15 Companies That Might Not Survive 2009
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This is scary!
  5-12-10, 9:38am | Post
#61
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File this under, business is in the toilet and so we should go do a real crappy idea. Honestly, any coffee that comes out of a vending machine tastes like mud. Even if you push the extra cream button, the hot swill inside the paper cup burns your hand.
QUOTE Starbucks gets into vending machine business The company is making a huge push with its Seattle's Best brand, including peddling java via vending machines When you think of a cup of joe for average Joes, chances are that mug doesn’t have a Starbucks (SBUX) logo on it. In fact, it’s a common complaint among consumers that the store’s coffee tastes “burnt” on top of be taking a big bite out of their wallet. Well company executives are looking to change that, making a big push to roll out a milder and less expensive brand in fast food restaurants, food service and even vending machines in the coming months. I’ll say that again in case you missed it: Starbucks is getting into the vending machine business. When the coffee giant bought the Seattle’s Best brand about seven years ago, it was content to let it play a complimentary role. But now Starbucks is looking to push the label as a kind of coffee for the masses with a lower price point and a taste that is more pleasing to the casual consumer. An ambitious growth plan includes partnerships to sell the Starbucks coffee brand at Burger King restaurants, along with higher-end vending machines that are a far cry from those grungy cafeteria models that spit out cups upside down. In a presentation last week to the Starbucks board, a new Seattle’s Best logo was unveiled with the brand new motto: "Great Coffee Everywhere." ... http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Inves...;_blg=1,1754522 |
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5-12-10, 5:24pm | Post
#62
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Updates on Six Flags, including the company probably shafting some of its creditors.
QUOTE Shapiro out as Six Flags CEO Six Flags Entertainment Corp. named Alexander Weber Jr., former president and CEO of Paramount Parks Inc., president and interim CEO of the theme park company. Weber replaces Mark Shapiro, who had worked to turn around a company that at one point had roughly $2 billion in debt. Shapiro was tapped by Six Flags to lead the theme park company in late 2005. He had been an executive with ESPN. Six Flags hired an executive search firm to help locate a permanent CEO. Six Flags emerged from bankruptcy May 3, led by Stark Investments, a Milwaukee-based hedge fund firm, as one of its largest shareholders. New York-based Six Flags is the largest regional theme park operator in the world. The company operates Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Mo. W. Scott Bailey writes for the Atlanta Business Chronicle, an affiliated publication. http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/sto...10/daily44.html |
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6-14-10, 12:10pm | Post
#63
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What come to mind on free Wi-Fi at Starbucks, is another company that is a day late and a little short on common sense. IMHO, it might be wiser to go the franchise route, include selling off established units. From my limited knowledge of the hospitality industry, the big negative has been too many franchise units in a market, e.g. McDonalds, and a balance on operation and policies between the parties. As a friend (former head of franchise ops for a major chain) pointed out, it's hard to tell a franchisor to get rid of a salad bar, when the guy owns a handful of units and his sales increased after adding the salad bar.
QUOTE Starbucks: Free Wi-Fi at 6,700 U.S. sites
Coffee chain previously offered two free hours daily Starbucks Corp. will begin offering unlimited free Wi-Fi at all of its company-operated U.S. locations next month, part of an ongoing effort to bring more customers in the door. The free wireless Internet will be available July 1 at about 6,700 locations. The coffee house, which recorded its first quarterly increase in customers in 13 quarters earlier this year, had previously offered two free hours of Web access each day to registered customers. After that, consumers at the Seattle chain were charged a small fee. Access will continue to be offered through AT&T. But it won't require a Starbucks loyalty card, according to the announcement Monday by CEO Howard Schultz, who spoke at a conference in New York. The move comes six months after Starbucks' competitor McDonald's Corp. began offering free Wi-Fi at 11,500 U.S. locations. The two companies have sparred in recent years at McDonald's revamped its coffee and rolled out a successful McCafe line offering everything from drip coffee and lattes to cappuccinos to icy coffee drinks. Along the way, Starbucks struggled as it was hit by the recession and overwhelmed by its own rapid expansion. As business soured, it brought back Schultz, who helped build the company, to lead the day-to-day operations. And it shut hundreds of locations and laid off thousands of workers to scale back its spending. Also Monday, Starbucks said customers will get free access to certain online content through its Wi-Fi this fall. Called the Starbucks Digital Network, the program will give Starbucks Web surfers free access to paid sites like the Wall Street Journal, along with exclusive content and free downloads from other organizations such as Apple Inc.'s iTunes, The New York Times, Patch, USA TODAY, Yahoo and Zagat. This post has been edited by kas: 6-14-10, 12:12pm |
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6-14-10, 6:08pm | Post
#64
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Hm... too bad I don't drink coffee.
