JD Sports is expanding its delivery efforts in North America with a new initiative.
According to the U.K.-based sports fashion retailer, it has teamed up with Instacart on a new partnership to launch same-day delivery from more than 500 JD Sports and Finish Line stores via the Instacart App and website. For all orders, an Instacart shopper will pick and deliver the order within the customer’s chosen delivery time frame, the company said.
This move marks one of the first sports-fashion retail partners to leverage Instacart’s technologies, giving customers access to same-day de...morelivery for more than 16,000 products, including athletic footwear and apparel brands like Nike, Jordan, Adidas, Puma and more, delivered in as fast an hour.
Kristin Matter, VP of digital at JD Sports, said in a statement that this new partnership “further transforms” the way its customers shop with the retailer. “With this partnership, we are taking our omnichannel strategy to new heights, providing customers with an unparalleled shopping experience, focused on convenience,” Matter said. “This collaboration signifies our commitment to meeting the evolving needs of our valued customers, ensuring they can enjoy a seamless and efficient shopping experience.”
This news comes after JD executives admitted at its annual general meeting with shareholders in June that there has been some softening in its business in the North American market.
The athletic retailer said at the meeting that the softening was “consistent” with other businesses in the sector and that inventories are at “normal levels” in the region. JD also maintained to shareholders that the company will not implement an aggressive promotional strategy in the region and will opt to remain competitive.
Despite the slowdown in business in the U.S., overall, JD Sports remained optimistic about its business in the region at the time and reiterated its forecasts for pretax profit of about 1.04 billion pounds ($1.33 billion, based on current exchange) this fiscal year.
In September, the company released its interim results for the first half of fiscal 2023. According to CEO Régis Schultz, the company delivered a strong first half with organic sales growth of 12 percent and profit on track for the full year.
“In line with our strategic plan, growth is being driven by our premium Sports Fashion business with an impressive performance in Europe (+27 percent) and North America (+15 percent), supported by a strong performance in our more mature U.K. market (+8 percent),” Schultz said. “This performance continued in the important back to school period.”
Schultz also noted in September that there was a return to “good momentum” in its North America business, where the company had converted 16 Finish Line stores and opened 14 new JD stores across the U.S. and Canada. New locations for the JD brand included the Aventura mall near Miami (the third largest in the U.S.), and the Mall at Prince George’s, near Washington, D.C.
The company expects to convert a further 15 to 20 Finish Line stores to JD in the second half of the year....
On Nov. 29, Brandon Blackwood will be honored with the Launch of the Year award at the 37th annual FN Achievement Awards. Below is an article from the magazine’s Nov. 27 print issue about Blackwood’s first shoe collection and viral moments in 2023.
Hard work is paying off for Brandon Blackwood.
Since releasing his namesake brand in 2015, the designer has seen his luxury handbags go viral on social media and worn by prominent celebrities, from Michelle Obama to Taylor Swift. And in March, he made his footwear debut with six shoe styles handmade in Italy and Portugal. “It was tricky,...more” he said, recalling the many delays the collection suffered prior to its launch. But Blackwood’s clients — or cousins, as he likes to refer to them — proved to be loyal to his craft, making the release a success. “It was great to see people buying things that were other than the handbags and being really responsive to it.”
Blackwood’s first footwear line reinterpreted classic silhouettes with a statement-making approach that became a signature of his brand. Flirting with surrealism and the abstract, the designer created a campy joint heel sandal and doll-like platforms that made his customers “super excited and a little scared.” “Everyone was terrified of the platforms because they were so high,” said the Launch of the Year winner, whose 5.75-inch heels generated attention on social media. On TikTok, videos under the umbrella “Brandon Blackwood shoes” have garnered over 40 million views. “People would tag us, and you see people trying them on. It was really interesting.”
Blackwood, who was also recently nominated for a CFDA award, is aiming to take his shoe craft a step further. “That first line gave us confidence and you’re going see that translate into our next seasons,” he said, while also promising “higher heels” and “cooler styles” for spring ’24, with “a lot more texture, a lot more fun.” Now, the designer feels prepared to offer his next footwear collection to retailers. “I didn’t want to do wholesale in the beginning, just because I wanted to see firsthand how the shoes sold and what people gravitated to. I wanted to mold out our future,” Blackwood explained.
He also wants to create a full clothing collection. “It’s getting to the point now that it’s kind of ridiculous that we don’t make clothes,” said the designer, who has created custom pieces for Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion, Serena Williams and other A-listers. The goal is to release the first clothing pieces in 2024. “But don’t hold me to it,” he said.
Selling the First Pairs of Shoes
“I was just looking at my phone, looking at the sales and smiling. It’s good to know that people love your brand so much that they trust a whole new category. It’s hard for brands, in general, to branch into new categories and have them be even somewhat successful.”
Beyoncé Wearing His Heels on Her Renaissance World Tour
“We were just supposed to make the dress, but I made shoes and we threw them in extra. I was like, ‘You know what? That might be like a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Why not?’ It was a liquid silk organza high heel. And looking at the videos now, when she’s walking, the fabrics are matching, everything was great. To this day, I can’t believe she really performed and sang so beautifully, wearing close to 5-inch heels.”
Taylor Swift Carrying His Kendrick Trunk Bag in New York
“We were just freaking out like, there’s no way. I was happy because it showed me that someone who basically has access to anything is wearing a Brandon Blackwood...
With 2023 almost at an end (yes, we know, it feels like we celebrated the New Year yesterday), Apple has shared its top lists of most popular podcasts and books. The company offers both free and premium podcasts on its Podcasts app, which is available for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. The charts are localized for folks in nearly 100 countries and regions, so you'll get a different list depending on where you are. In the U.S., the lists of most popular podcasts are dominated by crime shows. Here are the full lists of the most popular podcasts in 2023 in the U.S., according to Apple:To...morep ShowsCrime JunkieThe DailyDateline NBCSmartLessThis American LifeMorbidUp FirstHuberman LabHidden BrainStuff You Should KnowTop New ShowsScamandaThe RetrievalsThe Deck InvestigatesMurder & MagnoliasWiser Than Me with Julia Louis-DreyfusThe Girl in the Blue MustangThe Coldest Case in LaramieMurder in Apartment 12The GirlfriendsUndeterminedMost Followed ShowsHuberman LabSmartLessNew Heights with Jason and Travis KelceScamandaThe Mel Robbins PodcastCrime JunkieThe RetrievalsThe Deck InvestigatesWiser Than Me with Julia Louis-DreyfusOn Purpose with Jay ShettyMost Shared ShowsScamandaSold a StoryThe RetrievalsHuberman LabSmartLessThe Witch Trials of J.K RowlingRachel Maddow Presents: UltraWiser Than Me with Julia Louis DreyfusThe Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)True Sunlight
SEE ALSO:
Apple AirPods Pro with USB-C review: About time
Most Shared EpisodesHuberman Lab: “What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain & Health”Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus: “Julia Gets Wise with Jane Fonda”The Daily: “The Fight Over Phonics”Hidden Brain: “The Paradox of Pleasure”Sold a Story: “The Problem”The Mel Robbins Podcast: “The ‘Let Them Theory’: A Life Changing Mindset Hack That 15 Million People Can’t Stop Talking About”The Retrievals: “The Patients”We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle: “Why We Love the Way We Love: Attachment Styles with Dr. Becky Kennedy”Just B with Bethenny Frankel: “Reality Reckoning: Rachel Leviss (Part One)”Serial: “The Alibi”Top Free ChannelsiHeartPodcastsaudiochuckThe New York TimesDear MediaSerial ProductionsBarstool SportsABC NewsThe Daily WireScicomm MediaCumulus Podcast NetworkTop Subscriber ChannelsWonderyDateline NBCPushkiniHeart True CrimeLemonadaTenderfoot TVTED Audio CollectiveFreakonomics RadioRadiolabBBC PodcastsApple shares top books of 2023Apple also revealed the top books of 2023, as well as a new Year in Review experience, available on the iPhone and iPad. You'll find it in the Read Now tab, under Top Picks, but only if you have at least three titles marked as finished.
SEE ALSO:
A huge list of 80+ Cyber Monday Apple deals
Year in Review will tell you what type of reader you are (based on anonymized reader insights); for example, if you like nonfiction titles, you'll be designated as a Seeker, and if you hop across different genres, you'll be a Wanderer. Other than that, the experience will show you how many books you've read and how many minutes you've spent reading them.
You'll need at least three books marked as finished in Apple's Books app to see the Year in Books experience.
Credit: Apple
As for the most popular books of the year, here are the lists according t...
Remakes tend to be more exciting than remasters because the improvements often go beyond mere bumps in resolution or framerate. At best, studios reimagine classic experiences in exciting new ways, sand away rough edges, and somehow retain the intangible x-factors that made fans fall in love with these titles in the first place. At the very least, remakes offer a great way to play antiquated or less accessible experiences on modern hardware.
