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tomato prices growing
MANATEE - The price consumers pay for tomatoes could jump a dollar a pound over the next few weeks due to the beating that tomato plants took from Hurricane Wilma in October.
"We all got hurt bad - probably lost 20 to 30 percent of our tomatoes in Manatee County," Kenny Foy, farm manager for Palmetto's Taylor-Fulton Farms, said Monday as he surveyed a tomato field off State Road 70 filled with scarred fruit and not much of it. "The wind really hurt the plants."
But the expected price increase - $2.49 to $3.49 per pound at local grocery stores - is really the result of the hurricane's impact in the southern part of the state around Immokalee, where plants were actually blown out of the ground, Foy said.
"Roughly 75 to 80 percent of the fall tomato crop in Immokalee was lost," Reggie Brown, manager of the Florida Tomato Committee, said Monday.
"We don't have a crystal ball, but we will be going into a period where we have the shortest supply for the season," Brown said. "Consumer prices will go up to a certain extent. One dollar a pound is a reasonable expectation."
The first indication that tomato prices will most certainly rise came this week when the wholesale price for tomatoes, the price that grocery stores, restaurants and other tomato volume users pay, shot up to $25 for a 25-pound box, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fruit and Vegetable Market News.
The wholesale price for tomatoes was $6 to $10 for a box two weeks ago.
The question now is when and how much of the wholesale increase retailers will pass on to consumers.
On Monday, tomato prices at several local grocery stores still didn't reflect a jump, but growers say it is coming.
"I don't think the wholesale prices will reach what they were in 2004," said Miles Deitz, a farm supervisor with Palmetto's West Coast Tomato. "But I look for wholesale prices to hit $30 a box soon."
At Publix Market at Gateway North in Lakewood Ranch on Monday, vine-ripened tomatoes were selling for $1.49 per pound with plum tomatoes at $1.49, on-the-vines for $2.99 and beefsteak at $2.99.
At the Sweetbays on State Road 70, vine ripened were selling for $1.99, on-the-vines for $2.29 and hot house for $2.49.
"The prices of tomatoes has been the same for a while," said one produce manger who wanted his name withheld.
It is impossible to know exactly how grocery store buyers will price tomatoes, Foy said.
"For one period last year, I remember tomatoes were going for around $5 for 25 pounds wholesale and be selling for $4 for a pound at the grocery stores," Foy said. "Sometimes wholesale and retail don't mirror each other. We don't know for sure what they will do."
Grocery store tomatoes jumped to $4 a pound in November 2004 after the 2004 hurricane season.
Due to lack of supply, wholesale prices for tomatoes reached an all-time high of around $50 for a 25-pound box in 2004.
The Sandbar Restaurant paid $56 for a 25-pound box of tomatoes on Nov. 20, 2004, according to General Manager Adam Williams.
Because of the damaged tomato supply in Immokalee, buyers are going to look further north, to Manatee County, and there will be shortages there also, Foy said.
"Look here," said Foy, folding back a tomato plant to show blackened leaves where the wind did damage. "I should be able to grasp handfuls of tomatoes here. But there isn't much fruit and a lot of what there is scarred and is not usable. We just didn't set a lot of good fruit this fall."
The damaged tomatoes will still be picked by farmworkers, securing them a job through December, but many of the tomatoes will be rejected at the packing house, Foy said.
Richard Dymond, Herald reporter, can be reached at 708-7917 or rdymond@HeraldToday.com.


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Published on : Friday, January 22, 2021
Emma – The Sleep Company has reported a leap in sales for 2020, while expanding its profitability by double-digit €m. With a growth rate of +170%, the sleep brand turned over €405m last year, compared to €150m in 2019. Moreover, Emma sold 1.5 million mattresses 2020, the highest number of any D2C sleep brand.
“I am excited, grateful and proud that we are progressing at light speed to make Emma the number-one global sleep brand,” says Dr Dennis Schmoltzi, CEO and founder of Emma, alongside Manuel Mueller (pictured). “A turnover of €405m in 2020 proves that our three levers to globally scale the business – growth in new markets, increasing market share in existing markets and expanding our omnichannel strategy – are well chosen.”
Emma’s global team has grown to more than 500, with 200 new hires in 2020 across locations in Frankfurt, Manila, Lisbon, and, more recently, Shanghai.
Emma has also announced the launch of a new smart mattress, Emma Motion, through which the brand is “not only changing, but revolutionising the way people sleep”, says Manuel.
The Emma Motion has been developed over two years. Its unique features include: the Infinite AI Sensor, a mat that uses an AI-based neural network to permanently detect the sleep position; and Silent Move IQ technology, which ensures that the mattress automatically, silently and smoothly adapts to each change of sleep position.
“The Emma Motion ensures optimal spinal alignment throughout the entire night,” emphasised Manuel, “which is one of the single most important drivers of sleep quality. Emma Motion also comes with our proven Diamond Degree technology, to control the temperature through millions of graphite particles in the top layer. In conjunction with the fully integrated design of Emma Motion, it is the world’s most advanced smart mattress and is nothing short of a sleep revolution.”
Emma Motion will launch in France and the Netherlands this month, and will be made available in more countries throughout the year.
In the coming months, Emma will also launch more sleep tech products, such as the Emma App, as well as extending its existing product lines with the introduction of a customisable, upholstered bed line, the Emma Bed.
News Source: https://www.furniturenews.net/

domain: news


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Amazon India too has entered grocery space and has launched Amazon Now, an app for ordering everyday essentials. The service offers express delivery within 2 hours or one can opt for 2 hour scheduled delivery slot (app link).
Amazon Now is an Android app-only service and is available in selected parts of Bangalore to start off.
“We are encouraged by the learnings from Kirana Now – a pilot that we started last year in Bangalore to enable customers to shop for their everyday essentials from the ecosystem of their local stores and get them delivered within two-four hours. We are excited to expand that service to include more selection, more pin codes and invite other branded retailers, with the launch of a dedicated Android app Amazon Now. Customers can now choose more than 6000 products from the ecosystem of kiranas and other favorite local stores and get these delivered using Express –in two hours or Scheduled deliveries. Amazon Now customers in Bangalore will love this service and our launch promotion will delight them further,” said Samir Kumar, Vice President Category Management, Amazon India.
Flipkart too launched its grocery app, though the app has seen only 100K downloads, which sort of questions the execution efforts/focus of Flipkart. Ola too has entered grocery space with Ola store.


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OnePlus N200 release date, specs: $250 device will support 5G and get a display upgrade
OnePlus has more than one budget-friendly phone to announce this month for its fans around the world. Ahead of its rumored announcement date, the company revealed a few details on the OnePlus N200 technical specifications.
OnePlus N200 confirmed specs, price: What to expect
It has been a strategy for OnePlus to keep its fans hyped by revealing tidbits of information shortly before a device is announced. It is then not surprising that the company has confirmed some of the upgrades that can be expected from the OnePlus N200.
In an email interview with PC Mag, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau confirmed that the OnePlus N200 would support the 5G mobile network. This should be one of the key improvements from the OnePlus N100, considering that the device is planned to launch in North America, where 5G is relatively more accessible.
OnePlus N200 will retain the 90Hz refresh rate that was also available from its predecessor, but the upcoming device is getting a few display improvements. Its 6.49-inch LCD screen will be able to play media content at 1080p. The OnePlus N100 was capped at 720p.
Most of the details about the technical specifications of the OnePlus N200 are still under wraps, though. But the official renders provided by the company show that the phone will have a triple camera array in the back and a hole-punch camera for selfies in the front. The same report suggests that a fingerprint scanner could be integrated with the power button on the side.
Lau had previously confirmed that they would maintain the affordable pricing of the OnePlus N200 to keep it below $250. “From the premium and ultra-premium OnePlus 9 series to the OnePlus Nord N200 5G—our newest and most affordable 5G device ever—we’re providing more choices and easier access to 5G for our users,” the OnePlus CEO told PC Mag.
OnePlus N200 release date next week?
The smartphone maker is hosting a summer launch event on Thursday, June 10, where the OnePlus Nord CE 5G will be unveiled. The company is still mum on the release date of the OnePlus N200, but well-known leaker Mukul Sharma (a.k.a. stufflistings) said it is likely launching on June 15.


