5 must-read business stories this week

1. Stores try to entice last-minute holiday shoppers

For shoppers who haven’t finished their gift buying just yet, there are retailers that have offered around-the-clock shopping in the days before Christmas. Retailers — like Kohl’s and Walmart — announced they would stay open 24-hours a day up until Christmas Eve.

2. Centerville OKs $25M luxury apartment complex at Cross Pointe

Centerville will move forward with a $25 million luxury apartment complex called The Allure, located behind Cross Pointe Shopping Center.

3. Investor buys more property near UD

A real estate and development firm, which recently bought an iconic church located near the University of Dayton, has bought another property on the same street. According to county property records, Dublin-based firm New Village Communities has bought the property located at 1727 Brown St. for $399,000.

4. Downtown Dayton hotel closes

The Dayton Grand Hotel, located downtown at Third and Ludlow streets, has closed as it undergoes renovations, an acting general manager told this media outlet today. The 184-room hotel, which is owned by investment equity firm Hotel Capital based in Indianapolis, will be closed until at least May as it undergoes the renovation.

5. AK Steel receives $1.8 million to develop more energy efficient steel

Butler County-based steelmaker AK Steel will receive a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a new grade of steel to make electric motors more energy efficient. Mark Johnson, director of the Advanced Manufacturing Office in the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, said the goal is to “use our resources most effectively as possible. That means you need to develop new technologies.”

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