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Credit: JD Hancock
In this edition of the Friday Debate, we discuss one of the most controversial topics of the last few weeks – the way Google exerts control over Android through its closed suite of apps. Critics of Google say that the company is disingenuously touting the openness of Android, only to tighten the screw on its partners in private by limiting the availability of its cloud apps to those who are willing to play by its rules.
Some have gone as far as to declare that Android cannot be forked anymore, that Google has moved too much value inside its licensed apps, and that all that its left is an empty shell. Others disagree and see no harm for the users in Google’s power plays.
So, can any company still fork Android? Can Nokia create a successful Android device without Google’s apps? How does Google’s stance affect consumers?
Join us in the discussion, vote in our poll, and sound off in the comments!
Is it possible for a company to successfully adopt Android without Google’s approval and services? Yes! Amazon have done it. If you can provide alternative services like an app store, a mapping app, a search engine and an email service then it is possible.
The real motivation behind the recent Google/Samsung deals was actually Google’s fear that Samsung could carry Android off in Samsung’s direction with services all provided by Samsung and not Google.
As for Microsoft, if the marketing people can get the message right then a Microsoft focused Android with its own app store would actually be Redmond’s way back into mobile. From a developer’s point of view it would be very easy to get their apps into the Microsoft/Nokia app store and it would give Microsoft a chance to promote its services like Bing, Outlook.com, Office 365 and so on.
Microsoft has to think 5 years ahead. The Mobile OS battle is over, the two victors are Android and iOS. Now Microsoft has to jump on the Android bandwagon in such as way that it makes money and yet doesn’t offer a vanilla Android experience.
Is it possible to ignore Google but still use Android? Sure. Is it easy? Absolutely not.
It’s a shame, in my opinion, as Google may actually be holding back innovation by locking down its software so tightly.
The biggest downside is that Google’s licensing agreements locks in (and out) companies that don’t have the resources to offer up a full range of its own services. Amazon is the only company which has opted to avoid Google’s services, and you could argue that the only reason it’s able to survive is because Amazon has been able to secure a unique market segment.
I can’t see Samsung, Sony, or HTC, spending the time and resources to build a highly detailed map app, but they might be able to offer a better store or music experience than Google does. Unfortunately, the nature of Google’s grip on its app software prevents us from ever knowing.
Microsoft and Nokia is a little different though, these two could be one of the better placed companies to launch a successful Android based competitor to Google. Microsoft has plenty of resources to throw behind competing services, and Nokia certainly has the hardware expertise. As much as people may enjoy slating Bing, it already has comparable Maps, email, and search services which could all be implemented as Android apps, if Microsoft wished it.
I agree with Gary, if Microsoft is interested in Android then it will have to offer something above and beyond the existing market. Hardware could be the key, but competing with Samsung’s dominance is going to be tough. Software wise, Microsoft could play to its business strengths, integrating Android with its existing services could prove a tempting proposition for Windows users.
Android is still open, but Google’s control over its software certainly adds an investment barrier which prevents other companies from breaking out, but Microsoft may have the resources to overcome it.
I am fully invested in Google’s ecosystem. I’ve drank the Kool-Aid and I love it. I like the convenience of having one account to sign in to dozens of high quality services and being able to share information between them seamlessly. With that said, I understand why some people don’t trust Google and don’t trust where Google is heading, with ever more integration and continuous expansion towards more areas of our lives.
I don’t want Android without Google, but I understand why some people may be interested in getting the best mobile operating system out there, just without… Google. Amazon has proved that people can appreciate a mobile device like that, and I think that Nokia can do it too. With its music and mapping service and with Microsoft’s set of cloud services including mail and storage, you can say that Nokia is in an even better position to fork Android and get away with it. It won’t be easy, of course - apps are crucial and I am curious to see how they plan to populate their app store fast.
Much ink has been spilled over Google’s supposed clampdown on Android via its licensed apps. Over how Android isn’t really open, because of the way Google uses its apps like the proverbial stick and carrot. I agree that Google is yielding that stick and carrot, and to great effect, but it’s important to realize it can only do so because the donkey has agreed to be saddled. Nokia, or any other phone maker, can get a feature rich and modern operating system for free right now without any obligation – they just need to come up with some good enough replacements for Google’s apps. In the case of a giant like Microsoft, that’s fairly easy to do.
The real problem is for smaller players, who don’t have the money, resources, and influence to create and maintain their own suit of cloud services. This is where I’d love to see some open competition to Google.
What do YOU think?
Can Nokia successfully fork Android?
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In the state AOSP is in, I don’t believe forking it would give you any advantage over starting with a blank slate. Take WP8 for example, right now it just needs apps, etc. From what I understand about forking Android, it would leave you needing a lot of apps (b/c many current Android apps are dependent on Google Services. Maybe I don’t understand how this works fully, but that’s my understanding of the situation.
I certainly hope they can. I’m sure someone makes it so that Google Play works with their fork
They could do it… Problems are that (up to what we know yet) they are starting with a very disappointing device spec-wise, with no flagship variant to reinforce the new product line (so, what are the chances of turning looks and drawing excitement worldwide?) and to the massive majority of iPhone and Android the UI is at least a bit unsettling.
Then consider the app and ecosystem situation and i think it will be a rough path ahead… But who knows, maybe they actually put a ton of effort in it and listen to customers and… As it stands, they could do good if a lot of planets align, but they could much more tangibly go wrong. Errr, i wouldn’t bet my golden egg chicken on them but I’ll just watch and hope.
Big question: if it goes well, what will happen to WP??
If WP still profitable, MS will keep it. Otherwise it will be scrapped, just like any previous MS product.
The same goes with Nokia Android. If it can’t be profitable, don’t hope MS will keep it for long.
I think the poll is really asking “do you think MS can fork Android?”
As MS owns Nokia and what’s left of Nokia is NOT allowed to make smartphones for. . . what 5 or 10 years?
IF MS didn’t fubar Android too much they would do just what Samsung did — market the hell out of hardware and build a good market share that would tie right into their own app store over time if not immediately.
Most people using Android are clueless idiots, probably have no idea what Android or “operating systems” even are, thus if you can get hardware into their hands then you can get them to your ecosystem. And MS does have a ready to go ecosystem — just give devs a better deal than google does.
And we all know Nokia can build some stellar hardware.
Nonetheless, I won’t touch anything that MS has their hands in.
Could Microsoft fork Android……successfully? They could….as long as they get rid of that god awful Metro UI.
No Microsoft /nokia not a chance windows? Not any good or decent apps,there are a lot of Android fans who like Google and the playstore, Google has a lot to offer than windows, or iOS apps store’s!
Can Nokia successfully fork Android?
Can’t answer that yet, still too soon, but I hope they can, competition is good for consumer.
If MS & Nokia have its own Android Store, this will push Google to improve its own Play Store better.
Hopefully with more Android Store around, Google will less strict with Play Store certification on OEM.
An Android phone, without the best part of Android. No thanks.
God this is silly. I run android and have no Gapps. I use an apps package I put together. All I did was go to the play store and look at each google app and pick the best in the ones suggested as alternatives. I do have Gmail ATM but that’s due to all my cards etc have it printed on them and I’ve had the acc since the nexus one. You can stop Gmail being the security link with xposed framework modules.
I was fed up of being spied on. I use Firefox which tells me in real time the cookies it destroys. No matter where you go utube etal is spying on you, even if you are looking at something with no links to Google. I’m trying to get people to use Tor for calls and messages but it’s an uphill battle especially with iPhone users like my wife.
As the FBI said “if we had told the American people they would have to carry a device that can track where they are and what they do we would of had civil unrest but they walked voluntary into it. Since Snowden people think it’s the state that should worry us but the people who really run our countries are corporate and banking entity’s. As they say “government comes and goes every 5 years. We are all ways here”
The stuff google and others collects is impacting all of use now whether it’s stopping use getting jobs or worse. Big brother is here. Google is a major problem
How can we purchase items in PvZ2 on Nokia X? Well, I don’t think Nokia and other manufacturers can success with Android without Google. Look at Amazon Kindle, how many countries that the platform successes?
on unrelated stuff what actually happen to newkia (place holder name)? ex nokia people that intend to create new company so they can make android phones?


