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September 4, 2018
Some high-profile figures from the country’s biggest print vendors have been revealing why MPS is so important in India.
According to Leo Joseph, Senior Director of Printing Systems at HP India, digitisation is “important”, due to “the whole Digital India approach and focus in the country.” He revealed to CRN that HP is “working closely with a lot of government departments, ministries, high courts and public-sector banks to convert every physical document into digital.”
He explains that MPS is currently the OEM’s “biggest priority”, with security being a crucial area of focus as CIOs and CXOs focus on protecting their infrastructure. HP takes a “3D approach”, consisting of Data, Devices and Documents, and Joseph explains they “keep the device secure with a security solution.”
He goes on to say that HP’s MPS business is growing rapidly, and they have garnered a “lot of enterprise accounts” as well as offering “regular training, enablement and business planning with partners.”
He concludes by stating that when “customers move from a disparate or managed printer infrastructure to managed print services, the savings can be anywhere in the range of 15 percent to 20 percent.”
Meanwhile, Manish Garg of WeP Solutions Ltd comments that the MPS market in India currently remains “under explored” despite the fact that the nation “is one of the fastest growing global markets in the sector.”
He says, “The majority of MPS commitments come from mid-market to enterprise levels of accounts”, but small and medium enterprises are also opening up towards the innovative ideas of cost reduction and are now considered a potential market in India for MPS.”
Garg revealed that MPS currently contributes “52 percent” to the overall business of WeP Solutions, which recently signed a deal with an Israeli-based ePaper and is the only organisation in India to offer solutions powered by Sentinel.
Also speaking to CRN, Xerox India’s Managing Director, Raj Kumar Rishi, stated that the MPS market in India “has evolved over the past few years”, with organisations becoming “more open to outsourcing non-core business processes.” He explains that Xerox has helped companies “transition from an ad-hoc un-managed print environment to a managed environment” as well as guiding them toward “business process transformation.”
He goes on to reveal that MPS “is a major contributor to the Xerox India business”, with the OEM recording double digit growth in this sector. According to Rishi, Xerox boasts an “elaborate MPS channel”, designed to benefit both end clients and partners.
He concludes by saying that the company is increasing its market coverage “to make MPS available to organisations so that they can realise business benefits”.
Categories : World Focus


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Cinnamon roll bakery chain Cinnabon is partnering with Kellogg Company for a new snack just in time for National Snack Day on March 4.
Kellogg’s Cinnabon Bakery Inspired Jumbo Snax are the newest fan-favorite cereal to be transformed for snacktime. They feature cinnamon-sugar swirl-shape pieces, giving fans of Cinnabon the classic taste of cinnamon rolls with every bite.
The new flavor hits cereal aisles nationwide in April alongside new Kellogg’s SMORZ Jumbo Snax. The newly returned Kellogg’s SMORZ Cereal, now made for snacktime, features toasted graham square pieces dusted with marshmallow and rich chocolate flavors.
“Kellogg’s Cinnabon Bakery Inspired Cereal and SMORZ Cereal have incredibly devoted fan bases, and we’ve received numerous social media requests to bring back the cereals,” says Erin Storm, senior marketing director of Kellogg All Family Cereal. “The new Kellogg’s Jumbo Snax additions give fans what they desire — another way to satisfy their cereal cravings, anytime, anywhere, with two new melt-in-your-mouth flavors.”

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The Black Friday shopping storm 2017 will kick off soon. However, the Black Friday battle has already begun in Germany. The dispute circles around a German trade mark Black Friday, the owner of the trademark being based in Hong Kong, and its German licensee. In fact, all traces “lead to Vienna”, as media summarized the results of their investigations in this “thriller” (tn3, December 8, 2016).
Since 1952, Black Friday, generally known as the day following Thanksgiving Day, has been regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the U.S. Today, retailers in different countries all over the world offer promotional sales on or before Black Friday. In Germany, Apple was the first company that ran a special Black Friday campaign for the German market in 2006 (Wikipedia, last downloaded November 18, 2017). Today, even Deutsche Bank informs German clients about Black Friday as one of the most important “dates this week” (following the news that coalition government talks in Germany unexpectedly collapsed). If you don´t have (Black) Friday yet on your mind, here are some impressive pictures about Black Friday, shown in Germany in 2011 by Spiegel Online, the most widely read German-language news website.
In 2013, a trade mark application for Black Friday was filed in Germany. Today, the German trade mark is registered for Super Union Holdings Ltd., Hong Kong which has licensed the trade mark “Black Friday” to Black Friday GmbH, a company based in Vienna.
Since 2016, Super Union Holdings Ltd. has started to attack companies using the term Black Friday by sending warnings, such as the US e-commerce marketplace Groupon in 2016, as media reported. Another party concerned is a German entrepreneur who hosts the domain black-friday.de, a platform offering Black Friday deals.
In 2017, Super Union Holdings Ltd. sued Amazon for its use of the sign „Black Friday“ in Germany by raising, inter alia, forbearance and damage claims („Black Friday“ wird Fall für die Gerichte, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, November 6, 2017).
Of course, some companies, affected by the attacks of Super Union Holdings Ltd., have started to fire back. It is no surprise that there are more than twelve pending cancellation actions against the German trademark Black Friday. In addition, just recently a court in Düsseldorf / Germany has issued a preliminary injunction against Super Union Holdings Ltd. and its licensee Black Friday GmbH to refrain, inter alia, from claiming against clients of the operator of the aforementioned website black-friday.de, that the use of “Black Friday” in an ad is a trade mark infringement (Lebensmittelzeitung, November 17, 2017, p. 20).
The litigation public relations of black-friday.de was keen to inform the public about the preliminary injunction against Super Union Holdings Ltd. and the licensee Black Friday GmbH by indicating their names. Black Friday GmbH wasn´t happy about that and got a preliminary injunction on November 15, 2017 preventing the operator of the website black-friday.de from informing the public about the Düsseldorf injunction against Super Union Holdings Ltd. and Black Friday GmbH indicating those names in a press release (anonymous information not challenged).
Of course, the question whether one of the parties is allowed to mention the name of the other party in litigation public relations, e.g. press releases, is only a secondary battlefield. The quintessential and more interesting question in this battle is: will the subject German trade mark Black Friday be cancelled?
In Germany, the registration of a trade mark shall be cancelled on request of any third party if it has been registered despite absolute grounds for refusal, e.g. if the mark is descriptive or does constitute an indication which needs to be kept freely available. So, what is your opinion?
My opinion is that the trade mark should be cancelled and announced non-valid from the beginning as this advertising claim is not perceived as an indication of origin. The media in Germany reported about Black Friday in the U.S. years before the subject German trade mark Black Friday was filed in 2013, and businesses, inter alia major international companies like Apple, started Black Friday sales in Germany before 2013. Further, even if the trademark were unexpectedly not to be declared invalid at the end of the day, the defendants in most cases might have a reasonable case to win a trade mark fight, as the use of the term “Black Friday” in the course of a late November shopping campaign might not be considered trade mark use.


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When Tom Fugleberg joined the fledgling Minneapolis ad agency Olson + Co. in 1997, he was among the first employees who didn’t share a surname with the husband-and-wife founders.
In the years since, that small shop has grown into a 400-person behemoth called OLSON, the largest marketing agency in the Twin Cities by headcount and one of the top 10 independent agencies in the nation. And Fugleberg, who had a big hand in that growth as executive creative director, has a new job as the agency’s chief branding officer.
His mission: Preserve the agency’s irreverent, experimental culture while making sure everyone shares the same vision for the future. Meanwhile, boost OLSON’s visibility beyond the Midwest in places like New York, Toronto and the West Coast.
OLSON’s creative culture has always lent the agency a quirky appeal. From dodgeball games in the alley behind its Loring Park digs to late-night mixology experiments on behalf of its liquor clients, OLSON has been the kind of place that welcomed the unexpected.
But can quirk, even in the service of creativity, exist in a giant agency? Hanging onto culture and connections has always been a challenge for fast-growing companies, and OLSON has grown faster than most. Fugleberg said he’s got an advantage — because the agency has always been an advocate of just the kind of connections he’s now being asked to nurture internally.
“We’re a brand connection agency,” he said. “That’s always been in our DNA, and that’s how we’ve built brands for our clients. So if that’s your North Star, you have to live it.”
As an example of the OLSON approach, the agency employs more than a half-dozen cultural anthropologists who explore the deep meanings of our connections to brands, products and the communities of interest that we form around them. Think of the culture of Minnesota hockey and how a brand like Bauer can tap into it.
Fugleberg said he’ll be investing that same care in examining what makes his own people tick — what brings meaning to their work and contributes to the agency’s identity.
“We are this bigger version of what we have all been attracted to,” he said. “We want all the different flavors and sensibilities. We want to allow people to be who they are.”
OLSON’s growth has spread change all the way to the top ranks. The agency’s new president and chief operating officer is Margaret Murphy, who came aboard when OLSON acquired loyalty agency Denali Marketing last year. Dennis Ryan, the new chief creative officer, joined a couple of months ago from the Chicago agency Element 79.
Both bring their own views on agency culture, forged in the organizations they’ve been with. Not a problem, said Fugleberg; it’s all part of developing an identity together.
“Their creation stories are different from ours,” he said. “But we’re bound by a belief in connection.”


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The brilliance of Gangnam Style, and PSY, is not the horse dance; it resonates with many across the world, and more are spoofing it to seek social change.
Net Impact rolls out the Small Steps, Big Wins Campus Challenge, an experimental campus competition that will change the way students look at these seemingly overwhelming problems.
Giving Tuesday is an initiative that seeks to bring together individuals and companies to rethink what it means to participate in this annual giving season.
Doing the impossible? Where do I sign up? My goal as a sustainability professional is to make sure that more people feel this way. I feel strongly that you need to meet people where they are on their sustainability journey. And it is a journey.
Looking for an alternative? Explore the sharing economy While some of us prefer to stay warm and snuggle in our living rooms Thanksgiving night, others are already lined up, or even camping, in parking lots waiting to snag those Black Friday deals on laptops, flat screen TVs or The Hunger Games on Blu-ray DVD. Black … Continued
In response to numerous strikes at stores and warehouses around the country recently, and in anticipation of more on Black Friday, Walmart asks the National Labor Relations Board to halt the strikes. But it might be too late.
Giving Tuesday on November 27, 2012, aims to nudge society past consumerism and towards community giving. Hopefully #GivingTuesday will inspire Americans to do what they have done well for decades: help the less fortunate in their neighborhoods
María Rodriguez, founder of Byoearth is teaching women the value of the red wiggler worm and the use of vermicomposting to support sustainable farming. It’s a concept she believes in passionately and is having increasing success selling to both local farmers and non-profit aid organizations throughout Latin America.
Walgreens has launched its own line of “green” household products to be sold under the brand name “Ology.” The Ology brand includes everyday household products. But what makes them green and does it stand up to the light of day?
The new UN international Biodiversity and Community Health international initiative aims to establish local, participatory centers of excellence to conduct research and promote better understanding and policies that recognize the linkages between human health and well-being, that of biodiversity and ecosystems and traditional knowledge systems.
In 2012, people are dealing with more uncertainty and stress from natural and manmade disasters. The speakers at the Bioneers 2012 conference offered strategies for responding to difficult events by reconnecting with nature, each other, and ourselves.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has put up a grant of $10 million to establish a new biofuel consortium for the northeastern U.S., which could provide new opportunities to participate in the emerging biofuel sector.
This article is part of our coverage of Net Impact 2012. To follow along, visit this page. By Erica Schlaikjer “Across the board, nobody wants to do accounting,” said Shivani Siroya, founder and CEO of inVenture, a global credit scoring company. “It’s difficult or they’re lazy or they don’t see the purpose.” Her company, currently working in India, … Continued


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Walgreens Boots Alliance celebrates latest CSR achievements
Walgreens Boots Alliance is setting the pace on sustainability issues from health care and combatting climate change to promoting diversity and fostering inclusion as evidenced in its new 2017 Corporate Social Responsibility Report published Friday.
Leveraging its scale and business values as well as the strong CSR heritage of its legacy companies, Walgreens Boots Alliance made significant strides during fiscal 2017, hitting important milestones and setting out new commitments within its 12 CSR goals.
[quote-from-article] “Corporate Social Responsibility sits at the heart of Walgreens Boots Alliance. Throughout 2017, we continued to demonstrate how we as a company embed our CSR values in everything we do,” stated Ornella Barra, Walgreens Boots Alliance co-COO and chairman of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee. “I am immensely proud of the positive impact our initiatives have on millions of lives around the world. By building on our successes and creating long-term collaborations with partner organizations, we aim for the biggest possible positive impact in our areas of focus. For us, this is quite simply the right thing to do.”
Through its CSR strategy and goals, Walgreens Boots Alliance continues to support the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals and is committed to aligning its activities to support all 17 of the SDGs, which include goals to end poverty, take action on climate change, improve access to health and education and build strong institutions.
“We are dedicated to CSR because we see it as driving a sustainable and profitable enterprise,” added Stefano Pessina, Walgreens Boots Alliance executive vice chairman and CEO. “As a health and wellbeing company, we operate in markets where ethical behavior is of utmost importance. We strive to be a responsible neighbor in the communities we serve, to protect the planet for the future, to do business with integrity and to treat our people and our customers with dignity and respect.”
Highlights from the 2017 CSR Report include:
- In the U.S. Walgreens expanded programs to combat opioid abuse through medication disposal kiosks (more than 150 tons of unused medications have been collected and disposed of since 2016) and through work to make naloxone, a lifesaving opioid antidote, available without requiring a prescription at its pharmacies in 45 states;
- Boots UK employees and customers have raised more than £15 million ($24 million) for Macmillan Cancer Support over eight years, and more than 2,200 Boots Macmillan Information Pharmacists have been trained to offer support to cancer patients and their loved ones;
- Walgreens expanded its partnership with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, including training for pharmacists to help patients who are taking blood cancer medication;
- Walgreens continued its support of the Red Nose Day annual campaign, raising more than $20 million with 10.6 million noses sold, which helps to provide nutritious meals, essential medicine, clean water and other vital aid and services to children in need in the U.S. and in other countries;
- During fiscal 2017 Walgreens Boots Alliance decreased its total carbon footprint by 6.5% from the previous year, through energy efficiency programs and projects; and
- During fiscal 2017 Boots UK achieved its CO2 reduction target three years ahead of schedule, cutting emissions by 33% in Boots stores that were open in 2005.
Nature’s Truth packs supplement punch into new powder format
Nature’s Truth this week announced the introduction of five new farm-fresh powders to their expanding product line. The new, innovative powders supply nutrients in a convenient way that goes beyond the traditional capsule or tablet that consumers are used to.
“Consumers have begun to look for alternate ways to consume the key ingredients they love that better fits their on-the-go lifestyle, which is why we’ve created our new powders," stated Kimberly Vigliante, senior vice president sales and marketing for the Ronkonkoma, N.Y.-based firm. "Not only do they contain the trending ingredients consumers are looking for, but they are an easy addition to any routine.”
Of the many powders featured in the new line, Nature's Truth identified its pure turmeric powder and its ultra beet root powder (antioxidant and fiber-rich) as two key additions. Both powders are a convenient addition to any consumer’s busy routine by just adding a scoop to their favorite recipe or smoothie.
Each powder contains organic ingredients, is non-GMO, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, free of artificial colors, preservative free and free of any artificial flavors. With this new product line, Nature’s Truth provides retailers with incremental sales opportunities by expanding their wellness category and consumers’ baskets.
Sears Holdings axes 64 Kmart stores in latest round of closings
Sears Holdings has announced more than 100 store closings, which include 39 Sears locations and 64 Kmart stores as part of its latest round of efforts to shrink its footprint. The Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based company said that the stores would begin liquidation sales as early as January 12, with the first round of closings beginning in early March, continuing through early April.
“Sears Holdings continues its strategic assessment of the productivity of our Kmart and Sears store base and will continue to right size our store footprint in number and size,” the company said in a statement. “In the process, as previously announced we will continue to close some unprofitable stores as we transform our business model so that our physical store footprint and our digital capabilities match the needs and preferences of our members.”
Other efforts that Sears Holdings have undertaken lately as it weathers headwinds— most recently posting a net loss attributable to shareholders of $558 million in its third quarter 2017 — include reducing the number of pharmacies in open Kmart stores. The company has attributed this move as a contributor to revenue decline. For Q3 2017, Sears Holdings posted a $1.3 billion decline in revenue compared with the prior-year Q3. Kmart comparable-store sales declined 13% for the quarter, with Sears comps dropping 17%.
A call inquiring about the number of pharmacies on the chopping block as a result of these closings was not immediately returned.


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First Big PS4 Price Cut Arrives
This morning Sony announced its first big PS4 price cut for gamers in Japan, slashing the cost of joining its ecosystem by a huge margin. Some think that PS4 price cut could be coming to the United States too.
It was in a presentation ahead of the Tokyo Game Show that Sony delivered the PS4 price cut news. The company is lowering the cost of the PS4 to 34,980 Yen. Roughly converted, that means that Japanese shoppers are saving $41 on new PS4s. Atsushi Morita, head of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan and Asia confirmed that the savings will go into effect on October 1st in Japan. He also noted that the company is aiming to “provide an opportunity for users who have not yet been exposed to this device to dive into the world of PlayStation,” according to Polygon.
It’s that last bit that’s attracting raised eyebrows from gaming enthusiasts around the globe. Theoretically, that same reason could apply to a big PS4 price cut in other markets besides Japan. Sony hasn’t lowered the price of its consoles in other markets, preferring to bundle a game with the console for users looking to save some cash. Theoretically, when shoppers buy these PS4 bundles they’re saving the $60 purchasing the bundled game would have cost separately.
Problem is that going into its third holiday shopping season, the PS4 is hardly competitively priced in the United States and some other territories. Microsoft stumbled hard out of the game, originally only introducing a single Xbox One bundle that came with no games and a Kinect sensor for $499, $100 more than the PS4. Paltry sales forced the company to introduce console bundles with free games. When that didn’t work the company introduced a cheaper bundle without the Kinect sensor.
The Xbox One is $349 now for a model with the same mount of storage as the PS4. Microsoft has another bundle at $399, an Xbox One with a free game and 1TB of storage, double what’s available in the PS4 and cheaper Xbox One. The existence f this Xbox One bundle makes a PS4 price cut likely, some would say. There are other factors at play too.
Earlier this year Sony announced that Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, one of the most hotly anticipated video games coming to the PS4 exclusively, was delayed. Uncharted 4’s new official release date is in 2016, well after the holiday season and too far away for Sony to use it to prop up sales this holiday season with advertisements. Big name titles like Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed come to both the Xbox One and PS4. With no big-name exclusive games coming, Sony is counting on deals with game makers to prop up sales. Destiny: The Taken King has exclusive content on PS4.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 will launch new downloadable content packs on the PS4 a month before they arrive on Xbox One. Deals of this type are great to have, but lowering the price to attract new holiday shoppers gives Sony more to work with as Microsoft tries to swamp the PS4 with exclusive games for the Xbox One. The Xbox One has Rise of the Tomb Raider, Forza 6 and Halo 5: Guardians all coming this holiday season. That’s not counting bundles that the company plans to sell with free big-name games included. For example, Madden 16 is available with a new Xbox One at no additional charge.
Why we haven’t seen a huge PS4 price cut in the United States comes down to sales. With PS4 sales in the United States steady, Sony hasn’t had to drop prices significantly. It can be argued that the only reason the Xbox One saw big price declines was because of its botched launch. Had Microsoft not misfired on the console’s launch, it seems entirely possible we wouldn’t have a $349 Xbox One bundle either.
Today, the PS4 costs $399 with 500GB of storage and a single PS4 DualShock 4 controller. If Sony were planning a PS4 price cut in the United States it’d likely announce closer to the holiday shopping season in October or November.


