Daily Archives: August 15, 2016

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CarMax now accepting applications for its new store in Daytona scheduled to open in October 2016

RICHMOND, Virginia, 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — CarMax, Inc. (NYSE: KMX), the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, is currently hiring more than 40 employees for the company’s new store in Daytona. The store, scheduled to open in October 2016, is located at 800 N. Tomoka Farms Road and is CarMax’s 17th store in Florida.

CarMax is a growing company focused on personal and professional development and offers one-of-a-kind career opportunities that sets it apart from other retailers. Applications are now being accepted on the retailer’s website at http://jobs.carmax.com.

Who is CarMax Hiring?

  • CarMax is seeking applicants for full and part-time positions.
  • Available positions include sales, business office, and service operations positions including inventory, service advisors and technicians.
  • Technicians require previous automotive experience, however most positions do not.
  • Many CarMax associates have worked for other major retailers, such as Target, Lowe’s, Wal-Mart and Macy’s.

Why Work at CarMax?

  • CarMax is committed to hiring people with strong values of integrity, transparency and respect. We live these values every day and they drive how we treat our associates and our customers.
  • CarMax offers unmatched training and support for associate career growth.
  • CarMax offers competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package.
  • Stores are equipped with climate controlled, state-of-the-art service bays with quality equipment, and associates also receive discounts on car purchases and other services.
  • CarMax is recognized as one of FORTUNE magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For® (for 12 consecutive years), 50 Best Workplaces for Diversity, and 20 Best Workplaces in Retail, as well as one of TRAINING Magazine’s “Training Top 125” companies in America.

How Can Job Seekers Apply?

About CarMax
CarMax is the nation’s largest retailer of used cars and operates more than 160 stores in 37 states nationwide. CarMax revolutionized the auto industry by delivering the honest, transparent and high-integrity car buying experience customers want and deserve. For more than 20 years, CarMax has made car buying more ethical, fair and stress-free by offering a no-haggle, no-hassle experience and an incredible selection of vehicles. CarMax makes selling your car easy too, by offering no-obligation appraisals good for seven days. At CarMax, we’ll buy your car even if you don’t buy ours®. CarMax has more than 22,000 associates nationwide. During the 12 months ending February 29, 2016, the company retailed 619,936 used cars and sold 394,437 wholesale vehicles at its in-store auctions. For more information, access the CarMax website at www.carmax.com.

Media Contact

Beth Singer
CarMax Public Relations
(804) 747-0422 ext. 3447
pr@carmax.com
@CarMax
facebook.com/CarMax

Source: CarMax

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Gap Inc. declares quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share

SAN FRANCISCO, 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) today announced that its board of directors authorized a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share payable on or after October 26, 2016 to shareholders of record at the close of business on October 5, 2016.

About Gap Inc.
Gap Inc. is a leading global retailer offering clothing, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children under the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta, and Intermix brands. Fiscal year 2015 net sales were $15.8 billion. Gap Inc. products are available for purchase in more than 90 countries worldwide through about 3,300 company-operated stores, about 450 franchise stores, and e-commerce sites. For more information, please visit www.gapinc.com.

Contact:

San Francisco
2 Folsom St.
San Francisco, CA 94105
650-952-4400

Source: Gap Inc.

 

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Whole Foods Market stores in Canada launch Apple Pay

AUSTIN, Texas, 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — Whole Foods Market stores in Canada are now offering Apple Pay, a service that enables shoppers to make mobile payments with an iPhone.

“Our customers are going to love the convenience of Apple Pay, which will bring a faster, easier, more secure and private way to make purchases at Whole Foods Market,” said Joe Rogoff, president of Whole Foods Market’s Pacific Northwest Region. “We’re committed to providing innovative new choices and conveniences for our customers, and the ability to buy groceries with just a simple touch of a finger elevates convenience to a whole new level.”

By seamlessly integrating Apple designed hardware, software and services, Apple Pay creates a unique, elegant and intuitive experience for iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch users.

Checkout lanes at all Whole Foods Market stores already accept industry standard Near Field Communication (NFC) payments via pads at store registers. With Apple Pay, Whole Foods Market will accept even more payments using NFC technology.

Contact:

Darrah Gist
darrah.gist@wholefoods.com
678.638.5888

Lauren Bernath
lauren.bernath@wholefoods.com
678.638.5805

Source: Whole Foods Market

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Whole Foods Market now accepting applications for its future store in Fort Worth, Texas opening on Oct. 12

FORT WORTH, Texas, 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — Whole Foods Market will open in Fort Worth, Texas, on Wednesday, Oct. 12, anchoring the Waterside development at 3720 Vision Drive. The 45,000-square-foot store will be the company’s first Fort Worth location and its 13th in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and will employ approximately 120 team members.

The new store is currently accepting applications for cashiers, prepared foods cooks, fishmongers, butchers and more. Individuals can learn more and submit their applications at wholefoodsmarket.com/careers.

“We’re thrilled to open our first store in Fort Worth, and to give the community a shopping experience unlike anywhere else,” noted Dennis Berryman, the store’s team leader. “We look forward to bringing the high quality standards and pleasurable shopping experience our customers expect to the thriving Fort Worth community!”

Whole Foods Market’s local community liaison, Steffany Steichen, is already developing store partnerships and activities for the opening in October.

“Our location in the Waterside development couldn’t be better,” Steichen said. “We’ve really enjoyed exploring our new neighborhood and knowing our shoppers will have great access to outdoor recreational spots like Trinity Trail and The Grove. We’re also grateful for the warm welcome we’ve already received from so many local partners and businesses.”

In the aisles, customers will find a strong mix of local products as well as natural and organic favorites, including an extensive line of the company’s 365 Everyday Value items. Fort Worth shoppers can also register for Whole Foods Market’s rewards program online at www.wholefoodsmarket.com/rewards. Rewards offers include 10 percent off your first purchase as a new rewards member, a one-time offer for 15 percent off the department of your choice, and select free products.

Details and updates will be available at wholefoodsmarket.com/fortworth and facebook.com/wholefoodsdfw.

Contact:

Darrah Gist
darrah.gist@wholefoods.com
678.638.5888

Lauren Bernath
lauren.bernath@wholefoods.com
678.638.5805

Source: Whole Foods Market

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X5 Retail Group launches operations in the Siberian Federal District with the opening of five Pyaterochka stores

Novosibirsk, 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — X5 Retail Group, a leading Russian food retailer, announces the launch of its operations in the Siberian Federal District and the creation of Pyaterochka’s Siberian Division.

Between 5 and 12 August, five Pyaterochkas were opened in Novosibirsk. The stores, with a total area of 2,890 sq m, are fully in line with the format’s new concept launched in October 2013. To date, the chain has upgraded and rebranded over 6,400 stores (more than 89% of the total) in 54 regions.

At present, Pyaterochka partners with more than 50 Siberian producers. Over 40 producers are located in the Siberian Federal District, with 17 of them in the Novosibirsk Region. Local producers account for about 17% of store sales. Their bakery, frozen products, eggs and chilled poultry categories consist of nearly 100% locally produced goods. Going forward, every fifth product in the Siberian Pyaterochkas will be of local origin. Partners of X5 will also have an opportunity to supply their goods to neighbouring regions. The products made in Siberia are marked with a special eye stopper.

The Novosibirsk Pyaterochkas will be supplied by a distribution centre (DC) in the town of Ob, Novosibirsk Region. A logistics services contract has been signed with HAVI Logistics. In addition, the Novosibirsk Pyaterochkas will receive some goods directly from local producers.

By the end of 2016, Pyaterochka plans to open over 60 stores in Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, Novokuznetsk and Omsk, thus creating 760+ additional jobs in the stores and X5’s regional office. Over the next two years, Pyaterochka plans to open over 150 stores in the Altai Territory, as well as in Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, Omsk and Tomsk Regions.

The chain’s DC, with a total area of 35,000 sq m and a headcount of 250 employees, will start operations in Novosibirsk by the end of 2017. The DC, with capacity to service more than 500 stores, will feature up to 31,000 pallet positions, accept up to 260 and release up to 350 vehicles daily.

By the end of 2018, Pyaterochka’s Siberian Division plans to open DCs in Krasnoyarsk and Omsk.

Note to Editors:

X5 Retail Group N.V. (LSE: FIVE, Fitch – ‘BB’, Moody’s – ‘Ba3’, S&P – ‘BB-’) is a leading Russian food retailer. The Company operates several retail formats: the chain of proximity stores under the Pyaterochka brand, the supermarket chain under the Perekrestok brand, the hypermarket chain under the Karusel brand and Express convenience stores under various brands.

As of 30 June 2016, X5 had 7,936 Company-operated stores. It has the leading market position in both Moscow and St. Petersburg and a significant presence in the European part of Russia. Its store base includes 7,164 Pyaterochka proximity stores, 493 Perekrestok supermarkets, 89 Karusel hypermarkets and 190 convenience stores. The Company operates 35 DCs and 1,469 Company-owned trucks across the Russian Federation.

For the full year 2015, revenue totalled RUB 808,818 mln (USD 13,268 mln), Adjusted EBITDA reached RUB 59,413 mln (USD 975 mln), and net profit for the period amounted to RUB 14,174 mln (USD 233 mln). In Q1 2016, revenue totalled RUB 231,611 mln (USD 3,104 mln), EBITDA reached RUB 16,493 mln (USD 221 mln), and net profit amounted to RUB 5,054 mln (USD 68 mln).

X5’s Shareholder structure is as follows: Alfa Group – 47.86%, founders of Pyaterochka – 14.43%, X5 Directors – 0.06%, treasury shares – 0.01%, free float – 37.64%.

Forward looking statements:

This announcement includes statements that are, or may be deemed to be, “forward looking statements”. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not only relate to historical or current events. Forward-looking statements often use words such as “anticipate”, “target”, “expect”, “estimate”, “intend”, “expected”, “plan”, “goal”, “believe”, or other words of similar meaning.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances, a number of which are beyond X5 Retail Group N.V.’s control. As a result, actual future results may differ materially from the plans, goals and expectations set out in these forward-looking statements.

Any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of X5 Retail Group N.V. speak only as at the date of this announcement. Save as required by any applicable laws or regulations, X5 Retail Group N.V. undertakes no obligation publicly to release the results of any revisions to any forward-looking statements in this document that may occur due to any change in its expectations or to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this document.

For further details please contact:

Maxim Novikov
Head of Investor Relations
Tel.: +7 (495) 502-9783
e-mail: Maxim.Novikov@x5.ru

Andrey Vasin
Investor Relations Officer
Tel.:+7 (495) 662-8888 ext. 21-456
e-mail: Andrey.Vasin@x5.ru

Source: X5 Retail Group

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SUPERVALU donates $100,000 to Feeding America to support its mission to end hunger

SUPERVALU donates $100,000 to Feeding America to support its mission to end hunger
SUPERVALU donates $100,000 to Feeding America to support its mission to end hunger

 

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn, 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — Representatives for Feeding America were on hand last evening at SUPERVALU’s 2016 National Expo to accept a $100,000 donation in support of the organization’s mission to end hunger. The donation was made possible through the collective efforts of SUPERVALU, and the independent grocery retailers and consumer packaged goods companies attending and exhibiting at this year’s Expo.

“All of the grocery retailers and companies involved in this effort know how important it is to give back to their communities,” said Mike Stigers, SUPERVALU Executive Vice President, Wholesale. “With this in mind, we thought the Expo provided the perfect opportunity to join together for the first time to make a difference for hunger relief in the communities where we live and work.”

The donation was presented to Bob Chatmas, chief operating officer of Second Harvest Heartland, a Minneapolis-St. Paul Feeding America member food bank, prior to a Wednesday night celebration featuring a performance by singer, songwriter and platinum record producer Andy Grammer, who has partnered with Feeding America to raise awareness for hunger relief as a member of its Entertainment Council.

Joining Stigers in the check presentation were National Grocers Association President and CEO Peter Larkin, Todd Tillemans, Executive Vice President of Customer Development at Unilever, and Brian Audette, Senior Vice President, Sales, Merchandising and Marketing at SUPERVALU.

“One in seven Americans struggles to get enough food to eat,” said Audette, who is also a Second Harvest Heartland board member. “This donation will make a tangible impact by providing food for those in need. For every $1 received, Feeding America is able to help provide 11 meals to people facing hunger. We are so grateful to the collective efforts of SUPERVALU and all of the independent grocery retailers and companies at the National Expo who helped to make this donation possible.”

Feeding America is the nation’s leading hunger relief organization with 200 member food banks serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Together, they provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America.

About SUPERVALU INC.
SUPERVALU INC. (NYSE: SVU) is one of the largest grocery wholesalers and retailers in the U.S. with annual sales of approximately $18 billion. SUPERVALU serves customers across the United States through a network of 3,342 stores composed of 1,773 stores operated by wholesale customers serviced primarily by the company’s food distribution business; 1,368 Save-A-Lot stores, of which 896 are operated by licensee owners; and 201 traditional retail grocery stores (store counts as of June 18, 2016). Headquartered in Minnesota, SUPERVALU has approximately 40,000 employees. For more information about SUPERVALU, visit www.supervalu.com

About Feeding America:
Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Contact:
Jeff Swanson
952-903-1645
jeffrey.s.swanson@supervalu.com

Source: SUPERVALU INC.

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J. C. Penney Company, Inc. announces 2Q financial results ended July 30, 2016

PLANO, Texas, 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) today announced financial results for its second quarter ended July 30, 2016. Comparable sales increased 2.2 % for the second quarter, delivering a two-year stack of 6.3%. Net loss improved 52% to $(56) million versus the prior year.

Marvin R. Ellison, chairman and chief executive officer, said, “We are pleased with the sequential improvement we achieved throughout the second quarter, and our solid performance across all key metrics is encouraging. We exceeded our profitability expectations, achieving an $85 million or 59 % increase in EBITDA to $229 million for the quarter. We are continuing to win market share and improve the bottom line of our business thanks to the commitment and hard work of our over 100,000 associates.”

Ellison continued, “We are excited about the initiatives we have in place to drive incremental growth in the back half of the year with our appliance rollouts, new Sephora locations, center core refreshes, in-store .com fulfillment and our chain wide rollout of buy online, pick up in store same day. These and other initiatives reinforce our confidence in our ability to achieve $1 billion in EBITDA for 2016.”

For the quarter, Sephora, Home, and Footwear and Handbags were the Company’s top performing divisions. Geographically, the Ohio Valley and Pacific were the best performing regions of the country.

For the second quarter, gross margin was 37.1 % of sales, a 10 basis point improvement compared to the same period last year.

SG&A expenses for the quarter decreased $48 million to $853 million, or 29.2 % of sales, representing a 210 basis point improvement from last year. These savings were primarily driven by lower corporate overhead, incentive compensation, store controllable costs and more efficient advertising spend.

For the second quarter, the Company delivered a 52% improvement in net loss over the prior year to $(56) million or $(0.18) per share. Excluding the previously announced write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs of $34 million related to the closing of the real estate term loan refinancing and other items, adjusted earnings per share improved 88% to a loss of $(0.05) per share for the second quarter this year compared to a loss of $(0.40) per share last year.

EBITDA improved $85 million to $229 million for the quarter, a 59 % improvement from the same period last year. Excluding restructuring charges and the proportional share of net income from the home office land joint venture, adjusted EBITDA improved 69 % to $233 million, a $95 million improvement from the same period last year.

A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures is included in the schedules accompanying the consolidated financial statements in this release.

Outlook
The Company reaffirms its 2016 full year guidance as follows:

  • Comparable store sales: expected to increase 3% to 4%;
  • Gross margin: expected to increase 10 to 30 basis points;
  • SG&A dollars: expected to decrease versus 2015;
  • EBITDA: expected to be $1 billion;
  • Adjusted earnings per share: expected to be positive;
  • Free cash flow1: expected to improve versus 2015

The Company also announced an upcoming new store location in San Bernardino, Calif. at Inland Center, and the relocation of its store in Salinas, Calif. to a new space within Northridge Mall. The new store and relocation are both landlord funded projects, and are expected to be complete this fall. Each location will offer an appliance showroom, an expansive Sephora inside JCPenney and a flagship Salon by InStyle.

1 A reconciliation of non-GAAP forward-looking projections to GAAP financial measures is not available as the nature or amount of potential adjustments, which may be significant, cannot be determined at this time.

Second Quarter Earnings Conference Call Details
At 8:30 a.m. ET today, the Company will host a live conference call conducted by chairman and chief executive officer Marvin R. Ellison and chief financial officer Ed Record. Management will discuss the Company’s performance during the quarter and take questions from participants. To access the conference call, please dial (844) 243-9275, or (225) 283-0394 for international callers, and reference 56348291 conference ID or visit the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.jcpenney.com.

Telephone playback will be available for 7 days beginning approximately two hours after the conclusion of the meeting by dialing (855) 859-2056, or (404) 537-3406 for international callers, and referencing 56348291 conference ID.

Investors and others should note that we currently announce material information using SEC filings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts.  In the future, we will continue to use these channels to distribute material information about the Company and may also utilize our website and/or various social media to communicate important information about the Company, key personnel, new brands and services, trends, new marketing campaigns, corporate initiatives and other matters.  Information that we post on our website or on social media channels could be deemed material; therefore, we encourage investors, the media, our customers, business partners and others interested in our Company to review the information we post on our website as well as the following social media channels:

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jcp) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/jcpnews).

Any updates to the list of social media channels we may use to communicate material information will be posted on the Investor Relations page of the Company’s website at www.jcpenney.com

About JCPenney:
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE:JCP), one of the nation’s largest apparel and home furnishings retailers, is on a mission to ensure every shopping experience is worth the customer’s time, money and effort. Whether shopping jcp.com or visiting one of over 1,000 store locations across the United States and Puerto Rico, customers will discover a broad assortment of products from a leading portfolio of private, exclusive and national brands.  Supporting this value proposition is the warrior spirit of over 100,000 JC Penney associates worldwide, who are focused on the Company’s three strategic priorities of strengthening private brands, becoming a world-class omnichannel retailer and increasing revenue per customer. For additional information, please visit jcp.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Words such as “expect” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which include, but are not limited to, statements regarding sales, gross margin, selling, general and administrative expenses, earnings and cash flows.  Forward-looking statements are based only on the Company’s current assumptions and views of future events and financial performance. They are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of the Company’s control that may cause the Company’s actual results to be materially different from planned or expected results. Those risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, including inflation, recession, unemployment levels, consumer confidence and spending patterns, credit availability and debt levels, changes in store traffic trends, the cost of goods, more stringent or costly payment terms and/or the decision by a significant number of vendors not to sell us merchandise on a timely basis or at all, trade restrictions, the ability to monetize non-core assets on acceptable terms, the ability to implement our strategic plan including our omnichannel initiatives, customer acceptance of our strategies, our ability to attract, motivate and retain key executives and other associates, the impact of cost reduction initiatives, our ability to generate or maintain liquidity, implementation of new systems and platforms including EMV chip technology, changes in tariff, freight and shipping rates, changes in the cost of fuel and other energy and transportation costs, disruptions and congestion at ports through which we import goods, increases in wage and benefit costs, competition and retail industry consolidations, interest rate fluctuations, dollar and other currency valuations, the impact of weather conditions, risks associated with war, an act of terrorism or pandemic, the ability of the federal government to fund and conduct its operations, a systems failure and/or security breach that results in the theft, transfer or unauthorized disclosure of customer, employee or Company information, legal and regulatory proceedings and the Company’s ability to access the debt or equity markets on favorable terms or at all.  There can be no assurances that the Company will achieve expected results, and actual results may be materially less than expectations.  Please refer to the Company’s most recent Form 10-K for a further discussion of risks and uncertainties. Investors should take such risks into account and should not rely on forward-looking statements when making investment decisions. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made.  We do not undertake to update these forward-looking statements as of any future date.

Media Relations:
(972) 431-3400
jcpnews@jcp.com

Investor Relations:
(972) 431-5500
jcpinvestorrelations@jcpenney.com

Source: J. C. Penney Company, Inc.

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Dollar General opens its 13,000th store location in Birmingham, Alabama

Dollar General opens its 13,000th store location in Birmingham, Alabama
Dollar General opens its 13,000th store location in Birmingham, Alabama

 

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn., 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ —  Alongside hundreds of excited customers in attendance for a community celebration, Dollar General (NYSE: DG) officially opened the company’s 13,000th store location this morning in Birmingham, Alabama. The store’s opening marks another major milestone for the company founded 77 years ago in rural Kentucky.

“This morning’s grand opening celebration commemorates a major milestone for Dollar General and reflects our unwavering commitment and dedication to provide convenience and everyday low prices to the communities we serve,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s CEO. “On behalf of the entire Dollar General leadership team, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dollar General employees, our communities, local governments and business partners who continually support our mission of Serving Others as we look to deliver the Dollar General business model to communities across the country.”

Beginning at 8 a.m., the Birmingham community celebrated with free $10 gift cards for the first 200 adult customers, goodie bags with complimentary samples, coffee, donuts and an official welcome by Dollar General region director Mark Nichols, Birmingham’s director of economic development Lisa Cooper and Midfield, Alabama mayor Gary Richardson. Additionally, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation also presented a $13,000 donation to two area organizations with the Birmingham Public Library’s Powderly Branch and Oxmoor Valley Elementary School each receiving $6,500 to further literacy and education.

Located at 4132 Jefferson Avenue Southwest in Birmingham, grand opening festivities continued throughout the day as visitors enjoyed seeing the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Camry NASCAR showcar, hotdogs and drinks for lunch and food samplings of Dollar General’s exclusive Clover Valley™ private brand items.

