Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Crown Melbourne Deploys Tangam Table Games Yield Management (TYM)

 Tangam Systems

 

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA--(Marketwire - May 30, 2012) - Tangam Systems today announced that Crown Melbourne, one of the premier integrated resorts in the world, has deployed Tangam''s award-winning Table Games Yield Management (TYM) system to increase table games profitability and enhance the player experience. TYM is now operating across 400 table games at Crown Melbourne, including Baccarat, Blackjack and Roulette.


"TYM proved its value to Crown by improving operational efficiency, assisting in delivering both revenue growth and labour efficiencies by helping to ensure the best possible game occupancy and availability for valued patrons" said Sean McCreery, Executive General Manager of Table Games at Crown. "Yield management principles have been applied for many years across the business, but TYM has provided an infinitely more efficient way of delivering the benefits of yield management".


Prem Gururajan, President of Tangam said, "Tangam is thrilled to partner with our newest customer Crown. We have benefited greatly from Crown''s leadership in applying innovative technology to create more value for their patrons and improve business performance. The excellence of Sean''s operational team helped make the deployment successful and we look forward to continue working with Sean and his team."

 

TYM is a business intelligence tool that helps operators improve their table game mix, table spreads, schedules and betting minimums management. TYM provides predictive analytics to adjust table spread / schedules based on customer demand patterns, recommendations on how to change the game mix to serve unmet customer segments, and real time prompts to floor staff to open or close more games and set betting minimums as player demand fluctuates throughout the day. These components allow a casino to increase profitability and enhance the experience of the players they already have coming through their doors.


A detailed case study of table games yield management at Crown is available here (http://tangamgaming.com/Resources/index.php).


Tangam''s TYM system is available to casinos worldwide. For more information, please visitwww.TangamSystems.com or contact us at info@tangamsystems.com.

 

About Crown Melbourne

Crown Melbourne is Australia''s leading integrated entertainment resort attracting approximately 18 million local, interstate and international visitors each year to its 560,000 square metre entertainment complex. It is one of the largest entertainment complexes in the world, featuring 500 table games and 2,500 gaming machines in a world-class facility.


The property features 1,600 guest rooms across the complex''s three hotels - Crown Towers, Crown Metropol and Crown Promenade Hotel - in addition to the Palladium, which is Australia''s largest ballroom, a world-class convention centre, more than 70 restaurants and bars reside in the complex, including many of Melbourne''s finest, international designer boutiques, 14 cinemas, two nightclubs and a live entertainment theatre.

 

Crown Melbourne was built at a cost of $2 billion in 1997 and in the period 1997 to 2014 a further $2 billion will have been spent to further enhance Crown Melbourne including building Promenade and Metropol hotels, expanding the Mahogany Room and further enhancing the restaurant precinct in Crown Melbourne. Crown Melbourne is one of Victoria''s leading tourism icons.

 

Contact Information

·Media Contact
Tangam Systems
+1-519-513-2417
info@tangamsystems.com
www.TangamSystems.com

 

 

© 2012 Marketwire, Incorporated. All rights reserved

PREMURSA Starts Work on the First Paramount Theme Park in Europe and the LifeStyle Center in Alhama de Murcia

PREMURSA

 

 

The Formal Ceremony Gathered, Among Other Dignitaries, Ramon Luis Valcarcel, President of the Autonomous Community of Murcia; Joaquin Bascunana, Delegate of the Government for the Region of Murcia; Alfonso Fernando Ceron, Mayor of the Town Hall of Alhama de Murcia; Michael Bartok, Executive Vice President of Paramount Licensing Inc.; and Jesus Samper, President and CEO of PREMURSA

 

The Project, Opening in 2015, Is Estimated to Welcome More Than 3 Million Visitors per Year and Will Generate More Than 22 Thousand Jobs

 

ALHAMA DE MURCIA, SPAIN--(Marketwire - May 31, 2012) - Proyectos Emblemáticos Murcianos S.A. (PREMURSA) achieved another milestone in the development of the Paramount theme park and LifeStyle Center in Alhama de Murcia this morning, during a formal ceremony presided over by Ramón Luis Valcárcel, President of the Autonomous Community of Murcia; Joaquín Bascuñana, Delegate of the Government for the Region of Murcia;Alfonso Fernando Cerón, Mayor of the Town Hall of Alhama de Murcia; Michael Bartok, Executive Vice President of Paramount Licensing Inc.; and Jesús Samper, President and CEO of PREMURSA.

