Coffee Chain to AllowSmartphone CheckoutsStarbucks Corp. will allow customers at U.S. company-operated stores to use some smartphones to pay for their purchases in an effort to boost sales.Customers with Research in Baume & Mercier CapeLand Quartz Chronograph BM-1 Ltd. or Inc.'s iPhone or iPod Touch will be able to pay using the Starbucks card mobile app at nearly 6,800 company-operated stores and 1,000 Starbucks in Target Corp. locations. The introduction builds on test programs that included Seattle, Northern California and New York.The company said its Starbucks card platform saw growth of 21% last year, partly driven by its rewards program.
Tess Stynes---Baume & Mercier Rivera BM-17 Chain to Form REITTo Access Debt MarketsDillard's Inc. said it plans to form a real-estate investment trust to have greater access to debt and equity markets, according to a regulatory filing Wednesday.The regional department store's plans come at a time when REITs are surging after one of the worst downturns in commercial real estate in a generation. REITs outperformed the broader equity Baume & Mercier Riviera Mens Quartz Chrono BM-10 again last year and mall and shopping centers REITs were among the top performing sectors amid rising retail sales and an economic recovery.
"Dillard's believes the formation of a REIT may enhance its ability to access debt or preferred stock and thereby enhance its liquidity," the company said in the filing.Indeed, most REITs survived the downturn by issuing Baume & Mercier Riviera Mens Quartz Chrono BM-11 and bonds to repair tattered balance sheets and build war chests for acquisitions.Historically low interest rates has made it easier for REITs to access cheap capital.-- A.D. Pruitt and Karen Talley--EXXON MOBILOil Giant Delays Projects,Is Over Budget in AustraliaExxon Mobil Corp. said Thursday offshore oil projects it's helping to develop and operate in Australia are over budget and face delays amid rising costs for engineering services and a tight labor market in the Pacific nation.
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