BUSINESS BRIEFS
Matson cuts fuel surcharge again
Advertiser staff
Matson said it is dropping its fuel surcharge for the fifth time in two months — in response to declining fueling prices.
The state's largest shipping company sent the notice in a letter to customers Tuesday.
Matson is lowering its fuel surcharge by 5.5 percentage points for its Hawai'i service, from 25 to 19.5 percent, and its Guam/CNMI and Micronesia service by 5.5 percentage points, from 26.5 to 21 percent, effective Nov. 16.
With this latest adjustment, Matson's fuel surcharge will have been lowered by 22.75 percentage points since Sept. 20; for most customers, this represents an overall decrease in shipping costs ranging from $530 to $845 per container.
WALGREENS DEBUTS DRIVE-THROUGH
The first Walgreens in Hawai'i with a drive-through pharmacy is geared up to open tomorrow in Kane'ohe pending approval of a city building inspection.
The store opening comes a year after Walgreens opened its first Hawai'i store at the former Tower Records site on Ke'eaumoku Street near Ala Moana Center.
Walgreens envisions opening 25 to 30 stores on O'ahu and the Neighbor Islands over the next several years. The next two store openings expected are in Kalihi in January and in Kailua in the first half of next year.
About 40 people will be employed at the Kane'ohe store, which is 14,800 square feet, or close to 4,000 square feet bigger than the typical Walgreens. The Ke'eaumoku store is about 9,000 square feet.
Like the Ke'eaumoku Walgreens, the Kane'ohe store will be open 24 hours a day and feature a self-serve beverage fountain and food bar that Walgreens calls Café W.
HTA SEEKS RECRUITMENT AGENCY
The Hawai'i Tourism Authority is seeking an executive-recruitment firm to help the agency hire a new president and chief executive officer.
The agency is looking for a replacement to Rex Johnson, who resigned after public criticism of inappropriate e-mails he sent from his state laptop computer.
The selected firm would report to the board's Search Investigative Committee.
Forms are available at HTA's office at the Hawai'i Convention Center, 1801 Kalakaua Ave., or through HTA's Web site at www.hawaiitourismauthority.org. The deadline for proposals is 4:30 p.m. Nov. 19.
HAWAI'I INDEX LOSES 3.24 POINTS
Hawai'i stocks fell with the broader stock market yesterday, with most issues losing ground.
The Honolulu Advertiser-Bloomberg Hawai'i Index fell 3.24 points to 66.26 as 10 of 11 issues in the index fell.
This included a $1.30 decline by Alexander & Baldwin to $26.21 and a $2.33 drop by Bank of Hawaii to $43.77.
POWER GENERATING BUOY INSTALLED
Ocean Power Technologies Inc. said it had completed installation of one of its PowerBuoy wave power generation units about one mile off O'ahu's Windward coast.
The buoy is anchored in 100 feet of water off Kane'ohe. Ocean Power Technologies said the U.S. Navy has added about $300,000 in funding for the program, which is part of the Navy's program to reduce dependence on fuel shipments for power generation facilities.
Electricity generated by the buoy will be connect to O'ahu's power grid.
