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YouTube TV viewers will now be lumped with traditional TV viewers when it comes to ratings for their favorite TV Shows. The move will help networks get a more clear picture of what their actual audience is in the face of cord cutting.
“Local broadcasters have been eagerly anticipating the inclusion of YouTube TV into Nielsen currency measurement,” said Jeff Wender, managing director of Nielsen Local, said in a statement. “We’re excited to be able to help local media buyers and sellers capture digital audiences, as well as provide advertisers a full account of all viewing activity, irrespective of distribution channel.”
Users who access TV programming from apps have not been factored in completely in the landscape of TV ratings so far. An understanding of who is actually watching and how will be important as the TV industry moves on from outdated evaluation models and embraces app based viewership.


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By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News
Concordia University Texas wants to launch a business incubator next fall to help foster entrepreneurs in Four Points.
Concordia’s College of Business received a $250,000 donation from a San Antonio donor who asked that the school “help people run good businesses and teach them how to do business well,” said Dr. Donald Christian, dean of Concordia’s College of Business.
Christian was the guest speaker at last week’s Four Points Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Feb. 20 at River Place Country Club.
Christian unveiled his vision for the creation of a business incubator—a program designed to partner with local businesses and entrepreneurs to bring greater economic opportunity and growth to the area.
An incubator would serve students, entrepreneurs and existing businesses in the community and mentors, who would help young business leaders, Christian said.
The site for this potential incubator would have a variety of spaces depending what is appropriate for a given business, including cubicles, small rooms for meetings and even possibly wet labs.
A goal for such a site would be for incubator members to learn from each other in close proximity where “sparks of creativity” will fly, Christian said.
Concordia hired a consultant, Dr. Kathryn Davis of Strategic Options, to help it through the information gathering and listening stage.
Davis will be conducting an extensive “listening tour” and by the end of April, Concordia will decide go-no-go. If all is feasible, next fall the incubator will launch.
“We have no idea the number of businesses that would be served – that depends on the structure of the incubator. That will be announced when we launch,” Christian said.
That is also when more details will be given about what type or types of business sectors will be served. But for now, that is too soon to tell, Christian said.

domain: news


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French startup reveals a new fashionable and functional electric motorcycle --- ‘Gloria’
French startup Jambon-Beurre Motorcycle has recently revealed its newest electric motorcycle called ‘Gloria.’ The motorcycle has been built under the startup’s newly-created Gloria Factory brand; and is likely to hit the markets in 2020.
In revealing the new Gloria electric motorcycle, Jambon-Beurre Motorcycle has affirmed that the motorcycle is chiefly targeted at a new class of riders who desire to own a fast electric motorcycle which fashionable as well as functional.
Jambon-Beurre Motorcycle is a French custom garage which is operated by Benjamin Cochard and Antonin Guidicci. The small startup is mainly known for its custom designs for ICE motorcycles.
The recent reveal of the Gloria electric motorcycle by Jambon-Beurre Motorcycle is an apparent indication of the fact that the startup is aiming at a bold new direction in terms of the motorcycles it builds. Already, the startup has told The Vintagent the Gloria Factory brand created by the company is the result of an effort to launch a ‘real motorcycle brand’ which has been “designed to dust off the current motorcycle market that still works like it did 30 years ago.”
About the new Gloria electric motorcycle, Gloria Factory said that the motorcycle is homogulated in a manner similar to a 125 cc motorcycle, though it has the acceleration capability of a 300cc motorcycle; thanks to its instantaneously available electric torque. The top speed of the motorcycle will be 120 kmph (75 mph).
Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Motors has issued a voluntary recall of 123,000 units of its Model S electric cars, owing to a defect in a power steering bolt.
In an interesting spotting of a possible ‘Performance’ version of Tesla Model 3, TMC forum member ‘sreams’ has claimed that he saw the vehicle last week, at the Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA.
According to recent data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the month of March 2018 recorded a fall in the demand for new diesel cars in the UK by more than one-third.
Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Kandi has recently marked its official foray into the US market, with the launch of two new EVs --- the EX3 all-electric SUV, and the K22 subcompact electric car.
At a recent briefing with reporters in Beijing, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) spokeswoman Meng Wei said that China plans to take action to curtail the “blind” development of its electric vehicle (EV) sector which has been witne
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed in a recent announcement that the automaker’s forthcoming super car – the next-generation Roadster – will feature an ‘Augmented Mode’ which will enable the drivers to handle the vehicle’s power.


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The last 20 years have seen huge changes in the telecommunications industry and the next decade will be no different.
AT&T and Version, the two largest phone companies, will be offering bundled packages similar to the cable companies: Internet, TV and Phone. This should result in better services and lower prices for consumers.
In my opinion, bandwidth is the driving factor in opening up the residential markets to a plethora of products and services. Much like the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 provided electricity to areas of the United States that did not have access, fiber and other high speed Internet connections will lead the way for companies to invest in providing consumers with new ways to use the Internet. “If you build it, they will come” to quote a famous movie.
GE was not going to develop, manufacturer and market an electric toaster if there were no customers. The same is true for the Internet. I believe that we have only scratched the surface on what the Internet can and will deliver to people’s homes.
Smart homes and appliances are just a few examples of what is available already. Furnaces and air conditioners would contact the repair company when they need servicing. You can control the home environment from your smart phone so that the lights are on when you pull into the driveway.
It is truly an exciting time to be in the telecommunications industry.
AT&T announced that they lost 1.2 million voice subscribers from a year ago. The writing is clearly on the wall that analog phone service is on its way out.
It is being replaced by VoIP service and wireless. In my opinion, as the infrastructure supporting both networks matures there will be an even faster migration away from wireline providers.
Besides the dramatic cost advantage over wireline services, customers are taking advantage of more features and better access to their accounts. They can manage their bills and make changes to their account online.
The trade off right now is quality of service. Analog lines still offer an advantage when it comes to reliability and better audio. However, this will change over time. Remember, the data networks were never designed with voice transmissions in mind.
The network engineers are playing catch up when it comes to voice, but the demand for better and more reliable service is driving the need for more improved voice networks.
The best is yet to come.
More and more businesses are switching from AT&T to VoIP service providers like Vonage and Comcast. We are switching about two a week. It is all about saving money these days.


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A look at what the Contemporary Pediatrics team covered this week.
This week’s top articles included:
The Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting returns to in person attendance starting today. Executive director Eileen Fenton shares what attendees can expect.
The warning from the US Food and Drug Administration cites consumer risks and violations.
The loss of a parent as a child is a traumatic experience. Exposure to trauma can impact a variety of outcomes. A report examines whether parental loss can adversely affect a child’s performance in school.
Families often turn to supplementation to ensure that children are getting the necessary nutrients. A new poll finds out what dietary concerns parents have and what type of supplements they give to their children.


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Elon Musk is a business magnate and investor. He holds South African, Canadian, and U.S. citizenship and is the founder, CEO, and lead designer of SpaceX; co-founder, CEO, and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; co-founder and CEO of Neuralink; and co-founder of PayPal.
In December 2016, he was ranked 21st on the Forbes list of The World’s Most Powerful People. As of October 2018, he has a net worth of $19.8 billion and is listed by Forbes as the 46th-richest person in the world.
Sales of Tesla S electric cars are growing faster than forecasts, this is no longer a toy for geeks, in Amsterdam and Oslo cars are used as taxis. Another futuristic project, Mask, is developing – SpaceX, the manufacturer of space rockets and spacecraft, has entered into a lucrative contract with NASA and is trying to master the fantastic technology of returning the booster stages to Earth.


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Acura has announced that its upcoming electric vehicle offerings will be sold directly to consumers online instead of through the brand’s traditional dealership network.
Acura and Honda are slated first to bring a full lineup of hybrids to the car market, followed by electric vehicles in 2024, with more EVs coming after that. However, according to comments given to Engadget, the brand will be selling its upcoming EVs entirely online, circumventing its dealership system.
Acura’s new sales strategy was revealed to journalists via a meeting with Acura’s SVP of Sales, Mamadou Diallo. During the announcement, Mr. Diallo first elaborated on the hybrid strategy (mentioned above) and Acura’s goal of selling 100% electric vehicles by 2040. Therein, Mr. Diallo revealed that the first EVs coming to market would be the Acura ZDX and the Acura ZDX Type S, a performance variant of the upcoming EV SUV.
No other details were revealed about the online sales strategy, leaving many to wonder if the new sales strategy would also mean the end of price haggling, how vehicles would be delivered to customers, or if dealers would still service their vehicles if they weren’t bought through the dealership system among a slew of other questions.
Acura wasn’t immediately available for comment to Teslarati. However, the company has stated that details are still being finalized regarding the online purchasing system.
Acura was likely influenced in its decision to avoid its dealerships after seeing the chaos surrounding Lincoln and Cadillac dealers, both of which saw a massive drop in numbers as they opted out of selling EVs. Similarly, another Honda Motors venture, Sony-Honda Mobility, currently plans to avoid the Honda dealership system altogether, showing a pattern of how Honda’s current management views the dealership system.
While it seems that more and more automakers are working towards direct-to-consumer sales models, not everyone seems convinced. Ford’s CEO Jim Farley has previously outlined that he plans to maintain the massive Ford dealership system by having the facilities operate with fewer inventory vehicles and a new staffing structure. Similarly, General Motors has made no indication that it plans to abandon its dealership system that it often brags covers 90% of Americans.
As the EV market continues to become more competitive in the coming year(s), manufacturers may be forced to reconsider their relationship with dealers that many consumers prefer not to work with. And with such a strong financial incentive to ditch dealers to retain more profit, the dealership system’s future has become murky.
What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at email@example.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at firstname.lastname@example.org!


