Levi Strauss opens Vietnam store
Levi Strauss & Co. opened its first jeans outlet in Vietnam to tap the potential market of young people hungry for American fashion in the communist country, state-controlled media reported Thursday.
The store opened at a shopping center in Hanoi, and the San Francisco-based company planned to open stores elsewhere in the country, the Vietnam Economic Times said.
“Vietnam is our new and very attractive market,” the newspaper quoted John Anderson, general manager for Levi Strauss in the Asia-Pacific region, as saying.
Anderson said he’s convinced the company — whose blue jeans are an American icon — would be successful in Vietnam because of its young population and robust economy, which last year grew 7.7 percent, second only to China in Asia. Half of Vietnam’s 82 million people are under age 24.
“We think this is the most suitable time to penetrate into this new market,” he said.
Northwest to buy 18 Boeing ‘Dreamliners’
Northwest Airlines Corp. is buying 18 Boeing 787 “Dreamliners,” and will become the first North American carrier to put the mid-size, long-range plane into service, the company said Thursday.
The Eagan, Minn.-based carrier said it will take initial deliveries of the 787s in August 2008, and that it holds options and purchase rights for an additional 50.
Boeing Co.’s list price for the 787 is $120 million, which would make Northwest’s firm order worth $2.16 billion. Airlines typically negotiated discounts from the list price, however.
Boeing Co. has had several orders from airlines in other countries for the Dreamliner, an important plane for the Chicago-based aerospace company as it competes against Europe’s Airbus SAS.
The Dreamliner can carry 200 to 300 passengers. Northwest will configure it to carry 36 passengers in business class and 185 in coach. Northwest said they will be used primarily on international routes.
Boeing shares rose 74 cents, or 1.2 percent, in extended trading, after news of the deal was released. They fell 54 cents to close at $59.74 in the regular session on the New York Stock Exchange.
Northwest taps Miller Lite to replace Bud Light
Northwest Airlines Corp. has chosen Miller Lite, the nation’s No. 2 light beer, to replace top-selling Bud Light on all of its flights worldwide.
Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest, the nation’s fourth-largest airline, said Miller Lite will be phased in aboard Northwest and Northwest- Airlink-operated flights over the next several weeks as its inventories of Bud Light are depleted.
Still, Northwest will continue serving Budweiser by Miller Brewing Co. rival Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. as its full-calorie beer on all of its flights. Northwest also still will offer up various imported brews.
Northwest and Northwest Airlink, which offer beverage service on roughly 2,800 of the 3,012 flights they operate worldwide to 247 cities in 23 countries, expect to buy more than 700,000 cans of Miller Lite a year to be served aboard its 659-aircraft fleet.
Last year, Northwest and its Northwest Airlink partners — Mesaba Airlines and Pinnacle Airlines — carried more than 67 million passengers.
Northwest had served Miller Lite on its flights until roughly five years ago, when the airline switched to Bud Light, airline spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch said Thursday.