Cape Elizabeth boutique opens a second store in York

Ann Veronica, a handbag and tote bag retailer in Cape Elizabeth, has opened a second store, in York.

The eight-year-old company, begun by Ann Perrino of Cape Elizabeth, sells handmade and hand-printed bags for women, as well as apparel and accessories. The bags are designed by local artists.

The Cape Elizabeth store is on Shore Road. The York store, which opened a few months ago, is in the Meadowbrook Plaza, 647 Route 1.

Perrino said the new store will help expand retail sales as the company leaves the wholesale business. Ann Veronica has sold goods to national retailers like Bloomingdale’s and Anthropologie.

Perrino plans a grand opening at the York store this spring.

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Heating oil prices up 5 cents for second week in a row

As another snowstorm approaches, Maine energy officials say heating oil prices continue rise.

According to a weekly survey released Monday, the average price for home heating oil jumped 5 cents for a second week to $3.28 a gallon.

A weekly survey showed northern Maine had the highest price of $3.49 per gallon, while the lowest price – $3.10 per gallon – was found in southwestern and western Maine.

John Kerry, director of the Governor’s Office of Energy Independence and Security, said demand continues to rise with the cold temperatures.

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Energy stocks lead rebound from Friday’s steep plunge

Energy stocks led indexes higher Monday, the first day of trading since the growing unrest in Egypt caused the largest one-day drop in the broad stock market in more than three months.

Exxon Mobil Corp. gained 2.1 percent after it reported its most profitable quarter since 2008. Massey Energy Co. jumped 9.8 percent after Alpha Natural Resources Inc. said that it would buy the coal producer in a $7.1 billion deal. Alpha Natural Resources fell 7.2 percent.

Concerns remained over Egypt’s impact on oil prices. The country is not a major producer of oil, but it plays a key role in the industry because it controls the Suez Canal, a major route for oil tankers and cargo ships. Crude oil prices rose 3 percent to $92.19 a barrel.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 68 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 11,891.93.

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Google’s Android software cutting into iPad sales

Google’s Android software boosted its share of tablet computers almost 10-fold in the fourth quarter, narrowing the lead of Apple’s iPad, Boston-based market researcher Strategy Analytics said Monday.

Android devices captured 22 percent of global tablet shipments in the three months to Dec. 31, up from 2.3 percent in the preceding quarter, Strategy Analytics said in a statement. The iPad accounted for 75 percent of shipments in the period, down from about 95 percent, it said.

Apple’s iPad, which has sold more than 14.8 million units worldwide since its introduction in April, faces intensifying competition from Android tablets made by Samsung, Motorola Mobility Holdings and Acer.

Google gives away Android to boost revenue from services such as mobile advertising and expand the market for its search engine.

Cheaper devices with Google features like YouTube and Google Maps will probably erode the iPad’s market dominance, said Neil Mawston, director at Strategy Analytics.

The cheapest version of the iPad costs $499 in the United States. Acer plans to introduce an Android-powered tablet in April that will likely sell for as little as $299.


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