Daily Archives: December 13, 2017

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KIND kick-starts a conversation on what it takes to overcome the divisions that have torn America apart

  • Healthy snack company convenes filmmakers, thought leaders and the general public to capture the difference between being nice and being kind
  • Three-time Academy Award winning cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, lends his creative take in powerful video

NEW YORK, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — With the launch of a powerful video that explores the courage it takes to be kind towards strangers, KIND seeks to kindle a conversation about what it will take to overcome the divisions that have torn our country apart.

The video release, in conjunction with a nationwide contest, is part of KIND’s effort to explore the difference between being “nice” and being “kind” – an oft overlooked distinction that has tangible implications on how we act towards one another.

“We’ve all been overwhelmed by the historic rifts tearing our country apart. The empathy and respect that are part of America’s DNA and part of what make our country so exceptional cannot be taken for granted,” said Daniel Lubetzky, Founder & CEO of KIND Healthy Snacks. “For years, KIND has explored how difficult it is to step out of one’s comfort zone and practice kindness – especially towards someone with whom you disagree. Now, more than ever, that extra effort is required to rediscover our shared humanity and tackle challenges related to misunderstanding and intolerance.”

To kick-start a conversation around the topic, KIND has released a storytelling series that illuminates this distinction and plays up the following themes:

  • Nice is polite but not always what we need to hear. Kind is honest and stands its ground.
  • Nice can be passive. Kind requires action and courage.
  • Nice doesn’t add to problems. Kind solves them.
  • Nice is something you say. Kind is something you do.
  • Nice doesn’t bully. Kind stands up to stop the bullying.

The latest video in the series was directed by Emmanuel Lubezki, three-time Academy Award winning cinematographer of Birdman, Gravity and The Revenant, with co-director Chris Wilcha. Titled “More Than Nice,” the piece visually captures Emmanuel’s personal interpretation of kindness through the eyes of volunteers who leave jugs of water across the US-Mexico border. The humanitarian group’s intention is to prevent suffering and death of migrants. The issue hits home not only for Emmanuel, but also for Daniel, his cousin: both are Jewish-Mexican immigrants and proud citizens of the United States who have used their respective platforms to connect people, expand understanding and strengthen communities.

“I was struck not just by the incredible courage but also by the tremendous empathy that these volunteers had, going out of their way to protect the well-being of fellow human beings they may never meet,” said Emmanuel Lubezki. “There is no sacrifice in nice, but being kind requires it. In the video, we attempt to portray the human element of such a polarizing issue in a way that transcends politics and reminds us all of the frailty of the human body and the invincibility of the human spirit.”

The other videos – including a study on the motivations of a war veteran and firefighter who dedicates his free time to help children that are burn victims – juxtapose nice and kind in a myriad of both practical and aspirational ways, but all circle around the same core beliefs.

KIND is inviting people to share their own take on the difference between nice and kind by submitting a written essay, photo or video. A panel of judges, made up of entrepreneurs, creative story tellers, journalists and activists, will select three winners. Those judges include:

  • Joel Fields – Executive Producer & Showrunner of The Americans
  • Alli Maloney – News & Politics Editor at Teen Vogue
  • Jeff Weiner – CEO of LinkedIn
  • David Isay – Founder of StoryCorps
  • Arianna Huffington – Founder and CEO at Thrive Global
  • Sophie Elgort – Photographer and Co-Founder of Through Our Lens

Winners will receive $25,000 to donate to the charity of their choice, along with cash prizes and photography/videography gear to help fund their next creative project. To learn more or enter the contest, visit www.kindsnacks.com/morekind.

About KIND Healthy Snacks

Since its founding in 2004, KIND® has been on a mission to make the world a little kinder one snack and one act at a time. KIND was born out of its founder’s desire to create a snack that was healthy and tasty, wholesome and convenient. What began as a line of premium Fruit & Nut bars sparked the creation of an entirely new healthier snacking category. Today, KIND has a family of snacks that offer solutions for a variety of different occasions.

Its recipes include nutrient-dense, simple and premium ingredients like whole nuts, seeds, whole grains, and pieces of fruit. All of its snacks are gluten free and do not contain genetically engineered ingredients.

Since day one, kindness has been at the core of its business. KIND was founded with a social mission, called the KIND Movement, which celebrates and inspires kindness through acts big and small. Today, the Movement is brought to life through both the brand and The KIND Foundation. To learn more about KIND and to join our Movement, visit kindsnacks.com.

Contact:

Kristi Kleila
KIND Healthy Snacks
O: (212) 616-3006, ext. 115
kkleila@kindsnacks.com

Source: KIND Healthy Snacks

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Tax Free World Association re-elects Erik Juul-Mortensen as President

PARIS, France, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Tax Free World Association Management Committee has re-elected Erik Juul-Mortensen as President of TFWA for a further year during its quarterly meeting on Friday, 8th December in Brussels. The vote was unanimous.

Francis Gros will step down as TFWA Vice-President Conferences & Research as he is leaving Luxottica to take up a new role in another company. Philip Geeraert, Director International Sales at Neuhaus, has been elected to the Board to take on Francis’ role.

“I am honoured to have been asked to continue in the role of President of TFWA for a further year, and I am grateful to the Board and Management Committee for the trust they have placed in me,” said Erik Juul-Mortensen. “I would also like to thank Francis Gros for his hard work and commitment during his time on the TFWA Board. His contribution has been invaluable and we wish him the greatest success in all his future ventures.

“I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new Board member Philip Geeraert, and I greatly look forward to working with him, the TFWA Board, Management Committee and executive team as our industry moves forward into an exciting yet challenging new chapter in its history.”

The next Management Committee election will take place in Cannes in October 2018 during the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference 2018.

Juul-Mortensen is one of the original founders of TFWA and has been a member of the TFWA Management Committee since the association was founded in 1984. He was elected to the Board in 1986, serving as Vice-President Marketing & Communications for ten years with a further year as Vice-President Special Projects. He has served as President since September 1999.

For further information please contact:
TFWA press office/Templemere PR
Email: tfwapress@tfwa.com
Tel: +44 (0)1306 735574
www.tfwa.com

Source: TFWA

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Majid Al Futtaim held successful inaugural UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships at Ski Dubai

Majid Al Futtaim held successful inaugural UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships at Ski Dubai

 

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — The inaugural UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships at Ski Dubai witnessed extraordinary skiing and snowboarding performances by more than 130 home-grown snow sports athletes. Concluded recently, the first-of-its-kind event was organised by Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, under the patronage of Dubai Police and the Community Sport initiative of H.H Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai – Chairman of the Executive Council – Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council. The championship was held on December 8th and 9th, 2017, and was supported by the UAE National Olympics Committee and UAE Ice Sports Federation

Attended by hundreds of cheering fans, the country’s biggest ever snow sports event opened with an impressive performance by Dubai Police band, which marched from Ski Dubai through to Central galleria and back to Ski Dubai enthralling visitors along the way.

The championship, which was divided into four snow sports disciplines, provided unparalleled thrills for snow sports fans and enthusiasts from the UAE and beyond and marks a crucial step in ensuring the UAE’s membership in the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).

The  alpine competition on day one was opened by renowned athletes: Gorgio Rocca, winner of 11 World Cup races in Alpine Skiing and four times Olympian, up and coming British snowboarder Sparrow Knox; and 2010 X games big air gold medallist Halldor Helgason. For the second day the freestyle judging panel included 5 international judges headed up by World Cup head Judge Martin Carr. Dedicated to ensuring the championship was held to the highest of global standards, the highly esteemed panel of judges invested all of their efforts to encourage the young participants throughout the event.

There were a total of 30 winners across four disciplines, 18 of whom were UAE nationals, underscoring the growing popularity of snow sports in the Arab world and Ski Dubai’s relentless pursuit to foster and mentor new skiing and snowboarding athletes.

Following world-class display of snow sports skills by participants in Alpine speed disciplines of Slalom Skiing and Giant Slalom, the winners for day-one were announced. Robyn Leslie (GBR) took the top prize in Slalom Skiing Women’s category while Oscar Morgan (AUS) won the Men’s category. Giant Slalom first place was a tie between Robyn Leslie (GBR) and Summer Spendlove (GBR) in the Women’s category, while Oscar Morgan (AUS) swept the top prize in the men category.

The second day of the championship was equally spell binding as the UAE Freestyle Ski and Snowboard Championships in two freestyle disciplines; Slopestyle and Big Air got underway. The day saw performances by a further ten snow sports athletes; Ayshia Al Tamimi (UAE) claimed the gold in Slopestyle Ski women category and Faisal Abdulla (UAE) in the Slopestyle Ski men category, while Saaed Almatrooshi (UAE) swept up the first prize in the Slopestyle Snowboard male category.

Big Air, a more extreme version of Slopestyle where competitors are awarded points based on the Degree of Difficulty of their tricks on a huge jump , was won by Meera Sahoo (UAE), Faisal Abdulla (UAE) and Saaed Almatrooshi (UAE) Freestyle Ski Women category, Freestyle Ski men category and men snowboard category respectively.

Commenting on the competition, Ahmed Galal Ismail – CEO at Majid Al Futtaim Ventures, said: “It is a matter of great pride for Ski Dubai to have been given the opportunity to work with Dubai Police to organise the first-ever UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships. The championships were a resounding success and this day forward, snow sports in the UAE has entered a new and exciting era of growth and popularity. Having successfully hosted a championship of this scale, I am confident that Ski Dubai will soon become one of the preferred international destinations for snow sports and will host many similar events in the future.

“We are also thankful for the invaluable support provided by Dubai Police, Dubai Sports Council, UAE National Olympics Committee and UAE Ice Sports Federation, which enabled us to organise championships of such stature,” Ahmed Galal Ismail added.

Ski Dubai would like to thank sponsor partners including; ENOC, Aqdar, Sheraton, Empower, Emarat, Emirates NBD, Dutco and Capriole. In addition, Ski Dubai would also like to thank their sponsors including; ZSI Trading, Rossignol and Spyder, as well as and Burton who are proud partners and sponsors of the Ski Dubai Alpine and Freestyle team.

Media Contact:

Carine Arif
Weber Shandwick
04 445 4222
MAFLeisure@webershandwick.com

Source: Majid Al Futtaim

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Lenta announces the opening of its nineteenth hypermarket in Moscow

St. Petersburg, Russia, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Lenta, (LSE, MOEX: LNTA) one of the largest retail chains in Russia, is pleased to announce the opening of its nineteenth hypermarket in Moscow.

The new store is Lenta “standard” format hypermarket located in Vidnoe at Kashirskoe highway in Retail Park Vidnoe shopping mall. The store has a total area of 13,760 sq.m with 7,341 sq.m of selling space and is open around-the-clock, seven days a week. The store has 1,090 parking spaces and 35 cash registers including 10 self-checkout lanes. The property is owned by Lenta.

The new store offers a broad product assortment of 28,500 SKUs, which has been selected specifically for residents of Vidnoe and includes Lenta’s private labels and federal product ranges alongside local produce.

The new opening is Lenta’s twenty eighth hypermarket launch in 2017 and brings the total number of Lenta stores to 219 hypermarkets in 79 cities across Russia and 77 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 219 hypermarkets in 79 cities across Russia and 77 supermarkets in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and the Central region with a total of approximately 1,310,994 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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Burger King AsiaPac and Nexus Point to develop and strengthen the presence of the BURGER KING® brand in Taiwan

OAKVILLE, ON, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Burger King AsiaPac Pte. Ltd. (“BKAP”) and Nexus Point Management Limited (“Nexus Point”) announced today (December 12, 2017) a master franchise agreement to develop and strengthen the presence of the BURGER KING® brand in Taiwan.

“Taiwan is one of the largest quick service restaurant markets in the Asia-Pacific region and we’re pleased to announce this agreement as it will help us further develop and grow the BURGER KING® brand locally,” said José Cil, President of the BURGER KING® brand. “We look forward to working with Nexus Point to drive scale and market penetration in this attractive market, so we can continue to seize great opportunities for the BURGER KING® brand.”

“Burger King is one of the most iconic brands in the world and has a successful track record of working with private equity partners,” said Kuo Chuan Kung, Managing Partner of Nexus Point. “We are excited to accelerate the opening of new restaurants in the market and make further investments in technology and operations to better serve our guests in Taiwan.”

Today, the BURGER KING® brand has a presence across a number of countries in the AsiaPacific region including China, South Korea and India. This new agreement will further expand the footprint of the BURGER KING® brand in Taiwan and strengthen its presence in the AsiaPacific region.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About BURGER KING®
Founded in 1954, the BURGER KING® brand is the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world. The original HOME OF THE WHOPPER®, the BURGER KING® system operates over 16,000 locations in more than 100 countries and U.S. territories. The BURGER KING® brand is owned by Restaurant Brands International Inc. (TSX,NYSE:QSR), one of the world’s largest quick service restaurant companies with more than $29 billion in system sales and over 23,000 restaurants. Almost 100 percent of BURGER KING® restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. To learn more about the BURGER KING® brand, please visit the BURGER KING® brand website at www.bk.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Nexus Point
Nexus Point is an Asian private equity fund focused on Greater China. Nexus Point aims to generate superior long-term results for its investors by making control/buyout investments into companies where it can add significant strategic and operational value. Nexus Point’s investment team is focused on identifying opportunities arising from the growing spending power of middle-class consumers in Asia. To learn more about Nexus Point, please visit us at www.nexuspointcapital.com

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements, which are often identified by the words “may,” “might,” “believes,” “thinks,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends” or similar expressions and reflect management’s expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof. These forward-looking statements include statements about BKAP’s expectations regarding the ability of Nexus Point to further develop  and grow the BURGER KING® brand in Taiwan by driving scale and market penetration. The factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from BKAP’s expectations are detailed in filings of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (“RBI”) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and with the securities regulatory authorities in each province and territory of Canada, such as its annual and quarterly reports and current reports on Form 8-K and include the following: risks related to RBI’s ability to successfully implement its domestic and international growth strategy; and risks related to RBI’s ability to compete domestically and internationally in an intensely competitive industry. Other than as required under U.S. federal securities laws or Canadian securities laws, we do not assume a duty to update these forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, subsequent events or circumstances, change in expectations or otherwise.

For further information, please contact: media@rbi.com

SOURCE: Restaurant Brands International Inc.

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Rakuten opens its pro sports merchandise store Rakuten SPORTS ZONE featuring premium goods from NBA Legends

Rakuten opens its pro sports merchandise store Rakuten SPORTS ZONE featuring premium goods from NBA Legends

 

Featuring premium goods from NBA Legends

TOKYO, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Rakuten, Inc., a global marketing partner of the National Basketball Association (NBA), today (Dec. 13, 2017) opened its pro sports merchandise store Rakuten SPORTS ZONE to further build excitement around the NBA in Japan. The store is launching with sales of limited-edition items including autographed items from NBA Legends.

In October 2017, Rakuten launched a multiyear partnership with the NBA, making it a global marketing partner of the organization. With this partnership, Rakuten is now operating the “NBA ZONE” in its internet shopping mall Rakuten Ichiba as a special page gathering NBA merchandise from Rakuten Ichiba stores. With the opening of the new Rakuten SPORTS ZONE, offering products that can rarely be obtained in Japan such as premium goods of former NBA stars, we will be able to further expand the product lineup offered in the NBA ZONE.

Offerings include limited-edition autographed memorabilia (with serial number) offered by the Upper Deck Company, and reproductions of the jerseys of 80s and 90s NBA stars offered by the American sports apparel-maker Mitchell & Ness Nostalgia Co. New products will be added going forward.

Rakuten will leverage its diverse range of services to further promote the NBA and basketball in Japan, and contribute to the further development of sports and culture.

Rakuten SPORTS ZONE Overview
Title: Rakuten SPORTS ZONE
Opening Date & Time: 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Products:
Autographed 1997-98 Chicago Bulls Jersey
Autographed “Last Shot” Art Print
Authentic 1984-85 L.A. Lakers Jersey
Authentic 1985-86 Boston Celtics Jersey
Authentic 1985-86 Chicago Bulls Jersey

*Please note that the information contained in press releases is current as of the date of release.

Source: Rakuten, Inc.

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Baskin-Robbins adds Winter Wonderland Cake to its expansive holiday ice cream cake lineup

Baskin-Robbins adds Winter Wonderland Cake to its expansive holiday ice cream cake lineup

 

CANTON, Mass., 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — With the holidays right around the corner, it can be hard to cross everything off your list in time. With gift shopping, meal planning, decorating and sending out holiday cards, there are too many things to do and so little time. Here at Baskin-Robbins, we are getting ready for the festivities with our holiday ice cream cake lineup that makes it easy for guests to bring a winter wonderland feel to any holiday gathering.

New to the cake lineup this year is our Winter Wonderland Cake. This cake is decorated in beautiful icy blues, a White Dipping Chocolate drizzled edge, and topped with sparkling glitter. This cake is also customizable with guest’s favorite ice cream and cake flavors and serves 12-16 people.

To get the inside scoop on the latest culinary innovation, we spoke with Sara Cox, Research and Development Manager for Baskin-Robbins, who designed this sparkling masterpiece. The inspiration for this cake came from Sara identifying a need for a cake design that simply celebrates the winter season. Baskin-Robbins offers an expansive holiday ice cream cake lineup, which includes a Santa Cake, Snowman Cake, Elf Cake, and Chanukah Menorah Cake. The addition of the Winter Wonderland cake helped complete our holiday cakes lineup. To bring this cake to life she followed the drip cake trend and aimed to keep the design simple and elegant while incorporating standing rosettes made with butter crème to give the cake additional dimension.

We also have our seasonal favorite Fudge Yule Log Cake returning just in time for the holiday festivities. This cake combines Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream and chocolate cake rolled together with white icing, then topped with holly leaf decorations and three red candles. When speaking with Sara about the inspiration behind this cake, she noted that it’s a Baskin-Robbins twist on a classic design that evokes nostalgia during the holiday season.

When putting these two ice cream cakes together, it creates an instant winter wonderland feel. You can dress up your tablescape as we have done in the above image by adding powdered sugar, candy canes and Christmas lights to your cake display.

Both cakes are available to order online at www.BaskinRobbins.com/onlineordering or in your local Baskin-Robbins shop. They can be customized with your favorite Baskin-Robbins ice cream flavor, including the December Flavor of The Month, YORK® Peppermint Pattie.

How are you enjoying the holiday season with Baskin-Robbins? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

To stay up to date on all things Baskin-Robbins, sign up for our email news alerts at news.baskinrobbins.com/alerts.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Dunkin’ Brands Media Relations
Email: press@dunkinbrands.com

Source: Baskin-Robbins

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Santa Fe Importers recalls pork salami products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials

WASHINGTON, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Santa Fe Importers, Inc. a Long Beach, Calif. establishment, is recalling approximately 143 pounds of pork salami products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically metal shavings, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today (Dec. 12, 2017).

The pork salami items were produced on Aug. 3, 2017. The following products are subject to recall: 

  • 3.5 to 4.0-lbs. random weight of plastic wrapped packages of “MARISA PREMIUM QUALITY GENOA SALAMI ITALIAN BRAND,” with a packaging date of Sept. 14, 2017 and a lot code of 257-100161 in the upper right hand corner.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 4118” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations in California.

The problem was discovered after the company received a complaint from their retail customer and notified FSIS on Dec. 11, 2017.

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

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

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.

Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Vincent Passanisi, president, at (562) 437-7775. Media with questions about the recall can contact Jorge Endara, general manager, at (562) 437-7775.

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

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

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

Source: USDA

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PVH Corp. Ranks #25 Overall in 2nd Annual List of America’s Most JUST Companies

NEW YORK, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — PVH Corp. [NYSE:PVH] today (Dec. 12, 2017) announced that it has been named one of America’s 100 Most JUST Companies by Forbes and JUST Capital. PVH ranks 25th on the overall JUST 100 list and 2nd in the Household Goods & Apparel category.

The JUST 100 ranks America’s largest publicly traded companies based on the issues Americans care about most, including worker pay and treatment, customer respect, product quality and environmental impact.

“We are proud to be recognized as one of America’s Most JUST Companies,” said Emanuel Chirico, Chairman and CEO, PVH Corp. “PVH recognizes its responsibility as one of the world’s largest apparel companies to address its social and environmental impacts and contribute to a fair, healthy future for all. Further, we recognize the great responsibility and opportunity to make positive impacts – from source to store – by empowering the people we work with, preserving the environment and supporting our communities.”

To determine the rankings, Forbes in partnership with JUST Capital, analyzed companies based on comprehensive survey data collected from nationwide polls.

For more information on the 2017 JUST 100 list, click here.

About PVH Corp.

With a history going back over 135 years, PVH has excelled at growing brands and businesses with rich American heritages, becoming one of the largest apparel companies in the world. We have over 35,000 associates operating in over 40 countries and over $8 billion in annual revenues. We own the iconic CALVIN KLEIN, TOMMY HILFIGER, Van Heusen, IZOD, ARROW, Speedo*, Warner’s and Olga brands, as well as the digital-centric True & Co. intimates brand, and market a variety of goods under these and other nationally and internationally known owned and licensed brands.

*The Speedo brand is licensed for North America and the Caribbean in perpetuity from Speedo International Limited.

Media:
PVH Corp.
Dana Perlman
212-381-3502
Treasurer, Senior Vice President, Business Development and Investor Relations

Source: PVH Corp.

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SPAR India launches online campaign #SayYesToMillets

India, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Once a staple food source in India, Millets have fallen out of fashion over the last few decades – replaced by rice and wheat. Now, with the increase in diabetes and allergies such as gluten intolerance, this group of small seed grasses that have been widely cultivated as cereal crops, are making a comeback.

Realising the potential of the hardy, ancient millet seeds, SPAR India introduced a 25 day-long campaign in all SPAR Supermarkets in the country to create awareness about the health benefits and nutritional excellence of millets. In each store, a special zone was set up highlighting the entire millet range available. Nutritional information and delicious recipes were also displayed.

Some 500 school children from all over the country visited the millet zones in the SPAR stores and were informed about why the grains should be part of their diets. In addition to the millet zones instore, SPAR India executed the online campaign #SayYesToMillets, regularly posting nutritional facts, recipes and health benefits of millets on its various social media platforms.

To promote local farmers, the SPAR Natural range offered instore features a variety of products containing locally grown grains. These include savoury, sweet and ready-to-cook SPAR Own Brand products like Dosa mix and Millet-based health drinks.

Millets are a smart way of farming and eating. They can grow on marginal land and under harsh weather conditions. They are rich in nutrients, minerals, and fibre and can reduce the risks of heart diseases and obesity. Millets are also an affordable alternative to trendy, more expensive ‘superfoods’ and SPAR India is delighted to once again be promoting this ancient group of grains.

Read more news about SPAR India here

SPAR India

In August 2014, SPAR International and Max Hypermarkets entered into a partnership agreement to develop the brand across the country. Max Hypermarkets is operated by the Landmark Group, a retail group headquartered in Dubai. SPAR India has focused development on the SPAR Hypermarket format, rolling out into new cities and with tailored solutions to meet shopper needs.

Contact:

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

Source: Spar International

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Kroger partners with Chase Pay to offer mobile payments for online and in-lane purchases

Redesigning grocery payment experience enables seamless transactions while delivering cost savings for the future

CINCINNATI, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — The Kroger Co. is teaming up with Chase Pay—the digital engagement wallet from JPMorgan Chase & Co.— to offer mobile payments starting with select retail markets and e-commerce programs in 2018.

Kroger’s payment solutions are a part of the company’s Restock Kroger Plan, the strategy to create shareholder value by redefining how America eats. One of the key strategic drivers is to expand partnerships to create customer value, which includes Kroger forming alliances to accelerate digital and e-commerce platforms.

“Technology is transforming our customers’ experiences and greatly influencing how we are reimagining the store of the future,” said Chris Hjelm, Kroger’s Chief Information Officer. “Mobile wallets enable a more seamless shopping experience for our customers and at the same time, can help us drive cost out of our business.”

“This is a significant win for our customers who now will be able to save time and money using Chase Pay at one of the top retailers in the country,” said Jennifer Roberts, Head of Digital Products at Chase. “Kroger is one of the places our customers shop the most, and it’s great to deliver more value to both a key partner and our customers.”

Through the partnership, Chase’s 65 million customers will have an opportunity to use Chase Pay at Kroger for online and in-lane purchases.

For more information about The Kroger Co., visit www.TheKrogerCo.com.

For more information about Chase Pay, visit www.ChasePay.com.

About Kroger 
At The Kroger Co., we are dedicated to our purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit™. 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.

