Latest news with #StephanieRogers
Al Etihad
25-06-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
San Francisco 49ers touchdown in UAE as part of NFL expansion push
26 June 2025 00:42 KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)American football, synonymous more famously by the NFL, has made a foray into the UAE with the franchise San Francisco 49ers initiating a game development activation at a Dubai school for a version of flag football on Tuesday. The NFL stakeholders and teams are expanding the sport outside of the American shores. Having recently been awarded the license to expand to the Middle East, the 49ers touched down in Dubai after taking the brand to Mexico and the United Kingdom. The first move has been to collaborate with the GEMS chain of schools where an event was held with over 50 children and a dozen of PE teachers at the World Academy Senior School. The day's programme included a flag football coaching session and youth clinic in Dubai, to highlight the 49ers investment into the global growth of flag football, a sport included on the Summer Olympics agenda in 2028. Aletihad spoke exclusively to Stephanie Rogers, Executive Vice President of Marketing of the 49ers, who shared her enthusiasm of setting foot in the UAE, the first of three NFL teams to get the nod for activation in UAE as part of the league's Global Markets programme. Los Angeles Rams and Washington Commanders are the other two teams. "Our commitment is not just about flag participation but about creating a journey for youth development. Across a combination of in-person events, digital activations and community initiatives, we aspire to share the storied history of the 49ers with the UAE." As part of the 49ers' three-pronged strategy, there will be watch parties when the season kicks off with some matches on the east coast of America will be screened in public to allow UAE fans to see the game at suitable hours. Besides that, there will be digital avenues (e.g, an Arabic Instagram page has also been launched). Importantly, the 49ers have no complications from their fan base having any reservations during the expansion drive, as witnessed in some sporting leagues. The 10th oldest franchise in NFL – joining the league in 1949 and hence the name – has five Super Bowl titles to their name and sits alone in NFL history with most playoff wins. And Rogers establishes why the UAE appeals to the franchise. "For us, we like celebrating the entire Bay Area. We are hosting the Super Bowl this year at Levi's Stadium. So that'll be a big moment for us to celebrate what our area and stadium has to offer. "Aside from football, shortly after the NFL Super Bowl, we're hosting six games in the FIFA World Cup next summer as well. So we really see this as a huge opportunity to kind of tell the story of what we are as the 49ers. "We're a community that's very proud in terms of a fan base, called "The Faithful." I think there's a lot of synergies right in the UAE and in San Francisco in terms of things to experience, outdoor life and sporting activity. "We are the third largest fan base in the NFL in the United States and in many of the markets. But the NFL measures fandom internationally. In many of the markets, we are No.1 or in the top three since those days in the 1990s when we had Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, and Dwight Clark, or even just from the last five to 10 years when we've had three Super Bowl appearances and some exciting names in recent signings as well; so I don't think anybody feels like they want to keep San Francisco 49ers just to the Bay Area.'And Rogers is candid to say that the franchise is learning and adapting on the go when it comes to staking a claim in new territories. "The education event here [at GEMS] is coming from our experience in the UK. One of the learnings is that the best way to grow the game from a participation standpoint is to start working with the PE teachers and getting into the school system. "In the UK, we've built a really cool programme, called Unlocking Potential, in partnership with Leeds United, the EPL team. And just last week, the NFL UK hosted the national championship for flag football in the Leeds area in Yorkshire due to some of the work that we had done there. "So that's an example that we're looking for as we start building out our flag programming here, not only within the schools, but hopefully within a competitive landscape and creating leagues and clinics. And we're really trying to integrate here in a natural way, in a way that fits in with the culture and the population." Money Matters On the commercial front, Rogers insists it is not the primary focus for entering the Middle East market, though they are using the services of the region's leading sports consulting company Rise Group. The latter has clients for many sporting properties such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai Sports Councils, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, Neom, etc. and has recently been acquired by the global agency Elevate. Rogers and Rise Group's co-founder, Dave McCann, now with the new entity Elevate Sports Ventures, expressed enthusiasm in finding great collaborators. "We're trying to have conversations, finding the right partners that want to be involved for the right reasons," Rogers said. "Our hope is that we can find a number of different people and businesses here because those relationships end up helping us bring more programming to life through the schools, community initiatives, etc. So while it's not the number one most important thing for us, it really does help us service the community in a very big way.'
