Camping World to open here

Camping World will open its first area store this summer in Liberty Lake, according to the realty firm that brokered the building sale.

The company will make the new location a dealership for used and new RVs.

One of the largest retailers of RV gear and camping equipment, Camping World will take the former Mastercraft boat dealership space at 19651 E. Cataldo Ave.

Camping World intends to use the property as a dealership for RVs and a showroom for RV gear.

That building was vacated when Mastercraft relocated to Post Falls. Camping World will lease the 10,800-square-foot building from the site’s new owner, Minnesota-based Oppidan Investments.

Chris Bell of NAI Black arranged the sale from previous owner Wayne Sorensen to Oppidan, who will develop and manage the property.

Bell said the sale price was $1.8 million.

Oppidan will begin making tenant improvements this month, Bell said.

Camping World has more than 75 stores in more than 30 states.

Tom Sowa

Gas prices finally retreat

NEW YORK – Gasoline prices have finally dropped after 27 straight days of increases.

The nationwide average for regular unleaded slipped less than a penny to $3.764 per gallon. That ended a streak of price hikes that began on Feb. 8. Pump prices rose by more than 28 cents per gallon in that period, making gasoline the most expensive ever for this time of year.

The Oil Price Information Service says the nationwide average could peak at $4.25 per gallon in late April, beating the record high of $4.11 per gallon set in July 2008.

Associated Press

Ford boss millions richer

DETROIT – Ford CEO Alan Mulally is $34.5 million richer after shares granted two years ago vested this week.

Mulally was given 4.8 million stock units for his performance in 2009, when the company posted its first annual profit since 2005. Ford withheld 1.9 million shares for taxes. The remaining 2.85 million units were converted to shares worth $34.5 million at Tuesday’s closing stock price of $12.09.

Associated Press

AeroShot gets FDA warning

WASHINGTON – Food and Drug Administration officials have issued a warning letter to the makers of the inhalable caffeine product AeroShot, saying they have questions about its safety and concerns about how children and adolescents may use it.

The lipstick-sized AeroShot went on the market in January in Massachusetts and New York, and it’s also available in France. Consumers put one end of the plastic canister in their mouths and breathe in, releasing a fine powder that dissolves almost instantly.

The FDA said the Massachusetts-based company behind AeroShot, Breathable Foods, misled consumers by saying the product can be both inhaled and ingested, which is not possible.

The letter also pointed out that the company’s website says it is not recommended for those under the age of 18, while the product label says it is not recommended for those under 12.

Another problem cited by the FDA was links on the company’s website to articles that mention using the caffeine product with alcohol. The FDA has attempted raise awareness about the dangers of the combination of caffeine and alcohol in recent years, saying it can lead to “a state of wide-awake drunk” and has led to alcohol poisoning, car accidents and assaults.

The company has 15 days to respond to the letter, which asked Breathable Foods to correct the violations the FDA cited and to submit its research on the product’s safety to the agency.

Associated Press