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Lineup To Buy Legal Cannabis in Sydney River
People are still lined up at the only Cape Breton location selling legal cannabis .
The Cannabis Zone at the liquor store in Sydney River opened for the first time at 10:00 this morning.
The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation is selling pot in 11 existing liquor stores and one stand-alone store in Halifax.
Cannabis will also be available for sale online, where people will need access codes that are being given out at all NSLC locations.


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Air-IT’s successful acquisition of MBC has attracted plenty of media attention both online and in print. Read our summary of the recent articles that...
Air-IT’s successful acquisition of our long-term communications partner, Managed Business Communications (MBC), in May 2013 has attracted plenty of media attention.
Simon Leadley, Sales Director and Todd McQuilkin, MD
We’re delighted to have seen a number of articles appear in local business publications, both online and in print, and in the national trade press. Here’s a summary of what’s been written.
Local Business Media
Nottingham Post – The Business Magazine
Air-IT and MBC were the stars of the show in the June 2013 edition of The Business, which saw Managing Director Todd McQuilkin and Sales Director Simon Leadley gracing the front cover. Inside the magazine was an in-depth feature about the Air-IT journey, tracing the company from our humble beginnings through to today’s £2 million turnover and, of course, the acquisition of MBC.
We also included a full page advert which ran along side the article and promoted our managed IT and business communication services. To read the fully cover story in Junes edition of The Business magazine, please click the link below.
Midlands Business Insider website and daily e-news bulletin
Midlands Business Insider, our regional edition of leading B2B media company Insider Media Ltd, published a version of our press release about the acquisition. The story focuses on the benefits to our clients from the acquisition, as we can now offer them a complete ICT solution with all phone and IT services supplied and managed under one roof.
Midlands Business News
Another leading B2B news platform in our local area, Midlands Business News also picked up on Air-IT and MBC’s joint press release. The article talks about client benefits and the future growth expected from the acquisition, and also includes a paragraph about Air-IT’s other recent achievements, such as our acceptance on to the Growth Accelerator Scheme.
A story about the acquisition also appeared in the News section of the Mansfield 2020 website. Mansfield 2020 is a partnership between the public and private sectors and community support organisations that works to build a strong business community and boost our local economy. The organisation has around 160 members, including Air-IT.
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce (DNCC)
Air-IT and MBC are both DNCC members so we were pleased to see an article about the acquisition appearing on the DNCC’s website in June 2013. DNCC may also include a version of the story in the next issue of their printed monthly business magazine, In Business, which features the latest business news from firms in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. To read the online version of the story, please click below:
National Trade Publications
We were very pleased to see the acquisition story appear in the UK’s two leading media for the telecommunications industry: Comms Business and Comms Dealer. Both publications featured an abridged version of our trade press release in their June 2013 printed editions, with Comms Dealer including a picture of Simon and Todd alongside the story. To read the print versions of the story, please click below:
Longer versions of the story appeared on the Comms Business and Comms Dealer websites, with both media mentioning the increases in company turnover and staff numbers that we’re expecting to result from the acquisition. To read both online versions of the story, please click below:
- Comms Business – Air-IT acquires Nottingham Based Telecoms Provider
- Comms Dealer – Air-IT snaps up Managed Business Communications


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Pregis offer a green gateway to help solve the plastic conundrum
Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Right now, in boardrooms up and down the country, people are scratching their heads about how to tackle the problem of reducing the use of plastic.
In addition to the plastic conundrum, businesses are facing other equally challenging environmental pressures, such as becoming more sustainable, reducing their carbon footprint, reducing the environmental impact of manufacturing, shipping and waste – the list goes on and the worry about the cost of change goes up.
With such high levels of public awareness of the damage that plastics are doing to the environment, consumers are beginning to scrutinise brand ethics. Plus, take into account that the UK is one of the largest users of ecommerce in the world, how goods are being delivered and packed is also under the watchful green eye of the consumer.
How can businesses make the transition to ‘green’ packaging without breaking the bank or compromising their goods in transit?
The answer is little by little. Most SME’s can’t afford to make sweeping changes to their packaging operations but they can begin to make small steps to becoming greener. For businesses that have relied on plastic air bags or bubble wrap for many years, change is a difficult pill to swallow, despite the negativity surrounding single use plastic.
It’s often the case that operators are worried that their goods will be compromised and their costs will go up if they change their protective packaging to a recycled product - in fact the opposite is often true. There are many viable and better alternatives to plastic on the market today that are not only 100% recycled, recyclable and biodegradable, they are also easier to use, cheaper to use and save vast amounts of time and warehouse space.
Start with a free packaging audit
Pregis is a global specialist in protective packaging and is helping all kinds of businesses to make the transition towards becoming greener by providing customers with a free audit of their packing operations.
Carried out by experts in packaging operational efficiency, the audit identifies where organisations can reduce waste, improve efficiency, safety and speed, and how they can introduce alternative green packaging solutions without compromising on output, reliability, strength or costs.
With a green, in-the-box packaging solution for just about any product, Pregis is helping to make the transition to green packaging much easier. By offering a reassuring trial of one of their many award-winning packaging systems that produce 100% recycled, recyclable and biodegradable paper, they show customers that little by little, it really is possible to change to green packaging and reap the many benefits.
To book a free packaging efficiency audit visit, call 01438 740649.


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Cryptocurrency custody suppliers appear to be bobbing up all around the international digital panorama in 2019, and the crypto platform Coinbase rising because the chief within the sector. At their very core, custody platforms are designed to function unbiased storage/safety items which can be aimed primarily at institutional traders. These options, as a rule, have a tendency to utilize a mix of assorted cold and warm storage applied sciences.
Additionally, whereas cryptocurrency exchanges and common pockets methods conventionally make the most of private keys (and different such safety protocols) to guard a person’s holdings, these alphanumeric phrases could be fairly troublesome to recollect and have the potential to be stolen (or hacked) by people with enough information of such issues. On this regard, custody platforms assist in eliminating any fears that traders might have as a result of they’re designed particularly to forestall the lack of one’s financial savings on account of wallet thefts, misplaced non-public keys, and so on.
One more reason why crypto custodians are gaining widespread traction is due to their regulatory-compliant design. On this regard, per america Securities and Alternate Fee (SEC), institutional traders that possess buyer belongings price $150,000 or extra are required by legislation (Dodd-Frank Act) to put their holdings beneath the management of a “certified custodian.” To be extra particular, the entities that the SEC lists beneath the aforementioned umbrella embrace:
- Financial savings associations.
- Registered broker-dealers.
- Futures fee retailers.
- Overseas monetary establishments are additionally included on this definition.
There at the moment exist a really small variety of conventional monetary entities which can be providing their clients custodianship-related choices.
On the problem, Gongpil Choi, director of the Korea Institute of Finance — an company that works hand-in-hand with the native authorities to analysis and consider monetary insurance policies which can be designed to strengthen the nation’s monetary sector — was quoted as saying: “Even the normal monetary sector has seen the institution of the custody market. Cryptocurrencies are extra dangerous than conventional belongings and the custody market in crypto will grow to be a quickly rising market.”
Coinbase is dominating the custody market
Coinbase’s current foray into the institutional-grade custody options market signifies the agency’s resolve to dominate this quickly rising area. Moreover, the premier crypto trade just lately introduced several acquisitions associated to areas similar to funding administration and monetary licences — thereby showcasing its severe shift to and deal with the institutional market. On the matter, Kenneth Yeo, CEO of Singapore-based crypto choices buying and selling platform Sparrow, identified in an e-mail to Cointelegraph:
“International market uncertainties (the commerce conflict and political turmoil) have resulted in crypto more and more changing into a secure haven. Increasingly crypto corporations are gaining consciousness of the large potential and the present market hole for onboarding establishments to the crypto world. This marks an necessary shift amongst crypto giants to win over Wall Road.”
Yeo additionally believes that because the digital asset trade continues to mature, an inflow of extra refined merchandise that may rival conventional market choices, similar to derivatives, will probably be noticed. Additionally, owing to the truth that Bitcoin’s attraction appears to be rising quickly throughout the globe, mainstream entities are not blind to this asset class and wish to develop their attain into this comparatively untapped house.
Lastly, the current enhance in demand for crypto custody options (over the previous 12 months or so) is kind of pure, particularly contemplating that institutional of us are buying over $200 million to $400 million price of crypto per week as of late. Equally, within the crypto Wild West — the place safety breaches and hacks are fairly widespread — Yeo identified that over the primary half of 2018 alone, over $1.1 billion in crypto was misplaced on account of theft and fraud. On this regard, custodians are capable of present conventional finance establishments with a way of financial safety and long-term stability. Yeo added:
“We’ve skilled vital demand and curiosity from institutional traders for regulated custody options, it’s no marvel that providers similar to custody options have been gaining traction. On prime of custody, yield and threat administration merchandise have been extremely wanted within the house.”
Coinbase takes over Xapo’s custody enterprise
Round two weeks again, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong confirmed that his firm had entered into an official settlement with storage large Xapo in an effort to take over the agency’s custody enterprise. If that wasn’t sufficient, the transfer reportedly put Coinbase on the helm of institutional administration (for crypto), with the premier buying and selling platform at the moment holding over $7 billion price of digital belongings in its coffers.
And whereas the monetary specifics of the deal haven’t but been made public, a source linked carefully with media large Fortune claimed that Coinbase paid round $55 million (a sum that was increased than what Constancy had allegedly provided) to finalize the settlement.
Coinbase Custody’s Property Below Custody (AUC) includes funds which can be owned by greater than 120 shoppers (throughout 14 totally different nations). Moreover, in Might of this 12 months, the trade’s AUC crossed the $1 billion mark. On account of this newest deal, Xapo’s institutional custody enterprise will be capable to complement Coinbase’s related infrastructure (associated to this area).
Coinbase’s cryptocurrency custody service was launched in July final 12 months for institutional shoppers primarily based throughout Europe and the U.S. A few of the currencies which can be supported by the platform embrace Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Money (BCH), Ether (ETH), Ethereum Basic (ETC), XRP and Litecoin (LTC).
Xapo is licensed and controlled by the Gibraltar Monetary Providers Fee and has been labeled by the regulator as being an digital cash establishment. Not solely that, the platform was additionally awarded a BitLicense by the New York State Division of Monetary Providers final 12 months, thereby making it the sixth digital entity (on the time) to have gained the license.
Since its market inception, Xapo has been capable of elevate slightly over $40 million from a lot of established monetary establishments similar to Benchmark, Greylock Companions, Fortress Funding Group and Emergence Capital Companions.
Final however not least, over the previous 12 months or so, the crypto market has grown to embody a lot of new choices (primarily associated to Bitcoin futures) which have been launched by varied big-name gamers similar to Bakkt and Binance. On the problem of increasing its product profile vary, Coinbase launched a submit on its web site stating that sooner or later, the corporate is seeking to discover new methods to monetize and leverage crypto belongings — primarily via staking, borrowing towards crypto portfolios, and lending digital currencies to trusted counterparties.
Custody options are on the rise
Based on a analysis piece released by the Financial institution of New York Mellon, the demand for crypto-centric custody options is at the moment at an all-time excessive. It’s because many analysts consider that such choices will assist bridge the hole that at the moment exists between the institutional funding market and the digital trade.
On this regard, a good few banks have reportedly been testing and rolling out their very personal custody platforms. For instance, Swiss financial institution Vontobel just lately launched its Digital Asset Vault, which gives its shoppers with entry to greater than 100 banks and wealth managers — primarily as a way of giving directions relating to the acquisition, custody and switch of digital belongings utilizing the establishment’s present infrastructure and controlled surroundings. Equally, German inventory trade Börse Stuttgart, State Road, Constancy in addition to Coinbase are providing their clients comparable providers.
Present rules within the U.S. require advisers to maintain their shopper’s crypto belongings with a certified custodian. And since there exists no singular definition as to what the time period “crypto safekeeping” means throughout Europe, the European Securities and Markets Authority has requested a lot of international locations positioned inside the area to create a framework that establishes extra readability relating to the matter.
It’s simply the beginning
The look ahead to Bakkt’s much-hyped futures and custody platform will lastly finish later subsequent month — on Sept. 23. Based on a blog post launched by the Intercontinental Alternate, or ICE — the governing physique behind the New York Inventory Alternate — Bakkt has been cleared by the NYDFS to function a professional custodian.
Equally, the Commodities Futures Buying and selling Fee, or CFTC, has additionally given Bakkt permission to commerce Bitcoin futures. Lastly, firm officers have confirmed that the platform will probably be developed to a degree (within the close to future) in order that clients will be capable to bodily settle contracts in BTC. Bakkt was presupposed to go reside late final 12 months. Nonetheless, on account of sure regulatory points, the platform was unable to acquire the mandatory clearance to begin promoting its BTC futures contracts till mid-September.