Dollar General proudly employs more than 6,500 employees in Alabama through approximately 675 stores and its distribution center in Bessemer, which opened in 2012.

Dollar General gives its customers more than everyday low prices on basic merchandise. Dollar General is deeply involved in the communities it serves and is an ardent supporter of literacy and education. At the cash register of every Dollar General store, customers interested in learning how to read, speak English or get their General Education Diploma (GED) can pick up a brochure with a postage-paid reply card that can be mailed in for a referral to a local organization that offers free literacy services. Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $120 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping nearly more than 7.1 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education. For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and its grant programs, visit www.dgliteracy.com.

This morning’s grand opening celebration is one of the planned 900 new stores in 2016 throughout the 43 states Dollar General serves.

For additional information, photographs or items to supplement a story, please visit the DG Newsroom, contact the Media Relations Department at 1-877-944-DGPR (3477) or via email at dgpr@dg.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Dollar General includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws regarding planned store openings. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that may change at any time and may cause actual results to differ materially from those that Dollar General expected. Many of these statements are derived from Dollar General’s operating budgets and forecasts, which are based on many detailed assumptions that Dollar General believes are reasonable, or are based on various assumptions about certain plans, activities or events which we expect will or may occur in the future. However, it is very difficult to predict the effect of known factors, and Dollar General cannot anticipate all factors that could affect actual results that may be important to an investor. All forward-looking information should be evaluated in the context of these risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those factors disclosed under “Risk Factors” in Dollar General’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 22, 2016 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 26, 2016.

All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements that Dollar General makes from time to time in its SEC filings and public communications. Dollar General cannot assure the reader that it will realize the results or developments Dollar General anticipates, or, even if substantially realized, that they will result in the consequences or affect Dollar General or its operations in the way Dollar General expects. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made. Dollar General undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date on which they were made, except as otherwise required by law. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements included herein or that may be made elsewhere from time to time by, or on behalf of, Dollar General.

About Dollar General Corporation
Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for over 75 years through its mission of Serving Others. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, housewares and seasonal items at low everyday prices in convenient neighborhood locations. With 13,000 stores in 43 states, Dollar General is among the largest discount retailers in the United States. In addition to high quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America’s most-trusted manufacturers such as Clorox, Energizer, Procter & Gamble, Hanes, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg’s, General Mills, and PepsiCo. For more information on Dollar General, please visit www.dollargeneral.com.

Follow Dollar General:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

Contacts:

Crystal Ghassemi
1-877-944-DGPR (3477)
dgpr@dg.com

Dan MacDonald
615-855-5209

Source: Dollar General

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Meijer brings low prices, fresh produce delivered daily and drive-thru pharmacy to Flat Rock, Michigan shoppers

Meijer brings low prices, fresh produce delivered daily and drive-thru pharmacy to Flat Rock, Michigan shoppers
Meijer brings low prices, fresh produce delivered daily and drive-thru pharmacy to Flat Rock, Michigan shoppers

 

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — Meijer opened a new 150,000-square-foot supercenter today in Flat Rock, Mich., bringing southeastern Michigan shoppers better access to low prices on high-quality merchandise, fresh produce delivered daily and a full-service pharmacy that makes family health care a priority.

“We always strive to find locations that will bring a fresher retail approach to communities, so we are pleased to provide our new neighbors with an incredible combination of selection and quality at lower prices,” CEO Hank Meijer said. “We’re very excited to offer a one-stop shopping experience and do our part to help this community continue to grow and thrive.”

The new store is the last of nine new Meijer supercenters to open – and part of an investment of more than $400 million in new and remodeled stores – this year, which has created 3,000 new jobs across the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer’s six-state foot print. The Flat Rock store will welcome customers from the Brownstown, Huron Township, Carleton, New Boston and Gibraltar communities and is located at 26100 Vreeland, just east of Telegraph Road.

With more than 100 stores located throughout Michigan, the new store is built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and will be open 24 hours a day. The grocery options that Meijer offers include more than 600 varieties of farm-fresh produce and a full-service meat department that features fresh seafood, Certified Angus Beef and custom cuts of meat. The bakery specializes in custom-decorated cakes and fresh bread baked four times daily.

Opening celebrations began with a ribbon-cutting event, followed by remarks from Meijer leadership and local officials. The store also demonstrated its commitment to the community by making donations to a local organization. Store Director Jack Schubert presented $25,000 to Flat Rock Community Schools.

As part of its ongoing community support, Meijer donates more than 7 percent of its net profit to charitable organizations annually, and each of its stores works with local food pantries and banks to help fight hunger at the local level. Since 2008, the retailer’s Simply Give program has generated nearly $24 million for its food pantry partners throughout the Midwest. This year’s fall Simply Give campaign will run through Sept. 24 and all proceeds from the Flat Rock Meijer will benefit the Helping Hands Food Pantry.

In addition to the retailer’s traditional grocery and merchandise, garden center, and 24-hour gas station, the new Flat Rock Meijer pharmacy will offer drive-thru pick up and the company’s free prescription program. The prescription program includes leading oral generic antibiotics with a special focus on prescriptions most often filled for children, prenatal vitamins, and medications for those with diabetes and high cholesterol. Since its inception in 2006, the program has filled more than 34 million free prescriptions, saving Meijer customers more than $473 million.

As part of its grand opening celebration, the new Flat Rock Meijer location will feature a variety of grand opening events in the coming weeks. On Aug. 14, the first 200 customers to enter the store after 6 a.m. will receive a Meijer mystery gift card with a value of $5, $10 or $20. Other events include an in-store community picnic on Aug. 19 and a health & wellness event on Sept. 7.

“Our team has worked very hard to prepare for this opening, and we’re excited to finally open doors in this great community,” Meijer President Rick Keyes said.

About Meijer:
Meijer is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates 230 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. As a pioneer of the “one-stop shopping” concept, Meijer stores have evolved through the years to include expanded fresh produce and meat departments, as well as pharmacies, comprehensive apparel departments, garden centers and electronics offerings. Additional information on Meijer and the ability to shop for more can be found at www.meijer.com. Follow Meijer on Twitter @twitter.com/Meijer or become a fan at www.facebook.com/meijer.

Contact:

Joe Hirschmugl
joseph.hirschmugl@meijer.com
616-791-3943

Source: Meijer

 

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Target Corporation announces the appointment of Preston Mosier as SVP, fulfillment operations

MINNEAPOLIS, 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — Today (August 8, 2016) Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) announced the hiring of Preston Mosier as senior vice president, fulfillment operations. Mosier will oversee Target’s direct-to-consumer fulfillment centers, as well as the process improvement, customer experience and product management functions related to direct fulfillment. He will report to Target’s executive vice president and chief supply chain and logistics officer, Arthur Valdez.

Mosier brings expertise in managing direct-to-consumer delivery, including optimizing last-mile operations and using data and automation to move product more efficiently. He spent 10 years in various leadership positions at Amazon building direct-delivery capabilities within a growing, large-scale operation. Most recently, he spent four years with Liquidity Services as vice president of operations leading efforts to improve profitability and capacity within supply chain networks for some of the world’s largest technology and retail companies.

“A top priority for our guests is to get what they ordered quickly, accurately and without hassle,” says Valdez. “Target already has a strong operation to move product in bulk to stores, so bringing the online fulfillment function under a specialized leader will enhance our direct-to-guest operation. Preston’s experience using technology and data to deliver smaller packages directly to consumers will help us continue building capabilities that will put product in guests’ hands even faster.”

“Target has a sophisticated distribution network – plus nearly 1,800 stores across the country that are well-positioned in local neighborhoods,” says Mosier. “I’m excited to work with the team, at a brand I’ve long admired, to continue refining how we use those assets to improve speed and precision, while also reducing cost and complexity.”

Mosier joins the company Aug. 14.

About Target Corporation
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) serves guests at 1,797 stores and at Target.com. Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its profit to communities, which today equals more than $4 million a week. For more information, visit Target.com/Pressroom. For a behind-the-scenes look at Target, visit Target.com/abullseyeview or follow @TargetNews on Twitter.

Media Contact:

Molly Snyder
Media
(612) 696-3400

John Hulbert
Investors
(612) 761-6627

Source: Target Corporation

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The Dairy Farm Company acquires 286,934,440 shares in Yonghui Superstores Co., Ltd for US$190 million

Hong Kong, 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ —  Dairy Farm International Holdings Limited today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, The Dairy Farm Company, Limited, has completed the acquisition of a further 286,934,440 shares in Yonghui Superstores Co., Ltd (‘Yonghui’) for a consideration of approximately US$190 million.

The acquisition, which is alongside an acquisition by JD.com of a 10% interest and by Mr. Zhang Xuansong, the Chairman of Yonghui, of a 2% interest, maintains Dairy Farm’s shareholding in Yonghui at 19.99%.

The acquisition was first announced on 7th August 2015, and had been subject to the receipt of the necessary regulatory approvals. The number of shares subscribed by Dairy Farm was adjusted from the amount originally announced to take account of a bonus issue of shares made by Yonghui in June 2016.

Yonghui is a Shanghai-listed hypermarket and supermarket operator based in Fuzhou, Fujian province in mainland China. As at 31st March 2016, Yonghui operated 412 retail outlets across China.

Dairy Farm is a leading pan-Asian retailer. The Group, together with its associates and joint ventures, operates some 6,500 outlets – including supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenience stores, health and beauty stores, home furnishings stores and restaurants – employing over 180,000 people, and had total annual sales in 2015 exceeding US$17 billion. Dairy Farm International Holdings Limited is incorporated in Bermuda and has a standard listing on the London Stock Exchange as its primary listing, with secondary listings in Bermuda and Singapore. It is a member of the Jardine Matheson Group.

For further information, please contact:

Dairy Farm Management Services Limited
Lancy Ng
(852) 2299 3011 Brunswick Group Limited

Siobhan Xiaohui Zheng
(852) 3512 5044

This and other Group announcements can be accessed through the Internet at ‘www.dairyfarmgroup.com’.

Source: Dairy Farm International Holdings Limited

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Nulo MedalSeries™ natural brand of dog and cat foods exclusively available at PetSmart®

PHOENIX, 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — PetSmart® is pleased to announce that it is the exclusive national retailer for Nulo MedalSeries™ natural brand of dog and cat foods, expanding its natural assortment and confirming its commitment to provide customers with an unparalleled selection of quality products for their pets in one convenient destination. The Nulo MedalSeries products are becoming available at stores this month with complete chain-wide availability of the products in all stores across North America this fall.

“We are thrilled to be the exclusive national retailer of this exciting brand and to expand our natural pet food line with Nulo MedalSeries, pet nutrition that is focused on protein-first formulas that combine quality vegetables, probiotics and antioxidants to fuel a pet’s inner-athlete,” said Ted Passig, executive vice president, buying and sourcing, PetSmart. “We love that Nulo MedalSeries products are represented by world-class athletes who are hyper-focused on their diet and extending that same nutrition philosophy to their pets.”

