NEW YORK >> Home Depot is on a hiring spree.
The nation’s largest home improvement chain, based in Atlanta, said Wednesday it is hiring more than 80,000 workers nationwide, including 135 in Honolulu, for its busy spring season, the same level as in recent years. The retailer estimates that more than half of the temporary workers stay on for permanent employment.
The part-time and full-time jobs include sales, operations and cashier positions across all departments in stores as well as jobs at its distribution centers.
Home Depot said it is now accepting applicants in Honolulu.
Honolulu is 82nd in list of best wedding cities
Of the largest 150 U.S. markets, Honolulu ranks 82nd among the best cities in which to get married, according to a study released Wednesday. Figuring in average wedding cost, number of venues, event spaces per capita and availability of hotels among a total of 18 factors, personal finance site WalletHub ranks Orlando, Fla., as the best U.S. city inwhich to get married. Orlando is followed by Las Vegas, Atlanta, Tampa, Fla., and Springfield, Mo.
The worst cities in descending order are No. 146, Anchorage, Alaska; Worcester, Mass.; Newark, N.J.; Yonkers, N.Y.; and No. 150, Moreno Valley, Calif.
Honolulu’s average wedding cost of $41,486 was ranked No. 147, just ahead of San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont, Calif., which are tied for having the highest average wedding cost. The national average is $26,444. Honolulu’s high number of flower shops per capita ranks third in the nation, behind Miami and Orlando , which are tied for having themost.
Honolulu didn’t make the top five for WalletHub’s best weather ranking. Those spots went to the California cities of Glendale, Riverside and Bakersfield, followed by Scottsdale, Ariz., and Henderson, Nev. The worst weather ranking went to Buffalo, N.Y.
Victoria’s Secret expanding to Kaneohe
Sister brands Victoria’s Secret and PINK will open in early summer at Windward Mall in Kaneohe.
The lingerie and fashion stores will move into 7,865 square feet previously occupied by Journeys, Local Motion and Jeans Warehouse, which will relocate within the mall.
Jeans Warehouse will temporarily relocate to the second floor near Macy’s while its permanent ground-floor space is built. Journeys will permanently move to a space on the upper level in the Macy’s wing. Local Motion will relocate to a 2,433-square-foot spot next to Aeropostale near Center Court and is slated to open this week.
Further, Cookie’s Clothing Company will open in a new storefront next to the new Jeans Warehouse by early summer.
“Victoria’s Secret and PINK will be a great complement to our selection of retailers and we can’t wait to welcome their quality products and high-touch customer service to our center this summer,” said Alex Kirley, Windward Mall senior marketing manager, in a statement.
Island Air punctuality in January hits 93.8%
Island Air, the state’s second-largest airline, said Wednesday that 93.8 percent of its flights arrived on time in January and that it had no cancellations among its 716 flights. A flight is considered on time if it arrives within 14 minutes of its scheduled arrival time, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“Despite the fact that we had several aircraft undergoing routine scheduled maintenance, our outstanding team at Island Air set an all-time company record in January with zero cancellations, and our on-time performance was the second highest it has ever been,” Island Air CEO Dave Pflieger said. “Our impressive results in January are a testament to our dedicated employees who are working hard to get us ready to resume service to Lihue starting March 15.”
Island Air began announcing its operational performance in September 2015. The airline plans to continue releasing flight performance data on a monthly and quarterly basis, so that current and potential customers can see how the airline is performing as it seeks to position itself as an affordable alternative interisland airline.
First Hawaiian ratings on negative watch
Fitch Ratings has placed First Hawaiian Bank’s support rating and long-term issuer default rating on negative watch in the wake of parent BNP Paribas’ announcement in December that it is considering strategic alternatives that include spinning off the bank in an initial public offering.
BNP said the possible IPO could occur this year after the completion of certain corporate restructuring transactions.
Fitch placed First Hawaiian’s support and other linked ratings on negative watch pending further clarity on the bank’s role in the consolidated organization, and potential plans for an IPO and a divestiture.
The agency said it placed the bank’s long-term issuer default rating on negative watch because Fitch believes the consideration of strategic alternatives for First Hawaiian may reduce support for the bank.
5 isle restaurants make most-romantic list
OpenTable.com’s annual ranking of the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America includes two in Honolulu; one in Wailea, Maui; one in Poipu, Kauai; and one on the Kona Coast of Hawaii island. The online dining and review site released the list Monday and it is presented in alphabetical order.
Hawaii’s listed restaurants are Capische at the Hotel Wailea on Maui; La Mer at Halekulani and Michel’s at the Colony Surf in Waikiki; Tidepools at the Grand Hyatt Kauai in Poipu; and ‘Ulu Ocean Grill and Sushi Lounge at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, in Kaupulehu, Hawaii. Reviews of more than 5 million OpenTable.com users submitted between Dec. 7, 2014, and Dec. 6, 2015, were analyzed to compile the list, which is released each year prior to Valentine’s Day.
On The Move
Obun Hawaii, a commercial print company, has appointed two new sales account executives:
>> Eileen Furuya has been hired as a sales account executive and will service the accounts of English- and Japanese-speaking clients for Obun Hawaii. She has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and sales in Asian markets, primarily in the media and hospitality industries.
>> Michelle Monje has been promoted to account executive from estimator in the sales department. She has 15 years’ experience in the print industry and was previously a customer service representative at Fingerprints Graphic Design before joining Obun Hawaii in 2006.
Kaiser Permanente has promoted Stephanie Wong to Hawaii region controller. She has more than 15 years of accounting experience and was previously an audit manager at Deloitte & Touche. Wong joined Kaiser Permanente in 2009 as an assistant controller, while managing the accounting and accounts payable teams in daily account maintenance, financial reporting and compliance.