The U.S. tax reform pushed by the Trump Administration has prompted many corporations to announce bonuses and wage hikes for their employees. Starbucks is one of the latest to boost its compensation and benefits package in light of the recent changes in U.S. tax law. Ron Crawford, VP of Benefits at Starbucks, was with us to discuss the company's investment in benefits.
Starbucks said the U.S. tax reform accelerated its latest investment in paid leave and wages. Had there not been tax reform, Crawford said Starbucks still would have made investments in compensation, but the timing and the extent of it may have been different. The offerings will total more than $250 million for more than 150,000 workers.
Digital apps and emerging technologies are driving more coffee runs to Starbucks, says Crawford. He believes digitization has brought more customers to its stores and boosted interactions between customers and employees. Starbucks is pumping in $7 billion of capital to build and renovate stores, manufacturing plants and technology platforms in the U.S. over the next five years.
Collectables brand Funko Pop! is struggling to off load inventory and now plans to eliminate approximately $30 million to $36 million dollars worth of product.
Public relations expert and successful TikToker Robyn DelMonte joined Cheddar News to provide some insight into effective strategies for building a brand through social media.
Danielle DiMartino Booth, CEO and chief strategist of Quill Intelligence, joined Cheddar News to discuss the market that is still digesting comments from the Federal Reserve about its monetary policy.
A study by research company Euromonitor International found that the number of available banking machines in the U.S. has dropped by more than 18,000 since 2019.
The Week's Top Stories is a guided tour through the biggest market stories of the week, from winning stocks to brutal dips to the facts and forecasts generating buzz on Wall Street.
