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Outdoor Living

Weber Redesigns Smart Grilling App

Just ahead of the 2023 outdoor cooking season, Weber-Stephen Products, LLC, the global leader in outdoor cooking, technology, and products, debuted its redesigned WEBER CONNECT Smart Grilling 2.0 App. Featuring new experiences, such as a dynamic grilling dashboard, cook graphing, recipes, instructional videos, and multi-grill and multi-recipe cooking capabilities, the App helps users monitor and track their cook — either at the grill or remotely – and offers inspiration and grilling knowledge, all in a fresh, streamlined, beautifully designed experience.

The WEBER CONNECT App, created completely in-house by Weber software engineers, is available to BBQ enthusiasts in multiple languages and supports gas, charcoal, wood pellet, and electric cooking on WEBER® and non-WEBER branded grills. To create the experience, the Weber team layered multiple data points that feed the cloud in a highly orchestrated way so that outdoor cooks receive continuous, colorful, and dynamic time and temperature readouts at precisely the right moment.

“Cooking outside with Weber is fun, enjoyable, and relaxing, and we’ve redesigned every element in our new WEBER CONNECT Smart Grilling App to complement the exceptional experience we strive to bring with our grills,” said Nikhil Bhogal, senior vice president, technology and connected devices at Weber. “When we set out to improve our App, we knew we wanted to elevate the look and feel of it along with deepening its functionality and usability to speak to outdoor cooks of all skill levels, essentially creating an App that isn’t available anywhere else but with Weber.”

“We’ve created a custom guided grilling experience for our owners, which includes a new dashboard, feature sets, functionality, and content that span from beginner cooks to expert grillers. For example, a cook using more than one grill can now track and monitor what’s happening on their SMOKEFIRE wood fired pellet grill while cooking a different meal on their WEBER GENESIS gas grill. Or for our more advanced grillers, new precision cook graphing visually charts the progress of a cook by the second,” added Bhogal.

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Home Décor, Furnishings Updates at Atlanta Market

Home décor and furnishings are front and center at Atlanta Market this summer, with nine updates including a dynamic new Building 1 Lobby presentation of industry-leading home furnishings showrooms, plus seven other home décor showroom additions and expansions, July 11-17 at AmericasMart Atlanta.

“Home resource expansion brings increased opportunity for retailers and designers at the Summer 2023 Atlanta Market,” said Dorothy Belshaw, IMC chief growth officer.” The depth and breadth of home brands and products is unmatched this summer at AmericasMart, with a dynamic new collection of industry-leading brands at ground-level of AmericasMart, the addition of new casual furnishings and outdoor furniture resources and some nine new and expanded brand presentations.”

Highlighting the Summer Market is the completion of IMC’s Atlanta Next transformation, with three industry-leading home resources now serving as the gateway to the Building 1 Home Collection. A new Hooker Furnishings (consumer and contract furniture brands) showroom debuts on the ground-level, alongside the newly relocated showroom of Loloi (area rugs and textiles) and the existing showroom of Currey & Company (lighting, accent furniture and accessories). This major reimagining of the arrival experience for AmericasMart visitors was a significant element of the multi-year transformation project that also included a new registration area on Floor 2. All three of these Lobby-level showrooms will be open for Atlanta Market as well as weekdays as part of AmericasMart’s Open Year Round offerings.

“Our permanent, year-round space within the prestigious AmericasMart allows us to showcase a variety of Hooker Furnishings portfolio brands, to connect with new and existing retailers, and to contribute to our growth within the essential interior design channel,” said Johne Albanese, Hooker Furnishings chief marketing officer. “Additionally, the company’s outdoor brand, Sunset West, will have its own temporary space on Floor 12 in Building 1 for Casual Market Atlanta.”

Overall, the Summer 2023 Market features a total of 25,000 square feet of showroom updates in the home décor category. In addition to the two Building 1 Lobby changes, updates include three new showroom debuts: Artifacts Trading Company (hand-woven home décor and accessories), Home Treasures (luxury Italian bedding, bath and table linens) and The Ivy Guild (custom silk floral, floor plants, trees and home accents). Four expanding showrooms are Cloud Nine Design (home accessories), D.V. KAP Home (accent pillows), Frank Thomas Gallery (wall art) and LR Home (home décor).

