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Both Amazon and Apple have faced constraints caused by the pandemic or its direct after-effects. Amazon faced a spike in demand for its online retail service in 2020 and 2021 due to people being stuck at home and unable to physically head to stores to buy their goods. Amazon did not have the infrastructure to keep up with this demand and had to invest heavily in building new warehouses and expanding their business. However, with Covid-19 restrictions easing, the demand Amazon once faced has subsided and the online retailer’s expenses are higher than the revenue being generated, as customers are no longer forced to buy from online retailers and can now head into physical stores. Apple is struggling with supply chain issues caused by severe lockdowns in China, where their devices are manufactured. Both companies are also dealing with the pressures caused by inflation. Apple faced an almost 11% decline in profit. However, pre-market trading for both companies has signalled positive expectations from investors as Apple’s stock price shot up by over 2.5% and Amazon’s by over 12%. More in these articles from the Wall Street Journal. – Ross Sinclair
Amazon Posts Net Loss for the Second Straight Quarter as It Manages Slower Demand
Results also hurt by investment in electric-vehicle maker Rivian, but cloud-computing growth remains strong
Amazon.com Inc. reported slowing sales and a net loss for the second straight quarter, as strength in the tech giant’s cloud-computing business was outweighed by continued weakness in core retail operations suffering from the aftereffects of a pandemic boom.
Revenue for the tech giant in the latest period increased by 7.2% from a year earlier to $121.2 billion. That was a hair slower than the 7.3% rise in the first quarter, which had marked Amazon’s slowest growth in about two decades.
Amazon’s loss totaled $2 billion in the quarter, compared with a profit of $7.8 billion a year ago. The loss came partly because of the company’s stake in electric-vehicle maker Rivian Automotive Inc., whose valuation has plunged this year, causing Amazon to book a pretax loss of $3.9 billion in the second quarter. Amazon’s North America division, which houses its core online retail business in its biggest market, reported a third consecutive operating loss, though it narrowed from the prior quarter.
Amazon’s net loss defied expectations for a moderate profit in the period, but its revenue grew faster than analysts anticipated, helped in part by the continued strength in cloud-computing and the services it provides to other vendors that sell on its site. Shares were up more than 13% in after-hours trading, hitting their highest point in about three months—though still down sharply from the start of 2022.
Amazon and other tech giants that thrived through the pandemic—as more life and work shifted online—have consistently reported slowing growth in recent days, though in some cases not as much as investors had feared. Inflation is pushing up costs and crimping consumer spending power, and global uncertainty around issues running from Russia’s war on Ukraine to the persistence of Covid-19 has made individuals and businesses more cautious.
Amazon executives said that surging inflation is among its biggest challenges now but that the company has been able to pare costs anyway to help deal with its shifting circumstances.
“Despite continued inflationary pressures in fuel, energy, and transportation costs, we’re making progress on the more controllable costs we referenced last quarter, particularly improving the productivity of our fulfillment network,” Amazon Chief Executive Andy Jassy said.
The shortfall in the three months through June followed a loss in the first quarter of 2022 that was Amazon’s first in seven years. Mr. Jassy, who took the role a little over a year ago, is now shepherding the company through one of its worst stretches for financial performance in Amazon’s history.
Like other companies, Amazon is rethinking its hiring due to inflation and the economic environment, Brian Olsavsky, Amazon’s chief financial officer, said on a call with reporters after the quarterly report. “I don’t think you’ll see us hiring at the same pace we did in the last year or the last few years,” he said, but added that the company is still committed to hiring engineering positions, and in its cloud-computing and advertising divisions.
Amazon’s number of employees—which had more than doubled during the pandemic—slid about 6% during the second quarter to 1.52 million.
Mr. Olsavsky also said Amazon has slowed plans to expand its operations through next year, and plans to shift capital expenditures to cloud-computing and away from the company’s retail business.
The cloud-computing and advertising businesses have been reliable growth engines for Amazon. Revenue for Amazon Web Services, the largest cloud-computing company by market share, grew 33% to $19.7 billion in the second quarter.
Amazon’s advertising business, for which the company recently began breaking out financial data, grew 18% to $8.8 billion in the quarter.
The company said it expects its operating income for the third quarter to be between $0 and $3.5 billion, compared with $4.9 billion in third quarter 2021. It expects sales between $125 billion and $130 billion.
Amazon’s core e-commerce business has been struggling with high costs and slowing growth in consumer demand as customers return to in-store shopping. Amazon’s online stores segment, which includes the bulk of its e-commerce operations, experienced a 4% decline in sales for the period. Amazon said revenue would have been flat in the segment if not for the impact of the stronger U.S. dollar, which reduces the value of overseas revenue.
The company also reported a 9% rise in sales of logistics and other services it provides to third-party vendors, a slight acceleration from earlier this year.
During the throes of the pandemic, Amazon notched record sales as its logistics network struggled to keep up with the influx of orders. At the time, the company decided to aggressively build out a network of warehouses, sortation centers and other expensive infrastructure that required significant capital investments. Now, with demand cooling as consumers head back into stores and spend money on travel and other experiences, Amazon has had to pivot.
To curb costs, the company has worked to more aggressively sublease millions of square feet of excess warehouse space, defer construction of new facilities and find ways to end or renegotiate leases with outside warehouse owners while thinning out its hourly workforce through attrition.
Other retailers that benefited from pandemic-era shopping are also working through a buildup of inventory as customers spend money in stores and on experience. In addition to a mismatch between supply and demand, they are also coping with record inflation that is eating into customers’ discretionary income as they deal with higher costs for everyday goods such as gasoline and groceries.
Amazon’s pretax loss from Rivian in the second quarter narrowed from the $7.6 billion hit it reported in the prior period. Amazon in the fourth quarter of 2021 had registered a $12 billion gain from the investment in the auto maker, which went public last year.
Write to Dana Mattioli at [email protected]
Apple iPhone Sales Remain Resilient as Company Reports 11% Decline in Profit
Chief Executive Tim Cook says there isn’t ‘obvious evidence’ that macroeconomic factors are affecting smartphone sales
By Tim Higgins
Apple Inc. reported an almost 11% decline in profit after weathering supply constraints and shutdowns in China, although iPhone sales continued to grow, remaining resilient despite economic challenges.
The better-than-expected results for the quarter ended in June followed a pattern of tech companies that posted a drop in profits but managed to assuage investor concerns about their strength in uncertain economic times.
Investors were encouraged by Apple’s results even as they continue to pay close attention to the potential effect of a strong dollar, inflationary fears, chip shortages and Covid-19 precautions in China.
“We are seeing some pockets of softness here and there,” Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, said in an interview Thursday. “But in the aggregate, we expect revenue to accelerate in the September quarter as compared to the June year over year performance.”
Apple shares rose by more than 3% in after-hours trading. Amazon.com Inc. shares were up by more than 12% after hours after the company said revenue was up about 7%. Earlier in the week, Microsoft Corp. and Google-parent Alphabet Inc. reported April-through-June results that fell short of Wall Street expectations but showed investors that the companies are well-positioned to weather a recession.
Apple on Thursday reported that profit fell to $19.4 billion, the worst quarter since the July-through-September period in 2020 ahead of the 5G-capable iPhone launch. On a per share basis, the Cupertino, Calif., company’s profit fell to $1.20 from $1.30 a year earlier. Analysts surveyed by FactSet, on average, predicted earnings per share of $1.16.
Revenue rose 1.87% to a new fiscal third-quarter record of about $83 billion from $81 billion a year ago. Analysts had predicted a 1.7% rise.
IPhone sales, which are Apple’s biggest driver of revenue, rose 2.8% to a fiscal third-quarter record of $40.67 billion, while analysts had expected a 2.5% drop. Sales of iPad tablets, Mac computers and wearables were affected by supply constraints, Mr. Cook said.
“There is no obvious evidence in our data that there is macroeconomic effect on iPhone sales,” Mr. Cook said. “On iPad and Mac, frankly, we didn’t have enough data from a supply point of view to really test the demand.”
Apple is seeing signs of the economy affecting sales in its wearables category and among some services, such as ads, he said. The company expects supply constraints to improve in the current quarter compared with the previous one.
Apple rival Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s biggest maker of semiconductors, smartphones and televisions, on Thursday lowered expectations for industrywide smartphones this year. Shipments will be flat or experience minimal growth, the South Korean company said, after saying in April it expected growth. Chip maker Intel Corp. reported a loss, reflecting a slump in personal-computer purchases and product delays.
“As we look to September, eyes are on FX [foreign-exchange] impact and any signs of a demand slowdown ahead of the iPhone 14 launch,” longtime Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty wrote in her final note about Apple to investors, after being promoted to a new role.
In late 2020, Apple introduced iPhones with 5G capabilities that were touted as offering faster internet speeds to improve gaming and downloads, helping spark renewed interest in the gadget and fueling a record fiscal 2021 profit of $94.7 billion. Analysts are predicting iPhone profit for fiscal 2022, which ends in September, will be near $100 billion after a strong first half.
China, which has seen strict Covid-19 shutdowns, was expected to be a drag on Apple’s results after helping fuel record growth. Apple had warned in April that Covid-related supply disruptions around Shanghai and silicon shortages would hurt the company’s inventory and hinder sales by between $4 billion and $8 billion. Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri also had warned that foreign-exchange rates and paused sales in Russia following the war in Ukraine would also limit growth.
On Thursday, Mr. Cook said those constraints were “slightly less” than what was predicted.
Other U.S. companies with heavy exposure to China have already shown how those shutdowns have hurt their businesses. Tesla Inc. for example, last week reported its first sequential decline in quarterly profit in more than a year following an extended shutdown at its Shanghai assembly plant, while General Motors Co.’s China operations helped send profit down 40% in the quarter.
Apple’s Greater China region saw sales fall 1% from the same April-through-June period a year earlier. Analysts had expected an almost 7% decline.
In recent days, Apple has taken the unusual step of discounting iPhones in the China market.
Goldman Sachs estimates that iPhone China shipments improved in the month of May compared with April, when they fell 39%. “Our checks suggest an even stronger sales momentum in June as lockdowns were further reduced, likely driving realization of pent up demand,” Rod Hall, a Goldman Sachs analyst, wrote in a note to investors this month.
Mr. Cook said the company is seeing inflationary costs in wages, logistics and certain silicon components. The company finished the previous fiscal year with 154,000 employees, according to a regulatory filing.
“We are making deliberate decisions about where to invest our money, but we’re continuing to hire, but we’re just doing it in a very deliberate way,” Mr. Cook said in the interview.
Write to Tim Higgins at [email protected]
- Daily Insider: Amazon, Apple surge supports Buffett’s advice to hold ‘forever’
- Amazon may walk away from Cape Town HQ development because of sacred land claim
- Apple’s expanding ecosystem – a sneak peek


