By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

Boston ad agency Arnold Worldwide is launching new ads for New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc., a Boston-based company known for its athletic footwear and apparel. The campaign focuses on the sensory connection between a runner’s body and the environment that the runner is in, Arnold said. The campaign is designed to motivate New Balance runners to a new level of “Excellent,” Arnold said.

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

TJX Cos., the Framingham company that operates such retail chains as T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods, said Tuesday that first-quarter net income was $419 million and diluted earnings per share were $.55. For the quarter ending April 28, net sales increased 11 percent to $5.8 billion. In a statement, TJX chief executive Carol Meyrowitz said, “We are extremely pleased that our strong momentum continued in the first quarter.”

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

Call it a literary census of sorts. After compiling its sales data, Amazon.com has issued a list of the Most Well-Read Cities in America, and Cambridge ranks number two, based on its insatiable appetite for devouring books in the business and investing category. Alexandria, Va., topped the list. Folks there seem to be so fascinated with books about romance that this suburb of Washington, D.C., is America’s best-read community, according to Amazon.com. Hard to believe, but Boston did not make Amazon.com’s top 20.

By Associated Press

HARTFORD — Connecticut is using a new marketing strategy to boost tourism that draws attention to the state’s role in the Revolutionary War. Governor Dannel P. Malloy unveiled on Monday a ‘‘Still Revolutionary’’ Connecticut brand, part of a two-year, $27 million state marketing initiative. The ads will run on TV to take advantage of ‘‘sweeps week’’ when programs reach for top ratings and on radio, print, and digital platforms.

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

The average price for gas in Massachusetts was $3.719 a gallon in the latest weekly AAA survey, down 5 cents from the previous week’s average, AAA Southern New England said Monday. It was the fourth consecutive week of price drops. The price of a gallon of gas in Massachusetts has fallen 18 cents over the last month. The current national average for gas is $3.72 a gallon. A year ago at this time, the Massachusetts average price was $3.93 a gallon.

By Associated Press

Yahoo’s Scott Thompson, who was pressured to give up his CEO post because his official biography included a college degree he never received, reportedly has thyroid cancer. The Wall Street Journal, citing people it did not identify, says that Thompson told Yahoo’s board and several colleagues of his condition before resigning from his role with the company. The newspaper says it was told by one source that Thompson’s decision to resign was partly influenced by his cancer diagnosis.

By Todd Wallack, Globe Staff

Massachusetts insurance regulators Friday rejected a proposed 7.2 percent rate hike by the FAIR Plan, the state’s home insurer of last resort. The FAIR Plan had proposed raising home and condo insurance rates by 6.7 percent on the Cape and the Islands and 9.9 percent in several other areas, including New Bedford, Worcester, and Springfield. The plan, currently covers 201,150 householders who are unable to obtain coverage from other insurers, often because they are thought to be at high risk for flooding, hurricanes, or other disasters.

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

Stuart Weitzman is a tony cobbler who believes that shoes are an art form for “making a woman feel beautiful.” Now a Stuart Weitzman store is scheduled to open this fall at the Mall at Chestnut Hill. Stuart Weitzman won’t be alone in wooing women who deem themselves discerning shoe shoppers. Another store set to open at the mall in the fall is Soft Surroundings, whose website bills its shoes as “fun, flirty styles for your feet.” Soft Surroundings also sells clothing and bedding.

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc., the Canton-based parent of the Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, announced Friday that executive chef Stan Frankenthaler has been honored as the 2012 MenuMasters Innovator of the Year. Frankenthaler was recognized for the culinary innovation that he has led for both Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins. Under Frankenthaler’s watch, Dunkin’ devised such new menu items as the Big N’ Toasted Breakfast Sandwich, Sausage Pancake Bites, and Bagel Twists. Meanwhile, on the ice cream front, Baskin-Robbins unveiled such new flavors as Superfudge Truffle and French Toast.