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8-27-10, 4:56am | Post
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QUOTE (Monga @ 2-10-09, 4:36pm)  15 Companies That Might Not Survive 2009 (Better start using up any gift cards you may have!) Blockbuster. (BBI; about 60,000 employees; stock down 57%). The video-rental chain has burned cash while trying to figure out how to maximize fees without alienating customers. Its operating income has started to improve just as consumers are cutting back, even on movies. Video stores in general are under pressure as they compete with cable and Internet operators offering the same titles. A key test of Blockbuster's viability will come when two credit lines expire in August. One possible outcome, according to Valueline, is that investors take the company private and then go public again when market conditions are better. Blockbuster Preparing To File Bankruptcy |
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9-23-10, 6:08am | Post
#66
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Blockbuster Files For Bankruptcy Protection
Video-rental chain will keep stores, kiosks open as it reorganizes I don't think there's a B&M store left in our area...but they sure do send the emails... 
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9-23-10, 9:01am | Post
#67
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The short article in the local paper doesn't present new info, except the reader comments show there ain't much symapathy for Blockbuster hard times.
How are you watching movies at home these days? |
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10-6-10, 8:35am | Post
#68
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Glad to see one couple deciding to make a run at the American Dream. Maybe the coupons will start showing up for Krispy Kreme Donuts.
QUOTE Nicklaus: Schlegels bet on Krispy Kreme turnaround Laura Schlegel has managed the local Krispy Kreme Doughnuts stores through bankruptcy, parent-company turmoil and even a fire. Perhaps surprisingly, she thinks now is a good time to invest in the business. She and her husband, Doug Schlegel, have spent the last 18 months buying four Krispy Kreme locations in the St. Louis area and one in Bloomington, Ill. It's a significant commitment to a chain whose parent company has lost money for six straight years and has seen its sales fall by half. But Laura Schlegel knows the St. Louis stores and is confident that they can make money. Local sales are up 10 percent this year, she says. Plus, she bought at a bargain price. Schlegel wouldn't say what she paid for the five stores, but documents filed by their former owner show a sharp drop in value. As of Dec. 31, Allied Capital valued its Krispy Kreme franchises in St. Louis and Chicago at $9.1 million, down from $35.7 million two years earlier. Schlegel worked for the stores' original owner, a company called Sweet Traditions, which filed bankruptcy in 2007. She stayed on as president after Allied, an investment company based in Washington, bought the stores out of bankruptcy. In the fall of 2008, Allied told her it wanted out of the doughnut business. The stores would have to close, but she could manage the wind-down process. That didn't sound like much of a future, so Schlegel made a counterproposal: If Allied would sell her one store, she'd agree to run the others. Allied agreed, but Schlegel still had to find a loan in the midst of a financial crisis. Several banks turned her down before Montgomery Bank saw the potential in her business plan. "We were literally 30 days from not being able to close on the South County store, but they funded us," Schlegel recounts. With the first store turning in good results, Montgomery Bank backed the couple's purchases of stores in Bloomington, Fairview Heights and Fenton. They expect to close this month on the