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The association of New Zealand booksellers strongly backs the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) as they join the battle against online retailer Amazon.
Booksellers NZ is a member of the EIBF, which yesterday announced support for the German Publishers and Booksellers Federation, which has filed an official complaint against Amazon with the German Federal Antitrust Authority.
Michael Williams, director of The Wheeler Centre, opened the 93rd Booksellers NZ conference with aplomb. His key-note speech addressed the moot point: is the book world really changing? The short answer is yes and that’s nothing new. “Our job is how to change with it.” Williams said. He quoted Stephen Fry’s wonderful analogy: “Books are no more threatened by kindles than stairs by escalators.”
Nielsen Book2Look is an exciting new service for publishers from Nielsen, the leading provider of book information and retail sales analysis. Nielsen Book2Look can quickly and easily help you promote key titles online and across social media.
Anita Kingston of Paper Plus, Remuera and Matt Bialostocki of Unity Wellington will be the Booksellers NZ scholars to attend the American Booksellers Association’s 10th annual Winter Institute (Wi10) to be held in Ashville, NC in February next year.
The announcement was made at the Book Industry Awards following the Booksellers NZ annual conference in Auckland on Sunday night.
Booksellers and other small retailers in communities throughout New Zealand will be hugely disappointed with the failure of the Minister of Revenue, Todd McClay, to announce today an intention to fix the growing loss of revenue resulting from the government’s failure to collect GST on online purchases from overseas retailers.
Minecraft has topped the New Zealand charts, with both Combat and Construction Handbooks taking #1 and #2 on this week’s Nielsen BookScan chart (all four titles in the top 10) . Minecraft: Combat is currently #1 in the Australian charts, with all four books appearing in the top 15.
The UK has just reported the fourth consecutive week at #1 in Nielsen BookScan charts. Minecraft: The Official Beginner’s Handbook has spent the last 100 days in the bestseller charts in the UK.
Atlantis Books, one of the few New Zealand Bookshops carrying both new and used stock, opened in Rotorua on April 5. More than 300 people checked the store out on its first day, attracted by a More FM crew dressed as superheroes broadcasting from outside the store.
NEW YORK (February 27, 2014): This week, E L James’s #1 best-selling trilogy reached two milestones – the trilogy has sold 100 million copies worldwide; and Fifty Shades of Grey has spent 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. The Fifty Shades trilogy, which started as a word-of-mouth eBook sensation, has captured the attention of readers around the world.


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Google TV: This Is Only a Test
GoogleÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s partnership last week with NBCU marked a huge leap forward for the search giantÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s television advertising business. The multi-year advertising partnership gives Google permission to sell a portion of NBC UniversalÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s advertising inventory. But the deal seems less about GoogleÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s expanded reach and more about the search giant getting the opportunity to show if it can turn the business upside down.
Working with NBC Universal gives Google access to inventory on channels like Oxygen, MSNBC, CNBC, and Sci-Fi. But according to Ad Age, NBCU views the partnership as a small experiment that could help the media company transition into a multiple model for selling its advertising.
Read more: wired.com

domain: news


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AMD recently produced some impressive Barcelona 16-core (4-socket quad-core) scores of just over 4000 on the POV benchmark. Charlie Demerjian estimates that these are probably 1.8 GHz pre-production low-power 65W TDP Barcelona chips. Intel decided to put the beat-down on these Barcelona numbers by showing off their own "V8" 3.0 GHz 8-core (2-socket quad-core) system getting a POV score of 4933. While these are peak-power 120W TDP 3.0 GHz CPUs, there are only 8 cores overtaking a 4-socket 16 core Barcelona system. Furthermore, 2-socket systems always cost less (hardware costs and software licensing) and use less power than 4-socket systems.
This is bad news for AMD because the Intel Clovertown CPUs shown in these benchmarks are from a generation of products Intel started shipping last November. While AMD's Barcelona has the potential to be an Intel quad-core killer (if it launches on-time and in sufficient quantities at 2.8 GHz) but rumors that AMD is falling behind on schedule on Barcelona isn't a good sign. Furthermore, Intel isn't showing any signs of easing up their "cadence" with 45-nm High-K low-leakage "Penryn" processors launching towards the end of the year which has already shown some shocking performance numbers and pre-production clock speeds of 3.33 GHz. Intel has consistently delivered their Core 2 products on time or slightly ahead of schedule while AMD has historically been plagued with manufacturing delays.
When asked about Intel's cadence and nanometer advantage, AMD stated that nanometers don't matter to consumers and that they don't buy nanometers. While it's true that customers don't care about CPU manufacturing and nanometer nor do they even know what a nanometer means in microprocessors, nanometers is the difference between AMD bleeding red ink and surviving Intel's onslaught. AMD was happy when they finally released their 65-nm mainstream parts but they're still currently struggling to shift their current high-end CPUs and mobile processors to 65-nm while Intel is already threatening to release their higher-yield 45-nm parts at the end of the year.
In the processor business, yield equals life because higher-yield parts means lower production costs and healthy profit margins. So long as Intel has a nanometer and yield advantage over AMD, they will be able to command healthy margins while pressuring AMD to bleed red ink or lose market share. AMD is fully aware of this which is why they're pushing hard to release their own 45-nm parts based on a brand new "wet lithography" process by the middle of 2008. That seems like a very aggressive and optimistic schedule for AMD since they haven't even completed their 65-nm transition yet, but AMD is fighting for survival and the clock is ticking.


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Weaker Phone and Computer Chip Demand Forecasted by Samsung as Recession Concerns Continue
A recent warning from Samsung Electronics claims that there is an upcoming decline in smartphone and PC chip demand due to the global weakening of retail shopping trends. Also, the demand for server chips, which is traditionally more resilient, may also go down, due to the expected recession.
Qualcomm, another industry giant from San-Diego, also predicts a drop in Q4 sales, since the smartphone demand is already weakening, and server chips may be next due to the inflation’s negative impact on consumer spending. Further, the war in Ukraine and China’s coronavirus lockdowns have forced phone manufacturers to cut down on their chip orders because of the related logistics problems.
Samsung plans to manage the impending problems by implementing flexible capital expenditures in the short term, and will vary the chip supply according to needs. The company was moderately optimistic about the smartphone demand in the latter half of 2022, claiming that there are no longer significant logistics disruptions. Samsung anticipates the demand to remain the same or rise slightly. The latest foldable models, to be revealed later on this year, are slated to exceed the sales figures of the company’s previous flagship model – Galaxy Note.
Largest Q2 profits in the last 3 years
Samsung's operating profit rose to $10.8 billion for Q2 2022 from $9.6 billion for the same period in 2021. Last quarter was the most successful since 2018, and exceeded its own estimates. Chip-related profits accounted for approximately 80%, and mobile-device-related profits – for 20% of the total.
The AI and 5G sectors, as well as core infrastructure investments, are expected to continue their growth and fuel a solid fundamental demand for chips.
Other industry players, on the other hand, claim that the server memory chip demand may decline in the near future, as there is sufficient inventory still to be used up.
Samsung's Q2 revenue is up 21% to $59.2, which is also boosted by a strong dollar.


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There was a demand backlog from Jan-May
Pakistan sold over 300,000 bikes in July. This is the highest-ever number of bikes sold in a month in the country, says Association of Pakistan Motorcycle Assemblers Chairperson Muhammad Sabir Shaikh.
He said that there was a huge backlog of demand during 2020 as the sales were low in January and February and almost negligible in March, April and May.
“People started buying motorcycles in June. But when the demand increased significantly in July, we ran through motorcycles part importers and manufacturers and realised that sales were big in July,” Shaikh said.
Shaikh has half a dozen bike showrooms in Karachi and is a dealer of Yamaha and Suzuki bikes while he also sells several locally assembled Chinese bikes. He has a registered bike assembling company named ‘Sitara’ but it is inactive nowadays.
He added that his estimated number of bikes sold during July is a a conservative figure and it could be above 350,000 during the month.
Shaikh said that people in the agriculture sector, like farmers and vegetable and fruit sellers, had accumulated cash during the Covid-19 lockdown and came out in high numbers to buy motorcycles when markets properly opened.
The APMA number doesn’t corroborate with the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association’s figure of 148,500 bikes sold.
However, Shaikh said that there are only a dozen bike assemblers registered with PAMA. There are over 40 active bike assemblers in the country.
Senior research analyst at JS Global Capital, Ahmed Lakhani, said that the high number of bike sales in July is not incredible as there must be a high demand backlog of four months. Cars are getting expensive and the delivery business has been expanding.
Bike companies, which assemble bikes with parts imported from China, sell at a 50% lower price than Honda, a market leader in the motorcycle industry. Honda sold 94,000 bikes in July.
According to Lakhani, the demand for motorcycles has been increasing and due to low income, people are now buying locally assembled Chinese bikes more. For instance, a 70cc locally assembled Chinese bike is selling at around Rs53,000. Honda 70 is priced at Rs78,000. A bike with an engine capacity of 70cc is the best-selling variant in Pakistan.


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The Original Poster Company, an internationally branded, award winning greetings card distributor, has announced that Martin Parks (Art Director) and Joe Astles (Designer) attended the Dutch Greeting Card Awards in Holland recently where the company’s Dutch range ‘Life’ won two awards – for Best Photographic Range and Best Humour Range.
According to the information provided, OPC originally launched Life in 2006 and the range has really grabbed the attention of retailers over the last year or so. Martin Parks commented, “I also think it has benefited from some fresh design and art direction, thanks to Joe, working with the guys in Holland.”
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Williams-Sonoma outlines overall growth plan
March 4, 2002-- Home Textiles Today,
While Williams-Sonoma is keeping its plans moderate for this year, the retailer does plan to drive top-line sales growth, improve operating efficiencies and operating margins and enhance shareholder value, Dale Hilbert, ceo, told analysts in a conference call last week. Several new businesses that have performed well will also be expanded, including the store base of Pottery Barn Kids and the company's direct-to-customer channel.
Williams-Sonoma plans to open 66 new stores this year, including 25 new PBK locations — a 93 percent increase over its current total of 27 stores — 23 Williams-Sonomas, 15 Pottery Barns, a Hold Everything and two clearance locations. With the closing of 16 locations, there will be 50 additional stores in total.
Also included in the new store count are three additional locations in Toronto — one each of Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids — after the successful launch of five stores in that market last year. The new stores have exceeded expectations, said Sharon McCollam, senior vp and cfo, and "demonstrate the power of all three of our major brands in a market with no catalog advertising to support it." Another 15 to 20 locations in that country are possible. In addition, this expansion has marked the start of an international structure, which will be useful if the company decides to expand beyond Canada in the future.
The performance of PBK has also exceeded plans. "It's impressive to watch the profit rate in a business that's relatively new," Hilbert said. And "bedding continues to be a huge deal." He also mentioned that the company has adapted to a younger-than-expected target audience. "What's exciting to me is the profitability per dollar sale is right up there with the best of our businesses," he said.
The company was encouraged by the recent launch of its PBK online gift registry. "It's a tremendous opportunity to attract new customers to the brand and dramatically increase gift-related sales," said Hilbert.
Williams-Sonoma also plans to increase the direct-to-customer catalog circulation by 10 percent, mailing out 270 million catalogs. Come May, it will begin piloting a private label credit card, for launch in third quarter, that will attempt to drive incremental sales.
To support the growing seasonal gift businesses, Hilbert said, the company will expand the merchandise assortment.
Williams-Sonoma will continue its efforts to streamline the supply chain processes and lower SG&A expenses. After aggressively managing inventories, the company estimated that inventories were down 10 percent by the end of 2001 vs. 2000, he said. It made significant progress last year in increasing inventory turns in the direct-to-customer channel.
The company is also looking to reduce merchandise costs by maximizing purchasing volumes and identifying new sourcing opportunities, he said. Improving the sourcing quality through the development and enforcement of strict quality standards will be implemented to try and cut down on customer returns.
The company hopes to increase operating margins as a percentage of sales by 8 percent to 10 percent over the next three to four years.
McCollam expected to have net revenues in the range of $2.33 billion to $2.37 billion this year, an increase of 11 percent to 13 percent when comparing 2002's 52-week year to 2001's 53-week year, or 13 to 15 percent when excluding the extra week.
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DayThree from the NY Textiles Market


