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Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
India exported $38 billion worth of services to the grouping last year.
The surge in exports was mainly due to greater demand for marine products, grapes, raw cotton and plastic raw materials
The progress of negotiations were reviewed during a meeting of all the trade ministers of 16 countries in Cambodia, which concluded Saturday.
Though the RCEP includes 10 Asean countries, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand as well, India’s major concern is China with which it had a trade deficit of $63 billion in 2017-18.
India’s move to engage consultants to do a cost-benefit study of the proposed mega trade deal RCEP shows it is sensitive to domestic concerns of losing out to China.
New Delhi wants China to scrap levies on items including uncombed single cotton apart from castor oil, menthol, granite, diamonds and glass envelopes for picture tubes.
At the end of August, ministers from the 16 RCEP countries will meet in Singapore; India needs to work out a constructive stand by then.
While the steel ministry has already aired its fears on India becoming a secondary market for steel imports from China, the agriculture ministry is wary of dairy products coming in from New Zealand.
India has dragged its feet as the pact doesn’t provide for free movement of skilled workers, a key concern for New Delhi given its large pool of tech workers.
It pointed out that a large quantity of under-invoiced bicycles were entering the Indian market due to "lax enforcement".
Officials say that China, which has till now not pushed to fast track negotiations in the RCEP, has shown a new keenness to engage actively ahead of the talks.
The government has been seeking the inclusion of domestic manufacturing and employment generation in India’s trade agreement negotiations.


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The mesmerizing 2023 Lincoln Aviator Ev.jpg picture below, is segment of New 2023 Lincoln Aviator: Rumors, Changes, Release Date report which is categorized within Cars News and posted at June 21, 2022.
New 2023 Lincoln Aviator: Rumors, Changes, Release Date : 2023 Lincoln Aviator Ev.jpg
The upcoming 2023 Lincoln Aviator will get moderate updates. One upgrade will be considerable. It is, obviously, an all-electric variation. This variation will strike the marketplaces in the very first quarter of 2023, according to the most recent reports. Remarkably or not, Aviator will be constructed at the very same plant in Mexico as the upcoming Mustang Mach-E electric crossover.
This currently recommends that the brand-new Aviator design will rest on a CD6 architecture. Thanks to that, Aviator will end up being Lincoln's very first battery-powered design ever. Why Aviator? Just since it is the brand name's very popular design for many years. Here's whatever we understand up until now.
Here is wanted tip on Cars News. We have the prime sources for Cars News. Check it out for yourself! You can get 2023 Lincoln Aviator Ev.jpg guide and read the latest New 2023 Lincoln Aviator: Rumors, Changes, Release Date.

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Apple has spoken at great length about the benefits of Face ID compared to Touch ID, especially where security is concerned. So it’s a surprise the feature hasn’t made the jump to MacBooks yet — especially with the display notch. Thankfully a new patent suggests that it could be a possibility at some point.
The patent (spotted by Apple Insider) refers to a “Light Recognition Module for Determining a User of a Computing Device.” While it primarily refers to installing a light recognition module in a laptop, stored inside the display notch. The idea being that this module will recognize the person sitting at the keyboard and safeguard user data in the process.
Apparently this module features a light emitter that projects a predetermined pattern of light (such as infrared) and a detector that then recognizes the pattern caused by that light reflecting off objects in view — which would primarily be the user. That’s pretty much how Face ID works, on the iPhone.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumors of Face ID coming to Macs. In fact rumors go back to at least 2020, when code for something called a “PearlCamera” was uncovered in the beta version of macOS BigSur — complete with references to “Face Detect” and BioCapture.” Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman later speculated that Face ID could be coming, back in 2021, and there have been numerous patents related to adding facial recognition to a range of Mac machines — the most recent of which appeared in June.
The question now is whether Apple will actually take that leap and add Face ID to Macs, or if this is just another case of a patent that isn’t actually supposed to go anywhere. It happens a lot, and just because a company patents an idea doesn’t mean they ever have any intention of using it.
The fact that these patents date back at least three years means there’s no guarantee Face ID will come to a MacBook anytime soon. Plus, as Gurman pointed out two years ago, Touch ID is still useful as a low cost version of biometric security. Adding Face ID would increase the cost of production, which would no doubt be reflected in the retail price.
And, let’s be completely honest, Macs are expensive enough as it is. There are benefits of having Face ID, since it’s much harder to crack than Touch ID and much more convenient to use. It’s also been available on iPhones since 2017, and there’s got to be a good reason why Apple hasn’t expanded to other product ranges. Even iPads are lacking in Face ID support, and right now it’s exclusive to the ultra-premium iPad Pros.
There’s definitely a reason for that, but Apple is rarely forthcoming about things it hasn’t done yet. So it’s unlikely we’re going to get an answer to these questions anytime soon. Let’s just hope that this patent means the dream of a Face ID MacBook isn’t dead just yet.
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Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.


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Konami is beginning to make a habit out of taking to the online world to disperse information about their upcoming titles prior to E3. The pre-recorded press conference went live just a short while ago, and it housed some big news for fans of the publisher. President of Digital Entertainment for the company, Tomoyuki Tsuboi played Master of Ceremonies at the event, and touched on nearly every facet of Konami’s upcoming lineup in 2012 and ’13.
The publisher is obviously committed to the social and mobile games market. Considering that they led off their E3 talks with Facebook, it’s definitely a sign that the times they are a changin. A newly formed team in San Francisco is heading the initiative. Their extensive back-catalog of games could reach the social networking platform with enhanced connectivity features.
Konami has their sights set on FIFA
Konami is also trying to catch EA and the FIFA franchise. At one time, the Pro Evo game was the best soccer sim around, but in recent years, its taken a back seat to the advancements that have been made by the team at EA Sports. Touting new tech and gameplay changes, PES 13 has definitely got it eyes on the crown again. Konami showed off some impressive Mocap signature moves for players, and touted the audio and video quality as the best ever in a PES title.
For those of you that have been patiently waiting for Zone of the Enders HD, your wait continues. Kojima talked briefly about the game and the development process for it, but failed to clearly specify when fans can expect the title. Though they did show off an impressive opening cinematic for the game, that’ll make the wait and unknown time frame even worse.
New Metal Gear Rising Gameplay
Of course, we’re talking Konami here, so Metal Gear talk was definitely on the table. First things first though, Metal Gear is closing in on its 25 year anniversary and the release of multiple remakes on modern handhelds was the first topic on the agenda. The upcoming Metal Gear collection will grace the PS Vita in just over a week. But the one that many are waiting for, Metal Gear Rising, got a proper re-introduction with some brand new gameplay footage from the action-oriented Metal Gear title starring Raiden. Better yet, Konami also put a release window on the title of “Early 2013”, and will give convention goers a taste of hands on gameplay at E3 2012.
Finally, the company capped off the show with a look at Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. Definitely the show stopper because of the trailers cinematic nature, this popular franchise will return sometime in the near future. No gameplay was shown off, but it did include many of the staples that Lords of Shadow one did. Massive bosses, beautiful artwork, and hack and slash gameplay all seem to be returning with Lords of Shadow 2.
Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 Reveal
Unfortunately, the only thing that Konami didn’t touch on was Kojima’s Fox Engine. After revealing the technology that would be powering future kojiPro games at last year’s conference, there was no mention, no screenshots, no video, no sign of the new tech.
- This article was updated on:March 7th, 2018


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KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 18): The semiconductor sector is likely to continue its stellar growth momentum with rosier outlook moving forward, underpinned by more demand seen following an agreement last week by the US and China to drop import tariffs on technology products.
The removal of tariffs by China, the world's largest semiconductor consumer nation, would increase overall demand in the industry, opined TA Research analyst Paul Yap.
He told theedgemarkets.com that the recovery in the US economy and the drop in crude oil prices could spur growth in the industry as well.
“Basically, the strengthening of the US dollar would help the (Malaysian) local semiconductor firms as most of them are in the export business which is conducted in US dollar. Therefore, they will get more monetary value in ringgit term,” he explained.
With the benchmark Brent crude oil prices dropping to a four-year low last week, Yap reasoned, “When people have more disposable income they will have more money to buy gadgets.”
“But it’s difficult to quantify it just yet,” he said. Yap cautioned the sector growth would slow at the end of the year with lesser demand seen.
Nonetheless, this year has been a great year for the semiconductor industry and it would end on a positive note, he said, noting that that global semiconductor sales hit a new high of US$29 billion in September 2014 with highest quarterly sales at US$85.5 billion in 3Q14.
Notably, the Wall Street Journal reported in an article last week that the new technology deal inked between the US and China would cover 200 different tariff categories.
Among the products that would see tariffs eliminated are next-generation semiconductors, which now have tariffs as high as 25%; magnetic resonance-imaging, or MRI machine, which face tariffs of up to 8%; and GPS devices, which also have tariffs as high as 8%, it noted.
Meanwhile, Hong Leong Investment Bank analyst Tan J Young said in an industry report today the agreement between the two countries "... will be a major catalyst to the whole tech sector, benefiting all stakeholders in the supply chain.”
Tan said, “In the absence of the tariffs, imported IT goods will be cheaper and more affordable in China, which is already the largest consumer of semiconductor by far, accounting for about 45% of the world wide demand for chips.”
He added that this would spur greater demand for more advanced and high quality technology gadgets from first-time users as well as existing users with a likely shortening of the product replacement cycle.
HLIB has an “overweight” rating on the sector with “buy” calls on Inari Amertron Bhd, ViTrox Corporation Bhd and Unisem.
By 4:11pm, Unisem has climbed 3.11% to RM1.66 while ViTrox has increased 1.51% to RM2.69. However, Inari has dropped 0.68% to RM2.90 while Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd has dipped 0.4% to RM5.01.
Year to date, Inari Amertron rallied 107.74% to RM3.32 on Aug 19 from RM1.52 on Jan 2 this year. Unisem climbed 92.9% to RM1.88 on Aug 18 from 97.3 sen on Dec 31 last year while ViTrox jumped 135.38% to RM2.87 on Oct 1 from RM1.22 on Dec 31 last year. Malaysian Pacific Industries went up 107.25% to RM6.45 on Aug 18 from RM3.11 on Dec 31 last year.


