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Britain's high streets shut down: Now Greggs and KFC is closing stores as restaurants and cafes including McDonald's, Nandos and Costa shut up shop even for takeaways amid coronavirus crisis
- Shops and coffee chains up and down the country will close their doors today amid the coronavirus outbreak
- Costa had moved to seat-less chains but will now close its stores in the UK in order to stop the spread
- High Street retailers will also shut today including clothing stores such as H&M, New Look and John Lewis
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
Britain's high streets will shut down this evening as many retailers and eateries including Greggs, Nandos, John Lewis, KFC and McDonald's shut their doors amid the coronavirus crisis.
Costa Coffee along with dozens of other eateries closed their doors this morning as other businesses prepare to shut shop tonight.
Many chains said they would be temporarily shutting stores in the UK, as retailers all over the country begin to deal with the fall out from the illness that has so far killed 335 people, with over 6,650 cases having been confirmed.
This afternoon pastry favourite Greggs said it will close its entire store estate from the end of business on Tuesday, saying operating a takeaway service was not enough to maintain social distancing.
Popular fried chicken chain KFC has also started closing its restaurants today, and confirmed they will all be shut by Wednesday March 25 until further notice.
Many people across the UK will be laid off work due to the virus and chancellor Rishi Sunak is preparing a fresh coronavirus economic bailout to protect the UK's five million self-employed workers. He had announced on Friday that the Government would cover 80 per cent of employers' wage bills in a bid to stop mass lay-offs.
Office workers all over the country had been urged to 'work from home where possible' in order to stop the spread of the virus.
The closures today come after coffee chains such as Pret A Manger and Starbucks announced yesterday that they would be closing.
Costa had yesterday announced that it would remove seating areas from its stores, as well as implementing card payments only.
In a statement Costa said it would continue to serve the community and would provide key workers with cans of coffee.
Nando's restaurants will also close today -as Primark and Timpsons announced similar measures in the battle against coronavirus.
McDonald's previously shut down the seating areas of its restaurants, but has now confirmed in a statement that all its eateries will close at 7pm on Monday.
It comes as:
- Frontline NHS staff claimed they are having to share facemasks amid growing demand for the items
- Rishi Sunak to announce cash bail-out for five million self-employed Britons facing coronavirus ruin - after promise to cover 80% of laid-off workers' incomes
- Teachers across the country begged parents to reconsider their 'key worker' status
- Commuters in London left furious as trains were still overcrowded today due to reduced services
- FTSE 100 opened five per cent down with drop of 266 to 4,923 points as coronavirus crisis continues to terrify investors - while pound trades at $1.16 amid chaos
Shops across the UK have closed in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus, pictured above is H&M on Oxford Street, London
A shorter version of the statement posted on the McDonald's Twitter account last night that details its reasons for closure
Joggers and cyclists out and about in London today, a woman was seen running past a closed Pret A Manger on Oxford Street
The Microsoft store in London had a sign on the window this morning that stated it was 'committed to the health and safety of customers and employees'
The shops closing due to the coronavirus pandemic
Paul Pomroy, Chief Executive Officer of McDonald's in the UK & Ireland said: 'Over the last 24 hours, it has become clear that maintaining safe social distancing whilst operating busy takeaway and Drive Thru restaurants is increasingly difficult and therefore we have taken the decision to close every restaurant in the UK and Ireland by 7pm on Monday 23rd March at the latest.'
On their website, Costa today said the safety of its staff and customers is a 'number one priority'.
It said: 'We will do our best to keep Costa stores open in hospitals where we will continue to provide free takeaway coffee for the next two weeks to the NHS workers who are at the forefront of this crisis. Wherever possible, we will also keep our Costa Express machines available to serve you a great cup of coffee.'
It also added that it would be paying all team members their full average weekly pay over eight weeks.
'We have pledged to provide support to those in need over the coming weeks and months, providing food and drink, and allowing our teams to support their own communities locally.
'We started last week, providing free coffee to our critical NHS workers. This week we will continue by delivering one million cans of coffee to other key workers across the country.'
Subway also announced it is temporarily closing all of its stores in the UK and Ireland from 5pm on Monday.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Subway said: 'We believe this is the best thing to support social distancing and keep everyone as healthy as possible for as long as possible.'
The decision comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for pubs, clubs and restaurants to shut on Friday, although he stressed they could continue with a takeaway service.
Nando's followed suit and said it will temporarily close all its restaurants in the UK today 'until further notice'.
The chain has more than 400 restaurants in the country and said the decision was 'the best course of action'.
In a post on Twitter, the company said: 'The health and safety of our customers and team is our highest priority.
'We have decided that the best course of action right now is to temporarily close our restaurants until further notice.
'We will keep you updated on our channels. We'll see you soon.'
Pizza Express had said on Friday that it would close its dine in restaurants to customers but that it will still be offering delivery.
But this afternoon it announced this was no longer viable.
It said: 'We’ll also continue to increase production of our At Home range in order to enhance availability of our pizza in supermarkets during this time.
'Whilst we’re uncertain of what may happen over the coming few weeks, we’ll continue to support our customers, teams and local communities as best we can and we remain committed to helping the UK get through these uncertain times'.
It came after Primark announced it would close all 189 outlets in the UK and Patisserie Valerie will shut all its stores and online services today.
Associated British Foods, which owns Primark, has already shut its 187 other venues across Europe and North America this week.
It has also cancelled all new clothing orders from suppliers in countries including India, but will honour all orders already shipped to Primark stores.
Next also said it would be closing until further notice.
British clothing retailer Cath Kidston also announced its temporary closure and one expert said the timing had not been great for many struggling businesses.
In a statement to its shoppers it said: 'Cath Kidston is committed to the safety of our customers and employees and so we have taken the difficult decision to temporarily close all Cath Kidston Stores, in the UK & Ireland in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stores will close tonight, Saturday 21 March, until further notice.
'We are working to ensure our staff receive financial support and the assistance they need throughout this period of closure.
'We hope that the situation improves quickly for everyone. In the meantime, we’re here for you in these difficult times and send our love to all those affected. Stay safe, keep well and thank you for your unwavering support for our brand'.
Nigel Frith, a senior market analyst at www.asktraders.com said: 'The increasingly stricter measures implemented by the government to contain the spread of coronavirus, combined with collapsing consumer confidence is proving to be every retailer's worst nightmare.
'The sector was already in a troubled place before coronavirus struck, now the chances of survival are greatly reduced.
'Cath Kidston is just the latest in what promises to be a very extensive list of retailers that will struggle to make it through the coming 3 months. Time is of the essence to find a buyer otherwise the floral and polka dot designs will disappear from the high street forever.'
An Eat store in central London was seen boarded up this morning as people walked past it wearing protective facemasks
So much for six feet! Commuters are STILL crammed onto Tubes 'risking health of vital workers' after Sadiq Khan cut services - despite him saying 'people will die' if they don't practise social distancing (while he works from home)
Commuters were crammed onto Tubes in the morning dash to work today after Sadiq Khan cut services and told Londoners to enforce social distancing.
The London Mayor has said Britons in the capital need to stay indoors to 'protect the ones they love' amid the outbreak of deadly coronavirus - which has infected 5,683 and killed 281 in the UK so far.
London Underground staff were 'furious' after trains remained packed on Monday morning despite passengers being urged not to travel unless they have a critical job.
One commuter tweeted at London's Northern Line asking where the southbound train at Colindale was, adding: 'No sight of the train, platform is full of people, thanks for nothing!'
A special needs teacher told MailOnline he could not get to work safely this morning due to overcrowding - sharing images of a packed Central Line at 7.15am.
Finn Brennan, district organiser for train drivers' union Aslef, expressed alarm at services which were extremely busy despite advice aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.
He wrote on Twitter: 'Still heavy loading on some Tube lines this morning making social distancing impossible.
'This is endangering the health of the vital workers who have to use the system.
'The Government must act now to ensure only ESSENTIAL journeys are made.
'I'm being sent pictures of crush loaded platforms at some Jubilee line platforms this morning. Drivers and other frontline staff are furious.'
As 38 Underground stations remain closed this morning, one commuter tweeted at London's Northern Line asking where the southbound train at Colindale was, adding: 'No sight of the train, platform is full of people, thanks for nothing!'
On Sunday Timpson announced that all 2,150 of its stores - including its cobblers and locksmiths, and Johnsons - will 'go into hibernation' at 5pm tomorrow.
CEO James Timpson confirmed that staff will remain on full pay.
Patisserie Valerie chief executive James Fleming said that as of today they would be temporarily closing stores and online services.
Pret A Manger chose to close all 400 of its UK stores, following a similar decision by coffee chain Starbucks, which has around 1,000 UK outlets.
But B&Q and Screwfix stores remain open, with bosses introducing new social distancing measures in stores.
This is while Ann Summers will close all stores and will pay staff their full salaries until next month.
As many eateries closed across the UK, some decided to line up for a last meals at their favourite takeaways.
Some eateries will remain open in order to serve food on platforms such as Deliveroo.
And high street giant John Lewis decided to close all 50 of its stores from close of business tonight for the first time in its 155-year history.
Waitrose will however remain open.
The supermarket is also setting aside a proportion of hard-to-find and essential products for NHS staff and will be available to collect at any time of day to help work around their shifts.
There will also be priority checkouts for NHS staff, along with donations of items including pillows and phone chargers.
Food retailers have been increasing donations to food banks, with Asda agreeing to £5 million for FoodShare, and Co-op pledging £1.5 million.
Co-op added it has built in additional working hours for store colleagues to undertake more frequent handwashing throughout the day.
The company’s funeral workers have also been designated as key workers.
DFS said it would be paying all staff full pay for March and April, regardless of whether they are self-isolating or looking after family members.
Timpson was founded in 1865 by shoemaker William Timpson and his brother-in-law Walter Joyce, who sold shoes from Oldham Road in Manchester.
It expanded into shoe manufacturing in 1884 at factories in Kettering, and repairs in 1903. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1929.
Timpson boasted around £10million turnover in the 1950s, and was bought out by several large companies in the proceeding decades.
It yet another staple of the British high street that has collaborated in the general panic after the Government encouraged public social centres to close.
HMV also said it would be temporarily closing its stores for trade from the end of Sunday, although its online business would continue.
Waterstones has also announced that it will temporarily close its doors by the close of trade today until further notice.
Pano Christou, CEO of the food chain Pret, said in a statement posted on social media: 'I want to thank our amazing teams for serving you with so much passion and kindness over the recent weeks, including more than 100,000 NHS workers.
'Pret's first value is Happy Teams, Happy Customers and my priority is always to protect our teams as much as we can.
A branch of Nandos in Windsor is seen above. The eatery announced it would close due to the coronavirus outbreak across the UK