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Citron, a well-known Wall Street short, is back in the spotlight after a tweet suggesting Lizi, China’s first online audio stock, is undervalued. Its founder, Andrew Left, quit short research after being attacked by retail investors for calling bulls “idiots” during a rally in the “retail huddle” game.
In a tweet, Citron said, “Lychee, China’s leading audio streaming platform, is now valued at just $400 million. With an enterprise value of 1.4 times sales compared with 17.2 times for peer Yala, Lychee has the opportunity to benefit from the anti-monopoly trend among China’s tech giants. Meanwhile, Lychee is worth $7 per MAU (monthly active user), while Yala’s MAU is worth $221.”
Shares of Lychee, which is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, rose 29.5% to $631 million after the tweet. Shares of Arak also ended the day up 15.29 per cent.
Once against the tiger, Evergrande famous big short why to cheer for the general stock? What happened to the companies Citron survived?
Has done more California furniture company, Buffett took over
Unlike James Chanos, the big short who exposed the Enron scandal a generation ago, Andrew is one of the first “representatives of public opinion” to use blogs as a “beat,” without the need for mainstream media to act as an “information broker.” He can always pick up on changes in market sentiment and improve the success rate. He has used the “hatred of high drug prices” to drive $20 billion off the market value of Canadian pharmaceutical company Valeant, and he has also used the information gap between the US and China to target Chinese listed companies such as Qihoo and Evergrande.
But Mr. Andrew, the ‘big short’ who built his reputation shorting individual stocks, isn’t focused solely on short strategy.
In a letter to investors in early 2020, his hedge fund Citron Capital, in addition to shorting, made a number of bets in 2019, including generic drug company Bofcom, furniture brand RH and social app Snap, according to the report.
In the case of California furniture company RH, Citron Research on January 24, 2019 tweeted publicly in support of RH, calling it “retail’s most compelling story” and giving it a $250 price target. At the time, RH’s stock hovered around $130 for a long time, almost half its target price.
The California-based furniture company sells a wide range of furniture products through retail stores, brochures or a website. The company focuses on the high-end market to open large luxury stores, operating performance is growing steadily. But the company remains a target of many short sellers, dragged down by a broader decline in the high-end real estate market. Short-sellers also argue that RH, caught in the crossfire of e-commerce, is outdated.
Citron Research publicly endorsed RH in a tweet on Jan. 24, 2019, calling it “retail’s most compelling story” and issuing a $250 price target.
News of Buffett’s position in RH sent the stock price soaring, hitting $250 in February 2020 and now trading near $475.
Citron, a big short, stands by RH’s business model. As brick-and-mortar retail renters shrink, RH has become the only big tenant in some high-profile locations, Citron noted in a long report. In some cases, RH has been able to capture lots for 50 percent of the price paid by former tenants and become a seamlessly integrated corporate ecosystem by operating in a way similar to Apple’s physical stores. In its 2020 annual letter, Citron likened RH to “the Tiffany of jewelry,” saying that, like LVMH’s acquisition of Tiffany, the luxury brand itself is at a premium, despite the latter’s low growth, fierce competition and near-rejection by millennials. “There is also an untapped international market.” Citron estimates that if RH is priced at LVMH’s Tiffany price, it has a price target of $350.
But neither Citron’s first long report nor the increase in target price in its annual letter has significantly boosted individual stocks. Until the news of Buffett’s position in RH, stock prices rose. On Nov. 15, 2019, Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway’s position report showed that it had bought 1.21 million RH shares in the third quarter, or about 6.5% of the premium furniture brand. The stock, which topped $250 in February 2020, is now near $475, exceeding Citron’s price target. Citron Capital did not disclose the timing of the RH position, and the size of the position.
Andrew was also publicly long Amazon during the U.S. epidemic in 2020. In an interview with the media, he said that starting at the end of March 2020, he had a “very large long position” in Amazon stock. “The logic is simple. If we stay at home, Amazon will be a big winner. If things get back to normal, Amazon will still be a big winner.” Amazon is one of the leading U.S. stocks as social segregation restrictions boost e-commerce sales in 2020. According to the annual letter, the annual citron capital total return in 2020 is 202%, net rate of return 155%.
“Pull up the shipment cut leek”? Used to wave the flag for Luckin
But Citron’s strategy does not always be able to bet on, sometimes accompanied by “high shipment cut leek” controversy.
On February 9 this year, Citron Research has publicly sang long short check SPAC company NPA, saying that the company “the most eye-catching collection of space /5G/ESG and other elements in the market. Since all SPACs are speculative, why not pick a racetrack story with a potential $1 trillion market?” . Citron also has a $50 price target on NPA, saying it will issue a specific long report.
Shares of NPA jumped 20 percent on the day of the tweet, hitting as high as $22.50. But a month later, the stock had plunged to around $12 before the tweet, and never recovered. Citron Research has never published a bullish report on NPA in a Twitter post. As a result, after Citron Research endorsed Litchi, some users still left messages urging them, “Where is the promised NPA report?”
More familiar to Chinese investors is the controversy over Citron’s support of Luckin Coffee on the eve of the company’s accounting fraud Revelations.
On Jan. 31, 2020, Muddy Waters Research, another short seller, released an anonymous report that questioned Luckin’s alleged financial fraud, which had been listed for just over a year. The report, based on 11, 260 hours of store videos, questioned Luckin’s inflated sales per store per day by 69 percent and 88 percent in Q3 and Q4, respectively. Although the report became a “Squib” in the market at the time, it became the key to the disclosure of the fraud by Luckin executives and the delisting of the company.
But on the same day that Muddy Waters released its report, Citron Research declared itself bullish on Luckin and took to social media to challenge Muddy Waters. Citron said Luckin had a “strong business” in China and that the anonymous reports were inaccurate. Citron added that it could confirm Luckin’s financial position through App downloads, other data and “conversations with competitors.”
‘Young retail investors’ behind long-only strategies
When ultra loose monetary policy increases bear risk, a large number of individual investors trade in the convenience of zero commission below, turn a head to hunt and kill the hunter originally during, Citron “change face”, calm down temporarily the anger of many, also be with retreat for the advantage and for.
“The risk-reward for short sellers is not worth it over this time period.” After losing out to the retail crowd at Game Station, Andrew told the press that today’s young people don’t experience the same worryingly marginalized negativity: “They just want to go to Robinhood and buy a stock and hopefully it’ll go to the moon. They limited their research to Reddit posts via emojis and banned anyone from selling shares.”
“It’s the zeitgeist that young people want to buy stocks. They don’t want to short stocks, so I’m going to help them buy stocks.” On January 29, 2021, Andrew publicly stated that he would stop short research and would focus on long opportunities.
Data show that after the game station experienced a sharp rise and fall, the United States retail funds are still entering the market, to the long strategy to provide the soil.
David Kostin, chief U.S. equity strategist at Goldman Sachs, predicted in a research note that cash-rich U.S. households will continue to fuel the retail trading boom in the future. Households have accumulated more than $1.5tn in excess savings, and that figure could rise to $2.4tn by mid-2021, according to the study.
Eligible Americans will also receive a one-time cash check of $1,400 as the $1.9 trillion U.S. relief package hits the ground running. According to a survey by Deutsche Bank, respondents plan to put 37 percent of any stimulus into equities. If the survey is accurate, it could mean $170bn in future flows into US stocks.
With more ammunition in hand, the convenience of online brokerages has also lowered barriers for retail investors to enter the stock market. Zero-commission Internet brokerage Robinhood, which was criticised for banning retail investors from buying Game Station, has seen more downloads in the wake of the scandal, with more than 2.1m downloads in February, up 55 per cent from a year earlier. Undeterred by the risks of boom and bust, young Americans seem to be gearing up to replenish their faith.
But a change in the face of profit – driven capital can also happen in a flash. In 2016, when Citron first sang long RH, the stock price was $30. But a year later, although the stock price rose 150%, Andrew said he was dissatisfied with the new capital structure and did not want to hold any more. “We also need to know when to sell”.

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Ranking high-end hotels for luxury is a tough job but Hotels.com has just fearlessly come up with a top 10 list.
From an upmarket hotel and a diplomatic office, this historic colonial mansion in downtown Bangkok reopens its door as hub for dining and entertainment.
The new W Beijing Chang’an has opened its doors, marking the 45th W Hotel worldwide and the second in mainland China after the W Guangzhou.
The W South Beach hotel in Miami has launched a million-dollar wedding package for couples.
W Hotels announced the launch of its first ever fitness program, FIT with Tara Stiles, rolling out to all 45 of the W hotels and resorts around the world.
W Hotels has announced a “Social Media Wedding Concierge,” which costs $3,000 and available at four New York locations.


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Vuzix, a supplier of Smart Glasses and Augmented Reality products for the consumer and enterprise markets, announced that their Vuzix M300 Smart Glasses will now be supported by the Vuforia AR platform from PTC. The announcement means 400,000 Vuforia developers now have a new hands-free option for deploying AR solutions in the enterprise.
PTC worked closely with Vuzix to optimize Vuforia Engine for the M300, which has several distinct features. According to RealitySpecs, an online database of product specifications for VR, AR, and Smart Glasses products, Vuzix M300 which has a 20-degree diagonal field of view and utilizes a Dual Core Intel Atom CPU processor. The M300, like Vuzix other Smart Glasses products, run on the Android operating system.
The Vuzix M300 has extensive physical distribution channels and is currently shipping devices into 45 countries across the globe with plans underway to expand distribution to 55 countries worldwide. Vuzixmore than 350 M300 pilots across a broad customer base that includes numerous large global companies, and has already moved to volume production.
You can read the full press release about the Vuzix-Vuforia announcement here.


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Sources tell TMZ Britney Spears is in negotiations with Bally Total Fitness to be a frontwoman for the company -- and backwoman, too!
Here's what we know. Brit's parents have both been talking to Bally about making a deal. Daddy Jamie has the power as co-conservator to make it happen. It all happened because Larry Rudolph, who is coming back to manage the Britster, has a close friendship with John Wildman, the Chief Marketing Officer of Bally.
During the negotiations, Brit has been going to the club at least once a day and up to as many as three times a day. She's training with two of the company's top personal trainers -- we're guessing one for the front and one for the back. She's also working with the company's nutritionist, who has put Britney on five to six quality meals a day. No Taco Bell, no Fanta ... life can really suck.
As of now, there is no deal -- just negotiations. We're told she isn't getting any money yet, but she's working out for free. As a company insider put it to us, "We're more interested in Britney Spears' health than her $19."


