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SEATTLE – Starbucks has certified its 3,508 Greener Stores globally, expanding the program to 20 markets, with many first-in-market Greener Stores across Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Greener Stores are just one example of how Starbucks is working to reduce its environmental impact and build a more sustainable future for its communities and the planet. This latest round of certifications sets the company well on its way to achieving its goal of 10,000 Greener Stores globally by 2025.

Starbucks Greener Stores Framework, co-developed with the World Wildlife Fund, includes a set of 25 performance-based standards across environmental impact areas such as energy efficiency, water stewardship, and waste diversion. Each Greener Store has a different combination of sustainable features that help it receive its third-party verification. Some stores have obvious elements like solar panels or water recycling tanks. While others have less obvious features behind the counter like high efficiency appliances, low-emitting paint and sealants, recycling tampers, and energy efficient HVAC temperature systems.

Daily practices by partners (employees) are also a key factor in Greener Store certification and many of the standards were influenced directly by partner ideas and feedback. A partner favorite in North America, the Starbucks Waste and Recycling App guides partners on how to best recycle, compost, and donate store materials and perishable food through Starbucks FoodShare program.

In the United States, Starbucks Greener Stores practices have saved the company almost $60 million in annual operating costs, including 30% water savings and 30% energy reduction when compared to historic store practices. In markets around the world, Greener Stores energy and water savings and waste diversion help advance the company’s goal to reduce carbon emissions, water usage and landfill waste by 50% by 2030.

“With a company of Starbucks scale – any one action, no matter how small, has the potential for massive impact,” said Michael Kobori, Starbucks chief sustainability officer. “I’m so proud to see our Greener Stores framework continue to scale for good globally. The program we have created will continue to move us closer towards our resource positive goals.”

Global Expansion of Greener Stores
Today, Starbucks announces Greener Stores for the first time in two new regions – Asia Pacific (AP), and Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)– as the company continues its global expansion of the Greener Store framework to leverage its scale for good to accelerate the global movement towards a more sustainable future. In addition, Starbucks is expanding in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) by building all new stores in the region under the Greener Stores framework by the end of 2023 and going forward.

“Thoughtful partnerships and continued collaboration are the key to a sustainable future,” Kobori. “Our own Starbucks partners’ energy and passion for sustainability has been a driving force to push us every day. They’re also core to the success of this program and the reason why we’ve seen great adoption of our Greener Store standards globally.”

NEW YORK, June 15, 2022 — Consumers who purchase food for in-home consumption have generally experienced higher price increases relative to what they pay for menu items at quick-service and fast-casual restaurants—a trend that makes restaurants more comparatively appealing, according to Nick Cole, Head of Restaurant Finance at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG).

This is one of several key viewpoints in Cole’s mid-year outlook on the restaurant industry, which also includes the abatement of labor shortages, disruptions in the beef supply, high real-estate utilization, and a potential acceleration in mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

Lower food inflation seen at restaurants
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) indicated that the food-away-from-home CPI (restaurant purchases) rose 7.4 percent for the year ended April 2022.i In contrast, the food-at-home CPI (grocery and supermarket food purchases) was 11.9 percent higher for the year ended May 2022.

“Restaurant chains have been able to achieve lower food-price increases and delay the effect of inflation thanks to a number of advantages they enjoy,” Cole says. Restaurants’ advantages include:

access to ingredients at wholesale prices and economies of scale;
the ability to lock in lower prices through forward contracts and other hedging strategies; and
the flexibility to reallocate ingredients among menu items.
As Cole explains, many restaurants have also been able to sustain profitability by raising their menu prices at agreeable levels to offset the higher input costs of labor, utilities, construction, and food commodities.

Labor shortages less acute
Restaurant labor shortages have stabilized this year, though they still linger and continue to trigger disruptions, according to Cole. Food-delivery drivers are in particularly short supply, impacting delivery-intensive restaurants such as pizza chains.

“Large online retailers attracted a significant amount of labor at restaurants’ expense during the pandemic, yet many of the jobs they filled require little training and are designed for high turnover,” Cole adds. “Therefore, we believe the restaurant industry will be able to pull back many workers with the right mix of incentives.”

Beef supply, real estate utilization, and M&A
Additionally, Cole notes the following top industry trends:

Disruptions in the beef supply are putting related restaurant businesses at risk because of the longer cycle of beef gestation, cultivation and ultimate provision, as opposed to such commodities as poultry and fish, which are characterized by a shorter supply cycle.
Restaurant dining venues have returned to full capacity, yet chains continue to benefit from having retooled their real estate and technological infrastructure to accommodate drive-through traffic and online orders.
M&A activity slowed in the first quarter because of margin pressures due to rising commodity prices, workforce shortages, and the need for higher expenditures to attract labor, as Cole and his team had anticipated in November 2021—yet they expect M&A activity to pick up as the year progresses.
Press contact:
Assaf Kedem
(212) 782-4926
akedem@us.mufg.jp

About Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.’s U.S. Operations including MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation
The U.S. operations of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG), one of the world’s leading financial groups, has total assets of $332.4 billion at March 31, 2022. As part of that total, MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation (MUAH), a financial holding company, bank holding company, and intermediate holding company, has total assets of $159.2 billion at March 31, 2022. MUAH’s main subsidiaries are MUFG Union Bank, N.A. and MUFG Securities Americas Inc. MUFG Union Bank, N.A. provides a wide range of financial services to consumers, small businesses, middle-market companies, and major corporations. As of March 31, 2022, MUFG Union Bank, N.A. operated 297 branches, consisting primarily of retail banking branches in the West Coast states. MUFG Securities Americas Inc. is a registered securities broker-dealer which engages in capital markets origination transactions, domestic and foreign debt and equities securities transactions, private placements, collateralized financings, and securities borrowing and lending transactions. MUAH is owned by MUFG Bank, Ltd. and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. MUFG Bank, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., has offices in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, and Canada. Visit www.unionbank.com or www.mufgamericas.com for more information.

About MUFG (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.)
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG) is one of the world’s leading financial groups. Headquartered in Tokyo and with over 360 years of history, MUFG has a global network with approximately 2,400 locations in more than 50 countries. The Group has about 170,000 employees and offers services including commercial banking, trust banking, securities, credit cards, consumer finance, asset management, and leasing. The Group aims to “be the world’s most trusted financial group” through close collaboration among our operating companies and flexibly respond to all of the financial needs of our customers, serving society, and fostering shared and sustainable growth for a better world. MUFG’s shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York stock exchanges. For more information, visit https://www.mufg.jp/english.

i Latest data available at the time of release. Source: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm

CHICAGO, May 19, 2022 — Following its announcement that it will exit the Russian market and has initiated a process to sell its Russian business, McDonald’s Corporation announced today that it has entered into a sale and purchase agreement with its existing licensee Alexander Govor. Under this agreement, Mr. Govor will acquire McDonald’s entire restaurant portfolio and operate the restaurants under a new brand. Since 2015, Mr. Govor has served as a McDonald’s licensee and has operated 25 restaurants in Siberia.

The agreement remains subject to certain conditions, including regulatory approval, with closing expected to occur in the coming weeks.

The sale and purchase agreement provides for employees to be retained for at least two years, on equivalent terms. The buyer has also agreed to fund the salaries of corporate employees who work in 45 regions of the country until closing, as well as fund existing liabilities to suppliers, landlords and utilities.

About McDonald’s
McDonald’s is the world’s leading global foodservice retailer with more than 39,000 locations in over 100 countries. Approximately 95% of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local business owners.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2022 — On Saturday, January 15, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) will begin accepting applications for more than $1 million in scholarships and grants available to individuals pursuing a secondary degree in the restaurant, foodservice, and hospitality industry.

“I plan to use my education to open up my own high-end pastry shop that gives back to the community in a meaningful way, both by employing people with barriers to employment through job training programs and also by giving a percentage of proceeds back to the community,” said Stephanie Loo, a 2021 NRAEF scholarship recipient who is majoring in baking and pastry arts at the Institute of Culinary Education.
“I plan to use my education to open up my own high-end pastry shop that gives back to the community in a meaningful way, both by employing people with barriers to employment through job training programs and also by giving a percentage of proceeds back to the community,” said Stephanie Loo, a 2021 NRAEF scholarship recipient who is majoring in baking and pastry arts at the Institute of Culinary Education.
NRAEF scholarships and grants seek to lighten the financial burden of secondary education and support future leaders in the industry. In 2021, as students continued to face unprecedented pandemic and economic challenges, the NRAEF awarded $1.1 million in scholarships and individual grants to more than 300 students at more than 130 colleges and universities across 44 states and territories. Nearly 60 percent of 2021 scholarship recipients were Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC); half were first-generation college students; and 70 percent were women.

“I plan to use my education to open up my own high-end pastry shop that gives back to the community in a meaningful way, both by employing people with barriers to employment through job training programs and also by giving a percentage of proceeds back to the community,” said Stephanie Loo, a 2021 NRAEF scholarship recipient who is majoring in baking and pastry arts at the Institute of Culinary Education. “My dream to own a pastry shop is an opportunity to bring joy to a neighborhood and grow employees from all walks of life. The financial assistance through NRAEF is a huge help in realizing both my short-term and long-term career goals.”

NRAEF scholarships range from $2,500 to $10,000 and can be used towards tuition and fees, books, room and board, as well as other school-related expenses. The scholarships have no age restrictions. All who are pursuing higher education in a restaurant, foodservice, and hospitality related field are encouraged to apply – including recent high-school graduates, military service members, adults looking to make a career change, or individuals at various education levels.

“These scholarships are intended to help the next generation of leaders in our industry realize their dreams through higher education,” said Rob Gifford, president of the NRAEF. “Their resilience, talent, and energy will be crucial in the years ahead, and I hope everyone eligible will take the time to apply.”

This year’s NRAEF scholarships are funded by our generous partners, including:

Burger King Foundation
The Coca-Cola Company
Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers
Hormel
The J.M. Smucker Company
PepsiCo
Rachael Ray Foundation
Rich Family Foundation
SPB Foundation
Women’s Foodservice Forum
Yum-o!
The deadline to apply is March 15, 2022, and applications can be completed through the NRAEF’s online portal – ChooseRestaurants.org/Scholarships.