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Gap Is Closing These Banana Republic Locations, Starting Next Year
The company has already confirmed closures for 2023.
Banana Republic has been a staple in shopping malls since the '90s. But as consumers have been moving away from malls, retailers that made their home there have been taking quite a hit. In fact, notable companies like Sears, Macy's, JCPenney, and Dillard's have all closed a huge number of stores over the past few years. And now, Gap is getting ready to do the same with some of its Banana Republic locations. Read on to find out which stores are now confirmed to be closing next year.
READ THIS NEXT: Dollar General and Family Dollar Are Closing Stores, Starting Dec. 3.
Gap has been battling declining sales and profits.
Gap Inc. has been working to bounce back amid financial problems. The company announced in Sept. 2022 that it would be cutting around 500 corporate jobs from its workforce, The Wall Street Journal first reported. According to the newspaper, this move is being made to reduce expenses as Gap struggles with declining sales and profits.
"We've let our operating costs increase at a faster rate than our sales, and in turn, our profitability," Bob Martin, Gap's executive chairman and interim chief executive, wrote in a September memo to employees, per The Wall Street Journal. The newspaper reported that store sales for the company were down 10 percent in the most recently reported financial quarter.
The company is closing some Banana Republic stores next year.
But it's not just corporate jobs on the chopping block. Gap Inc. is also set to drop two prominent Banana Republic stores from its lineup in the near future. On Nov. 8, the Charlotte Business Journal reported that the Banana Republic at Birkdale Village in the Huntersville suburb of Charlotte will likely close next year. North American Properties, which owns the Birkdale shopping center, confirmed to the newspaper that the Gap store is set to shutter when its lease expires in 2023.
"We are still in negotiation with the brand we anticipate taking its space and cannot share that information until the lease is fully executed," North American Properties spokeswoman Britni Johnson told the Charlotte Business Journal.
Gap Inc. has also already made plans to shutdown its Banana Republic store in the popular Magnificent Mile shopping area of Chicago, The Real Deal reported on Oct. 12. According to the outlet, this location will remain open until 2023 as well, but will shutter when its lease expires early next year.
"We weren't really surprised," Brian Hopkins, the alderman for Chicago's second ward, told NBC 5 Chicago. "Their lease came up and they said 'we're not gonna renew. We're out of here.'"
Several Banana Republic locations have already shuttered recently.
These upcoming closures may not come as a surprise to shoppers. After all, Gap Inc. has already closed roughly 100 Banana Republic stores across North America since 2020. And a few of the retailer's stores were shut down this year.
Back in June 2022, two Banana Republic stores shuttered permanently: one in Midland, Texas, and the other in Winnipeg, Canada. Then in Colorado, the Banana Republic at the downtown Denver Pavilions mall closed its doors permanently after its last day of operation on Sept. 25, The Denver Post reported.
Gap Inc. also permanently shut down its Banana Republic European e-commerce sites this year. According to Just Style, both BananaRepublic.eu and BananaRepublic.uk were taken offline in May 2022. "Farewell for now," the UK site now reads. "This website is permanently closed."
But the company is planning to continue closing Gap stores as well.
The journey is not likely to end with just the two confirmed Banana Republic closures in 2023. Gap Inc. has been shuttering stores since 2020, when it first announced plans for a major three-year revamp to its retail footprint. At the time, the company revealed that it was planning to close a total of 350 retail locations throughout North American by early 2024, the Associated Press (AP) reported. This will include the closure of 220 of its namesake Gap stores and 130 Banana Republic stores, according to the news outlet.
"We've been overly reliant on low-productivity, high-rent stores," Gap Brand President and CEO Mark Breitbard said in a 2020 statement. "We've used the past six months to address the real estate issues and accelerate our shift to a true omni-model."
On its website, Gap Inc. describes the closures as its "North America store fleet transformation" meant to leave the company with a smaller and healthier fleet of stores. "As we adapt to the current market conditions and meet the increase in online demand, we are looking thoughtfully at our real estate to support the best path forward," Gap explained.


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Recent Snowfall Brings Small Uptick in Snow Related Sales
SAUK RAPIDS -- The recent weekend snowfall has picked up business for local stores who specialize in snow related equipment.
Mimbach Fleet Supply Manager Rich Wolter says the few inches of snow brought an uptick in customers the last few days.
"We didn't get a lot of snow but we had a good uptick in business for salt, shovels, and sold a couple of snowblowers," says Wolter.
However, even with the small snowfall Wolter says they've seen a decline in business from a year ago.
"If you remember the first snow we got last year was in early November, so that caught a lot of people off guard and we were buying more shovels and salt, while this year we've had a lot more time to prepare for it," says Wolter.
Wolter says they will have the shelves stocked with plenty of shovels, salt and more for the snowfall we're expecting tonight (Monday).
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Stearns, Benton, and Sherburne counties from Monday night through Tuesday.
Snow will not be as heavy with this round, but it still looks to produce an additional 2 to 5 inches of snow.


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NEW ORLEANS, LA — The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) is excited to announce that Rick McAmis of Premium Beverage Sales in Springfield, Missouri, is the winner of the Second Annual Share Your Story Contest for beer distribution employees. McAmis was recognized on stage today during the general session of NBWA’s 77th Annual Convention taking place in New Orleans, Louisiana.
NBWA’s Second Annual Share Your Story Contest invited beer distribution employees who have never attended the NBWA Annual Convention to submit a video entry for a chance to win a trip to NBWA’s 77th Annual Convention in New Orleans. The contest was launched to highlight many of the 130,000 men and women who make up the beer distribution industry — from truck drivers to inventory specialists, graphic artists and sales representatives.
Distribution employees were asked to submit a video explaining the work they do, why they love working in the beer distribution industry and their company’s role in their community.
“The American beer distribution industry is strong because of the amazing people who work in it and the passion they have for the work they do in communities across the country,” NBWA Sr. Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs Rebecca Spicer said.
“Rick submitted a video where he spoke from the heart about his passion for the beer industry, his professional development at Premium Beverage Sales and his respect for the company’s role in his community,” Spicer said. “His video testimonial exemplifies why we are all proud to be a part of this great industry.”
The McAmis family has a history of working in the beer distribution industry — Rick McAmis’ father also worked at Premium Beverage Sales. McAmis began working for the company as a delivery man when he turned 21 and now, 27 years later, he is still with Premium Beverage Sales as the area district manager.
McAmis said, “The camaraderie you develop with fellow employees is unmatched by any other industry. The beer business is fun. When you get off work, you go have a beer with fellow employees and no matter how the conversation starts, it always ends talking about the beer business.”
McAmis added, “Everything my family has and everything I have ever had since I was born has been provided as a direct result of the beer industry.”
Click here to view a video featuring Rick McAmis and his winning entry.
The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) represents the interests of America’s 3,300 licensed, independent beer distributor operations in every state, congressional district and media market across the country. Beer distributors are committed to ensuring alcohol is provided safely and responsibly to consumers of legal drinking age through the three-tier, state-based system of alcohol regulation and distribution. To learn more about America’s beer distributors, visit www.AmericasBeerDistributors.com. For additional updates from NBWA, follow @NBWABeer on Twitter, watch NBWA videos on www.youtube.com/NBWABeer and visit www.facebook.com/NBWABeer.


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The Malaysian government charged opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim this week for illegal protests urging electoral reform. Considering Mr. Anwar's past legal travails, having twice been tried on trumped-up charges of sodomy and twice exonerated, one might assume this is another politically motivated prosecution.
But this case is different. Mr. Anwar was practicing civil disobedience, and now he is paying the price. The real verdict will come at the ballot box in the next general election, expected later this year, when voters will get to decide whether Prime Minister Najib Razak's political reforms are proceeding at an appropriate pace, or Mr. Anwar is right to press for faster change.
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In 2020, with limited imports amid the pandemic, the country suffered from food security threats. This forced many farmers and entrepreneurs to start venturing into agriculture farming and post-harvest management. During the time, the Bhutan foundation in collaboration with USAID supported them through grants and providing equipment to scale up production.
One of the recipients of the grant is Kesang Choedon. She is the founder of Chuniding Food which was established in 2015.
In 2020, when excess vegetables went to waste due to frequent lockdowns, Chuniding Food stepped in to prevent post-harvest waste by investing the grant to buy the excess vegetables and machinery.
“So, in a way, I feel very privileged for being selected to receive this grant because we could put it to good use. During this time, we came up with six innovative products like we made vegetable powders, then we made egg powders, kimchi powders, potato powders and ready-to-eat soup powders. So, all these six products we made during this pandemic time were with the help of this project. We use these vegetable powders to add nutrition to the already fried rice that we are eating in the fried rice for breakfast,” said Kesang Choedon.
Today, six of those products go to three remote schools under Gasa and Yangchen Gatshel Middle Secondary School in Thimphu as part of the school feeding programme.
Like her, through this project, various equipment support was also provided to CSOs to scale up production, develop new local products and enhance value additions.
“Also, through the project, it provided temporary relief in terms of employing people who were laid off from the tourism sector. So, for instance with the food corporation of Bhutan, through the grant we employed 120 youths who were working with a mini dry port for three months,” said Norbu Dema, the director of Bhutan Foundation.
About 195 acres of land were also developed and more than 800 farmers were trained in sustainable cultivation methods such as organic mulching, growing crops in the greenhouse, winter cropping and land development.
Edited by Tshering Zam


