Picasso Pawn and other Raleigh shops report more customers pawning items for quick cash as household budgets tighten; EZCORP’s quarter shows rising pawn loans and sales.

Hitachi Energy will open a 32,000‑sq‑ft engineering and cybersecurity center in Cary, investing $10M and promising about 150 new jobs as part of a $1B U.S. expansion.

Smithfield approved plans for 7 Brew’s first Triangle drive‑thru, according to town records and the Triangle Business Journal. The move raises questions about queuing and traffic in the area.

North Carolina added roughly 29 Dollar General stores in the past year, pushing the state past Georgia to become the nation’s No. 2 for the chain.

Gov. Josh Stein said TSEA Energy will open a U.S. plant in Rockingham County with a $17M investment and 106 jobs in Eden. Initial details were sparse.

Epic Games will lay off more than 1,000 employees after a slowdown in Fortnite engagement; the company says affected staff will receive at least four months' pay.

Red Storm Entertainment in Cary will cut 105 jobs and halt game development, shifting to engine and support work at the studio.

A 30,000‑square‑foot former Office Depot in Cary sold for $6 million and will become a Savers thrift store, the Triangle Business Journal reports.

A Powerball ticket sold at JD Gas & Grocery in Dover matched five white balls and, with Power Play, doubled to a $2 million prize; winners have 180 days to claim.

Whole Foods confirmed plans for a third Cary store at Preston Corners, taking over the former Lowes Foods space as Amazon doubles down on Whole Foods.

The FDA issued a March 5 warning letter saying Novo Nordisk failed to report serious adverse events, including three deaths, tied to semaglutide. The action raises fresh scrutiny for the company’s Triangle manufacturing footprint.

Biotech plants and big corporate projects pushed North Carolina to record investment in 2025, and officials say the state’s workforce and population growth could keep the momentum going.

GE Aerospace will spend more than $160M upgrading four North Carolina plants, adding machines and capacity as airlines modernize and orders climb.