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CLIPS & KICKS AND CUTS 4 KIDS BACK TO SCHOOL APPRECIATION EVENTS AT HIBBETT AND CITY GEAR IN ATLANTA

Hibbett, Inc.

As summer vacation draws to a close and the new school year approaches, Hibbett | City Gear announce two action-packed Back to School celebration events in Atlanta on July 30th and August 6th. Hibbett and City Gear will both provide free haircuts and school supplies to attendees. Hibbett and City Gear want to make the back to school prep a little easier with some free stuff for families, while they are getting their back to school shopping done. The public is invited to stop by two different Back to School events on Sunday, July 30 th and Sunday, August 6 th to join the fun. The Clips & Kicks event hosted by Hibbett and Sprayground will take place on Sunday, July 30 th at Hibbett, located at 860 Duluth Hwy in Lawrenceville. The event will run from 12pm to 5pm. The Cuts 4 Kids event hosted by City Gear and adidas will take place on Sunday, August 6 th at City Gear, located at 2685 Metropolitan Parkway in Atlanta. The event will run from 12pm to 5pm. “Our Clips & Kicks and Cuts 4 Kids, Back to School celebrations are always a fun time to get kids excited about school and to show some appreciation to the wonderful community of Atlanta,” said Troy Williams, Hibbett, District Manager. “We encourage everyone to stop by, listen to some music, get free haircuts for the kids and take home some free school supplies.” Each year, Hibbett and City Gear host special back to school events across the country to show appreciation to local families in their communities, who may be stretched with back to school expenses. The company hires professional barbers and brings them onsite to provide free professional children’s haircuts for attendees. There is a party atmosphere to get kids pumped up about the new school year with their fresh new cuts and free school supplies. Throughout the day there is music, special promotions, giveaways, light refreshments and much more. Children of all ages are welcome to get free haircuts and school supplies on a first-come, first-serve basis, while supplies last. About Hibbett, Inc. Hibbett, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is a leading athletic-inspired fashion retailer with 1143 Hibbett and City Gear specialty stores, located in 36 states nationwide. Hibbett has a rich history of convenient locations, personalized customer service and access to coveted footwear, apparel and equipment from top brands like Nike, Jordan, and adidas. Consumers can browse styles, find new releases, shop looks and make purchases online or in their nearest store by visiting www.hibbett.com. Follow us @hibbettsports and @citygear on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Contact Details Wendy Yellin pr@hibbett.com Company Website https://www.Hibbett.com

July 25, 2023 10:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Next Generation DFS Platform GameBlazers Signs New Partnerships with Full Moon Sports Solutions and Raging Moose

GameBlazers

GameBlazers, a sports gaming platform empowering sports fans to create and manage their own experience, today announced the company signed partnerships with two industry-leading and best-in-class consulting companies, Full Moon Sports Solutions and Raging Moose. Both companies will help accelerate GameBlazers’ business objectives as it brings its revolutionary product to the Beta Test phase and eventual launch. Full Moon Sports Solutions is a strategy consulting firm specializing in business and product development for the fantasy, gaming and sports betting industry. Full Moon is aiding in developing strategic partnerships and licensing opportunities with professional sports leagues and associations. Raging Moose is a technology consulting group specializing in game design and gameplay mechanics. The group is assisting GameBlazers in developing a proprietary Item Distribution Framework that assigns the Athletes, Multipliers, Rarities and other forms of metadata, to the in-game Items. The firm has experience working on FIFA Ultimate Team, as well as other major video games with similar mechanics to those on the GameBlazers platform. “In any start-up environment, surrounding yourself with the smartest minds in the industry and creating a network of strategic partnerships is the cornerstone for success,” said Rourke Sturthers, CEO of GameBlazers. “GameBlazers is unlike anything the daily fantasy market has seen, so bringing in Full Moon Sports Solutions and Raging Moose was paramount to making sure our vision for the platform was met. From both companies’ previous work, we know that GameBlazers will bridge the gap between the modern and future worlds of fantasy sports, and live up to its unique user experience.” GameBlazers is set to launch before the 2023 football season. For updates and information about the platform, check out GameBlazers.com. About GameBlazers GameBlazers is a new sports gaming platform bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds into a first-of-its-kind user experience. GameBlazers blends the best elements of fantasy sports, sports gaming, and collectible in-game items to create a more sustainable and more engaging gameplay. GameBlazers enables innovative gameplay mechanics that give Players the opportunity to be the Owner, GM and Coach of their Fantasy Franchise. For more information or to join the beta, please visit: https://www.gameblazers.com/ Contact Details Sterling Randle srandle@hotpaperlantern.com Company Website https://www.gameblazers.com/

