Larry’s Auto Parts buys Laie NAPA store

Honolulu-based Larry’s Auto Parts Inc. has purchased the Laie NAPA Auto Parts store for undisclosed terms.

The Laie store had been owned and operated by the family of Kendal Matsuda since 1969.

Likewise, Larry’s Auto Parts has operated under the NAPA brand since 1965, according to a statement.

The Matsuda family, among the first group of Hawaii NAPA Auto Parts owners in Hawaii, is retiring from active day-to-day operations, but Kendal Matsuda will remain on the executive board through the duration of the transition.

The Laie store is at 55-510 Kame­ha­meha Highway in the Laie Shopping Center and is open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

The acquisition marks the third store that is owned and operated by Larry’s Auto Parts.

Top hybrid vehicles under $30,000 ranked

The Toyota Prius tops the Kelley Blue Book list of the 10 best 2014 hybrid vehicles under $30,000.

Taking second is the Honda Accord Hybrid, while No. 3 is the Toyota Camry. The Toyota Prius V is at No. 4, and Ford Fusion is the fifth-ranked hybrid for below $30,000.

The Acura ILX is at No. 6, the Ford C-Max Hybrid ranks seventh, the Toyota Prius c is at No. 9, while the ninth- and 10th-ranked vehicles are the Volks­wa­gen Jetta and the Subaru XV Crosstrek, respectively.

Hong Kong Disneyland turns another profit

HONG KONG » Turning a page on years of losses, Hong Kong Disneyland said Monday it was profitable for a second straight year and plans to build a third hotel to help cater to rising numbers of visitors.

The theme park in the southern Chinese city more than doubled its profit to $31 million in the year to September. Revenue climbed 15 percent to $631.8 million as visitors rose 10 percent to a high of 7.4 million.

The park had struggled after opening in 2005, with its poor performance blamed on its small size. But it became profitable in 2012 thanks to new attractions that drew more visitors, especially from mainland China.

Officials announced plans to build a 750-room resort-hotel that will cost $554.5 million and is expected to open by early 2017. The new hotel will raise total room capacity by three-quarters to 1,750.

The Hong Kong government owns 52 percent of the park, with the Walt Disney Co. owning the rest. It’s still the smallest of Disney’s parks worldwide, but an expansion project completed last year added 25 percent to its size.

The park is also building a new attraction based on the "Iron Man" movie franchise, which is wildly popular in mainland China. It’s scheduled to open in late 2016.

The new projects will help Hong Kong Disneyland stay competitive with a Disney park under construction in Shanghai that’s expected to open in 2015.

Lower corn, soybean prices hurt crop values

DES MOINES, IOWA » The value of U.S. crops fell 9.8 percent last year as prices declined for major crops, including corn and soybeans, from 2012’s record high levels, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in its annual estimate. The value of field crops fell 9.8 percent to $166.95 billion in 2013, down from $185.12 billion in 2012, the USDA said in Friday’s report. The value is determined by multiplying the average price for a crop from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31 by total production.

Corn and soybean harvests declined during the drought of 2012, driving prices to record highs and increasing the value of field crops. But in 2013 an abundance of grain — owing to the record 13.9 billion bushels of corn and third-largest soybean crop — sent prices downward.

Cigarette ads return to British television

LONDON » About 50 years after Britain banned television advertisements for cigarettes, they are back. Except this time they are for the electronic kind.

British American Tobacco, one of Europe’s biggest tobacco companies, said it would start showing television ads for its Vype electronic cigarettes in Britain on Monday evening. The ads, which will also run online, are made possible by a loophole in the British advertising code written years before e-cigarettes came into widespread use.

Britain banned television ads promoting cigarettes in the 1960s, and a ban on ads for other tobacco products, including cigars, followed in the early 1990s, according to the Advertising Standard Authority in London. The regulator acknowledged that the current rules "were not designed with e-cigarettes in mind" and that it planned to start a consultation process to revise the rules at the end of this month.

Kapiolani Medical Center set to expand

Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children will break ground Wednesday on a $120 million hospital building. The new building will be five stories with 200,000 square feet of space and will house 70 private neonatal intensive care units and 14 pediatric intensive care units. The building also will provide teaching space to train health care professionals in obstetrics/gynecology and pediatric care. The project is scheduled to be completed in spring 2016 and to open for patient services in fall 2016.

Stock market closed

The U.S. stock market was closed Monday for Presidents Day.

ON THE MOVE

Hawaiian Airlines has promoted Ron Anderson-Lehman to executive vice president and chief administrative officer. He has served as senior vice president and chief information officer since 2012. Prior to joining Hawaiian Airlines, Anderson-Lehman was senior vice president and chief information officer at Continental Airlines.

Kamehameha Schools has named Winona White vice president of human resources. She has more than 25 years of experience including time as vice president of human resources for Kaiser Permanente Hawaii.

Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa has promoted Pattie Herman to director of sales and marketing. She will oversee initiatives for the national, European and international markets and also continue her duties as area director of sales and marketing – Asia. She has 39 years of experience in the Hawaii hotel and hospitality industry, including positions at Sheraton Hotels, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts and Westin Resorts.

SHIP AHOY!

Today’s ship arrivals and departures: