By The Numbers

We come in peace (burgers)

Marketplace Staff Sep 21, 2015
23 percent

That’s how much Volkswagen shares dropped on Monday following the company’s announcement that it cheated on air pollution tests with illegal software in some of its diesel models. As Bloomberg writes, nearly half a million vehicles are affected by the violations, and as much as $18 billion in fines could be expected. 

70 percent

That’s how much of the beer market is dominated by Anheuser Busch and SAB Miller. If the proposed merger between the two goes through, that’s a lot of control for one company to possess. In fact, it has some advertising agencies worried — currently these two companies spend $500 billion a year on sports sponsorship. If there’s less competition in the field, they might find less of a need to spend so much on advertising. 

1500 burgers

That’s how many “peace day burgers” will be given away at a pop-up restaurant in Atlanta on Monday by Burger King. It’s part of a Peace Day Campaign that has the company teaming up with Denny’s, Wayback Burgers, Krystal, and Giraffas. As USA Today writes, the offer is part of a re-framing of the original plan, which was to partner with McDonald’s to create a hybrid between the Big Mac and the Whopper. Unfortunately, an agreement couldn’t be reached.

$15.99

That’s how much you’ll pay for an “Artisanal Roach Bomb” at a bodega in Brooklyn called Jesse’s Deli. For the record, it’s not really artisanal — it’s just a regular can of Raid. But actually selling the product for the inflated price isn’t really the point. Owner Ghassan Itayim wanted to poke fun — and prove a point — about the rising rents businesses have to pay in neighborhoods that are rapidly gentrifying. Itayim’s own landlord wants to raise his rent from $4,000 to $10,000.

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