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$2-trillion Coronavirus Aid Package
Article via
Reuters
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U.S. senators and Trump administration officials have reached an agreement on a massive economic stimulus bill to alleviate the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, the negotiators said on Wednesday.
The Senate will vote on the $2-trillion package later in the day and the House of Representatives is expected to follow suit soon after.
“This is a wartime level of investment into our nation,” Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a speech announcing the pact after days of negotiations between Republican and Democratic lawmakers, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and other top aides to President Donald Trump.
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IMC Statement on New Market Schedule
In light of the developments related to precautionary measures to contain the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), and our focus on the health and safety of our employees, customers, partners and our industry as a whole, we have made the difficult decision to adjust our Spring Market schedule.
While we know any disruption to business is difficult, we feel this is absolutely the right thing to do at this time to minimize the health risks associated with COVID-19. Please see below for our revised market schedule:
VOW | New World of Bridal® – Postponed
Originally scheduled March 24-26 in Atlanta, VOW | New World of Bridal is postponed. We are exploring the best time frame that addresses the needs of our exhibitors while ensuring a safe and secure environment.
April Atlanta Apparel Market – Canceled
April Atlanta Apparel Market, originally scheduled April 14-18 will be canceled, and all efforts will be put into the June Atlanta Apparel Market scheduled for June 10-13, 2020.
High Point Market – Postponed
The High Point Market Authority, the official organizers of the High Point Market, announced today that the Spring High Point Market, originally scheduled for April 25-29, will be postponed to early June should conditions improve.
Atlanta Spring Cash & Carry – Postponed
IMC is exploring opportunities to provide an alternative during the summer months for the Atlanta Spring Cash & Carry, originally scheduled for May 5-7.
As of this time, our Summer Markets remain scheduled as planned:
- June Atlanta Apparel: June 10-13, 2020
- Atlanta Market: July 14-20, 2020
- Las Vegas Market: July 26-30, 2020
- World of Prom: Aug. 3-7, 2020
- August Atlanta Apparel: Aug. 4-8, 2020
We hope that by June, this situation will be significantly improved or resolved but will continue to monitor developments and adjust as needed. In the meantime, we want to thank all of our customers and partners who have been working through this difficult and evolving situation with us. We know you are equally concerned for the health and well-being of your employees, customers and family and are having to make difficult choices as a result. Our team will be in contact with customers impacted by these changes, but please feel free to reach out to us with any questions.
– Bob Maricich, CEO of IMC
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IMC Also Closes World Market Center Las Vegas To Public in Compliance with Nevada Governor’s Order
In line with the forced closure of Nevada casinos and non-essential businesses, International Market Centers (IMC) will close the World Market Center Las Vegas and Las Vegas Design Center to the public as of Wednesday, March 18, at 12 noon. The 30-day closure, ordered by Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak, aims to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
“The situation in Nevada has evolved rapidly and we are reacting to information as soon as we receive it,” said Bob Maricich, CEO of IMC. “We are navigating an unprecedented situation in real time and we appreciate our customers’ patience and partnership as we work to minimize business disruption connected with these new government mandates.”
IMC tenants and staff still will have access to the buildings for essential business support, provided appropriate social distancing is observed. Additionally, construction of the EXPO at World Market Center Las Vegas, a new 315,000-square-foot exhibition facility in downtown Las Vegas, is expected to continue, although distancing requirements will be implemented. The EXPO, which is scheduled to open for the Summer 2020 Las Vegas Market (July 26-30), will house Las Vegas Market’s temporary exhibits.
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Upcoming 2020 Gift & Home Markets
- ASD Market Week, March 22-25, Las Vegas, NV - CANCELLED
- New York Tabletop Show, March 31-April 3, New York - CANCELLED
- Dallas Total Home & Gift Market, March 24-27 - CANCELLED
- Denver Apparel & Accessory Market, April 5-7 - CANCELLED
- Seattle Gift Show, April 6-7 - POSTPONED
- Denver Apparel & Accessory Market, May 31-June 1
- Rocky Mountain Gift Show and Denver Apparel & Accessory Market, Aug. 28-30
- Denver Apparel and Accessory Market, Oct. 11-13
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CMC Issues Statement Regarding COVID-19
Courtesy
CMC website
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Our top priority will always be the health and safety of our visitors, community and staff. As such, and in light of national and local COVID-19 developments, we have made the difficult decision to postpone all events until further notice. CMC will announce future events once COVID-19 public health and safety concerns have been mitigated.
