Category Archives: Trade-in

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The Greater Trade-In event returns to Babies“R”Us and Toys“R”Us®

Wayne, NJ, 2018-Feb-07 — /EPR Retail News/ — Babies“R”Us® announced today (February 5, 2018) that the company’s most-asked-about savings event will return to Babies“R”Us and Toys“R”Us® stores nationwide beginning Sunday, February 11 for loyalty members, and Friday, February 16 for all customers.

The Greater Trade-In event urges caregivers to bring in their old, used, outgrown and potentially dangerous gear and furniture items in exchange for a 25% discount on one new gear or furniture item*. New this year, shoppers looking to donate old, outgrown or gently used clothing can bring in one or more clothing items for a 25% discount on their entire purchase of clothing in store, valid through Sunday, March 18*.

Customers can now also trade in crib and toddler mattresses in exchange for a discount on hot new products like the Graco® Uno2Duo Stroller and Travel System, Babies“R”Us Next Steps Toddler Bed and more.

For customers with an “R”Us credit card, the savings get even better with a 30% discount when trading in gear, furniture or clothing in store**. No Trade-In? No problem! From Friday, February 16 through Sunday, March 18, shoppers can take advantage of a 15% discount on any one gear or furniture item at Babiesrus.com, and in-store only, shoppers will receive 15% off any one baby item**.

At Babies“R”Us stores that are undergoing liquidation, customers will be offered a 25% coupon on their trade-in which can be utilized at local participating Babies“R”Us or Toys“R”Us stores or online at Babiesrus.com, valid through March 18***.

In the spirit of giving back to those in need, Babies“R”Us will ensure clothes donated by customers during Greater Trade-In are provided to local charities across the country to help clothe children in need.

Safety for Baby, Worry Free Less for Parents 

Safety has always been the root purpose of the company’s Trade-In events – and that hasn’t changed. In the eight years of events, Babies“R”Us has removed millions of unsafe products from the market, reducing the chance for children to be injured. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), used car seats may appear in working condition, but if labels or parts are missing, if the seat is past the manufacturers expiration date or the seat has been involved in a vehicle accident, its safety could be compromised****. Families are encouraged to trade-in items that could be a potential danger.

To learn more about the Greater Trade-In Event, visit the company’s official blog, No Assembly Required and follow @ToysrusNews.

* Trade-in offer available in Babies “R”Us stores only. Offer not applicable at stores undergoing liquidation, coupon may be used at a non-liquidated Babies“R”Us or Toys”R”Us locations. Trade-in discount does not apply to: GEAR: Baby Jogger, Bugaboo, Clek, Cybex, Diono, Maclaren, Mifold, Peg Pérego, Stokke, Thule, walkers by Fisher-Price, VTech, Little Tikes and Kiddieland, infant carriers and clearance. FURNITURE: Clearance. CLOTHING: Converse, Adidas and Nike. Cannot be combined with any other “R”Us offer for same item or on prior purchases.Offer available in store only. Cannot be combined with any Greater-Trade In coupons. Excludes all toys, infant toys, diapers, formula, Gift Cards, Red Hot Deal & Hot Price items, Adidas Apparel, American Girl, Anki Cozmo, Baby Jogger, Baby K’Tan, Beaba, Boba, Boon Highchairs, Boppy Bare Naked Pillow, Bugaboo, Build-A-Bear, Casio, Claire’s, Clek, Converse Clothing & Shoes, Cybex, Diono, Ergobaby, LEGO construction ts, Lillebaby, Maclaren, Mifold, NECA (National Entertainment Collectibles Association), Nike Apparel,ntendo Switch accessories, Nintendo Switch software, Owlet, Peg Pérego, Sphero, Stokke, the Elf on the Shelf, Thule, Ugg Shoes, walkers by Fisher-Price, VTech, Little Tikes and Kiddieland, Electronic learning hardware, laptops, netbooks, tablets, video games, video game hardware, video game pre-orders, Apple iPad & iPod, SquareTrade Protection Plans, phone orders, all fees, and shipping. One coupon per customer. Not valid with any other “R”Us offer for same item or on prior purchases. Must be surrendered at time of purchase. Value is forfeited if item is returned. Only original coupons accepted. Void where prohibited. Valid USA only. Cash value 1/100 of 1¢.

** CREDIT CARD OFFER: Offer not applicable at stores undergoing liquidation, coupon may be used at a non-liquidated Babies“R”Us or Toys”R”Us locations. Subject to credit approval. An “R”Us Credit Card must be used as pay type. Valid 2/11 – 3/18/18 for Rewards“R‘‘Us members and 2/16 – 3/18/18 for all customers. Coupon provided in store on day of trade-in. One coupon per trade-in item. Must be surrendered at time of purchase. Value is forfeited if item is returned. Only original coupons accepted. Void where prohibited. Valid USA only. Cash value 1/100 of 1¢.

**Credit Card offer: Offer not applicable at stores undergoing liquidation, coupon may be used at a non-liquidated Babies“R”Us or Toys”R”Us locations. Subject to credit approval. Cannot be combined with account opening discount or 10% off Thursday offer. An“R”Us Credit Card must be used as pay type.
*** Coupon may be redeemed at stores not going through liquidation only.
**** Used Car Seat Safety Checklist, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

About Toys“R”Us, Inc.
Toys“R”Us, Inc. is the world’s leading dedicated toy and baby products retailer, offering a differentiated shopping experience through its family of brands. Merchandise is sold in 881 Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and Guam, and in 840 international stores and over 265 licensed stores in 38 countries and jurisdictions. With its strong portfolio of e-commerce sites including Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.com, the company provides shoppers with a broad online selection of distinctive toy and baby products. Toys“R”Us, Inc. is headquartered in Wayne, NJ, and has nearly 65,000 employees worldwide. The company is committed to serving its communities as a caring and reputable neighbor through programs dedicated to keeping kids safe and helping them in times of need. Over the past three decades, the Company has given more than $100 million in product donations to children’s charities. Since 1992, the Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund, a public charity affiliated with Toys“R”Us, Inc., has also donated more than $130 million in grants. For more information, visit Toysrusinc.com or follow @ToysRUsNews on Twitter.

Source: Toys“R”Us

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Florida Retail Federation: consumer spending on Halloween expected to reach $9.1 billion up from $8.4 billion last year

Average person expected to spend $86 this year on Halloween candy, costumes, decorations and greeting cards; total spending nationally to set record of $9.1 billion

TALLAHASSEE, FL, 2017-Oct-19 — /EPR Retail News/ — The Florida Retail Federation (FRF), the state’s premier trade association representing retailers for over 75 years, announced today (October 18, 2017) that consumer spending on Halloween is expected to once again set an all-time high with the average person spending more than $86, up from $83 in 2016. Total spending nationally on Halloween is expected to reach $9.1 billion up from $8.4 billion last year.

“Another year of expected record spending on Halloween festivities is great news for Florida’s retailers,” said FRF President and CEO R. Scott Shalley. “The crafty retailers in our state will be able to scare up more sales by offering special discounts and other incentives to get more people in their stores to purchase costumes, decorations and candy.”

According to a recent survey done by FRF’s national partners at the National Retail Federation, consumers are expected to spend an average of $86.13, up from last year’s $82.93, with 179 million Americans planning to partake in Halloween festivities, up from 171 million in 2016.

According to the survey, consumers plan to spend $3.4 billion on costumes (purchased by 69 percent of Halloween shoppers), $2.7 billion on candy (95 percent), another $2.7 billion on decorations (72 percent) and $410 million on greeting cards (37 percent).

According to Candystore.com, the most popular Halloween candy in the Sunshine State, based on sales data from 2007-2016, are Skittles (630,938 pounds sold), followed by Snickers (587,385) and Reese’s Cups (224,637). The top three most popular Halloween candies across the country are Skittles, Reese’s Cups and M&M’s.

Among Halloween celebrants, 71 percent plan to hand out candy, 49 percent will decorate their home or yard, 48 percent will wear costumes, 46 percent will carve a pumpkin, 35 percent will throw or attend a party, 31 percent will take their children trick-or-treating, 23 percent will visit a haunted house and 16 percent will dress pets in costumes.

Thirty-five percent of consumers will find their inspiration for the perfect costume online, while 30 percent will look in stores, 20 percent will ask friends and family, 18 percent will look to Facebook or Pinterest, 17 percent will be influenced by pop culture and 14 percent by print media.

When it comes to buying costumes and other Halloween supplies, 47 percent of shoppers will visit discount stores and 38 percent will go to a specialty Halloween store or costume store. In addition, 25 percent will visit supermarkets, 24 percent will buy at department stores and 22 percent will shop online.

Top Costumes
More than 3.7 million children plan to dress as their favorite action character or superhero, 2.9 million as Batman characters and another 2.9 million as their favorite princess while 2.2 million will dress as a cat, dog, monkey or other animal.

Costumes Ranked: Children
Action/Superhero 7.1%
Batman Character 5.5%
Princess 5.5%
Animal (Cat, Dog, Monkey, etc.) 4.1%
Spider-Man 3.6%
Star Wars Character 3.1%
Witch 3.0%
Marvel Superhero (excl. Spider-Man) 2.9%
Pirate 2.9%
Disney Princess 2.3%

Proving that Halloween isn’t just for kids, a record number of adults (48 percent) plan to dress in costume this year. More than 5.8 million adults plan to dress like a witch, 3.2 million as their favorite Batman character, 3 million as an animal (cat, dog, cow, etc.), and 2.8 million as a pirate.

Costumes Ranked: Adults
Witch 8.5%
Batman Character (Batman, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, etc.) 4.7%
Animal (Cat, Dog, etc.) 4.3%
Pirate 4.1%
Marvel Superhero (Spider-Man, Captain America, etc.) 3.8%
Vampire 3.1%
Zombie 2.6%
DC Superhero (excluding Batman, Wonder Woman) 2.3%
Star Wars Character 2.3%
Slasher Movie Villain (Jason, Scream, etc.) 2.3%
Wonder Woman 2.2%

ABOUT THE FLORIDA RETAIL FEDERATION
The Florida Retail Federation is the statewide trade association representing retailers — the businesses that sell directly to consumers. Florida retailers provide one out of every five jobs in the state, pay more than $49 billion in wages annually, and collect and remit more than $20 billion in sales taxes for Florida’s government each year.

CONTACT:

James Miller
james@frf.org
(850)701-3015

Source: Florida Retail Federation

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The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) applauds ANZ Bank dual network routing

Melbourne, Australia, 2017-Oct-19 — /EPR Retail News/ — The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) are pleased to hear the ANZ Bank have agreed to route transactions on Dual Network Cards via the eftpos network, preserving consumer and merchant choice across all payment channels, and reducing transaction costs to retailers.

ARA Executive Director Russell Zimmerman said, currently Point of Sale (POS) terminals only read the first contactless application on the chip, and automatically route the transaction according to this priority, which may be at a higher cost for merchants.

“These contactless transactions on Dual Network Cards currently take this choice away from consumers and merchants, making it more difficult to manage the costs associated with different payment products and networks,” Mr Zimmerman said.

“The ability to route transactions via the eftpos network instead of the current Visa and Mastercard schemes will save merchants significant costs.”

The ARA have estimated the additional costs to the economy when Dual Network Card transactions are routed via the current system is in excess of $290 million.

“We would encourage other banks and financial institutions to allow merchants to route their transactions via the preferred network,” Mr Zimmerman said.

“Without open consumer payments and competitive domestic payment networks, merchant fees and consumer costs may rise.”

The ARA continue to meet with financial institutions and the Government to lower costs for both the merchant and consumer through advocating for the acceptance of any payment system at a low-cost.

“For consumers, it’s important to know what system your tap payment goes through, and for merchants it’s crucial to have a choice in routing,” Mr Zimmerman said.

About the Australian Retailers Association:

Founded in 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is the retail industry’s peak representative body representing Australia’s $310 billion sector, which employs more than 1.2 million people. The ARA works to ensure retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 7,500 independent and national retail members throughout Australia. For more information, visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

For interview opportunities with ARA Executive Director Russell Zimmerman call the ARA Media Line on 0439 612 556 or email media@retail.org.au

Source: Australian Retailers Association

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RILA comments on reports of Canada and Mexico’s rejection of proposals made during NAFTA renegotiations

Arlington , VA, 2017-Oct-18 — /EPR Retail News/ — Today (10/17/2017), the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), the trade association for America’s most recognized and innovative retail brands, issued the following statement reacting to reports of Canada and Mexico’s rejection of proposals made during the most recent round of NAFTA renegotiations:

“Simply put, we cannot afford for the United States to abandon free trade.  A collapse of the NAFTA trade agreement between the United States and our two largest trading partners would be an economic catastrophe, with massive disruptions in agriculture and manufacturing and increased costs for American consumers.  As retailers, we strongly urge all parties to preserve the parts of NAFTA that work for American businesses and to avoid proposals that would damage the U.S. economy and hurt American families,” said Hun Quach, vice president of international trade policy for RILA.

RILA is the trade association of the world’s largest and most innovative retail companies. RILA members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers, which together account for more than $1.5 trillion in annual sales, millions of American jobs and more than 100,000 stores, manufacturing facilities and distribution centers domestically and abroad.

Contact:
Christin Fernandez
Vice President, Communications
Phone: 703-600-2039
Email: CHRISTIN.FERNANDEZ@RILA.ORG

Source: RILA

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GameStop Offers Unbeatable Trade-In Values and Layaway Options

GRAPEVINE, Texas, 2017-Sep-22 — /EPR Retail News/ —

WHAT: After selling out of Xbox One X – Project Scorpio Edition console reserves in record time, GameStop has now secured a new allotment of the world’s most powerful system, in its standard edition. Accompanying the second wave of pre-orders, the company is showing its commitment to providing customers the best value in gaming with exclusive trade-in offers and layaway options.

WHEN: Pre-orders available on Sept. 20 at 12 p.m. CT.

