What to do about Williamsburg’s empty stores (Virginia Gazette) At Williamsburg Crossing, almost every other storefront is empty. Ten years ago it was the place. What happened? The answer isn’t as simple as over-building of stores, experts say. Instead, the decline reflects a shift in how new housing was planned or expanded. Yokohama furloughs workers… Read more »
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Circuit City’s HQ tag sale
Let the rummaging begin. Blu-Ray players, promotional displays, Hawaiian shirts and wireless routers were among the hundreds of items on display in a downstairs conference room at Circuit City’s former headquarters on Broad Street. A liquidation employee said the brand-new goods were pulled from one closet.
Guest Opinion: Potential franchisee, know thyself
The views expressed in Guest Opinions represent only those of the author and are in no way endorsed by Richmond BizSense or any BizSense staff member. Let me start my first column on franchising with a declaration: 2008 is over. It was a brutal year. Some of you might have felt some of the pain… Read more »
NewsFeeds 2.20.09
Virginian-Pilot to lay off 30 more, close Mix and Port Folio (Virginian-Pilot) The Virginian-Pilot, battling the recession, will lay off 30 more workers and suspend the print version of Port Folio Weekly, its 26-year-old free arts and entertainment weekly. Advance Auto unveils plan to tailor inventory (Roanoke Times) Rather than placing basically the same combination… Read more »
Digital media tax passes General Assembly
Yesterday the General Assembly approved a 10 percent tax on hotel room media purchases to fund the attraction of film production projects to the state. The House of Delegates passed the bill with a vote of 69-27. The Senate approved the bill earlier this month by a vote of 36 to 3. The bill now… Read more »
Food distributor laying off almost 100
Locally-based food distributor Performance Food Group is downsizing its purchasing division. About 98 people will lose their jobs, according to paperwork filed with the Commonwealth of Virginia. Last Friday, the company announced that its independent purchasing organization, Progressive Group Alliance, would outsource its food service and group purchasing operations to Atlanta-based UniPro. The deal was… Read more »
NewsFeeds 2.19.09
Media General to furlough employees (Times-Dispatch) The economic downturn will mean two weeks of unpaid time off this year for employees of Richmond-based Media General Inc. The parent company of the Richmond Times-Dispatch said yesterday that its employees will be required to take 10 days without pay by the end of September. The mandatory furloughs… Read more »
Richmond libraries boosted by the slump
The public library is back en vogue. Circulation of books and DVDs at Richmond Public Library are up 11 percent month to month over last year, according to Harriet Coalter, the city’s library director. The number of people using library computers is also up 11 percent. Coalter said the poor economy is behind the up tick… Read more »
Second round of layoffs at PrecisionIR
White-collar jobs continue to disappear in Richmond. PrecisionIR, an investor relations technology company based in Chesterfield, let go about 40 workers yesterday, including 16 in Richmond.
NewsFeeds 2.18.09
The Umpire’s New Clothes (Style Weekly) In times of despair, messages of hope can lift the spirit and offer respite from seemingly insolvable problems. Or they can elicit eye-rolling, pugnacious disdain. On any given night, depending on the civic association or community group receiving the message, the developers pitching a new ballpark in Shockoe Bottom… Read more »