Monthly Archives: December 2017

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The Home Depot® acquires leading online retailer of textiles and home décor products The Company Store

ATLANTA, 2017-Dec-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — The Home Depot® announced today (Dec 21, 2017) that it has acquired The Company Store, a leading online retailer of textiles and home décor products, from Hanover Direct. The deal closed on December 19 and terms were not disclosed.

In addition to its success as an online retailer, The Company Store has strong relationships and industry leading capabilities in the development and sourcing of high quality textiles across bedding, bath, and related categories.  Founded in 1911, The Company Store has a rich history of providing products that are highly sought after by customers as they put the finishing touches on a room.

“The acquisition of The Company Store provides product development and sourcing capabilities to help us expand our online décor business into broader categories across the entire home,” said Craig Menear, chairman, CEO and president of The Home Depot.  “On behalf of our 400,000-plus associates, I want to welcome The Company Store’s talented associates into The Home Depot family.”

The acquisition does not include The Company Store’s five retail locations.

The Home Depot is the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,284 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico. In fiscal 2016, The Home Depot had sales of $94.6 billion and earnings of $8.0 billion. The Company employs more than 400,000 associates. The Home Depot’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500 index.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained herein constitute “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may relate to, among other things, the demand for our products and services; effects of competition; state of the residential construction, housing and home improvement markets; capital allocation and expenditures; financial outlook; and integration of The Company Store into our organization and the ability to recognize the anticipated synergies and benefits of the acquisition. Forward-looking statements are based on currently available information and our current assumptions, expectations and projections about future events. You should not rely on our forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to future events, risks and uncertainties – many of which are beyond our control or are currently unknown to us – as well as potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations and projections. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to those described in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended January 29, 2017 and in our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we do not undertake to update these statements other than as required by law. You are advised, however, to review any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE: The Home Depot

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Carrefour launches The Boucles du Cœur 2018 edition; continues its support to children in need

Carrefour launches The Boucles du Cœur 2018 edition; continues its support to children in need

 

Boulogne-Billancourt, France, 2017-Dec-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — The Boucles du Cœur – the event created by Carrefour – has just launched a call for charity projects to decide which association is to be the beneficiary, at national level, of the donations given during the 2018 edition. The general public will vote for the best project on the Internet.

The Boucles du Cœur
In 2011, Carrefour created the Boucles du Cœur, a charity event held in the group’s stores for one month every year. The Boucles du Cœur is a means to collect donations and so finance research projects or initiatives designed to help children in difficulty. Every year, one particular national charity and more than 300 local organisations benefit from the generosity of Carrefour’s customers and the commitment of its employees. In 2017, €2.6 million were donated, €375,000 of which went to the Grégory Lemarchal association. Since they were set up, the Boucles du Cœur has raised €8 million.

The call for projects
New for 2018: the charity supported at national level will be chosen by people over the Internet. They will get to vote for one of the 12 finalist charities short-listed by a Carrefour panel. Applicants spearheading a project to help children in difficulty in France should submit their application online by 6 January 2018 at http://www.carrefour.fr/engagements/boucles-du-coeur/inscription

People will then have from 22 January until 18 February to vote on www.carrefour.fr. The winning beneficiary charity will then be revealed on 1 March. The 11 other charities will each get an award of €1000.

Eligibility criteria: The project must have something to do with supporting children and must be originated by a general-interest, non-profit making organisation, or one that is recognised as being in the public interest. It should relate to the day-to-day lives and environments of ill children, preventive healthcare, nutrition, education or protecting children in France. It must be delivered by the charity within 2 years of the 2018 Boucles du Cœur, and it must be possible to identify its impact.

Spotlight on seven years of initiatives to help children in need
The 7 previous editions have supported projects managed by the Laurette Fugain association (in 2016), the Etoile de Martin (in 2015), SOS Children’s Village, ELA (the European Leukodystrophy Association), the Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque (set up to enable children with heart malformations to undergo surgery in France) and the Fêtes le Mur (which fosters community involvement among disadvantaged children). Thanks to the Boucles du Cœur, the Laurette Fugain association, for example, has been able to get its “LEA” project off the ground – a large-scale study designed to further our understanding of post-illness recovery. The Etoile de Martin was able to fund a research project into rare tumours in children. The Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque association brought 30 children suffering from heart malformations to France so they could be operated on – children who could not receive treatment in their home countries. The Grégory Lemarchal association is funding a wide research programme into infections, and is increasing life expectancy for cystic fibrosis sufferers.

For all request about the Carrefour Group (sales, financial results, governance, international,…), please contact the Carrefour Group media relations office:

. By phone:

Switchboard: +33 (0)1 41 04 26 00

For journalists: +33 (0)1 41 04 26 17

. By e-mail: presse_groupe@carrefour.com

Source: Carrefour Group

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Carrefour opens a new hypermarket in Warsaw with brand-new, completely original digital solutions

Carrefour opens a new hypermarket in Warsaw with brand-new, completely original digital solutions

 

Boulogne-Billancourt, France, 2017-Dec-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — A new hypermarket opened on 13 December in Warsaw. Its customers will be able to take advantage of its brand-new, completely original digital solutions, as well as range of new commercial concepts, including m-commerce type services, a restaurant right in the heart of the store and a line of checkouts that is not quite what they’ll be expecting.

It features nearly 13,000 food products over a sales area of around 2000 m². Customers looking for organic or gluten-free items – or products for diabetics – will be able to choose from around 800 products. The healthy food product assortment also includes the “Fresh produce market”, where customers can choose from a wide selection of fruit and vegetables. The hypermarket also stocks a wide selection of cooked meat products, cheeses, fish, bread and World Cuisine products. And for beer lovers, Carrefour sells a wide selection – a few hundred regional beers – in the alcoholic beverages section.

Customers can order any food products that are unavailable in the store via one of the 19 interactive screens – a new concept developed by Carrefour. Customers will need the Mon Carrefour app on their phones to place an order. Their shopping is then delivered to whatever address they specify anywhere in Warsaw, or it is prepared so they can pick it up from a Coolomat outside the shopping centre (parcel deposit system specifically designed for food products). With this new service, customers can now access any of the 16,500 food products available online at eCarrefour.pl, and around 6000 non-food products available at Carrefour.pl.

The other new feature which is not available in other Carrefour stores is the dedicated restaurant area. This is right in the centre of the Carrefour PRO store, next to the “Fresh produce market” section.  Aside from the ready-made dishes on sale (salads, sushi, tapas, pastries and fresh fruit juices), customers will be able to choose from a selection of meat-based, fish-based or vegetarian dishes prepared on site for lunch.

The line of 5 traditional checkouts and seven self-service checkouts has been designed in a somewhat different way. Instead of being at the store’s entrance, it is right in the middle – like in duty-free or clothes shops. This makes the store more open to customers. And like other hypermarkets in Poland, the store features checkouts for use with the Scan&Go service. Customers can use this service to scan their articles. They can then pay with their mobile phones and an electronic Masterpass-MasterCard wallet. And next to the Customer service point, a “Facturomat” machine has been installed. Customers will be able to use it to generate receipts for their purchases themselves.

For all request about the Carrefour Group (sales, financial results, governance, international,…), please contact the Carrefour Group media relations office:

. By phone:

Switchboard: +33 (0)1 41 04 26 00

For journalists: +33 (0)1 41 04 26 17

. By e-mail: presse_groupe@carrefour.com

Source: Carrefour Group

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Amazon marks its biggest holiday season with customers shopping at record levels worldwide

  • Echo Dot and Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote were the #1 and #2 top-selling products across all categories on Amazon
  • Items shipped with FREE One-Day Shipping or FREE Same-Day Delivery or Ultra-Fast Delivery with Prime Now more than doubled this holiday season
  • Small businesses and entrepreneurs had a record-breaking season with more than one billion items ordered worldwide

SEATTLE, 2017-Dec-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — Amazon celebrated its biggest holiday season with customers all around the world shopping at record levels. Prime membership continued to grow this holiday – in fact, in one week alone, more than four million people started Prime free trials or began paid memberships, to benefit from free two-day, one-day or same-day shipping, in addition to ultra-fast one and two hour delivery with Prime Now.

Customers shopped from hundreds of millions of products, including a vast selection from small businesses and entrepreneurs. More than one billion items were ordered from small businesses and entrepreneurs worldwide this season – and over just five days, from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, nearly 140 million items were ordered from small businesses and entrepreneurs. Amazon Devices also had its best holiday yet, with tens of millions of Alexa-enabled devices sold worldwide. Echo Dot and Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote were not only the top-selling Amazon devices this holiday season, but they were also the best-selling products from any manufacturer in any category across all of Amazon.

“Since Day One we have obsessed over what we believe our customers care about – incredible deals and low prices, fast and free shipping, and a wide selection of top products – and we continue to provide all three, all the time. We’re excited that people continued to join Prime this holiday, to take advantage of more fast and free shipping options plus new convenient delivery like Amazon Key, as well as early access to Lightning Deals and unlimited streaming of TV shows and movies, including Prime Originals and more,” stated Jeff Wilke, CEO Worldwide Consumer. “Thank you to the millions of customers and hundreds of thousands of Amazon employees all around the world who made this holiday better than ever before. We look forward to another great year ahead.”

Amazon Devices and Alexa

  • It was a record holiday shopping season for Amazon Devices, with millions more devices purchased worldwide this year than last year’s holiday season.
  • This holiday season was better than ever for the family of Echo products. The Echo Dot was the #1 selling Amazon Device this holiday season, and the best-selling product from any manufacturer in any category across all of Amazon, with millions sold.
  • Customers purchased more than twice as many Amazon Fire TV Sticks compared to last year’s holiday season. Fire TV continues to be the #1 streaming media player family in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Japan, across all retailers.
  • It was the best holiday season ever for Fire Kids Edition Tablets with 2.4x as many devices purchased from Amazon.com compared to the same time period last year.
  • Echo devices have been an extremely popular gift this year, with Echo Spot, Echo Dot and Echo Buttons selling out this holiday season; customers can still pre-order to reserve their place in line and orders will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
  • This year, Kindle celebrated its 10th holiday season.
  • This holiday, millions of Prime members voice shopped with Alexa for gifts, Amazon devices and everyday household essentials. The most popular items purchased by voice were the Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote and TP-Link Smart Plug Mini.
  • Alexa helped mix tens of thousands of cocktails this holiday season with Martini and Manhattan being the most requested drinks.
  • The recipe for chocolate chip cookies was the most requested recipe this holiday season.
  • The most requested song from Alexa customers this holiday season was “Jingle Bells.”
  • The East Coast was more in the holiday spirit this season, asking Alexa to play holiday music 2.5x as many times as the West Coast.
  • Alexa customers turned on their holiday lights more than a million times via Alexa this holiday season.
  • Alexa customers asked for tens of millions of jokes this holiday season.
  • The most common person people called this holiday season was ‘Mom’ in the U.S. and Germany, and ‘Dad’ in the U.K.
  • Music listening time on Alexa was 3x as much this holiday season compared to last holiday season.
  • Customers wished Alexa a Merry Christmas, Happy holidays and Happy Hanukkah 3.5x more this year when compared to last year’s holiday season.
  • People asked about Santa 4x as much this holiday season compared to last holiday season.
  • Customers asked Alexa for cooking related advice more than 9x as much this year compared to last holiday season.
  • The most requested movies this holiday season via Alexa were Trolls and Elf.
  • Alexa on Fire TV is more popular than ever before, with usage in the United States up 889% over the same time period last year.
  • Alexa customers set 3x as many timers this year compared to last holiday season.