About the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF)
The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s mission of service to the public is dedicated to enhancing the industry’s training and education, career development and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract, Empower and Advance today’s and tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice workforce.

NRAEF programs include: ProStart® – a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready – partnering with community-based organizations to provide opportunity youth and justice-involved individuals with skills training and job opportunities; Military – helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships – financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and the Hospitality Sector Registered Apprenticeship project – a partnership with the American Hotel & Lodging Association providing a hospitality apprenticeship program for the industry. To learn more about the NRAEF and its work, visit ChooseRestaurants.org.

SOURCE National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

CONTACT: Hannah Oliver, holiver@nraef.org

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Dec. 16, 2021 — Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) today announced its first Chipotlane Digital Kitchen restaurant in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The new prototype offers a Chipotlane and walk-up window for efficient digital order pickup. Located at 994 Graham Road in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, the restaurant is scheduled to open later this month.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8834951-chipotle-mexican-grill-chipotlane-digital-kitchen/

Chipotlane Digital Kitchens offers no inside guest access. The first Chipotlane Digital Kitchen in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio includes patio seating for guests to enjoy their meals outside.
Chipotlane Digital Kitchens offers no inside guest access. The first Chipotlane Digital Kitchen in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio includes patio seating for guests to enjoy their meals outside.
Chipotle’s latest digital-only restaurant prototype offers a Chipotlane and walk-up window for efficient digital order pickup.
Chipotle’s latest digital-only restaurant prototype offers a Chipotlane and walk-up window for efficient digital order pickup.
Chipotle’s second digital-only restaurant prototype serves guests who order ahead on the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com, and marketplace partners.
Chipotle’s second digital-only restaurant prototype serves guests who order ahead on the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com, and marketplace partners.
Chipotlane Digital Kitchen Design

The Chipotlane Digital Kitchen footprint is smaller than a traditional Chipotlane, with no dining room access for guests or a front line. The kitchen is equipped with a make line dedicated to digital orders placed through the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com, as well as marketplace partners. Guests and delivery drivers can collect their digital orders through the Chipotlane drive-thru or walk-up window. The new restaurant will also offer patio seating for guests to enjoy their meals.

“Chipotlanes are a key growth strategy for the brand,” said Tabassum Zalotrawala, Chief Development Officer, Chipotle. “Our portfolio of approximately 300 Chipotlanes perform with the highest margins across the board, so we continue to evolve our restaurant design with formats such as the Chipotlane Digital Kitchen to best suit our growing digital business.”

Chipotlane Performance and Growth

Since launching in early 2018, the Chipotlane format continues to enhance access, ease and satisfaction for guests while demonstrating strong performance. New restaurants featuring a Chipotlane open with approximately 15% higher sales compared to non-Chipotlanes opened during the same period.

With nearly 3,000 restaurants today and a long-term goal of having 6,000 locations in North America, Chipotle is continuing to learn and refine its approach to accelerate its Chipotlane portfolio judiciously. To date, Chipotle has reconfigured 12 of its existing restaurants to feature the digital order pickup lane, with these locations seeing an increase in sales as more customers choose this convenient access channel.

ABOUT CHIPOTLE
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is Cultivating A Better World by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Chipotle had nearly 2,900 restaurants as of September 30, 2021, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants. Chipotle is ranked on the Fortune 500 and is recognized on the 2021 lists for Forbes’ America’s Best Employers and Fortune’s Most Admired Companies. With nearly 95,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. For more information or to place an order online, WWW.CHIPOTLE.COM.

SOURCE Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.

CONTACT: Erin Wolford, (949) 524-4035, MediaRelations@chipotle.com

TORONTO, Nov. 15, 2021 – Restaurant Brands International Inc. (“RBI”) (TSX: QSR) (NYSE: QSR) (TSX: QSP) and Firehouse Restaurant Group Inc. (“Firehouse Subs”) announced today that they have reached an agreement for RBI to acquire Firehouse Subs for $1.0 billion in an all-cash transaction. The transaction offers significant long-term unit growth potential to drive attractive returns for all stakeholders and is expected to be immediately accretive to RBI’s diluted net earnings per share.

Firehouse Subs adds a strong and loved restaurant brand with attractive unit economics in a complementary category to RBI’s existing family of iconic quick service restaurant (“QSR”) brands, Tim Hortons®, Burger King®, and Popeyes®.

Founded in Jacksonville, Florida in 1994 by brothers and former firefighters Chris Sorensen and Robin Sorensen, Firehouse Subs is a brand built on decades of culture rooted in public service, creating hot and hearty subs piled high with the highest quality meats and cheeses and a commitment to saving lives through the establishment of the non-profit Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation®.

The brand is a strong and growing player within the $30 billion U.S. QSR sandwich category and since 2010 has increased its number of restaurants 3x to ~1,200 and its system-wide sales1 4x to an expected approximately $1.1 billion for 2021. This momentum extends into 2021, with October year to date U.S. comparable sales2 versus 2019 of 20%. The brand benefits from a strong family of franchisees who own and operate 97% of the brand’s restaurants across 46 U.S. States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Firehouse Subs is expected to generate roughly $50 million of 2021E Adjusted EBITDA3.

Firehouse Subs is frequently rated the #1 brand in its QSR sandwich category for food quality and has one of the strongest brand-love ratings in its category – driven by the Foundation that has now granted $62.5 million in essential life-saving equipment and other support to public safety organizations.

José Cil, Chief Executive Officer of RBI commented, “Firehouse Subs is a special brand with a talented team, impressive culture and community focus that resonates with guests and closely aligns with our core values at RBI. We see tremendous potential to accelerate U.S. and international growth at Firehouse Subs with RBI’s development expertise, global franchisee network and digital capabilities. We are excited to welcome the Firehouse Subs team to the RBI family and to continue our ambitious dream of building the world’s most loved restaurant brands.”

Don Fox, Chief Executive Officer of Firehouse Subs said, “At Firehouse Subs we are united in our commitment to and passion for hearty and flavorful food, heartfelt service, and public safety. Joining the RBI family of brands provides an energizing opportunity to assist more communities, not only across America and Canada, but around the globe. The donations we generate for our Foundation through our restaurants means changing and saving lives, so we can’t wait to accelerate our journey at home and around the world.”

Firehouse Subs Highlights
Differentiated, Purpose-Driven Brand. Supporting local communities is a core pillar of Firehouse Subs’ operating philosophy and a key differentiator for the brand in the sandwich QSR category. Firehouse Subs’ commitment to the communities where they operate is a leading reason guests choose the brand’s restaurants and has been a driver of overall positive brand metrics. The Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation has granted $62.5 million to public safety organizations across 49 states, Puerto Rico and Canada. For the third consecutive year, based on recent Technomic Insight consumer data, Firehouse Subs was named the No.1 brand in the restaurant industry that “Supports Local Community Activities.”

High-Quality Menu Offering Frequently Rated #1 in Food Quality in the QSR Sandwich Category. Firehouse Subs offers hearty, hot specialty subs featuring steamed meats and cheeses on a toasted sub roll. The brand rounds out its fulsome menu offering with chopped salads, chili and soups, signature sides, and local specialties with inspiration across its menu pulling from its namesake – with fan favorites such as the Hook & Ladder®. The brand has a strong focus on maintaining quality and consistency for its guests at attractive price points and has frequently been rated number 1 in both food quality and food taste and flavor across a number of consumer surveys in the U.S. QSR sandwich category.

Experienced Leadership Team with a Demonstrated Track Record. Firehouse Subs is led by a team of industry veterans with proven capabilities in operations, marketing, and development and a keen focus on franchisee profitability. Following the transaction, Firehouse Subs’ management team will continue leading the brand’s day-to-day operations, building on its proven track record of tripling unit count and more than quadrupling system-wide sales since 2010, while benefiting from RBI’s global scale, resources and digital capabilities to accelerate growth for years to come.

Strong Unit Economics with Compelling Paybacks. Firehouse Subs is expecting its 1,200 locations to generate total 2021 system-wide sales of approximately $1.1 billion, driving a compelling three and a half-year average payback period (based on company store performance). The brand is generating strong sales momentum in 2021, with 20% U.S. comparable sales versus 2019 year to date through October 2021.

Proven Brand Across 46 U.S. States, Canada and Puerto Rico with Significant Unit Growth Potential. Firehouse Subs has a proven, successful model with the opportunity to grow significantly across the U.S. and internationally. The brand’s already strong growth prospects are expected to be further enhanced by RBI’s robust franchisee network, development expertise and ability to accelerate global unit growth, increase overall brand awareness, and drive further improvements in unit economics, all of which will create a reinforcing cycle of growth. The concept has successfully traveled across 46 states and grown into Canada, which has strong AUVs that are generally above the system average.

Clear Digital Expansion Opportunities. Firehouse Subs has a solid digital foundation with a mobile app including mobile order and pay and loyalty capabilities, in addition to a strong delivery sales mix. The brand’s loyalty program boasts nearly 3.5 million subscribers, enrolling approximately 50 thousand additional customers per month and representing over 10% of transactions. This transaction would augment Firehouse Subs’ capabilities by leveraging RBI’s in-house tech-stack, engineers and continued investments in digital and technology to accelerate the brand’s digital transition.

Transaction Details
Under the terms of the agreement, RBI will acquire Firehouse Subs for $1.0 billion in an all-cash transaction. RBI plans to fund the acquisition through a combination of cash on hand and debt. The transaction is expected to close in the coming months subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

Following the closing of the transaction, Firehouse Subs will remain based in Jacksonville, Florida, and will continue to be managed by Chief Executive Officer, Don Fox, and Chief Financial Officer, Vincent Burchianti.

Advisors
BofA Securities, Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acted as financial advisors and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison acted as legal advisors to RBI. Firehouse Subs was advised by TD Securities and Latham and Watkins.

About Firehouse Subs
Firehouse Subs® is a restaurant chain with a passion for hearty and flavorful food, heartfelt service and public safety. Founded in Jacksonville, Florida in 1994 by brothers and former firefighters Chris Sorensen and Robin Sorensen, Firehouse Subs is a brand built on decades of fire and police service, hot and hearty subs piled high with the highest quality meats and cheeses and its commitment to saving lives through the establishment of the non-profit Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation®. The founders are the real deal, the food is their creation and the brand is a family of franchise operators who share their same passion for generously serving food and community.

