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Marketers, publishers and planners gathered at the British Museum for Newsworks’ 2018 Shift conference. Sessions covered the role of behavioural science in marketing, the City’s view on short-termism and whether we as an industry are neglecting the importance of context.
Here’s what Demi Abiola took away from the morning.
Shift 6.0 has once again reinforced the importance of newsbrands in curating and disseminating information for society’s benefit, while providing unrivalled commentary and setting the cultural agenda.
Newsbrands’ key virtues of effectiveness, engagement, influence and trust continue to show that they remain a powerful medium in a multi-channel world, in which we are increasingly shifting towards understanding the importance of context.
The serendipitous timing of Shift is apt as there continues to be discussion about brand safety, metrics and fraud within the digital sphere and the implications this has for brands – most recently highlighted by Unilever’s Keith Weed.
The “where” is resonating and gaining importance with brands. Louise Newton from Hotelplan UK demonstrated this in regard to the travel business, which she believes is seeing a shift away from digital and towards more contextual based advertising.
In addition, news brands continue to play a vital part in Britain’s cultural zeitgeist. Vanessa Clifford, Newsworks’ CEO, touched on this in her opening remarks with reference to the Daily Mirror’s campaign on changing organ law donation.
Meanwhile, short-termism was addressed by two of the speakers – Catherine O’Neill and Richard Shotton.
Catherine summarised empirical evidence (particularly since 2014) that shows that cuts to brand investment actually damage market share and further exacerbate business declines – whereas continuing spend on brand support helps continued growth. However short-termism is not going away and marrying the short- and long-term is important.
Richard illustrated the affect anchoring can have on human behaviour by showing us the greatest trick a brand has ever pulled, citing De Beers’ example of a suggested month’s salary for an engagement ring and associating the durability of love on that basis.
We are setting ourselves short-term targets and delivering against them, however are we feeding it using the metrics on offer? It may not be helping with the underlying issue of long-term growth. We certainly don’t want to start releasing more Cobras into the wild…


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Its first product, Dhan, is an investment platform that allows retail investors to trade stocks, equity options, equity futures, currencies, etc.
The global market for wealth management platforms was valued at $3.27 Bn in 2020, and is expected to reach a valuation of $7.02 Bn by 2026
The pandemic has had a huge impact on trading and investing as
Former Paytm Money CEO Pravin Jadhav-led Raise Financial Services has raised $22 Mn in a Series A funding round led by BEENEXT and Mirae Asset Venture. 3one4 Capital and rocketship.vc also participated in the round.
“We shipped our first product Dhan in late 2021, extremely happy to see 100,000 users switching to Dhan for an incredible investing & trading experience. We are investing $15 Mn USD in building & scaling Dhan across product, engineering, operations & customer service,” said Pravin Jadhav, founder and CEO of Raise Financial Services in a LinkedIn post.
Founded in 2021 by former Paytm Money CEO Pravin Jadhav, Raise bagged a seed round from Mirae Asset Venture Investments, Blume Ventures Founders Fund, Social Leverage and several angel investors in February 2021.
In August 2021, it acquired Mumbai-based stock broker Moneylicious Securities. As part of the deal, Moneylicious CEO and founder Jayprakash Gupta joined Raise as a cofounder. The acquisition was approved by SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) and major stock exchanges in the country.
Its first product, Dhan, is an investment platform that allows retail investors to trade stocks, equity options, equity futures, currencies, commodities, ETFs (exchange traded funds), and subscribe to IPOs. (initial public offering)
“We are convinced that the next market leader will be a platform like Dhan that is extremely technology & product-focused, as well as very customer-centric. More to come from us at Raise & Dhan, for now getting back to serving our customers,” added Jadhav in the same LinkedIn post.
The global market for wealth management platforms was valued at $3.27 Bn in 2020, and is expected to reach a valuation of $7.02 Bn by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 13.87% during the forecast period.
The pandemic has had a huge impact on trading and investing as people find it harder to access traditional methods of finance and investments. This is expected to drive a larger audience towards wealth management platforms like Dhan, Upstox and Groww.
Earlier this month, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had joined Bengaluru-based wealth management startup Groww as an investor and advisor.
In November last year, Upstox, another wealth management startup, made its entry into the unicorn club with a near $3 Bn valuation.

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Where is it heading now? Is it thriving or flailing?
By Victoria Walling
Globally, people are now being proactive in taking a stand in choosing their respective lifestyles. There are many who are shifting to living and eating healthier. Whether it is influenced by their beliefs or principles or just the general desire to be healthier, more and more are drawn to consuming healthy food and beverages. But before anything else, how do we define healthy food and beverages?
Healthy food is a diet meant to improve and enhance one’s overall health. It’s an important choice for many as it’s an excellent source of health and nutrition – macronutrients, micronutrients, fluids, and even ample food energy. Eating healthy food and drinking healthy beverages that have less sugar, salt, saturated fat, and trans-fat are important factors to live a long life. Having a well-balanced food incorporated into our daily lives can help lower tension and stress. Sounds like a dream come true, right?
The better-for-you F&B CPG industry sounds promising in this context. Let’s take a step back first and understand how the whole healthy food and beverage industry fairs amid the pandemic and other economic hits. What drives the growth of the global health food market in the first place?
Thriving Better-for-You F&B CPG Industry
Brand Essence Research came out with a study in 2021 entitled, “Global Health Food Market: Global Size, Trends, Competitive, Historical & Forecast Analysis, 2021-2027" that revealed that the health food market globally was valued at USD 936.7 billion in 2021, and is expected to reach USD 1,326.84 billion by 2028 with a CAGR of 5.20% over the forecast period. With this data alone, it’s evident that there is potential and continuous growth for the global health food market that new players can come into, regardless of the challenges that may exist across the world.
More and more people are shifting their preferences and are choosing healthy eating habits. For instance, according to MoveHub 20 April 2021, people believe that consuming healthy food and drinks allow people to live longer by keeping their skin, teeth, and eyes healthy. This helps people avoid several illnesses as they age. Life expectancy, for example, in Japan is around 84.2 years while Switzerland is at 83.8 years, two of the healthiest countries in the world that have rallied for healthy living for decades now.
Aside from just the demand for healthier food and drinks today, there is also an increase in disposable income spent on healthy food products. Amidst the global issues of inflation and prices increasing everywhere in the world, many are still striving to purchase healthier products. What’s more surprising is the rise in number of plant-based protein sources that supplement the market growth. The growth of plant-based protein market is based on the increasing consumption of organic plant-based diets all over the world. People are more cognizant now of what they should intake to achieve that healthier, well-balanced life.
The changing preferences of people to choose plant-based protein over animal protein is helping drive the plant-based protein market even further. Brand Essense Research’s Global Plant-Based Protein Market study shared that the plant-based protein market was valued at USD 16.45 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach USD 40.53 billion by 2025.
Current Challenges Seen in the Industry
While there are great opportunities for many to support healthier eating habits, there are also looming challenges that communities face when it comes to supporting this lifestyle. These include higher prices of healthy food and beverages and the growing number of regulations on healthy food and beverage products.
Global Market Insights published its “F&B Industry Managers to Deal with Fresh Challenges in the Wake of COVID-19 and its Variants” study in 2022 showing that the F&B industry is very stringently governed by regulations imposed by organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and Federal Trade Commission when it comes to launching healthy products.
The increasing prices of better-for-you F&B CPGs are putting a damper on the growth of the industry per se. We want to encourage more to choose healthy and to want to be healthy, but why is supporting a healthier eating lifestyle not easy on the pocket? Let’s try to put a bit more context to this by zeroing in on the current economic situations across the globe.
Global food prices have surged 65% since the beginning of the pandemic and has jumped up 12% in 2022 alone since the news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine broke, as data from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization revealed. The war has affected food supply chains across the globe, causing an increase in energy prices, agricultural products, fertilizers, and shipping costs, to name a few. Truth be told, food supply has always been problematic even prior to the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. But how so?
Many agricultural countries support organic, non-GMO, and natural fertilizers in their produce but it requires longer time to grow nutrient-filled but less ‘beautiful’ products. This takes a lot more effort to ensure that these organic, farm-to-table staples are brought straight to consumers in groceries and fresh markets.
What it Means for the Asia Pacific Market
From a more regional standpoint, the Asia Pacific (APAC) is expected to witness a lucrative growth in the market for healthy food due to the increase in number of fitness institutions, healthy eating food habits, and disposable income plus the growing awareness when it comes to healthy food in the region. The popularity of organic food has helped grow the healthy food market in APAC by 15% per the Asia Pacific Food Industry 2019. Many countries like China, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and even the Philippines are all gradually realizing the benefits of living a healthier lifestyle, leaving the norm of just sticking to animal-based products and shifting their mindset and diet to a much healthier one.
With more businesses also realizing the potential growth of the healthy food and beverage industry in the region, there is room for more companies to introduce new products and stake a claim in this thriving and growing industry.
Better-for-You F&B CPG Brands: Striking While the Iron is Hot
Now that we know the potential growth of the better-for-you F&B CPG industry across the world, it’s high time that companies who are looking at entering the better-for-you F&B sector to start leveraging their positions. But how does one get started in a market where there are many players that have already been there for many years?
There are many ways to do this such as by studying your own local economy, local supply, and the current demand of the consumers in their country. Some questions to ponder on:
Where is the current mindset of our intended audience?
Are they ready to take the leap and support a healthy lifestyle after the pandemic has raised many health-related questions in many countries?
Will our product address their need for a healthier and more balanced diet?
What do we bring beyond just offering healthier alternatives?
What can we do to positively affect and empower more people to transform their lives?
How can we cut through the swarm of unhealthier but more desired F&B choices?
While there are many considerations to be made and situations to be studied prior to launching a new better-for-you F&B CPG product, opportunities abound for new players to enter this thriving industry and for older players to continue to grow. The key direction for companies right now within the better-for-you CPG sector is to capitalize on the interest and demand for healthy products – be where the demand is present; create clamor over the benefits and impact that your products provide; stand out from the shelves and get noticed over your competitors. The only way to move forward and thrive in this growing global health market is if more companies see these potentials from a new perspective. The demand is there, the products are available, and now the real challenge is on differentiating and standing out from the rest of the products in this category. Ask your team, “how do we make sure we connect with our intended audience on a deeper level so they keep choosing us?”
Undeniably, the better-for-you F&B CPG industry still faces various challenges but changing consumer spending habits, increasing demand, new market players, and global appetites for better-for-you F&B CPG products can help change and improve the sector in the coming years.
Many market research firms have revealed that despite the challenges that face the industry, there is huge potential for growth in the next few years. At The Vineyard, we know this to be true. We’ve seen it happen with many other new healthy brands being introduced even more so during the pandemic.
The bottom line – the global better-for-you F&B CPG industry is thriving. The important question now is, are you ready to take on and be part of this promising future?