Amazon Delivered this Holiday

  • Across North America and the Europe, associates at 10 fulfillment centers picked, packed, and shipped more than one million customer packages in a single day.
  • Amazon’s peak day of customer fulfillment in 2017 was December 19, 2017.
  • In 2017, we increased the size of our fulfillment and shipping network by more than 30% in square footage worldwide.
  • In the U.S., more than 6,000 trailers and 32 Amazon Air planes helped get holiday orders to customers this season.
  • Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Amazon Air carried enough packages to equal over a billion Echo Dots.
  • An Amazon Air cargo plane can hold more than 10,000 Instant Pots.
  • The last Prime Now order in time for Christmas was delivered in 58 minutes at 11:58 p.m. on Christmas Eve in Baltimore, MD. The order included the Kid Galaxy Amphibious RC Car Morphibians Shark Remote Control Toy, the Crayola Oil Pastels Art Tools, 28 ct., and the VTechClick and Count Remote.

Mobile Shopping

  • The top five items ordered on a mobile device were the Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote and the TP-Link Smart Plug.
  • Customers worldwide shopping on the Amazon App increased nearly 70% this holiday season.
  • More than 1,400 electronics products were ordered per second on a mobile device this holiday season.
  • AR view saw the most usage on Cyber Monday. The most popular item viewed with AR view throughout this holiday season was a black chair with ottoman. Top categories viewed with AR view are furniture, toys, Amazon devices, kitchen items and consumer electronics.

Community Giving

  • Amazon’s Treasure Truck fleet and festively wrapped Amazon semi-trucks made special deliveries as part of Amazon’s “Delivering Smiles” holiday tour. Together, the trucks stopped in over 30 communities where Amazon employees live and work, donating thousands of items including STEM toys, books, devices, and household essentials to women, children, and families in immediate need. At the end of the tour, Amazon donated $1 for every mile the trucks traveled to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
  • The “Delivering Smiles” holiday tour expanded Amazon’s growing support of children and families in immediate need. To learn more about each nonprofit Amazon visited throughout their “Delivering Smiles” tour in the US and Canada, visit https://blog.aboutamazon.com/delivering-smiles.

Digital Entertainment

  • This year, 4x more music from Amazon Music was streamed over Alexa compared to last holiday season.
  • Amazon Music listeners loved using the lyrics feature to ask for songs on Alexa over the holidays, requesting “Jingle Bells” more than any other festive track just by saying a few words from the song.
  • Listeners wanted to slow down and unwind this season, asking Alexa to play “relaxing” music more than any other mood through Amazon Music.
  • Listeners in New York, Seattle, Chicago, Houston and San Diego streamed more holiday songs on Amazon Music via Alexa, than any other cities in the U.S.
  • Christmas by Michael Bublé was once again the most played album on Amazon Music during the holiday season.
  • “All I want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey held the top spot for the most streamed holiday song on Amazon Music for the second year in a row.
  • The most watched season over the holidays was the Golden Globe-nominated Prime Original The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
  • The most watched series this holiday was The Grand Tour.
  • The most watched Amazon Original movie this holiday season was The Big Sick.
  • The most watched Kids Prime Original over the holidays was If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.
  • The most purchased movie over the holidays was Elf.
  • The most purchased series over the holidays was The Walking Dead.
  • The most watched Amazon Channel subscriptions this holiday season were HBO, Showtime and STARZ, and the current seasons of Game of Thrones, Shameless and Power were the top watched shows on each channel, respectively.
  • The top match-up of Prime Video’s 10-game Thursday Night Football schedule this season was on Dec. 7, when two million worldwide viewers watched the Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints 20-17
  • The most-read Kindle book in Amazon First Reads in 2017 was, Beneath A Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan.
  • The best-selling and most-listened-to audiobook of 2017 was The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson, narrated by Roger Wayne.
  • The most-listened-to fiction audiobook of 2017 was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale.
  • The most-commented-on audiobook of 2017 was Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, narrated by the author.
  • According to Amazon Charts, the most read and most gifted Kindle book in the U.S. this holiday season was Origin: A Novel by Dan Brown.
  • According to Amazon Charts, the top book Kindle readers in the U.S. found ‘Unputdownable’ this holiday season was Year One: Chronicles of the One, Book 1 by Nora Roberts, reading it cover-to-cover faster than other books.
  • According to Amazon Charts, the Most Wished For books of 2017 in the U.S. were: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson, Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil Degrasse Tyson, and Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.
  • Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale was the most borrowed book from Prime Reading, worldwide, in 2017.
  • Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook by Laurel Randolph, independently published through Kindle Direct Publishing, has been topping Amazon Charts throughout the holiday season – reaching #1 on the most sold non-fiction list the week of Cyber Monday.

Holiday Bestsellers

  • Prime members shopped more than 100,000 Lightning Deals on Amazon.com with Prime Early Access.
  • Customers shopped hundreds of Deals of the Day on Amazon.com throughout the holiday season.
  • Millions of customers in the U.S. watched deals with Watch a Deal.
  • This holiday season, Whole Foods Market sold over 500,000 pounds of sweet treats at the cookie bars featured in stores across the U.S. – that’s enough to feed Santa more than 6 million cookies throughout his trip around the world on Christmas Eve.
  • Across Amazon Books’ 13 bookstores, the top selling nonfiction book was Obama: An Intimate Portrait by Pete Souza; the top selling fiction book was Origin by Dan Brown; the top selling kids book was Diary of a Wimpy Kid #12, The Getaway by Jeff Kinney; and, the top selling poetry book was the sun and her flowers by Rumi Kaur.
  • Across Amazon Books’ 13 bookstores, one out of seven customers who purchased a book also donated a children’s book to local charities supporting children in need. The top selling book given to local charities was the classic, Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman; it was also the top selling book across all 13 stores.
  • The Echo Dot was the top-selling device across Amazon Books’ 13 stores; the Kindle Paperwhite was the best-selling Kindle; the TP-Link Smart Plug was the best-selling accessory; and WowWee Fingerlings were the top selling toy.
  • The best-selling kitchen item in the U.S. and worldwide was the Instant Pot DUO80.
  • The best-selling toy and game item in the U.S. was the Nerf N-Strike Elite Strongarm Blaster, while the best-selling toy and game item worldwide was What Do You Meme? Adult Party Game.
  • The best-selling smart home product in the U.S. and worldwide was the TP-Link Smart Plug.
  • The best-selling beauty and grooming items in the U.S. included the Finishing Touch Flawless Women’s Painless Hair Remover, the Philips Norelco Multigroom All-In-One Series 3000 and the Oral-B Black Pro 1000 Power Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush, while the best-selling item worldwide was the Philips Sonicare Diamond Clean Rechargeable Toothbrush.
  • The best-selling home, health and personal care products in the U.S. this holiday season include Fitbit Charge 2, the 23andMe DNA Test, the AncestryDNA: Genetic Testing – DNA Ancestry Test Kit and Radha Beauty Aromatherapy Top 8 Essential Oils.
  • Robot vacuums were among the best-selling home items on Amazon.com over the holiday season.
  • The best-selling products from Amazon Launchpad businesses included WowWee Fingerlings Interactive Baby Monkey, Exploding Kittens Card Game, and Watch Ya Mouth Throwdown Edition Card Game.
  • The best-selling sports items in the U.S. this season included Titleist Pro V1 Golf Balls, Wilson NFL MVP Junior Football and Spalding NBA Street Basketball.
  • The best-selling fashion items in the U.S. this holiday season include ASICS Men’s GEL Venture 5 Running Shoe, Alex and Ani Initial Expandable Wire Bangle Bracelet, 2.5″, Levi’s Men’s 505 Regular Fit Jean, UGG Women’s Classic Short II Boot.
  • The best-selling products from AmazonFresh in the U.S. this holiday season, were organic bananas, limes, cucumbers, navel oranges, yellow onions.
  • The best-selling furniture products in the U.S. included the Zinus Memory Foam 12 Inch Green Tea Mattress, the LinenSpa 8″ Memory Foam and Innerspring Hybrid Mattress and the LINENSPA 6 Inch Innerspring Mattress.
  • The best-selling automotive products in the U.S. included the Dark Seasonal Snow & Ice Car Scraper, the NOCO Genius Boost Plus GB40 1000 Amp 12V UltraSafe Lithium Jump Starter and the STANLEY J5C09 Jump Starter.
  • The best-selling pet products in the U.S. included the PEDIGREE DENTASTIX Holiday Treats for Dogs, the KONG Wild Knots Bears Durable Dog Toys and the Taste of the Wild, Canine Formula.
  • The best-selling baby products in the U.S. include the Nuby Ice Gel Teether Keys, Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy and the Nuby Bundle of 3 Toys, which was also the best-selling baby product worldwide.
  • The best-selling luxury beauty item in the U.S. was the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe Herbs and Rosewater, stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner and Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water, Cleansing and Make-Up Removing Solution.
  • The best-selling grocery item in the U.S. was Green Mountain Coffee Keurig Coffee Lover’s Variety Pack Single-Serve K-Cup Sampler, 40 Count, the Glaceau Smartwater Vapor Distilled Water, and Viva Naturals Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.
  • The best-selling tools include the Black + Decker LDX 120C 20-Volt MAX Lithium-Ion Cordless Drill/Driver and the MagnoGrip 311-090 Magnetic Wristband.
  • The best-selling wireless products in the U.S. include Tile Mate – Key Finder. Phone Finder, PopSockets: Expanding Stand and Grip for Smartphones and Tablets and Wemo Mini Smart Plug.
  • The best-selling major appliances in the U.S. include Samsung MS11K3000AS 1.1 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave Oven, the Danby 120 Can Beverage Center and the NewAir AB-1200 126-Can Beverage Cooler.
  • The best-selling musical instruments on Amazon.com were the Snark SN5X Clip-On Tuner for Guitar, Singing Machine SML385BTW Top Loading CDG Karaoke System with Bluetooth, Sound and Disco Light Show, and the Singing Machine SMM-205 Unidirectional Dynamic Microphone.
  • The best-selling outdoor items in the U.S. were Intex Comfort Plush Elevated Dura-Beam Airbed with Built-in Electric Pump, the Stanley Classic Vacuum Bottle and the BV Bicycle Light Set Super Bright 5 LED Headlight.
  • The best-selling home improvement products on Amazon.com were the Philips Hue White A19 Single LED Bulb (Works with Amazon Alexa), Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance 3rd Generation A19 10W Equivalent Dimmable LED Smart Bulb (Works with Amazon Alexa) and Himalayan Glow Pink Salt Lamp.
  • The best-selling lawn and garden products in the U.S. this holiday season included the Weber 6492 Original Instant-Read Thermometer, Snow Joe SJBLZD Telescoping Snow Broom with Ice Scraper and Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV Metal Detector.
  • The best-selling office products in the U.S. were Elmer’s Liquid School Glue (1 Gallon) – Great For Making Slime, Georgia-Pacific Spectrum Standard 92 Multipurpose Paper (8.5 x 11 Inches) and Paper Mate Flair Felt Tip Pens (Assorted Colors, 12-Count).
  • The best-selling business, industrial and scientific supplies in the U.S. included the First Aid Only All-Purpose First Aid Essentials Kit, Rubbermaid Commercial Stainless Steel Oven Monitoring Thermometer and TOPGREENER TU2154A High Speed USB Charger Outlet.
  • The best-selling TVs in the U.S. this holiday season were the TCL 32-Inch 720p Roku Smart LED TV (2017 Model), Samsung Electronics 40-Inch 1080p Smart LED TV (2017 Model), TCL 49-Inch 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart LED TV (2017 Model) and Samsung Electronics 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV (2017 Model).

Holiday Fun Facts

  • This season, Amazon customers purchased enough WowWee Fingerlings Interactive Baby Monkey toys on Amazon.com to hang end-to-end down the Empire State Building more than 100 times.
  • Amazon.com customers purchased enough TVs to create nearly 2,500 towers the size of the Space Needle.
  • Amazon customers purchased enough littlebits Star Wars Droid Inventor Kits on Amazon.com to man an Imperial-II class Star Destroyer.
  • Amazon customers purchased enough Calvin Klein products on Amazon.com during the holiday to give five items to every attendee at Coachella 2017.
  • Amazon customers purchased enough shoes on Amazon.com during the holiday season were lined up end-to-end, they would stretch fromAlaska to Miami.
  • This holiday season, Amazon.com customers purchased enough Wickedly Prime Truffle Spreads to make over half a million dipped strawberries.
  • Treasure Truck customers purchased enough holiday wreaths that when stacked, one on top of the other, would reach the top of the Empire State Building nearly five and a half times.
  • Amazon.com customers purchased enough Instant Pot pressure cookers this holiday to make more than nine million bowls of chili at once.
  • Amazon.com customers purchased enough AmazonBasics hangers to hold an outfit for each person in the city of Houston, TX – the fourth most populated city in the U.S.
  • If you lined up all the copies of Jeff Kinney’s, The Getaway that Amazon sold during the holiday season, you would reach the height of 444 Saturn V rockets.
  • If you collected all of the copies of Walter Isaacson’s, Leonardo Da Vinci that Amazon sold over the holidays, they would weigh the equivalent of 25,417 gallons of paint – enough paint to cover over Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling 1,592 and a half times.

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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Walgreens Boots Alliance to sell 30% interest in Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals Corporation to Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Holdings

DEERFIELD, Ill., 2017-Dec-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA) today (December 22, 2017) announces that it has entered into an agreement to reduce its stake in Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a pharmaceutical wholesaling joint venture in China, following an offer from its joint venture partner Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Holdings Co. Ltd.

Subject to regulatory review and approval and other customary closing conditions, Walgreens Boots Alliance will sell a 30% interest in Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals Corporation to Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Holdings that, following the proposed sale, would own 80%. Upon completion, Walgreens Boots Alliance will own a 20% interest in Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals Corporation and will continue to account for its remaining stake as an equity method investment.

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 community pharmacy care and pharmaceutical wholesaling 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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this release that are not historical statements are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the agreement to sell a portion of Walgreens Boots Alliance’s stake in Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals Corporation to Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Holdings Co. Ltd, the transaction contemplated thereby and the possible timing and effects thereof, and the ability of the parties to complete the transaction considering the various closing conditions. Words such as “expect,” “pending,” “potential”, “likely,” “preliminary,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “can,” “will,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “may,” “possible,” “assume,” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, known or unknown, which could cause actual results to vary materially from those indicated or anticipated. Such risks include, but are not limited to, risks related to the proposed transactions and acquisitions generally, including the risk that the transactions may not close due to one or more closing conditions to the transactions not being satisfied or waived, risks related to the ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction, the outcome of legal and regulatory matters, the risk of unexpected costs, liabilities or delays, changes in management’s assumptions, and risks associated with changes in laws, regulations or interpretations thereof. These and other risks, assumptions and uncertainties are described in Item 1A (Risk Factors) of Walgreens Boots Alliance’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, which is incorporated herein by reference, and in other documents that Walgreens Boots Alliance files or furnishes with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated or anticipated by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Except to the extent required by law, Walgreens Boots Alliance does not undertake, and expressly disclaims, any duty or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement after the date of this release, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise.

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, Inc.

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Sonic Corp. to participate at the 20th Annual ICR Conference on January 8, 2018

OKLAHOMA CITY, 2017-Dec-27 — /EPR Retail News/ — Sonic Corp. (NASDAQ: SONC), the nation’s largest chain of drive-in restaurants, today announced that the company will be presenting at the 20th Annual ICR Conference on Monday, January 8, 2018 at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes in Orlando, FL.The presentation will begin at 2:00 PM ET.

Investors and interested parties can access the presentation by visiting the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.sonicdrivein.com/.

About Sonic
SONIC, America’s Drive-In is the nation’s largest drive-in restaurant chain serving approximately 3 million customers every day. Nearly 94 percent of SONIC’s 3,500 drive-in locations are owned and operated by local business men and women. For 64 years, SONIC has delighted guests with signature menu items, 1.3 million drink combinations and friendly service by iconic Carhops. Since the 2009 launch of SONIC’s Limeades for Learning philanthropic campaign in partnership with DonorsChoose.org, SONIC has donated $9.5 million to public school teachers nationwide to fund essential learning materials and innovative teaching resources to inspire creativity and learning in today’s youth. To learn more about Sonic Corp. (NASDAQ/NM: SONC), please visit sonicdrivein.com and please visit or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. To learn more about SONIC’s Limeades for Learning initiative, please visit LimeadesforLearning.com.

Sonic Corp.
Corey Horsch, 405-225-4800
Vice President of Investor Relations and Treasurer

Source: Sonic Corp.

News Provided by Acquire Media

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X5 Retail Group assigned a long-term credit rating of ruAA with a stable outlook by RAEX rating agency

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands, 2017-Dec-27 — /EPR Retail News/ — X5 Retail Group, (“X5” or the “Company”), a leading Russian food retailer (LSE ticker: FIVE), announces that RAEX rating agency (“RAEX”) has assigned X5 a long-term credit rating of ruAA with a stable outlook.

RAEX in its press release outlines the key factors contributing to this credit rating, which include the Company’s rapid revenue growth, operational efficiency, leading market position and low leverage. In addition, as part of the corporate risk profile analysis, RAEX points noted the “high quality corporate management and risk management at X5, including a high level of insurance coverage and high level of information transparency.”

SOURCE: X5 Retail Group N.V.

For further details please contact:
Maxim Novikov
Head of Investor Relations
Tel.: +7 (495) 502-97-83
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

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Albert Heijn trials “tap to go” technology allowing customers to pay without going through the checkout

Albert Heijn trials “tap to go” technology allowing customers to pay without going through the checkout

Zaandam, The Netherlands, 2017-Dec-27 — /EPR Retail News/ — Albert Heijn, our leading supermarket brand in the Netherlands, is taking grab-and-go convenience to the next level. Beginning this month, Albert Heijn is testing “tap to go” technology at one of its AH to go stores, allowing customers to pay for items without going through the checkout.

The technology, which is being piloted at the AH to go store at Ahold Delhaize’s support office in Zaandam, provides customers with a fast, efficient shopping experience by using a card or, in the near future, a smartphone.

After registering via an app, customers can select an item, tap an electronic shelf card, and go. Within 10 minutes, the money will be automatically transferred from their bank account.

The test started less than six months after the plan was announced, faster than previously anticipated. “Technology is changing rapidly. So why wait?” said Jan-Willem Dockheer, Managing Director of AH to go. “The sooner we can start, the more we can learn.”

“Tap to go” is being developed in collaboration with technology providers and a bank. It will be rolled out to other AH to go stores in the Netherlands by June 2018.

AH to go is the convenience store format of Albert Heijn, offering high-quality, healthy and delicious food on the go. The format was launched 15 years ago, with 76 locations across the Netherlands.

SOURCE: Ahold Delhaize

MEDIA CONTACT

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

 

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Perry Ellis International announces its participation at the 20th Annual ICR Conference 2018 on January 8th

Miami, FL, 2017-Dec-27 — /EPR Retail News/ — Perry Ellis International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PERY) announced today that the company will be presenting at the 20th Annual ICR Conference 2018 on Monday, January 8th, 2018 at 1:00 PM (local time) at the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton, Grande Lakes Orlando Resort in Orlando, FL. A webcast of the presentation will be available live at the company’s website (http://www.pery.com) and for 15 days following the conference.

About Perry Ellis International
Perry Ellis International, Inc. is a leading designer, distributor and licensor of a broad line of high quality men’s and women’s apparel, accessories and fragrances. The Company’s collection of dress and casual shirts, golf sportswear, sweaters, dress pants, casual pants and shorts, jeans wear, active wear, dresses and men’s and women’s swimwear is available through all major levels of retail distribution. The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, owns a portfolio of nationally and internationally recognized brands, including: Perry Ellis®, An Original Penguin® by Munsingwear®, Laundry by Shelli Segal®, Rafaella®, Cubavera®, Ben Hogan®, Savane®, Grand Slam®, John Henry®, Manhattan®, Axist®, Jantzen® and Farah®. The Company enhances its roster of brands by licensing trademarks from third parties, including: Nike® and Jag® for swimwear, and Callaway®, PGA TOUR®, and Jack Nicklaus® for golf apparel and most recently Guy Harvey® for performance fishing and resort wear.  Additional information on the Company is available at http://www.pery.com.

Source: Perry Ellis International/ GLOBE NEWSWIRE

CONTACT:
Annette Ramos
Investor Relations
305-592-2830

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Stater Bros. donates $75,000 to Toys for Tots Program

Stater Bros. donates $75,000 to Toys for Tots Program

SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA, 2017-Dec-27 — /EPR Retail News/ — Since 2005,Stater Bros. has proudly partnered with the United States Marine Corps. (U.S.M.C.) Toys for Tots program to bring joy to families in need during the holiday season.  On December 6, representatives from Stater Bros. gathered to present a $75,000 check to local Toys for Tots Program ambassadors.   Funds from this donation are used to purchase new toys for disadvantaged children in the communities Stater Bros. serves.

“Stater Bros. is committed to giving back to the communities we serve,” said Pete Van Helden, Chief Executive Officer of Stater Bros. Markets.  “We are very proud of our continued partnership and support for the Toys for Tots Program which allows us to bring joy and brighten the holidays for children in need during holiday season,” Van Helden concluded.

This generous donation was made possible through a partnership between Stater Bros. Charities, Stater Bros. Markets, manufacturers of Stater Bros. brand products, and national brand manufacturers which included Birds Eye®, Chobani®, the Clorox Company, the Coca-Cola Company, ConAgra Foods®, Lenny & Larry’s The Compete Cookie® and Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® Dog Food. Stater Bros.’ customers supported the United States Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program every time they purchased select Stater Bros. brand or national brand products.

About Stater Bros. Charities:
Stater Bros. Charities is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports critical needs in the communities where Stater Bros. employees live and work.  Since 2008, Stater Bros. Charities has provided funding to countless local organizations and causes that benefit hunger relief, children’s well-being, education, health, help for our nation’s veterans and active service members.  Funds are raised throughout the year from generous customers, supplier friends, and caring members of the Stater Bros. Supermarket Family.  

About Stater Bros. Markets:
Stater Bros. was founded in 1936 in Yucaipa, California, and has grown steadily through the years to become the largest privately owned Supermarket Chain in Southern California and the largest private employer in both San Bernardino County and Riverside County.  The Company currently operates 171 Supermarkets, and there are approximately 18,000 members of the Stater Bros. Supermarket Family.  For more information, visit staterbros.com. 

STATER BROS. CHARITIES…CARING FOR THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE!

SOURCE:  Stater Bros. Markets

MEDIA CONTACT
publicrelations@staterbros.com.

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Lagardère Travel Retail unveils newly transformed Aelia Duty Free Departure store in Auckland International Airport

Auckland, NEW ZEALAND, 2017-Dec-27 — /EPR Retail News/ — The travel retailer has successfully unveiled their full Aelia Duty Free Departure store in Auckland International Airport.

Debuting in the airport in July 2015, Aelia Duty Free has been significantly transformed to deliver a world class Duty Free experience, both in-store and on-line.

Covering 1480 square metres of retail space, passengers travelling through Auckland Airport will discover global and local brands in an engaging world class retail environment, showcasing the best of luxury products from various categories including alcohol, perfumes and cosmetics, confectionery, technology, sunglasses, local gourmet, gifts and wellness products.

Matthieu Mercier, CEO of Lagardere Travel Retail in Pacific says they are thrilled that the departures store is now unveiled. “It’s been our largest project to date in the Pacific Region and every tiny detail has been well considered and tailored for the passengers travelling through Auckland Airport. We’re very proud to offer a world class shopping experience matched with award winning customer service, in a store that is premium and accessible – but not intimidating.”