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It's been a hectic world for riders at the Critérium du Dauphiné.
While Jumbo-Visma have dominated the top step, the rest of the peloton have had to combat bad legs, hailstorms and social distancing measures.
Thankfully riders have been sharing their experiences online, so we've collected just a few of our favourite moments.
Check out some of the best tweets over the last week, from Annemiek van Vleuten, Geraint Thomas and more:
1. Kwiatkowski looks like he's trying to get the shopping out of the car in one trip
2. Yep, De Gendt definitely meant to get dropped
3. Floyd Landis has a message for us all?
4. Social distancing problems
5. Geraint Thomas requesting extraction
6. Dowsett's mask doubles up as a picnic blanket
7. Become a pro cyclist, they said. It'll be fun, they said.
8. Why do we get the feeling Van Vleuten actually wants MORE switchbacks?
9. Sometimes injuries in the pro peloton actually come from above
10. Did Sagan actually check the route before signing up for the Dauphiné?
We'll be back with more from cycling social media in seven days.
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Over the past year or so, a new thirty-three unit apartment building has been going up at 15th & Fairmount, replacing an old seafood warehouse and a former nuisance bar. We’ve brought some updates to you over that time, most recently in an incidental fashion when we checked in last month on the Project H.O.M.E. development that’s progressing across the street.
When the new project was originally presented, it didn’t include the vacant corner parcel, and had no retail elements. A few months after groundbreaking, the interesting building that formerly housed Princes Fairmount 1500 was demolished and three more apartments and a commercial space were added to the project. The construction isn’t finished just yet, but the retail space is currently being listed by Precision Realty Group.
The developers are looking for $2,500/mo triple net for the 1,000 sqft space, which includes a basement with similar space for storage. That figure seems high, unless the owners are willing to put some dollars into the buildout for a tenant. But whatever does ultimately open in that space, it will have a built-in customer base of people who live in the building above.
Meanwhile, the commercial space across the street at 1500 Fairmount Ave. is also vacant.
This space was most recently the home of Salon Vixxen. We’d have to imagine the asking price for the rent is quite a bit lower than the larger new construction space across the street, and it may therefore find a tenant a little sooner. Or hey, maybe not. Hopefully, both will soon be leased by tenants who will contribute new vibrancy to the eastern end of Fairmount Avenue, and fill some needs for people who live in the area. Assuming that nobody tries to install any new windows that is…


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Pradeep Parameswaran President, Uber, India & South Asia
Car-hailing major Uber
India on Thursday announced that the president of its India and South Asia operations, Pradeep Parameswaran, will have an expanded role as regional general manager for the Asia-Pacific.
Parameswaran will take charge of the new job on June 19. He will oversee Uber’s rides business in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand.
In some countries like Australia he will be locking horns with his desi rival Ola, which, too, has SoftBank as its common investor Uber
is looking at shifting its Asia-Pacific headquarters from Singapore after it sold its business in Southeast Asia to Singapore-based Grab, exiting in eight countries, which, apart from Singapore, included Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Talks are on to shift base to Hong Kong but a final decision has not been taken.
The company’s business in India virtually came to a standstill in the initial stages of the lockdown and it was forced to sack over 25 per cent of its 2,200 employees.
“After capably leading our India and South Asia business since 2018, I know that he will continue to inspire Uber’s next phase of growth across this key region,” said Andrew Macdonald, Uber’s senior vice-president, mobility and business operations.
Parameswaran joined Uber
in January 2017, first leading central operations for India and South Asia before becoming the head of the rides business in India and South Asia, in June 2018. He’s been instrumental in diversifying Uber’s portfolio, launching innovative Earner’s initiatives such as Uber Care, and driving strong growth.
Following the new appointment, Parameswaran said, “There is huge potential to serve more Uber customers and continue innovating. We will expand our Auto and Moto categories across many more Indian cities to create additional employment opportunities.”


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It’s finally here! Ever since the #BTSLoveMyself campaign was announced, ARMY everywhere have been waiting for the official merchandise to be revealed. That patience was finally rewarded as the first round of merchandise was announced via the official BTS Twitter on Nov. 30, 2017.
The Pretty-in-Pink items include stickers, a key ring, enamel pins and a small pouch, all emblazoned with the floral line graphics seen on the “Love Yourself: Her” album art. Also available are a medallion bracelet, notebook and phone cases (currently for the Galaxy7/8 only). All proceeds from the sales of official goods are donated to the LOVE MYSELF campaign.
A joint venture between BTS, their label Big Hit Entertainment, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the LOVE MYSELF campaign works to support #ENDviolence, a global campaign dedicated toward the protection of children and teens from violence. Over the next two years, the LOVE MYSELF Fund is accepting donations in various ways, including personal donations from Big Hit Entertainment and the individual members themselves, 3% of the income from the sale of physical albums in the “Love Yourself” series and from the sales of official merchandise as previously mentioned. Donation desks installed by UNICEF will also be taking in funds to support the campaign.
So decorate your bag with a pin, slap a sticker on your laptop or replace that old, worn-out phone case today — it’s for a great cause!
Currently, the LOVE MYSELF campaign has raised approximately 500,000,000 KRW, with the #BTSLoveMyself hashtag being used over two million times on social media.


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By John Revill and Laurie Burkitt
Nestlé said it’s seeing the early, tentative, signs of a recovery in the U.S, its largest single market. That’s handy given the slower sales growth the world’s biggest food company reported during its third quarter, sparking concerns among investors.
For all the talk about emerging markets, Nestlé’s sales in the U.S. were almost nine times higher than those in China in 2011. But in recent quarters the U.S. has been a tough market for Nestlé as anxious customers tightened their belts and cut back on their shopping.
Nestlé’s Chief executive Paul Bulcke admitted there remained a “softness” in the U.S. market, although the trend was beginning to change.
“We see some new dynamics. Consumer confidence is not there yet, but we are seeing the first signs of it being reinvigorated,” Mr. Bulcke said.
This follows positive data from the U.S. Commerce Department which earlier this week said consumer spending increased in September, the third month in a row after flagging in the spring.
Nestlé instant coffee, Coffee-Mate instant whitener and confectionary were among the categories improving in the U.S. while pet food was also doing well, Mr. Bulcke said.
Mr. Bulcke said he is also hoping for a post-election uptick in demand in the country after next month’s presidential elections.
But Nestlé is not putting out the flags just yet. Frozen foods remain challenging for Nestlé, with drops in sales for it Stouffer’s ready meals and Lean Cuisine brands.
Jenny Craig, its diet food business was also suffering because it is seen as a discretionary spend and is therefore one of the first items to be cut from the shopping list by hard-pressed housewives.
Nestlé hopes to tackle its issues by implementing a raft of new ideas. The company said it’s planning some “big innovations” in frozen meals and pizzas which are expected to come through toward the end of this year and into 2013.
It is also settling down for the long haul and is not expecting a rapid recovery in developed markets. Though “North America has normally shown that it rebounds faster” according to Mr. Bulcke.
Another key factor will be increasing the flow of popularly positioned products (PPPs), cheaper versions of best sellers like Nestlé three-in-one instant coffee which sell for a fraction of the price of a jar of coffee.
These have proved a big hit in emerging markets and are now being rolled out to hard pressed consumers in Europe and the U.S.
Analysts think Nestlé can turn around its U.S. performance. Patrik Schwendimann at Zuercher Kantonalbankid: “They have the knowhow and the products to do it. It’s not going to be easy and won’t happen overnight, but they can do it.”


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Whether it's here on CommonStock, on Twitter, or in discussions with people in the real world, there is a strong bearish sentiment on $T
. After looking through the Q2 2023 earnings call presentation and transcript, I believe that AT&T has already set up a bear trap.
Let's first talk about the lead cable issue. The WSJ released a report earlier this month describing how AT&T and $VZ
used lead cables and those cables poisoned ground water wells and habitats. Many were hurt by this and it's expected that the lawsuits relating to the issue would be large. Some will say that the scale of the issue is comparable to the California wildfires caused by $PCG
In the conference call, the CEO of AT&T $T
said that the issues relating to it are immaterial to the business. This is the exact quote he said in the image below (credit: Koyfin).
Also, the lead cable issue affects less than 10%
of the cable infrastructure that they have.
I acknowledge that in the big picture, AT&T isn't a growth stock. The business is mature. While revenues have barely grown on a YoY basis, the business has grown its free cash flow by 200% within the same time period. This destroys the bearish narative that AT&T will have trouble paying down its debt and cut its dividend. If they were struggling to pay dividends to shareholders, the free cash flow of the business wouldn't triple.
The cause of the massive improvement in free cash flow are the cost reduction measures that the company has embarked from 2020
. After reporting their earnings recently, management is embarking on a new wave of cost cutting initiatives and is targeting $2 billion in cost reductions
. As the company cuts down on costs further, the company will become more profitable and will be able to accelerate the reduction of debt on their balance sheets.
Based on the results from the Q2 2023 earnings call, I am optimistic that AT&T $T
is headed in the right direction. The high dividend yield, improving fundamentals, and the stability aspect of the business make the stock attractive. Outside of cost cutting and learning that the lead cable issue was an overreaction, the ramp up of 5G service will lead to more revenues on the main telephone business. The new 5G internet + fiber broadband services are making AT&T a viable competitor to $CMCSA
. Once AT&T does more advertising for those services, the cable companies will start complaining that the telecom companies are dominating the broadband industry.
If the bears are looking for a new target, I suggest targeting the cable companies like Comcast and Charter. The telecom providers will soon push massive marketing campaigns for their phone + internet + streaming bundles and consumers will stop consuming services from cable companies. The money in the cable industry will drain fast in the near future and these cable companies will turn into actual dinosaurs.


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Trump Announces $16 Billion in Aid for Farmers Hit by Trade War: Flanked by more than a dozen U.S. farmers - some in bright red MAGA hats - President Donald Trump announced a $16 billion farm aid bailout, designed to offset losses from his trade war with China.
Now, if I’m understanding this correctly, President Trump is portraying himself as a hero for offering agribusiness conglomerates a $16 billion taxpayer bailout - for a problem HE created? Wow, now that’s what I call some serious PR skills!
The thing is, if one didn’t know any better, one might mistakenly get the impression that all this smells a helluva lot like some slick politician, trying to purchase votes to compensate for his utterly incompetent trade policies.
And, not to sound skeptical, but what do you suppose are the odds that the bulk of this $16 billion bailout will ultimately find it’s way right into in the coffers of huge mega-corporations like Monsanto, Cargill, DowDuPont and Tyson?
On the other hand, I’m sure that if this ugly trade war ends up hitting these “farmers” too hard, Trump will once again rush to their aid and generously offer them jobs - perhaps as groundskeepers at Trump Resorts or Golf Clubs.
Because, as we all know, there’s nothing a slick New York developer who lives in a high-rise penthouse with gold toilets respects more, than someone who makes their living “working in the dirt.”