July 25, 2023 10:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Minuteman Press Franchise Owners Jim and Seamus Mooney Celebrate 5 Years and Relocation to Clark, NJ with Grand Opening Event

Minuteman Press International Inc

Jim and Seamus Mooney have a lot to celebrate lately. The father-son team behind the Minuteman Press franchise in Clark, NJ (formerly Westfield) held their Grand Opening Palooza Event on June 22, 2023 as they celebrated their relocation to Clark as well as 5 years in business. Minuteman Press in Clark is located at 1120 Raritan Road, Suite 2, Clark NJ 07066. The grand opening event for Minuteman Press in Clark, NJ was sponsored by the Irish Business Association and featured live music, food trucks, vendors, and more. The Irish Business Association also recently honored Minuteman Press in Clark by awarding Jim and Seamus their Company of the Year Award. In addition, Jim and Seamus continue to hit new monthly sales milestones for their business. On the relocation, Jim shares, “We opened our doors on June 1, 2018. We have been in business for 5 years and we were looking for a larger production facility. Today, Minuteman Press Clark is a full-service printing, mail-house, and marketing design firm. We specialize in apparel (screen printing and embroidery), signage, paper based products (booklets, brochures, letterhead, envelopes, etc.) promotional products, mailings and graphic design.” Over the past 5 years, Jim has helped grow the family business through networking with a heavy focus on community involvement. He is President and an active member of Greater Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce, which includes multiple towns in Union County. Jim also appreciates being able to put his own stamp on Clark, Westfield and the surrounding community through his business. On that note, Jim says, “We have a lot of pride when we see our work displayed or distributed in the community – storefronts, window signage, direct mail, brochures, business cards – it’s always great to get kudos from happy clients.” Jim’s professional background includes managing strategic marketing for multi-unit franchise brands across various industries, most notably, McDonald’s Corporation working on the Company and Ad Agency side of the QSR industry. Jim says, “As the majority of my career was spent in franchise marketing, I am a true believer in franchising. Because I worked in advertising agencies where we had production and graphic design capabilities; I was very comfortable buying this business.” Jim continues, “I look at Minuteman Press as an ad agency for other businesses in Clark and Westfield and the surrounding towns. My career skills match up really well with what we are doing, and I am proud of our capabilities as well as the infrastructure we have in place being part of the Minuteman Press franchise family.” Speaking of family, while Jim concentrates on marketing the business, his son Seamus handles the operations. Prior to Minuteman Press, Seamus worked in recruiting and education operations management. Jim says, “Seamus is fantastic as our Vice President of Operations and I couldn’t do this without him. We’re a good team because we complement each other’s skills.” What’s it like going to work every day as a father and son? “It's an opportunity most people don't get to have,” Seamus Mooney said. “It's been great getting to work together for over five years — I've learned a lot during this time about business and life. Having a family business is rewarding." “It is fantastic to work with my son Seamus and to see him grow strategically and operationally as our vice president of operations,” Jim Mooney added. “Seamus is also a great thought partner in the business. It is a unique and fun experience.” Minuteman Press in Clark, NJ is located at at 1120 Raritan Road, Suite 2, Clark NJ 07066. For more information, call 908-857-4644 or visit their website: https://minuteman.com/us/locations/nj/clark/ Learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and read Minuteman Press franchise reviews at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com Contact Details Minuteman Press International Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

July 25, 2023 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Supply Chain Success Prompts ToolsGroup-Lãberit Partnership to Expand into LATAM

ToolsGroup

ToolsGroup, a global leader in retail and supply chain planning and optimization software, and Lãberit, one of Spain’s leading IT companies dedicated to consulting, development, and maintenance of digital solutions for diverse industries worldwide, are proud to announce that together, they are providing award-winning supply chain solutions to Spain and Latin America. The partnership began in 2021, as ToolsGroup explored more avenues for leveraging its powerful AI-driven supply chain planning solutions. In the wake of disruption, interest in probabilistic forecasting and ToolsGroup’s acclaimed solutions began skyrocketing, spurring the search for additional resources to support the company’s increasing scope. At the same time, Lãberit had begun expanding its consulting services to organizations throughout the supply chain sector. The two companies recognized the tremendous potential for a partnership that could meet the increased demand for supply chain solutions across Europe and Latin America. Soon after, ToolsGroup’s probabilistic Demand Planning & Forecasting became the foundation of Lãberit’s Supply Chain & Industry 4.0 offering. The ToolsGroup and Lãberit partnership is already benefiting a large company dedicated to supplying products, services, and solutions to the ceramics and glass sector, supporting them in achieving efficient demand planning and inventory optimization with an end-to-end supply chain solution. With a growing joint customer base and business continuing to develop, Lãberit and ToolsGroup are excited to expand their offering into Spain and Latin America, continuing their close collaboration and delivering supply chain excellence across multiple regions. “For us at Lãberit, the collaboration between our two companies is strategically significant, as we seek to find the most suitable solutions for the entire logistics process. Leveraging cutting-edge technological tools, such as machine learning-based supply chain planning, is paramount in effectively managing uncertainties and optimizing costs across various aspects, including inventory, freight, obsolescence, and potential sales losses,” said Juan Jiménez, Industry Director at Lãberit. “At ToolsGroup, our partnerships are a driving force behind growth and customer success,” said Mauro Adorno, VP of Global Alliances. “We’re excited to see our relationship with Lãberit develop and prosper, powering supply chain transformation and bringing real-world value to customers worldwide.” Want to learn more about how the ToolsGroup Partner Program is transforming supply chains around the globe? Find out more here. About Lãberit Lãberit is a leading company in the software development and technological solutions industry in our country. With a strong focus on innovation and quality, we prioritize the human aspect of our workforce, spread across offices in major cities in Spain and Latin America. Our expertise extends to various sectors, including public administration, banking, insurance, telecommunications and media, energy and utilities, industry, and healthcare. We are also expanding our presence in Latin America, Africa, the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, reflecting our growing interests in these countries. About ToolsGroup ToolsGroup’s innovative AI-powered solutions enable retailers, distributors, and manufacturers to navigate through supply chain uncertainty. Our retail and supply chain planning suites empower a new level of intelligent decision making and unlock powerful business improvements in forecast accuracy, service levels, and inventory - delighting customers and achieving financial and ESG KPIs. Stay in touch with ToolsGroup on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, or visit www.toolsgroup.com. Contact Details Meir Kahtan +1 917-864-0800 mkahtan@rcn.com Company Website https://www.toolsgroup.com

July 25, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Evite Collaborates with Lisa Frank on Party Invitations and Greeting Cards

Evite

Evite, the world’s leading digital invitation platform, today announced its partnership with Lisa Frank to launch an assortment of premium invitations and greeting cards incorporating her distinctive designs. The offering will feature Lisa Frank’s recognizable patterns including leopard print, rainbows, hearts and stars, as well as her signature characters like unicorns, puppies, kittens, aliens and tigers. Lisa Frank is cherished among millennials who view the whimsical brand as a staple of their childhoods, while newly presenting to Gen-Z audiences as a fresh, multi-faceted lifestyle brand that is as current as ever. The designs will be available for all users who are inspired to throw colorful and vibrant celebrations including birthdays and bachelorette parties. They’ll also be available for kids’ birthday parties and any other celebration full of rainbows, animals and bold patterns. “Lisa Frank is such an iconic and beloved brand and not only do its designs hold a special place in the hearts of so many, but its graphics and signature style fit so naturally with invitations across a range of party themes,” said David Yeom, CEO of Evite. “We’re thrilled to be working with Lisa Frank and excited to offer these bright, lively designs to our customers.” “Any party planner looking to throw a vibrant, joyful celebration will have an invitation to match through our partnership with Evite,” said Forrest Green, Head of Brand at Lisa Frank. “Our brand’s dedicated fans can use this collection to jumpstart their next event!” Last year, Evite also collaborated with Disney to launch a collection of invitations based on the most popular characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars. Evite also recently launched Sesame Street invitations and will soon be launching more collaborations as the company looks to add key characters and brands to its invitation and greeting card offerings. To learn more about the Lisa Frank partnership, please visit www.evite.com. About Evite Evite is the world's leading digital invitation platform focused on bringing people together face-to-face. With thousands of free and premium customizable designs which can be sent by email or text message, Evite makes celebrating face-to-face easier and more memorable for its 120+ million annual users. Launched in 1998, the company has sent nearly three billion invitations over its history and drives billions of dollars in party-related purchases. Evite is headquartered in Los Angeles. Visit www.evite.com to start planning, get inspired or download the Evite app. About Lisa Frank Lisa Frank is beloved around the globe for its whimsical character world and colorful lifestyle aesthetic. For over four decades, Lisa Frank has spread happiness and joy with millions of fantastic products. Contact Details North 6th Agency for Evite Julia Calabrese +1 215-460-6327 evite@n6a.com

