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Rent Seeking in Wine Distribution
The following story is a great example of rent seeking behavior on the part of the wine and beer distributors.
"It's very important for us to ship our wine across state lines," she said. "It's a very important revenue stream for us."
But Woolsey and representatives of the growing number of small wineries in Arizona fear that a bill pending in Congress could lead them to lose the ability to sell directly to customers beyond - and perhaps even within - the state.
The reason for the proposed law:
Pitts called the legislation, introduced by Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, an attempt by wholesalers to monopolize the distribution of alcohol.
"There are only about half-a-dozen major wine distributors in the U.S. due to mergers and acquisitions," he said. "They're trying to change the federal law to guarantee that their business model would be effective."
The basic idea is that if you can't win in the marketplace, get the government to intervene. The small wineries and brewers won't have the resources to fight state and local laws. The big distributors do have the resources to get the laws passed.
The distributors face the same problem as the big record labels. If producers (artists, wineries or brewers) are able to bypass the distributors (record companies, liquor distributors) then the distributors' revenue stream dries up (and consumers and producers benefit.)


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Flow Automotive buys Price Kia
ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Another Charlottesville-area dealership has been acquired by Flow Automotive Companies.
According to a release, Flow announced on Monday that it has bought Price Kia.
The company says this continues to strengthen its presence in the market by adding a new brand and store to its Charlottesville footprint.
Flow already has Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Subaru, Toyota and Volkswagen dealerships in the area.
Jim Price Automotive Group has been in business in Charlottesville since 1968. Flow was founded in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1957.
For more information, click here.

domain: news


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A Louisiana man was unable to buy a cake with a Confederate flag on it from his local Walmart, but had no trouble getting a cake decorated with an ISIS flag instead, according to ABC News.
Walmart followed in the footsteps of many major American companies in banning sales of items bearing the Confederate flag after photos emerged of accused Charleston shooter Dylann Roof holding in the emblem. “We never want to offend anyone with the products that we offer,” Walmart said last week.
However, ABC said that when Chuck Netzhammer requested a cake with an ISIS flag at a Walmart in Slidell, La., the store complied.
In a video he posted on YouTube, Netzhammer shows the finished ISIS cake, saying, “ISIS happens to be somebody we’re fighting right now and who are killing our men and boys overseas, and are beheading Christians.”
Walmart apologized for the incident in a statement to ABC News. “An associate in a local store did not know what the design meant and made a mistake,” the statement said. “The cake should not have been made.”
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It shocks absolutely no one that cybersecurity remains a growing threat to businesses, large and small, and that breaches of that security have increased both in number and in the resulting financial impact. What may be surprising, however, are statistics compiled by various governmental and industry sources surrounding cybersecurity, including the following:
- Cybersecurity remains a priority risk concern among all businesses.
- The three largest areas of concern within the scope of cybersecurity are: falling victim to a security breach, discovering unauthorized access to financial accounts, and suffering an internal system glitch.
- Concerns on the rise among businesses include: outsiders hacking into systems used for business operations, cyber extortion, and questions about having sufficient resources to recover from a cyber event.
- One in five businesses have suffered a data breach or cyber attack over the past year, double the number recorded in 2015.
- 52% of businesses say becoming a cyber victim is inevitable.
- Only 36% of businesses worry about their employees being tricked into transferring funds, despite a 2,370% increase in losses from such scams over the past two years.
- 95% of businesses say their operations depend on computer systems running flawlessly.
- 23% of businesses report that they are unfamiliar with their cyber insurance options.
- 55% of businesses have not done a cyber risk assessment, 62% do not have a business continuity plan, and 63% have not assessed the cyber security of vendors with access to their data – but 91% of these same businesses say they are prepared to weather a cybersecurity event.
- 50% of businesses have not purchased cyber insurance.
The professionals at The Reschini Group can help businesses across all categories and sizes get a true, accurate, realistic picture of their cyber exposure and fashion an insurance approach to safeguard against attack or malfunction. Contact us to talk more about your cybersecurity situation.
Copyright 2019 The Reschini Group
The Reschini Group provides these updates for information only, and does not provide legal advice. To make decisions regarding insurance matters, please consult directly with a licensed insurance professional or firm.
[Sources: 2018 Travelers Risk Index and FBI PSA https://www.ic3.gov/media/2017/170504.aspx]


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Innovid and The Trade Desk usher in a new era of CTV measurement
Tie-up aims to deliver targeted insights to advertisers running CTV campaigns, including reach comparisons between different publishers.
Selected advertisers can now activate Innovid’s always-on, automated measurement platform / Adobe Stock
The fragmented world of connected TV (CTV) viewing is set to be glued back together thanks to a new measurement partnership in the US, UK and Germany.
Advertising platform Innovid has teamed up with adtech provider The Trade Desk to usher in a new era of incremental reach analysis for the sector.
The tie-up combines the expertise of both parties in personalization and measurement to deliver targeted insights to advertisers running CTV campaigns, including reach comparisons between different publishers. In this way, marketers will be able to hone their campaigns at a household level.
Jo Kinsella, president of InnovidXP, said: “Incremental reach is both a top priority and a top metric for buyers globally and, together with The Trade Desk, we are making it accessible, consistent and automated, ensuring that advertisers have the insights to effectively reach audiences across all forms of TV. As audiences continue to disperse, these insights are invaluable to strengthen TV’s total impact – continuously informing linear and CTV media investments, optimizing buys, deduplicating audiences and finding more opportunities to extend cross-platform reach.”
Steve Martin, vice-president of data partnerships for EMEA and APAC at The Trade Desk, added: “As CTV adoption steadily increases across the globe, we are making incremental reach analysis available to advertisers that have audiences fragmented across channels and screens. Directly within our platform, selected advertisers can now activate Innovid’s always-on, automated measurement platform to ensure they reach the right audiences on the channels where they are actually watching their favorite TV content.”
Expansion of the service to The Trade Desk clients across Europe and Australia is expected next year.
InnovidXP is Innovid’s wonder weapon designed to dethrone Nielsen in the measurement space by enabling advertisers to manage linear and CTV campaigns across all platforms.


