HIRING

Hurricanes dampen small business hiring in September

Hurricanes that swept the southern United States last month shut many retailers and put hiring on hold at small businesses. That’s the finding of payroll provider ADP, which said Wednesday that its small business customers cut 7,000 jobs during September. Many small and independent retailers in Texas and Florida had to close before and during Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and many suffered significant damage from wind, rain and flooding. That not only slowed hiring, but employees at some stores were laid off. The Labor Department reported a jump in applications for unemployment benefits following the storms. The hurricanes also curtailed overall hiring, ADP said, counting 135,000 new jobs at companies of all sizes, the smallest gain in nearly a year. Without the storm, hiring would likely have been closer to the average monthly pace of 185,000 for the last two years, said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, which helps compile the ADP reports. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

FAST FOOD

Judge throws out lawsuit by ex-wife of jailed Subway pitchman

An Indiana judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle’s ex-wife, which alleged that the fast-food chain continued promoting Fogle as its spokesman even though it knew of his sexual interest in children. Boone County Judge Matthew Kincaid dismissed Kathleen McLaughlin’s suit Tuesday, citing a ‘‘lack of personal jurisdiction.’’ His order states that each of the Subway entities she had sued have principal business operations outside Indiana and were formed in Connecticut and Florida. The judge heard arguments last month in Subway’s bid to have the suit dismissed. McLaughlin alleged that Subway received at least three reports indicating Fogle had a sexual interest in children, but failed to take proper action and continued promoting him as its spokesman. Fogle pleaded guilty in 2015 to trading in child pornography and paying for sex with underage girls. He’s serving a 15-year sentence at a federal prison in Colorado. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOME SHARING

Airbnb teams up with WeWork

Booking a room on Airbnb? Soon you’ll have the option to snag a desk or conference room at the closest WeWork location. Two of the world’s most valuable technology startups are teaming up in the hopes of luring young business travelers away from hotels. Airbnb Inc. plans to begin a pilot program Thursday with WeWork Cos. to provide travelers with amenities commonly found in hotel business centers, such as a work desk, Wi-Fi, printers, and meeting rooms, said people familiar with the project. The companies will start with six cities: Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Washington, London, and Sydney, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing an unreleased program. — BLOOMBERG NEWS

BEVERAGES

Pepsi sales drop amid shift to healthier drinks

A shift by PepsiCo from sodas to more healthy and low-calorie drinks crimped sales in the third quarter, even with strong snack sales pushing profits up 8 percent compared with last year. PepsiCo has attempted to walk in step with American tastes, which potentially means less Pepsi and Mountain Dew. CEO Indra Nooyi acknowledged Wednesday that the company gave too much shelf space to its newer, low-calorie drinks and spent too much marketing them. The transformation at PepsiCo will continue, but the company plans to return more of its focus to the brands that drive sales, including Pepsi and Mountain Dew, and it will promote them accordingly. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

EDUCATION

Chicago business school gets $75 million gift

Two graduates of the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business have made a $75 million gift to the school. The university says the Booth School will name its academic high honors after Amy Wallman, a 1975 MBA graduate, and Richard Wallman, a 1974 MBA graduate. Amy Wallman was a partner at Ernst & Young and a director of Omnicare. Richard Wallman served in senior financial posts at Ford Motor Co., Honeywell International, IBM, and Chrysler. They live in Florida. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

OFFICE SUPPLIES

Office Depot stock plunges on news of technology makeover

Office Depot Inc. investors are skeptical that a technology makeover can help the chain rebound from a punishing retail slump. Shares of the retailer plunged more tham 17 percent after Office Depot delivered a grim forecast and announced plans to buy CompuCom Systems Inc. for about $1 billion, giving it a platform to sell tech services to business customers. The company described the acquisition as the first step toward a becoming a seller of business services and technology — rather than a traditional retailer of paper, pens, and staplers. — BLOOMBERG NEWS

THEME PARKS

British company expresses interest in SeaWorld

UK theme-park operator Merlin Entertainments Plc has approached SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. about a potential deal, according to people familiar with the matter. Merlin, which runs the Thorpe Park Resort in southern England and Legoland parks across the world, has made a bid for part of the company, which could be a hurdle to a deal as SeaWorld prefers an outright sale, the people said. — BLOOMBERG NEWS

TECHNOLOGY

Google unveils new products

Google unfurled fresh phones, speakers, laptops, and other familiar consumer devices on Wednesday. The surprise was a new gadget that echoes the company’s earlier controversial stab at futuristic hardware. Google announced a $249 product called Google Clips, a small, lightweight camera that pairs with its Pixel smartphones, at an event in San Francisco. It can be clipped to tables, chairs, or a mantle and snaps pictures that can be stored in the Google Photos app or on the device. The company said it uses machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence, to automatically recognize and take pictures of subjects that are important to users. — BLOOMBERG NEWS

GOVERNMENT

Senator wants information on Mnuchin aide’s travel

A senior Democratic senator, Ron Wyden of Oregon, demanded information on Wednesday about Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s chief of staff’s travel on the private jet of Trian Fund Management CEO Nelson Peltz, a major Republican donor. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the chief of staff, Eli Miller, flew with Peltz to Palm Beach, Fla., several months ago. The Treasury Department’s inspector general, which is already probing Mnuchin’s use of government aircraft, began reviewing details of Miller’s trip after the Post report. — BLOOMBERG NEWS

BANKING

Yellen said Fed is committed to easing burden on small banks

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said Wednesday that the Fed is committed to making sure that the regulations it imposes on the nation’s community banks are not overly burdensome, noting a proposed rule issued last week to simplify requirements governing how much capital these banks must hold. In remarks to a community banking conference in St. Louis, Yellen said the proposed new rule on capital requirements was the latest effort by regulators to ease burdens on smaller banks. She says the Fed is seeking to increase the number of community banks eligible for less frequent examinations and loosen requirements for property appraisals on commercial real estate transactions. — ASSOCIATED PRESS