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Motorola’s David Schuster has once again taken to Google Plus to announce the debut of the Android 5.1 soak tests for the second generation Moto X on Verizon and the first generation Moto G with LTE support in the U.S.
Definitely, this is good news for the users of these devices, but the Motorola executive even had interesting news for the Moto E users. The device was facing some issues with the early testing of the update on it. But, Schuster claims that the Android 5.1 testing will be resumed in Brazil and India in a coming week.
Though Schuster has not announced, the Android 5.1 soak tests has also started for the second generation Moto X on AT&T.

domain: news


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Dropbox also slipped in that it will be adding the ability for creating new Microsoft Office docs straight from its iOS app in the next few weeks.
This marks the first time Pinterest is opening up API access for development of consumer apps tied to the digital scrapbooking phenomenon.
The chipmaker reports first-quarter revenue is mostly flat, though it does see a slight rise in income.
Joe Sullivan, who had the same role at the social network, makes the leap to the car-hailing service, where he'll be in charge of data security.
Women may win lawsuits alleging bad behavior in the court of public opinion, but not necessarily where it matters.
Silicon Valley's male-dominated culture could cost the technology industry the thing it values most: innovation.
Maker Studios, the YouTube network Disney bought for as much as $950 million, will work with its parent's Marvel arm to make original digital programming.
Marvel's mightiest heroes are back with a-vengeance in "Age of Ultron", and there's a new mobile network in town.
Docudrama "Game Changer" will tell the story of the Grand Theft Auto games and the campaigners who tried to ban them.
YouTube user Jeremiah Rivera put together an opening-credits scene for "The Avengers" fashioned after the "Friends" TV show, because the Avengers will be there for you when Ultron attacks the Earth.


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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised its repo rate by 0.50% to 4.90% today, in line with market expectations. And it raised interest rates at the meeting for two months in a row. The goal is to control inflation that has continued to rise.
The Reserve Bank of India said “Inflation in India has risen above acceptable levels. Most of the reasons for the high inflation are supply chain problems caused by the Russo-Ukrainian war.”
The Reserve Bank of India also raised its inflation forecast to 6.7% from the previous forecast of 5.7%, while the central bank’s inflation target was 2%-6%.
Under Indian law, if inflation exceeds 6% for three consecutive quarters, the central bank must send a letter to the government explaining the reasons for missing the target. This includes that measures must be taken to reduce the inflation rate to a controllable level.


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Four Communications has been appointed to handle consumer and corporate PR for the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA) following a four-way agency pitch.
The trade association for the cruise and ferry industry in the
The wide ranging brief aims to extend the awareness of the value and convenience of sea and river travel beyond the travel press into the lifestyle and broadcast media; to emphasise the broad audience appeal, inclusive value and extensive facilities offered on modern cruise and ferry ships, and to advise on issues management.
Four will replace bgb which has worked for the PSA for the past 11 years.The PR review and pitch process was staged by the PSA’s new director of PR, Penny Guy, who commented: “bgb has served the PSA well for a long time during which the industry has expanded considerably. We now think it is time to aim for a larger share of voice, across a broader media base for the cruise and ferry sector as a powerful contributor to leisure and business travel. Our PR committee felt that Four Communications gave the most intelligent and creative response to our brief, and the decision to appoint them was unanimous.”
Four Communications has been involved with two high profile projects for individual cruise lines earlier this year - the naming of P&O Cruises


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As the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) gears up for an exciting 41st Season, TCL, one of the largest manufacturers of televisions in the world, is elated to be the league's official TV sponsor.
After unveiling its curved 4K HDR televisions internationally earlier this year and the massive 105-inch curved 5K television back in May here in the Philippines, LG is now showing off its new 4K OLED sets with discounted prices.
PLDT has partnered up with Intel to launch the TVolution Stick, which is based on Intel's own Compute Stick. Read on for more details and availability.
IFA is Europe's biggest and most important tech show, and here are the 8 coolest and most important new devices that were unveiled this year.
Both the X8000C and S8500C 4K Android TVs are equipped with a host of Sony proprietary TV tech, such as a 4K Processor X1 chip and 4K X-Reality Pro upscaling engine.
Of the four new OLED TVs that LG is going to showcase at IFA 2015, three of them will support HDR.
Samsung showcased in its "Happy Home" roadshow its latest digital appliances that aims to upgrade Filipino families' lifestyle.
Buzzfeed's John Paczkowski claims that Apple is planning to hold a launch event in the week of 7th September with 9th September as the most likely date. Besides the new iPhones, Apple is said to be launching the new Apple TV and iPads.
TCL, one of the leading players in the global TV industry, sponsored the promotional tour of the highly anticipated Hollywood movie “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation” which was released on July 30th, 2015 in the Philippines.
Tech savvies, gamers, and gadget lovers are in for a treat this August, as SM Supermalls, through its technology and lifestyle center, Cyberzone, holds its annual Cyber Month to showcase the best in consumer electronics, featuring the latest gadgets with loads of promos and freebies.


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According to 343 Industries; it is Halo’s fans that influence the development of the franchise more than Microsoft itself.
There is no doubt that Halo is Microsoft’s darling when it comes to gaming division, but according to Design Director at 343 Industries, Kevin Franklin, it’s the fans who influence the development of the game more than anyone else.
Speaking with Finder, Franklin said that 343 Industries actively listens to community feedback, around which the game is built. He mentioned Arena and Warzone game mode as some of the things based on fans’ demands:
I wouldn’t say very much at all! I think the fans influence Halo more than Microsoft. Look at what we’re launching this year, like Arena, our competitive mode that’s built for e-sports. That’s what the fans are asking for; our hardcore competitive community were asking for that, it wasn’t Microsoft asking for it.
He also remembered visiting hundreds of forum posts to see what fans wanted from the upcoming Halo 5: Guardians and tried to build the Warzone game mode around the fans’ demands:
Warzone was designed by the fans in a lot of ways, too. I remember going back and reading hundreds and hundreds of forum posts, and everyone would make these bullet point lists of what they wanted to see in the next Halo game.
Halo 5: Guardians is scheduled to release on Oct. 27, 2015 exclusively on Xbox One.
Do you think more developers should consider community feedback as one of the most important things when developing a game? Share your views with us in the comments section below!


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The United States will enthusiastically support a no-deal BREXIT if that is what the British government decides to do, President Trump’s NSA John Bolton said Monday during a visit to London aimed at reassuring Britain over UK-US ties.
Mr. Bolton told British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that President Trump wants to see a successful British exit from the EU on 31 October, and that Washington will be ready to work fast on a US-UK free trade agreement.
PM Johnson wants the EU to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s exit ahead of the 31 October departure date, but the EU says it will not alter the part of the deal Mr. Johnson says must be changed.
The impasse leaves Britain facing an exit without any formal transition period or legal agreement covering issues such as trade, data transfers and border policy.
“If that’s the decision of the British government we will support it enthusiastically, and that’s what I’m trying to convey. We’re with you, we’re with you,” Mr. Bolton told reporters after his 1st day of meetings.
As Britain prepares to leave the EU, its biggest geopolitical shift since WWII, many diplomats expect London to become increasingly reliant on the United States.
Mr. Bolton, in London for 2 days of talks, is seeking an improved US-British relationship with Mr. Johnson.
He said British officials had given him an unmistakable sense that they were determined to honor the Y 2016 referendum vote to leave the EU.
Mr. Bolton offered his support for this stance, “The fashion in the European Union: When the people vote the wrong way from the way the elites want to go, it’s to make the peasants vote again and again until they get it right.”
The central message Mr. Bolton delivered is that the United States will help cushion Britain’s exit from the EU with a free trade deal that is being negotiated by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and his British counterpart, Liz Truss.
Mr. Bolton said Britain and the United States could agree trade deals on a sector-by-sector basis, leaving more difficult areas in the trading relationship until later.
He said the ultimate aim was a comprehensive trade deal, but highlighted that financial services could be one of the more difficult industries to reach an agreement on.
Earlier a senior Trump administration official told reporters the President had wanted to work with the May government on a trade deal but her government “didn’t want do it. This government does. We’re very happy about it.”
President Trump believes that “when it comes to trade negotiations the EU is worse than China, only smaller,” the official said.
PM Johnson spoke to President Trump Monday, discussing BREXIT, trade and economic issues, his office said. “They discussed global economic issues and trade, and the Prime Minister updated the President on BREXIT,” #10 Downing Street said.
“The President expressed his appreciation for the United Kingdom’s steadfast partnership in addressing global challenges and looks forward to meeting with him (Johnson) personally in the near future,” the White House said.


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KATHMANDU, The 5th edition of Nepal Buildcon International Expo kicked off on Friday at Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu Over 150 multinational companies are showcasing brands and products from across the globe
Three trade unions affiliated to the ruling and opposition parties postponed their plan to go on strike by shutting down all member restaurants of the Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal on Tuesday after the Labour Department assured them to serve notice on the legal definition of service charge by Wednesday.
Restaurants workers intensified their protest against the cancellation of the mandatory service charge by going on partial strike on Sunday and Monday saying they face a sharp reduction in their take-home pay due to its removal.
For those looking to buy a four-wheeler, the second hand market is an extremely viable alternative to buying a brand new vehicle. Buying a new car generally costs an arm and a leg in Nepal thanks to the insane taxes imposed by the government on vehicles while importing them.


