According to the 2016 Franchise Business Economic Outlook report, employment growth in the franchise sector will continue to outpace the growth of employment in all businesses economy-wide, as it has in each of the last six years. The franchise industry is set to grow by 1.7 percent in 2016 which added over 13,000 new franchise businesses, generating over $900 billion in economic output and 278,000 new jobs in 2015.
Kumon, the world’s largest education franchise, continues to flourish as it surpassed company milestones in 2015 with nearly 300,000 students enrolled in its math and reading programs nationwide.
“Many of our 1,500 franchise owners opened Kumon centers after experiencing first-hand how Kumon gave their own children an academic advantage that put them ahead of their peers,” says Larry Lambert, vice president of franchise recruitment at Kumon North America. “Kumon is helping thousands of aspiring small business owners transform their lives with a career that rewards them and changes the lives of youth every day.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7720256-kumon-franchise/
Taking center stage at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show are more than 20 vehicles that made their world debut during the Media Preview including the Kia Niro, Ram Power Wagon, Nissan Armada, Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro, Chevrolet Trax, Hyundai Santa Fe and Infiniti Q50 among others. More than a dozen concept cars are also on parade, including the Acura Precision, Buick Avista, Genesis Vision G, Kia Telluride and Nissan Murano Winter Warrior.
This year marks the 108th edition of the Chicago Auto Show. First staged in 1901, the Chicago Auto Show is the largest auto show in North America and has been held more times than any other auto exposition on the continent. The show runs from Feb. 13-21 and opens at 9 a.m. each day. There are nearly 1,000 different vehicles on display throughout the more than 1 million sq. ft. of McCormick Place.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7660251-chicago-auto-show-2016/
Persil® ProClean®, Henkel North America’s new premium laundry detergent brand, made its first-ever Super Bowl® advertising debut with a commercial that aired in the second quarter of Super Bowl 50. As a new brand in the U.S. Persil ProClean has only been available to U.S. consumers since early 2015, but the Persil brand has been globally renowned for over a century. Its exceptional stain-fighting, whitening, and freshness have translated into impressive repeat-purchase rates, showing that once consumers try it, they love it.
Persil ProClean chose this coveted platform to launch their 2016 advertising campaign featuring the brand’s debonair tuxedo-wearing, stain-fighting superhero, “The Professional,” played by Peter Hermann. “The Professional” brings humor to a historically predictable category, while showing off some serious stain-fighting to relay a simple yet impactful message to viewers. Packed with powerful stain-fighting technology, Persil ProClean 2in1, received the highest laundry detergent rating in recent rankings by a leading consumer testing publication. Persil ProClean 2in1 didn’t only beat market-leader Tide, it beat every single detergent tested.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7750351-persil-proclean-super-bowl/
Volvo Cars has chosen the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit to launch its new signature premium sedan, the S90, underscoring its long term commitment to the U.S. market and providing a clear sign of its confidence in continued sales growth in the coming year.
Volvo sales in the U.S. increased 24.3 per cent in 2015, with an especially strong performance at the end of the year with sales rising 87 per cent in October, 90 per cent in November and 89.9 per cent in December, driven by continued strong sales of the XC60 crossover and the new XC90 SUV.
“There are strong indications that Volvo is back on track in the U.S.,” said Lex Kerssemakers, Senior Vice President of the Americas at Volvo Car Group. “We expect this strong sales momentum to continue in 2016, helped by the new S90.”
The launch of the S90 highlights the ambition of the Swedish car maker, following an $11bn investment and the recent breaking of ground in Charleston, South Carolina, where Volvo Cars will build its first American production facility, employing around 2,000 workers.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7709951-kbb-naias-2016-detroit/
Fifty-three automotive journalists from Canada and the United States have voted the Honda Civic as the 2016 North American Car of the Year. The Volvo XC90 was picked as the 2016 North American Truck/Utility of the Year.
Both vehicles were previous winners. The Civic won in 2006 and the XC90 in 2003.
The awards – now in their 23rd year – are unique in the United States because instead of being given by a single media outlet they are awarded by an independent group of automotive journalists from the United States and Canada who represent magazines, television, radio, newspapers and web sites.
The awards are designed to recognize the most outstanding new vehicles of the year. These vehicles are benchmarks in their segments based on factors including innovation, comfort, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7699852-north-american-car-truck-of-the-year/
The world’s first all-in-one music player Smart Hearable 1.0, developed by VINCI, will make its debut in the North American market at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held from January 6 to 9 in Las Vegas, United States.
The highlight of the design is the artificial intelligence technology applied to create ME 1.0, the first smart assistant that makes the AI talking system from the 2013 film “Her” real.
VINCI Smart Hearable is a wireless and hands-free smart music player that can react to user body and consciousness dynamics with different kinds of music. With a built-in proximity sensor, the device automatically plays the music when user puts it on. It has a touch panel that responds to gestures like tapping and sliding, and a voice interaction system that allows users to guide the device with simple commands.
ME is able to respond with a song that best suits the moment by analyzing data collected from user including heart rate, current location and scenarios through intelligent algorithms, so that user can not only tell ME songs, albums or singers they desire to enjoy the music, but also share their mood and feelings with it.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7730451-vinci-smart-hearable-ces/
Actresses Shay Mitchell and Nina Dobrev are giving back this holiday season by starring in a month-long global philanthropic advertising campaign powered by IPG Mediabrands in support of Free The Children’s WE Are Stronger Together campaign. With the purchase of a $10 Rafiki bracelet, handmade with love by women in Kenya, a gift of impact is unlocked – water, healthcare, school supplies, healthy meals – helping to break the cycle of poverty and create a brighter future for Free The Children partner communities in Kenya, India, Ecuador, Haiti, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Nicaragua and rural China.