Driven by the Aelia Duty Free concept Four Key Pillars; The Art of the Gift, Facilitation, Care and Here and Nowhere Else, the store captures a strong sense of place through design elements such as the hexagon honeycomb ceiling evoking the special role Manuka Honey plays in the health products of New Zealand.

Presenting a themed area ‘New Zealand Gifts’ which is located in a premium position within the store, it offers a selection of local gifts & souvenirs, confectionery, wellness products and gourmet food.

Luxury brand Chanel showcase their latest global counter, and Marc Jacobs, Karen Walker, Carolina Herrera, Keihl’s, Urban Decay, M.A.C. Cosmetics and Tom Ford all make up part of an extensive and exclusive range of luxury perfume and cosmetic brands, complemented by a ‘Scentatorium’ table inviting customers to sample fragrances.

Committed to delivering interactive experiences and unique high quality digital brand activations, this innovation allows tailored and customised messaging to the diverse mix of passengers travelling through Auckland Airport. A world first digital activation from Coty featuring personalised labelling and interactive discovery screens was unveiled in Aelia Duty Free.

Lagardère Travel Retail currently operate Aelia Duty Free, RELAY, tech2go, Victoria’s Secret Beauty & Accessories, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Kiehl’s, Hub Convenience and Eye Love in Auckland International Airport.

END

ABOUT LAGARDERE TRAVEL RETAIL:
One of the four divisions of Lagardère Group, Lagardère Travel Retail is a pioneering global leader in the travel retail industry. Operating 4,300 stores across Travel Essentials, Duty Free and Foodservice in airports, railway stations and other concessions in 33 countries worldwide, Lagardère Travel Retail generates a €4 bn sales (managed 100%).

Lagardere Travel Retail has a unique holistic approach aimed at exceeding traveller’s expectations throughout their journey, and optimising landlords’ assets and partners’ brands.

In Asia Pacific, Lagardère Travel Retail operates over 300 outlets in 16 airports, supported by professional local teams in Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and India.

SOURCE: LAGARDERE TRAVEL RETAIL

PRESS CONTACT
Janette Doolan, Communications Manager
j.doolan@lagardere-traspac.com
www.lagardere-traspac.com

 

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NEW ZEALAND: Synlait Milk to become the exclusive supplier of Foodstuffs’ private label fresh milk and cream

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, 2017-Dec-27 — /EPR Retail News/ — Synlait Milk (NZX: SML; ASX: SM1) is partnering with Foodstuffs South Island Limited to become the Cooperative’s exclusive supplier of its private label fresh milk and cream from early 2019.

Synlait intends to invest approximately $125 million in an advanced liquid dairy packaging facility to supply Foodstuffs South Island.

The investment establishes a platform for Synlait to pursue a range of dairy-based products for domestic and export markets in the future.

“Combined, the partnership with Foodstuffs South Island and investment in a new facility is a further and significant step towards our goal of being a more diversified and balanced business,” says John Penno, Managing Director and CEO.

“We believe this opens up a new category – everyday dairy – and has the potential to both leverage our current position and explore new customers and markets.”

“This category represents the dairy products people consume every day. Our long-term success in this category will be based on our ability to win customers in the New Zealand market first and today we’re taking a foundational step towards that.”

Synlait’s partnership with Foodstuffs South Island is strategic for both parties.

“We are very proud of our Canterbury dairy farmers and the way they farm. We are excited about making our farmers’ fresh milk available to everyone in the South Island, in partnership with Foodstuffs,” says Mr Penno.

Fresh milk and cream from Synlait will be packaged in Value and Pams branded products, which are available across New World, PAK’nSAVE, Four Square, Raeward Fresh and On The Spot stores.

“The partnership allows the Cooperative to provide high quality fresh milk and cream to our customers. The partnership allows us to give our customers surety around milk supply with an innovative New Zealand-based milk supplier,” says Steve Anderson, CEO Foodstuffs South Island.

“In time, we are looking forward to collaborating with Synlait to create a range of new and innovative dairy-based products that our customers will enjoy.”

Synlait’s research and development centre in Palmerston North, which is a collaboration with Massey University and FoodPilot, will provide the technical new product development expertise needed to establish, validate and deliver these capabilities at Synlait.

The expected $125 million investment in an advanced liquid dairy packaging facility is aimed at delivering a state-of-the-art liquid blending and packaging platform. It will allow Synlait to produce fresh milk and cream for domestic use and the ability to pursue a range of dairy-based extended and long-life consumer products in future.

“This will be one of the most sophisticated fresh milk and cream processing facilities in New Zealand.”

“By leveraging what we have learnt about milk quality and blending dairy products in our infant formula business, we will deliver a great facility at Synlait Dunsandel,” says Mr Penno.

“Our everyday dairy category offers many B2B and B2C opportunities in the established and growing export milk and cream market.”

With a minimum annual capacity of 110 million litres, the facility will be capable of producing:

  • High-specification pasteurised milk and cream for domestic use
  • Extended shelf life (ESL) dairy products
  • Long-life milk and cream for export
  • Ready to drink (RTD) liquid infant formula and toddlers milks
  • Other blended dairy-based beverage products

Mr Penno says Synlait has proven experience from establishing and rapidly growing a successful infant formula business.

“We’ve demonstrated that we can introduce new capability, manufacture world-class product, build a profitable business around it and provide a long-term strategy for sustainable returns. This will be no different.”

SOURCE: FOODSTUFFS NEW ZEALAND

MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Foodstuffs Communications Team
Phone: 0800 376 3342

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CommerceHub names Michael Trimarchi as its new CFO and Treasurer

  • Mark Greenquist has notified the company of his resignation as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
  • Michael Trimarchi, CommerceHub’s current Chief Commercial Officer and former Chief Accounting Officer, has been named new CFO and Treasurer

ALBANY, N.Y., 2017-Dec-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — CommerceHub, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHUBA) (NASDAQ:CHUBK) (“CommerceHub,” “we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company”), a leading distributed commerce network for retailers and brands, today ( Dec. 18, 2017) announced that Mark Greenquist has notified the Company of his decision to resign from his position as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, effective December 14, 2017, due to personal reasons unrelated to CommerceHub. Mr. Greenquist will remain with the company in a non-officer advisory capacity through the end of the company’s fiscal year to assist with the transition.

“I want to thank Mark for his service to CommerceHub,” said Frank Poore, CommerceHub’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “During his tenure, Mark has added significant value to the company, highlighted by his leadership through our spin-off from Liberty Interactive and the build-out of our public company infrastructure.” He continued, “CommerceHub is in a better position because of his leadership, and I’m comforted that he’s leaving a dedicated and experienced financial organization in place.”

“I’ve greatly enjoyed my time at CommerceHub,” said Mr. Greenquist, “and I want to thank Frank for his leadership and the confidence he placed in me to build and lead the finance organization through our transition from private to public company. I’m proud of our achievements and think the company is in a strong position to deliver significant value to shareholders.”

Michael Trimarchi, the Company’s current Chief Commercial Officer and former Chief Accounting Officer, has been named Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, effective December 14, 2017. He will continue to serve as Chief Commercial Officer.

“We’re fortunate to have someone of Mike’s caliber already on the team and able to step into the role of CFO,” said Mr. Poore. “Mike has the full confidence of our board and executive team. He’s a singular leader who has already had a tremendous impact on the company, first as Chief Accounting Officer, and most recently as Chief Commercial Officer, where he has focused on better aligning our go-to-market efforts with our product roadmap and account management teams.”

Mr. Trimarchi is a Certified Public Accountant and held multiple executive finance roles at AngioDynamics, Inc. and Vistaprint N.V. (now Cimpress N.V.), prior to joining CommerceHub in May of 2016.

About CommerceHub:
CommerceHub is a distributed commerce network connecting supply, demand and delivery that helps retailers and brands increase sales by expanding product assortments, promoting products on the channels that perform, and enabling rapid, on-time customer delivery. With its robust platform and proven scalability, CommerceHub helped over 10,000 retailers, brands, and distributors achieve an estimated $13+ billion in Gross Merchandise Value in 2016.

CommerceHub Investor Relations Contact:

Sara Leggat
investor@commercehub.com

Source: CommerceHub, Inc./globenewswire

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RUSSIA: Lenta announces the opening of its first hypermarket in Cherkessk

RUSSIA: Lenta announces the opening of its first hypermarket in Cherkessk

 

St. Petersburg, Russia, 2017-Dec-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — Lenta, (LSE, MOEX: LNTA) one of the largest retail chains in Russia, is pleased to announce the opening of its first hypermarket in Cherkessk, Republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessiya.

The new store is Lenta “compact” format hypermarket located in Cherkessk, 387 Lenina street. The store has a total area of 7,950 sq.m with 4,311 sq.m of selling space and is open from 8 am to 11 pm, seven days a week. The store has 345 parking spaces and 18 cash registers including 4 self-checkout lanes. The property is rented by Lenta.

The new store offers a broad product assortment of 17,000 SKUs, which has been selected specifically for residents of Cherkessk and includes Lenta’s private labels and federal product ranges alongside local produce.

The new opening is Lenta’s thirty third hypermarket launch in 2017 and brings the total number of Lenta stores to 224 hypermarkets in 81 cities across Russia and 78 supermarkets in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and the Central region.

About Lenta
Lenta is the largest hypermarket chain in Russia and the country’s fourth largest retail chain. The Company was founded in 1993 in St. Petersburg. Lenta operates 224 hypermarkets in 81 cities across Russia and 78 supermarkets in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and the Central region with a total of approximately 1,338,226 sq.m of selling space. The average Lenta hypermarket store has selling space of approximately 5,700 sq.m. The average Lenta supermarket store has selling space of approximately 900 sq.m. The Company operates seven owned distribution centres.

The Company’s price-led hypermarket formats are differentiated in terms of their promotion and pricing strategies as well as their local product assortment. The Company employed approximately 40,400 people as of 30 June 20171.

The Company’s management team combines a mix of local knowledge and international expertise coupled with extensive operational experience in Russia. Lenta’s largest shareholders include TPG Capital and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, both of which are committed to maintaining high standards of corporate governance. Lenta is listed on the London Stock Exchange and on the Moscow Exchange and trades under the ticker: ‘LNTA’.

A brief video summary on Lenta’s business and its Big Data initiative can be seen here.

For further information please visit www.lentainvestor.com

Contact:

Lenta
E-mail: pr@lenta.com

NW Advisors
Russian Media
Anton Karpov & Victoria Afonina
Тel:+7 495 795 06 23
E-mail: lenta@nwadvisors.com

FTI Consulting
International Media:
Leonid Fink & Victor Pomichal

Тel: +44 7497 783 705
E-mail: Leonid.Fink@fticonsulting.com
victor.pomichal@fticonsulting.com

Source: Lenta

###

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Barnes & Noble Announces the Highest-Selling Books of 2017

Barnes & Noble Announces the Highest-Selling Books of 2017 in Fiction, Nonfiction, Teen, and Kid Titles

New York, NY, 2017-Dec-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — Milk & Honey, a book of poetry and prose addressing survival and love, sits alongside a blogger’s guide to finding happiness by ditching “positivity” in rankings of the highest-selling books in 2017 for Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS).

“It’s hard to imagine two more aesthetically different books at the top of our fiction and nonfiction bestseller lists for the year,” said Liz Harwell, Director of Merchandise. “But in some ways, both books are addressing a core issue for many of us: how to live good, satisfying lives.”

The titles, released today by the world’s largest retail bookseller, represent purchases made across Barnes & Noble’s more than 600 stores and online this year through mid-December.

