Daily Archives: November 1, 2017

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Amazon announces plans for a new fulfillment center in Macon, Georgia

New facility brings Georgia presence to four fulfillment centers

SEATTLE, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) today (Oct. 31, 2017) announced plans for a new fulfillment center in Macon, Georgia. When opened, Amazon will create more than 500 new full-time jobs at the facility. The company currently has more than 2,000 full-time employees at three fulfillment centers located in Braselton, Lithia Springs and Union City.

“Georgia continues to be a great place for Amazon to do business and we look forward to adding a fulfillment center to better serve our customers in the region,” said Sanjay Shah, Amazon vice president of North America customer fulfillment. “Our new fulfillment center in Macon will create hundreds of full-time jobs with competitive pay and great benefits. We’re glad to be a part of the community and provide a positive economic impact for the region.”

“Amazon’s continued investment in our state speaks to our dedication to improve, expand and modernize Georgia’s logistics and distribution network,” said Gov. Nathan Deal. “As a top national distribution hub, suppliers can reach 80 percent of the U.S. population from Georgia in just a 2-day truck drive or a 2-hour flight. Our robust technology network and world-class logistics infrastructure have been immeasurably beneficial in attracting new business to Georgia and spurring growth for companies already operating here. Georgia’s strategic location, skilled workforce and innovative spirit are a perfect fit for Amazon’s innovative approach to business, as the company’s needs align with many of our key industries, from technology to distribution to connectivity.”

Employees at the more than 1,000,000-square-foot facility will pick, pack and ship large-sized items for customers, including household furniture, sporting equipment and gardening tools. Newly created jobs will include warehouse, management and supervisory positions. Employees at the fulfillment center will receive comprehensive benefits starting on day one, including medical, dental and vision insurance as well as 401(k) options, performance-based bonuses and company stock awards.

Amazon also offers full-time employees innovative programs like Career Choice, where the company will pre-pay up to 95 percent of tuition for courses related to in-demand fields, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon.

“Once again, Macon-Bibb County has been selected as a great location for a business to expand its new logistics operation because of our location, our workforce, and our quality of life,” said Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert. “I’m delighted to welcome Amazon to Macon-Bibb, and I’m looking forward to helping them become a part of our community.”

“We are thrilled that Amazon continues to deepen its roots, and grow its presence in Georgia,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. “Amazon’s commitment to our state has transformed our technology and logistics infrastructure, and I am glad that Georgia continues to provide Amazon with the resources they need to continue to drive innovation all over the world. We are looking forward to a future filled with continued collaboration with one of the most recognizable technology powerhouses.”

To learn more about working at an Amazon fulfillment center, interested candidates can visit www.amazondelivers.jobs.

The project is being developed in a partnership between Seefried Industrial Properties and an affiliate of USAA Real Estate Company. The Macon Bibb County Industrial Authority entitled and sold the property.

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.com, Inc.

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Amazon to occupy more than 280,000 square feet at Hollywood’s The Culver Studios

New Culver City office space brings Amazon Studios more than 280,000 square feet

SEATTLE, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Amazon today (Oct. 30, 2017) announced plans to move into The Culver Studios, one of Hollywood’s most iconic television and movie studios located in Culver City, California. Amazon Studios, IMDb, Amazon Video and World Wide Advertising will occupy more than 280,000 RSF, including The Culver Studios Mansion and Bungalows.

Originally developed by silent movie pioneer, Thomas H. Ince, Culver Studios has been home to some of the most famous films and television shows in Hollywood history, including Gone with the Wind and Citizen Kane. Amazon’s new Culver City offices will bring space for new jobs in a wide variety of roles including creative, technical, marketing and legal.

“We are very excited about being a part of 100 years of movie and TV history at The Culver Studios,” said Albert Cheng, Head of AmazonStudios. “Most importantly, this new LA-based office will give us the much needed space for our team to work and grow so we can keep bringing Prime Members the very best in series and movies.”

Currently owned by an affiliate of Hackman Capital Partners, Amazon’s new office will be located at 9336 West Washington Boulevard in Culver City, California. Amazon currently employs more than 700 people in Santa Monica, CA and will begin moving into the new office space at the end of this year.

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.com, Inc.

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Sachin & Babi Ahluwalia creates a dazzling holiday collection for Macy’s

Sachin & Babi Ahluwalia creates a dazzling holiday collection for Macy’s

 

The glamorous line created for Macy’s by husband and wife design team Sachin & Babi Ahluwalia features resplendent textiles and superb craftsmanship, and is available in 149 Macy’s stores and macys.com in November

NEW YORK, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Sachin & Babi Ahluwalia, known for producing stunning pieces through their eponymous line that has redefined eveningwear, have created a dazzling collection for Macy’s (NYSE:M) that makes dressing up fun, easy, and empowering this holiday season. With close attention to detail and high fashion artistry, SB by Sachin & Babi goes beyond traditional special-occasion wear with a selection of breathtaking dresses and gowns, stylish statement jackets, and mix-and-match tops, skirts and pants. Fans of the new collection can preview the line on macys.com beginning Nov. 1, prior to the official launch in stores on Nov. 15.

“The collection was inspired by New York City nightlife, and its captivating energy and optimistic spirit,” said Sachin Ahluwalia. Babi Ahluwalia continued, “The collection combines classic evening wear elements with 50 shades of shine, each piece makes a statement offering powerful women the promise of elegance.”

The SB by Sachin & Babi collection is irresistibly radiant, channeling the electrifying energy of a fabulous night on the town. Party-ready dresses, gowns, and separates are rendered in eye-catching and sumptuous fabrics, and the silhouettes are sharp, highlighting the superb tailoring and construction within each garment. Unexpected details are particular highlights of the collection—a gold brocade mini dress features a bustle as well as mesh detailing at the décolletage and a strip of sequins at the hem. A silver skirt, also in brocade, has a subtle animal print along with velvet trim, and has an accompanying blazer. Sequins are employed masterfully and in unique ways, with a bomber jacket boasting striped sequined sleeves, and a lace box top is elevated through a striped sequined body. Sachin & Babi’s famed embroidery skills and techniques run throughout the collection as well, with delicate organza and lace blouses, dresses, and skirts adorned with exquisite blue floral embroidery. SB by Sachin & Babi combines uptown chic with downtown exuberance for a collection that is perfect for all the It Girl’s fetes this holiday season.

“Sachin & Babi have made names for themselves through their beautifully crafted statement pieces women wear in their most important moments,” said Cassandra Jones, senior vice president of Macy’s fashion. “Their refinement and cultured sensibility set them apart and we’re thrilled to have partnered with them to bring the artistry of their bespoke clothing to the Macy’s customer for their holiday celebrations.”

SB by Sachin and Babi, available on macys.com beginning Nov. 1, will officially launch in 149 Macy’s stores on Nov. 15, and is priced from $99 to $299.

About Macy’s

Macy’s, the largest retail brand of Macy’s, Inc. delivers fashion and affordable luxury to customers at approximately 670 locations in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam, as well as to customers in the U.S. and more than 100 international destinations through its leading online store at macys.com. Via its stores, e-commerce site, mobile and social platforms, Macy’s offers distinctive assortments including the most desired family of exclusive and fashion brands for him, her and home. Macy’s is known for such epic events as Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, as well as spectacular fashion shows, culinary events, flower shows and celebrity appearances. Macy’s flagship stores – including Herald Square in New York City, Union Square in San Francisco, State Street in Chicago, and Dadeland in Miami and South Coast Plaza in southern California – are known internationally and are leading destinations for visitors. Building on a more than 150-year tradition, and with the collective support of customers and employees, Macy’s helps strengthen communities by supporting local and national charities giving more than $54 million each year, plus 180,000 hours of volunteer service, to help make a difference in the lives of our customers.

For Macy’s media materials, including images and contacts, please visit our online pressroom at macys.com/pressroom.

About Sachin & Babi

Sachin & Babi Ahluwalia founded their eponymous label in 2009 in a quest to redefine eveningwear. Both native to India, the couple first gained recognition in New York by designing and manufacturing embroideries for the city’s renowned couture houses. While passionate about their work, the duo longed to connect directly with their customer. Motivated by the needs of well-informed women who choose to live full lives, the designers pioneered a category of beautifully crafted feminine statement pieces that support women in their most important moments. With a deep commitment to quality and respect for their clients, Sachin and Babi produce most of their collection in their family owned factory in Mumbai to ensure high fashion craftsmanship at attainable luxury. Rich in culture, history and sensibility the Sachin & Babi label proudly brings the artistry of bespoke clothing to ready to wear.

Macy’s Media Relations:
Julie Strider
646-429-5213
julie.striderfukami@macys.com

Billy Dumé
646-429-7449
billy.dume@macys.com

Source: Macy’s

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Experience an integrated Samsung product ecosystem at Macy’s Herald Square

Just in time for the holiday season, customers at Macy’s flagship store in New York will be able to experience an integrated Samsung product ecosystem, featuring innovative technologies in mobile, virtual reality, QLED television, home audio, and more

NEW YORK, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Macy’s (NYSE:M) and Samsung today (Oct. 31, 2017) announced the launch of a unique Samsung experience at the retailer’s flagship location in New York City. Beginning Nov. 1, customers shopping at Macy’s Herald Square will be able to explore and purchase a range of Samsung products, including an assortment of the most innovative technologies in virtual reality, tablet, smartphone, wearable, the Family Hub refrigerator, QLED television, home audio and smart home categories.

“At Macy’s, we are focused on providing what matters most to our customers – an even more engaging shopping experience and the best, most innovative products,” said Marc Mastronardi, Macy’s executive vice president of business development. “With the new Samsung experience at Macy’s Herald Square, we are creating an innovative and beautiful, one-of-a-kind digital playground in a flagship department store, featuring numerous installations and touch points for customer engagement.”

For the first time, customers can experience an integrated Samsung ecosystem designed to simplify daily life, all in a specially curated 1,000 square foot space on the main floor at Macy’s Herald Square. Explore the next innovation television wall, featuring The Frame, which seamlessly transforms from a 4K UHD TV to a gallery-like art display for a premium entertainment experience. Accessorize your smart TV with a variety of home audio and video products, including Sound+ soundbar and Blu-ray players.

Customers can take a ride in the 4-D virtual reality roller coaster experience that puts you at the center of an out of this world journey to a new landscape with the Gear VR with Controller powered by Oculus.

A full range of Samsung product and accessories will round out the tech lover’s paradise, including Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note8 smartphones, cases, wireless mobile accessories and more. Customers will also have the opportunity to test and purchase the latest Samsung wearables, including the Gear Sport, Gear Fit2 Pro and Gear S3, and complete their home tech ecosystem with the Samsung Connect Home Smart Wi-Fi System and assortment of Samsung SmartThings hubs, outlets and sensors.

To experience the Samsung flagship ecosystem, including one-on-one concierge-like customer care, and purchase select products, customers can visit Macy’s Herald Square during regular store hours beginning Wednesday, Nov. 1.

About Macy’s
Macy’s, the largest retail brand of Macy’s, Inc. delivers fashion and affordable luxury to customers at approximately 670 locations in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam, as well as to customers in the U.S. and more than 100 international destinations through its leading online store at macys.com. Via its stores, e-commerce site, mobile and social platforms, Macy’s offers distinctive assortments including the most desired family of exclusive and fashion brands for him, her and home. Macy’s is known for such epic events as Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, as well as spectacular fashion shows, culinary events, flower shows and celebrity appearances. Macy’s flagship stores – including Herald Square in New York City, Union Square in San Francisco, State Street in Chicago, and Dadeland in Miami and South Coast Plaza in southern California – are known internationally and are leading destinations for visitors. Building on a more than 150-year tradition, and with the collective support of customers and employees, Macy’s helps strengthen communities by supporting local and national charities giving more than $54 million each year, plus 180,000 hours of volunteer service, to help make a difference in the lives of our customers.

For Macy’s media materials, including images and contacts, please visit our online pressroom at macys.com/pressroom.

Contact:
Radina Russell
646-429-7358
radina.russell@macys.com

Julie Strider
646-429-5213
julie.striderfukami@macys.com

Source: Macy’s, Inc.

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Walgreens Boots Alliance commences partnership with Fareva for the manufacture and supply of own beauty brands and private label products

DEERFIELD, Ill., 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA) today (October 31, 2017) announced that it has commenced its previously announced partnership with Fareva for the manufacture and supply of own beauty brands and private label products.

Under the terms of the agreement, Fareva has acquired BCM, Walgreens Boots Alliance’s contract manufacturing business, which operates factories in the UK, France and Germany.

Notes to Editors:

About Walgreens Boots Alliance

Walgreens Boots Alliance (Nasdaq: WBA) is the first global pharmacy-led, health and wellbeing enterprise. The company’s heritage of trusted health care services through pharmaceutical wholesaling and community pharmacy care dates back more than 100 years.

Walgreens Boots Alliance is the largest retail pharmacy, health and daily living destination across the U.S. and Europe. Walgreens Boots Alliance and the companies in which it has equity method investments together have a presence in more than 25* countries and employ more than 385,000* people. The company is a global leader in pharmacy-led, health and wellbeing retail and, together with the companies in which it has equity method investments, has more than 13,200* stores in 11* countries as well as one of the largest global pharmaceutical wholesale and distribution networks, with more than 390* distribution centers delivering to more than 230,000** pharmacies, doctors, health centers and hospitals each year in more than 20* countries. In addition, Walgreens Boots Alliance is one of the world’s largest purchasers of prescription drugs and many other health and wellbeing products.

The company’s portfolio of retail and business brands includes Walgreens, Duane Reade, Boots and Alliance Healthcare, as well as increasingly global health and beauty product brands, such as No7, Soap & Glory, Liz Earle, Sleek MakeUP and Botanics.

The company ranks No. 1 in the Food and Drug Stores industry of Fortune magazine’s 2017 list of the World’s Most Admired Companies.

More company information is available at www.walgreensbootsalliance.com.

* As of 31 August 2017, using publicly available information for AmerisourceBergen.

** For 12 months ending 31 August 2017, using publicly available information for AmerisourceBergen.

Contact(s):

Media Relations:
USA / Michael Polzin
+1 847 315 2935

International / Laura Vergani
+44 (0)207 980 8585

Investor Relations:
Gerald Gradwell and Ashish Kohli
+1 847 315 2922

Source: Walgreens Boots Alliance

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Wakefern Food Corp. recorded retail sales of $16.3 billion for the 52-week fiscal year ending September 30, 2017

Keasbey, NJ, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Wakefern Food Corp. Chairman and CEO Joseph S. Colalillo, President and COO Joe Sheridan and Executive Vice President Chris Lane addressed Wakefern shareholders, store management and staff at the company’s annual shareholder meeting October 26 in East Brunswick, NJ.

The company reported record retail sales of $16.3 billion for the 52-week fiscal year ending September 30, 2017, a 1.5 percent increase from the prior year. The largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States, Wakefern and its members opened four new ShopRite® stores, two The Fresh Grocer® stores and two Price Rite® Marketplace stores during the same period.

“Our family-owned-and-operated supermarkets and their dedicated associates supported by knowledgeable and innovative Wakefern staff make the difference in this business and serve as the foundation for our strength and success,” Joseph Colalillo told an audience of nearly 900 people at the Hilton in East Brunswick.

Colalillo announced the retirement of Neil Duffy, President, Price Rite Marketplace, a registered trademark of Wakefern with 64 grocery stores in nine states.

“Neil’s dedication and hard work helped grow the popular Price Rite brand over the last 12 years, and we thank him for his service to Wakefern,” said Colalillo.

He also announced the retirement of Larry Collins from Wakefern’s Board of Directors and the addition of Patrick J. Burns, CEO of Burns’ Family Neighborhood Markets, to the board.

“We thank Larry for his service and commitment to the board. He will remain active in the cooperative and his own company, Collins Family Markets, which operates ShopRite stores in Philadelphia, Eddystone and Glenolden, PA,” noted Colalillo. “We welcome to the board Patrick Burns, who brought The Fresh Grocer stores into the cooperative in 2013. We look forward to working with Pat and the rest of the board to shape future success.”

Joe Sheridan recapped the company’s accomplishments over the last year, including its expansion of ShopRite’s popular Wholesome Pantry line of products made with simple, clean ingredients, and the introduction this year of its newest own brand, ShopRite Trading Company.

“Wakefern Food Corp. and our supermarket banners continue to innovate and elevate the customer experience with great new brands, our store dietitians, digital platforms, and a real focus on fresh,” noted Sheridan.

“We are committed to providing great community stores and delivering exceptional experiences with each of our four brands. It’s a time of great change for the supermarket industry, and I am excited for what we will achieve over the course of the next year and for generations to come,” added Chris Lane.

Wakefern shareholders re-elected to the Board of Directors at Thursday’s meeting include: Joseph Colalillo, Chairman and CEO; Larri Wolfson, Irv Glass and Dominick J. Romano, Vice Chairmen; Lawrence Inserra, Jr., Treasurer; Jeffrey Brown, Assistant Treasurer; Richard Saker, Secretary; and Ned Gladstein and Nicholas Sumas, Assistant Secretaries. Joe Sheridan was also re-elected as President and COO, and Chris Lane was elected as Executive Vice President.

About Wakefern Food Corp.
From a small, local cooperative that began with eight grocery store owners, Wakefern Food Corp. has grown into the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States. Founded in 1946, the cooperative comprises 50 members who today independently own and operate 345 supermarkets under the ShopRite, The Fresh Grocer, Price Rite and Dearborn Market banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Virginia. Together with its member companies, Wakefern employs more than 70,000 people, and is one of the largest employers in New Jersey. For more information, please visit www.wakefern.com.

Contact:

Karen O’Shea

Maureen Gillespie
Phone: 732-906-5295
Manager

Source: Wakefern Food Corp.

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Asda named UK Supermarket Retailer of the year at People’s Choice Wine Awards

Leeds, UK, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Asda has been named UK Supermarket Retailer of the year at the inaugural People’s Choice Wine Awards, pipping Waitrose to the post. Known for producing high quality, affordable wines, Asda was also named winner in four categories: Bargain Buys, Food Friendly Wines, Out of the Ordinary and Boxing Clever.

Taking the top spot on the podium above Waitrose, Asda winning wines were all priced below £13, further highlighting the brand’s ‘high quality, low cost’ credentials.

The awards, which are designed to hero customer friendly, solution-based wines, were judged by a series of consumers, wine experts and members of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, who tasted their way through 27 unique categories which reflect the buying decisions of the average consumer and cover every type of wine and occasion.

Asda’s winning wines include:
BARGAIN BUYS
WINNER: Wine Atlas Negroamaro
FOOD FRIENDLY WINES – RED FOR EASY WEEKDAY MEALS
WINNER: Asda Extra Special Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC
OUT OF THE ORDINARY
WINNER: Solato Lambrusco Reggiano DOC
BOXING CLEVER
WINNER: Asda Rosé Blush Box

About Asda Stores Ltd.
Founded in the 1960s in Yorkshire, Asda is one of Britain’s leading retailers and helps customers save money and live better in stores, online and through their mobile devices.

Each week more than 18 million customers visit its 645 stores – including 30 Supercentres, 392 Superstores, 155 Supermarkets, 33 Asda Living stores, and 35 standalone petrol stations – and websites, and are served by 153,000 colleagues. www.asda.com and www.george.com deliver to 99% of the UK’s homes and to its 538 click and collect sites across the UK.

Its main office is in Leeds, Yorkshire and its George clothing division is in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. Asda joined Walmart, the world’s number one retailer, in 1999.

Media contact:
Natalie Chandler
Press Officer
0113 826 2829

Source: ASDA

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Asda announces the appointment of Roger Burnley as President and CEO

Asda announces the appointment of Roger Burnley as President and CEO

 

Leeds, UK, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Today (30th October 2017) CEO of Walmart International, Dave Cheesewright announced that Roger Burnley is to take on the role of Asda’s President and CEO from 1st January 2018.

Roger returned to Asda as Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO in October 2016, joining the board following Sean Clarke’s appointment as President and Chief Executive in July 2016.

At the time, Dave Cheesewright described Sean Clarke as “one of our most experienced global executives” whilst also recognising Roger as “a future CEO”.

Commenting on Roger’s appointment, Dave Cheesewright said: “Roger was purposefully brought back to Asda to partner with Sean ahead of the transition to Roger taking up the position of CEO. He and Sean have worked as a great team and I’m really confident in Roger’s ability to continue building upon our returning momentum.

“After more than 21 years with the company, Sean has worked across five international markets including serving as President and CEO of Walmart China and obviously here in the UK too. He’s continually shown the ability to lead critical transformation and the last 15 months are no exception. Sean will continue to lead Asda until the end of December after which, he’s taking some time out and will then remain engaged with Walmart.”

Roger Burnley, said: “Asda is a great business and we’ve started to realise its potential again. Sean’s focus on serving customers and simplifying the business has established a firm foundation on which we can build. Since I returned to Asda last year, I have been encouraged by the passion and professionalism of our colleagues and look forward to leading this terrific team.”

Sean Clarke, said: “Asda is moving in the right direction but there is still much more for us to do. I am excited to see the momentum continue under Roger’s leadership. Walmart has given me and my family some great opportunities. I am looking forward to taking some time out but I will always stay connected to the company.”

Sean remains Asda’s CEO until 31st December and will work closely with Roger to ensure a smooth transition and deliver the best Christmas ever for our customers.

Media contact:
Natalie Chandler
Press Officer
0113 826 2829

Source: ASDA

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CarMax EVP and COO Cliff Wood to retire; Ed Hill to succeed

Company Highlights Succession Plan and Executive Promotions

RICHMOND, Va., 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — CarMax, Inc. (NYSE:KMX) today (October 30, 2017) announced that Cliff Wood plans to retire as executive vice president and chief operating officer by the end of the summer of 2018 and will be succeeded by Ed Hill, currently CarMax’s executive vice president, strategy and business transformation.

“Cliff has been instrumental in building CarMax’s industry-leading store operations,” said Bill Nash, CarMax president and CEO. “He has helped guide the company successfully through many years of growth and has built a strong field leadership team. We are incredibly grateful for his many years of service and contributions to CarMax’s success.” Wood joined CarMax in 1993 as a buyer at CarMax’s first location in Richmond, Virginia.

Mr. Hill, 58, was promoted to executive vice president, strategy and business transformation in 2016. He joined CarMax in 1995 as director of service operations and progressively advanced to senior vice president, assuming leadership for CarMax’s corporate strategy in 2012. Prior to joining CarMax, he served in operational roles for several technology companies.

“Ed was the driving force behind the development and ongoing enhancement of our vehicle reconditioning process, one of CarMax’s key competitive advantages,” said Mr. Nash. “He has been an integral member of the executive leadership team, and his breadth of experience in operations, corporate strategy and enterprise change management will be essential for our future growth.”

CarMax also announced that, effective November 1, 2017, two additional executives will be promoted. Darren Newberry will be promoted to senior vice president, store operations, and Joe Wilson will be promoted to senior vice president, store strategy and logistics.

Mr. Newberry, 48, was promoted to vice president, regional sales, in 2016, responsible for the field sales organization through the 11 CarMax regions. He joined CarMax in March 2004 as location general manager-in-training in the Los Angeles region and was promoted to location general manager of the Duarte, California store in 2006. He was promoted subsequently to positions of increasing responsibility, including regional vice president general manager of the Baltimore region in 2013 and the Los Angeles region in 2014. Prior to joining CarMax, Mr. Newberry served as store manager and area manager for Bed, Bath and Beyond from 1994 to 2004. In his new role, he will lead the field operations for the sales, service and merchandising organizations.

Mr. Wilson, 44, was promoted to vice president, merchandising operations in 2016. He began his career at CarMax in May 1995 as a buyer-in-training at the Raleigh, N.C.store, where he was subsequently promoted to buyer and then senior buyer. Mr. Wilson later served as purchasing manager at two CarMax stores in southern Floridabefore being promoted to regional vice president of merchandising. He was promoted to assistant vice president, auction services and merchandising development in 2008 and then vice president, auction services and merchandising development in 2013. In his new role, he will lead field strategy, including our auction business, and logistics.

About CarMax

CarMax is the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, currently operating 180 stores in 39 states nationwide. CarMax revolutionized the auto industry by delivering the honest, transparent and high-integrity car buying experience customers want and deserve. For more than 20 years, CarMax has made car buying more ethical, fair and stress-free by offering a no-haggle, no-hassle experience and an incredible selection of vehicles. CarMax makes selling your car easy too, by offering no-obligation appraisals good for seven days. At CarMax, we’ll buy your car even if you don’t buy ours®. CarMax has more than 24,000 associates nationwide and for 13 consecutive years has been named as one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For®. During the twelve months ended February 28, 2017, the company retailed 671,294 used vehicles and sold 391,686 wholesale vehicles at its in-store auctions. For more information, access the CarMax website at www.carmax.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

We caution readers that the statements contained in this release about our future business plans, succession plans, operations, opportunities or prospects are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “outlook,” “plan,” “predict,” “should,” “will” and other similar expressions, whether in the negative or affirmative. Such forward-looking statements are based upon management’s current knowledge and assumptions about future events and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results. Among the factors that could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements are the following:

  • Changes in the competitive landscape and/or our failure to successfully adjust to such changes.
  • Events that damage our reputation or harm the perception of the quality of our brand.
  • Changes in general or regional U.S. economic conditions.
  • Changes in the availability or cost of capital and working capital financing, including changes related to the asset-backed securitization market.
  • Our inability to recruit, develop and retain associates and maintain positive associate relations.
  • The loss of key associates from our store, regional or corporate management teams or a significant increase in labor costs.
  • Security breaches or other events that result in the misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized disclosure of confidential customer, associate or corporate information.
  • Significant changes in prices of new and used vehicles.
  • Changes in economic conditions or other factors that result in greater credit losses for CAF’s portfolio of auto loan receivables than anticipated.
  • A reduction in the availability of or access to sources of inventory or a failure to expeditiously liquidate inventory.
  • Changes in consumer credit availability provided by our third-party finance providers.
  • Changes in the availability of extended protection plan products from third-party providers.
  • Factors related to the regulatory and legislative environment in which we operate.
  • Factors related to geographic and sales growth, including the inability to effectively manage our growth.
  • The failure of or inability to sufficiently enhance key information systems.
  • The effect of various litigation matters.
  • Adverse conditions affecting one or more automotive manufacturers, and manufacturer recalls.
  • The inaccuracy of estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of our financial statements, or the effect of new accounting requirements or changes to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
  • The performance of the third-party vendors we rely on for key components of our business.
  • Factors related to seasonal fluctuations in our business.
  • The occurrence of severe weather events.
  • Factors related to the geographic concentration of our stores.

For more details on factors that could affect expectations, see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2017, and our quarterly or current reports as filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Our filings are publicly available on our investor information home page at investors.carmax.com. Requests for information may also be made to the Investor Relations Department by email to investor_relations@carmax.com or by calling 1-804-747-0422 ext. 4391. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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

Customer Relations:
(800) 519-1511

Marketing Inquiries:
marketing_carmax@carmax.com

Source: CarMax, Inc.

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Stanley Black & Decker to open its third manufacturing facility in Texas

MISSION, Texas, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) today (Oct. 31, 2017) announced that the world’s largest tools and storage company will open a new manufacturing facility in Mission, TX. The company has signed a lease on a nearly 300,000 square foot facility that will make DEWALT power tool products. The facility will eventually support approximately 450 new jobs in the region and is expected to begin operations in early 2018.

“The opening of our third manufacturing facility in Texas augments our strategy of making where we sell, reinforcing our long-standing commitment to making in America and making in Texas,” said Jeff Ansell, President of Stanley Black & Decker’s Global Tools & Storage business.  “We have continuously manufactured in the U.S. since 1843, and we are the first tool company to proudly bring manufacturing back to the USA in recent times. We continue to strengthen and expand our U.S.-based manufacturing capabilities and we believe that this newest expansion in Texas will enable further acceleration of our Made in the USA with global materials portfolio.”

“The Mission Economic Development Corporation (Mission EDC) team has been working with Stanley Black & Decker for the past several months and we are excited to see their hard work has paid off,” said City of Mission Mayor Norberto Salinas. “It’s a great day for Mission and a great day for the Rio Grande Valley when a company of this caliber decides to invest in our region. These are exactly the type of jobs that we want to attract to our city, and this investment shows that Mission is an attractive location for major employers to locate and grow.”

Stanley Black & Decker operates approximately 30 manufacturing facilities in the United States, which produce a broad range of products under major brands such as STANLEY, PROTO, LISTA, VIDMAR, CRAFTSMAN and DEWALT. Over the past three years, the company has added 40% more manufacturing employees in the United States, and added manufacturing capacity in North Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Maryland and more.

About Stanley Black & Decker

Stanley Black & Decker, an S&P 500 and FORTUNE 500 company, is the world’s leading provider of tools and storage, the world’s second-largest commercial electronic security company, and a leading engineered fastening systems provider, with unique growth platforms in the Oil & Gas and Infrastructure industries. Well-known brands include: STANLEY, CRAFTSMAN, BLACK+DECKER, DEWALT, IRWIN, Lenox, Porter-Cable, Bostitch, Facom, Mac Tools, Proto, Vidmar, Lista, and more. Learn more at www.stanleyblackanddecker.com.

Contact:
Tim Perra
Vice President of Public Affairs
860-826-3260
tim.perra@sbdinc.com

SOURCE: Stanley Black & Decker

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Wegmans Pharmacy introduces new Medicare Part D Advisor tool

Rochester, N.Y., 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — With open enrollment for Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage underway, Wegmans Pharmacy is making it easier for consumers to find the plan that’s right for them. With the company’s introduction of its new Medicare Part D Advisor tool, Wegmans pharmacists can generate a customized report that compares plan premiums, copays, total out-of-pocket costs, and quality ratings based on an individual’s county of residence and prescription fill history.

“We encourage anyone who’s already 65 or turning 65 in the next year to look at the benefits they may be eligible for within Medicare Part D,” said Joe Morgante, Medicare Part D business manager and pharmacist for Wegmans. “With our new advisor tool, our pharmacists can run a report that provides important information Medicare beneficiaries can use to help them make an informed decision about which plans may provide the best value, customized to their specific prescription drug usage.”

The Medicare Part D consultations are available at no charge at all Wegmans Pharmacies during regular business hours, no appointment necessary for anyone who is or will soon be eligible for Medicare. Those interested in a consultation should bring a list of their current medications, including drug name, strength, quantities, and usage directions. For current Wegmans Pharmacy customers, the pharmacist can help compile this list from their prescription profile.

As part of the consultation, Wegmans pharmacists can also help answer customers’ questions about Part D eligibility, coverage rules, and enrollment periods.

Wegmans is a preferred or participating provider in most Medicare Part D plans. Preferred plans offer lower copays, making it easy for customers to save and stay healthy.

For more information about Medicare Part D and how Wegmans Pharmacy can help, visit www.wegmans.com/pharmacy, or stop in or call your local pharmacy today.

Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a 94-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:
Tracy Van Auker
Media Relations Coordinator
585-429-3826
tracy.vanauker@wegmans.com

Source:  Wegmans Food Markets

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Wegmans offers busy families with complete Thanksgiving dinners

ROCHESTER, NY, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — This Thanksgiving, step away from the stove to make memories and savor time spent with family and friends. Just heat, eat and enjoy. Wegmans complete Thanksgiving dinners are better than ever with improved flavor, prepared exclusively with wholesome, simple ingredients. Hand-carved and ready-to-carve turkeys are slow cooked to perfection, and classic sides like mashed potatoes are made with potatoes, cream, butter and salt –no additives, preservatives or artificial coloring. Chef crafted meals for you to enjoy at home with the ease and convenience of Wegmans catering.

Making sure Wegmans’ holiday meals contain only fresh, great tasting, simple ingredients and products is part of the company’s longstanding commitment to providing easy meals for busy families. Food You Feel Good About, signified by a bright yellow banner on packages, identifies Wegmans Brand products sold throughout the store that meet a specific set of criteria:

  • Free of artificial colors, flavors or preservatives
  • Free of trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils
  • No high fructose corn syrup
  • Meat and poultry from animals not given antibiotics, hormones or animal by-products

“We’re incredibly proud of the quality of our holiday dinners and the convenience we’re able to offer busy families. Our catering teams are happy to help put together the perfect menu for any gathering from a selection of dinners and ala carte options prepared with fresh ingredients and care,” says Rene Madara, catering merchant. “Families can enjoy their favorite Thanksgiving dishes just like they would make at home – without all the hassle of prep and clean-up.”

Hand-carved turkey options are priced higher for the convenience factor. Last year, more than 30,000 families enjoyed delicious, stress-free holiday meals by letting Wegmans do the cooking for them.

Customers can order ahead, selecting from three different dinner options, through in-store catering departments or online at www.wegmans.com/parties.

Classic Turkey Dinner Serves 10-12 ($115.00)

  • Ready to heat and serve in about 2 ½ – 3 hours
  • Roasted All-Natural Whole Plainville Farms Turkey (12-14 lbs.)
  • Fresh sides:
    • Herb Bread Stuffing
    • Mashed Potatoes
    • Green Bean & Mushroom Casserole with Crispy Onions
    • Whipped Butternut Squash
    • Cranberry Orange Relish
    • Turkey Gravy

Wegmans Hand-Carved Turkey Dinner (Large) Serves 10-12 ($219.00)

  • Ready to heat and serve in about 1 ½ – 2 hours
  • Chefs carve and arrange a fork tender, all-natural, vegetarian-fed turkey (10 lbs. carved)
  • Distinctive sides prepared by chefs in-store:
    • Herb Bread Stuffing
    • Mashed Potatoes
    • Seasoned Green Beans
    • Roasted Butternut Squash, Spinach, and Dried Cranberries
    • Cranberry Orange Relish
    • Home-style Gravy

Wegmans Hand-Carved Turkey Dinner (Medium) Serves 5-6 ($119.00) 

  • Ready to heat and serve in about 1 hour
  • Chefs carve and arrange a fork tender, all-natural, vegetarian-fed half turkey with one drumstick and one wing (6-7 lbs.)
  • Distinctive sides prepared by chefs in-store
    • Herb Bread Stuffing
    • Mashed Potatoes
    • Seasoned Green Beans
    • Roasted Butternut Squash, Spinach, and Dried Cranberries
    • Cranberry Orange Relish
    • Home-style Gravy

Also available, Wegmans Signature Spiral-Sliced Ham Dinner, ala carte cooked whole turkeys and side dishes or pre-sliced platters, appetizer trays and desserts. View the entire Wegmans holiday catering catalog here: www.wegmans.com/parties.

Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a 94-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:

Katie Roche
Wegmans media relations coordinator
585-279-4317
katie.roche@wegmans.com

Source: Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.

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21st Century Snack Foods voluntarily recalls Dark Chocolate Almonds that may contain undeclared milk allergen

21st Century Snack Foods voluntarily recalls Dark Chocolate Almonds that may contain undeclared milk allergen

 

Ronkonkoma NY 11779, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — 21st Century Snack Foods, of Ronkonkoma NY 11779, is voluntarily issuing the following recall: Dark Chocolate Almonds: Packaged in a 6 oz peg / stand up bag.  UPC# 030603 228549. Affected Lot #’s are 16100 thru 17300. The product brand is 21st Century Snack Foods. The product is packaged in a plastic hanging / stand-up bag.

These products may contain an undeclared milk allergen. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk allergen run the risk of serious or life threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.

No Illnesses have been reported to date.

This product may have been distributed to the following states, and they reached consumers through retail stores: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY

The recall was initiated after it was discovered, that the Dark Chocolate Almonds containing the milk allergen were distributed in packaging that did not reveal the presence of the milk allergen.

Consumers who have purchased this product will be asked to dispose of this product and contact the company directly via email for a full refund at centurysnack@gmail.com

Consumers with questions, may also contact the company at 631-588-8000 and ask to speak with the recall coordinator, Michael Bell. Hours of operation are 9:30 am – 3:30 pm

This product was manufactured by GKI Foods of Brighton, Michigan and packaged and distributed under the 21st Century Snack Foods Brand.

This recall is an extension of the GKI Foods LLC recall announced on October 27 2017

Consumers Contact:

Michael Bell
centurysnack@gmail.com
631-588-8000

Source: FDA

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Rucker’s Wholesale and Service Co voluntarily recalls Uncle Buck’s and Family Choice Dark Chocolate Peanuts due to undeclared milk

Rucker’s Wholesale and Service Co voluntarily recalls Uncle Buck’s and Family Choice Dark Chocolate Peanuts due to undeclared milk

 

Bridgeport, IL, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Rucker’s Wholesale and Service Co of Bridgeport, IL is voluntarily recalling all of Uncle Buck’s and Family Choice Dark Chocolate Peanuts packaged in standup twist tie bag, due to the presence of an undeclared milk ingredient. People who have an allergy or sensitivity to milk run the risk of serious or life threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product. No illness associated with this recall has been reported.

The affected product is packaged in a 8.5oz clear twist tie bag with Uncle Buck’s and Family Choice label. Both brands are UPC 0 52545 10226 8. The recall product was sold between March 7, 2016 and October 30, 2017 and distributed nationwide.

The Uncle Bucks brand was distributed to Bass Pro Shops. The Family Choice brand was distributed to Bomgaars Supply, L&M Fleet Supply, North 40 Outfitters and Runnings.

The recall product was sold between March 7, 2016 and October 30, 2017.

The recall was initiated after Rucker’s received notification from our supplier GKI Foods of a recall due to undeclared milk allergen present in the dark chocolate. Consumers who have purchased any of these items are urged to destroy the product. Consumers with questions may contact Rucker’s at 618-945-2411, or 800-663-1857 Mon – Fri 7:30 am – 4:30 pm CST, or email – customerservice@ruckerscandy.com.

Consumers with an allergy to milk should not eat the product.

Consumers Contact:

Rucker’s
customerservice@ruckerscandy.com
618-945-2411
800-663-1857

Source: FDA

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Rob Scruggs joins Dollar General as chief digital and customer engagement officer

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn., 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Dollar General Corporation (NYSE: DG) today (October 30, 2017) announced that Rob Scruggs has joined the Company as chief digital and customer engagement officer, a newly created position in which he will lead the strategy for customer engagement including digital experience and tools. Scruggs brings over 17 years of experience focused on customer and user engagement.

“Rob brings a strong record of successful innovation in developing customer experience strategies across complex industries. At Dollar General, Rob’s experience will help accelerate our digital strategy as we continue to focus on developing digital resources that can help our customers save time and money,” said Jason Reiser, Dollar General’s executive vice president and chief merchandising officer.

Scruggs most recently served as global director of client experience for Bank of America Merrill Lynch where he had responsibility for the end-to-end client experience for global commercial clients. Prior to that, he held customer experience roles at Asurion, E*TRADE and J.P. Morgan Chase.

Scruggs earned his Bachelor of Arts from University of Memphis.

About Dollar General Corporation

Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for over 75 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, clothing for the family, housewares and seasonal items at low everyday prices in convenient neighborhood locations. Dollar General operated 14,000 stores in 44 states as of August 19, 2017. In addition to high-quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America’s most-trusted manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Unilever, Kellogg’s, General Mills, Nabisco, Hanes, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola. Learn more about Dollar General at www.dollargeneral.com.

About Dollar General Corporation
Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for over 75 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, clothing for the family, housewares and seasonal items at low everyday prices in convenient neighborhood locations. Dollar General operated 14,000 stores in 44 states as of August 19, 2017. In addition to high quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America’s most-trusted brands such as Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Unilever, Kellogg’s, General Mills, Nabisco, Hanes, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola. Learn more about Dollar General at www.dollargeneral.com.

Contact(s):
Investor Contacts:
Mary Winn Pilkington
615-855-5536

Kevin Walker
615-855-4954

Media Contacts:
Crystal Ghassemi
615-855-5210

Source: Dollar General Corporation

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Russian food retailer X5 to improve targeted marketing at its Perekrestok supermarket chain with machine learning technology

MOSCOW, Russia, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — X5 Retail Group N.V. (“X5” or the “Company”), a leading Russian food retailer (LSE ticker: “FIVE”), has introduced machine learning technology to improve targeted marketing at its Perekrestok supermarket chain and to develop personalised offers for all members of the Perekrestok Club loyalty programme. Machine learning is now used to create more than 70% of targeted promotions, and has sped up the process sevenfold. This was made possible thanks to the introduction of self-learning analytical CRM functionality.

Machine learning is enabled in the analytical module (aCRM) of the network’s loyalty programme to group customers into segments based on common features and create offers tailored to them. The system analyses a given customer segment and models personalised marketing campaigns that account for several hundred behavioural and demographic factors. It processes data on the frequency and ticket size of purchases, customer preferences, lifestyle factors, acceptable price levels, favourite product categories and individual visiting hours. Customer sensitivity to offers is predicted using various analytical techniques that include regression, decision trees and neural networks. The aCRM module also identifies the most efficient communication channels and automatically generates marketing messages by customer segment. All of Perekrestok’s communication channels are now integrated with the aCRM. In 2018, the system will be connected with the SmartWifi module to determine the best timing of messages to customers.

Fabricio Granja, X5 Retail Group’s Chief Information Officer said: “Big Data analytics using automated intelligent solutions open up new development opportunities in terms of retail networks’ value propositions. Intelligent systems are set to become increasingly important for businesses, which is why are paying close attention to data processing. The Perekrestok project is a successful case of using data analytics produced by a self-learning system to foster customer loyalty. Marketing offers that are created based on hundreds of factors increase the effectiveness of targeted marketing by 5% and reduce communication costs by 40%.”

