Daily Archives: August 2, 2017

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Rakuten LIFULL STAY and China’s Tujia to form business collaboration in the vacation rental business

Aiming to expand the vacation rental market in Japan by strengthening services for Chinese tourists

Tokyo, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — Rakuten Group vacation rental business Rakuten LIFULL STAY, Inc. and a group company of Tujia, operator of one of China’s leading vacation rental online platforms “Tujia,” today (AUGUST 2, 2017) reached an agreement to form a business collaboration in the vacation rental business.

Based on the agreement, Rakuten LIFULL STAY will provide Japanese property listings from its tentatively-titled “Vacation Stay” vacation rental service to Tujia. Tujia Japan will aim to expand inbound demand by promoting Japanese tourist destinations to Tujia users. In addition, the two companies will also share information on trends in tourism from China to Japan and on popular Japanese destinations for Chinese tourists with the goal of enabling the efficient acquisition of new vacation rental properties. Attractive vacation rental facilities and unique vacation rental experiences (such as farming and traditional Japanese crafts) will also be offered to Chinese travelers visiting Japan. The two companies will collaborate to strengthen services for Chinese tourists, with the aim of expanding the vacation rental market in Japan.

Tujia was launched by Tujia Online Information Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. in 2011 and now has over 500,000 vacation listings in 1,100 cities in 70 countries. In addition to China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, the company has also established offices in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Tujia Japan launched its Japanese language website in March 2017 and aims to acquire 200,000 Japan-based vacation rental property listings by 2025, and become the leading vacation rental platform for the Chinese tourists wishing to visit Japan.

Rakuten LIFULL STAY is now working to expand its listings of Japanese vacation rental properties and aims to launch its vacation rental service after the new Private Lodgings Business Law in Japan comes into effect after January 2018. The business collaboration with Tujia Japan is part of Rakuten LIFULL STAY’s strategy to partner with companies providing vacation rental services in countries and regions around the world in order to efficiently provide information about Japan-based vacation rental listings to users overseas.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan in fiscal year 2016 was 6.37 million, an increase of 27.6% over the previous year*1. Going forward, Tujia Japan and Rakuten LIFULL STAY will offer a broad range of lodging options to meet the rising demand for accommodation from Chinese visitors to Japan, contributing to the development of the vacation rental market.

*1 Number of Foreign Visitors to Japan (2003 – 2017), Japan National Tourism Organization
http://www.jnto.go.jp/jpn/statistics/since2003_tourists.pdf

Overview of Rakuten LIFULL STAY
Company name:            Rakuten LIFULL STAY, Inc.
Office location:              Otemachi Financial City Grand Cube 3F 1-9-2 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Representative:             Representative Director Munekatsu Ota
Details of business:       Providing services related to vacation rental platform
Date of establishment: March 2017
Website:                        https://www.rakuten-lifull-stay.co.jp/

Overview of Tujia Japan Co., Ltd.
Office location:              402 International Bldg. 1-6-1 Kanda Izumicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Representative:             Representative Director Tomoko Suzuki
Date of establishment: April 2016
Details of business:       Vacation rental services platform and related businesses
Website:                        http://content.tujia.com/Japan/Index.htm

By offering a safe, courteous and clean service that its guests, hosts, and all related parties can enjoy with peace of mind and by adhering to Japanese laws, Tujia Japan aims to become a company that plays an important role in Japanese society. Tujia Japan takes the experience of the Tujia group in building a vacation rental services business in the Chinese domestic market and applies it to Japan. The Japanese platform operator uses surveys and analysis of vacation rental demand in the Japan market to prepare appealing vacation service facilities and create website information that promotes Japan as an attractive vacation destination for the purpose of securing business from Chinese visitors to Japan Tujia is positioned to create new vacation rental services in Japan by working in cooperation with local governments and Japanese businesses.

Overview of Tujia Online Information Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd
Office location:              Beijing, China
Representative:             Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Justin Luo
Date of establishment: December 2011
Details of business:       Vacation rental services platform and related businesses
Website:                        https://www.tujia.com/

Source: Rakuten Inc.

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ascena retail group announces new executive management structure

MAHWAH, N.J., 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — ascena retail group, inc. (NASDAQ:ASNA) (the “Company” or “ascena”) announced today (Aug. 1, 2017) that it has consolidated its executive leadership structure as part of its efforts to reinvigorate top-line growth, enhance its culture of performance and accountability, and sharpen its focus on the creation of sustainable shareholder value.

Effective today, Gary Muto has been appointed to the newly created position of President and CEO of ascena Brands, with responsibility for reinvigorating and driving top-line growth across ascena’s full brand portfolio. Mr. Muto will continue to lead the Company’s Premium Fashion segment, and will now also provide strategic direction and leadership for the Company’s Plus, Value and Kids Fashion segments. Mr. Muto’s new role complements the enterprise platform support responsibilities held by Brian Lynch, who has been elevated to President and Chief Operating Officer of ascena retail group. Mr. Lynch will continue to have responsibility for the Company’s operating platform and infrastructure, and will remain focused on the development and delivery of top-tier enterprise capabilities in supply chain, technology, product sourcing, real estate, and non-merchandise procurement in support of the Company’s brand portfolio. Both Mr. Muto and Mr. Lynch will continue to report to David Jaffe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ascena retail group.

David Jaffe commented, “To date, our Change for Growth transformation program has focused on the ‘change’ piece – a complete organizational reset with an emphasis on efficiency that we expect to deliver $250 to $300 million in cost savings through fiscal 2019. We are confident we will meet or exceed this cost takeout target, and are now turning to the ‘growth’ piece of our transformation.”

Jaffe continued, “Our new executive management structure will enable faster decision making, accelerate implementation of company-wide initiatives, and foster greater accountability. Our segment teams will benefit from Gary’s deep knowledge of fashion merchandising, customer experience, and brand management as they work to reinvigorate and drive growth at our brands. And the continued maturity of our shared services platform under Brian’s leadership will enable our brands to meet evolving customer expectations and drive enterprise value.”

Jaffe concluded, “We have recently completed an extensive evaluation of strategic opportunities that complement our core business, and leverage our brand and platform assets. The new management structure we are announcing today will allow me to increasingly focus my efforts on strategic growth initiatives. We have begun a search for a new senior executive who will be responsible for developing strategic opportunities, and all related business development activity will report directly to me. Initial implementation of these opportunities will be supported by our existing cost structure and shared services platform, and we look forward to sharing initiative detail as we achieve key milestones. Today’s changes reaffirm our commitment to deliver value to our shareholders by transforming ascena into an agile competitor – one that is well positioned to respond to rapidly evolving consumer expectations through the power of our brand portfolio and our leading platform capabilities.”

About ascena retail group, inc.

ascena retail group, inc. (NASDAQ:ASNA) is a leading specialty retailer offering apparel, shoes and accessories for women through our Premium Fashion Segment (Ann Taylor, LOFT and Lou & Grey), the Value Fashion Segment (dressbarn and maurices), the Plus Fashion Segment (Lane Bryant and Catherines), and for tween girls under the Kids Fashion Segment (Justice). ascena retail group, inc. operates e-commerce websites and approximately 4,800 stores throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

For more information about ascena retail group, inc. visit: ascenaretail.com: AnnTaylor.com, LOFT.com, louandgrey.com, maurices.com, dressbarn.com, lanebryant.com, cacique.com, Catherines.com, and shopjustice.com.

For Investors:
ICR, Inc.
James Palczynski
203-682-8229
Partner
jp@ircinc.com

For Media:
ascena retail group, inc.
Sue Ross
218-491-2110
Corporate Affairs
sue.ross@ascenaretail.com

Source: ascena retail group, inc.

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LCP adds two units at Wishaw Retail Park to its burgeoning portfolio in Scotland

LCP adds two units at Wishaw Retail Park to its burgeoning portfolio in Scotland

 

London, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — LCP, the leading property, investment and management company, has added to its burgeoning portfolio in Scotland with the addition of two units at Wishaw Retail Park, in Wishaw, at a cost of £1.14 million.

The company, which has already committed £42 million to acquiring 18 retail and industrial sites in England and Scotland in the first half of the year, has bought units 1 and 2 at the retail park, on Glasgow Road.

The units, which comprise a total of 10,067 sq ft space, are occupied by Poundworld and JD Sports and adjoin Aldi, Home Bargains and McDonalds.

James Buchanan, LCP investment director, said the acquisition was the latest in its effort to bolster its portfolio in Scotland. Sites within the portfolio include Knightwood and Govan Cross Shopping Centres in Glasgow, Airdrie Retail Park in Airdrie, and Forbes Court on the Middlefield Industrial Estate in Falkirk.

It has also opened an office in Glasgow with a dedicated asset management team, which is looking after existing properties and is seeking further investments that the company can add value to.

Contact:

kyates@lcpproperties.co.uk

Source: LCP

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Baskin-Robbins launches brand new August Flavor of the Month, OREO® Cheesecake

Baskin-Robbins launches brand new August Flavor of the Month, OREO® Cheesecake

 

Brand also invites guests to help bring joy to sick and hungry kids by supporting the Joy in Childhood Foundation throughout the month

CANTON, Mass., 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — National Ice Cream Month may be over, but Baskin-Robbins is gearing up to celebrate several other fun food holidays this August with delicious ice cream treats and special offers. In addition, the brand is launching a brand new August Flavor of the Month, OREO® Cheesecake, which features OREO® cookie and cheesecake pieces with a chocolate cookie crumb ribbon, all combined in a cheesecake-flavored ice cream. The flavor can be enjoyed in a cup, cone, milkshake or layered sundae.

Throughout the month of August, Baskin-Robbins is celebrating a range of food holidays with its guests, including:

  • National Ice Cream Sandwich Day (August 2) – To help guests celebrate, Baskin-Robbins is offering a coupon for a $1.99 Single Scoop Warm Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich through its Mobile App from August 1-6. Baskin-Robbins’ Warm Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches feature a guest’s favorite ice cream flavor sandwiched between their choice of two warmed to order, chewy cookies, topped with rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles or chopped almonds.
  • National Root Beer Float Day (August 6) – Guests can celebrate this food holiday at Baskin-Robbins with a Root Beer Float made with Barq’s® and their choice of ice cream flavor.
  • National Waffle Day (August 24) – Guests can take advantage of Baskin-Robbins’ ongoing offer of a free upgrade to a freshly-baked waffle cone with the purchase of a double scoop on this fun food holiday honoring the waffle.*
  • National Banana Split Day (August 25) – To celebrate this classic ice cream treat, Baskin-Robbins is offering a coupon for a $4.99 Classic Banana Split through its Mobile App from August 16-31. Baskin-Robbins’ Classic Banana Split features a guest’s choice of three ice cream flavors, served with banana slices, a guest’s choice of toppings, and finished with chopped almonds, whipped cream and three cherries on top.