“We are glad to see a wide range of new and reissued titles in our lists this year,” Harwell said. “As always, popular shows and movies drove some books to the top of our lists, including The Handmaid’s Tale and the children’s title Wonder. Meanwhile, classics 1984 and To Kill a Mockingbird were popular again this year, showing the lasting power of good books.”

See the full lists below:

Fiction

  • Milk and Honey, Rupi Kaur
  • The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
  • The Woman in Cabin 10, Ruth Ware
  • 1984, George Orwell
  • Origin, Dan Brown
  • A Man Called Ove, Fredrik Backman
  • Camino Island, John Grisham
  • The Alchemist (25th Anniversary Edition), Paulo Coelho
  • It: A Novel, Stephen King
  • To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

Nonfiction

  • The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life, Mark Manson
  • Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Neil deGrasse Tyson
  • Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, J. D. Vance
  • You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life, Jen Sincero
  • What Happened, Hillary Rodham Clinton
  • Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World, William H. McRaven
  • 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts, Gary Chapman
  • Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls
  • Night, Elie Wiesel
  • Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, Margot Lee Shetterly

Teens

  • Everything, Everything, Nicola Yoon
  • Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher
  • Turtles All the Way Down, John Green
  • The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas
  • The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton
  • Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver
  • The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
  • One of Us Is Lying, Karen M. McManus
  • This Is Where It Ends, Marieke Nijkamp
  • Red Queen (Book #1), Victoria Aveyard

Kids

  • Wonder, R. J. Palacio
  • A Loud Winter’s Nap, Katy Hudson
  • What Do You Do With a Problem?, Kobi Yamada
  • Getaway (Dairy of a Wimpy Kid Series #12), Jeff Kinney
  • Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, Seuss
  • The Rainbow Fish, Marcus Pfister
  • How to Catch a Monster, Adam Wallace
  • Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One & Two, J.K. Rowling
  • The Wonderful Things You Will Be, Emily Winfield Martin
  • The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book #1), Rick Riordan

Titles above include in-store and online sales from January 1 through Dec. 13, 2017. More bestseller lists can be found at barnesandnoble.com/b/books.

About Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS) is the world’s largest retail bookseller, and a leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products.  The Company operates 632 Barnes & Noble bookstores in 50 states, and one of the Web’s premier e-commerce sites, BN.com (www.bn.com).  The Nook Digital business offers a lineup of popular NOOK® tablets and eReaders and an expansive collection of digital reading and entertainment content through the NOOK Store®. The NOOK Store features more than 4.5 million digital books in the US (www.nook.com), plus periodicals and comics, and offers the ability to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices through Free NOOK Reading Apps™ available for Android™, iOS® and Windows®.

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained by visiting the Company’s corporate website at www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

Barnes & Noble®, Barnes & Noble Booksellers® and Barnes & Noble.com® are trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. or its affiliates. NOOK® and the NOOK logos are trademarks of Nook Digital, LLC or its affiliates.

For more information on Barnes & Noble, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat (bnsnaps), and like us on Facebook. For more information on NOOK, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

All Contacts:
Mary Ellen Keating
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3323
mkeating@bn.com

Alex Ortolani
Director, Corporate Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3379
aortolani@bn.com

Source: Barnes & Noble, Inc.

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Alibaba Cloud set to open its new India data center in January 2018

Alibaba Cloud set to open its new India data center in January 2018

 

New data center adds to global coverage and provides world-leading capabilities to key market

Beijing, 2017-Dec-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, announced today (December 20, 2017) that clients can start to sign up for services to be delivered in its new India data center, which is set to open in January 2018. Located in the city of Mumbai, this new data center will help meet the surging demand for cloud computing services among the fast-increasing number of Indian small and medium size businesses in the region.

India is a key market in Alibaba Cloud’s globalization strategy, and the firm sees tremendous business opportunity given the rapid growth of the Indian economy and the nature of the enterprises looking to expand from the country. Alibaba Cloud’s vision to empower enterprises anywhere in the world to go global is now extended to Indian clients with a comprehensive suite of high-performance cloud products including large-scale computing, storage resources, and big-data processing capabilities. Indian businesses of all sizes can now run their applications on Alibaba Cloud’s powerful, reliable and secure cloud platform. Other data center service offerings include elastic computing, database, storage and content delivery, networking, analytics and big data, containers, middleware, and security.

Alibaba Cloud now has 33 availability zones across 16 economic centers globally, with coverage extending across mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, India and the U.S. (East and West Coast).

Simon Hu, Senior Vice President of Alibaba Group and President of Alibaba Cloud said, “We are excited to be officially opening our new Mumbai, India data center in early 2018, enabling us to work closely with more Indian enterprises. These local enterprises are innovative and operating in growth sectors, and we look forward to empowering them through our cloud computing and data technologies. As we build out the Alibaba Cloud network globally, India is another important piece that is now firmly in place. This continues our commitment to India, helping it to develop trade opportunities with other markets in the region and beyond.”

Alibaba Cloud will establish a local team of dedicated professional consultants to provide service planning, implementation and after-sales support, helping customers of all sizes as they move to the cloud and enabling them to realize their full growth potential.

This will extend what Alibaba Cloud is already doing to service thousands of customers from India globally. Alibaba Cloud has partnered with Global Cloud Xchange (GCX), a subsidiary of Reliance Communications that enables direct access to Alibaba Cloud Express Connect via GCX’s CLOUD X Fusion service. As announced previously, Alibaba Cloud has also partnered with Tata Communications to provide direct access to Alibaba Cloud Express Connect via Tata Communications’ IZOTM Private Connect service.

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
+86 150 2192 5635
ruoyun.sry@alibaba-inc.com

Yinan Qian
Alibaba Group
+86 186 0004 0770
yinan.qyn@alibaba-inc.com

Chaitali Pishay Roy
2020 MSL
Chaitali.roy@2020msl.com

Source: Alibaba Group

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Diebold Nixdorf’s Cash Cube concept recognized with Global Innovation Award by the ATM Industry Association (ATMIA)

ATMIA to present award during its 2018 U.S. conference, Feb. 6-8, in Las Vegas

NORTH CANTON, Ohio, 2017-Dec-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — Diebold Nixdorf (NYSE: DBD), the global leader in driving connected commerce, has been awarded the inaugural Global Innovation Award by the ATM Industry Association (ATMIA) for its Cash Cube concept. Using mobile technologies, the Cash Cube merges self-service and digital channels to enable a truly cross-channel customer experience.  At the heart of the solution is an Android-based software concept through which apps are made available through a B2B marketplace.

“Cash Cube represents an app-driven ecosystem with which software can be made available much faster than today,” says Reinhard Rabenstein, Diebold Nixdorf chief technology officer, Solutions, as he explains the advantages of the new technology. The concept envisions that Diebold Nixdorf will supply software developers all over the world with a software development kit, assume responsibility for the quality assurance of the apps and use a B2B software marketplace to distribute the apps to ATMs. “This gives us access to ideas generated by the global app developer community, accelerates time-to-market and reduces development costs,” says Rabenstein.

With new apps, ATM operators are able to quickly deliver new services and generate additional revenue through transaction fees. The income generated can be shared between ATM operators, the B2B app store operator and app developers via revenue sharing models.

The innovative software is backed up by just two hardware components – a safe unit containing a proven cash dispenser and a device based on Diebold Nixdorf’s proven point-of-sale terminal Albert, which is based on smartphone technology and enriched by security features to enable safe card and customer data processing.

ATMIA will present the Global Innovation Award to Diebold Nixdorf during the association’s 2018 U.S. conference, scheduled for Feb. 6-8 in Las Vegas. “I am delighted to congratulate Diebold Nixdorf on their brilliant Cash Cube concept. This concept has what it takes to make a sustainable change in the world of self-service solutions, taking ATMs firmly into an exciting future. In our opinion, Cash Cube is in line with cutting edge global industry developments which will lead to the reinvention of the ATM ecosystem,” says Mike Lee, CEO of ATMIA.

About ATMIA

ATMIA is the leading non-profit trade association representing the entire global ATM industry. ATMIA serves more than 10,000 members from over 650+ companies in over 70 countries spanning the whole ATM ecosphere, including financial institutions, independent ATM deployers, equipment manufacturers, processors and a plethora of ATM service and value-added solution providers.

ATMIA provides education, advocacy and connections to help its members keep abreast of industry news and developments; increase knowledge and professionalism; improve operational efficiencies; understand and influence regulatory processes; participate in the local, regional and global ATM community; and forge new relationships to advance their businesses.

Founded in 1997, ATMIA has active chapters in the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Asia, Africa, India and the Middle East focusing on the unique needs and issues of each region.

For more information, please visit www.atmia.com.

About Diebold Nixdorf

Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) is a world leader in enabling connected commerce for millions of consumers each day across the financial and retail industries. Its software-defined solutions bridge the physical and digital worlds of cash and consumer transactions conveniently, securely and efficiently. As an innovation partner for nearly all of the world’s top 100 financial institutions and a majority of the top 25 global retailers, Diebold Nixdorf delivers unparalleled services and technology that are essential to evolve in an ‘always on’ and changing consumer landscape.

Diebold Nixdorf has a presence in more than 130 countries with approximately 24,000 employees worldwide. The organization maintains corporate offices in North Canton, Ohio, USA and Paderborn, Germany. Shares are traded on the New York and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges under the symbol ‘DBD’. Visit www.DieboldNixdorf.com for more information.

Media Relations:

Ulrich Nolte
+49-5251-693-5211
ulrich.nolte@dieboldnixdorf.com

Investor Relations:

Steve Virostek
+1-330-490-6319
steve.virostek@dieboldn

SOURCE: Diebold Nixdorf

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The Joy in Childhood Foundation announces new $2.7 million commitment to help bring joy to sick and hungry children

Funding Will Support Feeding America® and Nearly 200 Other Organizations Across the Country

CANTON, Mass., 2017-Dec-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — With the holidays upon us, the Joy in Childhood Foundation SM is making a special gift to help address critical child health and hunger needs. The Joy in Childhood Foundation, the charitable foundation supported by Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, today (December 20, 2017)  announced a new $2.7 million commitment to help bring joy to sick and hungry children. As part of this commitment, a $1 million grant will be awarded to Feeding America®, the largest domestic hunger-relief organization, and $1.7 million in grants from local Joy in Childhood Foundation Chapters will be distributed to nearly 200 non-profit organizations in local communities, including Boston, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia and New York, that address children’s health and hunger issues.

In 2017 alone, including this most recent grant, the Joy in Childhood Foundation has awarded over $5 million in grants to help bring joy to sick and hungry kids nationwide.

“The Joy in Childhood Foundation brings joy to kids year-round, but to have an opportunity to bring joy to kids facing hunger and health issues during the holiday season is very special to us,” said Karen Raskopf, Co-Chair, Joy in Childhood Foundation. “We know that this time of year can be difficult for children and their families and it’s also an especially busy time for the food banks and health organizations they rely on. Our new commitment will help ensure that children in our local communities who are facing hunger and health issues can experience the joy of the holidays – just like any other child – without having adult-like worries, such as where their next meal will come from.”

The $2.7 million in funding reinforces the Joy in Childhood Foundation’s commitment to bringing joy to sick and hungry kids nationwide. Earlier this year, the Joy in Childhood Foundation announced a three-year, $3 million commitment to Feeding America and Starlight Children’s Foundation®.

“We are very grateful for the generous support we have received from the Joy in Childhood Foundation and are proud of the impact we’ve been able to make in the lives of children facing hunger,” said Nancy Curby, Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and Operations, Feeding America. “The holiday season is a critical time for our network of food banks.  The support we are receiving will help us provide programs that will bring joy to millions of children nationwide who face hunger and will help keep them healthy so they can reach their full potential.”