 

After purchasing the project land on March 7th, 2012, the groundbreaking ceremony took place today and, according to Jesús Samper, "the project will become an international tourist destination estimated to welcomemore than 3 million visitors per year."

 

Michael Bartok declared Paramount's goal in Spain is the "establishment of a state-of-the-art theme park intended to attract and entertain both locals and tourists alike." That goal, according to Mr. Bartok, is bolstered by the region of Murcia "because of its outstanding location and climate as well as its variety of cultural and leisure attractions."

 

Furthermore, the first Paramount theme park in Europe and the LifeStyle Center will contribute to the economic development of the Region of Murcia by generating more than 22 thousand jobs, both directly and indirectly. In anticipation of receiving thousands of job applications, PREMURSA will create a virtual office on its website (www.premursa.com) in the coming weeks to facilitate the processing of applications from individuals and companies interested in participating in the project.

 

Today's ceremony is a milestone in the development of a project that will come to fruition in the spring of 2015, with the opening of the Paramount theme park and the LifeStyle Center.

 

The Paramount theme park will include state-of-the-art attractions for all ages and will feature a retail spine along with four themed lands and two themed hotels.

 

Adjacent to the Paramount theme park, the LifeStyle Center will include a large hotel, commercial and leisure area that will be home to a street mall, restaurants, bars, night clubs and a casino.

 

About PREMURSA

 

The Paramount theme park and the LifeStyle Center are promoted by Proyectos Emblemáticos Murcianos S.A. (PREMURSA), constituted by Santa Mónica Financial Services S.L., Región de Murcia Turística S.A.(REMUTURSA), and Instituto de Fomento de la Región de Murcia (INFO. This company is the holder of an exclusive, long term, license from Paramount Licensing Inc. for the construction and operation of a Paramount-branded theme park and hotel in Spain.)

 

Click here and download the video of the ceremony in short:
http://www.premursa.com/videos/premursa_highlights_2012.mp4

 

Click here and download the video presentation of the Project: 
http://www.premursa.com/videos/premursa_promo_2012.mp4

 

PR PARAMOUNT PARK SPAIN
http://hugin.info/150377/R/1615483/515343.pdf

 

PHOTO
http://hugin.info/150377/R/1615483/515463.jpg

 

 

For more information:
Press office of PREMURSA.
Maria Rojo
Phone number: +34 91 351 36 36
Email: 
comunicacion@premursa.com 

Web page: www.premursa.com 

 


© 2012 Marketwire, Incorporated. All rights reserved

Nutanix Brings SAN-Free Datacentre to EMEA

Nutanix

Following Rapid Growth in US and Japan, Nutanix Adds Key Players in EMEA and Signs Distribution Partnerships With Leading European IT Suppliers

 

SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - May 30, 2012) - Nutanix, the first company to offer a radically simple compute and storage building block for virtualised datacentre without the need for network storage, has today announced its launch into EMEA following rapid growth in customer demand for its SAN-free datacenter platform. The launch coincides with the signing of a partnership with Kelway, the UK-based value added reseller and integrator of end-to-end virtualisation and storage solutions, and a launch distribution agreement with SDG, the specialist European IT distributor.

 

Nutanix harnesses the same distributed system techniques that power Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Netflix clouds and packages it into an enterprise-friendly, 2U rack-mount enclosure. The compact form factor of the Nutanix Complete Cluster opens up new mobile and remote datacenter possibilities for defense, education, energy, and healthcare organizations that demand infrastructure in proximity to their end users to improve application speed and end-user experience.

 

"That's what we love about you guys, you made it simple again, especially for our international colocation facilities in Dublin and Hong Kong," said Ross Cohen, Senior Network Engineer for Weil Gotshal & Manges, a global law firm with offices throughout Europe. He went on to say "its all the juice we wish we had ten years ago, when we were first deploying VMs, but the direct attached storage was small and controllers were weak. Here you are, storage and computation and it's just simple."

 

John Abbott, Chief Analyst, 451 Research, commented, "Nutanix has focused on a scale-out technology that closely integrates server and storage within each node. Traditional networked storage was never designed to support virtualization and cloud environments. The Nutanix Complete Cluster sidesteps many of the costs and complexities of networked storage by taking a new look at the problem."

 

EMEA operations will be seeded by industry veterans Alan Campbell and Rob Tribe, the duo that has spent more than a decade working together at EMC and VMware. They made some very early bets on datacentre technologies such as EMC NAS and VMware.

 

Alan Campbell says of the launch into EMEA, "Having enjoyed the first-mover-advantage early on with VMware, Rob and I are privileged to be involved once again in another ground-breaking technology that will revolutionize the datacentre of this decade. This revolution is not just about high performance technology; it's about fiscal predictability, investment protection, and cost reduction. We are delighted to have early partners in Kelway and SDG, who have an unparalleled understanding of the EMEA market."

 

"The Nutanix story strongly resonates with channel partners and end-users because we don't just converge the compute and storage tiers, thus converging hardware and the network, but also drastically reduce costs by converging sales, support, and solution delivery," says Dheeraj Pandey, CEO of Nutanix. "The Alan-Rob pair is a perfect combination of virtualization and storage experience that embodies the convergence virtues of Nutanix."

 

The European market is fertile ground for End User Computing (VDI/XenApp) and Managed (Cloud) Service Providers, two market segments for which Nutanix is extremely well suited. The pain point in both use cases is unit of growth. Legacy systems force monolithic upfront purchases that are either grossly underutilized for months, causing liability on the books, or are silos that do not provide a single system view. Nutanix, with its scale-out technology, grows a node at a time, expanding the existing single system to very large clusters.

 

Nutanix extends the power of Fusion-io to the realm of enterprise virtualization by combining Google-like high performance localized storage and distributed redundancy via high speed Arista 10GbE top-of-rack switches. Nutanix ships with four industry-standard x86 servers bundled with VMware's hypervisor in a 2U, 85 pound SAN-less server appliance.

 

About Nutanix
Nutanix, is the first company to offer a radically simple compute and storage infrastructure for implementing enterprise-class virtualization without complex and expensive network storage (SAN or NAS). Founded in 2009 by a team that built scalable systems such as Google File System and enterprise-class systems such as Oracle Database/Exadata, Nutanix is based in San Jose, California and is backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures and Blumberg Capital.

 

Nutanix and Nutanix Complete Cluster are trademarks of Nutanix Inc. Other marks mentioned herein are trademarks that are proprietary to other companies.

 

For press inquiries, contact:
Sarah Reynolds
Media Relations
Nutanix
Phone: 408.569.2157
Email: sarah@nutanix.com
Twitter: @nutanix

 

© 2012 Marketwire, Incorporated. All rights reserved

GuestLogix Expands Footprint into India with Jet Airways Deployment

GuestLogix Inc.

 

GuestLogix and Inflight Sales Group Set to Launch Onboard Duty Free Program for India's Largest Airline

 

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - May 29, 2012) - GuestLogix Inc. (TSX: GXI), the leading global provider of onboard retail and payment technology solutions to airlines and the passenger travel industry, announced today that it will deploy its onboard retailing technology and point-of-sale (POS) handheld devices to power Jet Airways' in-flight duty free program, JetBoutique, in conjunction with Inflight Sales Group ("ISG"), a global pioneer of airline concession operations. The Jet Airways implementation represents more than 14 million annual passenger trips for GuestLogix. The Indian carrier will use the integrated solution to manage cash and credit card payments of duty free items onboard.