Throughout August, Baskin-Robbins is also inviting guests to help bring joy to sick and hungry kids by donating $1.00 to the Joy in Childhood Foundation during their visits. The Joy in Childhood Foundation is deeply embedded in communities across the country and provides the simple joys of childhood to sick and hungry kids. Funds raised will support local and national non-profit organizations that are focused on improving children’s health and providing food for the hungry. Additionally, as a thank you, guests who make a donation will receive coupons for special deals on Baskin-Robbins ice cream treats redeemable beginning on September 1st at participating locations nationwide.

“August is full of reasons to continue celebrating summer with a range of fun food holidays and our new OREO® Cheesecake Flavor of the Month,” said Carol Austin, Vice President of Marketing for Baskin-Robbins and Board Member for the Joy in Childhood Foundation. “We’re also honored to be supporting the Joy in Childhood Foundation this month, and we encourage all of our guests to support our Foundation’s mission to bring joy to sick and hungry kids by making a donation at their local Baskin-Robbins shop.”

Finally, to close out the month on a sweet note, guests are invited to participating Baskin-Robbins shops nationwide to enjoy all regular and kid-sized scoops for just $1.50 as part of the brand’s “Celebrate 31” promotion on Thursday, August 31st.**

For more information about Baskin-Robbins’ wide variety of premium ice cream flavors and frozen desserts, visit www.BaskinRobbins.com or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/BaskinRobbins), Twitter (www.twitter.com/BaskinRobbins) or Instagram (www.instagram.com/BaskinRobbins).

OREO is a registered trademark of Mondelēz International group, used under license.

* Guests must purchase a double scoop (two 4oz scoops) to receive the waffle cone upgrade. Offer excludes dipped and fancy waffle cones. Price and participation may vary. Cannot be combined with any other offers.

** Offer valid on August 31st. Participation may vary. Scoop offer good on every size scoop. All listed flavors are optional amongst Baskin-Robbins’ stores. Waffle cones and toppings are extra. Cannot be combined with other offers. Plus applicable tax.

About Baskin-Robbins

Baskin-Robbins is the world’s largest chain of ice cream specialty shops, providing guests with a wide array of ice cream flavors and delicious treats at more than 7,800 retail shops in more than 50 countries around the world. The brand was founded by two ice cream enthusiasts whose passion for ice cream led to the creation of many iconic ice cream flavors including Pralines ‘n Cream, Jamoca® Almond Fudge and Very Berry Strawberry. Today, Baskin-Robbins has more than 1,300 ice creams in its flavor library, and also offers custom ice cream cakes, frozen beverages and the Polar Pizza™ Ice Cream Treat. Its franchised ice cream shops serve as places where people can connect and create special memories while they explore a wide array of flavors, including a new Flavor of the Month every month. Headquartered in Canton, Mass., Baskin-Robbins is part of the Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For more information, visit www.BaskinRobbins.com.

About the Joy in Childhood Foundation

The Joy in Childhood Foundation provides the simple joys of childhood to sick and hungry kids. The Foundation brings together a wide range of stakeholders—including franchisees, crew members, employees, partners and guests —and partners with food banks, children’s hospitals, and nonprofit organizations directly committed to serving sick and hungry kids to fund joyful environments, joyful experiences and joyful expressions to ensure that children whose lives are compromised by hunger or sickness have the support and essential services to find joy in their daily lives. Since launching in 2006, the Joy in Childhood Foundation (formerly The Dunkin Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation), has granted more than $14 million to hundreds of national and local charities across the country.

MEDIA CONTACT:

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

Source: Baskin-Robbins

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Bon-Ton Stores announce second Online Sourcing Fair to help stock its growing number of “Close to Home” shops

Bon-Ton Stores announce second Online Sourcing Fair to help stock its growing number of “Close to Home” shops

 

Retailer announces second Online Sourcing Fair to help stock its growing number of “Close to Home” shops

MILWAUKEE, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: BONT), which operates Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers stores, announced today (August 1, 2017) that it seeks locally-sourced and themed products from local artists and designers, makers, artisans, and entrepreneurs for its growing “Close to Home” program. The retailer once again invites vendors with established businesses and galleries interested in having their products sold in “Close to Home” shops to apply online now through August 31 during Bon-Ton’s second Online Sourcing Fair.

Available in-store and online, “Close to Home” shops feature locally-sourced and themed products many of which are hand-crafted or upcycled. Bon-Tonlaunched its first Online Sourcing Fair earlier this year as part of an ongoing effort to provide shoppers with a broader selection of local products by developing more relationships with area makers in communities they serve. During the first Online Sourcing Fair, more than 1,250 artists, designers, makers, artisans and entrepreneurs submitted applications in more than a dozen product categories with jewelry, artwork, home décor, kitchen and bar, apparel, and accessories topping the list.

“We were thrilled by the number of submissions and the level of creativity and quality we found in our first Online Sourcing Fair and are very excited to develop more partnerships with makers,” said Chad Stauffer, Executive Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer for The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. “Our ‘Close to Home’ shops allow local artisans to reach a much wider marketplace and offer our customers the true local flavor and personalized offerings they want from their hometown shopping destination.”

To date, the “Close to Home” initiative has provided more than 325 small businesses with the opportunity to sell products in a major department store. “Close to Home” is part of Bon-Ton’s broader commitment to support the communities where its stores are located. Since opening in 45 stores in fall 2016, Bon-Ton has more than tripled the number of “Close to Home” shops to 148 and plans to open an additional 40 in-store shops in early fall.

“Close to Home” shops offer new items frequently and seasonally to provide shoppers with a fun, fresh and unique product selection. Shoppers will find custom-designed and locally themed products and one-of-a-kind creations such as artwork, jewelry, home décor, kitchen and barware, ceramics, bath & body products and other items crafted by local artists.

The current Online Sourcing Fair is open through August 31, 2017 at closetohome.bonton.com. Interested applicants must reside in one of Bon-Ton’s 25 states to apply for this exclusive opportunity.

About The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. 
The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., with corporate headquarters in York, Pennsylvania and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operates 261 stores, which includes 9 furniture galleries and four clearance centers, in 25 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains under the Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers nameplates. The stores offer a broad assortment of national and private brand fashion apparel and accessories for women, men and children, as well as cosmetics and home furnishings. The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. is an active and positive participant in the communities it serves. For further information, please visit thebontonstoresinc.com or the company’s web site at bonton.com. Join the conversation and be inspired by following Bon-Ton on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

SOURCE: The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.

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s.Oliver launches its new umbrella brand campaign for Fall/Winter 2017 season

Rottendorf, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — On 1 August 2017, s.Oliver will launch its new umbrella brand campaign for a colourful, fresh Fall/Winter season. Photographer Nagi Sakai creatively staged the s.Oliver and s.Oliver BLACK LABEL winter styles in a studio in Berlin. He had already worked on the Spring/Summer 2017 campaign as well as the Autumn/Winter 2016 campaign for s.Oliver, setting new visual standards.

With the central concept of ‘COLOR SHOCK/COLOR BLOCK’, s.Oliver is aiming to make a bang: calming natural tones appear in blocks with such as Poppy Red and Cosmic Blue to create a classic and sporty look. Denims and sporty, wide-cut woven pants with contrasting horizontal stripes complement the style. The campaign deliberately picks up the collection colours in strong backgrounds: “For Autumn/Winter, we are consciously focusing on rich colours to give our image a fresh look that creates a definitive desire for the new trends! Our themed specials also match perfectly the new concept, and show customers which favourite pieces  are unmissable for colder days,” says Susanne Schwenger, Product & Marketing Director at s.Oliver. September’s focus will be on AUTHENTIC DENIMS and cosy KNITWEAR. October will see a mix of wool and down jackets with new OUTDOOR pieces to perfectly complement the outfits. Models Inguna Butane, Antonina Petkovic and Harvey Haydon-Newton will present the natural look of the casual brand s.Oliver. Nagi Sakai is also capturing the s.Oliver Junior collection’s simple expression in authentic images using child models.

Karolina Kurkova is again the face of the s.Oliver BLACK LABEL campaign. With her unique looks, the  supermodel underscores the discerning expression of the Dressed Brand collection, one that translates modern influences into wearable designs, and so rests on premium quality. The Fall/Winter tops and sleeves are made mainly from the finest wool and cashmere. For the new campaign, Karolina Kurkova will first present her favourite pieces from the collection, which are sold under the „Karolina Kurkova – My Favorite“ label. Gaspard Meinier will elegantly stage the Autumn/Winter edition of the JOGG-SUIT and the brand-new BOMBER-SUIT in a casual yet elegant way. The s.Oliver BLACK LABEL campaign concept also features the collection colours in the background.

s.Oliver Accessories and the licensed products s.Oliver Bodywear, s.Oliver Shoes, s.Oliver Time, s.Oliver Jewel, s.Oliver Eyewear, s.Oliver Umbrellas and s.Oliver Socks were integrated in the shoot.

The new campaign themes will feature internationally in the s.Oliver marketing mix from August 2017 – in a major media campaign in print and online media, on s.Oliver social media channels, on soliver.com and physically at the POS. The campaign clips that were created during the shoot will also be communicated.

COMPANY INFORMATION
Founded by Bernd Freier in 1969, the s.Oliver Group has developed to become a leading European fashion company within a few decades. The Group reported brand sales of €1.67 billion in 2015, and employed some 7,200 people internationally. In addition to the s.Oliver and s.Oliver BLACK LABEL, Q/S designed by and TRIANGLE brands, the company’s portfolio also includes comma and LIEBESKIND BERLIN.

Contact:
Julia Stang
S.OLIVER RED LABEL & S.OLIVER BLACK LABEL
Tel.: +49 (0) 93 02 / 309 – 9822
Fax: +49 (0) 93 02 / 309 – 89822
E-Mail: julia.stang@de.soliver.com

Verena Vaeth
PR Consultant
Tel.: +49 (0) 93 02 / 309 – 9557
Fax: +49 (0) 93 02 / 309 – 89822
E-Mail: verena.vaeth@de.soliver.com

Source: s.Oliver

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Carphone Warehouse research: Brits are replacing more and more traditional holiday staples with phones

  • As using phones abroad becomes cheaper, mobiles are becoming our go-to guide to foreign destinations
  • But roaming confusion still reigns with more than three out of five Brits unsure about where they can ‘roam like home’

London, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — Brits travelling abroad are increasingly lightening their luggage load by replacing their travel guidebooks with their mobile phones, new research by Carphone Warehouse revealed today (01 Aug 2017). The study also shows that printed boarding passes and complicated fold-out paper maps may soon be for the chopping block thanks to our increasing confidence in using our phones abroad.