The remake boom has been in full swing in recent years to the point that it’s starting to get tough to keep track of all the projects in the works. ...moreThankfully, we’ve gathered as many of the announced remakes (not remasters) that we could find and gathered them in one neat list, arranged chronologically by release window. This will be an evolving list that will be updated as new remakes are announced and released, so be sure to keep an eye on it over the coming months.
Persona 3 Reload
Release: February 2
Persona 3 is the game that transformed the Shin Megami Tensei spin-off series into the popular animal it is today, and it's being remade from the ground up in the Unreal Engine. It's being stuffed with features such as a revamped presentation and gameplay that hews closer to Persona 5, a new English voiceover, and additional side stories fleshing out the cast. Reload is billed as a remake of the original version of Persona 3, so while it still retains the narrative changes from Persona 3 FES, it will not include the female protagonist option from the PSP version.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Release: February 29
Final Fantasy VII Remake’s second installment moves beyond Midgar and into uncharted territory. Sure, we’re likely to visit established locations like the Gold Saucer and encounter new versions of old friends, but Rebirth’s story can go a multitude of new directions based on Remake’s events. We’re excited to see what shake-ups Square Enix has in store as long as the snowboarding mini-game remains intact.
Silent Hill 2
Release: TBA
Bloober Team is reviving Silent Hill 2 with a modern coat of paint. The minds behind Layers of Fear and The Medium may not have the greatest critical track record, but hopefully, working with an established (and better) template will yield more positive results. It would be nice to have a good modernized version of Silent Hill 2 after the less-than-stellar HD port from 2012. Silent Hill 2’s release window remains shrouded in fog, but it will come to PC and PlayStation 5 as a timed console exclusive.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Release: TBA
The reveal that arguably the best Star Wars game ever was getting a much-needed remake had fans raising their lightsabers in celebration. Unfortunately, the game’s development may have already succumbed to the dark side. It’s been reported that progress had stalled, and work on the game has switched hands from Aspyr Media to Saber Interactive. Allegedly, Lucasfilm was unhappy with an internal demo, which brought development to a screechi...
Life simulation game The Sims 4 lets players indulge in a plethora of enjoyable fantasies, such as owning your own home, having a fulfilling job, and being in a caring relationship with someone who loves you. However, once you are done revelling in these daydreams, it can be fun to give yourself a challenge.Sims fans have invented a ton of challenges to spice up the sandbox, coming up with sets of themed, self-imposed rules to make your game fresh and interesting — and your Sims' lives way more difficult. Practically every challenge has variations as well, so you can mix and match a rule...moreset that best suits how you want to play.
SEE ALSO:
'The Sims 4' is now free to play, so say goodbye to your social life
These challenges make The Sims’ typically gentle gameplay harder, but also a lot more satisfying. Building a mansion is fun, but it’s even more enjoyable when you’ve watched your Sim suffer for every simoleon going into it.Here are some of the best Sims challenges to help make your digital dolls’ lives hell.1. The Rags to Riches ChallengeOne of the most enjoyable and well-known Sims challenges, the Rags to Riches Challenge is exactly what it sounds like. Start out with a single Sim on an empty lot, without any friends or a simoleon to their name, and work your way up to having a home, a family, and every comfort a Sim could wish for.Of course, this challenge isn’t as easy as simply getting a job and saving up. There are certain self-imposed criteria that must be met before each such milestone, though how tough they are depends on what ruleset you follow. You could need to pay a 500 simoleon job application fee before you start your career, or you could need to build a whole house in order to provide your employer with a home address. Either way, you’ll probably be doing a lot of couchsurfing.The Rags to Riches challenge has been around long enough that there are a variety of different rulesets, letting you pick and choose whichever combination of limitations best suits how you want to play. Your Sims may be miserable, but you don’t have to be.2. The Black Widow Challenge
Are you really playing The Sims if you aren’t indulging in some good old fashioned murder? No. You are not. In the Black Widow (or Widower) Challenge, your goal is to meet a special someone, have a whirlwind romance, get married — then get caught having an affair and kill your new spouse for their simoleons. It isn’t enough to commit one murder and quietly live out the rest of your days in modest comfort, though. A Black Widow needs to feed, and won’t be satisfied without at least 10 headstones under their belt. Fortunately, your unfaithfulness means there should already be an unsuspecting fly stuck in your web, the next link in your daisy chain of dead spouses.The Black Widow challenge doesn’t let you have a job, as matricide is a lucrative career when conducted correctly, and you can’t seduce someone who’s already married since you won’t get their money. Other than that, how you trap and dispose of your hapless paramours is largely up to your own Machiavellian designs.
SEE ALSO:
Playing 'Breath of the Wild' wrong was the best decision I made during social distancing
3. The Legacy ChallengeThe Legacy Challenge is slightly similar to the Rags to Riches Challenge in that you begin with a single, relatively impoverished Sim. However, instead of scrounging ...
TL;DR: Watch PSG vs. Newcastle United for free on RTÉ Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.Stop trying to get that dodgy stream to actually work, and consider a free alternative that won't flood your screen with seriously inappropriate adverts. It's possible to watch select Champions League fixtures for free this season, if you're willing to follow a few simple steps.If you want to watch Paris-Saint Germain vs. Newcastle United for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.When is PSG vs. Newcastle United?Pari...mores-Saint Germain and Newcastle United will kick off at 8 p.m. GMT on Nov. 28 at Parc des Princes in Paris, France.How to watch PSG vs. Newcastle United for freeFans can watch select Champions League fixtures for free on RTÉ Player. This free schedule includes the fixture between Paris-Saint Germain and Newcastle United, with coverage starting from 7:30 p.m. GMT on Nov. 28.RTÉ Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland. This quick and easy process makes it look like you're connecting from Ireland, so you can access RTÉ Player from anywhere in the world.Unblock RTÉ Player by following these simple steps:Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)Open up the app and connect to a server in IrelandVisit RTÉ PlayerSteam Paris-Saint Germain vs. Newcastle United for free
Opens in a new window
Credit: ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free)
£82.82 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
Get Deal
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to RTÉ Player without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it gives you plenty of time to stream Paris-Saint Germain vs. Newcastle United before recovering your investment.What is the best VPN for RTÉ Player?ExpressVPN is the best service for unblocking RTÉ Player, for a number of reasons:Servers in 94 countries including IrelandEasy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and moreStrict no-logging policy so your data is secureFast connection speedsUp to five simultaneous connections30-day money-back guaranteeA one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.Stream Paris-Saint Germain vs. Newcastle United for free with ExpressVPN....
Abdullah Shelbayh became the first Jordanian to win a main-draw ATP Tour match in April and has since continued his rapid rise. In September, he won his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Charleston, South Carolina to become the youngest player from an Arab country to win a title at that level.
But what is the 20-year-old like off-court? ATPTour.com caught up with the World No. 185 in Jeddah to discuss his dream job, which football team he supports, what lessons he's learned early in his career and more...
What is the most interesting thing that you have done in your life?
I think that t...morehe royal connection has helped me change my life in some way, Princess Lara [a member of the Jordanian royal family]. I count her as my family. I see her more than my family. I talk to her as much as I talk to my family. I think that's an interesting part about me because I think not many people have that kind of connection. I'm able to travel with her a lot as well.
What's a perfect day for you if you're not playing tennis?
Wake up, no breakfast, just turn on the PS5 and play some FIFA and Call of Duty.
Why no breakfast?
I don't know, because then you're more hungry for lunch. Then you can order some sushi straight to your room. Then I would say that I'll get a bit bored of that and I'll spend some time with my friends, play a football match. Then go out for dinner.
What are the biggest lessons that you've learned since playing on Tour?
Not play football before a tournament. Three or four years ago, I broke my wrist at the Rafa Nadal Academy, I had a tournament organised for two months and I think two days before we left I broke my wrist playing football. I was very unlucky with that one. I was 14 and a guy who was 19 years old, he was a big 19 year old dude, he jumped and we tried to get the ball that was high in the air. I fell on my wrist, but I didn't feel it that bad, I didn't hear a crack or anything. But then when I went to bed, I just saw it swollen and I was like, ‘I messed up.’ I didn't want to go get the MRI done because I knew the results were going to be bad.
What job would you have if you weren't a tennis player?
I've found studying law interesting. I've always wanted to be a lawyer in court.
Do you enjoy legal TV shows?
Yeah, Suits on Netflix. A few seasons I watched all of them in like one week.
Who are some of your best friends on Tour?
Daniel Rincon, Alex Michelsen and I hope I'm not forgetting anyone. I'm good with most of the players here, I'm very good with them, just some of them I don’t see as much.
If you had to choose between attending a music concert or a sporting event, what would you choose and why?
For sure a Champions League match or World Cup match.
Do you have Champions League team you support?
Barcelona.
If you could have dinner with any three famous people alive or dead, who would they be?
Lionel Messi, Muhammad Ali and Kevin Hart....
The Gazelle Group, a Princeton, N.J., company, runs several early season men's college basketball events as well as the postseason College Basketball Invitational.