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Biz Picture - Recap of the week's top business stories [Star-News, Wilmington, N.C. :: ](Star-News (Wilmington, NC) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) March 01--U-Swirl Inc. becomes owner of Fuzzy Peach Wilmington -- What started as a single shop on Racine Drive in 2010 has blossomed into a deal worth up to $830,000 with the recent sale of the Wilmington-founded Fuzzy Peach brand of frozen yogurt stores. The acquiring company, U-Swirl Inc., announced the purchase of Fuzzy Peach assets for $481,000 that could increase by an additional $349,000 based upon future royalty income the existing stores generate in the next 12 months. The company's nationwide presence will grow to 286 frozen yogurt shops operating under the brands U-Swirl, Fuzzy Peach and CherryBerry. Quality of life could lure businesses to area Wilmington -- The key to luring business to the Port City area might be its quality of life, according to members of a team of business, civic and other organizations set up to "brand' the area. The group, called the Branding Identity Leadership Team, met Wednesday to examine data, which showed not only what a business wants when it decides to locate, but what Wilmingtonians say the area has to offer. Commission rejects Boardwalk expansion Carolina Beach -- Citing concerns from a single property owner, the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission last week denied a request from Carolina Beach to extend the Boardwalk as part of a larger revitalization project. The Boardwalk project has been in the works for about three years, following the elimination of state funding for a related fishing pier and educational center downtown. Old building offers variety of possibilities Wilmington -- The 52,000-square-foot Century Mills building in Wilmington's Southside neighborhood has been purchased and possible uses range from storage to a beer garden, one of its new owners says. C.Mills SPE LLC bought the 3-acre, one-square-block property in December for $375,000, according to county tax records. New hotel opens downtown Wilmington -- Three years after submitting plans to the city, the new Courtyard by Marriott has opened at the corner of Second and Grace streets. The 124-room hotel -- located at 227 N. Second St. -- has 1,879 square feet of meeting space, a Starbucks coffee bar and full bar. Wilmington Hotel Inc. bought the property in 2008 and began the planning process for the approximately $13 million project, but the Recession halted progress. Trio of new pizza joints coming to region Southeastern N.C. -- It's a $32-billion-dollar industry that finds Americans devouring 350 slices every second of the day, according to 2013 statistics published by the industry trade publication Pizza Marketplace. The Cape Fear region is home to more than a few spots to order a hot pie, and the latest wave of restaurant news finds a trio of eateries tossing dough across Brunswick and New Hanover counties. ___ (c)2014 the Star-News (Wilmington, N.C.) Visit the Star-News (Wilmington, N.C.) at www.starnewsonline.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |