News outlets parrot press release about GQ opening Barclays Center barbershop; how about follow-up on long-delayed Sugar Factory?

Hey, GQ is opening a barbershop in the Barclays Center!

They issued a press release yesterday, and Brownstoner, DNAInfo, the Observer, Racked, the Real Deal, Fishbowl NY, Adweek, and surely others followed up.

OK, it's worthy of mention, but it's just another sign how the press can be steered by handouts. I didn't see anyone ask about the terms of the business deal.

Meanwhile, no one's reported on a rather larger retail story regarding the arena: the continued delays in the Sugar Factory, a space ten times larger--the barbershop is 400 square feet--with an exterior entrance at Sixth Avenue.

The Sugar Factory has been "coming soon" since October 2012. Company founder Charissa Davidovici wrote in the 7/24/13 Las Vegas Sun that "Our next East Coast location is slated to open shortly after our Los Angeles retail shop in late fall.  The web site also claimed a Fall 2013 opening.

The Daily News reported 10/26/13 that Sugar Factory was "slated to open in mid-December on the Sixth Ave. side of the arena."

We're still waiting. How about some follow-up? After all, there's supposed to be a distinction between news and advertising.

About the barbershop

From GQ's blog:

We're already your go-to source for the best grooming tips, and with the men's grooming industry being hotter than ever, there's never been a better time for us to set up shop. That's why we teamed up with Fellow Barber to open the GQ Barbershop, which officially opens for business on Friday, January 10.
The 400-square-foot space will be located in Brooklyn's Barclays Center, right on the venue's main concourse. We'll be offering haircuts, shaves, and plenty of GQ-approved grooming products during more than 100 sporting events and concerts. So if you're used to talking sports with your barber already, now you can have the best of both worlds. To celebrate the launch, Brooklyn Nets player Deron Williams and former World Champion boxer Luis Collazo will be getting the inaugural cuts at our grand opening. For a full list of services and prices, check below.
The following services will be provided at the GQ Barbershop:

• Cleanup, $10
• Trim, $25
• Fade, $40
• Haircut, $40
• Beard Trim, $15
• Shave, $40
• Shave & Cut, $75

"We are really excited to join forces with exceptional partners like GQ and Barclays Center," said Fellow Barber founder, Sam Buffa. While GQ vice president and publisher Chris Mitchell adds: "It is the ideal intersection of style and entertainment."

Here's a promo photo: