Category Archives: Loss Prevention

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National Retail Federation announces the appointment of Christian Beckner to head its cybersecurity program

WASHINGTON, 2018-Feb-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — The National Retail Federation today (February 9, 2018) announced that it has hired Christian Beckner, a top Washington cybersecurity think tank expert and former U.S. Senate homeland security advisor, to head its cybersecurity program that helps retailers protect sensitive consumer data nationwide.

“Protecting consumer data is one of retailers’ top priorities, and Christian is a proven cybersecurity veteran with the expertise and experience to help us combat this never-ending battle,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “His diverse background and in-depth knowledge of technology and security is an unparalleled resource for the retail industry and the consumers they serve.”

As senior director of retail technology, Beckner will lead NRF’s CIO Council, IT Security Council and cybersecurity program, and will be responsible for developing strategies, programs and activities to maintain NRF as the technology leader and convener in the retail sector. Included in the cybersecurity program is the NRF Retail Information Sharing and Analysis Organization and Threat Alert System, which gathers intelligence on cybersecurity threats targeting retailers and alerts companies to help them keep data secure.

“I am looking forward to taking the next step in my career working on behalf of an industry with such a unique set of technology and security challenges,” Beckner said. “Retailers work round-the-clock every day against cyber threats, and I want to use what I’ve learned over the last two decades to help them address these critical issues head on.”

Beckner spent the past five years as deputy director of George Washington University’s Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, a think tank where he focused on cybersecurity, counterterrorism and homeland security. He was previously an associate staff director at the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where he was responsible for coordination of oversight and legislation on a broad range of homeland security and intelligence issues. Among other assignments, he contributed to the committee’s investigation of the 2009 Fort Hood terrorist attack. He has worked on cybersecurity and homeland security issues for close to 20 years, including positions at IBM, the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the O’Gara Company.

Beckner holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Stanford University and a master’s degree in foreign service and an MBA, both from Georgetown University.

About NRF
NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nation’s largest private-sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs — 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy.

Contact:

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

Source: NRF

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AWS announces a fully managed intelligent threat detection service — Amazon GuardDuty

  • New intelligent threat detection service analyzes trillions of events per day to identify new and evolving threats and provide simple, tailored, and cost-effective protection for AWS accounts and workloads
  • GE, Netflix, Autodesk, Twilio, Webroot, and Mapbox among the customers using Amazon GuardDuty

SEATTLE, 2017-Nov-29 — /EPR Retail News/ — Today at AWS re:Invent, Amazon Web Services Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company (NASDAQ: AMZN), announced Amazon GuardDuty, a fully managed intelligent threat detection service that helps customers protect their AWS accounts and workloads by continuously monitoring account activity for malicious or unauthorized behavior. Customers can enable AmazonGuardDuty with a few clicks in the AWS Management Console and immediately begin analyzing API calls and network activity across their accounts to establish a baseline of “normal” account activity. Then, Amazon GuardDuty continuously applies machine learning to identify any events that fall outside the normal patterns. Amazon GuardDuty correlates activity using both proprietary, AWS-developed threat intelligence sources and industry-leading third-party sources. When anomalies are detected, Amazon GuardDuty delivers a detailed security alert to the AWS account owner, making alerts actionable and easy to integrate with existing event management and workflow systems. With Amazon GuardDuty, there is no hardware or software to deploy and no third-party subscription costs; customers pay only for the events analyzed. To get started with Amazon GuardDuty, visit: https://aws.amazon.com/guardduty.

As customers grow their cloud usage and increasingly deploy microservices architectures, they may have multiple AWS accounts with up to hundreds of thousands of instances. Identifying and assessing anomalous behavior across multiple accounts, networks, and instances at this scale can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Whether looking for attackers scanning web servers for vulnerabilities, monitoring for compromised instances being used to serve malware or mine cryptocurrency, or finding unauthorized resource provisioning, security teams have had to build or integrate multiple tools to detect anomalies. Customers also have to collect API access and network flow logs and correlate them with threat intelligence sources, applying algorithms to identify anomalies based on known threats. And, often, as soon as the algorithms are well-tuned, the threats evolve and the algorithm requires rework. Now, with Amazon GuardDuty, customers can easily deploy intelligent threat detection that takes care of all of this undifferentiated heavy lifting. Once activated, Amazon GuardDuty immediately begins consuming AWS CloudTrail and Amazon VPC Flow Logs to find indications of account-based threats that traditional solutions might miss, such as an unusual instance type being deployed in a region that has never been used, or an attempt to obscure user activity by disabling AWS CloudTrail logging. Amazon GuardDuty generates anomaly alerts that are tailored to each customer’s AWS use, and AWS continuously updates the threat intelligence sources Amazon GuardDuty employs. Amazon GuardDuty can be enabled instantly with no risk of negatively impacting existing application workloads.

“Customers often tell us that the best way we can help them stay secure is to give them smarter tools that make it easier to get security right,” said Stephen Schmidt, Chief Information Security Officer, Amazon Web Services. “We designed Amazon GuardDuty to be so simple and cost effective that turning it on would be an easy choice for every AWS customer, regardless of their security expertise or the existing security services they use. Amazon GuardDuty intelligently identifies hard-to-detect threats that might slip through the cracks of other security products and easily scales to meet the needs of any organization, whether they have two AWS accounts or two thousand.”

General Electric (GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive, and predictive. “Security is a top priority at GE and ingrained in our company culture,” said Nasrin Rezai, Vice President, Global Chief Information and Product Security Officer at GE. “GE runs thousands of applications on AWS. Deploying Amazon GuardDuty across our AWS global footprint required only a matter of hours and enhances our threat detection capabilities.”

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) oversees more than 3,900 securities firms with approximately 640,000 brokers and processes approximately 6 terabytes of data and 37 billion records on an average day. “We’ve found that we can be more secure in the cloud than we can on-premises,” said John Brady, CISSP, VP Cyber Security/CISO, FINRA. “With AWS, my team has access to outstanding tooling for patching, encryption, auditing and logging, entitlements, compliance, and now threat detection. We’re excited about how this new product can help us take advantage of machine learning to analyze all of our account activity, accurately detecting behavioral anomalies and enabling us to respond quickly.”

Netflix is the world’s leading internet entertainment service with over 109 million members in over 190 countries enjoying more than 125 million hours of TV shows and movies per day. “We’re excited about the capabilities of Amazon GuardDuty,” said Shaun Blackburn, Security Manager, Netflix. “By delegating the management and monitoring of flow logs to AWS, we can extend our detection capabilities and pursue Netflix-specific security work. AWS has deep knowledge of common attack patterns and trends. By leveraging their unique position as the largest cloud providers, they are able to train sophisticated models that we can immediately consume. With Amazon GuardDuty, we can continue to innovate to deliver the greatest convenience, selection, and value to our members.”

Mapbox is a location data platform for maps, search, and navigation that serves more than 300 million end users each month. It’s all-in on AWS and runs across 10 regions. “Amazon GuardDuty vastly improves cloud intrusion detection, replacing multiple in-house systems with a more advanced, more accurate, and much lower-maintenance service,” said Ian Ward, Engineering Manager, Security at Mapbox. “We were able to enable Amazon GuardDuty instantly, replacing a large-scale engineering project with a fully managed, much more complete service.”

Autodesk is a leader in 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software. “It’s incredibly important we give our developers the freedom to be agile, while at the same time maintaining our high security standards,” said Kolby Dauler, Lead Engineer for Cloud Security at Autodesk. “Amazon GuardDuty helps us secure our AWS accounts owned by our developers, without slowing them down to install and maintain monitoring infrastructure. Using Amazon GuardDuty also gives our security team visibility into actionable metrics and involves them earlier in decisions that help drive better security practices.”

Amazon GuardDuty can send all findings to AWS CloudWatch Events and supports API endpoints through the AWS SDK, allowing for robust interoperability with third-party solutions. Leading providers such as Alert Logic, Evident.io, Palo Alto Networks, Rapid7, Redlock, Splunk, Sumo Logic, and Trend Micro have built integrations with Amazon GuardDuty, with more coming soon. These integrations allow customers to easily incorporate intelligence from Amazon GuardDuty into their existing security workflows for deeper analysis and automated prevention. Amazon GuardDuty also incorporates threat intelligence feeds from CrowdStrike, Proofpoint, and the AWS Security team to help identify and protect customers from known bad actors.

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 44 Availability Zones (AZs) across 16 geographic regions in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the UK. AWS services are trusted by millions of active customers around the world—including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies—to power their infrastructure, make them more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit https://aws.amazon.com.

About Amazon

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

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

Source: Amazon Web Services Inc.

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BRP new white paper provides retailers tips on how to improve payment and data security across all channels

BRP new white paper provides retailers tips on how to improve payment and data security across all channels

 

New Report from BRP Offers Tips for Improving Payment Security both In-Store and Online

Boston, MA, 2017-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — According to a new white paper from BRP, fraudsters have become more sophisticated and retailers need to adapt new security tactics to protect their customers’ payment card and personal data. The Payment Security Update: What’s Next After EMV white paper provides retailers practical tips on how to improve payment and data security across all channels.

“While EMV has received most of the attention in the last few years, there are several other critical security strategies that play a much greater role in protecting sensitive payment card and personal information,” said Perry Kramer, vice president and practice lead at BRP. “It is imperative that retailers have the right strategies and controls in place to thwart the ever-increasing advances made by fraudsters.”

EMV doesn’t really offer data security functionality, for that, retailers need to look to end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and tokenization. BRP’s 2017 POS/Customer Engagement Survey recently found that 68% of retailers have implemented E2EE and 48% have implemented tokenization of payment data. Increasingly, retailers realize that simply meeting PCI compliance standards is no longer sufficient to protect customer data.

“Hackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, requiring organizations to re-analyze and revamp their current security protocols to adequately protect their customers’ payment and personal data,” said Ryan Grogman, vice president at BRP. “Retailers who have not implemented these technologies are at high risk, as the likelihood of being targeted by hackers increases every day.”

The challenge lies in deploying a comprehensive security strategy that mitigates risk, while at the same time protecting and maintaining corporate advances in unified commerce initiatives. The development of a synergistic payment security strategy is imperative, and must incorporate industry best practices in order to ensure an appropriate balance is struck between the customer experience and data security.

This white paper provides insights on the following topics:

  • Baseline Payment Security Measures
  • A Multi-Tiered Security Approach
  • The Rapid Growth of Omni-Channel Transactions’ Impact on Tokens
  • The Shift to Online Fraud
  • Increased Mobile Transactions Create Additional Security Complexities
  • Quick Wins to Beat Online Fraud
  • Quick Hit Protective Tactics

To download the complete WHITE PAPER: Payment Security Update: What’s Next After EMV?, visit: https://brpconsulting.com/2017-white-paper-payment-security/

About BRP

BRP is an innovative retail management consulting firm dedicated to providing superior service and enduring value to our clients. BRP combines its consultants’ deep retail business knowledge and cross-functional capabilities to deliver superior design and implementation of strategy, technology, and process solutions. The firm’s unique combination of industry focus, knowledge-based approach, and rapid, end-to-end solution deployment helps clients to achieve their business potential. BRP’s consulting services include:

Strategy | Business Intelligence | Business Process Optimization | Point of Sale (POS)
Mobile POS | Payment Security | E-Commerce | Store Systems and Operations | CRM
Unified Commerce | Customer Experience | Order Management | Networks
Merchandise Management | Supply Chain | Private Equity

For more information on BRP, visit http://www.brpconsulting.com.

Source: BRP

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Newegg now offers protection plans through SquareTrade

Innovative, Comprehensive Protection Plans Help Customers Purchase with Confidence

Los Angeles, CA, 2017-Aug-11 — /EPR Retail News/ — Newegg, the leading tech-focused e-retailer in North America, today (August 10, 2017) announced it is offering customers the option of adding SquareTrade protection plans to eligible product purchases made on Newegg. The plans give customers even greater peace of mind as they shop Newegg, knowing their products can be protected above and beyond the manufacturers’ standard warranties.