Nulo is an independently owned pet food for the pet parent wanting to serve up high-protein, grain-free meals for pets who share their pet parents’ active, training or sports lifestyles. Pet parent and Nulo supporter, Natalie Coughlin, 12-time Medalist Swimmer, says she has fed her dogs Dozer and She-Ra Nulo for years because she believes in feeding them high-quality ingredients and sees the results of a grain-free diet.

“As an athlete, I focus on quality food to ensure top performance and health so it’s a natural extension for me to want to do this for the rest of my family – including my dogs,” Coughlin said. “Dozer is prone to skin allergies so I wanted a grain-free food that also provided wholesome nutrition. I love that it has probiotics, which is great for both of the dogs’ digestive systems.”

Gold medal gymnast Carly Patterson is another athlete supporter of the Nulo MedalSeries because of its health benefits. An added bonus, she says, is how much her dog Beauxgart and cat Jasper love the food and devour their meals.

“I love that my animals get excited about meal time. Beauxgart was a picky eater before we switched to Nulo and now he gets so excited when he hears me getting the bag and bowl ready,” Patterson said. “Food is such a huge part of being healthy. I focus on healthy eating for myself and it would be a disservice to not do the same for my pets.”

Both Patterson and Coughlin joined other gold medal athletes, swimmer Ricky Berens and ice dancer Charlie White, for a launch party celebration today at PetSmart’s headquarters office in Phoenix.

Nulo MedalSeries is available in a variety of recipes for dog and cat including Chicken and Pea and Salmon and Lentils and Turkey and Pea combinations. Each recipe is designed to deliver the rich protein and low carbohydrate ingredients needed for stable energy with more than 82 percent of the protein coming from animal-based sources. The food also contains high-quality amino acids with advanced probiotics and healthy antioxidants that every pet needs. Nulo MedalSeries formulas are made without grain, potatoes, tapioca, corn, wheat or soy.

About PetSmart
PetSmart, Inc. is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we love pets, and we believe pets make us better people. Every day with every connection, PetSmart’s passionate associates help bring pet parents closer to their pets so they can live more fulfilled lives. This vision impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates and how we give back to our communities. We employ approximately 53,000 associates, operate 1,466 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico and 203 in-store PetSmart® PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and pet products and offers dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart Doggie Day Camp day care services and pet adoption services in-store. Our portfolio of digital resources for pet parents – including PetSmart.com, PetFoodDirect.com, Pet360.com and petMD.com – offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care information in the U.S. Through our in-store pet adoption partnership with independent nonprofit organizations, PetSmart Charities® and PetSmart Charities™ of Canada, PetSmart helps to save the lives of more than 500,000 homeless pets each year.

Follow PetSmart on Twitter: @PetSmart
Find PetSmart on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PetSmart
See PetSmart on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/PetSmart

Contacts:

Golin for PetSmart Inc.
Danielle Bickelmann
dbickelmann@golin.com
972-341-2503

PetSmart Media Line:
623-587-2177

Source: PetSmart

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Medication naloxone now available without prescription at CVS Pharmacy locations in Idaho

WOONSOCKET, R.I., 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) announced today that the opioid overdose-reversal medication naloxone is now available without a prescription at CVS Pharmacy locations in Idaho. Under prescriptive authority allowed by the state, CVS Pharmacists will expand access to the medication.

“Naloxone is a safe and effective antidote to opioid overdoses and we can help save lives by increasing access to this medication in our Idaho pharmacies by the use of prescriptive authority for patients without a prescription,” said Tom Davis, RPh, Vice President of Pharmacy Professional Practices at CVS Pharmacy. “We are dedicated to helping the communities we serve address and prevent drug abuse and we are expanding access to naloxone to give more people a chance to get the help they need for recovery.”

In addition to Idaho, CVS Pharmacy locations in 30 other states can dispense naloxone to patients without an individual prescription.

“CVS Health has been a leader in helping communities prevent prescription drug abuse and we applaud their work to increase access to this life-saving drug for patients without a prescription at CVS Pharmacy locations in Idaho,” said Marcia Lee Taylor, President and CEO, Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. “Increasing access to naloxone is a critical public health priority that allows patients and their families to prevent opioid fatalities and recognize when people need help working towards recovery from the disease of addiction.”

CVS Health has also launched digital resources on www.cvs.com/content/prescription-drug-abuse giving patients and families a single destination to learn more about drug abuse prevention. These new resources build on CVS Health’s longstanding commitment to helping communities address and prevent drug abuse. In 2015, CVS Health launched a community outreach program called Pharmacists Teach, which brings local pharmacists to high school health classes to talk to students about the dangers of drug abuse. More than 100,000 students have already taken part in the program. High school teachers and administrators in Idahocan learn more about bringing Pharmacists Teach to their school here.

CVS Health has also joined with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids to create the Medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program, which donates disposal units to local police departments, providing a safe and environmentally friendly way to dispose of unwanted medication. Law enforcement officials across Idaho can apply to receive a drug collection unit here.

About CVS Health
CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through its more than 9,600 retail pharmacies, more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with nearly 80 million plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year, and expanding specialty pharmacy services, the Company enables people, businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable and effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at https://www.cvshealth.com.

Media Contact:

Erin Shields Britt
Corporate Communications
(401) 770-9237
Erin.Britt@CVSHealth.com

###

Medication naloxone now available without prescription at CVS Pharmacy locations in Idaho
Medication naloxone now available without prescription at CVS Pharmacy locations in Idaho

 

SOURCE: CVS Health

 

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Lindex 1H2016: revenue increased by 3.8 percent in comparable stores

Gothenburg, Sweden, 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — Lindex is doing well and that is evident when the fashion company today presents the best result for the second quarter and the best sales so far, both for the first six months and for the second quarter.

Lindex revenue increased during the first six months of the year by 3.8 percent in comparable stores.  A strong summer collection and a successful summer campaign resulted in a positive increase in sales and during the second quarter Lindex revenue increased by 4.3 percent in comparable stores.

Our strong result and good sales development is proof that our customers appreciate Lindex inspiring and affordable fashion. It’s great to see that our efforts to clarify our fashion concepts and collections as well as strengthening the Lindex brand is showing results, says Ingvar Larsson Lindex CEO.

Lindex women’s wear assortment increased the most in sales and Lindex gained markets shares in all Nordic countries. The fashion company shows a strengthened margin with increased full price sales as well as a good cost control.

”At Lindex the customer is always in focus and should feel welcome, inspired and proud of her purchases. We are always developing our offer and is expecting an eventful autumn with the launch of several new initiatives that we hope our customers will appreciate”, says Ingvar Larsson.

If you want to know more about the eventful autumn at Lindex, please contact:

Miriam Tjernström
Press Relations Manager, Lindex
Phone: 46 (0)31 739 50 60
E-mail: press@lindex.com

Source: Lindex

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Bonmarché Holdings plc: Section 430 (2B) of the Companies Act 2006 announcement regarding Beth Butterwick resignation

Wakefield, England, 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — As announced on 27 June 2016, Beth Butterwick stepped down as Chief Executive of Bonmarché Holdings plc (“the Company” or “the Group”) with effect from 12 August 2016, and ceased to be an employee on the same date. The following information is provided in accordance with section 430 (2B) of the Companies Act 2006.

Mrs Butterwick will receive her salary and benefits, as outlined in the Group’s 2016 Directors’ Remuneration Report, up to this date. No further payments have been or will be made to Mrs Butterwick in connection with her resignation from office.

Mrs Butterwick was a participant in a Restricted Share Plan (“the scheme”) which had been put in place prior to the Company`s listing on AIM. Under the rules of the scheme, Mrs Butterwick had purchased 1,260,000 shares for a consideration of £104,000. The shares were subject to a vesting restriction whereby 20% of the shares vested annually over 5 years. The rules of the scheme provide that in the event of a participant tendering their resignation from the Company, any unvested shares must be sold back to the Company at the original purchase price. At the date Mrs Butterwick tendered her resignation, 40% of the shares were unvested. Accordingly, the Bonmarché Employee Benefit Trust will purchase on behalf of the Company, 504,000 shares for £41,760.

Full details of Mrs Butterwick’s remuneration in respect of the relevant part of the current financial year will be disclosed in the Directors’ Remuneration Report for the financial year ending 1 April 2017.

For all media enquiries please contact:

FTI Consulting

Email:  bonmarche.sc@fticonsulting.com
Call: +44 20 7831 3113

Source: Bonmarché Holdings plc

 

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Panera Bread issues Its ‘Kids Meal Promise’ to Spark a Dialogue for Change in Kids Meals

St. Louis, 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — Panera Bread (NASDAQ: PNRA) today issued its Kids Meal Promise to express the company’s long-held beliefs about kids meals and commitments relative to its Panera Kids™ menu. The promise is meant to be a challenge to the restaurant industry and to all food manufacturers who offer kids food.

Panera is the first national restaurant company with a kids menu that meets all of five tenets of the Kids Meal
Promise, including:

 Clean. No artificial flavors, preservatives, sweeteners or colors from artificial sources
 Worthy of trust. No gimmicks. No distractions. No cartoon characters, crazy colors, toys, or toy-shaped food.
 Full of delicious options. Let kids be kids. Let them be picky. Let them make their own choices from a menu full of tasty, wholesome options.
 Nutritiously paired. Growing bodies need a meal complete with nutritious sides. Not fries, not onion rings. Options like organic yogurt, sprouted grain rolls, or apples.
 Drink optional. Kids meals shouldn’t encourage kids to drink a sugary beverage. Ours never have, never will. Water first, then the option of adding organic milk or 100% juice.

Comment by Ron Shaich, Panera founder, Chairman and CEO

“As a father of two, I am personally driven to serve foods that I want my own children to eat. Frankly, the typical restaurant industry kids meal doesn’t serve our kids well,” Shaich said. “We shouldn’t be marketing to kids. Toys and games distract from honest food choices. They come with poor options like fries and sugary beverages. This is not food as it should be. The meals we serve our children should be good food. Real options and food that is that is free of artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors and colors from artificial sources.”

The Panera Kids menu – featuring an array of soups, salads, pasta and sandwiches – will be free of all artificial flavors, preservatives, sweeteners and colors from artificial sources identified on the company’s No No List starting September 7th . Not only is Panera banning a long list of artificial additives from its kids menu, the company provides kids a broader selection of wholesome meal choices based on its adult menu, versus the usual nuggets and fries fare. Panera has never included toys, cartoons or other child-targeted incentives as part of its kids meal.

“Just like our No No List, the Kids Meal Promise is a line in the sand,” said Sara Burnett, director of wellness and food policy at Panera. “It’s really a rejection of the entire concept of ‘kid food.’ We believe that our cafes should offer the same choices and transparency to children as we do adults. Of course, we will continue to add options – like our new wholegrain pan bread – and enhance nutrition, but we think these commitments give us a firm foundation for that journey.”

