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A brand new Poundland store is opening in Willerby this week.
The Great Gutter Lane store that boasts more than 6,000 square feet of bargains, opens Saturday March 5.
The Poundland spot, which was formerly occupied by Poundstretcher, will bring more choice, including popular PEP&CO family clothing and chilled and frozen food.
PEP&CO, offers clothes for the whole family, which has become one of the top 20 clothing retailers in the UK, just seven years after the clothing brand was born.
As well as womenswear, menswear and kidswear, there will also be a PEP&CO Home section,featuring the latest 2022 ranges including throws, cushions, photo frames and decorative pieces.
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Poundland Willerby will join the growing number of Poundland stores – set to pass 350 this year – to offer chilled and frozen food as part of project Diamond Ice.
What's more, the opening will bring new job opportunities.
The new store will complement existing Poundland stores in the area, including Hull Retail Park, the Prospect Centre, Hessle Retail Park and Bransholme.
While the store will still offer the everyday essentials, groceries, drinks and snacks shoppers love,they will also be able to see revamped health and beauty, entertainment, stationery and craft ranges.
Poundland’s retail and transformation director, Austin Cooke, said: “Willerby is a great addition to our network of stores in Hull and the East Riding Yorkshire and we’re excited to be increasing our presence in the region.“
"We’re really proud of the new store and it offers a fantastic range of items so customers in the area can pick up more of what they need in one trip.”
To get the latest news from Hull Live, sign up for email updates here.


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Corporate group Klebl acquires freight forwarder Theodor Diepold15.03.2023
Figure: Klebl GmbH
Dominik Woller has been managing director of the newly founded Klebl Transport GmbH since October 2022. Previously, he was head of department at Klebl Baulogistik GmbH, where he and his team have been responsible for the company’s own transports and for all third-party transport services within the corporate group. Now he additionally manages Klebl Transport GmbH. Against the background of a shortage of transport capacities in the market and the need to guarantee supply security and efficiency, the takeover is a logical and deliberate step taken by the Klebl group.
You can read the detailed article in your next BFT International. ET: 03.04.2023
Klebl GmbH Neumarkt
92318 Neumarkt i.d. OPf/Germany
+49 9181 900-362

domain: news


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Overstock Named Best Retail App
Overstock.com has been racking up tech awards in the first half of 2019 including Media Post’s Appy Award for Best Retail App and eTail’s Best in Class Award for Best Mobile App. Key features of the award-winning app include augmented reality (AR) featuring the highest quality digital 3D models, personalized product recommendations, and unique search functions.
“Overstock’s mobile apps help us create an increased convenient shopping experience for our customers,” said Sumit Goyal, chief digital officer, Overstock.com. “We’re constantly using technology to help our customers find just what they’re looking for, and I couldn’t be prouder of the recognition our mobile apps team has received for their hard work.”
Overstock’s 2019 Awards
Overstock’s mobile-first approach and dedication to cutting-edge technological innovation led to these recent wins, while the online retailer received additional award recognition for excelling in other areas of the business. Overstock opened 2019 with additional wins for its customer-centric strategy, excellence in general company initiatives, and its outstanding employees.
“I’m proud of the wide array of notable recognition Overstock has received in 2019,” said Dave Nielsen, president of Overstock.com retail. “Our retail team has worked hard to stay at the forefront of innovation to create an intuitive customer experience, which has helped us lead the home goods and furniture market.”


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In recognition of the recent formation of the Ontario Hop Grower’s Association, a non-profit association of 28 organic and conventional growers in the province, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has announced plans for the 1st annual Great Ontario-Hopped Craft Beer Competition(GOHCBC).
Open to commercial brewers and students in their graduating year of accredited Ontario Brewmaster courses, the competition will challenge brewers to create beers using exclusively Ontario-grown hops. The beer style chosen for this inaugural edition of the competition is American IPA, with entries to be judged based on the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) guidelines for the style.
Interested participants must register for the competition by December 31st, 2012, and samples must be delivered or dropped off by February 20th, 2013. Judging will take place on February 21st during the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Full competition rules and other details are available on the GOHCBC website.
[This article co-published with Canadian Beer News]
Whistler Brewing has a new wheat beer for the summer called the Pineapple Express. As many brewers are running at full capacity for the summer months, this seems to be last of the new ‘seasonal’ releases… but there’s still some new products hitting the shelf.
Pacific Western has introduced a new organic lineup called Scandal Brewing. They’ve launched with an Ale and a Lager.
Russell Brewing is celebrating their 17th anniversary with a Barrel Aged Scotch Ale. I’m a huge fan of their award-winning Wee Angry Scotch Ale, so I look forward to trying this one!
Tin Whistle Brewing recently celebrated their 1000th brew. Seventeen years ago they were the only brewery in the South Okanagan, and they’re still going strong. The owner told the Penticton Western News that they were looking for a new location so they can expand and start canning as well.
Molson’s Six Pints Specialty Beer Company has released a “Hand Picked 6 Mixed Craft Pack”. Molson has been strangely silent on the marketing front, but the box says:
Two pioneers in Canadian craft brewing have joined forces to bring you this signature selection of distinctive flavours. HAND-PICKED 6 unites three West Coast-inspired ales from Vancouver’s Granville Island Brewing and three traditional European lagers from small-town Ontario’s Creemore Springs Brewery. It’s a unique collaboration that lets you discover some of our country’s finest award-winning beers.
The “Hand Picked 6″ is currently available at the LCBO as well as BC Liquor stores. There’s already some discussion on the Bar Towel Forum. I like it.
Halifax is a great town, with a really great pub scene. Cass reported on a few of the establishments back in 2006. Two noteworthy additions are the Hart & Thistle and the Rockbottom Brewpub, both under the hand of Greg Nash. Nash trained at the American Brewers Guild and then spent some time in California before returning back home to the Maritimes, where he has become known for his hoppy creations.
The Hart & Thistle is located at the Historic Properties. It’s right on the waterfront and has one of the best patios in town. They offer a few craft brews and usually have a couple of their own on-tap. While I was there they had the Hop Rock Candy Mountain, which you can read about at The House of Nash. I had a few drinks, and just as I was leaving I crossed paths with Nash. He said he was brewing at the Rockbottom the next day, and that I was welcome to join him.
Read More >>


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May 10, 2005
Federated Department Stores last week launched a Macy's "storefront" on amazon.com. Amazon will sell Macy's private-label brands and other items, but unlike items bought at Macy's own site, macys.com, purchases made on Amazon can only be returned by mail and not at Macy's stores. ---------- Edited by Curt Wagner (firstname.lastname@example.org) and Kris Karnopp (email@example.com)
February 13, 1988
The takeover battle between Federated Department Stores Inc. and Campeau Corp. moves into Washington next week, with a hearing scheduled before a subcommittee of the House Committee on Commerce and Energy. Chaired by Rep. Thomas A. Luken (D., Ohio), whose Cincinnati district includes Federated's headquarters, the hearing scheduled for Wednesday reportedly will focus on the antitrust implications of Campeau's hostile $61-a-share bid for the retail giant.
August 24, 1994
New York State Atty. Gen. G. Oliver Koppell said he will oppose the pending merger of R.H. Macy & Co. and Federated Department Stores unless Federated sells all 12 Macy's stores in the New York area. Koppell said the combined Macy's and Federated could reduce competition in the department store market enough to raise prices and reduce shopping choices for New York consumers and businesses.
March 26, 1988
Campeau Corp. told the Securities and Exchange Commission it will not raise its $6.53 billion tender offer for Federated Department Stores Inc., but said it demands a fair opportunity to compete with R.H. Macy & Co. Inc. to buy the retailer. Cincinnati-based Federated said its board will meet by Wednesday to further consider Campeau's offer and the $6.3 billion bid it has accepted from Macy.
February 7, 1990
Creditors of the Federated Department Stores Inc. and Allied Stores Corp. retailing chains are seeking a delay in hearings that could lead to final approval of the companies` financing plans under Chapter 11 reorganization. U.S. Banktrupcy Court Judge J. Vincent Aug Jr. has scheduled hearings Thursday and Friday on the creditors` request that they need more time and information to assess the proposed financing plans and their effect on the long-term their business.
October 13, 2000
Federated to cut 550 jobs: After months of trying to reduce losses at its Fingerhut subsidiary, Federated Department Stores Inc., operator of the Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores, will cut 550 jobs from its electronic retailing unit. The cuts represent about one-quarter of the 2,300 positions at Fingerhut's headquarters in Minnetonka, Minn., its data center in Plymouth, Minn., and its e-commerce operation in Edina, Minn.
March 21, 1985
The MainStreet Division of Federated Department Stores Inc. said it will open its latest Chicago-area store in November in the Golf Mill Shopping Center in Niles. The two-level, 70,000-square-foot store will employ about 200 people, said the Bannockburn-based division of Federated, a Cincinnati retail chain. It will be the eighth MainStreet store in suburban Chicago.
March 24, 1994
The way out: R.H. Macy & Co., unveiling an outline of its reorganization plan, said it plans to repay creditors $3.6 billion when it emerges from bankruptcy protection early next year. But the proposed payment could open the door to Federated Department Stores, which is seeking to merge with Macy. The payment exceeds the $3.5 billion maximum Fidelity Investments, a major holder of Macy debt, said it would accept.


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Van drivers fighting rising petrol costs could now turn to a dual gas and fuel vehicle unveiled this week by French manufacturer Citroen.
The Nemo X van uses conventional fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a combination Citroen said could bring huge savings.
The firm quoted figures from Fleet News showing average LPG prices stand at 58p per litre compared to around £1.19 for petrol, meaning running costs are lower than a typical commercial vehicle.
Citroen commercial vehicle operations manager Robert Handyside said: “Both the new Nemo and existing Berlingo First dual fuel vans are exempt from the London congestion charge as they meet Powershift Band 4 emissions standards.”
Citroen also said drivers who regularly operate in London could even save up to £1,696 per year with the van, as it is exempt from the capital’s congestion charge.
Drivers looking for other ways of cutting costs could also go online to get quotes on van insurance to land a cheaper cover deal.
Conversion firm LPGs R Us says an LPG-powered car produce 15 per cent less carbon dioxide and 97 per cent lower benzene emissions.


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Augusta car dealer Andy Jones has purchased the Columbia Square shopping center and plans to turn it into an auto mall.
Mr. Jones said he intends to move seven of his eight car franchises to the Columbia County property by spring 2003, essentially ending his company's presence on Gordon Highway, which he had helped market as Augusta's "Motor Mile."
He purchased the shopping center Nov. 20 from Equitable Life Assurance Society, a subsidiary of New York-based AXA Financial Inc.
The sale was confirmed Monday by the New York office of Lend Lease Corp. Ltd., a real estate investment company that marketed the property. The company would not disclose financial terms of the deal, and public records on the transaction had not been filed as of Monday.
Columbia Square, the home to tenants such as CiCi's Pizza and Roses, is split into two sections, both of which were included in the sale.
Mr. Jones did not return repeated phone messages left Monday at his Mazda-Isuzu dealership and on his mobile phone. But in an interview several months ago, he outlined his plans for the property and his reasons for relocating.
"(Columbia County) - that's where the growth is," said Mr. Jones, the president of Gerald Jones Volkswagen Inc. "In the '90s, Richmond County grew 2 percent, Columbia County grew 35 percent. That's pretty substantial numbers."
He said his Volkswagen, Audi, Honda and Volvo dealerships would be first to relocate to the property, a 16-acre tract bordered by Washington, Columbia and Flowing Wells roads. His Mazda dealership will remain in North Augusta, and the Volvo facility on Gordon Highway will operate as a service center only.
"I've been very successful in Richmond County; we've been here for 27 years," said Mr. Jones, who acquired the dealership group from his father, Gerald, two years ago. "Hopefully I'm just going to a more convenient location for the vast majority of people who buy my cars."
Greg Hodges, whose auto group owns four car dealerships on Gordon Highway, said his competitor's move will sap some momentum from the Motor Mile. However, he remains bullish on the urban Augusta market.
"This location really works for me," he said. "(Mr. Jones) has to do what he feels is appropriate for him."
Columbia Square was a thriving suburban shopping center when it was developed in 1974 and expanded in 1976, but now much of its 140,000 square feet of retail space is vacant.
Mr. Jones said he will use the shell of the property's existing buildings to house his dealerships, so he will have to make arrangements, such as lease buyouts, with existing tenants.
Roses, for example, is rumored to be relocating to another area of town, but company spokesman Tim Blackburn would not disclose any details Monday.
"We haven't made an announcement yet," he said.
Reach Damon Cline at (706) 823-3486 and Melissa Hall at (706) 868-1222, Ext. 113.
© 2018. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


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Kim Kardashian and her famous family members have monopolized quite a chunk of the fashion world in recent years, a fact that some folks aren’t particularly thrilled about. The reality star has appeared on the cover of Vogue‘s U.S. and now Australian publications, and will appear in a 30-plus page spread for LOVE magazine decked out in Prada. But Kim’s presence in the industry isn’t a bother to Olivier Rousteing, who cast her and husband Kanye West to front Balmain’s spring menswear campaign.
At 28, Rousteing is noted for being extremely social media savvy, hip and current. And while some may poo-poo his relationship with Kim, the designer thinks she’s all that. “She is insanely beautiful, smart, confident, a business woman,” he told The Guardian, noting that the reality star is actually Balmain’s ideal customer. “I love also that she is not a typical American. She has Armenian origins, she is with Kanye, who is black, and she has a mixed-race daughter. For me, that is how modern couples are.”
So, there you have it: The allure of Kim Kardashian, according to one young Frenchman.
[via The Guardian]


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Recent data gathered by the Newspaper Association of America and comScore shows that October 2014 was a record-setting month in the world of online newspapers.
Online-only US readership for newspapers increased 17% year over year, totaling 166 million readers.
This means that approximately 8 out of every 10 adults accesses information from online newspapers. The data was gathered while looking at 300 US newspapers, and found that some demographics turn to online newspapers far more than others. Approximately 91% of women ages 25-34, for example, read digital newspapers, and approximately 84% of men ages 35-44.
This increased readership is encouraging because newspaper advertising has fallen over 50% from 2005 to 2013—not to mention the steady decline of print subscriptions. Hopefully, as Media Daily News reports, this surge in online readership will create a ripple effect that leads to more ad revenues for struggling publishers.


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A Kanata firm hopes millions of dollars in new funding will help it turn more cord-cutters on to its technology that records over-the-air TV broadcasts and streams them to devices such as smartphones.
Nuvyyo said Tuesday it has closed a $6-million series-B financing round led by Ottawa’s Celtic House Venture Partners, which also backed the company’s $4-million series-A round back in 2013. Export Development Canada also participated in the latest round.
Founded in 2010, Nuvyyo makes hardware and software that caters to viewers who access TV broadcasts via old-school antennas rather than cable or satellite feeds.
Yves Tremblay and Sylvie Villeneuve have an extensive history of philanthropy and community involvement in Ottawa. It’s clear that being generous and making an impact have long been important to
Nuvyyo has a two-pronged revenue stream. In addition to its flagship hardware, a DVR called the Tablo that records over-the-air programs, the company also sells subscription-based software that gives viewers a grid-based TV guide and allows them to stream recorded shows on other devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.
About 95 per cent of its customers are in the United States, where the Tablo is found in Best Buy stores and sold on Amazon. But CEO Grant Hall says the company is only scratching the service of its potential south of the border.
“The U.S. is a huge market, and even though we’re extremely successful, we’re still really only satisfying a fraction of that market,” Hall says. “There’s still plenty of opportunity to grow our U.S. presence.”
In the last decade, antenna use has surged more than 50 per cent in the U.S., while a recent study by research firm eMarketer suggested as many as one in five households – or about 26 million homes – could be cord-cutters by 2022 as consumers ditch pricey pay-TV packages in favour of free broadcasts and streaming services such as Netflix.
Supplying that thirst for free content is clearly a lucrative endeavour that’s paying dividends for Nuvyyo. Three years ago, the 17-person firm appeared on OBJ’s list of Ottawa’s fastest-growing companies with three-year revenue growth of more than 250 per cent – a pace Hall concedes it hasn’t been able to match since.
Manufacturing is a capital-intensive business, he explains – not to mention the additional costs of shipping DVRs from Nuvyyo’s plant in China to North America and getting them on store shelves. Churning out more products means spending more money, and there’s always a lag between the time merchandise lands in a store and when the proceeds from those sales funnel back to the manufacturer.
“The key to our success is we have to get hardware into customers’ hands,” Hall says. “One of our challenges has been that that takes some working capital. Our ability to fund that working capital is really what’s constrained our growth in the last couple of years.”
The COVID-19 crisis didn’t help, he adds. Initially, the pandemic in China grinded production of Nuvyyo’s DVRs to a halt. Once things ramped up across the Pacific again, the virus struck the U.S. with a vengeance, causing overall retail spending to crater.
But Hall sees clearer skies on the horizon. He’s banking on trends that suggest the sluggish economy will prompt even more consumers to forego cable receivers in favour of antennas and the free programming they offer. Meanwhile, Nuvyyo continues to beef up its product offerings – its most recent feature being machine-learning software that automatically skips past commercials on recorded programs.
“We pride ourselves as a very innovative company,” Hall says.
Celtic House partner David Adderley said the firm is bullish on Nuvyyo’s future.
“Nuvyyo has consistently delivered upon its mission to provide consumer-friendly technology for cord cutters with features like Tablo automatic commercial skip service, challenging major incumbents in the retail DVR space for market share,” Adderley said in a statement.
“As the trend of cutting the cord on cable TV accelerates, we have no doubt Tablo products will remain a leader in value, flexibility, and ease-of-use.”
Hall says Mexico, which has the same coding standards for over-the-air TV signals as the U.S. and Canada, is the company’s next likely target market. Europe and most of Asia use slightly different technology, meaning Nuvyyo’s software will have to be tweaked for those regions, something Hall says will happen down the road.
In the meantime, Nuvyyo will focus on forging new retail partnerships and boosting R&D spending in a bid to make his products even more attractive to the growing segment of the population that no longer considers cable and satellite fare to be must-see TV.
“We hope to be back on (the fastest-growing companies) list very soon,” Hall says. “That’s what this series-B round is intended to do.”


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Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
SF designer Kelly Wearstler's dreams almost went up in flames yesterday when a fire broke out at the Renoir Hotel during construction. The SF Business Times reports that it took about 100 firefighters to save the historic brick-and-timber building that the Kor Group purchased last year. The structural integrity of the building will have to be inspected before work can resume. Let's hope that the damage was negligible—and that Kor Group's chosen interior designer can soon add her magical, ultra-glam touch without too much delay.
· Renoir Hotel blaze threatens historic San Francisco structure under renovation [San Francisco Business Times]
· Mid-Market Getting the Kelly Wearstler Treatment [Racked SF]
· An Exclusive Interview With Kelly Wearstler, Design Icon [Racked SF]