“Our customers know the value of protecting their purchases beyond what’s offered by the manufacturer – for them, SquareTrade’s protection plans are the ideal solution,” said Danny Lee, CEO at Newegg. “Offering protection plans through SquareTrade is yet another way we’re improving the online shopping experience by offering greater choice when shopping Newegg.”

“Working with Newegg is a natural fit for us. Newegg is a top tech e-retailer that has built a reputation for customer trust, a value we hold highly at SquareTrade,” said Ross Lipari, senior vice president, North America at SquareTrade. “We’re sure SquareTrade’s protection plans will help bring added confidence to Newegg customers, thanks to our proven customer service track record and continuous innovation to provide the best service to our partners.”

SquareTrade protection plans are now available on the vast majority of products available on Newegg. Eligible product categories include (but are not limited to) computer components, desktop computers, monitors, notebooks, peripherals and virtual reality products. Customers who purchase SquareTrade’s supplemental protection plans will enjoy the following service features:

  • Free two-way express shipping: SquareTrade will pay all postage for depot repairs.
  • Overnight replacement for mobile phones: For the device most of us can’t live without, SquareTrade provides overnight replacement.
  • Easy online management: SquareTrade will keep track of all protection plans – organized and accessible in one place online.
  • International service coverage: No matter where they are, Newegg’s customers are covered.
  • Cancel or transfer anytime: Newegg customers can easily cancel their plan for a refund or transfer it to someone else at any time, online or by phone.
  • 24 x 7 support: Newegg customers can file a claim whenever they want, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — online, over the phone or by mail.

For more information and to shop Newegg, visit www.newegg.com.

About Newegg Inc.
Newegg Inc. is the leading electronics-focused e-retailer in the United States. It owns and operates Newegg.com (http://www.newegg.com) which was founded in 2001 and regularly earns industry-leading customer service ratings. The award-winning website has more than 32 million registered users and offers customers a comprehensive selection of the latest consumer electronics products, detailed product descriptions and images, as well as how-to information and customer reviews. Using the site’s online tech community, customers have the opportunity to interact with other computer, gaming and consumer electronics enthusiasts. Newegg Inc. is headquartered in City of Industry, California. Newegg operates Hybrid Centers in City of Industry, CA and Richmond Hill, Ontario.

About SquareTrade
SquareTrade is a highly rated protection plan provider trusted by millions of customers for its fast and efficient service. SquareTrade protects mobile devices, laptops and tablets, and other consumer electronics and appliances from malfunctions, accidental damage and life’s frequent mishaps. A member of the Allstate family, SquareTrade is headquartered in San Francisco and London. For more information, go to www.squaretrade.com.

Source: Newegg Inc.

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BRC announces winner of 2017 Cyber Security Challenge

A PhD student from Royal Holloway University has been announced the winner of the BRC’s 2017 Cyber Security Challenge.

London, 2017-Aug-07 — /EPR Retail News/ — The latest BRC Annual Retail Crime Survey revealed that an estimated 53 per cent of reported fraud in the retail industry is cyber-enabled, which represents a total direct cost of around £100 million. UK retailers already have some of the most secure IT infrastructures available, and the BRC is a lead partner for its members and key specialists in joint efforts to further strengthen those structures.

As part of that work, the BRC is pleased to announce the results of its Retail Cyber Security Student Challenge for 2017 covering the cyber security risks facing the UK retail industry and how to tackle them.

The challenge, which was open to any student based at a UK higher education establishment, invited new ideas on how government, law enforcement and industry should work together to tackle the main cyber security threats facing retail in the UK. The judging panel for the final consisted of a group of leading cyber security scholars: Professor Chris Hankin (Imperial College, London), Professor M. Angela Sasse FREng (UCL) and Dr Tim Stevens (King’s College, London).

The winning paper was authored by Andreas Haggman, currently studying for a PhD in Cyber Security and Geopolitics at Royal Holloway University of London. Andreas will receive a cash prize of £500 and the opportunity to present his work to the BRC’s Fraud and Cyber Security Member Group, at which members can test and apply the expert analysis and have his work published in full in the BRC’s membership magazine, The Retailer.

Commenting on the winning entry, Dr Tim Stevens at King’s College, London and member of the judging panel said:

“Andreas’ winning essay balances excellent awareness of retail operations with the contemporary demands of cybersecurity. It offers a picture of key threats and how retailers factor them in to their relationships with customers. In its focus on point of sale interactions, and thinks about where future threats might arise and makes concrete recommendations for improving security thinking and practice. Overall, it offers sound advice for charting a way forward for retailers and their partners in law enforcement and government.”

James Martin, Crime and Security Adviser at the BRC said:

“The BRC remains fully committed to supporting its members to meet their security and cyber-security needs, and works with cutting edge partners across the corporate and public sectors, as well as in academia, to do that. The response to this competition was excellent, with the standard extremely high, and like the judges we think that the winning entries showed a combination of innovation and real-world problem solving.”

Retailers seeking guidance on cyber security can look at the BRC’s ‘Cyber Security Toolkit’, which provides retail businesses of all sizes with a practical, step-by-step guide to prevent and manage cyber security threats and protect the customers they serve. The toolkit aims to provide retailers with practical guidance to ensure they have the appropriate preventative and response measures in place to reduce their vulnerabilities and to protect both themselves and their customers.

Contact:
BRC Press Office
TELEPHONE: + 44 (0) 20 7854 8924
EMAIL: media@brc.org.uk
OUT OF HOURS: +44 (0) 7557 747 269

Source: BRC

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French luxury group Kering and Alibaba take joint enforcement actions online and offline against infringers

Landmark agreement between the luxury group home to some of the world’s most desired luxury brands and Alibaba’s e-commerce marketplaces

PARIS and HANGZHOU, China, 2017-Aug-07 — /EPR Retail News/ — French luxury group Kering, and Alibaba Group and its affiliate Ant Financial Services have come to a groundbreaking agreement to cooperate in their efforts to protect intellectual property and take joint enforcement actions online and offline against infringers in order to provide the best consumer experience and a trusted environment.

The new partnership represents a milestone in both parties’ investment and efforts to protect brands’ intellectual property rights. The companies have established a joint task force with the purpose of collaborating fully, exchanging useful information, and working closely with law enforcement bodies to take appropriate action against infringers of Kering’s brands identified with Alibaba’s advanced technology capabilities.

Kering and its brands will continue to vigorously enforce their intellectual property rights against individuals and third parties responsible for the production, distribution and sale of unauthorized materials in China and throughout the world.

This agreement reflects the parties’ firm belief that taking proactive measures and using advanced technology will help law enforcement bodies and other relevant authorities address the challenges of intellectual property infringement.

As part of the agreement, Kering has agreed to dismiss the lawsuit filed against Alibaba and Alipay, an Ant Financial subsidiary, in the US district court in New York.

About Kering
A global Luxury group, Kering develops an ensemble of luxury houses in fashion, leather goods, jewellery and watches: Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Brioni, Christopher Kane, McQ, Stella McCartney, Tomas Maier, Boucheron, Dodo, Girard-Perregaux, Pomellato, Qeelin and Ulysse Nardin. Kering is also developing the Sport & Lifestyle brands Puma, Volcom and Cobra. By ‘empowering imagination’, Kering encourages its brands to reach their potential, in the most sustainable manner. The Group generated revenue of €12.385 billion in 2016 and had more than 40,000 employees at year end. The Kering share is listed on Euronext Paris (FR 0000121485, KER.PA, KER.FP).

About Alibaba Group
Alibaba Group’s mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company aims to build the future infrastructure of commerce. It envisions that its customers will meet, work and live at Alibaba, and that it will be a company that lasts at least 102 years.

Kering Contacts:
Press:
Paul Michon
+33 (0)1 45 64 63 48
paul.michon@kering.com

Astrid Wernert
+33 (0)1 45 64 61 57
astrid.wernert@kering.com

Analysts/investors:
Claire Roblet
+33 (0)1 45 64 61 49
claire.roblet@kering.com

Alibaba Contacts:
Brion Tingler
917-528-1992
brion.tingler@alibaba-inc.com

Bob Christie
917-860-9410
bob.christie@alibaba-inc.com

Source: Kering

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Law enforcement and retail loss prevention members to be honored during the NRF PROTECT conference

WASHINGTON, 2017-Jun-27 — /EPR Retail News/ — Three members of the law enforcement and retail loss prevention community will be honored this week during the National Retail Federation’s NRF PROTECT conference in Washington. The founder of The Loss Prevention Foundation will receive the industry’s top award on Tuesday while a New York Police Department lieutenant who launched the New York Metro Organized Retail Crime Alliance and an FBI agent responsible for breaking a multi-state crime ring will be recognized on Wednesday.

“Each one of these honorees has supported the loss prevention community by protecting retailers and their customers and sharing their skills and experience to help develop highly proficient loss prevention professionals,” NRF Vice President for Loss Prevention Bob Moraca said. “Their significant contributions continue to create great impact in the community and deserve to be recognized by these prestigious awards.”

Ring of Excellence Award
This award recognizes pioneers in the retail LP community whose “honor, integrity and character serve as an example for the industry.”

This year’s recipient is Gene Smith, founder of the Loss Prevention Foundation and former president of Downing & Downing, a human resources firm specializing in LP staff development, in recognition of his more than 40 years of experience and his work to develop the industry’s Loss Prevention Qualified and Loss Prevention Certified designations. Smith has provided career counseling to countless LP professionals, university curriculum committees and industry trade association committees.

During Smith’s time at Downing & Downing, he conducted assessment interviews and career counseling with thousands of industry associates and performed industry organizational and consulting reviews designed to maximize resources and deliver value. Smith is recognized as an industry leader and expert on talent assessment and acquisition.

Law Enforcement Retail Partnership Award
This award acknowledges law enforcement officers or agencies that have gone “above and beyond the call of duty” to support the retail industry in combating fraud, protecting assets and reducing losses.

This year’s award will be presented to NYPD Lt. Tarik Sheppard for his efforts to create the New York Metro Organized Retail Crime Alliance in 2014 while head of the Grand Larceny Analytical unit. The unit works to identify pattern crimes and pattern crime offenders, and Sheppard recognized the extent of organized crime in retail thefts while working there.

Loss Prevention Case of the Year Award
This award recognizes investigators whose work has made a significant impact on their companies, communities and the industry.

This year’s recipient is FBI Special Agent Kevin Kohler, who uncovered a multi-state crime ring that placed fraudulent bar codes on high-value products, intentionally lowering prices and inflicting losses exceeding $200,000. Kohler played an integral role in the investigation by securing crucial evidence, and in a matter of two months was able to arrest the head of the group. Going beyond the retail fraud that initiated the case, the investigation also led to charges of child pornography and sexual exploitation of minors, resulting in the rescue of several children from a predator. The ringleader was sentenced to 70 years in prison without parole.

About NRF
NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nation’s largest private sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs – 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy.

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

Source: NRF

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CVS Pharmacy implements time delay safes to help prevent robbery incidents and combat the ongoing opioid epidemic

WOONSOCKET, R.I., 2017-Jun-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — CVS Pharmacy announced today (June 7, 2017) that it has implemented the use of time delay safes in more than 170 locations in the Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton markets as well as nearby locations in central and southern Ohio and northern Kentucky. This step will help prevent pharmacy robbery incidents and combat the ongoing opioid epidemic by keeping controlled substance narcotic medications from being misused or abused. Controlled substance narcotic medications that are sought after by robbers, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, will now be stored in time delay safes in every CVS Pharmacy location in these three markets.

Time delay safes help deter pharmacy robberies by electronically delaying the time it takes for pharmacy employees to be able to open the safe. Employees must enter a code to open the safe, which automatically triggers a wait time before the safe is electronically unlocked.

