Health insurer’s CEO shot dead in New York by attacker who waited for him, police say
The head of a major American health insurance company was shot dead on a sidewalk in New York City on Wednesday in what appeared to be a “brazen targeted attack,” according to police.
Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was killed as he walked into the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan just before 6:45 a.m. ET. Police said the attacker had been waiting for Thompson, who was heading to the hotel early for the company’s annual investors conference.
“This does not appear to be a random act of violence,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference on Wednesday.
“At this time, every indication is this was a premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack.”
The police department’s chief of detectives, Joseph Kenny, said the shooter got to the hotel about five minutes before Thompson, who had been staying in another hotel across the street. Standing along the building’s edge, the suspect let several people pass by unharmed before opening fire on the businessman.
New York City police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Brian Thompson, 50, was shot dead in what appears to be ‘a premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack’ in Manhattan.
The gun malfunctioned, but the shooter cleared the jam. They also ignored a witness in the video, who escaped from just a metre or two away.
“Based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear that the victim was specifically targeted, but at this point, we do not know why,” Kenny said.
The suspect escaped on foot before switching to an electric Citi Bike. They were last seen on video riding into Central Park at 6:48 a.m., the officer said.
Thompson, 50, was pronounced dead at Roosevelt Hospital at 7:12 a.m.
Kenny said the executive did not appear to have a security detail and did not seem to realize he was in danger. The footage of the shooting does not have sound, he said, so officers didn’t yet know whether the shooter said anything to him.
UnitedHealthcare is the insurance arm of the health-care giant UnitedHealth Group Inc. The Minnesota-based company was scheduled to meet with investors in New York City to update Wall Street on its direction and expectations for the coming year, according to a company media advisory.
UnitedHealth Group chief executive Andrew Witty took the stage about one hour after the event started and announced the rest of the program would be cancelled.
“We’re dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members, and as a result, I’m afraid we’re going to have to bring to a close the event today,” he said.
Thompson, who lived in Minnesota, had been in the city since Monday.
“Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him. We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time,” it read.
“Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”
Thompson was with company 20 years
The Hilton is in a bustling part of Manhattan, a short walk from tourist sites such as the Museum of Modern Art and Rockefeller Center and often dense with tourists and office workers on weekday mornings.
Police said the shooting would not affect the annual Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center, a few blocks from the Hilton, which draws large crowds and is scheduled to take place in a televised event on Wednesday evening.
Part of the block where the shooting took place was cordoned off with police tape, with a large contingent of police officers at the scene.
Thompson, who had served as CEO for more than three years, had been with the company since 2004. Police said they are still working to determine a motive.
Officers are also working with Citi Bike to track the GPS-enabled bicycle the shooter used and analyze a cellphone found in a nearby alley.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the state is “sending our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team.”
“This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health-care community in Minnesota,” Walz wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the U.S. and manages health insurance coverage for employers, as well as Medicaid programs funded by the state and federal governments.
Published at Wed, 04 Dec 2024 17:11:09 +0000
T&T, Canada’s largest Asian grocery store chain, is coming to the U.S.
Canada’s biggest Asian grocery chain is expanding into the U.S., hoping to bring its patented array of food, skin care and more to a new market.
On Thursday, Bellevue, Wash., will be home to T&T’s 37th store — and its first south of the border as it looks ahead to more growth in Canada and the U.S.
“It’s a natural expansion for us,” said CEO Tina Lee in an interview at the T&T store in Toronto’s Fairview Mall.
Amid the current climate of distrust and frustration over food prices that many Canadian grocers are weathering, T&T seems to be enjoying a strong and dedicated customer base. Shoppers post hauls of their products on TikTok and line up around the block to visit new locations. At the Fairview store, Lee points out a whole fried chicken in the hot food section that she says went viral online, and as she’s standing in the bakery aisle, two young shoppers recognize her and ask for a photo.
“We can feel [that] Canadians are cheering for us, just like you cheer for the Canadians at the Olympics,” said Lee.
It’s Lee’s 10th year as CEO of the company her mother founded more than three decades ago. The T&T brand, which is now owned by Loblaw, began in 1993, when Tina’s mother Cindy, with the help of her husband Jack, opened two stores in Burnaby and Richmond, B.C.
Tina and her sister Tiffany make up the two Ts in the store name.
Expanding across the border
Usually it’s U.S. retailers that expand into Canada, not the other way around, said Lisa Hutcheson, a retail strategist with J.C. Williams Group.
“When you have a winning concept and there is a demand for it in another market, that’s when it’s time,” she said.
T&T has seen a lot of growth in just a few years, said Lee. Being part of Loblaw — which bought the retailer in 2009 — has helped support that growth through capital and distribution, she said.
Bringing a retail concept to another country isn’t always easy. Just ask Target, which launched more than a hundred stores across Canada about a decade ago before spectacularly flaming out within just a couple of years.
Aritzia and Lululemon are good examples of Canadian companies that have successfully expanded south of the border, said Hutcheson.
Lee, who is confident that T&T will receive a warm reception in the U.S., said she thinks opening T&T stores in Quebec was a bigger challenge from a cultural standpoint. T&T opened its first Quebec location in 2022 in Montreal and its second just last month in nearby Brossard.
“That’s given me and given us a lot more confidence in saying, ‘Well, look, if we can make it in Quebec … then yes, we can make it in Seattle.”‘
While she may not be intimidated by the expansion, there’s a lot of work involved, including detailed market research, changing labelling to meet nutritional and language requirements, adapting HR policies and other technical details.
Grab a cart inside T&T Supermarket as CEO Tina Lee reveals the pivotal moments that helped transform her family’s Vancouver grocery store into the largest Asian supermarket chain in Canada.
The Bellevue site, a 76,000-square-foot former Walmart, will be the biggest T&T yet. The company is also opening its 38th store in Canada in the spring, located in downtown Toronto. A second Washington state location is on the way, and a planned third U.S. location will be in San Jose, Calif.
The company has distribution partners set up along the West Coast, with a lot of its products already coming up from California.
Hutcheson said she thinks T&T’s move makes “logical sense,” depending on the areas it picks, adding that while the banner still has room to grow in Canada, “the U.S. is just that much bigger.”
Consumers looking for international offerings
The company’s success story shows that stores like T&T aren’t just for certain communities anymore, said Lee.
Research has shown that North American consumers are increasingly interested in eating and cooking food from a variety of different cultures. According to research firm Mintel, Gen Z consumers are driving consumption of international food and drink both at restaurants and at home, often turning to social media for cooking inspiration.
“I think certainly my mother would have never imagined it, but we’ve grown beyond just an Asian clientele,” Lee said.
“Canadian culture is just having the best of all the different cultural backgrounds,” she said. “What we are exporting is exactly that food mosaic concept.”
Published at Wed, 04 Dec 2024 18:42:22 +0000
