Customers and employees of Walmart and Sam’s Club in Hawaii raised $163,175 to help subsidize a critical medical transportation program for children operated by Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children.
The retailers announced the contribution Friday following a fundraising campaign that ran May 1 to June 14. The campaign was part of a national effort in which Walmart and Sam’s Club raised $40.2 million for 170 hospitals affiliated with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Kapiolani Medical Center is the only hospital in Hawaii affiliated with Children’s Miracle Network. The hospital will use the money for its pediatric transport team that provides special care to ill children being moved to Kapiolani from across Oahu and the neighbor islands as well as to the mainland. The hospital said it transported about 675 patients last fiscal year.
Hugo Boss, Vera Bradley join Waikele
Waikele Premium Outlets added two new tenants earlier this month, Hugo Boss and Vera Bradley. The Hugo Boss store, a fashion retailer based in Germany, opened Aug. 3. Vera Bradley, a seller of handbags, luggage and other accessories, opened Aug. 7. The shopping center, with about 50 tenants, announced the additions Friday.
J.C. Penney narrows loss amid turnaround
PLANO, Texas >> J.C. Penney’s turnaround is gaining traction. The department store chain said Friday that its losses narrowed in the second quarter on better-than-expected sales, fueled by men’s clothing, fine jewelry and the beauty brand Sephora. A key revenue measure also rose for the third straight quarter.
“Although there is much work to do … it’s clear that when we execute well, we can deliver profitable sales and take market share,” said Marvin Ellison, a former Home Depot executive who took over as CEO on Aug. 1 and presided over his first earnings call for Penney.
The results offer encouraging signs for the Plano, Texas-based retailer, which is more than two years into an effort to recover from a disastrous attempt to reinvent itself under former Apple executive Ron Johnson. That led to massive losses and plummeting sales.
J.C. Penney lost $138 million, or 45 cents a share, for the quarter that ended Aug. 1. That compares with a loss of $172 million, or 56 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 2.7 percent to $2.88 billion.
Apple interested in car-testing facility
SAN FRANCISCO >> Adding fuel to rumors that Apple is working on designs for a car, local officials say engineers for the giant tech company recently made inquiries about a former Navy base that’s been converted into a testing ground for self-driving cars and other cutting-edge vehicles.
An official with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority says the giant tech company hasn’t said what kind of testing it hopes to conduct at the decommissioned base in Concord, east of San Francisco. The agency is promoting the base and its 20 miles of closed roads as an ideal test facility for new automotive technology.
Apple declined comment Friday.
Volkswagen recalls 420,000 vehicles
NEW YORK >> Volkswagen is recalling 420,000 vehicles in the U.S. because of a problem that can prevent front air bags from deploying in a crash.
The recall is for eight models, including the Jetta, Passat and Tiguan, with model years between 2010 and 2014.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday that debris can rip a cable that keeps the front air bag powered, which could lead to a failure to deploy. There were nine complaints from customers, NHTSA said. No accidents or injuries have been reported.
ON THE MOVE
Hawaii’s District 49 Toastmasters member Cain Kamano won third place Thursday in the semifinal speech contest at the World Championship of Public Speaking contest. The event was held at Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Toastmasters has 14,650 clubs in 126 countries, and Kamano, the only person representing Hawaii, was chosen out of 10 people, who each gave a seven-minute speech.
Hawaii State Federal Credit Union has hired the following employees:
>> Regan Yamada is a new financial adviser who will work with Hawaii State FCU members at its Kahului and Kaneohe branches. Prior to joining the credit union, Yamada served as a financial consultant at American Savings Bank and First Hawaiian Bank.
>> Jason Lau is a new financial adviser who will provide financial advice to members at Kaimuki and Alii branches. He was previously a vice president and a registered representative (series 65 licensed in 2014) at Bank of Hawaii for 15 years.