The time delay function cannot be overridden and is designed to serve as a deterrent to would-be pharmacy robbers whose goal is to enter and exit their robbery targets as quickly as possible. All CVS Pharmacy locations with time delay safes are displaying highly-visible signage to inform the public that time delay safes are in use to prevent on-demand access to controlled substance narcotics.

“Pharmacy robberies are a challenging issue for every pharmacy and we are committed to doing all we can to reduce the number of pharmacy robbery incidents in the Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton markets,” said Alisa Ulrey, Area Vice President of CVS Pharmacy in Ohio. “We believe that time delay safes, combined with other security policies and procedures in place at our stores, will help drastically reduce these incidents and ensure that our stores remain a safe environment for shopping and filling prescriptions.”

Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer said, “Drug Abuse continues to be a substantial health and safety risk in Montgomery County. With overdose deaths in Montgomery County being at an historical high, I believe any efforts to control substance narcotic medications that are sought after by robbers, such as oxycodone & hydrocodone, is welcome. I applaud CVS Pharmacy for taking this proactive step to combat the opioid epidemic in Montgomery County and across Ohio.”

CVS Health’s commitment to preventing and addressing prescription drug abuse extends to community education, efforts to encourage safe disposal of unused medication and increasing access to the opioid overdose-reversal drug naloxone. The company’s Pharmacists Teach program brings CVS Pharmacists to schools across the country to talk to students about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. More than 250,000 students across the country, including more than 10,000 in Ohio, have participated in the program.

CVS Health has also joined with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids to create the Medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program, which donates disposal units to local police departments, providing a safe and environmentally friendly way to dispose of unwanted medication. This program has collected more than 80 metric tons, or 175,000 pounds of unused prescriptions, keeping them out of medicine cabinets where they could be misused.

Additionally, CVS Health has worked with 41 states including Ohio and Kentucky to increase access to the opioid overdose-reversal drug naloxone, also known as Narcan. Patients can obtain this life-saving medication, which is a safe and effective antidote to opioid overdoses, without an individual prescription in these states.

About CVS Pharmacy

CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health (NYSE: CVS), is America’s leading retail pharmacy with over 9,700 locations. It is the first national pharmacy to end the sale of tobacco and the first pharmacy in the nation to receive the Community Pharmacy accreditation from URAC, the leading health care accreditation organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry. CVS Pharmacy is reinventing pharmacy to help people on their path to better health by providing the most accessible and personalized expertise, both in its stores and online at CVS.com. General information about CVS Pharmacy is available at http://www.cvshealth.com.

Media Contacts:

Erin Shields Britt
(401) 770-9237
Erin.Britt@CVSHealth.com

Amy Lanctot
(401) 770-2931
Amy.Lanctot@CVSHealth.com

SOURCE: CVS Health

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Over 90 industry leaders as featured speakers at the annual NRF PROTECT conference, June 26-28

WASHINGTON, 2017-Apr-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Over 90 industry leaders will be featured speakers as more than 2,000 retailers, loss prevention executives, cybersecurity experts and law enforcement officers convene in Washington, D.C., June 26-28 at the annual NRF PROTECT conference.

“The level of expertise and insider insights that these industry leaders will bring to the show this year will be very impactful,” NRF Vice President for Loss Prevention Bob Moraca said. “Each of these speakers was handpicked to challenge, inspire and encourage attendees to redefine their companies’ loss prevention plans and embrace changes that can help make their companies safer for their employees and customers.”

The speaker lineup will begin on June 27, when former FBI lead international kidnapping negotiator Christopher Voss will deliver in a keynote session titled “Never Split the Difference – Lessons from a Former Hostage Negotiator.” Voss will share secrets on how to be effective in negotiating, with examples from high-stakes criminal situations.

The same day, The Home Depot Senior Manager for Asset Protection Resources and Technology Luis Ninan and Metro One Loss Prevention Services Group Vice President for Business Development Frank Camerino will host a breakout session titled “Looking Beyond the Badge: Partnering With Your Security Provider.” Ninan and Camerino will share insights on how retailers can think outside the “scope of work” and ask loss prevention partners what can they do together.

On the EXPO stage, Dunkin’ Brands Senior Director for Loss Prevention and Corporate Security David Johnston will discuss his partnership with the company’s information technology security team in building a cyber/data security program without slowing down digital initiatives in a session titled “Working Together to Build a Cyber Security Program.”

Alston & Bird law firm partner Kimberly Peretti will close out the day with a session titled “Preparing for Cyber’s Evolution: Collaboration, Cooperation and Risk Mitigation,” where she will discuss how cyber threats have evolved since beginning to draw massive data breach headlines a decade ago.

On June 28, NFL Senior Vice President for Security and former Washington, D.C., Police Chief Cathy Lanier will open the show by discussing Safety and Preparedness in the 21st Century. From implementing new technologies and communication techniques for an intelligence-led police force to empowered communities, Lanier will discuss the importance of risk management, preparedness, policing and leadership.

Later that day, CVS Health Loss Prevention Director Dave St. Angelo and 3SI Security Systems Eastern U.S. Sales Manager Dan Kopchik will speak at a session titled “Security Where Criminals Least Expect it.” St. Angelo and Kopchik will outline how to stay ahead of crime trends, scale a security system design to protect against a specific crime and establish a toolkit of security options to match  the problems encountered.

At the EXPO stage, “Drone Guy” James Acevedo will discuss how retail security departments can use drone technology to control costs, improve efficiency, prevent loss and track movement inside and outside the store in a session titled “Drones and Asset Protection: The Sky is Not the Limit.”

The last keynote session of the show, “The Goalposts of Leadership are Shifting: Are You?” will feature two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback and five-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning as he offers insights on leadership qualities in sports that reach across all industries.

Complimentary registration is available to editorial staff members of the news media, accredited retail analysts and bloggers. To register, contact Ana Serafin Smith at smitha@nrf.com.

For more information about NRF PROTECT, visit http://nrfprotect.nrf.com/ .

About NRF
NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and Internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nation’s largest private sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs — 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy. nrf.com

Contact:

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

Source: NRF

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BRC invites students to help tackle cyber security threats in the UK retail industry

BRC invites students to help tackle cyber security threats in the UK retail industry

 

The BRC has launched a new cyber security student challenge with the chance to win up to £500

London, 2017-Mar-30 — /EPR Retail News/ — The BRC is inviting students at UK higher education institutions to participate in a paper contest on ‘cyber security risks facing the UK retail industry’, with a focus on how to tackle them. The challenge, which is open to any student based at a UK higher education establishment, invites students to offer new ideas on how government, law enforcement and industry should work together to tackle the main cyber security threats facing retail in the UK.

Entries will be judged by a panel of leading cyber security scholars from Imperial College, London, UCL, and King’s College, London. Successful candidates will be awarded prizes totalling £800 with the winner of the competition will also be given the opportunity to present their paper to members of the BRC’s Fraud and Cyber Security Group, as well as have their work printed in the BRC’s regular membership magazine, The Retailer.

Hugo Rosemont, Crime and Security Policy Adviser at the BRC said:

“Today we’re posing a new challenge around a pressing issue and we think that students across the country will rise to it. Working closely with partners in academia, this initiative has been designed to provide an opportunity to encourage a future generation of cyber security leaders to engage with issues of rapidly increasing importance to the UK. An estimated 53 per cent of reported fraud in the retail industry is cyber-enabled, which represents a total direct cost of around £100 million to UK businesses. The retail industry has long been investing in its cyber resilience in this context, however this is a rapidly evolving field and we are inviting the next generation to come forward with suggestions of new ideas and innovation that can help us keep on top of the challenges facing businesses.”

The challenge is being hosted as part of the BRC’s campaign on cyber security. The BRC recently launched a cyber security ‘toolkit’ for retailers that provides businesses of all sizes with a practical, step-by-step guide to prevent and manage cyber security threats and protect the customers they serve. The toolkit is for the whole of the retail industry and it was launched by Home Office Minister Sarah Newton earlier this month, and has received support from, amongst others, the UK’s new National Cyber Security Centre.

For details and conditions of the competition: entry guidelines

Contact:

BRC Press Office
TELEPHONE: + 44 (0) 20 7854 8924
EMAIL: media@brc.org.uk

Source: BRC

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BRC launches cyber security “toolkit” to prevent and manage cyber security threats

London, 2017-Mar-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — The BRC has today (March 07, 2017) launched a cyber security ‘toolkit’ that will provide retail businesses of all sizes with a practical, step-by-step guide to prevent and manage cyber security threats and protect the customers they serve.

The BRC Cyber Security Toolkit, launched in London today by the BRC and Home Office Minister Sarah Newton MP, is the first of its kind. The toolkit aims to provide retailers with practical guidance to ensure they have the appropriate preventative and response measures in place to reduce their vulnerabilities and to protect both themselves and their customers.

For retailers, the online market has seen huge growth in recent years with online sales growing by around 10 to 15 per cent each year. The same period has seen the parallel rise of ever more elaborate forms of cyber-related crimes such as ‘doxing’, ‘whaling’ and ‘spoofing’ against both retail businesses and online shoppers. In developing this toolkit, the BRC and its members were driven by a desire to keep pace with the evolving risks associated with operating online and also to ensure they meet customer expectations around the protection of personal data.

The toolkit’s recommendations to retail businesses include: establishing cyber security as a board level issue, retail-specific information-sharing, completing a cyber security risk assessment, and creating an incident response plan. The toolkit also provides a guide to preparing, responding, recovering and reviewing attacks.

Consumers spend approximately one in four pounds online. According to the BRC Annual Retail Crime Survey 2016, an estimated 53 per cent of reported fraud in the retail industry is cyber-enabled, which represents a total direct cost of around £100 million.

HUGO ROSEMONT, POLICY ADVISER ON CRIME & SECURITY AT BRC, SAID:

“The UK is one of the leading e-commerce markets in the world. The BRC Cyber Security Toolkit is designed to equip British retailers with the know-how, guidance and practical support that will help the industry stay ahead of the ever evolving threats posed by cyber-related criminality. All parts of the retail industry have a large and growing stake in keeping customers safe and secure, and the industry is committed to ensuring the strongest possible measures are in place – all the way through from prevention to incident response.”

SARAH NEWTON, MINISTER FOR VULNERABILITY, SAFEGUARDING AND COUNTERING EXTREMISM SAID:

“Crime is changing and so the way we all work to tackle it must change too.

“We are already taking world-leading action to stamp out cyber crime and fraud, including investing £1.9 billion in cyber security over five years. But as we have said, the Government cannot do this alone.

“Businesses have a responsibility to take steps to protect themselves and their customers, which is why we are delighted that the BRC has introduced their Cyber Security Toolkit to help retailers to do so.”

DR IAN LEVY, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR AT THE NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY CENTRE, SAID:

“The retail sector is vital to the UK’s economic well-being and both the sector and its supply chain are increasingly reliant on online safety and security.

“The NCSC is delighted to be working with the BRC in finding innovative ways to make the UK a safe place for citizens, e-commerce, small businesses and large chains to do retail business online.

“We are committed to giving individuals and businesses of all sizes confidence to deliver success in our increasingly digitalised economy, and were pleased to support the development of this toolkit.”

Notes to Editors

  1. The Cyber Security Toolkit for retailers was developed under the auspices of the BRC’s Fraud and Cyber Security Member Group and has benefitted from formal and informal consultation.
  2. Consumers spend approximately one in four pounds online: BRC- KPMG Online Retail Sales Monitor February 2017
  3. The BRC Annual Retail Crime Survey 2016 is here: http://brc.org.uk/media/116348/10081-brc-retail-crime-survey-2016_all-graphics-latest.pdf An estimated 53 per cent of reported fraud in the retail industry is cyber-enabled, which represents a total direct cost of around £100 million. Representing around 15% of the total cost of retail crime, cyber-enabled fraud covers traditional categories of deception (such as scams or other forms of social engineering) which, according to the Government’s definition, can be increased in scale through the use of computers or other information and communications technology (ICT). Cyber-crime, by contrast, are crimes (such as hacking to steal data) that can be committed only through ICT. As a conservative first estimate, this latter category represented a direct financial loss to the retail industry of around £36m in 2016.
  4. For detail on the character of threats including doxing, whaling and spoofing, the BRC Cyber Security Toolkit contains a Glossary of Cyber Security Threats and Terminology (pp.39-40).

