“For the first 7 weeks, we saw meaningful increase in our gross merchandise margin. Reflecting the elimination of promotional pricing for our Journey program we had last Valentine’s Day.”
MARK LIGHT, CEO - US, SIGNET JEWELERS LTD
We believe that we have the key advantages in the basic retail disciplines in customer service, store operations, and supply-chain and merchandising, marketing, real estate, credit, and management. I will describe each to you, but the real test is what you will see today in our Jared store and even more importantly, when you’re out around the country and you go shopping shop one of our stores. Read more »
A Hephzibah couple was paired with a loving lottery win on Valentine’s Day. Amelia Goodin, 66, is one of two players each to win $285,806 in the Feb. 14 Fantasy 5 drawing. Read more »
YOU’D THINK that saying it with flowers would be taking a back seat to staying alive as the recession bites and people watch every rand carefully.
Yet, at NetFlorist - the net-based florist and gift supplier - they have actually noticed an uptick in business.
Perhaps, people are determined to keep up their spirits in dark times; perhaps romance is an antidote to depression, admits marketing director Sue Morris.
“Our business is actually up on the same period last year - and we had a very successful Valentine’s Day, for example,” says Morris. Read more »
The Living rooms of mums around Croydon won’t be as full of flowers as normal this week.
Florists around the borough said sales were down for Mother’s Day this year as the recession takes its toll. Read more »
Valentine’s Day, early established to take place on February 14, day of the Roman feast of fertility and purification (the Lupercalia), became associated with romantic love in the Middle Ages through the influence of Geoffrey Chaucer when the concept of courtly love flourished (see also Anastasia International).
A more compelling version of Valentine’s Day originated in Belarus where it’s said Saint Valentine was so devastated by his lover’s rejection that he cut out his own beating heart and sent it to her as a dramatic symbol of his love. From this gripping tale spawned the traditional Valentine’s Day icon, a blood-red heart, and the gesture of sending its image to the object of one’s desire, typically portrayed as a woman whose charm and beauty are irresistible. Read more »
“Sculptor Venu Gopal Parashar’s work took a tongue-in-cheek look at the socio-emotional tamasha that Valentine’s Day has become for many young people, eloquently focusing on peer pressures and the physical ‘good looks’ that help score a number of ‘valentines’, as well as the emotional trauma of rejection.”
HIGHLIGHT: Last month meant more than roses and gifts to the bright young artists of Gujarat.
At the packed opening of the 7th Annual Feb Group Show, which opened at the Red Earth Gallery in Vadodara late last month, was a curious work of art.
Manoj Baviskar’s sculpture, I Love You featured red-hot dried chillies that scrunched and elbowed their way into a huge heart quietly going dhak-dhak.
Tender, velvety roses, traditional symbols of romantic love, and especially associated with Valentine’s Day on February 14, had given way to fiery peppers maddening, lusty, sharp, ferocious and of course, hot. On the other hand, Debasree Das’ mixed media artwork with cloth, embroidery and painting speaks of February 21, celebrated as the Language Day. Read more »
The leading doughnut retailer had its largest single retail sales days in three years in its company-owned stores on February 13 and February 14. The 2009 Share the Love promotion was the company’s most successful and best-selling Valentine’s Day effort since the specialty heart-shaped doughnut was introduced in 2006 (see also Krispy Kreme). Read more »
St. Valentine would never have thought that his day would be celebrated the world over in such a magnificent fashion!
And did you know that the maximum number of unofficial engagements happen on Valentine’s day - not just in the USA, but all across the world! Read more »
Valentine’s Day (also sometimes ‘Valentime’s Day!) is a challenge for men. Every year, you have to come up with something new, original - something that says you care, something tasteful - something better than all of her friends’ blokes .. it almost seems unfair.
Fear not, guys - it’s actually pretty simple when you factor in that (a) Valentine’s Day is a commercial scam and therefore, (b) the shops go out of their way to do all the work for you. Check out these Valentine’s Day beautys…
There are heart-shaped chocolates, petit fours and cakes with “I Love You” written in icing on the shelves of The Peninsula Boutique at The Peninsula Manila. The hotel also suggests showing one’s love with blooms from The Flower Shop. Then have a romantic meal on Feb. 13 and 14 at its food outlets. Old Manila offers a set lunch and dinner menu for Feb. Read more »
PandaLabs, Panda Security’s malware analysis and detection laboratory, announced that it has detected a new variant of the Waledac Storm worm, the Waledac.C worm, which is using Valentine’s Day as bait to spread itself to as many computers as possible (see also Panda Security). Read more »
