Biglari consolidates power, as Steak n Shake rebounds
The Texas investor running the chain doesn’t seem like such a champion of transparency these days.
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More chocolate, fewer newsstands
Sweets retailer Best Chocolate in Town has opened a second location in Chase Tower. Owner Elizabeth Garber has developed quite a following for her shop at 880 Massachusetts Ave. and now is offering a full selection of hand-made chocolates on the 2nd floor of Chase Tower with Bistro 111.
Plans emerge for old Winona
A few weeks back, IBJ reported on early proposals for the vacant former Winona Memorial Hospital. The five-story property
is saddled with about $2 million in unpaid taxes and soon will become public property. So far, two groups have stepped up
with ideas…
Two more bars go smoke-free
Gregs and the Talbott Street Nightclub, two prominent bars that cater to gay and lesbian crowds, went smoke-free Aug. 1.
Northwest-side theater closes after 25 years of operation
Locally based Sandor Development Co. is looking for a new tenant for the old AMC Loews College Park 14 movie theater, after
the screens went dark for good in July after a 25-year run at West 86th Street and Michigan Road.
Glut of downtown office space grows
Safeco is leaving a five-building complex on North Meridian Street, and Eli Lilly and Co. has offered for lease its entire
four-building Faris campus.
JOSEPH: Don’t repeat Marsh’s mistake
Marsh Supermarkets quickly realized it could not honor the flood of redemptions of the $10 coupon it recently offered to its
Facebook friends.
Tenants trickling in to Purdue’s technology center
For a city feverishly growing its technology and life sciences sectors, it seemed a bit anticlimactic last January when
Purdue University dedicated its new technology center with only one tenant. But the lone tenant in the $12.8
million complex, FlamencoNets, a high-tech telecommunications firm, is about to get some company.
Loan defaults could cost David Marsh his Geist home
David A. Marsh, the former supermarket executive and current president of the Crystal Flash convenience store chain, could
lose his 11,800-square-foot mansion on Geist Reservoir over three defaulted loans.
Lauth Group’s collapse offers a lesson in hubris
Since key Lauth Group subsidiaries landed in bankruptcy in May, the company has described its misfortune almost as if it
were an act of God.
Noble Roman’s profit up, revenue down
Noble Roman’s Inc. late yesterday reported a larger profit in the second quarter, primarily due to its continuing efforts
to cut expenses by replacing company-owned restaurants with franchises.
Steak n Shake posts profit, rise in customer traffic
Steak n Shake Co. late yesterday reported strong profit and big increases in customer traffic and same-store sales for its
fiscal third quarter, which ended July 1.
Deal to save winged canopy
A compromise between an historic preservation group and a local business owner will save an iconic “bat-wing” canopy outside a downtown gas station.
College Park theater closes
The AMC Loews College Park 14 movie theater has closed after a 25-year run at West 86th Street and Michigan Road. The outdated theater in the Walmart-anchored complex couldn’t compete with Showplace 12 at Traders Point, which opened a few years ago
Finish Line execs sell shares en masse in recent months
Top executives at The Finish Line Inc. cashed in stock worth more than $10 million in recent months. They sold many of
the shares in July as the locally based athletic retailer saw its stock rise to a high for 2009 of about $9.
Large HHGregg investor ups stake, surprising analysts
HHGregg Inc. shares have enjoyed a spectacular runup this year. But the company’s biggest shareholder is making a
huge bet that the good times are only beginning.
Fountain Square getting cabaret
A new cabaret is planned for a one-story historic building at 1116 E. Prospect St. in Fountain Square. White Rabbit Cabaret will provide live entertainment (not adult-oriented), food and beverage service, performing arts classes, rehearsal space, workshops and special events
Purdue prof: ‘Clunkers’ could stall retail sales
The federal “Cash for Clunkers” program has opened a floodgate of car sales that President Obama
says is a much-needed boost for the economy. But retailers may feel the negative effects of America’s collective investment
in new cars, predicts a Purdue Retail Institute researcher.
UPDATE: Simon rents, occupancy buck shopping decline
Sales still are suffering at shopping centers owned by Simon Property Group Inc., but the Indianapolis-based
mall giant managed in the second quarter to keep occupancy steady and eke out an increase in average rent rates.
Marsh extends olive branch to angry followers
Marsh Supermarkets late yesterday issued a mea culpa after it stopped honoring a $10 coupon just
days after introducing the online promotion.