Contact:

BRC Press Office
TELEPHONE: + 44 (0) 20 7854 8924
EMAIL: media@brc.org.uk

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BRC launches cyber security “toolkit” to prevent and manage cyber security threats

Source: BRC

 

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The California Grocers Association supports Assembly Bill 1326 that will provide grocers and retailers with relief from theft

Sacramento, CA, 2017-Feb-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — The California Grocers Association announced their co-sponsorship and full-fledged support for Assembly Bill 1326, by Assemblymember Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove). The measure, co-authored by Assemblymembers Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona) and Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima), will aggregate the dollar value of certain property crimes, such as shoplifting and check fraud, with a felony being charged if a suspect’s total dollar value from such crimes surpasses $950 in a 12-month period.

This much-needed legislation will provide grocers and other retailers with relief from alarming increases in theft since 2014 when changes in state law more than doubled the felony threshold for many property crimes from $450 to $950.“California’s grocers have seen a steady increase of criminals shoplifting higher amounts of goods at higher rates,” said Ron Fong, President and CEO of the California Grocers Association, adding that shoplifters and organized crime rings now commit multiple thefts, day-after-day, but below the $950 felony threshold.“This is bad for grocers who suffer high losses, bad for employees who are put in harm’s way due to the increased aggressive nature of these thefts, and bad for shoppers who ultimately pay the consequences at the register,” he said.

Many CGA retail members have seen double-digit, and in some cases triple-digit percentage increases in losses from shoplifting and organized retail crime rings over the past five years, with a notable spike beginning after 2014.

“We look forward to collaborating with Assemblymember Cooper to pass this sensible piece of legislation,” Fong said. “We urge the California Legislature to help grocers, their employees, and consumers turn back this alarming crime growth by passing AB 1326.”

If AB 1326 is passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor, it then must be approved by voters at the next general election before its provisions can go into effect.

Additional co-sponsors of AB 1326 include the California Police Chiefs Association, and Crime Victims United California.

Contact:

Tel: (916) 448-3545
Fax: (916) 448-2793

Source: CGA

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The British Retail Consortium welcomes UK’s new National Cyber Security Strategy

London, 2016-Nov-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — The British Retail Consortium (BRC) welcomes the publication today (November 01, 2016) of the UK’s new National Cyber Security Strategy (2016-2021).

The Government’s decision to allocate £1.9bn investment towards implementing the new approach is an important move, and reflects the now widely-acknowledged reality that a step-change is needed to tackle this enormous societal challenge. The retail industry looks forward to developing the strong partnerships that have already being created with government and law enforcement agencies in this area, and working with partners including the new National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to ensure that the UK is secure and resilient to cyber threats.

The indication in the strategy that the government will define how the private sector and the public engage with the Government during a cyber incident, and that the

Government’s level of support for each sector will be clearly defined and understood, is particularly welcome. The retail industry has been calling for greater coordination around the response to cyber security incidents and the BRC believes the creation of the NCSC in support of the strategy presents a unique opportunity to begin to develop a more coordinated approach to public-private cooperation.

HUGO ROSEMONT, CRIME AND SECURITY POLICY ADVISER AT THE BRC SAID:

“Strong public-private cooperation is an essential ingredient of an effective approach to cyber security, and the emphasis the new strategy places on partnership with industry is very encouraging. Following hot on the heels of the recent launch of the NCSC, the strategy is an effective framework that can help to strengthen the UK’s digital resilience. The British population is one of the world’s biggest users of e-commerce and the retail industry is encouraged by the steps the Government is taking to work with industry, and make sure the UK is one of the safest places to do business online.”

Contact:

TELEPHONE: + 44 (0) 20 7854 8924
OUT OF HOURS: +44 (0) 7557747269

Source: BRC

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NRF ORC study: Organized retail crime continues to grow

WASHINGTON, 2016-Oct-19 — /EPR Retail News/ — Organized retail crime is continuing to grow, with 83 percent of merchants surveyed reporting an increase in the past year, according to the 12th annual ORC study released today (October 18, 2016) by the National Retail Federation.

“Retailers continue to deal with the challenges that come with fighting organized retail crime,” NRF Vice President of Loss Prevention Bob Moraca said. “Every day, criminals are getting more creative in the ways they manipulate the retail supply chain. Combating ORC is a full-time job, and it is a constant battle industry-wide for retailers large and small to stay one step ahead of these savvy criminals.”

The survey of 59 senior retail loss prevention executives found that 100 percent said their companies had experienced ORC in the past year, up from 97 percent in 2015 and marking the first time in the survey’s history that all responding companies reported being a victim. In addition, 83 percent said ORC had grown: The average loss was $700,259 per $1 billion in sales, a significant increase from $453,940 last year.

With the problem growing, 71 percent of loss prevention executives said they now believe their top management understands the severity and complexity of the crimes, up from 63 percent last year.

ORC gangs often use storefronts, pawn shops, flea markets and kiosks to fence stolen goods, and 63 percent of those surveyed said they had recovered merchandise from a physical location. But many criminals turn to the Internet for the anonymity it offers — 58 percent of retailers said they had identified stolen merchandise from an e-fencing operation.

Criminals are also finding ways to manipulate store return policies. According to the survey, 68 percent of respondents said they had experienced thieves returning stolen merchandise for store credit, which is often resold to secondary-market buyers.

Four new states — New Mexico, Oregon, New York and Vermont — have enacted ORC laws in the past year, bringing the total nationwide to 34. But the survey found that 56 percent of retailers in states with ORC laws said they had seen no increase in support from law enforcement, the highest in the survey’s history. Retailers continue to support creation of a federal ORC law, which is backed by 79.7 percent of those surveyed.

“Organized retail crime continues to impact retailers at a larger scale now more than ever before,” said NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Custom Policy Jonathan Gold, who heads NRF’s lobbying efforts on ORC. “ORC also poses a threat to unwitting consumers who may purchase stolen merchandise that is not stored properly or may have expired. It is critical for our industry to continue pushing for strong federal legislation that would properly define ORC and make it a federal crime. Until there is a federal ORC law to counter this increasing criminal activity and the ability to transport stolen products across state lines, it will be nearly impossible to put a dent in this $30 billion-a-year problem that threatens retailers, the economy and consumers across the country.”

Cargo theft continued to impact retailers, cited by 44 percent of those surveyed, up from 38 percent last year. The most common place for cargo theft to occur is when merchandise is en route from the manufacturer to a retailer’s warehouse or from the warehouse to a store, followed by on-site at the warehouse.

Los Angeles continued to be the hardest hit area for ORC in the nation, a position it has held since 2012. Following in order were New York City, Chicago, Miami, Houston, San Francisco/Oakland, Arlington/Dallas/Fort Worth in Texas, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Orange County, Calif.

The survey of 59 executives representing department, big-box, discount, drug, grocery and specialty retailers was conducted July 20th to August 19th, 2016.

About NRF
NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and Internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nation’s largest private sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs — 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy. NRF’s  This is Retail campaign highlights the industry’s opportunities for life-long careers, how retailers strengthen communities, and the critical role retail plays in driving innovation. www.nrf.com.

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

Source: NRF

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New Champions 12.3 report calls on all nations to halve food waste and reduce food loss by 2030

New Champions 12.3 report calls on all nations to halve food waste and reduce food loss by 2030
New Champions 12.3 report calls on all nations to halve food waste and reduce food loss by 2030

 

Washington, D.C, 2016-Sep-24 — /EPR Retail News/ — A new report released assesses the world’s progress toward Target 12.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which calls on all nations to halve food waste and reduce food loss by 2030. Given the magnitude of food loss and waste globally, the report recommends nations, cities and businesses in the food supply chain move quickly to set reduction targets, measure progress and take action to reduce food loss and waste.

One-third of all food produced is never eaten by people. The impact of this loss and waste worldwide is tremendous. Food loss and waste is responsible for $940 billion in economic losses and 8 percent of greenhouse gas emissions annually. Around 88 million tonnes of food are wasted annually in the European Union, costing an estimated 143 billion euros. The FAO reports that the amount of food wasted in Europe could feed 200 million people.

The new publication, SDG Target 12.3 on Food Loss and Waste: 2016 Progress Reportwas released on behalf of Champions 12.3, a unique coalition of leaders from government, business and civil society around the world dedicated to inspiring ambition, mobilising action, and accelerating progress toward achieving SDG Target 12.3.

Europe-based Champions include Tesco Group Chief Executive Dave Lewis (chair of Champions 12.3), European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis, President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Peter Bakker, Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke, Chairman of the Executive Board for Rabobank Wiebe Draijer, Consumer Goods Forum Managing Director Peter Freedman, Wageningen University & Research Centre’s President of the Executive Board Louise Fresco, Senior Fellow and Director of Food Loss and Waste at World Resources Institute Liz Goodwin, CEO of WRAP (Waste Resources & Action Programme) Marcus Gover, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to UN FAO Hans Hoogeveen, WWF International President Yolanda Kakabadse, CEO of Sodexo Group Michel Landel, Denmark’s Minister for the Environment and Food Esben Lunde Larsen, CEO of UnileverPaul Polman, Chairman of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research Juan Lucas Restrepo Ibiza, CEO and Chairman of the Managing Board for Royal DSM Feike Sijbesma, Director of the Oxford Martin School Achim Steiner and Feedback founderTristram Stuart.

According to the report, governments and organisations across Europe have taken a number of notable steps over the past year (SDG Target 12.3 was set in September 2015) to reduce food loss and waste:

  • European Union: The European Commission established the “EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste,” a collaboration amongst public and private actors to identify food loss and waste prevention measures, share best practice and evaluate progress over time in support of the delivery of Target 12.3.
  • Denmark: The Danish government has launched a grant program to support domestic projects for combatting food waste arising anywhere in the food supply chain—from production to consumption.
  • France: In February of this year, France adopted legislation that requires French supermarkets to donate unsold yet still edible food to charities.
  • Germany: The German Ministry of Agriculture has dedicated €10 million to develop “smart packaging” that uses electronic chip sensors to determine how food has aged and communicate to consumers the food’s freshness and safety.
  • Italy: A series of national measures to tackle food waste were adopted under a new law in August 2016 aiming to reduce the country’s total annual wastage by one million tonnes.
  • The Netherlands: In July, The Netherlands hosted the AU-EU Conference—Investing in a Food Secure Future in close cooperation with the African Union (AU) Commission and the European Commission. The conference identified food loss and waste reduction as a key area for improved AU-EU cooperation and developed a number of concrete actions that will be pursued in the coming year.
  • The United Kingdom: The UK has one of the most extensive estimates of country-level food waste in the world; the British non-profit organisation WRAP has published country-wide food waste estimates in 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2016. This year it launched a new voluntary agreement, the Courtauld Commitment 2025, aimed at reducing food waste by a further fifth.
  • The International Food Waste Coalition launched a program to reduce food waste in schools, with pilots in France, Italy and the United Kingdom.
  • In 2016, Tesco rolled out Community Food Connection, which utilises an online app with FareShare Food Cloud to link unsold yet still safe food with local food charities in real time, reducing the amount of food that goes uneaten.

However, considering the enormous scope of the food loss and waste challenge, Europe and other regions need to do much more. The report offers three recommendations for leaders to meet Target 12.3 by 2030:

  1. Target: Targets set ambition, and ambition motivates action. Every country, major city and company involved in the food supply chain should set food loss and waste reduction targets consistent with Target 12.3 in order to ensure sufficient attention and focus.
  2. Measure: What gets measured gets managed. The report recommends governments and companies quantify and report on food loss and waste and monitor progress over time through 2030.
  3. Act: Impact only occurs if people act. Governments and companies should accelerate and scale up adoption of policies, incentives, investment and practices that reduce food loss and waste.