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Co-operative businesses have been more resilient during the Covid-19 pandemic than traditional businesses, according to the Co-op Economy 2021 report.
Published by Co-operatives UK on 28 June, the report says just 1.5% of co-ops were dissolved in 2020 compared to 6.5% of businesses generally. Meanwhile, the number of independent co-ops grew by 1.2% during the year, and turnover for the UK’s 7,237 co-ops grew by nearly 3% (£1.1bn) to £39.7bn.
“Why are co-ops so resilient? Because the co-operative purpose, ownership and governance all dictate long-termism,” says Co-operatives UK CEO, Rose Marley. “In an economic shock, it’s the members calling the shots in their collective, long-term interests, not investors making decisions based on short-term returns. Co-ops patiently build-up and reinvest reserves and use members’ capital wherever possible, rather than piling on debt to achieve faster growth.”
It is this ownership model, together with the resilience and sustainability of co-ops that make them a critical part of reducing inequalities in the UK. “It’s fundamentally about ownership,” she says. “People are looking for a stake in the places they live, work and consume and the co-op model distributes this decision-making power.”
In 2020, almost twice as many new co-ops were created as dissolved (193 versus 107). In contrast, the number of UK businesses overall fell, with company closures outstripping new starts (389,965 versus 382,560).
“We are increasingly excited by the growth and interest in what is becoming known as the democratic economy, and co-ops also anchor wealth in local communities, which brings a whole plethora of additional benefits,” adds Ms Marley.
“We’re now calling for more business support to grow this increasingly valuable sector. To have even more impact in terms of levelling up the economy, co-ops need the support that other business models receive as a matter of course. Co-ops have been marginalised and underrated for far too long.”
To address this, the CEOs of nine of the largest retail societies in the UK have jointly written to chancellor Rishi Sunak calling for more tailored business support for co-operatives, catering to their distinct approach to capital raising, business strategy and organisational development.
One of the signatories is Steve Murrells, CEO of the Co-op Group. “If we genuinely want to build back Britain better, but also take the opportunity to build back different, this must be a decade of collective action,” he says.
“The heart of every co-operative has always been the idea that, by coming together, we can all improve our situation, and make sure that nobody gets left behind. It’s something we see adopted by co-operatives across the country, of any size – the government needs to support their future development.”
The number of active members within co-ops fell by 1% from the previous year, but the Co-op Economy Report also highlighted that co-ops are markedly more ambitious than small businesses generally, with 61% of co-ops expressing ambitions to grow/develop in the first quarter of 2021, compared with 53% of small businesses generally.
Co-operatives UK case studies:
Success stories from the UK’s co-operative economy
Crescent Management is a London-based co-operative actors’ agency (owned and operated by the actors themselves) that’s managed to keep running and even reduce its commissions despite the performing arts industry being decimated by Covid.
The performing arts industry has suffered immeasurably through Covid. As the word lockdown became an everyday term, work for actors vanished overnight. Yet in the midst of the global pandemic a co-operative actors’ agency adapted – and even managed to reduce the commissions it takes.
All 24 carefully selected actors represent by Crescent are also members of the co-op and agents – with each committed to representing the agency. The members were forced to make some tough decisions -–including vacating their London office – when the impacts of Covid struck.
“Work for actors literally fell off a cliff,” said co-op member Emily Outred. “We gave up our office pretty much as soon as Covid hit. We’ve all had tough times. And come next year when a lot of theatres will inevitably go bust the picture will be very different again.”
Decisions were all made for their long-term benefit of the co-op and its members, including reducing the commissions the agency takes. Ms Outred said: “Being a co-op has made a huge difference. Many actors’ agencies have just collapsed. Even if the employees of those agencies had switched to work from homes there’s still salaries to be paid.
“It’s a real democracy here. There’s nothing that’s decided by head honchos. We take joint responsibility for our careers, and we take the time to get to know each other and each other’s work.”
Actors taking more control over their own livelihoods has not met with universal approval. And the members need to buy into the collective ethos. Ms Outred said: “Britain can be very snobby in the entertainment industry. Co-ops are sometimes looked down upon – viewed as being second best to the top agents. That can be problematic.
“It’s a very very competitive business. You have to be selfless here. Whether the competition for roles is within our agency or not – you’d be up against the same people anyway, We’re all trying to get each other into that same room. You have to be ego-less and do what’s best for each other collectively.”
The 24 members of Crescent Management work together in a “massive job share.” Covid has made training new members a trickier process, particularly in terms of the complexity of industry standard software. However, giving members collective responsibility over their careers is proving a win-win.
“Most people come to co-ops for a number of reasons. They want to really understand the business; they want more control. There’s not the pressure from agents to take work – you can say ‘I don’t fancy that’. It’s really empowering. There’s more transparency in what we do. There’s much more freedom.”
The Dewsbury Arcade
Residents in Dewsbury are taking the future of their declining town centre into their own hands by creating the first community-owned shopping centre in the UK.
With beautiful roof ironwork, the arcade in Dewsbury dates back to 1899 and was a popular shopping destination until 2014. A combination of decreasing footfall, poor management and lack of investment saw the arcade empty out and finally close.
Now, plans are afoot to regenerate the arcade by filling it with independent retailers from the town. Residents have formed The Arcade Dewsbury and intend to launch a community share offer in 2021. The aim is to raise £150,000 for the first year’s lease and operating costs.
Chris Hill, a community property developer, is board secretary to the community business, and has been appointed project officer by Kirklees Council with a brief to develop the arcade.
He said: “We want this to be an incubator for retail in the town centre. We want to fill the arcade with independent local businesses, selling everything from bath bombs to cakes, zines and antiques. It will be the first community owned shopping centre in the UK.
“The plan is to go on to lease or buy more empty shops. This is how small towns can come back again; how they can build back from the pandemic, and the years of decline prior to that. You’ve got to get in that community energy that can produce interesting stuff in town centres.”
He and his colleagues – a group of entrepreneurs from Dewsbury – have been working hard behind the scenes with the council, carrying out business planning and lobbying to secure funding to refurbish the building. The plan is for the council to lease the regenerated space to the co-op once renovations are complete.
The Arcade Dewsbury is awaiting confirmation of preferred bidder status, which will give them the green light to go ahead with the share offer. “Forty percent of the population is of South Asian heritage – and we want the arcade to reflect this,” said Mr Hill. “We’ve already had expressions of interest that will guarantee a representative mix of traders. When we come to the share issue, we’re going to be Sharia compliant too.”
Mr Hill is hoping to attract as many local people as possible to invest in the project. He said; “The great thing about a community benefit society is that it keeps money local,. It involves local people in controlling it and keeps wealth within a community. We plan to set up project groups that give members responsibility for new activities like pop-up shops, for example.”
He has developed other community buildings and knows the benefits it can bring. “On a previous project, a woman with little experience got involved and fabulously grew into the senior manager of the trust. Involving local people to take on responsibility empowers individuals – and towns – to realise their potential.”
Join the Conversation


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Food Prices at Minn. State Fair Remain Steady in 2013
From French fries to corn on the cob - there are food favorites that fairgoers look for every year at the Minnesota State Fair.
Some food stands keep prices the same, while others raise them, food workers say.
Last year, a record $33 million was spent on food items and drinks at State Fair.
This year, prices haven't seen much of an increase. And don't forget, you can also find many freebies at the Fair.
- Fair Organizers Hope Labor Day, Cooler Temps Help Attendance
- Swing Performance at the State Fair
- State Fair Takes Precautions to Combat Heat Wave
- Local Farmers, Chefs Create Homegrown Treats at State Fair
- State Fair Day 3: 4-H Day, Sammy Hagar
- KSTP Anchors Test Out 'Ice Rink' at the State Fair
- Food Prices at Minn. State Fair Remain Steady in 2013
- Winger Woman Named 60th Princess Kay
- State Fair Parade Will Honor Vietnam Veterans
- INTERVIEW: U of M Launches 'Health Quest App' for Fair