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Sheraton Fiji Golf & Beach Resort offers a safe haven in lap of luxury
One of the South Pacific’s largest resorts, the 300-room Sheraton Fiji Golf & Beach Resort, is expecting more Australian and American tourists than ever following its recent $48m renovation.
Developed by the failed Japanese group EIE around 35 years ago on Denarau Island, 10 minutes from Fiji’s Nadi Airport, the resort reopened just last month and is already experiencing 100 per cent occupancies following a major renovation of its rooms, lobby and three restaurants – designed by Sydney interior specialists, Chada.
Fiji was one of the first countries to reopen for tourism business back in December and expects to attract even more international tourists, particularly Australians and Americans, than previously, because it is seen as a safe destination, featuring on many travellers‘ bucket lists. Post Covid, research for both hoteliers and cruise companies reveals tourists now expect to spend more money on travel – buying higher category hotel rooms such as oceanfront over garden view rooms as well as more expensive cruise itineraries.
“In terms of the market recovery, Fiji expects to match 2019 occupancy levels or exceed them,” said Sheraton Fiji Golf & Beach Resort hotel manager Sudhir Yadav in an interview with The Australian.
“We are definitely expecting more of the US market, it will be more than it was in 2019,” he said.
Local carrier Fiji Airways is expected to increase flights from Nadi to North America this year.
At present Australians make up 80 per cent of the resort’s occupancy followed by New Zealanders, Americans and locals. Chinese and Japanese tourists account for less than 3 per cent.
The resort is also attracting more local Fijian guests. “We are hoping that 30 per cent of our food and beverage is driven by our local residents from Lautoka, Suva and Nadi,” Mr Yadav said.
“We love our locals, we relied very heavily on our locals during Covid, and we want to keep the same trend.”
Mr Yadav said the hardest point during the two-year construction was the hotel could not give its employees as many work hours as they once enjoyed.
He said there was not a problem in sourcing hospitality labour in Fiji as there is in Australia. The problem was delays in international deliveries.
“We had delays when China was shut down. Shipping costs are five times what they were in 2019. We had items due in February which are still not here.
“Everything including major equipment and machinery is imported on this island. When there is a delay it causes the same impact as labour shortages.”
Within the Sheraton Fiji Golf & Beach Resort, Fiji Airways has rented space to provide a complimentary check-in lounge. It offers remote check-in capability for passengers and their luggage – allowing guests to spend more time enjoying the 5-star resort amenities.
Apart from Fiji Airways there are a number of high-end retail outlets in the resort‘s lobby including duty-free operator Jacks of Fiji and clothing group Tappoo.
The resort is Fiji’s largest playground and its guests have a big selection of leisure amenities, including a championship 18-hole golf course, five restaurants and five bars, four swimming pools, synthetic and grass tennis courts, a fitness centre, spa and beach. Guests will also have complimentary access to in-complex resort facilities within the sister property, Sheraton Denarau Villas.
The resort is owned by Fiji’s largest financial institution, the Fiji National Provident Fund, which was established more than 50 years ago and is the country’s only super fund.
The Sheraton’s sister resort, The Westin, is now closed for a major multimillion-dollar renovation, with the resort complex expected to reopen in the first quarter of 2023.
In 1995, Japan’s EIE Development Co Ltd‘s $265 million Denarau Island resort in Fiji was placed in receivership.
The resort was one of the failed EIE corporation’s grand integrated resort developments.
Today the Marriott Group operates resorts at Fiji’s Momi Bay, Tokoriki Island and Denarau Island.
The writer was a guest of Captain Cook Cruises and Tourism Fiji.


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The administration’s planned cap on energy bills should be introduced urgently, to stop clients from being overcharged, a report from MPs says.
Competition was not developing and had failed to deliver fair prices for consumers, a select committee said.
The board said it was “underwhelmed by the feeble steps” taken by energy companies to circumvent government action.
The cap should be temporary and fixed at an “absolute” level, to a certain extent than set relative to other tariffs.
Legislation should be passed rather than the summer recess, the report suggested, which should allow the cap to be in position before the end of the year.
The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee has been pumping the government’s draft bill to cap energy tariffs, following a commitment run last year by Theresa May.
“The Big Six energy companies might whine and wail hither the introduction of a price cap,” said Rachel Reeves, the committee’s chairwoman.
“But they’ve been overcharging their blokes on default and standard variable tariffs for years and their recent puny efforts to move consumers off these tariffs has only served to highlight the call for for this intervention.”
The report said the larger energy companies had “brought this practice intervention upon themselves by raising their prices in 2017 and by failing to profits effective action against the overcharging of their customers”.
The regulator Ofgem was also criticised for being “too behindhand and reluctant” to use its powers to protect the interests of customers.
The MPs’ examine said 12 million customers “stuck on poor-value” standard inconstant and default tariffs were paying up to £300 a year more their zing than other people.
Standard Variable Tariffs (SVTs) are the most overpriced product in the energy market, and customers have been urged to look for cheaper fixed-price arrangements.
But the report said consumers should not be penalised if they did not shop about.
Five million of the UK’s most vulnerable households, many of whom pay demanding pre-payment meters, already have their energy bills outstripped. But with the cost of producing energy expected to rise in the Spring those households were recently bring to lighted they should expect a rise in their energy bills.
An Ofgem spokesperson affirmed it was pressing ahead with plans to protect energy consumers in guess of the new legislation.
The regulator said “innovative solutions” such as its scheme to hard times “collective switching” which would allow consumers to group together to leave behind better deals, would help households reduce their zing bills Ofgem said.
The Business Secretary, Greg Clark, influenced the report confirmed that ” the energy market isn’t working for customers bulged on rip-off tariffs”.
He said that the government’s plan to introduce a figure cap would protect consumers from high energy bills.
MPs backed the government’s plan for the cap on standard variable tariffs to be set at an “genuine” or fixed level, rather than be “relative” or set at a maximum difference to other dishonest tariffs available to customers.
They said a relative cap might sire a perverse incentive for suppliers to increase their lowest prices to assert overall profits.
Richard Neudegg, head of regulation at the price juxtaposing and switching service uSwitch said any price cap might “do more iniquity than good” if it undermined competition between energy companies.
“A widespread valuation cap could lull energy customers into a false sense of shelter if they think they are protected by it,” he said.
Energy UK, a body illustrating the industry said more customers were already switching suppliers to get safer deals and that the cap could hamper competition.
“It’s also important that the cap accurately considers suppliers’ costs, most of which are out of their direct control,” contemplated Energy UK’s chief executive Lawrence Slade.


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Rolls-Royce have officially unveiled the all-new Phantom VIII at the Great Eight exhibit in London’s Mayfair, which was streamed worldwide.
The new Phantom, released 14 years after the Phantom VII, contains a 6.75-litre V12 engine which generates 421kW of power and 900Nm of torque. The speed has been electronically limited to 259km/h, and 0-100 takes 5.3 seconds. With more than 130kg of sound insulation to shield the engine noise from the cabin, Rolls-Royce claim the new Phantom is the most silent car in the world.
The bones of the new Phantom is constructed from a new all-aluminium space frame, which is 30 per cent more rigid than the previous generation. The frame designed by Rolls-Royce engineers and will feature in every future Rolls-Royce, beginning with the Phantom VIII.
With this new frame, which has been designed and engineered to scale up and down to any model, the car makers says it will only use its own architecture across all vehicles, whatever the sectore.
The next-generation luxury saloon stands at 5762mm long, 2019mm wide and 1646mm high, with an unladen weight of 2560kg. An extended wheelbase Phantom option is available, stretching the vehicle to 5982mm long, 2018mm wide and 1656mm high. The extra dimensions set the unladen weight at 2560kg for the extended variant.
A range of safety features are included in the Phantom VIII for the first time, including an Alertness Assistant, which uses four cameras to survey surroundings, Night Vision and Vision Assist, Active Cruise Control, collision warning, pedestrian warning, cross-traffic warning, and lane-departure and lane-change warning.
Further details on a launch date and pricing are yet to be announced.


