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Lingo Media Corporation (LMDCF) (LM:CA) Bolsters ELL Technologies Team with Strategic Hire

Earlier today, Lingo Media Corporation (OTCQB: LMDCF) (TSX-V: LM) announced the hiring of Luis Ortiz. Ortiz joins the company’s ELL Technologies division as director of sales, Latin America. He brings more than two decades of sales and sales management experience in the pivotal Latin American region to the Lingo team, having previously delivered significant sales growth for employers such as Wi-LAN Inc. (NASDAQ: WILN) and SMART Technologies (NASDAQ: SMT). Moving forward, the company expects this industry insight and sales expertise to play an important role in helping deliver its cutting-edge suite of English language training solutions to channel partners, distributors and direct sales clients throughout Latin America.

“We are very pleased to have such an experienced professional join the ELL Technologies team. Luis brings tremendous talent and a deep understanding of how to build out sales channels in Latin America,” Gali Bar-Ziv, chief operating officer of Lingo Media, stated in this morning’s news release. “We are confident that Luis will provide great value to our prospects and customers.”

Ortiz’s track record in Latin America is impressive. With SMART Technologies, a world leader in simple and intuitive solutions that enable more natural collaboration, Ortiz developed and implemented a successful channel program for Latin America that drove regional sales increases of 100 percent per year from 2005 to 2013, during which time SMART established a strategic foothold in 17 countries throughout the region. He also played a key role in the negotiation of the largest education technology contract ever awarded by the federal government of Mexico.

“I am very excited to join the ELL Technologies team. The current and upcoming solutions offered by the company are market-leading technologies that become more relevant as the Latin American education market grows,” Ortiz stated in the news release. “These solutions represent an outstanding revenue opportunity for distributors and I look forward to driving sales growth by increasing and strengthening our distributor network in the region.”

The addition of Ortiz to the ELL Technologies team comes just weeks after Lingo, through its subsidiary, announced completion of development for its ‘ELL Studio’ speech recognition and pronunciation mobile app, which is expected to be available on both Android and iOS devices. Using this app, language learners will be able to practice their spoken English on their mobile devices in any setting. The company plans to launch ‘ELL Studio’ in the second quarter of this year as a free tool for current subscribers of ELL Technologies’ courses.

For more information on the company, visit www.lingomedia.com

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Moxian, Inc. (MOXC): Social Media is a Necessity for Small Businesses, Too

Despite the growing popularity of social media, and our dependency on sites like Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) and Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) for information, some businesses have still been hesitant to jump aboard. There’s skepticism around its effectiveness for local small businesses, which is one reason companies such as Moxian, Inc. (OTCQB: MOXC) have tailored their business models to be more small and medium business friendly. We see huge brands like Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), Nike (NYSE: NKE) and Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) using social media with great success, but what about the average coffee shop around the corner or a non-celebrity dentist? Can they use social media to grow their businesses in 2016?

The answer is an astounding yes. Social media allows smaller-sized companies to compete against some of the larger companies and reach more customers. There are plenty of stats that showcase just how powerful social media is for businesses of all sizes. Here are some powerful numbers that make it more than evident that social media is the way to go in 2016, according to a survey on SproutSocial.com:

  • 63 percent of millennials say they stay updated on brands through social networks
  • 46 percent of millennials rely on social media when making purchase online
  • 89 percent of 18-29 year olds are active on social media
  • Marketers spent an estimated $8.3 billion on social media advertising in 2015
  • 78 percent of companies now say they have dedicated social media teams

Social media has crossed over from being a tool that only forward-thinking companies should use. These stats show that social media marketing has become a necessity just like paid ads, flyers and other “traditional” marketing efforts. In order to compete today, businesses can’t afford not to be active on social media.