The research, carried out on behalf of the UK’s largest independent mobile phone retailer to mark the launch of its interactive roaming map, shows that as a nation we’re replacing more and more traditional holiday staples with our phones. Traditional cameras have already seen their influence wane, with more than 50% of respondents surveyed stating that their phone is their go-to photography tool on holiday, while 45% eschew printed maps for guided directions on their mobiles.

But it’s the rise of apps, review sites and reduced roaming charges that are behind the latest changes to our travel habits, with more than one in five of us now flashing our phones at airports instead of fishing out printed boarding cards. And once they arrive abroad, more than 30% are turning to their phones as the primary source of researching things to do on sites like TripAdvisor, as well as using their phone to place bookings at hotels and restaurants.

Carphone Warehouse’s research shows that it’s not all sun, sea, sand and simplicity when we’re using our phones abroad. 68% of those surveyed feel they do not fully understand the roaming legislation or how it affects their network, despite mobile networks being obligated to contact their customers and explain the new charges.

“As a nation we’re relying more and more on our mobile phones abroad, replacing traditional travel tools like maps, boarding passes and travel guides,“ said Dean Kramer, Marketing Director for Carphone Warehouse. “So it’s more important than ever that customers are given full information on how much using their phone costs when travelling. We’re proud to continue to provide honest, impartial advice – like our new roaming map – and we call on all mobile networks to do their upmost to spread the word.”

To help make roaming in Europe easier than ever, Carphone Warehouse has created a network roaming map at http://lowdown.carphonewarehouse.com/roaming-map/ to help confused Brits see where their mobile provider lets them ‘roam like home’ and highlight the different destinations each network covers.

For more information, please visit www.carphonewarehouse.co.uk

Notes to editors

The survey of 1,000 UK adults who own a smartphone and go on holiday abroad was carried out by OnePoll between 21 and 24 July.

About Dixons Carphone

Dixons Carphone plc is Europe’s leading specialist electrical and telecommunications retailer and services company, employing over 41,000 people in nine countries. Focused on helping customers navigate the connected world, Dixons Carphone offers a comprehensive range of electrical and mobile products, connectivity and expert after-sales services from the Geek Squad and Team Knowhow.

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

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

For press enquiries, please contact: 

carphonewarehouse@mcsaatchi.com

Source: Dixons Carphone

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SPAR celebrates 85th anniversary in the Netherlands

Netherlands, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — This year, SPAR celebrates its 85th anniversary. In the Netherlands, where the brand was founded back in 1932, this is being celebrated with a new brand building campaign and a new e-commerce platform.

At a store level, the campaign is being carried out with an updated look-and-feel for the SPAR Neighbourhood, SPAR City and SPAR Express store formats, and is summed up with a new slogan: “You can find it at SPAR”, which focuses on the shopping missions of customers seeking different meal solutions at different times of the day.

In recent years, SPAR Netherlands has seen a steep increase in online shopping with over 130 online stores now in operation across the country. Keeping things fresh and on-trend, its new e-commerce platform, which has an updated design, is faster and more user-friendly. The platform’s product range matches the assortment at store level and with additional product information and many delicious recipes, it is now easier for customers to order their groceries online.

A big focus of the new platform is convenience. Customers can easily re-order their groceries by using the shopping list function or simply adding a previous order to their online basket with a single click. In addition, it is now possible to add several delivery addresses to one account – a useful feature for healthcare centres and businesses.

In line with the growing consumer demand for “everyday convenience”, SPAR has introduced a range of services such as delivery right to your kitchen, same day delivery (if ordered before 10 a.m.), and the option of having a regular delivery person to foster a feeling of trust. Online orders are processed by the local store chosen by the customer. This direct link guarantees personal contact, even when ordering online. Later this year, SPAR Netherlands plans to roll out a sandwich ordering service and an online payment facility (iDeal online banking).

A further development by the business has been the introduction of Longer and Heavier Vehicles (LHVs) to help expand its delivery area. The new vehicles can carry more cargo and reach further distances more efficiently. Another big advantage of the LHVs is that they use about 30% less fuel than traditional, Large Goods Vehicles (LGVs) – resulting in less CO2 emissions. In keeping with the new brand-building campaign, the new LHVs are branded with the new style SPAR communications.

Contact:

SPAR International
Email: info@spar-international.com
Tel: +3120 626 6749

Source: Spar International

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METRO enters ready-to-cook meals market; will acquire majority interest in MissFresh Inc.

Montreal, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — METRO INC. (TSX: MRU) announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority interest in MissFresh Inc., a Montreal company specializing in the delivery of ready-to-cook meals. Ever-responsive to industry trends, METRO is thereby positioning itself in a growing market: the online sale of ready-to-cook meals. MissFresh’s three cofounders will retain 30% of the capital and continue to take an active part in the company’s management with the existing team.

“We are pleased to partner with the three founders of MissFresh, dynamic entrepreneurs who have developed a promising concept that is already popular with consumers.”, said François Thibault, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, METRO. “As an alternative solution to healthy eating that is easy to prepare and delivered to your door, MissFresh offers products that will be complementary to what we have in store, which will help us to better meet the needs of consumers.”

“We are thrilled to partner with METRO, a leading Canadian food distribution company, which will enable MissFresh to accelerate its growth and development in Canada.”, said Marie-Eve Prevost, cofounder of MissFresh.

Founded in Montreal in 2015 by Marie-Eve Prevost, Bernard Prevost, and Ritter Huang, three passionate entrepreneurs, MissFresh is a Canadian company that meets a growing demand from families and professionals who want to eat healthy and balanced foods, but who have little time for shopping and preparing meals.

METRO
With annual sales of over $12 billion, METRO INC. (TSX: MRU), founded in 1947, is the only major Canadian food distribution company to have its head office in Quebec. Along with its affiliates and franchisees, METRO INC. employs in Quebec and Ontario over 65,000 people, whose mission is to exceed their customers’ expectations every day to earn their-long term loyalty. METRO INC. operates a network of almost 600 food stores under several banners including Metro, Metro Plus, Super C and Food Basics, as well as over 250 drugstores under the Brunet, Metro Pharmacy and Drug Basics banners.

Become one of our Facebook fans www.facebook.com/metromonepicier
Visit metro.ca

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
We have used, throughout this press release, different statements that could, under the regulations issued by the Canadian Securities Administrators, be construed as being forward-looking information. In general, any statement contained herein, which does not constitute a historical fact, may be deemed a forward-looking statement. The use of future and conditional tenses are generally indicative of forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements do not provide any guarantees as to the future performance of the Corporation or the outcome of the transaction and are subject to potential risks, known and unknown, as well as uncertainties that could cause the outcome to differ significantly. An economic slowdown or recession, or the arrival of a new competitor, are examples of risks described under the “Risk Management” section of the 2016 Annual Report which could have an impact on these statements. We believe these statements to be reasonable and pertinent as at the date of publication of this report and represent our expectations. The Corporation does not intend to update any forward-looking statement contained herein, except as required by applicable law.

Information:

Geneviève Grégoire
Corporate Affairs Department
genevieve.gregoire@metro.ca
(514) 643-1000, ext. 2055

Source: METRO INC.

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Visa supports the new global QR Code Payment Specifications from EMVCo

Visa Ready program simplifies onboarding for small and medium-sized merchants who want to deploy QR code digital payments

SAN FRANCISCO, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — Today (Aug. 1, 2017) Visa (NYSE:V) announced its support of the new global QR Code Payment Specifications from EMVCo, the global technical body that manages the EMV Specifications. The specifications cover consumer-presented and merchant-presented QR code use cases for digital payment acceptance. QR codes are two-dimensional machine-readable barcodes, used to facilitate mobile payments at the point-of-sale.

Visa and the other EMVCo Members worked to develop these new globally interoperable EMV specifications. Visa has already successfully enabled the merchant-presented QR technology in 15 countries around the world, with India, Kenya and Nigeria currently live in market with both bank and merchant partners.

“We’ve already seen tremendous progress towards adoption of standardized, interoperable QR code payment systems in the developing world,” said Sam Shrauger, SVP, Digital Products, Visa. “We are working with governments and central banks in countries like India to develop and implement QR code payment solutions that provide the convenience and security that are synonymous with Visa and help the journey toward a cashless future.”

Easy Implementation for Merchants

Visa has enabled the growth of merchant-presented QR code payments around the world with its innovative mobile payments solution, mVisa. mVisa allows consumers to pay for goods and services by scanning a QR code on a smart phone or entering a merchant number into their feature phones. Payment goes straight from the consumer’s Visa account into the merchant’s account and provides real-time notification to both parties. mVisa is completely interoperable, meaning that the consumer and the merchant do not need to be customers of the same bank. This brings the same convenience, security and reliability provided by the trusted Visa brand.

For merchants eager to harness the power of QR code payments, the Visa Ready Program has adopted the interoperable QR standards to develop tools and capabilities which help easy generation and deployment of QR code merchants by banks, processors and merchant aggregators. Once enrolled, merchants can freely accept payments from any country or bank given mVisa’s interoperability while trusting Visa will securely and efficiently process each transaction.

QR Code Payments Driving a Cashless Future

As digital payments help continue a shift toward a cashless future, this new global specification is an important step that promotes interoperability and standardizes the fast growing ecosystem of QR code payments across the world. Already, 33 banks and more than 328,000 merchants across India, Kenya and Nigeria have adopted the interoperable standards as they accelerate their QR code digital payment programs.

“mVisa enables successful completion of the transaction independent of the mobile operator service on both the consumer and the merchant’s phone, and the consumers and merchant’s banks,” said Shrauger. “This addresses a major challenge with mobile money programs, and lets consumers and merchants choose their own bank or mobile operator.”

Reserve Bank of India has encouraged the adoption of standardized QR code payments to provide access to low-cost, secure digital payments to millions of consumers and merchants. Working with our partners, Visa is converting both everyday and recurring cash purchases to digital payments through direct integrations with supermarket chains and large utility billers. By presenting dynamic QR codes to consumers that provide a seamless payment experience, billers such as Tata Sky, Idea Cellular, Reliance Energy, Mahanagar Gas, as well as Pizza Hut and supermarket chains Nakumatt, Spar, and Zucchini, are bringing benefits of digital payments to millions of potential customers.

Visa intends to replicate this success in 12 other countries where mVisa has been enabled: Cambodia, Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda and Vietnam.

About Visa

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments. We operate one of the world’s most advanced processing networks — VisaNet — that is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa’s innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, pay ahead with prepaid or pay later with credit products. For more information, visit https://usa.visa.com/ and @VisaNews.

Contact:
Andy Gerlt
415-805-5153
agerlt@visa.com

Source: Visa Inc.

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The TJX Companies, Inc. to release Q2 Fiscal 2018 financial results on Tuesday, August 15, 2017

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TJX) today (Aug. 1, 2017) announced that it plans to release its second quarter Fiscal 2018 sales and earnings results on Tuesday, August 15, 2017, before 9:30 a.m. ET.

