Daily Archives: September 8, 2016

Posted on by

SUPERVALU INC. lowers its outlook for full-year adjusted EBITDA

MINNEAPOLIS, 2016-Sep-09 — /EPR Retail News/ — SUPERVALU INC. (NYSE:SVU) today (Sep. 8, 2016) announced that it is lowering its outlook for full-year adjusted EBITDA(1). Although recently announced new business in its Wholesale segment is expected to begin to positively contribute to results later this fiscal year, second quarter business performance in its Retail and Save-A-Lot segments has been softer than previously anticipated. Full year adjusted EBITDA(1) is now expected to be approximately 5.0% lower than last year.

Commenting on the outlook for fiscal 2017, President and CEO Mark Gross said, “Although we are seeing softness in portions of our business, I am excited and encouraged by the recent announcements pertaining to new customers for our core Wholesale segment and the opportunities that exist to further grow that business. In addition to the already announced two new large customers, we have recaptured some previously lost business from two other customers. We look forward to adding the volume from these new customers and do not expect any meaningful customer losses for the remainder of this fiscal year.”

The second quarter performance of the Company’s Retail segment has been impacted to a greater than anticipated degree by competitive openings and a challenging sales and operating environment for its stores. The second quarter performance of the Company’s Save-A-Lot segment has been impacted by deeper levels of deflation as well as lower levels of SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program) benefits compared to the first quarter. These factors affecting the Retail and Save-A-Lot segments are expected to impact the second half of the fiscal year as well. In addition, the second quarter performance at Save-A-Lot has been impacted by an aggressive rollout of store resets which is expected to benefit results at Save-A-Lot later in the year. The Company now expects the second quarter identical store sales percentage for its Retail stores and for Save-A-Lot’s store network will be lower than the first quarter identical store sales percentage. The Company’s second quarter ends September 10.

As previously announced, the Company will participate in the Goldman Sachs Global Retailing Conference in New York on Thursday, September 8, 2016 at approximately 11:20 a.m. (Eastern Time) and expects to address the Company’s outlook in more detail at that time. A live webcast of this event will be available through the SUPERVALU website at http://www.supervaluinvestors.com (click on microphone icon). A replay will be archived on SUPERVALU’s website by going to the “Investors” link and clicking on “Presentations and Webcasts.”

(1) The Company defines Adjusted EBITDA as Net earnings (loss) from continuing operations, plus Interest expense, net and Income tax provision (benefit), less Net earnings attributable to non-controlling interests calculated in accordance with GAAP, plus non-GAAP adjustments for Depreciation and amortization, LIFO charge (credit), certain employee-related costs and pension-related charges (including severance costs, pension settlement charges, multiemployer pension withdrawal charges, accelerated stock-based compensation charges and other items), certain non-cash asset impairment and other charges (including asset write-offs, store closures and market exits), certain gains and losses on the sale of property, goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges, costs related to the separation of businesses, legal settlement charges and gains, contract breakage costs and certain other non-cash charges or items as determined by management.

These items are omitted either because they are non-cash items or are items that are not considered in our supplemental assessment of our on-going business performance. Certain of these adjustments are considered in similar supplemental analyses by other companies, such as Depreciation and amortization, LIFO charge (credit) and certain other adjustments. Adjusted EBITDA is less disposed to variances in actual performance resulting from depreciation, amortization and other non-cash charges and credits, and more reflective of other factors that affect the Company’s underlying operating performance. There are significant limitations to using Adjusted EBITDA as a financial measure including, but not limited to, it not reflecting cash expenditures for capital assets or contractual commitments, changes in working capital, income taxes and debt service expenses that are recurring in the Company’s results of operations.

The adjustments for the Company’s first quarter fiscal 2017 include: net earnings attributable to non-controlling interests, $(1) million; income tax provision, $27 million; interest expense, net, $60 million; depreciation and amortization, $86 million; LIFO charge, $2 million; costs related to the potential separation of Save-A-Lot, $3 million; sales and use tax refund, $(2) million. The adjustment items occurring in the first quarter will continue for the balance of the fiscal year, with the exception of the sales and use tax refund. Additional non-cash or other adjustments not related to our on-going business performance may arise during the remainder of fiscal 2017. Adjustments for the Company’s fiscal 2017 second quarter are anticipated to include the following, a customer contract settlement gain, severance, impairment and employee benefit plan charges. For the second half of the year, the Company also anticipates a pension settlement charge. Each of the anticipated adjustments are preliminary and subject to change, and as a result, the Company is not currently able to provide guidance on Net earnings (loss) before continuing operations, which is the most comparable GAAP measure to Adjusted EBITDA.

About SUPERVALU INC.
SUPERVALU INC. 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.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELEVANT TO FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF “SAFE HARBOR” PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995.

Except for the historical and factual information contained herein, the matters set forth in this news release, particularly those pertaining to SUPERVALU’s expectations, guidance, or future operating results, and other statements identified by words such as “estimates,” “expects,” “projects,” “plans,” “intends,” and similar expressions are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including competition, ability to execute operations and initiatives, ability to realize benefits from acquisitions and dispositions, impact of exploration of possible separation of Save-A-Lot, reliance on wholesale customers and licensees ability to grow or maintain identical store sales, ability to maintain or increase margins, substantial indebtedness, labor relations issues, escalating costs of providing employee benefits, relationships with Albertson’s LLC, New Albertson’s Inc., and Haggen, intrusions to and disruption of information technology systems, impact of economic conditions, commodity pricing, governmental regulation, food and drug safety issues, legal proceedings, pharmacy reimbursement and health care financing, intellectual property protection, severe weather, natural disasters and adverse climate changes, disruption to supply chain and distribution network, changes in military business, adequacy of insurance, volatility in fuel and energy costs, asset impairment charges, fluctuations in our common stock price and other risk factors relating to our business or industry as detailed from time to time in SUPERVALU’s reports filed with the SEC. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. Unless legally required,SUPERVALU undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor Contact:
Steve Bloomquist
952-828-4144
steve.j.bloomquist@supervalu.com

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

Source: SUPERVALU INC.

Posted on by

JCPenney opens its only all-new location for 2016 at Inland Center in San Bernardino, Calif.

PLANO, Texas, 2016-Sep-09 — /EPR Retail News/ — JCPenney is giving shoppers in San Bernardino, Calif., the opportunity to get their Penney’s worth of style, quality and value in the convenience of their own backyard. The Company is opening its only all-new location for 2016 at Inland Center on Oct. 21, featuring the latest JCPenney brands and concepts in a sleek and modern store environment.

“JCPenney first opened in San Bernardino in 1916, and although we departed for a brief period, we’re proud to become reacquainted with the city we first met 100 years ago,” said Paul Mutshnick, JCPenney general manager. “Our team is thrilled to reward loyal customers – and surprise new shoppers – with an all-new store experience featuring an unparalleled merchandise assortment and excellent customer service.”

Sought-After Brands and Attractions
The 119,000-square-foot, two level store will display bold red JCPenney logos on its exterior, drawing customers to the most engaging store environment in the Company’s fleet. Easy-to-navigate aisles, vivid LED lighting and impactful graphics will highlight compelling merchandise from popular private brands such as Arizona®, Worthington®, Stafford®, and St. John’s Bay®; exclusive brands such as Liz Claiborne®, Collection by Michael Strahan™, and Boutique+™; and sought-after national brands such as Nike®, Levi’s® and Carter’s®.

If customers are unable to find a color or size they need in store, friendly associates can quickly order an item on jcp.com. Customers can also utilize the JCPenney mobile app for Apple or Android to locate and apply coupons at the register, as well as view special promotions. Additionally, the app enables users to scan an item’s barcode to access product information, read customer reviews or determine item availability online.  San Bernardino shoppers can also complete their jcp.com purchases with a variety of convenient shipping and pickup options, including ship to store and same-day store pickup.

The Magic of Disney
The store will also include the Disney shop inside JCPenney, offering over 300 exclusive toys, collectibles and children’s apparel featuring some of Disney’s most beloved characters, including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and more.  Customers can find an affordable selection of Disney-themed plush toys, dolls, figurine sets, sleepwear, role-play and fashion apparel for kids sizes 2-10.  The Disney Collection inside JCPenney will continually be updated to reflect new merchandise from recently released animated films

The Best in Beauty
The San Bernardino store will reveal a full-service Sephora inside JCPenney, the ultimate beauty destination. Located prominently within the center of the store, the 2,000-square-foot beauty paradise offers a wide assortment of prestige cosmetics, skincare, fragrance and accessory products in an open-sell environment. Customers are encouraged to touch, smell and sample products while specially trained beauty consultants offer a non-biased approach when recommending products.

The fashion and beauty experts at InStyle have partnered with JCPenney to create a cutting-edge salon experience called The Salon by InStyle, and the Inland Center store is among the first JCPenney locations to house the concept. The salon will dazzle San Bernardino customers with a modern color palette, engaging wall graphics and an extensive assortment of hair care products from Matrix®, Paul Mitchell®, Redken® and more. The Salon by InStyle stylists are trained to deliver an advanced approach to cuts, color and client service.

The San Bernardino store will also feature the Company’s updated center core environment. The space offers accessories, handbags, fashion jewelry, footwear and more in a distinguished and modern setting. Contemporary mannequins and displays elevate the visual presentation of the area, enticing customers to complete their look effortlessly, all in one place.

A Destination for Home
JCPenney is re-entering the major appliance business by introducing kitchen and laundry appliances to over 500 locations nationwide, including the new San Bernardino store. The Inland Center store will have over 100 models on display, showcasing refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers, washers and dryers from great brand names such as Samsung, LG and GE.  Appliances will be located adjacent to other popular home categories, with select display models styled in inspiring lifestyle vignettes to help customers visualize how it could look in their homes.

Additionally, the San Bernardino JCPenney will have an extensive window coverings selection to serve customers looking to refresh their homes. A trained staff of window coverings experts will assist shoppers with a wide range of products, including a broad selection of ready-made curtains, blinds, shades and decorative hardware.

Energy Efficient by Design
The San Bernardino store furthers the Company’s efforts in energy conservation by being certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as “Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR.” The store will incorporate features such as:

  • Energy-saving, long-lasting LED lighting throughout the store, as well as LED exterior signage.
  • Occupancy sensors to automatically dim lighting in stockrooms, offices and restrooms for increased energy savings.
  • A high-efficiency HVAC central plant, utilized to maximize energy conservation in both cooling and heating modes.

JCPenney has operated stores in California since 1914. The first San Bernardino JCPenney store opened in 1916 in downtown, and relocated to Central City Mall in 1973, where it operated until 2003. Inland Center JCPenney hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

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 customer’s shopping experience is worth her time, money and effort. Whether shopping jcp.com or visiting one of over 1,000 store locations across the United States and Puerto Rico, she 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 JCPenney 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.

Media Relations:
(972) 431-3400
jcpnews@jcp.com;
follow us at @jcpnews

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

Source: JCPenney

Posted on by

Meijer unveils interactive Heritage Center for the company history

Meijer unveils interactive Heritage Center for the company history
Meijer unveils interactive Heritage Center for the company history

 

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., 2016-Sep-09 — /EPR Retail News/ — Meijer announced today (September 8, 2016) that it is unveiling a Heritage Center rich with company history from its founder Hendrik Meijer’s first arrival in the United States through the retailer’s most recent innovations and expansions.

“Our grandfather and dad took a risk when they started this company in the midst of the Great Depression,” Co-Chairman Doug Meijer said. “But bringing innovations to their customers helped give their grocery store a future. At Meijer, we have a deep reverence for our history and culture, and are pleased to share this with the community that truly led to the company’s success.”

The interactive Meijer Heritage Center is designed to inform and inspire team members and visitors through 12 exhibition areas, including a theater, a selection of personal letters to the Meijer family from team members, suppliers and customers, 30 team member video interviews, and an array of artifacts that tell the Meijer story from its earliest beginnings to the present.

The 5,000-square-foot museum is located on the Meijer Corporate Campus in the Fred Meijer building, 2929 Walker Ave. NW in Grand Rapids, and was unveiled to team members this week at a ribbon cutting event.

The public and media are invited to an open house at the Meijer Heritage Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 10. Visitors should utilize the west entrance in the back of the building to attend the open house.

“We’re excited to be able to showcase the founding culture and history of Meijer from which our team has grown to be a leader in delivering the best value and innovation to our customers,” said Mark Meijer, a director on the retailer’s board of directors.

After this weekend’s event, the center will be open to the public for docent- and self-guided tours by appointment only.

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 can be found at www.meijer.com. Follow Meijer on Twitter @twitter.com/Meijer or @twitter.com/MeijerPR or become a fan at www.facebook.com/meijer.

Contact:
Christina Fecher
christina.fecher@meijer.com
616-735-7968

Source: Meijer

###

Posted on by

William Rast launches its Fall/Winter 2016 collection with Justin Timberlake and Trace Ayala

NEW YORK, 2016-Sep-09 — /EPR Retail News/ — William Rast announced today (Sept. 08, 2016 ) the launch of its Fall/Winter 2016 collection at several new national retailers including Macy’s, Nordstrom, Dillard’s, Belk, Bon-Ton, and Bloomingdale’s. Highlighting the new collection, the brand also premiered a short film and print campaign featuring co-founders Justin Timberlake and Trace Ayala. Directed by Anthony Mandler, the film showcases the continuing evolution of the brand’s Americana styled clothing.

“William Rast has always been important to us because it represents where we began – our southern roots – and we are excited to show the world where it can go as we evolve the collection,” said brand co-founders Justin Timberlake and Trace Ayala.

To coincide with the retail launch, the new collection will be featured on Macy’s Presents Fashion’s Front Row airing September 15th at 8 PM ET on the E! Network.  Macy’s will introduce the men’s and women’s collection starting today in-store and online at http://www1.macys.com/shop/featured/william-rast.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to expand the William Rast brand nationally through major distribution channels both in-store and online. Our ability to visually tell the lifestyle story of the brand through its founders Justin and Trace is the perfect narrative to celebrate the launch at retail,” said Jameel Spencer, Fashion Division President at Sequential Brands Group.