Enjoy more subs. Save more lives. To learn more, visit http://www.firehousesubs.com.

About Restaurant Brands International Inc.
Restaurant Brands International Inc. is one of the world’s largest quick service restaurant companies with approximately $34 billion in annual system-wide sales and over 27,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. RBI owns three of the world’s most prominent and iconic quick service restaurant brands – TIM HORTONS®, BURGER KING®, and POPEYES®. These independently operated brands have been serving their respective guests, franchisees and communities for over 45 years.

MATARAM, Indonesia, Nov. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy returns with its latest Cleanliness, Health, Safety, Environment Sustainability (CHSE) Event Protocol (CERPEN) campaign. Held in 11 November 2021 in Mandalika, West Nusa Tenggara, the campaign aims to revive tourism and event businesses by promoting CHSE guidelines to public and local media in Mandalika area.

“With the CHSE event guidebook, we hope that event organizers and players can get back to their creative activities while implementing health protocols,” said Vicky Apriansyah, Sub Coordinator of Regional Event Strategy of the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

To revive the event industry, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has collaborated with the Ministry of Health, the COVID-19 National Task Force, the Indonesian National Police (Polri), associations and event organizers to disseminate event health protocols through the CHSE guidebook. This guidebook contains various new normal protocols for organizing events, starting from pre-event, during the event, and post-event.

Various protocols such as wearing masks, maintaining distance, handwashing with water or sanitizers, regulating room capacity and crowd activities are expected to provide a sense of security and comfort for all event organizers, performers, and players.

Vicky also added, “In the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the event industry must be able to adapt, innovate, and collaborate so that we can grab this momentum towards economic recovery. Therefore, the event implementation must adhere to strict health protocols, as this program is not merely the government’s responsibility but also all event actors including organizers, performers and event visitors.”

The transformation of events in the new normal

Held in a media gathering event, the Mandalika’s CERPEN invited Mandalika-based creative professionals to share their views and experiences in organizing events by adopting the new normal protocol.

Featured key speakers include Vicky Apriansyah, Lalu Chandra Yudistira, CEO of Gudang Mahakarya Indonesia as the event organizer for the “Bau Nyale Festival,” and Andre Satriawan, CEO of Aksara, or the event organizer behind “Pesona Khazanah Ramadhan.”

The pandemic has been challenging for the Bau Nyale Festival which had to be held online last year. Before the pandemic hit, the event was the big attraction for international tourists to visit the province every year.

“The pandemic has pushed us to put more creativities on different form of events such as a hybrid format and live broadcasts. To revive the event business and tourism, we need to be more observant in finding unique things so that people are keen to participate in any of our events,” said Lalu.

Meanwhile, similar challenges are faced by “Pesona Khazanah Ramadhan,” one of Mandalika’s notable events that emphasizes on halal tourism destination in West Nusa Tenggara. The first event in 2020 had to be held entirely online due to the pandemic.

“In 2021, we returned to a hybrid event format. We also held a Ramadan bazaar by adhering to the strict CHSE protocol such as limiting the number of audiences, providing hand-washing facilities, and distributing masks,” said Andre.

Following Mandalika and West Nusa Tenggara Barat, the Ministry will hold CERPEN in Makassar to socialize the CHSE protocol for event organizations.

For more information on the CHSE campaign, please visit chse.kemenparekraf.go.id.

About the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy

Driven by a vision to make Indonesia a world-class tourism destination, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy innovates various breakthroughs to continually grow the creative industry in Indonesia.

“Kharisma Event Nusantara 2021” is one of the government’s efforts to encourage the rise of the creative economy in Indonesia. This program is expected to help positively move the national economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic and provide direction for event participants on the implementation of the CHSE (Cleanliness, Health, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability) protocol.

“The event sector is the most impacted sector by the pandemic with a relatively slow recovery. We hope that the event sector and all of its stakeholders will be able to bounce back. Moreover, the West Nusa Tenggara is known for hosting numerous events annually. Event creators here consist of dedicated entrepreneurs who have made various innovations and adaptations during the pandemic,” said Vicky Apriansyah, Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy’s Regional Event Strategy Sub-Coordinator.

To support the event players in the West Nusa Tenggara, the government socializes the CHSE protocol, providing guidance for hosting events, organizing MICE, as well as health and safety guidelines for creative economy sector. The guideline includes three aspects of pre, during, and post events which must be followed by organizers, spectators, and performers.

Introducing halal tourism in the West Nusa Tenggara through a hybrid event format

Attended speakers include Lalu Chandra Yudistira, CEO of Gudang Mahakarya Indonesia as an event organizer of “Bau Nyale Festival” and Andre Satriawan, CEO of Aksara, or an event organizer behind “Pesona Khazanah Ramadhan.”

Bau Nyale Festival is one of the most important and popular cultural events in West Nusa Tenggara, that is rich with local tradition and legend. The festival has lured domestic and international tourists to visit the island every year, however, it should be held virtually last year due to the pandemic’s travel restriction.

Mandalika is among the top priorities of the Ministry to socialize the CHSE protocol through CERPEN. Through CERPEN, the government aims to encourage tourism and creative industries, while promoting new normal protocol for events amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

SOURCE Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika

CONTACT: Afif Maulana, Media Relations, +6281315296992

LONDON, Nov. 1, 2021 — Yum! Brands and Decoded today announced their partnership to build an in-house Data Academy in the UK for the international restaurant business.

KFC employees will be given the opportunity to gain qualifications in data analytics, learning cutting-edge data science techniques such as machine learning, data visualization and programming in Python.

By partnering with Decoded, Yum! Brands are recognising the importance of data skills for its workforce and future success.

James Whitehorn, Commercial Director at KFC UK & Ireland, said:

“Data led decision making is at the core of how we operate at KFC, so we are delighted to partner with Decoded to offer our people the opportunity to participate in the Data Academy. As we strengthen our digital and analytical efforts, we are excited to invest in our people, ensuring we cultivate organisational wide data capability that continues to fuel our growth.”

Nicky Kirshen, Managing Director London, Decoded, said:

“We are proud to be working with Yum! Brands who are investing in the lifelong learning of their people. Data skills are some of the most in-demand skills in the workplace today. Forward-thinking companies like Yum! Brands are offering their people the opportunity to up-skill into the jobs of the future in the workplace. The future of food will be fuelled by data-driven innovation. We are excited to be a part of that future with Yum! Brands.”

About Decoded
Decoded is a technology education company founded in 2011 with a mission to decode the digital world. Courses span advanced analytics and data science qualifications to digital literacy training across code, data, AI and cyber security. They are known for their rapid, hands-on and immersive learning experiences, and their courses have reached over half a million people in 85+ cities worldwide. Decoded works with clients investing in the digital transformation of their organisations and the lifelong learning opportunities of their people with clients spanning FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies such as Unilever, HSBC, Nike, Burberry, Citi and Mastercard.

About Yum! Brands

Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, has over 51,000 restaurants in more than 150 countries and territories, operating the Company’s brands – KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell – global leaders of the chicken, pizza and Mexican-style food categories. The Company’s family of brands also includes The Habit Burger Grill, a fast-casual restaurant concept specializing in made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches and more. Yum! Brands was included on the 2021 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index. In 2020, Yum! Brands was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America and was ranked among the top 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media.

For further information, please contact Integra Group https://www.integra-group.co.uk/ – click on “Contact” tab.

CONTACT: Zaki Cooper, info@integra-group.co.uk, +44 7825 395 017

SOURCE Decoded

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Saudi Arabian Government has launched the Sustainable Tourism Global Center (STGC), a multi-country, multi-stakeholder coalition that will accelerate the tourism sector’s transition to net zero emissions, as well as drive action to protect nature and support communities.

New Global Coalition Will Accelerate Tourism Industry’s Transition to Net Zero
New Global Coalition Will Accelerate Tourism Industry’s Transition to Net Zero
Launched today by HRH Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the Sustainable Tourism Global Center will support travelers, governments, and the private sector, to ensure that tourism enables growth and creates jobs, while playing its part to achieve the climate goals laid out in the Paris Agreement, including contributing to keeping the world to under 1.5-degrees Celsius warming.

With the global travel and tourism sector responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, Saudi Arabia has prioritized urgent action to support this important sector in its transition to net zero.

The Global Center will be the platform to bring all the knowledge and expertise; it aims to be the “north star” for the tourism sector as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and transitions toward a sustainable future. Globally, tourism supports more than 330 million livelihoods – and pre-pandemic, it was responsible for creating one in four new jobs globally.

Details of this coalition and the services it will provide will be formally announced during COP26.

HE Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia said: “The tourism sector contributes to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions – and this is expected to grow if we don’t act now. Tourism is also a highly fragmented sector. 80% of businesses in tourism are small and medium sized enterprises who rely on guidance and support from sector leadership. The sector must be part of the solution.

“Saudi Arabia, following the vision and leadership of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, is answering this vital call by working with partners – that prioritize tourism, SMEs and climate – to create a multi-country, multi-stakeholder coalition, that will lead, accelerate, and track the tourism industry’s transition to net zero emissions.

“By working together and delivering a strong joint platform, the tourism sector will have the support it needs. The STGC will facilitate growth while making tourism better for the climate, nature, and communities.”

HE Gloria Guevara, Chief Special Advisor to the Minister of Tourism said: “For years and years, multiple players across the tourism sector have been working on different initiatives to accelerate the race to zero – but we have been working in silos. The impact of the global pandemic on the tourism sector highlighted the vital importance of multi-country, multi-stakeholder collaboration. And now, Saudi Arabia is stepping up to bring stakeholders together to make tourism part of the solution to climate change.”

