КНДР відправила до Південної Кореї понад 150 повітряних куль зі сміттям
КНДР погрожувала 26 травня, що розкидає «купи сміття та бруду» в прикордонних районах Південної Кореї у відповідь на поширення листівок, спрямованих проти Пхеньяна
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КНДР погрожувала 26 травня, що розкидає «купи сміття та бруду» в прикордонних районах Південної Кореї у відповідь на поширення листівок, спрямованих проти Пхеньяна
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Вадим Кобзєв, Олексій Ліпцер й Ігор Сергунін обвинувачені в участі в екстремістській спільноті
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За словами речника Держдепартаменту, дії владної партії загрожують демократії в Грузії, майбутній економічній безпеці країни, її членству в ЄС і також наражають на ризик відносини Грузії зі США
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«Ми закликаємо грузинську владу твердо повернутися на шлях до ЄС. Ще є час, щоб змінити цю динаміку, але потрібна тверда прихильність керівних органів»
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«Угода закріплює зобов’язання Португалії підтримувати Україну для відновлення її територіальної цілісності в межах кордонів 1991 року, включно з територіальним морем»
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WASHINGTON — The United States announced regulatory changes on Tuesday to increase support for the Cuban people and independent private sector entrepreneurs. The changes will enable more U.S. financial support for small private businesses in Cuba, enhance internet-based services on the island and broaden access to financial services.
The new U.S. measures come as the communist-run island faces a social and economic crisis, including severe shortages of food, fuel, electricity and medicine.
A senior administration official stated that the new authorization allows Cuba’s independent private sector entrepreneurs to open and remotely access U.S. bank accounts, including through U.S. online payment platforms.
As of 2021, Cuban entrepreneurs can establish small and medium private enterprises under Cuban law. By the latest count, there are over 11,000 registered private businesses in Cuba.
“It’s important to note that the new definition for independent private sector entrepreneurship excludes prohibited officials of the Cuban government, such as National Assembly members, Cuban military officers, certain ministry staff, regime propagandists and prohibited members of the Cuban Communist Party,” the senior official told reporters during a briefing on Tuesday.
New U.S. regulatory measures will benefit the Cuban people while continuing to minimize resources to the Cuban government, said another senior official in President Joe Biden’s administration.
“We believe that the growth of an independent entrepreneurial private sector in Cuba is fully aligned with our values and is the best hope for generating economic development and employment in Cuba,” said the senior official.
The Treasury Department said that Tuesday’s regulatory changes will allow Cuban nationals to open, maintain and remotely use U.S. bank accounts, including through online payment platforms, to conduct authorized or exempt transactions, whether the independent private sector entrepreneur is physically located in the United States, Cuba or another country.
Earlier this month, the U.S. removed Cuba from its list of countries “not cooperating fully” in the fight against terrorism. However, Cuba remains on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list.
The cooperation against terrorism list, which the State Department is required by law to provide to Congress, is not the same as the State Sponsors of Terrorism list.
U.S. officials declined to comment on whether the State Department has begun a formal review of Cuba’s presence on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. U.S. sanctions against the Cuban government, its military intelligence and security services remain in place.
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Він додав, що під час двосторонньої зустрічі з Фіалою сторони обговорили реалізацію артилерійської ініціативи, на яку «зібрано вже понад 1,6 мільярда євро»
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За даними Підляського прикордонного відділу, з початку року на ділянці кордону в цьому регіоні було зафіксовано понад 13 тисяч спроб незаконного перетину кордону з Білорусі до Польщі
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У літній сезон падають спроможності гідрогенерації, яка є основним джерелом гнучкості енергосистеми, розповів представник компанії
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Двоє прикордонників зазнали поранень на кілька годин раніше за військового, про якого вже повідомлялося, заявили у відомстві
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Під час удару ізраїльської армії по Рафаху в ніч на 27 травня, за даними МОЗ сектору Газа, підконтрольного угрупованню «Хамас» (визнане терористичним у ЄС та США), загинули щонайменше 45 людей, сотні людей постраждали
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Верховний представник Євросоюзу із зовнішньої політики Жозеп Боррель 27 травня заявив, що ЄС почав зважувати варіанти дій на випадок, якщо Грузія схвалить закон
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Дальність ракет, які будуть закуплені, становить приблизно 1000 кілометрів
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«Сьогодні близько 21 години у мікрорайоні Кучіно у Балашихі система ППО збила БПЛА – уламки впали на приватний будинок»
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Парламент має розглянути питання про подолання вето Зурабішвілі на засіданні 28 травня
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У квітні 2024 року сума державного і гарантованого державою боргу України збільшилась у гривневому еквіваленті на 86,17 млрд гривень
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За повідомленням, запаси урану, збагаченого до 60-відсоткової чистоти, в Ірані зараз становлять 142,1 кілограма, що на 20,6 кілограма більше, ніж було у лютому
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NEW YORK — Americans who spend Memorial Day scouting sales online and in stores may find more reasons to celebrate the return of warmer weather. Major retailers are stepping up discounts heading into the summer months, hoping to entice inflation-weary shoppers into opening their wallets.
Target, Walmart and other chains have rolled out price cuts — some permanent, others temporary — with the stated aim of giving their customers some relief. The reductions, which mostly involve groceries, are getting introduced as inflation showed its first sign of easing this year but not enough for consumers who are struggling to pay for basic necessities as well as rent and car insurance.
The latest quarterly earnings reported by Walmart, Macy’s and Ralph Lauren underscored that consumers have not stopped spending. But multiple CE0s, including the heads of McDonald’s, Starbucks and home improvement retailer Home Depot, have observed that people are becoming more price-conscious and choosy. They’re delaying purchases, focusing on store brands compared to typically more expensive national brands, and looking for deals.