 

"This is GuestLogix first win in India, and we are excited it is such a marquee client for the region," said Tom Douramakos, President and CEO of GuestLogix. "We believe India represents an excellent growth opportunity for us. It is becoming a global destination for business and leisure travel, and with the growing local middle class population - who are now choosing air travel over rail - the region is set to expand. GuestLogix will be there to provide Jet Airways and other domestic carriers with the technology to offer these travelers a sophisticated in-flight shopping experience."

"Inflight Sales Group's confidence in GuestLogix' onboard retailing solution is due to its global record of success," said Tony Detter, ISG Managing Director. "Our companies' combined strengths in providing innovative product offerings for airlines' onboard shopping programs is a major factor in the coming implementation with Jet Airways. We believe the Indian market has tremendous growth potential for ISG, and we look forward to partnering with GuestLogix on future deals in this region."

 

ISG handles in-flight retail for 15 airlines and is the largest third-party onboard duty-free service provider in the region. GuestLogix' onboard retailing solution provides ISG and its customers with POS handheld devices to accept cash and card payments, together with end-to-end retail software to operate, transact, control and manage their in-flight retail operations.

 

"This deployment reflects GuestLogix' success in leveraging our channel partnership with Inflight Sales Group to grow our customer footprint," said Tony Sit, Senior Vice President and General Manager of GuestLogix Asia- Pacific. "With our regional office in Hong Kong, we are now able to provide Asia-Pacific based airlines with our leading onboard retail solutions and offer them local delivery and support."

 

Headquartered in Mumbai, Jet Airways operates 400 flights daily, serving 76 domestic and international destinations, across southern Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.

 

About Inflight Sales Group

Inflight Sales Group is the pioneer of airline concession operations, management and marketing, with 20 years of airline duty free concession management experience. Inflight Sales Group's predecessor was formed by Jean-Marcel Rouff in 1982 to supply amenity kits and as an exclusive distributor of duty free products from the leading suppliers to airlines in Asia and North and South America. Today ISG remains the leading concessionaire in the airline duty free business, with a strong customer base in Asia, North Africa and the Americas. The ISG team is fully dedicated to its customers and offers its experience, skills and performance to better serve its partners. More information is available at www.inflghtsales.com

 

About Jet Airways

Jet Airways currently operates a fleet of 102 aircraft, which includes 10 Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft, 12 Airbus A330-200 aircraft, 60 next generation Boeing 737-700/800/900 aircraft and 20 modern ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft. With an average fleet age of 6.04 years, the airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the world. Flights to 76 destinations span the length and breadth of India and beyond, including Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Bangkok, Brussels, Colombo, Dammam, Dhaka, Doha, Dubai, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, London (Heathrow), Milan, Muscat, New York (both JFK and Newark), Riyadh, Sharjah, Singapore and Toronto.

 

About GuestLogix

GuestLogix Inc. (TSX: GXI), the leading global provider of onboard store technology and merchandising solutions, helps airlines and other travel operators create, manage, and control onboard retail environments tailored to their needs and their passengers. GuestLogix brings a decade of expertise as a trusted onboard transaction processing partner to airlines around the world. The Company's global headquarters and centre for product innovation is located in Toronto, Canada with regional head offices located in Dallas, Texas (serving Americas) London, UK (serving EMEA), and Hong Kong (serving Asia Pacific). A sales and support office is located in Singapore. Logistics centres are situated in Toronto, Dallas, London and Seoul with a software development centre located in India. More information is available at www.guestlogix.com

 

© 2012 GuestLogix. All rights reserved.

 

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations, which involve risks and uncertainties associated with GuestLogix' business and the environment in which the business operates. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking, including those identified by the expressions "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but reflect GuestLogix' current expectations regarding future results or events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including the matters discussed under "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Filing Statement filed on May 14, 2012 with the regulatory authorities. GuestLogix assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements.

 

Contacts:
Media Relations:
GuestLogix Inc.
Ruth Morayniss
416-987-7057
rmorayniss@guestlogix.com
www.guestlogix.com

Investor Relations:
TMX Equicom
Kristen Dickson
416-815-0700 ext. 273
kdickson@equicomgroup.com

 

 © 2012 Marketwire, Incorporated. All rights reserved

McDonald's Commitment to Its People and World-Class Training Play Key Roles for London 2012 Games

 

 

OAK BROOK, IL--(Marketwire - May 23, 2012) - McDonald's (NYSE: MCD

 

·         Company announces 2012 McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew

 

·         McDonald's U.K. supports LOCOG by training up to 70,000 Games Maker volunteers

 

McDonald's provides unique opportunities for its employees and customers around the world. For the London 2012 Olympic Games, the company will feature two programs that celebrate top-performing restaurant employees and its world-class training and people development. 

McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew
McDonald's is proud to announce the 2012 McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew. These 2,000 best-of-the-best managers and crew from 42 countries will serve the world's best athletes, as well as coaches, officials, media and spectators at McDonald's four new Olympic venue restaurants in London. 

"People are the heart and soul of our company, from the managers and crew behind the counter, to the people who train them," said Richard Floersch, McDonald's Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. "We share the Olympic ideals of teamwork, excellence and being your best and celebrate these across our more than 33,000 restaurants around the world. The McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew program is just one example of the unique opportunities we offer employees." 

The London 2012 Games will represent the largest ever McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew since the program began at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Each participating country determines criteria for selection, such as excellence in teamwork, outstanding leadership and delivering the highest level of service to customers. Meet some of the best-of-the-best: 

 

·         Marina Malykh (Sochi, Russia): Manager of the Year award winner, Malykh joined McDonald's in 2000 and in 2004 she helped open the first McDonald's in Sochi. She is eager to experience her first Olympic Games and looks forward to welcoming the world to Sochi when her city hosts the next Olympic Games in 2014.

 

·         Hao Lian (Anhui Province, China): Currently a hostess at her local restaurant, Lian volunteers with Ronald McDonald House Charities, and began her involvement with the charity following the 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan. She has also been very involved with The McDonald's China Volunteer Club, visiting children in orphanages.

 

·         Chris Jeffers (Springfield, Illinois, U.S.A.): Jeffers is a 17-year veteran of McDonald's and has earned five Outstanding Manager Awards. McDonald's means so much to him that he and his wife celebrated their marriage at a McDonald's restaurant.

 

·         David Rodrigo Franca (São Paulo, Brazil): Working at McDonald's was Franca's first job 19 years ago, and he has been with the company ever since. He is currently the proud manager of one of the top-ranking McDonald's restaurants in Brazil.

 

The four McDonald's Olympic venue restaurants will require 470 staff at one time to serve the thousands of anticipated guests during the Games. The world's largest McDonald's restaurant, located in the Olympic Park, will be managed by two McDonald's London business managers -- Murat Ocalan and Tariq Zaied. These outstanding managers were chosen through a special selection event and participated in the ground-breaking ceremony of the Olympic Park restaurant last November. 

During their stay in London, the McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew will have an opportunity to meet athletes, attend Olympic competitions, participate in sports activities in a London Park, visit cultural sites, and interact with their peers from across the globe. 

 

 

Games Makers Volunteer Program
Up to 70,000 Games Makers volunteers have been chosen to support the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). These volunteers will be at each venue to deliver a first-class customer service experience for the athletes, coaches, fans and media attending the Games. 

