Hilo Hattie to sell its
sewing operation

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By Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.com

Pomare Ltd./Hilo Hattie is selling the sewing department of its manufacturing operations to local garment manufacturer Dick Murray Co.

In a notice filed with the state's Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, the company said the 73 employees now at Hilo Hattie's Nimitz Highway store would be offered comparable positions with Dick Murray. The sale, for an undisclosed amount, should be completed by April 30.

Hilo Hattie Chief Executive Officer Jim Romig said the company already had a long relationship with Dick Murray as one of its contractors.

"They have been making our garments for years," Romig said.

Romig described the reason for the sale as "part economics, part convenience and part keeping up with the times.

"Hardly any retailers own their own factories any more. We were kind of a dinosaur," he said.

But Hilo Hattie will continue to cut, design and import fabrics.

"We will perform all the other functions except sewing," he said.

For Dick Murray, which already employs nearly 50 people and makes garments for a number of other Hawaii clothing brands, the purchase will provide an opportunity to expand to two factories -- one specializing in ladies wear and the other in men's wear -- said company President Dick Murray.

"This way we get more competitive. That's what we are looking for. We decided to see if we could coordinate the two together," he said.