Moxian engages in the business of providing social marketing and promotion platforms designed to help merchants accelerate and advertise their business growth through social media. These products and services enable merchants to run targeted advertising campaigns and promotions, and aim to enhance the interaction between users and merchant clients by using consumer behavior data compiled from the Moxian database of user activities. The company has two primary core products: Moxian+ User App and Moxian+ Business App.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Moxian.com

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Immune Therapeutics, Inc. (IMUN) Steadfast in Efforts Leveraging the Body’s Immune System on Continent of Africa

Immune Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB: IMUN) is positioned as a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on manufacturing, marketing and distributing novel patented therapies to fight chronic, life-threatening diseases. The company achieves this by way of the activation and modulation of the body’s immune system. Immune Therapeutics’ technology platform is built on two different immunotherapies, Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) and Methionine-Enkephalin (MENK). These therapies have required decades to develop thanks to work at institutions like the Pennsylvania State University Medical School at Hershey, the State University of New York, the University of Chicago, and the Multiple Sclerosis Center at UCSF. Spearheading efforts at these institutions were Dr. Nicholas Plotnikoff, Dr. Jaquelyn McCandless, Dr. Jill Smith, Dr. Ronald Herberman, Dr. Bernard Bihari, Ian S. Zagon, and Patricia McLaughlin.

Over the previous two years, IMUN has funneled its resources toward acquiring regulatory approval in emerging and developing nations for LDN, marketed under the brand name Lodonal™. Lodonal™ is considered a highly innovative immunotherapy for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, opportunistic infections, cancer and autoimmune diseases. The company’s proprietary Opiate and T Cell Receptor technology leverages the body’s immune system for identifying and killing diseased cells.

It has become widely known that African countries endure the greatest disease burden on the planet, with HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria being the highest threats. In addition to the burden developing nations are now experiencing, there is the additional burden of a rise in non-communicable diseases, including cancer, diabetes and inflammatory disease. Despite drugs being readily available in developing nations, the drugs are often too expensive and difficult to administer and cause significant side effects.

LDN is viewed as a solution to these problems. Existing treatments for cancer, HIV/AIDS, and autoimmune disease suppress the body’s immune system, while Lodonal (LDN) is an immune modulator used to rebalance or stimulate the immune system. The result is an improved quality of life for those who are inflicted with these diseases. The biggest treatment hurdle in developing nations is an inability to administer chemotherapy to people whose immune systems have been compromised. IMUN’s platform offsets this challenge by delivering affordable medications that are easy to administer.

Learn more by visiting www.immunetherapeutics.com

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Monaker Group (MKGI) to Capture Alternative Lodging Market Share via Preferred Distributor Deal with CustomTravelClubs.com

By all accounts the hotel industry today is witnessing a period of sustained growth amid the efflorescence of travel industry technologies and options for consumers, with positive indicators up across the board that range from baseline metrics such as occupancy, to the average daily rate, and revenue per available room. The outlook through this May for the top 25 North American markets looks to be up by around 2.5 percent when it comes to committed occupancy (based on group commitments and individual reservations) compared to the same period in the previous year, according to TravelClick, the well-known revenue generating solutions provider that helps hotels navigate the chaotic sea of online reservations.

The success of sharing economy-centric players such as Airbnb, which surpassed rival HomeAway last year to have the biggest roster of vacation rental listings at over 1.2 million, has prompted many within the travel industry to predict an inevitable intersection with traditional markets, from brick and mortar-focused big boys like Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN), to tech-driven consumer facilitators like Expedia (NASDAQ: EXPE), Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN) and Tripadvisor (NASDAQ: TRIP), or even new entrants like peer-to-peer marketplace innovators such as FlexWeek (OTC: FXWK), which has developed a unique platform to harness the underserved timeshare segment that allows timeshare owners to discover, book and offer unused vacation time directly to the public or other owners. A handful of companies today are truly poised to exploit the sharing economy sea-change and the impact of the growing alternative lodging segment, but the potential rewards for those who do are substantial to say the least.