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Support comes in lots of forms.
You can give money. You can give time. You can sign petitions or attend events or put a sticker on your car.
All of these can show where your heart or your head or your sympathies lie. This charity. That movement. This party. That cause.
Then there is the way we remove support. That can be more vocal and more sudden — especially after a well-publicized uproar.
There is no more well-publicized uproar in the world right now than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It has prompted a blizzard of support worldwide for Ukraine. Social media profile pictures are including the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is becoming a hero beyond his borders as videos of his statements and leadership go viral.
But just as important has been the withdrawal of support from Russia. Some of it has been huge, like the cutting off of Russia financially from banking systems or the specific freezing of assets of individuals such as Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some has been unprecedented, such as the historically neutral Switzerland joining the list of nations condemning the invasion.
And some has been as small as a shot of vodka.
On Sunday, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board took up a challenge from Gov. Tom Wolf and pulled Russian products from its shelves.
On the one hand, is this really a big deal? It won’t even impact most hard vodka drinkers as the majority of the liquor sold in the U.S. isn’t Russian. It’s made in America or Sweden or the United Kingdom — and let’s hope that people who decide to boycott Russian products don’t hurt unrelated producers.
But vodka might be the one Russian product most Americans can really pick out of a crowd. Your average Southwestern Pennsylvania store isn’t crowded with things exported from Russia. Good caviar isn’t on most local tables.
The country’s other exports are things such as iron and steel, which Pennsylvania already would prefer be bought domestically. There are things such as minerals, chemicals and fertilizer, but those are more of a corporate decision than an individual’s buying power. So vodka it is.
There is a temptation to see this as a gesture, like changing the name of french fries to freedom fries after opposition during the Iraq War.
But every gesture of support, or withdraw of that support, is a stand for what people feel. For what matters to them. And if rejecting a Russian drink is one way to do it, it seems like a small sacrifice.


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US: 12,200 children's shoes recalled on cut risk
The metal rivets can pose a laceration hazard to children
Eastman Footwear Group is recalling around 12,200 children's shoes after the metal rivets surrounding the holes where the shoestring is secured were found to have sharp edges, posing a laceration hazard.
The Coleman Runestone style shoes, which were made in China, were sold at Big 5 Sporting Goods stores in the US between January and December 2013 for US$39.
One report has been received of an adult who scratched or cut his finger, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). But no medical attention was required.
- Yuan devaluation impact mixed for garment firms
- Will Vietnam struggle with impending trade deals?
- The new age of disruption on apparel production
- China devaluation: what’s the big deal?
- Gap bullish on China growth opportunities
- US Q2 in brief: Dollar General, Burlington Stores
- Gap restructuring weighs on Q2 as profit falls 34%
- Luen Thai to continue investment in Vietnam
- Ralph Lauren debuts biometic smart shirt
- China market woes could hit consumer spending
- Global Database of the Top 1000 Apparel Producers - Company Names, Financial Performance, and Contact Details
- Myanmar's Garment Sector in 2015 - now with updated members' directory
- Ethiopia – the emerging textile and clothing industry
- Global market review of lingerie - forecasts to 2020
- Global market review of swimwear - forecasts to 2019


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As you may have heard, Netflix (
The company fell short of its growth target by more than two million subscriptions. And for the first time in eight years, it reported a subscriber loss in the US.
The stock plunged more than 10% on the news.
Last July I wrote explaining why Netflix was in big trouble. If you sold Netflix after reading that essay, nice call—you sold on the highs and avoided the bloodbath.
If you still own Netflix or you’re tempted to “buy the dip,” please don’t.
Netflix Investors Live in Fantasyland
It has exploded 5,600% in the past 10 years, outperforming even mighty Amazon (
Everyone, including me, thinks Netflix’s video service is great. I’ll happily admit that Netflix is a great business.
But it’s a lousy stock.
The problems start with valuation. Even after plummeting more than 10%, Netflix is dangerously overpriced. It has a price/earnings (P/E) ratio of 140, compared to the S&P 500’s of 22.
Why have investors bid it up to this absurd price? The argument goes something like this…
Netflix has gained 100+ million subscribers in the past five years and will continue adding millions every quarter for years to come. Revenue will skyrocket, which will turn the company into a cash-generating machine, and its stock will “grow into its valuation.”
Using simple math, I’m going to show you why anyone who believes this is living in fantasyland.
Netflix Has 151 Million Paying Subscribers Today
Roughly 60 million of them are in the US, with the other 91 million scattered around the world.
According to the US Census Bureau, there are 127 million households in America. Which means around 47% of US households already have a Netflix subscription.
Big Four accounting firm Deloitte found that 55%, or 70 million, US households subscribe to a streaming service. So even if every streaming household were to subscribe to Netflix, that’s only another 10 million “potential” customers.
That’s a pretty low ceiling from where Netflix currently stands.
Netflix Is Already Struggling to Acquire New Subscribers
In the first six months of this year, the company spent $590 million on marketing in the US—25% more than what it spent last year. It acquired 2.7 million new paying subscribers, which works out to a cost of just over $219 per new user.
That’s a huge 336% jump from the $65 cost per new user it enjoyed just two years ago.
Netflix’s standard package costs $12.99/month. At a customer acquisition cost of $219, it takes almost 17 months to break even on a new user. And keep in mind its acquisition costs are rising rapidly.
Can International Subscriber Growth Save Netflix?
In the past year, Netflix has added more than 5X as many international subscribers as US ones. The company expects most of its growth to come from international markets. So this is by far the most important segment to watch.
Until last year, Netflix’s subscriber growth rate had risen at around 17% per year. But its growth seems to have stalled. Last quarter, it added just 2.8 million international subscribers compared to 4.6 million in Q2 2018.
To get back on track, it must add over 30 million new users this year, 35 million in 2020… and 40 million in 2021.
My research shows it will probably struggle to add even three million new subscribers/year in the saturated US market. Which means nearly all of this growth must come from international markets.
It All Comes Down to Content
Remember, Netflix has achieved its incredible growth by blowing up the TV distribution model. It ate the lunch of cable companies that used to be the gatekeepers of what people watch.
But as I explained last year, distribution isn’t all that important anymore. Thanks to the internet, we can watch practically anything we want anytime we want. Great content is what really matters today.
Netflix has proven it can make good content for a US audience. But to achieve international success, it needs to do so in countries as diverse as France, India, Mexico, and Brazil.
For the most part, TV is a “local” thing. Americans like to watch American shows. Brazilians like to watch Brazilian shows. Which means NFLX must make “local hits” to attract the masses in these countries.
So far, it has failed at this. Frankly I don’t know if it’s even possible for one company to become a content expert across a dozen different countries with a dozen different languages.
But even if it is possible, Netflix doesn’t have the cash to pull it off.
Netflix Spends Billions on Content
Netflix spent a jaw-dropping $12 billion on content last year alone, up 33% from $9 billion in 2017. Its spending on content has grown significantly faster than the rate at which its sales have grown.
This new content has helped bring in 28 million international subscribers in the past year. But it has come at a massive cost. The $12 billion it spent developing content last year dwarfs the $1.2 billion in profit it earned in 2018.
NFLX has been borrowing to make up the difference. Its debt has exploded from $3.3 billion in 2017 to $10.3 billion today.
Netflix Is Worth Half of Today’s Price
Today, Netflix trades for $324. Based on its profit forecasts and the average valuation in its industry, its “fair value” is around $120. The average valuation in its industry, by the way, is 40X earnings. So valuing it this way isn’t exactly conservative.
Still… I’ll entertain the idea that Netflix stock deserves a nice premium. It does have a stellar management team, explosive growth, and has pulled off some incredible accomplishments.
If we’re generous, Netflix is worth maybe… MAYBE… $200–$220 a share.
Problem is, that’s still 30% below its current price.
Lots of people will read this essay and conclude that Netflix is a good short.
Don’t do it. Don’t short Netflix.
As you can plainly see from its 140 P/E ratio, Netflix stock isn’t driven by fundamentals. It’s driven by the enthusiasm of investors, which is totally unpredictable.
There are much easier and smarter ways to make money in the markets than shorting a stock powered by the lofty dreams of investors.
Get my report “The Great Disruptors: 3 Breakthrough Stocks Set to Double Your Money”. These stocks will hand you 100% gains as they disrupt whole industries. Get your free copy here.
Equities Contributor: Stephen McBride
Source: Equities News


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Today, NRDC filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration for its failure to act on a petition to ban the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging, food containers, and other materials likely to come into contact with food. The FDA has failed to take action for more than 18 months in response to an NRDC petition, even though the agency expressed concern about the effects of early life exposure to BPA on brain and reproductive development in January, 2010. In our petition, NRDC argues that the existing scientific evidence is more than sufficient to conclude that BPA in our food supply is not safe for human consumption.
BPA is used to make polycarbonate plastics, which are commonly used in consumer products including baby bottles, sippy cups, and reusable water bottles. BPA can leach from these containers into the liquid inside. Another major use of BPA is in the resin lining of canned food and beverages, including beer and soda cans, and canned liquid infant formula. Most people are exposed to BPA by eating contaminated food, and BPA has been detected in infant formula, canned food, and canned beverages.
The FDA has been slow to acknowledge current science on BPA and has been reluctant to regulate the use of this chemical in food packaging. While they continue to conduct research and deliberate when there will be enough evidence to compel them to act, Americans continue to be exposed on a daily basis to this chemical which has been linked to a wide array of harmful effects.
Most people assume that the government wouldn’t allow Americans to be exposed to BPA if it wasn’t safe, but while the FDA has been reviewing the science, as of yet, no action has been taken. So today, the NRDC has asked the court to order the FDA to act.
Why am I concerned about BPA? BPA is a hormone disrupting chemical that acts like the female sex hormone, estrogen, and can interfere with normal development and function of the body. In animal studies, exposure early in life to BPA has been linked to prostate cancer, breast cancer, pre-diabetes (insulin resistance), changes in fat metabolism, chromosome abnormalities, and changes in the way the brain develops resulting in behavioral abnormalities. Emerging human research has found similar evidence of harm, including altered toddler behavior, miscarriage, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and erectile dysfunction.
And all of us are exposed; over 90% of Americans tested by the CDC were found to have residues of BPA in their bodies. Other research shows that babies are being born with BPA already in their blood, which means that they are being exposed through their mothers before they are born.
While we await the court’s decision, NRDC recommends that everyone, especially pregnant women and young children, reduce their exposure to BPA as much as possible.
- Limit your consumption of canned food by eating fresh or frozen produce and buying processed food in "brick" cartons, pouches or glass.
- Limit your consumption of canned soda and beer -- where possible choose glass as an alternative.
- If you have a newborn, avoid baby bottles or sippy cups made of polycarbonate (hard, clear, shatterproof) plastic. They are marked with the recycling symbol #7, and sometimes labeled "PC." (Not all #7 plastics are polycarbonates -- the only way to know for sure is to call the manufacturer.)
- Use a BPA-free reusable water bottle, such as an unlined stainless steel bottle.
- Don't allow your children to have dental sealants made from BPA (or BADGE) applied to their teeth, and don't have these sealants applied to your teeth while you are pregnant. Ask your dentist to provide BPA-free treatments.