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Old round pound coins will cease to be legal tender next week - but some shops will still be accepting them after the deadline.
From midnight on Sunday October 15, the round pound will lose its legal tender status, meaning stores cannot hand out old pound coins as change and can refuse to accept them as payment.
People have been urged to rummage through their wallets, coat pockets, piggy banks and sofas so that they can spend them, bank them or give them to charity before this date.
The Royal British Legion has confirmed that, although the old £1 coins will go out of circulation this week, the Poppy Appeal will accept them throughout November.
Each year, thousands of volunteers distribute poppies throughout the nation, collecting donations to help support the vital work the Royal British Legion does for the Armed Forces community.
Members of the public wear the paper poppy on their chest as a symbol to remember the fallen service men and women killed in conflict.
A spokesman for Sussex Royal British Legion posted on Facebook : “A quick reminder: The old £1 coins go out of circulation on October 15, but the Poppy Appeal can accept them during November.”
Major banks have said that while they encourage customers to allow enough time to hand in their old coins, they will continue to accept deposits of round pounds from their customers after October 15.
People may also find they can still hand in the old £1 coins at the Post Office after this date.
With just a week to go, around 500 million old round pounds are still in circulation.
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Jones said people have returned more than 1.2 billion of the old coins in the past six months.
He said: "The hard work of the British public has paid off and I am delighted that more than 1.2 billion round pound coins have been returned."
Chief executive and deputy master of the Royal Mint Adam Lawrence said: "The round pound has been in circulation for over 30 years but, as the deadline approaches, we are keen to encourage everyone to track down their final coins and use them.
"As the deadline is triggered, we are proud that the security features on the 12-sided £1 coin will help to safeguard our currency for years to come."
The new 12-sided pound coin, which resembles the old threepenny bit, entered circulation in March and boasts new high-tech security features to thwart counterfeiters.
The production of the new coins follows concerns about round pounds being vulnerable to sophisticated counterfeiters. Around one in every 30 old-style pound coins in people's change in recent years has been fake.
One pound coins were first launched on April 21 1983 to replace £1 notes. The Royal Mint has produced more than two billion round pound coins since that time.
The Post Office said customers can continue to deposit their old round pounds into any of their usual high street bank accounts through any post office - even after October 15 - "until further notice".


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KUALA LUMPUR: Hong Leong Investment Bank Research (HLIB) is positive on Oldtown Bhd ’s Shanghai licensing area agreement.
“While we are positive on the latest development, we deem the latest development within our expectation.
“The expansion of the café division to Hong Kong, Myanmar and Jiangsu and Fujian Provinces (China) since late-2016 represents part of Oldtown’s expansion plans for its fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) segment,” HLIB said.
Oldtown announced that it had entered into a territorial license agreement (TLA) with Xiamen Kuaike Investment (XKI) to operate cafe outlets in Shanghai, China.
As part of the agreement, XKI will be granted the exclusive right to operate café outlets within the territory and/or to grant sub-licenses in the territory to other operators.
Nonetheless, HLIB did not expect the latest announcement to have a significant effect on Oldtown’s earnings
HLIB noted that Oldtown’s FMCG exports were accelerating at a rapid pace which would provide significant revenue contributions for the group going forward.
“Additionally, the opening of new cafe outlets domestically should take advantage of the recovering consumer sentiment.
“Despite this, we reckon growth prospects are already priced in at current levels,” it added.
HLIB has maintained its “hold” call on Oldtown with a target price of RM2.75 based on unchanged 17 times on revised FY19 earnings per share.


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With the widespread release of Tesla's V10 software beginning earlier this week, drivers gained access to a number of new vehicle features and integrations. One particular feature was the long-awaited Smart Summon functionality which gives drivers the ability to summon their vehicles to them from across a parking lot or in some other complex scenario. Unfortunately, things aren't going exactly as planned.
As the update started to push out to vehicles over-the-air, social media quickly began exploding with people posting photos and videos of their cars navigating through parking lots and streets using Tesla's new Smart Summon feature. With the vehicle in the operator's line of sight, they can either summon the vehicle to them using their phone's GPS location or choose a nearby point on a map and the vehicle's on-board Autopilot hardware will begin navigating where it is told.
Not all of these posts were positive, however; some drivers began reporting that their Teslas were getting into accidents when using Smart Summon.
One Twitter user posted a video of another vehicle backing into his Model 3 while he summoned the car in a fairly active parking lot. The operator of the Tesla went on to question who was responsible for the accident—the Model 3, or the Lexus that backed into it while it was being summoned. He later posted a photo showing damage to his bumper cover and fog lights.
Another individual attempted to summon their Model 3 across live traffic in a different parking lot and nearly collided with another vehicle. Fortunately, both vehicles appear to have stopped before a collision happened, but the video is cut short and doesn't show the aftermath of the near-collision.
It's important to note that not all Tesla owners are experiencing issues when using the feature. In ideal and well-lit conditions, the production release of Smart Summon does perform as expected, though Tesla explicitly states that the vehicle requires supervision while the feature is in use.
"Smart Summon is designed to allow your car to drive to you (using your phone’s GPS as a target destination) or a location of your choosing, maneuvering around and stopping for objects as necessary. Like Summon, Smart Summon is only intended for use in private parking lots and driveways,” wrote Tesla in the release notes for the update. "You are still responsible for your car and must monitor it and its surroundings at times within your line of sight because it may not detect all obstacles. Be especially careful around quick moving people, bicycles, and cars."
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously said that parking lots are a "remarkably hard problem" to solve, and the recent demonstrations of the new feature shows that Musk was absolutely correct. Given that Tesla's intended use of the Smart Summon feature is limited to "private parking lots and driveways,” this raises the question of how well the feature is designed to work on a typical roadway in the near future, especially given Tesla's timeline of having a fleet of one million robotaxis in operation by 2020.
Another concern may be related to insurance. Earlier this year, Tesla began offering a pilot program of its own insurance product to California residents. Its goal was to combat outrageously high policy costs and make driving Tesla vehicles more affordable to the average consumer. Many people who viewed the above videos questioned just how these types of actions will affect existing insurance customers since the technology seems to raise the risk of accidents when used improperly. Some even tagged the social media accounts of insurance companies to raise flags with them directly.
The world may be closer to autonomous driving than ever, but it's crucial to set reasonable expectations for how well current technology works, and even more so to follow manufacturer's specific warnings when using new technology.


