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For Christmas, Colin Stovel, 11, had his heart set on one of Lego's new electronic or science fiction sets, like Star Wars or Mindstorms. His father, Herb, 53, still pines for the old Lego pirate ship, which the company eliminated a few years ago.
The differing tastes of Colin and his father, a Unesco employee in Rome -- one looking for the latest fashion, the other seeking nostalgia for the tried-and-true -- are one strand of the toy industry upheaval that has helped to cloud the fortunes of Lego, the Danish multinational that built its fame on the popular interlocking play bricks. Recently, however, it lost its way as it sought to incorporate electronics and licensed toys into its product mix.
Last year, Lego System reported losses of about $105 million, its largest ever, and only the second in the company's history, after a $24.5 million loss in 1998. The poor results led to a change in management. Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen -- the family patriarch whose grandfather, a village woodworker, began making toys in 1933 to rescue his business from the Depression -- turned over day-to-day management to an outsider, Poul Plougmann, who had built his reputation as a turnaround artist reorganizing Bang & Olufsen, the maker of stylish electronics components.
The changes facing Lego challenge the very culture of a company whose employees stress its mission to promote the skills and imagination of children.Continue reading the main story
''We are taking a great company carefully forward,'' Mr. Plougmann said in an interview. Then, referring to Mr. Kristiansen, he added, ''Both he and I love to play around with things.''
In part, Lego is suffering from the malaise affecting many of the world's biggest toy makers as they adjust to age compression -- the demand for more sophisticated toys from ever younger children -- and the licensing costs connected with high-risk toys, often linked to books and movies like Harry Potter and Star Wars.
Moreover, with the recent terrorist attacks casting a pall over economies around the world, the current year turned into a particularly challenging one for the industry. While some forecasters expect sales of toys to end up considerably higher this holiday season as parents seek to comfort their children, others forecast little growth because of the overall weakness in consumer confidence.
That makes it even harder for toy makers to match their inventories to children's desires. Lego, for example, found it impossible to meet demand for some of its Harry Potter line, while certain other styles languished on shelves.
But many of Lego's problems also reflect its own mistakes.
In the 1990's Lego enjoyed its greatest success, with a spectacular drive to spread geographically, growing strongly in the United States and developing new markets that opened after the collapse of communism. New products expanded Lego's traditional selection beyond plastic bricks. Borne aloft by those fresh ideas and huge investments, revenue rose to roughly $1.24 billion in 1999, up from $864 million in 1995, before falling slightly last year.
''There are only a handful of great brands,'' said Hayley W. Kissel, director of global securities research at Merrill Lynch, ''and Lego is certainly one of them.''
But the kind of products Lego made transformed the company, too, injecting an element of unease among some Lego veterans. Long a manufacturer of a dizzying array of colorful bricks that required the touch of a child to become a real plaything, Lego started producing more and more ready-to-use figures, like the Star Wars kits it brought out in 1999 under license from Lucasfilm.
A latecomer to the electronic revolution in toys, Lego played catch-up with sophisticated new kits, like its Lego and Steven Spielberg MovieMaker Set, employing advanced camera technology supplied by Pinnacle Systems, of Mountain View, Calif., that enables children, or their parents, to produce their own action movies. To exploit the Lego brand's magnetism, products other than toys, like children's apparel and wristwatches, were made under license and sold.
But the changes did not stop there. In the 1960's, Lego opened a theme park on vacant land near its factories, mainly to ease the flow of visitors through its factories curious to see how Lego bricks are made. In the early 1990's, Mr. Kristiansen convinced his father, who ran Lego until his death in 1995, to roll out an international collection of similar parks.
The plan was for a new park every three years. With displays and rides that feature Lego's traditional bricks, the parks are supposed to showcase Lego's products and be a monument to its values of creativity and child education.
Despite its explosive growth, the family of Mr. Kristiansen has never taken the company public, at least in part to assure continuity of its traditional values. And those values extend not only to imaginative play: Lego will not make a toy to look like a 20th-century weapon and seeks to avoid promoting violent play.
But if Lego's values have remained firmly under Mr. Kristiansen's control, management and cost control gradually eluded him as Lego grew in global scope. ''The years before had been so successful that they thought they could go forward unchanged,'' said Jesper Beenfeldt, who follows Lego for the Danish financial daily, Bersen.
With Lego adrift, Mr. Kristiansen, now 54, decided to hire Mr. Plougmann. As the father of two grown children who had played with Lego in their youth, and the grandfather of a two year old, Mr. Plougmann, 53, appreciates Lego's qualities.
''They were not fooling around just to grow rich and make money,'' he said, ''but offering children the best possibilities to improve their skills.''
Still, Mr. Plougmann knew the company needed to turn its losses into profits again, so he has moved quickly to shut unprofitable factories and cut the number of employees. Last year, Lego laid off 1,500 mainly white collar workers, eliminating a further 500 at the start of this year. Licensing agreements, particularly for the sale of watches, were scaled back.
And even as he shuffled the management team to expand the company's global reach, Mr. Plougmann returned control of the theme park division to Denmark from California. In the 1990's, Lego spent roughly $600 million to roll out new parks, one outside London, another near San Diego and a third in southern Germany, where the latest park will open in the spring of 2002.
The parks now generate about $150 million of annual revenue, but last year they produced $36 million in losses.
To overcome the problems, said Mads H. Ryder, the 38-year-old Danish executive put in charge of the theme parks, ''we need to be better at playing on the synergies between the toys and the parks.''
But the bigger challenge may be simply to boost attendance in the non-Danish parks. Roughly 5 million people live within a two-hour drive of the Billund park, where attendance last year was about 1.6 million. By contrast, the British and American parks had three times as many people within the same range, yet only achieved about the same attendance levels.
Someone who closely follows the change at Lego is Jason Rowoldt, 26, a computer consultant in Washington and a lifelong Lego enthusiast. Mr. Rowoldt, who grew up playing with Lego bricks, created a Web site for enthusiasts of its new MovieMaker product at Brickfilms.com.
He sees the kit as reflecting Lego's original goal of promoting imagination.
Mr. Rowoldt, while seeing the moviemaking kit as reflecting Lego's original goal of promoting imagination, expressed dismay at Lego's trend toward action figures.
''Everyone from the '70's and '80's, we hate this,'' Mr. Rowoldt said. ''But I guess they have to focus on what makes the dollar.''
Mr. Plougmann, however, sees no deviation from Lego's original mission. ''We want to provide the ability to create a story,'' he said, ''rather than just a box and a price tag.''Continue reading the main story


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The Standard & Poor’s GSCI gauge of 24 raw materials fell 0.3 percent to settle at 597.4 at 4 p.m. in New York, led by crude oil.
The UBS Bloomberg CMCI index of 26 prices declined 0.1 percent to 1,484.59.
Crude oil fell after manufacturing in the U.S. unexpectedly shrank in June for the first time in almost three years.
The Institute for Supply Management’s U.S. factory index fell to 49.7 in June from 53.5 from the previous month. Euro-area unemployment reached the highest on record in May, government data showed.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, oil futures for August delivery slid 1.4 percent to $83.75 a barrel.
Brent oil for August settlement on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange fell 0.5 percent to $97.34 a barrel.
Mercuria Energy Trading SA bought a cargo of North Sea Forties while Total SA and Morgan Stanley sought to purchase the blend without success. No bids or offers were shown for Russian Urals crude for a second day.
OAO Surgutneftegas, a Russian oil producer, sold three Urals cargoes of 100,000 metric tons each via a tender to Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Statoil ASA for loading from the Baltic Sea
Copper declined the most in a week on concern that demand is poised to slump as manufacturing deteriorates worldwide.
On the Comex in New York, copper futures for September delivery fell 0.8 percent to $3.469 a pound, the biggest drop for a most-active contract since June 21.
On the London Metal Exchange, copper for delivery in three
Gold futures declined as the dollar rebounded, eroding demand for the precious metal as an alternative investment.
On the Comex, gold futures for August delivery fell 0.4 percent to $1,597.70 an ounce.
Silver futures for September delivery dropped 0.4 percent to $27.499 an ounce.
On the Nymex, platinum futures for October delivery
Heating oil declined as reports from the U.S., China and Europe signaled a slowing global economy will damp fuel demand.
On the Nymex, heating-oil futures for August delivery slid 1.3 percent to $2.6759 a gallon.
Natural gas settled unchanged amid speculation that storm-related blackouts in the eastern U.S. and the Fourth of July holiday will reduce demand for the power-plant fuel.
On the Nymex, gas futures for August delivery closed at $2.824 per million British thermal units.
U.K. gas for delivery tomorrow climbed as exports to Belgium reached the highest in a month and Dutch imports slumped.
Gas gained 0.3 percent to 56.65 pence a therm at 4:06 p.m. London time. August gas was little changed at 55.75 pence a
Sugar climbed to a two-month high on supply concerns in Brazil, the world’s biggest producer and exporter.
On ICE Futures U.S. in New York, raw sugar for October delivery rose 1.9 percent to 21.4 cents a pound. Earlier, the price reached 21.59 cents, the highest since April 26.
Arabica-coffee futures for September delivery increased 2.3 percent to $1.746 a pound.
Cocoa futures for September delivery fell $1 to $2,290 a ton.
Orange juice for September delivery slumped 3.6 percent to $1.1735 a pound.
Corn surged to the highest in almost three months, and soybeans rose as hot, dry weather threatens to reduce yields in the U.S., the world’s biggest producer of both crops.
On the Chicago Board of Trade, corn futures for December delivery jumped 3.3 percent to $6.5575 a bushel. The price earlier reached $6.64 a bushel, the highest since April 9.
Soybean futures for November delivery rose 0.7 percent to $14.38 a bushel.
Hog prices rose to the highest in almost a year on signs that hot weather in the U.S. will curb livestock weights and deter producers from slaughtering animals reducing pork supplies.
On the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, hog futures for August settlement climbed 0.2 percent to 94.975 cents a pound. Earlier, the price reached 96.325 cents, the highest since July 7, 2011.
Cattle futures for August delivery dropped 1 percent to $1.19275 a pound, the biggest decline since June 13.

