Walmart-backed financial technology startup One reportedly aims to offer installment payment options to Walmart shoppers starting as soon as next year, according to media reports. The move comes as other retailers including Apple are introducing buy now, pay later (BNPL) loans as a way of appealing to inflation-strapped customers with low fees and quick credit approval.
Mazda Motor could start building its first EVs in the U.S. as early as 2026 — but that hinges on a slew of variables, cautions CEO Akira Marumoto. Primary among them is a successful rollout next year of the new CX- 70 and CX-90 crossovers. Those upmarket, higher-margin products are positioned to help generate the profits that will power the weighty investment needed to lift Mazda into next-generation electrification… Subaru is recalling more than 287,000 Ascent large crossovers globally for a potential defect that could increase the risk of fire, Automotive News reports. The recall covers vehicles from 2019-22 model years and affects a total of 271,694 vehicles in the U.S. Subaru says owners of these Ascent models should park away from structures like garages and avoid leaving vehicles unattended with the engine running… AutoNation is buying a mobile car-repair startup that counts Mercedes-Benz Group and Porsche among its investors for $190 million. The acquisition of Los Angeles-based RepairSmith, which was founded in 2018, is expected to close in Q1 of next year.
FedEx is taking its competition with Amazon to the area of e-commerce returns. Starting in early 2023, FedEx will launch FedEx Consolidated Returns in the U.S., a solution designed to provide a low-priced, easy e-commerce returns option that retailers offer their customers. FedEx will facilitate the offering through supply chain services offered by FedEx Logistics and its FedEx Office brick-and-mortar store chain. Shoppers who make online purchases from participating retailers can drop off the items they wish to return, with no box or label required… Rite Aid last week opened a Rite Aid Pharmacy in Greenville, Va. The store marks the company’s second Rite Aid Pharmacy location in rural Virginia as part of a pilot program to improve access for pharmacy services in “pharmacy deserts” and underserved communities by using a smaller format.
Restaurant Brands International faced a learning curve after it expanded Canadian chain Tim Hortons to the U.S. and discovered that the large-scale approach it took at home wasn’t quite right, RBI CEO Jose Cil said. Since then, Restaurant Business reports, the company has tailored its U.S. approach with smaller stores and streamlined menus focused on coffee, breakfast sandwiches and baked goods… ALDI recently opened seven new stores across California, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey and South Dakota as part of efforts to open around 150 new locations in 2022, according to Winsight Grocery Business. ALDI plans to open its first Staten Island store in 2023.
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