The Clydesdales can rest easy for now. Claims that brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev has been watering down the Budweiser have yet to affect the company’s sales in restaurants and barrooms, according to a new report from Restaurant Sciences LLC. The Newton firm analyzes guest checks from the nation’s restaurants, bars, and nightclubs to gain insights for its customers in the food and beverage industry. So far, allegations that Anheuser-Busch InBev beer brands contain less alcohol than stated on their labels is having little impact on their sales in restaurants and bars. The Arbella Insurance Group said it is launching a new product called “Carpartment Insurance” that is designed to be especially attractive to renters under the age of 35. The product combines auto insurance with renter’s insurance. Customers who already get their auto insurance from Quincy-based Arbella can add renter’s insurance for as little as an additional $3 a week, according to a TV ad supporting the new product. Or as a special carpartment website puts it: “Driver’s seat? Or Love seat? Either way, your butt’s covered!” TJX Cos., the Framingham company that operates such retail chains as T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods, said that February sales were $1.8 billion, up 7 percent from the same month a year ago, despite many winter storms in certain parts of the US and Canada. At stores open at least a year, sales were up 1 percent on a year-to-year comparison basis. Busieness trends picked up at the end of the month, TJX said. The Massachusetts unemployment rate held steady in January at 6.7 percent as the local economy added 16,100 jobs in the first month of 2013, the state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported Thursday morning. The current US unemployment is 7.9 percent. Sectors of the Massachusetts economy that added jobs in January included professional, scientific, and business services; leisure and hospitality; and construction. One sector shedding jobs was the category that includes government workers. Dunkin’ Donuts said it is bringing back Angus Steak for a return engagement. According to the Canton-based coffee-and-baked-goods chain, the breakfast public has been clamoring for the Angus Steak and Egg Sandwich, which features Angus Steak with a Pepper Fried Egg and American cheese on a toasted plain bagel. So this a.m. entree is back for a limited time at participating restaurants. Americans are less secure in their retirement than workers in much of Europe, and the United States ranks 19th globally in retirement security for its citizens, a report by Natixis Global Asset Management found. The Paris-based company said the findings suggest that Americans will need to pick up a bigger share of their retirement costs, as the number of retirees grows and government programs to support them become more strained. The threat of federal cutbacks did not appear to significantly affect the New England economy, which continued to grow slowly, according to the Federal Reserve. The residential real estate market across the region showed “robust sales growth and modest price increases,” the Fed reported. Retailers and manufacturers were generally upbeat about sales in 2013 and employment was “relatively stable |  | |
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