BUSINESS DIGEST || Sparkle Market to open in Brookfield

Sparkle Market to open in Brookfield

BROOKFIELD

Sparkle Market has a new location opening in Brookfield. The new Sparkle Market will be at 7229 Warren-Sharon Road. It will officially open May 28. The store is currently a Giant Eagle. It will close at 6 p.m. May 25 and reopen May 28 as a Sparkle Market with a Giant Eagle pharmacy inside. The pharmacy will remain open during the transition.

‘Women-Owned’

COLUMBUS

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted announced “Women-Owned” as this month’s Ohio Business Profile.

Female entrepreneurs represent 28 percent of all Ohio businesses, but female proprietorship is on the rise, Husted said Tuesday. Since 1997, Ohio has seen a 31 percent growth in women-owned businesses and a 49 percent growth in revenues.

Ohio women-owned businesses currently employ 289,000 people and account for more than $7 billion in annual payroll.

Companies profiled include Bizzybee Marketing of Bowling Green and Vocalink of Dayton, a global interpreting and translation firm.

Snyder of Berlin gets new packaging

BERLIN, pA.

Snyder of Berlin, a snack company that produces chips, cheese snacks and popcorn, has debuted a full line of new and revitalized hometown packaging in an array of new sizes for its potato chips.

US trade deficit jumps to 6-year high of $51.4 billion

WASHINGTON

The U.S. trade deficit in March swelled to the highest level in more than six years, propelled by a flood of imports that may have sapped the U.S. economy of any growth in the first quarter.

The deficit rose to $51.4 billion, the largest trade gap since October 2008 and more than 43 percent higher than in February, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Exports were up 0.9 percent to $187.8 billion, while imports increased 7.7 percent to $239.2 billion. The trade deficit is the short-fall between exports and imports.

The result suggests that international trade played a bigger-than-expected role in the U.S. economy’s anemic growth in the January-March period. It could even force the government to further revise down its gross domestic product estimate for the quarter, possibly into negative territory.

Growth in US service firms picks up speed

WASHINGTON

U.S. service firms’ growth accelerated in April, fueled by more orders, rising sales and an uptick in hiring. The figures provide solid evidence that the economy is recovering from its first-quarter stumble.

The Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday that its services index rose to 57.8 in April from 56.5 in March. The April reading is its highest level in five months. Any reading over 50 indicates that service providers are expanding.

Staff/wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Aqua America, .61, 26.33 —.59

Avalon Holdings,3.58—.02

Clear Channel, .46 21.71 .35

Cortland Bancorp, 15.50.25

Farmers Nat., .128.20 .00

First Energy, 1.44, 35.32—.97

Fifth/Third, .5220.36—.09

FirstMerit Corp., .64,19.15 —.09

First Niles Financial, .32,8.50.00

FNB Corp., .48,12.99—.14

General Motors, 1.2035.00—.40

General Electric, .88,26.92—.35

Huntington Bank, .20, 10.99—.06

JP Morgan Chase, 1.60,64.42—.30

Key Corp, .26,14.68.05

LaFarge, 18.20 —.22

Macy’s, 1.25, 64.55—.75

Parker Hannifin, 1.92, 122.31.68

PNC, 1.92,93.09—.18

RTI Intl. Metals,38.81—.50

Simon Prop. Grp.,5.20,180.34—3.03

Stoneridge 11.98 —.21

Talmer Bank, 15.73—.01

United Comm. Fin., .04 5.35—.13 •≈ì

Selected prices at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Provided by Stifel. Not to be construed as an offer or recommendation to buy or sell any security.