Infographic – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1668358/Sustainable_Tourism_Infographic.jpg

CONTACT: Lauren Brush, lmb@consulum.com , +971-52-354-5076

SOURCE Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Oct. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH), the world’s largest hotel franchising company with approximately 9,000 hotels across nearly 95 countries, and Playa Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: PLYA), a leading owner, operator and developer of all-inclusive resorts in popular vacation destination in Mexico and the Caribbean, announced today the launch of a new all-inclusive resort brand, Wyndham Alltra. The announcement marks Wyndham’s 22nd brand and its first dedicated entirely to the fast-growing, all-inclusive segment. In conjunction with the brand launch, Wyndham begins a strategic alliance with Playa Hotels & Resorts, leveraging Wyndham’s unparalleled ability to drive sales, marketing and distribution in the economy, midscale and upscale segments via its 89 million enrolled Wyndham Rewards Members and distinct Everyday Travelers, combined with Playa’s ability to provide a best in class hospitality experience and exceptional value to guests.

Wyndham Unveils an Upper Midscale All-Inclusive Resort Brand – Wyndham Alltra

The new brand’s name “Alltra” is born from the brand promise of “All-Inclusive Travel for All,” keeping with Wyndham’s mission of delivering exceptional experiences to the everyday traveler. Wyndham Alltra creates an all-inclusive resort experience that is distinct to the upper-midscale segment, offering upscale food and beverage, services, amenities and activities with an expressive local flavor at an exceptional value. The brand will feature both family-friendly and adults-only resorts in the Caribbean and other resort destinations.

The first two resorts to debut under the Wyndham Alltra brand are Playa’s 458 room Wyndham Alltra Cancun located in the heart of the Hotel zone with its 10 upscale restaurants , bars, lounges and pools, and the 287 room Wyndham Alltra Playa del Carmen in the heart of Playa Del Carmen featuring unlimited gourmet dining just steps from Fifth Avenue with its bars, restaurants and high-end shops. Currently undergoing renovations, both resorts remain open and are scheduled to complete renovations and become Wyndham Alltra resorts in time for the holidays in December, 2021. The two resorts will mark the first of many properties to be developed under the strategic alliance between Wyndham and Playa in the upper-midscale, all-inclusive resort sector in the Caribbean and Mexico that Playa currently operates in.

“Wyndham Alltra will introduce many of our over 150 million annual guests to our first all-inclusive brand,” said Geoffrey A. Ballotti, president and chief executive officer of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. “Partnering with a leading owner, operator and developer of all-inclusive resorts in prime beachfront locations, will create immediate access for our customers and our over 80 million Wyndham Rewards members to a fabulous, all-inclusive guest experience – members who will be able to redeem their Wyndham Rewards points for a new all-inclusive vacation experience at Wyndham Alltra resorts, and earn points for their stays.”

“Today’s announcement combines Wyndham’s robust distribution capabilities and award-winning loyalty program with our highly acclaimed all-inclusive expertise. Together, we are launching a new experience in the upper-midscale resort segment to reach more first-time all-inclusive guests,” said Bruce Wardinski, chairman and chief executive officer, Playa Hotels & Resorts.

Details about first two Playa properties to become Wyndham Alltra resorts:

Wyndham Alltra Cancun, All-Inclusive Resort – Guests can enjoy the ultimate all-inclusive vacation on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula with a stay at Wyndham Alltra Cancun. Situated in the heart of the lively Hotel Zone, our sprawling beachfront resort is the perfect escape for families, couples, and group gatherings. From the moment guests arrive, they’ll be transported to paradise with more than 10 incredible restaurants, bars and lounges, multiple pools, and a host of included activities ranging from yoga classes to tequila tastings. Kids of all ages will love our pirate-themed splash park, waterslides, and mini-golf course, while teens can spend afternoons and evenings in our #Hashtag hangout room. Throughout their stay, guests can keep up with their workout routine in a state-of-the-art fitness center or with one of our many group fitness classes—and be sure to make time for indulgent treatments and the complimentary hydrotherapy area at Aura Spa. Just 21 kilometers (13 miles) from Cancun International Airport (CUN), our picture-perfect resort is close to ancient Mayan ruins, lively nightlife in downtown Cancun, and so much more. Each of our contemporary suites is appointed with everything a guest needs to unwind—from fully stocked minibars to terraces with incredible views of the Caribbean Sea. If celebrating a wedding or planning a business meeting, guests can host a memorable gathering with customizable all-inclusive packages in one of our outdoor or indoor venues.

Wyndham Alltra Playa del Carmen, Adults Only All Inclusive – Guests revel in an adults-only paradise along the idyllic Riviera Maya, steps from a breathtaking beach, fantastic shopping along 5th Avenue, and vibrant nightlife. Just 55 kilometers (34 miles) from Cancun International Airport (CUN), Wyndham Alltra Playa del Carmen, Adults Only All Inclusive offers the ultimate carefree vacation with unlimited gourmet dining and creative cocktails as well as a state-of-the-art fitness center, daily activities like beachfront yoga and aqua aerobics, and nightly entertainment. Guests can take a dip in the sparkling Olympic-size pool overlooking the Caribbean Sea, enjoy a leisurely stroll along the warm white sand, or get pampered at the full-service spa and salon. After a day of sunning, shopping, or sightseeing, guests will love retreating to one of our 287 non-smoking rooms and suites, featuring a balcony or terrace for savoring the sunset and thoughtful conveniences like a fully stocked minibar, complimentary bath products, and free WiFi. If guests want to book an excursion to Cozumel or snag a table at the hottest club, our friendly, multilingual staff are always on standby to ensure they have the vacation they have ‘ve been dreaming about.
Wyndham Alltra is designed to make it easier for the everyday traveler to find truly outstanding all-inclusive hotel experiences outside of the current upscale and luxury options. This will provide an opportunity for hotel developers, owners, and investors to welcome new customers to all-inclusive hotels with unmatched support from Wyndham. The brand invites hoteliers to take advantage of Wyndham’s scale, distribution, services and loyalty program through this new all-inclusive brand.

Interested in making a reservation at a Wyndham Alltra? Wyndham Rewards members who make a reservation between Oct. 6 and Nov. 30, 2021 and complete their stay by Jan. 18, 2022 will enjoy a complimentary upgrade during their stay including a choice during their stay of either a 50-minute spa experience, beach cabana or other amazing on property experiences. Visit here to get started on your next vacation. Interested in developing a hotel? Get in touch here with our development team to learn more.

About Playa Hotels & Resorts N.V.
Playa Hotels & Resorts N.V. (NASDAQ: PLYA, “Playa”) is a leading owner, operator and developer of all-inclusive resorts in prime beachfront locations in popular vacation destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean. Playa owns and/or manages a total portfolio consisting of 22 resorts (8,366 rooms) located in Mexico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. Playa leverages years of all-inclusive resort operating expertise and relationships with globally recognized hospitality brands to provide a best in class experience and exceptional value to our guests, while building a direct relationship to improve customer acquisition cost and drive repeat business. Playa owns and manages 15 resorts (6,004 rooms) located throughout Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. Playa also owns two resorts in the Dominican Republic that are managed by a third party and manages five resorts on behalf of third-party owners. For more information, please visit www.playaresorts.com.

About Wyndham Alltra
Wyndham Alltra is All-Inclusive, All for you. The ultimate carefree vacation awaits with everything you’ve been daydreaming of all in one place. From exciting eats and refreshing cocktails to live entertainment and non-stop activities, picture-perfect beaches to inviting pools, we’ve got something for everyone. It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for. Put on your out of office. Take off to Wyndham Alltra. Book your next stay at www.wyndhamalltra.com or visit www.wyndhamdevelopment.com to learn more about all-inclusive development opportunities.

About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) is the world’s largest hotel franchising company by the number of properties, with approximately 9,000 hotels across nearly 95 countries on six continents. Through its network of approximately 798,000 rooms appealing to the everyday traveler, Wyndham commands a leading presence in the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry. The Company operates a portfolio of 22 hotel brands, including Super 8®, Days Inn®, Ramada®, Microtel®, La Quinta®, Baymont®, Wingate®, AmericInn®, Hawthorn Suites®, Trademark Collection® and Wyndham®. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is also a leading provider of hotel management services. The Company’s award-winning Wyndham Rewards loyalty program offers 89 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally. For more information, visit www.wyndhamhotels.com.

ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 29, 2021 — Despite the competitive hiring environment, small business employment growth grew 0.26 percent in June, according to aggregated payroll data of approximately 350,000 clients provided by Paychex. The data released in the latest report of the Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch shows momentum in job growth with the Small Business Jobs Index gaining 4.53 percent during the second quarter of 2021 (in part driven by the 2020 comparison period). Hiring is particularly strong in the leisure and hospitality sector, which gained 12.65 percent in the past quarter. Hourly earnings growth increased slightly, from 2.82 percent in May to 2.84 percent in June.

Despite the competitive hiring environment, small business employment growth grew 0.26 percent in June, according to aggregated payroll data of approximately 350,000 clients provided by Paychex.
Despite the competitive hiring environment, small business employment growth grew 0.26 percent in June, according to aggregated payroll data of approximately 350,000 clients provided by Paychex.
The national index gained 0.26 percent to 98.52 in June and 4.53 percent during the second quarter of 2021.
The national index gained 0.26 percent to 98.52 in June and 4.53 percent during the second quarter of 2021.
Hourly earnings growth ticked up slightly, from 2.82 percent in May to 2.84 percent in June.
Hourly earnings growth ticked up slightly, from 2.82 percent in May to 2.84 percent in June.
“With re-openings across the country, the leisure and hospitality jobs index regained its pre-pandemic level,” said James Diffley, chief regional economist at IHS Markit.

“Following a year marked by lower employment rates, there was a notable uptick in small business jobs growth in June and throughout the second quarter. In fact, all four regions of the country experienced an increase in employment last month,” said Martin Mucci, Paychex president and CEO.

In further detail, the June report showed:

The national index gained 0.26 percent to 98.52 in June and 4.53 percent during the second quarter of 2021.
Employment growth in the leisure and hospitality sector increased 1.22 percent in June and 12.65 percent during the second quarter of 2021.
Wages are also on the rise in leisure and hospitality. The sector ranks highest in hourly earnings and hours worked growth, with weekly earnings growth up double digits.
The South continues to lead all regions in small business job growth.
Job growth in North Carolina spiked 6.36 percent during the second quarter.
Tampa once again leads all metros job growth.
Paychex business solutions reach 1 in 12 American private-sector employees, making the Small Business Jobs Index report an industry benchmark. The national jobs index uses a 12-month same-store methodology to gauge small business employment trends on a national, regional, state, metro, and industry basis.