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Boycott costs the EU 5 billion per year
The EU proposed to supply additional funds for the promotion of boycotted products, which will have to be used to gain access to new markets. Statistics show that the boycott is costing the Union a total of 5 billion Euro per year. Spanish melon growers would also be eligible for the compensation and Czech growers are pleased with the increase in the country’s school budget for vegetables. Russian customs intercepted a considerable consignment of fruit and vegetables from Poland. The trucks had to turn around. In Kaliningrad, the market is slightly under pressure as import products become available; additionally, Russia continues to look to Asia as a supplier. India sees opportunities and wants to invest in a stronger relationship between both countries.
Yesterday the NATO member countries met in Wales, with the crisis in Ukraine on the agenda. Regarding the cease-fire that Ukraine announced a couple of days ago, Putin says he is no party to the conflict, so he cannot agree to a cease-fire; however, he presented a seven-point plan that should lead to a solution and which is to be discussed between Ukraine and the separatists in Minsk.
EU: Cost 5 billion, 30 million additional budget
EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Dacian Ciolos, announced that the EU will supply 30 million Euro up front for promotional campaigns in response to the Russian boycott. The sum will be used to find alternative markets and can be increased to up to 60 million Euro. The money comes on top of the CAP budget of 60 million Euro for 2015, half of which is funded by the EU. Consequently, Ciolos affirms, up to 120 million Euro may be invested; 60 million from EU funds and another 60 million from private parties. 29% of the EU’s fruit and vegetable exports went to Russia, for cheese and butter that was 33% and 28% respectively. The money comes on top of the measures already announced and will be available in 2015.
Spanish melon prices down 55%
Since the start of Russia’s boycott, export melon and watermelon prices have dropped sharply, between 40 and 55%; this is caused by the loss of the Russian market, as well as by oversupply. Overall fruit prices have dropped because of the boycott, and as a result consumers have access to a wide choice of cheap fruit.
Recently, Proexport informed the Government about this situation. The organisation wants the Ministry to urge the European Commission to grant melon growers access to the compensations. The authorities in Murcia and a group of international organisations support the proposal.
According to estimates by growers in Murcia, Spanish melon and watermelon exports in the last week of August reached 65,000 tonnes and 80,000 tonnes respectively. Proexport calculated a loss of 20.5 million for melon growers and 4.4 million for watermelons. The organisation does not understand why melon growers are not eligible for compensations, as they are clearly affected and the season is not over yet.
Spain is the EU’s largest melon exporter. In 2013, the country exported 410,537 tonnes of melons, 48% of which were shipped by Murcia. For watermelons, export volumes reached 542,243 tonnes, with Murcia’s produce accounting for 27% of the total. Based on these figures, Murcia is considered to be the most affected by the situation.
Russian apple prices rise
Since 2010, apple prices in Russia have steadily declined. In 2012, after the country joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the downward trend strengthened. In 2010-2011, the price stood at $ 1.43 per kilo; in 2013-21014, it dropped to 89 cents per kilo. The main reason for this was the WHO’s requirement to reduce taxes. Half of the apple imports came from Poland and the domestic production covered only 20% of the market, thus having a limited effect on prices.
Due to the boycott of European and Moldovan apples, this downward trend has been broken and prices are expected to rise. How much they will increase will also depend on the volume of apples from Poland and Moldova which will manage to enter Russia through other countries.
Russian frozen products
According to BusinesStat, the volume of frozen products sold in Russia has increased by 36% between 2009-13. In 2013, sales reached 315,000 tonnes. For the coming years, up to 2018, an average annual growth of 5% is expected. Compared to 2013, this would entail a 25% increase in sales by 2018.
In 2009-13, the retail sector was responsible for 60.3% of these sales; the industry sold an average of 14.4% and the catering sector accounted for the remaining 25.3%. It remains to be seen whether these growth rates will be achieved. The frozen food market is largely dependent on imports; 74% in 2013.
Russian retail was growing before the boycott
The Russian retail in the Nizhny Novgorod region, east of Moscow, was growing before the boycott. In 2013, the retail sector in this region had a turnover of 202 billion Rouble ($ 4 billion) from foods; an increase of 8% compared to 2012.
Throughout Russia, the share of food sales by retailers is of 25.9%, with an increase of 8% over the year. In July 2014, retail chains accounted for 24.1% of total food sales, compared to 22.9% a year earlier. The largest chains in the region are X5, Spar and Seven. The boycott could change the market.
Mushrooms and limes considerably more expensive
In the Rostov-on-Don region, in the south near the Black Sea, prices for some products have increased, including those of mushrooms, peaches, limes, kiwis, fish, turkey and cheese. Prices for mushrooms increased from 120 to 200 Rouble per kilo (from 2.40 to 4 Euro). Most mushrooms were imported from Poland.
For other products, prices in August remained stable, and for some seasonal products, such as potatoes, onions, carrots and apples, prices even dropped slightly, In general, food prices in the region have increased by 7.8% and the inflation over this period was 6%.
Yakuti invests in production and storage
In the Russian republic of Yakuti, a large province in the northeast, a five-year plan has been adopted for the agro-industry, which will lead to an expansion of the storage and processing facilities for local agricultural products. By 2018, the new facilities should be operational in all areas with an annual harvest of 2,000 tonnes of vegetables and potatoes.
India expanding trade relations with Russia
The Indian ambassador in Russia said that Russia is seen as a major trading partner and that the country intends to invest in a long-term cooperation. According to the ambassador, trade between large countries should not be limited to a select group of products. Indian growers would like to export to Russia and the country has a lot to offer. As the demand for agricultural products in Russia increases, they see many opportunities for export.
The biggest challenge lies in logistics, as goods must travel a distance of over 4,000 km. Both countries are investing in collaboration with a number of other international partners in the development of a new transport route. Additionally, India is interested in deepening economic cooperation with the customs union, and even a free trade area could be considered.
Chile supplying nuts and prunes
According to Andres Rodriguez, representative of the Chilean walnuts and prunes organisations, there are only two obstacles for export: “the willingness of the Russians to pay international prices and the availability of the products.” Rodriguez added that Russia has always been an important market for Chilean plums, accounting for 15% of the exports. In the current situation, he expects demand from Russia to increase; however, prices are currently high and the Russian Rouble is weak. Regarding nuts, it is believed that the ban on American almonds will boost the export of Chilean nuts.
Asia, main suppliers of fruit and vegetables for Russia?
Russia aims to replace American and European food imports with products from South America and Asia. South-east Asian countries are particularly encouraged to export exotic gourmet and other food products to Russia. The Minister of Economic Development, Alexey Ulyukayev, made this proposal to the ASEAN countries. According to Ulyukayev, the country needs especially fresh fruits and vegetables.
Alexey Kanevsky, President of the Committee of Economic Affairs in Moscow, believes that Asian fruit and vegetables have a very different taste to that Russians are accustomed to. At the moment, this Asian produce is still very focused on a specific part of the Russian market. Apples, oranges and bananas: no problem; but passion fruit and Indian jackfruit would entail problems to adapt for the majority of Russian consumers. It should be emphasised that Asian apples, pears, raisins, grapes and cherries could be easily sold in Russia.
Russia-Georgia highway closed
The Verkhny Lars mountain pass has suffered damages; as a result, the road will have to be closed for 10 to 12 days. The Armenian Minister of Agriculture, Sergo Karapetyan, reported on Friday, 22 August, that the incident would not hinder the export of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Czech growers welcome additional budget
The European Commission has increased the budget for school fruit programmes in the Czech Republic from 5.2 million Euro last year to 6.1 million. The fruit is made available to a large group of children from pre-school to elementary school. Czech producers affected by the Russian boycott see this as a positive development, as the Czech Republic can suffer losses of up to 50 million Euro.
Kaliningrad finds new suppliers
Russia’s Kaliningrad region was hit hard by the boycott. The region is enclosed by Europe and therefore completely dependent on imports. After the news about rising prices and shortages, the first fruits and vegetables from Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Macedonia, Belarus, Serbia, Argentina and Costa Rica have arrived in the region. Besides this, the region relies on its own production and imports from the Russian regions of Rostov and Krasnodar.
Potatoes from Gurievsky, Russia, cost 11 Rouble (22 cents) per kilo; Belarusian tomatoes reach 30 Rouble (60 cents); aubergines from the Russian Volgograd cost 25 Rouble (50 cents) and peaches from Azerbaijan reach 65 Rouble (1.30 Euro).
Russia intercepted Polish produce
The Russian authorities intercepted a total of 93 tonnes of fruit and vegetables from Poland that the country was smuggling through Belarus. Eleven trucks, including apples, carrots, potatoes and plums, were intercepted on the Russian highways M-1 and M-13; the route Minsk-Moscow and Bryansk-Gomel, respectively. Poland was identified as the country of origin and the trucks had to return to Belarus.
Publication date: 9/5/2014
Author: Rudolf Mulderij


