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President Donald Trumps escalating trade wars with the European Union, Canada, and other international markets has led American whiskey producers like Cedar Ridge Distillery to rethink their export strategies. We dont know what the rules are going to be, says Jeff Quint, founder and CEO of Cedar Ridge, in an interview with Fast Company. It makes you divert your attention to a more stable environment. The Iowa-based distillery sells about 80,000 cases of whiskey annually in more than 30 U.S. states and markets abroad including Canada, the EU, and Australia. But craving stability in a turbulent world, Quint says he may completely shut down his export business and exclusively focus on his home turf to avoid the tariff war. You dont just pop into Canada one year and then pop back out, says Quint. These are long-term decisions, what markets you are going to play in. [Photo: Cedar Ridge] The liquor industry was rattled after the EU announced it would impose a 50% tax on American whiskey in April, causing Trump to retaliate and threaten a 200% tariff on wine, champagne, and spirits made in Europe. The news rattled the stock prices of Europes liquor giants including Johnnie Walker Scotch maker Diageo and Absolut vodka owner Pernod Ricard, who have already warned Wall Street that if tariffs on Mexico and Canada went into effect, they would stand to see a hit of tens of millions of dollars to their operating profits. Chris Swonger, the president and CEO of trade association Distilled Spirits Council, says he was in Brussels a few weeks ago pleading with Europeans not to move forward with a tariff on American whiskey. Our industry should not be involved, says Swonger, whose organization represents producers and marketers of spirits sold in the U.S. We are the model for the benefits of fair and reciprocal trade. The group is an advocate for zero-for-zero tariffs, which the European and U.S. markets enjoyed between 1997 and 2018, resulting in a 450% increase in spirits trade that benefited Scotch whisky, bourbon, cognac, and European-made liqueurs. Swonger also praised Trumps efforts earlier this year to negotiate a lower tariff on American goods in India, including whiskey. India is the top selling market for whiskey globally. In 2018, the EU enacted a 25% tariff on American whiskey in a retaliatory response to steel and aluminum tariffs during the first Trump administration. The Distilled Spirits Council estimates that led to a 20% plunge in whiskey exports to the EU over a three year period. Those tariffs were suspended a couple years ago and trade flows normalized. Nationalism tends to run high during a tariff war and that makes liquor brands, which are often intrinsically linked to their country of origin, an easy target. After Canadian retailers pulled U.S. alcohol from their shelves, Jack Daniels maker Brown-Forman lamented that these actions would be even more financially devastating than the tariffs themselves. Sometimes these trade disputes drive a lot of emotion, says Swonger. And emotion doesnt create smart and appropriate trade policy. Swonger says the tariff war presents a unique challenge to many spirits producers because legally, they cannot move production to local domestic markets to avoid paying a tariff. Tequila must come from Mexico, bourbon is only produced by the U.S., and cognac is distinctively French. Some liquor giants, including tequila producer Jose Cuervo, have shipped additional products to foreign markets to get ahead of tariffs before they go into effect. Today, everything is under control for us, says Lander Otegui, SVP of marketing at Jose Cuervos owner Proximo Spirits. Long term, well see how the conversation evolves to see what actions we take. Jose Cuervo previously warned of a $80 million impact in 2025 due to tariffs, though Trump delayed them earlier this month. [Photo: Santo Spirits] If tariffs do become a reality, brands may ask wholesalers and retailers to help absorb the cost of the tax, perhaps each cutting their profit by about 8% to avoid passing along the price increase to customers. The larger producers have much more leverage, says Dan Butkus, CEO and president of tequila producer Santo Spirits. It is much more difficult for a smaller tequila producer to negotiate. That puts pressure on new entrepreneurs like Alana Abbitt, who in February launched Santa Almagia Mezcal, a small batch brand that she co-founded with her mother. The timing is not great, says Abbitt. Do I take a hit on those margins because its not the customers fault, or do I have to pass along [the cost] to the customer to be a viable business? Mitigation strategies to pre-ship products or attempt to share the pain across the liquor industry supply chain are only expected to help in the short- to medium-term. If tariffs are implemented over a long period of time, most experts say prices for tequila, Scotch, and other liquors made abroad will increase for Americans. Tariffs are a tax on the consumer, says Butkus, noting that a $50 bottle of booze would sell for $62.50 if a 25% tariff is imposed. Higher prices will likely change behaviors in a few different, yet equally harmful ways. Tequila lovers may switch to vodka that can be made domestically or lower-priced spirits, resulting in fewer choices on the shelf and less innovation coming into the market. But conversely, if more distillers employ Cedar Ridges all-in strategy on selling domestically, prices may fall becaue the market is flooded with too much bourbon that was initially meant to be sold in Canada or the EU. This is all paralyzing, says Quint. I dont think anybody knows how this all nets out.
