Del Taco building in Fort Oglethorpe sells for $1.7 million and more business news

Del Taco building sells for $1.7 million

A Fort Oglethorpe storefront building that is home to Georgia’s most popular Del Taco restaurant recently sold to JLL Capital Markets, a professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management, for $1.7 million, according to a news release.

The 2,500-square-foot, single-tenant retail building leased to Del Taco opened in 2020 and is the most visited Del Taco location in the state of Georgia.

Del Taco is a national operator and franchisor of restaurants featuring Mexican-inspired foods and American classic dishes.

The Del Taco building is situated on .81 acres at 564 Battlefield Parkway. It is also positioned on the “going home” side of Battlefield Parkway and along a major retail corridor and surrounded by more than 100,000 residents within a five-mile radius.

Atlanta’s Radial to hire 4,000

Logistics company Radial Inc. plans to hire 4,000 entry-level workers outside Atlanta this year ahead of the busy holiday season, the company announced Tuesday.

The new employees will work out of two Atlanta-area fulfillment centers — one in Locust Grove and one in Buford — to process online orders from various different brands, Radial said in a news release.

According to the statement, research conducted by Radial shows that 65% of shoppers plan to spend either increased or similar amounts of money on online purchases this year compared to 2020.

“We are pleased to be able to open so many positions for seasonal employment in the community and look forward to having local talent join our team during such an exciting time of year,” Sabrina Wnorowski, vice president of human resources at Radial, said in the statement.

Radial is a Pennsylvania-based subsidiary of Bpost, Belgium’s main mail delivery company. Earlier this month, UPS announced its plans to hire 100,000 workers, including about 2,300 in the Atlanta area, to deal with the holiday season.

Amazon unveils robot Astro for the home

Amazon’s new robot can hear, see and follow you around the home, but its no Rosey the Robot.

Amazon’s version, called Astro, doesn’t cook or clean like the animated character from “The Jetsons.” But it can check if you left the stove on while you’re out, or send an alert if someone enters the house it doesn’t recognize.

It uses cameras, sensors and artificial technology to avoid walls or dogs, and Amazon said Astro will only get smarter as time goes on. The $1,500 robot, which will be sent out to customers later this year, was one of a slew of gadgets Amazon unveiled Tuesday as part of its annual event ahead of the holidays.

Amazon executive David Limp asked the 17-inch tall robot to come on stage during the virtual event, then asked it to beatbox. Its round digital eyes close or widen as it does tasks, giving it a human-like touch.

Amazon said a limited number of the Astro will be sold, but didn’t provide a number.

Consumer confidence down for third month

U.S. consumer confidence declined for the third straight month in September amid ongoing worries about the rapidly-spreading delta variant of the coronavirus.

The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell to a reading of 109.3 in September, down from 115.2 in August. September’s reading is lowest level for the index since it sank to 95.2 in February.

The board said consumers’ view of both the present situation and future expectations continued to degrade as intentions for spending on big items likes homes, autos and major appliances all retreated again. Concerns about inflation are also dampening consumer sentiment.

Delta wants airlines to share no-fly lists

Delta Air Lines shared with the Federal Aviation Administration the names of more than 600 passengers it has banned for unruly behavior, and asked other airlines to also share their no-fly lists.

“A list of banned customers doesn’t work as well if that customer can fly with another airline,” Atlanta-based Delta wrote in a memo in advance of a congressional hearing on air rage. The airline said sharing of no-fly lists would “further protect airline employees across the industry.”

Such a practice could increase the ramifications of bad behavior on planes. Currently, a passenger cited for refusing to wear a mask or other unruly behavior might be banned from that airline but could fly any other airline. A broader no-fly list could more significantly limit travel for unruly passengers, but carriers sharing banned travelers lists could raise privacy or antitrust issues.

The FAA did not say if it could implement such a policy, but said it is meeting with airports, airlines, unions and others to discuss additional steps to reduce unruly passenger incidents.

European Central Bank undeterred by inflation

European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde says Europe’s monetary authority isn’t about to “overreact” to temporary inflation by tightening policy.

Lagarde said Tuesday that currently higher inflation of 3% in the eurozone is temporary, caused by bottlenecks and one-time factors. She said the bank still needs to nurture the ongoing recovery in the 19 countries that use the euro currency with stimulus including zero and negative interest rate benchmarks and bond purchases that drive down borrowing costs for companies.

That sets the ECB apart from the U.S. Federal Reserve, which has indicated it is looking at scaling back its crisis bond purchases.