Who wants to buy a bankrupt chain like Juicy Couture or Pier One? Someone owns these names — and makes millions of dollars on them. Here's what business is like in the shadow world of undead brands.

With clothes cheaper than a latte, built for today's microtrends, Shein courts the same young women who launched the renaissance of thrifting and resale. Legal complaints about the company are many.

Birkenstock, which is nearly 250 years old, is now a publicly traded company — valued at about $8 billion. (Story aired on All Things Considered on Oct. 11, 2023.)

At nearly 250 years old, sandal-maker Birkenstock is — for one day — both the oldest and the newest company on the New York Stock Exchange.

The FTC and 17 states have accused Amazon of using tactics to maintain a monopoly. Independent vendors who do business selling products on Amazon face serious challenges to compete on the platform.

In a monopoly lawsuit, the Federal Trade Commission and 17 states accuse Amazon of suffocating rivals and raising costs for both sellers and shoppers.

The Federal Trade Commission and 17 states accuse Amazon of suffocating rivals and raising costs for both sellers and shoppers.

Instacart is going public with actual profit to show for itself. But a lot of it has to do with the company's growing foray into digital advertising, not the basics of its operations.

Climate change, technological leaps, panicked insurers, the shifting sense of responsibility: All are powering the still-nascent, but fast-growing industry of preparing homes for wildfires.

"We are serving a primal need of all human beings," Birkenstock's CEO writes to prospective shareholders. "We are a footbed company selling the experience of walking as intended by nature."

Hostess, the maker of snacks such as Twinkies and HoHos, is being sold to J.M. Smucker in a cash-and-stock deal worth nearly $6 billion. (Story aired on All Things Considered on Sept. 11, 2023.)

For Hostess, the deal with the peanut-butter-and-jelly conglomerate is a sweet win after not one, but two bankruptcies.

Wildfires are a worsening danger — and a big business opportunity. From high-tech alarms to home retrofits, the industry around preparedness is nascent, fairly small, barely regulated, growing fast.

Back-to-school spending reached another record this year, while other spending is giving some indications of how Americans feel about the economy.

The company lost big sales in the U.S. after the boycotts over its collaboration with a transgender influencer. CEO says things have now stabilized "with signals of improvement" for the brand.

Overstock bought Bed Bath & Beyond's intellectual property in bankruptcy court. Overstock CEO Jonathan Johnson said the company wanted Bed Bath & Beyond's name recognition.

Online discount retailer Overstock.com has become Bed Bath & Beyond after buying the bankrupt home-goods brand. But don't expect brick-and-mortar stores to reopen or big blue coupons in the mail.

Economic data show higher prices and constant warnings of a downturn haven't slowed down American shoppers. The Fed is anxious. Companies are thrilled.

Recession? What recession? The Fed is still cautious, but big brands — Kimberly-Clark, Hilton, Visa, Chipotle, Coca-Cola — are singing praises to shoppers who seem un-swayed by their higher prices.

New guidelines from the FTC and Justice Department are part of a broader push to promote competition and limit what the White House sees as excessive consolidation.