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…and a utility’s calling back
A 1990s policy debate whose echoes persist involved the idea of discarding the regulated electric utility and breaking up its components (“functional segmentation” in the wonk-speak of the time), expecting the resulting new companies to burst out of their stodgy business model and engage in deregulated, “swashbuckling competition,” to use another phrase often invoked in those days, however implausibly.
It’s debatable how much “deregulation” occurred, since it was enacted by officials with career interests in making every consumer feel like a winner and unembarrassed to pursue that end through more regulation. Nearly half the states took the plunge into retail electric competition. Wisconsin was more than halfway to joining them when other experiments imploding—think California’s skyrocketing electricity prices and rolling blackouts—convinced this state’s legislative and regulatory officials to step back from the cliff.
While 23 states adopted deregulation, there’s still no state that doesn’t regulate utilities. The relevant question today isn’t what path a state will take but what path a utility prefers. One early deregulation enthusiast is trying hard to go back where it came from.
Among the largest U.S. utilities, Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy owns 10 regulated electric distribution companies serving approximately 6 million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.
FirstEnergy also owns FirstEnergy Solutions (FES), which in turn owns a fleet of power plants with more than 13,000 megawatts of generating capacity. Oddly, this presents a major problem for FirstEnergy.
The FES fleet is made up of what the industry calls merchant plants, outside the structure of the regulated utility and selling power into regional wholesale markets. The early days of electric deregulation put merchant plants at the cutting edge of a reinvented industry. Big companies bought up generating facilities to sell their output at whatever price the traffic would bear. The problem for today’s merchant-plant owners is that the traffic no longer bears a price that allows many of their plants to be profitable.
The dynamics are not unprecedented. Similar forces have disrupted the deregulated electricity business at least once before, though not always affecting power plant owners: The first major disruption affected businesses that owned no generation at all. The common factor is natural gas.
Hat? Check. Cattle? No.
Electric deregulation spawned the appearance of energy marketers, companies that theoretically could consist of little more than an individual with a telephone and credit card. The idea was to have no generating capacity but to buy wholesale power from someone who did, and sell it to retail customers at a price lower than the incumbent utility’s.
Around the turn of the century, natural gas prices climbed high enough that a lot of marketers couldn’t afford the power to serve customers they’d signed up. Many quit the business, dropping customers back on the doorstep of the utility they’d left.
Merchant plant owners don’t have the problem of being unable to obtain power supplies, but they’re caught in a squeeze when, like FES, their fleet is mainly coal and nuclear plants and natural gas prices turn the opposite way from the move that scuttled marketers.
As gas prices plummeted in recent years, wholesale power bids that would make money for coal and nuclear generation grew increasingly resistible. Today, it’s not marketers but merchants exiting the business or seeking market rule changes to stay afloat.
Though an early and major merchant plant sector participant, by the fall of 2016 FirstEnergy was planning to offload as many as 13 power plants. In November of that year, Columbus Business First quoted FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones saying, “competitive generation is weighing down the rest of the company.”
And in one of those echoes of the 1990s policy debate, late in January FirstEnergy happily announced a $2.5 billion cash infusion from a group of investors to support its return to the status of a “fully regulated utility company.”
Moody’s Investor’s Service called the move “a step in the right direction.”—Dave Hoopman


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MUSKEGON, MI – Classic rock fans will be in for a treat this summer when 38 Special and Lee Rocker from The Stray Cats roll into town for Bike Time in July.
Rocker will take the stage on Friday, July 18, while 38 Special will perform Saturday, July 19, according to a press release. Both acts will perform at Steel Horse Station, a 5-acre beer garden and concert venue that will be set up at Hot Rod Harley-Davidson, 149 Shoreline Dr.
Known best for their arena-rock hits like "Hold On Loosely," "Rockin' Into the Night," "Caught Up in You," 38 Special has performed for more than three decades. The gold and platinum record-selling group continues to play at more than 100 cities a year, according to the release. Tickets for 38 Special's performance will be $15 each.
Rocker will sing and perform with his giant upright bass. His shows mix Stray Cat hits like "Rock this Town," "Stray Cat Strut" and "Bring It Back Again," as well as renditions of songs by artists like Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson and The Beatles. Rocker will be joined by guitarist Buzz Campbell, guitarist and slide player Brophy Dale and session drummer Jimmy Sage. Tickets will be $10 each.
Advance tickets will be available, according to the release, although ticket purchasing information has not yet been released. Partial proceeds from the admission and beer sales will also be donated to the American Red Cross, according to the release.
Bike Time 2014 will take place July 17-20 in downtown Muskegon. Steel Horse Alley, the motorcycle traffic-only stretch of Western Avenue from Seventh to Terrace Streets, will return this year, as well as events like the custom bike show, Miss Bike Time contest, blessing of the bikers, patriot ride and A.B.A.T.E. burn out pit.
There will two main differences in this year's festival, according to the release: There will be no cover charge for the event's three beer gardens and the event's vendors will be located on side streets or in parking lots.


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Check Out These Leaked Photos of Google’s Nexus Sailfish
The new Nexus smartphones for 2016 are still a thing of the future, as it may take a while until Google announces them officially, but today we have a couple of leaked photos of the Google Nexus Sailfish. Even if these devices are not a complete mystery to us, photos are cool to have and drool upon them, ’till that day arrives (the official launching day that is).
So, what do we know so far, you may ask? Well, the new Nexuses are code-named Marlin and Sailfish and they’re supposedly built by the Taiwanese people from HTC. Also, they’re not soÂ different, i.e. they do share a lot of common features, which is a good thing in my humble opinion; you know that saying, who wants to be different buys an iPhone! (just kidding). Features aside, the Marlin and the Sailfish will also look very much alike, sharing everything from internals to design, though they’re said to come in different sizes.
Today’s leaked-live photos of the Google Nexus Sailfish arrived to us courtesy of Android Police and they seem to depict the aforementioned smartphone , which is the smallest of the bunch. The display of the Nexus Sailfish is rumored to have 5 inches and Full HD/1080p resolution, which is not bad at all.
I have to tell you that these are not the best leaked pictures I’ve ever seen and I can’t understand why professional leaksters are using their antiquated smartphones for taking pictures of future flagships. Truth be told, these photos look like they were taken with a feature phone from the early 2000s. I mean come on leaksters, if you can’t afford a decent camera, at least get a current smartphone for God’s sake! Looking at the pic, you will observe a finger print scanner, a two-tone colorway in a black and grey design and a metallic look. There’s also a secondary pic via Twitter which looks like it was taken with my grandmother’s webcam.


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Apparel maker VF Corp. said it plans to open an office in South Florida to be closer to its Central American suppliers.
The office will help the company coordinate its Central American sourcing program, said Tim Pittman, a spokesman for Greensboro, N.C.-based VF (NYSE: VFC). The company owns and operates about 15 plants in Central America.
The new Miami-area office is to be led by John Strasburger, VF's vice president of Americas sourcing. The company said the branch is likely to employ about two dozen people.
The reason VF wants closer ties with Central America: The region is a major export market for U.S. yarn and fabric makers, with many goods cut and sewn into clothing in countries including Honduras and Guatemala. The resulting clothing is then imported back into the United States for sale.
VF is one of a number of companies urging Congress to pass the Central American Free Trade Agreement, or Cafta-DR, that would eliminate tariffs for goods flowing between the Dominican Republic, the five Central American nations and the United States.
Among the brands VF owns are Lee, Wrangler, Vanity Fair, Bestform, Lily of France, Nautica, JanSport, Eastpak, The North Face and Kipling.
From 2003 to 2004, company sales increased 16 percent to $6.05 billion from $5.2 billion. Profit rose 19 percent, year-over-year, to $474.7 million, or $4.21 a share, from $397.9 million, or $3.61 a share. VF is due to report first quarter results April 26.


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I just read the following article on Discovery Channel, isn't it ironic that the Arabs had to go to the US to regain their Arabian horse heritage and now to Australia for the camels? <_<
I apologise for this rather long article but thought it might be of interest.
Australia Exports Feral Camels to the Middle East
Neil Sands, AFP
Feb. 9, 2004 — Australian exporters have carved out an unlikely market niche selling wild camels from the Outback to Middle Eastern countries, which were the original home of the "ships of the desert."
Peter Seidel, executive officer of the Central Australian Camel Industry Association, said the camels were now regarded as a pest and would be culled if no industry could be built around them.
"No one wants to do that because it is very unpopular and expensive," he said.
Camels were first brought to Australia in the 1840s by explorers needing a hardy form of transportation as they charted the country's harsh interior.
Once finished, the pioneers simply set the animals free and more than 500,000 now roam the Australian bush.
Seidel said Australia had the only wild camel population in the world, as the dromedaries had been domesticated in their native lands.
He said about 10,000 camels a year, worth $2 million ($1.52 million U.S.), were being exported, mainly for their meat. The trade was likely to reach 25,000 in the next few years after the Middle East's traditional markets in Africa had collapsed.
"Camels are there (in the Middle East) but they might be used in racing stables or owned by Bedouin tribes in the desert and so on, so they've traditionally sourced camels from Africa, places like Sudan and Somalia," he said.
"In recent years the disease problem there has been so horrific that it has stopped that trade, there are very serious problems — foot and mouth, Rift Valley fever — that have decimated herds and Australia is the only other supplier."
Live exports began three years ago and Seidel said the market had huge potential, although many found the coals-to-Newcastle scenario of sending camels to the Middle East a surprise.
"It's such a new thing which people don't really expect, so it's just increasing all the time as the awareness gets out there that we have this product," he said.
Seidel said camels were one of the few animals that could digest the Australian Outback's scrubby diet of saltbush and spinifex grasses.
"They have flourished and they've bred up to proportions now where something has to be done fairly quickly," he said.
"Australia doesn't have true sand deserts like the Gobi and Sahara, so it's been an absolute bonus for them, probably their best habitat is here and that's why we have such large, healthy animals suitable for meat production."
Seidel said the exporters originally experimented with camel products such as face cream and hair conditioners from hump fat but were now concentrating on exporting live animals and ready-packaged meat to Muslim countries.
"In some areas it's the traditional meat along with goat, but there is a religious significance for some Muslim people," he said. "In those areas where it's not readily available they will most certainly seek out supplies of camel meat for religious festivals like Ramadan."
Australia first began exporting to Brunei and Malaysia but the Middle East now dominates the market, with the potential for more to come.
"Egypt and Saudi and countries like that have the biggest potential," Seidel said.
Seidel said his organization's ultimate aim was to set up a halal butchery with an export license in the Northern Territory so camel products could be sent to Muslim markets all over the world.
"It's a rapidly growing industry with huge potential but we need an abattoir so I'll be canvassing around our markets and hoping to attract investment," he said.
Name: Dromedary Camel, aka Arabian Camel (Camelus dromedarius)
Primary Classification: Camelidae (Camels and Relatives)
Location: Northern Africa, the Middle East, northern India and Australia.
Diet: Mainly thorny plants, dry grasses and saltbush.
Size: Up to 11 ft in length and 1,210 lbs in weight.
Description: Caramel or sandy brown in color; double row of eyelashes and brows; long, curved neck; single hump; deep, narrow chest; long hair on throat, shoulder and hump; pad-shaped feet.
Cool Facts: When conditions heat up, it increases its own body temperature to avoid sweating and therefore water loss. It can tolerate a 40 percent loss in body mass when food and water are scarce.
Conservation Status: Domesticated (Extinct in the Wild)


