Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

H&M and WWF inspire people to care for our planet with new children’s collection this Autumn 2016

: hm-and-wwf-inspire-people-to-care-for-our-planet-with-new-childrens-collection-this-autumn-2016

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 2016-Sep-24 — /EPR Retail News/ — The kids’ collection features animal prints of species such as the tiger, panda, snow leopard, polar bear and the finless porpoise, that are facing many threats including habitat loss, water pollution and the impact of climate change. The collection mainly consists of comfortable and easy to wear organic cotton-based items such as long sleeve sweaters, T-shirts, dresses, tights, trousers and pyjamas for babies and kids between 0 and 14 years old.

The garments have been designed in a neutral colour palette of beige, grey and off-white with some accents of blue, emphasizing the realistic portrayal of the species. Some of the items also include inspiring messages like “Roar for wildlife”, “Protect my habitat” or “Let’s go wild”.

The aim of the collection is to inspire H&M’s customers to care for the planet. The campaign links to our transformational partnership with WWF, which started in 2011 and has now been extended an additional five years. The larger transformational partnership focuses on water stewardship and climate action, as well as strategic dialogue related to both H&M’s and the fashion industry’s broader sustainability challenges.

Read more about the collection and the transformational partnership at:
www.hm.com/sustainability
www.panda.org/hm

About WWF

WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over five million supporters and a global network active in more than 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. Please refer to www.panda.org/news for the latest news and media resources on the WWF.

Press Contact:

Phone: +46 8 796 53 00
Email: mediarelations@hm.com

Source: H&M

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Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Chance The Rapper, Iman and rapper Suboi at KENZO x H&M first campaign images by Jean-Paul Goude

: Chance The Rapper, Iman and rapper Suboi at KENZO x H&M first campaign images by Jean-Paul Goude

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 2016-Sep-24 — /EPR Retail News/ — The campaign stars seven globally celebrated personalities from fashion, music, arts and activism, with Chance, Iman and Suboi as the first campaign ambassadors revealing pieces from the KENZO x H&M collaboration. For the campaign, Goude has used his signature hand-made cut-up style, slicing and reassembling the prints to express the exuberance and character of the collection.

Accompanying the first revealed campaign images are three films by Swedish director Max Vitali, featuring interviews with Chance, Iman and Suboi. The full KENZO x H&M campaign will debut from October 17, starring the complete campaign cast with Rosario Dawson, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Chloë Sevigny and Xiuhtezcatl Martinez. The KENZO x H&M collection will be available in over 250 H&M stores worldwide, as well as online, from November 3, 2016.

Press Contact:

Phone: +46 8 796 53 00
Email: mediarelations@hm.com

Source: H&M

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Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

SONIC® Drive-In crew Hazel Green, Alabama wins gold medal at this year’s annual DR PEPPER SONIC GAMES

: SONIC® Drive-In crew Hazel Green, Alabama wins gold medal at this year’s annual DR PEPPER SONIC GAMES

OKLAHOMA CITY, 2016-Sep-24 — /EPR Retail News/ — The SONIC® Drive-In (NASDAQ: SONC) crew of the SONIC Drive-In on Highway 231 in Hazel Green took home the gold medal at this year’s annual DR PEPPER SONIC GAMES, a nine-month competition and training program recognizing the best SONIC Drive-In crews across the country. The Hazel Green team competed against eleven other finalist teams at the national finals during the recent 2016 SONIC Convention in Nashville, Tenn., where the gold-medal crew was celebrated by thousands of SONIC employees.

“The Hazel Green crew really delivered in this competition, exemplifying the dedication, professionalism and attitude we aim for at SONIC. This is the drive-in crew’s first time to the Final 12 stage of the competition, all under the leadership of one inspiring manager who has taken other drive-ins five times prior, so we are very pleased to award them the gold medal this year,” said Rachael Kelly-Marcus, senior director of learning and development for SONIC. “Every year the DR PEPPER SONIC GAMES competition raises the bar, with all Final 12 teams giving their best in accuracy, food quality, operational execution and terrific guest service. This winning crew went above and beyond, showing the judges remarkable mastery of their training and an impressive energy for the SONIC culture.”

For the past 23 years, SONIC Drive-In crews have competed in the DR PEPPER SONIC GAMES to test their expertise in areas including food and drink preparation and food delivery. This year’s competition spanned nine months and involved more than 20 thousand crew members from 2,950 SONIC Drive-Ins from around the nation.

“Our crew showed great dedication and worked extremely hard in the GAMES, and we are all proud to be the gold-medal winners this year,” said Hazel Green franchisee Robert Rubel. “The DR PEPPER SONIC GAMES offer an incredible opportunity to train and motivate our crew members, and we can’t wait to take this enthusiasm and momentum back to our drive-in to better serve our guests.”

“Dr Pepper® has been a proud sponsor of the DR PEPPER SONIC GAMES for more than 20 years. This winning crew worked extremely hard to get here, and their enthusiasm for the process makes this a rewarding partnership for us. We are honored to be a part of SONIC’s commitment to making every guest experience memorable,” said Blaine Wood, director of sales for Dr Pepper.

About SONIC, America’s Drive-In

SONIC, America’s Drive-In is the nation’s largest drive-in restaurant chain serving more than 3 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of SONIC’s 3,500 drive-in locations are owned and operated by local business men and women. Over more than 60 years, SONIC has delighted guests with signature menu items, more than 1.3 million drink combinations and friendly service by iconic Carhops. Since the 2009 launch of SONIC’s Limeades for Learning philanthropic campaign in partnership with DonorsChoose.org, SONIC has donated more than $6 million to public school teachers nationwide to fund essential learning materials and innovative teaching resources to inspire creativity and learning. In May 2016, SONIC significantly increased its financial commitment to Limeades for Learning, pledging $15 million to the cause through 2021. To learn more about Sonic Corp. (NASDAQ/NM: SONC), please visit sonicdrivein.com and please visit or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. To learn more about SONIC’s Limeades for Learning initiative, please visit Limeadesforlearning.com.

Contact:
Madison LaRoche
512-542-2842
madison.laroche@cohnwolfe.com

Source: SONIC Drive-In

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Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

NRF survey: Halloween spending expected to reach $8.4 billion

: NRF survey: Halloween spending expected to reach $8.4 billion

WASHINGTON, 2016-Sep-24 — /EPR Retail News/ — Americans are looking forward to splurging on their favorite candy and costumes this Halloween season. According to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, total spending for Halloween is expected to reach $8.4 billion, an all-time high in the survey’s 11-year history.

U.S. consumers are expected to spend an average of $82.93, up from last year’s $74.34, with more than 171 million Americans planning to partake in Halloween festivities this year.

“After a long summer, families are excited to welcome the fall season celebrating Halloween,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Retailers are preparing for the day by offering a wide variety of options in costumes, decorations and candy, while being aggressive with their promotions to capture the most out of this shopping event.”

According to the survey, consumers plan to spend $3.1 billion on costumes (purchased by 67 percent of Halloween shoppers), $2.5 billion on candy (94.3 percent), $2.4 billion on decorations (70 percent) and $390 million on greeting cards (35.4 percent).

When it comes to preparation, 71 percent of consumers plan to hand out candy, decorate their home or yard (49 percent), dress in costume (47 percent), carve a pumpkin (46 percent), throw or attend a party (34 percent), take their children trick-or-treating (30 percent), visit a haunted house (21 percent) or dress their pet(s) in costume (16 percent).

Searching for the perfect costume inspiration will lead consumers to sources such as online (35 percent) and in-store (29 percent). Social media is the fastest-growing influencer for the perfect costume, particularly Pinterest (17 percent), which has seen 133 percent growth since 2012. Some other places for inspiration include friends/family (19 percent), Facebook (17 percent), pop culture (16 percent) and print media (14 percent).

“Consumers are eager to celebrate Halloween, especially given that eight in 10 Americans will shop by mid-October. That is the highest we have seen in the survey history,” Prosper Insights Principal Analyst Pam Goodfellow said. “Americans will enjoy taking advantage of early-bird promotions both online and in-store as they kick off the fall season.”

When it comes to where consumers will shop for the season, 47 percent of shoppers will visit discount stores to buy their Halloween-related items this year and 36 percent will visit a specialty Halloween/costume store, up from 33 percent last year. In addition, 26 percent of customers will visit grocery stores/supermarkets, 23 percent will visit department stores and 22 percent will shop online.

The survey asked 6,791 consumers about Halloween shopping plans. It was conducted September 6-13 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2 percentage points.

If you are a member of the press and require additional information or insight about our Halloween survey results, please contact Ana Serafin Smith at press@nrf.com.

About NRF
NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and Internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nation’s largest private sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs — 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy. NRF’s This is Retail campaign highlights the industry’s opportunities for life-long careers, how retailers strengthen communities and the critical role retail plays in driving innovation. NRF.com

Contact:
Ana Serafin Smith
(202) 626-8189
press@nrf.com
(855) NRF-Press

Source: NRF

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Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Avero Food Cost Management: US Foods and Avero launch software solution to manage a restaurant kitchen

Rosemont, Ill., 2016-Sep-24 — /EPR Retail News/ — Today (Sep 22, 2016 ), US Foods and Avero introduced a revolutionary new product that makes the challenging job of running a restaurant kitchen easier – Avero Food Cost Management (FCM). Avero FCM easily integrates with a restaurant’s point of sale system to give a seamless, digital look into food cost data and real-time inventory information. It also provides predictive sales forecasts and purchase quantity suggestions that tell restaurant operators exactly what they need to order, and when they need to order it.

“No restaurateur gets into this business because they love managing inventory and food costs, but this is essential and important work and through our partnership with Avero we are making this work easier,” said Jim Osborne, Senior Vice President, E-Commerce and Business Solutions, US Foods. “We know how difficult running a restaurant can be and that’s why we’ve made bringing leading technology solutions to our customers a priority.”

The US Foods and Avero partnership means that US Foods customers’ product lists and purchase trends are automatically loaded into Avero FCM based on historical purchases and invoices. All new US Foods orders can be placed quickly through Avero FCM, and customers’ inventory is automatically updated with the new purchases once they are received, saving operators hours each week. Additionally, the new product streamlines inventory counting and waste tracking – two areas where operators say they need help.

“At Avero we pride ourselves on understanding what restaurateurs want before they even know they want it, and we’ve taken that to the next level with our new Food Cost Management solution,” said Damian Mogavero, CEO and Founder of Avero. “Avero FCM adds tremendous value to the Avero product set, and our integration with US Foods gives restaurant operators across the country the ability to revolutionize their purchasing and inventory, helping them get back to doing what they love.”

Avero Food Cost Management is an affordable solution that can benefit all US Foods customers and now it’s part of the Avero Gold package. To learn more visit www.usfoods.com/avero.

About US Foods

US Foods is one of America’s great food companies and a leading foodservice distributor, partnering with approximately 250,000 chefs, restaurateurs and foodservice operators to help their businesses succeed. With nearly 25,000 employees and more than 60 locations, US Foods provides its customers with a broad and innovative food offering and a comprehensive suite of e-commerce, technology and business solutions. US Foods is headquartered in Rosemont, Ill. and generates approximately $23 billion in annual revenue. Discover more at www.usfoods.com.

About Avero

Avero is the leading provider of web-based and mobile business intelligence and analytical applications for the hospitality industry. We help restaurateurs and finance operators drive revenue, improve profitability, provide a superior guest experience, and outperform the competition. Avero’s applications can be integrated seamlessly with 65+ POS, Time & Labor systems. We process $24 billion in annual F&B transactions and have over 34,000 users in 68 countries, including many of the most renowned restaurants, casinos, and hotels in the world. Headquartered in New York City with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Washington D.C., and New Delhi, the company is led by former hospitality professionals including CFOs, chefs, owners, sommeliers, and operators.

About US Foods
US Foods is one of America’s great food companies and a leading foodservice distributor, partnering with approximately 250,000 chefs, restaurateurs and foodservice operators to help their businesses succeed. With nearly 25,000 employees and more than 60 locations, US Foods provides its customers with a broad and innovative food offering and a comprehensive suite of e-commerce, technology and business solutions. US Foods is headquartered in Rosemont, Ill. and generates approximately $23 billion in annual revenue. Discover more at www.usfoods.com.

Media Contacts:

US Foods
Lisa Lecas
847.720.8243
lisa.lecas@usfoods.com

Avero
Kate Gold
646.421.6239
kmgold@averoinc.com

Source: US Foods

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Unibail-Rodamco aims to reduce by -50% its carbon emissions by 2030

Paris, Amsterdam, 2016-Sep-24 — /EPR Retail News/ — As early as 2007, Unibail-Rodamco, the leading listed real estate company in Europe, devised an ambitious CSR strategy based on environmental best practices, social fairness and transparent governance. In 2016, Unibail-Rodamco was selected as “Green Star” for the fifth year in a row by the GRESB Survey (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark – the only sustainability benchmark dedicated to the real estate sector). In 2015, the Group had been named “Global sector leader”, achieving the best score worldwide within the retail sector.

The signature of the Paris Agreement to fight climate change, on December 12 by 195 countries in the framework of COP21, brought the world into a new era. Christophe Cuvillier, Chairman of the Management Board of Unibail-Rodamco, decided that the Group would take up a new longterm challenge, with a set of objectives to be achieved by 2030: “Better Places 2030”. The Group aims to reduce by -50% its carbon emissions by 20301 .

This strategy will be incorporated into the entire value chain with, for the first time, a wide spectrum of initiatives covering the emissions resulting from the activities of the Group and its stakeholders. In doing so, it becomes the first listed real estate company to address the very wide scope of indirect emissions resulting from construction works, consumption of energy by tenants and transport used by all users of its sites (employees and visitors).

