Afternoon Coffee: Product Quality Issues Kill Target-Hunter Boot Collaboration, KFC Still Serving Partial Menus Following Logistics Disruptions

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Retailer Target is facing blowback from consumers after it cancelled the sale of a much-anticipated rain boot collaboration with Hunter over quality and production issues, the Minneapolis StarTribune reports. While Hunter boots typically retail for around $150, the mass-produced factory versions to be sold at Target were purportedly priced around $40.

KFC

When KFC experienced logistics disruptions in February, it had to close nearly 700 stores. Yet even two months later, less than half of KFC’s 900 U.K. restaurants are offering a full menu, the Guardian reports. While KFC rehired its original logistics provider, Bidvest, the new system with DHL and Quick Service Logistics remains broken.

Japanese Manufacturing

Following several months of decline, Japan’s manufacturing industry picked up in April, according to Manufacturing Global. The Nikkei-Markit flash manufacturing purchasing manager’s index (PMI) noted a reading of 53.3 this month, up from 53.1 in March.

U.S. Economy

And finally, a local economic update: The Chicago Federal Reserve’s measure of the U.S. economy cooled in March, easing to positive 0.10 from February’s 0.98, MarketWatch reports. Weaker hiring and slowing factory output restrained the readings.