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Commerce Commission looked at way suppliers were treated.
A Commerce Commission investigation into the way Progressive Enterprises Ltd, the owner of Countdown supermarkets, treats its suppliers has not found any reason to prosecute.
The investigation was launched in February after then Labour MP Shane Jones wrote to the Commission accusing the company of “anti-competitive and allegedly extortionary” behaviour. He had spoken about the issue under parliamentary privilege earlier in the day.
The Food and Grocery Council also complained to the Commission on the same day.
As part of the investigation, the Commerce Commission issued 41 statutory notices to suppliers, compelling them to provide information.
Despite finding Progressive’s conduct was not likely to have breached the Fair Trading Act or Commerce Act, chief executive Brent Alderton said it did highlight two areas commercial parties should be careful around.
“The first is that ambiguity in business communications should be avoided as it can lead to misunderstanding that can place you at risk of breaching the law,” Mr Alderton said.
“The second is that exchanging information about competitors’ future behaviour, or discussing supplier interactions with a competitor carries significant risks for all involved. Individuals who do so are exposing both themselves personally and their company to a potential breach of the law.”
The report details how Progressive was alleged to have asked suppliers to make retrospective payments to compensate for Progressive’s lack of profits from the supplier’s products. It was alleged the demands were in the millions of dollars and backed by threats to withdraw products from supermarket shelves.
The investigation found this to be a misunderstanding over what Progressive termed the “ask” when it met with two large suppliers at the start of this year. The “ask” was the difference between the supplier’s financial performance and Progressive’s expectation.
Both companies were confused at the time over whether they were being asked for a lump sum payment to make up for lack of profits or told the amount of improvement expected. However, further communication made it clear Progressive was not after a retrospective payment.
The investigation found no evidence of a threat to blacklist products but did acknowledge the suppliers would have felt commercial pressure.
“However, the evidence did not suggest that this pressure amounted to coercion,” the report said.
The report details evidence that two suppliers gave information to Progressive about one of its competitor’s future pricing. “However, that evidence did not suggest that Progressive entered into, or attempted to enter into, an anti-competitive agreement or understanding with any competing retailer, either directly or indirectly,” the report said.
Progressive managing director Dave Chambers said “the shadow of these false allegations has been distracting”.
“We hope some lessons can be learned about the damage false allegations made under parliamentary privilege can cause,” Mr Chambers said


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||In tens, please (ten pound notes) ibuprofen dosage for sciatica pain Wrong. What they make is not chocolate but chocolates – filled chocolates, chocolate truffles, chocolate bars, that sort of thing. It may seem like a semantic nicety – what’s a stray “s” between lovers of dark, milk and white? But in fact the distinction is worth making.
He said: “I know the Tories and Lib Dems opposed the introduction of the National Minimum Wage but, without it, the exploitation of migrant workers and undercutting of British workers would have been even worse.
The updated policy by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) could have implications for films like the adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey if sexual violence is made to look appealing.
paxil 20 mg film tablet fiyatï¿½buy paxil uk "What keeps me up at night is 'are we missing out oninvestments?' because if this is what I think it can be, we willregret not being even more active," said Micky Malka, founder ofPalo Alto, California-based Ribbit Capital, which has investedin three bitcoin firms, including San Francisco-based Coinbase.
precio zyrtec gotas The Washington Post is different though, as Mr Bezos will personally own the business outright and has said Amazon has no role in the purchase. He has written a memo to the Post's staff saying he will not lead the paper's day-to-day operations, but his note was striking for the emphasis he placed on its need to "invent" and "experiment". Business as usual is clearly not an option.


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Press shots and complete specifications of the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus smartphones surfaced last week ahead of MWC 2017 announcement in a few days. Today clear live shots of the Moto G5 has surfaced showing its metal body.
It also says that the phone’s fingerprint sensor on the front lets you slide to left to go back and slide to right to launch multitasking screen. This is not possible in the current Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus smartphones. It also says that the on-screen buttons could be totally removed, making better use of the screen.
Moto G5 rumored specifications
- 5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD display with Corning Gorilla glass 3 protection
- 1.4GHz Octa-Core 64-bit Snapdragon 430 (MSM8937) processor with Adreno 505 GPU
- 2GB RAM, 32GB internal memory, expandable memory with microSD
- Android 7.0 (Nougat)
- Dual SIM (Optional)
- 13MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, PDAF, 1080p video recording
- 5MP front-facing camera with OmniVision OV5693 sensor
- Water repellent nano-coating
- Front-ported loudspeaker
- Dimensions: 144.3x73x9.5 mm; Weight:145g
- 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS
- 2800mAh battery
Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus event is set for February 26th at 4:30 PM CET (9:00 PM IST) at the MWC 2017 in Barcelona. There is a separate event scheduled for Sao Paulo, Brazil on March 3rd, so it could be introduced in India as well next week.


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(Bloomberg) -- The Monetary Authority of Singapore announced in a surprise move Tuesday that it was further tightening monetary policy, citing upside risks to its inflation forecasts.
The central bank, which uses foreign exchange as its main policy tool, said it will “raise slightly the rate of appreciation” of its main currency band, while keeping the width and center of the band unchanged. The Singapore dollar rose 0.3% to S$1.3430 against the dollar, its strongest since October.
The unexpected announcement, ahead of its scheduled April meeting, follows the headline consumer price index hitting an 8-year high on Monday, which prompted the government to review inflation forecasts. The move also comes ahead of the Federal Reserve’s first meeting of the year, in which it’s likely to pave the way for interest-rate increases starting in March.
“This allows MAS more breathing space,” said Vishnu Varathan, head of economics and strategy at Mizuho Bank. “They don’t want to trip over the same transitory aspects and signaling that the Fed did. There is value for MAS in doing this sooner rather than later.”
Singapore’s economy is set to remain on track to grow 3% to 5% this year, the MAS said in its statement.
“Core Inflation is forecast to be higher in the near term in view of rapidly accumulating external and domestic cost pressures,” it said. “While core inflation is expected to moderate in the second half of the year from the elevated levels in the first half as supply constraints ease, the risks remain skewed to the upside.”
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.


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On Rua Major Afonso Palla, restaurants and shops now have a system of floodgates to prevent water from entering, in case there is a repeat of the floods suffered on 7 and 13 December last year, which caused 19 million euros worth of damage to municipal infrastructures and businesses due to the bad weather, according to Oeiras Town Hall, in the Lisbon district.
Lucas Rosa, a restaurant manager, told Lusa about the night of the first flood, 7 December 2022, when "the house was full" of customers and "in a matter of 20 to 30 minutes" the water rose a metre inside the restaurant.
After seven days of cleaning "and a lot of things lost", they opened their doors again, but the rain fell again on the night of 12-13 December, even more intensely, and Rua das Statuas and neighbouring Damião de Góis flooded again, with the water rising above the level of the previous week.
What they had managed to save was then lost that early morning. "It was a huge loss for the restaurant, we lost around 100,000 euros here, and now we're scared again. Now it's December, the rainy season," said Lucas Rosa, pointing out that the restaurant has done some work to contain the water, but he still doesn't know if it will work.
The Pescacerta shop didn't escape the flood last December either. Carla Ferreira, owner of the shop, said that it was a "very difficult" period, with 20 days of hard work and "nothing being 100 percent", having been open at half capacity and only now, after some work and improvements, has the space returned to normal.
Carla Ferreira told Lusa about the huge investment made at the beginning of 2022 until the space reopened in March, with "all new equipment and the shop renovated", and then months later everything literally fell apart: "Everything was completely destroyed".
She also considered that the floodgates could "prevent it at the front" of the shops, but we are still "afraid", especially of the sewers and what might come up through the basements, as happened last year.


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By Madeleine Heffernan and Simon Johanson
It's an unenviable position: half a million dollars invested and working punishing hours as customers ask whether your store is set to close and landlords breathe down your neck.
This is how one Pie Face franchisee explains his circumstances, following the spectacular collapse of the once high-flying fast-food chain.
The 11-year-old business, founded by former Wall Street banker Wayne Homschek and interior designer Betty Fong, had taken on Australia, the US, and Singapore. Store openings were planned for the Middle East, Japan, Korea and the Philippines.
But now it's store closures and job cuts, fulfilling the bleak predictions of franchisees who said the vast majority of stores were unprofitable.
Twenty stores are being closed, administrators Jirsch Sutherland confirmed on Friday, which will cause 130 part-time employees to lose their jobs. The losses are from NSW (11), Victoria (five), Queensland (three) and Pie Face's sole store in Western Australia. With 20 stores and two offices in NSW confirmed to be closing, there are just 50 stores left in Australia.
Pie Face's final debt load has not been confirmed, although one estimate is $15 million, including a $7 milion debt to the Tax Office, plus suppliers. It's unclear how much Pie Face owes in employer superannuation.
Meanwhile, insolvency firm Ferrier Hodgson has been appointed by major secured creditor Macquarie as receiver over certain assets.
These assets include bank accounts and control of the agreement between Pie Face and casino billionaire Steve Wynn, who invested $US15 million in Pie Face's US subsidiary in 2012.
When Pie Face started selling franchises, it spruiked high margins, low overheads, a strong brand and a "versatile all-day offering".
Its franchise director told prospective franchisees: "Pie Face has invested over $10 million. It has now begun franchising, and the results speak for themselves. We are so confident of our franchise business opportunity that we are offering new franchisees up to $120,000 first-year profit protection."
Years later, Pie Face's collapse has been blamed on rents of up to 25 per cent of sales, higher-than-expected cost of goods, and royalties of between 7 and 8 per cent.
Others suggest the business was more focused on selling franchises and international licences than selling food, and today's company-owned stores are simply stores that franchisees were unable to make profitable.
Sales reports seen by BusinessDay show declining year-on-year sales across NSW, Victoria and Queensland, with Pie Face stores taking an average $298,832 in sales since July. For franchises, the average is lower at $268,555.
The report, for the week ending 23 November, shows the best-performing store brought in more than $41,000 in weekly sales; the lowest was just under $3,000.
Depending on rent, one franchisee estimates that a franchise needs $25,000 in weekly sales to make a profit and be paid.
The report shows the coffee-to-food sales ratio averaged 22 per cent. Yet franchisees say higher-margin coffee, sold as an add-on to the chain's pies, ideally should account for 40 per cent of sales to smooth out the lower-margin food sales. The average transaction value was $6.94.
One market watcher said Pie Face was "paying aggressive rents for anything they could get their hands on. In some cases they were 30 to 40 per cent higher than any other retailer."
Established Pie Face traders also suffered from the swift saturation of CBD sites in Australia's two largest cities.
At its peak, Melbourne's CBD had at least 17 outlets and most of NSW's 39 stores were clustered in central Sydney.
"It didn't make sense at the time. The rental levels they were putting on the table were extremely high," one Melbourne-based commercial agent said.
"They were signing off deals within 24 hours. They weren't looking after franchisees very well in terms of getting them competitive market rents."
Pie Face first met with Jirsch Sutherland in February at the request of Gary Blom of Main Street Capital, who was helping Pie Face raise money for working capital.
The creditors' report shows that about 15 meetings were held with groups ranging from a public relations firm to lawyers and more lawyers. Another advisory firm McGrathNicol did a report on restructuring options, a deed of company arrangement was discussed, and refinancing Macquarie's debt or assigning it to an unnamed US investors were canvassed.
Meanwhile, over the course of 2014, Pie Face stores were sold to new franchisees and relationships with investors are said to have deteriorated.
When Pie Face finally went bust on November 20, saying it would focus on wholesale and direct retail, the news provoked disparate reactions.
Former franchisees lamented that their long-standing complaints, including to the competition regulator, had gone unheeded. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission this week declined to comment on "potential investigations or complaints received."
Existing franchisees are left hanging on next week's meeting with administrators and management.
And investors, who have poured more than $35 million in Pie Face over the last five years with hopes at one stage it would list on the sharemarket, have predicted the company will pull through.
Angus Geddes, the founder of sharemarket research and investment site Fat Prophets, said they had "already got the funding sorted ... and the bottom line is the company is going to be fine."
Beyond casino mogul Steve Wynn - who described the company's management team as "bright people with a bright concept" - investors include retail entrepreneur Brett Blundy and former Austereo executive Brian Bickmore.
But Rich Listers staring down losses join a long line of people who have done their dough on Pie Face.
Aleks Trajceski, a former commercial pilot from Queensland, lost between $1.4 and $1.5 million on his stores. He said he only discovered that his cost of goods was a steep 41 per cent of sales after a few months of operating a store.
Canadian national Tom Bulmer says he lost $200,000 on his Brisbane investment. He has returned to Canada, angry at Australia's expensive legal system. Bulmer is a lawyer.
One franchisee sheets the collapse down to low sales and growth problems.
"Customers are more health-conscious and our prices are too expensive," the person said. "When they were in growth stage they opened up a lot of stores that didn't make sense."
For remaining franchisees, it's a waiting game and many are sceptical the company can turn itself around - or that existing workers will stick around.
After signing up dozens of franchisees from 2009 to 2012, many lease and franchisee agreements are up for renewal in the next couple of years. One said: "No one in their right mind is going to want to renew their agreements."