In the 2016 – 2017 school year, the Foundation helped provide more than 2.4 million pounds of food – the equivalent of more than 1.4 million meals – to children and families struggling with hunger in communities nationwide through grants made to the Feeding America network of member food banks. Feeding America and the Joy in Childhood Foundation have partnered together for over a decade to help fight hunger.

To learn more about the Joy in Childhood Foundation, visit http://www.dunkinbrands.com/foundation.

About the Joy in Childhood Foundation 
The Joy in Childhood Foundation, the charitable foundation supported by the Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands, provides the simple joys of childhood to sick and hungry kids. The Foundation brings together a wide range of stakeholders — including franchisees, crew members, employees, partners and guests — and partners with food banks, children’s hospitals, and nonprofit organizations directly committed to serving sick and hungry kids to fund joyful environments, joyful experiences and joyful expressions to ensure that children whose lives are compromised by hunger or sickness have the support and essential services to find joy in their daily lives. Since launching in 2006, the Joy in Childhood Foundation (formerly the Dunkin’ Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation), has granted more than $16 million to hundreds of national and local charities across the country.

About Feeding America

Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 46 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Name: Lindsay Cronin
Phone: 781-737-5200
Email: press@dunkinbrands.com

Source: Dunkin’ Donuts

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Sheetz to offer customers a free cup of coffee on both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day

ALTOONA, Pa., 2017-Dec-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — Sheetz, one of America’s fastest growing family-owned and operated convenience store chains, is pleased to announce that they will again celebrate the holidays by offering customers a free cup of freshly brewed Sheetz coffee on both Christmas Day, from 12 a.m. to 12 p.m., and New Year’s, from 4 p.m. on New Year’s Eve until 4 p.m. on New Year’s Day. Guests can walk into any one of Sheetz’s 564 stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina and receive a free cup of coffee.

“Offering free coffee during the holidays is our way of saying thank you to the communities we serve,” said Ryan Sheetz, AVP of Brand Strategies.  “Sheetz has been giving away free coffee on Christmas Day and New Year’s for more than 20 years. It is the perfect opportunity for us to show our appreciation to our loyal customers, and to celebrate the holidays with them.”

Customers also have the opportunity to make the holiday brighter for local children by donating to Sheetz For The Kidz at checkout. Sheetz For The Kidz is an employee-run charity providing toys, clothes and other basic needs to underprivileged children across Pennsylvania, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio and Maryland. One hundred percent of customer donations go directly to supporting the children in our communities.

All Sheetz locations are open 24/7/365 to ensure customers can always get what they want, how they want it and when they want it. That commitment includes Christmas and New Year’s and every other day of the year. Sheetz invites customers to stop by this holiday season and enjoy a cup of coffee on them on Christmas and New Year’s.

About Sheetz, Inc.
Established in 1952 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Sheetz, Inc. is one of America’s fastest-growing family-owned and operated convenience store chains with more than 17,500 employees and more than $5.6 billion in annual revenue. The company operates over 560 store locations throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina. Sheetz provides an award-winning menu of M•T•O® sandwiches and salads, which are ordered through unique touch-screen order point terminals. All Sheetz convenience stores are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Top 12 Best Places to Work for Women and Top 35 Best Workplaces for Millennials, Sheetz is committed to offering employees sustainable careers built on an inspiring culture and community engagement. For more information, visit www.sheetz.com or follow us on Twitter (@sheetz), Facebook (www.facebook.com/sheetz) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/sheetz).

For further information:
Laura Hager
lhager@planitagency.com
667-219-2067

Source:  Sheetz, Inc.

 

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Bon-Ton Family of Department Stores hand out free gift cards this holiday season

Bon-Ton Family of Department Stores hand out free gift cards this holiday season

 

The first 400 people in every store receive a free gift card valued between $5 and $500

MILWAUKEE, 2017-Dec-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. (OTCQX:BONT) is spreading joy this holiday season by handing out free gift cards at all Bon-Ton, Boston Store, Bergner’s, Carson’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers stores.  Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, December 20 at 7 a.m. the first 400 customers at the door will receive a gift card valued between $5 and $500 and one person at every store location will receive a $500 gift card.  The retailer will give away a total of $1 million in gift cards. An entrance at each store will be designated with signs for the free giveaway.

“Providing a special gift for our customers adds excitement to their shopping experience,” says Steve Byers, Executive Vice President of Stores for The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. “It’s the season of giving and we know shoppers will appreciate receiving a free gift card from their hometown store this holiday season.”

The gift cards have no exclusions or expiration and can be given as a gift or used as tender and combined with coupons to shop immediately in any Bon-Ton family of department stores. With just five shopping days remaining, customers can also take advantage of special door busters, deals and a $50 off $100 coupon (some exclusions apply), available on the company’s mobile app, to use for last minute holiday gifts.

There is a limit of one gift card per customer, and customers must be 18 or older to receive a gift card. In addition, clearance centers, furniture galleries and Carson’s Riverside Plazastore are excluded from this promotion.

About The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., with corporate headquarters in York, Pennsylvania and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operates 260 stores, which includes 9 furniture galleries and four clearance centers, in 24 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains under the Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers nameplates. The stores offer a broad assortment of national and private brand fashion apparel and accessories for women, men and children, as well as cosmetics and home furnishings. The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. is an active and positive participant in the communities it serves. ?For further information, please visit thebontonstoresinc.com or the company’s web site at bonton.com. Join the conversation and be inspired by following Bon-Ton on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

MEDIA CONTACT: 
Christine Hojnacki
414.347.5329
Christine.Hojnacki@bonton.com

Source: The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc./globenewswire

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Giant Tiger supports local food banks with $35,000 donation

Giant Tiger supports local food banks with $35,000 donation

 

Helping local families in communities across Canada

OTTAWA, 2017-Dec-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — This holiday season, Giant Tiger stores are committed to fighting hunger with a donation of $35,000 to local food banks in many of the communities it calls home.

“Community giving is not just what we do at Giant Tiger, it’s an integral part of our company DNA,” says Thomas Haig, President and COO, Giant Tiger Stores Limited. “With the holiday season being a particularly busy time for food banks, it is important for our stores to give back so that all members of the community have access to safe and nutritious food.”

According to Food Banks Canada, 13 per cent of Canadians live in a state of food uncertainty. Each month, over 850,000 people turn to food banks for help; more than one-third are children and youth.

“Donating to food banks is just one of the over 1,200 community initiatives that our stores support,” says Mr. Haig. “The local impact our donations have is something we are particularly proud of.”

About Giant Tiger
Giant Tiger is the leading Canadian owned family discount store, committed to providing on-trend family fashions, groceries and everyday household needs. Known as Canada’s best-kept secret, the privately held company has over 240 locations across Canada and employs over 8,000 team members. You can also shop online at gianttiger.com. All Giant Tiger locations are locally owned or operated by a team member who knows the community. The friendly stores with the iconic yellow logo are not only where Canadians shop more and spend less, but also are proud to be known as retailer of choice. #foryouforless #GTcommunityproud #GTCanadaproud

Join the conversation and keep up to date on all Giant Tiger news:
Like us on Facebook: Giant Tiger
Follow us on Instagram: @Gianttigerstore
Follow us on Twitter: @GTBoutique
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Giant Tiger Store

For further information: For media inquiries contact:
Alison Scarlett
Manager, Brand Communications
email: ascarlett@gianttiger.com

SOURCE: Giant Tiger Stores Limited

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Blockchain leader Bitt launches new mMoney digital payment product in Barbados

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, 2017-Dec-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — Blockchain leader Bitt recently launched its new mMoney digital payment product in Barbados. The Barbados Entrepreneurship Foundation (BEF) and several of its strategic partners participated in the soft launch, which marked the region’s first “digital dollar only” event.  Overstock.com’s (NASDAQ:OSTK) blockchain investment vehicle Medici Ventures owns stock and options on 34.8 percent of Bitt.

Under the mMoney brand, Bitt is bringing to market a blockchain-based mobile wallet that allows users to participate in digital transactions on their smartphones from a secure account. The accounts will be 100 percent backed by segregated funds in appropriate currencies in Bitt’s custody. “mMoney is mobile money. It is safer, faster and smarter, which means that entrepreneurs as well as Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) can benefit from the merchant solution,” said Rawdon Adams, Bitt’s CEO.

Adams was careful to explain how Bitt’s new solution differs from traditional mobile banking. While both must observe compliance and Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations, mobile banking requires that customers have a traditional account at a financial institution, commercial bank, or credit union. In contrast, Bitt’s new mobile money allows users to store, send, and receive digital fiat currency using their phones without having to link to traditional financial institutions.

This will result in significant savings of time and money for MSMEs that currently face high bank fees and lengthy waiting times for transactions to clear. “mMoney is designed to support increased financial inclusion,” said Adams. “It gives merchants the ability to offer an innovative payment option which is, among other things, faster, more secure, more inclusive, more convenient, and more cost-effective than existing options.”

mMoney is only the beginning of the company’s plans to create a digital money ecosystem in the Caribbean and beyond. According to the World Bank, approximately 38 percent of the world is unbanked. In the US, about seven to eight percent of the population is unbanked, and these figures increase exponentially in developing nations with the Caribbean at approximately forty-nine percent.

Bitt has recently reached an agreement with a central bank elsewhere in the hemisphere to digitize its fiat currency, a significant step toward surfacing the billions of dollars of value currently trapped in informal economies among unbanked citizens and microentrepreneurs. Bitt will serve as a platform on top of which users will eventually be able to access loans, insurance, and other financial products.

About Medici Ventures:
Launched in 2014, Medici Ventures is a wholly owned subsidiary of Overstock.com, Inc., created to leverage blockchain technology to solve real-world problems with transparent, efficient and secure solutions. Medici Ventures has a growing portfolio of groundbreaking blockchain-focused investments, including t0.com, Peernova, Bitt, SettleMint, Factom, and IdentityMind, Spera and Symbiont. The company’s majority-owned financial technology company, t0.com, executed the world’s first blockchain-based stock offering in December 2016.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements include all statements other than statements of historical fact. Additional information regarding factors that could materially affect results and the accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained herein may be found in the Company’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2017, which was filed with the SEC on November 8, 2017, and any subsequent filings with the SEC.

About Overstock.com
Overstock.com, Inc. Common Shares (NASDAQ:OSTK) / Series A Preferred (Medici Ventures’ tZERO platform: OSTKP) / Series B Preferred (OTCQX:OSTBP) is an online retailer based in Salt Lake City, Utah that sells a broad range of products at low prices, including furniture, décor, rugs, bedding, and home improvement. In addition to home goods, Overstock.com offers a variety of products including jewelry, electronics, apparel, and more, as well as a marketplace providing customers access to hundreds of thousands of products from third-party sellers. Additional stores include Pet Adoptions and Worldstock.com dedicated to selling artisan-crafted products from around the world. Forbes ranked Overstock in its list of the Top 100 Most Trustworthy Companies in 2014. Overstock regularly posts information about the company and other related matters under Investor Relations on its website, http://www.overstock.com.

O, Overstock.com, O.com, Club O, Main Street Revolution, and Worldstock are registered trademarks of Overstock.com, Inc. O.biz and Space Shift are also trademarks of Overstock.com, Inc. Other service marks, trademarks and trade names which may be referred to herein are the property of their respective owners.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements include all statements other than statements of historical fact. Additional information regarding factors that could materially affect results and the accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained herein may be found in the Company’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2017, which was filed with the SEC on November 8, 2017, and any subsequent filings with the SEC.

Media Contact:
pr@mediciventures.com

SOURCE: Overstock.com, Inc./globenewswire

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Raley’s eCart brings delivery service to Reno, Nevada

 Raley’s extends eCart personalized shopping service to include delivery in Reno

West Sacramento, California, 2017-Dec-20 — /EPR Retail News/ — Raley’s eCart e-commerce platform is launching its third phase of delivery service to Reno, Nevada. The delivery service will allow healthy, fresh and high-quality offerings at affordable prices to be delivered to select zip codes in the Reno area.

This expanded service area is part of Raley’s commitment to making customers’ lives easier by delivering a personalized, time-saving digital shopping experience. This is the next step in the company’s investment in eCommerce, developed with the purpose of making grocery shopping more convenient for its customers. Last month, Raley’s expanded delivery to the greater Sacramento region.

“We know and understand our customers are seeking convenience,” said Deirdre Zimmermann, Head of E-Commerce and Marketing “Customers can expect the same great service of a Raley’s personal shopper, who hand-selects orders, while enjoying the convenience of having groceries delivered.”

Raley’s currently has 100 Raley’s, Bel Air Market and Nob Hill Foods stores that offer eCart curbside pickup. Now same-day delivery is also offered for an expanding list of zip codes in Reno, including: 89503, 89512, 89431, 89523, 89509, 89502, 89519, 89511, and 89521. All customers will receive FREE delivery on their first order.

To learn more about delivery and the zip codes where the service is available, please visit raleys.com/go/delivery. To shop on Raley’s eCart, simply go to shop.raleys.com.

SOURCE: Raley’s Family of Fine Stores

For information about our stores, please contact Chelsea Minor, Director of PR and Public Affairs at CMinor1@raleys.com.

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Kroger opens its 1,000th ClickList store and launches integrated digital shopping experience for ClickList

In Q3 2017, company’s 109 percent digital revenue growth was driven by ClickList

CINCINNATI, 2017-Dec-20 — /EPR Retail News/ — Kroger announced today it has opened its 1,000th ClickList store and launched the latest seamless and integrated digital shopping experience for ClickList.

“As part of our Restock Kroger plan, we continually invest in redefining our customers’ grocery shopping experiences by bringing online and offline seamlessly together through digital innovation,” shared Yael Cosset, Kroger’s Chief Digital Officer. “Our customers tell us they want multiple ways to shop. We are committed to leveraging a combination of insights from 84.51˚, advanced technology and our digital platform to give our customers the ability to shop when and how they want to make their lives easier.”

The seamless digital experience focuses on providing Kroger customers with quicker and easier access to relevant products and recipes, digital coupons, weekly ads and shopping lists joined by an easy-to-use, fully integrated ClickList experience.

“Whether our customers are shopping with us in a store or online this holiday season for groceries, meal solutions, health and beauty products, seasonal items or flowers, we want it to be a simple, personalized experience that saves them time and money,” Mr. Cosset added.

Kroger introduced its first ClickList store in November 2014 in Liberty Township, Ohio. Over the last 3 years, Kroger has experienced tremendous growth and accelerated customer adoption across the country from coast to coast. Today, it is announcing its 1,000th location at its Milford, Ohio store near its headquarters in Cincinnati.

“This exciting milestone is a testament to the impact of our digital shopping platform as well as the consistent and rewarding experience delivered to our customers by our talented store associates,” Mr. Cosset said. “Next year, we plan to expand our seamless service to more markets, ultimately making this convenient shopping experience available to every one of the 60 million families who shop with us annually.”

At The Kroger Co., we are dedicated to our purpose: to Feed the Human SpiritTM. We are 453,000 associates who serve nearly nine million customers every day in 2,793 retail food stores under a variety of local banner names in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Our Family of Companies operates an expanding ClickList offering – a personalized order online service – in addition to 2,258 pharmacies, 783 convenience stores, 307 fine jewelry stores, 222 retail health clinics, 1,472 supermarket fuel centers and 38 food production plants in the United States. Our Company has been recognized as one of America’s most generous companies for our support of more than 100 Feeding America food bank partners, breast cancer research and awareness, the military and their families, and more than 145,000 community organizations including schools. As a leader in supplier diversity, we are a proud member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.

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Citycon’s VP, Marketing and Branding Marianne Mazarino Håkonsen to leave the company

Espoo, Finland, 2017-Dec-20 — /EPR Retail News/ — Marianne Mazarino Håkonsen, Citycon Oyj’s VP, Marketing and Branding and member of the Corporate Management Committee will leave the company. She will step down from the Corporate Management Committee as of January 2018 and leave the company as of March 2018. The decision to leave is mutual between the company and Mrs. Håkonsen and is the result of the company’s decision to integrate the marketing and branding department with operations under the direct responsibility of Chief Operating Officer (COO) Jurn Hoeksema.

Håkonsen joined Citycon in 2015 when Citycon acquired Sektor Gruppen and has been a member of the Corporate Management Committee since December 2015.

“I want to thank Marianne for her valuable contribution to the company during the past couple of years”, says Marcel Kokkeel, CEO of Citycon.

As a result of the change, effective January 2018, Citycon’s Corporate Management Committee will consist of the following members: Marcel Kokkeel, Eero Sihvonen, Anu Tuomola, Jurn Hoeksema and Tom Lisiecki.

SOURCE: CITYCON OYJ

For further information, please contact:
Marcel Kokkeel, CEO
Tel. +358 40 154 6760
marcel.kokkeel@citycon.com

Citycon is a leading owner, manager and developer of urban, grocery-anchored shopping centres in the Nordic and Baltic region, managing assets that total almost EUR 5 billion and with market capitalisation of close to EUR 2 billion. Citycon is No. 1 shopping centre owner in Finland and among the market leaders in Norway, Sweden and Estonia. Citycon has also established a foothold in Denmark.

Citycon has investment-grade credit ratings from Moody’s (Baa1) and Standard & Poor’s (BBB). Citycon Oyj’s share is listed in Nasdaq Helsinki.

www.citycon.com

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BJ’s Restaurant announces the opening of its restaurant in Taylor, Michigan

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., 2017-Dec-20 — /EPR Retail News/ — BJ’s Restaurants, Inc.(NASDAQ:BJRI) today announced the opening of its restaurant in Taylor, Michigan. The new BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse opened on Monday, December 18, 2017, on a free standing pad at the Southland Center and is part of a recent retail addition that includes a 50,000 square foot Cinemark theater. The restaurant is approximately 7,500 square feet, seats approximately 230 guests and features BJ’s extensive menu, including BJ’s signature deep-dish pizza, award-winning handcrafted beer and famous Pizookie® dessert. BJ’s unique, contemporary décor provides the perfect environment for all dining occasions. Hours of operation are from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight Sunday through Thursday, and 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

“We are excited to open our last restaurant of the year in Taylor, Michigan,” commented Greg Trojan, President and CEO. “Taylor is our 10th restaurant opened this year and our first restaurant in the state of Michigan. As we look into 2018, our restaurant pipeline is in excellent shape as we currently plan to open four to six restaurants.”

As with all of our new restaurant openings, BJ’s invited members of the Taylor community to attend a soft opening event prior to our grand opening. As our team members put the final touches on the restaurant, invited guests were treated to complimentary food and had the opportunity to make a voluntary donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a very important charity to BJ’s. Additionally, BJ’s donated the proceeds of all alcohol purchases during the soft opening event to the BJ’s Restaurants Foundation.

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. currently owns and operates 197 casual dining restaurants under the BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse®, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery®, BJ’s Pizza & Grill® and BJ’s Grill® brand names. BJ’s Restaurants offer an innovative and broad menu featuring award-winning, signature deep-dish pizza complemented with generously portioned salads, appetizers, sandwiches, soups, pastas, entrees and desserts, including the Pizookie® dessert. Quality, flavor, value, moderate prices and sincere service remain distinct attributes of the BJ’s experience. All restaurants feature BJ’s critically acclaimed proprietary craft beers, which are produced at several of the Company’s Restaurant & Brewery locations, its two brewpubs in Texas and by independent third party craft brewers. The Company’s restaurants are located in the 26 states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Visit BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. on the Web at http://www.bjsrestaurants.com for locations and additional information.

BJ’s Restaurants Foundation (the “Foundation”) is a registered 501(c)(3) qualified non-profit charitable organization principally dedicated to supporting charities that benefit children’s healthcare and education, with a primary focus on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In addition, the Foundation supports volunteer efforts of BJ’s team members across the country as they help give back to the communities in which our restaurants do business.

Certain statements in the preceding paragraphs and all other statements that are not purely historical constitute “forward-looking” statements for purposes of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created thereby. The “forward-looking” statements contained in this press release are based on current assumptions and expectations and BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. undertakes no obligation to update or alter its “forward-looking” statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Investors are referred to the full discussion of risks and uncertainties associated with forward-looking statements contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its recent reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K.

For further information, please contact Greg Levin of BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. at (714) 500-2400 or JCIR at (212) 835-8500 or at bjri@jcir.com.

SOURCE: BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. / GLOBE NEWSWIRE

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Four celebrated local chefs teams up with SSP America to open Manufactory Food Hall at San Francisco International Airport

LONDON, UK, 2017-Dec-20 — /EPR Retail News/ — Four celebrated San Francisco chefs—Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson of Tartine, Gabriela Cámara of Cala, and Pim Techamuanvivit of Kin Khao—are teaming up with SSP America, a division of SSP Group, a leading operator of food and beverage brands in travel locations worldwide to further enhance the airport dining portfolio of San Francisco International Airport. Opening Summer 2018 in SFO’s International Terminal, the Manufactory Food Hall will be a collaboration among these like-minded chefs who are inspired by one another’s creative instincts and are united in their mission to bring healthy, sophisticated, approachable food to an ever-wider audience. The project brings together three world-class women chefs and will offer international travelers fresh, inventive foods and cocktails as well as must-have pantry items.  All of the offerings will be made with seasonal ingredients sourced directly from the same local farms, ranches, and fisheries they tap for their San Francisco restaurants. 

Renowned for the creativity, innovation, and vibrancy of its food scene, there is no better city to welcome a chef-driven concept created for the modern traveler than San Francisco. Manufactory Food Hall will include three distinct fast-casual dining experiences, grab-and-go stations, a full-service bar, and a retail component showcasing beloved Bay Area products. 

Robertson and Prueitt will present a full-service concept inspired by their Mission District restaurant, Tartine Manufactory, and iconic bakery, Tartine. The seasonal menu will be based on popular Manufactory offerings including warm sandwiches, fresh salads and soups, as well as a full bar serving cocktails from all three concepts. A Tartine Bakery pastry counter will showcase signature handcrafted baked goods, including the beloved morning buns, seasonal tarts, and other viennoiseries. Tartine will offer diners the opportunity to enjoy a sit-down meal, as well as plenty of options for travelers with less time on their hands. Within the Manufactory Food Hall, Tartine’s Coffee Manufactory will be featured, with a full coffee bar, grab-and-go coffee, espresso based beverages and whole beans. Led by coffee industry veteran Chris Jordan, much of the Coffee Manufactory’s philosophy is the same as Tartine’s with a focus on sourcing fresh and seasonal ingredients from coffee farmers. 

“When presented with the opportunity to create this concept, we said we would only do it if we got to enlist colleagues who share our creative approach and philosophy,” says Prueitt of the decision to work with Cámara and Techamuanvivit.  “We are really excited to collaborate with close friends, bringing together some of the best ingredients California has to offer to international travelers.”

Drawing inspiration from her Civic Center taqueria, chef/owner Cámara will offer an elevated take on the foods of her native Mexico City.  As with Cala and Contramar, this concept will demonstrate Cámara’s commitment to using local produce and sustainable seafood. Menu highlights will include breakfast tortas, all day tacos and tostadas such as those popular at Civic Center’s Tacos Cala, and main course salads.

Chef/owner Pim Techamuanvivit of Michelin-starred Kin Khao will present a taste of her native Thailand using seasonal ingredients from local farms. The menu will offer an array of dishes that include rice bowls, noodles, salads, and grilled meats as well as tempting, satisfying vegan and sweet choices. All of the dishes are conceived with a special focus on portability, so that they can be enjoyed in place or taken on board for later. A small pantry counter will offer select ingredients and cookwares perfect for travelers looking to take a taste of Kin Khao home with them.

With the diversity of offerings to be found at Manufactory Food Hall, the journey will begin even before lift-off.

SOURCE: SSP The Food Travel Experts

MEDIA CONTACT

Templemere Public Relations on +44 (0) 1306 735574 or press.office@ssp-intl.com

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Walgreens will be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to meet customers’ last-minute shopping needs

Select Walgreens stores open until midnight or even 24 hours to meet last-minute shopping needs

DEERFIELD, Ill., 2017-Dec-20 — /EPR Retail News/ — Have you run out of wrapping paper and tape? Forgot batteries for the new toy under the tree? Checked the list twice, and still missing something? Walgreens, a provider of trusted care in communities since 1901, is making it easy to find last-minute gifts and essentials this holiday season. And to better serve its customers during the holidays, Walgreens stores will be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to help customers be “holiday ready,” with a broad selection of quality last-minute gifts and needs for any get-together. Customers can also order gifts and products online at Walgreens.com by Dec. 20 to guarantee delivery in time for the holiday.

“Even during the most wonderful time of the year, it may be difficult to remember everyone on our list. With an elevated product assortment, including many gifts under $20, Walgreens looks to make it easy to be holiday ready, especially when it comes to finding gifts last-minute,” said Heather Hughes, head of seasonal merchandising for Walgreens. “Whether it’s a beauty gift set, cozy pair of slippers with a box of candy for a party host, or a last-minute gift card that’s sure to bring joy, we are standing by to help customers find the perfect gift that will delight this holiday season.”

Customers in need of help to find a gift to spread joy can visit www.walgreens.com/holiday. Some of the season’s popular items include:

Gifts for Her

  • Soap & Glory Pink Big Gift
  • Sleek MakeUP Hella Good Eyes Gift Set
  • Wet n Wild Mistletoe Lip Collection
  • Soap & Glory Box of Delights Gift Set
  • Yankee Candle Holiday Gift Set

Gifts for Him

  • No7 Men’s On The Go Set
  • Sharper Image Memory Foam Slippers
  • Hugo Boss No 6 Gift Set for Men
  • Philips Norelco Electric Shavers
  • Crafted Imports Ice Mold Sphere and Glass Set

Gifts for Kids

  • Squishmallow Plush Frog
  • Sharper Image Car Drone with Camera
  • Sharper Image Remote Control Toy Stunt Glider
  • Conair Quick Gems Hair Jewelry
  • Funko POP! Star Wars: Movie Moments Cloud City Duel

Gifts under $20

  • Soap & Glory Pick & Spritz
  • Sleek MakeUP Bring On The Night Gift
  • Russell Stover Champagne Chocolates
  • Me to We 2018 Wall Calendar
  • A Little Something Hand Cream Sampler

Photo Gifts and Cards

  • Photo cards are a personal and convenient way to send warm wishes to friends and family. Cards can be created online, in-store or from the Walgreens mobile app and ready for pick up in as little as an hour.
  • Posters, canvas prints and collage prints are unique ways to share memories. It’s easy for customers to create these photo gifts directly through the Walgreens mobile app, online or from the in-store kiosk. Many photo items are available for same day pick up.

For more holiday gift ideas and special offers, please visit Walgreens online gift guide here.

Pharmacies will also be open at all 24-hour locations for any prescription needs. To find a store location near you, visit Walgreens.com or call 1-800-WALGREENS.

About Walgreens
Walgreens (walgreens.com), a provider of trusted care in communities since 1901, is included in the Retail Pharmacy USA Division of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBA), the first global pharmacy-led, health and wellbeing enterprise. Approximately 8 million customers interact with Walgreens in stores and online each day, using the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice. Walgreens operates 8,100 drugstores with a presence in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with its omnichannel business, Walgreens.com. Approximately 400 Walgreens stores offer Healthcare Clinic or other provider retail clinic services.

Contact(s)
Walgreens
Emily Hartwig-Mekstan
847-315-3316
emily.hartwig@walgreens.com
http://news.walgreens.com
@WalgreensNews
facebook.com/Walgreens

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SSP opens Factory Bar & Kitchen at Birmingham Airport

SSP opens Factory Bar & Kitchen bar and restaurant at Birmingham Airport

LONDON, 2017-Dec-20 — /EPR Retail News/ — SSP, a leading operator of food and beverage brands in travel locations worldwide, has opened a new bar and restaurant at Birmingham Airport. Called Factory Bar & Kitchen, the new concept has been inspired by Birmingham’s heritage, and pays tribute to the pivotal role the city played in the industrial revolution.

Factory Bar & Kitchen serves an array of British classics alongside local Birmingham favourites. The menu will include wood fire stone-baked pizzas with delicious crispy crusts that can be enjoyed in the restaurant, or can be ordered as take-away to enjoy on the flight. Among the choice on offer is a selection of dishes that are a nod to the Indian flavours at the heart of Birmingham’s food culture. A Balti pizza features Balti flavoured chargrilled chicken, cheese and chilli with a mint and coriander relish. There is also a Balti burger, made with succulent chargrilled chicken, citrus slaw, an onion bhaji, curried mayonnaise and a mint and coriander relish.

The restaurant will also provide a tempting breakfast menu and a selection of artisan coffees. The bar will offer a range of 13 premium draught beers, bottled beers and a carefully balanced selection of wines and spirits.

Simon Smith, CEO of SSP UK and Ireland said; “The Factory Bar & Kitchen has been designed in partnership with our clients at Birmingham Airport to offer all our customers a fantastic experience. We are delighted to provide local favourites to create a sense of place, all served in a warm and inviting environment. We look forward to welcoming all our guests to enjoy this great new concept.”

Jo Lloyd, Commercial Director of Birmingham Airport said; “We are delighted to be opening another fantastic catering outlet here at Birmingham Airport with SSP UK.  This new concept will be a welcome addition to the Departure Lounge, offering passengers even more choice as they start their holiday.”

SOURCE: SSP The Food Travel Experts

MEDIA CONTACT

Templemere Public Relations on +44 (0) 1306 735574 or press.office@ssp-intl.com

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Starbucks Puerto Rico opens its 25th location

Starbucks Puerto Rico opens its 25th location

  • Starbucks has opened its 25th store on the Island at the Metropolitan University campus of the Ana G. Méndez University System in San Juan – its first new location since Hurricane Maria forced widespread store closures in September
  • Company reaffirms its long-term commitment to Puerto Rico’s economic recovery and community rebuilding efforts

San Juan, PUERTO RICO, 2017-Dec-20 — /EPR Retail News/ — Starbucks Puerto Rico is celebrating the opening of its 25th location on the Island, a new café on the Metropolitan University (UMET) campus in Cupey, which is part of the Ana G. Méndez University System (SUAGM). It is the first Starbucks® store to open since Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September, destroying homes, damaging the island’s critical infrastructure, and taking innocent lives.

As the long road to rebuilding continues, leaders from both Starbucks and the company’s local business partner, Baristas del Caribe, reaffirmed their commitment to continue working together to support the Island’s economic recovery. The two companies and their foundations have also collectively contributed more than $1.3 million toward emergency relief and long-term rebuilding efforts across the region. That includes the creation of the Tacita Verde Fund to provide emergency financial grants to local Starbucks partners (employees) and their families in need, as well as a Starbucks Foundation grant to match U.S. customer donations via the Starbucks mobile app and funding to World Coffee Research to begin the long-term work of supporting coffee farmers impacted by the hurricane.

“Our new store in San Juan, our 25th on the Island, is in honor of our Puerto Rican partners and customers, who continue to demonstrate incredible strength and resilience day after day since Hurricane Maria,” said Michael Conway, executive vice president for Starbucks Licensed Stores business across the Americas. “As we open our doors at UMET, and slowly begin to reopen all other stores across the island, we remain fully committed to our growth plans in the market as we work to create local jobs, serve our customers, and support the region’s coffee producers. I am very proud of the heroic ways in which our partners came together to support one another and their community, as well as the leadership, vision and compassion of our trusted business partner, Baristas del Caribe, led by the Fonalledas family in Puerto Rico. This will undoubtedly be a long road to recovery, and Starbucks is here for the long haul.”

“With this new opening we reaffirm that the Island is firmly on its way to recovery,” said Governor Ricardo Rosselló. “We thank Starbucks Puerto Rico for its commitment to create jobs and contribute to our economy at a time when the island needs it most. Likewise, we urge you to continue supporting your employees, as you are doing with the newly created Tacita Verde Fund.”

“Starbucks opening at the university is an example of our commitment to Puerto Rico,” said Jaime L. Fonalledas, president of Baristas del Caribe. “We remain focused on growing the brand, despite the setbacks caused by the hurricane. Our new store opening was made possible thanks to the strategic alliance established with the SUAGM system, a stable and progressive corporation, equally committed with the economic recovery of the Island.”

Starbucks intends for the new location at UMET, which is now open to the public, to become a meeting place on campus, while providing job opportunities to local students and contributing to the local economy.  Another Starbucks® store will open in Santa Isabel in early 2018.

“Today we make history by opening the first Starbucks in a higher education institution in Puerto Rico,” said José F. Méndez Méndez, president of SUAGM. “The economic development of the country is everyone’s responsibility and SUAGM will be present in any initiative that improves the quality of life of our people.”

Supporting Long-Term Relief and Recovery Efforts

In the wake of the devastating impacts of Hurricane Maria in September, Starbucks Puerto Rican partners, like the rest of the citizens on the Island, faced a long and difficult road to recovery. Many are still assessing damages to their homes and their communities, a task made much tougher due to the lack of power, limited connectivity, and long lines for necessities like water, ice, gas and food.

In response, Baristas del Caribe created the Tacita Verde Fund – its first-ever employee assistance fund dedicated to help Starbucks Puerto Rican partners and their families in need. Through an initial contribution of $50,000 from Starbucks Coffee Company, the Tacita Verde Fund is helping provide financial grants to partners with critical needs ranging from urgent home repairs to food or medical needs. The Fonalledas Foundation is also supporting the partners with donations.

In addition to the Starbucks Puerto Rico Tacita Verde Fund, Starbucks Coffee Company, Baristas Del Caribe, and its parent company Empressas Fonalledas Inc., have made the following contributions to support urgent and long-term rebuilding efforts in communities across Puerto Rico:

  • $125,000 from Starbucks Coffee Company to Unidos por Puerto Rico
  • $75,000 from The Starbucks Foundation to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy
  • $20,000 from The Starbucks Foundation to match donations by customers across the U.S. through the Starbucks mobile app. These funds will also support the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.
  • $27,000 from The Starbucks Foundation to World Coffee Research to support rebuilding of the Island’s coffee industry
  • Product/in-kind donations from the business, including bottled water and emergency supplies
  • $1 million from Empresas Fonalledas Inc. to various nonprofit organizations working on relief and recovery efforts across the Island, as well as assistance to employees. Among the nonprofit organizations are Red Cross, Para la Naturaleza, Habitat for Humanity, World Central Kitchen, Ricky Martin Foundation, Boys & Girls Club, Centros Sor Isolina Ferré, Centro para Puerto Rico and Unidos por Puerto Rico.

About The Starbucks Foundation
Established in 1997, The Starbucks Foundation has strengthened communities around the world by advancing youth leadership and community engagement. The Starbucks Foundation is a U.S. 501 (c)(3) charitable organization under U.S. law, and receives funding primarily from Starbucks Corporation and private donations.

For more information on this press release, contact us

SOURCE:  Starbucks Corporation

MEDIA CONTACT

Phone: 206 318 7100
Email: press@starbucks.com