For the latest on William Rast, visit www.williamrast.com or follow @WilliamRast on Twitter/Facebook and @WilliamRastOfficial on Instagram. ­­

ABOUT WILLIAM RAST
The WILLIAM RAST brand was born in 2005 in Los Angeles, California, co-founded by Justin Timberlake and his life-long friend and business partner, Trace Ayala. William Rast is valued for delivering quality, fashion forward design and premium fit, and has become a staple for denim fans worldwide. Grounded in the iconography of American denim heritage and biker culture, yet re-packaged and presented in a contemporary context, WILLIAM RAST channels the renewed confidence and vision of people all over the world today. WILLIAM RAST combines the authentic qualities of American heritage with modern and sophisticated fits, fabrics, washes and techniques.

ABOUT SEQUENTIAL BRANDS GROUP, INC.
Sequential Brands Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SQBG) owns, promotes, markets, and licenses a portfolio of consumer brands in the home, active, and fashion categories, which includes the William Rast® brand. Sequential seeks to ensure that its brands continue to thrive and grow by employing strong brand management, design and marketing teams. Sequential has licensed and intends to license its brands in a variety of consumer categories to retailers, wholesalers and distributors in the United States and around the world.  For more information, please visit Sequential’s website at: www.sequentialbrandsgroup.com. To inquire about licensing opportunities, please email: newbusiness@sbg-ny.com.

For press inquiries regarding William Rast:
Sonia Muckle
sonia@m2mconstruction.com

For press inquiries regarding Sequential Brands Group:  
Jaime Cassavechia
jcassavechia@sbg-ny.com

Source: Sequential Brands Group/GLOBE NEWSWIRE

Posted on by

De eerste Albert Heijn to go op een BP tankstation in Nederland geopend

De eerste Albert Heijn to go op een BP tankstation in Nederland geopend
De eerste Albert Heijn to go op een BP tankstation in Nederland geopend

 

Zaandam, Netherlands, 2016-Sep-09 — /EPR Retail News/ — Vandaag is de eerste Albert Heijn to go op een BP tankstation in Nederland geopend. Bij BP tankstation De Vink aan de A20 bij Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel vinden klanten een Albert Heijn to go winkel met een breed aanbod van vers eten en drinken voor onderweg én thuis. De komende maanden worden nog eens vijf Albert Heijn to go’s geopend op BP tankstations verspreid over het land. Het gaat hier om een proef, waarvoor de twee partijen een exclusieve relatie voor de tankstation branche in Nederland zijn aangegaan.

De inrichting en het aanbod van de Albert Heijn to go op de BP tankstations zijn helemaal toegespitst op de wensen van de weggebruiker. Met meer dan 1.300 producten biedt de winkel het vertrouwde Albert Heijn to go assortiment, aangevuld met producten die populair zijn onder automobilisten. Al deze producten kunnen snel en gemakkelijk bij de scan&go-kassa’s worden afgerekend. Uiteraard kan de klant er ook nog steeds terecht voor car care producten, zoals Castrol motorolie en ruitensproeiervloeistof. Om extra gemak te bieden, is er bovendien een bol.com afhaalpunt waar klanten hun bestelde pakketje kunnen afhalen.

BP klanten blijven op de zes proeflocaties gewoon sparen voor FreeBees. Die krijgen zij hier op BP brandstofaankopen én Albert Heijn to go producten. Daarnaast kan met de Albert Heijn to go Koffiespaarkaart voor gratis koffie worden gespaard.

Ruben Beens, verantwoordelijk voor de retailactiviteiten van BP in Nederland: “Wij zien een sterk toenemende vraag van onze klanten naar etenswaren voor directe en latere consumptie. Samen met Albert Heijn to go ontwikkelden wij een concept met zeer gevarieerde producten om aan deze behoefte te voldoen. Albert Heijn to go is in dit segment de marktleider en heeft een goede reputatie op het gebied van product-innovatie met een continu wisselend aanbod van lekkere en gezondere etenswaren voor onderweg en thuis. In combinatie met BP’s toonaangevende producten en diensten bieden wij de weggebruiker hiermee alles wat hij nodig heeft op goed bereikbare locaties met ruime openingstijden.”

Jan-Willem Dockheer, general manager Albert Heijn to go: “Wij spitsen onze winkels altijd toe op de locatie om goed aan te sluiten op de behoefte van klanten die daar komen. Dat hebben we ook gedaan bij de winkel op BP tankstation De Vink. Vanaf vandaag kunnen automobilisten hier op elk moment van de dag terecht voor goed en lekker eten. Van salades en water met verse munt en framboos tot verse cappuccino met biologische melk, croissants en een goede bal gehakt.”

Opening Albert Heijn to go winkels op overige BP tankstations

Na BP tankstation De Vink worden de komende weken Albert Heijn to go winkels geopend op de volgende vijf BP tankstations:

  • BP Coentunnel, langs de A8 bij Oostzaan (opening 19 september)
  • BP Ypenburg, Laan van Hoornwijck, Rijswijk (opening 26 september)
  • BP Nieuwe Hemweg, Nieuwe Hemweg, Amsterdam (opening 3 oktober)
  • BP De Kroon, langs de A27 bij Nieuwegein (opening 10 oktober)
  • BP Koerhuis, Zutphenseweg, Deventer (opening 17 oktober)

Deze tankstations worden twee weken voorafgaand aan de openingsdatum gesloten om de benodigde werkzaamheden uit te voeren. Klanten worden hierover op de stations geïnformeerd.

Afdeling mediarelaties:
pers@ah.nl
088 6590 2020

Source: Albert Heijn

###

Posted on by

Albert Heijn: Extra distributiepunt (HUB) in Den Haag

Albert Heijn: Extra distributiepunt (HUB) in Den Haag
Albert Heijn: Extra distributiepunt (HUB) in Den Haag

 

Zaandam, Netherlands, 2016-Sep-09 — /EPR Retail News/ — Voor het thuisbezorgen van de boodschappen maakt Albert Heijn gebruik van drie landelijke distributiecentra en een aantal HUB’s. Een HUB is een plek aan de rand van de stad waar de online bestelde boodschappen met een grote vrachtwagen worden afgeleverd. Vanaf daar rijden kleinere bezorgauto’s de stad in.

Bestellingen van klanten in Den Haag worden op dit moment vanuit het distributiecentrum in Rotterdam bezorgd. Met de opening van de HUB in Den Haag kan Albert Heijn het groeiend aantal klanten in deze regio nog beter bedienen en rijden de bezorgauto’s minder kilometers. In Amsterdam wordt de bestaande HUB verplaatst naar een nieuwe locatie met meer ruimte, waardoor meer bestellingen vanaf die locatie in de stad thuisbezorgd kunnen worden. Ook dit leidt tot een vermindering van het aantal kilometers dat afgelegd wordt.

Albert Heijn wil thuisbezorging steeds milieuvriendelijker maken. Eerder dit jaar introduceerde Albert Heijn in Amsterdam daarom de bezorgfiets en een volledig elektrische bezorgauto. Het toevoegen van de nieuwe HUB in Den Haag en de uitbreiding van de HUB in Amsterdam zijn een volgende stap in de vermindering van de CO2 uitstoot.

Afdeling mediarelaties:
pers@ah.nl
088 6590 2020

Source: Albert Heijn

###

Posted on by

QVC and zulily to host a product search at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women on October 6 in Philadelphia

West Chester, Pa, 2016-Sep-09 — /EPR Retail News/ — For three decades, QVC has launched and fostered the growth of some of today’s most successful brands. Since 2010, zulily has been bringing customers special finds every day, at incredible prices, via zulily.com.

Now you have an opportunity to get your product on both companies’ radar.

QVC and zulily are hosting a product search at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women on October 6 in Philadelphia. Sign up on the conference website for your chance to present your product to an expert panel, including QVC host Rachel Boesing, zulily chief merchant Lori Twomey, QVC director of vendor education, engagement and  discovery Heather McNicholl, QVC household/garden associate buyer Christine Dunn, and QVC beauty buyer Ariana Sweet.

You’ll have 10 minutes with the panel. Be prepared to describe the following:

  • The personal idea behind the product
  • Research that indicates a market need
  • Your target market
  • The key benefits of your product
  • Competitive products and how yours is different or better
  • Your suggested price point

You’ll receive instant feedback on your product – and maybe a chance to work with one or both of these dynamic retailers.

Media Inquiries:

P: 484.701.1647

Source: QVC

Posted on by

Sports medicine: Sway ConcussionTest iOS app available for purchase on swaymedical.com

sway-medical-turns-iphone-into-mobile-medical-device-for-objective-concussion-measurement

TULSA, OK, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Sway Medical LLC (Sway) would like to announce its official availability in all European Union Countries. Sway was issued its CE Mark after being marketed in the United States and Canada for two years. This is significant because European sports organizations ranging from youth through pro level now have an affordable and convenient sideline assessment tool supporting concussion related medical decision making. Medical professionals and trained coaches can obtain a concussion assessment via an Apple mobile device (iPhone or iPad) and the Sway Balance™ System web-portal. Acute objective measurements are obtained by performing a 1.5 minute balance and reaction time test protocol. Licensed athletic trainers, physical therapists and athletic therapists are able to join physicians in acutely managing the underserved market of youth sports, ages six and older.

Concussion injuries are very common in sports, often going un-reported or ignored until the obvious symptoms have incapacitated the athlete or draws the attention of a parent or coach. Second Impact Syndrome (SIS) is a serious medical condition with published mortality rates of up to 50%. SIS occurs when an athlete returns to play while still recovering from an initial concussion injury. During this time, the brain is highly susceptible to additional injury and complications. The Sway Balance™ System is able to accurately assess and track the acute and chronic outcome related to an athlete’s balance, motion reaction time and concussion symptoms. The Sway Balance™ System provides a graphical representation comparing suspicious injury event tests against a pre-injury “normative” or baseline score. The comparison of event tests against an established baseline is a common measurement for traumatic brain injury diagnosis and recovery tracking.

The Sway Balance™ System is available for purchase by licensed medical professionals involved in school, occupational or sports medicine through www.swaymedical.com. Additional protocols are available to assess an individual’s “Fall Risk” or “Functional Status”.

SOURCE: EuropaWire

Posted on by

Best Buy Geek Squad Academy offers tips on how to keep our children safe online

Best Buy Geek Squad Academy offers tips on how to keep our children safe online
Best Buy Geek Squad Academy offers tips on how to keep our children safe online

 

Minneapolis, MN, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — The internet can be a fantastic learning tool, but some aspects aren’t so positive. With school back in session, now is the perfect time to talk to your kids about online safety.

We talked to Geek Squad Agent Will Woodworth, who teaches students about digital citizenship at our Geek Squad Academy camps, to learn more about what we can do to help keep our children safe. Here are a few tips.

1) Talk with your child about online safety

First things first, talk to your child about the importance of online safety and being a good digital citizen. Learn about what sites he or she likes to visit, and teach him or her how to evaluate the credibility of information they read online.

This can also serve as an opportunity to arm your son or daughter with the tools they need to mentally and emotionally deal with cyberbullying, sexting and other forms of abusive behavior that can follow them home from school these days. And it’s good to educate them about the real-life ramifications that inappropriate posts can have on their reputation (and potentially even their future careers).

“The goal isn’t to scare students about the content on the internet, but instead to try to help them make good decisions,” Will said.

2) Establish guidelines for internet usage

The internet is an excellent educational and recreational resource for children, but it’s still smart to set limits regarding screen time and the type of content they access. Stay involved with their internet usage and watch for behaviors that might need to be addressed.

“Trusting children is a good way to start,” Will said. “It’s generally best to only correct behavior that you have found to be a problem rather than trying to correct behaviors that haven’t existed yet.”

That said, it’s probably a good idea to set up parental controls on all internet-enabled devices to protect your child from unseemly content. And if you suspect any inappropriate activity, there are ways to more closely monitor or limit your child’s online activity. For example, you can set time restrictions on internet access for certain devices.

One more idea: Encourage students to create more than they consume. Instead of watching five hours of YouTube videos a day, perhaps they can use YouTube as a resource for learning how to do something new.

“It’s neat because it’s self-correcting,” Will said. “It’s not a parent being the bad guy by saying you can’t use YouTube. Instead, it’s trying to help students make the right decision on their own.”

3) Help your child curate his or her friend list

Be sure to talk to your children about who they are friends with online and how they know those people. Help them curate their friend lists to ensure they only include people they actually know in real life.

“Talk about the trust that goes into being friends with somebody and how that relates to the things they have access to just by looking at your profile as a ‘friend’ rather than a member of the public,” Will said. “If you accept a friend request from somebody you don’t really know, they gain access to personal information about you without ever corresponding directly with you.”

Help your son or daughter update the default settings on social media tools to “friends only.” And remind them not to give out personal information online or agree to meet people without you being present.

4) Encourage kids, and parents, not to broadcast their locations

Make sure your child isn’t announcing his or her location to the world by including geotagging information or easily identifiable images on social media posts.

“A good idea is to have your kids post location-based updates only after they’ve departed from that location,” Will said.

Parents, this advice goes for you, too. Don’t post photos of your children that clearly display your home address, the location of the bus stop or the site of after-school activities.

5) Emphasize the need to protect passwords

Explain to your children the importance of protecting their identities. Help them choose strong passwords for all accounts and encourage them to never share those passwords with anyone else, even close friends.

“Think of what could happen if someone were to have access to your accounts without your knowledge, making posts that look like they are from you because you used a password that is too simple or reused passwords on multiple websites,” Will said.

For more online safety tips, watch this video or stop into your local Best Buy store.

