Bookstore closings set
NEW YORK >> Barnes & Noble plans to continue to shrink its store base. The head of Barnes & Noble’s retail group, Mitchel Klipper, said Monday in The Wall Street Journal that the company will have 450 to 500 stores in a decade. That’s down from about 689 currently. Klipper said the chain plans to close about 20 stores a year over the period.
Hawaiian Air pilots ratify new aircraft pact
Hawaiian Airlines pilots have ratified a tentative agreement reached earlier this month between the company and the Air Line Pilots Association on new contract terms covering the operation of long-range, single-aisle aircraft the company plans to add to its current fleet of wide-body, twin-aisle aircraft serving Hawaii from the West Coast.
The company said Monday it is in talks with the Association of Flight Attendants about a similar agreement.
Hawaiian announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding on Jan. 7 with airframe manufacturer Airbus to buy 16 new A321neo aircraft between 2017 and 2020, with rights to purchase an additional nine aircraft.
The 190-seat A321neo fleet expansion is expected to generate roughly 1,000 additional jobs at Hawaiian.
Mokulele moves call center from mainland
Mokulele Airlines has relocated its call center operations from the mainland to Maui.
The interisland carrier, which announced the change Monday, said it made the move in December to provide Mokulele’s passengers with better customer service by having their calls answered by local residents knowledgeable about Hawaii.
Mokulele said 80 percent of its business is generated by Hawaii residents who travel between the islands.
Record 26,645 attend home building show
A record crowd turned out for this year’s home building and remodeling show held by the Building Industry Association of Hawaii, according to organizers.
The 19th Annual BIA Home Building & Remodeling Show attracted 26,645 attendees through the three-day event, which ran Friday through Sunday. Organizers said it was the biggest attendance in the show’s history, and a 16 percent increase over the previous year.
Karen Nakamura, CEO of the association, said in a statement that consumer confidence has returned and combined with popular home improvements such as solar energy to help produce the record.
BIA-Hawaii is affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders. Its members include developers, contractors, suppliers, architects, real estate agents, financial institutions and other professionals tied to the housing industry.
Chai charity dinner to benefit nonprofit
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Hawaii Chapter will benefit from a fundraising event at Chef Chai at Pacifica, the new restaurant by chef and restaurateur Chai Chaowasaree.
A raffle will include a "Spirit of Romance" flower bouquet, a chocolate and wine package, Champagne and glasses, a dinner for two at the restaurant, and a Martin & MacArthur koa necklace.
The preview dinner from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Feb. 9 in the Pacifica Honolulu Building at 1019 Kapiolani Blvd. costs $150 per person or $275 per couple. Reservations can be made through JDRF Hawaii Development Manager BJ Whitman at bwhitman@jdrf.org or at 988-1000.
Japan raises growth forecast as yen slides
TOKYO » Anticipating a boost from stimulus spending and a weakening yen, Japan’s government Monday raised its growth forecast, predicting the economy will emerge from recession and expand 2.5 percent in the coming fiscal year.
The yen has dropped more than 10 percent in recent months, reaching its lowest level since July 2010. Share prices have surged in anticipation that higher stimulus spending will boost economic activity and that the weaker yen will aid exporters. The government’s earlier estimate for growth in the fiscal year that starts April was 1.7 percent.
Toyota No. 1 again with nearly 9.75M sales
TOKYO » Toyota is once again the world’s top automaker. Toyota Motor Corp. on Monday released its tally for global vehicle sales for last year at a record 9.748 million vehicles, more than last month’s estimate of about 9.7 million vehicles. Toyota dethroned General Motors Co. as the Detroit-based automaker fell short at 9.29 million vehicles sold.
GM had been the top-selling automaker for more than seven decades before losing the title to Toyota in 2008. GM retook the sales crown in 2011, when Toyota’s production was hurt by the earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.
Volkswagen AG of Germany, the world’s No. 3 automaker, sold a record 9.1 million vehicles around the world.
On the Move
AAA Hawaii has announced Liane Sumida is its general manager, and she will continue to be responsible for the sales team. She has been with the company for eight years and was previously an insurance business manager.
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii has announced the following two new specialists:
>> Dr. Kelly Kawaoka is a specialist in internal medicine at Kaiser Permanente’s Waipio Clinic. She was previously an attending physician in the outpatient clinics and newborn nursery at Loma Linda (Calif.) University Faculty Physicians and Surgeons.
>> Dr. Karen Yamaguchi is a specialist in podiatry at Kaiser Permanente’s Moanalua Medical Center. She was previously working in a private practice in Laredo, Texas.
