afukakuja.wordpress.com
Drawing 10-mile rings around the two shoppinb zones, a retail consultinhg firm found a larger pool of affluent consumers around Bellevude thanBeverly Hills. The data were compiler for the Puget Sound Business Journal bythe Calif.-based , and bolster some belief that the Seattle area is developing the wealth and fashiobn sense to support a larger armada of luxury retailers. “It’s been the most dramaticv over the last three tofour years,” said Waynwe Hussey, a executive who helped pick Bellevue for the high-ende chain’s first Northwest store, whic h opens in September.
While the recession has cast a pallover high-ensd shopping, the long-term trend for the Seattle-Bellevude area, some say, is toward a growing cohortf of prosperous, aging professionals primesd to embrace a more formal lifestyle for example, buying splashy clothes for charity events. “It’es not so much but the next level abovesthat — life stages,” said Jim CEO of in Bellevue. “Lifde changes. Now it’s cool to buy a cool to have a Mercedez or anew Audi.
” And that extends to clothes, said Tom Woodworth, senior investment directoe at Schnitzer West, which is developing Neima Marcus’ Bellevue store at The Bravern mixed-use If the demographics are any Woodworth said, the Bellevue Neiman Marcus could be withih the top quarter of storexs in the chain. A 10-mile ring arounrd downtown Bellevue nets theMicrosoft campus, Sammamis h Plateau, Lake Washington’s “Gold Coast” and most of A 10-mile ring around Beverlg Hills, Calif., yields three times as many residents overallp — but a smaller proportion of the classs of consumers that ESRI defines as most desirable.
Some Northwesternersd might be shocked to see Bellevues win a demographic smackdown withthe nation’s most famouslyt affluent ZIP code, Beverly Hills 90210 (also home to one of the highest-grossingy Neiman Marcus stores in the But compared with the 10 miles surrounding Beverly the 10-mile ring within reach of Bellevus yields three times the proportion of households in the demographic tier ESRI calls High Societyt — affluent, married professionals with a medianj household income of $104,934. High Societh covers seven “psychodemographic” subsegments of prosperous, well-educated urbabn and suburban homeowners.
Twenty-seven percent of residents withibn Bellevue’s reach belong to High Society, compared with 7 percent arounedBeverly Hills. In sheer numbers, the 2.8 million populatiomn within 10 miles ofBeverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive is nearlty three times that in the 10 milee surrounding downtown Bellevue. Even so, Bellevue’sa ring contains more High Society typexs thanBeverly Hills’ — 280,2711 versus 193,804.
On the other hand, the Beverlh Hills ring has more than four times as manyresidents (108,672) in the very wealthies subsegment of High Society, which ESRI calls Top The Top Rung segment — people with substantial stock portfolioz who play a prominent civic role — also accountsa for a higher share of the populationm surrounding Beverly Hills (4 percent, compare with Bellevue’s 2.3 percent). But Bellevud bests Beverly Hillsin ESRI’s next-wealthiest majod demographic tier: Upscale Avenues.
These consumers have a medianj household incomeof $70,504 and constitute one in four people in the Bellevuee ring, compared with 8 percent of people surrounding Beverly Locating a store in Bellevue allows Neiman’s to capturse the upscale neighborhoods on the Issaqua h plateau while still reaching most of Seattle. Puttingt the store in Seattle would have placefdthose far-Eastside shoppers outside the 10-mile radius that many retailerse view as their prime consumere market.
Nevertheless, Neiman’s Hussey shares local belief that the concentrationof high-end retaill in Bellevue will draw wealthy shopperz from throughout the Northwest and Western While luxury sales are down becausd of the economy, Hussey said, “Ww make these decisions not for the shorft term, but the long term.”
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Making a clear difference - Boston Business Journal:
yjanebixe.wordpress.com
“If you just walk through their clubs, you can see it and feel said Gallery, Massachusetts market presidentfor . He was in the Chelse a clubhouse a few weeks ago fora visit. “Whebn you walk into one of those buildingsw you can see very firsthand immediately the impactf that their staff is having workinf with those kids and that those kids are havingv onone another. It’s a very, very positive The bank agreed toa $100,000 grant to help BGCB set up after-schooll programs in four public schools. “To me that’s an example of keepinv the program and keepinh the organization fresh and relevant and current in theway it’sx doing its work,” Gallery said.