Source: Best Buy

###

Posted on by

General Growth Properties’ COO Shobi Khan to participate at the Evercore ISI 2016 Real Estate Conference

CHICAGO, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — General Growth Properties, Inc. (NYSE: GGP)(the “Company”) today (September 7, 2016) announced that Shobi Khan, Chief Operating Officer, will participate in a panel discussion titled “RETAIL – WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FACING TODAY’S LANDLORDS?” at the Evercore ISI 2016 Real Estate Conference in New York on September 8, 2016, at 2:45 p.m. Eastern Time.

Live Webcast: http://www.veracast.com/webcasts/evercoreisi/realestate2016/22110147144.cfm

An online replay will be available for one month after the event.

About General Growth Properties, Inc.
General Growth Properties, Inc. is an S&P 500 company focused exclusively on owning, managing, leasing, and redeveloping high-quality retail properties throughout the United States. GGP is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol GGP.

CONTACT:
General Growth Properties, Inc.
Kevin Berry
SVP Investor & Public Relations
kevin.berry@ggp.com
(312) 960-5529

Source: General Growth Properties, Inc.

Posted on by

X5 announces development and optimization of its logistics infrastructure in north-west Russia and opens distribution centre in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — X5 Retail Group (“X5” or the “Company”), a leading Russian food retailer (LSE ticker: “FIVE”), announces the development and optimization of its logistics infrastructure in the north-west of Russia and the opening of a distribution centre (DC) in St. Petersburg.

With over 27,000 sq m of space, the St. Petersburg – Yug logistics facility will supply 889 Pyaterochkas in eight regions: St Petersburg plus the Leningrad, Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Novgorod, Murmansk and Pskov regions, as well as the Republic of Karelia. The DC covers a total of 298 cities, towns and villages in the Northwestern Federal District. Featuring five storage zones, each with distinct temperature zone, the facility is designed to accommodate all categories of goods.

St. Petersburg – Yug marks a new milestone in the development of X5’s logistics infrastructure in the north-west of Russia, with the aim of optimising the number of DCs in the Federal District while also increasing capacity and capabilities. This is the first in a series of multi-format, next-generation DCs the Group will use to ensure the availability and freshness of products during Pyaterochka’s rapid expansion, while also cutting logistics costs.

X5 Retail Group invited managers of over 60 suppliers from St Petersburg, the Leningrad, Pskov, Novgorod and Vologda regions to take part in the ceremony. The launch of the new logistics facilities offers them vast opportunities to develop cooperation with X5’s retail chains, materially reducing logistics costs and boosting supplies to X5 stores, including through wider geographic reach.

At its full capacity, St. Petersburg – Yug will be able to process and handle products from over 200 local suppliers. Currently, the share of local supplies in the offering of Pyaterochka stores in the north-west of Russia stands at 27%, while in some categories (like bread and bakery) it reaches as much as 95%.

This advanced logistics facility is X5’s second DC to open in St. Petersburg this year and the sixth one launched across Russia in 2016. Previously, X5 opened five distribution centres with a total area of 164.5 thousand sq m: one each in St Petersburg, the Moscow region and Chelyabinsk, and two in the Republic of Adygea.

The opening of St. Petersburg – Yug has helped create almost 500 additional jobs in the region.

Contact:

Oleg Poletaev
Head of PR
E: pressa@x5.ru
E: oleg.poletaev@x5.ru
T: +7 (495) 662-88-88, ext. 22-209

Source: X5 Retail Group

Posted on by

Ahold Delhaize ranks among industry leaders in Food and Staples Retailing sector in the 2016 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index

Zaandam, the Netherlands, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Ahold Delhaize was recognized today in the 2016 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) for the first time as a new company, ranking among the industry leaders in the Food and Staples Retailing sector.

Ahold Delhaize received a total score of 79, well above the Food and Staples Retailing industry average score of 44. The DJSI World is a leading benchmark for investors who integrate sustainability considerations into their portfolios.

“Inclusion in the Index strengthens my belief that as Ahold Delhaize, together our brands can make an ever bigger difference in local communities – and the world,” said Ahold Delhaize CEO Dick Boer. “The brands[1] of Ahold Delhaize share a commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of customers, associates and the communities we serve. We will continue building our sustainable retailing strategy with a focus on promoting healthier eating, reducing food waste and creating healthy and inclusive workplaces.”

Boer noted that Ahold Delhaize performed particularly well in several significant categories, including health & nutrition, raw material sourcing and human capital development and with a performance well-balanced between economic, environmental and social criteria. “This reflects the outstanding efforts and contributions of the 375,000 associates of our local brands operating in eleven countries,” he said.

Ahold Delhaize was formed from the merger between Ahold and Delhaize Group in July 2016. Both companies were each included as industry leaders in the Food and Staples Retailing sector in the 2015 DJSI and have strong track records in sustainability.

As the 2016 ranking was completed prior to the merger, Ahold and Delhaize Group were scored separately. Their individual scores were then combined, using a weighted calculation based on the pre-merger value of their market shares.

The DJSI World, started in 1999 as the first global sustainability benchmark, tracks the performance of the world’s leading companies against economic, environmental and social criteria.

For more information about Ahold Delhaize and its sustainable retailing priority areas, please visit www.aholddelhaize.com/en/sustainable-retailing.

Media Contacts:

Email: media.relations@aholddelhaize.com
Phone: +31 88 659 9111

Source: Ahold Delhaize Group

Posted on by

Morrisons rolls out a checkout promise to open extra checkouts when queues are building

Bradford, England, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Today [8 September 2016] Morrisons will roll out a checkout promise that it will open extra checkouts for customers if there is more than one person ahead of them in a queue.

The pledge comes after Morrisons listened carefully to customers who said that queuing was their top frustration in supermarkets (70%) ahead of unhelpful service (67%) and poor quality products (66%).

  • Research conducted for Morrisons found the average person can only last a maximum of 6m 48s in a queue before losing their patience.
  • So, Morrisons checkout managers will now be directing customers to newly-opened checkouts when they see queues building.
  • Thousands of Morrisons staff have been trained so that they can quickly turn to operating a checkout when stores become busy.
  • Gary Mills, Morrisons Retail Director, said: “While we are proud to have one of the shortest queue times in the industry[1] we want to serve our customers better. Our new checkout promise will ensure our eleven million customers get the best shopping trip possible even as our stores become busier.”
  • Morrisons research reveals that the average British shopper spends three months of their life waiting in line[2] – the equivalent of one day a year. It also found that more than half of UK adults (56 per cent) avoid shopping at places known for queues and that two thirds (64 per cent) would leave shops rather than join queues at tills.
  • [1] Which Survey 2016
    [2] Based on average life expectancy of 87.5 years, with women at 89 and men at 86, according to Office of National Statistics National Life Tables UK: 2012-2014

For all media enquiries call: 0845 611 5111

Source: Morrisons

Posted on by

CarMax to release sales and earnings for the second quarter ended August 31, 2016 on September 21, 2016

RICHMOND, Va., 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — CarMax, Inc. (NYSE:KMX) today (Sep. 7, 2016) announced details of its investor conference call to be conducted in conjunction with the release of sales and earnings for the second quarter ended August 31, 2016.

September 21, 2016 – Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2017 Earnings Conference Call

On September 21, CarMax will release sales and earnings for the second quarter ended August 31, 2016, and will host a conference call for investors at 9:00 a.m. ET. Investors may access the call as follows:

  • Dial 1-888-298-3261 (international callers dial 1-706-679-7457). The conference ID is 24693784.
  • A live webcast also will be available at investors.carmax.com.
  • A webcast replay of the call will be available at investors.carmax.com through December 19, 2016. A telephone replay also will be available through September 28, 2016, and may be accessed by dialing 1-855-859-2056 (international callers dial 1-404-537-3406). The conference ID is 24693784.

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 and for 12 consecutive years has been named as one of the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For®. 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.

Investors Contact:
Katharine Kenny
Vice President
Investor Relations
(804) 935-4591

Celeste Gunter
Manager
Investor Relations
(804) 935-4597

Media Contact:
pr@carmax.com
(855) 887-2915

Source: CarMax, Inc.

Posted on by

Levi Strauss & Co. announces the appointment of David Love EVP and president of Levi Strauss Asia, Middle East and Africa

SAN FRANCISCO, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) today (September 7, 2016) announced that David Love, currently executive vice president, Global Supply Chain, and chief transformation officer, has been appointed executive vice president and president of Levi Strauss Asia, Middle East and Africa. Liz O’Neill, currently senior vice president, product development and sourcing, has been appointed chief supply chain officer. Love remains a member the company’s worldwide leadership team, and O’Neill will join the worldwide leadership team. Both will report directly to Chip Bergh, president and CEO of LS&Co.

Love is an LS&Co. veteran with more than 30 years of product development and sourcing experience throughout the supply chain. In his new post, he will be responsible for leading the company’s commercial operations, spanning all brands and channels, across Asia, the Middle East and Africa (AMA).

“David is a valued and trusted leader at LS&Co. who brings a deep understanding of how our business operates to his new role as AMA president,” said Chip Bergh, president and CEO. “David has made significant contributions to the success of our business in his roles as the leader of our global supply chain and as our chief transformation officer. Liz has been a valuable thought partner and leader in driving substantial cost savings and increasing the quality of our strategic partnerships.”

Love joined LS&Co. in 1982 as a manager of technical services working in our manufacturing facility in the United Kingdom. Since then, he’s held global positions throughout the supply chain, including production, product development, product services and sourcing. He has closely partnered with design and brand merchandising to encourage product innovation, increase speed to market and foster commitment to quality. Love is a proven operator — one who has consistently delivered outsized results by helping to unlock the value of the company’s global network and partnerships while championing sustainability.

O’Neill joined LS&Co. in 2013 to lead global supply chain sourcing and strategy. In this role, she is responsible for the global development, sourcing and delivery of LS&Co. products shipped to more than 100 countries. She has built strategic partnerships to improve supply chain agility while supporting investment in environmental sustainability initiatives and LS&Co.’s Worker Well-being program. In her new role, O’Neill is also responsible for the company’s worldwide Terms of Engagement and Environment, Health and Safety. Prior to LS&Co., she spent 13 years at Gap, Inc., overseeing sourcing and production for Gap’s global brands. She has also worked for The Disney Store in Los Angeles and Abercrombie & Fitch in Ohio.

About Levi Strauss & Co.
Levi Strauss & Co. is one of the world’s largest brand-name apparel companies and a global leader in jeanswear. The company designs and markets jeans, casual wear and related accessories for men, women and children under the Levi’s®, Dockers®, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co.™, and Denizen® brands. Its products are sold in more than 110 countries worldwide through a combination of chain retailers, department stores, online sites, and a global footprint of approximately 2,800 retail stores and shop-in-shops. Levi Strauss & Co.’s reported fiscal 2015 net revenues were $4.5 billion. For more information, go to http://levistrauss.com.

Investor Contact:
Chris Ogle
Levi Strauss & Co.
(800) 438-0349
Investor-relations@levi.com

Media Contact:
Amber Rensen
Levi Strauss & Co.
(415) 501-7777
newsmediarequests@levi.com

Source: Levi Strauss & Co.

Posted on by

DAVIDsTEA Inc. announces financial results for the three months and six months ended July 30, 2016

MONTREAL, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — DAVIDsTEA Inc. (Nasdaq:DTEA) today (Sept. 07, 2016) announced financial results for the three months and six months ended July 30, 2016.

For the three months ended July 30, 2016:

  • Sales increased by 25.3% to C$41.1 million from C$32.8 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. Comparable sales increased by 5.1%.
  • Gross profit increased by 23.6% to C$19.9 million from C$16.1 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015, while gross profit as a percent of sales decreased to 48.5% from 49.0% in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. The decrease in gross profit as a percent of sales was driven primarily by the adverse impact of the stronger U.S. dollar on U.S. dollar denominated purchases, partially offset by supply chain efficiencies. On a constant currency basis, gross profit as a percent of sales increased 10 basis points to 49.1%.
  • Selling, general and administration expenses (“SG&A”) increased to C$22.8 million from C$18.2 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015, due primarily to the hiring of additional staff to support the growth of the Company, higher store operating expenses to support the operations of 208 stores as of July 30, 2016 as compared to 165 stores as of August 1, 2015, as well as newly incurred public company costs. As a percent of sales, SG&A decreased to 55.5% from 55.6% in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. Excluding the loss on disposal of property and equipment in the prior year period, SG&A increased to C$22.8 million from C$17.9 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. As a percent of sales, SG&A excluding the loss on disposal of property and equipment in the prior year period increased to 55.5% from 54.6%.
  • Results from operating activities were C$(2.9) million as compared to C$(2.2) million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. Excluding the loss on disposal of property and equipment in the prior year period, results from operating activities decreased to C$(2.9) millionfrom C$(1.9) million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015.
  • The Company opened 10 net new stores in the second quarter of fiscal 2016 and ended the quarter with a total of 208 stores inCanada and the U.S. This represents an increase of 26% from the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2015.
  • Net income was C$(2.3) million compared to C$(52.1) million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015 which, as previously stated, includes a C$50.2 million non-cash loss associated with the embedded derivative on Series A, A-1 and A-2 preferred shares as all preferred shares were converted into common shares in conjunction with the IPO transaction (see Reconciliation of IFRS basis to Adjusted net income (loss) table). Adjusted net income, which excludes IPO-related and other one-time income or expenses in the prior year period (see Reconciliation of IFRS basis to Adjusted net income (loss) table), was C$(2.3) million compared to C$(1.6) million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015.
  • Adjusted EBITDA was C$0.2 million compared to C$0.2 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. Adjusted EBITDA excludes IPO-related and other non-cash or one-time costs (see Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA table).
  • Fully diluted income per common share was C$(0.09) compared to C$(2.73) in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. Adjusted fully diluted income per common share, which is adjusted net income on an adjusted fully diluted weighted average shares outstanding basis (see Reconciliation of fully diluted weighted average common shares outstanding table), was C$(0.09) per share compared toC$(0.07) per share in the second quarter of fiscal 2015.