July 24, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

This Asset Class Historically Popular With Ultra Wealthy Investors Has Long Been Overlooked By The Masses – One Company Is Changing That

Vint

By James Wells, Benzinga When it comes to investing, the focus is often directed toward assets like stocks and bonds. However, as investors seek greater diversification and portfolio resilience, alternative investments have gained in popularity. Real estate, gold, and the digital gold of our era, Bitcoin, have all claimed their rightful place in the investment landscape. Nevertheless, despite the growth of alternative asset investing, wine and spirits have long been overlooked. This is in large part due to the steep learning curve of wine investing, which involves challenging details such as valuing specific producers or vintages, or securing allocations from coveted producers. However, with the advent of investing platforms like Vint, wine investing is becoming more accessible. Much like a fine wine that needs time to reveal its true character, these assets have been quietly delivering consistent returns. Alternative Assets Don't Correlate With Traditional Markets The core advantage of alternative assets is their lack of correlation with traditional markets. This means that when stocks and bonds are underperforming, alternative assets like wine and spirits can still thrive. Alternative assets play a key role as a hedge against inflation, while providing exposure to lucrative niches and industries. Take the last two years for example. In the US, inflation has been sky-high due to the overheating caused by Covid-19 relief. However, despite the escalating cost of living, the potential value of fine wine, attributable to its limited availability, may also rise, offering a safeguard against the eroding effects of inflation. Wine And Spirits As An Asset Class Wine and spirits have historically proven to be a robust asset class. They have shown resilience in times of economic downturn and have consistently delivered impressive returns irrespective of market conditions. Like other solid alternative assets like real estate or gold, wine and spirits elevate the risk-adjusted returns of the classic “60/40” portfolio. The following tables compare the returns of hypothetical portfolios, one with a classic 60-30 allocation to stocks and bonds with a 5% allocation each to commodities and real estate, and another with a 5% wine & whiskey, over a 20-year time period. Portfolio Without Wine (2004 - 2023): Source - Vint 2023 Portfolio With Wine (2004 - 2023): Source - Vint 2023 Exposure to a basket of fine wine assets – represented here by the Liv-ex 1000 – a 5% allocation to this asset helped boost portfolio returns by roughly 20% over the past 20 years. The Case For Wine And Spirits There are several advantages to investing in wine and spirits: The Slow Pour: Consistent Returns from Wine Fine wine, the silent performer of the investment world, has been steadily filling investors' glasses with robust returns. Over the past 15 years, this alternative asset investment has yielded a 13.6% annualized return, surpassing the performance of many global equities. Put simply, this implies that investors have the potential to double their investment in a span of roughly six to seven years. Low Correlation With Traditional Markets Like real estate, gold, bitcoin, fine wine and spirits offer a low correlation with traditional assets. This makes them an exceptional addition to a diversified portfolio. Low Volatility A unique property of wine is that the longer you hold it, the less volatile its price becomes. This is a byproduct of a supply and demand imbalance. Namely, as each bottle is savored, the remaining ones become rarer, and their value increases. It's a testament to the law of supply and demand, a principle as timeless as the art of winemaking itself. This makes wine and spirits a great choice for risk-averse investors. Real Assets Investing in wine and spirits is more than a financial endeavor; it's a journey through history. Each bottle is a real asset, a tangible piece of history, a work of art, and, most importantly, a testament to the craftsmanship of its creators. This characteristic alone differentiates wine from several other asset classes such as cryptocurrencies and equities. Vint: A New Era Of Wine & Spirits Investing Vint is a pioneering platform that makes investing in wine and spirits accessible to everyone. Here a some of the core ways Vint is pushing the envelope for the wine and spirits asset class: Collections Curated by Experts Navigating the world of wine and spirits can be as complex as understanding the nuances of a fine Bordeaux. That's where Vint comes in. Vint offers expertly curated collections, simplifying the investment process for investors at all ends of the spectrum. This allows investors to leverage diversified and unique collections based on market data and trends. Securitized Wine & Spirits Vint is the world’s first self-directed and transparent wine and spirits investment platform. They securitize world-class assets, creating opportunities in a historically inaccessible asset class. This innovative approach brings portfolio efficiency and offerings qualified under the SEC’s REG-A+ framework. The Future is Bottled As the boundaries between the digital and physical worlds blur, it's easy to overlook the tangible, timeless investments like fine wine and spirits. Investing in wine and spirits isn't a privilege reserved for the wealthy but a lucrative opportunity now open to all. With Vint, investors can uncork the potential of these assets, savoring the taste of diversification, resilience, and impressive returns. Founded in 2019, Vint set out to financialize fine wine and spirits and create a new asset class. Vint received SEC qualification in 2021, thereby creating the first fully-transparent, efficient platform for wine, spirits, and futures collection investing. Vint offers expert-curated, thematic collections of fine wine & spirits to institutional, accredited, and non-accredited investors. Since launching, Vint has securitized and offered over $6M worth of assets. Through Q3 2022, Vint has generated returns of 28.3% for asset exits on a net annualized basis since inception. Vint is backed by leading investors Montage Ventures, MS&AD Ventures, Goat Rodeo Capital, Fintech Ventures & Slow Ventures. To learn more about Vint, visit Vint.co. This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Brady Weller Brady@vint.co Company Website https://vint.co/

