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That percentage drop of 22 percent to 25 percent is the combined revenue of what the two largest players in global luxury generated last year: $59.1 billion for LVMH and $17.4 billion for Kering.
This dire projection is based on management consultancy Bain & Co.’s one-of-three scenarios for a coronavirus-ravaged luxury ecosystem whose key markets of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy and China – where the COVID-19 coronavirus originated – have ground to a halt due to national lockdowns.
“Profitability will be disproportionately hit,” Bain said in its brief. “Yet there is an emerging bright spot: The Chinese market already appears to be on its way to recovery.
“As luxury leadership teams plan their next moves, prioritizing action in three areas will help companies mitigate the worst of today’s turbulence and accelerate into an eventual recovery.
“Those three pillars are ‘Govern through a new leadership framework,’ ‘Act to maximize short-term financial, operational and brand resilience’ and ‘Transform the value proposition and business model for the future.’
“In spite of the short- and medium-term impact, luxury brands can emerge from the crisis stronger, more innovative and more purposeful.”
Claudia D’Arpizio, Federica Levato, Stefano Fenili, Fabio Colacchio and Filippo Prete, all out of Bain’s Milan office, put together the brief.
As evidenced by Luxury Daily’s rolling coverage, the luxury business been tuned in to the spread of COVID-19 and its effect on the economics of the sector.
The first threat came with the virus’ spread in China, a market whose consumers accounted for 90 percent of global luxury growth last year.
As the virus traveled to Italy – starting in the northern part of the country where many Chinese immigrants contribute to manufacturing luxury goods – it hit hard the brands and suppliers headquartered there struggling to operate. Then the lockdown just stopped activities in their tracks.
Now, COVID-19 is as global as the luxury business. Luxury brands and retailers have switched focus to ensuring the health and well being of their employees and customers via store closures and other measures.
The altruistic spirit is evident everywhere, with LVMH and Kering brands including Gucci, Givenchy, Bulgari, Saint Laurent and Guerlain as well as U.S. icons such as Ralph Lauren and Estée Lauder Companies contributing cash, masks, hand-sanitizing gels and nonsurgical gear to medical personnel on the frontlines of the virus outbreak.
These brands and many others have diverted production, where possible, to help their national governments, hospitals, health authorities and the World Health Organization.
“Beyond the public health crisis, the pandemic poses a serious threat to the sector,” Bain said.
“Gross domestic product, employment – and therefore spending power – and financial markets are under severe strain, with a consequent plunge in consumer confidence and willingness to spend.
“In addition, purchases of luxury goods and services by tourists will continue to be disrupted by travel restrictions and a lingering fear of possible contagion on planes and cruise ships.
“With the pandemic still developing, it is difficult to predict accurately its full impact on the broader economy and the luxury industry specifically; its evolution and duration will depend on the response of individual governments and populations. However, we can at least start to assess the immediate economic impact of the crisis.”
Bain forecasts a 25 percent to 30 percent market contraction in the first quarter of 2020 is based on information available March 25, including data on the spread of COVID-19, macroeconomic numbers, trading of leading luxury marketers and expert interviews conducted by the consultancy.
Given the rapid evolution of the situation – and the likely pace of future developments – there is a high degree of uncertainty about Bain’s forecast and related modeling for this year.
“That said, there’s no doubt that luxury is highly exposed to COVID-19,” the report’s authors said in the brief.
“Chinese consumers represent 35 percent of the global personal luxury goods market. And that’s to say nothing of the travel restrictions that are choking off tourism and travel retail, or the deteriorating economic outlook and its probable impact on spending power.
“With all these factors and more at play, the next few weeks are going to be critical for the sector.”
The luxury brand executives that Bain interviewed said that after an exceptionally positive start in January, the performance of the global market in the early part of 2020 closely mirrored the spread of COVID-19.
As expected, Asia suffered a significant sales decline, leading with China.
Nearly all luxury brands operating in China had to temporarily close stores or limit working hours, leading to steep double-digit year-over-year sales declines.
However, as widely reported here, elsewhere and evidenced by Bain, consumers are returning faster than expected to luxury stores that has reopened in China.
But the coronavirus has had a double impact on luxury consumption in other Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea, discouraging free-spending Chinese tourists from visiting and harming local consumer confidence, Bain found.
In Europe, the luxury market was stable for the first two-and-a-half months of the year, albeit varying vastly by country.
To wit: Italy suffered the worst as quarantines caused double-digit sales declines nationwide. Sales were up overall in France, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom due to tourism from Russia and the Middle East and stable local demand during the early stages of the outbreak, the report said.
Not surprisingly, consumer confidence had already started to dip in those markets even before national governments instituted measures to curb the spread of the virus across Europe. Now, of course, the sentiment is deeply negative with store closures in many countries.
Across the pond, the Americas have begun to feel the full impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
While a decline in predominantly Chinese tourist spending did not affect luxury sales through mid-March, the positive trend turned negative as most luxury marketers shut their stores in the United States and Canada.
As pointed out by Bain, the drop in air traffic from Asia was only partly offset by continued tourism within Europe and the Americas. Discounted and ecommerce saw a boost.
“Off-price sales of luxury goods grew, partly because full-price sales are still dominant in hard-hit Asian economies,” Bain said.
“Online sales experienced double-digit growth in Europe and the Americas, and only a limited slowdown in Asia.”
Bain sees three scenarios emerging for this year.
Consumption of luxury goods has held up in past crises. The 2002-03 SARS outbreak – again in China – was not damaging to most bottom lines since the luxury business was not that dependent on Chinese consumers at that point of time.
Even after the Great Recession of 2008-09 brought on by the U.S. housing market crash and resultant global financial crisis, increasingly wealthy Chinese consumers kept spending when Western demand lulled.
But there are key differences this time.
Chinese consumers are much more affected by COVID-19 than they were by the credit crunch in the last decade. They are not likely to ride to the rescue as they did the last time round, and there is no other emerging cohort of luxury customers to tap, as Bain pointed out.
The fear factor over COVID-19 is also greater than previous crises, hitting financial markets that yoyo up and down. The virus has hit the global economy hard with job losses – 3.3 million U.S. residents filed for unemployment in the past few days – and GDP declines worldwide.
Moreover, luxury shopping by travelers will take longer to recover as countries maintain restrictions on travel to curb further waves of the virus outbreak. Add to that the consumer nervousness over flying and cruising.
Based on these factors and the information available, Bain has modeled these scenarios for the luxury business globally this year.
In the first, a mounting recovery in demand in the second half of the year limits the overall market contraction to 15 percent to 18 percent for 2020.
The second scenario would see the market drop by 22 percent to 25 percent, staying in negative territory through the fourth quarter of this year.
In the final scenario, the luxury market would drop more precipitously between 30 percent and 35 percent due to a more prolonged period of depressed sales.
“In all three scenarios, profit would suffer a steeper decline than sales,” the Bain brief said.
Now, this modeling is based on the information available so far, reflecting assumptions for the duration, geographic depth and intensity of COVID-19, as well as other variables such as expectations for GDP, consumer confidence and macroeconomic indicators.
Additionally, Bain’s scenarios factor in immediate lost sales and the delayed effect of fewer wholesale orders from department stores and retailers.
“We expect that the pandemic will continue to reverberate through the industry in 2021,” Bain said.
“Some countries will likely experience a rapid rebound while others will see more of a ‘dip and stabilization.’
“China and the broader Asian market could experience the strongest recovery; Japan, Europe and the Americas could feel a more prolonged impact, depending on how the real economy fares.
“Nevertheless, we think that medium-term market growth will be supported by demand from the Chinese middle class, an increased appetite for luxury goods among millennials and their younger counterparts in Generation Z, and the digital channel’s continued maturation.”
Not all sixes and sevens
Bain sees six consumer trends emerging or solidifying in response to the coronavirus-induced crisis. In its words:
- More China: Luxury shopping is likely to restart first in China if the virus remains under control there. Continued restrictions on travel will mean that many purchases that would have been made abroad will happen in China.
- Accelerated shift to digital shopping: When safe, consumers will return to physical stores, possibly with a renewed passion for in-real-life experiences, but some digital shopping habits built during the outbreak will stick – especially if brands raise their game in online assortment, user experience and digital marketing.
- Heightened environmental and social consciousness: Consumer concern about sustainability and social issues is set to continue, consolidating the importance of environmental and social governance. Enlightened brands may rethink the end-to-end product life cycle, supply chain management and disposal of unsold stock.
- Rise of a post-aspirational mindset: Ethics will become as important as aesthetics as consumers prioritize purposeful brands.
- Strengthened local pride: Public opinion during the outbreak has sometimes stigmatized certain nations, triggering assertive displays of cultural pride in those territories. Brands need to avoid inflaming these local sensitivities.
- Expanding need for inclusion: Brands will need to use all their ingenuity to revamp their offer at accessible price points, reflecting the reduced spending power of many middle-class customers.
Regardless of the ongoing crisis, Bain is optimistic that the global nature of luxury again will work in its favor.
“The scale of the disruption caused by COVID-19 has little precedent – in peacetime, at least,” the report’s authors said.
“Unlike the 2008–2009 financial crisis, there is no new pool of luxury consumers to compensate for the drop in spending by established consumers.
“The worldwide scope of the outbreak is particularly bad for luxury, one of the most globalized industries on the planet. It has shut down several growth engines that had powered luxury brands to ever-increasing heights over the past two decades, most notably Chinese consumption, both in China and at tourist destinations throughout the world.
“We don’t think that will be a permanent state of affairs, though. Luxury’s global reach should become a strength once more when the current situation has stabilized.
“Brands can even emerge from the crisis stronger. Lessons in resilience learned in the dark days of 2020 can power a sustainable recovery in 2021 and beyond.
“This crisis may be transforming the luxury industry for good, but it could also be a transformation for the good.”