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BAGUIO CITY (PIA) - - The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas affirmed an uptrend in the use of digital payments in the country and as it reminded the people that ensuring safety in the use of digital financial services is a shared responsibility.
The BSP North Luzon Regional Office officials, in a Kapihan media forum here on Tuesday (March 7) reported an increasing trend in the share of digital total payments volume in the country, wherein from 10 percent in 2018, it rose to 14% in 2019, to 20.1% in 2020 and to 30.2% in 2021.
In 2020 alone, e – wallet accounts among Filipinos already reached 138 million with around 1.7 billion transactions.
Leading the panelists for the media forum to promote digital payments and cyber hygiene are BSP NLRO Regional Director Noel Neil Malimban, Area Director Madelyn Lerma Viernes, Payment Policy and Development Department Bank Officer V Maureen Franco and Bank Officer V Marian Patosa.
On the benefits of digital payments, they explained that it provides cost savings, increase economic activity in the country, provides market inclusion and expansion and enhances risk management.
Digital payment is also beneficial to small merchants/businesses or micro, small and medium enterprises at it provides them an opportunity to better manage their financial transactions, establish a formal financial system, enhance their financial profile and gain better credit worthiness.
The BSP NLRO stressed that while digital payment provides many benefits for its users, it is equally important that users must know their shared responsibility to ensure their safety on the use of digital financial services and to safeguard cyber hygiene.
In ensuring digital financial security, the BSP shared the following tips: do not to entertain strange or suspicious messages; form a strong password and ensure exclusive knowledge of it; use two – step verification; review transaction history and report suspicious one, and enable alert notifications.
Malimban called for the people’s support in moving forward the use of digital payments in the country as the BSP continues to work to ensure a more efficient and more secured digital financial services in the country.
“Digital payment is not the future, it is the present. In fact, we encounter this every day. Let’s think about what we are improving. We understand the challenges, we have sufficient documentation on that though we are gathering more data, but we assure you, the use of digital payment is safe”, Malimban stressed. (JDP/CCD-PIA CAR)


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A yak-hide championship belt hangs in Yamuna Shrestha’s restaurant in Jackson Heights, Queens, where her momos — pillowy meat-filled dumplings from Nepal — have four times been voted the best in the borough.
But the business, Bhanchha Ghar, which opened in a modest storefront beneath the 7 train shortly before the pandemic began, owes more than $150,000 in back rent. Covid restrictions closed the store for months in 2020, and business was slow to recover. While Ms. Shrestha chips away at the debt, she pays her landlord more than $13,300 a month in rent — an 11 percent increase since 2019.
“The rent goes up every year, and it feels unfair,” Ms. Shrestha said in Nepali, during a recent 18-hour workday. “If I could save, I would have paid it back already.”
Three years after the pandemic flattened the Manhattan office market and the commercial ecosystem that depended on it, small businesses in the other boroughs are facing the biggest rent increases in the city, as storefront rents in Manhattan are falling. The burden is landing mostly on store owners in predominantly Black, Latino and Asian neighborhoods, according to a new analysis of Department of Finance data.
Now, the owners of many of those small businesses, many of whom did not qualify for pandemic-era public loans and grants, worry that sharp rent increases and a lack of protections for commercial tenants could shut down their stores, just as the economy is gaining momentum. These businesses helped fuel the city’s recovery while the rest of the economy faltered, and many store owners say they fear they will be left out of the resurgence.
At risk, they say, is the soul of the city: the minority- and immigrant-owned businesses that create a path to the middle class and provide hard-to-find goods and services in ethnic enclaves.
“For the first time in New York City history, their existence is being threatened,” said Annetta Seecharran, the executive director of Chhaya, a nonprofit community development group. “Their No. 1 problem is rent.”
From 2019 to 2021, the latest year for which data was available, the median storefront rent per square foot jumped 23 percent in Brooklyn, 14 percent in the Bronx and 9 percent in Queens; rent was flat on Staten Island and down 11 percent in Manhattan, according to an analysis of Department of Finance data by the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, a nonprofit housing coalition.
In districts where the rent rose, people of color made up 72 percent of the population, the analysis showed, raising concerns about displacement and gentrification.
“As these businesses get drowned out by this tide of rising rent, culture disappears,” said Paula Segal, a lawyer with TakeRoot Justice, a nonprofit legal services group.
The neighborhoods that had the biggest storefront rent increases included the Rockaways in Queens, where monthly rents rose almost 38 percent, and several neighborhoods in the Bronx, including Concourse and High Bridge, where they rose 33 percent, the analysis showed.
Before the pandemic, a 3 percent annual rent increase was typical, real estate agents said.
Rent fell the most in Lower Manhattan, where they dropped nearly 17 percent, according to the report, which analyzed rents based on City Council districts.
“Early in the pandemic, people talked about these huge discounts tenants were getting,” said Lucy Block, a senior research and data associate with the group. “In Manhattan that might be the case, but that’s definitely not happening in the outer boroughs.”
And the rent continues to climb. In a survey by the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development of more than 100 small businesses in Queens, the Bronx and the Lower East Side of Manhattan, rising rent was the top concern, with nearly two-thirds of business owners saying their rent rose at least 10 percent last year, according to Gina Lee, a program coordinator with the group.
A spokeswoman for the mayor’s office said in a statement that the city was “doing everything we can to make sure small business owners are able to keep the storefronts they worked so hard to build,” including the Commercial Lease Assistance Program, which provides free legal services to small businesses. The program has helped nearly 2,000 businesses with their leases, she said.
The rise in rents coincided with a surge in the creation of new businesses, especially outside Manhattan, where commercial corridors were reviving faster than districts reliant on office workers, according to an analysis of U.S. Chamber of Commerce data by the Center for an Urban Future, a public policy think tank.
Applications for new businesses jumped 30 percent between 2019 and 2021, said Jonathan Bowles, the group’s executive director. The largest increase was in the Bronx, which saw a 66 percent jump.
The trend continued last year, according to the city’s Economic Development Corporation. There were 279,488 businesses in the third quarter of 2022, a 4 percent increase from the same period in 2021, with the fastest growth seen outside Manhattan. Collectively, small businesses provide 26 percent of New York City’s jobs, the E.D.C. says.
“The pandemic really unleashed this wave of entrepreneurship,” Mr. Bowles said, in part because so many workers in industries like retail and hospitality lost their jobs and saw an opportunity to be their own bosses. “But it’s far from a given that most of these new businesses will be able to survive and grow.”
Anwar Althary, 46, a Yemeni businessman who owns cafes and juice bars in the city, said there was a brief period early in the pandemic when landlords were offering discounts. He took advantage, opening his newest shop, Hemo Cafe, in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, in 2020, renting a space that could have commanded around $1,000 more per month.
But last year, a new landlord bought the building next door, which is home to another business that Mr. Althary operates. He is concerned that the owner will raise the rent and make him pay a portion of the property taxes.
Mr. Althary already owes substantial back rent across his businesses, he said, because of pandemic disruptions, and he was forced to permanently close two of them last year. He said he applied for an loan through the Small Business Administration to help pay down the debt, but did not qualify, because he was missing paperwork.
“I have a mountain on my chest,” Mr. Althary said in Arabic.
He was not alone in being turned down. The federal agency received just over 1 million loan applications for its pandemic relief program in New York State; only 339,000, or less than a third, were approved, according to an agency spokeswoman.
Somia Elrowmeim, a board member with the Alliance of Yemeni American Businesses, said many immigrant-owned businesses did not qualify for public grants and loans because they did not keep sufficient payroll records and in some cases employed undocumented workers.
Unlike some residential tenants, store owners who rent their spaces have no right to renew their leases and are not protected from large rent increases when they expire, said Rolando Gonzalez, a lawyer with the Legal Aid Society.
Many store owners, especially in immigrant communities, operate on monthly lease agreements, Mr. Gonzalez said.
Christian Ramos, 43, the owner of Blue Chus Shoe Repair in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx, said that he and most of his neighbors had month-to-month leases.
He has been in the same spot for 19 years and said he was current on his $3,500-a-month rent. But he recently had to pay back $12,000 in arrears that accumulated when sales slowed because of the pandemic. He did not qualify for a public grant, he said, because his business did not make enough revenue.
Instead, he paid back the debt by setting up tables outside of his store, selling shampoo and other household products. “I basically had to start a second business,” he said.
He worries that new development could spur landlords to seek out higher-paying tenants, at the expense of longtime merchants.
“We’re fine for now,” he said, “but I don’t know what will happen later.”
Some store owners feel that as the city gets back on its feet, they are being overlooked, said Nancy Martinez, the chair of REMA 4 US, a merchants’ group in Far Rockaway, Queens.
“It’s like they’re trying to move everybody out,” she said, referring to a burst of new residential development in the area that forced street closures and hurt local businesses.
The resulting loss of foot traffic, coupled with Covid restrictions, led Jeanetth Hutchinson to close her long-running Far Rockaway flower shop at the start of the year, to settle about $19,000 in rent arrears.
Ms. Hutchinson, 64, said she still wanted to work, but her industrial refrigerator was lost when she vacated the store, which makes storing flowers difficult.
She said she hoped to set up a sidewalk table to sell what she can, but she can’t afford the monthly rent at nearby storefronts, which start at $1,000 more than what she was paying.
“You just cannot survive,” she said.
For Ms. Shrestha, the Nepali restaurant owner, paying down her six-figure debt is a means to another end: reuniting with her two children, whom she hasn’t seen since leaving Nepal in 2008.
Ms. Shrestha has legal permission to work in the United States, but her immigration status is “withholding of removal,” a kind of limbo that would bar her from re-entering the country if she were to leave. She said she was turned down for an $83,000 loan from the Small Business Administration because of her immigration status.
Once she is able to pay down the store debt, she can refocus her attention on bringing her children to New York, she said. “I want to be together with my family — that’s my main concern.”


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Each company will invest up to EUR 9 million over the next three years, starting this May. The programme will be managed by Aalto University, which has a growing reputation as a hotbed of new startup companies. AppCampus hopes to attract thousands of aspiring developers and entrepreneurs from across the globe. Aalto University will contribute to the project by providing premises, coaching services, and access to both academic and business networks for budding app developers.
“Finland is an early-adopter market, and the significance of national education and technology innovation is deeply rooted in our culture. As a result, there is a growing appetite for entrepreneurship among the younger generation at Aalto University and beyond,” Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen said at the programme’s launch event at Aalto Design Factory in Espoo.
According to Klaus Holse, president, Microsoft Western Europe, AppCampus offers an unprecedented opportunity for entrepreneurs to put their ideas into practice and create world-class mobile products. “Such investment into early-stage concepts has rarely been seen in this sector, and this demonstrates how highly both Nokia and Microsoft value Finnish mobile expertise,” he said.
Nokia and Microsoft teamed up last year, with the mobile phone maker adopting the Windows Phone system as the main platform for its smartphones. Aalto University, whose main campus is located near Nokia headquarters, was established in 2010 through the merger of three other institutes of higher learning.


