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| A FEW SELECTED PRESS RELEASES... reverse chronological order... McDonald's 18 July 2017 Macca’s teams up with UberEATS for McDeliveryYour Macca’s run just got easier with McDonald’s New Zealand and UberEATS today announcing the launch of their McDelivery partnership.From Tuesday 18th July, McDonald’s fans in the Greenlane area will be to enjoy their favourite menu items delivered straight to their door, via the popular food delivery service, UberEATS. This is McDonald’s latest move in a string of customer-led innovations. “To remain relevant to our customers, we have to change and adapt with their preferences faster than ever before,’ says Dave Howse, Managing Director of McDonald’s New Zealand. ‘In the last two years we’ve introduced McCafe at Drive-Thru and All Day Breakfast, evolved Create Your Taste to Gourmet Creations, moved to free range eggs, and started table service. “Like all of our innovations, the expansion of McDelivery has come from customer feedback. The introduction of our delivery trial last year proved to be very popular, and we’ve had many requests to expand the service,” adds Howse. “By partnering with UberEATS we’re able to extend the availability of McDelivery, providing our customers with the food they love and new levels of convenience.” McDelivery via UberEATS will initially be available from McDonald’s Greenlane restaurant, with more Auckland locations set to be announced within coming weeks. McDelivery will operate within a 10-minute delivery zone to ensure hot, quality food every time. Customers can choose from nearly the full range of menu items including burgers, fries, wraps, McMuffins, desserts and McCafé coffee. “Since we launched UberEATS in Auckland earlier this year, we’ve been overwhelmed by the way local residents have embraced a new way to get the food they love. Whether that’s a breakfast Acai bowl delivered to work, a chicken dinner mid-week or a burger at the weekend,” says Simon Rossi, General Manager of UberEATS ANZ. “Today we’re thrilled to be bringing even more choice to Aucklanders, with everyone’s Macca’s favourites now available for delivery at Uber speed.” McDelivery via UberEATS will be available from the Greenlane restaurant between 8am to 11pm, Sunday to Thursday and 8am to 1am Friday and Saturday Domino's November 2016 Pizza-by-drone a reality with world-first customer deliveries in New ZealandDrone deliveries of pizza are now a reality, with the first commercial delivery of food by drone to a customer, anywhere in the world, successfully completed in New Zealand this morning.Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Limited (Domino’s) and drone delivery partner Flirtey delivered the first order, a Peri-Peri Chicken Pizza, and a Chicken and Cranberry Pizza, at 11:19am (GMT+13) to a customer in Whangaparaoa[1], 25km north of Auckland. The unmanned aerial vehicle, DRU Drone by Flirtey, was autonomously controlled using GPS navigation, overseen by a team of drone experts and a qualified and experienced drone pilot. Domino’s Group CEO and Managing Director, Don Meij, said the successful DRU Drone by Flirtey delivery came just three months after the companies announced their partnership, but followed a number of operational and product trials, including food temperature testing, and liaison with government. “We invested in this partnership, and technology, because we believe drone delivery will be an essential component of our pizza deliveries, so even more customers can receive the freshest, hottest pizza we can offer,” Mr Meij said. “Our partnership with Flirtey grew out of this drive to innovate. Their success within the airborne delivery space has been impressive and we’re proud to have partnered with them on this world first. “DRU Drone by Flirtey offers the promise of safer, faster deliveries to an expanded delivery area, meaning more customers can expect to receive a freshly-made order within our ultimate target of 10 minutes. “They can avoid traffic congestion and traffic lights, and safely reduce the delivery time and distance by travelling directly to customers’ homes. This is the future. “Today’s successful delivery was an important proof of this concept, DRU Drone by Flirtey can deliver the highest-quality meal to our customers, safely, and we are delighted at this milestone. “Our customers are excited about the possibility of drone deliveries and we are thrilled to be working with local families as we test and expand this technology. “We will be conducting more delivery flights to customers from the Whangaparaoa store this week, and will use the information we gather to expand drone flights to a larger DRU Drone by Flirtey delivery area next year. “We expect