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Fight Out is implementing new features as it gets set to provide a new revolution in how users engage with its ecosystem. Excitedly, this move-to-earn (M2E) platform has raised over $5 million in Initial Coin Offering (ICO) since the beginning of the year.
Well, the presale event is still in progress. The Fight Out team aims to increase the presale price every seven days in the remaining stages until the month’s end to drive demand and reward early adopters of the token. Thus, it could be the last chance to get your hands on FGHT at a relatively low price.
This M2E platform has several features that will dominate the fitness industry and offer the best long-term investment opportunities. This post reveals some of the eagerly anticipated features of Fight Out and provides reasons why you should participate in its presale event.
Overview of Fight Out
In the 21st century, thousands of traditional gyms ensure their users get physically fit every month. However, these gyms do not incentivize their loyal members. As a result, many users opt out of their services within the first few months of starting.
Interestingly, Fight Out provides the solution by implementing blockchain technology to ensure users adopt combat-styled fitness programs and earn crypto rewards. These intensive programs will improve their strength, cardio, muscular endurance, and mental fortitude. Also, this intensive workout program ensures users develop their muscles and joints properly.
As an M2E app, Fight Out rewards users with REPS tokens, which are exchanged for fitness apparel and equipment, membership discounts, and access to its health bar and co-working space. Also, the fitness platform also allows users to access remote sessions with its ambassadors and coaches in order to become fighting fit.
Fight Out is Set to Dominate the MMA Metaverse
There are ongoing discussions regarding how MMA will be implemented in the metaverse. This discussion has sparked much interest from the CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg. This report shows that the metaverse is here to stay. So, what does Fight Out have in store?
Fight Out is the only crypto platform focused on including a metaverse where users are gamified and engaged in battle. To take things further, Fight Out will create avatars of pro combat athletes, matching their fighting styles and abilities on its platform.
For instance, you can create a soulbound avatar that mirrors your abilities and fitness levels on the Fight Out platform. Thus, the more you exercise in the real world, the stronger your avatar becomes in the metaverse. Then, you can challenge players and combat athletes to earn crypto rewards.
Fight Out is Set to Introduce Fantasy Sports Betting
UFC fights are a big deal in the world of combat sports. Many celebrities and stars spend a lot of money to bet on the outcome of these fantasy sports. In fact, they earn huge payouts if the result of the fight aligns with their bet.
Fight Out seeks to introduce fantasy sports betting into its metaverse. This feature will allow users to place bets on high-profile fights without needing huge cash. Instead, they can bet on their favorite boxers using crypto.
Also, while these high-profile sports are rare events, Fight Out introduces fantasy bets to its metaverse, where users can bet against their peers or other players and earn massive payouts.
Upcoming Partnerships with UFC Athletes
The CEO of Fight Out, Carl Jones, has hinted at a partnership with some of the biggest names in the MMA and UFC industry. He believes this will cement their place in the fitness industry and become a reputable brand utilizing web 3.0 technology.
Recently, Fight Out has partnered with UFC fighters Amanda RIbas and Taila Santas to push further their ambitions of becoming a legitimate fitness web 3.0 platform. These fighters add to the rank of Fight Out ambassadors, including MMA Champion Savannah Marshal. Interestingly, at a press conference, Carl Jones hinted that more UFC ambassadors would be announced in March 2023.
Fight Out Tokenomics, Presale Event, and Roadmap
As earlier mentioned, Fight Out has raised $5 million in capital thanks to early demand for its tokens by investors. With the new 7-day price increment system, its tokens, FGHT, will start at $0.0261 on March 3 and reach $0.0333 by March 24, 2023.
Fight Out’s presale event includes a 67% presale bonus if you purchase FGHT via Ethereum, Tether, or Debit Card. After the presale event, Fight Out will successfully list on seven top-tier exchanges: Changelly Pro, BitForex, Uniswap, BKEX, LBank, DigiFinex, and XT.com.
Final Thoughts: Do Not Miss Out On The FGHT Presale Event
Despite the crypto market’s adversities, Fight Out still shines and is poised to be an excellent move 2 earn platform. This fitness platform is ready to storm the market with incredible features that will leave users wanting more.
Thankfully, this article has revealed exciting features that Fight Out will roll out to assert dominance in the fitness industry. It includes MMA Metaverse, crypto rewards, UFC ambassadors, top-tier exchange listings, and many more.
Its presale event is still a perfect window to accumulate FGHT tokens before future listings in the coming quarter. So, do not miss out on its low pricing and presale bonuses, thus guaranteeing you future gains. Stay Fighting Fit and enjoy numerous rewards with Fight Out.