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Silicon Valley 3.0: Tech's New Wave
Edenvale Technology Park gives a glimpse of the new Silicon Valley.
The long recession only tiptoed through the 2,300-acre office park, with many start-ups here expanding their operations over the past 18 months. One prominent tenant, solar company Nanosolar Inc., began producing solar panels in March and plans to add space and more employees to its 350-person work force.
Scientific-equipment maker Stratedigm Inc. moved into a 6,000-square-foot space in Edenvale—more than double its old office size—as it revs up sales. And several biomedical start-ups that were started under one roof also upgraded to bigger offices in the park.
Edenvale shows how Silicon Valley’s start-up economy has quietly broadened beyond information technology. It now includes a growing cadre of bioscience and “clean technology” firms, presaging a more-diversified economic base and bolstering the valley’s status as the world’s innovation hotbed.


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‘Car cupholder expander’ sells out in minutes
Australians' obsession with increasing the capacity of our cars' cupholders has reached fever pitch, with a new product from a designer drink bottle brand selling out in less than an hour.
A product designed to expand the size of your car's cupholder has sold out in minutes, as part of rising demand for cupholders that can accommodate large 'designer' drink bottles.
A so-called 'Car Cup Holder Expander' released online by Frank Green – a popular Melbourne-based company specialising in reusable bottles and cups – sold out within minutes of going on sale on Thursday, 23 February.
Priced at $19.95, the product comes in six colours and is designed to accommodate Frank Green's 34-ounce ceramic drink bottles – which are too big to fit in the standard cup holders and door bins of many cars.
"I was checking out and literally about to hit okay and it said my order couldn’t be fulfilled cause it was out of stock," one shopper complained on the brand's Instagram page.
"Sold out in minutes - pretty disappointing that the demand wasn’t anticipated," another added.
If you were one of the customers that missed out, one social media user has devised a cheaper – if less visually appealing – alternative for increasing the size of your car's cupholder.
In December 2022, a video posted to social media platform TikTok by user Maddy Ryan showed how a piece of PVC plumbing pipe from Bunnings Warehouse could be inserted into a car's cupholders to fit one of the trendy oversized drink bottles.
After many of Ryan's followers turned up at hardware stores in search of PVC pipe after watching the viral video – and wanting to recreate it in their own car – one Bunnings location even rebranded its display for the pipes with a sign reading "cupholder".
The product in question is the Holman PVC invert pipe measuring 100x65mm, priced at $11.05 – and at time of writing, Bunnings has plenty of stock still available.
Frank Green even gave a cheeky nod to the Bunnings hysteria in its product release announcement, joking: "It's made for drinks, not sinks (we're looking at you, TikTok pipe hacks)."
For shoppers still desperate to get their hands on the product, Frank Green says it is due to be restocked in a matter of weeks.


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By Jennifer Alsever
FORTUNE -- Facebook's recently announced plans for a sprawling $120 million housing community near its Menlo Park campus will include affordable employee homes and a laundry list of amenities like a pub, convenience store, bicycle repair shop, hair stylist -- even a doggy day care. One perk missing from that list: daycare for kids.
The tech giant is not in the minority. Bay Area companies often plan expansive offices with gyms, kitchens, game rooms, and other lavish perks to attract and retain the brightest workers. But onsite child care centers rarely make the list of amenities. Only 7% of companies nationwide offer on-site daycare to employees, according to a 2012 National Study of Employers, a percentage that has stayed held since 2005. Meanwhile about one-third of Fortune's Best Companies to Work For list offer the convenience to parents with young kids.
Facebook (FB) and local developer St. Anton Partners designed the 394-unit housing project with feedback from employees in focus groups. St. Anton is building the project, while Facebook will subsidize just 15 units set aside for employees to meet state requirements for affordable housing.
Despite the lack of child care, a Facebook spokeswoman says the company offers plenty of other cushy perks to parents. Couples who give birth or adopt get $4,000 in "baby cash," and the company also gives generous four-month maternity and paternity leave to all employees. She would not say whether child care is a benefit planned for the future. "We offer a number of benefits to make our employees' lives better, and we are constantly evaluating potential new offerings," she says.
While some companies have found cost savings with improved productivity and lower absenteeism, on-site child care does not typically hit the top of the HR agenda -- especially in a weak labor market, says Rachel Connelly, a Bowdoin College economics professor and co-author of the book, Kids at Work: The Value of Employer-Sponsored On-Site Child Care Centers.
There's the cost: A 10,000-square-foot on-site center that can handle 100 kids might cost $1.7 million to $2 million to build, according to Reed Construction Data, which tracks building statistics. Then there's the added challenge of state regulations, liability risks, and operational costs, says Jennifer Sabatini Fraone, associate director of the Boston College Center for Work & Family, which studies work life balance issues.
"It's more complicated than hiring a few babysitters," she says. "It's difficult to develop a sound business case for them because the ROI often can be nebulous."
Many companies outsource the job to professional daycare centers. But even so, if a company's daycare doesn't have enough spots to fill employee demand, it can frustrate workers, adds Connelly. "So it's either 'go big' or nothing," says Connelly, "and a lot of them choose nothing."
Instead, says Fraone, many companies offer dependent care assistance plans that help parents pay for child care with pre-tax dollars or access to referral services like Care.com, which helps parents find pre-screened providers.
Google (GOOG) and Cisco (CSCO) are among the few big tech firms that offer on-campus child care. Cisco has two centers on its San Jose, Calif., campus, and Google has four centers specifically for "Googler kids" near its Mountain View headquarters.
Google, which topped Fortune's Best Companies to Work For list this year, touts a "family first" philosophy, offering new moms five-month paid maternity leave, $500 in baby cash, preferred parking spots -- even high chairs in all its company cafes. That's in addition to the long list of other employee perks like subsidized massages and a seven-acre sports complex.
Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel (INTC), meanwhile, has taken a different route to help out parents with young kids. To avoid the cost of building child care centers on each of its main campuses, Intel partnered with 17 local child care centers across the U.S. that are close to its offices. In exchange for Intel support and funding, those child care centers give admission priority to children of Intel employees and offer slots for backup daycare.
"Child care is one of the most intense things that new parents worry about," says Intel spokeswoman Gail Dundas. "To know Intel has vetted these child care centers and engaged with them makes a difference. It helps you make decisions."
At Yahoo (YHOO), CEO Marissa Mayer decided this year to extend the paid leave time for new parents -- a move implemented not long after she took heat for revoking the company's telecommuting policy. Now new moms get 16 weeks of paid leave, and dads get eight. New parents also get $500 to spend on baby-related items. Like Facebook, Yahoo has no plans for an on-site child care facility.
A new generation of optical communications chips could boost data transmission several times over -- and fundamentally change the way data centers are designed.
By Clay Dillow
FORTUNE -- Last week, a research and development effort reaching back well into the last decade came to a head as Intel pulled back the curtain on a new breed of optical silicon chips that could drastically boost data transmission rates within data centers MORESep 11, 2013 5:00 AM ET
The chipmaker tries to make a splash on Apple's big day.
FORTUNE -- Apple's not the only company with new products to show off today. Early Tuesday morning in San Francisco, chipmaker Intel unveiled an upcoming family of processors called Quark, especially made for wearable devices and industrial "Internet of things" applications.
The company's new leadership team, comprised of CEO Brian Krzanich and president Renee James, announced the new chips at the MOREMichal Lev-Ram, writer - Sep 10, 2013 3:46 PM ET
A surge in mobile devices is helping offset the decline of desktop computers.
By Peter Suciu
FORTUNE -- While the chips were down -- or rather flat -- in 2012, the global purchasing of semiconductors could see growth in 2013 as the world's top electronic brands ramp up spending. Apple and Samsung are now contending to claim the title of biggest spender.
That is good news for chipmakers in particular. The total MOREAug 5, 2013 9:57 AM ET
It's not just the broader economy holding tech back. Truth is, a lot of big-cap, low-value stocks are having trouble jumping over the modest bar Wall Street has set for them.
By Kevin Kelleher, contributor
FORTUNE -- Even by the typically unpredictable nature of quarterly earnings, the technology sector had more than its share of surprises this month. As tech giant after tech giant lined up to report their earnings this month, MOREAug 2, 2013 5:00 AM ET
Sony's new Sony Vaio Pro laptops are lighter than MacBook Airs and (almost) just as thin.
FORTUNE -- Clasp Sony's 13-inch VAIO Pro in one hand, and you'll be impressed by how light it feels. It's even lighter than the most svelte 11-inch MacBook Air.
The Air is obviously far from heavy, but thanks to carbon fiber used throughout the Vaio Pro's body, Sony (SNE) trimmed the weight to 1.92 lbs. for the 11-inch MOREJP Mangalindan, Writer - Jul 9, 2013 9:40 AM ET
The growth in wearable computing could also be a new source of profits.
FORTUNE -- Intel was slow to enter the mobile market, but the chipmaker says it is now taking steps to speed up development of its Atom chip line for mobile devices. It's also rushing ahead to provide silicon (and services) to another potentially hot market: wearables, a new product category which includes connected glasses and watches.
The company's top MOREMichal Lev-Ram, writer - Jul 1, 2013 10:04 AM ET
With this year's MacBook Air, the tech giant promises stellar battery life. But does it deliver?
FORTUNE -- With laptops, all-day battery life remains an elusive, almost mythic, thing. Because unless it's an HP (HPQ) laptop with a protruding 12-cell battery, reaching anywhere north of seven hours of use between charges is near-impossible.
But the new MacBook Air models, announced at WWDC, are supposed to be exceptions: Apple (AAPL) rates the 13-inch model MOREJP Mangalindan, Writer - Jun 18, 2013 10:35 AM ET
Finally, the ultimate thin-and-light laptop? Maybe. Just maybe.
FORTUNE -- Ever since buying the first-generation 11-inch MacBook Air three years ago, my wish has been two-fold: make it faster and make it last longer between charges.
Apple (AAPL) took care of the performance issues in 2011, when it switched to a faster Intel processor. Paired with flash-based storage, apps launched briskly and zipped along. It was fast enough. Still, battery life remained a MOREJP Mangalindan, Writer - Jun 13, 2013 7:07 AM ET
Embattled computer manufacturers are making new machines they hope can keep pace with phones and tablets.
FORTUNE -- For PC makers, Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution holds true now more than ever: adapt to their rapidly-evolving environment or perish.
"The PC industry is like that scene out of Jurassic Park, where the little kid asks the professor, 'What happened to all the dinosaurs?' and he responds, 'We see them everyday: They're MOREJP Mangalindan, Writer - Jun 4, 2013 6:45 AM ET
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05 May 2009 03:05:10
Plastic bag charges leading to CO2 savings in UK
Schemes charging UK shoppers 5p for plastic bags are leading to significant reductions in the number of bags in circulation, new figures suggest.
High street retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S) reported that it has cut the number of single-use carrier bags handed out at its tills from 460 million last year to less than 80 million - a reduction of almost 85 percent.
M&S is one of several retailers that pledged to reduce the environmental impact of plastic carrier bags by 25 percent in 2008.
Other stores taking action include Asda, the Co-operative Group, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Somerfield and Tesco.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) estimates that retail-led efforts will eventually bring about a reduction of five billion bags per year in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Such a fall in the number of plastic bags being manufactured would save 130,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, Defra claimed, equivalent to removing 41,000 cars from the road each year.
The National Trust has also seen a significant fall in the number of plastic bags going to landfill as the result of its own 5p charge, which was introduced in May of last year.
"We are really pleased at how quickly customers have reacted and adapted their shopping habits by investing in durable alternatives in which to carry their purchases," the trust's Stuart Richards commented.http://www.defra.gov.uk/ENVIRONMENT/localenv/litter/bags/


