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The Mumbai-based startup is looking to raise about INR 3,000 Cr via a combined sale and issue of 18.5 Mn equity shares
At the higher price band of INR 1,618, CarTrade is demanding an enterprise valuation to sales multiple of 26.6X
Brokerage firm Anand Rathi assigned a subscribe rating due to the company’s first-mover advantage, but flagged the ‘exorbitantly’ priced issue
Online car marketplace startup CarTrade’s IPO opens for subscription today (August 9) and will continue till Wednesday (August 11). The Mumbai-based startup is looking to raise about INR 3,000 Cr via a combined sale and issue of 18.5 Mn equity shares in the company at a market capitalisation of up to INR 7,416 Cr — which will give it a unicorn valuation.
While the IPO price band has been set at INR 1,585- INR 1,618 per share — a retail investor would have to shell out at least INR 14,265 to get an allotment as the minimum lot size has been set at 9 shares. This means that approximately 6.5 Mn shares — or 35% of the issue — can be availed by retail investors.
But, the question to ask is should a retail investor bet on CarTrade IPO?
Shashank Kanodia and Jaimin Desai, analysts at brokerage firmICICI Direct, have assigned a ‘Subscribe’ rating to the issue for listing gains.
“CarTrade offers a unique play on rising digitisation of new and pre-owned vehicle transaction value chain/ecosystem… Long-term wealth generation at CTT will be a function of scalability, relevance and journey towards healthier return ratios,” said the duo.
While the company’s unit economics has improved by leaps and bounds in the past two financial years — its net profit rose from INR 16.7 Cr in FY19 to INR 91.2 Cr in FY21 at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 133.%, sales have remained flat in the same period growing at a CAGR of 1.3%. However, after about two years of sluggishness in the auto sector on the back of a spike in vehicle ownership and running costs, slowdown in economic activity, Covid impact, etc, the industry is poised to post healthy double-digit medium-term growth (new vehicles) riding on pent up demand.
More importantly, India’s ratio of used cars sold to new cars sold is ~1.5 vs. ~2-3 in major economies, with parc turn rate (ratio of used cars sold divided by total car volume) at ~16%, signalling the potential for faster growth than new car sales in future. “The same bodes well for CTT given its direct linkage to the underlying health of the Indian auto sector,” said the ICICI Direct analysts.
Rajnath Yadav, an analyst at Mumbai-based equity brokerage firm Choice India, concurred, saying, “At the higher price band of INR 1,618, CarTrade is demanding an enterprise valuation to sales multiple of 26.6X, which we feel is attractive considering its scalable business model, profitable operations and business growth opportunities in the auto sector value chain. Thus we assign a subscribe rating for the issue.
Interestingly, two leading brokerages — JM Financial and Axis Capital — have chosen to stay neutral and did not make a suggestion on whether to subscribe to the CarTrade IPO or not. While brokerage firm Anand Rathi assigned a subscribe rating due to the company’s first-mover advantage, it flagged the ‘exorbitantly’ at a price-to-earnings ratio of 199.26X if the accounting adjustments for deferred tax are attributed to equity.
Jehan Bhada and Mahima Mehta, analysts at brokerage firm Nirmal Bang, also assigned a subscribe rating to the CarTrade IPO.
“With a war-chest of INR 668 Cr in the balance sheet, CarTrade is well-positioned and plans to capture adjacent business opportunities such as insurance, financing, servicing of vehicles, accessories and refurbishment cum sale of cars. We believe CarTrade offers an attractive opportunity to participate in a new age business with a leading vehicle platform company,” they noted.
However, one of their concerns regarding the company is the evolution of the competitive landscape amid a funding binge in the ecosystem. “With India gaining prominence as a startup opportunity globally, many companies have entered the vehicle platform business since 2014 including the bigger competitors like Cars24 and Droom who, just like CarTrade are backed by multiple marquee global investing firms. An increase in aggression by competition fueled by large amounts of global appetite to participate in this industry in India could impact the positioning of CarTrade and its profitability,” they added.


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- Obama military downsizing leaves U.S. too weak to counter global threats, panel finds
- Sen. Tom Coburn vows to slow down budget-busting bills ahead of recess
- Obama fantasizes about more executive power, signs new order on federal contractors
- Clintons call Klein, Halper, Kessler ‘a Hat Trick of despicable actors’: report
- Boehner accuses Obama of ‘legacy of lawlessness’
- Pro-marijuana group claims responsibility for Brooklyn Bridge flag swap
- Young adults shun Obamacare mostly due to cost: survey
- Stabbing attack on transgender girl, 15, was ‘bias motivated,’ police say
- LGBT adults still lean overwhelmingly toward Democratic Party
- Lawmakers rattled by Syria genocide horrors, call on Obama to act
Apple’s $1B patent verdict could corner market
Question of the Day
SAN JOSE, CALIF. (AP) - It was the $1 billion question Saturday: What does Apple Inc.’s victory in an epic patent dispute over its fiercest rival mean for the U.S. smartphone industry?
Analysts from Wall Street to Hong Kong debated whether a jury’s decision that Samsung Electronics Co. ripped off Apple technology would help Apple corner the U.S. smartphone market over Android rivals, or amount to one more step in a protracted legal battle over smartphone technology.
“I am sure this is going to put a damper on Android’s growth,” New York-based Isi Group analyst Brian Marshall said, “It hurts the franchise.”
The Silicon Valley jury found that some of Samsung’s products illegally copied features and designs exclusive to Apple’s iPhone and iPad. The verdict was narrowly tailored to only Samsung, which sold more than 22 million smartphones and tablets that Apple claimed used its technology, including the “bounce-back” feature when a user scrolls to an end image, and the ability to zoom text with a tap of a finger.
“The other makers are now scrambling” to find alternatives, said Rob Enderle, a leading technology analyst based in San Jose.
The companies could opt to pay Apple licensing fees for access to the technology or develop smarter technology to create similar features that don’t violate the patent _ at a cost likely to be passed onto consumers.
Apple lawyers are planning to ask that the two dozen Samsung devices found to have infringed its patents be barred from the U.S. market. Most of those devices are “legacy” products with almost nonexistent new sales in the United States. Apple lawyers will also ask that the judge triple the damage award to $3 billion since the jury found Samsung “willfully” copied Apple’s patents.
A loss to the Android-based market would represent a big hit for Google as well. Google relies on Android devices to drive mobile traffic to its search engine, which in turn generates increased advertising revenue. Android is becoming increasingly more important to Google’s bottom line because Apple is phasing out reliance on Google services such as YouTube and mapping as built-in features on the iPhone and iPad.
Some experts cautioned that the decision might not be final, noting the California lawsuit is one of nine similar legal actions across the globe between the two leading smartphone makers.
Samsung has vowed to appeal the verdict all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that Apple’s patents for such “obvious” things as rounded rectangle were wrongly granted. A Sept. 20 hearing is scheduled.
The $1 billion represents about 1.5 percent of Samsung’s annual revenue. Jerome Schaufield, a technology professor at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute said the verdict wouldn’t upend a multibillion-dollar global industry.
“Samsung is powerful,” Schaufield said. “The company will regroup and go on.”
TWT Video Picks
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20 gadgets that changed the world

domain: news


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British food processing company Marlow Foods, a unit of healthcare multinational AstraZeneca, has won approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to launch its Quorn product range of fermented mushroom-based meat substitutes.
The self-styled ‘first new food since the potato’ claims its patented protein core ingredient possesses “some amazing nutrition and related health benefits”. It also, says the company, creates a more realistic chicken substitute than the soy-based products that currently rule the meat substitute sector.
Marlow is now set to launch an eight-item line of Quorn frozen and refrigerated meat substitutes backed by $7 to $10 million in marketing support via Glastonbury, Connecticut, agency Decker.
According to Quorn vp of marketing David Wilson, Decker’s “quirky and irreverent work” work will straddle TV, print and promotional activities. The brand, launched in the UK in 1985 is now a $160 million business in Europe
News source: AdAge.com


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Subaru is preparing to shift gears and make an aggressive move toward the rapidly expanding electric vehicle (EV) market. To ensure their continued success and ascendancy amid an ever-evolving landscape, the Japanese automaker has outlined an ambitious strategy to transform itself from good to great in the new EV era.
The automaker’s plan centers on the introduction of several all-electric vehicles to its lineup, as well as a number of new technologies aimed at improving the performance and efficiency of its existing gas-powered models. Subaru’s goal is to become a leader in the field of electrification, and to that end, the company has already made significant investments in battery and electric motor technology, and is developing a range of all-electric vehicles to be released in the coming years.
In addition to its electric vehicle efforts, Subaru is also working to improve the performance of its existing gas-powered models. The company is investing in high-tech engines and transmissions that are designed for improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions. It is also exploring the use of advanced materials to lighten the weight of its vehicles, as well as the development of autonomous driving technologies.
In order to ensure that its vehicles remain competitive, Subaru is also investing heavily in its dealer network and customer service. The automaker is working to enhance the customer experience by offering improved services such as online vehicle sales, mobile app integration, and more.
The combination of these initiatives is designed to position Subaru as a leader in the electric vehicle market. With its commitment to electric vehicles and advanced technologies, the company is poised to make a significant impact in the industry. By remaining focused on its core values and leveraging its strengths, Subaru is well-positioned to remain competitive in the ever-evolving EV landscape.
Subaru’s strategy for transformation from good to great in the new EV era is a bold one, but it is also necessary if the company is to stay competitive and remain successful in the years ahead. With its commitment to electrification, advanced technologies, and improved customer experience, Subaru is setting itself up for success in the rapidly expanding EV market.


