Bed Bath & Beyond to fill bookstore’s Ward Centre space

Bed Bath & Beyond will open at Ward Centers on April 2.

The store will anchor Ward Centre — one of Ward Centers’ five shopping complexes — in the Diamond Head wing where Borders bookstore used to be.

The company plans to hire 80 employees at a job fair Monday through March 14.

The store will occupy 30,000 square feet and take up two floors at Ward Centre, which currently houses 35 shops and restaurants.

Bed Bath & Beyond is a home furnishing retailer offering linens, bath accessories, cookware and tableware, as well as services including bridal and gift registries.

The location will be the company’s second store on Oahu. For more information on job opportunities, call 877-562-7222.

No vote on $6.1M for brewery building

The Hawaii Community Development Authority asked its board of directors Wednesday to approve spending up to $6.1 million to repair parts of the historic Royal Brewery building in Kakaako, but directors put off a vote for the second time in two months after a lengthy discussion.

Some directors expressed reservations or opposition to the plan that would allow the state agency to move out of rented office space nearby and move into the HCDA-owned former brewery building. Others expressed support.

The five-story brick building on Queen Street between South and Punchbowl streets has been vacant for 14 years because beams and flooring installed during a 1996 renovation emit noxious fumes from a termite treatment.

The agency spent $2.5 million on the renovation, and recovered about $1 million in a legal settlement over the defect. A low construction bid of $4.9 million was received to replace the offending materials and make the space ready to use, including one floor of community space. A 25 percent contingency expense brings potential total spending to $6.1 million.

County predicts power savings of $10M

Maui County is projecting a savings on its electricity bill of $10 million over the next 20 years from the installation of solar photovoltaic panels at 11 sites.

The PV systems have a combined generating capacity of 1.9 megawatts, or enough energy to serve the equivalent of about 400 homes using 600 kilowatt hours of electricity per month.

The sites include four fire stations, two senior centers, the Lahaina police station, the Eddie Tam Community Center and the Kihei Aquatic Center. Two wastewater treatment facilities house the largest number of panels installed, with 3,696 panels at the Kihei Wastewater Treatment Facility.

Bosch Solar Energy and its partners jointly developed, constructed, and financed the project with no upfront cost to the county. Bosch will own the systems and sell the power to Maui County at a fixed rate that is lower than the cost of electricity provided by Maui Electric Co.

EU fines Microsoft over browser choices

AMSTERDAM » The European Union has fined Microsoft $733 million for breaking a pledge to offer personal computer users a choice of Internet browsers when they install the company’s flagship Windows operating system.

The penalty imposed by the EU’s executive arm, the Commission, is a first for Brussels: No company has ever failed to keep its end of a bargain with EU authorities before.

In 2009, Microsoft Corp. struck a broad settlement with the Commission to resolve disputes over the company’s abuse of the dominance of Windows.

Orders for machinery rose 7% in January

WASHINGTON » U.S. orders for machinery and other factory goods that signal business investment surged in January, indicating confidence in the economy.

The Commerce Department said Wednesday that orders for so-called core capital goods, which also include equipment and computers, rose 7.2 percent from December. It was the biggest gain in more than a year and higher than the initial 6.3 percent increase estimated by the government last week.

Total factory orders fell 2 percent in January from December. But the decline was mostly due to a steep drop in volatile aircraft and defense orders that was also reported last week.

U.S. firms added 198,000 jobs in February

WASHINGTON » A private survey shows U.S. businesses added a solid number of jobs in February, indicating higher taxes and looming government spending cuts had yet to slow hiring.

Employers added 198,000 jobs in February, according to data released Wednesday by payroll processor ADP. And the survey revised January’s hiring figures to show companies added 215,000 jobs that month, 23,000 more than what had initially been reported.

The figure suggests that the government’s February jobs report, to be issued Friday, may come in above economists’ forecasts. Analysts expect it will show the economy added 152,000 jobs and the unemployment rate dipped to 7.8 percent from 7.9 percent in January.

Exxon Mobil forecasts 1% production dip

DALLAS » Exxon Mobil Corp. expects production to decline by about 1 percent this year due to weaker output of natural gas, then rise in the next few years as new projects start up.

The oil and gas giant expects annual production to rise by 2 percent to 3 percent per year through 2017. It plans to spend $190 billion on exploration and development over the next five years.

The company gave the forecast Wednesday at its annual meeting with analysts in New York.

ON THE MOVE

Bank of Hawaii has promoted the following employees: 

>> Benjamin C. “Ben” Locquiao to vice president and cash management officer in the cash management solutions department from assistant vice president and cash management officer. He joined the bank as a consumer sales representative in 2000.

>> Amy Miller to vice president and division sales manager in the personal banking division from assistant vice president and personal banking division sales manager. She joined the bank in 2007 as a bank management associate.

North Hawaii Community Hospital has announced the appointment of Wayne Higaki to vice president of public affairs and chief development officer. He was previously vice president of public affairs, and his tenure with NHCH began in 1996.