LOCAL BUSINESS
Builder unveils model home
Wayne Homes announced a new model home with weekend showings today and Sunday at its Akron-Medina model home center.
The privately owned company that has operations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan and West Virginia said it is celebrating its 40th year in 2013. George Murphy is president of the company, which employs 160 and is based in Green.
The new model is called the McAllister with a three-bedroom, two-bath ranch floor plan. Hours for the grand opening are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at 3859 Eastern Road in Norton.
For more information, visit www.waynehomes.com or call 866-253-6807.
RETAIL
Publisher drops Paula Deen
Paula Deen’s upcoming cookbook, currently the No. 1 seller on Amazon.com, has been dropped by its publisher.
In a brief statement Friday, Ballantine Books announced it had canceled publication of Paula Deen’s New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up. The book was scheduled for October.
Deen has lost many of her business relationships following revelations that she used racial slurs in the past. Sears and J.C. Penney said on Friday that they’re cutting ties with Deen, following similar announcements from Wal-Mart Stores, Target and Home Depot.
MANUFACTURING
Alcoa to close Italy smelter
Alcoa Inc., the largest U.S. aluminum supplier, will permanently close its Fusina smelter in Italy, removing 44,000 metric tons of production capacity after a slump in global metal prices.
Output at the plant in Venice has been curtailed since June 2010, Alcoa said in a statement. Restructuring charges related to the move will be between $30 million and $35 million, or about 3 cents a share, the company said. The Alcoa rolling mill at Fusina isn’t affected, it said.
AUTO INDUSTRY
Diesel option for Ram truck
Chrysler Group LLC said it will offer a V-6 diesel engine as an option for Ram 1500 pickup trucks. The 3-liter diesel engine will be priced $2,850 more than the 5.7-liter Hemi gasoline V-8, the company said. Chrysler also offers the pickup with a 3.6-liter V-6 gasoline engine.
ENTERTAINMENT
Netflix orders more episodes
Netflix Inc., the leading online subscription-video service, ordered more episodes of the exclusive prison comedy series Orange Is the New Black before the program’s debut.
The renewal highlights the confidence Netflix has in original and exclusive content to win and keep subscribers. Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said in May at a conference in New York the company is spending around 5 percent of its $2 billion annual content budget on originals, and aims for as much as 15 percent within the next few years.
The company is also upgrading its technology to make finding programs easier.
EARNINGS
BlackBerry posts quarterly loss
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion posted a loss in the first quarter and failed to break out how many of its new BlackBerrys were sold.
Analysts were hoping to see how BlackBerry’s new touchscreen Z10 phone sold for a full quarter in the U.S. market. RIM only said it sold 6.8 million phones overall versus 7.8 million last year. That includes older models.
RIM’s new Blackberry 10 operating system is widely seen as critical to the company’s comeback.
The Canadian company said that it lost $84 million, or 16 cents a share, in the three months ended June 1 on revenue of $3.1 billion. It lost $518 million, or 99 cents per share, on revenue of $2.8 billion a year ago.
Analysts expected RIM to earn 5 cents a share on revenue of $3.37 billion.
RIM also said it anticipates it will generate an operating loss in the second quarter.
RUBBER
Global inventories to rise
Global rubber stockpiles will probably expand to the highest in more than a decade as slower economic growth damps demand, according to The Rubber Economist.
Reserves will increase to 2.2 million tons by December, the largest since a record 2.68 million tons in 2000, the London-based industry adviser said in its quarterly report. That compares with 1.8 million tons a year earlier, it said.
Compiled from staff and wire reports.