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Toyota, Honda and Chevrolet are perceived by consumers as selling the most environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient models, according to a new Eco Watch study from Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research.
Sixty percent of respondents reported they were “extremely concerned” or “very concerned” about the environment, citing water and air pollution, global warming and energy shortages as their primary issues.
The online study of 1,000 in-market consumers, taken in September, also found:
* 58% were considering a more fuel-efficient vehicle for their next purchase. On average, they said they would be willing to spend up to $2,600 more on an environmentally friendly vehicle.
* 57% said they had changed their driving habits.
* 58% who have already changed the type of vehicle they are planning to buy said they would not go back to their former vehicle of choice even if gas prices were to drop to $1 a gallon.
* The alternative-fuel technologies they most favored were hybrid engines, hydrogen fuel cells and natural gas vehicles.
* Motorists were most skeptical of biofuel, diesel and battery-electric vehicles.
Half of respondents reported that rising gas prices were a factor in their next car decision or have made them consider vehicles that they heretofore would not have considered. And 75% said they wished there were more alternative fuel vehicles in the marketplace to choose from.
The appearance of Chevrolet right behind Toyota and Honda, names almost required in an talk about fuel-efficiency, “is proof that advertising works,” said Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com.
“They have been hitting it so hard in their marketing,” Nerad said. “And what is ironic is that a lot of that advertising centers on the Volt, which isn’t even available.”
Hybrids, the alternative fuel technology that has received the most attention, represent only 1.6% of new car sales in August, per CNW Marketing Research, Bandon, Ore.
New diesel models with fuel systems allowing them to meet emissions standards in all 50 states are just starting to appear from Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes. But state taxes and demand have so far kept the clean burning fuel too high in price to make it attractive to most buyers.
According to KBB’s Web site, the top 10 “green” cars of 2008 are (in order):


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Kendall Jenner carries pup Louis in her arms after a shopping trip to the Dash boutique on Wednesday afternoon (January 18) in Calabasas, Calif.
The 16-year-old model/student grabbed a few new pieces from the family shop while Louis lounged on the sofa before following his new owner.
“I want [Kourtney] to have a girl. It would be so cute because when they’re older, Mason could be like the protective big brother. And I feel like Kourtney could have fun with a girl—dress her up in little tutus and everything,” she shared.
The day before, Kendall was spotted out at the car wash.
20+ pics inside of Kendall Jenner…


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The popular Twitter profile Evleaks has released a full render of the Lumia 1520, or "Bandit." Previously publishing a screenshot, showing how the new Start screen will be configured on a 1080p display, we can now spot that very same screen capture in the render above. There's not a lot new in the image, except for the rear of the handset where there's no 41MP hump.
We'd always recommend to take this with a pinch of salt, but the Twitter account has been fairly accurate with leaks in the past and we can't see why the above render couldn't be the Lumia 1520. Just a quick recap on how this Lumia is going to be beastly, we're looking at a rumoured 170mm by 88.9mm device, with of course the 6-inch display.
We'll keep our eyes glued to the feeds and sources for more details, but it's certainly a Windows Phone we're excited to see hit the shelves.
Source: Evleaks (Twitter)


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Industrial stocks are still divorced from earnings performance
Industrial players are seeing somewhat varied stock performances, with most EGX-listed industrial stocks continuing on the downward trajectory that began at the outset of the year. On both a year-to-date basis and when looking at the past five months (starting from 2Q 2022), only one EGX-listed major industrial company is in the green. There are also only four stocks that have outperformed the EGX30 this year so far.
Once again, share performances and earnings are on completely different wavelengths: All industrial companies — with the exception of Oriental Weavers — reported strong earnings during the second quarter of the year. This was also the case in 1Q 2022, when the majority of companies reported stellar earnings despite underperforming the broader EGX30 as a result of the war in Ukraine and the resulting global uncertainty, which prompted investors to exit equity markets in general, but particularly impacted industrial players due to trade disruptions, material shortages, and rising prices and costs.
For the purpose of this analysis, we’ll look at the performance of a handful of heavyweight EGX30 stocks on a YTD basis and from the beginning of 2Q 2022 until now: GB Auto, Oriental Weavers, Ezz Steel, Elsewedy Electric, and Rameda Pharma.
Almost all the companies have underperformed the EGX30, both on a YTD basis and when looking at the five-month period beginning in 2Q 2022, according to market data. The EGX30’s YTD return is -13.3%, while its 5M return is -10.4%.
- GB Auto fell 22.5% YTD and 9.8% since 3 April to EGP 3.85;
- Ezz Steel fell 1.4% YTD but is up 0.8% since 3 April to EGP 14.81;
- Elsewedy Electric fell 22% YTD and 11.9% since 3 April to EGP 7.84;
- Oriental Weavers fell 18.6% YTD and 22.1% since 13 April to EGP 6.97.
The only one bucking the trend: Rameda, which is up 13.1% YTD and 38.7% since 3 April to EGP 2.76.
For industrial stocks, keeping an eye on where the currency is headed is key: “Generally speaking, industrials are very much linked to macro dynamics and particularly the currency outlook,” said Ahmed Soliman, CI Capital’s head of the industrials sector. Most industrial players would also benefit from a weaker EGP on the balance sheet side of the equation, he told Enterprise. Arqaam Capital Associate Director Nour El Din Sherif echoed the same opinion, saying a depreciation also results in some savings on the labor side, including “selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) expenses, because most of the SG&A is priced in local currency.”
GB Auto is also a prime example of how wider macro conditions impact stock performance: Supply chain disruptions and shortages in the auto market drove down the company’s share price during the first several months of the year, falling as much as 53.4% on a YTD basis in July. The company’s share price has begun to stage a recovery (although it remains down YTD) in recent weeks amid expectations that Hassan Abdalla’s appointment as governor of the Central Bank of Egypt and a potential agreement with the IMF will ease the country’s FX crunch and allow for automotive imports to resume at a more regular pace, Soliman explains.
But fundamentals play a big role, too: Rameda, which has been consistently reporting solid growth in its financials, shows that investors are paying attention to each company’s fundamentals. While market concerns following the EGP devaluation initially impacted the company’s stock, it is now picking up again, CI Capital’s co-head of research Alia El Mehelmy said.
Rameda’s share movements are a reflection of confidence in management’s strategy: Besides the company’s sales volumes recovering in 1H 2022 “despite the decline in covid-related demand, which had at one point comprised 15% of the company’s sales,” Rameda’s management is pushing with a “more active acquisition strategy,” El Mehelmy told Enterprise. This strategy is expected to be “welcomed” by the market considering how positively it impacts growth and margins, El Mehelmy told us.
Looking at the companies’ financials:
- GB Auto’s net income rose 31% y-o-y in 2Q despite market challenges, recording EGP 490.5 mn during the April-June period. Revenues rose almost 8% y-o-y to EGP 7.83 bn.
- Rameda reported 65.8% y-o-y growth in net income to EGP 52.4 mn during 2Q 2022, and the company’s topline for the quarter was up 38.0% y-o-y to EGP 368.4 mn.
- Elsewedy Electric reported record revenues in 2Q 2022, rising almost 50% y-o-y to EGP 20.4 bn during the quarter, driving a 27% increase in net income to EGP 1.1 bn.
- Oriental Weavers was the only company that reported a decrease in net income, which fell 29% y-o-y to EGP 211 mn, though revenues were up 14% y-o-y, reaching EGP 3.25 bn.
Industrial players are slowly emerging as the benefactors of a weaker EGP: Given that the majority of their products are either priced in foreign currencies or have exposure to exports, “the industrial sector is one of the main beneficiary of the depreciation of the EGP,” El Sherif told Enterprise. Even if they retain their margins and have foreign exposure on the cost side, the depreciation in local currency will result in absolute growth in profitability, he explained, adding that these companies can increase their selling prices.
The global commodity outlook is also a big factor to look at, because operations are directly linked to commodity prices, and therefore they have a direct impact on profitability, said Soliman. This is especially relevant for companies that import commodities, such as Elsewedy, which imports raw materials such as copper and aluminum, Sherif said. Elsewedy is enjoying lower aluminum and copper prices, which are reducing working capital needs and alleviating pressure on cashflow.
But what’s positive for one company can be a negative for another: Ezz Steel, for example, could be saving on its cost side from lower iron ore prices — a sizable portion of their costs — but its top line could be lower and its margins slimmer as they export lower volumes, Sherif explained.
The rest of the year looks a bit brighter for industrials, particularly for manufacturers that use local components in their production. “These companies will likely benefit from a commodity price rally, because they price their end product in USD and it goes to the export market, while most of their cost is domestic and not linked to the global prices,” says Sherif. The negative overall performance of industrials during 1H 2022 was justified, due to global market conditions, says Sherif, “But I think for the second half, the outlook looks much better,” he concluded.
Your top industrial development stories for the week:
- Americana Egypt to expand food production: F&B conglomerate Americana is planning to invest USD 26 mn in new food production lines in Egypt, Vice Chairman Ihab Hajjaj said.
- The Finance Ministry has laid out the criteria for industry players looking to benefit from amended customs tariffs approved by the House of Representatives in June.
- Pesticide imports will be exempt from the requirement to use letters of credit after the Agriculture Ministry approved categorizing pesticides as production inputs rather than final products, exempting them from the central bank’s import restrictions.
- FMCG player Dabur Egypt will double its production capacity with a new factory in Tenth of Ramadan City. The first phase is set to start operations in March 2023.