TRADE-IN: PowerUp Rewards (PUR) members who pre-order Xbox One X can save up to $200, when they trade their current console towards Xbox One X at launch. Trade-in coupons will be delivered to PUR members’ digital lockers by Nov. 1—valid toward a new Xbox One X system.

TITLES: Games play better on Xbox One X, but fans can enjoy an above-and-beyond gaming experience with 4K Ultra HD titles, like Forza Motorsport 7, Assassin’s Creed Origins and Middle Earth: Shadow of War.

LAYAWAY BUNDLES: GameStop is helping gamers revamp their gaming setup and save big when they bundle Xbox One X with other products, offering three bundle tiers: Gold, Silver and Bronze. Bundles are available for customers who layaway one of GameStop’s accessory bundles by Oct. 31 with purchase of Xbox One X between Nov. 7 and Nov. 18.

  1. Gold: Save $120
    • Microsoft Xbox One Black/Silver Elite Wireless Controller
    • ASTRO A40 TR Headset with M80 Adapter for Xbox One
    • Xbox One SCUF Elite Pro Kit – Green
    • Microsoft Xbox Live Six-Month Subscription
  2. Silver: Save $50
    • Xbox Wireless Black/Gold Recon Tech Controller (GameStop exclusive)
    • Microsoft Xbox Live Three-Month Gold Membership
    • Turtle Beach Xbox One XO Three Gaming Headset Black + Green
    • BD&A Xbox One Play & Charge Kit
    • CyberPower Six-Outlet & Two USB Surge Protector with White USB Charger
  3. Bronze: Save $25
    • Microsoft Xbox One Red Wireless Controller
    • CyberPower Six-Outlet & Two USB Surge Protector with White USB Charger
    • Microsoft Xbox Live Three-Month Gold Membership

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO ARRANGE SPOKESPERSON INTERVIEWS, CONTACT:
Alexis Barsalou
External Communications
alexisbarsalou@gamestop.com
817.424.2117

Source: GameStop Corp./globenewswire

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Babies“R”Us hosts its popular Great Trade-In: Gear and Furniture Event through February 20

WAYNE, NJ, 2017-Jan-17 — /EPR Retail News/ — January 16, 2017 by Jessica Offerjost. I have one toddler. And for that one toddler, we’ve amassed SEVEN car seats, SIX strollers and FOUR play yards to be exact. Am I a hoarder? Maybe. But there’s my car, my husband’s, our house, the grandparents’ cars and homes…and so you see how we’ve come to this tally.

From the moment my daughter arrived, family members flooded us with words of great wisdom and century-old traditions – as well as their rusty old baby gear. Knowing some of these incredibly thoughtful garbage hand-me-downs were purchased 30+ years ago when I WAS BABY made us slightly apprehensive. My husband and I agreed that safety was our first priority and bought all-new gear to help ensure our daughter would be as safe as possible on-the-go and at home.

Two years later, my daughter is ready for a convertible car seat (FOUR OF THEM?!), a toddler bed and perhaps a double-stroller (come to think of it, that one can wait…). Here’s where our “collection” of old baby stuff pays off – literally – and so can yours!

Babies“R”Us is hosting its popular Great Trade-In: Gear and Furniture Event. Now through February 20, families can exchange any old baby gear and furniture for a 25% off discount on a new, qualifying item (i.e., car seats, strollers, high chairs, play yards, bassinets, infant swings, bouncers, walkers, entertainers, cribs and toddler/twin beds).

“When it comes to children’s products you  can’t put a price on safety. Purchasing second hand products and accepting hand me downs to fill some childcare needs may seem like a good idea but it could put your family at risk. There are options in every product category to meet the needs of all consumers, so whenever possible, buying new is your safest option, especially when it comes to cribs, play yards, bassinets and car seats.”

Kelly Mariotti, Executive Director, JPMA

After falling into the first-time-parent trap of reading every safety article on the world wide web, we actually found it helpful to chat with our local Babies“R”Us personal registry partner (like, in person). We found out that it’s really important to toss old or second-hand gear (especially car seats) because even though they may LOOK fine, there might be a missing, cracked or broken piece that can jeopardize your child’s safety (think car accidents, crib sides that drop when pressure is applied, play yard gates that can pinch fingers!). Also – did you know car seats have expiration dates?

Moral of the story, my weekend will include taking down that 20-year-old crib currently taking up real estate in my future “yoga room” – a room where I wear yoga pants and watch Netflix.

Babies“R”Us Great Trade-In: Gear and Furniture Event begins Friday, January 20 through Monday, February 20. Rewards“R”Us loyalty members will have early access to this highly-anticipated event on Tuesday, January 17.

Customers who use their “R”Us Credit Card while checking out are eligible to receive a 30% discount. Nothing to trade in? No problem. Visit your local Babies“R”Us  any time before February 20th to get 15% off gear and furniture on select items. Learn more at Babiesrus.com/GreatTradeIn.

About Jessica Offerjost: Between juggling a tenacious toddler and an exciting career with Toys“R”Us, Jessica is a kid-at-heart who loves recreating moments of play from her childhood with her two-year old daughter. From Barbie dolls and Star Wars characters to Play-Doh and Mr. Potato Head, this spokesmom has provided her insight into the toys and games that bring smiles to the faces of children through various live and taped interviews across the country.

Media Relations:

1 (973) 617-5900
Press@toysrus.com

Source: Toys“R”Us

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CarMax offers guide to help car owners better understand intricacies of trading in their vehicle

RICHMOND, Va, 2016-Oct-12 — /EPR Retail News/ — With the start of the school year top of mind, CarMax, Inc. (NYSE:KMX), the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, and third largest auction operation in the United States, recently focused a national survey on a different type of education: how knowledgeable are car owners about how much they can get for their vehicle when it comes time to trade it in? The CarMax report today (Oct. 11, 2016) reveals that only half of respondents had a good idea of how much they could sell their car for, and 35 percent were either not sure or had absolutely no clue. To help all car owners better understand the intricacies of trading in their vehicle and empower them through the process, CarMax provides the guide below.

Mileage and Age Can Make a Grade-A Difference

Less than 20 percent of car owners surveyed knew the maximum number of miles that is considered “ideal” for trade-ins – 100,000 miles. Industry data indicates that while lower mileage is typically better, after 100,000 miles the value can drastically decrease depending on the make and model of the car and its condition.

“It’s important for drivers to know how much they can sell their car for and the factors that impact the offer they will receive. That will allow them to get the best deal and have a better experience,” explained Tom Marcey, CarMax vice president, regional merchandising. “CarMax offers an honest and authentic appraisal process. We see a 23 percent spike in customers coming into our stores for an appraisal during the summer, and we want to help consumers get the most for their trade-ins now and at any point in the year.”

Another misconception identified through the survey was that two in five car owners believe there is no difference in the offer they will receive between selling a 10-year-old car versus an 11-year-old car. which According to CarMax and industry data, the cut off between 10-year-old and 11-year-old vehicles can be substantial in affecting the offer they will receive when selling their car. More men than women were confused when it came to knowing this important trade-in fact (47 percent compared to 33 percent).

A Trusted Advisor Can Eliminate a Painful Process

Nearly one in ten respondents said they would rather shave their heads than try to sell their cars. However, selling a car does not need to be an extreme process, and CarMax has a proven, hassle-free approach that allows drivers receive an offer for their vehicle in as little as 30 minutes. They can even choose to walk out the door with payment in-hand.

Separate Emotions for Less Stress

Additionally, about one in six respondents had a harder time “breaking up” with their cars than ending their first relationships. Letting go of any car is an emotional experience – one in 10 people said the emotions were the hardest part of their last trade-ins. But like a relationship ending, it’s also an opportunity for an upgrade and something better will roll along.

Timing Can Help You Ace the Class

Is there a better time of the year to sell your car? There is, and more than 25 percent of people surveyed were right on target. CarMax data indicates March and April are the best months to trade in your car for the best deal. Except for luxury and sports cars, most vehicles also tend to appreciate slightly at the beginning of the year when the miles per year are lowest.

Just as in School, Preparation is Key

When it comes to car trade in prep, many consumers were also on track. A majority of respondents said cleaning their cars will mean higher appraisal offers, and while it’s not guaranteed, a spotless car may help you clean up.

“Taking care of visible maintenance issues like worn tires, warning lights and broken tail lights prior to an appraisal can increase the offer you receive for your car,” adds Marcey. “An interior detailing, which you can do yourself or have done professionally, will make a good first impression with the appraiser or buyer, showing the vehicle has been properly maintained.”

The CarMax Difference

CarMax will buy your car, even if you do not buy one of theirs. You’ll get a competitive offer in as little as 30 minutes and can leave with payment in hand or take up to a week to make your decision. To learn more about used car appraisals and sales with CarMax, including helpful tips and frequently asked questions, or to schedule an appointment for an appraisal,click here.

About CarMax

CarMax is the nation’s largest retailer of used cars and operates more than 160 stores in 37 states nationwide. CarMax revolutionized the auto industry by delivering the honest, transparent and high-integrity car buying experience customers want and deserve. For more than 20 years, CarMax has made car buying more ethical, fair and stress-free by offering a no-haggle, no-hassle experience and an incredible selection of vehicles. CarMax makes selling your car easy too, by offering no-obligation appraisals good for seven days. At CarMax, we’ll buy your car even if you don’t buy ours®. CarMax has more than 22,000 associates nationwide and for 12 consecutive years has been named as one of the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For®. During the 12 months ending February 29, 2016, the company retailed 619,936 used cars and sold 394,437 wholesale vehicles at its in-store auctions. For more information, access the CarMax website at www.carmax.com.

Survey Methodology: CarMax commissioned SHIFT Communications to survey U.S. online consumers via Google Consumer Surveys to uncover understandings and attitudes as they relate to selling a used car. The survey was shown to 15,868 people age 18+ with 3,044 responses, for a 19.2 percent response rate, with a 95 percent confidence level. Consumer Surveys weights results by inferred gender, age and geography when possible to make the sample as representative as possible of the internet population. Responses were collected from July 25-27, 2016.

Contact:

Jonathan McNamara
pr@carmax.com
(855) 887-2915

Source: CarMax, Inc.

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New reports reveal ecological sustainability and socioeconomic benefits of wild harvesting and farming of pythons

London, 2016-Sep-27 — /EPR Retail News/ — Three new reports published today (26 September 2016) by the Python Conservation Partnership (PCP), a partnership between Kering, the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Boa and Python Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), reveal that the wild harvesting and farming of pythons is ecologically sustainable and results in socioeconomic benefits for poor households in South-East Asia. Initially presented yesterday at the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP17) in Johannesburg, South Africa, the“Sustainable Management of the Trade in Reticulated Python Skins in Indonesia and Malaysia“, “Trade in Python Skins: Impact on Livelihoods in Viet Nam” and “Trade in Python Skins: Impact on Livelihoods in Peninsular Malaysia” reports represent the culmination of three years of scientific research and signify the completion of the research phase of the PCP.

The PCP has undertaken research projects since its creation in 2013 to measure the socioeconomic benefits of the trade in python skins in South-East Asia, as well as the sustainability of wild harvesting and the economic viability of python farming. The PCP has also supported training for those engaged in the trade and has tested methods to verify the source of pythons and improve the traceability of skins. Following the partnership’s first report published in 2014, on the feasibility of farming pythons – “Assessment of Python Breeding Farms Supplying the International High-end Leather Industry” – the peer-reviewed reports published today reveal the importance of the trade for the livelihoods of people in Malaysia and Viet Nam and offer detailed recommendations to improve the monitoring and management of the trade overall. Key findings include:

·          Wild harvest of pythons is ecologically sustainable in Sumatra, Indonesia;

·          Management of the trade through size limits, ongoing monitoring of harvested snakes and capacity development of key actors will contribute to sustainable trade; and

·          In both wild harvest and captive farming in Malaysia and Viet Nam, the trade improves livelihood resilience by giving poor households the opportunity to increase and diversify income.

In addition to these reports, the PCP has developed technical documents to be published later this year on using novel techniques to verify the provenance of python skins. The PCP will also release guidance on best practices for animal welfare and management in python farms and processing facilities. These guidelines will initially be implemented and tested in Kering’s supply chain to help refine them. In 2017, the PCP will enter into a new phase, opening up the partnership to a broader group of stakeholders in the python trade, with the goal of implementing positive and durable change in the industry.

“The PCP is an excellent example of new and multi-disciplinary collaborative models driving real, positive change towards sustainability,” said Marie-Claire Daveu, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of International Institutional Affairs at Kering, “Information and transparency in the python trade was lacking and we all required more guidance to ensure a robust and sustainable trade. After 3 years of research we are very pleased to open-source the results of this important new research with ITC and IUCN. We are confident that this will improve the trade and Kering is proud to support the expert recommendations in our supply chains.“

“These studies demonstrate that trade in biodiversity is a credible strategy for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” said ITC Executive Director Arancha González. “ITC will continue to work with IUCN and the fashion industry to find innovative ways to promote the sustainable use of flora and fauna and to improve the livelihoods of the world’s poorest people.”

“It is extremely encouraging to see the extraordinary progress made by Kering, the International Trade Centre and IUCN – three organisations with different visions, working collaboratively to achieve a common goal,” says Tomás Waller, Chair of the IUCN/SSC Boa and Python Specialist Group. “The results of the Python Conservation Partnership’s research and successful collaboration show that it is indeed possible to enhance sustainable use of pythons while at the same time providing livelihood benefits for local communities participating in the trade.”

“We welcome this work showing the benefits of python skin trade to rural communities, as well as the depth of engagement with the private sector in making sure that the global value chain is put onto a better and more sustainable footing,” said John E. Scanlon, Secretary-General Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). “This work will benefit both the species and the rural communities. We hope more private sector entities join initiatives such as those being pioneered here by the PCP.”