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CES is 82 days away – that may sound far off, but October is prime time to finalize your CES PR strategy with the right CES PR firm. Are you going to launch a new product, announce availability of a new application, demo the latest technology in front of press for the first time? How will you stand out among the nearly 5,000 other companies exhibiting?
Once November hits, press releases, press kits, and social media assets should be close to being finalized as conversations with press will begin far in advance of the attending press list being shared with exhibitors at the beginning of December. We’re working with our tech clients now to determine the best media relations and social media tactics to ensure their CES news is on the radar of top tier reporters and publications before everyone leaves for Thanksgiving. This includes everything from pitching and compiling a list of all the “Best of CES” awards to drafting applications and sharing options for additional press exposure at CES media events, like Unveiled, Pepcom and Showstoppers.
Once December rolls around and the attending press list is out, it’s important to have a CES PR firm that’s experienced with hosting pre-show opportunities and has on-going relationships with the top-tier reporters that attend CES each year – especially when reporters are less available or out of office during the holidays. You’ll be lucky to get any reporters to commit to a booth meeting, so it’s crucial to have a game plan of how you’ll capitalize on coverage before the show floor even opens.
Once you’re in Vegas, you’ll want a PR rep that can not only navigate CES confidently but also clearly describe your company, product, and technology to media walking by the booth or a new business lead. Uproar team members will intercept reporters on the show floor, while utilizing social media to tweet at reporters, monitor multiple platforms and upload content using CES hashtags to attract more press attention.


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Aggressive Discounting: How Big Online Holiday Sales Can Crush Brick-And-Mortar Specialty Retail
Data from Grassroots Outdoor Alliance show a 31 percent spike in brands’ promotional behavior over the holidays. Plus, retailers dish on the risks of overly aggressive tactics
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Black Friday was a success for Salida Mountain Sports, but not because they lured customers in with steep discounts. Prices stayed steady, and if the Colorado store missed some sales because they weren’t discounting, store owner Nate Porter said so be it.
Small specialty outdoor shops around the country felt even more pinched during the holidays—a time when business should be booming—because the very brands they sell in their stores were offering unbeatable prices online and in their own namesake stores.
“There is no way we can compete with the deep discounts and direct-to-consumer sales promoted by our vendors and other online sellers,” Porter said. “So, we stay the course and continue to provide community support, great customer service, and great products that separate good brick-and-mortar shops from the rest of the marketplace.”
As advocates for specialty retailers, Grassroots Outdoor Alliance has been monitoring promotional emails from nearly 200 brands since 2017 to better understand the ebbs and flows of the industry. And as the data set grows, Grassroots says it has become a way to identify and illuminate the companies that are doing healthy things for the marketplace and industry.
Data from 2019 shows that some brands have drastically ramped up emails with words like “sale” and “Cyber Monday” in the subject lines, while others have decreased frequency and volume. But overall, Grassroots saw a 31 percent increase in 2019 over 2018 of promotional emails.
“Vendors aren’t sharing their promotional calendar when they sell specialty retailers the line, but retailers now have a growing amount of data about when to expect a spike in promotional activity,” Grassroots President Rich Hill said.
“We’ve learned that MAP (minimum advertised price) policies are so fluid that they are essentially worthless,” Hill added. “They are designed to establish a sense of trust during the sell-in process, and then re-interpreted all season. The best indicator that retailers have to predict pricing volatility is to study what a vendor did last season, not what their policy says they’ll do next season.”
It’s not that brands shouldn’t run holiday sales. It’s that Grassroots is advocating for a leveler playing field.
Diving into the Data
From November 1 to December 31, Grassroots monitored 195 outdoor brands—members and non-members—and their email behaviors. Of that, only 50 vendors did not send any promotional emails in 2019. The other 145 collectively sent 1,355 promotional emails—a 31 percent increase over 2018 numbers.
Other key takeaways:
- In 2018, 63 percent of promotional emails were sent in November and 37 percent in December
- In 2019, 43 percent of promotional emails were sent in November and 57 percent in December
- 91 vendors (47 percent) increased their promotional cadence from 2018 to 2019 accounting for 429 additional promotional emails
- 25 of the 91 had not sent a promotional email in 2018 and began doing so in 201
- 40 vendors (20 percent) decreased their promotional cadence from 2018 to 201
- 64 no change (33 percent) year over year
Hill noted, “There’s a misconception about promotional behavior that it’s somehow isolated and happening in a vacuum, with no real impacts other than a few points on margin. The unfortunate reality is that aggressive promotional behavior creates distinct and negative impacts that are felt by both retailers as well as other vendor brands. Labelling it as ‘sales fracking’ might be considered a little dramatic, but it’s accurate.”
Grassroots uses this data to engage in conversations with retailers and vendor partners about how to work together to make both online and brick-and-mortar sales channels healthy. Overly promotional behavior is a red flag.
For Forsake (maker of outdoor/adventure footwear), retail partners are top of mind during the holidays. Marketing Director Jack Knoll said that between 2017 and 2019, the brand maintained a consistent and well-communicated promotional window so retailers could plan for and match promotions. Additionally, he said Forsake doesn’t adjust MAP policies in-season.
“Holiday discounts are important to our growth strategy,” Knoll said. “It remains the most effective way to get ourselves in front of new customers. By allowing our retailers to latch onto our promotions during pre-arranged windows, everyone can benefit from using this tool to attract new business.”
Smartwool has a different strategy. The premium sock brand aims to never be promotional, VP of sales Scott Bower said, even though consumers have come to expect deals all year round.
Instead of fighting prices, Smartwool partners with like-minded brands—YETI and MPOWERD are two examples—to offer gifts with purchases during the busiest shopping days of the year. And when Smartwool does go off-price, those discounts live in a designated spot on the website and are communicated with their retailers.
“If we’re up against other brands that are highly promotional, it does to an extent hurt. But is it worth a short-term effort (discounts) that could have long-term negative impacts to your brand?” said Bower. “Retailers want to partner with brands that have longevity. We’re in this for the long haul.”
Specialty Retailers Take a Hit When Promotions Spike
Mike Massey, owner of Massey’s Outfitters and founder of Locally.com, has said it before: It’s really hard to return to being a full-price seller after using discounts to build goodwill with customers.
“One of the things that has been frustrating for us is that we will get a notification [from a vendor] that we have something on sale that is violating a MAP policy. But then it’s inevitable that within a day, we’re getting emails from the brand violating their own map policy,” Massey said. “It’s a double standard…What are we supposed to make of that? If your MAP policy can be changed at any moment during the season, and enforcement is spotty, you basically don’t have a MAP policy at that point.”
Already facing thin margins, Porter said competing with vendors by playing the volume versus margin game is a slippery slope.
Massey says his stores were clobbered after he chose not to play the discount game and keep products full-price in November for the first time in six years. He says the amount lost in November carried into December.
Alpenglow Sports owner Brendan Madigan said Black Friday was also a total bust for his Tahoe City, California-based store. He agreed that it’s impossible to compete when brands are marketing so aggressively with 20 to 25 percent sales, and sometimes even higher.
“The brands that engage in this behavior have retrained the customer to only shop online these days due to their blatant discounting—it’s like Pavlov’s Dog,” Madigan said.
While some retailers struggled over the holidays, others found success in new places.
Hala GearSpace, a SUP brand and new brick-and-mortar store in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, skipped out on offering a maximum discount online, so they could focus customers’ attention on retailers offering the discount, communications coordinator Victoria Ohegyi said.
The Base Camp, which has two locations in Montana, also had a successful run during Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, after teaming up with Red Ants Pants, a retailer from a small town nearby. Together, Scott Brown and Sarah Calhoun, the two businesses owners, wrote op-ed pieces in several state newspapers about the importance of small business collaboration and support. Brown said the collaboration was a success—sales were up at The Base Camp by 23 percent over the previous season.
But for the entire industry to win during the holidays, it’s the brands that need to scale back from being too opportunistic, Massey said.
“They can’t have a policy that enables you to sell in with a bunch of flowery promises and then void the policies when your sales are suffering,” he said.
Otherwise, brands risk losing key retail partners—and therefore, sales.


