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ICIS Chemical Business magazine is pleased to present its 9th annual ICIS Top 100 Chemical Distributors listing.
This comprehensive global listing includes a total of more than 250 companies.
ICIS is pleased to present the top 100 chemical companies of 2017. Based on 2016 sales, the list highlights the largest and most influential companies on earth.
We present the ICIS Top Mergers & Acquisitions, comprising a listing of the top global deals competed in 2016, along with extensive coverage of the M&A market outlook. The three listings are by closing date (starting from most recent in 2016), by price and by sales of the target business. Investment bankers expect a robust M&A market going forward as demand for assets remains high. 2017 is poised to break records in deal-making.
European base oil and biodiesel players are faced with changes in specification and the removal of anti dumping-duties (ADDs) respectively which could stir up the future of the markets.
This market insight by Vicky Ellis and Samantha Wright discusses how players are taking steps to adapt to these changes, with ICIS analysis of what this means for both industries going forward.
The withdrawal of the US from the Iranian #NuclearDeal will result in #sanctions that could disrupt fertilizer and petrochemical exports from Iran.
Download the market insight by Al Greenwood to find out more
The boom in US methanol plants that began seven years ago has reached a new peak - the most expensive, billion-dollar phase.
While the early phase of the boom brought units on stream, it's the pending startup of a new methanol plant in Texas, which is expected to cost $2bn that has everyone talking.
Download the latest market Insight by ICIS senior editor Lane Kelley to learn more about the rising cost of new methanol capacity in the US.
Read the latest chemical profile by ICIS markets editor, Ruth Loh Xiu, which provides an overview of uses, technology, supply/demand and prices for Middle East PET to help you make more informed business decisions in 2018.
US methyl methacrylate (MMA) prices are at all-time highs, having risen in nine of the past 10 months in a supply-driven market.
Download the latest market insight by ICIS markets editor Adam Yanelli to find out more about the latest developments in the US MMA market.
The International fertilizer market has become increasingly difficult to predict, particularly over these past few months, owing to severe weather conditions, political unrest and the so-called trade war between China and the US.
In this pre-recorded webinar, the ICIS fertilizers team examines the current state of the market and how the latest developments are impacting key fertilizer markets.
This ICIS interactive contains video interviews with industry executives and speakers at the recent Adhesive and Sealant Council conference in Miami, Florida.
Peak US melamine demand is coming at a time when global supply is still tight. As a result, US imports have dropped since the beginning of 2017, as have US exports. There are still questions that linger, such as:
What have US melamine prices done so far in 2018?
What does the US melamine trade flow look like?
Find out the answers to these questions and more by downloading the latest Insight piece by ICIS senior editor David Love.
US acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) imports from northeast Asia increased in 2017. This is unlike the previous year, where import prices were lower than domestic prices.
We can also see this trend in the US, where exports to many locations were higher in 2017 versus 2016, including the top two destinations, Mexico and Canada.
Download the latest ICIS trade flow map, to find out:
Polypropylene (PP) prices have been subject to high volatility in the early months of the year, especially due to the high swings in crude oil quotations.
ICIS consultants detail what future investment in new #propylene and PP capacity within Europe indicates for imports of European processors.
Producing caustic soda and chlorine using mercury cells was declared outside BAT in 2013, with the legal deadline for the phasing out of capacity in Europe set for December 2017.
ICIS editor Chris Barker displays the capacity expansions in and around Europe from 2018 onwards. Will this be enough to replace the capacity that has already closed?
China’s move to a net importer and the loss of market share to hydrocarbon are just a few of the latest developments in the global pine chemical markets.
Download the latest Insight piece by senior editor manager Leela Landress Perez to find out more about the pine chemicals market and how you may be affected.
As new PE capacities come on stream globally, the impact on the global supply & demand balances will be far reaching.
Download the infographic by Linda Naylor & Katherine Sale to see how this will impact the tariffs on the US material to China.
AFPM’s International Petrochemical Conference this year took a wider view of the petrochemical industry, as analysed in this special publication from ICIS produced in association with AFPM. Interviews with leading executives and articles on feedstocks, logistics, and further shale-driven investments are included.
The North American adhesives and sealants market is performing well as the US and global economies expand and innovation drives use in new markets. This special publication from ICIS in association with the US Adhesive and Sealant Council explores the market and looks at regulatory issues and disruptive technologies.
The latest ICIS interactive brings you news and video interview from the AFPM’s International Petrochemical Conference in San Antonio at the end of March. The meeting found the industry in bullish mood in terms of feedstock supply, investment and markets, but worried about the prospects of tariff wars.
In this infographic, we take a look back at major news stories in the first quarter of 2018 that are driving the changing dynamics of India’s chemicals market.
Read the latest chemical profile by ICIS markets editor, Izham Ahmad, which provides an overview of uses, technology, supply/demand and prices for Middle East polyols to help you make more informed business decisions in 2018.
ICIS will be exhibiting at NPE 2018, 7-11 May, in Orlando Florida.
Stop by booth #S16037 to discover how we can help you navigate through the continued changes in the plastics markets.
China has become the largest benzene importing country in the world, overtaking the US. In addition, the US is having to compete for benzene imports from global markets, as China increases its domestic demand.
With these major developments, the question now is: Will the US manage to find enough benzene-and if not, what effects could that have on the US benzene market?
Find out by downloading the latest ICIS special publication produced by our ICIS Consulting and Analytics team.
Public opinion and political power heightened pressure on the petrochemical industry in the past year to adapt to circular economy and recycling needs. However, plastic resin producers began their moves towards these goals prior to 2017 by buying new capacities, redesigning packaging and bringing out new products.
Were these steps sufficient to achieve the sustainability targets set out by the European Commission in its Plastic Strategy launch?
Download this market insight by Pavle Popovic to find out more.
Production issues have continued to plague the toluene di-isocyanate (TDI) global supply chain at a time when many markets are facing tightness domestically.
This market insight takes a look at how TDI prices in the Middle East region have been pushing toward the record highs of late 2017.
Capacity changes in the global market and changes in demand have resulted in shifts in import and export trade flows for the US polypropylene market.
Download the latest ICIS trade flow map for information on US polypropylene imports and exports for 2016 and 2017.
Capacity changes in the global market and changes in demand have resulted in shifts in import and export trade flows for the US Propylene market.
Download the latest ICIS trade flow map for information on US propylene imports and exports for 2016 and 2017.
Capacity changes in the global market and changes in demand have resulted in shifts in import and export trade flows for the US ethylene market.
Download the latest ICIS trade flow map for information on US ethylene imports and exports for 2016 and 2017.
Capacity changes in the global market and changes in demand have resulted in shifts in import and export trade flows for the US polyvinyl chloride market.
Download the latest ICIS trade flow map for information on US pvc imports and exports for 2016 and 2017.
The latest issue of the GPCA Insight quarterly newsletter, produced by ICIS for GPCA, looks in depth at the circular economy, digitalisation and innovation strategy, as well as reporting on GPCA news and activities
Video interviews from the recent London ICIS World Base Oils & Lubricants conference feature in this online publication, the first issue of ICIS interactive for the year. Hear what speakers from ExxonMobil, Fuchs Petrolub, Neste and DYM Resources have to say, plus market updates from ICIS editors in Europe and Asia.
The latest edition of NACD’s Chemical Distributor, produced by ICIS, looks at regulatory, business and economic topics affecting the US chemical distribution sector, and has reports on e-commerce and Millennial recruitment and talent.
Capacity changes in the global market and changes in demand have resulted in shifts in import and export trade flows for the US butadiene market.
Download the latest ICIS trade flow map for information on US butadiene imports and exports for 2016 and 2017.
Would our lives be really that much worse if we had to buy a re-usable cup and remember to take it with us every time we visit an espresso bar? Will sustainability replace globalisation as the biggest value driver for the polymers industry?
Download this insight by ICIS Consultant John Richardson to find out about the challenges faced by the new EU Plastics Strategy.
Capacity changes in the global market and changes in demand have resulted in shifts in import and export trade flows for the US polyethylene market.
Download the latest ICIS trade flow map for information on US polyethylene imports and exports for 2016 and 2017.
The world won’t do without plastics but producers, converters, retailers and consumers are being prodded into doing more with less.
Download this insight by Nigel Davis, reporting on the increased global use of plastic packaging, as this topic is more closely scrutinised.
Expanding capacity in the global market and changes in demand have resulted in shifts in import and export trade flows for the US benzene market.
Download the latest ICIS infographic, to find out where and how much benzene in the US was imported and exported in 2016 and 2017.
Last year base oil prices in Europe saw support from refinery outages. With scheduled maintenance expected this year, will the uptrend continue this year?
This infographic by ICIS experts Vicky Ellis and Sarah Trinder looks at the correlation between refinery maintenance season, plant outages and price increases to identify trends. Download a copy and understand how these changes affect the base oils market.
Two world-scale plants will soon be on stream in the Gulf Cooperation Council region. In this market insight, ICIS takes a look at how the added capacity in this region is expected to put downward pressure on markets, even though linear alkyl benzene prices are firming due to increasing oil and benzene prices.
ICIS takes a close look at industry and market trends in the base oils and lubricants sector in its annual base oils special report.
Linda Naylor explores the challenges , threats and opportunities that lie ahead for the polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) markets for 2018. In particular, potential impact of the new North American capacities on the European PE market.
The global biodiesel market has seen a reshuffle of its anti dumping landscape in 2017-18, with several worldwide changes in anti-dumping duties (ADDs) leaving the global biodiesel market in uncertain waters.
Download this insight to find out what this means for the European biodiesel market in 2018 and beyond.
It comes as no surprise that petrochemicals markets were in disarray in 2017. Hurricane Harvey made landfall in the US but had a global effect on the markets. With the dawn of a new year, it’s important to understand what happened in the markets in 2017 and get a glimpse of what to expect in 2018.
ICIS is delighted to announce the launch of the 2018 global chemical outlook magazines. These publications provide a detailed overview of 2017 and the outlook for the next 12 months for the key chemical markets listed below.
Proposals for the first ever Europe wide strategy on plastic waste* were launched in January, aiming to commit to total plastic packaging recyclability or reusability by 2030.
ICIS news has been following this developing story closely, reporting on how the proposed strategy will affect the demand of primary plastics as well as what possible opportunities there may be to develop new products and feedstock streams.
ICIS hosted a webinar, providing an overview of the trading activities for Asian polyolefins, a forecast of how the Asia markets will evolve in terms of pricing and margins, as well as a supply and demand outlook in 2018.
With China being the main buyer of both Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Polystyrene (PS), as well as a net exporter of Expandable Polystyrene (EPS), shifts in domestic supply, demand and especially prices have significant impact on global markets.
To reflect current market activity, ICIS has enhanced its pricing coverage of Asian styrenic resins to include DEL (delivered) East China prices. Together with the spot prices and commentary on drivers such as feedstock, bids, offers and production news, the newly enhanced report ensures you have the data you need to make your commercial decisions.
For the last five years, the European chemicals industry has faced uncertainty, with some financiers referring to the European economy as ‘structurally damaged’. Yet, despite previous announcements of closures of European petrochemicals plants, for many companies, 2017 was better-than-expected.
This infographic and market insight piece by European News Editor, Jonathan Lopez, represents the new plant capacity and expansions for the European petrochemicals market in years to come.
Join ICIS in this free webinar which provides an overview of the trading activities for Asian polyolefins, a forecast of how the Asia markets will evolve in terms of pricing and margins, as well as a supply and demand outlook in 2018.
The global methyl methacrylate (MMA) market is bracing itself for further disruptions in 2018 after 2017 left prices soaring, amid higher demand worldwide and production problems.
Read the Market Outlook to see the areas of opportunity and growth for MMA in 2018.
US benzene supply concerns may see some easing in the first quarter of 2018, following a strong rise in prices during the fourth quarter of 2017, driven by the prompt supply shortages.
Zachary Moore, deputy managing editor, details in this ICIS outlook articles what to expect from the US benzene market in 2018.
The US polyvinyl chloride (PVC) market anticipates a strong year in 2018, on the rising demand to repair and rebuild the damages from the three Category 4 hurricanes that made landfall in the US in 2017 and a series of wildfires that have consumed nearly 10,000 homes and other structures in California.
In this ICIS outlook article, senior editor Bill Bowen discusses the factors that will contribute to the PVC demand in the US.
Domestic supply of butadiene (BD) in 2018 is expected to increase on the start-up of several new crackers, putting pressure on domestic BD producers to increase their market share.
In this ICIS outlook article, senior editor John Dietrich examines the effects of the increased US domestic supply on the global BD market.
The US fatty alcohol market in 2018 could see supply pose as much a driver as feedstocks, a shift from the upstream feedstock volatility that dominated 2017.
Download the outlook article by senior editor Judith Taylor as she discusses what else is in store for the US fatty alcohols market.
The Americas base oil industry is moving strongly into Group III base stock use in 2018 as new vehicle engines will require more of the light viscosity oils.
Based upon this growing need for light viscosity base oils, 2018 will see additional Group III enter the Americas base oil market in both production and commercial presence.
Senior editor, Judith Taylor provides a glimpse of what is expected in the Americas base oils market in this latest outlook piece.
US isocyanate buyers are hoping to see improved supply conditions in 2018, after both methyl di-p-phenylene and toluene di-isocyanate (TDI) markets saw significant price increases over the course of 2017, driven by persistent supply tightness.
In this ICIS outlook article, editor Zachary Moore discusses supply conditions in the isocyanates market and what to expect in 2018.
Innovation and capacity expansions in North American plastics are explored in this special publication produced by ICIS in association with the Plastics Industry Association, organiser of next year’s NPE2018 plastics convention. Also featured are plastics in automotives, biopolymers, plastics recycling and 3D printing.
Video interviews with senior chemical industry executives at this year’s Annual GPCA Forum are featured in this latest ICIS interactive. Listen to views on industry transformation, sustainability and digitalisation and learn about the GPCA’s Legacy Initiative to recognise pioneers of the Arabian Gulf chemical industry.
ICIS is pleased to announce the top 40 power players of 2017. This is a list of the most influential executives in the global chemical industry.
European polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) players are set to close 2017 in calmer waters, after nervous sentiment caused by cracker shutdowns at the beginning of the year.
But will this sentiment be short-lived?
Linda Naylor reports on the strength of the economy for PP and PE markets.
Significant changes can be expected in the global polyolefins market in 2018.
In North America, all eyes are on the long-term impact of Hurricane Harvey on supplies, while in Asia, the success or otherwise of China’s economic reforms will have a huge bearing on consumption. In Europe, supply and demand are driving the market, which is expected to remain healthy into 2018.
This 8-page special ICIS publication looks at developments in Strathcona County, Alberta, Canada, and how it is gearing up to attract downstream petrochemical investment to add to it oil, gas and refinery activities.
As we begin the New Year, we look back at the key developments and how they shaped the Asian chemical markets in 2016 – and look forward to what to expect in the coming year. ICIS is hosting a series of free webinars to ensure you are equipped with the knowledge needed to navigate the markets in such volatile times.
Polyurethanes come into sharp focus in the latest special publication from ICIS, prepared in association with the American Chemistry Council on the occasion of its annual Polyurethanes Technical Conference, in Baltimore, US. Markets, innovation, recycling and sustainability as well as end use markets such as construction and automotive are all featured in a series of indepth articles.
It’s time to look ahead to next year. Uncertainty over crude oil prices, market volatility and large-scale increases in global supply, all in the context of a hesitant economic recovery in Europe, are just some of the challenges likely to face European petrochemical markets. ICIS consultants give their views on what the future may hold for polyolefins, benzene, styrene and polystyrene markets in Europe next year.
Egypt is set to re-emerge as a key supplier of polystyrene (PS) to markets in Europe and Africa with the restart of domestic production. The country has had to rely on costly imports of styrene feedstock since late 2014, rendering local PS production uneconomic. However, a new styrene supply deal and the promise of new styrene capacity will allow Egypt to raise its domestic PS output in the years ahead.
Global phenol and acetone markets are suffering from overcapacity as new projects come on stream and demand growth remains tepid. As a result, phenol and acetone prices are becoming more competitive and global trade flows are changing.
ICIS has recently launched the latest version of the China PBR Annual Study, an in-depth report of the year’s developments and hot topics with supply/demand outlook for 2015. To give you a glimpse of the type of valuable information provided in the annual study, we have made a section available for you to view.
Download this free market outlook presentation by ICIS for a better understanding of the latest phenol developments.
Find out what's happened over the last 3 years, insight into the changes and the outlook for the rest of the year.
Read about North American Polyethylene (PE) Market Outlook for 2014 and 2015.
Drawing on expertise from ICIS Consulting and discussions with industry players, we recommend reading this article if you are making short- to mid-term commercial decisions in the US PE market.
The TiO2 market in North America saw some failed price increase attempts at the end of 2013. Supply is strong and no problems are currently expected. Buyers are predicting steady growth in 2014 as new home construction is on the increase.
Published each month, the monthly ICIS Middle East Polymers Index provides a measure of the average change in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) polymer prices over time. The index dates back to January 2000.
John Richardson and Malini Hariharan's Asian Chemicals Connections looks at Asian and global commodity chemicals and polymer pricing trends, supply and demand, macroeconomics, energy and environmental issues.
Paul Hodges looks behind today's headlines and studies key influencers shaping the chemical industry over the next 12-18 months. He takes a closer look at oil prices, economic growth and the environment among other things, along with some light-hearted commentary along the way.
ICIS energy editors post their expert opinions on the major topics facing participants in the European gas, electricity, LNG and oil markets. This blog will look behind the headlines and critically analyse the impact of market developments on the industry, with some more light-hearted posts thrown in for good humour.
ICIS experts further analyse recent developments surrounding the downtrend in oil prices and have produced a white paper, which covers every angle of this market development and its impact on downstream petrochemical markets.
Listen to the latest podcast from ICIS and learn about current Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) market conditions, pricing, supply and demand, and news.
Jo Pitches interviews Stefan Naidu about how an explosion that destroyed one of Shell's propylene oxide (PO) production units in Moerdijk, Netherlands on June 3 continues to affect European PO derivative markets such as monopropylene glycol (MPG) and polyols.
Rob Miles interviews ABS and SAN editor Matt Tudball on the impact of feedstocks and Asian imports on the European markets.
ICIS has recently launched the latest version of the China Styrene Annual Study, an in-depth report of the year’s developments and hot topics with supply/demand outlook for 2015. To give you a glimpse of the type of valuable information provided in the annual study, we have made a section available for you to view.
Polyurethane editors Heidi Finch and Stefan Naidu discuss market fundamentals and price trends in the European polyurethane market.
In this webinar, Mark Victory, Senior Editor, Manager, ICIS, covers:
Join ICIS as we take a closer look into Asian methanol and downstream acetic acid markets. In this special report, ICIS experts give key insights into price drivers, how supply and demand fundamentals have been affecting the marketplace, and most importantly, what the outlook is for the rest of the year.
ICIS experts closely following natural and synthetic-based surfactants in Asia have produced a video covering key insights into the current market situation and price drivers, with a near-term outlook of key surfactants commodities such as linear alkylbenzene (LAB), linear alkylbenzene sulphonate (LAS) and alcohol ethoxylates.