Ferguson location, which recently reopened after a fire in May. They're not done expanding. The Schlegels say they'd like to get back into O'Fallon, Mo., where Krispy Kreme once had a store, and have looked at sites in Chesterfield. They think Illinois cities like Champaign, Decatur, Peoria and Springfield could support stores. Chicago is out, though. Schlegel is managing two stores there for Ares Capital, which bought Allied this spring, but they're slated to close. Sweet Traditions once ran 15 stores in Chicago but had too much money tied up in expensive real estate. Back then, Krispy Kreme was more phenomenon than food company. Store openings were greeted with Super-Bowl-level hype, and the doughnut stock soared 700 percent after its initial public offering in 2000. Then an accounting fraud surfaced in 2004, and the world learned that making doughnuts wasn't as profitable as Wall Street had been led to believe. Several franchisees failed. By last year, the once-yeasty shares had fallen 98 percent from their peak. Now, analyst Anton Brenner, of Roth Capital Partners in Newport Beach, Calif., thinks Krispy Kreme is in the early stages of a turnaround. "We look for sustained rapid sales and earnings growth," he writes in a recent report. Even after watching her previous employers struggle, Laura Schlegel is buying into that story of renewed growth. "Timing's everything, right?" she says. "A lot of challenges have happened, but we're glad to be part of the story on the way back up." http://www.stltoday.com/business/columns/d...39b58c564a.html This post has been edited by kas: 10-6-10, 8:37am |
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10-11-10, 6:36am | Post
#69
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Yes, there was a few Krispy Kreme coupons in the Red Plum insert. All expire 11/14/10.
Medium coffee, hot chocolate or ice tea @$.99 Save $1 on a dozen original glazed or assorted Save $2 on the 2nd dozen original galzed donut (1st dozen at regular price) |
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1-20-11, 8:15am | Post
#70
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QUOTE (cron @ 2-12-09, 8:20pm) QUOTE Paul Allen loses clout at Charter Communiciations Paul Allen, who once controlled Charter Communications, endured his final dethronement as the company's independent board converted his super-voting shares to ordinary common stock. The move reduces his voting power in the company from 35 percent to about 2 percent. He also loses the right to appoint four board members. The company Tuesday night also announced that two Allen directors - William L. McGrath and Christopher M. Temple - had resigned. Allen, a founder of Microsoft Corp., had maintained his super-voting shares as Charter emerged from bankruptcy in December of 2009. The provision allowed the company to maintain compliance with debt agreements, a Charter spokeswoman said. Charter this month sold $1.1 billion in notes to the public and said it would use the proceeds largely to pay off other debt. The company's new incorporation documents allowed the board to convert Allen's supervoting shares to ordinary shares after Jan. 1, 2011. Charter, based in Town and Country, declared bankruptcy in March, 2009. It was overwhelmed by $21 billion in debt acquired in a spate of acquisitions. Allen bought the cable-TV and internet provider in 1998 and later took it public. http://www.stltoday.com/business/article_2...127992bc8b.html |
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2-21-11, 4:24pm | Post
#71
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A few years ago, companies tried to avoid takeovers and poison pills were often used strategies to deter the aggressor. Now IMHO, a visible stalking horse bidder doesn't make any sense, especially in a business that has been on the downward slide of the marketing curb for a few years.