July 21, 2023 09:25 AM Eastern Daylight Time

With ToolsGroup’s AI-Powered Planning, Legami Delivers Customer-Centric Service While Driving Business Growth

ToolsGroup

ToolsGroup, a global leader in supply chain and retail planning and optimization software, is thrilled to announce it has been selected by Legami, the Italian consumer goods company, to support its supply chain enhancement initiatives for heightened customer satisfaction and business performance through greater forecast accuracy and more nimble inventory management. Legami provides a wide array of products, including stationery, journals, calendars, greeting cards, personal care items, and travel and technology accessories. Its network encompasses a range of channels, including more than 40 brick-and-mortar boutiques, 17 shop-in-shops, an ecommerce site, and 10,000 authorized sellers and strategic partnerships with retail chains worldwide. Legami is proud to deliver more than 4,000 quality products to customers across 70 countries. To achieve a customer-centric supply chain, Legami searched for a planning solution that could reduce its network-wide inventory while maintaining and increasing service levels and business performance. This led to its selection of ToolsGroup Service Optimizer 99+ (SO99+). This automated, AI-powered solution includes Demand Planning & Forecasting and Inventory Optimization. With built-in probabilistic forecasting, it interprets demand signals for improved forecast accuracy, supporting demand-driven inventory planning and more granular control of stock levels. This minimizes inventory, reducing the environmental impact of production and transportation, and positions stock optimally to support both customer satisfaction and financial KPIs. “In today’s fluctuating market, competitive organizations are the ones achieving the optimal balance of resources that satisfies customer demand while propelling business growth," said ToolsGroup CEO, Inna Kuznetsova. “ToolGroup’s AI-driven dynamic planning delivers the demand-sensitive inventory management that helps companies identify and realize untapped business potential. We’re thrilled to partner with Legami to power better, faster planning decisions that lower working capital investments, widen margins, and guarantee a superior customer experience.” Learn more about how ToolsGroup’s solutions help consumer goods companies – like Melitta– increase forecast accuracy and profitability HERE. About Legami Legami (www.legami.com) is an Italian company active in the consumer goods industry, with a wide and varied offering that covers multiple sectors: Stationery, Diaries and Calendars, Greeting Cards, Lifestyle, Beauty, Hi-Tech, Travel and Accessories. With a strong emphasis on innovation, aesthetics, materials and production processes, the pillars of Legami’s corporate philosophy are passion, ethics, transparency, integrity, and respect for people and the environment. The creative soul and heart of Legami are in Italy, where all the products are designed and where the majority of the company’s 300+ employees work. Legami has a global network presence: more than 40 small boutiques owned in Italy, the eCommerce channel www.legami.com, 17 shops-in-shops, over 400 corners, 10,000 authorized sellers and strategic partnerships with the most important bookshops and chains in the world. About ToolsGroup ToolsGroup’s innovative AI-powered solutions enable retailers, distributors, and manufacturers to navigate through supply chain uncertainty. Our retail and supply chain planning suites empower a new level of intelligent decision making and unlock powerful business improvements in forecast accuracy, service levels, and inventory - delighting customers and achieving financial and ESG KPIs. Stay in touch with ToolsGroup on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, or visit www.toolsgroup.com. Contact Details Meir Kahtan +1 917-864-0800 mkahtan@rcn.com Company Website https://www.toolsgroup.com