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Once again arguably the best burger makers in Glasgow are serving up a real treat this weekend - and you'll not want to miss it.
Hot on the heels of a few specials running for National Burger Week last month, the Finnieston favourite has launched another epic burger.
And our mouths are watering just writing about it.
So this one is a biggie - a double smashed patty, marrow butter, triple cheese, house pickles, buffalo sauce and blue cheese dressing.
If you've not had a chance to head down and check out El Perro Negro, this would be the ideal time to spread your wings and do it.
Starting out as a pop up favourite for foodies across the city, the Argyle Street gem has fast become one of the most popular eateries in the area since boss Nick Watkins and the team set up shop at their permanent base.
So we're warning you now, these special burgers are only available from tomorrow (Friday) until they run out, so you better get along there pronto!


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Honeywell's plan to spin off its turbocharger business will create a stand-alone company with annual revenue of about $3 billion.
Honeywell will spin off its turbocharger business in the coming year, and CEO Olivier Rabiller is ready to take it in new directions.
Honeywell plans to spin off its turbocharger business into a new publicly listed company by the end of 2018. The turbocharger business is expected to generate annual revenue of about $3 billion.
Honeywell plans to spin off noncore assets and create at least two new publicly listed companies, as the industrial conglomerate seeks to streamline its business.
Craig Balis, Honeywell's chief technology officer for transportation system business, says electrification is coming to turbochargers in regular passenger cars.
Honeywell said it launched production of its eco-friendly Solstice yf refrigerant in its new $300 million plant in Geismar, La.
Ram 1500 EcoDiesels hitting dealerships; Storms stir up used-car prices; Honeywell turbocharger spin-off?; Feds: Hecker still behind bars; Camry rocks in new campaign.
Honeywell spinning off turbochargers; Mazda teases engine, design changes; Nvidia supercomputer; LeBron in self-driving ad; New Japan scandal: Metal parts; Honda's car investment.
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Dubai: Dubai’s non-oil foreign trade swelled by 12 per cent to Dh600 billion in the first half of 2012 compared to Dh535 billion in the same period last year, Dubai Customs announced on Monday.
Ahmad Butti Ahmad, CEO of Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (DPCFZC), said that Dubai’s imports was valued at Dh356 billion during the first half of 2012 compared to Dh320 billion in the same period in 2011, showing a 11.5 per cent increase.
The value of exports and re-exports in the first half of 2012 amounted to over Dh245 billion, a 13 per cent increase compared to the Dh217 billion achieved in 2011, he added.
According to Butti Ahmad: “The figures of Dubai’s foreign trade in the first half of 2012 is the highest ever in the trade history of the emirate.”
“Comparing this figures to the same period of 2008, the booming era, Dubai’s foreign trade achieved Dh458 billion, later to drop to Dh361 billion in the first half of 2009 as a result of world economic crisis.”
However, Dubai’s trade grew steadily through 2010 and 2011 to Dh436 billion and Dh537 billion, respectively.
The UAE’s openness to the world markets, combined with its capacity to deal with diverse consumer products, has helped to address cultural diversification in the country, said Butti Ahmad.
Gold is the most valuable trade for the city with imports and exports worth a total of Dh59 billion, followed by Jewellery at Dh25 billion, Diamond at Dh24 billion, Telecommunication networks at Dh23 billion and vehicles at Dh15 billion.
India is currently ranked as Dubai’s top trading partner in terms of imports, exports and re-exports, achieving a total value of over Dh77 billion representing 13 per cent of the total Dubai foreign trade. It emerged as Dubai’s top exporting and re-exporting destination and came second in terms of imports, following China at Dh53 billion representing 9 per cent of Dubai’s overall foreign trade, the US came in third place at Dh36 billion by six per cent, Switzerland is at fourth place with Dh32 billion by five per cent followed by Saudi Arabia at Dh23 billion by four per cent, Dubai Customs said.
Customs data showed that growing purchasing power has contributed to the increase in the volume of imports exports. “Moreover, high quality Emirati made products, the promotion of the national industry and the strategic facilities offered to exporters have also played a significant role in increasing export volumes,” said Butti Ahmad.
The 12 per cent rise in trade to over Dh600 billion in the first half of this year will spillover into a similar rate of growth for the coming years as well, Irfan Al Hassani, a UAE-based economist told Gulf News.
Dubai has been showing steady economic growth despite global economic challenges, he added.
Dubai ports function as a re-export hub for the entire Gulf region with its port infrastructure highly praised for operating to global standards. Indeed DP World is the world’s third largest port operator and sets these standards. Dubai is the Hong Kong or Singapore of the Middle East.
“Trade facilities and well planned infrastructure, including the airports and ports, in addition to logistics services, have all made Dubai the preferred business centre in the region,” he said.
Inter-regional trade remains a great potential source of future business but the facts show that it is not at the moment. The Middle East sells oil, gas and petrochemicals and buys just about everything else it needs from the rest of the world with the exception of some modest local production, Al Hassani said.
12 per cent -- Growth of Dubai’s Trade during the first six months of 2012
Dh600 billion -- Dubai’s total trade during the first half of 2012
Dh535 billion --- Dubai’s total trade during the first half of 2011
Dh245 billion -- Value of Dubai’s exports and re-exports in the first half of 2012