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KSB Pumps Ltd. India Earns Major Contract for New Indian Power Station
KSB, a worldwide pump and valve manufacturer, received a substantial order at the end of August 2015 to be completed by KSB Pumps Ltd. India. The order includes six boiler feed pumps that will be installed in a new, ultra-modern, fossil fueled power station. The power station is located in Tanda in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
To keep up with demand, India’s national power utility company is currently building two new plants in Tanda, which is why it has enlisted the help of KSP Pumps Ltd. India. The new boiler feeder pumps will have a capacity of 600 MW and are designed to withstand pressures of 500 bar. Both an electric motor and a turbine will drive the pumps. The electric motors boast a rating of 11 MW, while the turbine has a rating of 17 MW.
KSB Pumps Ltd. India isn’t just supplying six boiler feed pumps to the power station in India. The pump manufacturer will also be supplying six booster pumps, in addition to baseplates, electric motors, hydraulic couplings, oil coolers, gearboxes, noise enclosures, and all related instrumentation.
KSB Pumps Ltd. India received the order from the Tanda Power station because it is known for manufacturing all pump sets at its Chinchwad plant. This state-of-the art plant is equipped with manufacturing and testing facilities, keeping the project close to home. The plant is also able to conduct elaborate performance tests prior to delivery, which will ensure fast and dependable installation and operation. In addition to having a manufacturing and testing plant in India, KSB has production plants, sales offices, agents, and service centers in more than 100 countries all around the world.
Delivery of all the pumps and supplies will begin in November 2016. The entire project is expected to be complete by May 2017.


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Blog: PepsiCo going green ... and Wal-Mart (still) going strong
Dean Best | 16 April 2009
It's Earth Day next Tuesday (22 April), a day when we, apparently, celebrate the planet's environment.
Instinctively, one would think green issues would fall down the agenda in a recession - especially among cash-strapped consumers and cost-conscious manufacturers.
Not a bit of it. Some, like PepsiCo, are keen to be seen to be green (as it were), with news today (16 April) of plans to make a 100% compostable bag for its SunChips brand in the US.
In Finland, meanwhile, Raisio, the firm behind the Benecol brand, has slapped a label on one of its cereal brands highlighting how much water was used in the making of the product.
"People want to know the environmental impact of food and want to make environmentally sustainable choices. People need information," Raisio told us today.
There has been an element of confusion around Wal-Mart's business in China. Word was the US retailer was looking to slash up to 1,400 jobs from its business in China. Not so, the retail titan informed us from Beijing.
"This is about eliminating positions, not jobs," a Wal-Mart representative in China insisted. The retailer, we're told, wants to further expand in China this year and move deeper into the country's second-tier and third-tier cities.
But will deflation in China weigh on retailers' sales? Will that douse those expansionist flames?
(Don't forget, we're on Twitter. You can find us by looking for just_food. We have to swap our trusty hyphen for an underscore when Tweeting.)
Danone completed its US$12.5bn acquisition of WhiteWave Foods this week. The move will roughly double Danone's presence in North America, where WhiteWave is a top four dairy player. ...
Premier Foods plc revealed today (28 March) it has secured a deal with its pension scheme trustees that will see the UK food maker reduce its pension burden....
Hain Celestial, under the scrutiny of the investment community in recent months and facing some challenges in its domestic market, has announced another shuffling of its management pack....
FrieslandCampina, which today served up higher profits but lower sales for 2016, is ready to offload the last non-dairy business owned by the Dutch cooperative giant....
- Interview: Sir Kensington's on sale to Unilever
- Interview: "Disruptive" snack brand Hippeas
- Column: Why snacking is the new meal
- Analysis: Post discusses rationale for Weetabix
- Nestle Q1 update: four things to learn
- Tyson shops Sara Lee bakery, Kettle and Van's
- Unilever buys US condiments maker Sir Kensington's
- Icelandic to sell Saucy Fish Co. owner Seachill
- Tyson to buy burger-to-entree firm AdvancePierre
- Nestle to cut UK confectionery jobs


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Apple has requested male and female versions of five new professions, which it would like added as part of the next Unicode update.
The company has indicated its interest in the new emoji in the past, but now we have an idea of what they’ll look like. Apple is hoping that artists, firefighters, pilots, astronauts, and judges will be better represented with the addition of these new emoji.
According to Emojipedia, Emoji 4.0 should be released in November. However, they probably won’t arrive on your iOS handset until later in the year or early in 2017.


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Visa has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a European open banking platform Tink for approximately $2.1 billion. The transaction will build tailored financial management tools, products and services for European consumers and businesses.
- Tink is integrated with more than 3,400 banks and financial institutions, reaching millions of bank customers across Europe.
- The combination of Visas proven infrastructure and sustained investment in resilience, cybersecurity and fraud prevention with Tinks APIs, technology and customer relationships is expected to help accelerate the adoption of open banking in Europe by ensuring a secure, reliable platform for innovation.
The major partnerships and deals by Visa are mentioned below:
June 2021: Visa announced a global strategic partnership with Goldman Sachs Transaction Banking to help businesses large to small move money effortlessly around the world. Through its implementation of Visa B2B Connect and Visa Direct Payouts solutions, Goldman Sachs will help its commercial and corporate banking clients simplify complexities and costs associated with existing systems and inefficient processes.
April 2021: Visa, the worlds leader in digital payments, and Airbnb, a leading online marketplace for lodging and experiences, announced Airbnb Hosts in select markets will be able to access their earnings more quickly. Through Airbnbs use of Visa Direct, Visas real-time push payments platform, Hosts will have an option to move money from Airbnb to a bank account associated with an eligible Visa debit card.
Nov 2020: Visa announced that it had completed the acquisition of YellowPepper, a fintech pioneer with proprietary technology and partnerships supporting leading financial institutions and startups in Latin America and the Caribbean. The acquisition, which is the first of its kind for Visa in the region, accelerates the adoption of Visas network of networks strategy, to become a single point of access for initiating multiple transaction types and enabling the secure movement of money.
Nov 2020: Visa Inc. issued the statement regarding its planned acquisition of Plaid. Plaid is a data network that enables individuals to connect their financial accounts to the apps and services they use to manage their financial lives, and its capabilities complement Visas. Together, Visa and Plaid will deliver better digital experiences and more choice for consumers in managing their money and financial data.
Sep 2020: Visa Inc. and PayPal announced global partnership, to expand real-time access to funds for consumers and small businesses that are sending or receiving money via PayPal, Venmo or Xoom. This collaboration expands PayPals Instant Transfer service, which leverages Visa Direct for real-time1 payment capabilities, to global markets and enables fast domestic and cross-border digital payments.
About Visa Inc.
Visa Inc. headquartered in California, United States, is a global leader in digital payments. The company provides Visa cards and other payment products to global customers. Visa connects consumers, businesses, banks and governments in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. The companys advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second.