In addition to questionnaire data, the system also collects and uses information based on analysis of behavioural and demographic factors. The processes of data analysis and customer segmentation are fully automated. The analytical system’s interface makes it possible to schedule the date and time of customer communications, keep records of marketing promotions, and fine-tune campaigns based on test runs. Marketing managers only need to set targets at the outset of a project and monitor the campaign results. On average, an effective model takes about three months to complete.

X5 had been calibrating this system since March 2016, and in autumn 2017 it launched advanced algorithms for automated customer segmentation and campaign targeting to include all members of the Perekrestok Club loyalty programme.

For further details please contact:
Maxim Novikov
Head of Investor Relations
Tel.: +7 (495) 502-9783
e-mail: Maxim.Novikov@x5.ru

Andrey Vasin
Investor Relations Officer
Tel.:+7 (495) 662-88-88 ext. 21-456
e-mail: Andrey.Vasin@x5.ru

SOURCE: X5 Retail Group

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KappAhl Group appoints Peter Andersson new CFO from April 2018

KappAhl Group appoints Peter Andersson new CFO from April 2018

 

Mölndal, Sweden, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ —Peter Andersson has been appointed new CFO of the KappAhl Group effective during April 2018, the latest. Peter Andersson has worked for many years as CFO of AB Lindex, where he currently is Director of Expansion.

“I am very pleased with the recruitment of Peter. His extensive expertise and experience from retail will be a great asset to KappAhl”, says Danny Feltmann, KappAhl’s President and CEO.

As from April 2018 Peter Andersson will lead and develop the financial work of the KappAhl Group. He was born in 1964, is a trained economist with an MBA from the University of Gothenburg. Peter has many years of international experience from the retail business out of strategic and operational perspective as well as qualified work in financial and risk management. He has previously worked for ICA Handlarna AB. Since 2001, Peter Andersson has been employed at AB Lindex, where he has been CFO for many years and where he, since the summer of 2017, is Director of Expansion.

Prior to the appointment of Peter Andersson, Torbjörn Gustafsson, who is responsible of the Group Controller function at KappAhl, will be acting CFO for the time until an external interim solution is in place. This is expected to take place in December.

This information is information that KappAhl AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out below, at 10.00 CET on 31 October 2017.

KappAhl was founded in Gothenburg in 1953 and is a leading fashion chain in the Nordic region with 370 KappAhl and Newbie stores, including Shop Online, in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland and Great Britain. Our business idea is to offer value-for-money fashion of our own design to the many people. Sustainability-labeled fashion accounts for 53 per cent of the range. Sales for 2016/2017 totaled SEK 4.9 billion and the company has approx. 4,000 employees in nine countries. KappAhl is quoted on Nasdaq Stockholm. More information at www.kappahl.com

For more information:
Danny Feltmann
President and CEO.
Tel +46 31 771 5661

Charlotte Högberg
Head Corporate Communications
+46 704 715 631
charlotte.hogberg@kappahl.com

Source: KappAhl Group

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CBRE Group completes acquisition of project management and design engineering provider Heery International, Inc.

Los Angeles, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE: CBG) today (October 30, 2017) announced it has completed its previously-announced acquisition of Heery International, Inc. (Heery), the project management and design engineering business of the international infrastructure group, Balfour Beatty LLC.

Heery, based in Atlanta, is a leader in providing project management, design and commissioning services across the U.S., with a wide range of corporate, government, healthcare, sports, aviation and education clients.

“This acquisition advances our strategy to grow our project management expertise and capabilities.  Heery has a strong track record of client service with many longstanding relationships spanning decades,“ said Mike Lafitte, CBRE’s Global Group President, Lines of Business. “Their deep project management expertise and strong leadership team are a great complement to CBRE’s existing capabilities in both our local market and account-based project management services.”

“We are particularly excited about Heery’s ability to deepen our relationships in the public and educational sectors, grow our position in such new vertical segments as aviation and sports, and add capabilities and expertise in design engineering services,” he added.

Heery will continue to be led by senior executives Ted Sak and Glenn Jardine.  Heery’s professionals will collaborate closely with CBRE’s project management teams who deliver services in local markets across the U.S. as well as its professionals who execute account-based project management programs through its occupier outsourcing business line, Global Workplace Solutions.

“We believe our expertise is a great fit with CBRE’s focus on delivering comprehensive, fully integrated commercial real estate solutions,” said Mr. Jardine. “We look forward to working with our new CBRE colleagues across the country to provide these solutions to a broader range of corporate and institutional clients than ever before and achieving further growth in our core markets.”

Founded in 1952, Heery has approximately 535 employees in 19 U.S. offices, providing services including project management, architecture, engineering, interior design, and commissioning.

CBRE maintains the largest network of professional commercial real estate project managers worldwide. Its more than 5,000 specialists, including 350+ LEED-certified professionals, oversaw projects with a total contract value of more than $42 billion worldwide in 2016.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain of the statements in this release regarding the acquisition of Heery International Inc. (Heery) that do not concern purely historical data are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are made based on our management’s expectations and beliefs concerning future events affecting us and are subject to uncertainties and factors relating to our operations and business environment, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. Accordingly, actual performance, results and events may vary materially from those indicated in forward-looking statements, and you should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future performance, results or events. Numerous factors could cause actual future performance, results and events to differ materially from those indicated in forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, our ability to successfully integrate Heery professionals with our existing project management operations in the U.S., as well as other risks and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. For additional information concerning factors that may cause actual results to differ from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements and other risks and uncertainties to our business in general, please refer to our SEC filings, including our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, and our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2017. Such filings are available publicly and may be obtained from our website at www.cbre.com or upon request from the CBRE Investor Relations Department at investorrelations@cbre.com.

About CBRE Group, Inc.

CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Los Angeles, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (based on 2016 revenue). The company has more than 75,000 employees (excluding affiliates), and serves real estate investors and occupiers through approximately 450 offices (excluding affiliates) worldwide. CBRE offers a broad range of integrated services, including facilities, transaction and project management; property management; investment management; appraisal and valuation; property leasing; strategic consulting; property sales; mortgage services and development services. Please visit our website at www.cbre.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Robert McGrath
212.984.8267
robert.mcgrath@cbre.com

SOURCE: CBRE Group, Inc.

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New World’s Little Garden campaign raised $150,000 for the Starship Foundation

Auckland, New Zealand, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — New World’s Little Garden campaign ended on October 15 and Foodstuffs NZ’s Brand & Sponsorship Manager Jen Mariu says it was a great success.

“We’re very pleased to say that customers who chose to donate $1 in return for the Little Garden Starflower (Borage) seedling have helped us to raise $150,000 for the Starship Foundation. This funding will make a real difference to families from across the country who use the services provided by New Zealand’s national children’s hospital.

“Last year we raised more than $50,000 for Starship through Little Garden so we’re excited to have tripled our donation this year.”

New World is a five-star partner of the Starship Foundation. One of the projects that New World supports through this sponsorship is Starship’s National Feeding Clinic.

It was launched as a pilot programme in May 2016 and is now in its second year. It helps children who have severe allergies, food aversions or medical complications that affect their ability to eat to learn to love food.

The Feeding Clinic brings together an expert team of psychologists, nutritionists, and speech and language therapists who work together to assess children with feeding difficulties.

In 2015, New World helped fund the Tube Weaning pilot programme at Starship, which was designed to help children who had been tube-fed to learn to eat and enjoy food on their own. Some of these children are now benefitting from the Feeding Clinic programme.

Occasionally, children develop a severe aversion to eating solid food, despite never having been tube-fed.

One such child is 3 year-old Luca, who has lived on a supplement for most of his life.
“He didn’t start on solid food at six months as he should have,” his mother Annie says. “I knew something was wrong and did my own research – that was how I found the team at the Starship Feeding Clinic.”

Luca was diagnosed with ARFID – Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.
“Sometimes ARFID can come about because of a trauma – for example if a child has been tube fed. In Luca’s case, it could be because he had tonsillitis twice in his first six months, and was given oral antibiotics. For a sensitive child, it was very traumatic. He had a lot of pain in swallowing, and I think he has related that to food and this coupled with a sensory processing disorder, it all spiralled from there,” Annie says.

“I thought there were only two or three other children in New Zealand with ARFID, but I started a Facebook group for parents and there are more than 100 members now.

“The programme at Starship is so amazing. There are so few places that are doing this, or understand what ARFID is. The people that run the programme are so understanding and so kind. It really affirmed that we’d done the right thing,” Annie says.

“After our third session at the clinic Luca’s fear and anxiety reduced and he began to react more positively when presented with food” .”

Luca has a long way to go yet, but his parents are confident he’s on the right track.
“The next step is, we go home and put the skills we’ve learned in therapy into practice. We’ll be back to do another fairly intensive week here, in a couple of months’ time.”

Brad Clark, Starship Foundation Chief Executive thanked New World and its customers for their generous contribution to Starship: “We love the way this campaign engages and inspires children and we are truly grateful for the financial contribution that enables us to continue providing this important Starship service for young patients like Luca and so many families across New Zealand” he said.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Foodstuffs Communications Team Phone
0800 376 3342

Source: Foodstuffs NZ

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Shop Direct raised £440,000 for Claire House’s new site in Liverpool

Liverpool,UK, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Shop Direct has raised £440,000 in just 12 months to digitally equip Claire House’s new site, which will support hundreds of seriously and terminally ill children in Liverpool and the wider North West.

In September 2016, the 4,700-strong team at Shop Direct voted for Claire House Children’s Hospice as its charitable partner of the year for 2016/17. The charity helps seriously ill children live life to the full by creating wonderful experiences and bringing a sense of normality to family life.

Since then, colleagues across the etail giant’s sites in Liverpool and Manchester have undertaken a variety of fundraising activities including a charity ball for over 1,000 people, mountain climbing, fun days, worldwide marathons, skydiving, cycling and a digital dog show.

Shop Direct has also worked with Claire House to form a new innovation board, which is helping the charity to define what a world class digital hospice is and deliver the plans, which will create a lasting legacy for the North West.

The corporate partnership, which is Claire House’s biggest to date, has helped the charity put in place futureproof digital infrastructure like cabling, Wi-Fi and server technology at its new site located in the West Derby area of Liverpool. In addition, Claire House is modernising paper-based systems so its teams can deliver a more personalised service while caring for children in their own homes, as well as at the site.

The team at Shop Direct is also helping to fund and design an interactive multi-media suite for use by the children and families who visit the centre. It will include cutting-edge technology and innovative sensory treatments.

