Strictly Business

From Business Today:

Renting office space in Buffalo isn't as tough as in some  other cities. The vacancy rate of 11 percent is well below the 18.8 percent in Rochester or the staggering 20.8 percent in Cleveland. The latest survey by CB Richard Ellis shows a steady, stable market in Buffalo. The looming threat of huge vacancies in the HSBC Tower doesn't seem to worry some brokers. There's plenty of time to find new tenants, they say.

The State of New York is offering big incentives to people to build personal wind turbines. The small-scale wind movement is largely taking place on farms and in rural areas because neighbors within 750 feet must approve the deals. But the state money is keeping the windmill business afloat during a time when falling natural gas prices make wind energy a more expensive option.

Industrious shoppers at some Tops Friendly Markets could use hand-held scanners to keep a running tab as they shopped. People scanned items as they shopped, then put the total in when they checked out. But apparently not enough people enjoyed the task. Tops has ended the use of the EasyShop scanners, saying they were not used enough. Some shoppers may have tired of the random spot checks, where every item on your cart had to be confirmed.

Here are the latest real estate transactions for Erie and Niagara counties.


Did someone say office space?