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As April 22 draws closer, Target says it will celebrate America’s 42nd Earth Day by handing out 1.5 million reusable bags to customers, which swirl the words “Fill. Refill. Repeat” into its bull's-eye logo. It’s also readying an Earth Day website, which will offer consumers $50 in savings on some 40 sustainable products, through April 28.
In addition, the Minneapolis-based retailer is partnering with Recyclebank, an organization that promotes sustainable decisions by allowing individuals to earn rewards for actions like recycling and reducing water use, with two online gaming modules. And the chain continues to offer a 5-cent discount for every reusable bag shoppers use, a program launched in November 2009.
Of course, plenty of other brands are tailoring Earth Day offers, even if they are not on as grand a scale as Target. Origins, for instance, will reward anyone bringing any existing skincare product (empty or full) for one of two earth-friendly cleansers at its Macy’s counters. And Disney, which is selling organic t-shirts that kids can track right to their very roots of origin, is encouraging shoppers to trade five disposable shopping bags for a free reusable tote, as is grocery chain H-E-B. And Joann Fabric stores will hand out 50 free totes to early Earth Day shoppers.
While this year’s Earth Day on the National Mall event in Washington, D.C., will be somewhat smaller than the 40th anniversary celebration in 2010, Kathryn Stoddard, VP/ corporate development and partnerships for Earth Day Networks, tells Marketing Daily, “this will be the biggest Earth Day ever, with thousands of events around the world.”
Bridgestone and Best Western are co-presenting sponsors of Earth Day on the National Mall. In total, she says, the Earth Day event has 27 sponsors and exhibitors this year, including nonprofits, including Calvert Investments, Whirlpool and Patagonia.
The organization also lists Wells Fargo, University of Phoenix and UPS as corporate sponsors.


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If music is the universal language, then its dialects are becoming increasingly localized, according to a new study. The paper analyzes the concept of ‘glocalisation’ within the music industry, an apparent trend where streaming platforms are seeing a surge in the popularity of homegrown talent.
In 2012, only one out of the top ten songs in Poland was Polish. Fast forward to 2022, and the figure dramatically rose to eight. But the glocalisation effect isn’t limited to Poland and stretches over various European markets.
Last year, British artists dominated the end-of-year charts, a feat unseen in over five decades. Similar trends also occured in Germany, Italy, and Spain, where local artists dominated the top charts.
The 2022 musical landscape was bare in the Netherlands, with a noticeable scarcity of hip-hop album releases from homegrown talents.
Meanwhile, the trending pattern in Spain was not exclusively linked to homegrown talent but to artists across the Spanish-speaking spectrum, including Latin American music stars.
According to the academic paper, the ubiquity of music streaming platforms influences consumers to access a global selection. Despite the international nature of these platforms, there is a trend toward favoring domestic artists.
“The marketplace is evolving, power is shifting from global labels and streaming platforms to their local offices,” the report explained.
Music glocalisation creates a flywheel effect as local artists gain more success, and global labels invest more in them, driving more consumer demand.


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Malawi and South Sudan on Thursday signed a Memorundum of Understanding to jointly explore opportunities to promote trade and investments between the two countries.
Under the MoU, Malawi will among other things start exporting products such maize, maize flour, sugar, rice, groundnuts and beans.
South Sudan will be exporting products such as petroleum and bitumen to Malawi.
The MoU was signed by the Minister of Trade, Sosten Gwengwe MP and Kuol Athian Mawien, Minister of Trade and Industry of the Republic of South Sudan.
Also present during the event were, Secretary for Trade, Ms Christina Zakeyo; Ms. Kanayo Awani, Managing Director for Intra-African Trade Initiative at Afreximbank and senior officials from the Governments of Malawi and South Sudan.


