Daily Archives: August 15, 2017

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SSP appoints Dr. Oliver Doerschuck as CEO of DACH & FRABEL regions

SSP appoints Dr. Oliver Doerschuck as CEO of DACH & FRABEL regions

 

London, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — SSP, a leading operator of food and beverage brands in travel locations worldwide, has appointed Dr. Oliver Doerschuck as CEO of DACH & FRABEL. Doerschuck (43) was previously CCO of TUI Deutschland and responsible for the DACH region as well as Poland – a five billion euro business with a portfolio of over 40 brands. In addition, he also headed the commercial activities of airline TUIfly.

He will succeed Cornelius Everke, who is leaving the business to take on new career challenges. During the current handover phase, Doerschuck has assumed a position on the SSP Group executive alongside Everke.

“We are looking forward to welcoming Oliver Doerschuck as CEO of one of our most important and competitive regions,” said Kate Swann, CEO of SSP Group. “He has considerable experience in the strategic development of concepts that offer customers a great experience as well as delivering sound commercial results. Doerschuck has also created and fostered the success of a diverse collection of brands.”

During his 10 years with SSP, Everke was closely involved with the refinancing of the business and its successful IPO as well as the integration of the DACH region. Commenting on the success of the DACH and FRABEL regions under Everke’s tenure, Swann continued; “We have seen sustained and profitable expansion over recent years in these markets, as well as a significant development of the brand portfolio. I would like to thank Cornelius for all his efforts, and wish him the very best in his future ventures.”

Source: SSP

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Tesco to extend range of prepared vegetable, fruit and salad dishes

Tesco to extend range of prepared vegetable, fruit and salad dishes

 

CHESHUNT, England, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — It was traditionally the supermarket aisle where shoppers purely bought their fruit and vegetables.

But now major changes in the produce area are having a profound effect on not only shopping habits but also the move to reduce food waste.

Instead of just fruit and vegetables Tesco fruit and veg aisles now offer shoppers more than 400 fresh, healthy ready meals, snacks and side dishes.

These include healthy carb alternatives such as Butternut Fusilli and Leek and Cavolo Bake; side dishes like Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Mushrooms; snacks like Mexican Spiced Bean and Fruit Salsa; and dessert crumble mixes with fruit.

In the last two years rising demand for these prepared foods has grown by 10 per cent – the equivalent of an extra 1.5 million items bought by shoppers.

And their popularity is having a great environmental knock-on effect – a number of these dishes and snacks allow growers and producers to utilise all of their crops, such as cauliflower, carrots, swedes, broccoli and butternut, leading to less food waste.

For instance, cauliflowers considered too small to sell on their own are now being used to make cauliflower couscous – a healthier replacement for carbs – amongst other prepared veg dishes.

And wonky shaped carrots are now being used to make carrot spaghetti – another healthier alternative to carbs.

Tesco prepared produce buyer Elizabeth Hall said:

“These tempting new fresh fruit and veg foods are not only offering shoppers a far wider choice in healthy, nutritious meals but are also helping tackle food waste through greater crop utilisation.

“For growing numbers of shoppers the fruit and veg aisle is now the first destination they will head to, to find innovative and delicious new meals if they are pressed for time and looking for fresh food they can cook quickly.

“Until about five years ago the main prepared fruit and veg items were stir fry mixes, sides like roasting trays of vegetables, and fruit snack packs.

“These have been so popular that we began to expand the range in order to further help customers who are short on time but still want to experience the joy of cooking fresh food.”

Demand at Tesco has particularly rocketed over the last two years with:

  • Spiralised vegetables such as courgette or carrot spaghetti – soaring by 40 per cent
  • Edamame bean salads – growing by more than 100 per cent
  • Organic prepared salads – up by nearly 90 per cent
  • Healthy fruit snacks such as melon and mango ‘fingers’ – up 400 per cent

On account of their growing popularity Tesco is about to extend its range of prepared vegetable, fruit and salad dishes.

Among the new lines about to be launched are the UK’s first ever mushroom burgers as well as beetroot burgers; potato wedges with katsu dip and crunchy quinoa; and fajita mix with peppers and onions.

Added Tesco’s Elizabeth Hall: “It’s not only time-pressed shoppers that we are catering for with these new fresh ready meals and snacks.

“Healthy foods such as butternut fusilli and butternut lasagne sheets are meeting the needs of customers wanting to cut down on carbs and look after themselves through simple alternatives.”

Note to editors:

 Timeline for evolution of the produce aisle

1990s – First prepared snacking fruit goes on sale which is washed, bite-size and ready to eat on the go as well as vegetable lines such as stir fry mixes

2000s – Launch of roasting vegetable trays plus ready-made salads

2010 onwards – Range widens to include ready-made side dishes such as stuffed mushrooms and peppers

2015 – Tesco launches UK’s first alternate carb spiralised vegetables

2017 – Produce aisle prepared range grows to include meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner

Source: Tesco

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AWS announces Amazon Macie security service to protect data stored in Amazon S3

  • New security service uses machine learning to classify sensitivity of customers’ data in Amazon S3 and then monitor and report on risks and anomalous access
  • Autodesk, Edmunds, and Netflix among the customers using Amazon Macie

SEATTLE, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Today (Aug. 14, 2017), Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company (NASDAQ: AMZN), announced Amazon Macie, a new security service that uses machine learning to help customers prevent data loss by automatically discovering, classifying, and protecting sensitive data in AWS. Amazon Macie recognizes sensitive data such as personally identifiable information (PII) or intellectual property, and provides customers with dashboards and alerts that give visibility into how this data is being accessed or moved. The fully managed service continuously monitors data access activity for anomalies, and generates detailed alerts when it detects risk of unauthorized access or inadvertent data leaks. Today, Amazon Macie is available to protect data stored in Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), with support for additional AWS data stores coming later this year. Customers can enable Amazon Macie from the AWS Management Console, and pay only for the GBs of Amazon S3 content classified and the AWS CloudTrail events analyzed, with no upfront costs or software purchases required. To get started with Amazon Macie, visit: https://aws.amazon.com/macie.

As organizations continue to generate growing volumes of data, it has become increasingly difficult, expensive, and time consuming for security teams to find and protect sensitive information scattered throughout the enterprise. Existing security tools designed to address this challenge generally require customers to develop and frequently update complex data classifications, which can only account for known risks and often generate many extraneous or inaccurate alerts. Amazon Macie automates these labor-intensive processes, using machine learning to better understand where an organization’s sensitive information is located and how it’s typically accessed, including user authentication, locations, and times of access. After a baseline is established, Amazon Macie actively monitors for anomalies that indicate risks and/or suspicious behavior, such as large quantities of source code being downloaded, credentials being stored in an unsecure manner, or sensitive data that a customer has accidentally made externally accessible. The Amazon Macie console puts the most important information front and center with highly accurate alerts and detailed recommendations for how to resolve issues. Amazon Macie also gives customers the ability to easily define and customize automated remediation actions, such as resetting access control lists or triggering password reset policies.

“When a customer has a significant amount of content stored in Amazon S3, identifying and classifying all of the potentially sensitive data can feel a bit like finding needles in a very large haystack — especially with monitoring tools that aren’t smart enough to effectively automate what is now a very manual process,” said Stephen Schmidt, Chief Information Security Officer, Amazon Web Services. “Amazon Macie approaches information security in a more intelligent way. By using machine learning to understand the content and user behavior of each organization, Amazon Macie can cut through huge volumes of data with better visibility and more accurate alerts, allowing customers to focus on securing their sensitive information instead of wasting time trying to find it.”

Autodesk is a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software. “Amazon Macie is easy to use and gave us valuable information almost instantaneously,” said Anmol Misra, Director of Cloud Security & Compliance, Autodesk. “More importantly, it delivered accurate, informative alerts that we can take action on.”

Edmunds.com offers detailed, constantly updated information about vehicles to 20 million monthly visitors. “Amazon Macie is enabling us to achieve a completely new level of confidence in the security of our infrastructure,” said Ajit Zadgaonkar, Executive Director, Infrastructure and Engineering Operations, Edmunds.com. “The granular level of inspection and intelligence that Amazon Macie applies is giving us continuous insights into areas of our cloud infrastructure and practices, enabling us to achieve things that would have been unwieldy or even not possible until now.”

