It will take 217 years for women to achieve equal pay, at the current rate, according to the World Economic Forum. So we can expect many more stories of women earning far less than their male peers – such as the recent case of Carrie Gracie at the BBC, who recently resigned over a pay...
Commerce
The Ikea Effect: How Ingvar Kamprad’s Company Changed the Way We Shop
Ingvar Kamprad, who started Ikea as a teenager, has died at the age of 91. He started with stationery and stockings, but went on to build one of the world’s biggest furniture companies. And the way he did it has revolutionised how retailers operate. There are two facets of modern life that we have Ikea...
Macron’s Pledge to Wipe Out Coal Is Just as Meaningless as Trump’s Plan to Revive It
In a speech at the 2018 World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland, French President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted to “make France a model in the fight against climate change” and promised to shut all coal-fired power plants by 2021 – two years earlier than the timetable put forward by his predecessor. While...
Why Americans Will Never Agree on Oil Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
After decades of bitter struggle, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge seems on the verge of being opened to the oil industry. The consensus tax bill Republicans are trying to pass retains this measure, which was added to gain the key vote of Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. This bill, however, stands no chance of being the...
Coach Inc. Buys Kate Spade, Creating “Accessible Modern Luxury” Group
On Monday, Coach Inc. reached an agreement to purchase Kate Spade & Company for a cash transaction of $2.4 billion funded by a combination of senior notes, bank term loans, and approximately $1.2 billion of excess Coach cash, a portion of which will be used to repay an expected $800 million six-month term loan. The...
Macy’s Profit Falls Nearly 13 Percent as Sales Drop
NEW YORK (AP) — Macy’s, the nation’s largest department store chain, says its earnings for the quarter that includes the holiday period dropped nearly 13 percent as results were dragged down by lower sales, store closures and other costs. The profit results beat Wall Street expectations, but Macy’s said it would post another year of...
Levi Strauss Seeks Sustainable Supply Chain with Recycled Cotton
Levi Strauss is committed to manufacturing all of its denim from sustainable cotton by the year 2025. There is just one problem..the technology to produce quality denim from worn cotton has not been invented yet. Just a small percent of the cotton Levi’s uses comes from recycled sources, the majority comes from virgin cotton. The $4.5...
Made in New York Complex to Boost City’s Fashion and Film Industries
Earlier this week, New York mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city’s planned investment in Sunset Park, Brooklyn- a complex at Bush Terminal dedicated to New York’s garment and film industry. The Made in New York complex, part of the Sunset Park District Plan, led by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), is...
Macy’s To Close 100 Stores, Focus on e-Commerce Development
Macy’s said it plans to close about 100 stores, or 14 percent of its store base, and would continue to seek partnerships for its flagship locations as it seeks to turn around its business after six quarters of falling sales. Department stores have been struggling with stiff competition from online and off-price retailers. They are...