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Sound Bites: GMO Apples, Poisonous Food Wrappers, And More
By Megan O. Steintrager
Our regular round-up of the trending health news you need to know right now:
A Genetically Modified Apple Hits Stores
The Arctic Apple, a fruit that’s been genetically modified to resist browning when sliced, could be coming to a store near you soon. The fruit is being introduced into test markets in the Midwest this month, NPR’s the Salt reports. Rather than introducing DNA from another species (as is the case with many genetically modified crops), scientists have targeted and turned off the gene that causes browning in a process known as gene silencing or RNA interference.
Another difference between the Arctic Apple and, say, genetically modified soybeans, is that it’s one of the first GMOs to be marketed directly to consumers, rather than to farmers — that marketing includes a flashy consumer facing website where you can read all about the apples. While you may shy away from this variety, you should definitely still eat your apples — they’re a great source of fiber and antioxidants, and eating them may reduce your risk for heart disease and diabetes. Get some apples in your belly today with this Chocolate Almond Butter and Apple Smoothie recipe.
Dangerous Fast Food Wrappers
You already have concerns about eating fast food — the excess salt and sugar, saturated fat, artificial ingredients, to say nothing of the often-poor living conditions of the animals — and now a group of scientists is raising another red flag: Many wrappers, boxes, and bags still test positive for fluorine, a likely indicator that they contain PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals) that have been linked to health problems. Some of these include some types of cancer, obesity, high cholesterol, abnormal thyroid levels, and pregnancy-induced hypertension and pre-eclampsia, according to the Environmental Working Group. Cooking at home is one way to reduce your exposure to PFCs, so try Clean Plates‘ upgraded healthy Burger and Fries recipe next time you’re craving fast food.
Alkaline Diet “Doctor” In The Spotlight
Robert O. Young, the author of the pH Miracle book series who has been called the “father” of the trendy Alkaline Diet has been in and out of the news for years for troubles with the law. Recently, a BBC News story exposed a young woman whose cancer Young “treated” with intravenous injections of baking soda.
The article has brought back into the spotlight Young’s conviction last year of practicing medicine without a license, for which he faces more than three years of jail time. Not only is Young not a medical doctor, but his Ph.D. in nutrition is from a non-accredited and now-defunct correspondence school, the San Diego Tribune reported at the time of his conviction. All of that said, the Alkaline Diet does include plenty of good-for-you foods, including avocados, broccoli, leafy greens, tomatoes, and olive oil, which might explain why some people feel healthier following it.
What Do Those Animal Welfare Labels Really Mean?
When you buy a pack of meat or carton of eggs labeled with the word “humane,” you might assume that the government has set specific standards for how the animals used to make the product were raised. But it turns out that the common labels you might see at the grocery store — “American Humane Certified,” “Animal Welfare Approved,” and “Certified Humane” — are overseen by different organizations. And they all have different guidelines, The New York Times reports: “Most are issued by three nonprofit groups — the American Humane Association, Humane Farm Animal Care and A Greener World — that set their own standards for the practices needed to win certification. Food companies pay fees to use the labels; more than one billion of the more than nine billion animals raised for food each year in the United States are covered by a certification program.”
The Times’ article, What to Make of those Animal Welfare Labels on Meat and Eggs, has a handy chart to help you decode the labels, so you can make a more informed choice at the supermarket. Another idea: Do as much of your meat and egg shopping as you can at a farmers’ market, where you can quiz the purveyors about their products.
No More All-You-Can-Drink Soda In France
France has banned unlimited refills of any drinks with added sugars or sweeteners in an attempt to combat rising obesity rates, The Christian Science Monitor reports. CSM says this new law is the first of its kind anywhere in the world. But there is a growing trend of regulation of sweet drinks all over the globe, including in the United States, where ballot measures to place taxes on sugary drinks passed in a number of cities in the most recent elections.
Good food brings people together. So do good emails.


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AppleInsider may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made through links on our site.
A sketchy new report says that Apple has ordered an extra 10 million iPhones for the second quarter of 2022, divided between the iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max models.
Apple has previously been reported to be cutting iPhone 13 orders because of chip shortages, but most of the time demand has been "robust." Now a new report says that because there is higher demand for the iPhone 13 than usual, Apple is stepping up its orders.
According to Digitimes, Apple has increased its production order by around 10 million. Even Digitimes, which is usually stronger on its supply chain information than on extrapolating Apple's plans, describes this report as a rumor, though.
The rumor does fit with more recent reports that claim Apple continues to sell more of its latest models through carriers than it has for previous years' phones.


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“Many of them got federal assistance and they are grateful for that,” Grant said. “But the shutdown is taking a lot longer than people had anticipated. They are pretty desperate to get their businesses back open as soon as possible.”
In Bloomington, Doug Nord employs 11 people at Nord’s Outdoor Power Corporation. His store sells and services small tractors, mowers, chain saws, hedge cutters, outdoor grills and other things. Springtime is the big money-making season of the year at Nord’s.
Nord is fortunate. His business was deemed “essential” because he provides and services equipment that is used by local municipalities. Nord has had to cut back his hours and services but he has been able to keep doing business.
PPP funds from the federal government have helped. Thanks to a good relationship with his accounting firm and his local bank, Nord received Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) funds. Even so, his revenues are down by 40% from last year.
To prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Nord’s showroom is now blocked off to customers. Repair work is limited to breakdowns and emergency repairs. Customers now have to stand outside while employees go back and forth in the store to help them get what they need.
The employees count on Nord for their paychecks and Nord is determined not to let them down.
Grant said small business owners like Nord understand health and safety guidelines and will do whatever they need to do to keep their customers and employees safe. His members are anxious for Gov. J.B. Pritzker to lift the statewide lockdown before their businesses fail and they have to close up permanently.
They are also concerned that the current climate favors big box stores.
“The playing field isn’t put down fairly. We feel like the small guys are being really harmed by the policy that is in place,” Grant said. “Large box stores are open and selling all sorts of stuff: hardware, groceries, even surfboards. Our members, who are their competitors – only really, really small – can’t open.”
Businesses can do a limited amount of curbside business, but many found it difficult and offered little help financially, Grant said.
“We think that the smaller operations – the mom-and-pop stores if you will – can take care of the health and well being of their customers as well as the big box stores can.” (The Center Square-Photo AP)


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Dr Jianguo Hong manages FAM’s successful Chinese operations
China may be far away, but the country is playing an increasingly important role for companies from Saxony-Anhalt.
Magdeburg conveyor system specialist FAM is one of the companies from Saxony-Anhalt which already has a foothold in China. FAM sells around 85 percent of its products abroad. Clients of the major exporter include coal power plants and port facilities. FAM has 12 subsidiaries around the world, since 2009 including one in China. Dr Jianguo Hong, managing director of the Chinese subsidiary, talks of a rapid growth in Chinese business which is set to continue.
Dr Jianguo Hong has given a new meaning to ‘FAM’ (Förderanlagen Magdeburg). He created a slogan which is going down well in China: ‘FAM - Flexibility And More’. In Asia, people value German virtues – punctuality, reliability and discipline. But those seeking success in the ‘Middle Kingdom’ must also be flexible, respond rapidly and be able to adapt to specific customer requirements, says Dr Hong. ‘We don’t put the cart before the horse’, he explains. A decision on whether FAM sets up a subsidiary, opens a representative office or enters into a partnership is not taken until success on the market is clear and a project has been acquired. This was the approach in Canada, Chile and Russia, and is exactly how today’s managing director of FAM China developed the company’s Chinese operations. ‘The risk must be calculable; gradual, steady growth is important.’
Six years ago, the conveyor system specialist opened an office in China. Three years later, ‘FAM Material Handling Technology Co. Ltd.’ was established in Beijing. ‘A start-up phase demands one hundred percent commitment and effort on all markets’, says Dr Hong. ‘Back then, China was a completely unknown quantity for FAM.’ The breakthrough onto the Chinese market was a double success with two FAM products at once, the compact ball mill and the hammer mill. These products gave the company from Saxony-Anhalt a good reputation with coal power plants. ‘A great deal of energy and effort’ was invested in the two projects, according to Dr Hong. And paid off: FAM has since sold major handling and conveyor systems for open-cast mines and bulk materials storage sites. The country is, however, not just a sales market. ‘We also buy equipment in China’, explains the managing director, who travels between the two countries up to ten times a year. For conveyor systems which are exported to China, the German company supplies the central machines and devices; the steel structures are manufactured locally. Dr Hong believes this offers two benefits: it avoids the complicated and costly transport of the huge steel structures, and also involves Chinese companies in the process. ‘This collaboration secures us a high level of market acceptance’, explains the managing director.
German products have a reputation of reliability in China, says Dr Hong. ‘We sell plants and equipment in China which are destined for end customers in other countries.’ This has created a business momentum allowing the Chinese FAM to become firmly and successfully established. It now employs a staff of eleven, and orders frequently come straight to the Chinese office rather than through the headquarters in Magdeburg. Business in China has grown sharply over the past three years in particular according to Dr Jianguo Hong. The 49-year-old qualified power plant engineer, whose first name literally means ‘build the country’, used to dream of working in a company in search of pioneers. ‘I wanted to experience the development and start-up process at first hand’, he explains. For Dr Hong, who studied in both China and Germany, the two countries are closely connected. ‘China is my home country and Germany is my home’, he says. And this will remain so. ‘China will play an even greater role as a major market over the coming years.’ Dr Hong has also observed that ‘many Chinese companies want to invest in Germany. Any aspiring global business players should bear that in mind.’