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E-Commerce
From the Three Graces in ancient Greek and Roman mythology to the Three Wise Men in the Bible, the number three has been revered throughout history as a symbol of balance and harmony. Jackie and Shadow, the internet-famous bald eagles of Big Bear, California, would probably agreetheir last egg has officially hatched, bringing their final chick count this season to three. These little fluffs might not have names yet but that hasnt stopped 1.73 million people and counting from following their journey. Lets break down the numbers and timeline of Chick 3s arrival in the nest. The webcam that captured the attention of the world The bald eagle live streams are run by a nonprofit called Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV). Little did this small-but-mighty group of staff and volunteers know how many people their efforts would reach. According to Jenny Voisard, FOBBV’s media and website manager, a record-breaking 100,000 people concurrently tuned into the cameras live stream at one point this year to cheer on the expecting parents. FOBBV’s website received 950,000 unique visitors in a week, causing it to crash a couple of times. It now has a dedicated server to handle all the love. Meanwhile, all this attention also translates to social media followers. Across all channels, the organization has a whopping 1.73 million followers. Its Instagram just launched and already has more than 46,000 fans. The public Facebook page has close to one million followers, with some posts being shared 15,000 times. And lets not forget the YouTube channel, with almost 500,000 subscribers. Its fair to say if you love these bald eagles, you are in good company. The hatching journey of chick No. 3 The third and final egg was laid on January 28. The average incubation period for a bald eagle is around 35 days, so fans had to be patient. On March 6 at 10:21 a.m., a snowy cold morning in Big Bear, the first pip, or crack, was spotted. By 10:53 a.m. it had grown. Its normal for the hatching process to take a couple of days and this was no exception. Additionally, the snowy conditions forced Jackie to stay firmly on the nest to keep her babies warm and out of sight. At 2:11 a.m. on March 8, the chick was visible, dry, but not quite of the shell. By 6:13 a.m. Chick 3 completed its journey into the world and was present for the early morning feeding. Since its birth, Chick 3 has received multiple feedings from its parents. Its eyesight is still developing, so sometimes it takes a moment to get situated. It has also experienced some danger: Ravens have attempted to infiltrate the nest, but Jackie called out to Shadow, and the parents worked together to scare the intruders away. The neighborhood flying squirrel Fiona also tried to visit, but Jackies wing slaps got her to mind her own business. Chick 3 will have to learn to get along with its siblings. It is normal to see some jostling around as one chick emerges as the dominant sibling. They will also bonk each other on the head but soon find their rhythm and pecking order. At around 10 to 12 weeks, these eaglets will fledge or leave the nest for the first time. They typically hang out close to home for a couple months before they completely strike out on their own. To catch them before then, watch the webcam embedded below.
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E-Commerce
2025 has not been a good year for retail store closures so far. High-profile chains, including Joann fabrics, Walgreens, and Big Lots, have shuttered locations across the country. And now Dollar General is joining them. Heres what you need to know. Dollar General Corporation to close 141 stores Dollar General Corporation is the owner of the popular chain of Dollar General discount stores and the PopShelf retail chain. The company has now announced it will shutter 141 stores across both brands. Dollar General Corporation made the store closure announcement yesterday in its fourth-quarter and fiscal-year 2024 earnings report. As part of that report, the company said it has chosen to close a number of locations after evaluating the individual stores performance, operating conditions, and expected future performance. That review has led Dollar General Corporation to decide to close the following: 96 Dollar General stores 45 Popshelf stores As a result of this review, the Company plans to close 96 Dollar General stores and 45 pOpshelf stores, and convert an additional six pOpshelf stores to Dollar General stores in the first quarter of the 52-week fiscal year ending January 30, 2026 (‘fiscal 2025’), the company stated. Which Dollar General and Popshelf locations are closing? While Dollar General Corporation announced the closure of 141 locations across the two brands, the company did not immediately provide a list of which locations would close. Fast Company has reached out to Dollar General Corporation for a list of locations that will be closing. Currently, Popshelfs store locator shows the company has over 220 stores spread across 20 states. A closure of 45 of those stores means Dollar General Corporation will be reducing Popshelfs store count by roughly 20%. In its earnings release, Dollar General Corporation also noted that it will convert an additional six pOpshelf stores to Dollar General stores in the first quarter of the 52-week fiscal year ending January 30, 2026 (‘fiscal 2025’). As for the Dollar General closures, Dollar General Corporation says it currently has more than 20,000 Dollar General stores across 48 states. A closure of 96 locations is roughly around a minuscule 0.5% of all Dollar General stores. While the number of closings represents less than one percent of our overall store base, we believe this decision better positions us to serve our customers and communities, Todd Vasos, Dollar Generals CEO, said. Dollar General Corporation did not address what would happen to the employees at the closing locationswhether they would be let go or given the opportunity to move to other stores. The company says it currently employs more than 194,000 employees. Thousands of retail stores expected to close in 2025 Dollar General Corporation made the store closure announcement while reporting that its fiscal year 2024 saw a net income of $1.1 billiona decrease of 32.3% from fiscal year 2023. However, net sales for fiscal 2024 increased to $40.6 billion5% higher than in 2023. Still, regarding the announced closures, Vasos said, we believe this review was appropriate to further strengthen the foundation of our business. As Fast Company previously reported, Coresight Research released a report earlier this year in which it says it expects to see up to 15,000 retail locations close across the United States in 2025. The closures, in part, are the result of decreasing foot traffic to many retailers as consumers look to rein in discretionary spending among inflationary pressures. Those same consumers are also increasingly turning to online shopping instead of making the journey to brick-and-mortar storesand that online competition isnt just coming from U.S. online retail giant Amazon. We expect general-merchandise retailers across a wide range of categories, from automotive to home and pet, to be threatened by the further growth of Temu and the scaling of Sheins non-clothing offering, the report stated.
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E-Commerce
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