Chain

About 422 indie bookshops opened in 2025, up 31%, defying predictions of retail consolidationFor years now, we have heard that Amazon and the big chains are crushing small businesses, but independent bookstores are suddenly making a comeback.About 422 new indie bookshops opened in 2025, according to the American Booksellers Association, a 31% rise from 2024. Countless independent restaurants, coffee shops, fitness centers, movie theaters, clothing stores and other small businesses also continue to thrive even in this era of ever-bigger retailers, fast-casual restaurants and massive e-commerce platforms. Continue reading...

Petition started by workers gained more than 7,300 signatures after CEO said flags would be removedA San Francisco-based coffee chain that sparked backlash with a policy to remove Pride flags from their stores has reversed its decision over a week later.“I made a mistake and I am sincerely sorry,” said Mahesh Sadarangani, the chief executive of Philz Coffee, in a statement on Friday. “The Pride flag is a symbol of safety and belonging for people who don’t always find that in the world, and that is not something I want to take away from anyone who walks into a Philz.” Continue reading...

Petition with 4,000 signatures decries ‘slap in the face’, saying Philz made fortune off LGBTQ+ communitySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxPhilz, a popular coffee chain with locations across California, is facing growing criticism after news broke that the San Francisco-based company planned to remove Pride flags from its stores.The move is part of an effort to “[create] a more consistent, inclusive experience across all our stores, including removing a variety of flags and other decor”, Mahesh Sadarangani, the company’s CEO, said in a statement to SFGate. The company did not immediately respond to the Guardian’s request for comment. Continue reading...

• The US administration reports that the Iran war is rattling the medical supply chain, affecting essentials from gloves to helium used in MRIs. • Shortages threaten hospitals nationwide as key imports from affected regions halt abruptly amid escalating conflict. • Medical leaders warn this could delay treatments and surgeries, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities in US healthcare logistics.

President Masoud Pezeshkian says 14m people ‘declared their readiness to sacrifice their lives’ for defence of IranMiddle East crisis – live updatesIranians officials called on young people to form human chains around the country’s power plants and people in Tehran stocked up on basic provisions, as the clock ticked down on Donald Trump’s deadline to open the strait of Hormuz or face massive strikes on civilian infrastructure.Iranian media showed people gathering outside electricity stations, waving Iranian flags and holding up banners, including at the country’s largest power plant, near Tehran, and in Tabriz in the north-west. In Dezful in the south-west, people gathered on a bridge said to be 1,700 years old. Continue reading...

Lord Richard Walker, Iceland’s chair, says Walker Smith is ‘welcome to a job with us’ as public fundraiser hits £7,500Keir Starmer’s cost of living tsar, who is the chair of Iceland, has offered a job to a worker who was sacked from Waitrose after trying to stop a shoplifter.Waitrose faced public outcry over its treatment of Walker Smith, who was fired two days after he stopped the shoplifter taking items from the Easter egg display, including Lindt chocolate bunnies. Continue reading...

• AI recruiting platform Mercor confirmed a cybersecurity incident from a supply chain attack on open-source project LiteLLM, with hacker group Lapsus$ claiming data access and theft. • The breach exposed Mercor's systems, highlighting vulnerabilities in AI supply chains used by startups for model integration. • This incident underscores rising risks for AI firms relying on third-party libraries, potentially impacting hiring trust and data security standards.