Slinger Bag Announces Successful Uplisting to OTCQB

 

Baltimore, Maryland– (December 24, 2020) – Slinger Bag (OTCQB: SLBG), a sports brand focused on innovating game improvement equipment for ball sports and an artificial intelligence analytics platform with an initial business focus on the global tennis market is pleased to announce its successful uplisting from the OTC Pink to the OTCQB® Venture Market. The up listing is effective as of the open of trading on December 24, 2020.

The OTCQB® Venture Market is for early-stage and developing U.S. and international companies. Eligible companies must be current in their reporting and undergo an annual verification and management certification process. Companies are additionally required to meet a minimum bid price and may not be in bankruptcy.

“Uplisting to the OTCQB is an important milestone in the growth of Slinger as a company,” said Slinger CEO Mike Ballardie. “Our decision to move up to the OTCQB Venture Market reflects the building interest in our story, and was the logical next step in our strategy as we work to maximize shareholder value. Trading on the OTCQB will enhance our visibility in the investment community, increase trading liquidity, open the Company to institutional investors, and broaden our shareholder base. We look forward to leveraging this momentum as we remain focused on building Slinger to be a leading global sports brand.”

Slinger Bag enables tennis players to get out on court to play at any time without the need to find a playing partner – whether that be at their club, local park, on their driveways or in any other available open space. Slinger Bag is lightweight, wheeled like a trolley bag, and easily transported in the trunk of the smallest saloon or sedan car. It offers players the versatility to store all of their tennis gear including racquets, shoes, towels and accessories. Slinger is developing Slinger Bags for other ball sports as well as a disruptive artificial intelligence platform that will forever change how players of all levels train and optimize their game.

Slinger bag is currently available in 37 countries on every continent across the globe.

For more information or to order a Slinger Bag: visit www.slingerbag.com

For Investor Relations inquiries visit www.slingerbagir.com or contact investors@slingerbag.com or 443-407-7564

For Slinger Bag media enquiries contact the Press Office, Joe Murgatroyd, Press@slingerbag.com, at Brandnation, +44(0)207 940 7294

Legal Counsel: Kalfa Law, Contact Shira@kalfalaw.com

About Slinger Bag® Slinger Bag® is a new sports brand focused on delivering innovative, game improvement technologies and equipment across all Ball Sport categories. With the vision to become a next-generation sports consumer products company, Slinger Bag® enhances the skill and enjoyment levels of players of all ages and abilities. Slinger Bag® is initially focused on building its brand within the global Tennis market, through its Slinger Bag® Tennis Ball Launcher, Accessories and technology platform. Slinger Bag® has underpinned its proof of concept with over $200M in retail value of global distribution agreements since the Spring of 2020. Led by CEO Mike Ballardie (former Prince CEO and Wilson EMEA racquet sports executive) Slinger Bag® is now primed to disrupt what are traditional global markets with its patent-pending, highly transportable and affordable Slinger Bag® Launcher.

Slinger Bag Disclaimer: Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty, are predictions only and actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to differences include the uncertainty regarding viability and market acceptance of the Company’s products and services, the ability to complete development plans in a timely manner, changes in relationships with third parties, product mix sold by the Company and other factors described in the Company’s most recent periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, as amended, including those relating to the Company’s product development, clinical and regulatory timelines, market opportunity, competitive position, possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies, potential growth opportunities and other statement that are predictive in nature. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the industry and markets in which we operate and management’s current beliefs and assumptions.

These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking expressions, including, but not limited to, “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “estimate,” “potential, “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. These statements relate to future events or our financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include those set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Slinger Bag

 

 

Travelzoo Wins “Best Travel Deals Finder” for Ninth Consecutive Year at British Travel Awards

 

LONDON, December 21, 2020 – Travelzoo® (NASDAQ: TZOO), a global Internet media company that publishes exclusive offers and experiences for members, has won its ninth award in nine consecutive years for “Best Travel Deals Finder” at the prestigious British Travel Awards. The win was announced at a virtual ceremony broadcast live from Canary Wharf in London. Usually the biggest event of the UK travel-awards season, the virtual event pulled out all the stops, with the BBC’s ‘The One Show’ host, Alex Jones, presenting. James Clarke, Travelzoo’s General Manager, UK, accepted the award via the event’s online platform.