For the first time ever, McDonald's is the presenting partner of the London 2012 Games Makers program. McDonald's commitment to people and proven track-record in employee development and training was a key factor in partnering on the program to help attract, select and train the volunteers. McDonald's used its 1,200 restaurants in communities across the U.K. to raise awareness about the program and attract volunteers from around the country, resulting in more than 240,000 total applications for the Games Makers volunteer program. 

Utilizing the company's long-standing history of best-in-class training curriculum from Hamburger University -- with seven locations across the globe, including the U.K. Training Centre -- McDonald's dedicated two of its U.K. educators, Lorraine Thom and Ben George, to work with LOCOG to help create the training modules for the Games Makers program. Since 2010, Thom and George have been serving as Instructional Designers and helping to define and coordinate the more than 700 different volunteer roles required to ensure the London Games run smoothly. 

"McDonald's understands what it takes to train and motivate a large workforce in a fast-paced environment," said Jean Tomlin, LOCOG Director of Human Resources. "Working with our team at LOCOG, McDonald's is supporting and celebrating the volunteers at every stage of their journey to London 2012, with the aim of leaving an enduring training and volunteering legacy for years to come." 

In an effort to further equip people with skills and confidence to help them achieve their potential in the workplace after the Games, McDonald's is offering participants who are either unemployed or took part in the U.K. Government's Personal Best Program the ability to earn a professional qualification that may be used as a unit toward an apprenticeship in the hospitality industry throughout the U.K. 

About McDonald's and the Olympic Games
McDonald's commitment to the Olympic Movement began in 1968, when the company airlifted hamburgers to U.S. athletes in Grenoble, France, after they reported being homesick for McDonald's food. McDonald's has served its menu of choice and variety to millions of athletes, their coaches, families and fans. London 2012 marks the ninth consecutive Games that McDonald's will feed the athletes as the Official Restaurant of the Olympic Games. 

About McDonald's 
McDonald's is the world's leading global foodservice retailer with more than 33,500 locations serving approximately 68 million customers in 119 countries each day. More than 80% of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local men and women. To learn more about the company, please visit www.aboutmcdonalds.com and follow us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/mcdonaldscorp) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/mcdonaldscorp). 

© 2012 McDonald's 

CONTACTS:
Margaret Bode
McDonald's 
+1 630-623-6643 
margaret.bode@us.mcd.com 
Twitter: @McDonaldsCorp

Jeff Pawola
GolinHarris
+1 312-729-4211
jpawola@golinharris.com 

 

 

© 2012 Marketwire, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

McDonald's Names Dave Hoffmann as President of Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa Region

 

 

OAK BROOK, IL--(Marketwire - May 24, 2012) - McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD) today announced that Dave Hoffmann, 44, currently Senior Vice President for Restaurant Support in McDonald's Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA) region, has been elected President of McDonald's APMEA by the McDonald's Board of Directors, effective July 1.

 

Hoffmann, a 16-year McDonald's veteran, succeeds Tim Fenton who recently was promoted to McDonald's Chief Operating Officer, also effective July 1.

 

McDonald's CEO-elect Don Thompson, who replaces retiring CEO Jim Skinner, said, "Throughout his career, Dave has demonstrated outstanding leadership and strategic insight. Jim and I are very confident in Dave's abilities to deliver on the growth opportunities in the APMEA markets and to build our business and brand in this important region. Dave will continue to provide the dynamic and results-oriented leadership that has fueled APMEA's success thus far."

 

"Over the past five years I've had the opportunity to work very closely with Dave, and know firsthand the exceptional talent, experience and passion he brings to this role," said Fenton. "Dave has a deep understanding of the APMEA region, a strong operations focus and the ability to deliver results and achieve goals."

 

Hoffmann will be based in Singapore and report to Fenton. He will be responsible for operations of 5,500 McDonald's restaurants in APMEA. Fenton will continue to oversee Japanese operations.

 

Photos and biographical information for Hoffmann are available through McDonald's Global News Center athttp://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/bios.html.