Netflix is the world’s leading internet television network with 104 million members in over 190 countries enjoying more than 125 million hours of TV shows and movies per day. “The security of our customers’ data is a top priority for Netflix, and we’ve invested substantial resources to build tools that protect sensitive information against unauthorized access or leaks,” said Patrick Kelley, Senior Cloud Security Engineer, Netflix. “Since we started using Amazon Macie, we’ve found that it is flexible enough to solve a range challenges that would have previously required us to write custom code or build internal tools, such as securing PII and alerting us to access anomalies, helping us move fast with confidence.”

Amazon Macie can send all findings to Amazon CloudWatch Events and will support API endpoints through the AWS SDK later this year, allowing for robust interoperability with third-party solutions. Planned integrations include solutions from leading providers such as Palo Alto Networks, Splunk, Trend Micro, and more, allowing customers to easily incorporate intelligence from Amazon Macie into their existing security workflows for deeper analysis and forensics.

About Amazon Web Services

For 11 years, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. AWS offers over 90 fully featured services for compute, storage, networking, database, analytics, application services, deployment, management, developer, mobile, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), security, hybrid, and enterprise applications, from 44 Availability Zones (AZs) across 16 geographic regions in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the UK. AWS services are trusted by millions of active customers around the world — including the fastest growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies — to power their infrastructure, make them more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit https://aws.amazon.com.

About Amazon

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

Media Hotline:
Amazon-pr@amazon.com
www.amazon.com/pr

Source: Amazon Web Services, Inc.

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Amazon Web Services selected as FICO cloud provider

Leading analytics provider takes cloud-first approach, migrates enterprise analytics platform to AWS as part of digital transformation journey

SEATTLE, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Today (Aug. 14, 2017), Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company (NASDAQ: AMZN), announced that FICO (NYSE: FICO) has selected AWS as its cloud provider. FICO has migrated several core applications, including myFICO.com and its flagship analytics platform, the Decision Management Suite (DMS), to AWS, and will migrate additional applications over the next three years. Going cloud-first with AWS will give teams across FICO access to the most comprehensive set of cloud capabilities, proven security and compliance, and unmatched operational expertise, allowing them to deliver high-volume analytics software and tools to enterprises around the globe, including 95 percent of the largest financial institutions in the US.

FICO began its migration to AWS with DMS, a platform for operationalizing real-time analytics and decisions. DMS is also the foundation for all of FICO’s solutions, which drive business transformation through predictive analytics, business rules management, and optimization to institutions and consumers around the world. When FICO decided to offer DMS as a SaaS solution, it turned to AWS for its proven security, PCI compliance, and breadth and depth of cloud capabilities, including serverless computing, containers, analytics, and machine learning. AWS enables FICO to deploy new applications more quickly, while reducing costs, and keeping financial data secure.

“When we started to plan for our digital transformation, time to value, velocity, scalability, cost control and security were our top priorities. AWS’s experience with other companies in highly regulated industries, combined with its industry leading technology, made AWS the obvious choice for FICO,” said Jeet Kaul, VP Engineering at FICO. “Today, we’re taking a cloud-first approach to development with AWS as our cloud infrastructure provider. This will allow us to get out of the business of building data centers, so we can continue our 60-plus-year history of pioneering data and analytics software to help businesses improve the precision, consistency, and agility of their complex decisions.”

“Cloud has become the new normal for even the most highly regulated, data-sensitive organizations like FICO,” said Mike Clayville, Vice President, Worldwide Commercial Sales at AWS. “FICO has long been a leader in applying analytics and algorithms to help enterprises – from financial institutions and telecommunications firms to automakers, retailers and manufacturers – use data to make better decisions. By taking advantage of the cloud with the most proven security, and the broadest and deepest functionality – including a wide range of analytics and machine learning technologies – FICO will be able to accelerate its pace of innovation to help its customers get more insights from their data and turn that knowledge into action at scale and in real-time.”

FICO joins a growing list of innovative financial institutions running on AWS, including Capital One, NASDAQ, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Thomson Reuters, Pacific Life Insurance, DBS Bank, and FINRA.

About Amazon Web Services

For 11 years, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. AWS offers over 90 fully featured services for compute, storage, networking, database, analytics, application services, deployment, management, developer, mobile, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), security, hybrid, and enterprise applications, from 44 Availability Zones (AZs) across 16 geographic regions in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the UK. AWS services are trusted by millions of active customers around the world – including the fastest growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies – to power their infrastructure, make them more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit https://aws.amazon.com.

About Amazon

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

About FICO

FICO (NYSE: FICO) powers decisions that help people and businesses around the world prosper. Founded in 1956 and based in Silicon Valley, the company is a pioneer in the use of predictive analytics and data science to improve operational decisions. FICO holds more than 170 US and foreign patents on technologies that increase profitability, customer satisfaction and growth for businesses in financial services, telecommunications, health care, retail and many other industries. Using FICO solutions, businesses in more than 100 countries do everything from protecting 2.6 billion payment cards from fraud, to helping people get credit, to ensuring that millions of airplanes and rental cars are in the right place at the right time. Learn more at http://www.fico.com. Join the conversation at https://twitter.com/fico & http://www.fico.com/en/blogs/. FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the US and other countries.

Media Hotline:
Amazon-pr@amazon.com
www.amazon.com/pr

Source: Amazon Web Services, Inc.

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Hulu selects AWS as its cloud provider

Leading premium streaming service successfully launched “Hulu with Live TV” leveraging AWS

SEATTLE, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Today (Aug. 14, 2017), Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company (NASDAQ: AMZN), announced that Hulu has selected AWS as its cloud provider, and leveraged AWS to launch its new, over-the-top (OTT) live TV service. Huluturned to AWS for a scalable, agile, and cost effective infrastructure to support the addition of more than 50 live channels for the Hulu with Live TV launch in May 2017. Running its live TV service on AWS’s reliable and secure infrastructure allows Hulu to deliver a great viewer experience, even in times of rapid spikes in viewership and traffic. AWS’s comprehensive cloud offering allows Hulu to focus on innovating OTT delivery for its highly personalized viewer experience instead of managing infrastructure.

“Hulu is redefining the television experience for viewers and we have set the technical bar much higher by bringing live TV into the mix,” said Rafael Soltanovich, Vice President, Software development at Hulu. “We selected AWS as our cloud provider because of its leading breadth and depth of capabilities. The elasticity, agility, and security they provide were key to deploying our new service. Putting our stream ingest, repackaging, DVR storage, and origin serving on AWS freed us from having to build out data centers and led to a faster time to market with higher availability.”

“Leaders in media and entertainment like Hulu are looking for more efficient ways to build scalable streaming and OTT solutions,” said Mike Clayville, Vice President, Worldwide Commercial Sales at AWS. “AWS’s unmatched scalability and reliability allow Hulu to continue to innovate and break new ground – like delivering live TV alongside their extensive on-demand programming – without having to spend millions of dollars and thousands of person hours building and managing data centers.”

Hulu joins a growing list of media companies and broadcasters running their media supply chains and OTT delivery pipelines on AWS, including Amazon Video, AOL, BBC, Channel 4, C-SPAN, Daily Voice, Discovery Communications, Flipboard, GoPro, Guardian News & Media, Hearst Corporation, LIONSGATE, NDTV, Netflix, News International, News UK, Newsweek, PBS, Simfy Africa, Sony DADC, SoundCloud, Spotify, Time Inc., and United Daily News.

About Amazon Web Services

For 11 years, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. AWS offers over 90 fully featured services for compute, storage, networking, database, analytics, application services, deployment, management, developer, mobile, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), security, hybrid, and enterprise applications, from 44 Availability Zones (AZs) across 16 geographic regions in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the UK. AWS services are trusted by millions of active customers around the world – including the fastest growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies – to power their infrastructure, make them more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit https://aws.amazon.com.