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This article is part of our special report Plastics and PVC.
SPECIAL REPORT / Six months after the Rio+20 Earth Summit, a Belgian company, Deceuninck Nv., has begun living up to the plastic industry's voluntary commitments by turning discarded doors, windows and other goods made with PVC into new products.
Criticised for being short on details and weak on government action, the Rio+20 Earth Summit nonetheless earned good marks for businesses that used the international gathering as a stage to launch their own environmental initiatives.
Dozens of multinational corporations pledged in Brazil to become more planet-friendly and transparent in their reporting on sustainability measures.
Europe’s vinyl industry, for its part, agreed to a replace lead additives, cut energy use and boost the recycling of polyvinyl chloride plastics (PVC) that are commonly used in urban water pipes as well as household plumbing, windows and doors.
Six months since the summit and some 9,300 kilometres from Rio de Janeiro, a Belgian company has begun living up to that commitment, doing what EU Environment Commission Janez Poto?nik recently called for all businesses to do: “to recycle, to substitute, to reduce and to make resources go further.”
Deceuninck Nv., which has been manufacturing doors and windows since before the Second World War, has inaugurated a new recycling plant that company officials say dramatically reduces its reliance on virgin resources by turning discarded doors, windows and other goods made with PVC into new products.
“Today we close the loop,” said Tom Debusschere, Deceuninck’s chief executive, referring to circle of the company’s goods from production, to use and to end-of-life reuse.
“PVC is a valuable material and should not end-up in a landfill or incinerator,” Debusschere said at the 17 October opening of the company’s first recycling facility, which can handle 20,000 tonnes of PVC annually.
Debusschere also says his company’s new windows and doors are nearly entirely recyclable.
The European PVC industry agreed at Rio to reduce its resource footprint by reclaiming 800,000 tonnes of PVC per year by 2020 – compared to the 255,000 the industry achieved in 2010. The VinylPlus project also commits the industry to phase out the use of lead by 2015, and to establish an industry label certifying PVC products as sustainable.
The recycling effort has been built from the bottom up over the past decade because PVC has a long life and has only been on the market since the 1950s.
The Rio disappointment
Other industries similarly made voluntary commitments amid criticism that Rio+20’s ‘The Future We Want’ roadmap contained few of the binding targets and commitments that European officials and ecology activists had hoped for.
Billed as the largest-ever UN conference, Rio+20 took place two decades after the first post-Cold War Earth Summit. Like green campaigners, some of the world’s leading trade groups and companies had hoped the conference would set the stage for clear targets on sustainable energy and development.
“We are very concerned about the lack of ambition and the lack of drive here amongst the international community to make the change,” said Peter Paul Van De Wijs, who was managing director of the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD) when the conference opened on 20 June.
“There’s too much political positioning in these discussions rather than taking a broader society view and to take responsibly,” said Van De Wijs, who formerly headed Dow Chemical’s water global water strategy team. “That’s why it’s quite unique that businesses here are calling directly for more targets, more action and smarter regulation.”
Some activists doubted that corporate bosses were serious and saw big businesses’ promoting voluntary commitments to discourage politicians from taking regulatory action. The Corporate Europe Observatory, a Brussels group that monitors lobbying in the EU, accused businesses of a “lobbying offensive” at the 2002 Johannesburg Earth Summit and “greenwashing” Rio.
Turning talk into action
But some industries say there’s action behind their talk. At Rio, some 24 multinational firms committed to ramp up ecosystem protections and corporate sustainability reporting in the absence of international standards.
And in the Flemish town of Diksmuide, Deceuninck executives say they are building sustainability into their business practices. The company sees a health market in recycling as PVC windows and doors first installed 40 and 50 years ago are being replaced with more efficient models.
Scrap is a cheap resource, they say, and recycling is less energy-intensive than producing goods from virgin material. The company’s recycling plant converts old plastics into granular PVC that is then used to produce new products – including the honeycomb-like sound-buffering panels found along Europe’s highways and railway lines.
Deceuninck’s chief executive called it the company’s “duty” to recycle. “We are convinced that this is the right thing to do, and that this €3-billion investment will be profitable within three years.”


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The price per pound of US beef fell by nearly 28% between January and December 2015, according to data from the statistics company Index Mundi. This downward spiral in beef prices, which began to fall in September 2014, has made the market tough for beef farmers but conditions are expected to ease.
“We are coming off historic peaks in the cattle market, created by unique conditions in the global beef and protein markets,” said Blach.
“Dynamics, specifically global beef supply, led to a large correction in price. That big market downward swing is nearly over now. However, the cycle shows prices continuing to trend lower in 2016, 2017 and 2018.”
CattleFax is a data and analytics research firm, specialising in providing actionable insight to the global beef industry. Blach made his comments last week at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) trade show in San Diego, California.
With the big price shock nearly over, CattleFax analysts have predicted cattle feeders will lose approximately $200 per head, with feed prices expected to average $130 to $145 this year.
“The cow and calf margins will still be profitable, but substantially lower than in the past two years,” said Kevin Good, senior analyst and fed cattle market specialist at CattleFax. “We predict cattle feeders will have tight margins for the year overall with potential for profit mid-year.”
Russia - America’s unlikely ally
CattleFax analysts also predict a $66 drop per head in cattle exports from 2014 values. This decrease in export potential will be caused by a combination of the strong US dollar, slowdown in global markets like China and challenges over access to additional markets.
“Russia and China are still the biggest opportunities for US beef, but trade restrictions will continue to limit potential in the year ahead,” Good added.
After much of central and eastern America was hit with a severe drought in 2012, a two-year El Niño weather pattern has replenished moisture conditions across the country, and the weather outlook seems favourable.
“As we head into 2016, a split jet stream pattern will favour above-normal precipitation from California to the Southern Plains and the south east through March,” Professor Art Douglas said.
“In the Corn Belt, spring will be wetter than normal, which will be accompanied by slower spring warming. Delays in fieldwork and planting dates are likely to result.”


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Many UK firms will face a fight for survival in coming months, and recovery could be “dramatically uneven”, British Chambers of Commerce is warning.
The business organisation highlights the challenges ahead in its latest quarterly economic survey published today.
This shows business conditions remained “historically poor” in the first quarter as the third lockdown “severely limited activity”, with British Chambers also citing the impact of post-Brexit disruption.
However, the survey signalled a boost to business confidence in the opening three months of 2021 amid the vaccine roll-out and provision of roadmaps for reopening of those parts of the economy which have been closed.
Consumer-facing services firms have been hit particularly hard by lockdown, British Chambers noted. In contrast, business and professional services firms fared relatively well.
All the key indicators for immediate business conditions remained in negative territory and “well below pre-pandemic levels”, British Chambers emphasised.
Around 83 per cent of hospitality and catering firms experienced reduced domestic sales in the first quarter, according to the survey.
However, overall, 55% of businesses expect turnover to increase during the next 12 months.
Suren Thiru, head of economics at British Chambers, said: “Our latest survey indicates a particularly difficult first quarter of the year for the UK economy, as a third lockdown and post-Brexit border disruption weighed heavily on key indicators of activity.
“We are currently witnessing a two-speed services sector. Consumer-focused services companies, where activity is most limited by lockdown controls, [have been] suffering an especially damaging quarter. In contrast, business and professional services firms, where adapting to operate under restrictions is more straightforward, fared markedly better. Manufacturers had a challenging three months, with delays to supply chains caused by the ongoing disruption to post-Brexit trade weighing on the sector.
He added: “The marked improvement in business confidence suggests that the expected first-quarter contraction in output will be the nadir for the UK economy in 2021. However, the economic scarring from Covid may mean that the recovery is dramatically uneven across different sectors, locations and cohorts of people.”
Hannah Essex, British Chambers’ co-executive director, said: “Businesses are beginning to see optimism emerge from the lowest point of the crisis. However, much remains to be done to ensure that optimism is borne out into prosperity, and many businesses still face a fight for survival in the coming months.
“The damage wrought to trading conditions by repeated lockdowns and issues at the border will not be repaired by renewed confidence alone. The Government must recognise the compounded impact that the combination of the pandemic and Brexit-related issues [has] had on firms up and down the country.”


