The full list and article appears online, and will also be included in an upcoming print edition of Newsweek. Respondents were asked to rate retailers on the following: friendliness of communication, professional competence, range of services, customer focus and accessibility.
"While The Fresh Market has always put the needs of our guests first, this recognition is especially meaningful amid the precautionary measures grocery stores have had to put in place over the past seven months like face coverings, plexiglass shields and social distancing that can impede interacting with our guests," says Jason Potter, President and CEO of The Fresh Market. "During these stressful times, it is more important than ever to offer impeccable guest service and hospitality."
Fender Brings Back Free Fender Play Lessons, Launches FindYourFender Interactive Guide
In March 2020, Fender gave away three months of free guitar, bass, and ukulele lessons via Fender Play as an act of goodwill during the pandemic. Within a month, Fender Play's user base grew nearly 500% to approximately 930,000 aspiring players learning on the app. Fender is bringing back this goodwill offer – three months of free Fender Play – through the end of 2020. The Fender Play app makes it easier than ever to learn how to play the guitar, bass or ukulele with multi-genre, instructor-guided video lessons to assist those embarking on their musical journey. Designed with bite-sized learning in mind, Fender Play gives beginners everything they need to get playing songs by their favorite artists in minutes.
Fender stands to report the brand's highest-ever year for sales in 2020 with individuals turning to music to occupy their time during quarantine and stay-at-home orders, as reported in The New York Times.
"Fender is increasingly focused on bringing new players to our industry as new players have fueled solid growth in guitar sales for over a decade and continue to represent the future of our industry," says Andy Mooney, CEO at Fender. "Given the accelerated growth in new players entering the market this year, with most researching their buying decisions on-line, we created the FindYourFender experience to assist new players in personally selecting the ideal guitar, uke or bass for them to enjoy."
Briggs & Stratton Announces Completion of Sale to KPS Capital Partners
Briggs & Stratton, a recognized global leader in providing power to get work done, says that KPS Capital Partners has acquired substantially all of the assets of Briggs & Stratton Corporation and certain of its wholly-owned subsidiaries.
KPS acquired the assets free and clear of substantially all liens, claims, encumbrances and interests through a sale under Section 363 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri formally approved the transaction on September 15, 2020. With the completion of the sale to KPS, the Acquired Business has successfully exited from its Chapter 11 Bankruptcy proceeding.
Briggs & Stratton will now operate as an independent company with the long-term support of KPS, a leading global private equity investor with a demonstrated track record of successfully transforming businesses and creating profitable, growing companies. KPS, with approximately $11.5 billion of assets under management, works to advance the strategic position, competitiveness and profitability of its investments to create world-class, industry-leading companies.
Givex Launches Mobile App to Streamline Online Ordering, Gift Card and Loyalty Programs for Restaurants
In a time when restaurants across the globe are struggling to navigate strict regulations for indoor dining while the window for outdoor dining is rapidly closing, technology has been a boon for the industry — more specifically, it’s helped to streamline operations and capture revenue for off-premise dining. Even with that in mind, many restaurant owners don’t have the time, staff or money to invest into expensive technology enhancements. Restaurant technology company Givex offers a solution to restaurant owners who are looking for a customizable, cost-effective and easy-to-use solution: a mobile app that allows customers to place an order, purchase or refill gift cards and earn loyalty points and rewards.
The Givex Customer WebSuite delivers gift card, loyalty and online ordering capability all in a single mobile app and provides a unified experience across desktop and mobile. It integrates with Givex POS, streamlining the online ordering process for restaurant owners and creating a simple, contactless payment experience for customers. Givex’s solution is device-agnostic and requires no additional IT support. Changes, updates and upgrades to the app are automatically available to the consumer, preventing the need for the download of version upgrades.
“Interest in contactless payment options and online ordering has surged during the pandemic,” says Brittain Brown, president of Givex. “But many restaurants found it hard to justify the costs of developing their own mobile app. Givex’s Customer WebSuite solution provides a cost-effective option for many clients while integrating tightly with their Givex POS. This app will allow restaurants to own the direct relationship with their customers.”
Impact Kitchen, a four-unit health food restaurant chain based in Ontario, closed its locations at the start of the pandemic and took that time to consolidate its technology solutions to prepare for aggressive growth. The brand recently partnered with Givex to develop a new technology suite including dynamic digital menu screens, point-of-sale systems, kitchen sequence systems and online ordering through the Impact mobile app using Givex’s Customer WebSuite — allowing customers to order and pay while collecting loyalty points. These systems were designed to create a contactless restaurant experience, accomplishing the ultimate goal of enhancing safety, improving the customer experience and fostering the Impact Kitchen community.
“Impact Kitchen made the most of our temporary shutdown by taking the time to retool our operations and prepare for future growth,” said Josh Broun, co-founder of Impact Kitchen. “We could see that a new technology suite and branded app would be central to that goal. With Givex, we are delivering a seamless and contactless customer experience while being able to engage our community directly.”
Blenders Eyewear Launches New Collection of Goggles and Winter Sport Accessories Blenders Eyewear unveiled its 2021 SNOW line, expanding on its collection of signature fresh looks and bold styles made […]