QUOTE Blockbuster starts to auction itself off Blockbuster, the troubled video-rental company, said late Monday that it has started the process of selling itself for at least $290 million and hopes that a deal can be completed by April 30. The company has entered into an agreement with Cobalt Video Holdco, a company owned by three of its bondholders, to start an auction process. A so-called "stalking-horse" bidder, Cobalt has put in a bid of $290 million for the company and hopes that the offer will function as a floor for future bids. Cobalt Video was formed by Monarch Alternative Capital, Owl Creek Asset Management, Stonehill Capital Management and Värde Partners. Each is a secured note holder in Blockbuster. Blockbuster, which has been in Chapter 11 bankruptcy since September, is asking the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York to approve the deal. The company said other bidders would have 30 days after the process is approved by the bankruptcy judge to submit their own bids. Founded in 1985 in Dallas, Blockbuster used to be the dominant U.S. movie rental chain with more than 5,000 stores and up to 60,000 full- and part-time employees. It was once owned by media company Viacom (VIA) but spun off in 2004. But it lost money for years as customers shifted to Netflix (NFLX), video on demand and DVD rental kiosks. When it filed for bankruptcy protection, it was down to 3,000 stores. In December, the chain said it planned to close 182 stores in the next few months. The company said the auction process should not affect its domestic business or its businesses in the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Italy and Mexico. Franchised operations also won't be affected. Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Blockbuster planned to put itself up for sale after a disagreement with its creditors. While the company did not address the dispute directly on Monday, CEO Jim Keyes said in a statement that an auction "will allow for the consolidation of ownership of the company to those with a clear and focused vision for Blockbuster's future." http://money.msn.com/market-news/post.aspx...8f-dba7b46e4688 |
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3-19-11, 5:45am | Post
#72
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Within the last few weeks, I notice three Blockbuster B&M locations with Going Out of Business signages out front. If in the near future food prices jump as predict, I expect a fair number of fast food establishments to close the doors.
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4-1-11, 3:19am | Post
#73
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QUOTE (Monga @ 2-10-09, 4:36pm) Sbarro. (Privately owned; about 5,500 employees). It's not the pizza that's the problem. Many of this chain's 1,100 storefronts are in malls, which is a double whammy: Traffic is down, since consumers have put away their wallets. Sbarro can't really boost revenue by adding a breakfast or late-night menu, like other chains have done. And competitors like Domino's and Pizza Hut have less debt and stronger cash flow, which could intensify pressure on Sbarro as key debt payments come due in 2009. Sbarro Pizza Prepares To File For Bankruptcy |
Nana Bargainshare
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4-2-11, 4:05pm | Post
#74
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Where is the recovery?
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4-3-11, 5:38am | Post
#75
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QUOTE (carloscai @ 4-2-11, 7:05pm) Where is the recovery? Line dancing, dancing elephants, not enough cowbell heifers, and being able to avoid Federal taxes is great for Jeff and GE. On the other hand, 'real' job creators want fairness, not EPA regs from envirnomental kooks. |
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4-6-11, 6:10am | Post
#76
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Will Dish Network Stream Movies?
Now that the satellite TV provider has won the fire-sale auction for bankrupt Blockbuster, an online movie catalog could be in the works. |
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6-23-11, 6:26am | Post
#77
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Krispy Kreme Wants To Be Good For You
To generate more sales, the company is adding healthier fare and coffee Cross-posting to O/T... This post has been edited by kar522: 6-23-11, 6:26am |
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11-3-11, 12:12am | Post
#78
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QUOTE (kar522 @ 5-4-09, 11:25am) From this morning's Trib... Filene's Basement files Ch. 11 The Associated Press 8:16 AM CDT, May 4, 2009 Discount retailer Filene's Basement says it has filed to reorganize under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, less than two weeks after its new owner said it was reviewing "all available options." The privately held company also reached a deal that will allow a Crown Acquisitions affiliate to buy 17 of its 25 stores, including its flagship locations in Boston and New York. The agreement is subject to a bankruptcy court auction, which is expected in about five weeks. The auction will allow other companies to submit bids for the 17 stores, as well as for the rest of the Filene's Basement locations and the chain's other assets. New York-based Crown, a real estate and asset management company, plans to continue running the 17 stores under the Filene's Basement name. Buxbaum Group, a California-based liquidator, acquired Filene's last month through an affiliate company, FB II Acquisition Corp. The sale came after the previous owner, Retail Ventures Inc., said the chain was experiencing "significant liquidity problems." Filene's Basement, known for its "Running of the Brides" wedding gown sale, was founded more than a century ago in Boston. Filene’s, Syms To Go Out Of Business By end Of January |
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11-5-11, 7:51am | Post
#79
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While some well known businesses go down the drain, others will rise to meet the demand of the consumers. While Save-a-Lot and Walmart hype they are planning to locate in urban settings, businesses like Gordmans and franchises are being set-up where folks have disposal income. Also older established cities and towns, especially ran by Demorats, make it hard for both small and large businesses to open their doors.