Sylvain Toutant, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We are pleased with our second quarter results which are a testament to the strength of our brand and the progress we continue to make on our goals. In the U.S., strong e-commerce sales were offset by our store sales which were lower than expected. We continue to refine the U.S. model, learn from our customers and remain enthusiastic and focused on the expansion opportunity we see for our brand.”

Mr. Toutant concluded, “Given our first half performance and our outlook for the rest of the year, we are reaffirming our previously provided FY16 guidance. We are excited about our innovative product pipeline and marketing line-up for holiday that we believe will resonate with our customers, and we remain focused on delivering continued progress against our strategic priorities of building the brand, growing our store base and e-commerce footprint, driving profitability and realizing the significant potential we believe exists for this business.”

For the six months ended July 30, 2016:

  • Sales increased by 24.6% to C$85.5 million from C$68.6 million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015. Comparable sales increased by 5.0%.
  • Gross profit increased by 22.8% to C$43.1 million from C$35.1 million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015, while gross profit as a percent of sales decreased to 50.3% from 51.2% in the comparable period in fiscal 2015. The decrease in gross profit as a percent of sales was driven primarily by the adverse impact of the stronger U.S. dollar on U.S. dollar denominated purchases, partially offset by supply chain efficiencies. On a constant currency basis, gross profit as a percent of sales increased 60 basis points to 51.8%.
  • Selling, general and administration expenses (“SG&A”) increased to C$43.9 million from C$35.2 million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015, due primarily to the hiring of additional staff to support the growth of the Company, higher store operating expenses to support the operations of 208 stores as of July 30, 2016 as compared to 165 stores as of August 1, 2015, as well as newly incurred public company costs. As a percent of sales, SG&A increased to 51.4% from 51.3% in the comparable period in fiscal 2015. Excluding the loss on disposal of property and equipment in the prior year period, SG&A increased to C$43.9 million from C$34.9 million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015. As a percent of sales, SG&A excluding the loss on disposal of property and equipment in the prior year period increased to 51.4% from 50.9%.
  • Results from operating activities were C$(0.9) million as compared to C$(4.1) million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015. Excluding the stock-based compensation expense related to cashless exercise and the loss on disposal of property and equipment in the prior year period, results from operating activities decreased to C$(0.9) million from C$0.2 million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015.
  • The Company opened 15 net new stores in the comparable period in fiscal 2016 and ended the period with a total of 208 stores inCanada and the U.S. This represents an increase of 26% from the end of the comparable period in fiscal 2015.
  • Net income was C$(0.8) million compared to net income of C$(145.3) million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015 which, as previously stated, includes a C$140.9 million non-cash loss associated with the embedded derivative on Series A, A-1 and A-2 preferred shares as all preferred shares were converted into common shares in conjunction with the IPO transaction (see Reconciliation of IFRS basis to Adjusted net income (loss) table). Adjusted net income, which excludes IPO-related and other one-time income or expenses in the prior year period (see Reconciliation of IFRS basis to Adjusted net income (loss) table), was C$(0.8) million compared to C$(0.5) million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015.
  • Adjusted EBITDA was C$4.7 million compared to C$4.2 million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015. Adjusted EBITDA excludes IPO-related and other non-cash or one-time costs (see Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA table).
  • Fully diluted income per common share was C$(0.03) compared to C$(9.35) in the comparable period in fiscal 2015. Adjusted fully diluted income per common share, which is adjusted net income on an adjusted fully diluted weighted average shares outstanding basis (see Reconciliation of fully diluted weighted average common shares outstanding table), was C$(0.03) per share compared toC$(0.02) per share in the comparable period in fiscal 2015.

Balance sheet highlights as of July 30, 2016:

  • Cash: C$60.6 million.
  • Total liquidity (cash plus availability on a C$20.0 million revolving facility): C$80.6 million.

Third Quarter and Fiscal 2016 Outlook:

For the third quarter of fiscal 2016, sales are expected to be in the range of C$43.0 million to C$44.0 million based on opening 15 new stores and assuming a comparable sales increase in the low-single digit range. This low-single digit expected comp range is due to an August technical issue, which has since been resolved, with our e-mail distribution during which a significant portion of our marketing emails were not being delivered to our customers. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be in the range of C$0.6 million to C$0.9 million. Net loss  is expected to be in the range of C$(2.0) million to C$(2.3) million, with fully diluted income per common share in the range ofC$(0.08) to C$(0.09) on approximately 24.8 million fully diluted weighted average shares outstanding.

For fiscal 2016, sales are expected to be in the range of C$215.0 million to C$219.0 million based on opening 40 new stores for the full year and assuming a comparable sales increase in the mid-single digit range. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be in the range of C$31.0 million to C$33.0 million. Adjusted net income is expected to be in the range of C$13.0 million to C$14.0 million, with an adjusted fully diluted income per common share range of C$0.50 to C$0.54 on approximately 26.1 million adjusted fully diluted weighted average shares outstanding.

Conference Call Information:

A conference call to discuss the second quarter of fiscal 2016 financial results is scheduled for today, September 7, 2016, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The conference call will be webcast and may be accessed via the Company’s Investor Relations section of its website at www.davidstea.com. An online archive of the webcast will be available within two hours of the conclusion of the call and will remain available for one year.

Non-IFRS Information:

This press release includes non-IFRS measures including Adjusted results from operating activities, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss), and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share. Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss) and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share are not presentations made in accordance with IFRS, and the use of the terms Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss) and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share may differ from similar measures reported by other companies. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss) and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share provide investors with useful information with respect to our historical operations. We present Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss) and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share as supplemental performance measures because we believe they facilitate a comparative assessment of our operating performance relative to our performance based on our results under IFRS, while isolating the effects of some items that vary from period-to-period. Specifically, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss) and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share allow for an assessment of our operating performance and our ability to service or incur indebtedness without the effect of non-cash charges of the period or other one-time charges, such as depreciation, amortization, impairment costs, costs related to onerous contracts or contracts where we expect the costs of the obligations to exceed the economic benefit and non-recurring expenses relating to our initial public offering. These measures also function as benchmarks to evaluate our operating performance. Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss), and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share are not measurements of our financial performance under IFRS and should not be considered in isolation or as alternatives to net income, net cash provided by operating, investing or financing activities or any other financial statement data presented as indicators of financial performance or liquidity, each as presented in accordance with IFRS. We understand that although Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss), and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share are frequently used by securities analysts, lenders and others in their evaluation of companies, they have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation, or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under IFRS. Some of these limitations are:

  • Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss), and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share do not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs; and
  • Although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, and Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements.

Because of these limitations, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss), and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share should not be considered as discretionary cash available to us to reinvest in the growth of our business or as a measure of cash that will be available to us to meet our obligations.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “plan,” “could,” “may,” “will,” “believe,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “goal,” “project,” and other words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements address various matters including management’s beliefs about the Company’s growth prospects, product offerings and financial guidance for the coming fiscal quarter and fiscal year. The Company cannot assure investors that future developments affecting the Company will be those that it has anticipated. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to risks and uncertainties including: the Company’s ability to maintain and enhance its brand image, particularly in new markets; the Company’s ability to compete in the specialty tea and beverage category; the Company’s ability to expand and improve its operations; levels of foot traffic in locations in which the Company’s stores are located; changes in consumer trends and preferences; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; general economic conditions and consumer confidence; minimum wage laws; the importance of the Company’s first fiscal quarter to results of operations for the entire fiscal year; and other risks set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K dated April 12, 2016 and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 13, 2016. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if any of the Company’s assumptions prove incorrect, the Company’s actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by the Company in this release speaks only as of the date on which the Company makes it. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by any applicable securities laws.

About DAVIDsTEA:

DAVIDsTEA is a fast-growing retailer of specialty tea, offering a differentiated selection of proprietary loose-leaf teas, pre-packaged teas, tea sachets and tea-related gifts, accessories and food and beverages, primarily through 208 company-operated DAVIDsTEA stores throughout Canada and the United States as of July 30, 2016, and its website, davidstea.com. The Company is headquartered in Montréal, Canada.

Investor Contact:
ICR Inc.
Farah Soi/Rachel Schacter
(203)-682-8200
investors@davidstea.com

Source: DAVIDsTEA/GLOBE NEWSWIRE

Posted on by

Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma’s work as promoter of easier access to world markets for SMEs recognized at the G20 summit

Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma's work as promoter of easier access to world markets for SMEs recognized at the G20 summit
Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma’s work as promoter of easier access to world markets for SMEs recognized at the G20 summit

 

Hangzhou, China, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma’s work as a promoter of easier access to world markets for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) was recognized at the G20 summit. The G20 Leaders Communique released on Monday welcomed the recommendation of business leaders under Business 20 (B20) to strengthen digital trade and took note of its initiative on an Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP), a concept for a more inclusive way for nations to implement free and fair trade for their SME constituents.

Mr. Ma was the chairman of the B20 SME Development Taskforce. The SME Development Taskforce, which had 107 members from international business, issued recommendations for SME development to the G20, including support for eWTP.

On the heels of the closing of the G20 Summit, World Trade Organization Director General Roberto Azevêdo met with Mr. Ma at Alibaba’s headquarters. Mr. Azevêdo and Mr. Ma discussed Mr. Azevêdo’s vision for a more inclusive WTO and how they can work together to deliver it.

The enablement of global trade is the common objective of both the WTO and eWTP. With a focus on SMEs, eWTP speaks to a shared vision of a future WTO that enables more inclusive trade and ensures small businesses can participate in the digital era. By promoting public-private dialogue to incubate e-trade rules and foster a more effective and efficient policy and business environment, SMEs can further expand their capabilities and reach worldwide.

Speaking to the press after the WTO meeting, Mr. Ma said, “The G20 leaders have acknowledged the importance of freer, more inclusive and innovation-driven trade to extend the benefits of globalization to those that have been left behind in the current model. The eWTP will benefit small and medium-sized businesses and consumers. It is about the people, not big business.”

Mr. Azevêdo said, “Trade has been at the top of the agenda here in Hangzhou – at both the G20 and B20 summits – with leaders calling for trade to be at the heart of efforts towards global growth. As part of this, we must trade more inclusively–allowing everyone to take part and feel the benefits. That means trade must work for SMEs.”

“One vital element will be to ensure that SMEs can access online commercial platforms. That’s why the discussion on digital trade is so important, including the proposal for an Electronic World Trade Platform–or eWTP. This idea, in which Alibaba has played an important role, was one of the key recommendations adopted by the B20 and noted in the G20 leaders communique. I welcome Jack Ma’s leadership on this front, ” added Mr. Azevêdo.

“Making progress here will require a global approach–and therefore the WTO, which sets global trade rules, is looking at how to take work on e-commerce forward, including for the benefit of SMEs and development. I look forward to working with Jack in that effort,” concluded Mr. Azevêdo.

The G20 was also occasion for representative trade and commercial organizations in many countries to sign agreements and discuss cooperation with Alibaba in the areas of access to the Chinese consumer market, travel and tourism, and investment, including organizations from Australia, Canada, Italy and Russia.

Visit Alizila.com, Alibaba’s official news hub, for more coverage of G20-related events http://www.alizila.com/mas-call-for-inclusive-trade-heard-by-g20-wto/

About Alibaba Group
Alibaba Group’s mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. It is the largest retail commerce company in the world in terms of gross merchandise volume. Founded in 1999, the company provides the fundamental technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help merchants, brands and other businesses that provide products, services and digital content to leverage the power of the Internet to engage with their users and customers.

Source: Alibaba Group

###

Posted on by

Alibaba Group and Austrade to strengthen trade opportunities by expanding Australian products sold to Chinese consumers

Alibaba Group and Austrade to strengthen trade opportunities by expanding Australian products sold to Chinese consumers
Alibaba Group and Austrade to strengthen trade opportunities by expanding Australian products sold to Chinese consumers

 

Hangzhou, China, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Alibaba (Australia) Company Pty. Ltd., a member of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA), and the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (“Austrade”) signed a strategic collaboration agreement today (6 September, 2016) to strengthen trade opportunities by expanding the variety of Australian products sold to some of Alibaba’s hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers through Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms. The agreement aims to broaden Alibaba’s existing partnership with Austrade by providing dedicated services for Australian products and leveraging digital content to build brand Australia abroad.

The signing of the agreement was witnessed at a ceremony at Alibaba’s corporate headquarters in Hangzhou by Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and Alibaba Group’s Founder and Executive Chairman, Jack Ma.

Prior to the signing of the agreement Jack Ma, Executive Chairman and Founder of Alibaba Group said, “the next chapter of trade between China and Australia will require closer cooperation and this agreement provides a new framework to ensure more businesses, especially Small and Medium Enterprises, can benefit through the partnership between Austrade and Alibaba. Together we can all work jointly to support Australian jobs and shape a new future for many people and businesses through the cooperation forged today.”

Speaking during his visit, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Alibaba “enables the smallest businesses, the mom-and-dad businesses, in the regional part of Australia to have access to the biggest part of the world, something that hitherto only a very large company with enormous resources, with enormous representation would be able to do. It’s a liberating force for small business. And because so many of the services are available on the cloud, again it reduces the cost of business and levels the playing field between the big company and the small company.”

On signing the agreement with Austrade, Maggie Zhou, Managing Director of Australia and New Zealand for Alibaba, said, “Australia is a key market for Alibaba Group and we are excited to extend our collaboration with Austrade to cultivate successful Australian exporters that are capitalizing on China’s expanding middle class. With Alibaba Group’s new Melbourne office opening later this year, our local team will be dedicated to providing businesses with the information and tools they need to advance their international growth.”

The businesses to be explored by Alibaba and Austrade under the strategic collaboration are wide-ranging but a key highlight is the introduction of an annual “Australian Fresh Food Week” sales promotion and education event on Tmall Fresh, Tmall’s fresh food channel, advancing the interests of Australian companies that exports dairy, meat, seafood, fruit and other fresh produce.