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The Small Business Development Fund (SBDF) has been running for more than a year and a half now, and Playford businesses have seen some fantastic outcomes.
As a part of the Northern Economic Plan, the SBDF's purpose is to create business growth and employment outcomes for the Playford, Salisbury, and Port Adelaide Enfield Council areas.
We're pleased to report the fund has given many local businesses a huge boost more than a year into its cycle!
We caught up with Chris Musolino of Virginia-based business T. Musolino and Co. to see how the grant will help them grow.
Cauliflower rice offers a low-carb alternative to regular rice. Under the brand of Healthy Heart Produce, Chris offers a ready-to-eat product that caters perfectly to consumer needs.
Chris showed us around the 1500 acre farm, which he says started off at 50 acres over 60 years ago.
Chris says the new machine will help them keep up with the demands of the market, giving them the capacity to supply to more retailers Australia-wide.
If your business needs a boost to get to the next level, check out the Small Business Development Fund. But be sure to get cracking - the next round closes on March 13th, 2018!
And remember- our Business Support Team can help with your application. Give us a call on 8254 4666 or email email@example.com


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India’s external vulnerability metrics have improved since 2013, as the RBI has accumulated a sufficient buffer against potential capital outflows.
LIC Nomura Mutual Fund AMC named Sarojini Dikhale as new chief executive officer -- the only woman leading an Asset Management Company in country.
Japanese investment bank Nomura named Walter Heindl as country head for Germany and Austria, replacing Koichi Katakawa.
Nomura feels that the domestic unit will appreciate to 63.20 against the dollar by the end of Q3 of 2016, Nomura said in a note issued here today.
The Maggi controversy is likely to be a stepping stone in the evolution of country's packaged and processed food industry, a Nomura report said.
Nomura Holdings's quarterly net profit more than tripled as strong demand from customers to trade domestic stocks boosted its retail revenue.
Pegging the GDP growth at 8 per cent this fiscal, Nomura said key risks to this assumption are a bad monsoon and weak global demand.
The SFC code of conduct obliges regulated firms to alert the regulator immediately in the event of any material breach of the rules.


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Campbell, Calif. – ChargePoint – the company that built the world’s largest and most open electric vehicle (EV) charging network – is teaming up with Key Equipment Finance – one of the nation’s largest bank-held equipment finance companies and an affiliate of KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY)– to spur mass electric vehicle adoption throughout the country.
Today, ChargePoint and Key Equipment Finance launched a $100 million lease-to-own program for EV charging stations, which will give small and medium sized companies and municipalities the opportunity to install EV chargers at no upfront cost. This is the first comprehensive, turn-key program that allows for pay-as-you-go financing of charging stations, installation costs, operational services and warranty.
In addition to no money down, the new initiative known as The Net+ Purchase Plan can provide a net positive cash flow for companies or public entities depending on charging usage.
“Through this program, companies and municipalities can now offer their workforce EV charging for no more than the price of a couple of cups of coffee per day,” said Pasquale Romano, CEO of ChargePoint. “By providing EV charging to workers, employers are essentially giving their employees a raise of up to 5% as a result of reduced fuel costs. In addition, companies increase productivity, allow their employees HOV lane access, and support important sustainability and environmental policies. This is a win-win-win for employers, employees, and our communities.”
“We are thrilled to partner with ChargePoint to offer flexible financing options to companies and municipalities interested in installing EV charging stations,” said Tim Duerr, senior vice president of business development at Key Equipment Finance. “This program makes it much easier for municipalities and businesses with budget or cash-flow constraints across the U.S. to cover both the hard and soft costs associated with EV chargers, and we look forward to seeing this program grow as more organizations realize how cost-effective and beneficial EV chargers can be.”
The new ChargePoint program is the first large scale financing solution offered in the EV market to address a known barrier to EV adoption. Fashioned after the success in the solar industry, the innovative purchasing program should drive adoption by significantly lowering up front installation costs.
“ChargePoint has found a way to overcome one of the biggest obstacles to mass EV adoption,” said California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, who as mayor of San Francisco led a major EV infrastructure initiative in the city. “This purchase program is a golden opportunity for all businesses as well as state and local governments who want to attract and retain the best employees.”
"The magic of the Net+ Purchase program is that with very little capital, the electric vehicle industry will see rapid adoption,” said Reed Hundt, CEO of the Coalition for Green Capital and former FCC Chairman in the Clinton Administration. “This is absolutely critical for expansion of the EV market."
ChargePoint is the largest and most open electric vehicle (EV) charging network in the world, with more than 13,500 charging locations and a 65%+ market share. Ranked #1 by leading independent research firm, Pike Research, ChargePoint makes advanced hardware and best-in-class cloud based software. ChargePoint’s open network is utilized by many leading EV hardware makers and encourages all EV charging manufacturers to join.
ChargePoint also manages the only mobile app that provides EV drivers with real-time information, including availability of charging locations throughout the nation. Every 15 seconds, a driver connects to a ChargePoint station and by initiating over 3,000,000 charging sessions, ChargePoint drivers have saved over 3.5 million gallons of gasoline and avoided 36 million pounds of CO2 emissions.
For more information about ChargePoint, visit www.chargepoint.com.
Key Equipment Finance is one of the largest bank-based equipment finance providers in the U.S. The company provides tailored equipment lease and finance solutions for commercial clients and government entities. Through its vendor services unit, equipment finance programs are developed for manufacturers, distributors and resellers in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
Key Equipment Finance’s specialty finance group includes a lease capital markets team to support corporations looking to optimize risk and revenue, and a lender finance team, which provides structured facilities to various sectors of the specialty finance market.
Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, Key Equipment Finance manages $8.5 billion in assets and originates nearly $4 billion of equipment financing annually. The company has management and operations bases in Albany, New York; London, England; Frankfurt, Germany; Madrid, Spain; Milan, Italy; Paris, France and Toronto, Canada. The company, which supports clients in 17 countries, employs approximately 500 people worldwide and has been in the equipment financing business for 40 years. For more information, visit http://www.KEFonline.com/.


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Want to take part in the McLaren Shadow Project, the company’s virtual racing series? Qualification is now open.
Following on from last year’s “World’s Fastest Gamer” virtual racing series, McLaren has announced the second series of its e-sports competition entitled McLaren Shadow Project, a chance for gamers to win a place on McLaren’s e-sports team as well as a substantial stack of goodies.
Last year’s champion, Dutchman Rudy van Buren, became an official McLaren simulator driver. He beat 30,000 competitors from across 78 countries, going on to drive for McLaren in the decidedly non-virtual Race of Champions in Saudi Arabia. Van Buren beat several professional racing drivers in the various heats of the competition. In doing so proving to McLaren that racing gaming skills are transferable to real-world tracks. According to Ben Payne, McLaren’s director of e-sports: “McLaren Shadow Project is the most diverse and dynamic racing e-sports competition on the planet. We are looking for talented racers from all countries and backgrounds, across all major platforms.”
How to enter
So, do you think you have what it takes? You can enter the online racing series through a number of channels via games. These include Forza Motorsport (Xbox), Real Racing 3 (mobile), iRacing and rFactor 2 (PC). The first heat of time-trial qualifiers opened on August 23 and runs until August 31. Entrants can take part in one of two other time trials in September or October. Finally, the winner of each of these qualifiers will go on to a semi-final round at McLaren’s technology centre with the finals in January 2019.
McLaren is partnering with EA in its Real Racing 3 mobile game. Players can choose to compete in a (virtual) McLaren 600LT before the real thing hits the road. Think that the experience of a mobile racing game couldn’t compete with a console or PC version? Last year, Danish surgeon Henrik Drue was one of the finalists in the World’s Fastest Gamer competition. He narrowly missed out on clinching the title, outperforming most of the other challengers in the rigorous cognitive tests set by the McLaren team. We’re certain it was a great reassurance to his patients.


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Learn the ins, outs, dos and don’ts of creator marketing at Social Media Week Europe this 10–11 October in London. Register for your in-person or virtual pass.
Since launching in 2008, crowdfunding platform Indiegogo has become known as the provenance of creative types, scrappy startups and charitable campaigns. But now, big brands are seizing on it as a way to align themselves with popular causes.
DC Entertainment’s We Can Be Heroes campaign raised more than $150,000 to tackle hunger in the Horn of Africa by enticing donors with perks like collector’s edition comic books or a meet-and-greet at San Diego’s Comic-Con. Save the Drive-In, a campaign supported by Honda, is raising money to help sustain the dwindling number of drive-in movie theaters.


