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Kids’ retailer diving into
Hawaii business scene

WHILE some companies expand to the islands by gingerly dipping a toe into Hawaii's economic waters, the New Jersey-based retailer Children's Place is jumping in headlong.

The publicly traded company earlier announced plans to open a store at Waikele Premium Outlets this coming Saturday. Now the retailer says it also will open a Children's Place store at Ala Moana Center and it will purchase and operate the 313 North American locations of the Disney Store, including the one at Ala Moana.

"We have signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Disney Store chain from the Walt Disney Co. We will run and operate them as Disney Stores -- not as Children's Place stores," said Heather Anthony, director of investor relations for the Children's Place.

The Children's Place sells clothing and accessories for children from newborn to age 10, while the Disney Store carries stuff for kids and grown-ups who are kids at heart.

The Waikele Premium Outlets' Web site indicates that the Children's Place outlet store is now set to open by Nov. 14, the same day the company plans to open its Ala Moana retail store, which will be on the upper level of the former JC Penney space.

Radioactivity

The newly rebranded radio station at 104.3 on Honolulu's FM dial is sporting new call letters, KPHW, to reflect its new slogan, "Power 104-point-3."

The station that signed on as "Extreme Radio" KXME in 1997, won approval for its new call letters from the Federal Communications Commission last week.

The station's new format, which will be hip-hop and rhythm and blues, will no longer include pop music, said Mike Kelly, vice president and general manager.

Also, Salem Media of Hawaii Inc. has applied to transfer its licenses for KHNR-AM 650 and KHCM-AM 940 to Cox Radio Inc., which owns KPHW. In a deal announced earlier this year, California-based Salem is swapping the two Honolulu AM stations for KGMZ-FM 107.9, operated by Atlanta-based Cox Radio Inc. under a marketing agreement with its owner, Honolulu Broadcasting Inc., which is based in Florida.

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