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“For companies, it is not just about limiting risks or complying with the law,
but rather about re-branding themselves with different values, far away
from exploitative techniques”
– CPDP panelist
I had the privilege to attend the International Conference on Computers, Privacy and Data Protection – CPDP 2022 last week . This three-day conference bought together different stakeholders, from engineers to privacy scholars, lawyers, regulatory bodies such as the European Data Protection Board, to activist – and even artists – for discussions about the future of our data in the digital space.
Six years after the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, this year’s theme was ‘Data Protection & Privacy in Transitional Times’ as we are entering a (challenging) era where new regulatory proposals are emerging. These new proposals will have a significant effect on organisations that use and process data, particularly through Artificial Intelligence tools and social networks. With new emerging technologies in the last few years, such as biometric identification, digital covid passes, automated cars, and the introduction of virtual platforms, this year’s conference gave special attention to discussing the core values, fundamental rights and principles that will guide our future, and the role of technology within it. Many CPDP panels were dedicated to discussing how these new regulatory proposals will affect us, and the challenges they will bring. These new proposals can be summarized under four main regulations – Digital Service Act (DSA) , Digital Markets Act (DMA) , Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) and the Data Governance Act.
Especially significant is the role of Artificial Intelligence and the AI Act in this year’s conference. This new regulatory instrument will classify systems depending on their (high) risk. As a result, there was a strong push by many panellists for the necessity to include a human rights impact assessment within the clauses of the AI Act.
The AI Act also expands upon the concept of personal data as we are familiar with through the GDPR. Although AI systems may not directly process personal data, they still have significant impact on individuals, and the developers and users of these systems will be held responsible. Thus, the AI Act, instead of empowering end-users such as with the GDPR through data subjects’ rights, is focussed on implementing obligations on developers to comply with certain standards. Moreover, different panels have also accounted for gender-neutrality in AI systems , and the discussion to include data protection rights and other privacy preserving design practices (legal and technical) to prevent discriminatory practices.
In addition, there are a few relevant takeaways from the panels on new regulatory proposals. On the one hand, regulatory proposals such as the DMA and DSA share common values such as fairness, transparency, purpose limitation and data minimization at their core, as well as restrictions on sensitive data processing and an increased focus on vulnerable individuals. Furthermore, some panellists highlighted the lack of regulatory oversight: we still miss the concrete guidelines that are essential in operationalising the new laws. There is the necessity for stronger enforcement and standardization, and further discussion with key stakeholders in order to clarify and create specific definitions and criteria within these new regulatory instruments. This is precisely why the European Data Protection Supervisor, in his opinions on digital regulations , has been consistently calling for “structured” mechanisms for cooperation among regulators and explicit provisions on information sharing in specific cases and investigations. Similarly, there was an emphasis on the difficulty of companies to adjust to transparency requirements under current regulations. Companies voiced concern with regards to burden of documentation, and the need to facilitate compliance processes under unclear standards.
Dark patterns and online manipulation were also recurring elements at CPDP. The new guidelines on dark patterns triggered some fiery discussions – how can we assess persuasive designs and how do we distinguish them from manipulative systems? Dark patterns are still not clearly defined in legal instruments. They can range from manipulative cookie banners to AI manipulative algorithms that trick users into buying certain products, and current policies are not equipped to deal with these types of manipulative designs which are increasingly prevalent in the digital realm.
To conclude, the CPDP offered inspiring and cutting-edge ideas for the future of privacy protection, and for the digital economy. The GDPR is still considered a relatively ‘young’ legal instrument, born only six years ago, and now we face new legal instruments that will challenge our practices with new legal tools. Time and time again, experts noted that we need more discussion with regards to the interplay between the GDPR and newly proposed regulations such as the DMA, DSA and the AI Act. During CPDP, there was a strong focus on the importance of human rights as interrelated with privacy and data protection law, and the need to balance fundamental rights such as freedom of expression with data protection law. There is a strong interest in the EU to keep investigating the limitations of current regulations and the impact of new emerging technologies for the wellbeing of our democracy. It was an engaging and informative few days in the heart of Europe, discussing the future of privacy.


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Almost a week after a Dutch newspaper asked whether TEFAF’s famous vetting process was capable of catching any fake, the New York Times decides to re-write the story. But this time, the newspaper turns the question around. Instead of asking whether any of the disputed works were ever sold at TEFAF (they weren’t) or whether the same process of peer review that validated the now-disputed works is used to vet dealers’ booths (it is), the NY Times wonders whether the dealers whose works have been implicated in the recent concerns about the collection of Giuliano Ruffini should have been banned from the fair until the various disputes are resolved.
But that kind of public shaming ignores the fact that not one of the four galleries mentioned by the NY Times has avoided the repercussions of the controversy. Indeed, for everyone involved in the disputes, it is better that galleries be present and expected to stand behind their sales, past and future.
Here, at least, the Times gives TEFAF a little credit:
Johnny van Haeften, a Tefaf board member interviewed by telephone, said that “none of the works that have now been questioned was ever sold at Tefaf” and that the courts have not yet given their verdict in any of the cases involving these works.
“There’s a very strict vetting regulation about letting dealers into the fair in the first place,” he said. “These are dealers of long standing. So I think if, by any chance, these pictures do end up being suspect, you’re dealing with dealers whose integrity and reputation is beyond reproach.”
van Haeften is mostly right there. The one issue in this story, and probably where the NY Times ought to have focused its reporting efforts to provide an accurate story that moves our understanding forward, is the dealer Mark Weiss who is stonewalling Sotheby’s after it determined a work he sold through the auction house was not what it claimed to be:
Mr. Weiss has said in statements that Sotheby’s research may be inconclusive, and he is awaiting additional data before he will respond. The Weiss Gallery did not respond to an interview request from The Times.
Shadow of Old Masters’ Forgeries Hangs Over an Art Fair (The New York Times)


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Acceleration Partners, the largest independent global partner marketing agency, has established a regional headquarters in Singapore and hired Janice Tan-David as Managing Director for their Asia-Pacific region.
“We are thrilled to be officially launching Acceleration Partners in APAC and to have found an incredible leader in Janice,” said Robert Glazer, founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners. “Our ‘Global Strategy, Local Context’ approach to performance-driven marketing and program management has allowed our global teams to address the unique challenges clients face when expanding into a new market. We’re excited to build on that with our Singapore headquarters and help existing and future clients positively promote their brands and acquire new customers in APAC and beyond.”
Acceleration Partners has launched and expanded partner programs for leading brands in diverse verticals around the globe, including the U.S., Latin America, the EU and Asia.
“Navigating the nuances of how business is conducted in different countries and stakeholder diversity are the primary challenges for most companies expanding globally. In many parts of the APAC region, which generally encompasses 38 different countries, languages, compliance regulations, states of development and consumer personas, a successful expansion requires a shift in mindset, resources and strategic priorities,” said Tan-David.
The performance-driven marketing model is strong in APAC and offers exceptional growth potential for companies in multiple industries, including online marketplaces, travel and tourism, consumer lifestyle, retail/e-commerce and financial services.
About Acceleration Partners
Acceleration Partners is a global marketing agency delivering performance-driven customer acquisition and partnership programs for the world’s leading brands. Through our Performance Partnerships® framework, we help clients create transparent, high-value programs that bring more customers, incremental sales and faster growth. Acceleration Partners’ growing global reach, discerning industry expertise and relationships with performance-focused partners has led to a client roster that includes Target, adidas, Gymboree, Reebok, Warby Parker, ThirdLove, ButcherBox, FindYourTrainer, Smart Destinations, Luca + Danni and many other brands.