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Stating that the company faced challenges in e-commerce as the products were "bulky and voluminous" adding to "freight costs", he said, "we have overcome this by launching easy-to-ship, vacuum packed mattresses that can be delivered to consumers' doorsteps pan-India targeting digital native, millennials."
"We are working on developing high in-house capability in terms of logistics and last-mile delivery to overcome the supply chain challenges. We have separate factory lines dedicated to e-commerce products," he told PTI.
"A key trend this year is the record number of first time online-buyers. While the youth are primarily online buyers, 81 per cent of retail shoppers conduct online research before buying", he said.
Nearly 60 per cent of the market was in the 'unbranded category' and with the rising awareness of good quality sleep post-pandemic, there was a shift from 'unbranded to branded' and 'within branded to better quality brands', he said.
"This opportunity can be tapped more rapidly with e-commerce", he said.
To a query on the impact of pandemic on the company operations, he said, "we responded to the pandemic with agility and resilience. We used this time to understand how consumer needs were evolving and what were their expectations".
During the outbreak, the company forayed into the furniture business with the launch of 'work from home furniture' range and with consumers opting for purchase through e-commerce, the company launched a new 'shopper friendly' website.
On the plans to increase market share in the sleep solutions category, he said, "the company was building a pan-India presence through retail expansion. We are expanding manufacturing setups outside South India as well as foraying into new categories like home furnishing and furniture".
"The collaboration with (Bollywood actress) Alia Bhatt as the national brand ambassador is also a step in that direction", he said.
The company was eyeing to grow 20-25 per cent compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) as against the industry growth of 8-10 per cent, he said.


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Spotify Technology SA added more users and saw a surge in advertising revenue in its recently completed quarter as its podcast strategy takes hold despite backlash to its star host.
Neil Young last week removed his music from Spotify in protest to what he says is vaccine misinformation spread by podcaster Joe Rogan on the streaming service. The company has since made public its content policy and said it would begin to tag Covid-19-related content with an advisory prompting users to check out the service’s new hub for data-driven facts and up-to-date information from the health and scientific communities.
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The Huawei Honor 5X has already attracted attention as it offers real value for money. The mid-range smartphone released late last
Last week we reported that the Motorola Droid Turbo 2 would be rebranded for other regions as the Moto X Force.
Since the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 was made official earlier this month there have been many people itching for a release date.
The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact smartphone officially launched earlier this month and will soon release to various regions. If you’re in
The Nokia Lumia 530 release is slowly rolling out and a week ago we gave information from a report about UK availability,
The Nokia Lumia 635 smartphone is a new Windows Phone device to the market. This has some decent specs and an
Over the last couple of years we have seen a growth in the number of smartphones that have a screen size of
The arrival of the this year’s flagship smartphone from Sony has seen a slight delay but we now have news of the
Last year HTC decided to join the phablet smartphone market with a supersized version of its 2013 flagship handset, and now we
While the flagship HTC One M8 has been grabbing a lot of the headlines over the last few weeks the company has


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Billerud Korsnäs is concentrating MG kraft paper operations in Skärblacka in Sweden.
Swedish packaging paper and board company Billerud Korsnäs aims to divest the Beetham kraft paper mill in the UK. "Since Billerud Korsnäs' machine glazed (MG) paper business has primarily been focused in Skärblacka, the strategic importance of Beetham to the rest of the group has been reduced," the company explained.
Beetham mill has staff of 140 and produces machine glazed (MG) kraft paper for medical and food packaging applications. The mill has in installed capacity of 45,000 tpy and had sales of approximately SEK480m last year.
EUWID Pulp and Paper keeps busy professionals up-to-date on the latest news from international pulp and paper markets.
To gain full access to company news and in-depth market and price reports on major paper and board grades, raw materials and consumables consider subscribing to EUWID Pulp and Paper or start a three-week free trial.


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Cadbury has entirely eliminated use of the word "Easter" on the packaging of their chocolate candy products.
On 22 March 2016, the UK’s Daily Star newspaper published a sensational article reporting that Cadbury and other chocolate manufacturers had “banned” use of the word “Easter” on the packaging of their products in order “to stop ‘offending’ other religions”:
Cadbury is now selling a Dairy Milk “Egg Hunt Pack” while Nestlé advertises Aero’s “chocolate egg with bubbly bars”.
The E-word is apparently so offensive that posh chocolatiers Green & Blacks once described the most important date on the Christian calendar merely as “the festival of chocolate and loveliness”.
This prompted “angry and frustrated” campaigner David Marshall to set up the Meaningful Chocolate Company, in which his Fairtrade charity “Real Easter Egg” puts the religious message on to the packaging.
He said: “It’s deeply disappointing and shameful that some of the biggest companies in the country are censoring the centuries’ old tradition.
“It shows they’re insensitive and uncomfortable with the Christian faith.”
Several other UK newspapers picked up on the Daily Star‘s exaggerated reporting and asserted that the word “Easter” had been more prominently displayed on Cadbury products in recent years than it is now:
Although the pictured Cadbury “Egg Hunt Pack” does not prominently display the word “Easter” on the front of its packaging, Cadbury clearly hasn’t “banned” mention of that holiday in association with their products. For example, they also sell an “Easter Egg Hunt Gift” that comes in a box which clearly displays the phrase “Happy Easter” on its front:
Furthermore, a brief scan of the Cadbury‘s web site reveals at least four other mentions of the word “Easter” in additional to page dedicated to Easter gifts and another page directing people to local Easter Egg hunts. The company has also made frequent mentions of the holiday in their social media accounts:
While many of the company’s 2016 chocolate offerings do not mention the word “Easter” on the front of their packaging, some of those products plainly still do:
Cadbury maintains that no policy has been enacted to remove the word “Easter” from their packaging and that most of their products still reference “Easter” on the back of the packaging if not the front:
A Cadbury spokesman also offered a comment on the controversy to the Independent denying any effort to eliminate or downplay references to Easter:
“Most of our Easter eggs don’t say Easter or egg on the front as we don’t feel the need to tell people this — it is very obvious through the packaging that it is an Easter egg,” said the unnamed spokesperson, who denied that political or religious correctness is behind the move.
Although there may be some truth to the claim that the word “Easter” is not prominently displayed on all Cadbury chocolate products, the company has clearly not “banned” references to that holiday in their product packaging.
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DAILY BRIEFING: Australia's Macquarie completes purchase of Green Investment Bank
Australian investment bank Macquarie has completed its purchase of the formerly government-owned Green Investment Bank for £2.3bn.
Bosses pledged the fund will remain a leading investor in green infrastructure in the UK and Europe.
Macquarie has completed its purchase of the formerly government-owned Green Investment Bank for £2.3bn
Richard Howson, who stepped down as chief executive of construction services group Carillion last month after shares plunged nearly 60 per cent following £845m write-down, will work out his one-year notice as chief operating officer.
British biotech firm Destiny Pharma is to list on London’s junior stock market as it seeks £10m to develop treatments for superbugs.
The Brighton-based company wants to plough the cash into drugs that target bacterial infections in hospitals that are resistant against antibiotics.
Vishal Sikka, the chief executive of Indian tech firm Infosys, has resigned, blaming distractions amid a long-running row with the firm’s founders.
Chinese computer maker Lenovo has posted its first quarterly loss
South Korean car maker Hyundai is planning a major shift towards electric cars. It will launch an electric sedan under its Genesis brand with a range of 310 miles per charge.
Sausage maker Cranswick has appointed Pricewaterhouse Coopers as its auditor following Ernst & Young’s resignation.
Chinese computer maker Lenovo has posted its first quarterly loss – £56m during the second quarter, compared to £134m profit during the same period last year – in almost two years and warned of higher costs due to shortages of components such as memory chips.
Consumer giant Reckitt Benckiser has sold its food arm, which makes French’s mustard and Frank’s Hot Sauce, to US food company McCormick for £3.3bn.
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Electrocomponents has navigated choppy distribution market waters to post a 5% increase in Q2 sales to September, up 1% from Q1. Half year revenues grew 5%.
Electrocomponents Group has continued its progress under CEO Lindsley Ruth’s stewardship posting sparkling full-year figures and snapping up IESA, a UK-based provider of value-added outsourcing services to industrial customers for £88 million.
Strong growth in Central Europe and Asia Pacific has propelled Electrocomponents to14% revenue growth in the first four months of its financial year to the end of January. All regions performed well. Asia Pacific’s 22% revenue growth led the charge followed by a 17% uptick for Central Europe.
Electrocomponents has topped £1 billion of annual digital revenues, a milestone which says the company endorses its policy of continuous investment in digital innovation. In recent years the…
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Mark Warner plots return to profit as losses are slashed from £2.5m to £226k
Action packed: Mark Warner specialises in activity and family-friendly breaks
Not enough snow, not enough sunshine – both can spell trouble for Mark Warner, which runs ski holidays as well as upmarket summer packages.
But the London-based operator has managed to reduce losses despite battling with bad weather.
Poor snow conditions in the 2010-11 winter had a ‘significant impact’ overall on the season, said the company’s directors.
However, a more positive note was sounded last summer, which was ‘considerably better’ than the previous year.
Turnover for the year to last October was a fraction down at £38.5 million, but pre-tax losses due to high costs and administrative expenses fell to £226,000 from £2.5 million.
If the trend continues, Mark Warner should be back in the black next year with a new reservations system, a hotel in Rhodes and special offers fuelling early bookings.
Directors said they remained ‘cautious’ about the outlook, but were confident they could match the number of flights and rooms they offered to customer demand.
Mark Warner was founded in 1974 by Mark Chitty and Andrew Searle with one ski chalet in Switzerland and has since grown handle 50,000 holidaymakers a year. It is particularly popular with families, offering tennis, water sports and childcare.
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Sony Confirms Used Games Will Work with the PS4; But GameStop is Still in Trouble
GameStop can rest a little easier today because Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida confirmed with Eurogamer that used PlayStation 4 games will in fact work with the next-generation console. This comes after months of speculation that an anti-used game measure would disbarred gamers from playing preowned video games on the PS4, thanks to a Sony patent dug up by journalists.
When the website blatantly asked Yoshida if “Used Games can play on the PS4,” Yoshida responded by saying: “Yes. That’s the general expectation by consumers,” he said. “They purchase physical form, they want to use it everywhere, right? So that’s my expectation.”
Well there’s no actual proof that Sony was ever intending to block used games on the PlayStation 4, they must of heard some of the blowback from its loyal customers. The Internet was filled with outrage when this patent surfaced last year. It even made the gaming retailer GameStop panic because an enormous part of their business is selling used software. At one point, Gamestop released an internal survey that had statistics that “proved” a majority of their customers wouldn’t purchase a new system if it had a feature to block used games.
Blocking used games on the PlayStation 4 could be a PR nightmare. So, in the end Sony isn’t outright blocking used games; however, they have another way of killing the preowned business. During their press conference last night, the company had an emphasis on digital downloads. They even implemented a feature that once a person purchases a game, you can play it right away, before it’s even finished downloading. So combined that with the ease of purchasing something online digitally, GameStop can’t have the inventory they once had, most people won’t own physical copies to sell back to the retailer, and at one point Gamestop won’t be able to sustain 4500 stores across the world.
So again, I’m sure GameStop can breathe a little easier today. But they have a much bigger uphill battle in the future. They’re not going to be selling as many new titles as they once were, thanks to digital distribution. And because of that, there won’t be enough physical copies to buyback from their customers. And the endless cycle of a person buying a new game, and then selling it back to GameStop, and then Gamestop selling the used copy to another customer, will eventually come to an end without Sony ever needing to block used video games on their next-generation platform.