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Sprint Retires 'Spark' and Launches 'LTE Plus'
Sprint is rebranding its LTE 4G network in an effort to call attention to the technology involved in making the network tick. Sprint LTE Plus replaces the Sprint Spark name for the company's tri-band LTE network, which uses 800MHz, 1.9GHz, and 2.5GHz. Sprint has focused on optimizing the performance of cell sites, as well as on improving the underlying network tech by taking advantage of carrier aggregation and beamforming. Carrier aggregation is the binding of two or more channels to act as one to increase capacity. Beamforming involves focusing wireless signals, particularly in the 2.5GHz band, in order to better reach handsets. Sprint claims these techniques have doubled network capacity and speeds (peaks greater than 100Mbps), increased the range of 2.5GHz spectrum, and improved reliability across all three spectrum bands. Right now, Sprint says 77 markets have access to these network improvements. More importantly, 13 of Sprint's devices, including the iPhone 6s, Galaxy S6, and One A9, support the new wireless technologies. Sprint said it plans to expand Sprint LTE Plus to more markets and more devices over time. The company will also continue to improve its network technology, and is looking to use 3-, 4-, and 5-channel carrier aggregation, advanced beamforming, and higher order MIMO down the road.
Sep 25, 2018
AT&T and Harman this week launched the Harman Spark, a module that brings safety and security features to cars. The Spark plugs into a car's OBD II port and connects to AT&T's LTE network.
Sep 1, 2018
Huawei today revealed its forthcoming user interface skin, EMUI 9.0. The new user experience is based on Android 9 Pie, which means it offers many of the new features included in Google’s code.
Dec 6, 2017
Qualcomm today announced the Snapdragon 845 mobile platform, its flagship system-on-a-chip for 2018. Qualcomm expects the module to form the core of next year's top smartphones, which it will endow with multimedia smarts for both audio and video.
Feb 9, 2018
In the interest of security, Google plans to call out web sites that don't adopt https. Later this year, version 68 of the Chrome web browser will proactively label web sites that don't make use of https encryption.
Wow...77 Whole Markets


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There is a growing fear that interventionist, ill-considered and rushed cryptocurrency policies will inhibit the blockchain industry.
Colonial First State is the first investment platform to sign on to Iress’ new blockchain-based industry solution for managing advice fee consent.
Beyond the ‘crypto hype’, there are countless ways that blockchain technology, which is growing more pragmatic every day, can be utilised.
Binance Australia has today announced the appointment of Leigh Travers, former DigitalX CEO and Director, who joins the organisation as CEO.
Iress has seen strong demand for our DDO solution from across the industry, with more than 50 product issuers signing up to use our solution so far.
Sydney startup Aus Merchant is emerging from stealth mode to help high-end Australian retailers accept cryptocurrency payments in a safe and legal manner.


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|'Tavern keeper' Jeret Peña|
SAN ANTONIO, TX -- Latin flavors are pouring into beverages, according to experts at the "Latin Flavors, American Kitchens" conference at the Culinary Institute of America here.
Jeret Peña, the "tavern keeper" at The Esquire Tavern here, said he considers mezcal, tequila, peppers, chiles and Latin American herbs the top five Latin flavors popular in contemporary cocktails.
Rick Bayless, chef and owner of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and XOCO in Chicago, said, "We are living in a great era of emphasis and enthusiasm about the cocktail culture. It has gotten an amazing rebirth. Where I used to ask for the wine list, I now ask for the cocktail list, because it’s exciting."
Bayless said Latin American alcoholic beverages, liqueurs and mixers also are delicious. For instance, in Mexico, many cities and regions have their own flavor traditions, such as adding ground peanuts, fruits and herbs to drinks.
"It’s all of our duties to shake the bushes and find out what’s out there," Bayless said.
[Go here for the complete story.]
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd's Guides home page.


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Greek think tank IOBE sees economic growth accelerating to 2.1% this year from an estimated 1.3% rate in 2017. The estimate is broadly in line with the official Greek government and Europe- an Commission forecasts, both of which see GDP growing at a 2.5% rate this year. Greece’s revised 2017 GDP data is due to be released in early March.
Leading U.S. electric automobile manufacturer Tesla is setting up an R&D facility in Greece to tap local scientific expertise in electric motor technology. The facility is expected to employ approximately 10 staff and will be located on the grounds of the Demokritos research center.
Greece looks set for another record year in tourism arrivals in 2018 with pre-bookings — an early indicator of the summer season ahead — rising between 15% and 30%. The country’s popularity as a summer destination continues growing in its two key markets, Germany and the UK, even as new markets from Russia and Asia gather pace. In 2017, tourist income rose 10.5% on year to €14.6 billion, according to the latest Bank of Greece data.


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UK farming unions and processors unite on trade and labour issues post-brexit
Posted: 2 November 2016 | New Food | No comments yet
During the meeting at Stoneleigh on Monday 31 October 2016, the Presidents unveiled their post-Brexit thinking on a range of policies…
“It is essential for the food and farming sector to maintain full, unfettered access to the single market while having continued access to a flexible, competent and reliable workforce.”
That was the strong and clear message from the Presidents of the four UK farming unions following a meeting with agriculture’s largest processing customers.
During the meeting at Stoneleigh on Monday 31 October 2016, the Presidents unveiled their post-Brexit thinking on a range of policies and discussed how the agri-food industry can come together to speak with one voice on important issues such as trade and access to labour.
“The industry is bigger than the automotive and aerospace sectors combined…”
The Presidents outlined their bold and ambitious vision for the industry, one where competitive, profitable and progressive farming and food businesses deliver an increasing proportion of the nation’s needs for high quality, safe, affordable food to British people, as well as to new export markets.
In a joint statement, the four UK Farming Union Presidents said: “UK agriculture supplies the building blocks to the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, food and drink. Worth £108bn and employing 3.9 million people spread across every parliamentary constituency, the industry is bigger than the automotive and aerospace sectors combined.
“In common with other sectors of the economy, British farmers and food producers need government to be acutely aware of what’s at stake for this vitally important industry and the UK economy as a whole. Retaining tariff-free access to the EU single market is vital for UK farmers, it’s where 75 per cent of our food exports go, so all our farming unions will be working hard with our partners across the food and farming supply chain to achieve this outcome.
“Continued access to a reliable and competent workforce is also essential to British farming’s competitiveness as this underpins the UK food chain’s timely delivery of high quality affordable food to consumers. If we achieve both these goals, then the whole of society and the economy will benefit.”
The discussions between the farming unions and the industry’s major customers will continue through the autumn in advance of the UK government’s forthcoming Brexit negotiations.


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Kompuestos nominated for the European Small and Mid-Cap Awards 2020 in the 'Rising Star' category
- The 8th edition of the European Small and Mid-Cap Awards 2020 will take place in Berlin in November, during the European Commission’s SME Week
- The objective of the Awards is to promote best practices and highlight the best European Small and Mid-Sized Companies that have gained access to capital markets via an Initial Public Offering (IPO)
Kompuestos (Plásticos CompuestosS.A.), MAB-listed company and leader in the production of sustainable plastic compounds in Europe, has been nominated for the European Small and Mid-CapAwards 2020 in the 'Rising Star' category.
The 8th edition of the European Small and Mid-Cap Awards will be held inNovember during the European Commission’s SME Week in Berlin, organized in collaboration with EuropeanIssuers and the Federation of European SecuritiesExchanges (FESE). The aim of these awards is to highlight the best European small and mid-cap companies that have managed to access capital markets through an Initial Public Offering (IPO), highlighting the wide diversity of European markets and boosting the stock market listing of those SMEs that have demonstrated best practices.
As highlighted by the organisation of the awards in its press release, SMEs are key to achieving the EU's objectives in terms of job creation, competitiveness and growth, and it highlights the various advantages that access to finance on the securities markets can bring to these companies. The winners of this year's European Small and Mid-Cap Awards will be announced at the awards ceremony in November.
Ignacio Duch, president and CEO of Kompuestos, stated that "it is an honour for us to be considered for an award which acknowledges the effort that we have made at Kompuestos since we started operating, and which we continue to maintain now, above all, with our new innovations: our compostable resins and Okean((R) ranges of compostable bioplastics.We want to be leaders in the circular economy of plastics while bringing value to our investors, customers and employees. This is where we have always wanted to go and we will continue to do so”.
Kompuestos, a listed company in Spanish Alternative Stock Exchange, is a leader in the production of sustainable plastic compounds in Europe. Based in Barcelona, it is one of the leading international suppliers of high-performance compounds aimed at reducing the carbon footprint in the production of plastics, which are used as raw material in multiple industries worldwide.
Kompuestos has developed and certified a complete range of biodegradable products for the replacement of traditional plastics, especially in sensitive applications such as single-use bags and hard-to-recycle products.
The company maintains a strong commitment to the environment. In this sense, it is positioned in favour of the circular economy of plastics and is committed to sustainable innovation by developing biodegradable and compostable products as well as mixtures with minerals that improve the imprint of CO2. The company is developing advanced technologies and plastic recycling additives so that they can be properly reused and the result is not second-rate products and difficult to apply.
For more information:
Mario Cordera Fernández / 673 33 9593 / email@example.com
Alvaro Pérez Magariños / 673 33 99 50 / firstname.lastname@example.org
Download this information in PDF.


