J.C. Penney hopes revamped home department will draw new customers
J.C. Penney is turning its attention to its home department as part of a bigger plan to transform its stores into mini-malls of sorts.The struggling department store chain is unveiling revamped home...
View ArticleOhio per capita income on rise
DAYTON: Ohio’s per capita income rose at one of the fastest rates in the nation last year, another sign that the Rust Belt state’s economy is bouncing back after the recession.The measure that includes...
View ArticleSurvey: Private employers add 158,000 jobs in March
WASHINGTON: A survey shows U.S. companies added fewer jobs in March compared with the previous month, as construction firms held off on hiring after three months of solid gains.Payroll processor ADP...
View ArticleBusiness news briefs — April 4
LOCAL BUSINESSWomen’s luncheon plannedJennifer Thomas, Akron program director for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, will speak at the Greater Akron Chamber KNOW luncheon April 17 at the...
View ArticleMore taxpayers are waiting to file, and experts say now is the time
The mad dash for April 15 is especially crowded with procrastinating taxpayers this year.More Americans than usual have waited until the last two weeks to send their tax returns to the Internal Revenue...
View ArticleOmnova Solutions’ weak first quarter leads to sell-off
Omnova Solutions Inc. says its first quarter is historically its weakest financially, and results reported Wednesday were no exception.Shares were sold off in the $1.1 billion Fairlawn polymer,...
View ArticleAs Facebook matures, is it losing its edge?
To see what Facebook has become, look no further than the Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer.Sometime last year, people began sharing tongue-in-cheek online reviews of the banana-shaped piece of yellow plastic...
View ArticleU.S. unemployment aid applications jump to 385,000
WASHINGTON: The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid rose to a four-month high last week, although the increase partly reflects seasonal distortions around the spring holidays.Weekly...
View ArticlePlain Dealer to switch to three-day home delivery
The Plain Dealer announced this morning that it will reduce home delivery of its print edition to three days a week this summer as it transitions to an online focus.The three-day home delivery...
View ArticleHead of high-profile neighborhood development group resigns
Eric Anthony Johnson is resigning from the top post at University Park Alliance, a high-profile Akron nonprofit seeking to renew a large geographical area in the city’s core.Johnson, who was appointed...
View ArticleWalgreen clinics expand care into chronic illness
Walgreen Co. has stretched the reach of its drugstore clinics beyond treating ankle sprains and sinus infections to handling chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma and high blood pressure.The...
View ArticleSchulman extends CEO contract at board discretion, promotes possible heir
A. Schulman Inc.’s chief executive officer may stay at the helm through 2016 while a newly promoted senior manager prepares as a short-list candidate for eventual CEO succession at the Fairlawn polymer...
View ArticleBusiness news briefs — April 4
LOCAL BUSINESSDowntown’s success is topicThe Cleveland-based Urban Land Institute will present a program Thursday on Akron’s success in restoring downtown.The program will run from 3:30 to 7 p.m. at...
View ArticleRPM leaks profits as federal government investigates roofing contracts
Charges associated with a federal investigation into government roofing contracts led to a third-quarter loss of more than $42 million for RPM International Inc.The $3.8 billion Medina coatings and...
View ArticleFacebook introduces smartphone software to boost ad revenue
Facebook Inc. on Thursday unveiled smartphone software that puts social-networking features front and center on a handset, stepping up efforts to boost sales of advertising on small screens.The new...
View ArticleU.S. economy adds 88,000 jobs, unemployment rate drops to 7.6 percent
WASHINGTON: U.S. employers added just 88,000 jobs in March, the fewest in nine months and a sharp retreat after a period of strong hiring. The slowdown may signal that the economy is heading into a...
View ArticleFirstMerit shareholders approve buying Citizens Republic bank
FirstMerit Corp. is getting bigger.Shareholders in the Akron banking company Friday morning approved the purchase of Michigan-based Citizens Republic Bancorp along with all other items on the agenda...
View ArticleKFC to offer boneless chicken
KFC is stripping out the bones to make it easier for people to eat its chicken.The fast-food chain is introducing deep-fried boneless chicken pieces on April 14 as an alternative to its traditional...
View ArticleChesapeake resorts to stop-gap leadership move
When a company issues a release at 4:55 p.m. on Good Friday, it’s not good news.That’s the timing Chesapeake Energy chose to tell investors it hasn’t found the chief executive for which it’s been...
View ArticleStocks end lower after disappointing jobs report
NEW YORK: Stocks fell on Wall Street Friday after the government reported a sharp slowdown in hiring last month that was far worse than economists had expected.The Dow Jones industrial average ended...
View Article