chain stores

(Newser) - Stores will open earlier than ever on Black Friday, with midnight openings becoming more common, the AP reports. Wal-Mart, in fact, began its sales today. "You sell two sweaters and you've broken even,” said one analyst. But Gap chief Glenn Murphy will be out with the hordes, then...

(Newser) - Fast-food behemoth McDonald's took 20 years to open its 1,000th store, but 2007 has seen five chains join the four-digit club, USA Today reports. Of the success of Panda Express, Panera Bread, Papa Murphy’s, Sbarro, and Wing Street, one consultant says: “It's a landmark. It's a goal...

(Newser) - San Francisco deployed new anti-chain-store regulations to block Starbucks from opening its 81st outlet in city yesterday. Acting on an appeal by local merchants,  supervisors found that the planning commission hadn't followed guidelines, voted in last fall, that make it tougher for chain stores to expand in the city,...