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We are excited to announce two new partnerships today with TMZ, the Web’s #1 entertainment news site, and Buena Vista Television, the domestic television distribution division of The Walt Disney Company.
TMZ has adopted Brightcove Internet TV service to launch ad-supported Internet video channels on its extremely popular website TMZ.com, as well as a channel on Brightcove.com. TMZ is also using Brightcove syndication services to enable select news websites and blogs to embed TMZ Internet video channels on their sites, such as the Huffington Post.
Buena Vista Television has launched Internet video channels for popular programming and is using Brightcove syndication services to promote shows like "Live with Regis and Kelly," "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" and "Ebert & Roeper" on the websites of station affiliates across the country (see Brightcove/Buena Vista Television press release).
Both of the new partners have taken advantage of Brightcove to quickly bring to market a large volume of branded video content on a variety of destination sites. These blended distribution strategies have enabled TMZ and Buena Vista Television to expand the reach of their Internet video programming, while at the same time maintaining control over the quality of the video content and the brand experience associated with those online video properties.
Today the LA Times and TV Week have news stories that talk about the new partnerships with Brightcove: "Screening Shows on Other People's Sites" (LA Times) and "Online Tech Outfits Vie for TV Business" (TV Week).


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Pump Prices Are Up. Is Heating Oil Next?
Gasoline prices are surging right now, with little letup in sight. The causes are plain to see: Several factors have reduced supplies, while demand remains strong. If these conditions persist, consumers will not only shell out more at the pump but could also see higher heating bills come next winter.
The average retail price for a gallon of regular gasoline hit a record $3.05 for the week ended May 5. In its April monthly outlook, the Energy Information Administration raised its forecast for the average cost of gasoline this summer to $2.95 per gallon, vs. $2.84 last year.
Despite the record price, demand for gasoline still is growing. It's about 2% stronger than in the same period last year. Solid gains in income and decent job growth are giving consumers the extra cash they need to keep filling up.
At the same time, however, refinery problems have curbed supplies and depleted inventory levels. Gasoline stockpiles declined for 12 straight weeks through the end of April, making for the longest continuous draw-down since 1993.
Beyond routine spring maintenance, problems such as fires and mechanical malfunctions are limiting production in the U.S. Capacity utilization, normally above 90% at this time, ended April at 88.3%, the lowest rate for the final week of April since 1992. Gasoline imports softened in February and March as refinery issues in Europe, Venezuela, and Nigeria led those areas to buy, rather than export, gasoline.
Refiners could end up playing catch-up to gasoline demand all summer long, says Jason Schenker, an economist at Wachovia Corp (WB ). That could be bad news for heating oil users. Weekly stocks of heating oil are off 20% from the previous year, and it is currently twice as profitable for refiners to produce gasoline. "Once you get into this cycle it can be hard to get out of it," cautions EIA senior oil market analyst Doug McIntyre. That means supplies could remain low and prices could be on the rise entering the winter heating season.
By James Mehring


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By Andria Cheng
At Time Warner Cable’s 14,000-square-foot new flagship store in Manhattan, gone are the old tile flooring and stacks and racks of the cable boxes visible behind the counters.
They’ve been replaced by wood floors and quartz countertops. You can find interactive product demonstration stations at an in-store area that mimics Apple’s /quotes/zigman/68270/delayed /quotes/nls/aapl AAPL Genius Bar. It allows you to personalize the kind of cable, Internet and phone services you want. There is also an eight-foot tablet for you to play with, a lounge and an area showcasing Time Warner’s new home security system offerings. You can also take classes to learn about different products and services. Employees are no longer tied to a counter. They are free to roam about, helping customers.
“This channel needs to be awakened,” said Blaine Altaffer, group vice president of retail, in an interview. “I don’t want it to be a DMV experience. We realized customers need hands-on experience. It’s built for them on their terms.”
Satisfying customers is crucial at a time when Time Warner Cable is losing video subscribers, and the whole industry is soul searching to convince consumers, especially the younger demographic, why they should pay for cable. Its total residential service subscribers declined by 85,000 in the fourth quarter to 14.4 million after it lost 217,000 video subscribers but gained some ground on high-speed Internet subscribers.
Just as AT&T /quotes/zigman/398198/delayed /quotes/nls/t T is upgrading its shops to improve customer experience and perception, Time Warner Cable /quotes/zigman/528868/delayed /quotes/nls/twc TWC , with more than $22 billion in sales, has transformed more than 20 of its 414 customer-facing locations in the past year, adding certain modern touches. Nine more new stores will open this year.
In fact, internally employees are encouraged to refer to them as the Time Warner Store instead of their old designation as a payment center. The company also has increased and centralized employee training and its marketing messaging. Customer wait time has been reduced to four minutes from 20 minutes, on average, in the past.
“It’s about running a retail store, not a payment center,” Altaffer, a veteran of former Circuit City, told MarketWatch, adding that the stores have increased hiring of staff with retail backgrounds.
The reward? Declining to give specifics, Altaffer said performance of its new or remodeled stores has topped company expectations by most metrics. Not only did the company’s brand impression improve, the new stores are attracting more new customers, selling more connected services, getting more people to upgrade their services and seeing fewer customer defections. The company eventually plans to roll out various features of the flagship to the rest of its locations. Without revealing the cost, Altaffer said the payback from the new stores has met or topped the company’s expectations. He said the roll out is on track, despite Time Warner’s pending sale to Comcast /quotes/zigman/89307/delayed /quotes/nls/cmcsa CMCSA .
“We are very calculated on the store we pick,” he said, adding the New York store alone gets 35,000 customers visiting a month, a traffic stat that is the envy of the industry.
Satisfying customers requires first making employees happy. Behind the scenes, the employee break room area gets a major upgrade, featuring a lounge and an employee hall of fame. The store also has a conference room behind the scenes for executive meetings, the first time Time Warner Cable has allowed for such meetings in a retail location.
“Retail is our primary sales channel,” Altaffer said. “There are people who come in and we were not giving them a shot. We are trying to touch everything we can. This is a whole new muscle we are building.”
– Follow Andria on Twitter @AndriaCheng.
More from Behind the Storefront:


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When stocking orally consumed cannabinoid (CBD) lines, such as CBD oils, gummies and soft drinks, retailers in England and Wales must now refer to the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) newly released public list of CBD products permitted for sale to consumers.
The publication of the list – a key stage on the path to full authorisation, expected in 2023 – follows two years of close co-operation between the FSA and the Association for the Cannabinoid Industry (ACI), the UK’s CBD sector trade body.
ACI has launched a new website – www.UKCBDList.com – to serve as a reference point enabling consumers, retailers, health practitioners and enforcement authorities to verify whether a product is being sold legally. The onus is now on convenience retailers to remove products from sale that don’t feature on the list. The ACI is working in tandem with Trading Standards to enforce the new rules immediately, with any company offering unlisted CBD products for sale facing possible action by its officers.
CBD products on the FSA list have been undergoing assessment by the agency in a long and rigorous Novel Food process. This was open to any CBD product designed for oral consumption that was on sale in the UK on or before 13 February 2020, with the deadline for applications set at 31 March 2021. Any product launched after 13 February 2020, or which was not the subject of a dossier submitted by the cut-off date, may not now be sold until full authorisation is granted.
ACI has spearheaded the CBD industry’s response to the application process from the outset. In September 2020, it created a scientific-based consortium of members to submit a ‘super-dossier’ on their behalf. This was lodged with the FSA in February 2021, and has been vital in helping members’ products be placed on the public list. These products will, therefore, remain on the market as they progress towards validation and then authorisation. ACI has concluded the live phase of the OECD toxicology study required to validate dossiers. Data analysis is expected to be completed in June.
Steve Moore, ACI founder, said: “The FSA public list represents a major milestone for the UK’s CBD category. It demonstrates the progress the sector has made to meet compliance requirements and creates greater regulatory certainty which, in turn, will increase levels of consumer trust, encourage investment in the sector, and promote innovation. ACI is immensely grateful for the work that our members and the FSA have put in to take this momentous step.”
CBD brand Love Hemp, which produces oils, capsules and edibles, is included on the list. Adam Pritchard, chief commercial officer, said: “The CBD industry in the UK has been largely unregulated, resulting in a lack of clarity for our consumers, and we welcome progress made to date by the FSA. We continue to work closely with the FSA and look forward to the next stage of the process, proceeding to validation followed by full approvals.”
Naturecan, which produces CBD oil and gummies, is also on the list. Co-founder Paul Finnegan said: “This really is the start of this blossoming industry and it means consumers can not only trust the quality of the product they buy, but also the reassurance that it will remain on the UK market.”
The FSA list covers products sold in England and Wales. CBD products on sale north of the border are subject to a separate authorisation process managed by Food Standards Scotland. In Northern Ireland, meanwhile, companies must continue to adhere to EU Novel Food rules and procedures as a result of Brexit protocols.
Products designed to be inhaled, such as vapes, or applied to the skin, including cosmetics and massage oils, do not fall under the FSA’s remit. These were not assessed and will not appear on the list.
The UK’s market for consumer CBD products was worth £690m in 2021, according to ACI estimates – more than double the level of sales recorded in 2019, when the market was valued at £314m (Navigant/Dynata).The UK is now the world’s second largest market for consumer CBD, behind only the US.