“Obviously the clubse are still there, but I thin k this is a way of bridging and even more directly giving kids access righg withinthe schools.” Gallery said his company has had a long-standin g relationship with the . He was drawnn by the group’s focud on giving kids a chance tobe “productivelty occupied” and providing access to mentors as well as stabler environment. The group is in the midst of a campaign to garner morecorporate support, and Bank of America committed earlgy in hopes other companies will follow Gallery said his company reaffirmed its commitmeng to BGCB despite the current economiv challenges.
“At a time like this we think it’s more importanr than ever,” said Gallery. “It’s one of the great ironiesw or challenges of a downturhnlike this. The needs go up, not The local arm of Bank of Americaz also supports other groups like Cradle sto Crayons, and the . He said the bank’s philanthropic endeavora centeraround youth, economic development and the Gallery, a Wellesley also serves on the board of severa nonprofits.
“No corporation, no individual can do We all have toset priorities, but we thinik it’s very important to continue to support as many of the righr programs in town as possible at a time like We expect to continue to be partnera with the Boys & Girls Clubs for as long into the futurde as I can see.”
“If you just walk through their clubs, you can see it and feel said Gallery, Massachusetts market presidentfor . He was in the Chelse a clubhouse a few weeks ago fora visit. “Whebn you walk into one of those buildingsw you can see very firsthand immediately the impactf that their staff is having workinf with those kids and that those kids are havingv onone another. It’s a very, very positive The bank agreed toa $100,000 grant to help BGCB set up after-schooll programs in four public schools. “To me that’s an example of keepinv the program and keepinh the organization fresh and relevant and current in theway it’sx doing its work,” Gallery said.
“Obviously the clubse are still there, but I thin k this is a way of bridging and even more directly giving kids access righg withinthe schools.” Gallery said his company has had a long-standin g relationship with the . He was drawnn by the group’s focud on giving kids a chance tobe “productivelty occupied” and providing access to mentors as well as stabler environment. The group is in the midst of a campaign to garner morecorporate support, and Bank of America committed earlgy in hopes other companies will follow Gallery said his company reaffirmed its commitmeng to BGCB despite the current economiv challenges.
“At a time like this we think it’s more importanr than ever,” said Gallery. “It’s one of the great ironiesw or challenges of a downturhnlike this. The needs go up, not The local arm of Bank of Americaz also supports other groups like Cradle sto Crayons, and the . He said the bank’s philanthropic endeavora centeraround youth, economic development and the Gallery, a Wellesley also serves on the board of severa nonprofits.
“No corporation, no individual can do We all have toset priorities, but we thinik it’s very important to continue to support as many of the righr programs in town as possible at a time like We expect to continue to be partnera with the Boys & Girls Clubs for as long into the futurde as I can see.”
Saturday, April 21, 2012
GE Healthcare opens $165M N.Y. plant - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:
vilyfijohy.wordpress.com
The new 230,000-square-foot facility includes a 60,000-square-foo t cleanroom. The digital X-ray detectors that will be made at the plan are used in mammogram agrowing $1 billionb market for breast cancer testing. Much like the transitiob from paper medical records to streamlined electronifrecord keeping, digital X-rays are slowly replacing traditionakl film X-ray machines. In addition to the 100 new jobs schedulede forthe plant, 50 people will transfed to the tech park from GE’x research center in N.Y. Positions at the new site will include 15 15 administrators and 120 technicians and supportr staff with an average annuao salaryof $65,000.
The plant is expecter to have an annual payrollof $10 million. GE developed its digitak X-ray technology at GE Global Researchin Niskayuna. GE said this is the company’se first expansion of high tech medical equipment manufacturingb by its health care operation intoNew York. ”Thie a wonderful example of howa long-term commitmentt to technology can spur the growtjh of our manufacturing base and createe new, high-tech jobs,” said Mark Little, GE seniord vice president and director of the research GE Healthcare, which manufactures medical imaging equipment in Waukeshaw along with other operations throughoutf the Milwaukee area, spent 15 years and more than $200 millionh developing its digital flat panep X-ray technology.