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THE MOST popular family car in Britain is for the first time a crossover, according to new industry figures. Over the past five years the biggest-selling family car has been a Ford Focus or a Volkswagen Golf or a Vauxhall Astra — all of which are hatchbacks — but last month each one was beaten by the Nissan Qashqai. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said that a crossover had never before outsold every other family car.
In January 4,839 Qashqais were registered while the next most popular family car, the Focus, recorded 4,285 registrations. Five years ago, in January 2011, the Focus racked up 7,582 registrations, compared with 2,108 for the Qashqai.
The UK’s most popular car is still the Ford Fiesta supermini, but even this is being challenged by vehicles such as the Qashqai. Data released last week by Jato Dynamics, which analyses the motor industry, showed SUVs and crossovers were the most popular type of vehicle sold in Europe last year.


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Washington state says goodbye to bottle and candy taxes
Like water for chocolate, Washington residents were boiling mad enough over taxes on bottled water, gum and candy to repeal them on Election Day. The taxes were lifted Thursday after only a few months in existence.
The taxes on gum, candy, bottled water and soda went into effect June 1. Consumers paid a 9.5 percent tax in King County, while soda bottlers paid an excise tax of 2 cents for every 12 ounces of the bubbly beverage they produced.
Statewide, only King and San Juan county voters said “no” to Initiative 1107, which sought to repeal the tax. The initiative passed with more than 60 percent of state voters saying “yes” to 1107.
While the candy and gum tax would have been permanent, the taxes on bottled water and soda bottlers would have lasted only three years.
David Payne was glad to see the tax go. Payne is a co-owner of Water to Go, a bottled water retailer on South 314th Street (think office water coolers, gallon jugs and sports bottles). He came to work Thursday morning and reprogrammed his cash register to no longer charge the tax.
“The water is already discounted,” he said. “But today, every little penny counts.”
Payne’s store offers an example of the tax’s effects because almost everything he sells revolves around bottled water. Even durable sport water bottles, like those made by Nalgene, come filled with water and were thus subject to tax. He also sells a variety of candy at the cash register.
Payne said a lot of customers did not understand the thinking behind the bottled water tax: Why tax something that’s necessary and good for you? And why tax people who buy a refillable water bottle?
However, refills were not taxed. Water to Go sells large 5 gallon refillable jugs for $14.75, but consumers would only pay a tax when they bought and filled the bottle. Water to Go also sells gallon jugs for 99 cents, which, with the tax, would end up costing about $1.08. Payne did not think the tax hurt his business too much, but said lower prices for consumers always help.
The state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council projected in November that the repeal of the taxes would mean $218 million less revenue for the 2011-2013 state budget. The taxes did not go into special funds, but simply to the general fund. The projected loss for the 2009-2011 budget biennium, which ends on June 31, 2011, is around $54 million, according to council forecasts. The state is projecting a $2.6 billion deficit in this biennium.
The repeal of the taxes was hard fought and costly. The American Beverage Association spilled upward of $13 million into “yes on 1107,” and the entire campaign cost over $15 million, according to state campaign finance records. Meanwhile, proponents of the tax raised only $425,000 — one of the biggest donors was the Community Health Network of Washington at $60,000 — and spent only $341,000, according to state records.
The “yes” campaign was memorable for the yard signs that appeared asking voters to end the state tax on “food.” Food bought at the grocery store — with the exception of candy, gum and bottled water prior to Dec. 2 — is not subject to state tax.
The tax is one of the shortest lived in recent memory. State Department of Revenue spokesman Mike Gowrylow projected that the tax probably collected around $40 million during its life. There’s no way to know for certain because retailers don’t report that information to the state.
Interestingly, if a retailer never collected the tax, said Gowrylow, there’s no way for the state to recoup the losses. Initiative 1107 did not have a “savings clause” that would have allowed the state to collect all taxes for the period it was in effect.
“When people come to me, they’re trying to save money,” Payne said. “When (the state) adds a tax, especially to water, which is something people feel is healthy, (customers) don’t understand it.”


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London 2012: Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Cadbury given 'unrivalled platform' to promote unhealthy brands at Olympics
Following stints with Reuters and the Press Association, Martin Hickman joined The Independent as a news editor in 2001. He became the Consumer Affairs Correspondent in September 2005 and has run the paper's trenchant campaigns on packaging, bank charges and factory-farmed chicken. He writes on subjects as diverse as food, finance, energy and fashion. With Tom Watson, he is author of a new book on the phone hacking scandal, Dial M for Murdoch - News Corporation and the Corruption of Britain.
Thursday 26 July 2012
Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Cadbury’s are being given an “unrivalled platform” to promote unhealthy brands and products at the Olympics, says a new study.
The firms are “obesity-offsetting” – funding sports equipment and exercise schemes - in return for being allowed to promote calorie-dense foods, according to the report, the Obesity Games.
According to its authors the Children’s Food Campaign, the junk food companies have been given a global platform by London 2012 despite contributing only around 2 per cent of the International Olympic Association’s income.
It added that the policy ill-served taxpayers who are funding the majority of the £1.4bn budget and all the bill for increased costs of obesity on the health service.
Malcolm Clark, campaign co-ordinator, said: “The Olympics have become a celebration of big. For the junk food companies who sponsor the Games that means big restaurants, big audiences, big brand value, big profits. But for children that could also mean bigger waistlines and bigger health problems later in life.
“Yet the one thing about the Olympics which is not big is the proportion of revenue from sponsorship.
“The International Olympic Committee could choose to cut out the top-tier category of food and soft drink partners entirely, and lose little more than 2 per cent its total income.”
The campaigners called for a ban on junk food brands from sponsoring future sporting events.
Ian Barber, director of communications for the Advertising Association, which represents marketers, dismissed the report.
He said: “Much analysis has been done about advertising’s link with our obesity problem.
“Professor David Buckingham – an independent expert - sums it up when he says, ‘the impact, if any, is small’. “
He added: “The Children’s Food Campaign should ditch the rhetoric, listen to the experts and start tackling the real causes of obesity.”
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Muslims, immigration and teenage pregnancy: British people are ignorant about almost everything
Maureen Lipman says 'she can't vote Labour while Ed Miliband is leader'


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The Chinese tech stock gained as its sale of Sogou looks set to close.
News & Analysis: Sohu.com
SOHU earnings call for the period ending September 30, 2020.
The Chinese tech conglomerate follows through on an offer it made in July.
The company is selling one of its subsidiaries for cash.
Disappointing guidance helped sink the Chinese tech stock.
SOHU earnings call for the period ending June 30, 2020.
A buyout offer from a tech giant caused the Chinese search company's valuation to soar.
Shares of the Chinese tech company continued to climb on news of an acquisition.
One of these stocks is not like the others.
A strong currency and government support have boosted them all week long.