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The BlackBerry brand is now owned by the lesser-known security company Onward Mobility and will release a new BlackBerry handset by the end of this year.
In fact, in 2020, the company said it could expect a new BlackBerry Android phone with 5G connectivity by the end of the first half of 2021. That hasn’t happened, but this latest post is about to be released as the phone is still under development.
You can now participate on the Onward Mobility website Waiting list for updates Make sure you first pre-ordered your new device, not just about future smartphones.
Onward Mobility calls this a “precommitment program” and is said to exist to “expand engagement with customers interested in buying new and innovative BlackBerry 5G smartphones.”
The plural (smartphone) there suggests that Onward Mobility may be running on multiple Blackberry phones.
Analysis: What does the 2021 BlackBerry look like?
At one stage, BlackBerry was one of the most popular phone brands on the planet.Now we are not looking at a new BlackBerry branded smartphone Key2 LE It was introduced near the end of 2018.
Since then, TCL has ceased production of branded smartphones, and Onward Mobility took over its mantelpiece in August 2020. We still don’t know what it does with a BlackBerry phone.
It’s unclear how the new BlackBerry smartphone can compete Best smartphone For example, you need the following phone: iPhone 12, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra When Oppo Find X3 Pro It has higher specifications than this future smartphone.
It’s based on how BlackBerry phones have changed in recent years, focusing on more niche elements such as physical keyboards, rather than offering the absolute best specs.
OnwardMobility has confirmed that this smartphone includes a QWERTY physical keyboard, but it may be enough for this smartphone to stand out from the rest of the crowd.
BlackBerry 5G smartphones are still happening-there may be more than one
Source link BlackBerry 5G smartphones are still happening-there may be more than one


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Now Airtel customer can wish Happy Diwali to their loved ones at very low cost as Airtel has come with New STD Hungama offer for WB, Kolkata and Orissa Circle.
Bharti Airtel, India's leading telecom company has attained Gold Certification from Cisco India. Bharti Airtel is the first to get this certification among India's other telecom providers.
Festival season is here.Now Airtel customer of Jangaon and Ghanpur circle can make calls to USA and Canada at Rs. 1.99 per minute and Gulf at Rs. 6.99 per minute until 31 August 2010.
To subscribe Dial Toll Free 141008
Airtel has introduced Airtel Gulf Calling Pack in which Airtel customers can make calls to UAE, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Bahrain & Kuwait at the rate of 12 paisa per second. It will be valid for 30 days.
Airtel has come with Daily Use Packs for its customers across the country. Customers can avail 5 different type of packs with 1 day validity according to their circle.
Airtel has started all BlackBerry services for its prepaid customers. Customers can now enjoy various BlackBerry services including BlackBerry personal mail services and BlackBerry internet services on Airtel prepaid connection. Airtel prepaid users can avail these super services just by sending SMS
Airtel has started Super 5 Plan as daily packs throughout the country. With Airtel Super 5 Plan, customers can enjoy the cheapest call rates, free local and STD minutes, free local on-net night minutes, free SMSes and mobile internet for 1 day in Rs. 5 only. Airtel Super 5 Plan includes various daily packs. Customers can choose any of the packs by dialing *222#.
Airtel has introduced new Ente Advantage Plans for its prepaid customers in Kerala circle. Airtel has launched Ente Advantage Plans; Ente Advantage 10 Plan, Ente Advantage 20 Plan, Ente Advantage 30 Plan-1 and Ente Advantage 30 Plan- 2. With these Ente Advantage Plans, customers can enjoy local on net calls at 10 paisa, 20 paisa or 30 paisa per minute tariff rates.
Bharti Airtel and Novatium has joined hands. Together they are launching Net PC Plus on Airtel broadband for its customers in Chennai. They have launched an introductory offer to impress its customers.
Airtel has variety of GPRS Packs for its prepaid customers in UP circle. Customers can choose these GPRS Packs according to their need. Airtel customers can enjoy GPRS surfing on their handsets as well as on USB Modem.


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RIHANNA, JUSTIN BIEBER and BRUNO MARS proved their style credentials on Wednesday (07Nov12) by performing at the 2012 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
The Umbrella hitmaker sang new tracks Diamonds and Fresh Off the Runway, and held hands with model Doutzen Kroes as they hit the stage in New York City.
Lily Aldridge, who also modeled the lingerie company's latest designs, took to her Twitter.com page to declare, "Rihanna is soooo stunning!!!!!! Killed it at VS FashionShow."
Bieber also thrilled the crowd with his mini-set, and later told his Twitter followers, "Great Show!! Thanks for having me victorias secret!"
Copyright WENN.com - World Entertainment News Network
Water Cooler News
An 18-year-old has been given until Friday to agree to a plea deal on charges of lewd and lascivious battery of a child 12 to 16 years old, but some are calling for the charges to be dropped.
Top Entertainment Headlines
A Cuyahoga Falls car dealership sold 40 cars to be used in the filming of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier".


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Home Tags Covid-19 pandemic
Tag: Covid-19 pandemic
Italy's central bank called on Saturday for cohesion as the country battles a government crisis, saying it was imperative to revive growth and reduce a public debt that the coronavirus pandemic has pushed to levels last seen after World War One.
Homegrown virtual platform helps keep indie brands afloat amid the pandemic
"If our employees are in a role and situation that enables them to work from home and they want to continue to do so forever, we will make that happen. If not, our offices will be their warm and welcoming selves, with some additional precautions, when we feel it’s safe to return."
With each purchase, participants are able to help provide income for some of the country’s marginalized communities.
The Covid-19 pandemic is an unprecedented crisis - with tragic consequences for a lot. But it’s also been an opportunity to develop new solutions and new ways of working to thrive in this brave new world.
From handling resources to projecting for the future, industry experts share how startups and SMEs can survive during the pandemic.
The Covid-19 outbreak is having a significant impact on cybersecurity. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the pandemic to lure businesses and individuals through spam campaigns, phishing emails, and the like.
Stay connected with the latest updates about COVID-19 straight from relevant health organizations while on Facebook’s family of apps.
With COVID-19 forcing firms and workers to reevaluate their skill sets and competencies, these courses can help you keep productive during and beyond the current quarantine.
Nearly 200 new partner schools have signed up to the Edukasyon.ph platform in the last four weeks alone, including University of the Visayas campuses, University of Mindanao campuses and the AMA Education System—joining existing partners like Ateneo de Manila University, Mapua University and Silliman University.
The partnership provides options to those who may want to extend help during the pandemic from their homes.
The limited offer provides consumers with options in purchasing essential goods during the pandemic.
“We’re not here to play the game. We’re here to reinvent the game.” PearlPay CEO Spark Perreras explains how his firm leverages new technologies to not only streamline Core Banking Services, but transform it entirely.


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Only hours after Fiserv Inc completed the acquisition of First Data Corp, Bank of America Corp announced that it would end its electronic payment services joint venture with the payment processor, Bank of America Merchant Services, in June 2020.
The termination of the partnership, which was started in 2009, is expected to cost the North Carolina-headquartered bank a non-cash, pre-tax impairment charge of $1.7 billion to $2.1 billion in the third quarter of 2019.
According to the statement released by the American bank, it and First Data Corp have agreed to provide “uninterrupted delivery of products and services” to Banc of America Merchant Services’ clients until at least June 2023.
Despite canceling the agreement with First Data Corp, the US firm states that the payments processor will continue to be an “important service provider” which will support Bank of America’s global payment solutions.
First Data Corp is a Georgia headquartered firm, which processes $2.4 trillion each year and 2,500 transactions per second. It operates as a payment technology company that handles a wide range of services, including credit card processing.
Supplemental Income with the FBS CopyTrade App!Go to article >>
Commenting on the announcement, Mark Monaco, head of Enterprise Payments at Bank of America said: “Payments are at the core of our business, and this announcement is another step forward in our global strategy to provide companies of all sizes an integrated payment offering.
“We look forward to investing in our merchant solution and delivering the capabilities our clients need to thrive in an ever-changing payments environment. We look forward to continuing our long-standing business relationship with First Data.”
Fiserv completes acquisition of First Data Corp
As Finance Magnates reported, back in January Fiserv announced its plans to acquire payment technology provider First Data Corporation in a $22 billion all-stock deal to be completed in the first half of 2019.
On Monday, the company announced that it had completed the acquisition, making it a leading payments and financial technology provider.
Fiserv’s shares were down 1.5 percent at $103.10 in extended trading. The Bank of America’s, on the other hand, were largely unchanged.


