BUSINESS BRIEFS
Gasoline cap rising by 8 cents
Advertiser Staff
Hawai'i's wholesale gasoline price cap will rise 8 cents to nearly $2.10 a gallon for regular on O'ahu on Monday, according to the state Public Utilities Commission. That price excludes taxes and a retail dealer mark-up.
The state's price-cap law sets a ceiling on what wholesalers can charge for gasoline. Retail prices are not regulated.
HAL PARENT BOOSTS FINANCING
The parent of Hawaiian Airlines said it has increased its financing by $91 million to help pay for the expansion of its fleet.
Hawaiian Holdings said the increased borrowings also will be used to refinance existing debt at more attractive terms.
Hawaiian, the state's largest airline, announced in February that it will acquire and retrofit four Boeing 767-300 aircraft for its Hawai'i-Mainland service.
MICROALGAE FIRM REPORTS A LOSS
Mera Pharmaceuticals, a Big Island producer of microalgae products for human consumption, said it lost $113,588 in the quarter ending Jan. 31, compared with a $246,918 loss for the same period a year earlier.
The Kailua, Kona, company's revenue grew to $152,394 for the period, a 15 percent increase from a year earlier. The revenue increase was due to higher sales of the company's AstaFactor line of products, according to Gregory Kowal, Mera's chief executive officer.
Mera also named Kenneth Crowder chief operating officer.
VODAPHONE DEAL PENDING IN JAPAN
TOKYO — Two private equity funds, Cerberus Partners LP and Providence Equity Partners Inc., are expected to offer $15 billion for the Japanese subsidiary of mobile phone operator Vodafone Group PLC, according to a Wall Street Journal report..