At 11:00 a.m. ET that day, Ernie Herrman, TJX’s Chief Executive Officer and President, will hold a conference call to discuss the Company’s second quarter Fiscal 2018 results, operations and business trends. A real-time webcast of the call will be available to the public at tjx.com. A replay of the call will also be available by dialing (866) 367-5577 through Tuesday, August 22, 2017, or at tjx.com.

About The TJX Companies, Inc.

The TJX Companies, Inc. is the leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the U.S. and worldwide. As of April 29, 2017, the end of the Company’s first quarter, the Company operated a total of 3,862 stores in nine countries, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Australia, and three e-commerce sites. These include 1,191 T.J. Maxx, 1,039 Marshalls, 596 HomeGoods and 12 Sierra Trading Post stores, as well as tjmaxx.com and sierratradingpost.com in the United States; 258 Winners, 109 HomeSense, and 61 Marshalls stores in Canada; 515 T.K. Maxx and 46 HomeSense stores, as well as tkmaxx.com, in Europe; and 35 T.K. Maxx stores in Australia. TJX’s press releases and financial information are also available at tjx.com.

Important Information at Website

Archived versions of the Company’s conference calls are available in the Investors section of tjx.com after they are no longer available by telephone as are reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP financial measures and other financial information. The Company routinely posts information that may be important to investors in the Investors section at tjx.com. The Company encourages investors to consult that section of its website regularly.

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

Source: The TJX Companies, Inc.

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Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke: Through our platform, over half a million entrepreneurs have turned their dreams into reality

Leading the future of commerce, Shopify celebrates major company milestone

OTTAWA, ON, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP)(TSX:SHOP), the leading multi-channel commerce platform, today (Aug 1, 2017) announced it now powers more than 500,000 businesses in 175 countries around the world. Since 2012, the number of merchants on the  Shopify platform has grown annually at an average rate of 74%, and these merchants have achieved over $40 billion dollars in sales.

From Bangladesh to Brooklyn, Shopify’s growing community of entrepreneurs includes makers, creators and innovators, from students trying to pay for school to merchants who have scaled from first sale to seven-figure businesses. Shopify has always strived to take the path that leads to more entrepreneurs by designing its platform to remove the technical, operational, and financial barriers to enable anyone anywhere to build, grow, and scale a business.

“Through our platform, over half a million entrepreneurs have turned their dreams into reality,” said Tobi Lütke, Founder and CEO, Shopify. “Entrepreneurship is the foundation of the global economy and it’s not easily done alone. That’s why our mission has always been to make commerce better for everyone to encourage anyone, anywhere to become an entrepreneur.”

The Network Effect of 500,000 Merchants

Merchant Demographic Breakdown:

  • Merchant growth in Q2 year over year was global, with a 56% increase in North America, 82% increase in Asia, 168% increase in South America, and 70% increase in Africa
  • More than 1.2 million people are actively using the Shopify backend platform
  • Today, more women entrepreneurs than men have built their businesses on Shopify, at 52% and 47% respectively, with 1% other
  • Average age of Shopify merchants: 18 – 24 (7.3%); 25 – 34 (37.5%); 35 – 44 (30.0%); 45+ (24.9%)

Merchant Success:

  • 131 million people have bought from Shopify stores in the last 12 months
  • Shopify merchants generated sales of over $100,000 per minute during Black Friday and Cyber Monday of last year

Third-party Partner Ecosystem:

  • Shopify’s third-party partner ecosystem, made up of creative agencies, freelance designers and developers, digital marketers, photographers, SEO specialists and brand strategists, generated an estimated $430M in revenue in 2016
  • Developers have published over 1,800 apps in the Shopify App Store with over 7M installs to date

As the retail landscape continues to evolve, Shopify is committed to helping current and future merchants adapt and create seamless shopping experiences. By interweaving tools like mobile, analytics, and innovative products with marketing and customer service, Shopify is shaping the future of commerce both online and offline.

About Shopify

Shopify is the leading cloud-based, multi-channel commerce platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses. Merchants can use the software to design, set up, and manage their stores across multiple sales channels, including web, mobile, social media, marketplaces and physical retail locations. The platform also provides merchants with a powerful back-office and a single view of their business. The Shopify platform was engineered for reliability and scale, making enterprise-level technology available to businesses of all sizes. Shopify currently powers over half a million businesses in approximately 175 countries and is trusted by brands such as Tesla, Nestle, GE, Red Bull, Kylie Cosmetics, and many more.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws (“forward-looking statements“), including statements with regard to Shopify’s operating and growth strategy. Words such as “expects”, “anticipates” and “intends” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to the inherent uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions and no assurance can be given that the launch will occur as planned. Shopify undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

SOURCE: Shopify

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The Home Depot® to report Second Quarter 2017 Earnings on Tuesday, August 15, 2017

ATLANTA, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ —  The Home Depot®, the world’s largest home improvement retailer, announced today (Aug 01, 2017) that it will hold its Second Quarter 2017 Earnings Conference Call on Tuesday, August 15, at 9 a.m. ET.

A webcast will be available by logging onto http://ir.homedepot.com/events-and-presentations and selecting the Second Quarter Earnings Conference Call icon. The webcast will be archived and available beginning at approximately noon on August 15.

The Home Depot is the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,282 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico. In fiscal 2016, The Home Depot had sales of $94.6 billion and earnings of $8.0 billion. The Company employs more than 400,000 associates. The Home Depot’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500 index.

SOURCE: The Home Depot

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Shopify 2Q 2017 financial results: Revenue Grows 75% Year on Year

  • Second-Quarter Revenue Grows 75% Year on Year
  • Second-Quarter Gross Profit Grows 83% Year on Year
  • Shopify reports in U.S. dollars and in accordance with U.S. GAAP

Ottawa, Canada, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP)(TSX:SHOP), the leading cloud-based, multi-channel commerce platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses, today (Aug 1, 2017) announced strong financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2017.

“The fundamental shift in retail toward multi-channel and mobile, the ongoing adoption of Shopify by larger brands, and our continued focus on building out the market-leading platform for sellers all contributed to the strength of our results this past quarter,” stated Russ Jones, Shopify’s CFO.  “As we have been able to predict and capitalize on these shifts, and continue to innovate so entrepreneurs of all sizes can take advantage of them, we feel we are exceptionally well-positioned for the next several years.”

Second-Quarter Financial Highlights

  • Total revenue in the second quarter was $151.7 million, a 75% increase from the comparable quarter in 2016. Within this, Subscription Solutions revenue grew 64% to $71.6 million.  The acceleration in Subscription Solutions revenue growth was driven by the continued rapid growth in Monthly Recurring Revenue (“MRR”) as another record number of merchants joined the platform in the period.  Merchant Solutions revenue grew 86% to $80.1 million, driven primarily by the growth of Gross Merchandise Volume (“GMV”).
  • MRR as of June 30, 2017 was $23.7 million, up 64% compared with $14.4 million as of June 30, 2016.  Shopify Plus contributed $4.3 million, or 18%, of MRR compared with 13% of MRR as of June 30, 2016.
  • GMV for the second quarter was $5.8 billion, an increase of $2.5 billion, or 74% over the second quarter of 2016.  Gross Payments Volume (“GPV”) grew to $2.2 billion, which accounted for 38% of GMV processed in the quarter, versus $1.3 billion, or 38%, for the second quarter of 2016.
  • Gross profit dollars grew 83% to $86.8 million as compared with the $47.5 million recorded for the second quarter of 2016.
  • Operating loss for the second quarter of 2017 was $15.9 million, or 10% of revenue, versus $8.7 million, or 10% of revenue, for the comparable period a year ago.
  • Adjusted operating loss for the second quarter of 2017 was 1.9% of revenue, or $2.9 million; adjusted operating loss for the second quarter of 2016 was 3.7% of revenue, or $3.2 million.
  • Net loss for the second quarter of 2017 was $14.0 million, or $0.15 per share, compared with $8.4 million, or $0.10 per share, for the second quarter of 2016.
  • Adjusted net loss for the second quarter of 2017 was $1.1 million, or $0.01 per share, compared with an adjusted net loss of $3.0 million, or $0.04 per share, for the second quarter of 2016.
  • At June 30, 2017, Shopify had $932.4 million in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, compared with $392.4 million on December 31, 2016.  The increase reflects the $560 million in net proceeds from Shopify’s offering of Class A subordinate voting shares in the second quarter.

Business Highlights

  • Shopify continues to deliver on its strategy of providing multiple sales channels for merchants:
  • In July, Shopify began shipping pre-orders of its Chip and Swipe Reader to merchants, enhancing its point-of-sale channel, which is its second-largest channel for GMV. Today, we are announcing that it is now generally available and free to new and existing merchants already on a Shopify subscription who have not redeemed a free reader before.
  • Also in July, Shopify announced the integration of eBay as a channel for merchants. The integration will enable Shopify merchants to surface their brand and products to more than 169 million active eBay buyers, while managing eBay orders, inventory and messages from within Shopify.
  • In June, Shopify announced the integration of Buzzfeed as a channel for merchants, paving a new way for media and publishers to drive affiliate revenue. The new channel allows merchants to easily tag products for BuzzFeed editors to search, find, and feature in its campaigns, product lists and onsite content for its audience of more than 200 million.
  • Shopify continues to optimize features that maximize merchants’ opportunity for success on the platform, with several notable initiatives in the second quarter:
  • Shopify Pay, a feature designed to increase conversion at checkout by streamlining the checkout process, especially on mobile devices, went live to all merchants using Shopify Payments.
  • Shopify Payments went live in New Zealand, bringing the total number of countries where Shopify Payments is available to six, including U.S., Canada, U.K, Australia and Ireland.
  • Shopify made Kit free to all merchants, which more than doubled the number of merchants actively using the virtual assistant to help automate online marketing.
  • Mobile traffic to merchants’ stores continued to grow, reaching 72% of traffic and 60% of orders for the three months ended June 30, versus 69% and 59%, respectively, exiting the first quarter of this year.
  • In the second quarter, Shopify Capital issued $37.2 million in merchant cash advances, nearly twice the amount issued in the first quarter.  Since its launch in April 2016, Shopify Capital has grown to $86 million in cumulative cash advanced by June 30, 2017.  This figure climbed to more than $95 million by July 31, 2017.

CFO Retirement

Shopify’s Chief Financial Officer Russ Jones has informed the Company and its Board of Directors of his decision to retire in 2018.  Russ, who joined Shopify in 2011, intends to continue to serve as CFO until his successor is found and has transitioned into the role, a process that is now underway and that Shopify expects will be completed within the next 12 months.