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- Academic Departments
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Annual Fashion Show
The 2017 Annual Fashion Show will take place April 28-29, 2017, and is now sold out. To join the wait list for the 2 p.m. Matinee or 7 p.m. Awards Show on Friday, April 28, call 330-672-2787. To join the wait list for the Sponsor/VIP Show on Saturday, April 29, call 330-672-2899.
The Fashion School at Kent State University will stage the Fashion School’s Annual Fashion Show, FS² Presented by Michael Kors, on Friday, April 28, and Saturday, April 29, 2017. The show highlights the outstanding talents of the Fashion School’s design and merchandising students. It will be held at the Fashion School at 515 Hilltop Drive in Kent, Ohio. Don Witkowski, Kent State alumnus and president of men’s at Michael Kors, will be inducted into the Fashion School’s Hall of Fame.
For the Annual Fashion Show, fashion students submit work — ranging from athletic wear to evening gowns — to a panel of industry professionals, who decide which collections and looks will be presented on the runway. Fashion merchandising students plan and organize the two-day event.
Tickets for Friday are priced at $30 for the 2 p.m. Matinee and $55 for the 7 p.m. Awards Show. Friday Matinee and Awards Show tickets go on sale Monday, March 20; online sales begin at 8 a.m., while box office and telephone sales begin at noon. The Performing Arts Box Office is located in the Roe Green Center lobby of the Center for the Performing Arts (1325 Theatre Drive, Kent, Ohio) and may be reached at (330) 672-2787. The box office accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, personal checks and cash.
Sponsorship/VIP Show and Hall of Fame Induction
Attendees of the Annual Fashion Show’s Sponsor/VIP Show the evening of Saturday, April 29, will have the opportunity to meet Hall of Fame inductee Don Witkowski during a special VIP reception. $250 tickets include a $75 donation to the Fashion School scholarship of your choice; admission to the VIP reception, Hall of Fame induction and Saturday night show; a fashion show catalog; and special recognition in the show program and catalog. The Saturday night Sponsor/VIP Show will not be ticketed through the Performing Arts Box Office.
Don Witkowski Lecture
Don Witkowski will also give a free lecture open to the public prior to the Friday Matinee. The lecture will take place Friday, April 28, at noon in the Rockwell Hall auditorium.
Friday, April 28 @ noon
- Don Witkowski Lecture (Free)
Friday @ 2 p.m.
- FS2 Presented by Michael Kors – Matinee Show
Friday @ 7 p.m.
- FS2 Presented by Michael Kors – Awards Show
- Special: Student Awards Presentation
- Dessert Reception Following
Saturday, April 29 @ 5:30 p.m.
- VIP Reception, TechStyleLAB Open House and Portfolio Display
Saturday @ 7 p.m.
- FS2 Presented by Michael Kors – Sponsor/VIP Show
- Special: Fashion School Hall of Fame Induction Presentation
- Dessert Reception Following


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(Bloomberg) — Microsoft Corp. is trying to make it harder for people to trick artificial intelligence chatbots into doing weird things.
Most read from Bloomberg
New security features are being built into Azure AI Studio that let developers create customized AI assistants using their data, the Redmond, Washington-based company said in a blog post Thursday.
The tool includes “prompt shields”, designed to detect and block deliberate attempts to make AI models behave in unexpected ways – also known as prompt injection attacks or jailbreaks . Microsoft is also addressing “indirect instant injection,” when hackers insert malicious instructions into the data the model is trained on and cause it to perform unauthorized actions, such as stealing user information or hijacking the system.
Sarah Bird, Microsoft’s chief product officer for responsible AI, said such attacks are “a unique challenge and threat.” The new security is designed to detect suspicious inputs and block them in real time, he said. Microsoft is also introducing a feature that alerts users when a model makes false statements or produces incorrect feedback.
Microsoft is keen to increase trust in its generative AI tools, which are now being used by consumers and corporate customers alike. In February, the company investigated incidents involving its CoPilot chatbot, which generated reactions ranging from awkward to hurtful. After reviewing the incidents, Microsoft said that users had deliberately tried to fool Copilot to elicit responses.
“We’re definitely seeing it grow as more devices are being used, but also more people are aware of these different technologies,” Bird said. Clear signs of such attacks include asking the chatbot a question multiple times or…


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According to the University of Michigan’s surveys of consumers, consumer sentiment fell 13.4 percent in August from July, recording the least favorable economic prospects in more than a decade.
Since 1978, the Sentiment Index has only recorded a larger loss in six other monthly surveys. The losses were widespread across demographic groups, regions, and for all aspects of the economy.
“The August free-fall in confidence was in response to mounting issues, including rising inflation, small wage gains, and slower declines in unemployment,” says Richard Curtin, a U-M economist and director of the surveys. “The falloff also reflected an emotional response to people’s dashed hopes that the pandemic would soon end, and lives could get back to normal.”
One in five households in August cited the negative impact of inflation on their budgets, up from one in 20 to begin 2021. Responses that the recent runup in inflation lowered living standards was an issue voiced by 30 percent of those 65 and older, 24 percent of these had a high school education level or less, and 23 percent who are in households in the bottom third of income.
The economy’s overall recovery increased pessimism, including the national unemployment rate. Only 38 percent of consumers anticipated a decline in the jobless rate, down from 52 percent last month. This reflects an anticipated overall slowdown , as only 31 percent thought the economy would improve, down from 50 percent in July.
The Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 70.3 this month, a steep drop-off from 81.2 percent in July, and below the low of 71.8 during the economic shutdown during April 2020. The Expectations Index component posted by far the largest decline, falling to 65.1 in August from 79.0 in July, while the Current Conditions Index posted a more modest decline, falling to 78.5 in August from June’s 84.5.
“This is not the first time emotion has partly determined economic behavior. Twenty years ago, the terrorist attacks on 9/11 led to an emotional retrenchment in spending,” says Cutin. “Although economic expectations improved by year-end, the emotional impact on spending patterns lasted much longer. The same type of persistent impact is now likely to reoccur.”
The Surveys of Consumers is a rotating panel survey based on a nationally representative sample that gives each household in the coterminous U.S. an equal probability of being selected. Interviews are conducted throughout the month by telephone. The minimum monthly change required for significance at the 95 percent level in the Sentiment Index is 4.8 points; for the Current and Expectations Index, the minimum is 6 points.


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IBM, a leading tech company, has made the decision to pause its advertising on the platform formerly known as Twitter, referred to as X, following a report that revealed its ads were placed next to antisemitic content. A spokesperson for IBM stated, “IBM has zero tolerance for hate speech and discrimination and we have immediately suspended all advertising on X while we investigate this entirely unacceptable situation.” This move comes after Media Matters for America published a report that highlighted ads from various companies, including Apple, Bravo, Oracle, Xfinity, and IBM, being associated with posts promoting Hitler and the Nazi Party on X.
X CEO, Linda Yaccarino, has been actively working to win back advertisers who had withdrawn their campaigns after Elon Musk acquired the company last year. However, concerns have been raised by researchers and advocacy groups about the increasing presence of controversial content on X. The company, though, has disputed these claims. In response to Media Matters’ report, an X spokesperson assured CNBC that the accounts responsible for the hateful content would no longer be monetizable and that the accompanying content would be labeled as not safe for work, thereby limiting its reach. The spokesperson emphasized that X’s advertising system is not intentionally placing brands next to such content nor are brands actively endorsing it.
Following the release of the report, Comcast, the parent company of Bravo and CNBC, has announced that it is investigating the situation. However, Apple and Oracle have yet to respond to requests for comment. IBM’s decision to suspend advertising on X also comes after Elon Musk himself drew attention to an antisemitic post on the platform, which led to significant backlash. Musk faced criticism after making statements alleging that the Anti-Defamation League unjustly attacks the majority of the West despite their support for the Jewish people and Israel. In response, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt denounced Musk’s behavior and stated that it is dangerous to validate and promote antisemitic theories, particularly at a time when antisemitism is on the rise.
Linda Yaccarino, in light of recent events, expressed the company’s unwavering stance against discrimination, emphasizing the need to combat antisemitism in all its forms. She highlighted that discrimination should have no place in the world. However, despite X’s efforts to address these concerns, a coalition of 163 Jewish leaders released a statement under the banner “X Out Hate,” reiterating their demand for major companies like Disney, Apple, and Amazon to stop funding X through their ad spend. The group further called on Apple and Google to remove X from their respective app stores.
X Out Hate has been vocal about their concerns regarding antisemitic and hateful content on X since September. They expressed disappointment that their initial call for action from Apple, Google, Amazon, and Disney has not resulted in any meaningful change. With antisemitism continuing to proliferate on the platform, the coalition demands that action be taken to prevent the further spread of hate.
IBM’s decision to halt advertising on X serves as a significant response to the presence of antisemitic content on the platform. As the controversy unfolds, calls to address this issue from various stakeholders, including advertisers and advocacy groups, continue to amplify. The tech industry must confront and combat hate speech and discrimination to foster an inclusive and respectful online environment for all users.