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As a borrower, you are only as good as your credit score. But what makes up a credit score and what can influence it is often an opaque matter. With the proliferation of machine learning and big data, algorithms are playing a larger role in decisions by financial institutions to grant a mortgage or loan. In theory, this should increase transparency and remove biases associated with things such as gender, race, or even postal code. But does it?
This was the subject of a discussion among experts at a Think Forward Initiative event in Sweden on Thursday. Stefania Albanesi, Professor of Economics at the University of Pittsburgh, opened the discussion by noting that, on the surface, certain characteristics such as gender and religion shouldn't affect access to credit. However, simply excluding these factors is no guarantee that they won't ultimately affect access to credit because the data behind the models may implicitly include these. Indeed models need to be tested to ensure this is not happening.
This is especially important as evidence suggests several groups face difficulty accessing credit. The young, those on low incomes and minority groups seem particularly disadvantaged. The panel generally agreed that a more data-intensive approach to credit scoring can play a role in reducing the disadvantage that these groups face.
But Chuck Robida from consumer credit reporting company Experian said consumers won’t be protected fully from a biased system, as there can be an inherent bias in the data and models used in those algorithms. His organisation looks at what he terms “credit behaviour” to determine credit performance, which brings in the need for data beyond merely a name, which in itself could reveal a borrower’s likely ethnicity or location, for example.
How you spend and save
Jan Dodion, head of risk at ING, agrees. In any traditional credit report, it will be a consumer’s socio-demographic information that will be the most relevant, followed usually by information from a credit bureau, which more often than not, typically only reflects negative events, such as a default, rather than positive ones, such as regularity and reliability in paying household bills. “The moment we start incorporating ‘transactional data … the way in which you use your daily banking products, not credit, but your saving account, your current account and sometimes your credit cards, it starts ruling out the social demographic drivers,” he told the audience. A financial institution’s models can contribute to making decisions based on what you do with your money, rather than who you are.
But is it fair?
Brian Bucks, from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the United States, says deciding what criteria to use when establishing fairness in lending is an important choice. One of the challenges that a regulator faces is that of availability of data, even so-called alternative, behavioural data. If a particular type of data is not universally available, but rather, available only to a certain sector of the population, then fairness becomes even harder to ensure. In lending terms, many consumers are “invisible”, meaning that they either have no credit record, which in turn makes them more likely to be turned down for a loan and excluded altogether. Bucks said some of the bureau’s research has shown that access to high-speed internet has a far tighter link to a borrower’s “credit visibility” than their physical proximity to a bank. So if a lender’s algorithm were incorporating digital, or behavioural, data into its traditional scoring models to determine a borrower’s creditworthiness, anyone without a mobile phone could potentially find themselves rejected.
Bucks sees cases of lenders that are using data such as education or employment history as part of their models. By looking at an organisation’s credit applications and associated outcomes, Bucks can see how alternative data is working “in the real world”. Tarun Ramadorai, from Imperial College Business School and the Centre for Economic Policy Research, a think tank, has similar concerns with regards to how inclusive this newer data is. A consumer is more likely to want to hand over their “digital footprint” to their lender if that footprint is good, which in turn creates what Ramadorai calls a “massive censoring issue”.
ING’s Dodion says application of new data sources, modelling methods and technologies are crucial to developing better risk models, which holds clear potential advantages for consumers. He explained that more focus on transactions-based models can result in less bias and broader access to credit. The greater the amount of automation, the more efficient a bank becomes, which then allows it to offer more affordable terms to a wider range of customers. The more you automate, the more you can ensure you have priced your products correctly and remove the scope for any nasty surprises, such as a default. “Surprises are never good,” he says, “not for a bank, not for a consumer and not for society.”
The discussion was part of the Think Forward Initiative event “Fairness In Consumer Credit Markets” held on 9 May in Lund, Sweden. This was organised by Stefania Albanesi from the University of Pittsburgh and Tarun Ramadorai from Imperial College Business School.
The Think Forward Initiative seeks to bring together global experts to find out how and why people make financial decisions. Stefan van Woelderen, research lead of TFI, gave the audience an update on its latest achievements and expectations for the next few months. The Think Forward Initiative's goal is to find out how people make certain choices as individuals in their social and macro context, and help them make better ones. Its main partners are ING, the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), Deloitte, Dell EMC, Dimension Data and Amazon Web Services. The wider TFI network consists of more than 200 different organisations (including universities, NGOs, companies, etc.) and more than 1,500 individuals, of which almost half are researchers.


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Ben Thompson has the best overview I’ve read from both perspective about whats going on with Apple’s resistance over unlocking an iPhone for the FBI.
The dispute between Apple and the FBI is a much closer question than it is being framed as in most of the tech press. In large part this is because the dispute itself is being serially mischaracterized by both Apple supporters and detractors.
Apple also posted a FAQ page that outlines what exactly has been asked of them from their point of view.
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Clubbing TV has announced a new NFT project called The List, which aims to change the club and festival scene. This unique and bold new store will provide NFT owners with a world of adventure and fun.
Many NFTs offer lifelong access to some of the best and most popular clubs and festivals around the world. For music lovers, this is an opportunity that happens once in a lifetime, and with just 7,777 NFTS, these access tokens are highly sought after.
The List is the new NFT collection on Clubbing TV, which offers lifelong access to some of the world’s largest clubs and festivals. The NFT list is unique and each of the 7,777 NFTs has a different look. They have the shape of bracelets that bring clubbers to places. Variety can be categories, colors, backgrounds and styles.
Clubbing TV uses a new generative 3D rendering from Broken Egg. In addition, with more than 130 attributes, there are millions of possible bracelets for the project. The slogans of the bracelets will also include common phrases from the club and festival scene. “I play vinyl”, “You’re not on the list”, “We chose Z than A”, “Techno”, “Burning Man changed my life” and “I hate the airport” are just some of the enthusiastic slogans. culture.
The lucky owners of the two most unique categories will receive a physical bracelet, an IRL version of their NFT. What’s more, in addition to many real experiences, the List will also provide metaversion experiences.
NFT owners will get a wearable limit in Decentraland. These portable NFTs from DJenerates and Decentralgames will be distributed to more than 5,000 select owners. In addition, everyone will have access to exclusive events in the metaverse and VIP zone of the Amnesia & JENR8 virtual clubs.
Lifetime access for lucky NFT holders of “The List”.
Clubbing TV is the first television channel in the world to promote exclusive dance music. In addition, as part of its NFT launch, Clubbing TV will offer live subscriptions to any NFT holder at www.clubbingtv.com to watch channel 24/7 on a mobile or computer.
Laureline Teste Wyrich, COO Clubbing TV, said: “The list welcomes many festivals and clubs with different identities and styles, all represented on the channel. We believe that the people at the party should be the ones who make the rules in our industry, and we are trying to give a real voice to those who hold this new chapter. We’ve been there for a long time! ”
Clubbing TV aims to transform the music industry and provide access to web3 and IRL events
A total of 150 items in the collection will provide lifetime access to some of the world’s largest clubs and festivals.
These include Amnesia Ibiza (Spain), World Club Dome (Germany), Supersonic (India), We Are Fstvl (United Kingdom), Caprices (Switzerland), Rampage Open Air (Belgium) and Barcelona Beach Festival (Spain). The important thing is that the list is growing and before the official decline of The List, the NFT collection will add more.
The List NFT collection also has tokens on the bracelets. Clubbing TV works with Klubcoin. They are the first cryptocurrency for clubbers, festival goers and electronic music fans to make it a reality. She spent over 100,000 Klubcoins with a share of some NFT bracelets.
In addition, List NFT owners also have power over the future of Clubbing TV. They need to have control over the music podcast and the television movie. With DAO enabled, users can also vote in advance for shows and more.


