The South Bay's first Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market will open on July 2 in Manhattan Beach, the retailer said Monday.

The Manhattan Beach store will be located at 1700 Rosecrans Ave., along a busy upscale commercial area. The cross street is Douglas Street.

British retail giant Tesco is opening dozens of grocery stores across California, Arizona and Nevada. Each store is about 10,000 square feet, offering fresh, prepared meals and produce, as well as national and private-label household products.

Tesco 's US division is based in El Segundo.

Posted by Muhammed El-Hasan at 6:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The US Air Force has placed the first Boeing-built Wideband Global SATCOM satellite into operation over the Pacific region, Boeing said Monday.

Built in El Segundo, the satellite "transitioned to operations" on April 16 after extensive tests proved the systems worked.

Each so-called WGS satellite has the capacity to transmit information at rates of more than three gigabits per second, more than 10 times the capacity of the government's Defense Satellite Communications System.

WGS-1 was launched Oct. 10 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida.

"WGS-1 is the highest capacity Department of Defense communications satellite on orbit," Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, said in a statement. "WGS-1 is now providing essential support to military operations overseas, and Boeing looks forward to launching the second and third WGS satellites in the coming months."

Read a profile on Cooning.

Posted by Muhammed El-Hasan at 2:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's not a conspiracy.

The Slump: It's a Guy Thing

(BusinessWeek) They eat from the same dishes and sleep in the same beds, but they seem to be operating in two different economies. From last November through this April, American women aged 20 and up gained nearly 300,000 jobs, according to the household survey of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). At the same time, American men lost nearly 700,000 jobs. You might even say American men are in recession, and American women are not.

What's going on? Simply put, men have the misfortune of being concentrated in the two sectors that are doing the worst: manufacturing and construction. Women are concentrated in sectors that are still growing, such as education and health care.

This situation is hardly good news for women, though. While they're getting more jobs, their pay is stagnant. Also, most share households--and bills--with the men who are losing jobs. And the "female" economy can't stay strong for long if the "male" economy weakens too much.

Read the full story.

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I've interviewed a number of generals over the years, none of them as easy-going as Craig Cooning.

Boeing vice president has a Tab on success
By Muhammed El-Hasan Staff Writer

Retired Air Force Gen. Craig Cooning sits at a side table in his El Segundo office, an open can of Tab diet soda at his elbow.

Another of the distinctive pink Tab cans sits on Cooning's desk, 12 stories above the runways of LAX.

On a display case - amid mementoes that include an ink well from his grandparents and a toy dancing hamster - a model satellite made of Tab cans helps put Cooning's distinctive mark on his work space.

"I got hooked on Tab in the '70s," Cooning explained during a recent interview in his office.

On Feb. 1, this retired two-star general with the casual manner of someone hosting a backyard barbecue became vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, Boeing Co.'s satellite development arm.

Cooning is responsible for 7,500 employees, with 5,500 in El Segundo.

Although the business is based in Seal Beach, Cooning spends about three days a week in El Segundo overseeing the Boeing Satellite Development Center, a million- square-foot facility that builds military and civilian satellites.

"Anytime you're closer to the factory where you can kick the tires, so to speak, it changes the tempo," Cooning, 57, said.

Read the full story.

Posted by Muhammed El-Hasan at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The economic downturn is changing many things.

Carson OKs used-car lot
COMMERCIAL ZONE: City changes policy as market slumps and tax revenues fall.
By Muhammed El-Hasan, Staff Writer

A Carson city ordinance that has lasted at least three decades finally broke under the weight of the nation's slumping car market and resulting drop in municipal sales tax revenue.

Carson has given the green light for a used-car dealership to open in a commercial area, an exception to the city's zoning rules. Previously, dealerships were not allowed to sell used cars as the primary product in commercial zones.

Sonic Automotive Inc., a Charlotte, N.C.-based car retailer, plans to open the car lot this summer, possibly as early as June, according to Carson officials.

The used-car dealership will open at the former site of Don Kott Ford, which closed in December because of the sluggish vehicle market.

An adjacent lot, Don Kott Lincoln Mercury, also closed for the same reason. Both dealerships were owned by Sonic.

"We have to be somewhat pragmatic given the changes in the (car) market," Sheri Repp Loadsman, Carson's planning manager, said of the zoning exception. "We know that the manufacturers are struggling. We know there are only a limited amount of points of sale. What are our options?"

Read the full story.

Posted by Muhammed El-Hasan at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)