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China has detected more than 253,000 cases of coronavirus in the last three weeks and the daily average is increasing, the government said on Tuesday. The data added more pressure on authorities trying to reduce the economic damage by easing controls that confined millions of families to their homes.
LOOK: AMLO asks that the Pacific Alliance summit be canceled because they did not give permission to Pedro Castillo
The Communist Party, which rules the country, promised on November 11 to reduce the impact of its “zero COVID” strategy and make the measures more flexible. But a new wave of outbreaks has tested that purpose, and big cities like Beijing have locked down crowded districts, shuttered shops and offices and ordered factories to isolate their workforce from outside contact.
That has fueled fears that a slowdown in Chinese business activity could undermine still-weak global trade.
The average number of daily cases for the last week was 22,200 positives per day, double that of the previous week, the official China News Service reported, citing the National Office for Disease Prevention and Control.
“Some provinces face the most serious and complex situation in the last three years”said a spokesman for the office, Hu Xiang, at a press conference, according to the CNS.
LOOK: The mother who did not wait for the verdict and murdered her daughter’s rapist in court
The numbers of infections in China they are lower than in the United States and other large countries. However, the government is sticking to its goal of eradicating infections and isolating all cases, while other governments have relaxed restrictions on travel and other activities and are trying to live with the virus.
The government reported on Tuesday 28,127 cases detected in 24 hours across the country, including 25,903 without symptoms. Nearly a third, 9,022, were in Guangdong province, the heart of an export-oriented manufacturing region neighboring Hong Kong.
Global markets fell on Monday amid jitters over controls at China and statements last week by a US Federal Reserve official that interest rates could rise even more than expected to contain rising inflation. The price was uneven on Tuesday.
The investors “they fear a decline in demand as a result of a less mobile Chinese economy amid fears of more COVID-associated lockdowns,” said Fawad Razaqzada of StoneX.
China it is the world’s largest trader and the main market for its Asian neighbors. Weak consumer or factory demand could hurt global producers of oil and other raw materials, computer processors and other industrial components, food and consumer goods. Restrictions limiting activity in Chinese ports may affect global trade.
Economic growth picked up to 3.9% year-over-year in the three months ending in September, up from 2.2% in the first half. But activity was already starting to drop again.
Retail spending contracted 0.5% compared to October of the previous year, below the 2.5% growth of the previous month, when several cities resumed controls against infections. Imports fell 0.3% in a sign of subdued consumer demand, a sharp decline from 6.7% growth in September.
For its part, Chinese exports fell by 0.7% in October as demand from US and European consumers fell due to unusually high interest rate increases by the Fed and other central banks, which are trying to curb inflation at record levels for several decades.
Guangdong’s capital, Guangzhou, on Monday suspended access to the Baiyun district, where some 3.7 million people live, after identifying sources of infection there.
LOOK: How the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant differs from that of Chernobyl (and what are the risks of the fighting between Ukraine and Russia)
Guangzhou announced plans last week to build quarantine centers for nearly 250,000 people. The city said 95,300 people from another district, Haizhu, would be transferred to hospitals or quarantine centers.
The government of Shijiazhuang, a city of 11 million people southwest of Beijing, said factories that want to keep operating must impose “closed-loop management,” the official term for workers residing at their workplaces. That means additional costs for food and lodging.
Businessmen and economists see the changes in antivirus controls as a step toward lifting the controls that isolate China from the rest of the world. But they claim that the goal of zero COVID it should be maintained until the second half of next year.
Despite government promises of less disruptive measures, businessmen are pessimistic about the outlook, according to a survey by researchers at Peking University and financial firm Ant Group Ltd. The confidence index based on responses from 20,180 business owners fell to its lowest level since the beginning of 2021.
Economists and health experts say the government needs to vaccinate millions of the elderly before lifting the controls that keep most foreign visitors out.
“We do not believe that the country is ready to open yet”said Louis Loo of Oxford Economics in a report. “We hope that the Chinese authorities will continue to fine-tune the controls of COVID-19 in the coming months, moving towards a subsequent broader and general reopening.
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.


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Japan announced Thursday that it had stepped in to support the yen’s value for the first time in 24 years, in an attempt to stem the currency’s continued depreciation against the dollar.
The yen has depreciated more than 20% against the dollar over the past year, putting pressure on Japan’s economy as the cost of importing many essential commodities such as energy and food rises. The sharp decline in the yen is largely caused by Japan’s determination to keep interest rates low despite the US Federal Reserve raising interest rates and boosting the dollar to combat inflation.
The Japanese yen crossed 145 yen against the dollar on Thursday after the Fed announced a day earlier that it would raise its policy rate by another three-quarters percentage point to a range of 3-3.25%.
At a press conference on Thursday, Japan’s Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said the government was “concerned about rapid one-way movements” in the currency and said it would “never overlook excessive volatility stemming from speculative activity.” I can’t,” he added. “
Japan has warned in recent months that it could intervene if necessary, and hopes that alone will help keep the yen from depreciating.
Now government officials are “ready to take action 24/7,” Finance Vice Minister Masato Kanda told reporters after the announcement.
In previous times, a weaker yen was widely seen as a boon to Japan’s export-driven economy, making Japanese products cheaper and more attractive to overseas consumers, and increasing the value of overseas earnings. rice field.
But as the economy globalizes and many manufacturers move production overseas, the benefits are no longer so simple. The weaker yen is particularly problematic as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have pushed up the cost of a wide range of imports.
For some products, prices have begun to rise significantly for the first time in 30 years.
The Japanese government’s intervention on Thursday followed the Bank of Japan’s announcement that it would stick to its longstanding ultra-low interest rate policy, even as most other countries have begun to follow the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes.
Low interest rates have been an important part of Japan’s economic policy for almost a decade. This was introduced to boost low inflation in the country by making money cheaper and more readily available. Inflation is thought to have a positive effect on economic growth by increasing corporate profits and workers’ wages.
Inflation in Japan has risen during the pandemic, but is still far below the levels of other countries. AugustAnd Bank of Japan officials believe the low interest rates are the wrong kind of inflation, caused by pandemic-related supply constraints rather than the intended consumer-driven demand.
Following the government’s dollar-selling maneuvers on Thursday, the yen briefly fell slightly below 141 before falling again.
Suzuki said the government would not disclose details of the scale or timing of the intervention.
Japan had previously intervened in the appreciation of the yen during the 1998 Asian financial crisis when the yen was trading around 146 to the dollar. In 2011, it tried to devalue the currency.
Hisako Ueno contributed to the report.


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Telecom operators Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom are betting that in a post-Snowden world, "made in Germany" is more attractive than "made in U.S.A."
IT spending is forecast to rise faster than previously expected in Germany, a bellwether for European industry, while IT sector jobs there will total almost one million by year-end. However, forthcoming legislation could have a chilling effect, indus...
BlackBerry is returning to the tablet market -- this time with the help of Samsung Electronics, IBM and Secusmart, the German encryption specialist BlackBerry bought last year.
At around €2,000 (US$2800) each, the secure smartphones that SecuSmart showed at Cebit last year were out of reach of many businesses -- although three governments have since bought them to secure mobile phone calls between senior officials, accordin...
Connected cars are big at this year's Cebit trade show, with driverless cars and products to communicate with the vehicle' onboard computers on display, but cooler apps are needed for the sector to really take off.
By combining location data gathered using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi networks, German upstart Locoslab wants to improve the accuracy of indoor positioning, while at the same time implementing privacy features to assuage any fears users have.
The creators of the Roboy robot wanted it to move as much like a human as possible, using a skeleton of 3D-printed bones and joints, tendons -- and coiled springs in muscles.
Tests of carrier aggregation, a technology that will help increase the speeds of LTE networks, have been a positive surprise, but another technology called small cells needs to become more mature before it can help offload mobile networks, according ...
Some Bluetooth headsets are designed to get beats into your ear: The C-SP 01 from Cosinuss is there to get them out.
Deutsche Telekom hopes to address the growing mobile security concerns of enterprises with secured devices and an app that encrypts voice and text messages.
Two companies using Facebook profiles to generate credit scores, their stands side by side at Cebit, are chasing different customers -- although they are competitors in the trade show's Code_n startup contest.
Huawei's enterprise unit has launched the FusionCube for high-end HANA systems and will also work with SAP on products for areas such as enterprise mobility.
Intel is putting its energy into the development of smart grid standards and monitoring systems in Germany, with company executives announcing a number of initiatives at the Cebit trade show Monday.
Thin-client company IGEL Technology can turn a laptop into a thin client with the latest version of its Universal Desktop Converter software.
Fraunhofer Institute researchers are working to speed up the scanning of mobile app code for security flaws, aiming to offer developers in a few milliseconds the kind of analysis that once required an all-night scan of code.
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In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in opportunities to see parts using additive manufacturing (AM) such as plastic 3D printers and metal 3D printers. The Advanced/Technical ceramic industry hasalso been trying to develop the Advanced dense ceramic 3D printers for many years. In recent years, technology has evolved rapidly. It is now possible to manufacture advanced/technical ceramics with accuracy/density close to conventional cutting and injection molded products. It can be used for industrial purposes. Nishimura Advanced Ceramics has also begun trial production of industrial ceramic parts using molded products with ceramic 3D printers.
Prototype sample for CIM(ceramic injection molding)
New manufacturing method of a complex design part, Exceed the existing capacity
Manufacture of hollow-structured ceramic parts, which has never been possible in the ceramic industry
Ceramic artificial bone
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On 29 & 30 January 2020, ADF&PCD and PLD Paris 2020 will take place at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles (visit the World Aerosols team at booth W39 to collect your free magazine!)
The annual event will bring aerosol industry experts from far and wide to discuss the latest in aerosol development and innovation.
Amid the uncertainty of Brexit, the topic of politics will not be left at the door at ADF Paris. Patrick Heskins, chief executive of theBritish Aerosol Manufacturers’ Association, will discuss how the newly-elected Conservative government will progress with Brexit, and what this will mean for UK businesses trading with the EU in the short, medium and long-term.
This year’s speaker line-up covers the length and breadth of aerosols and includes some big names in the industry. Sebastian Kraus, associate director of packaging at Kao will cover aerosols, regulation and public perception; European Aerosol Federation (FEA) secretary general Alain D’Haese will discuss the latest movement within the EU; Bernhard Felten of Beiersdorf will look at designing aerosols for recycling and the sustainability challenge; and Marc Spiniella of Johnson & Johnson will present a talk on the future of aerosols to 2025. There will also be keynote talks from representatives at L’Oreal, LEREM and Procter & Gamble.
With more than 30 years of experience in the packaging sector, Franck Flecheux, director of LEREM, will give a presentation on certification steps and the future of aerosols from a laboratory specialising in packaging. There will be a lot of ground to cover at ADF Paris, so we asked Flecheux what he thinks will be the hot topic in 2020: “I think that the aspects linked to regulatory developments and the impact on our industry, as well as sustainable development, will be the main subjects. “I expect to be able to meet as many of my customers as possible and keep myself informed of current innovations that may require laboratory services.”
New for 2020
One of the biggest developments for this year’s event is the addition of the PLD – Packaging of Luxury Drinks – section. With this new market present at the event, ADF&PCD and PLD Paris will bring together more than 700 packaging suppliers and 8,000 buyers in the perfume, cosmetics, premium drinks, aerosols and dispensing sectors. To find out more about ADF, World Aerosols spoke with event director Josh Brooks: “We’re passionate about helping our community solve their day-to-day challenges in developing their packaging products – whether that means finding new suppliers and products, meeting new or old colleagues and collaborators, or learning more about their key challenges. We believe ADF will do all three.
“First and foremost, it’s an unrivalled opportunity for buyers to source the latest innovative products and discover new suppliers among our amazing array of exhibitors. And the show will offer multiple networking opportunities, not least during and after the ADF awards on the first afternoon.”
The new ADF Advisory Board, of which Brooks is “incredibly proud”, has been “instrumental” in helping the organisers develop an exciting programme of ADF talks. He added: “The board includes heavyweight experts from major brands such as Beiersdorf, Kao, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, plus many more influential experts.”
The ADF Paris 2020 talks will focus on technical and regulatory challenges for the aerosol and dispensing sector, while panel discussions and technical workshops will support visitors in “driving innovation” across their aerosol projects, according to Brooks. He concluded: “It’s a very exciting programme – we can’t wait to welcome the aerosol community to Paris in January and play our part in driving innovation in the global aerosol and dispensing sector.”
Weener Plastics to launch shoe deodorant spray actuator at ADF Paris
Weener Plastics, a leading manufacturer of plastic packaging systems in the consumer goods sector, will launch its new shoe deodorant spray actuator, named Carl, at ADF Paris 2020. The smartshoe deodorant spray is an innovative product featuring two sprays facing in opposite directions for maximum effectiveness. According to Weener Plastics, Carl is a sustainable product, made from post-consumer recycled polypropylene, thus supporting a circular economy.
The distinctive aerosol can be placed upside down within the shoe. After actuation, it sprays to the front and the back to cover the entire inside of the shoe. The company commented: “This new spray concept is interesting for brands, private labels and trademarks active in retail, as well as in professional markets. The vivid customer interest from Europe, Asia and South America already shows the attractiveness of this unique product.”
The two functional sprays are generated using Weener Plastics’ proprietary Integrated Spray technology. This allows early customisation with varied spray patterns, possible spray openings and channel designs, available over caps and decoration. Carl has a diameter of 45mm and fits on both tinplate cans and aluminium transfer shoulder cans. To find out more about Carl, visit Weener Plastics at booth number R33 at ADF Paris.