DRU Drone by Flirtey to be an essential addition to our delivery fleet. “This will actually create jobs. As we expand, we will look to hire additional team members whose roles will be focused on drone order loading and fleet management. “I am proud of this partnership that has not only delivered this momentous event, but is leading the world for this important technology. Flirtey received a Part 102 Unmanned Aircraft Operators Certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority. Flirtey CEO Matt Sweeny said: “This is the first time a drone delivery service has been approved for store-to-door deliveries, cementing Flirtey’s position as the leader of the drone delivery industry worldwide. “The eyes of Silicon Valley and the world are on New Zealand, which has the most forward-thinking aviation regulations, and Flirtey and Domino’s are excited to be bringing world-leading technology, international investment, and high paying jobs to New Zealand. “We have been conducting daily testing, including final adjustments to our proprietary hardware and software, to perfect the service so that we could deliver the highest quality experience to customers in the safest possible manner. “Flirtey will work with Domino’s to expand on today’s success, and plan to extend the dimensions, weight and distance of the deliveries in the future based on results and customer feedback. “We are taking a ‘Crawl, Walk, Run, Fly’ approach to roll out drone delivery, and we are getting closer to the time where you can push a button on your smartphone and have Domino's delivered by DRU Drone by Flirtey to your home. “It is so exciting to work with Domino’s and achieve this world first together. The insights that Domino’s can bring by being a world-class delivery company helps Flirtey to offer a world-class drone delivery service.” Domino’s does not anticipate any shortage of customers when they start with trials to customers. The Company’s recent GPS Driver Tracker Polls revealed that 70 per cent of customers would use DRU Drone by Flirtey for their deliveries if given the opportunity. The use of DRU Drone by Flirtey as a delivery method is designed to work alongside Domino’s current delivery fleet and ultimately will be fully integrated into online ordering and GPS systems. Domino’s is looking at opportunities for drone delivery trials in its six other markets – Australia, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Japan and Germany. About Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd: Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Limited (DPE) was Australia’s first publicly-listed pizza company and is the master franchisor for the Domino’s brand in Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Japan and Germany. Across these seven markets, DPE and its franchisees operate more than 2,000 stores. For more information, visit www.dominos.co.nz About Flirtey: Flirtey is the world’s leading drone delivery service, with a mission to save lives and change lifestyles by making delivery instant. The startup has worked with NASA, and top universities to create the technology and logistics systems for a mass-market drone delivery network. Flirtey was also the first company to conduct an FAA-approved delivery in the U.S., the first to perform a fully autonomous drone delivery to a home and the first to launch a commercial drone delivery service. Flirtey’s landmark achievements have been recognised by the Smithsonian Institution for display at its Air and Space Museum, which accepted a Flirtey drone to join other iconic American aircraft, including the Space Shuttle Discovery and the Wright Flyer, on display at the museum. Learn more at www.flirtey.com For further information or images contact: Nathan Scholz, Domino’s Communications Manager: T | +61 7 3326 5435 | +61 7 3633 3286 | E: media@dominos.com.au [1] Whangaparaoa - pronounced Fong-AH-pa-ROW-ah ________________________
Flirtey Nov. 15, 2016 Flirtey Launches World's First Pizza-By-Drone Commercial Trials, Delivers Domino's Pizza to Customer HomesRENO, Nev., Nov. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/
-- Flirtey
and Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd (Domino's) today
began autonomous delivery of pizzas from Domino's stores to select
customer homes, the first such deliveries anywhere in the world.
The deliveries were conducted in New Zealand as part of Flirtey and Domino's Pizza Enterprises ongoing drone delivery testing. Currently
available to select customers, the two companies plan to launch
pizza-by-drone deliveries at increasing scale in the near future.
Flirtey's leading drone delivery service and safety technology will
ensure precise, safe and efficient deliveries of fresh Domino's pizza
to customers.
