ALDI USA’s Post

Happy 1st MBO anniversary to River Capital equity portfolio business Barons Contract Furniture - can’t believe it’s been a year already!! It's been great to work with all the team at Baron's, including Managing Director Garry Smith and Chair Gary Lasham. As outlined in the post below, there’s been a massive amount achieved in what is a relatively short period, and the future looks equally exciting as the business continues to deliver on its growth opportunities. And you? Are you like Garry, an MD in a North West based SME business you wish to acquire? Or do you own an SME and are considering your exit plans which may potentially include passing the business on to your management team? Always happy to talk and see if we can help .... #fuellingambition #MBO #investment #growth #equity

As we round out the last 3 days of Black History Month, I will be sharing the stories of the Lowes Region 4 Black Store Manager Council, their journey, what Black History Month and the BSMC means to them. These stories are often of excellence, resilience and are OUR "history in the making". We would appreciate if you shared them with your store associates and leaders. Introducing Michael Butler, Store Manager of Columbus, IN Store #1516 I have been in retail for over 33 years. I started my retail career in Champaign, Illinois. My retail career has allowed me to travel around the country and live in places that I would not look for on a map normally. While in college, I worked for a tech company that taught me my business acumen, created a love for big sales and introduced me to my mentor Jody Johnson. She was my first GM that encouraged me to be my authentic self. She gave me advice on life and how to create a solid career path. Her approach of taking care of her associates before anything has always resonated with me and has become my blueprint for success. It has helped me created some strong leaders in my retail career. I could never match her enthusiasm and energy (I truly try), she is the reason I love what I do today. I have been with Lowes for three years now at store 1516, in Columbus, Indiana. I plan to retire with Lowes. What does Black History Month mean to me? Both my parents were born in the 1940’s and lived through times of gross inequality. My dad’s father was a sharecropper in Mississippi with 13 children. He was a hard worker and did the unthinkable in those times; he purchased the land he was working and was able to give it to his children. My mom was biracial. Her dad a white minister in Dayton, Ohio in the 40’s. The stories of their journeys from birth to where this country is today is amazing. We have truly come a long way in equality and still have a long way to go. What does the BSMC mean to me? Before I came to Lowes, I had a job offer to be a district manager for a Fortune 50 company. They were so confident I would accept the role they parked my company car in front of my home. They also knew that I was interviewing with Lowes. During my final interview with the RVP at the time, he discussed the BSMC (it had just started and had 10 strong managers) and what they were doing in Detroit and Indiana was impactful. I canceled my other job offer and started with Lowes with pride. I wanted to work for a company that was aware of what was going on in the world and wanted help change it. The BSMC is my opportunity to do just that." Region 4 Black Store Manager Council Charles M. Reasonova Chad Doescher Portia Barnes Keith Jackson Rickey Ward Beverly Peguese James Jackson Adrian Davis Charles Schrzan Emanuel Garland Henry (Hank) Moultry Jr LaShonda Hawk Darran Duncan Abidemi Afolabi Dee Hawkins Jarade Henderson Anthony Jones Briana Daugherty Bryain Haynes Joe Jackson Maurice Morris Bobby Scott

Dame Sharon White is a smart person. She is also, from all accounts, a nice individual. However, she was, sadly, the wrong person to chair the John Lewis Partnership – especially as her tenure coincided with a period of massive change that required retail skills which she does not possess. Dame Sharon did not cause all of the Partnership’s problems. However, neither was her diagnosis of them correct. She made two very big mistakes. The first was to set targets for generating profit outside of retail. This showed a lack of confidence in the core business and diverted too much attention from the problems in day-to-day operations. There is nothing wrong with trying new things, but not to the detriment of retail, which should be at the heart of everything the Partnership does. The second was to float the possibility of getting outside investment. Aside from being against the company’s founding principles, this severely undermined her standing with Partners and led to an enormous backlash from which Dame Sharon never really recovered. It is hard for anyone to lead an organization during troubled times if they don’t have the confidence of those below them. There have been many other stumbles too. The view on the role of physical stores has been too negative leading to some unnecessary closures, there has been a lack of innovation at both Waitrose and John Lewis, Waitrose was too slow to react to the cost-of-living crisis, and so forth. This has allowed rivals, especially Marks & Spencer, to steal share. The departure of Dame Sharon is, on balance, the right thing. Her lack of retail experience and her civil service background have, quite bluntly, not served the company well. But to move forward, the next chairman of JLP needs to have both the qualities she lacked. #retail #retailnews #JohnLewis #Waitrose