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Pictured Above: Like many dealers, Pete Youngblut, owner of Youngblut Ag in Dysart, Iowa, is anxiously awaiting the arrival of key parts ahead of spring planting. But the pressure is also pushing dealers to launch more aggressive early order programs this summer.
With wrenches turning in service bays in preparation for spring planting, dealers and farmers are well into their annual routine of row unit maintenance, seed meter calibration and prescription loading.
But Mother Nature isn’t the only source of anxiety when it comes to maximizing the window of opportunity for getting crops planted this spring. Availability of common planter parts and precision components has been an ongoing headache for farmers, dealers and manufacturers largely due to the global production delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Turnaround time from ordering to delivery has increased from days to months in some cases, forcing dealers into difficult, but necessary, conversations with customers.
“It’s looking like dealers, myself included, will be in a very tight spot with spring coming quickly and products being back ordered until the very last second,” says Pete Youngblut, owner of Youngblut Ag in Dysart, Iowa.
In some cases, dealers have informed customers that essential planter parts ordered well in advance of this spring, may not arrive until June, at the earliest. As uncomfortable as those calls some dealers are making to farmers are now, there could be a silver lining.
Rebounding commodity prices are a positive sign that farmers could have an appetite and financial flexibility to take advantage of attractive early-order programs offered this summer. A recent dealer poll on Farm-Equipment.com revealed that 85% of respondents were at least considering offering early order precision parts programs to customers, and 55% definitely see an opportunity to capitalize on customer demand.
“Dealers have a real opportunity to convince customers that before they put the planter away for the season this year, get that part or attachment added first, especially after the experience many of us have had this year,” says Tim Norris, who farms about 1,000 acres near Mount Vernon, Ohio, and also co-owns Box Concepts Consulting LLC.
Norris says it took about 2 months to get replacement hubs and bearings this spring for his Kinze 12/23 planter — parts which typically would take days to order and receive in a typical year.
As the former CEO of Ag Info Tech, Precision Farming Dealer’s 2015 Most Valuable Dealership, Norris says dealers have good leverage for selling customers on the value of pre-ordering planter parts and technology this year. “One part can hold up planting and the reality is that there is a chain-reaction from the grower all the way up to the manufacturer which costs everyone time and money.”
Some dealers have already placed orders to increase inventory into the summer and early fall, in response to increased demand and expectation that customers will be in a buying mood after spring.
“The commodity markets have exploded far beyond our expectations…” – Adam Gittins, HTS Ag
HTS Ag, an independent precision dealership in Harlan, Iowa, has been tracking supply and demand trends for equipment ordering for the last 10 years, to efficiently manage annual inventory. Typically, the dealership places a large equipment order in November based on the anticipated need through at least spring of the following year.
While there are minor fluctuations, month-to-month, the data is historically reliable in forecasting future need, says Adam Gittins, general manager at HTS Ag. But the disruptions to the supply chain dating back to early 2020, have impacted inventory projections for the dealership.
“We are going to get caught short this year,” Gittins says. “The commodity markets have exploded far beyond our expectations. So our forecast, although we do a pretty decent job of it, is low compared to what we’re seeing our actual burn rate with inventory.”
In anticipation of an expected dearth of in-demand inventory, HTS placed a February re-order with Ag Leader Technology — a highly rare, but necessary action, according to Gittins. Typically, the dealership would carry enough inventory to last through May 1, and order inventory on an as-needed basis until fall.
“Typically, we are keeping inventory pretty low during the summer months, and we don’t normally stock inventory year round, at least not in large volumes, but we’re able to ramp up based on when we expect to sell,” he says. “We’ll try and stay a little bit ahead and make sure we have some of those critical pieces because when the customer is ready to buy and you don’t have it, sometimes that can disrupt the sales cycle, and it’s really hard to jumpstart it again.”
Specifically, Gittins sees early order opportunity with planter systems for 2022 and a direct way to pencil out return on investment for customers. When corn was close to $3 per bushel, adding up the value of a five-figure expense on new planter technology like a new metering system or down force package was harder sell.
“When it was 3-5 additional bushels of $3 corn, that’s not something customer’s would get real excited about,” Gittins says. “The same math at $5 corn, we’re talking closer to $25 per acre and that makes it a more appealing investment.”
Joe Sinkula, Integrated Solutions manager with Riesterer & Schnell, a 12-location John Deere dealership based in Wisconsin, says they’ve sold out of displays and receivers for spring, and any additional orders will come after planting.
“From my conversation with Deere, the delay has less to do with the pandemic and more to do with demand. My store in Pulaski, Wis., has sold as much in the last 90 days as we did in all of 2018 and that is a common theme throughout the country,” Sinkula said in mid-February. “Part of it is the retirement of Deere’s Starfire ITC GPS receivers as of Jan. 1, increasing new sales of SF6000 receivers. But more has come from customers taking advantage of the higher-than-expected commodity prices and government COVID-19 relief money to upgrade their precision ag equipment.”
Still, Sinkula isn’t certain they will see an uptick in early order program sales for precision wholegoods. The dealership’s planter early order program launches in June and planters can be ordered through September and into October.
Should commodity prices maintain upward momentum, he does see potential to be more aggressive with early order promotions, based on experience and the success farmers have in getting crops planted in a timely manner this spring.
“The last time we had commodity prices this high, we didn’t make it out of July before we were sold out of planters for the following spring,” Sinkula says. “I could see that repeating itself this year if we have a good spring in the Midwest. AMS hardware is very typically a winter purchase, but I think that we will get customers to purchase more in the November/December timeframe instead of waiting until the middle of February and being surprised that we are essentially sold out for spring like we were this year.”
5 Ways to Work through Parts Delays: Lessons Learned Outside of Ag
While the ag industry wrestles with delays and disruptions to its distribution model, other industries are also navigating challenges to meet current and future customer demand.
Jim Henderson, senior advisor with Machinery Advisors Consortium, a business consulting firm, shares how dealers and manufacturer reps are faced with long lead time challenges across 9 other industries — material handling, construction equipment, data center infrastructure, power generation, industrial HVAC, modular buildings, trucking and automotive.
While causes are consistent to what the ag industry is encountering — “just-in-time” manufacturing practices where one piece gets delayed by the pandemic, shipping delays due to a shortage of trucking capacity or ocean freight disruptions — Henderson identifies 5 observations for how to work through the delays.
- Follow-up proactively with manufacturers on shipping so there are fewer (ideally no) surprises with your customers. Where possible, automate this follow-up so you don’t have to add a time-intensive task to someone’s to-do list.
- Pre-purchase parts, with buffer for the extended lead times. This may reduce inventory turns, but will ensure necessary service can be performed, so there’s a balance. You don’t want parts inventory on the shelf, tying up capital, for 2-3 years, but you also don’t want an upset customer because you couldn’t fix a mission critical piece of equipment during a peak.
- Monitor freight charges. Set up quotes so you charge actual freight even if the price goes up. Some manufacturers in other industries are raising freight fees, so if this is the case with one of yours, be sure to set up your quotes so you can charge actual freight, not a set dollar amount where you eat the cost of difference. At the same time, work with your manufacturers to keep costs lower.
- If you need to have inventory on-hand to sell the equipment, you face a question like a parts manager would face how much to pre-order and balance the gain of more sales with the risk of tying up capital in new and used inventory that’s not turning. Well managed, this use of capital is a key driver to profitability and your return on invested capital.
- The last area is on projecting your sales inventory and selling around long lead times. The latter tends to become a competitive strength or weakness. We have seen industries with rental equipment use rental units to fill the gap.
Rethinking the ‘Just in Time’ Mentality
Youngblut expects some manufacturers to offer discounts earlier than usual to encourage dealers to increase inventory in anticipation of higher customer demand. He reached a point in late winter where new orders dried up with his equipment suppliers backordered until April.
“That killed a lot of sales that are normally made in the last half of February and early March,” he says.
While Youngblut has seen a recent rebound in sales, he is cautiously optimistic and anticipates a change in the current parts purchasing model between dealers and manufacturers.
“The hard part with this is that we then bear the cost of carrying those goods on the shelf while the vendor gets paid,” he says. “I think we are looking at a bit of a shift in how things operate in the ag business space and that the paperwork side will be much faster and product will be a bit slower as opposed to the work first, pay later approach that we are all accustom to.”
Manufacturers agree that operating with razor thin timelines for order and delivery of parts has been problematic, especially during the last year-plus.
“The cost of just-in-time arrival of goods is rearing its head and the efficiencies gained,” says Harlan Little, OEM business development manager with Topcon Agriculture. “The cost of handling some inventory and holding some additional pieces in our pipeline is in reality, far less than the ultimate loss of revenue from not having product to sell.
“There is that balance of how many inventory turns in all the numbers you can run from a management standpoint, and that goes stale on you on when the revenue number isn’t increasing. There’s got to be that sale in order to do it.”
“When customers realize that they really do have to get ahead by months instead of just a few weeks, they start to move quicker and this makes business much easier…” – Pete Youngblut, Youngblut Ag
Little adds that dealers are likely rationalizing short-term equipment needs and there is some “panic buying” going on in response to the anxiety heading into spring planning. But he also says dealers need to be thinking longer-term than just 2021.
“What the industry is experiencing now with the disruption to the supply chain is going to be a game changer for a longer period of time, and I would expect how often and how much inventory dealers stock will be re-
evaluated,” Little says.
From their end, Little says Topcon is looking to stretch out the ordering process with dealers vs. a one or two-time large volume stocking that leaves little wiggle room if delays occur.
With April starting the company’s new fiscal year, Little says Topcon is looking to incentivize more frequent orders among is dealer network. “Then they get a little more of a discount and they continue to grow and it really gets to be a repetitive thing instead of the traditional buy everything at one time of the year and then sell off the shelves until they are empty, then 9 months later do it again.”
During the next few months dealers are planning to be assertive in trying to convert early order opportunities prior to customers putting their planters away for the season.
The harsh lessons learned heading into this spring are ones which Youngblut plans to leverage in getting customers to consider widening their ordering timeline of new or replacement parts and technology.
“I’ll plan to stock more product, especially with a new location that’s just up and running. I’ll have added space and flow to keep product on hand, allowing things to move much quicker from quote to purchase to install and payment,” he says. “When customers realize that they really do have to get ahead by months instead of just a few weeks, they start to move quicker and this makes business much easier.”
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In a new report on the Chinese beer market, the Dutch bank’s analysts claim that the world’s biggest beer market suffers from relatively low profitability, though this will change through increasing consolidation and an influx of premium products will provide a platform for profit growth.
To grasp opportunities, the bank suggests that local brewers could consolidate the mainstream beer segment or expand their super-premium portfolios by importing beers or licensing overseas brands.
Meanwhile, exporters from countries with strong beer cultures would be most likely to succeed in China by forging partnerships with local brewers, says Rabobank, adding that global brewers with international brands could either enter the Chinese market quickly through a partnership with a Chinese brewer with distribution power, or through a greenfield operation.
According to the report, China has been the main driver of growth in global beer consumption, accounting for more than half of total volume increases. However, the profitability of beer in China is relatively low due to two important reasons.
“First, the Chinese market is very fragmented, resulting in fierce price competition among brewers and low levels of selling power,” said Francois Sonneville, who authored the report.
“Secondly, the Chinese beer market is dominated by mainstream beer, which has a much lower profitability than premium or super-premium beer.”
While volume growth has started to slow, and even showed a decline over the past five quarters, growth in profitability per hectolitre has accelerated over the past two years.
Rabobank estimates that the profit pool has grown from US$1bn to US$1.6bn over the past six years, and will rise further as consolidation and premiumisation continue.
“The premium and super-premium segments in China are small in volume, but much more significant in profit terms. A premiumisation strategy can be successful for both Chinese and foreign brewers,” added Sonneville.