Download the reports here:

µ        Sustainable Management of the Trade in Reticulated Python Skins in Indonesia and Malaysia

µ        Trade in Python Skins: Impact on Livelihoods in Viet Nam

µ        Trade in Python Skins: Impact on Livelihoods in Malaysia

About Kering
A world leader in apparel and accessories, Kering develops an ensemble of powerful Luxury and Sport & Lifestyle brands: Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Brioni, Christopher Kane, McQ, Stella McCartney, Tomas Maier, Boucheron, Dodo, Girard-Perregaux, JeanRichard, Pomellato, Qeelin, Ulysse Nardin, Puma, Volcom and Cobra. By ‘empowering imagination’ in the fullest sense, Kering encourages its brands to reach their potential in the most sustainable manner.

Present in more than 120 countries, the Group generated revenue of more than €11.5 billion in 2015 and had more than 38,000 employees at year end. The Kering (previously PPR) share is listed on Euronext Paris (FR 0000121485, KER.PA, KER.FP).

About IUCN
IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,300 Member organisations and some 16,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards. IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being. www.iucn.org  twitter.com/IUCN

About the Species Survival Commission
The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is the largest of IUCN’s six volunteer commissions with a global membership of around 10,000 experts.  SSC advises IUCN and its members on the wide range of technical and scientific aspects of species conservation, and is dedicated to securing a future for biodiversity.  SSC has significant input into the international agreements dealing with biodiversity conservation.

About Boa and Python Specialist Group (BPSG)
The Boa and Python Specialist Group (BPSG) is a global network of volunteer experts, part of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC). The BPSG is the world leading authority on boas and pythons. Its mission is to provide expert opinion and scientific advice to IUCN and other conservation organizations, government and non-government agencies, applicable to the conservation of boas and pythons.

About ITC
ITC is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. ITC assists small- and medium-sized enterprises in developing and transition economy countries to become more competitive in global markets, contributing to sustainable economic development within the frameworks of the Aid-for-Trade agenda and the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.   Website: www.intracen.org  Twitter: @ITCnews    Facebook/LinkedIn/YouTube: International Trade Centre

Press contacts:

Kering
Emmanuelle Picard-Deyme (France)
emmanuelle.picard-deyme@kering.com
+ 33 (0)1 45 64 61 87

Mich Ahern (International)
mich.ahern@gmail.com
+ 44 (0) 7984 684 454

IUCN
Lynne Labanne
lynne.labanne@iucn.org
+41 22 999 0153, +41 79 527 7221

Ewa Magiera
ewa.magiera@iucn.org
+41 22 999 0346, +41 76 505 3378

ITC
Susanna Pak
pak@intracen.org
+41 22 730 0651

Source: Kering

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Alibaba Group and Austrade to strengthen trade opportunities by expanding Australian products sold to Chinese consumers

Alibaba Group and Austrade to strengthen trade opportunities by expanding Australian products sold to Chinese consumers
Alibaba Group and Austrade to strengthen trade opportunities by expanding Australian products sold to Chinese consumers

 

Hangzhou, China, 2016-Sep-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — Alibaba (Australia) Company Pty. Ltd., a member of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA), and the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (“Austrade”) signed a strategic collaboration agreement today (6 September, 2016) to strengthen trade opportunities by expanding the variety of Australian products sold to some of Alibaba’s hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers through Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms. The agreement aims to broaden Alibaba’s existing partnership with Austrade by providing dedicated services for Australian products and leveraging digital content to build brand Australia abroad.

The signing of the agreement was witnessed at a ceremony at Alibaba’s corporate headquarters in Hangzhou by Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and Alibaba Group’s Founder and Executive Chairman, Jack Ma.

Prior to the signing of the agreement Jack Ma, Executive Chairman and Founder of Alibaba Group said, “the next chapter of trade between China and Australia will require closer cooperation and this agreement provides a new framework to ensure more businesses, especially Small and Medium Enterprises, can benefit through the partnership between Austrade and Alibaba. Together we can all work jointly to support Australian jobs and shape a new future for many people and businesses through the cooperation forged today.”

Speaking during his visit, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Alibaba “enables the smallest businesses, the mom-and-dad businesses, in the regional part of Australia to have access to the biggest part of the world, something that hitherto only a very large company with enormous resources, with enormous representation would be able to do. It’s a liberating force for small business. And because so many of the services are available on the cloud, again it reduces the cost of business and levels the playing field between the big company and the small company.”

On signing the agreement with Austrade, Maggie Zhou, Managing Director of Australia and New Zealand for Alibaba, said, “Australia is a key market for Alibaba Group and we are excited to extend our collaboration with Austrade to cultivate successful Australian exporters that are capitalizing on China’s expanding middle class. With Alibaba Group’s new Melbourne office opening later this year, our local team will be dedicated to providing businesses with the information and tools they need to advance their international growth.”

The businesses to be explored by Alibaba and Austrade under the strategic collaboration are wide-ranging but a key highlight is the introduction of an annual “Australian Fresh Food Week” sales promotion and education event on Tmall Fresh, Tmall’s fresh food channel, advancing the interests of Australian companies that exports dairy, meat, seafood, fruit and other fresh produce.

Alibaba Group also plans on establishing a channel on Youku.com, a leading provider of video and streaming services in China with over 500 million monthly active users, to further promote fresh Australian produce and advance the perception of Australian products in the eyes of Chinese consumers.

Michael Clifton, Senior Trade Commissioner of Austrade, said, “Austrade’s collaboration with Alibaba will allow more Chinese consumers to enjoy easy online access to a wider variety of Australia’s premium products and fresh produce. Online delivery of imported fresh food in China is becoming increasingly viable as a result of improvements in last-mile cold chain logistics.”

In addition to supporting Australian companies already succeeding in China, a key focus of the partnership will be targeting first time exporters, particularly SMEs, and facilitating access to Alibaba assistance in commercializing new digital technology and services in China.

About Alibaba Group
Alibaba Group’s mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. It is the largest retail commerce company in the world in terms of gross merchandise volume. Founded in 1999, the company provides the fundamental technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help merchants, brands and other businesses that provide products, services and digital content to leverage the power of the Internet to engage with their users and customers.

Source: Alibaba Group

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Alibaba Group and Canadian Government to promote trade between Canadian small and medium-sized businesses and Chinese consumers

Alibaba Group and Canadian Government to promote trade between Canadian small and medium-sized businesses and Chinese consumers
Alibaba Group and Canadian Government to promote trade between Canadian small and medium-sized businesses and Chinese consumers

 

Hangzhou, China, 2016-Sep-07 — /EPR Retail News/ — Alibaba Group Executive Chairman Jack Ma and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today ( September 3, 2016) unveiled a declaration of cooperation that will strengthen efforts to promote trade between Canadian small and medium-sized businesses and Chinese consumers.

Both Mr. Ma and Prime Minister Trudeau said at a ceremony at Alibaba Group’s head office that the cooperation agreement empowers the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service and Alibaba to work together to expand the two-way flow of goods, services and people. The two sides will strategize on how to use e-commerce to stimulate trade, with opportunities for Canadian small and medium-sized exporters.

“Today, I am pleased we are formalizing our efforts to have Alibaba serve as the gateway to China for Canadian businesses of all sizes,” Mr. Ma said. “Our agreements today represent a great opportunity for Canada and for China. It is a new chapter in our future together.”

“Today is a very good day for Canadian businesses. They now have a permanent e-home on the world’s biggest online shopping site – Alibaba – and with it, the ability to reach over 400 million Chinese consumers. There is significant potential for further business development with Alibaba, which would encourage Chinese tourism to Canada, create jobs at home and strengthen our middle-class,” said Prime Minister Trudeau.

The ceremony also highlighted two other milestones:

Mr. Ma and Prime Minister Trudeau launched the Canadian Pavilion on Alibaba’s shopping platform, Tmall Global. The Canadian Pavilion makes it possible for Canadian businesses large and small to directly reach Chinese consumers. It was launched with more than 30 businesses participating, selling more than 100 products. It will feature special promotions for unique Canadian products such as apparel, ice wine, maple syrup, seafood and health products.

Mr. Ma and Prime Minister Trudeau also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Air Canada, the country’s largest air carrier, and Alitrip, Alibaba’s online travel booking platform, providing Chinese consumers with a range of travel and vacation packages, as well as visa application services.

The MOU links Air Canada with Alitrip’s customer base and marketing resources to tap China’s burgeoning travel demand for Canada. Air Canada agreed to open a flagship store on the Alitrip platform. Both agreed to work together to develop marketing initiatives and carry out joint marketing promotions.

About Alibaba Group
Alibaba Group’s mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. It is the largest retail commerce company in the world in terms of gross merchandise volume. Founded in 1999, the company provides the fundamental technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help merchants, brands and other businesses that provide products, services and digital content to leverage the power of the Internet to engage with their users and customers.

Source: Alibaba Group

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EFR reopens Paris Lecourbe BP service station with Carrefour Express store marking their 20 years of partnership

EFR reopens Paris Lecourbe BP service station with Carrefour Express store marking their 20 years of partnership
EFR reopens Paris Lecourbe BP service station with Carrefour Express store marking their 20 years of partnership

Paris, 2016-Sep-06 — /EPR Retail News/ — On 31 August 2016, the EFR (European Forecourt Retail) Group is reopening its Paris Lecourbe BP service station with a brand-new Carrefour Express store. The opening of this new convenience retail outlet is the culmination of 20 years of active partnership, serving customers of both brands. It also marks a new milestone in the roll-out of stores located in high-traffic areas.

Opening of a new Carrefour Express store in central Paris
The partners are reopening the newly-overhauled Paris Lecourbe BP service station – located in the capital’s 15th arrondissement – with a new BP visual identity. And the store has now been converted into a Carrefour Express store. Over a 123 m² sales area, the mini supermarket stocks a wide range of some 2900 Carrefour and national brand daily-use products. These include grocery products, fruit and vegetables, ready-to-cook/eat products, snacks and home maintenance products. Open 24 hours a day, this new store will help to stimulate the local economy. A long-term partnership designed to serve customers. This opening marks 20 years of active collaboration between Carrefour and EFR

The first 8 à Huit store – incorporated into a Nice service station – was opened in 1996. Since then, the two companies have worked closely together and were the first to open a convenience store at a motorway site. Now in France, more than 100 EFR Group service stations have links with the Carrefour Group (under the Carrefour Express, 8 à Huit and Proxi banners) – either in town centres or at motorway service stations.

Alongside Carrefour’s opening of its first City store at Orly airport in 2015, this initiative once again illustrates the retailer’s unique multi-format approach and is evidence of its desire to move closer to high-traffic areas.  As far as the EFR Group is concerned, it is continuing with its policy of rolling out an expanded selection of high-quality services across its networks through partnerships with leading brands.

Serving customers
EFR and Carrefour are both committed to meeting customers’ specific requirements on a day-to-day basis. Stores located at urban service station sites have a range of convenience products for modern, city-dwelling customers, while those at motorway service stations have a range that is better suited to customers on the move.

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

. By phone:

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

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

. By e-mail: presse_groupe@carrefour.com

Source: Carrefour

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SUPERVALU to serve as grocery wholesaler and distributor to The Fresh Market

MINNEAPOLIS, 2016-Aug-17 — /EPR Retail News/ — SUPERVALU INC. (NYSE:SVU) and THE FRESH MARKET, INC. today announced they have reached a long-term supply agreement for SUPERVALU to serve as a grocery wholesaler and distributor to The Fresh Market. Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, The Fresh Market is a specialty retailer focused on providing delicious and healthy food and a high level of service to its customers.

“The Fresh Market is a terrific organization with a tremendous store base and a great consumer offering,” said SUPERVALU President and CEO Mark Gross. “The stores offer a great shopping experience. They are extremely well merchandised, meet customer demand with a keen focus on fresh, and provide a wonderful mix of traditional and specialty products. This is an excellent example of how our experience, strong distribution network and overall wholesale capabilities can serve larger grocery chains while also being flexible to the needs of specialty-focused retailers.”

“We are excited about this relationship with SUPERVALU,” said The Fresh Market President and CEO Rick Anicetti. “SUPERVALU’s experience in wholesale grocery and logistics capabilities aligns well with our strategic vision and will make them a valuable strategic partner for our future. This new relationship will be highly beneficial in enhancing our customer experience, with a focus on providing superior quality and freshness at a greater value.”

In its role as grocery wholesaler, SUPERVALU will supply The Fresh Market with traditional and signature grocery products across a range of categories including meat, deli, bakery, grocery, frozen foods and dairy. The parties intend for SUPERVALU to become The Fresh Market’s primary distributor upon the transition of The Fresh Market’s current distributor relationships. SUPERVALU anticipates it will begin serving some of The Fresh Market’s stores in the fall and will take on additional stores as the transition continues.

About The Fresh Market, Inc.
Founded in 1982, The Fresh Market, Inc. is a specialty grocery retailer focused on providing high-quality products in a unique and inviting atmosphere with a high level of customer service. The company currently operates 176 stores in 24 states across the U.S. For more information, please visit www.thefreshmarket.com.

About SUPERVALU INC.
SUPERVALU INC. is one of the largest grocery wholesalers and retailers in the U.S. with annual sales of approximately $18 billion. SUPERVALU serves customers across the United States through a network of 3,342 stores composed of 1,773 stores operated by wholesale customers serviced primarily by the Company’s food distribution business; 1,368 Save-A-Lot stores, of which 896 are operated by licensee owners; and 201 traditional retail grocery stores (store counts as of June 18, 2016). Headquartered in Minnesota, SUPERVALU has approximately 40,000 employees. For more information about SUPERVALU visit www.supervalu.com.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELEVANT TO FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF “SAFE HARBOR” PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995.