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Google is commemorating a significant achievement in its endeavor to establish RCS messaging as the global standard, surpassing one billion active users on Google Messages with RCS enabled. Over the past decade, Google has been fervently promoting RCS, a protocol that facilitates advanced features like high-quality media exchange and end-to-end encryption within the native SMS/MMS apps on Android devices. RCS seamlessly integrates with traditional SMS/MMS standards when an internet connection is unavailable.
New Google Messages’ Features
Diverging from the outdated SMS and MMS protocols, RCS positions itself similarly to Apple’s iMessage. While Apple utilizes its proprietary protocol, rendering iMessage incompatible with RCS and Android devices, there’s a recent development as Apple announced plans to incorporate RCS support for iPhones in the coming year—a move that Google has warmly embraced.
In celebration of achieving one billion RCS-enabled users, Google is introducing seven new features to the Google Messages app, the default messaging platform on many Android devices, particularly those launched by Samsung post-2020. These features aim to enhance the conversational experience and allow users to express their personalities more vividly.
The new features include Photomoji, which transforms photos into expressive reactions, and reaction effects that animate traditional reactions like the thumbs-up sign. Google Messages will also animate emojis sent within a chat. Screen effects have been introduced to animate the entire screen in response to specific phrases, such as “I love you.”
Users can now customize the color of message bubbles and the background for each conversation, in addition to personalizing their profile name and picture associated with their phone number using the Profiles feature. For voice messaging, Google introduced Voice Moods, enabling users to send voice messages accompanied by an emoji that visually expresses the sender’s emotions. Improved audio quality for voice messages is also part of the update, thanks to an increased bitrate and sampling rate.
These features are currently available to Google Messages users enrolled in the app’s beta version. While Google has not specified the global release date for the non-beta app, users keen on trying out the new features immediately can sign up as beta testers through a provided link.

domain: news


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Heroes of the Storm In Development: Samuro and more!
Heroes of the Storm shows off some of the development on its new hero, Samuro, and other skins and mounts.
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- With Castle Clash’s 2nd birthday around the corner, IGG is giving away their greatest prize yet: a brand new Apple Watch.
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- Webzen has announced the start of the registration for the first C9 (Continent of the Ninth) Global PvP Tournament.


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June 30, 2006 11:02 PM by Joe Blackmon
Teens can turn up the heat this holiday weekend by voting on the next wave of TEEN CHOICE nominees in categories such as Choice Sleazebag, Choice Hissy Fit, Choice Rumble, Choice TV Actress, Choice Rock Track, Choice Grill and Choice Athlete, among others. Ballots are available on-line at Teenpeople.com, MySpace.com, IGN.com and FOX.com.
The coolest stars will receive coveted Teen Choice surfboard awards when TEEN CHOICE 2006, for the first time, airs live Sunday, Aug. 20 (8:00-10:00 PM ET Live/PT Tape-Delayed) on FOX, following an advance look at the glitz and glamour of the event during a hot red carpet special Sunday, Aug. 20 (7:30-8:00 PM ET Live/PT Tape-Delayed).
From now until Friday, Aug. 11, teens ages 13 through 19 can vote for the hottest celebrities in film, television, music, sports and fashion for TEEN CHOICE 2006. As the polls heat up over the summer, Wave Three will launch on July 27. Teens can continue to vote on Waves One, Two and Three through Friday, Aug. 11.
Following is the list of reality TV related categories and reality TV star nominees for Wave Two of TEEN CHOICE 2006.
TV – Choice Breakout Show
Everybody Hates Chris
So You Think You Can Dance
TV – Choice Reality Star (Male)
Aras Baskauskas, Survivor: Exile Island
Ashley Parker Angel, There & Back
Bam Margera, Viva La Bam
Drew Lachey, Dancing with the Stars
Flavor Flav, Flavor of Love
Hulk Hogan, Hogan Knows Best
TV – Choice Reality Star (Female)
Brooke Hogan, Hogan Knows Best
Danielle Evans, America’s Next Top Model
Kristin Cavallari, Laguna Beach
Lauren "LC" Conrad, The Hills
Paris Hilton, The Simple Life
Stacy Keibler, Dancing with the Stars
Music – Choice Breakout (Female)
Music – Choice Breakout (Male)
TEEN CHOICE 2006 is executive-produced by Bob Bain (“Kids Choice Awards”) and Mike Burg. Paul Flattery serves as producer. Greg Sills serves as supervising producer.


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Apple is working to make subscription content available through its iOS News app (has attracted more than 100 publishing partners worldwide since launching last September), giving publishers with paywalls a new way to control who sees their articles, reports Reuters, quoting two unnamed “sources familiar with the matter.”
The article adds that this would differentiate Apple News from Facebook's Instant Articles news offering, which does not offer subscriber-only content, and “would likely give Apple a boost as it seeks to distinguish itself from a growing crowd of online news apps.” Reuters notes that it’s unclear how Apple would authenticate subscribers or if it would take a cut of payments from readers who become subscribers through the app
Subscriber-only publications that work with News now can either share their articles for free or just share excerpts of articles and direct readers to log on to their own websites for more. For example, The Wall Street Journal, which has a paywall for most of its content, posts a handful of articles a day to News.
News compiles articles you've expressed interest in from several sites. Stories are pulled from a range of sources, from top news organizations to indie publications. Stories are chosen for you based on what you like to read. Apple says that the more you use News, the better it gets at picking out just what you’ll want to see. Apple allows publishers to keep 100% of revenue when they sell their own ads into the app; they keep 70% of ad revenue if Apple sells ads on their behalf.
Earlier this month it was reported by The Wall Street Journal (http://tinyurl.com/z33tf8p) that neither media companies nor Apple know how many people are reading. However, Apple has mistakenly has been underestimating the number of readers using the News app since its launch, and passing that inaccurate information on to publishers, according to the WSJ.
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, told the publication that the company missed the error as it focused on other aspects of the product. The company didn’t explain how the problem occurred or say exactly when it might be rectified.
“We’re in the process of fixing that now, but our numbers are lower than reality,” he told the WSJ. “We don’t know what the right number is,” but he added that it was better to undercount than overcount traffic.


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After 50 years of offering an unlimited pass valid on "every lift, every hour, every day of operation," Mt. Hood Meadows has decided to stop offering that type of pass.
Next year, the mountain will replace the unlimited pass with something called "a Value Season Pass." That pass will exclude many peak days and pass holders who want to ski on those days before 3 p.m. will have to pay extra.
"Ultimately what we are trying to do is to shift demand to different time frames," Mt. Hood Meadows spokesperson Dave Tragethon said over the phone Monday.
"Winter sports are becoming actually more popular," Tragethon said, and the resort is experiencing "capacity issues."
On peak days, he said, Meadows can get 7,000 to 8,000 visitors. "Our main and Hood River Meadows parking lots can reach capacity by 9:30 a.m. on our busiest peak days," he added.
With the new pass structure, the resort is hoping to encourage visitors to come at different times of day and on different days altogether. That means, on 37 peak days during the season, pass holders will not have access to the mountain.
But they can purchase it, "in daily increments, or for the whole season," according to a blog post from Mt. Hood Meadows.
The new pass will not work in the turnstiles between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. from December 15 to January 2, Saturdays and Sundays during January and February and Presidents Day and Martin Luther King Monday holidays.
Before anyone gets too upset, Tragethon points out that has really changed is the way the resort is talking about passes it already sells.
"To a certain extent," he said, "this is semantics."
The total cost of the equivalent to an unlimited season pass for the 2018 to 2019 ski season will be $399 plus $200 for all peak access, if you purchase it before May 31. Tragethon said that is just $50 more than an unlimited pass cost this year.
Extra days purchased individually will initially cost $50.
And there is one loophole. If you've had any pass for both of the last two seasons, you can purchase an unlimited pass for next season for $549.
But next year will be the last year that option is available. After that, all season passes will be built on the value pass.
-- Lizzy Acker


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Friday 27th April 2018
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Veritas Investments says it's in negotiations with a new lender and has again been granted a debt extension by ANZ Bank New Zealand.
The food and beverage investor is operating under the close watch of ANZ, which has effectively been overseeing a wind-down of the business to claw back as much as possible of the $27 million it is owed. ANZ has extended the tranches of the company's bank debt, which was due for repayment today, until June 30, Veritas said. This is the fourth time that ANZ has extended the debt since October 2017.
Veritas said this extension has been done to enable its board "to continue its active discussions with a new funder regarding a refinance" of the entire debt.
"At this stage, while an indicative term sheet has been signed with the new funder, the specific terms and conditions of the refinance proposal remain confidential, incomplete, and subject to certain conditions including finalisation of due diligence and transaction documentation," the company said. "The Veritas board considers that shareholder approval will be required for the refinance transaction, if it proceeds. A further market update will be provided when the details of the refinance are finalised."
When the debt deadline was last extended, in February, Veritas said it was in discussions with external parties on potential transactions including asset sales, mergers and refinancing, but all proposals were incomplete.
In March, the company cut its 2018 guidance after shareholders voted to sell the business and assets of the Mad Butcher franchisor to its chief executive Michael Morton. Revenue is expected to be between $23 million to $24 million, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation $4.2 million to $4.6 million, and underlying net profit $1.5 million to $1.7 million.
Veritas has been selling assets to repay debt it took on to buy a series of businesses since embarking on a strategy of building a food and beverage business with the backdoor listing of the Mad Butcher business five years ago. The company paid $40 million for Mad Butcher, half in cash and the rest in scrip, raising $25 million to help fund the deal. It previously said if approved, the Mad Butcher sale proceeds would go to repaying the money owed to ANZ Bank New Zealand and leave the Better Bar Co as its sole remaining asset.
The shares last traded at 3 cents, compared to 31 cents this time a year ago.
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Audi, under threat of being homogenized by the ubiquitous VW AG platforms that will underlie all their vehicles, is staking their claim as a performance brand by introducing the Audi Sport nameplate.
To be introduced with the 2017 R8 V10 Spyder, the 2018 TT RS and 2017 RS3, the Sport badge will ensure that buyers purchasing at the high-end of the lineup can be confident that they’re…buying at the high-end of the lineup. Not too sure what kind of bragging rights an additional badge on a R8 offer.
As Audi becomes more and more the Volkswagen + AWD brand, it’s supposed that more slips of insecurity will pop out of the marketing department. Expect the announcement of the A4 “Totally Not A Stupid Jetta” edition shortly.