About Amazon

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

About Hulu

Hulu is a leading premium streaming service that offers instant access to live and on demand channels, original series and films, and a premium library TV and movies to millions of subscribers in the U.S. Since its launch in 2008, Hulu has consistently been at the forefront of entertainment and technology. Hulu is the only streaming service that offers both ad-supported and commercial-free current season shows from the largest U.S. broadcast networks; libraries of hit TV series and films; and acclaimed original series including the Emmy nominated drama series The Handmaid’s Tale, The Mindy Project, The Path, 11.22.63, the Golden Globe® nominated comedy series Casual, as well as the upcoming Future Man and The Looming Tower. In 2017, Hulu added live news, entertainment and sports from 21st Century Fox, The Walt Disney Company,NBCUniversal, CBS Corporation, Turner Networks, A+E Networks and Scripps Networks Interactive to its offering – making it the only TV service that brings together live, on-demand, originals, and library content all in one place, across living room and mobile devices.

Media Hotline:
Amazon-pr@amazon.com
www.amazon.com/pr

Source: Amazon Web Services, Inc.

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MIGROS LANCIERT BUDGET-FITNESSFORMAT

MIGROS LANCIERT BUDGET-FITNESSFORMAT

 

Schönbühl, Switzerland, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Ein optimales Training für ein kleines Budget: Das verspricht die neue Marke Only Fitness, mit der die Migros Aare gemeinsam mit weiteren Genossen-schaften in den Discount-Fitnessmarkt eintritt. Das erste Only Fitness wird am 29. September 2017 in Bern eröffnet.

Mit der Marke «Only Fitness» tritt die Migros schweizweit in den Discount-Fitnessmarkt ein. Hinter dem neuen Konzept steht als Verantwortliche die Genossenschaft Migros Aare. Sie arbeitet bei der Lancierung des neuen Formats eng mit anderen Migros-Genossenschaften zusammen.

Das neue Fitnesskonzept bietet aussergewöhnlich viele Trainingsangebote zu einem äusserst attraktiven Preis-/Leistungsverhältnis. «Only Fitness» ist ein professionelles Fitnesserlebnis ohne Wellnessangebote – dafür mit dem wohl abwechslungsreichsten Trainingsangebot in diesem Segment und innovativen Cyber-Groupfitness-Kursen. Auch ist immer ein Fitness-Instruktor vor Ort, der den Kundinnen und Kunden beratend zur Seite steht.

Das Jahresabonnement im «Only Fitness» kostet 499 Franken, für 24 Monate kostet das Abo 399 Franken pro Jahr. Eine monatliche Zahlung ist möglich.

Unkomplizierter Zugang zu Fitnesstraining
«Wir möchten, dass möglichst viele Menschen einen unkomplizierten Zugang zu einem attraktiven Fitnesstraining finden», sagt Helko Roth, Leiter Business Development im Direktionsbereich Freizeit der Migros Aare. So gehören etwa Einsteigerinnen und Einsteiger oder Studierende zu den Zielgruppen. Dank des vielfältigen Angebotes spricht «Only Fitness» aber ebenso ambitionierte Sportlerinnen und Sportler an.

«Only Fitness» zeichnet sich zudem nicht nur durch kostengünstige Trainingsmöglich­keiten aus, sondern legt bei der Einrichtung «grossen Wert auf eine frische, trendige und coole Raumgestaltung im urbanen Stil», wie Helko Roth ausführt. Das erste «Only Fitness» öffnet seine Türen am 29. September 2017 auf der Parkterrasse 14 beim Hauptbahnhof in Bern. Weitere Standorte in der übrigen Schweiz sind in Planung.

Medienkontakt:
Andrea Bauer
Mediensprecherin
TEL: +41 58 565 87 08
E-MAIL: andrea.bauer@migrosaare.ch

Source: Migros

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Amazon Web Services launches AWS Glue, a fully managed extract, transform, and load (ETL) service

New ETL service automates the preparation of data for analytics, reducing the time it takes customers to start analyzing their data from months to minutes

SEATTLE, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Today (Aug. 14, 2017), Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company (NASDAQ: AMZN), launched AWS Glue, a fully managed extract, transform, and load (ETL) service that makes it easy for customers to prepare and load their data into Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), Amazon Redshift, Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS), and databases running on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) for query and analysis. Customers can create and run an ETL job with a few clicks in the AWS Management Console. Customers simply point AWS Glue at their data stored on AWS, and AWS Glue discovers the associated metadata (e.g. table definitions) and classifies it, generates ETL scripts for data transformation, and loads the transformed data into a destination data store, provisioning the infrastructure needed to complete the job. With AWS Glue, data can be available for analysis in minutes, and because AWS Glue is serverless, customers only pay for the compute resources they consume while executing data preparation and loading jobs. To learn more about AWS Glue, visit https://aws.amazon.com/glue.

Data integration – extracting data from various sources, normalizing it, and loading it into data stores – often represents as much as 75 percent of the time required to implement an analytics project. Customers can spend months hand coding and editing ETL scripts, which frequently become more complex and error prone as data volumes grow, and new data sources are added. And, running ETL jobs requires dedicated hardware that often sits idle between jobs. AWS Glue significantly speeds the ETL phase of analytics projects by eliminating all of the undifferentiated heavy lifting involved in creating, managing, and modifying ETL jobs.

After crawling a customer’s selected data sources, AWS Glue identifies data formats and schemas to build a unified Data Catalog that provides a central view of customers’ selected data. This makes it easy for customers to search and manage all of their data across various data stores without having to manually move it. When a customer identifies a data source (e.g., a database table) and target (e.g., a data warehouse) from the Data Catalog, AWS Glue matches the schemas and generates data transformation code that is customizable, reusable, portable, and sharable. Developers can schedule any number of ETL jobs, and AWS Glue manages the rest – automatically spinning compute resources up or down depending on customer ETL workloads. By streamlining the process of creating ETL jobs, AWS Glue allows customers to build scalable and reliable data preparation platforms spanning thousands of jobs, with built-in dependency resolution, scheduling, resource management, and monitoring.

“AWS’s scalable, reliable cloud storage, combined with our broad range of analytics services make it easier than ever for customers to collect, store, analyze, and share data,” said Raju Gulabani, Vice President, Databases, Analytics, and AI, Amazon Web Services. “While it’s amazing to see how much analytics are being run on AWS today, many have told us that there is one piece of the equation that is still way too hard – cleaning and preparing huge volumes of data for analysis. We developed AWS Glue to eliminate much of the undifferentiated heavy lifting involved with ETL. By cataloging all of a customer’s data and automating the ETL process, AWS Glue not only takes a lot of the hassle out of analytics. It also makes it possible for customers to store their data in as many sources as they want, and very quickly start analyzing all of it with whatever AWS service they choose.”

NewsCorp is a global provider of news and business information, delivering content to a few hundred million consumers every day in over 50 countries. “At NewsCorp, we are building a world-class digital platform on AWS to distribute content to our external customers and to facilitate data-driven decision making across all our businesses. We merge data from a variety of sources and load it to our Amazon S3-based data lake on a continuous basis,” said Simon Smith, Chief Data Officer at NewsCorp. “AWS Glue is unparalleled in its ability to infer, classify, and transform data. With AWS Glue our data scientists and analysts can always have access to the latest data available in our data lake. AWS Glue Data Catalog automatically detects the availability of new data, infers its metadata and makes it readily available in Amazon Athena so we can start querying that data. Our AWS Glue ETL jobs seamlessly convert raw data in a variety of data formats to an Amazon Athena optimized Parquet data format. And the best part is that AWS Glue is serverless. We do not have to provision or manage any resources to prepare data for analytics.”

