The acquisition of an alcohol delivery service, a jobs boom at a southeastern Connecticut company, and lackluster vaccination rates in some Connecticut cities are among the top business news items this morning.
Business trends
Uber has purchased the alcohol delivery service Drizly for $1.1 billion, with plans to integrate it into its Uber Eats service while retaining the standalone app. Drizly and Uber Eats have both seen a surge in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, and there have been increasing calls to loosen restrictions on alcohol delivery after the pandemic..
Connecticut
General Dynamics Electric Boat is seeing historic labor demand as it undertakes work on the Columbia class program, the latest generation of ballistic submarine. The company says a $39 billion backlog in work, including ongoing attack submarine work, will necessitate increased investment in the industrial base and supply chains for submarine manufacturing, along with about 2,000 new hires this year.
While Connecticut often enjoys high rankings for its COVID-19 vaccine distribution, progress is much slower in some parts of the state. An analysis by the Connecticut Mirror finds that the vaccination rate for residents ages 75 and older is among the lowest in the nation in several major cities, standing below 25 percent in seven municipalities.