Financial Outlook

The financial outlook that follows constitutes forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws and is based on a number of assumptions and subject to a number of risks. Actual results could vary materially as a result of numerous factors, including certain risk factors, many of which are beyond Shopify’s control. Please see “Forward-looking Statements” below.

In addition to the other assumptions and factors described in this press release, Shopify’s outlook assumes the continuation of growth trends in our industry, our ability to manage our growth effectively and the absence of material changes in our industry or the global economy. The following statements supersede all prior statements made by Shopify and are based on current expectations.  As these statements are forward-looking, actual results may differ materially.

These statements do not give effect to the potential impact of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures or business combinations that may be announced or closed after the date hereof.  All numbers provided in this section are approximate.

For the full year 2017, Shopify currently expects:

  • Revenues in the range of $642 million to $648 million
  • GAAP operating loss in the range of $62 million to $66 million
  • Adjusted operating loss in the range of $7 million to $11 million, which excludes stock-based compensation expenses and related payroll taxes of $55 million

For the third quarter of 2017, Shopify currently expects:

  • Revenues in the range of $164 million to $166 million
  • GAAP operating loss in the range of $17 million to $19 million
  • Adjusted operating loss in the range of $2 million to $4 million, which excludes stock-based compensation expenses and related payroll taxes of $15 million

Quarterly Conference Call

Shopify’s management team will hold a conference call to discuss its second-quarter results today, August 1, 2017, at 8:30 a.m. ET.  The conference call will be webcast on the investor relations section of Shopify’s website at https://investors.shopify.com/events/Events-Presentations/default.aspx.  An archived replay of the webcast will be available following the conclusion of the call.

Shopify’s Second-Quarter 2017 Interim Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes and its Second-Quarter 2017 Management’s Discussion and Analysis are available on Shopify’s website at www.shopify.com, and will be filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov.

About Shopify

Shopify is the leading cloud-based, multi-channel commerce platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses. Merchants can use the software to design, set up, and manage their stores across multiple sales channels, including web, mobile, social media, marketplaces and physical retail locations. The platform also provides merchants with a powerful back-office and a single view of their business. The Shopify platform was engineered for reliability and scale, making enterprise-level technology available to businesses of all sizes. Shopify currently powers half a million businesses in approximately 175 countries and is trusted by brands such as Tesla, Nestle, GE, Red Bull, Kylie Cosmetics, and many more.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement its consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), Shopify uses certain non-GAAP financial measures to provide additional information in order to assist investors in understanding its financial and operating performance.

Adjusted operating loss, non-GAAP operating expenses, adjusted net loss and adjusted net loss per share are non-GAAP financial measures that exclude the effect of share-based compensation expenses and related payroll taxes.

Management uses non-GAAP financial measures internally for financial and operational decision-making and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. Shopify believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful information about operating results, enhance the overall understanding of past financial performance and future prospects, and allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management in its financial and operational decision making.  Non-GAAP financial measures are not recognized measures for financial statement presentation under U.S. GAAP and do not have standardized meanings, and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other public companies. Such non-GAAP financial measures should be considered as a supplement to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, the corresponding measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. See the financial tables below for a reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding Shopify’s financial outlook and future financial performance. Words such as “expects”, “anticipates” and “intends” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are based on Shopify’s current projections and expectations about future events and financial trends that management believes might affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs, and on certain assumptions and analysis made by Shopify in light of the experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors management believes are appropriate. These projections, expectations, assumptions and analyses are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, events and achievements to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Although Shopify believes that the assumptions underlying these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect, and readers cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of numerous factors, including certain risk factors, many of which are beyond Shopify’s control, including but not limited to: (i) merchant acquisition and retention; (ii) managing our growth; (iii) our history of losses; (iv) our limited operating history; (v) our ability to innovate; (vi) a disruption of service or security breach; (vii) payments processed through Shopify Payments; (viii) our reliance on a single supplier to provide the technology we offer through Shopify Payments; (ix) a breach involving personally identifiable information; (x) serious software errors or defects; (xi) exchange rate fluctuations; (xii) achieving or maintaining data transmission capacity; and (xiii) other one-time events and other important factors disclosed previously and from time to time in Shopify’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the securities commissions or similar securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces or territories of Canada. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent Shopify’s expectations as of the date of this news release, or as of the date they are otherwise stated to be made, and subsequent events may cause these expectations to change. Shopify undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

To view our detailed results with financial tables download this PDF or visit our investors site.

Source: Shopify

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Argos: UK pet owners seeking Instagram fame for pets responsible for animal grooming products and accessories sales increase

Argos: UK pet owners seeking Instagram fame for pets responsible for animal grooming products and accessories sales increase

Milton, Keynes, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — In fact, sales of premium grooming products at Argos have risen by a whopping 163 per cent, compared to the same period last year.

Owners are now splurging on top-of-the-range hair clippers and luxury water fountains for their precious animals. The Wahl Super Groom Premium Rechargeable Pet Clipper, priced at £109.99, is currently Argos’s best-selling premium pet grooming product.

Meanwhile, pet accessories have risen by 13 per cent, suggesting that pet owners are investing in props to make their furry-themed posts even more shareable.  Whilst dogs ‘lead’ the way on total accessories spend, cat accessories have seen the biggest growth in sales at 19 per cent over the last twelve months.

It also appears Insta-addicts are letting sleeping dogs lie, with sales of dog beds rising by 18 per cent for those all-important cute napping posts.

Argos’s most popular pet accessories are:

  • Cat Scratch & Rest Station, £39.99
  • Fur Radiator Bed, £9.99
  • Grey Snuggle Donut, £12.99

This rise in sales has been associated with the increasing trend of ‘pet-working’, where social media channels are created by owners on behalf of their pets. On Instagram, the hashtag #dogsofinstagram has attracted over 70 million posts, whilst #catsofinstagram boasts over 60 million.

Animals on social media now attract larger followings than some celebrities, with pets such as Boo the Pomeranian attracting over 16 million followers on Facebook. And over on Instagram, Doug the Pug and Grumpy Cat command over two million followers each.

This trend has also extended to celebrities – with stars’ pets attracting their own cult following. Karl Largerfield’s cat, Choupette, has over 100,000 followers on Instagram and Mark Zuckerberg’s Hungarian sheepdog, Beast, has scored a huge 2.6 million likes on its Facebook fan page. UK stars who regularly post about their pets include Nick Grimshaw, Millie Macintosh, Professor Green, Caroline Flack and Lewis Hamilton.

Emma Carter, pet care buyer at Argos, said: “Whilst the UK has always been a nation of pet lovers, the rise of social media has really taken our obsession to another level. This is reflected in the huge increase we’ve seen in pet product purchases over the last twelve months alone.

“It’s great to see so many people documenting the antics of their beloved pets and sharing these moments on their social channels. With pets now dominating newer social networks such as Snapchat, the ‘pet-working’ trend isn’t slowing down any time soon.”

Source: Argos

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Hot 100 Retailers list unveiled at the NRF’s STORES magazine August issue

WASHINGTON, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — Whether they sell through traditional stores, online or both, companies that provide unique offerings and experiences for consumers dominate the list of Hot 100 Retailers published today (August 1, 2017) by the National Retail Federation’s STORES magazine.

“The retail industry is getting better at addressing shifts in shopping behaviors and thinking differently,” STORES Media Editor Susan Reda said. “What matters most to consumers is a retailer differentiating itself in the marketplace, being innovative with merchandise and offering the right value to the right person, not whether a retailer is ‘bricks or clicks.’ The mix of both traditional and digital retailers on this year’s list reflects that. The secret to sustained growth going forward is a symbiotic relationship between digital and physical retailing.”

The Hot 100 list of fastest-growing retailers, compiled by research firm Kantar Retail and published in the August issue of STORES, is based on sales growth in 2016 over 2015 and ranks both public and privately held retail companies by U.S. domestic sales, with a $300 million threshold for inclusion.

Topping the list is subscription meal kit company Blue Apron, which has delivered more than 150 million meals since it was founded five years ago and saw annual sales grow a dramatic 133 percent to $795.4 million in 2016.

Second is online furniture and home décor seller Wayfair, where sales grew 54 percent to $2.9 billion as it expanded its offerings to include greater price and quality ranges. Coming in third is longtime traditional retailer Ascena Retail Group — parent company of Ann Taylor, Catherines, Dress Barn, Lane Bryant and Maurices — which has been aggressive with mergers and acquisitions in recent years and had 50 percent sales growth at $7 billion. Following at No. 4 is online pet food seller Chewy.com with 48 percent growth to $900 million, followed at No. 5 by online building supply company Build.com/Wolseley, which grew 38 percent to $911 million.

Also included are No. 6 convenience store operator CST Brands, up 29 percent at $2.1 billion; No. 7 subscription fashion retailer JustFab, up 29 percent at $572 million; No. 8 supermarket and department store chain Grupo Comercial Chedraui, up 27 percent at $1.5 billion; No. 9 supermarket chain Gelson’s Markets, up 26 percent at $723 million; and No. 10 online giant Amazon.com, up 25 percent at $77 billion.

Online companies make up six of the top 10 companies, but the majority of retailers on the full Hot 100 list are either traditional retailers or retailers that sell both in-store and online. Fewer than 10 companies are pureplay ecommerce.

“This year’s Hot 100 confirms once again that retail growth is coming from a number of places, including less traditional channels in the industry,” Kantar Retail Chief Product Strategy and Marketing Officer Andrew Stockwell said. “While a tremendous amount of volume is still generated from big boxes, retail channels such as online, discount, club, drug and convenience are powering accelerated growth.”

Fourteen companies with ‘Sustained Sizzle’
Fourteen retailers are recognized as “sustained sizzlers” for having made the Hot 100 list each year since its inception in 2006. The list below includes their sales growth since 2011 and their 2017 ranking:

  1. Amazon.com – 192 percent (10)
  2. Aldi – 42 percent (40)
  3. Dollar General – 48 percent (47)
  4. Ross Stores – 49 percent (52)
  5. O’Reilly Automotive – 48 percent (51)
  6. Dick’s Sporting Goods – 52 percent (43)
  7. Tractor Supply Co. – 60 percent (44)
  8. Academy Sports + Outdoor – 156 percent (27)
  9. Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance – 160 percent (11)
  10. Sprouts Farmers Market – 251 percent (30)
  11. Casey’s General Stores – 67 percent (55)
  12. Grocery Outlet – 197 percent (49)
  13. Sephora – 44 percent (67)
  14. Lululemon Athletica – 208 percent (38)

About Kantar Retail
We are the retail and shopper specialists. We help you sell more effectively and profitably. We are part of Kantar (kantar.com), the data investment management division of WPP (wpp.com) and one of the world’s leading insight, information and consultancy groups. Kantar Retail works with leading branded manufacturers and retailers to transform the purchase behavior of consumers and shoppers through the use of retail and shopper insights, purchase data tools and analytics, consulting solutions and retail virtual reality services. To learn more, visit us at kantarretail.com and download Kantar Retail’s Breakthrough Insights for a selection of our most impactful reports, forecasts and thought leadership.