'For this reason, we will be closing all our UK shops temporarily from this evening.
Rishi Sunak to announce cash bail-out for five million self-employed Britons facing coronavirus ruin - after promise to cover 80% of laid-off workers' incomes
A multi-billion pound rescue package to protect Britain's five million self-employed workers could be announced as soon as today.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is preparing the fresh coronavirus economic bailout amid warnings thousands of sole traders will not survive the crisis.
He had announced on Friday that the Government would cover 80 per cent of employers' wage bills in a bid to stop mass lay-offs. But following criticism that the self-employed were not receiving a similar level of support, the Treasury has spent the weekend drawing up a new package.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak (pictured on Friday) is preparing a multi-billion pound rescue package to protect Britain's five million self-employed workers
Amid mounting pressure, more than 2,000 musicians have today written to the Chancellor warning that the outbreak has resulted in the 'complete shutdown of our places of work'.
Signatories included musicians in the London Symphony Orchestra, band members in West End musicals such as Mamma Mia! and Strictly Come Dancing vocalist Lance Ellington. The British Chamber of Commerce last night warned that sole traders across the country were seeing their livelihoods 'vanish in the blink of an eye'.
Dr Adam Marshall, director general of the BCC, said: 'While we understand the complexity involved, there are five million self-employed people who need help similar in scale and scope to that put in place for larger firms in recent days. We will work closely with ministers to find a way to deliver support to self-employed people and to ensure that the measures announced for larger businesses make it through quickly to the front line.'
CBI director general Dame Carolyn Fairbairn said the Chancellor's rescue package last week had saved millions of jobs.
But she contrasted his pledge to provide 80 per cent of employees' wages – up to £2,500 per month – with the support given to the self-employed, who were told to claim Universal Credit or statutory sick pay at a rate of £94 per week. On Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday show, Dame Carolyn said it was 'not enough for the self-employed to live on'.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'It is operationally very difficult to create a scheme akin to [the bailout] for the self-employed but we are reviewing this. If there are further steps we need to do, we will take them.'
'We will of course ensure any excess food goes to those who need it most.
'We look forward to being a part of your daily lives again soon.
'Until then, stay healthy and look after each other.'
John Lewis Partnership chairman Sharon White declared: 'The welfare of our customers, communities and partners is always our absolute priority'.
The group-owned supermarket Waitrose, which has more than 300 stores across the country, will remain open, she added.
Ms White said the move was done 'with a heavy heart' even though the department store's website would remain operational.
Topshop employees were laid off after the Arcadia Group closed its 300 UK stores an hour before the Government announced its coronavirus job retention plan.
The group owned by billionaire Philip Green said in an emailed statement: 'In line with many other retailers, the Group has made the difficult decision to close until further notice all of our stores from 4pm this afternoon.'
This includes Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, and Wallis.
All these closures follow Chancellor Rishi Sunak's double-pledge to provide £350billion of Government-backed loans and cash grants to business, and pay 80 percent of workers' salaries up to £2,500 per month - the national average.
Mr Sunak also vowed to increase welfare payments by £7billion and defer £30billion of VAT bills. His scheme will be up and running from April 1.
Although these stores are technically allowed to remain open under Boris Johnson's Covid-19 lockdown plan, many have been spooked into closure.
Despite the closure of stores, meaning in turn a loss of income for many, banks are still set to hike over drafts.
Banks are pressing ahead with plans to raise overdraft rates to nearly 50 per cent – despite the risk of customers falling into the red in the coronavirus crisis.
High Street banks will all increase the cost to customers within days, meaning millions who use overdrafts responsibly face extortionate interest charges.
Consumer experts are calling on banks to delay the move, which follows a change of rules by the City watchdog. Anthony Morrow, of financial advice site OpenMoney, said: 'We all need to do what we can to limit the financial burden that this crisis has created.'
The new charges – from April 6 – come after the Bank of England cut the base rate to an historic low of 0.1 per cent. Nationwide, Santander, HSBC, and TSB have announced rises of up to 39.9 per cent, while NatWest will charge up to 39.49 per cent, and Barclays 35 per cent.
Even though many stores are closing, many beauty salons and hair dressers have remained open.
The establishments, which see members of staff come 'within the individuals' personal space', must go into lockdown to help the country cope with the virus' spread the minister warned.
Now, the Conservative MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale David Morris, believes the government must add hairdressing businesses to the list of closed venues.
A Primark store in Slough had its shutters up this morning with an sign on the door that informed customers it was closed because of the virus
What is still open FOR NOW (places you can visit but can't mingle)
- Shops (clothes, goods)
- Dry cleaners
- Department stores
- Hairdressers and barbers
- Post offices
The politician, who previously owned six hairdressing establishments, told The Sun : 'Hairdressers don't wear gloves when cutting hair. It's impossible to do so.
'They touch other people on average 1,000 times per haircut.
'They are within the individuals' personal space.'
The member of parliament added that while he did not wish to see the establishments shut down, it was in the interest of the nation that they do in a bid to slow down the spread of the illness.
However Curry's PC World told customers it would be keeping their stores open 'for as along as we safely can' and would be redoubling on cleaning, providing hand sanitisers in the store and adopting social distancing precautions amid the outbreak.
In an address to the public the company's CEO Alex Baldock said: 'As customers spend more time at home, we’re hearing that many of you are feeling isolated, or worried you soon will be. You want to stay connected to your loved ones, wherever they are. You’re working from home, cooking more meals, looking after (and now home-schooling) the kids and trying to keep active, entertained and healthy. Technology can give essential help with all this, and you’re telling us you want it to. So we’re working hard to make sure we do our bit.
'We’re keeping our stores open for as long as we safely can. Keeping our colleagues and customers safe is our number one priority. Everyone must feel safe in one of our stores. That’s why we’ve redoubled our cleaning, put in hand sanitisers, and adopted social distancing precautions.
'We’re racing to put in express checkouts, kerbside collection and the contact-free, drive-thru shop this week, all of which will put even more safe distance between colleagues and customers. Where we need to limit customer access to the store to keep everyone safe, we will. And if we have to close stores for a time, we’ll do that too.
'Right now our stores are open, but things are changing fast, and you can check before you go by visiting our online store finder. The information you see there will be up to date and it’ll say if the store is open or closed.'
Experts also today claimed that people should not cancel their direct debits as many start to feel the pinch of not receiving a regular income.
A spokesman for the Money Pig said services such as gyms and pay per view sports channels were particularly under pressure with so many sports events currently postponed.
Ikea at the Lakeside shopping centre. All Ikea stores in the UK and Ireland have temporarily closed due to the Corona virus outbreak
A Prezzo restaurant which has temporarily closed due to the Corona virus outbreak. Eateries were urged to close their doors on Friday
Emirates Airline announces it will cancel all commercial flights from Wednesday amid worsening global coronavirus crisis
Emirates Airlines has announced it will suspend all passenger flights amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The Dubai carrier on Sunday said it had made the decision amid an 'unprecedented crisis situation.'
The airline will temporarily suspend all passenger flights by 25 March.
The airline wrote on Twitter: 'Today we made the decision to temporarily suspend all passenger flights by 25 March 2020.'
Emirates Airlines has announced it will suspend all passenger flights amid the novel coronavirus outbreak
CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said: 'The world has literally gone into quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
'This is an unprecedented crisis situation in terms of breadth and scale: geographically, as well as from a health, social, and economic standpoint.'
On Friday, the United Arab Emirates announced the first two deaths from COVID-19 in the country.
CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said: 'The world has literally gone into quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak'
But they said providers were often willing to give substantial discounts or even waive fees altogether for a lengthy period to ensure they retain customers.
They warned consumers to be patient though as the coming weeks are likely to see a very high volume of calls and waiting times are likely to be lengthy.
A spokesman for The Money Pig said: 'Millions of us are currently taking a long hard look at our finances and many will be tempted to cancel direct debits for things like gyms and sports clubs we won't be able to use over the next couple of months.
'What we are saying to people is just to reach out and speak to the companies who provide these services and see if they can negotiate a discount or even if they are prepared to waive their fees altogether for the next few months.
'This is a time when the whole country is pulling together and many people are finding that service providers are being very accommodating with short term incentives in order to keep their custom in the longer term.
'We have seen reports of gyms agreeing to freeze memberships at no charge and companies such as Sky TV and Virgin media offering customers free sports packages for the next three months.
'By speaking to the service provider and discussing the options rather than just cancelling, customers can make sure they pay less in the long term by avoiding any cancellation charges or having to fork out for re-joining fees at a later date.
'One word of warning though, holding times are currently very high so try emailing or lie chat options first to relieve as much pressure from call centres as possible. If you do need to call then first thing in the morning or later in the evening may work best.'
Experts from personal finance website TheMoneyPig.com have urged the public to speak to their service providers and negotiate a discount rather than trying to cancel services.
Scientists and medics say the vast majority of those killed by Covid-19, the illness created by the Wuhan virus, are elderly with 'underlying conditions'.
Those 'conditions' include cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer sufferers.
Despite this, it was today reported that an 18-year-old man in the UK had died from the virus. He was said to have underlying health conditions but the update makes him the youngest patient yet.
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SK Innovation will initially invest US$1.148 billion in SK Battery Hungary (SKBH) to build its third European factory in Iváncsa, Hungary, with a production capacity of 30 GWh per year. This scale of output would supply batteries for approximately 430,000 cars based on 70 kWh per charging with a more than 400 km range.
SK’s first and second European plants are also located in Hungary (Komárom); the expected third plant will be the largest.
Construction will begin in the third quarter this year and will last until 2028, with a total of US$2.29 billion ultimately to be spent in construction. The company plans to finance the project externally according to the construction schedule.
SK Innovation’s 1st EV battery plant in Europe is located at Komarom, Hungary
Located 50 km southwest of Budapest, Iváncsa is equipped with smooth logistics infrastructure, such as railroads and roads; an abundant workforce, as it is near Budapest; and all other sorts of infrastructure, which led the city to become the site of SK Innovation’s new project.
With the investment decision this time, SK Innovation comes closer to its mid- and long-term goal to become a leading global EV battery company with a production capacity of “125 GWh+ per year by 2025.”
With this investment, the company will be able better to meet market demands in Europe, which are expected to increase more than six times to 256 GWh in 2025 from the current 41 GWh. Focusing on the EV battery industry, which fits the best the European Green Deal policy, SK Innovation plans to expedite its vision of “Green Balance 2030,” the core of its ESG management.