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One third of Americans interested in digital assistants
As consumer lifestyles become more and more automated, the appeal of digital assistants and the ability to control the home via voice command is growing in popularity. New research from Mintel reveals that nearly one third (31 percent) of Americans own or would like to own a digital assistant.
“The next 10 years will be marked by a transition away from screen-based interfaces and toward voice-based interfaces provided by digital assistants, such as Amazon Echo’s Alexa, Google Home’s Assistant, Microsoft’s Cortana, Samsung’s Bixby, and Apple’s Siri. Mintel predicts that as consumers become more accustomed to interacting with digital assistants on smartphones and computers, interest in controlling their homes via voice command is likely to grow, becoming a central point in a long-term shift that will permanently alter how we interact with technology,” said Billy Hulkower, Senior Technology and Media Analyst at Mintel.
When it comes to the latest smart home technology, the tech product Americans are most interested in owning or already own is a smart thermostat (37 percent). A variety of new tech products are also hitting the mainstream across the country. In addition to smart thermostats, other new tech products Americans own or would like to own include convertible laptops/tablets (36 percent), virtual reality (VR) headsets (30 percent), 3D printers (28 percent) and smart earbuds (23 percent).
“As products like smart thermostats and smart earbuds gain in adoption, the expectation is that consumers will want their other personal and home smart devices to operate on the same software systems. Manufacturers and service providers currently focusing their research and development budgets on products that utilize this new interface stand to gain the most,” continued Hulkower.
Mintel research reveals the smart home products Americans most commonly own or are interested in owning center around home security, such as outdoor security cameras (35 percent) and door/window sensors (33 percent). While just under one quarter (24 percent) of US adults show interest in having indoor security cameras in their homes, this number rises to well over half (58 percent) of parents that would like to check on their children and nearly two in five (39 percent) Americans overall who are worried about leaving their pet at home.
Going green is also an important driver for smart home purchases, and counter to stereotypes about youthful passion for environmental concerns, this is especially true among older Americans. One third (33 percent) of consumers believe it’s almost always worth the extra cost to buy the most energy-efficient products, with this number rising to more than half (52 percent) of those aged 75 or older. Older generations seem especially engaged in this matter as Americans aged 75+ are also significantly more likely to believe that saving energy is a moral obligation (50 percent) and are more likely to be interested in learning about new products that use less energy (44 percent), compared to 37 percent of consumers overall, respectively.
“Our research shows that older generations in particular see value in energy efficient products, indicating that energy savings may be an ideal way to bring demographics less impressed by new technology into purchasing smart home systems,” continued Hulkower. “We also see that parents and pet owners represent clear targets for indoor cameras to monitor the home, highlighting a bright spot for the segment.”
The way Americans are consuming media and using the internet are also evolving. While email is still the most dominant form of online communication (98 percent in 2017 vs 97 percent in 2015), other forms of communication, including sharing photos and videos (72 percent), instant messaging (68 percent), and audio and video chatting (54 percent), are in the midst of rising adoption. What’s more, the popularity of online video and music streaming is increasing among Americans: today, nearly four in five (79 percent) say they have streamed video, compared to just 70 percent in 2015, and two thirds (65 percent) report streaming music in 2017, compared to 59 percent in 2015.
Not surprisingly, the internet can also be for lovers, especially among younger generations. Nearly one in five (18 percent) US adults say they have used an online dating service, with nearly double the amount (32 percent) of Millennials (aged 23-40) saying they’ve dated online.
“The next phase in communications will lie with enabling users to create their own multimedia products, including video and augmented reality tags. Emoticons, voice interfaces, pinning and memes all provide early glimpses into what the future looks like – personal takes on news and popular culture are now part of communication itself, rather than just the subject of it. We’re transitioning into a stylized, post-literate society in which digital communication is itself a form of art,” concluded Hulkower.


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Starbucks comes to HuttoGrand opening slated for July 28
A Starbucks Coffee Company store will open off Hwy. 79 near Ed Schmidt Blvd. in Hutto on July 28, a Starbucks spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. Starbucks sells coffee and tea drinks, pastries and pre-prepared snacks and meals, according to the company’s website. The new location will mark the first Starbucks location in Hutto.Read more “We are always excited to welcome a new business to Hutto and Starbucks will be a great addition,” said Erin Klingemann, interim president for the Hutto Economic Development Corp. “The location on 79 will attract more highway traffic to stop in our city.” The store hours will […]
The post Starbucks comes to Hutto
Grand opening slated for July 28 appeared first on Community Impact Newspaper.
Source: Community Impact- Round Rock