“Retailers recognize that unless they pull out some stops on pricing, they are going to have difficulty holding on to the customers they got,” Neil Saunders, managing director of consulting and data analysis firm GlobalData, said. “The consumer really has had enough of inflation, and they’re starting to take action in terms of where they shop, how they shop, the amount they buy.”
While discounts are an everyday tool in retail, Saunders said these aggressive price cuts that cover thousands of items announced by a number of retailers represent a “major shift” in recent strategy. He noted most companies talked about price increases in the past two or three years, and the cut mark the first big “price war” since before inflation started taking hold.
Where can shoppers find lower prices?
Higher-income shoppers looking to save money have helped Walmart maintain strong sales in recent quarters. But earlier this month, the nation’s largest retailer expanded its price rollbacks — temporary discounts that can last a few months — to nearly 7,000 grocery items, a 45% increase. Items include a 28-ounce can of Bush’s baked beans marked down to $2.22, from $2.48, and a 24-pack of 12-ounce Diet Coke priced at $12.78 from $14.28.
Company executives said the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer is seeing more people eating at home versus eating out. Walmart believes its discounts will help the business over the remainder of the year.
“We’re going to lead on price, and we’re going to manage our (profit) margins, and we’re going to be the Walmart that we’ve always been,” CEO Doug McMillon told analysts earlier this month.
Not to be outdone by its closest competitor, Target last week cut prices on 1,500 items and said it planned to make price cuts on another 3,500 this summer. The initiative primarily applies to food, beverage and essential household items. For example, Clorox scented wipes that previously cost $5.79 are on shelves for $4.99. Huggies Baby Wipes, which were priced at $1.19, now cost 99 cents.
Low-cost supermarket chain Aldi said earlier this month that it was cutting prices on 250 products, including favorites for barbecues and picnics, as part of a promotion set to last through Labor Day.
McDonald’s plans to introduce a limited-time $5 meal deal in the U.S. next month to counter slowing sales and customers’ frustration with high prices.
Arko Corp., a large operator of convenience stores in rural areas and small towns, is launching its most aggressive deals in terms of their depth in roughly 20 years for both members of its free loyalty program and other customers, according to Arie Kotler, the company’s chairman, president and CEO. For example, members of Arko’s free loyalty program who buy two 12-packs of Pepsi beverages get a free pizza. The promotions kicked off May 15 and are due to end Sept. 3.
Kotler said he focused on essential items that people use to feed their families after observing that the cumulative effects of higher gas prices and inflation in other areas had customers hold back compared to a year ago.
“Over the past two quarters, we have seen the trend of consumers cutting back, consumers coming less often, and consumers reducing their purchases,” he said.
In the non-food category, crafts chain Michaels last month reduced prices of frequently purchased items like paint, markers and artist canvases. The price reductions ranged from 15% to up to 40%. Michaels said the cuts are intended to be permanent.
Do these cuts bring prices back to pre-pandemic levels?
Many retailers said their goal was to offer some relief for shoppers. But Michaels said its new discounts brought prices for some things down to where they were in 2019.
“Our intention with these cuts is to ensure we’re delivering value to the customer,” The Michaels Companies said. ”We see it as an investment in customer loyalty more than anything else.”
Target said it was difficult to compare what its price-reduced products cost now to a specific time frame since inflation levels are different for each item and the reductions varied by item.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks consumer prices, said the average price of a two-liter bottle of soda in April was $2.27. That compares with $1.53 in the same month five years ago. A pound of white bread cost an average of $2 last month but $1.29 in April 2019. One pound of ground chuck that averaged $5.28 in April cost $3.91 five years ago.
Why are companies cutting prices on some items?
U.S. consumer confidence deteriorated for the third straight month in April as Americans continued to fret about their short-term financial futures, according to the latest report released late last month from the Conference Board, a business research group.
With shoppers focusing more on bargains, particularly online, retailers are trying to get customers back to their stores. Target this month posted its fourth consecutive quarterly decline in comparable sales — those from stores or digital channels operating at least 12 months.
In fact, the share of online sales for the cheapest items across many categories, including clothing, groceries, personal care and appliances, increased from April 2019 to the same month this year, according to Adobe Analytics, which covers more than 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites.
For example, the market share for the cheapest groceries went from 38% in April 2019 to 48% last month, while the share for the most expensive groceries went down from 22% to 9% over the same time period, according to Adobe.
How are retailers funding price cuts?
GlobalData’s Saunders said he thinks companies are subsidizing price cuts with a variety of methods — at the expense of profits, at the cost of suppliers and vendors, or by reducing expenses. Some retailers may be using a combination of all three, he said.
Saunders doesn’t think retailers are raising prices on other items to make up for the ones they lowered since doing that would bring a backlash from customers.
Target declined to disclose details but said its summer price promotion was incorporated into the company’s projected profit range, which falls below analysts’ expectations at the low end.
GPM Investments, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of ARKO Corp. said its suppliers are funding the convenience store promotions.
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Вірменія погодилася на передачу сіл як на перший крок у визначенні кордону між двома ворожими одна одній країнами Південного Кавказу
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З боку України участь у відкритті місії взяв міністр фінансів Сергій Марченко
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За талібів в Афганістані масово порушуються права людини. Світське законодавство майже повністю замінене законами шаріату. Практикуються переслідування інакодумців та громадські страти. Жінки позбавлені права на освіту та роботу
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Президент України Володимир Зеленський уже привітав Науседу із переобранням
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