21st Century Fox is home to a global portfolio of media companies that reach more than 1.8 billion homes in 50 languages every day. “As part of our overall data strategy, we are building a petabyte-scale data lake on Amazon S3 so that our executives can have access to any data asset through a unified data platform. We bring in data from a variety of sources, ranging from our ERP systems to clickstream and mobile analytics, process it, and make it available in a queryable form,” says John Herbert, Global CIO, 21st Century Fox. “We are always interested in trying out new products that will reduce the administrative overhead of managing our data lake. We are impressed by AWS Glue’s ability to automatically discover new data, extract the associated metadata and make it available through a central Data Catalog so we can instantly start querying this data. We are looking forward to making AWS Glue a component of our data lake.”

myTomorrows is an online platform that provides information and access to treatment options in the form of Clinical Trials and Early Access Programs. “We ingest clinical trial data, medical vocabularies and scientific publications that vary in formats, schema and quality from a variety of data sources, to provide insights to our customers,” said Robert-Jan Sips, Chief Technology Officer, myTomorrows. “AWS Glue’s automatic schema discovery and code generation features are truly a game changer for a small, fast-growing organization like ours. AWS Glue makes it extremely easy and cost effective to onboard new datasets, and its serverless offering makes it a breeze to test and run our ETL jobs. Our developers love that they can simply connect their notebooks to AWS Glue and get going without any ramp up time.”

The OLX Group operates a network of online trading platforms in over 40 countries, with over 300 million monthly users worldwide. “We collect clickstream data across billions of monthly visits and page views for all our online marketplaces into a central data lake on Amazon S3. We are constantly looking for products that will make our data ingest pipeline robust, reliable, and automated,” says Jakub Orlowski, Data Engineering Manager, OLX. “We jumped at the first opportunity to start using AWS Glue and loved its ease of use, flexibility, and zero administrative overhead. AWS Glue automatically converts raw JSON data from our data lake into Parquet data format and makes it available for search and querying through a central Data Catalog. We can use our Zeppelin notebooks to edit the AWS Glue generated ETL code and once we are done, AWS Glue runs everything on a serverless Spark platform. AWS Glue will allow us to push our data innovation and democratization efforts to the next level and bring data producers and consumers closer than ever before.”

OST, an APN Partner with expertise in building enterprise cloud solutions for connected products, is working with Herman Miller, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of office furniture, to bring IoT and Big Data to the workplace. “We are partnering on an IoT platform and analytics solution with Herman Miller to collect real-time data from sensor-enabled furniture, catalog it in a data lake, then run machine learning algorithms. Office employees benefit from instant ergonomic adjustments, and employers can measure the effectiveness of their space for optimal real estate use,” said Alex Jantz, Senior Architect, OST. “AWS Glue helps cut our DevOps time in half. We start with an auto-generated script, then customize it with Zeppelin notebooks as needed. AWS Glue has completely redefined the way we think of ETL. We just focus on the custom code and AWS Glue takes care of the rest.”

Customers can start using AWS Glue using the AWS Management Console. AWS Glue is available in the US East (N. Virginia) Region and will expand to additional Regions in the coming months.

About Amazon Web Services

For 11 years, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. AWS offers over 90 fully featured services for compute, storage, networking, database, analytics, application services, deployment, management, developer, mobile, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), security, hybrid, and enterprise applications, from 44 Availability Zones (AZs) across 16 geographic regions in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the UK. AWS services are trusted by millions of active customers around the world — including the fastest growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies — to power their infrastructure, make them more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit https://aws.amazon.com.

About Amazon

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

Media Hotline:
Amazon-pr@amazon.com
www.amazon.com/pr

Source: Amazon Web Services, Inc.

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Kesko Group’s sales increased by 2.7% to €856.3 million in July 2017

Helsinki, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Kesko Group’s sales totalled €856.3 million in July 2017, an increase of 2.7% in comparable terms. Excluding business arrangements the reported sales decreased by 4.2%.

“In comparable terms Kesko’s sales grew in July in all divisions. Sales growth was strongest in the car trade, an increase of over 10%. Sales in the grocery trade grew especially in K-Citymarkets and in the renewed K-Markets. In the building and technical trade sales grew especially in B2B trade,” says Kesko’s President and CEO Mikko Helander.

Sales in the grocery trade totalled €423.1 million in July, an increase of 1.5% in comparable terms. The comparable sales grew in all chains. The reported sales decreased by 5.4% and was impacted by the changes in store site network of Suomen Lähikauppa and transferring stores to retailers, as well as the divestment of grocery trade business in Russia in the previous year.

Sales in the building and technical trade totalled €362.7 million in July, an increase of 2.6% in comparable terms in local currencies. Comparable sales in Finland grew by 4.6% and abroad by 1.1%. Sales in the building and technical trade, excluding the speciality goods trade, grew by 6.3% in local currencies. Sales in the speciality goods leisure trade decreased by 0.3% in Finland and sales in the machinery trade decreased by 23.8%. The reported sales in building and technical trade decreased by 7.0% and it was impacted by the divestment of K-maatalous business and the furniture trade in the second quarter.

Car trade sales in July totalled €69.9 million, a growth of 10.9% in comparable terms. The reported sales grew by 24.3% including the acquisition of AutoCarrera.

Change, % indicates the change when compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. The comparable change % has been calculated for the grocery trade by including those stores formerly belonging to Suomen Lähikauppa, and which have belonged to the network in both years, in the sales. The comparable change % in the building and technical trade as well as the car trade has been calculated in local currencies and excludes the impact of acquisitions and divestments.

In July 2017, the number of Kesko’s wholesale selling days in Finland was 21, which was the same as the previous year. From 1 January to 31 July 2017, Kesko’s wholesale selling days in Finland were equivalent to the previous year.

In connection with interim reports, Kesko publishes advance information on K Group’s retail sales quarterly.

Further information is available from Vice President, Group Controller Eva Kaukinen, tel. +358 105 322 338.

Source: Kesko Corporation

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Sephora China continues its support for Operation Smile

Sephora China continues its support for Operation Smile

 

Paris, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — The international NGO Operation Smile has conducted medical programs in China since 1991 to provide surgical care for children suffering from a cleft lip or cleft palate to improve their living conditions and health. Sephora China provides support for this initiative in a context where only 6.3% of surgical interventions performed each year benefit the poorest one-third of the global population.

In China, approximately one in every 600 new births is born with a cleft lip or cleft palate, preventing them from talking or eating properly. Sephora China has since 2015 provided support for the international NGO Operation Smile, helping raise funds for costly corrective surgery. This initiative underlines Sephora China’s active commitment to social responsibility.

Sephora China is involved in this effort at two levels. The Maison has launched a line of five products for which all proceeds are donated to Operation Smile, enabling more children to benefit from the necessary surgery. Available in Sephora stores and online, these products help mobilize broad support behind this action.

Sephora also provides support for local medical teams. Since 2015, there have been four onsite visits by over 50 Sephora volunteers, along with 110 medical volunteers from around the world. A total of 758 children have been treated so far, and Sephora aims to help 1,000 children by the end of 2017.

Contact:

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

Source: LVMH

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MIGROS REICHT BAUGESUCH FÜR PROVISORIUM IN WITTENBACH EIN

MIGROS REICHT BAUGESUCH FÜR PROVISORIUM IN WITTENBACH EIN

 

Gossau, Switzerland, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Die Migros Ostschweiz plant, an der Romanshornerstrasse in Wittenbach ein Provisorium zu erstellen. Parallel dazu laufen die Vorarbeiten für den Neubau der Migros im Zentrum von Wittenbach.

An der Romanshornerstrasse 80-90 in Wittenbach will die Migros Ostschweiz einen provisorischen Laden erstellen. Dieser soll während der Bauzeit als Ersatz für die heutige Migros im Zentrum von Wittenbach dienen. Im Provisorium werden ein Migros-Supermarkt und die Oedenhof Drogerie vertreten sein. Der Supermarkt wird auf einer Fläche von 1‘100 m2 ein vielfältiges Angebot in Selbstbedienung für die Kundinnen und Kunden bereithalten. Die Drogerie bietet auf 80 m2 ein vollumfängliches Drogeriesortiment an. Vor dem Gebäude werden gebührenfreie Parkplätze realisiert, auch mit dem Bus und dem Fahrrad ist der Standort gut erreichbar. Das Baugesuch wird voraussichtlich im September 2017 bei der Gemeinde eingereicht, eröffnet wird das Provisorium sobald der Neubau im Zentrum startet. Für das Provisorium wird ein Holzgebäude, welches bereits beim Neubau des Einkaufszentrums Rosenberg in Winterthur zum Einsatz kam, wieder verwendet, die Kälteanlagen werden von einem anderen Provisorium in Winterthur übernommen. Damit unterstreicht die Migros Ostschweiz ihr Engagement für nachhaltiges und ressourcenschonendes Bauen.