The complete results for June, including interactive charts detailing all data, are available at www.paychex.com/watch. Highlights are available below.

National Jobs Index

The national index gained 0.26 percent to 98.52 in June and 4.53 percent during the second quarter of 2021.
At 98.52, the jobs index has trended above 98 since April when the lower prior year employee average comparison created a base effect.
National Wage Report

Hourly earnings growth ticked up slightly, from 2.82 percent in May to 2.84 percent in June.
Weekly earnings growth has slowed more than one percent during the past two months due to a reduction in weekly hours worked.
Regional Jobs Index

All four regions saw employment growth gains in June. The top-ranked region, the South, gained the least (0.05 percent). The lowest-ranked region, the Northeast, gained the most (0.45 percent).
At 99.43, the South remained the strongest region for small business job growth, more than one point above the next highest region, the West (98.25).
Regional Wage Report

Hourly earnings growth in the West was 3.18 percent, strongest among regions.
Hourly earnings growth in the Northeast slowed to 2.93 percent in June.
State Jobs Index

North Carolina has spiked 6.36 percent during the second quarter of 2021, best among states, improving its rank from 10th to 3rd.
The bottom two states last month, Washington and Virginia, had two of the top three largest increases this month.
Note: Analysis is provided for the 20 largest states based on U.S. population.

State Wage Report

Missouri (4.09 percent), led states in hourly earnings growth again in June, followed by Massachusetts (3.57 percent) and California (3.54 percent).
Illinois ranks last among states in hourly earnings growth (1.70 percent) and weekly earnings growth (0.85 percent).
Georgia remains the top state for weekly earnings growth (3.96 percent).
Note: Analysis is provided for the 20 largest states based on U.S. population.

Metropolitan Jobs Index

Tampa continues to lead all metros at 101.60, despite a 0.61 percent decrease in May and 0.52 percent decrease in June.
Three of the four lowest ranked metros, San Francisco, Washington, DC., and Seattle, saw the largest increases in June.
Note: Analysis is provided for the 20 largest metro areas based on U.S. population.

Metropolitan Wage Report

Two California metros, Riverside and Los Angeles, lead earnings growth among metros.
Thirteen metros have hourly earnings growth below three percent.
Seattle ranks first among metros in weekly hours worked growth, 1.44 percent.
Due to a reduction in hours worked year-over-year, three metros have weekly earnings growth below one percent (Minneapolis, Detroit, and Baltimore).
Note: Analysis is provided for the 20 largest metro areas based on U.S. population.

Industry Jobs Index

Leisure and hospitality gained 12.65 percent during the second quarter of 2021. Its index now ranks third among sectors.
Construction had the largest decrease among sectors again in June (0.63 percent). This follows a decline in May of 1.78 percent.
Note: Analysis is provided for seven major industry sectors. Definitions of each industry sector can be found here. The other services (except public administration) industry category includes religious, civic, and social organizations, as well as personal services, including automotive and household repair, salons, drycleaners, and other businesses.

Industry Wage Report

Leisure and hospitality ranked first among sectors for earnings and hours worked growth, with weekly earnings growth up double digits.
Other services continues to lead in employment growth; due to an influx of part-time employees. However, the sector is lowest both in hourly earnings and hours worked growth.
Note: Analysis is provided for seven major industry sectors. Definitions of each industry sector can be found here. The other services (except public administration) industry category includes religious, civic, and social organizations, as well as personal services, including automotive and household repair, salons, drycleaners, and other businesses.

For more information about the Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch, visit www.paychex.com/watch and sign up to receive monthly Employment Watch alerts.

*Information regarding the professions included in the industry data can be found at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.

About the Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch
The Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch is released each month by Paychex, Inc., a leading provider of payroll, human resource, insurance, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small-to medium-sized businesses, and IHS Markit, a world leader in critical information, analytics, and expertise. Focused exclusively on small business, the monthly report offers analysis of national employment and wage trends, as well as examines regional, state, metro, and industry sector activity. Drawing from the payroll data of approximately 350,000 Paychex clients, this powerful tool delivers real-time insights into the small business trends driving the U.S. economy.

About Paychex
Paychex, Inc. (Nasdaq:PAYX) is a leading provider of integrated human capital management solutions for payroll, benefits, human resources, and insurance services. By combining its innovative software-as-a-service technology and mobility platform with dedicated, personal service, Paychex empowers small- and medium-sized business owners to focus on the growth and management of their business. Backed by 50 years of industry expertise, Paychex serves more than 710,000 payroll clients as of May 31, 2021 across more than 100 locations in the U.S. and Europe, and pays one out of every 12 American private sector employees. Learn more about Paychex by visiting paychex.com and stay connected on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About IHS Markit (www.ihsmarkit.com)
IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO) is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide. The company delivers next-generation information, analytics and solutions to customers in business, finance and government, improving their operational efficiency and providing deep insights that lead to well-informed, confident decisions. IHS Markit has more than 50,000 business and government customers, including 80 percent of the Fortune Global 500 and the world’s leading financial institutions. Headquartered in London, IHS Markit is committed to sustainable, profitable growth.

IHS Markit is a registered trademark of IHS Markit Ltd. and/or its affiliates. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners © 2021 IHS Markit Ltd. All rights reserved.

Media Contacts

Lisa Fleming
Paychex, Inc.
+1 585-387-6402
lfleming@paychex.com
@Paychex

Kate Smith
IHS Markit
+1 781-301-9311
katherine.smith@ihsmarkit.com

Melissa Mazurek
Mower
+1 585-389-1809
mmazurek@mower.com

SOURCE Paychex, Inc.

Related Links
http://www.paychex.com

MIAMI, June 13, 2021 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — A milestone more than 15 months in the making: Royal Caribbean International and the communities of the Caribbean are celebrating the cruise line’s highly anticipated return to the region as Adventure of the Seas prepares to set sail from Nassau, The Bahamas yesterday. The first of Royal Caribbean’s ships to resume cruising in the Western Hemisphere, Adventure welcomed more than 1,000 vacationers on its opening cruise. The ship set sail with fully vaccinated crew and fully vaccinated guests 16 years of age or older, who make up 94% of all guests on board while the remaining 6% are children younger than 16. The ship now begins a summer lineup of 7-night sailings to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s game-changing private island destination in The Bahamas; Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas; and Cozumel, Mexico.

Royal Caribbean International’s Adventure of the Seas set sail from Nassau, The Bahamas on Saturday, June 12, marking the cruise line’s highly anticipated return to the Caribbean. Adventure will sail a summer full of 7-night cruises from Nassau to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s top-rated private island destination, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas and Cozumel, Mexico.
Royal Caribbean International’s Adventure of the Seas set sail from Nassau, The Bahamas on Saturday, June 12, marking the cruise line’s highly anticipated return to the Caribbean. Adventure will sail a summer full of 7-night cruises from Nassau to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s top-rated private island destination, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas and Cozumel, Mexico.
“The return of Adventure of the Seas marks a start in the tremendous step forward our guests have been waiting for and we’ve been working toward for more than 15 months. This is all possible thanks to the government of The Bahamas, the support of our partners and the hard work of our teams across Royal Caribbean,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “We are excited to welcome back our guests and crew, and help our Caribbean family regain the benefits of tourism their communities depend on. This is just the beginning, as we get ready to set sail from the U.S. for the first time on July 2.”

Hot on the heels of the cruise line’s return to the Caribbean, 11 Royal Caribbean ships are set to cruise from the U.S. and Europe once again, beginning in July and August. The complete lineup of Royal Caribbean’s 2021 cruises is available here.

Healthy and Safety Measures for Adventure of the Seas Bahamas Cruises

Vacationers sailing on Adventure can cruise with peace of mind, knowing that all crew members and guests are tested and fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Travelers 16 years of age or older must be fully vaccinated, and as of Aug. 1, guests age 12 or older. Vacationers younger than the eligible age must undergo testing and follow other protocols. The vaccine requirement is one of the many layers of measures that safeguard the well-being of our guests and crew as well as the communities we visit. These additional health and safety protocols include our fully vaccinated crew, testing, the robust onboard ventilation system, enhanced cleaning and sanitization. A full list of the travel requirements for summer cruises from The Bahamas on Adventure are available here.

Royal Caribbean will continue to evaluate and update its measures as circumstances evolve and in compliance with various government and health authorities. With cruises sailing to and from different destinations that have different sets of laws and guidelines, protocols will vary accordingly.

About Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean International has been delivering innovation at sea for more than 50 years. Each successive class of ships is an architectural marvel featuring the latest technology and guest experiences for today’s adventurous traveler. The cruise line continues to revolutionize vacations with itineraries to more than 270 destinations in 72 countries on six continents, including Royal Caribbean’s private island destination in The Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay, the first in the Perfect Day Island Collection. Royal Caribbean has also been voted “Best Cruise Line Overall” for 18 consecutive years in the Travel Weekly Readers’ Choice Awards.

Media can stay up to date by following @RoyalCaribPR on Twitter and visiting RoyalCaribbeanPressCenter.com. For additional information or to make reservations, vacationers can call their travel advisor; visit RoyalCaribbean.com; or call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN.

Royal Caribbean International is applying the recommendations of its Healthy Sail Panel of public health and scientific experts to provide a safer and healthier cruise vacation on all of its sailings. Health and safety protocols, regional travel restrictions and clearance to visit ports of call, are subject to change based on ongoing evaluation, public health standards, and government requirements. U.S. cruises and guests: For more information on the latest health and travel alerts, U.S. government travel advisories, please visit www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/itinerary-updates or consult travel advisories, warnings or recommendations relating to cruise travel on applicable government websites.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1532123/Royal_Caribbean_International_Nassau.jpg

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/405217/RCCL__Logo.jpg

SOURCE Royal Caribbean International

CONTACT: Lyan Sierra-Caro, lsierracaro@rccl.com; Celia de la Llama, cdelallama@rccl.com

Related Links
http://www.royalcaribbean.com

LIYANG, China, April 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — China Liyang Tea Festival and Tianmu Lake Tourism Festival simultaneously kicked off in Liyang, a city in Jiangsu Province in Southeast China on April 10, marking the 30th year since the tea culture was first celebrated in 1991. Celebrations will run for a month, all themed around the “Year of Ecological Quality Consolidation and Improvement”, and to highlight the wonderful vitality, leisure and entertainment of Liyang, a series of tea-related activities will be held focusing on culture, tourism, technology, economy and trade as well as publicity and promotion. The opening ceremony was also innovatively broadcast live across multiple online channels.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.prnasia.com/mnr/liyang_20210416.shtml

“Over the past 30 years, Liyang has undergone enormous changes both socially and economically. Built from the ground up, the tea industry has developed from simply planting trees to the current configuration complete with offshoot industries such as culture and tourism. Tea sales has evolved from small-scale domestic selling to larger-scale overseas exports. We are confident that by holding the dual-festival, it will serve as a driving force for the City of Liyang to attract more investment, and continue to act as an international calling card for the city’s modern ecological innovation.” said Mr. Xu Huaqin, secretary of the Liyang Municipal Party Committee.