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Boris Johnson has appointed former Tesco CEO as a supply chain advisor to both resolve the immediate crisis of a number of UK industries and prevent future chaos.
It comes amid claims reported by the Financial Times and Mail Online that several senior Tory figures have been spotted as “panic buying” – and it turns out roughly one in six adults in the UK has not been in in the past fourteen days able to buy essential groceries.
Last week, industry leaders warned there would be gaps on supermarket shelves this Christmas, and Rishi Sunak said he could not “wave a wand” to tackle supply chain problems.
Now Sir Dave Lewis, who stepped down from Tesco last September after turning his fortunes around following his major accounting scandal, will work with the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Stephen Barclay.
According to the National Statistics Office (ONS), 17% of adults said they could not buy such goods because they were not available.
Almost a quarter (23%) said the same for non-essential foods.
Mr. Johnson said, “There are global supply issues right now that we are working with industry to resolve, and Dave brings a wealth of experience that will help us continue to protect our businesses and supply chains.”
Number 10 said Sir Dave would work on both immediate improvements and necessary long-term changes to the UK goods supply chains, and will work with government officials to resolve acute, short-term issues quickly.
A statement said this would include “both identifying the causes of current blockades and preventing potential future blockages, as well as advising on solutions either through direct government action or through industry with government support”.
Sir Dave, who will serve in the Cabinet Office and was appointed by the end of the year, will also co-chair a new Supply Chain Advisory Group and the new Industry Task Force.
He starts in the role on Monday.
No. 10 said: “Companies have faced a number of challenges in the past few months as they recover from the global pandemic that has impacted supply chains across Europe and around the world.
“The government has acted quickly to take a number of measures to ease pressure on vital supply chains, including streamlining truck driver testing, setting up boot camps to train truck drivers, and introducing short-term visas for fuel drivers, food hauliers and poultry workers to ease the pressures these supply chains face. “
Earlier, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News that “we are at the end of the line with fuel pressures.”
He said problems were over in “most of the country” and that London and the South East were the only two areas “where we see any persistent problems”.
He added that around 3,500 people applied for provisional truck registrations in the past week.
Meanwhile, footballer Marcus Rashford said that some of the panels he works with have had shortages.
He told BBC Breakfast: “They struggle to do what they love to do because there is a lack of food and of course we have to find an answer to that, and quickly because you know the people are out there and they need meals and especially in winter. “
The ONS analyzed responses from 3,326 adults between September 22nd and October 3rd as part of its opinion and lifestyle survey.
She asked about the experiences of people with bottlenecks in the past fourteen days.
Overall, 57% said everything they needed was available.
One in seven (15%) could not buy fuel.
Six in ten respondents said their grocery shopping experience was different than usual – 43% said there was less variety and 14% had to go to more stores to get what they needed.
A fifth said they couldn’t find the items they needed but could find a replacement, and another fifth said they couldn’t find a replacement.
Adults also reported waiting longer for prescriptions (13%) or going to more pharmacies to find what they needed (4%).
There will be gaps on supermarket shelves at Christmas, industry leaders have warned, as Rishi Sunak said he could not “wave a wand” to tackle supply chain problems.
The Chancellor said the government would do everything in its power to “alleviate” global supply problems, but admitted that disruption would occur and did not rule out that Christmas would be affected.
For the first time, around 200 military personnel – half of them drivers – are out on the streets to distribute petrol on the forecourt.
Around 22% of gas stations in London and the South East are still running out of fuel, according to Petrol Retailers Association executive director Gordon Balmer.
And although ministers insist that the situation at the pumps, which has led to queues and panic buying, relax, Operation Escalin was launched on Monday.
Members of the armed forces arrived at the Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead to deliver fuel to gas stations, with soldiers in uniform and face masks spotted near the gates to the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal.
However, Downing Street said the speed at which the crisis subsided will depend on demand.
There is a shortage of labor in a number of sectors, including meat processing.
And it has raised warnings that Christmas favorites like pigs in blankets may not be available to shoppers this year.
Visiting a Network Rail location in Manchester with Mr Sunak on Monday, the Prime Minister said supply chain problems are “a function of the global economy, particularly the UK economy, which is being brought back to life after Covid”.
“There is a shortage of truck drivers around the world, from Poland to the United States, and even in China there is a shortage of truck drivers,” he said.
And he added, “I think what we are seeing is the recovery of the economy.
“We now have the fastest growing economy in the G7 and I think we have a lot lower unemployment than people are predicting, jobs are being created all the time.
“What we want to see are high paying, high quality jobs and I think the economy is doing a fantastic job investing in apprenticeships, investing in skills and that is the way to go for the UK.
“When it comes to things like road freight transport, it is important to make the job more attractive, to invest in the truck stops and also to invest in higher wages.”
