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Retail

Car-Rental Companies Hit by COVID-19

The major car-rental companies are seeing major decreases in sales and profits due to flight occupancy being down 95 percent on many carriers. Hertz recently missed a payment to a group of lenders and has until May 22 to reach… more

Auto Dealers Lose $2.6B in Two Months

Auto and truck dealerships lost $2.6 billion in potential profits from the beginning of March through the start of May, says a recent J.D. Power report. Customer purchases were down $41.3 billion during the period, with new-vehicle purchases dropping $26.3… more

Eastern Jackson County Releases Recovery Phase One

Jackson County government has released its phase-one recovery plan for the eastern part of the jurisdiction. Starting on May 11, retail stores will be able to reopen at 25 percent occupancy for store under 10,000 square feet and larger ones… more

Costco, Wendy’s Others Limit Meat Purchases

A national meat shortage has spurred many restaurants and retailers to scale back on meat offerings to customers. In the case of fast-food burger chain Wendy's, it is warning customers of potentially limited menus due to the shortages in the… more

Report: 20.2 Million Jobs Lost in April

Private-sector employment lost 20.2 million positions between April and May, according to the ADP National Employment Report, making it the biggest drop in its history. "Job losses of this scale are unprecedented," said Ahu Yildirmaz, co-head of the ADP Research… more

Kansas Employment To Decline 10.2%

Kansas employment is expected to decline by 10.2 percent, according to a report by the Center for Economic Development and Business Research, based in Wichita. That decline would mean a contraction of about 140,000 jobs, most of the losses taking… more

Is J.Crew Bankruptcy Just the Beginning?

J.Crew, which has namesake locations on the Country Club Plaza and Leawood, as well as Madewell locations in those areas and a factory store in Legends Outlets Kansas City, has filed for bankruptcy. Industry watchers say that J.Crew won't be… more

Buffett Drops Airline Stocks, Big on Furniture Mart

Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett's investment company, has sold its shares of the four largest airlines after taking a $50-billion loss during its most recent quarter. However, the company still has $137.3 billion in cash. "The world has changed for the… more

Kansas Reopening Plan Starts Monday

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly last night released her plan to reopen the Kansas economy in the wake of COVID-19, as the state reported 500 new cases in one day. The first phase will look much the same as things are… more

AMC Gets Into Feud With Universal Studios

Leawood-based AMC Theatres, considered the country's largest cinema chain, is taking a stand against Universal Studios' decision to provide direct-to-home movies to consumers. As a result of Universal saying it would release films in that format from now on, as… more