DineEquity Addresses Pig Welfare
Glendale restaurant company DineEquity Inc., owner of IHOP and Applebee’s restaurants, announced Wednesday that it will eliminate the use of cramped pig cages in its pork supply chain by 2020.
Online Ordering System Hopes Eateries Take Bytes
INTERNET: Investors fill ChowNow’s plate with $3 million in funding.
ChowNow gets funding and seeks to get restaurants to add its online ordering system to the menu.
Fashion Retailer Sees Japanese Shops as Good Fit
APPAREL: Planet Blue looks to tap growing draw of SoCal beach lifestyle.
Fashion retailer Planet Blue plans to extend its global reach by opening stores in Tokyo.
Treats Take Crack at Angelenos
Fortune cookies have some choice words about life in L.A.
Former journalist hopes his citycentric fortune-cookie messages speak to Angelenos.
Burger Chain Looks to Take Wings With Chicken
DINING: Fatburger adds Buffalo’s Cafe items to menu at two-for-one site.
Burger chain Fatburger Corp. is working to entice loyal diners to try chicken wings, too.
Eight Over 80: David Wilstein; Leonard Wilstein
When David Wilstein was younger, his commercial construction career gave him some thrills that he just doesn’t get anymore.
Name Game
Henry Stupp left T-shirt company he co-founded to take over brand licensing business Cherokee.
Cherokee CEO Henry Stupp made a name for himself after jumping from T-shirts to brand licensing.
Off the Clock
RETAIL: Operator of short-term online fashion sales HauteLook looks to parent Nordstrom for some staying power.
HauteLook sees long-term support from parent Nordstrom for its limited-time online sales.
Market In the Bag?
GROCERY: Industry newcomers seek to feed hunger for store in downtown L.A.
Two industry rookies hope to produce sales with a small upscale market to serve downtown Los Angeles.
Motel Checks Out; Boutique Hotel to Check In
DEVELOPMENT: Owner to replace old Sunset Inn with trendy Moment.
From Hollywood to West Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard is home to some of L.A.’s most prominent destination hotels.
Joe’s Jeans Gets Nasdaq Warning
Joe’s Jeans Inc. said that it received a delisting warning from Nasdaq because its stock has been trading below $1 a share for 30 consecutive trading days.
Sequential Buying Footwear Company
L.A. brand licensing company Sequential Brands Group Inc. has agreed to buy Dallas sports footwear company Heelys Inc. for about $63 million.
From T’s to Tease
APPAREL: Hot Topic brings its Goth sensibility to new Blackheart line of lingerie stores.
Hot Topic looks to rock the lingerie world with Goth-influenced undergarments at its new Blackheart stores.
Jeans Maker Hopes to Stretch With New Parent
Clothing: Japanese buyer may back J Brand’s launch of retail stores.
Jeans maker J Brand looks to fashion expansion after acquisition by Japanese company.
Coffee Chain Turns Over New Leaf With Tea Bars
EXPANSION: Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf debuts concept store in Manhattan Beach.
While people just call it Coffee Bean and forget the Tea Leaf, executives at family-run chain Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf want to change that by highlighting their love of Orange Oolong and other whole-leaf tea selections.
New Angle For Going Down Slopes
Company hopes small snowboards for each foot find traction.
Dual Snowboards tries to pull off sales feat with its small boards that strap to each foot.
Mall Owner May Have More Acquisitions in Store
REAL ESTATE: Macerich looks to improve portfolio with sales and pickups.
Mall operator Macerich picks up three retail properties during recent shopping spree.
L.A. Company Hopes It Has Licenses to Grow
APPAREL: Sequential hires chief executive to guide expansion beyond jeans.
Sequential brings in new chief executive to refashion apparel maker as licensing company.
Burning Fat And Feeding The Hungry
Cycle House converts pedal power into meals for nation’s homeless.
Fitness studio Cycle House gears up for charity with calorie-burning program that feeds homeless.
Chinese Food Chain Whips Up Pair of Prototypes
DINING: Panda hopes new store concepts can serve as models for modernizing.
Panda Restaurant Group cooks up two prototype store models as it looks to maintain its growth pace.
In-Flight Wi-Fi Buy Too High?
AVIATION: $250 million deal for Row 44 questioned.
Small airline Wi-Fi company Row 44 fetched an eye-popping price when it was bought earlier this month. Was it worth it?
Making it Big, Then Making It Bigger
It’s not uncommon to find startups that double or triple revenue in their early years.
Still Growing After All These Years
Growing a company quickly one year or two is impressive. But major growth, year after year after year, is a much more notable achievement.
New Boutique Hotel Has Designs on Downtown
Hospitality: Renovated Holiday Inn reborn as Luxe City Center.
Luxe City Center Hotel in downtown Los Angeles has completed a $10 million renovation that began more than two years ago.