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WASHINGTON – Almost all Americans believe the federal government has a duty to ensure chemicals used in making consumer products are safe, and even more say companies aren’t doing enough to keep toxic substances out of products, a new survey finds.
The online survey of 1,200 registered voters, by Lake Research Partners on behalf of the University of California, San Francisco’s Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, found 92 percent agree the government should “require products be proven safe before companies are allowed to put them on the market.”
“A mix of lax regulatory oversight by the federal government and deceptive and dangerous decisions by chemical companies have left every American polluted with toxic substances associated with a number of serious health problems,” said Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs at the Environmental Working Group.
The full survey findings show 93 percent of the voters also agreed that companies are not doing enough to remove toxic chemical ingredients from products. EWG has long worked to highlight concerns about harmful substances being used in everyday items, including lead, phthalates, pesticides and the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS made by 3M, Chemours and other companies, used on a wide range of products.
“The results of this survey demonstrate clearly that the public is fed up with the failure of public health agencies and companies to safeguard human health and the environment from toxic chemicals,” Benesh said.
“The decades of deception by chemical companies like Chemours and 3M that knew their products were toxic but hid that information from the public is why babies in the womb are now born pre-polluted with everything from PFAS chemicals to pesticides,” she said.
In September, EWG scientists reviewed 40 studies examining the presence and health effects of PFAS in cord blood, with each study detecting a wide range of PFAS.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fluorinated chemicals contaminate the bodies of nearly all Americans,. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends in a report that people with a history of elevated exposure to PFAS should be offered medical testing.
Very low doses of PFAS have been linked to suppression of the immune system, including reduced vaccine efficacy. These chemicals harm development and the reproductive system, such as reduced birth weight and impacts on fertility; increase risk of certain cancers; and affect metabolism, such as changes in cholesterol and weight gain.
Toxic PFAS also are suspected endocrine disruptors, which can mimic or throw off the regular functioning of the hormone system, causing a wide range of health problems. And they’re in thousands of consumer and industrial products.
It’s virtually impossible to avoid being exposed to these substances. They’re in almost everything we encounter every day, many times a day – cosmetics, tap water, dust, furniture, cookware, clothing, food like fruit and vegetables that have residues of pesticides on them, food storage containers and packaging.
Minimize your exposure
While the government moves slowly to regulate and ban harmful hormone disruptors, here are some tips to limit your exposure to potentially harmful chemicals:
- Choose clothing, carpeting, furniture and curtains without stain- and water-resistant finishes or fire-retardant treatments.
- Dust and vacuum frequently, using a HEPA filter when possible, as this will help you lower your exposure to lead, phthalates and PFAS.
- Consult EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ to reduce your exposure to toxic pesticide residues on fruit and vegetables.
- The right filter for your water can help remove harmful contaminants, including endocrine-disrupting PFAS and pesticides. Consult EWG’s Tap Water Database to find out what’s in your water, and then review our water filter guide to learn which one is best for your home. (For many reasons, bottled water is not the best solution under almost all circumstances.)
- Phthalates can be found in personal care products but also in cleaning products, diapers and other common consumer items. Phthalates aren’t always listed on ingredient labels, though, so consult EWG’s Skin Deep® and Guide to Healthy Cleaning to find safer products made without endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.


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Liquor stores across the country have taken the same approach, banning Russian vodka.
TYLER, TX (KLTV) -
The Russian invasion of Ukraine doesn’t sit well with one East Texas liquor store. Both Russia and the United States have imposed several sanctions over the past week as a result of the events in Crimea and Ukraine. That sparked a Winona liquor store to phase out Russian vodka from its store shelves.
A small liquor store with a big message.
“If you’re from Texas you are proud to be from Texas,” Courtney Peters, store manager at Crystal Springs Liquor Beer and Wine, said.
She was born and raised in Texas.
“We’ll just sanction Russian vodka from our stores,” she explained. “We’re not going to help them in any way if they’re just going to take over.”
Caution tape had been placed over all the Russian vodka.
“I thought that was a good idea, I mean, it’s not a lot, but it’s something small that we can do here, locally, just to show our support,” she said.
The Winona liquor store has discounted it in an effort to finish it off.
“We’re just one liquor store,” she said.
But they’re not the only one. Liquor stores across the country have taken the same approach, banning Russian vodka.
The Austin-based owners came up with the idea when they read about Russian sanctions last week. They decided it was time to sanction Russia.
“Texas anything is big, so, therefore, buy local. Everybody’s like support USA. Buy local, anyway. So, why not buy Texan," asked Peters.
Next to a sign sanctioning Russian liquor is another encouraging the purchase of Texas-made vodka, and customers are listening.
Customers are saying "cheers" to the ban, she said, and there has been no backlash.
And, though the concept is of international proportion, “this is home, all the memories, it’s all here, in Texas,” the message is close to home.
Once their supply of Russian vodka has been entirely sold, the store doesn’t plan on stocking more anytime soon. They have offered to order Russian vodka for wholesale buyers but so far, none have wanted it.
Thursday, September 11 2014 5:21 AM EDT2014-09-11 09:21:40 GMT
(WMC) - A Mid-South woman with a mystery illness is desperate for help that can keep her alive. WMC Action News 5 shared the story of Shanyna Isom in a special report in 2012; she grows fingernails throughMore >>
WMC Action News 5 shared the story of Shanyna Isom in a special report in 2012; she grows fingernails through the hair follicles in her skin. Two years later and the cost of a mystery illness continues to threaten her life.More >>


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From hyper-regional cuisine to experiential dining, here are five food trends that will dominate 2020
Food trends are dominating the industry, so much so that every other eatery is trying to offer the latest fad, be it including keto-friendly options, serving avocado toast or offering kale in every possible form. But, which trends would dominate this year? Chef Shibendu Ray Chaudhury, Executive Sous Chef, Renaissance Mumbai has the answer:
1. Sustainable Food Culture
Continuing from where we left off in 2019, sustainable practices are something which every chef and restauranteur would strive to achieve this year as well. From offering paper straws to practice more sustainable methods of sourcing, people are increasingly looking at food that is not only 'farm-raised' and ‘organic’ but will also see how it is impacting our environment.
With healthy eating being in trend, the superfood culture will continue to evolve this year and the upcoming trends will include nutritional yeast, seaweed and healthy probiotics. Another thing that will be in focus this year would be the reduction of food waste.
2. Going to the Roots
We have been treated to fusion, molecular, modern Indian and many such beautiful concepts by chefs all across. This year we will see chefs going deep into the roots of regional cuisines, also called hyper-regional cuisine. So instead of cuisines like Punjabi, Awadhi, South Indian, we should look out for trends like Bori food, Indore street food, Kohlapuri food and even Yucatan and Oaxaca cuisine instead of your conventional Mexican food.
3. Dietary Diversities
Since people are becoming more conscious of how they look and what food makes them look better, the year will definitely see the rise of various dietary menu alternatives including plant-based, vegan, keto, low carb and dairy-free options. Furthermore, we will see a growth in consumption of alternative grains and flours like jowar, bajra, ragi as well as dairy alternatives like coconut, rice, hemp almond, soy and oat milk.
4. Experiential Dining
The modern guest who visits the restaurant does not only come to eat the food but also looks forward to a complete experience. With Instagram paving the way for people to post where they have been and what they have been eating, unique experiential dining will leave a huge footprint on the global food scenario. From projection mapping onto tables to dining in the dark or themed dining, you can expect to indulge in an extravagant affair that’s full of smoke, mirrors, and thematic treats. Additionally, the open kitchen concept will also be a rage this year. This means diners will be able to see more communicative and interactive kitchens at restaurants, making them feel like they are a part of the process of how and where their food is being prepared.
5. Sophisticated Kids’ Menu
In 2020, the kid’s menu will witness a makeover. It will not be limited to fish fingers, sandwiches and pastas but will go through a revolution which will witness parents exposing their kids to food from all across the world from a tender age itself.


