The financier who leads Sears Holdings Corp. says the retailer is gearing up to revamp merchandise and services in its stores. And Chairman Edward Lampert says the company’s Internet presence will continue to balloon as more customers shop online. Speaking during the company’s annual shareholder meeting Tuesday, Lampert told a roomful of investors that in five years Sears will be “unrecognizable compared to what the company was 20, 30, 40 years ago.” Based in suburban Chicago, the retailer owns Sears, Kmart and Land’s End and popular brands such as Craftsman, Diehard and Kenmore. But it is increasingly focusing its efforts on the Web.
Antitrust regulators to investigate Apple
Federal regulators plan to examine whether Apple Inc. is violating antitrust rules by requiring software developers to use Apple programming tools to create applications for the iPhone and iPad. Officials at the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission are sorting out which agency will examine Apple’s new policy, according to a person with knowledge of the inquiry. Apple’s policy prevents developers from using outside tools such as Adobe Systems Inc.’s Flash format, which is used in many Web videos, games and interactive graphics, to design apps for Apple’s popular devices. The person with knowledge of the inquiry, who was not authorized to speak publicly, noted that the process is in a preliminary stage.
Airports to revive expedited security
The Clear program, which allowed members to breeze through airport security before it abruptly shut down last year, is expected to be up and running again by the fall. The company was taken over by Alclear LLC, whose board includes Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Alclear bought Clear’s former owner, Verified Identity Pass, which filed for bankruptcy. When the program shut down in June, there was a lot of concern among members because of the sensitive personal data they volunteered in exchange for quick passage through security gates.
Recall revisions proposed in Senate
A Senate committee on Tuesday proposed a major overhaul to the nation’s auto safety requirements following Toyota’s prominent recalls. The changes would force car companies to meet new safety standards and face stiff penalties for failing to report defects. The Senate Commerce Committee plan would push auto manufacturers to meet new standards related to brake override systems, vehicle black boxes and auto electronics following Toyota’s recall of more than 8 million vehicles around the globe. It follows a similar bill released last week by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, underscoring Congress’ intent to bring the first significant reforms to auto safety since the Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. tire recalls of a decade ago.
From Herald news services
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