July 20, 2023 10:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

ToolsGroup Launches Dynamic Fulfillment for Real-Time Order Fulfillment Optimization

ToolsGroup

ToolsGroup, a global leader in retail and supply chain planning and optimization software, today announced the launch of Dynamic Fulfillment, a new addition to the JustEnough® retail planning and execution suite. This capability enhances a retailer’s OMS with optimized fulfillment plan throughout omnichannel and ship-from-store networks, reducing costs, improving profits, and ensuring more satisfied customers. “The Dynamic Fulfillment solution from ToolsGroup helps us use data to make smarter, faster decisions to create an even better experience for our customers,” said Paul Kisicki, VP of IT at Zumiez. “The fulfillment optimization logic helps us generate operational efficiencies like reducing split rates and shipping costs while better serving the needs of our customers.” Unlike traditional, rule-based approaches, Dynamic Fulfillment evaluates every fulfillment option and simultaneously optimizes based on costs, margins, resources, and customer SLAs. Dynamic Fulfillment leverages real-time inventory, demand, and operational signals captured by ToolsGroup’s unique dynamic data unification platform, which provides a digital supply chain twin for optimal sourcing decisions. By integrating Dynamic Fulfillment into their existing order management systems, retailers realize benefits immediately upon adoption. Core Benefits of Dynamic Fulfillment: · Reduce actual cost-to-serve by minimizing shipping and labor costs · Increase margins by avoiding forecasted markdowns in stores · Maximize profitability while meeting customer SLAs · Integrate seamlessly with any OMS through API-powered composable architecture · Power faster, more accurate decision-making with real-time data on inventory · Customers report up to 5% reduction in shipping costs and up to 2% margin improvement "Omnichannel fulfillment introduces new complexity into sourcing decisions. The increased size of the fulfillment network – from a handful of centralized fulfillment centers to hundreds of stores – makes it difficult to evaluate every possible option at the time an order is placed," said Inna Kuznetsova, CEO of ToolsGroup. "Our Dynamic Fulfillment solution analyzes hundreds of thousands of fulfillment permutations in real-time and optimizes based on multiple variables, considerably reducing shipping costs and delivering significant margin improvements." Dynamic Fulfillment integrates with the rest of the ToolsGroup JustEnough® solution to deliver unparalleled value and results to retailers around the world. With over 400 customers located in 45 countries, ToolsGroup enables intelligent decision making at the speed of business that transforms retail merchandising and supply chain planning. Customers report a 5% improvement in revenue growth and up to 25% increase in planning efficiency, on top of double-digit reductions in lost sales. Built-in automation cuts the planning workload by up to 90% and helps companies reduce waste by 10-30%. For more information about Dynamic Fulfillment, read our blog on our new release and register for our upcoming webinar. About ToolsGroup ToolsGroup’s innovative AI-powered solutions enable retailers, distributors, and manufacturers to navigate through supply chain uncertainty. Our retail and supply chain planning suites empower a new level of intelligent decision making and unlock powerful business improvements in forecast accuracy, service levels, and inventory - delighting customers and achieving financial and ESG KPIs. Stay in touch with ToolsGroup on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, or visit www.toolsgroup.com. Contact Details Meir Kahtan +1 917-864-0800 mkahtan@rcn.com Company Website https://www.toolsgroup.com

July 20, 2023 07:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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‘AI Can’t Replace Creativity’ finds Freelancer.com’s latest job trends report

