E-Commerce Logistics Demands Lead to Real Estate Boom. Blackstone Group, the world’s largest private equity firm, just completed the single largest private real estate deal in history. So, what did they buy? Lush oceanside property primed for development? Perhaps a commercial district in the heart of the Big Apple, ripe for revitalization? Or maybe a cherry spot in one of the world’s hottest travel destinations? Actually, it’s none of the above. Blackstone just invested $18.7 [...]

Payment services like PayPal, Square and Venmo have revolutionized the way we pay for goods and services, allowing retailers to conduct business seamlessly both online and in-person. The payment industry overall has taken a definitive turn away from cash in recent years, with retailers moving to solutions that support an omnichannel model, and investors have responded accordingly. Venture capitalists have jumped head-long into the $1.9 trillion dollar payments and processing industry, and have been rewarded [...]

While the US economy has enjoyed excellent growth in recent years, as the old saying goes, “What goes up, must come down.” While we don’t exactly love talking about it, sooner or later, another recession is inevitable. How long, how bad and how painful that recession will be is anyone’s guess, but experts predict the timing will be soon. In a February 2019 survey of 281 members of the National Association of Business Economics, 77% [...]

Craft Brewers Boston Beer Company and Dogfish Head Announce Merger. This past week, two of America’s largest independent craft brewers, Dogfish Head Brewery and Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams), announced they were brewing up a sizeable merger valued at nearly $300 million. In the deal, Dogfish Head shareholders will receive $173 million in cash and Dogfish co-founders Sam and Mariah Calagione will be receiving 406,000 shares of Boston Beer stock (NYSE: SAM), valued at nearly [...]

Kraft Heinz is considering a major shakeup in the frozen foods category in efforts to improve their financial outlook. After an absolutely disastrous 4th quarter earnings report that included a $15.4 billion dollar asset write-down, a dividend cut and the disclosure of an SEC investigation, the company has made leadership changes at the highest level and put some of its major brands on the chopping block. Last week, the company announced they hired Evercore Partners [...]