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The RealINSIGHT Marketplace auction of 16 Sears locations has been pushed out until next month despite “tremendous response” from over 200 interested parties, according to James Shevlin, a managing director at CWCapital.
Sears is marketing 16 US Midwestern and Texas locations for sale, as reported (see story, 6 March). Five of those stores are located in malls that back USD 467m in CMBS debt spread across five deals. While the Sears are anchor tenants at the property, none directly back any of that CMBS debt.
Indicative bids are now due 1 May and the auction is 22 May, according to the RealINSIGHT website. Final bids had previously been due Wednesday (25 April). CWCapital owns the RealINSIGHT platform. Cushman & Wakefield is brokering the offering.
“We initially had an earlier call-for-offers date but given other product in the market and realizing these are not easy deals, they’re somewhat complex … more time was needed,” Shevlin said. “The response we are getting is still very good.”
Going concerns, not dark stores
Toys “R” Us’ move to a liquidation process in March was possibly a “minor” factor in the decision to delay the bidding, Shevlin said. But the flurry of distressed retail news is constant and “there’s never going to be a perfect time when all the stars align,” he said. “We’re at a point where there is a lot of interest and on May 1 it will be interesting to see how things work out.” Shevlin declined to disclose the reserve price.
Shevlin stressed that the Sears properties in the offering are a different type of product than the Toys “R” Us assets. “These are not dark stores, these are going concerns,” he said. “And Sears’ ultimate goal when they look at these offers is probably to find a situation where someone may offer them a sale lease-back opportunity.” By contrast, buyers of Toys “R” Us assets are going to end up with a vacant box that’s probably not attached to a mall, Shevlin said.
Sears owns and fully occupies the spaces that are being sold, which range in size from 131,685 sq ft to 244,893 sq ft, as reported. The CMBS deals with exposure are MSC 2011-C2 (USD 137.6m), JPMCC 2012-C8 (USD 119.7m), SCGT 2013-SRP1 (USD 91.6m), GSMS 2011-GC5 (USD 80.7m) and JPMCC 2006-CB16 (USD 37m). The sale will not directly impact the CMBS debt as the retailer is a non-collateral anchor tenant.
Big deal for RealINSIGHT
The Sears offering is the largest from a third-party seller that CWCapital has offered on its RealINSIGHT platform.
The special servicer launched RealINSIGHT in March 2017 and reported total sales from its own book of USD 1.536bn in unpaid balance last year. This year, CWCapital expects to sell USD 2bn in assets on the platform from its own book. In addition, the firm, which this year began selling assets for others on the site, is on track to exceed its original USD 100m target of third party RealINSIGHT sales, he said.
Sales on the platform are transparent and reach more potential buyers, Shevlin said. In addition, CWCapital has established a 10% hard deposit requirement the reduces retrades, something that was common last year in offline negotiations. The buyer, “could try to walk away but the seller could say, ‘I’m going to hold your deposit and I’m going to take the second-place buyer,’” Shevlin said.
There’s strong investor appetite on the platform for multifamily, industrial, self-storage and hotel properties while demand for retail assets is “hit or miss,” he said. Grocery-anchored centers are still strong but power centers and malls are difficult to sell, Shevlin said.
One issue facing some properties is that the loss of certain large retailers can trigger co-tenancy clauses, he said. As a result, he said, “sometimes it’s hard to value retail.”
A Cushman broker and a Sears spokesperson did not immediately respond.


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The American Chamber of Commerce has urged Ghanaian producers who wish to export their produce to the United States to pursue the move despite threats by President Donald Trump to impose high taxes on imported goods coming into the country.
President Trump after his inauguration announced plans to carry-out trade policies that will drastically reduce the volume of imports into America to help create jobs and protect the American economy.
This has created a lot of anxiety among investors across the world.
Already, China has warned that taking such unfriendly trade stance may affect American companies operating outside the country.
But speaking to Citi Business News on the issue, the president of the American Chamber of Commerce-Ghana, Mr. Joe Mensah maintained that Mr. Trump cannot reverse major trade policies passed into law to protect developing countries such as Ghana.
He argued that most trade agreements signed with Ghana and ECOWAS as a sub-region are binding regardless of the government.
He refuted the assertion that President Trump can issue an executive order to reverse some pacts that are binding on the US.
“The beauty of America is that, regardless of who is at the top, the country still functions because they have institutions that work. Trump can do whatever he wants to do but that is short lived,” he said.
Expecting some form of stability in the short period, Mr. Mensah was hopeful Trump will go by the rules of the institutions after the government is fully formed.
He stressed that no American citizen can sidestep the institutions of the country since it is the foundation of the country.
“At a certain point there will be equilibrium and everything will settle and then we will know the way forward because right now it is optimism up and down. Because nobody knows what he is going to tweet tomorrow morning”.
By: Lawrence Segbefia/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana


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True Blue News & Blog Updates
With the NFL Playoffs in full swing, we’re sure your plans are already underway for attending Super Bowl parties. How about a Super Bowl golf tournament, too?
The most recent feedback at Golf Advisor, which features more than 825,000 reviews of 14,000-plus golf courses worldwide, includes two five-star reviews of True Blue Golf Club.
20 years has come and gone in a hurry! This February, True Blue Golf Club is celebrating its 20th Anniversary, and as a way to celebrate, we are offering a unique promotion to all golfers.


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Electronics giant Samsung India reported on Sunday that on the first day of online holiday sales at Amazon and Flipkart, it had sold more than 12 lakh Galaxy smartphones for more than Rs 1,000 crore.
Details about Samsung sells more than 12 million smartphones for Rs 1000 crores
For the holiday season promotions, Samsung has reduced the cost of its Galaxy series smartphones by between 17 and 60 percent.
“Samsung set a new record in India by selling more than 1.2 million Galaxy handsets on the first day of the online holiday sales. Thanks to never-before-seen bargains on Amazon and Flipkart, Samsung Galaxy smartphones were among the most in-demand gadgets. Samsung sold Galaxy handsets valued more than Rs. 1000 crore in a single day “In a statement, Samsung stated. Prices for devices like the Galaxy S20 FE 5G, Galaxy S22 Ultra, Galaxy S22, Galaxy M53, Galaxy M33, M32 Prime Edition, and Galaxy M13 have all been reduced by Samsung.
The business has disclosed discounts ranging from 17 to 38% for the high-end Galaxy S22 series. “Every third smartphone sold was a Galaxy, making Samsung the leading brand on Day 1 of Amazon’s Great Indian Festival. the Galaxy M13 was the top-selling item, “declared Samsung.
The first day of Flipkart’s “Big Billion Days” sale saw Samsung claim a twofold increase in its market share. The company went on to say that Samsung was “ready to strengthen its 5G and overall smartphone supremacy in the country with a strong start to the Christmas season sales.”
With shipments of 5.7 million units, Samsung earned a 16.3% market share in the second quarter of 2022, according to market research firm IDC.


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Edible Arrangements Celebrates First Anniversary
Edible Arrangements recently celebrated its first anniversary in Kentlands. Located near Bonefish Grill at 76 Market St. in Kentlands Square, the franchise is owned by North Potomac residents Khurram and Iram Shahzad.
“As I had hoped, this is a very fun business to be in,” said Khurram Shahzad, who is often out making deliveries of his fresh fruit arrangements on the weekend. “You are always making people happy.” The best thing about Edible Arrangements, he said, is “this ‘wow’ factor.”
The store’s sales have been steadily growing, he said. “Kentlands is a great location.”
In addition to fruit arrangements, the store has a full line of fruit to go and fresh fruit smoothies for customers looking for a sweet and healthy treat. Fruit is dipped in chocolate, and the store carries “donuts,” made from Granny Smith apple slices that are hand-dipped in semisweet chocolate and decorated with toppings.
Shahzad and his staff are gearing up for a busy holiday month. While older franchises are closed on Sundays, the Kentlands location is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Pinky & Pepe’s Collects for Toys for Tots
Pinky & Pepe’s Grape Escape is once again participating in the United States Marine Corps Toys for Tots program. For nine years, the wine and lager bar, located at 223 Kentlands Boulevard, has collected new, unwrapped toys for children up to 17 years of age.
Foundry Fitness Moving to Market Square
Foundry Fitness, currently at 336 Main St., will be moving to 205 Market St. West in May 2019. The new location in Kentlands Market Square will give the popular fitness studio more space.
Salon Lofts Opening Soon
Salon Lofts, a home for independent beauty professionals, will be opening soon in the second floor space at 654 Center Point Way. Leasing is underway now.
CandyCakeExplosion Takes on NYC and MoCo
Lakelands-based business CandyCakeExplosion is now in Dylan’s Candy Bar’s flagship New York City store. “They are doing amazing there,” said business owner Jenna Goldblatt, who is also fulfilling Dylan’s Candy Bar’s online orders for her candy cakes. For the holiday season and possibly beyond, CandyCakeExplosion is selling its sweet creations locally at the Corner Market & Pharmacy in Rockville, at 1119 Nelson St., and in Silver Spring, at 8309 Grubb Road.
/GIV/ Partners With My Big Finds
For a third year, the pop-up shop /GIV/ returned to Rio Washingtonian Center, 26-A Grand Corner Ave., for three weeks Nov. 21 through Dec. 9, this time as a holiday collective partnering with local Kentlands Market Square business My Big Finds. Look for My Big Finds one-ofa-kind furniture, as well as women’s and men’s accessories, jewelry, apparel and body products from brands that give back to the community. At the Holiday Collective Pop-Up, /GIV/ will donate shower shoes and a percentage of sales to Interfaith Works Women’s Center in Rockville.
PMA Starts Whirlwind Holiday Schedule
Late November kicked off a whirlwind of holiday performances by Pritchard Music Academy musicians. On Nov. 28, Powerhouse Brass was part of the pre-show entertainment for the National Christmas Tree Lighting. The group withstood 40 mile per hour wind gusts and played with one foot anchoring their music stands. The first weekend in December brought more performances: Breakfast with Santa at the Kentlands Mansion, the holiday show at Lakeforest Mall and ZooLights at the National Zoo.
Yard House to Open at Rio
The Yard House, with 130 taps including local beers Burley Oak Sorry Chicky, Union Blackwing and Flying Dog Bloodline Blood Orange Nitro and more than 100 menu items, will open at 211 Rio Boulevard on Monday, Dec. 10, 11 a.m. The 13,000-square-foot restaurant will accommodate more than 430 guests.