From Funnyman to Brand Icon. Alright, let's talk about Ryan Reynolds. We all know him as the hilarious Deadpool, but I want to delve deeper. This guy's a branding ninja in disguise! Here's why, Ryan Reynolds is a storytelling masterclass for any brand looking to break through the noise: 👾He Hacks Authenticity: Forget celebrity endorsements. Ryan pokes fun at himself, his movies, even his own damn commercials. This kind of self-aware humor disrupts the usual inauthentic marketing BS and builds real connections. 🗡️Social Media Samurai: His Twitter? A masterclass in engagement. Witty banter, unexpected turns, and playful jabs at his "frenemy" Hugh Jackman? Pure gold. Keeps everyone glued to the screen, wondering what he'll do next. 📜Storytelling Through Action: Remember when he bought Aviation Gin and turned it into a pop culture phenomenon? Actions speak louder than ads, people. Ryan understands the power of weaving narratives around his brands. 🍇 Community, Not Consumers: He doesn't just talk AT you. He interacts with fans, celebrates their creativity, makes them feel like part of something bigger. Remember the Mint Mobile year in review video entirely made by fans? Genius. My Branding Takeaways: 😂 Self-Deprecation is Your Secret Weapon: Don't be afraid to show your human side! A little humor can disarm your audience and make them receptive to your message. 🗣️ Become a Storyteller, Not a Shouter: Move beyond product features. Tell engaging stories that resonate with your audience on an emotional level. 💕 Turn Fans into Family: Social media isn't a one-way street. Foster conversations, celebrate your fans, and make them feel valued. They'll become your biggest advocates. Ryan Reynolds is more than just a pretty face (and let's be honest, the man's undeniably good-looking). He's a branding master who gets the power of storytelling. So, tell me in the comments below – what are YOU doing to make your brand story stand out? #branding #marketing #storytelling #ryanreynolds #engagement #brandinfluence #marketing 🤘🏼Let's get this conversation going.

Happy Easter From Morgan King. Today we held one of our notorious sales floor hours, in which the winners got a chance to play higher or lower for a chance to win one of our many prizes. Keep tuned in to see who won the top prize, a holiday! How did you celebrate your easter? #eastersunday #easter #eastereggs #MorganKing #MorganKingRecruitment #MorganKingGroup #jobs #leedsbusiness #leedsjobs #recruitment

THANK YOU FOR TOP FAN.! With President Joe Biden – I just got recognized as one of their top fans.! ALLIED: I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE SUCH A POWERFUL MILITARY MOVIE IN ALL MY LIFE. I CAN SERIOUSLY SEE BRAD PITT PLAY 007 J. BOND. ARTICLE: CRYPTOCURRENCY & REYGITONIUM-G. BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION TENRI CULTURAL INSTITUTE tenri.org https://lnkd.in/e55sRd8b https://lnkd.in/eB98Jnv9 WonderMind.com: CRYPTO-FINANCE & WHAT'S ON THE TABLE. REYGITONIUM-G MR. MS. TEEFEY & SELENA GOMEZ-RARE-SUPERSTAR. TCI GALLERY SPRING 2024 THEMES. CRYPTOCURRENCY & REYGITONIUM-G TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: I ABSOLUTELY SEE NOTHING WRONG WITH CRYPTOCURRENCY: REYGITONIUM-G I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY THE INFANT DEMOCRATIC-CAPITALISTIC MINDS OF TODAY BLAME USA GOVERNMENT. THEN IS ANY GOVERNMENT TO BE BLAMED FOR HOMELESS PROBLEMS PLAGUING THE WORLD.? NO. GOD KNOWS HEADACHES USA GOVERNMENT HAVE WITH THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS. THE NEW WORLD PRACTICALLY SHOCK TO WITNESS. PEOPLE ONLY WORKING TOGETHER FOR A COMMON GOAL. "IN THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS." THUS DOESN'T THAT ALSO INCLUDE THE HOMELESS. THE HOMELESS ARE OUT THERE. ARE YOU.? HOMELESS.. AN OPPORTUNITY MISUNDERSTOOD. The modern economic system is a market economy, which is a capitalist economy where people, not the government--NOT THE GOVERNMENT--own most businesses. In a capitalist economy, prices allocate capital and labor between competing uses, and capital assets like factories, mines, and railroads can be privately owned and controlled. https://lnkd.in/eB98Jnv9 GOOGLE EXAMPLE, IF YOU NEED TO RAISE MONEY FOR ANY REASON OR MORE SO LETS SAY THE "HOMELESS" PROBLEM WHICH IS BELIEVED TO BE TIME & MONEY CONSUMING BUT IN ONE DIRECTION TOWARD THE HOMELESS. HOWEVER CRYPTOCURRENCY CAN POSSIBLE ALLOWS AN EXPENDITURE OF CURRENCY TO BENEFIT ALL WHO USES THE CRYPTO & REGARDLESS OF HOW IT'S CONSUMED. THEREFORE IF A CRYPTO HOMELESS CURRENCY REYGITONIUM-G EXISTED IT'S MORE HIGHLY LIKELY THAT THE HOMELESS PROBLEM CAN BE VANQUISHED BECAUSE CURRENCY-FINANCES IT'S ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO BE TAPPED INTO FOR HOMELESS RESOLUTIONS. REYGITONIUM-G: COUNTRY GOVERNMENT $1-DOLLAR INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO OF 8-BILLION EARTH CITIZENS. OR CONTINUE HIDING THE HOMELESS WHEN A POLITICAL LEADER VISITS AMERICA. CLOSING COMMENT: THE DAMNEDEST CRAZIEST FUNNIEST EMBARRASSING ABOUT THE HOMELESS CHAOS IS ANY EXCUSE AS TO WHY HOMELESS EXIST. HENCEFORTH CONSIDER USA TRILLIONS IN DEBT & 6,120 OF HOSPITALS SCATTERED AROUND THE USA & MANY COUNTRIES ASKING FOR FOREIGN AID IN THE TRILLIONS & YOU TALKING EXCUSES. MEANWHILE WE WANT TO SETTLE HUMANITY ON OTHER PLANETS. THANK YOU FOR READING.