Over 244,000 votes were cast this year, making the British Travel Awards the biggest consumer-voted awards in the UK. In a year when many holidaymakers have been confined to only dreaming about a holiday rather than taking one, the pent-up demand for travel showed in the numbers of British consumers voting.

In their communications, the British Travel Awards asked voters to pay particular attention to brands that had delivered excellent customer service this year. In 2020, Travelzoo continued to provide its members with exclusive deals for future travel. Fully flexible deals allowed Travelzoo members to lock in savings that the industry has not seen in decades.

All deals that Travelzoo presents to its members are researched and professionally reviewed to confirm their true value and must meet rigorous quality standards.

Join Travelzoo (http://travelzoo.com) today to receive exclusive deals and experience award-winning service.

About Travelzoo

Travelzoo® provides our 30 million members insider deals and one-of-a-kind experiences personally reviewed by one of our deal experts around the globe. We have our finger on the pulse of outstanding travel, entertainment, and lifestyle experiences. For over 20 years we have worked in partnership with more than 5,000 top travel suppliers—our long-standing relationships give Travelzoo members access to irresistible deals.

Travelzoo and Top 20 are registered trademarks of Travelzoo. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Monday, October 12, 2020

FAT Brands Inc. (FAT)

Upgrading to Outperform with $8 Price Target

FAT Brands Inc is a multi-brand restaurant franchising company. It develops, markets, and acquires predominantly fast casual restaurant concepts. The company provides turkey burgers, chicken Sandwiches, chicken tenders, burgers, ribs, wrap sandwiches, and others. Its brand portfolio comprises Fatburger, Buffalo’s Cafe and Express, and Ponderosa and Bonanza. The company’s overall footprint covers nearly 32 countries. Fatburger generates maximum revenue for the company.

Joe Gomes, Senior Research Analyst, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Upgrading to Outperform. We are upgrading FAT Brands to Outperform from Market Perform and initiating an $8.00 12-month price target. With the dust and euphoria settling from the Johnny Rockets acquisition announcement, when the shares ran up to $10.25, we believe the risk/reward situation has turned favorable for FAT Brands and its asset light, high growth restaurant franchising model.


Johnny Rockets Acquisition.  Completed on September 22nd for $25 million, Johnny Rockets added some 322 locations, $316 million of system-wide sales, and 129 franchisees. FAT Brands now has over 700 restaurant locations, over $700 million of system-wide sales, and 305 franchisees, including 101 multi-unit franchisees. FAT now operates in 36 U.S. States and 37 countries …

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary.  Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

 

More Frequent Travel Could Be the Actual Aftermath of the Pandemic

 

The surprise pandemic this year has been followed by more than a few wrong predictions.  Foremost, in my mind, is the explosive rally in the stock market. This was not expected back in March. Rising real estate prices and bidding wars would also seem to run counter to what we’d expect with double-digit unemployment. Yet, low-interest rates and an increased need to provide for family have led to significant increases in house prices in many areas. One of the industries that predictably has been hard hit is travel, but this sector may well find it bounces back quickly and perhaps with a broader customer base.

 

Flexibility in Workspace

While there has been a focus on the reduction in leisure travel and business travel, there has been a blind spot to the increased ability to work from anyplace. The average 9 to 5 office worker learned very quickly with COVID-19, often at the insistence of their employer, how to work from home. This new skill set is not going away. The options it allows in a Wi-Fi world may very well lead to a large increase in those taking advantage of their new geographic liberty by treating themselves to a “workcation.”   Workcations, or doing your job someplace where you can enjoy being in a new setting, allow for sightseeing or play when the workday is over. This type of remote work/travel was already rising in popularity before the pandemic. The dramatic acceptance by employers of remote working during the lockdown has already increased rentals in secluded areas such as the mountains and beachside. Looking forward, as risks in metropolitan areas subside, there is no reason to believe they won’t become popular as well.