FREELANCER.COM

Freelancer.com (ASX: FLN) (OTCQX: FLNCF), the world’s largest freelancing marketplace by number of users and jobs posted, today released new figures revealing a surge in freelance creative writing jobs, growth in business marketing activities, and an increase in on-site photography and videography gigs. The Fast 50 Q2 2023 report, a quarterly dataset ranking the fastest growing and falling jobs on the platform, analyzed over 280,000 jobs posted to Freelancer.com between April and June 2023. According to the data, the fastest growing freelance jobs by percentage growth in Q2 2023 were: 1. Creative Writing - up 58% (from 1,868 to 2,961 jobs) 2. User Interface Design - up 52% (from 2,017 to 3,075 jobs) 3. Twitter Marketing - up 41% from (1,650 to 2,334 jobs) 4. Photography - up 40% from (2,101 to 2,945 jobs) 5. Writing (Microsoft Word) - up 38% (from 3,175 to 4,401 jobs) While the world debates whether AI will take human jobs or not, and therefore dramatically hit the labor indexes, the latest figures reviewed by Freelancer.com’s data science team revealed interest for freelance writing jobs are increasing on the platform over the last quarter. Other writing related skills also saw growth across the quarter, including Copy Typing (up 31.2%, 4,867 to 6,389 jobs) and Ghostwriting (up 22.8%, 5,212 to 6,404 jobs). Other jobs which have been deemed as ‘at risk’ of being automated by AI, such as data entry, have also seen an increase over the quarter. Projects for Data Processing were up 21% (from 9,076 to 11,024 jobs) and projects requiring Excel as a skill also saw a 15% increase (from 13,246 to 15,301 total job postings). “AI can’t replace creativity yet. While workers and businesses are benefiting from productivity gains offered by generative AI, the data suggests that the technology in its current form isn’t able to replace creative work. We saw a similar trend occur in the first quarter of the year, as creative design jobs were flourishing despite interest for generative AI tripling,” said Matt Barrie, Chief Executive at Freelancer.com. The Fast 50 Q2 2023 report also reveals an increase in businesses investing heavily in freelance marketing support. This trend comes off the back of an unprecedented rise in jobs usually associated with the creation of new businesses and new ventures as found in the Fast 50 Q1 2023 report. In addition to Twitter Marketing ranking as the third fastest growing job, growth also surged for the following marketing skills: ● Search Engine Marketing (SEO) - up 26% (from 1,840 to 2,328 jobs) ● Sales - up 23% (from 2,614 to 3,233 jobs) ● Marketing - up 19% (from 8,269 to 9,867 jobs) ● Social Media Marketing - up 16% (from 6,524 to 7,574 jobs) ● Facebook Marketing - up 14% (from 5,602 to 6,410 jobs) Marketing jobs are some of the highest earning on the platform per project. Projects seeking SEO experts typically pay US$2,231 per project. General marketing jobs on average pay US$1,422 per project, while Social Media Marketing pays $584 per project. Local jobs, which is where employers hiring freelancers in their local area to do service or physical-based jobs, are growing across the platform by 37%, from 2,122 to 2,905 total projects. The two key drivers for growth for these types of jobs relate to Photography and Videography which are up by 40% (from 2,101 to 2,945) and 32% (from 3,095 to 4,097), respectively. On average, projects for Videography attract US$70 per hour. Fastest Falling Jobs of Q2 2023 The most significant declining trend observed in the Q2 2023 report shows that employers are easing their interest for tech and IT related skills. The Fast 50 report for Q3 2022 highlighted significant growth in a number of highly specialized and niche tech skills, such as software development, android app development, programming, and others. The catalyst for demand being global mass layoffs and hiring freezes across the tech sector towards the end of 2022. The latest Fast 50 Q2 2023 data shows interest for niche tech skills is beginning to slow down, with software development (down 28%, from 1,308 to 942), API (down 26%, from 1,516 to 1,109), iOS Development (down 26%, from 1,220 to 894) and Microsoft SQL Server (down 25%, from 1,309 to 975) all decreasing over the last quarter. Easing of these types of skills also aligns with Layoff.fyi’s tech layoff tracker also showing a reduction in the number of layoffs occurring globally. Fast 50 Q1 2023 - Data Analysis Relief For Writers As Data Suggests AI Can’t Replace Creativity The main trend from the Freelancer.com Fast 50 Q2 2023 report shows freelance writing jobs, specifically those seeking journalists and editors, increasing on the platform over the last quarter. Despite having access to freely available generative AI tools, employers are turning to on-demand freelancers to help write creative content for their websites and blogs. Creative Writing jobs were the number one fastest growing job on Freelancer.com in Q2, growing 58% from 1,868 to 2,961 jobs posted. Other writing related skills, such as Writing (Microsoft Word) (up 38.6%, 3,175 to 4,401 jobs), Copy Typing (up 31.2%, 4,867 to 6,389 jobs) and Ghostwriting (up 22.8%, 5,212 to 6,404 jobs), also saw an increase over the quarter. Interestingly, other skills which experts predict will be overtaken by AI are also increasing on the freelancing platform. Data processing grew by 21%, from 9,076 to 11,024 in Q2. Jobs with Excel as a key skill also increased by 15.5%, from 13,246 to 15,301 jobs. Data entry recently ranked as the World’s Most Boring Job in Freelancer.com ’s global survey measuring attitudes towards work. Data entry is also one of the most popular jobs that employers tend to delegate to on-demand freelancers. Businesses Focus On Growth, Following Startup Boom, By Investing In Marketing Jobs seeking Sales experts grew 23.6% and Business Analysis increased by 21.4% over the last quarter. This is another indication that businesses are focusing heavily on growth and strategy alongside promotion. In Q1 2023, Freelancer.com observed an unprecedented rise in jobs usually associated with the creation of new businesses and new ventures. This was apparent with projects for logo design, corporate identity design and eCommerce all growing simultaneously and aligning with new business formation statistics released by the US Census. While there isn’t data supporting another rise in new businesses in Q2 2023, what Freelancer.com is seeing is businesses now doubling down on marketing, sales and social media efforts to increase business. This aligns with global trends of big consumer brands, such as ones reported in Australia, slashing their marketing spend and look towards more self-driven or low budget or organic marketing efforts. Twitter Marketing, which ranks third in the most in-demand skills for Q2 2023 after growing 41% over the quarter, is growing to become a popular option for businesses looking for social media support. Social Media Marketing as a skill increased by 16% and Facebook Marketing increased by 14%. Marketing, as a skill generally, is up 19.3%, growing from 8,269 to 9,867 total jobs in Q2. Classic marketing tactics such as Search Engine Marketing (SEO) and Web Search grew by 26% and 21%, respectively. SEO and Web Search are both budget friendly ways for businesses to maintain a competitive advantage in search engines results. A similar trend was observed in the Q3 2022 as many tech companies began mass layoffs and cut Search Engine Marketing spend as a way to reduce marketing spend. As a result, Freelancer.com observed growth in SEO related projects or social media marketing as both are cost effective marketing strategies. Jobs seeking Sales experts grew 23.6% and Business Analysis increased by 21.4% over the last quarter. This is another indication that businesses are focusing heavily on growth and strategy alongside promotion. Demand For Tech Jobs Slows Down As Layoffs Reduce Worldwide Freelancer.com is beginning to see interest for niche tech and IT related skills reduce on the platform. A sudden surge in technology related skills was observed all throughout 2022, however, was largely apparent in the Fast 50 report for Q3 2022 which saw a significant increase in jobs relating to niche IT-related projects all being driven by a surge in tech layoffs. The latest figures from the Fast 50 report for Q2 2023 shows interest is beginning to slow down as 16 of the top 25 fastest falling jobs are related to tech, which are the same jobs which climbed heavily towards the end of last year. Software Development, which had sustained growth quarter-on-quarter throughout 2022, saw a decline of 28% from 1,308 to 942 jobs. Projects requiring API as a skill are down 26% (from 1,516 to 1,109) and iOS Development jobs are also down 26% (from 1,220 to 894). Location-Based Photography & Videography Jobs Are Booming Local Jobs are a specific type of job which are location based and are specific to a location. These jobs are typically service or physical jobs, such as local pick up, delivery, photography, gardening or cleaning services. This quarter saw Local Jobs grow by 37%, from 2,122 to 2,905. The two key drivers for growth for these types of jobs relate to Photography and Videography which are up by 40% (from 2,101 to 2,945) and 32% (from 3,095 to 4,097), respectively. Visual content will always be in-demand for any business, regardless of size. Whether it’s capturing an event or shooting footage to use for ads, real-life imagery will always be an important part of promoting businesses. ##### Freelancer Fast 50 The Freelancer Fast 50 report is the world’s largest forward indicator of trends in online jobs related to industries, technologies, products, and companies. The data is based on 280,000 jobs posted to the Freelancer platform between April 1 to June 30 2023. Fast 50 Q2 2023 Data About Freelancer Freelancer.com is the world’s largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace by total number of users and projects posted. More than 67 million registered users have posted over 22.7 million projects and contests to date in over 2,000 areas as diverse as website development, logo design, marketing, copywriting, aerospace engineering and manufacturing. Freelancer also owns Escrow.com and Loadshift. Freelancer Limited is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange under the ticker ASX:FLN and is quoted on OTCQX Best Market under the ticker FLNCF. Contact Details Freelancer.com Marko Zitko +61 404 574 830 marko@freelancer.com

July 19, 2023 12:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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