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Fashion and cents inspire Valley men
Own 2 vintage clothing shops
BOARDMAN — Two young men from the Valley have profited from self-expression and the vintage clothing trend to grow their business dreams since 2020.
Michael Jones and David Meadows came up with the idea of selling used clothing at market price shortly after Meadows finished high school. They now own two Vintage of 330 clothing resale stores — one at 4400 Market St. in Boardman, and the other in Wedgewood Plaza in Austintown.
Moving from LaBrae to Austintown and then the Niles school district, Meadows, 22, said that during his upbringing, he faced difficulty to fit in with fashion trends. His family’s lack of finances influenced him to go out and thrift for the things he liked and could afford.
Jones, 24, who went to Warren City Schools his whole life, said his older brother, who died 10 years ago, started to impact his fashion sense at the age of 14.
“My older brother was always into fashion,” Jones said. “He was 16 when he passed, but before he passed away, me, my younger brother Marlon, and him would always compete and trade clothing. I’ve always cared about fashion. Whether I was going to school or Skate Zone back then, if I wasn’t dressed well enough to wear what I wanted to wear, I wasn’t going.”
“I had an extreme interest in fashion,” Meadows said. “I felt it was very easy for my peers to see it too. Even as a young kid, I would always wear stuff that would make my friends say that I was the friend that could kind of wear anything. And I’ve always wanted to dress nice because when I was real, real young, my family wasn’t as fortunate to be able to put me in whatever I wanted. So, I would always thrive with what I had, to look the best I could.”
While attending Austintown Middle School, Meadows said he remembers it being a “wealthier, more well to do” place.
“I came from a school that didn’t have a dress code,” he said. “When I went to Austintown, it was like I really had to try to keep up. So, I started going to thrift stores real young and finding things. Then I would come to school and people would ask me where I got my clothes.”
Meadows said he was, at first, nervous to admit to some of his wealthier friends that he was a thrifter, shopping at Goodwills around town. But they eventually would say, “‘No, this is sweet.'”
With almost no exact answer for the age he gravitated most toward fashion, Meadows said, “there were a couple of key points in my life.”
Meadows said his dad wanted him to play sports, which made him like basketball shoes.
“Then there was a mix of me skateboarding,” he continued, “And today’s fashion predominantly revolves around skateboarding and most people don’t even know it. The chunky shoes, baggy pants, and even more of the hyper brands like Supreme, Palace and Bape (A Bathing Ape), a lot of that was the stuff that the skaters were wearing.”
Though Meadows spent significant time skateboarding, after shoes by famous skaters Rob Dyrdek and Ryan Scheckler, and Nike sports shoes from the likes of Kevin Durant and LeBron James, he said his biggest influence came from his father.
“My dad had me at 16 years old,” Meadows said. “So, I really got a lot of the ’90s style from him. He would tell me all about Nautica and Tommy (Hillfiger), and Gemco Jeans — orange tab Levi’s. And I got a lot of music influence from him, whether it was Nirvana, or the Chili Peppers, or anything in that realm. I got back and looked at photos of my dad, and he’s in a pair of Carhartt shorts, standing in Converse ‘1 Stars’ and a Nirvana shirt. So that influence is huge on where fashion really started for me.”
“I really kept doing it once I got validated for it by my peers,” said Meadows, who is best friends with Jones’ younger brother. “Once I got to (Niles-McKinely) freshman year, I just kept thrifting. It would get to the point where even if I didn’t find something that fit me, I just kept it.”
The two met, Jones said, because Meadows always would trade shoes and clothes with their mutual friends.
“Eventually, we all kind of came together and realized that we loved clothing,” Jones said.
“We love vintage; we love to thrift. And by this time, I’ve got about 5,000 pieces of clothing just in my personal collection. So, by the time me and David were close, and I was living on campus, we came up with the idea that we should start doing a pop-up at the house. And that’s sort of how everything evolved for us. We got put on the news, and more kids found out about us.”
In 2020, Jones said he began to see fewer young people shopping at local malls, and that Youngstown did not have a store like theirs yet.
Soon after being introduced to Jones, Meadows pitched the idea of using Jones’ formerly rented house on Youngstown State University’s campus to set up racks and showcase clothing for sale during weekly parties.
“We did it and just absolutely cashed out,” the pair said. Jones said one of their main points of profiting was to make sure things were reasonably priced for the younger crowd of customers.
Stores that embrace the same culture of clothing, in bigger cities, most of the time, charge higher than Vintage of 330, Jones and Meadows said, “Something we’ll always keep is making sure things are affordable for everyone.”
Jones admitted that their prices have gone up a slightly but only because of their expenses rising.
“Whether it’s rent, we have two rents now, or even just buying the clothing now, because vintage has gotten more popular. And after COVID, we lost a lot of the markets we went to to get our stuff. We still have to survive, but we still beat big city prices by at least 50%,” Jones said.
“Vintage” wear has grown huge in popularity, in young peoples’ fashion space, over the past 10 years. And as Meadows confirmed, it may be reaching a point where “grailed” clothing, or “few-of-a-kind” pieces are losing some value in uniqueness.
“I think we’re definitely getting to an awkward point in fashion,” Meadows said. “There’s always eras of certain things. And being in Ohio, we’re two steps behind where fashion really is. When something starts in New York City and Los Angeles, it’s like we catch on to that style a year later, if we’re not really in tune. Let’s say in LA, six months ago, the baggier style started to come back, and just now, our customer base is sort of catching up to that. And they’re like, ‘well, where are the Carhartt double knees, or where are the carpenter pants?’ But with Grailed (the website), it gives people an outlet to go get the things they want. And when they want it, they’ll pay whatever for it.”
From Meadows’ perspective, many customers who come into the stores believe that he and Jones scour all local thrift stores to find their stock.
“We don’t want to take all of the credit for it in this area,” Meadows said. “But we did give a good push to make it way harder to go to thrift stores and find stock in the Valley. Once we opened a store, and were the only store within an hour radius, everyone looked to going to thrifts. So, going to the thrifts out here got a little bit saturated. But if you keep to it, you can still find good stuff.”
Anything over 20 years old is now becoming vintage, the store owners said.
“But there is a big stepping stone,” Meadows added. “True vintage would be ’20s, ’30s, ’40s, ’50s, ’60s, and anything above would be regular vintage. It only hones the name ‘true vintage’ if something is starting to be 60 to 70 years old. That stuff is really hard to find. But with the area we’re in, it’s such a niche market. If I get a 50-year-old pair of bell bottoms, there’s not many people in the area that express that side of their fashion taste, or to go to downtown Youngstown in them. They might be scared that someone would look at them differently. But if you live in California or New York, it’s something you’ll see everyday. You wouldn’t know what to expect.”
The two young business owners began bargaining with clients and buying wholesale to stock their racks.
“Last week I spent around $2,000 on clothes,” Meadows said. “Basically, I was able to get a $10 shirt that I could sell for $20 at a 50% margin. The more you spend, the better price you’re going to get with a wholesaler. The problem is finding a wholesaler that will stay loyal to you and be able to supply your store with stock.”
Vintage of 330 opening a second store in Boardman has allowed them to increase their profits and welcome a wider range of buyers beyond Austintown. But with a second location, the difficulty of getting “good” supply has risen.
While he stays modest at the suggestion that he is an “old soul,” Meadows said one of his favorite things to do outside of collecting vintage clothing is collecting old-school cars, and working on them, with his grandfather.
“Even simple things like changing brakes,” Meadows said. “I think one of the best feelings is learning from him. Spending time doing the things that, I guess, people my age aren’t really doing anymore.”
As they plan to continue growing the business to its fullest potential, they do have aspirations about opening a store in another city.
“I guess the goal for me and Mike is really just to make some passive income,” Meadows said. “Me and him have talked about maybe getting a driving range, or a laundromat, or car wash, but as of right now it’s like we’re not even at work. Like they say, when you do your dream job, it doesn’t even feel like work. So with passive income, it makes things even easier.”
Jones and Meadows love the idea of staying central, but moving is certainly a possibility. The pair has discussed moving, even from state to state, and they joke about the question: “If we were to move, would we still be Vintage of 330, or would we adopt another area code?”
While Jones and Meadows say they would love to work with Youngstown State University and their fashion program, they’ve begun connecting and trying not to be “quiet” about what they do.
“Austintown is the original for us, if we open up 10 stores, I want there to always be that original thing that we have about us,” Jones said. “And number one is going to be our name and our location. I think what got us this far is just staying original and not changing on people. I’m not saying I don’t think change is good, but if we kept the name Vintage of 330 in any city we go to, it’s going to stay different. And if you go to a store in Chicago and see a Vintage of 330, you’re going to know who it is.”
To suggest a Saturday profile, contact Features Editor Burton Cole at email@example.com or Metro Editor Marly Reichert at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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China’s coronavirus has proven deadly, and it has taken over a thousand lives. However, there is another somewhat overlooked consequence of this terrible virus. China is a major exporter of consumer goods of every type, such as electronics, fashion accessories, and toys. Since the virus, trade freighters are stranded at Chinese harbors. They are refusing to enter China, leaving the rest of the world in desperate need of many commodities.
Western companies such as Hasbro, Inc., and major designers such as Michael Kors, Versace, and Jimmy Choo find themselves unable to meet customers’ demand for goods. In addition, companies that sell goods to Chica are eager to be released from their trade agreements. The situation is getting worse every day as normal global trade is being upended.
Hundreds of millions of traders are simply refusing to deal with or go to China. One shipment of needed commodities can be worth millions. Ships are no longer loading or unloading goods. Thus far, more than 27 ships have refused to trade during the month of February. More than half a million 20-foot shipping containers are currently sitting idly. If a single container is valued at $1,000, shippers have taken a loss of $600 million in just one week. The demand for containers has dropped significantly from last year.
Car manufacturers are being affected, as well. Hyundai Motor Co. has had to cease production of some of its cars that require parts being imported from Serbia. Shippers are unwilling to trade with China at this time. Chrysler NV in Serbia is ceasing operations because they cannot obtain needed parts from China.
Airlines have temporarily stopped flights to China. Even when flights resume, there is every chance that demand will be considerably lower than in the Fourth Quarter of last year. This will hurt the bottom line of many airline companies.
The need for coal and iron has dropped as a result of delays created by the coronavirus. The huge freighters that usually transport these two commodities are now taking in less than $2,500 on a daily basis. This doesn’t even come close to paying the crews.
The United States and China were already engaged in a trade war prior to the coronavirus, as each country imposed billions of dollars of trade tariffs on the other. This virus could very well intensify the trade war again between the two countries.
The United States, as well as other countries, are now exploring the possibility of greater diversification from China. But more than likely, the United States and China will continue to trade. Their economies have become dependent on each other. This dependency is unavoidable. China has a 12 percent share in all global trade. That means many countries have become dependent on Chinese goods.
How worried are United States companies? The United States is accustomed to dealing with obstacles. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has indicated this would be a good time to bring back some overseas jobs to the U.S. ″I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America. Some to the U.S., some to Mexico as well.”
In January, the United States and China entered into trade agreements that committed China to purchase $200 billion worth of American goods. With the coronavirus causing global havoc, agreements have taken a step back. How will this play out in the future?
China and the U.S. have been vying for trade superiority. The trade war has just escalated.