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IN order to service customers and provide a fast and improved cloud solution we are shortly rolling out our new cloud platform.
Currently our cloud customers utilize our platform via KVM and this has served many thousands of customers over the past 3 years.
Now its time for a change.
Over the coming weeks we will be migrating all cloud customers virtual machines to our Openstack public cloud solution. We are deploying and currently testing the latest Cloudstack and deploying on our existing VMware infrastructure. This new platform will ensure customers obtain the best performance and offerings Cloudstack has to offer.
In saying this, we will also be deploying a new cloud dashboard where customers can order cloud instances, pay invoices, submit tickets, resize instances, create snapshots, create containers via our swift storage.
We are excited to improve our service and are confident our new and existing customers will see new and improved features.
Further, we will be rolling our new locations such as Australia, Germany, Canada and more.
Below is a preview of the cloud dashboard which customers will be able to utilize.


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We at PCMag have to put New Year resolutions on hold because it's now time for the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
CES officially starts on Jan. 6, but today is press day, and PCMag has boots on the ground for a first look at all the newest gadgets and services.
Among the devices that have already been anounced are the Withings Activite Pop and a connected flower pot that reminds you when it needs to be watered. But be sure to follow all of PCMag's coverage on our CES 2015 page.
What's New Now is PCMag's daily news digest that outlines the hottest tech news story of the day and what it means to you. Check back every day to get your daily dose of news and expert analysis of the technology topics that matter most.
Watch this episode and more in our What's New Now playlist.


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Short Takes: Health Mart, Shield HealthCare, Universal Power Group
Health Mart was ranked highest overall in customer satisfaction among chain drug pharmacies across the U.S. in the J.D. Power 2016 Pharmacy Satisfaction Study. The study measures customer satisfaction with pharmacies in four segments: mail order, chain drug stores, supermarkets and mass merchandisers…Shield HealthCare has relocated its Dallas operations and distribution to a larger facility in Carrollton, Texas. The new 52,000-square-foot facility will house 125 home medical supply experts, as well as a customer care center and distribution facility…Universal Power Group, a supplier of absorbent glass mat and gel batteries and chargers, has hired Bret Tracy as director of business development. Tracy recently launched Vita Mobility Werks, a start-up scooter importer and previously worked at MK Battery and Pride Mobility.


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RALEIGH – When descendents of legendary Seminole Chief Osceola considered the product being pitched to them, they had an objection – the name.
Nothing wrong with the Cherokee nation or a Cherokee-branded cigarette, mind you, but the leaders of Florida’s Seminole tribe of Native Americans felt they should have their own brand. Chuck Fuller agreed, and lickety-split was born the Seminole brand of cigarettes.
“We don’t have to go through 400 people to get something done,” says Fuller, president and CEO of CB Holdings, a Raleigh-based holding company that, through acquisitions and its own organic efforts, is building a stable of niche tobacco products, including pipe tobacco and cigars in addition to cigarettes. “We try it. If we fail, we fail quick.”
Yes, this is a story about cigarettes and tobacco – but let it also be noted that CB Holdings markets a line of coffee, also under the Cherokee brand. Still, let’s get the cigarette question out of the way with Fuller: “How do you feel about being in the tobacco business?”
“I struggle with that to be honest,” says Fuller, who fiddled with smoking in his younger years but never got hooked. “But it is a legal product, and I enjoy the business end.”
CB Holdings provides 47 jobs and generates around $28 million in annual revenue. Fuller recently engineered a major growth leap with the acquisition of bankrupt competitor Renegade Holdings. When the ink’s dry on that $15.6 million acquisition, CB Holdings’ payroll will more than double, to 120, and annual revenue will nearly triple, to $80 million.
Fuller’s background is a varied one, growing out of his penchant for organization. He spent 12 years with the old Carolina Power & Light Co., now Progress Energy, beginning by reading meters and rising to become a customer service area manager in the North Carolina mountains.
In 1991, he went into business for himself as a consultant managing three small companies. After getting to know Charles Taylor, then a U.S. congressman from Brevard, Fuller migrated into politics and over the years has been a key player in several campaigns for Republican candidates, including state Rep. Robin Hayes, now chairman of the state GOP, and former U.S. Sen. Lauch Faircloth.
Fuller in 1998 became involved in the tobacco space and met Frank Lee, a tobacco businessman in Smithfield. Lee asked Fuller to evaluate a business, Royal Investments, he was considering buying. After doing due diligence, Fuller determined many changes needed to be made. Lee turned his back on the deal, so Fuller took his recommendations to the company’s owner, Bill Barker.
The owner was impressed and hired Fuller to run Royal Investments, which had rights to the Cherokee brand in a handful of states. Fuller negotiated a 50-state license with Birdtown Enterprises, which owns the brand and operates on the Cherokee Reservation in the North Carolina mountains.
Fuller relocated manufacturing of the cigarettes from Brazil to South Boston, Va., where they continue to be made on a contract basis. Besides Cherokee and Seminole, CB Holdings now makes MJ menthol cigarettes and Palmetto. With the acquisition of Renegade Holdings, CB is picking up four additional brands – Tucson, Tracker, Murano and Hombre.
The cigarette business challenges small companies to be nimble in positioning their products: 94.8 percent of the market is controlled by four companies, leaving the rest to be split among 50 or so small companies such as CB Holdings – similar to the micro-brewery niche in the beer business. Fuller has positioned his products as “value” brands – high quality at a lower price.
He also positions his products to have regional appeal – Cherokee is a big seller in western North Carolina; Seminole appeals to people in South Florida and supporters of Florida State University, where the mascot is a latter day Chief Osceola. Palmetto cigarettes sell well in South Carolina, the Palmetto State.
Going forward, Fuller foresees growing his company within its space – aiming through acquisitions to gain as much of the available market share as possible. Of that available share, he says simply, “I want it all.”


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The Chieveley Community Christmas Card for 2023 has been launched and is available for signing in the village shop by the till.
The idea behind the community Christmas card is to send your season’s greetings to friends and neighbours in the village by signing the card. If anybody would like to donate some money we also choose a charity to support alongside our charity strolls in January. This year we are dividing the funds between:
- The West Berkshire Foodbank
There will be a charity box next to the card for any donations.
All those that sign will have their Christmas wishes placed on the MyChieveley website and the amount raised will be advised in January.
Happy Christmas and stay safe and well everyone!


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Products: Bosch Releases 5.0 Software Update for ADS and ADS X Scan Tools
CCC Information Services Inc. has announced plans to launch an enterprise payments platform to power electronic payments across the insurance and automotive ecosystem. The company aims to expand its CCC Payments capabilities to enable digital payments between insurers and their business partners, reducing administrative costs and cycle time while improving customer satisfaction.
Participants on CCC’s network of more than 30,000 businesses will benefit from their connections as payments functionality is designed to integrate into their CCC solutions, presenting payment information within existing workflows.
Expected to launch in the second half of 2021, CCC Payments transactions initiated by insurers will be processed by Nvoicepay, a third-party financial technology company and a leader in payment automation software. CCC first introduced electronic payment capabilities in 2019, providing collision repair customers a simple way to handle customer-to-shop payments.
“CCC is systematically bringing digitization to every corner of the automotive and insurance industry,” said Barrett Callaghan, executive vice president, markets and customer success, CCC. “With the expansion of CCC Payments, we aim to eliminate two huge industry pain points: paper checks and phone calls. Our plans to integrate CCC Payments into our workflow solutions will be significant and particularly meaningful for our collision repair and lender customers who we expect will be able to use their single connection to CCC to manage receipt of their insurer payments digitally. CCC is excited to extend its digital capabilities to include payments, continuing to make good on the industry’s vision for straight-through processing.”
CCC Payments is designed to allow insurers to enable any type of B2B digital payment across P&C lines. Recipients on the payment solution will only need to enter their payment information once with the processor to have it seamlessly and securely deployed across the CCC network, making it easy to activate payments at scale. CCC Payments is designed to support straight-through processing and configurable workflows, allowing insurers to choose the level of automation for payment approvals. Additionally, both insurers and payees can receive payment notifications and status directly within their existing CCC environment.
“CCC is proud to use its technology and connections to support more than $100 billion in commerce annually,” said Shivani Govil, chief product officer, CCC. “Through our planned expansion in digital payments, CCC aims to extend our core capabilities and to further advance the digitization of the P&C insurance economy. We expect CCC Payments will open up a new world of opportunities for our customers to improve their performance and the experiences they deliver to customers.”