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Keeping a massive network of small stores supplied with fresh food presents a massive logistical challenge. Mark Aylwin, supply chain director of Musgrave Budgens Londis, explains how to Malory Davies.
Mark Aylwin has had the grocery business in his blood ever since he took a job on a market stall as a teenager in Kent. Now he has one of the biggest challenges in the retail market – the complete transformation of a supply chain at Musgrave Budgens Londis.
Fresh produce was central to Aylwin’s early career as he built up a group of greengrocers in the Tonbridge area. From there he decided it was time to move into the supermarkets and joined Safeway in the produce department before moving into store management.
It was when Safeway started moving into sales-based ordering that he started to move into supply chain operations.
Up until that point, store managers had done the ordering. The new system automated the process. Aylwin led the implementation team and points out that Safeway beat both Sainsbury and Tesco to it.
Aylwin went on to become supply chain director of Safeway and stayed on for a year following the Morrisons’ takeover.
He then moved on to take over as supply chain director of Musgrave Budgens Londis.
Musgrave Group was founded by the Musgrave brothers, Thomas and Stuart, in 1876 and is now Ireland ‘s largest grocery distributor with annual sales of more than 3.3 billion euros. In 2004, Musgrave Group turned over some 3.8 billion euros with a pre-tax profit of about 69m euros.
Musgrave’s core strategy is to support independent retail operators in the grocery sector. The aim is to deliver a high level of professional expertise and support services that ensure the success and profitability of the group ‘s customers’ businesses.
In the UK, MBL’s business currently incorporates 2,050 Londis stores, 82 Budgens independents and 130 Budgens corporate stores, all of which are supplied from four depots – South Elmsall, Andover, Thamesmead and Wellingborough.
Budgens is some 125 years old and is particularly strong in the South East. It has over 800,000 square feet of retail sales space, 6,000 staff and serves over 80 million customers a year. Stores range from 2,000 sq ft to 10,000 sq ft. In 1997 it acquired the “7-11” group and has converted those stores into Budgens Express.
Musgrave acquired Londis in 2004. Londis is a “symbol group” – the retailers are all independent businesses but trade under the Londis brand and buy their products through Londis. Typically, the stores are less than 3,000 sq ft and are located all around the country.
The task facing Aylwin is a substantial one – to create a single modern supply chain that can meet the needs of the two brands equally well. And it is complicated by the fact that the store network is not static – the aim is progressively to turn the existing owned Budgens stores into franchises and at the same time expand the Budgens chain outside the South East.
And it is not as though the competition is standing still. In the past the main competition to Londis has come from similar organisations like Nisa-Today’s. However, the past few years have seen a shift in strategy by some of the major supermarket brands – notably Tesco and Sainsbury – which have been buying up local chains and converting them into their own convenience brands.
However, Aylwin is far from daunted. He points out that MBL’s business model has some real strengths that will enable it to continue to compete effectively, notable the fact that independent retailers live and breathe their business.
The key to the strategy will be a focus on fresh produce. Aylwin believes that it is the ability to provide a good range of fresh and chilled food in even the smallest stall is what will keep customers coming back.
Budgens stores are already strong in this area but the smaller Londis stores are much more limited.
At the moment the Budgens Wellingborough warehouse has a full multi-temperature offer. However, the three Londis warehouses have only a limited fresh offer.
“We are building a network to service the whole country with six day deliveries from a multi-temperature fleet,” he says. The fact that most of the outlets are run by independent businessmen means that there is an added pressure to perform. “Our model is based on loyalty to our brand,” says Aylwin. “Our availability target is 100 per cent – otherwise it is a lost sale.”
Budgens is inviting progressive retailers into its brand and selling off its estate so that eventually it will move over to a fully franchised model. “The relationship with the retailer is a long term one,” he says.
As part of the philosophy of servicing the retailers effectively, MBL is treating its depots as “retailer service centres” rather than just distribution centres. One of the practical implications of this has been the upgrading of meeting facilities so that the retailers can go and have their meetings at the depots.
In January, Aylwin brought in two new members to the supply chain management team. Peter Hutchison has taken on the role of fresh controller, focusing on developing the fresh food offering across both brands. He worked for more than 20 years managing the fresh food operations of Presto, Safeway and Morrisons.
Andrew Robertson has become network controller. He spent many years developing extensive delivery networks for Safeway. He will manage the integration of the Budgens and Londis distribution networks, creating a single system that is capable of serving both brands.
The transformation of the supply chain operations is planned in a series of stages. The first stage involves bringing the retailer service centres up to standard while the second focuses on sharing best practice across the system. Stage three focuses on customer service and stage four involves changes to the infrastructure. Over a period of three to four years the depots are being redeveloped to offer full multi-temperature operation.
The aim, says Aylwin, is to “have a supply chain that is more than a match for the multiples”.
In the past, he says, the competition has been the other symbol groups but now the competition is coming from the multiples – Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
“There are lots of successful retailers who can compete and we can help them compete through the supply chain. We are looking at all aspects – challenging all our cost-bases.”
Another part of the strategy involves building partnerships – a notable example of this is the partnership between Budgens and M Newitt and Sons – a high quality family butcher in Thame. The relationship started with delicatessen products and has taken on an added dimension with the launch of packaged Newitt pies and quiches.
Over the coming year MBL will investing heavily in its fleet of vehicles as well as working to get the best out of the existing facilities while plans for the depots are finalised. Then over the next couple of years they will be brought on-stream.
1979 – 1982 Market stall holder
1982 – 1984 Shop manager – Smiths for fruit
1984 – 2004 Safeway stores plc
1984 – 1986 Produce department manager
1986 – 1989 Store manager
1989 – 1992 IT project manager
1992 – 1994 Store support controller
1994 – 1996 Head of supply chain strategy
1996 – 1998 Head of fresh foods
1998 – 2001 Supply chain director
2001 – 2002 Commercial director – non foods
2002 – 2004 Supply director
2004 – 2005 Group operations director
2005 – Present Musgrave-Budgens-Londis – Supply chain director


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Prairie Baking Company (website, instagram) owner Elizabeth Rzoska has leased space on Romasco Lane where she plans to open a retail bakery/cafe. Rzoska currently operates her online business out of the former Drifters Wife prep kitchen. The new location is located on the far side of the former Nissen Bakery Building where Hardshore, Maine & Loire, Oxbow and Cong Tu Bot are located.
The menu at the new Prairie Baking cafe will include breakfast and a light lunch with coffee, pastries, quiche, granola and yogurt as well as toasts. Rzoska hopes to open the cafe this summer.
In the meantime you can order a Prairie Baking cake via their website.


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Steve Pasierb is calling on retailers and consumers to be vigilant, and to check the seller before making a purchase.
A statement from Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Toy Association, reads: “Our hearts go out to the child and his family as they deal with a counterfeit toy situation that they should have never been put in. Toy safety is the US toy industry’s number one priority and one child hurt from a toy is one too many. The recent horrible incident in Wisconsin, where a young boy was harmed by illicit product, illustrates that counterfeit products are a safety concern and should not be sold anywhere, especially on online marketplaces. Often, when shopping on online marketplaces, consumers think they are buying from a reputable brand but are instead unknowingly buying from a third-party seller that ships directly to a consumer and bypasses federal safety laws. This marketplace system needs to be fixed so that no child is harmed by a product that is not meeting our strict standards.
Federal law requires all toys sold in the United States to comply with strict safety standards and all toys sold at reputable retailers comply with these requirements. Regardless of whether the product is bought in store or online, we expect that all toy companies and retailers selling in the US be held to this same high standard to ensure that our children only have access to fun, safe toys.
The Toy Association urges consumers to be vigilant when shopping and to be sure they know the seller they are buying from. When shopping online make sure you are buying from a known seller, especially in marketplace situations. If a deal seems too good to be true or you do not know the seller, the product may be counterfeit or an imitation. These products likely will not have been tested for safety. For more information visit playsafe.org.”


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Highest small-business optimism in over 10 years on hopes for loosened regulations, Paychex CEO says
By Elizabeth Gurdus
Paychex CEO: Small business optimism on the rise Tuesday, 31 Jan 2017 | 8:22 AM ET | 02:21Small-business optimism continued to rise in January, reaching the highest levels in more than 10 years thanks to new executive orders from the White House signaling looser regulations for small businesses, Paychex CEO Martin Mucci told CNBC on Tuesday.
"We're really coming off of a high on ... how great things are going to be," Mucci told "Squawk Box." "You saw ... the executive order that was just signed on less regulations that have been choking small businesses, and now we've had two months where the small-business index has gone up, so really good news. Let's see if it continues to translate into jobs."
The Paychex report, released Tuesday, showed the Paychex/IHS Small Business Jobs Index rising to 100.62, up 0.13 percent in January, the second month in a row to see improvement since February 2016.
Indexes in all U.S. regions increased in January, except for the South Atlantic, which saw only a slight decline of 0.09 percent. The Southeast was the strongest, with Tennessee and Georgia having impressive gains thanks to growing e-commerce and construction, Mucci said.
"You're seeing e-commerce really pick up. You have FedEx in Tennessee, that's picking up some small businesses around them," Mucci said, adding that e-commerce comprises about 15 percent of all sales and continues to rise considerably.
Low oil prices hindered small-business job growth in the Southwest, with Texas being hit the hardest. Mucci said that although the region has seen significant decline, he sees a turnaround in sentiment beginning to play out.
President Donald Trump's executive order on Monday said that for every regulation proposed by a given department, two regulations must be eliminated to balance the budget for the federal regulatory regime. According to the order, the budget for fiscal 2017 is $0.
Catch up on my current posts along with industry articles


