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Inside East Valley Business


News and notes from the Tribune business desk.


Circuit City makes it easier to ditch HD DVD

March 11th, 2008 by edwardgately

With HD DVD soon to be a thing of the past, consumers who purchased HD DVD players no doubt are feeling uncomfortable knowing the number of new releases in the format is winding down to zero.

Circuit City has quietly extended its return policy  for HD DVD players from 30 to 90 days, making it easier for consumers who purchased players from the retailer to return them in exchange for a credit that can be used toward the purchase of a Blu-ray player. Blu-ray beat HD DVD in the battle for next-generation DVD.

“It’s not a trade-in program and it’s not a trade-up program,” said Jim Babb, Circuit City spokesman. “It’s an extension of our normal return, and the customer can use that store credit to buy anything he or she wants in the store. They may want to get a Blu-ray machine or they might want to get a digital camera. It’s their choice. ”

The player has to have been purchased from Circuit City, and returns must include the receipt, the player, manual and related accessories in the original box.

Fresh & Easy blanketing the Valley

March 11th, 2008 by David Woodfill

It’s taken less than three months for Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market to surpass AJ’s Fine Foods, Sprouts Farmers Markets, Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets and Trader Joe’s in the number of stores in the Valley.

According to store counts cobbled together from the companies, Fresh & Easy officials opened 15 stores since entering the Valley in December 2007. That figure puts the chain at No. 6 in terms of  locations in Maricopa and Pinal counties. The company, which is owned by the United Kingdom-based Tesco grocery chain, will continue to climb the list with 22 more stores planned around the Valley.

Trailing Fresh & Easy are AJ’s Fine Foods and Sprouts Farmers Market – which each have 14 stores – Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market with 13 locations and Trader Joe’s with 10 stores.

Will Scandinavian’s give Cold Stone the cold shoulder?

March 6th, 2008 by David Woodfill

Cold Stone Creamery officials are betting that inhabitants of frigid
Scandinavia will eat their ice cream when 40 stores open there.

Openings are planned over the next five years in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and
Finland, officials with the Scottsdale-based company said.

Statistics show the chain should receive a warm welcome in at least one country –
Finland, where a market research firm says the average consumer spent nearly $110 on ice cream in 2005.
Cold Stone opened its first store in Tempe in 1988 and now has stores throughout Asia, the Middle East and North America.

Wannabe snowbirds compete for free trip

March 4th, 2008 by David Woodfill

The Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau will award some snow-bound sucker with a free trip to the Valley of the Sun.

A contest dubbed “Take Pity on Me!” allows people to vote online for the most pitiful looking Northerner or Midwesterner who submitted a photo or video footage.

So far resident from about 15 states have entered the contest. Visitor bureau officials are using the contest to market Scottsdale as a warm-weather haven to potential snowbirds.

One of the more interesting photos, included here, feature a man shoveling snow that reaches as high as his shoulders. Another photo shows a man attempting to golf in the snow.

Participants can vote via the Web site www.PleasePityMe.com until March 14.

Glenn Patterson, Allenspark, Colo.

Glenn Patterson, Allenspark, Colo. (Courtesy of Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.)

jaimee-kentrup-smithtown.jpg

Jaimee Kentrup, Smithtown, NY (Courtesy of Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.)

scott-mcmullen-the-dalles.jpg

Scott McMullen, The Dalles, Ore (Courtesy of Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.)

More job seekers are doing their homework

March 4th, 2008 by Tony Natale

More and more job-seekers are doing their homework before they sit down for an interview, according to a survey by Accountemps.

Seventy-nine percent of executives polled by the company that provides temporary jobs for accounting, finance and bookkeeping professions said job candidates are showing some knowledge of the company or its industry. This is up from 59 percent in a 1997 survey.

However, the number of interviewees who provide their knowledge of the job in cover letters or resumes is dropping. In 1997, 10 percent of the employers said prospective employees “very frequently” shared their knowledge in cover letters or resumes compared with 7 percent in the 2008 survey.

“By learning as much as they can about a company before interviewing, prospective employees demonstrate resourcefulness and a sincere interest in the job,” said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps.

He added: “The cover letter and resume are typically what prompt a hiring manager to extend an interview invitation. Applicants who fail to present a compelling case in writing may not get an opportunity to shine in a face-to-face meeting.”