Planung für den Neubau im Zentrum schreitet voran

Für den Neubau im Zentrum von Wittenbach wird aktuell das Baugesuch erarbeitet. Es soll Ende 2017 bei der Gemeinde Wittenbach eingereicht werden. Im Einkaufszentrum werden ein Migros-Supermarkt sowie ein gastronomisches Angebot zu finden sein, Gespräche mit weiteren Mietinteressenten laufen. Die Realisierung des Migros Neubaus ist abhängig von der Bewilligung und Umsetzung der Strassenbauprojekte der Gemeinde Wittenbach und des Kantons St.Gallen. So keine Einsprachen zu diesen Projekten sowie dem der Migros Ostschweiz eingehen und der Kredit für die Strassenbauprojekte bewilligt wird starten die Bauarbeiten der Migros Ostschweiz im Herbst 2018. Verläuft während des Baus alles nach Plan kann die neue Migros im Zentrum von Wittenbach Ende 2020 eröffnet werden.

Kommunikation:
Silke Seichter
Genossenschaft Migros Ostschweiz
Industriestrasse 47
9201 Gossau
TEL: 071 493 24 50
FAX: 071 493 27 89
E-MAIL: silke.seichter@gmos.ch

Source: Migros

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ALDI kicks off delivery Service in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Dallas

Batavia, Ill., 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — ALDI, one of America’s favorite grocery retailers,* announced a partnership today (August 14, 2017) with Instacart, the technology-driven, nationwide on-demand grocery delivery service. The pilot program from ALDI, already a leader in convenient shopping, will give people even more access to high-quality groceries at the low prices ALDI is known for.

The new partnership allows customers to conveniently complete their grocery shopping by ordering award-winning ALDI products for delivery in as little as one hour. Starting later this month, ALDI will launch the service in Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles, with potential for future expansion.

“Our partnership with Instacart is another example of ALDI expanding our commitment to customer convenience and value,” said Jason Hart, CEO of ALDI. “We know customers are looking for new ways to save time and money. Instacart provides easy access to our low prices at the click of a button.”

The Instacart experience is as easy to shop as an ALDI store. Customers fill their virtual carts by visiting instacart.com or downloading the Instacart App. At checkout, customers can choose a delivery window that works best with their schedule, anywhere from an hour or up to a week later. Instacart’s personal shoppers do the rest.

“From their unique assortment of goods to their low price commitment and high standards, the ALDI and Instacart partnership aligns on delivering excellent value and convenience to consumers,” said Apoorva Mehta, CEO of Instacart. “There’s a clear demand for quality grocery delivery, and ALDI and Instacart are working together to meet it.”

To celebrate the partnership, ALDI and Instacart are offering customers $20 off their first Instacart order with code ALDIDELIVERY until September 30.**

ALDI is perfecting a formula that has delivered continuous growth with its simple approach to make grocery shopping smart, fast and affordable. More than 90 percent of the products in ALDI stores are exclusive brands, designed to be as good as, or better, than national name brands. All ALDI exclusive product lines such as SimplyNature, liveGfree gluten-free foods and Little Journey premium baby essentials will be available through the Instacart platform. Regardless of how customers choose to shop, ALDI remains committed to providing great quality products at the lowest possible prices.

About ALDI Inc.
A leader in the grocery retailing industry since 1976, ALDI operates nearly 1,700 U.S. stores in 35 states. More than 40 million customers each month benefit from the ALDI simple and streamlined approach to retailing. ALDI sells the most frequently purchased grocery and household items, primarily under its exclusive brands, which are designed to meet or exceed the national name brands on taste and quality. ALDI is so confident in the quality of its products, the company offers a Double Guarantee: If for any reason
a customer is not 100 percent satisfied with any ALDI food product, ALDI will gladly replace the product and refund the purchase price. For the seventh year in a row, ALDI was recognized as a value leader among U.S. grocery stores by a Market Force Information ® survey of U.S. consumers. For more information about ALDI, visit aldi.us.

About Instacart
Instacart helps people cross grocery shopping off their to-do lists with just a few clicks. Customers use the Instacart website or app to fill their virtual shopping cart with items from their favorite, local stores and Instacart connects them with shoppers who hand pick the items and deliver them straight to their door. Founded in San Francisco in 2012, Instacart has quickly scaled to over 100 markets nationwide and partnered with retailers across the United States, including popular national chains as well as local, regional grocers. By combining a personal touch with cutting-edge technology, Instacart offers customers a simple solution to save time and eat fresh food from the most trusted grocery brands. Instacart is the only grocery service that can meet today’s on-demand lifestyle by delivering in as little as one hour. First delivery is free at www.instacart.com.

*According to a survey of US consumers conducted in 2017 by Market Force Information.
** Promotional terms and conditions.

Contact:
Nisa Kiang
312-988-2266
nkiang@webershandwick.com

Melisa Yunlu
312-988-2427
myunlu@webershandwick.com

Source: ALDI Inc.

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Price Rite teams up with Feed the Children and The Salvation Army to distribute food and essentials to Hyde Park-area families in need

Keasbey, NJ, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Representatives from Feed the Children, Price Rite and The Salvation Army came together last month at the Price Rite in Hyde Park to help deliver food and other items to 800 area families.

Price Rite Supermarkets partnered with Feed the Children, Nabisco and Red Bull, with support from The Salvation Army, to distribute food and essentials to Hyde Park-area families in need. Each family, pre-identified by The Salvation Army, received a 25-pound box of food; a 10-pound box of basic essentials like shampoo, conditioner, lotion and personal-care items; and books provided by Disney Worldwide Publishing. Families also received an additional food donation from Price Rite including a variety of produce and shelf-stable items.

Two Feed the Children semi-trucks filled with food and essentials were unloaded by volunteers who then packaged and distributed the items to the families who arrived to pick up their care packages.

Fighting hunger in the local community is at the heart of Price Rite’s charitable giving, and the supermarket chain contributes approximately $500,000 annually to local food banks and food pantries to benefit local families in need within the communities it serves. Heading into the third year of its partnership with Feed the Children, Price Rite will host ten events with the charity organization during 2017, donating more than 40,000 pounds of food and other essentials per event as part of the program. Feed the Children, through its network of partner agencies, distributed 105 million pounds of food and essentials – valued at $415 million – worldwide, benefitting 5.4 million people in the U.S. and more than 541,000 individuals internationally, for a total of 5.9 million people globally in fiscal year 2016.

About Price Rite
Price Rite is a registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer owned cooperative based in Keasbey, NJ and the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States. Price Rite opened its first store in West Springfield, MA in 1995 and currently operates 64 grocery stores while employing more than 4,000 people in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Maryland, and Virginia. Price Rite offers expanded produce departments and a curated selection of quality food products at exceptional prices. Through its support of local food banks, the annual Check-Out Hunger fundraising campaign and partnership with Feed The Children, Price Rite is a committed member of its local community.  For more information, please visit www.priceritesupermarkets.com.

About Feed the Children
Established in 1979, Feed the Children exists to defeat hunger. It is one of the largest U.S.-based charities and serves those in need in the U.S. and in 10 countries around the world. It provides food, education, essentials and disaster response. Domestically, it operates five distribution centers (located in Oklahoma, Indiana, California, Tennessee and Pennsylvania).

In fiscal year 2016, through its domestic and international programs, Feed the Children distributed 105 million pounds of food and essentials worldwide with a total value of $415 million, working with partner agencies to benefit 5.9 million people globally. It is accredited by GuideStar Exchange and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.

Visit www.feedthechildren.org for more information.

Contact:

Karen O’Shea
Phone: 732-906-5932
Communications Specialist

Maureen Gillespie
Phone: 732-906-5295
Manager

Source:  Price Rite Supermarkets

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Chipotle Mexican Grill appoints Laurie Schalow as chief communications officer

Schalow brings more than 20 years of integrated communications experience to Chipotle executive team

DENVER, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) has hired Laurie Schalow as chief communications officer, a newly created position that will oversee all facets of Chipotle’s internal and external communications functions. Schalow comes to Chipotle from YUM! Brands where she held a variety of positions in communications, most recently serving as vice president of public affairs.