The Kids Meal Promise will be featured in Panera’s bakery-cafes and supported through digital and print advertising, including the Washington Post and parenting publications. To spark conversation, the company is also launching a social media campaign titled “Kids shouldn’t have to imagine what’s in their food,” featuring children drawing artificial additives they don’t recognize. To learn more, visit www.PaneraKids.com.

Third-Party Support
Josh Golin, executive director, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood: “We applaud Panera’s Kids Meal Promise, especially the pledge to avoid gimmicks, giveaways and other marketing techniques that exploit children’s developmental vulnerabilities. By letting their food speak for itself, Panera allows children to learn how to make food choices for the right reasons. And parents will appreciate a dining experience where the focus is family and food, not cartoon characters and toys.”

Ken Cook, president and co-founder, Environmental Working Group: “We at the Environmental Working Group welcome Panera’s new Kids Meal Promise. EWG has long made access to healthy food and clean eating a goal. As a parent, I know my child’s nutritional needs are a priority and the food he eats now will influence his dietary habits as an adult. It’s crucial to instill a good relationship with food from an early age to give my child important tools for a lifetime of healthy living. We all know that poor nutrition is linked to health problems, being overweight and obesity. Panera’s call-to-action should encourage restaurants and food manufacturers to improve the options we offer to children.”

Liz Weiss, M.S., R.D.N., author of family food blog, Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen, and co-host of Cooking with the Moms podcast: “Exposing children to a wide variety of colorful, flavorful, and healthful foods at a young age trains their taste buds to crave nutritious foods. I’ve seen it with my own two boys who’ve grown into adventurous eaters who, yes, even love vegetables. I’ve never been a fan of kids menus or ‘kid foods’, because children are best served when they eat what their parents eat, but in smaller amounts. I’m excited about Panera’s Kids Meal Promise and hope it serves as a model for other restaurants who share their same commitment to nutrition empowering our youngest eaters.”

Elizabeth M. Ward, M.S., R.D., author of MyPlate for Moms, How to Feed Yourself & Your Family Better: “As usual, Panera is thinking outside of the box with its commitment to making nutritious foods that kids will actually want to eat. I’m particularly excited about how the Panera Kids menu encourages children to eat the same types of foods as adults by actually offering Panera favorites in kid-size portions that taste great. That’s important to me as a mother and a nutrition expert.”

About Panera Bread
Thirty years ago, at a time when quick service meant low quality, Panera set out to challenge this expectation. We believed that food that was good and that you could feel good about, served in a warm and welcoming environment by people who cared, could bring out the best in all of us. To us, that is food as it should be and that is why we exist.

So we began with a simple commitment: to bake fresh bread every day in our bakery-cafes. No short cuts, just bakers with simple ingredients and hot ovens. Each night, any unsold bread and baked goods were shared with neighbors in need.

These traditions carry on today, as we have continued to find ways to be an ally to our guests. That means crafting a menu of soups, salads and sandwiches that we are proud to feed our families. Like poultry and pork raised without antibiotics on our salads and sandwiches. A commitment to transparency and options that empower our guests to eat the way they want. Seasonal flavors and whole grains. And a commitment to removing artificial additives (flavors, sweeteners, preservatives and colors from artificial sources) from the food in our bakery-cafes. Why? Because we think that simpler is better and we believe in serving food as it should be. Because when you don’t have to compromise to eat well, all that is left is the joy of eating.

We’re also focused on improving quality and convenience. With investments in technology and operations, we now offer new ways to enjoy your Panera favorites – like mobile ordering and Rapid Pick-Up for to-go orders – all designed to make things easier for our guests. As of June 28, 2016, there were 2,007 bakery-cafes in 46 states and in Ontario, Canada operating under the Panera Bread®, Saint Louis Bread Co. ® or Paradise Bakery & Cafe® names. For more information, visit panerabread.com or find us on Twitter (@panerabread), Facebook (facebook.com/panerabread) or Instagram (@panerabread).

Matters discussed in this news release relating to future events, including any discussion, express or implied, relating to the timing for removal of certain food additives from our kids meals, contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements are often identified by the words “believe,” “positioned,” “estimate,” “project,” “target,” “plan,” “goal,” “assumption,” “continue,” “intend,” “expect,” “future,” “anticipate,” and other similar expressions, whether in the negative or the affirmative, that are not statements of historical fact. These forward looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Our actual results and timing of certain events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including, but not limited to, those discussed from time to time in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10- K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2014 and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. All forward-looking statements and the internal projections and beliefs upon which we base our expectations included in this release are made only as of the date of this release and may change. While we may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we expressly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Media Contact:

Jonathan Yohannan
jonathan.yohannan@panerabread.com

Source: Panera bread

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Al Meera’s sales in 1H2016 grew 10.6%, from QR 1.22 billion to QR 1.35 billion vs the same period in 2015

QATAR, 2016-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Al Meera Consumer Goods Company (QSC) recently disclosed its semi-annual financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2016, with net profit attributable to the owners of the company amounting to QR 102.4 million.

Commenting on the company’s achievement, Al Meera stated that for the first half of the year, the company recorded gross profit of QR 215.4 million, representing an 8.0% increase, despite a drop in gross profit percentage from 16.3% (last period) to 16.0% (this period). Meanwhile, gross shops rental income increased by 50.1% from QR 23.3 million last year, to QR 34.9 million this year. Al Meera’s operating income also increased by 10.6% compared to the same period in 2015.

Al Meera’s sales for the first half of this year grew 10.6%, from QR 1.22 billion to QR 1.35 billion, compared to the same period in 2015.

These financial results come as a result of Al Meera’s expansion plans to serve the diverse communities in the state of Qatar and meet the needs of all citizens and residents wherever they are, with competitive prices that take into account all segments of society.

As of June 30, 2016, total equity stood at QR 1.33 billion on a capital base of QR 200 million, and earnings per share for the period was QR 5.12, a 1.5% increase from H1 2015.

Since its inception in 2005, Al Meera has reflected the natural evolution of cooperative enterprises, which were established during the last thirty years to meet the different needs of the Qatari community. Throughout the company’s decade-long history, Al Meera has remained committed to providing high quality products and services to its customers at competitive prices in a distinctive and ethical way.

Al Meera has proudly made progress in all areas, including developing an expansion strategy that matches with the Qatar National Vision 2030’s urban development plans. And today, Al Meera is pleased to announce that it is in the process of finishing the final stages for opening 5 stores out of the 14 announced last year, which are due to be open in the near future in Bu Sidra, North Sailiya (Al Miarad), Al Wakra (West), Leaibab 2, and Um Salal Ali.

Al Meera’s new community malls are constructed in a modern and contemporary design. Each mall includes a supermarket, along with shops, restaurants and other stores. The malls are also constructed in accordance with international standards and equipped with the latest interior designs and lighting systems that ensure a distinctive shopping experience.

To view the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Independent Auditor’s review report for the six month period ended June 30, 2016 (Statement), click here

Contact:
Tel: 40119111 – 40119112
Fax: +974 40119186
Email: admin@almeera.com.qa

Source: Al Meera

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Silverstone Classic: Expert mechanics restored a classic 1983 Range Rover using parts bought exclusively on eBay

San Jose, California, 2016-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — At the Silverstone Classic in the UK, mechanics completely restored a classic 1983 Range Rover using parts bough exclusively on eBay.

One classic car. One festival. Three days to restore a vehicle using parts bought exclusively on eBay.

That was the challenge at the recent Silverstone Classic and a team of expert mechanics were up for the task.

The Silverstone Classic is an annual motor racing festival attracting over 100,000 car enthusiasts and their families.

In addition to being the exclusive parts and accessories partner for the event, eBay’s tent also featured the “Restoration Challenge,” an endeavor to restore a classic 1983 Range Rover purchased on eBay with parts bought exclusively on eBay as well. The project was the first ever of its kind in the history of the Silverstone Classic.

“It’s always great when we get to bring the eBay brand to life,” said eBay’s Abbi Hague, one of the event’s organizers.

Led by expert mechanic Fergus Walkinshaw, the team completely restored a 1983 Range Rover in just three days. They began work early Friday morning and worked through the weekend, walking the live audience in attendance through every step of the restoration.

Effectively a complete overhaul of the vehicle, the restoration used 118 parts bought from 80 different sellers on eBay and included fundamental updates like replacing the car’s suspension and infrastructure as well as totally replacing the interior.

The festival also welcomed David Newell, the winner of the eBay Car Challenge. Similar to the Range Rover restoration project, eBay gave three car fanatics in the UK $4,000 to purchase parts on eBay and restore their respective vehicles. David’s 1973 MK3 Triumph GT6 beat out the competition and awarded him a spot at Silverstone.

The weekend’s activities were eBay’s first appearance at the Silverstone Classic. Matt Wilkin, from the UK eBay Motors team, described the weekend as a “fantastically well-organized event which united motor racing enthusiasts of all ages.”

Contact:

United States: press@ebay.com
Canada: canada.press@ebay.com

Source: eBay

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Staples to host special Teacher Appreciation Day nationwide on August 17

FRAMINGHAM, Mass, 2016-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Staples, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) is hosting a special Teacher Appreciation Day across the country to help teachers save while they prepare for the new school year. The first 100 teachers at each Staples store on Teacher Appreciation Day, Wednesday, August 17, will receive a free sample kit with special coupons; plus every teacher with a valid teacher ID will receive 10% off of their purchase.

“We appreciate all that teachers do for students so Staples is hosting our own Teacher Appreciation Day to help teachers save on their classroom supplies for the new school year,” said Christine Mallon, vice president of retail marketing, Staples. “Teachers will receive a special discount and coupons as well as season-long low prices on back-to-school essentials with the Less List for School.”

Teachers can take advantage of even more savings for back to school including:

  • Teacher Rewards – The Staples Teacher Rewards program gives educators up to 5% back in Staples Rewards on everything in store and online, including technology and services (excluding postage and phone/gift cards), up to 10% back in Rewards on teaching and art supplies and free shipping on online orders of $14.99 or more.
  • Exclusive Deals for Teachers – Now college students and teachers can sign up for exclusive offers and deals on featured brands for school.
  • Staples 110% Lowest Price Guarantee – Staples matches any competitors’ prices, plus gives customers an additional 10% of the difference between the Staples price and the competitor price at time of purchase.
  • Less List for School – Season-long lowest prices on back-to-school essentials such as composition books, two-pocket folders, pens, scissors, crayons and technology like calculators, USB drives, ear buds, batteries and more.
  • Weekly School Steals – Extra savings on popular items and can be found in the Staples weekly ad.

Teachers can find these deals and more on the Staples back-to-school center (www.staples.com/backtoschool).

Staples offers a broad assortment that’s in stock all season long so teachers can get everything they need for their classroom. An expanded assortment of teaching supplies, the top brands teachers want and more can all be found in Staples stores and online at www.staples.com/backtoschool.