 

Travel Companies are Creating Packages to Cater to the Workcation Trend

Source:Travelzoo.com top 20 deal list

 

Do People Expect to Travel

Results of a survey released in August by Allianz travel insurance division revealed 44 percent of its U.S. travel insurance customers plan to travel before the year is out. In the same survey, 30 percent were unsure when they’d travel next, and even fewer felt they’d wait until next year or longer.

The survey showed a correlation between respondents’ ages and when they expected to travel next. A higher percentage of older customers were less likely to have an estimate of when they’d take their next trip, compared with younger customers. Specifically, 31 percent of those ages 55 and over replied they don’t know when they’d travel again, versus 26 percent of those under the age of 55 who were unsure.

 

Spending on Travel

The Allianz survey sentiment was echoed in another poll by destinationanalysts.com. They found that as people looked at their situation over the next 12 months, they had greater optimism. In August, they discovered 43.0% of American travelers say that leisure travel will be at least a somewhat high priority in their personal budget. This is up from 34.7% six-weeks earlier. A majority of American travelers say the pandemic has not negatively impacted the disposable income they have for travel (62.7%). Surprisingly, annual budgets for leisure travel have increased to an average of $3,258 from $2,721 (in July). However, with over a third of American travelers and concerns about the virus’s impact on finances still elevated, American travelers are planning on being more cost-conscious than they were prior to the pandemic.

 

Source: DestinationAnalysts.com, August 31, 2020

 

Take-Away

The fast workplace adoption of meetings online, virtual conferences, and seminars have forever altered how we conduct business and reduced some requirement for travel. However, as with other forecasts in 2020, the predicted death of the travel industry may have been premature. Business travel will always be important as face to face meetings simply get deals done. When the pandemic fears lift, one possible scenario is online meetings may take a more supporting role in supplementing in-person contact.  This would bring business travel back up and perhaps increase business productivity. Individual travel, based on two separate surveys, should be on the rise by the end of the year.  Since the population is now less tethered to an office, this may lead to a surge in a new class of traveler, remote workers who move about to various destinations while still putting in a full day’s work. This could actually lead to a greater number of travelers than pre-pandemic levels.

Paul Hoffman

Managing Editor, Channelchek

 

Suggested Reading:

Esports betting is on a Winning Streak

Will the COVID Crisis Permanently Change the Way We Work?

Do Analyst price targets Matter?

 

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Sources:

Allianz

Update on American Travel in the Period of Coronavirus—Week of August 31st

 

Friday, August 28, 2020

1-800-Flowers.com (FLWS)

Long Legs in E-Commerce Trends; Raising Price Target

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. is the leading provider of gourmet and floral gifts for all occasions. For nearly 40 years, 1-800-FLOWERS® has been helping deliver smiles for customers with gifts for every occasion, including fresh flowers, premium, gift-quality fruits, and other gourmet items from Harry & David®, popcorn and specialty treats from The Popcorn Factory®; cookies and baked gifts from Cheryl’s®; premium chocolates and confections from Fannie May®; gift baskets and towers from 1-800-Baskets.com®; premium English muffins and other breakfast treats from Wolferman’s; carved fresh fruit arrangements from FruitBouquets.com; and top quality steaks and chops from Stock Yards®. The Company’s BloomNet® international floral wire service provides a broad range of quality products and value-added services designed to help professional florists grow their businesses profitably.