To read the full report, visit https://champions123.org/2016-progress-report/.

Dave Lewis, CEO, Tesco: “It is vital that organisations begin measuring food waste, and set reduction targets.  In 2013, Tesco became the first and only UK retailer to publish independently assured food waste data. It was a move that was instrumental in showing us where we needed to focus our efforts. Once we identified the problems areas we knew where to act. By measuring food waste, setting targets and building action plans, organisations are able to manage food waste as they would other business critical processes.”

Vytenis Andriukaitis, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety: “To fight food waste, we need to redesign our food value chain, eliminating waste at each stage and making any surplus food readily available to those in need.  This requires close co-operation of all actors and I am confident that the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste will help accelerate our progress towards SDG Target 12.3”.

Peter Bakker, President and CEO, WBCSD: “Wasting a third of the food we produce is an alarming symptom of our profoundly broken global food system. It is easy to see the business logic in improving this ratio: what you don’t waste, you don’t have to produce. Addressing this through Target 12.3 will also bring a range of other benefits – we’ll require less natural resources for production, and we can improve food security and efficiency simultaneously. To help achieve this goal, WBCSD is bringing together companies from around the world to lead the way for the private sector in accelerating the transition to a world with truly sustainable food systems.”

Paul Bulcke, CEO, Nestlé: “Momentum is growing toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3. I am convinced that by working together, we can accelerate efforts and develop effective solutions to help reduce food loss and waste globally. Nestlé will play its part. Bold action is what matters, and we are already committed to achieve zero waste for disposal in our sites by 2020.”

Wiebe Draijer, Chairman of the Executive Board, Rabobank: “With the global launch of Champions 12.3 this year, essential stakeholders worldwide have committed to join efforts in the reduction of Food Losses and Waste. We believe it is now time to identify the most imminent causes of food loss, to develop solutions, and to assemble the coalition to identify business cases and make investments bankable.”

Peter Freedman, Managing Director, The Consumer Goods Forum: “The CGF is proud to be associated with Champions 12.3 and welcomes the report published today. Our Food Waste Resolution sets targets that are fully aligned with SDG 12.3 and we are now focused on implementing it. Consistent with the second step of the approach endorsed by Champions 12.3, this summer we partnered with the World Resources Institute to launch the first ever global standard for the measurement of food loss and waste (FLW). Now, consistent with the third step, we continue to support our members’ implementation actions, through educational webinars on the FLW Standard and sharing best practices.”

Liz Goodwin, Senior Fellow and Director, Food Loss and Waste, World Resources Institute: “It’s appalling that one-third of all food the world produces is lost or wasted. It’s not just about the lost food and the obvious economic, social and environmental impacts. Food loss and waste is also a significant contributor to climate change. We have a critical issue on our hands and we must better manage resources in order to sustain generations to come. I’m heartened at the efforts to reduce food loss and waste that have gained traction in the past year, and with even greater action by governments and businesses we can accelerate global progress toward Target 12.3.”

Marcus Gover, CEO, WRAP: “The world’s growing population has implications for land, environment and resources, so ensuring food systems are fit for the future is one of the biggest challenges of our time. WRAP has been working on this for over a decade, forging partnerships and galvanizing action through the Courtauld Commitment. As a result, since 2007, we have helped reduce food waste by over a million tonnes per year, across retail, hospitality and food service, and in the home. Our ambitious goals align with Target 12.3, and I’m delighted to see that through Champions 12.3, good progress is already being made.”

Hans Hoogeveen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the UN Organizations for Food and Agriculture: “Worldwide, food loss and waste impedes food security and fuels climate change. For advancing the agreed 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development this issue must be tackled today. Food that is ultimately lost or wasted consumes about a quarter of all water used by agriculture, requires cropland area the size of China, and is responsible for an estimated 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.”

Yolanda Kakabadse, President, WWF International: “I am delighted to support this excellent initiative which aims to inspire ambition, mobilise action, and accelerate progress to reduce global food waste all along the path from source to the table. Reducing food loss and waste is a vital first step to achieve local and global food security whilst reducing the pressure on nature. It is the start of a longer journey to create a food system that ensures people and nature thrive in harmony.”

Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever: “The pathway to achieving a world where no food goes to waste is set out in Champions 12.3 Progress Report. We need to set clear targets, measure the problem and take action working with governments, private sector, civil society and consumers. Ending food waste will help fight food insecurity, reduce costs for the global economy and mitigate climate change.”

Achim Steiner, Director, the Oxford Martin School: “Whether you take an ecological, economic or ethical perspective, reducing food waste and loss makes eminent sense.  Recent efforts in Europe are heartening in terms of meeting SDG Target 12.3.  From information to legislation – we need ‘all hands on deck’ to ensure that producers and consumers can work together along the whole supply chain to ensure that food loss and waste are significantly reduced.”

Champions 12.3 is a coalition of executives from governments, businesses, international organisations, research institutions, farmer groups and civil society dedicated to inspiring ambition, mobilising action and accelerating progress toward achieving SDG Target 12.3 by 2030. World Resources Institute and the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands serve as co-secretariats of Champions 12.3.

We are a team of 480,000 in 11 markets dedicated to serving shoppers a little better every day.

Learn more at www.Champions123.org

For more information please contact the Tesco Press Office on 01707 918 701

Source: Tesco

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Office Depot CEO Roland Smith announces plans of retirement

BOCA RATON, Fla, 2016-Aug-24 — /EPR Retail News/ — Office Depot, Inc. (NASDAQ:ODP) today (August 22, 2016) announced that Roland Smith plans to retire as Chief Executive Officer of the company. Smith will continue to serve as CEO until a successor is named, which is expected by the end of first quarter 2017. It is expected Smith will remain Chairman of the Board. The Board of Directors will evaluate, with the assistance of an executive search firm, both internal and external candidates for CEO.

“Since joining Office Depot in November 2013, Roland has built and led a talented management team that has done an outstanding job of integrating Office Depot and OfficeMax, and delivered synergies and efficiencies that significantly exceeded expectations,” said Warren Bryant, Lead Director of the Board of Directors. “In addition, Roland and his team worked closely with the Board to develop a clear and compelling three-year strategic plan that positions the company for profitable growth. Roland has led the company to a position of solid standing, and we appreciate his ongoing leadership and commitment to Office Depot as we identify and transition to our next CEO.”

“My decision to retire has not been an easy one. In 2013, I set aside a number of personal ambitions to accept a three-year contract with Office Depot, and it’s now time for me to refocus on those priorities,” said Smith. “I am extraordinarily proud of what the Office Depot team has accomplished these past three years, and I am confident that we will successfully execute our new strategy and grow shareholder value.”

Executive Reorganization

Office Depot also announced today that it is reorganizing its Executive Committee to better align with the three-year strategic plan unveiled by the company earlier this month. As part of that plan, Office Depot is consolidating its retail, contract, ecommerce and marketing operations to better serve our customers in today’s omni-channel marketplace. These functions will now report to Troy Rice, who has been named to the newly-created position of Chief Operating Officer, North America. Rice currently serves as Office Depot’s Executive Vice President, Retail, where he successfully led the integration of the Office Depot and OfficeMax store operations, drove same store sales improvements and significantly grew operating profit.

The company has also named Rob Koch to the newly-created position of Executive Vice President, Business Development, where he will be responsible for identifying and commercializing new business opportunities. In this role, Koch will have substantial responsibility for rolling out Office Depot’s store of the future and the expansion of adjacency opportunities, including Jan-San. Koch is currently Senior Vice President, Real Estate, and will continue to oversee the company’s real estate portfolio, including leading Phase II of the retail optimization plan.

Rice and Koch will report to Mark Cosby, President, North America, until a new CEO is named, at which time the President and CEO roles will be consolidated and they will report directly to the CEO and serve on the company’s Executive Committee.

Additionally, Steve Calkins, Executive Vice President, Contract, has been promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. Calkins is a seasoned legal and business leader who previously served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of the company, as well as spent a number of years in private law practice. Calkins replaces Elisa Garcia, who recently left the company. Calkins will report to the CEO and serve on the company’s Executive Committee.

“Troy and Rob are both experienced and talented executives who have provided critical leadership during extraordinary times at Office Depot,” said Smith. “Troy’s ability to lead our organization through the integration of the Office Depot and OfficeMax stores and significantly improve retail profitability positions him perfectly to align our retail, contract and ecommerce functions for optimal customer service and efficiency. Rob’s leadership in rolling out the first phase of our store of the future has demonstrated his capacity to think creatively and commercialize new opportunities.

“In addition, Steve’s excellent work as head of our contract business combined with his previous role as Office Depot’s Deputy General Counsel allows him to return to the legal department as a well-rounded leader with a broader business perspective.”

Roland Smith will provide a statement via webcast for analysts and investors today at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The live audio of the webcast can be accessed via the Internet by visiting our Investor Relations website at investor.officedepot.com.

About Office Depot, Inc.

Office Depot, Inc. is a leading global provider of products, services, and solutions for every workplace – whether your workplace is an office, home, school or car.

Office Depot, Inc. is a resource and a catalyst to help customers work better. We are a single source for everything customers need to be more productive, including the latest technology, core office supplies, print and document services, business services, facilities products, furniture, and school essentials.

The Company has annual sales of approximately $14 billion, employs approximately 49,000 associates, and serves consumers and businesses in 59 countries with approximately 1,800 retail stores, award-winning e-commerce sites and a dedicated business-to-business sales organization – all delivered through a global network of wholly owned operations, franchisees, licensees and alliance partners. The Company operates under several banner brands including Office Depot, OfficeMax, Grand & Toy, and Viking. The company’s portfolio of exclusive product brands include TUL, Foray, Brenton Studio, Ativa, WorkPro, Realspace and HighMark.

Office Depot, Inc.’s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “ODP”. Additional press information can be found at: http://news.officedepot.com .

All trademarks, service marks and trade names of Office Depot, Inc. and OfficeMax Incorporated used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Office Depot, Inc. and OfficeMax Incorporated, respectively. Any other product or company names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This communication may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements or disclosures may discuss goals, intentions and expectations as to future trends, plans, events, results of operations or financial condition, or state other information relating to, among other things, Office Depot, based on current beliefs and assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. Forward-looking statements generally will be accompanied by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “plan,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “propose” or other similar words, phrases or expressions, or other variations of such words. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of Office Depot’s control. There can be no assurances that Office Depot will realize these expectations or that these beliefs will prove correct, and therefore investors and stockholders should not place undue reliance on such statements.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among other things, risks related to the termination of Office Depot’s pending acquisition by Staples, disruption in key business activities or any impact on Office Depot’s relationships with third parties as a result of the announcement of the termination of the Staples Merger Agreement; unanticipated changes in the markets for Office Depot’s business segments; the inability to realize expected benefits from Office Depot’s European restructuring plan; fluctuations in currency exchange rates, unanticipated downturns in business relationships with customers; competitive pressures on Office Depot’s sales and pricing; increases in the cost of material, energy and other production costs, or unexpected costs that cannot be recouped in product pricing; the introduction of competing technology products and services; unexpected technical or marketing difficulties; unexpected claims, charges, litigation, dispute resolutions or settlement expenses; new laws and governmental regulations. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Investors and stockholders should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in Office Depot’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, as amended, and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Office Depot does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

Investor Relations:
Richard Leland
561-438-3796
Richard.Leland@officedepot.com

Media Relations:
Karen Denning
630-438-7445
Karen.Denning@officedepot.com

Source: Office Depot, Inc.

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Bonmarché Holdings plc: Section 430 (2B) of the Companies Act 2006 announcement regarding Beth Butterwick resignation

Wakefield, England, 2016-Aug-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — As announced on 27 June 2016, Beth Butterwick stepped down as Chief Executive of Bonmarché Holdings plc (“the Company” or “the Group”) with effect from 12 August 2016, and ceased to be an employee on the same date. The following information is provided in accordance with section 430 (2B) of the Companies Act 2006.