“We have been actively working to strengthen our leadership team to better prepare Chipotle for continued growth and success,” said Steve Ells, founder, chairman and CEO at Chipotle. “Laurie is an extremely talented executive, and I am confident that her broad expertise will help to strengthen our communications and better integrate all of our internal and external communications functions to amplify our messages.”

In her time at YUM!, Schalow held a variety of public affairs and communications roles in such areas as internal and external communications, crisis and issues management, corporate social responsibility, social listening, community outreach and employee relations. In her most recent position, she was responsible for building the brand reputations of more than 44,000 KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants in 140 countries.

“Chipotle is a great brand and I have been a longtime admirer of the company and its mission,” said Schalow. “There is considerable opportunity ahead for Chipotle, and I am thrilled to join the company to help shape and strengthen its strategic communications in support of a very important vision to make great tasting food, made with real, whole ingredients available to everyone.”

Schalow’s appointment is part of a broader, ongoing effort from Chipotle to strengthen its leadership. The company added four new directors to its board in late 2016, and named its first ever chief restaurant officer in May 2017.

Schalow holds bachelor’s degrees from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and a master’s degree from Wayne State University, Detroit. In her new position, Schalow will work from the company’s Denver headquarters and report directly to Ells.

ABOUT CHIPOTLE

Steve Ells, Founder, Chairman and CEO, started Chipotle with the idea that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience. Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls, and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in an interactive style allowing people to get exactly what they want. Chipotle seeks out extraordinary ingredients that are not only fresh, but that are raised responsibly, with respect for the animals, land, and people who produce them. Chipotle prepares its food using only real, whole ingredients, and is the only national restaurant brand that uses absolutely no added colors, flavors or other industrial additives typically found in fast food. Chipotle opened with a single restaurant in Denver in 1993 and now operates more than 2,300 restaurants. For more information, visit Chipotle.com.

Contact:
Chris Arnold
303-222-5912
carnold@chipotle.com

Source: Chipotle Mexican Grill

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Wegmans Food Markets announces Montvale store leadership team; store opening Sept. 24

MONTVALE, NJ, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Wegmans Food Markets today (August 14, 2017) announced the local leadership team managing its Montvale store, which opens Sunday, Sept. 24 at West Grand Avenue and Mercedes Drive. This group consists of the store manager, executive chef, pharmacy area manager, and three area managers who each supervise several departments. Altogether, they bring 89 years of experience working for the family-owned company. Hiring and training are ongoing, and those who are interested should apply online at wegmans.com/careers.

The Wegmans Montvale leadership team is as follows:

Store Manager Paul Jordan
When Paul Jordan talks with new employees about working at Wegmans, he tells them, “this is the only job I’ve ever had.” That’s because he began working for Wegmans in upstate New York as a part-time Helping Hand (parking lot attendant) in 1989 while he was still in high school. He went to college with tuition assistance from the Wegmans Employee Scholarship Program and graduated from John Carroll University, staying on with Wegmans afterward as a night manager and then relocating to New Jersey as a produce management trainee. From there he rose through the ranks as a produce manager, service area manager, and perishable area manager before a promotion to store manager in 2014 at Wegmans’ Princeton location. Today, Jordan prepares to open the company’s 94th store and lead a team of 500 employees in Montvale.

Executive Chef David Lopatynski
David Lopatynski grew up in Oradell – just seven miles away from the Montvale store – and he attended college at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he majored in communication studies. While there, he began cooking in a Japanese restaurant. He enjoyed it, but didn’t view cooking as a career for himself right away. After graduation, he took a marketing job but found himself drawn back to the kitchen. He finally made the jump into the restaurant scene and honed his skills, working his way up through some of the top gastropubs of Rockland County, N.Y. He joined Wegmans in 2015 as a sous chef at the Ocean store and was named Executive Chef at Woodbridge shortly afterward. Returning to his roots in the Montvale area, he will oversee the culinary team of more than 100 that provides Wegmans’ restaurant-quality prepared foods, with mix and match self-serve food bars, artisan pizza, subs, hot soup, fresh sushi, The Burger Bar, and more – all for in-store dining or takeout.

Pharmacy Area Manager Maria Lockwood
A graduate of the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in New York, Maria Lockwood joined Wegmans in 1993 as a pharmacy intern. From there she grew her career as a pharmacist, pharmacy operations manager, and pharmacy manager. Lockwood is a licensed pharmacist in five states and now in Montvale, she will lead the pharmacy and its staff, helping Wegmans employees and customers live healthier, better lives. Wegmans pharmacy services include immunizations, auto-refill of prescriptions, free home shipping, pet medications, competitively low prices on select generic prescriptions, and free text alerts.

Perishable Area Manager Chrissy Kreber
Chrissy Kreber is a graduate of the State University of New York at Oswego and began working at Wegmans in 2003 as a part-time cashier. She brings prior experience in a variety of positions, including cheese shop, front end manager, employee representative, café manager, service area manager, and merchandising area manager. As perishable area manager in Montvale, Kreber will oversee the produce, floral, bakery, seafood, meat, cheese, and deli departments, ensuring Wegmans’ high standards for the freshest ingredients are met and employees are prepared to share in-depth food knowledge with Wegmans customers.

Merchandising Area Manager John Pastorella
John Pastorella became a Wegmans employee in 2007 when he began working part time as a cashier and Helping Hand. He went on to work in the deli and in seafood before learning through various full-time roles as a management trainee, seafood manager, employee representative, and overnight operations manager. In his current role as merchandising manager, he’ll supervise several departments, including grocery, dairy, frozen foods, Nature’s Marketplace and home and entertaining. Pastorella will work collaboratively across the store to ensure that the thousands of products that Wegmans offers are well displayed and well stocked.

Service Area Manager Emily Reynolds
Emily Reynolds has been a Wegmans employee since 2006. A graduate of the State University of New York at Oneonta, she started with Wegmans as a part-time cashier before taking on roles in produce and bakery, a store operations internship, as management trainee in the Cheese Shop and produce, bakery manager, and employee representative. At Montvale, she will lead the front end, service desk, maintenance, Helping Hands and accounting office. Reynolds’ priority is to ensure that incredible customer service is delivered every day. She will also oversee local community giving, carrying out Wegmans’ commitment to make a difference in every community it serves.

Wegmans Montvale is a 108,000 sq. ft. supermarket, plus 14,000 sq. ft. leased to a third-party owner for a wine, beer, and spirits shop. The store includes a Market Café with indoor and outdoor seating for nearly 250, as well as The Burger Bar, an in-store restaurant counter that serves delicious burgers, fresh salads, flavorful sandwiches, specialty milkshakes, soup and sides. Visit wegmans.com/montvale for store information, including Wegmans Shoppers Club sign up and driving directions.

Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a 93-store supermarket chain with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. The family-owned company, recognized as an industry leader and innovator, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016. Wegmans has been named one of the ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ by FORTUNE magazine for 20 consecutive years, ranking #2 in 2017.

Press Contact:
Valerie Fox
Media Relations Coordinator
585-720-5713
valerie.fox@wegmans.com

Source: Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.

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AHOLD DELHAIZE SHARE BUYBACK UPDATE: 1,576,078 COMMON SHARES REPURCHASED IN THE PERIOD FROM August 7, 2017 UP TO AND INCLUDING AUGUST 11, 2017

Zaandam, the Netherlands, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Ahold Delhaize has repurchased 1,576,078 of Ahold Delhaize common shares in the period from August 7, 2017 up to and including August 11, 2017. The shares were repurchased at an average price of €17.32 per share for a total consideration of €27.3 million. These repurchases were made as part of the €1 billion share buyback program announced on December 7, 2016.

The total number of shares repurchased under this program to date is 37,105,524 common shares for a total consideration of €702 million.

Download the share buyback transactions excel sheet for detailed individual transaction information under “Files to download” (on the right).

Visit www.aholddelhaize.com/en/investors/share-information/share-buy-back-programs for a complete overview of all Ahold Delhaize share buyback programs.