 

More About Dave Hoffmann

 

Hoffmann is a 16-year McDonald's veteran and has served in key leadership roles in APMEA since 2007. Currently Senior Vice President responsible for Restaurant Support in APMEA, Hoffmann leads APMEA Strategy, Insights and Development, Operations and Supply Chain.

 

Previously, Hoffmann spent four years partnering with the McDonald's Japan Executive Team, where he was instrumental in the successful restructuring of Japan's franchising system. He also played a key role in developing and driving the high-level strategies for company-operated restaurant performance, field service operations, supply chain and restaurant development.

 

Prior to his time in APMEA, Hoffmann served as Senior Director for both North America and Global Strategy and Execution. In this role, he worked closely with McDonald's market leaders around the world on building their plans and developing strategies for greater growth and profitability.

 

Hoffmann began his career as restaurant manager in the U.S. and went on to hold a variety of U.S. Field and Operations positions. He also worked as a McDonald's crew member for two years during high school in Missouri.

 

Hoffmann holds an undergraduate degree from Indiana University and a MBA from the University of Chicago. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

 

About McDonald's
McDonald's is the world's leading global foodservice retailer with more than 33,500 locations serving approximately 68 million customers in 119 countries each day. More than 80 percent of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local men and women. To learn more about the company, please visit 
www.aboutmcdonalds.com.

 

MEDIA:
Lisa McComb 
630-623-3707
Lisa.mccomb@us.mcd.com

Becca Hary
630-623-7293
Becca.hary@us.mcd.com

INVESTORS:
Kathy Martin
630-623-7833
Kathy.martin@us.mcd.com 


 

© 2012 Marketwire, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

 

BMO Financial Group Reports Another Quarter of Strong Results, Increasing Net Income by 27% Year Over Year to $1.03 Billion

BMO Financial GroupBMO Bank of Montreal

 

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - May 23, 2012) - BMO Financial Group (TSX: BMO)(NYSE: BMO) and BMO Bank of Montreal -

Second Quarter 2012 Report to Shareholders

BMO Financial Group Reports Another Quarter of Strong Results, Increasing Net Income by 27% Year Over Year to $1.03 Billion

Financial Results Highlights(1):

Second Quarter 2012 Compared with Second Quarter 2011:

 

--  Net income of $1,028 million, up $215 million or 27%

 

--  Adjusted net income(2) of $982 million, up $212 million or 28%

 

--  Reported EPS(3) of $1.51, up 14%

 

--  Adjusted EPS(2,3) of $1.44, up 15%

 

--  Reported ROE of 16.2%, compared with 17.5%

 

--  Adjusted ROE(2) of 15.4%, compared with 16.6%

 

--  Provisions for credit losses of $195 million, down $102 million

 

--  Common Equity Ratio remains strong at 9.90%, using a Basel II approach

 

Year-to-Date 2012 Compared with Year-to-Date 2011:

 

--  Net income of $2,137 million, up $499 million or 31%

 

--  Adjusted net income(2) of $1,954 million, up $367 million or 23%

 

--  Reported EPS(3) of $3.14, up 18%

 

--  Adjusted EPS(2,3) of $2.86, up 11%

 

--  Provisions for credit losses of $336 million, down $284 million

 

For the second quarter ended April 30, 2012, BMO Financial Group (TSX: BMO)(NYSE: BMO) reported strong net income of $1,028 million or $1.51 per share. On an adjusted basis, net income was $982 million or $1.44 per share.

"BMO produced strong financial results again in the second quarter," said Bill Downe, President and Chief Executive Officer, BMO Financial Group. "The consistent focus we have on customers and their success is underpinned by a strong, consistent brand and is grounded in the belief that a relationship bank is relevant to households and companies, as they manage their finances and improve their financial position. Simply stated, the importance we place on giving our customers increased confidence has helped us carve out a distinct position in the marketplace - and is the key to accelerating profitable growth.

"In P&C Canada, our sales efforts are driving higher volumes across most products and higher fee revenues. We continue to benefit from a deeper understanding of customers' evolving needs. In anticipation of market conditions, we acted to introduce offers that we believe are more suitable for all customers - and we are helping to move the market as a consequence, to a better place.