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A San Francisco law banning flavored tobacco and nicotine products has drawn a vigorous response from none other than the maker of Newport, the nation’s most popular menthol cigarettes. Hence Proposition E, a June ballot referendum asking San Franciscans to uphold or reject the Board of Supervisors’ ban.
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. has shrewdly allowed local shop owners to serve as the sympathetic face of the campaign, arguing that local pols looking to beat up on Big Tobacco are actually putting mom and pop out of business. But most of the targeted products serve mainly to increase the appeal, particularly among young people and minorities, of a highly addictive substance delivered in a dangerous way.


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AMHERST, Mass. - M.J. Alhabeeb, of the department of consumer studies at the University of Massachusetts, will report on his study of teen employment, its impact on schools and society, and how teen-agers spend their money, at a special seminar Wed., March 29. The talk, which will be held in Room 217 of Skinner Hall, is free and open to the public.
Alhabeeb says people set lifelong spending patterns during adolescence, a time when major family conflicts often erupt over how teen-agers make and spend money. It is estimated that American teens will spend over $100 billion this year, according to Alhabeeb''s report, and at least one-half of all youths ages 16 to 18 are employed. In his own sample of western Massachusetts teens, he found that nearly three out of four teens had part-time jobs.
In his lecture, Alhabeeb will address two major areas of concern. First, he will identify the characteristics of employed and unemployed youth, and examine the extent to which teen-agers participate in the U.S. labor force. How does employment affect a teen''s school life, personal life, and family life? How much do families depend on their children''s income? Second, he will quantify how much money teen-agers make, and how they spend that money. Alhabeeb is particularly interested in how adolescent earning and spending is influenced by the characteristics of their families.
"When we know how and where young people get their money, and how they spend it, we can help families, school systems, and society as a whole make better decisions regarding teen-age employment," says Alhabeeb.
This lecture is the first in a series sponsored by the UMass Center for the Family. Subsequent programs will look at teen-age depression (April 12, with psychologist Sally Powers), and children''s spiritual lives (May 9, with nationally-known educator Jonathan Kozol).
For more information, contact the consumer studies department, 413/545-2391.


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Paternoster’s official holiday season, from 16 December 2014 to 12 January 2015, was completely crime-free (with not a single incident being reported), as announced per a recent mailer sent by the Chairperson of the Paternoster Community Policing Sub-Forum (CPSF), Mias Nieuwoudt.
“This is an unprecedented achievement in Paternoster, and entirely due to the vigilance and unwavering commitment of Pato Buurtwag, with the police playing a supporting role,” says Nieuwoudt. Crime has been an unfortunate reality that has been affecting hotels, guest houses and self-catering cottages in the Paternoster area for several years. High unemployment figures (aided by workers relying on seasonal fishing) saw a steep increase in robberies, which in turn resulted in a decline in tourism, affecting the town negatively.
Through the combined efforts of local business owners and residents, the Pato Buurtwag (which currently consists of 18 volunteers under the capable leadership of Jan Losper) has shown that Paternoster is a safe holiday destination. Says South of Africa representative, Leigh Longden, General Manager of the 5-star Abalone House & Spa and Paternoster Cottages collection, “Our guests have commented on the fantastic change in the atmosphere of Paternoster and a massive number has already booked their next December holiday!”
Business Essentials is Africa’s premium networking and business directory.
Super charged entertainment at Sun City With thousands expected to descend on Sun City during the prestigious Nedbank Golf Challenge from 9 to 12 November 2017, the resort is set to unleash a super charged lineup of entertainment to
50% of business travellers add a leisure layer to their trips With South Africans having to tighten their money belts due to the country’s current economic situation, it’s not surprising that a local travel wholesaler conducted a survey and
Fostering solid leads through lead generation We’ve all been through it. You know, the moment you’re about to do something very important and the frustrating interruption of the phone ringing; “This is an important message regarding your preferences in…”.


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Maui Kuia Estate Chocolate “exists solely to give back to the nonprofit community,” said CEO Gunars Valkirs, who, in the absence of profit due to COVID-19 shutdowns, found a new way to give back. Many nonprofit organizations have lost funding due to a lack of gatherings where they could ask for donations. Noticing this, Maui Kuia Estate Chocolate created the Chocolate Laulima cooperative program to ensure that “100% of their net profit goes to the Hawaii nonprofit community.”Read More
Author: Dagny Brand
Sumida Farm, a watercress farm located in Aiea, grows foot-and-a-half long watercress which locals can taste in restaurants — and even in their own kitchen. Watercress is a versatile, nutrient-dense superfood, which can be used in many different dishes to make healthy and delicious food. Sumida Farm wants to encourage people to pick up watercress when they see it, and many people are experimenting with the unique vegetable.Read More
Businesses and individuals across the globe are grappling with the impact of COVID-19. As a state so wholly dependent on the visitor industry, Hawaii struggles with the immediate and long-term economic effect. For survival, local businesses rely on Hawaii residents to make ends meet. With visitors nearly nonexistent due to the travel restrictions, locals have the opportunity to explore Hawaii in a way they might not have previously.Read More
Hashi provides content on all things food and culture in Hawaii as a community program of the nonprofit Hawaii Food & Wine Festival with support from readers like you. Mahalo!


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Inktomi Corp., the company best known for its search engine software, is expanding its footprint in new directions.
The Foster City, Calif., software company this summer will overhaul its search engine software for enterprise-level XML (Extensible Markup Language) translation—a move that will rebuild Inktomis content management and other applications for structured and unstructured data searches in online exchange environments.
The XML architecture will increase the finesse with which exchange users can conduct searches using online catalogs, company officials said.
A user of Ariba Inc. exchange software who spent the past year trying to extract simple functionality like catalog searching for his companys e-commerce site said the timing couldnt be better. Even after a year of customization, John Crossno hasnt been able to perform simple search functions—something thats crucial in an exchange environment.
“With the basic search functionality you cant search,” said Crossno, CEO of Agito Inc., a Dallas-based exchange. “Weve had a years worth of work with them to evolve their software.”
Inktomi isnt looking forward only to the new architecture. Earlier this month, at the Internet World trade show here, the company announced enhancements to the Inktomi Search/Web service that will provide customers with more comprehensive search results.
The company has added relevance, classification and ranking capabilities; content blending, which combines query results from disparate databases; and a distributed crawling architecture that scans the Web more frequently, officials said.
In addition, Inktomi is working with content providers to help them manage their content better; control how often their sites are crawled; and ensure that Inktomis database of Web documents is current, including pages that have XML or dynamic HTML content, officials said.
Prices for Inktomi Search/Web, available now, range up to $20 for each URL to be indexed.
Other search-engine-related announcements at Internet World included the following:
HiSoftware Inc., of Concord, N.H., released Hi-Search, a metadata-only search engine, and Metadata Server to help companies automatically label Microsoft Corp. Office and Web documents with descriptive metadata tags for enhanced search results.
Metadata Server allows companies to implement a metadata policy and embed or update files with metadata at the folder, computer or enterprise level, officials said.
Hi-Search and Metadata Server are both available now; pricing starts at $2,995 each.
Mondosoft Inc., a search engine company in New York, introduced MondoSearch Version 4.1, which lets users of large Web sites and intranets see search results in predefined categories and in 12 languages.
MondoSearch presents search results in customizable categories by relevance, language and file data type, with icons identifying the media, format and language of the file, company officials said.
New features in Version 4.1, due next month, include full support for intranets and enterprise portals and indexing and searching of PDF files.


