Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Talk of the bay: You can try Venus on for size here soon

You can try Venus on for size here soon

By Times Staff
Published June 25, 2007

You can try venus on for size here soon

Venus, a major swimwear and sportswear mail-order house in Jacksonville, put the Tampa Bay area in its sights after deciding to add brick-and-mortar stores this year to its online and catalog operations. Venus opens a store (the company's third) in Tyrone Square Mall on Friday and is scouting for a spot in Tampa. The company plans to have 15 locations in Florida within five years. Founded by CEO Daryle Scott as a fitness-wear brand in 1982, the company expanded into full lines of its own moderately priced women's apparel brands for women younger than 45. About half of sales are swimwear. The company is controlled by Golden Gate Capital, a San Francisco private equity firm that owns mail-order companies that generated $1.5-billion in sales in 2006. They include Spiegel, Newport News, Haband and Appleseed's.

Moody's smitten with Baycare

Moody's Investors Service likes Baycare Health System. The rating service recently affirmed the Tampa Bay area hospital group's Aa3 rating, indicating its debt is high-quality and low-risk. Despite declines in admissions, the seven-hospital system had an operating profit of $97.5-million last year on revenue of $1.8-billion, up from a profit of $77.7-million on revenue of $1.73-billion a year ago. And BayCare's cash balances exceed $1-billion for the first time. One stumbling block mentioned by Moody's analysts: BayCare has been blocked in its efforts to build a hospital in Pasco County. But analysts predict BayCare will continue to push for rights to "this attractive site."

Roll the dice on 7/07/07

It shouldn't be that hard to attract gamblers to a casino on triple-seven day: July 7, 2007. After all, 7-7-7 is the top slot machine payoff and adds up to 21 in blackjack. But just in case, Tampa's Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is offering incentives for its players' club members to come out and try their luck. Seven times between 1 and 7 p.m., the casino will pick one member playing a gaming machine to win $777. Members targeted in a mail promotion will receive seven times the normal amount of players club points for the day and $77.70 in free play. Casinos won't be the only businesses cashing in. Time magazine dubbed 7/7/07 the most popular wedding day ever. The number of weddings registered on the Web site The Knot hit 38, 000 - three times as many as a normal Saturday, the magazine says.

[Last modified June 22, 2007, 22:49:58]