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Demonetisation has not affected mobile phone sales of Samsung India, which holds nearly half of India’s smartphone market and a sizeable portion of the feature phone market.
“Our Diwali and Puja sales were very good in October, after which it always cools down (in November). However, after the initial slowdown, it was back to normal in December,” Manu Sharma, Vice-President, Mobile Business, Samsung India, said in response to a question.
“Retailers as well as consumers have been smart in their adaptability of digital payment modes,” he said at a press meet, adding that the company closed 2016 with a strong double-digit growth.
In India, Samsung Mobiles has 46.9% share of the smart phone market and 36.9% share of the feature phone market, according to Mr. Sharma.
Speaking after the unveiling of Galaxy C9 Pro, he said, “We expect this product to be a game-changer. India is one of the fastest-growing smart phone markets. Consumer trends indicate that more users prefer larger screen smartphones. Indian users are now moving to their second or third smart phone and are demanding more from their phones.”
He said that this was the first Samsung phone with a powerful 6 GB RAM which offers seamless multi-tasking experience. Samsung Mobile is part of Samsung Electronics Company Ltd., which is into TVs, mobile phones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, tablets and digital appliances among other products.


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After its stupendous rise in 2020, OTT services in India are all set to take the best part of 2021 by storm as well. The key factors such as better internet connectivity, inexpensive data plans and price reduction in smartphones will further take forward the popularity of the latest OTT platforms this year.
People have now started experimenting with watching content on different genres across different OTT platforms. Today, a lot of the user base has more time to spare and has started spending it on digital platforms. The situation is shifting to the time where people are again forced to spend most of their time at home, hence, a further boom in the OTT market is expected in the coming days.
Reports from E&Y and FICCI predict that the number of paid subscribers will be around 30 to 35 million for the year 2021. PwC predicts that the media and entertainment sector will experience more than 10% CAGR every year till 2024. OTT being a segment of this sector will be the highest growth contributor.
So, what is keeping the OTT popularity so strong even in the year 2021? Emerging trends, quality content, improved streaming services, better subscription plans, all-out marketing etc.; there are so many factors that are conducive to the growth of the same. Let us take a look at some of the emerging disruptive trends for the consumer-centric OTT sector in the year 2021.
Regional content is all set to rule in the coming year. Affordable data traffics have aided the growth of regional content by enabling internet penetration even in rural areas. Today every household has at least one or more smartphones. This resultant internet revolution has affected people across geography, demographics, economic and social segments.
Internet accessibility has increased, thereby making OTT services in India shell their urban elitism and adopt means of providing mass entertainment. Resultantly, regional content upscaling and disruption that commenced in the year 2020 is expected to peak in 2021.
To stay in the game OTT services in India will have to up their game by introducing diverse regional content. This will also make them stay relevant, build affinities and cater to the differentiated entertainment demands of the consumers.
Synergetic Relationship between OTT & Smart TV
If Smartphones enabled regional penetration; smart TVs gave the urban audience a chance to seek a cinematic experience right from the comforts of their homes.
Technological advances in the picture and sound quality coupled with a reduction in the price of Smart TVs and a rise in disposable income has made the Smart TV a staple in almost every middle-class home in India.
The ability of these TVs to stream OTT content enabled the Indian urban household to get an immersive OTT viewing experience; something that the smartphone lacked.
To capitalize on this trend, many telecom operators and ISPs are also bundling OTT services as part of their offerings. This has led to the emergence of the CTV or “Connected TV” with Roku, Amazon Firestick, Xbox, AppleTV etc., leading this trend.
Additionally, the incorporation of smart features like voice searches and voice navigation, the use of AI and BigData for easy content discovery etc., are all contributing to enhancing the end-user experience. The incorporation of Google Assistant in Android 4K TVs is an apt example of the same.
Currently, trends predict that voice-assisted searches will also help bridge the prevalent urban-rural divide thereby increasing the need for streaming diversified content on OTT platforms.
This seamless integration that has resulted in a synergetic relationship between the OTT and Smart TV is emerging as a critical factor for sustaining the success of the OTT popularity.
This will enable consumers to gain significant value in terms of usability, device compatibility and affordability. The idea is to offer bundled OTTs with different platforms at lucrative discounted rates coupled with a single sign-on and viewing on multiple devices.
Since SVOD revenues are predicted to rise with an increase in the subscriber base, app aggregation will begin to play a critical role in OTT market expansion. It will prove to be counter-productive. Penetration will increase leading to the easy adoption of a premium offering. This will further help to build a base that will lure subscribers thereby converting them into pay-buckets.
OTT Monetization Model Innovation
As per Apester’s global survey reports, 60.1% of subscribers are already feeling the effects of subscription fatigue. The need to subscribe to different OTT services is expected to generate disinterest among consumers. To overcome this, OTT services in India are looking at other innovative monetization models like pay-per-view, AVOD etc., as alternatives to SVOD.
With the trend to create channels by bundling subscription packages together already being implemented, its popularity is expected to expand in the coming months.
Emergence of New OTT Players
Tectonic shifts are already visible in the OTT market. Major players like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar etc. will continue their dominance in 2021. But this year will also see a host of new OTT players coming into the picture.
With each player trying to establish themselves by offering something exclusive either by way of monetization models, genre-specific content, localized content etc., it will be interesting to see how the local markets respond to the same.
A rise in the number of OTT players will also see competition rise in the other aspects associated with it. Mainstream advertising will see immense competition from OTT advertising as there will be a substantial increase in OTT advertising revenue resulting from an increased subscriber base.
Trends predict that by the end of the year 2021, OTT advertising will enter mainstream advertising in a big way thereby enabling OTT players to capitalize it and offer more AVOD content.
5G: The Technology of the Future
With 5G roll out plans slated to commence this year, urban content viewing will experience a dramatic change. Internet speeds will become faster and more reliable and latency will decrease substantially. Video streaming will gain immensely with subscribers willing to pay extra to gain good quality, buffering-free experience.
However, this technology will still be in its nascent stages and ISPs will have to provide a fall-back factor by way of 4G. Still, it will be interesting to see how the advent of this gen-next cellular network technology will impact the popularity of OTT services.
When it comes to predicting trends for 2021, OTT services in India are finally on their path to maturity. The catalytic growth experienced due to the pandemic last year has given rise to interesting OTT trends some of which are mentioned above. It will be interesting to see how these unfold in the upcoming months of the year 2021.


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RALEIGH, N.C. — A Pfafftown woman is taking home the first top prize of $200,000 in the new $500 Loaded game, according to a news release from the North Carolina Education Lottery.
Kimberly Ayers had the day off Friday and was out shopping at the Harris Teeter on Robinhood Village Drive in Winston-Salem when she decided to purchase the $5 ticket. Groceries bought and lucky ticket in hand, she headed back to her car and started scratching. When the very first number she scratched off revealed the top prize of $200,000, she couldn’t believe it.
“I was absolutely shocked,” Ayers said. “I had to clear my eyes to make sure it was real.”
Ayers says the money will make life a little easier and plans to use her prize to pay off her bills.
She claimed her prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Friday. After required state and federal tax withholdings, she took home $141,501.
The Loaded ticket family launched on Tuesday, with tickets ranging from $1 to $10 and top prizes ranging from $10,000 to $1 million. Ayers won the first top prize in the $500 Loaded ticket, beating odds of 1 in 1.68 million. The $500 Loaded ticket started with 5 top prizes of $200,000. Four more top prizes remain to be claimed.


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According to a research,Feb. average retail prices for 7-Watt LED bulbs (equiv. to 40-Watt incandescent bulbs) in the China market rose 10.8% on month to CNY37, while 9-Watt LED bulbs (equiv.to 60-Watt incandescent bulbs) rose 4.3% to CNY43.9.
The report indicated that Feb.average retail prices for 7-Watt and 9W-Watt LED bulbs in Japan stood at JPY1,782 ($15) and JPY3,315 respectively, rising 4.3% and 0.6% on month.
Feb. average retail prices for 7-Watt and 9W-Watt LED bulbs in other markets were: $21.20 (down 2.3%) and $19.40 in the U.S.; EUR9.60 ($11, up 5.5%) and EUR14.2 (up 5.2%) in Europe; KRW9883 ($8.90, down 27%) and KRW14,088 (down 0.7%) in South Korea.