“Better Places 2030” addresses the main challenges facing commercial real estate for the next 15 years: moving toward a low-carbon economy, anticipating new modes of sustainable mobility and fully integrating the Group’s business activities with the local communities.

This global approach revolves around 4 pillars on the theme of “less is better”:

1. “Less carbon emissions, better buildings” The Group’s objective is to reduce by -50% the carbon footprint of all its buildings by: – Reducing by -35% the carbon footprint from the construction of new development projects, through a sober building approach applied from conception and the use of low-carbon materials. – Reducing by -70% the carbon footprint from the operation of existing assets, through the systematic use of 100% LED lighting solutions and green electricity.

2. “Less polluting transport, better connectivity” Connecting 100% of our shopping centres to sustainable modes of transport. The Group’s strategy aims at reducing by -50% its carbon footprint due to visitors and employees transportation. Unibail-Rodamco sets itself a challenging target that, by 2030, at least 75% of all visitors come to its centres by a sustainable means of transport. The Group will also reduce the footprint due to retailer logistics by offering a set of pooled logistical solutions for tenant deliveries.

3. “Less local unemployment, better communities” 100% of our shopping centres committed to supporting local employment and economic development. Unibail-Rodamco builds long-term partnerships with institutional bodies, economic players and nonprofit organizations involved in the regions the Group operates. Launched in 2015, the UR for Jobs initiative aims at training and supporting the recruitment of low skilled youth by retailers and service providers in our shopping centres. The programme will be rolled out to all European shopping centres of the Group welcoming annually 6 million visits and above. The ultimate goal is to help hire at least 1,000 young people per year.

4. “Less top-down, better collective power” 100% of our workforce committed to sustainable development. A CSR strategy is fully effective only if supported by all employees and stakeholders. Thus, the members of the Management Board, the Group Management Team and Country Management Teams will have both individual and collective goals related to the “Better Places 2030” strategy as of 2017. These goals will be extended to all Groups employees by 2018. Furthermore, specific partnerships will be initiated with retailers, construction and energy companies to enhance the implementation of this strategy, such as the agreements signed today with Sephora and Engie.

About Unibail-Rodamco

Created in 1968, Unibail-Rodamco SE is Europe’s largest listed commercial property company, with a presence in 11 EU countries, and a portfolio of assets valued at €39.3 billion as of June 30, 2016. As an integrated operator, investor and developer, the Group aims to cover the whole of the real estate value creation chain. With the support of its 1,985 professionals, Unibail-Rodamco applies those skills to highly specialised market segments such as large shopping centres in major European cities and large offices and convention & exhibition centres in the Paris region. The Group distinguishes itself through its focus on the highest architectural, city planning and environmental standards. Its long term approach and sustainable vision focuses on the development or redevelopment of outstanding places to shop, work and relax. Its commitment to environmental, economic and social sustainability has been recognised by inclusion in the FTSE4Good and STOXX Global ESG Leaders indexes. The Group is a member of the CAC 40, AEX 25 and EuroSTOXX 50 indices. It benefits from an A rating from Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings. For more information, please visit our website www.unibail-rodamco.com

For further information, please contact:
Investor Relations:
Zeineb Slimane
+33 1 76 77 57 22
zeineb.slimane@unibail-rodamco.com

Marine Huet
+33 1 76 77 58 02
marine.huet@unibail-rodamco.com

Media Relations:
Pauline Duclos-Lenoir
+33 1 76 77 57 94
pauline.duclos-lenoir@unibail-rodamco.com

Source: Unibail-Rodamco

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Dunkin’ Brands Group announces the appointment of David Hoffmann as president of Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. and Canada

CANTON, MA, 2016-Sep-24 — /EPR Retail News/ — Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc., (Nasdaq: DNKN), the parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, today (Sept. 22, 2016) announced that David Hoffmann, 48, has been named president of Dunkin’ Donuts U.S. and Canada, effective October 3, 2016. He will report to Nigel Travis, Dunkin’ Brands Chairman and CEO, and will serve on the Dunkin’ Brands Leadership Team. Mr. Hoffmann joins Dunkin’ Brands after 22 years with McDonald’s Corporation, where he most recently served as President, High Growth Markets, which includes China, South Korea, Russia and several additional European markets.

Mr. Hoffmann replaces Paul Twohig who, as previously announced, is retiring and will stay with the company through the end of the first quarter 2017 to ensure a smooth transition. In his new position, Mr. Hoffmann will be responsible for Dunkin’ Donuts operations and marketing in the U.S. and Canada, as well as global franchising and store development for both Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins.

“Dave is a proven leader with a wealth of quick service restaurant and franchising experience, and a solid track record of delivering growth in a wide range of economic and competitive environments. His financial and industry expertise, combined with his strong talent development skills and experience using digital technologies to enhance the restaurant experience, makes him uniquely positioned to help accelerate Dunkin’ Donuts’ strategic expansion in the U.S.,” said Travis. “His appointment also further solidifies our Leadership Team and supports our succession planning efforts as we work to position the company for long-term growth. We are delighted to welcome Dave to the Dunkin’ Brands team.”

Mr. Hoffmann began his career with McDonald’s as a crew member while in high school and later re-joined the company, post M.B.A., through its management training program. After holding a series of field operations positions, Mr. Hoffmann moved to the corporate office where he held leadership positions in numerous key functions including strategy and insights, development, training, operations and supply chain. Since 2008, when he was named vice president of strategy and franchising in Japan, Mr. Hoffmann has held general management positions covering a wide range of international markets including Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, most recently adding several European markets to his portfolio as President, High Growth Markets. Prior to McDonald’s, Mr. Hoffmann worked for Arthur Andersen.

“I am honored to be joining Dunkin’ Brands at this exciting time in its growth trajectory,” said Hoffmann. “Dunkin’ Donuts is a great consumer brand and has tremendous development opportunities. I look forward to working with the Leadership Team, the community of franchisees and the brand’s talented employees to deliver on the strategic plans designed to drive Dunkin’ Donuts’ continued growth.”

Mr. Hoffmann earned a B.S. in accounting from Indiana University and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.

About Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.

With more than 19,000 points of distribution in more than 60 countries worldwide, Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) is one of the world’s leading franchisors of quick service restaurants (QSR) serving hot and cold coffee and baked goods, as well as hard-serve ice cream. At the end of the second quarter 2016, Dunkin’ Brands’ nearly 100 percent franchised business model included more than 11,900 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants and more than 7,700 Baskin-Robbins restaurants. Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. is headquartered in Canton, Mass.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Name: Michelle King
Phone: 781-737-5200
Email: press@dunkinbrands.com

Source: Dunkin’ Brands Group

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

SIA International Ltd. to open 3,300 A-MEGA discounter and DA ZDOROV pharmacies in X5 stores by the end of 2020

Moscow, 2016-Sep-24 — /EPR Retail News/ — X5 Retail Group, a leading Russian food retailer, announces it has entered into a 10-year partnership agreement with SIA International Ltd., a major pharmaceutical distributor. The agreement gives priority rights for opening pharmacies in X5 stores at market sublease rates. The project aims to open at least 3,300 pharmacies in Pyaterochka, Perekrestok, and Karusel stores by the end of 2020. The shareholders of SIA International Ltd. plan to invest up to RUB 6 billion into the project.

The partnership creates synergies between X5 Retail Group’s stores and the lessee, helping to boost traffic and conversion, while customers will gain access to additional services. SIA International Ltd. will open pharmacies at X5 stores under the A-MEGA discounter brand and DA ZDOROV brand, which targets middle class customers. The pharmacies will offer 8,000 SKUs and range in size from 20 to 200 sq m. They will be located near checkouts in Perekrestok, Pyaterochka, and Karusel, and in Pyaterochka’s shopping area (shop-in-shop model).

By late 2016, SIA International Ltd. plans to open over 170 pharmacies in the Moscow metropolitan area at premises leased from X5. Going forward, the Company seeks to expand across the geographies where Pyaterochka, Perekrestok, and Karusel operate. Since July 2016, 57 pharmacies were already opened as part of a pilot project. Andrey Gusev, who previously developed the Rigla and A5 chains, will coordinate the project on behalf of SIA International Ltd.

X5 CEO Igor Shekhterman commented:

“Cooperation with one of Russia’s pharmaceuticals distribution majors is in line with the Group’s partnership strategy to provide priority additional services, which helps to create a comprehensive product and service offering across X5 stores.”

“I see synergies resulting from the combination of our experience and mature dedicated logistics services, with X5 Retail Group’s rapid deployment of new stores, stable traffic, and target audience segmentation that is fully in line with our pharmacy formats,” said Sergey Piven, President at SIA International Ltd.”

Contact:

Tel: +7 (495) 662-88-88, +7 (495) 789-95-95
Fax: +7 (495) 662-88-88, ext. 61-145

Source: X5 Retail Group

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Paradies Lagardère and Kent Rathbun Concepts to open Whitetail Bistro in Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

ATLANTA, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — Paradies Lagardère, the travel retail and restaurateur leader in North America, and Kent Rathbun Concepts, today (September 22, 2016) opened a new restaurant, Whitetail Bistro, in Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s (DFW) Terminal D. Together, both companies were awarded the contract for three new restaurants and bars in the DFW Airport. Whitetail Bistro is the first to open.

“Today’s airport travelers want a variety, as well as a taste of the local cuisine offered in the areas they visit, even if it’s just for a few hours,” said Bill Casey, senior vice president, Food and Beverage, Paradies Lagardère. “Whitetail Bistro’s sophisticated dining environment and delicious, high-quality menu offerings match the first-class, internationally-renowned experience travelers expect at DFW.”

“The DFW Airport Authority have done an incredible job of bringing in a new level of dining experiences to DFW Airport,” said William Hyde, owner of Kent Rathbun Concepts. “It is a privilege to have the opportunity to partner with Paradies Lagardère to provide travelers with a memorable Texas culinary experience during their journey.”

Additional details:

Whitetail Bistro pays homage to French cuisine with a modern Texas twist. Favorite French classics receive a modern makeover with a menu that utilizes the freshest local ingredients, allowing the spirit of Texas to shine through every bite. Stylish dishes such as the Cornmeal Crusted Texas Catfish “Fish and Chips” with serrano chile-white barbeque tartar sauce, and small plates such as the Chargrilled Pork Albondigos with fire-roasted ranchero and cotija cheese, are on the menu.

High-end restaurants, quick-serve restaurants, bars and coffee shops are all a part of Paradies Lagardère’s Food and Beverage concepts. Brands have been tailored to entice travelers with the same familiar quality, variety, taste and atmosphere as their favorite “at home” dining spots, while maintaining the highest levels of quality and service.

Paradies Lagardère was recently awarded three prestigious awards for excellence in Food and Beverage. Airport Revenue News awarded the company an ARN Award for Best Chef-Driven, Local or Regional Restaurant for Bar Symon in the Pittsburgh International Airport.

The USA Today 10 Best Reader’s Choice Awards also awarded Paradies Lagardère the Best Airport Bar Wait Staff for its Bar Symon Restaurant in the Pittsburgh International Airport, and recognized Long Beach Airport, where Paradies Lagardère manages the full restaurant program, as its Best Airport for Dining.

Contact:

Nicole V. Linton
Marketing Communications Manager
P: 404 494 3419
M: 470 455 1843

Source: Paradies Lagardère

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

JCPenney announces $100,000 contribution to the American Cancer Society®

PLANO, Texas, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — In recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, JCPenney will be making a $100,000 contribution to the American Cancer Society®, the nation’s largest, nonprofit investor in cancer research, to support the organization’s breast cancer research and awareness programs. JCPenney will also be encouraging customers and associates to join its support in helping to save lives from breast cancer. Along with offering an array of special breast cancer awareness apparel and accessories from its Xersion®, Made for Life™ and Ambrielle® brands, JCPenney will host a variety of salon initiatives to benefit the American Cancer Society®.

“We are committed to helping save lives from breast cancer and could not be more proud to support the American Cancer Society this October. With more than 3.1 million women in the U.S. with a history of breast cancer1 and approximately 246,000 new cases estimated to be diagnosed in 20162, it is a disease that touches the lives of many,” said Mary Beth West, chief customer and marketing officer for JCPenney. “Thanks in part to the efforts of the American Cancer Society and dramatic improvements in cancer research, treatment and early detection, millions of women are surviving breast cancer today.”

Beginning today, JCPenney customers can easily locate breast cancer awareness apparel and accessories in special “Give Hope. Save Lives” zones throughout the store, featuring merchandise from activewear brands, Xersion and Made for Life, as well as Ambrielle intimate apparel. Awareness product includes graphic tees for men and women, yoga pants, hoodies, bras, fashion jewelry and more. These items will be also be available for purchase on jcp.com.

Additionally, jcp salons and The Salon by InStyle locations inside JCPenney will contribute $2, up to a total of $50,000, for every haircut service from Oct. 8-9 to the American Cancer Society. Salon stylists will also visit American Cancer Society Hope Lodge® communities across the country to pamper patients undergoing treatment for cancer away from home. The organization’s Hope Lodge facilities offer cancer patients and their caregivers a free home away from home when they are receiving their medical treatment in another city, offering them a nurturing community where they can share stories and offer each other emotional support.

Furthermore, JCPenney will host a private event for 12 breast cancer survivors at its Glendale, Calif. store, with jcp salon and Sephora inside JCPenney associates treating them to mini makeovers. Participants are part of the Look Good Feel Better® program, a collaboration of the American Cancer Society, the Personal Care Products Council Foundation and the Professional Beauty Association, that teaches beauty techniques to people with cancer to help them manage the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment.