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Exclusive: China is set to fine internet giant Ant Group 4.5 billion yuan (about $1 billion) for allegedly breaking its regulations, as part of plans to rein in the company that have been in the works since 2020 – sources revealed. However, as this news has surfaced, it has raised speculation about the direct impact of this fine on Ant Group’s business.
China’s move comes from an antitrust investigation into Ant Group and other tech giants, such as Tencent Holdings Ltd and ByteDance Inc., carried out last year by Chinese regulators. The Chinese regulators found that these three companies had violated their regulations on fair business practices and were granted unprecedented punishments by Beijing.
The questions now are – how severe will be the impact on Ant Group? And will other tech giants fare better or worse with similar punishments? This article examines these questions and considers what this fine represents for China and the world’s view of Big Tech companies operating within its borders.
In November 2020, news broke that China had set a record breaking fine of over $1 billion for Ant Group, the parent company of Alipay and the world’s largest fintech company. This fine came in light of the company’s business restructuring and repositioning of its services in the market as ordered by China’s central bank. The objective was to end Ant’s dominance of the payments market and restore consumer protection and financial stability.
In this article, we will discuss the implications of this fine on the Ant Group and how it will restructure its business.
Overview of Ant Group
Ant Group, originally known as Ant Financial Services Group, is an integrated financial technology provider focusing on serving small and micro enterprises and individual consumers. It is the world’s largest online and mobile payments platform by total payment volume in 2020. Founded in October 2014, Ant Group was created as the financial arm of e-commerce giant Alibaba.
Ant Group has many businesses under its umbrella. These include: Alipay, Lu’an Intelligent Research Institute (digital technical solutions for finance), MYbank (online small micro loans), Tianhong Asset Management (China’s first mutual fund sales platform), Zhima Credit (consumer loan services), and Ant Fortune (personal wealth management products).
The company provides:
- Services including digital wallets and payment apps such as Alipay.
- AI-driven credit scoring systems.
- Money market funds that offer high returns.
- Wealth management tools.
- Insurance services.
- Online investment advice.
Exclusive: China set to fine Ant Group over $1 bln, signalling revamp nears end-sources
In October 2020, the Chinese government announced imposing a $1 billion fine on Ant Group – the Chinese national digital payment provider. This penalty is seen as a bid to further enforce regulations in digital finance operations, and it signals an end to the process of revamping digital financial services in China.
The news sparked international attention, with many onlookers concerned about the ramifications of this enforcement action. In addition, there have been worries over its implications for Ant Group’s operations and concerns about how this fine will impact the wider Chinese fintech industry as a whole.
The official statement regarding what this penalty entails included information regarding rectification measures and market access restrictions imposed by Chinese authorities on Ant Group. The public announcement specified that such measures must be completed within six months, with failure to do so potentially resulting in further enforcement actions from regulators.
Analysts have noted that the fine places significant financial burden onto the group, but that most of Ant Group’s core activities are unscathed and able to operate as previously planned – albeit under substantial oversight from regulators. Moreover, despite a lack of guidance specifying financial inclusion goals and exact implementation details, lawmakers across the globe have seen this landmark enforcement action as an indication of China’s advancing efforts to regulate its internet-based financial activity.
Impact of the fine
Amidst concerns surrounding the hasty revamp of Ant Group, reports have surfaced that the Chinese monetary regulator is set to levy a fine amounting to $1 billion against the tech giant. So naturally, this news has generated a lot of buzz and will surely affect Ant Group’s business.
This article will explore the potential impact of the fine on the tech giant.
Impact on Ant Group’s business
The Chinese government’s decision to fine Ant Group, the fintech company co-owned by Jack Ma, is set to significantly impact its operations. The over $1 billion fine results from an anti-monopoly investigation into the company’s activities and signals that China is taking active steps to address speculation that it will be subject to major regulatory revamps.
Reports suggest the fine could be allocated between parties connected with Ant Group, including its largest investors Alibaba, Tencent and Softbank. All three companies previously held voting rights in the company and are likely to See their influence reduced due to China’s revamp plans. Despite this, Ant Group’s fintech services are expected to continue as normal as it looks for alternative funding sources to meet its financial commitments.
The move follows a six-month investigation into alleged monopolistic practices by the tech giant, which saw it temporarily halted from conducting banking and payment services operations within China earlier this year. As part of its fines agreement, Ant Group has agreed to restructure parts of its business model that have been deemed anti-competitive in addition to making more transparent disclosures regarding rates and fees for products offered via their mobile apps such as Alipay and WeChat Pay.
The next few months should provide a clearer picture around how all key players involved will be impacted by these changes going forward with all parties needing time for things readjustment; something both investors and executive teams alike will no doubt have on their minds ahead of any final decisions being made regarding who carries the brunt of payment reform regulations within China’s highly lucrative tech industry.
Impact on China’s Fintech industry
The news that China is set to fine Ant Group over $1 billion is important for the Chinese fintech industry, particularly for Ant Group’s competitors. The fine could significantly reduce the financial resources of Ant Group and lead to more strict regulation of its activities, which could adversely affect its ability to compete with other fintech companies in China. It may also lead to reshaping the competitive landscape in China’s fintech industry, as the restrictive actions taken by regulators will limit the primary players.
The potential fine against Ant Group will likely have a wide-reaching effect on China’s entire fintech sector. It could present new opportunities for newer, smaller players in the industry who may now be able to gain an edge over Ant Group and its competitors due to looser regulations stemming from decreased scrutiny. Firms such as WeBank, Tencent Holdings Ltd, and Ping An Insurance Co Ltd could benefit significantly from this shift in policy once the regulatory framework governing fintech firms tightens up due to stricter sanctions imposed by Chinese authorities on firms like Ant Group.
In addition to reshaping the competitive environment, this development is likely have a long-term impact on consumer behavior within China’s fintech industry. Consumers’ perception of online banking services may become increasingly negative as they become aware of the hefty fines and potentially harmful repercussions of using certain platforms. Consumers may also flock towards more established companies that are likely better equipped and less vulnerable than firms like Ant Group regarding staying ahead of costly regulatory measures. As a result, consumer trust towards other reputable companies within China’s burgeoning digital financial services sector should remain strong throughout this period of fines and potential revamp efforts.
The projected fine of $1 billion is another step in the recent efforts to revamp and restrain Ant Group’s access to financial services, which could have far-reaching impacts for the company. It signals that Chinese authorities are looking to gain more control over Ant Group and ensure the company does not directly threaten the stability of China’s financial system. The fine could accelerate a process that could see Ant Group broken up into smaller entities and significantly change its business model, operations, and offerings.
It remains to be seen exactly how this development will affect Ant Group’s long-term strategy. Still, China’s efforts to bring digital finance under tighter regulation impact Ant Group’s business. This development will likely serve as a warning sign of more rigorous supervision for other digital financial services companies in the country.


