Shopping : Buzz

Readers of Travel + Leisure magazine have picked Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as the best in the nation.
 
In its first airport survey, the magazine asked readers to rank 22 airports based on categories like food and drink, check-in, security, service, location, and design. The results were published in Travel + Leisure's April issue.
 
The Twin Cities airport was called the "cheeriest and most welcoming" airport in the country, nabbing the top spot thanks to its easy check-in and efficient security process.
 
"T+L voters loved the shopping and food and drink options at this mini-mall of an airport, and when it came to ease of check-in and security, Minneapolis also took the No. 1 spot," the article noted.
 
New York's La Guardia was ranked as the worst on the list, preceded by LAX.

Researchers at the University of St. Thomas have issued what they call an "optimistic forecast" about the upcoming holiday shopping season.
 
The 10th annual Holiday Spending Sentiment Survey provides longitudinal data on Twin Cities holiday shopping trends , allowing researchers to see how this season stacks up against the recession-dampened climate of 2008 and 2009.
 
According to the survey, household spending for holiday gifts is predicted to be 3.4 percent more in the Twin Cities this year, compared to last year. This also marks a large rebound from a few years ago, the researchers noted.

Minneapolis-based Target Corp. prompted discussion about aquaculture practices by recently promising it will sell only sustainable, traceable fish by 2015.
 
As noted in the Los Angeles Times and other publications, the company stopped selling farmed salmon, Chilean sea bass and orange roughy in 2010, due to sustainability issues. It currently sells about 50 types of fish that are certified by either the Marine Stewardship Council or the Global Aquaculture Alliance.
 
To meet its 2015 goal, Target is partnering with nonprofit marine conservation group FishWise, which will assess all of the company's seafood products.
 
 

In its Impulsive Traveler column, the Washington Post recently highlighted several top tourist sites in Minneapolis, including Mill City Museum and the Midtown Global Market.
 
The newspaper's columnist, Alexandra Pecci, noted that while visiting her sister-in-law in Minnesota, she attempted to see the city a little differently than the last time she'd visited (a trip filled with the Mall of America and downtown Minneapolis' Mary Tyler Moore statue).
 
In marveling at Mill City, the Global Market, and Mill Ruins Park, Pecci described the historical significance of the buildings she was visiting. "It was Minneapolis as I'd never see it before," she wrote, "which was exactly what I'd hoped to find."

Eight Minnesota companies have landed on America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies, a list put together by Inc. Magazine.
 
Among the top performers highlighted are MetroSpec Technologies in Mendota Heights, Jobs2web in Minnetonka, iBuyOfficeSupply.com in Plymouth, and BulkReefSupply.com in Golden Valley.
 
The companies were listed according to a three-year growth rate. For example, BulkReefSupply.com, an online retailer of saltwater and reef aquarium supplies, reported a growth rate of 1,248% from 2007 to 2010.
 
Other Minnesota companies on the list were ShopJimmy.com, Renters Warehouse,  Erickson Builders & Co.,and Modern Automotive Performance.