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Fashion Island Lands County’s First Pinkberry Store

Summer may be over, but cool treats aren’t.

Orange County is getting its first Pinkberry frozen yogurt shop in December. The brand is wildly popular in Los Angeles because it is nonfat and comes in a green tea flavor. Pinkberry will open next to American Rag at Fashion Island.

Meanwhile, an ice cream chain arrived in town a couple of months ago all the way from New Zealand.

New Zealand Natural North America opened its first U.S. store in Orange at the Stadium Promenade.

The ice cream also is sold in Bristol Farms stores.

Century City-based real estate attorney Richard Marker and Michael Dubin, of Santa Monica-based Michael Dubin & Associates Inc., acquired the rights to spread the ice cream shop all over the U.S.

The premium ice cream chain is 17 years old and has about 400 stores in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and England.

New Zealand’s Emerald Group is the parent.

The duo say New Zealand is known for its ice cream. The cows eat better, they say, grazing on grass year round. The chain also has technologies that can turn hard-pack ice cream into soft serve.






Wheels on display at auto show: runs Oct. 4 to 7 in Anaheim

“It’s similar to Coldstone but without the theater,” Marker said.

Some of the flavors are hokey pokey, chocolate ecstasy, kiwi and strawberry surprise.

The pair expect to open up about 250 U.S. stores in the next five years, including 15 or so in OC.

One will be opening up at The Strand in Huntington Beach.


Zzzzz

Bed retailer Mattress Holding Corp. of Houston is set to acquire Los Angeles-based Mattress Gallery, which has 53 stores, including several in OC.

Mattress Holding, which has 450 Mattress Firm stores, has added 200 stores in the past four years.

Boston-based J.W. Childs Associates LP bought the Mattress Firm chain from Sun Capital Partners this year for $450 million. This is the company’s entry into the California market. Once the acquisition is complete, the company will have about 500 stores in 22 states.

The Mattress Firm competes with Anaheim-based Custom Comfort Mattress Co. and others. Custom Comfort sells high-end mattresses in its six OC stores.


Lifestyle Shopping

Pavilions recently opened a 48,000-square-foot “lifestyle” store at the Orchard Hills Shopping Center. Pavilions, part of Pleasanton-based Safeway Inc., is selling more organic produce and offering specialty stations.

The store’s “cheese world” will sell 300 different kinds of cheeses. The “culinary zone” will sell small appliances, dishes, cookbooks and other items.

There also will be a sushi bar, an olive and salad bar and a Starbucks.

The store manager is Courtney Carranza. At its grand opening, the store gave away 200 iPods.


Cupcakes for a Cause

Buy a strawberry cupcake in the first two weeks of October at Sprinkles Cupcake in Corona del Mar Plaza and the proceeds will go to the Women’s Cancer Research Fund. Sprinkles, based in Beverly Hills, has a cult following, selling its luxury cupcakes at $3.25 apiece.


Do Good With Coffee

This month, Kean Coffee in Newport Beach is donating a portion of its proceeds from its “festival of children blend” coffee sales to Festival of Children Foundation, a Costa Mesa nonprofit for kids founded by Sandy Segerstrom.


South Coast Giving Back

South Coast Plaza showcased its luxury retailers in Rancho Santa Fe with its third annual fashion show and lunch that benefited the Country Friends, a charitable group that has a consignment shop in Rancho Santa Fe.

The group will donate the proceeds to Boys & Girls Clubs. Some of the retailers in the show included Saks Fifth Avenue, Valentino, Fendi, Gucci and Pucci.


For the Kids

The Orange County Auto Show will host a Charity Preview Night this year at the Anaheim Convention Center Oct 3.

The event will benefit the Children’s Hospital of Orange County and will also serve as the media preview, which has been deleted from the slate of events for this year’s show. Tickets are $100.

The Orange County Automobile Dealers Association and the Southland Motor Car Dealers Association own the show. Motor Trend Auto Shows Inc. produces it.

The show runs Oct. 4 to 7 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Returning this year is the Auto Show Underground, the edgier customizing portion of the show on the lower level that features celebrity and tricked-out autos.

This year the show will have not one, but two bikini contests: The Miss OC Auto Show pageant on Oct. 5 and the Miss Hawaiian Tropic Orange County pageant the following night.

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