The store-to-home flights are made possible by Flirtey's advanced autonomous technology, complex safety systems and special packaging that have all been designed to complete deliveries across a variety of weather conditions and flight paths in suburban environments. "We are moving closer and closer to widespread store-to-door drone delivery," said Matthew Sweeny, CEO of Flirtey. "To conduct these deliveries in an urban environment while delivering a hot, fresh pizza, is a validation of our delivery system that assures Flirtey is prepared for mass market deliveries around the globe." A recent customer poll found that 70 percent of Domino's customers would use DRU Drone by Flirtey for their deliveries. "We are thrilled with the results of our trials, and look forward to expanding DRU Drone by Flirtey soon," Domino's Group CEO and Managing Director Don Meij said. "We invested in this partnership, and technology, because we believe drone delivery will be an essential component of our pizza deliveries, so even more customers can receive the freshest, hottest pizza we can offer." "Drones offer the promise of safer, faster deliveries to an expanded delivery area, meaning more customers can expect to receive a freshly-made order within our ultimate target of 10 minutes. This is the future," Mr. Meij said. The use of DRU Drone by Flirtey as a delivery method is designed to work alongside Domino's current delivery fleet and is being fully integrated into online ordering and GPS systems. The Flirtey drone is constructed from carbon fibre, aluminium and 3D printed components. It is a lightweight, autonomous and electrically driven unmanned aerial vehicle. It lowers its cargo via tether and has built-in safety features such as low-battery return-to-safe-location programming and auto-return-home commands in case of low GPS signal or communication loss. The personal, on-demand delivery service developed by Flirtey, using proprietary software and hardware, represents a new age of delivery for a new generation of consumer. The two companies successfully exhibited the first stage of their partnership with a demonstration of pizza delivery by drone in Auckland, New Zealand on August 25th 2016. The historic event was attended by the Civil Aviation Authority and Minister of Transport Simon Bridges. Video available upon request. Photos can be accessed here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1cbsfhhdfipz964/AAAXaHI1cysdRGQIL3Hqxypua?dl=0 About Flirtey: Flirtey is the world's leading drone delivery service, with a mission to save lives and change lifestyles by making delivery instant. The startup has worked with NASA, and top universities to create the technology and logistics systems for a mass-market drone delivery network. Flirtey was also the first company to conduct an FAA-approved delivery in the U.S., the first to perform a fully autonomous drone delivery to a home and the first to launch a commercial drone delivery service. Flirtey's landmark achievements have been recognized by the Smithsonian Institution for display at its Air and Space Museum, which accepted a Flirtey drone to join other iconic American aircraft, including the Space Shuttle Discovery and the Wright Flyer, on display at the museum. Learn more at www.flirtey.com McDonald's 9 May 2013 PRESS RELEASE – for immediate release GEORGIE PIE IS ‘BROUGHT BACK’!
The iconic Steak Mince ‘N’ Cheese pie will be sold from early June, at its Queen Street and Greenlane restaurants, then rolled out to five other McDonald’s sites in Auckland and four sites in the Waikato shortly after. McDonald’s New Zealand managing director, Patrick Wilson, says he is excited to see how customers will react to tasting a Georgie Pie after so many years. “We understand the passion Georgie Pie evokes for New Zealanders. It’s part of our popular culture and bringing it back is a big responsibility. We’re committed to delivering to the original recipe and treating the Georgie Pie brand with the respect it deserves.” Staying true to the original recipe has been of the utmost importance, and part of the process has seen ex Georgie Pie GM, Brian Popham, consult on the product research and development process. The Steak Mince ‘N’ Cheese pie will be made using quality New Zealand beef and Georgie Pie’s unique short pastry, formed in the distinctive square shape. The only significant alteration to the original Steak Mince ‘N’ Cheese recipe was the removal of added MSG. The pies will be produced at the former Georgie Pie production facility in Manukau, which pie supply partner, Goodman Fielder, had previously purchased from Progressive Enterprises. Bringing back a product after 15 years and at scale is a highly complex process and Mr Wilson says the pilot will help test the product operationally across McDonald’s range of restaurant types, while providing valuable consumer and business insights. “Our research suggests that Kiwis still have a big appetite for their favourite pie brand. We’re hopeful that after the launch excitement, our customers will come back and enjoy what is a great tasting, quality product. We will then evaluate the pilot and look at options for a nationwide rollout. “From firsthand experience I can confirm the Steak Mince ‘N’ Cheese pie tastes as good as I remember. We believe Georgie Pie holds its own in 2013 and we’re confident the pilot will be a success,” says Mr Wilson. The Steak Mince ‘N’ Cheese Georgie pie will be priced at $4.50 for the single pie. ENDS