Except for the historical and factual information contained herein, the matters set forth in this news release, particularly those pertaining to SUPERVALU’s expectations, guidance, or future operating results, and other statements identified by words such as “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “projects,” “plans,” “intends” and similar expressions are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including uncertainties as to the timing and scope of the transition of The Fresh Market stores and the resulting business impacts of this new supply agreement. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. Unless legally required, SUPERVALU undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise

For Investor Relations:
Steve Bloomquist
952-828-4144
Steve.bloomquist@supervalu.com

For Media:
Jeff Swanson
952-903-1645
Jeffrey.swanson@supervalu.com

Source: SUPERVALU INC.

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SUPERVALU announces Save-A-Lot, Inc. filed Amendment No. 2 to Form 10 in connection with its possible spin-off into separate, publicly traded company

MINNEAPOLIS, 2016-Aug-12 — /EPR Retail News/ — SUPERVALU INC. (NYSE: SVU) today announced that Save-A-Lot, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, has filed Amendment No. 2 to its Form 10 Registration Statement (Form 10) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the possible spin-off of Save-A-Lot into a separate, publicly traded company. Among other changes, the amendment includes Save-A-Lot’s recent financial results.

With the filing of Amendment No. 2 to the Form 10, SUPERVALU is continuing to pursue a spin-off of Save-A-Lot as it also evaluates a possible sale of Save-A-Lot. At this time there can be no assurance that a separation of Save-A-Lot will be completed or that any other change in the Company’s overall structure or business model will occur.

About SUPERVALU INC.
SUPERVALU INC. is one of the largest grocery wholesalers and retailers in the U.S. with annual sales of approximately $18 billion. SUPERVALU serves customers across the United States through a network of 3,342 stores composed of 1,773 stores operated by wholesale customers serviced primarily by the Company’s food distribution business; 1,368 Save-A-Lot stores, of which 896 are operated by licensee owners; and 201 traditional retail grocery stores (store counts as of June 18, 2016). Headquartered inMinnesota, SUPERVALU has approximately 40,000 employees. For more information about SUPERVALU visit www.supervalu.com.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELEVANT TO FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF “SAFE HARBOR” PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995.

Except for the historical and factual information contained herein, the matters set forth in this news release, particularly those pertaining to SUPERVALU’s expectations, guidance, or future operating results, and other statements identified by words such as “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “projects,” “plans,” “intends” and similar expressions are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including uncertainties as to the terms, timing or structure of any separation transaction and whether one will be consummated at all, the impact of any separation transaction on the businesses of SUPERVALU and the Save-A-Lot business on a standalone basis if the separation were to be completed, whether the operational and strategic benefits of a separation can be achieved and whether the costs and expenses of the separation can be controlled within expectations. Other factors include competition, ability to execute operations and initiatives, ability to realize benefits from acquisitions and dispositions, reliance on wholesale customers and licensees ability to grow or maintain identical store sales, ability to maintain or increase margins, substantial indebtedness, labor relations issues, escalating costs of providing employee benefits, relationships with Albertson’s LLC, New Albertson’s, Inc. and Haggen, intrusions to and disruption of information technology systems, impact of economic conditions, commodity pricing, governmental regulation, food and drug safety issues, legal proceedings, pharmacy reimbursement and health care financing, intellectual property protection, severe weather, natural disasters and adverse climate changes, disruption to supply chain and distribution network, changes in military business, adequacy of insurance, volatility in fuel and energy costs, asset impairment charges, fluctuations in our common stock price and other risk factors relating to our business or industry as detailed from time to time inSUPERVALU’s reports filed with the SEC. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. Unless legally required, SUPERVALU undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact:

Steve Bloomquist
952-828-4144
Steve.bloomquist@supervalu.com

For Media:
Jeff Swanson
952-903-1645
Jeffrey.Swanson@supervalu.com

Source: SUPERVALU INC.

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Alibaba Cloud’s new program allows international technology partners enter China market through its Global Marketplace and AliLaunch program

Beijing, 2016-Aug-10 — /EPR Retail News/ — Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, today unveils its Global Marketplace and AliLaunch program for technology partners. This new program allows international technology partners to enter China market through Alibaba Cloud’s initiatives.

By leveraging Alibaba Cloud’s leading cloud computing expertise, AliLaunch assists technology partners overcoming common obstacles that international companies have when expanding into China including scalability and technology compatibility. Through AliLaunch, these partners can leverage a variety of value added offerings such as joint ventures, marketplace partnerships and wholesaling to capitalize on this growing market.

“The introduction of AliLaunch demonstrates Alibaba Cloud’s ongoing commitment of building a global cloud computing ecosystem, which connects SaaS developers and business partners from different countries on a unified platform. The AliLaunch program and Global Technology Partners Marketplace serve as the perfect platforms for making different software products accessible to businesses and organizations in China. We are aiming to build AliLaunch as the TMall1 of the cloud computing industry, with more technology partners added in the future,” said Mr. Sicheng YU, Vice President of Alibaba Group and General Manager of Alibaba Cloud Global.

As the first step in creating the cloud computing TMall for the China market, the AliLaunch program can serve as an online “store” where enterprises in China will have access to different technology partners and can deploy software or services in a convenient and quick way through Alibaba Cloud. AliLaunch currently lists 11 technology partners from United States, Europe, Japan and Thailand, including SAP, SUSE and HERE. The technology partners cover a diversified mix of software products in different categories, including operating systems, network infrastructure, security, databases and streaming media. The market paves the way for technology partners like SAP to explore the China market further through its strategic partnership with Alibaba Cloud.

The Global Technology Partners participating in Alibaba Cloud’s marketplaces include:

  • SAP – As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP HANA One, a cloud-based, in-memory data management solution will be available on Alibaba Cloud’s China marketplace
  • SUSE – providing reliable, interoperable Linux, cloud infrastructure and storage solutions that give enterprises greater control and flexibility
  • HERE – offering maps and location experiences across multiple screens and operating systems. HERE helps people navigate their lives with ease and confidence
  • Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) – offering business intelligence software Pentaho, that brings together diverse data types to help companies better use data through open source technology
  • Check Point – providing customers with industry-leading solutions and a complete security architecture, protecting them from cyberattacks with an unmatched catch rate of malware and other types of threats
  • AppScale – an open source application platform allowing developers the freedom to run Google App Engine applications in any public or private cloud, bringing applications where the business requires
  • AppEx Networks – providing SD-WAN services, enterprise-grade connectivity and VPN, allowing companies to inter-connect their headquarters, branches, and data centers; and expedite the data transport and access to public clouds and SaaS applications worldwide
  • Haivision – providing media management and video streaming solutions for world’s leading organizations to communicate, collaborate and educate
  • Hillstone Networks – offering a broad range of security solutions for enterprises and data center networks – whether physical, virtual, or in the cloud
  • Wowza Media Systems – enables organizations to harness the power of high-quality live and on-demand audio and video streaming by reducing the complexities of delivery to any device
  • TrueIDC – data center and cloud provider in Thailand, offering a full range of data center and cloud services

1 As China’s largest third-party platform for brands and retailers, Tmall is Alibaba Group’s B2C platform dedicated to providing a premium shopping experience for Chinese consumers in search of top-quality branded merchandise

About Alibaba Cloud
Established in September 2009, Alibaba Cloud (www.aliyun.com), Alibaba Group’s cloud computing arm, develops highly scalable platforms for cloud computing and data management. It provides a comprehensive suite of cloud computing services to support participants of Alibaba Group’s online and mobile commerce ecosystem, including sellers and other third-party customers and businesses. Alibaba Cloud is a business within Alibaba Group.

Media Contacts:

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

Crystal Liu
Alibaba Group
+852 6378 5626
crystal.liu@alibaba-inc.com

Source: Alibaba Group

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FMI partners with Trace Register for the 3rd Annual Traceability Leadership Forum

Seattle, Wash., 2016-Aug-05 — /EPR Retail News/ — Trace Register, the global leader in seafood traceability, will host its third annual Traceability Leadership Forum from 8:00 am to 11:30 am on Wednesday, August 10, 2016 at the New Orleans Marriott in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s event will take place as part of the Pre-Summit Sessions of the Food Marketing Institute’s and Grocery Manufacturers Association’s 2016 Global Sustainability Summit.

“As a featured educational opportunity for the nation’s food retailer, seafood, and sustainability executives, FMI is pleased to partner with Trace Register for the 3rd Annual Traceability Leadership Forum,” FMI’s Rick Stein, Vice President, Fresh Foods, said. “Retailers and stakeholders are committed to better understanding how technological advancements are streamlining the intensive process of verifying product requirements and ultimately enhance the consumer experience.”

Retailers and trading partners are invited to attend the forum and will have the opportunity to discuss and learn about the latest developments in traceability with regards to managing specifications in seafood supply chains, meeting regulatory compliance including the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), and the power of digital certificates in achieving corporate and social responsibility goals.

“We have a great line-up of speakers. Participants will learn how big data is becoming a powerful tool in seafood supply chains to deliver more consistent seafood while minimizing risk,” states Phil Werdal, CEO of Trace Register. “We will also share how powerful data analytical tools flag problems before they happen.”

Interested retailers can view a list of speakers and topics and register for the Traceability Leadership Forum (part of the Pre-Summit Sessions).

Agenda

Ryan Boudreaux, Whole Foods Market

Gary Bauer, Pontchartrain Blue Crab, Inc.

Is Implementing Digital Traceability Overwhelming? (Fact or Fiction)

Dag Heggelund, PhD., Trace Register

Peter Larkins, Trace Register

Seafood Supply Chains Meet Big Data Analytics

Ryan Stover, Whole Foods Market

George Parmenter, Delhaize America

(Hannaford | Food Lion)

Variation in Seafood Supply Chains

Howard Tenen, Quirch Foods

Meeting Current and Future Regulatory Compliance with Digital Traceability

Reese Antley, Wood’s Fisheries

Laura Picariello, Audubon Nature Institute

Digital Certificates, Validating a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP)

Peter Larkins, Trace Register

Digital Certificates, Helping Combat Human Trafficking

Food Marketing Institute proudly advocates on behalf of the food retail industry. FMI’s U.S. members operate nearly 40,000 retail food stores and 25,000 pharmacies, representing a combined annual sales volume of almost $770 billion. Through programs in public affairs, food safety, research, education and industry relations, FMI offers resources and provides valuable benefits to more than 1,225 food retail and wholesale member companies in the United States and around the world. FMI membership covers the spectrum of diverse venues where food is sold, including single owner grocery stores, large multi-store supermarket chains and mixed retail stores. For more information, visit www.fmi.org and for information regarding the FMI foundation, visit www.fmifoundation.org.

Contact:
Tel: 202-452-8444
Fax: 202-429-4519

Source: FMI

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Whole Foods Market signs new lease for 365 by Whole Foods Market™ location at Buckhead area in Atlanta

AUSTIN, Texas, 2016-Aug-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — Whole Foods Market announced with its third quarter earnings that it has signed a new lease for a 365 by Whole Foods Market™ location in Atlanta. The store will be located in the Buckhead area and will feature a simple, affordable and convenient grocery-shopping experience that offers the same high quality standards that Whole Foods Market pioneered.

“As we continue to expand the 365 by Whole Foods Market footprint nationwide, we’re targeting communities where our fresh approach to grocery shopping will make the most impact,” said Jeff Turnas, president of 365 by Whole Foods Market. “We’ve seen a very positive response thus far with our first two stores and look forward to bringing this concept to the Atlanta area.”

This is the second location announced in Georgia; a Decatur location was announced in May. 365 by Whole Foods Market opened its first store in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles in May 2016 and a second store in Lake Oswego, Oregon, earlier this month.

365 by Whole Foods Market stores provide a streamlined, quality-meets-value shopping experience. The Atlanta store, like other 365 by Whole Foods Market locations, will feature a curated mix of products that adhere to the company’s industry-leading quality standards in an environment that’s enjoyable and convenient for shoppers.

More details on store opening timing and Friends of 365 partners will be announced closer to opening. For the latest updates, visit www.365bywfm.com.

Contact:

Darrah Gist
darrah.gist@wholefoods.com
678.638.5888

Lauren Bernath
lauren.bernath@wholefoods.com
678.638.5805

Source: Whole Foods Market

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TAG Heuer announces new partnership with Manchester United football club

Beijing, China, 2016-Aug-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — On July 24, TAG Heuer announced a new partnership with the prestigious Manchester United football club. This follows partnerships with the EnglishPremier League at the end of April and the Spanish LaLiga in mid-July. The announcement was celebrated in Beijing at an event attended by United players. The new agreement is part of a global strategy to strengthen the Swiss watchmaker’s presence in the world of football. Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer and President of the LVMH Watch Division, talks about a winning sponsorship strategy.

The German Bundesliga, the English Premier League, the Spanish LaLiga, the American MLS (Major League Soccer), China’s Super League, the Australian National football team, the Copa America and International Champions Cup, plus international ambassador Cristiano Ronaldo … Since 2014, TAG Heuer has been a ubiquitous presence at the world’s most prestigious football competitions and pitches. Jean-Claude Biver discusses this strategy.

TAG Heuer has since 2014 signed a host of sponsorships with football, an area that might not seem to have much affinity with luxury timepieces? Why invest in football?

Jean-Claude Biver : Football is an extremely popular sport around the world. The World Cup has the biggest TV audience in the world, ahead of the Olympics. So this is a sport that has great impact for a brand. But it’s not only “popular” in terms of the number of followers, but also because of its broad reach. Men, women, the young, the not so young, students, entrepreneurs – football reaches everyone, without distinction. The world of luxury was thus already very much present, which explains our commitment in this sport. What’s more, through football we reach not only today’s customers, but also the customers of tomorrow by engaging with all the young people who follow the sport. Some of them might become Tag Heuer customers! And lastly, football lets us differentiate ourselves as a luxury brand. Unlike others, who sponsor golf, horseback riding or polo, we don’t have any competitors in this arena.

As the Official Timekeeper for an impressive number of prestigious national leagues, TAG Heuer recently announced the signature of a partnership with Manchester United. How do you choose your partnerships?