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Columbia Sportswear is shooting to once again double its revenues — this time to $4 billion — in half the time.» Read More
Should Amazon.com buy RadioShack or Best Buy? Bob Peck and Herb Greenberg debate it.
After Urban Outfitters's apparently faux-bloody Kent State sweatshirt, Carole Roth draws the line between humor and bad taste.
Brazilian designer Aline Darc Piculo dos Santos won an award for her lingerie concept that illuminates when touched.
A red, blood-spattered sweatshirt emblazoned with Kent State University's name is up for sale on Urban Outfitters' website.
Designers at London Fashion Week are leading the digital revolution using social media to feed consumers' appetite for fast fashion.
A fourth Atlantic City casino is going out of business.
Donald Trump on Tuesday took to social media to say he's considering buying back into bankrupt casinos Trump Plaza and Trump Taj Mahal.
Bernie Brooke, CEO of Myer, is confident that the retailer will see growth in sales and return to profitability this financial year.
Alibaba could have sold nearly $2 billion worth of stock listing on Nasdaq, but it was worried about Nasdaq's ability to handle their $21 billion IPO.
Samsung has accused the head of rival LG Electronics' appliances business of damaging Samsung washing machines at retail stores.
RadioShack is evaluating a $585 million financing package led by UBS AG and hedge fund Standard General LP it tries to avert bankruptcy.
Want a new hobby or to start an eBay business? Many retailers offer classes, often for free, to build their brands and make loyal customers.
Wal-Mart has made a big push for Made in America, but its employees' new vests were made in Jordan.
Craft distillers are taking advantage of Americans' obsession with pumpkin spice everything—with results that could rival the pumpkin spice latte.
Sears was one of only three stores to earn a "genius" ranking for its digital IQ.
A strong earnings report shows this beauty products retailer is turning things around, says CNBC's Jim Cramer.
U.S. retail sales rose in August as Americans bought automobiles and a range of other goods, helped in part by relief at the gas pump.
After restaurant chains have already plopped virtually everything imaginable -- or unimaginable -- into a milkshake, it's finally come to this: bacon.
EBay will begin running ads on its mobile app in the fourth quarter, moving it into the lucrative market for ads on smartphones and tablets.
iPhone 6 pre-orders start today. CNBC's Josh Lipton discusses the strong demand and pricing for the iPhone 6.


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Google is starting to make John Chambers' case. Chambers, Cisco's CEO, valued the so-called Internet of Things (IoT) in his 2014 International CES keynote last week at $19.1 trillion.
Less than a week later, Google buys Nest, the digital thermostat and smoke-detector maker, for $3.2 billion. Sure, there's a few trillion here and there to go. But what's that?
Welcome to the largest Internet of Things purchase to date.
"It's interesting to see just how quickly this will happen," Scott Strawn, International Data Corporation (IDC) senior analyst, told CMSWire about the growth of the IoT. "Google's acquisition of Nest will hasten the pace of the innovation."
Not So Fast
While Google has a head start over many in the IoT race with Nest, Forrester Research's Frank Gillett reminded us that the connected world through IoT is in a "nascent" stage. Of all adults online, only 8 percent have any form of home automation, he said. The largest slice of that pie — 3 percent — is home security, Gillett added.
"We're talking about the very beginning of an age with this idea," Gillett told CMSWire in a phone interview today. "From a business point of view, businesses have initially experimented with machine-to-machine but not broadly."
Although it may not have made a significant dent in the Cisco CEO's valuation — Google's purchase of Nest is still a pretty "meaningful acquisition," said Strawn, who covers Google and Amazon for IDC.
Not exactly meaningful in terms of nickels and dimes to Google — with $56 billion in cash on its balance sheets, Google "can cover it," Strawn noted. But it is in fact Google's second largest acquisition to date, behind the $12.5 billion Motorola Mobility buy to boost its smartphone power.
"It behooves Google to be a leader in this Internet of Things space," Strawn said. "The question now is how it pursue it. But it's a meaningful step in that direction. There are now a lot of questions for exactly what to expect as a result of this. What are the other products that Nest hasn't already produced?"
Google's acquisition this week gives the ever growing corporation a key way into homes and offices. Sure, Nest has proven its worth as a strong company. But this is more about connected devices and the IoT. And Nest is a pioneer there in the home.
As if Google wasn't in our homes enough, the $50-billion 2012 revenue producer out of Menlo Park, Calif. has a stamp on the gadgets that keep us safe and warm. Nest's Learning Thermostat and Protect (Smoke + CO Alarm) are signature products for the 130-employee company founded by former Apple executives Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers.
Nest is all about the IoT, with Fadell once boasting they are major drivers, kick-starters, in fact, of the concept. A key slogan for them is "Welcome Home," and by "home," that means Google now for Nest, with Rogers (left) and Fadell flanking Google CEO Larry Page here:
Big day today! pic.twitter.com/5P6xfR5KWL— Matt Rogers (@nestmatt) January 13, 2014
What's Google Going For?
"Google's acquisition of Nest for $3.2 billion affirms the growing strategic importance of the idea of the Connected Home," Forrester Research's Gillett said. "It also shows that Google increasingly believes in hardware/software solutions, such as Nest has built, rather than just building operating systems for other manufacturers to implement in smartphones, Chromebooks and TVs."
Google Glass and Chromecast have been winners for Google. But with Google TV not living up to the hype and Nexus Q being named one of CNN's top 10 fails of 2012, Google's trying another play here with Nest. Same end goal — connected devices powered by the Internet — just now outside of entertainment.
"Google will open up the somewhat closed approach that Nest used to date, to better integrate with interoperable smart home solutions that have entered the market in the last year, such as SmartThings, AT&T Digital Life and Revolv," Gillett said.
Google's move is a smart — and expected — play for the search giant, IDC's Strawn said. It "makes all sorts of sense" because Nest is a "leader when it comes to the Internet of Things, and that falls directly in line with Google's long-term and short-term interests."
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Hang on a little longer!
Tell us about your challenges, and we’ll come up with a viable solution!
A premium men’s clothing retailer in the US has launched a Shopify-based ecommerce store to cater to online customers’ needs. They wanted to customize the platform by integrating color swatches for products available in different variants so that their clientele easily choose the color they like. The retailer came to ITRex for the discovery phase and an ecommerce solution that will deliver trendy experiences.


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The rumors that had been around for a couple of years have finally been confirmed: At long last, there's a film in the works about the turbulent life of Nina Simone, otherwise known as the "High Priestess of Soul."
Simone was famous from the 1950s through the '70s for her music and her civil rights activism. And although she died in 2003, her voice remains popular on TV, movie soundtracks and commercials.
Originally published on Mon November 26, 2012 11:55 am
All out of nutmeg? The same algorithms that predicts your friends on Facebook can also figure out ingredient substitutions for your pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving.
Credit Courtesy of Lada Adamic.
We've been hearing a lot recently about how algorithms can predict just about anything. They find long-lost friends on Facebook and guess which books we'll buy next on Amazon. Algorithms hit the big time this month, when New York Times blogger Nate Silver used mathematical models and statistics to correctly forecast the outcome of every state in the presidential election.
With Thanksgiving a few days away, you have to save as much stomach room as you can. That means, of course, breathing your food. To that end: Le Whif Breathable Chocolate. They're like little plastic chocolate cigarettes, filled with some kind of chocolate powder.


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Drones As We Know Them Now
Many of us are familiar with drones hovering over a football game or getting a stunning photoshoot in a national park. These drones usually require a line-of-vision range for the human operator. Others rely on ground-based radar to follow a pre-selected flight pattern. This has been the standard for drone activity since its inception. Change is in the air.
The Blind Drone
A blind drone is one that does not rely on an operator directing them. It also does not depend on ground-based radar. Instead, it uses an onboard program known as a collision-avoidance system. This allows the drone to fly independently. It can avoid obstacles and maintain its programmed route. The potential applications are significant.
Tests in Alaska and Kansas
Testing in Alaska earlier this year involved a blind drone competing with one operated by a human. The goal for each was to fly towards a vehicle and avoid hitting it. The onboard guidance system provided by Iris Automation won over the human-guided drone. This led to further testing in Kansas. In this test, the blind drone had to operate beyond the operator’s line-of-sight. The success of the test led to FAA-approved innovation to permit longer flights. Prior to this, the FAA required drones to utilize either the human controller and their field of vision, or the ground-based radar, which is expensive to install.
Drones have already been used to find missing persons, inspect property, and provide security. The next development would be drones that can carry medical supplies long distances or cover more ground in a search and rescue operation. Other useful applications include delivering medicines to rural areas or supplying food and water following natural disasters. The expanding use of drones in rescue operations looks like an important step forward in first responders’ efforts.
The test in Kansas used drones to inspect utility wires over long distances. Experts predict that commercial delivery flights could become a significant innovation for 2020. While preliminary tests look good, the general populace needs some time to adjust. Some drone hobbyists have given drones a bad reputation. FAA regulation and drone usage by first responders is changing that.