We will continue to closely monitor developments and follow the direction of local public health authorities. Unless otherwise directed, CMC will continue to remain open for tenants and visitors until further notice. CMC tenants are expected to follow prescribed guidelines in response to COVID-19 and to help prevent the spread of the virus.
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Message from ABC Kids
To our ABC Kids Expo customers—
There is a lot of news and information for you to absorb as our country responds to the Coronavirus threat, so I would like to start with the headlines for ABC:
- ABC is actively monitoring the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). We are following FIS (Fidelity National Information Services), the Armed Forces Financial Network’s strategic processing partner, and we are receiving regular updates from the U.S. State Department, Center for Disease Control (CDC) the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US travel and event industry.
- At this time, ABC Kids Expo will take place as scheduled on September 9-11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and the ABC Office remains open with our entire team either in the office (unless otherwise mandated and with the appropriate social distancing protocols in place) or working remotely as part of our business continuity plan, with no interruption in service.
We want you to be assured we are open for business and actively planning this year’s expo in September. As partners in the juvenile products industry, we are committed to keeping you informed via social media of any updates or new developments that affect our industry regarding manufacturing and retail operations and any news of government financial aid that becomes available. In providing up-to-the-moment guidance to the best of our ability, we hope to aid any way we can with our customers health and safety and the survival of business. –
The ABC Team and Board of Directors
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“Made in America: A Giftware News series on businesses offering American-made products.”
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Made In America Business Owner - Beekman 1802
Beekman 1802 co-founder Dr. Brent Ridge once worked with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia to build Stewart's health and wellness platforms. He forged a different path when he partnered with Josh Kilmer – a writer and advertising professional – to create Beekman 1802.
How the story began:
In 2006, the duo purchased a farm in rural upstate New York. After a neighboring farmer asked to let goats graze on the property, Ridge and Kilmer worked with neighbors to create soaps, beauty products and other artisanal items inspired by goat's milk. The company now sells a full line of bath and body products revolving around goat milk in the independent market.
“We grew our company one neighbor at a time, and to this day, we call all of our customers neighbors,” Ridge shared. “Even better, they refer to themselves as neighbors too.”
“We founded Beekman 1802 in 2008,” an excerpt from the website states. “But we actually consider ourselves to be a 211-year-old company. When we stumbled across the Beekman Farm in upstate New York, we had no plans to create a business around it. We started making goat milk soaps and gourmet cheeses in 2008 and one thing led to another … now we are proud to have over 180 employees and be recognized as one of the most successful lifestyle brands in America by Nasdaq, Inc Magazine & The Wall Street Journal. Like Judge William Beekman, who originally built the farm over 200 years ago, we were inspired by the land and the community to build something lasting.”
Beekman 1802 is known for its famous soaps, whipped body creams, caddy sets, hand lotions, lip balms, wipes and unique and creative gift sets during the holiday season.
“For 2020, we have developed a special line of our products that incorporates CBD, because so many customers have been asking for them,” Ridge added. “We expect this line to perform especially well in the retail portions of our spa and salon clients' businesses. What makes our approach to CBD different is that unlike many skincare companies, we use broad spectrum CBD and can trace the origin of the ingredient back to its original source.”
All the organic CBD for the company's product is grown and harvested in the Hudson Valley area.
Ridge said that even though there are many beautiful bath and body lines on the market today, there are fewer that meet clean beauty standards. Because of this, he believes another one of the big trends over the course of the year will focus on clean beauty.
“Customers really want to know that the product that they are using or gifting is free from potentially harmful ingredients like parabens, sulfates, phosphates, petrochemicals and mineral oil,” he said.
One challenge the company has faced has been coming up with sustainable packaging. Ridge said the independent gift market is historically dependent on beautiful packaging because packaging not only helps “tell the story,” but also makes the product “leap” off the shelves.
“Sustainability is a growing issue for the consumer (and for us as a company) as we all need to be better stewards of the environment,” he said. “What we have to do is continue to follow up on the latest advances in packaging and material technology so that we can deliver solutions that are still visually compelling. Right now we are seeing that for the average consumer, the look of the packaging more heavily influences the purchasing decision than does sustainability,” he continued. “We need to work together to move the customer down that path.”
