by Mark on January 25, 2009
Despite the efforts, Hilo Hattie recently lost the lease in opening at the Royal Hawaiian Center. Their main retail outlet in Iwilei has shutdown and even their website (HiloHattie.com) is under construction or perhaps shutting down…
Hilo Hattie’s plan to open a flagship store in the center of Waikiki appears all but dead as the bankrupt retailer struggles to stay in business.
The retailer’s parent company, Pomare Ltd., recently lost the lease for space on the second floor of the Royal Hawaiian Center, where it had planned to open a new store last summer. No work was ever done on the space.
http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2009/01/26/story1.html
by Mark on January 22, 2009
Thought I’d share this information from a colleague:
This lady has changed her habit of how she lists her names on her cell phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet… etc…was stolen. 20 minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says ‘I received your text asking about our Pin number and I replied a little while ago.’
When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text ‘hubby’ in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.
Moral of the lesson:
Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad , Mom, etc….. And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back!!
Also, when you’re being text by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don’t reach them, be very careful about going places to meet ‘family and friends’ who text you.
Along with that if you have an entry called ‘Home’ with your actual home phone number, it’s not too hard to do a reverse lookup on the number to find the address. Now the robber has your home number, keys, AND address. If you have the entry of ‘Home’ in your phone, you may want to consider changing that to something else.
by Mark on January 19, 2009
For those of you who missed the Friday’s Hawaii Real Estate Forecast 2009 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, here’s a short recap of the event from the Star Bulletin.
Substantial drops in real estate prices are projected this year as all segments of the industry continue to deteriorate, say panelists at a 2009 real estate forecast forum yesterday.
Hawaii home prices are expected to fall as much as 15 percent this year in some neighborhoods, while sales are projected to fall another 25 percent, said Bill Chee, chief executive of Prudential Locations LLC.
Fear of the ailing economy and declining consumer confidence continue to be huge hurdles for the real estate industry, which is struggling to make deals happen with the virtual dry-up of financing and large institutional investments in the islands.
http://www.starbulletin.com/business/20090117_Home_sales_expected_to_drop_25.html
by Mark on January 16, 2009
Not a good news…
“We are extremely disappointed by this outcome. The company had been in continuous negotiations regarding a going concern transaction. Regrettably for the more than 30,000 employees of Circuit City and our loyal customers, we were unable to reach an agreement with our creditors and lenders to structure a going-concern transaction in the limited timeframe available, and so this is the only possible path for our company,” said James A. Marcum, vice chairman and acting president and chief executive officer for Circuit City Stores, Inc., in a press release.
http://www.globest.com/news/1328_1328/northernvirginia/176378-1.html
by Mark on January 16, 2009
Sam’s Club in Pearl City is moving forward to opening a member’s only gas station like Costco’s in Iwilei. If you ever visited the Costco’s gas station, you will notice the long lines and crowded cars waiting to fill up. It’s the cheapest in town so waiting 15 minutes or more is quite a norm if you are used to it. I hope Sam’s move will alleviate the congestion and keep the prices competitive.
Wal-Mart broke ground last week on its first Hawaii Sam’s Club gas station, which will compete with rival Costco for Oahu’s discount gasoline market.
In a state where gas prices are often among the highest in the nation, Costco is popular for offering its members prices that are 10 cents or more per gallon cheaper than other retailers, as evidenced by the long lines at each of its stations.
(Via Pacific Business News)
by Mark on January 16, 2009
Most schools and city and county offices closed today due to high wind warning. A weather system to the north of the Hawaii islands prompted city officials to announce the closure. The moist and brisk southerly winds were evident, but the condition was not as bad as anticipated. I remember going to school when we had typhoons closeby with winds over 150 mph. If you ever lived in Guam, today was just another cloudy day. On a positive note, traffic is quite empty for a Friday.
by Mark on January 16, 2009
The Kakaako/Ward Master Plan was approved by the Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA). It’s moving despite the economic situation.
After a drawn-out process, the Hawaii Community Development Authority yesterday approved the Ward neighborhood master plan.
The application, submitted by General Growth Properties affiliate Victoria Ward Ltd., seeks to transform the 60 acres it owns at Ward into an urban village with more than 4,000 more residences in the form of mid- to high-rises.
As part of the vision over a 20-plus-year horizon, the developer would demolish most existing buildings, including Ward Farmers Market and Ward Warehouse, to build a grand plaza opening up to Kewalo harbor.
The Kakaako skyline would also be transformed to include several high-rises up to 400 feet tall along Ala Moana.
HCDA’s board yesterday approved the plan, with a number of conditions. Eight members voted in support of the plan, one opposed it and four were absent.
http://www.starbulletin.com/business/20090115_Ward_plan_approved.html
by Mark on January 16, 2009
Their scheduled last day is January 26, 2009.
Banana Republic plans to close its largest store in Hawai’i this month — its flagship property in Waikiki that becomes another casualty of the deepening economic slowdown that has been particularly hard on tourism-dependent enterprises. The two-story store in King Kalakaua Plaza at 2080 Kalakaua Ave. is scheduled to close Jan. 26 after 11 years in business. The decision by Banana Republic’s parent company, Gap Inc., will leave only Nike Town in a whole block that once was envisioned to pull significant pedestrian traffic toward the ‘ewa end of Waikiki.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090114/BUSINESS08/901140366/1079/
by Mark on January 16, 2009
The new development, 1944 Kalakaua (see previous entry), is pursuing to be LEED certified or an eco-friendly building.
Architectural firm Eight Inc. is designing 1944 Kalakaua, a two-story, 14,600-square-foot retail center next door to the former Local Motion building that now houses ING Direct.
It is a project for Malibu, Calif.-based developer American Commercial Equities LLC, which also owns the former Local Motion building next door.
In line with current trends, Eight is pursuing silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for the project. It is expected to use recycled building materials, an energy-efficient mechanical system, provide bicycle racks and an employee-changing room.
http://www.starbulletin.com/business/20090114_Another_green_retail_center_for_Waikiki.html
by Mark on January 16, 2009
As the economic crisis continues for the new year, some of the national retailers operating here in Hawaii are closing down.
The first isle Ben & Jerry’s franchise, which opened at Ward Centre in the summer of 2006, is now shuttered. Scoop Shops Hawaii Inc., however, still has one Ben & Jerry’s location at Windward Mall, where it opened last year.
Jamba Juice also closed down its store at Hawaii Kai Towne Center on New Year’s Eve. A Jamba Juice at Koko Marina Center will remain open.
The store was the second to shut down last year, in addition to another Jamba Juice that closed on Alakea Street in downtown Honolulu.
As planned, Starbucks has shuttered two of its shops in the Ward area – on the ground floor of the Hokua at 1288 Ala Moana condominium, as well as at the Borders Books last Sunday.
Seattle-based Starbucks announced last year it would close five stores in Hawaii, including those two locations. The Starbucks inside Borders Books in Kahului also closed on Sunday.
Other Starbucks slated for closure are at Sand Island on Oahu and at Waiakea Center in Hilo.
http://www.starbulletin.com/business/20090113_Mainland_chains_close_isle_locations.html