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New York Fashion Week is coming up on September 8, with all eyes on the clothing on and off the runway.
Attendees tend to go to the shows dressed to impress in their finest designer goods. The VIP guests always jumpstart some new trend or breakout piece, like that 2019 season when everyone wore the Bottega heels. Yet, behind the scenes, fashion publicists—as in, the clipboard and earpiece-clad professionals who organize and run the shows—are just as chic (though they often eschew the spotlight). One of the reasons they’re hard to spot come showtime is because of the industry standard, all-black uniform they wear while ushering in important guests—but these eight publicists rise above the standard and consistently embody their personal style on the job.
Their fashion aesthetics range from the artistic (Comme des Garçons’ head of communications and marketing, Daphne Seybold, for instance, sports the label’s voluminous wears


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Japanese cafe chain % Coffee to expand in China
Japanese cafe chain % Coffee is preparing to launch new locations in China and Hong Kong.
The business is planning to open its fourth Hong Kong store at Monster Mansion in the middle of next month, its 27th location worldwide. Meanwhile, the franchise’s head roaster Takahiro Uemisha is stationed in Shenzhen preparing for the opening of three locations in the city, scheduled to open within the coming months.
Shanghai will see two % Coffee stores emerging in Xintiandi and Fangsuo Bookstore. Both locations are being designed by the brand’s new architect Alexis Dornier.
The Kyoto-headquartered coffee chain is preparing to open its first store in Singapore as well as plotting expansion into Indonesia, Malaysia and India.
With its slogan “See the world through coffee”, % Coffee has built a strong following via social media. As well as its Asian foray, the company has outlets in Germany and several Middle East markets, with plans for France, Morocco and Canada.
The Japanese cafe chain was founded in 2014 by Japan-born Kenneth Shoji who grew a love for the beverage while studying in California.


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IMAX Acquires SSIMWAVE for $21M, Wants To Enable The Highest Quality Video On Any Screen
IMAX has announced their acquisition of Ontario based SSIMWAVE, which licenses their AI-driven video quality technology to media and entertainment companies that includes Disney, Paramount Global, and Warner Bros. Discovery. IMAX is paying $18.5 million in cash and $2.5 million in stock for SSIMWAVE with additional earnout consideration of $4 million, subject to achieving certain operating performance and financial objectives.
To date, SSIMWAVE had raised just a few million dollars (under $5 million) and funded their entire operations based on the contracts they signed in the market. The company employees 40 people and the CEO tells me all employees including the current management team at SSIMWAVE will stay on with the acquisition. SSIMWAVE will be a fully owned subsidiary of IMAX but will keep operating independently and falls under IMAX Enhanced division.
This is an interesting acquisition for IMAX and a great fit for SSIMWAVE since IMAX has recently begun working on what they are informally calling IMAX 3.0. Their goal is to expand beyond film exhibition and add a regular slate of concerts, stand-up comedy performances and sporting events. The company also launched a major streaming partnership with Disney+ in Q4 of last year and created a series of exclusive events connecting theatrical and streaming. As part of that relationship, Disney has enhanced variations of select streaming titles on Disney+. The titles feature an expanded aspect ratio of 1.90:1 and allows viewers to see up to 26% more of the original image.
This is a great tie up for both companies since they are both focused on video quality. IMAX is all about the user experience within a theatre and it’s why consumers pay more for a ticket in IMAX. Using SSIMWAVE’s technology and expertise, IMAX wants to take that same approach with the use experience and bring a specific level of video quality to consumers at home. I’m excited to see what an enhanced video quality experience looks like within the home.


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Yesterday, Marina Go, general manager of Hearst Australia brands ELLE, Harper’s BAZAAR and COSMOPOLITAN, told B&T about her time at Bauer and hopes for her successor. In part two of our exclusive chat with Go, she revealed the tricks to keeping print alive in the digital age.
In our interview, Go strongly agreed with the sentiment, “If magazines don’t take risks, they’ll die”, adding that it was about the balance between constant evolution and maintaining brand consistency.
“I love print, but everything has a time and a place now,” she explained. “People that buy magazines are digitally-savvy, and they love it in the context of a magazine.
“But I do think we have to stop this thinking that we’re creating a magazine, and if it’s good enough people will find it. Because you know what? They won’t.
“The mantra now is if the content is good enough it’ll find me. That’s what millennials say. And Facebook has done that to us. Millennials expect that content will come to them, so it’s completely at odds with them that they would go seeking out something, unless we tell them to or give them a good enough reason to. Therefore, it’s up to us to reach them.”
Go said she hopes this will be enough to keep the print product alive.
“I believe in magazines; I believe in the fact that they add value to a person’s life. There is a time in your day or in your week or in your month, depending on how you read magazines and what you use them for, when magazines have meaning.
we have to keep in mind, what is the place of magazines?
“And we’ve spent the last few years finding that meaning, and really focusing on what a magazine means to readers now in the context of everything else that they’re dealing with in the news cycle and in their day. They’re constantly being interrupted by all sorts of media. But we have to keep in mind, what is the place of magazines?
“I don’t think the struggle is that magazines are suddenly irrelevant. I feel like the way we market to readers has to change and maybe the way we distribute them has to change.”
Go is currently working on two media-related projects, which she says will keep her involved in the industry while she pursues her new role. Something she says is “very dear” to her is a mentoring program she has developed with a friend that helps young women in their career, which is called Breakthrough Blueprint.
The second project is a geo-location, push notification retail app called Daily Siren, that aims to drive more foot traffic into stores.
Speaking about the latter, Go said she hopes this kind of technology might help keep the physical print product of magazines alive for longer.
“I’m hoping that this has application for magazines, because one of the challenges I’ve noticed in the time I’ve been working here, is that the consumers that buy our magazines absolutely love them, but the marketing is so fragmented now and consumers by nature – certainly the millennial generation – are not necessarily going to the places where we sell magazines.
“So in some ways, there’s no more stumbling over a magazine and being delighted by a cover when you find it. I feel like the casual readers are not there anymore.
“What I’m hoping is that we can use something like this push notification app to remind people that magazines are on sale when they’re near a newsagent or supermarket. Then hopefully the ones who say they love it but don’t know when it’s on sale will actually go into the store and buy it.
we have to stop this thinking that we’re creating a magazine, and if it’s good enough people will find it. Because you know what? They won’t.
“Think about it – how do we remind people that a magazine is on sale? When I was a magazine editor years ago, consumers were all on the same cycle, which was a monthly cycle. As a magazine reader and as a magazine editor, we were all working to the same on-sale date.
“Now, our consumers are on a 24/7 news cycle – some of them don’t know what month it is – they certainly don’t know when the magazine is on sale next.
“Whereas when I read Dolly as a teenager I would be the first one at the newsagent on the Monday morning because I knew that the new one was coming out. Our readers don’t know anymore; they don’t even know if they’ve missed one.
“And as publishers, the opportunity to market to them is so fragmented now, it’s really difficult to reach them unless you reach them via phone. Which is why I feel like the [Daily Siren] app could be a good opportunity.
Quizzed on what looks to be the most promising trend for 2017 in the print world, Go said it’s still all about mobile.
“I still think that whatever happens next, it’s the smartphone that we have to completely remain across, and think very carefully how to use this to our advantage so that we remain at least in some relationship with the consumer on a personal level. Otherwise the consumer takes full control and we could be cut out,” Go warned.
there’s no more stumbling over a magazine and being delighted by a cover when you find it. I feel like the casual readers are not there anymore.
“The smartphone is the only way to reach people on a personal level. I don’t think we’ve yet exhausted the whole need for personalisation in terms of consumers wanting to feel like things have been specifically created for them.
“And I think that’s one of the benefits of a magazine, actually. The most personal form of media has always been a magazine, because it’s created for a specific audience. Whereas in the digital world, there’s a lot of content and you’ve got to filter it.
“I think the greatest challenges have always been understanding the customer; making sure you never sit comfortably and assume that customer behaviour is always going to be consistent. Staying one step ahead or at least in line with changing customer behaviour us the most challenging thing.
“You have to be reminded that your readers have different lives to people working in publishing, and the things we think really matter don’t always matter as much to them, but something else might matter more to them.
“So just making sure we always remain in touch with our consumer is, to me, the most important thing.”
Liz Cambage, Australian basketball star, has taken to social media to criticise a lack of racial diversity in recent Australian Olympic Committee photoshoots, indicating she may boycott the Tokyo games. Cambage is a member of the Australian Opals basketball team, and has played in a number of elite leagues including the WNBL, where she played […]
Massachusetts state attorney Maura Healey has sued Publicis Health, a subsidiary of Publicis Groupe SA, over allegations of deceptive marketing. Healey argued that Publicis Health used unfair, deceptive marketing tactics to sell a powerful, addictive prescription painkiller called OxyContin on behalf of Purdue Pharma. According to the suit, “dangerous opioid drugs continue to kill hundreds […]
B&T’s Research Agency Of The Year, strategic insights consultancy Nature, was a big winner at the Research Society Awards last night, taking home four prestigious honours. Nature won the Research Effectiveness Award for Technology and Innovation for its work for Don KRC; Managing Partner Chris Crook (main photo) was accepted into the Research Society’s Fellowship; […]
Australasia’s leading independent creative company, Special Group, has been named the world’s best Creative and Independent Agency of the Year by one of the world’s most prestigious advertising titles – the United Kingdom’s Campaign. Special Group – which has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Los Angeles – was named Global Agency of the Year […]
The winners of Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards have just been announced, honoring the businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that are actively engaged and deeply committed to pursuing innovation when it comes to solving health and climate crises, social injustice, or economic inequality. Losing Lena by Clemenger BBDO Sydney was a finalist in […]
Adland's future was on display at yesterday's Young Lions. Sadly, the B&T's editor's plumbers crack was also on display.
A highlight of Australia’s creative calendar, The Design Conference celebrates its 10th conference with a cracking line-up of 20+ speakers when it returns to Brisbane Powerhouse from Wednesday 16 – Friday 18 June 2021. Over the last ten years, The Design Conference has evolved into one of the world’s premier professional development opportunities at the […]
Sydney-based design studio Universal Favourite launched a new branding for US beauty brand Youthforia, whose mission is to make makeup more playful. To appeal to a Gen Z market bored by the minimal aesthetic approach adopted by most beauty brands, Universal Favourite created a maximalist identity. The result is purposefully messy, uncurated, raw.
APRA AMCOS, a music rights management organisation for Australian and New Zealand songwriters and music publishers, has engaged Klarrio to help modernise its IT architecture and accelerate its digital transformation journey. Klarrio, a systems integrator specialising in real-time data streaming and customised IT architecture modernisation, is helping APRA AMCOS migrate from an on-premise, single-threaded processing […]