Contact:

Ellen van Ginkel
Director External Communications
media.relations@aholddelhaize.com
+31 88 6595134

Source: Ahold Delhaize

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International Market Place commemorates Don Ho’s contributions to Hawaiian music and history with bronze statue

Lifelike sculpture of beloved Waikīkī entertainer recognizes his longtime residency at the iconic island destination

HONOLULU, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — During his prolific career in the 1960s, Don Ho was the must-see musician at International Market Place in Waikīkī, drawing record-number audiences of both Hawai‘i residents and international visitors. To commemorate Ho’s tremendous contributions to Hawaiian music and history, the reimagined International Market Place, set to celebrate its one-year anniversary on August 25, unveiled a one-of-a-kind bronze statue of the performer on Sunday, Aug. 13.

“We are incredibly grateful to all who were involved in the creation of a timeless piece that honors Don’s legacy at International Market Place,” said Ron Loch, vice president of planning and design for Taubman. “Careful consideration went into where the statue would be displayed, so we positioned it to welcome guests with warmest aloha as they enter the center from Kalākaua Avenue.”

The statue debuted on what would have marked the entertainer’s 87th birthday. Together with members of the Ho family, hundreds of admirers gathered beneath the 160-year-old banyan tree at International Market Place. Longtime friends and fellow musicians including Henry Kapono, Melveen Leed, Marlene Sai, Nina Keali‘iwahamana, Kimo Kahoano, Nathan Aweau, Joe Mundo, Angel Pablo, and James Dela Cruz performed in a kanikapila jam session and musical tributes to Ho. Ho’s family members also joined the festivities, which were attended by his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Governor David Y. Ige and First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige were also in attendance.

“Don was the essence of Hawai‘i, the embodiment of aloha. He won the world over with his passion for community, his fellow servicemen and of course his love for music and his charming charisma. We are incredibly proud of his legacy,” said his wife Haumea Ho. “This is Don’s homecoming, to a place he loved dearly, and we are honored that through this memorial he will continue to share his aloha for decades to come.”

Designed by O‘ahu-based artist Kim Duffett, the 6-foot-4-inch, 300-pound bronze sculpture depicts Ho in the 1970s, and was created to convey his warmth, charisma and carefree aloha that charmed audiences. Duffett conducted substantial research on Ho’s life, gathered historic photos and talked story with the singer’s family members and countless friends to gain inspiration. “I wanted to create a signature performance pose as if Don was beckoning someone in the audience to join him on stage, as he often did,” said Duffett, who also is a musician and participated in the kanikapila.

During his International Market Place residency at Duke Kahanamoku’s lounge, Ho revolutionized the Waikīkī showroom scene with a simple, good-time lounge show that spotlighted his laid-back and affable personality. He scored a worldwide hit with “Tiny Bubbles,” earning him a national recording contract and an assemblage of best-selling albums, television appearances and his own namesake network variety series.

Don Ho’s statue dedication is part of the month-long celebration of International Market Place’s one-year anniversary (August 25). Other events and promotions include the Island Vibes Summer Concert Series, Waikīkī Nights: Duke Kahanamoku Movie Night in partnership with the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku and Duke’s OceanFest, a chance to earn HawaiianMiles and a special performance by the Royal Hawaiian Band.

For more information visit www.shopinternationalmarketplace.com/events; Instagram: @intlmktplace and in Japanese @intlmktplacejp; Facebook: facebook.com/IntlMktPlace and in Japanese at facebook.com/IntlMktPlaceJP.

About International Market Place

Located in the heart of Waikīkī, International Market Place is a world-class shopping, dining and entertainment destination featuring a curated mix of upscale and lifestyle brands, and the first Saks Fifth Avenue in Hawai‘i. The shopping center is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Operating hours for restaurants and department store will vary. For ease of access, the center provides 700 parking spaces and convenient valet parking. For more information, visit shopinternationalmarketplace.com and in Japanese ja.shopinternationalmarketplace.com.

NOTE: The book “Don Ho: My Music, My Life” (Watermark Publishing, 2007) by Don Ho and Jerry Hopkinswas utilized as a research source for this release.

Contact:
Breana Grosz
Assistant Marketing and Sponsorship Director
International Market Place
808-921-0552
bgrosz@taubman.com

Erin Kinoshita
Director – Account Services
Anthology Marketing Group
808-539-3428 (o) / 808-349-3746 (m)
erin.kinoshita@anthologygroup.com

Source: Taubman Centers, Inc.

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Solar eclipse sunglasses approved for viewing by the American Astronomical Society available at 7‑Eleven®

Solar eclipse sunglasses approved for viewing by the American Astronomical Society available at 7‑Eleven®

 

IRVING, TEXAS, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Sun-worshippers not wanting to be left in the dark when the “Great American Eclipse” crosses the U.S. can hit 7‑Eleven® stores for special – and safe – sunglasses to view the Aug. 21 phenomenon. Available in a two pack and single pack, the “Explore Scientific Sun Catcher” solar eclipse glasses offered by 7‑Eleven are approved for viewing by the American Astronomical Society(AAS). Solar eclipse sunglasses continue to sell out of stores fast, so get yours today!

“An opportunity like this only comes along once in a blue moon,” said Tony Stapleton, 7‑Eleven senior product director. “People will be buying eclipse glasses right up until the sun starts to pass behind the moon, and we are ready for them with a product that is a great value and assured safe by AAS.”

7‑Eleven is one of a handful of U.S. retailers listed on the AAS website selling glasses with the “ISO 12312-1” seal, indicating they meet international safety standards for filters to view the sun directly.

The 70-mile-wide path of totality of the coast-to-coast solar eclipse will cross 2,800 miles and 14 states from Oregon to South Carolina in just 90 minutes. However, partial eclipses will be visible in the U.S. throughout most of the continental 48 states. Parties and parades along the “totality” route are planned, and hotel rooms are completely booked. Some cities started planning events a decade ago.

The last total solar eclipse visible in the U.S. occurred in 1979, and the last one to cross the entire country was almost a century ago.

For eclipse-followers who want to get the perfect solar selfie, 7‑Eleven encourages customers who buy viewing glasses to also purchase the exclusive shiny, selfie-inducing Chrome Dome Slurpee® cup and lid. The metallic dome top is perfect for taking reflective photos to be shared on social media, using the hashtags #7eleven and #solarselfie.

About 7‑Eleven, Inc.
7‑Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience-retailing industry. Based in Irving, Texas, 7‑Eleven® operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 63,000 stores in 18 countries, including 10,900 in North America. Known for its iconic brands such as Slurpee®, Big Bite® and Big Gulp®, 7‑Eleven has expanded into high-quality salads, side dishes, cut fruit and protein boxes, as well as pizza, chicken wings, cheeseburgers and hot chicken sandwiches. 7‑Eleven offers customers industry-leading private brand products under the 7-Select® brand including healthy options, decadent treats and everyday favorites, at an outstanding value. Customers also count on 7‑Eleven for bill payments, self-service lockers and other convenient services. Find out more online at www.7‑Eleven.com, via the 7Rewards® customer loyalty platform on the 7‑Eleven mobile app, or on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Contact:

7‑Eleven, Inc.
Corporate Communications
media@7-11.com

Source: 7‑Eleven, Inc.

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Chick-fil-A® launches its first breakfast bowl — the new Hash Brown Scramble

Chick-fil-A® launches its first breakfast bowl — the new Hash Brown Scramble

 

Hash Brown Scramble now available nationwide as breakfast bowl or burrito

ATLANTA, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Bowl lovers can rejoice as Chick-fil-A® today launches the new Hash Brown Scramble, the first breakfast bowl for the national quick-service restaurant company. Joining the popular Egg White Grill, the new breakfast item brings another protein-packed choice for customers eating breakfast on-the-go.

The Hash Brown Scramble is a hearty breakfast option made with Chick-fil-A’s signature “tot” style Hash Browns, scrambled eggs, a Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese blend and a choice of sliced Chick-fil-A Nuggets or sausage. Served with Jalapeño Salsa, the scramble can be enjoyed in a bowl or as a burrito.