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Chick-fil-A has a significant and growing branding problem.
The company has long been grounded in religious beliefs. It is owned by a Baptist family and embraces traditional ideals. The company donates to conservative causes. The restaurants are closed on Sunday.
Recently, however, Dan Cathy, the company’s president, gave a series of interviews where he strongly opposed same-sex marriage. In a radio interview, for example, he said “As it relates to society in general, I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.’ “
The interviews have led to a rather significant backlash, with people attacking the company for its beliefs. People protested in LA at a Chick-fil-A location. A Chicago alderman announced that he would prevent Chick-fil-A from opening in his ward.
In response to the attacks on Chick-fil-A conservative leaders have rallied to the brand’s defense. Mike Huckabee decided to call August 1 Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. Rick Santorum is tweeting from Chick-fil-A locations.
The entire issue is generating a massive amount of publicity and attention.
The controversy is becoming a huge problem for Chick-fil-A. The core issue is that the brand is quickly getting associated with a particular issue. This will have an impact on business, as some people decide not to visit the chain. But it goes far beyond this; it could make it difficult for Chick-fil-A to recruit employees, open new locations and secure promotional partners. Chick-fil-A is a private company, which gives it a bit more flexibility, but the risk remains.
What should Chick-fil-A do now?
This is a very difficult question. The company can’t just announce that it has changed its position on the matter; this would be insincere and would cause a backlash among its supporters. Continuing to promote its point of view will just fuel the controversy. Saying nothing, its current approach, seems weak.
My sense is Chick-fil-A needs to respond to the situation. First, however, the company leaders need to make a choice: stand by its beliefs despite the business impact or draw a line between the beliefs of its owners and the value of the brand?


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World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition Gets “Map Madness” Campaign
Wargaming today announced “Map Madness”, a limited-time campaign challenging World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition players to reach a cumulative global tank destruction quota. By reaching key numbers of tanks destroyed, the global community will unlock new maps in the game.
The urban Lakeville is a deeply strategic location where the careful use of buildings and cover become the ultimate key to team success. The desert-based El Halluf provides a plethora of key strategic ambush spots for careful players. Prokhorovka, a classic battle arena from the PC version of World of Tanks, combines both open space and an urban setting to create an extremely balanced map, incredibly popular with eSports players.
For more information on World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition, visit: www.worldoftanks.com/xbox
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President Trump issued an executive order Sunday night giving the Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin the authority to defer certain tariff payments due to the coronavirus crisis.
The president’s order allows Treasury to defer tariff payments “for importers suffering significant financial hardship because of COVID-19.”
The order gives Mr. Mnuchin the authority to temporarily extend deadlines on some tariff payments.
It’s not clear what tariffs could be affected. But some U.S. companies are paying tariffs as high as 25% while dealing with lost sales and lower demand due to the widespread coronavirus shutdown.
The Treasury Department and Customs and Border Protection issued a interim rule later Sunday night providing importers with the option for a 90-day deferment period on the payment of duties, taxes, and fees.
“By postponing the deadline to deposit certain duties, taxes, and fees for 90 days, we are providing much-needed relief to affected businesses,” Mr. Mnuchin said. “This will protect American jobs and help these businesses get through this time.”
Treasury said the action “addresses many of the growing concerns raised by importers and manufacturers, and it reduces the financial burden of these stakeholders.”
Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, said the deferrals don’t apply to tariffs on steel and aluminum.
“U.S. companies, including small businesses, will be better able to survive, make payroll, and retain workers over the coming weeks thanks to President Trump’s temporary duty deferral,” Mr. Brady said. “By postponing payments of certain tariffs owed on imported goods for 90 days, President Trump is helping save American jobs. This will free up much-needed cash, allowing these businesses to pay these duties when they, as well as the economy, are on sounder footing.”


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By Tiernan Ray
Susquehanna Financial Group’s Jeffrey Fidacaro this morning offers up his view on the service outages of Research in Motion’s (RIMM) BlackBerry, which started Monday and have occurred on multiple continents.
RIM shares have actually rebounded from an early sell-off on that news and are now up 16 cents, or 0.6%, at $24.57.
“Our view is that the longer this issue remains in the headlines and the longer users are without service, there is clearly an increasing risk of building negative goodwill and increasing the churn rate to other platforms such as iPhone and Android,” writes Fidacaro, who maintains a “Negative” rating on RIMM shares.
Fidacaro mentions in passing that it’s possible there could be some connection to the expected introduction next week of an update to RIM’s “QNX” operating system running on the company’s “PlayBook” tablet computer, though he can’t say whether or not that’s actually the case. RIM has said it will offer a major update to the PlayBook in conjunction with its developer conference starting October 18th.
Fidacaro thinks the QNX update is “critical” for RIM, as it will show the “feasibility of launching its QNX-based smartphones,” expected next year, and because “we do not see a potential acquirer considering RIM until it can prove it can engineer the cut-over to the QNX platform internally, as this would post a huge technology integration hurdle.”
A similar point of view was expressed this morning by Jefferies & Co.’s Peter Misek.


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St.Peter Line, a shipping company, which deals with services from Helsinki, St. Petersburg and Stockholm, has announced the opening of a new visa free ferry line, Stockholm - St. Petersburg.
St.Pterline's visa free cruise from Sweden to Russia is the first of its kind in the cruising history of the region.
Beginning April 2011, the new Princess Anastasia cruising ferry will be operating twice a week on the Stockholm – St. Peterburg line, the company said in a statement.
The new ferry line will be the most convenient and affordable way of traveling to Russia, it said, adding that 3-day weekend trips are scheduled to make stops in Tallinn on the way from Stockholm to St. Petersburg.
Princess Anastasia has a capacity of accommodating up to 2353 passengers, up to 580 vehicles and offers cabins of various standards and pricing.


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Amadeus has announced the Asian launch of a new tool that allows hoteliers to promote their latest deals and offers directly to travel agents.
The Amadeus Hotels Select web portal will provide Asian travel agents connected to the Amadeus GDS with access to exclusive rates and special offers from more than 1,100 global hotels. Amadeus said that consolidating this promotional content on a single platform would reduce the time agents need to search for the best offers.
“This win-win situation offers enhanced selling opportunities for both parties, bringing our hotel partners closer to our travel agency customers. Participating hoteliers can now highlight their best and latest offers instantly to a wide network of travel agents. This allows them the much needed agility and flexibility to communicate special offers,” said Kartikeya Tripathi, head of hotel distribution at Amadeus Asia Pacific.
Amadeus noted that travellers are increasingly comparing travel agency offers with options from consumer websites, making it important for agents to have real-time online access to the latest offers.


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With the New Year just around the corner and the start of the busiest month of the year for diet seekers, we turned to Google Adwords and Google Trends for insights into dietary patterns and trends.
This year alone, Americans have conducted more than 180 million diet-related searches on Google, according to Google Adwords data (Jan-2021 through Nov-2021), with January typically being the busiest month of the year.
Obviously, if you’ve ever thought of starting a new diet at the beginning of the year, you’re not alone. Much of the world views New Year’s Day as a time to make lifestyle changes or adopt new practices, and the proportion of Google searches devoted to food and nutrition on New Year’s Day could be nearly double that of the latter. week of the previous year.
In general, interest in dieting steadily declines as each year progresses, until the next New Year’s Day arrives.
Google Adwords data shows that in 2021, interest in diets in America was at its lowest in the past four years. Diet-related searches decreased by 12% from 2020 and by 14% from 2019.
Google data confirms several reports published early in the pandemic that Americans have dropped their diets and turned to comfort food, a natural response in times of high stress. Indeed, Google searches for pizza, mac & cheese, cake and other comfort foods hit an all-time high in 2021.
If we were to make our predictions for 2022, it is very likely that this trend will continue. Diet-related search data for November 2021, the last month for which data is currently available, shows little change in people’s interest in nutrition. Diet-related searches fell 3.5% year-on-year in November 2021 and 9.7% compared to 2019.
America’s 12 Most Popular Diets Right Now
We analyzed the November 2021 Google search data for a few dozen popular diets and ranked the 12 most popular based on their search popularity.
Our research took into account all diet related keywords. For example, for the ketogenic diet, we report on all keto-related keywords, including: keto recipes, keto meal plan, keto for beginners, and so on.
We also analyzed the popularity of each of the top 12 diets from the past four years to assess which diets are increasing in popularity and which are declining. In line with the general trend, all but one individual diets are losing popularity compared to the previous year and 2019.
Without further ado, here are the most popular diets in America right now.
1. Ketogenic Diet
Keto remains the undisputed number one diet in America, despite gaining huge popularity in recent years.
There were almost half as many keto-related searches in 2021 than two years ago, and the number of new people starting a keto diet is also declining rapidly. Searches for “keto for beginners,” a great indicator for keto newbies, fell from 330,880 in January 2018 to just 144,050 in January 2021.
2. Vegan Diet
Chef’s Pencil has reported on the massive rise in popularity of veganism on several occasions, but we were still surprised to see the vegan diet come second to America’s most popular diets.
Google data, however, paints a more nuanced picture. In the early months of the year, veganism was surpassed in popularity by intermittent fasting and the weight watchers diet. But veganism is more than a diet, it’s a lifestyle. Therefore, veganism-related searches remain consistently high year-round compared to other diet plans.
3. Intermittent Fasting
Although popular since 2012, intermittent fasting really took off in 2018 and became America’s second most popular diet in 2020, according to data from Google Adwords. However, its popularity seems to have peaked last year.
Fewer people were seeking intermittent fasting this year. While searches for “intermittent fasting for beginners” hit an all-time high in January 2021, they had fallen below the level of the same month last year by November 2021.
4. Weight Watcher Diet
The Weight Watcher diet remains one of America’s most popular diet programs. While the program declined in popularity compared to 2019, the November 2021 data was even higher than the same month last year, according to Google Adwords data.
5. Vegetarian Diet
Vegan cousin, the vegetarian diet follows a similar pattern to veganism, and it’s less prone to seasonal trends than other diets. Google data shows that once people start eating vegetarian, they stick with it for months, if not years.
However, Google Trends shows that veganism has become much more popular and controversial than vegetarianism, despite being significantly more restrictive in food choices.
6. Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is praised for its health benefits and has become very popular over the past three years. It’s one of the few diets to hit a four-year high (on an annual basis) last November, and it looks like its popularity will continue to grow in 2022.
7. Paleo Diet
Paleo still has a significant following, but it’s far from its best days. However, according to Google Adwords data, Paleo has a large number of hardcore fans.
8. Optavia Diet
The optavia diet is one of the few diets to rise in popularity to an all-time high in 2021. There were 281,120 optavia diet-related searches in November 2021, a 33% year-over-year increase.
9. DASH Diet
A very popular diet a few years ago, the popularity of the DASH diet is now in free fall. There were nearly three times fewer Google searches related to the DASH diet in January 2021 than in January 2018.
10. Atkins Diet
As with Dash, the popularity of the Atkins diet has declined in recent years, although it still has enough fans to make it into the top 10.
Cities with the highest concentration of diet-related searches
We turned to Google Trends to find out where diets were most popular in 2021. We analyzed searches in the Diet (Nutrition) category, which includes all diet-related searches made in the United States in 2021.
Google assigns a score to each location (broken down by region and city) that reflects the level of interest in a particular topic by comparing searches for that topic against all Google searches in that specific location.
Of the major cities, Raleigh scored highest in 2021, followed by Phoenix and New York.
While fewer people are looking for diet programs, weight loss searches are as popular as ever
Diet searches in Google are at their lowest level in four years. But the same cannot be said about people who search for weight loss and related terms. There were more than 5 million searches for weight loss and related terms in November 2021, the highest number in November in the past four years.
Perhaps fewer people associate weight loss with dieting. And some popular diets, such as the vegan and vegetarian diets, are certainly not geared towards weight loss.
While research shows that short-term programs may not benefit the body or mind if we can’t commit to long-term lifestyle changes, by far the most popular weight loss search term is “how to lose weight.” fast”. Other very popular weight loss terms involved the weight loss of Adele, Chrissy Metz, and losing belly and face fat.
Although diet programs have fallen in popularity, losing weight in 2021 was still very important to many people and will likely remain so until 2022 and beyond.
Chef’s Pencil has analyzed Google search data for more than a dozen popular diets in America. Data was collected from the Google Adwords platform and Google Trends. Google Adwords data represents the sum of all searches related to a particular diet. For example, keto-related data includes searches for: keto, keto meals, keto recipes, keto for beginners, is keto safe, and so on.
Featured image credit: Practical Cures


