WALMART CUTS 450 JOBS AT HEADQUARTERS
new york» Walmart laid off 450 workers at its headquarters Friday as the world’s largest retailer attempts to become more nimble so it can compete better with the likes of Amazon.com.
More than 18,000 people work at the headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. The cuts were across all areas, from finance to global ecommerce.
The layoffs arrived less than two months after Walmart trimmed its annual earnings outlook as profits fell. That is partly because of hefty investments Walmart has made in e-commerce as well as higher wages for hourly workers.
4.6 million customers affected in Scottrade hack B
new york» Online stock brokerage company Scottrade says the names and addresses of about 4.6 million of its customers might have been stolen by hackers.
The company said Friday that the FBI recently informed it of the hack, which occurred between late 2013 and early 2014. St. Louisbased Scottrade says that Social Security numbers, e-mail addresses and other sensitive information was hacked, but hackers focused on stealing customer names and addresses.
Blue Bell to restart plant
B brenham, texas» Blue Bell plans to restart its main Texas ice cream-making plant in a few months as sales expand following listeria contamination and cleanup. Blue Bell said Thursday that its products will return in Texas to the Dallas, Fort Worth and Waco areas Nov. 2, plus Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla.
Russian airline in crisis
B moscow» Russia’s second-largest airline, Transaero, is in crisis after two creditors on Friday said they will file bankruptcy proceedings following the collapse of a takeover plan.
Transaero has been struggling with debt, and last month a government commission arranged for most of the company’s shares to be taken over by the country’s largest carrier, statecontrolled Aeroflot.
Chick-fil-A opening in NYC
B new york» Chick-fil-A will open an outpost in New York City on Saturday, marking a high-profile milestone in its push to become a bigger national player. The Atlanta-based chain known for its fried chicken sandwiches is opening nearly 100 new locations a year.