$4 a gallon gas will change driving behavior, group says

March 3rd, 2008 by John Yantis

Just where is the tipping point for gasoline?

If prices hit $4 per gallon, as many economists predict, an estimated 65 percent of American car owners say they will dramatically change their driving behavior, according to a study commissioned by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association.

“While a third of consumers claim they already changed their driving behavior by curtailing driving or maintaining their vehicle better when gas prices reached $3 a gallon, the real tipping point is $4 a gallon,” said Kathleen Schmatz, AAIA president and CEO.

According to a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation for AAIA, 91 percent of drivers are driving less and 75 percent are maintaining their vehicle better because of rising gas prices. Other specific behavioral changes were carpooling (31 percent), purchasing more fuel efficient vehicles (30 percent) and making greater use of public transportation (24 percent).

AAIA is a Bethesda, Md.-based association whose more than 23,000 member and affiliates manufacture, distribute and sell motor vehicle parts, accessories, service, tool, equipment, materials and supplies.

Good news for a non-profit

March 3rd, 2008 by Donna Hogan

A Phoenix-based office furniture retailer wants to do a free office makeover for a local non-profit group.

Goodmans Interior Structures, a 54-year-old family-owned business, will accept online nominations March 10 through April 11 for its 2008 Goodmans Eye for the Good Guy contest.

The community is encouraged to nominate candidates at www.GoodmansGoodGuy.com.

Nominees must be the executive director or CEO of a 501 (c) (3) organization in Maricopa County. The winner of the $20,000 office makeover will be selected based on good business principles, demonstration of excellence in leadership, organizational influence on the community or population served and the need for a more efficient work space, according to Goodmans.

Fly with Maisy

February 29th, 2008 by Donna Hogan

  Hometown airline US Airways plans to give out reading/workbooks aimed at the kindergarten crowd on flights throughout March.

 Pint-sized passengers or adult travelers with a tot in mind can snag a copy of “Come Fly with Maisy” en route to their destination.

 Maisy is a friendly mouse that is a fiction favorite of the pre-school set. Author Lucy Cousins took excerpts from her Maisy tales to compile the book for Reading is Fundamental, an early childhood literacy campaign..

 The organization’s Read with Kids Challenge encourages people to read with children during March, April and May in hopes of logging 1 million reading minutes nationwide.

 Those who do can log in their reading times online at RIF.org and qualify for a drawing with a grand prize of a Disney World family vacation.

 Besides giving away an expected  80,000 books, US Airways plans to stage reading rallies in hub cities, including Phoenix.

Dunkin’ Donuts to close, remodel and offer more than donuts

February 29th, 2008 by John Yantis

Dunkin’ Donuts announced Friday it they will close all 14 of its Valley shops beginning this month for extensive construction and remodeling.

The shops will open throughout the year under new management and they will be the first in the United States to feature the company’s new design and menu, the company said.

The initiative is part of Dunkin’ Donuts expansive strategy for the Valley. Last year, the company announced plans to open 150 restaurants in the Valley within the next several years, bringing approximately 3,000 new jobs to the area.

The new design will come with a new menu that includes flatbread sandwiches, personal-sized pizzas, breakfast sandwiches and a lattes, cappuccino and espresso-based drinks.

Landline phones on hold

February 29th, 2008 by Ed Taylor

Although much has been written about the possible demise of the traditional landline telephone, Valley residents aren’t quite ready to give up their landline phones yet, according to a study by WestGroup Research, a Phoenix-based research firm that has been tracking telephone trends since 1971.

Although 86 percent of respondents in its January poll said that someone in their household has a cell phone, 65 percent said they are not likely to discontinue landline service during the next 12 months and just use their cell phone.

The explosive growth in cell phone use can’t be denied, with more than a quarter of respondents saying that three or more members of their household have cell phones. It’s just that most people still see it as an added service rather than the one they want to use exclusively, WestGroup said.

Other phone findings:

  • About 15 percent of residents use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service;
  • As income increases, so does the likelihood that residents own a cell phone;
  • One in three (34 percent) of cell phone users say they use the text-messaging feature;
  • One in six cell phoners use their mobile phones to check e-mail or access the Internet.

The study was based on a random sample of 404 adults in the metro
Phoenix area with a 5 percent margin of error.

 

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