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Success means doing better than before or achieving something desired. In business, some call it winning. This year, San Diego-based search agency Covario can boast it won the OMMA Search Agency of The Year title for a third consecutive time, even though it made a long list of changes to the organization.
The most recent change came in November when Russ Mann, Covario founder and CEO, became chairman of the board; and Jeff Johnson and Mike Gullaksen, Co-CEOs. Claire Long, CFO/COO, also stepped into the executive team, helping to make daily decisions.
Amidst the shuffle, Covario built a content marketing team that works with third-party social media experts, as agencies began focusing more on creating content for specific audience segments. The team continuously refines messages across the Web to align with audiences by increasing the odds of discovery.
That thinking attracted former McCann CEO Nick Brien. He joined Covario’s board of directors. Former Kodak CMO Jeffrey Hayzlett became an advisory board member.
A slew of new clients also came on board. Not just in the United States, but worldwide. The company continues to expand internationally, growing its staff in Tokyo, London, Singapore, Sao Paulo, Beijing and Toronto to support global assignments from existing clients like Lenovo, Intel, Guthy-Renker, Bank of America, and T-Mobile. As part of its growing presence in Asia-Pacific the company set up a dedicated office in China.
The global staff of more than 200 search and content marketing professionals manages more than 500 client projects worldwide. Execs estimate Covario should earn double-digit revenue growth again this year, in part, by supporting several new clients such as Sony, Jenny Craig, among others.
In fact, privately-held Covario should close the year managing in aggregate about $200 million for clients, up from more than $150 million in 2012, and $100 million in 2011.
Despite the growth, the company experienced challenges in 2013. Two clients cut their budgets, said Jeff Johnson, co-CEO. “We overcame this by winning new business largely through existing client referrals, which led to client diversification and revenue growth,” he said.
Maintaining growth remains one of the major challenges for companies on top. Mike Gullaksen, co-CEO, said maintaining the “rapid pace of double-digit growth” as search evolves becomes one of Covario’s challenges in 2014.
Growth requires quality of service. The company uses a third-party Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey to monitor its commitment to clients. This year the scores fluctuated between the high 50s and 60s, the company’s highest ever. Client customer satisfaction pushed the numbers well above the industry standard, both for agencies and for B2B companies.
Customer satisfaction can become a catch phrase, but Covario employees take the meaning more seriously. Meeting certain standards, company executives audit processes and commitments twice yearly to measure employee relationship with its clients. The NPS results contribute to annual financial compensation, so all employees take a stake in customer satisfaction.
The findings access the economic impact of Covario’s work in 2013 with a direct-to-consumer paid search client. The study reveals working with Covario helped to achieve 60% improvement in order volume from non-branded paid search, 10% rise in click-through rates, and a 4% increase in conversion rates, while overall spending fell as much as 15%, and cost of orders rose as much as 8.5%.
Increasing brand awareness, Covario’s search experts tapped into Google’s Dynamic Remarketing Beta Program in its infancy, giving Campmor an early advantage on the Google Display Network. Campmor, an ecommerce recreational equipment site struggling to transition from a catalog-based retailer, faced dwindling brand searches after reducing its annual catalogs from seven to two.
The campaign relied on keyword contextual and interest-category targeting, while using remarketing to target non-purchasers. Prior visitors to Campmor.com see the company’s ads on other sites across the Google Display Network for products they previously viewed while visiting the Web site. The retailer can target consumers who abandoned a shopping cart or viewed specific pages, for example.
Tags supporting retargeting allow Campmor to segment consumer lists based on preferences, geographic location and more. During the 2012 holiday season, the strategy let the company create nearly 100 new dynamic lists to drive record revenue from the Google Display Network. In six month, the dynamic retargeting produced 300% higher click-through rates, 37% lower cost-per-conversion, 13% higher return on investment and 16% higher conversion rate.
Campmor isn’t an anomaly. In just 90 days for Sony, Covario completely restructured the company’s paid search campaign strategy and implemented seven national product awareness programs. In return Sony garnered 25% increase in return on investment, 66% increase in ROI for product listing campaigns, and 100% increase in click-through rate compared with a two-year average. The average order value rose 25% year over year, the highest in more than two years.
It gets better. For Lenovo, Covario delivered more than 2,000 page of optimized code, developed hundreds of new landing pages, and created 10 templates resulting in a 258% increase in searches landing on page one for non-branded search queries, 84% year-over-year increase in organic search traffic and 40% increase in ecommerce sales from organic search traffic.


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Forza Motorsport 5's latest trailer has debuted at E3 2013.
New footage from the Xbox One-exclusive racer was shown during Microsoft's E3 2013 press conference, and additional details of the game were divulged.
Developer Turn 10 Studios has teamed up with racing team McLaren to create an advanced AI system for the next-generation title.
The Drivatar system is capable of learning the player's racing style and emulating their behaviour. It is even capable of competing in races for them while they are at school or work.
It was previously announced that Forza Motorsport 5 will run at 60 frames per second in 1080p, making it far superior to its predecessors from a visual standpoint.
Forza Motorsport 5 will be available for Xbox One when the new console is released in November.
The new trailer was unveiled at Microsoft's E3 press conference, alongside Xbox One pricing and release information.
Gallery - Xbox One confirmed games:

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"We're working on a customer-designed loyalty program that we think will be as good as there is out there in the marketplace," Mike Andres, McDonald's USA's president, said earlier this month at the UBS Global Consumer Conference.
The fast food chain currently has a "fundamental basics, kind of punch card approach," according to Mr. Andres. Launched nationally last October, the McCafe app basically features a restaurant locater and nutritional information. The app already has 7.5 million downloads.
As a loyalty incentive with the initial McCafe app, members — who provide their location and email address — earn a free beverage after five drink purchases, such as coffees and shakes. The upgraded loyalty program, according to Mr. Andres, will be "more robust," linking rewards to other purchases and likely visits per month. Points will likely have a time limit to entice customers to use them.
Mr. Andres said the chain wants to ultimately move "to this point of mass personalization where we talk to each of our customers individually based on what their needs are. ... If we see them falling off, we can entice them with their favorite products to come back. That's the future, customer relationship management, and we think that's going to be a significant sales layer for us."
A strong loyalty program could be of help in competing against Starbucks’ and Dunkin Donuts.
My Starbucks Rewards has 11.1 million members, and Dunkin' Donuts' DD Perks program has 4.3 million. Both offer mobile ordering. Starbucks' program stands out for its ample drink and food rewards, custom offers via e-mail, and free drink on each member's birthday.
In an online discussion last week, some of the industry insiders of the RetailWire BrainTrust were unconvinced that the strategy could bring a new audience through the Golden Arches.


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At the start of March, there was a little influx of virtual reality (VR) horror videogame announcements such as the recently released Lies Beneath. Also part of that bunch was Project TERMINUS VR by indie development team CVR, which has recently launched it Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign to help complete development.
Unusually for a lot of VR videogame Kickstarters, you can already sample Project TERMINUS VR across a range of headsets, with demos available for Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index. The second playable demo the team has released, you can play through the prologue to get a feel for what Project TERMINUS VR is like before deciding to back it.
CVR is looking to raise €65,000 EUR (approximately £57,000 GBP) by the end of April, with the cheapest pledge to secure a copy of the title being €20. Higher tiers include beta access (€40), alpha access (€75) and plenty of other goodies.
Project TERMINUS VR takes place in Paris, France, with the story involving an event where cities around the world are being attacked by swarms of nanites which assimilate anyone they come into contact with, turning them into a combination of biological and robotic matter which is now devoid of their previous personality. The origin of these swarms remains a mystery but those who do become assimilated are now a threat to anyone living. This has turned afflicted cities into quarantine zones, of which Paris is one and you’re trapped on the inside.
There are plenty of VR titles going for a realistic approach when it comes to interactivity and Project TERMINUS VR is no different, using roomscale to full effect. For example, if you need to crawl through a ventilation duct then you’ll need to get on your hands and knees. This also goes for your backpack, no unlimited inventory here. As this is a survival horror you’ll need to choose between useful tools like crowbars and snacks to maintain health.
The team will be creating two modes of gameplay in Project TERMINUS VR, a single-player and a co-op multiplayer which will support up to 4 players. The campaign also has several stretch goals which would expand both of these modes. For further updates on Project TERMINUS VR’s Kickstarter keep reading VRFocus.


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Our Managing Director Stan Gordon speaks out regarding the high rent wages in shopping centres killing food retailers.
Crazy rents. Relentlessly increasing utilities. Unaffordable penalty wages. How can retailers survive in an environment where their rent and overhead costs far outweigh their profitability?
I am outraged that the rise of rents in some shopping centres have, yet again, seen yet another victim in SumoSalad. This story is becoming all too common — a negative trend we’re seeing affecting businesses far too often. To attract and keep successful retailers in business, exorbitant shopping centre rents and staff penalty wages must drop!
And landlords should become responsible for their unconscionable behaviour. At Franchised Food Company, we have just recently been given an ultimatum to accept base occupancy costs in excess of 50% (when our sector should be a maximum of 18% – 20%). We walked away, resulting in yet another retail outlet closing, and some poor sucker being set up for damnation. Simply put it set the retailer up for failure … and they know it!
Read more here.


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Rural crime, Sugar beet factory, Farm shop marketing
With a sheep farm in Oxfordshire becoming the latest victim of meat thieves, Julia Mulligan, Chair of the Rural Crime Network, explains how they can help farmers protect their livestock.
There's a proposal for a new Sugar Beet processing plant to be built in Knaresbrough in North Yorkshire, helping to create up to 300 jobs. Ian Reeve has been to gauge reaction.
In our look at the price of food, Howard Shannon finds out whether farm food businesses can boost their bottom line by offering a premium shopping experience and pricier products.
Presenter: David Gregory Kumar
Producer: Toby Field.


