ABC Stores in Hawaii are owned by MNS, Ltd., a private Hawaii corporation controlled by the Kosasa family since the chain’s founding in 1964.1ABC Stores. About Us The company has never been sold to a national chain, taken public, or opened to franchising. Every one of its roughly 65 locations across Hawaii, Guam, Saipan, and Las Vegas is company-owned and run out of the corporate office in Honolulu.
How the Kosasas Came to Own ABC Stores
Sidney Kosasa, a UC Berkeley-trained pharmacist, and his wife Minnie opened Kaimuki Pharmacy in Honolulu in 1949 and built it into a small chain of drugstores. After a trip to Miami Beach in the early 1960s, where they watched tourists fill small shops near the waterfront, they decided Waikiki could support the same model. The first ABC Store opened in 1964 at Kalakaua Avenue and Beachwalk, named with letters anyone could remember.1ABC Stores. About Us
Sidney and Minnie consolidated their retail and pharmacy holdings under MNS, Ltd., a domestic profit corporation registered in Hawaii.2Hawaii Business Express. Trade Name – ABC STORES That corporate structure still holds today.
Who Runs the Company Today
Paul Kosasa, Sidney and Minnie’s son, is President and CEO of MNS, Ltd. He started working in the family business at age nine and formally took over leadership in 1999.3Central Pacific Financial Corp. Paul Kosasa Decisions move through a board influenced by family members and long-time local advisors. Without outside shareholders, the company sets its own timeline on expansion, pricing, and new concepts.
A Private, Family-Owned Corporation
MNS, Ltd. is privately held. Its shares are not traded on any stock exchange, and because the company does not offer securities to the public, it is not subject to the registration and disclosure requirements the SEC imposes on public companies.4U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Exchange Act Reporting and Registration You will not find published revenue figures, profit margins, or executive compensation for the chain. That privacy is the trade-off the family makes for not tapping public capital.
The chain also does not franchise. You cannot buy into the ABC brand, license the name, or open your own location. Every storefront is owned and operated directly by MNS, Ltd., with hiring, procurement, and real estate handled centrally. That is why inventory and pricing stay consistent whether you walk into a store on Maui or on the Las Vegas Strip. The chain employs more than 1,800 people across its locations.5ABC Stores. ABC Stores Hawaii
Other Businesses the Kosasa Family Owns
MNS, Ltd. holds more than the ABC convenience format. The company also operates Island Gourmet Markets, Island Country Markets, Honolua General Store at the Kapalua Resort on Maui, and Sueoka Market in Koloa on Kauai. These lean toward fresh food and curated local products rather than the grab-and-go model of ABC.
In Waikiki, the company runs Duke’s Lane Market and Eatery inside the Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach Hotel, a combined dining and market concept.6ABC Stores. Dukes Lane Market and Eatery Duke’s Lane’s own terms of use confirm it is operated by MNS, Ltd.7Duke’s Lane Market and Eatery. Terms of Use The family also funds the Kosasa Foundation, which directs grants toward early childhood education, environmental sustainability, and culture and arts in Hawaii.8Kosasa Foundation. Kosasa Foundation