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By Erich Parpart
But rate rises will stay within target range
The Bank of Thailand expects a temporary rise in the rate of inflation, but is confident it will remain within the range predicted for this year.
The BOT projects that headline inflation will come in at 2.5 per cent this year, with the increase due largely to the rising price of cooking gas, which has been on the increase since last year.
The central bank’s target range for core inflation this year is 0.5-3 per cent.
The latest numbers as of March are 1.13 per cent for core inflation and 2.11 per cent for headline inflation. These numbers are expected to rise when the BOT announces the April figures next week.
“The current rise in inflation was expected by the Bank of Thailand, and it is only a temporary effect caused by the rising price of cooking gas, while the inflation number for the whole year is still within the range that we have predicted for 2014,” said Roong Mallikamas, spokeswoman of the central bank.
She said the price of cooking gas had been on the rise by Bt0.50 per month since last September, and was expected to continue increase until August this year.
This contributed to the recent inflation increase, but its effect has been predicted by the central bank since the beginning of the year, she added.
Roong explained that currently, the higher inflation rate had only affected the price of foods due to rising production costs, and there was no sign of it spilling over into the prices of other products.
‘No need to panic’
“The chances of a rapid increase in the inflation rate are slim; there is no need to panic,” she insisted.
Commenting on the Monetary Policy Committee’s expected June cut in its forecast of the country’s economic growth, she said this was partly due to the delay in government spending, which was lower than in the first half of the prior fiscal year.
However, in terms of actual funding, the amount this year is still larger than last year’s, since the entire budget amount is higher.
She said the public spending rate in the first half of the 2014 fiscal year, which commenced in October, was 49.2 per cent of the total allocated for the year. This is lower than the 50.5-per-cent spending rate in the first half of the 2013 fiscal year, which means that government spending is still expanding and can help stimulate the economy, although its effect is less than expected.
Roong also said she was concerned that the last two quarters’ delay in government spending would affect private investment, since most investors would continue to be in wait-and-see mode and little or no new investment or expansion of businesses would be undertaken, which could worsen the current sluggish level of economic growth.
However, she still believes that export growth, which is forecast to come in at 4.5 per cent this year, will continue to boost the economy through the direct positive effect of the economic recovery in Group of Three countries – the US, Japan and euro-zone nations – while the spillover effect of G-3 growth will contribute to the expansion of the Kingdom’s neighbouring trading partners.