About Chase 
Chase is the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.6 trillion and operations worldwide. Chase serves nearly half of America’s households with a broad range of financial services, including personal banking, credit cards, mortgages, auto financing, investment advice, small business loans and payment processing. Customers can choose how and where they want to bank: 5,300 branches, 16,000 ATMs, mobile, online and by phone. For more information, go to Chase.com.

Contact:

513/782-3300

SOURCE: The Kroger Co.

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Colruyt Amay unveils new-generation Colruyt store

Colruyt Amay unveils new-generation Colruyt store

 

Halle, Belgium, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — On Wednesday 13 December the renovated Colruyt Amay will open its doors after a few weeks of renovation work.The store has been completely rearranged and restyled into a new-generation Colruyt store.

More efficient and pleasant shopping

“During closure, we completely rearranged the store”, says store manager Loic Jadin.”Customers can now shop even more efficiently in a more congenial store. When making renovations, we always aim at simplicity and the lowest costs, as our customers expect of us.”

Brand-new butcher’s department

The renovated store has a larger fresh market and a broader range of frozen products. For fresh quality meat, customers can visit the brand-new butcher’s department. Head butcher Grégory Budo: “Our customers have a nice overview of the range of meat, cold cuts and salads. They can also see the butchers at work in an open workshop and talk to them if they have questions or a special order.”

Collect&Go shops for the customer

Colruyt Amay now also has a Collect&Go pick-up point. “Collect&Go is the handy Colruyt Group service, where we shop for the customers”, says the store manager.”They send their shopping list to collectandgo.be or via the app, and the Collect&Go employees have their products ready at the pick-up point on the day and time of their choice.Handy!”

Special open house

As from Wednesday 13 December, store manager Loic Jadin, head butcher Grégory Budo and their 34 co-workers will be on hand to welcome their customers in the renewed Colruyt Amay.

Loic Jadin: “The evening before, on Tuesday 12 December from 5 to 8 pm, everyone is invited for a store preview. During this special open house, customers will be offered snacks and a drink. Everyone is most welcome!”

For more information, please contact:
Bruno Flamand (regional manager)
02 345 2345

Silja Decock (press officer Colruyt Group)
0473 92 45 10

Source: Colruyt Group

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Citycon announces equity repayment of EUR 0.0325 per share

Helsinki, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — The Board of Directors of Citycon Oyj has today (12 December 2017) decided, on the basis of the authorisation by the Annual General Meeting 2017, that an equity repayment of EUR 0.0325 per share be distributed from the invested unrestricted equity fund of the company. The equity repayment will be paid to a shareholder registered in the company’s shareholders’ register maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd on the record date for the dividend and equity repayment 14 December 2017. The equity repayment will be paid on 29 December 2017.

Citycon’s Annual General Meeting held on 22 March 2017, resolved to authorise the Board of Directors to decide in its discretion on the distribution of dividend and equity repayment. Based on the authorisation the total amount of the dividend to be distributed shall not exceed EUR 0.01 per share and the maximum amount of equity repayment distributed from the invested unrestricted equity fund shall not exceed EUR 0.12 per share. The authorisation is valid until the opening of the Annual General Meeting 2018.

Following the asset distribution on 29 December 2017, Citycon Oyj has distributed a total dividend and equity repayment of EUR 0.13 per share during the year 2017 and the Board of Directors has fully exercised the asset distribution authorisation granted by the Annual General Meeting.

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

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

Eero Sihvonen
Executive Vice President and CFO
Tel. +358 50 557 9137
eero.sihvonen@citycon.com

Source: Citycon

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SSP opens Ritazza coffee shop in Glasgow Prestwick Airport

London, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — SSP, a leading operator of food and beverage brands in travel locations worldwide, will be opening its first Ritazza coffee unit in Scotland at Glasgow Prestwick Airport.

The coffee shop, which opened on 8th December, serves a range of hot and cold beverages from freshly brewed barista coffees and a range of English breakfast and herbal teas to refreshing iced lemonade. The food menu includes a host of sweet and savoury favourites including toasties, baguettes, breakfast rolls, pastries and cakes, all available to eat in or take away.

There is a seating area with 50 covers so that travellers can relax whilst enjoying a coffee or a meal before their flight. It will feature the new look and style that made its highly successful debut at London Euston station.

Commenting on the new openings, Simon Smith, CEO of SSP UK and Ireland said; “We have had great success with our rebranded Ritazza at London Euston station and we are delighted to be able to bring the Ritazza experience to Scotland. The brand is a perfect addition to the mix at the airport, with a great range of food and drink for customers to enjoy before they fly.”

Derek Banks, Glasgow Prestwick’s Finance and Commercial Director added; “We are delighted to work alongside SSP and open the first Ritazza coffee unit in Scotland, continuing our excellent partnership with SSP.

“This new brand gives our passengers and visitors a great choice and compliments our current facilities.”

If you are a journalist and have a press enquiry, please contact Templemere Public Relations on +44 (0) 1306 735574 or press.office@ssp-intl.com

Source: SSP

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LuLu launches newly rebranded Private Label products

LuLu launches newly rebranded Private Label products

 

Abu Dhabi, UAE, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — LuLu, the top retailer in the Middle East today (Dec 12,2017) launched their newly rebranded Private Label products during the ongoing SIAL ME 2018. LuLu products which was introduced 10 years back in select categories is today a top seller across 140 stores of LuLu group across the ME, India and the Far East.

The rebranded and enhanced range of LuLu products are sourced from best companies in more than 40 countries and tested and certified by some of the top global regulatory authorities.

Speaking to media after the launch Yusuff Ali M.A., Chairman of LuLu Group said “we have been constantly innovating and upgrading the quality and offerings of our LuLu products and we are delighted to note the tremendous boost we have been receiving from the market. Initially our plan was to sell few products in select categories, but with each passing year we have been adding new categories and product range. Our primary goal has been “highest quality products at most affordable prices”. Consumers are always looking for better value for money and we are committed to providing better price by limiting our overheads and “middle men”.

Currently LuLu sells almost 2500 products under its own label, from fresh food to dairy, packed food, confectionary and frozen food. In non-food category, it has hygiene and home care products.

“As we are on a fast expansion mode, we expect to double our product range in the next 2 years. We also are focusing on sourcing more locally produced products to support the UAE food processing industry and today we launched cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi” Yusuff Ali added.

On the sidelines of SIAL ME, LuLu also signed a licensing agreement with Warner Brothers to sell a range of products with famous cartoon characters such as Looney Toons, Tom & Jerry, Superman, etc.

CONTACT:
+971 2 4182000
+971 2 6421716
headoffice@ae.lulumea.com
marketing@ae.lulumea.com

SOURCE: LuLu Group International

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Carrefour signs the 2018 French Business Climate Pledge

Carrefour signs the 2018 French Business Climate Pledge

 

Boulogne-Billancourt, France, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Carrefour signed the 2018 French Business Climate Pledge alongside more than 90 other French companies.

Carrefour’s commitments:
-> Reduce the CO2 emissions generated by its stores throughout the world by 40% between now and 2025 (compared with 2010 levels), and by -70% by 2050. It is taking action at two levels: the primary direct sources of CO2 emissions (energy consumption and use of refrigerants), and indirect sources – the carbon footprints of the goods that it sells and their transportation in particular.

-> Invest in low CO2-emitting technologies by introducing an internal price for CO2 in investment projects.

> Reduce energy consumption by 30% by 2025
Carrefour’s Anti-waste plan involves installing closed refrigeration units, using LED lighting systems, managing intelligent meters in stores and sharing examples of best practice. A new “energy independent store” project being introduced in France will feature the most effective technologies and innovations.

-> Develop renewable energy production initiatives that involve photovoltaic panels at our stores and our logistics hubs.

-> Reduce CO2 emissions generated by coolant production by 40% by 2025.
Since 2015, Carrefour has invested €150 million: Phasing out of hydrofluorocarbons, introducing new facilities that have been in testing since 2009 that involve natural fluids (CO2), generating “clean” cold. A major commitment made within the collective framework of the Consumer Goods Forum (400 companies, 70 countries). Thanks to these initiatives, Carrefour has reduced its CO2 emissions by 45.3% since 2010.

> Reduce CO2 emissions generated by transport operations by 30% by 2025
This has involved reducing distances, phasing out empty return journeys and filling lorries more efficiently. Alternatives to diesel are being developed: 6 hybrid vehicles are currently being tested and a fleet of 200 vehicles running on biomethane will be rolled out between now and 2017. Tackling waste also means tackling pollution: no more fine particles, 90% lower CO2 emissions.

