Category: Business - Page 164

Sunday, October 18, 2026

Two Top-Ten Shopper Marketing Agencies Merge

Two marketing agency subsidiaries of Westport-based Hyper Marketing, Inc. (HMI) are merging.

The company announced today that leading shopper marketing agencies Catapult Marketing and RPM Connect will join to create CatapultRPM, a behavior-based marketing services agency, with headquarters at 55 Post Road West. The new company employs 90 people in Westport.

CatapultRPM combines the brand advocacy strengths of Catapult with the retailer intimacy expertise of RPM Connect to drive brand growth through both shopper and retailer channels, an announcement said.

“The changing world of the shopper has inspired the need for a radically new kind of shopper marketing agency that can deliver omni-channel solutions that are brand savvy, retailer smart and digitally enabled,” said Paul Kramer, president of HMI.

Comings and Goings: Two-Week ‘Pop-Up’ on PRE

TThe trend toward utilization of unoccupied storefront properties continues in Westport with the short-time arrival of Leftover Luxuries at 877 Post Road East, next door to Radio Shack. The pop-up shop, which provides a “gap between auction houses and tag sales,” is open from June 8 to 24. Hours 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Friday, May 18th, 2012

Pizza to Go Now Staying

By James Lomuscio

In the latest spin on downtown pizza, Westport Pizzeria is staying put at 107 Main St., its home since Columbus Day 1968, owner Carmelo Mioli said today.

Mel Mioli chats with an employee at Westport Pizzeria, a Main Street mainstay since 1968. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) James Lomuscio for WestportNow.com

Mioli had originally planned to relocate to 143 Post Road East, occupying the first floor of a building he had purchased as an investment in January. The reason for the move, Mioli said, was exorbitant Main Street rent and the need to be his own landlord.

Mioli’s plan was to have Westport Pizzeria occupy the space used by Joe’s Pizza at 143 Post Road East, the lease for which expires at the end of this month.

But this past week upon returning from Milan where he had visited his son, Francesco, who is studying abroad, Mioli had some good news waiting. Hiis landlord Malkin Properties, which owns the Empire State Building as well as myriad Connecticut holdings, had offered him a new Main Street lease Mioli said was acceptable. His present lease is up in December.

Library Hosts Culinary Entrepreneur

The Westport Public Library tonight presented the second in its series “Insights from Entrepreneurs” with Westporter Rick Smilow, president and principal owner of New York’s Institute of Culinary Education. He was interviewed by journalist and NPR contributor Alison Freedland. In 2011, Smilow, who went through the Westport school system, was named Entrepeneur of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. “At 19 or 20 I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur,” he said. He added that he was likely influenced by his successful father, Joel Smilow, retired chairman and CEO of Playtex Products, Inc. and philanthropist, who was in the audience tonight. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

Thursday, May 17th, 2012

Learning Small Business Best Practices

Fairfield County Business Connections, a local business networking group, met today at Painter’s Supply, which occupies the space formerly used by Brandman’s Paint in Westport’s Compo Shopping Center. Bill Hagan, manager of Painter’s Supply, addressed the group about best practices for successful operation of a small business. Most members of Fairfield County Business Connections are owners of small businesses. For information about membership contact Priscilla Hawk, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Carmine Picarello for WestportNow.com

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

Comings and Goings: Pizza Switch on Main Street

UPDATE The Westport downtown pizza scene is about to undergo a major change. Joe’s Pizza, 143 Post Road East, owned by Wilton resident Joe Canicatti, will relocate in June to 190 Main St. in the Main Street Commons shopping strip, according to manager John Vukel. He said that Joe’s Pizza has occupied its current location for six years. Its building has been purchased by Mel Mioli, owner of Westport Pizzeria at 107 Main St., one of the street’s icons for the past 43 years, which will relocate there, he said. However, Mioli later said Westport Pizzeria will remain where it is, and he will seek another tenant for 143 Post Road East. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Westport Author Optimistic About U.S. Economy

Westporter Daniel Gross told a Westport Public Library audience tonight he is optimistic about the U.S. economy. A former editor at Newsweek, he wrote the “Contrary Indicator” column, which he now writes for Yahoo! Finance. A member of the library board, he talked about his new book—his seventh—“Better, Stronger, Faster: The Myth of American Economic Decline.” “I look at the economy from the perspective of private vs. public institutions and from the view of an American historian, not an economist,” he said. He recalled that it wasn’t very long ago when Japan was the rising star, complaining about U.S. economic mismanagement and buying up iconic N.Y. skyscrapers and California golf courses. Today the Japanese are totally discouraged by their stagnation, he said. Now China is being held out as the star, despite its poverty in the backcountry, escalating labor costs, and energy starvation. He cited numerous examples where the United States is in better shape than China and Japan. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

Bridgeport Coal Plant Under Scrutiny

By Neena Satija

www.ctmirror.org

More than 150 people crowded into a room in the Bridgeport City Hall Annex Monday night to weigh in on Bridgeport Harbor Station’s request to renew its five-year operating permit, which expired earlier this year.

Environmentalists have been trying for years to shut down the coal operations at the station, which is owned by the Newark-based Public Service Electric & Gas. This may be their best chance, said John Calandrelli, program director for the Sierra Club’s local chapter.

“This is the first, big, major step in what we believe will be, hopefully, a short fight to convince them to not only retire this plant but to revitalize Bridgeport,” Calandrelli said.

PSE&G insists that the plant’s coal operations are among the cleanest in the nation.

Click here for more of story

Friday, May 11th, 2012

Comings and Goings: Apparel Shop to Sconset Square

Akram men’s and women’s apparel will open at 9 Sconset Square across from the Christ & Holy Trinity Church sometime next week, according to co-owners Akram Enany and his wife Seham Ibrahim. (With them is marketing manager Elena Sarn.) The couple previously owned the 4@1 store at 141 Post Road East (see WestportNow April 15, 2012). Enany said store hours will be 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon to Wednesday and until 8 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The Sconset Square space was formerly occupied by Green Earth Design. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Westport Welcomes a New Retailer

Terrain Westport, a unit of Urban Outfitters, Inc., hosted a VIP opening eve party tonight to show off its new store on Post Road East on the former Curran Cadillac property. It is only the second Terrain store for the company—the first is in suburban Philadelphia. The Westport store employs about 75 full and part-time personnel. Helen Klisser During for WestportNow.com