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Meta Is Working On A Digital Wallet For The Metaverse
The company will begin by changing ‘Facebook Pay’ to ‘Meta Pay.’
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg this week announced that the company is working on a digital wallet that will make it easier to spend and make money in the metaverse.
In a recent Facebook post, Zuckerberg talked about a future where all of the purchases you make in the virtual world, from clothing and music to event tickets and art, are stored in a single, easy-to-access location. In addition to managing your funds, this digital wallet would also be used to manage your identity in the metaverse.
“There’s a long way to get there, but this kind of interoperability will deliver much better experiences for people and larger opportunities for creators,” said Zuckerberg in his post. “That is, the more places you can easily use your digital goods, the more you’ll value them, which creates a bigger market for creators.”
The first step toward this fiscally responsible future will be changing the name of Facebook Pay to Meta Pay. Other than that, the payment method will remain more or less the same. You can still shop for items, transfer money to friends, and donate to charities via Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
“The more places you can easily use your digital goods, the more you’ll value them, which creates a bigger market for creators,” added Zuckerberg. “The more easily you can transact, the bigger the opportunity for creators should get as well. We’re looking forward to building this out.”
Recently, Meta announced the Avatars Store, a new way for Facebook and Instagram users to purchase high-end designer clothing for their Meta Avatars. Not only that, but we’ll eventually have the ability to design and sell our own virtual clothing. While currently unavailable in VR, the company has confirmed that the store will eventually make its way to Meta Quest headsets.
As paid content continues to expand into the metaverse, the need for a secure digital wallet in which to manage our identities could become more important. For more information check out Zuckerberg’s Facebook post here.
Image Credit: Reuters


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Amidst rumours that Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush did not perform according to expectations, Xbox marketing VP Aaron Greenburg has rejected the ongoing narrative, confirming the game was a ‘break out hit’ for Xbox.
Hi-Fi Rush surprised many in January 2023, as it was released directly after an Xbox and Bethesda Developer Direct showcase with zero marketing or awareness beforehand. Regardless of this surprise drop, it quickly became one of the most talked-about games of the year, thanks to a strong combat system, and style in spades.
In the GamesHub review of Hi-Fi Rush, we called it an exuberant experience buoyed by excellent rhythm mechanics:
‘A half-dozen hours with Hi-Fi Rush so far, and I can’t stop smiling,’ Edmond Tran, GamesHub managing editor wrote. ‘It makes a very strong impression in its opening hours – the art direction is bright and eye-popping, and the characters are full of life, endearing and self-aware. The Saturday morning cartoon-style animation, where characters move at a lower framerate to mimic a hand-animated cel style, looks fantastic. There is a lot of love, artistry, and attention to detail here.’
Other publications shared similar praise – and across social media, Hi-Fi Rush was a near-instant sensation. Despite this, it was recently reported by industry insider Jeff Grubb that the game had failed to meet sales expectations, and ‘didn’t make the money it needed to make’.
While it’s rare that large companies comment on rumours and hearsay, Grubb’s report garnered some traction, and was picked up by several news outlets. Eventually, Greenberg responded to definitively quash the allegations, via Twitter.
‘Hi-Fi Rush was a break out hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations. We couldn’t be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered with this surprise release,’ Greenburg said. Xbox boss Phil Spencer retweeted this statement, affirming his support.
Subsequently, Grubb clarified his comments and admitted fault in the use of the word ‘needed’ in regard to sales expectations, as he was not privy to Xbox’s internal conversations and wasn’t aware of any specific company targets for the surprise release.
‘No matter what, HFR isn’t a flop, and Tango’s future is bright,’ Grubb said.
Given the colour, creativity, and imagination behind Hi-Fi Rush – and the boldness of its surprise release – we certainly hope Tango Gameworks has a long and glittering future ahead. Hi-Fi Rush is a real gem, and it appears Xbox has plenty of faith in the adventure.


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The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania last week announced it would become the first Ivy League school and the first American business school to accept enrollment payments in cryptocurrency via Coinbase. The announcement came alongside news that the prestigious business school also has launched an online certificate program focused on the economics of blockchain and digital assets.
Wharton worked with the blockchain economic consulting firm the Prysm Group to design the six-week program targeted at business and technology professionals hoping to learn about the economic underpinnings of blockchain and digital assets.
Students can pay their tuition fee in cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum and USD Coin, Wharton officials said.
In recent years, blockchain and digital assets have taken off in ways that would have been hard to imagine even five years ago. According to the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Atlantic Council, 87 countries representing over 90 percent of global GDP are now exploring a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), up from just 35 countries in 2020. Wharton said Deloitte has found that 83 percent of businesses are discussing or working on cryptocurrencies, and that its decision to launch the certificate program comes “in response to this fast economic paradigm shift.”
The program will include coursework introducing students to a standard valuation methodology for digital assets, seven business school case studies and over 50 program lecture videos featuring Wharton faculty and industry experts. A Wharton announcement about the program said it is designed for business professionals seeking to “align theory with practice and give them the tools necessary to engage deeply with this emerging technology in a business context.”
The program’s academic director, Kevin Werbach of the Wharton School, said he wants to help business leaders and entrepreneurs identify and understand blockchain, since it is here to stay.
The Economics of Blockchain and Digital Assets program is now open for enrollment; the first course will begin on Jan. 3, 2022.


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NINGBO, China, June 9. /PRNewswire/. The second China-CEEC Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair and the 23rd China Zhejiang Investment & Trade Symposium will be held from June 8 to June 11 in the eastern coastal city of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, east China, according to Zhejiang Provincial Commerce Department.
Co-organized by the country's commerce ministry and the local provincial government, the event will feature trade exhibitions, investment talks and people-to-people exchanges. Against the global COVID-19 epidemic and economic recession, Zhejiang and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries have once again joined hands, integrating economy with people-to-people exchanges and giving equal emphasis to trade and investment. The two sides will carry out all-round, high-quality and multi-level cooperation.
Zhejiang, located on the southeast coast of China, has made great efforts to build a high-level open platform represented by the China-CEEC Expo in its bid to become a central hub in boosting bilateral cooperation.
Leveraging the bilateral cooperation mechanism, Zhejiang has been dedicated in serving the development of the Belt and Road Initiative. A new development pattern is taking shape as Zhejiang seeks to lift the bilateral cooperation and local opening-up to new levels.
As China's only national-level institutional exhibition facing CEE, this year's expo focuses on building a new pattern and sharing new opportunities.
Three exhibitions have been set up specifically to showcase CEE countries, international consumer goods and imported goods, with a total area of about 200,000 square meters. More than 2,000 CEE exhibitors and over 6,000 Chinese purchasers will attend the event.
During the four-day event, more than 20 important events will be held to promote closer ties with CEE in the fields of economy, trade, science and technology, health, business associations and so on.
The expo is not only an important joint achievement following the China-CEEC Leaders Summit, but also a concrete action to promote the bilateral economic cooperation, trade exchange and high-quality development between China and CEE.
Since its establishment in 2012, the cooperation mechanism between China and CEEC has achieved fruitful results. Compared with nine years ago, the bilateral trade volume between China and CEEC increased by nearly 85 percent, exceeding 100 billion U.S. dollars for the first time in 2020. Two-way trips have increased nearly fourfold, and the China-Europe freight train service has covered most CEE countries.
As a vanguard of cooperation and development between China and CEE, Zhejiang has taken many measures to overcome the adverse effects of the epidemic, with its economic cooperation, trade exchanges with CEEC bucking the downward trend.
In the first quarter of this year, the total trade volume between Zhejiang and CEEC reached 3.96 billion U.S. dollars, up 42.5 percent year on year. While sea transport is blocked and air transport capacity is limited, the China-Europe freight train services starting from Zhejiang's Yiwu city to Europe has become an important link connecting economic and trade exchanges between Europe and Asia. By end-March, CEE countries had set up 514 enterprises in Zhejiang, with contracted foreign investment of 1.1 billion U.S. dollars.
Zhejiang has also made full use of the benefits of China-CEEC cooperation mechanism by linking it with the development of the China-CEEC economic cooperation demonstration zone, Zhejiang pilot free trade zone and the Zhejiang investment & trade symposium. Thus a new cooperation mechanism and the docking of new policies with CEE countries have been established. During the expo, the e-commerce cooperation and dialogue mechanism between China and CEEC will be launched to facilitate CEE enterprises' export to China.
In the next five years, Zhejiang will strive to import 20 billion U.S. dollars of goods from CEE countries with two-way investment exceeding 1.5 billion U.S. dollars. Zhejiang is expected to become a central hub of China-CEEC cooperation, an important bridge for CEE countries to enter the Chinese world market, and an important window to showcase China's development model to CEE countries.
CONTACT: Ms. Wang, Tel: 86-10-63074558


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The other investors who participated in this round include Narayanan Ramaswamy, head of education practice at a leading consulting firm and Sethuraman, finance expert and practising chartered accountant.
The startup will use the raised funds towards expanding its product portfolio, growing the team and scaling up manufacturing.
The startup was started in 2015 by IIT-IIM alumnus Viswanathan Ramakrishnan along with his friend and ex-McKinsey consultant Karthik Lakshman. It offers an inquiry and play-based programme for the children between the age of 4 to 8 years. It is a subscription-based service that produces and delivers hands-on activities for children. The activities are designed by a team of early childhood experts and product designers to promote 12 essential skills in children, including creativity, problem solving, vocabulary building, and self-expression. For each age group, the company offers 3, 6 and 12-month plans starting from INR 549 per month.
Viswanathan Ramakrishnan, co-founder and CEO of Magic Crate said, “Research shows that about 80 percent of critical brain development happens before the child turns eight. This has a direct correlation with what they are exposed to, during those years. Also, in this age group, they have a phenomenal amount of free time and it becomes a big challenge to engage them at home. Magic Crate is solving this pain point for millions of busy, but well-intentioned parents.”
The startup is expecting the adoption of the concept to increase more with the launch of its digital platform, which is in due in coming days.
Karthik Lakshman, co-founder and COO of Magic Crate, confounded that when Magic Crate was launched, it shipped about 100 crates shipped in the first month. Since then, the startup has been growing 50% month on month basis and currently ships about thousands of crates each month to 1200+ pin codes across the country.
Magic Crate competes with other startups in the same domain like Flinto, which raised INR 1.8 Cr from a group of investors led by GSF. Other startups offering similar services include Canary Crate and Small Brown Box.
Mohandas Pai, former Infosys director and now an active angel investor has been investing in many startups in his personal capacity. He has invested in startups like multilingual test preparation app OnlineTyari, media tech company YourStory, restaurant discounts startup Ressy, online media startup, TheBetterIndia, online tax information platform TaxSutra, peer-to-peer lending platform Faircent among others.
Pai also runs private equity fund Aarin Capital along with Manipal Group scion Ranjan Pai.
Welcome to Flash Feed, your essential source for breaking news and innovation from around the web – bite-sized and updated all day.


