Charlotte Russe heading to Kaneohe
Charlotte Russe, a young women’s apparel, shoe and accessory retailer, will expand into Windward Mall this fall.
The retailer, which has locations at Pearlridge Center and in Waikele Premium Outlet, will move into the 5,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by Island Expressions and 808 Bounce, which have relocated within the mall.
Hiring and grand-opening details will be released in the future.
The California-based retailer has close to 500 stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
Arancino expanding to Kahala Hotel
The two-unit Arancino restaurant chain will expand to the Kahala Hotel & Resort in early 2013. Construction is to begin in September.
The restaurant will have a wood-burning pizza oven and will feature Neapolitan-style cuisine with Japanese influences. It will be developed in the former Tokyo Tokyo space, which closed in January.
The addition of Arancino at the Kahala will bring to five the number of restaurants within the resort property.
The new restaurant and existing stores, Arancino on Beachwalk Avenue and Arancino di Mare at the Waikiki Beach Marriott, are owned and operated by Hawaii-based Orion International Inc.
New utility-scale solar firm coming to isles
SPI Solar, also known as Solar Power Inc., plans to become the largest utility-scale solar developer in Hawaii with 68 projects on three islands.
SPI has acquired the rights to co-develop and construct 68 solar energy facilities totaling approximately 29 megawatts on Oahu, Maui, and the Kona side of Hawaii island. The facilities will feed directly into the legacy utilities’ power grids, according to a statement.
SPI is based in Roseville, Calif., and trades over the counter under the symbol SOPW.
Queen’s to offer video interpretation services
The Queen’s Medical Center is the first hospital in the state to use the Language Access Network, an exclusive video interpretation services provider of more than 210 languages. The real-time services are delivered via LAN’s dedicated HIPAA compliant high-speed broadband network and through its proprietary remote video interpretation equipment that offers immediate access and full mobility throughout the hospital.
"Queen’s takes care of a diverse group of patients from all over the world and clear communication is critical for providing the best care," said Cindy Kamikawa, vice president of nursing, emergency department, trauma and chief nursing officer of The Queen’s Medical Center. "This new technology helps us offer a high-quality interpretation solution that gives patients and health care providers the ability to communicate efficiently, which provides the foundation for good health outcomes, enhanced patient satisfaction and better utilization of hospital resources."
LAN enables hospital staff to connect by video and audio with qualified medical interpreters 24 hours a day, seven days a week via a secure network that is never transmitted through the Internet.
LAN is currently being used by more than 200 hospitals and other medical venues nationwide.
Fliers less satisfied with airlines, survey says
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. » Fliers were less satisfied with airlines in 2012, after two years of consecutive improvement, according to a national consumer study.
On a 1,000-point scale, passenger satisfaction fell 2 points to an average of 681, the J.D. Power and Associates survey revealed Wednesday.
The survey measured leisure and business travelers’ satisfaction based on seven factors: cost and fees; in-flight services; boarding, deplaning and baggage handling; flight crew; aircraft; check-in; and reservation.
Passenger satisfaction with low-cost carriers crept up 3 points to 754, while satisfaction with traditional carriers slipped 4 points to 647.
JetBlue Airways scored the highest marks among low-cost carriers reviewed, performing well on in-flight services and aircraft factors. Southwest was second, gaining points for cost and fees, boarding/deplaning/baggage, check-in and reservation.
Alaska Airlines was No. 1 among traditional carriers with 678 points, followed by Air Canada.
Hawaiian Airlines was not included in the survey.
Dell planning more than $2 billion in cuts
NEW YORK » Computer maker Dell Inc. is planning to trim its expenses by more than $2 billion during the next three years as it tries into move into the more lucrative fields of technology.
Dell outlined its cost-cutting plans Wednesday, a day after the company committed to paying the first quarterly dividend in its 28-year history. The quarterly dividend of 8 cents per share will cost Dell more than $560 million annually.
SHIFTING GEARS
Servco Automotive promotes Tsuji
Servco Automotive has promoted Nicole Tsuji to manager of the customer care center.
In her new position, Tsuji is responsible for daily management of Servco’s call center, overseeing a team of 16 who handle all inbound calls for the nine Servco Automotive Service Centers statewide. She also develops and monitors departmental processes to help customers in the most timely and efficient manner possible.
Tsuji joined the Servco Auto Windward dealership in 2006, where she most recently served as assistant service manager. She is a graduate of Castle High School and the University of Phoenix, from which she earned a Bachelor of Business Management degree.
Sales, jobs and optimism rising
LOS ANGELES » New-car dealers are adding workers, opening more stores and expressing general optimism about their business, according to an annual report released this week by the National Automobile Dealers Association.
The number of workers employed at new-car dealerships rose 4.6 percent in 2011 to 933,500.
ON THE MOVE
Aqua Hotels and Resorts has announced the following new sales and marketing appointments:
>> John Dailey as director of sales for domestic and international.
>> Christopher Ching as marketing coordinator for offline marketing.
>> Napua Leong as online marketing manager.
>> Lacianne Terry as contract sales manager.
>> Angela Byun as director of reservations.
