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ACS Textiles Bangladesh is one of the first organisations headquartered in the country to commit to the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) group as the body welcomes ten new companies.

The holiday sales growth at Macy’s is a welcome change according to one analyst, but the US retail giant still has “a very long journey ahead” before it can declare itself on the path to posterity as it revealed plans to shutter 11 stores in early 2018 and a narrowing of its full-year sales guidance.

The UK is understood to be exploring the possibility of joining a trans-Pacific trade bloc after it leaves the European Union (EU), as part of plans to find alternative export markets.

US retailer Neiman Marcus has appointed Ralph Lauren executive, Geoffroy van Raemdonck, as chief executive following the retirement of Karen Katz.

EL SEGUNDO – Barring a setback, Lonzo Ball will be back on the court Friday night at Staples Center against Charlotte after missing the previous six games with a left shoulder sprain.

“I expect to play,” Ball said, following the Lakers morning shoot around at their practice facility.

Coach Luke Walton said: “If we stay on schedule, he should play tonight.”

The second overall pick averaged 10 points, 7.1 assists and 6.9 rebounds through his first 31 games, and the Lakers record stood at 11-20. Since then, the wheels have come off, with the Lakers losing six straight without Ball – eight overall – including a 37-point humiliation against Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

Ball will be expected to reverse that tide against the Hornets, whom the Lakers beat 110-99 on Dec. 9.

“Pressure’s been on me since I’ve been here,” Ball said, “so I’m looking at it the way same.”

The Lakers offense has stagnated without Ball, and his absence has been felt on the defensive end, as well. Still, Ball declined to identify one area where he thought he would have the greatest impact in his return.

“Whenever I come back,” he said, “I’m going to try to go out for that game and see what I bring to the table. But I just think we’ve got to keep fighting.”

Mater Dei has its next quarterback.

Touted Cathedral of Los Angeles junior-to-be quarterback Bryce Young (5-11, 175) announced Friday on Twitter that he will transfer to Mater Dei, which is seeking to replace record-setting and USC-bound JT Daniels at quarterback.

Daniels recently completed his junior season, topped by leading Mater Dei to a national championship and 15-0 record, but intents to reclassify as a member of the class of 2018 and enroll early at USC.

As a sophomore, the dual-threat Young passed for 3,431 yards and 41 TDs and rushed for 287 yards and 8 TDs. He led Cathedral to a 10-2 record.

Young has offers from Alabama, Georgia and USC among others. He projects to be part of the class of 2020 with St. John Bosco quarterback DJ Uiagalele, perhaps Mater Dei’s main rivalry next season.

Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson didn’t immediately return a message Friday seeking comment on Young’s enrollment status. The Trinity League school is on Christmas break.

Grateful for the past, excited for the future #GoMonarchs pic.twitter.com/uGSiQ9n5A2

— Bryce Young (@_bryce_young) January 5, 2018

EL SEGUNDO – Despite the Lakers dramatic December slide, Coach Luke Walton said he does not believe his job is in jeopardy.

“I don’t,” Walton said Friday morning. “I coach as if it’s not.”

His comments came less than a week after owner Jeanie Buss offered an apparent endorsement of Walton, the team’s fourth coach since 2013, tweeting, “#InLukeWeTrust” on New Year’s Eve.

Thank you for the unwavering support. We will get there and it will be sweeter because we went through the tough times together. Luke Walton: “We will get through this and we will be stronger when we do.” #Lakers Family #InLukeWeTrust https://t.co/tSsut2NJlf

— Jeanie Buss (@JeanieBuss) December 31, 2017

The Lakers will enter Friday’s matchup with Charlotte at 11-26, the second-worst record in the NBA. They have lost eight consecutive games and suffered their worst loss of the season, 133-96, to Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

While this is the point other franchises might start looking to make a change on the bench, the Lakers seem to remain committed to Walton, who is in his second season after being lured from the Golden State Warriors.

Walton said focusing on his job status would send the wrong message to his team.

“As I preach to my players that I control what I can control in life,” he said, “that’s got to be my philosophy as well.”

President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson and General Manager Rob Pelinka have “been great,” Walton said.

“They’ve been supportive,” he continued. “They obviously understand where we’re at as a team and what we’re trying to do and what our big picture is. When you’ve got a young team that’s battling and fighting, playing well and has some injuries and you get into the dog days of the NBA season, they’re both fully aware of what that’s like for our group.”

The Lakers played their past six games without starting point guard Lonzo Ball, who is expected to return to the court Friday. Center Brook Lopez, a former All-Star, recently missed eight games with a sprained ankle. Shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been unable to be with the team for five road games out of the state due to court-issued travel restrictions.