“At Chick-fil-A, we understand the importance of breakfast and want to provide a wide range of options to our guests who are looking for a fast and delicious breakfast,” said Amanda Norris, senior director of menu development. “We’ve definitely seen an increase in popularity for breakfast bowls, and the Hash Brown Scramble combines two fan favorites – our chicken nuggets and hash browns. It is a great fit for those seeking a delicious and hearty breakfast that is also packed with protein.”

The Hash Brown Scramble joins the menu nationwide following successful tests in several markets in 2016 and 2017. The Hash Brown Scramble Burrito will replace the current Breakfast Burrito.

The Hash Brown Scramble Bowl has 450 calories and 30 grams of protein when made with nuggets. The bowl and burrito start at $3.49.

For more information about Chick-fil-A and stories about the company’s food, people and customers across the country, visit thechickenwire.chick-fil-a.com.

About Chick-fil-A, Inc. 
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is a family owned and privately held restaurant company founded in 1967 by S. Truett Cathy. Devoted to serving the local communities in which its franchised restaurants operate, and known for its original chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A serves freshly prepared food in more than 2,100 restaurants in 46 states and Washington, D.C.

Chick-fil-A system sales reached nearly $8 billion in 2016, which marks 49 consecutive years of sales growth. In 2017, Chick-fil-A received the top score among fast food brands and one of the top 10 scores overall for customer experience in the Temkin Experience Ratings survey. In 2016, Chick-fil-A was named the Technomic Consumer’s Choice for “providing value through service,” named the “the most polite restaurant in the country” in QSR Magazine’s annual drive-thru report and was the only restaurant brand named to the Top 10 “Best Companies to Work For” by 24/7 Wall Street. More information on Chick-fil-A is available at www.chick-fil-a.com.

Contact: Media Hotline:

(800) 404-7196
Email: cfapressroom@chick-fil-a.com
Twitter: @ChickfilANews

Source: Chick-fil-A

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ENGLAND: B&M Bargains Store opens in Strood, Kent region

Hartlepool, United Kingdom, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — There was plenty of excitement in Strood today (12 August 2017) as a new B&M Bargains Store was opened.

It’s the latest addition to B&M’s portfolio in the Kent region and comes as a huge boost to the local economy thanks to the creation of more than 70 jobs.

It follows hot on the heels of store openings at Ashford and Gravesend, creating more than 170 jobs in the county.

Visitors to the store, based in Strood Retail Park, will be able to browse a wide range of branded and own label goods, including toys, groceries, health & beauty and pet ranges.

As part of the opening day celebrations, B&M colleagues invited local charity Strood Community Project to be their VIP for the day.

The team aims to empower the local community and help improve fundamental issues such as education, safety, increased employment, life skills and lower crime.

They do this by providing a wide range of free services to local people such as a Food Bank, personal development, domestic violence support and much more.

The charity received £250 worth of B&M vouchers as a thank you for taking part, while Mayor, David Wildey, and his wife, Denise, were also in attendance.

The store manager, Leah Paul, said: “The team from Strood Community Project really stood out for us as they go the extra mile for local people, we wanted to give them some VIP treatment as a thank you for all the hard work they do.

“We hope that our donation can help them to continue the great work they do.”

She also commented: The new team have been working really hard to get the store ready for opening day and we can’t wait to get the doors open Saturday and show customers their new B&M Strood.”

Contact:

email: press@bmstores.co.uk

Source: B&M

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LCP: Mencap, the learning disability charity to open a new store in Sherwood, Nottingham

London, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Mencap, the learning disability charity, is to open a new store in Sherwood, Nottingham, leading national investment and property management company LCP has announced.

The charity has signed a 10-year lease for the 1,037 sq ft store at 601 Mansfield Road which is part of LCP’s nationwide retail portfolio, as it looks to increase the number of shops across the country.

Andrew Barrett, LCP retail director, said it is the third store Mencap has opened within its retail parades in the past six months. Others have opened at the Paddocks in Catton, Norwich, and the Hamilton Local Centre in Leicester.

“We’ve been working closely with the charity over the past few months to help it find suitable premises for its stores and are very pleased to welcome Mencap to this busy parade in Sherwood,” he said.

Glenn Hall, head of retail for Mencap, said: “We are delighted to be opening our new Mencap charity store on Mansfield Road, Sherwood as part of our expansion programme. The store will create two new paid job opportunities, as well as a place for the local community to volunteer, donate and shop. We are looking forward to welcoming new customers and volunteers to our store soon.”

LCP’s Mansfield Road retail parade comprises 10 units, including Holland & Barrett, the Post Office and Pizza Hut Delivery. It is located in a predominately residential area and is about three miles north of Nottingham city centre.

Contact:

kyates@lcpproperties.co.uk

Source: LCP

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Luvo Inc. (USA) recalls poultry products mislabeled as Chicken Chile Verde but contain Turkey Meatloaf

WASHINGTON, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Luvo Inc. (USA), a Blaine, Wash. establishment, is recalling approximately 4,805 pounds of poultry products due to misbranding and undeclared allergens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today (Aug. 12, 2017). The products are mislabeled as Chicken Chile Verde that contain milk and soy, but contain Turkey Meatloaf, which has additional allergens, eggs and fish (anchovies), that are not declared on the product label.

The products were produced on June 13, 2017. The following product is subject to recall: 

  • 10 oz. retail cartons containing “LUVO Steam in Pouch A LITTLE SPICE CHICKEN CHILE VERDE with white chicken, black beans, and polenta” and lot code: 2018 JUN13 A, with a best before date of June 13, 2018.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “424” inside the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) mark of inspection. These items were shipped to distributors in California, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin for further distribution.

The problem was discovered after the firm received consumer complaints of the wrong meal inside the retail boxes.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.

Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.

Consumers with questions about the recall can contact the Digital Community Manager Oli Maughan, Luvo, Inc., at (844) 880-5866. Media with questions about the recall can contact Oli Maughan, Luvo, Inc. by phone at (604) 340-1166 or e-mail omaughan@luvoinc.com.

Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day. The online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/reportproblem.

USDA Recall Classifications
Class I This is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.
Class II This is a health hazard situation where there is a remote probability of adverse health consequences from the use of the product.
Class III This is a situation where the use of the product will not cause adverse health consequences.

Contact:
Congressional and Public Affairs
Jennifer Dallis
(202) 720-9113
Press@fsis.usda.gov

Source: USDA

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Kuwaiti students with disabilities celebrated completion of internship programmes with Alshaya

Kuwaiti students with disabilities celebrated completion of internship programmes with Alshaya

 

Kuwait, 2017-Aug-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — “Thank you, Alshaya, for the amazing opportunity! Please don’t stop supporting us!” With these words, 22 Kuwaiti students with disabilities this week celebrated the completion of successful internship programmes with retail franchise operator M.H. Alshaya Co. and its brands.

Now in its eighth year, the internship is a collaboration between Alshaya and Kuwait’s Society for the Guardians of the Disabled (KSGD) that helps students with disabilities to gain the required skills and confidence to operate in a work environment.

Andrew Stott Regional Learning and Development Manager said “This year’s students have made an incredible contribution serving our customers and understanding what it means to ‘Be Alshaya’. We look forward to welcoming them back as customers and potential team members.”

For over four weeks, the students worked part-time and received supervised retail training at several branches of Starbucks, Debenhams and Mothercare.

At a closing ceremony at The Avenues this week, certificates were presented by KSGD Chairwoman Rehab Boresili; the Honorary Chairperson of the Kuwait Sport Club for the Physically Disabled, Sheikha Sheikha Al-Sabah; the General Manager of the Public Authority of the Disabled, Dr Shafeka Al-Awadhi; in addition to representatives from Alshaya.

“This internship programme has helped our students gain a different perspective to their futures and careers,” said Mrs. Huda Alkhaledi, General Supervisor at KSGD. “We’re deeply grateful for Alshaya’s continued support.”

Alshaya’s partnership with the KSGD internship programme began in 2010, initially offering candidates part-time work experience in Starbucks branches across the country. Alshaya’s partnership with KSGD is part of its wider commitment to the community to develop the skills and talents of young Kuwaitis and providing them with an equal chance to learn and develop.

For more information about future summer programmes and other training and career opportunities at Alshaya, please contact nationalisation@alshaya.com

Source: Alshaya

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