Whether you’re a small business or a large corporation, there are always news stories happening that will impact your business. In this post, we’ll take a look at the top five business news stories of the week and what you should do to keep up with the latest developments. From Brexit to mergers and acquisitions, there’s always something happening in the business world that you need to be aware of. Keep up with the latest headlines and make sure your business is ready for whatever comes next.
Google Announces Plans to Build a New Campus in Nashville
Google announced plans to build a new campus in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday. The new campus will be located in the North End of the city and is expected to house up to 10,000 employees. Google says that the new campus will help create “more jobs and growth” in Nashville. The company also says that it will invest $1 billion in the Nashville area over the next several years.
Amazon Announces Plans to Add a Second Headquarters in Seattle
On Monday, Amazon announced plans to add a second headquarters in Seattle. The expansion will bring new jobs and investment to the city and is expected to create more than 50,000 jobs. The new headquarters will be equal in size to its current headquarters in Seattle and will cost around $5 billion to build. This news comes on the heels of other major announcements from Amazon this week, including the launch of its own line of smart speakers, the Echo Look, and a new Prime membership program that includes free two-day shipping on eligible items.
McDonald’s Rolls Out its New Menu Item – The McGriddle McMuffin
McDonald’s new menu item – The McGriddle McMuffin – is quickly becoming a popular choice for breakfast. The sandwich is made up of two McGriddles, which are pre-made sandwiches that are then grilled. It’s available in both regular and large sizes, and costs $5.49.
The McGriddle McMuffin has already become a big hit with customers, with sales increasing by 20% since it was first introduced last week. McDonald’s says that the sandwich is now being sold out almost everywhere it’s available.
Commenting on the success of the new menu item, McDonald’s USA president Chris Kempczinski said: “The McGriddle McMuffin is another great addition to our breakfast lineup and we’re seeing great response from our customers.”
This new menu item follows in the footsteps of other successful McDonald’s launches in recent years, including the McRib sandwich and the Big Mac burger. With its variety of options and affordable prices, the fast food giant seems to be doing a good job of keeping its customers happy.
Snapchat Lays Off Hundreds of Employees Following Poor Reception of Its New Spectacles
Snapchat, the social media platform known for its rapid-fire messaging app, announced on Monday that it had laid off hundreds of employees in an effort to improve the company’s flagging fortunes.
The layoffs, which have affect all departments of the company, came just days after Snapchat released its new Spectacles product – a pair of glasses that allow users to take and share multimedia content on the app. However, despite strong early reviews from customers, sales of Spectacles have been sluggish, with many analysts attributing this to the steep price tag of $130 per pair.
In light of these disappointing results, Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel has instructed his team to focus on refining the Spectacles experience rather than pushing them aggressively into the market. “We made a big bet on hardware and we’re going to need to be very disciplined about how we spend our resources,” Spiegel said in a statement. “We’ve got tons of great ideas and we know where we need to go but it will take time and patience.”
Although SNAP’s stock prices dropped by 5 percent following news of the layoffs, analysts say that they are not yet convinced that Snapchat is headed for total obsolescence. “While there is definitely some risk here given how unproven their hardware product is at this point in time, I still think there’s considerable potential for Snapchat to rebound over time,” wrote RBC analyst Michael Pachter in a report Tuesday.
Walmart Unveils Plans to Open More Than 2,000 Cashier-Free Stores by 2022
Today, Walmart announced plans to open more than 2,000 cashier-free stores by 2022. The move is part of the retail giant’s effort to reduce its reliance on human workers and increase automation.
The company said that the robots will be used for tasks such as bagging groceries and helping customers check out. The goal is to make shopping more efficient for customers and employees, who will no longer have to wait in line or take orders from a cashier.
Walmart has been testing the machines out in some stores since last year and says that they’re performing well. The company estimates that the robots will save employees about $1 billion over the course of five years.
This isn’t the first time Walmart has made waves with its automation plans. In March, it announced plans to install hundreds of robots in its China subsidiary so that they can do tasks such as packing boxes and scanning inventory.