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India's December Nikkei manufacturing PMI rises to 54.7
Tue, Jan 02, 2018
India Services PMI falls to 50.3 in November as business activity slows
Tue, Dec 05, 2017
The service sector in India has been impacted due to the new tax regime that was implemented earlier this year.
Sensex opens over 200 points up; Tata Motors surges 5% on govt EV order win
Tue, Oct 03, 2017
Shares of Tata Motors were in focus after the company received an order to supply 10,000 electric cars to the state-run firm.
Sensex, Nifty touch new peaks; IndiGo at 19-month high on Q1
Tue, Aug 01, 2017
IndiGo shares touched 19-month high after the company reported robust Q1FY18 results. The shares of the company were trading at Rs 1303.95 per piece, up 1.02% or Rs 13.20 on BSE.
Macro data, last leg of quarterly numbers to dictate market this week: Experts
Sun, May 28, 2017
Trading sentiment in the stock market this week would be determined by announcement of macroeconomic data, progress of good monsoon and last leg of quarterly numbers from blue chips like Coal India, L&T and NTPC, say experts.


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ANYONE who has wandered into the neighborhood Blockbuster lately may have been surprised to see rows of DVD's displayed like best sellers near the entrance. Blockbuster, the largest video rental chain, now wants customers to buy -- not just rent -- ''Spider-Man,'' ''The Scorpion King'' or any of Hollywood's biggest hits.
Warren Lieberfarb, the president of Warner Home Video, is not surprised by the strategy change at Blockbuster, which a few weeks ago began transforming its 4,412 American stores to promote more DVD sales. Mr. Lieberfarb, whose fast-growing division of AOL Time Warner will gross $4 billion this year, has long predicted that DVD's would sell like cut-rate books.
Many in the industry credit Mr. Lieberfarb, 59, with dreaming, cajoling and bullying the DVD into existence. ''Warren didn't create DVD technically, but he presented it to people like myself and the film industry,'' said Francis Ford Coppola. ''I view him as kind of a hero.''
Since its introduction in 1997, the DVD, or digital versatile disc, so named for its multiple uses, has become the fastest-selling consumer electronics product ever. By year-end, DVD players will be in 40 million homes, a 60 percent increase from 2001. Revenue from DVD sales and rentals is projected at $10.6 billion for this year, up 69 percent from 2001, and it now exceeds revenue from domestic theatrical film releases or VHS video. But the industry is most ecstatic about DVD because its low manufacturing costs -- $1 versus $2.50 for a VHS tape -- make it extremely profitable.
Mr. Lieberfarb said he had always envisioned that the discs would be an impulse purchase. ''Blockbuster has ultimately recognized that,'' he said.Continue reading the main story
The son of a children's clothing manufacturer, Mr. Lieberfarb said he learned the art of selling by following his father around the Garment District in New York as he hawked boys' belts and ties.
''One summer when I was 11 or 12, I carried his sample cases from store to store and watched him sell his back-to-school line,'' Mr. Lieberfarb said. ''I think I unconsciously absorbed his powers of persuasion.''
He polished his marketing skills as an undergraduate at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and received an M.B.A. at the University of Michigan. ''My notion was to make sure I wasn't in the tie or belt business,'' he said. ''But I'm not sure Hollywood is that far from ties and belts.''
Mr. Lieberfarb went to work as a financial analyst for Paramount Pictures in 1967. He was introduced to the idea of films on a disc when Stanley R. Jaffe, then president of Paramount, asked him to evaluate emerging home video technologies. Mr. Lieberfarb recalled, ''I said to my boss, 'If only we had a record or a cassette that plugged into a television, people would buy them like books or records.' ''
He cultivated that idea after he became vice president for telecommunications at 20th Century Fox Film in 1973, vice president for marketing at Warner Brothers in 1975 and president of Warner Home Video in 1984.
Although home video was booming, Mr. Lieberfarb predicted a time when people would no longer leave home to rent movies if they could get any film on demand via TV. He proposed giving consumers something with added features and convenience, but still cheap enough to buy -- what eventually became the DVD. Few heeded his distress call.
''Anything that would upset the highly profitable VHS rental business was an anathema,'' he said. ''So again it came down to being stuck in the moment instead of having a vision for the future.''
Mr. Lieberfarb concedes that others view him as a workaholic -- including his wife, Gail Kamer, an investment adviser.
''Anyone who has ever traveled with Warren will tell you it's quite a comedy,'' Ms. Kamer said. On a plane, ''He'll have three or four shopping bags full of magazines and newspapers and he brings a white plastic laundry bag from the hotel, and that's how he disposes of them.''
Gerald M. Levin, the former chief executive of AOL Time Warner, said in an interview last year that Mr. Lieberfarb's focus on the DVD was ''the most consuming manifestation I've ever seen in an individual.''
After the failure of Warner Home Video's early attempts with Philips to develop a CD-video technology, Mr. Lieberfarb encouraged research on a disc with Toshiba, a partner in some Time Warner ventures. He showed a prototype to a skeptical industry in 1994.
''Warren asked me if I'd go down and testify at a gathering of all the movie companies,'' said Clint Eastwood, who had become friendly with Mr. Lieberfarb through the video release of his films at Warner Brothers. ''There was a lot of territorial stuff going on. I tried to lobby to avoid a war, which would have the companies making four or five different models. Warren's tenacity on DVD is really responsible for the unification of the business.''
It was not easy. Japanese, European and American electronics companies battled over competing equipment until late 1995. Then Paramount, Disney and Fox refused to release films on DVD, saying protection against copyright piracy was inadequate. But bruised egos and money were also part of the dispute. With the power of AOL Time Warner, Mr. Lieberfarb persuaded them to join in 1998.
His single-mindedness did not make him universally popular. Tension between Mr. Lieberfarb and Fox's chief executive at the time, Bill Mechanic, was an open secret. Mr. Lieberfarb acknowledges that he probably stepped on toes and that ''a few tried to step on mine.''
''I think there was a resentment of a competitor so forcibly driving a business vision, and from someone at my level,'' he added.
Filmmakers, however, embraced the new format. ''Warren would call up and send gifts of players and discs and say please try this,'' Mr. Coppola said. ''I'm sure he did it to all the directors he thought would influence the studios.'' In March 1997, Mr. Lieberfarb sent DVD players and Warner's first 40 DVD releases to 300 directors, producers and actors.
It's no wonder that many filmmakers praise him. DVD accommodates directors' commentary and discarded scenes and offers many sound and visual enhancements.
The biggest growth in DVD is now in sales, but as recently as a year ago, Dean Wilson, executive vice president at Blockbuster, said: ''Consumer behavior will remain the same. People have developed the habit of renting; it's a lifestyle. They're not all ready to give it up and go out and buy a disc.''
Apparently they are. Not only has Blockbuster embraced DVD sales, but DVD's are expected to become common in drugstores, supermarkets and convenience stores.
So have Mr. Lieberfarb's onetime critics acknowledged he was right and thanked him for making them lots of money? ''I think they are apt to say 'you were right' but they don't go to the 'thank you,' and I'm not looking for thanks,'' he said. ''I don't seek their approval.''Continue reading the main story


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The wine industry of Australia had a remarkable financial year 2019. As per the FY 2019 figures from Wine Australia, an Australian government authority, the average exports value grew by 16 per cent to $3.74 per litre, the highest since 2008.
The industry across the globe has been hit hard by the coronavirus, and its impact will intensify due to the low income growth, a rise in unemployment and economic uncertainty. The industry is likely to witness a fall in the year ahead with depleting sales via both direct selling and through restaurants and bars. It is estimated that the wine grape production in Australia for 2020 will be around 1.4 million tonnes which is the smallest harvest since 2013–14. The fall in global demand for wine in 2019-20 may lead to slashing the Australian wine exports, thereby impacting the price (as indicated in the chart below).
Let’s have a look at one of the wine companies, Treasury Wine Estates Limited and its business performance, potential and the class action lawsuit filed against it.
Treasury Wine Estates Limited (ASX:TWE)
Founded in 1843, Treasury Wine Estates Limited operates in the international winery business. It offers a portfolio of premium, luxury and commercial wines to its consumers. The Company has around 3500 employees with presence in more than 100 countries including four regions, namely, The Americas, Australia & New Zealand, Asia, and Europe. TWE has diverse brands in its portfolio, including Penfolds, Wolf Blass, 19 Crimes, and Matua, amongst others.
Class Action Lawsuit
At the start of the new quarter in 2020, a group of proceedings were filed against Treasury Wine in the Supreme Court of Victoria. On behalf of the plaintiff, the law firm Slater + Gordon had filed the proceedings.
It has been alleged that Treasury Wines engaged in misleading or deceptive behaviour. Also, the Company had breached the disclosure obligations continuously to the market.
The shareholders who had acquired the Company’s shares between 14 February 2019 and 28 January 2020 claimed that TWE misled its guidance and should have disclosed about its financial standpoint at an earlier time.
Having said that, Treasury Wine completely denies all of the obligations and plans to defend the proceedings actively.
The share price of the stock dropped from $16.68 to $12.35, a decrease of 26 per cent within a day after the Company disclosed its revised guidance for FY 2020 on 28 January 2020. The revised guidance stated that Treasury Wine expects the reported EBITS growth in the range 5 per cent - 10 per cent in FY 2020.
On 25 February 2020, TWE further updated its earnings expectation for FY 2020. The Company mentioned that it would not be able to achieve its previously declared FY 2020 guidance for the reported EBITS growth.
The key highlights of the financial performance in the first half FY 2020 (period ended 31 December 2019) include:
- Net Sales Revenue stood at $1,536.1 million, up from $1,507.7 million, an accretion of 1.9 per cent compared to the previous corresponding period (pcp).
- EBITS stood at $366.7 million, with an increase of 5.7 per cent compared to the pcp. EBITS margin increased 0.9 ppts from 23 per cent to 23.9 per cent.
- NPAT increased by 5.1 per cent, from $218 million to $229.2 million.
- EPS (before material items and SGARA) saw an upsurge of 4.9 per cent, from 30.4 cents per share (cps) to 31.9 cps.
- The interim fully franked dividend was 20 cents per share, an increase of 11.1 per cent on the prior year. The pay-out ratio stood at 62.7 per cent.
- The reported leverage was 1.7x, which was an increase of 0.4x in the year. The interest cover was 12.4x.
- Capital expenditure was $113.2 million, including maintenance & replacement CapEx of $51.2 million.
Despite the challenging situation in the US market, the Company managed to deliver positive results in the first half, as highlighted above. The underperformance in the US is expected to continue in the second half of FY 2020 as well. The prime driving reasons for the same are mentioned below:
- The leadership in the Americas was not stable in the first half, which resulted in the loss of execution momentum. Thereby, the impact caused by these unexpected changes will reflect in the second half results.
- Suppliers are pushing surplus wine across the US wine market at a lower price. This embarks a substantial market shift in a very short stink.
- TWE mentioned that it is unable to regain or compensate the higher Australian Commercial COGS and higher US Luxury COGS.
Resignation and appointment of CEO
Recently, TWE mentioned about its succession plans for the Company’s CEO and Chief Legal Officer positions, as mentioned below:
- Mr Michael Clarke, the present CEO of the Company, will be replaced by Mr Tim Ford. This transition is valid from 1 July 2020.
- On 23 March 2020, TWE announced the appointment of Ms Kirsten Gray as a Chief Legal Officer and Company Secretary.
Outlook: Treasury Wine holds the potential to strive through the current difficult times. The Company has an advantage of its unique business model and a robust portfolio of brands. TWE is positioned well to take advantage of the long-term opportunities in its operating regions, including the Asia region.
The Company also mentions the following areas to focus on in the future:
- To balance the COGS pressures and Commercial trends faced in all the operating regions.
- In the US market, TWE intends to recover the lost momentum by hiring a leadership team in the country. This distortion in results in 1H20 arose because of unfavourable US market conditions.
- The Commercial wine business segment may get affected by the prevailing market conditions, thereby, to adopt a different way to manage this business segment on a global scale.
On 7 April 2020, TWE stock was trading at $10.560 (at 2:18 PM AEST), up 3.631 per cent from its previous close. The stock has generated a negative return of 37.06 per cent on a YTD basis. However, looking at the past five years, Treasury Wines has generated a positive return of 91.69 per cent.


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OPINION: Your old mate reckons Fonterra and its dairy farmer shareholders may well be all cock-a-hoop about the prospects of a near $8 payout this year and one north of $8 next year.
Farm Source stores director Jason Minkhorst says fuel and electricity are among their purchases.
There are now three South Island stores – Methven and Culverden in Canterbury and new this month at Otautau in Southland.
The first North Island hub will open in Marton in the next few months.
Minkhorst says Farm Source supports farmers, offering them a convenient home base to use in town.
“We already have a network of rural retail stores we’re building on and expanding so farmers can access more support…. Before Otautau farmers needed to drive to Invercargill for supplies… or wait for the team to visit them.”
Otautau’s Farm Source store manager David Sinclair says the team there includes sales assistants, a technical sales representative and an area manager “who have a good understanding of the regional conditions, council regulations and what’s important to our farmers here”.
The store sells rural supplies and offers access to exclusive deals and facilities like meeting rooms, free wifi or drop-in space to make a coffee and relax.
Minkhorst says the roll-out of the Farm Source stores will happen over time. “We know things are tough… right now so are only making necessary improvements to our existing stores.”


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Thorofare putting latest investment vehicles to work
Thorofare Capital has funded loans totaling $29.2m for retail financings secured by shopping centers across the country, putting to work a new $400m investment vehicle the firm announced in September, Real Estate Capital has learned.
In the largest of the three financings, the Los Angeles-based firm funded a $13.5m bridge loan for the refinancing of Forum Center, a 140,000 sq ft shopping center in the Hurstbourne Parkway corridor of Louisville, Kentucky. The non-recourse financing carries an initial term of one-and-a-half years at LIBOR plus 680 basis points. The loan was funded through the new investment vehicle, which writes floating-rate senior loans on value-add opportunities.


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You may be wondering how to spend that tax refund that's burning a hole in your pocket. You might also be curious about how you could possibly make yourself look just a little bit dorkier. Google has the solution to both of those problems: Google Glass. For one day only, Google is giving anyone who is over 18 and a U.S. citizen the opportunity to become a Glass Explorer.
There'se one more requirement, though. You have to pony up $1,500.
The opportunity to become a Glass Explorer has previously been reserved for those on the Glass waiting list. The whole waiting list thing is extremely clever on the part of Google, as is this one day only sale, because it gives the impression of exclusivity. However, a few months ago, I succumbed to Glass curiosity and signed up for the Google Glass waiting list. I had my invite to join the Explorer program within 24 hours. Not so exclusive, eh?
Truly exclusive or not, Google Glass draws more than just positive tech envy. Recently, there have been accounts of people being attacked because of Google Glass. Just this past weekend, a San Francisco Explorer had his Google Glass ripped off of his face and smashed the evening after he covered a protest against Google. Earlier this year, Google Glass was blamed for the verbal and physical assault of a woman in a San Francisco bar. However, in that case, the woman was accused of recording bar patrons without their prior permission. Kind of creepy.
Earlier this year, our food editor highlighted some non-creepy, totally foodie uses for Google Glass technology. These are the kind of innovative uses that make me want to start my very own Glass fund. Not tomorrow, though. Maybe next year.
If you're forgetful and need a reminder to plunk down $1,500 tomorrow at 9:00 a.m., sign up for a reminder from Google. Otherwise, just visit this link tomorrow morning, prepared to drop part (or all) of your tax refund on some Opti-Grab worthy tech specs. Seriously, I can't see someone wearing Google Glass and not immediately think of The Jerk.


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Design Bridge has redesigned 20-year-old toothpaste brand Punch & Judy for Roche Products. A Victorian-style font and cut-out cardboard pack depicting a striped show tent recall seaside shows of days gone by. This contrasts with the modern day cartoon characters created by Design Bridge to sit more comfortably alongside contemporary children’s characters. On-pack fruit illustrations differentiate the two flavours – orange and strawberry.
Speaking at this year’s D&AD Festival in London, the graphic designer talks about the weird and wonderful world of Wes, brutal 8am starts and why her job felt like “playing
Creative director Jenny Theolin has launched a new platform that will name studios which treat their junior employees well based on “positive” reviews, rather than a “black-list” that shames companies.
The 30 shortlisted designs for this year’s Loewe Craft Prize will go on display at the museum this May, and the overall winner will be awarded €50,000.
The shortlist of 200 illustrators has been whittled down from over 3,000 entries, and will go on display at Somerset House in June.


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Fans of the iPhone SE have been anxiously awaiting an update to Apple's 4-inch smartphone for years. Numerous reports had speculated that a more powerful version of the hardware was on the horizon as early as 2018. The iPhone SE was finally discontinued by Apple at the beginning of 2019, well after the company first launched the device in early 2016. A flurry of reports this fall indicate that Apple is getting closer to bringing yet another modestly-sized, less expensive option to the smartphone market.
Apple continues to improve its camera sensors and augmented reality (AR) development kits, reportedly with an eye on future wearables using the technology. Apple is said to be releasing enhanced 3D camera sensors on the 2020 iPad Pro refresh. The same sensor could appear on 2020 iPhones later in the year, making it possible to scan and create three dimensional models from anywhere. This would set the stage for a combination AR and virtual reality (VR) headset for launch by 2022 or earlier.
Apple Arcade launched with over 100 games and a monthly subscription price that provides unlimited access to them all. Games can be played on the Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and more, all for $4.99 per month. For anyone who's interested, Apple offers a one-month free trial. Apple has invited developers to push the limits of gaming for their titles in Apple Arcade. Now that the service has been around for a while, Apple has revealed the Top Apple Arcade Games of 2019.
With another year coming to a close, the editors at Apple have weighed in on their favorite apps and games of 2019. Top picks include titles designed for the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and more. For this year's awards, games were given their own category. Apple also designated "Storytelling Simplified" as the App Trend of 2019. The trend cited apps which help the creators of podcasts, novels, and photo collages tell stories in their own voices.


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The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) recently inaugurated a silk processing plant in Gujarat’s Surendranagar that would drastically cut down the cost of production of silk yarn and raise the sale and availability of raw material for patola sarees. The plant was set up by a khadi institution at a cost of ₹75 lakhs. KVIC contributed ₹60 lakhs.
The unit has employed 90 local women, according to an official press release.
Patola, the trademark saree of Gujarat, is considered to be very costly and worn only by the royals and the aristocracy. The raw material, i.e., silk yarn, is purchased from Karnataka or West Bengal, where silk processing units are situated, thus increasing the cost of the fabric manifolds.
KVIC chairman V K Saxena said cocoons will be brought from Karnataka and West Bengal and Silk yarn will be processed in house, thus reducing the cost of production and giving a major boost to the sale of patola sarees.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)


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Adidas Uses Men to Model Female Swimsuits
A world without women. This male dominated, misogynist far-left movement is erasing women. And the feminists lay down for it like dogs.
For all these many years I have been writing, exposing the feminist movement as a big lie. It is a misogynist movement rooted in Lenin-Marxist dogma. And now the feminist silence and sanction of the trans males in women’s sports is irrefutable proof.
Adidas ripped for male modeling women’s swimsuit as sportswear goes woke
First Nike teamed up with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney to promote its sports bras, and now Adidas is using an intact male model to hawk its women’s swimwear.
The German-based sportswear giant was accused of seeking to mock, belittle and “erase” women by using an obviously male model to display its women’s one-piece Pride Swimsuit, part of its newly unveiled Pride 2023 collection.
Former NCAA All-American swimmer Riley Gaines said that companies like Adidas “want you to know that they think men make the best women.”
“It’s disgusting,” she told Outkick podcast host Dan Dakich. “You would think they would see the public response to the Nike sponsorship, where Dylan Mulvaney was sporting this sports bra, which is of course intended for only women.”
She pointed out that the shots of Dylan Mulvaney modeling Nike sports bras and women’s workout gear last month spurred boycott calls, and “Adidas saw this, yet still thought it was a good idea to implement this themselves.”
“To even remotely put this out there is belittling, it’s offensive, it’s demeaning to what it is to be a woman,” said Ms. Gaines, “because I promise you, if you have XX chromosomes, you do not look like that in a swimsuit.”
Indeed, many commentators noted that the model has chest hair and other physical attributes more commonly associated with men.
“Hey @adidas, does the $70 price of this women’s swimsuit include the cost of the sock to stuff down my crotch because, unlike your model, I don’t seem to have a penis to fill out that bulge,” tweeted British radio host Julie Hartley-Brewer. “And do I have to order the chest hair separately? Please let me know. Thanks.”
The Independent Women’s Network asked: “Why is @adidas advertising male bulges in their WOMEN’S swimwear line!?”
Male models wearing bras and women’s swimsuits for “Pride Month”?!?!
I AM DONE WITH ADIDAS!!! pic.twitter.com/qTgz4uTQCn
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) May 17, 2023
RELATED VIDEO: OFF TARGET: Backlash Builds Over Retail Giant’s Trans Kid Clothing Designed by Satanist
Biological male models women’s swimsuit in @adidas new pride collection ad pic.twitter.com/MGgHVMpoRt
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 17, 2023
EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.
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HTC was in the thick of the Windows Phone 7 launch and has added three new videos highlighting three of their WP7 phones. You can find the video on the HTC HD7, Trophy and Mozart over at HTC's YouTube Channel. The twenty second videos don't offer any specs on the phones but showcases them nicely.
While the Trophy and Mozart are headed to overseas markets, the HD7 will land at T-Mobile next month. Still not sold on the kickstand but that 4.3" screen does look nice.
Ease on past the break to see the videos on the Trophy and Mozart.
Update 4: Trump gives blessing to TikTok sale to Microsoft
TikTok may soon be owned by Microsoft. The company is reportedly in talks to buy out the U.S. portion of TikTok amid a rumored Trump administration order for TikTok owner Bytedance to divest. On Monday, President Trump says he does not oppose the sale so long as it is done by September 15.
Microsoft Edge is about to let you use Chrome themes from the web store
Microsoft Edge being built on Chromium has its advantages, mainly in that you an take advantage of Chrome's vast library of extensions. In the latest example of this, Microsoft has started allowing Edge users in the Dev channel install themes from the Chrome web store.
Need a new laptop to run VR? Here are the best devices out there now.
Using a laptop to power your VR system makes it easy to take it with you wherever you go. Not just any laptop is going to work for VR, though, so we rounded up your best options right here.
Buy one of these gaming PCs to play Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is a demanding game and it needs quite the PC to run it comfortably. If you don't have a PC yet dedicated to gaming, you'll want to pick from one of these to really bring the cockpit to life.


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Stockholm city introduce high parking fees for PTWs
Stockholm City introduces one of the world's highest parking fees for motorcycles and mopeds without investigation or impact assessment. Even though Stockholm City has concluded that motorcycles and mopeds are small vehicles that reduce congestion and a b
The number of motorcycles and mopeds has doubled in Stockholm County in the last 15 years. About 60,000 citizens in the Stockholm region use these vehicles. The motorcyclists in Stockholm use motorcycles to commute more than anywhere else in Sweden.The increased numbers of PTWs has not led to congestion, deterioration of the environment, costly infrastructure initiatives and investments in multi storey car park buildings.
The town was first in the world to open bus lanes to motorcycles. The town has, like major cities in the rest of the world offered free parking for PTWs in hundreds of shared spaces.
The purpose for Stockholm to introduce parking charges for motorcycles and mopeds was paradoxically enough to reduce car traffic and increase available car parking by 15 percent. It wanted to reduce the search traffic when motorists drive around in cars looking for free parking space, which leads to stress, increased congestion and poorer environment.
The decision has been appealed to the Highest court without success for motorcyclists in Stockholm. The city is now determined to introduce the parking fees in April-May 2018 with a cost of € 0,5-1 per hour in the different zones. People who live in Stockholm can apply for a parking permission for their PTWs but they are not allowed to use them in the dedicated parking spaces where motorcycles and mopeds share space.
chairman of SMC Stockholm
Olle Henriksson, chairman of SMC Stockholm expressed his disappointment at the decision to change policy:
"SMC's proposal is to promote motorcycling and moped use so that more people choose the the benefit of small and smart vehicles.”


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These are mighty difficult times for Vonage as the incumbent providers have ganged up against them and have decided to compete on patents as opposed to technology. A federal jury has ruled that Vonage has to pay $69.5 million in damages to Sprint Nextel for using its patents. This is ultimately terrible news for consumers. I continue to be amazed at phone companies who say they have patents for VoIP and related technologies yet haven’t rolled the technology out to customers. Or they have rolled it our half a decade after the technology was patented.
The reality of the situation is Vonage is a fantastic marketing company and not a technology company. Technology companies often file for and receive numerous patents. A broad patent portfolio is a shield against patent lawsuits.
So Vonage had limited patent protection and marketing that should have made all the telcos envious. This is quite an achievement and shaking up a century-old industry is something to be proud of.
What is sad however is how easy it is to wipe a company away using not technology or better customer service but instead a patent portfolio which was amassed when the government was admittedly giving away patents too freely. So the IP communications market owes a great deal of gratitude to Vonage for what the company has accomplished. At the same time we should be upset the company did not acquire the patents they needed to be along-term success story. Sure, the game is not over but it is looking a lot worse from where I am standing.


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STORY: The boardroom battle between Disney CEO Bob Iger and activist investor Nelson Peltz has ratcheted up - with Disney throwing the latest punch.
The entertainment giant slammed Peltz on Tuesday in a letter to shareholders, defending its decision to deny him a board seat by saying he "lacked the skills and experience" to help the media and entertainment giant.
The searing comments came after Peltz last week formally launched a fight for a board seat to rescue Disney from what he called a "crisis" of overspending on its Disney+ streaming business, its purchase of 21st Century Fox and failed succession planning.
The billionaire’s move pits Peltz against Iger, one of the most popular executives in Hollywood - who recently returned from retirement to lead Disney for a second time.
Peltz told CNBC last week that Disney should either get out of the streaming business or buy the rest of rival service Hulu. Disney has a majority stake in Hulu; Comcast owns the rest.
In its statement on Tuesday, Disney said it was already working to improve profitability at Disney+ and that it was rolling out broader cost-cutting measures.
Peltz's Trian Fund Management, which owns a .5% stake, or roughly $900 million in Disney, declined to comment.
Unless Peltz settles with Disney, investors will vote this year on whether he should sit on the company's board.


text: Invest News DetailSabah - For the first time ever, a Turkish automobile designer has created an environmentally friendly automobile, Mindset, for Türkiye. The project began in Türkiye after Murat Gunak and his Swiss partner Lorenzo Schmid were hosted by the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, who offered his support for the “green” car. Initially, a EUR 400-500 million investment is needed in order to go ahead with the project. An investor especially experienced in automobile manufacturing in Türkiye is needed for the project to be realized. In this regard, research was conducted in groups that had shown particular interest in the automotive sector, while the list was later narrowed down to four prospective investors. The list of names includes the Dogus Group which has already attempted to convince Volkswagen to invest in Türkiye. After leaving the VW Group Design Chairmanship, Gunak began working to create his own brand in Switzerland, while also looking for investors for the Mindset hybrid vehicle he had designed. Upon hearing about Gunak, the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Türkiye (ISPAT), the Association of Automotive Parts and Components Manufacturers (TAYSAD) and the Turkish Exporter’s Union got in touch with Gunak. Prime Minister Erdogan, who was impressed with Gunak’s intention to manufacture this automobile design in his homeland, Türkiye, came out to show his support and got behind the wheel of the Mindset for a test drive. The project was kept confidential until recently and has now officially hit the headlines. Erdogan performed a test drive around the official residence and was impressed by the high technology of the hybrid vehicle, saying the engine was surprisingly quiet.