By wearing a Rafiki bracelet, available at we.org and select retail stores including Walgreens, PacSun and Nordstrom, North Americans have the opportunity to join Shay Mitchell and Nina Dobrev in making a statement that they are part of the WE movement – a generation who believes that together WE can change the world. Each Rafiki purchased has a unique code for consumers to enter online at trackyourimpact.com so they can track exactly in what Free The Children community a life-changing gift was given.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7722251-free-the-children-we-are-stronger-together/
It’s the time of year when the automotive universe turns its attention to the heart of the industry, as all roads lead to Detroit in January. The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) encourages its global journalist audience to begin preparations to attend Press Preview, Jan. 11-12, 2016, at the completely transformed Cobo Center. Widely considered one of the most important automotive events on the planet, NAIAS is consistently the strategic choice of global automakers to launch their new products and automotive technology, and the 2016 show is no exception.
“The industry is truly firing on all cylinders, and that will be reflected at this year’s show,” said Paul Sabatini, 2016 NAIAS Chairman. “Attendees to the 2016 NAIAS will see the most global reveals of any auto show in North America, and will experience them amidst automaker exhibits that are either completely new or significantly enhanced for the upcoming show.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7699851-detroit-2016-naias/
Extended Stay America – one of the largest owner operated hotel chains in the U.S., announced an exclusive partnership with The Noerr Programs, the premier provider of authentic Santa Experiences to nearly 300 of America’s top shopping centers. Extended Stay America hotels was hand-selected by The Noerr Programs and Santa Claus himself, for its comfort and home-like conveniences, and named “Santa’s Official Hotel,” while he travels away from the North Pole in his seasonal tradition of listening to children’s holiday dreams and wishes this season.
“We’re excited to partner with The Noerr Programs and Santa Claus, to help light up the holiday for travelers,” said Chief Marketing Officer, Tom Seddon. “Santa has been staying with us for years. As an iconic symbol of kindness and generosity, we believe Santa is perfectly aligned with our brand’s personality and the spirit you’ll find in our associates. During the holidays it is easy for travelers to get caught in the frenzy of the season and often times become stressed with balancing it all. Our Extended Stay America family, with a little magical help from Santa, looks to help ease holiday woes through the best way we know how -- extending the creature comforts of home so that guests can focus on enjoying time with loved ones and creating lasting memories.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7617751-extended-stay-santa-s-official-hotel/
The following is being released by the Notice Provider, Kinsella Media, LLC, about the lawsuit In re Automotive Parts Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 2311.
Settlements totaling approximately $54.1 million have been reached with two Defendants. The lawsuits allege that they fixed the price of certain motor vehicle components, causing millions of consumers and businesses from around the country to overpay for new or leased automobiles and replacement parts, such as air flow meters, alternators, ATF warmers, electronic throttle bodies, fuel injection systems, ignition coils, inverters, motor generators, radiators, starters, and valve timing control devices.
The Settlements provide monetary relief for consumers in the District of Columbia and 30 states - Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The Settlements also provide non-monetary relief, including cooperation, and an agreement by the Defendants not to engage in certain conduct for a period of 24 months.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7666751-auto-parts-antitrust-litigation/
Call it a homecoming.
When Toyota introduced Lexus to the U.S. market in 1989, the Georgetown, Ky., plant – its first stand-alone vehicle manufacturing facility in America – was just in its second year of producing the Camry.
Fast forward 26 years and that same plant is celebrating the start of U.S. Lexus production. Today at a ceremony fit for a luxury brand king, the first-ever U.S.-produced ES 350 was unveiled before several thousand proud team members in Georgetown. And, just like a newborn foal at the nearby horse farms in Central Kentucky, the newcomer was brought into the world with plenty of TLC and hope for a bright future.
“This is really a proud moment for us and brings us full circle,” said Wil James, president, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. “To be the first wholly owned plant, building the number one best-selling car in America, the Camry, for 13 years in a row, and then to be selected to build the first Lexus is truly a tribute to our team members.”
For the past two and a half years, the Kentucky plant – Toyota’s largest in North America – has been gearing up to make the ES 350, Lexus’ best-selling sedan in the U.S. In all, $360 million was invested toward a new dedicated assembly line, adding 750 new jobs. Total capacity for the new line will be 50,000 vehicles.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7655351-lexus-kentucky-plant-es-350/
Today, Suzhou Tourism launched its first-ever campaign to directly target North American travelers – the “Experience Suzhou: The Venice of China and the City of Scholars” sweepstakes, open for entries now through October 23, 2015 at www.TraveltoSuzhou.com/Sweepstakes. Available to residents of the Continental United States and Canada, the online promotion will award 18 travelers (nine winners plus one guest each) a six-day visit to Suzhou between November 2015 and January 2016.
Situated just west of Shanghai, Suzhou is deeply rooted in culture and heritage as one of the oldest cities in the Yangtze Basin dating back more than 2,500 years. With its narrow streets and winding waterways, Suzhou truly lives up to its nickname as “Venice of China.” Taking advantage of this hidden gem location, sweepstakes winners and their guests will enjoy a six-day package inclusive of round-trip coach airfare, accommodations at one of the city’s top hotels, three meals daily, and a guided trip through the city each day. The trip itinerary will offer a quintessential Suzhou experience featuring visits to a selection of UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as the Humble Administrator’s Garden and Lingering Garden, as well as Tiger Hill, Suzhou Museum, Pinjiang Road, Silk Museum, Tongli, and authentic experiences at iconic restaurants such as Songhelou and Deyuelou. The trip is the ultimate vacation adventure for anyone who wants to visit China and experience true Chinese culture.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7584351-suzhou-tourism-sweepstakes/
