Posted on November 28, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Leading online luxury beauty retailer lookfantastic announces Louise Thompson as its UK brand ambassador

Cheshire, UK, 2016-Nov-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — lookfantastic has announced Louise Thompson as its UK brand ambassador, with her initially featuring in its Black Friday campaign – My Spotlight Saviour: The Beauty Blackout – which has just launched.

The leading online luxury beauty retailer is launching its Black Friday #MySpotlightSaviour campaign whereby some of the UK’s most high profile influencers reveal both what it means for them to be spotlight ready and also their hero beauty product – the product that makes them feel spotlight ready.

Each influencer provides an inspiring message around confidence and feeling the best you can in your own skin.

The influencers include TV personality, Ollie Locke who expresses how he feels in the spotlight when the cameras stop rolling and highlights how men’s confidence is just as important as women’s; and musician Vanessa White, who feels that taking care of her skin is of utmost importance for being confident in everyday life; whilst beauty and fashion Youtuber Patricia Bright, wants to be an example to the women in her life and would tell them to have fun with beauty and not use it as a shield.

The campaign also includes dancer and model Danielle Peazer, lifestyle blogger and Youtuber Lydia Elise Millen and will see a series of videos launch onsite and across the brand’s social media channels. It will be seeded out both UK wide and across the globe, including Asia, France, Germany and Spain.

The influencers’ hero products include Philip Kingsley’s Elasticizer, a Foreo Luna and Illamasqua Skin Base.

Hannah Pym, Head of Marketing for lookfantastic said, “We are thrilled to reveal our Black Friday campaign and announce Louise Thompson as our brand ambassador. Louise is passionate about looking and feeling good so is the perfect ambassador to talk about beauty and the role it plays in giving people confidence to feel their best.

“We’re also celebrating the most coveted shopping retail day of the year with unique and engaging content whilst also giving our consumers some of the best offers available across a selection of amazing beauty brands.”

Louise Thompson, lookfantastic’s brand ambassador said, “I am delighted to be working with lookfantastic. The #MySpotlightSaviour campaign has been a truly exciting experience. The messaging of being confident in your own skin is a really important one and finding products that suit your own personal regime and needs is something I feel really passionate about.

“I’m a huge fan of the brand and am honoured to be working with the team.”

Each of the ‘spotlight saviour’ products mentioned by the influencers will be on offer prior to the Black Friday weekend. Customers that purchase one of these products will receive an exclusive site-wide Black Friday code entitling them to an additional discount. Customers will be encouraged to share their favourite beauty products using #MySpotlightSaviour.

The campaign is set to drive excitement before the biggest retail shopping weekend of the year when products will be on offer from brands such as NARS and Sarah Chapman.

Visit www.lookfantastic.com / Twitter:@lookfantastic / Instagram: @lookfantastic

For more information or to request samples or images, please contact Viki Tahmasebi (viki.tahmasebi@thehutgroup.com) or Zara Hill (zara.hill@thehutgroup.com).

Notes to Editors
About lookfantastic
Founded in 1996, lookfantastic is the original online beauty boutique and today, it’s Europe’s number one retailer for beauty. lookfantastic prides itself on its wide range of brands and products, exclusive free gifts with purchases and fantastic member rewards.

Media Enquiries:
media-enquiries@thehutgroup.com

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: Leading online luxury beauty retailer lookfantastic announces Louise Thompson as its UK brand ambassador

Source: The Hut Group

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Retail News Editor

MODERNISIERTE MIGROS DAVOS RÄTIA FEIERT WIEDERERÖFFNUNG

: MODERNISIERTE MIGROS DAVOS RÄTIA FEIERT WIEDERERÖFFNUNG

Gossau, Switzerland, 2016-Nov-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — Am 6. Dezember 2016 öffnet im Rätia-Center an der Promenade 40 in Davos Platz die modernisierte Migros wieder ihre Türen. Am Eröffnungswochenende vom 8. bis 10. Dezember profitiert die Kundschaft von zehn Prozent Rabatt.