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The Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) is organising a virtual exhibition of commercially viable technologies developed by the Kasaragod-based Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (ICAR-CPCRI) on July 30, featuring a wide-range of products that can be leveraged for processing and value-addition of commercial crops.
Titled ‘Rink Demo Day’, the KSUM is hosting the monthly online expo in association with Agropark and TiE Kerala.
The expo, scheduled to commence at 10.30 a.m., will provide information on technologies having application in the agriculture sector, especially for processing commercial crops.
Besides, there will be a comprehensive description about the machinery required for making agro-based products. The expo will also provide an opportunity for potential buyers and farmers to interact with researchers who have developed these technologies.
For registration, visit: https://bit.ly/rink-cpcri.


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Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft executives discussed a three-year agreement for a product development strategy to simplify technology deployments by their customers, in a Wednesday conference call. An ‘infrastructure-to-application’ model will result in packaged systems including servers, storage, networking and software, which sounds very similar to the EMC, Cisco and VMware vBLOCK product initiative. HP CEO Mark Hurd and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stressed that the collaboration had substantial mutual investment, far more than typical partnering agreements. Cloud-deployed applications to Microsoft's Azure cloud infrastructure service is a driving force. HP hardware and services will be integral to Windows Azure cloud computing platform, and packaged systems for Exchange and SQL will be coming later this year.
VMware eases virtualization implementation for SMBsNext Post
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Network Access Control (NAC) products continue to get better and easier to use.
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The SDN project now has a security response team to quickly handle new vulnerability reports


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Black Friday Creeps Into Thanksgiving
Holiday not even a full day off for many retailers
November 23, 2012
NEW YORK — The nation’s shoppers on Thursday put down the turkey to take advantage of Thanksgiving deals....
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Renegade Reveals Over 20 New Games, Including Power Rangers, Transformers, and More at Renegade Con
Renegade Game Studios kicked off Renegade Con in style, announcing and featuring over 20 games during the opening panel. Those announcements included new expansions for established franchises like Power Rangers, Transformers, My Little Pony, G.I. Joe, Vampire The Masquerade, Werewolf, and more. They also spotlighted the addition of big names like Sgt Slaughter to several games, and then they revealed the biggest surprise of the panel. That would be the reveal of a Good Omens game, and it will hopefully be hitting later this year. You can check out the full panel below.
They went over the Axis & Allies games, including a new edition of WWI 1914. They also revealed a fan vote will help decide what other games in the franchise get reprinted. They then moved on to Power Rangers, first revealing the newest addition to the Power Rangers Deck-Building Game franchise, which will be S.P.D. To The Rescue. The expansion will feature the B Squad battling it out with the A Squad, and the Bonus Pack will be included in pre-orders for the game from Renegade's official website.
Renegade Con begins in ONE HOUR! We’re revealing over 20 new games during our JUST WAIT stream at 3:00 PM PST!— Renegade Game Studios (@PlayRenegade) February 3, 2023
Watch Here 👇 https://t.co/S3mwZyEouE
Next for Power Rangers was the roleplaying game, titled Across The Stars, and it will be a new adventure for characters around the 5th level. New rules for gold and silver ranger options are included and new threats like the Psycho Rangers are there as well, and then they revealed the new Monster Standee Pack for the game, which includes over 170 options.
G.I. Joe was up next, specifically G.I. Joe Mission Critical, and it received an expansion titled Chaos Break. That said, one of the most welcome reveals was the limited edition Sgt Slaughter pack, which will feature a miniature and more to use in the game. On the G.I. Joe replaying game side, Sgt Slaughter will also be included in that game with a Limited Edition Accessory Pack. Both packs will be spotlighted later during Renegade Con.
A huge surprise was New Alliances, which is a Crossover Expansion for the G.I. Joe and Transformers Deck-Building Games. New challenges and more will be included, and more will be revealed during the G.I. Joe panel. Speaking of Transformers, the Transformers Deck-Building Game will also receive a new expansion in June, and it will be a big box expansion titled War on Cybertron. It has over 175 new cards and all sorts of new elements, but the Transformers Roleplaying Game also has The Time Is Now adventure book.
The My Little Pony Deck-Building Game will then have a new expansion titled Princess Pageantry, which will once again come with a new Meeple Pack with pre-orders from Renegade. The My Little Pony Roleplaying Game core rulebook will hit in June and is up for pre-order today.
Hunter The Reckoning was spotlighted with Lines Drawn in Blood, the Storytellers Screen and Toolkit, and a premium token pack. Vampire The Masquerade received a Player's Guide and Chicago By Night will be reprinted. Then the team talked about Werewolf The Apocalypse, which will premiere at Gen Con. They also showed off Vampire: The Masquerade Rivals – Justice & Mercy set, but then came the biggest surprise of the panel.
Renegade revealed a new game based on the Amazon adaptation of Good Omens, and it will be coming out this May. There will be three exclusive versions on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Hobby Stores. They will be cosmetic exclusives items, and they hope it will be released in the summer. Renegade also featured their previously announced games and teased more to come throughout Renegade Con, so fans better clear some shelf space.
What did you think of the reveals? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things tabletop with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!0comments


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Brandweek will feature live discussions with marketing pros at ULTA Beauty, Converse, UPS and more. Meet us in Miami Sept. 11–14 to boost your business and elevate your brand.
This year, during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, while many agencies are counting their gold, silver and bronze Lions, there will be a group of 25 marketing chiefs gathered somewhere along the Croisette discussing the most significant growth opportunities for the industry worldwide.
The new CMO Growth Council, as the group is called, was created as part of a partnership between Cannes Lions and the Association of National Advertisers. When Cannes Lions announced the council in April, the festival divulged very few details outside of the fact that P&G’s chief brand officer Marc Pritchard would serve as the council’s chair.


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ANNOUNCEMENT 01 Aug 2010In August 2010, the government of Turkey announced a change in import duties.
NUMBER OF INTERVENTIONS
Permanent Delegation of Turkey to the WTO. WTO report on G20 Trade Measures (May to October 2010). http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news10_e/igo_04nov10_e.htm
From August 2010, Turkey has reduced import tariffs (from the level of 135 % to 20-40%) for certain live bovine animals (HS 0102) and sheep (HS 0104) as well as for bovine meat(0202) from 225% to 30 percent.


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In the holiday season, Big Lots is encouraging shoppers to embrace “have-it-all-idays” in advertising starring Molly Shannon and Eric Stonestreet.
“Everyone can identify with Molly and Eric’s fun-loving personalities which shine through in a big way in this newest, holiday-inspired continuation of our ‘Be a BIGionaire’ brand campaign,” said Bruce Thorn, Big Lots president and CEO, in announcing the new advertising. “This season, customers tell us they’re going big, from holiday decorating to gifting and everything in between, and we’re inviting them to have a wonderful ‘have-it-all-iday’ with exceptional prices and surprising products at Big Lots.”
Big Lots, with creative agency Tombras, unveiled its “Be a BIGionaire” national brand campaign in May, inviting shoppers to feel like a million bucks when they hunt for great deals at their neighborhood Big Lots. The fresh holiday creative extends the BIGionaire launch, which has generated a significant increase in consumers’ brand consideration to shop at and recommend Big Lots as a fun retail destination offering value and discoveries throughout the store, the retailer maintained.