It’s important that we forge partnerships that create synergies and are visible through the initiatives we develop together. With Manchester United, for example, we’re able to reach a clientele in China and Asia. The club is a veritable institution in this part of the world and our partnership will help develop our brand in Asia, not only through TV and media visibility, but also thanks to joint events during the club’s Asia tour and all year.

Hublot has in the past decade become the leading luxury watchmaker to invest in football. Are there differences between the marketing strategies of Hublot and TAG Heuer in football?

Hublot was a pioneer by becoming the first luxury watchmaking house to invest in football. But it was evident that Hublot couldn’t cover all the possibilities offered by the sport. I was always careful to protect Hublot from competitors who wanted to invest in spaces that were still open in football, like federations, clubs, players or coaches. That led to the idea of occupying this space together, consistent with the positioning of the two houses. Hublot, a premium, selective brand, sponsors the most prestigious events, the World Cup, the UEFA Euro and the Champions League. TAG Heuer, which represents accessible luxury, focused on major national events – the English Premier League, the German Bundesliga, the Spanish LaLiga, the American MLS, as well as football in China, Japan and Australia. Together, our two houses cover all the different opportunities with a complementary fit, while at the same time protecting one another from competing watchmakers seeking to enter football sponsorship.

Contact:

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

###

TAG Heuer announces new partnership with Manchester United football club
TAG Heuer announces new partnership with Manchester United football club

 

Source: LVMH

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Delhaize Group CEO Frans Muller and Ahold CEO Dick Boer sign the merger deed after receiving regulatory clearance

Brussels, Belgium, 2016-Jul-29 — /EPR Retail News/ — Delhaize Group and Ahold have received regulatory clearance for their merger from the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The companies subsequently completed the merger with the signing of the merger deed by Delhaize Group CEO Frans Muller and Ahold CEO Dick Boer today.

Mats Jansson, Chairman of Delhaize Group said: “Today is an historic day, as we are now really bringing together these two great companies, creating an even stronger international food retailer. We are completing this international transaction with great momentum and a high level of readiness.”

Frans Muller, Delhaize Group CEO said: “We are pleased to complete our merger with Ahold today. I would like to thank our associates for all their work and dedication. The moment to merge has never been more right, and we are confident that we will deliver even more for customers, communities and investors.”

The merger will become effective on Sunday, July 24, 2016 at 00:01 a.m. CET. Ahold Delhaize shares will start trading on Euronext Amsterdam and Euronext Brussels on Monday, July 25 with ticker symbol AD. Ahold Delhaize American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) will trade over-the-counter in the United States and will be quoted on the OTCQX International marketplace.

Media Contacts:

Tim van der Zanden
Head of External Communications
media.relations@aholddelhaize.com
+31 88 6595134

Maud van Gaal
Manager External Communications
media.relations@aholddelhaize.com
+31 88 6595134

Source: Ahold Delhaize Group

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The Well JV to sell the residential component of The Well to Tridel Builders Inc. and Woodbourne Canada Partners III (CA) LP

TORONTO, ONTARIO, 2016-Jul-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — RioCan REIT (TSX:REI.UN), Allied Properties REIT (TSX:AP.UN) and Diamondcorp(collectively, “The Well JV”) today announced that they have entered into a binding agreement to sell the residential component of The Well to Tridel Builders Inc. and Woodbourne Canada Partners III (CA) LP for approximately $180 million, subject to certain closing conditions.

The Well JV acquired 7.67 acres on the northwest corner of Front Street West and Spadina Avenue (the “Site”) in late 2012 and early 2013 for a purchase price of $170 million. The Well JV has received Official Plan approval for over three million square feet of mixed-use density on the Site. The City’s Design Review Panel has referred to the proposal as enlightened urbanism. Approximately 1.43 million square feet of the density is currently expected to be residential which will include a mix of both condominium and rental apartments. RioCan will remain a 50% co-owner of one of the rental buildings representing approximately 400,000 square feet of residential rental density. The remainder of the site is being divided between office and retail density in a ratio of approximately two to one, which is intended to be retained by The Well JV. As one of the few remaining developable sites in Downtown Toronto, the strong locational attributes of The Well will be further enhanced by the recent announcement from the Province of Ontario to locate a future transit stop adjacent to the site.

The current buildings on the Site are occupied by tenants expected to vacate on or before the end of 2016. The Well JV is working toward pre-leasing a significant portion of the office component of The Well and is optimistic that a lead tenant will be secured in the near term. The Well JV intends to initiate the development in early 2017, which will involve excavation of the Site and construction of the entire underground parking and loading structure. Tridel and Woodbourne will participate in this and other phases of the construction and pay for their share of the underground parking spaces required for the residential component of The Well in accordance with an agreed formula. With the addition of the residential partners, the intention is to complete the entire development during one continuous construction period rather than a phased in approach.

The sale is scheduled to close upon requisite land severances being granted and upon completion of the underground parking structure and building podiums. This is estimated to occur in early 2020.

“We are very pleased to partner with Tridel and Woodbourne. They bring with them to The Well a tremendous amount of experience and expertise developing high rise residential,” said Edward Sonshine, CEO of RioCan. “This is an excellent transaction for our development group which will greatly assist in managing the development risk of a project of this magnitude, and will allow the consortium to fully develop The Well in a single phased development. We are excited to combine the office and residential components with a unique, destinational retail offering that will be integrated into the community.”

“This is a solid step forward in the execution of one of the largest and most important intensification projects in Downtown Toronto,” said Michael Emory, President & CEO of Allied. “In addition to reducing the risk and enhancing the potential return for the initial co-owners, it brings the expertise necessary to initiate construction of the entire project within the timeframe originally contemplated and to ensure that the office, retail and residential uses compliment one and other as fully as possible.”

“We are pleased that we are able to partner with companies of the caliber of Tridel and Woodbourne. They have embraced our vision for the site, which has been developed through extensive collaboration with the local community and the City’s Planning Department,” said Stephen Diamond, President & CEO of Diamondcorp.

Cautionary Statements – Allied Properties REIT
This press release may contain forward-looking statements with respect to Allied, its operations, strategy, financial performance and condition. These statements generally can be identified by use of forward looking words such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “intends”, “believe” or “continue” or the negative thereof or similar variations. The actual results and performance of Allied discussed herein could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations, including that the transactions contemplated herein are completed. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include, among other things, general economic and market factors, competition, changes in government regulations and the factors described under “Risk Factors” in Allied’s Annual Information Form, which is available a twww.sedar.com. These cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements attributable to Allied and persons acting on Allied’s behalf. Unless otherwise stated, all forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and the parties have no obligation to update such statements.

Cautionary Statements – RioCan REIT
This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. This information includes, but is not limited to, statements made with respect to RioCan’s development program and other statements concerning RioCan’s objectives, its strategies to achieve those objectives, as well as statements with respect to management’s beliefs, plans, estimates, and intentions, and similar statements concerning anticipated future events, results, circumstances, performance or expectations that are not historical facts. Forward-looking information generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “outlook”, “objective”, “may”, “will”, “would”, “expect”, “intend”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “should”, “plan”, “continue”, or similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events. Such forward-looking information reflects management’s current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. All forward-looking information in this News Release is qualified by these cautionary statements.

Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future events or performance and, by its nature, is based on RioCan’s current estimates and assumptions, which are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those described under “Risks and Uncertainties” in RioCan’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) for the period ended March 31, 2016, the Trust’s most recent Annual Report and Annual Information Form, which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the forward-looking information contained in this News Release. Those risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those related to: liquidity and general market conditions; tenant concentrations and related risk of bankruptcy or restructuring (and the terms of any bankruptcy or restructuring proceeding), defaults, including the failure to fulfill contractual obligations by the tenant or a related party thereof; retailer competition; access to debt and equity capital; interest rate and financing risk; joint ventures and partnerships; the relative illiquidity of real property; development risk associated with construction commitments, project costs and related approvals; environmental matters; and property management. Although the forward looking information contained in this News Release is based upon what management believes are reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Certain statements included in this News Release may be considered “financial outlook” for purposes of applicable securities laws, and such financial outlook may not be appropriate for purposes other than this News Release.

The Income Tax Act (Canada) contains provisions which potentially impose tax on publicly traded trusts (the SIFT Provisions). However, the SIFT Provisions do not impose tax on a publicly traded trust which qualifies as a REIT. RioCan currently qualifies as a real estate investment trust for Canadian tax purposes and intends to qualify for future years. Should this not occur, certain statements contained in this News Release may need to be modified.

Except as required by applicable law, RioCan undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Allied
Allied Properties REIT is a leading owner, manager and developer of urban office environments that enrich experience and enhance profitability for business tenants operating in Canada’s major cities. Its objectives are to provide stable and growing cash distributions to unitholders and to maximize unitholder value through effective management and accretive portfolio growth.

About RioCan
RioCan is Canada’s largest real estate investment trust with a total enterprise value of approximately $16 billion as at March 31, 2016. RioCan owns and manages Canada’s largest portfolio of shopping centres with ownership interests in a portfolio of 303 Canadian retail and mixed use properties, including 16 properties under development, containing an aggregate net leasable area of 46 million square feet. For further information, please refer to RioCan’s website at www.riocan.com.

About Diamondcorp
Diamond Corp. is a Toronto real estate development company with a strong commitment to developing high quality, innovative and award-winning residential and mixed-use projects. Diamond Corp. is committed to progressive city building rooted in a legacy and tradition of quality and innovation.

Contact Information:
RioCan REIT
Edward Sonshine, O. Ont., Q.C.
Chief Executive Officer of RioCan
(416) 866-3018
sonshine@riocan.com

Allied Properties REIT
Michael R. Emory
President & Chief Executive Officer of Allied
(416) 977-9002
memory@alliedreit.com

Diamondcorp
Stephen Diamond
President & Chief Executive Officer of Diamondcorp
(416)342-5407
stephen@diamondcorp.com

Source: RioCan

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Wayfair and Habitat for Humanity International announce renewal of their global partnership

BOSTON, 2016-Jul-23 — /EPR Retail News/ —  Wayfair (NYSE:W), an online destination for home furnishings and décor, and Habitat for Humanity International today announced the renewal of their global partnership to help build and rehabilitate affordable homes. The Wayfair partnership has contributed nearly $1 million over the past four years to Habitat, which works alongside homeowners to build or improve a place they can call home. Entering its fifth year as a Habitat for Humanity partner, Wayfair will continue to provide fundraising, product donations and volunteer mobilization to help families build strength, stability and self-reliance.

“At Wayfair, we are committed to Habitat for Humanity’s mission to create safe, decent and affordable housing in partnership with individuals and families,” noted Niraj Shah, CEO and co-founder, Wayfair. “Our customers are also passionate about this cause and have been highly engaged in supporting Habitat’s mission over the course of our partnership. We are excited to celebrate the past four years of partnership and extend our support to continue to make a positive impact in communities across the world.”

Wayfair has expanded its support for Habitat over the years through a variety of initiatives including employee engagement, customer engagement, and fundraising to support disaster recovery efforts. Over the course of the partnership, Wayfair.com customers have made more than 175,000 individual donations at checkout to help Habitat homeowner families. In addition, Wayfair has donated 12,850 pieces of furniture and décor to Habitat for Humanity ReStore resale outlets to help fund decent and affordable housing across the country.

“We are thrilled to extend our partnership with Wayfair as they continue to provide support both on a corporate level and by empowering their employees, customers and influencer communities to raise awareness and funding for Habitat’s global mission,” said Colleen Finn Ridenhour, deputy director of Corporate, Foundation and Institutional Relations at Habitat for Humanity International. “Wayfair’s partnership has been integral to helping families obtain a safer place to sleep at night.”

About Habitat for Humanity International
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity has grown from a grassroots effort that began on a community farm in southern Georgia in 1976 to a global nonprofit housing organization in nearly 1,400 communities across the U.S. and in over 70 countries. People partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.

About Wayfair
Wayfair Inc. offers an extensive selection of home furnishings and décor across all styles and price points. The Wayfair family of brands includes:

  • Wayfair.com, an online destination for all things home
  • Joss & Main, where beautiful furniture and finds meet irresistible savings
  • AllModern, a go-to online source for modern design
  • DwellStudio, a design house for fashion-forward modern furnishings
  • Birch Lane, a collection of classic furnishings and timeless home décor

Wayfair generated $2.25 billion in net revenues for full year 2015 and $747 million in net revenues for first quarter 2016. The company employed 4,604 people as of March 31, 2016 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with operations throughout North America and Europe.

Media Relations:
PR@wayfair.com

Source: Wayfair

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RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust to acquire Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s (“CPPIB”) interest in four properties

TORONTO, ONTARIO, 2016-Jul-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust (“RioCan”) (TSX:REI.UN) today announced that it has entered into a firm agreement with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s (“CPPIB”) to acquire their interest in four properties that are currently co-owned, which is anticipated to close before the end of July 2016. RioCan will purchase CPPIB’s 50% interest at an aggregate purchase price of$352 million and will not assume any additional mortgage debt from the seller in connection with the acquisition. As a result of the purchase, RioCan will own 100% of these four assets.

“We are very pleased to be able to complete this transaction with CPPIB, further improving our focus on Canada’s core urban markets to approximately 77%. These properties are all high quality institutional properties, and as with our earlier acquisitions from our partners we are able to integrate this acquisition seamlessly into our portfolio,” said Edward Sonshine, Chief Executive Officer of RioCan. “This acquisition, together with the acquisitions that have been completed since September 30, 2015, represents more than $1.2 billion dollars of acquisition activity. An impressive accomplishment in what remains a challenging market to acquire quality assets in an accretive manner. These acquisitions, together with organic growth will be the key drivers to the short-term performance in our Canadian portfolio. Long-term, our active development pipeline of largely urban mixed use properties improves the overall quality of the portfolio and will further support our growth profile.”