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.

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

Source: NRF

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Intershop H1 2017 results: consolidated revenues up by 10% to EUR 18.0 million

  • Focus on wholesalers and cloud showing initial success
  • Consolidated revenues climb 10% to EUR 18.0 million (previous year: EUR 16.3 million)
  • Positive EBIT of EUR 0.2 million (previous year: EUR -1.3 million)

Jena, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — Intershop Communications AG (ISIN: DE000A0EPUH1), a leading independent provider of innovative solutions for omni-channel commerce, increased its consolidated revenues by 10% to EUR 18.0 million in the first six months of 2017. Following on from a strong first quarter, Intershop continued the positive business trend and signed up more than twice as many new customers in the first six months of 2017 than in the same period of the previous year, half of which were companies from the wholesale sector.

Supported by the good new business trend, the strategically important product revenues increased by 16% to EUR 7.6 million. Service revenues were up by 6% on the prior year period to EUR 10.3 million. In this segment, too, new customers made a major contribution to the positive business trend. Product revenues accounted for 43% of total revenues, up from 41% in the previous year.

The gross margin rose to 50% in the reporting period (previous year: 46%). As had been announced, the cost reductions in administrative functions achieved in the context of the “Lighthouse 2020” program were used to accelerate the new sector and cloud focus through additional investments in marketing and sales. As a result, costs in this area increased by 15% to EUR 4.2 million. At EUR 8.7 million, total operating expenses (OPEX) were moderately lower than in the previous year (EUR 8.8 million).

Moreover, Intershop generated slightly positive earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of EUR 0.2 million in the first six months of 2017 (previous year: EUR -1.3 million). The EBIT margin stood at 1% (previous year: -8%). At EUR 1.4 million, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) also improved notably (previous year: EUR -0.1 million). The net result for the period amounted to EUR 28k (previous year: EUR -1.6 million), which is equivalent to earnings per share of EUR 0.00 (previous year: EUR -0.05).

Intershop posted clearly positive operating cash flow of EUR 1.8 million in the first six months of the year (previous year: EUR -1.4 million). As a result of the scheduled repayment of the loan raised in 2015, liabilities to banks were reduced by EUR 1.0 million to EUR 2.8 million as of the interim reporting date. Cash and cash equivalents declined by a moderate 3% to EUR 10.6 million, while the equity ratio climbed from 59% to 60%. Overall, Intershop’s asset and capital structure is solid.

Dr. Jochen Wiechen, CEO of Intershop Communications AG: “The good business trend in the first half of the year is already largely attributable to our new “Lighthouse 2020” strategy and the related repositioning and sector focus. We are confident that this trend is sustainable and expect to sign up a relevant number of new customers before the end the current year, especially in the B2B sector. Our cloud offering in cooperation with Microsoft is also showing a very positive trend. We feel we are well positioned to benefit from the increasing digitization of commerce and to successfully support the transformation of our customers.”

The Intershop Management Board continues to project moderately higher revenues and balanced earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) for the full year 2017.

The interim report on the first six months of 2017 is available for download at http://www.intershop.com/investors-financial-reports.

About Intershop

Intershop Communications AG (founded in Germany 1992; Prime Standard: ISH2) is the leading independent provider of omni-channel commerce solutions. Intershop offers high-performance packaged software for internet sales, complemented by all necessary services. Intershop also acts as a business process outsourcing provider, covering all aspects of online retailing up to fulfillment. Around the globe more than 300 enterprise customers, including HP, BMW, Würth, and Deutsche Telekom run Intershop solutions. Intershop is headquartered in Jena, Germany, and has offices in the United States, Europe, Australia, and China. More information about Intershop can be found online at www.intershop.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial and operational performance of Intershop. Actual events or performance may differ materially from those contained or implied in such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that could lead to such difference could include, among other things: Intershop’s limited operating history, the unpredictability of future revenues and expenses and potential fluctuations in revenues and operating results, significant dependence on large single customer deals, consumer trends, the level of competition, seasonality, risks related to electronic security, possible governmental regulation, and general economic conditions.

Contact:
Intershop Public Relations
HEIDE RAUSCH
Head of Corporate Communication
Phone: +49 3641 50-1000
Fax: +49 3641 50-1309
mailto: pr@intershop.de

Source:  Intershop Communications AG

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Whole Foods Market: 25 percent off on all supplements from Aug. 11 to 13

Whole Foods Market: 25 percent off on all supplements from Aug. 11 to 13

 

All brands of vitamins, minerals, protein powders and other supplements 25 percent off

AUSTIN, Texas, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — From Aug. 11 to 13, all supplements at Whole Foods Market will be 25 percent off. This sale includes all brands of vitamins, minerals, powders, probiotics and other supplements across all of Whole Foods Market’s U.S. stores.

“Sales like this give customers a great opportunity to stock up on daily essentials, as well as immunity support for kids before they head back to school,” said global whole body senior category manager, Keith McBride. “As people get back into routines, we think it’s a great chance to find the right combination of daily supplements. For most customers, a multivitamin, probiotic, and omega-3 fatty acid do the trick.”

Whole Foods Market is committed to sourcing the highest quality vitamins and minerals, so the company’s team of experts carefully evaluates every product before it can be sold in stores.

Offer valid from Aug. 11 to Aug. 13 in Whole Foods Market stores nationwide.

Contact:
SOmedia@wholefoods.com

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JCPenney announces collaboration with Lifetime Emmy-nominated® show Project Runway; launches exclusive fashion brand

JCPenney announces collaboration with Lifetime Emmy-nominated® show Project Runway; launches exclusive fashion brand

 

Brand Will Feature Limited Edition Designs from Season Winners and Challenge Episodes

PLANO, Texas, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — JCPenney [NYSE: JCP] is giving shoppers a front row seat to its fall fashion lineup with the launch of the first-ever “Project Runway” brand inspired by the Lifetime Emmy-nominated® show and its talented group of design contestants. Now available in over 500 JCPenney stores and at JCPenney.com, the exclusive line of contemporary women’s apparel debuts with a summer preview collection showcasing designs inspired by season 15 winner Erin Robertson, with the full assortment planned for Sept. 8. JCPenney will be the exclusive retailer partner for “Project Runway” seasons 16 and 17 and “Project Runway All Stars” season 7.

“Millions of viewers aspire to emulate the fashion-forward looks first conceptualized during a Project Runway episode,” said John Tighe, chief merchant for JCPenney. “This strategic collaboration enables us to work directly with up-and-coming design talent from Project Runway and increase our assortment of contemporary apparel, while gaining a fresh perspective on what women are seeking when curating the ultimate wardrobe.”

The Project Runway brand assortment is a mix of contemporary and street style looks with one-shoulder dresses, pencil skirts and cold-shoulder blouses that mix patterns and textures as part of a stunning preview collection. In September, the assortment will highlight sport luxe details with lace-up accents, hardware embellishments and drama sleeves on notable pieces, including off-the-shoulder bomber jackets, wide-leg track pants and fashion sweatshirts in rose, burgundy and black. The Project Runway collection at JCPenney will be prominently displayed in the women’s fashion area near the main entrance of select stores.

“This partnership with JCPenney is one of our biggest retail collaborations since the series first began more than a decade ago,” said Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company. “It also marks the first time the entire Project Runway franchise has partnered with a leading, national retailer and introduced a line of Project Runway clothing that will be available year-round.”

Fashion Fresh Off the Runway
Throughout each season of Project Runway and Project Runway All Stars, the retailer will sponsor a stimulating design challenge. The winners of the JCPenney design challenge will have a special, limited edition run of their winning design produced in New York City, which will be immediately available to the public at JCPenney.com, and in select stores the following morning. Each season winner will also have the chance to collaborate with JCPenney on a capsule collection for the Project Runway brand, giving the designers an opportunity to make their unique style and aesthetic available to fans nationwide at prices that enable more women to obtain runway-inspired fashion.

For the entire season of Project Runway All Stars, JCPenney plans to translate the winning look from every episode into garments that will be available exclusively on JCPenney.com every week, giving fans instant access to the latest styles from the show. Making these designs immediately available is one way the Company is demonstrating its commitment to delivering sought after apparel on a faster production timeline.

Each show will also showcase “The JCPenney Accessory Wall,” featuring a curated selection of shoes, handbags, fashion accessories and jewelry from brands such as Liz Claiborne®, Mixit®, a.n.a.® and Worthington®. In every episode, designers will be encouraged to complete their runway look using accessories displayed on the JCPenney Accessory Wall.

The Company is supporting the brand with an integrated marketing campaign that includes dedicated Project Runway television spots and engaging show fans on popular social media channels. JCPenney is also spotlighting the collection through a dedicated microsite at jcp.com/projectrunway where customers can shop the latest Project Runway assortment inspired by the show and the challenge episodes.

To download this release in English or Spanish, and for Project Runway related images, please visit: http://www.jcpnewsroom.com/news-releases/2017/0731_project_runway.html.

About JCPenney:
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP), one of the nation’s largest apparel and home furnishings retailers, combines an expansive footprint of approximately 875 stores across the United States and Puerto Rico with a powerful e-commerce site, jcp.com, to connect with shoppers how, when and where they prefer to shop. At every customer touchpoint, she will get her Penney’s worth of a broad assortment of products from an extensive portfolio of private, exclusive and national brands. Powering this shopping experience is the customer service and warrior spirit of over 100,000 associates across the globe, all driving toward 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.

About Project Runway:
Hosted by Emmy® Award winner, supermodel and fashion connoisseur Heidi Klum, the hit Emmy®-nominated series Project Runway provides budding designers with an opportunity to launch their careers in fashion, under the watchful eyes of mentor and co-host Emmy® Award winner Tim Gunn and judges Nina Garcia and Zac Posen.

Project Runway is produced by The Weinstein Company, Bunim/Murray Productions, Full Picture Entertainment, and Heidi Klum Company. Executive producers include Bob and Harvey Weinstein (Co-Chairmen of The Weinstein Company) and Patrick Reardon and Barbara Schneeweiss of The Weinstein Company, Jonathan Murray and Sara Rea of Bunim/Murray Productions, Heidi Klum, Jane Cha and Desiree Gruber of Full Picture Entertainment. Mary Donahue and David Hillman of Lifetime also executive produce, and Gil Goldschein and Teri Weideman of Bunim/Murray Productions serve as Co-Executive Producers.

About Weinstein Television:
The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a multimedia production and distribution company launched in October 2005 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films in 1979. TWC also encompasses Dimension Films, the genre label founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein. During Harvey and Bob’s tenure at Miramax and TWC, they have received 357 Oscar nominations and won 82 Academy Awards®.