At the launch ceremony, Mr. Noriaki Yamada, mayor of Hakusan, Liyang’s sister city in Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan, congratulated everyone on the grand opening of the dual-festival via satellite video. Guests at the ceremony enjoyed a viewing on a large screen of a traditional taiko (a Japanese drum) performance given by the citizens of Hakusan. By the end of 2020, Liyang had established solid sister-city relations with no less than nine cities across the world, including Hakusan,Chatham-Kent in Canada, Leeuwarden in the Netherlands, and Fulda in Germany with the number of cities growing all the time.

As part of the ceremony, awards and titles presented to Liyang included, China’s Most Beautiful Tourist City and National Research and Travel Demonstration Area and special plaques were delivered to outstanding star-rated tea houses in Liyang. Also featuring at the event, 18 projects from both domestic and foreign enterprises across multiple industries signed contracts with the city government of Liyang for a total investment of 42.32 billion yuan, proving the city’s massive potential in economic and social development.

Esteemed guests who attended the ceremony included academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, leaders of universities, government officials, think tank experts and scholars, and Chinese and foreign entrepreneurs.

With the dual-festival running all the way through the Labor Day (May Day) holidays to May 10, according to the organizer, there are thirteen more activities catering for all tastes that visitors can choose from including but not limited to, white tea leaf picking, a fishing carnival, a marathon that meanders through the surrounding scenic areas, and a traditional Han Chinese clothing cultural festival will all be held in succession to keep visitors invigorated and entertained.

Given the international situation of the pandemic is still quite precarious, most of the dual-festival activities are being conducted both online and offline.

Liyang’s Tea Industry & the Dual-Festival:

Located in the hilly area of the Yangtze River Delta, the superior geographical conditions and climate of Liyang provides a suitable environment for tea tree growth. Since the early 1990s, the production chain of tea planting, picking and roasting has developed rapidly, serving as a major industry in agriculture in Liyang.

At present, Liyang’s tea plantation covers more than 70,000 mu(about 4,667 hectares), with an annual output value of CNY1.5 billion ($US229 million). Among that, the representative “Tianmu Lake white tea” covers nearly 50,000 mu(about 3,333 hectares), with an annual output value of more than CNY1 billion ($US153 million). Currently, there are more than 300 tea production and operation entities in Liyang.

First celebrated in 1991, Liyang Tea Festival has gone through 30 years with new content ideas being continuously brought in. Under the premise of environmental protection, the City of Liyang has accelerated the development of tea industry, ecological agriculture and tourism to boost the growth of the social economy.

SOURCE Liyang Tea Festival

CONTACT: Joanne Xu, +86-18118365998, lystczx@163.com

JAKARTA, Indonesia, April 15, 2021 — Archipelago International, Southeast Asia’s largest privately owned and independent hotel management group, today announced the signing of hotel management agreements with Jabal Omar Development Company (JODC), a leader in real estate development in Saudi Arabia, for two hotels in their prestigious Jabal Omar project, which is within a few steps of the Holy Mosque in Makkah.

Both parties signed Hotel Management Agreements (HMA’s) for the 5 Star Luxury ‘Jabal Omar The Royal Alana Makkah’ which has 581 rooms and the 5 Star ‘Jabal Omar The Alana Makkah’ which has 560 rooms. The hotels, which are located in Phase 4 of the Jabal Omar project, are currently under construction and are situated adjacent to each other in a prime location overlooking the Holy Mosque.

“The entire Archipelago team is delighted to sign these HMA’s and to continue to grow our portfolio of hotels in the Kingdom. We are fortunate to work with a partner like JODC who understands the value and importance of superior hospitality experiences that are specifically customized to the needs of guests from Southeast Asia and in particular Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Southeast Asia is one of the fastest growing and strategically important source markets for the Kingdom and its Vision 2030 program. Our positioning, brand equity and infrastructure in these markets means we can deliver for our partners and add significant value to projects, not only in the holy cities, but throughout the Kingdom and the region,” commented Gerard Byrne, Managing Director, Archipelago Overseas.

Mr. Khaled Al-Amoudi, Chief Executive Officer of Jabal Omar Development Company confirmed that “the company is striving throughout its journey of accomplishments to keep up with the ambitious vision of Saudi Arabia 2030 in supporting the hospitality sector and enhancing the spiritual experience of pilgrims, by expanding our partnerships with a group of international hotel brands at the Jabal Omar destination. Therefore, Archipelago, a global company with a proven track record in Southeast Asia, has been attracted with the aim of joining the Jabal Omar Royal Alana Hotel and the Jabal Omar Alana Hotel within Jabal Omar’s distinguished hotel group.”

Al-Amoudi added, “through this partnership, Jabal Omar and Archipelago are keen to enrich the experience of our guests by providing the highest standards of quality and performance throughout their religious and cultural journey in Makkah and to help them perform their rituals and return home with the most beautiful and unforgettable spiritual memories.”

About Archipelago International
Southeast Asia’s largest privately owned and independent hotel operator, with 200+ hotels (32,000+ rooms) operating or under development across Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean. Trusted hotels with a long track record in more than 60 destinations with brands including ASTON, Collection by ASTON, The Alana, Huxley, Kamuela, Harper, Quest, NEO, favehotels and Nordic.

www.archipelagointernational.com

About Jabal Omar Development Company (JODC)
JODC is one of the largest real estate developers in the Middle East and one of the largest listed companies in the Saudi stock market (Tadawul). The Jabal Omar project is one of the most important integrated real estate developments located within walking distance of the Holy Mosque in Makkah.

As the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continuously seeks to increase the capacity of Makkah for pilgrims, JODC is proud to contribute to this by developing the areas overlooking the Holy Mosque, to give visitors and residents of Makkah a unique living and spiritual experience.

The total area of the Jabal Omar project is 235,869 square meters. The project includes 40 hotel towers and is a mixed-use development with commercial markets, apartments, luxury residential units and Islamic exhibitions. The hotels are managed by major international hotel companies, with every room having a dedicated space for private prayer and contemplation and views to the Holy Mosque. Hotels currently operating include the Jabal Omar Conrad Hotel, Jabal Omar Hyatt Regency Hotel, Jabal Omar Marriott Hotel, Jabal Omar Hilton Suites Hotel, Jabal Omar Hilton Makkah Convention Hotel and Jabal Omar DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.

www.jabalomar.com.sa

NN ARBOR, Mich., April 12, 2021 — Domino’s (NYSE: DPZ), the largest pizza company in the world based on global retail sales, and Nuro, the leading self-driving delivery company, are launching autonomous pizza delivery in Houston. Beginning this week, select customers who place a prepaid order on dominos.com on certain days and times from Domino’s in Woodland Heights, located at 3209 Houston Ave., can choose to have their pizza delivered by Nuro’s R2 robot. Nuro’s R2 is the first completely autonomous, occupantless on-road delivery vehicle with a regulatory approval by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

This collaboration between Domino’s and Nuro will introduce an entirely new delivery experience to pizza lovers. Here’s how it works: select customers who place a prepaid website order from the participating Domino’s store can opt to have their order delivered by R2. Customers who are selected will receive text alerts, which will update them on R2’s location and provide them with a unique PIN to retrieve their order. Customers may also track the vehicle via GPS on their order confirmation page. Once R2 arrives, customers will be prompted to enter their PIN on the bot’s touchscreen. R2’s doors will then gently open upward, revealing the customer’s hot Domino’s order.

“We’re excited to continue innovating the delivery experience for Domino’s customers by testing autonomous delivery with Nuro in Houston,” said Dennis Maloney, Domino’s senior vice president and chief innovation officer. “There is still so much for our brand to learn about the autonomous delivery space. This program will allow us to better understand how customers respond to the deliveries, how they interact with the robot and how it affects store operations. The growing demand for great-tasting pizza creates the need for more deliveries, and we look forward to seeing how autonomous delivery can work along with Domino’s existing delivery experts to better support the customers’ needs.”

“Nuro’s mission is to better everyday life through robotics. Now, for the first time, we’re launching real world, autonomous deliveries with R2 and Domino’s,” said Dave Ferguson, Nuro co-founder and president. “We’re excited to introduce our autonomous delivery bots to a select set of Domino’s customers in Houston. We can’t wait to see what they think.”

To view Domino’s full menu or place an order, visit dominos.com.

About Domino’s Pizza®
Founded in 1960, Domino’s Pizza is the largest pizza company in the world based on retail sales. It ranks among the world’s top public restaurant brands with a global enterprise of more than 17,600 stores in over 90 markets. Domino’s had global retail sales of more than $16.1 billion in 2020, with nearly $8.3 billion in the U.S. and more than $7.8 billion internationally. In the fourth quarter of 2020, Domino’s had global retail sales of more than $5.5 billion, with over $2.7 billion in the U.S. and more than $2.8 billion internationally. Its system is comprised of independent franchise owners who accounted for 98% of Domino’s stores as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2020. Emphasis on technology innovation helped Domino’s achieve more than half of all global retail sales in 2020 from digital channels. In the U.S., Domino’s generated more than 70% of sales in 2020 via digital channels and has developed several innovative ordering platforms, including those for Google Home, Facebook Messenger, Apple Watch, Amazon Echo, Twitter and more. In 2019, Domino’s announced a partnership with Nuro to further its exploration and testing of autonomous pizza delivery. In mid-2020, Domino’s launched a new way to order contactless carryout nationwide – via Domino’s Carside Delivery™, which customers can choose when placing a prepaid online order.

