The Biz Week That Was: Libertyville now OKs coworking space, Cooper's Hawk looks at Bloomingdale

Coworking space approved in Libertyville

A plan to convert a prominent vacant building in the heart of downtown Libertyville to a flexible, shared workspace now is on track. The village board this week reversed direction and approved measures to allow Brick & Mortar to convert a former grocery store at 416 N. Milwaukee Ave. to a full-service office space to be available by the hour, week or month.

Cooper's Hawk in Bloomingdale?

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant may soon be swooping into Bloomingdale. The upscale national wine and restaurant chain based in Downers Grove has been eyeing a Bloomingdale site west of Stratford Square Mall at 200 S. Gary Ave. that was site formerly was home to Barnes & Noble. A Cooper's Hawk spokesperson did not confirm the Bloomingdale expansion, except to say the company is considering a location in the suburb.

AbbVie used law to avoid taxes

President Donald Trump's signature tax overhaul nearly five years ago opened the door for the pharmaceutical giant AbbVie to shield much of its U.S. sales from federal taxes, alleged Senate Democratic investigators, who said their new findings reflect a “clear need to reform” the system.

Fairgrounds coffee, tea expanding in Bell Works

Fairgrounds Craft Coffee and Tea will expand its presence at the Bell Works Chicagoland “metroburb” in Hoffman Estates when its 5,743-square-foot Fairgrounds World's Fair opens this fall. Fairgrounds was among the first businesses to open in the former AT&T office complex, initially operating out of a kiosk. The World's Fair cafe concept was inspired by Chicago's World's Fairs of 1893 and 1933, representatives said.

Largest data breach in history, in China?

Hackers claim to have obtained a trove of data on 1 billion Chinese from a Shanghai police database in a leak that, if confirmed, could be one of the largest data breaches in history. In a post on the online hacking forum Breach Forums last week, someone using the handle “ChinaDan” offered to sell nearly 24 terabytes of data.

Manufacturing growth weakens to 2-year low

A measure of U.S. manufacturing activity weakened in June to a two-year low as new orders contracted, restrained by lingering supply constraints and some softening in demand. The Institute for Supply Management's gauge decreased to 53 last month from 56.1 in May. Readings above 50 indicate expansion.

Elon Musk's Twitter deal in jeopardy

Elon Musk's deal to buy Twitter is in serious jeopardy, three people familiar with the matter say, as Musk's camp concluded that Twitter's figures on spam accounts are not verifiable. Musk's team has stopped engaging in certain discussions around funding for the $44 billion deal