Note to Editor: Progressive Enterprises sold parts of the Georgie Pie business to McDonald’s in 1996, including 17 restaurant sites, trademarks and intellectual property. McDonald’s converted a number of Georgie Pie sites to McDonald’s restaurants, including the flagship Greenlane site. Georgie Pie employees in affected restaurants were offered jobs with McDonald’s, and several franchisees became, and still, own and operate McDonald’s restaurants. Progressive Enterprises continued to operate other Georgie Pie restaurants until the final restaurant on Kepa Road in Auckland closed. Pilot restaurants: Auckland: Greenlane, Queen Street, Albany (Coliseum Drive), Kelston, St Lukes Mall, Ti Rakau Drive and Mangere Waikato: Frankton, 5 Cross Roads, The Base and Te Awamutu About McDonald’s New Zealand New Zealand’s first McDonald’s restaurant opened in Porirua in 1976. Today there are 161 McDonald’s restaurants across New Zealand, 80 per cent of which are franchised and run by local business men and women. The organisation employs over 9,000 people in restaurants nationwide, and is one of New Zealand’s largest employers of youth. McDonald’s was awarded ‘retail employer of the year’ by Retailworld. In 2012 McDonald’s spent around $180 million with local suppliers, while New Zealand producers exported over $320 million of food to other McDonald’s markets. For more information visit www.mcdonalds.co.nz [ed.
note: related
article and video]
Subway 11 March 2013 250TH SUBWAY® RESTAURANT OPENS IN AUCKLANDNew Zealand’s largest quick service restaurant chain has opened its 250th restaurant in Auckland.The 250th SUBWAY® restaurant is Stoddard Rd, situated in the new Roskill Centre. The store is one of 20 new SUBWAY® restaurants expected to open around New Zealand this year. It is the eighth restaurant for franchisee Deven Maharaj who also owns Caltex Mt Roskill, Kingsland, Mobil K-Rd, Grafton, Auckland Hospital, Westfield St Lukes, Eden Quarter. “It’s an absolute thrill to have reached the 250th milestone in New Zealand,” says SUBWAY® North Island Development Agent, Mark Hawes. “It feels like only yesterday we were opening our 200th restaurant! This rapid growth in our business has been driven by strong demand from existing and new franchisees. And we’re actively looking for more sites to grow our network even further.” The 200th New Zealand SUBWAY® restaurant opened in 2008 at Auckland International Airport. Maharaj says his new restaurant fills a need for healthier eating options in the area. “The new Roskill Centre is a huge asset to Mt Roskill and it’s incredibly rewarding to be providing employment opportunities to the local community,” says Maharaj. “Stoddard Rd is a welcome addition to my current store portfolio and to be part of SUBWAY® New Zealand’s history by reaching the 250th milestone is truly gratifying.” Stoddard Road SUBWAY® restaurant is situated across from The Warehouse and ANZ Bank and has indoor seating for up to 16 customers including disabled seating and bathrooms. It will open daily from 7am to 10pm. SUBWAY® restaurants in New Zealand expects to reach the 300 restaurant milestone by 2017. Nationally, SUBWAY® restaurants employ over 2,500 Sandwich Artists™ and Managers. SUBWAY® restaurants opened their first New Zealand restaurant in Parnell, Auckland in 1995. The SUBWAY® restaurant chain is the world's largest submarine sandwich franchise, with more than 38,500 locations in 100 countries. ENDS
The
Blackstone Group
Oct. 16, 2011 Blackstone to Acquire New Zealand’s Antares Restaurant GroupAuckland and Hong Kong, October 17, 2011. The Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) announced today that its private equity funds have agreed to acquire Antares Restaurant Group in New Zealand from Anchorage Capital Partners. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Headquartered in Auckland, Antares has the exclusive franchise development rights for the Burger King® brand in New Zealand and operates 75 Burger King® restaurants throughout the country. Under the leadership of the current management team, the business is in the early stages of an ambitious refurbishment program while also opening new restaurants to broaden the footprint in an increasing number of local communities across New Zealand. Jan Nielsen, a Managing Director in Blackstone’s private equity group, said: “We are extremely excited about the potential we see in Antares and the superb quality of the management team who will be our partners to further develop and grow this business. Burger King® is a leading consumer business with an iconic brand and strong growth prospects in the Asia-Pacific region, and we are excited about partnering with Burger King Corporation to expand their presence in the region.” Mark Bayliss, a Partner with Anchorage Capital Partners, said, “Anchorage