Mrs Butterwick will receive her salary and benefits, as outlined in the Group’s 2016 Directors’ Remuneration Report, up to this date. No further payments have been or will be made to Mrs Butterwick in connection with her resignation from office.

Mrs Butterwick was a participant in a Restricted Share Plan (“the scheme”) which had been put in place prior to the Company`s listing on AIM. Under the rules of the scheme, Mrs Butterwick had purchased 1,260,000 shares for a consideration of £104,000. The shares were subject to a vesting restriction whereby 20% of the shares vested annually over 5 years. The rules of the scheme provide that in the event of a participant tendering their resignation from the Company, any unvested shares must be sold back to the Company at the original purchase price. At the date Mrs Butterwick tendered her resignation, 40% of the shares were unvested. Accordingly, the Bonmarché Employee Benefit Trust will purchase on behalf of the Company, 504,000 shares for £41,760.

Full details of Mrs Butterwick’s remuneration in respect of the relevant part of the current financial year will be disclosed in the Directors’ Remuneration Report for the financial year ending 1 April 2017.

For all media enquiries please contact:

FTI Consulting

Email:  bonmarche.sc@fticonsulting.com
Call: +44 20 7831 3113

Source: Bonmarché Holdings plc

 

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Advance Auto Parts president George Sherman to step down from his current role on August 13

ROANOKE, Va., 2016-Aug-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE: AAP), a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider in North America, serving both professional installer and do-it-yourself customers, today announced that George Sherman, who currently serves as the Company’s President, will step down from his current role on August 13, and remain with the Company to assist with an orderly transition through the end of the year. Mr. Sherman’s leadership team will now report to Chief Executive Officer Tom Greco.

Mr. Sherman, who joined Advance in April 2013, has served as President throughout his tenure. In addition, Mr. Sherman served as Interim Chief Executive Officer from January to April 2016.

“I want to thank George for his contributions to Advance and his willingness to assist with a smooth transition,” said Mr. Greco. “George has played a vital leadership role in the integration of the Advance and Carquest teams, and has helped to create a more field and customer focused company by empowering our stores and field leaders to better serve customers. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

About Advance Auto Parts
Advance Auto Parts, Inc., a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider in North America, serves both professional installer and do-it-yourself customers. As of April 23, 2016, Advance operated 5,086 stores and 125 WORLDPAC branches and serves approximately 1,300 independently owned Carquest branded stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada. Advance employs approximately 74,000 Team Members. Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts, accessories and other offerings can be found on the Company’s website at www.AdvanceAutoParts.com.

Media Contact:
Anna Gurney
919-573-2608
anna.gurney@advance-auto.com

Investor Contact:
Zaheed Mawani
919-573-3848
zaheed.mawani@advanceautoparts.com

Source: Advance Auto Parts, Inc.

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Sainsbury’s tackles banana wastage by trialling loaves of banana bread baked fresh in store

London, 2016-Jul-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — Britons are eating an average of three per week, which is 12 kg per year, and rank them as a favourite healthy snack. However, despite our love affair with the banana, we are binning 162 million each year.

New research from Sainsbury’s has revealed the nation’s particular preferences are contributing to the ‘bin-nana’ trend. While 81% of people either like or love the fruit, and almost 20% eat one every day, nearly 30% will bin a banana if it shows even a minor bruise, or a single black mark on the skin.

Paul Crewe, Head of Sustainability for Sainsbury’s said: “To bring this to life, if you lined up the 162 million wasted bananas from end-to-end, they would stretch from London to Wellington in New Zealand! I think it’s safe to say that’s a whole bunch of banana-drama!

Bananas are clearly very popular, but so many of us won’t touch them unless they’re anything short of perfect. With approximately three bananas per loaf, banana bread is a brilliant way of saving bin-bound fruit.

And Sainsbury’s is leading by example – from this week, we’ll be trialling loaves of banana bread baked fresh in store, using fruit at or after its sell-by date. The bread will be available at selected in-store bakeries, and we estimate that this trial alone will save over 1,000 bananas. It’s a really great way of using up food that could otherwise be thrown away – simply because it’s deemed ‘not perfect’.”

The banana loaves are being sold at seven selected Sainsbury’s stores and, if the trials prove successful, could be expanded across the UK. The move follows the introduction of Sainsbury’s Waste less, Save more programme to help customers across the UK help cut down on the amount of food they unnecessarily throw away. Each year the average family bins over £700 of food, with 7 million tonnes of avoidable food waste going to landfill from UK homes.

Paul Crewe from Sainsbury’s continues: “Currently only 4.1% of households use bananas to make bread but it’s the perfect way to reduce waste when you don’t like the look of them anymore. We’re going to give it a try in our stores and we want customers to join us at home too.”

For any customers wishing to make their own banana bread, a simple recipe can be found on the Food Rescue website: https://www.sainsburysfoodrescue.co.uk/recipe/598

Recipe: Nutty Topped Banana Bread

Prep time: 15m
Cooking time: 55m
Ready: 1h 10m

Serves: 12 persons

Ingredients:
225g pack sponge mix
1 medium egg, beaten
75ml cold water
4 small ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
½ teaspoon sunflower oil
15g demerara sugar

Optional:
25g walnuts, chopped
100g sultanas
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Grease and line the bottom of a 1lb loaf tin with the sunflower oil and greaseproof paper.

Make the sponge mix using the egg and water, to pack instructions, then stir in the bananas and cinnamon.

Using an electric whisk, beat together for 2-3 minutes, then fold in the sultanas. Pour into the loaf tin and sprinkle over the walnuts and sugar.

Bake for 55 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Allergy tip: If your child has a nut allergy, replace the walnuts with a sprinkling of porridge oats on top instead. This recipe contains naturally occurring sugars.

Britain’s love affair with bananas in numbers
1. Our top ways to eat bananas are as they come, on cereal or granola, or in smoothies.
2. 59% of us love them because they’re great for healthy snacking on the go.
3. 47% love the energy boost a banana gives.
4. 45% of us like that they don’t need washing.
5. Other things we love about bananas are that they’re easy to transport, versatile to eat and kids love them.
6. 35% of us will break a bruised it off of a banana and eat the rest.
7. 25% don’t mind eating the bruised bits.
8. 13% won’t eat a banana if the skin is green in any area.
9. 11% never eat bananas.
10. Of the 19% of people who don’t like bananas – taste, texture and smell were the top three reasons.

For corporate press enquiries please contact:

press_office@sainsburys.co.uk
call 020 7695 7295

###

Sainsbury’s tackles banana wastage by trialling loaves of banana bread baked fresh in store
Sainsbury’s tackles banana wastage by trialling loaves of banana bread baked fresh in store

 

Source: JSainsbury

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Hy-Vee, Inc. voluntarily recalls limited quantity of Hy-Vee No-Salt-Added Black Beans due to potential presence of plastic and/or metal pieces

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, 2016-Jul-22 — /EPR Retail News/ —  Hy-Vee, Inc., based in West Des Moines, Iowa, is voluntarily recalling a limited quantity of Hy-Vee No-Salt-Added Black Beans across its eight-state region due the potential presence of plastic and/or metal pieces within the product. The presence of small pieces of plastic and/or metal has the potential to cause a choking hazard and may cause adverse health consequences, including injury.

The voluntary recall is limited to 15-ounce cans of Hy-Vee No-Salt-Added Black Beans with the code “Best By 04 APR 2019 258F2 095 16 XXXX” and UPC number of 0075450105190. The product was sold at Hy-Vee stores in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin between April 22, 2016, and July 18, 2016.

To date, no injuries have been reported in connection with this product.

The potential for contamination was discovered after Faribault Foods, Inc., Hy-Vee’s supplier, announced it was issuing a recall after one consumer reported finding a partial ink pen in one container. The product was manufactured at the company’s Faribault, Minnesota, facility, which supplies several major retailers across the United States. Faribault Foods, Inc. has determined this to be an isolated incident.

Out of an abundance of caution, Hy-Vee is recalling the product from all of its stores. No other Hy-Vee food items are impacted by this recall.

Customers who purchased this product should discard it or return it to their local Hy-Vee store for a full refund.

Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating 240 retail stores across eight Midwestern states with sales of $9.3 billion annually. Hy-Vee ranks among the top 25 supermarket chains and the top 50 private companies in the United States. Supermarket News, the authoritative voice of the food industry, has honored the company with a Whole Health Enterprise Award for its leadership in providing services and programs that promote a healthy lifestyle. For more information, visit www.hy-vee.com.

Consumers with questions may contact Hy-Vee Customer Care representatives 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-772-4098.

Source: Hy-Vee, Inc.

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The Save Mart Companies: Marie Callendar’s product voluntarily recalled

Modesto, CA, 2016-Jul-21 — /EPR Retail News/ — The following Marie Callendar’s product is being voluntarily recalled out of an abundance of caution because it may be potentially contaminated with E. coli.

Product Name UPC Size Best By Date
Marie Callendar’s Cheese Biscuit Mix 7596814015 7oz 3/22/17 & 5/17/17

The Save Mart Companies has received no reports of health complaints linked to this product. Customers who purchased any of the above listed products with matching UPC and impacted date codes may bring the unused portion to the store where the product was purchased for a full refund.

Customers who have additional questions should contact Joanna Fraire of International Commissary Corporation at 408-792- 3123, Monday through Friday, from 9 AM to 4 PM Pacific, or contact The Save Mart Companies Customer Care at (800) 692-5710.

Source: Foodmaxx

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Taco Bell statement regarding Hepatitis A outbreak on Oahu, Hawaii

IRVINE, Calif, 2016-Jul-21 — /EPR Retail News/ — On July 1, The Hawaii State Department of Health announced a Hepatitis A outbreak on Oahu. This week, the Department of Health confirmed that an employee of one our franchisees has tested positive for Hepatitis A.

Ensuring the health and wellbeing of customers and team members is our highest priority, and we and our franchisee are taking this matter very seriously. The employee is on medical leave for the time being and all employees have been re-trained and re-certified on our strict hand-washing, glove, food safety, and illness policies. We and our franchisee are following all protocols established by the Department of Health, and we will continue to work closely with them to protect the health of the public.

ABOUT TACO BELL® CORPORATION
Taco Bell Corp., a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., (NYSE: YUM), is the nation’s leading Mexican-inspired quick service restaurant. Taco Bell serves made to order and customizable tacos, burritos, and specialties such as the exclusive Doritos® Locos Tacos, gourmet-inspired Cantina Power® Menu, lower calorie Fresco options and is the first QSR restaurant to offer American Vegetarian Association (AVA)-certified menu items. Taco Bell Breakfast offers portable, classic items such as the A.M. Crunchwrap, Biscuit Taco and signature breakfast burritos. The company encourages customers to “Live Más,” both through its food and in ways such as its Feed The Beat® music program and its nonprofit organization, the Taco Bell® Foundation™. Taco Bell and its more than 350 franchise organizations have nearly 6,000 restaurants across the United States that proudly serve more than 40 million customers every week.

Like: Facebook.com/tacobell
Follow: @TacoBell (Twitter) and tacobell (Instagram)
Subscribe: YouTube.com/tacobell

MEDIA RELATIONS

Public relations inquiries please call 949-863-3915 or e-mail at media@tacobell.com

Source: Taco Bell

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BRC-SPRINGBOARD: DEEPEST DECLINE OF FOOTFALL IN JUNE 2016 SINCE FEBRUARY 2014

LONDON, 2016-Jul-19 — /EPR Retail News/ —

UK Summary
– Footfall in June was 2.8% down on a year ago, worse than the 0.3% rise in May and the sharpest decline since February 2014
– All three locations reported a decline in footfall for the first time since December 2013
– High Streets reported a 3.7% fall in footfall in June, followed by shopping centres, which recorded a 2.3% decline. Footfall in Retail Parks fell 1.0% after rising 1.0% in May, its worst performance since November 2013
– The best performing Nation/Region was Wales reporting a 0.9% rise in footfall, improving on the 0.8% increase in May. All other countries and regions reported a decline in June
– The West Midlands, Greater London and Scotland witnessed the sharpest footfall declines

Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive, British Retail Consortium, said:
“Despite today’s figures showing the deepest decline in footfall since February 2014, the same period has seen UK retail sales rise. June has seen many distractions from Euro 2016 to Wimbledon so heading out to the shops seems to have slipped down the priority list for many. In the coming months we all must redouble our efforts to remind customers that now is a great time to get out into their local communities.