“The American Cancer Society is grateful for the support of corporate partners such as JCPenney, who have developed distinctive programs and products to encourage their customers and communities to become involved in raising awareness and funds to end breast cancer,” said Sharon Byers, chief development officer for the American Cancer Society. “We’re excited to collaborate during October to increase breast cancer awareness and help end the pain and suffering caused by this disease. Thanks in part to the progress we’re making against breast cancer, death rates from the disease dropped 36 percent between 1989 and 20122, which means 249,000 fewer breast cancer deaths. ”

Additionally, JCPenney will be supporting the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer® walk in Atlanta on Oct. 29 as a flagship sponsor. Last year, over 170 local JCPenney associates participated in the walk. Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks offer a powerful and inspiring opportunity to honor breast cancer survivors and raise awareness on how to reduce the risk of getting breast cancer. Additionally, funds raised through the nearly 300 walks nationwide help the American Cancer Society seek to ensure no one faces breast cancer alone by funding innovative breast cancer research; promoting education and risk reduction; and providing comprehensive patient support to those who need it most. JCPenney associates across the country will be invited to participate in their local Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk to support the American Cancer Society.

According to the American Cancer Society, since 1993, more than 12 million walkers in the U.S. have helped raise more than $750 million to help save lives from breast cancer through Making Strides Against Breast Cancer events. JCPenney, together with its customers, has contributed over $7.6 million for breast cancer awareness since 2012, benefitting organizations such as Breast Cancer Research Foundation, National Breast Cancer Foundation and Susan G. Komen.

1American Cancer Society. Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2015-2016. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2015

2American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2016. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2016

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

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

###

: JCPenney announces $100,000 contribution to the American Cancer Society®

Source: J. C. Penney Company, Inc.

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

J. C. Penney Company announces election of Paul Brown, CEO of Arby’s Restaurant Group to its board of directors

: J. C. Penney Company announces election of Paul Brown, CEO of Arby’s Restaurant Group to its board of directors

PLANO, Texas, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) today (Sept. 21, 2016) announced the election of Paul Brown, chief executive officer of Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc., to its board of directors. With extensive experience in the food service, hospitality, e-commerce and consulting industries, Brown has a proven track record of improving the performance of leading global and franchise brands.

“Paul is credited for building the financial performance at several global brands by understanding the importance of attracting a new generation of customers as the primary means for sustainable growth,” said Marvin R. Ellison, chairman and chief executive officer of JCPenney. “His broad expertise makes him an excellent addition to our board as JCPenney continues delivering lasting customer loyalty through value, exclusive shopping experiences and enhanced omnichannel execution.”

“I’m honored to join the board of directors at JCPenney – a Company with a rich history of meeting the needs of an ever-changing American consumer,” Brown added. “It’s a privilege to work with a team that understands the need for a fully integrated online and in-store experience, while staying true to its founding values of excellent service and quality merchandise.”

Brown has spent three years leading Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc., a company operating and franchising more than 3,300 restaurant locations worldwide. He is responsible for a successful brand revitalization at Arby’s, focusing on company culture, customer service, and new brand positioning and marketing campaigns. Prior to Arby’s, Brown served as president, brands and commercial services at Hilton Worldwide, a hospitality company with more than 4,700 hotels, resorts and timeshare properties. Prior to that, Brown served as president of Expedia North America and Expedia Inc.’s Partner Services Group at Expedia, Inc., the world’s largest online travel company, and was also partner at McKinsey & Co. consulting. Brown currently serves on the board of directors at H&R Block, Inc. and Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc., and is a member of the Georgia Tech Foundation’s board of trustees.

Brown has a B.A. degree in business administration and management from Georgia Institute of Technology, and an MBA in marketing and finance from Northwestern University. In June, he was named recipient of an EY Entrepreneur of The Year® 2016 Award in the Southeast.

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

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

Source: J. C. Penney Company, Inc.

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Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Rite Aid Corporation announces operating results for its second fiscal quarter ended August 27, 2016

CAMP HILL, Pa., 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — For the second quarter, the company reported revenues of $8.0 billion, net income of $14.8 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, Adjusted net income of $35.5 million, or $0.03 per diluted share and Adjusted EBITDA of $312.7 million, or 3.9 percent of revenues.

“In the second quarter, we continued to drive positive results in our Pharmacy Services Segment, which includes our EnvisionRx PBM, and had strong performance in our front-end business,” said Chairman and CEO John Standley. “We also saw improvements in prescription drug costs, but these improvements were more than offset by the challenging reimbursement rate environment, which we expect to continue through the remainder of the fiscal year. Heading forward, we will remain focused on operating our business as efficiently as possible while pursuing key growth opportunities such as our flu immunization campaign and converting additional stores to the Wellness format, which continue to perform well and now represent nearly half of our chain.”

Second Quarter Summary

Revenues for the quarter were $8.0 billion compared to revenues of $7.7 billion in the prior year’s second quarter, an increase of $365.0 million or 4.8 percent. Retail Pharmacy Segment revenues were $6.5 billion and decreased 2.4 percent compared to the prior year period primarily as a result of a decrease in same store sales. Revenues in the company’s Pharmacy Services Segment, which was acquired on June 24, 2015, were $1.6 billion.

Same store sales for the quarter decreased 2.5 percent over the prior year, consisting of a 3.6 percent decrease in pharmacy sales, partially offset by a 0.1 percent increase in front-end sales. Pharmacy sales included an approximate 101 basis point negative impact from new generic introductions. The number of prescriptions filled in same stores decreased 1.8 percent over the prior year period. Prescription sales accounted for 68.5 percent of total drugstore sales, and third party prescription revenue was 98.1 percent of pharmacy sales.

Net income was $14.8 million or $0.01 per diluted share compared to last year’s second quarter net income of $21.5 million or $0.02 per diluted share. The decline in operating results is due primarily to a higher LIFO charge, and a decline in Adjusted net income, partially offset by a $33.2 million loss on debt retirement in the prior year related to the redemption of the company’s 8.00% senior secured notes.

Adjusted net income and Adjusted net income per diluted share (which is reconciled to net income on the attached table) was $35.5 million or $0.03 per diluted share compared to last year’s second quarter Adjusted net income of $58.7 million or $0.06 per diluted share. The decline in Adjusted net income and Adjusted net income per share is due to a decrease in Adjusted EBITDA, partially offset by lower income tax and interest expenses.

Adjusted EBITDA (which is reconciled to net income on the attached table) was $312.7 million or 3.9 percent of revenues for the second quarter compared to $346.8 million or 4.5 percent of revenues for the same period last year. The decline in Adjusted EBITDA is due to a decrease of $51.0 million in the Retail Pharmacy Segment, resulting from lower gross profit and higher SG&A expense. Gross profit declined due to lower pharmacy gross profit partially offset by an increase in front end gross profit. Pharmacy gross profit decreased because of lower reimbursement rates and script count, partially offset by improvements in prescription drug costs. SG&A expense increased due to a shift in the timing of Memorial Day holiday pay and increased benefit costs. The decline in Retail Pharmacy Segment Adjusted EBITDA was partially offset by an increase of $16.8 million of Pharmacy Services Segment Adjusted EBITDA. This increase was due to strong operating results in the current year and the fact that prior year’s Pharmacy Services Segment results do not reflect a full quarter’s ownership of Envision Rx.

In the second quarter, the company opened 3 stores, relocated 6 stores, and remodeled 85 stores, bringing the total number of wellness stores chainwide to 2,214. The company also acquired 1 store and closed 14 stores, resulting in a total store count of 4,550 at the end of the second quarter. The company also opened 10 clinics in the second quarter, bringing the total to 90.

As previously announced on October 27, 2015, Rite Aid and Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (“WBA”) entered into a definitive agreement under which WBA will acquire all outstanding shares of Rite Aid for $9.00 per share in cash. The board of directors of both companies and Rite Aid’s shareholders have approved the transaction, which is subject to certain conditions, including, among others, the receipt of approval under applicable antitrust laws and other customary closing conditions. The company continues to believe that the transaction will close in the second half of calendar year 2016.

Rite Aid is one of the nation’s leading drugstore chains with 4,550 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background and press releases, is available through Rite Aid’s website at www.riteaid.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this release that are not historical and statements regarding the expected timing of the closing of the proposed merger with WBA and the ability of the parties to complete such transaction considering the various closing conditions and any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing, are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” and “will” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, our high level of indebtedness and our ability to make interest and principal payments on our debt and satisfy the other covenants contained in our debt agreements, general economic, market and competitive conditions, our ability to improve the operating performance of our stores in accordance with our long term strategy, the impact of private and public third-party payers continued reduction in prescription drug reimbursements and efforts to encourage mail order, our ability to manage expenses and our investments in working capital, outcomes of legal and regulatory matters, changes in legislation or regulations, including healthcare reform, our ability to achieve the benefits of our efforts to reduce the costs of our generic and other drugs and risks related to the proposed merger. These and other risks, assumptions and uncertainties are more fully described in Item 1A (Risk Factors) of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, in the definitive proxy statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 21, 2015 in connection with the proposed merger, and in other documents that we file or furnish with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which you are encouraged to read. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated or anticipated by such forward-looking statements. Additionally, there can be no assurance that the proposed merger will be completed, or if it is completed, that it will close within the anticipated time period or that the expected benefits of the proposed merger will be realized. Accordingly, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Rite Aid expressly disclaims any current intention to update publicly any forward-looking statement after the distribution of this release, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The company separately reports financial results on the basis of Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Net Income per diluted share, and Adjusted EBITDA, which are non-GAAP financial measures. See the attached tables for a reconciliation of Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Net Income per diluted share and Adjusted EBITDA to net income, and net income per diluted share, which are the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Net Income per diluted share exclude amortization of EnvisionRx intangible assets, merger and acquisition-related costs, loss on debt retirements and LIFO adjustments. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income excluding the impact of income taxes, interest expense, depreciation and amortization, LIFO adjustments, charges or credits for facility closing and impairment, inventory write-downs related to store closings, debt retirements and other items (including stock-based compensation expense, merger and acquisition-related costs, severance and costs related to distribution center closures, gain or loss on sale of assets and revenue deferrals related to our customer loyalty program).

Contact:

Investors:
Matt Schroeder
717-214-8867
investor@riteaid.com

Media:
Susan Henderson
717-730-7766

Source: Rite Aid Corporation

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Sequential Brands Group to webcast its investor day on September 27

NEW YORK, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — Sequential Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:SQBG) today (Sept. 22, 2016) announced plans to webcast its investor day on Tuesday, September 27. The live webcast of the presentation will begin at 9:00 am ET and will be available on the Company’s investor relations website: http://ir.sequentialbrandsgroup.com.

About Sequential Brands Group, Inc.
Sequential Brands Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SQBG) owns, promotes, markets, and licenses a portfolio of consumer brands in the fashion, home and active categories. 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.

Investor Relations Inquiries:
Katherine Nash
512-757-2566
knash@sbg-ny.com

Media Inquiries:
Jaime Cassavechia
212-518-4771 x108
jcassavechia@sbg-ny.com

Source: Sequential Brands Group, Inc./globenewswire

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

PREIT to release its financial results for the quarter ending September 30, 2016 on November 2, 2016

PHILADELPHIA, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT/NYSE: PEI) intends to release its financial results for the quarter ending September 30, 2016 after market trading closes on Wednesday, November 2, 2016.

Management has scheduled a conference call for 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, November 3, 2016, to review the Company’s results and future outlook. To listen to the call, please dial 1-877-201-0168 (domestic toll free), or 1-647-788-4901 (international), and request to join the PREIT call, Conference ID 74250243, at least five minutes before the scheduled start time. Investors can also access the call in a “listen only” mode via the internet at the Company’s website, preit.com. Please allow extra time prior to the call to visit the site and download the necessary software to listen to the Internet broadcast. Financial and statistical information expected to be discussed on the call will also be available on the Company’s website. For best results when listening to the webcast, the Company recommends using Flash Player.

For interested individuals unable to join the conference call, the online archive of the webcast will also be available for one year following the call.

About PREIT

PREIT (NYSE:PEI) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust specializing in the ownership and management of differentiated shopping malls. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the company owns and operates over 25 million square feet of retail space in the eastern half of the United States with concentration in the Mid-Atlantic region’s top MSAs. Since 2012, the company has driven a transformation guided by an emphasis on balance sheet strength, high-quality merchandising and disciplined capital expenditures. Additional information is available at preit.com, on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans, strategies, anticipated events, trends and other matters that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views about future events, achievements or results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that might cause future events, achievements or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In particular, our business might be materially and adversely affected by uncertainties affecting real estate businesses generally as well as the following, among other factors: our substantial debt, stated value of preferred shares and our high leverage ratio; constraining leverage, interest and tangible net worth covenants under our 2013 Revolving Facility, our 2014 Term Loans and our 2015 Term Loan; potential losses on impairment of certain long-lived assets, such as real estate, or of intangible assets, such as goodwill, including such losses that we might be required to record in connection with any dispositions of assets; changes to our corporate management team and any resulting modifications to our business strategies; our ability to refinance our existing indebtedness when it matures, on favorable terms or at all; our ability to raise capital, including through the issuance of equity or equity-related securities if market conditions are favorable, through joint ventures or other partnerships, through sales of properties or interests in properties, or through other actions; our ability to identify and execute on suitable acquisition opportunities and to integrate acquired properties into our portfolio; our partnerships and joint ventures with third parties to acquire or develop properties; our short- and long-term liquidity position; current economic conditions and their effect on employment, consumer confidence and spending and the corresponding effects on tenant business performance, prospects, solvency and leasing decisions and on our cash flows, and the value and potential impairment of our properties; general economic, financial and political conditions, including credit market conditions, changes in interest rates or unemployment; changes in the retail industry, including consolidation and store closings, particularly among anchor tenants; the effects of online shopping and other uses of technology on our retail tenants; our ability to sell properties that we seek to dispose of or our ability to obtain estimated sale prices; our ability to maintain and increase property occupancy, sales and rental rates, in light of the relatively high number of leases that have expired or are expiring in the next two years; acts of violence at malls, including our properties, or at other similar spaces, and the potential effect on traffic and sales; increases in operating costs that cannot be passed on to tenants; risks relating to development and redevelopment activities which could be subject to delays or other risks and might not yield the returns we anticipate; concentration of our properties in the Mid-Atlantic region; changes in local market conditions, such as the supply of or demand for retail space, or other competitive factors; and potential dilution from any capital raising transactions. Additional factors that might cause future events, achievements or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements include those discussed in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in any subsequent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q in the section entitled “Item 1A. Risk Factors.” We do not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or otherwise.