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Microsoft has begun to suggest that Windows 11 will be released later in 2021. This means PC users might have to buy a new computer to keep Windows updated.
The Verge reports that Microsoft had previously stated to The Verge that although Windows 11 requires certain hardware, it wouldn’t prevent users installing it on any computer that can handle it. Microsoft changed its statement, however, adding a significant caveat. Microsoft does not promise to release Windows Updates on those computers.
Microsoft has officially launched Windows 11 this June. The computer company announced the minimum requirements to install the most recent operating system. These requirements stipulated that Windows 11 will only work with computers equipped with the Intel 8th Generation processor released in 2017 or later.
These minimums will not affect automatic updates. Older computers will still be able download Windows 11 and install it manually. It’s not a major inconvenience, and it’s likely that you won’t need to purchase a new computer.
It’s unclear at the moment if manual updates will be included in this option, or whether those releases will not be made available for users with Microsoft-designated obsolete hardware. Windows Updates not available? Users would miss important security and driver updates, even though Windows 11 may have been delayed. This is not good.
How and why to encrypt your computer
Since the launch of Microsoft’s latest operating system Windows 10, it’s been over six years. A new operating system is welcome news, particularly if it has been well-received. It is absurd to require users of computers less than two years old to purchase a new computer.
Microsoft’s decision to release Windows 11 will be controversial. It’ll be fascinating to see what happens. Maybe the company will decide that the tradeoff between the number of people willing to resign and go buy a new computer or stay with Windows 10 is worth it.
Publiated at Sun 29 August 2021, 18:12:31 +0000


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Chick-fil-A is scheduled to open its new location at 536 Whipple Ave. in Redwood City on July 23.
Customers will be able to order through its drive-thru and the Chick-fil-A app, according to the Redwood City location’s Facebook page.
“We are taking a number of precautions to protect the well-being of everyone who visits us,” the Facebook post states. “We can’t wait to serve you.”
The popular fast-food chain faced opposition in the community due to donations by the company’s foundation to organizations accused of having anti-LGBTQ+ views. In November last year, the foundation announced it changed its focus on charitable giving in order to “deepen” donations to a smaller number of organizations that work in the areas of education, homelessness and hunger. Recipients could “include faith-based and non-faith-based charities,” according to the foundation.
But Chick-fil-A did not change plans to open a restaurant in Redwood City. Last fall, the city granted it a permit to operate at 536 Whipple Ave., the site of a former McDonald’s restaurant. As the project moved forward, Chick-fil-A began operating from DoorDash Kitchen at 1531 Main St. in Redwood City, offering pickup and delivery service.
Photo credit: Chick-fil-A


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BIRMINGHM (WWJ) – A bigger, fancier Starbucks is coming to metro Detroit.
The coffee company has announced it will open a Starbucks Reserve Bar in Birmingham on Friday, September 29. It will occupy the former Cosi space at 101 N. Old Woodward, on the corner of Maple Street.
According to Starbucks, the Reserve Bar is designed to appeal the third wave of coffee drinkers — featuring pour overs, nitro cold brew taps, small-batch coffees and upscale new specialty drinks, in addition to the shop’s regular menu items.
The high-end 3,400-square-foot Birmingham Reserve bar will be the “the first (and only) of its kind in Michigan,” a Starbucks rep said in an email to Eater Detroit. The location was initially announced more than a year ago, but the opening was slightly delayed.
In addition to Birmingham Reserve Bar, Eater reports Starbucks is also poised to open another location inside the downtown Westin Book Cadillac Detroit hotel next month.
There are already around 30 Reserve Bars in the U.S. Starbucks plans to open 1,000 nationwide.


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SUDA (ASX: SUD) has announced the acquisition of the 20 per cent minority
shareholding in SUDA’s subsidiary company, Malaria Research Company (MRC),
which was owned by UK-based ProtoPharma (PPL) Ltd and its parent London Pharma (LPL).
MRC owns the rights to SUDA’s novel sublingual anti-malarial spray, ArTiMist. As a result of this acquisition, SUDA will own 100 per cent of the ArTiMist asset with no further payment or royalty obligations to PPL.
PPL is selling its 20 per cent stake in MRC to SUDA for A$1.2 million. This payment is in full and final settlement of all outstanding liabilities between the two companies.
In addition, the company said, PPL and LPL have agreed not to compete with MRC's ArTiMist spray.
SUDA said the acquisition is an important step towards its objective to commercialise ArTiMist through a collaboration or trade sale.
SUDA originally licensed commercial rights to ArTiMist for certain territories from PPL in
2006. Under a subsequent agreement, which was signed in November 2013 between
SUDA and PPL, all of the intellectual property and global rights in relation to ArTiMist
were put into the newly incorporated Australian company, MRC.
SUDA owned 80 per cent of MRC with PPL owning the balance. Both companies retained obligations in relation to the development, registration and commercialisation of ArTiMist.
SUDA said since taking control of the development of ArTiMist in November 2013, it has taken significant steps forward, including:
- setting up a Clinical Advisory Board;
- initiating discussions with the Medicines for Malaria Venture, the World Health
Organisation, the Gates Foundation and other philanthropic groups;
- progressing partnership discussions with the pharmaceutical industry;
- expanding the market opportunity for ArTiMist to include its use in the prereferral
setting of malaria; and,
- resolving quality issues that had been the responsibility of PPL.
The payment to PPL is being made from SUDA’s existing cash reserves.
“We are delighted to be buying out ProtoPharma’s minority stake in ArTiMist which
brings to a close a tenuous relationship,” noted Mr Stephen Carter, Chief Executive
Officer of SUDA.
“The purchase followed a request from ProtoPharma who wanted to refocus all their resources into non-malarial products and SUDA was able to negotiate favourable terms.
"Simplification of the ownership structure of ArTiMist alleviates a variety of issues including tax implications on the commercialisation of the project.
"Furthermore, the acquisition eliminates any counterparty risk; gives SUDA full control of
commercial negotiations without referring to ProtoPharma; and, importantly, ensures
that SUDA receives 100% of anticipated deal proceeds.”


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All 30 Dow stocks participated in yesterday's big rally in the wake of the European Central Bank's decision to support its weaker economies through a bond-purchasing program. Yet although the impact of a stronger Europe is unquestionably positive for U.S. stocks, that doesn't mean the stock market is going to move straight up from here. Even with troubling employment data, the Dow Jones Industrials (INDEX: ^DJI) managed to pick up 15 points today, and the S&P 500 (INDEX: ^GSPC) actually managed to do much better on a percentage basis.
Still, many stocks weren't able to hold on to all their gains from yesterday. Poor earnings forecasts were the primary factor behind two of the big losers on the day. Kraft (NAS: KFT) lost more than 5% after it gave some information on what its two businesses will look like after the company's planned breakup next month. In particular, a weak forecast for the Mondelez global snack business, along with news that the Kraft grocery business will focus more on cash flow than on growth, disappointed investors.
Meanwhile, Intel (NAS: INTC) had a troubling forecast of its own, as it reduced its revenue guidance well below its previous range. Everyone's been well aware that the PC business hasn't done very well lately, but even more problematic are fears that the coming release of the Windows 8 operating system may not reinvigorate the PC industry as much as Intel may have hoped. That news sent Microsoft (NAS: MSFT) down 1.25% as well in sympathy, given its obvious reliance on PC sales. Both companies are doing their best to broaden their offerings into the mobile field, but both have struggled to catch up from the head-start they gave their competitors.
Keep it up
Big one-day losses can be warning signs of future problems or unique opportunities to capture good values. The real story, though, takes a much longer-term perspective to capture. Microsoft, for instance, is banking on Windows 8 for a lot more reasons than just trying to recapture its PC glory. Find out everything you need to know about the software giant in the Fool's premium report on Microsoft.
The article These Dow Stocks Gave Back Some Gains Today originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributorDan Caplingerdoesn't own shares of the companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on Twitter,@DanCaplinger. The Motley Fool owns shares of Microsoft and Intel.Motley Fool newsletter serviceshave recommended buying shares of Intel and Microsoft, as well as creating a synthetic covered call position in Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Fool has adisclosure policy.
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text: Count Jabil as another addition to the parade of manufacturers that have announced job cuts in the last few days. The electronics contract manufacturer said Wednesday that it would reduce its workforce of 85,000 by approximately 3,000 as a result of the global economic slowdown. Approximately 10% of the headcount reductions will occur in the United States, and about 10 global manufacturing facilities will be impacted. Pre-tax restructuring and impairment costs of about $65 million will be realized during fiscal 2009 and 2010, the company said. However, the majority of the costs are expected to impact operating results in the fiscal quarter ending Feb. 28, 2009. The St. Petersburg, Fla.-based company said it expects to recognize approximately $55 million in annualized costs savings as a result of its restructuring measures.


