Strictly Business

From Business Today:

HSBC Bank is a pillar of the Western New York economy, employing more than 5,000 people and giving local bank customers a connection to the wide world with its global reach. But the bank's new CEO Stuart Gulliver has put a target on the bank's Upstate New York operations, saying that division does not fit the company's global strategy. Shivers are running through the region. So what happens next? News banking reporter Jonathan D. Epstein talked to several analysts and banking experts about how HSBC might unload its upstate operations, if it decides to do so. Options range from selling the entire 184-branch network as one unit, to parceling it off, to selling pieces and keeping the Buffalo/Rochester core. The whole maneuver could take a few years to settle, or it could be fast.
Other coverage of Gulliver's plans:
From London:
More from London:
From the Guardian in London:
Commentary from London:


When Mark Andol lost some big contracts in his metal shops to foreign competition, he got frustrated and did something that changed his life. He opened a store to sell only items 100% made in America. A year later the store in Elma has become a national symbol of sorts, with tour buses making stops and the Fox network doing repeated profiles of the business. Andol has proved to be the perfect man for the burden, becoming a type of evangelist for American manufacturers. He said he has yet to make a profit, but he's heading in the right direction.

Target stores are expanding their food offereings, opening up more space for a limited grocery store. The store on Niagara Falls Boulevard in Amherst has the new store-within-a-store already, and five more in the area are being remodeled.

Recent real estate transactions...