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Meet the man whose party trick is to nab your bank card details... and he uses a £5 app that anyone can download
- We reveal the ease of skimming contactless card details with a simple app
- Smartphone app is completely legal and costs just £5
- But app can't pick up name of the cardholder and three-digit security code
- It can also show details of your recent transactions
- Experts say risk is not crooks lifting money from your card but harvesting all the card details they need to commit fraud in your name
In a cafe close to a Royal park Nigel Swabey is telling me all about renovation work to his house over a pot of tea.
He interrupts the small talk and politely asks me to pass the milk jug. As I do, his hand darts briefly across the table at lightning speed.
Perhaps he was just reaching for a napkin. But then I notice Nigel's phone is now perched on top of my purse. The 69-year-old chuckles, picks his mobile back up and shows me the screen — it is displaying the 16-digit card number and expiry date of my credit card.
I've come to Richmond in West London to meet the man who says 'skimming' strangers' credit card details in less than five seconds is his party trick.
Money Mail reporter Sara meets Nigel Swabey who demonstrated how to use a easily available mobile phone app to seal a person's bank card details
To do this, he uses a smartphone app that is completely legal and costs just £5. It's called the Credit Card Reader NFC (EMV) and has been downloaded on to mobile phones more than one million times.
This enables the phone to pick up the information sent by a card's chip during a contactless transaction — the card number and expiry date.
This was impossible until banks started issuing everyone with so-called contactless cards that you wave over payment terminals without having to enter a PIN.
The only things the app can't pick up are the name of the cardholder and the three-digit security code on the back.
Nigel skims cards at dinner parties to show just how easy it is for criminals to steal payment details and use them to make fraudulent purchases online.
He says: 'It's a bit of a gimmick of mine. You hold up the phone to a guest's pocket and say: 'Ah, you have a Mastercard. Your expiry date is this, your number is this.'
'It's shocking for people who assume their details are protected — and seeing it happen in real time makes them realise how vulnerable they are to fraud.'
The app that is completely legal and costs just £5., is called the Credit Card Reader NFC
Nigel has a vested interest — he's an entrepreneur and owns the European rights to Australian product, SkimGuard, which you put in your wallet to block fraudsters from stealing your details.
That's why Money Mail wanted to see for itself how easy card-skimming really is.
I lean across the table to get a good look at the phone but Nigel has one more trick up his sleeve.
He taps the screen, selects a 'transactions' option and shows me — to my horror — the last ten purchases I made using that card.
All my recent spending is there, the Tube journeys to and from work, the groceries for a dinner party and flights I'd booked for an upcoming holiday.
It's impossible to get this level of detail on debit or Amex cards, Nigel explains. But many credit cards are ripe for fraud.
This is because the chips inside cards issued by some banks hold previous transaction details. Not all cards are vulnerable, though.
Banks tell customers that spending on stolen contactless cards by crooks is kept in check because each transaction is limited to £30 at most.
They say your PIN is automatically demanded after a set number of suspicious-looking payments.
But experts say the real danger is not losing money in a contactless transaction after someone brushes past your handbag with a card reader, but the crook harvesting all the card details they need to commit fraud in your name.
Some sites do not require a three-digit CVV number to make a purchase. So fraudsters who've skimmed your card could theoretically spend online with the details they have
Nigel explains that the criminal's phone needs only to be close to the card it's trying to read for the app to work.
And, crucially, the radio waves do pass through fabric. That means on a crowded train, or at a busy concert, all scammers have to do is get their phones next to people's pockets to go on a spending spree.
Worryingly, some sites, including Amazon and Booking.com, do not require the three-digit CVV number on the back of card to make a purchase. So fraudsters who've skimmed your card could theoretically spend online with the details they have.
But Amazon says it has a rigorous fraud detection system that means it doesn't require CVV codes.
Official figures show the boom in contactless cards over the past two years has fuelled a 51 per cent rise in card fraud cases, which have now reached 565 a day.
The number of contactless transactions has gone from 1 billion in 2015 to 5.6 billion last year, with almost a third of card transactions last year contactless.
Banks have no way of working out how criminals have got hold of card details they are using illegally, so claim it doesn't count as 'contactless card fraud'.
A UK Finance spokesman says: 'We successfully prevented more than £2 in every £3 of attempted fraud in 2017.
'Contactless fraud is low with robust security features in place in every card, and no contactless fraud has been recorded on cards still in the possession of the original owner.
'Customers are fully protected against any losses and will never be left out of pocket in the unlikely event they are the victim of this type of fraud, unlike if they lose cash.'
THIS IS MONEY'S FIVE OF THE BEST CURRENT ACCOUNTS
Santander's 123 Lite Account will pay up to 3% cashback on household bills. There is a £2 monthly fee and you must log in to mobile or online banking regularly, deposit £500 per month and hold two direct debits to qualify.
Virgin Money's current account offers a £150 Virgin Experience Days gift card when you switch and pays 2.02 per cent monthly interest on up to £1,000. To get the bonus, £1,000 must be paid into a linked easy-access account and 2 direct debits transferred over.
Club Lloyds's Current Account pays 0.6% interest on balances of up to £3,999, while those with sums of between £4,000 and £5,000 will earn 1.5% on that balance. There is no cost if you pay £1,500 each month, otherwise a £3 fee applies. Must hold two direct debits.
HSBC Advance will give newcomers £125 when they switch their account. Customers must move across at least two direct debits or standing orders, and pay in £1,750 a month or £10,500 within six months to be eligible.
Nationwide's FlexDirect account comes with 2% interest on up to £1,500 - the highest interest rate on any current account - if you pay in at least £1,000 each month, plus a fee-free overdraft. Both perks last for a year.
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Glencore digs in over Congo deal questions at its annual meeting
Glencore's annual meeting at the modest Theater- Casino in the Swiss town of Zug saw the commodity giant bat away calls for an independent inquiry into its deals in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Chairman Simon Murray said its transactions in the DRC were ‘entirely proper’.
Murray also faced questioning on the company’s global tax reporting from Christian Aid employee Rachel Baird, attending the meeting in her capacity as a private shareholder.
Glencore: Shares rose 5.95p
Unusually, Glencore asked shareholders to submit questions in advance. No questions were raised about Glencore’s plans, announced in February, to merge with miner Xstrata, in which it already holds a stake of 34pc in a $35bn all-share deal.
More than 99pc of shareholder votes were cast approving the directors’ pay.
The shares rose 5.95p to 397.95p.
Glencore reported a 7pc rise in full-year profit to just over $4billion, thanks to rising prices for key raw materials and robust demand in developing countries.
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Latest data from Action Fraud shows staggering amount lost in 2018/19
When Tim Berners-Lee invented the internet he would have had no idea of scope his creation.
However he would no doubt be mortified to see a headline like this.
The internet allows a fraudulent individual the ability to reach across the world and enter into people's homes and perpetrate calculated, organised fraud. Regrettably this shows no signs of letting up as this alarming statistic shows.
Due to the massive jump in investment scams, the FCA has launched an advertising campaign to raise awareness of online trading scams. This will run on social media and aims to make consumers more sceptical of ‘get rich quick’ trading scams that are often promoted online.
If you're unsure about any approach received by phone or email, always treat them with suspicion. The government website - https://www.actionfraud.police
If you believe that you are the victim of fraud and loss following an investment there may be ways to recover your losses. Smooth Commercial provide free initial advice so it'll cost nothing to find out your options.
You can contact our experienced team by calling the number at the top of this page or by emailing email@example.com.


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A Toronto man has been charged in relation to a delivery service that was offering illicit cannabis products, reports MuskokaRegion.com . The Muskoka Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU) of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) began investigating the operation earlier this month. Officers allegedly observed the driver making several stops in the region on Feb. 19. AGCO offers update on cannabis delivery, curbside pick-up as parts of Ontario reopen Allowing cannabis delivery is a good start. But too much weed is still being sold on the illicit market Ontario’s cannabis curbside pick-up and delivery options to end with emergency measures After stopping the vehicle, police officers seized nearly $10,000 worth of illicit cannabis products, ranging from flower and vape pens to edibles and hash. They also confiscated $530 in cash, a collapsible baton and a cellphone. Toronto resident Adrian Stein, 42, has been charged with possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling, possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000 and possession of a prohibited weapon. Stein is scheduled to appear in the Ontario court of Justice in Huntsville, Ont. on Apr. 7. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cannabis delivery services are temporarily available in Ontario, but only for legal retailers. Authorized cannabis stores are permitted to sell, deliver and offer curbside pick-up of cannabis and other items during regular business hours, according to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario .
Excerpt only …
READ MORE BELOW
Source : OPP crime unit shuts down illegal cannabis delivery service operating in Muskoka
reposted by Cannabis News World


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Argentina’s apple exports to Brazil up 120%Oct, 16, 2020 Posted by Ruth Hollard
At the end of the second quarter of the year, Argentine apple exports to Brazil increased by 120% and registered the highest sales volume of the last five harvests, totaling 22,770 tons, according to data from the National Service for Quality and Agrifood Health (SENASA) in Argentina.
Brazil has become Argentina’s most important destination for apples, followed by Russia, importing just over 10,000 tons, Bolivia, importing almost 9,000 tons, and Paraguay and the United States, importing almost 5,000 tons each. These five destinations accounted for 65% of the region’s total apple exports.
Despite the higher demand for apples in the Brazilian market, the FOB prices that exporters declared to customs show a significant drop. According to customs data, the average FOB value of apples destined for Brazil was US$ 0.74 per kilo in this harvest, that is, almost 10% less than in the same period last year and about 25% less than in the same period 2018.
Slight drop in pear exports
According to SENASA, at the end of the second quarter of the year, Argentina had exported a total of 72,600 tons of pears to Brazil, a volume that reflects a 1% drop YoY and a 5% drop in relation to the same period of 2018.
The average FOB price for pears was US$ 0.68 per kilo, 8% below the previous year and 24% lower than in 2018.
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Diners at a US bar and restaurant will soon be able to see a range of signature drinks and current specials when tapping their NFC device to tags placed throughout the building. Northeast Social in Minneapolis is using local mobile app developer Appmosphere’s new Reach NFC platform to implement and manage the campaign.
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- Xiaomi expands its Mi Pay mobile payments service to India


