Photronics hiccups in Q4
Photronics Inc. is contemplating cost cuts, saying its high-tech manufacturing customers are scaling back purchases in response to increased softness in the market.
The Brookfield-based company makes photomasks, quartz plates used to transfer circuitry onto semiconductors and flat-panel displays. Photronics expects sales between $120 million and $122 million in its fiscal fourth quarter ending Oct. 30.
“Longer term, we believe the trend toward the proliferation of new devices, including smart phones and tablets, are strongly in our favor,” said CEO Deno Macricostas, in a prepared statement.
Doors close on Filene”™s Basement
In the wake of its bankruptcy filing for subsidiary Filene”™s Basement, Syms Corp. is laying off 30 people in Fairfield and the same number in Berlin.
Syms is closing its store at 652 Commerce Drive in Fairfield, less than three years after acquiring Filene”™s Basement out of a previous bankruptcy process.
Dodd-Frank workshop at Sacred Heart
The Connecticut Department of Banking is hosting a free compliance workshop for investment advisers Dec. 9, 9 a.m. to noon, at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield.
The workshop will target investment advisers switching from Securities and Exchange Commission registration to state registration following passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and other compliance issues will also be addressed.
The banking department is taking registration online or at the door, and participants can pose anonymous questions for workshop leaders to address at www.surveymonkey.com/s/5FNSNJT.
On Assignment in Norwalk
Staffing company On Assignment Inc. signed a seven-year lease for 6,000 square feet of space at MerrittView in Norwalk, with plans to relocate there from 1175 Post Road E. in Westport.
Based in Calabasas, Calif., and with some 80 offices worldwide, On Assignment focuses on professional placements in life science, technology and health care.
MerrittView totals 255,000 square feet of space and is owned by New York City-based Malkin Properties.
Market heads for Danbury Fair barn
Fresh Nation is operating an indoor farmer”™s market at Danbury Fair Mall on weekends into 2012, focusing on seasonal produce and holiday gifts and entertaining.
Greenwich-based Fresh Nation had been holding a farmer”™s market this summer at Danbury Fair, which is owned by Macerich.
“We wanted to create an environment where customers can sample fresh food and enjoy the experience of gathering together ingredients for holiday meals with friends and families” said Antony Lee, CEO of Fresh Nation, in a prepared statement, “Our goal is to enrich the experience of visiting the mall by adding a personal connection to great, fresh food”.
Bob”™s Stores retailer of the year
The Connecticut Retail Merchants Association named Meriden-based Bob”™s Stores as retailer of the year, recognizing success in marketing, customer service, employee relations and community service among other criteria.
Bob”™s Stores has locations in Danbury, Fairfield and Norwalk, among 13 statewide.
Past Fairfield County winners include Norwalk-based Stew Leonard”™s Inc., Danbury-based Ethan Allan Interiors Inc. and Westport-based Mitchell”™s.
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Ad agency opens Wilton office
A Boston-based advertising and marketing agency called Crunch Brand Communications Inc. is opening a Wilton office to gain access to new business in Fairfield County, New York City and Westchester County, N.Y.
Crunch clients have included Sperry Top-Sider and Zipcar.
Crunch CEO Marc Ryan is a New Canaan native who attended Fairfield University. The local office will be led by Jill Cilo, who most recently was president of New York City-based DP Three Sixty.
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Enviro consultant renews in Shelton
Environmental engineering company Tighe & Bond Inc. renewed its lease for 9,000 square feet of space at 1000 Bridgeport Ave. in Shelton.
The building is owned by Westport-based Abbey Road Advisors and the New York City-based Praedium Group, which were represented by Cushman & Wakefield in the transaction. Other recent leases include electrical product distributor Gexpro, which took the fifth floor at 1000 Bridgeport Ave. as its headquarters, and Health Plan One, which took nearly 2,000 square feet of additional space.
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Deal keeps life science business in Danbury
Planet Pharmaceuticals Inc. sold its Allergy Control Products Inc. subsidiary, with the new owners planning to maintain Allergy Control”™s presence in Danbury.
From offices at 22 Shelter Rock Road, Allergy Control sells more than 500 anti-allergen products online, from air purifiers to sinus relief products. Planet Pharmaceuticals has its main office in Liberty, Mo., and said it sold Allergy Control to focus on its allergen extract business.
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Chelsea Piers to include early education
Chelsea Piers Connecticut is opening a 6,000 square-foot child care center and preschool at its 400,000 square-foot sports and entertainment complex under construction in Stamford.
The CP Kids Early Childhood Education Center will work with children aged 3 months to 5 years, offering full- and half-day programs from two to five days a week. In addition to regular classroom instruction, CP Kids will offer activities such as swim lessons, gymnastics, ice skating and other sports, and will have a private outdoor playground.
CP Kids will begin accepting applications in January 2012 and will hold an open house in February. A limited full-day summer program begins next July, with the full school year commencing next September.
Great American Cleanup tallies totals
Keep America Beautiful coordinated more than 3.8 million volunteers in the 2011 Great American Cleanup, which the Stamford-based organization says has become the nation”™s largest grassroots community improvement program.
The Great American Cleanup takes place annually from March through May, with Keep America Beautiful holding 30,600 events at an estimated value of $111 million in 16,500 communities.
In all, volunteers removed an estimated 177 million pounds of litter from including 177,000 acres of parks and public lands, 12,000 acres of wetlands, and 3,800 miles of trails, and volunteers planted some 166,000 trees.
More than 290 million plastic bottles were collected for recycling ”“ nearly one for every person in the country. Stamford-based Nestle Waters gave $1,000 awards to the 25 state and local affiliates that collected the most bottles for recycling. Sponsors also included Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo Inc.