About Nuro
Nuro exists to better everyday life through robotics. The company’s custom autonomous vehicles are designed to bring the things you need, from produce to prescriptions, right to your home. Nuro’s autonomous delivery can give you valuable time back and more freedom to do what you love. This convenient, eco-friendly, safe alternative to driving can make streets safer and cities more livable. Nuro has brought autonomous delivery to local communities in Texas, Arizona, and California—for less driving and more thriving.

Company Info – nuro.ai
Media Assets – nuro.ai/media-kit

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) today announced it will offer debt-free degrees in Agriculture, Culinary, and Hospitality to all eligible employees in partnership with Guild Education, the leading education and upskilling company in the country. After only 120 days of employment, employees are eligible to pursue degrees from leading nonprofit, accredited universities, including The University of Arizona, Bellevue University, Brandman University, Paul Quinn College, Southern New Hampshire University, Wilmington University, the University of Denver and soon Johnson & Wales University, and Oregon State University. The new degree offerings build upon Chipotle’s best-in-class benefits and closely align with the company’s mission to Cultivate a Better World through its real, responsibly-sourced food.

In partnership with Guild Education, the leading education and upskilling company in the country, Chipotle will offer debt-free degrees in Agriculture, Culinary, and Hospitality to all eligible employees. The new degree offerings build upon Chipotle’s best-in-class benefits and closely align with the company’s mission to Cultivate a Better World through its real, responsibly-sourced food.
In partnership with Guild Education, the leading education and upskilling company in the country, Chipotle will offer debt-free degrees in Agriculture, Culinary, and Hospitality to all eligible employees. The new degree offerings build upon Chipotle’s best-in-class benefits and closely align with the company’s mission to Cultivate a Better World through its real, responsibly-sourced food.
Agriculture
Starting April 13, eligible Chipotle employees will be able to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Sciences or Rangeland Sciences online from Oregon State University, one of the top ranked U.S. colleges for agriculture.

According to the latest Census of Agriculture from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are more than six times as many farmers age 65 and older as farmers age 34 and younger*, challenging future of small and mid-sized farms throughout the country. Chipotle recognizes that the future of real food depends on cultivating the next generation of agriculture leaders and farmers, and now the brand is giving employees an opportunity to further contribute to its revitalization efforts.

Chipotle has committed $5 million over five years to help remove barriers and enable the next generation of farmers and ranchers to succeed. Last year, the brand spent more than $300 million in food premiums to purchase supplies that are responsibly sourced, humanely raised and often locally grown.

Culinary and Hospitality
Chipotle will be the first of Guild’s employer partners to offer debt-free culinary education through renowned culinary institution, Johnson & Wales University (JWU), later this year. The brand will work collaboratively with JWU and Guild to bring associate and bachelors’ culinary arts degrees online, as well as an additional Bachelor of Science degree in Food Industry Compliance Management. The associate degree in Culinary Arts will include an experiential education component to give students hands-on opportunities to build their culinary skills. In addition, Chipotle employees will have the opportunity to pursue a selection of bachelor’s degree programs in hospitality from Bellevue University, JWU or Oregon State University.

Supply Chain
Later this year, Chipotle will also offer an expanded selection of Supply Chain programs from Oregon State University and the University of Denver. The company currently offers Supply Chain degrees from Bellevue University, Brandman University, and Southern New Hampshire University.

“Diversifying our debt-free degree program with new majors and partner universities makes our educational benefits even more inclusive,” said Marissa Andrada, Chief Diversity, Inclusion and People Officer at Chipotle. “Through our partnership with Guild, we are committed to accelerating our employees’ professional growth and helping them achieve personal success by offering opportunities to pursue career paths in their particular area of interest.”

Chipotle’s Continued Commitment to Education
In 2019, Chipotle announced it will cover 100% of tuition costs up front for 75 different business and technology degrees through its partnership with Guild. Chipotle added this employee benefit to give employees the chance to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in the evolving 21st century job market.

The debt-free degree program is a key component of Chipotle’s Cultivate Education program, which includes an Existing Tuition Reimbursement Program, allowing eligible employees to be reimbursed for tuition up to $5,250 per year in qualifying programs.

Program Impact

To date, Chipotle has seen a retention rate of 3.5x higher among students who are enrolled in Cultivate Education.
Crew members using the benefit are 7.5x more likely to move into a management role within the organization.
Of those using the benefit, 85% of students are crew members, and the benefit has the biggest impact on their growth and tenure.
“Chipotle’s debt-free degree program expansion highlights its deep commitment to employees’ economic opportunity and professional advancement,” said Natalie McCullough, President and Chief Commercial Officer at Guild Education. “By expanding Cultivate Education to include a variety of programs aligned to the company’s mission, Chipotle is continuing to lead as an innovator in employee development and wellness.”

Along with access to higher education, Chipotle offers an industry-first Crew Bonus program, which allows its restaurant employees the opportunity to earn an extra month’s worth of pay each year for meeting certain criteria. Qualifying crew members can also take advantage of a full suite of benefits including access to healthcare; fitness discounts; and free English as a second language and GED classes for employees and family members.

*Source: American Farmland Trust
ABOUT CHIPOTLE
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Chipotle had over 2,750 restaurants as of December 31, 2020, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants. With nearly 88,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. Steve Ells, founder, first opened Chipotle with a single restaurant in Denver, Colorado in 1993. For more information or to place an order online, visit WWW.CHIPOTLE.COM.

ABOUT GUILD EDUCATION
Denver-based Guild Education is on a mission to unlock opportunity for America’s workforce through education and upskilling. Guild is a certified B-Corp, founded to bridge the gap between education and employment for the 88M working adults in the US in need of upskilling for the future of work. Guild’s industry-leading technology platform allows the nation’s largest employers — including Walmart, The Walt Disney Company and Chipotle — to offer strategic education and upskilling to their employees, connecting them to a learning ecosystem of the nation’s best universities and learning providers, with tuition paid by the company. Guild serves working learners from all 50 states, including 54% who are students of color and 56% female. Guild’s platform pairs technology and hands-on coaching to address common barriers to college completion and successful upskilling for working learners. Guild partners with employers to manage payment flows, data transfer, and benefits administration, while helping working adult learners go to school debt-free, with support services all the way through graduation. For more information, visit www.guildeducation.com.

SOURCE Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.

CONTACT: Erin Wolford, (949) 524-4035, MediaRelations@chipotle.com

Related Links
https://www.chipotle.com/

NEW YORK, March 31, 2021 — Squarespace, the all-in-one website building and ecommerce platform, today announced it has acquired Tock, a leading unified system serving the hospitality industry with online reservations, table management, takeout, and events in one place, for more than $400 million in a mix of cash and stock. With this acquisition, Squarespace continues the evolution of its product suite, enabling millions around the world to build a brand and transact with their customers in an impactful and beautiful online presence. Squarespace customers will have the ability to integrate a best-in-class solution for managing reservations, accelerate sales, provide marketing integrations, and connect directly with their customers.

“Ecommerce within the restaurant and hospitality industries is a large and growing market opportunity,” said Anthony Casalena, Squarespace Founder & CEO. “I’ve long admired Tock’s vision to reimagine how reservation-based businesses connect with their customers. We believe that together we will continue building on their success, bringing Tock’s capabilities to our all-in-one product suite in service of our customers in the hospitality industry and beyond.”

“Squarespace and Tock have a shared mission of elevating and enabling our customers’ success and passion,” said Nick Kokonas, Tock Founder & CEO. “Combining Tock’s unified platform and years of hospitality industry expertise with Squarespace’s reach, resources, and design-forward products, in our view, creates an opportunity to deliver a best-in-class solution to millions of entrepreneurs and small businesses around the world.”

Launched in 2014 by Kokonas, co-owner and co-founder of the Alinea Group, Tock powers reservations, table management, carryout operations, and events for more than 7,000 hospitality operators ranging from neighborhood pizzerias to Michelin-starred destinations, wineries, and pop-ups in 30 countries.Tock’s cloud-based platform provides businesses with sophisticated CRM and dynamic pricing tools to increase sales and deliver world-class hospitality. Tock has processed over $1B prepaid experiences in addition to millions of standard reservations across 200 cities around the world. Recently named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in 2021, Tock launched Tock to Go in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow restaurants to schedule takeout orders themselves instead of linking out to delivery services.

The acquisition of Tock follows Squarespace’s acquisitions of Acuity Scheduling, the online appointment scheduling platform, and Unfold, an app that helps anyone create elevated and engaging stories for social media, in 2019.

About Squarespace

Squarespace is the all-in-one website building and ecommerce platform that enables millions to build a brand and transact with their customers in an impactful and beautiful online presence. Our suite of products enables anyone at any stage of their journey to manage their projects and businesses through websites, domains, ecommerce, marketing tools, scheduling, and with Unfold, tools for managing a social media presence. Squarespace democratizes access to best-in-class design, helping our customers in 180+ countries maintain consistent branding across all digital touchpoints to stand out online. Our team of more than 1,200 is headquartered in downtown New York City, with offices in Dublin, Ireland, Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles, California.

Contact:

Amanda Cowie

acowie@squarespace.com

NEWTON, Mass., March 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Sonesta International Hotels Corporation (Sonesta) today announced the launch of its renewed global hotel franchising organization. Less than ten days after completing its acquisition of RLH Corporation, Sonesta is now one of the largest hotel companies, with approximately 1,200 franchised and managed properties. The company offers a complete platform of franchise services, hotel operations, and franchise support, with fifteen industry-leading brands that service an extensive array of the lodging demand.

Sonesta Chief Executive Officer, Carlos Flores, said, “Today we launched Sonesta’s global hotel franchising organization. Fortified with a new world-class leadership team, we expect the renewed team’s efforts to improve Sonesta’s growth trajectory. As our reach as a brand continues to expand across the globe, we are even more focused on providing an unparalleled level of service and support to our franchise community, buoyed by expanded economies of scale, robust purchasing power, and materially improved operational efficiencies. Today’s announcement is another significant milestone in Sonesta’s continuing evolution as an industry leader.”