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The UK tobacco industry would like the Government to negotiate an exit from the EU that includes the following outcomes:
Access to Skilled Labour
In common with other international businesses present in the UK, the tobacco industry would like the UK Government to continue to allow businesses to have easy, non-bureaucratic access to highly skilled individuals from across the EU, and, to avoid further complicating the process of recruiting talent into the UK, from outside the EU where necessary.
As part of the forthcoming trade negotiations between the UK and the EU, tobacco import tariffs should be resisted. The two primary objectives for the introduction of trade tariffs are the protection of a domestic market and the raising of revenues for the Government. Neither of these is relevant to tobacco products. The UK has no domestic agricultural tobacco production and the full closure of the UK’s domestic tobacco manufacturing facilities is already planned. Moreover, the UK Government already raises billions of pounds in revenue from the direct taxation of tobacco products. The introduction of tariff barriers between the UK and the remaining EU member states would only serve to complicate the current tobacco excise regime.
Personal Tobacco Imports
Minimum Indicative Limits (MILs) are an important non-tariff barrier to the inter-EU trade in tobacco products in the UK. These suggested limits govern the amount of tobacco products that an individual can bring into the UK from another Member State for personal consumption without falling under suspicion of supplying the illegal tobacco market, which cost the Exchequer £1.8 billion in lost tax revenue in 2017-18 (HMRC Tax Gap Estimates for 2017-18).
Following the vote to leave the EU, there is an opportunity to reform these rules to reduce the level of non-UK duty paid tobacco in the UK. In particular, hard, reduced limits (perhaps 200 cigarettes per traveller, the same as international Duty Free retail) could be put in place immediately for individuals bringing tobacco products into the UK from countries that do not meet the minimum criteria outlined in the EU’s Tobacco Tax Directive. This is permissible under existing EU law and a number of Member States, including Germany and Austria, have already introduced these hard limits. In the wake of Brexit, these hard, reduced limits could be extended to cover all EU Member States.
Review of the Tobacco Products Directive
Regulatory harmonisation of tobacco products across the EU has largely been driven by the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), which was recently revised. The TPD made significant changes to labelling requirements throughout the trading block, it requires all EU Member States to ensure that graphic health warnings with photos, text and cessation information will cover 65% of the front and the back of all cigarette and hand rolling tobacco packs by May 2017. The TPD also bans cigarette packs of less than 20 and hand rolling pouches of less than 30gr. Research undertaken by Oxford Economics suggests that the ban on smaller packs could result in losses to the retail sector of up to £1.5 billion pounds in foregone profits in the first year after full implementation. The authors also concluded that the introduction of minimum pack sizes could cost the Government up to £2.1 billion in lost tobacco tax revenue in the first year after full implementation, of which much of this will be the result of illicit activity. It is clear that the UK’s exit from the EU offers an opportunity for the Government to reconsider the EU-driven prohibition on smaller cigarette and hand rolling tobacco pack sizes in order to keep UK consumers in the legal market.
The TMA has provided written submissions on Brexit which are available to view here
 The Impact Of Minimum Tobacco Pack Sizes On Incidental Retail Spend And Tax Receipts


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KLab, the Japanese game developers based out of Tokyo who’ve worked on titles like Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team, Bleach: Brave Souls, Utano Princesama: Shinin Live, and others, have now acquired to rights to the My Hero Academia IP, granting them the rights to make a game based on that, which they have now announced.
The game is set to be released in Japan and Worldwide with the exception of the Chinese Mainland
In a post on their official website, KLabs announced that they were working on an online game set to be released worldwide (with the exception of Mainland China) with the permission of the My Hero Academia Production Committee. The game will be based on the extremely popular TV Anime which is still being aired and we haven’t gotten a genre or an approximate release timeframe yet.
A game that can be enjoyed not only by fans of this work but also by players all over the world by utilizing the know-how cultivated through the development and distribution of multiple games based on IP that KLab has developed in Japan and overseas.
Now they haven’t exactly specified the platform the game is set to launch on. However, considering how KLab’s portfolio is mainly if not completely composed of mobile games, the game will also likely launch on Android and iOS devices.
Details are sparse right now however we should see more details pour in soon as the game enters development and more details are officially announced. KLabs in the past has put out other games based on anime franchises that have done well and with the kind of reputation that My Hero Academia has, interested gamers will have high expectations. KLab has also promised updates in the future as the game’s development continues.
What are your thoughts on KLab acquiring My hero Academia IP rights? Let us know in the comments below!


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Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) announced that marketing partner, BBM&D Strategic Branding, has won an American Advertising Award for their design of the Airport’s Aviation History brochure. The American Advertising Awards are the advertising industry’s largest award competition with over 40,000 entries annually. BBM&D’s design won in the American Advertising Federation Coastal California competition for creative excellence.
SBA’s most recent television commercial, “Easy Come, Easy Go,” was awarded the grand prize in the nationwide competition among all Cox Media markets.
Cox Media Director/Producer Shawn Forry was also awarded a Silver Addy Award for the commercial.
"We are very happy for Barbara Brown, founder and president of BBM&D, and Shawn Forry, Cox Communications, for being recognized by their peers with such prestigious awards," said Hazel Johns, Acting Airport Director. "Working with such creative and talented individuals to promote the Airport and its services has been a rewarding experience and we are proud of their accomplishments!"


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DURHAM – Durham-headquartered ServiceTrade, a software-as-a-service solutions provider for service technicians and companies, has bought Asurio, according to a company blog post published earlier this month.
According to the company’s CEO, Billy Marshall, ServiceTrade bought the Colorado-based company in order to acquire “the technology and expertise behind the BirdDog Platform and the customers who trust it to speed the inspection process and reduce risk through enhanced compliance.”
The more than ten-year-old startup raised $85 million in funding last year, including participation from local investor Bull City Venture Partners.
In the blog post, Marshall wrote that the combined businesses will result in “unifying the inspection process with other critical business automation in ServiceTrade,” meaning that fire and life safety contractors can access a “connected operations hub.”
ServiceTrade continues to grow
While nine months ago, the company supported 800 specialty contractors, the company now supports more than 1,000, Marshall’s blog post noted. And the company has grown to more than 190 employees, including those who will come over to the company with the acquisition.
Specifically, Marshall’s note states that ServiceTrade will acquire “specific assets of the Asurio business including certain operating assets, intellectual property, naming rights, trademarks, and customer contracts.”
Marshall also wrote that the combination of companies and platforms “will unlock even greater efficiencies” for customers.
The company will not sell any new subscriptions to the Asurio software products, though it will maintain existing agreements for existing customers, Marshall’s note said. And, a “migration path to ServiceTrade” will be offered to those existing customers, he noted.
Bull City Venture Partners had participated in a prior fundraising round, as well.


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Two weeks have been given to the federal government by Islamabad high court for submitting its response against the petition that has been filed for the absence of e-commerce services in Pakistan.
Islamabad High Court Civil Judge Athar Minhallah sent a notice to the commerce and information technology sector noticing that the petitioner was aggrieved because respondents have failed to meet the requirements quoted in the e-commerce policy, 2019.
Hafeez Junaid the petitioner informed the high court that Pakistan cannot access the world’s largest e-commerce store that is Amazon. He also said that from a decade Amazon has blocked anyone belonging to Pakistan from logging in to the website. The main reason behind doing it is the insecure payment method of the country.
The petition quoted: “No official negotiations of an offer to start operations of Amazon and PayPal in Pakistan have been made thus far. It transpires that the government failed to take the simple yet logical towards globalization and modernization.”
The petition also said that the eCommerce industry has grown to over $4 trillion globally but Pakistan had failed to avail the opportunities e-commerce offered because of a lack of interest in the government. The petitioner also said that the e-commerce policy 2019 is flawed and deceptive.
According to the petitioner the data protection law is needed for healthy e-commerce growth however it lacks in Pakistan.
Abdul Razak Dawood, the special advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment recently said Pakistan was in the process of registering the country’s good sellers with US e-commerce giant Amazon and has sent a list of 38 exporters for registration.
Initially surgical and sports goods along with home accessories will be sold on Amazon from Pakistan but the list will expand with time as the selected exporters go through the trial period successfully.


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LONDON Acerinox SA, parent company of North American Stainless Inc. (NAS), saw a sharp drop in first-quarter earnings due to falling nickel and stainless steel base prices, the company said April 23.
The Madrid-based stainless producer posted net income of 15.31 million ($19.9 million) for the three months ended March 31, down 47.9 percent from 29.36 million in the same period last year. Sales fell 15.8 percent to 1.04 billion ($1.35 billion) from 1.23 billion in the same comparison due to fewer sales, lower stainless steel prices and nickel weakness.
"Doubts about the economic recovery and prudence on the market have stopped the traditional restocking process of the first quarter," Acerinox said.
The European market suffered a 6.8-percent decline in apparent steel consumption in the first quarter, although Acerinox hopes that Outokumpu Oyjs acquisition of Inoxum Group will bring more clarity to the market.
"We hope that the long merger process between Outokumpu and Inoxum clears up, as well as the sale of (Inoxums) Italian plant, Terni, which is causing a lot of uncertainty," the stainless steel producer said.
"The situation in the American market, Acerinoxs first market, is very different and has grown by 9.2 percent in the first two months of the year," it said. "However, import pressure is hindering expected price increases."
The company said its Americas market accounted for 49 percent of its sales in 2012.
In Asia, where Acerinox saw unchanged levels of activity before and after the Chinese New Year holiday, the company has launched Phase II of its Bahru Stainless joint venture in Malaysia with Japan-based Nisshin Steel Co. Ltd.
The companys first-quarter melt shop production totaled 586,933 tonnes, up 4.4 percent from a year earlier.
A version of this article was first published by AMM sister publication Steel First.


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Though Atlantic City was spared the worst of Superstorm Sandy, leaders of the resort town are working to make sure potential visitors understand they’re ready for company.
Leaders of the tourism group the Atlantic City Alliance think pictures of devastation at the Jersey Shore are undermining the city’s economy, even though it suffered little damage
Chairman Don Marrandino said news reports of the storm are actually giving those who wish to take a quick trip an opportunity.
“The rates are lower because there isn’t that much business,” Marrandino said. “On a weekend (that’s) usually $300 a night, I bet you can get rooms in the $100 range, supply and demand. We need to get back on our feet and that’s we’re working really hard to do.”
Marrandino says the casinos have lost millions in revenue because of the storm, so they’re launching a new marketing campaign building on their “Do AC” ads to tell potential visitors they’re open for busines.
“Now we’re doing `Can-Do AC’ which means everybody is optimistic,” Marrandino said. “We have to get off the ground again and start earning everybody’s trust.”


