Steak n Shake Co. yesterday reported big increases in customer traffic and same-store sales for its fiscal third quarter,
which ended July 1. Customer traffic rose 13.4 percent and same-store sales jumped 5 percent in the quarter compared to the
same period a year ago, it said in a brief Securities and Exchange filing.
In this horrendous environment, nothing is more important for a debt-laden public company than proving it can pay its bills
Despite assurances of strength, Simon Property Group Inc. has decided to pay 90 percent of its dividend in stock, a move that allows the company to hold onto $925 million in cash this year but could alienate shareholders drawn by the dividend.
For more than two years, Smulyan, 61, has been unflaggingly optimistic during quarterly conference calls. But since early 2007, Emmis’ stock has fallen 84 percent, shrinking the company’s stock market value from $307 million to $48 million. The troubles have cast uncertainty over one of Indianapolis’ highest-profile businesses.
The locally based headwear retailer Hat World made a name for itself by snatching up competitors and opening hundreds of
stores around the country. However, after sluggish sales in the fiscal year that ended Feb. 2, the company–a
unit of Nashville, Tenn.-based Genesco Inc.–says it plans to open fewer stores than usual this year so
officials can put their focus back on existing operations.
Steak n Shake Co. CEO Peter M. Dunn analyzed and measured just about everything at the restaurant chain, from drive-through
times to employee turnover. All that research and testing was welcome when the company was thriving a few years ago. But the
lack of evidence that all the analysis was paying off eroded Wall Street’s confidence in Dunn.
