New Starbucks opening on city's waterfront
A new Starbucks is slated to open on Chattanooga's riverfront downtown at The Block.
The full-service Starbucks located on Broad Street near the Rock/Creek store is expected to be ready in September or October, said Amy Donahue, director of marketing and communication for the the nonprofit redevelopment group River City Co.
She said the shop will open in the space formerly occupied by Chattz, which closed its coffee and wine bar last October.
Work is ongoing on the site already, and plans are for Starbucks to offer a outdoor patio area near The Block's exterior climbing wall, Donahue said.
"We think it's a good fit for the area," she said.
Social media summit coming to Chattanooga
SocialLion, a social media agency in Chattanooga, has partnered with Jeramie McPeek Communications to host the first-ever "Real Time Summit" on Oct. 8-9 for professionals in news, sports, weather, travel, entertainment and retail industries.
The event, which will be held at The Westin, will help attendees connect with industry leaders and learn how to use high-speed, real-time storytelling to grow their brands and engage their fans.
Award-winning digital media managers and producers such as Alissa Gwynn of NBCUniversal Media and Jeremy Thum of the Golden State Warriors and others will share real-time case studies, real-time engagement strategies and the best analytics platforms available in social media today.
"Social media and how people interact with it changes every day," says Clark Campbell, CEO and co-founder of SocialLion.
VW Group sales surge in July
Volkswagen Group deliveries jumped 10.6 percent in July on the strength of sales in Europe and South America along with gains in the United States, the company reported Friday.
Some 908,200 vehicles were handed over to customers in July, according to the German automaker that has a production plant in Chattanooga.
Deliveries in the United States grew 7.8 percent in July over the same month a year ago, according to the automaker that sells VW, Audi, Porsche and other models.
"July was a strong month for the group with all brands reporting clear gains," said Fred Kappler, head of group sales at Volkswagen, in a statement.
Over 6.4 million vehicles have been delivered since the beginning of year though July, up 7.5 percent, the company reported.