Little surprise then that Monaker Group (OTCQB: MKGI), the established travel industry player with over six decades in operational leisure travel and a family of diverse industry-enabling companies under its belt, today announced plans to add CustomTravelClubs.com as a preferred distributor for its growing portfolio of travel products. This is a smart move for Monaker, which has built up quite a presence in the alternative lodging segment and continues to be recognized as a trailblazer in such areas as land and tour escorted vacation packages thanks to its Maupintour brand, which gained worldwide esteem back in the late 50’s as the first company to arrange tourism into the Soviet Union after World War II. CustomTravelClubs.com actually approached Monaker on behalf of its members in order to obtain access to the company’s sizable inventory of alternative lodging, escorted tours and other products, and with Maupintour, in particular, enjoying the highest repeat rate in the industry among travelers, this synergistic marriage is clearly a match made in heaven for both MKGI and CustomTravelClubs.com.

Monaker is something of a developing juggernaut within the industry, with companies such as its flagship NextTrip.com, which developed one of the industry’s first booking engines to feature alternative lodging alongside a comprehensive list spanning airlines, cruises, hotels, rental cars, tours, and concierge services, as well as Monaker’s travel, home and lifestyle products/services private savings club, known as Home & Away Club. Monaker also offers Voyage TV, which boasts an incredible library consisting of thousands of hours of travel footage from over 30 countries across the globe. Another major component is Monaker’s RealBiz Media Group, a sophisticated digital media and marketing company focused on the real estate industry, which has over twenty imaging technology-centric patents for real estate platforms and an exclusive agreement with Realtor.com, as well as a preferred supplier arrangement with Realogy (NYSE: RLGY) for virtual tours.

Chairman and CEO of MKGI Bill Kerby couldn’t contain his excitement at the prospect of sharing the company’s mounting inventory with CustomTravelClubs.com, which he praised as a highly unique travel club provider within the industry before going on to tout its founder, Mike Putman, on account of his success in building up numerous large and successful travel companies. Kerby was quite pleased to be on-board for Putman’s latest expedition and anticipates not only mutual user base growth as a result of the deal, but significantly beneficial business opportunities for MKGI in the long run as well.

With over a century of combined travel industry experience behind it, CustomTravelClubs.com is poised to become a major fixture of the evolving travel industry landscape, acting as a one-stop shop for travel club platforms and solutions. CustomTravelClubs.com employs a highly tailored approach when it comes to providing travel benefits to its members, such as discounts and assistance on everything from cruises and hotels to event tickets. Facts which subsequently make CustomTravelClubs.com an ideal partner for Monaker moving forward, especially when it comes to gobbling up market share in the rapidly-emerging $100 billion-plus alternative lodging segment, which is on track to hit upwards of $169 billion within the next three years alone, according to a new report published by Research and Markets.

Take a closer look, visit www.monakergroup.com

Agora Holdings (AGHI) Develops TECH – a Workflow Management Software for Small- to Medium-Sized Businesses

Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) dominate the video on demand market. MarketsandMarkets.com forecasts the video on demand market to grow from $25.3 billion in 2014 to $61.4 billion in 2019, achieving a compound annual growth rate of 19.4 percent during the forecast period. In terms of regions, North America is expected to be the biggest market of revenue contribution, while the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa are all expected to experience increased market traction during the forecast period. Agora Holdings, Inc. (OTC: AGHI), together with its wholly-owned subsidiary, Geegle Media, is leading a diversified family entertainment and media enterprise through business segments which include TV on Demand, interactive media, business products and consumer platforms. With its multi-dimensional approach, Geegle Media supports Agora Holdings’ mission to deliver innovative and high-quality business solution products and video content from around the world.

Workflow management software is a key cog in the video on demand industry. Efficiency and maximizing productivity are big points to consider when deciding what type of workflow management software to choose. In a recent press release (http://dtn.fm/g9Sh3), Agora Holdings announced the development of TECH, a workflow management software for small- to medium-sized companies.