Alex Baldock, group CEO at Shop Direct, said: “We’re passionate about the North West and helping our local communities, but even we were blown away by the huge, huge difference Claire House makes in the lives of children and their families. It’s a charity that’s close to a lot of our colleagues’ hearts, and we were all delighted to support them.

“Everyone at Shop Direct has got behind Claire House in some style; raising more than we’ve ever raised before in a charity partnership and smashing our original £400,000 target. Our colleagues’ ambition and commitment has been inspirational; from the person who is completing seven marathons to the colleague who got a Claire House tattoo.

“We’re delighted that the money we’ve raised will help to transform the charity’s new site, making a massive difference to children and their families’ for years to come. We can’t wait for the next stage of our partnership, which will see us work together on a cutting-edge multimedia suite.”

David Pastor, Chief Executive at Claire House, commented: “Not only has this been Claire House’s largest corporate partnership, it’s been one of our most successful, with both organisations working closely together on a common goal; to support the children and families we care for.

“We’re so grateful to everyone at Shop Direct who have got behind our cause so wholeheartedly and really helped us kick start our journey to reaching every family that needs us.”

ABOUT CLAIRE HOUSE
Claire House Children’s Hospice helps seriously and terminally ill children live life to the full by creating wonderful experiences and bringing back a sense of normality to family life. By providing specialist nursing care and emotional support Claire House helps families smile again when life couldn’t get any tougher.

Offering care whenever and wherever it’s needed, the hospice provides various therapies, day care, short breaks, counselling and end of life care. Claire House offers parents some desperately needed time off with the peace of mind that their children are being well looked after. The hospice provides someone to talk to and specialist counselling and family support. Families also get a chance to get to know each other and meet with other people going through similar experiences through days out, experiences and support groups.

www.clairehouse.org.uk
www.facebook.com/ClaireHouseCH
www.twitter.com/ClaireHouse
www.instagram.com/clairehouse

ABOUT SHOP DIRECT
Shop Direct is the UK’s second largest pureplay digital retailer, with annual sales of £1.93 billion. Our digital department store brands are Very.co.uk, Littlewoods.com, VeryExclusive.co.uk and LittlewoodsIreland.ie. We receive an average of more than 1.3 million website visits every day, with 69% of online sales completed on mobile devices.

We exist to make good things easily accessible to more people. With our department store range of famous brands, market-leading technology and data capabilities and unique financial services products offering flexible ways to pay, we’re well placed to deliver on that promise.

We sell more than 1,800 famous brands, including big name labels and our own exclusive brands. We have four million customers and deliver 49 million products every year. Our free click and collect service, Collect+, delivers to 6,500 stores across the country, increasing ease and convenience for customers.

For more information on Shop Direct, visit www.shopdirect.com or follow us on Twitter at @ShopDirect.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Shop Direct
Dave Lafferty
dave.lafferty@shopdirect.com
07552 283 266

Source: Shopdirect

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B&M opens new store in Llanelli, South Wales

Liverpool, United Kingdom, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — B&M increased its presence in South Wales with opening of a new store in Llanelli.

The B&M Home Store with Garden Centre is located at the new Cross Hands Business Park, opening its doors to the public on Saturday with the help of some very special guests.

Chairman of Carmarthenshire, Councillor Irfon Jones and his wife Jean Jones were on hand to cut the ribbon to officially declare the store open.

And store staff nominated a local charity to join in the opening day fun. Representatives from Wales Air Ambulance attended the store opening and raised money throughout the day as B&M’s VIP guests. They also received £250 worth of B&M vouchers as a thank you for taking part.

After a busy but successful opening, B&M Crosshands store manager said: ““We’re feeling really positive about the creation of new jobs for local people and feedback from customers has been great so far.”

The Llanelli store is the second B&M in the town, following the Bargains store located at Parc Pemberton. The store stocks a great range for eager bargain hunters, from homeware, toiletries and pet ranges to toys, paint and a large garden centre selection.

For media/press enquiries please email press@bmstores.co.uk

Source: B&M  store

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REI Co-op will close stores on Black Friday; will pay all 12,000 employees to #OptOutside with family and friends

Outdoor co-op launches experiential search engine powered by millions who have chosen to #OptOutside

SEATTLE, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — For the third year running, REI Co-op, the nation’s largest consumer co-op and specialty outdoor retailer, has announced that it will close its 151 stores on Black Friday, process no online sales and pay all 12,000 employees to #OptOutside with family and friends.

Each year, REI gives more than 70 percent of its profits back to the outdoor community. Rather than seek to pull shoppers inside for this Thanksgiving weekend, REI is launching a new experiential search engine at REI.com/opt-outside to help inspire and enable people to get outside. It’s powered by the individual and collective experiences of the outdoor community and free for all to use.

“We are doing this again to unite people and to find common ground in the outdoors,” said REI CEO Jerry Stritzke. “Right now, I think people are looking for a moment to take a breath, reground themselves and come together. More than 700 organizations and nearly 8 million people have joined #OptOutside over the past two years. We could not be more thankful. But last year we stepped back and said we can do more. We asked how we could offer new practical tools and inspiration. So we have captured the experiences of the outdoor community and organized them in a way that no one has done before.”

At the heart of this year’s effort, the new experiential search engine from REI is designed to inspire millions of people to #OptOutside. It features images pulled entirely from #OptOutside user-generated content (UGC) on Instagram, augmented with real-time information about locations and experiences across the country. For example, users who click on an image of a hiker can see the name of the specific trail featured, the trail’s difficulty rating, directions to the trailhead, recent user reviews of the experience and related expert advice from REI. Beginning today and leading up to Black Friday, the co-op will release 20 films featuring this community-created imagery to connect people through their shared #OptOutside experiences.

The co-op’s efforts to get more people outside do not begin and end with #OptOutside. Year-round, the co-op partners with hundreds of local and national organizations, nonprofits and governmental agencies, championing the outdoor life by implementing and encouraging others to adopt the highest sustainability standards and working to increase access to the outdoors for everyone.

About the REI Co-op
REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation’s largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of more than 16 million members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips, and outstanding customer service. REI has 151 stores in 36 states. If you can’t visit a store, you can shop at REI.com, REI-Garage.com or the free REI shopping app. REI isn’t just about gear. You can take the trip of a lifetime with REI Adventures, a global leader in active adventure travel that runs more than 170 custom-designed itineraries worldwide. The REI Outdoor School is run by professionally-trained, expert-instructors who teach beginner-to advanced-level courses about a wide range of activities. To build on the infrastructure that makes life outside possible, REI invests millions annually in hundreds of local and national nonprofits that create access to—and steward—the outdoor places that inspire us all.

Source: REI

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Beyond Meat® adds Leonardo DiCaprio as an investor and advocate

EL SEGUNDO, California, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Beyond Meat®, a leader in plant-based meat, announced today (October 17, 2017) the addition of Leonardo DiCaprio as an investor and advocate.

“I am thrilled to officially welcome Leonardo DiCaprio to the Beyond Meat family,” said Ethan Brown, CEO of Beyond Meat. “His investment and role as an advocate reflects a shared vision that meat made directly from plants, like our Beyond Burger, has enormous benefits for human health, the climate, natural resources, and animal welfare. Leo was helpful early on in providing feedback on our burgers as we readied them for launch, and I look forward to continuing to collaborate as we bring delicious, satiating products to a rapidly increasing consumer base.”

Mr. DiCaprio commented on his decision to join Beyond Meat as an investor and advocate, saying: “Livestock production is a major contributor to carbon emissions. Shifting from animal meat to the plant-based meats developed by Beyond Meat is one of the most powerful measures someone can take to reduce their impact on our climate.”

Mr. DiCaprio will help Beyond Meat as it becomes a leading plant-based solution to the world’s growing demand for protein in the form of meat.

“The company’s ability to create appealing, healthy meat directly from plants will go a long way in helping every day consumers take action on climate change,” continued Mr. DiCaprio.

This summer, the breakthrough Beyond Burger increased its distribution by sevenfold, expanding to 2,000+ stores and landing the revolutionary product in the meat case at the country’s two biggest grocery chains, Kroger and Albertsons Companies. To meet the swelling mainstream consumer demand for plant-based options, The Beyond Burger launched in over 600 top-performing Kroger-owned stores spanning 15 states and four of Kroger’s key banners: Fred Meyer, King Sooper, Kroger and Ralphs. Albertsons Companies also expanded The Beyond Burger’s availability to more than 1,000 locations across their Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Haggen, Carrs and Albertsons stores. Since launching to sell-out demand at Whole Foods in May 2016, the Beyond Burger has continued to gain mainstream momentum in meat cases nationwide. For the latest store list, visit the Beyond Meat blog.

The Beyond Burger is also making groundbreaking strides outside of the meat case, joining the menu at one of the fastest-growing national burger concepts. After conducting tests at eight locations around the country, BurgerFi announced it would launch the Beyond Burger system-wide at each of its 101 restaurants on Labor Day (September 4th). BurgerFi offers vegan and non-vegan builds of the burger, creating more choices for consumers looking for a burger with benefits. In addition, Epic Burger, a trend-setting better-burger outfit based in Chicago, followed suit at all eight locations, and has reported selling more than 10,000 burgers in the first two months. The Beyond Burger is also available at Veggie Grill and dozens of other foodservice outlets across the country.

The Beyond Burger is the first-ever plant-based burger to satisfy like a traditional beef burger, but with 20g of protein, no cholesterol, and no GMOs, soy or gluten. It is currently sold in more than 2,500 grocery stores and restaurants nationwide, with more partners joining daily.

ABOUT BEYOND MEAT

Based in Los Angeles, California, Beyond Meat is a privately held company with a mission of building meat directly from plants. Investors include Bill Gates, Twitter co-founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams, Kleiner Perkins, former McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson, Honest Tea founder Seth Goldman, Humane Society of the United States, and Tyson Foods. To stay up to date on the latest, visit www.BeyondMeat.com and follow @BeyondMeat, #BeyondBurger and #FutureOfProtein on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Source: Beyond Meat

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Alibaba Cloud opens its data center in Malaysia

Meets growing demand in the region and enables enterprises to run workloads in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, today (October 30, 2017) opened its data center in Malaysia. Located strategically for Southeast Asian coverage, the data center will meet the surging demand for scalable and cost-effective cloud computing services among enterprises in the region.

