By Tom Hals, Supriya Kurane and Yashaswini Swamynathan Storied supermarket chain Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., better known as A&P, has filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time in five years and put hundreds of its stores up for sale, bringing to an end the 156-year-old company. A&P, which also owns Best Cellars, Pathmark and Superfresh stores, has been squeezed by discounters such as Walmart Stores (WMT) and up-market grocery chains such as Whole Foods Market (WFM). The company operates in six Northeastern U.S. states.
A&P agreed to sell about 120 of its 296 stores for about $600 million to Acme Markets, owner of Safeway and Albertsons grocery stores, Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. and Key Food Stores Co-operative. However, the proposed buyers weren't willing to take on A&P's collective bargaining agreements or pension obligations, according to court documents. About 93 percent of A&P's 28,500 workers are unionized,…Spacepak is the Future in Carry-on Luggage
Spacepack Demo: Pack 2 Weeks of Clothes in a Carry-on
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Spacepak Packing Solution
If you're a constant traveler or simply the kind that likes to keep it together instead of being in complete disaray, you possibly want to maintain all your travel belongings separated and nice throughout your trip. Many regular travelers likewise hate taking a lot of pieces of travel luggage with them even for a lengthy journey. Both problems can be addressed by Spacepak bags by Flight 001, yet are they worth the cost?
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Big Supermarket Retailer Accused of Overcharging Consumers
Was Whole Foods Caught with Their Hands in the Cookie Jar?
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After paying a settlement in California, the chain is now under fire in NYC
Turns out there might be a reason Whole Foods is not America’s favorite grocery store.
New York City investigators have launched a probe of the chain after finding that local stores have regularly overcharged shoppers over the last five years, according to a report by the Daily News.
The investigation comes just a year after Whole Foods had to pay an $800,000 settlement in California because inspectors found the chain caused customers to overpay for food that was priced by weight.
In New York, consumer protection agents say they found violations that included inaccurate weight labels on pre-packaged food and adding tax to non-taxable items.
“Our inspectors told me it was the worst case of overcharges that they’ve ever seen,” New York City Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Julie Menin told the News.…
Discounted Gym Membership Secrets to Savings
Saving on Gym Memberships
Top Discounted Gym Memberships in the CountryDiscount gyms offering affordable memberships and endless rows of cardio machines are exploding in number and popularity, and one prominent chain may even soon go public. On May 26, Planet Fitness, a fast-growing chain owned by private equity firm TPG Consumer Partners, filed draft documents for an initial public offering. The submission to the Securities and Exchange Commission doesn't disclose what ticker symbol the company would be listed, and the number of shares to be sold and the price range have yet to be determined, according to Planet Fitness.
Should Planet Fitness raise cash via an IPO, it would be well-positioned to expand even more aggressively in what remains a very fragmented gym facility industry. According to research firm IBIS World, the 50 largest gym companies in the country together control only about 30 percent of the market, and there are only a dozen or so compa…