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JCPenney put an end to the tumultuous reign of CEO Ron Johnson, ousting the former Apple exec after what industry observers have described as a 17-month train wreck of misguided marketing and advertising.
And while dumping Johnson may not be all that surprising, given that its sales sank 28% in the most recent quarter, news of his replacement was a bit of a shocker: The Plano, Tex.-based retailer is bringing back former CEO Myron E. Ullman to snap it out of its slump.
Johnson joined Penney from Apple in November 2011, and embarked on an ambitious rebranding effort, renaming the company JCP. That included a shift away from its promotional pricing strategy to something he called “fair and square pricing”--no more sales, no more coupons. Despite a charming ad campaign starring comedian Ellen DeGeneres, shoppers stayed away in droves.
“Johnson misunderstood the role of advertising in retail,” says Ellis Verdi, president of DeVito/Verdi and a former board member of the National Retail Federation. “He tried to use advertising to change a behavior that had been ingrained for years. You can’t reeducate consumers that way. Consumers control their perception of value, not retailers. They need to feel like they are getting a deal, and they’re not just going to take the store’s word for it. Consumers just aren’t that loyal.”
The store’s subsequent backtracking, including re-instituting sales and promotional events, just gave consumers more to hate. “In a century where consumers are more marketer than fool, speak to each other before they speak to the brand, and have access to more digital information each day,” writes Robert Passikoff, president and founder of Brand Keys, in an email to Marketing Daily, the shift came across as a “strategy hoax” and an attempt to bamboozle its most devoted shoppers.
It didn’t help that Johnson fired Michael Francis, the former Target CMO he had brought in as president, after just eight months on the job.
And while its most recent ads are pretty, promising a brighter, fresher JCP, “pretty is not enough to move traffic,” Verdi tells Marketing Daily.
Ullman’s return is intriguing, since the retailer languished and struggled under his leadership. Penney bought Johnson in to spark a turnaround for the struggling chain, largely due to the demands of the disgruntled Bill Ackman, the hedge fund manager whose Pershing Square Capital Management is a major shareholder. While he had been a primary Johnson backer, he is said to have lost faith, too, and reportedly referred to Johnson’s strategy as a “disaster” at an investor conference last weekend.
And many of the execs who worked for Ullman left during Johnson’s tenure. “While JCPenney has faced a difficult period, its legacy as a leader in American retailing is an asset that can be built upon and leveraged,” Ullman says in the Plano, Tex.-based retailer’s release. “To that end, my plan is to immediately engage with the company's customers, team members, vendors and shareholders, to understand their needs, views and insights.”


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Kohl’s on Tuesday unveiled a strategy centered on what it called "a new vision: to be the most trusted retailer of choice for the active and casual lifestyle." The move entails expanding its active assortment to 30% of sales, from 20% last year; tripling beauty sales; and focusing on women’s, plus and outdoor, according to a company presentation to investors.
Key to the plan is a new athleisure private label dubbed FLX, which will be available in select stores and online beginning in March, according to a press release Tuesday. The retailer implemented a 25% increase in square footage dedicated to the active category in around 160 stores.
Those announcements followed another on Monday detailing Kohl’s new partnership with footwear brand Cole Haan, arriving at select Kohl's stores and online beginning next spring.
Kohl's is staking a lot on a category that was already on the rise before the pandemic, and now represents daily dressing for many consumers who continue to work from home.
Strengthening its association with a winner is wise, although competition is getting fierce as plenty of rivals do the same. Gap Inc., for example, in recent months has boosted its already high expectations of its Athleta activewear brand.
"Notably, the race to expand athleisure is happening by and large across retail as management teams industry wide see the pandemic as creating lasting changes," Wedbush analysts led by Jen Redding said in a Wednesday client note. "As retailers increase both market newness and supply in athleisure, we expect incremental competition to weigh on merchandise margins within athleisure as the pandemic extends."
To make room for the activewear expansion, Wedbush expects "reductions in prime selling space dedicated to men’s dress clothes, handbags, and jewelry."
In a press release, Kohl's outlined a litany of other moves, including "an end-to-end supply chain transformation, sourcing optimization and SG&A expense efficiency across store labor, marketing and technology." The company said that will help reach its new, higher operating margin target of 7% to 8%, without providing how much time that would take.
Kohl's didn't provide revenue targets, either, noted Credit Suisse analyst Michael Binetti on Wednesday, but added that the company nevertheless "will be a survivor in wake of unprecedented [department store] closures."
Grabbing share left on the table by rivals certainly won't hurt Kohl's new strategy. But ultimately it's up to its customers, according to Wedbush. "Although we commend management for strategically navigating in a challenging environment in a proactive manner, for now we prefer to monitor how plans and execution progress, as well as take a wait and see approach as to read-throughs on customer response," Redding said.


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Jenny Durkan, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, is taking a lead role in combatting cyberfraud. Under her leadership, federal prosecutors have upped their efforts to combat ever-increasing threats posed by digital crimes, including card fraud.
Heartland Payment Systems, which suffered a massive breach in 2009, is working to enhance POS security at the merchant level. What steps is this processor taking, and what role would it like to see card-issuing banks play?
Two men have been sentenced for defrauding accountholders whose debit cards were compromised in the Michaels point-of-sale breach that hit stores in 20 states. What was their role in an elaborate fraud scheme affecting nearly 100,000 accounts?
Global Payments this week plans to provide updates about the systems breach that it discovered in March. Learn about the details, including the potential financial impact, that the processor plans to share.
Aleksandr Suvorov, linked to Heartland Payment Systems hacker Albert Gonzalez, was sentenced for his role in schemes involving Dave & Buster's restaurants and more than 240,000 stolen credit card numbers.
A rap artist has been arrested on charges linked to a POS hack and international carding scheme reported in June that involved thousands of compromised accounts. What role did this California musician play?


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Have any suggestions for the 3 Count? Let me know via Twitter @plagiarismtoday.
First off today, Ted Johnson at Variety reports that the judge in Fox’s lawsuit against Dish Network has unsealed a January 12th summary judgment ruling, even though the case itself has been put on hold until October.
Fox sued Dish alleging that Dish’s AutoHop feature, which lets users automatically skip commercials in certain primetime shows, is a copyright infringement. They also claimed that the Sling feature, which allows users to stream recorded content over the Web, was also infringing, something they claimed the Aereo case supported.
However, the judge ruled that neither AutoHop nor Sling were copyright infringing, saying that Aereo was fundamentally different technology than anything Dish provides. But the judge did side with Fox on several key issues, including a feature called Hopper Transfer, that allowed users to copy shows to mobile devices and quality assurance copies of Fox programming made to test and improve the AutoHop feature.
The judge also ruled the quality assurance copies were not transformative and were infringing and the Hopper Transfer violated a contract Dish has with Fox, which requires them not to make copies of programming outside the home. The judge also favored Fox on other contract issues, including one that required Dish not to make Fox content available on demand.
Next up today, the Courthouse News reports that Costco has emerged victorious in a key ruling in its long-running battle with watchmaker Omega, with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirming a lower court ruling that Omega committed copyright abuse with its lawsuit.
Omega sued the retailer after Costco imported watches from Europe and then sold them in their stories at a lower price than Omega. According to Omega, a small globe etched into the watch was a copyrighted work and the importation of it was barred by copyright law. Initially, the lower court decided against Omega but the 9th Circuit ruled overturned it, saying that the right of first sale, the right to resell works legally purchased, only applied to those manufactured and sold in the U.S.
However, the Supreme Court was split 4-4 on the case, which sent it back to the lower court. A separate but similar case involving textbooks was ruled upon and actually decided by the Supreme Court in favor of resale of works bought overseas. This prompted the lower court to rule in favor of Costco again, but also order Omega to pay Costco’s court costs saying Omega’s actions were copyright misuse. Today the appeals court has upheld that ruling.
Finally today, Maayan Lubeel at Reuters is reporting that an Israeli man has been arrested on charges surrounding a December leak of several Madonna songs on suspicions of computer hacking, copyright infringement and fradulent receipt of goods.
The leak, which involved unfinished tracks from her “Rebel Heart” album were traced back to a hack of Madonna’s personal computers from an unknown person in Israel. After learning this, Modonna and her label made a complaint to the FBI, which in turn worked with the cyber unit in Israel to track down the alleged leaker.
No charges have been filed yet and the name of the man has not been released, though it is reported he was a contestant on a popular singing contest in the country.
That’s it for the three count today. We will be back tomorrow with three more copyright links. If you have a link that you want to suggest a link for the column or have any proposals to make it better. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. I hope to hear from you.


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Facebook Messenger’s user base is second only to WhatsApp’s globally, with 1.2 billion users per month. Messenger presents a key opportunity for organizations to engage with customers on a platform they’re familiar with, according to Gartner research. Mobile operators have jumped at the opportunity offered by Messenger which funnels inquiries and complaints away from public comments fields under posts. Three-quarters of mobile operators active on Facebook use Messenger, more than the 53% of operator sites with live chat.
Response time is an important consideration for brands offering Facebook Messenger. Consumers use Messenger as a chat tool, where a response time measured in minutes is expected, unlike email. Only a third of brands active on Facebook have achieved the “replies instantly” designation, indicating that the majority of brands using Messenger approach it more as an email service than a chat platform. To gain the all important “very responsive to messages” badge from Facebook Messenger, brands must have a response time under 15 minutes, and respond to at least 90% of messages.
Bots or guided multiple choice are another option on Messenger for fielding simple customer inquiries before directing them to a human. However, only a handful of mobile operators take advantage of this opportunity.
Now is the time for organizations to test Messenger’s capabilities, as the development of Facebook’s customer chat plugin could replace on-site live chat at a significantly lower maintenance cost.


