Business Beat – Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014

SHARE Business Beat – Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014

Groupon looks to Snap up grocery deals

Groupon Inc. launched a mobile app Thursday that lets shoppers receive cash back for buying certain grocery products.

Boeing to increase 737 production again

Boeing Co. raised its production target for 737 jets to 52 planes a month in 2018, up from 42 now.

Sears cashes out in Canada

Sears, sorely in need of cash, is selling most of its stake in its Canadian unit to raise as much as $380 million.

Walgreen, WebMD team up on health, wellness program

Walgreen Co. and WebMD Health Corp. are combining efforts on health-improvement programs that award discounts to people who make healthy choices.

Tribune Media’s Gracenote buys Australian TV data firm

Gracenote Inc. announced Thursday it paid $19 million for HWW, an Australian company that provides TV and movie data.

Sagent buys Canadian drugmaker for $85 million

Schaumburg-based Sagent Pharmaceuticals Inc. says buying Omega Laboratories Ltd. will create opportunities for international expansion.

Dover buys Accelerated Cos. for $430 million

Manufacturer Dover Corp. has agreed to pay $430 million for Accelerated Cos. LLC., a supplier of hydraulic lifts and pump systems.

$30 million offered for Presence Health’s Northwest Side hospital

Community First Healthcare of Illinois Inc. has offered $30 million for Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center. [Crain’s]

Alcoa opens Indiana plant to make alloys for aircraft

Alcoa Inc. has opened a $90 million plant in Lafayette, Ind., to make aluminum-lithium alloys for use in airplanes.

Safety technology might not lower car insurance rates

Safety technology in cars and trucks is reducing accidents but experts say it may not lead to lower insurance rates in the short term.

ALSO: America’s most ticketed cars [CNBC]

Ikea leases large Minooka warehouse

Swedish furniture retailer Ikea has leased nearly 850,000-square-feet of warehouse space in Minooka. [Chicago Real Estate Daily]

Berkshire Hathaway buys auto dealer Van Tuyl Group

Can you imagine haggling over a car’s price with Warren Buffett? Van Tuyl Group says it is the biggest privately owned auto dealership group in the U.S.

US factory orders drop by record 10.1% in August

Orders to U.S. factories fell in August by the largest amount on record, but the drop was heavily weighed by an expected plunge in aircraft orders.

People receiving jobless benefits hits 8-year low

About 2.3 million people are receiving jobless benefits, the fewest since June 2006, the Labor Department says.

US factory orders posted record drop in August

Orders to U.S. factories fell in August by the largest amount on record, but the drop was heavily weighed by an expected plunge in volatile aircraft orders.

Olive Garden sales rise slightly

Sales at Olive Garden locations open at least a year rose slightly in fiscal September, and its parent company —Darden Restaurants Inc. — now foresees second-quarter adjusted earnings at the upper end of its prior forecast.

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