Since 2005, TWC and Dimension Films have released such films as VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA; THE READER; INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS; SCRE4M; SPY KIDS; THE KING’S SPEECH; UNDEFEATED; THE ARTIST; THE MASTER; SILVER LINIGS PLAYBOOK; DJANGO UNCHAINED; SCARY MOVIE 5; LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER; PHILOMENA; THE IMITATION GAME; PADDINGTON; WOMAN IN GOLD; SOUTHPAW; CAROL; THE HATEFUL EIGHT; SING STREET; THE FOUNDER and LION. Upcoming releases include WIND RIVER, LEAP!, TULIP FEVER, MARY MAGDALENE, and THE CURRENT WAR.

Weinstein Television boasts an active television production division with critically acclaimed projects in both scripted and non-scripted series. Weinstein Television produces the reality powerhouse Project Runway, with its spin-off series Project Runway All Stars, hosted by Alyssa Milano, Project Runway Jr, featuring supermodel Hannah Jeter and fashion critic Kelly Osbourne. Lifetime also aired business focused Project Runway: Fashion Inc. as part of the Project Runway franchise. Current series include TIME: The Kalief Browder Story which premiered on Spike in March 2017.

Scripted series include the critically acclaimed miniseries War & Peace, which debuted on Lifetime, A&E and HISTORY in 2016, Scream with MTV, which premiered its second season in May 2016, Peaky Blinders on Netflix, Julian Fellowes’ Doctor Thorne with Amazon, Stephen King’s The Mist for Spike TV and the military drama Six for HISTORY. Upcoming series include Waco for Paramount TV, starring Michael Shannon and Taylor Kitsch, a new series from David O. Russell starring Robert DeNiro and Julianne Moore for Amazon, Matthew Weiner’s The Romanoffs for Amazon, and an epic reimagining of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables with the BBC.

Television projects in development explore a range of arenas and are not exclusive to drama or comedy, minis or continuing series, live action or animated. An active slate of more than 60 projects includes Elvis, the first-ever scripted series to shoot at Graceland, Josephine and Napoleon by Tony Saint, Stephen King’s The Breathing Method with Blumhouse, Scott Teems and Scott Derrickson, and UK series The City and The City and Fearless.

About Lifetime:
Lifetime is a premier entertainment destination for women dedicated to offering the highest quality original programming spanning scripted series, non-fiction series and movies. The critically acclaimed UnREAL, Project Runway, Dance Moms, Bring It!, The Rap Game and Little Women franchises anchor the network’s programming, in addition to its over 25 original movies annually that continue to define the TV movie genre. In 2015, Lifetime launched Brand Focus, a major global initiative dedicated to supporting and hiring female directors, writers and producers to make its content which totals over 450 original hours. Lifetime Television®, LMN®, Lifetime Real Women® and Lifetime Digital® are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation.

JCPenney Media Relations:
(972) 431-3400
jcpnews@jcp.com
Follow @jcpnews on Twitter for the latest announcements, images and company information.

Source: J. C. Penney Company, Inc.

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J. C. Penney Company, Inc. to host 2Q 2017 financial results conference call on Friday, Aug. 11, 2017

PLANO, Texas, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) announced today (Aug. 1, 2017) that it will release its second quarter 2017 financial results on Friday, Aug. 11, at 7:30 a.m. ET. The news release will be followed by a live conference call and webcast conducted by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Marvin R. Ellison and select members of management that will begin at 8:30 a.m. ET.

To access the conference call, please dial (844) 243-9275, or (225) 283-0394 for international callers, and reference 61085984 conference ID or visit the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.jcpenney.com. Supplemental slides will be available on the Company’s investor relations website approximately 10 minutes before the start of the conference call.

Telephone playback will be available for seven days beginning approximately two hours after the conclusion of the conference call by dialing (855) 859-2056, or (404) 537-3406 for international callers, and referencing 61085984 conference ID.

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

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

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

About JCPenney:
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP), one of the nation’s largest apparel and home furnishings retailers, combines an expansive footprint of approximately 875 stores across the United States and Puerto Rico with a powerful e-commerce site, jcp.com, to connect with shoppers how, when and where they prefer to shop. At every customer touchpoint, she will get her Penney’s worth of a broad assortment of products from an extensive portfolio of private, exclusive and national brands. Powering this shopping experience is the customer service and warrior spirit of over 100,000 associates across the globe, all driving toward 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

Source: J. C. Penney Company, Inc.

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DFS Group opens duty-free stores at Singapore Cruise Centre’s Tanah Merah and HarbourFront terminals

DFS Group opens duty-free stores at Singapore Cruise Centre’s Tanah Merah and HarbourFront terminals

 

After winning a five-year concession for departure and arrival stores, DFS officially opens at Singapore Cruise Centre’s Tanah Merah and HarbourFront terminals

SINGAPORE, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — DFS Group, the world’s leading luxury travel retailer, today unveiled its updated duty-free stores at Singapore Cruise Centre (SCC). Since being awarded SCC’s first ever master duty-free and general merchandise concession in December 2016, DFS has created a retail environment inspired by the local landscape that delivers DFS’ signature luxurious shopping experience.

For the first time, SCC consolidated a number of its existing duty-free concessions across six categories including wines, spirits and tobacco, beauty and confectionary into a single contract. The stores, which are located at SCC’s Tanah Merah and HarbourFront terminals span seven outlets and are accessible to travelers arriving and departing from Singapore by ferry or cruise ship.

“It has been an honor working with SCC for the past two decades and we are delighted to be continuing our partnership for the next five years,” said Wilcy Wong, DFS Group Managing Director, Singapore and Indonesia. “At DFS we focus on offering a premium retail experience where travelers are given a one-stop, seamless shopping experience. We are excited to grow our relationship with SCC and look forward to providing a broader retail experience to travelers at the ferry terminals.”

DFS, Singapore Cruise Centre is home to over 150 brands and offers an assortment of retail products from alcohol, tobacco, cosmetics, fashion to travel accessories. The extensive range also includes many exclusive items in wines and spirits, available for purchase only at DFS. The retail experience and offering also grants travelers an opportunity to purchase all essential travel items before embarking on their outward journey.

A gateway to the neighboring Indonesian Riau Islands, DFS, Singapore Cruise Centre is modern and fresh, incorporating nautical elements that reflect the nearby island destinations. Both Batam and Bintan are popular destinations from Singapore. The main retail space at both the arrival and departure areas has been expanded to 6,000 sq ft. to accommodate over 6.3 million ferry passengers and 560,000 cruise passengers annually.

“The opening of the new DFS stores at SCC marks a strong relationship between DFS and SCC. Passengers at our terminals are now able to experience an array of retail offerings with more store space, new retail concepts, as well as new brands, which hand in hand work to elevate the overall shopping experience,” said Christina Siaw, CEO of SCC.

The DFS Harbour Front departure store is also home to an exclusive Whiskey Bar and Cocktail Bar, where guests can sample from a range of whiskies or indulge themselves in specialty cocktails made from fresh ingredients by DFS’ in-house bartenders. Created in collaboration with The Whiskey House at DFS’ Terminal 2 Duplex at Singapore Changi Airport, the Whiskey Bar is an extension of DFS’ interactive approach to spirits, educating and engaging customers through guided tastings so they can find their perfect match when making a purchase.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

press.enquiries@dfs.com

Source: DFS Group

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Ashton Kutcher announced as the final keynote speaker at the UNLEASH Award Show presented by BESTSELLER

Ashton Kutcher announces as the final keynote speaker at the UNLEASH Award Show presented by BESTSELLER

 

BRANDE, Denmark, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — On 21 August, the first edition of UNLEASH will culminate in a grand award show to celebrate the best solutions from 1,000 global talents – including 10 of our own talents – that have been gathered in Denmark to create solutions to the planet’s most pressing problems.

At the award show the talents will also presented with an array of world class speakers giving their views and input on how to address the sustainability agenda. To wrap up the 10-day event in Denmark, UNLEASH is proud to present Ashton Kutcher as the final keynote speaker at the UNLEASH Award Show presented by BESTSELLER to take place in the Concert Hall in Aarhus.

Kutcher was first recognized for his roles in a number of TV series, and has since starred in multiple box office hits. In 2011, Kutcher co-created a venture fund, A-Grade Investments, with Ron Burkle and Guy Oseary. A-Grade has invested in multiple tech companies including Airnbnb, Spotify, Uber, Flipboard, Oscar Health, Warby Parker, Nextdoor and Houzz. In 2014, Kutcher and Oseary founded another fund called Sound Ventures, which has invested in Zenreach, Handy, Gusto, Acorns, Mark43 and more.

Contact:

E-mail: contact@bestseller.com
Phone: + 45 99 42 32 00

Source: BESTSELLER

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Textilbündnis: REWE Group verabschiedet eigenen Maßnahmenplan

Textilbündnis: REWE Group verabschiedet eigenen Maßnahmenplan

 

Bereits 70 Prozent der Textilien aus nachhaltigerer Baumwolle

Koln, Germany, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — Mit dem Beitritt zum „Bündnis für nachhaltige Textilien“ im Jahr 2015 hat sich die REWE Group verpflichtet, die ökologischen, sozialen und ökonomischen Bedingungen in internationalen textilen Lieferketten nachhaltig zu verbessern. Dazu gehört ein Maßnahmenplan, der auch zum Ziel hat, die Arbeitsbedingungen in den Textil-Zuliefererbetrieben zu entwickeln. Heute (31.7.) verkündet die genossenschaftliche Unternehmensgruppe in Köln die inhaltliche Ausgestaltung des Maßnahmenplans.

Torsten Stau, Geschäftsleitungsmitglied und zuständig für den Einkaufsbereich Ware Non Food der REWE Group, erklärt dazu: „Der soeben verabschiedete Maßnahmenplan enthält einerseits unsere bestehenden Aktivitäten zur Förderung von nachhaltigeren Textilien, die wir auch in Zukunft weiter fortführen möchten und zum anderen neue Zielvereinbarungen. Insgesamt umfasst der Maßnahmenplan 100 Ziele. Insofern freue ich mich, dass wir unseren Maßnahmenplan bereits offen legen und der verbindlichen Veröffentlichung im kommenden Jahr zuvorkommen. Wir zeigen damit, dass wir nicht nur zum Bündnis stehen, sondern auch transparent über unsere Ziele berichten.“

So ist es der REWE Group bereits gelungen, den Anteil an Textilien, die aus nachhaltigerer Baumwolle hergestellt werden, von 56 Prozent (2015) auf 70 Prozent (2017) zu erhöhen. „Das ist ein enormer Fortschritt. Zukünftig wollen wir den Anteil nachhaltigerer Baumwolle stetig weiter ausbauen“, so Stau.

