Company News

BURBANK, CALIF. — The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) will lay off 28,000 employees who were previously furloughed due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to multiple media reports. Disney World in Orlando, Fla., and Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., both closed in mid-March due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Disney’s chief financial officer Christine McCarthy said in May that for every two weeks the parks were closed, the company lost $500 million. Disney World reopened in July with limited capacity, but Disneyland remains closed under California guidelines. A timeline for reopening has not been established. Disney chairman Josh D’Amaro sent a letter to employees Tuesday, Sept. 29 notifying workers of the impending layoffs. The letter does not disclose how many layoffs the company expects to make, but he says in the letter that layoffs will affect executive, salary and hourly roles. “Earlier this year, in response to the pandemic, we were forced to close our businesses around the world. Few of us could have imagined how significantly the pandemic would impact us — both at work and in our daily lives,” D’Amaro said in the letter. “We initially hoped that this situation would be short-lived, and that we would recover quickly and …

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NEW YORK CITY — New York-based HVAC design and engineering firm Gil-Bar Industries has acquired GBS Ltd., an air conditioning contractor based in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. As part of the deal, Metro Air Products NJ, a Gil-Bar Industries affiliate, will join the GBS Ltd. team and Gil-Bar’s New Jersey operations as a single entity that will be known as Gil-Bar Sales NJ. Former GBS principal Greg Peifer will join Gil-Bar as sales manager of a new Gil-Bar office in Philadelphia.

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JERICHO, N.Y. — J.S. Held, a global consulting firm based in Jericho, New York, has acquired Examine Construction Consultants, a firm with multiple offices in Canada that provides construction services on projects throughout North America and France. J.S. Held provides a range of real estate-related services, including property damage assessment, water and fire restoration consulting, equipment consulting and forensic architecture and engineering. Examine, which also has an office in Paris, joins a team that comprises more than 1,000 consultants around the world.

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ISSAQUAH, WASH. — Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) has reported a 12.5 percent increase in quarterly net sales in its fiscal fourth quarter, which ended Aug. 30. Costco’s sales jumped to $52.9 billion from $46.4 billion last year. Costco also experienced a 91 percent jump in quarterly e-commerce sales, resulting in a 50 percent increase over the previous year. The company’s net income for the fourth quarter was $1.4 billion, compared with $1.1 billion last year, even though this year’s fourth quarter was negatively impacted by $281 million in costs related to COVID-19 — such as premium wages and sanitation protocols — and a $36 million pre-tax charge due to prepayment of a $1.5 billion in debt. Costco recorded $4 billion in net income for the fiscal year, up from $3.7 billion in the prior year. The company currently operates 795 stores across the globe, as well as e-commerce sites in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Australia.

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NEW YORK CITY — Brandon Singer, formerly of Cushman & Wakefield, has launched Retail by MONA, a leasing and advisory firm that will serve New York City. MONA is an acronym for Making of a New Age. The company has strategic partnerships with property owners including Aby Rosen and Michael Fuchs, founders of RFR Holding. Singer will serve as CEO of the new entity, which will offer both tenant and landlord representation services. Michael Cody, also formerly with Cushman & Wakefield, will serve as director and co-founder.

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ORLANDO, FLA. — Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: DRI) has reported its sales fell 28.4 percent in its fiscal first quarter, which ended Aug. 30. The Orlando-based company owns restaurant brands including Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze and Eddie V’s. Darden reported that sales in its fine dining restaurants fell 38.9 percent year-over-year. Sales at Olive Garden slid 27.7 percent, while LongHorn saw a decrease of 16.3 percent. At the beginning of its first quarter, Darden had 68 percent of restaurants in its portfolio open, compared with 91 percent on Sept. 1. Despite the fall in sales, Darden is still progressing with its full-year outlook, which includes the addition of 35 to 40 new restaurants and total capital spending of $250 million to $300 million. As of Aug. 30, Darden operated 1,807 restaurants.

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DALLAS — August Real Estate, a Dallas-based development firm founded by brothers and industry veterans Evan and Jordan August, has launched with two redevelopment projects in the city’s historic Deep Ellum neighborhood. The first project involves the restoration of The Continental Gin Building, which was built in 1888, into a modern office complex with the feel of a boutique hotel that will feature a 22,000-square-foot coworking space from local operator Common Desk. August is also renovating the building at 333 1st Ave., which was built in 1926 and most recently occupied by Nordstrom’s Trunk Club, to offer 36,000 square feet of office space. The projects are expected to be complete in the first and second quarters of 2021, respectively.

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BEAVERTON, ORE. — Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE), the Beaverton-based footwear giant, has reported it revenues were $10.6 billion for its 2021 fiscal first quarter, which ended Aug. 31. The revenue represents a decrease of 1 percent from the same period in 2019, with its direct sales at $3.7 billion, up 12 percent, and Nike Brand digital sales swelling by 82 percent. The digital sales growth resulted from e-commerce increases across North America, Greater China, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. According to the company, its first-quarter revenue performance was impacted by strong Nike Brand digital growth, offset by lower revenue in its wholesale business and Nike-owned stores. Nearly all of the Nike-owned physical stores were open during the quarter. Despite the open stores, Nike experienced year-over-year declines in physical retail traffic across the marketplace due to COVID-19 impacts and safety-related measures. Nike’s selling and administrative expenses decreased 11 percent to $3 billion, with demand creation expense down 33 percent at $677 million primarily due to lower marketing spend as many live sporting events were postponed or cancelled. Additionally, operating overhead expense decreased 1 percent to $2.3 billion as lower travel and related expenses were slightly offset …

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WALTHAM, MASS. — Defense contractor Raytheon (NYSE: RTX) will cut approximately 15,000 jobs, primarily in its aviation departments, as a result of depressed demand for commercial air travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to multiple reports. The Massachusetts-based firm, which employs about 200,000 people nationwide, made the announcement during an earnings call last week, according to reports from multiple new outlets including CNN and Forbes. The company’s stock price opened at $61.58 per share on Tuesday, Sept. 22, down from $84.59 per share a year ago.

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ATLANTA — Corporate Property Dispositions (CPD) has hired Tom Gallagher as vice president. In the role, Gallagher will manage client requirements throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. CPD specializes in lease and sale negotiations on behalf of landlords and owners. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, where Gallagher will be based. Prior to joining CPD, Gallagher worked for The Home Depot’s real estate division. While there, he oversaw the permitting and opening of more than 70 stores. Gallagher earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md.

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