Staples for Students Campaign Helps Teachers Bring Learning to Life
In addition to offering savings to teachers, Staples has once again joined forces with superstar Katy Perry to help teachers bring learning to life for students during the back-to-school season. Continuing its long-standing commitment to supporting education through the Staples for Students campaign, Staples donated $1 million to DonorsChoose.org, a charity that has funded classroom projects for teachers and has positively affected more than 18 million students across the country. Customers can help support teachers by donating $1 to DonorsChoose.org in Staples stores across the country. Donors will receive a free, exclusive Katy Perry pencil (while supplies last). Teachers can visit Donorschoose.org/teachers to connect to a community of donors and begin uploading classroom projects.

About Staples, Inc.
Staples retail stores and Staples.com help small business customers make more happen by providing a broad assortment of products, expanded business services and easy ways to shop, all backed with a lowest price guarantee. Staples offers businesses the convenience to shop and buy how and when they want – in store, online, via mobile or though social apps. Staples.com customers can either buy online and pick-up in store or ship for free from Staples.com with Staples Rewards minimum purchase. Expanded services also make it easy for businesses to succeed with in-store Business Centers featuring shipping services and products, copying, scanning, faxing and computer work stations, Tech Services, full-service Print & Marketing Services, Staples Merchant Services, small business lending and credit services.

Staples Business Advantage, the business-to-business division of Staples, Inc., helps mid-market, commercial and enterprise-sized customers make more happen by offering a curated assortment of products and services combined with deep expertise, best-in-class customer service, competitive pricing and state-of-the art-ecommerce site. Staples Business Advantage is the one-source solution for all things businesses need to succeed, including office supplies, facilities cleaning and maintenance, breakroom snacks and beverages, technology, furniture, interior design and Print & Marketing Services. Headquartered outside of Boston, Staples, Inc. operates throughout North and South America,Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. More information about Staples (NASDAQ: SPLS) is available at www.staples.com

Contact:

Kristine Houston
508-253-8468
Kristine.Houston@Staples.com

Carrie McElwee
508-253-1405
Carrie.McElwee@Staples.com

Source: Staples, Inc.

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Giant Tiger broaden its appeal to customers with launch of three new children’s private label brands later this month

Ottawa, Canada, 2016-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Giant Tiger is stepping up its game to woo a wider audience of price-conscious customers. In June, the Ottawa-based discount chain launched three new private label women’s fashion brands: Lily Morgan, MyStyle and ACX Active. The lines were promoted with Giant Tiger’s first-ever national advertising campaign, created by Yield Branding. Later this month, Giant Tiger is launching three new children’s private label brands. The moves follow a major store-remodelling program, which launched in 2013. Marketing spoke with vice-president of marketing Karen Sterling about how Giant Tiger is aiming to broaden its appeal and why discount has gone mainstream.

What’s driving the changes at Giant Tiger?
We’re always inspired by our customer. There was a tremendous amount of research done to really understand her lifestyle and needs. This is our time-starved mom who is also the CFO of her family. She really is focused on meeting her family’s needs and she’s looking for value and simplicity. If you can make her life easier, then it’s a win. And so, we took that insight and brought it into the stores. Over the past number of years, the company has been redesigning the stores to make it a much simpler, easier, one-stop shop. We’ve widened aisles, we’ve cleaned it up, we’ve removed a lot of the clutter and we’ve made it easy.

What was the thinking behind Giant Tiger’s first national marketing campaign?
We have retail flyers that show people the individual products and pricing. We needed to create a more engaging relationship with our customers… The campaign talks to a woman’s positive inner voice that reflects what’s important to her—be it herself, her acceptance of self, and important relationships with her partner and friends. Our customers, certainly via social media, have been overwhelmingly positive [about the campaign]. Our ACX Active line had a very body positive message that was well received. And people saw themselves—they saw real women in real situations, so we drove a lot of traffic into stores.

How will you get customers to think about Giant Tiger as a fashion destination?
There are two different target audiences. We’re in a lot of smaller towns and suburban communities, and many of our customers know our store. This is where we need to marry our store offering, our marketing and our in-store merchandising so that it becomes very apparent as they walk through the store what we’re offering. But, there are also people who don’t know our stores and we have really upgraded our overall store experience, the quality throughout the store, and what we offer. It’s about creating awareness and enough curiosity for them to say, ‘I didn’t know Giant Tiger had that, I should go there and check it out.’ And it’s really about driving their interest to explore our stores.

What is Giant Tiger doing on the ecommerce front?
While we carry thousands of products, our stores are only 16,000 to 25,000 square feet. So, we looked at ecommerce as a way of extending our aisle and we have an additional 6,000 products online that all have the same value proposition… Interestingly enough, we’ve had a lot of traction on the recent launch of ‘pick up in store’ because no one wants to wait at home for packages.

In looking at recent retail studies, one theme that always emerges is consumers are increasingly value conscious, so there’s a big opportunity for discount retailers. Is there a sense within the organization that you have to seize this opportunity?
I think that positioning of providing incredible value to customers has always been in our corporate DNA. That has been the founding principle for us. I think the difference now is everybody is budget-conscious. This is not a fringe or a low-income [market]—this is mainstream. Everybody is looking for value. We never take it for granted. We have very tough competition, so we always have to keep innovating, look for new ways to reduce costs and provide more customer value. So, yes, now is an opportune time for us to take advantage of that and expand the awareness of our brand. And that’s why you’ve seen the national campaign, and we plan to do more advertising, more private brands and more national brands at our stores. I think we have very exciting, positive growth momentum and we’re going to keep fuelling that with innovation.

About Giant Tiger:
In 1961, Giant Tiger Stores Limited opened its first store in Ottawa. The business was started with a very simple idea – keep the cost of operation low and sell a large volume of merchandise at everyday low prices. It is the adherence to this idea that has allowed Giant Tiger to grow to over 200 stores.

In 1968, another simple idea was incorporated into the Giant Tiger formula – franchising! Today most of our stores are franchised so our valued customers will be better served by having the owner in the store. Giant Tiger franchise owners become members of the community, sharing community concerns and serving community needs. Giant Tiger also helps to bring communities together. In 2014, Giant Tiger donated more than $2 million to more than 700 local associations and charities across Canada.

Giant Tiger offers a large assortment of casual clothing and footwear for the entire family including many of the latest fashion items at the lowest possible price. The identical quality and fashion items offered by major chain stores are sold at Giant Tiger often at remarkably lower prices. In addition, Giant Tiger provides everyday needs for families in groceries, confectionery, pet food, cleaning supplies, housewares, stationery, toys and health and beauty products.

Giant Tiger checks out as Canada’s low price Giant with our low prices every day, Ad Match Guarantee, Clawbacks throughout the store and our no time limit return policy. For more information about the company, please visit www.gianttiger.com , join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gianttiger or follow us on Twitter @GTboutique and on Four Square Giant Tiger Stores.

Media Contact:

Alison Scarlett
Manager, Public Relations and Community Activation

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Giant Tiger broaden its appeal to customers with launch of three new children’s private label brands later this month
Giant Tiger broaden its appeal to customers with launch of three new children’s private label brands later this month

 

Source: Giant Tiger

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Etsy sellers in the U.S. and U.K. can now export their Etsy sales and expenses directly into QuickBooks Self-Employed™

Etsy sellers in the U.S. and U.K. can now export their Etsy sales and expenses directly into QuickBooks Self-Employed™
Etsy sellers in the U.S. and U.K. can now export their Etsy sales and expenses directly into QuickBooks Self-Employed™

Brooklyn, NY, 2016-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Today (Aug 11, 2016) we’re excited to announce that Etsy is partnering with Intuit to offer Etsy sellers in the U.S. and the U.K. access to top-tier accounting software that will give them greater insight into their Etsy sales and expenses at a discounted price. By enabling Etsy sellers in the U.S. and U.K. to seamlessly export their Etsy sales and expenses directly into QuickBooks Self-Employed™, we’re thrilled to help sellers focus on their businesses, not their bookkeeping.

At Etsy, we’re focused on supporting our sellers as they start, manage, and grow their creative businesses on their own terms. We know that for every hour a seller spends making her products, on average, she spends another hour on the administrative tasks associated with running her business. Accounting is one area that we’ve repeatedly heard Etsy sellers identify as challenging and time consuming—in fact, a September 2015 survey of U.S. Etsy sellers found that almost half of sellers say accounting or tax prep is a challenge for their creative business. We believe in listening to the needs of our community and in offering services that add value, so we set out to find a way to address this particular pain point and free up more time for sellers to devote to their creative endeavors.

As a company, when we identify a new opportunity to help our sellers manage and grow their creative businesses, we carefully consider the best way to bring helpful tools to life. Sometimes we decide to build a new tool or service to offer our sellers; other times we opt to partner with industry leaders to develop solutions together. We believe Intuit to be the best-in-class accounting software and, in our conversations with the Intuit team, it was clear they share our passion for supporting creative entrepreneurs.

We asked Intuit to share a few words on the partnership and Alex Chriss, Vice President and General Manager of Self-Employed Solutions said, “At Intuit, we’re on a mission to create easy to use tools that make it easier for self-employed entrepreneurs to manage their business finances. We’re proud to offer Etsy sellers a tailor-made version of QuickBooks Self-Employed that simplifies tax time, and provides clear visibility into ‘real’ income throughout the year.”

Starting today, Etsy sellers in the U.S. and U.K. will be able to seamlessly export their sales data and business expenses directly into QuickBooks Self-Employed, which will help sellers differentiate business and personal expenses, and accurately track their profits and losses in one central hub. Using QuickBooks Self-Employed, sellers will be able to easily categorize fees, profits and business expenses, import sales and expense data from other channels like Square and PayPal, and estimate their quarterly taxes. These features will provide instant insights into cash flow and capture an accurate snapshot of the financial health of their business. Etsy sellers in the U.S. will also have the option to upgrade to the QuickBooks Self-Employed Tax Bundle, which will allow sellers to pay their quarterly and year-end taxes easily online.

Interested sellers in the U.S can head here, and U.K. sellers can head here, to learn more about Etsy’s integration with QuickBooks Self-Employed, and sign up to start simplifying their finances today.

Hailey Suyumov
Hailey Suyumov is a Product Manager on the Seller Services team at Etsy. She works with her team to create tools for sellers to start, grow and manage their shops.

Contact Etsy’s press and media folks: press@etsy.com

Source: Etsy

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Costco offered the best online prices according to comprehensive SKU count and pricing study conducted by Kantar Retail

Boston, 2016-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — For clubs like Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale, ecommerce presents both a threat and an opportunity. Though their membership model helps insulate clubs from some online erosion, club shoppers are also more likely than average to cross-shop online. At what point does online cross-shopping eat into club trips? With this question looming large, clubs are increasingly mindful of strategies that capture their shoppers’ online dollars.

To better understand how each club is positioning itself online, Kantar Retail conducted a comprehensive SKU count and pricing study of Costco.com, SamsClub.com, and BJs.com using data retrieved from Content Analytics. Across the board, Costco offered the best online prices. Between clubs, Sam’s Club and BJ’s had the most online SKUs in common, though comparable items between Costco and Sam’s were the most competitively priced.