-> Include our suppliers in tackling climate change
70% of the CO2 emissions associated with a given product are generated upstream by the farming sector. Carrefour has therefore pledged within the framework of the Consumer Goods Forum – an authority that represents the consumer sector – that it is going to stop deforestation before 2020, phase out HFCs and halve the amount of food waste generated between now and 2025.

Carrefour is also involving its suppliers in agro-ecology through its “Carrefour Quality Lines” (nearly 20,000 producers throughout the world) and is taking action to reduce food waste. Its various initiatives include putting products with short shelf lives on special offer, introducing longer expiry dates, giving donations to charities (more than 142 million meals were donated in 2016), providing customers with information, making changes to the way in which fruit and vegetables are packed and testing new types of packaging.

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 Web Services and Ningxia Western Cloud Data Technology announce technology partnership and the launch of AWS China (Ningxia) Region

  • AWS establishes strategic technology partnership with NWCD to expand infrastructure footprint in China
  • Ningxia government welcomes the launch as a key economic development milestone; cites the region’s suitability for future large-scale cloud technology infrastructure projects
  • With thousands of active customers in China using AWS China (Beijing) Region operated by Sinnet, those welcoming the new AWS Region include Aucma, BGI, BSH, Changyou.com, Cheetah Mobile, EF, Envision Energy, Hikvision, Hisense, iQIYI, Kunlun.com, Lenovo, Lianjia.com, Liulishuo, MangoTV, MaryKay, Meitu, Mengniu Dairy Group, Midea, musical.ly, OPPO, Oriental Pearl Group, Samsung Electronics, Sengled,Suzhou Daily, Sixth Tone, Sunshine Paper, TCL, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Top Score Fashion Shoes, TP-LINK, TuSimple, Unipus, VIPKID,Xiaomi, Xiaoshouyi and many more

SEATTLE & BEIJING, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company (NASDAQ:AMZN), and Ningxia Western Cloud Data Technology Co. Ltd. (NWCD), a cloud services provider in China, today announced a strategic technology partnership and the launch of the AWS China (Ningxia) Region, operated by NWCD. The AWS China (Ningxia) Region, operated by NWCD, joins the AWS China (Beijing) Region, operated by Sinnet, as the second AWS China Region and the seventh Region in Asia Pacific, along with AWS Regions in Beijing, Mumbai, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo. With this launch, AWS now provides 46 Availability Zones across 17 technology infrastructure regions globally, with announced plans for another 15 Availability Zones across five AWS Regions in Bahrain, France, Hong Kong SAR, Sweden, and the US.

Already, thousands of active customers are using best-in-class cloud services available from the AWS China (Beijing) Region, operated by Sinnet. Starting today, Chinese developers, startups, and enterprises, as well as government, education, and non-profit organizations, can leverage AWS to run their applications and store their data in the new AWS China (Ningxia) Region, operated by NWCD. Existing customers can choose the AWS China (Beijing) Region, operated by Sinnet, and/or the AWS China (Ningxia) Region, operated by NWCD, by selecting either AWS China Region directly from the AWS Management Console, while new customers can request an account at www.amazonaws.cn to begin using either AWS China Region.

AWS has formed a strategic technology collaboration with NWCD, and NWCD operates and provides services from the AWS China (Ningxia) Region, in full compliance with Chinese regulations. Founded in 2015, NWCD is a licensed datacenter and cloud services provider, based in Ningxia, China. NWCD joins Sinnet, the operator of the AWS China (Beijing) Region, as AWS’s second operating partner in China. Through these relationships, AWS provides its industry-leading technology, guidance, and expertise to NWCD and Sinnet, while NWCD and Sinnet operate and provide AWS Cloud services to local customers. While the cloud services offered in both AWS China Regions are the same as those available in other AWS Regions, the AWS China Regions are isolated from all other AWS Regions and operated by AWS’s Chinese partners separately from all other AWS Regions. Customers using the AWS China Regions enter into customer agreements with Sinnet in Beijing and NWCD in Ningxia, rather than with AWS.

The AWS China (Ningxia) Region, operated by NWCD, offers two Availability Zones at launch. AWS Regions are comprised of Availability Zones, which refer to technology infrastructure in separate and distinct geographic locations with enough distance to significantly reduce the risk of a single event impacting availability, yet near enough for business continuity applications that require rapid failover. Each Availability Zone has independent power, cooling, and physical security, and is connected to national backbone networks via local telecom carriers’ high-speed fiber optic networks. AWS customers focused on high availability can architect their applications to run in multiple Availability Zones or across both AWS China Regions to achieve even higher fault-tolerance.

“Together with our partner NWCD, and with deep appreciation of the support we’ve received from the Zhongwei municipal government and Ningxia government, we’re excited to announce the launch of the AWS China (Ningxia) Region, operated by NWCD. The second AWS Region in China is part of AWS’s ongoing commitment to offer best-in-class cloud technologies to Chinese customers,” said Andy Jassy, CEO, AWS. “For years, AWS and our partners have had an enthusiastic base of customers in China, a country with one of the world’s largest and most dynamic cloud ecosystems. Our customers build their businesses on AWS because in addition to being the world’s largest cloud, it has more functionality than any other cloud platform, an extensive partner community, and unmatched maturity, security, and performance. We’re taking this step jointly with the Ningxia government and our operating partner, NWCD, both of whom worked tirelessly with us to achieve this milestone. Coupled with the AWS China (Beijing) Region, operated by Sinnet, the second AWS China Region will serve as the foundation for new cloud initiatives in China, especially in Western China, helping to transform businesses, increase innovation, and enhance the regional economy.”

“I have been promoting and incubating cloud computing and technology startups for the last five years, and have worked with various Chinese local governments to create a cloud computing incubation center called Cloud Valley,” said Edward Tian, founder of NWCD. “Today, we are honored to announce operationally availability of the AWS China (Ningxia) Region, operated by NWCD. We expect it to play a significant role in the ongoing development of China’s western region. It will be an important part of Cloud Valley in China. As one of AWS’s strategic partners when it first entered China, we are delighted to witness this moment as an important step in furthering our collaboration. The AWS China (Ningxia) Region, operated by NWCD, ensures the delivery of AWS’s leading cloud services, along with flexible and effective local support. As an important part of the cloud computing ecosystem, the combination of cloud technology and Western China’s rich resources will enhance the local economy of the region, foster the development of the manufacturing and industrial sector, and promote the prosperity and development of China’s cloud ecosystem.”

He Jian, Secretary of Zhongwei Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said, “By establishing the Western Cloud Valley in Ningxia Autonomous Region, we see an opportunity to develop our cloud industry and to align with the opportunities presented by the national One Belt One Road Initiative. We have developed a close collaboration with AWS based on mutual trust, and are delighted that our region is now offering highly resilient, high performance data centers to enterprises across the nation. We have already seen a rapid growth in the cloud computing industry, and with the unique resources of Ningxia combined with the mature expertise of AWS Cloud, we will set a great example for economic transformation in the west of China.”

The establishment of the AWS China (Ningxia) Region, operated by NWCD, will also boost development of the industrial ecosystem of the Western Cloud Valley in Zhongwei, as well as help educate and train local students as future cloud computing talent for Western China. Jointly conceived of and launched by Ningxia University, AWS, and the Zhongwei City Government, the Ningxia University – Amazon Cloud Computing School has about 600 students enrolled to date, with 140 students expected to graduate in 2018.

Customers Welcome the AWS China (Ningxia) Region

Thousands of active customers in China already use AWS China (Beijing) Region services, operated by Sinnet, and tens of thousands of Chinese customers use other AWS Regions around the world, including Aucma, BGI, BSH, Changyou.com, Cheetah Mobile, EF, Envision Energy, Hikvision, Hisense, iQIYI, Kunlun.com, Lenovo, Lianjia.com, Liulishuo, MangoTV, MaryKay, Meitu, Mengniu Dairy Group, Midea, musical.ly, OPPO, Oriental Pearl Group, Samsung Electronics, Sengled, Suzhou Daily, Sixth Tone, Sunshine Paper, TCL, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Top Score Fashion Shoes, TP-LINK, TuSimple, Unipus, VIPKID, Xiaomi, Xiaoshouyi and many more.

