Free Republic

.....The struggling sandwich chain has seen customer traffic plummet a whopping 25 percent over the past five years.... In a Nov. 30 memo to franchisees that revealed the stomach-churning drop, Subway’s owners promised $25 million to boost marketing this spring for the company’s 44,000 locations and to bring back a limited-time, $4.99 footlong sandwich promotion..... ....the crucial footlong deal — aimed squarely at the McDonald’s dollar menu — is in danger because of a revolt by franchise owners, who fret that doubling down on discounts will further shave their already thin profits. More than 400 of them have signed a...

VIRGINIA BEACH — Last year, power tools powerhouse Stihl Inc. helped a small local merchant open a new store in Chesapeake. Stihl designed and built the showroom for Land & Coates, one of its lawn equipment dealers, absorbing a large chunk of the expense, said Barden Winstead, the retailer’s general manager. Land & Coates, a family business with three other Hampton Roads stores, saved at least a third of the cost to start up the new location.“Stihl invested in our new store out there. They’re almost a partner,” Winstead said. “Everything they do, it’s obvious that they care about...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. The deal was all but done. Until it suddenly went as cold as a day-old cup of coffee. After months of negotiations, Bethesda, Md.-based HMS Host Corp. struck an agreement to replace the struggling business center at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with a Starbucks. The business center had generated about $5,000 a year for the City of Austin's coffers. The Starbucks deal was for $64,000 annually for eight years. Starbucks even agreed to stray from its corporate standards by designing the shop with a noticeable Austin ambiance. Current airport tenants had first...