Sony recalls Bravia TVs over faulty part

Sony Corp. recalled 1.6 million Bravia flat-panel TVs sold worldwide since 2007 because a faulty component may cause them to melt or catch fire.

Sony recalled the liquid-crystal display TVs after a September incident in which a customer noticed a small fire and smoke, said Yuki Shima, a Tokyo-based spokeswoman for the world’s third-largest maker of televisions. Eleven incidents have been reported in Japan since 2008, according to a company statement, and no injuries have been reported.

The recalled sets, which are 40-inch models, will be repaired if faulty parts are found. Sony will dispatch a service crew to inspect sets, Shima said. The company won’t offer refunds or replacement TVs, she said.

There haven’t been any reports of overheating incidents outside Japan, the statement said. The recalls are carried out globally.

BlackBerry outages spread to North America

NEW YORK » BlackBerry users across the world were exasperated Wednesday as an outage of email, messaging and Internet services on the phones spread to the U.S. and Canada and stretched into the third day for Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa.

It was the biggest outage in years for BlackBerry users, and strained their relationship with an already tarnished brand. It came on the eve of the launch of a mighty competitor — a new iPhone model.

Research In Motion Ltd., the Canadian company that makes the phones, said a crucial link in its European infrastructure failed Monday, and a backup didn’t work either. The underlying problem has been fixed, but a backlog of emails and messages has built up that the company has yet to work down.

PepsiCo third-quarter profit climbs

PORTLAND, Ore. » PepsiCo Inc. has found its recipe for success in this economic environment: raise prices and grow overseas.

PepsiCo, like many U.S. companies, has faced a balancing act during this period of global economic uncertainty. Many consumer brands from McDonald’s to Nike have raised prices as they try to offset their higher costs for ingredients, packaging and fuel. At the same time, they’ve had to look elsewhere to expand their business as consumers in developed markets like the U.S. have cut back on spending.

PepsiCo, maker of such products as Mt. Dew soda, Gatorade drink and Lay’s potato chips, showed Wednesday that the emphasis on higher prices and growing its overseas business paid off in the third quarter. The company reported that its profit rose 4 percent for the period, beating Wall Street estimates.

Wal-Mart reverses revenue decline in U.S.

NEW YORK » Wal-Mart’s effort to reverse a two-year sales slump at its U.S. namesake stores is beginning to work.

The world’s largest retailer said Wednesday during a meeting with analysts that revenue at stores open at least a year rose three months in a row in July, August and September at its namesake stores in the U.S. after more than two years of quarterly declines. Wal-Mart had promised a quarterly increase by the end of this year, and Wednesday’s news indicates it could make good on that vow in the current quarter, which ends Oct. 28.

The weak U.S. job market and other economic woes have strained the core low-income shoppers at Wal-Mart’s namesake stores in the U.S., while the somewhat higher-income clientele of the company’s Sam’s Club warehouse stores has been more resilient. Wal-Mart’s namesake stores in the U.S. also stumbled in recent years because of mistakes the company made in merchandising and pricing.

The chain, based in Bentonville, Ark., now has restocked thousands of products it scrapped in an overzealous bid to clean up its stores. It’s also stopped using gimmicks such as slashing prices temporarily on select items and instead has returned to its "everyday low price" strategy, the bedrock philosophy of founder Sam Walton.

Liz Claiborne gets fashion makeover

NEW YORK » Talk about a fashion makeover.

Financially struggling Liz Claiborne Inc. said Wednesday that it is selling its namesake brand and several others to concentrate on its Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand and kate spade fashion plates, which appeal to well-heeled shoppers. The company, which hasn’t had an annual profit since 2006, said it will change its name to reflect that emphasis.

Liz Claiborne is the latest company to adjust its business as the U.S. consumer market bifurcates into the high and low ends, essentially squeezing out the middle. Companies ranging from Procter & Gamble to Wendy’s are doing everything from tweaking their product mix to changing the way they advertise and display their goods to appeal to American consumers on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Liz Claiborne hopes that a more high-end focus will help it turn around its business, where annual revenue has been cut in half from 2006 through last year. Lucky Brand jeans mostly sell for $99 or more, for instance, and kate spade handbags typically start at more than $100.

ON THE MOVE

Central Pacific Bank has appointed Scott Nahme as a vice president and senior commercial real estate lending officer. He has more than 25 years of experience in Hawaii’s lending market, including serving as vice president and chief lending officer at Hawaii State Federal Credit Union and team leader at Bank of Hawaii’s corporate national division.

Shioi Construction has promoted Roy Shioi to assistant vice president from senior estimator. He joined the company in 2004. Shioi Construction is a general contractor with offices on Oahu and Kauai.

Kaiser Permanente has presented a $5,000 donation to Hawaii Education Matters in support of the prevention of childhood obesity and increasing physical activity among youth.

The Battleship Missouri has named Dean A. Kelley as the memorial’s visitor experience manager. He has more than 10 years of management experience in Hawaii.

Hawaii National Bank employees raised nearly $1,500 for two Hawaii nonprofits as part of the bank’s annual summer giving campaign. The donations went to Honolulu Habitat for Humanity ($831) and the Boys and Girls Club on Oahu, Maui and the island of Hawaii ($665).