Auch die Fortführung der bestehenden Aktivitäten erfordert Engagement. So werden jetzt schon auftragsbezogen sämtliche Produktionsstätten für textile Eigenmarken in relevanten Ländern auf die Einhaltung von Sozialstandards überprüft. Gleiches gilt für die Abwasserqualität der Fabriken, welche die REWE Group im Rahmen ihres Detox Programms ebenfalls kontrolliert.
Zusätzlich zu diesen Kontrollen setzt die REWE Group auf Trainingsprogramme, um die Lieferanten bei der Umsetzung der Anforderungen zu unterstützen. So enthält der neue Maßnahmenplan im Rahmen des Textil-Bündnisses das Ziel, in 2017 Trainings mit ausgewählten Fabriken in China und Bangladesch zur Verbesserung des Chemikalienmanagements zu starten. Auch in Bezug auf Sozialstandards wird ein Trainingsprogramm entwickelt.

Neu aufgenommen wurde auch das Thema „Umweltmanagement“. Die REWE Group hat sich für das Jahr 2017 vorgenommen, einen geeigneten Anbieter für ein Umweltmanagement-Programm zu identifizieren, um in der Folge einen Piloten zu starten.

Innerhalb des Bündnisses engagiert sich die REWE Group außerdem in der Expertengruppe Chemikalien- und Umweltmanagement für die Schaffung gemeinsamer Standards und in einer Projektgruppe für gemeinsame Trainingsmaßnahmen für Fabriken vor Ort.

Für Rückfragen:
REWE Group-Unternehmenskommunikation
Tel: +49 221 149 1050
Mail: presse@rewe-group.com

Source: REWE Group

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BILLA Nachhaltigkeit: Insektenhotels bringen BILLA Wiesen zum Blühen

Koln, Deutschland, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — Im Zuge der Initiative „Blühendes Österreich“ wurden auf dem Gelände der BILLA Filialen Vösendorf und Traiskirchen Insektenhotels errichtet. Damit bald vermehrt Wildbienen summen und Blüten bestäubt werden und so die heimische Flora rund um die BILLA Filialen zum Blühen gebracht wird. Die Übergabe erfolgte durch BILLA Vertriebsdirektor Josef Holzleitner in Vösendorf.

BILLA Mitarbeiter mit grünen Daumen
Seit Jahren widmet sich BILLA – als größter Nahversorger Österreichs – der Nachhaltigkeit, wenn es etwa um Produktvielfalt, energiesparende Maßnahmen in den Filialen oder Lebensmittelspenden an soziale Einrichtungen geht. Mit der Errichtung von Insektenhotels auf dem Grund der BILLA Filialen in Vösendorf und in Traiskirchen sowie der Begleitpflanzung von garantiert heimischen Wildgehölzen des Vereins „Regionale Gehölzvermehrung“ engagiert sich BILLA für das ökologische Gleichgewicht auf österreichischen Wiesen und für den Erhalt einer reichhaltig strukturierten Kulturlandschaft. Durch diese Initiative sollen Insekten, denen durch menschliches Eingreifen in die Naturlandschaft nur noch wenige natürliche Lebensräume zur Verfügung stehen, Nist- und Überwinterungsplätze geboten werden. Die ersten sieben Insektenhotels wurden 2016 mit großem Erfolg im Weinviertel errichtet. Die neuen Hotels wurden planmäßig Ende Juli installiert und sollen danach den Insekten dabei helfen, ihrer wichtigen Arbeit auf heimischen Blumenwiesen optimal nachzugehen. Zusätzlich stattet BILLA alle Insektenhotels mit Erklärungstafeln aus, um die Menschen über die dort angesiedelten Insekten zu informieren und das Bewusstsein für Pflanzen- und Tiervielfalt zu stärken.

Gemeinsam für die Umwelt
Bei der Errichtung der Insektenhotels holte BILLA kompetente Partner, teilweise direkt aus der Region, mit ins Boot. So ist es besonders erfreulich, dass die Insektenhotels von der Jugend am Werk Werkstätte in Altmannsdorf gebaut worden sind. Da Wind und Sonneneinstrahlung sowie die Materialwahl und Ausführung für das Funktionieren der Insektenhotels eine wichtige Rolle spielen, waren außerdem Experten des technischen Büros LACON in Zusammenarbeit mit der  Initiative „Blühendes Österreich“ bei der Auswahl der Standorte federführend beteiligt. BILLA und seine Partner konnten durch ihre Kooperation ein zukunftsträchtiges Projekt umsetzen und einen wichtigen Beitrag für den Schutz der blühenden Wiesen leisten. Aber auch BILLA Kunden können die heimische Artenvielfalt unterstützen, denn pro verkauftem Produkt der Regionalmarke „Da komm‘ ich her!“ fließt ein Cent in die Initiative Blühendes Österreich.

Blühendes Österreich
Mit der Initiative Blühendes Österreich verfolgen die REWE International AG und BILLA ein klares, langfristiges Ziel: Gemeinsam mit der Naturschutzorganisation BirdLife Österreich soll das Land noch grüner, vielfältiger und lebenswerter werden. Mit Blühendes Österreich werden de Erhalt und die Entwicklung bedrohter, ökologisch wertvoller Lebensräume und Projekte zur Bildung nachhaltiger Entwicklung unterstützt. Die Finanzierung erfolgt über die österreichischen Eigenmarken wie „Da komm‘ ich her!“, erhältlich bei BILLA. Pro verkauftem Produkt fließt ein Cent in die Initiative Blühendes Österreich zum Erhalt natürlicher Lebensräume und dem Schutz der heimischen Artenvielfalt.

Bildtext zum übermittelten Bildmaterial:
Bild 1 und 2: v.l.n.r. Josef Holzleitner (Vertriebsdirektor), Klaus Müllauer (Marktmanager), Nadine Sachers (Regionalmanagerin), Peter Merhar (Nachhaltigkeitsabteilung, REWE International AG)
Credits: BILLA AG/ Dusek, Abdruck zu PR-Zwecken honorarfrei.

Über BILLA
BILLA und Österreich verbindet seit mehr als 60 Jahren eine einzigartige Erfolgsgeschichte: Als Pionier im heimischen Lebensmittelhandel sorgt BILLA dafür, dass in ganz Österreich täglich Lebensmittel und Produkte zu einem fairen Preis verfügbar sind. BILLA deckt damit als Nahversorger mit Hausverstand die ganze Range an Produkten ab: Das Angebot reicht von einer breiten Palette an Markenartikeln bis zu den erfolgreichen Eigenmarken, darunter die Ja! Natürlich Bio-Produkte, qualitativ hochwertige Produkte der BILLA Eigenmarke, bis hin zur Diskontlinie clever®. BILLA arbeitet ständig am Produktsortiment und Serviceangebot, um so den Bedürfnissen der Menschen in Österreich gerecht zu werden und diesen tagtäglich ein kulinarisches Erlebnis zu bieten.

BILLA gehört zur REWE International AG und ist Teil von einem der größten Lebensmittelhändler Europas. Nachhaltigkeit hat BILLA in seiner Unternehmensstrategie umfassend verankert: Heute sind rund 350 der rund 1.050 BILLA-Filialen in Österreich energieeffizient. Weitere zentrale Themen der BILLA-Unternehmensstrategie sind Gesundheit und die Förderung vo verstärktem Ernährungsbewusstsein der Österreicherinnen und Österreicher. Der Verantwortung gegenüber seinen treuen Kunden, rund 18.400 Mitarbeitern und langjährigen Partnern wird BILLA auf vielfache Art und Weise gerecht.

»Wer nicht von gestern sein will, beschäftigt sich mit morgen«, sagt der Hausverstand

Mehr Infos unter: www.billa.at oder shop.billa.at Besuchen Sie uns auch auf Facebook unter https://www.facebook.com/billa.at

Rückfragehinweis:
Team Media Relations
REWE International AG, Industriezentrum NÖ-Süd, Straße 3, Objekt 16, A-2355 Wiener Neudorf
Tel.: +43 2236 600 5265
E-Mail: mediarelations@rewe-group.at

Source: REWE Group

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SM Supermarket wins Philippine Retailers Association’s Best Supermarket award for 2016

SM Supermarket wins Philippine Retailers Association’s Best Supermarket award for 2016

 

Pasay City, Philippines, 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — SM Supermarket brought home the Philippine Retailers Association’s (PRA) Best Supermarket award for 2016 at the recently concluded 20th Outstanding Filipino Retailers and Shopping Centers of the Year Awards. The PRA Award is one of the most prestigious awards given to companies based on their criteria that touch on products, operations, sales and marketing, social consciousness, and reputation.

SM Supermarket continues SM Markets’ three-year PRA winning streak that started with SM Supermarket and SM Hypermarket winning Best Supermarket and Best Hypermarket awards in 2014. The following year, Savemore Market and SM Hypermarket won Best Supermarket and Best Hypermarket with SM Hypermarket reaching Hall of Fame status for its back-to-back win. And now, SM Supermarket keeps the streak alive for the group maintaining SM Markets’ lead in the food retailing industry.

Aside from its three-year PRA recognition, SM Markets’ success is evident in the numerous citations and awards it has received including thirty top tax payer awards from various cities and municipalities, being the first chain of supermarkets to receive three Corporate Gold and 163 store level Gold Bagwis seals of service excellence from the Department of Trade and Industry for its sincerity in serving and protecting consumer rights and welfare. SM Markets owes its success to the millions of shoppers who choose to shop and support SM Markets since it opened its first store in 1985.

Source: SM Investments Corporation

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Advance Auto Parts to host 2Q 2017 results conference call on Tuesday, August 15, 2017

ROANOKE, Va., 2017-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE: AAP), a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider in North America that serves both professional installer and do-it-yourself customers, will report its 2017 second quarter results before market open on Tuesday, August 15, 2017. The Company will detail its results on a conference call scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, August 15, 2017, which will be made available concurrently on the Company’s website, www.AdvanceAutoParts.com. The call is also available by dialing (877) 704-4453 or (201) 389-0920 if calling internationally. A replay of the conference call will be available on the Advance website for one year.

About Advance Auto Parts

Advance Auto Parts, Inc. is a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider that serves both professional installer and do-it-yourself customers. As of April 22, 2017, Advance operated 5,059 stores and 130 Worldpac branches and employed 74,000 Team Members in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Company also serves approximately 1,250 independently owned Carquest branded stores across these locations in addition to Mexico and the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, British Virgin Islands and Pacific Islands. Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts, accessories and other offerings can be found on the Company’s website at www.AdvanceAutoParts.com.

Media Contact:
Laurie Stacy
540-561-1206
laurie.stacy@advance-auto.com

Investor Relations Contact:
Prabhakar Vaidyanathan
919-227-5466
invrelations@advance-auto.com

Source: Advance Auto Parts, Inc.