Skip to main content

PPE manufacturer will expand operations, adds 180 new jobs

By The Associated Press

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — A Virginia-based company that makes disposable face masks and surgical masks plans to create 180 jobs and invest $5.3 million to grow its operations in the area.

Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday that PremiumEstore LLC will expand its operation in Virginia Beach by purchasing new equipment and hiring more people to increase its manufacturing capacity.

PremiumEstore has been an e-cigarette distributor since 2008, but the company pivoted to PPE production in March. It began operating as Premium-PPE and producing AmeriShield masks.

Northam said the company can currently produce up to 20 millions masks a month. Premium-PPE will receive incentives through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

Walmart breaks its no-frills mold with in-store beauty experts and personalized advice

By The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart customers may find something new the next time they're looking for makeup and skin care products: in-store advisers offering personalized tips and recommendations. The massive retail chain is breaking out of its no-frills service model by staffing its beauty aisles with trained specialists who can suggest foundation shades to match a shopper's skin tone or knows about a moisturizer trending on TikTok. The roles were filled at 22 stores in Arkansas and Texas in recent months, and Walmart expects to have them in more than 400 of its 4,600 namesake U.S. stores by year-end. The addition of “beauty experts” comes as Walmart, rival Target, specialty chains like Sephora and department stores all are vying for a bigger slice of the $129 billion U.S. beauty and personal care market, including by offering customized advice and playful, interactive spaces to encourage consumers to shop in person as well as online.
Read Next Story

Related News

Walmart breaks its no-frills mold with in-store beauty experts and personalized advice

DC-area power providers respond to groundbreaking report on electricity shutoffs

Iran’s economy has been battered. Its leaders still think Trump will blink first