"The integration of our U.S. banking platform is on track. The business has been materially strengthened with expanded access to existing and new regions, increased brand awareness and a better ability to compete in highly attractive markets. The commercial team continues to outperform, and there's visible, strong growth in our commercial and industrial book.

"BMO Capital Markets delivered good performance with higher revenue and net income than last quarter. Obviously, market uncertainty persists, but our diversified portfolio of businesses and broad client base position us well to take advantage of revenue opportunities.

"Private Client Group's net income was up sharply - its best financial performance in two years. The results were strong and we continue to grow. We entered into two definitive agreements to acquire businesses that further enhance our wealth management capabilities and expand our geographic reach. Earlier this month, we opened a representative office in the Gulf Cooperation Council states to get closer to clients we have been dealing with for decades - and raise the visibility of our global asset management capability.

"Our businesses delivered strong performance in a highly competitive environment. Last fall, we embarked on a significant long-term plan to further increase the competitiveness of the bank and enhance our return on equity; the work is well underway, and we're simplifying structures and processes. Ultimately, the BMO brand and the message it carries is our best resource in building the business - and it's also our best protection against uncertainty. There can be no element more important in managing the complexity of regulatory change than our established commitment to making money make sense," concluded Mr. Downe.

Concurrent with the release of results, BMO announced a third quarter dividend of $0.70 per common share, unchanged from the preceding quarter and equivalent to an annual dividend of $2.80 per common share.

(1) Effective the first quarter of 2012, BMO's consolidated financial statements and the accompanying Interim Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), as described in Note 1 to the unaudited interim consolidated financial statements. Amounts in respect of comparative periods for 2011 have been restated to conform to the current presentation. References to GAAP mean IFRS, unless indicated otherwise.

(2) Results and measures in this document are presented on a GAAP basis. They are also presented on an adjusted basis that excludes the impact of certain items. Items excluded from second quarter 2012 results in the determination of adjusted results totalled net income of $46 million after tax, comprised of a $55 million after-tax net benefit of credit-related items in respect of the acquired Marshall & Ilsley Corporation (M&I) performing loan portfolio; costs of $74 million ($47 million after tax) for the integration of the acquired business; a $33 million ($24 million after tax) charge for amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets on all acquisitions; the benefit of run-off structured credit activities of $76 million ($73 million after tax); restructuring charges of $31 million ($23 million after tax) to align our cost structure with the current and future business environment; and a decrease in the collective allowance for credit losses of $18 million ($12 million after tax). Items excluded from the year-to-date adjusted results totalled net income of $183 million after tax and consisted of a $169 million after-tax net benefit of credit-related items in respect of the acquired M&I performing loan portfolio; a $144 million ($90 million after tax) charge for the integration of the acquired business; a $67 million ($48 million after tax) charge for amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets; the benefit of run-off structured credit activities of $212 million ($209 million after tax); restructuring charges of $99 million ($69 million after tax) to align our cost structure with the current and future business environment; and a decrease in the collective allowance for credit losses of $18 million ($12 million after tax). All of the adjusting items are reflected in results of Corporate Services except for the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, which is charged across the operating groups. Management assesses performance on both a GAAP basis and adjusted basis and considers both bases to be useful in assessing underlying, ongoing business performance. Presenting results on both bases provides readers with an enhanced understanding of how management views results and may enhance readers' analysis of performance. Adjusted results and measures are non-GAAP and are detailed in the Adjusted Net Income section, and (for all reported periods) in the Non-GAAP Measures section of the MD&A, where such non-GAAP measures and their closest GAAP counterparts are disclosed.

(3) All Earnings per Share (EPS) measures in this document refer to diluted EPS unless specified otherwise. Earnings per share is calculated using net income after deductions for net income attributable to non-controlling interest in subsidiaries and preferred share dividends. 

 

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