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RoomRaccoon, a leading all-in-one Hotel Management System (HMS) for independent hotels, has announced that it is growing its representation in the US with the appointment of Autumn Wilson as Account Executive and Brenda Alarcon as Customer Support Consultant.
Autumn Wilson joins the team with extensive experience in the sales and hospitality industry. Based in California, she will provide a direct service to independent hotels, bed and breakfasts, and vacation rentals on the West Coast of the US. She joins Hannah Lee, the company’s senior sales representative, and Brock Dodson.
Hannah Lee, Market Head of RoomRaccoon North America, shares: “We have seen a sustained uptick in business from the US market, with customers spanning across the West Coast and East Coast. We are expanding our footprint to deliver an even better service to hotel owners and managers and are excited to welcome Autumn and Brenda to our growing team.”
The announcement comes off the heels of RoomRaccoon’s participation in the BOLD program, a government-backed start-up accelerator led by Prince Constantijn Van Oranje-Nassau and TechLeap.NL. The program saw RoomRaccoon CEO and Founder, Tymen van Dyl, travel to Boston and NYC earlier in October alongside 20 Dutch tech founders with ambitions to scale in the US.
Tymen van Dyl, CEO and Co-Founder of RoomRaccoon, shares: “The US is the newest addition to our expansion efforts. Due to its large hospitality sector, the US continues to represent one of the biggest opportunities for RoomRaccoon and is an important source market for the company’s future growth. We are committed to fast-tracking our expansion in this market and increasing our representation is just one way that we will achieve this.”
To learn more visit roomraccoon.us


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Controversial politician, Dino Melaye has acquired three additional luxury rides to his fleet of cars.
The Nigerian senator who was representing Kogi West, recently took to social media to flaunt his tasteful mansion, he has taken to the same medium to show off after given himself an expensive treat in the form of luxury cars.
The politician, who is known as a car lover, added three more vehicles to his expensive fleet of cars. Melaye bought himself one vintage car and two bulletproof cars, the cars were a 1977 covette, a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon Limousine, and a Toyota Land Cruiser.
According to reports, Melaye’s bulletproof cars, the G-Wagon Limousine and Toyota Land Cruiser, were customised. The black G-Wagon came with a customised bar, a stool, and a TV.
The Land Cruiser also came with a customised mini bar, a frame, and screens. The G-Wagon cost 1.2 million dollars (N432m), and two cars together reportedly cost N726,000,000.
Watch video below.


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Bottega Veneta to Open First Canadian Standalone
Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre is quickly becoming a coveted spot for designer brand’s looking to open standalone stores. The latest to announce its Canadian debut is Bottega Veneta, expected to open this coming winter. The 4700 square foot space will open across from Holt Renfrew Men’s and beside Hugo Boss. Vancouver International Airport carries a range of Bottega Veneta accessories in their concession and you can find smaller collections of the luxury brand at department stores across the country, however, this will be the first full-line store to land in Canada.
Fenty Beauty Pops Up
On Wednesday, The Pennsy in Pennsylvania Plaza was home to a pop-up shop for Fenty Beauty by Rihanna. The event was in celebration of the new fall 2018 Moroccan Spice collection and was the first in a series of pop-ups for the popular makeup line. The theme was Moroccan Spice Market chic, complete with a hookah lounge, an Instagrammable supersize eyeshadow palette, products for guests to shop from the new and previous collections and even tents to try the collection, applied by global makeup artists.
Wear Your Label Partners with Hudson’s Bay
Wear Your Label was created with the idea of ending the stigma around mental illness. When creators of the company, Kayley Reed and Kyle MacNevin connected over their love of fashion and their personal struggles with mental health, the brand was created as a line of products with slogans such as “stigma free” and “it’s ok not to be ok”. Now, Hudson’s Bay has partnered with the brand to launch an exclusive “THE FUTURE IS STIGMA FREE” T-shirt in support of mental health awareness. The unisex T-shirts went on sale yesterday at www.thebay.com and all proceeds will be donated to Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
Chloe Joins Yorkdale Shopping Centre
And another one for Toronto’s highly appealing luxury zone! The Paris-based designer brand has set up shop in Toronto – the brand’s first Canadian standalone location. The stunning new space is the first in North America to feature Chloe’s new boutique concept. Bright and open, the store is highlighted with polished brass, marble, and oak, perfectly showcasing a full range of accessories, footwear, leather goods, jewellery and ready-to-wear collections.
Image courtesy of From Luxe With Love
By: Laura Findlay, Vancouver, @lofindlay
Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for the latest fashion jobs, style jobs, retail jobs, career advice and fashion trends!


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The Spanish Ninja Returns in Street Fighter V; Vega Revealed with Claw/No Claw Fighting Styles
As a mainstay of the franchise since first appearing in Street Fighter II the “Spanish Ninja” himself, Vega, is set to return to the fighting ring once more for Street Fighter V but will also be bringing some new tricks up his (clawed) sleeves.
A new post on the PlayStation Blog confirmed that Vega will return for Street Fighter V bringing not only a brand new look to the classic fighter, but also featuring two variations with “claw” and “no claw” fighting styles, allowing Vega to sheath his claws and giving players new options in combat.
Capcom community manager Peter Rosas provided more detail on the combat changes for Vega in Street Fighter V, explaining:
“That’s right, he now has the ability to sheathe his claw during battle in exchange for new moves, such as a command grab, as well as new attack properties, greatly changing the way he approaches each fight. Knowing when to toggle between the two styles will be the key to success, and it also allows for new combo possibilities. Conversely, Vega will no longer be able to pick up his claw once it’s knocked off, so knowing how to fight without the claw is a must! Players who enjoy tricky movement and the technical challenge of switching between claw/no-claw fighting styles will definitely find the beauty in Vega’s play style.”
Rosas also mentioned that Vega will be available to play publicly during this week’s Gamescom 2015 at Sony’s booth during the event, which will run from August 5th-9th in Cologne, Germany.
Street Fighter V will release for PS4 and PC in March 2016 – in the meantime, you can check out the reveal trailer for Vega below, along with a gallery of images of Vega in action:


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RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY/WFXR) — Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) announced a readjustment for store hours throughout the state after hours were modified due to the coronavirus pandemic.
On Wednesday, June 24, Virginia ABC shared that the across-the-board opening time of noon will remain the same for all stores. The new announcement came into play when they said individual store closing times will return to pre-pandemic closing times.
Community member can expect to see hours return to normal starting Friday, June 26.
However, the stores will continue to implement the precautions taken to keep employees and customers safe. Those steps include:
- Mandatory use of face masks or coverings inside stores
- Plastic shields installed at registers ABC stores
- Daily cleaning and sanitizing with particular attention to checkout counters and high-touch surfaces such as door handles and knobs
- Hand sanitizer available at registers for customer and employee use.
Store officials also ask customers to keep a distance between themselves and others in the establishment.
Customers can check their local store’s adjusted hours by visiting ABC’s store finder page here.
- Food City to open in Wytheville
- Two Roanoke City schools to close for two weeks due to COVID-19 cases
- Second stimulus checks: Trump eyes aid deal with direct payments after Election Day
- Pittsylvania County to accept trash from Martinsville, Henry County to generate added revenue
- Richmond judge dissolves injunction blocking removal of Robert E. Lee statue


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SPI/FilmBox expanded its presence in Africa with new channel distribution agreements.
SPI/FilmBox signed partnerships with Azam TV, MTN Group, and habeshaview. Azam TV subscribers in East Africa, MTN subscribers in Ghana, and habeshaview users worldwide will be able to access eight channels from SPI/FilmBox’s portfolio, including FilmBox Africa, FilmBox Arthouse, Gametoon, FightBox, Fast&FunBox, DocuBox, and more.
Georgina Twiss, MD of Western Europe & Africa at SPI International, commented, “We are proud to partner with Azam TV, MTN Ghana via Silver Rock Technology Services and habeshaview to introduce eight of our most popular channels to viewers in East Africa, the Republic of Ghana and to Ethiopian communities around the world. We are excited to support the success of these partnerships and build brand engagement and TV viewership in these regions.”


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"Exceptional circumstances" have convinced the federal government to bail out a struggling car parts maker in a marginal Labor seat in Tasmania.
Industry Minister Kim Carr announced ACL Bearings would receive a $7 million grant, nearly double the previously approved amount of $4 million, to stave off insolvency and save the jobs of 280 workers.
The Launceston plant, which makes parts including bearings for car production, is in the seat of Bass, which Labor MP Jodie Campbell won back from the Liberal Party in 2007 with a one per cent margin.
Flanked by Ms Campbell and several car industry and union figures, Senator Carr announced the $7 million Automotive Industry Structural Adjustment Program grant on Monday.
Senator Carr said ACL was so important to the industry that the support was "not only warranted but essential".
"I take the view that placing a company of this importance under administration left the industry as a whole very vulnerable," Senator Carr said.
He said 5,000 people would have faced unemployment across the industry as a flow-on effect of ACL closing.
Hundreds of jobs have been lost from car parts makers across Australia in the past year, including Victoria's Teson Trims which closed last September with the loss of 126 jobs.
But Senator Carr said there were "exceptional circumstances" in ACL's case, because it was strategically vital to the car industry's future, had commitments of assistance from key industry players Ford and Toyota and the union, and it had faced liquidity questions as a result of the global recession.
"I'm not able to give undertakings in regard to all other companies, I'm only able to give undertakings in regard to this company and these circumstances, which are exceptional, and under these terms and conditions."
The federal grant is to be used to restructure the company over three years, and is conditional on the company investing in its resources and reaching agreed milestones.
Australian Manufacturing Workers Union assistant national secretary Glenn Thompson said ACL was vital to the car industry because it produced unique bearings necessary for car makers.
"ACL is, quite clearly, pretty strategic in the supply chain. They produce a unique component that cannot be sourced elsewhere," he told AAP.
"If it (the bailout) didn't happen, it would have shut down jobs at Ford and Toyota. Over 5,000 jobs would have been lost."


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DUBAI: International pharmaceutical companies have been asked by the UAE to apply for marketing approval of their products in the emirates before being approved in the country of manufacture.
This will allow health authorities a pre-study of the file to issue the marketing approval in the UAE for innovative products and rare medicines once they are approved by one of reference authorities.
Such an approval was made by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) in the case of GSK’s Sotrovimab drug for the treatment of some cases of Covid-19 and Amgen’s LUMAKRAS for the treatment of advanced lung cancer in May and June this year, said Dr. Amin Hussein Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Policy and Licensing, and Chairperson of the Pharmaceutical Board of Trustees.
A MoHAP press release said factories in UAE can start manufacturing procedures and apply for marketing approval for similar products during the two years preceding the end of the protection period for the innovative product, Al Amiri told a meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Local manufacturers can grab this opportunity and market their products in the UAE soon after the expiry of the protection period for innovative products.
Also discussed was MoHAP’s decision granting innovative medicines protection for its data for eight years. Such a decision would contribute to attracting innovative medicines to the country, enhancing the healthcare sector with curative and preventive solutions that serve the interests of patients, and support medical tourism, the press release said.