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The increasing price of Solar Modules -Why this is the correct time for solar installation?
Solar panels have been a great source of energy in India for a long time but it is only recently that due to their price drop, they have become more accessible to a larger population. With such an economic and environment-friendly option at their disposal, many people in the country are slowly shifting to solar panels. The wise have realized that it is a shame not to use the most natural source of energy available to us- sunlight and this has led to the growing popularity of solar panels .
In the past decade, the world has witnessed a solar boom. Annual Solar Installations across the globe have increased from 18 GW in 2010 to 183 GW in 2021 and are projected to increase to 334 GW by 2030. Similarly in India, Cumulative Installed Solar Capacity has increased manifold from 161 MW in 2010 to 42 GW as of December 2021. In India, tariffs discovered in utility-scale solar tenders have fallen from INR 10.95/kWh in 2010 to INR 1.99/kWh in 2020, which is significantly lower than INR 5-7/kWh tariffs for new thermal power projects .
A major driver of such a downtrend of solar tariffs has been solar modules, which contribute 62-67% of the total project cost, and their price/Wp has consistently fallen over the years. Average monthly global solar module (crystalline) price fell and this represents an approximate ~23% Year-on-Year fall in module prices in the same period. It was an inherent assumption of all stakeholders that this trend will continue .
Unfortunately, since the mid of 2020, solar module prices have become increasingly unpredictable and volatile. In a complete reversal of the previous trend, solar module prices in the global market actually increased from August 2020 to November 2021 by ~42%. Along similar lines, solar module prices in India also increased from August 2020 to November 2021 by ~40% and can further increase making this time very suitable for investing in solar energy .
This price rise has been mainly driven by a sharp increase in the price of polysilicon, a key input for cell and module manufacturers. In a report, ICRA stated that given the import dependency for PV modules for a majority of the solar power installations in India, such hardening in the price of PV modules, if sustained, remains a near-term headwind .
Figure 1: Module Price Trends
Source: JMK Research
Key reasons for increasing solar module prices in India & Abroad are:
Supply chain disruptions – Polysilicon is the critical raw material in solar PV manufacturing. Its reduction in price over the years has been the major factor contributing to declining solar module prices. However, post-July 2020, polysilicon prices in the global markets increased from Rs 520/kg to 3300/kg in November 2021 (six times increment). Other disrupting factors in the PV supply chain include price hikes for commodities such as glass and metals, shortage of containers, etc.
Augmentation of demand – Supply-demand mismatch is another major factor contributing to the increase in solar module prices. Over the past two years, the demand and acceptance for solar worldwide have exploded. The demand for cheaper and cleaner sources of energy, with corporates globally setting up decarbonizing and Net Zero goals, is further driving the growth of demand for solar. In such a scenario of demand outstripping supply, the price of the concerned commodity increases.
Impact of basic customs duty (BCD) and Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) – From April 2022 onwards, BCD is applied to the import of solar modules (40%) and cells (25%). Additionally, government-mandated solar developers to only use ALMM enlisted modules for government projects, government-assisted projects, those under government schemes and programs (e.g., Component A of PM-KUSUM scheme) as well as open access and rooftop net metering projects.
Miscellaneous – The solar manufacturing industry, still highly concentrated in China, was affected by the rolling blackouts implemented by the government of the energy-intensive industries. This crisis compounded an already difficult situation and contributed to increasing in module prices in short term. With covid cases surging in China post-March 2022, the Chinese government has imposed strict lockdowns across several major provinces. Thus, this hindrance to solar manufacturing in China may affect solar module prices at least in the short term .
With ever-increasing demand, it is imperative for supply to catch up to stabilize solar module prices. Therefore, investing in solar energy before major fluctuations in the prices becomes a wise decision, and further, because of the supply-demand mismatch, it can be concluded that solar module prices are not expected to come down anytime soon.
 ERC India
 JMK Research
 IRENA, Power Generation Costs, June 2020
 PV Magazine
 PSU Watch


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One in five book holidays via mobile
London, 29 July 2013 – More than half of tech-savvy holidaymakers (1). are rejecting travel agents in their quest to design dream holidays on a budget. These figures come from the latest study into travel trends commissioned by the Tradedoubler Insight Unit (2), Performance Marketing: Travellers & Purchase Paths. The research reveals insights into the complex purchase journey that travellers embark on as they research and book destinations, flights, hotels and package holidays – all with an eye on the best possible deal.
Amongst those who had taken a holiday in the past two years, 62 per cent chose to put their own itinerary together, booking flights and hotels separately – far more than opted for traditional cost-saving, one-stop options such as package holidays (41 per cent) or all-inclusive trips (20 per cent).
The second major trend uncovered by the research is travellers’ increasing use of Performance Marketing sites and apps - such as price comparison, voucher code, loyalty and reward or cashback. More than half use such sites to help them find the best price: 57 per cent for hotels, 53 per cent for flights and 59 per cent for holidays.
Even at the research stage of choosing a holiday destination, 44 per cent of travellers are using price-focused Performance Marketing sites - almost as many as those that seek out ideas and information via online travel agents (50 per cent).
When it comes to flights, 71 per cent of travellers say they always look at performance marketing sites to ensure that they are getting the best price, with only 38 per cent maintaining loyalty to a particular airline by checking frequent flyer schemes.
“Holidaymakers have unprecedented levels of information and offers at their fingertips, including on their smartphones and tablets, and it’s driving an amazing shift in how they research and book holidays,” said Dan Cohen, Regional Director, Tradedoubler
“One in five now book holidays using a mobile, a figure that rises to 28 per cent amongst mobile-savvy 25-34 year olds. Airlines, hotels and holiday operators without a presence on the right performance marketing channels are going to lose out,” continued Cohen.
Across Europe €98.1bn is spent online on travel, making it the largest online business sector. Forecasts estimate that this figure will grow by seven per cent a year, reaching
€112.2bn in 2014. 41 per cent of all consumer travel spend is online; this will rise to 44 per cent by 20143.
Notes to Editors:
Tradedoubler creates award-winning, multi-channel performance marketing programs for clients on a payment-by-results basis. It generates more than €3.5bn in sales for its clients, with travel being the largest contributor. Its clients include Expedia, Hotels.com, ClubMed and venere.com and Tradedoubler works with publishers such as Skyscanner and Trivago.
1. Holidaymakers who own a smartphone and shop online at least once per month.
2. Tradedoubler Insight Unit, commissioned the research from Fox Insights. The survey was conducted online amongst 2,500 smartphone users who shop at least once a month online - in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Poland. The countries covered by the research account for 89 per cent of the retail e-commerce market in Europe.
3. PhoCusWright European Travel Online Overview – December 2012
For media information, contact:
Joe Hawke/Richard Bell
Tel: +44 1189 090909
Published on: 10:47AM on 31st July 2013


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Trump vs. Snail Mail
The US Postal Service has become a surprisingly relevant political issue, considering the fact that most Americans haven’t sent a letter since they were forced to write to their French pen pals in sixth grade and say things like, “I enjoy watching TV and playing soccer.”
In the past decade, the department has been financially struggling. Then, an investigation earlier this year revealed that the mail trucks have started spontaneously combusting. The mailmen were fine but RIP all those spam letters from AARP addressed to “current resident.”
Recently, Louis DeJoy a multi-million-dollar major donor to Trump, was selected as the Postmaster General. And many were not so de-joyous about the decision.
DeJoy has instructed mail carriers to leave behind mail that will slow them down on their routes. He also told them that they could only park four times along their route. What does he envision? That they’ll cruise by dropping off mail without even stopping the truck, meanwhile throwing postcards out the back window because the tiny bits of paper are “slowing them down”? It’s snail mail, not Ford v. Ferrari.
The result is that tons of mail has been lost. Which would honestly be totally fine and likely go completely unnoticed — if the USPS didn’t also deliver online shopping packages. If your electric bill gets lost, c’est la vie. If your new matching tie-dye pajama set disappears? Well, now that’s a real problem.
The politicization of mail is appropriate, coming on the heel of the politicization of believing in science and the politicization of trying to stay healthy during a pandemic.
Part of the problem concerns Trump’s fear mongering over mail in ballots for the November 2020 presidential election.
Trump wants to have in-person voting because he fears mail in voting will result in inaccuracies. One way to solve that might be to make the postal service more reliable — not hire a guy who’s telling mailmen to throw out any letters that are slowing them down.
The other part of the problem is that Trump is having a feud with Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. He thinks that if he hurts the USPS, that will in turn hurt Bezos. (Which will in turn hurt everyone who’s impulse buying books, clothes and random halloween costumes from Amazon).
The bottom line is, just use email or Fedex.