“Retailers continue to focus relentlessly on delivering for shoppers day in, day out, and they know that providing a great in-store experience is key to driving up footfall. Although there is a level of uncertainty, it is important that this doesn’t deter us from the shopping and leisure activities we all enjoy. The EU referendum will not have changed the in-store experience for customers and, crucially, the price of goods on the shelves. Now is a great time for shoppers as the summer sales begin in earnest following on from a record 38 months of falling shop prices.”

Diane Wehrle, Marketing and Insights Director, Springboard, said:
“With such major political and economic news in June, it is unsurprising that there was drop in footfall of 2.8 per cent across the UK in June, the poorest monthly result for more than two years and a marked worsening of performance since May when footfall rose slightly by 0.3 per cent. The results are shaped by a political and economic storm against a backdrop of rain downpours and generally inclement weather throughout the whole month. Footfall deteriorated from a 0.4 per cent rise in the first week of June to a 4.6 per cent drop during the week of the referendum and a 3.4 per cent drop in the weeks following, as consumer confidence was hit, despite retailers discounting throughout the period in early season sales.

“In the last three weeks of the month the drop in footfall averaged 4.1 per cent compared with just -0.9 per cent in the same weeks last year. Whilst the cooler more rainy weather than last year will explain some of this degradation in performance, it is unlikely that it will have accounted for all the 5 per cent drop in footfall of across UK destinations in the seven days post the referendum. Most significant is the out-of-town footfall decline; the first drop since December 2013. It is more likely that consumers’ attention was diverted in the immediate aftermath – the issue for retailers is how quickly shoppers will return to their usual patterns of behaviour.”

Media Enquiries:
Zoe Maddison
British Retail Consortium
T: 0207 854 8924
E: Zoe.Maddison@brc.org.uk

Source: BRC

 

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PREIT: Beaver Valley Mall up for sale; Washington Crown Center in Washington, PA and office building at Voorhees Town Center sold

PHILADELPHIA, 2016-Jul-19 — /EPR Retail News/ — PREIT (NYSE: PEI) announced that it continues to drive the quality of its portfolio to new heights having executed agreements of sale and received non-refundable deposits for the sale of Washington Crown Center in Washington, PA and the office building it retained at Voorhees Town Center.  Details including pricing and proceeds will be made available upon closing.  The transactions are subject to customary closing conditions and are expected to close before the end of the third quarter of 2016.

The Company also continues to press forward with optimizing its property portfolio and has decided to market Beaver Valley Mall for sale.   In addition to this, PREIT continues its focus on remerchandising and redevelopment opportunities that maximize the appeal to shoppers.  This effort includes introducing sought after and new-to-portfolio tenants, proactively replacing department stores and capitalizing on opportunities to redevelop high quality assets to drive future growth.

“We are looking toward our future with optimism as we continue to transform our platform with our fourteenth lower-productivity mall now under contract,” said Joseph F. Coradino, CEO of PREIT. “It has been a top priority for PREIT to improve our portfolio so we can deliver strong operating results and allocate capital into our higher-quality assets that are expected to translate into superior risk-adjusted returns for our shareholders.”

Washington Crown Center, located in Washington, PA, is anchored by Bon-Ton, Macy’s, Gander Mountain and Sears.  As of March 31, 2016, the property generated sales per square foot of $318 and non-anchor occupancy of 87.9%.

The decision to market Beaver Valley Mall was made following the pivotal announcement from Shell Chemical that it is moving forward with development of a multi-billion dollar petrochemical complex just a mile and a half from the mall, which will bring several thousand jobs to the region.   This development presents an opportunity to maximize the value of the property upon sale while preserving capital for other investments.

PREIT, through continued execution of its robust transformation agenda, has generated proceeds in excess of $645 million and has driven over 20% sales growth since June 2012.

About PREIT
PREIT (NYSE:PEI) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust specializing in the ownership and management of differentiated shopping malls.  Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the company owns and operates over 25 million square feet of retail space in the eastern half of the United States with concentration in the Mid-Atlantic region’s top MSAs. Since 2012, the company has driven a transformation guided by an emphasis on balance sheet strength, high-quality merchandising and disciplined capital expenditures. Additional information is available at www.preit.com, on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans, strategies, anticipated events, trends and other matters that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views about future events, achievements or results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that might cause future events, achievements or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In particular, our business might be materially and adversely affected by uncertainties affecting real estate businesses generally as well as the following, among other factors: our substantial debt, stated value of preferred shares and our high leverage ratio; constraining leverage, interest and tangible net worth covenants under our 2013 Revolving Facility, our 2014 Term Loans and our 2015 Term Loan; potential losses on impairment of certain long-lived assets, such as real estate, or of intangible assets, such as goodwill, including such losses that we might be required to record in connection with any dispositions of assets; changes to our corporate management team and any resulting modifications to our business strategies; our ability to refinance our existing indebtedness when it matures, on favorable terms or at all; our ability to raise capital, including through the issuance of equity or equity-related securities if market conditions are favorable, through joint ventures or other partnerships, through sales of properties or interests in properties, or through other actions; our ability to identify and execute on suitable acquisition opportunities and to integrate acquired properties into our portfolio; our partnerships and joint ventures with third parties to acquire or develop properties; our short- and long-term liquidity position; current economic conditions and their effect on employment, consumer confidence and spending and the corresponding effects on tenant business performance, prospects, solvency and leasing decisions and on our cash flows, and the value and potential impairment of our properties;  general economic, financial and political conditions, including credit market conditions, changes in interest rates or unemployment; changes in the retail industry, including consolidation and store closings, particularly among anchor tenants; the effects of online shopping and other uses of technology on our retail tenants;  our ability to sell properties that we seek to dispose of or our ability to obtain estimated sale prices; our ability to maintain and increase property occupancy, sales and rental rates, in light of the relatively high number of leases that have expired or are expiring in the next two years; acts of violence at malls, including our properties, or at other similar spaces, and the potential effect on traffic and sales;  increases in operating costs that cannot be passed on to tenants; risks relating to development and redevelopment activities which could be subject to delays or other risks and might not yield the returns we anticipate; concentration of our properties in the Mid-Atlantic region; changes in local market conditions, such as the supply of or demand for retail space, or other competitive factors; and potential dilution from any capital raising transactions.  Additional factors that might cause future events, achievements or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements include those discussed in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in any subsequent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q in the section entitled “Item 1A. Risk Factors.” We do not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or otherwise.

CONTACT:
Heather Crowell
SVP, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations
(215) 454-1241
heather.crowell@preit.com

SOURCE: PREIT

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Sainsbury’s speeds-up its initiative to remove multi-buy promotions

LONDON, 2016-Jul-19 — /EPR Retail News/ — Sainsbury’s has fast-tracked its programme to remove multi-buy promotions on food whilst lowering regular prices on everyday items in response to positive feedback. The retailer has been gradually removing multi-buys from its stores over two years and has sped-up the project in recent months due to customer appetite for simpler, clearer prices.

  • Programme to remove multi-buys delivered two months ahead of plan as customers respond positively*
  • Lower, regular pricing strategy leading to highest-ever customer satisfaction scores**
  • Customers enjoying increased choice and flexibility and are buying a wider variety of products

Sainsbury’s decision to replace multi-buys with lower regular prices is in response to changing shopping habits with customers shopping more frequently, often buying fewer items. Careful management of household budgets, a growing awareness of the cost of food waste and more health-conscious living have also driven a trend away from multiple product purchasing towards more single item purchasing.

Sainsbury’s Food Commercial Director, Paul Mills-Hicks, said: “We’ve worked hard to phase out multi-buys as quickly as we could because our customers tell us they value choice and a simpler shopping experience. It’s very interesting to see people experimenting with new products and pack sizes now that they are not tied in to multi-buys. It’s clear that shoppers are enjoying the freedom to make decisions about what they buy based on what they need, rather than what’s on offer. Customers are also telling us that ultimately they’re saving money because they’re wasting less and only buying what they need.

Our pricing strategy is all about ensuring we are well placed to give our customers what they want, when they want it. Multi-buys are out of step with changing shopping habits and we call on other retailers to follow our lead to remove multi-buys, making shopping easier for customers and food waste easier to manage.”

Read a blog post from Paul Mills-Hicks here.

Notes to editors 

*Removal of multi-buys on Sainsbury’s food completed in June and original plan was for August 2016; Multi-buys may still be found on lunch and Bistro meal deals, seasonal wine promotions and general merchandise products

For corporate press enquiries please contact:

press_office@sainsburys.co.uk
call 020 7695 7295.

Source: JSainsbury

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Ahold and Delhaize Group to divest 86 stores in U.S.

BRUSSELS, Belgium, 2016-Jul-18 — /EPR Retail News/ — Delhaize Group and Ahold today announced that their United States subsidiaries have reached agreements with buyers to divest a total of 86 stores in a limited number of locations in which the companies’ U.S. subsidiaries both operate. These divestments are being made in connection with the United States Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) pending review of the proposed merger between the two companies. The divested stores are being sold to well-established supermarket operators.

All of the purchase agreements are subject to FTC approval. The agreements are also subject to FTC clearance and formal completion of the Delhaize Group and Ahold merger, which the companies continue to expect before the end of July.

These store locations represent 4.1% of the Ahold and Delhaize Group companies’ total combined U.S. store count and 3.2% of combined U.S. 2015 net sales.

“Selling stores is a difficult part of any merger process, given the impact on our associates, customers and communities in which we operate,” said Frans Muller, President and Chief Executive Officer, Delhaize Group. “We believe we have made every effort to identify strong buyers for these locations, and we want to thank our loyal associates and customers who have shopped our stores and supported us for so many years. Upon the completion of the merger, we will continue to maintain our local Food Lion and Hannaford brands; however, our new company scale will enable us to accelerate our local market strategies to better serve our customers with nearly 2,000 stores along the East Coast in the United States.”

The buyers of the 86 stores being divested are:

  • New Albertson’s, Inc. (part of Albertsons Companies based in Idaho), purchasing 1 Giant Food store in Salisbury, Maryland;
  • Big Y (based in Massachusetts), purchasing 8 Hannaford stores in eastern Massachusetts;
  • Publix (based in Florida), purchasing 10 MARTIN’S stores in Richmond, Virginia;
  • Saubel’s Markets (based in Pennsylvania), purchasing 1 Food Lion store in York, Pennsylvania
  • Supervalu (based in Minnesota), purchasing 22 Food Lion stores in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia;
  • Tops Markets (based in New York), purchasing 1 Stop & Shop store in Massachusetts as well as  3 Stop & Shop  stores and 2 Hannaford stores in New York; and
  • Weis Markets (based in Pennsylvania), purchasing 38 Food Lion stores in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

The divested stores are expected to be converted by the buyers to their new banners and re-opened as supermarkets after any remodeling planned by the buyers.

A full list of the locations being sold by both companies as part of this process is attached as an annex to this press release.

On June 24, 2015, Delhaize Group and Ahold announced their intention to merge. The shareholders’ meetings of both companies approved the merger in March 2016. The Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) granted its conditional approval for the merger in March 2016.  FTC clearance is the remaining regulatory approval requirement for the Ahold and Delhaize Group merger.

Please visit www.delhaizegroup.com, www.ahold.com, or www.adcombined.com for more information.