By Beth Healy, Globe Staff

Daniel Adams, a Cape Cod filmmaker convicted of fraud for illegally obtaining $4.7 million in film tax credits, was sentenced Thursday to two to three years in state prison. His prison term will be followed by 10 years of probation, and he was ordered to pay $4.4 million in restitution under the sentence imposed by Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Carol Ball.

By Beth Healy, Globe Staff

State Street Corp. chief executive Jay Hooley says he discovered something surprising during his recent business travels in Asia: Budding optimism about the US economy.

Hooley said central bankers, pension officials and others he spoke with from Tokyo to Beijing to Seoul told him they believe the United States will eventually get past its current political gridlock and tackle some of the country’s major economic challenges. “Distance has the benefit of lending perspective.” the head of the Boston-based financial services giant said.

By Todd Wallack, Globe Staff

TD Bank, the fourth largest retail bank in the state, confirmed Wednesday that it plans to close a customer call center in Springfield by the end of the year, eliminating 200 jobs.

Bank spokesman Jimmy Hernandez said the regional bank plans to shift the call center operations from Western Massachusetts to Greenville, S.C in December. He said the bank decided to make the move because it owns 467,000 square feet of office space in Greenville and received state and local financial incentives to expand in Greenville.

By Bloomberg News

State Street Corp. lost a bid to dismiss a lawsuit by an Arkansas pension fund that says the custody bank profited off foreign-currency trades at the expense of clients. State Street’s motion to dismiss the complaint brought by the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System was denied by US District Judge Mark Wolf in Boston. The pension fund says State Street charged inflated rates when buying foreign currency for clients and reported deflated rates when selling, pocketing the difference between the actual and reported rates.

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

Panera Bread Co. said it is officially opening one of its bakery cafes in Boston’s Theater District Wednesday. The new Panera on Stuart Street has a format that includes intimate seating areas, a fireplace, and a community table. There is free WiFi Internet access. And the cafe is also offering a catering menu that is available for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. This option is available for groups from five to 500, Missouri-based Panera said.

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

Rockland Trust, the largest community bank south of Boston, announced Wednesday the launch of a $1 million-plus spring marketing campaign with the theme of “Actions. Not words.” The campaign includes television, radio, print, and online ads as well as a social media component. The campaign was created with the help of Forge Worldwide, a Boston-based marketing firm.

By Associated Press

Couples retiring this year can expect their medical bills throughout retirement to cost 4 percent more than those who retired a year ago, according to an annual projection released Wednesday by Fidelity Investments. The estimated $240,000 that a newly retired couple will need to cover health care expenses reflects the typical pattern of projected annual increases. The Boston-based company cut the estimate for the first time last year, citing President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. But Fidelity says overall health care cost trends are on the rise again.

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

Ahold USA, the food company that operates such supermarket chains as Stop & Stop, said that Joe Kelley will take over as president of its Stop & Shop New England Division, effective May 21. In his new post, Kelley will run all aspects of the division, including sales, organization, and people. The chain’s New England Division currently operates 218 supermarkets in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and parts of Connecticut.

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

Sports Authority, a sporting goods chain with about 470 locations, said that it will celebrate the grand opening Saturday of its newest store, which is located at the Arsenal Mall in Watertown. The new story occupies roughly 30,000 square feet of space, the Colorado-based company said, and it uses a new format that features simplified layouts and brighter lighting to showcase such brands as Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, the North Face, and TaylorMade.

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

A distribution and purchasing cooperative of Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees has signed a lease for a distribution center in Phoenix, which will be the cooperative’s first warehouse located west of the Mississippi River. For the last several years, the parent of Dunkin’ Donuts has been pursuing ambitious expansion plans. While Dunkin’ cafes are seemingly ubiquitous in Greater Boston, they can be thin on the ground in other parts of the country, particularly out West. The Phoenix distribution center should help support the chain’s western expansion.

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

The average price for gas in Massachusetts was $3.769 a gallon in the latest weekly AAA survey, down 6 cents from the previous week’s average, AAA Southern New England said Monday. Over the last three weeks, the average has fallen 13 cents a gallon. The current national average for gas is $3.77 a gallon. A year ago at this time, the Massachusetts average price was $3.94 a gallon.