CONTACT:
Heather Crowell
SVP, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations
(215) 454-1241
Heather.crowell@preit.com

SOURCE: PREIT

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Auchan Retail France opens its second “Cœur de nature” store in Paris

Croix Cedex, France, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — Auchan Retail France opened, on September 23, in the very heart of Paris, its second “Cœur de nature” store, specialized in 100% organic consumption.

A modern and welcoming store for everyday’s shopping, giving the customers the unique opportunity to make its shopping in an easy, quick, healthy and sweet way,Cœur de Nature proposes:

innovative services in organic traditionnal retail: bread baked in store all day, freshly sqeezed organic fruit juice;
an exceptional offer of organic products sold in bulk;
local and small producers honored every day : PDO organic butchery and cheese, more than 100 PDO organic wines and champagne, without sulfite or Demeter-certified;
local partners : egg produce from Ile-de-France, flour from the Seine & Marne region, handmade artisan soaps, aromatic herbs and infusions from the Essonne region;
a selection of “high level” products: gluten-free bread and appetizer, a selection of products for vegans, MSC-labelled fishery products as well as freshly squeezed fruit juice!
a wide range of cosmetics and food supplements to help the customers to better preserve every day their health and their well-being;
and finally, a committed store: some furniture in sustainable wood manufactured by French companies, 100% LED lighting, recycling of batteries and bulbs behind the cash desks.

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: Auchan Retail France opens its second “Cœur de nature” store in Paris

Source: Auchan Holdings

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

SM Supermalls wins Brand of the Year Award, National Tier 2016-2017 at the World Branding Awards ceremonies in London

: SM Supermalls wins Brand of the Year Award, National Tier 2016-2017 at the World Branding Awards ceremonies in London

Pasay City, Philippines, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — Another Filipino brand has made it to the global stage. This year, SM Supermalls was given the prestigious Brand of the Year Award under the National Tier 2016-2017, during the World Branding Awards ceremonies held in an exclusive black tie gala dinner at the iconic Kensington Palace in London.

The award, given by The World Branding Forum, was the only one conferred to a local brand from the Philippines in the Shopping Mall category.

Aside from SM, other winning brands include ICBC (China), Bang & Olufsen (Denmark), Hermes (Frances), Nivea (Germany), Chow Tai Food (Hong Kong), Prada (Italy), Sukiya (Japan), Safaricom (Kenya), Maybank (Malaysia), Dulux (Netherlands), Sagres (Portugal), QNB (Qatar), Sberbank (Russia), Raffles Education (Singapore), Amore Pacific (South Korea), Santander (Spain), Zurich(Switzerland), Chunghwa Telecom (Taiwan), King Power (Thailand), Dubai Duty Free (UAE), and Prudential (UK), among others.

SM’s SVP for Operations Steven Tan was present during the ceremony to receive the award.

“We are proud to be recognized in the global stage,” Tan said during his acceptance speech. “SM is a brand that reflects the Filipino people’s indomitable spirit of excellence. We resonate because we celebrate people’s hopes and aspirations, and we bring these a step closer to reality. Through our malls, we strive to create memorable destinations that broaden our shoppers’ experiences, and allow them to participate in a greater, global world.”

World Branding Forum Global Chairman Richard Rowles emphasized that the objectives of the Forum “are to advance the standards, skills and education of the branding community for the good of the industry and consumers.”

“The Awards celebrates the achievements of some of the greatest brands around the globe. With 70 percent of the scoring process coming from consumer votes, winning brands have managed to build a good trust score with their consumers,” said Richard Rowles, Chairman of the World Branding Forum.

The selection of winners is determined through brand valuation (30%), public online voting (30%), and consumer market research (40%). The latter was conducted through one-on-one phone interviews in each country. SM Supermalls came out as the most exceptional brand in the Philippines to merit the recognition under the National Tier – Shopping Mall category, affirming the brand’s position as a household name in the country.

World Branding Forum Chief Executive Peter Pek emphasized on brands’ ability to provide customers with memorable experiences more than just good products and services.

“The quality of brands competing for the awards is very high. Winners set the standards of what brands need to be in order to win,” Pek added.

The World Branding Forum (WBF) is a global, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing branding standards for the good of the branding community as well as consumers. Its premier recognition program, has so far recognized some of the world’s largest and best-known brands such as Apple (US), British Airways (UK), Louis Vuitton (France), and Mercedez-Benz (Germany).

The World Branding Awards is the premier awards of the World Branding Forum. It recognizes the achievements of some of the best brands in the world.

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Corazon P. Guidote
Senior Vice President for Investor Relations
SM Investments Corporation
E-mail: cora.guidote@sminvestments.com
Tel. No. (632) 857-0117

Source: SM Investments Corporation

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Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Chick-fil-A, Inc. to provide even greater educational assistance to team members through Remarkable Futures starting in 2017

ATLANTA, Ga., 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — It all started in 1973. Based on Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy’s desire to see team members achieve their fullest potential, Chick-fil-A, Inc. began awarding college scholarships to encourage the pursuit of higher education. Through the years, Chick-fil-A, Inc. has awarded approximately $36 million to more than 36,000 team members nationwide. Starting in 2017, Chick-fil-A, Inc. is expanding its educational assistance initiative, known as Remarkable Futures, to provide even greater educational assistance to team members.

Through Remarkable Futures, Chick-fil-A, Inc. will provide scholarships to more than 1,850 team members a year nationwide with the opportunity to earn up to $25,000[1] to attend the college, university or vocational/technical school of their choice, as well as access to tuition discounts and other educational benefits at participating institutions.

Starting January 2, 2017, eligible Chick-fil-A team members can apply for any of three new of educational assistance opportunities:

Chick-fil-A Leadership Scholarship

In 2017, 1,850 students will have an opportunity to receive a $2,500 scholarship, with the ability to re-apply for up to four years – for a potential total of up to $10,000 for college while serving as Chick-fil-A team member. These scholarships will be awarded to Chick-fil-A team members based on leadership, academic achievement and community involvement.

True Inspiration Scholarship

In 2017, 12 students will have an opportunity to receive an individual, one-time award of up to $25,000. These scholarships will be awarded based on leadership, academic achievement, community involvement, along with demonstrated financial need.

Educational Assistance Opportunities

In addition to scholarships, Chick-fil-A is offering access to tuition discounts and other benefits for team members at more than 70 colleges and universities across the country, which can be combined with either of the above scholarships. Opportunities and eligibility vary by school, but benefits tuition discounts up to 30 percent and are effective immediately.

How can I apply?

If you are a Chick-fil-A team member, talk with your restaurant Operator or manager about eligibility requirements. The application process opens January 2, 2017, and closes on March 10, 2017, at 11:59 PM ET. Scholarship recipients will be notified in the spring, and funds will be sent to the applicable educational institutions in the summer to offset the cost of tuition for the academic year.

If you are not a restaurant team member, contact your local Chick-fil-A restaurant to learn more about job opportunities.

[1] The specific terms and conditions of any awarded scholarships will be different for team members of Chick-fil-A Franchisees, team members of Chick-fil-A, Inc. Operated Restaurants, and team members of STC Brand Restaurants. Eligible Team members can earn up to a lifetime maximum of $25,000 in scholarships from Chick-fil-A, Inc.

Corporate Media Hotline: (800) 404-7196

Email: cfapressroom@chick-fil-a.com

Twitter: @ChickfilANews

Source: Chick-fil-A

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Chick-fil-A® offers team members up to $25,000 in scholarships, discounts and educational benefits in colleges and universities nationwide

ATLANTA, Ga., 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — Chick-fil-A® announced today (September 19, 2016) it is expanding and updating the company’s scholarship initiative to offer Team Members maximum flexibility and support in their pursuit of higher education. The changes will more than double the company’s investment in Team Member scholarships – offering $4.9 million in scholarships in 2017 alone – to help students attend the school of their choice, as well as provide access to tuition discounts and other educational benefits at participating schools.

While Chick-fil-A, Inc. has awarded scholarships for more than 40 years, the enhanced educational assistance initiative, called Remarkable Futures, increases the amount of scholarships available. Students can receive up to $25,000 per year, as well as access to tuition discounts and other educational benefits at more than 70 colleges and universities nationwide, to help offset the cost of their education.

A significant, industry-leading initiative in both the number of scholarships awarded (more than 1,850 expected in 2017) and total financial investment in team members ($4.9 Million), Chick-fil-A, Inc.’s scholarship allows recipients to apply the funds to the school of their choice, whether online, on a college campus or at a vocational-technical school. And that’s not the only way Chick-fil-A, Inc. is offering students something different: local restaurant owners will nominate Team Members based on factors like leadership and community involvement, in addition to academic achievement. Chick-fil-A believes that commitment to community is an indicator of leadership and aims to foster future leaders with this initiative. The opportunities are open to Chick-fil-A Team Members who work both full- or part-time in a restaurant, and there is no length-of-service requirement associated with eligibility.

“Working in a Chick-fil-A restaurant is more than just an after-school job,” said Rodney Bullard, vice president of Community Affairs at Chick-fil-A and executive director of the Chick-fil-A Foundation. We want all Chick-fil-A Team Members to become the best they can be, and our educational assistance initiative is one way we are helping them on their journey to becoming leaders in their communities and their careers. We have seen generations of leaders formed in Chick-fil-A restaurants, and we are proud to play a formative role in their future – wherever their journey takes them.”

Starting January 2, 2017, eligible Chick-fil-A Team Members can apply for any of three new educational assistance opportunities:

Chick-fil-A Leadership Scholarship: In 2017, 1,850 students will have an opportunity to receive a $2,500 scholarship for the 2017-2018 academic year, with the ability to re-apply for up to four years – for a potential total of up to $10,000 for college while serving as a Chick-fil-A Team Member. These scholarships will be awarded to Chick-fil-A Team Members based on leadership, academic achievement and community involvement. While this scholarship is not new (Chick-fil-A has awarded $36 million since 1973), the amount has more than doubled from the previous scholarship, which offered $1,000 and was non-renewable.

True Inspiration Scholarship: In 2017, 12 students will have an opportunity to receive an individual, one-time award of up to $25,000. These scholarships will be awarded to Chick-fil-A Team Members based on leadership, academic achievement, community involvement and demonstrated financial need.

Educational Assistance Opportunities: In addition to scholarships, Chick-fil-A is offering Team Members access to tuition discounts and other educational benefits at more than 70 colleges and universities across the country, which can be combined with either of the above scholarships. Opportunities and eligibility vary by school, but educational benefits include tuition discounts up to 30 percent and are effective immediately. For a full list of participating schools, visit chick-fil-a.com/scholarships.

To be eligible for these opportunities, applicants must be employed as a Team Member by a Chick-fil-A Franchisee, a Chick-fil-A, Inc.-operated restaurant, or an STC brand restaurant. Current restaurant team members can learn how to apply through their local Operator, Interim Manager or Executive General Manager.

Chick-fil-A, Inc. began awarding scholarships to Team Members in 1973 based on founder S. Truett Cathy’s desire to incentivize Team Members to further their education. Since then, nearly 36,000 Team Members have received scholarships, bringing the total amount to nearly $36 million applied at more than 3,000 schools nationwide.

About Chick-fil-A, Inc.

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is a family owned and privately held restaurant company founded in 1964 by S. Truett Cathy. Devoted to serving the local communities in which its franchised restaurants operate, and known for its original chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A serves freshly prepared food in more than 2,000 restaurants in 43 states and Washington, D.C.

Chick-fil-A system sales exceeded $6 billion in 2015, which marks 48 consecutive years of sales growth. Chick-fil-A earned a top spot in the 2015 Customer Service Hall of Fame for the second year in a row and is the only quick service restaurant to make the Customer Service Hall of Fame. The company was also the only restaurant brand named to the Top 10 “Best Companies to Work For” by 24/7 Wall Street. More information on Chick-fil-A is available on the chain’s website located at www.chick-fil-a.com.

Corporate Media Hotline: (800) 404-7196

Email: cfapressroom@chick-fil-a.com

Twitter: @ChickfilANews

Source: Chick-fil-A

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Chick-fil-A® doubles its investment in Team Member scholarships — offering $4.9 million in 2017 alone

ATLANTA, Ga., 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — Chick-fil-A® announces today (September 19, 2016) a new initiative that will more than double the company’s investment in Team Members’ college educations – providing $4.9 Million in scholarships in 2017 alone, as well as access to tuition discounts and other benefits at more than 70 colleges and universities nationwide. While Chick-fil-A has offered scholarships for more than 40 years, the enhanced initiative, called Remarkable Futures, increases the amount of funding per recipient, allowing students to receive up to $25,000 in scholarships to be applied at any accredited institution of their choice, including online and on-campus formats, and can be combined with tuition discounts and other educational benefits at participating institutions.

This investment in Chick-fil-A Team Members represents a significant, industry-leading initiative, both in the number of scholarships given (more than 1,850 expected in 2017) and total financial investment in Team Members ($4.9 Million). Chick-fil-A scholarship recipients have the flexibility to apply the funds at the traditional campus or online institution of the student’s choice, and there is also no length-of-service requirement associated with eligibility. Because the goal of this initiative is to build community leaders, scholarships will be awarded based on factors like leadership and community involvement, in addition to academic achievement.

“For some team members, working in a Chick-fil-A restaurant is just a season of their life. We want to help them achieve their dreams and equip them with the tools to do it,” said Rodney Bullard, vice president of Community Affairs at Chick-fil-A and executive director of the Chick-fil-A Foundation. “We’re thrilled to be able to offer team members the opportunity to advance themselves at the institute of higher learning of their choice.”

Starting January 2, 2017, eligible Chick-fil-A Team Members can apply for any of three new educational assistance opportunities:

Chick-fil-A Leadership Scholarship: In 2017, 1,850 students will have an opportunity to receive a $2,500 scholarship for the 2017-2018 academic year, with the ability to re-apply for up to four years – for a potential total of up to $10,000 for college while working at a Chick-fil-A restaurant. These scholarships will be awarded to Chick-fil-A Team Members based on leadership, academic achievement and community involvement.

While this scholarship is not new (Chick-fil-A has awarded $36 Million in scholarships since 1973), the amount has more than doubled from the previous scholarship, which offered $1,000 and was non-renewable.

True Inspiration Scholarship: In 2017, 12 students will have an opportunity to receive an individual, one-time award of up to $25,000. These scholarships will be awarded to Chick-fil-A Team Members based on leadership, academic achievement, community involvement and demonstrated financial need.

Educational Assistance Opportunities: In addition to scholarships, Chick-fil-A is offering Team Members access to tuition discounts and other educational benefits at more than 70 colleges and universities across the country, which can be combined with either of the above scholarships. Opportunities and eligibility vary by school, but educational benefits include tuition discounts up to 30 percent and are effective immediately. For a full list of participating schools, visit chick-fil-a.com/scholarships.

To be eligible for these opportunities, applicants must be employed as a Team Member by a Chick-fil-A Franchisee, a Chick-fil-A, Inc.-operated restaurant, or an STC brand restaurant.

Chick-fil-A, Inc. began awarding scholarships to Team Members in 1973 based on founder S. Truett Cathy’s desire to incentivize Team Members to further their education. Since then, nearly 36,000 Team Members have received scholarships from Chick-fil-A, Inc., bringing the total amount to nearly $36 million applied at more than 3,000 schools nationwide.

About Chick-fil-A, Inc.

Chick-fil-A system sales exceeded $6 billion in 2015, which marks 48 consecutive years of sales growth. Chick-fil-A earned a top spot in the 2016 Customer Service Hall of Fame for the third year in a row and is the only quick service restaurant to make the top five of the Customer Service Hall of Fame. The company was also the only restaurant brand named to the Top 10 “Best Companies to Work For” by 24/7 Wall Street. More information on Chick-fil-A is available on the chain’s website located at www.chick-fil-a.com.

Corporate Media Hotline: (800) 404-7196

Email: cfapressroom@chick-fil-a.com

Twitter: @ChickfilANews

###

: chick-fil-a-doubles-its-investment-in-team-member-scholarships-offering-4-9-million-in-2017-alone

Source: Chick-fil-A

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

PetSmart launches new pet collection of fall apparel, Halloween costumes, toys, treats and accessories

PHOENIX, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — With fall making its official debut today (Sept. 22, 2016), PetSmart is celebrating the crisper weather and onset of spooky fun with a new collection of fall apparel, Halloween costumes, toys, treats and accessories.

A fresh collection of trendy new slogan tees, with statements like the The Snuggle is Real and #NeedaSnack are especially ideal for cute pups on the prowl at the dog park. Seasonal flavors like pumpkin and cinnamon are standouts in this year’s fall treat collection which includes pumpkin spice rawhide chews and pumpkin flavored stuffed bones. A pumpkin dog bed from Martha Stewart Pets® adds a festive touch for fall home décor, while providing pups a special cove-like place to cuddle up on a cool fall evening.

Spooky Fun

From villains to heroes, PetSmart inspires fun for all pets this Halloween. Manny the Frenchie, the Chicago-based Instagram pet celebrity with over a million followers, is already gearing up for Halloween night with his favorite costumes, treats and toys from PetSmart.

“Manny loves Halloween – his favorite costumes this year are the BB-8 Star Wars costume and Batman,” said Amber Chavez, Manny’s pet parent. “Manny and his siblings love joining us while we pass out candy to the neighbor kids. This year we’ll be able to include treating the dogs in the neighborhood thanks to all the cute Halloween snacks PetSmart has this year!”

Brand new this year, and available exclusively at PetSmart, is the Beggin’ Strips® Halloween Grab and Go Variety Pack. The bag, which consists of 14 fun-size pouches of savory treats, is perfect for passing out to the pups trick-or-treating with their families.

Other festive treats include the new Witches Pumpkin Brew dog biscuits from Bocce’s Bakery, baked with pumpkin and ginger, as well as on-trend macaroon cookies and cannolli dog treats. The Thrills & Chills™ Hipster Pumpkin Dog Treat is as cute as it is delicious.

Don’t forget to outfit your other furry friends with Halloween attire! Cats can look frightfully cute in easy-to-affix witch hats, and small animals can be dressed up in costumes like a bumble bee or spider. Fish tanks will look extra spirited with spooky ornaments like the haunted house and grave stone aquarium ornaments.

Monster Mayhem Hits PetSmart

Monsters are making a big appearance at PetSmart this year, with an entire collection dedicated to these colorful adorable monsters. The Thrills and Chills™ Monster Mayhem collection features toys, beds, costumes and accessories. Pets can play with a monster flattie toy, sport a monster pet costume that features an adjustable hat and slip-on furry “legs,” or curl up in an endearing three-eyed ghoul monster bed.

Amplify Their Look with Pet Expressions

Ideal for pets that would prefer not to don a costume on Halloween Night, PetSmart Pet Expressions provides temporary, non-toxic, pet-safe chalking, stenciling and feathering services, available in PetSmart Grooming Salons*, giving dogs a delightful dose of Halloween style. Choose from Halloween and seasonal stencils such as a pumpkin, ghost, turkey or glow-in-the-dark feathers.

Raising Spirits In-Store with Your Pet

Spirited furry friends and families are invited to trick-or-treat, take photos and more at PetSmart stores Oct. 22 through Oct. 23, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. local time**. In addition to the pet-friendly activities and giveaways, kids can trick-or-treat and decorate a trick-or-treat pail.

Wicked Cute Sweepstakes

Between Oct. 1 and Oct. 24, submit a photo of your pet in costume! Fans will decide the winner. Visit PetSmart’s Facebook page for more details and the Official Rules.

These fall and Halloween pet products and services are among a wide, comprehensive collection available now at PetSmart and petsmart.com.

*All services are subject to availability. Not available in SC, Boulder, CO & select cities in CA. Colors may vary by salon. Available to puppies 12 weeks and older.
**At participating stores. Check with your local PetSmart for details and availability.

About PetSmart

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

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

Contacts:
Golin for PetSmart Inc.
Danielle Bickelmann
dbickelmann@golin.com
469-680-2503

PetSmart Media Line:
623-587-2177

Source: PetSmart Inc.

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

vPetSmart®, PetSmart Charities® distributed truckloads of food to animal welfare organizations and pet food banks across North America

PHOENIX, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — Throughout the summer, PetSmart’s philanthropic pet food brands including DOG for DOG® delivered more than a million meals of dog food to pets in need through PetSmart Charities®. Truckloads of food were distributed to more than 20 animal welfare organizations and pet food banks in the United States and Canada.

Last week, PetSmart, PetSmart Charities and DOG for DOG founder and CEO, Rocky Kanaka, delivered a shipment of 150,000 pounds of DOG for DOG – the equivalent of 300,000 meals – to the Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) to support pets in need in the Tucson area, completing the one million-plus meal donation across the continent. The food donation to PACC will last the shelter a year and a half, providing meals for more than 20,000 dogs in need and allowing the shelter to use its annual food budget of $80,000 to provide services such as veterinary care. PetSmart is the national exclusive retailer for DOG for DOG DOGSFOOD.

PetSmart has millions to celebrate! The retailer also marked the 7 millionth adopted pet since starting in-store adoptions in 1994, as well as the one million-plus meals provided to pets in need over the past three months.

About PetSmart

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

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

About PetSmart Charities®

PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets. Each year nearly 500,000 dogs and cats find homes through our adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and sponsored adoption events. Each year millions of PetSmart shoppers contribute to pets in need by making donations directly to PetSmart Charities on a pin pad at the registers in PetSmart stores. PetSmart Charities administers and efficiently uses 90 cents of every dollar of the generous donations by issuing grants and providing additional support to help pets in need. PetSmart Charities grants more money to directly help pets in need than any other animal welfare group in North America, with a focus on funding adoption and spay/neuter programs that help communities solve pet overpopulation. PetSmart Charities is a 501©(3) organization, independent from PetSmart, Inc. PetSmart Charities has received the Four Star Rating for the past 13 years from Charity Navigator, an independent nonprofit that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization.

About PetSmart Charities™ of Canada

PetSmart Charities of Canada is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets in Canada. Each year more than 20,000 cats and dogs find Canadian homes through our adoption program in nearly all PetSmart stores across Canada and our sponsored adoption events. A leading funder of animal welfare, PetSmart Charities of Canada has granted more than $9 million to help pets in need with a funding focus on adoption and spay/neuter programs that help communities solve pet overpopulation. PetSmart Charities of Canada is a registered charity, independent from PetSmart.

Contacts:
Lauren Sawyer
lsawyer@petsmart.com
623-295-3238

Source: PetSmart

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

PetSmart announces 25,522 pets found their forever homes last week during PetSmart Charities National Adoption Weekend

PHOENIX, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — A total of 25,522 pets found their forever homes last week during the PetSmart Charities National Adoption Weekend event held at more than 1,470 PetSmart stores across North America – setting a new event record with the most pets adopted at these national events since they were initiated by the retailer and PetSmart Charities more than two decades ago.

This news is on the heels of the organizations’ seven millionth pet adoption milestone, which they started celebrating last week. The lucky seven millionth adopted pet is Daisy, a Fox Terrier-Foxhound mix puppy, who was adopted out of a PetSmart store in Staten Island by the McKenzie family. Daisy serves as the seven millionth pet adopted at a PetSmart store since the in-store adoption program began in the late ‘90s.

Pet adoptions take place at PetSmart Charities National Adoption Weekends, as well as every day at PetSmart – where for every 30 seconds a PetSmart store is open a pets’ life is saved, totaling about 1,400 pets’ lives saved every day.

Approximately 25,522 pets were adopted through the event last week (Monday – Sunday), beating the event record by nearly 500 pets and representing a 23 percent increase over last year’s September adoption event.

These signature National Adoption Weekend events at PetSmart are conducted in collaboration with PetSmart Charities®, PetSmart CharitiesTM of Canada and adoption partners – more than 3,000 local animal welfare organizations that bring the adoptable pets into stores, where people save pets and pets save people. While called PetSmart Charities National Adoption “Weekend,” the adoption efforts span the week, with the majority of the pets – nearly 23,000 – adopted between Friday and Sunday, when many stores host large parking lot tent events with their local adoption partners to connect adoptable pets with their forever families.

“We are thrilled to celebrate our seven millionth pet adoption and this record-breaking National Adoption Weekend, where more than 25,500 pets found their forever homes this past week in our stores,” said Eran Cohen, chief customer experience officer, PetSmart. “Our National Adoption Weekend events are highly coordinated efforts involving nearly all aspects of our company, PetSmart Charities and PetSmart Charities of Canada, and thousands of local animal welfare partners. From setting up tents and preparing stores to serve as adoption centers to coordinating with our local partners, we couldn’t be more proud of the collaborative efforts that resulted in our recent adoption successes – together we have saved more than seven million lives in total and more than 25,500 in just one week.”

As a gift to those that adopt and save a life, PetSmart gives its free Adoption Kit, which provides advice on how to integrate a pet into the family and true value – with more than $400 in real savings – to the adoption parent. Included are coupons for a free bag of dog or cat food from Simply Nourish™, Authority® or Good Natured™, as well as a free veterinarian visit, a free training session with an accredited trainer, a free Doggie Day Camp session and a free overnight boarding stay, as well as half-off on two grooming services. Also included are savings on all the essentials for a new pet, including beds, crates, gates, brushes, feeding bowls, collars, leashes, toys and treats, as well as solutions like pet calming products and stain and odor remedies for the mishaps that are sure to occur.

The PetSmart Adoption Kit is industry-leading and available to anybody who adopts, no matter where they adopt* – at PetSmart, a shelter, community event, or even another retailer. On average PetSmart is handing out about 10,000 free Adoption Kits every week.

*Adoption papers required.

Top 10 Most Adoption-Friendly Cities

PetSmart and PetSmart Charities congratulate Fort Worth, which adopted out the most pets in the U.S. during the week-long event. The Fort Worth area’s local adoption partners helped find lifelong, loving homes for 269 cats and dogs.

Based on PetSmart Charities’ September National Adoption Weekend data, the top 10 cities with the most pet adoptions are:

1.         Fort Worth, Texas (269 adoptions)
2.         Chattanooga, Tennessee (265 adoptions)
3.         Columbia, Maryland (246 adoptions)
4.         Albuquerque, New Mexico (243 adoptions)
5.         Houston, Texas (243 adoptions)
6.         Cincinnati, Ohio (188 adoptions)
7.         San Antonio, Texas (182 adoptions)
8.         Dallas, Texas (174 adoptions)
9.        Terre Haute, Indiana (158 adoptions)
10.       Tucson, Arizona (145 adoptions)

The next PetSmart Charities National Adoption Weekend will be held November 11-13, with adoptable pets also available every day at stores. If you’re looking to add a pet to your home, consider saving a life by adopting. Visit or call your local store for more information on adoptable pets or visit www.petsmartcharities.org for more information.