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Raising Cane’s opens new North Phoenix location | Business
Popular chicken finger brand Raising Cane’s just opened the doors to its newest location Wednesday, Sept. 7, located at 2804 W. Bell Road in North Phoenix.
The new Raising Cane’s kicked off its grand opening with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the North Phoenix Chamber of Commerce closely followed by a check presentation to The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a local non-profit that is a longtime food bank partner of Raising Cane’s.
“We’re thrilled to be a part of North Phoenix and bring more ‘One Love’ to this great community,” said Molly Herbert, area leader of restaurants.
“Raising Cane’s is known for an unrelenting focus on hiring a great crew, having a cool culture and being active in the community. We don’t want to be just another restaurant chain in the area, we want to become an integral part of this neighborhood.”
The newest Raising Cane’s will serve customers through its mobile app, two-lane drive-thru, takeout and option to dine inside or on its small patio. Open from 9 am to 1 am Sunday through Thursday and 9 am to 2 am Friday and Saturday, Raising Cane’s will be a great destination for lunch, dinner and late-night meals.
This marked Raising Cane’s 29th location in Arizona, and the chain’s 22nd in Phoenix.
Raising Cane’s is the nation’s fastest-growing chicken finger concept, rapidly approaching 700 restaurants in over 35 states and Guam as it opens 100 new restaurants across 10 new markets in 2022. The company has One Love — craveable chicken finger meals — which includes the iconic “Cane’s Sauce,” named the #1 sauce in the quick-service industry.
Raising Cane’s is consistently recognized for being a great place to work, most recently earning them a spot on Glassdoor’s ”Best Places to Work” list, and Forbes’ “America’s Best Large Employers” list. Raising Cane’s was also recently recognized in the inaugural Forbes Halo 100 for excellence in delivering customer satisfaction and brand trust.
2804 W. Bell Road, Phoenix


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DSG's 6 month financial results show an increase in demand for TVs, with PC sales lagging behind.
As part of its response to its results, DSG has announced that it's going to invest more in to its popular TechGuys service - £50 million in the next 5 years to roll it out further in the UK and Europe.
TechGuys has its own standalone sites, but PC Advice clinics in all PC World stores are now to be rebranded The TechGuys. Three standalone sites are already open, with another six expected to be opened within 6 months.
The company says that during Christmas, 300 TechGuys technicians were on call, and around 10,000 calls were dealt with.
Overall, DSG's empire is doing rather well, recording a 14% jump in sales during May to November, while flat-screen TVs had a 5% increase in sales, compared to PCs sales growth of 3%.


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Real achievements in Silicon Roundabout
Dan Crow, CTO at SongKick, responds to an article putting down Silicon Roundabout, and lists some local successes:
Tweetdeck was sold to Twitter and is now their London engineering team; LastFM was acquired by CBS for $240M; Mind Candy now has more than 60 million users worldwide and is building a leading global entertainment brand; Wonga has more than $100 million in annual revenues and is highly profitable; Shazam has more than 100 million users worldwide; Badoo generates hundreds of millions of pounds of profits annually.
The company I work for, Songkick, has more than six million registered users and is the second largest live music website in the world with customers in every continent.
Other profitable and successful London startups include Moo, Just-eat, Rightmove, Betfair, Playfish, Mimecast, and Seatwave. There is deep technology being built everywhere: look at companies like RabbitMQ, Spider.io, Huddle, QuBit, Menderley, GoSquared and Ravn; all building complex, innovative technology to solve real problems.
While we’re still waiting for a really big success (think Google- or Facebook-size) to establish London as a permanent fixture on the world tech scene, putting down Silicon Roundabout in general as a waste of time is not just silly – it’s also unhelpful.
Our opinion is: if London doesn’t make it as a tech hub of global significance, the UK will fall behind quickly once financial services inevitably decline in relevance (a long slow slide which they’ve already started).
July 05, 2012
The innovation question in the TSB Smart Grants can be very tricky to answer, because it needs to hit a lot of key points in order to be convincing and…
July 09, 2012
Kickstarter coming to the UKKickstarter has been a revolution in the funding landscape for many hardware-related startups in the US, allowing them to raise money (without selling equity) by effectively…


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A new wave of entrepreneurs are bringing vitality and growth to the Railway City
Photo: Geoff Cole of Cole-Munro Foods Group Inc.
IN RECENT YEARS, St. Thomas economic success has relied on smaller manufacturers and service providers relocating, expanding and taking up once-vacant digs. To that end, the city has been gradually changing its economic profile, attracting a wide range of business types and developing a climate of economic diversity.
Indeed, St. Thomas is home to a growing number of expanding SMEs that are helping redefine the city’s business profile. Prepared with the guidance of the St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce, what follows is a look at three vibrant St. Thomas firms that are representative of the changing diversity and complexion of the city’s economic landscape.
Cole-Munro Foods Group Inc.
If you’ve eaten fresh rainbow trout lately, chances are it was processed by Cole-Munro Foods Group Inc. in St. Thomas. The company has been processing and distributing fresh water trout since 1994 and is the largest operations of its kind in Canada, says owner Geoff Cole, who bought out his partner, Todd Munro, within the first few years of operations, and now runs the company with his wife Susan Cole.
“We process more than 10 million pounds a year—that’s bigger than the size of the entire Lake Erie commercial fishing industry. Even true aquaculture people are sometimes surprised to learn the size of the freshwater fish farm-gate,” says Cole.
“I grew up in Owen Sound and had summer jobs in the fish plant there, but once I finished university, I figured I’d never work in one again,” Cole chuckles. Now, he not only runs a fish plant, but Cole also has ownership stakes in fish farms in Parry Sound and Manitoulin Island.
“We reached a point where we couldn’t grow because of the supply, so we integrated vertically. Last year, we acquired half of our largest supplier and two other smaller suppliers. Trout are a cold-water species and they need the purest of water to survive, so all of the fish farming is done in Lake Huron.”
Launched as a hand-processing operation located in Port Stanley, Cole-Munro moved to an automated system in the mid-2000s. “We needed a larger facility for quite a while, and we decided to build new in St. Thomas in 2017,” says Cole.
“We process more than 10 million pounds a year—that’s bigger than the size of the entire Lake Erie commercial fishing industry” —Geoff Cole
The 27,000-square-foot plant on Barrie Boulevard has two full production lines and employs 70 people. “It turned out to be a good move—we’re closer to the 401 and to the Michigan and Illinois markets. We’ve doubled our production in the last few years, and we have trucks bringing fish from Georgian Bay to St. Thomas five to six days a week.”
Once processed, the fresh fish is distributed to retail stores and restaurants throughout Ontario, in Quebec and in some of the northeastern U.S. states.
“Fish consumption has increased, especially in Ontario,” says Cole. “Consumers are health-conscious and aware of the benefits of fish protein, and they’re learning how easy it is to prepare. And they are more informed—they ask where their food comes from and want to know that it is local, safe and affordable. We have the potential to sell more if we had more product.”
When Brandon Olsen and his business partners at Tapa Creative were looking to move from home to commercial offices last January, they did what homepreneurs typically do—look at existing office space to rent.
Then, a chance conversation with a commercial realtor at a networking event led Olsen in a different direction. The topic was co-work spaces, which had been established in larger cities, but not yet in St. Thomas. Olsen thought the idea was worth exploring.
Less than six months later, he would open The Atrium, a 2,100-square-foot co-work space with flex desks, private offices, a kitchen, boardroom and smaller meeting room, a bank of rental mailboxes and a comfortable common area where members can connect and enjoy complimentary coffee and tea as they work.
By the end of 2018, The Atrium had attracted more than 30 members. In addition to Tapa Creative, tenants range from consultants, virtual assistants and bookkeepers to photographers and graphic designers, plus a few non-profits.
In January 2019, to meet a growing demand for both office and meeting space (which is well used by members and regularly rented by non-members), Olsen took over another 1,400 square feet of the building.
“Big things are happening in St. Thomas. There are so many opportunities for small businesses, and now there is a place for them to get away from the kitchen table” —Brandon Olsen
Looking back at the way it all unfolded, Olsen says, “We were a small web development and branding agency looking for office space. We didn’t want the risk of a long-term lease. What if we signed a five-year lease, but outgrew the space? What if we flopped? I figured there were likely other business people who felt the same way.
“I went home and designed a space with a look that I wanted to work in—bright and open, with natural light, lots of plants and a living wall,” Olsen continues. “I developed a website overnight, with pictures of what I envisioned, and started promoting it on social media. I put postcards in coffee shops, at the library, all the places that home workers would be, and I hosted workshops at [downtown espresso bar] so that people could find out what co-working space is, and I could find out what people would want to have in it.”
He was quickly convinced there was enough interest to support the idea, but had no idea where he might set it up. But as fate would have it, a developer saw the website and contacted Olsen. “He said, ‘Come and see this greenhouse,’ and it was exactly what I wanted.”
Located behind a former flower shop, the greenhouse was bright and open, with lots of natural light and the developer was willing to renovate to Olsen’s plans, which he had tweaked in response to input from the entrepreneurs he had met and spoken to.
Olsen is conscious of keeping the space affordable and low risk, and offers flexible options with month-to-month memberships that start at $85 for eight days of work time.
“Big things are happening in St. Thomas. There are so many opportunities for small businesses, and now there is a place for them to get away from the kitchen table. The Atrium is a social and creative incubator, and it has a great vibe—classy but not pretentious. It’s a great space for people to meet with clients, connect with other entrepreneurs or to set up a laptop and get some work done.”
Doug Tarry Homes
Sixty-five years after Doug Tarry Sr. started designing and building homes for families in and around St. Thomas, Doug Tarry Homes
continues to be a family-run business with sons Doug and Greg at the helm.
While the company has seen significant changes over the years, there are a few trends that stand out as having the biggest impact, says Doug Tarry. In terms of the mechanics of building, he cites the transition to computer programs for design work and the move to energy efficiency in homebuilding.
“Computer design work has greatly enhanced the ability of all companies in the industry to create unique floor plans,” explains Tarry. “When we started, there were maybe four floor plans to choose from.”
Today, the company has 21 floor plans and structural designers who will work with home buyers who want to redesign or add features prior to the build. “We’ve been on the leading edge of energy-efficient homebuilding,” Tarry adds. “As of January 1, 2019, all of our homes will be built to net-zero standards.”
There are also different challenges that come with being a homebuilder in 2019 versus 1954.
“Managing people’s expectations in an HGTV world takes a lot of effort to do. On HGTV, everything is done perfectly in an hour—it’s not realistic” —Doug Tarry
“The level of government bureaucracy can be overwhelming at times. If we were new to the industry, it would be difficult to find a way through it. And managing people’s expectations in an HGTV world takes a lot of effort to do. On HGTV everything is done perfectly in an hour—it’s not realistic,” Tarry says.
Two years ago, Tarry rallied local industry members, tradespeople and volunteers to build a new home in honour of Johnny Noreen, a local deputy chief building official who had died of cancer in 2016. “We had more than 600 people come out over the three days, and built a house from the ground up in 39 hours,” Tarry says. When the house was sold the proceeds were given to Noreen’s young widow, Angela, and their two young children.
Later that year, after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, Tarry was on the ground there within 60 days to assess the needs. Working with other people in the homebuilding industry, he established Hope Agua Vita and in 2018 returned three more times to Barrio San Lorenz to help rebuild, replace roofs that had been damaged or demolished by strong winds and to teach local citizens building skills in order to make their homes more hurricane-resilient.
The group has more missions planned in 2019, which is shaping up to be a busy year for Tarry. There will be a focus on celebrating Doug Tarry Homes as it hits the 65-year milestone, and Tarry has set his sights on charitable project work closer to home. There are plans to launch the Tarry Hope Foundation this year, which will involve homebuilding in some capacity. Tarry is keeping specific plans under wraps for the time being, but it is clear he is excited about adding this new element to the family’s local legacy. Kym Wolfe