No. 10, however, said there was no “hard deadline” for when the transition to the “high-wage, high-skilled” economy promised by the prime minister would be completed.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “It is not a tough deadline for us, considering that it will cover a number of different sectors.
“Of course we would like to support sectors as needed to facilitate this transition, as you are currently seeing with things like truck drivers and other sectors like poultry.”
Earlier on, Sunak told BBC Radio 4’s Today program, “We see supply disruptions, not just here but in many different places, and there are things we can try to mitigate, and that’s us.
“But we can’t wave a wand. There is nothing I can do about a country’s decision in Asia to close a port because of a coronavirus outbreak. “
Pig farmers protested ahead of the Conservative Party Conference Monday when industry leaders called for a Covid recovery visa to allow businesses to recruit from outside the UK.
Nick Allen, chairman of the board of directors of the British Meat Processors Association, said he was “surprised” that Mr. Johnson appeared unaware of the problems pig farmers face when interviewed on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday .
Mr Allen told Sky News that the Christmas turkeys this year are likely to come from the continent due to the labor shortage in the UK after Brexit, adding that some foods, such as pigs in blankets, may not be available.
“We’re not saying there won’t be any food on the table for Christmas, but we’re struggling to put the party food together – the pigs in blankets, the ham net,” he said.
However, the Morrisons supermarket chairman said the concerns were “a little exaggerated”.
Andy Higginson told BBC Radio 4’s Today program: “There are logistical problems right now and these are well publicized and a little exaggerated.
“UK supply chains are incredibly efficient and I am sure that over time we can give customers a great Christmas.”
The Prime Minister has repeatedly refused to rule out bottlenecks in the overall economy in the run-up to Christmas.
In addition to an estimated shortage of 100,000 truck drivers, companies from meat producers to retailers are warning of empty shelves if the bottlenecks are not addressed.
Mr Johnson acknowledged that the country is going through an “adjustment phase” after Brexit that has cut the EU’s labor supply.
However, he insisted that he was unwilling to resolve the situation by using “the great lever of uncontrolled immigration” to take on more foreign workers.
He said companies should make sure their employees are “paid decently” if they want to get more staff.
You can find more stories from where you live at Near you.


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The grapes of research
Maxine Myre | March 17, 2014
Following ‘The invention of a wine’ post on this site in October 2012, I caught up with researchers at Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute to see what’s new in the world of appassimento wines.
Debbie Inglis, director and researcher at CCOVI, provided me with a quick crash-course in oenology, the study of wines.
“In wine production, there are different techniques that one can use to bring out the best of the grape,” said Inglis. “The technique that we’re focusing on is the appassimento wine production [to create] wines with an Ontario signature.”
The appassimento-style is used to further ripen the grapes off-vine, useful in overcoming increasingly erratic weather that affects the sustainability and growth opportunity for local wineries. Drying the grapes in a protected and controlled environment serves the dual purpose of minimizing fruit waste and providing an opportunity to develop a distinct wine style for Ontario.
The five-year project is currently in its fourth year. To date, the group has compared five drying techniques – in a barn, refurbished tobacco kilns, local greenhouses, drying chambers, and prolonged time on the vine – to assess the biochemical and microbial changes occurring in the grapes, as well as sensory profiles of the wines. They’ve found that each technique varies in grape drying time and flavor attributes.
The next steps will be determined in collaboration with industry partners. Their plan is to manipulate variables within each drying technique to optimize the overall production process. Overall, the research done to understand these wines, along with cost-analyses of the techniques, will bring appassimento wines into higher quality brackets that can be sold at a higher dollar value.
All present studies are being conducted with Cabernet franc grapes, the main red grape variety grown in the Niagara region. “We’ve also got interest from our partners in looking at one or two more grape varieties, potentially looking at Merlot as another grape variety to dry, and maybe even branching off into a white,” added Inglis.
The project will provide baseline data for the industry, as well as build interest in the appassimento technique.
Inglis points out that while there are many basic and fundamental questions being asked, their results are directly applicable in industry. “It’s just been a great project to show how much we can achieve when industry, government and academia come together on a focused area to assist industry in their growth potential,” says Inglis.
Whole wheat makeover
Katarina Smolkova, Students Promoting Awareness of Research Knowledge (SPARK) | August 22, 2014Whole wheat pasta is a high-fibre, healthy alternative to traditional white flour pasta, but its texture may be too soft for some people. Now, a University of Guelph researcher is trying to change that read more »
Meat with no mystery
Trent University Staff | August 21, 2014With recent scandals in the meat industry prompting consumers to call for greater accountability from suppliers, companies such as Maple Leaf, are looking for new ways to ensure that their products are exactly what they claim to be. read more »
May 9, 2013 | Toronto
Royal Ontario Museum, Bronfman Hall Toronto, Ontario Thursday May 9, 2013 6:30pm to 9:00pm This free event is part of a province-wide discussion series featuring researchers from Ontario’s universities. Moderated by Globe and Mail science correspondent Ivan Semeniuk