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The American Apparel Scandal: Dov’s Dirty Foursome
If there’s one thing I love and appreciate, it’s a good basic t-shirt or wardrobe basics in general, which in my opinion is what American Apparel is known for…okay maybe that’s not all they’re known for…
American Apparel or mainly, their founder and CEO, Dov Charney has been at the helm of what seems like hundreds of sex scandals. First there was Irene Morales and now Kimbra Lo, who appeared on the Today Show to publicly talk about the scandal and sexual accusations. And that’s not all, three other women–Alyssa Ferguson, Marissa Wilson and Tesa Lubans-Dehaven–are co-filing with Lo against Charney. This fashion foursome is going to get fierce, but we’ll just have to wait for it’s outcome. And while many of the ads featuring these women have been “magically” removed, MyFDB has a few featuring Ferguson. Check them out and see more of American Apparel’s infamous ads in the database.
For more drama and scandal, watch the video below for Lo’s take on what happened.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
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The Miami Bitcoin Conference, which made a sound last year, started this year at full throttle and is coming one after another. It has been announced that the two autonomous governments will accept Bitcoin as legal currency. In the evening, Robinhood gave the good news that it will expand user access for crypto wallet transfers.
Eligible Robinhood customers can now send and receive crypto, the company announced Thursday at its Bitcoin 2022 conference in Miami. Robinhood will also integrate the Lightning network for Bitcoin transactions in the coming months.
Robinhood's access to the much-anticipated crypto wallet transfer functionality was opened to a select group of users back in September. In December, the company signed a deal with blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis to prepare for the broader rollout of the proposal.
Robinhood said in a press release that "every eligible person on the WenWallet waiting list of more than two million people" has now been granted wallet transfer capabilities. The company added that it will not be able to offer this service to customers located in Hawaii, New York and Nevada.
In keeping with the theme of its announcement at the Bitcoin-based conference in Miami, Robinhood also announced a feature on the horizon. The brokerage app will support the Lightning network focused on smaller Bitcoin transactions.
"In the near future we will have the ability to transact on the Bitcoin Lightning Network, an open-source layer2 for Bitcoin transactions. We may have more good news in the future."
Robinhood is expected to develop more crypto functions. The firm experienced a decline in revenue based on crypto transactions in the fourth quarter of 2021. Yet during a presentation on Thursday, chief product officer Aparna Chennapragada stated that Bitcoin is this year's most repeated purchase on the Robinhood app.
The good news that the Shiba army was eagerly waiting for did not come. Robinhood did not share any updates about the Shiba Inu (SHIB) at the Bitcoin conference. In the previous statements, the green light was not given to the listing.


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Surge in current account customers ditching and switching their bank
The number of current account customers using the seven-day switching service in the final quarter of 2022 was the highest since it launched in 2013.
A record number of current account holders ditched and switched their bank using the seven-day switching service in the last three months of 2022, figures show.
The Current Account Switch Service (Cass) processed 376,107 switches between October and December.
It was the highest quarterly total since the service was launched in September 2013.
The highest total number of monthly switches ever using Cass was recorded in November, at 157,376.
Cass said the high switching totals align with a number of strong incentives and offers from current account providers at the time.
Several current account providers have been offering cash to switch, which may give people a welcome boost at a time when budgets are under strain.
The high switching totals may signal that consumers and businesses across the UK are reassessing their current account options during the challenging economic climate and looking to accounts that offer services that suit them better or provide switching incentives, Cass suggested.
Under the initiative, current account switches are usually completed in seven working days and payments are automatically moved from the old account to the new one.
Payments accidentally made to or requested from the old account will be automatically redirected to the new account.
A guarantee also means that the customer will not be left out of pocket if anything goes wrong with the switch.
The scheme can be used by small businesses and small charities as well as individual people.
Switching figures released voluntarily by banks and building societies also show that Santander, HSBC, Starling and Monzo had the highest net switching gains between July and September 2022, among switchers specifically using Cass.
The figures do not include current accounts switched outside the scheme, so they do not show all the switches made.
Earlier this week, Santander UK launched a new £200 switching incentive. In November, it launched a new current account called Santander Edge, which offers cashback on bills and spending as well as having a linked savings account paying 4% interest, for a £3 monthly fee.
The bank still offers its long-running 123 current account, which pays cashback on bills and 1.75% annual interest on balances up to £20,000, for a monthly fee of £4.
Cass said its own research among 2,000 people indicates seven in 10 (73%) switchers prefer their new current account to their previous one, with service-related benefits continuing to be the main reasons people prefer their new account.
Online banking was found to be the main reason cited for preferring their new account, followed by customer service and mobile banking/banking app ease.
The interest rate gained through a current account continued to be the fourth most important factor for switching, Cass said.
David Piper, head of payments operations at Pay.UK, owner and operator of Cass, said: “It is encouraging to see the highest level of switches ever this quarter, demonstrating the continued relevance of the service to consumers and businesses across the UK.”
Rachel Springall, a finance expert at Moneyfacts.co.uk, said: “The record-breaking quarter for current account switching came at a time when several banking brands were offering a free cash sweetener amid a cost-of-living crisis.
“Those customers who decided to switch accounts during (the fourth quarter of) 2022 could well have done so for different reasons, whether that be due to a poor level or service or that their existing account was not working hard enough for them.
“On the flip side, those customers who were struggling financially may have seen a free cash incentive hard to ignore, particularly as it is quick and simple to switch bank accounts using the Current Account Switch Service.
“Consumers’ spending habits have likely changed over the past few months as well, and they may be more conscious of budgeting and maximising the benefits of their current account than before.
“With that in mind, it’s positive to see customers making steps to ditch their existing account to find a better deal and potentially get a free cash incentive in the process.
“As it stands, there are very few brands offering a free cash incentive, but during the last quarter of 2022, there were several brands dipping in and out with free cash offers, of up to £200 in some cases, when using the Cass.”
She said there appear to be fewer up-front cash incentives for customers to switch right now, but added: “We could see more banks launch free cash offers if they need to attract new business in the months to come”.
Here are the net gains or losses made by customers using Cass to make full account switches between July 1 and September 30 2022. The figures do not cover switches made outside the scheme:
AIB Group UK (includes Allied Irish Bank NI and Allied Irish Bank GB brand switches), minus 788
Bank of Ireland, minus 395
Bank of Scotland, minus 1,366
Barclays, minus 18,646
Co-operative Bank (includes Smile brand switches), minus 4,533
Danske, minus 278
Halifax, minus 3,677
HSBC (includes First Direct brand switches), 13,119
Lloyds Bank, minus 4,928
Nationwide Building Society, 3,248
NatWest, minus 11,525
RBS (includes NatWest International, Coutts and Isle of Man brand switches), minus 4,831
Starling Bank, 9,070
Triodos Bank, 285
TSB, minus 10,400
Ulster Bank, minus 509
Virgin Money, 2,503


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Sheldon, Iowa — A man who allegedly assaulted an officer and allegedly stole a number of vehicles, including a Sheldon Pizza Ranch delivery van is reportedly now in custody — in Kansas City.
According to Worthington, Minnesota Police officers, on Friday morning the man was in the Sanford Worthington Hospital. He allegedly assaulted an officer to get free and then allegedly stole a car.
Officers believe he then drove that vehicle to Sheldon, where he stole one of the Pizza Ranch delivery vans, and continued southbound. He then allegedly turned up at the Willer Family Farm in Lawton, Iowa, where he is said to have ditched the pizza van and stole a Peterbilt semi truck with a grain trailer.
Casey Willer says he was told that a few hours later, around 1 PM, the truck was spotted in St. Joseph, Missouri. That’s over 230 miles away. He was told the truck struck some equipment there. The Willers were told the suspect was later arrested in Kansas City, Missouri, but the truck had not been found. From Worthington to Kansas City is about 375 miles.
An employee of the Sheldon Pizza Ranch confirms that the delivery van is back in Sheldon.
(You will see a black Honda turn towards Cenex, disappear from the the screen, then nearly rear end a beer semi. The car will then cross Highway 18 into Pizza Ranch’s parking lot, go into the parking lot of Chinese Chef, and then return to Pizza Ranch. You will then see a Pizza Ranch van leaving on Highway 18)


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Asian ride-hailing giant Grab has launched what may well be its most aggressive campaign against the competition in Singapore.
In a text message targeted at ComfortDelGro cabbies on Sunday (Sept 3) night, Grab dangled a rental discount of more than 40 percent to those who are willing to defect to any of the other taxi companies – all of whom use the Grab hailing platform.
“Dear Comfort Cabbie, HUGE Rental Discount deals from 4-15 Sept,” the message read.
“$50 rental discount PER DAY, if you switch your taxi rental over to any of our taxi-fleet partners (TransCab, Prime, SMRT, Premier). No targets. No questions asked.”
The discount – of around $1500 per month – amounts to more than 40 percent for Comfort cabbies who drive the Hyundai i40. Grab said those who switch to a private-hire car will get an even bigger discount – of $1688 per month.
The salvo came a week after ComfortDelGro – Singapore’s largest cab company – announced it was in exclusive talks with American ride-hailing company Uber about a possible tie-up.
It follows just days after Grab secured fresh fundings from Toyota Motor. Neither ComfortDelGro nor Grab was available for comment.
Taxi-drivers interviewed said the discount was interesting but were mostly wary about switching.
Mr Alan Soh, 42, said: “What are the terms and conditions? Previously, when Trans-Cab had a similar offer, the terms and conditions were not favourable.”
Mr Soh has been a cabby for 10 years, and has driven only for ComfortDelGro.
Competition in the taxi and private-hire industry is hotting up with operators battling one another to retain drivers as their cumulative fleet size approach 80,000 – three times what it was just four years ago.
Related story: How worried should ComfortDelGro be about Grab’s discount?
Related story: Uber and Grab use “ambassadors” to woo drivers
Related story: Analysts upbeat on possible Comfort-Uber partnership