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When searching for a new place to live, potential renters scrutinize online reviews. In fact, a recent consumer review survey found that 97 percent of consumers check online reviews before doing business with a company or service.
Making an informed decision when it comes to apartment hunting is even more important when considering how much money and time is involved.
So, it’s crucial that you keep a close eye on your apartment online reputation and continually work to address negative comments as well as encourage positive ones.
Review sites like Apartment Ratings, Yelp and Apartments.com provide reports that give a snapshot of how your apartment community is performing on those platforms, but it’s not the full picture.
Respage recently partnered with The REMM Group — specifically, Marketing Director Windell Mollenido — to determine the most important reputation-related data that apartment marketers and leasing professionals need. The result is our Regional Reputation Report, which is the first of its kind in the multifamily sector.
These aggregated reports collect data from numerous platforms and compile it into data summaries that can be sliced down any number of ways.
For example, you can see which properties are highest and lowest rated, how long it takes for the properties to respond to apartment reviews, and which properties get reviews on a regular basis and which ones don’t.
This at-a-glance reporting is especially helpful when it comes to multifamily companies that have larger portfolios.
Working with Respage has been a pleasure. They continue to develop new features such as their new Regional Reputation Report which has a dashboard displaying a 30,000 foot level look at the overall performance of each regional manager’s portfolio. The regional managers can compare each others’ reports, share social media strategies, and compete in contests.
— Windell Mollenido, Director of Marketing, The REMM Group
Contact Respage to learn more about how you can access your Regional Reputation Report.


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Many bad ideas survive as urban legends. No field is immune, economics included.
The list goes on: Unions care more about consumers than about their own members. Minimum wage laws don’t raise the cost of hiring low-skilled workers. Keynesian stimulus policies have worked wonders in the past. And so on.
The latest bad idea that refuses to die is that countries should devalue their currencies to revive their economies. A new Wall Street Journal article notes:
“The world’s export engines are sputtering, putting new pressure on many nations to weaken their currencies to jump-start their economies.”
Skeptics may wonder why these policymakers didn’t think of this earlier, to prevent growth from sputtering in the first place. That bewilderment is more than a quibble.
There are many historical examples, stretching at least to the Great Depression, which show currency devaluations tend to go hand-in-hand with economic turmoil. (One NBER paper provides a list of 48 devaluations that took place during the Bretton Woods era; on balance, they were not wildly successful.)
We also have the recent devaluation efforts of the UK and Russia, neither of which has spurred economic growth. There are too many details on this issue to fit in one column, but interested readers can get additional information from one of several NBER papers.
Nonetheless, the main problem is that devaluation robs citizens of their purchasing power.
If the U.S. government devalued the dollar, for example, it would reduce the value of each and every dollar earned by U.S. workers and every dollar saved by U.S. retirees.
There’s more to this story, as noted above, but it’s generally not a good idea to make people poorer.
To see exactly how a devaluation might take place, it’s helpful to look at what happens to the relative value of currencies, or exchange rates.
Assume that a Venezuelan can use 4 units of that country’s currency, the bolívares, to get 1 U.S. dollar. Then, for whatever reason, the situation changes so that we have to use 6 bolívares to get $1.
In the language of international economics, the bolívares has gotten weaker. That is, Venezuelans need more of their currency to get U.S. dollars. The flip side is that the U.S. dollar has gotten stronger relative to the bolívares.
That is, U.S. citizens can now get more bolívares for their dollar. This fact means that exports from Venezuela to the U.S. are cheaper than they were before the exchange rate changed.
There’s nothing controversial here -- it’s a basic change in value. If left alone, we can expect exchange rates to change in either direction for various reasons, such as supply and demand in any particular country.
But a policy of deliberately weakening a country’s currency -- devaluation -- greatly abuses the logic in this example. For starters, the idea that a country can boost exports through devaluation is utter folly because it leaves out the importers.
All 20 OECD countries, for example, could not possibly boost their exports at the same time, through devaluation or any other policy, because there would be nobody left to import all those goods. In this sense, the notion of boosting exports through devaluation is nothing more than the wrong-headed notion that exports are good, but imports are bad.
The truth is that trade is good, and barriers to trade are bad. We shouldn’t enact policies that hinder people from buying and selling goods and services as needed.
Another problem with the devaluation idea is that it ignores the possibility of retaliation. If countries buy into the devaluation logic, then they have no choice but to try to offset the moves of trading partners that devalue.
If China devalues 5 percent against the U.S., wouldn’t the U.S. simply devalue by 5 percent in return? Otherwise, based on this devaluation policy, the U.S. would suffer. This sort of tit-for-tat devaluation would be counterproductive, to say the least.
There are also some practical problems. First, only leaders of countries with fixed exchange rates can make the official rate whatever they want it to be. Countries such as Germany and the U.S., on the other hand, can’t simply switch to a new exchange rate because their currencies’ exchange rate is not fixed.
For countries with these floating, rather than fixed, exchange rates, the next best option is to intervene in currency markets and/or to “talk” their currencies down. The U.S. Treasury, for instance, might try to sell U.S. dollars and buy British pounds in an effort to devalue the dollar against the pound. They may also then publicly praise the weaker dollar.
Aside from adding to international diplomacy difficulties (the IMF charter prohibits manipulating exchange rates to gain an advantage over other members), it’s at least questionable whether one country could sustain such an intervention to have a meaningful impact on a global market.
Regardless, the entire premise is built upon making some people worse off at the expense of others. Foreign goods will cost more, so people’s standard of living will decline.
Recent events in Venezuela are just one example. The Economist noted in 2013:
“Venezuelans lined up to purchase airline tickets and TVs this weekend in a bid to protect themselves from price increases after ailing President Hugo Chavez devalued the bolivar for a fifth time in nine years.”
Under this sort of policy, people quickly realize that they have to purchase items sooner rather than later to avoid paying higher prices. Thus, a sort of inflationary spiral frequently takes hold -- devaluation leads to high inflation, high inflation causes a country’s exports to become less competitive on world markets, the country further devalues to make exports more competitive, and so on.
A less dramatic example -- China -- suggests that devaluation policies simply cannot overtake global market forces. The dollar–Chinese yuan exchange rate was virtually unchanged from 1995 to 2005, but China’s exports to the U.S. increased six-fold during this period.
The value of currencies frequently changes when compared to other currencies, and those changes typically make some goods more or less attractive than others. But there’s no reason to think policymakers can exploit these facts to consistently improve their economies.
In fact, there’s good evidence that devaluation policies tend to turn out badly. A much better option would be for governments to eliminate tax, trade and regulatory burdens that make it harder for their citizens to compete internationally.


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Russia's second biggest hypermarket chain Lenta has raised $150m (£97m) through the sale of new shares to fund its expansion, despite a tough economic backdrop at home.
The London-listed company, which has 122 hypermarkets in 63 cities across Russia and 27 supermarkets around Moscow, said it sold 21.1m new global depositary receipts (GDRs) through an accelerated bookbuilding at $7.10 each.
At the same time the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development sold 17.6m GDRs for about $125m, reducing its stake to 7.4 per cent from 11.5 per cent.
Lenta said it will use the proceeds to open 40 new hypermarkets next year, up from its previous goal of at least 32 stores.
Foreign investors are understood to have bought the majority of the offering, showing a strong appetite for the group at a time when sanctions, the Ukraine crisis and the weakness of the rouble has hit investor demand in Russian stocks.
The share sale is the second by Lenta this year after it raised $225m in March.


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Summary: Tint World® has set June 23rd as the date of a public grand opening event for a new store to open in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event will feature free food, fun, and exciting product giveaways for everyone in attendance.
Charlotte, NC – June 15, 2012– The automotive franchise, Tint World®, has announced a public event to be held on June 23rd to celebrate the grand opening of a new Charlotte, NC automotive styling center. The event will feature free catered food and entertainment from Executive Tailgate Services and multiple discounts on Tint World® products and services. Guests will have the chance to win a $500 Tint World® gift certificate as well as a Kenwood head unit. In addition, a free window tinting package and auto detailing package will be given away every hour of the 4 hour event. Anyone who attends and makes an appointment for auto detailing will receive 50% off if booked that day.
Guests are also encouraged to stop by and meet local store owner, Paul Hosage, who is excited to show Charlotte residents all the exciting upgrades, services, and accessories they can find to enhance their vehicles at Tint World®. “We are very proud and excited for our new franchisee, Paul, who is opening our first new franchise store in Charlotte NC. We believe this will be one of our best markets for our aftermarket accessories and vehicle enhancements” said Franchise President/CEO, Charles Bonfiglio.
Tint World® offers thousands of top product and service choices, but the most important part of the Tint World® automotive styling service operations is the quality installations by technically trained service professionals. The new auto center also features a complete stat-of-the-art showroom product display – a wall of functioning audio, video, alarms, and electronics products that customers can interact with to try the accessories they are interested in before they have them installed. Featured mobile electronics brands include FOCAL, Kenwood, JVC Arsenal, Memphis Car Audio, Audio Control, Concept, K-40, Audiovox, Axxera, Accele, Clifford, Stinger, Hushmat, and more.
Local residents and press representatives are all invited to join in celebrating the new Tint World® auto center. Tint World® also encourages local car dealerships and automotive repair centers to enjoy the event and get to know the Tint World® team. The event will be held on June 23rd at the new store site located at 6331 South Boulevard Charlotte, NC from 12pm – 4pm.
About Tint World®
Established 1982 in Tamarac, Florida, Tint World® is now the leading franchised provider of automotive, residential, commercial, and marine window tinting and security film services in the US. Tint World® Automotive Styling Centers also offer auto security, mobile electronics, performance and styling accessories, custom wheels and tire packages, auto detailing, and reconditioning services.


