Business briefs

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Eddie Bauer to close store

Eddie Bauer plans to close its only store in Hawai'i at Ala Moana Center as soon as late May as part of a bankruptcy restructuring plan by parent company Spiegel Inc.

The 3-year-old store — selling a mix of sportswear, travel gear, casual lifestyle clothing and home furnishings — is one of 60 underperforming locations slated for closurel.

About 900 company-wide jobs, or an average of 15 per store, will be eliminated.

UH in deal with biotech startup

The University of Hawai'i and biotechnology startup Genentex LLC announced a partnership yesterday aimed at making shrimp more resistant to viruses.

Under terms of the deal UH is licensing gene transfer technology to Genentex in exchange for equity and royalty income from the Honolulu startup company. Genentex wants to license the technology to agribusinesses, governments and shrimp farms and hatcheries, helping them eliminate shrimp disease while cutting operating costs.

Genentex founder Randy Havre said the plan is to have a commercially-viable technology within three years.

Maui-Houston flights added

Houston-based Continental Airlines will begin daily nonstop flights between Kahului and Houston on June 28.

The new route builds on efforts by government and tourism officials to increase flights to Hawai'i.