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President Biden is under pressure on a number of fronts right now, including getting more done and showing better results that people can feel in the near future.That's particularly true when it comes to the shortage of baby formula around the country. Brian Deese, the Biden administration's director of the National Economic Council, joins Geoff Bennett to discuss some of those concerns.
The president is being pressed on a number of fronts right now, both to do more and to show results that people can feel in the near future.
That's particularly true when it comes to the current shortage of baby formula around the country.
Geoff Bennett zeros in on those concerns.
Judy, the shortage has been a serious problem for months now and has gotten worse during the spring. Store shelves are about 40 percent short of the formula they normally sell. That means prices in some places are going up for what's left. And, in some cases, we have heard of parents driving hours to find what they need or even more serious measures like watering down baby formula, which experts say is dangerous.
The president has announced new measures to address this, but there are important questions about how effective this will be.
Brian Deese is the Biden administration's director of the National Economic Council. And he joins me now.
Welcome back to the "NewsHour."
Brian Deese, Director, National Economic Council:
Happy to be here.
And President Biden, as you well know, he invoked the Defense Production Act, which requires suppliers to provide baby formula ingredients to those companies that produce it before it goes to other companies.
He's also authorized this new program called Operation Fly Formula to speed up imports. So what's the expectation for how quickly infant formula will appear back on shelves, be widely available?
Well, we need to focus on a couple of things to make that happen.
The first is to increase production. We need to produce — manufacture, to produce more formula. And, as you said, the president invoked the Defense Production Act to make sure that the manufacturers of formula in the United States have all of the supplies and the components that they need to get to 100 percent production as quickly as possible. So that's happening right now.
The second is, we need to get more formula that's outside the United States that we know is safe into the United States. And that's what the Operation Fly Formula is about, the Defense Department, directed by the president, to use commercial cargo to bring that product into the United States.
These steps are happening in real time. We're in contact with both the manufacturers and the retailers overnight, through the day, and we will be into the weekend. And we anticipate that these steps will help to get that product produced and moving quicker than it would otherwise move.
You have said that the administration was aware of this infant formula shortage back in February. So, why then did the government let it get to this point? Why not invoke the DPA much earlier to ease this supply situation?
The genesis of this challenge was that, in mid-February, on February 17, the FDA shut a facility, but — from Abbott manufacturing in Sturgis, Michigan, because of a concern that the formula that was being produced was unsafe. That was a safety judgment that has to be made.
And, of course, we're dealing with infant formula, so we have to put safety at the front here. But, immediately after that happened, the president — the administration began working with manufacturers and retailers to try to make sure that production was increasing.
And, in fact, the reason why we are where we are today, where production is getting to 100 percent, is because of the work that's been happening over the last several weeks.
The reason for the Defense Production Act now is, we want to make sure that manufacturers can maintain and stay at that 100 percent capacity. We don't want any manufacturer, now that they have ramped up, to be in a place where, for example, they can't get the bottles that they need to fulfill an order, or they can't get an input that they need to fill an order.
Having the flexibility of the Defense Production Act now in place will ensure that they can stay at this high rate of production going forward.
It strikes me that the government is in many ways relying on Abbott and the FDA to get us out of this mess, when you could argue that it was Abbott and the FDA that created this crisis in the first place, Abbott for reportedly running that lab that was — didn't have sanitary conditions, and then the FDA, which apparently didn't address a whistle-blower complaint,appropriately that it received back in October.
So, how is it that the FDA and Abbott can be held to account and can be relied upon to now fix this problem?
Well, the FDA is focused on safety. And the reason why it took the actions that it did in February to shut that Abbott facility was based on scientific and safety judgments.
But now we need Abbott to move as quickly as possible to get that facility up and running. The FDA has made very clear exactly the steps that need to be taken, so that it can run safely. Abbott is committed to those steps and is moving to put them in place.
But they need to do so without any delay. And we need other manufacturers to ramp up their production as well. And once we get through this immediate crisis, we do need to ask some hard questions about a market, a private sector market that is dominated by three large producers that supply 90 percent of the infant formula in this country.
We need to think about how we can bring more competition into this market, more new entrants into this market, so that the American consumer is not reliant on any one private company as much as we are today.
I want to draw you out on that because, as you rightly point out, Abbott, they create 40 percent of the U.S. infant formula that is available on shelves. Millions of American families are reliant on baby formula.
And there are just a handful of companies that produce it. So when you say there will be there will be time for those questions, I mean, what does that look like? How concerned is the administration about this sort of market consolidation? And what are you prepared to do about it?
Well, it is a concern. And it's a concern in infant formula and more broadly.
And the president has actually identified that the lack of competition and consolidation in a number of industries has actually reduced the benefits for consumers, driven up prices, but also created this type of risk that the supply chain vulnerability can actually leave Americans exposed.
We have seen this throughout the pandemic, that our economy is too reliant on these brittle supply chains. And a lot of that is due to challenges about consolidation in different markets. So, we have ramped up antitrust scrutiny and merger scrutiny. That's one element of this.
The other is, though, encouraging more nonincumbents, more new businesses to enter into a market like this, so that consumers have more choice and more options. Obviously, when it comes to formula, we need to make sure that that's done safely, and that any entrant, anything that makes it to the shelves is safe for consumers.
But we need to encourage more competition across the economy generally and in this market as well.
Brian Deese is the director the National Economic Council.
Brian, thanks again for your time.
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Forbes Names Toby Keith 3rd Highest Earning Music Star
September 24, 2008 at 1:24 PM (PT)
SHOW DOG NASHVILLE star TOBY KEITH has been named the third best-paid music star by FORBES MAGAZINE, behind THE POLICE and BEYONCE. KEITH earned a whopping $48 million between JUNE 1st, 2007 and JUNE 1st, 2008. Rounding out the rest of the top five are JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE and MADONNA.
TK's new album, "That Don't Make Me A Bad Guy," featuring his hit single, "She Never Cried In Front Of Me," hits stores OCTOBER 28th.


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Having fallen by nearly 35% from its pre-crisis high (in August 2013), manufacturing output showed a rebound of 4.1% (YOY) in May. While this number appears impressive at first glance, B2B companies selling in Brazil should be aware of several details before presuming that demand for their products has returned to stay in the market.
The rebound in manufacturing output has largely been driven by the growth of durable consumer goods and capital goods production:
- Consumer durable goods output is up 20.6% YOY. However, with consumers still struggling to find jobs and sentiment still low, the rebound in consumer durable output is unlikely to remain robust over the short-term as demand for increasingly higher output will not be present in the domestic market. Rather, the recent upturn in output is more likely an initial adjustment in production from what was originally a very deep cut – even today output in this category remains a full 30.5% below its pre-crisis high
- Capital goods output is up 7.5% YOY, but with capacity utilization still well below historic levels, this increase is likely driven by companies replacing worn out equipment or investing in productivity enhancement (i.e. information technology) rather than signaling a sustainable increase in overall capacity to produce
Growth in consumer durable goods output has been led by the automotive sector, and is likely unsustainable in the short-term
- The increase in consumer durable goods output can largely be explained by a rebound in automotive output (27.8% YOY), which has been buoyed by the return of pent up demand from upper income consumers as well as higher exports. However, with the broader consumer base still struggling to find jobs, consumer sentiment still weak, and consumer interest rates and indebtedness remaining elevated, automotive manufacturers are unlikely to see a sustained rebound in demand over the short-term and thus are unlikely to sustain the current rate of growth in output
Growth in capital goods production has been driven by information technology companies and should continue expanding over the short-term
- The bulk of output growth in capital goods is focused on information technology goods (25.8% YOY) as companies across the economy look to increase productivity in the face of continued low demand growth and increased pricing pressures. FSG expects this trend to continue
Despite continued weakness in consumer non-durable output, there exists significant regional differences in demand
- While consumer non-durable production has yet to rebound, regional differences in consumer good spending growth has created divergences in performance between regional producers. States especially in the south and southeast – where consumers rely more heavily on formal service sector jobs and have higher savings – have shown the greatest strength in consumer spending in recent months
Companies continue to be constrained by credit conditions and weak domestic demand
- While FSG expects manufacturing output to continue expanding through the second half of the year, producers will continue to confront various challenges. Foremost are extended weak consumer demand and tight credit conditions, which are negatively affecting customers’ ability to invest and channel partners’ access to working capital
Most multinationals selling into the manufacturing sector in Brazil should expect near term sales growth, but will need to continue to evaluate their customer segmentation strategies, considering both industrial and geographic dynamics. Multinationals will also need to continue to deepen their due diligence on partners’ financial conditions and consider extending credit to customers in the market or the leasing expensive equipment to tap into opex budgets. Finally, multinationals should continue to review their scenario and contingency plans in the market monthly over the coming quarter as political uncertainty remains high. While the Brazilian economy is positioned to continue showing growth in the near term under heightened political uncertainty, a prolonged crisis and complete derailing of reform measures would likely push the market toward a double dip recession.
For our latest updates and insights, FSG clients can visit the client portal.


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Etihad A380 economy class gets more leg room
Economy space seats will feature increased leg-room of up to 36 inches, while 777s and Dreamliners will also be modified
Abu Dhabi airline Etihad Airways is retrofitting its Airbus A380 double-decker aircraft and enhancing its economy class offering, to become the first airline in the Middle East to offer a premium coach service.
By December, Etihad will refit 10 A380s with "Economy Space" seats, which feature an increased seat pitch of up to 36 inches, the carrier said on Monday. The reconfigured cabin increases the number of extra-legroom seats in economy class from 20 to 80 on the super-jumbo.
“In response to popularity and demand for extra legroom seats, we have reconfigured our economy cabin to enhance travellers’ experience,” said Jamal Al Awadhi, Etihad Airways’ head of guest experience.
“While many airlines have been squeezing more seats into economy class…we recognise that no two travellers are alike, and today’s customers demand more choice and personalisation during their travels.”
Look: 15 years of Etihad Airways: milestones in the growth of an airline
Airlines are increasingly looking for ways to revamp cabin space and provide a mix of seating options for passengers, both to enhance airline revenues and better serve their customers. Some 20 airlines offer premium economy seats globally according to SkyTrax, which surveys millions of travellers and ranks airlines globally. Air New Zealand's premium economy class is ranked number one globally ahead of Qantas Airways, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France, Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific among others.
“Premium economy opens up a larger market base that would want something between economy and business class,” said Mark Martin, founder and chief executive of Martin Consulting. “Realigning an existing seat section to get more yield is something that began at United Airlines back in the early 2000s and over the years has transitioned to becoming a mainstay service offering.”
In the Middle East, discussions over premium economy class for all major Arabian Gulf carriers has been ongoing for a few years now - “ever since yields started declining as a result of lower fuel prices and the corresponding effect on business travel.” said Diogenis Papiomytis, global program director - commercial aviation, aerospace, defence & security at consultancy Frost & Sullivan.
In addition to modifying its A380s, Etihad will also add economy space seats to 12 Boeing 777s and 21 Dreamliners by the end of next year, increasing the total number of extra legroom seats by 560 per cent.
Families with small children, elderly travellers and those requiring wheelchair assistance, as well as others, can benefit from the extra room available through Economy Space seats, the airline said.
Etihad Aviation Group’s global chief executive Tony Douglas told The National in July he wants Etihad to become the “dim sum” of aviation business over the next five years, using the digital revolution to provide greater choice to customers beyond the industry-standard economy, business and first-class model.
Later that month, the airline introduced a seat selection fee on all economy class flights, allowing passengers to pre-book seats on all economy deal, economy saver, economy classic fares and award tickets.
The new economy space “complements Etihad’s existing ancillary products to provide customers with greater opportunities to personalise their journey, including the neighbour-free seating option in economy and a range of ‘buy-on-board’ products,” the airline said.
It is also important for Etihad to have a premium economy product as many of its codeshare partners have it, and there must be continuity in service for revenue passengers, Mr Papiomytis added.
“I see it more of an ancillary revenue stream for now, similar to charging for pre-selected seats, which Etihad had already started doing.”
Updated: November 5, 2018 06:56 PM