Delhaize Group 
Delhaize Group is a Belgian international food retailer present in seven countries on three continents. On March 31, 2016, Delhaize Group’s sales network consisted of 3,524 stores. In 2015, Delhaize Group posted €24.4 billion ($27.1 billion) in revenues and €366 million ($407 million) in net profit (Group share). At the end of 2015, Delhaize Group employed approximately 154,000 people. Delhaize Group’s stock is listed on NYSE Euronext Brussels (DELB) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEG).

This press release is available in English, French and Dutch. You can also find it on the website http://www.delhaizegroup.com. Questions can be sent to investor @delhaizegroup.com.

Contacts

Investor Relations: + 32 2 412 2151
Media Relations: + 32 2 412 8669
U.S. Media: Christy Phillips-Brown
+1-704-310-2221
Cphillips-brown@foodlion.com

Source: Delhaize Group

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Haring Catfish recalls 21,521pounds of siluriformes fish (catfish) products

WASHINGTON, 2016-Jul-17 — /EPR Retail News/ — Haring Catfish, Inc., a Wisner, La. establishment, is recalling approximately 21,521 pounds of siluriformes fish (catfish) products that may be adulterated with a residue of public health concern, specifically gentian (crystal) violet, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The siluriformes (catfish) products items were produced on June 28 and 29, 2016. The following products are subject to recall: [View Labels (PDF Only)]

  • 11-lb. Cardboard boxes of ice packed “catfish” tails in plastic wrapping identified as HARING CATFISH and having Lot Code 2140 printed on the label.
  • 15-lb. Cardboard boxes of IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) “catfish” steaks, filets, irregular filets, whole fish, strips and nuggets in plastic wrapping identified as HARING CATFISH and having Lot Code 2140 printed on the label.
  • 30-lb. Cardboard boxes of ice packed “catfish” steaks, filets, irregular filets, whole fish, strips, nuggets, and gutted fish in plastic wrapping identified as HARING CATFISH and having Lot Code 2140 printed on the label.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 51217” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations and hotels, restaurants, and institutions in Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas.

The problem was discovered on July 11, 2016, after routine FSIS sampling results revealed a violative level of the chemical gentian (crystal) violet in the product.

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

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

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

Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Dottie Walker, at (318) 724-6133 ext. 119. Media with questions about the recall can contact Dawn Payne, at (318) 724-6654.

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 4 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.

EDITORS NOTE:  This release is being reissued to edit product descriptions.

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

Source: USDA

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The Jean Coutu Group intends to contest the class action filed by a group of pharmacist-owners operating under the banner Jean Coutu

Varennes, Québec, 2016-Jul-17 — /EPR Retail News/ — The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) Inc. (the “Corporation” or the “Jean Coutu Group”) confirms that it has received early this afternoon a copy of the class action proceedings launched against the Jean Coutu Group and filed by a group of pharmacist-owners operating under the banner Jean Coutu.

The Jean Coutu Group intends to contest this action and present its arguments in the context of these legal proceedings.

No other comments will be issued until then.

About The Jean Coutu Group
The Jean Coutu Group is one of the most trusted names in Canadian pharmacy retailing. The Corporation operates a network of 420 franchised stores in Québec, New Brunswick and Ontario under the banners of PJC Jean Coutu, PJC Clinique, PJC Santé and PJC Santé Beauté, which employs over 20,000 people. Furthermore, the Jean Coutu Group owns Pro Doc Ltd (“Pro Doc”), a Québec-based subsidiary and manufacturer of generic drugs.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, and which are based on the Corporation’s current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions that were made by the Corporation in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Canadian securities legislation and regulations. Some of the forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “intend”, “estimate”, “project”, “could”, “should”, “would”, “anticipate”, “plan”, “foresee”, “believe” or “continue” or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Although the Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These statements do not reflect the potential impact of any nonrecurring items that may be announced or that may occur after the date hereof. While the list below of cautionary statements is not exhaustive, some important factors that could affect the Corporation’s future operating results, financial position and cash flows and could cause its actual results to differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements are changes in the legislation or the regulatory environment as it relates to the sale of prescription drugs and the pharmacy exercise, the success of the Corporation’s business model, changes in laws and regulations, or in their interpretations, changes to tax regulations and accounting pronouncements, the cyclical and seasonal variations in the industry in which the Corporation operates, the intensity of competitive activity in the industry in which the Corporation operates, the supplier and brand reputations, the Corporation’s ability to attract and retain pharmacists, labour disruptions, including possibly strikes and labour protests, the accuracy of management’s assumptions and other factors that are beyond the Corporation’s control. These and other factors could cause the Corporation’s actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any estimates or projections of future performance or results expressed or implied in those forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of assisting in understanding the Corporation’s financial position and results of operation and to present information about management’s current expectations and plans relating to the future. Investors and others are thus cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes and they should not place undue reliance on them. For more information on the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that would cause the Corporation’s actual results to differ from current expectations, please also refer to the Corporation’s public filings available at www.sedar.com and www.jeancoutu.com. Further details and descriptions of these and other factors are disclosed in the Corporation’s Annual Information Form under “Risk Factors” and also in the “Critical accounting estimates”, “Risks and uncertainties” and “Strategies and outlook” sections of the Corporation’s annual management’s discussion and analysis. The forward-looking statements in this press release reflect the Corporation’s expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change after such date. The Corporation expressly disclaims any obligation or intention to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by the applicable securities laws.

Information:

Hélène Bisson
Vice-President, Communications
(450) 646-9611, Ext. 1165

Source: The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) Inc.

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Ahold and Delhaize Group US subsidiaries to divest 86 stores in connection with US FTC pending review of their merger

Zaandam, the Netherlands, 2016-Jul-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Ahold and Delhaize Group today announced that their United States subsidiaries have reached agreements with buyers to divest a total of 86 stores in a limited number of locations in which the companies’ U.S. subsidiaries both operate. These divestments are being made in connection with the United States Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) pending review of the proposed merger between the two companies. The divested stores are being sold to well established supermarket operators.

All of the purchase agreements are subject to FTC approval. The agreements are also subject to FTC clearance and formal completion of the Ahold and Delhaize Group merger, which the companies continue to expect before the end of July.

Ahold CEO Dick Boer said: “The combination of Ahold and Delhaize Group is a unique opportunity to deliver even more for customers, associates and local communities. Together, Ahold and Delhaize Group have been working hard to resolve the competition concerns raised by the FTC, and we are pleased to have found strong, well established buyers for the stores we are required to divest. We deeply appreciate the long-time support of our customers and associates in these locations and are confident that the new owners will continue to serve local communities well.”

The buyers of the 86 stores being divested are:

• New Albertson’s, Inc. (part of Albertsons Companies based in Idaho) purchasing 1 Giant Food store in Salisbury, Maryland;
• Big Y (based in Massachusetts), purchasing 8 Hannaford stores in eastern Massachusetts;
• Publix (based in Florida), purchasing 10 MARTIN’S stores in Richmond, Virginia;
• Saubel’s Markets (based in Pennsylvania) purchasing 1 Food Lion store in York, Pennsylvania;
• Supervalu (based in Minnesota), purchasing 22 Food Lion stores in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia;
• Tops Markets (based in New York), purchasing 1 Stop & Shop store in Massachusetts as well as 3 Stop & Shop stores and 2 Hannaford stores in New York; and
• Weis Markets (based in Pennsylvania), purchasing 38 Food Lion stores in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

The divested stores are expected to be converted by the buyers to their new banners and re-opened as supermarkets after any remodeling planned by the buyers.

A full list of the locations being sold by both companies as part of this process is attached as an annex to this press release.

On June 24, 2015, Ahold and Delhaize announced their intention to merge, creating an international retailer with a portfolio of strong, trusted local brands, more than 6,500 stores and over 375,000 associates. These brands serve more than 50 million customers every week in Europe and the United States.

FTC clearance is the remaining regulatory approval requirement for the Ahold and Delhaize Group merger. In March of this year, the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) granted its conditional approval for the merger. Also in March, shareholders of both companies approved the merger with an overwhelming majority.

Please visit www.ahold.com, www.delhaizegroup.com or www.adcombined.com for more information.

Press release including store list
Read all about the intended merger

Cautionary notice
This press release includes forward-looking statements, which do not refer to historical facts but refer to expectations based on management’s current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those included in such statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements as to the divestment of stores and the conversion of the relevant stores to new banners, subject to FTC approval and the intention of Ahold and Delhaize Group to complete their merger before the end of July, subject to FTC clearance. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond Ahold’s ability to control or estimate precisely, such as discussed in Ahold’s public filings and other disclosures. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Koninklijke Ahold N.V. does not assume any obligation to update any public information or forward-looking statements in this release to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as may be required by law. Outside the Netherlands, Koninklijke Ahold N.V., being its registered name, presents itself under the name of “Royal Ahold” or simply “Ahold.”

Contact details:

Royal Ahold
Provincialeweg 11
1506 MA Zaandam
The Netherlands
Phone: +31 88 659 9111

Source: Ahold

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Availability of industrial space in U.S. declined for 25th consecutive quarter as e-commerce continued to fuel warehouse demand – CBRE

Los Angeles, 2016-Jul-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — Availability of industrial space in the U.S. declined for the 25th consecutive quarter, the longest such streak on record, as e-commerce continued to fuel warehouse demand, according to CBRE Group, Inc.

Industrial availability declined to 8.8 percent in the second quarter, down 20 basis points (bps) from the first quarter, to its lowest level since the second quarter of 2001. Of 57 major U.S. markets tracked by CBRE, 37 registered declines in their availability rate in the second quarter, marking a slight gain from the 35 markets did so in the first.

Jeffrey Havsy, CBRE’s Chief Economist for the Americas, said robust demand from e-commerce users building out their North American distribution networks will continue to push increases in lease rates this year and spur additional construction. CBRE expects developers to complete construction of roughly the same amount of industrial space in the 57 markets this year as they did last year, when they delivered 150.5 million square feet. That tally, while robust, is nonetheless well short of the 10-year high of 213.5 million delivered in 2006. However, the planned pipeline is continuing to grow.

“While we’ve had some shocks to the global economy, the U.S. economy still is moving along at a slow and steady space, and that will sustain industrial demand,” Mr. Havsy said. “Retail sales have been above expectations, posting pretty strong gains in April and May. That will help both the retail and industrial sectors.”

E-commerce has pushed industrial availability to unusual lows as demand grows for facilities to handle uses such as same-day delivery fulfillment and reverse logistics. In addition, the U.S. dollar’s strength relative to other currencies should continue to increase U.S. imports, which in turn drive additional demand for industrial space.

Thirteen of the 57 markets tracked by CBRE posted increases in their availability of space, due mostly to delivery of newly constructed buildings not yet leased. Those that gained availability in comparison to a year earlier include Houston, Cincinnati, Denver, Minneapolis, California’s Inland Empire, South Central Pennsylvania, Cleveland and Honolulu.

Several registered significant declines in their availability rates from a year earlier, including West Palm Beach (down 290 bps), Newark (down 270 bps), Memphis (down 270 bps), Tampa (down 250 bps), Jacksonville (down 250 bps) and Detroit (down 250 bps).

Looking ahead, Mr. Havsy said, “We think demand will slow a little and supply will continue to ramp up. Vacancy will bottom out this year and then start to slowly rise. But industrial will remain one of the best performing asset classes in commercial real estate for a long time.”

The full report is available upon request.

About CBRE Group, Inc.
CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Los Angeles, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (in terms of 2015 revenue). The Company has more than 70,000 employees (excluding affiliates), and serves real estate owners, investors and occupiers through more than 400 offices (excluding affiliates) worldwide. CBRE offers strategic advice and execution for property sales and leasing; corporate services; property, facilities and project management; mortgage banking; appraisal and valuation; development services; investment management; and research and consulting. Please visit our website at www.cbre.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Robert McGrath
Senior Director, Global Media Relations
+1 212 9848267

Source: CBRE