Registration today for the CRN Big Fall event
Retailer of the Year and more planned for that day
News and notes from around the State Capitol
News and notes from around the state
Registration for our annual Big Fall event is open right NOW!
- Our event will take place Oct 11, 2023 at the Bushnell Theater in Hartford. We start our day with registration and a buffet breakfast followed by our timely and informative agenda.
- You can register for this event by going to www.ctretailnetwork.com/event.
- Once there you can not only register but also place an ad in our program book or locate other ways to support the CT Retail Network.
- We hope to see you there!
Full morning planned for our Fall event
- We have a big morning planned for our fall event and you won’t want to miss it.
- In addition to honoring a retailer (or retailers) with special recognition, we will be hearing from Mr. Mark Matthews from the National Retail Federation who will give us a look at the “Retail Economic Outlook” as we move towards the all-important holiday shopping season.
- We will also be honoring Rep. Kerry Wood (D-Rocky Hill), as we present her with our Legislator of the Year award.
- So, you won’t want to miss this year’s event. We are excited to be back in-person again, and we look forward to seeing you and your colleagues on October 11th!
News and notes from around the State Capitol
- Tuesday was primary day in CT. We had our eye on a couple of races for municipal offices. One in particular was the race for the next Mayor of the Capitol City of Hartford.
- Arunan Arulampalam, a political newcomer who once served as a Deputy Commission at the Department of Consumer Protection under Governor Lamont, defeated current state Senator John Fonfara and former State Senator Eric Coleman.
- You can go here to read more about how Arulampalam won his race.
- The other interesting race we were keeping an eye on was in Bridgeport, where incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim was in a race against John Gomes.
- Ganim prevailed – barely – but Gomes is not going away, vowing to run as an independent. You can read more about those plans and more about the Bridgeport primary for Mayor by going here.
- There were other interesting primary races Tuesday and our friends from the CT Mirror do a great job of reviewing the various results. You can read that by going here.
- Nearly 73,000 people successfully recouped money from Connecticut’s unclaimed property program during the 2023 fiscal year as the state shattered its record for returning assets to rightful owners. Hartford Business Journal has the numbers here.
- After numerous hearings and complaints, the Insurance Department knocked down the average rate for individual insurance plans sold in the state from a 12.4% increase to a 9.4% increase. It also cut in half the requested average rate increase for small group plans from 14.8% to 7.4%. CTNewsJunkie reports on the new rates here.
- The state agency tasked with regulating legalized cannabis has hired the former CEO of Connecticut’s first licensed grower to help oversee its cannabis program. CT Post reports on the new “state program manager for cannabis” here.
News and notes from around the state
- Connecticut businesses are still struggling to find and retain talent, according to a new report from the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA), and most business leaders believe the state’s business climate is either declining or remaining static as the cost of business increases. Hartford Business Journal has the data here.
- The MetroHartford Alliance has released a new study comparing taxes and lease costs in Hartford to 15 other top markets for insurance and financial services – traditional top industries for the city – which ranked Hartford as #2 in the nation. Hartford Business Journal has the details here.
- A new report found a rise in the number of multigenerational households in Connecticut, something advocates say is further evidence the state needs to address its lack of affordable housing. CTNewsJunkie has the details on the new study here.
- Frontier Communications announced it is moving its headquarters from Norwalk to Dallas, saying it was exiting Connecticut because Dallas “is a business-friendly city that is conveniently located in the middle of the company’s national footprint.” Details on the move from Fairfield County Business Journal here.