#sustainability #nobelprize Burgers, fries, and soda, the American version of German meat and potatoes with a drink, from the icon of American cultural globalization, the golden arch of Ray Kroc’s McDonald’s, gave the comeback kid from Hope, Arkansas, Bill Clinton, a triple bypass. Taste and health cannot be more perfectly uncorrelated, -1, or are they perfectly correlated, 1, because what Clinton and Bill Gates consider taste is reality the lack of it? This lack of taste is giving the planet a nona-bypass along all the nine planetary boundaries, as the Amazon burns to let the cows graze to feed the world’s growing appetite for their flesh along with economic growth and aspiration of the one human family to converge. Gates wrote a book on climate. Invested in how to mitigate cows passing methane. But his addiction to money and cows remains, undermining both his book and investments. The way to save humanity is not to make rounds of both Norway and Sub Saharan Africa, far far above and far far below the equator, the Great White North and the Great Black South, but walking the talk on global sustainability. Does this sound good or do you want me to give you consent to talk about my vision to showboat and make a quick buck?

There are moments worth celebrating. Wins are still out there no matter how things may appear. Two more retail stores approved for clients in NJ and another two full vertical licenses (cult, manu, retail) for two clients that own their own land in NJ. There are also losses. In the 1,300 range for NY priority review. Likely not a winner. Onward and upward. Learn from each experience and bring that to the next venture or deal. Still have a great location in New Rochelle for anyone that wins in the Mid-Hudson region.

As #BlackHistoryMonth starts, #IMS is honoring Kristin Weeden, M.S., SHRM-SCP, Chief Talent Officer of Penske Entertainment. Learn more about Kristin and what Black History Month means to her ⬇️

This was an ongoing concern. Improvements allow adding/linking specials to card/number. The issue has been phones, phone capabilities, households. People recommend doing from computer. Not all have computer. Online delivery orders and curbside present challenges. Order changes involve another service. Payment method card access is accessible to temporary help. Multiple “hand held” and mobile devices retain information. Cross sharing. I asked why all coupons and specials are unable to be linked to Kroger Card number, instead of selected coupons? I didn’t receive a response. I’ve noticed modifications and improvements on a monthly basis. Sometimes, improvement is reversed after a short period? Some locations, have admitted to customers, they are targeting “younger” shoppers. Other locations, intentionally, stocked and set up for families, with children. I’ve noticed, some efforts, in grocery to sell smaller portions and packaging for singles, couples and elderly. Prices were more expensive, in some cases. Same in others. Self serve, allowing personalized quantity selection, were/are difficult to manage. Remodels have been in progress for Walmart, Kroger and Meijer. Store designs and products are based on statistical, demographics captured by rewards cards and local agencies. Scan check out areas have gone through, several, revisions in “software” and processing, in recent 2+ years. Sometimes, new systems were changed, again, within a short period of time.