BUSINESS BRIEFS
Longs to open new Maui store in '09
Advertiser staff and news services
Longs Drug Stores said its planned new store in Upcountry Maui will open in early 2009 and be the first new Longs store built with photovoltaic solar panels that produce electricity.
The 16,000-square-foot store in the Kulamalu Town Center will also be the first large-format Longs opened in Hawai'i since 1999.
Longs has 39 stores in the state, and also plans a 41st store in Pearl City on O'ahu but has not disclosed details of that project.
Earlier this week, Longs agreed to be acquired by CVS Caremark Corp., the nation's largest drugstore chain.
Longs said the 84.5 kilowatt photovoltaic system will produce 150,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, and the store will employ 40 to 45 people.
HONOLULU STILL LAGS IN GAS-PRICE DROP
Mainland gasoline prices are continuing to fall faster than those in Honolulu, according to the latest price data from AAA.
During the past month the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline has fallen 8.8 percent to $3.771, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge report.
The same decline can't be claimed in Hawai'i where prices are down 0.6 percent during the past month.
AAA lists Hawai'i's statewide average as $4.448 gallon, the second highest in the nation after Alaska.
Both Mainland and Hawai'i prices are 36.5 percent higher than they were a year earlier, the data shows.
AIRPORT CAR RENTALS TO ADD $1 CHARGE
Hawai'i's airport car rental companies will begin charging an additional $1 a day.
Beginning Sept. 1, the customer facility charge will help fund upgraded car rental facilities at Hawai'i airports at no cost to the state. The facilities will be multilevel, similar to the one in Las Vegas, and offer customers one stop for all rental cars and shuttle services.
The charge is a result of a new law passed by the Legislature. The state Department of Transportation will put the money into a special fund until $25 million is reached. The estimated revenue from the new surcharge is $10 million a year, so it will take the state about 2 1/2 years to reach the goal.
HOMESTREET TO OPEN PEARL CITY BANK
HomeStreet Bank will open its newest branch Aug. 26 in Times Square Shopping Center in Pearl City.
A blessing and grand opening celebration will take place Oct. 16.
The 1,850-square-foot branch space is at 98-1258 Ka'ahumanu St. It will feature a full-service banking facility with night drop and ATM.
Products and services will include business and personal checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts and mortgages.
Green building materials were used in construction, including carpet tiles made from recycled materials and energy-efficient lighting. Urban Works Inc. was the architect and JW Inc. was the general contractor.
CEMENT SHIPMENTS TO ISLES DECLINE
Portland cement shipments to Hawai'i fell in June compared to a year earlier as construction activity in the state slowed.
Data from Bloomberg L.P. shows the shipments of Portland cement, a commonly used cement for making concrete, fell to 33,199 metric tons in June, or 13.3 percent less than a year earlier. That compared with a 14.5 percent decline in the shipments nationally.