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Thursday, May 23 2013 11:50 AM EDT2013-05-23 15:50:16 GMT
TOKYO (APTN/FOX) - An 80-year-old climber became the oldest person ever to climb Mount Everest, despite undergoing heart surgery in January. Japanese mountaineer Yuichiro Miura called his daughter from theMore >>
The old-age ascent is just the latest in a lifetime of daring feats for adventurous Yuichiro Miura.More >>
Thursday, May 23 2013 11:26 AM EDT2013-05-23 15:26:22 GMT
MONTAGUE COUNTY, TX (KTVT/FOX) - A law enforcement officer who took three bullets at close range will return to work Sunday after two months away from the job. Deputy James Boyd pulled over a car MarchMore >>
The officer's bulletproof vest saved his life, but some physical and mental scars will remain visible for a long time.More >>
Wednesday, May 22 2013 5:24 PM EDT2013-05-22 21:24:25 GMT
MOORE, OK (RTV/FOX) - The deadly tornadoes in Oklahoma aren't just taking a toll on people, they're also affecting pets. Many of them have lost their owners and are now housed at a makeshift shelter. TheMore >>
A makeshift animal shelter has cared for between 50 and 60 cats and dogs since Monday, and in some cases there are happy reunions. More >>
Wednesday, May 22 2013 4:03 PM EDT2013-05-22 20:03:31 GMT
DOTHAN, AL (WHDN/FOX) - State health officials said a mysterious respiratory illness has left two people dead and five hospitalized in southeast Alabama. The Alabama Department of Public Health said inMore >>
Two of the seven people already admitted to the hospital have died, and no one knows what is causing the illness.More >>
Tuesday, May 21 2013 2:58 PM EDT2013-05-21 18:58:53 GMT
WASHINGTON, DC (WTTG/FOX) – While preparing for Memorial Day or any other outside activity, many people forget one important thing – sunscreen. Tim Turnham, an expert with the Melanoma Research Foundation, saidMore >>
Cases of melanoma, a type of skin cancer, are growing 2 percent annually for children and 3 percent for adults. The rate has doubled since 1973.More >>
MILWAUKEE (RNN) - While many shopaholics see Black Friday as the most thrilling day of the year, beer enthusiasts in the Midwest also have something to be excited about this year.
Lakefront Brewery in Wisconsin will attract nontraditional Black Friday consumers when it releases a special edition beer, appropriately named after the retail oriented pseudo-holiday.
Black Friday, an imperial India-style black ale, will go on sale at 8 a.m. when Lakefront opens its brewery doors Friday, giving consumers some time to sleep in and avoid the retail commotion. But you might want to get there early, since the beer is available for one day only.
"Because this beer is so limited, we expect demand to be high for people to buy the ultimate beer gift for their friends and relatives," said Jessica Koehler, Lakefront Brewery hospitality director, in a statement. "This will be the go-to gift for the beer lover."
But light beer drinkers beware: this brew is not for those with a faint stomach.
According to Lakefront Brewery marketing director, Black Friday is a "huge, dark ale, about 10 percent alcohol by volume, with ample pine and citrus aromas."
Koehler added that the first 300 people to visit the brewery on Friday get a limited "Black Friday" pint glass. Staff will also be offering 12 straight hours of brewery tours starting at 8:30 a.m.
"We know people want to get up early and find the one-day-only, exclusive deals on Black Friday, and we wanted to offer our customers an exclusive beer worth of getting up early," said Johnson.
Lakefront Brewery opened in 1987 and its beer is available in 35 states, Israel and Canada, but Black Friday will only be sold at its Milwaukee brewery.
The brewery first gained national attention in 1996 when it became the first to produce a certified organic beer in the United States. In 2006, it also became the first brewery to create a government-approved, gluten-free beer.
Copyright 2012 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
Monday, November 19 2012 2:37 PM EST2012-11-19 19:37:19 GMT
(RNN) - Family and friends will be gathering together during the holiday season for dinners, parties, and gift exchanges and many will document the festive season. To get that perfect memento of the season,More >>
The holiday gatherings are the perfect time to photograph friends and loved ones. Here are some tips to make sure your pictures make the memories last.More >>


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Other people are wondering about Yahoo's purchase of MusicMatch:
"When Yahoo acquired Musicmatch last September, it was clear the company wanted a larger piece of the digital music market.
But with Wednesday's launch of Yahoo Music Unlimited, the company's digital music subscription service, some wondered where Musicmatch -- which Yahoo acquired for $160 million -- fit into Yahoo's music plans. The two services offer similar ways to find and buy songs.
"I think that Yahoo's overwhelming strategy is about finding and acquiring members of communities and registered users so they won't get Googled again," said Eliot Van Buskirk, technology editor at MP3.com and author of Burning Down the House: Ripping, Recording, Remixing, and More. "By that I mean, people switching suddenly (from Yahoo to Google). Yahoo has an institutional memory of that and they're learning that it's important to keep people attached to your services.
"Finding members of communities and registered users is the new way to own users on the internet," Van Buskirk said. "I think eventually it will fold in the Musicmatch users."


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British tuner Lister Motor Company is eyeing the Jaguar I-Pace as its next tuning platform. The move would mark the jump to the electrified realm with a stripped-down variant of Jaguar's EV crossover.
Dubbed the Lister SUV-E Concept, Lister says it will build this vehicle in limited numbers if there is enough interest, including pre-orders, according to an Auto Express report from last Monday
Lister's concept I-Pace has been stripped of more than 200 pounds of excess weight, largely thanks to the use of carbon fiber in the creation of custom exterior components. These replace the splitters, hood, bumpers, and rear spoiler.
Lister also cut down the size of both the new and some of the existing exterior elements to shave excess weight, improve cooling, and augment aerodynamics. Inside, Lister will offer a wide variety of customization options, with 60 leather colors and 200 stitching options.
Under the hood, however, it's a different story. So far, Lister has not announced any mechanical upgrades. This means the SUV-E will be powered by the I-Pace's stock electric powertrain. While that's no slouch at 394 horsepower and 512 pound-feet of torque, fans of Lister's wilder Jaguar builds may feel a little envy.
The SUV-E's reduced weight should give it a performance edge over the stock I-Pace, especially in the corners, and we don't expect Lister will leave its power output alone permanently. This is, after all, the company that builds what it calls the world's fastest SUV, the LFP, which is based on Jaguar's F-Type.
Lister's builds often tend toward the wilder side, so a vehicle without engine modifications is somewhat out of character. It's only a matter of time before Jaguar gives Lister the keys to the parts shed. For now, this $160,000 I-Pace concept will have to be a window into the future of Lister's electric aspirations.


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Rising input costs and dampened demand due to surplus availability of imported petrochemical products are challenges to the business, according to a senior official of Manali Petrochemicals Ltd (MPL).
“Imports have reached pre-pandemic levels, and product prices have nosedived compared to the previous two years,” said Ashwin Muthiah, Chairman, MPL, adding that dampened demand for products, coupled with larger foreign supplies, have created a considerable gap in demand-supply.
He was addressing the shareholders at the company’s 37th Annual General Meeting. Muthiah said MPL’s overall sales and profitability in FY23 was lower than the previous two years, which were historically the best years.
“Our margins are continuously impacted by escalating global commodity prices triggered by persistent geopolitical complexities,” said Muthiah.
Chennai-based MPL is into manufacture of Propylene Glycol, Polyether Polyol and related substances, which are used as raw materials in…


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We are delighted to announce that Suzanne Harrison has joined Premier Nutrition as the new General Manager.
Suzanne comes with a strong scientific background including a degree and PhD in Chemistry. Her career started in new product development with Nestlé followed by both commercial and senior procurement roles in British Sugar. Suzanne joined AB Agri as Procurement Director for the UK monogastric feed businesses in 2019. Her inclusive management style and passion for creating high performing teams that are strong on delivery puts Premier Nutrition in a very solid position.
The Premier team are very much looking forward to working with Suzanne to deliver the strategy and continue to build on its strengths to meet the challenges of both the human and companion animal food supply chains and our customer's needs in the future.


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Grand Theft Auto is celebrating its 25-year anniversary today, November 28, 2022. Below, we examine how the tools in Grand Theft Auto Online has expanded the series’ scope and helped players push the boundaries.
One floating platform. Two teams, including six snipers and six stunt car drivers. One team has to shoot drivers out of their seats while the others need to knock the riflemen off the platform with wild jumps. The last team standing wins.
Raucous violence, extreme debauchery, and wild police chases are what made Grand Theft Auto what it is today. But random open-world fun and an over-the-top physics engine can only get you so far in the online world of modern video games. That’s why player-created modes like this one, Snipers vs Stunters has become so popular across Grand Theft Auto Online servers.
“It does not matter how good the base game modes are in a game like GTA/GTAO, the community created content will always be king,” said GTANet Admin uNi. “And [it’s] the main force keeping it alive.”
Grand Theft Auto V has become the best-selling title in the franchise with over 170 million copies sold since its release in 2013. GTA Online, a virtual playground where players have taken their rowdiness online, has been a major motivator in GTA V’s success. The GTA Online Content Creator was a pivotal piece of GTA’s online community. It’s helped change the trajectory of the GTA franchise that turns 25 today.
“There’s something magical about asking GTA players to use the creator in such a restricted way that shoots their creativity up,” uNi said. Grand Theft Auto Online’s Content Creator launched two months after the game’s initial release date in September of 2013. The inclusion of the creator saw Grand Theft Auto V join a trend of games like Halo in giving players the ability to create their own races, deathmatches, and other modes that they could share with others online.
The Content Creator lets players place NPCs and objects within various game modes set anywhere in the in-game world, San Andreas. It doesn’t, however, let players build maps from scratch. Players need to use one of GTA Online’s base modes, including the Last Team Standing mode that Snipers vs Stunters is built on top of.
The lack of freedom has been an asset in some cases, leading to the creation of modes that would have never been possible without the creator.
Another game mode, Avalanche, sees one team shoot objects down a hill while the other team dodges them while climbing. The climbing team wins if they reach the top. The defending team wins if they successfully prevent the other team from ascending.
Modes like these are simple, but provide a necessary alternative to the base gameplay in GTA Online.
One of the primary reasons that GTA Online has flourished in online communities for so long is content creation. Despite being nearly a decade old, YouTube videos and Twitch streams are still dominated by players having wacky and nonsensical fun on the streets of San Andreas. Custom modes and servers helped elevate those streams.
The Grand Theft Auto series has never had an official set of in-game editing tools that let players run wild, but that never stopped PC communities from creating their own tools. Popular modes like FiveM mod let players create their own custom servers, which eventually led to the GTA role-playing craze that still has a huge presence on Twitch.
“For more than a year, I’ve been playing a character called Dominic that I created on NoPixel which is the most popular custom server out there,” said GTA role-play streamer BASTIAS. “NoPixel is a massive server with at any time having over 200 players online including some of the biggest content creators in the industry.”
NoPixel lets players take on the role of NPCs and role-play police officers, lawyers, musicians, and, of course, criminals. FiveM and other PC mods are another reason why GTA has grown so popular over the years and why Grand Theft Auto V has been particularly popular.
Rockstar announced that the next entry of Grand Theft Auto was in active development in February of 2022. The studio shared that its goal was to “significantly move beyond what we have previously delivered.” Players hope that this means an expansion of the Content Creator and a way to officially include some elements that make NoPixel possible without having to rely on mods.
User-generated content has become a focus in the game industry, with level editors coming to all sorts of games, from Fortnite to Totally Accurate Battle Simulator. There is no word on whether the next GTA will include a more in-depth level editor. Red Dead Online didn’t include one, even though it was Rockstar’s flagship project following Grand Theft Auto V.
GTA Online changed what it means to play Grand Theft Auto. Once it blew up in popularity, single-player DLC like Grand Theft Auto IV’s The Ballad of Gay Tony ceased to launch in favor of new content for the online world of San Andreas.
It would make sense for Rockstar to embrace the culture of user-generated content that Grand Theft Auto has spawned, but those communities that thrive off the world’s that Rockstar have built will continue to flourish despite what comes with the next Grand Theft Auto.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.