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is now much more present than in the beginnings of Bitcoin. As governments come to understand more about cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, their scrutiny and regulatory input tends to increase. Both tightening and loosening of regulation have their impacts. Some Bitcoin price changes are related to the ban on BTC in one country or its popularity in another.
two. The state of the global economy
is now a factor with a direct impact on Bitcoin pricing and transactions. For example, people living in countries with hyperinflation turned to cryptographic coins as a hedge against inflation. As a result of the Venezuelan economic crisis that began in 2016, there has been a record volume of transactions for LocalBitcoins in Venezuelan Bolivars.
The stock market crash of 2016 witnessed the beginning of speculation in Bitcoin that lasted more than a year. Bitcoin is now seen as a safe value, very similar to gold. When confidence is low in other parts of the economy, people buy these assets.
3. 201200The growing widespread adoption by large companies 201200 may trigger Bitcoin price increases. Paypal, Square, Visa and Mastercard have all shown some support for cryptocurrencies, giving investors confidence. Many retailers have also started accepting Bitcoin payments. But withdrawing support can also trigger selloffs, such as Elon Musk’s announcement in 12 from May of 2021, from Tesla to suspend payments with Bitcoin – in this case, the price went from just under $50.01 by BTC for about $41.100 in one day.
4. Increased speculation
of Bitcoin and derivatives such as futures has driven extra demand in the market. Instead of investing and holding BTC at its fundamental value, traders and speculators in the futures market “short selling” BTC to make a profit, causing downward pressure on the price. This means that the price of Bitcoin is no longer just based on its usefulness.
It is obvious that there are many theories out there that try to explain the history of Bitcoin prices. But no matter the answer, the CAGR a 10 almost years 100% Bitcoin has shown the incredible rise of digital currencies.
Even within cryptographic currencies, Bitcoin shows a market dominance of just under % since August 2016, with a capitalization of about 650.. . dollars .
The reasons behind this monumental growth are related to the basic fundamentals of cryptocurrency, market sentiment and economic events. However, past performance is not indicative of future results . It’s helpful to understand why Bitcoin has had such a high price trajectory, but that doesn’t tell us what will happen in the future. The truth is who, when we look at the big picture, Bitcoin has matured incredibly well into a new asset class with just 17 years old.
One more version The full length of this article (in English) can be found here.
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The mystery of the legal clash between eBay and the online classifieds service Craigslist has been solved.
At the heart of the dispute, as Megan Barnett speculated last week, was that eBay liked Craigslist so much that it launched a direct competitor, Kijiji, in some U.S. markets in 2007.
In a redacted lawsuit that was released late on Wednesday, eBay does not deny that Kijiji would compete, but contends that Craigslist went too far in its response under the terms of a 2004 agreement that gave eBay a 28.4 percent stake in the company. Kijiji has reportedly grown to 10 percent the size of Craigslist in just six months.
"The original agreement between the two parties always envisioned that there could be competitive activity," an eBay spokeswoman, Kim Rubey, told the Associated Press.
Months after Kijiji's start in the United States (it began in overseas markets in 2005), Craigslist's owners, Craig Newmark and Jim Buckmaster, "engaged in clandestine transactions" to dilute eBay's stake to 24.85 percent, and prevent it from nominating a new member to Craigslist's board, the suit says.
"We are no longer comfortable having eBay as a shareholder, and wish to explore options for our repurchase, or for otherwise finding a new home for these shares," Buckmaster, Craigslist's chief executive, told Meg Whitman, the C.E.O. of eBay, in an email last July.
Whitman's response, according to the suit, was an offer to buy the entire company.
"We would welcome the opportunity to acquire the remainder of [Craigslist] we do not already own whenever you [and Newmark] feel it would be appropriate," she wrote.
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Samsung’s most recent Note series smartphone, Samsung Galaxy Note 8 start receiving the official Android 8.0 Oreo update ahead of the reported date. Previously, the South Korean giant has updated the list of Samsung devices to get Oreo update with specific period. The phone was about to get the update on March 30. However, the update has been rolled out in France and we have confirmed report on this.
Earlier, Samsung’s last year’s flagship smartphones, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ got the same update. Android 8.0 Oreo is the most awaited Android update for the Samsung users. The company has delayed enough to release this update for their phones as they were working on a new Experience 9 which is company’s own customUI designed to work alongside the Android 8.0 Oreo update.
Unlike other smartphones, the new Android 8.0 Oreo for Samsung devices would come with this newly designed Experience 9 customUI. The new Experience 9 comes with a bunch of advanced features to enhance the original UI of the company and this is how the users of Samsung devices will like about the Oreo update.
Samsung has just announced their new Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones which are shipping with the Android 8.0 Oreo and Experience 9 software out-of-the-box. The giant make sure to update more of their devices to this latest update as soon as possible.
Well, the official Android 8.0 Oreo update is now rolling out to the Galaxy Note 8 models in France. The new Oreo update comes with a firmware version number N950FXXU3CRC1 for the Note 8 smartphones. Interestingly, the update also packed with the latest, March Month’s Security Update inside. So along with the new Oreo update, you would also receive the updated Security patch on your device.
If we talk about the latest Experience 9, it will bring advanced search option, improved Keyboard with an ability to change the background color and customising the keyboard, finder gains search card for the contacts, easy file search, customised settings, advanced Bixby with a lot of additional options which are essential to make the UI of your device more user friendly. You can simply get done many of your routine tasks done by customising things using the Experience 9 customUI on the Galaxy Note 8 smartphone.
Apart from this, the Android 8.0 Oreo update will bring a set of new features which are available to all the other Oreo running devices. The Oreo update will bring features such as Auto-form filling, new Quick Settings, customised Settings menu, Notification dots, updated notification panel and much more. With this, the update comes with all the bug fixes and minor errors solution for the device. It will come with a lot of system improvements which actually helps you out to run your Note 8 device more smoother. And of course, plenty of other enhancements to your smartphone.
Sadly, there is no any further information about the update on when it will be available for other regions as of now. However, since the update is rolling out in France, it will soon cover the entire European countries first and the company will push the update to more markets before the end of this month. So yes, we can expect the global rollout of this update before Match 30 as mentioned on their blog page.
It is indeed a good thing to see the stable Oreo update for the Galaxy Note 8 smartphone. This makes it clear that the giant had already done with developing the update and it is already close to release at the global market. We hope to see the update to more regions by the ned of this month. Stay tuned and we will let you update with more information about this Android 8.0 Oreo update for more Samsung devices in the coming weeks.


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Every day, Freight Line Europe sends Dutch flowers, potatoes, fruit, and vegetables to Great Britain in refrigerated trucks. That had been going without a hitch for many years; then Brexit happened. That has saddled the transporter with an enormous administrative burden.
Freight Line Europe has had to invest heavily in process automation. Plus, it is looking for new sales markets, partly with support from the EU Trade Program, reports the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
Freight Line Europe specializes in international refrigerated transport. It serves customers 24/7 from a brand-new, temperature-controlled location in the Netherlands and an independent branch in Felixstowe, England.
Transport to GB is more complex
Early every morning, the transporter receives orders that often have to be delivered that same evening. "We collect the items, group them, arrange the customs formalities, and, that night, everything's delivered," says sales manager Viktor Vijverberg with well-deserved pride.
He explains that it is no easy task because transport to the UK has become considerably more complex since the new customs regulations were introduced. "Before, when we transported a pallet of vegetables, we'd fill in 'vegetables.' Now, we have to add product codes, weights, commercial invoices, product origin, and international codes."
"It all feels quite cumbersome," adds financial director Edwin Zuijderwijk. "We've become a totally different service provider: from transporter to specialist in customs matters. Brexit has forced us to invest heavily in automation." Edwin is proud of the staff. "It's extraordinary how we managed to do this with the same team. Hats off to everyone." Meanwhile, the company has automated its customs processes. "We're ready for the future," he says.
Looking for new sales markets
Along with process automation, Freight Line Europe has discovered new sales markets. It has expanded its operational area to France. "We saw Brexit coming and no longer wanted to depend on Great Britain. Less competition created space for us on the French market."
Freight Line Europe recently joined the EU Trade Program. Edwin hopes this will boost the company's international goals. "The program offers us even more insight into unused export potential. But what we like most about it is the sense of community. We consider sharing knowledge and expertise essential, and the program will, ideally, lead to wonderful collaborations," he concludes.


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With April Fool’s just been and gone we at House PR are reflecting on the stories that made us laugh the most. From Beano’s emoji only cover to The Telegraph’s discovery of a polar bear in Scotland, this year’s fake news was the best yet.
The Guardian’s spoof claiming the former Chancellor is launching a new clothing line “for fashion-conscious business people”.
Prince Harry’s secret wedding in Las Vegas with an exclusive spread in The Daily Mail. Prince Harry apparently couldn’t wait any longer and wanted to confuse journalists by having a £300 wedding in Las Vegas.
Beano announced it was launching its emoji only magazine as it is now kid’s preferred form of reading.
The Telegraph reported footage of a polar bear roaming in Scotland, captured by a dog walker, and ‘verified’ by the WWF. We’re pretty disappointed this one isn’t actually true!
Poundland put out an April Fool’s claiming their prices had gone up…
Amazon Alexa launched for pets so pets could order their own treats
Marmite launched ‘Meh-mite’ – a blander version of the love it or hate it spread so people can now feel ‘meh’ about it.
Paddy Power announced they were the first sponsor to take the plunge in sea horse racing
Virgin announced their new plane – the Dreambird 1417, which has flapping wings allowing the plane to bend and flex to create a flapping notion.


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Best Buy Will Carry SONICblue's ReplayTV15 Oct, 2002 By: Hive News
Best Buy this month joins Circuit City, Good Guys and Amazon.com as an official retailer of Sonic Blue's ReplayTV digital video recorder.
Five hundred Best Buy locations across 47 states will begin carrying the DVRs this month, according to SONICblue.
Best Buy already carries the company's Go Video and Rio product lines and adds ReplayTV in time for the holiday shopping season said Best Buy merchandise manager of DVD and home audio John Maskel in a statement.
“ReplayTV is a significant addition to our digital video player assortment, providing more choices for people interested in this exciting new technology, “ Maskel said.
SONICblue has recently come under fire from Hollywood studios and TV networks for the ReplayTV feature that allows viewers to skip commercials as they digitally record TV shows.
Getting the ReplayTV DVRs into Best Buy furthers SONICblue's retail distribution strategy for the technology, according to the company.
“Our retail partnership with Best Buy is an example of SONICblue's intense focus on driving sales and building a solid national retail base,” said Gregory Ballard, SONICblue CEO, in a statement.


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When Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, was speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January this year, she called on business leaders and industry captains to change the dialogue from “what we do with the money we make” to “how we make the money”. The idea was that companies can run in an ethical way and be profitable at the same time. Even better, we think, if companies tightly focus their energies to concentrate on areas where genuine change can be made.
This may sound like old wine packaged in a new bottle – after all, many organisations have been practising corporate social responsibility (CSR) for a long time, with very little real impact. This is not that surprising. Such efforts are often a response to external pressure and are designed to enhance a company’s reputation, rather than re-orient a firm to make social benefits a part of business decisions. The CSR departments get a budget, but it is not being put to good enough use.
Businesses that truly care about wider society should be taking aim at particular examples of social injustice and using their corporate muscle to eradicate it. Sadly, there is a lot of social injustice to choose from. Here, we would like to pinpoint one of the biggest ones: human trafficking and forced labour. Most of us associate trafficking with human trafficking for sexual exploitation. Yet, according to the latest UN report, there is more forced labour than any other form of human exploitation in Africa, the Middle East, South and East Asia as well as the Pacific.
Out of sight
Human trafficking is an issue that we don’t see and therefore it is remote to many of us – so far removed from our daily lives that we are mostly unconcerned with it. Nevertheless, we are all implicated. We all have mobile phones that contain an ingredient called coltan. Coltan is only available from mines in Democratic Republic of the Congo rife with slavery and child labour. While we may be surprised to read this, there is a good chance that products that fill our shops in the developed world are the result of forced labour.
Human trafficking happens everywhere, even in supposedly well-developed countries. Take, for example, Singapore. The US State Department points out that many foreign workers in the country have assumed debt associated with their employment to the recruitment agencies, making them vulnerable to forced labour, including debt bondage. There were also reports of confiscation of passports, restrictions on their movement, illegal withholding of their pay, threats of forced repatriation without pay as well as physical abuse.
Certainly, NGOs have called for tougher penalties against errant companies and governments. However, legislation against human trafficking still varies widely from country to country. In addition, many politicians may prefer to look away from the issue, fearing that they would upset businesses. Indeed, even when the political will exists, NGOs and governments are often unable to turn it into action. Therefore, we would urge companies and consumers alike to take the initiative themselves.
The financial crisis has shown us that our brand of shareholder capitalism can be detrimental to our societies. Of course, the argument runs that businesses pay a lot of taxes, keep people employed and make new investments; companies are already making significant contributions to society. However, this view effectively assumes that anything that is outside the scope of the firm is not the firm’s responsibility. Companies cannot, and should not, be responsible for taking care of society as a whole, but they should do their utmost to eliminate and prevent social harms and problems linked to their activities. Sadly, while many firms have been addressing human trafficking, many more have not.
The Rana Plaza Tragedy in Savar, Bangladesh in May 2013 provided a tragic illustration of the problem. The products for many world-famous brands were manufactured under the roof of the collapsed factory. One would imagine that that these companies would have sufficient processes in place to preclude labour exploitation. Yet, in addition to being paid only €38 a month, labourers had to work in dire conditions. Poverty drove them into situations where they couldn’t say “no” for fear of losing their jobs. Young people and children effectively work in forced labour conditions – these young “helpers” earned 12 cents an hour, while “junior operators” took home 22 cents an hour or $10.56 a week and senior sewers received 24 cents an hour or $12.48 a week.
Perhaps more incredibly, it was reported that at least one famous brand was unsure whether or not its products were made there. Companies may pride themselves on their ability to manage complex supply chains and outsourcing. However, very often, they lack the necessary processes and routines to check whether their contractors are exploiting labour.
Responsible companies would be asking what steps they are taking to ensure that their entire supply chain is free from unfair and unethical labour practises, especially those outsourced abroad. But it is an open question of how far brands go to monitor suppliers and whether they take full responsibility for the conditions in which those employed by third-party contractors are working? This needs to be discussed publicly. Otherwise, companies that believe they are working for the good of society may have inadvertently supported some forms of exploitation in distant parts of their value chains.
And of course, we, as consumers, should start to question our ceaseless demand for dirt cheap products. We are feeding companies’ drive to source as cheaply as possible. The extra pound, dollar or euro in our pocket could easily come at the expense of someone’s suffering, or as the disaster in Savar shows, someone’s life.
Human trafficking of any sort, and not just forced labour, is modern-day slavery. We should not allow it to perpetuate any further. A good first step is to not shut up about it. Speak up. Because in the end, we, companies and consumers alike, are responsible for everything we do – and everything we don’t.
This article was co-authored with Eunice Olsen, founder and chief executive officer of WomenTalkTV.asia, a portal for video interviews about empowered women from all over Asia.


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“Meat production has not changed in 10,000 years. It’s time that changed” says Sir Richard Branson.
In a Virgin blog entitled “Tasting the Clean Meat of the Future”, the Virgin founder recalled a recent dinner with family and friends. The dinner was delicious and to everybody’s surprise at the end of the meal, Dr Uma Valeti revealed that they had been eating real meat but with a difference. This was meat that had been grown directly from animal cells. It was sustainable, cultured chicken.
No living animals had been involved in the process so of course there was no animal slaughter and suffering. The process involved no livestock producing 18 per cent of man-made greenhouse gases. The process did not require the usage of the world’s land and water let alone the enormous 33% of the world’s land which is currently used in feeding humanity.
This is the new world of sourcing high-quality animal cells and then cultivating them into meat. The result is the theoretic ability to make food that is healthier, more nutritious and safer. Clean meat fits into the scheme of the vegan trend since animals are not been harmed, though the source of the cell-based food is the cell of an animal.
Dr Valeti is the co-founder and CEO of Memphis Meats, a clean meat company in which Branson has invested. Cargill, the second-largest beef producer in the world, Tyson Foods and Bill Gates are fellow investors.
Having been told that the meat industry would “fight him” Dr Valeti has seen them join him as they have realised that this direction is their future too.
The investment is primarily to enable the company to scale. This will eventually lead to a price reduction in this “clean meat”.
Future Generations will be Shocked at our Meat Production Methods
Change is coming in the slipstream of the vegan trend. The development of plant-based foods and clean meat from animal cells heralds the dawn of a new agricultural revolution.
The global meat industry is facing massive disruption with a shift away from traditional animal farming showing signs of beginning its first tentative steps. Consumer demand, particularly from Millennials, is one force driving the change.
One recent report by AT Kearney opined that most meat sold by 2040 would not be from dead animals.
Branson concurs with the need for dramatic change. He states that:
“Conventional meat production cannot scale to feed the world’s growing population and appetite for meat. Global consumers already spend nearly $1 trillion per year on meat, and demand for meat is expected to double in the coming decades.
“In the next few decades, I believe that clean and plant-based meat will become the norm and animals will no longer need to be killed en masse for food. I’m sure future generations will look back and be shocked at our currently accepted meat production methods.”
Harvesting from cells instead of animals will make a real contribution to this change. In that way, in the words of Memphis Meat:
“You can enjoy the meat you love today and feel good about how it’s made because we strive to make it better for you….and for the world.”


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On Friday, August 1st, San Mateo County Sheriff’s deputies may want to ask you some questions; namely, did you remember to bring your shopping bag?
At the 3rd Annual “Bagging for Bucks” fundraiser benefiting the Special Olympics of Northern California, customers at Bianchini’s Market in both San Carlos & Portola Valley will be greeted by uniformed personnel who will bag their groceries with a smile and collect much needed funds for the Special Olympics of Northern California. “This seemed like a great way to raise funds alongside a local business who makes a habit of supporting local business”, says Sergeant Todd Finato. “Bianchini’s & their customers are so supportive. We raised almost $4,000 in just a few hours during our 2nd Annual event. We hope to exceed that amount this year.”
Bianchini’s Market customers and the general public will have an opportunity to tip their uniformed deputy/courtesy clerks, meet Sheriff’s Office personnel and explore Sheriff’s Office vehicles. Deputies & staff will be on hand offering goodies, taking pictures, and passing out child fingerprinting & safety kits. In addition, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Explorers Program for teens will be showcased at the San Carlos store and those wishing to register or learn more about it are encouraged to stop by.
All proceeds will benefit the funds needed to support the myriad Special Olympics programs which serve youth and adult athletes with disabilities.
“We have a longstanding relationship with the Sheriff’s Office in San Mateo County”, says Kevin Bianchini, owner of Bianchini’s Market. “We make it a priority to support their work whenever possible.”
The “Bagging for Bucks” event will run from 3-7 PM on Friday, 8/1 at Bianchini’s Market Portola Valley, 3130 Alpine Road in the Ladera Shopping Center, and at Bianchini’s Market San Carlos at 810 Laurel Street.


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In response to the published study, "Dietary Supplements and Mortality Rate in Older Women," published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (a publication of the American Medical Association), the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association representing the dietary supplement industry, issued the following two-part statement:
Statement by Duffy MacKay, N.D., vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, CRN:
"Dietary supplements are used by more than 150 million Americans in combination with other healthy lifestyle habits such as trying to eat a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Research consistently shows that dietary supplement users are higher educated, have higher income levels, and are more likely to engage in other healthy practices than non-supplement users. This study did not discount those facts, and expressly noted that supplement users were more likely to be physically active, more likely to have a lower BMI and waist-to-hip ratio, and have a lower prevalence of smoking, high blood pressure, and diabetes mellitus.
The authors note in their article that '...dietary supplements are commonly taken to prevent chronic disease...' The statement would be more accurate with the addition of one word: dietary supplements are commonly taken to help prevent chronic disease. In other words, dietary supplements should not be expected, in and of themselves, and without the synergy of other healthy habits, to prevent chronic disease.
This study, however, attempts to tease out one piece of the healthy equation for good health—dietary supplements. CRN maintains that nutrients may be robbed of their beneficial effects when viewed as if they were pharmaceutical agents, with scientists looking to isolate those effects, good or bad.
It's important to keep in mind that this is an associative—not a cause and effect—study. Further, the authors themselves have noted additional limitations. In fact, when the authors did their initial [minimum adjusted] analysis, it appears they actually found benefit for many of the supplements, not just calcium; yet instead of stopping there, they went on to 'further adjust' the data, possibly until they found statistics worthy of this publication's acceptance. The study may make for interesting scientific water cooler discussion, but certainly does not warrant sweeping, overstated concerns for elderly women.
Further, the authors show their own bias with this statement: 'We recommend that they [dietary supplements] be used with strong medically-based cause, such as symptomatic nutrient deficiency...' which basically means these researchers would rather wait till we all get scurvy before acknowledging any need for supplemental nutrients.
Our advice to consumers: your best chance for living a long and healthy life is to engage in healthy lifestyle practices, and many in the scientific community maintain that rational, reasonable use of vitamins and other supplements is part of that equation. Talk to your doctor, or other healthcare practitioner, if you have concerns—but read between the lines of individual studies and don't make your decisions—either for or against supplements—based solely on hype."
Statement by Steve Mister, president and CEO, CRN:
"Consumers continue to look for the best way to live long and healthy lives, and as much as we would like for science to easily give us answers, the fact is that science is not black and white. But even more concerning is the recent drive to combine political agendas with what should be pure science. The supplement industry regularly gets accused of this practice—in some cases rightly so—yet medical journals seem to be given a pass, as if somehow they held no bias whatsoever.
Let's look at some of the facts in this publication.
First, within the article itself are a number of opinions including this one: 'Also, cumulative effects of widespread use, together with food fortification, have raised concern regarding exceeding upper recommended levels…' It's quite popular these days to talk about overnutrification, but in fact research consistently shows that most people are falling short in several key nutrients such as potassium, calcium, vitamin D, and fiber while certain subpopulations fall short in folate, vitamin B12, and iron.
Second, the authors advise that dietary supplements only be used 'with strong medically-based cause, such as symptomatic nutrient deficiency...' Given the high dosages of iron reportedly being used by the women in the study— iron is the supplement for which there was the strongest negative association—it is highly likely the participants were taking the high dosage of iron reported in the study under a physician's care for an iron deficiency which may itself have resulted in a shortened lifespan. But the piece purports to warn against over-the-counter use of vitamins.
Next, the publication invited a commentary from a scientist whose opinion on supplements and their potential role in good health is already well-known, and whose own work has been the subject of controversy in scientific circles. In the spirit of true scientific discourse, wouldn't it have been more appropriate to invite a commentary from a researcher who might have looked at the data in its entirety, with sufficient lead time, and provided a different perspective?
The commentary states: '...Therefore, we believe that politicians and regulatory authorities should wake up to their responsibility to allow only safe products on the market.' Critics of dietary supplements will continue to advocate that vitamins and minerals should be regulated like drugs, but even they should realize that although drugs undergo rigorous RCT testing, many safety issues for drugs still do exist. Furthermore if nutrients were regulated like drugs, the cost and availability of supplements would make it difficult for average consumers to make these products part of their healthy lifestyle.
The editors add their own 'editorial note,' using this study as an opportunity to bemoan the fact that 'A better investment in health would be eating more fruits and vegetables, among other activities.' This recommendation comes despite the fact that we don't see a lot of RCTs for fruits or vegetables either. Even without RCTs, we agree that people should be eating more fruits and vegetables; however, in a practical world, consumers are not doing that, and dietary supplements are an option—not a substitute—for getting some (not all) of the health benefits from fruits and vegetables.
It's time scientific journals acknowledge they have some biases, just like industry."


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EU Fish Processors Say Pollock Imports Continue to Decline but Russia Market Share Improves
SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton Dec 13, 2016
The European Fish Processors and Traders Association has released its annual economic survey of the EU fish trade.
For 2015, the trend was slightly higher consumption based on a 16.5% drop in exports.
Import volume for all species was down by nearly 9 million tons. But export volume was down by nearly 3.8 million tons, and there was a 4.6% increase in fish catches and an increase in quota utilization.
Per capita consumption (product weight, not edible weight) increased to 24.1 kg per person.
However, pollock consumption continued to slide...
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Nintendo's flagship shooter Metroid Prime 3: Corruption has debuted in the States with a bang, taking the top sales spot in the all-format chart and even outselling 2K's awesome Bioshock in its first week.
Metroid managed to shift over 400,000 copies in total, which must be big news for developers ogling at Nintendo's console and proves that traditional "hardcore" games can still sell on the home of Wii Sports and Cooking Mama.
With Wii releases thin on the ground, Metroid's unlikely to be contested at the top of the Wii sales chart until Super Mario Galaxy rolls around in a few months time. Wii Play meanwhile, is still sitting at the top of the charts in all three main territories.
Corruption hits UK shores in October and for those who can't wait (besides pulling out the import Wii) you can read our initial impressions with movies right here. It's wicked.


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A few hours before he was scheduled to fly back from Karachi to his hometown of Lahore, Mian Faisal Iftikhar, CEO of Panther Tyres Limited, sat down with The Correspondent to explain the runaway success of the company’s Initial Public Offering (IPO).
Tired, but wearing a wide smile after a “very successful trip” to the metropolis, Faisal Iftikhar told us he was in Karachi to mark the listing of Panther Tyres Limited at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). Unlike many other IPOs in the past year, this public offering not only met its targets but led to significant oversubscription in the stock, stimulating our curiosity to know further about the company, its plans, and what it is doing right to generate such enthusiasm from investors.
Panther Tyres Limited was founded in 1983 by Mian Iftikhar Ahmed, father of Mian Faisal Iftikhar, and became the first group in Pakistan to introduce local manufacturing of tyres for two and three-wheelers. Over time it has developed to become one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of tyres, tubes, lubricants and spare parts in Pakistan. It continues to focus on heavy-duty tyres for buses, trucks and similarly oversized vehicles, offering a quality alternative to expensive imports.
Under Faisal Iftikhar, the company has sought to modernise itself; improving customer support, seeking export partners, and offering its shares in an IPO.
Recently the company produced Pakistan’s first locally made OTR (Off the Road) tyre, usually used by earth moving vehicles, weighing from 250 kg to 450 kg per tyre, and is currently is in the phase of establishing a market for its unique product.
From January 27 to 28, Panther Tyres Limited successfully raised Rs 2,632 million through a two-day book-building process, which saw broad-based participation from institutional and high net worth investors.
The book-building was oversubscribed by 4.4 times with the price closing at Rs 65.80 per share; an increase of 40pc from the floor price of Rs47.0 per share. The total demand received was Rs 8,215 million against total issue size of Rs1,880 million; oversubscribed by Rs 6,335 million.
The retail portion also attracted a tremendous response from the public with the issue being oversubscribed by 1.92 times or 9.196 million shares.
The IPO consisted of 40 million ordinary shares whereby the bidders were allowed to place bids for 100% of the issue size through the book-building method. However, the successful bidders were provisionally allotted 75% of the issue size or 30 million shares while the remaining 25%, 10 million shares, were offered to retail investors. The issue was offered at the book-building stage through a floor price of Rs 47 per share with a face value of Rs 10 per share and a premium of Rs 37 per share with a price band of 40% above the floor price.
Situated near Karachi’s iconic Metropole Hotel, Panther Tyres’ regional office is a small affair, run by a limited staff in a clean, organised manner. The CEO’s office is similarly modest, without the flashy trappings of success that are the norm in Pakistan’s business community. It is here that we sit down over a cup of tea to discuss the future of the company as the sunlight quickly faded outside the window.
How will the capital raised through the public offering help the company improve further?
Four times oversubscription of the public offering will support Panther Tyres to complete its expansion earlier than expected and will allow us to establish a market for its heavy off-road tyres that will help the company to take first movers advantage in local and regional markets.
There is no other company in the region that makes such heavy off-road tyres. The capital raised by the very successful IPO will help us archive targets ahead of the estimated time.
The estimated time for the expansions was two years, now we expect it to take one year only
What are the areas of potential growth for the company that will need the capital expenditures?
The potential of growth is promising, and it will take a lifetime to cover it. We are in process of continuous improvement. With the current expansions on the technical side, the company has gained the ability to manufacture tyres of any size according to the market needs that enables us to cover more areas and cater to more clients.
There is always some risk factors related to expansions, how do you see the capital expenditure will be justified going forward?
We are taking very calculated risks as we don’t want to enter into an area that we cannot digest. I don’t want to break investors’ trust in any case.
The very encouraging response by the public in IPO gave us confidence but also added responsibility that came from us working for investors trust and success
According to research analysts, like any other business, there are some risks factors for the company. Panther Tyres has no specific agreements with suppliers of raw materials and distribution partners. However, the company has been supplying to prominent auto manufacturers like Suzuki, Honda and Yamaha for over 26 years. The Government of Pakistan has imposed duties ranging from 13% to 35% on the import of tyres and tubes of various categories to protect the local tyre and tube industry. Additionally, the industry has to pay a duty of 20% and 16% on the import of raw materials like carbon black and tube valves. Any change in the duty structure can have an impact on the performance of the local tyre industry.
Since the majority of the company’s raw materials are imported from other countries, any interruption in the supply of raw materials would affect the production process and profitability of the company
However, the risk factor is mitigated by the size of the market that is governed largely by the population and the potential economic activity going forward.
What are OTRs and what is there market acceptance in Pakistan?
Our company gained technical ability to manufacture these specially designed tyres to cater needs of our mining sectors as they use huge dumpers to bring out raw material from their sites.
Currently, these OTRs are imported and due to their huge size and weight, their shipments are extremely expensive. If we can provide the same quality with no extra burden of shipment costs it can be a secure market to tap in.
We provided OTRs for free to get feedback from the customers to improve our product, and we received very encouraging responses in return. Companies are ready to book these tyres in advance as there is a clear difference in the price for similar quality.
Like any other developing country, Pakistan’s local market is promising but what about opportunities in export markets?
Panther has already made its presence in export markets that include Egypt, Vietnam, Afghanistan and some African markets. It is also entering into Europe through Turkey
Every other month we were adding a new country to our export list. The only thing that is slowing us down is the COVID-19 travel limitations for our export team. For example, we are in talks with our potential clients in Brazil and we just sent them our product samples, previously we would visit and show them our products in person and understand the local market’s needs.
I hope we will be shipping our product there soon.
The technical advancement also supports us in export markets. Earlier we used to take our brochures abroad with limited products we can offer them. But now we ask them what are their requirements, and now we can make any product they want. That is a huge difference as every market is different. And that will enable the company to materialize its full potential in the post-COVID economic activities.