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The Balcon Network has registered the popular Ethereum Blockchain network with more than 566,516 active users, according to Polygonscan’s October 2 research report. Ethereum, on the other hand, stands at 527,158.
Data from Etherscan It shows that the number of active addresses in the polygonal network has increased by 168 percent in the last 30 days. This is the first time that the number of users of a polygonal network is higher than that of Ethereum.
Ethereum is an open source public blockchain network that allows people to send cryptocurrency for a fee. This blockchain network has led to accusations against competitors when it comes to user interactions in crypto gaming. However, new numbers have revealed that more users interact with the polygonal chain than with the Ethereum mainnet.
How did Polygon outperform Ethereum?
Ethereum suffers from slow transactions and sometimes high transaction costs prevent users from interacting with the currency. Meanwhile, in a polygonal network, transaction fees are much lower and provide greater security.
According to Spencer Noon, a cryptocurrency venture capital fund, the adoption of fungus-free tokens (NFTs) and NFT-based fantasy gaming have spurred the growth of Balacon’s user base. Since July, traders in the polygonal open sea [the NFT marketplace] Spencer sold 45.5x and NFTs 17.5x in a network report released on October 2.


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IOTA is a partnership with EVRYTHING
Home uncategorized IOTA’s partnership with EVRYTHING a
Marcel Knobloch –
The German Cryptocurrency IOTA deals with the Internet of things, and is not based, in contrast to Bitcoin and Ethereum on the block chain technology, but relies on the Tangle. In cooperation with the IoT platform EVRYTHING applications easier, faster and safer skalliert.
The cooperation between the two companies includes the Integration of some of the core technologies of IOTA in the Blockchain Integration Hub of EVRYTHING. After the successful implementation of brand article manufacturer to have a “simple and safe Mögkichkeit to scale IoT test applications quickly, and to implement,” – said in the current press release. The new IoT applications to provide customers with more transparency and at the same time, all of the data in real-time along the complete supply chain available.
Dominique Guinard, co-founder and CTO, is pleased that his project real practice has developed applications that sustainable innovations will bring (freely translated):
We celebrate the one year of our EVRYTHNG Blockchain Integration Hub. In the past year, we not only have powerful integrations with some of the most well-known block chains in the world, including the origin of the trail, Tierion, BLOCKv, Bitcoin and Ethereum, but also genuine applications with the technology.
The collaboration with IOTA is particularly valuable since the Ledger technology is aimed specifically at the IoT industry and new opportunities for major brand manufacturers. Although Blockchain-enabled systems can streamline many routine business processes, you need to technically master unbewanderte companies with major challenges. This high cost for Testing the Blockchain and DLT-Plattfformen, to determine what kinds of implementations work best.
IOTA has been selected as the platform because the developers can be reached through the Integration into the existing EVRYTHING Blockchain Hub, “a completely new Dimension in the area of scalability, and interoperability”. In addition, user data or payments without a transaction, can be trusted fees in a trust, admission-free and decentralized environment transmitted securely. Holger Köther, partnership Director of the IOTA Foundation, (freely translated):
The distributed Ledger technology from IOTA is on the Blockchain by secure data transfer and payments to the IoT. Due to the nature of the supply chain and the lack of transparency and trust in the Tangle of technology from IOTA is able to overcome these challenges. This partnership with EVRYTHNG clearly shows how both consumer brands and their customers greater transparency in the procurement and production of consumer goods can benefit.
Featured Image: Wit Olszweski | Shutterstock


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Thanks to tapered operating costs.
Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) has kickstarted 2016 with a Q1 profit of $81.3m. According to the company’s media release, the company’s net attributable earnings reflect a 17.3% surge from 1Q15’s profit.
For the quarter, SPH’s total operating costs dipped 1.2% to 205.7m, on back of the company’s focus on cost discipline and operating efficiency.
The release also noted that SPH’s media business recorded an 8.7% revenue plunge against 1Q15. The drop was due mainly to a 10.6% decline in advertisement revenue as anaemic economic growth and a continuously changing competitive environment weighed on the media business.
Meanwhile, SPH’s property segment continued to register steady growth during the quarter. Its revenue climbed 16% YoY, boosted by contribution from The Seletar Mall.
Revenue from the other businesses also soared by 20.2% against 1Q15, thanks to higher income from exhibitions and online classifieds businesses.
Looking forward, SPH will redouble its efforts to sustain its media business as well as adjacent businesses, and continue to evaluate and pursue growth opportunities to address challenges in the FY16 operating environment, according to CEO Alan Chan.
Do you know more about this story? Contact us anonymously through this link.


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- Demandbase, a B2B online targeting and personalization platform, has launched a cookie-less solution for B2B advertisers that allows them to retarget businesses that have visited their websites.
- The new tool uses corporate IP addresses to identify the companies that visitors are from in real-time, and then, based on their actions, it uses exchanges like Google and RightMedia to programmatically retarget customized ads to that visitor.
- Demandbase's new B2B retargeting solution is an extension of Company-Targeted Advertising, which allows advertisers to identify certain visitors or companies to target. For example, an advertiser can identify the "Fortune 1000" to target those specific companies.
This offering from Demandbase falls in line with the increasing trend of B2B companies utilizing traditionally B2C marketing and advertising tactics. This approach allows B2B marketers to target more than one person at a company that may be involved in the sales process, which isn't something all tactics or solutions provide. As cookies become less popular, especially now that companies like Google are thinking beyond them, more solutions like this will be necessary for retargeting.


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Bobst partners with drupa touchpoint packaging for 2020
drupa has announced the launch of the touchpoint packaging initiative for drupa 2020, taking place from June 16 to 26, 2020.
The ambitions of drupa touchpoint packaging are to provide insights into packaging design and production based on consumer needs and use, display latest solutions and applications and show how future packaging and design will deliver additional value, stimuli and growth opportunities.
As a pioneer of innovation in the field of packaging, Bobst is keen to be an active contributor to the project. It believes that the role of packaging is evolving, the way brands design, pack and distribute products is changing.
Showcasing the trends of packaging will help converters to visualise the directions packaging production is taking. Bobst will provide innovative and concrete samples from idea to finish, working in close cooperation with packaging designers and students to implement these innovations.


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Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel has increased its stake in the Nigerian Airtel network by 13.36 per cent to a total of 79.06 per cent.
Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel has announced plans to acquire Alcatel Lucent's entire stake in their joint venture company.
Indian mobile phone giant Bharti Airtel is planning an initial public offering (IPO) of its telecommunications tower unit to raise an estimated amount of $825 million.
India’s Bharti Airtel and Japan’s Softbank Corporation have announced a partnership with Yahoo Japan to develop a mobile internet portal and other services for the Indian mobile market.
Bharti Softbank (BSB), a 50-50 joint venture between the two mobile phone giants, have created a new firm BSY to launch operations later this month.
India's scandal-hit telecom sector received a boost this week with the release of the broad guidelines for a brand new telecommunications policy for the country.
The new rules will make mergers and acquisitions (M&As) between operators that create a combined market share of up to 35 per cent “simple and quick”, easing earlier restrictions in the area.
The world’s largest mobile phone company, Vodafone, won its legal battle against a $2.2-billion tax bill imposed by Indian authorities. The Supreme Court decision in its favour this week is being seen as a victory for foreign investment into the country. The tax bill related to Vodafone's $11-billion deal to buy Hutchison Whampoa Limited's Indian mobile business in 2007.
India’s leading mobile phone network provider, Bharti Airtel, has crossed the 50-million subscribers mark in Africa within just 17 months of acquiring Zain Telecom in the region.
The Sunil Mittal led company claims to have added 14 million new mobile customers in this period and invested $1 billion in the network infrastructure during the current financial year.
The world’s fifth largest firm in this segment currently operates in 17 countries in the continent.
Telecom and financial services major Munoth Group has struck a joint venture partnership with China’s mobile handset manufacturer G’Five.
The Chennai-based company announced that the new JV will operate across manufacturing and marketing of handsets and smart communication devices, along with service and technology tie-ups.
Munoth G’Five Telecom Ltd (MGTL), the new 50-50 JV firm, will work exclusively on touchscreen mobile phones in the mid and premium segments and expects huge turnovers from year one.
Hyderabad-based mobile value-added services company IMImobile has acquired digital agency Skinkers.
The UK-based developer of apps for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android-OS based handsets has created mobile and desktop applications for companies such as American Airlines, the BBC, Microsoft and Virgin Atlantic. It also develops web-based apps, as well as mobile games.
Vishwanath Alluri, founder-chairman of IMImobile, said: “With the acquisition of Skinkers we will add considerable strength to our existing offering.
India's largest mobile phone operator, Bharti Airtel, has secured a licence to operate 2G and 3G services in Rwanda and now plans to invest $100 million in the country over the next three years. Bharti last year acquired telecom operations in 15 African countries as part of a $9-billion deal.
With its entry into Rwanda, Airtel will now operate in 17 countries in Africa, taking its worldwide total to 20 countries.
Rwanda is amongst the fastest growing telecom markets in Africa, with a mobile penetration of 38.4 per cent as of July 2011.