Alibaba Group also plans on establishing a channel on Youku.com, a leading provider of video and streaming services in China with over 500 million monthly active users, to further promote fresh Australian produce and advance the perception of Australian products in the eyes of Chinese consumers.

Michael Clifton, Senior Trade Commissioner of Austrade, said, “Austrade’s collaboration with Alibaba will allow more Chinese consumers to enjoy easy online access to a wider variety of Australia’s premium products and fresh produce. Online delivery of imported fresh food in China is becoming increasingly viable as a result of improvements in last-mile cold chain logistics.”

In addition to supporting Australian companies already succeeding in China, a key focus of the partnership will be targeting first time exporters, particularly SMEs, and facilitating access to Alibaba assistance in commercializing new digital technology and services in China.

About Alibaba Group
Alibaba Group’s mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. It is the largest retail commerce company in the world in terms of gross merchandise volume. Founded in 1999, the company provides the fundamental technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help merchants, brands and other businesses that provide products, services and digital content to leverage the power of the Internet to engage with their users and customers.

Source: Alibaba Group

###

Posted on by

NCR Corporation announces the launch of data-driven money management platform, NCR Money Management

DULUTH, Ga., 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR), a global leader in omni-channel solutions, in partnership with MX, today (September 7, 2016) announced the launch of NCR Money Management, a data-driven money management platform that will provide consumers with an intuitive interface for managing and improving their financial lives.

NCR Money Management combines digital banking expertise from Digital Insight, an NCR company, and MX’s award-winning user experience (UX), providing account holders with practical financial data to aide in managing day-to-day spending decisions, budgeting, and financial planning. Together with MX, NCR Money Management delivers cleansed and categorized transaction data that makes spending behavior easy to interpret, along with reliable, redundant multi-source aggregation that paints a comprehensive financial picture. Financial institutions will then be able to analyze the non-sensitive primary and aggregated account data to present more targeted and relevant offers to their end customers.

Joining forces with MX’s industry-leading solution builds on our commitment to support financial institutions on their growth goals,” said Jose Resendiz, Vice President & General Manager, NCR. “We’re excited to bring our customers a solution that assists consumers in making smarter financial decisions and enriches the relationship that financial institutions have with their customers.”

NCR’s partnership with MX, which began in April 2016, is driven by financial institutions’ desire to better meet consumers’ digital expectations and improve customer retention – a fundamental change seen in the financial industry in recent years. NCR Money Management will launch as a pilot in fall 2016, and will be widely available in 2017.

The partnership will initially transition 471 financial institutions and 3.5 million users to NCR Money Management, with the opportunity for many more forward-thinking institutions to follow.

“We’re honored to be working with NCR as we deliver a money management experience that is second to none. Being an advocate for your account holders and helping them gain control of their financial lives is the key to deepening your relationship with them, something NCR Money Management takes to heart,” said Ryan Caldwell, CEO of MX. “We look forward to innovating together for many years to come.”

Long-time MX client FirstLight Federal Credit Union, regarding the benefit to their members: “As they aggregate their accounts in one place, obtain powerful insights on how they spend, visualize and interact with budgets, our members learn how to manage their money to save for the things that help them realize their dreams,” said Jim Huff, Senior Vice President of Marketing, FirstLight FCU. “We’re excited to see NCR and MX working together to provide the next generation of money management tools.”

About MX:
MX enables banks and credit unions to achieve record-breaking growth by winning their competitors’ most profitable account holders. As one of the fastest-growing fintech providers, MX drives customer-centric banking relationships by gathering and providing data upon which online and mobile banking partners and financial institutions can create and deliver next generation banking applications and solutions.

Founded in 2010, MX delivers data for better banking with data aggregation, data cleansing, auto-categorization, classification, money management, custom API, data analytics, marketing, best-in-class user interface and more. In addition, MX offers an extensive array of client services, ranging from training to custom marketing services. MX currently partners with more than 650 financial institutions and more than 35 digital, online and mobile banking providers — designating MX as a proven powerhouse in the fintech space. Learn more at MX.com.

About NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is a leader in omni-channel solutions, turning everyday interactions with businesses into exceptional experiences. With its software, hardware, and portfolio of services, NCR enables more than 550 million transactions daily across retail, financial, travel, hospitality, telecom and technology, and small business. NCR solutions run the everyday transactions that make your life easier.

NCR is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia with over 30,000 employees and does business in 180 countries. NCR is a trademark of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries.

Web sites:
www.ncr.com | www.digitalinsight.com
Twitter: @NCRCorporation
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ncrcorp
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ncr-corporation
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/ncrcorporation

Media Contacts:
Aaron Gould
NCR Public Relations
212.589.8556
aaron.gould@ncr.com

Jeff Meredith
MX Public Relations
801.669.5588
press@mx.com

Source: NCR Corporation

Posted on by

Millennials’ shopping habits to be highlighted at MAPIC 2016 in Cannes from 16-18 November 2016

Paris, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Customers born between 1982 and 2000 (the Millennials) now outnumber baby boomers and represent a key demographic for retail sales and marketing programmes. It is estimated that the buying power of the Millennials will have an impact for six decades or more, hence their shopping habits will be a key subject at MAPIC 2016.

The 22nd edition of MAPIC, the International Market for Retail Real Estate, will take place in Cannes from 16-18 November.

“Millennials represent the future, so it makes sense that they will be a key focus at MAPIC this year, as MAPIC is renowned for anticipating upcoming trends and pioneering the next steps in retail real estate. This year we have created a new 1,000 sqm Trends Hub, which will showcase thematic exhibitor spaces all linked to emerging retail trends – responding mainly to the demands of the new consumers that are the Millennials,” says Nathalie Depetro, Director of MAPIC.

When it comes to shopping, the Millennials’ idea of material goods isn’t as important as experiences and relationships. In recent years, shopping centres have been rapidly re-positioning themselves to incorporate leisure activities (which have evolved far beyond playgrounds and food courts) that give a shopping centre status as a destination. iP2 Entertainment (new to MAPIC this year), is a company built around a core business of Branded Family Edutainment Centres (BFECs). iP2 Entertainment launched DreamPlay in cooperation with DreamWorks in Manila last year and they will be bringing to MAPIC two of their international collaborative partner brands. “The priority is to generate retail sales through the creation of a fun atmosphere which celebrates a brand or a range of products. This creates a showcase which benefits the brands even if visitors do not shop but instead spend on the internet,” explains Roger Houben, CEO of iP2 Entertainment.

Situated in the new MAPIC Trends Hub zone, the retailtainment exhibition space (which has doubled in size from last year to 600 sqm), will host 30 companies featuring newcomers such as Paragon Creative (UK), Global Attractions (UK), Vortex (France), Top Golf (USA) and Husson International (France), and returning clients including AI Solve (UK), Skyzone (USA), Forrec (Canada) and KCC (Belgium). Each exhibiting retailtainment company will have a dedicated 30-minute pitching session in the retailtainment area during the 3-day event. A panel discussion on Leisure & Shopping (Wednesday 16 November 14h30-15h30), featuring Andy Reif, Executive Vice President, Consumer Products, Licensing and Global Experiences, National Geographic Partners; Joshua Wexler, Chief Executive of Fun, iP2Entertainment; Christophe Chauvard, General Manager France, Switzerland & Africa, QubicaAMF and Reinhart Viane, Business Development Director, KCC Entertainment Design.

From offline to online, the Millennials are thriving on experimenting with different physical dimensions of shopping. Research also shows that while baby boomers are interested in abundance, Millennials are a lot more concerned with brand ethos. The creation of a new Specialty Leasing Lounge at MAPIC this year (also situated in the Trends Hub) responds to the growing power of the pop-up business for brands. Over 30 brands – consumer, food and beverage, fashion, etailers, concept stores – will be exhibiting for a ½ day on a rotational basis.

“We have 52 opticians who are representatives for our brand but we see that a temporary store, including an experience for our clients, enables them to truly discover our brand. Our social media and press coverage would never be the same without it. Also it is a test for us to see if our own concept store would work in the future. Something we would never have known without our pop-up store,” explains Bob Geraets, Co-Founder of the cult eyewear brand Odette Lunettes – one of the brands exhibiting in the MAPIC Specialty Leasing Lounge. Others include iceRoll, Cabaïa, Go Get Glitter and Bon Parfumeur.

Millennials are more volatile customers due to 24-hour connectivity and infinite choice via online channels, meaning that it is more difficult for brands to gain their loyalty. The MAPIC Innovation Forum – a 400 sqm space in the Trends Hub – will host innovative solutions and technologies linked to client knowledge and engagement.

A number of exhibiting companies in the Innovation Forum such as TC Group, ESRI, Retailic, Coniq and Xovis focus on data collection and retail intelligence. Samsung Electronics will be exhibiting at MAPIC for the first time this year to showcase its screens that can interact and engage with customers. Another newcomer, Kodisoft, will also be exhibiting its digital screen tables which can be used in restaurants and bars to provide interactive entertainment and service with new-age diners. Exhibitors of the Innovation Forum will each be pitching their solutions during a 30-minute dedicated session. There will also be workshops from Innovation Forum sponsors Google, Salesforce and Clear Channel on customer engagement, driving foot traffic, data collection and mapping the customer journey.

All the aforementioned topics linked to the Millennials shopping habits will be brought together in a dedicated conference session on the Millennials on Thursday 17 November (17h30-18h30) with speakers including Giovanni Dolci, Vice President, Theatre Development, IMAX Corporation.

For more information on the 2016 MAPIC, visit our pressroom.

A propos de Reed MIDEM :
Fondée en 1963, Reed MIDEM organise des marchés professionnels et internationaux qui se sont imposés comme des plateformes incontournables pour les acteurs-clés des secteurs concernés. Ce sont le MIPTV, le MIPDOC, le MIPCOM, le MIP CANCUN et le MIPJUNIOR pour la télévision et les contenus audiovisuels et numériques, le MIDEM pour les professionnels de la musique, le MIPIM, le MIPIM Asia, le MIPIM UK, le MIPIM Japan pour le secteur de l’immobilier et le MAPIC, le Retail Real Estate Market brought by MAPIC à Shanghai et le MAPIC Italy à Milan pour le secteur de l’implantation commerciale.

A propos de Reed Exhibitions:
Reed MIDEM est une filiale de Reed Exhibitions, leader mondial dans l’organisation d’événements, avec plus de 500 événements dans 43 pays. En 2015, Reed Exhibitions a réuni plus de sept millions de professionnels actifs dans le monde entier, générant plusieurs milliards de dollars d’affaires. Aujourd’hui les événements de Reed Exhibitions ont lieu en Amérique, en Europe, au Moyen-Orient, en Asie Pacifique, en Afrique et sont organisés par 41 bureaux et agents implantés. Reed Exhibitions touche 43 secteurs industriels, au travers d’évènements pour les professionnels et le grand public, et fait partie de RELX Group plc, leader mondial dans la diffusion d’informations. www.reedexpo.com

Pour plus d’information, merci de contacter:

My-Lan CAO
Directrice Presse
Tel.: +33 (0)1 79 71 95 44
mylan.cao@reedmidem.com

Jessica Whyte
Press Manager
Tel: +33 (0) 1 79 71 95 46
jessica.whyte@reedmidem.com

Source: MAPIC

Posted on by

Swedish ICA stores announces sales increased by 1.1% in August 2016 vs. same month last year

Solna, Sweden, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Sales in the Swedish ICA stores increased by 1.1% in August 2016 compared with the corresponding month last year. Sales in like-for-like stores increased by 0.8%.

August 2016 January – August 2016
Store sales, excl. VAT SEKm Change all
stores		 Change
like-for-like		 SEKm Change all
stores		 Change
like-for-like
Maxi ICA Stormarknad 2,846 2.1% 1.8% 22,322 3.4% 2.6%
ICA Kvantum         2,288 2.4% 1.9% 17,785 2.8% 2.4%
ICA Supermarket 2,912 -0.1% -0.4% 22,507 2.2% 2.1%
ICA Nära         1,489 -0.1% -0.2% 11,273 3.1% 3.4%
Total 9,535 1.1% 0.8% 73,887 2.8% 2.5%

In August 2016, sales in the Swedish ICA stores totalled SEK 9,535 million excluding VAT, which is an increase of 1.1% compared with the same month in the previous year. Sales in January-August 2016 amounted to SEK 73,887 million, an increase of 2.8% compared with the previous year.

ICA Gruppen estimates the calendar effect for August to be -0.2%.

At 31 August 2016, the number of ICA stores in Sweden was 1,295. Store sales for September will be published on 10 October 2016 at 08.45 CET.

To see all publication dates in 2016, please visit ICA Gruppen’s website http://www.icagruppen.se/en/investors/calendar.

ICA Gruppen discloses the information provided herein pursuant to the Securities Market Act and/or the Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication at time 08:45 on Thursday September 8, 2016.

For more information:
ICA Gruppen press service
Telephone number: +46 10 422 52 52

Source: ICA Gruppen

Posted on by

Dixons Carphone announces trading update (13 weeks ended 30 July 2016)

LONDON, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ —
Momentum continues: strong growth and market share gains
Trading update (13 weeks ended 30 July 2016)

  • Group revenue up 9% year-on-year, with like-for-like revenue up 4%
    • Strong performance in the UK & Ireland; like-for-like revenue up 4%
    • Continued growth in Nordics; like-for-like revenue up 2%
    • Very good performance in Southern Europe; like-for-like revenue up 13% driven by strong growth in Greece
  • Continued market share gains
  • UK & Ireland property programme on track
Q1 2016/17 revenue Year-on-year Sterling Year-on-year local currency Like-for-like1
UK & Ireland 3% 3% 4%
Nordics 17% 4% 2%
Southern Europe 24% 8% 13%
CWS 45% 42% n/a
Group 9% 4% 4%

Note:

  • In the UK&I both like-for-like and total revenue were negatively affected by approximately 1% from refurbishment disruption.
  • Like-for-like revenue improved by approximately 1% as a result of sales transferred from closed stores.