Mit dem Abschluss der fünfmonatigen Umbauzeit erwartet die Kundschaft der Migros Davos Rätia ein neues Migros-Einkaufserlebnis mit grosszügigem Frischebereich, optimierter Wegführung und Warenpräsentation. Neu ist der Supermarkt auf einer Verkaufsfläche von gut 500 m2 im Untergeschoss des Rätia-Centers zu finden. Der Kassenbereich ist mit zusätzlichen Self-Checkout-Stationen ausgerüstet worden, was den Kundinnen und Kunden ein noch flexibleres Einkaufen ermöglicht.

Starkes Team im Rücken
Gemeinsam mit seinen zehn Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeitern kümmert sich Manuel Caduff um das Wohl der Kundschaft. „Wir sind ein bunt durchmischtes Team von erfahrenen Mitarbeitenden und alle freuen sich auf den Laden, die Kundschaft und die Saison.“ Der junge Filialleiter arbeitete bereits vor der Modernisierung als stellvertretender Filialleiter und Bereichsleiter Food und Frische in der Migros Rätia. Seit der Eröffnung des neuen MM Symondpark zeichnet sich Manuel Caduff für die Bereiche Food und Non Food verantwortlich und ist gleichzeitig stellvertretender Marktleiter. In der Anfangsphase nach der Wiedereröffnung liegt der Fokus von Manuel Caduff darauf, die Kunden zu begeistern und fürs Rätia zu gewinnen. Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, setzt der Filialleiter auf sein starkes Team.

Kundschaft profitiert
Vom Donnerstag bis Samstag, 8. bis 10. Dezember 2016, feiert die Migros Davos Rätia Wiedereröffnung. Kundinnen und Kunden profitieren an allen drei Tagen von zehn Prozent Rabatt beim Einkauf im Supermarkt. Für nur 2.50 Franken gibt es jeweils ab 10.30 Uhr eine Bratwurst vom Grill mit Bürli, dazu ein Aproz-Mineralwasser. Zudem darf sich die Kundschaft auf eine süsse Überraschung freuen – es het solang‘s het.

Contact:

Genossenschaft Migros Ostschweiz
Herr Christian Possa
Kommunikation/Kulturprozent/Sponsoring
Industriestrasse 47
9201 Gossau
TEL: 071 493 24 92
FAX: 071 493 27 89
E-MAIL: christian.possa@gmos.ch

Source: Migros

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Posted on November 28, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Tesco’s Bags of Help initiative expanded to new monthly format

CHESHUNT, England, 2016-Nov-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — Thousands more community groups will bag a cash boost from Tesco’s Bags of Help initiative after the supermarket announced plans to invite customers to vote for their favourite community projects every month.

Previously the awards programme ran every nine months, but from 1 December Tesco customers will decide on a monthly basis which groups get grants of up to £5,000, £2,000 and £1,000 in regions up and down the country.

It’s expected the new monthly format will see more than 7,000 projects receive vital funding every year. Funding will continue to be awarded to groups seeking to use and develop outdoor spaces in ways that will benefit their local community.

Matt Davies, UK CEO from Tesco said:

“Over the last year, the money raised from our customers buying single-use carrier bags has resulted in £24 million being awarded to over 2,400 local community projects – all chosen by our customers.

“I’ve seen first-hand the diversity of brilliant projects, ranging from outdoor classrooms, sports facilities, community gardens, play areas and everything in-between.

“In order for even more local projects to benefit from this money, customers will now be invited to vote for their favourite community projects every time they shop with us.”

Voting for the first month’s groups will run in Tesco stores across the UK throughout December. Customers will be able to cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they shop.

Tesco is working with environmental improvement charity, Groundwork, to help deliver its Bags of Help scheme.

Groundwork’s national Chief Executive, Graham Duxbury, said:

“The money raised by Tesco customers through Bags of Help has already made a massive difference in communities.

“Now that the scheme will be permanently open for applications, we expect even more communities to benefit from fantastic projects that create or provide access to better, healthier and greener places.”