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Where’s the Beef? Wendy’s Out of Burgers at Some U.S. Locations
No this isn't a return to the fast food giants former marketing campaign. The question is serious... where's the beef?
Wendy's is actually taking burgers off the menu at some of their locations across the country due to due the meat shortage caused by the coronavirus.
Wendy's explained to Fox Business that although hey are still delivering hamburger to their restaurants, some supplies may be smaller that usual. "As you've likely heard, beef suppliers across North America are currently facing production challenges,' Wendy's said in a statement. "Because of this, some of our menu items may be in short supply from time to time at some restaurants in this current environment."
On Monday, nearly one in five Wendy’s restaurants, which is a a total of 1,043 locations, were sold out of beef products, including burgers according to the New York Times. It seems that beef shortages vary from state to state, with locations in Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, New York, Connecticut, and Indiana hit particularly hard.
Wendy's, which operates about 5,800 locations in the U.S., has always proudly marketed itself in using only fresh and never frozen beef products. Some feel this has the chain feeling the pinch a little sooner that their competition.
Faithful customers across the country took to social media to vent their frustrations. Posts on Twitter indicated that customers were unable to order specialty burgers such as double burgers, and offered singles instead due to beef rationing.
We tried to contact a few local Wendy's in the area for comments, but our calls went unanswered. On a plus side, now, for the month of May, you can score a spicy chicken sandwich totally free. Just download the Wendy's mobile app for all the details and to redeem your sandwich.
READ MORE: 10 free apps to help you get fit in our new normal


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una brands 40mshutechcrunch is a new startup that is shaking up the way we think about fashion. Their clothes are made from sustainable materials and they use a new technology called “Shutech” to make their clothes. This new technology is said to be 40 times more efficient than traditional methods of manufacturing clothing. Una’s clothes are also said to be more comfortable and last longer than traditional clothing. una brands 40mshutechcrunch
Una is a startup that has created a new way to shop for clothes. Their app allows you to find clothes that fit your body type and style. You can then buy the clothes directly from the app. Una is launching their app today with a special offer of 40% off your first purchase. una brands 40mshutechcrunch
Una is a new startup that is shaking up the tech industry. Their innovative products have caught the attention of many, including top tech media outlet, TechCrunch. In this article, we will take a look at Una and their flagship product, the 40m Shute.


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A record total of 18.5 million international visitors came to Singapore in 2018. Based on 2018 figures the top five countries people visit Singapore are from: China, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, and Australia. Visitor numbers from all these originating countries is from 2017, with India showing the greatest increase at 13.4% with 1.44m visitors.
Arrivals from China, India, Philippines, UK, USA, Vietnam, and Germany also hit record-high numbers in 2018.
Growing Chinese market
The increase in tourist numbers from mainland China is reflective of the increase in China’s outbound tourist numbers of 45.6% between 2013 and 2017, to 143 million. Singapore saw an increase in arrivals from China of 39% in the same period.
Singapore is an attractive destination for tourists from China thanks to a large number of native Chinese speakers – 34.9% of Singaporeans speak Mandarin at home, while a further 12.2% speak other Chinese dialects. There is also increased flight connectivity between China and Singapore.
What do visitors to Singapore spend their money on?
Overall tourism expenditure rose 1.0% to S$27.1 billion, mainly fuelled by growth in the number of visitor arrivals.
Tourist spending grew but was slowed by declines in spending on shopping (14%), accommodation (5%) and food & beverage (4%). But there was increased spending on sightseeing, entertainment & gaming (6%) and other components (21%).
Once again, Chinese tourists topped the list in tourism expenditure, spending S$3.9 billion.
Chinese tourists spent the most on shopping (47%); travellers from the US spent the most on accommodation (40%); Travellers from the Philippines spent the most on food and beverage (17%); while visitors from Indonesia spent the most ‘other tourism receipt components’ which includes airfare and other modes of transport such as ferries and crusies (47%).
Chinese New Year the most popular season of travel for Chinese tourists
Chinese arrivals in 2018 peaked in February (Chinese New Year was Feb 16) at 366,616. July and August also saw peaks in arrivals from China (361,019 and 380,108 respectively) during school holiday periods.


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Nintendo’s Wii platform has already sparked applications well beyond the world of gaming, so it’s not entirely surprising to see Microsoft’s Kinect do much the same thing. Enter Shopperception, a Kinect-based tracking system that gathers data on shoppers’ interactions with the products on retail shelves.
The brainchild of Argentinian development company Agile Route, Shopperception uses Kinect sensors to bring 3D spatial recognition capabilities to market research applications that have traditionally relied on costly and error-prone human observers. Brands, researchers and retailers can then continuously monitor the way shoppers interact with the products on the shelves, including metrics such as how long they spend, which products they touch, which are put back and which are ultimately purchased. They can also use the technology to compare the success of competing shelf layouts or point-of-sale promotions, for example. “Heat map” reports, meanwhile, are available to depict consumers’ interest in different products or shelves. The video below demonstrates Shopperception in action:
One would be hard-pressed to think of a better way to study consumer behavior than by unobtrusively tracking real-world shoppers in a natural retail setting. Brands, retailers and researchers: one to get involved in!
via In retail stores, research tool uses Kinect to track shoppers’ behavior | Springwise.
Biometrics, methods for uniquely recognizing humans based upon one or more intrinsic physical or behavioural traits, is very important when evaluating the efficacy of a retail store design or display and assessing counter actions to make the retail environment more customer friendly. According to NY Times, IBM is currently testing a revolutionary biometrics method in two location in downtown Milan – a fashion company flagship’s store and an electronic store.
The I.B.M. solution, involves tracking biometrics through a mini camera in a mannequin’s eye or placed somewhere in a store and the collected data will be aggregated so that not to be traced to any individual.
“We started with fashion because it is a creative and innovative industry, but it’s clear that people have to be educated so they know their privacy will not be compromised,” said Enrico Bozzi, the manager of I.B.M. Forum Milano, the department that developed the technology. “It is a question of changing people’s perception.”
The IBM biometric test is already showing its first results. At the pilot in the Milan fashion store, for example, the client noticed that almost all Asian customers enter the store through one particular door, even though five are available. “We thought it was a mistake, but we checked it out and it was right and it continues to happen,” Mr. Bozzi said. “We don’t know why yet but, in the meantime, the store is considering positioning products by that door that are known to appeal particularly to Asian shoppers.”
I.B.M.is now also working on software that will let clients try on jewelry and makeup wirelessly thanks to a mobile phone or computer, with an iPad application likely to debut soon.


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It’s safe to say that the E3 convention is one of the biggest video game conferences in the world. The long running annual event is normally held in June and traditionally, it’s been the place to be for the biggest, most significant announcements from Microsoft and Sony in regards to its gaming consoles. In recent years however, the significance of E3 has been on the decline and it looks like that slide isn’t going to be stopping this year.
Sony, who skipped out on the conference for the first time in its 24 year history last year, has just announced that it’ll be skipping out on E3 again this year.
“After thorough evaluation, SIE has decided not to participate in E3 2020. We have great respect for the ESA as an organization, but we do not feel the vision of E3 2020 is the right venue for what we are focused on this year.”
“We will build upon our global events strategy in 2020 by participating in hundreds of consumer events across the globe. Our focus is on making sure fans feel part of the PlayStation family and have access to play their favorite content. We have a fantastic line up of titles coming to PlayStation 4, and with the upcoming launch of PlayStation 5, we are truly looking forward to a year of celebration with our fans.”
Sony Interactive Entertainment spokesperson
We know the PlayStation 5 will have PS4 backwards compatibility and ship with a solid state drive, as well as support 8K graphics and ray tracing. We also know that it’s pencilled in for a holiday season release, but any other news about the console has been hard to come by, with the only real PS5 news coming out of CES being the PS5 logo reveal, which was underwhelming at best.
It’s looking increasingly likely that Sony is going to be playing out this tease for as long as it can in the run up to the holiday season, and it will seemingly start with the “Experience PlayStation” event that’s set to begin today in New York City and run until the 16th of February.
Going back to E3, Sony’s snub for the second year in a row well and truly signifies the end of an era. The PlayStation brand has been a part of E3 since the very first edition back in 1995, with Sony showcasing the original PlayStation, as well as the consoles price and release date. While E3 remains as one of the most important events in the calendar for game industry, how it maintains its relevance in an time where companies can just livestream their own events remains to be seen.