• Comparing across all clubs, Costco was the most competitively priced online followed by Sam’s and BJ’s, respectively. Costco charges the highest membership fee ($55) of the clubs and this may help enable Costco’s low prices. The three clubs had only nine items in common. More comparable items were available between pairs of clubs, revealing that each club pursued a relatively distinct merchandising strategy.

• Costco and Sam’s shared 39 comparable online items with Costco priced lower on average. While Sam’s barely underpriced Costco on the majority of items, Costco won by a larger margin on select SKUs. Including discounts, Costco was even more competitively priced. Though this set had the fewest comparable SKUs, it was also the most competitive with smaller price differences.

• Costco and BJ’s shared 47 comparable online items, with Costco priced significantly lower than BJ’s. The difference was slightly less once discounts were included.

• Sam’s Club and BJ’s shared 353 comparable items and Sam’s was significantly cheaper than BJ’s. The price differential was smaller when discounts were included.

• By a wide margin, the largest category represented online included business or office-related supplies. This affirms that the clubs are also approaching online as a key platform for business members.

Minimal SKU overlap among the clubs suggests they are pursuing relatively differentiated online merchandising and pricing strategies to appeal to shoppers. For the shopper willing to pay five dollars more for the membership fee, the online pricing at Costco will be hard to beat. Though Costco boasts low prices, attracting shoppers including small businesses will increasingly require online merchandising that encompasses more than just price.

According to Tim Campbell, analyst at Kantar Retail, “For clubs to compete online effectively and boost their share of online shopping, item quality, convenience, delivery, services, and the user interface must be visible differentiators. This is one of several e-commerce analyses we’re undertaking at Kantar Retail that explore how online merchandising is evolving specifically in club and what this means for club members, the club retailers and their suppliers.”

“The right combination of assortment, price, quality of content and availability is key to winning in ecommerce, as evidenced by this latest Kantar Retail study. At Content Analytics we make ecommerce insights available to the world’s leading brands and retailers and help them sell more online with our market leading ecommerce Product Optimization Platform.”

About the Study
Using data retrieved from Content Analytics in May, Kantar Retail compared prices of like-for-like items with identical model numbers across all three clubs online and separately for each pair of clubs online (e.g., Costco and Sam’s, Costco and BJ’s, and Sam’s and BJ’s). All available SKUs with pricing information were analyzed, including 11,161 SKUs at Costco, 9,553 SKUs at Sam’s, and 16,945 SKUs at BJ’s. To eliminate regional pricing differences, the data was retrieved for a hypothetical online club shopper in the Sarasota, Fla., area.

Notes to editors:

About Kantar Retail
We are the retail and shopper specialists. We are a leading retail and shopper insight, consulting and analytics and technology business and part of Kantar, the data investment management division of WPP. We work with leading brand manufacturers and retailers to help them sell more effectively and profitably. At Kantar Retail we track and forecast over 1200 retailers globally and have purchase data on over 200 million shoppers. Amongst our market leading reports are the annual PoweRanking survey and the Digital Power Study. Kantar Retail works with over 400 clients and has 26 offices in 15 markets around the globe.

For further information, please visit www.kantarretail.com, or find us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Content Analytics
Content Analytics is the leading eCommerce Product Optimization Platform. Our end-to-end solution enables brands to store and catalog product content, syndicate content to multiple retailers and optimize sales through integrated analytics. With Content Analytics, brands gain deep insight into competitive pricing, on-site search rankings, content quality, product assortment and product availability. Once opportunities are identified, it’s easy to take action to improve.

For further information, please visit www.contentanalyticsinc.com.

Contact for Kantar Retail media queries:

Victoria Bradshaw
Global Communications Manager
Office: +44 (0) 1372 825 391
E-mail: victoria.bradshaw@kantarretail.com

Source: Kantar Retail

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Colruyt reopens its store in Soignies following renovation work

Halle, Belgium, 2016-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — On Wednesday 10 August, the renovated Colruyt store in Soignies will open its doors after a few months of renovation work. The store has been expanded by half its original size and restyled into a new-generation Colruyt store.

New-generation store
Store manager Frederic Mayne: “Colruyt renovates its stores to make them more efficient and to make shopping for customers more pleasant. When making renovations, we always aim at simplicity and the lowest costs, as our customers expect from us.”

Wider product range and new butcher’s department
The store’s sales area has been expanded to 1,800 m². Customers can now find a wider assortment in every department, in both the food and the non-food section. The freshmarket and the frozen products department for instance are now considerably larger. For fresh quality meat, customers can visit the brand-new butcher’s department. Head butcher Claude Troch: “Our customers have a nice overview of the range of meat, cold cuts and salads. And they can see the butchers at work in an open workshop. Customers can easily talk to them if they have questions or special orders.”

3 extra check-out points – 10 in total – ensure an even smoother service. And the car park was expanded.

Collect&Go shops for the customer
Colruyt Soignies now also has a Collect&Go pick-up point. Store manager Frederic Mayne: “Collect&Go is a handy Colruyt service where we shop for our customers. They send us their shopping list via collectandgo.be using their PC or smartphone, and the Collect&Go team has their products ready at the pick-up point on the day and time of their choice. It’s a handy service, and they save time!”

Special open evening
From Wednesday 10 March, store manager Frederic Mayne, head butcher Claude Troch and their 39 employees – 7 more than in the old store – will be on hand to welcome their customers at the revamped Colruyt Soignies.

Frederic Mayne: “The evening before, on Tuesday 9 August from 5 to 8 p.m.,everyone is invited for a store preview. During this special open house, customers will be offered snacks and a drink. Everyone is most welcome!”

For more information, please contact:

Johann Denis
(regional manager)
02 360 10 40

Hanne Poppe
(press officer Colruyt Group)
0473 92 45 10

Practical information:

Colruyt Soignies
Chemin Saint-Landry 10A
7060 Soignies

Opening times:
Mon – Sat:8.30 – 20.00
Fri:8.30 – 21.00

Open evening:
Tuesday 9 August from 17.00 to 20.00

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Colruyt reopens its store in Soignies following renovation work
Colruyt reopens its store in Soignies following renovation work

 

Source: Colruyt

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Kohl’s Corporation elects Adrianne Shapira as new board member

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis., 2016-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Kohl’s Corporation (NYSE: KSS) today announced that its Board of Directors elected Adrianne Shapira as a new board member, effective immediately. She has been elected to a term expiring at Kohl’s 2017 annual shareholders meeting and will be eligible for re-election by Kohl’s shareholders at that time. She will initially serve on the Board of Directors’ Governance and Nominating Committee.

“Adrianne is a great addition to our board,” said Kevin Mansell, Kohl’s chairman, chief executive officer and president. “Her strong financial expertise as well as her broad understanding of the retail industry will be valuable assets to Kohl’s.”

Shapira was the Chief Financial Officer of David Yurman, a fine jewelry luxury brand, from October 2012 to February 2016. Prior to joining David Yurman, she had a 13-year tenure at Goldman Sachs, where she was Managing Director in Global Investment Research covering the Broadlines Retail sector and the lead equity analyst covering the discount, department store, dollar store, warehouse club, apparel manufacturer, luxury and grocery sectors. Earlier in her career, Shapira served as an equity analyst at Robertson Stephens and Neuberger & Berman. Shapira currently serves as a director of The Hain Celestial Group, Inc., a leading global organic and natural products company.

Kohl’s Corporation also announced that Dale Jones resigned as a member of the Board of Directors of the company, effective as of August 9, 2016. Jones tendered his resignation due to scheduling conflicts with his other personal and professional commitments.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to thank Dale Jones for his many contributions to Kohl’s since joining our board in 2008,” Mansell said. “We wish him well in all of his future endeavors.”

About Kohl’s
Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a leading specialty department store with more than 1,100 stores in 49 states. With a commitment to inspiring and empowering families to lead fulfilled lives, the company offers amazing national and exclusive brands, incredible savings and inspiring shopping experiences in-store, online at Kohls.com and via mobile devices. Committed to its communities, Kohl’s has raised nearly $300 million for children’s initiatives nationwide through its Kohl’s Cares® cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl’s Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl’s Department Stores, Inc. For additional information about Kohl’s philanthropic and environmental initiatives, visit http://www.Kohls.com/Cares. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.Kohls.com.

Connect with Kohl’s:
Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/Kohls)
Twitter (http://twitter.com/Kohls)
Google+ (http://plus.google.com/+Kohls)
Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/Kohls)
Instagram (http://instagram.com/Kohls)
YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/kohls)

Contact:

Jen Johnson
Jen.Johnson@Kohls.com,
262-703-5241

Source: Kohl’s

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Weis Markets opens its newly remodeled Kutztown store

SUNBURY, PA,2016-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Weis Markets will celebrate the Grand Reopening of its remodeled store on at 15260 Kutztown Road in Kutztown on Thursday, August 11 at 10 a.m.

The store has an expanded natural and organics section as well as updated deli, bakery and seafood departments.  A 30-seat beer café with more than 900 varieties of local craft beers, including those brewed by Weybacher, Victory and Saucony Creek opened in July.  Customers can create their own six packs and beer can be purchased for takeout or on site consumption.

At the Grand Reopening celebration, the store will make $500 donations to three local organizations: the Kutztown Fire Company, Kutztown Optimist Club and the Kutztown Historical Society.

About Weis Markets
Founded in 1912, Weis Markets, Inc. (NYSE: WMK), in 1912, is a Mid Atlantic food retailer operating 167 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia. For more information, please visit: WeisMarkets.com or Facebook.com/WeisMarkets.

Contact:

1000 South Second Street
PO Box 471
Sunbury, Pennsylvania 17801
1-866-999-9347

Source: Weis Markets, Inc.

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Bloomingdale brings Hamilton The Musical merchandise in stores

New York, NY, 2016-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Bloomingdale’s has partnered with the groundbreaking musical Hamilton and Creative Goods Merchandise LLC as the retail partner for the show. Merchandise will be sold in dedicated pop-up shops in Bloomingdale’s 59th Street and SoHo locations beginning this week as well as www.bloomingdales.com.

Creative Goods Merchandise is proud to be a part of bringing the exclusive merchandise of Hamilton from Broadway to Bloomingdale’s in the first partnership of this kind. A leader in live entertainment merchandising, Creative Goods has built brands online and in theaters through artful product marketing since 2008. Founder and president Peter Milano partners closely with clients to develop, design, produce and market custom product lines that speak to audiences and evolve with each show, going beyond memorabilia to extend marketing reach. Creative Goods has worked with over 75 theatrical brands, with 32 currently live, including Hamilton, Blue Man Group, Chicago, Bright Star, Something Rotten, Finding Neverland, Waitress and the upcoming revival of Cats.

