Thursday at 4:48 p.m.
Filed under:
Airplanes,
International
By Julie Johnsson and Kathy Bergen | The Obama Administration is open to negotiating a settlement to a long, costly trade dispute with the European Union over illegal government subsidies to planemakers Boeing Co. and Airbus SAS, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk told reporters Thursday.
But Kirk said the Americans won’t return to the table unless the Europeans agree to stop providing launch aid to Airbus’s aircraft development programs, such as the Airbus A350-XWB, Airbus’s response to Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. Get the full story »
Thursday at 3:57 p.m.
Filed under:
Earnings
By Associated Press
Google’s first-quarter earnings came in below analyst projections as the Internet search leader sped up hiring and increased spending other area to drive up its expenses. Get the full story »
Thursday at 2:10 p.m.
Filed under:
Bankruptcy,
Energy
By Tribune staff report
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court has approved the sell of 60 properties by Frankfort-based Gas City Ltd. to various buyers for more than $135 million.
Thursday at 1:26 p.m.
Filed under:
Beverages,
Food,
Packaged foods
By Emily Bryson York
Just weeks after losing its contract to distribute Starbucks coffee in grocery stores, Northfield-based Kraft Foods announced that it is prepping a successor, Gevalia. Get the full story »
Thursday at 1:10 p.m.
Filed under:
Food,
Franchises,
IPOs,
Restaurants
By Dow Jones Newswires
A busy morning at the Dunkin' Donuts franchise in the village of Posen. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Tribune)
Dunkin’ Brands Inc. has hired J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Barclays PLC to lead an initial public offering of its Dunkin’ Donuts unit this summer, CNBC’s Kate Kelly reported Thursday, without citing sources.
The IPO would seek to raise between $500 million and $700 million, she said. Get the full story »
Thursday at 12:58 p.m.
Filed under:
Advertising/Marketing,
Media,
TV
By Los Angeles Times
(Frederick M. Brown/Getty)
Broadway dancers, crime victims, unfaithful spouses and soul-food chefs are coming to OWN:The Oprah Winfrey Network, the network announced during its upfront presentation on Thursday.
Six new unscripted series were added to OWN, though there was no news of the most anticipated OWN series: an Oprah Winfrey show, which is expected to launch in September after her daytime talk show ends. Get the full story>>
Thursday at 12:51 p.m.
Filed under:
Jobs/employment
By Associated Press
Illinois’ unemployment rate fell to 8.8 percent in March, improving for the 14th consecutive month, the Illinois Department of Employment Security said Thursday.
The March rate was down one-tenth of a percentage point from February and is the lowest jobless rate since February 2009, when it was 8.6 percent. Get the full story »
By Reuters
A Best Buy store in Alexandria, Va. (Reuters)
Best Buy Co. Inc. plans to boost its Web presence and open a greater number of small stores in the United States targeting mobile customers in an effort to win back market share from the likes of Amazon.com Inc and Wal-Mart Stores Inc .
The news came after many investors had raised concerns about the retailer’s huge overhead costs and oversized stores at a time when many shoppers go online to buy gadgets. Get the full story »
Thursday at 12:25 p.m.
Filed under:
Litigation,
Retail
By Mary Ellen Podmolik
Sears Roebuck and Co. and one of its companies have filed suit in U.S. District Court in Chicago against a Georgia online company for selling a sexual enhancement product marketed under the “DieHard” brand name.
Sears and KCD IP LLC, an affiliate of Sears which owns trademark rights to “DieHard,” charge that RockHard Laboratories LLC and RockHard Laboratories Holdings LLC infringed on its trademark and caused its reputation to suffer from the online marketing of RockHard’s topical desensitizing spray. Get the full story »
Thursday at 11:53 a.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Recalls
By Reuters
Ford Motor Co. and U.S. safety regulators have agreed to a greatly expanded recall of the best-selling vehicle in North America, the Ford F-150 pickup truck, the regulators said on Thursday. Get the full story »
Thursday at 11:36 a.m.
Filed under:
Economy,
Policy,
Politics,
Updated
By Reuters
The recent surge in oil prices is no prelude to broader price increases that would force the U.S. Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, two top Fed officials said on Thursday. Get the full story »
Thursday at 11:35 a.m.
Filed under:
Food,
Packaged foods,
Updated
By Tribune newspapers
A shopper outside of a Jewel-Osco at 370 N. Desplaines in Chicago. (Chicago Tribune photo by Antonio Perez)
Stock for SuperValu Inc., the Minneapolis-based grocery giant that owns Jewel-Osco, soared 20 percent Thursday when the company’s full-year income fell less than expected — despite poor performance in the Chicago and Northeast markets.
The company was able to stem its drop in gross margins, helped by better timing of special offers and more financial backing for deals from vendors. Get the full story »
Thursday at 11:27 a.m.
Filed under:
Chicago executives
By Becky Yerak
PrivateBancorp Inc. Chief Executive Larry Richman saw his total compensation for 2010 rise to $2.68 million from $883,991, as the Chicago-based bank turned profitable recently but still logged another money-losing year. Get the full story »
Thursday at 11:20 a.m.
Filed under:
Food,
IPOs,
Restaurants,
Updated
By Reuters
Shares of Arcos Dorados Holdings, a large South American franchisee of fast-food chain McDonald’s, rose 27 percent in their stock market debut as investors clamored for exposure to the famous brand in a region with booming consumer spending. Get the full story »
Thursday at 11:17 a.m.
Filed under:
Litigation
By Reuters
The parents of the Michigan toddler accidentally served alcohol at an Applebee’s restaurant last week have filed suit against the chain’s parent company, saying its employees have made similar mistakes with other children. Get the full story »