The new franchise organization is led by Keith Pierce, who was named as Executive Vice President, President Franchise & Development, upon closing of the Red Lion acquisition earlier this month.

Today, Sonesta appointed Brian Quinn as Chief Development Officer to lead the company’s franchise growth effort. Quinn brings more than 20 years of senior development and sales management experience to Sonesta including nearly three years as Chief Franchise Sales Officer at Red Lion.

Mr. Pierce said, “Brian brings a breadth of experience from several leading hotel industry brands that we expect will help accelerate our footprint across global markets. Sonesta offers unmatched value and benefits to the franchise community and we plan to leverage these advantages to expand franchise offerings to include the existing Sonesta brands. The expansion of our development organization under Brian is a key component of our future success.”

Mr. Quinn said, “I welcome the opportunity to work closely with Keith and the entire Sonesta organization at this dynamic and momentous period in the company’s history. Sonesta’s heritage of delivering high-quality guest experiences, combined with increased scale, clearly offers compelling benefits to franchisees across service levels that should help accelerate our systemwide growth.”

Mr. Quinn joins Sonesta after having held senior sales and development management roles at many of the hotel industry’s top brands and management companies. He is a frequent speaker and commentator at leading hotel industry conferences and in leading lodging trade publications. He is active in numerous industry and civic organizations and is a current board member of the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. Mr. Quinn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida.

About Sonesta
Sonesta is one of the fastest-growing hospitality companies in the U.S., celebrating an approximate 350% increase in its managed hotel portfolio. You will find nearly 300 Sonesta hotels across seven brands operating in the U.S., Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Peru, and St. Maarten. Red Lion has eight additional brands with nearly 900 franchise properties across the U.S. and Canada. For more information about Sonesta and its locations, visit Sonesta.com or call 800.Sonesta (800.766.3782). For more information about Red Lion Hotels, visit Rlhco.com.

* High-resolution images are available at www.sonesta.com/media for all Sonesta hotels.

Media Contact:

Lorie Juliano

ljuliano@sonesta.com

Louisville, KY – Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) was once again named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America for its continued commitment to responsible and sustainable business practices. This is the fourth year in a row the Company has been named to DJSI, regarded as one of the leading sustainability benchmarks among both businesses and investors.rnrnYum!’s Global Citizenship & Sustainability Strategy, called its Recipe for Good, is the Company’s roadmap for socially responsible growth, risk management and sustainable stewardship around its three priority areas of people, food and planet. In January 2020, Yum! integrated its Recipe for Growth, the guiding principles of its business strategy, with its Recipe for Good.rnrn“As the world’s largest restaurant company, Yum! is committed to socially responsible, sustainable and purposeful stewardship of our people, food and planet,” said Jerilan Greene, Yum! chief communications and public affairs officer, and chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands Foundation. “We’re pleased to have earned another year of recognition by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America, which is a testament to the strength of our ongoing progress on our Recipe for Good journey.”rnrnThe Company continues to advance its Recipe for Good and its priority areas of people, food and planet. In June 2020, the Company announced a new social purpose to unlock opportunity in frontline restaurant teams and communities, supported by a $100 million investment over five years. Additionally, Yum! expanded efforts to offer customers globally more balanced choices, including plant-based and vegetarian menu items, and continued its climate change journey by increasing efficiencies in its restaurants and corporate offices and making progress on key deforestation commitments related to paper, palm oil, beef and soy.rnrn“In a year filled with unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19, we’re proud of the significant progress Yum! has made when it comes to further integrating responsible and sustainable practices across our business,” said Jon Hixson, Yum! chief sustainability officer and vice president of global government affairs. “This recognition reinforces the importance of investing in a more sustainable future with a focus on key areas such as climate change and sustainable packaging.”rnrnSince launching in 1999, DJSI has become a leading global index that tracks the sustainability strategies and work of publicly listed companies. Each year, the index assesses and ranks selected companies for their performance with environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria. View details about the 2020 DJSI here.rnrnManjit Jus, Global Head of ESG Research and Data, S&P Global said, “We congratulate Yum! Brands for being included in the DJSI North America. A DJSI distinction is a reflection of being a sustainability leader in your industry. With a record number of companies participating in the 2020 Corporate Sustainability Assessment and more stringent rules for inclusion this year, this sets your company apart and rewards your continued commitment to people and planet.”rnrnYum!’s 2019 Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report highlights the Company’s progress and goals around its people, food and planet and is a key component of its commitment to transparent and regular reporting. Learn more about Yum!’s citizenship and sustainability journey here.rnrnAbout Yum! Brands, Inc.rnYum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, has over 50,000 restaurants in more than 150 countries and territories, making it a leader in global retail development primarily operating the company’s brands – KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell – global leaders of the chicken, pizza and Mexican-style food categories. The Company’s family of brands also includes The Habit Burger Grill, a fast-casual restaurant concept specializing in made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches and more. In 2020, Yum! Brands was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America and was ranked among the top 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media.

Louisville, KY – Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM) and KFC U.S. today announced plans to invest $6 million over five years to advance equity and opportunity across Louisville, particularly in the West End. This expanded investment in Louisville will target endeavors that tackle inequality and uplift Black students, educators, entrepreneurs and social change agents. The local commitment is part of Yum! Brands’ global Unlocking Opportunity Initiative announced in June, in which the Company committed $100 million over five years to promote equity and inclusion, education and entrepreneurship for employees, frontline restaurant teams and communities around the world.

“At Yum!, we know our brands, frontline restaurant teams and communities are much stronger when we have diverse people, voices and ideas at the table to tackle our biggest challenges,” said David Gibbs, CEO, Yum! Brands. “With this expanded effort in Louisville, we are pleased to increase our partnership and investment in experienced local leaders and institutions that are already working to address the complex challenges of inequality.”

“As we work to strengthen equity and inclusion within every aspect of KFC, we look forward to partnering with community leaders to serve up greater opportunity and positive change right here in our hometown of Louisville,” said Kevin Hochman, President, KFC U.S.

The expanded work led by Yum! and KFC U.S. is expected to catalyze opportunity for the talent in Louisville through partnerships and financial contributions to entrepreneurship, education and equity and inclusion initiatives benefiting underserved areas of Louisville and tackling systemic racism.

“Tackling inequality is a long-term challenge that will require local businesses, governments, schools and philanthropists to establish new ways of partnering with and supporting talented community leaders who know the issues and the people most affected,” said Jerilan Greene, Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer, Yum! Brands, and Chairman and CEO, Yum! Brands Foundation. “We’re pleased to be part of making education and entrepreneurship, which are both essential ingredients for a brighter future, more accessible to our fellow Louisvillians.”

The Company’s expanded commitment in Louisville will support:

ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Technology entrepreneurship. Led by Executive Director Dave Christopher of The Academy of Music Production Education and Development, AMPED is expanding its full-service family support, increasing emphasis on technology skills, workforce development and business creation to drive economic growth, mobility and independence in West Louisville.
Grants for Black entrepreneurs and nonprofits. Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), one of the largest community development organizations in the U.S., will establish a fund that provides grants to Louisville-based Black entrepreneurs and nonprofits to expand economic opportunity in West Louisville. Simultaneously, LISC will open a Louisville office under the leadership of Denise Scott, LISC Executive Vice President, and create a local advisory committee comprised of local leadership from the public, private and nonprofit sectors to begin the search for an Executive Director.

EDUCATION
African-American teacher development. As one of the oldest private Historically Black Colleges in America, Simmons College of Kentucky, led by its President Dr. Kevin Cosby, is developing a unique program designed to recruit and train more African American teachers to enter the Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) system.
College scholarships. Led by Executive Director Marland Cole, Evolve502, a nonprofit organization, is helping JCPS students pursue a post-secondary education by funding scholarships and support, with an emphasis on assisting underserved communities.
College pathways: High school business, technology, and leadership education. University of Louisville College of Business professor Dr. Nat Irvin is working with Central High Magnet Career Academy Principal Raymond Green, and other key JCPS schools, to launch the second phase of a business, technology and leadership development pilot program to help predominantly Pell Grant-eligible high school students earn college credits from and early admission to the University of Louisville. The program is part of the University of Louisville President Dr. Neeli Bendapudi’s vision to become the nation’s premier anti-racist metropolitan research university.
EQUITY & INCLUSION

Black-led philanthropy and advocacy. Led by Metro United Way’s Chief Equity Officer Daryle Unseld, Black L.O.V.E., a nonprofit to strengthen Black-led social institutions in Louisville, will work with Black leaders and philanthropic partners to invest in areas recommended by the Black Social Change Funders Network.
In addition to Yum! Brands’ Unlocking Opportunity Initiative, the Company previously announced a $3 million pledge to social justice efforts by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, American Civil Liberties Union and Louisville-based social justice nonprofits along with national organizations identified by U.S. restaurant general managers at KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill—including the Boys & Girls Club of America, Equal Justice Initiative and Children’s Bureau.

In Louisville, Yum! is also co-chairing Greater Louisville Inc.’s Business Council to End Racism, a cohort of local business leaders developing policy recommendations to tackle racism and build a stronger, more inclusive local economy. Beyond the Company’s expanded efforts to address inequality locally, the Yum! Brands Foundation will continue its long history of supporting Dare to Care Food Bank, Metro United Way and Fund for the Arts in Louisville.

About Yum! Brands
Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, has over 50,000 restaurants in more than 150 countries and territories primarily operating the company’s brands – KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell – global leaders of the chicken, pizza and Mexican-style food categories. The Company’s family of brands also includes The Habit Burger Grill, a fast-casual restaurant concept specializing in made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches and more. In 2019, Yum! Brands was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index and in 2020, the company ranked among the top 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media.

About KFC
KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world’s most popular chicken restaurant chain. KFC specializes in Original Recipe®, Extra Crispy™, Kentucky Grilled Chicken® and Extra Crispy™ Tenders, Hot Wings®, KFC Famous Bowls®, Pot Pies, freshly hand prepared chicken sandwiches, biscuits and homestyle side items. There are more than 24,000 KFC restaurants in 145 countries and territories around the world. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE: YUM). For more information, visit www.kfc.com. Follow KFC on Facebook (www.facebook.com/kfc), Twitter (www.twitter.com/kfc) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/KFC).