Properties Acquired:
Property Name Location Net Leasable Area
(NLA) at 100%
Grandview Corners Surrey, British Columbia 530,000
RioCan Meadows Edmonton, Alberta 310,000
RioCan Beacon Hill Calgary, Alberta 530,000
RioCan Centre Burloak Oakville, Ontario 455,000

The acquisition is immediately accretive, and is expected to generate additional annualized net operating income of approximately $18 million (net of fees previously earned from CPPIB). The transaction will be funded through internal resources including lines of credit.

Other Acquisition Activities:
RioCan has entered into a firm purchase agreement with Trinity Development Group Inc. (“Trinity”) to purchase their 25% interest in Chapman Mill Marketplace in Ottawa, Ontario. RioCan will own 100% in the centre and will purchase Trinity’s interest for $35.6 million. In connection with the purchase price RioCan will assume $18.2 million of the in place debt, which carries an interest rate of 3.9% and is scheduled to mature in 2018. Also from Trinity, during the second quarter RioCan acquired an additional 25% interest at a purchase price of $11.8 million, bringing RioCan’s ownership interest in South Bank Centre in Okotoks, Alberta, to 75%. In connection with the purchase, RioCan assumed an additional $6.2 million of the in place debt on the property that carries an interest rate of 3.3% and matures in 2017. RioCan will continue to act as property and asset manager for the centre. Collectively, these two acquisitions are expected to generate additional annualized net operating income of approximately $2.5 million (net of lost property management fees).

During the second quarter 2016, RioCan acquired the remaining 50% interest in RioCan Thickson Ridge, located in Whitby, Ontario from its partner,Kimco Realty Corporation at a purchase price of $45.0 million at RioCan’s interest. The property was acquired unencumbered by any third party debt. The acquisition is expected to generate additional annualized net operating income of approximately $2.9 million (net of lost property management fees).

RioCan and Tricon Capital Group Inc. (“Tricon”) acquired the Shops of Summerhill in Toronto, Ontario on a 75% RioCan, 25% Tricon joint venture basis at a purchase price of $31.5 million at RioCan’s interest ($42 million at 100%), which equates to a 4.0% capitalization rate. RioCan will act as property manager for this fully occupied landmark property, located in one of Toronto’s most exclusive areas. The partners assumed the in place mortgage financing of $13.6 million (at 100%) that carries an interest rate of 3.9% and matures in 2022.

Forward Looking Advisory
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements made in this News Release regarding RioCan’s recent acquisitions and development portfolio, together with other statements concerning RioCan’s objectives, its strategies to achieve those objectives, as well as statements with respect to management’s beliefs, plans, estimates, and intentions, and similar statements concerning anticipated future events, results, leverage ratios, circumstances, performance or expectations that are not historical facts, including but without limitation to the intended use of proceeds from the sale. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “outlook”, “objective”, “may”, “will”, “would”, “expect”, “intend”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “should”, “plan”, “continue”, or similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events. Such forward-looking statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management. All forward-looking statements in this News Release are qualified by these cautionary statements.

Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future events or performance and, by its nature, is based on RioCan’s current estimates and assumptions, which are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those described under “Risks and Uncertainties” in RioCan’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis for the year ended March 31, 2016 (“MD&A”) and the Trust’s most recent Annual Report and Annual Information Form, which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the forward-looking information contained in this News Release. Those risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those related to: liquidity and general market conditions; tenant concentrations and related risk of bankruptcy or restructuring (and the terms of any bankruptcy or restructuring proceeding), defaults, including the failure to fulfill contractual obligations by the tenant or a related party thereof; retailer competition; access to debt and equity capital; interest rate and financing risk; joint ventures and partnerships; the relative illiquidity of real property; development risk associated with construction commitments, project costs and related approvals; environmental matters and property management. Although the forward looking information contained in this News Release is based upon what management believes are reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Certain statements included in this News Release may be considered “financial outlook” for purposes of applicable securities laws, and such financial outlook may not be appropriate for purposes other than this News Release.

The Income Tax Act (Canada) contains provisions which potentially impose tax on publicly traded trusts (the SIFT Provisions). However, the SIFT Provisions do not impose tax on a publicly traded trust which qualifies as a REIT. RioCan currently qualifies as a real estate investment trust for Canadian tax purposes and intends to qualify for future years. Should this not occur, certain statements contained in this News Release may need to be modified.

Except as required by applicable law, RioCan undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About RioCan
RioCan is Canada’s largest real estate investment trust with a total enterprise value of approximately $16 billion as at March 31, 2016. RioCan owns and manages Canada’s largest portfolio of shopping centres with ownership interests in a portfolio of 303 Canadian retail and mixed use properties, including 16 properties under development, containing an aggregate net leasable area of 46 million square feet. For further information, please refer to RioCan’s website at www.riocan.com.

Contact Information:
RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust
Cynthia J. Devine
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
and Corporate Secretary
(647) 253-4973
www.riocan.com

Source: RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust

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Ahold and Delhaize Group expect to complete their intended merger on July 23, 2016

Zaandam, the Netherlands, 2016-Jul-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — In line with required notification periods for listing purposes, Ahold and Delhaize Group today announced that they expect to complete their intended merger on July 23, 2016, if regulatory clearance has been obtained from the United States Federal Trade Commission by that date.Subject to completion of the merger on July 23, 2016, Ahold Delhaize is expected to start trading on Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels on Monday, July 25, 2016, with ticker symbol AD. Ahold Delhaize American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) will trade over-the-counter in the United States and will be quoted on the OTCQX International marketplace.

Details on the settlement mechanics for holders of Delhaize Group shares are provided in Delhaize Group’s press release of today.

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

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 expectation of Ahold and Delhaize to complete their merger on July 23, 2016, subject to FTC clearance, and trading and quoting of Ahold Delhaize shares and ADRs. 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:
Phone: +31 88 659 9111

Source: Ahold

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Hudson’s Bay Company closes $400 million, 5-year mortgage on the Lord &Taylor flagship property in New York City

TORONTO & NEW YORK, 2016-Jul-21 — /EPR Retail News/ — (all values in U.S. Dollars) – Hudson’s Bay Company (“HBC” or the “Company”) (TSX: HBC) is pleased to announce the closing of a $400 million, 5-year mortgage (the “L&T Mortgage”), on the Lord & Taylor flagship property in New York City, located at 424-438 Fifth Avenue to refinance the existing mortgage of $250 million due September 2017.

The additional proceeds will be used to reduce the borrowings on the Company’s revolving credit facility. The new loan will mature in August 2021 and has an average interest rate fixed at approximately 4.3%. In connection with this transaction, the lenders independently commissioned a leading international appraiser to provide an appraisal of the property. This appraisal valued the property at $655 million based on the assumption that the property is net leased by Lord & Taylor at an estimated current fair market rent1.

“The opportunistic refinancing of the mortgage on the L&T flagship property is yet another example of the successful execution of our strategy as we continue to leverage our significant real estate portfolio. We are pleased to extend our Company’s debt maturity profile as well as secure an attractive interest rate of 4.3% through the term of the new mortgage,” stated Richard Baker, HBC’s Governor and Executive Chairman. Mr. Baker continued, “HBC’s two wholly owned flagship properties on 5th Avenue in New York City, which have been valued at a combined $4.36 billion based on independent appraisals2, continue to provide the Company access to secure long term debt at attractive rates. This debt is non-recourse to the operating company and provides HBC with an efficient capital structure from which to continue its global retailing growth initiatives.”

About Hudson’s Bay Company
Hudson’s Bay Company is one of the fastest-growing department store retailers in the world, based on its successful formula of driving the performance of high quality stores and their all-channel offerings, unlocking the value of real estate holdings and growing through acquisitions. Founded in 1670, HBC is the oldest company inNorth America. HBC’s portfolio today includes ten banners, in formats ranging from luxury to premium department stores to off-price fashion shopping destinations, with more than 460 stores and 66,000 employees around the world.

In North America, HBC’s leading banners include Hudson’s Bay, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Gilt, and Saks OFF 5TH, along with Find @ Lord & Taylor and Home Outfitters. In Europe, its banners include GALERIA Kaufhof, the largest department store group in Germany, Belgium’s only department store group Galeria INNO, as well asSportarena.

HBC has significant investments in real estate joint ventures. It has partnered with Simon Property Group Inc. in the HBS Global Properties Joint Venture, which owns properties in the United States and Germany. In Canada, it has partnered with RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust in the RioCan-HBC Joint Venture.

Appraisal Results
Caution should be exercised in the evaluation and use of the independent appraisal results. The appraisals are an estimate of value at a specific date and are not a precise measure of value, being based on a subjective comparison of related activity taking place in the real estate market. The appraisals are based on various assumptions of future expectations, including the assumption that the entire flagship property is net leased by Lord & Taylor at an estimated current fair market rent. While the appraiser’s assumptions are considered to be reasonable at the current time, some of the assumptions may not materialize or may differ materially from actual experience in the future.

Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this news release that are not historical facts may constitute forward-looking information. Implicit in such forward-looking statements are certain current assumptions regarding expected growth, results of operations, performance, and business prospects and opportunities, including assumptions underlying the independent appraisal of the Lord & Taylor flagship property. These assumptions, although considered reasonable by the Company at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect. Although HBC believes that the forward-looking statements in this news release are based on information and assumptions that are current, reasonable and complete, these statements are by their nature subject to a number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from management’s expectations and plans as set forth in such forward-looking statements for a variety of reasons.

Some of the factors – many of which are beyond HBC’s control and the effects of which can be difficult to predict – include, among others: ability to execute retailing growth strategies, ability to continue comparable store sales growth, changing consumer preferences, ability to realize synergies and growth from strategic acquisitions, ability to make successful acquisitions and investments, successful inventory management, ability to upgrade and maintain our information systems to support the organization and protect against cyber-security threats, privacy breach, loss of key personnel, ability to retain key personnel of HBC Europe and Gilt, ability to attract and retain qualified employees, exposure to changes in the real estate market, successful operation of the Joint Ventures to allow the Company to realize the anticipated benefits, loss of flexibility with respect to properties in the Joint Ventures, exposure to environmental liabilities, changes in demand for current real estate assets, increased competition, change in spending of consumers including the impact of unfavourable or unstable political conditions and terrorism, fluctuations in the U.S. dollar, Canadian dollar, Euro and other foreign currencies, increase in raw material costs, extreme weather conditions or natural disasters, ability to manage indebtedness and cash flow, risks related with increasing indebtedness, restrictions of existing credit facilities reducing flexibility, ability to maintain adequate financial processes and controls, ability to maintain dividends, developments in the credit card and financial services industries, and other risks inherent to the Company’s business and/or factors beyond the Company’s control which could have a material adverse effect on the Company.

HBC cautions that the foregoing list of important factors and assumptions is not exhaustive and other factors could also adversely affect its results. For more information on the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause HBC’s actual results to differ from current expectations, please refer to the “Risk Factors” section of HBC’s Annual Information Form dated April 28, 2016, as well as HBC’s other public filings, available at www.hbc.com. and at www.hbc.com.

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

1 See “Appraisal Results” for cautionary language.
2 The $3.7 billion appraised value of the Saks Fifth Avenue Flagship building assumes the completion of the current $250 million renovation program.

Contacts:
INVESTOR RELATIONS:
Hudson’s Bay Company:
Kathleen de Guzman
646-807-0148
kathleen.deguzman@hbc.com

Elliot Grundmanis
416-256-6732
elliot.grundmanis@hbc.com

MEDIA CONTACT:
Hudson’s Bay Company:
Andrew Blecher
212-391-3179
Andrew.blecher@hbc.com

Source: Hudson’s Bay Company

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Kroger: Axium Pharmacy Holdings, Inc. to acquire the outstanding shares of Modern HC Holdings, Inc.

CINCINNATI and ORLANDO, Fla., 2016-Jul-21 — /EPR Retail News/ — The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) today announced an agreement for Axium Pharmacy Holdings, Inc. (“Axium”) to acquire the outstanding shares of Modern HC Holdings, Inc. (“ModernHEALTH”), a leading specialty pharmacy, to create a combined specialty pharmacy that will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Kroger Co.

“This strategic investment will accelerate the growth of Kroger’s health and wellness business,” said Robert Clark, Kroger’s senior vice president of merchandising. “Expanding our specialty pharmacy services will provide our customers with greater access to medications we don’t currently dispense and access to additional services without going to another pharmacy.”

ModernHEALTH, based in Orlando, is one of the nation’s largest independent providers of specialty pharmacy services. The company employs approximately 500 associates who provide comprehensive specialty pharmacy services including IVIG for patients who require IV-based therapies for autoimmune and primary immune deficiency diseases, and comprehensive medication management for HIV, Cystic Fibrosis, Transplant, Hepatitis C, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Dermatology.

Kroger is a leading provider of health and wellness services. Kroger operates 2,230 pharmacy locations and 195 The Little Clinic locations. The company’s pharmacists also provide health coaching, biometric screening and other wellness services designed to deliver positive health outcomes for patients. Axium, which became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kroger in 2012, is one of the nation’s largest independent providers of specialty pharmacy services, offering a range of clinical services to patients with complex chronic conditions.

The transaction is subject to certain regulatory approvals, including from the FTC. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Operational Profile
Kroger pharmacy is currently the fifth-largest pharmacy operator in the U.S. and specialty pharmacy is the primary area of growth in pharmaceuticals. Merging ModernHEALTH and Axium into a combined specialty pharmacy should improve purchasing efficiencies and allow the companies to combine each other’s payer strategies to bring down costs. The combination will also allow Kroger’s specialty pharmacy business to expand into new territories in the West and Southwestern U.S., and expand offerings to other disease states.

“Combining Axium and ModernHEALTH’s expertise with Kroger’s health and wellness services will allow Kroger to both serve more customers who require complexdrug therapies, and deliver those therapies at greater value to customers and insurance payers,” said Mr. Clark. “The merger adds IVIG services to Kroger’s specialty pharmacy capabilities, servicing patients who require IV-based therapies for autoimmune and primary immune deficiency diseases, and also expands our ability to serve more patients requiring complex therapies for Cystic Fibrosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis.”