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Trade Minister Omer Bolat will attend the G20 Trade and Investment Ministers Meeting, which will start tomorrow in Jaipur, India.
According to the statement made by the Ministry of Commerce, the G20 is known as an inclusive and effective dialogue platform where studies and meetings are held every year on many issues among the top officials of the world’s 20 leading economies.
Continuing its work this year under India’s term presidency, the G20 represents 85% of the world’s economy, 75% of its trade and two-thirds of its population.
Under the G20 umbrella, many important issues on the agenda of the global economy have been discussed in the field of trade and investment policies since 2016. This year, “trade, economic growth and prosperity”, “strengthening the resilience of global value chains”, “further integration of micro-SMEs in global trade”, “digitalization of documents used in global trade” and “World Trade Organization (WTO) reform” will be discussed.
In the two-day Trade and Investment Ministers Meeting, taking into account the current difficulties in world trade, what needs to be done on a global scale in the future will be discussed by the ministers of countries that have a say in world trade, and basic principles and approaches will be evaluated.
Adopted with this understanding, the Ministerial Statement provides guidance for global initiatives in the field of trade and investment policies and the development of the multilateral trade system.
On the occasion of the meeting, bilateral meetings will also be held by the Minister of Commerce Bolat with the US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, Olivier Becht, Minister for Foreign Trade of France, Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates, the Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis and the Director-General of the World Trade Organization Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. In these meetings, in addition to multilateral issues, bilateral trade and economic relations will also be discussed in detail.
While the G20 economies are also among Turkiye’s main trade partners, trade with the G20 economies reached $416 billion by the end of 2022.
The Ministry of Commerce will continue to use trade diplomacy intensively to increase the trade volume in the “Turkish Century”. G20 countries are also an important component of this strategy.
Source: AA / Prepared by Irem Yildiz


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Jeweller Pandora takes fight to counterfeiters
Danish jewellery company Pandora has chalked up a victory in its long-running war against criminals who illegally copy its products.
A police operation in Dorset in the UK discovered three people selling counterfeit Pandora beads through a number of different online marketplace accounts.
An investigation revealed the three individuals had made around £47,000 selling beads, claimed to be genuine Pandora items that had in fact been sourced from China. The Danish company produces all of its charm bracelet products from facilities in Thailand. In each case, fines of a few hundred pounds and a victim surcharge penalty were levied on those charged.


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Welcome to Music Business Worldwide’s weekly round-up – where we make sure you caught the five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days. MBW’s round-up is supported by Centtrip, which helps over 500 of the world’s best-selling artists maximise their income and reduce their touring costs.
Phew! Whadda week.
In the past five days, MBW revealed that Sony Music had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire two companies from Kobalt Music Group for $430 million: recorded music services firm AWAL and Kobalt Neighbouring Rights.
Meanwhile, we learned that Universal Music Group is pulling its catalog from TikTok rival Triller. Writing in a statement today (February 5), UMG says that the service has “shamefully withheld payments” to artists.
Elsewhere, Spotify‘s paying subscriber base hit 155m in 2020, according to its Q4 financial results, which also revealed that the company lost the equivalent of $2.2m every day last year.
Plus, Sony’s recorded music revenues soared above $4.5bn in 2020 after a huge final quarter of the year, while Neil Jacobson’s new company, The Music Acquisition Corporation, floated on the NYSE on Wednesday (February 3) under the ticker symbol TMAC.U.
Well, this shakes up February.
Sony Music Entertainment (SME) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire two companies from Kobalt Music Group.
Sony Corporation has confirmed that the deal is costing Sony Music USD $430 million.
One of those companies is AWAL, the recorded music services firm that works with independent artists including Lauv, Finneas, AG Club, girl in red, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and Little Simz.
The other is performance rights collection agency Kobalt Neighbouring Rights (KNR), which has distributed more than $250 million to over 2,000 artist and label clients since 2013, including the likes of Cardi B, Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, Concord, Secretly Canadian and others.
2) UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP PULLS CATALOG FROM TRILLER, SAYS TIKTOK RIVAL HAS ‘SHAMEFULLY WITHHELD PAYMENTS’ TO ARTISTS
Universal Music Group has pulled its catalog of music from short-form video platform Triller.
Triller is a fast-growing rival to TikTok worldwide, but has landed in trouble with the music business before over its treatment of copyright.
A UMG spokesperson said: “We will not work with platforms that do not value artists. Triller has shamefully withheld payments owed to our artists and refuses to negotiate a license going forward.
“We have no alternative except to remove our music from Triller, effective immediately.”
3. Spotify lost the equivalent of $2.2m every day in 2020… as it spent over $1bn on sales and marketing in the year
There are a few different ways you can slice Spotify’s performance in 2020, as revealed in its newly-published Q4 results.
Spotify shareholders will be happy to see that the firm’s paying subscriber base closed out last year’s fourth quarter at 155m.
There was further good news in terms of Spotify’s topline annual revenue growth: up 16.5% year-on-year from €6.76bn in 2019 to €7.88bn in 2020.
Yet the further down Spotify’s 2020 Statement Of Operations you look, the grislier things become.
Sony’s global recorded music operation (Sony Music) saw its annual streaming revenues jump by 19.5%, or nearly half a billion US dollars (+$467m), in calendar 2020.
Those streaming revenues hit $2.87bn in the 12 months, as Sony’s worldwide recorded music revenues – across all formats, licensing etc. – hit $4.51bn, up 8.1% YoY.
Sony’s standout quarter last year was in calendar Q4, when its overall recorded music revenues grew 17.5% YoY, while its streaming revenues jumped by an impressive 26%.
Last month, Music Business Worldwide revealed that long-time Geffen Records President Neil Jacobson was plotting a major flotation of a new music company in the US.
According to an SPAC S-1 prospectus obtained by MBW for Jacobson’s new company, The Music Acquisition Corporation, the exec was planning to raise $200 million (potentially up to $230 million) via an imminent IPO on the New York Stock Exchange.
So far, everything is going to plan. Jacobson’s company confirmed on Tuesday (February 2) that it had priced its IPO of 20 million units at $10 each.
The Music Acquisition Corporation then started trading on the NYSE on Wednesday morning (February 3) under the ticker symbol TMAC.U.
TMAC.U is a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) and is on the hunt for acquisitions in the worlds of both music rights and music tech.
MBW’s weekly round-up is exclusively supported by Centtrip, leading provider of smart treasury, foreign exchange and payment solutions for the music industry. Find out more here. Music Business Worldwide


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Last chance to register for FoodLegal’s Sydney Food Fraud symposium
Time is nearly up to register for FoodLegal’s 28 March Sydney symposium – “Food Fraud – Integrity, Traceability, Technologies and Regulatory Opportunities”.
With fraudulent products often a looming threat to Australian food producers exporting overseas, FoodLegal has gathered leading Australian experts in the field to discuss how technology and other methods can be used to protect your brand and business.
Topics that will be covered at the symposium include:
- B2B supply chain integrity
- New traceability technologies and opportunities
- Asset identification technologies
- Brand protection and product integrity for exporters to China, from leading experts
- Developing databases and intelligence networks in food protection forensics
- Food fraud and successful legal enforcement choices in China
- Blockchain options, how Blockchain fits in food supply integrity and traceability
- Intellectual property opportunities in provenance and origin certifications
- Countermeasures and preemptory audits
- Regulatory opportunities in Australia
FoodLegal’s Managing Princpal, Joe Lederman, will specifically address how businesses can use traceability technology and intellectual property to develop, protect and maintain brand integrity and reputation in Australia and overseas.
Other esteemed speakers include:
- Professor Claude Roux (University of Technology Sydney);
- Karen Constable (Food Fraud Advisors);
- David Bennett (IP Australia’s Counsellor to the Australian Embassy in China);
- Sandon Adams (Oritain Global Ltd);
- Temogen Hield (DataDot Technology Ltd);
- David Bartnik (InnovaStrat Australia); and
- Vadim Mishin (Walimai (Zhejiang) Information Technology Co Ltd).
FoodLegal’s Food Fraud Symposium will be held Wednesday 28 March 2018 8.45am – 3:30pm Stamford Plaza Sydney Airport Hotel.
Spots are limited and can be reserved HERE now.
Registrations cost AUD $295.00 including GST.
More information can be found HERE.
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FoodLegal has announced its latest symposium, ‘Food Import/Exports – Promises and Pitfalls’.


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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a directive to all telecom companies, under which telecom companies have been asked to plan with a validity of 30 days instead of 28 days. Telecom companies will have to do this within 60 days.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has taken an important decision for prepaid mobile customers. TRAI on Friday directed all telecom companies to give the validity of mobile recharge 30 days instead of 28 days. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has directed that telecom companies will now have to keep a special voucher, a combo voucher with a validity of the whole month, in their plan.
The new plan will have to be introduced within 60 days.
TRAI has directed telecom companies like Jio, Airtel, and Vi to plan for 30 days instead of 28 days. According to TRAI, prepaid subscribers should have at least one plan voucher, one tariff voucher, and one combo voucher for 30 days. TRAI has asked all the telecom companies of the country to offer this recharge plan with a validity of 30 days for prepaid customers. Companies will have to offer a 30-day prepaid plan within 60 days of the notification.
At present, telecom operators provide recharge plans with a validity of 28 days in the pre-paid segment which leads to 13 recharges during the year for customers who look to recharge on a monthly basis.
“With the enactment of the amendment, telecom consumers will have more options to choose service offerings of appropriate validity and duration. This would also facilitate consumers in making a more informed tariff-related choice,” the TRAI said.
TRAI was constantly receiving complaints from customers regarding the existing plans of telecom companies. Consumers alleged that the tariff price of existing telcos is increasing continuously, but the validity is decreasing. In such a situation, every year they have to do extra recharge.
It is a matter to think that whenever you go shopping or online to recharge for one month, then telecom companies give you 28 days validity plan by telling you a monthly plan. At the same time, companies are constantly making their plans expensive, but customers are getting the same validity, due to which customers have to do monthly recharge 13 times in a year. After this instruction of TRAI, customers will save money for one-month extra recharge. Also, there will be a reduction in the number of recharges done by the customers in a year.