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A television advertisement from Iceland calling for a Christmas "favorable to orangutans" was banned for too much politics.
The frozen food giant is campaigning against the use of palm oil in the manufacture of food and cosmetics, which is destroying the rainforest.
In her 90-second drawing, an orangutan baby shows a girl a digger tearing trees, saying, "There is a human in my forest and I do not know what to do. He took my mom and I'm afraid he's taking me too.
The short film, called Rang-Tan, ends with: "Dedicated to the 25 orangutans we lose each day."
Watchdog Clearcast, which evaluates advertisements against the Broadcast Code of Conduct, was "concerned that it does not comply with the political rules."
Iceland will remove palm oil from all private label food by the end of the year and has already removed it from the lines, including meat pies. The boss Richard Walker said, "The highlight of our palm oil project is the choice of a Christmas friendly to orangutans. We wanted to take it into account. "
Iceland will instead post this announcement on YouTube today.


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When you go to a strip club, you know you are going to come home with your pockets feeling a whole lot lighter. Enjoying the night at a gentleman’s establishment is a pricey thing. You have bottle service, lap dances, private lap dances, and tips. But one man is currently being sued because he found a way to beat the strip club system.
Houston strip club named Privilege is suing a Texas banker named James Jay Beckman, a banker for the CIT Group, for running up a tab worth about $321,000 in one month and not paying the bill. According to the lawsuit, Beckman made 14 trips to the club and charged everything to his company card. However, Privilege says they never got paid because after Beckman paid his tab with his business credit card, he called up American Express and complained about unauthorized charges. American Express removed all of the charges from the credit card and canceled their relationship with the strip club. Now Privilege is claiming they have lost the ability to process Amex credit cards and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue.
Here’s where things get interesting. This allegedly isn’t the first time Beckman has pulled a scam like this. According to the lawsuit, the banker ran up a tab at another strip club and pulled the same move. A lawyer in Houston is saying he is representing various strip clubs where James Beckman did the same thing.
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Grey scoops Agency Network of the Year gong at Effies
LONDON - Grey EMEA has won Agency Network of the Year for the fourth consecutive year at the EACA Euro Effie awards, winning four awards including a gold for Coke Zero.
The network scooped the gong at the awards ceremony in Brussels last night, after taking four trophies in three categories: FMCG, pharmaceutical and healthcare, and automotive.
Grey Copenhagen took a gold award for the holistic communications campaign "As it should be" for Coke Zero, while Grey London took a silver for P&G Lenor and its "Disappear the sustainability initiative" campaign.
Grey London also won a bronze for GSK Corega and its "Celebrity Testimonials" campaign, and Atletico International won a bronze for Seat Altea XL and "Toys".
Carolyn Carter, president and CEO of Grey Group Europe, Middle East & Africa, said: "In today's tough business environment, driving brand growth through effective communications is more important than ever before.
"Our success year after year is a great testament to the successful teamwork between our agencies and our clients."
The Euro Effies are organised by the European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA), and reward campaigns that build brands across two or more EU countries.
Dominic Lyle, director general of EACA. said: "Grey EMEA has demonstrated once again a unique ability to deliver proven effective business results for its clients - across categories and across communications disciplines. To win Agency Network of the Year for the fourth year in a row is nothing short of outstanding."
This article was first published on brandrepublic.com
- Deputy Creative Director - Integrated/shopper agency The Industry Club London Ltd £75,000, London (Greater)
- Golden Globe Accounts - Digital Account Manager - (Brand Led) Ultimate Asset £30000 - £35000 per annum, London (Central), London (Greater)
- Lead UX Designer Digital Gurus £35000 - £45000 Per Annum, London (Greater)
- Operations Manager- global creative agency, Amsterdam, £60k Gabriele Skelton £60000 per annum, Netherlands
- Social Media Manager - FS Jarlett de Grouchy £37000 per annum + Fully Comprehensive Benefits, London (Central), London (Greater)
- BBC to end exclusive Red Bee Media production deal
- Bloomberg appoints Matt Teeman as commercial director EMEA
- Samsung celebrates Prince George's birthday
- Virgin Holidays launches digital Caribbean push
- Captain Morgan Facebook ad banned for suggesting alcohol conquers boredom
- Happy birthday Mr Ad Server: the future of RTB


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The Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), its stock price surged over threefold in 2023, driven by high demand for AI chips. However, Asian chip makers, responsible for Nvidia’s chips, are seeing their lowest earnings in years.
Investors optimistic about Nvidia’s ongoing impressive performance should take heed of the challenges the global advanced chip industry is currently facing.
Nvidia’s exceptional rally is linked to its crucial role in AI-related technology, including ChatGPT and self-driving cars, with its high-performance graphics processing units leading sales.
Nvidia excels in boosting computing platforms with high-quality graphics processing units. Its chips are used widely, from gaming to data centers. The company has pivoted to AI and self-driving technology for growth. Despite a $1 trillion market cap, there are many metrics point to potential overvaluation.
From a price-sales ratio of 42-times to an Enterprise Value/EBITDA ratio of 165-times, Nvidia is among the most expensive companies in the world. Most investors won’t dispute that.
Of course, you get what you pay for. And many investors are wiling to pay up for this quality.
But, NVDA stock seems considerably overpriced. This suggests potential lower returns compared to future business growth.
Even with its solid financials, Nvidia’s growth ranks lower than 53.12% of peers in the Semiconductors industry. (That’s partly due to the company’s absolute size at current levels, but still).
Nvidia’s growth is hindered by limited capacity, as AI chips remain a small part of overall sales. Sharing resources with clients like Apple, chip oversupply masks future risks.
Gaming and crypto sectors, also dependent on Nvidia chips, have to compete for supply. Threats include chip engineer shortages and rising Taiwan-China tensions.
With the rising complexity of machine learning models like generative AI, more chips are needed to meet computing demands. Nvidia stands to gain from the AI trend, but supply constraints and market growth pace must be considered by investors.
Conference Call on Aug. 23
NVIDIA is set to hold a conference call on August 23, 2 p.m. PT, discussing its Q2 fiscal year 2024 results. The call will be available on investor.nvidia.com with a Q&A session limited to financial analysts and institutional investors.
Prior to the call, CFO Colette Kress will share written commentary on the results at approximately 1:20 p.m. PT.
UBS analyst Timothy Arcuri advises holding onto Nvidia shares before its August 23 Q2 earnings. Arcuri raised the price target to $540, citing short-term supply constraints leading to better profitability.
Saudi Arabia and UAE stockpiling Nvidia GPUs for their AI plans also contribute to optimism.
I’m optimistic about Nvidia’s future. It’s not just hardware and software sales; Nvidia is also investing in AI ventures. However, the AI landscape is changing, and Nvidia’s valuation might be high compared to its fundamentals, even considering 2025 growth estimates.
Consider selling NVDA shares for profits if you hold any and await a share price decrease. Nvidia is strong in a rapidly growing niche, but pricey stocks are susceptible during market shifts. Caution is advised for potential Nvidia investments.
On the date of publication, Chris MacDonald did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.