Connecticut Magazine – When the pandemic began, questions about the virus and public health prevailed. As time went on, people asked, “Where were you when the world shut down?”
For people who entered the real estate market in the latter part of 2020 and last year, the question became: “Where did you want to be?”
Hartford Business Journal– There have been encouraging signs this winter — increased foot traffic at open houses, a more stable local economy — that have realtors in the Hartford region optimistic about a busy selling season.
Stamford Advocate – A growing number of economists and public officials think Connecticut’s transportation troubles are contributing to the state’s slow economic recovery.
Kane County Chronicle – A Farmingdale-based startup is bringing infusion services to rural locations and smaller health-care facilities to spare patients the hassle and extra cost of having to travel far from home.
Business Insider – Amazon and the rise of online shopping have been repeatedly blamed for the staggering rate of store closures and bankruptcies disrupting the retail industry in the US.
But e-commerce accounts for only a small fraction of the problems pushing many American retailers to the brink of death, according to Doug Stephens, a retail-industry consultant.
Hartford Business Journal – Health insurer Aetna’s decision to relocate top-level employees to New York City, while maintaining the bulk of its workforce in Hartford, is part of a nationwide management trend in which companies are increasingly separating their corporate executives from the rest of their workforce.
Hartford Courant – Aetna’s decision to look beyond Hartford for its headquarters isn’t complicated, experts say: the company wants young, highly educated workers who live in thriving city environments.
At the moment, that isn’t Hartford, which only recently has picked up the pace of adding downtown apartments and other sought-after urban amenities.
“The first thing is that you have to be in a big enough metro area to attract young people,” John Glascock, director of the Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, said. “GE had some problems with top candidates relocating to southern Connecticut.”
Business Insider – Department stores are planning to close even more stores this year on top of the tidal wave of closures announced over the past couple of months.