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Even before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the onset of the growing economic crisis, the lack of housing and homelessness in German cities was striking. This problem has now been exacerbated.
The comrades of the IMT in Italy, Sinistra Classe Rivoluzione launched a campaign, “Workers are not cannon fodder” for the closure of all non-essential production, with the workers to be sent home on full pay, and where work is deemed essential for full protective equipment to be provided and safety procedures strictly adhered to. Their campaign appeal saw over 200 trade union shop stewards and activists sign up immediately, and more workers are signing every day. Add your name to show your support!


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The Philippines Government has shut down Boracay Island for six months from April over environmental concerns that the area had turned into what President Rodrigo Duterte called a “cesspool” due to the high influx of visitors over the past decade.
The news, coupled with the expected closure of the popular Maya Bay on Phi Phi Island in Thailand this June, is a stark reminder of the potential economic, social and environmental risks of unsustainable tourism growth.
These decisions also highlight that “overtourism” and the sustainable management of tourist flows is one of the greatest challenges today’s travel industry has to face.
Boracay is one of the most popular destinations in the Philippines; both among domestic and international visitors. The white sand beaches, exotic nature and buzzing nightlife have been luring visitors from around the world to the island, which last year welcomed two million tourists – of which one million were foreigners.
As is the case with many destinations that suddenly become tourist hotspots, Boracay’s authorities welcomed the influx of visitors – and ultimately the higher tourist revenues – by trying to accommodate as many travellers as possible.
To do so, they increased the capacity of accommodation facilities, restaurants and bars in a short period of time.
This means that many of the newly built establishments are illegal, while others were not properly connected to the sewage system.
According to the environment ministry of the Philippines, 195 businesses and more than 4,000 residences are not connected to sewer lines and have been accused of dumping raw sewage directly into the sea, heavily damaging coral reefs and marine life.
The case of the Boracay Island is a prominent example of how short-term profitability comes at a high cost. Initially, the tourist boom allowed the local economy to flourish by creating jobs and generating essential income, supporting the livelihoods of thousands of people.
However, a lack of measures and policies to sustainably manage the rapid growth in the industry have been found to endanger the marine ecosystem — the island’s core product and the main reason tourists visit Boracay.
Most importantly, the current decision to close Boracay for six months in an attempt to clean-up the island and resolve the sewage problem is expected to damage the livelihoods of the island’s residents that depend directly and indirectly on the tourism industry.
Current projections suggest that the closure may end up costing the Philippines up to $1 billion.
Recognising sustainability as one of the key priorities of the industry and working towards innovative solutions and policies is pivotal if tourism stakeholders want to avoid crises such as the one in the Philippines and ensure the future growth of the industry.
From Venice and Barcelona to Maya Bay and Boracay, the negative implications of mass tourism are becoming increasingly evident, forcing government bodies and individual tourism players to be more proactive.
There are multiple policies that tourism boards can experiment with such as promoting tourism in secondary cities and beach destinations, fostering partnerships among local, national and international players, as well as tackling seasonality or introducing quotas on cruise arrivals.


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Ratings agency Moody’s have warned that UK consumers are vulnerable to a rise in interest rates.
The agency noted in a report on the outlook for securities tied to the consumer economy, that British household debt is high and still growing, making consumers vulnerable to any rise in rates.
Annabel Schaafsma, managing director of structured finance for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Moody?s, said: ‘As real income declines, UK consumers are vulnerable to an economic downturn and any increases in inflation or interest rates could cause problems for household finances, especially for those on lower incomes.’
The rating agency’s comments come before the next Bank of England meeting, where most economists polled expect the central bank to raise interest rates for the first time in years.
This is despite the majority of economists thinking that now was not the right time to raise rates, citing an absence of evidence that growth in the economy or wages are about to pick up significantly ahead of Britain?s divorce from the EU.
The expected interest rate rise is also despite the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) recently reporting that four million Britons were having trouble paying their bills. Renters and young consumers struggle the most to make ends meet each month.
The FCA report also found that around 6.5 million people in the UK have no savings, and 12.9 million have been forced to tap into their overdraft in the last 12 months. Among these 12.9 million people, 3.1 million have been hit with penalties for exceeding their limit and overdrawing without permission from the bank.
The report from Moody’s stated that the agency expected the performance of securitisation deals linked to the consumer economy to weaken.
It also said that residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) based on the buy to let rental market were ‘very sensitive’ to a weaker economy and that both occupancy rates and rent were expected to decline.
However, Moody’s said the outlook for the prime RMBS sector – covering the top end of the residential market – was better because borrowers were in good financial shape.


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It’s been an interesting day for user number stories out of Apple over the weekend. Early Sunday morning it was reported that Apple Music has reached 10 million paying subscribers, or half way to what Spotify currently claims, and a story published late Sunday night includes an interesting confession from Apple’s services guy Eddy Cue. The Apple exec told the WSJ that the company hasn’t been accurately counting the number of users actively using its new Apple News app.
“We’re in the process of fixing that now, but our numbers are lower than reality,” he said. “We don’t know what the right number is,” but he added that it was better to undercount than overcount traffic.
Despite the glitch, Mr. Cue said Apple is pleased with the product so far. He said most feedback from publishers has been positive. Usage has “scaled very fast…but it doesn’t mean we don’t all want more,” he said.
The lower-than-reality numbers have been shared with publishers that use the number to make decisions about using supporting the platform and optionally advertising through it.


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As the pandemic put an increase demand on smartphones, laptops, and other devices that require semiconductors, many companies are struggling to secure the component needed to build their products — resulting in major delays and increased pricing across multiple industries (automakers, electronic consumer products, etc).
Earlier this year, Intel launched a foundry business called Intel Foundry Services which will lead the work to domestically design and manufacture computer chips that are required by critical Department of Defense (DoD) systems, as part of a new US Government project.
Intel’s chip-making deal is part of the DoD’s RAMP-C program to establish a domestic commercial foundry. The RAMP-C program will ensure that the Pentagon has access to critical semiconductor technology and is also designed to strengthen overall supply chain security, keeping the U.S. on top of the latest advances in chip design, manufacturing, and packaging.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Senate took a significant step toward this goal by passing the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) (S.1260), which includes $52 billion in federal investments for the domestic semiconductor research, design, and manufacturing provisions in the CHIPS for America Act.
According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, the U.S. held 37% of the global chip manufacturing capacity in 1990, a number that has gone down to 12%. Historically, companies preferred to design their own semiconductors and outsource the manufacturing process to third party foundries in Asia.
Manufacturing completely finished semiconductors for customers is no easy task — it takes at least 26 weeks, according to SIA. The process leaves only a handful of companies running the foundries in which most of the world’s computer chips orders are placed. Most of the world’s total semiconductor manufacturing capacity comes from China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
As the semiconductor shortage is expected to last well into 2022, Intel’s chip-making deal means a more robust semiconductor ecosystem is coming back to U.S. The company plans to invest $20 billion to build out two new semiconductor factories at its Ocotillo campus in Chandler, Arizona this year.


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French luxury children's label Catimini plans to celebrate the grand opening of its new Beverly Hills boutique with a family-friendly event from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Kids can enjoy a balloon artist, coloring station, popcorn and juice while adults sip champagne, munch on snacks and, of course, shop.
The two-level store at 9511 S. Santa Monica Blvd. contains clothing, accessories and shoes for boys and girls from newborn to around age 14.
Regular store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
George Kotsiopoulos of E!'s "Fashion Police" is scheduled to meet the public from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday at the Grove, 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles. Attendees will have a chance to be seen on the network's upcoming "Who Wore It Better?" special, which will be being filed throughout the property, and to win a $1,000 shopping spree at the Grove.
Designer Paige Novick is hosting a trunk show with pieces from her new fine jewelry collection Phyne by Paige Novick from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday at Saks Fifth Avenue, 9600 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills.
Valentino has reopened in a new space at South Coast Plaza. The new boutique is on the second level near the Jewel Court. It was designed by architect David Chipperfield in collaboration with Valentino's creative directors and includes luxe touches such as leather-lined dressing rooms.
Mr. Nail Lounge for Men has opened at 9005 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. The lounge includes a selection of bourbon, rye and whiskey, and it's equipped with flat-screen TVs showing sports and other programming. Nail spa packages start at $27 for a manicure and hand massage, and go up to $107 for a luxury Black Card Treatment man/pedi with all the trimmings. Call (424) 302-0070 for an appointment Wednesday through Sunday. (The shop is closed Monday and Tuesday.)
In the spirit of Earth Day (which is Tuesday), Buffalo Exchange stores nationwide are having a Dollar Day sale on Saturday and pledged that all proceeds from $1 items will benefit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson.