BUSINESS BRIEFS
Hawaii lab firm bought for $121M
Advertiser news services
SYDNEY, Australia — Australian medical diagnostic company Sonic Healthcare Ltd. has bought Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii for $121 million, the company announced today.
The deal includes Clinical Laboratories' pathology practice, Pan Pacific Pathologists, Sonic Healthcare said in a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange.
"The acquisition of Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii further expands Sonic's footprint in the U.S. laboratory marketplace and offers synergies with our existing operations in terms of purchasing, esoteric testing and sharing of best practice systems and laboratory protocols," Sonic Healthcare chief executive Colin Goldschmidt said.
Sonic Healthcare is one of the world's largest medical diagnostics companies, providing laboratory and radiology services to medical practitioners, hospitals and community health services, the company says on its Web site. It is Sydney-based with operations in Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Switzerland, Germany and the United States.
AIRLINES PLANNING BIG DOMESTIC CUTS
Published airline schedules for October show about a third of the United States' 100 busiest airports will lose at least 10 percent of their domestic air service compared with a year ago.
That will be only a foretaste of the broader and deeper cuts in the months to come if oil prices stay at record levels.
For example, the United States' three largest carriers — American, United and Delta —have announced fall domestic capacity cuts in the 10 percent to 14 percent range, but only parts of those reductions will be in place by early October, according to USA Today's latest analysis of published schedule data from OAG — Official Airline Guide. The analysis is based on changes in total seats on daily domestic departures.
Those airlines and others have made it clear that more service cutbacks and job losses are ahead this year and in 2009.
WAL-MART GIVING LOGO A NEW LOOK
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The familiar logo of the world's largest retailer is getting a makeover.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said yesterday the company will begin replacing logos on the front of its U.S. stores with a new design beginning this fall. Wal-Mart spokesman Kevin Gardner said the change would reflect changes customers already have seen in some store signs and advertisements.
"This logo update is simply a reflection of the refreshed image of our stores and our renewed sense of purpose of helping people save money so they can live better," Gardner said in a written statement.
The revamped logo comes as Wal-Mart continues to tweak its image after facing criticism from union-led groups and local communities across the nation opposed to big-box store developments.
Since then, the company has launched a marketing campaign highlighting its environmentally focused practices and efforts to make healthcare more affordable through a discounted prescription drug program.
WINDOWS XP SALES END TODAY
REDMOND, Wash. — Microsoft Corp. is scheduled to stop selling its Windows XP operating system to retailers and major computer makers today, despite protests from some who don't want to be forced into using XP's successor, Vista.
Once computers loaded with XP have been cleared from the inventory of PC makers such as Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., consumers who can't live without the old operating system on their new machine will have to buy Vista Ultimate or Vista Business and then legally "downgrade" to XP.
Microsoft will still allow smaller mom-and-pop PC builder shops to buy XP for resale through the end of January. A version of XP will also remain available for ultra-low-cost PCs such as the Asus Eee PC.
Last week, Microsoft said it would provide full technical support for 6-year-old Windows XP through 2009, and limited support through 2014.
