Companies must create customer, employee safety plans as part of reopening
The state is launching a marketplace for small businesses to help them acquire the face masks, sanitizer and other supplies they might need to reopen.
Retail
Articles
Self-storage firm installing solar panels at some local sites
Utah-based Extra Space Storage, the nation’s second-largest self-storage operator, plans to add the solar panels to five Indianapolis sites this year, and additional sites after that.
COVID-19 pushes small retailers toward e-commerce
Pedcor Cos. is promoting an e-commerce web site for its Carmel City Center retail tenants, some of whom had sold little or no merchandise online until COVID-19 came along.
Kite Realty Group to launch small-tenant COVID-19 loan program
The loan program, geared toward Kite tenants that operate fewer than five retail locations, will accept applications beginning Friday. Industry experts say many mall tenants weren’t able to pay April rent.
Gamers may have a cure for distressed American shopping malls
With store vacancies at an eight-year high, retail landlords see the potential of gamers someday pouring out of their basements and into their shopping meccas as a kind of lifeline.
Q&A with Rico Elmore, Fatheadz CEO
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Indianapolis-based Fatheadz Eyewear and its production partners have started making personal protective equipment for front-line health care workers. Fatheadz CEO Rico Elmore said he shifted the company’s work to safety goggles, safety glasses and splash shields for many reasons, including keeping his employees working. The company is one of […]
Coronavirus restrictions delay local retail openings
Most business owners say they’ll be ready to open as soon as—or shortly after—coronavirus-related restrictions are lifted.
U.S. retail sales saw unprecedented 8.7% plunge in March
Automobile and clothing store sales collapsed during the month, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Sales at restaurants and bars also plummeted. But grocery store business soared.
Fauci says parts of U.S. could open next month
He says a “rolling re-entry” will be required based on the status of the new coronavirus pandemic in various parts of the country.
Scandinavian Designs furniture chain set to enter market
The California-based company has 38 stores in 10 states. Its planned Indianapolis location, at a former Toys “R” Us store near Castleton Square Mall, will be its first in the state.
Carryout just isn’t cutting it for many local restaurants
Some local restaurants trying to stay afloat without dine-in service report sales have plunged by two-thirds or more, raising questions about how much longer they’ll be able to survive.
Asbury Automotive furloughs 215 employees at local car dealerships
Asbury, which has eight Indianapolis-area dealerships, said it’s furloughing 2,300 employees across its 10-state operating footprint due to a sharp drop-off in sales and service revenue.
Governor tightens retail restrictions, requires liquor stores to switch to takeout
The new executive order, which extends the stay-at-home directive through April 20, includes many of the same provisions as the initial order, which took effect March 25, but it adds new language in an attempt to strengthen the existing guidelines and creates an Enforcement Response Team to ensure businesses are complying.
Isaiah Kuperstein, local grocer and noted Holocaust historian, dies from COVID-19
In addition to being the longtime owner of the Indianapolis-based Double 8 Foods grocery chain, Kuperstein was the first director of education for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
Retail landlords weigh tenant-relief requests
Local landlords say they’re willing to offer relief to some of their retail tenants who’ve been hit hard by coronavirus-related closures—but the amount of relief, if any, varies depending on circumstances.
Mall giant Simon chops corporate staff as COVID-19 wreaks havoc
The company is cutting more than 100 employees and furloughing others as it weathers the temporary shutdown of much of the retail industry.
Retailers furlough 500,000 despite stimulus; more expected
Millions more are in danger of being furloughed or fired as chains reel from nationwide closures that started about two weeks ago and have totaled nearly 50,000 locations.
Sushi restaurant opens in former Milano Inn
The restaurant, part of Holladay Properties’ LaGrotte Square development, opened on the same day that a coronavirus-related prohibition on in-house restaurant dining took effect. The owners say they’ve seen good support from neighbors who have come for take-out orders in the restaurant’s first week.
Musk restaurant group closes Indy locations, won’t reopen one after virus scare
Upscale restaurant Hedge Row and the more casual Next Door both opened in Indianapolis in 2018. Both are part of The Kitchen Restaurant Group founded by Kimbal Musk.
Social distancing shifts many small businesses into survival mode
Concerns about the spread of COVID-19 have put in peril thousands of businesses, from restaurants and hotels to airlines and manufacturers of consumer goods.