As the first global public cloud platform in Malaysia, the new center will provide Malaysian enterprises a local choice to build their businesses and run their applications on a powerful, reliable and secure cloud platform. Customers with low latency or data sovereignty requirements will be able to store and process huge amounts of data in Malaysia. By migrating IT infrastructure to the cloud, enterprises can leverage Alibaba Cloud’s scalable and cost effective cloud services to scale rapidly, accelerate innovation and expand their geographic reach in minutes.

The power and network strength of the data center reaches beyond Malaysia. It provides flexibility for enterprises as far away as Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand to subscribe to services according to different disaster recovery and network speed requirements. The link to the data centers in Hong Kong and Singapore via Alibaba Cloud’s backbone network will provide fast, stable, secure and private or dedicated connections between different cloud environments, providing customers efficient cross-border hybrid cloud solutions.

The data center will offer a comprehensive suite of cloud products and services ranging from elastic computing, database service, networking, security, middleware, to analytics and big data. This will encompass the full range of Alibaba Cloud’s solutions which will satisfy the needs of governments and large corporations as well as enterprises in the Internet, game, multimedia, mobile Internet and finance industries. The big data service “MaxCompute” (a big data platform that allows users to store and process massive amounts of structural data to levels as high as terabyte or even petabyte) in particular, will bring sophisticated data intelligence services ranging from data processing and analytics to machine learning to Malaysian businesses, driving their technology-enabled business transformation.

Alibaba Cloud has dedicated a local team of solutions architects and professional consultants to provide services from cloud consulting to after-sales support, helping customers of all sizes as they move to the cloud and enabling them to realize their full economic potential.

Simon Hu, Senior Vice President of Alibaba Group and President of Alibaba Cloud said: “The Malaysia data center will give us a leading edge to support the growth of SMEs and other businesses in the region. For SMEs and start-ups in particular, access to scalable and cost effective cloud services, as well as a local support team are decisive factors when they choose a cloud service partner. Alibaba Cloud’s powerful and comprehensive solutions will offer smaller companies a level playing field to compete in global trade. Large enterprises, on the other hand, will enjoy the convenience and security of local data storage, helping them to meet applicable regulatory requirements.”

In March this year, Alibaba Group announced the setup of the first overseas e-hub under eWTP or Electronic World Trade Platform in Malaysia. The cloud solutions offered by the data center will facilitate seamless cross-border online businesses for Malaysian enterprises.

“In the near future, cloud computing, data technology and AI will become fundamental tools for all companies and organizations to operate effectively. The newly opened data center will boost Malaysia’s cloud infrastructure and be the digital foundation to realize the eWTP vision in the country,” Hu added.

The new data center in Malaysia will add to Alibaba Cloud’s 14 data centers worldwide, covering mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and the U.S. (East and West Coast).

For more information on products and services, go to: https://www.alibabacloud.com/campaign/malaysia-cloud-server

About Alibaba Cloud

Established in 2009, Alibaba Cloud (www.alibabacloud.com), the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, is among the world’s top three IaaS providers according to Gartner, and the largest provider of public cloud services in China, according to IDC. Alibaba Cloud provides a comprehensive suite of cloud computing services to businesses worldwide, including merchants doing business on Alibaba Group marketplaces, start-ups, corporations and government organisations. Alibaba Cloud is the official Cloud Services Partner of the International Olympic Committee.

Media Contacts:

Sindy Shi
Alibaba Group
+86 15021925635
ruoyun.sry@alibaba-inc.com

Yinan Qian
Alibaba Group
+86 18600040770
yinan.qyn@alibaba-inc.com

Source: Alibaba Group

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Dunkin’ Donuts renews sponsorship of the National Women’s Hockey League

Dunkin’ Donuts renews sponsorship of the National Women’s Hockey League

 

Dunkin’ Donuts renews agreement as official coffee and quick service restaurant of the NWHL

CANTON, MA, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — As the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) drops the puck for the start of its third season, Dunkin’ Donuts has renewed its sponsorship of the league, confirming its commitment to the NWHL and strong support for women’s hockey. Dunkin’ Donuts, which became the league’s first-ever official corporate sponsor in its inaugural season in 2015, will remain the official coffee and quick service restaurant of the NWHL as part of the extended agreement for the upcoming season.

Through its partnership, Dunkin’ Donuts will continue to coordinate with the NWHL’s four franchises – Boston Pride, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters and defending champions Buffalo Beauts – to provide female youth players throughout key markets with private hockey clinics featuring team representatives. Additionally, Dunkin’ Donuts’ iconic pink and orange logo will continue to be featured on all team jerseys, signage on league goal posts and behind each bench, and advertising on www.nwhl.zone and each team website.

According to Tom Manchester, Vice President, Field Marketing, Dunkin’ Donuts, “Dunkin’ Donuts has a long hockey heritage, from sponsoring leagues, teams and arenas to keeping fans and families running with a hot cup of coffee in the stands or on the way to practice. Our partnership with the NWHL not only deepens our connection to hockey culture, but helps drive critical awareness for female athletes and the increasing popularity of women’s hockey. It has been a privilege to be part of this important league and we look forward to continuing our support of the NWHL as a pinnacle of women’s hockey.”

The NWHL is the first professional women’s hockey league in North America. Its new season begins tomorrow with the start of each team’s 16-game schedule, and concludes in March 2018 with playoffs and the champion team raising the Isobel Cup, the championship trophy named after the daughter of Lord Stanley. Fans across the globe can enjoy the Twitter NWHL Game of the Week streamed live for free at NWHL.twitter.com.

According to NWHL Commissioner Dani Rylan, “Dunkin’ Donuts has been a fantastic partner and friend for the NWHL since the beginning, and their invaluable support of our league and commitment to our athletes has played a significant role in our success in bringing fans the chance to watch some of the best women’s hockey players in the world. Through our Dunkin’ Donuts clinics, young girls are not only able to visualize the dream of becoming professional players, they can learn first-hand from NWHL athletes. The NWHL truly runs on Dunkin’, and on behalf of our teams and our players we could not be more pleased that Dunkin’ Donuts will remain an important part of our league.”

Dunkin’ Donuts has scored key sponsorships in recent years to further its mission to support female athletes and drive awareness of the increasingly popular sport of women’s hockey. In 2016 Dunkin’ Donuts announced a multi-year agreement with USA Hockey that includes designation as the Official Coffee Shop of the U.S. Women’s National Team. Dunkin’ Donuts also has a long-standing personal services agreement with two-time Olympic silver medalist Meghan Duggan, a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team since 2006. Duggan, a five-time world champion, has also starred with the NWHL’s Buffalo Beauts.

Dunkin’ Donuts is the official U.S. coffee, donut and breakfast sandwich of the NHL®. The brand has a long and proud history of partnerships across other sports, including the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, New York Mets, New York Giants, New York Jets, New England Patriots, and Philadelphia Eagles.

To learn more about Dunkin’ Donuts, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com, or subscribe to the Dunkin’ Donuts blog to receive notifications at https://news.dunkindonuts.com/blog.

About Dunkin’ Donuts

Founded in 1950, Dunkin’ Donuts is America’s favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin’ Donuts is a market leader in the hot regular/decaf/flavored coffee, iced coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin’ Donuts has earned a No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for 11 years running. The company has more than 12,400 restaurants in 46 countries worldwide. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin’ Donuts is part of the Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.

Contact:

Michelle King
Dunkin’ Brands
781-737-5200
Michelle.King @dunkinbrands.com

Source: Dunkin’ Donuts

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NCR elects Matthew Thompson to its board

Duluth, Ga., 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR), a global leader in omni-channel solutions, today (October 30, 2017 ) announced that its Board of Directors has elected Matthew Thompson, executive vice president of field operations for Adobe, to the company’s board.

Matt’s sales career has spanned 35 years. In his current role, Matt leads Adobe’s global sales force and customer-facing functions. Prior to joining Adobe in 2007, he led sales teams at Borland, Marimba, Cadence Design Systems (acquired by PeopleSoft) and Electronic Data Systems (acquired by HP).

“We are delighted to welcome Matt to our board,” said Bill Nuti, chairman and CEO, NCR Corporation. “We look forward to the perspectives and insights he can contribute, particularly as a Software Sales leader with extensive knowledge of Cloud and SaaS transformation.”

In accordance with NCR’s declassified board procedures, Mr. Thompson will be a candidate for re-election to the board at the company’s 2018 annual meeting of stockholders.

Matt graduated from Northern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management.

About NCR Corporation

NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is a leader in omni-channel solutions, turning everyday interactions with businesses into exceptional experiences. With its software, hardware, and portfolio of services, NCR enables nearly 700 million transactions daily across the financial, retail, hospitality, travel, telecom and technology industries. NCR solutions run the everyday transactions that make your life easier. NCR is headquartered in Duluth, Ga., with about 30,000 employees and does business in 180 countries. NCR is a trademark of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries. NCR encourages investors to visit its website which is updated regularly with financial and other important information about NCR.

Website: www.ncr.com

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

NCR Investor Contact:
Michael Nelson
NCR Corporation
678-808-6995
michael.nelson@ncr.com

NCR Media Contact:
Scott Sykes
NCR Corporation
212-589-8428
scott.sykes@ncr.com

Source: NCR Corporation

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Debenhams opens its first store in Australia

Debenhams opens its first store in Australia

 

  • The store’s small-format layout – across two storeys and 3600sqm – is the first of its kind for Debenhams and is a notable shift away from the traditional department store format in Australia.
  • David Smith, Debenhams’ Managing Director, International, said:“International expansion in key markets is a strategic priority for the business. Shoppers in Australia spend more than $5.1 billion on fashion and $8.0 billion on beauty products a year¹ – add that to the fact that we know that our offering resonates and the next logical step for the business was to open a store in Australia”.

London, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Leading British retailer, Debenhams is extending its global footprint with the opening of its first store in Australia today (24 October).

The store in Melbourne is the first site with franchise partner, Pepkor, part of the Steinhoff Group.

The store’s small-format layout – across two storeys and 3600sqm – is the first of its kind for Debenhams and is a notable shift away from the traditional department store format in Australia. The store features a unique mix of clothing and products from the retailer’s extensive portfolio of household British designer names including Jasper Conran, Julien Macdonald, Preen, Savannah Miller, Matthew Williamson and Jenny Packham. In-store services include style suite, beauty rooms and café.

David Smith, Debenhams’ Managing Director, International, said: “International expansion in key markets is a strategic priority for the business. More than 20 million shoppers visit our 175 UK and ROI stores each year and this includes a huge number of Australian consumers.

“Shoppers in Australia spend more than $5.1 billion on fashion and $8.0 billion on beauty products a year¹ – add that to the fact that we know that our offering resonates and the next logical step for the business was to open a store in Australia.”