ModernHEALTH is comprised of several business segments that provide highly-specialized services, including: TLCRx Pharmacy, with locations in New Orleans, Orlando and Addison, TX, primarily providing services to patients in Rheumatology, Dermatology, Hepatitis C and Cystic Fibrosis; Biofusion, based in Torrance, CA, serving patients requiring Subcutaneous Immune Globulin (SCIG) and IV Immune Globulin (IVIG) for autoimmune and primary immune deficiency diseases; ModernHEALTH Specialty Pharmacy, with two sites in Southern California, focusing on HIV, Transplant and Cystic Fibrosis therapies; and two home infusion pharmacies in Dothan, AL and Richardson, TX.

Headquartered in Lake Mary, Florida, Axium employs 300 associates who provide a range of clinical services to patients with complex chronic conditions through locations in California, Puerto Rico, Tennessee and Mississippi. Axium provides drug therapies and patient-support services to treat chronic, genetic and other complex medical conditions such as cancer, Hepatitis C, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis and numerous other chronic care conditions.

Headquarters for the combined specialty pharmacy will be located in a new facility under construction in Lake Mary, FL, with continued support from existing facility locations. The combined organization will employ approximately 800 associates and will continue to operate as an independent company within the Kroger family.

“We are very excited to welcome ModernHEALTH’s leadership team and all 500 current associates to the Kroger family,” said Mr. Clark.

“Our partnership with Kroger and Axium will enable us to provide more customers in more places with the critical specialty pharmacy services they need,” said Dom Meffe, ModernHEALTH’s CEO. “We believe this relationship will create efficiencies, accelerate growth in the high-growth specialty pharmacy market, and improve the overall quality of our combined healthcare services. We are also pleased that this partnership means our business headquarters will remain and grow in Orlando.”

With over 20 years of experience in the specialty pharmacy space, Mr. Meffe will lead the new combined business as CEO after close. Before leading ModernHEALTH, Mr. Meffe was founder and CEO of Curascript Pharmacy, a company he led before selling to Express Scripts.

Axium’s CEO, Mark Montgomery, will help ensure a smooth transition after the merger closes. His future plans will be announced at a later date. Mr. Montgomery has been with Axium for 13 years, the last 10 as president and CEO. With nearly 30 years of healthcare leadership experience, he has held instrumental management roles with multiple leading nationwide specialty pharmacy providers.

Jefferies LLC served as ModernHEALTH’s financial advisor, and Ropes and Gray LLP acted as ModernHEALTH’s legal advisor. Jones Day acted as legal advisor to Kroger.

Every day, the Kroger Family of Companies makes a difference in the lives of eight and a half million customers and 431,000 associates who shop or serve in 2,778 retail food stores under a variety of local banner names in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Kroger and its subsidiaries operate an expanding ClickList offering – a personalized, order online, pick up at the store service – in addition to 2,230 pharmacies, 785 convenience stores, 323 fine jewelry stores, 1,400 supermarket fuel centers and 38 food production plants in the United States. Kroger is recognized as one of America’s most generous companies for its support of more than 100 Feeding America food bank partners, breast cancer research and awareness, the military and their families, and more than 145,000 community organizations including schools. A leader in supplier diversity, Kroger is a proud member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable.

Contact:

Call Center
(Open Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. EST)

1-866-221-4141

Mail
The Kroger Co.
Customer Relations
1014 Vine Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-1100

Corporate Switchboard
(513) 762-4000

SOURCE: The Kroger Co.

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SPAR International partners with conglomerate Max Group LLC to open its first stores in Mongolia

AMSTERDAM, 2016-Jul-20 — /EPR Retail News/ — SPAR, the world’s largest food retail voluntary chain, has announced a new partnership with conglomerate Max Group LLC, to open its first stores in Mongolia. The partnership, which will see up to 60 SPAR-branded multi-format stores in Mongolia by 2020, was made at an official signing ceremony which took place during the visit of the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, to Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar.

Max Group is one of Mongolia’s leading retailers operating the existing chain of Max Food Supermarkets.  The new partnership will see these stores transfer to the SPAR brand, and the opening of new SPAR supermarkets from 2017 onwards. The Netherlands-based SPAR International reported global retail sales in 2015 of €33 billion from over 12,100 stores across four continents. Mongolia brings to 43 the number of countries where SPAR has operations globally.

Prime Minister Rutte was visiting Mongolia to attend the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit and to promote trade with the Netherlands in the region. Speaking at the signing of the contracts between SPAR and Max Group, the Prime Minister Rutte, said, “It is greatly encouraging to see a company like SPAR, which started as a partnership of Dutch retailers and wholesalers more than 80 years ago, helping bring retail best practice to the Mongolian marketplace.”

SPAR International Managing Director, Tobias Wasmuht said “SPAR is delighted to be launching in Mongolia in partnership with the Max Group.  We see Mongolia as a dynamic and rapidly developing consumer market with a growing demand for modern world class food retail. We are highly confident that we can build on our strong presence in the region by leveraging our scale with the SPAR operations in neighbouring Irkutsk, Russia and Inner Mongolia, China. This collaboration combined with our modern retail formats, supply chain and international sourcing as well as investing in the training and development in people locally will act as a significant support structure for the growth and development of SPAR in Mongolia. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands who were instrumental in facilitating the partnership between SPAR and the Max Group.”

Max Group LLC is a family business established in the 1990s which has a wide variety of operations and business interests including supermarkets, fast food restaurants, department stores, real estate, precious metal mining and is the country’s largest dairy producer and milk bottler. Max Group LLC already employs over 2,500 people in Mongolia. Max Group President, Ganbaatar Dagvadorj said “Bringing the words leading retail chain, SPAR, to Mongolia is not just beneficial to Max Group it is a big opportunity for Mongolia as well and I am very excited about this partnership. Max is dedicated to bringing the SPAR’s commitment to excellence in fresh, passion for quality, outstanding service and exceptional value to consumers in Mongolia.”

Contact:

Telephone:+31 20 626 6749
Email:info@spar-international.com

Source: Spar-International

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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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EarthLink Holdings Corp acquired Boston Retail Partners, LLC

ATLANTA, 2016-Jul-17 — /EPR Retail News/ — EarthLink Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: ELNK), a leading network services provider dedicated to delivering great customer experiences, today announced it has acquired Boston Retail Partners, LLC (“BRP”), a highly regarded management consulting firm focused on the retail vertical. BRP’s experienced consultants work with leading retailers to deliver strategic solutions that address the business and technology challenges unique to the industry.

BRP provides technology strategy and consulting across the full breadth of retail solutions, including point of sale, e-commerce, customer relationship management, mobile, payment security, enterprise resource planning, order management and supply chain. Together, EarthLink and BRP will extend EarthLink’s capabilities in the retail sector to provide clients with deep expertise and end-to-end technology solutions that address the entire retail organization and improve customer engagement and loyalty. The transaction is part of EarthLink’s ongoing strategy to provide deep vertical expertise to its clients and to strategically expand its consulting portfolio with end-to-end solutions to best serve client needs.

“Retailers today often struggle with leveraging technology to create the retail experience of the future, including the shift to cloud-based solutions, the rapid rise of mobile, increasing bandwidth requirements and the prevalence of legacy systems. Many large retailers have relied on BRPs’ expertise and talented people to navigate these challenges,” said Joe Eazor, Chief Executive Officer and President of EarthLink. “We are excited to bring together our deep network expertise with BRPs’ proven track record of success, in order to enhance our already strong presence in this space.”

“Customers expect a consistent, personalized and satisfying shopping experience wherever, whenever and however they shop and retailers need a robust, fast, reliable, resilient network infrastructure to enable this real-time retail experience,” said Ken Morris, principal, BRP. “Delivering on that experience requires a different approach that sets the stage for unified commerce. According to our recent Customer Experience Survey, 75% of retailers indicated they have implemented or plan to implement a single, unified commerce platform within the next three years. Leveraging EarthLink’s network services and solutions with BRP’s retail expertise enhances our ability to help retailers successfully implement comprehensive unified commerce solutions that enable real-time retail.”

Headquartered in Boston, BRP has 40 nationwide employees.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About EarthLink
EarthLink (EarthLink Holdings Corp., NASDAQ: ELNK) is a leading network services provider dedicated to delivering great customer experiences in a cloud connected world. We help thousands of multi-location businesses securely establish critical connections in the cloud. Our solutions for cloud and hybrid networking, security and compliance, and unified communications provide the cost-effective performance and agility to serve customers anytime, anywhere, via any channel, or any device. We operate a nationwide network spanning 29,000+ fiber route miles, with 90 metro fiber rings and secure data centers that provide ubiquitous data and voice IP coverage. To learn why thousands of specialty retailers, restaurants, franchisors, financial institutions, healthcare providers, professional service firms, local governments, residential consumers and other carriers choose to connect with us, visit us at www.earthlink.com, @earthlink, on LinkedIn and Google+.

About Boston Retail Partners, LLC
Boston Retail Partners, LLC was founded in 2009 by retail industry-recognized thought leaders. BRP is an innovative and independent retail management consulting firm dedicated to providing superior service and enduring value to its 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 company focuses exclusively on the retail industry and consults in three key areas: IT strategy, vendor selection and project implementation. 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 & Engagement | Order Management
Merchandise Management | Supply Chain | Information Technology

The company is a recognized thought leader in the retail sector and continually takes the pulse of the industry through benchmark surveys including the industry-leading annual POS/Customer Engagement Survey they have published for 17 years. In addition, the company publishes benchmark surveys on Customer Experience/Unified Commerce, E-Commerce and Merchandise Planning. For more information, visit www.bostonretailpartners.com.

Cautionary Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking” statements (rather than historical facts) that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described. Although we believe that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot promise that our expectations will turn out to be correct. Our actual results could be materially different from and worse than our expectations. With respect to such forward-looking statements, we seek the protections afforded by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These risks include, without limitation:

(1) that we may not be able to execute our strategy to successfully transition to a leading managed network, security and cloud services provider, which could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows;
(2) that we may not be able to increase revenues from our growth products and services to offset declining revenues from our traditional products and services, which could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows; (3) that if we are unable to adapt to changes in technology and customer demands, we may not remain competitive, and our revenues and operating results could suffer;
(4) that failure to achieve operating efficiencies and otherwise reduce costs would adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows;
(5) that we may have to undertake further restructuring plans that would require additional charges;
(6) that we may be unable to successfully divest non-strategic products, which could adversely affect our results of operations;
(7) that acquisitions we complete could result in operating difficulties, dilution, increased liabilities, diversion of management attention and other adverse consequences, which could adversely affect our results of operations;
(8) that we face significant competition in our business markets, which could adversely affect our results of operations;
(9) that failure to retain existing customers could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows;
(10) that decisions by legislative or regulatory authorities, including the Federal Communications Commission, relieving incumbent carriers of certain regulatory requirements, and possible further deregulation in the future, may restrict our ability to provide services and may increase the costs we incur to provide these services;
(11) that if we are unable to interconnect with AT&T, Verizon and other incumbent carriers on acceptable terms, our ability to offer competitively priced local telephone services will be adversely affected;
(12) that the continued decline in switched access and reciprocal compensation revenue will adversely affect our results of operations;
(13) that failure to obtain and maintain necessary permits and rights-of-way could interfere with our network infrastructure and operations;
(14) that if our larger carrier customers terminate the service they receive from us, our wholesale revenue and results of operations could be adversely affected;
(15) that we obtain a majority of our network equipment and software from a limited number of third-party suppliers;
(16) that work stoppages experienced by other communications companies on whom we rely for service could adversely impact our ability to provision and service our customers;
(17) that our commercial and alliance arrangements may not be renewed or may not generate expected benefits, which could adversely affect our results of operations;
(18) that our consumer business is dependent on the availability of third-party network service providers;
(19) that we face significant competition in the Internet access industry that could reduce our profitability;
(20) that the continued decline of our consumer access subscribers will adversely affect our results of operations; (21) that lack of regulation governing wholesale Internet service providers could adversely affect our operations; (22) that cyber security breaches could harm our business;
(23) that privacy concerns relating to our business could damage our reputation and deter current and potential users from using our services;
(24) that interruption or failure of our network, information systems or other technologies could impair our ability to provide our services, which could damage our reputation and harm our operating results;
(25) that our business depends on effective business support systems and processes;
(26) that if we, or other industry participants, are unable to successfully defend against disputes or legal actions, we could face substantial liabilities or suffer harm to our financial and operational prospects;
(27) that we may be accused of infringing upon the intellectual property rights of third parties, which is costly to defend and could limit our ability to use certain technologies in the future;
(28) that we may not be able to protect our intellectual property;
(29) that we may be unable to hire and retain sufficient qualified personnel, and the loss of any of our key executive officers could adversely affect us;
(30) that unfavorable general economic conditions could harm our business;
(31) that government regulations could adversely affect our business or force us to change our business practices; (32) that our business may suffer if third parties are unable to provide services or terminate their relationships with us;
(33) that we may be required to recognize impairment charges on our goodwill and other intangible assets, which would adversely affect our results of operations and financial position;
(34) that we may have exposure to greater than anticipated tax liabilities and we may be limited in the use of our net operating losses and certain other tax attributes in the future;
(35) that our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial health and limit our ability to react to changes in our business and industry;
(36) that we may require substantial capital to support business growth, and this capital may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all;
(37) that our debt agreements include restrictive covenants, and failure to comply with these covenants could trigger acceleration of payment of outstanding indebtedness;
(38) that we may reduce, or cease payment of, quarterly cash dividends;
(39) that our stock price may be volatile;
(40) that provisions of our certificate of incorporation, bylaws and other elements of our capital structure could limit our share price and delay a change of control of the company; and
(41) that our bylaws designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ flexibility in obtaining a judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.