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In another step in the evolution of Val Morgan Outdoor (VMO), the NSW sales team has been consolidated into one team that now looks after all three business verticals – VMO Shop, VMO Active and VMO On-The-Go.
To reflect the changes, VMO are proud to see two young team members progress into leadership positions. Both Kristie Barnfather (feature image) and Alex Anthony (image below) have been promoted to the role of Group Sales Manager which will see them each looking after a set of agency groups.
Kristie Barnfather, who has nine years of experience across Pacific Magazines and VMO Active has been promoted from Senior Account Manager to the role of Group Sales Manager.
“For the past four years, I have loved working within such an innovative, dynamic space across a wide breadth of clients. Val Morgan has an exceptional culture and has attracted such a great, talented bunch of people so I am thrilled to be continuing my growth within the business,” Ms Kristie Barnfather said.
Alex Anthony started his media career nearly five years ago in London, spanning radio, digital & AdTech in creative solutions and agency facing roles before he joined VMO in 2018. He quickly became Senior Account Manager before being promoted to his new role of Group Sales Manager.
“Having seen this business continually strive for innovation and excellence in market, I am excited to continue my journey with VMO. I am passionate about our Outdoor network and proud to work for a business that echoes my values of transparency and working hard for our clients,” Mr Alex Anthony said.
Rounding out the team is Cherie Salt who continues her role of Group Sales Manager, now including VMO Active. All three Group Sales Managers now report directly to Liam O’Meara, Sydney Sales Director.
“We have managed to attract some amazing talent to VMO, so we are thrilled to develop our team for the future and progress our young team members into leadership positions. Both Kristie and Alex are very well respected in market, extremely hard-working and high achievers. Together with Cherie, our three Group Sales Managers each bring their own experience and set of skills to their roles and are valuable assets to our business,” Mr Geoff Cochrane, National Sales Director of VMO said.
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From Friday, December 4, Snapchatters and Bitmoji users will be able to pair with their own Bitmoji avatars with Levi’s casualwear apparel. The Levi’s x Bitmoji designs will also appear across a variety of experiences on Snapchat including Chat and games, on the Snap Map and in Lenses. All products will be available for purchase […]
John Chaplin (pictured), former Chief Product Officer of Hogarth Australia and Co-founder of award winning digital agency Fusion, has launched a new digital product design company, Diagram. Based in Sydney, Diagram are a collective of creators and makers who partner with individuals, agencies, startups, business and industry to design and build considered, elegant digital products. […]
After announcing the mega acquisition of workplace chat company Slack yesterday, tech giant Salesforce has made a raft of announcements as part of this year’s annual Dreamforce event, which has been held virtually. Headlining the announcements was news of Salesforce Hyperforce, which comes as a reimagination of the company’s platform architecture built to securely and […]


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Will U.S. auto workers go on strike?
150,000 American auto workers are ready to go on strike.
In anonline address to union members, United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis – the three largest automakers – have raised their initial wage offers but that they have rejected some of the union’s other demands. Fain said the Detroit Three automakers had offered pay raises of as much as 20 percent over four and a half years but called the hikes “inadequate.”
The UAW is threatening to strike after contracts with companies that haven’t reached an agreement by 11:59 p.m. tonight. It would be the first time in the union’s 80-plus-year history that it struck allthree companies at the same time.
We’ll get the latest from Dustin Dwyer, a reporter at Michigan Radio in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Copyright 2023 WAMU 88.5