has enjoyed working closely with the Antares management team over the past 2 years to transform the operational and financial performance of the business and build a sustainable growth platform going forward, and we are pleased with the excellent result the sale will deliver to our investors.” John Elliott, Chief Executive Officer of Antares, added: “I am delighted that Blackstone will be the new investor and owner of Antares. With their long term focus and drive to add value through deployment of capital and operational improvements, we believe that they are the perfect partner to work with to take Antares to the next level.” Blackstone is one of the largest private equity investors in the world with US$38 billion in capital committed or invested in 160 separate private equity transactions. Blackstone currently has US$17 billion of available equity capital to invest in further private equity transactions. Anchorage Capital Partners is an Australasian private equity fund focused on special situation opportunities and operational turnaround investments. Goldman Sachs acted as financial advisor for Blackstone with Rippledot Capital Advisers acting for Anchorage. Deloitte furthermore assisted Blackstone with financial and tax due diligence. Bell Gully and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett acted as legal advisors to Blackstone with Minter Ellison Rudd Watts acting for Anchorage. Debt financing and ongoing credit facilities to Antares are being provided by ANZ, Rabobank and Westpac. About Blackstone Blackstone (NYSE:BX) is one of the world’s leading investment and advisory firms. Blackstone seeks to create positive economic impact and long-term value for its investors, the companies they invest in, the companies they advise and the broader global economy. Blackstone does this through the commitment of their extraordinary people and flexible capital. Their alternative asset management businesses include the management of private equity funds, real estate funds, hedge fund solutions, credit-oriented funds and closed-end mutual funds. Blackstone also provides various financial advisory services, including financial and strategic advisory, restructuring and reorganization advisory and fund placement services. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow us on Twitter @Blackstone. About Anchorage Anchorage Capital Partners has an established track record of investing in quality businesses that are underperforming and delivering executable turnaround programmes through hands on involvement to drive performance and superior returns to investors. Further information is available at www.anchoragecapital.com.au. For further information please contact: In New Zealand In Australia Starbucks Coffee Oct. 22, 1998 Starbucks Coffee Company Opens First Store in New Zealand.SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 22, 1998--Starbucks Coffee International and Restaurant Brands announced today the opening of the first Starbucks retail location in New Zealand at 305 Parnell Road, Auckland.The Starbucks store offers a complete menu of Starbucks internationally acclaimed coffee beverages, a selection of more than 30 varieties and blends of the finest arabica coffee beans, freshly baked local pastries and desserts and a wide selection of coffee brewing equipment and accessories. "We are excited about bringing the unique specialty coffee experience of Starbucks to New Zealanders with our first Starbucks retail location. We hope to open up to 10 retail locations by the end of next year," said Jim Collier, ceo of Restaurant Brands. "Our commitment to people, quality coffee, exciting products and excellent customer service will provide New Zealanders with a unique cafe experience." As part of Starbucks commitment towards contributing positively to the communities, a percentage of the net proceeds from the opening day will benefit a local chapter of the Plunket Society, the major provider of well child health services in New Zealand. "Starbucks shares the enthusiasm of our partners in Restaurant Brands in bringing the Starbucks Experience to New Zealand," said Howard Behar, president of Starbucks Coffee International. "Our successful partnership with Restaurant Brands provides us with a strategic opportunity to further enhance the recognition of Starbucks as the world's leading purveyor of specialty coffee in the Asia Pacific region." Restaurant Brands is the franchisee for the KFC and Pizza Hut brands in New Zealand. The company listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange in June 1997, and had an annual turnover of NZ$216.8 million for the 1997 financial year. It has 123 restaurants nationwide. Starbucks Coffee International is a wholly owned subsidiary of Starbucks Coffee Company (Nasdaq:SBUX). Starbucks is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in North America. New Zealand represents Starbucks Coffee International's eighth Pacific Rim market. Starbucks Coffee International has opened retail locations in Japan, Hawaii, Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Kingdom. |
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