Gordmans outlines discounting strategy |
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1-12-12, 8:56pm | Post
#80
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1-17-12, 12:38pm | Post
#81
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QUOTE (kar522 @ 7-21-09, 4:19pm) Once-Trendy Crocs Could Be on Their Last Legs John Duerden Responds Maybe it's the knock-offs that have hurt them...I'm wearing my moc Croc Mary Janes I found @ The Evil Empire for $1 on the clearance rack...just love them...  But a buck's the most I'd pay for rubber shoes...I guess they survived... Crocs Continue Making Bank QUOTE How do we know the trend is spreading, not dwindling? Because the Telegraph is reporting that the shoe company's yearly revenue has surpassed $1 billion for the first time ever in its 10-year history
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Nana Bargainshare
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2-18-12, 8:07am | Post
#82
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This article involve St. Louis area stores.
More Blockbuster stores going dark QUOTE Dish Network, which bought Blockbuster at a bankruptcy auction last year, has been fairly quiet about this current wave of store closings. When it first took over, Dish said it would keep open about 1,500 stores -- or about 90 percent of the outlets.
But last month, the company told Reuters that it would shutter more stores than originally planned with some of those locations becoming customer-service points for Dish's satellite TV services. This post has been edited by kas: 2-18-12, 8:08am |
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2-23-12, 3:50pm | Post
#83
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More Blockbuster Stores Closing
There's little hope for the 1,000 video-rental locations that remain, but the Blockbuster name will live on in other ways. |
Nana Bargainshare
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10-2-12, 8:21am | Post
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QUOTE (cron @ 2-12-09, 9:20pm) Charter to relocate headquarters from Town and Country to Connecticut QUOTE Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s office is confirming Charter Communications Inc. is relocating its corporate headquarters from the St. Louis area to Stamford, Conn.
Details of the deal between Charter and the state of Connecticut will be unveiled at a news conference planned Tuesday in Stamford. Malloy’s office said project is expected to create 200 jobs. The project is part of the governor’s ‘‘First Five’’ initiative, which offers incentives to companies looking to expand in the state or move there. Charter, based in Town and Country, is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States. According to the company’s website, Charter provides video, high-speed Internet and telephone services to approximately 5.2 million residential and business customers in 25 states. The Stamford Advocate reports Charter will join UBS Financial Services and Harman International in a 15-story high-rise on Atlantic Street. Anita Lamont, a Charter spokeswoman, said the support staff of some of the executives moving to Connecticut will move, but most of Charter's 2,800 local employees will not be affected by the headquarters move. "Most of the functions performed in the St. Louis office will remain in St. Louis," Lamont said. Charter has about 2,800 local employees. In addition to the 200 jobs Charter expects to ultimately create in Connecticut, the cable company also plans to grow its St. Louis area workforce, Lamont said. "We plan on adding 300 new jobs in St. Louis in the coming months," she said. "It's growth in Connecticut and growth here." |
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11-1-12, 10:19am | Post
#85
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There are still locals who curse Carl Icahn, over his handling of TWA. IMHO, he should stick to producing railroad cars.
Don't follow Icahn into Netflix QUOTE Icahn now is taking another stab at the video businesses through a $168.9 million bet on Netlfix (NFLX -0.29%), and it appears that he hasn't learned his lesson from his earlier misstep.
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1-22-13, 6:00am | Post
#86
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Blockbuster To Close About 300 Stores In U.S.
The closures will result in the loss of about 3,000 jobs and leave the company with about 500 stores in the U.S. |
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2-18-13, 12:18pm | Post
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QUOTE (kar522 @ 8-17-09, 1:49pm) Reader's Digest goes bankrupt -- again QUOTE The iconic publisher is $1 billion in debt. Can it survive the digital age?
This post has been edited by kas: 2-18-13, 12:19pm |
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