The former Blockbuster store is being turned into new Verizon store on Dayton Blvd.

Cellular Sales now in Red Bank

Cellular Sales, the nation's largest Verizon premium wireless retailer with 540 stores nationwide, has opened its new regional hub center in Red Bank and is hiring seven new sales associates. The Knoxville-based company, founded 19 years ago, offers service plans and help for wireless users about their plan and equipment options.

"We don't sell phones -- we sell wireless experiences," said David Maples, regional director at Cellular Sales. "It's what you can do with your phone that makes it useful."

According to Nielsen reports, more than 46 percent of Americans now own smartphones.

Hamilton Place gets candy shop

See's Candies, an American candy maker that began in 1921, will open an outlet at Hamilton Place mall on Thursday. The holiday-oriented store will be open through Christmas and will feature an assortment of candy, nut and chocolate selections for the holiday season.

Employers post fewer new jobs

The Labor Department said Tuesday that job openings dropped by 100,000 to 3.56 million, the fewest in five months. August's openings were revised up to 3.66 million.

The number of available jobs has jumped about 63 percent since July 2009, one month after the recession ended. But it remains well below the more than 4 million jobs a month advertised before the recession began in December 2007.

With 12.1 million people unemployed in September, there were 3.4 unemployed people, on average, competing for each open job.

Fuel economy up in new cars sold

Americans continue to look for fuel-efficient vehicles when they go car shopping.

The average fuel economy -- what is on the window sticker of a new car -- of new vehicles sold in the U.S. in October was 24.1 miles per gallon, the highest level yet. It was up 4 mpg, or 20 percent, from October 2007, according to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

The 24.1 mpg is up from 23 mpg in October a year ago and from 22.3 mpg in the same month in 2010.