There high energy at last Saturday's staging of Footloose, which was held at the Mas Camp, Stadium North created a dancing frenzy.

A bevy of females capitalized on the two-for-one entry special before 11:00 PM and came out in their numbers, appropriately dressed, to dance the night away.

Dubbed Fashion Ova Style, this staging of Footloose was deemed another successful one for promoters Broadway Productions.

With ZJ Rush and Arif Cooper steering the musical delights, patrons were taken on a nostalgic journey down memory lane to relive the hits of yesteryear.

Aside from the music, patrons formed pockets of groups to showcase their dancing skills, creating ripples among the throng inside the venue.

Promoter Tyrone Dixon was pleased with the night's turn of events.

"The music, for me, was the highlight of the night. The mix flowed smoothly and the DJs worked well together to create a clean, continuous set, while keeping the energy of the patrons up all night," he said explained.

Dixon continued, "This staging was one of our best. The crowd was good, the music was great, and the patrons undoubtedly had a great time. You saw for yourself; it was non-stop dancing all night."

After 17 years, Footloose continues to attract a large turnout of patrons. Asked what it was about retro music that keeps patrons coming back to the event, Dixon said: "Retro ironically never gets old. The memories from older music take us down memory lane and it just continues to make us want more, and Footloose creates the right atmosphere for people to enjoy just that."

                       Fontana aiming on Technology approach

Fo​ntana Limited is looking to reap the benefits of recent technology investments and partnerships to further optimise its growing $5-billion business in 2023.

Fontana invested $59.09 million into the Eagle Software (POS) system which is the company's single largest technology investment in its 55-year history. Apart from integrating its rewards system across all its stores, it allows for the sharing of information with team members who can use their mobile phones to check what product is in inventory for its 1.7 million customers. The system was brought on stream in November during the Christmas season, which is one of the busiest seasons of the year.

"We now have the ability to check stock at any location immediately. So, if a customer needs something at another location, we can see it instantly. Additionally, the system has the ability to create pick lists to move inventory where it sells the best and generate automatic purchase orders for our vendors to ensure the most economical product mix and maximise sales. The new POS system is a wealth of information in terms of data to enhance the buying experience," said Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Anne Chang in an e-mail with the Jamaica Observer recently.

The investment comes at a time when Fontana is undertaking its new Portmore location which is valued at more than $100 million. The property, which is next to PriceSmart Portmore, has been impacted by a slight delay due to the dualisation of the roadway adjacent to its building. However, Chang is quite eager for the location to come on stream by September, four years after it opened its Waterloo location.

Chang...the new POS system is a wealth of information in terms of data to enhance the buying experience.

"We expect high demand -- since we opened in Kingston, people have been asking us to open a location in Portmore. We feel Portmore is currently underserved and have high expectations for this location," Chang added.

Its staff count is expected to move from 433 to surpass 500 persons once the Portmore location is open.

The company was able to achieve a record $2.13 billion in sales for its second quarter with its gross profit margins moving from 38.68 per cent to 39.21 per cent despite the inflationary pressures. The CEO attributed this margin improvement to purchasing overstocked products from its suppliers at a discounted rate, pricing and SKU (stock keeping unit) optimization across all channels and consolidation of its foreign shipments to share fixed costs.

              Masicka inks deal with Def Jam Records

The announcement was made via social media on Tuesday.

“Welcome to the Def Jam family @masickamusic #DefSyde,” Def Jam stated.

Masicka, given name Javaun Fearon, released his first track under the new deal titled Pieces featuring Jashii.

“Pieces is a song of triumph. It’s a celebration of what you have worked hard for and motivates the listeners to keep going. You will be victorious,” he said.

“The song touches on overcoming challenges and obstacles you face along the way, as we navigate through this thing called life. The challenges you’ve faced will make you stronger. They mould you into a warrior. The warrior which is needed to be successful,” Masicka added.

“Def Jam has always been the home for great artists across the wide spectrum of Black music, and Masicka is very much emblematic of that vision,” Balogun said.

“Representing the new wave of Jamaican dancehall and reggae, Masicka’s versatility and unique sonic perspective has the potential to impact markets all over the world. It feels like the beginning of something very special. We’re excited to welcome him to our Def Jam family,” he added.

Masicka will join Def Jam’s current roster which includes Buju Banton, and DJ Khaled, whose new partnership with the label was announced on Thursday.

                       Jamaica tallest building in progress

With construction slated to begin in February, Jamaican-based full-service architectural firm StudiOH Core Limited on Sunday unveiled the concept design of what it says will be Jamaica’s tallest building.

In an instagram post, StudioOH Core Limited highlighted that the historic building will have “multiple storeys of luxury” including a five-star hotel with first world amenities and attractions available for residential and premium commercial use.

The first phase of construction of the building is expected to begin February and upon completion will become the tallest building in the Caribbean, the developers said.

Dr Roland Rose of New York Drill – the team building the foundation – outlined that the construction will also provide Jamaicans with numerous job opportunities.

“This will be a major attraction for tourism and other industries. It will include observatory floors, swimming pools, museum, helicopter pads, and not to mention employment for the skilled and the unskilled,” said Rose.