Seb James, Group Chief Executive, said: “We have had another very good quarter and I am happy to be reporting this level of performance today. We are delivering pleasing growth in all markets and continued high levels of customer satisfaction, and, thus far, continue to see no detectable impact of the Brexit vote on consumer behaviour in the UK.

We have an ambitious programme of development right across the Group this year, and this is being delivered on plan. In the UK & Ireland, our exciting new eCommerce platform for Carphone Warehouse is now live, and our 3-in-1 property programme is well on track. In addition, we are now able to deliver the whole Dixons Carphone small-product range to customers across 500 Carphone Warehouse stores, making us one of the biggest and most convenient click-and-collect organisations in the UK. In the Nordics, we will soon start serving customers from our new, enormous, and state-of-the-art small-product warehouse in Sweden. This has been delivered on time, and slightly better than budget.

In our Know how division, we continue to plan for our Leeds services pilot later this month and develop our brand and propositions. We are seeing real progress in our Connected World Services business as well, and have signed a new agreement with TalkTalk which sees us expanding our distribution activity significantly. The Sprint rollout continues, and we now have 31 stores across 5 regions. The implementation of honeyBee is also going well at Sprint, and we have a strong pipeline of potential new honeyBee clients.

Looking forward, we are optimistic about the future and about our ability to continue to outperform, without in any way being complacent. We live in a world with increasingly discerning customers and with more moving parts than ever and we will continue to succeed only by remaining nimble and determined. We are lucky to have such a strong cohort of people to make this happen, and I would like to finish by thanking them for their hard work so far this year.”

(1) Like-for-like revenues are calculated based on Headline store and internet sales using constant exchange rates. New stores are included where they have been open for a full financial year both at the beginning and end of the financial period. Revenues from franchise stores are excluded and closed stores are excluded for any period of closure during either period. Customer support agreement, insurance and wholesale revenues along with revenue from Connected World Services and other non-retail businesses are excluded from like-for-like calculations. Revenues from Carphone Warehouse stores-within-a-store are included in like-for-like.

Investor and analyst webcast
There will be a conference call for investors and analysts at 7:30 am BST (8:30 am CET) this morning.
Dial-in details – UK/International: +44(0) 20 3059 8125; passcode: 2648 (to be quoted to the operator)
Seven-day replay – UK/International: +44(0) 121 260 4861; passcode: 3984213

Next announcement

The Group will publish its interim results on Wednesday 14 December 2016.

Information on Dixons Carphone plc is available at www.dixonscarphone.com
Follow us on Twitter: @dixonscarphone and @DCSebJ

About Dixons Carphone
Dixons Carphone plc is Europe’s leading specialist electrical and telecommunications retailer and services company, employing over 42,000 people in eleven countries.

Focused on helping customers navigate the connected world, Dixons Carphone offers a comprehensive range of electrical and mobile products, connectivity and expert after-sales services from the Geek Squad and Knowhow.

Dixons Carphone’s primary brands include Carphone Warehouse and CurrysPCWorld in the UK & Ireland, Elkjøp, Elkjøp Phonehouse, Elgiganten, Elgiganten Phonehouse, Gigantti and Lefdal in the Nordic countries, Kotsovolos in Greece, Dixons Travel in a number of UK & Ireland airports and Phone House in Spain. Our key service brands include Knowhow in the UK, Ireland and the Nordics, and Geek Squad in the UK, Ireland and Spain.

Business-to-business (B2B) services are provided through Connected World Services, PC World Business and Carphone Warehouse Business. Connected World Services aims to leverage the Group’s existing expertise, operating processes and technology to provide a range of services to businesses.

Dixons Carphone was voted ‘Retailer of the Year’ at the Retail Week Awards 2016.

Certain statements made in this announcement are forward-looking. Such statements are based on current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any expected future events or results referred to in these forward-looking statements. Unless otherwise required by applicable laws, regulations or accounting standards, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Information contained on the Dixons Carphone plc website or the Twitter feed does not form part of this announcement and should not be relied on as such.

For further information:

Kate Ferry
IR, PR & Corporate Affairs Director
+44 (0)7748 933 206

Mark Reynolds
Head of Investor Relations
+44 (0)7979 696 498

Hannah Collyer
Head of Media Relations
+44 (0)7834 256 775

Nick Cosgrove, Helen Smith
Brunswick Group
+44 (0)207 404 5959

Source: Dixons Carphone

Posted on by

Southeastern Grocers raises $565,393.04 for American Red Cross’ Disaster Relief to assist Louisiana flood victims

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Through generous customer donations at BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, Southeastern Grocers announced today that it will donate $565,393.04 in support of the American Red Cross’ Disaster Relief to assist Louisiana residents impacted by recent flooding.

This contribution includes the dollar for dollar match Southeastern Grocers donated through the Southeastern Grocers Foundation.

The flooding in Louisiana is the worst natural disaster to impact the United States since Hurricane Sandy in 2012. All funds raised go directly to the American Red Cross’ Disaster Relief and will be used to provide food, shelter, counseling and other assistance to thousands of people in Louisiana after the unprecedented flooding inundated neighborhoods.

Ian McLeod, CEO and president of Southeastern Grocers, said, “We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to our customers, associates and communities throughout our footprint for supporting families in Louisiana during these challenging times. The donation amount is a true testament of the generosity of our customers, and we are delighted to present the American Red Cross with over $565,000 for disaster relief.”

Josh Joachim, Regional Chief Executive Officer for the American Red Cross of Louisiana said, “Southeastern Grocers played an integral role by activating its customer donation program within 24 hours. Through the generous support of partners like Southeastern Grocers, the American Red Cross is able to meet the emergency needs of the community today and in the future.”

The donated funds were raised through contributions made in BI-LO, Harveys, and WinnDixie stores during checkout from August 17 – August 23, as well as on each organization’s dedicated website. Additionally, Southeastern Grocers matched every penny donated to this great cause.

All of the funds raised will help the American Red Cross provide the following for the Louisiana flood victims:
• Safe, dry shelter until families return home
• Water and hot meals
• Safe play for kids staying in shelters
• Help for people with disabilities
• First aid
• Comfort and emotional support
• Damage assessment in impacted neighborhoods
• Help with preparation of recovery plans

Southeastern Grocers has a longstanding partnership with the American Red Cross, a national nonprofit dedicated to preventing and alleviating human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.

Throughout the 50-year partnership, American Red Cross and Southeastern Grocers have raised nearly 10 million dollars through community donation programs, foundation and corporate support.

Southeastern Grocers had several stores that sustained flooding damage. Two stores remain closed:
• Winn-Dixie Store 1591 – 28145 Walker South Road, Walker, LA 70785
• Winn-Dixie Store 1467 – 13555 Old Hammond Highway, Baton Rouge, LA 79816

The company and its associates are working hard to reopen the stores quickly and safely. Knowing that the community still requires important services such as a pharmacy, WinnDixie transported, constructed and stocked a fully functioning mobile pharmacy for its Walker, La., store in just days after the flood hit the community. The pharmacy remains open seven days a week, operating the following hours:

Mon – Fri: 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Sat – Sun: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

The mobile pharmacy continues to serve customers in need and has filled hundreds of prescriptions since it opened on August 19.

About Southeastern Grocers
Southeastern Grocers, LLC, parent company and home of BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, is the second-largest supermarket in the Southeast based on store count. The company employs nearly 60,000 associates who serve customers in approximately 750 grocery stores, 140 liquor stores and 500 in-store pharmacies throughout the seven southeastern states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie are well-known and well-respected regional brands with deep heritages, strong neighborhood ties, proud histories of giving back, talented and loyal associates, and strong commitments to providing the best possible quality and value to customers. For more information, visit www.bi-lo.com, www.harveyssupermarkets.com and www.winndixie.com.

For SEG interviews or images, contact:
Joe Caldwell
Manager of Corporate Communications
cell: (904) 318-7197
media@segrocers.com

Source: Southeastern Grocers

Posted on by

The TJX Companies, Inc. announces pricing of public offering of $1.0 billion notes due 2026

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TJX), the leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the U.S. and worldwide, today (Sep. 7, 2016) announced the pricing of the public offering of $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of notes due 2026. The notes will bear interest at a rate of 2.250% per annum, beginning September 12, 2016. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the sale of the notes to redeem the Company’s $375 million aggregate principal amount 6.950% notes due April 15, 2019 and to use the remainder of the net proceeds for working capital and other general corporate purposes. The notes are expected to settle on September 12, 2016, subject to customary closing conditions.

Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC are acting as joint book-running managers. This offering was made under an effective registration statement on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release is not an offer to sell nor is it an offer to buy any securities. Any offers to sell, or solicitations to buy, will be made solely by means of a prospectus and related prospectus supplement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of the prospectus and prospectus supplement relating to the notes may be obtained for free by visiting EDGAR on the Securities and Exchange Commission website at http://www.sec.gov.

Alternatively, copies of the prospectus and prospectus supplement may be obtained from any of the joint book-running managers by contacting Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., 60 Wall Street, New York, New York 10005, telephone: 1-800-503-4611, email: prospectus.cpdg@db.com; Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, NC1-004-03-43, 200 North College Street, 3rd floor, Charlotte, North Carolina 28255-0001, Attn: Prospectus Department, Email: dg.prospectus_requests@baml.com; J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, 383 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10179, Attention: Investment Grade Syndicate Desk, telephone: 212-834-4533; or Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, 608 2nd Avenue South, Suite 1000, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402, Attn: WFS Customer Service, Toll-free number: 1-800-645-3751, Email: wfscustomerservice@wellsfargo.com.

About The TJX Companies, Inc.
The TJX Companies, Inc. is the leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the U.S. and worldwide. As of July 30, 2016, the end of the Company’s second quarter, the Company operated a total of 3,675 stores in nine countries, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Australia, and three e-commerce sites. These include 1,165 T.J. Maxx, 1,013 Marshalls, 538 HomeGoods and 9 Sierra Trading Post stores, as well as tjmaxx.com and sierratradingpost.com in the United States; 250 Winners, 104 HomeSense, and 45 Marshalls stores in Canada; 473 T.K. Maxx and 43 HomeSense stores, as well as tkmaxx.com, in Europe; and 35 Trade Secret stores in Australia. TJX’s press releases and financial information are also available at tjx.com.

Important Information at Website
The Company routinely posts information that may be important to investors in the Investor Information section at tjx.com. The Company encourages investors to consult that section of its website regularly. The contents of this website, and those referenced above, have not been incorporated into and do not form part of this press release.

Forward-looking Statement

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995: Various statements made in this release are forward-looking and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. All statements that address activities, events or developments that we intend, expect or believe may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. The following are some of the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements: execution of buying strategy and inventory management; operational and business expansion and management of large size and scale; customer trends and preferences; various marketing efforts; competition; personnel recruitment, training and retention; labor costs and workforce challenges; data security; information systems and new technology; economic conditions and consumer spending; adverse or unseasonable weather; serious disruptions or catastrophic events; disruptions in the second half of the fiscal year; corporate and retail banner reputation; quality, safety and other issues with merchandise; expanding international operations; merchandise importing; commodity availability and pricing; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; fluctuations in quarterly operating results and market expectations; mergers, acquisitions, or business investments and divestitures, closings or business consolidations; compliance with laws, regulations and orders and changes in laws, regulations and applicable accounting standards; outcomes of litigation, legal proceedings and other legal or regulatory matters; tax matters; real estate activities; cash flow and other factors that may be described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not undertake to publicly update or revise our forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that any projected results expressed or implied in such statements will not be realized.

Contact:
Debra McConnell
Global Communications
(508) 390-2323

Source: The TJX Companies, Inc.

Posted on by

Kohl’s to open new e-commerce distribution center at Plainfield, Indiana

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis., 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) has closed on the purchase of a building for a new e-commerce distribution center located at 9998 All Points Parkway in Plainfield, Ind. Expected to open in summer 2017, the 937,000-square-foot facility will enhance the company’s ability to fulfill Kohls.com purchases and serve customers nationwide.

“Our investment in a new e-commerce fulfillment center is one of the many ways we are supporting omnichannel fulfillment. This is in addition to our capability to ship merchandise from our entire network of more than 1,100 Kohl’s stores nationwide and the option for customers to buy online and pick up their purchase at their local Kohl’s store, two initiatives that came to life last year,” said Sona Chawla, Kohl’s chief operating officer. “We are committed to providing an easy experience to Kohl’s customers and a key part of this is being able to deliver amazing products to them more quickly and efficiently. The new e-commerce fulfillment center will be in place to support the holiday season in 2017.”

Upon opening the new Plainfield facility, Kohl’s will operate a total of 14 distribution centers across the country. This will be the company’s fifth distribution center dedicated to serving Kohls.com customers, with other e-commerce fulfillment centers located in San Bernardino, Calif.; Monroe, Ohio; Edgewood, Md. and DeSoto, Texas.

Hiring for the facility will begin in spring 2017. Kohl’s expects to hire approximately 300 full- and 600 part-time associates over a three-year period. Applicants interested in career opportunities are encouraged to visit KohlsCareers.com for more information and a list of available positions.

The facility is one of the ways that Kohl’s is maximizing omnichannel fulfillment. In 2015, Kohl’s rolled out the capability to ship online orders made on Kohls.com from Kohl’s network of more than 1,100 stores across the country. In addition, by choosing the Buy Online, Pick Up in Store option, customers can buy items online and pick up in store at their local Kohl’s store with premier, designated parking for customers picking up their purchases.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Kohl’s intends forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “anticipates,” “plans,” or similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause Kohl’s actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to those described in Item 1A in Kohl’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference, and other factors as may periodically be described in Kohl’s filings with the SEC.