These risks and uncertainties, as well as other risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ significantly from management’s expectations, are not intended to represent a complete list of all risks and uncertainties inherent in our business, and should be read in conjunction with the more detailed cautionary statements and risk factors included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2016.

For media inquiries, contact

David Naumann
916-673-7757

Source: Boston Retail Partners,

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Grupo Vip acaba de firmar un acuerdo con Deliveroo

Madrid, 2016-Jul-17 — /EPR Retail News/ — Grupo Vips, uno de los grupos multimarca y multiformato líder del sector de la hostelería y comercio en España, acaba de firmar un acuerdo con Deliveroo, la compañía especializada en reparto de comida de calidad a domicilio, con el fin de agregar este nuevo servicio a la oferta de sus principales marcas.

El servicio está ya disponible en más de 80 restaurantes VIPS, VIPSmart, Ginos, Fridays, The Wok y Rugantino de las ciudades de Madrid, Barcelona y Valencia. Este acuerdo tiene como objetivo el ir progresivamente ampliando las zonas cubiertas a nivel nacional.

Con esta opción de servicio a domicilio, Grupo Vips enriquece las facilidades que ofrece a sus clientes para disfrutar de los platos de sus marcas fuera del restaurante, completando así su ya existente servicio de Take Away.

Gracias al acuerdo con Deliveroo, ahora además los clientes de Grupo Vips pueden realizar pedidos a domicilio de una forma rápida y fácil a través de las páginas web de cada marca de Grupo Vips y la de Deliveroo, o bien a través de la aplicación móvil de Deliveroo. Los clientes pueden disfrutar de la mejor comida de los restaurantes de Grupo Vips allí donde estén, ya sea su hogar, la oficina, el parque o la playa, gracias al sistema único de geolocalización GPS diseñado por la compañía. La app permite realizar el pago con un solo click y seguir el recorrido del rider en tiempo real, que entregará en menos de 30 minutos la comida en perfectas condiciones.

Para Enrique Francia, Consejero Delegado de Grupo Vips, “Deliveroo representa el modelo de negocio perfecto que estábamos esperando para desarrollar la entrega a domicilio, un servicio cada vez más demandado por nuestros clientes. Se trata de una solución que garantiza que nuestros clientes puedan consumir nuestros platos fuera de nuestros restaurantes en las mismas condiciones que lo harían si estuvieran en uno de ellos”.

Según Diana Morato, Consejera Delegada de Deliveroo en España, “el Grupo Vips es un referente en la hostelería en España y estamos muy orgullosos de que confíen en nosotros para asegurar que la gente pueda disfrutar de sus platos, en las mejores condiciones, también en casa y en la oficina”.

Sobre Grupo Vips
Grupo Vips es uno de los grupos multimarca y multiformato líderes del sector de la hostelería y comercio en España. Integra restaurantes, cafeterías y tiendas. La compañía gestiona en propiedad o bajo el régimen de franquicia un total de 9 marcas comerciales que incluyen 6 reconocidas cadenas: VIPS (cafeteríarestaurante y tienda), VIPSmart, GINOS, The Wok, TGI Fridays y Starbucks Coffee en España, Portugal y Andorra. Además, el Grupo cuenta con 3 restaurantes singulares entre los que se encuentran Lucca, Rugantino Casa Tua y Tattaglia. La empresa suma más 350 establecimientos que atienden a más de Rugantino Casa Tua y Tattaglia. La empresa suma más 350 establecimientos que atienden a más de 120.000 clientes diarios. Posee un programa de fidelización pionero y líder en el sector de la restauración, el Club VIPS, con más de 1.000.000 socios activos en toda España y cuya App, única en el mercado y lanzada a finales de abril 2015, cuenta ya con más de 450.000 descargas. Grupo Vips es una compañía

de capital privado fundada en 1969. Goldman Sachs Capital Partners V adquirió el 30% de la compañía en 2006. El Grupo Vips da empleo a más de 9.300 personas y cerró el ejercicio 2015 con 377,6 millones de euros de facturación.

www.grupovips.com / Descubre la App Club VIPS en: www.clubvips.com

Sobre Deliveroo
Deliveroo es un servicio completo de reparto de comida, que acerca restaurantes de calidad a los hogares y oficinas a través de una tecnología y plataforma de logística propias. Deliveroo se fundó en 2013 por William Shu y Greg Orlowski. Hasta la fecha actual, Deliveroo ha obtenido inversiones por cuantía de 200M de dólares procedentes de inversores como Accel, DST Global, Greenoaks Capital, Hoxton Ventures, Index Ventures, JamJar Investments y Hummingbird Ventures.

Visite nuestra página web www.deliveroo.es para más información, o descargue nuestra aplicación móvil, gratuita para iOS y Android, que posee funcionalidades como el seguimiento en tiempo real del pedido, basado en la geolocalización, así como nuevas opciones de búsqueda.

Source: Grupo Vips

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Barnes & Noble entered into an exclusive print partnership with Adaptive Studios

New York, NY, 2016-Jul-17 — /EPR Retail News/ — Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the nation’s largest retail bookseller and a leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced that it has entered into an exclusive print partnership with Adaptive Studios (http://adaptivestudios.com), an innovative content creator and publisher that acquires intellectual property such as unproduced screenplay ideas and scripts, and repurposes it across a range of traditional and digital entertainment platforms including books, film and TV properties, and digital series. Through this exclusive partnership, Barnes & Noble is the only retailer to offer a leading selection of titles from Adaptive Books, the publishing imprint of Adaptive Studios. Books will be available both in stores and online at www.bn.com.

“We believe that Adaptive Studios offers one of the most innovative and exciting publishing programs we have come across,” said Mary Amicucci, Chief Merchandising Officer, Barnes & Noble. “Our partnership with Adaptive will allow Barnes & Noble customers to experience fabulous, high-concept stories, which represent the best of what the publishing and entertainment worlds have to offer.”

Ms. Amicucci noted that Barnes & Noble’s work with Adaptive Studios is an extension of the company’s successful “From Page to Screen” promotion featuring books that were adapted into movies: “Our ‘From Page to Screen’ promotion has been one of our highest-selling promotions for readers of all ages since we launched it a few years ago, and we anticipate that customers will love experiencing Adaptive Studios’ reimagined stories from screenplays and scripts in adult and teen books, children’s picture books, graphic novels and more.”

“Storytelling is at the heart of what we do at Adaptive – whether on the page, screen, phone or tablet – and it’s an exciting moment to have our books find an exclusive home with the ultimate destination of stories:  Barnes & Noble,” said T.J. Barrack, Founding Partner, Adaptive Studios. “Starting with our concept, every Adaptive property is a collaboration between us, the creator, and our audience. This partnership will allow our stories to reach a much larger group of readers and viewers, and we look forward to working with Barnes & Noble to continue to develop titles that speak to customers around the country.”

Barnes & Noble is offering two exclusive Adaptive Books teen titles starting this month,Air by Ryan Gattis and The Silence of Six (paperback) by E.C. Myers. Each exclusive book will receive prominent placement in Barnes & Noble stores and online at BN.com, in addition to promotional and marketing support. Upcoming releases available exclusively at Barnes & Noble include the adult books DC Trip (paperback) by Sara Benincasa and Pasta Wars by Elisa Lorello; teen books Against All Silence by E.C. Myers, Bleeding Earth(paperback) by Kaitlin Ward, Dawn of Spies (paperback) by Andrew Lane and the movie tie-in edition for Coin Heist written by Elisa Ludwig; and kids’ books The Memory Thief by Bryce Moore and SPOOKS by Adam-Troy Castro. Customers can visit http://adaptivestudios.com to view book trailers for many of Adaptive Books’ titles.

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS) is a Fortune 500 company, the nation’s largest retail bookseller, and a leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products.  The Company operates 640 Barnes & Noble bookstores in 50 states, and one of the Web’s premier e-commerce sites, BN.com (www.bn.com).  The Nook Digital business offers a lineup of popular NOOK® tablets and eReaders and an expansive collection of digital reading and entertainment content through the NOOK Store®. The NOOK Store features more than 4 million digital books in the US (www.nook.com), plus periodicals and comics, and offers the ability to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices through Free NOOK Reading Apps™ available for Android™, iOS® and Windows®.General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained by visiting the Company’s corporate website at www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

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

For more information on Barnes & Noble, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr, and like us on Facebook. For more information on NOOK, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

About Adaptive Books
Adaptive Books is the publishing imprint of Adaptive Studios, a pioneering entertainment media company whose credits include HBO’s Project Greenlight and The Runner on Verizon Go90.  Adaptive Books publishes original content across a variety of genres – including fiction, memoirs, and graphic novels for adult, young adult, and middle grade readers – which are adapted into film, television, and digital projects by Adaptive Studios.  Adaptive’s publishing arm includes Adaptive Comics, dedicated to graphic novels and comic books, and StyleHaul Books, a joint venture that publishes a slate of books from StyleHaul’s network of fashion, beauty, and lifestyle digital creators.  The first YA book published under the Adaptive Books banner — COIN HEIST by Elisa Ludwig — is also the first to be adapted into a film, which will debut in 2016.  Sara Benincasa’s DC TRIP and Ryan Gattis’ AIR are also slated to be developed for the screen.   To date, Adaptive Books has released ten titles and will publish an average of ten books and graphic novels annually.  For more information on Adaptive, visit the company’s website at www.adaptivestudios.com.

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

Alan McNamara
Senior Director
Corporate Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3379
amcnamara@bn.com

Source: Barnes & Noble, Inc.

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Weis Markets, Inc. to acquire the assets of 38 Food Lion supermarket locations in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware

Sunbury, PA, 2016-Jul-17 — /EPR Retail News/ — Weis Markets, Inc. (NYSE: WMK), a Mid-Atlantic food retailer, today announced it has reached a definitive agreement with Food Lion, LLC, to purchase the assets of 38 Food Lion supermarket locations operating in the states of Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. The Company plans to complete the purchase of these locations pending regulatory approval.

“This transaction provides us the opportunity to expand into markets that are contiguous to our current trade area, particularly in Maryland where we are adding 21 stores— essentially doubling our store count in a state where we have steadily grown in recent years,” said Weis Markets Chairman, President and CEO Jonathan Weis. “We’re also looking forward to expanding our operations into two adjacent states with the addition of 13 stores in Virginia and four in Delaware.”

Weis Markets expects to complete the conversion process for the majority of these stores in September and October and is interested in hiring current Food Lion store teams for the purchased locations. “We look forward to interviewing and hiring team members who share our commitment to offering an industry-leading combination of value, quality and customer service,” Weis said.

This is the Company’s second major acquisition in 2016. In May, it announced plans to purchase five Mars Super Markets in Baltimore County, Maryland, a deal expected to close later this summer. When both purchases are complete, Weis Markets will have increased the number of its operating stores by more than 25 percent and will operate 203 stores in seven states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and West Virginia.

The following is a list of Food Lion store locations Weis Markets intends to purchase in the agreement with Food Lion, LLC:

NO. ADDRESS CITY STATE
2565 17232 N Village Main Blvd Lewes DE
960 24832 John J Williams Hwy Millsboro DE
1321 36731 Old Mill Road Millville DE
488 19287 Miller Road Rehoboth Beach DE
1356 15789 Livingston Road Accokeek MD
784 45315 Alton Lane California MD
2515 20995 Point Lookout Road Callaway MD
2598 5896 Robert Oliver Place Columbia MD
1549 15300 Mcmullen Hwy SW Cumberland MD
1289 219 Marlboro Avenue Easton MD
1315 3261 Solomons Island Road Edgewater MD
1324 6375 Monroe Avenue Eldersburg MD
1529 6551 Waterloo Road Elkridge MD
1187 17600 Old National Sq Pike Frostburg MD
1345 16567 South Frederick Road Gaithersburg MD
1477 883 Russell Avenue Gaithersburg MD
1168 100 Drury Drive La Plata MD
1210 19 St. Mary’s Square Lexington Park MD
2606 210 H G Trueman Road Lusby MD
1387 12100 Central Avenue Mitchellville MD
2535 9251 Lakeside Boulevard Owings Mills MD
1526 750 Prince Frederick Blvd Prince Frederick MD
786 10 Village Center Road Reisterstown MD
1443 13300 H G Trueman Road Solomons MD
1535 5715 Crain Highway Upper Marlboro MD
250 505 Meadowbrook Shopping Ctr Culpeper VA
1567 540 Culpeper Town Mall Culpeper VA
1235 10601 Spotsylvania Avenue Fredericksburg VA
419 10611 Courthouse Road Fredericksburg VA
2583 10871 Tidewater Trail Fredericksburg VA
358 282 Deacon Road Fredericksburg VA
450 4153 Plank Road Fredericksburg VA
1043 515 Jefferson Davis Highway Fredericksburg VA
1579 7100 Salem Fields Boulevard Fredericksburg VA
1243 736 Warrenton Road Fredericksburg VA
1177 9801 Courthouse Road Spotsylvania VA
1166 2612 Jefferson Davis Highway Stafford VA
578 905 Garrisonville Road Stafford VA

For more information on Weis Markets, visit WeisMarkets.com.

About Weis Markets
Founded in 1912, Weis Markets, Inc. is a Mid Atlantic food retailer operating 162 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia. For more information, please visit: WeisMarkets.com or Facebook.com/WeisMarkets.

In addition to historical information, this news release may contain forward-looking statements, which are included pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Any forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected.  For example, risks and uncertainties can arise with changes in: general economic conditions, including their impact on capital expenditures; business conditions in the retail industry; the regulatory environment; rapidly changing technology and competitive factors, including increased competition with regional and national retailers; and price pressures.  Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s analysis only as of the date hereof.  The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise or update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.  Readers should carefully review the risk factors described in other documents the Company files periodically with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contact:

Weis Markets, Inc.

1000 South Second Street
PO Box 471
Sunbury, Pennsylvania 17801
1-866-999-9347

Source: Weis Markets, Inc.