As an added benefit for Atlanta Market participants, co-location with the inaugural Casual Market Atlanta brings 150+ casual furnishings and outdoor furniture resources to AmericasMart Atlanta this summer. To help Atlanta Market retailers and designers navigate the new cross-category offerings, a Buyer Tour: Casual/Outdoor Furnishings will be held on Monday, July 10, at 10 a.m., and Tuesday, July 11, at 10 a.m. Casual Market Atlanta runs July 10-13, in Building 1, with permanent showrooms on Floors 2-5 and temporary exhibits on Floors 6 and 7.

Atlanta Market presents more than 350 home décor showrooms with lighting, accent furniture, casual furnishings, rugs, wall décor, linens, textiles and more on 13 floors in Building 1. Complementing the permanent showrooms are 200+ home décor temporary exhibitors on three floors in the ANTIQUES, HIGH DESIGN and HIGH DESIGN LUXE categories and Home Accents & Home Furnishings and Fine Linens & Home Textiles collections. A Buyer Q&A: All Things Home, offering a brief overview of the home  resources at AmericasMart Atlanta, takes place on Wednesday, July 12, at 10 a.m. A full list of exhibitors is available at AtlantaMarket.com.

Atlanta Market is a dynamic and immersive wholesale sourcing destination housing the nation’s largest product mix for gift complemented by a broad selection of home décor, furnishings, apparel and the nation’s largest outdoor living presentation. It features three buildings with 51 floors of showrooms and temporary exhibits with thousands of brands that attract retailers and designers from every U.S. state and more than 60 countries. For information, visit AtlantaMarket.com.

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Pottery Barn, Ayesha Curry Team on Sweet July

Pottery Barn, a portfolio brand of Williams-Sonoma, Inc., the world’s largest digital-first, design-led and sustainable home retailer, has launched a collaboration with Sweet July, a lifestyle brand founded by renowned restaurateur, chef, two-time New York Times best-selling author and entrepreneur Ayesha Curry.

Anchored by natural textures, fresh patterns, and earthy tones, the Sweet July by Ayesha Curry collaboration for Pottery Barn features a well-crafted collection of beautiful items for the home.

The new Sweet July by Ayesha Curry x Pottery Barn collection is inspired by summer celebrations and embraces a range of neutral tones with pops of bold and rich terracotta for an elevated, modern look that mix and match seamlessly. From guest-ready bedding and bath accessories to modern barware, table linens, and Calacatta marble serveware and dinnerware debossed with a herringbone pattern, the collection’s thoughtful details celebrate Ayesha’s passion for design and love of al fresco dining.

“Our collaboration with Ayesha Curry has been so organic and inspiring because we share core values of bringing together good people and products through meaningful design,” said CEO of Pottery Barn Brands Marta Benson. “The new Sweet July collection showcases our shared passion for family and beautiful living in the home.”

“It’s been a dream working with the Pottery Barn design team to create a collection featuring products and designs that offer comfort and serenity throughout the home,” said Ayesha Curry, CEO & Founder of Sweet July. “I was inspired by neutral palettes, playing with clean lines and textures that can be mixed and matched in the spaces that mean most to you and your loved ones.”

The Sweet July by Ayesha Curry x Pottery Barn collection debuted for Summer 2023 on May 5 at potterybarn.com/sweetjuly and in select California Pottery Barn stores — the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, the Westfield Galleria in Roseville, and Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek. See the new collection by following @potterybarn and @sweetjuly on Instagram.

Pottery Barn, a member of the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. portfolio of brands, is a premier specialty retailer for casual, comfortable and stylish home furnishings. The brand is dedicated to beautiful ideas for real life, quality products that are crafted to last, sustainability and service. Key product categories include furniture, bedding, bath, rugs, window treatments, tabletop, lighting and decorative accessories. Nearly all Pottery Barn products are designed in-house and are exclusive to its catalogs, stores and website. Pottery Barn operates company-owned stores in the United States, Canada and Australia and has unaffiliated franchisees that operate stores in the Middle East, India, the Philippines and South Korea, and stores and ecommerce websites in Mexico, as well as an ecommerce site at www.potterybarn.com that offers international shipping to customers worldwide. Pottery Barn provides complimentary design services and a comprehensive gift registry program for weddings and other special events. Pottery Barn now offers products for all life stages and every room in the home through Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and Pottery Barn Teen. Pottery Barn is also part of The Key Rewards, a free-to-join loyalty program that offers members exclusive benefits across the Williams-Sonoma family of brands, the world’s largest digital-first, design-led and sustainable home retailer. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Ayesha Curry is a renowned restaurateur, chef, 2x New York Times bestselling author, producer, host, entrepreneur and was featured on the prestigious Forbes “30 Under 30” list. Her accessible approach to cooking has made her one of the most sought-after experts in food and lifestyle. Ayesha is the Founder and CEO of Sweet July, her burgeoning lifestyle brand with a focus to uplift an inclusive and eclectic array of creators through the products sold and stories shared. In 2019 Ayesha launched Sweet July, a quarterly lifestyle magazine that covers a range of topics such as wellness, fashion, fitness, beauty, entrepreneurism and food. Following the launch of the magazine, Ayesha opened a brick-and-mortar Sweet July storefront and café in Oakland, CA and its accompanying website, featuring thoughtfully created products alongside other carefully selected items from Black-owned and female-founded companies. In 2020, Ayesha launched Sweet July Productions, which focuses on creating content centered around food, family, faith and female empowerment. Most recently, Ayesha served as host and executive producer of HBO Max’s ABOUT LAST NIGHT. In 2022, Ayesha announced Sweet July Books in partnership with Zando. Sweet July Books will acquire fiction and nonfiction work, with a focus on diverse authors and women’s stories. Ayesha, along with her husband Stephen, is the co-founder of Eat. Learn. Play., an organization dedicated to unleashing the potential of every child and making a positive impact for generations to come.

Sweet July is a Black, female-owned lifestyle brand founded by Ayesha Curry. Launched in 2019 with an eponymous lifestyle magazine, Sweet July aims to uplift an inclusive and eclectic array of creators through the products sold and the stories shared. Additionally, Sweet July creates products for the self and home, from pantry essentials to self-care staples. The company opened their flagship store and café in 2021 in the heart of Oakland, featuring products from Sweet July, in addition to Black-owned and women-owned brands, thoughtfully curated by Ayesha and the Sweet July editorial team. Sweet July has also expanded to include a production company, Sweet July Productions, a publishing imprint, Sweet July Books and an online digital platform in sweetjuly.com for quality journalism with profiles, features, recipes and more content from a diverse array of contributors.

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‘Passport to Product’ Highlights Casual Brands

International Market Centers’ next Market Wednesday, April 5, will highlight casual furnishings and outdoor living showrooms featured in AmericasMart Atlanta’s newest category through a special “Passport to Product” promotion. Beginning in 2023, some 43 leading casual brands join AmericasMart Atlanta’s 350+ open year round showrooms.

“As we approach the summer months, April’s Market Wednesday is the perfect opportunity to showcase the breadth and depth of the new open year round casual, outdoor furnishing offerings at AmericasMart,” said Dorothy Belshaw, IMC executive vice president, chief growth officer. “With the addition of outdoor offerings to our Open Year Round showrooms, AmericasMart now offers buyers easy access to the best in home décor, gift, apparel, accessories, fine jewelry and casual categories.”

The April “Passport to Product” promotion will showcase 16 of AmericasMart Atlanta’s new casual brands. To participate, attendees check-in at the International Casual Furnishings Association lounge in Building 1, Floor 2 and receive a “passport” which will be by participating showrooms as they tour the floors. There will be amenities throughout the building during the day, and at the end of the day, participating buyers will be entered in a raffle to win prizes including: thermal wine glasses from Polywood, Woodard products, two custom outdoor pillows, three metal bistro chairs and more.