Pet parents everywhere are invited to share their own pet’s adoption story on Instagram or Twitter using #iadopted for a chance to be featured on a special adoption story wall at www.petsmart.com and www.petsmartcharities.org. So far, more than 1,500 posted on the #iadopted story wall. Go to petsmart.com/iadopted and petsmartcharities.org/iadopted to see the stories.

About PetSmart®

PetSmart, Inc. is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we love pets, and we believe pets make us better people. Every day with every connection, PetSmart’s passionate associates help bring pet parents closer to their pets so they can live more fulfilled lives. This vision impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates and how we give back to our communities. We employ approximately 53,000 associates, operate 1,477 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico and 203 in-store PetSmart® PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and pet products and offers dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart Doggie Day Camp day care services and pet adoption services in-store. Our portfolio of digital resources for pet parents – including PetSmart.com, PetFoodDirect.com, Pet360.com and petMD.com – offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care information in the U.S. Through our in-store pet adoption partnership with independent nonprofit organizations, PetSmart Charities® and PetSmart Charities™ of Canada, PetSmart helps to save the lives of more than 500,000 homeless pets each year.

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

About PetSmart Charities®

PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets. Each year nearly 500,000 dogs and cats find homes through our adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and sponsored adoption events. Each year millions of PetSmart shoppers contribute to pets in need by making donations directly to PetSmart Charities on a pin pad at the registers in PetSmart stores. PetSmart Charities administers and efficiently uses 90 cents of every dollar of the generous donations by issuing grants and providing additional support to help pets in need. PetSmart Charities grants more money to directly help pets in need than any other animal welfare group in North America, with a focus on funding adoption and spay/neuter programs that help communities solve pet overpopulation. PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization, independent from PetSmart, Inc. PetSmart Charities has received the Four Star Rating for the past 13 years from Charity Navigator, an independent nonprofit that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization.

About PetSmart Charities™ of Canada

Contacts:
Golin for PetSmart Inc.:
Danielle Bickelmann
dbickelmann@golin.com
469-680-2503

PetSmart Media Line:
623-587-2177

Source: PetSmart Inc

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Co-operative Group Limited announces interim results for the 26 weeks ended 2 July 2016

MANCHESTER, England, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ —

Interim results for Co-operative Group Limited for the 26 weeks ended 2 July 2016

Planned reduction in profit following continued Rebuild investment, colleague pay increases and price cuts; debt held steady at £0.7bn
Food business continues to deliver with success of own brand-led convenience strategy
Strong growth in pre-paid funeral plans offsets lower death rate in Funeralcare
General Insurance sales rise sharply following member-pricing initiatives

Group highlights:

Revenue increased by 2.2% to £4.7bn (2015: £4.6bn) as customer transactions grew by 3.3%
- Food like-for-like sales rose by 3.1%
  - Core convenience business grew ahead of market after investment in price and products, with like-for-like sales up 4.3%
- Funeralcare revenues held, with significant growth in pre-paid funeral plan sales offsetting lower death rate
- General Insurance (GI) delivered strong sales and profits performance, with more than 100,000 new policies sold in first half after launch of member-focused pricing initiatives
Planned reduction in profit, driven principally by Rebuild investment, pay increases for frontline colleagues and price reductions in Food
- Underlying profit before tax* of £31m (2015: £63m)
- Profit before tax of £17m (2015: £36m)
Half way through three-year Rebuild phase, with further investment made in improving our brand and membership offer
- Capex of £149m (2015: £144m) as further improvements made to food stores and funeral home estate
- Costs from supporting functions increased from £37m to £52m to support required investment in brand and membership relaunch, and creation of new Digital division
- Major investment in Co-op colleagues as 5,400 managers attend “Being a Co-op Leader” events and all 70,000 colleagues embark on “Back to Being Co-op” sessions
More than 5 million members set to receive new Co-op cards to mark the launch of our compelling new membership offer, placing customers and communities firmly at the heart of the Co-op again
Successful disposal of non-core food properties which do not align with food strategy focused on delivering a compelling and convenient shopping experience for members
Debt at £0.7bn (2015: £0.6bn), in line with stated aim to keep debt around £0.9bn during Rebuild

Richard Pennycook, Group Chief Executive of the Co-op, said:
“These are exciting times for the Co-op as we continue to make this a better business that is more relevant for members, customers, communities and colleagues. These results, along with today’s relaunch of our compelling new membership offer, show the real value of “being Co-op” and our difference as a business. Revenues across the Group have grown and, in line with our strategy, profitability has fallen due to our major Rebuild investment, pay increases for our people and price cuts for our customers. We are able to invest for the long-term, strengthening the appeal of our products and services, because our business model allows us to pursue our unique approach, championing a better way of doing business for customers and communities.

“This long-term approach is evidenced by the continued reshaping of our Food store portfolio to support our own-brand, convenience-led strategy. This means we can, as necessary, forgo sales growth in order to ensure we have the right stores in the right places for our customers.

“We are only half way through the Rebuild and much remains to be done, whether it is investing in our digital capability or campaigning on key issues. We remain firmly on track with our plans and are encouraged that the work we are doing is attracting more and more people back to the Co-op.”

Allan Leighton, Independent Non-Executive Chair of the Co-op, said:
“We are delighted that our members, our customers and our people have so enthusiastically backed our plans to create a new Co-op economy, based on a better way of doing business. These results show that we are moving in the right direction – be that in going back to our roots with a return to an iconic brand, the launch of our new member offer or our partnership with the British Red Cross which has already raised £3m. It is the support of our members, under a strengthened governance structure enhanced by committed colleague engagement, that means we can continue to pursue our strategy with confidence.”

Summary of business performance

Food

Clear momentum in strategy to deliver a compelling and convenient shopping experience to millions of customers and members every day within their local communities
Like-for-like sales grew 3.1%
- Core convenience business grew 4.3%
Food business has had six consecutive quarters of positive life-for-like sales
Underlying profit fell to £63m (2015: £88m), driven by significant investment in customer offer in terms of price investment, fresh food range and increased colleague pay
Remain the most frequently visited retailer in the country, according to Kantar, as customers shop little and often and at lower prices through core convenience offer
30 new Food stores opened as part of the 100 planned in 2016, with a refit of an additional 80 stores nationally
Continued refocus of store estate:
- Purchase of 15 Budgens stores and 8 stores from MyLocal, supporting focus on convenience store retailing
- Sale of the remaining assets within Somerfield Stores Limited, recognising a profit on disposal
Sale of 298 smaller Food stores, which fell outside of our core strategy, to McColls for £117m. The sale proceeds, once received, will be re-invested to further deliver the Food strategy. Whilst the sale in the short-term will reduce the number of outlets by around 10%, the revenue impact will be circa 3%, given the average size of the stores being sold

Funeralcare

Market-leading position further strengthened in a period when the death rate fell year on year by 11,000 to 303,000
Underlying profit reduced to £42m (2015: £47m) on sales of £164m (2015: £162m)
Funeral plan sales increase significantly through a strong focus on member pricing and website improvements, with 60% of new plan sales coming from members, up from 30% previously. Co-op Funeralcare’s market share for funeral plan sales now top 25%
12 further funeral homes opened, including our 1000th. Continue to be the only UK funeral director to offer an apprenticeship in Funeral Operations and Services
Agreed the sale of crematoria operations to Dignity for £43m, to invest more into core funeral homes business
Re-launched Simple Funeral, cutting the price of lowest price funeral by 7%, making products more affordable without compromising on quality
Improvement of website to include an online comparison tool to make funeral planning more accessible and transparent
First business to sign Fair Funerals’ new enhanced pledge to tackle funeral poverty

General Insurance

Sales performance strong, with Gross Written Premiums** increasing 29% to £242m (2015: £187m) and Net Earned Premiums*** increasing to £208m (2015: £159m)
Underlying operating profit improved to £11m (2015: £2m)
Increased premium levels reflect motor price rises across the industry, but also initial benefits from the investment made into our pricing capabilities
Total in force policy count increased from 1.28m to 1.48m
More than 100,000 more new policies sold, compared with same period in 2015
In line with Group’s strategic community focus, GI launches new partnership with Neighbourhood Watch and Brake as part of the “making communities safer campaign”

Legal Services

Sales rose to £11m (2015: £10m)
Underlying operating profit of £1m (2015: £Nil)
Acquisition of Collective Legal Solutions at the end of 2015 enables our legal services business to expand its Wills, Trust and Probate services across England and Wales

Electrical

Sales declined to £33m (2015: £36m)
Underlying operating loss of £1m (2015: £1m loss)
Electrical business moved into the Co-op’s new Digital division to provide it with greater focus and digital capability to enhance the customer offer and experience

Membership, democracy and governance

Successful AGM in May; announced we were going back to ‘Being Co-op’ by placing membership and community firmly at the heart of our business again
Unveiled a return to iconic blue clover-leaf logo with around half the estate rebranded before the end of 2017 and plan for launch of new compelling membership offer, which is detailed in a separate announcement today
Group Board further enhanced with the appointments of Lord Victor Adebowale as a Non-Executive Director, Margaret Casely-Hayford as a Member-Nominated Director and Ian Ellis as an Executive Director

Colleagues

Full annual impact of the 8.5% pay award for food colleagues, announced last year, which took them ahead of the National Living Wage threshold
Colleagues actively involved in shaping the Co-op under strengthened governance structure, with 17 colleagues on the 100 strong members’ council
Co-op Executive takes strong leadership position, post the EU referendum, on the call to allow existing colleagues from EU to remain in the UK
Over 440 new Co-op apprentices appointed in the first six months
Co-op colleagues participate in the new membership offer trial, with a sharp increase in colleague sales witnessed
70,000 Co-op colleagues embarked on a unique “Back to Being Co-op” journey which reconnects them with Co-op heritage and values
Significant investment made in building the leadership skills of our colleagues with over 5,400 attending “Being A Co-op Leader” programme, with phase 2 now underway
Co-op colleagues played a major role in us reaching £3 million fundraising mark to help tackle isolation and loneliness

Outlook

Whilst we are mindful of some political and economic uncertainty, our focus remains on delivering the next-stage transformation initiatives which will complete our three-year Rebuild during 2017. Central to this will be the roll-out of our new brand and membership offer, which will reward our members and their local communities on the back of Co-op trade. The development of this new “Co-op economy” will stimulate new product development and service innovation, especially from our new Digital team, as well as influencing heavily our future campaigning and community-based strategies. We are now in a position where we can again place our members’ interests firmly at the heart of the Co-op and the next 6-12 months will see far more member-engagement occur so we know we are providing the right mix of goods and services to meet their requirements

In keeping with previous guidance, the Board anticipates dividend payments resuming after the three-year Rebuild programme has completed

Download full RNS (PDF, 41 pages 700KB)

Download Interim Report 2016 (PDF, 34 pages 1MB)

*     Underlying profit before tax is statutory profit before tax, but stripping out the effects of property and business disposals (including individual store impairment), change in value of investment properties, profits / losses from associates / joint ventures, one-off costs, pension finance income and non-recurring finance costs. A full reconciliation to statutory profit before tax can be found on page 16
**    Gross written premium (GWP) is the total expected value of all new and renewing policies in the period
***   Net earned premium (NEP) is the amount of premium that has been recognised in the period after reinsurance costs have been deducted.

Media Enquiries:

The Co-operative Group
Jon Church: 07545 210812
Russ Brady: 07880 784442

Tulchan Communications
Susanna Voyle/Jonathan Sibun: 020 7353 4200

Source: Coop

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Co-op launches membership scheme

MANCHESTER, England, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — More than 5m Co-op customers will today start to receive their new membership cards and enjoy enhanced benefits as the Group revealed that early trials of these benefits have led to significant increases in transactions, turnover and the frequency of visits, along with a substantial jump in the sale of Co-op branded products.

Today’s launch is the latest step in the ambitious drive to create a Co-op economy across the UK and champion a better way of doing business. The compelling new membership offer is a central plank of the Co-op’s Rebuild strategy and part of the Group’s investment of over £1 billion into its businesses.

Separately today the Co-op has announced interim results showing that its Rebuild investment is delivering to plan and driving sales growth as customers return to the Group’s businesses in Food, Funerals and General Insurance.

The new membership scheme places customers and communities firmly at the heart of the Co-op and will see the UK’s biggest mutual handing back more than £100m a year from 2018 to its millions of members and their communities. The scheme is backed by a commitment to stretching targets. By the end of 2018 The Co-op is aiming to:

Recruit one million new members
Increase the percentage of sales coming from members to 50% from around 20% currently
Return an additional £3m in benefits to producer communities operating under the Fairtrade scheme by extending sourcing commitments
Make digital work for members across our businesses and seeking new digital opportunities to co-operate in communities

The new scheme will reward members and their communities for trading with the Co-op. Members will receive a 5% reward for any purchases they make of Co-op own-brand products and services, with a further 1% directly benefiting local causes. Members can choose the local cause they want to support from a list of three in each of 1,500 communities across the UK, centered on Co-op Food stores and Funeralcare homes.

The money raised will provide much needed funding for thousands of organisations, from playgroups to luncheon clubs and from hospices to animal sanctuaries, that contribute so much to local life in Co-op communities from inner cities to remote rural islands.

The early trial of the scheme, carried out with colleague members shopping in the Food business, has shown encouraging results. Over the first 10 weeks of the trial and based on year-on-year comparisons, transaction numbers, turnover and the sales of the Co-op’s own-brand product range have all seen marked increases. The net affect has been that almost £100,000 has been generated through the 1% community element in support of local good causes.

Richard Pennycook, Group Chief Executive, said:
“Our new membership scheme is at the core of our work to Rebuild the Co-op and is part of our ongoing investment to ensure we deliver for our members, our colleagues, our customers and their communities. Every day, in Co-ops up and down the country, members will enjoy rewards for shopping with us, while 1 per cent of what they spend on Co-op own brand products will be donated to the fantastic community causes they choose. We have designed this modern membership scheme to embody the Co-op difference and are confident it will help us deliver against our determination to champion a better way of doing business for you and your communities.