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i got this email this morning from my fave donut place, krispy kreme. the message goes:
Krispy Kreme Celebrates Six Dozen Years of Making Today Special
What could an anniversary gift of more than 10,000 free doughnuts on July 13 mean?
It means that Krispy Kreme, one of the world’s best loved doughnuts, is now on its 72nd year of making every person’s day special with its delectable doughnuts and signature coffees.
And to celebrate the brand’s 6 dozen years in the business, Krispy Kreme Philippines together with 16 other countries such as USA, Australia, Canada, UK, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Indonesia will hold a one day fan appreciation event at all Krispy Kreme stores with a special offer:
One free Original Glazed Doughnut to all loyal Krispy Kreme patrons with any purchase.
as an early birthday treat, im sharing this with everyone….lol


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There's more to the story.
Just a few days ago, we reported that a Danish-built Zenvo ST1 caught on fire while racing around the track at the Historic Grand Prix in Copenhagen. This is the second such incident in which the 1,100 hp V8-powered ST1 burst into flames during a public setting since its infamous appearance on Top Gear. Today, however, we have an update. According to a representative of Zenvo Automotive, preliminary inspections of the incident point towards a fuel line failure as the cause of the fire underneath the car.
This is precisely what we speculated in the initial report on CarBuzz. But there's actually more to the story than just a faulty fuel line. According to Zenvo, the car that was used in Copenhagen was actually a "development car" equipped with a brand new gearbox and numerous other new features that were still being tested. Additionally, Zenvo has clarified that the development car is different from their 11 current production cars. Apparently the production vehicles undergo thorough quality and shakedown tests before being delivered to customers. We certainly hope this is the case. It would be an awful shame to have an incident like this on a public road. So take it for what you will, but we'll give Zenvo the benefit of the doubt here.


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Someone used a Mercer Street resident’s personal information to open an extra line on her cell phone account and also used her account to buy two Apple iPhone 14’s and an Apple iPad Pro Jan. 27. The fraudulent iPhone order was denied after she was notified by her carrier, but the iPad Pro was scheduled to be delivered Jan. 28. The total value of the fraudulently purchased items was $4,000, but the victim did not suffer any monetary loss.
Vandals used pink spray paint to cover four parking spaces in a rear parking lot on Witherspoon Lane with graffiti that said, “love is everything” and also painted hearts. The incident of criminal mischief and criminal trespass was reported Jan. 25.
A man reported that his Apple iPhone was stolen from a restaurant on Palmer Square East sometime between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Jan. 23.
A victim reported the theft of a sign that she had placed in the ground near the entrance to Marquand Park on Lovers Lane. The theft occurred sometime between Jan. 14 and Jan. 22.


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Designer Philipp Plein threatened by the Ferrari’s lawyers
German fashion designer Philipp Plein, who has been posing with the Ferrari in the past, has been threatened by Ferrari’s lawyer.
The 41-years-old German designer has recently been lashed out by the Italian luxury sports car maker, for using their product in his photographs, which the car manufacturer found inexcusable and distasteful.
Though it was not the first time Plein posed with the Ferrari model, even though he has done it numerous times before. He owns a green Ferrari 812 Superfast; besides, he also owns other luxurious brands, which includes Rolls Royce and Lamborghini.
Recently, Plein posted a series of pictures with his green Ferrari, which specifically drew the Italian luxury sports car maker’s attention. Upon which the German designer received an official notice from the Italian Manufacturer’s lawyers, which states, “Ferrari’s trademarks and model cars are associated in your pictures with a lifestyle totally inconsistent with Ferrari’s brand perception, in connection with performers making sexual innuendos and using Ferrari cars as props in a manner which is per se distasteful”.
In fact, in the notice designer is explicitly asked to take down all those posts from Instagram and other social media platforms within 48 hours. However, Plein has not heeded to Ferrari’s official warning.
Instead, Plein took to Instagram and expressed his exasperation as he wrote, “The CEO of FERRARI Louis C. Camilleri should think twice before he let his lawyers send a letter like this to a valuable customer who bought 4 brand new Ferraris in the last 10 years!!! I am still speechless about the unprofessional and aggressive behaviour of the company FERRARI towards his clients! This is a clear BLACKMAIL!!!! I will not remove the pictures, and I will start legal action against the company Ferrari for this unprofessional behaviour! I expect an official APOLOGY from MR. Louis C. Camilleri!”


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Macy's teaming up with Tommy Hilfiger
Top department store chains are increasingly turning to exclusive offerings to set themselves apart in the market
CINCINNATI — Macy's stores across the country are renovating their Tommy Hilfiger shops and expanding how much of the designer's sportswear they carry. But fans of the brand soon won't be seeing those items at other department stores.
Starting this week, Tommy Hilfiger U.S.A. will have an exclusive alliance with Macy's that leaves it as the only U.S. department store operator offering the company's men's and women's sportswear.
The launch comes as department stores increasingly turn to exclusive offerings to set themselves apart in a market where shoppers are focusing on basics like fuel and food and turning to discounters for lower prices.
Exclusive deals have been among the bright spots for department stores amid the sales slowdown, but analysts say a big-name and popular designer like Hilfiger brings extra clout.
"With Tommy Hilfiger, Macy's also will be offering the nondiluted, full-meal deal," said Patricia Edwards of investment manager Wentworth Hauser and Violich. "They didn't just get the name, they got the same quality goods."
Other chains' dealsAmong other chains that have struck exclusive deals are Kohl's Corp., which while cutting its inventory of basics introduced a line of apparel and home furnishings from designer Vera Wang , called Simply Vera, with prices far below what her designs usually command. Kohl's will also be the exclusive U.S. retailer for the Dana Buchman brand designed by Liz Claiborne, while J.C. Penney Co. alone has the American Living collection from Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. and has developed labels with designer Nicole Miller and home furnishing expert Chris Madden .
Macy's, which has already had success with its exclusive home furnishings collection from Martha Stewart, is seeking more exclusive alliances with other major designers.
Chairman and CEO Terry Lundgren said the timing of the Hilfiger deal couldn't be better, especially given the brand's strong sales.
"The menswear has always been good, but they really got their act together in design and continuity of the women's apparel," Lundgren said. "The merchandise looks younger and more modern, but still very Tommy Hilfiger."
The alliance beginning Tuesday will be heralded with a week of events in Macy's stores including appearances by Tommy Hilfiger and in-store promotions. Besides expanding the merchandise assortment in stores and on its Web site, Macy's is increasing the number of stores carrying the sportswear from 350 to more than 500. Hilfiger, who has appeared before in TV ads for Macy's, will be featured more prominently in the fall and holiday season. Macy's also will send its credit card customers a special Hilfiger catalog.
"To be able to say a product like this is sold only at Macy's is a huge benefit," said Lundgren, whose goal is to pick up all of the Hilfiger business that was done at other chains such as Bon-Ton Stores, Dillard's and Belk.
U.S. shoppers can still also buy the sportswear at the brand's own stores and Web site, and other products distributed through Tommy Hilfiger's various licensees will still be sold at other stores as well as at Macy's.
The exclusive alliance allows Hilfiger to deal with one retailer as opposed to several, while still reaching a large number of consumers nationwide, said Fred Gehring, chief executive of Tommy Hilfiger Group. He acknowledged that stores losing the brand weren't happy.
Said Dillard's spokeswoman Julie Bull: "We don't comment on vendors as a matter of policy."
Analysts say the trend toward exclusive deals could create problems for smaller department stores that lose brands and may not be able to secure their own exclusives or even strong replacements.
"I think — at least on the high end — it will make it more difficult for them to compete," said Edwards, who thinks that it could eventually winnow out some weaker chains.
Expanded shoppingFor consumers, the exclusives may mean they have to expand their shopping trips.
"I think it's good marketing for stores to be selective, but the price of gas makes it costly for people to go four or five places to get brands they want," said Emily Byrne, 22, of Cincinnati.
"I like Hilfiger and I would go to Macy's for it," said Melissa Richardson, 21, also of Cincinnati. "But it would be easier at more places."
Analysts say exclusives carry potential risks for the designer or retailer, especially if one has a downturn and they are locked in a deal.
"For the big retailer, it's having the right mix of exclusive and private label brands you can't get anywhere else with the highly advertised, well-recognized national brands that usually get people in the doors," Liebmann said.
Chronicle reporter David Kaplan contributed to this story.