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With Melbourne alone leading the world with the most days spent in lockdown, it’s no surprise that multiple industries are suffering without their usual patrons. But Australia’s fitness industry, despite doing its best to adapt, has been left behind.
With the onset of lockdowns, previous gym patrons have instead invested in home gym equipment, opting to follow free YouTube videos or even buy memberships from fitness centres themselves. Those who cannot invest in these methods take the free option, getting outdoor time with their allocated two hours of walking a day.
So, what was the fitness industry like before lockdowns were implemented? According to the Covid-19 Fitness and Impact Report, Australia’s fitness centres are worth 3 billion dollars to Australia’s economy, with over 3 million people holding active memberships, spending 8.5 billion dollars on fitness each year. These fitness centres employ over 35 000 employees.
Without this patronage, the report states that not only are all those employees now likely unemployed, but there has also been a loss of about 13.8 billion dollars to the local economy, not to mention the impact on people’s physical health. The lack of gyms and the associated social interactions can also negatively impact people’s mental health as regular exercise is proven to reduce stress and symptoms of mental health conditions as well as helping with recovery.
So, what does the future look like for gym owners? In their article, PerfectGym states that with capacity limits, it’s important to get the most out of re-opening by considering the following:
· Combining on-site sessions with online content to get around capacity limits and help people transition back to being on-site, this can be done by changing membership packages.
· Review your pricing, as many people’s financial statuses have been altered by ongoing lockdowns, so offering fee reductions can help.
· Acknowledge existing clients with membership discounts and new add-ons to reward their loyalty in the past and during lockdowns.
· New offers to encourage first time clients such as scrapping joining fees or a free trial class.
· Utilise ongoing communication to keep everyone in the loop about new offers, possible membership changes and COVID announcements.
· Staff training for COVID measurements at regular intervals to ensure best practice.
While this is negative news for the fitness industry, it does not necessarily mean selling is your best option. Nor does it mean buying a fitness-related business is a bad idea. There will always be gym-enthusiasts, so adapting to circumstances and anticipating problems will always put you at an advantage.
You can also take another route; to ensure you make the most of your money and time, buying a sports or fitness franchise could be a smart option. Fitness franchises are already established and funded, and you can avoid assuming the risks of starting a business.


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PRW construction lowing in Europe, but booming in Middle East and Asia: overcapacity in the Netherlands and other EU countries, as well as ongoing pressure on rates, will have to be sorted out before the next surge in expansion takes place in Europe.
Operators have only been able to realize modest price increases lately, but these don't even begin to compensate for rate cuts made in the past years. Furthermore, refrigerated warehouse executives indicate there is structural overcapacity. According to what they tell Van Sambeeck, in the Netherlands alone, about 30% of the public coldstores would have to be reorganized in order to bring the industry back into balance in terms of supply and demand.
Central Europe will see some construction of new public refrigerated warehouses. In countries such as Romania and Bulgaria there are several projects in the pipeline, reported Van Sambeeck. In Poland large public coldstores (partly dedicated) are under construction, also as a result of Unilever's policy to reduce its number of warehouses from 600 to 250 by 2010 (See related story, page 111.).
In Moscow and Saint Petersburg there are also several projects in progress which will begin to address the cold storage shortage in the region.
A real boom in construction is visible in the Middle East, where ColdStoreDesign.com is involved in several projects, Van Sambeeck said. Dubai is the absolute hot spot at the moment, but there are also projects on the drawing board for Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. In general, investors think big, which means that a capacity of 50,000 pallet positions is considered more or less normal. The issue of profitability does not seem to be a very pressing matter among the petrodollar-rich players in the Gulf states.
"We know from experience that India and China are two other regions where much construction is scheduled. Entrepreneurs in these countries hope to profit from the presence of international food retailers, which is expected to increase enormously in the coming years, provided that restrictions are lifted and these economies can maintain their current growth figures," said Van Sambeeck.
The Chinese Commission for Refrigerated Warehouses recently released the latest statistics for the total capacity of refrigerated space in the PRC. Longchang Liu with the Shanghai Association of Refrigerated Warehouses, a Global Cold Chain Alliance affiliate partner and a member of the Commission, reported that the total capacity of refrigerated warehouse space in China is around nine million tons (over 30 million cubic meters). Of that, about 50% is estimated to be for public refrigerated warehouses.
According to Koenraad Van Simaey, a Southeast Asia-based partner of ColdStoreDesign.com, Vietnam is the absolute front runner when it comes to expansion of cold storage capacity, with an expected growth front 90,000 to 250,000 pallet positions in the next 12 to 15 months. He believes that this will create much pressure on the country's existing public coldstores, which currently are able to operate at relatively positive price levels.
For the time being, Van Simaey said, the Vietnamese market will predominantly focus on the export of shrimp and other frozen seafood and fish products. Several international logistics service providers are now entering into this market, competing primarily with local operators.
In the European private sector, Van Sambeeck reported, the most significant development is the construction of large facilities for dedicated storage of products made by single manufacturers or processors.
Instead of storing products in smaller quantities in several coldstores or 3PLs, they opt for centralization of stocks and eliminating intermediate storage and extra handling activities front the process, thus creating larger product flows closer to the retail distribution or consolidation centers.
These types of construction projects are about to be launched in nearly all countries in Western Europe. Rather extraordinary are the projects where entrepreneurs from different sectors enter into a joint venture and cooperatively run a refrigerated warehouse, such as the initiative in Ieper, Belgium, where vegetable and ice cream manufacturers are setting up a 100,000 pallet position facility. By taking these amounts out of the PRW marketplace, the pressure on rates increases again.
"Cooperation is sometimes necessary in order to establish an operation that has sufficient scale to realize a good return on investment, because operations this size nowadays have to be highly sophisticated and require a high level of mechanization and automation," Van Sambeeck noted.
"With increasing costs of energy and labor, the two most important expenses in the coldstore, the break-even point for these types of investments is moving more and more towards a smaller number of pallet positions," he said. "This is partly due to the fact that energy savings in an automated refrigerated warehouse can amount to 50% in some cases."
Service and Equipment Trends
Indeed, he added, "Looking at the interest in our Energy Cost Saving Quick Scan service, we notice that entrepreneurs are really focused on energy saving at the moment. For that matter, nowadays there are very interesting logistics solutions in this area, with reliable air curtains, a modern dock layout and advanced equipment."
"Debate concerning the use of CFCs and HCFCs will never end in this industry," Van Sambeeck opined. "It will keep us occupied, just like the debate on whether refrigeration plants with ammonia or plants with ammonia in combination with C[O.sub.2] are the best."
The choice in favor or against one or the other is mostly determined by location and the policy of the entrepreneurs, he said. "It is clear, however, that 3PLs (third party logistics providers) that claim to be "Green" have an extra marketing argument with large prospective clients in the food retail and manufacturing industry."
These companies are competing for the favors of consumers that are becoming more critical and environmentally aware (as is proven by the discussion surrounding food miles and carbon footprints). To satisfy their customers, retailers and manufacturers will therefore be more inclined to work with "green" partners; a trend that equipment suppliers have certainly acknowledged already.
"Finally, it is obvious that with increasing labor costs and the shortage of qualified staff, coldstore operatom are also very interested in the market for material handling equipment," concluded Van Sambeeck.
Preferred Freezer Services Building in Vietnam, China
Preferred Freezer Services, Newark, New Jersey, USA, has gone global by breaking ground for a new refrigerated warehouse in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The company will begin construction of another project in Shanghai, China, this September.
The Ho Chi Minh City facility will add eight million cubic feet to the nearly 170 million cubic feet of space that Preferred operates. It is anticipated that this is just the first of five to seven facilities to be developed by Preferred Freezer Services through its Vietnam holding company, Antara.
Preferred's site in Shanghai is in the Lingang Industrial Area, near the Yangshan Deep-Water Port and the 17-mile long East Sea Bridge. The facility's capacity will total 14 million cubic feet.
The company is also opening new or expanded PRWs this year in Everett, Massachusetts; Elizabeth, New Jersey; Jacksonville, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; and Los Angeles and Oakland, California.
In what is an interesting promotional idea, Preferred is offering live webcams of sites under construction at its website: www.preferredfreezer.com.
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|Title Annotation:||Warehousing World|
|Comment:||PRW construction lowing in Europe, but booming in Middle East and Asia: overcapacity in the Netherlands and other EU countries, as well as ongoing pressure on rates, will have to be sorted out before the next surge in expansion takes place in Europe.(Warehousing World)|
|Publication:||Quick Frozen Foods International|
|Date:||Apr 1, 2008|
|Previous Article:||Spotlight on Canada: retailers continue to stock up on healthy-eating products: growing health and nutrition concerns influence consumer shopping...|
|Next Article:||PRW operators get advice on improving efficiency and profitability.|


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In the last few years, marijuana stocks have been on a tear. While some investors may be wary of investing in the sector due to the recent market turbulence, there are still opportunities for long-term gains.
The finance cat twitter is a Twitter account that tweets out the latest news about cannabis stocks. It’s an ancillary company that covers all of the top cannabis companies in the market right now.
Are you searching for the best marijuana stocks to invest in before the end of the year? During the early part of last week, the cannabis industry and broader markets saw some market turbulence and pulled down. The top cannabis companies to invest in surged to end the week after Congress announced that the SAFE Banking Act had passed in the House. With many experts expecting that the market will continue to rise in the fourth quarter, it may be wise to look for top marijuana stocks before October.
Cannabis businesses in the United States are doing well, with significant revenue growth and expansion throughout the nation. Regrettably, this has not translated into market gains in 2021 for investors. The cannabis industry has seen substantial market losses during the last seven months. This is partially due to the fact that the federal government did not make the anticipated changes to the cannabis ban.
However, with the potential of marijuana banking reform in Q4, more investors are interested in top cannabis companies. The House will vote on the MORE Act next week, in addition to the SAFE Banking Act. This was the trigger for the cannabis sector’s rally earlier in the year in 2021. With another possibility of federal marijuana legalization and reform, the best marijuana companies to invest in may see some gain.
Is Now The Right Time To Invest Long-Term In The Cannabis Industry?
As we enter October, the cannabis industry is showing signs of improvement. In September, several marijuana stocks were trading at their lowest levels. If the broader markets maintain their current rise, this may imply further upside. Before beginning a position as an investor, it is critical to do thorough research on the business. Examining a company’s financials and seeing how its stock performs in the market may assist you in achieving the greatest results. Let’s take a look at three top marijuana stocks for your October list as we finish out September with things looking good.
Before next week, keep an eye on these marijuana stocks.
- Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. is a company that specializes in industrial properties. is a company that specializes in industrial properties (NYSE:IIPR)
- Scotts Miracle-Gro Corporation (NYSE:SMG)
- GrowGeneration Corporation (GrowGeneration) is a company thatoration is a private corporation based in the United States (NASDAQ:GRWG)
Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc.
Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc., a real estate investment trust focused on the US-licensed cannabis industry, ranks first on the list. Specifically, the business has a total of 6.8 million rentable square feet and 2.4 million square feet under construction. These properties are 100% leased, with a weighted average remaining lease period of about 16.7 years. The business has 75 properties in 19 states in total. IIP continues to make purchases, including properties in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, which will substantially increase its lease portfolio in 2021. IIP will immediately engage into a long-term triple net lease with the cannabis business that will be utilizing the land following the acquisition. The firm has committed additional $385.3 million to the completion of construction and tenant upgrades at IIP buildings, bringing its total investment to $1.3 billion.
The business purchased a property in Missouri and signed a long-term lease on September 20th. IIP’s newest financials show a performance-driven increase of 101 percent in total revenue year over year in the second quarter of 2021. The business earned a total of $48.9 million in sales. On July 15th, IIP paid its second-quarter 2021 dividend of $1.40 per share, a 32 percent increase over the previous year. This is a 6 percent increase over the first quarter dividend. IIP has a debt-to-total-gross-assets ratio of 21%, with total gross assets of $2.1 billion. As a consequence, during the first six months of 2021, the business earned total sales of $91.8 million.
Scotts Miracle-Gro Corporation
Scotts Miracle-Gro is one of the biggest marketers of branded consumer lawn and gardening goods in the world, and also has a stake in the cannabis industry. Hawthorne Gardening, the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, is a major provider of fertilizers, lighting, and hydroponic equipment used in the cannabis-growing process. Scott’s appointed Cory Miller as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in September.
In August, the business released its third-quarter financials and maintained its fiscal 2021 sales and profits forecast. To note, the firm reported an 8% increase in Q3 revenues to $1.61 billion, owing to Hawthorne’s 48 percent increase. Hawthorne sales, for example, rose to $421.9 million from $285.7 million. Scott’s consumer sales in the United States fell 4% in the third quarter, but are still up 19% year to date. As a consequence, Scott’s total revenues for the first nine months of fiscal 2021 increased by 29% to $4.19 billion. Scott’s purchased Hydrologic Purification Systems, a California-based accessory and supplier of water filtration and purification solutions for the cannabis industry, in the third quarter. In September, the stock of SMG fell substantially, providing investors a cheaper starting point.
GrowGeneration Corp., a major owner and operator of retail hydroponic and organic gardening shops throughout the United States, is at the bottom of the list. The business primarily sells and distributes organics, lighting, and hydroponic equipment to cannabis growers. GrowGen now has 60 organic garden centers in 12 states, with its sixth shop just opening in Michigan. Commercial Grow Supply was purchased in August by the business in order to expand its presence in southern California. With the introduction of GrowGeneration.com, the business has also been focusing on its internet presence. The business just debuted a revamped e-commerce platform. With over 10,000 items ranging from nutrition to lighting technologies, the site is a one-stop e-commerce destination. The business expects to have over 100 sites in the United States over the next five years.
GrowGen announced record sales of $125.9 million in the second quarter of 2021, up 190 percent year over year. The business earned $6.7 million in net income and $14.5 million in adjusted EBITDA. Furthermore, the firm increased its sales forecast for 2021 to $455-$475 million. As a consequence, the business saw a 60 percent rise in comparable store sales over the previous year. GRWG stock experienced the steepest selloff of all ancillary marijuana companies, despite GrowGen’s robust revenue growth. At $25.79 per share, GRWG stock will begin the week at its lowest price point in 2021.
The etoro lindzon is a marijuana stock that has been on the rise in recent times. There are 3 ancillary cannabis companies that you should be considering for your list right now.
- robinhood penny stocks twitter
- twitter penny stock
- stock cats twitter
- cbd stocks to watch
- aurora cannabi stock


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The Family Office of Ajay Bijli, founder and managing director of cinema multiplex chain PVR Ltd, has picked up a minority stake in men’s luxury footwear and fashion brand Louis Stitch. This is the first time the PVR family business is investing in such a business.
The funding has been done via Bijli group’s logistics arm, ATC Logistics, run by Bijli’s son Aamer. Louis Stitch said it has raised ₹5 crore from the Bijli Family Office at a pre-money valuation of ₹100 crore.
The homegrown four-year-old brand so far sells only online through its own e-commerce portal and e-commerce platforms Myntra, Amazon and Nykaa. The investment by Bijli’s Family Office will be infused to set up standalone physical stores.
Bijli said Louis Stitch “has shown remarkable growth since its inception in the men’s luxury fashion market”.
“We have raised the funds to support growth and expand to offline stores with a network of exclusive brand outlets in key metros,” Amol Goel, chief executive and founder of Louis Stitch, said.
The scale-up plan comes at a time when offline retail is seeing robust resurgence post pandemic, according to multiple industry reports. India’s retail market is forecast to touch $2 trillion by 2032, up from $ 690 billion in 2021, a February report by retail consultancy Anarock and Retailers Association of India (RAI), said. The report said real estate developers plan to add nearly 25 million square feet of new mall space across seven major cities over the next four-five years.
Goel said the funding will also be allocated to expand product lines, capacity expansion and distribution. The brand, which sells footwear, jeans, bags, and men’s accessories, will extend its portfolio to add apparel such as polos, formal shirts, and trousers, Goel said. Another report by CBRE said rapid expansion of offline retail is being led by fashion and apparel, and food and beverages, not just in metros but tier-2 and 3 markets as well.


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Illusive Networks, a startup developing technology to thwart cyberattacks with honeypots, has raised $24 million in fresh venture capital. : Illusive Networks, a cybersecurity startup specializing in defense and deception, today announced $24 million in venture funding. The company says the investment will be used to accelerate its next phase of growth, driven by a go-to-market strategy that focuses on sales and marketing expansion, with an emphasis on product enhancements for securing cloud workloads. Damage related to cybercrime is anticipated … Full investment news articleRelevent to this post: New Enterprise Associates (NEA) Bessemer Venture Partners,


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Tackle shops approached to sell UK fishing licences online
Tackle shops in the UK could be able to sell fishing licences online if discussions with the body that represents the industry are successful.
The move follows the revelation that from January 16th next year, rod licences will no longer be available to purchase from the Post Office, as confirmed by the Environment Agency (EA).
Discussions are ongoing with the Angling Trades Association (ATA) to see if retailers would be able to offer an online service to anglers. The EA contract with the Post Office ends a long association where licences could be bought over the counter.
Over the last decade the EA has slowly brought the services provided by the Post Office contract in-house, resulting in more flexibility in what the EA says it can to deliver for customers. Currently 90 per cent of anglers buy online quickly and easily as a result of these improvements.
The move away from the Post Office and to digital sales will provide cost savings to the Environment Agency which can be invested directly back into the fisheries service.
A campaign is now starting to alert anglers to the end of the contract and the importance – and ease – of buying a ‘digital’ licence online.
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EastMed Inc., the medical manufacturing company responsible for the uresta® Continence Care kit, welcomes Superior Medical as its Canadian distribution partner.
“We are delighted to sign an exclusive deal with Superior Medical to distribute the uresta® product across Canada.” said Dr. Scott Farrell, EastMed Founder, VP Medical and head of the urogynaecology division at the IWK Health Centre.
EastMed test marketed the uresta® Continence Care kit, designed for women who experience stress urinary incontinence (SUI), in October 2007 to Atlantic Canadians via pharmacies, and plans to launch Canada-wide later this fall.
“Women across the country will soon have access to the uresta® product in pharmacies or through their healthcare provider,” confirmed Dr. Farrell.
“Superior Medical is pleased to offer Canadian women such a unique and innovative medical device, and especially one that was developed completely in Canada. Physicians will soon access ongoing clinical information on the effectiveness of uresta® for the stress incontinent patient.” said Ron Kilius, President & CEO of Superior Medical.
For almost three decades, Superior Medical has been a leading Canadian company specializing in women’s healthcare products, surgical equipment and healthcare services across Canada.
EastMed Inc. is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia and is dedicated to inventing and bringing to market medical innovations for women's health and wellness. EastMed Inc. has received ISO certifications, standards of quality recognized and respected throughout the world, and in 2008 was awarded the 2008 Medical Design Excellence Award (MDEA) in recognition of its innovative design for a medical device for women who suffer with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and Progress Marketer of the Year for the launch of its flagship product - uresta® Continence Care.
The uresta® Continence Care kit is licensed for sale in Canada by Health Canada and has been given clearance to market in the United States by the FDA. Empowering women to self-manage their SUI, uresta® Continence Care is currently available at pharmacies across Atlantic Canada and online at WWW.URESTA.COM.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 11, 2009


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Recently, we covered a story featuring the announcement of a Jacob & Co. X Supreme collaboration. The Jacob & Co. Time Zone Watch will be the face of the new partnership, coming in both a 40mm and 47mm option. The dial includes three worldwide time zones for New York, Tokyo, and Paris. The iconic Supreme box making an appearance as well. The Jacob & Co. X Supreme watch will be released with the Week 9 Fall/Winter 2020 drop.
Date: October 21, 2020
Time: 11 am EST
Where: Supreme New York Website