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Is your 'recyclable' packaging really being recycled?
Did you know that much of the food packaging purported by manufacturers to be recyclable will actually end up in a landfill?
That’s because there’s a huge difference between packaging being technically recyclable and actually being recycled. If the material is too expensive to recycle or there’s virtually no market for the recycled product, off to the landfill it will go.Wendy Knowler, Consumer journalist
Consumer journalist Wendy Knowler says the packaging of many of your favourite products can be misleading.
Many South Africans assume that packaging marked with a number in a triangle can be recycled and that the number indicates how many times it can be recycled. In fact, that number is the resin type, and it’s put there to help not the consumer but the waste collector.Wendy Knowler, Consumer journalist
Woolworths and Shoprite Checkers have started to guide consumers on their packaging with more helpful, honest recycling information - such as “not recycled currently” but with not all retailers and manufacturers playing by the same declaration rules, many consumers remain confused.Wendy Knowler, Consumer journalist
According to the Department of Environmental Affairs state of the waste report, South Africa generated 54.2-million tons of general waste in 2017.
An estimated 38.6% of that waste was recycled.
That’s really impressive, especially when you consider that that figure was just 10% in 2012.Wendy Knowler, Consumer journalist
Listen to the full interview below:
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Hand sanitiser has become a highly sought-after product amid the coronavirus pandemic. But are all of them effective? Wendy Knowler investigates.Read More
Wendy Knowler, Consumer Ninja, investigates non-payment of business interruption claims during the Covid-19 lockdown.Read More
As South Africans look for ways to make extra cash, Gumtree South Africa has warned consumers not to fall prey to online fraudsters.Read More
The Ombud for Short Term Insurance’s aim is to resolve short term insurance complaints ''fairly, efficiently and impartially''.Read More
Wendy Knowler, consumer Ninja, on the small print and pitfalls of credit life insurance.Read More
The annual banking ombuds report has been released. Were they good, were they bad; how many complaints have been received?Read More
Car dealerships and repair shops have been allowed to reopen under very strict conditions, explains consumer journo Wendy Knowler.Read More
It seems many credit life claims are being rejected. Here are nine companies that were named and shamed in a new report.Read More
You can send your consumer-related questions and queries to consumer journalist Wendy Knowler via firstname.lastname@example.orgRead More


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NVIDIA Introduces 280 Linux Driver Series
Now that NVIDIA has officially released the 275.xx Linux driver, they're onto the 280.xx driver series. Just in time for the US holiday weekend they have released the NVIDIA 280.04 binary Linux driver beta.
While the 280.04 beta driver marks the introduction of a new series, the official change-log is shockingly small. All that's officially mentioned for being fixed-up in the 280.04 beta is incremental bug-fixes and preliminary support for the X.Org X Server ABI 11. This is the video ABI that's being used by X.Org Server 1.11 RC1.


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In the absence of geese getting fat, chestnuts roasting on open fires, peace on earth, mercy mild and so forth, the sure-fire way to tell that Christmas is well and truly coming in these heathen, commercialised times is to poke your nose around the doors of our high street bookstores. If you're confronted by displays decorated with Santas and starbursts, floor-to-ceiling posters shrieking about half-price hardbacks and kids' books, and dump bins brimming with the latest bestsellers on three-for-two, then it's probably time to start shaking out the tinsel.
This is exhausting enough in December, but if you're planning a shopping trip this weekend, brace yourself: this year, the seasonal madness has already begun.
While we outside the retail world are still washing the smell of bonfires from our jumpers, those crazy folk over at WH Smith have decided to kick off the annual consumerist feeding frenzy with an aggressive ad campaign for weekly three-day "events". Last week, they were offering all top 20 hardbacks at half price; this week, new bestselling hardbacks are on a two-for-£20 offer. And it doesn't stop there: the other big chains, terrified, presumably, of WHS whiffling away their Christmas profit margins, have responded in kind: according to this week's Bookseller magazine, Waterstone's are offering money off selected titles, Border's is running half-price "deals of the week", and Ottakar's is giving away half-price vouchers on selected titles in its catalogues. And don't think you can escape the insanity online, either: not to be outdone, Amazon has launched its Christmas site, which features a glittering array of special offers, including 40% off new releases, and bestselling paperbacks at three-for-£12.
All of which means, in short, that if you're dying to pick up a book of sudoku, a copy of Sharon Osborne's autobiography or the latest Patricia Cornwell, you're in the money, but if your tastes range beyond the current top-20 bestsellers, or you can't think of anyone who wants Jamie's Italy in their Christmas stocking, well, better luck next year. It's all very well to offer massive discounts on front-of-store titles, but surely this only adds to the ongoing homogenisation of the books market? What happens to the lesser-known, mid- and back-list authors, left to languish, discount sticker-free, at the back of the shop? And in this season of goodwill to all men, spare a thought for the independent bookshops which can't afford to slash their prices in a bid to win your custom. Bah, humbug, and all that …