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Compassion Over Killing is excited to announce the relaunch of ChickenIndustry.com, an in-depth and evolving look behind the closed doors of an industry that raises and slaughters more than 8 billion animals in the US each year.
Chickens raised their meat, known as “broilers” in the industry, sadly account for nearly 90% of all the animals killed for food each year nationwide. To make matters worse, from hatchery to slaughterhouse, there are no federal regulations whatsoever protecting chickens, allowing factory farmers to cruelly mistreat these animals in ways that would result in criminal prosecution if these same abuses were inflicted upon the dogs and cats with whom many of us share our homes.
For far too long, the chicken industry has operated in secrecy, behind locked and closed doors, with limited public scrutiny. But that is starting to change as consumers learn the truth about the miseries forced upon these animals.
Today is International Respect for Chickens Day, the perfect time to honor these smart and social birds by relaunching ChickenIndustry.com, an informative website that:
- celebrates these remarkably intelligent animals
- goes behind the doors of the industry to expose the hidden horrors
- highlights some notable corporate shifts and small steps in the right direction
- and most importantly, provides easy ways for you to take action
Chickens are incredibly smart, playful, and curious. Did you know that chickens communicate with 24 different vocalizations? Or that, at hatching, chicks already have a basic understanding of numbers and can differentiate between quantities?
Yet, these smart and social animals are forced to spend their short lives crammed inside dark sheds on filthy factory farms. Genetically manipulated by the industry to grow unnaturally and rapidly obese, broiler chickens often suffer respiratory illness, painful leg deformities, and ammonia burns on their skin from living in their own waste day and and day out.
With your help, the world is changing for chickens. Here are 3 easy ways to get involved and start making a difference today!
The best way to protect chickens — and all animals — is to leave them off our plates! Find recipes & more at TryVeg.com.


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Consumer durables makers expect sales of TVs, refrigerators and ACs to be affected in July-August as costs would go up 4-5 per cent under the GST regime, but hope to make good from big volumes during festive sales.
Usage of GST may affect their exchange accomplices because of increment in information charge. Be that as it may, it could be recuperated by increment in their offering costs.
As per Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA), such decay would be balanced with the happy deals that would begin from August this year with Onam.
“July-August deals will get affected and the impact will get killed by the merry season and request will be back,” said CEAMA President Manish Sharma.
Godrej Appliances Business Head and Executive VP Kamal Nandi said that the business would discover some trouble in the underlying months yet later it would recuperate.
“In the short keep running, there would be some resistance or deferment, however over the long haul given that it is an extremely organized assessment framework, it would drive development,” he said.
Sharma, who is likewise President and CEO Panasonic India and South Asia said that the effect would be recouped through increment in costs.
“The exchange accomplices could have a slight effect because of information assessment. Be that as it may, they could recoup it by increment in their offering costs. We should not give any motivation for stock acclimations to exchange accomplices,” he included.
The GST Council has finished expense rates for administrations under the new administration set to kick in from July 1, reserving a 28 for each penny rate for TV, iceboxes and ventilation systems.
Videocon Director Anirudh Dhoot said there would be some situation at the merchant level once GST is actualized, and the organizations would need to address their worries.
“Retailers are still in a dilemma with GST which we must address together and create awareness so that it can be welcomed smoothly without ambiguities,” he said.
As per Nandi, the industry was expecting a lower impose piece of 18 percent on TV, AC and icebox as they now are no more extravagance things.
“We were expecting a 18 per cent tax slab for home appliances because is a necessity now and not a luxury. Home appliances is a very low penetrated category, so bringing it down to 18 per cent would have propelled growth of the industry,” he added.


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A new leak of Mi Mix 2S, the new flagship ship expected to be unveiled at Xiaomi’s Mobile World Congress, appears. According to the leak, the device will be completely frameless and the screen will have an integrated fingerprint scanner.
Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has become the rising star of the smartphone industry in recent years with affordable flagship gadgets and stylish designs from Apple and Samsung. According to a new leak, Xiaomi can launch the ‘Full Screen 3.0’ design line with the new flagship Mi Mix 2S.
As you know, the Xiaomi Mi Mix and Mi Mix 2 were very thin frames on the first model of the first series, and there was a thick frame on the bottom of the screen where the front camera was. But the new Mi Mix 2S can have a design that can lead to completely frameless smartphones.
According to the leak, there will be no frame on all four sides of Mi Mix 2S. The company will develop a different design to position the front camera back to the upper right corner of the screen and find a small notch for the camera. In addition, the device will not include a physical fingerprint scanner, the latest technology screen will include an integrated fingerprint scanner.
Nevertheless, it is useful to be cautious. Another rumor emerged a while ago, describing a completely different Mi Mix 2S design. Running Xiaomi on more than one smartphone is somehow compromising the reliability of the leak. Again, the best thing seems to be to wait for Mi Mix 2S to be introduced at the Mobile World Congress.


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It will not be an easy digital signage year – that was already clear in January 2023. After the pandemic and supply difficulties, digital signage solutions were sold in unprecedented volumes last year. The market in EMEA grew by almost 20 percent in 2022 – thanks to catch-up effects. In addition, integrators filled their warehouses last year due to concerns about availability.
The hopes of many providers after the record year were huge – the market would certainly continue to grow at 20+ percent. But the reality can be seen well at mid-year in the DBCI and other market indicators. Hardware vendors are seeing revenue declines in the high single-digit to low double-digit percentage range.
Integrators report flat sales, while software providers continue to report growth – thanks to SAAS recurring sales. Not all providers are as successful as, for example, Intuiface – who benefit from the long-tail direct business model with high double-digit growth rates.


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Kanye West has teamed with footwear designer Giuseppe Zanotti to create a limited edition pair of high heels to commemorate G.O.O.D. Music’s Cruel Summer.
The all-white shoes pay homage to the feather plumes on the cover art for Cruel Summer. The footwear marks the second collaboration between West and Giuseppe. He previously teamed up with the Italian designer to release ornate heels in March at the price of $5,800 a pair. It is currently unknown how much his new shoes will cost.
Check out the shoes below (via SoulCulture).


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Samsung Galaxy S20 FE offers potential buyers a cheaper entry point into Samsung Galaxy 'S' range of flagship smartphones.
Samsung is yet to announce the development of the new Galaxy S21 series. The vanilla S21 has reportedly appeared on the 3C certification website.
Samsung is all set to launch the new Galaxy S20 FE today.
The Galaxy Note 20 range launched without a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor and it looks like the flagship Galaxy S21 range could follow in its steps.
Google Stadia will now work on over 20 android devices including the ASUS ROG Phone I and II, Razer Phone 1 and 2, and Samsung's S20 series.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 smartphone price in India is set at Rs 66,999, while S20+ price is set at Rs 73,999 and the Galaxy S20 Ultra will cost Rs 92,999.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, likely to be the top variant, will house a 108-megapixel, a 48-megapixel telephoto and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide along with periscope zoom.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus renders also reveal physical buttons placed under the LED indicator.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus magnetic charging case will indicate the charging status of the individual buds and offer wireless charging as well.


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BMW and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) have joined forces to develop electric vehicle technologies. The rival automobile companies are seen to be the “dream team” for motor enthusiasts. This partnership between the UK and German firms is also aiming to lower costs of volume production. The fifth generation of BMW’s electric motor will be the heart of the team.
Together with @jlr_news we are joining forces to develop next generation #electric drive units in a move that supports the advancement of #electrification technologies necessary to transition to an ACES future. Read more at https://t.co/j6YnMDgrS9 pic.twitter.com/pSF6Rg2ZqV
— BMW Group (@BMWGroup) June 5, 2019
The automobile giants are working together to develop electric motors, transmissions and power electronics. The team is also aiming to lower costs of volume production and get ahead in the race of electric vehicles.
Both companies will jointly develop the required technology. This will, eventually, reduce the R&D cost on the project. Although, recently, both the firms have struggled to keep up with the profit margin. This came amidst falling sales, higher costs, and the need to invest in future technologies.
Will Jaguar Land Rover and BMW give the fight to present forerunners?
The present forerunners in the electric vehicle market, like Tesla, have a strong foothold in the market. Sure, JLR and BMW are big names, but they’ll still have to make the sales skyrocket.
India itself is seeing striking strides in the electric vehicle market. The cab service, Ola, recently opened up Ola Electric. The idea is so important and necessary for a country like India, that they even have Ratan Tata on board. To know more about, follow: Ola Electric now drives with Ratan Tata on board
BMW has been working on electric motors in one housing called “Gen 5” of its “eDrive” technology. This will be the heart of the team.
The joint team, with its engineers, will further develop Gen 5 in Munich. Then both companies will produce their own electric drivetrains, said BMW.