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Häagen-Dazs The Rose Project Nominations Sought by July 31

Published July 29, 2024

The Häagen-Dazs Rose Project reveals powerful judging panel, to select winners of $100,000 bursary for #WomenWhoDontHoldBack

On International Women’s Day 2024, Häagen-Dazs announced the first five recipients of the $100,000 Rose Project bursary grant and reopened nominations for the second year of the global initiative. The pioneering efforts and societal contributions of trailblazing, unsung women from around the world have once again been put forward, and with days left until the closing date for nominations, Häagen-Dazs named a judging panel before the next selection stage for The Rose Project commences including:

Alejandra Orozco Loza, double Olympic medalist in diving from Mexico will be joining the panel this year. She has overcome a multitude of hurdles and has harnessed these experiences to motivate and empower young women
Katie Piper, United Kingdom-based author, broadcaster and philanthropist, is returning to the panel for a second year
Aurélie Lory, Häagen-Dazs Shops global managing director, will once again represent the brand and celebrate its pledge to honour womens’ accomplishments

Former Indian tennis champion and phenomenon Sania Mirza also joins the incredible women as a global ambassador for The Rose Project.

Handpicked for their own impactful achievements and epitomising Häagen-Dazs’ ‘Don’t Hold Back’ ethos, The Rose Project judging panelists are dedicated, uplifting, and representative of the global nature of the initiative. The judges will utilise their experience and passion to work together and will review the nominations received to select five worthy honourees of the $100,000 bursary grant. To find out more about The Rose Project Judging Panel 2024, visit https://iwd.haagen-dazs.global/en/jury/.

Häagen-Dazs launched The Rose Project on International Women’s Day 2023 to recognize unsung trailblazing women in honor of the brand’s unsung female co-founder Rose Mattus. Nominations for the global initiative are open for just one more week until July 31, and can be submitted via https://iwd.haagen-dazs.global/en/. Häagen-Dazs invites nominations for ambitious women who have an unwavering dedication to their work or project, and deserve to be recognised and celebrated.

Aurélie Lory says: “We are delighted to continue celebrating our iconic female co-founder, Rose Mattus, by recognizing the achievements of inspiring and deserving women from all corners of the globe with The Häagen-Dazs Rose Project. It is an honor to have a stellar panel of influential women on board who are trailblazers within their respective fields and embody Rose’s influence. We are confident that Katie, Sania, and Alejandra will help us select five worthy winners to receive an equal share of this year’s $100,000 bursary grant. We can’t wait to continue championing the stories of unsung female heroes.”

To share an inspirational story and nominate someone for The Rose Project, visit https://iwd.haagen-dazs.global/en/ and ‘Nominate now’ before the closing date of July 31.

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Save A Lot Teams With DoorDash for Deliveries

Published July 26, 2024

Save A Lot, one of the largest discount grocery store chains in the United States with over 750 stores, has formed a partnership with DoorDash, the local commerce platform. With over 400 stores live on the DoorDash Marketplace, consumers can access high-quality fresh products at everyday low prices and enjoy same-day delivery in under an hour, on average. In addition, participating Save A Lot stores will support SNAP/EBT payment capabilities on DoorDash later this year for on-demand delivery of SNAP-eligible groceries.

For nearly 50 years, Save A Lot has remained true to its mission of being a hometown grocer, offering quality and value to local communities seeking significant savings on their grocery spend. This partnership brings fresh produce, quality products, and fresh-cut meat to more shoppers and provides an affordable and convenient solution for customers with a range of circumstances, such as those with limited transportation options or individuals looking to save a trip to the store during a busy day.

As prices continue to rise on groceries and household essentials, eligible consumers will have more choices to leverage their SNAP/EBT benefits when ordering online groceries from participating Save A Lot stores later this year. Since launching support for SNAP/EBT payments in 2023, over 1.1 million consumers have added their SNAP/EBT cards to DoorDash.

As consumers’ favorite local commerce platform, DoorDash provides access to everything in their neighborhoods, including groceries, retail, flowers, food, and more, with over 500,000 local merchants on the DoorDash Marketplace. The addition of Save A Lot reinforces DoorDash’s commitment to providing affordable selections for consumers and empowering grocers with technology to reach both new and loyal customers.

To celebrate the new partnership, starting July 26 through September 30, new consumers to Save A Lot can enjoy 30% off all eligible orders of $50 or more (up to $20), at all participating Save A Lot locations using promo code SAL30. To offer even more savings to consumers, participating Save A Lot stores are also available on DashPass, DoorDash’s membership program that offers $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees from thousands of restaurants, grocery, and convenience stores nationwide.

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Casey’s to Acquire Fikes Wholesale, Owner of CEFCO C-Stores

Published July 26, 2024

Casey’s General Stores, Inc., a leading convenience store chains in the United States, has reached an agreement to acquire Fikes Wholesale, Inc., owner of CEFCO Convenience Stores, in an all-cash transaction for $1.145 billion. The purchase price includes tax benefits valued at approximately $165 million for a net after-tax purchase price of $980 million.

Fikes Wholesale, Inc. and CEFCO Convenience Stores began as a single “filling station” in Cameron, Texas, in 1952 and has grown to be a respected operator with stores in multiple states. Casey’s acquisition of Fikes will include 198 retail stores and a dealer network. The proposed transaction will increase Casey’s footprint to nearly 2,900 stores. The acquisition will bring 148 additional stores to Texas, which is a highly strategic market for Casey’s, as well as 50 stores in the southern states of Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. In addition to the retail stores and dealer locations, the transaction includes a fuel terminal and a commissary to support the Texas stores.

“During our Investor Day presentation in June of 2023, we outlined our business strategy to achieve top-quintile EBITDA growth. One of the core pillars of the plan is to grow the number of units,” said Darren Rebelez, board chair, president and CEO of Casey’s. “This acquisition will allow Casey’s to accelerate our unit growth plan with high-quality assets that, along with our recent 22 store acquisition in northern Texas, will provide an expanded presence in Texas and allow us to continue to expand in the state and region.”

Raymond Smith, president of Fikes and CEFCO, highlighted the strategic alignment between the two convenience organizations. “The acquisition by Casey’s, especially given its reputation and shared values, is an exciting development for Fikes and our employees. I am happy that the CEFCO stores will join a top convenience retailer that will reinvest in the stores and eventually bring Casey’s pizza to many of our customers as well as provide professional opportunities for our employees. We believe Casey’s will be an excellent steward of the CEFCO experience that our loyal customers have come to expect.”

Rebelez added, “We expect the acquisition will create value for Casey’s shareholders in the near- and long-term and will be accretive to Casey’s EBITDA in the current fiscal year. Fikes is a well-run and well-respected company in our industry, and we look forward to welcoming the Fikes team to the Casey’s family. We could not be more excited about the future of our two organizations.”

The company plans to finance the transaction through balance sheet cash and bank financing. The net investment of $980 million represents an approximate multiple of 11 times CEFCO’s pro forma adjusted 2023 EBITDA. The company expects to achieve approximately $45 million in annual run-rate synergies upon the completion of kitchen installations in the acquired stores.

The transaction is anticipated to close during the fourth quarter of calendar year 2024, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval. Casey’s was advised by BMO Capital Markets Corp. as financial advisor and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP as legal counsel, and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton as antitrust legal counsel. Fikes was advised by BofA Securities as financial advisor and Bourland, Wall & Wenzel, P.C. as legal counsel.

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