Tesco and Groundwork are always calling out for nominations from community groups and customers – find out more at www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp

NOTES TO EDITORS:

600 community groups will receive a grant each month: three in each of the 200 Tesco regions
The group with the most votes will receive up to £5,000, with second place receiving up to £2,000 and third place up to £1,000
Every year more than 7,000 projects will receive funding
Voting will take place from the 1st of the month to the last Saturday of the month, with projects changing monthly
The initiative is supported by money from the five pence charge levied on single-use carrier bags
Customers and community groups are able to nominate projects they would like supported, by visiting www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp
Each month applications will be whittled down to three in each of Tesco’s regions by Tesco colleagues who live and work in each region

For more information please visit: www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp

For more information please contact the Tesco Press Office on 01707 918 701

Source: Tesco

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific Matson, Inc. is all-in on the AWS Cloud

Matson closes final data centers as it moves its critical shipping and logistics businesses to AWS for increased performance, reliability, and security

SEATTLE, 2016-Nov-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company (NASDAQ: AMZN), today announced that Matson, Inc. (NYSE: MATX), a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific, is all-in on the AWS Cloud. Matson, whose shipping network reaches Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, China, and areas of the South Pacific, has closed all four of its on-premises data centers in its migration to AWS. Moving its applications from its on-premises data centers to the AWS Cloud has helped Matson achieve faster performance, increased reliability and security, and IT infrastructure cost savings.

The shipping industry requires advanced IT capabilities to enable precise tracking of assets and customer shipments as they move around the world. Matson’s vessels, shipping terminals, container equipment, and truck shipments all require highly reliable technology to ensure that its transportation network operates at world-class levels. In addition, Matson’s customers count on cloud-based applications to provide real-time visibility and analytics in managing their own supply chains. All of these mission-critical applications run on the AWS Cloud today, including Matson’s custom-built order-to-cash booking and billing systems, terminal operations, global equipment management, U.S.-wide logistics applications, and customer-facing website.

“Several years ago we set out on a journey to modernize our entire portfolio of enterprise applications and to upgrade and optimize every corner of our IT infrastructure. Once we completed our application modernization, we were ready to culminate this transformation by migrating onto a single cloud platform, which we view as the optimal strategy to sustain world-class customer service and operational reliability. We chose the AWS Cloud because it provides unmatched security, performance, and cost benefits,” said Peter Weis, Matson’s CIO. “Having moved one hundred percent of our enterprise applications from on-premises data centers to the AWS Cloud, we are now free to focus on further innovation.”

“Companies large and small around the world are increasingly moving all-in on the AWS Cloud so they can focus their resources on differentiated work,” said Mike Clayville, Vice President, Worldwide Sales at AWS. “We’ve worked closely with Matson during its migration to AWS and are excited to congratulate them on the closing of their data centers. Standardizing on the broadest cloud platform available, Matson will be able to devote more of its time and resources to driving new and enhanced processes for its own customers.”

About Amazon Web Services
For 10 years, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. AWS offers over 70 fully featured services for compute, storage, databases, analytics, mobile, Internet of Things (IoT) and enterprise applications from 38 Availability Zones (AZs) across 14 geographic regions in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and India. AWS services are trusted by more than a million active customers around the world — including the fastest growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies — to power their infrastructure, make them more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit http://aws.amazon.com.

About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

About Matson, Inc.
Founded in 1882, Matson is a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific. Matson provides a vital lifeline to the economies of Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Micronesia and select South Pacific islands, and operates a premium, expedited service from China to Southern California. The Company’s fleet of 22 owned vessels includes containerships, combination container and roll-on/roll-off ships and custom-designed barges. Matson Logistics, established in 1987, extends the geographic reach of Matson’s transportation network throughout the continental U.S. Its integrated, asset-light logistics services include rail intermodal, highway brokerage, warehousing, and less-than-container load freight consolidation and forwarding to Alaska. Additional information about Matson, Inc.is available at www.matson.com.

Media Hotline:

206-266-7180
Amazon-pr@amazon.com
www.amazon.com/pr

Source: Amazon Web Services, Inc.

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Château Cheval Blanc introduces the first white Bordeaux vintage, Petit Cheval Blanc 2014

: Château Cheval Blanc introduces the first white Bordeaux vintage, Petit Cheval Blanc 2014

Paris, 2016-Nov-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — This year marks the release of a very special wine… Petit Cheval Blanc 2014, the new member of the illustrious Château Cheval Blanc family. It took 10 years to nurture this first white Bordeaux vintage, derived from six and a half hectares of vineyard planted with Sauvignon and Sémillon grapes.

