be requiring customers to wear facial coverings while visiting all company-owned café locations in the U.S. At select locations where a local government mandate is not in place, customers that may not be wearing a facial covering will have various options to order their Starbucks, including ordering at the drive-thru, curbside pickup through the Starbucks app or placing an order for delivery through …
Deerfield, Ill. — In its fiscal 2020 third-quarter results, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. said its performance was “significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” causing sales to be roughly $700 million to $750 million lower. The decline is largely attributed to its international stores. In April, sales at Walgreens stores in the United Kingdom were down 85%. Deerfield-based Walgreens says that pharmacy volume was impacted globally by a drop in doctor visits and hospital patient admissions. Profits were also hurt by a shift to low-margin items and higher supply chain and …
Fort Worth, Texas — Trademark Property Company, the Fort Worth, Texas-based retail and mixed-use development, investment and institutional services firm, is taking its focus on experiential retail and guest experiences to the next level with hire of Chuck Steelman as vice president of experience. Steelman will use his near decade of expertise in event and VIP client experience management for the Neiman Marcus Group to elevate and lead Trademark’s experiential retail and guest experience platforms. “In order to thrive, brick-and-mortar retail must offer customers an experience that e-commerce can’t give …
Union, N.J. — Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. has appointed industry veteran Neil Lick as senior vice president, Owned Brands. Lick, formerly of Williams-Sonoma, will lead a newly formed team that expects to develop and launch a portfolio of customer inspired owned brands from 2021. The company’s product growth strategy includes a sharper focus on product curation and differentiation as well as higher penetration of owned brands in core categories such as bed, bath and kitchen. “To rebuild Bed Bath & Beyond’s authority as the leading omnichannel home retailer, we …
Seattle — Sur La Table, a leading retail destination since 1972 for those passionate about cooking and entertaining, has filed voluntary petitions under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey to restructure and sell 70 stores to Fortress Investment Group. According to The Wall Street Journal, Sur La Table will close its remaining 51 stores. Sur La Table has entered into a stalking horse asset purchase term sheet with affiliates of Fortress Investment Group, which is working in partnership …
Union, N.J. — Bed Bath & Beyond plans to close 200 stores over the next 2 years. The Union, N.J.-based company made the announcement during its earnings statement for its fiscal first quarter, which runs from March through May. The report shows sales plummeted in the quarter due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdowns affecting non-essential retailers. For the 3-month period, net sales were approximately $1.3 billion, a 49% year-over-year decrease. Bed Bath & Beyond reports that 90% of its physical locations were closed for the majority of …
New Biodefense Technology Proven to Eliminate Airborne Transmission of Coronavirus Indoors
by Katie Lee
Houston — As evidence showing a real risk of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus responsible for COVID-19) continues to mount, Integrated Viral Protection (IVP) has published a peer-reviewed paper detailing a novel biodefense indoor air protection technology. The novel, heated HVAC filter has been proven to destroy 99.8% of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. In addition, this technology offers protection against other biological pathogens on contact using a propriety biodefense technology. The breakthrough studies were conducted at the Texas Center for Superconductivity at University of Houston (TcSUH) & Galveston …
Canton, Mass. — As previously announced in its Q4 2019 earnings call in February, Dunkin’ remains on track to close 450 locations inside Speedway convenience stores by the end of 2020. According to Michelle King, senior director, global public relations for Dunkin’ Brands, the closures are specific to Speedway-owned and operated limited menu Dunkin’ locations only. “As we stated during our 2019 fourth quarter and fiscal year earnings call in February, Dunkin’ reached an agreement with Speedway earlier this year to exit the approximately 450 Speedway owned and operated limited …