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Workshop seeks to decode the QR Code
An interactive workshop focusing on the new mobile marketing tool QR Codes will be held Wednesday, Feb. 8, from 8 to 10 a.m. at Newburyport Public Library, 94 State St.
Ashley Sulock, director of marketing and communications at Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, and Julie Fruscio, business development and marketing manager at Excelsior, will explore the benefits, best practices and effective uses of QR Codes in one's business. Attendees should bring their cellphones.
The seminar is presented by the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce and Industry and sponsored by The Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank. Check-in and coffee starts at 7:30 a.m., followed by the presentation. The cost is $20 for chamber members, $35 for nonmembers. Registration is required by calling Patty St. John at the chamber at 978-465-6680, ext. 14, or visiting http://business.newburyportchamber.org/Events/details/educational-seminar-sales.
Mechanica promotes Arabella Plum
Arabella Plum is being promoted to lead Mechanica's rapidly growing client services team as principal and director of client services. Plum, who joined Mechanica as one of its early members nearly eight years ago, will be responsible for leading and growing the core group of seasoned brand directors, as well as contributing to overall business strategy and development.
Mechanica, an 8-year old Newburyport-based firm, employs more than 20 strategists, creative directors and brand directors dedicated to creating compelling, profitable brand experiences. Current and recent clients include: Saucony, Disney, Weight Watchers, FCHP, Communispace, Breathable Foods, American Heritage, Kronos, PTC and Abt and Associates.
Fayre appointed chief medical officer of AJH
Dr. Gail B. Fayre has been named chief medical officer of Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport. She currently serves as the residency program director at NH-Dartmouth Family Practice Residency in Concord, N.H., where she is responsible for budgetary and human resources oversight in two community health center sites, dental services, behavioral health services and residency education. She also oversees a pediatric hospitalists group.


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On the 23rd of November, the Indian joint venture of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Bharti Enterprises Ltd informed that its several workers had been suspended as part of a probe launched by the world’s biggest retailer into alleged serious infringements of US anti-bribery laws at some of its foreign units. The accusation could slow down and even destroy the Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s attempt to open its stores in India.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is moving its Black Friday deals even earlier this year as they are to start at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. The world’s largest retailer has announced three waves of deals this year and at the same time it has assured that all its clients will be able to get their Black Friday deals.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which is the U.S. largest retailer, informed on 20th of September that it had decided to stop selling Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle tablets and e-readers. By making this decision Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has joined another retailer, Target Corp., in its choice to drop sales of Amazon Kindle tablets. The move seems to be made just after a pricing dispute. Furthermore the decision of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is said to be a sign of growing competition between the world’s largest store chain and Amazon.com Inc. Company’s official informed concurrently that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. would focus on the sale of Apple Inc.’s iPad and other gadgets, which consumers are more interested in.


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As it stands, Apple’s iPhones offer up optical image stabilization. This means that within each lens, there is a stabilizer that helps keep it stable so that when you are taking photos or videos, it can compensate for movement to prevent blurry photos or shaky video footage. However, that could change with this year’s iPhone.
Have you recently sent your Apple device to one of Apple’s physical stores for repair? If you thought you could get them back anytime soon, think again. This is because due to Apple shutting down its physical stores until further notice, it seems that all devices left there for repair will not be returned until they reopen.
As it is not advisable for people to gather in large crowds due to the coronavirus outbreak, the entertainment industry has been affected as it means that people are avoiding cinemas, and also live audience TV shows have had to take a break. However, late night talk show host Conan O’Brien plans to return to full programming and has come up with a way to do so.
Due to how the coronavirus has impacted the world, business operations have been disrupted which means that for some companies, it could spell delays in product launches. Apple could be one of those companies affected where we had heard that the iPhone SE 2 (or iPhone 9) has been delayed, and now it looks like the iPhone 12 could also be similarly affected.
According to a recent rumor, it has been suggested that one of the new features that will be part of the 2020 iPhones is a “world facing” 3D camera. This is essentially a time-of-flight sensor that will help the iPhone better gauge and measure the environment around it, which can help provide more accurate augmented reality usage.
With every release of a new A-series chipset, Apple naturally improves on the performance of it. However, what was impressive is that with the 2018 iPad Pro, benchmarks found that the A12X Bionic chipset was actually more powerful compared to Windows-based PCs, at least that’s what it seemed on paper.
Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, many companies around the world, especially in China, have been forced to shut down and temporarily halt operations. Foxconn was one of the companies that was affected, but now according to a report from Reuters, it seems that things have returned to normal.
No one likes having someone else, especially a stranger, look over their shoulder when they’re using their phones or computers. This is particularly true if you’re working on something that might contain private or sensitive information that shouldn’t be seen by non-authorized personnel.
These days, it’s not uncommon to see smartphones come with time-of-flight cameras. Now it looks like according to a report from Fast Company, they have been tipped off by a source with knowledge that it looks like Apple will be introducing a new “world facing” 3D camera on at least one of its next-gen iPhones that will be launching this year.
According to the rumors, Apple could be looking at developing a foldable phone of their own. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, although given that the recent batch of foldable phones that was released seemed to encounter build and durability issues, Apple could be looking at alternatives.
According to the rumors, Apple is said to be planning on launching a 5G iPhone this year. While Apple hasn’t confirmed anything, it makes perfect sense as the Android competition has already launched several models starting back in 2019, so it does seem about time that Apple hops onto the bandwagon.
A rumor from last month suggested that Apple could be planning on hosting an event at the end of March where the company is set to announce a new iPhone along with iPad and MacBook refreshes. However, it seems that the event may no longer be happening, according to a tweet by Jon Prosser.
The coronavirus outbreak is wreaking havoc around the world where it has not only infected thousands, it has also killed quite a number of people who were infected as well. However, it also has huge implications for businesses, where many are suffering as a result of the virus, such as airline companies, travel agencies, hotels, and so on.
If you thought that a toilet was dirty, you might have heard how some of our other gadgets and devices might be even dirtier, like our keyboards and smartphones. Given that the coronavirus outbreak doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, the smart thing to do would be to try and keep our devices as clean as possible by wiping them down.


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The Consumer Newsscape Project
The term “newsscape” refers to the landscape of news sources that consumers utilize in their daily lives. Traditional media such as newspapers and TV-news have dominated in the past, but now we are facing a situation where consumers are increasingly able to pick, choose and individualize their own personal newsscapes.
The project studied news consumption in Finland and Sweden and applied a service perspective to try to understand the role of news in peoples’ everyday lives. What are the implications for news services in the future?
The Consumer Newsscape project was a one-year project funded by Helsingin Sanomain säätiö. The research was carried out at the CERS Centre for Relationship Management and Service Marketing at Hanken School of Economics, and in collaboration with Stockholm School of Economics.


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This is a really big news for Runtown.
Highly respected multinational corporation “Adidas” that designs and manufactures sports shoes, clothing and accessories and is also the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and the second biggest in the world has signed its first African Ambassador.
It was kept private until all the deals were made final.
Runtown has now joined the likes of Kanye West, David Beckham, Lebron James, and more to partner with Adidas.
New material is being expected from Runtown & Adidas mid this Year.
Here is another photo of him rocking his Adidas Kit.


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Coffee shops can be as unhealthy as fast food chains and use misleading names to make their food seem less calorific, according to the Government’s top nutritionist.
Muffins with names such as “lemon and poppy seed” mislead customers into believing they are healthy and should come with bigger calorie content signs, Dr Alison Tedstone has suggested.
She said that while consumers understand that the main products in fast food chains can be highly calorific, in coffee shops “often you’ve got no idea”.
Why actually have democracy if people are too stupid to understand that muffins might have a calorie or three hundred in them?
This is logically true too. The stupider they think we are the less reason there is for a democracy in which we get to choose who they are, no?


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With the huge scope and success of its Better Homes and Gardens brand, Meredith has solidified the foundation of its licensing efforts and is looking to expand.
Penguin U.K. has released a new holiday title featuring the British animal charity Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
RJM Licensing has signed on to represent professional photographer Lara Jo Regan’s collection, Dogs in Cars.
The Caribu reading app has inked a deal with HIT Entertainment to bring Thomas & Friends, Angelina Ballerina and Mike the Knight to its bookshop.
Boutique U.S. licensing agency Moxie & Company has signed a swath of new deals for its clients.
HBO has announced a global partnership with Running Press for books and mini-kits inspired by the TV series “Game of Thrones.”
Media and marketing company Meredith Corporation has signed a licensing agreement with Clipper to manufacture a line of cookware, bakeware and kitchen gadgets for Allrecipes.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and 3D printing company MakerBot are teaming to develop printing materials and 3D printable designs for the MakerBot Replicator 3D Printer.
DHX Brands has signed a deal with Egmont Publishing for the international rights to produce children’s books and magazines based on the Teletubbies brand.
Entertainment One Licensing has secured a number of deals for the global preschool brand Peppa Pig in the G/A/S region, including a regional licensing agent.
Live Nation Entertainment and youth media company Vice will develop and launch a new digital content platform delivering live music to online and mobile audiences.
Redan Publishing and Entertainment One are extending their publishing partnership with plans for the first digital Peppa Pig magazine.
Felicity Wishes has teamed up with the U.K. children’s charity Dreams Come True to help kids across England get access to palliative care.
Enesco Gift has signed on to feature the work of artist and writer Suzy Toronto, creator of Wonderful Wacky Women, on a new gifting line.
Mask-arade is working with The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, a national campaign in the U.K. to bring The Bard to life for schoolchildren.
DC Thomson has collaborated with British fashion designer Wayne Hemingway and U.K. artist Jon Burgerman on two new style guides for The Beano.
Poeticgem has renewed its license for apparel lines based on classic images from the LIFE magazine photographic library.
Children’s magazine publisher Redan Publishing has welcomed back Jessica McKnight as sales and marketing director.
Moleskine has added a new item to its limited edition Simpsons Collection–a fifth notebook featuring Homer.
Entertainment One Licensing has signed new toy and publishing partners for Peppa Pig in France.
DC Thomson created a special edition of The Beano comic book that appeared as a free sampler in The Mail on Sunday.
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V-Dub in the hausss… apparently. It seems the world’s economy is looking up. Volkswagen will an announce its entrance into the WRC, meaning they have more money to spend things like racing. Yay
While the German manufacturer remains tight-lipped on the subject, the agreement was reported to have received the final internal signature required yesterday and the announcement of the firm’s first World Rally Championship effort will be made on the eve of Rally d’Italia.
A spokesmen from VW said: “I cannot comment on anything at the moment.”
VW had initially planned to reveal its WRC intentions in Portugal last month, but the final signatures were not in place, forcing it to postpone.
The news from Italy is expected to be centred on a Polo World Rally Car, which will arrive for a selected programme of WRC rounds in 2012 before the full season in 2013.
There are not expected to be any announcements of drivers, but Petter Solberg and Nasser Al-Attiyah are reckoned to be close to agreements.


