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ARTBOX, KOREA’S ICONIC LIFESTYLE RETAILER, MAKES U.S. DEBUT WITH LOS ANGELES POP-UP FEATURING GLOBAL K-POP ICON ILLIT

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The Korean retailer, founded in 1984, will open its first U.S. retail activation on Melrose Avenue from October 3–11, marking the first step in ARTBOX’s broader American expansion

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ARTBOX, Korea’s original design-lifestyle retail brand, is officially coming to America. From October 3 through October 11, 2026, the beloved Korean retailer will take over 8250 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046 for its first directly operated U.S. retail activation, introducing American consumers to the products, original characters and sense of discovery that have made ARTBOX a retail destination across South Korea.

Kicking off the nine-day pop-up on October 3, ARTBOX will celebrate its U.S. arrival alongside the global K-pop group and ARTBOX ambassador ILLIT — YUNAH, MINJU, WONHEE, IROHA— bringing K-pop and Korean lifestyle together with ARTBOX’s world of original characters and products on Melrose Avenue. The partnership brings together two Korean names with strong Gen Z audiences, introducing ARTBOX and its distinctly Korean approach to lifestyle retail to U.S. consumers.

The October 3 opening celebration will feature a special appearance by ARTBOX global ambassador ILLIT, who will join the opening remarks and photo call, meet with selected media, and experience the pop-up firsthand through a store tour and DIY decorating activity.

Following the opening celebration, consumers will be invited to step inside the ARTBOX universe through a series of immersive zones combining shopping, original character IP, K-culture and interactive experiences. The current pop-up design includes:

Step Into the Fun Side: An immersive entrance welcoming guests into the ARTBOX world, anchored by oversized ARTBOX characters — including alien character Lazywag — and visual content.Meet the ARTBOX Gang: A dedicated character and IP experience showcasing ARTBOX’s original characters alongside character merchandise, collectibles, stationery and accessories.Immerse in the K-Fever / Unbox the K-Wave: A K-culture experience featuring ILLIT, K-pop and interactive photo moments, connecting ARTBOX’s Korean roots with the global cultural phenomenon surrounding Korean entertainment.DIY at the Cute Custom Corner: A hands-on customization experience inspired by Korea’s decorating culture, with opportunities to personalize items such as journals, phones and accessories.Take Your Treats Home: A shoppable finale featuring ARTBOX products alongside an exciting Gacha experience.

More than a traditional shopping experience, the pop-up is designed as a roughly 40–45 minute journey through ARTBOX’s world of original characters, interactive moments, constantly refreshed products and highly visual spaces.

FROM SEOUL TO LOS ANGELES

Founded in Seoul in 1984, ARTBOX began with a simple premise: everyday objects should never have to be ordinary. What started as a design-led stationery business has evolved over four decades into a major Korean lifestyle retail destination, spanning 222 stores across South Korea and more than 20,000 active SKUs.

Today, ARTBOX extends far beyond stationery, bringing together eight lifestyle categories encompassing character goods and K-culture, stationery and writing, home and living, beauty and wellness, fashion and travel, gifts and seasonal products, digital and mobile accessories, and food and snacks. At the center of the brand are its original character IPs, which extend across products, collectibles, retail experiences, collaborations, licensing and social storytelling. Together, this mix of design, curation, character and culture gives ARTBOX broad appeal across Gen Z and Millennials, families, tourists and K-culture audiences.

Now, ARTBOX is looking beyond Korea.

Los Angeles marks ARTBOX’s first step into the U.S. market, with Southern California serving as the first phase of the retailer’s broader expansion plans. The Melrose pop-up will introduce American consumers to ARTBOX’s retail model, products and in-store experience firsthand.

The move comes as Korean culture continues to shape entertainment, beauty, fashion, food and lifestyle globally, creating an opportunity for ARTBOX to introduce another side of Korean culture to U.S. consumers.

“Los Angeles is a natural starting point for ARTBOX’s U.S. journey, bringing together culture, creativity and diverse communities,” said Kevin Cho, Head of Global Business at ARTBOX. “This pop-up marks an exciting first step as we introduce ARTBOX’s unique take on Korean lifestyle retail to U.S. consumers.” 

The Los Angeles pop-up will also give ARTBOX an opportunity to introduce the brand directly to U.S. consumers as it explores a longer-term footprint in the market. The company is actively exploring long-term retail opportunities with landlords and development partners in the United States.

The ARTBOX Los Angeles Pop-Up will run October 3–11, 2026 at 8250 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046, with public hours from 4:30 PM–8:30 PM on October 3 and 11:00 AM–7:00 PM from October 4–11.

For more information, visit
https://www.instagram.com/artbox.global_official
https://www.tiktok.com/@artbox.global_official
https://www.youtube.com/@artbox_official 

ABOUT ARTBOX
Founded in Seoul in 1984, ARTBOX is Korea’s original design-lifestyle retail brand, transforming everyday objects into experiences people want to discover, collect and share. With 222 stores across South Korea, ARTBOX brings together stationery and writing, home and living, beauty and wellness, character goods and K-culture, fashion and travel, digital and mobile accessories, gifts and seasonal products, and food and snacks through a constantly evolving mix of original design, curation and culture. Built around more than four decades of product development, retail operations and design expertise, ARTBOX creates discovery-driven retail experiences where consumers can shop, explore, play and share.

MEDIA CONTACT
Foundation
artbox@wearefoundation.co

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SOURCE ARTBOX

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New Treasure Hunt Series Offers $1 Million Grand Prize

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SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Krypto Chase today announced the launch of an ambitious nationwide treasure hunt competition that will span all 50 states, beginning with Utah. The series will award a $5,000 prize in each qualifying hunt before culminating in a national championship where one finalist will win a $1,000,000 grand prize.

The first qualifying event will take place along Utah’s Wasatch Front. Participants will solve a series of cryptic clues that lead them to real-world locations using the Skavengerz mobile app. The first competitor to successfully complete the hunt will receive the $5,000 prize, payable in either Bitcoin or cash, and advance to the Krypto Chase National Championship with a chance to win the $1,000,000 prize.

“Our vision is to create an experience that challenges people to think, explore, and discover new places and new adventures while competing for meaningful prizes,” said Jeremy Lyman, founder of Krypto Chase. “Whether you’re an experienced puzzle solver, an outdoor adventurer, or someone looking for an unforgettable weekend experience, Krypto Chase offers a unique opportunity to compete for life-changing prizes.”

Unlike traditional treasure hunts that rely on printed clues or social media posts, Krypto Chase combines cryptography, GPS technology, and real-world exploration to create an interactive, competitive adventure. Throughout each hunt, participants will receive clues, navigate to hidden locations, and verify their progress through GPS technology built into the Skavengerz platform.

The competition is powered by Skavengerz, a location-based adventure platform that enables organizations to create interactive real-world experiences using GPS, QR codes, trivia, and digital checkpoints.

“We built Skavengerz to inspire people to get off the couch and explore the real world,” said Nate Alder, CEO of Skavengerz. “Partnering with Krypto Chase demonstrates how our technology can transform treasure hunting into an exciting, large-scale experience that combines adventure, technology, and friendly competition.”

The date of the Utah qualifier will be announced after the first 200 participants have registered. Hunts are expected to begin on a Friday morning, with clues released through the Skavengerz app, and conclude no later than Sunday evening when the winner is confirmed. Registration for each qualifier hunt is limited to 5,000 participants.

Additional competitions in other states will be announced as registration milestones are reached.

Although participation in the Skavengerz app is free, competitors in the Krypto Chase treasure hunt who wish to qualify for the $5,000 prize and the $1 million national championship must purchase an official Krypto Chase ticket at www.kryptochase.com.

Registration is now open at www.kryptochase.com.

About Krypto Chase

Krypto Chase organizes real-world treasure hunting competitions that combine puzzle solving, navigation, cryptography, and technology into immersive outdoor adventures. Beginning with 50+ qualifying events and culminating in a national championship, Krypto Chase offers participants the opportunity to compete for significant prizes while exploring remarkable locations across the United States.

About Skavengerz

Skavengerz is a location-based adventure platform that helps destinations, tourism organizations, businesses, and event organizers create interactive real-world experiences through GPS challenges, scavenger hunts, trivia, QR codes, and gamified exploration. The platform encourages people to discover communities, attractions, and local businesses through engaging mobile adventures. App demo video click here

Media Kit

For additional media updates click here

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-treasure-hunt-series-offers-1-million-grand-prize-302901997.html

SOURCE Krypto Chase

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World Micro Highlights Flexxon Long-Lifecycle, Radiation-Hardened Storage Solutions for Aerospace & Defense

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Supporting long-life programs with fixed-BOM storage solutions designed for demanding aerospace and space environments

ROSWELL, Ga., Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — World Micro, a global distributor of electronic components and supply chain solutions, is highlighting its relationship with Flexxon and the company’s specialized storage portfolio designed to address a growing challenge across the aerospace and defense industry: maintaining reliable storage technology throughout programs that may remain in service for decades.

As major semiconductor manufacturers continue transitioning away from legacy NAND technologies, aerospace and defense manufacturers face a fundamentally different challenge than commercial electronics companies. Platforms with 10, 15 or 20-year lifecycles cannot simply redesign every time a storage component reaches end-of-life.

Through its relationship with Flexxon, World Micro can help customers address this challenge with storage solutions designed around long-term availability, fixed-BOM support and continued production of legacy formats. Aerospace and defense organizations evaluating NAND obsolescence, upcoming redesigns or long-term storage requirements are encouraged to engage World Micro early to explore available Flexxon solutions.

“For aerospace and defense customers, component availability isn’t simply a procurement issue—it can become a program continuity issue,” said Vladimir Prevot, VP of Supply Chain. “Our relationship with Flexxon gives us another way to help customers plan around obsolescence and support platforms with lifecycles that extend far beyond those of typical commercial electronics.”

Storage Designed for Long-Life Aerospace Programs

Flexxon’s approach to product longevity is particularly relevant to aerospace and defense applications, where qualification requirements, redesign costs and long program lifecycles make component changes significantly more complex.

Flexxon supports customers with fixed-BOM solutions extending beyond ten years and a commitment to maintaining products while customers continue to require them. This approach provides aerospace and defense manufacturers with an alternative to repeatedly redesigning systems around changing commercial NAND roadmaps.

World Micro works alongside customers to identify these requirements early, helping pair long-term component availability with broader strategies for obsolescence management, supply continuity and lifecycle planning.

Spotlight: Flexxon Radiation-Hardened Storage

One area of particular interest is Flexxon’s RAD-HARD NAND storage portfolio, engineered for aerospace and outer-space data applications where storage devices may be exposed to demanding environmental and radiation conditions. 

The portfolio includesFlexxon PCIe SSDs (HIX Series), eMMC (XTRA VII Series), and Memory Cards (FxAdv II Series). Depending on the product family, available capabilities include capacities up to 8TB, hardware power-loss protection, AES-256 and TCG OPAL data encryption, FIPS 140-2 certification, and extended operating-temperature support. 

Flexxon’s radiation testing addresses several conditions relevant to space applications, including Total Ionizing Dose (TID), Single Event Effects (SEE), neutron radiation and Total Non-Ionizing Dose (TNID), alongside temperature and vacuum testing. 

Potential applications identified by Flexxon include satellites, rovers, telescopes, defense and intelligence systems, weather sensors, communications infrastructure, GPS, IoT and 5G systems. 

Combining Specialized Technology with Supply Chain Support

For World Micro customers, the value extends beyond access to the technology itself. World Micro combines Flexxon’s specialized storage portfolio with supply-chain expertise supporting aerospace and defense manufacturers navigating component shortages, obsolescence, long-term availability and demanding program requirements.

Together, the companies provide customers with another option for addressing a question that is becoming increasingly important across long-life programs: How do you design today for technology that still needs to be available years—or decades—from now?

“Flexxon’s long-lifecycle philosophy aligns extremely well with the customers World Micro supports,” added d Dan Ellsworth, President & CEO. “When a platform has to remain operational for decades, continuity matters. We want to help customers identify technologies and supply strategies that can support the full lifecycle of their programs.”

Learn More

To learn more about Flexxon’s radiation-hardened storage solutions or discuss long-term storage requirements for an aerospace or defense program, contact World Micro at info@worldmicro.com.  

About World Micro

World Micro is a global distributor specializing in electronic components and supply chain solutions for military, aerospace, industrial, and high-reliability applications. With a focus on speed, service, and dependable fulfillment, World Micro supports customers worldwide with responsive sourcing, logistics expertise, and value-added distribution services.

About Flexxon

Flexxon is a global leader in industrial NAND flash storage devices and next-generation hardware-based cybersecurity solutions. Rooted in its deep expertise in memory and storage technologies, Flexxon’s memory business has long served specialized industries such as the medical, industrial, automotive, and aerospace sectors with highly reliable, high-performance storage solutions designed to withstand extreme environments.

Learn more at www.worldmicro.com.

For pricing and inquiries, please contact World Micro at:

Email: info@worldmicro.com

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SOURCE World Micro

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Cox Automotive’s VinSolutions Embeds Fullpath’s AI-Powered Customer Data Platform Directly into Mutual Clients’ CRM

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ATLANTA, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Cox Automotive’s VinSolutions, the industry’s number one CRM trusted by thousands of dealerships nationwide, today announced a milestone upgrade: All mutual Fullpath and VinSolutions clients will have an embedded Customer Data Platform (CDP) with AI insights built in, powered by Fullpath technology.

“Other CDPs are mostly focused on data ingestion, structuring and organization. With Fullpath’s CDP in VinSolutions, we put the power of that data directly in the hands of sales reps to personalize every interaction and close more deals,” said Paulo da Silva, VP of Digital Commerce, Cox Automotive. “What’s unique about Fullpath and VinSolutions is that the embedded CDP can also be upgraded seamlessly with Agentic AI capabilities to make that enriched data truly actionable.”

Dealers who run both VinSolutions and Fullpath already know the value of unified customer data. What’s new is where that intelligence now lives: directly inside the VinSolutions CRM record sales reps already use every day, not a separate screen to check. A marketing director can target shoppers who are in-market; a GM or GSM can see which deals are closest to closing; and the sales team walks into every conversation with AI-powered insights already on the record they’re viewing — no extra login, no separate tool.

The VinSolutions integration with Fullpath’s CDP provides three major value points for dealers:

One less system to log into: Their existing CDP instance is now accessible directly through VinSolutions.More customer context: The AI summary powered by Fullpath is surfaced in the customer profile, giving users additional insight at critical moments of engagement.Website activity in VinSolutions: Fullpath website data is now visible directly in the VinSolutions’s timeline.

“This release brings the industry’s most powerful first-party data and AI-powered customer intelligence directly into the CRM dealers use every day,” said Jessica Stafford, SVP of Consumer Solutions, Cox Automotive. “Capabilities that used to require a separate platform and a separate budget, are now built directly into the system they already know. Only Cox Automotive can deliver this supercharged value at scale.”

“Bringing Fullpath’s CDP intelligence directly into VinSolutions feels like watching two powerhouse digital platforms lock together,” said Don Erwin, Marketing and Communication Director for Mtn View Automotive Group, in Chattanooga, TN. “Suddenly, the customer profile isn’t just a CRM record — it becomes a living picture of that shopper’s journey, interests, activity and intent. This integration doesn’t simply pull back the curtain on the customer; it practically tears it away, giving our team a level of visibility we’ve never had inside the CRM before.” 

“The pace and depth of innovation that has defined Fullpath will accelerate now that we’re part of the Cox Automotive portfolio,” said Aharon Horwitz, CEO & Co-Founder, Fullpath. “Nobody else can pair our AI with data at this scale. That’s going to drive value for dealers — and for this industry — that no one else can touch. And this is just the first move. There’s a lot more coming from Cox and Fullpath together.”

The embedded CDP upgrade is being rolled out to all customers who have VinSolutions CRM and Fullpath through the end of the year. For more information, reach out to your Fullpath Customer Success Manager.

About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive is the world’s largest automotive services and technology provider. Fueled by the largest breadth of first- and third-party data fed by 2.3 billion online interactions a year, Cox Automotive tailors leading solutions for car shoppers, auto manufacturers, dealers, lenders and fleets. The company has 29,000+ employees on four continents and a portfolio of industry-leading brands that include Autotrader®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, vAuto®, Dealertrack®, NextGear Capital™, CentralDispatch® and Cox Fleet®. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately owned, Atlanta-based company with $23 billion in annual revenue. Cox Automotive has been included on Glassdoor’s Best Companies in Tech & AI 2026 and Best Place to Work in 2026 lists. Visit coxautoinc.com or connect via @CoxAutomotive on X, CoxAutoInc on Facebook or Cox-Automotive-Inc on LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Cox Automotive

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