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Instances Sq., New York
Jason Dean | Second | Getty Photos
From the Large Apple to the Bay Space, cities and cities throughout the nation predict celebratory crowds come Friday as a pandemic-weary inhabitants appears to bid 2021 good riddance.
Amid the newest, delta and omicron waves of Covid-19 infections, you may assume extra folks than regular can be ringing within the new 12 months at dwelling, but monetary web site WalletHub claims that is not the case.
“Surprisingly, no,” mentioned WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez. “The share of individuals spending New Yr’s Eve at dwelling is definitely the identical as in 2019.” Sixty-percent of Individuals plan to welcome 2022 with household or buddies, in comparison with 24% attending public occasions or events, in response to the location’s Best Cities for New Year’s Eve report — similar as two years in the past, earlier than the pandemic struck the U.S.
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There have been extensively reported vacation journey snarls over the Christmas weekend, as worker-strapped airways canceled 1000’s of flights on account of extra workers calling in sick with Covid, however previous to the omicron wave, bookings for end-of-year vacation journey have been up massively from final 12 months, and even stronger than 2019.
TripIt from Concur discovered that bookings for home flights have been up 304% over 2020, and 53% in comparison with 2019. Automotive leases have been up 404% and 76%, respectively, over 2020 and 2019; lodging reservations rose 271% and 61%; and trip leases, 182% and 56%.
Nonetheless, a lot of these plans have been tentative, mentioned Jen Moyse, TripIt’s senior director of product, in an announcement. “Some vacationers could also be feeling involved as Covid-19 instances rise and information of omicron unfold,” she mentioned. “We heard in a recent survey that greater than 1 / 4 (26 %) of vacationers have made plans they’re ready to cancel or change.”
Most of us, at 65%, are forking over at the least $50 to greet 2022, WalletHub discovered. The positioning did not have information for final 12 months however discovered that in 2019, 83% of Individuals have been spending lower than $200. “Whereas the stats should not precisely apples to apples, we will estimate that there’s a drop in funds in comparison with 2019,” mentioned Gonzalez.
Whether or not you are plowing forward with plans to journey for New Yr’s Eve or are fortunate sufficient to dwell in or close to a spot with a number of celebratory choices, WalletHub has some suggestions. It ranked the 100 greatest U.S. cities for a number of components, together with security, accessibility, prices, and leisure and meals choices. It then averaged them out to award an general rating to every location.
The standard big-city tourism suspects — akin to New York, Las Vegas and Orlando, Florida — topped the WalletHub listing. There have been some surprises, nevertheless, akin to Louisville, Kentucky, coming in at No. 9, beating out locations like Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Chicago for a prime 10 spot.
“Louisville is a well-liked New Yr’s Eve vacation spot as a result of it permits fireworks and it has eating places that rank excessive among the many prime 100 locations to eat within the nation,” Gonzalez defined. “Town additionally has the seventh-largest variety of beer, wine and spirits retailers per capita, and yow will discover inexpensive positive eating right here.”
Citing the rear this 12 months for New Yr’s cheer have been WalletHub’s backside 10 cities: Garland, Texas, with a rating of 41.03 out of 100; Aurora, Colorado, at 40.95; Chesapeake, Virginia, 40.94; Hialeah, Florida, 40.85; Cleveland, 40.63; Glendale, Arizona, 40.08; Newark, New Jersey, 39.23; Anchorage, Alaska, 38.93; Fremont, California, 38.07; and — subsequent door to No. 2 place Sin Metropolis — North Las Vegas, Nevada, at 31.56.
(WalletHub in contrast the 100 most populated U.S. cities throughout three dimensions — leisure and meals, prices, and security and accessibility — utilizing 28 related metrics. Every metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing most-favorable New Yr’s Eve social gathering situations. WalletHub then decided every metropolis’s weighted common throughout all metrics to calculate an general rating and used the ensuing scores to rank-order the pattern.)


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Connecticut Food Bank will welcome local family-owned ShopRite stores to celebrate the food bank’s 20-year partnership with ShopRite -- a relationship that has helped provide 8.4 million meals to hungry Connecticut residents.
The food bank will honor the store owners and leadership teams with a celebration lunch on Thursday, July 20, at noon at the Connecticut Food Bank Wallingford headquarters and distribution center.
“We saw July 20 as the perfect day to honor ShopRite as we celebrate our 20th year of fighting hunger together in Connecticut,” said Connecticut Food Bank CEO Bernie Beaudreau. “This is an opportunity for us to say thank you and for our friends from ShopRite to see where their donations go and how we can continue to help meet needs across the region.”
Beaudreau said combined ShopRite store and corporate donations to the Connecticut Food Bank since 1998 amounted to more than 1.22 million pounds of food and $4.3 million in funding. “These donations have provided 8.4 million meals for residents facing hunger in Connecticut,” Beaudreau added.
Those expected at Thursday’s event include Wakefern Food Corp. representatives and local ShopRite store owners and managers. The lunch will include a formal recognition and an opportunity for the guests to tour the food bank. “We want our partners to know how much we appreciate their generosity and to see the care and efficiency with which we use their donations,” Beaudreau said.


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As regulators enact legislation that’s shaping data protection standards – namely GPDR, but also the New York Department of Financial Services’ cyber security regulations and Canada’s mandatory breach notification rules – the cyber strategies of companies are in turn improving, according to one expert in this field.
“There’s a wide spectrum of insureds that we see – Fortune 500 companies down to mom-and-pop stores – and of course, as you might expect, different levels of sophistication within that range, but absolutely, there’s more awareness of the issues,” said Jason Glasgow, vice president and practice lead of technology, privacy and network security professional liability for Allied World US.
“Sometimes, there’s just not enough time and resources within a company to deal with some issues, so we try to help them with some of our vendor partners, but, absolutely as a whole, the industry is becoming more aware of what they need to do, and the regulatory environment has helped with that.”
Enforcement actions have been an important motivator to get companies to comply, added Glasgow, with organizations updating their cyber security measures so that they don’t fall under the critical eye of regulators, whose presence is expanding, and have to pay fines or suffer other consequences as a result of coming up short.
“Here in the States at least, we’ve seen a fairly steady increase in regulatory presence, so whether that means legislation or enforcement or both, that has increased over the last 15 years,” explained Glasgow. “That environment has helped push not only the insurance market, but better privacy and network security hygiene.”
Added regulatory pressure doesn’t, however, mean that cyber incidents and claims related to them have been quashed.
“Ransomware and phishing are still that top level of what’s driving claim counts, the number of claims. They don’t tend to be huge claims, but they’re not inexpensive and they drive the claims. Hackers are [also] still a major threat. If a hacker gets in, those are more expensive claims,” said Glasgow, adding that there is nonetheless more awareness about cyberattacks, thanks in part to the work of insurance professionals. “The broker community, as well as the insurer community, has done a really good job educating people of what these exposures are and what they can do about it upfront, rather than waiting for something to happen and having to respond to it.”
One concern that sometimes comes up in discussions around cyber security rules is that technological advancements have the potential to outpace regulations. Glasgow points to blockchain as a technology that’s caused some issues for regulators since the records of data on this digital platform can’t be altered. In this case and others, insurers and regulators need to keep reaching across the aisle to find solutions that protect the interests of businesses and consumers.
“That conflicts directly with some of the GDPR regulations around scrubbing the data and the right to be forgotten,” said Glasgow. “So when there’s a direct conflict with the technology and the regulatory scheme, I think it’s incumbent on the regulators to reach out and say, how can we address this issue without being in direct conflict?”