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With the launch of the ibox from Vantage last Wednesday, FOXXUM, international expert in Smart TV portal solutions, content aggregation and TV-Apps development, has launched the first Smart TV portal solution for Android and has set a new standard for Android-based TV-devices. Vantage and FOXXUM are responsible for setting the trend: classic TV-devices will increasingly be developed as Android-based.
“The implementation of Android-based Smart TV solutions is an important basis for achieving increased accessibility and coverage. While other providers are still busy announcing these types of products, FOXXUM, in close cooperation with Vantage, has already delivered this innovation and has proved being ahead of competition when it comes to technological excellence. Over the coming weeks, more of our clients will be launching a Smart TV portal solution on their Android-devices, developed in close connection with us,” said Ronny Lutzi, FOXXUM CEO.
The Vantage ibox integrated FOXXUM Smart TV portal provides an extensive selection of on-demand video content. Customers can watch missed episodes of TV programmes from public broadcasters ARD and ZDF. The Vantage ibox caters to all tastes with further online offers like a huge range of music from Tunein or news coverage from NOS or France 24. And to top it all off, over 40,000 videos from online video-store maxdome are also available.


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Contractors here have seen staggering material cost increases over the past year as surging demand and supply chain bottlenecks have pushed prices to record heights, and many predict those issues won’t end this year.
Costs started rising at the end of last year, and that trend only continued as “everything else started to fall behind,” says Cheryl Stewart, executive director of the Inland Northwest chapter of Associated General Contractors of America.
Diesel fuel saw the largest year-over-year price increase in April, at 126.7%. More recently, the Colonial Pipeline was shut down in early May following a cyberattack, causing a run on fuel and resulting in shortages across the country.
Lumber and plywood saw the second largest year-over-year price increases, at 85.7%; steel mill products, 67%; copper and brass, 49%; aluminum, 20.5%; and plastic construction materials, 14.2%, according to AGC’s most recent analysis of government data.
Stewart says steel stud, used for building framing, costs increased 15% in June and have already been confirmed to be increasing another 10% in July. The prices are expected to increase again in August, she says.
Contractors and do-it-yourselfers also can expect to see price increases in paint of between 3% to 7%, according to a market report from Coatings World, a journal specializing in the coatings industry, as shortages of monomers and resins, which are key ingredients in paint, increase pressure to raise prices.
The report also notes that some suppliers of acrylic emulsion, which is used to create waterproof acrylic paints, initiated a 3% to 5% price increase at the start of the year.
Lumber prices decreased for the first time in months during the last week of May Stewart adds, though she notes that’s not likely to continue, and was likely a result of a slight market correction.
“On the lumber side, while the domestic supply is strong, we typically also pull a lot from Canada and right now the tariffs on Canadian lumber are part of what’s driving up the price,” she says. “We’re working on a national level to help get relief on some of the Canadian tariffs on lumber to help meet the demand.”
Canada, the world’s second largest exporter of softwood lumber, currently is subject to U.S. duties ranging from 5% to 20%. The U.S. Department of Commerce had cut softwood lumber tariffs to 9% from more than 20% in December 2020, before more than doubling them in May.
The National Association of Home Builders estimates that record-breaking lumber prices alone have added $24,000 to a home’s price tag in 2021.
Supply shortages and increasing prices have yet to show a demonstrable effect on project demand, but likely will slow or outright halt projects if the trends continue, Stewart asserts.
“Schedule delays will probably be the biggest impact we’ll see,” says Stewart. “I think we will see a slight decrease in projects moving forward, a lot of people who wanted to build will get sticker shock, and that will cause a delay in some projects.”
Only paving mixtures and block prices declined in April 2021 compared to a year earlier, with a 2.2% decrease.
“We haven’t seen much of an increase in concrete or cement,” says Stewart.
She adds, however, concrete and cement prices likely will increase soon, as the industry is currently experiencing a shortage.
Most of the supply issues resulted from bottlenecked demand when factories and mills were shut down during the pandemic.
Many contractors thought construction work would halt as well, contends Stewart, but construction in a number of states only saw brief pauses before being allowed to resume in full.
Many of the factories that have reopened have experienced delays in ramping up production of materials and labor shortages as employees declined to come back to work or found jobs in other industries.
The industry also has seen slowdowns in materials transportation, which has been hampered by labor shortages and increasing costs as well, adds Stewart.
Altogether, this has led to uncertainty in materials costs, contends Stewart, who adds that contractors currently are getting price quotes that are only good for 10 days in some cases.
“Usually, even if a project bids at a certain time, it won’t start for another two months,” she says.
To accommodate price uncertainties, some contractors have begun writing into contracts cost escalators, which are formulas to allow for project cost fluctuations in line with construction material cost increases.
“We are seeing very short time frames (in cost guarantees) and very long delivery times,” contends Stewart. “It’s definitely made bidding a lot more challenging.”
Price guarantees for some steel products have been as short as five days, while most manufactured building components are seeing six month-plus delivery dates, says Clancy Welsh, president of Garco Construction Inc., of Spokane.
“We haven’t seen, at least in my 25 years, that type of long lead time,” he says. “That schedule impact is really something that we’re trying to take a look at and understand, so we don’t over-promise and under-deliver.”
Garco handles several longer-duration projects, and those short price guarantee windows have been a challenge for the company, he adds.
“There are many different reasons (for the cost increases), all circling around there’s still more demand than the supply chain can handle,” he contends.
Welsh says he’s surprised that the supply shortages and price increases have continued to trend upward in mid-2021.
A number of those in the industry thought the prices would see “some type of recoil,” says Welsh, because the steep price increases over the last year would have led to a drop in demand.
“But with the demand levels still high, the market is still testing what type of increase limits will have an impact on that. I think, sooner or later, that’s how we’ll see it level out or reduce,” he says.
He adds, “we don’t see much of a reduction, if any, in 2021 with material prices.”
Only a few of the company’s ongoing projects have been impacted financially by the price increases, he says. Most of the projects in the works by the company had prices locked in at the time the project was awarded.
Garco mainly works in the public sector, primarily in state and federal government projects, says Welsh. Only a small percentage of the company’s portfolio is private.
“Our backlog is fairly strong; we’ve had a pretty solid 2021,” he says. “There was a lot of concerns in 2020 as we saw projects shutting down … (the backlog) was much lower at the end of 2020 than in the first half of 2021.”
Spokane is still ripe with opportunity, which is why Welsh says he doesn’t expect to see a downturn in this year.
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Kashi cereal's 'natural' claims stir anger
from USA Today
How natural are Kashi natural cereals? Kellogg is facing anger on social media sites because of complaints that its popular Kashi brand of cold cereals doesn't live up to the company's "natural" billing on ads and boxes.
7701 Las Colinas Blvd., Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063


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Morning Brief: WoodWing adds Newsfeed Publisher to Content Station; TweetDeck goes to Twitter for $40 million
Digital publishing solutions provider WoodWing has announced a series of upgrades to its digital publishing solutions palette, including Newsfeed Publisher (see screenshot below) which allows publishers to integrate feeds into their iPad digital publications.
WoodWing also announced that it has released iPad Reader App 2.0 which brings support for hotspots on hotspots.
“Hotspots on hotspots is going to be a big thing,” Erik Schut, President of WoodWing Software, said in the company’s announcement. “Ever since designers started to use our nested interactivity, we have had requests for hotspots on hotspots. The problem has been how to offer a creation UI for this that is still easy to use. We’re very proud how we have implemented this in Enterprise 7.4 in a way that allows us to open the door to the next level of interactivity. And it’s all under total control by the designer without the need for coding.”
Last night CNN reported that Twitter has acquired TweetDeck for $40 million. The long rumored purchase finally has finalized yesterday.
The race to turn the iPad into a full fledged cash register is on. Yesterday I was looking at ShopKeep.com, a company that currently offers register services for the Mac and PC but will soon be offering an iPad solution, as well.
The NYT, however, wrote yesterday about another company, Square Inc., that is already launching mobile payment solutions through iOS devices. The company launched their own apps into the App Store, Square, which when combined with a free card reader that the company will send you, allows you to begin accepting credit card payments. The fees are 2.75 percent when using the card reader, 3.5 percent when you are forced to enter the numbers manually.
While these products are interesting, retailers will be looking at whether these new vendors offer a complete package of POS services as they are already squeezed by costs associated with register sales, inventory, etc.


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Memphis Meats has made history three times since it was founded in the US in 2016. They’re the first to grow edible beef, chicken and duck directly from animal cells, without the need to raise and slaughter animals.
In January 2016, it debuted its beef meatball, and in March 2017, Memphis Meats held a tasting of cultured duck and cultured chicken.
While lab-grown meat, also known as in-vitro meat, has been around since 2013 (see scientist Mark Post’s $330 000 burger), Memphis Meats is a massive step toward creating lab-grown meat products that could very soon end up on our shelves.
Founded by cardiologist Uma Valeti, the start-up is backed by some major players, including Bill Gates, Richard Branson and food industry giant Cargill.
“We’re going to bring meat to the plate in a more sustainable, affordable and delicious way,” explained Valeti.
Even though it’s a long time in the making, there’s still a shock factor when it comes to the thought of a petri dish burger.
And while researchers work to get the science right, we’re still coming to grips with the aesthetic.
But the truth is that our meat-straight-from-the-cow obsession is not sustainable.
Agriculture is harmful to the environment and often times inhumane. Lab-grown alternatives are starting to look not only attractive given its context, but also necessary.
Meat production today uses one third of Earth's fresh water and land surface and generates nearly one fifth of all greenhouse gas emissions, and it’s projected to grow by nearly 70 per cent by the year 2050.
“The world loves to eat meat, and it is core to many of our cultures and traditions. Meat demand is growing rapidly around the world. We want the world to keep eating what it loves. However, the way conventional meat is produced today creates challenges for the environment, animal welfare and human health,” said Valeti.
“These are problems that everyone wants to solve, and we can solve them by bringing this incredible group of partners under one tent. This group will help us accelerate our progress significantly.”
Valeti’s own aversion to conventional meat began when he was a boy growing up in Vijayawada, India.
While attending a birthday party, he walked around to the back of the home and found that animal after animal was being slaughtered to keep the festivities going. Speaking to Inc magazine, he said it just didn’t make sense.
"I loved eating meat, but I didn't like the way it was being produced," he was quoted as saying. "I thought, there has to be a better way."
It starts by finding high quality cells in terms of nutrition, protein content, fat content, taste and texture. Once those cells are harvested, there’s an individual cultivation process for each type of meat.
But what sets Memphis Meats apart from the rest is their kill-free method of “feeding” the cells in-vitro. Other scientists have used bovine serum, which is expensive and is extracted from slaughtered animals.
Now, the goal is to find processes that can scale up affordably.