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

Julia Fennelly
Julia.Fennelly@Kohls.com
262-703-1710

Source: Kohl’s

Posted on by

Coop Patenschaft übergibt Check für neues Alpgebäude

BASEL, SWITZERLAND, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Die Coop 1. August-Weggen-Aktion hat Tradition. Auch in diesem Jahr fliesst von jedem bei Coop verkauften 1. August-Weggen ein Teil des Verkaufserlöses an die Coop Patenschaft für Berggebiete, welche mit dem Geld dringend notwendige Projekte im Schweizer Berggebiet unterstützt. Nachdem Coop den Betrag verdoppelt hat, überreicht die Coop Patenschaft heute den Check über 300’000 Franken an die Miteigentümergemeinschaft der Alp Grossächerli im Kanton Obwalden. Mit diesem Zuschuss wird der Neubau des Alpgebäudes mit Kuhstallung für 56 Milchkühe realisiert.

Auf der Alp Grossächerli werden während knapp drei Monaten Milchkühe und Kälber gealpt. Die Alpmilch, rund 70’000 kg pro Alpsommer, wird an die benachbarte Alpkäserei Chieneren im Kanton Nidwalden verkauft und dort zu Produkten wie Alpsbrinz, Alpkäse, Bratkäse, Butter und Joghurt verarbeitet. Coop verkauft einen grossen Teil dieses Alpkäses unter der Pro Montagna-Linie. Da die bestehende Stallung baufällig ist und nicht mehr den gesetzlichen Vorgaben bezüglich Tier- und Gewässerschutz entspricht, ist eine Sanierung dringend notwendig. Auch der baufällige Wohnteil der Älpler muss dringend erneuert werden. Zudem sind die Arbeitsbedingungen im Stall und bei den Melkarbeiten alles andere als optimal. Der Neubau des Alpgebäudes ist eine Investition in die Zukunft. Nur so kann eine nachhaltige Alpbewirtschaftung und die Erhaltung der Alpkäserei Chieneren gewährleistet werden.

Eine Hilfsaktion mit Tradition
Seit 15 Jahren führt Coop jährlich zum 1. August eine Sonderaktion zugunsten der Bergbauern-Familien durch. Von jedem verkauften 1. August-Weggen – und auch von jeder Packung 1. August-Würste – geht ein Teil des Verkaufserlöses direkt an die Coop Patenschaft für Berggebiete. Coop verdoppelt jeweils diesen Betrag. Mit der 1. August-Spende wird ein ausgewähltes Projekt im Berggebiet unterstützt. In den vergangenen fünfzehn Jahren sind auf diese Weise 3,81 Millionen Franken zusammengekommen, mit denen der Bergbevölkerung direkt und unbürokratisch geholfen wurde.

Die Coop Patenschaft für Berggebiete
Die zu Coop gehörende Non-Profit-Organisation setzt sich seit 74 Jahren für bessere Lebens- und Arbeitsbedingungen der Bergbevölkerung ein. Die Coop Patenschaft für Berggebiete kann mit gezielt eingesetzten Mitteln Grosses bewirken. Jeder gespendete Franken fliesst vollständig in Selbsthilfeprojekte im Schweizer Berggebiet – denn alle administrativen Kosten werden von Coop getragen.

Mehr Informationen finden Sie unter: www.cooppatenschaft.ch.

Kontaktpersonen:
Urs Meier
Leiter Medienstelle
Tel. +41 61 336 71 10

Ramón Gander
Mediensprecher
Tel. +41 61 336 71 67

Nadja Ruch
Mediensprecherin
Tel. +41 61 336 71 87

Source: Coop

Posted on by

Starbucks Japan celebrates its 20th anniversary with new limited-time coffee and an ongoing commitment to Michinoku Future Fund

Starbucks Japan celebrates its 20th anniversary with new limited-time coffee and an ongoing commitment to Michinoku Future Fund
Starbucks Japan celebrates its 20th anniversary with new limited-time coffee and an ongoing commitment to Michinoku Future Fund

 

TOKYO, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Celebrating 20 years of sourcing, roasting and serving high-quality coffee in Japan, Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) today announced a new limited-time coffee and an ongoing commitment to Michinoku Future Fund as part of the company’s mission to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.

Starbucks first international market outside of North America began in the Ginza district in a two-story retail space in 1996. Today, the company has grown to more than 1,100 stores across all 47 prefectures in Japan.

“The opening of our first store in Japan 20 years ago shaped the foundation of Starbucks international growth and today we are humbled by how customers in Japan have embraced the Starbucks Experience and have made us a part of their daily lives,” said John Culver, group president, Starbucks Global Retail. “As we continue to expand our presence in Japan, we remain firmly committed to investing in our people, transforming the customer experience with coffee at the core, and making a positive difference in the communities we serve each day.”

New and Returning Coffees Now Available

Starbucks 1996 Blend
To celebrate the anniversary, Starbucks® 1996 Blend™ whole bean packaged coffee is available exclusively in all Starbucks stores in Japan now through 30 September. Offered for the first time, Starbucks® 1996 Blend™ is specially blended by the expert coffee team at Starbucks Support Center (headquarters) in Seattle as a token of the company’s deep appreciation to the people of Japan. The limited-time coffee is a blend of beans from Latin America and Indonesia, which offers a sweet, rich and complex taste that customers will instantly recognize as Starbucks signature bold flavor.

Starbucks Hacienda Alsacia
As a testament to the company’s passionate commitment to playing a leading role in ensuring a sustainable future for coffee and coffee farmer livelihood, Starbucks Japan is bringing back Hacienda Alsacia whole bean packaged coffee on 14 September across all Starbucks Japan stores. Purchased in 2013, Hacienda Alsacia is a Starbucks working coffee farm in Costa Rica that also acts as a Global Agronomy Research Center helping to ensure the long-term supply of arabica coffee for the industry.

The launch of Starbucks Hacienda Alsacia coincides with Ethical Sourcing Day on 9/9, a time when Starbucks highlights its pride in sourcing 99 percent of its coffees ethically, making the company the largest coffee retailer to achieve this milestone. Across the country, the number 99 will be prominently featured in stores and handwritten on cups to create conversations between partners and customers. As a tribute to customers, on 9 September customers can enjoy a complimentary Starbucks Hacienda Alsacia coffee tasting at participating stores across the country.

Longstanding Commitment to the Community
Building on 20 years of projects to strengthen Japanese communities, and in a response to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan five years ago, Starbucks introduced the limited-edition Hummingbird card in 2012 and donated proceeds to the Michinoku Future Fund to provide. The fund provides full academic college tuition assistance to the 1,800 children who lost their parents due to the natural disaster (several are pictured above). The youngest child impacted by the devastation is expected to graduate from college in 2036.

“The loss I experienced that day is indescribable and I am thankful to the Michinoku Future Fund and the people of Japan who have provided me with the care and support to overcome the challenges I faced,” said Yuka, age 22.  “Today, I am very optimistic about the future.”

Starbucks recently introduced the 2016 Starbucks Hummingbird card across all its stores in Japan, an initiative expected to raise a total of 100 million yen ($1 million USD) since the program began. The same Starbucks Japan partner has designed the card for the past five years. This year’s Hummingbird card depicts the bird among vibrant, blossoming flowers, symbolic of the optimistic spirit rooted in the Japanese culture.

“The Starbucks Hummingbird card is a meaningful way that Starbucks partners and customers join together and positively impact thousands of young people across the country, said Takafumi Minaguchi, ceo, Starbucks Coffee Japan. “Since 1996, we’ve been deeply-rooted in the communities we serve and will continue to use our scale to be a catalyst for positive change in Japan into the future.”

This unique card is one way Starbucks and partners have made an impact in their communities. Last year alone in Japan, partners participated in 7,000 local events and projects to further strengthen their neighborhoods.

Media contact:

Global
Phone: 206 318 7100
Email: press@starbucks.com

Source: Starbucks

###

Posted on by

Ganaderos de Karrantza producirán la leche de marca EROSKI

Ganaderos de Karrantza producirán la leche de marca EROSKI
Ganaderos de Karrantza producirán la leche de marca EROSKI

 

ELORRIO,España, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — EROSKI y la Sociedad Agraria de Transformación (SAT) “Valle de Karrantza”, que agrupa a más de 30 pequeñas explotaciones ganaderas de tradición familiar, han presentado hoy el acuerdo alcanzado para la comercialización de leche producida en el País Vasco con la marca EROSKI, garantizando el origen 100% vasco de la producción.

El acuerdo se enmarca en el contexto del convenio firmado por EROSKI con el Gobierno Vasco en 2013 para impulsar el desarrollo del sector agroalimentario local y el mantenimiento de la diversidad de su tejido productivo, y supone un fuerte apoyo al sector primario ganadero lácteo que logrará mejorar e incrementar la cabaña de ganadería láctea del País Vasco.

Esta mañana, se ha celebrado en Euskal Museoa – Museo Vasco de Bilbao, un acto en el que se ha dado a conocer el acuerdo y se han presentado ya los nuevos envases de Leche 100% del País Vasco, en sus tres versiones, entera, semidesnadata y desnatada, que la cooperativa ofrecerá a partir de ahora en sus establecimientos. La previsión compartida por EROSKI y los ganaderos de Karrantza es alcanzar el millón de litros de leche comercializados al mes.

El acto ha contado con la presencia del Director de Calidad e Industrias Alimentarias del Gobierno Vasco, Peli Manterola; la Directora General de Agricultura y Ganadería de la Diputación de Bizkaia, Lucía Isla; la Directora Comercial de Alimentación de EROSKI, Beatriz Santos; y el Presidente de SAT “Valle de Karrantza”, Martín Crespo.

Durante su intervención, el Director General de Agricultura e Industrias Alimentarias del Gobierno Vasco, Peli Manterola, ha destacado “que este tipo de iniciativas permiten que el consumidor acceda al producto local con total garantía, como la leche en este caso, y por otra parte facilita a un gran número de ganaderos vascos formar parte de un proyecto para la diversificación en su estrategia de comercialización”

Por su parte, la Directora Comercial de Alimentación de EROSKI, Beatriz Santos, ha indicado que “este nuevo acuerdo alcanzado con el sector primario de Euskadi es un claro ejemplo más de nuestra firme apuesta por los productores locales y el mantenimiento de la diversidad de nuestro tejido productivo a la vez que logra ofrecer a los consumidores un producto de alta calidad y cercanía”.

El presidente de SAT “Valle de Karrantza”, Martín Crespo, ha valorado muy positivamente este acuerdo para todo el sector lácteo vasco porque “estamos convencidos de que la nueva leche de Euskadi con marca EROSKI va a aumentar de forma importante el consumo de leche local facilitando el acceso de los consumidores a la leche producida aquí, vinculada a un origen y a unas pequeñas explotaciones de familias de tradición ganadera.”

Leche del País Vasco marca EROSKI

La nueva gama de leche del País Vasco que la cooperativa comercializará con su marca propia EROSKI cuenta con el sello PLS de Producto Lácteo Sostenible, tiene garantizado su origen 100% autóctono del País Vasco, con vacas frisonas que pastan en el valle de Karrantza. “La certificación del origen vasco de la leche y su trazabilidad hasta el consumidor es una garantía más que se añade a la calidad del producto y que ofrece al consumidor la confianza de que está comprando un producto ligado a un territorio y contribuyendo a la sostenibilidad de su sector primario”, ha manifestado Santos.

La llegada de la nueva gama de leche EROSKI del País Vasco será paulatina pero bastante rápida a todos los hipermercados y supermercados EROSKI en el País Vasco, de forma que el ritmo de producción y demanda pueda adaptarse de manera adecuada.

EROSKI, primer grupo de distribución alimentaria del País Vasco

EROSKI es el primer grupo de distribución de carácter cooperativo y líder de la distribución alimentaria en el País Vasco. Cuenta con una red comercial en Euskadi de 225 supermercados y 21 hipermercados, además de 15 gasolineras, 78 oficinas de viajes, 61 perfumerías iF, y 20 tiendas de equipamiento deportivo FORUM SPORT. Cuenta en el País Vasco con más de 680.000 Socios Clientes y más de 9.800 trabajadores, de los cuales, en torno al 70% son socios cooperativistas.

EROSKI firmó en 2013 un convenio con el Gobierno Vasco para impulsar los alimentos del sector agroalimentario y pesquero de Euskadi. Desde entonces, ha desarrollado conjuntamente con el sector un amplio número de iniciativas en agricultura, como la introducción de amplias gamas de verduras y hortalizas de producción muy próxima a cada una de sus tiendas; en ganadería, con la comercialización de carne de vacuno EROSKI Natur – Euskal Okela en sus establecimientos, porcino Euskal Txerri o codero lechal Eusko Label coincidiendo con la introducción de nuevos mostradores de carnicería en las tiendas EROSKI de nueva generación; y en pesca, otorgando un espacio en la pescadería para la pesca que cada día entra en los puertos vascos y trabajando muy especialmente las tres campañas de pesca de bajura en el País Vasco, bonito, anchoa y verdel.

Además de estas iniciativas conjuntas con el sector primario vasco, EROSKI ha activado otras líneas de actuación junto al sector productivo alimentario local entre las que se encuentran el desarrollo de productos de marca propia de huevos, sidra, txakoli, vino de Rioja Alavesa, queso dep D.O. Idiazabal Artzai-Gazta…

En relación al compromiso de la cooperativa con sus proveedores, EROSKI fue el primer distribuidor firmante del Acuerdo NIREA, una iniciativa del sector agroalimentario vasco que aboga por mantener el ecosistema y promover un desarrollo del medio rural y litoral sostenible reconociendo la aportación que éste realiza al desarrollo económico y social de Euskadi.

SAT KARRANTZA agrupa a más de 30 ganaderos lácteos

La Sociedad Agraria de Transformación SAT KARRANTZA fue creada en 2003 y agrupa a más de 30 pequeñas explotaciones ganaderas familiares ubicadas en el Valle de Karrantza (Bizkaia).

SAT KARRANTZA es heredera de una larga tradición ganadera láctea y trabaja por la profesionalización del sector y la sostenibilidad de sus explotaciones que garanticen un relevo generacional y la generación de actividad económica en su entorno.