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Spending on alcohol has fallen by a record amount during the recession.
The Office for National Statistics revealed that sales of wine, spirits and beer dropped by 6.6 per cent in 2009 - the largest slump since it began reporting the figures in 1965.
The fall was prompted in part by an unprecedented crash in wages. These fell by 0.5 per cent in 2009, the first time the figure has declined on an annual basis since the ONS records began.
Its report yesterday showed that spending on alcohol tumbled to £12.8billion in 2009 from £ 13.7billion in 2008.
Spirits consumption slid 4.5 per cent, wine 7.7 per cent, and beer sales fell 7.1 per cent.
The figures do not cover sales of drinks in pubs, restaurants and hotels, where revenues fell 4.8 per cent - the most since 1991.
Wine and Spirits Trade Association spokesman Gavin Partington said: 'No other product has been subjected to a 25 per cent tax rise over the past two years, during the worst recession in a generation.'
So no job, the house has been repossessed by the bank and millions see a bleak future under the communists of New Labour; so bleak they can not even afford to cry into a beer of an evening.
That is assuming they can even find a local pub that still has it's doors open, as they are closing at a rate of over 30+ a week.


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News Briefs for September 14, 2011September 14, 2011
• Diageo’s Tequila Don Julio will roll out a new addition to its portfolio—Tequila Don Julio 70—in the U.S. starting this fall. An “Anejo Claro” Tequila, combining traditional Anejo flavors from 18-month barrel-aged spirit with unaged Blanco Tequila, Don Julio 70 is being released to mark the company’s 70th anniversary. Priced at $70 a 750-ml., the product will only be available in select retailers across the country. The Don Julio line already includes Tequila Don Julio Blanco, Tequila Don Julio Reposado, Tequila Don Julio Anejo, Tequila Don Julio 1942 and Tequila Don Julio Real.
• Symington Family Estates has relaunched Cockburn’s Port with a new formula and bottle redesign in an effort to return the brand to “the hallmark of its heyday.” According to Symington, more fruit flavor and an improved structure have been added to the wine’s signature full-bodied, dry style. The new bottle, meanwhile, was designed by London-based agency Bloom and features a slender shape and long neck inspired by Cockburn’s original bottle design of the 1970s. In addition to its core Cockburn’s Special Reserve label, the Cockburn’s range includes Late Bottled Vintage, 10- and 20-Year-Old Tawny, Quinta dos Canais, Vintage Port and Ruby, Tawny and White. Symington, which also owns the Dow’s, Graham’s and Warre’s Port brands, bought Cockburn’s from Beam Global roughly a year ago for an undisclosed sum.
• Irvine, California-based Spectrum Wine Auctions is set to partner with London wine dealer Vanquish Wine Ltd., starting with an auction of fine wines from around the world scheduled for February 2012 in London. A date will be announced by year-end, and consignment for the first auction will take place up until December 1, 2011. Richard Brierley, head of the Fine Wine division at Vanquish, said he wants to bring the enthusiasm that exists at auctions in New York and Los Angeles to the more established auction scene in London. Spectrum opened in 2009 and has since held live auctions in New York and Hong Kong, bringing in over $30 million so far.
• Inglenook owner Francis Ford Coppola will be auctioning off rare vintages from his private collection at an upcoming Christie’s auction, to be held September 24 in New York. Notable offerings include a bottle from Inglenook’s 1935 “Golden Era” vintage, estimated to be worth $600-$800, and a two-bottle lot of 1941 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon, valued at $8,000-$12,000. Coppola originally purchased Napa’s Inglenook estate in 1975, but only recently acquired rights to the Inglenook brand and trademark from The Wine Group last April, for an undisclosed amount.Subscribe to Shanken News Daily’s Email Newsletter, delivered to your inbox each morning.
Tagged : auctions, Diageo, Inglenook, Symington Family Estates
GET YOUR FIRST LOOK AT 2021 DATA AND 2022 PROJECTIONS FOR THE WINE AND SPIRITS INDUSTRIES. ORDER YOUR 2022 IMPACT DATABANK REPORTS. CLICK HERE.


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JOHNSTONE’S PAINT brand by PPG announces long-term partnership with World Snooker Tour. The paint brand will become the Lead Partner.
Dulux Decorator Centre has been shortlisted for three UK Customer Satisfaction Awards held by the Institute of Customer Service.
Kensington store re-launch helps lift the Blue Monday gloom with giveaways, competitions and a donation to a local homeless charity.
Decorating giants Crown Decorating Centre and Wickes launch a new charitable partnership to strengthen their commitment to local communities.
AkzoNobel marks 30 years of supporting Dulux Community RePaint with various recycling schemes and redistributing paint to those who needs it.
A Kingston school wins a big £5,000 makeover jackpot to breathe fresh life into its facilities thanks to Leyland SDM, a London DIY chain.


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The United Planters’ Affiliation of Southern India (Upasi) has introduced that its Tea Study Institute is checking out the risk of utilizing tea as a defence towards the Coronavirus.
“The Upasi Tea Study Institute is checking out the risk of investigating the antiviral property of Theaflavins-3, a compound abundantly discovered in black tea and catechins from eco-friendly tea to ward off Coronavirus in collaboration with the Tea Board of India by way of ICMR,” Chairman of Upasi Tea Committee C Shreedharan stated.
This follows a new research by a investigation group from Indonesia and Thailand that explored the secondary metabolites secreted by vegetation in tropical locations that can be formulated as medications. This group investigated a selection of compounds for their opportunity to inhibit Covid-19.
“The summary of this research was that along with numerous compounds, catechin, and epicatechin-gallate sourced from tea (Camellia sinensis) might act as opportunity inhibitors of Covid-19. Nevertheless, additional medical experiments are needed to show the antiviral properties of tea towards Covid-19,” Shreedharan stated.
He also stated that researchers from Taiwan and China have discovered in a laboratory research that SARS Cov-two could be inhibited by compounds that are ample in teas. Quite a few black tea polyphenols, especially those of Theaflavins-1, Theaflavins-two and Theaflavins-3 have been discovered to inhibit the SARS CoV-two replication. In black tea, Theaflavins-3 was the most ample (1.05 per cent).
“These effects suggest that Theaflavins may possibly be a fantastic starting off issue for the design and style of additional active inhibitors for SARS CoV-two and these compounds are ample in the extract of black tea manufactured from the seedling populations belonging to Camellia L SP as properly as the cultivars formulated by the Upasi Tea Study Institute,” Shreedharan noted.
He also outlined the different other wellness positive aspects of drinking tea as proved in the experiments across the world.


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KANSAS CITY – The US Food and Drug Administration’s stance on cannabidiol (CBD) continues to hold back food and beverage manufacturers from moving full speed ahead and launching products containing the ingredient.
Instead, companies have two options: wait for Congress and the FDA to give the green light, though no one knows when or if that will happen, or carefully maneuver into states that have laws allowing CBD in food. in beverages and food supplements.
The FDA is ready to work with Congress to regulate CBD, FDA Deputy Commissioner Janet Woodcock said Jan. 26. The agency believes it needs additional authority to create a new pathway for CBD in dietary supplements.
“I’ve said for a long time that I didn’t think the FDA would act in this direction,” said Jonathan Havens, partner, co-chair of Saul Ewing’s cannabis law practice. “CBD is not an issue they’ve ever wanted to deal with from a consumer product perspective.”
CBD is found in hemp and marijuana, both of which are cannabis sativas. The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (the most recent farm bill) removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act, meaning it can be grown commercially in the United States. The farm bill describes hemp as containing less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Marijuana contains THC levels of 0.3% or higher.
The FDA still denies the use of CBD in food, beverages, and dietary supplements because the ingredient is found in an FDA-approved drug sold under the brand name Epidiolex.
“There’s been a tremendous amount of time since the Farm Bill passed,” Mr. Havens said. “It would be nice if the FDA said in January 2019: “Hey, we don’t think we have the authority to deal with this. We need Congress to help us.”
He believes that Congress will pass a bill that the president, whoever is at the time, will sign into law. The FDA will then issue rules and enforce what is law.
Security remains an obstacle. Research has shown that CBD can damage the liver, interact with some medications and possibly harm the male reproductive system, Dr. Woodcock said. According to the agency, the FDA has also identified the effects of CBD in vulnerable populations, such as children and women who are pregnant.
“I’m not saying there’s a huge amount of data out there, but there is good data on the safety profile of CBD that has been put forward by some leading members of the industry,” Mr Havens said, noting: A citizen is petitioning the Natural Products Association to allow CBD products to be marketed as dietary supplements.
The FDA denied that petition and two others on Jan. 26.
“Further research is needed to determine the overall toxicity, dosage recommendations, storage stability of various product formats, and drug-food interactions of CBD,” said Kim Stack, chief executive officer of Allay Consulting. “These studies require a lot of time and resources, but it’s important to note that CBD has become widely available to consumers since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, but there have been no widespread reports of severe adverse effects, unlike the FDA-approved of medicines. like fentanyl and oxycodone.”
Individual states have different regulations regarding CBD.
“State programs are very different,” Ms. Stack said. “For example, some have banned inhaled CBD products such as vape and cannabis flower. It just depends on where you’re going.”
Saul Ewing divides them into red, yellow and green states. Red states don’t allow CBD. Yellow states allow CBD with restrictions. As for the green states, “there’s a market there,” Mr. Havens said. Companies must register products in Louisiana, Utah and West Virginia, he said.
“You can’t just assume that every state has the same rules,” he said. “You really need to take the time to either look up the rules yourself or hire someone who does.”
Kemin Industries, Des Moines, Iowa, launched Luxiva hemp CBD distillates in 2022, certified organic under the USDA’s National Organic Program. Luxiva’s Full Spectrum CBD Distillation (0.3%) contains a minimum of 60% CBD with less than 0.3% THC. Luxiva Full Spectrum CBD Distillation (0.1%) contains a minimum of 60% CBD with less than 0.1% THC.
“While the FDA’s January 26, 2023 announcement regarding the regulation of cannabidiol (CBD) was disappointing, Kemin welcomes the opportunity to work with Congress on a regulatory framework consistent with the use of CBD as a dietary supplement,” said Tyler Holstein. global product manager for Kemin.
Food and beverage companies must decide which states they are comfortable selling to based on the composition of the product and individual state laws, he said.
“Chemin is continually monitoring state regulations to better support our customers,” Mr. Holstein said, noting that California, Colorado and Illinois are among the states that allow CBD.
“There are other states that allow it in some applications, but not all,” he said. “This can change almost daily, so it’s always wise to check with local government authorities about the current status.”