Geegle Media has finished its development of TECH, a workflow management system whose objective is simplified task assignment and more efficient project management. TECH’s users – cable companies and its technicians, for instance – are able to receive, accept, assign, and reassign work orders received from their customers and clients. Dan Terziev, CEO of Geegle Media, helmed the project. With a masters in telecommunications and experience at both Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) and Rogers, Terziev has experienced first-hand the value of streamlining workflow processes in the cable and telecommunications industry.

“It’s a product seven months in the making. Its objective is to simplify everyday processes, eliminate unnecessary paperwork, scale up productivity and make for better client-customer service,” Terziev stated in a recent news release.

TECH acts as a work team’s central hub for task management. Lines of communication are always open, as tasks can be assigned and tracked at anytime, from anywhere. Assigned workers can view the details of the job, i.e., make a delivery to a customer, make a technical support visit or complete paperwork for a client. Users are able to comment about the work and note its completion for the employer and customer to see.

Serving as a virtual workspace, TECH pulls together scattered team efforts while increasing visibility, team productivity and accountability of workers by showing what’s being worked on, who’s working on what and how much time it took. Putting work orders through this internal system improves planning, organization and efficiency, as it locates worker availabilities, strategically re-assigns work, and tracks task progress.

For employers, TECH provides valuable data insight on employee performance and customer needs. Looking forward, future versions of TECH are expected to allow for team chat and the ability to gather feedback from supervisors and team members in real time. The product has been tested as working with several technicians already using the software. Companies are able to use the software by licensing it for $100/month. Also, they may open the software in test mode for a smaller monthly fee to begin creating and executing tasks. Interest has already been garnered from three cable companies to license the application. Contracts have been sent out, and Geegle Operations are awaiting their go-ahead.

For more information, visit www.agoraholdingsinc.com

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Dominovas Energy Corp. (DNRG) Focused on Bringing Clean Energy to Corners of the World with Greatest Need

Over one-third of people in the world start life without access to electricity and clean fuels for cooking, heating and lighting. United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon was one of them, studying at night by a dim oil lamp as a boy in 1950s post-war Korea. He now sees energy as “the golden thread that connects economic growth, social equity, and environmental sustainability.”

Dominovas Energy Corp. (OTCQB: DNRG) is one company that funnels all of its efforts at delivering clean energy to the places on Earth that need it most. The company builds shareholder value by taking advantage of opportunities which promote “NextGen” clean energy – an efficient, solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology. Widely known in energy industry circles as the RUBICON™, this trademark was designed by scientist and engineer, Shamiul Islam, PhD, in coordination and collaboration with the engineering prowess of AVL List, Gmbh.

With the pace of progress toward clean energy in third world counties lagging behind the urgent need, Dominovas Energy sees a market filled with upside for its shareholders. Global concerns about energy security, climate change, and air pollution are pushing demand for fuel cell technology. Reports from Fuel Cells 2000 indicate that over 630 companies and laboratories in the United States are investing over $1 billion a year in fuel cells or fuel cell component technologies. Telecom companies, major grocery chains, distributors, hotels, manufacturers, and other market segments implementing fuel cell systems are finding them to be quite efficient and cost effective.

DNRG is an energy solutions company that endeavors to deliver clean, efficient and reliable electricity to areas of the world that lack this much sought-after commodity on a multi-megawatt scale. Recognizing the incredible growth and profit opportunities of the green and alternative energy markets, Dominovas Energy crafted a sustainable deployment model, and, in so doing, carved out a leadership position in the alternative green energy solutions provider space. Notably, while Dominovas Energy provides “alternative green energy solutions,” its power generation capability make-up is not built by using traditional standards of energy generation. Subsequently, the company delivers “primary” power to its clients.