TCL Corporation is a business conglomerate focused on smart product manufacturing and Internet application services on a global scale. Chen Jun, deputy general manager of HAWK, TCL Group, said, “By launching the AWS China (Ningxia) Region, AWS continues to bring their world-class cloud services to the Chinese market. Now TCL, and many others in the manufacturing industry, will have access to an even more reliable cloud platform that provides broader functionality in analysis, artificial intelligence/machine learning, and Internet of Things (IoT) for our strategic business transformation, in particular TCL’s Product plus Service and Intelligence plus Internet solutions.”

Lenovo is a global leader in providing innovative consumer, commercial, and data center technology. Yu Chentao, Director and Distinguished Researcher, Big Data Business Unit, Capital and Incubator Group, said, “Lenovo industrial big data solutions not only support Lenovo’s production and operations worldwide, but also offer our manufacturing customers a high-performance and one-stop business analysis and optimization environment with industrial intelligence. As AWS’s customer and APN partner, both in China and globally, the addition of a second AWS China Region in Ningxia, operated by NWCD, will provide Lenovo and our customers with more services and expanded disaster recovery solutions in China.”

Samsung Electronics is a global technology leader transforming televisions, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, and more, through their focus on constant innovation. Daijun Zhang, CEO of Samsung Electronics China Research Center (Beijing), said, “We have been anticipating the launch of the AWS China (Ningxia) Region for some time. A second AWS Region in China will help Samsung to provide more flexible and resilient applications while reducing our costs. This significantly accelerates our ability to bring more innovations to our customers in China.”

Envision Energy is a top-tier global provider for smart energy technologies and services, including sales of smart turbines, smart wind farms, energy management software, and technological services. Colin Yu, Vice President of Envision, said, “Envision has been working with AWS to develop the largest Energy IoT Platform – EnOS™, to connect devices, systems, and people in the energy world. A second AWS China Region will help EnOS better serve its customers throughout the country with lower costs, higher scalability, and faster performance.”

Investing in China’s Startup Community

Many of the most well-known and fastest-growing startups in China are using AWS services to build and rapidly expand their businesses, both within China and around the world. Companies such as 5miles, 90kmile, Camera360, Fruit Day, FunPlus, Genetalks, Globalegrow, Huan.tv, Huivo, IGG, Insta360, Inveno, Moji, NeuCloud, Patsnap, PingWest, R2Games, RockVR, SoundBus, Webull, Xiaohongshu, XtalPi, Yeahmobi, and Zhugeio have embraced AWS to power their businesses. The AWS Activate program provides startups with the resources they need to quickly get started and scale their businesses on AWS. In 2017, AWS announced Joint Innovation Centers in Qingdao and Xi’an, providing startups with the cloud computing resources and support, including free office space, exposure to local and global venture capital firms, and training.

AWS offers a full range of training and certification programs to help Chinese professionals advance their technical skills in the latest cloud technologies and best practices. Additionally, the AWS Educate program, which recently launched in China, promotes cloud learning in the classroom and has been adopted by more than 1,500 institutions worldwide. A group of professors from Tsinghua University, Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Harbin Institute of Technology, and Xian Jiaotong University are now registered in the AWS Educate Program to develop pilot courses in subjects such as cloud computing, IOT, Software Engineering, and computer science fundamentals. The program helps provide an academic gateway for the next generation of China’s IT and cloud professionals.

AWS Partners Leading Cloud Future

AWS Partner Network (APN) also welcomed the arrival of the new AWS China (Ningxia) Region, operated by NWCD. The APN includes tens of thousands of independent software vendors (ISVs) and systems integrators (SIs) around the world, with APN Partner participation in China growing significantly over the past 12 months. APN Partners build innovative solutions and services on the AWS Cloud and the APN helps by providing those partners with business, technical, marketing, and go-to-market (GTM) support. APN SIs such as Accenture, Deloitte, Digital China Cloud, Neusoft, Ultrapower, DCITS, HAND Enterprise Solutions, Sinoage, Lenovo, Beyondsoft, Futong, and Teamsun are helping enterprise and public sector customers migrate to AWS, deploy mission-critical applications on AWS, and provide a full range of monitoring, automation, and management services for customers’ AWS environments. AWS ISVs including Kingdee, Sinosoft, Asiainfo, Tingyun, Xiaoshouyi, GrowingIO, TalkingData, Envision, K2DATA, Goldwind, and Ayla Networks can now serve their China customers from both local AWS Regions.

About Ningxia Western Cloud Data Technology Co. Ltd. (NWCD)

Founded in 2015, the Ningxia Western Cloud Data Technology Co. Ltd. (NWCD) is a licensed datacenter and cloud services provider, based in Ningxia. NWCD provides outstanding value-added telecommunications services to Chinese customers. Its businesses include Internet Data Center (IDC) services, Internet Access (ISP) services, and cloud computing (IRC) services. Headquartered in Zhongwei, Ningxia, NWCD is committed to leveraging cutting-edge technologies, high quality resources, and services to help Ningxia Zhongwei city government build and develop the Western Cloud Valley to serve the vast number of China-based developers, start-ups, enterprises, government organizations, and non-profits.

About Amazon Web Services

For more than 11 years, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. AWS offers over 100 fully featured services for compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, security, hybrid, and application development, deployment, and management from 46 Availability Zones (AZs) across 17 geographic regions in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the UK. AWS services are trusted by millions of active customers around the world—including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies—to power their infrastructure, make them more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit https://aws.amazon.com.

About Amazon

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

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

Source: Amazon Web Services, Inc.

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IKEA Group allocates $113 million into the retirement funds of 123,000 co-workers

Conshohocken, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — IKEA Group co-workers around the globe will receive a special thanks from the company as part of the IKEA Tack! retirement fund. IKEA recently announced that Tack!, which means ‘thank you’ in Swedish, will allocate $113 million* total into the retirement funds of 123,000 IKEA co-workers throughout its corporate, retail and distribution centers. For U.S. co-workers, each will receive $1,403 into their Tack! retirement fund.

“At IKEA, no matter where you work in our organization you are contributing to our success and continued growth. We believe it’s important to recognize our co-workers for their hard work and loyalty and celebrate our successes together,” said Lars Petersson, IKEA U.S. President. “Our contribution to each co-worker’s Tack! retirement fund is just one way we can show our gratitude and demonstrate our commitment to being a great place to work.”

The global funding is divided between all IKEA Group countries, based on each country’s proportion of the total salary and wages. Every co-worker gets the same amount regardless of position or salary, and part-time co-workers are rewarded in proportion to their hours worked. Tack! was introduced in 2013 and since then the IKEA Group has paid out $600 (€509) million globally.

IKEA U.S. has been recognized as an employer-of-choice for its outstanding co-worker benefits including parental leave policy and minimum wage structure. The company has recently received these awards: FORTUNE 2017, Best Companies to Work For; FORTUNE 2017, 50 Best Workplaces for Diversity; Glassdoor 2017 Best Places to Work; 2017 PEOPLE Companies that Care; Fatherly: The 50 Best Places to Work for New Dads in 2017; and three Glassdoor 2017 Awards: Best Places to Work, Highest Rated CEOs, Best Places to Interview.

About IKEA 
Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered home furnishings of good design and function at low prices so the majority of people can afford them. There are currently more than 392 IKEA stores in 48 countries, including 46 in the U.S. IKEA incorporates sustainability into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment. For more information see IKEA-USA.com, @IKEAUSANews, @IKEAUSA or IKEAUSA on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.

*€96 million euro = $113 million U.S. dollars at a conversion of $1.18 to one euro ** The global funding is divided between all IKEA Group countries, based on each country’s proportion of the total salary and wages. The payout is dependent on the total results of IKEA Group during the previous financial year.

Contact:
IKEA U.S. Press Office
press.us@ikea.com
1-866-329-4532

Source: IKEA Group

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NACS: Low gas prices continue to push consumer optimism to high levels

ALEXANDRIA, Va., 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Low gas prices continue to push consumer optimism to high levels and this optimism will likely translate into more holiday travel and shopping, according to the December 2017 NACS Consumer Fuels Survey.

Low gas prices—which dropped 3 cents per gallon to $2.47—are a big reason for the optimism: 72% of drivers say that gas prices affect their feelings about the economy.

