2,000

Officials with the national grocery store chain Aldi confirmed that they would open a new location in Timpany Plaza in Gardner by the end of the year. Aldi officials have not yet announced a date for the scheduled grand opening of the store. The chain, which has locations in Leominster and Worcester, was founded in 1976 and has nearly 2,000 stores across 36 states. Officials said the market’s main focus is saving people money by offering shoppers a selection of Aldi-exclusive brands. Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson said he applauded the chain’s decision to open a store in Gardner.

258

When Havana Nights Restaurant & Lounge opens its doors at 258 Park Ave., city foodies will trade Asian cuisine for Cuban flavor on the tables where Sake Bomb Bistro previously did business for eight years. Set to open sometime in May, the new restaurant will feature authentic Cuban cuisine, according to Julio Roque, owner and manager of the restaurant. Roque, 47, was approved by the city License Commission for a transfer of an all-alcohol license from Kenichi Two 168, Inc., the entity that managed Sake Bomb. Sake Bomb Bistro closed its doors Feb. 14.

19,600

Total employment in Massachusetts rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in January, 34 months after the COVID-19 state of emergency began, as employers added 19,600 jobs. The January gains brought the statewide employment to 3,743,500, labor officials announced. That's just 200 positions short of the total recorded in February 2020, the last month before a cascade of enormous job losses followed by a jobs recovery. The industry with the biggest growth was education and health services, which employed 5,000 more people month over month. Officials also revised December's labor data to show an increase of 3,800 jobs, down from the original estimate of 6,300.

177

Six out of the 177 municipalities subject to a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority zoning law that mandates allowing for more multifamily housing in communities with access to public transit, have not filed plans to comply. The remainder are considered noncompliant. This includes Holden. “The Town of Holden wants to zone the way the Town of Holden wants to zone,” Town Manager Peter Lukes said. But by not complying, Holden could lose access to state grants including MassWorks and some funding for their housing authority. Lukes said this was a choice the town could make, describing the zoning legislation originally billed as “voluntary."

100

A coworking space venture has signed an 11-year lease to occupy the entire fourth floor of the Mercantile Center at 100 Front St. Startups and individual workers will be able rent out space for business matters. Wolanski CoWork Inc., a franchise of Florida-based Venture X, expects to take approximately five months getting the floor ready for occupancy, according to a news release. Westborough-based Wolanski CoWork is projected to start occupying the floor later this summer. The franchise is promising meeting rooms, virtual offices, members' café, lounge and secure 24/7 access to the spaces.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Business Matters: Central Mass. by the Numbers