Business Beat for Monday, November 24, 2014

By sarahtr

A procrastinator’s holiday wish come true: Presents ordered at the last minute can now show up under the Christmas tree that same day.

The horses will not appear in Budweiser’s traditional holiday advertising this year, but will be featured in spots promoting responsible drinking.

United Airlines is launching a test of mobile payment for some members of its MileagePlus program.

The chicken chain is putting Oreo pieces in its honey-butter biscuits, then covering the whole thing with vanilla icing glaze.

The Chicago-based restaurant company plans to open Frankie’s Pizza by the Slice and Big Bowl Chinese Express in a new dining area, [Crain’s]

The burgeoning marijuana industry in Colorado is rolling out new strains and gift sets to get a piece of the holiday shopping dollar.

Theranos lab services are available at Walgreens drugstores in the Phoenix area and Palo Alto, California, and are expected to roll out nationwide.

The price to check out a DVD from one of Redbox’s nearly 44,000 in-store kiosks will climb from $1.20 per day to $1.50 effective Dec. 2.

The Hoffman Estates-based retailer is planning store closings into 2015 and jobs cuts total about 8,000. [SeekingAlpha]

The stock market stayed at record levels Monday as investors remained confident the world’s central banks would help revive global economic growth.

Merck & Co., a leading developer of vaccines, has partnered with a small drug developer to research and manufacture a potential Ebola vaccine.

HealthSouth will spend about $750 million on the privately held owner of Encompass Home Health and Hospice.

Louis Chenevert abruptly retired as CEO and stepped down as board chairman of the aerospace and building systems giant.

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