NAVASOTA, Texas (KBTX) – January saw the most significant jump in retail sales that the United States has seen in almost two years. Businesses like Southern Charm Boutique & Salon in Navasota have seen a substantial increase of 36% from this time last year. “I was expecting maybe five to 10% because of the traffic that we’ve seen but not the numbers that we actually are seeing,” said owner Tanya Ingram. Director of Texas A&M Center of Retail Studies Thomas McMillan says a few factors have played into this spike. More people are making bigger purchases like cars and the weather compared to last year is better suited for consumers to want to go out to shop in stores and eat at restaurants. January of 2022 also saw higher numbers of COVID cases. “Omicron was pretty prevalent so when you compare the January to January numbers there’s just a lot more people outside and taking advantage and things of that nature,” said McMillan. Experts also expect the numbers to not stay as high as they are as the year goes on. Copyright 2023 KBTX. All rights reserved.

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SANTA FE — A plan to add New Mexico to the list of states that provide government-run family leave allowing workers to take paid time off for births, illnesses and injuries is encountering turbulence at the Roundhouse, with some businesses expressing opposition and a new legislative analysis suggesting the program could be more expensive to administer than previously projected. But supporters are pushing back, with Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, an Albuquerque Democrat, questioning the math of legislative analysts and saying proponents have offered to make adjustments to the bill to address business concerns. “We’ve worked for two years on the bill,” Stewart told the Journal. “We have plenty of businesses that are supporting this.” She also said backers have learned from the experiences of other states with paid family leave programs, such as Washington, which had to raise its employee and business premiums twice to ensure the solvency of its fund. Since being filed, the paid family leave bill, Senate Bill 11, has passed one Senate committee and is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee. Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, talks with Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, before the start of […]

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( Louisiana Illuminator ) – The Louisiana State Bond Commission might further limit the state’s business with large banks based on their dealings with gun manufacturers and energy companies. Critics fear such a restriction could cost taxpayers more money by limiting competition for the state’s banking business. Bond commission members intend to interview representatives from a handful of banks next week about their firearms and energy policies. If the banks’ views don’t align with the perspective of the Republican-majority commission, they could be removed from a list of qualified institutions that are invited to bid on state business, including an upcoming $275 million bond sale. Attorney General Jeff Landry’s office pushed Thursday to disqualify six national banks – JPMorgan Chase & Co., Barclays, Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Canada, UBS and Wells Fargo – from Louisiana’s list of pre-approved financial institutions. But state legislators on the Bond Commission refused to exclude them before interviewing the banks’ representatives first. Craig Cassagne, who represented the attorney general’s office at Thursday’s Bond Commission meeting, told the other members that JPMorgan should be blackballed because it limits the business it does with gun manufacturers that sell military-style weapons to people under 21. The […]

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In a recent speech , Gov. Jared Polis remarked that business leaders need to run for school board elections. This reinforced the notion that there should be elevated corporate involvement in public schools to ensure school districts respond to what businesses want from the next generation of the workforce. But involvement — especially at this level of policymaking — requires more than just sitting in the school board seats. It means embracing the fundamental role public education plays in our society and generating the community engagement required to fulfill that role. We, the public, are responsible for our schools. While school districts ensure the infrastructure is in place to make quality teaching and learning possible, the larger community needs to ensure the necessary supports are in place for students to access. So, let’s get three points clear: First, public education should serve the community at large, and not just specific sectors. Our city is strengthened by every student who graduates ready to lead a successful life. We need students who can function in — and uphold — a just, democratic, and civil society. Fortunately, there has been an increase in corporate collaboration with school districts to create more accessible […]

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The Internal Revenue Service, Small Business & Reporting Team, will be hosting a VIRTUAL Program Manager/Contracting Officer (PM/CO) Vendor Outreach Session (VOS) for the Information Technology Division of the Bureau of Engraving & Printing (BEP), Enterprise Strategic Planning and Management Division (ESPMD) on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm. This VOS event is open to all SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS offering Information Technology services and supplies. Small Disadvantaged Businesses, as well as small business concerns that are also prime contract holders of a Government-Wide Contract Vehicle (GWAC) are encouraged to attend . Small Businesses will have an opportunity to present their capabilities to Program Office personnel within the BEP IT ESPM Division; Contracting Officers within the BEP IT Office of Procurement; and the IRS Small Business Program Office. The VOS’s are pre-arranged 15-minute appointments with Contracting Officers and Program Managers, jointly, from Information Technology components within the BEP, ESPM Division. ESPM’s mission is to provide strategic planning and program management support to improve IT governance; provide acquisition support for the applications development staff; and direct, manage and oversee the IT architectural framework for the Bureau. These sessions provide the small business community an opportunity to discuss […]