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As far as media dinners go, I attended one that was right up my alley last month.
Obvious Ventures held a dinner at State Bird Provisions restaurant in San Francisco so I and other journalists could meet the partners and the firm’s portfolio of healthy living investments, which includes Beyond Meat, Miyoko’s Kitchen, Urban Remedy, Lucid and Olly.
It was those first two companies I was jazzed to meet. Full disclosure: I’ve been a vegetarian since 1989 and a vegan for about the past six years.
Most vegans will tell you that fake meat products leave a lot to be desired. Some substitutes are just downright awful. So I wanted to hear what’s new in the world of alternative meats and dairies.
Beyond Meat was founded in 2009, and when I first heard of it about four years ago, the company was an outlier. Few alternative-food startups were raising venture capital.
It’s more common now. Kite Hill, the San Francisco maker of plant-based cheeses, yogurts and other dairy alternatives from nut milk, recently raised $18 million in a Series B funding from 301 INC, General Mills’ venture arm, and CAVU Venture Partners. The company has now raised $21 million in financing.
And Califia Farms, a maker of plant-based dairy and other food products, last year raised $50 million from Stripes Group.
So it’s not unusual to say that Beyond Meat, which makes plant-based meat substitutes, has since its founding raised $17 million from Obvious, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and other backers.
And now the Manhattan Beach, California, company has been test-marketing a meatless burger that is packed with protein and is so realistic looking that I may have a hard time taking a bite.
Miyoko’s Kitchen makes nut-based dairy alternatives, including artisan cheeses and a butter that should please any fan of the European-style churned cream.
Plus, founder Miyoko Schinner has the kind of narrative that makes journalists excited.
During the dinner, she told us that she proactively sent samples of her cheese to Obvious Corp co-founders Biz Stone, a vegan, and Ev Williams, a vegetarian and founder of Obvious Ventures. They liked it and soon after invested.
I checked in with Schinner last week. Her company, which was founded in 2014, is relocating to a larger facility in Petaluma, a move she hopes to complete this year.
Meanwhile, she’s raising a Series B in the range of $8 million to $10 million.
In each of the past three weeks, she says she’s fielded two or three calls from investors looking to join the round. She says it’s not just mission-focused VCs, like Obvious, but a large venture firm and some smaller family funds have reached out.
“We have a long list of VCs, private equity investors and angels to choose from,” Schinner said. “I’m confident we’ll close a successful Series B.”
The food sector has changed. Schinner says investors have researched the alternative food space, and they want to get in.
And no longer do founders like her have to send samples to entice investors. The money is searching for the alternative meat and dairy startup investments.


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As the cost of living continues to increase in the UK and many people continue to struggle to pay energy bills and fill up their cars with fuel, the RAC has warned motorists to avoid getting their petrol from popular supermarkets. This comes as some including Tesco, ADSA, Morrisons and Sainsbury's have failed to lower their prices.
The four supermarkets have failed to drop the cost of fuel despite the wholesale price of petrol dropping back down to levels recorded in early May of 131.75p per litre. Some independent garages have lowered their prices to around 167p per litre of unleaded whilst supermarkets such as Tesco, whose HQ is located in Hertfordshire, has continued to maintain prices of around 178.93p per litre.
The RAC believes the biggest retailers’ failure to reduce petrol pump prices in line with the drop in the wholesale price of unleaded has cost drivers almost £9 more to fill up. This comes after fuel prices hit their highest-ever levels earlier this summer as the cost of crude oil soared.
As reported by The Mirror , RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “It's highly likely you'll find an independent retailer which is doing the right thing and fairly reflecting their lower wholesale costs by charging a lower price."
He added: "This is really encouraging because the independents buy new stock less frequently than the supermarkets as they don't sell as much, and consequently aren't as well positioned as their rivals to be able to snap up fuel at lower prices when there are sudden market drops," My London reports.
Mr Williams continued: "We saw independent retailers leading the charge with fairer pump prices appearing all around the country which eventually forced the supermarkets to finally implement a more substantial cut late last Friday afternoon. What ought to have happened is that the biggest retailers cut their prices more significantly on a daily basis, given the wholesale price of petrol has fallen steadily over the last eight weeks."
Tesco has cut the price of petrol by 6.5p and diesel by 4.5p per litre, while Asda has slashed prices by 5p for petrol and 3p for diesel. Sainsbury's has reduced fuel prices by an average of 5p, and rival Morrisons has cut prices by an average of 6p.
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- Tesco ban the sale of disposable BBQs due to heatwave fire risk
- Hitchin high street pedestrianisation plans that are dividing residents and businesses
- Herts Fire and Rescue urge residents to avoid disposable BBQ's in 35C hot spell


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Online meta universe During the pandemic, the social networking site IMVU grew by 44%; now, it attracts 7 million monthly active users, most of whom are women or users with IDs, aged between 18 and 24. If you are not one of millions of users, please refer to the following: On IMVU, users create personal avatars and dress them up as clothes designed by other users (in the website’s terms, creators) are paid in real money Purchased with credit. The purpose of IMVU is to connect with friends virtually and potentially make new friends, but shopping is not a small part of the appeal of the site. IMVU’s virtual store has 50 million items produced by more than 200,000 creators. More than 27 million transactions are exchanged for 14 billion credits (or 14 million U.S. dollars) every month. As Barbara Kruger said in her famous artwork in 1990, “I shop, so I am me” has resonated in this digital world.
Lindsay Anne Aamodt, the site’s senior director of marketing, said: “Fashion is the center for people to create avatars on IMVU and connect with others.” “Part of the reason is that dressing up avatars in the digital space allows people to access whatever they want. This is difficult to do in the real world.” For example, at the 2019 Met Gala night, before the camera stopped flashing, there was a virtual version of the celebrity’s camping red carpet on IMVU. “Whenever there is a mainstream or fashion trend in popular culture, this happens immediately at IMVU,” Aamodt confirmed. Users conduct their own fashion shows, set up a virtual model agency and preside over the award ceremony. When the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic began to bring musicians to digital platforms like IMVU, where they could make videos without real-world works, Aamodt caught her attention.
Now, she is the first to launch the first virtual fashion show on IMVU, which combines real-world labels Mountain road, Gypsy Sports, Movarola, Freak City, Bruce Glen, My Mum Made It and Mimi Wade, as well as professional creators who understand the 3D meshing and texturing process, these processes bring IMVU’s clothes and accessories to life. The show will be aired on May 27, after which IMVU users will be able to buy and dress up their avatars in the designer look they see on the virtual runway.
Buy-as-you-go components make it compatible with Protect the animals A fashion show was held in May last year, when a suspension order made live broadcasting impossible. The same is true of the level of IMVU’s 3D avatar. “This goes far beyond the meaning of putting a logo on a digital T-shirt or’pixel pants’,” Aamodt said. “I really want to see two things happen: I want to see people look at fashion differently—not just wearing clothes on their avatars, but looking at products from Collina Strada or Mowalola, and This kind of expression is more creative. Moreover, I also want to communicate with real-world brands, saying that “Metaverse” is a place for the masses, where there is a real opportunity for brand integration, brand expansion and brand expression.” She continued Say: “It’s one thing to watch ads over and over again. It’s one thing to do Instagram Live. But before you actually invest in a brand in the real world, it’s another thing to own a brand, and this kind of accessibility Sex will only increase the influence of these brands.”
The designers of the IMVU product line are not necessarily technical leaders, but they are all people who break the rules in one way or another. As an advocate of sustainable development, Hillary Taymour of Collina Strada tried on virtual clothes. Taymour said: “There is a way to create more educational models or expressive models, not just product models.” fashion With the assistance of Gucci, she made a video game for the 21st autumn, when the task was to deal with climate change. On IMVU, Taymour’s avatar will be wearing virtual clothes she sells IRL, and more fantastic clothes. She said: “I am not closely connected with digital media. I hope to get stuck on a rock during the shutdown, but I do think this is a way of creating things.” “I am a small brand, I don’t have The team does everything I want to do.” Mowalola Ogunlesi was born in Nigeria and London, and co-founded a new company Yeezy Gap with Kanye West. She said: “I like the idea of digitalization because I have never done it before.” “This is an idea, it can be anything, and people can store it all at once without having to wait for production for the store.”
Rio Uribe of Gypsy Sport pays attention to representatives in the real world with Virtual. His latest IRL runway is a celebration of his Chicano legacy. On IMVU, his avatar will be modeled after his muse and other people working with him, with only exotic blue-green skin and otherworldly features. “This will start from New York City, and then they will enter the Gypsy universe. This is a metaphysical world where all bodies are valid and there is almost no need for fashion, because we would rather be naked, but this is a way of expressing ourselves. Good way,” he said. He added: “My inspiration comes from the reason we introduce people to the gypsy sport, which is why we repeat the appearance of the past, but give them a Met Gala turning point that is much larger than life.” “Maybe. One of these works can be screened at the Metropolitan Museum one day.”


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Wind Mobile’s primary backer has withdrawn investment in the carrier following speculation over the future of the company over the last few months.
Telus has just pulled out of the industry-funded Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA.) Visit DigitalHome.ca to find out more!
WIND Mobile has just announced it will soon be launching an unlimited data, talk and text add-on for roaming usage across the United States for $15/month.
A new service enabling Smart TVs, home appliances and smartphones to be connected and managed through a single integrated platform known as Smart Home has been announced by Samsung.
Verizon Communications is prepared to pay $700 million for WIND Mobile, and is also considering an acquisition of wireless startup, Mobilicity. The Globe and Mail reports on June 26th that two sources have confirmed that the US wireless giant has an “inital offer on the table.” Since WIND Mobile has a market share well under [...]
Waterloo, ON-based Fongo Inc. wants to acquire WIND mobile, but the wireless carrier seems to be shrugging off the offer as an early April Fools’ prank. VimpelCom is looking for a buyer for the fourth largest wireless carrier in Canada and while there has been speculation that some US-based mobile giants such as AT&T and [...]
VimpelCom will be taking bids for WIND Mobile starting on March 22, according to several news reports. Toronto-based WIND Mobile is the fourth largest wireless carrier in Canada and the price of ownership will be in the $500 million to $1 billion range. In a Toronto Star report, Canaccord Genuity Canadian research head Dvai Ghose [...]
WIND Mobile experienced its strongest year of growth in Canada since joining the wireless provider fray in 2008. It grew its subscriber base by 47 percent year over year and now serves 590,438 wireless customers. In fact, almost 80,000 subscribers were added during the fourth quarter of 2012, with more than 70 percent of those [...]