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Electronics playing a crucial function in increasing manufacturing output
The number of electrical items produced consisting of PCB interconnection pins, went up in March which shocked analysts.
The stats released by the Office for National Statistics suggest that UK making output increased by 0.9%, which was a vast enhancement on the 1.1% fall in February.
Moreover, the ONS stated that sectors including electronic devices, chemical and transportation equipment helped to stabilise the economy.
Electronic devices production, which included the production of PCB affiliation pins, soared up by 12.1% in the first quarter of the year, which ended the bad run of 2 previous quarterly falls in that sector.
Moreover, industrial production dropped by 0.3%, which was largely affected by the reductions in oil and gas production.
Andrew Johnson, senior economic expert at EEF, the manufacturers' organisation, reflected on the figures by recommending that they indicated a small improvement in production.
" This recommends production remains in a much better position at the start of this year than it ISO 9001 consultants was at completion of 2011," he mentioned.
Of the 13 manufacturing sub-sectors, 8 increased, 4 dropped and one remained level.
The chemicals sector made the most significant contribution to the growths seen in producing output, increasing by 5.6%.
The production of transportation devices likewise increased by 4.3% and the production of wood and paper products dropped by 2.3%.
" The obstacles plainly remain powerful, especially with regard to significant European markets," Mr Johnson included.
" Whilst the mixed picture across private sectors suggests we are some method yet from establishing a strong and constant growth course."
Moreover, last month, ONS information exposed that the UK economy had actually contracted by 0.2% in the first quarter of the year, thus putting the UK back into a double-dip recession.
Despite the economy contracting, some prominent economic experts believe that the official stats do not completely represent the true strength of the economy and that the real photo might be a lot more positive.
Current forecasts by the Confederation of British Industry recommend that the economy will begin to grow in the latter part of 2012, with even greater GDP growth throughout 2013.
" Regardless of the disappointing GDP estimate for the very first quarter from the ONS, we still think the UK economy will grow in 2012, with faster development next year," mentioned CBI director basic John Cridland.
" Optimism amongst businesses has actually been increasing since the turn of the year, with producing need holding up. And that is beginning to equate into more jobs and financial investment."


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Topics in this issue of Behind the Blue:
- USHBC/NABC Welcomes Amanda Griffin as First-Ever Vice President of Engagement and Education
- This Friday: USHBC/Technomic State of the Foodservice Industry Presentation
- November Nielsen Report Now Available
- Pacific Northwest Blueberry Crop Impacted by Unprecedented Flooding
USHBC and NABC have appointed Amanda Griffin, a longtime nonprofit education, events and program management executive, as vice president of engagement and education. Griffin, who started on staff today, December 8, will serve as the lead for industry engagement, education and event activities to build awareness and participation for the two councils.
Griffin’s responsibilities will include serving as a liaison to blueberry growers; advancing member engagement; launching a blueberry industry leadership program; identifying opportunities to partner with trade organizations, universities and government agencies; and leading USHBC and NABC events programming.
Griffin was previously the vice president of education and program management for United Fresh Produce Association where she led the programs and events staff, developed programming for produce industry professionals, directed its conferences and oversaw member education opportunities.
More about Griffin can be found here in this press release.
Join us this Friday, Dec. 10, at 10 a.m. PT for the USHBC/Technomic State of the Foodservice Industry presentation. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to access key insights and learn what’s next in foodservice. You can register using the link here.
As a member of Technomic’s Foodservice Planning Program, USHBC gets access to their industry-leading foodservice data, forecast and reports. An additional benefit is that Technomic hosts this custom State of the Foodservice Industry presentation for our group, recapping 2021 industry performance and looking ahead to next year, with specific forecasts by sector and an overview of key trends and issues to watch. The information shared will not be made publicly available, so don’t miss our exclusive event.
Our most recent Nielsen report for the week ending November 27 is available here. You’ll see that November was another strong month for blueberry sales in the food retail channel. In fact, USHBC’s Nielsen report shows that overall blueberry sales – fresh and frozen combined – in November are up +16.1% in volume and +5.8% in dollars vs. year average (YA).
Volume sales of fresh blueberries are being driven by strong gains in the conventional segment: up +25.2% in volume and +6.2% in dollars vs. YA. The organic blueberry segment is also up +10.3% in volume, and showing even more robust growth in dollars, up +14.7% in November 2021 vs. year ago.
The frozen blueberry segment continues to show soft volume and dollar trends vs. accelerated frozen sales in November 2020. Total frozen blueberry sales are down -12.1% in volume and -7.2% in dollars vs. YA. Despite these year-ago declines, frozen blueberry dollar and volume sales are still +16.6% and +5.6% respectively, vs. pre-COVID sales in November 2019.
These retail sales reports are intended to supplement our industry members’ internal data, giving you a clearer picture of the marketplace and supporting more informed business decisions and plans. Summaries of the preceding month’s retail sales performance are posted at the end of the second week of every month. Find the full list of reports at ushbc.org/nielsen-reports.
Over the past several weeks, there has been significant flooding in parts of the Pacific Northwest. The full impact is not yet known, but the blueberry industry in this region was affected. It’s clear from initial reports and local grower testimony that the industry is working hard to mitigate the effects of this severe weather event.
According to the BC Blueberry Council, approximately 2,500 acres are flooded, and of these, 1,000 acres are severely impacted in Canada. For more information about the impacts of the flooding on berry crop production and what to expect in 2022, review this Berry Crops and Flooding report prepared by regional experts.
Kasey Cronquist, USHBC/NABC president, recently toured the Pacific Northwest region with Bryan Sakuma, Washington state council member, and Alan Schreiber, the Washington Blueberry Commission’s executive director.
“I want to thank Bryan, Alan and the growers in affected areas for educating me on the impact of the flooding on their farms. With many of the plants in this region approaching dormancy, immediate impact on blueberry production in the region is difficult to estimate at this time, but the severity of the flooding was focused on a small percentage of the overall production acreage. We encourage growers to stay alert to disaster aid relief. Berry crop commissions, councils and local extension specialists should be able to connect growers with aid options as they become available.”
Cronquist also noted, “Industry partners should expect further updates from growers and horticultural experts in the Pacific Northwest as they monitor and seek to minimize longer-term impacts of both the stress from the summer’s heat dome, as well as this exceptional flooding.”


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Doubts cast on new research touted by fire-retardant lobby
Under attack since May for relying on flawed studies to justify the use of toxic flame retardants in furniture and household products, the chemical industry has turned to a familiar tactic: It has begun pointing to a new scientific paper.
By Sam Roe, Chicago Tribune reporter
December 30, 2012


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So says Ivan Martinovic, a computer scientist at the University of Oxford who is exploring whether brain wave-reading technology can covertly obtain the secret information we store in our heads.
His tool? A $300 video game controller.
For this study, Martinovic, along with researchers from California and Switzerland, developed a program that interfaces with an electroencephalograph (EEG) device identical to the ones that are marketed for gaming and entertainment. But instead of controlling a character on a screen, participants' brain wave activity was imaged and analyzed as they were shown pictures of numbers, names, logos and people.


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Chinese customers look at iphones at the official opening of the new Apple Store in the Sanlitun shopping area on July 17, 2020 in Beijing, China.
Kevin Frayer | Getty Images
Apple was the fastest-growing smartphone maker in China in the second quarter, according to research data, which showed that the iPhone maker bucked the overall decline in the world’s second-largest economy.
The cheaper iPhone SE and the popularity of the iPhone 11 series, along with deep discounts, helped Apple get a boost in one of its most critical markets.
The sell-through volume for iPhones in China was 7.4 million units in the April to June quarter, a 32% growth year-on-year, according to Counterpoint Research. Sell-through refers to iPhones that go to Apple’s retail partners and is a close gauge to actual sales to consumers.
In comparison, Chinese phone maker Huawei saw sell-through volumes of 36.6 million units, or up 14% compared to a year ago. Apple sells significantly fewer phones than Huawei in China.
Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi, the brands that make up the rest of the top five biggest players in China, all saw significant declines, while the overall market fell 17% year-on-year.
Separately, figures from Shanghai-based CINNO Research showed iPhone sales jumped 62% year-on-year to 13 million in the second quarter. CINNO Research tracks sales rather than sell-through. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, iPhone sales jumped 225%, coming off a low base but also highlighting a recovery for the Cupertino giant after the coronavirus outbreak forced closures of its stores in China and dented sales in the three months that ended in March.
“iPhone 11 remains the best-selling model in China. iPhone 11 has consecutively led as the best-selling model in China since last September, which indicates the strong brand power of Apple amongst Chinese consumers,” Flora Tang, research analyst at Counterpoint Research, told CNBC by email.
The latest third-party figures come ahead of the release of Apple’s official fiscal third quarter earnings on Thursday.
Apple also offered big discounts on iPhones during a major online Chinese shopping festival in June which helped keep the momentum going. The cheaper second-generation iPhone SE was also among the top 3 best-selling iPhones in China in the second quarter, Counterpoint Research said in a note.
On the services front, Apple also appeared fairly resilient. The App Store generated $ 4.4 billion in gross revenue in the second quarter, down 4% from $ 4.6 billion in the first quarter, according to data from Sensor Tower. However, that was a 13% year-on-year rise.
“Spending on China’s App Store typically increases between Q1 and Q2 each year, but the Q/Q decline this year could be attributed to the ecosystem there normalizing following the height of COVID-19 in the country,” Stephanie Chan, mobile insights strategist, told CNBC by email.
All eyes on iPhone 12
China turned on its 5G networks last November and its domestic smartphone makers have launched 5G-capable devices. 5G refers to next-generation mobile networks that promise super-fast data speeds.
A third of smartphones sold in China in the second quarter were 5G handsets, the highest adoption in the world, according to Counterpoint Research.
However, Apple does not yet have a 5G iPhone. But several analysts expect the next iPhone model, potentially named the iPhone 12, to support 5G.
“We expect 5G iPhones to gain immediate traction in China, if Apple goes for a juicy pricing strategy. Chinese consumers have been well educated about the benefits of 5G, and Chinese telecom operators are promoting competitively priced 5G plans,” Counterpoint Research’s Tang said.
Daniel Ives, analyst at Wedbush Securities, said in a note published Monday that Apple has seen “a continued demand snapback in China during the month of June and first half of July despite some speed bumps and the stage is setting up for a massive pent up iPhone 12 cycle heading into the Fall in this key region as well as globally.”
He anticipates that 60 million to 70 million iPhones in China are in the “window of an upgrade opportunity over the next year with Apple going aggressively at all price points (SE, iPhone 12) to cement its installed base despite competitive pressures from domestic players.”