CHICAGO —Much Shelist is among the first law firms to donate to the Chicago Small Business Resiliency Loan Fund, a new initiative by the city of Chicago to support local businesses devastated by the COVID-19 crisis. Much, a full-service law firm, has donated $25,000. Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the fund Thursday, March 19. It will provide targeted, low-interest loans to highly impacted small businesses. Much has called Chicago home for 50 years.
BETHESDA, MD. — Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) will furlough approximately two-thirds of its 4,000 corporate staff members in the company’s Bethesda office, as well roughly two-thirds of its international corporate staff, according to multiple media sources. A company spokesperson first confirmed the news to The Wall Street Journal, which also reported that most furloughs are expected to last 60 to 90 days. Hospitality and travel blog One Mile at a Time reported the same time frame. The announcement comes on the heels of Marriott’s decision last week to furlough what could ultimately be tens of thousands of employees at its hotels around the world. According to the company’s website, Marriott owned and operated about 7,300 properties under 30 brands in 134 countries. Those properties total more than 1.3 million rooms. Marriott also employs some 130,000 people worldwide. On a conference call late last week, Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson told investors that after seeing strong growth in revenue per available room (REVpar) in its European and North American hotels during the first two months of the year, these properties were now seeing an average occupancy rate of about 25 percent. That figure stood at roughly 70 percent a year ago, …
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — United Development Co. will close Myrtle Beach Mall at 7 p.m. local time today indefinitely due to growing concerns of the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak. The owner said the exterior entrances to Belk, Bass Pro Shops, Books-A-Million and JC Penney will remain open as long as those retailers continue to be open to the public. The owner also said that a deep cleaning will be initiated immediately following the closing, then again prior to the reopening. Myrtle Beach Mall is situated at 10177 N. Kings Highway, 11 miles north of downtown Myrtle Beach.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) has launched a nationwide program to help nonprofit organizations remain open and operating in the midst of the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak. The Community Assistance and Relief in Emergencies (CARE) program will help get charities and nonprofits in touch with local SIOR members to share the organization’s contact information, circumstances and needs. The SIOR member can then provide real estate advice, contacts and, if applicable, direct the organization to a property owner(s) that can help accommodate the group’s needs. Through this initiative, SIOR hopes that organizations searching for a commercial real estate space can quickly get up and running. “Our organization was founded during World War II with the goal of assisting the United States government in fulfilling critical space needs,” says Mark Duclos, SIOR global president. “Today, we are in a new global crisis, one that calls upon all of us to do our part. There has never been a more important time to use our knowledge, resources and network to help our nation get through this together.” Organizations interested in getting in contact with CARE can do so at www.sior.com/care.
FRAMINGHAM, MASS. — TJX Cos., the Framingham-Mass.-based parent company of T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshalls, has closed all stores under its brands for two weeks in response to the coronavirus outbreak, according to a statement from company CEO and president Ernie Herrman. In addition to T.J. Maxx (approximately 1,200 stores in the United States), HomeGoods (700) and Marshalls (1,000), the corporation also owns Sierra and Homesense, which have a combined 43 stores in the United States. TJX will also be closing all of its online businesses, distribution centers and offices.
Charlotte is America’s second-largest commercial banking center, home to one of the country’s biggest financial institutions, Bank of America; soon the headquarters site of another when BB&T and SunTrust merge; and host to more employees of Wells Fargo than call its San Francisco base home. It would be hard to exaggerate the economic benefits the local market secures from this status. One growing but not widely appreciated benefit is the Queen City’s emergence as one of the world’s hotbeds of innovation in fintech, the space in which digital technology and financial services intersect. With support from local financial services giants, well-funded fintech incubators (like Queen City Fintech, hired by IBM to build and run their Hyper Protect accelerators) and a burgeoning start-up community, Charlotte has hatched a small army of successful fintech firms capitalized with more than $2 billion to date. Lately, entrepreneurs in other disciplines have come to appreciate Charlotte’s virtues. Nascent disruptors in the healthcare and electric power sectors are setting down roots in the city, attracted by its low operating and living costs, quality of life, deep well of talent and uniquely collaborative style. The injection of start-up energy into Charlotte’s thriving Fortune 500 business foundation catalyzed …
EVANSVILLE, IND. — Old National Bank will temporarily shift to appointment-only banking at all branch locations as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The practice will enable staff to clean and disinfect surfaces after each visit. The drive-thru will remain open at all locations and hours of operation will not change. Appointments will be available between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., with the first hour of each day reserved for persons age 60 or older and others who are a high risk to contract the coronavirus. Old National Bancorp, the holding company of Old National Bank, is the largest bank holding company headquartered in the state of Indiana.
NEW YORK — The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) has requested financial support from the federal government to guarantee or directly pay for business interruption coverage for retailers, restaurants, other tenants and landlords as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. In a letter addressed to President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, ICSC cited the $6.7 billion in consumer activity and $400 billion in annual state and local taxes that the retail, restaurant and entertainment industries generate, and appealed to a need to be able to continue to pay employees and suppliers. ICSC also volunteered the use of the parking lots of its member centers to facilitate the delivery of emergency supplies, as well as the construction of temporary health centers and shelters. <Read the full letter>
NEW YORK CITY — Brooklyn-based startup SG Blocks has launched a line of container-based residences designed for personal isolation in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Constructed from shipping containers, the blocks are designed to be cheap and safe places for people who may have been exposed to the virus to live temporarily. SG Blocks is known for repurposing shipping containers for various construction projects, many of which have been incorporated into retail and residential developments nation-wide. Prices of the individual isolation blocks have not yet been determined.
LEAWOOD, KAN. — AMC Theatres (NYSE: AMC) has closed all 630 AMC locations in the United States for at least six to 12 weeks, in compliance with local, state and federal directives, and as a precaution to help ensure the health and safety of moviegoers and theater staff amid the coronavirus pandemic. The company says it will continue to monitor the situation closely and remain flexible on reopening in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations and governmental directives. More than a dozen states and major markets have mandated that movie theaters, bars and restaurants close as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. The federal government has recommended that no public gatherings take place that are larger than 10 people. AMC customers are encouraged to utilize AMC Theatres on Demand, which enables them to rent or buy movies from a selection of more than 3,500 titles. Kansas-based AMC maintains approximately 1,000 theaters and 11,000 screens worldwide.