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April 6, 2018
NORTH AMERICA–With the tagline “Sharper Than Ever” emblazoned in neon on its front entrance, high-tech gadget retailer Sharper Image has opened its first physical storefront in almost a decade in New York City’s Times Square.
A beloved mall mainstay in the U.S. for almost 30 years, Sharper Image filed for bankruptcy and shuttered all its stores in 2008 during the economic downturn. In the intervening years, the brand has lived on though through a catalog, e-commerce and branded products sold at third-party retailers such as Target, Kohl’s and Bed, Bath & Beyond. Now, Sharper Image is dipping its toe back into the retail waters with a holiday pop-up located at the heart of Times Square.
The pop-up is part of new owner ThreeSixty Group’s strategy to reinvigorate the popular brand, which they bought from Iconix Brand Group less than a year ago in December 2016 for $100 million.
Interestingly, ThreeSixty, which was the largest licensee of the Sharper Image brand before they became its owner, also owns another challenged retail brand, FAO Schwarz, which it is also revitalizing through e-commerce and third-party retail.
The Sharper Image Times Square pop-up store, which soft launched a few weeks ago and held its official opening last Thursday, features the same types of innovative and fun products the brand was known for in its heyday–everything from drones and remote-control dinosaurs to massage chairs and phone chargers.
“Sharper Image has always invited discovery and hands-on experiences with the best in tech-enabled gear for fun and home at accessible prices and exceptional value,” says David Conn, chief executive officer, ThreeSixty Group. “Our holiday selection … showcases what Shaper Image is all about today, and that’s having fun.”
ThreeSixty has taken great care to bring back the experiential elements that made Sharper Image stores so popular, creating an “interactive playground” that encourages shoppers to try before they buy.
While the majority of Sharper Image products are made in-house, the brand does have a slate of about 10 licensees for key categories including Southern Telecom for massage products and electronics, Argento for men’s and women’s personal care items, Ginsey for bath, décor and accessories and Atomi for charging. Janet Keane, director of licensing at ThreeSixty, says that the goal with all Sharper Image products, whether licensed or in-house, is to “elevate the brand” and stay true to the core attributes that made the Sharper Image name–innovation, feature-rich, unique and high-quality but at a good price point.
There are no plans for permanent storefronts at the moment (at least not that ThreeSixty is will to talk about, anyway). But the pop-up retail format is increasingly becoming a go-to option for challenged retailers who want to take advantage of seasonal foot traffic without taking on the burden of year-round rent. In fact, the Sharper Image pop-up is located just across the street from Toys ‘R’ Us’ own Times Square holiday pop-up, which they launched earlier this year after giving up their permanent Times Square location in 2015.
The New York City Fire and Police Departments and actor Sean Astin (Goonies, The Lord of the Rings) race Sharper Image radio-controlled flip stunt rally vehicles at the pop-up shop's official opening Thursday.
(c) Stuart Ramson/AP Images
Read more about:Iconix Brand Group
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MEAT & Livestock Australia’s ‘Make Lamb Not Walls’ campaign has been awarded a number of accolades at Effie Australia’s online ceremony last night, including gold for ‘Outsmarting Covid.’
The Effie Awards is known by advertisers and agencies as the most distinguished awards in the Australian marketing communications industry. The awards honour effectiveness in advertising and marketing communications.
MLA general manager for marketing and insights, Nathan Low, said the industry continued to reap the benefits of the success from the Make Lamb Not Walls Campaign.
“The Make Lamb Not Walls campaign has received many accolades this year, but to receive a Gold Effie against the best in the business with only five Golds awarded is an outstanding result,” Mr Low said.
“The Effie’s are awarded to campaigns that have delivered superior results by surpassing the objectives they set out to achieve and we certainly did that for Australian Lamb this year.
“The campaign generated outstanding results across the board, including a 16.8 percent uplift in sales during the campaign period, 1421 total pieces of coverage and over 10 million views,” he said.
“The ‘Outsmarting COVID’ award is a category for effectiveness studies that help contribute to marketing knowledge during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the first Australian recession since 1990.
“Australian lamb won a Gold Effie for its response to a pandemic extinguishing Australia’s unity and BBQs,” Mr Low said.
“We combined an enduring brand strategy and culturally provocative idea to encourage Australians to break down state borders and reunite over a lamb BBQ.
“Thanks to The Monkeys, One Green Bean and Universal McCann we created a collaborative, integrated campaign that has proven memorable and effective in the minds of Australians and achieved outstanding results for our producers.”
MLA’s Make Lamb Not Walls Campaign received the following awards:
- GOLD Outsmarting COVID
- SILVER Return on Investment
- SILVER Food, Confectionary and Snacks
- BRONZE Insight and Strategic Thinking


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This partnership will help merchants optimize their financing and leasing programs, and provide a seamless leasing process for their customers, the companies said in a Thursday (Oct. 5) press release emailed to PYMNTS.
“We’re thrilled to be deploying our prequalification feature with Versatile Credit,” Mitch Fadel, CEO of Acima Leasing’s parent company, Upbound Group, said in the release. “With this feature, Acima has the ability to get in front of the customer and present our leasing option, allowing shoppers to make an educated, informed decision and find the best option that fits their budget and receive the products they need.”
The new collaboration brings together Acima Leasing’s virtual LTO solutions and Versatile Credit’s software that connects merchants, lenders and consumers to facilitate loans and leases at the point of sale, according to the press release.
Acima Leasing’s LTO solutions are available for a wide range of durable goods and allow eligible shoppers to lease products from Acima with a low initial rental payment and flexible payment, ownership or return options, the release said.
Versatile’s credit cascade technology helps eligible applicants reach “the fastest path to yes” by transitioning those who are declined or do not receive a prequalified offer of credit to secondary or tertiary offers, per the release. This allows merchants to extend additional offers to shoppers.
“With a full spectrum of financing and leasing options merchants can often see their overall approval rates increase [by approximately 29%] — along with an increase in approval amounts — helping connect shoppers with options to help them make purchases or enter leases,” Ed O’Donnell, CEO of Versatile Credit, said in the release.
Over 106 million households, around one-third of the U.S. population, have subprime and below credit scores, and a large portion of these have limited or no credit profiles whatsoever, PYMNTS reported Sept. 19.
Secondary and tertiary financing options can play a role in the path to purchase for these consumers. These options can also help merchants retain the business of these shoppers when included among their financing options and credit portfolios.


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June 10, 2019
Several years ago, Union Wine Company of Tualatin, Oregon, put some wine in cans for a food festival. It was such a hit, says owner Ryan Harms, he decided to do it as his main business.
“I think there are a lot of indicators that are helping us feel confident about our continued investment and what we’re doing,” Harms says. Now, Union ships its Underwood-branded cans to 49 states and 11 countries. Other big wineries have noticed. Just in the last year, the wine-in-can category has grown by more than 100% across the nation, measured by the volume of units sold. The third largest winery in the nation is Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, based in Woodinville, Washington. Now, it’s pouring huge amounts of wine into aluminum cans under its 14 Hands brand. Read the entire article featuring J. Bookwalter and more on OPB News


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Thursday, January 15, 2015 at 12:00 AM
In the 20 years since the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect, trade between the United States and Canada has tripled, but those gains have occurred despite ongoing — and often unnecessary — hurdles to cross-border business, according to a recent study by the Canadian Council of Chief Executives. “The report is striking because it acknowledges that the NAFTA objective of a single market for goods and services hasn’t been achieved,” notes Christopher Sands, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.
Titled “Made in North America: A New Agenda to Sharpen Our Competitive Edge,” the study offers several strategies to reach that objective.
One is to improve border operations so goods can travel more smoothly between the three North American countries. This is especially important to foster efficiency and growth in cross-border supply chains — small, mid-sized and large companies in the U.S., Canada and Mexico that make things together.
The auto industry is perhaps the most obvious example of this type of economic interconnectedness; car and truck components can cross the border six or seven times before a vehicle is completely assembled.
But getting these components across the border in a timely, seamless fashion remains a challenge. The three countries have been slowly chipping away at some of these delays, through the use of trusted-shipper programs (giving registered companies access to fast lanes) and electronic manifests that list the goods on a truck before it gets to the border. The Canadian Council’s study, however, says the promise of these initiatives has not yet been realized: “Many businesses complain that the trusted-trader programs ... demand significant investments but yield minimal benefit.” More information sharing (between the two governments and businesses) is needed to make these programs work better, the study’s authors say.
Another strategy is to better align regulations, a move that Sands says is critical to making North America operate more like a single market.
“[It is] not because we want to deregulate and have a race to the bottom,” Sands says, “but because there is a benefit if companies do not have to go through a lot of separate steps.”
In fact, the U.S. and Canada are already in talks to harmonize regulations. For example, they are working on common safety standards for new vehicles as well as for the rail cars used to carry dangerous materials.
And a joint regulatory approach to food safety could save time and money for producers and regulators.
Many of the report’s recommendations focus on federal-led initiatives, but there also is a role for states and provinces. Improved border operations, for instance, are contingent on state and provincial governments making needed investments in infrastructure.
The report notes, too, the need for more skilled and trained workers. Many skilled trades require certification, but there currently are wide differences in how workers in these fields are trained and accredited.
“Work on standardization would lay the foundation for mutual recognition of trades and professions across North America,” the report concludes.