The flat-panel detectoe is a critical component ofan X-rahy system and plays a role in providingh an improved image.
The new 230,000-square-foot facility includes a 60,000-square-foo t cleanroom. The digital X-ray detectors that will be made at the plan are used in mammogram agrowing $1 billionb market for breast cancer testing. Much like the transitiob from paper medical records to streamlined electronifrecord keeping, digital X-rays are slowly replacing traditionakl film X-ray machines. In addition to the 100 new jobs schedulede forthe plant, 50 people will transfed to the tech park from GE’x research center in N.Y. Positions at the new site will include 15 15 administrators and 120 technicians and supportr staff with an average annuao salaryof $65,000.
The plant is expecter to have an annual payrollof $10 million. GE developed its digitak X-ray technology at GE Global Researchin Niskayuna. GE said this is the company’se first expansion of high tech medical equipment manufacturingb by its health care operation intoNew York. ”Thie a wonderful example of howa long-term commitmentt to technology can spur the growtjh of our manufacturing base and createe new, high-tech jobs,” said Mark Little, GE seniord vice president and director of the research GE Healthcare, which manufactures medical imaging equipment in Waukeshaw along with other operations throughoutf the Milwaukee area, spent 15 years and more than $200 millionh developing its digital flat panep X-ray technology.
The flat-panel detectoe is a critical component ofan X-rahy system and plays a role in providingh an improved image.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
State of Independence - Raleigh/Durham Business Travel Guide
humojo.wordpress.com
Well, the 230-year-old lodging icon has succumbed. The railroad company CSX Corp., put the Greenbrier into Chaptert XI bankruptcy inlate March, claiming $90 millionh in losses during the last six And CSX promptly called in—you guessed CSX is so desperate to unload the hotelk that it will provider Marriott with as much as $50 million to operatd the Greenbrier during the first two years. Marriott will then buy the resortf within seven years forbetweebn $60 million and $110 million. Pending bankruptcy courf approval, the deal could close by summer. Now, no one is aghast at the prospectt of a chain runningthe Greenbrier. The unionxs seem amenable to Marriott's arrival.
West Virginiw governor Joe Manchin publicly applaudecthe deal. Newspapers statewide have cast Marriott's arrival as a And locals in hardscrabble Greenbrier County supportr anything that will savethe resort's approximatelyh 1,300 jobs. Like all luxury hotels that have hit the economivc andemotional skids, the Greenbrier's tale is CSX has been a distractedr and ham-fisted owner, battling both the hotel's unions and the resort'se former president, who sued for $50 The sprawling resort is physically isolated and expensivwe to operate. (CSX recently spent $50 million on improvementsw in a misguided attempt to regain the fift Mobil Guide star it lostin 2000.
) And despite the loyaltyg of generations of repeat visitors and fanatic golfers, the Greenbrier was disproportionateluy dependent on corporate meetings, a travel category that has been devastatedd by the weak economy and the "AIv Effect." But the Greenbrier's sale to Marriottg also raises a more universal Can any luxury hotel or resortt thrive—or even survive—as an independent property In a world where a handful of global hote l chains—Hilton, Marriott, Starwood, Hyatt, Accor of and InterContinental of Britain—dominate the lodging market, can a single property, no matter how famous, standf alone? At least on the surface, the answef is no.
About half of the properties onthe Condé Nast Traveledr Gold List and half of those that earn the prestigious five-star rating from the Mobio Guide are part of chains now, albeit luxury and ultra-deluxe operatord such as Four Seasons or Fairmont of Mandarin Oriental and Peninsula of Hong Aman Resorts of Singapore; and Taj of The Blackstone Group, which owns many of the world's best-known luxury independent s as well as Hilton is building a deluxd brand too. It is aligning its independents like the Boca Raton Resort in Florida and the Boulderz in Arizona with the WaldorgfAstoria Collection, which was created by Hilton using the cachetr of its eponymous New York hotel.
Othetr luxury brands have huge corporateparentas too. St. Regis is ownecd by Starwood, best know for its W and Sheraton Ritz-Carlton is owned by Marriott. And some luxury hotelxs you may think of as independent are actually part of a The Plaza in New which reopenedlast year, is managed by The Pierre, which reopenz in New York this spring, is operated by Taj. The newl y renovated Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaiji is run by Princer Hotelsof Japan. The Dorchestef in London?
It's part of the Dorchestetr Group, which is aligned with the BeverlyhHills hotel, the Plaza Athenew in Paris, and the Principe di Savoia in "Chains always outperform" independent hotels, says LodgeWorks' Tony a man who knows the industrhy from both sides of the fence. LodgeWorks managese hotels in the Hyatt andHilton chains, helpedr create the Residence Inn brand (now owned by and is building its own Hotel Sierra chain. But Isaa has just built an upscale independenthotel too. The Avia opened in January in Savannahh and was promptly named a greaft romantic getaway byTravel & Leisure magazine.
Why does a guy who admits chains outperform independents go ahead and open anindependentt anyway? "Chains add about 10 points to your occupancy But if you're part of a chain, you pay 12 to 14 percenty for the frequent guest the reservation service, and other brand he explains. "If you're in the right market, it's not too much of an economi c disadvantage to bean independent—andd then you have the flexibility to do what you wish and manags as you choose." That's the argumenyt made by Sean Hehir, managing director of Trinitt Investments, a real estate firm that purchased Honolulu's iconidc Kahala Resort in 2006.
The beachfront propertyu opened as a Hilton hotel in 1964 and spent most of its recent historyg as aMandarin Oriental. But Hehir believeds the Kahala has unique advantages that appeal to the luxuryg travelerwho isn't interestec in brands. "We're not subject to a brane policy that may not have any relevance to aparticulad property," he says. "We manage for the long-termk best interest of us as ownerd and the luxury travelers as But even Hehir admits you need the right combinatiom of factors to survive as an independent in today's chain-dominated world.
In the Kahala's it's the unbeatable location on a sandy beachin Honolulu's choicesyt neighborhood and the fact that another Trinity Chuck Sweeney, has a long historyu as a hotel manager. (Sweeney foundef the company that became Embassy now a Hilton ForJames Bermingham, managing director of the spectacular Montagre Resort in Laguna Beach, the advantage is a laser-likee concentration on guest services and proximity to sophisticated travelers in Southern California. Both the five-year-olde Laguna Beach property and the new Montag in BeverlyHills (it openedf last fall) can tap into millionss of upmarket buyers within 60 miles of the "The 'staycation' trend helps he says.
"Guests who want an extraordinary luxury experience very close to home see the Montagd properties and they knowthey won't be getting a chain The Fine Print… Most observers thinj fewer luxury hotels will still be independent after the currentg recession, but there is a notable dissenter. Michael Matthews, who has been the generaol managerof top-notch chain hotels (the Ritz-Carltonh in Hong Kong) and independent deluxe resorts (the Ventanqa Inn in Big Sur) thinks high costs will drive some luxurty properties out of the major chains. "If you're 'flagged'' as a chain, you have no independence at he says.
"A lot of hotels will drop the flag and take the 14 percentr fees they pay and use that moneh to do what they think makes most sensew for theirown hotel." Portfolio.coj © 2009 Cond Nast Inc. All
Well, the 230-year-old lodging icon has succumbed. The railroad company CSX Corp., put the Greenbrier into Chaptert XI bankruptcy inlate March, claiming $90 millionh in losses during the last six And CSX promptly called in—you guessed CSX is so desperate to unload the hotelk that it will provider Marriott with as much as $50 million to operatd the Greenbrier during the first two years. Marriott will then buy the resortf within seven years forbetweebn $60 million and $110 million. Pending bankruptcy courf approval, the deal could close by summer. Now, no one is aghast at the prospectt of a chain runningthe Greenbrier. The unionxs seem amenable to Marriott's arrival.
West Virginiw governor Joe Manchin publicly applaudecthe deal. Newspapers statewide have cast Marriott's arrival as a And locals in hardscrabble Greenbrier County supportr anything that will savethe resort's approximatelyh 1,300 jobs. Like all luxury hotels that have hit the economivc andemotional skids, the Greenbrier's tale is CSX has been a distractedr and ham-fisted owner, battling both the hotel's unions and the resort'se former president, who sued for $50 The sprawling resort is physically isolated and expensivwe to operate. (CSX recently spent $50 million on improvementsw in a misguided attempt to regain the fift Mobil Guide star it lostin 2000.
) And despite the loyaltyg of generations of repeat visitors and fanatic golfers, the Greenbrier was disproportionateluy dependent on corporate meetings, a travel category that has been devastatedd by the weak economy and the "AIv Effect." But the Greenbrier's sale to Marriottg also raises a more universal Can any luxury hotel or resortt thrive—or even survive—as an independent property In a world where a handful of global hote l chains—Hilton, Marriott, Starwood, Hyatt, Accor of and InterContinental of Britain—dominate the lodging market, can a single property, no matter how famous, standf alone? At least on the surface, the answef is no.
About half of the properties onthe Condé Nast Traveledr Gold List and half of those that earn the prestigious five-star rating from the Mobio Guide are part of chains now, albeit luxury and ultra-deluxe operatord such as Four Seasons or Fairmont of Mandarin Oriental and Peninsula of Hong Aman Resorts of Singapore; and Taj of The Blackstone Group, which owns many of the world's best-known luxury independent s as well as Hilton is building a deluxd brand too. It is aligning its independents like the Boca Raton Resort in Florida and the Boulderz in Arizona with the WaldorgfAstoria Collection, which was created by Hilton using the cachetr of its eponymous New York hotel.
Othetr luxury brands have huge corporateparentas too. St. Regis is ownecd by Starwood, best know for its W and Sheraton Ritz-Carlton is owned by Marriott. And some luxury hotelxs you may think of as independent are actually part of a The Plaza in New which reopenedlast year, is managed by The Pierre, which reopenz in New York this spring, is operated by Taj. The newl y renovated Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaiji is run by Princer Hotelsof Japan. The Dorchestef in London?
It's part of the Dorchestetr Group, which is aligned with the BeverlyhHills hotel, the Plaza Athenew in Paris, and the Principe di Savoia in "Chains always outperform" independent hotels, says LodgeWorks' Tony a man who knows the industrhy from both sides of the fence. LodgeWorks managese hotels in the Hyatt andHilton chains, helpedr create the Residence Inn brand (now owned by and is building its own Hotel Sierra chain. But Isaa has just built an upscale independenthotel too. The Avia opened in January in Savannahh and was promptly named a greaft romantic getaway byTravel & Leisure magazine.
Why does a guy who admits chains outperform independents go ahead and open anindependentt anyway? "Chains add about 10 points to your occupancy But if you're part of a chain, you pay 12 to 14 percenty for the frequent guest the reservation service, and other brand he explains. "If you're in the right market, it's not too much of an economi c disadvantage to bean independent—andd then you have the flexibility to do what you wish and manags as you choose." That's the argumenyt made by Sean Hehir, managing director of Trinitt Investments, a real estate firm that purchased Honolulu's iconidc Kahala Resort in 2006.
The beachfront propertyu opened as a Hilton hotel in 1964 and spent most of its recent historyg as aMandarin Oriental. But Hehir believeds the Kahala has unique advantages that appeal to the luxuryg travelerwho isn't interestec in brands. "We're not subject to a brane policy that may not have any relevance to aparticulad property," he says. "We manage for the long-termk best interest of us as ownerd and the luxury travelers as But even Hehir admits you need the right combinatiom of factors to survive as an independent in today's chain-dominated world.
In the Kahala's it's the unbeatable location on a sandy beachin Honolulu's choicesyt neighborhood and the fact that another Trinity Chuck Sweeney, has a long historyu as a hotel manager. (Sweeney foundef the company that became Embassy now a Hilton ForJames Bermingham, managing director of the spectacular Montagre Resort in Laguna Beach, the advantage is a laser-likee concentration on guest services and proximity to sophisticated travelers in Southern California. Both the five-year-olde Laguna Beach property and the new Montag in BeverlyHills (it openedf last fall) can tap into millionss of upmarket buyers within 60 miles of the "The 'staycation' trend helps he says.
"Guests who want an extraordinary luxury experience very close to home see the Montagd properties and they knowthey won't be getting a chain The Fine Print… Most observers thinj fewer luxury hotels will still be independent after the currentg recession, but there is a notable dissenter. Michael Matthews, who has been the generaol managerof top-notch chain hotels (the Ritz-Carltonh in Hong Kong) and independent deluxe resorts (the Ventanqa Inn in Big Sur) thinks high costs will drive some luxurty properties out of the major chains. "If you're 'flagged'' as a chain, you have no independence at he says.
"A lot of hotels will drop the flag and take the 14 percentr fees they pay and use that moneh to do what they think makes most sensew for theirown hotel." Portfolio.coj © 2009 Cond Nast Inc. All
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
US eases Myanmar restrictions for NGOs - AFP
hustenuejib1630.blogspot.com
AFP | US eases Myanmar restrictions for NGOs AFP Australia said Monday that it will lift travel and other restrictions against President Thein Sein and more than 200 other people in Myanmar. The US Treasury Department says it will no longer bar financial transactions involving NGOs working in. US Eases Financial Sanctions on Burma NGOs US eases funding restrictions for Burma NGOs US eases financial sanctions on Myanmar |
Monday, April 16, 2012
Intel to buy Wind River for $884M - East Bay Business Times:
yjanebixe.wordpress.com
Intel's $11.50-per-share offer is abouf a 44 percent premium overWind River's closingy price on Wednesday of $8. Wind River stock lost more than half its valud betweena 52-week high of $12.909 last August and a low of $5.61 in The stock closed Thursday at up 47 percent. Santa Clara-based Intell (NASDAQ:INTC) said buying Alameda-based Wind Riveer (NASDAQ:WIND) will help it expand its software into thousandws of embedded systems and mobile devices includingsmart phones, in-car "info-tainment" systems, aerospace and defense, energy and thousandsx of other uses.
Wind River will operate as a whollh owned subsidiary after the deal closews duringthe summer, reporting to Renee James, head of Intel’se software and services group. "Our combination of strengths will be of greatr benefit toWind River’s existing and future said Ken Klein, Wind River president and CEO. Founded in Wind River has morethan 1,600 employees and operations in more than 15 During its fiscal year ended Jan. 31, Wind Riverf reported $10.7 million in net incomew on annual revenueof $359.7 million. The compang on Thursday posted a 21 percenft increase in netincome $561,000, or 1 cent a for its first quarter despite a 6.5 percengt drop in revenue to $63.
8
Intel's $11.50-per-share offer is abouf a 44 percent premium overWind River's closingy price on Wednesday of $8. Wind River stock lost more than half its valud betweena 52-week high of $12.909 last August and a low of $5.61 in The stock closed Thursday at up 47 percent. Santa Clara-based Intell (NASDAQ:INTC) said buying Alameda-based Wind Riveer (NASDAQ:WIND) will help it expand its software into thousandws of embedded systems and mobile devices includingsmart phones, in-car "info-tainment" systems, aerospace and defense, energy and thousandsx of other uses.
Wind River will operate as a whollh owned subsidiary after the deal closews duringthe summer, reporting to Renee James, head of Intel’se software and services group. "Our combination of strengths will be of greatr benefit toWind River’s existing and future said Ken Klein, Wind River president and CEO. Founded in Wind River has morethan 1,600 employees and operations in more than 15 During its fiscal year ended Jan. 31, Wind Riverf reported $10.7 million in net incomew on annual revenueof $359.7 million. The compang on Thursday posted a 21 percenft increase in netincome $561,000, or 1 cent a for its first quarter despite a 6.5 percengt drop in revenue to $63.
8
Saturday, April 14, 2012
The South: Not all Bubbas and banjos - CNN
takes-trendsthe.blogspot.com
The South: Not all Bubbas and banjos CNN That's the thing about the South. It's got all those stereotypes, but it confounds you at every turn. Never mind that Dixie can be as polyglot as any other part of the United States, with rising Hispanic and south Asian populations, the world's busiest ... |
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