Economic news tidbits, as businesses court new customers:
Calgary’s downtown Hudson’s Bay store will soon boast an Oliver & Bonacini restaurant, as the chain’s makeover, which began in Toronto, continues out west. There are also plans for a lounge and event space, promising both Bay Days and nights.
In an effort to better reflect the overall stock market, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is ditching the stocks of Bank of America, Hewlett-Packard and aluminium giant Alcoa, in favour of Nike, Goldman Sachs and Visa. The three new faces are known, respectively, for marketing, risk-taking and consumer debt. Sounds about right.
Starbucks is asking customers not to bring handguns into its U.S. stores. In an open letter, CEO Howard Schultz explained that pro-gun activists have being using stores to stage media events, putting the firm in the middle of an “increasingly uncivil” debate.
In its ongoing quest for relevance, Canada Post says it’s planning to roll out a same-day delivery service for online shoppers in Toronto. The Crown corporation says it has already struck deals with the likes of Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Indigo. The best part? Deliveries will be made until 9 p.m., when customers might actually be home.