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Friday, March 16, 2007, 12:00 pm PT (03:00 pm ET)
Apple patches issues with iTunes 7.1.1 releaseApple Inc. on Friday afternoon released a minor update to its iTunes jukebox software to address a handful of minor issues that have surfaced within the release of iTunes 7.1.
"iTunes 7.1.1 addresses a stability issue and minor compatibility problems in iTunes 7.1," the company wrote in a brief set of release notes accompanying the software.
The maintenance release is available from the Mac OS X Software Update mechanism and has also been posted to Apple's support site as a 28MB download for Macs and a 36.1MB download for Windows PCs.
Apple did not say whether Friday's update addresses any of the persisting incompatibilities between iTunes and Microsoft's new Vista operating system.
Earlier this week, the Cupertino-based company released iPod Reset Utility 1.0 which allows owners of its first- and second-generation iPod shuffles to restore the players back to their factory settings.
The reset utility is available for both Mac and Windows.
On Topic: General
- Apple's e-wallet could debut as soon as this fall, possibly with 'iPhone 6'
- Apple hit with class action lawsuit over alleged labor violations, more than 20K plaintiffs involved
- Apple completed 29 acquisitions in past nine months, not including Beats
- NBA star Kobe Bryant discusses day with Apple's Jony Ive set up by simple cold call
- Apple granted comprehensive 'iTime' smartwatch patent with in-strap circuitry, arm gesture support


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Unlike some other niche sports car makers, who have resisted government mandates to build hybrid or electric cars, Porsche has fully embraced hybrid technology as a means to deliver even more performance. More importantly, customers are responding favorably, so much so that sales of the 2014 Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid to expected to double.
What makes Porsche so confident? According to Automotive News, it is the all-new plug-in hybrid drivetrain, which replaces the standard hybrid drivetrain in the previous Panamera Hybrid. The new plug-in drivetrain offers a 95 horsepower electric motor, compared to just 34 horsepower in the older model. The plug-in Panamera can also drive up to 22 miles on battery power alone, thanks to a new 9.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack.
The Audi-sourced supercharged V6 engine, when combined with the electric motor, offers a combined output of 416 horsepower and 435 ft-lbs of torque, while delivering around 53 mpg of fuel economy (with a fully-charged battery). This is in every way better than the car it replaces, from fuel economy to performance, and Porsche expects customers to snatch up 10,000 Panamera plug-in hybrids across the next-generation’s lifespan. The new Panamera plug-in costs about $4,000 more than the old model, and will start at $99,000-ish.
If Porsche is right, that would mean around 10% of Panamera production will be dedicated to hybrid models, a big jump at a time when hybrid and electric car technology is increasingly seen as a premium product. It looks like Porsche’s hybrid gamble is about to pay off in a big way.
Source: Automotive News Europe


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A new survey from Discover Small Business Watch shows that coming out of the recession, Americans are not only creating new business incorporations, they are continuing to run them as well.
Though many entrepreneurs have considered altering or changing their business plans because of the economy, more than half of small business owners said they would not take another job for the same, or even more, money. In addition, 41 percent of owners said they would never sell their companies, even if they could make a profit from the sale.
As for the reason an entrepreneur may look to create a corporation, 50 percent said they either wanted to have more flexibility with their time or be their own bosses, while another 16 percent said they were looking for a “feeling of accomplishment.”
Part of that entrepreneurial drive may actually be innate. Researchers from Case Western Reserve University say that up to 40 percent of the tendency for a person to start his or her own business may be genetically inherited. While there isn’t a “startup gene,” researchers say that many traits shared by small business owners – such as openness or extroversion – are passed down.


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Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) has scaled up its sensitization of transit truck drivers in the country as they have been identified as key stakeholders for the successful implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
At the 2022 GSA Sensitization Workshop for Haulage Truck Drivers, over 200 truck drivers were taken through presentations on road safety issues, haulage of hazardous cargo and ways to expedite transit cargo.
In her address at the event which came off at the forecourt of the Black Starline House in Tema on 16th March, 2022, the CEO of the GSA, Benonita Bismarck said: “it is important to emphasize your crucial role in achieving the lofty objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
The expected increase in trade in goods in the Free Trade Agreement will be mainly carried by trucks; therefore, there will be fresh opportunities for the Haulage Transport Industry, especially to the land-linked countries.”
She added that as key stakeholders, it will be prudent for the truck drivers to initiate discussions on the existing potential and to strategically position themselves to take maximum advantage.
The Chairperson for the event, Mrs. Esther Gyebi-Donkor, General Manager Marketing and Corporate Affairs used the opportunity to also reiterate the importance for interagency collaboration to make Ghana’s corridors as competitive as its ports have become in the subregion.
“It is an established fact that Ghana’s Ports are not only competing with itself when it comes to the transit trade, we have equally strong ports in Lome, Abidjan, Cotonou and even far away Dakar to compete with.
Thus, to win more transit trade business, we need to improve on our ways of doing business in the Port and along the corridor. GPHA and its beachyspharmacy.com partners like the Ghana Shippers Authority have proven that we can do it,” she said.
Personnel from the Ghana Police Service, National Road Safety Authority, GRA Customs Division and Environmental Protection Agency where present at the workshop to offer some education to the truck drivers.


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Housing prices in Los Angeles are still rising and expected to keep rising for at least a few more years, experts have forecast, and the latest report from real estate firm Douglas Elliman has the crazy new numbers to show it. In an overview of single-family house and condo sales for the third quarter of this year, the median sales price in the greater Los Angeles area shot up by 8.1 percent, to $950,000—a record high and the highest median since they began tracking in 2004. (Greater LA here applies to the Westside, Downtown, and coastal cities like Malibu, but leaves out lower-priced areas like South LA.)
And the craziest thing is that the median price reached that nearly-million-dollar record not because of "a handful of super high-end homes," but because of "a strong middle," report preparer Jonathan Miller of Miller Samuel tells Curbed in an email. Prices grew in the middle and lower end of the market, in terms of bedrooms; the median sales price for one-bedroom, single-family houses increased 8 percent over the previous quarter, and an enormous 58.7 percent over the same time last year. Median sales prices for two-bedroom and three-bedroom single-family houses also increased compared to last year, but the gains were smaller—5.6 percent and 7 percent, respectively.
The mean sales price across the board, however, did fall a bit: there was a 2.8-percent drop in the average sales price from the third quarter of last year, so now it's down to only WAY over a million dollars: $1,406,910. The report chalks this up to "weakness of the largest sized categories in both the single family and condo markets." The combination of the small drop in average sales price and the median hitting a record means that there's more "price growth" in the middle of the market and not so much at the very top, says Miller. That suggests that either there's not a lot of action at the top of the market, or that "prices are not keeping up with the middle of the market," he says.
Some places commonly associated with the top of the market, like Bel Air and Holmby Hills, have seen dips in their total number of sales. Bel Air/HH's median sales price was down 14.4 percent from the previous quarter, to $2.015 million, but were still slightly (1.85 percent) up over their median from the third quarter of last year ($1.985 million). In Beverly Hills, the median and average sales price jumped up over last year and over last quarter. The average sales price there was up 23.2 percent from the same time in 2014, to $4,958,723, and the median sales price was up 27.3 percent, to $3.83 million.
For all the details, here's the full report:
· 3Q - 2015 Greater Los Angeles Sales [Douglas Elliman]
· Los Angeles Housing Market Isn't Getting Bubbly, Says Study [Curbed LA]