For more information, visit www.dominovasenergy.com

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Giggles N’ Hugs (GIGL) is a Fast Casual that Takes Food Safety Seriously

GIGL

When it comes to fast casuals, Giggles N’ Hugs (OTCQB: GIGL) is the cream floating to the top. Its restaurants are located in the best locations in Los Angeles. There’s one at Westfield Mall in Century City on Santa Monica Boulevard; there’s another at Westfield Topanga Shopping Center in Woodland Hills, Canoga Park; and there’s a third at the Glendale Galleria. Its clientele reads like a list of who’s who. Victoria Beckham has been spotted at one restaurant with her 4-year-old daughter, Harper. Heidi Klum has dined at another with her 10-year-old, Henry. Halle Berry has taken Nahla, her 8-year-old daughter, with ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry to have fun at the third. And, according to the site BEYONCÉ TRIBE ITALIA ‘Beyoncé, Jay & Blue (were) spotted at Giggles N’ Hugs in LA’ (http://dtn.fm/oPQt1) last month.

This is not surprising. A fast casual restaurant like Giggles N’ Hugs has all of the upscale features associated with fine dining that would attract Hollywood royalty, except that its restaurants escape the formality of dressing up to go there. Also, Giggles N’ Hugs is unique in that its entire rationale revolves around allowing parents to dine while they enjoy the companionship of their kids without having the pressure of fussing over them. The design of the Giggles N’ Hugs restaurants is intended to create a fun, casual, family atmosphere where children can interact with parents and each other and where everyone enjoys freshly prepared, organic, nutritious and reasonably priced meals. Founder and present CEO, Joey Parsi, started the company in 2007 after he and his wife, Dorsa, realized there were no eating places that catered to the special needs of parents with young children. Consequently, the three family-friendly restaurants all have play areas for children 10 years and younger. The restaurants also feature daily live entertainment and shows.

Fast casuals are the fastest growing segment of the restaurant business. They embody a new concept that aims to combine elements of quick serve establishments, such as lower prices and faster service, with full-service restaurant features, such as quality service, better food and more sophisticated atmosphere and décor. The concept is thought to have been pioneered by Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG), which opened its first restaurant back in 1993. Now, Chipotle is a mammoth enterprise with close to 2,000 restaurants and, according to its latest 10-K filing for the year to December 31, 2015, $4.5 billion in revenues.

Compared to Chipotle, Giggles N’ Hugs is doing okay. For one, it hasn’t been, like Chipotle, plagued with food-safety disasters. Last year was a particularly trying year for Chipotle. It has had seven reported food-safety incidents over the past nine months. There was an outbreak of E. coli in July 2015, norovirus in August 2015, salmonella in August 2015, E. coli in October 2015, E. coli in November 2015, and norovirus in December 2015, as well as the more recent March 2016 norovirus outbreak. Joey Parsi is having none of that. He has said:

“We take food safety seriously, which is how we have maintained an “A” grade health inspection score since opening nine years ago. All food and equipment is inspected daily prior to opening, and continually throughout the shift, to ensure freshness and temperature levels are optimal.”

Giggles N’ Hugs also has better store averages than Chipotle, which has seen average restaurant sales rise from just over $400,000 at the end of 2007 to a high of $648,500 at the end of June 2015, as an analysis of its SEC filings reveals. That average has since declined, because of the food scares, to $496,300 at the end of 2015. In contrast, Giggles N’ Hugs’ average restaurant revenues are around $850,000, a level Chipotle has never reached. Essentially, Chipotle’s revenues are big, because their restaurant count is big. Giggles N’ Hugs’ last 10-Q filing shows revenues of $2,650,290 for the nine months ending September 27, 2015, which, annualized, translates into average restaurant revenues of close to $1.2M.

Giggles N’ Hugs is also planning expansion. According to the SmallCapNetwork (http://dtn.fm/6toAF), ‘the company aims to have 12 units up and running by the end of 2017.’ Recently, it engaged the investment bank Chardan Capital Markets and aims to raise $5 million through a 506(c) offering. Giggles N’ Hugs is in the enviable position of having an extensive choice of locations since it is such a magnet for mall foot traffic. The company is presently negotiating with the top four U.S. mall owners, who are ‘yearning’ to have Giggles N’ Hugs in their malls and are prepared to offer cash upfront to fund between 60 and 70 percent of opening costs. Looks like Giggles N’ Hugs could be the next Chipotle, without the bad food episodes.

Learn more by visiting www.gigglesnhugs.com

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Halitron, Inc. (HAON) Completes Fourth Acquisition of 2016

Before the opening bell, Halitron, Inc. (OTC: HAON) announced the acquisition of ArchivalPhotoPages, a leading direct marketing brand focused on the sale of archival-grade scrapbooking supplies. As part of an asset acquisition, Halitron acquired a customer list totaling over 148,600 customers, the www.archivalphotopages.com website and a library of digital artwork files to be utilized for print and email blast campaigns. The company also acquired equipment, molds and dies, raw materials, finished goods and the valuable know-how within a talented management team and employee base to produce goods with high quality at low cost.

“ArchivalPhotoPages competes in a very large market with loyal customers and provides the path for us to capitalize on the fast-growing digital scrapbooking space,” Bernard Findley, chief executive officer of Halitron, stated in this morning’s news release. “We are actively evaluating digital scrapbooking and how we can leverage our current customer base with new products; especially digital life-story products like Facebook, Instagram, Ancestry.com, and Myheritage.com.”

The company acquired the ArchivalPhotoPages brand from Plastic Retail Displays, LLC for a total purchase price of $1,684,606, with $316,491 paid via short-term note and $1,368,114 paid through the issuance of 195,444,903 shares of restricted common stock valued at $0.007 per share, which was the close price on March 28, 2016. Following this acquisition and including its current pipeline of acquisitions, Halitron is on a run rate to generate over $10 million in sales over the next three years.

Halitron’s acquisition of ArchivalPhotoPages marks its seventh acquisition since 2015, as well as its fourth acquisition in 2016. Since the beginning of this year, the company has acquired PRD Holdings, Inc., a Mexico-based manufacturing asset; PiecesInPlaces, a leading brand in the design and manufacture of document enclosures and archival grade photo pages and albums; ArchivalMuseumSupplies, a leader in the design and manufacture of archival-grade storage products and supplies; and, now, ArchivalPhotoPages. Halitron’s portfolio also includes NDG Holdings Inc., a digital marketing firm acquired in January 2015.

Look for Halitron to continue executing on its aggressive M&A strategy moving forward. The company’s management team is actively seeking out additional acquisitions to roll into its infrastructure in order to better leverage the foundation that has been created through its previous acquisitions. Halitron targets operating entities that can either benefit from its current operating infrastructure or operate autonomously and offer an additional product or service to scale existing operations.

For more information, visit www.halitroninc.com

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Star Mountain Resources, Inc. (SMRS) Takes a Closer Look at Potential “Gold Mines”

Star Mountain Resources, Inc. (OTC: SMRS) focuses its efforts on acquiring mineral properties that have both high and valuable output potential. The company intends to grow by cultivating and consolidating mining claims, historic mines, mineral leases, and producing mines. Star Mountain Resources believes that the business climate is favorable for the low-cost acquisition of high value mineral properties. For example, its Balmat zinc mine acquisition will help the company move from junior explorer to active producer with its high output and the rising value of zinc. Through sample analysis and historical data, Star Mountain Resources will continue to carefully select these high potential mines for valuable precious minerals.

When precious metal mining companies investigate an area, they look for certain geological markers that signal a deposit. From studies of magnetic data in the Star Mining District of southern Utah, Star Mountain Resources recognized that there were significant contact zones that most likely yielded desired metals. Contact zones are areas of sediment, like limestone or dolomite, which had contact with cooling magma for thousands of years. During that cooling period, chemical reactions occurred that resulted in the accumulation of metallic ores like iron, tungsten, silver, gold, and zinc. In other words, the extreme pressure and heat from the magma washed away minerals from the sediment and replaced them with new, valuable ones. That calcium-rich rock is called skarn, a promising marker for mining companies if present.

Star Mountain Resources analyzes core samples and large outcrops of bedrock that have risen to the surface for indicators of what lies beneath. It also uses data from historical mines to further interpret its findings. The company then estimates how much skarn is underground, which can prompt further onsite testing. Currently, Star Mountain Resources operates the Chopar Project in the Star Mining district, which has high potential of gold and silver within a concentrated amount of skarn. The company states that the “presence of skarn mineralization in outcrop, in historic mines, and in drill cones and chins is encouraging.” Plus, southern Utah offers favorable conditions to mining operations with its mild climate and railroad accessibility.

Only with careful consideration and pre-sample analysis does Star Mountain Resources decide to move forward with a mining operation. This attention to data affords the company fewer risks with new ventures. By continuing this meticulous approach, the company aims to continue advancing through the precious minerals industry by acquiring valuable assets.

For more information, visit www.starmountainresources.com

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Can Giggles N’ Hugs (GIGL) help Revive Mall Traffic?

GIGL

The king of retail for decades, the death of shopping malls was proclaimed as online shopping soared. Death predictions for brick and mortar malls are a bit premature, but in the battle of clicks vs. bricks, the clicks are taking an ever-increasing chunk of brick and mortar business. Online shopping was less than 2% of all retail in 2004 but by 2013 e-commerce accounted for 6% of all retail sales in the U.S., and e-commerce growth dwarfs that of brick and mortar.

Recent stats show that malls are now suffering their greatest level of vacancies since the over-building boom of the ‘70s. Vacancy rates hover around 35% in over 200 different shopping malls nationwide. Over the next decade, many of America’s shopping malls will fail, and only upscale shopping centers with high-end anchors are expected to survive.

Maybe that’s why Westfield Corporation (OTC: WEFIF), one of the largest mall owners and operators in the world, wants to expand their existing partnership with Giggles N’ Hugs, Inc. (OTCQB: GIGL). Anchored in upscale malls, Giggles N’ Hugs is a one-of-a-kind restaurant chain that combines active, cutting-edge play and entertainment for children with high-end, healthy organic food. A true family destination, Giggles N’ Hugs provides an upscale, family-friendly atmosphere with a play area that children absolutely love. Nightly entertainment with magic shows, concerts, puppet shows, face painting, play areas, party packages and high-quality fresh local foods makes Giggles N’ Hugs the place families want to go to do something special.

In a letter to the Giggles N’ Hugs management team, a Westfield Corporation executive recently stated, “Based on the performance we have seen from Giggles N’ Hugs contributing to the overall family foot traffic, making the kids corridor a vibrant part of the mall, as well as helping us turn both Century City and Topanga malls into major family destinations, we know there is more business to do with your Company. Westfield is thrilled to have Giggles N’ Hugs as a tenant and would like to strengthen our relationship with Giggles N’ Hugs by having more locations in our shopping centers and airports.”

Shopping malls as major family destinations? Increased family foot traffic? Vibrant corridors? No wonder Westfield already offers Giggles N’ Hugs up to 75% rent discounts and up to 50% of buildout costs and now wants to expand the existing partnership by offering Giggles N’ Hugs its entire worldwide portfolio of malls for consideration for future locations.

Giggles N’ Hugs not only puts smiles on the faces of families, but also, for a change, mall owners are smiling. With significant international franchisee interest and a target of 12 company-owned stores within two years, Giggles N’ Hugs could make investors smile, too.

Learn more by visiting www.gigglesnhugs.com

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From Our Blog

HeartBeam Inc. (NASDAQ: BEAT) Advances Power of ECG with High-Fidelity At-Home Heart-Monitoring System

September 10, 2025

For decades, the traditional 12-lead electrocardiogram (“ECG”) has been the gold standard in cardiac diagnostics, including arrhythmia assessment, offering a comprehensive assessment of the heart’s electrical activity. However, traditional 12-lead ECG systems often come with limitations such as cumbersome setups and restricted accessibility. HeartBeam (NASDAQ: BEAT) is addressing these challenges by developing the HeartBeam System, the first […]

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