It has been a bizarre season, one that would only get stranger if the Lakers actually considered parting with their coach.

The Lakers’ hiring of Walton in the summer of 2016 was regarded as a major coup for a fractured franchise. Only three years removed from his own playing career, the former Lakers champion has often been praised for replicating the environment that has buoyed the Golden State Warriors to two championships in three years.

His ability to relate to players is expected to be part of the Lakers’ sales pitch to top free agents next summer.

But then there are the results.

The Lakers finished 26-56 in Walton’s first season. At 11-26, they are slightly behind the pace they set a year ago, when they had won 12 games through 37 games.

It’s the kind of season his predecessors never would have survived. In fact, none of the previous three Lakers coaches held the position for more than two seasons.

Byron Scott’s contract was not renewed after his teams went 38-126 in two years; Mike D’Antoni resigned after his teams were 67-87 in parts of two seasons; and Mike Brown was fired five games into the 2013-14 campaign after starting 1-4. The previous season, Brown led the Lakers to a 41-25 record in the lockout-shortened season.

With Walton, however, a greater plan seems to be in place. All signs point to that plan including greater patience than his predecessors were allowed, even if this season has gone sideways as its mid-point nears.

Buss’s tweet came while the Lakers’ losing streak stood at five, before back-to-back defeats in Houston and Minnesota.

Any sign that they were considering removing the 37-year-old coach would sabotage the image of stability the Lakers are trying to present after years of turmoil.

Walton, who was friendly with Buss during his playing days, said her support has been invaluable.

“I like to give her updates and she’s been around this game for a long time,” he said. “She knows when to be supportive and she’s been really great to work with.”

The owner of the South Coast Plaza mainstay Antonello Ristorante, Antonio Cagnollo, chats with host and executive editor Samantha Dunn and her cohost Mike the Millennial. Cagnollo shares how he came from Italy to America, how the Orange County food scene has changed in 40 years and why he ignores food trends. Listen here. Plus, if you can’t get enough of Cagnollo check out our in-depth interview with the chef in Coast Magazine’s The Four of Fine Dining.

To listen on Sound Cloud click here 

Follow Coast Magazine on Instagram @coastmagazineoc

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Here’s the latest restaurant and retail news for the week ending Jan. 7, 2018.

Coffee switcheroo at Market Place

One coffee shop replaces another at The Market Place. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf recently closed on the Irvine side of the shopping center. The Irvine Co. is replacing the national chain with a local brand: BLKdot Coffee.

The cafe, which first opened at the Google Center in Irvine in 2015,  sells niche products including VTM coffee (a slow drip Vietnamese-style coffee), sea salt coffee and Thai tea latte.

The cafes also serve food including a chicken banh mi sandwiches, croissants, bagels, muffins and scones. The cafe is expected to open in spring 2018.

BLK is in expansion mode, opening two more locations in late 2018 in Laguna Beach and Irvine Spectrum Center.

Seal Beach Pie shop closes

Doc’s Pie Shop, run by a longtime dentist turned baker, closed Jan. 1 after less than a year in business.

The shop opened mid-March in downtown Seal Beach. Owner James Blake made the announcement on the pie shop’s website after Christmas. He did not give a reason for the closure, only calling it a humbling experience.

He thanked the community for its support and said he would refund any unused gift cards.

Onotria closes

A land dispute that’s been ongoing for two years has prompted Onotria in Costa Mesa to close.

Massimo Navarretta, chef and owner, said the restaurant is on property owned by two different landlords. Both have been trying to buy each other out for two years. But negotiations are deadlocked between them, leaving Navarretta stuck in the middle. Not knowing the fate of the property, Navarretta said he made the tough decision to close the 12-year-old restaurant, a fixture on Bristol Street about a half-mile from The Lab.

The restaurant’s last day open is Dec. 30.

“It’s difficult for me to let so many good people go,” Navarretta said during a phone interview Friday, Dec. 29.

Navarretta, a charismatic chef who routinely wore his signature Panama hat, grew up in an agricultural town in Italy where he ate plenty of fruits, vegetables and legumes. He brought those seasonally inspired foods and classic pasta dishes to Onotria.

“Onotria feels more authentically Italian to me than any other restaurant I’ve encountered in Orange County,” Register restaurant critic Brad A. Johnson wrote in a 2014 review. “The dining room is open and airy, with high ceilings and tables spaced far apart. There’s a slight echo and a laidback breeziness to the place that makes me feel like I’m in a converted barn at an agriturismo on a rural road in Italy, one of those working farms that opens its spare bedrooms and dining room to tourists, who are mostly other Italians from the cities.”

After Onotria closes, he said he plans to move to San Francisco where he’ll continue to run his wine distribution business. He sells wine to restaurants throughout California including Orange County.

“I’m not good at goodbyes,” he said. “In the end, we’ll still be around.”

Curbside pick up at Dunkin’

San Clemente is the home of the first Dunkin’ Donuts with curbside pickup in Southern California.

The new doughnut shop, which opened in early December, is at 635 Camino De Los Mares. It features designated parking spots for customers who don’t have to get out of their car to pick up orders made through the company’s mobile app.

The San Clemente shop is among hundreds of restaurants across the nation adding curbside pick up, Dunkin’ said. It’s run by franchise group Precision Hospitality & Development. The company opened Orange County’s first Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant in Laguna Hills in 2014.

Most Popular Uber, Lyft Restaurants

Stag Bar in Newport Beach, Karl Strauss in Costa Mesa and The Bungalow in Huntington Beach are three of the most popular restaurants or bars in Orange County, according to Uber and Lyft.

Those three Orange County venues rank high for both drop-offs and pick-ups, according to data crunched by ride-sharing rivals Uber and Lyft. In a survey of rides for 2017, Lyft said Orange County’s most visited restaurant is Karl Strauss in Costa Mesa, while Stag Bar in Newport Beach is the most visited bar.

The Bungalow in Huntington Beach and Stag Bar, however, are among the top two bars where customers request a pickup, according to Uber.

Where do other restaurants and bars rank for 2017? Here’s the rundown.

Top Restaurants (Lyft)

1. Karl Strauss
2. BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse (106 Main St., Newport Beach)
3. American Junkie
4. Skyloft
5. The Slidebar Rock-N-Roll Kitchen
6. Mutt Lynch’s
7. Roscoe’s Famous Deli (Fullerton)
8. The Cannery 
9. Saddle Ranch Chop House (Costa Mesa)

Top Bars (Lyft)

1. Stag Bar + Kitchen
2. Baja Sharkeez
3. The Bungalow
4. Goat Hill Tavern
5. Time Nightclub
6. Woody’s Wharf  (Newport Beach)
7. Malarky’s Irish Pub
8. The Wayfarer (Costa Mesa)
9. The Copper Door (Santa Ana)

Top 10 Bars  (Uber)

1. The Bungalow (Pacific City,  Huntington Beach)
2. Stag Bar
3. The Blue Beet
4. Time Nightclub
5. Goat Hill Tavern
6. Mesa
7. Malarky’s Irish Pub
8. Baja Sharkeez
9. Wild Goose Tavern
10. Woody’s Wharf (Newport Beach)

Top 10 Restaurants (Uber)

1. Stag Bar
2. Cheesecake Factory (Anaheim)
3. Mesa
4. The Cannery
5. A Restaurant
6. Bosscat Kitchen and Libations
7. Nobu Newport Beach
8. Javier’s Grill & Cantina (Newport Beach)
9. Billy’s at the Beach
10. Cassidy’s Bar & Grill

(Note: Uber’s list is based onpickupss, while Lyft calculated its list based on trip destinations. Uber excluded restaurants and bars at Fashion Island and South Coast Plaza. Lyft sent us 10 bars and 10 restaurants but each list included an establishment from Los Angeles. We removed those venues, which is why each list has nine places instead of 10.)

L’Oréal Paris has tapped Winona Ryder to appear in a campaign tied to a massive rebrand of its U.S. hair business, WWD has exclusively learned.
A “robust, 360-campaign” comprising digital, social, TV and print advertising is set to launch Sunday during the Golden Globes with a TV commercial featuring Ryder, said Anne Marie Nelson-Bogle, senior vice president of marketing at L’Oréal Paris.
Titled “The Comeback,” the campaign is tied to the repositioning of the majority of the L’Oréal Paris hair-care products, including shampoos, conditioners and treatments, plus a few new products, under a new franchise called Elvive.
The Elvive platform focuses on damage prevention, a message L’Oréal is hoping U.S. consumers — fond of curling irons, blowouts, dry shampoo and bleach — will relate to. L’Oréal research found that eight in 10 women in the U.S. have damaged hair — and 18- to 34-year-olds in particular overindex in hot-tool-related damage.
“Everyone does love a comeback, and we will be communicating that damaged hair deserves one, too,” said Nelson-Bogle of the new campaign. “For Winona, we know that from TV sets to the red carpet, her hair has gone through many transformations — her hair is dry and damaged.”
In a commercial airing during the Golden Globes,

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