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lidl GB boosts hourly pay and plans four new stores
Supermarket chain Lidl GB is set to implement a significant pay raise for its 28,000 hourly-paid employees from March 2025. Under the pay revision, entry-level wages will rise to £12.75 per hour nationwide and have the potential to reach £13.65 with tenure. In London, starting wages will increase to £14 per hour and could climb to £14.35. The new hourly rates surpass the government's National Living Wage update, set for April 2025, by more than 50p and exceed the Living Wage Foundation's newly announced Real Living Wage. The discounter's latest wage investment approaches £15m and includes increases for salaried staff across various business functions. In the year to February 2025, Lidl GB has invested upwards of £54m in employee compensation. Lidl GB chief people officer Stephanie Rogers stated: 'More households than ever before are choosing to shop with us, making Lidl the fastest growing bricks-and-mortar supermarket for well over a year. This success is largely due to our hard-working colleagues, who each play an incredibly important role in delivering quality, affordable products to communities across the country. This pay increase is just one part of our commitment to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued.' In a separate development, the retailer has announced plans to open four new stores across the UK and refurbish five existing stores, as part of the ongoing expansion strategy. The new outlets, set to open in February 2025, will create jobs and extend Lidl's market presence. Locations include Walsall, Canning Town, Preston and Wombourne. The five stores that will undergo upgrades are Blantyre, Oldbrook, Cwmbran, Wells and West Ealing. Lidl GB chief development officer Richard Taylor said: 'As we begin the new year, we're maintaining our momentum and opening nine state-of-the-art stores, delivering bigger and better shopping experiences to new communities and those we've proudly served for an average of 26 years. After a record-breaking Christmas, where millions of households turned to Lidl, these openings reflect the growing demand for our unbeatable value and quality. This is just the start – we've got more openings in the pipeline this year alone and can't wait to welcome even more customers, both loyal and new, through our doors in the weeks ahead.' Lidl's expansion comes on the heels of its most successful Christmas season yet in 2024, which attracted nearly two million more shoppers than in previous years. The holiday sales surge represented a 7% increase from 2023 and took revenues above £1bn for the first time. In November 2024, Lidl GB planned to invest a further £21bn in the UK food sector by the end of the financial year, surpassing its initial £15bn investment goal. "Lidl GB boosts hourly pay and plans four new stores " was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
The Independent
10-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Lidl increases pay in huge investment ahead of Government minimum wage increase
Lidl is set to boost the hourly pay of 28,000 employees next month, exceeding the government's upcoming minimum wage increase. The supermarket chain announced that its new pay rates, effective in March, will surpass the National Living Wage (NLW) by over 50p. Entry-level employees across the UK can expect an increase to £12.75 an hour, up from £12.40, with the potential to earn £13.65 with extended service. London employees will see a starting wage of £14 an hour, rising to £14.35 with length of service. This move precedes the government's scheduled NLW increase to £12.21 in April, up from the current £11.44 for those aged 21 and over. Lidl's pay rise represents a near-£15 million investment, encompassing increases for salaried workers as well. The company employs over 35,000 people across the UK. It comes as firms across the retail sector have warned over the cost pressures of soaring staff bills after Labour announced a increase in national insurance contributions (NICs) for employers and minimum wage rise, both from April 1, in its recent Budget. The NICs increase is designed to help pay for improvements to public services like the NHS, but retailers have criticised it for making it more expensive to hire people. A number of large firms, including Sainsbury's, axed jobs in the first weeks of 2025, with some of the cuts at the supermarket understood to be linked to the increase in NICs. Stephanie Rogers, chief people officer at Lidl, said: 'We're proud to offer leading pay rates in the sector, while fostering a culture of opportunity and inclusion that helps our teams thrive. 'As we continue to grow, investing in our people remains at the heart of what we do.' The move follows an announcement last month by fellow German discounter Aldi, which said it will raise its minimum hourly rate to £12.71, up from £12.40 an hour currently. Aldi's employees in and around London will see their hourly pay rise to at least £14, up from £13.65.
The Independent
10-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Lidl increases hourly pay in near-£15m investment into wages
Supermarket Lidl has said it will increase hourly pay for 28,000 workers next month before the minimum wage rise on April 1. The German-owned discount supermarket said its new rates, which come into effect in March, will be more than 50p higher than the Government's new National Living Wage (NLW), which was announced in last October's Budget. Lidl – which has more than 970 stores and 14 warehouses nationwide – said wages for entry-level employees will rise to £12.75 an hour across the UK, up from £12.40, and increase to £13.65 with length of service. In London, new starters will see pay go up to £14 an hour, increasing to £14.35 with length of service. Its new wages come ahead of the rise in the NLW for people aged 21 and over to £12.21 in April, up from £11.44 currently. Lidl's latest wage increase is part of a near-£15 million investment into pay, including increases for workers on annual salaries. It employs more than 35,000 people in total across the UK. We're proud to offer leading pay rates in the sector, while fostering a culture of opportunity and inclusion that helps our teams thrive Stephanie Rogers, Lidl It comes as firms across the retail sector have warned over the cost pressures of soaring staff bills after Labour announced a increase in national insurance contributions (NICs) for employers and minimum wage rise, both from April 1, in its recent Budget. The NICs increase is designed to help pay for improvements to public services like the NHS, but retailers have criticised it for making it more expensive to hire people. A number of large firms, including Sainsbury's, axed jobs in the first weeks of 2025, with some of the cuts at the supermarket understood to be linked to the increase in NICs. Stephanie Rogers, chief people officer at Lidl, said: 'We're proud to offer leading pay rates in the sector, while fostering a culture of opportunity and inclusion that helps our teams thrive. 'As we continue to grow, investing in our people remains at the heart of what we do.' The move follows an announcement last month by fellow German discounter Aldi, which said it will raise its minimum hourly rate to £12.71, up from £12.40 an hour currently. Aldi's employees in and around London will see their hourly pay rise to at least £14, up from £13.65.