“We are delighted with the early results from our trial of the membership benefits with our colleagues. While these are based on a short period of time, it is clear that the benefits not only increases sales and the number of visits, but also effectively promotes our fantastic own brand products. Today’s launch will set us on the path to converting one million new members to the Co-op way of doing business. Big business is frequently accused of taking money out of the community. We are investing to drive growth that will ensure money is given back to our members and their communities.”

The launch of the membership scheme follows the appointment of Rufus Olins as the Co-op’s Chief Membership Officer. Rufus, who joins the Group in October, is currently Chief Executive of Newsworks, the newspaper marketing body. He will be at the centre of delivering the changes to Co-op membership which were announced at the AGM in May, designed to make Co-op membership more engaging and more rewarding and to put the Co-op back at the heart of communities.

Notes to Editors
About The Co-op Group:
The Co-op Group, one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives, with interests across food, funerals, insurance, electrical and legal services, has a clear purpose of championing a better way of doing business for you and your communities. Owned by millions of UK consumers, The Co-operative Group operates a total of 3,750 outlets, with more than 70,000 colleagues and an annual turnover of approximately £10 billion.

£100m returned to members and their communities

	2017	2018
Total Personal Benefit: 5%	£62.0m	£92.8m
Total Community Benefit: 1%	£12.5m	£18.5m
Combined	£74.5m	£110.9m

Based on 4.2 million members in 2016, 4.7 million in 2017, and 5.2 million in 2018 and member spend in line with individual business plans and objectives.

Media Enquiries:

The Co-operative Group
Jon Church: 07545 210812
Russ Brady: 07880 784442

Tulchan Communications
Susanna Voyle/Jonathan Sibun: 020 7353 4200

Source: Coop

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. to hold its 2016 Analyst Day on October 5, 2016

ATLANTA, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLKI), the franchisor and operator of Popeyes® restaurants, today (September 22, 2016) reported that it will hold its 2016 Analyst Day at its headquarters in Atlanta on October 5, 2016. The event is scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m. (ET) and will conclude at approximately 4:00 p.m.

A listen-only webcast of the event will be broadcast simultaneously on the Investor Relations portion of the Company’s website for all interested parties. The presentation and supplemental slides will also be available on the website. To access the Company’s webcast or an archive of the event, please visit www.plki.com and select “Webcast and Presentations”. A replay of the event will be available for 90 days at the Company’s website or through a dial-in number for a limited time following the webcast. For additional information, see the contact information for the Company’s Investor Relations below.

Corporate Profile

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. is the franchisor and operator of Popeyes® restaurants, the world’s second-largest Quick- Service Restaurant (“QSR”) chicken concept based on number of units. As of July 10, 2016, Popeyes had 2,594 operating restaurants in the United States, the District of Columbia, three territories, and 26 foreign countries. The Company’s primary objective is to deliver sales and profits by offering excellent investment opportunities in its Popeyes brand and providing exceptional franchisee support systems and services to its owners. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. can be found at www.popeyes.com.

Contact:
Investor inquiries:
Anita Booe
404-459-4665
Investor Relations
Anita.Booe@popeyes.com

Media inquiries:
Renee Kopkowski
404-459-4630
Vice President, Brand Communications
renee.kopkowski@popeyes.com

Source: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc.

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Co-op Cycles: REI unveils new brand of bikes built from ground-up inspired by its most passionate member cyclists

SEATTLE, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — REI, the nation’s largest outdoor co-op, today announced a rebuilt strategy for its bike brand built around riders who enjoy trail, mixed surface and longer touring adventures. The co-op unveiled Co-op Cycles, a new brand of bikes built from the ground-up with input from the co-op’s most passionate member cyclists.

INTRODUCING CO-OP CYCLES
“We are committed to making bikes and gear for those who love the fun and freedom that comes with exploring the world on two wheels. We started this complete overhaul of our bike brand by engaging with our most passionate co-op designers and members who ride together to guide development of the Co-op Cycles line. Through our cooperative design process, they’ve guided this entire project,” says Paul Calandrella, REI director of cycle strategy.

Co-op Cycles replaces the Novara line, and is the foundation of the co-op’s ‘trail-first’ approach. Co-op Cycles DRT (mountain) and ARD (all-road) bikes are completely new, purpose-built for off-road riding. The ADV (adventure), CTY (pavement) and REV (youth) lines inherit DNA from Novara’s most successful models such as the Randonee, Safari, Mazama and Buzz, while updated designs are underway for future seasons.

“When you combine REI’s cycling expertise with its camping and broad outdoor equipment line-up, the co-op is able to offer members a single destination for any adventure riding needs, including bikes, apparel, nutrition and adventure-ready camping gear,” Calandrella adds. “This approach is unique to REI, and we’re proud to launch a co-op brand that we believe will stoke the adventure spirit of our members who ride.”

The Co-op Cycles line includes adventure, mountain, city and youth bicycles, plus a core apparel line. Notable products within the new line are:

Mountain

DRT 2.1 This 27.5 x 2.8 inch, plus, tubeless-ready tires give this alloy hardtail mounds of traction and just enough plush to be the go-anywhere, do-anything trail explorer. Want something faster? Swap in boost-compatible 29er wheels and up to a 2.25 inch tire. Or, add an internally routed dropper for your favorite bomber descent. Shimano SLX 1×11 + X-Fusion McQueen 120mm Fork | $1,599.
DRT 1.3 A distillation of so many of the good things that have happened to mountain bikes in recent years. Long top-tube, short and wide cockpit, through-axle fork with remote lockout, and upgrade potential with internal dropper post routing and tubeless compatible rims. The DRT 1 series is your trail-capable starting point to progression. Shimano 2×10 Deore + Suntour Raidon 120mm Fork | $1,099.

All Road

ARD 1.4 The adventure-minded rider’s road bike. This light, fast carbon bike is ready to go from the end of pavement, onto the trail. Spec’d with 28c road tires, frame and fork clearance allows for up to a 35c tubeless knobby to make the transformation for gravel roads and light-duty trail adventures. Front and rear thru-axles and dual-piston hydraulic discs keep things under control when conditions get technical. ARD is upgrade-proof, with internal or external mechanical and electronic drivetrain compatibility, plus integrated fender mounts. Shimano 105 2×11 | $2,299.
ARD 1.2 A mirror image of our pinnacle all road bike – but with an alloy frame and rack mounts for the price-conscious adventurer. Shimano 105 2×11 | $1,299.

PARTNERING WITH PROGRESSIVE BRANDS, BUILDING IN-SHOP EXPERTISE
Co-op Cycles joins Salsa, Cannondale, Ghost and Diamondback to offer riders regionally focused assortments tailored to their local terrain.

“We’re taking a holistic approach to bike at REI,” says Ben Johns, general merchandising manager for REI’s cycling business. “We’re listening to our members and systematically addressing the ‘brutal truths’ for our cycling business. We’re working across the co-op to invest in bike staff expertise and deepen our community impact through both educational and experiential riding events, as well as partnerships with local non-profits.”

Last year, REI’s Barnett-certified technicians serviced 180,000 bikes and REI Outdoor School instructors educated nearly 37,000 people through a range of beginner to advanced cycling classes. Of all of Outdoor School’s offerings, bike maintenance continues to be the co-op’s most popular class.

To help riders get out more, REI offers a hub for the mountain bike community in MTB Project. With photos and descriptions for more than 80,000 miles of trail, the crowd-sourced website and app is the most complete guide to mountain bike terrain in the country.

SUPPORTING LOCAL CYCLING COMMUNITIES
REI continues to partner with nonprofits in local communities across the country to help build cycling infrastructure, improve trails and increase access to areas that are important to its member riders and the riding community at large.

REI has supported the Hill Country Conservancy since 2012 to help fund the Violet Crown trail. When completed, the trail will connect multiple cities, counties, neighborhoods, businesses, schools, libraries, parks and communities. Mountain bikers, trail runners and walkers, and outdoor enthusiasts will be able to enjoy 30 miles of trail with a variety of entry points and first-time access to preserved, otherwise inaccessible lands in the Texas Hill Country.

REI also supports national nonprofit partners like PeopleForBikes and IMBA, and has provided more than $1.5 million over the last 10 years to support their efforts. These national partners build awareness of bicycle safety and create miles of connected cycle trails across the country.

About REI
REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation’s largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of more than 6 million active members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips, and outstanding customer service. REI has 146 stores in 35 states. If you can’t visit a store, you can shop at REI.com, REI-Garage.com or the free REI shopping app. REI isn’t just about gear. You can take the trip of a lifetime with REI Adventures, a global leader in active adventure travel that runs 170 custom-designed itineraries on every continent. REI’s Outdoor School is run by professionally-trained, expert-instructors who teach beginner- to advanced-level courses about a wide range of activities. To build on the infrastructure that makes life outside possible, REI invests millions annually in hundreds of local and national nonprofits that create access to–and steward–the outdoor places that inspire us.

For more information or to request an interview, please contact:
REI Public Affairs
(253) 395-5958
prrequests@rei.com

Source: REI

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. announces financial results for 2Q FY2016 ended August 27, 2016

UNION, N.J., 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY) today (Sept. 21, 2016) reported financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2016 ended August 27, 2016.

Second Quarter Results

For the second quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company reported net earnings of $1.11 per diluted share ($167.3 million) compared with $1.21 per diluted share ($201.7 million) for the second quarter of fiscal 2015. Net sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2016 were approximately $2.988 billion, a decrease of approximately 0.2% from net sales of approximately $2.995 billion reported in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. Comparable sales in the second quarter of fiscal 2016 decreased by approximately 1.2%, compared with an increase of approximately 0.7% in last year’s fiscal second quarter. Comparable sales from customer-facing digital channels grew in excess of 20% while comparable sales from stores declined in the low single-digit percentage range during the second quarter of fiscal 2016.

Capital Allocation

The Company’s Board of Directors has declared a quarterly dividend of $.125 per share, to be paid on January 17, 2017 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 16, 2016.

During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company repurchased approximately $121 million of its common stock, representing approximately 2.7 million shares, under its existing $2.5 billion share repurchase program. As of August 27, 2016, the program had a remaining balance of approximately $2.0 billion, and is expected to be completed in the latter half of fiscal 2019 or in fiscal 2020.

Fiscal 2016 Outlook

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.’s conference call with analysts and investors will be held today at 5:00 pm (ET). During this call, the Company plans to review its fiscal 2016 financial planning assumptions.

Based on these planning assumptions, which reflect actual results through the fiscal second quarter, the slight dilution anticipated from the Company’s purchase of One Kings Lane, Inc., and current business trends, the Company continues to model its fiscal 2016 net earnings per diluted share to be within the $4.50 to just over $5.00 range that it has earned over the past several years, during a heavy investment phase. This is the range of net earnings per diluted share that the Company described in its two previous earnings press releases.

The Company’s fiscal 2016 second quarter conference call may be accessed by dialing 1-888-771-4371, or if international, 847-585-4405, using conference ID number 43322661. The replay of the call can be accessed by dialing 1-888-843-7419, using conference ID number 43322661. The call and replay can also be accessed via audio webcast on the investor relations section of our website at www.bedbathandbeyond.com.

About the Company

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) is a retailer selling a wide assortment of domestics merchandise and home furnishings which operates under the names Bed Bath & Beyond, Christmas Tree Shops, Christmas Tree Shops andThat! or andThat!, Harmon or Harmon Face Values, buybuy BABY and World Market, Cost Plus World Market or Cost Plus. Customers can purchase products from the Company either in-store, online, with a mobile device or through a contact center. The Company generally has the ability to have customer purchases picked up in-store or shipped direct to the customer from the Company’s distribution facilities, stores or vendors. In addition, the Company operates Of a Kind, an e-commerce website that features specially commissioned, limited edition items from emerging fashion and home designers, and One Kings Lane, an authority in home décor and design offering a unique collection of select home goods, designer and vintage items. The Company also operates Linen Holdings, a provider of a variety of textile products, amenities and other goods to institutional customers in the hospitality, cruise line, healthcare and other industries. Additionally, the Company is a partner in a joint venture which operates retail stores in Mexico under the name Bed Bath & Beyond.

The Company operates websites at bedbathandbeyond.com, bedbathandbeyond.ca, worldmarket.com, buybuybaby.com, buybuybaby.ca, christmastreeshops.com, harmondiscount.com, ofakind.com, onekingslane.com, harborlinen.com and t-ygroup.com. As of August 27, 2016, the Company had a total of 1,539 stores, including 1,024 Bed Bath & Beyond stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Canada, 278 stores under the names of World Market, Cost Plus World Market or Cost Plus, 107 buybuy BABY stores, 79 stores under the names Christmas Tree Shops, Christmas Tree Shops andThat! or andThat!, and 51 stores under the names Harmon or Harmon Face Values. During the fiscal second quarter, the Company opened three Bed Bath & Beyond stores, one Cost Plus World Market store and two buybuy Baby stores. In addition, the Company is a partner in a joint venture which operates eight stores in Mexico under the name Bed Bath & Beyond.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Many of these forward-looking statements can be identified by use of words such as may, will, expect, anticipate, approximate, estimate, assume, continue, model, project, plan, and similar words and phrases. The Company’s actual results and future financial condition may differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements as a result of many factors. Such factors include, without limitation: general economic conditions including the housing market, a challenging overall macroeconomic environment and related changes in the retailing environment; consumer preferences, spending habits and adoption of new technologies; demographics and other macroeconomic factors that may impact the level of spending for the types of merchandise sold by the Company; civil disturbances and terrorist acts; unusual weather patterns and natural disasters; competition from existing and potential competitors; competition from other channels of distribution; pricing pressures; liquidity; the ability to attract and retain qualified employees in all areas of the organization; the cost of labor, merchandise and other costs and expenses; potential supply chain disruption due to political instability, labor disturbances, product recalls, financial or operational instability of suppliers or carriers, and other items; the ability to find suitable locations at acceptable occupancy costs and other terms to support the Company’s plans for new stores; the ability to assess and implement technologies in support of the Company’s development of its omnichannel capabilities; the ability to establish and profitably maintain the appropriate mix of digital and physical presence in the markets it serves; uncertainty in financial markets; disruptions to the Company’s information technology systems including but not limited to security breaches of systems protecting consumer and employee information; reputational risk arising from challenges to the Company’s or a third party supplier’s compliance with various laws, regulations or standards, including those related to labor, health, safety, privacy or the environment; reputational risk arising from third-party merchandise or service vendor performance in direct home delivery or assembly of product for customers; changes to statutory, regulatory and legal requirements; new, or developments in existing, litigation, claims or assessments; changes to, or new, tax laws or interpretation of existing tax laws; changes to, or new, accounting standards; foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; and the integration of acquired businesses. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update its forward-looking statements.