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If you could pack a suitcase and commit to a year of travel – purely for work purposes – you could easily fill your calendar attending coffee tradeshows, conferences, certification events, origin, and competitions.
Australians are open to travelling across the oceans and expanding their coffee experiences, but this year’s Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) proved the global coffee scene is looking to us to enhance their knowledge of the Asia Pacific coffee culture.
MICE2017 attracted 9646 visitors, an increase of 4.7 per cent on 2016, and welcomed visitors from 41 countries, an increase of 14 per cent on 2016’s event. MICE attracted guests from as far as Nepal, Namibia, Guam, France, Myanmar, and Mexico.
“MICE is as a must-attend event on the global expo circuit. We might be a small industry in comparison to others, but our impact is huge. International travellers see the event as one of the most important in the Australasia market, a place to do business, network, and become educated on our unique Australian coffee culture – it’s also a good excuse for international guests to tack on a holiday to a country most have on their bucket list but deem too far away,” says MICE Show Director Simon Coburn.
Those who like to be organised can lock in 22 to 24 March 2018 at the Melbourne Showgrounds as the next host dates for MICE.
This year’s show saw the highest number of visitor attendance from roasters, representing more than 30 per cent of attendees, and up three per cent on the 2016 event. This was followed by café owners, senior managers, baristas, supply chain representatives, equipment manufactures, green bean traders, government associations, hospitality staff, and growers.
A survey of visitors found that the most common reason for attending MICE was to see existing suppliers, representing more than 16 per cent of visitors, closely followed by those looking for new products, seeking new equipment, to taste different coffees, compare products or suppliers, and to watch the Australian Coffee Championships.
More than 25 per cent of visitors came with the intention to obtain product information, more than 23 per cent came solely to appoint suppliers, and 23 per cent came to purchase equipment.
“MICE really does cater to everyone’s needs. From day one back in 2012 when MICE was first launched, it was established with the core purpose to be a place industry members did business,” Simon says. “Year on year, it’s growing considerably with many beneficial add-ons that increase value to our visitors, such as training certifications, hosting the Australian Coffee Championship, Australian International Coffee Awards, and Melbourne Coffee Week, but it’s always stayed true to its core objective. No matter how big it becomes, that will always be the case.”
The 2017 edition of MICE had one of its largest presence of international media with 77 registered media attendees, mostly from Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, and China.
“It was incredible to host such a wide range of international media covering print, digital and social channels. Some journalists wanted an overview of the event, others followed specific baristas on the competition circuit, and some came to expose Australia’s coffee industry to countries that never knew we had such an intense coffee passion,” says Sarah Baker, BeanScene Editor and MICE Communications Manager.
More than 43 per cent of trade visitors heard about MICE via word of mouth, followed by social media and other exhibitors. Public visitors shared a similar focus, with more than 38 per cent of public attendees learning about the event via social media.
“These stats go to show that for an event such as MICE, which is incredibly visual, social media is crucial to reaching the public and encouraging them to experience our coffee world,” Sarah says.
As for trade industry, they don’t need much encouragement. Already, 80 per cent of exhibitors are locked in for MICE2018, and Show Organisers expect all floor space to be filled by the end of the year.
The lineup of roasters is already strong, with Grinders Coffee, Five Senses, Mocopan, White Mojo, Ona Coffee, White Horse Coffee, Axil Coffee, Zest Specialty Coffee Roasters, Rumble, Veneziano, Toby’s Estate and Evoke booking their positions.
“Now is the time to secure your exhibition space at the country’s biggest dedicated coffee expo,” Simon says. “Being part of the show is no longer just a way to tell the country you exist and that you’re committed to growing our Australian industry, it’s an opportunity to share your product or brand with the world, because the world is taking notice.”
Limited exhibition space is still on sale. Please get in touch with MICE organisers: 03 9690 8766 or firstname.lastname@example.org.
For more information visit www.internationalcoffeeexpo.com
To purchase early-bird tickets to attend MICE2018 or buy Christmas vouchers, click here.


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Enterprise Funding Corp., a local Certified Development Company based in Redlands, will be hosting a free seminar for small businesses to learn about the financing options and resources that are available to them. The seminar will be held on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Victoria
Gardens Cultural Center, 12505 Cultural Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga. Enterprise Funding Corp., president, Jeff Sceranka, will be moderating a panel of industry professionals for the seminar that includes Mike Stull (IE
Center for Entrepreneurship), Michelle Skiljan (IE Women’s Business Ctr.), and Vincent McCoy (Small Business Development Ctr.).
The seminar will connect the small business community with the tools and knowledge they need to support, grow and maintain healthy, profitable businesses and show them how to succeed in the everchanging marketplace.
The panelists will highlight the variety of lending programs and financing options available to the small business community, the tools they can use to protect and strengthen their businesses, and even discuss how to manage the risks that impede the growth of small businesses.
“Small businesses are a cornerstone of the local economy,” said Sceranka. “Regional growth starts with building up small businesses locally and I want to make sure that people know where to go to get the help they need.”


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O’Donovan’s Brookfield Market, an independently owned grocery and deli at 277 Whisconier Road in Brookfield, has closed after about five years in business.
In a Facebook posting, the store’s owners apologized to customers for what they described as a “decline we’ve had in the last year or so,” citing temporary closures as the result of “building issues” including frozen pipes and wet ceilings. However, they also acknowledged their “own mistakes as first time business owners” as being part of the decision to shut down.
“We are unable to recover financially and keep the store to the standards we want, and the standards Brookfield deserves,” the owners said on Facebook. “It has been a privilege to be a part of the community and we really appreciate all our wonderful customers and the support you have given us throughout the years.”


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Instead of creating jobs, big businesses are using their tax cut bonanza to hike stock value and CEO pay.
The feds dropped the ball on a key terrorism case, so now they’re going after privacy itself.
Cloud computing comes with an enormous environmental price tag.
Apple and other big manufacturers must swap less-deadly chemicals for the cancerous ones poisoning their Chinese workers.
There would be no need for our elected leaders to trim our safety net if our richest corporations didn't turn avoiding their fair share of taxes into an art form.
A loophole a day keeps the IRS away.
Apple has illuminated how corporations can easily avoid taxation as our economy becomes more global.
The creation of a new genetically modified apple highlights once again the need for clear labeling of this kind of food.


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Ubisoft announced today that Tetris Ultimate will be coming to Nintendo 3DS this fall, following its launch on PS4, Xbox One, and PC this summer.
In addition to the six game modes included in every version, Tetris Ultimate on 3DS will feature an exclusive single-player Challenge mode. This new mode will introduce several unique challenges, including orientation-locked and disappearing Tetriminos.
In conjunction with the 30th anniversary of Tetris, Tetris Ultimate was announced for next-gen consoles and PC earlier this year. Tetris Ultimate adds new features to the classic puzzle game, such as multiplayer for up to four players and global leaderboards.
Jordan Sirani is a freelance news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.


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Panasonic stops phone sales in Europe, goodbye Android Eluga
Roughly a year ago Panasonic launched their first smartphone outside Japan since 2005, but has now decided to pull out of the smartphone market in Europe, although Panasonic will still continue their phone business in Japan, but will halt handset sales in Europe by March this year, so it is goodbye to the Android Eluga smartphone.
A report over on Computer World has reported the news of Panasonic’s withdrawal from the European smartphone market, and spokesman James Bell declined to comment on just how this move would effect Panasonic’s plans to eventually move into other markets including the United States.
Panasonic launched the Panasonic Eluga Android smartphone back in April and the company had high hopes for the handset that offered a 4.3-inch qHD OLED touch screen, 1GHz OMAP 4430 dual core processor, along with an 8 megapixel rear facing auto-focus camera and touch-card interface that enabled users to interact with Panasonic home alliances; however the features of the handset were not enough to distinguish the device from rival smartphones.
Apparently the move out of Europe is part of restructuring, which also includes chopping management salaries, consolidating factories, reorganising the firm’s mobile operations, and doing away with the firm’s basketball team.
Panasonic has also revealed their earnings for the 6-month period through September, and states that business reforms dragged the company to an 8.8 billion dollar loss, as revenues slipped 10 percent, which is five times the company’s loss the year previous.
Panasonic predicted a slight profit for their fiscal year through March, however the company now says they will book almost 10 billion dollar in losses.
With its mobile operations, Panasonic has said they are to set up an new firm entirely dedicated to the handset business, separating from its base station business into a newly formed subsidiary, whilst Panasonic will cut management salaries, which includes a 40 percent reduction for the firm’s president and chairman along with a 20 percent cut for other execs, and will also have their number of domestic factories from six to tree that produce rechargeable batteries for consumer devices.


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Online platforms should sign up to Prompt Payment Code, says FSB
17 Oct 2023
Platforms should commit to paying small businesses within a maximum of thirty days in line with the Prompt Payment Code, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
The FSB has set out a range of proposals to protect small business owners who use online sales platforms to ensure that small firms can make the most of the opportunities of trading online.
The business group wants platforms to invest much more in systems to resolve issues for small businesses, including the provision of dedicated complaint and dispute handling resources where these do not already exist.
It also says the UK government should consider legislation to make it an offence for an individual to post a fake and malicious online review.
Finally, the FSB wants the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate the charging structures of retail platforms and the charging levels of accommodation and food delivery platforms to determine whether these are indicative of monopolistic or oligopolistic behaviour.
Tina McKenzie, the FSB's Policy Chair, said: 'Small firms are calling out for more to be done on issues like protection of their intellectual property, while platforms should commit to paying businesses as promptly as possible – a figure that would be a rounding error for a large e-commerce site could easily be the difference between survival or closure for a small firm.
'Making the relationship between small firms and online platforms as transparent and as stable as possible will ultimately benefit all parties.'


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» Contact ALK |
Press Release: February 15, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ALK wins Global LBS Challenge Grand Prize
London, UK and Princeton, New Jersey ï¿½ 15 February 2006 ?ALK Technologies, the developer of leading mobile navigation software 'CoPilot® Live', has been announced as the Grand Prize winner of the prestigious Global LBS Challenge at the 2006 3GSM World Congress.
The Global LBS Challenge asked application developers across the world to build innovative location-based services (LBS) that work with mobile phones or wireless handheld devices using dynamic positioning technology.
The award was judged by an expert panel of executives from mobile operators, retailers, device manufacturers, and venture capitalists, including representatives from BT, Lucent, Lehman Brothers, Dixons Stores Group Nokia and O2. ALK's CoPilot® Live FleetCenter was awarded both the best solution in the 'navigation' category, and the Grand Prize for best overall solution based on its commercial viability, unique functionality, and ease-of-use.
CoPilot® Live FleetCenter is a fleet-tracking, messaging, reporting and optimization application which integrates with CoPilot Live mobile navigation to enable real time mobile asset visibility and management. The cost-effective technology will help businesses of all sizes to stimulate productivity, reduce operating costs and improve customer service.
"ALK has long been at the forefront of cutting edge location-based technology and solutions and this award recognises yet another innovative development," commented Serge Bussat, VP European Consumer Applications, NAVTEQ. "We congratulate ALK on winning the Grand Prize for the Global LBS Challenge and look forward to even more exciting new products from this competition in the future."
ALK Sales Director Dan Popkin said: "Winning the Global LBS Challenge is recognition of ALK's ability to develop leading edge satellite navigation and tracking technology for the business market and our twenty-seven year history providing business critical solutions to the enterprise. ALK is driving mobile location-based services forward across Europe, and it's gratifying that experts from leading companies within the mobile industry recognise the work we are doing."
"The technology that won this award is incorporated within a number of innovative new products that we will be releasing in the next couple of months, so stay tuned,"
About ALK Technologies
ALK's CoPilot® Live mobile GPS navigation solutions are available in Europe, North America and Australia as retail-branded products and as the basis for leading OEM navigation systems, while the Company's PC*MILER® routing, mapping and fleet management solutions are used by over 21,000 transportation, logistics and manufacturing companies worldwide. Partners include Motorola, T-Mobile, Scania, NAVTEQï¿½, Ford, BMW, TBS and the U.S. Department of Defense."
ALK received the 2005 Microsoft Partner of the Year award for Mobility Solutions Sales and Marketing, and is the official navigation sponsor to the Gumball Rally.
NAVTEQ is a trademark in the U.S. and other countries. ï¿½ 2005 NAVTEQ. All rights reserved.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
For more details, visit www.alk.com or alk.eu.com