“We are thrilled to offer our customers a piece of the groundbreaking musical Hamilton,” said Anne Keating, senior vice president of public relations, special events, and corporate philanthropy at Bloomingdale’s. “Bloomingdale’s seeks relevant, of-the-moment partnerships to excite our consumers and there is nothing more electrifying right now in pop culture than Hamilton.”

Hamilton, now on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theater, has book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is directed by Thomas Kail, with choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and musical direction and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, and is based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton.

Hamilton is the story of America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington’s right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation’s first Treasury Secretary. Hamilton¿s score blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and Broadway – the story of America then, as told by America now.

For more information, visit www.hamiltonbroadway.com.

Source: Bloomingdale

 

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Sears Holdings Corporation to release financial results for its 2Q FY2016 on August 25, 2016

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., 2016-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) today announced the company currently plans to release financial results for its fiscal 2016 second quarter on or about Thursday, August 25, 2016.

About Sears Holdings Corporation
Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) is a leading integrated retailer focused on seamlessly connecting the digital and physical shopping experiences to serve our members – wherever, whenever and however they want to shop. Sears Holdings is home to Shop Your Way®, a social shopping platform offering members rewards for shopping at Sears and Kmart as well as with other retail partners across categories important to them. The company operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation, with full-line and specialty retail stores across the United States. For more information, visit www.searsholdings.com.

NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:

Sears Holdings Public Relations
(847) 286-8371

SOURCE Sears Holdings Corporation

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Sprouts Farmers Market announced the addition of Kristen Blum to its board of directors

PHOENIX, 2016-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (Nasdaq:SFM), one of the fastest-growing retailers in the country, today announced the addition of Kristen Blum to its board of directors.

“We are very excited to add Kristen to our board,” said Amin Maredia, chief executive officer and a director of Sprouts Farmers Market. “Kristen’s strategic orientation, strong business acumen and more than 25 years of experience in developing strategies and designing information technology solutions in the retail and consumer goods industries will be a tremendous asset to our company and our board.”

Blum currently serves as senior vice president and chief information officer of Frito-Lay, where she leads the technology agenda for PepsiCo’s $14 billion snack and convenient foods business. Blum previously served PepsiCo as senior vice president and chief information officer of Commercial Solutions, Innovation, Data and Analytics, where she was responsible for creating global, enterprise data and analytics solutions, as well as senior vice president and chief information officer of Enterprise Solutions. Blum also has served as executive vice president and chief technology officer of J.C. Penney Co. Inc. and senior vice president and chief information officer of Abercrombie & Fitch, where she oversaw the information technology function of each of these organizations.

“Sprouts has become one of the largest natural and organic retailers and developed broad consumer appeal by making healthy living easy and affordable,” said Blum. “It will be a privilege for me to work with the Sprouts board and management team to help move the company’s long-term strategy forward.”

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. is a healthy grocery store offering fresh, natural and organic foods at great prices. Sprouts offer a complete shopping experience that includes fresh produce, bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, packaged groceries, meat and seafood, deli, baked goods, dairy products, frozen foods, natural body care and household items catering to consumers’ growing interest in health and wellness. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Sprouts employs more than 23,000 team members and operates more than 240 stores in thirteen states from coast to coast. For more information, visit www.sprouts.com or @sproutsfm on Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact (including, but not limited to, statements to the effect that Sprouts Farmers Market or its management “anticipates,” “plans,” “estimates,” “expects,” or “believes,” or the negative of these terms and other similar expressions) should be considered forward-looking statements. These statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from expectations as of the date of this release. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks associated with the company’s ability to successfully compete in its intensely competitive industry; the company’s ability to successfully open new stores; the company’s ability to manage its rapid growth; the company’s ability to maintain or improve its operating margins; the company’s ability to identify and react to trends in consumer preferences; product supply disruptions; general economic conditions; and other factors as set forth from time to time in the company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including, without limitation, the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K. The company intends these forward-looking statements to speak only as of the time of this release and does not undertake to update or revise them as more information becomes available, except as required by law.

Investor Contact:

Susannah Livingston
(602) 682-1584
susannahlivingston@sprouts.com

Media Contact:

Donna Egan
(602) 682-3152
donnaegan@sprouts.com

Source: Sprouts Farmers Market

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Kinney Drugs honored as No.1 fundraiser for the American Heart Association’s Wear Red Day

Kinney Drugs honored as No.1 fundraiser for the American Heart Association’s Wear Red Day
Kinney Drugs honored as No.1 fundraiser for the American Heart Association’s Wear Red Day

 

Gouverneur, New York, 2016-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — A Gouverneur-based, employee-owned company has bested a Wall Street company to be the No.1 fundraiser nationally for the American Heart Association’s Wear Red Day.

Kinney Drugs, the drug store division of KPH Healthcare Services, Inc., received this top honor after raising $30,000 during their 2016 Heart Health campaign. This donation edged out all other companies in the nation, including Wall Street financial firm Morgan Stanley, which ranked #2 with a donation of $29,969.

“It’s a great honor to announce that our local, employee-owned Kinney Drugs raised the most money in the eight-state Founders Affiliate during our 2016 Wear Red Day campaign,” said Franklin Fry, executive director, American Heart Association Greater Syracuse. “According to our data, they are also No. 1 in the entire country. We congratulate them on this great accomplishment.”

Always the first Friday in February, Wear Red Day raises awareness about and the funds to fight heart disease in women. Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death for women. On Wear Red Day, businesses nationwide invite their staff to wear red and donate $5 each to the American Heart Association. Kinney Drugs extended this one day promotion to be a month-long campaign of awareness and fundraising, and invited their customers and vendors to donate, leading to the impressive total. Employees from all divisions of KPH Healthcare Services, including ProAct, Inc., Health Direct and Noble Health Services, also contributed to the fundraising efforts.

“This partnership was created in an effort to not only raise awareness for heart disease but to take action and to fight back,” said Jim Spencer, president of Kinney Drugs stores. “The continued support and generosity of our customers, employees and business partners is unparalleled. They are the reason Kinney Drugs has been recognized as the top fundraising company in the country!”

These funds will support what is raised throughout the year for the Syracuse Go Red For Women campaign. Bridget-ann Hart, R.Ph., president and CEO of KPH Healthcare Services, is serving for the third year on the executive leadership team for that campaign, which will culminate with the 2016 Go Red for Women Luncheon on Thursday, October 27, 2016 at the Oncenter, Syracuse.

“The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) is also immensely proud of the contributions Kinney Drugs has made towards the health of our community,” Fry said. “Not only have they taken steps such as moving tobacco products out of sightlines of customers in many of their stores and focused on the heart health of women throughout American Heart Month in February, they have also dedicated significant financial support for the work of the AHA/ASA. We are grateful to all those at Kinney Drugs, both staff and customers alike, for their contributions, which will allow the AHA/ASA to better meet its mission – working for a world free of heart disease and stroke.”

On Wednesday, July 20, Kinney Drugs presented the American Heart Association with their final Wear Red Day check. Company officials, American Heart Association representatives and local dignitaries gathered at the Kinney Drugs store at 174 West Bridge St., Oswego, New York. This store was selected because they raised the most money out of all Kinney Drugs stores in New York.

About Kinney Drugs
Kinney Drugs is the drug store division of KPH Healthcare Services, Inc., a leading pharmacy health care company that strives to provide the highest-quality pharmacy, health and retail services in the communities served. Founded in 1903 by Burt Orrin Kinney, Kinney Drugs now operates 100 drug stores in Central and Northern New York and Vermont, as well as a distribution center. Kinney Drugs is an employee owned company headquartered in upstate New York. For more information, visit www.kinneydrugs.com.

Contact:

JUDITH R. COWDEN
Senior Director of Marketing & Advertising
Kinney Drugs
6333 Route 298 – Suite 210, East Syracuse, NY 13057
mobile: 315.945.9458
email: cowdenj@kinneydrugs.com

Source: Kinney Drugs

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MIGROS MACHT WELLE 7 ZUM HOTSPOT FÜR ZEITGENÖSSISCHE KUNST

MIGROS MACHT WELLE 7 ZUM HOTSPOT FÜR ZEITGENÖSSISCHE KUNST
MIGROS MACHT WELLE 7 ZUM HOTSPOT FÜR ZEITGENÖSSISCHE KUNST

 

Schönbühl, Switzerland, 2016-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Das Kulturprozent der Migros Aare verstärkt sein Engagement in der Kunstförderung. Für das neue innerstädtische Center Welle 7 am Bahnhof Bern sind Kunstwerke von zehn zeitgenössischen Künstlerinnen und Künstler aus den Kantonen Bern, Aargau und Solothurn angekauft worden.

Nach Phasen des strukturierten Ankaufs von neuen Kunstobjekten wurden in den letzten Jahren über das Migros-Kulturprozent nur noch sporadisch Gemälde und Kleinskulpturen für die Kunstsammlung der Migros Aare angekauft. Ab diesem Jahr wird die Kunst-sammlung nun wieder gezielt erweitert. Ein erster Schwerpunkt beim Ankauf neuer Kunstwerke bildet die soeben eröffnete Welle 7, ein urbanes Center für Genuss, Business, Bildung und Einkauf direkt am Hauptbahnhof Bern.

Spannendes Spektrum
In der Welle 7 sind auf mehreren Etagen die neuesten angekauften Werke der Kunst-sammlung der Migros Aare zu sehen. Die entsprechende Auswahl der Neuankäufe wurde durch die Kunstkommission der Migros Aare getroffen. Vertreten sind insgesamt zehn zeitgenössische regionale Künstlerinnen und Künstler aus dem Einzugsgebiet der Genossenschaft Migros Aare (Kantone Bern, Aargau, Solothurn).
Dies sind die Kunstschaffenden, welche die Welle 7 auch zu einem Hotspot zeitge-nössicher Kunst machen:

– Urs Dickerhof (BE)
– Marianne Engel (AG)
– Annatina Graf (SO)
– Maia Gusberti (BE)
– Jerry Haenggli (BE)
– Olivia Notaro (BE)
– Milena Seiler (AG)
– Andreas Tschersich (BE)
– Dominique Uldry (BE)
– Martin Ziegelmüller (BE)

Vernissage am Freitag
Die Eröffnung der Ausstellung von aktuellen Neunkäufen der Kunstsammlung der Migros Aare findet am Freitag, 12. August 2016, 18.00 Uhr, im Restaurant The Flow in der Welle 7 (PostParc West direkt beim Bahnhof Bern) statt:

18.00 Uhr: Begrüssung durch Reto Wüthrich (Leiter Kommunikation, Kulturprozent & Sponsoring der Migros Aare und Mitglied der Kunstkommission)
18-19 Uhr: Rundgang durch die Welle 7 mit Eva Bigler (Leiterin Kunstsammlung der Migros Aare)
19-21 Uhr: Apéro im Restaurant The Flow
Anmeldung unter: kunstvernissage@gmaare.migros.ch

Medienkontakt:

Eva Bigler
Verantwortliche Kunstsammlung der Migros Aare
078 743 35 16
eva.bigler@gmaare.migros.ch

Source: Migros

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