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(NEW YORK) — DoorDash and Uber Eats issued statements this week announcing changes to their respective tipping policies in response to a new minimum wage increase for app-based food delivery workers in New York City.
Earlier this fall, the New York State Supreme Court ruled that “apps should immediately pay delivery workers the Minimum Pay Rate of at least $17.96 per hour,” according to the New York City Department of Consumer Worker Protection.
In a statement in late November, following the state Supreme Court decision, Vilda Vera Mayuga, commissioner of the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, hailed the ruling, saying, “The minimum pay rate of at least $17.96 per hour will help lift thousands of New Yorkers and their families out of poverty, while still allowing flexibility for both apps and workers … We thank the court for making the right decision and thank the hundreds of delivery workers who fought for their right to earn a dignified wage.”
Maria Torres-Springer, deputy mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce, added separately, “Delivery workers are a critical part of our city’s workforce and play a critical role in our local economy, yet to date, they have not been able to earn a living wage. We are grateful for the appellate court’s decision today and expect the delivery apps to start implementing the minimum pay rate immediately. When we lift up working New Yorkers, the whole city succeeds.”
In what they said was a direct result of that ruling, DoorDash and Uber Eats announced plans on Monday for New York City customers that do away with the formerly standard tipping prompt on the checkout page of the apps and add a new service fee to each transaction. Customers can still choose to include a tip once the delivery has been completed, and both companies assured delivery drivers that they will receive 100% of those tips.
While some consumers unaware of the city’s changes may have been caught off guard, DoorDash made an extensive push to explain how its updates would allow it “to better balance the impact of bad policies in NYC for everyone who uses our platform.”
“As we have repeatedly made clear in recent months, the ill-conceived, extreme minimum pay rate for food delivery workers in New York City will have significant consequences for everyone who uses our platform,” DoorDash said in statement about its New York City customer experience. “Unfortunately, these regulations will significantly increase the costs of facilitating delivery in NYC and force us to make a number of operational changes, which is why we’re providing an update on what local consumers and Dashers will be seeing beginning today.”
When the earnings standard was announced in June, DoorDash issued a statement saying the outcome would create unpopular consequences for the delivery worker experience.
In order to meet the new minimum pay rate, DoorDash said at the time that its platform and others would “have to increase costs on each order or reduce services in New York City,” stating that other impacts of the coming changes could include fewer opportunities for Dashers to work when they choose, customers potentially priced out of orders, and possible jobs lost at local restaurants.
DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub set out on a united front earlier this year to argue against the City Council measure in an effort to block such pay raises, but failed when New York Acting Supreme Court Justice Nicholas Moyne rejected those arguments.
“Policies have consequences, and these changes come as a direct result of the extreme earnings standard imposed in New York City,” a DoorDash spokesperson told “Good Morning America” on Thursday. “The City itself acknowledged that platforms could make changes to our tipping structure to help meet the significantly increased costs, which is exactly what we’re doing and therefore should come as no surprise.”
They added, “We’re hopeful that these changes will allow us to better balance the impact across everyone who uses our platform and continue providing the best possible experience as we explore further changes to the platform in the months to come.”
Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


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The commercials’ message is clear: The little ones are growing up, and they’re ready for a more adventurous theme park. It’s time to go to Universal – either in Orlando or Hollywood.
Universal Parks & Resorts debuted a marketing campaign Tuesday that for the first time links its locations on both coasts. The “I’m Ready” initiative includes national TV and digital advertising.
A Universal spokesman declined to be interviewed.
Tourism experts said Universal is establishing its theme parks as a brand that stands in contrast to Walt Disney World and Disneyland. About a week before, Disney World started an advertising campaign for its new Avatar land opening May...


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It's that time of year again. E3, the massive video game conference in Los Angeles, has come and gone. As in the past, the conference was a perfect glimpse into what we can expect from the video gameindustry for the next year or two. Looking past the glitz, the glam, and the booth babes, a number of trends stood out.
NYS Entity Status
NYS Filing Date
APRIL 02, 2013
NYS DOS ID#
144 PHYLLIS DRIVE
PATCHOGUE, NEW YORK, 11772
NYS Entity Type
DOMESTIC LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
2013 - BOOTHS 4 A CAUSE LLC
AROUND THE WEB
- E3 Impressions 2011
Friday Jun 10, 2011
- Rooted in Counterculture, Whole Foods’ Founder Finds an Unlikely Refuge
By MICHAEL J. de la MERCED and ALEXANDRA STEVENSON - Friday Jun 16, 2017
John Mackey wanted to fight off the activist investors attacking Whole Foods. He found a savior in Amazon, a company blamed for laying waste to retailers.
- 'NY Times' Finally Joins Snapchat Discover
Monday Apr 24, 2017
Does The New York Times joining Snapchat Discover lend an air of respectability to a new platform, and breathe new life into an aging publisher? That's obviously what the partners are planning -- butonly time will tell.
- NEW! High Brew Cold Brew Coffee Hits The Road
Friday Jun 16, 2017
High Brew Cold Brew Coffee and experiential agency OutCold are launching the beverage brand's first comprehensive campaign beyond OOH billboards.
The #HighRoadTour mobile tour will cover anestimated 16,000 miles over a 22-week tour and visit various festivals, trade shows and grocery stores in 33 markets.
The adventure features a redesigned red and silver 1952 ContinentalTrailways bus that has been transformed into an immersive mobile coffee sampling experience. The interior features an air-conditioned “Vintage Diner” with booth and bar stool seating,charging stations and a reach-in cooler filled with High Brew Coffee, while the exterior footprint will host a pop-out sampling bar.
- That Fine Line: Supporting A Cause Vs. Pandering
Thursday Mar 9, 2017
Email is increasingly being used by brands to position a point of view in support or protest of a specific viewpoint or cause. In today's white-hot global political and social climate, it's importantthat messages are crafted very carefully.
- E3 2017 brought theme parks, statues, and New Donk City
By Kyle Orland - Saturday Jun 17, 2017
Straight from the show floor, a look at this year’s craziest booth designs.
- Twitter Urges Court To Reject Bid To Revive Lawsuit Over ISIS Attack
Wednesday Jun 7, 2017
Family members of people killed in an attack in Jordan shouldn't be able to proceed with a lawsuit accusing Twitter of encouraging terrorism, the microblogging service argues.
- Critic's Notebook: Foreign Horror TV Shows Are Light on Monsters, Heavy on Mood
By MIKE HALE - Friday Jun 16, 2017
On the streaming service Shudder, foreign series like “Jordskott” and “Penance” offer a classic psychological dread that’s in short supply on American TV.


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Toyota’s $1.2 billion Payout Due to People with Two Left Feet?
Today, just as things are heating up for General Motors following their decade-long recall scandal, Toyota has reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over an unintended acceleration issue to the tune of $1.2 billion. You know, just petty cash.
Toyota’s $1.2 billion payout means that the automaker has successfully evaded prosecution. Already, however, Toyota has spent $1.6 billion+ to car owners, another $16.375 million in federal fines in 2010, and still another $17.35 million in fines in 2012, according to USA Today.
The settlement was reached after Toyota was investigated for claims it made about its unintended acceleration issue.
According to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, “Today we can say for certain that Toyota intentionally concealed information and misled the public about the safety issues behind these recalls. Put simply, Toyota’s conduct was shameful.”
Pretty strong words, but I don’t completely buy into them. Toyota had claimed that the issue came from sticky accelerator pedals, as well as faulty floor mats, while critics argued that the issue was electronic. However, the resultant federal investigation disproved these claims. In reality, it looks like most of the instances of unintended acceleration were caused by “pedal misapplication.” In other words, the drivers mistook the accelerator for the brake. And for that mistake, Toyota now owes the government $1.2 billion.
Of course, it’s not really that simplistic, but something sure smells fishy to me, and it’s not just because McDonalds is currently ramming its Filet-O-Fish down my throat every morning on Pandora.
Christopher P. Reynolds, the chief legal officer of Toyota Motor North America, spoke in an official statement from the company:
“At the time of these recalls, we took full responsibility for any concerns our actions may have caused customers, and we rededicated ourselves to earning their trust. In the more than four years since these recalls, we have gone back to basics at Toyota to put our customers first.”
Toyota’s $1.2 billion payout will be recorded in after-tax charges against earnings this fiscal year, ending March 31, 2014.
Timothy Moore takes his leadership inspiration from Michael Scott, his writing inspiration from Mark Twain, and his dancing inspiration from every drunk white guy at a wedding. When Tim is not writing about cars, he’s working on his novel or reading someone else’s, geeking out over strategy board games, hiking with his pooch, or channeling his inner Linda Belcher over beers with his friends. See more articles by Timothy.


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To paraphrase an old expression, you can lay 100 financial analysts end to end and still not reach a conclusion. But a quick scan of the recent news about emerging market economies leads to a strong sense that investor interest in these places is getting stronger. Can multinationals entering these markets be far behind? Moreover, behind the mere ‘sense’ that things are heating up, there are real numbers. Here’s what we learn from this ‘Investor Sentiment’ item just out today:
…Asia ex-Japan, global and the geographically diversified global emerging markets equity funds posted solid inflows, as did Latin America equity and commodities sector funds… At the country and regional level, Brazil, China and Germany stood out.
Improved economies in emerging markets are going to lead to stronger product demand. The products will have to be labeled, and as GS1 continues to strengthen worldwide, it is more and more likely a multinational will have to be GS1 ready to enter. If I were a mutlinational products company, I would be very, very worried my competitors could get there ahead of me primarily because they get the label issue licked first.