Michael Kupinski, Director of Research, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Blows through Q4 estimates.Q4 revenue and cash flow estimates were over achieved based on strong ecommerce trends. Revenues were $417.6 million, nearly 7% better than our $391.4 million estimate. Cash flow, as measured by Adj. EBITDA, was better than expected as well, $32.5 million versus our estimate of $27.3 million.


Raising fiscal Q1 and full year 2021 estimates. Management provided Q1 guidance that was better than expected, with strong revenue growth of 40% to 45% and break even to slightly positive cash flow, a nice surprise in a typical seasonally unprofitable quarter. We are raising our fiscal 2021 cash flow estimate from …

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst
certification and important disclosures included in the full report. 
NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of
this research summary.  Proper due diligence is required before
making any investment decision. 

Some Ecommerce sectors up 500% While others See Sales Cut in Half

Prior to COVID-19, the time and hassle of going to a mall compared to the convenience of online shopping were already moving consumers to e-commerce shopping. As fear of becoming infected or infecting others with a virus deadly to some grew, in-person shopping naturally declined. As the pandemic took root, the number of reported Covid cases grew. With that growth, the number of people deemed safe to congregate changed from thousands to hundreds, to tens. The combination of ease of online shopping, paired with pandemic anxiety, is a driving force in the spike in popularity of online shopping. As shipping technology and efficiency continue to develop, especially if the pandemic remains front-page news, the online shopping trend will increase at a pace that would not have otherwise occurred. Ecommerce is solidly on the winning side of the “new normal” put in place in 2020.

Background

COVID-19 has exposed the fragilities of the in-person retail industry. The United States has over 4 million confirmed cases and is closing in on 150,000 deaths. Consumers are now wary of public spaces. It is estimated that 80% of Americans now shop online. Ecommerce consumer sales are up 28% across retail sectors since earlier this year, an acceleration from 14.5% in the first quarter, which was only partially impacted by Covid.

Who’s Thriving, Who’s Diving

So, where do we stand? Are all E-commerce sectors reaping the benefits? How are small-cap companies competing with established e-commerce platforms? Is in-person retail a thing of the past?

Not all retail sectors are thriving. Some sectors that are seeing large dips in consumer sales are Jewelry & Luxury (10%), Fashion and Apparel (15%), Auto or Tools (45%), and Bags or Travel (55%). This is a result of the economic effect caused by the pandemic, and the altering in spending on goods that are deemed necessary. 96% of millennials and Gen Z’s, and 24% and 34% of Boomers and Gen X respectively, are concerned about their economic well-being during the pandemic. As such, many are spending more on stocking up items and less on more durable goods or even experiences. These shifts in spending, are leaving some retailers behind while others are thriving.

So, where are people spending their money?  Ecommerce consumer sectors such as Medical (500%), Food and Beverage (150%), Health and Wellness (80%), and Pets (50%) have soared during the shutdowns. As consumers shift, their focus on preparedness and self-care, so do their spending habits. The brick-and-mortar stores, if unable to adapt, are facing permanent closure. However, if able to adapt, consumer spending is not just benefiting mega-corporations such as Amazon, having a 26% percent jump in Q1 revenues. Small-cap companies are seeing growth, as well. For instance, 1800 Flowers indicated that in its upcoming fiscal fourth quarter, its food-centric, Harry & David business is expected to increase a whopping 90% in revenue. The company is also benefiting from gifting in its floral brand. It’s one of the companies that seems to be bucking the economic headwinds as consumers send gifts in a social distance conscience environment. Despite the pandemic, birthdays, holidays, anniversaries will all continue.

Take-Away

Bricks and mortar retailers are likely to struggle on two fronts, competition from online retailers and the generally weak economy. While the economic pace has had an adverse effect on some online retailers, the overall trend toward online shopping appears to be favorable and will likely continue beyond the current pandemic.

 

Suggested Reading:

Covid-19 May be Killing the LNG Market

1-800-Flowers.com (FLWS)- Puts The Acquisition To Bed

Restaurants Post Lockdown Look Good

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Sources:

PulsarPlatform