Online shopping
FILE - In this April 17, 2019, file photo online customer reviews for a product are displayed on a computer in New York. U.K. regulators are investigating Google and Amazon over concerns the online giants aren't doing enough to stop fake reviews of products and services on their platforms. The Competition and Markets Authority said Friday, June 25, 2021 it opened a formal investigation into whether the two companies broke U.K. consumer law by failing to protect shoppers. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
UK watchdog probes Amazon, Google for fake reviews of goods

By Kelvin Chan Jun. 25, 2021 05:16 AM EDT

FILE - In this Thursday, May 6, 2021, file photo a FedEx driver delivers a cart of packages, in New York. Package delivery companies like FedEx have been in high demand during the pandemic, as more people stayed home and shopped online. At the same time, FedEx has been delivering COVID-19 vaccines. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
FedEx posts profit as online shopping boom continues

By Joseph Pisani Jun. 24, 2021 04:56 PM EDT

H&M says sales up 75% as more people get vaccinated

Jun. 15, 2021 04:28 AM EDT
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Low-cost fashion brand Hennes & Mauritz AB said Tuesday sales had increased 75% in Q2 and early June, affecting both online purchases and...

FILE - In this May 18, 2021 file photo, fifth graders wear face masks are seated at proper social distancing spacing during a music class at the Milton Elementary School in Rye, N.Y. As more children go back to the physical classroom, families are expected to spend robustly on a wide range of items, particularly trendy clothing for the critical back-to-school season, according to one key spending measure. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
As children return to classrooms, stores expect strong sales

By Anne D'innocenzio Jun. 10, 2021 09:00 AM EDT

Shoppers are reflected in a retail store's windows, Tuesday, May 25, 2021, in Chicago's famed Loop. With vaccinations rolling out and shoppers freer to go out maskless, retailers are seeing an eager return to their stores after months of watching their customers focus on online buying during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar)
Shoppers go back to stores, but retailers face challenges

By Anne D'innocenzio May. 27, 2021 07:23 AM EDT

Massachusetts restaurants eligible for federal relief funds

May. 04, 2021 09:20 AM EDT
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts restaurants that have struggled to stay open during the coronavirus pandemic are being offered a lifeline of up to $10 million...

FILE - In this April 16, 2020, file photo, the Amazon logo is displayed in Douai, northern France. Amazon’s pandemic boom isn’t showing signs of slowing down. The company said Thursday, April 29, 2021, that its first-quarter profit more than tripled from a year ago, fueled by the growth of online shopping. It also posted revenue of more than $100 billion, the second quarter in row that the company has passed that milestone. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File)
Amazon's profit more than triples as pandemic boom continues

By Joseph Pisani Apr. 29, 2021 04:27 PM EDT

This undated photo provided by Weee Inc. shows Weee founder Larry Liu. Virtual grocery shopping became more popular during the pandemic lockdowns, and Weee, a startup focused on Asian grocery delivery, was no exception. (Weee via AP)
Online grocery Weee's Larry Liu on delivering in a pandemic

By Tali Arbel Apr. 11, 2021 10:05 AM EDT

MassArt holds virtual auction to fund student scholarships

Apr. 04, 2021 09:31 AM EDT
BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts College of Art and Design is holding a virtual auction to help support student scholarships. The silent...

This photo provided by Marcus & Millichap shows CEO Hessam Nadji. Commercial real estate has been among the hardest-hit segments of the economy over the past year as the pandemic led millions of Americans to work remotely and turn to e-commerce like never before. (Marcus & Millichap via AP)
Insider Q&A: Marcus & Millichap CEO on 2021 property market

By Alex Veiga Apr. 04, 2021 09:10 AM EDT

FILE - In this Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021, file photo, Michael Foster of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union holds a sign outside an Amazon facility where labor is trying to organize workers in Bessemer, Ala. Nearly 6,000 Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer are deciding whether they want to form a union, the biggest labor push in the online shopping giant's history. Mail-in voting started in early February. Ballots must be received by the end of Monday March 29, 2021. The National Labor Relations Board starts counting votes the next day. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves, File)
EXPLAINER: What to know about the Amazon union vote

By Joseph Pisani Mar. 29, 2021 10:09 AM EDT

FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, file photo, a FedEx delivery vehicle makes a U-turn near the Denver Pavilions, in downtown Denver. FedEx says its profit nearly tripled in its most recent quarter, despite winter weather that hobbled some of its facilities. Online shopping has surged during the pandemic as more people avoid going inside stores. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
FedEx's profit nearly triples as online shopping grows

By Joseph Pisani Mar. 18, 2021 05:31 PM EDT

FILE - In this Nov. 28, 2020 file photo, a shopper wears a face mask and he walks past a store displaying a hiring sign in Wheeling, Ill. The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week but remained high by historical standards. Applications for benefits declined 111,000 from the previous week to a seasonally adjusted 730,000, the Labor Department said Thursday, Feb. 25. It is the lowest figure since late November. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
Things to Know: US Hospitalizations plunge, but still high

By The Associated Press Feb. 25, 2021 03:49 PM EST

A Best Buy store sign is displayed in Arlington Heights, Ill., Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. Best Buys is closing five stores in four states in the next month. The retailer plans to close two Richmond, Va., area stores, along with one store each in Syracuse, N.Y., Carbondale, Ill., and Brockton, Mass. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Best Buy cut 5,000 jobs even as sales soared during pandemic

By Joseph Pisani Feb. 25, 2021 10:41 AM EST

Lynnette White uses her tablet while interviewed in San Francisco, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. The pandemic has sparked a surge of online shopping across all ages as people stay away from physical stores. But the biggest growth has come from consumers 65 and older. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Never too late: Pandemic propels older shoppers online

By Anne D'innocenzio Feb. 24, 2021 12:03 PM EST

Online grocery shopping drives up sales at Ocado

Feb. 09, 2021 07:50 AM EST
LONDON (AP) — Ocado, one of the biggest internet-only grocery retailers, said Tuesday that sales rose 35% during the last fiscal year as the COVID-19 pandemic...

Online retailer Boohoo buys 3 fashion brands from Arcadia

Feb. 08, 2021 08:00 AM EST
LONDON (AP) — British online fashion retailer Boohoo has bought three clothing brands owned by the collapsed Arcadia retail group for 25.2 million pounds ($34...

In this July 27, 2020 file photo, the tails of three UPS aircraft are shown parked at Miami International Airport in Miami. UPS, whose brown delivery trucks have become omnipresent on neighborhood streets during the pandemic, is reporting strong profits and revenue in its most recent quarter. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
Online shopping surge delivers record revenue for UPS

By Joseph Pisani And Michelle Chapman Feb. 02, 2021 07:36 AM EST

FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, a woman wearing a face mask walks past mannequins wearing face masks in the window of a temporarily closed branch of the Topshop women's clothing chain in London. Online retail company ASOS, confirmed Monday Feb. 1, 2021, it has sealed the takeover of Topshop and three other brands from the collapse of the Arcadia retail empire, buying the brand names but not the high street retail space. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, FILE)
UK online fashion retailer buys Topshop, three other brands

Feb. 01, 2021 06:52 AM EST

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly answers questions during a news conference, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. The Democratic governor is dismissing criticism of her budget proposals from Republican legislators as an expected negotiating tactic. (AP Photo/John Hanna)
Kansas governor's budget includes proposals GOP has rejected

By John Hanna Jan. 13, 2021 02:43 PM EST