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Indonesia launches the world’s first state-backed cryptocurrency bourse as part of its aim to strengthen the regulatory environment for this booming sector.
We look at the foreign investment potential in Indonesia’s commodities sector, with a focus on nickel resources and EV battery manufacturing.
Despite soaring rental costs, Singapore continues to maintain its status as a favored destination for international corporations.
Indonesia offers a variety of income tax incentives for investors that invest in its marine and fisheries industries. Here are the criteria.
Foreign investors should note the key sectors where growth is expected to rise in Indonesia for 2023, including downstream mining and infrastructure.
Singapore and the United Kingdom have agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation on fintech and sustainable finance.
Despite the prevailing gloomy economic climate, ASEAN remains very attractive to foreign investment, and several industries look to prosper in 2023.
Indonesia has made the development of its special economic zones a priority policy with the aim of attracting over US$50 billion in foreign investment over the next decade.
The Philippines has fully opened its renewable energy sector to foreign ownership.
We discuss the Industry 4.0 opportunities in Singapore’s manufacturing sector, from electronics to pharmaceuticals, and major players,


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Another brilliant map buy Eric Fischer shows people’s virtual and physical networks, as revealed by Twitter.
Last fall I raved about Codecademy, a startup offering super-simple--and brilliantly designed--interactive programming lessons. It was the first time I’d seen a "teach yourself programming" tool that actually looked engaging enough to use myself. Since then Codecademy has landed $2.5 million in venture capital and become the hot startup du jour.
The Internet isn’t just on your computer screen anymore. It’s also on your phone, your tablet, your laptop, and god knows what else in the next few years. So when you visit a modern webpage, its design should take our multiplatform world into account, and morph to ideally match the size and shape of the screen you’re viewing it on. This is called "responsive design," and it’s becoming more and more common--so much that, at least personally, when I view a blog on my phone and it doesn’t auto-shift to a mobile-optimized version, I get annoyed.
After years of contamination at the hands of heavy industry, the Vltava, the longest river in the Czech Republic, is experiencing something of a rebirth. The waterfront has become prized real estate, and the river is regaining its cultural cache. One pair of Prague architects, Ondrej Lipensky and Andrea Kubna, even proposes to restore it to the watering hole it was before the industrial revolution.
How do you create a piece of architecture without destroying nature? Tetsuo Kondo has found a way, with a temporary elevated ramp that winds its way around the 300-year-old trees of Kadriorg Park near Tallinn, Estonia.
A Path in the Forest was part of last September’s European Capital of Culture events, which included 11 installations in and around Tallinn. The 311-foot-long steel structure, anchored by the surrounding trees, can hold one person (about 176 pounds) per meter.
Today at the Detroit Auto Show, Ford unveiled the MKZ Concept, which is meant to herald a rebirth for its once-mighty, now struggling Lincoln brand. If it looks bold and even a bit foreign for the Lincoln brand, that’s the hope. "We believe that the trend of reimagined retro has gone by the wayside," Max Wolff, Lincoln’s head of design, tells Co.Design. "For Lincoln, the MKZ is about looking forward rather than back."
Far from being a mere concept, Wolff insists that the production MKZ that reaches showrooms later this year will look virtually identical to the concept you see here.
Let’s get this out of the way. The OLPC XO-3, the rugged ultra-low-cost tablet addition to the One Laptop Per Child family, newly launched at CES 2012, is much thicker than the concept tablet, which they showed in 2009. Plus, it’s missing the ring!
"They’re still the ultimate goal," says Yves Béhar, founder of fuseproject and OLPC Chief Designer.
Starting up a business is hard work, really hard work. Every day, the founders have to juggle mundane tasks: pitching new clients or investors, making sure there’s toner in the printer, sweet-talking clients, and managing contractors--all while having cash-flow-related panic attacks.
With all these daily commitments constantly eating up your precious time, it leaves little room for the important stuff, the reason you started the business to begin with: to do things your own way, by pursuing your own unique vision and building an organization around it.


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9 of the most expensive cars to own
- The most expensive cars to own include vehicles that have high insurance rates and require expensive maintenance, repairs, and fueling costs.
- They include vehicles from BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The average vehicle costs its owner $8,849 per year, according to an annual study by the Automobile Association of America.
That factors in all the costs associated with owning a vehicle, including maintenance and repairs, insurance, and fuel costs.
Seeking out a car that's cheap to own can save you thousands of dollars over the entire period of ownership. Your yearly vehicle ownership costs may be significantly lower if you drive a fuel-efficient sedan, for example. And if keeping expenses down is a priority for you, you're probably going to want to avoid the cars on this list.
When considering buying a new car, you need to look beyond the sticker price and consider the true cost of ownership, weighing in all the likely expenses you'll incur each year.
Here are nine of the most expensive cars to own — including one record-breaking vehicle — according to experts at JD Power.
BMW 7 Series cars cost $103,688 over five years of ownership
A 2019 BMW 7 Series will cost the average driver more than $2,000 each year in fuel alone, and over the course of five years, its total ownership cost will exceed $100,000.
Mercedes-Benz SL Class cars cost $111,671 over the course of five years
Using Edmunds' True Cost to Own tool, you'll find that a 2019 Mercedes-Benz SL Class car will cost the average driver $111,671 over half a decade, with much of the expense coming in steep depreciation.
Range Rovers cost $115,170 over five years of ownership
According to the experts from Edmunds, a 2019 Land Rover Range Rover will cost you more than $115,000 over the course of five years, well surpassing the vehicle's base 2019 MSRP price of $89,500.
Mercedes-Benz G Class SUVs cost $142,471 over five years
Largely because of high fuel costs and annually increasing maintenance expenses, a Mercedes-Benz G Class vehicle will cost most drivers in excess of $142,400 in total expenses over a half decade of ownership, according to Edmunds.
BMW ALPINA B7s cost $169,068 over five years
Significant depreciation — including as much as $36,933 in the first year and $18,052 in the second year — contributes to the exorbitant cost of owning a BMW ALPINA B7, which runs up to $169,068 over the course of five years.
The Porsche 911 costs $171,032 over the first five years of ownership
A 2019 Porsche 911 Coupe GT3 RS will cost its owner just over $171,000 in five years of ownership, and that's despite relatively minimal likely repair costs. Much of the expense comes from depreciation.
The Bugatti Chiron Sport 110 Ans costs more than $250,000 in five years for insurance alone
With only 20 Bugatti Chiron Sport 110 Ans produced for the 2019 model year, it's unlikely you'll need to deal with its true ownership costs, but if you had the $3.6 million to spend on one, you would have to plan for annual insurance costs of just over $50,250, according to Motor1.com.
There's only one Bugatti La Voiture Noire, and someone bought it for $18.9 million
Not to be outdone by the cost of its own Chiron, this year, to mark its 110th anniversary, automaker Bugatti released the La Voiture Noire, or The Black Car. They only produced one of the 1,500-horsepower vehicles, which was recently sold to a private buyer for $18.9 million, making it the most expensive new car of all time and surely a fantastically expensive car to own.


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Amazon is one of the most significant examples of electronic commerce as an online retailer, maker of e-book readers, and provider of Web services. Amazon is a massive online retailer that offers a variety of products, including books, music, movies, housewares, electronics, toys, and many others. The company offers fulfillment center associates, sortation center associates, delivery station associates, air associates, grocery warehouse associates, and distribution center associates.
With this broad spectrum of jobs offered, injuries are often inevitable to face by employees. And if you are one of the employees or know someone who is an employee of Amazon, you may be helped and be able to give them aid by raising awareness and approaching them. Websites and law firms are available. They raise claims for injured Amazon workers and assist mentioned workers.
What are the issues that happened to Amazon workers?
According to a new study, Amazon warehouse employees in the U.S. experienced significant injuries twice as high as the competitors in 2021, namely, 6.8 injuries for every 100 warehouse workers. According to a recent analysis from the Strategic Organizing Center released on Tuesday, there were 6.8 major injuries for every 100 Amazon warehouse employees, compared to 3.3 severe injuries for every 100 employees at all other businesses in the warehouse sector.
Considering these rates, this is indeed alarming. Injuries at Amazon’s U.S. facilities totaled over 38,300 in 2021, up from 27,100 injuries in 2020 by about 20%. According to the study, the broad majority of accidents in 2021 were labeled severe, as stated in the report. Where it was said, “where workers were harmed so badly that they were either unable to fulfill their usual job functions (light duty) or were prompted to miss work entirely (lost time).”
According to the report, Amazon was to blame for a “staggering” number of worker injuries in the United States. Amazon employed a third of all American warehouse employees in 2021. Still, the company was responsible for nearly half of all injuries in the sector, pushing Amazon to improve its services to customers and, most importantly, crews or staff.
Initially, it has come to the extent of getting injured because of the immense pressure of satisfactorily providing customer service and the tremendous demanding speed of delivery. Warehouse and delivery workers have been regularly voicing their concerns which are mentioned against the company, and it has come to the extent that it made the work environment not safe anymore. They have complained that the pace of the work doesn’t permit enough time for breaks and restroom rests.
What did Amazon do?
As these issues have gained more attention as Amazon warehouse unionization efforts have increased to raise awareness and promote change regarding the issues the employees faced, it provoked Amazon to produce a change. The first union at an Amazon warehouse was formed by workers on Staten Island, New York, in April of 2022. Among other demands, the union has asked Amazon to implement “more realistic” production rates in the warehouse. As for resolution and for making up for their lapses, the company has promised to do something.
They have enforced and guaranteed that their goal of becoming “Earth’s Safest Place to Work” initiative is to reduce worker injuries by 50%. The founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, outlined a plan for enhancing workplace safety last year, admitting that the company required “a better vision for our employees’ success.” Several wellness initiatives were also introduced by Amazon, with the goal of reducing recordable event rates by 50% by 2025.
Specific incidents will likely happen despite having enforced and pledged such significant initiatives. Injuries and such are inevitable. Moreover, if help is needed, you may always approach the company or any legislation for the concerns. We are vested in our rights, and we are responsible for them. May we all not only settle for little to no compensation but seek what’s more justifiable.
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Says Lacoste Indias new CEO Vikas Gupta:The company has presented multiple options across multiple time-horizons to have sharper alignment with the boards objectives. One of the options is to invest behind services and manage growth with an eye on the financial bottomline.
Says an industry observer: When Lacoste entered a decade ago, the Indian market was not ready for it. But now when the market is ready, the brands limited product range, limited retail access, higher price points and inadequate advertising make it a difficult marketing proposition as it faces strong competition from MNC as well as local brands.
Declining to share details on the paid-up capital, fresh equity infusion and the extent of losses, Mr Gupta says the company has started paying attention to the efficiences of process. Working captal management has improved with STR (stock turnover ratio) doubling in the last couple of months and receivables coming down to a sensible level.
Adds Mr Gupta: Projected cash flows will be in control because of certain equity infusion. There will be a sharper focus on creating a new international in-store and brand experience, ensuring information flow, removing systemic inefficiencies, and managing cost of goods (CoG) and supply chain.
Lacoste India is aiming at 20-25 per cent topline growth in the current fiscal. But it is in the area of profitability that the companys energies will be directed as the company suffered losses during the last two years.
Lacoste Indias new focus would, however, not result in price correction of garments downwards. Lacoste products, especially garments which account for 90 per cent of overall sales, are perceived as one of the most pricey products in the Indian market with shirts in the price bracket of Rs 1,100-Rs 2,200 and Polo T-shirts Rs 800-Rs 1,600.
Our retail prices have remained steady for quite sometime. We would like to enhance the value (connotation) through a three-pronged approach: reinforcing the brands French Connection; creating a new product-driven romance of colours and fashion theme (beginning with the Atlantique collection roll-out globally in March 2003, Lacoste will launch two-seven themes in a year for the first time); and focusing on international service standards, says Mr Gupta, rather than roll-back of prices.
But the company is clearly creating a new channellike factory outlets Lacoste Mega Martsto sell its slow-moving and perishable (seasonal) fashion products. But this comes with its attendant retail issues. In an industry where almost all premium (like Wills, Levis and Arrow) as well as mass garment retailers run seasonal sales to clear surplus inventories (besides factory discount outlets), Lacoste pursues a policy of no-discounting on its stores.
Now it will look at forging marketing programmes with premium brands and setting up a few stores this fiscal (a couple of months ago it opened factory outlets in Bangalore and Delhi) to address the issue of surplus stock.
Earlier we didnt have any stock liquidation plan. In the garment industry, for most brands discounting accounts for upwards of 30 per cent. We expect to liquidate around 10-20 per cent through this route, says Mr Gupta.


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The new 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air will no longer support Windows 7 with Boot Camp. This news came on March 20 after MacRumors spotted the specification on Apple’s Boot Camp support document.
Windows 7 support was also dropped on the 2013 MacBook Pro. The 2014 MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs and iMacs continue to support Windows 7 in Boot Camp for the time being.
Boot Camp is Apple’s software, designed to allow operators to install Windows on their devices. Individuals who want to continue using Windows 7 on their devices can turn to third-party software, such as Parallels Desktop 10.
Apple has made a similar move in the past — it dropped Boot Camp support for Windows XP and Vista upon the release of its second-generation MacBook Air in 2010.
Related: Which MacBook should you buy?
Microsoft is set to begin rolling out Windows 10 this summer. Although Windows enthusiasts are still very much attached to Windows 7, the operating system debuted in 2009 – its age may have encouraged Apple to move away from continued support.
Recent builds and screenshots of Windows 10 have showed design elements that may persuade Windows 7 lovers to upgrade. Pricing for the new operating system has not been revealed, but Windows 8.1 users and above will be able to upgrade for free.
The full list of Apple’s Boot Camp-supported devices can be found on its website. Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air were debuted during the company’s “Spring Forward” event.


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Date: Wednesday, November 23rd, 2016, 05:52
Category: Apple, Holiday, News, retail, Retail Store
Apple has begun teasing its customers with Black Friday savings.
The company, which didn’t offer Black Friday deals in 2015, opted to allow third-party retailers such as Best Buy and Target to offer deals instead.
This year, Apple posted the following:
Our one-day shopping event will be here before you know it. Come back this Friday to check off everyone on your list.
Last year, Apple SVP of Retail Angela Ahrendts said the company was backing away from Black Friday promotions because “being good to your employees will always be good for your business.”
Via its Black Friday web site, Apple said its one-day shopping event will include free shipping on in-stock items ordered by 5 PM. Customers will be able to participate in the event both with the Apple Store app as well as in-store and retail locations will offer extended holiday hours with no uniform opening and closing times.
Apple has also provided easy links to four holiday gift collections curated by the company, including
“Apple gifts,” “Music gifts,” “Photography gifts” and “Games & Toys.”
The company has yet to specify which products will be on sale and at what discount, especially with the purchase of other Apple products, such as a $100 gift card with the purchase of a Mac.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.


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Menlo Worldwide Logistics is shutting its Woodland warehouse and shipment operation, which had been working exclusively for Hewlett-Packard Co.
Closure of the warehouse at 2222 East Beamer St. in Woodland will cost 65 full-time positions. The operation will cease on Nov. 30.
The warehouse and shipping location occupies less than half of a 400,000-square-foot warehouse just north of Interstate 5 on the west end of the city. It is an operation that has been declining steadily from a peak of 600 employees in the late 1990s.
At that time Hewlett-Packard rented two 400,000-square-feet warehouses in Woodland, devoted to packaging and shipping inkjet printers, scanners and other peripherals. The second warehouse was at 221 Hansen Way.
“It is a loss of a lot of jobs,” said Wendy Ross, Woodland’s economic development manager. “It is a great location with high visibility. We are hoping someone else will want it.”
Originally operated by Hewlett-Packard itself, the transshipment operation was taken over by Menlo as a vendor in the late 1990s. Based in San Mateo, Menlo Worldwide is a subsidiary of Con-Way Inc., a trucking company based out of Ann Arbor, Mich.
A spokesman for Menlo Worldwide referred questions to Hewlett-Packard. A spokesman for Hewlett-Packard referred questions to Menlo Worldwide.
It is unclear if the Woodland closure is related to Hewlett-Packard’s efforts to shed some of its hardware production. Leo Apotheker, the new Hewlett-Packard chief executive, said in August that the company may get out of the personal computer business.
That announcement was unusual. Typically technology companies only discuss the sale of divisions once a buyer has been found and a deal worked out.


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Scientists from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario have developed a dipstick test that can detect minute amounts of toxins and pesticides in foodstuffs that is slated to be less costly than current pesticide testing methods and can produce results within minutes, the American Chemical Society (ACS) reports.
The 10 cm-long paper-based strip changes color shades depending on the amount of chemicals present. In laboratory studies using food and beverage samples intentionally contaminated with common pesticides, the strip accurately detected trace amounts of the chemicals within five minutes, according to the scientists.
The paper strip that reacts to a number of toxins could have many applications, primarily in the food industry and agricultural production, but it could also be used to test for chemical warfare agents, according to John Brennan, lead researcher of the project.
The dipstick can pick up the presence of harmful organophosphate pesticides that are banned in North America and in Europe but that continue to be used in agricultural crops in countries like India and China, Brennan said. It could also be adapted to test for toxins in water or even for E-coli before it enters the food chain, he said.
"The tests could be most useful in developing countries and in the market of imported fruits and vegetables as well as in rural settings for on-site testing where testing equipment is not available or there's no electricity," said Brennan in an interview.
He added that a number of regulatory hurdles and scale-up issues remain before the dipstick would be available. Each strip could cost as little as 25 cents, he said.
The report appears in the November 1 issue of ACS' Analytical Chemistry.


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General Motors announced today that the company sold 225,210 vehicles in June. The figure accounts for a two-percent decline in total sales over June 2015, but there are some caveats. GM states that 209,295 of their sales last month were to “real” customers, not fleet sales. As such, the company is claiming their retail market share is up .4-percent for the year, the highest of any full-line automaker in the U.S.
June retail gains were led by three of the company’s four brands. Buick, Cadillac and Chevrolet all saw retail gains of two, five and three-percent, respectively. On a more granular level, GM is claiming sales of the company’s full-size pickups led the retail charge, both for sales count and apparently profitability.
In June, GM full-size pickup ATPs were up $3,300 compared to last year and Silverado recorded its highest monthly ATP in history. Year to date, GM full-size pickup ATPs are up $2,600 compared to last year.
“Our retail-focused strategy is resulting in the highest share gains in the industry. Chevrolet is the fastest growing full-line brand and we expect that trend to continue as the availability of newly launched products improves in the second half of the year,” said Kurt McNeil, U.S. vice president of Sales Operations. “Our reduction in daily rental deliveries, disciplined incentive spending and well-managed inventories are showing real benefit in the residual values of our latest launched vehicles.”
GM is attempting to ramp up production of the company’s full and midsize pickups, as well as compact and midsize crossovers. The production increase is expected to have positive impacts on sales results through the remaining months of the year.
GM’s entire June sales chart may be downloaded here.
Other GM June sales statistics:
- Chevrolet had its best June since 2006
- Sonic had its best June ever
- Best Sierra year-to-date sales since 2006
- Cadillac ATPs were approximately $55,000, the highest in the luxury segment
- GM’s fleet mix in June was approximately 18 percent of total sales, below the company’s full-year guidance of 20 percent
- GM’s ATPs, which reflect retail transaction prices after sales incentives, were $35,423, more than $4,400 above the industry average and more than $1,800 above last June’s performance


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DOCKERS NAMES CMO: Dockers has named Adrienne Lofton Shaw as vice president and chief marketing officer, effective April 15. Lofton Shaw was previously senior marketing director at Under Armour Inc. In her new role, she replaces Jen Sey, who exited the position to become senior vice president of e-commerce for Levi Strauss & Co., which owns Dockers. Lofton Shaw reports to Seth Ellison, executive vice president at Levi Strauss & Co. and president of the Dockers brand.


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Gardener Danny Haataja has grown some oddly shaped vegetables before, but nothing like the potato that he will put on eBay for $100 on Thursday.
“I’ve never grown a potato that looks like a duck before,” 52-year-old Haataja said. ”I wiped the dirt off, and it even has an eye in the right spot.”
Haataja, of Menahga, Minn., plucked the Yellow Finn spud from his home garden and was ready to eat it, but his nephew suggested they sell it.
After all, there is a market for this kind of thing. The duck-potato will join a heart-shaped potato (starting bid $1.99) and a “happy face on toasted toast croissant” ($50) currently on sale on eBay.
People also like to sell their carbs. A “Virgin Mary” toast sold for $28,000 in 2004, according to the BBC.
Haataja said this is the first time in 40 years that he has grown a sprout worthy of being sold, and it will likely be the last.
“I doubt this will ever happen again, actually,” he said. “This is just a fun thing. It’s entertaining . I’ve seen some good ones on the ‘Ellen Show’ before.”
Alejandra Matos • 612-673-4028Twitter: @amatos12


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ESPN. A survey showed that 56% of cable subscribers would drop ESPN if that meant they could lower their cable bill. Considering that ESPN has lost 7 million customers over the last year this cannot be good news for them. ESPN’s biggest worry has to be the millions of customers flocking to the various small OTT packages and skinny bundles offered by the telcos that don’t include ESPN. The one positive note for them is that Sling TV – which includes ESPN – seems to be gaining new customers.
YouTube and Non-traditional Video. A recent survey in the UK showed that millennials that use YouTube and other non-traditional sources of video are not reverting to traditional sources of video like cable TV as they get older and settle down. The survey hints that the video habits you learn when young might heavily influence your video preferences for life. US cable companies know that many young people have abandoned traditional cable, but they have always figured that as people age and get their own place that they would then buy traditional TV. If that’s not true then it’s another major factor that’s going to chip away at cable TV viewership.
Seeso. NBC Universal launched a new ad-free web service called Seeso that is a huge collection of comedy programming. The platform is carrying the whole historical pile of Saturday Night Live as well Monty Python and Kids in the Hall. It also is carrying a lot of original new comedy content from hot young comics. The product sells for $3.99 per month. NBC says that they are developing six other niche-targeted video products, but haven’t announced what the other content might be. This is a very different way of offering OTT by building libraries of specific types of programming for a small fee.
Vidgo. Vidgo is a new OTT service that claims it will be launching within a month or so. It claims it is going to carry hundreds of channels and will look more like a traditional cable line-up, including local broadcast network channels. The first launch will be in 15 major markets like New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles. The main selling point is that the content will be available on any Android or iOS device which frees viewers from the restrictions of standard cable. The product has apparently been developed in anticipation that the FCC would rule at the end of 2015 to require programmers to sell to OTT companies in the same manner as traditional cable companies. However, that ruling has been postponed and one has to wonder how the company plans on obtaining the giant pile of content. This product is not aimed at cord cutters and is expected to be priced in the same range as traditional cable. It’s more a platform to give people access to programming from anywhere with a web connection.
Netflix. Reed Hastings announced at CES that viewers had watched 12 billion hours of Netflix programming in the 4th quarter of 2015. That’s up from 8.25 billion hours a year earlier. Hastings says that he thinks that faster internet connections are one of the main factors that are contributing to growth as his content is available to more people each month.
Cox. Cox Cable bailed on launching a new OTT product they had branded as Flare MeTV. The company decided to instead license the X1 platform of TV anywhere from Comcast. This is news because it shows that we should expect OTT providers and packages to both pop up and disappear quickly while companies search for a formula that will work. We are soon going to need a guide of OTT options as the number of packages change rapidly.


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By Caitilin Doherty, Edelman London
Snapchat has risen in popularity with its “disappearing act,” attracting millions of users. While it was not initially designed as a platform brands could easily engage on, newly added features and a $19 billion valuation as reported by Bloomberg raises the question of why more brands aren’t on board.
Snapchat offers brands an opportunity to engage one-on-one with its audience. Not only do users have complete control over who they want to see content from, they also have no idea who else is viewing that Snap. It becomes a more intimate conversation between the brand and the audience.
1. Back to Basics
The tried and true sponsored ad approach to amplifying content has enabled brands to take a more traditional route to engagement on Snapchat. However, it is not the type of platform that you can use any and all content on. The key is to be authentic and, most importantly, relevant to your audience. The sponsored ads will appear in users “Recent Updates,” but be aware that you will quickly lose your audience if you don’t become the ”friend” whose content they can’t wait to open. The biggest differentiator for the platform is a model built around the idea of connected engagement versus reach and frequency.
2. Tell Your Story
While the “My Stories” feature first showed up in 2013, it has definitely found popularity within the app and continues to offer a unique opportunity for brands. Linking multiple snaps together over a 24-hour period has driven billions of views in a day. This feature offers unique ways to engage, with brands creatively developing campaigns that tie directly to the limited viewing time of this feature.
Audi’s partnership with The Onion for this year’s Super Bowl was a great example of how a brand found a new way to insert itself into social conversations. Audi moved away from a traditional ad placement on one of the biggest TV viewership days of the year and offered content to audiences who wouldn’t typically engage. Drawing in users with jokes about real-time aspects of the game and halftime show, which opened the conversations for anyone to get involved. They understood the real-time advantage of creating content that users would want to receive, and how going beyond product placement would yield a much greater return for their efforts.
3. Live Action
Building off the “My Stories” feature, brands can also choose to sponsor events with the “Our Story” option. Originally designed so that users who are at the same event location can contribute their Snaps to the same feed, it has recently evolved to allow brands to participate. Brought to life in 10-second interstitial title snaps, the sponsored content is then interlaced through the user-generated content. In the name of transparency, the sponsor is always clearly identified. The one thing to keep in mind is the importance of leveraging content directly from the event, as opposed to pre-produced content, to stay relevant to your audience in that moment in time.
Samsung* was one of the first brands to utilize the popularity of the “Live” section of the “Our Story” feature at last year’s AMAs. Providing a stream of posts from the awards show, including user-generated shots from the crowd and red carpet, Samsung promoted its Galaxy smartphone series. This was the first time that a live event took user-generated content and sprinkled it with branded content for one big socially driven share session.
Image via TechCrunch
4. Get Discovered
As mentioned in a previous Friday5, Snapchat recently introduced the “Discover” feature as a way to explore stories from media publishers. Coined by Snapchat as “a storytelling format that puts the narrative first” and not your typical social media feed, this is whole new way to look at Snapchat. You can already view content from ESPN, Food Network, Comedy Central, People Magazine, National Geographic, Cosmopolitan, CNN, Vice, The Daily Mail, and Yahoo.
With popular media outlets publishing the content, Snapchat moves from a peer-to-peer content sharing platform to a news provider. Brands may also be organically featured at the discretion of the editorial teams who feed the stories into their channel. There is a paid component, as the feature is ad-supported, with most editions showing a video ad every few pages. With users following these brands, the “Discover” feature offers an engaging way to offer up text and video on a platform that audiences want to be on.
5. Expand Possibilities
With all of these features re-inventing the way users and brands can engage on the platform, the next step is to get creative. Already, brands are finding ways to expand on the features you can use on Snapchat.
To stay ahead of the curve, look at ways Snapchat can expand your current social ecosystem, or even become a new full-time engagement platform.
GrubHub* uses the platform to stay authentic, keeping on message with its very honest approach to social, and directly engages with its audience. From rewarding its followers with promo codes to sending out custom doodles, they understand the unique opportunity to stand out from the crowd.
Image credit: Snapchat


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Xbox LIVE, PlayStation Network goes down
Xbox and PlayStation networks say they are investigating after thousands reported having problems with the gaming networks.
A hacker group, "Lizard Squad," reportedly took the credit for the network crash, posting to Twitter Thursday, "Jingle bells jingle bells xbox got ran. oh my fun it is to troll of you morons ... hey!"
The hacker group claimed they crashed the networks by a tactic in which they showed denial of service attacks, overwhelming Sony and Microsoft's servers with traffic.
Xbox and PlayStation said Thursday they were working on the problem.
"We are aware that some users are reporting issues accessing PSN this morning," read a Tweet from the official PlayStation support account on Thursday. "Thanks for your patience as we investigate."
Copyright 2014 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — The Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control on Thursday issued a rule allowing restaurants and microbrewery restaurants to sell beer and wine for off-site consumption with the purchase of food. However, the new rule does not include the sale of mixed-drinks.
The rule is in place for 30 days.
“Restaurants and Microbrewery Restaurants (hereafter referred to as “restaurants”) licensed to sell beer and wine under any permit issued by the Alcoholic Beverage Control may sell corked or sealed bottles of wine with the purchase of food, consistent with their existing ability to allow a patron to take home an unfinished bottle of wine purchased with food,” noted a portion of the new rule. “Restaurants may also include beer and wine with the delivery of food items. Restaurants shall not sell any spirituous liquor to go or for delivery. Restaurants may sell mixers and set-ups.”
Prior to Thursday’s ruling, an effort was underway in Arkansas for the state to temporarily allow restaurants to sell beer, wine and by the glass mixed-drinks in sealed containers for off-site consumption.
The attempt to change the regulations is in response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Americans are being urged to stay home and avoid large gatherings to limit the spread of the virus. The warnings have been particularly severe on restaurant owners, who are taking a considerable financial hit with a shortage of patrons.
Several states have ordered restaurants and bars closed to help slow the spread of the virus. Alabama, Louisiana and Texas have recently provided temporary waivers allowing restaurants and bars to serve alcohol for off-site consumption.
“The State of Texas is committed to supporting retailers, restaurants, and their employees,” Gov. Greg Abbott said. “These waivers will allow restaurants to provide enhanced delivery options to consumers during this temporary period of social distancing.”
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has not yet taken that step, saying restaurants can remain open “on their own choosing.”
Restaurant owners who are still open are maneuvering their operations in order to try and minimize the financial loss. That primarily means keeping their kitchens open, but closing the dining rooms and offering food through delivery, curbside pickup or drive thru-service.
Owners of Yellow Rocket Concepts, a restaurant holding company based in Little Rock with restaurants in central and Northwest Arkansas, are some of those in the business seeking the change in Arkansas. According to Yellow Rocket, mixed drinks account for as much as 30% of sales in its restaurants.
To read more from Talk Business & Politics, click here.


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Winedog to sell only online
For Mary Sterling, of Miami Township, seeing Winedog Fine Wine & Fine Art closing, isn't about losing a local shop; it's about gaining more time with her friends.
"It will bring us closer together because they will have more time to spend with us," the Miami Township woman said of friends Ralph Taylor and Donna Schwarz, the owners of Winedog Fine Wine & Fine Arts.
In his April 3 newsletter to his regular customers, Taylor announced that the shop will close by May 2 and cited three major reasons for his decision: competition from larger wine sellers, traffic congestion on Beechmont Avenue, and the desire to spend more time with his family.
Taylor cited expanded wine offerings at Country Fresh Market and Wine Depot in Anderson Township, Jungle Jim's in Eastgate and the announced expansion of the Anderson Kroger as indicators of growing competition in the local wine market.
Finally, Taylor turns 73 this month making it more difficult to work 80 hours a week, he said in his newsletter. He said that he wants to have more time to enjoy life and time with his wife.
The Winedog has been around for 16 years and is a second career for Taylor who retired from Procter & Gamble after 38 years. Not one to "watch the grass grow," he partnered with a restaurant and wine shop owner in Blanchester. After a couple of years, Taylor said the bistro closed, but he continued with the wine shop. The shop has been in several locations over the years including Clinton and Warren counties. The past four years it has operated from a brick building along Beechmont Avenue, opposite the Cherry Grove Plaza.
On a recent day at the shop, Taylor sat with his small lap dog. Patrons -- and at least one shiny-coated Doberman -- milled about the store querying Taylor about the closing and reflecting on the relationships that have been made there.
"They've really fostered a lot of friendships," said Amelia resident Tracy Sterling, who said she has enjoyed going to the Winedog tasting parties.
The closure of the brick and mortar shop doesn't mean that Taylor is going out of business. Winedog Fine Wine will continue selling wine online at www.winedog.com
For local wine enthusiasts, Taylor said the wine selections will remain the same; it's just that local wine enthusiasts won't be able to touch or taste the wine. The can, however, have their purchases delivered to their home – for free if they buy $100 or more of wine.
As Taylor enters retirement, his wife, artist Donna Schwarz, will be in semi-retirement. Her art studio, which was once housed in Winedog, is now in their home. She will continue to show her art at local competitions and festivals.
Taylor is holding a combination birthday and retirement tasting party at the shop from 6-9 p.m. Thursday. Admission is $19.75 per person. The evening will include wine specialists, hors d'Oeuvres and live music. For reservations call 888-288-0668, or visit www.winedog.com.


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Perlmutter single-handedly manages Intel's largest, most important division – Intel Architecture Group (IAG), which is responsible for all of the company's products.
In an interview with Calcalist, Perlmutter does not hesitate to say that he wants the Intel CEO position. "I feel very close to the position of CEO. If it is offered, I won't turn it down."
Israeli love affair
Intel and Israel have had a long love affair of grants and establishing plants. At present the company is the country's largest private employer in the high-tech industry, with more than 7,000 employees, and it is also the largest exporter, with exports of two billion dollars in 2009.
In two different rounds, Intel received grants of hundreds of millions of dollars from the State of Israel, which resulted in the establishment of two plants in Kiryat Gat. In 1999 the company received a $600 million grant for an investment of $1.7 billion, and in 2005 Intel was given a $525 million grant for a $3.5 billion investment to establish a second plant. The first plant was sold to Micron, and Intel currently seeks to upgrade the second plant.
To upgrade the plant, Intel submitted a request for a $405 million grant, as part of an overall investment of $2.7 billion that it is implementing. Perlmutter is not conducting negotiations with Israel on the matter, but he is familiar with and understands the company's needs.
What is your position on the grant?
"The grant has a great deal of importance in decision making. It is important for me to clarify that the decision on the grant will have a deciding influence on whether we establish the plant here or not. Intel has other alternatives."
Intel was approached by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor on Tuesday, with a demand to detail all of the Israeli government officials it met with as part of the negotiations on securing the grant. In the coming days one of the company's senior vice presidents will arrive in Israel to continue deliberations on the matter.
Best quarter ever
Intel's last quarter was the best since its establishment, surprising analysts. The company posted profits of 51 cents per stock in the second quarter of the year, while it was expected to make 43 cents. The company's profits stood at $2.9 billion, compared to a loss of $398 during the second quarter of 2009. The company's revenues stood at $10.8 billion.
The company sees its future as very bright; Intel expects revenues of $11.2-12 billion in the third quarter of the year, compared to a forecast of $10.8-10.9 billion.
How do you feel after such a successful quarter?
"A good quarter has its pros and cons. The major advantage is achieving such a good quarter, but the disadvantage is that if we don't have as successful a quarter in the future, everyone will say that it was a fluke. Now I need to worry that we'll have quarters this good in the future.
"I wasn't surprised by the intensity of the last quarter. Even at the height of the major crisis in 2009, the number of PC computers that we sold did not decline, there was just a drop in dollar values," Perlmutter claims. "The major change in the last quarter was that the large companies and corporations, which had halted their purchasing, began to loosen their budgets and purchase computers and servers."
Alongside the company's immense success in the field of servers and PC computers, where it has successfully beaten the competition, Intel has experienced failures in the field of tablet computers and smart phones.
In the past, the company acquired D.S.P.C., an Israeli company, for $1.6 billion, believing that it would storm the cellular phone microchip market, but the acquisition concluded with a sale to Marvel for $600 million, as Intel left the field. The Architecture Group that Perlmutter heads is trying to minimize the gap created between competitors.
What are Intel's objectives?
"All of the systems that include computerization capabilities are a central objective for Intel, ranging from parts that incorporate sophisticated computerization capabilities through tablets, as well as smart phones, etc. We are aware of the importance of these markets, and we have no intention of neglecting them.
"We are currently developing a number of microchip systems for these markets, including systems for the smart phone and tablet markets. We collaborate with a number of leading companies that will offer tablets with our microchip sets. We have had a great deal of success in the netbook market with the ATOM, which at present serves as a foundation for our entry into the tablet computer and smart phone domains."
Share of tablet market
At present Intel is not a significant player in most of the new markets, aside from netbooks, but Perlmutter does not seem to have any intention of giving up on them.
"I know that competition there is tough, but we have very good products and we are ready to compete," he says. "Along with Sony television systems, we now offer television systems that integrate the capabilities promoted by Google, Sony and ourselves. In the same manner, we are trying to operate in other markets."
Are you considering quitting WiMax technology?
"We stand behind this technology and we are partners in a number of projects in the United States associated with its implementation. In tandem, we are reviewing entry into different technology fields. I believe that if the market wants us to enter technology fields like LTE, which is a fourth generation cellular phone, we will.
"We employ thousands of workers at our development center in Haifa and believe the site is of utmost importance. In the last committee meeting held by company CEO Paul Otellini, he chose to focus on only one technology, one which was developed in Israel."
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Irvine City Council Votes To Ban Pet Sales, Circuses
IRVINE (CBS) — Irvine is working to safeguard pets and animals used for entertainment.
The Irvine City Council voted Tuesday night to ban the retail sales of dogs and cats, as well as rodeos and circuses featuring exotic animals.
The only pet store affected will be allowed to stay in business until its lease expires next year.
The city is also considering a campaign urging residents to spay and neuter their pets.