For the third consecutive month, 61% of gas purchasers say they feel optimistic about the economy, tied for the highest level recorded over the past five years of the monthly surveys.  Optimism is largely uniform across regions but there is a significant difference by gender: Men are far likelier than women to say that they are optimistic about the economy (69% vs. 53%).

NACS, which represents the convenience store industry that sells an estimated 80% of the fuel sold in the United States, has conducted monthly surveys related to economic issues since January 2013.

Consumer optimism has been consistent throughout 2017: Optimism stayed between 57% and 61% for 11 of the 12 months of 2017. The only exception was September (54%) following Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.

Optimism in December 2017 is 10 points higher than December 2015, and 22 points higher than December 2013. This year, the average monthly gas price ranged from $2.22 to $2.59. By contrast, the average price in December 2013 was $3.29.

Consumer optimism may translate to a busy holiday shopping season. More than one in four consumers (27%) say they will drive more this month, led by 43% of those ages 18 to 34. Last month, only 16% of American said they would be driving more.

Consumers also say they may be spending more this month. One in three (33%) say they will be spending more this month, the same percentage as last year but 6 points higher than in December 2015.

“Strong economic optimism is undoubtedly the story of 2017. Low gas prices and high consumer optimism are the best predictors of convenience store sales. Combine these positive indicators with the continued growth of prepared foods and healthy options in convenience stores and it shows why 2017 is shaping up as another record-setting year for in-store sales,” said Jeff Lenard, NACS vice president of strategic industry initiatives.

The survey was conducted online by PSB (Penn Schoen Berland); 1,104 U.S. adults who purchase fuel for a vehicle such as a car, truck or van at least once per month were surveyed December 5-8, 2017. Summary results are available at convenience.org/fuelssurvey.

NACS advances the role of convenience stores as positive economic, social and philanthropic contributors to the communities they serve. The U.S. convenience store industry, with more than 154,000 stores nationwide selling fuel, food and merchandise, serves 160 million customers daily—half of the U.S. population—and has sales that are 10.8% of total U.S. retail and foodservice sales. NACS has 2,100 retailer and 1,750 supplier members from more than 50 countries.

Source: NACS

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SUPERVALU launches refreshed e-commerce sites Powered by Instacart

SAN FRANCISCO and EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Instacart, the technology-driven, nationwide on-demand grocery delivery service, and SUPERVALU INC. (NYSE: SVU), one of the largest grocery wholesalers and retailers in the U.S., has entered into an exclusive multiyear contract. Under this agreement, SUPERVALU recently launched refreshed e-commerce sites Powered by Instacart for four of its retail banners across the nation: Cub, Farm Fresh Food and Pharmacy, Shop ‘n Save, and Shoppers Food and Pharmacy.

SUPERVALU and Instacart first joined forces to offer same-day grocery delivery in September 2015. Based on customer response and continued demand for e-commerce options, SUPERVALU has selected Instacart to expand its offerings, including click-and-collect, a solution that allows customers to order online and pick up at the store without ever leaving their vehicle. The expanded offering will soon provide integration of store coupons and loyalty rewards for orders placed online through the Powered by Instacart sites, delivering additional value for shoppers.

“Our relationship with Instacart continues to evolve, and going forward we have a great plan for delivering online grocery and meal solution options for our retail customers,” said Anne Dament, Executive Vice President of Retail, Marketing, and Private Brands at SUPERVALU. “SUPERVALU is committed to addressing the unique preferences of the communities we serve, and now customers have another option to get the fresh, premier products they expect from our retail stores with the convenience of same-day delivery that fits with their busy lifestyles.”

SUPERVALU customers across Minnesota; St. Louis, Mo.; Virginia Beach, Va.; and the Washington, D.C. area can now visit brand-specific Powered by Instacart sites to fill their virtual carts with their favorite items, from fresh, ready-to-eat options in the deli to everyday essentials, and have them delivered straight to their doorstep, often in as little as one hour.

“SUPERVALU is a grocery industry leader and a great fit given Instacart’s mission to bring customers the groceries they want from the brands they trust within their own communities,” said Nilam Ganenthiran, Instacart’s Chief Business Officer. “We are thrilled to extend our relationship and launch Powered by Instacart sites for these trusted retail brands.”

About Instacart 
Instacart helps people cross grocery shopping off their to-do lists with just a few clicks. Customers use the Instacart website or app to fill their virtual shopping cart with items from their favorite, local stores, and Instacart connects them with shoppers who hand- pick the items and deliver them straight to their door. Founded in San Francisco in 2012, Instacart has quickly scaled to over 160 markets and partnered with retailers across North America, including popular national chains as well as local, regional grocers. By combining a personal touch with cutting-edge technology, Instacart offers customers a simple solution to save time and eat fresh food from the most trusted grocery brands. Instacart is the only grocery service that can meet today’s on-demand lifestyle by delivering in as little as one hour. First delivery is free at www.instacart.com.

About SUPERVALU INC.
SUPERVALU INC. is one of the largest grocery wholesalers and retailers in the U.S., with annual sales of approximately $16 billion. SUPERVALU serves customers across the United States through a network of 3,337 stores composed of 3,120 wholesale primary stores operated by customers serviced by SUPERVALU’s food distribution business and 217 traditional retail grocery stores operated under five retail banners in six geographic regions (store counts as of September 9, 2017). Headquartered in Minnesota, SUPERVALU has approximately 31,000 employees. For more information about SUPERVALU visit www.supervalu.com.

Media Contacts: 
Mike Wilken for SUPERVALU
Michael.Wilken@supervalu.com

Dacyl Armendariz for Instacart
dacyl.armendariz@instacart.com

Source: SUPERVALU INC.

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AHOLD DELHAIZE SHARE BUYBACK UPDATE: 831,088 COMMON SHARES REPURCHASED IN THE PERIOD FROM December 4, 2017 UP TO AND INCLUDING DECEMBER 8, 2017

Zaandam, the Netherlands, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Ahold Delhaize has repurchased 831,088 of Ahold Delhaize common shares in the period from December 4, 2017 up to and including December 8, 2017. The shares were repurchased at an average price of €18.55 per share for a total consideration of €15.4 million. These repurchases were made as part of the €1 billion share buyback program announced on December 7, 2016.

The total number of shares repurchased under this program to date is 52,460,063 common shares for a total consideration of €950 million.

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

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

MEDIA CONTACT:

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

SOURCE: Ahold Delhaize

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Weingarten Realty Investor declares special cash dividend of $0.75 per common share

HOUSTON, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Weingarten Realty Investors (NYSE:WRI) announced today (12/11/2017) that its Board of Trust Managers declared a special cash dividend of $0.75 per common share payable on December 29, 2017 to shareholders of record on December 26, 2017. The Company estimates the special dividend will consist primarily of gains on dispositions of properties.

The Board of Trust Managers did not make any change in the Company’s policy with respect to regular quarterly dividends.

About Weingarten Realty Investors

Weingarten Realty Investors (NYSE: WRI) is a shopping center owner, manager and developer. At September 30, 2017, the Company owned or operated under long-term leases, either directly or through its interest in real estate joint ventures or partnerships, a total of 210 properties which are located in 18 states spanning the country from coast to coast. These properties represent approximately 42.4 million square feet of which our interests in these properties aggregated approximately 27.2 million square feet of leasable area. To learn more about the Company’s operations and growth strategies, please visit www.weingarten.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements included herein that state the Company’s or Management’s intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations or predictions of the future are “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 which by their nature, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. The Company’s actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Reference is made to the Company’s regulatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for information or factors that may impact the Company’s performance.

Weingarten Realty Investors:
Michelle Wiggs
713-866-6050

Source: Weingarten Realty Investors

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Foodstuffs North Island: New Zealand summer stonefruit season is here!

The summer stonefruit season is only 10 weeks long, from mid-December to March, but New Zealanders certainly make the most of it.

Auckland, New Zealand, 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Figures from Summerfruit NZ show that in the 2016-17 season, New Zealanders consumed 4,064 tonnes of nectarines; 3,579 tonnes of peaches; 2,366 tonnes of plums; 1,737 tonnes of apricots and 1,683 tonnes of cherries.

Export volumes are much lower – apart from cherries, which do well in Asian countries. Around 66% of New Zealand’s cherries are exported – some 3,396 tonnes last year.
“Stonefruit is very much a summer product, and there’s a sense of urgency about it, because by the end of March it’s all gone,” Chairman of the Yummy Fruit Company John Paynter says. “When the weather is warm, people love summerfruit, it sells so well.”

Over those 10 weeks, the Yummy Fruit Company produces 2 million kilos of stonefruit from its Hawkes Bay orchards. Of this, 70 percent is sold through Foodstuffs’ supermarkets – New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square.

“We have a long-standing relationship with the Yummy Fruit Company,” Foodstuffs North Island’s GM Merchandise David Stewart says. “The quality of the stonefruit they provide us with is superb – our customers really look forward to it,” he says.

John Paynter and his sons are the fourth and fifth generation of Paynters to be involved in this family business.

“My family started growing fruit in Nelson in 1862, so that’s 155 years. I founded the Yummy brand in 1974. It’s a story of survival really. You don’t do this for the money – if you didn’t enjoy it, it would be really hard work. I have 100 people on my role of honour, who’ve been with the company for five years or more. There are some who’ve been with us for 40 years. The corporate knowledge is immense. You learn it on the job, it’s not something you learn at university. They are unbelievably dedicated people, and I want all of them to treat the business as if they own it.

“Our staff work six days a week over the summer, and long hours. The vagaries of the weather affect the dynamics of the business. You can have the best-laid plans, and then it’s wet in the morning. So our staff have to be very dedicated.

“During the harvest we have up to 600 people working for us, and 300 in the off-season. Some come back to work for us every season.

“Most of my friends are retired, but I still enjoy what I do. I still do a lot of store visits myself. Last year, we did 100 around Auckland. I know all the produce managers and they know me.

“A stonefruit tree lasts 15 years, so every year we produce new trees in our company nursery.

The company has eight orchard operations covering some 600ha of the Heretaunga Plains.
“When I started in the business, we only had five hectares,” John says.
“We are always combing the world for new varieties of nectarines from Europe and America to bring to New Zealand. It takes 10 years to get it into production from when we first see it. We’re always looking for better taste, bigger fruit and nicer colours – all the things that appeal to consumers.

“In the last few years we’ve introduced nectarines with different flavour profiles and colourings. We have a range of yellow and white flesh nectarines. Some of them taste like the nectarines of old – these are our Classic range. Then there are our sweeter nectarines – our Hunny range – which are not as tart. They have a broad appeal and are now our number one stonefruit product. We also have white flesh pearl nectarines.”

Schoolchildren know the Yummy brand well, because they can collect the Yummy stickers from their fruit on behalf of their school. The schools then exchange the stickers for new sports equipment every year.

John Paynter and his team are hoping for a long, hot Auckland summer.
“When the weather is warm in Auckland, summer fruit sells really well. It’s such a great feeling when you can’t keep the retail shelves full.”

Contact:

Foodstuffs Communications Team Phone:
0800 376 3342

Source: Foodstuffs NZ

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Advance Auto Parts and Interstate Batteries announce strategic partnership

New battery program offers unrivaled automotive aftermarket product assortment and availability at Advance Auto Parts and Carquest locations

ROANOKE, Va. and DALLAS, Tex., 2017-Dec-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE: AAP) and Interstate Batteries® announce a strategic partnership to better serve the changing needs of the automotive aftermarket with premium quality products, expanded availability and enhanced customer service. Interstate Batteries, the leading replacement battery brand with the largest independent battery distribution system in North America, will become the exclusive automotive and specialty battery brand to Advance Auto Parts® stores and customers in the spring of 2018.

Advance Auto Parts, a leading parts provider serving both professional installers and do-it-yourself customers, will debut a comprehensive battery program featuring Interstate products at its more than 4,900 U.S. and international locations, and will offer free battery testing and installation in stores. Interstate products will be available initially at Advance’s company-owned stores and at independently owned Carquest stores. In the future, wholly owned Advance Auto Parts subsidiaries Worldpac, Autopart International and Carquest Canada will also offer Interstate products.

“We are thrilled that Advance Auto Parts will be the only national auto parts retailer offering our customers the market leading battery brand,” said Tom Greco, president and CEO of Advance Auto Parts. “The trusted Interstate brand, coupled with Advance’s best-in-class customer service, is a winning combination. Offering Interstate products in store, online, and through delivery within our network demonstrates our commitment to serving our customers through differentiated, innovative solutions. Together with Interstate, we are positioned to increase market share in batteries and achieve growth. Long term strategic partnerships with our suppliers are important and this is a great example.”

Automotive technicians have named Interstate Batteries the overall Best Automotive Battery Brand every year since 2007, according to Frost & Sullivan. Through the partnership, professional installers and do-it yourself customers receive greater access and availability to premium automotive and specialty batteries as well as a broader warranty program.

“Interstate Batteries’ long-term vision is to be the first choice in sustainable battery solutions in every
community we serve,” said Scott Miller, president and CEO of Interstate Batteries. “This alliance places us where our professional and retail customers are making purchasing decisions, allowing Advance Auto Parts and independent Carquest stores to serve as convenient, one-stop shops to meet our customers’ needs.”

Retail customers and professional installers alike will benefit from the partnership in many ways:
 Best-In-Class Brands: For 85 years, customers have relied on Advance Auto Parts for high quality parts, service and solutions. Customers value quality and reliability in batteries. Now, customers can get the entire line of the market leading Interstate brand from Advance Auto Parts. Interstate’s products are qualified at Interstate’s state-of-the-art testing lab to verify their products meet or exceed original equipment fit and function.

 Unmatched Availability: Through the partnership, DIY consumers and professional installers will benefit from more than 99 percent coverage for cars, light trucks, and specialty battery needs. Combining Advance’s online platforms and extended retail hours with Interstate’s expansive distribution network and route service program means the two companies will be able to provide the right battery at the right time when and where consumers need them.

 Best-In-Class Service: Advance locations will benefit from Interstate’s vast battery distribution network – the largest in North America – with more frequent product rotation and efficiencies through direct delivery to stores, keeping shelves fully stocked. Professional installers will appreciate Advance’s timely delivery service, allowing them more time to focus on customers’ needs. Additionally, with its portfolio of more than 900,000 quality products, Advance is ready to meet the full automotive parts needs of Interstate’s extensive professional customer base. For consumers, Advance stores will continue to offer free battery testing and installation through the expertise of its knowledgeable team.

 Nationwide Warranty Coverage: Interstate warranties now will be honored at all Advance locations and independently-owned Carquest stores in addition to the 200,000-plus professional shops that install Interstate batteries. The Advance footprint and name recognition bring increased convenience to Interstate customers seeking warranty support.

 Environmental Sustainability: In addition to sharing similar values based on quality, service and integrity, both companies also focus on environmental sustainability. Together, the companies will recycle more than 30 million batteries per year. That’s 1.1 billion pounds of lead and equates to more batteries recycled than sold.

For more information, visit www.advanceautoparts.com or www.interstatebatteries.com.

About Advance Auto Parts
Advance Auto Parts, Inc. is a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider that serves both professional installer and do-it-yourself customers. As of October 7, 2017, Advance operated 5,074 stores and 129 Worldpac branches and employed approximately 73,000 Team Members in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Company also serves approximately 1,250 independently owned Carquest branded stores across these locations in addition to Mexico and the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, British Virgin Islands and Pacific Islands. Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts, accessories and other offerings can be found at www.AdvanceAutoParts.com.

About Interstate Batteries
For more than 65 years, Interstate Batteries® has powered people down roads, trails and waterways and charged up businesses for success. Best known for its starting, lighting and ignition (SLI) batteries, its products have been under car hoods since 1952, each one backed by the company’s service, quality and value. Interstate All Battery Center® provides portable power in both retail and commercial markets, and Interstate PowerCare® offers premier products and technical expertise for all critical and motive power needs. Headquartered in Dallas, Interstate Batteries is an industry leader in recycling efforts, as well as a global leader in safe lead handling practices. Guided by a set of core values, the company’s purpose is to glorify God and enrich lives while delivering the most trustworthy source of power to the world. For more information, visit www.interstatebatteries.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Greg Miller
On behalf of Advance Auto Parts
greg_miller@richards.com
214-891-7668

Sarah Marshall
Jackson Spalding for Interstate Batteries
smarshall@jacksonspalding.com
214-269-4007

INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT:
Prabhakar Vaidyanathan
Advance Auto Parts
prabhakar.vaidyanathan@advance-auto.com
919-227-5466

Source: Advance Auto Parts