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A large percentage of us have somewhat of an affinity with a Starbucks coffee. Mostly, it’s an home from home comfort that’s synonymous with consistency and good taste. However, there will soon be fewer Starbucks outlets in US airports. Here’s why…
The rise of the local coffee house
One of the most likely sights in a US Airport is a Starbucks. The international chain has occupied territory in American terminals for many, many years. However, the coffee scene is now changing and the ‘independent coffee house’ is moving in to take on the competition from Starbucks’ mass coffee production.
This change has been felt in numerous cities in the past few years, although airports have not been hit with the wave of local-roasted coffee beans. However, that’s set to come into effect once current Starbucks’ agreements end.
It’s all part of a newfangled airport shakeup. HMS Host, an airport-service food company who brings catering venues to airports, is now changing its partnership in favor of more local companies. In a statement on 30th January 2020, HMS Host released a press statement in which it seems optimistic about new ventures with local coffee houses. It said:
“Coffee continues an impressive trajectory as one of the fastest growing beverage categories. After years of exceptional growth in local and regional brands across all other restaurant categories, including casual dining and quick-service restaurants, HMS Host recognized the need to expand this approach in its coffee brands to unleash the growth potential in the category. As such, HMS Host will be changing its partnership with Starbucks Corporation…Consumers desire sustainable, traceable coffee that tastes delicious and supports growers and local economies.”
This all seems very promising but also suggests that Starbucks cannot offer the values that other more independent and local coffee shops can.
What’s wrong with Starbucks?
Well, there’s nothing actually wrong with Starbucks. It’s still profitable and its a household name that guarantees its custom. What’s really going on here is that HMS Host is moving with a culture change. It’s true that Starbucks might not create the same fuss that it did a while ago but it is still popular. Are customers ready for the rise of the local coffeehouse?
The draw that Starbucks has on other coffee shops is that customers know what they’re getting and for what price. Moreover, they know what they like. If airports switch up their coffee offering, will they lose out? Are people willing to try new coffees at a premium price whilst they transit through the airport? Well, if HMS Host is right in its insight, customers may already be trying out new coffee shops in their local area. That’s suggestion enough that they will take the opportunity to try out new vendors whilst they are traveling.
What’s more, HMS Host is not just looking at diversifying its coffee. It says that it’s experimenting with local tastes to recreate regional cuisine within airports. It has already had success on this front. Ergo, we might also see far fewer common fast-food chains in airports as well.
What will this change look like?
It appears that HMS Host might be aware that removing Starbucks’ might not be the most favorable decision for everyone. As a result, it’s come up with an elaborate plan on how to completely revolutionize the way that coffee is produced, ordered, and even delivered. It talks about “coffee shops during the day that are designed to transition to lively bars in the evening with great music entertainment”, “innovative mobile carts that move from gate-to-gate” and, “coffee shops built for speed through highly efficient designs that eliminate lines”.
The company is so hopeful in its new direction that it has already begun laying the foundations in Jacksonville International Airport in Florida. HMS Host has signed a 10-year contract with a coffee company based in the state. Southern Grounds will operate in Jacksonville International from fall 2020.
Should Starbucks stay or are local coffee shops the way forward? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.


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Investors are losing their appetite for Yum Brands Inc. stock amid concerns about the company's slumping sales in China, a crucial market for its fast-food offerings.
Shares in the company behind the KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut restaurant chains fell by more than 3 per cent during trading on Tuesday, after it reported worse-than-feared same-store sales in July.
Yum Brands has long been touted as one of the biggest success stories among North American companies that have tried to tap into the emerging Chinese consumer. Thanks largely to the enormous popularity of KFC in China, the Asian nation accounted for more than half of Yum's $13.5-billion (U.S.) in revenues in 2012.
While some analysts see the stock's drop as temporary, as the company tries to recover from the double blow of a contaminated chicken scandal and avian flu scare, others see it as part of a larger trend of changing tastes and belt-tightening in the world's second-largest economy.
"We think the miss confirms the risk of increased competition and a more cautious Chinese consumer," Jeffries analyst Andy Barish said in a note.
Yum Brands said late Monday that its July same-store sales fell 13 per cent in its China division, a result much worse than analysts had forecast. That included a 16-per-cent drop at its KFC restaurants in China and a 3-per-cent gain at Pizza Hut.
The company's same-store sales in China have been in a swoon, falling 10 per cent in June, 19 per cent in May and 29 per cent in April.
The company, based in Louisville, Ky., continues to forecast a recovery of same-store sales this year, with figures turning positive in the fourth quarter. However, investors are growing concerned that turnaround may not happen if China's economy slows further and consumers continue to shun KFC.
"Although it's tough to read monthly trends, July may suggest the turn is taking longer than expected, and we think a dramatic rebound [in Yum's same-store sales] … next year is unlikely," Mr. Barish said.
A report on Chinese consumers from McKinsey & Co. shows that, while discretionary spending on dining out is expected to increase by 10 per cent annually over the next decade, the greatest gain will come from the more affluent population, not the value-conscious consumers more likely to eat at KFC.
"Although all consumers will increase their spending, the gaps between different income groups will widen significantly. Stark disparities in standards of living are emerging in China," the report says.
Yum Brands shares closed at $72.97 on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, down 2 per cent on the day. The stock is down 9.9 per cent so far this year, although it has recovered somewhat after falling to a 52-week low of around $60 in February, after the company warned it would post a mid-single-digit decline in earnings per share in 2013.
Yum Brands took a public relations hit in China after excessive levels of antibiotics were found in a small portion of the company's chicken supply.
While the company has taken steps to ensure the practice isn't repeated, sales at its KFC locations have yet to recover. An avian flu scare in March has also kept customers away.
Bruce Campbell, president of Campbell Lee & Ross Investment Management Inc., says he bought some Yum Brands shares when they were in the low $60-range, and is considering selling if the August numbers don't show some improvement.
"I would take my profit and run if it doesn't turn in a month," Mr. Campbell said.
Still, some analysts and fund managers believe Yum Brands is fixing the problem and is well diversified as it enters other international markets, such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines.
"We've long believed the company's same-store sales recovery in China was likely to be uneven [especially considering macro-economic pressures in the region]," Morningstar Inc. analyst R.J. Hottovy said.
"We'd prefer a bit more of a pullback before recommending shares, but we still view Yum as one of the more compelling global growth opportunities in the consumer space right now."


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|Mustang Retractable Hardtop Convertible
Update: Autoblog has contacted Ford Motor Company about this and they claim that they are not involved with this project. "The automaker added that it's always investigating new features and special editions to help feed the Mustang enthusiast desire for more and to maintain its pony car segment leadership" I guess only time will tell whether there will be a retractable hardtop Mustang, and whether this car is the prototype for it.
For quite some time now there has been rumor and speculation that Ford Motor Company is planning to add an optional retractable hardtop to it's Ford Mustang Convertible lineup in 2009. Well it is now sounding like these rumors are very reliable as today The Times of Malta, a daily newspaper in Malta which is a Southern European country, has unveiled that Ford is contracting a Maltese company to design and build the retractable hardtop mechanisms.
The article which appeared in the Sunday edition of the Malta Times, claims that "Detroit Veteran" Peter Muscat who designed similar mechanisms for Ford in the 80's has built five production ready Ford Mustang retractable hardtop convertibles which are being exported to the United States for what we believe to be final testing and approval. Peter Muscat, of Muscat Technology in Bulebel, has stated that they already have 100 retractable hardtops on order and expect to build 500 over the course of six years.
"This is all the work of the Muscat Technology team here in Malta, who designed, engineered, prototyped and developed it here in Malta, including the miniature computer that controls the mechanism," said Muscat
According to the article the retractable hardtop has been specifically designed to take up the least amount of trunk space as possible, while not altering the already tight spaces in the ponycar's interior. The retractable top, which uses the coupe's glass rear window, slides into a small compartment behind the rear seats and is then automatically covered by a resin top. The roof is manually released with a handle, and the rest is all automatic. The whole operation takes less than 30 seconds, but Muscat is planning an upgrade which will allow it to retract in 23 seconds.
Retractable hardtop in the up position
Retractable hardtop in the down position
More Retractable Hardtop Mustang Pictures
Retractable Hardtop Mustang Video
2009 Mustang Rumors
2009 Mustang to get convertible hardtop?


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European shares declined for the fourth time in five sessions, with the banking sector notably lower amid more gloomy news on the global economy.
The pan-European Dow Jones Stoxx 600 index dropped 2.5% to 200.36, with shares of big Spanish bank Banco Santander down 6.9%.
Among major national indexes on Monday, the U.K.'s FTSE 100 fell 2.4% to 4132.16, Germany's DAX 30 slid 3.3% to 4557.27, and France's CAC 40 shed 3.3% to 3182.03.
Troubles in the Spanish real-estate sector continued after closely held developer Tremon filed for bankruptcy protection.
"We are particularly concerned about the more than €300 billion [$380.7 billion] exposure that the financial system has to real-estate developers," wrote analysts at Credit Suisse in a note on Spanish banks.
Barclays lost 3.1%, Lloyds TSB /zigman2/quotes/200709414/composite LYG +2.99% fell 10%, and HBOS slid 14%.
Job losses and gloomy economic news stretched across the globe, with Citigroup announcing plans for more job cuts, British house prices dropping again in November, the Confederation of British Industry lowering its U.K. economic forecast and Japan entering its first recession since 2001.
"From a market perspective, the news remains unremittingly gloomy," said Peter Dixon , strategist at Commerzbank.
Over the weekend, leaders of the world's 20-largest economies launched efforts to restore shattered confidence and shore up their economies, but analysts said the proposals provided little short-term relief.
"This was always set to be about longer-term goals -- quick fixes weren't expected, so little meaningful short-term direction is likely to be seen here either," said Matt Buckland at CMC Markets.
U.S. shares were lower in midday trading Monday, extending steep losses from Friday.
U.K. supermarket group Tesco tumbled 6.6%. Its rating was cut to "underweight" from "neutral" by J.P. Morgan after the broker compared Tesco and low-cost competitor Aldi. The broker said the heart of Tesco's problem is that its value range is low quality and its label brand is expensive.
Swedish discount clothes retailer Hennes & Mauritz /zigman2/quotes/208522175/delayed SE:HM.B -1.04% advanced 3% as total sales climbed 9% in October. Comparable sales fell 2% in October, but this was a smaller decline than analysts had expected.
In the auto sector, Continental shares climbed 2.2% as investors continued to take on board Friday's news that Schaeffler Group intends to go ahead with its takeover of the tire maker.
HeidelbergCement fell 22% in Frankfurt after the Financial Times reported that its majority owner, Adolf Merckel , is in talks with a consortium of banks to arrange a bridging loan after losing a large amount selling Volkswagen shares short.
Volkswagen fell 4.4% after it said world-wide vehicle deliveries tumbled 7.4% in October.
Write to Sarah Turner at email@example.com