INVESTOR CONTACT:
Janet M. Barth
(908) 613-5820

SOURCE: Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Enjoy any medium-sized cup of Dunkin’ Donuts’ signature hot coffee for 66 cents on National Coffee Day

: Enjoy any medium-sized cup of Dunkin’ Donuts’ signature hot coffee for 66 cents on National Coffee Day

CANTON, MA, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — National Coffee Day is Thursday, September 29, and Dunkin’ Donuts will hail the holiday by raising a cup to its loyal guests with a coffee offer in celebration of the brand’s 66-year history of keeping people running with great coffee each and every day. Dunkin’ Donuts today (September 22, 2016) announced that on National Coffee Day, guests can enjoy any medium-sized cup of the brand’s signature hot coffee for the special price of 66 cents at participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants nationwide.

According to Chris Fuqua, Senior Vice President, Dunkin’ Donuts Brand Marketing, Global Consumer Insights & Product Innovation, “Dunkin’ Donuts’ coffee heritage, and the love people have for our coffee, goes back 66 years to 1950, something no other leading restaurant brand can match. Since then, our coffee has remained an important part of millions of guests’ daily lives, helping busy people start their morning and keep on running any time of day or night. For National Coffee Day in 2016, we say cheers to 66 years by making Dunkin’ Donuts’ signature hot coffee available on September 29 for only 66 cents for a medium-sized cup.”

Dunkin’ Donuts is also helping fans both show and share their love of coffee by offering a one-day-only Snapchat Geofilter on National Coffee Day. The fun design celebrates the day, and can be unlocked at any of Dunkin’ Donuts’ U.S. locations on September 29 only.

According to the NPD Group / CREST, Dunkin’ Donuts is a leader in the hot and iced coffee categories in the U.S. The company sells more than 1.9 billion cups of hot and iced coffee globally ever year. In addition to the brand’s signature hot and iced Original Blend Coffee, Dunkin’ Donuts offers Rainforest Alliance Certified™ Dark Roast, which uses a unique blending and roasting process to create a bold flavor and smooth finish without the bitterness typically associated with most dark roast coffees. Dunkin’ Donuts also offers a full lineup of espresso beverages, including cappuccino, espresso, hot and iced lattes, and hot and iced macchiato.

Additionally, Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants nationwide now offer Cold Brew coffee, prepared by steeping a special blend of coffee in cold water over an extended period of time to extract a uniquely distinctive flavor from the beans. The longer brewing process provides a rich, smooth coffee with an inherently sweeter flavor reminiscent of dark chocolate. Cold Brew coffee is crafted by hand in Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in small batches and served each day while supplies last.

To learn more about Dunkin’ Donuts, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/DunkinDonuts), Instagram (www.instagram.com/DunkinDonuts) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/DunkinDonuts).

About Dunkin’ Donuts

Founded in 1950, Dunkin’ Donuts is America’s favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin’ Donuts is a market leader in the hot regular/decaf/flavored coffee, iced coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin’ Donuts has earned a No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for 10 years running. The company has more than 11,900 restaurants in 44 countries worldwide. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin’ Donuts is part of the Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com

MEDIA CONTACT:

Justin Drake
Phone: 781-737-5200
Email: justin.drake@dunkinbrands.com

Source: Dunkin’ Donuts

###

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Accenture to acquire leading global strategy consulting firm focused on the retail industry, Kurt Salmon

NEW YORK, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has entered into an agreement to acquire Kurt Salmon, a leading global strategy consulting firm focused on the retail industry and a subsidiary of Management Consulting Group. The acquisition will expand Accenture Strategy’s capabilities in delivering end-to-end strategy consulting services to top retailers and private equity firms in a world disrupted by digital.

Completion is subject to regulatory approvals, approval of the transaction by Management Consulting Group’s shareholders and other customary closing conditions.

Founded in 1935, Kurt Salmon has more than 260 employees serving clients across the world, and offices in the U.S., Germany, UK, Japan and China. The company is known for operational strategy consulting, including logistics and supply chain, merchandising and product development, corporate strategy and due diligence, and omni-channel retail strategy.

“With digital disruption forcing retailers to rethink their entire business and operating models, we expect continued strong demand for strategy consulting services in this industry,” said Mark Knickrehm, chief executive officer, Accenture Strategy. “This acquisition will enhance our ability to deliver the industry-specific strategies that our clients are increasingly seeking, in order to drive competitiveness and operational excellence at the intersection of business and technology.”

Chris Donnelly, retail industry lead, Accenture Strategy, said, “In an environment dominated by rapidly rising customer expectations, industry convergence and low barriers to entry, our retail clients are looking for end-to-end strategy solutions to navigate this disruption. Through this acquisition, we will be able to offer our clients a powerful combination of services to help shape the transformation of the retail sector.”

Following completion of the acquisition, Kurt Salmon’s employees are expected to join the Accenture Strategy retail industry practice.

“Our retail clients are increasingly looking for agile and pragmatic solutions from industry experts that enable their transformation journey and help them gain competitive advantage,” said Brooks Kitchel, CEO of Kurt Salmon. “Joining Accenture Strategy will enable us to bring new value to our clients in a collaborative, global and client-centric environment that aligns with our company culture and mission.”

About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With more than 375,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Accenture Strategy operates at the intersection of business and technology. We bring together our capabilities in business, technology, operations and function strategy to help our clients envision and execute industry-specific strategies that support enterprise wide transformation. Our focus on issues related to digital disruption, competitiveness, global operating models, talent and leadership help drive both efficiencies and growth. For more information, follow @AccentureStrat or visit www.accenture.com/strategy.

About Kurt Salmon
Kurt Salmon is a global management consulting firm dedicated to building the market leaders of tomorrow. More than just partnering with our clients, we ally with them, integrating ourselves seamlessly into their organizations in order to develop innovative, customized solutions for their 21st-century business issues.

Succeeding in today’s increasingly complex, consumer-driven environment is an enormous challenge. But companies need to look beyond today; they need to position themselves for continued success in the even more uncertain future. That’s where Kurt Salmon comes in.

We call it delivering “success for what’s next.” The results are transformative.

www.kurtsalmon.com

Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “positioned,” “outlook” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include, without limitation, risks that: Accenture, Kurt Salmon and Management Consulting Group will not be able to close the transaction in the time period anticipated, or at all, which is dependent on the parties’ ability to satisfy certain closing conditions; the transaction might not achieve the anticipated benefits for Accenture; Accenture’s results of operations could be adversely affected by volatile, negative or uncertain economic conditions and the effects of these conditions on the company’s clients’ businesses and levels of business activity; Accenture’s business depends on generating and maintaining ongoing, profitable client demand for the company’s services and solutions, and a significant reduction in such demand could materially affect the company’s results of operations; if Accenture is unable to keep its supply of skills and resources in balance with client demand around the world and attract and retain professionals with strong leadership skills, the company’s business, the utilization rate of the company’s professionals and the company’s results of operations may be materially adversely affected; the markets in which Accenture competes are highly competitive, and Accenture might not be able to compete effectively; Accenture could have liability or Accenture’s reputation could be damaged if the company fails to protect client and/or company data or information systems as obligated by law or contract or if the company’s information systems are breached; Accenture’s results of operations and ability to grow could be materially negatively affected if the company cannot adapt and expand its services and solutions in response to ongoing changes in technology and offerings by new entrants; the company’s results of operations could materially suffer if the company is not able to obtain sufficient pricing to enable it to meet its profitability expectations; if Accenture does not accurately anticipate the cost, risk and complexity of performing its work or if the third parties upon whom it relies do not meet their commitments, then Accenture’s contracts could have delivery inefficiencies and be less profitable than expected or unprofitable; Accenture’s results of operations could be materially adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; Accenture’s profitability could suffer if its cost-management strategies are unsuccessful, and the company may not be able to improve its profitability through improvements to cost-management to the degree it has done in the past; Accenture’s business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; Accenture’s work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; Accenture might not be successful at identifying, acquiring or integrating businesses, entering into joint ventures or divesting businesses; Accenture’s Global Delivery Network is increasingly concentrated in India and the Philippines, which may expose it to operational risks; changes in Accenture’s level of taxes, as well as audits, investigations and tax proceedings, or changes in the company’s treatment as an Irish company, could have a material adverse effect on the company’s results of operations and financial condition; as a result of Accenture’s geographically diverse operations and its growth strategy to continue geographic expansion, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; adverse changes to Accenture’s relationships with key alliance partners or in the business of its key alliance partners could adversely affect the company’s results of operations; Accenture’s services or solutions could infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company might lose its ability to utilize the intellectual property of others; if Accenture is unable to protect its intellectual property rights from unauthorized use or infringement by third parties, its business could be adversely affected; Accenture’s ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; if Accenture is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; any changes to the estimates and assumptions that Accenture makes in connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements could adversely affect its financial results; many of Accenture’s contracts include payments that link some of its fees to the attainment of performance or business targets and/or require the company to meet specific service levels, which could increase the variability of the company’s revenues and impact its margins; if Accenture is unable to collect its receivables or unbilled services, the company’s results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected; Accenture’s results of operations and share price could be adversely affected if it is unable to maintain effective internal controls; Accenture may be subject to criticism and negative publicity related to its incorporation in Ireland; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the “Risk Factors” heading in Accenture plc’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture’s expectations.

Contacts:

Justyna Gnyp
Accenture
+ 44 750 012 4567
justyna.gnyp@accenture.com

Anthony Hatter
Accenture
+ 44 7810 756 138
anthony.hatter@accenture.com

Source: Accenture

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Retail News Editor

MAPIC 2016 to unveil new retailer brands whose concepts are riding the current retail trends

Paris, 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — MAPIC 2016 will unveil a selection of new retailer brands whose concepts are riding the current retail trends. In ready-to-wear, food & beverage and retailtainment, the watchwords today (September 21, 2016) are personalizing, sharing and buying experience.

Browse the retailer catalogue and discover a selection of these retailers attending MAPIC for the first time to seek out international developers.

Organised by Reed MIDEM, the International Retail Real Estate Market will be held in Cannes from 16 to 18 November.

In food & beverage, there is considerable enthusiasm for innovative culinary experiences such as the French ice cream-maker iceRoll, which prepares unique ice cream rolls using a plate cooled to -30°C. And there are always plenty of mono-product retailers such as Gagao, a Strasbourg cacaoteria where chocolate is very much the star, and Blinerie, a blini specialist that will offer tasting sessions in the new Food Court located in front of the Palais des Festivals.

In ready-to-wear, fashion is now about personalizing and DIY. Consumers today don’t simply want to buy a garment – they want to join in the production and personalize it differently from their friends and neighbours. Studiomazé is a young French brand that offers three lines in clothes, each associated with a special degree of creativity: the ready-to-go, the ready-to-adapt and the ready-to-create. In a similar vein, Cabaïa develops pop up stores offering a unique product at set prices: a bonnet with three pompons that can be interchanged using magnetic clips. Another innovative concept that will be showcased at MAPIC comes from the Italian brand DressYouCan that offers high-end, ready-to-wear rentals so that users can access a luxury wardrobe at affordable prices for one evening.

For several years, renowned French retailer Kiabi has been actively repositioning the brand, which aims to reinvest in its presence in shopping malls and to strengthen its international development. Kiabi will be presenting a showroom of over 600 m² (a first for MAPIC) which will unveil to MAPIC participants the innovations of its latest concept store.

Alongside the new brands this year, MAPIC attendees will also be able to meet such industry giants from previous events, including Primark, Inditex, H&M, Adidas Group, Printemps, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Monoprix, Hema, Subway and Five Guys.

Click here to see the selection of new retailers attending MAPIC 2016.

About Reed MIDEM:
Founded in 1963, Reed MIDEM is an organiser of professional, international markets that are essential business platforms for key players in the sectors concerned. These sectors are MIPTV, MIPDOC, MIPCOM, MIP CANCUN and MIPJUNIOR for the television and digital content industries, MIDEM for music professionals, MIPIM, MIPIM Asia, MIPIM UK, and MIPIM Japan for the real estate industry and MAPIC, Retail Real Estate Market brought by MAPIC in Shanghai and MAPIC Italy in Milan for the retail real estate sector.

About Reed Exhibitions
Reed MIDEM is a division of Reed Exhibitions, the world’s leading event organizer, with over 500 events in 43 countries. In 2015 Reed brought together over seven million active professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa and organised by 41 fully-staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 43 industry sectors with trade and consumer events. It is part of the RELX Group plc, a world-leading provider of information solutions and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. www.reedexpo.com

Press Contacts:

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

Constance GARCIA Y SANTOS
Press Officer
Tel: +33 (0) 1 79 71 95 65
constance.garciaysantos@reedmidem.com

Source: MAPIC

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