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Yohji Yamamoto will continue his work as a designer
Japanese clothing designer Yohji Yamamoto's fashion house has filed for bankruptcy protection in a Tokyo court.
The company said the global economic downturn had hurt sales of its upmarket clothing ranges, saddling it with debts of 6bn yen ($67m; £42m).
Under Japan's Civil Rehabilitation Law, Mr Yamamoto can keep his business afloat while restructuring takes place.
Investment firm Integral Corporation said it had signed a deal to sponsor the brand and provide a cash injection.
Mr Yamamoto has been a prominent figure in international fashion since 1981, when his distinctive black minimalist outfits were first shown on the Paris catwalk.
His daughter Limi has her own fashion range, which is also covered by the bankruptcy protection petition and restructuring deal.
Integral said it had entered into a sponsor agreement to invest in the Yohji Yamamoto and Limi Yamamoto brands.
It said it would provide the firm with capital and financing and assist with management resources.
As part of the restructuring plan, Integral's Yoshihiro Hemmi, formerly vice-president of Adidas Japan, will become chairman of the fashion house's board.


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- Lexaria Bioscience is a drug delivery technology innovator whose flagship technology, DehydraTECH(TM), provides a means of enhancing substances’ delivery time to increase their effectiveness without adverse effects
- A new podcast by NetworkNewsAudio highlights DehydraTECH’s successes in trials that measure blood pressure reduction using DehydraTECH-enhanced CBD in comparison with generic controls
- The DehydraTECH technology is also being analyzed for effectiveness in combatting inflammatory conditions, viral illnesses and alternatives to the lung-harming effects of smoking
- The company’s most recent filing with the SEC notes that its revenues more than doubled between May 2020 and May 2021, driven largely by product sales and licensing agreements
A new podcast highlights the effectiveness enhancement efforts by technology innovator Lexaria Bioscience (NASDAQ: LEXX) for treating high blood pressure (hypertension), a key risk factor for both heart disease and stroke that is common in the world’s adult populations, including in the United States.
The podcast (https://ibn.fm/LIgxT) reviews many important entrepreneurial tips to business owners from Lexaria CEO Chris Bunka. It also notes that nearly half of all Americans have high blood pressure but only about 24 percent of those afflicted with it — many of whom are younger than 40. One of the most insidious aspects of high blood pressure is that, like diabetes, the damage they can cause is often already done by the time they are diagnosed, a reason India’s government recently announced that the health department has begun screening government employees for the conditions in all departments, for example (https://ibn.fm/vvFYi).
Lexaria’s patented DehydraTECH(TM) technology is designed to enhance substances such as pharmaceutical drugs into a more readily bioavailable form that speeds up their time to effective use. Clinical trials have been analyzing its ability to accomplish this transformation without causing changes that adversely interfere with the drugs’ intended use, such as by inadvertently creating new molecular entities NMEs that would require more complex new regulatory approvals (https://ibn.fm/TLcLX).
“Just last month, Lexaria announced that a human clinical study using DehydraTECH technology demonstrated a rapid and sustained drop in blood pressure along with excellent tolerability,” the podcast states. “Initial results show that blood pressure was reduced across both male and female volunteers and was most pronounced in the first 10–50 minutes of the study treatment, reinforcing pre-existing findings demonstrating that DehydraTECH delivers superior performance over generic controls.”
The company’s focus on DehydraTECH is not only to produce a better solution for delivering blood pressure treatments, but also anti-virals that battle SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, HIV and other illness-causing invaders.
DehydraTECH is also being looked at as a way of making nicotine orally ingestible at a level of quick absorption and efficacy superior to smoked and vaped drugs with the intent of creating a desirable and less harmful alternative to lung-harming inhalation of the substances (https://ibn.fm/COLsW).
Last month Lexaria chose to delist its common shares from the Canadian Securities Exchange in order to focus on trading on the Nasdaq Capital Markets (Nasdaq ticker LEXX), where it has been seeing greater liquidity and can reduce the fees and managerial commitment that went into a dual listing (https://ibn.fm/CaOFZ).
The company’s July 10-Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission noted that revenues more than doubled between May 2020 and May 2021, driven by intermediate product sales of DehydraTECH-enabled powders that companies can purchase to include in their products and licensing fees arising from definitive agreements for the DehydraTECH technology (https://ibn.fm/krv09).
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LexariaBioscience.com.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to LEXX are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/LEXX
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The time where numerous amount of money is spent on design and the development of a new product and more of them are splurged to sell them and develop a market for such fresh traits, it sounds very distracting to hear the imitation of Range Rover Evoque got a green flag to enter the production in China. The product called LandWind X7 was unveiled at Guangzhou Motor Show last year, and now it even witnessed the Shanghai Motor show. This time, the vehicle receives acceptance from the authorities to go into the production, claimed a source.
As per the reports, LandWind X7 bears a price tag of £14,000, where in comparison the Range Rover Evoque retails for £40,000. However, this vast difference between both of them will ravel hampering of quality as well as power. To our expectations, the LandWind SUV will remain as a good option from traveling from point A to B, rather than experiencing the thrill of a Range Rover behind its steering wheel. Yet, the maker has tried to push hard the limits and bring the new vehicle with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine sending 190.6PS of max power and 250Nm of peak torque. Transmission options available are 6-speed manual and an 8-speed automatic.
To answer In brief what the LandWind is about, it is a joint venture between Changan Auto and Jiangling Motors Corporation, who are listed as some of the most renowned companies in China. Commenting on this strategic disturbance, Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO of JLR said, as an organization JLR invested hugely in the Chinese market in joint venture with the Chery. The commitment is laid out on a clear business plan which allows the organization to hit the sales targets on clear prices. If anything that comes into way and damages the potential profitability of the manufacturing facility, it will also damage the integrity of the said plans.
Thus, the worries may surround other carmakers as well. After all, such a move in the land of China will strengthen the efforts of copy and fakes business house holders to further clone more successful models of the auto world.


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On Monday, the NBA revealed this year’s ‘City Edition’ NBA jerseys for all 30 teams. That means the Celtics are adding another alternate uniform to their rotation.
According to the NBA Locker Vision website, “The Boston Celtics new City Edition uniform is part of the 2021-22 Nike NBA City Edition Moments Mixtape theme. In celebration of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary, this on-court collection was designed to showcase the iconic moments of each franchise. This uniform pays homage to those iconic moments with subtle nods to some of the greatest to ever wear green.”
The description goes on to identify elements of the uniform that pay homage to different eras in the team’s history. Here’s a closer look at what went into this new design.
The Celtics also tweeted some photos with the current team modeling the uniforms.
Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at email@example.com.


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The Fashion for Good Museum in Amsterdam has launched a new year-long exhibition shining a spotlight on biomaterials.
The Grow Expo showcases a selection of innovations, designers and brands that are reimaging the materials used in the notoriously polluting fashion industry, from fruit skin fabric and mushroom ‘leather’ to spider-silk and algae dye.
As well as seeing the materials up close - either by in-person appointment or virtually - visitors will learn about the fast-growing movement of biomaterials in fashion, which companies from high street retailers to storied luxury houses have been keen to get in on in recent years.
This includes information about what exactly biomaterials are, why they’re so important, how sustainable they are, and what makes them different from traditional fibres like cotton and hemp. Visitors can also buy products at the exhibition.
So which brands are at the exhibition? Swiss label Qwstion is showcasing its bags made from Bananatex, a material made from banana plants cultivated in the Philippine highlands within a natural ecosystem requiring no pesticides, fertilizer or extra water.
Pangaia, a materials science company, is available for the first time in a retail store in the Netherlands at the Fashion for Good Museum, marking its second physical point of sales in Europe. The brand’s innovations include fibre made from seaweed and an antibacterial textile finishing treatment made with peppermint oil.
Another brand available in the Netherlands for the first time at the exhibition is bag manufacturer Freitag which is showcasing F-ABRIC, its sustainable, transparent and fully compostable clothing line. The materials in the line are made of the bast fibres hemp and flax, as well as modal which is made from beechwood.
Other brands at the exhibition include The Nude Label, which is showcasing its gender-neutral underwear fashion made from organic cotton; Phool, which makes charcoal-free incense and biodegradable packaging from floral waste from temples and mosques in India; and BioGlitz, which produces what it describes as the world’s first biodegradable glitter.
Joining the line-up of brands is also a number of innovators. They include Algaeing, a company using algae and cellulose to create 100 percent biodegradable fibres and dyes; Bolt Threads, the material solutions company behind mycelium based leather alternative Mylo; and Colorifix, a dyeing company using a biological process to produce, transfer and fix pigments onto textiles.
Other innovators at the exhibition include Ecovative, Galy, Infinited Fiber Company, Orange Fiber, Reuben Selby, Spiber x Goldwin, and Spinnova. More information on the exhibition and all companies involved is available on the Fashion for Good website.
Images courtesy of Alina Krasieva