Graham Dean, Managing Director of Debenhams Australia, said the international retailer has brought more than two centuries of experience and success to the opening of Debenhams St Collins Lane.

“The opening of Debenhams St Collins Lane is an evolution of our success with the Australian market, with online sales to Australia already the largest outside of the United Kingdom. We have a track record of getting retail right – Debenhams St Collins Lane is not a traditional store, and we are confident in this new offering in a popular area of the Melbourne CBD.”

Debenhams St Collins Lane opened yesterday and joins a portfolio of 243 Debenhams stores across 28 countries worldwide. The store will trade in line with CDB trading hours.

CONTACTS:
Debenhams Press Office
020 3549 6420
press.office@debenhams.com

Source: Debenhams

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Debenhams to trial instore fitness centres Sweat! in three stores from early 2018

Debenhams to trial instore fitness centres Sweat! in three stores from early 2018

 

LONDON, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Leading British retailer, Debenhams, has today (27/10/17) announced that it is launching a trial of instore fitness centres with gym specialists, Sweat! as part of the Debenhams Redesigned strategy to make stores a Destination for Social Shopping.

The partnership, set to launch in three stores from early 2018 will give customers more reasons to visit Debenhams stores more often and will attract a younger female base. Founded by entrepreneur, Frank Reed, Sweat! offers an aspirational gym environment at a slight price premium to budget gyms. Facilities in the brightly branded gym space include dedicated studios for spinning and aerobics, innovative fitness programmes such as The Matrix along with a full range of free weights and Technogym equipment.

Whilst offering customers a vibrant gym environment, Debenhams products will also be on offer to suit health and fitness lifestyles. The relationship sees Debenhams broaden its reach to the Sweat! customer base with cross-marketing opportunities planned such as enrolling each Sweat! member to the Debenhams Beauty Club.

Sergio Bucher, CEO of Debenhams said: “In Spring we detailed the Debenhams Redesigned strategy stating that we would look to work with strategic partners to deliver our plan.  We believe that by teaming with Sweat! we will optimise the space that is available in some of our stores whilst offering an attractive and credible leisure experience to customers.  The partnership is a step closer to establishing Debenhams as a Destination for leisure experiences and gives customers more reasons to visit us more often.”

Frank Reed, founder of Sweat! said: “Partnering with Debenhams provides Sweat! with access to attractive locations and the opportunity to engage with the retailers established loyal customer base. UK gym usage is forecast to reach the 20% penetration rates achieved by parts of Europe and the US by 2020 and by providing a differentiated product in a place that is convenient to customers we anticipate that we will capitalise on growth for leisure experiences.”

Sweat! currently attracts 600-800 visits to each of its five gyms each day with a 55% female customer base visiting gyms 2-3 times per week. The gyms are inclusive and welcoming environments manned by motivated and energetic teams.  Sweat! is the newest offering from Reed who previously founded LivingWell, Virgin Active and Virgin Pulse.

Notes to Editors

¹2017 State of the UK Fitness Industry Report – http://www.leisuredb.com/blog/2017/5/5/2017-state-of-the-uk-fitness-industry-report-out-now

Debenhams is a leading international, department store destination with a proud British heritage which trades out of around 250 stores across 25 countries and is available online in more than 60 countries.  Debenhams gives its customers around the world a unique, differentiated and exclusive mix of own brands, international brands and concessions.

Debenhams has been investing in design for over 20 years through its exclusive Designers at Debenhams portfolio of brands.  Current designers include Abigail Ahern, Jeff Banks, Jasper Conran, Sadie Frost and Jemima French, Patrick Grant, Henry Holland, Ben de Lisi, Todd Lynn, Julien Macdonald, Savannah Miller, Jenny Packham, Aliza Reger, John Rocha, Ashley Thomas, Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi, Eric Van Peterson and Matthew Williamson.

For more information, visit www.Debenhams.com

CONTACTS:
Debenhams Press Office
020 3549 6420
press.office@debenhams.com

Source: Debenhams

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RioCan-HBC JV engages CBRE and Brookfield Financial Real Estate Group to explore possible sale of its Vancouver property

Expects to close $200 million mortgage; proceeds to be distributed to HBC and RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust

TORONTO and NEW YORK, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — RioCan-HBC JV (“JV”), a joint venture between HBC (TSX: HBC) and RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust (“RioCan” (TSX:REI.UN) announced today (October 30, 2017) that it has engaged CBRE and Brookfield Financial Real Estate Group to explore a possible sale of its Vancouver property located at 674 Granville Street and currently occupied under a long term lease by Hudson’s Bay.

Additionally, the JV expects to close on a $200 million mortgage on the same property, the proceeds of which would be distributed on a pro-rata basis to the JV partners. The mortgage is expected to be for a term of four years at a rate of prime plus 1.0% and has no prepayment penalty in the event of a sale of the property. BMO Capital Markets Real Estate Inc. is acting as the exclusive advisor on this financing.

“We are exploring a sale of this flagship property as the Vancouver real estate market has appreciated significantly over the past several years. While no decision to sell has been made, we continue to explore opportunistic transactions to enhance shareholder value,” stated Richard Baker, HBC’s Governor, Executive Chairman and interim Chief Executive Officer. “We are committed to operating our Hudson’s Bay store at this location and any possible sale would include the continued operation of Hudson’s Bay at this property.”

About the RioCan-HBC Joint Venture
A limited partnership between HBC and RioCan Real Estate Investment, the RioCan-HBC Joint Venture owns or controls ten flagship properties in major cities across Canada, including Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, and Montreal, as well as a 50% interest in Oakville Place and Georgian Mall. Formed in 2015, the JV has a mandate to explore future acquisitions that would grow and diversify its real estate portfolio. As of June 30, 2017, the JV was owned 88.1% by HBC and 11.9% by RioCan.

For HBC Shareholders
Certain statements made in this news release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including, but not limited to, statements with respect to the closing of a $200 million mortgage on the JV’s Vancouver property located at 674 Granville Street and the expected distribution of proceeds on a pro-rata basis to the JV partners, the expectation that the mortgage will be for a term of four years at a rate of prime plus 1.0% and that the mortgage has no prepayment penalty in the event of a sale of the property, and other statements that are not historical facts. Often but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “believe”, “estimate”, “plan”, “could”, “should”, “would”, “outlook”, “forecast”, “anticipate”, “foresee”, “continue” or the negative of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology.

Although HBC believes that the forward-looking statements in this news release are based on information and assumptions that are current, reasonable and complete, these statements are by their nature subject to a number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from management’s expectations and plans as set forth in such forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the following factors, many of which are beyond HBC’s control and the effects of which can be difficult to predict: (a) the possibility that the anticipated benefits from the JV are not realized; (b) the risk that the JV will not be able to close on the mortgage as described herein; (c) that there can be no assurance that any sale of the property by the JV will occur or at what price and upon what conditions, or for which the ultimate proceeds of which are used; and (d) credit, market, currency, operational, liquidity and funding risks generally, including changes in economic conditions, interest rates or tax rates. HBC cautions that the foregoing list of important factors and assumptions is not exhaustive and other factors could also adversely affect its results. For more information on the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause HBC’s actual results to differ from current expectations, please refer to the “Risk Factors” section of HBC’s Annual Information Form dated April 28, 2017, the “Risk Factors” section of HBC’s MD&A dated September 5, 2017, as well as HBC’s other public filings, available at www.sedar.com and at www.hbc.com.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release describe HBC’s expectations at the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Except as may be required by applicable Canadian securities laws, HBC does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forrd-looking statements contained in this news release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

INVESTOR RELATIONS:
Elliot Grundmanis
646-802-2469
elliot.grundmanis@hbc.com

MEDIA:
Tiffany Bourré
(905) 595-7184
tiffany.bourre@hbc.com

Source: HBC

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Sprouts Farmers Market welcomes Joseph (Joe) O’Leary to its board of directors

PHOENIX, 2017-Nov-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (Nasdaq:SFM) today ( Oct. 30, 2017) announced the addition of Joseph (Joe) O’Leary to its board of directors.

“We are excited to welcome a seasoned executive like Joe O’Leary to our board,” said Amin Maredia, chief executive officer and a director of Sprouts Farmers Market. “Joe’s strategic acumen and deep merchandising and supply chain experience with successful growth-oriented retailers will be a great asset to our company and our board.”

O’Leary currently serves on the board of directors of Francesca’s Holding Corp. (Nasdaq:FRAN), a growing specialty retailer which operates a nationwide-chain of boutiques, and PetSmart, Inc., the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. O’Leary previously served in various executive leadership roles with PetSmart, including most recently as president and chief operating officer, as well as executive vice president of merchandising, marketing, supply chain and strategic planning. Before joining PetSmart, O’Leary served as chief operating officer of Human Touch, LLC, and senior vice president, supply chain strategy and global logistics of Gap Inc.

“Sprouts has become a leader in its industry by making healthy living easy and affordable,” said O’Leary. “This is an exciting time to join Sprouts, and I am thrilled to work with the board and management team to help lead the company on the journey ahead.”

Corporate Profile

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. specializes in fresh, natural and organic products at prices that appeal to everyday grocery shoppers. Based on the belief that healthy food should be affordable, Sprouts’ welcoming environment and knowledgeable team members continue to drive its growth. Sprouts offers a complete shopping experience that includes an array of fresh produce in the heart of the store, a deli with prepared entrees and side dishes, The Butcher Shop, The Fish Market, an expansive vitamins and supplements department and more. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Sprouts employs more than 27,000 team members and operates more than 280 stores in 15 states from coast to coast. For more information, visit sprouts.com or @sproutsfm on Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact (including, but not limited to, statements to the effect that Sprouts Farmers Market or its management “anticipates,” “plans,” “estimates,” “expects,” or “believes,” or the negative of these terms and other similar expressions) should be considered forward-looking statements. These statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from expectations as of the date of this release. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks associated with the company’s ability to successfully compete in its intensely competitive industry; the company’s ability to successfully open new stores; the company’s ability to manage its rapid growth; the company’s ability to maintain or improve its operating margins; the company’s ability to identify and react to trends in consumer preferences; product supply disruptions; general economic conditions; and other factors as set forth from time to time in the company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including, without limitation, the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K. The company intends these forward-looking statements to speak only as of the time of this release and does not undertake to update or revise them as more information becomes available, except as required by law.

Investor Contact:
Susannah Livingston
(602) 682-1584
susannahlivingston@sprouts.com

Media Contact:
Donna Egan
(602) 682-3152
media@sprouts.com

Source: Sprouts Farmers Market