The story of Petit Cheval Blanc began in 2006, when Château Cheval Blanc acquired Château La Tour du Pin, an eight-hectare vineyard producing red wine under the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation. Part of the terroir offered fine potential for white wine, and so the decision was taken to convert it: this would become the birthplace of a white Bordeaux.

The former La Tour du Pin vineyard underwent a profound restructuring. Implementing such an ambitious project was lengthy and complex, in order to answer the question: if Cheval Blanc were a white wine, what would it be? The ultimate goal was to create a wine respecting the six fundamental qualities of Cheval Blanc: freshness, complexity, potential for aging, depth, length and purity. Five vintages were produced yet never released, constituting necessary steps along the path to excellence: Petit Cheval Blanc 2014.

The vineyard is characterized by a combination of clay and sandy soils planted with Sauvignon and Sémillon grapes, which give the wine its Bordeaux identity. Each plot is tended with meticulous attention and is vinified separately. Unusually for a white wine, barrel aging lasts between 16 and 18 months – a lengthy period which allows the wine to evolve towards greater purity.

This first vintage of Petit Cheval Blanc is characterized by fruity notes of apple, pear and bergamot, with hints of lemon and grapefruit zest. There are also nuances of litchi, mango and passionfruit, as well as white flowers, lime blossom and fresh petals. This first successful gallop, already a source of pride for the estate, holds the promise of an exciting future. For the 2014 vintage, only 3,000 bottles have been released.

Please drink responsibly.

Contact:

LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton
22, avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris – France
Tel: +33 (0)1 44 13 22 22
Fax: +33 (0)1 44 13 22 23

Source: LVMH

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Posted on November 28, 2016 by Retail News Editor

H&M debuts holiday short film “Come Together” directed by Wes Anderson and starring Adrien Brody

: H&M debuts holiday short film “Come Together” directed by Wes Anderson and starring Adrien Brody

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 2016-Nov-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — H&M is pleased to announce the debut of the holiday short film “Come Together”, directed by Wes Anderson and starring Adrien Brody. The story takes place on a train traveling through a snowy landscape on Christmas Eve where Brody plays the conductor.

“The winter train ride, under Wes Anderson’s direction, is the perfect setting for H&M’s holiday collection full of relaxed, wearable elegance. It’s about mixing the informal with a sense of occasion, capturing the holiday mood for both dressing up and getting cosy with loved ones,” says Pernilla Wohlfahrt, H&M’s Head of Design and Creative Director.

In the film, lone passengers are traveling to join their loved ones for the Christmas holiday, but winter weather conspires to way-lay them.
“This story may resonate more than ever at a time in the world where we could all do with giving a stranger a hug,”
Adrien Brody, actor

Press Enquiries:

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

Source: H&M

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Posted on November 28, 2016 by Retail News Editor

NRF: 122 million Americans plan to shop online on Cyber Monday, up from 121 million who planned to participate last year

WASHINGTON, 2016-Nov-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — Early season online deals captured consumers’ attention this year, allowing many to shop online ahead of Cyber Monday. According to the National Retail Federation’s Cyber Monday Expectations Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics over the weekend, 122 million Americans plan to shop online on Cyber Monday, up from the 121 million who planned to participate last year.

“On Cyber Monday, retailers deliver online discounts unlike any other day of the year—driving consumers to shop online no matter where they are or what device they’re shopping from,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Millions of consumers shopped over Thanksgiving weekend and reserved a portion of their budgets exclusively for Cyber Monday, knowing that there will be digital deals that are too good to pass up.”

More than 28 million people, or 23 percent of Cyber Monday shoppers, plan to shop for Cyber Monday deals from their mobile device this year, about even with last year’s 29.6 million. More than eight in 10— 98.6 million people, will use their computers at home to shop on Monday, while 11.2 million will shop from their computers at work.

On Cyber Monday, retailers offer deals around the clock and consumers know to check-in with their favorite retailers early and often to find the deals they’re looking for. Early morning remains the busiest time for online shopping—38.9 percent of those shopping on Cyber Monday will shop first thing in the morning, while 33.9 percent will shop late in the morning, 16 percent will shop over lunch and 31 percent will shop in the early afternoon.