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Russian hackers using stolen corporate email accounts to mask their phishing attempts
Trend Micro research reveals the Russian hacking group is resorting to simple tactics to fulfill its intelligence gathering mission.
Microsoft strikes back at Necurs botnet by preemptively disabling hacking tools
The action is the result of eight yesrs of tracking and planning, the company said.
Cloud company CEO accused of orchestrating million-dollar IP fraud scheme
A South Carolina businessman created a secondary market for IP addresses, the indictment alleges.
Former WPML employee hacks plugin website to spam customers
The makers of the WPML plugin said they're taking legal action against the attacker.
DataVisor raises $40 million Series C for machine-learning fraud detection
The company, founded by two former Microsoft Research employees, uses unsupervised machine learning to discover malicious behavior.
Email marketers call for stricter FTC rules on spam
Counter-intuitively, two coalitions of online and email marketing companies are calling for the FTC to tighten restrictions on spam.


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In a business travel sector as dynamic and competitive as ground transportation, there's a lot to keep up with. While it's got some new twists, one thing that hasn't changed is the buyer's need to heed add-on charges.
"It's a massive issue," claimed Blacklane CEO and co-founder Jens Wohltorf during a phone interview last month. "The creativity is endless. Not only in the legacy providers but also in modern ride-hailing there is surge pricing and a lack of price transparency. A . . .


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Bounceback of US egg supply will not kill plant-based substitutes in bakery: AEB
The US egg market stabilized in early 2016 after the commodity’s price reached its all-time high in August 2015 due to avian influenza. Since then, fewer egg replacement products have entered the market, Shelly McKee, AEB's technical consultant, told this site at IFT held in Las Vegas recently.
“We have a good, sustainable domestic egg supply right now, and there hasn’t been a spread of avian influenza like the one we saw in 2015,” she said.
In August 2015, the egg farm price peaked at $2.39 per dozen, the highest since April 2013, according to USDA data. It has since decreased to $0.61 per dozen in May 2017.
“What that means is food formulators are going to look less at egg alternatives, but it really depends on the applications,” said McKee. “We did hear egg replacers are picking up part of the pasta market.”
Demand for vegan
The egg price drop may affect the egg substitute market to a certain degree, but plant-based egg producers argue that avian influenza is not the entire reason why they still hold stakes in the market.
“The need for a high quality, nutritious egg replacer that works for the baking industry is not completely dependent on the egg [price],” said Kee Ann Mulfinger, product manager at Sioux Natural.
“Many consumers choose to avoid eggs because they follow vegan or vegetarian diets or have egg allergies.”
Sioux Natural is an Iowa-based vegan egg developer that targets the wholesale baking industry.
“Protein possibilities continue to pursue the ingredient market, not retail,” said Mulfinger. “Our long-term goal is to market vegan eggs for commercial use.”
Functionality of eggs
The AEB analyzed the influence of eggs in 15 baked goods earlier this year and found eggs perform more than one function compared to a replacer.
“Food formulators who choose egg alternatives may have to look at more than one replacer to get the full functionality of an egg,” said McKee.


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It’s not often that a new department store enters the Twin Cities marketplace, which explains why locals are buzzing about Gordmans, which opened Thursday at Burnsville Center.
Gordmans' location at the mall, 901 County Road 42 W., is a site formerly occupied by a furniture-liquidation outlet and prior to that, a Steve and Barry’s sportswear store.
Gordmans has drawn comparisons to stores like J.C. Penney and Kohl’s, but according to CEO Jeff Gordman, what really sets the store apart is its commitment to carrying only nationally known brand names in apparel, accessories, footwear, gifts, furniture and other household goods.
“Gordmans features everyday savings of up to 60 percent off department and specialty store prices,” said Gordman from the company headquarters in Omaha, NE. “While the company operates within the value segment of the industry, Gordmans differentiates itself by offering department and specialty store name brands, fashions and styles in a more upscale shopping environment.”
Gordmans has a long history in the Midwest. Originally known as Richman-Gordman, the first store opened in Omaha in the late 1930s. More stores were added in Nebraska and other surrounding states – for several years, the chain also included ½ Price Stores.
In 1996, Jeff Gordman became CEO and the store was renamed Gordmans. There are currently 68 Gordmans stores in 16 states including Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Colorado.
Publicly traded on the Nasdaq market under the ticker symbol GMAN, Gordmans has seen significant growth in recent years, expanding the number of its stores by nearly 50 percent since 2007. In addition to the Burnsville Center site, Gordmans also opened a store last week in Woodbury at Tamarack Village. Both communities are considered to be “top submarkets” in the Twin Cities metro area, according to Gordman.
As is the case in all communities where Gordmans are located, Burnsville residents can expect to see a strong local presence from their new department store. According to Gordman, the store has a long history of involvement with Partners in Education, a collaboration between businesses, civic organizations and public schools throughout the United States.
“In conjunction with our guests, our company has raised over $800,000 for this worthwhile cause since 2000,” he said. “In honor of our grand opening in Burnsville, we will be donating $2,500 to the local school district as well as collecting donations from our guests during our two-week grand opening period.”
The best place to see a preview of Gordmans may be on their website at www.gordmans.com, which even includes an interactive store tour. In addition to the website, Gordmans is actively involved in social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter as a primary means of advertising sales and specials to customers.
Though it's been doing business for a few days, the official grand opening of the Burnsville Gordmans will begin at 10 a.m Friday, in conjunction with the Burnsville Center shopping hours. Mayor Elizabeth Kautz and Daron Van Helden, president of the Burnsville Chamber of Commerce, will be on hand. CEO Jeff Gordman will also be in attendance.
Jason Baker, manager of the Burnsville Center Gordmans, said “there has been some excitement building around the opening of the store,” in part due to the fact that with its presence in Iowa, Wisconsin and other Midwest states, “it’s not a brand new store" to many area residents.


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Pop culture helps lure big beasts to London fashion week
London fashion week is now in the entertainment business. The designers of today crave fans, not customers. London – home of the Abbey Road zebra crossing, of 221B Baker Street and of Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross station – has world-class heritage as a city where pop culture history is made. This reputation has lured more big names in the industry to London than ever before. Giorgio Armani and Tommy Hilfiger are joining Donatella Versace on the catwalk schedule, and Rihanna will visit to showcase her Fenty Beauty line.
Hilfiger, the ultimate stars-and-stripes American designer – his logo even resembles the flag, has previously shown in New York and Los Angeles. This season his show at the Roundhouse in Camden will serve as the closing party for London fashion week. “London has the most inspiring heritage, and the Roundhouse itself is part of rock’n’roll history,” he said of the venue, which has hosted acts including Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, Pink Floyd and the Ramones. “The catwalk is just another kind of stage. Fashion has to go beyond clothes and be an experience. This is me taking the brand on the road for a world tour,” said Hilfiger.
The 66th London fashion week was opened yesterday by the British Fashion Council’s chief executive, Caroline Rush, and the deputy mayor for culture, Justine Simons. (Both wore midi-length silk dresses by London-based female designers: Saloni Ladna for Rush, and Chloe Lonsdale’s MiH for Simons.)
Rush noted how British fashion, seen “on first ladies and red carpets all over the world”, is an important part of the nation’s identity and contributes £28bn a year to the economy. (“More than the car industry,” added Simons.)
Hilfiger’s decision to show in London is telling. An unashamedly commercial designer, Hilfiger has never been at the cutting edge of fashion, but in his instinct for the zeitgeist he has long been ahead of the curve. He forged relationships with hip-hop artists in the 90s, while other brands were still precious about tarnishing their image with contact beyond the magazine world. He was an early adopter of social media, providing Instagram influencers with an “Instapit” of front-row seats from which they could capture the catwalk with their smartphones. “For many years I have viewed my customers as fans of the brand,” he said.
The convergence of world-class names “comes at an important time for London”, Rush said. “Our businesses are international in citizenship but also in outlook. British fashion is a multicultural, inclusive community.”
On Brexit, she added: “Our businesses are asking for tariff-free access to the EU and frictionless borders.”
This internationalism is an intellectual as well as a practical stance. “Fashion is part of London’s identity. It expresses the fact that you can be yourself in London,” she said.
Her view was echoed by Roland Mouret, who recently decamped from Paris fashion week to London.
During a preview of his collection at his Dalston studio, he described how the move had affected his work. “Paris is a conservative city. I didn’t question my own status quo when I was there. Being back in London has made me step outside my comfort zone.” The collection he will be showing tomorrow is inspired by the muse of the moment, Frida Kahlo.
Every world tour needs a frontman or frontwoman, and London’s headliners are bringing with them a clutch of supermodels. “You need a star of the show,” said Hilfiger, who is collaborating with Gigi Hadid. “Gigi is a major influence on my creative process. The fans follow her life like they would a rock star. She has a huge influence.”
Last year, Hadid told Hilfiger that she would never wear low-rise jeans, only high-rise ones. “We put those high-rise jeans on the runway and we sold every single pair online before the show had finished streaming,” says the designer. Kaia Gerber, the 16-year-old daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford who was the breakout star of New York fashion week, will also walk in London this weekend.
The idiosyncratic take for which London is known has not been lost in these bright lights. Richard Malone, the first designer to show, dubbed his primary colours “Tesco blue” and “Coop turquoise” in homage to supermarket carrier bags, and soundtracked the show with the rapper Dr Dre’s The Next Episode – played by a string quartet.
LFW is now in the entertainment business. Designers crave fans, not customers
Retro cool by Fyodor Golan, above, while Pam Hogg’s collection, right, featured plenty of frills