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Coles bakes a record
Management's trying to make the numbers in the short term, but surely sales growth is a good thing? Perhaps not when it comes from rising grocery prices.
In the first three months of 2019, Coles Group was expected to break its 47-quarter record of positive same-store sales growth. The issue was the strong comparable period; with Coles' Little Shop promotion helping lift supermarket same-store sales by 5.1% last year, it was always going to be a tough number to build upon.
In the end the record remained intact. Yesterday Coles reported first quarter same-store sales growth of, drum roll please, 0.1%.
We'd really like to believe that number, modest though it is. But managing director Steven Cain admitted - with absolutely no shame - that the team had pulled out all stops to avoid going backwards in the quarter. When management is obviously trying to hit irrelevant milestones in the short term, you know the long-term is only an afterthought.
Better than expected sales growth
Evidence grocery prices are rising
Risks in letting margins expand
The figures were muddied by accounting restatements and period shifting, so who knows what went on. But what's certain is that drought-induced inflation helped boost the number; price inflation was 1.4% versus 0.6% in the previous period.
The more important question - and this has ramifications for Woolworths too - is whether the supermarket companies are now allowing a little price inflation to take hold generally. Coles' chief financial officer Leah Weckert indicated on the conference call that, if suppliers were able to prove cost pressures to Coles, the company would accept price increases.
It's an about-face from a few years ago. Both companies, after saying for years they wanted to shift away from heavy promotions to 'everyday low prices', are in fact finally reducing discounting. Prices appear to be rising, particularly on items cost-conscious shoppers might not notice (this analyst, being a fan of decent chocolate, has indeed noticed the 33% price increase on his favourite variety).
There's risk in moving away from 'down, down'. Customers have been trained to look for promotions, so their absence could cause them to shift to discounters over time. In the UK the decision by the major supermarkets to protect margins during the global financial crisis 10 years ago forced customers to seek value elsewhere. The majors suffered as customers deserted them for Aldi.
It could happen here. After a period of slow sales and profit growth, Coles and Woolworths appear to be permitting price inflation in an attempt to boost margins. Broking analysts appear enthused by this prospect, and it helps explain the ballooning price-earnings ratios the supermarket companies trade on.
In truth we're worried. While Coles focuses on rolling out meal kits to 100 stores this calendar year, and pushing convenience rather than price, customers aren't necessarily becoming less value-conscious. Woolworths allowed its margins to rise too high in the ten years to 2016 - and shareholders reaped the benefits for a few years - but we all know how that ended.
We're not panicking yet, but the supermarket companies are perhaps not the wonderful businesses they once were. While the market is focusing on the potential for margin expansion, we're focusing on how that could damage the long-term competitive positions of these businesses. After all, discounters like Aldi are now firmly established in the Australian market.
Thankfully we bought Coles at a reasonable price following the demerger but, with ongoing disappointment in management and worries about strategy, this may not be a stock we'll hold forever (you might have noticed the absence of both Coles and Woolworths from our never sell list). For now, we're content with HOLD.
Disclosure: The author owns shares in Coles Group.


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A new product promises to stop severe bleeding very quickly and without side-effects. It isn't yet approved for human medicinal use, but it's about to be made available for use on animals while the FDA continues testing. Here's a Bloomberg video report.
Looks like a very useful product indeed. Faster testing, please!


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Brands Respond to Consumer Preferences as Overall Satisfaction with Packaging Increases by Nearly 50 Percent in Six Years
According to the 2018 Packaging Matters study from WestRock, consumers are increasingly satisfied with their overall experience with packaging, which has increased by 46 percent over six years. Findings from the study indicate brands are keeping up with – and responding to – consumer preferences.
WestRock’s Packaging Matters study reveals 84 percent of consumers indicate a top driver of packaging satisfaction is the package’s ability to ensure the integrity of the product, with 77 percent reporting that packaging that promotes easy emptying of the contents is also important. A primary component of functionality, consumers indicate that packaging must keep products safe. In fact, 75 percent of consumers say that a key component of their purchasing decision is whether the packaging is made from materials that prevent the product from leaking or breaking. In addition, consumers indicate secure delivery is essential to satisfaction, with 75 percent of consumers indicating delivery features (for example, being securely closed) are important. More women (74 percent) than men (68 percent) value packaging with features that help keep them and their family safe.
While safety is a non-negotiable factor of best-in-class packaging, convenience is also critical to ensuring positive experiences:
- 76 percent of all respondents report they want packaging that is easy to open; among these, 80 percent of women and 71 percent of men value packaging that is easy to open.
- Resealability is also an important factor in satisfaction, according to 76 percent of respondents.
- 20 percent more millennials than other generations value packaging that is easy to find on a shelf.
- Packaging that is easy to store at home matters more to millennials (80 percent) than other generations (69 percent).
Although functionality determines how consumers interact with packaging, trust is a major factor in how those interactions translate into positive brand and product perceptions. According to the Packaging Matters study, consumers are more likely to trust products if the packaging protects against tampering or contamination (79 percent), are made with safe materials (71 percent) and clearly and honestly indicates the contents’ ingredients and potential dangers. Consumers trust packaging for medicine and non-alcoholic beverages the most (73 percent) and online food service delivery packaging the least (59 percent).
Although the Packaging Matters study reveals that packaging satisfaction is most closely tied to benefits that connect back to consumer values – functionality and trust – purchasing behavior is influenced primarily by packaging’s appearance. Since the first Packaging Matters study, the percentage of consumers who purchased a product because of the innovative nature of the packaging increased by 45 percent, and consumers who compared different products’ packaging to make a purchase decision increased by 43 percent.
In fact, the study revealed aesthetics are the primary driver impacting a consumer’s decision to try something new, buy something again or switch brands. Findings include:
- 81 percent of consumers said they have tried something new because the packaging caught their eye.
- A packaging’s appearance or aesthetics compelled 63 percent of consumers to purchase a product again.
- 52 percent have changed brands from a product they have purchased in the past because of new packaging.
Understanding what motivates today’s shopper to complete a purchase is critically important. As brand marketers and retailers weigh where to invest money and time, the Packaging Matters study reveals that packaging features including functionality, safety and aesthetic appeal have significant implications for consumer perception and behavior. Modern consumer shopping preferences and the changing role of the retail store are actively transforming interactions with packaging and creating new opportunities and challenges that require increasingly agile packaging strategies that capitalize on these core components.


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Today, 16th February, Telkom and Business Connexion announced the rebranding and unification of the partnership that started back in August 2015. The business sees Telkom’s Enterprise division and Business Connexion’s ICT services merge under the new brand, BCX.
Isaac Mophatlane, CEO of BCX, hosted the media, clients, partners, staff and a few members of the board at the Gallagher Estate in Midrand, Johannesburg, to showcase the new brand and the importance of moving forward into the future. “The launch of BCX is truly the beginning of a new chapter of digitalisation for Africa,” said Mophatlane. “This new brand is the culmination of the vision my late brother and I had when we started Business Connexion more than 20 years ago.”
The rebranding is the completion of the reorganisation of Telkom Group into three distinct business entities, Openserve (formerly wholesale), Telkom (retail), and now BCX (a mix of Telkom Enterprise and Business Connexion). BCX has been positioned as the first brand in Africa able to offer end-to-end ICT solution from a single provider.
While Sipho Maseko, Telkom Group CEO, was unable to make the event, he sent his regards and expressed his delight with the finalisation of the merger. “I couldn’t be more thrilled about the launch of BCX. BCX will address the technology and telecommunications needs of South African companies, both within their domestic market and as they expand into Africa and beyond the continent. It will leverage the company’s expertise to further address the technology and telecommunications requirements of companies in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa.”
As part of the rebranding, BCX also launched its new logo, a more simplistic black and white design, with the red within the X, indicating the movement into the future. In addition, the company will soon be welcoming their new premises in Centurion, across from the Centurion Mall.


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Bengaluru : Joyalukkas, the world’s favourite jeweller, continues its massive expansion drive with the opening of five brand new showrooms in choice locations across India in the last week of October. The back-to-back inaugurations were in keeping with Joyalukkas Chairman and MD, Mr. Joy Alukkas’ objective to make the brand more accessible to all jewellery lovers. The opening of the new showrooms, just before the historically frenzied gold and jewellery buying months of November and December, is a move that was welcomed by loyal customers.The showroom at Malleshwaram was inaugurated by Mr.Dinesh Gundu Rao, Cabinet Minister, Government of Karnataka.
Mr. Joy Alukkas says, “We are very pleased that our goals to expand rapidly across India and the GCC are coming to fruition according to schedule. It is our 3rd showroom in Bengaluru , proving that there is quite a demand for the unique Joyalukkas experience. I personally thank each and every customer for the support and encouragement offered to us in the last 28 years.”
The showrooms feature the brand’s signature bright and spacious interiors, showcasing the jewellery collections world-class craftsmanship, as well as the high quality of service Joyalukkas is known for in all its locations.


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We last saw the heavily revised 2015 Toyota Camry at the New York Auto Show earlier this year. Now, it's finally time for the best-selling car in the US to hit the roads in late September, and Toyota is announcing how much the updated model actually costs.
- Biggest automotive sales disappointments
- Fastest-depreciating cars in the United States
- Find and compare 2017 Models


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A Video Game Featuring The Peaky (Fookin') Blinders Will Soon Be Here
Scheduled for release in 2020, the game will plunge players into gangster life in Birmingham.
Peaky Blinders is probably the most popular BBC series right now. It's available in full on Netflix, with a fifth installment currently being prepared for release this fall. But the adventures of the Shelby clan are now branching out into other formats, beyond the small screen.
Indeed, production company Endemol Shine Group is currently preparing to adapt the series into a PC game (the only format announced for now) by 2020. The game will be a collaboration between software company Curve Digital and the video game developer FuturLab.
It has now been announced that the artistic direction will be "innovative" and that it will be possible to wander around the streets of Birmingham quite freely alongside characters from the series. We don't know much more about it as the studio isn't very well-known, but we can expect a retro reworking of Peaky Blinders, as the FuturLab studios are particularly fond of this style in their indie games.
This could be excellent news, although video game adaptations of TV series can sometimes be disappointing. A daring design will allow players to focus on the narrative, which we hope will reflect the excitement of the Peaky Blinders' adventures. Aye mate!
Article translated by: Eleanor Staniforth
By Pierre Bazin, published on 25/03/2019