“Shopping online is more convenient than ever before—while travelling, emailing or relaxing at home, we’re seeing consumers of all ages researching and shopping for online deals,” said Prosper’s Principal Analyst Pam Goodfellow. “Cyber Monday deals have become something that smart shoppers rely on, and this year is no different. Consumers wake up early ready to shop at their favorite retailers for the items they’ve had their eye on all season.”

Press interested in video clips on the holiday survey can download an interview with Ana Serafin Smith, NRF Senior Director for Media Relations. Download mp4

Retailers Participating in CyberMonday.com Deals of the Hour on Cyber Monday

CyberMonday.com, which features holiday promotions and special savings from hundreds of retail companies, was created by retailers as a one-stop shop for consumers looking for the best Cyber Monday promotions. In addition to hundreds of special offers, some exclusive to CyberMonday.com, the site will feature a Deal of the Hour every hour. Retailers participating in the Cyber Monday Deal of the Hour include Best Buy, Home Depot and Neiman Marcus. Consumers can expect to see free shipping deals, dollars off and free gifts with purchase.

About the Survey
The survey, conducted November 25-26 by Prosper Insights & Analytics for NRF, polled 4,330 consumers and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.5 percent.

Prosper Insights and Analytics delivers executives timely, consumer-centric insights from multiple sources. As a comprehensive resource of information, Prosper represents the voice of the consumer and provides knowledge to marketers regarding consumer views on the economy, personal finance, retail, lifestyle, media and domestic and world issues. www.ProsperDiscovery.com

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.

Contact:

Treacy Reynolds
press@nrf.com
(855) NRF-Press

Source: NRF

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Retail News Editor

Harris Teeter to welcome shoppers to its Berewick Town Center location in Charlotte, NC on December 7, 2016

: Harris Teeter to welcome shoppers to its Berewick Town Center location in Charlotte, NC on December 7, 2016

Company to Celebrate Grand Opening with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony; Harris Teeter Fuel Center to Open at Later Date

Matthews, N.C., 2016-Nov-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — Harris Teeter is proud to welcome shoppers to its Berewick Town Center location on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 at 8 a.m. as the company celebrates its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

In each of its stores, Harris Teeter strives to offer customers an excellent shopping experience, which begins with customer service and features high-quality products, variety and selection. Harris Teeter also works to be a true community partner by supporting local schools and youth sports organizations, among other non-profit organizations.

Berewick Town Center will have a Harris Teeter Fuel Center, which will open at a later date. Once open, Harris Teeter customers can expect $0.03 off per gallon, every day with the use of a VIC card.

Fast Facts
Store Address: 4821 Berewick Town Center Drive, Charlotte, NC 28278
Square Footage: 53,000
Grand Opening Date: Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Grand Opening Time: 8 a.m., ribbon cutting, store open immediately following
Store Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Pharmacy Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Check-Out Lanes: 9 checkouts and 4 express checkouts

Store Features and Departments
Full-service Butchers Market with Rancher Beef, HT Reserve Angus Beef and HT Naturals Beef • Expanded Service meat • Fresh store-made sausage and burgers •Full-service Fishermans Market • Farmers Market Produce • Full-Service Floral and Custom Floral Arrangements • Fresh Trail Mix Bar • Salad Bar • Expanded Organic and Specialty Produce • Full-service Fresh Foods Market Deli/Bakery • Sushi • Self-Serve Olives • Asian Hot Bar • International Cheeses • Custom Cakes • Sub Shop • Made to Order Sandwich Program • Artisan Breads • Boar’s Head Meats and Cheeses • Fresh Made Salads • Fresh Made Pizza • Organic and Natural Foods • International Foods • Beer and Wine • Local and Craft Beer • Build your own 6-pack • Drive Thru Pharmacy • Free Blood Pressure Testing • Private, Professional Consultations • Drug Interaction/ Allergy Screening • Double Coupons • Club 60 Discount • Carryout Service • Parcel Pick-up • USCAN • Western Union • Coinstar • Rug Doctor • Express Lane Online Shopping • Red Box DVD Rental Kiosk • ATM • Starbucks • Sit-down eating area

Source: Harris Teeter

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