Brands participating in the “Passport to Product” promotion are: Barlow Tyrie (British teakwood outdoor furniture); Gensun Casual (outdoor furniture); Homecrest Outdoor Living (outdoor furniture and fire tables); Inspired Visions by Peak Season (patio furniture and outdoor pillows and cushions); Jensen Outdoor (sustainable wood outdoor furniture); Kettler Life Outdoor Living (high-end, modern outdoor furniture); MoDe Patio Living (outdoor furniture); Outdura by Sattler (acrylic fabrics woven in the USA); O.W. Lee Company (handcrafted outdoor furniture); POLYWOOD (outdoor furniture made from recycled plastic materials); Ratana (outdoor home furnishings and accessories); Seaside Casual (casual furniture & lighting that provides sustainable outdoor living); Summer Classics (modern outdoor furniture); Telescope (wicker, aluminum and resin outdoor furniture); Three Birds Casual (teak outdoor furniture); and Woodard (luxury outdoor furniture). Buyers interested in taking part in “Passport to Product” can RSVP at https://www.americasmart.com/Plan/passport-to-product?id=47169b6a-e048-4a39-9b92-5c4b84919e58.

The Open Year Round home decor collection at AmericasMart features 180+ showrooms in Building 1, with 390+ lighting, accent furniture, rugs, wall décor, casual furniture and linens brands plus 100+ commercial design brands. The gift collection features more than 130 multi-line representative groups and branded showrooms throughout Building 2 with gift, lifestyle, gourmet, tabletop, holiday / floral and outdoor living product. In apparel, 80+ Cash & Carry showrooms on Building 3, Floors 6 and 7 and some six children’s apparel showrooms on Building 3, Floor 13 are open every day. The April Market Wednesday runs April 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at AmericasMart Atlanta.

The Open Year Round Designer Workspace, in Building 1, floor 15, offers signature events, in-person and virtual seminars, educational opportunities, designer concierge services, a resource library and guided tours throughout AmericasMart Atlanta. For more information, visit https://www.americasmart.com/en/Year-Round

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Tractor Supply Noted for Diversity, Inclusivity

Tractor Supply Company, the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States, has been recognized by two separate entities as a diverse and inclusive workplace. For the second consecutive year, the company exceeded the threshold for inclusion on the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, while Newsweek featured Tractor Supply on its inaugural list of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity.

“Our deeply rooted Mission and Values are the foundation of who we are as an organization. They dictate that Tractor Supply prioritize a safe, respectful and inclusive work environment that values diversity of thought and perspective,” said Melissa Kersey, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Tractor Supply. “We are honored that by adhering to our long-held standards, we continue to be among the top tier globally for gender equality and are recognized as a place where diversity is valued and appreciated.”

Newsweek’s inaugural list of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity was determined through an independent study conducted in cooperation with Plant-A Insights Group. The study featured three phases, including a survey of HR leaders to determine key drivers for current and future employee satisfaction, a collection of over 350,000 company reviews from employees of U.S.-based companies with more than 1,000 employees, and a massive desk research project to identify the diversity ratio of management, the presence of a diversity and ESG report, and other DEI factors.

Tractor Supply’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, led by President and CEO Hal Lawton, oversees various diversity and inclusion programs and initiatives which center on Team Members, customers, suppliers, communities and creating a welcoming environment for all.

Newsweek’s winning companies span six main economic sectors and 34 industries. For the complete list of companies, visit https://www.newsweek.com/rankings/americas-greatest-workplaces-2023-diversity.

The 2023 Bloomberg GEI is a modified market capitalization-weighted index developed to gauge the performance of public companies dedicated to reporting gender-related data. This reference index measures gender equality across five pillars: leadership & talent pipeline, equal pay & gender pay parity, inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies and external brand.

2023 marked the eighth reporting cycle of the GEI and the second consecutive year Tractor Supply has been included. While 620 global companies submitted their gender-related data, an increase of 11 percent year over year, only 484 met the threshold for inclusion. The index spans companies in 45 countries and regions, 11 sectors and 54 industries.

Tractor Supply’s workplace is currently 49 percent female and its Board of Directors is 40 percent female.

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