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MILWAUKEE — Kwik Trip Inc.'s plans to build up its presence in the metropolitan area here are raising some concerns, particularly among its future competitors.
At a recent Plan Commission hearing in Menomonee Falls, Wis., eight speakers spoke out against the La Crosse, Wis.-based retailer's proposal to build a convenience store/gas station. Three of those speakers operate similar businesses, according to the Journal Sentinel.
A separate bid to build a Kwik Trip in Mukwonago, Wis., also brought out eight opponents to that village's Plan Commission meeting the same night, the report said. Six of them were associated with local gas stations.
Kwik Trip did, however, get a green light for a convenience store/gas station in Saukville, Wis. The approval came after the proposal was previously rejected partly due to opposition led by the community's gas station owners, the Journal Sentinel reported.
Hans Zietlow, real estate director for Kwik Trip, told the news outlet the retailer does not generally see this type of opposition in other communities where it operates in Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota.
Dominic Alioto Jr., who operates a CITGO gas station and convenience store on Main Street near the proposed Menomonee Falls Kwik Trip site, organized a petition drive and gathered more than 270 signatures. Alioto said the local market already has nine gas stations, with a 10th to be added with the new Costco store that's being developed.
The CITGO operator said the proposed 5,700-square-foot Kwik Trip could put his 1,200-square-foot store out of business.
Not all Kwik Trip's opponents are competitors. In Menomonee Falls and Mukwonago, where the store proposals are pending, residents living next to the development sites also spoke out.
The c-store chain does have its supporters, too. Eight Menomonee Falls residents came to the Plan Commission hearing to support the proposal. They said Kwik Trip is a good business and noted the proposed site has been vacant for decades, according to the newspaper.
Zietlow said similar claims of opposition were made when Kwik Trip was getting approval for stores in other Milwaukee-area communities, including a 2011 proposal for Menomonee Falls that Kwik Trip ultimately dropped.
Instead of the competitive effects, local officials should base their decisions on whether the proposals meet their zoning standards, Zietlow told the newspaper. Kwik Trip shouldn't be treated differently from other gas station and convenience store operators, he noted.
Saukville Village President Barb Dickmann agreed. "It is not government's role to regulate commerce," she said. "We can only look at it from the standards of the Plan Commission."
Zietlow acknowledged that Kwik Trip's strategy of making daily deliveries of fresh food items from its La Crosse commissary makes it a difficult competitor. But that's what customers want, he told the Journal Sentinel.
Kwik Trip is a privately owned company that operates more than 400 convenience stores.


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With spending on chocolate in Australia expected to exceed $200 million this Easter, there are calls to ensure what you buy is fairtrade and slavery-free.
It’s estimated that more than two million children are working under hazardous conditions on cocoa plantations in West Africa, and some are slaves, according to Save the Children.
Ivory Coast, the world’s leading cocoa producing country, is expected to ship a record crop this year of more than two million tonnes, according to the ICCO market review.
The country supplies 30 per cent of global demand for cocoa beans, feeding an industry valued at more than AU$130 billion. And most of the beans are grown on small family farms, where farmers and their children labour to earn only a few dollars a day.
“Many children are involved in harmful work in the industry and obviously there are physical risks of using machetes and big knives, so the children get injured all the time,” said Karen Flanagan AM, principal child protection advisor for Save the Children.
“So, when children get injured that reduces their life chances.”
Save the Children teams in West Africa focus on improving outcomes for children, girls in particular.
“I visited a coastal village in Ivory Coast earlier this year, where Save the Children International is trying to provide education for girls so they have the opportunity to earn a living,” Ms Flanagan told SBS's Small Business Secrets.
“It was a gender transformative program, so girls don’t drop out of school and don’t end up in harmful work or get trafficked.”
Save the Children welcomes certified labeling initiatives like Fairtrade, which advocates for better working conditions and improved terms of trade for farmers and workers in developing countries.
“Start at Easter to check the label, and do it every week at the supermarket as well. Don’t buy products that we know are harmful to children.”
Some Australian chocolate makers have joined the campaign for change.
“As a family business we need to support other small family businesses out there, and whether they are directly next to us or on the other side of the world,” said Madelaine Partsioglou, from Xocolatl Artisan Chocolates in Melbourne.
We need to support other small family businesses out there ... whether they are directly next to us or on the other side of the world.
- Madelaine Partsioglou, Xocolatl
“Most cocoa farms are family-owned businesses, and their children are working in the business, just like we are.”
The Partsioglou family care about the people harvesting raw cocoa pods and select their nine annual tonnes of imported raw materials carefully.
On its web site, Xocolatl’s main European supplier says it sources 100 per cent sustainable cocoa and invests part of the purchase price in farmers and their communities.
“On our marketing materials we have our family-to-family statement and we make the conscious decision to only purchase certified couverture chocolate” Madelaine Partsioglou explained.
The guaranteed minimum price for Fairtrade cocoa is also rising by 20 per cent.
The Partsioglu family has visited international cacao plantations and they’re willing to pay a little more for Fairtrade ingredients, having seen the benefits first-hand.
“The 10 per cent extra we pay goes to farmers to help them improve cultivation processes, and increase the yields. So they can benefit financially, and the rest goes to help education perhaps to provide a teacher for remote areas or to build roads, phones or send nurses to go to outlying areas,” said Christos Partsioglu.
Madelaine's sister Tina is a qualified nutritionist who has also visited farms in West Africa.
“In Ghana, we went to see a school that was being built by the money from [Fairtrade] chocolate sales, and we saw classrooms and a room of computers as well which other schools didn’t have,” Tina said.
Easter is a busy time for the chocolate making family, producing handmade delicacies for their three Melbourne stores.
“Our chocolate sales double over Easter and it’s an important time for cash flow, on par with Xmas,” Madelaide said while serving customers in their Kew store.
“Pretty much for the month before Easter, you can assume nothing else is happening other than chocolate,” she added.
“People are making a much more conscious choice to purchase fair trade these days.”
On its website, Fairtrade urges consumers to support its aims at Easter, to “empower small-scale cocoa farmers in developing countries to improve their lives and livelihoods, invest in their communities and control their futures”.
“We have made a huge difference already. The Millenium Development Agenda has helped to halve the number of children in harmful work, from 170 million in 2000 to 72.5 million by 2016, and we want to cease [all harmful work for children] by 2030. It’s a big goal, but we believe it’s possible,” Ms Flanagan said.


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Matthew Killoran | August 30th, 2012
THE Hilton Hotel Surfers Paradise is up for sale and two major Chinese investors are already going head-to-head to snap it up.
The luxury hotel with a troubled past was quietly listed for sale on Monday by owners and developers Brookfield Multiplex.
Marketing agents Savills are targeting cashed-up investors from Asia who want to get into the luxury hotel and resort market in Australia.
The hotel component of the 57-floor Orchid Tower, comprising 169 hotel rooms and 224 residences, is up for grabs in an expression of interests campaign.
The Boulevard Tower and strata title units are not part of the deal.
In early 2011, Brookfield Multiplex took the hotel component of the development to an expressions of interest campaign seeking offers around $75 million.
Savills director Roland Evans said Brookfield Multiplex was under no pressure to sell but had always planned to move on.
"They're not hotel operators, they're international developers. They want to concentrate on their core business," he said.
Mr Evans said there were already two China-based parties eyeing off the site.
He said one major Chinese construction and development company, which has never invested in Australia before, was shown the site yesterday.
Another "massive" international industrial company that already has investments on the Gold Coast will arrive in Australia next week to see the hotel first hand.
"The party we're showing it to at the moment specifically requested five-star luxury hotels," Mr Evans said.
"You don't get a more recognisable brand than Hilton.
"Hilton, Surfers Paradise, Australia. It ticks all the boxes as far as the Chinese are concerned."
Mr Evans said he was putting feelers out to other specific groups in China, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.
He said Brookfield Multiplex putting the hotel up for sale showed confidence in the recovering Gold Coast property market.
"A multi-national company such as Brookfield Multiplex are prepared to test the market place now," he said.
"It shows they believe there's an upturn."
Brookfield Multiplex could not be contacted yesterday for comment.
The Hilton has had problems almost since inception.
Brookfield Multiplex took over construction on behalf of financier ANZ in mid-2009, after the original developer, the Raptis Group, folded.
Even now Raptis Group, on behalf of ANZ, is trying to claw back $23 million in damages through the courts against initial apartment investors who got cold feet.
Meanwhile Chinese investors, including one of those showing interest in the Hilton Hotel, were bused around the city by the Gold Coast City Council yesterday.
They were taken to 10 potential development sites, including Couran Cove, Main Place and Marina Quays International Hotel at Hope Island, to entice them into spending big in the city.
It followed a council-led trade mission to China in April, which lured the investors to the Gold Coast away from a previously planned trip to Europe.
Chinese Real Estate Information Corporation spokeswoman Hillary Hu said Chinese developers were keen on investing in Australian developments, such as supermarkets, hotels and resorts.
She said property prices in China were high while prices in Australia had come right down.
Gold Coast Publications Pty Ltd Copyright © July 2009