Market Basket growth on shelf

The board of Demoulas Super Markets Inc., owner of the Market Basket grocery chain, said it has instructed company management to open its long-stalled stores in Attleboro and Revere "at the earliest possible moment."

But it's unclear when that will be. Despite the go-ahead, management is at an "impasse" with the board on leasing issues and hasn't decided when the stores will open, Market Basket director of operations Bill Marsden said.

"Unless those issues become resolved, things are status quo, to say the least," he said.

The stores have been delayed by infighting between the Tewksbury chain's board and management, including allegations that CEO Arthur T. Demoulas was involved in "self-dealing" real estate deals related to new sites that benefited his wife and brother-in-law. The board took over real estate decisions after a change in majority control last June that favors the CEO's rival cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas.

Arthur T. Demoulas could not be reached for comment.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the board said it has been "waiting patiently for many months for management to propose a plan and timetable to open the store in Attleboro. Management has not provided this plan, so the board has now instructed management to open the store ... at the earliest possible moment."

In March, Market Basket signed a lease for its new Waltham store, allowing work there — stalled since September — to proceed. New stores planned for Athol and Littleton are "on track," according to the Demoulas board website.

The construction firm for Market Basket's Attleboro store, which received a temporary occupancy permit in January, was granted a 90-day extension this week that expires Aug. 28. "I also let them know … that no further extensions would be granted," Attleboro building commissioner Doug Semple said. There has been no communication with Market Basket "whatsoever," he noted.

The Revere store was completed last July.

"The board ... has been required to be actively involved in negotiating the lease of (the) property ... given that the company's CEO has a conflict of interest regarding the ownership and lease," the board spokeswoman said.

The board previously approved the lease subject to certain conditions, which since have been satisfied, she said. "… The board …instructed management to sign the lease and ... to open the store in Revere at the earliest possible moment," she said.

Board chairman Keith Cowan declined comment. In a May 21 letter to Revere Mayor Daniel Rizzo, Cowan pointed to "deficiencies" in the Revere deal with "certain deed restrictions, site accessibility and the appropriateness of certain fees, charges and benefits."

Earlier in the month, Rizzo wrote a letter to Cowan — which Cowan said he didn't receive — saying that, "Having a brand new vacant and unused business facility was never part of my vision for economic growth" when he took office in 2012. "… I am turning this matter over to the city solicitor to explore whatever legal options may be at our disposal in order to rectify the situation we unfortunately find ourselves in," Rizzo's letter said.

16.30 | 0 komentar | Read More

Suburban owner wonders why sunroof won’t close

The sunroof on my 2005 Suburban will not close. I turned on the ignition switch to lower the windows and open the sunroof to air out the interior a couple of weekends ago. I left the key on after opening the windows and discharged the battery to the point where the windows and sunroof would not close. I charged the battery and the windows closed, but the sunroof moved about an inch and stopped. To reprogram the sunroof, the manual states to push the switch to the vent position to start the programming process. However, the window is open and will not close to start the process. A Chevy dealership and a business that specializes in interiors and sunroofs did not have an answer or a possible solution without bringing it in.

According to the GM reprogramming instructions in my Alldata automotive database, even if the sunroof won't close when you push the switch to the vent position, hold the switch in this position for at least 30 seconds until you hear a slight clicking noise from the front of the sunroof — this should confirm the reprogramming was successful.

If this doesn't work, the sunroof assembly must be removed so that the motor can be removed and the guide pins pushed all the way forward to the stops. Good luck.

Several months ago my '05 Hyundai XG350 displayed an "air bag" message in my dashboard. I had my dealer perform a diagnostic test that informed me I had a "bad air bag" located in the driver's seat. The cost to repair: $1,500 for the part, plus labor. I declined. My brother has a mechanic friend who suggested I "turn on your cruise control." Within five minutes the airbag light went out. To this day, several months later, the airbag light has NOT come on. I have called several dealers and shops asking if another diagnostic test can be performed without the light on and they all replied they cannot do another test. I truly believe the "sensor" was the cause of this air bag message and that I do not have a bad air bag. Do you have any other suggestions?

Wow! Who ever said that automobiles cannot be "self-healing"? I have absolutely no idea how or why the operation of the cruise control would have any influence on a restraint system fault code, but I can tell you that if the air bag warning light flashes during its initial self-test when you first turn on the ignition, then goes out for the duration of your drive, there is no current fault with the system.

With that said, most 
"B-series" body codes will stay in memory until cleared by a scan tool. So it would seem the original DTC code for the airbag light should still be in the computer memory. You should have the dealer scan the body control module for any stored restraint system fault codes.

I have a 2005 Chevy Silverado 1500 with 115,000 miles on it. Just recently my gas gauge needle went from 3/4 to way over full and stayed there for several days and is now working fine. Yesterday my oil pressure gauge needle went from normal to off the gauge on the high end. I checked my oil level and it is in the normal range. What do you suggest?

GM issued several bulletins on this type of instrument cluster issue for your year truck and ultimately extended the warranty on these components out to several years/70,000 miles for parts and labor, and an additional 10,000 miles — a total of 80,000 miles — for parts only.

I wouldn't hesitate to ask the dealer to ask GM for some type of "customer goodwill" adjustment to help with the cost of the repair. If no help is available — your vehicle is significantly past the extended warranty — you'll have to choose whether to have it repaired or live with the condition.

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paulbrandstartribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number. Because of the volume of mail, we cannot provide personal replies.

16.30 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cape Cod apartments for those with limited vision

YARMOUTH, Mass. — Life with limited vision can be challenging, but a partnership between a local nonprofit organization and a Cape Cod assisted living facility could make it a little brighter.

The Cove at Thirwood Place, located on Flax Pond in South Yarmouth, is now marketing a new low-vision support services program complete with apartments outfitted with technology to help residents read, cook and better manage their environment.

"We're equipping these apartments to make life easier for folks with low or impaired vision," said Larry Lyford, director of sales and marketing at Thirwood Place, during a recent tour of a prototype unit.

Lyford and a small army of other officials, including Cynthia Stead, who is executive director of Sight Loss Services Inc. Cape Cod and Islands and a Times columnist, showed off a device that warns a user before his or her cup literally runs over and a computer mouse that reads and digitizes text, enlarging it on a flat television screen.

"I always like to demonstrate them on telephone books," Stead said about the reader's ability to boost the size of small print.

The apartments also come equipped with an iPad loaded with applications to scan bar codes, read money (Lyford showed how it could discern a $5 bill in his hand) and read aloud the resident's calendar, news, weather and notes.

In the kitchen, adjustments ranged from the high tech (a talking microwave) to the simple (a cutting board colored black on one side and white on the other for contrast). The apartment also included a talking thermostat, thermometer and bathroom scale.

Stead and Thirwood officials said they expect the number of people with impaired vision on Cape Cod to continue to rise.

Last year, Sight Loss worked with 2,048 clients, including both individuals and institutions, Stead said. At least 1,500 of those are people with sight loss, she said. Barnstable County puts the number of legally blind residents at 1,900, she said.

"It's probably closer to 7,000," she said about the region's population with low or impaired vision. That could easily double in the next 10 years, she said.

The Cove low-vision apartments — which can be equipped to order — also come with dimmers on all the lights and a high-intensity task lamp, said Beth Patkoske, spokeswoman for the Davenport Cos., which owns Thirwood.

The company is working with other partners to provide even more services and to train its employees to be better-prepared for clients with limited vision, said Lyford and Paul Rumul, chief operating officer for Davenport.

"The thing that's going to make the difference is the staff, the care and compassionate follow-up," Rumul said.

The technology and services are available for a one-time added cost of $2,000, which pays for equipping the apartment, he said.

Because help at the Cove is available 24 hours a day, residents can be taught how to use the technology as often as necessary, Patkoske said.

Thirwood, which has 212 units on 45 acres, is also collaborating with Cape Cod Healthcare and a doctor who works specifically with individuals who have low vision, she said.

Thirwood also offers scribe services to read residents mail or write out cards for them, Rumul said.

This is important because, while the reader technology can read printed material, it still has trouble with most handwriting, Stead said.

"This isn't just new to the Cape," Stead said about the suite of services. "This is new to New England."

Despite research and progress at a significant cost, sight loss diseases are largely incurable, she said.

"It's a matter of managing a condition as long as you can," she said.

Rumul admits offering the low-vision services makes sense in other ways as well.

"This is just good business," he said.

16.30 | 0 komentar | Read More

The Ticker

Romney, Peter Lynch sell local properties

Mitt and Ann Romney are pulling up roots in Belmont — and apparently turning a profit.

Massachusetts' former first couple sold their South Cottage Road condo earlier this month for $1.2 million, according to property records.

Romney, the former Bay State governor and 2012 presidential candidate, and his wife, Ann, had owned the condo at the Woodlands at Belmont Hill since June 2010, when they purchased it for $850,000, records show.

Meanwhile, legendary Fidelity money manager Peter Lynch and his wife, Carolyn, have sold their Beacon Hill home at 51 Chestnut St. in Boston at a loss, for 
$4.5 million, according to Registry of Deeds documents. The circa-1830, Federal-style townhouse had been on the market since 2010, when the asking price was $6.85 million. The Lynches bought it for 
$5.125 million in 2005.

Lincoln Property buys 40 Court St.

Dallas-based Lincoln Property Co. has purchased the 110,000-square-foot office building at 40 Court St. in Boston's Financial District for $31 million, according to Registry of Deeds documents. The seller, New York real estate private equity firm Brickman, bought the property for $37 million in 2007 at the height of the Boston real estate market.

Built in 1912, the United States Trust Co. or Scollay Building's tenants include the Oceanaire Seafood Room, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, the Anti-Defamation League of New England and Kearney, Donovan & McGee P.C.

States release zero-emissions auto plan

Eight states on the East and West coasts including Massachusetts released a plan yesterday to work together to put 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on the nation's roads by 2025.

The so-called "action plan" follows last year's memorandum of understanding announced by the governors of the states, including California and New York. The other states in the pact are Maryland, Oregon, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont. The states represent about 23 percent of the U.S. auto market.

Car manufacturers applauded the action plan but said a lot of work needs to be done to meet the
3.3 million goal with zero-emission vehicles making up less than 1 percent of nationwide new car sales.

Today

 Commerce Department releases personal income and spending for April.

THE SHUFFLE

The Parthenon Group has named Peter Gates as senior adviser. Gates joins the Global Healthcare Practice, where he will focus on strategy development and value creation in the health care industry. Gates has 25 years of experience as both an executive and a consultant for health care companies.

16.31 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gap filled in downtown

Gap Inc. is seeking workers for a new Gap Outlet that will open in Downtown Crossing — the latest evidence of a looming revival for the Boston shopping district.

The Gap is in talks to open the outlet on Washington Street, across from the Millennium Tower site, in the space previously occupied by the F.Y.E music and video store.

Downtown Crossing has seen heightened interest from retailers and investors in the wake of Millennium Partners starting work on the $630 million Millennium Tower and Filene's building redevelopment — particularly since it announced Arnold Worldwide will relocate its advertising headquarters there in September, and a 30,000-square-foot Roche Bros. supermarket and four-floor Primark store will open in 2015.

"There's clearly more interest," said Ron Druker, a major Downtown Crossing property owner with buildings on Winter, Washington and Bromfield streets, including the Corner Mall. "We get inquiries from brokers and from tenants as to whether or not we have space. We get interest from national and international (companies). It has picked up."

And retail lease prices will only go one way, Druker said — up.

The F.Y.E store closed in January 2012. Next door, the building that once housed a Barnes & Noble has been vacant since the bookseller moved out in the summer of 2006.

"In general, I think there's more activity than we've seen in recent years," said Robert Posner of Commonwealth Holding LP, which owns the former Barnes & Noble space at 395 Washington St.

Since 2010, 35 Downtown Crossing properties have changed hands. In the past year and a half alone, 17 buildings have sold, according to the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District.

"The real estate market is hot, and I think it means people are looking at the district and seeing that it has great value and great potential," BID president Rosemarie Sansone said.

As for retail interest, "there's a lot of movement," according to Sansone. "We see many more people showing spaces every day than we ever have before," she said.

San Francisco-based Gap Inc. did not respond to Herald inquiries.

"The Gap is a well-known brand, and that's exciting," Sansone said. "They have a loyal following."

16.31 | 0 komentar | Read More

Radian tries to make its mark in luxury market

Designed to resemble a boutique hotel and with condo-level finishes, the just-opened 240-unit Radian luxury complex is hoping to draw the city's well-heeled renters.

The 26-story, $130 million project developed by Forest City Enterprises and the Swampscott-based Hudson Group North America sits along the Greenway at the nexus of Chinatown, the Leather District and the Financial District.

And while it doesn't have a pool like the nearby Kensington or sports courts like The Arlington or The Victor, or even an outdoor roof deck, it's trying to differentiate itself in other ways.

"We don't have some of the bells and whistles other buildings do, but we do have two things that stand out — our location is better and our service is higher quality," said property manager Michael Cheek of Forest City Enterprises.

If you have your groceries delivered, the Radian staff will take them up to your unit and put the perishables away. When you come in from work, there are refresher towels waiting in the lobby and there are steam towels in the gym when you finish a workout.

Have visitors coming to stay? They can rent an apartment for $150-$200 a night and can use the building's amenities.

But all the high-end service comes at a price. The 563-square-foot studios rent for $2,960 to $3,555. One-bedroom apartments, ranging from 617 square feet to 911 square feet, cost $3,400 to $5,100. Two bedrooms, from 1,049 to 1,163 square feet, run from $4,160 to $6,235 a month. And that does not include utilities (everything's electric) or garage parking, which is $400 a month and up.

Only 13 of the 240 units have been rented so far, Cheek said. To spur leasing, Radian is offering concessions — a free month's rent for those signing 12-month leases, and letting tenants lock in rent with two-year leases.

"We think there's a lot of young professionals who have good jobs downtown who want to reward themselves by having a nice place to live," said Cheek.

The fifth floor has a fitness center and yoga studio, as well as a residents lounge overlooking the city. There's also a private conference room to conduct business.

The units have contemporary two-tone kitchen finishes and lots of natural light from oversized windows. Living area floors are "Plyboo," a mixture of plywood and bamboo. The bathrooms have porcelain tile floors, white quartz sinks and tiled walk-in showers. And every unit has a Bosch washer and dryer.

Cheek said the most popular floor plan so far has been the rear "bullnose" apartments that feature living/dining areas with curving glass walls of windows with great downtown views. We looked at a 911-square-foot one bedroom plus study "flex" unit on the 17th floor with an asking rent of about $4,400. It also features a kitchen with Silestone countertops and Whirlpool stainless-steel appliances.

The 4,500-square-foot ground-floor retail space will be leased by four-time James Beard nominee chef Matt Jennings for a restaurant called Townsman, which will open Oct. 1.

"The people who will live here have busy lives, and we want to make living here as easy, stress-free and convenient as possible," Cheek said.

16.31 | 0 komentar | Read More

The Ticker

Apple aims for street cred with $3B Beats buy

Apple is striking a new chord with a $3 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics, a headphone and music streaming specialist that also brings the swagger of rapper Dr. Dre and recording impresario Jimmy Iovine.

Yesterday's announcement comes nearly three weeks after deal negotiations were leaked to the media. It's by far the most expensive acquisition in Apple's 38-year history, a price the company is paying to counter a threat posed to its iTunes store.

The price consists of $2.6 billion in cash and $400 million in Apple stock that will vest over an unspecified time period. The deal is expected to close before October.

World Cup lifts winning country's stocks

Winning the soccer World Cup can bring rewards to the winning nation's stock market investors. But they better be quick as the post-victory rally doesn't last long.

That's the conclusion of investment bank Goldman Sachs, which published a wide-ranging report on the World Cup and its economic impact.

Goldman Sachs analysts found "a clear pattern of outperformance by the winning team in the weeks after the World Cup final." On average, the victorious country's stocks outperform the global market by 3.5 percent in the first month, the investment bank's strategy team said.

Media execs top CEO pay lists

Once again, media company CEOs are among the highest paid executives in the nation, with six of the top 10 earning spots in an Associated Press/Equilar study.

Compensation experts say a variety of factors are at play, including the gain in media stocks, the intangible value of talent in a hit-or-miss business, the control of shareholder power in very few hands and the decline of the financial sector.

TODAY

• Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims.
• Commerce Department releases first-quarter gross domestic product.
• Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, releases weekly mortgage rates.
• National Association of Realtors releases pending home sales index for April.

TOMORROW

• Commerce Department releases personal income and spending for April.
• Harvard Pilgrim Health Care has named Mary Ann Tocio, left, as chairwoman of its board of directors. Tocio is president and chief operating officer of Bright Horizons Family Solutions, a provider of employer-sponsored childcare, early education and work/life solutions.
• TheLocker, a social media community and e-commerce platform, announced three additions to its employee roster with marketing director Jesse Morgan, marketing manager Kristin Robinson and social media director Melanie Thompson.

16.31 | 0 komentar | Read More

Target tests same-day delivery

Target Corp. will pilot same-day delivery in Boston next month as the latest retailer to enter the online shipping fray.

The retailer's test of "rush delivery" in select parts of Boston, its hometown of Minneapolis and Miami will allow customers to order eligible items online by 1:30 p.m. and receive them between 6 and 9 p.m. that same day for an extra $10 charge.

A Target spokesman declined to reveal the pilot's start date, which parts of Boston will be able to get the deliveries, or how deliveries would be made. "This is all about delivering products and services more flexibly — and serving­ guests on their terms by providing more options," Jason­ Goldberger, senior vice president of Target.com and mobile, said in a Target blog post.

But Norwell retail analyst Michael Tesler said he believes same-day delivery makes more sense for a luxury retailer such as Neiman Marcus than discounter Target, where many customers shop just for the basics.

"Ten dollars additional on a Neiman Marcus item isn't very significant," Tesler said. "And that cus­tomer, for an important event or an important meeting or their lifestyle, expects every­thing exactly when they want it, and they're willing to pay for that."

Same-day delivery likely will be practical for Target only in urban centers, where customers have money, but no cars, he said.

Target also plans to add standard shipping from 135 stores in 38 markets later this year, a move that would allow for faster, one- to two-day delivery and give online shoppers access to store-only merchandise that can't be found on its 
e-commerce site.

16.31 | 0 komentar | Read More

Google gets ready to rev up driverless cars

Google announced its latest "moonshot" yesterday — a fully autonomous, driverless car — saying it hopes to have hundreds of prototypes on the roads a year from now.

The cars have no steering wheels, gas pedals or brake pedals, Google said. Instead, the cars will rely on a combination of sensors, cameras and software to start, stop and navigate traffic.

"We'll have two seats (with seat belts), a space of passengers' belongings, buttons to start and stop, and a screen that shows the route — and that's about it," the company wrote in a blog post. The cars' speed is capped at 25 mph, and drivers will start testing prototypes that do have manual controls later this summer.

Still, MIT professor John Leonard, who works on autonomous vehicles, said driver­less cars weaving in and out of traffic across the country are probably decades away.

"The technical challenges are pretty big in terms of what remains," Leonard said. "There's a lot of questions, but what they've done is amazing."

16.31 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vote set for Boston Convention & Exhibition Center expansion

State lawmakers are set to vote today on the 
$1.1 billion expansion of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, already the largest building ever constructed in New England.

The plan to add
1.3 million square feet of space, including meeting rooms, exhibition areas and ballrooms, would still need to be passed by the state Senate if approved by the House today. The project would need to be signed by Gov. Deval Patrick by July 31. But both House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray have publicly backed the expansion.

The Herald first reported earlier this year on a slew of unusual provisions in the bill. The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority can keep secret any document that contains "financial information" on its private contractors — language that never appeared in the original 1997 bill to construct the mega-hall.

The project is also exempt from the city's zoning code, but would still need BRA approval. And officials could use the statewide hotel tax fund as collateral to secure the bonds for the expansion.

MCCA Executive Director James Rooney has argued the center is too small to attract large conventions and that the expansion won't require taxes or fees to be raised.

16.31 | 0 komentar | Read More