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After months of banter about the promise of subscription video-on-demand,
Time Warner Cable's Columbia, S.C., system will be the first to launch Home Box
Office's SVOD service this summer, according to sources close to the
The 130,000-subscriber system will be the first in the United States to offer
commercial SVOD services from any premium programmer, according to sources. HBO,
Showtime Networks Inc. and Starz Encore Group LLC have all discussed the launch
of an SVOD service sometime this year.
Representatives from HBO would only confirm that the programmer is planning
to launch SVOD sometime this year.
Time Warner Cable vice president of corporate communications Michael Luftman
also would not confirm the South Carolina launch. He said a commercial SVOD
deployment will take place 'in the not-too-distant future,' before adding, 'We
will also expand into another system over the summer.'
What's unclear is how much HBO will charge for SVOD, which allows subscribers
to order such original fare as Sex and the City and The Sopranos
-- as well as hit movies within the premium window -- on-demand and with VCR
functionality, including pause, fast-forward and rewind capabilities.
Pay TV executives have said prices could range anywhere from $3 to $10 per
month in addition to traditional monthly premium rates.
AOL Time Warner Inc. chief executive Gerald Levin, speaking at the Deutsche
Banc Alex. Brown Media Conference in New York, said the company will test three
different price levels to determine how much subscribers will pay for the
service, although he would not provide specific details.
'Consumers will pay X dollars for that privilege to get HBO subscription
video-on-demand. If I'm right about that, that's a very significant thing,'
Adelphia Communications Corp. announced last month that it would offer SVOD
services as part of its VOD services in Cleveland and western Pennsylvania. But
rather than charging a fee for the service, Adelphia executives said the MSO
would fold SVOD into existing premium packages as an added-value component
intended to reduce churn.


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Is Cadillac preparing the 2014 ATS-V? Cadillac recently surprised a lot of enthusiasts by announcing it will be installing a new twin turbo engine in the 2014 CTS which will be unveiled this coming week at the New York Auto Show. The new 3.6 liter V6 will be based on the current “high content” engine that GM uses across its product lines. This is a very good thing for the recently birthed Cadillac ATS. It means that the smallest Cadillac now has a mill worthy of the “V” moniker and it will bolt right onto the same engine mounts it already uses.
Since the ATS was launched about a year and half ago this news outlet, and others, have speculated that Cadillac might someday offer an ATS-V variant of the new compact sports sedan. However, even though things seem all peace love and profits over at the new GM, the General has to be careful what it does with taxpayer money. Profit sapping fuel sippers and EVs = OK, go for it. Cash cow muscle cars and expensive toys for millionaires = use caution. GM has been able to pay back a few of the loans your neighbors and you provided though, and logic must prevail if GM is to be viable going forward, and that means making cars that bring customers into dealerships, and buyers going out the door in a car that cost less to build than to sell. An ATS-V would fit that bill if the car didn’t require special tooling or a unique engine.
A 2014 Cadillac ATS-V with the twin turbo engine would not gain much front end weight over the current car with its top engine, the normally breathing 3.6 liter V6. The car would jump from about 320 horsepower up to about 420. With its approximately 3700 curb weight this rear-drive car would be one of GM’s fastest vehicles - ever. Only the Camaro ZL 1, the Corvette, and maybe the CTS-V would have a better power to weight ratio. Our own Patrick Rall wrote that the CTS with this engine would likely have a 0-60 mph time of about 4.6 seconds. That it very fast. However, an ATS-V with the same engine would be a car that could reach 60 in under 4 seconds. The technical term for that is “Stupid fast.” There would only be 3 single cars in the GM line-up that could compete with it.
Let’s move our comparisons beyond the GM portfolio. How would an ATS-V compete with an M3 from BMW? Very well. The ATS-V would have a similar power to weight ratio and also a similar weight. The 2013 BMW M3 has a V8, but the engine produces “only” 414 horsepower. The ATS-V would be competitive with this car. If the ATS had better fuel economy, that would just be icing on the cake. Lexus is dropping the IS-F sports sedan, and its new IS350 will sport only about 306 horsepower, so that car will no longer be in the race. Infiniti much the same. Mercedes and its AMG division could produce a C variant to be as powerful, or more powerful as the ATS-V, but at what cost? The good build cost / sell price ratio is the ATS-V’s secret weapon.
You can tease GM for many things including, but not limited to, the Pontiac Aztec, the Jobs Bank program, the model years 1972 through 1990, and for not paying taxes on its profits, but it is hard to argue the three CTS-V cars it produces aren’t both profitable for GM, and a world class automobile line-up. Equally important, the existence of the “V” series allows Cadillac to show smoky burnouts and racetrack footage in its commercials without customers laughing. Some of those customers might visit a showroom with the intent of checking out the V and go home with a more civilized CTS, which is basically the plan.
The ATS rocketed out of the gate in terms of sales, and last month the ATS outsold the CTS. Hopefully the ATS will continue to sell strongly, but it may do what most new cars do, which is level off, and eventually, dip in sales. That would be the moment Cadillac would launch the new ATS-V. Owners of the first few years of production might be lured back to showrooms, customers on leases getting oil changes could be walked upstairs to see the new ATS-V, and Cadillac would be able to renew enthusiasm for the ATS without a platform change or engine specific to only the ATS-V.
Since Cadillac is already going ahead with the engine in the CTS, any additional engines built for placement in other cars actually lowers GM’s cost per unit on that engine. GM could look to the Camaro SS to use this new engine instead of the 6.2 liter V8, and my recent article suggested exactly that. However, readers are already writing in saying “NO!!!” We have to agree. A Camaro SS or Z28 without a V8 is just silly. My inclination would be to type a sentence next including the words “Corvette” and “V6,” but my hands will not allow me to. The logic leads us to the ATS-V and perhaps an SRX-V, but that tallish platform may have trouble with this much power.
Before we sign off it must be said that despite all of our talk about how cars should be profitable, we can still dream that an ATS-V coupe, or maybe even a hard-top convertible coupe, might be someplace in the CADD systems over at GM Design. If so, it would be the most exciting Cadillac since the first CTS-V coupe was announced.


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Toyota and Nissan’s Trucks Share a Similar Trend
Toyota is one of the largest and most well-known automakers in the world, and it’s competing against a lot of great automakers in the American car market. One of Toyota’s rivals is another Japanese automaker, Nissan, and interestingly enough, the two companies share some similarities in terms of their lineups. Here’s a look at how Toyota and Nissan’s trucks are currently sharing the same trend.
Here’s how Toyota and Nissan’s midsize trucks are selling
GoodCarBadCar recently revealed the latest sales data for the year, and trucks in general are still doing very well. In Toyota’s case, the company’s famous Tacoma midsize pickup truck has been one of the best-selling cars of the year so far. In the first half of 2023, Toyota has sold nearly 117,000 units of the truck. That easily makes the Tacoma the best-selling midsize truck right now.
For context, almost every other midsize truck has sold about 20,000 to 30,000 units so far this year, which means that the Tacoma is selling nearly four times better than its segment rivals. Nissan’s midsize truck offering, the Frontier, is in second place in terms of segment sales. So far this year, Nissan has sold around 34,000 units of the Frontier.
Although these are good sales numbers, the economy is catching up with the segment. The Tacoma’s sales numbers grew by 7.5% compared to last year, while the Frontier saw a nearly 21% drop in sales. With that being said, this isn’t the trend that the two trucks are following.
Toyota and Nissan’s trucks follow the same trend in terms of segment popularity
Like many other automakers, both Toyota and Nissan also offer full-size pickup trucks. The Tacoma’s bigger sibling is the Tundra, while the Frontier’s bigger sibling is the Titan. American truck shoppers seem to love full-size trucks since they offer better specs than smaller trucks like the Tacoma or Frontier do.
Despite that, both the Tundra and the Titan lag behind their respective midsize truck counterparts in terms of sales.
Toyota has sold nearly 60,000 units of the Tundra so far this year, while Nissan has sold about 10,500 units of the Titan. In the case of Toyota, the Tundra’s sales are solid, but they’re almost half of what the Tacoma is selling. On the other hand, the Titan’s sales are even worse as the full-size Nissan truck is selling about one-third of what the Frontier is selling.
That being said, both full-size trucks’ sales numbers are better in terms of how they’re doing compared to last year. The Titan saw a drop in sales of about 6%, which is much less than the Frontier’s 21% year-over-year drop in sales. The Tundra, meanwhile, saw a year-over-year sales growth of almost 35%, which is better than the Tacoma’s 7.5% growth.
This trend is different compared to what other automakers tend to experience
The fact that Toyota and Nissan’s midsize trucks are selling better than their full-size trucks is surprising. Those two Japanese companies aren’t the only companies competing in multiple truck segments. Ford, for example, has the full-size F-150, the midsize Ranger, and the compact Maverick. Chevy has the full-size Silverado and the midsize Colorado.
Unlike Toyota and Nissan though, Ford and Chevy’s truck sales follow the opposite pattern. Their full-size pickup trucks are far more popular than their midsize trucks, and it’s not even close. The F-150 is currently the best-selling vehicle in America as it’s sold 383,000 units so far, while the Ranger only sold 24,000 units this year.
This difference illustrates how dominant American trucks are in the full-size truck segment, as well as how dominant Japanese trucks are in the midsize truck segment.