Regional Report
News and notes from communities across Los Angeles County
Vegas Ride To Turn Up in Very Big Way
Pasadena design firm helps plan world’s tallest Ferris wheel.
A Pasadena firm got a turn at designing the world’s biggest Ferris wheel in Las Vegas.
Regional Report
News and notes from communities across Los Angeles County
Grabbing Wine Lovers By the Ears
Playboy looks to hit home with subscription delivery service.
SPIRITS: Playboy aims to pop wine drinkers’ corks with a delivery service.
Squeezing Into Motherhood
Belly Bandit wastes no time in helping moms cover up baby weight.
Lori Caden’s girdlelike Belly Bandit helps new moms keep their baby weight under wraps.
Discount Store on Rodeo Drive? Now That’s Rich
High rent raises doubts about plan to move in by 99 Cents Only.
In the haute couture boutiques that line Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, shoppers would be hard pressed to find much priced below $100, much less $10 or even $1.
99 Cents on Rodeo Drive?
Deep discount retailer 99 Cents Only Stores said that it’s looking for space to open a store on famed Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Not likely, chic street's committee says.
Larger Scale
Fatburger sees future as overseas heavyweight
Fatburger chain fills up on steady diet of overseas expansion.
LAX Hotel Employees File Suit for Unpaid Wages
Workers at the Holiday Inn Los Angeles International Airport filed a class action lawsuit demanding millions of dollars in alleged unpaid wages.
Lingerie Maker Looks to Cover Expensive Tastes
EXPANSION: Frederick’s to launch higher-price line under Harriett brand.
Lingerie company Frederick’s of Hollywood Inc. wants to show off its finer attributes.
Beefed Up
DINING: Yoshinoya dishes higher-quality ingredients at new Chipotle-style, Asiana Grill restaurants.
Yoshinoya sees its new fast-casual Asiana Grill as a way to beef up sales.
Ralphs Settles Pricing Suit
Ralphs Grocery Co. agreed to pay more than $1.1 million in a settlement with the City of Los Angeles Thursday for overcharging customers for food at deli counters and in other instances where the price of food is determined by its weight.
Overseas Steaks Rise in Mideast
Dining: Innovative Dining adds Abu Dhabi to menu.
Innovative Dining Group looks to beef up operations by bringing its steakhouse brand to the Middle East.
Suitor Gives Medical Testing Company Shot in Arm
HEALTH CARE: Iris shares hit 52-week high in wake of bid from Danaher.
When a tech conglomerate looked at Chatsworth medical testing company Iris International Inc., it liked what it saw – enough to pay a 45 percent premium to buy it.
Market Chain Looks to Shelve Its European Chic
GROCERY: Fresh & Easy hopes
Struggling Fresh & Easy chain says it has more in store for shoppers after revamping interiors and product mix.
Long Beach Supermarkets Check Out, Check In
GROCERY: Food 4 Less and Gelson’s to replace Ralphs and Albertsons.
Long Beach will lose two major grocery stores within one mile of each other before the year is out, but will get in their place one upscale store and one downscale store.
Sound Approach for Headphones?
LSTN donates money
Headphones company hopes to make noise with donations to hearing-aid charity.
Cruise Line to Offer Barbie-Themed Trips
Iconic fashion doll Barbie will begin cruising the world with her young fans next year aboard the Royal Caribbean International cruise line, Mattel Inc. announced.
Off-the-Wall Purchases At the Mall
Clothing store hopes customers get hang of virtual retail displays.
Clothing company looks to sell customers on its wall-mounted digital apparel displays at the mall.
Cosmetics Company Looks Good on Second Blush
BEAUTY: New bid to take Physicians Formula private drives up stock price.
Cosmetics company Physicians Formula looks good to investors after receiving a second bid to take it private.
Mixed Plate
Applebee’s, IHOP chains run hot, cold for parent
DineEquity has struggled to come up with a recipe that will keep its Applebee’s and IHOP chains growing at the same time.
Textile Industry Contractor To Pay $104,000 in Back Wages
A Gardena garment contractor has agreed to compensate its employees for back wages after the company failed to pay overtime and gave its employees cash under the table, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Frozen Yogurt Seller Gets Fresh Start at Beach
LEASE: Pinkberry to leave West Hollywood home for Santa Monica office space.
After seven years in West Hollywood, frozen yogurt company Pinkberry Inc. is moving its headquarters to the beach.
Changes Breathe Life Into Amgen’s Zombie Shares
INVESTMENT: New CEO and cost cuts send biotech’s stock to 52-week high.
Amgen’s stock has risen sharply since the company named a new chief executive and implemented other changes.
Leaving Law To Promote Tribal Beauty
Laura Miranda scales back legal practice to create clothing line.
Lawyer Laura Miranda has cut back on briefs to launch her own line of apparel.
From Property to Pageantry and Back
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For as long as Karen Baldwin can remember, the real estate business has played a supporting role in her life.
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