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Interested in learning what's next for the gaming industry? Join gaming executives to discuss emerging parts of the industry this October at GamesBeat Summit Next. Learn more.
Marvel Comics made a splashy entry into the digital comics industry in April when it launched a slick comics reader for the iPhone and iPad. Now its big competitor, DC, is following suit with its own iPad app and more.
Besides being good news for comics readers, this is a big win for New York startup ComiXology, which built the Marvel Comics app. Not only did ComiXology build the DC Comics app (iTunes link), it’s also selling DC’s books within its own ComiXology-branded app as well.
With this deal, ComiXology has enlisted the two biggest comics publishers for its plans, plus a number of other smaller ones. All of the apps use the company’s “guided view,” which helps users glide between panels by swiping their touchscreen rather than reading a whole page at once, or awkwardly trying to zoom in to different parts of the page. ComiXology built a reader for your desktop Web browser, too.
In addition, DC has announced a deal with Sony PlayStation to sell comics for reading on the PlayStation Portable. (Sony Online is developing a multiplayer game based on DC’s characters, called DC Universe Online.)
Comics will cost between $0.99 and and $2.99, DC said. As far as the actual content goes, DC is only selling a fraction of its library for now — about 100 issues with ComiXology and 80 issues with PlayStation, including the first issues of popular titles like Sandman and All Star Superman.
Most of the comics are at least a few months old or are previews rather than full comics, so they don’t compete directly with the issues in stores (something that store owners have understandably been concerned about). DC said it will experiment with releasing digital issues of a miniseries called Justice League: Generation Lost on the same day they go on-sale in physical stores. Marvel has been dipping its toe into the same model, but so far only with one issue of Iron Man.
In an attempt to assuage the concerns of store owners, DC (which is owned by Warner Bros.) said it will “collect a portion of digital revenues to be invested back to and on behalf of comic book retailers in a variety of initiatives.”
There seems to be a big demand for these comics. The Marvel app has been hovering near the top of the most popular free book apps in the App Store since it launched, and today DC’s app shot past Marvel, as well as Amazon’s Kindle app, to become number two. (Number one is Apple’s own iBooks.)
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Gymboree Corp. said store closing sales will begin Tuesday, July 18.
No word on the exact date the stores will be closing.
Gymboree filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy last month. It is the Gymboree at the West Park Mall in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
The Gymboree at the Fox Run Mall in Newington will also close. A insane 8 store at Chesterfield Mall also will be shuttered.
China Demands That India Pulls Back Border Troops Immediately
India has said Beijing's action to "unilaterally determine tri-junction points" is in violation of a 2012 India-China agreement. Both last held a structured meeting in June in Kazakhstan during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
A dozen Gymboree stores are closing in Texas including locations at Vista Ridge Mall in Lewisville and the Collin Creek, Preston Park and Shops at Willow Bend shopping centers in Plano.
The company also owns the children's apparel store insane 8, and will be closing three North Carolina stores, including in Hickory's Valley Hills Mall. A news release said it will focus its resources on its more than 900 remaining stores "with the greatest potential and improve the profitability of the overall business".
The company said the affected stores were chosen "following a comprehensive evaluation of its retail footprint".
Numerous national retailers have abandoned ShoppingTown in recent years.
Gymboree joins a growing list of retailers to announce the closing of some stores as mall traffic declines and competition from online retailers such as Amazon intensifies.


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The economy might not be booming, but online labor platforms sure are. Last month, oDesk announced impressive growth figures and Thursday, rival Elance is doing the same with its 2011 Online Employment Review.
Elance’s look back at the year reveals that online hiring has soared more than 100 percent from 2010, and the number of professionals working on the site is up more than 120 percent. Cumulative earnings this year should surpass $500 million.
And like his oDesk counterpart Gary Swart, Elance’s CEO Fabio Rosati (who is speaking at Net:Work Thursday) doesn’t feel the economic doldrums are the sole cause of the growing attraction of online labor platforms. What is? Structural change to work, Rosati told us in an interview:
The state of [the] economy and unemployment is acting as a catalyst. It’s forcing a large portion of the workforce to look for alternatives. It’s forcing business to remain more flexible. But what we’re seeing is a change in how work is done and it’s similar to commerce. What caused e-commerce? Did the rise of e-commerce result from problems in the economy? Not really.
E-commerce started to be more effective in some categories than regular commerce, and I think that’s exactly what’s happening in the world of work. Working online in many ways is more efficient, more effective and more immediate than traditional employment. Businesses that use the flexible work model have distinct advantages over businesses that don’t, and there are some departments within these companies that have always used a flexible work model anyway. Creative departments, marketing departments [and] IT departments have always approached talent in a very flexible way on a project basis. They’re just doing it online now. So I don’t think we’re going back. I think this is really structural.
And while some may feel this shift towards global, online labor platforms undermine American workers by opening them up to competition from lower wage workers abroad, Elance is predicting in its report that professional services will become “America’s next great export.”
“The global demand for US talent has increased steadily over the past year and is set to grow even faster as online platforms like Elance break down global barriers,” says the release that goes along with today’s numbers. But Rosati is a little more understanding of those who feel the rise of these platforms is a mixed blessing for American workers.
When you create a global workplace and a global workforce, the dynamics are very different. Suddenly, you have a lot more competition cross-border. I know that is a very strong reality, and at the same time, there’s the other side of it, which is that for the first time, a very capable, talented, U.S.-based professional can access work and have clients all over the world, and we’re seeing exactly that on the U.S. platform. I feel that it’s an important side of what’s happening, because Americans have amazing talents. We’re seeing companies that may be hiring in some parts of the world for certain types of tasks, but for others, they love the opportunity to hire people based in the U.S.
I don’t doubt there are strong pressures when you compete with someone who is living in another part of the world. For example, it doesn’t even have to be someone who is in a lower-wage country. It could be simply someone who has access to public health insurance. So if you’re working in the U.S., and you have to pay for your own health insurance, you may be at a disadvantage to someone living in Norway who absolutely doesn’t because it’s all covered by the government. So that dynamic is definitely real and a challenging aspect of what is happening, but there are also many positive things.
You have to hand it to Rosati for acknowledging that, for all the psychological and lifestyle benefits of independent work, it does offload tasks and expenses ( (like obtaining health insurance, dealing with tax issues and building retirement savings) entirely onto the worker. Also to Elance’s credit is their partnership with eHealth to help U.S. community members compare health coverage options. “I wish I had the magic wand to address the problem, but I don’t,” says Rosati.
But health insurance isn’t the only external cost shifted from employer to worker in the paradigm shift these platforms are pushing. Though Elance clearly tries to make verifying work, billing for it and sorting out logistics as simple as possible with everything from an internal file management system to built-in virtual meeting facility, one can’t help but feel independent workers are more burdened with what Craig Lambert recently dubbed “shadow work” in the New York Times. (s nyt)
Lambert defines the term as “all the unpaid labor — including, for example, housework — done in a wage-based economy,” and muses that all of us, not just independent contractors, are being saddled with more and more of it in the name of corporate profits:
Science fiction novels of a half-century ago dramatized conflicts between humans and robots, asking if people were controlling their technologies, or if the machines were actually in charge. A few decades later, with the digital revolution in juggernaut mode, the verdict is in. The robots have won. Although the automatons were supposedly going to free people by taking on life’s menial, repetitive tasks, frequently, technological innovation actually offloads such jobs onto human beings.
The conventional wisdom is that America has become a “service economy,” but actually, in many sectors, “service” is disappearing. There was a time when a gas station attendant would routinely fill your tank and even check your oil and clean your windshield and rear window without charge, then settle your bill. Today, all those jobs have been transferred to the customer.
From automated airport check-in terminals and the near extinction of travel agents to understaffed retail outlets where we find our size ourselves, more and more places are shifting work, with all its attendant costs in time and energy, from companies to individuals, argues Lambert. In its well-intentioned way, Elance and its competitors appear to be doing the same.
Do the larger markets for our services and increase in lifestyle flexibility make up for these extra costs?


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in the news | LAST UPDATED : Jun 19, 2019, 07:29 PM IST
- Government identifies 5,106 'risky exporters' who have fraudulently claimed GST refunds
The government on Thursday said it has identified 5,106 "risky exporters" so far who have claimed GST refunds based on bogus invoices, and would manually check their claims before issuing refunds. According to sources, such fraudulent claims of Integrated GST (IGST) refunds by exporters could exceed Rs 1,000 crore.
- Automated GST refund for exporters by next month
Currently, manufacturing exporters and suppliers to SEZ, who want to claim a refund of ITC, have to file an application in Form GST RFD-01A on the common portal and then manually submit a print out of the form to the jurisdictional officer. Once automatic GST refunds begin the time period for such refunds will come down to about a fortnight from months at present.
- GST Council's next meet: Simplification of returns process likely on cards
Initially, when the GST was launched on July 1 last year, the businesses were mandated to file a simplified sales return 3B and also final sales returns (GSTR-1), purchase return (GSTR- 2) and finally the two returns were required to be auto-populated to generate GSTR-3.
- GST collection at Rs 1.13 lakh crore in April, highest ever
GST collection scaled all-time high of over Rs 1.13 lakh crore in April, up from Rs 1.06 lakh crore in the previous month, the finance ministry said Wednesday. Total number of summary sales return GSTR-3B filed for the month of March up to April 30 stood at 72.13 lakh. April is the first month of 2019-20 fiscal.
- Kidnapping that was not, bizman returns 36 hrs after disappearing
A 32-year-old man from a business family sent the cops into a tizzy for 36 hours after he disappeared from his residence at Maskasath on May 17, sparking a kidnapping theory and a widespread search. He dramatically returned in the wee hours of Monday, putting to rest the speculations about his fate.
- GST return filing remains less than desired, GSTR-3B compliance around 60 pc
New Delhi, July 1 () Two years after the landmark goods and services tax (GST) amalgamated 17 different central and state levies, returns filing under the new indirect tax regime continues to be wobbly with filings showing spikes every three months but continue to be less than desired, data analysis