Datos de contacto con el Departamento de Comunicación:
944 158 642
comunicacion@eroski.es

Source: Eroski

###

Posted on by

EROSKI aumenta un 6% las ventas de alimentos frescos de origen local en Navarra en el primer semestre del ejercicio

EROSKI aumenta un 6% las ventas de alimentos frescos de origen local en Navarra en el primer semestre del ejercicio
EROSKI aumenta un 6% las ventas de alimentos frescos de origen local en Navarra en el primer semestre del ejercicio

 

ELORRIO,España, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Las ventas de EROSKI de alimentos frescos de origen local han crecido un 6% durante el primer semestre del ejercicio en Navarra. Un crecimiento debido en gran medida a la extensión del modelo comercial ‘contigo’ desarrollado por la cooperativa que apuesta firmemente por los alimentos frescos locales como base para una alimentación más saludable. Este modelo de consumo impulsa, además, un tejido productivo agroalimentario local altamente diversificado como elemento clave para la sostenibilidad del sector y su contribución a la economía, la cultura y el paisaje del entorno de cada una de sus tiendas.

EROSKI colabora con 142 pequeños productores agroalimentarios navarros, a quienes realiza unas compras anuales de 56 millones de euros a través de acuerdos a medio-largo plazo que aportan estabilidad para un sector agroalimentario sostenible y altamente diversificado. En el conjunto de sectores económicos de Navarra, EROSKI colabora con más de 430 proveedores, superando los 1.000 millones de euros en compras en los últimos cinco años, lo que convierte a EROSKI en un socio fundamental para la sostenibilidad del sector agroalimentario de Navarra.

“El consumidor valora cada vez más los alimentos procedentes de su entorno más cercano y las nuevas tiendas ‘contigo’ ofrecen una propuesta especialista en alimentos frescos locales. Los consumidores vuelven a entender que la disponibilidad de producto sea mucho más cambiante a lo largo del año para alinearse con las temporadas locales de producción, y esta especialización en los alimentos frescos locales es ya un distintivo de las tiendas EROSKI de nueva generación” señala la directora Regional de Hipermercados EROSKI, Anabel Zariquiegui.

Los mayores crecimientos en carne y frutas y hortalizas

A través de las sucesivas remodelaciones en su red comercial, EROSKI ha extendido el mostrador de carnicería en sus tiendas de nueva generación para ofrecer una atención más personalizada al cliente. Una remodelación en su propuesta al consumidor que apoya el incremento del 14% de las ventas de carne de origen de Navarra durante los primeros seis meses del presente ejercicio.

Este aumento está impulsado especialmente por la venta de carne de vacuno certificada por la IGP Ternera Navarra con la marca propia EROSKI Natur.

EROSKI dedica espacios destacados a los productos autóctonos, en especial las frutas, verduras y hortalizas de temporada de los productores locales. Durante los primeros seis meses del presente ejercicio las ventas de frutas y verduras navarras han crecido un 10%. “La nueva generación de tiendas EROSKI busca sorprender al cliente con la calidad de los frescos locales de temporada, dinámica que tiene una gran importancia en la sección de frutería, tratando de vivir con el cliente cada una de las campañas. Hemos ampliado las variedades, referencias y formatos de productos locales especialmente en esta sección. Los consumidores valoran la calidad y el valor añadido de los productos de nuestra tierra y su acogida es muy positiva tal y como refleja el crecimiento consecutivo de las ventas con cada campaña”, apunta Zariquiegui.

Primer grupo de distribución alimentaria de Navarra

EROSKI es el primer grupo de distribución de carácter cooperativo y líder de la distribución alimentaria en navarra. Cuenta con una red comercial en la Comunidad Foral de 2 hipermercados y 130 supermercados, además de 4 gasolineras, 17 oficinas de viajes, 21 perfumerías iF, y 2 tiendas de equipamiento deportivo FORUM SPORT. Cuenta en Navarra con más de 148.000 Socios Clientes y más de 1.920 trabajadores, de los cuales, en torno al 56% son socios cooperativistas.

EROSKI desarrolla conjuntamente con el sector primario navarro un amplio número de iniciativas en agricultura y ganadería, así como en la producción alimentaria local como el desarrollo de productos de marca propia en huevo, conservas vegetales, queso de pastor D.O. Idiazabal Artzai-Gazta y D.O Roncal, también la incorporación a la marca propia EROSKI Natur del espárrago acogido a la “IGP Espárrago de Navarra” y la alcachofa de la IGP “Alcachofa de Tudela”; entre otros.

Datos de contacto con el Departamento de Comunicación:
944 158 642
comunicacion@eroski.es

Source: Eroski

###

Posted on by

Argos research: technology will transform gyms over the next 10 years and bring virtual fitness into our living rooms

Milton Keynes, UK, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — A boom in wearable technology and Netflix-style workout services will transform gyms over the next 10 years and bring virtual fitness into our living rooms, according to new research commissioned by not-for-profit health body ukactive and leading health and fitness retailer Argos as part of National Fitness Day 2016 (7th September).

  • Six in 10 Brits (57%) expect to engage with personal trainers via TVs and computers in 10-years’ time
  • Almost two-thirds (66%) believe technological advances will keep them fitter
  • More than half think wearable technology will dictate their workouts
  • One in five (20%) think virtual reality will mean they can work out with their favourite athletes and sports stars
  • Four in 10 (38%) envision virtual reality enabling them to run or cycle world-famous races like the Tour de France
  • Other expectations include outdoor runs led by drones, anti-gravity workout rooms and machines that ‘trick muscles’ into thinking they’re working out
  • National Fitness Day 2016 to feature thousands of free activity sessions, including DDMIX dance fitness class by NFD Ambassador Darcey Bussell
  • For image annotations, see notes to editors

The study of 1,079 fitness fans suggests that by 2026 we’ll be able to enjoy virtual reality workouts with our favourite athletes, perform exercise sessions tailored to our own DNA and wear tech-infused ‘smart clothes’ which track our every movement.

More than half of respondents (57%) expect that virtual personal trainers on our screens will enable live workouts in our living rooms, with two-thirds (66 per cent) believing this brave new world of technology will enable us to stay fitter by building stronger connections between the gym and our daily lives.

Currently only used by around one in five fitness participants (22%), wearable technology looks set to play a major role in the future wellness landscape. One in two expect to do workouts based on trackable data, with 40% expecting their clothes to log their movement.

With nearly seven in 10 (66%) citing the gym as their main way of keeping fit currently, health clubs look set to remain a key source of fitness in the future, but not necessarily as we know them now. By 2026, a number of respondents think gyms could have pioneering innovations like anti-gravity workout rooms, studios capable of replicating different weather patterns and machines that ‘trick’ muscles into thinking they’re being exercised.

On the future commute to work, one in five (22%) expect roads to have jogging lanes next to cycling lanes, while 8% think we’ll have drones to guide our path and encourage us to run/cycle faster. One in three (33%) expect workout music to automatically match both our mood and tempo, while 8% think special spin class commuter buses will offer early morning fitness boosts.

Meanwhile at the office, respondents see a bright future for physical activity, with four in 10 (37%) expecting their employers to provide gym passes as part of standard company wellness programmes.

Undertaken in July 2016, the study of UK fitness users by non-profit health body ukactive and leading health and fitness retailer Argos has been released ahead of National Fitness Day on 7th September.

As the biggest annual celebration of fitness and physical activity across the UK, this year’s National Fitness Day will see more than 5,000 sites hold special events, with thousands of UK leisure venues throwing open their doors to engage the public in free physical activity taster sessions and Argos staging workouts across its 800+ stores.

Legendary ballerina and Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell will be leading a special National Fitness Day showpiece at Roof East in Stratford, overlooking the London 2012 Olympic Park. Bussell will be putting the public through their paces with her DDMIX dance fitness class and says regular exercise is essential for all ages.

Darcey Bussell CBE, creator of DDMIX and National Fitness Day ambassador, said: “Important events such as National Fitness Day remind us of the necessity for everyone to lead active lives. Participation is key; it is good for our health and the health of our society.”

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Paralympic legend and ukactive Chair, said: “As physical activity and technology align, we’re entering a brave new world with exciting opportunities to get more people, more active more often.

“With two thirds of those questioned expecting to be fitter in future, there is significant growth potential for the sector, with workouts from the home making exercise more accessible and providing the chance to engage wider demographics in physical activity.”

“National Fitness Day is the start of this future and offers thousands of opportunities for people to engage with their local communities and have fun getting active.”

Professor Greg Whyte OBE, former Olympian, world renowned sport scientist, Physical Activity Expert and National Fitness Day ambassador, added: “Fitness has enjoyed terrific growth in recent years and as someone who’s passionate about getting Britain moving more I’m intrigued to see users’ forecasts of what the future holds.

“Much of my career has been spent working in Sport and Exercise Science and the continued surge of wearable technology means we’ll gain greater insights into how and why people move, enabling us to engage more people of all ages in exercise and turn the tide of inactivity.

“A lot of people slip out of their gym routines because life gets in the way, but the advancement of virtual classes and better wearables will help them to keep up the exercise habit and remain engaged.”

Stephen Vowles, Marketing Director, Argos said: “As a leading health and fitness retailer, Argos is committed to helping customers achieve their well-being goals. We are encouraged by their increasing desire to be more engaged in health and lifestyle improvements whilst also enjoying the fun of fitness.

“These days everyone wants in on the fitness-tracking trend which is why we are not surprised to have seen a 200 per cent uplift in weekly sales of Fitbit in the last year¹.

“Through our sponsorship of National Fitness Day we want to encourage people to realize the benefits of doing a little bit more every day – walking in the park, cycling, taking an exercise class – and we will be encouraging our 30,000 colleagues across 800 plus stores to do the same.”

Tracey Crouch, Minister for Sport, said: “With lots of taster sessions and free events, National Fitness Day is a fantastic opportunity to encourage greater participation in physical activity, in line with our sports strategy.

“It’s great that ukactive is partnering with the private sector and that Argos will be helping to spread the message across the country to both consumers and their own workforce.

“Sport and physical activity can have a really positive impact on people’s lives, improving both physical and mental health – I hope as many people as possible get involved.”

Further details around National Fitness Day and information on how to sign-up to deliver events can be found here: www.nationalfitnessday.com

Notes to editors

For more information about ukactive or to arrange an interview, please contact Jak Phillips (ukactive) on 07958 119320 or email to: jakphillips@ukactive.org.uk or Jon Dale (Argos) on 07889 746297 or jon.dale@argos.co.uk

¹ First four weeks (cumulative) August 2015 (03/08/15 – 29/08/15) – vs last four weeks of July 2016 (04/07/16 – 30/07/16). Net sales increase of 200%.

² The research for Argos and ukactive was carried out online by ukactive between 21/07/16 and 29/07/16 surveying 1,079 UK fitness fans. All research conducted adheres to the MRS Codes of Conduct (2010) in the UK and ICC/ESOMAR World Research Guidelines.

Image 1: Depicts the Gym of The Future, set in 2026. On the left, we have members taking part in a virtual reality spin class simulating the Tour de France. In the central room, people are enjoying a zero gravity fitness class, set against a themed backdrop of the solar system. Out of the right window, track runners are preparing to receive their starter’s orders from motivational drones.

Image 2: Illustrates how technological advances will revolutionise the potential for fitness sessions in the living room. Here, a young mum is working out with her personal trainer on a virtual reality screen, using home fitness equipment. She is able to track her progress, vital statistics and all communications via the wearable technology on her wrist, which comes with an augmented reality display. Meanwhile, her young son is taking part a virtual reality football game, enjoying the benefits of exercise without even realising it.

About National Fitness Day
National Fitness Day, 7th September 2016, will once again be the biggest and most visible annual celebration of physical activity of the year. It is the day to celebrate the role that physical activity plays across the UK, facilitated by ukactive and previously, the énergie Group, who are the largest and fastest growing fitness franchise company in the UK, and who founded National Fitness Day back in 2011. Realizing that this is an event that would benefit with participation from the whole sector, énergie graciously ‘gifted’ National Fitness Day to ukactive in 2014. We would like to publicly thank énergie for this and are proud to now be growing the event year on year.

Just as last year, our aim to establish National Fitness Day as the most active day of the year hasn’t changed. We welcome thousands of clubs, parks, leisure centres, gyms and ukactive members who will be opening their doors to welcome you for a free half hour session in your area.

We know the benefit regular exercise delivers including a healthier heart, increased wellbeing and a better quality of life. However, many of us find getting fit troubling, it becomes a challenge and it shouldn’t be – that is why we started National Fitness Day.

Research shows if you exercise in company (with friends) you are more likely to stick at it; the social atmosphere creates a positive environment which importantly helps us to have fun.

About ukactive
ukactive is the UK’s leading not-for-profit body for physical activity, working with over 4,000 members and stakeholders across the UK. We champion the fun, enjoyment and benefits of being active. As an organisation, ukactive facilitates big impact partnerships across the public and private sector, supporting partners in delivering their goals around physical activity. We grow and stimulate the value of physical activity to society as a whole – alongside specific sub-sectors where we have developed significant stakeholder relationships inc. social, political, economic, health, consumer, and financial.

ukactive also provides leading research and evaluation, insight and thought leadership, strategic project and stakeholder management, campaigning and promoting best practice for its partners.

About Argos
Argos is a leading UK digital retailer, offering around 60,000 products through www.argos.co.uk, its growing mobile channels, stores and over the telephone.

Argos continues to be the UK’s largest high street retailer online with around 120m customer transactions a year through its stores and over 975 million website and app visits in the 12 months to February 2016.  Customers can take advantage of Argos’ convenient Check & Reserve service available through its network of 842 stores and concessions across the UK and Republic of Ireland. In the financial year to February 2016, Argos sales were £4.1 billion and it employed c.30,000 people across the business.

For more information, please contact:
Aoife Sweeney
PR Manager
Argos Republic of Ireland
email: aoife.sweeney@argos.co.uk
Follow us on Twitter @ArgosIreland_PR

Source: Argos