Opinion ID: 175980
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Similarity in machinery, equipment, and production methods

Text: Neither party presented evidence on this factor beyond a general description of the different types of retail businesses operated by Factory 2-U and Dollar Tree. Nonetheless, viewing the record in Plaintiff's favor, and giving her the benefit of generous inferences, this factor appears to support a finding of successorship. Both stores likely used cash registers, hand trucks, and other equipment usually associated with a retail business chain. This support is slight, however, because such equipment is common to most retail businesses. As with the factor related to the same plant, this factor too is potentially misleading because it uses manufacturing-specific words (machinery and production methods). Indeed, some courts have concluded that, for that reason, this factor does not apply in a non-manufacturing context. Cobain, 2007 WL 1589533, at ; Vanderhoof, 988 F.Supp. at 514; Rhoads, 956 F.Supp. at 1253-54. We disagree, for the reasons discussed above in Part B-2.