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Retailers seem to agree that one sector that’s ripe for disruption is healthcare. Multiple companies are making moves to fill the gaps they see by investing in providing health and wellness services for their customers. Scott Benedict, an executive at Rogers marketing agency WhyteSpyder, said healthcare is another battleground for retailers given the continued state of disarray in the sector. He said healthcare services are traffic drivers and also a way for retailers to provide solutions that their customers need and appreciate. “There is a halo effect that can result from the pharmacy and health and wellness services provided by retailers,” Benedict said. “It can take time to profit from these services themselves, but with the customer loyalty you can build and trip occurrence, you can add to the profits and eventually support an extra revenue stream.” CLINICAL TRIALS In recent weeks, grocery giant Kroger said its healthcare division launched a network of clinical trial sites at select Kroger pharmacies and retail clinics. The announcement comes with Kroger’s first trial related to colorectal cancer. Kroger Health said it would collaborate with pharmaceutical sponsors, contract research organizations and health systems to conduct the clinical trials. The clinical trials are a […]

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Shannon Rau, owner of Martha’s Garden dog daycare and bar, says she hopes Amazon’s new work policy will boost business at her establishment in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser) Inside a dog daycare business in Seattle’s South Lake Union on Friday, a handful of pups were scurrying around and barking as if they knew something was changing in the neighborhood that Amazon calls home. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy sent a company-wide email that morning with a new mandate: corporate and tech employees need to be in the office at least three days a week. Shannon Rau, owner of the daycare, indoor dog park and human bar called Martha’s Garden , called it “great news” for her 2-year-old small business on 9th Avenue North in the heart of Amazonia adjacent to downtown Seattle. “Our whole plan was kind of based on having the Amazon crowd here,” Rau said. “Hopefully this will really create a bit of change.” Change has been rough over the past three years for businesses in Seattle and other urban centers across the country that rely on the steady drumbeat of worker foot traffic. Whether it’s a pet-friendly bar or a restaurant […]

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The Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce will host the first-ever BG Business Expo on March 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Pratt Pavilion, Wood County Fairgrounds(WHSV) BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (WTVG) – The Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce will host the first-ever BG Business Expo on March 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Pratt Pavilion, Wood County Fairgrounds, according to the BG Chamber press release. There will be over 60 local businesses and many others from around Northwest Ohio available to be seen and interacted with by the public, according to the press release. Attendees can enter drawings for various prizes, some of which include tickets to the 2023 National Tractor Pulling Championship, a six-month digital subscription to the Sentinel-Tribune, a ticket package including a meet and greet with world-renowned guitar protegee Taj Farrant and many more prizes, the press release says. As the event draws closer, a full schedule of performances will be published on the Chamber’s website . Additionally, the Cocoon and Brown Bag Food Project will collect donations during the Expo, the press release says. There will also be lunch available for purchase by attendees from the Call of the Canyon […]

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Mike Ybarra’s comments in an all-hands meeting upset some employees, but to what end? This Week in Business is our weekly recap column , a collection of stats and quotes from recent stories presented with a dash of opinion (sometimes more than a dash) and intended to shed light on various trends. Check back every Friday for a new entry. Morale at Activision Blizzard took a hit this week, which is probably a lead we could have used for any This Week in Business column of the past year and a half. This time the problems stemmed from a Blizzard Entertainment all-hands meeting that was reported on by Game Developer . The intent of the meeting was to discuss the results of an internal employee satisfaction survey, but whatever those results were, Blizzard president Mike Ybarra put on a performance that probably made them worse. In the Q&A section of the meeting, Ybarra addressed the recent decision to cut employees’ profit-sharing bonus by almost half, which couldn’t have gone over well considering Blizzard had just finished one of its strongest quarters in years , nearly doubling its operating income thanks to the launch of Overwatch 2, the mobile hit […]

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