International Market Place ceremony set
The developer of the new International Market Place in Waikiki will hold a groundbreaking ceremony Monday.
The new shopping center will have 360,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment on three levels including approximately 75 stores, including a Saks Fifth Avenue, and seven restaurants.
The center is scheduled to open in the spring of 2016.
Rick Tsujimura, chairman of the board of trustees of Queen Emma Land Co., will represent the landowner at the ceremony, and William Taubman, chief operating officer of Taubman Centers Inc., will represent the developer.
Mobi PCS returns call center to isles
Honolulu-based wireless provider Mobi PCS has moved its customer service call center back to Hawaii from the Philippines, the company announced Monday.
Mobi PCS’ customer service operations will be handled by TC Kokua under a contract with the Kihei company. Mobi had moved its call center to the Philippines shortly after its launch in 2006.
"By bringing customer care back to Hawaii, Mobi PCS is demonstrating a continuing commitment to providing our subscribers with superior service," said Bill Jarvis, Mobi PCS president and chief executive officer.
"Our customers let us know they wanted local customer care, someone helping them from this time zone who knows how to both spell and pronounce Kalanianaole," he said.
TC Kokua has doubled its staff to 16 employees as a result of winning the Mobi PCS contract.
Mobi customer service is available by calling 723-1111 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. Support also is available at support@mobipcs.com or by dialing *611 from any Mobi phone.
Samsung’s new phone outshines rivals’
BARCELONA, Spain » Sony unveiled a new waterproof phone that can take ultrahigh-definition video. Nokia introduced three Android smartphones aimed at emerging markets. And Lenovo announced one with an all-glass exterior.
Yet the spotlight Monday was on Samsung, which announced a successor to its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone. The Galaxy S5 will feature a heart-rate monitor, a fingerprint sensor for security and a sharper camera with faster auto focus.
Samsung’s glitzy announcement during the Mobile World Congress wireless show in Spain made it harder for other phone makers to get noticed. Samsung had several times the attendance of either Sony’s or Nokia’s event Monday.
Blended olive oil has some Greeks worried
SIMIZA, Greece » Plans to extend Greece’s brutal efficiency drive to olive oil production have been met with anger and disbelief.
If proposals from a government-funded study are adopted, olive oil blended with cheaper vegetable oils will soon go on sale as part of an effort to modernize the country’s economy, which was rescued from near bankruptcy four years ago.
Olive producers in some parts of the country worry that Greece could spoil its own signature product.
Illegal under current Greek law, the new product would need to prominently carry the label "blended olive oil." EU law does not prohibit blends, which are sometimes used in canned food.
Men’s Wearhouse raises Jos. A. Bank bid
FREMONT, Calif. » Men’s Wearhouse is stepping up its pursuit of Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, boosting the takeover offer for its rival by 10 percent to about $1.78 billion.
The move comes 10 days after Jos. A Bank announced that it was planning to buy the parent company of Eddie Bauer in a deal valued at $825 million. But Jos. A. Bank previously said that it may end the Eddie Bauer deal if it receives the right acquisition offer.
Men’s Wearhouse said Monday it’s now offering $63.50 per share, up from its prior offer of $57.50 per share. The new offer is conditioned on Jos. A. Bank ending its deal for Eddie Bauer, among other terms.
Honda taps its first female board member
TOKYO » Honda Motor Co. appointed a woman to its board for the first time and gave a major promotion to a foreigner in signs the automaker wants to change perceptions of a hidebound corporate culture.
Technology expert Hideko Kunii, 66, will join the board. And Issao Mizoguchi, who has worked with Honda’s South American operations for nearly 30 years, has been appointed operating officer, the company said Monday.
Companies have come under fire within Japan for not promoting anyone other than Japanese men. Putting women in leadership positions is a pillar of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s policies to revive the moribund Japanese economy.
ON THE MOVE
Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties has announced the following employees have joined the firm’s Kapolei office:
» Sonny Carvalho previously served as a Realtor associate at Shirokiya Residential Estates, and is an Army veteran who served in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.
» Yuko Mauldin previously served as realtor associate at Prudential Locations as well as worked in the solar, construction and banking industries.
» Teri Lynn Sato has 30 years experience in the title and escrow industry, including serving as a Realtor associate at Mark DeCastro Realty. Sato also was managing officer at Real Estate Title Solutions and underwriter and C.S. director at First American Title.
The Kakaako Improvement Association has announced its 2014 board of directors and officers. Officers are: Leslie Miasnik, president; Bobbie Lau, vice president; and Miyuki Almarie, secretary- treasurer. Board members are: James Frierson, Mark Higa, Sheri-Ann Higa, Jay Kadowaki, Paul Kimura, Alison Lee, Bob Oda, Dexter Okada, Steve Sullivan and Glenn Takeuchi.