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Social media has made sharing personal and professional updates easy and, in most cases, highly targeted. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as the proliferation of new social media platforms have created a window into the lives of those who are active on these platforms. One of the biggest tensions created by social media is that, while businesses are constantly looking for metrics and strategies that will enable them to advertise their content to the user at the most opportune moment, individuals seek to cut down on their social media consumption. The rise of wearable technology (e.g. smartwatches or technology-embedded clothing) has the power to revolutionize this push/pull dynamic. Continue reading
Social media influencer marketing has had a significant impact in the way brands reach consumers worldwide. Social media influencers are very important to platforms such as YouTube and Instagram and even more so to brands. As independent contractors, social media influencers garner more outreach than any company’s advertising team could ever hope to accomplish. From engagements like brand awareness and product placement and “authentic reviews,” according to Business Insider, the influencer marketing industry is expected to be worth up to $15 billion by 2022—up from $8 billion in 2019. Influencers, once a niche group, are now everywhere—we can spot them on the red carpet, in commercials, and on runways. As their numbers become more widespread and controversies settle over fake engagements and followers, virtual influencers have entered the market and are set to transform the influencer industry. Continue reading
With the prevalence of employment and labor class action lawsuits, particularly those based on alleged wage and hour violations, the nuances of defending those suits and administering potential settlements are paramount to California employers. One lesser-discussed feature of the class action process is the notice requirement to class members. Throughout the lifespan of the action, potential and actual class members must receive notice at a number of pivotal stages. These stages include, of course, those events closer to the end of the action such as proposed settlements and settlement distributions, but the notice issue can also arise relatively early in discovery (e.g., when the parties participate in a Belaire-West notice process to employees). Continue reading
On January 13, 2020, a solar energy sales lead generation company settled a federal lawsuit against several defendants, including a former employee. Both the initial complaint and settlement described the important role of social media to the business. (Solar Connect, LLC v. Endicott, Case No. 2:17-cv-01235 (D. Utah Jan. 13, 2020) (stipulated permanent injunction). Continue reading
In the age of social media, are court procedures enough to protect vulnerable parties subject to a publication ban? In a recent article, researchers at the University of Zurich were able to re-identify parties in 84% of judgments studied (the Zurich Study). Continue reading
On November 4, 2019, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued guidance for social media influencers to help them comply with FTC requirements relating to endorsements and disclosures. We have previously covered FTC action and guidance (including advisory letters) in this area, but the FTC has refined and updated its advice a bit: Continue reading
In recent posts, we have discussed how social media use and the enforcement of social media policies can have major implications in wage and hour lawsuits against U.S. employers. Now, a recent case in U.S. District Court in California suggests that social media can also play a role in discrimination suits. Continue reading
In this age of social media, companies and brands have faced countless criticisms for their lack of transparency, copyright infringements disguised in the form of “flattery or inspiration” and we can’t forget the many inclusivity flops.
Brands, including beauty brands, are now dedicating more of their marketing budgets to paying influencers for their “honest” reviews in hopes that they can convince the public to purchase their products. What’s more striking is that consumers are heavily relying on social media for help in determining where to place their value and money. With these stakes, some companies have turned to deceptive practices in a search for social media popularity. Continue reading
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a field of computer science referring to intelligence demonstrated by machines, in contrast to the natural intelligence displayed by humans. Social media platforms use artificial intelligence technologies such as natural language processing to understand text data, and image processing for facial recognition.
In some instances, regulation tries to create a “legal” definition of AI. For example, a law requiring disclosure of chat bots defines “bot” as “an automated online account where all or substantially all of the actions or posts of that account are not the result of a person.” Article 22 of GDPR provides for the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on “automated processing, including profiling” with legal or significant impact. AI laws also refer to driverless vehicles. These legal definitions of AI determine whether the law applies to the particular AI process or system. Continue reading


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It looks like Intel has slipped some sort of DRM support into its recently released Pentium D and 945 chipset combo, but the exact nature of the support is as yet unknown. The following quote from an Intel rep is being passed around the 'Net, and it appears to have originated in this Digit Online article:
While Intel steered clear of mentioning the new DRM technology at its Australian launch of the new products, Intel's Australian technical manager Graham Tucker publicly confirmed Microsoft-flavored DRM technology will be a feature of Pentium D and 945.View: Full Article @ Arstechnica
"[The] 945g [chipset] supports DRM, it helps implement Microsoft's DRM ... but it supports DRM looking forward," Tucker said, adding the DRM technology would not be able to be applied retrospectively to media or files that did not interoperate with the new technology.
However, Tucker ducked questions regarding technical details of how embedded DRM would work saying it was not in the interests of his company to spell out how the technology in the interests of security.


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Silent Hill: Ascension Will Let The Community Influence The Series' Canon Later This Year
The October 2022 announcement of Silent Hill: Ascension, an interactive streaming series from Genvid Entertainment and Konami, raised some eyebrows from fans but provided little in the way of details. Today, Genvid broke its silence by not only giving us new details on the series but also a trailer.
In this series, which will unfold simultaneously across the globe, those watching can help decide the fates of Ascension's main characters. This means that as the story plays out, the audience will have a say in who survives the surely horrific story, who will be redeemed or damned by their actions, and who will suffer the almost certainly ghastly consequences. According to Genvid Entertainment, not even the developers will know the results of the story until it unfolds.
Silent Hill: Ascension features an ensemble of new characters, monsters, and locations within the Silent Hill universe. Genvid has crafted a real-time interactive system that allows viewers from around the world to decide these characters' fates within the narrative the studio has crafted. Beginning later in 2023, fans can tune in to live story moments where each day is different based on audience interactions.
Silent Hill: Ascension is set to stream later this year. If this unique concept has piqued your interest, you can check out the reveal trailer below.


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Three is aiming to double its customers to 10 million by 2015, with plans to increase the number of retail stores by 18% during the next two years.
Three CEO David Dyson said the retail plans would increase its store portfolio to 400 branches. He said: 'We will continue to work to improve our existing stores. We want to broaden our appeal and make sure our store reflects the very best in retail offerings. We want to bring the customer experience to life.' CFO Richard Woodward added: 'Our retail portfolio will be increased depending on finding the right location.'
Dyson revealed that Three had seen an explosion in demand for data, with a four-fold increase in just 12 months. Three's contract customers now use an average of 800MB per month. Dyson said: 'Our focus on data continues with the increasing demand for internet access on mobile growing. Our data plans, the One Plan, the Ultimate Internet Plan and the Essential Internet Plan, we feel fit the bill.'
To fuel data demands, Dyson said the operator was increasing the number of its network sites, which will grow from 12,600 to 18,000 by 2015. He claimed improvements in ethernet connections had led to faster download speeds, with Three customers receiving an average of 3Mbps, up from just under 2Mbps a year ago.
Two weeks ago, Mobile reported that Three had split from Phones 4u. Dyson revealed this morning that 89% of its sales were direct, whether through retail, online or telesales. This contrasted sharply with 2007, when 85% of its sales were third party.
Dyson said the operator continued to score highly in YouGov polls, where it was rated the top tablet and mobile broadband retailer for March, and scored second for smartphones. However, it moved from number two to being voted the best iPhone retailer. Dyson said: 'All of this is very exciting for us. We are going to focus on making sure our customers get the best end-to-end experience. It's all about execution and we are going to stay ahead. We have a great team of people in place to continue to take us forward.'
Woodward said the operator was building momentum through active customer growth, net contract handset growth and smartphone sales on Three's network. Churn was 1.1% in Q1 2012, down from 1.7% in the first half of last year. Woodward said: 'Effective distribution, excellent results in cross-selling retail/online and telesales, increased efficiency and improved customer experience had led to the continued broader appeal.'
Editor: Shujaul Azam


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Nubia Chinese Smartphone creators set to enter in India soon with their new Z9 mini Smartphone that was launched in the China market in March. The Nubia has set the teasers to tech – press and company will launch the smart phones in the Indian market and it has also share social accounts and separate Nubia website for the Indian users (www.nubia.in).
If we look at the specification of Nubia Z9 mini device, it has 5 – inch HD display, 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage. The Z9 mini also supports 16 megapixel back camera and 8 megapixel front camera. it is powered by a 64 – bit Snapdragon 615 chipset.
The Z9 mini Dual – SIM Smartphone supports 4G LTE connectivity and Dolby 7.1 Surround sound technology.
The Z9 mini device got the price in china at 1499 Yuan. So it will expect 16k INR price in Indian market. So guys, what’s your thinking about Nubia and Nubia Z9 mini price?


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The antitrust demons are stirring again in the bank credit card industry.
The U.S. Justice Department has confirmed that an investigation is under way, but it is saying little about it.
While the probe could go to the core of competitive issues like pricing and card-issuing duality, MasterCard and Visa, which presumably should be on the hot seat, are maintaining their cool.
Each association issued a statement over the past two days, saying there is no cause for alarm or jumping to conclusions. Indeed, they have faced such questioning before, and their business plans have rarely met defeat when legally challenged.
The confirmation from Justice's antitrust division came from Craig Wildfang, special counsel to Assistant Attorney General Anne Bingaman: "We are conducting an investigation into certain allegedly anticompetitive practices in the industry."
Theories abound as to how serious the threat may be to the big credit card joint ventures.
In their statements, MasterCard International and Visa U.S.A. acknowledged that information was requested from them, but they avoided characterizing Justice's inquiries as any type of formal investigation.
The speculation began to fly late Tuesday after a news wire service, Bloomberg Business News, reported on a Justice Department investigation of credit card pricing practices. Visa sought to shoot down the price-fixing concern.
"We have absolutely no reason to believe that price-fixing is a subject of the inquiry," said the San Francisco-based association. "In fact, based on the latest information available to us, the subject appears to be card-issuing duality and its effect on innovation."
Responding to Visa, MasterCard said, "It would be presumptuous to characterize the nature or purpose of this inquiry."
Industry sources believe American Express Travel Related Services Co. and Dean Witter, Discover Co., which issues the Discover card, also have been contacted by the Justice Department's antitrust division. But it was unclear whether they are also subjects of the probe. Both companies declined to comment.
Visa and MasterCard were initially contacted by the Justice Department in June. A source said Justice's request to Visa appeared only to target documents about the Visa-Dean Witter antitrust litigation.
Dean Witter will be seeking Supreme Court review of a recent appeals court decision that denied Dean Witter's bid to become a Visa-issuing member.
Industry experts generally believe Justice is looking at duality -- the practice of individual banks' issuing both brands of bank cards. Duality became the rule in credit cards in the 1970s -- initially over Justice Department objections -- and Visa has been resisting MasterCard's attempts to allow for duality in debit cards.
"I believe the issue is duality," said Moshe Orenbuch, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. "If it was pricing, then Justice would have contacted issuers."
Others, citing published studies documenting price competition at the consumer level, also doubted that line of inquiry. The General Accounting Office in April completed a report showing a significant level of price competition and product choice.
Said Robert McKinley, president of RAM Research in Frederick, Md.: "The GAO report, the Visa-Discover trial, and the California trials [involving challenges by consumer advocates!, prove that on the consumer end things are clean."
Mr. McKinley said it would be ironic if duality is the problem. The Justice Department's opinion in 1974 that "dual affiliation appears unobjectionable" led Visa to repeal its anti-duality bylaw, opening the floodgates for banks to join both associations.
Industry experts suspect Justice will look into duality's impact on the discount fees banks charge merchants to process card transactions. The fees are largely influenced by the interchange rates that MasterCard and Visa set for clearings among their respective members.
Bank card merchant discounts are generally around 2% of credit card sales. Most bank charges are above Discover's and below American Express'. Justice might be asking if merchant pricing would be more competitive if banks were not allowed to offer both the Visa and MasterCard brands.


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This past April, at Automate 2017 in Chicago, I had the chance to have a conversation with John Thrailkill, Co-founder and CEO of Advanced illumination, during which we discussed his company’s machine vision lighting and product development approach, as well as the current state of the factory automation market.
Advanced illumination’s EuroBrite™ family of LED lighting (pictured), explained Thrailkill, was developed when a vision partner approached the company and asked about the potential of offering a cost-reduced product line that they could use to replace their current lighting.
"Because of the type of lighting it was," he said, "we felt it would be a good general offering. So as a result, we began offering them as a standard product, and customers are providing very positive feedback."
These IP67-rated lights are available as bar lights, backlights, ring lights, and spot lights, all of which are equipped with the industrial grade Oslon family of LEDs from Osram. In addition to white LEDs, wavelengths are available from 455 to 940 nm. The LED lighting’s built-in controller features Adaptive Power™, which maximizes light output in continuous mode, as well as Adaptive Overdrive™, another feature of the built-in lighting controller that provides a maximum output pulse in strobe mode regardless of exposure period.
"One thing I would stress about these is that they are a high-quality build being offered at a lower price point to OEM customers", he said. "This was part of our strategy to offer deeper discounts to OEMs."
Beyond just these products, Advanced illumination does its best to stay ahead of the curve in terms of anticipating market needs, instead of being reactionary.
"Our engineers work with integrators and try to read the tea leaves as best they can," he noted.
In terms of technologies that Thrailkill identified as potential growth areas, he mentioned 3D imaging.
"I really started noticing a major ramp up at VISION 2014, and I have been seeing it more and more," he said. "Hopefully this continues to grow."
Overall, he seemed to be optimistic about his company’s prospects and the market in general, while noting how much more often automation is being mentioned in the news at the national level.
"This is certainly something that is gaining more attention beyond just our industry," he said. "People didn’t sit around the dining table talking about automation two years ago."
He added, "Automation is here to stay, you can’t roll back the clock."
View more information on Advanced illumination.
Learn more: search the Vision Systems Design Buyer's Guide for companies, new products, press releases, and videos


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Royal Mail Group is opening three new depots at Chorley, Cornwall and Hampshire as part of a £75 million investment in its UK express parcels business, Parcelforce Worldwide.
Over the next four years the investment will allow 1,000 new UK jobs, nine existing depots will be expanded or moved to larger sites and IT will be upgraded.
A new parcel processing centre will be opened in Chorley in autumn 2013 in addition to the existing hub in Coventry. New depots will be opened in Cornwall and Hampshire with a further nine existing depots either expanded or moved to larger sites over the next four years.
In the last reported financial year its parcels businesses took £4.2 billion, which is 48 per cent of its total revenues excluding Post Office Ltd. Royal Mail Group has three parcels networks in the UK: Royal Mail’s UK parcels operation; Parcelforce Worldwide and Royal Mail Specialist Services.[asset_ref id=”1867″] Greene
Chief executive Moya Greene said: “Our £75 million investment is part of Royal Mail Group’s strategy to grow its parcels businesses in the UK and overseas. Our strategy is to convert the rise in parcel volumes into profitable growth. That means becoming a much more customer-focused company being run on commercial lines and investing in new, vital technology.”
“The investment will enable Royal Mail Group’s express parcels business to meet the rapid growth in demand in the business-to-business, business-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer markets.”
It reckons the total UK express parcels market is currently worth £5.8 billion a year or 1.1 billion items, and that that online retailing will account for 12.4 per cent of GDP in 2016.


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From left: Torben Villadsen, Susanne Dahl Jepsen (widow of Actona-founder Orla Dahl Jepsen) and Lars Larsen.
One of Northern Europe’s largest furniture companies – Actona Company in Holstebro, Denmark – has been acquired by Lars Larsen, who owns the worldwide bedding chain Jysk and several Danish-based furniture chains and companies.
Actona Company produces and sells furniture to retailers in over 90 countries around the world and has some of the largest retail chains on the customer list. Actona has revenue of appr. 1.1 billion DKK and has over 1,200 employees. The company will be a part of Lars Larsen Group, which besides Jysk also consists of furniture chains Bolia.com, Ilva and IDEmøbler, furniture wholesaler company Interstil and outdoor furniture manufacturer Scancom.
Actona Company was founded in 1981 by Orla Dahl Jepsen, who died in 2014. Actona’s CEO, Torben Villadsen, is now ooking forward to continuing as part of the Lars Larsen Group: “I am convinced that the new ownership will only strengthen Actona. We have an owner who has a long-term perspective and wishes the best for the company, and we can now continue the good cooperation we have always had with customers and partners,” says Torben Villadsen.
Lars Larsen becomes the majority shareholder in Actona, while the current Executive Board invests in equities.
Read more here.


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How big is the healthy-food industry? According to Statista, the food market for health and wellness could grow to as much as $811 billion this year. That’s over a hundred
It sounds so simple you might think it won’t work. However, hand hygiene has proven itself very effective against the COVID-19 virus, a death-dealing, earth-shaking menace that has put the
Anyone who works in the music industry knows that there’s a lot of work that needs to be put in to produce and sell good music. Decades ago, you needed
Next to Google, YouTube is the second biggest search engine in the world. It has over 1.5 billion users monthly while 300 hours’ worth of videos is uploaded per minute.
One Tuesday afternoon in 2014, Facebook bought Oculus, one of the leading virtual-reality companies in the US, for a staggering $2 billion. To put this into perspective, Zuckerberg et al.
Did you lose your job or close your shop during the pandemic? You’re one of more than 13 million Americans who are currently unemployed, according to the latest data from
More to Explore
Staying home for around a year resulted in pandemic fatigue among a lot of people around the country. This condition
How big is the healthy-food industry? According to Statista, the food market for health and wellness could grow to as
We bid goodbye to probably one of the most “difficult” years in the 21st century: 2020. Although a pandemic was


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Bitcoin news site CoinTelegraph made a splash today with a story about Russia starting its own cryptocurrency, the “cryptoruble”:
While the announcement means that Russia will enter the cryptocurrency world …
As clickable headlines in the cryptocurrency press often do, it got picked up by the tech press, though it’s yet to make it to the mainstream press. But what’s the substance of it?
CoinTelegraph didn’t link its “local news sources,” but I tracked down what looks like the original, or close to it, from Argumenty i Fakty on Saturday: “Russia will issue its own crypto currency — Minister for Communications“.
Nikolay Nikiforov, the Minister for Communications and Mass Media, says this was a decision by President Putin, though Nikiforov was advocating it last month. “If we do not, then in two months our neighbours in the Eurasian Economic Union will do it.” (“если мы этого не сделаем, то через 2 месяца это сделают наши соседи по ЕврАзЭС.”) The plan is a closed model with regulated issuance of tokens, rather than Bitcoin-style mining.
Nikiforov seems to consider mathematics to work along national lines: “Russia’s cryptocurrency should use Russian cryptography, the minister said.” (“В российской криптовалюте должна быть использована российская криптография, отметил министр.”) He believes that:
We cannot trust foreign cryptography in such a sensitive topic as cryptocurrencies. We cannot use these things for one simple reason — we know that there are certain bookmark mechanisms in this cryptography. We have always guessed this, then it was published by Snowden, then it was confirmed by hundreds of other leaks.
The Central Bank also continues discussing the possibilities of creating a state cryptocurrency, the so-called “digital ruble” or “bit-ruble” — the term appeared after the attempt of the Qiwi payment system to launch a cryptocurrency in the fall of 2015. The initiative met with sharp opposition from the authorities and initiated the creation of a bill banning cryptocurrencies in Russia. However, in the light of the new statements of the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance, this project can be considered actually buried.
What Nikiforov’s 2017 announcement seems to be describing is a state-issued Tether-style token system (cryptographic “eurorubles”) with proper central bank backing — blockchain-based, but firmly controlled and strictly ruble-equivalent. It’s entirely unclear what this gets you over the centralised digital money we have now, maintained by your bank and accessed electronically, which works perfectly well in Russia (though cash is still more common).
This appears to be a splashy buzzword-friendly announcement of the sort motivated by the internal needs of the bureaucracy to look good — if the President wants something, he gets it. If there’s anything to this, the resulting currency may rapidly turn into just another electronic payment system, because the design appears centralised enough that a blockchain gets you nothing except being able to say that you’re using a blockchain. The main impetus does appear to be a wish not to be outdone by their fellow EAEU members.
Just a week ago, on 11 October, President Putin called for a strong regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies, Ministry of Finance to control the release and circulation of cryptocurrency in Russia. It’s not clear how this new announcement fits with that, unless the government simply wants something it can call a cryptocurrency without all that annoying lack of central control.
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A book of children’s stories about their lockdown experiences is being created to raise funds for the reading charity Bookmark.
Castlegate and Wellington Square shopping centres are working with local schools to produce a book called Stockton Stories that will be full of tales of children’s experiences over the past year. The book will then be sold to raise funds for the reading charity Bookmark.
Matt Boxhall, Centre Manager and Chantal Taylor, Marketing Manager have been speaking to schools in Stockton about the campaign and explaining how the pupils can get involved. Pupils at the following schools are already busy writing their stories;
- Christ the King
- Holy Trinity Rosehill
- Roseberry Primary
- Marton Manor
- St Cuthberts
- St Josephs
- St Patricks Primary
“It has been inspiring going into the schools and hearing how the pupils have coped during the difficult circumstances over the past year. I am very excited to hear the stories that the children write and to see our finished book at the end of the project.” said Chantal Taylor, Marketing Manager at Castlegate shopping centre.
The competition is open until Tuesday 4th of May 2021, after this date the centre team will then read all the entries and pick 50 entries of them which will be published in the book. The author of each published piece will receive a £10 National Book Token and a copy of the book to keep.
The 3 schools that submit the most entries will win £100 worth of books! The remaining copies of the books will be sold in the Castlegate and Wellington Square shopping centres to raise money for Bookmark – the Reading Charity and help improve children’s literacy skills in the area.
Matt Boxhall, Centre Manager said “It is great to be able to work in partnership with so many of our local schools to produce this charity book and to raise money to help children with their reading.”
Corporate Partnerships Executive Laura Burke said: “With more children than ever needing help with their reading this year, we’re thrilled to be a part of Stockton Stories and are really looking forward to reading some of the children’s writing about their experiences during lockdown. A big thank you from us here at Bookmark and on behalf of the children who will get extra support.”
To find out more about how your school can benefit from the work that Bookmark do here: www.bookmarkreading.org


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Style-conscious South Floridians seeking the same lustrous locks sported by Lady Gaga, Rihanna and other A-list celebrities need look no farther than Downtown Hollywood, where premium hair extension company Indique recently opened a new boutique offering its line of exclusive products and unique consultation experience.
Established in 2007, Indique is an internationally known luxury brand providing the highest-quality virgin human hair extensions. A variety of versatile, natural and durable hair products ranging from $85 to $330 is available through retail stores, an online shop and distributors throughout the U.S., Central America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Indique Boutique – Hollywood, which opened Nov. 16 at 1848 Polk St., is the fast-growing company’s 16th location and the only one in Florida. There currently are boutiques in 10 other states and one in Johannesburg, South Africa. A boutique in Ghana, West Africa, will open next, with four more locations planned for 2019.
Indique was founded by Ericka Dotson, a stylist who wanted to fill the void in the hair extension industry with a premier, knowledgeable and customer-orientated business, and India native
Krishan Jhalani, who ran an Indian human hair export company.
With an impressive client base that includes Gabrielle Union, Brandy, Ciara, Taraji P. Henson, Kelly Rowland, La La Vazquez and Zendaya, outstanding customer service remains a top
priority. Boutique clients are encouraged by friendly Indique hair extension experts to see, touch and evaluate as many pieces as they wish – unlike the often restrictive experience in the typical
beauty supply store.
The opening of the Hollywood location puts the historic downtown arts, music and entertainment district in the company of Indique Boutique cities in major metropolitan areas throughout the
U.S., including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York City.
“We look forward to being a fixture within Hollywood’s Downtown District community,” said Dotson, who serves as Indique’s creative director.
“Hollywood’s proximity between Miami and Fort Lauderdale provides the perfect solution for clients in the area who want premium hair that is easily accessible,” she added. “The pedestrian-
friendly environment mixed with thriving boutiques and restaurants will help drive new business and enhance our customer experience.”
Indique Boutique – Hollywood hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday – Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. The store is closed for lunch from 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesday – Friday and noon to 1 p.m. on
Saturday. For more information, call 786-347-1900 or visit www.indiquehair.com/hollywood.


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DxOMark Will Announce Its iPhone 11 Pro Max Camera Results on November 7, so Mark Your Calenders
While the iPhone 11 Pro Max DxOMark results for audio quality have been published, and surprisingly, the verdict lies behind the iPhone XS Max, we have yet to see the website publish the camera review. Well, you won’t have to worry any longer because DxOMark has notified themselves when the results will be out, and you’ll only have to wait a few days.
Even Though the iPhone 11 Pro Max DxOMark Camera Results Aren’t out yet, Others Have Praised the Optics Hardware, as Well as Other Areas
According to the information posted on DxOMark’s official Twitter handle, the camera results for the iPhone 11 Pro Max will be released on November 7. The review website has already published the Pixel 4 results, and with an overall score of 112, it continues to lag behind the reigning champion of the camera leaderboards, which is the Huawei Mate 30 Pro and its overall score of 121.
While a lot of us will sit around and wait for the iPhone 11 Pro Max DxOMark results to come out, other critics had some really nice things to say about Apple’s latest and greatest flagship. Firstly, DisplayMate awarded an A+ rating to the model’s OLED screen, stating that it featured the best display on a smartphone to date. Secondly, Consumer Reports praised both the cameras, the water resistance and the battery life of the newest model. This suggests that Apple’s more efficient A13 Bionic, improved software optimization and a larger lithium-ion cell helped increase battery endurance.
— DXOMARK (@DxOMark) November 4, 2019
Overall, the issues that customers may have complained about while having made the iPhone XS Max as their daily driver were polished with the release of the iPhone 11 Pro Max, and it’s offered at the same price tag as its predecessor. Of course, not all customers will be happy about the fact that you need to pay a minimum of $1099 to own Apple’s latest and largest model.
In case you wanted to observe a closer look at the optics, a recent night mode camera comparison between the Pixel 4 and iPhone 11 revealed that Apple has come a long way in computational photography because the results were very impressive, to say the least. This only means that the iPhone 12 range will have an even more advanced camera setup, and we will definitely look forward to that. For now, let us be patient and await the iPhone 11 Pro Max DxOMark results in a few days.
News Source: Twitter (DxOMark)


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A new diamond jeweler will open a store on St. Armands Circle in Sarasota this week.
I Do Diamond Ring Boutique will celebrate its grands opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, April 3, at 10 a.m. The diamond ring boutique is a “store within a store” concept, and shares space at 17 Fillmore Drive with Queens Wreath Jewels. I Do Diamond Ring Boutique in Sarasota is a franchise location. The local store’s franchisee owns Queens’ Wreath Jewels.
Merchandise at I Do Diamond Ring Boutique is up to 20 percent off during the company’s firsh month of business.
I Do Diamond Ring Boutique sells diamond engagement and wedding rings from a variety of collections and designers, including Erica Courtneyand Michael Beaudry.
Inside the boutique, customers can browse diamond rings or create their own rings from the diamond bar, which is equipped with customized 3-D ring design software.
Sea Maiden Inc. opened at 19 N. Blvd. of the Presidents, in the space formerly occupied by Scoop Daddy. The lease for the 1,200-foot-space was signed in November.
The store sells a variety of unique apparel for women, handbags, jewelry, shoes and gift items. For more information, call the store at 941-388-2023.
Photo by Mike Lang, Herald-Tribune staff.
Kokonuts, which has locations in Delray Beach, Amelia Island and even in Spain, will take over the 2,300-square-foot space at 1476 Main Street, which was formerly occupied by by Jflo Boutique and Salon. The shop will open later this year.
The boutique specializes in resort wear for women, which includes swimwear, dresses and accessories.
Photo credit: Google Maps
The restore is where residents can donate gently-used items like home furnishings, apparel, appliances and other items. The restore at 4408 Bee Ridge Rd., debuted an additional 2,000-square-foot space, or boutique, on July 1 that added a section of gently used women’s clothing, infant and children’s clothing and some menswear.
An expanded selection of footwear and accessories is also available inside the boutique.
“Adding the boutique not only expands the Restore’s selling space, but also Habitat’s ability to raise financial support for families in need of decent housing,” said Renee Snyder, executive director of Habitat Sarasota, in a statement. “The additional redesign of this space allows us to accommodate the sale of more merchandise and our new boutique is just a fun place to shop.”
Habitat for Humanity Sarasota has been apart of the Sarasota community since 1985 and has rebuilt and renovated more than 200 homes in the county.
The restore is open Monday though Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.


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Google Inc. launched its Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones in an annual event at the San Francisco Jazz Center on October 4, 2017. The latest smartphones have several major upgrades than its predecessors, which were launched in 2016.
Major upgrades are made in terms of squeezable displays, camera specifications, and software integration. These upgrades are aimed at offering more personalized experience to user. However, the difference between newly-launched smartphones lies in display size and battery capacity.
Google Pixel 2 has a 5-inch Cinematic 127-mm full-HD display with resolution of 1080×1920. On the other hand, the Pixel 2 XL has a 6-inch QHD+ display with 2880×1440 resolution and P-OLED at 538ppi with 18:9 ratio. 3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protects both displays. Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC powers both Android 8.0.0 Oreo-based phones. Moreover, they have 4GB of RAM. The battery capacity of Pixel 2 is 2700mAh, however, the battery capacity of Pixel 2 XL is 3520mAh.
Both phones have a 12.2-megapixel rear camera, equipped with f/1.8 aperture along with optical and electronic image stabilization. The front camera of both phones is of 8-megapixel, having an aperture of f/2.4. Moreover, they offer superfast wireless charging, water resistance, and the fastest fingerprint sensor.
The California-based tech giant launched a raft of products at the event along with its latest smartphones. These products include Google Pixelbook, Google Pixelbook Pen, Google Lens, Google Clips, Home Mini, Home Max, and Google Pixel Buds.
Google Pixel 2 will be available from October 17, 2017. However, Google Pixel 2 XL will go for sale on November 15, 2017.


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If you passed Go and collected rent off Boardwalk in the same round, you’d have the cash to pay Nissan’s price hike on the 2019 Versa sedan. (In Monopoly money, anyway — which, barring a set like this, isn’t real.) The automaker’s entry-level sedan was the cheapest new car in America for the 2018 model year, and its $250 price bump for 2019 means it will likely retain that title for a year to come. With Apple CarPlay and Android Auto now available for 2019, it brings competitive multimedia systems to the fore.
The price bump brings the 2019 Versa sedan to $13,255 including an $895 destination charge — a price that gets you a stick-shift Versa S with a curious mix of current technology and budget-car trappings. These include a 7-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, a USB port and a backup camera — the latter now required — but crank windows, manual door locks and no center adjustment. The Versa S Plus and Versa SV, which both get a continuously variable automatic transmission, start at $15,395 and $16,885, respectively. Those prices are up $50 apiece versus the 2018.5 Versa sedan, a midyear update that added the touchscreen but neither smartphone integration.
As with the 2018.5, the 2019 Versa S Plus adds cruise control, but you have to get the SV for conveniences like power windows and door locks, remote keyless entry, a center armrest and height-adjustable driver’s seat. Atop the SV, the Versa sedan’s sole factory option — an SV Special Edition Package — adds Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, 15-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, foglights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and keyless access with push-button start. It’s another $800 versus $500 for the package last year, but it adds the smartphone integrations and keyless access, both previously unavailable. As such, the Versa sedan tops out with factory options at $17,685.
The 2019 Versa sedan is on sale now. Nissan has yet to release details for 2019 on the related Nissan Versa Note hatchback; the 2018.5 Versa Note starts at $16,495.
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.


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Bags to replace boxes in great cereal shake-up... but will it turn your breakfast to dust?
The breakfast table is about to get a little greener as cereal boxes are phased out in favour of plastic bags.
The change, being pioneered by Sainsbury's, will reduce packaging by a third.
But some customers fear that the flimsy containers will provide less protection for the contents in transit, bringing the risk of pouring a bowlful of dust.
The new cereal sold in a bag on the shelves of a Sainsbury's store, next to cereals with more traditional packaging
The supermarket is ending a century- old tradition by its decision to start selling its own-brand cereals in recyclable plastic bags resembling crisp packets.
It has started the transformation with its basic range of Rice Pops - now available across the country in bags, and is looking to extend this to all of its own-brand cereals.
The store also sells 2 pint plastic bags of milk instead of in the usual plastic bottle
Stuart Lendrum, Sainsbury's head of packaging, said: 'When it comes to cereal, our customers asked us why they need to be in a box as well as a bag when you can just print all the information on the bag.
'We have tested it and are really happy that the Rice Pop cereal works in a bag.
'Because it is small, round and quite solid it doesn't break up like another cereal might do. Every single cereal is going to be different and react differently to friction and movement.
'The next product to be launched in a bag will be our Fruit and Fibre basics range. We are testing how it does in bags at the moment.'
Tesco said yesterday that it was considering replacing cereal boxes with bags, as is Kellogg's, the biggest cereal manufacturer in the world.
The firm, which started selling Corn Flakes in 1906, said it had kept cardboard boxes until now to protect the quality of the cereals, but getting rid of them was 'one of a number of options' being considered.
A spokesman said: 'We use plastic bags in some of our markets but we know our consumers buy Kellogg's for the quality and we need to ensure that we can provide the same quality of product (i.e. not dusty, broken flakes) if we were to change our packaging in the future.'
Nestlé, which makes Shredded Wheat and Cheerios, said it had no plans to change the boxes.
Sainsbury's has also started selling milk in polythene bags to reduce packaging.
The supermarket polled more than 1,000 customers to draw up a list of the top ten products whose packaging should be changed.
Fruit and vegetables were identified as the most over-packaged items.
In future the lids of plastic punnets containing strawberries, apricots, plums and gooseberries will be replaced with a heat- sealed film. This will save 330 tons of plastic each year on strawberry lids alone.
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Drug store chains have had a bumpy ride since 2007 — hit first by the recession and then by anemic annual sales growth, as they compete not only with each other but with grocery stores and mail-order pharmacies.
Recently, though, consolidation and cost-cutting have helped the two leading chains, CVS Caremark (CVS) and Walgreen Co. (WAG), come storming back. (The other name in the space, Rite Aid [RAD], is much smaller than its two main rivals and has struggled more, with the proliferation of low-priced generics eating its lunch.)
Plus, the market opportunity is not limited to retail drug sales; pharmacy benefit management (PBM) is big business, too. Case in point: David Bonderman’s TPG Capital announced this week plans to acquire Envision Pharmaceutical, a PBM with about $3.5 billion in annual sales.
With that in mind, which stock — WAG or CVS — is the best bet for investors? Let’s break it down:
Walgreen Co. has nearly 8,100 retail pharmacies, making it the largest pharmacy chain by number of stores. The company’s fiscal 2012 sales totaled more than $72 billion, on par with the prior year. However, a spat between Walgreens and pharmacy benefits giant Express Scripts (ESRX) drove the company’s net earnings for the year down to a paltry $2.1 billion — 22% lower than in 2011.
Walgreens has since worked out its differences with Express Scripts, but still missed analysts’ revenue forecast for the most recent quarter. Same-store sales also inched up less than 1% during the quarter, and customer traffic was down nearly 4%.
The good news: The company has global ambitions — particularly with regard to retail pharmacy — that became apparent this time last year when it acquired a 45% stake in European pharmacy giant Alliance Boots for $6.7 billion.
Walgreens not only has the option to increase that stake in the next couple of years, but the companies together are setting their sights on the pharmacy market in China. To that end, the companies last September bought a 12% stake in Nanjing Pharmaceuticals. All told, Walgreens stake in Alliance Boots should deliver synergies of $125 million to $150 million.
For the cherry on top, WAG pays a better dividend than rival CVS, boasting a current yield of 2.9%.
CVS Caremark has 7,450 retail pharmacies — a handful fewer than its rival — but also can add nearly 650 in-store “Minute Clinics” to its résumé. As the Affordable Care Act drives millions of formerly uninsured Americans to primary care physicians instead of hospital emergency rooms over the next few years, CVS sees a significant growth opportunity in the primary care business.
The company plans to open 150 clinics this year alone, with a goal of having more than 1,500 clinics open for business by 2017. Although WAG is pursuing a similar strategy with its Take Care Health Systems subsidiary, it currently has only 370 in-store clinics open today.
Plus, CVS is a big player in the pharmacy benefit management space through its acquisition of Caremark in 2007. CVS’s total revenue hit a record $123.1 billion in fiscal 2012, while profit from the PBM business grew by more than 20% last year. CVS is also looking to grow its 26% share of the PBM market aggressively over the next couple of years.
CVS faces its shares of challenges too, though. The main one: In the wake of last year’s $116 billion Express Scripts-Medco merger, CVS faces far tougher competition in the pharmacy benefits space. Plus, ESRX is not the only competitor gearing up to take the battle for market share to CVS. Last month, Catamaran (CTRX) inked a 10-year PBM deal with insurance giant Cigna (CI) to gain substantial economies of scale.
CVS’s dividend yield comes in at 1.5%.
All in all, CVS wins this one despite its lagging dividend. The main reason: The company’s PBM strategy positions it to continue to reduce costs while taking advantage of the swelling rolls of insured customers.
While Walgreens’ international strategy is intriguing — as is its investment in Alliance Boots — it doesn’t strengthen the company’s competitive position in the U.S., where the pharmacy chain is experiencing lower in-store traffic. At the same time, CVS’s Minute Clinic strategy not only calls for more clinics to be opened in more stores, but also positions those clinics as a supplement — or even alternative — to primary care physicians.
Time will tell whether that paradigm works for consumers and their primary care physicians, but the proliferation of these clinics will, at the very least, drive customer traffic into the stores — and more traffic is always a good thing for retailers.
As of this writing, Susan J. Aluise did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.


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Refurbished pub in Skegness celebrates reopening with beer festival
and live on Freeview channel 276
A range of 15 real ales, including five from overseas brewers, will be available at The Red Lion in Skegness, from Wednesday, March 6, to Sunday , March 17.
Among the festival collection are vegan (also suitable for vegetarians) beers.
Pub manager Abbey Gibb said: “The festival is a great celebration of real ale.
“It will allow us to showcase a selection of superb beers, including those from overseas, over a 12-day period, at great value-for-money prices.
“It will also give our customers the opportunity to enjoy a number of beers which have not previously been available in the pub, as well as those brewed specially for the festival.”
Three third-of-a-pint tasters will also be available at the festival for the price of a pint.


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Ghirardelli Chocolate Company announced it will reopen its flagship store, the Original Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop, at Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco, on Thursday, July 13, 2023. After a six-month renovation of the historic building, the store celebrates Ghirardelli’s history and craftmanship as a U.S. chocolate pioneer and the company’s legacy in San Francisco dating back to the 1850s. The new design features North America’s largest flowing chocolate wall, the original, 19-foot “G” from the historic marque Ghirardelli sign, a replica San Francisco cable car that doubles as a seating area and antique chocolate making equipment on display.
“We can’t wait for the public to experience our redesigned iconic flagship store at Ghirardelli Square. This shop is located where in the 1960s we first served what is now our World Famous Hot Fudge Sundae,” said Joel Burrows, Ghirardelli’s President and CEO in a statement. “After being 171 years in business in San Francisco, we are proud of our deep roots in the city. We remain committed to helping Bay Area visitors and locals alike create sweet memories with their families and friends for many more chocolate-loving generations to come.”
Ghirardelli will celebrate the Original Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop’s grand reopening on July 13 starting at 10:00 am with live music from Sueños, outdoor games and experiences throughout Ghirardelli Square. The newly renovated flagship store will officially reopen at 11:00 a.m. after Multiple Grammy Award winning artist, singer, actor, producer and best-selling writer Kelly Rowland leads the ceremonial ribbon cutting with the Ghirardelli management team and community partners. The public is invited to join the festivities, and in honor of Ghirardelli’s 171-year history, the first 171 people in line to enter the store will receive a free Ghirardelli World Famous Hot Fudge Sundae.
“As a true chocolate lover, I can’t wait to help ring in Ghirardelli’s next chapter,” said Rowland. “No visit to San Francisco is complete without a delicious sundae at Ghirardelli Square. And now there’s an even more gorgeous setting for having that unique Ghirardelli chocolate experience.”
Introduced in 1966, the Original Chocolate and Ice Cream Shop was Ghirardelli’s first location that focused on sundaes. When it reopens, the menu will feature 15 different sundaes, including Ghirardelli’s Hot Fudge Sundae. Additionally, the renovated store format will showcase other fountain and bakery favorites like milkshakes, hot chocolate, brownies, cookies and chocolate covered strawberries.
Among other elements of the elevated retail experience, visitors will get to enjoy a re-designed Pick n’ Mix space where they can customize souvenirs featuring Ghirardelli chocolate squares. The new space also embraces Ghirardelli’s rich San Francisco history with a tiled mural of the San Francisco skyline on the second floor, as well as vintage Ghirardelli advertisements in the warmly vibrant Sun Room.
Guests will be able to see the original, 19-foot Ghirardelli “G” up close. The Ghirardelli marquee sign that many travelers and locals identify with San Francisco, turns 100 this year. Aside from being rewired and outfitted with efficient, low-wattage bulbs, the sign components look just as they did in 1923. Today’s sign is equipped with a Color Kinetics LED system that enables each letter to independently display a variety of colors.
The Original Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop redesign is the second part of a multi-phased renovation project for the brand at Ghirardelli Square. Last year, the company unveiled a completely reimagined Chocolate Experience Store, Ghirardelli’s other flagship retail space at Ghirardelli Square. The store concepts and design of the multi-phase renovation project have been led by Bay Area firm Eight Inc.


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Prepare Your Vehicle for Winter at Heritage Toyota this 2018 - KXXV Central Texas News Now
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Winter is coming, and it is bringing with it hard road conditions and a ton of auto issues for those that are not prepared! Thankfully, Toyot...
OU football: Defense stabilizes in victory at TCU
FORT WORTH, Texas — Nail by nail, construction of the Texas and Pacific ... pound Frog Horn — a real-live steaming train whistle given to the university by Burlington Northern Railroad — isn’t suffici...
Suspect in Aug. 29 Adams County shooting in custody in Burleson, Texas
Patten said Davis was a passenger in a car that was stopped in Burlington, Texas, Thursday for not having a tag and the officer investigated a bit and discovered Davis was wanted in Adams County for f...
Academy, Burlington, Five Below open in new East Dallas shopping center
a Florida-based prescription eyeglass chain that recently expanded to Texas. The new Academy has lowered its shelves to make more of the store visible. Burlington has made its home-furnishings, shoe a...
5 best, 5 worst cities for people with disabilities in 2018
Laredo, Texas, for example, has the lowest cost of living ... most live just a few miles from those earning the least–the median annual earnings in South Burlington, Vermont are $34,639, while Burling...


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Colombian superstar Shakira on Wednesday revealed her brand new range of specially designed charity T-shirts, reports Caracol.
The T-shirts are decorated with illustrations designed by the Colombian singer, and will be sold around the country to raise money for the charity foundation Pies Descalzos, founded by Shakira herself.
One of the singer’s publicists explained that the designs, which feature angels and guitars, are true to the singer’s own tastes.
“[Shakira] is someone who has always been connected with the idea of wings and angels. It’s a pretty design that people will like,” he said.
A beaded artisan-style bracelet will also be sold alongside the range.
The Barranquilla star has appealed for support on the project, announcing that she hopes to build a new school in the Colombian city of Cartagena with the money raised.


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UPS and Fedex have acknowledged that they are targets in a Federal criminal investigation of online pharmacies. The companies received subpoenas and the investigation is whether the companies have aided and abetted online pharmacies which illegally ship prescription drugs. Some of the online pharmacies have been making counterfeit drugs available in the U.S. Thousands of websites have popped up for online pharmacies and many of them are under attack by authorities worldwide including Interpol.
Jeffrey Newman represents whistleblowers. firstname.lastname@example.org


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The Criminal Investigation Department at the General Directorate of Criminal Investigations has arrested an individual of Asian descent for conducting unauthorised currency exchange operations. Through search and investigation operations, the susp..
The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 announced on their social media platforms that tickets for the Round of 16 matches are now on sale and available for fans to purchase. Fans eager to witness the thrilling next phase of the tournament can secure t..
Over the years, Pakistan and Qatar have nurtured a strong and multi-dimensional relationship, with significant expansion and diversification, particularly in the realms of trade and investment. In an effort to "significantly enhance employmen..
Samsung customers in Qatar can avail pre-order benefits on the latest Galaxy S24 Series, such as free double storage upgrade, 1-year Samsung Care+ warranty, trade-in benefits and more. Samsung Gulf Electronics has announced that the new Galaxy S24..
Lulu Hypermarkets, known for retail innovation, is thrilled to announce the commencement of their highly anticipated 'Half Pay Back' Promotion, running from January 24 to February 13. During this promotional period, customers can enjoy exc..
Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, highlighted the shared responsibility in preserving the Arabic language as a fundamental aspect of local identity. Speaking at the inauguration of the International Day of Education ac..
Qatar Tourism launched a new Ambassador Programme, with a Meet and Greet that took place on January 22, 2024. The programme celebrates pioneers from the local community and aims to provide a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs, artists, and adventure..
The event revealed the restaurant’s Italian legacy, taking guests on a distinctive culinary journey. Paper Moon Doha, known for its authentic Italian cuisine, hosted an exclusive culinary affair on January 21, where the team behind thi..
The Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) has announced the launch of the third round of European Language Activities, in collaboration between Katara's Public Diplomacy Centre (KPDC) and both embassies of the European Union (EU) and European coun..


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PMA Fresh Summit 2016 – BOOTH #3189
Schur + SunSelect Partnership
January 25, 2016
The first Outrageously Fresh specialty tomato mason jar bags are rolling off the line this week at SunSelect’s Tehachapi, Calif. facility, signifying the first step in a larger plan for these packs to become the bag of choice at retail—in the greenhouse section and beyond.
A unique partnership between British Columbia’s SunSelect Produce and Danish company Schur Star Systems, Inc.—the originator of the mason jar shaped bag—positions the pack style to contain more than the greenhouse mini cucumbers, mini peppers and snacking tomatoes unveiled along with Divemex and Oppy at Fresh Summit last fall, according to SunSelect Director Reinhold Krahn.
“SunSelect has secured the exclusive rights to Schur’s mason jar bag across several categories in the U.S., Canada and Mexico,” Krahn said. “Our discussions with retailers have illustrated the great promise of this pack. We believe it could have enormous influence on how healthy snacks are profitably merchandised at retail and easily enjoyed at home.”
SunSelect’s exclusive includes peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, cherries, red and green grapes, cranberries, apples, kiwifruit, and blueberries, with potential extensions of the jar bag concept for other products. In the coming months, SunSelect and Oppy will offer the concept to producers of many of these items.
The “Schur Jar Bag” was discovered by members of the Krahn family, owners of SunSelect, at Fruit Logistica last year.
“We felt the design would be a great fit for snacking items, and a differentiator on the shelf,” Krahn said. “It’s more stable than other packaging options within clamshells and cello bags, and plays on the popularity of home canning and use of mason jars in decorative and useful ways around the house.”
Hans Christian Schur, Schur’s Oceanside-Calif. based CEO, shares Krahn’s enthusiasm about the partnership and the promise of the bag concept for many types of fresh fruits and vegetables.
“It’s a new venture for us to have a partner in produce,” he said. “The enterprise is based on SunSelect’s desire to differentiate in the fresh category, and Schur’s commitment to deliver a solution to help them achieve that. We are excited to expand the concept with SunSelect, bringing in associated companies like Oppy who work with growers of other items.”
Schur specializes in developing and engineering new bags, innovating in both material and in shape, and serves as a “one stop shop,” manufacturing the packs and providing the equipment to fill them.
“Our Schur Star System is very flexible, so SunSelect can run bags of various sizes and its range of associated products on the same machine, undertaking small or large runs, with just a few minutes to change in between,” Schur said. “We offer high quality printing and materials, which makes an enormous difference at the point of sale.”
The Schur Star packing process is underway now at SunSelect’s Tehachapi, Calif. greenhouse, teeing up the delivery of the first jar bags filled with Outrageously Fresh snacks.
The re-sealable Outrageously Fresh mason jar bags include: 10.5 oz, grape, cherry and gourmet medley tomatoes grown by SunSelect, 14-oz. mini cucumbers, and 1-lb mini peppers grown by Divemex and are available exclusively from Oppy.
Publication date: 1/22/2016
Author: Carlos Nunez
Schur Star debuts new flexible bags for fresh produce
In its second year with an office in California, Schur Star Packaging Systems is further establishing itself as a provider of packaging machines and flexible bags for the fresh produce industry.
Schur Star Systems has been awarded by the British multinational grocery and general merchandise retailer Tesco with the “Tesco Value Award”. Tesco awarded Schur for their flexible packaging concept and in recognition of its expert assistance to launch new flexible packages for plum tomatoes and sweet mini peppers.
Schur Star Systems develops innovative packaging solutions for better perceived products at the point-of-sale. The idea of “Fresh `n` Go” is a new solution to make fresh products such as fruits and vegetables much more attractive in supermarkets.
For more information, contact Schur Star Systems at firstname.lastname@example.org
Tesco points out that Schur Star Systems was the right partner to launch the new packages and products successfully and on time. The Tesco Value Awards are given to companies who strongly support Tesco’s core values like:
Schur is an international team of 16 companies offering packaging, packaging systems and consumer products. The Schur family has been at the head of the company for more than 165 years promoting innovation and a diversity of packaging and technical solutions tailored to customer needs.
Schur has a staff of approx. 850 persons employed in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, France, Benelux, Poland, Spain and the USA.
Schur Star Systems operating out of Flensburg, Germany and Chicago, USA are today utilizing the knowhow within the entire Schur Group to supply our customers worldwide the highest standards of flexible packing material.


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Shares of General Motors Co. took a dive Tuesday toward a five-month low, after long-time bullish analyst Adam Jonas at Morgan Stanley downgraded the auto maker and slashed his price target, citing a disappointing earnings outlook and concerns over the China market.
Jonas lowered his rating to equal weight, after being at overweight since April 2018. He blamed GM’s 2022 adjusted earnings per share guidance provided last week of between $6.25 and $7.25, which was well below his forecast of $7.49, for the downgrade.
Jonas also cut his stock price target by 27%, to $55 from $75. He said the lower-than-expected EPS guidance cut $10 off his previous price target, and his new valuation methodology — to discounted cash flow from sum of the parts — resulted in another $10 cut.
The stock GM, -2.29% dropped as much as 6.2% intraday before paring some losses to be down 2.3% in afternoon trading, which put it on track for a fifth-straight loss and the lowest close since Sept. 21. The stock has now tumbled 24.6% since it closed at a record $65.74 on Jan. 4.
Although GM’s stock might look attractively priced based on a price-to-earnings valuation metric, Jonas said “investors must consider FY22 is a near-peak cycle year” with record-high pricing, and reflects a company with a sales mix that is still 95% to 98% internal combustion engines (ICEs).
“We still harbor concerns around the legacy OEM’s [original equipment manufacturer’s] shift from ICE to electrification, which we have modeled via forecasting GM to be a smaller company going forward (-2% revenue [compounded annual growth rate] to 2030),” Jonas wrote in a note to clients.
“We note that GM’s cash flow target of $7 [billion] to $9 billion is still very strong, but investors should anticipate GM to re-invest nearly all of its cash into developing its EV/battery manufacturing base,” Jonas added.
He is also concerned about GM’s target for electric vehicle (EV) sales of 400,000 units in North America over the next two years, because he estimates that the target is “extremely back-end loaded,” with 80% of the target achieved in 2023.
Jonas said his concerns are not just about GM, as he’s getting more cautious on the outlook for foreign OEM auto business in China, via joint venture (JV), given increasing competition and the changing dynamic of the China auto market.
GM currently targets flat year-over-year profit, of greater than $1 billion, for the JVs in China in 2022. “While we believe this target is generally realistic, we believe investors should allow for a secular decline in GM Chinese joint-venture profit…as we witness compounding lost market share and declining profitability — this view is driven by a resurgence in the quality of domestic names throughout all segments in both ICE segments and ‘home grown’ nationally supported Chinese EV startups…that have a much more significant foothold in the fast-growing EV market,” Jonas wrote.
Separately, Jonas raised Ford Motor Co.’s F, -0.76% stock price target to $13 from $12, but reiterated the underweight rating he’s had on the GM rival since January 2021.
For Tesla Inc. TSLA, +1.44%, he’s had overweight rating on the EV market leader since November 2020, and his stock price target is $1,300.
GM’s stock has shed 12.9% over the past 12 months, while Ford shares have run up 52.9%, Tesla shares have gained 6.6% and the S&P 500 index SPX, +0.65% has rallied 15.4%.


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As environmental pollution problems become more serious, there are an increasing number of worldwide movements designed to protect the environment. Among them, there is an increasing effort to solve the problem of plastic waste.
The Seoul Environmental Union started the ‘Plastic Mill’ project in July. It is a project aligned with the Sparrow Club that collects bottle caps for two months and sends them to Plastic Mill. For example, if a bottle cap is sent to the Plastic Mill, it is ground and processed into up-cycling products. After that, it is sent back to the members of the Sparrow Club. This is designed to reduce the problem of plastic breaking down in nature and polluting the environment for hundreds of years without being recycled because it is too small to be separated in the recycling bin. Through this project, a total of 83,330 bottle caps have been recycled, and the project will be implemented on a larger scale trial basis by 2022.
Clothes made of plastic waste are also in the spotlight. Adidas, a world-renowned sportswear company has made Real Madrid soccer kits using recycled plastic waste from the Indian Ocean. Each kit was made by recycling 28 plastic bottles. In February, H&M also released a collection using bionic, a polyester fiber made from recycled plastic waste that came from the beach. People in the textile industry expect bionic to be much softer than other fibers made from plastics, allowing it to make a wide range of clothes from jeans to dresses.
Korean companies are also making the same efforts. Huvis, the nation’s largest polyester company has been developing and using eco-friendly materials for 10 years. When making a T-shirt, about eight plastic bottles were recycled, and clothes were then made as national uniforms during the South Africa World Cup. Also, Hyo-sung T&C developed the nation’s first recycled polyester yarn in 2008. It dramatically reduced the energy and carbon dioxide generated by the process of making fibers as it was made by recycling 100 percent of the plastic bottles used. The material has attained international eco-friendly certification. Also, Hyo-sung T&C recently cooperated with Pleatsmama and made a bag that uses 16 used plastic bottles.
Despite these various efforts, a vast quantity of plastic waste is still polluting the environment. According to a joint study by the University of California, Georgia, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced worldwide over the past 70 years with an estimated 6.3 billion tons thrown away as garbage. The plastic recycling rate was only 9%, and 12% was incinerated. And the rest was either buried in landfills or neglected in the sea. This led to the creation of a plastic island 14 times the size of South Korea in the Pacific Ocean 20 years ago, and since then plastic waste has piled up on every island and continent.
If problems with plastic continue, the grim situation of dredging only plastic instead of fish in nets will come true. Attempts to recycle plastic have merit, but reducing the amount of plastic waste is the best way to protect the environment. Even a small change in an individual’s behavior can help to save the earth.


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While Depression River won’t be available in stores in the USA for another month, you can get it now digitally through iTunes and other fine online retailers. Maybe you saw Leeroy Stagger at one of his recent American shows, but didn’t feel like carrying home that heavy CD. Now you can buy it online in its light-weight format, now with more zeros and ones!
Leeroy Stagger has another few shows in the Mid West, before returning to America’s hat for Canadian Music Week. Then he heads back south for SxSW and another string of tour dates that will keep him down there well into May. For up to date tour dates click here, or visit Leeroy’s MySpace page where new shows are being added almost daily.


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Editors' pick: Originally published Nov. 25.
The company launched the Backstage off-price concept last fall via six free-standing stores. The store's merchandise, which includes home decor, shoes, sunglasses, baby gear, bedding and packaged snacks, is purchased by a separate "off-price organization," according to Macy's. More recently, the company shifted its focus to opening the Backstage concept inside full-price Macy's stores.
Macy's Chief Financial Officer Karen Hoguet told analysts on a conference call this month that the company won't be opening anymore free-standing Backstage off-price stores in the near future. Instead, Macy's will open Backstage shops inside of its department stores in order to maximize the store's productivity, said Hoguet. This fall Macy's will open Backstage shops inside 45 of its stores.
TheStreet stumbled upon one of the Backstage locations on the second floor of a Macy's store in Massapequa, N.Y. Suffice it to say, it was a fascinating experience for a writer that grew up only knowing Macy's as a department store.
Macy's has never been a big toy seller. At Backstage, however, toys greeted us at the entrance on the eve of Black Friday.
Not a bad attempt at playing Toys R'Us, Macy's.
Buy one, get one free on mostly private label coats is a pretty good deal.
Let the treasure hunt for a great winter coat begin.
Having Backstage on the second floor of a full-price Macy's store has one advantage: Workers could easily transport unsold seasonal goods such as bathing suits. As a result, it means Macy's could turn its unsold inventory into dollars quicker than in the past.
Yes, that sign on the right says sweaty swag.
Backstage has a little bit of everything, from random clothing such as bathing suits in the winter to home goods like cups. The stores feel a bit messy as Macy's tries to tap into the treasure hunt allure of TJ Maxx and Marshall's.