He is hopeful for the future of Beekman 1802 and shared the following advice:
“What has turned Beekman 1802 into one of the fastest growing brands in the gift market is the story of reinvention, of community, and kindness,” he said. “That brings in the new neighbor; then, once they use the product and see its benefit to their skin, they are a Neighbor for life. We [also] know that the independent shop faces the same retail pressures that all of retail is facing from digital sales,” he added. “However, we see our independent partners as really valuable at telling our story in a way that a big box retailer or an big online retailer simply cannot do, and this is why each holiday we design collections that are exclusive to this sector of our business. You may not be able to compete on price, but you can compete on story and experience, and we want to help our small shops do that in a successful way in any way that we can.”
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Forty One Madison Issues Statement Regarding Tabletop Market
Courtesy
Forty One Madison
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As coronavirus COVID-19 conditions continue to evolve globally, we are assessing the risks they may pose to the 41 Madison community and the tabletop industry at large. Following careful study and extensive discussion with community leaders and New York City government officials, we have elected to cancel the March 31-April 3 2020 New York Tabletop Show. We believe that hosting large-scale gatherings under prevailing public health conditions is not in the best interest of our customers and the Tabletop Community. At the same time, we recognize that companies operating within the building remain free to conduct business at their discretion. While we know this decision may impose unanticipated changes in plans, we also believe it will provide peace of mind and support general well-being.
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Clarion Events Still on Schedule
During this time, we continue to think of our Gift & Souvenir family and want to let you know we are sending our best wishes of health to you, your families, and your teams.
Our commitment will always be to help support your business goals as well as prioritize the safety of our buyers, exhibitors, and staff. In light of the continued developments around COVID-19, we wanted to provide an update regarding our upcoming Gift & Souvenir events.
At this time, our events are not in jeopardy of cancellation or postponement, and we look forward to creating the same opportunities to showcase new resources and build connections that you have come to expect of our events.
As you know, the updates on COVID-19 are changing daily as well as its level of impact across the country and abroad. We will provide additional updates as necessary as we continue to monitor the situation closely and follow advice from the latest public health officials and governments from around the world. As always, our teams are working to continue to support you during this time.
We extend our deepest concerns for those impacted by the virus and encourage everyone to stay safe as we proceed through these uncertain times.
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Hong Kong Show New Dates
“Considering the current development of the coronavirus outbreak, and in line with the health measures taken by the Hong Kong SAR Government, a decision has been made in consultation with industry representatives to reschedule eight HKTDC trade fairs originally scheduled for April 6-30, 2020,” the council announced on its site.
Under the new arrangement, the HKTDC Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Spring Edition), HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition), HKTDC International ICT Expo, HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair, HKTDC Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair, HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week, HKTDC Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair and Hong Kong International Printing & Packaging Fair will be held concurrently July 25-28, 2020 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.
Detailed arrangements of the July fairs will be shared with exhibitors and buyers concerned with the rescheduling in due course.
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High Street Brands in Fight for Survival Amid Coronavirus Fallout
Article via
theguardian.com
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Laura Ashley
has collapsed into administration as other well-known high street brands warn of looming jobs cuts and closures due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The warnings came as the UK chancellor, Rishi Sunak, unveiled a fresh package of economic measures to support businesses and individuals under financial pressure because of the crisis, while the Trump administration said it wanted to send cheques to U.S. citizens as part of a new stimulus package to limit the economic fallout from Covid-19.
Laura Ashley said it would file for administration as the embattled fashion and furnishings firm, which operates more than 150 British stores and has 2,700 employees, said rescue talks had been thwarted by the pandemic.
Elsewhere, the outdoor clothing chain
Mountain Warehouse
, which has almost 400 branches in nine countries, said it was considering cutting 2,000 jobs after the coronavirus crisis triggered a “catastrophic” drop in sales.
Meanwhile, the Italian food chain Carluccio’s, which has 73 restaurants, warned it was only days away from widespread closures, and the catering group Compass issued a profit warning after the outbreak forced it to close almost half its business.
On Tuesday evening Selfridges tweeted that it was temporarily closing its four department stores in London, Manchester and Birmingham from 7 p.m. on Wednesday. It said it would continue to serve customers online and through social media.
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