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Wildflower is published quarterly by the Wildflower Center. Its content is national in scope with articles about the conservation and use of native plants as well as news from the Wildflower Center. A subscription is provided to Wildflower Center members as a benefit of membership.
Ripe with Possibilities - Fall 2005
Native fruits offer gardeners a bountiful array of fresh choices
Article by Julie Bawden Davis
On any given day in late fall and early winter, nursery owner Ken Asmus figures that he eats about a half pound of American persimmons (Diospyros virginiana). While Asmus inspects and cares for the thousands of native fruit trees that he grows, he can't help but sample the soft, tempting fruits. "They're exquisite, and they melt in my mouth like candy," says Asmus, who runs Oikos Tree Crops in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a native fruit tree nursery that he started 20 years ago.
Until recently, Oikos and a handful of other nursery professionals carrying native fruits for the home garden have worked in relative obscurity. While a few native fruits have always been in the limelight - like blueberries and cranberries - many others have remained novelties with limited regional recognition. Thanks to the public's ravenous appetite for new foods and the movement toward organic gourmet produce, however, Asmus and other native fruit growers see the tide changing.
Now the public is gobbling up previously lesser-known native fruits like the pawpaw (Asimina triloba), which has a rich, custard-like interior. They are also enjoying a variety of native berries (like the Saskatoon serviceberry [Amelanchier alnifolia]) for their unheralded use in the making of jellies and jam.
"A significant part of the fruit market is swinging back in the direction of food that tastes good and is interesting," says Scott Harris, executive director of TreeFolks, which grows and protects urban forests in Central Texas. Harris also is a certified arborist and organic farmer who grows and sells a variety of native fruits. "Tiny native plums and unusual berries you wouldn't see 15 years ago are selling for $4 a pint as fast as they can be grown," says Harris.
Making It Commercially
The North American blueberry is a prime example of how one native fruit made it to superstar status. Packed with nutrition and unrivaled in flavor, many of the blueberries we enjoy today are the same varieties that were eaten by Native Americans.
"Blueberries are our big success story," says Asmus. "They're easy to cultivate, cover a wide range of climates, and have a great flavor and many uses."
The cranberry is another decidedly North American fruit with a wide variety of uses, says Lorry Erickson, director of the Wisconsin Cranberry Discovery Center, in Warrens, Wisconsin. "Nearly 800 products are made using cranberries, all of which are grown in North America."
Despite the success of these fruits, and to a certain extent Concord grapes and their offshoots, remarkably few native fruits in their original form have actually made it big commercially. "I'd say that not more than five percent of the fruit sold in the grocery store [in this country] is native," says Asmus.
A big stumbling block to the cultivation and commercialization of native fruits is the fact that many must be ripe in order to be picked and shipped, giving them an extremely short shelf-life. Many native fruits also require processing and sweetening before they can be used, which hampers their commercial viability. The chokeberry and chokecherry are examples of fruit that are unpalatable unless mixed with other foods and sweetened.
Complete article is available within the Fall 2005 issue of Native Plants.


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DirecTV Group Inc. is in talks with the TBS and TNT cable networks to offer their shows online, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
If a deal is reached, DirecTV subscribers would be able to watch shows from those cable networks on the Internet, the people said on condition of anonymity because the talks still are ongoing. DirecTV, the nation's largest satellite TV operator, previously said it was considering such deals but did not specify the networks.
DirecTV joins a growing list of cable, satellite and phone companies that are offering consumers a "multiscreen" experience: the ability to watch shows on TV, computers and mobile devices like cell phones.
As online video grows in popularity, pay-TV operators and cable networks are under pressure to offer a service that consumers want while still protecting lucrative subscription fees that operators are paying to the networks. The two sides are expected to share in any advertising revenue generated from online videos.
On Thursday, Time Warner Cable Inc. said it has deals with at least 12 cable networks that would allow the cable operator to put their content on the Internet.
The 12 are: Time Warner Inc.'s TBS, TNT and HBO; CBS Corp.'s CBS network; Syfy from General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal; BBC America, Cablevision Systems Corp.'s AMC, WE tv, IFC, Sundance, Discovery Communications LLC's Discovery and the Smithsonian Channel, a joint venture between CBS's Showtime Networks Inc. and the Smithsonian Institution.
Time Warner Cable will begin testing the service in 5,000 households nationally over the next few months. Subscribers will be able to access many shows on the cable networks' Web sites or on Time Warner Cable's sites.
Verizon Communications Inc., which offers television through its ultra-high-speed FiOS service, also unveiled its own online video trial Thursday. It currently has deals with TNT and TBS, but expects to add other networks soon. The phone company started its trial last week with 500 households and plans to expand.
Verizon will allow up to nine people in a household to sign up, and five can watch shows at the same time, spokeswoman Heather Wilner said.
Wilner said that Verizon also plans eventually to bring cable content to mobile devices, noting that it already offers shows through Verizon Wireless' VCast.
She said Verizon began online access to movies from Liberty Media Corp.'s Starz movies; Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN360 and Disney Connection; YES Network and NFL Game Extra as early as 2005, some for a fee.
Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Inc., announced in June that they are collaborating on a set of protocols for online access to cable shows. Comcast, the nation's largest cable TV operator, has signed up 24 cable and broadcast networks to participate in its online video trial of 5,000 householders, including Time Warner Inc.'s HBO and Cinemax, as well as Starz and CBS.
The concept is dubbed "TV Everywhere" by New York-based Time Warner Inc. and branded "On Demand Online" by Philadelphia-based Comcast. DirecTV, based in El Segundo, Calif., did not disclose the name of its online video service.


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According to a new survey 51% of employees under 30 will ignore your BYOD policies. The 2013 Fortinet Internet Security Census was administered from October 7 – 13. Fortinet is an international leader in high-performance network security. Vision Critical, an independent market research company, administered the research exercise on behalf of Fortinet. The survey interviewed 3,200 full-time employees ages 21–32 about internet and mobile device privacy regulations. Each survey participant owns a laptop, smartphone, or tablet. The survey takers were from 20 countries including Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Mexico, and the US. All participants in the survey are university level educated individuals.
John Maddison, Fortinet’s vice president of marketing, spoke candidly about what the survey revealed. “The study highlights the greater challenge IT managers face when it comes to knowing where corporate data resides and how it is being accessed. There is now more than ever a requirement for security intelligence to be implemented at the network level in order to enable control of user activity based on devices, applications being used and locations,” Maddison says.
The new research presented insight into Generation Y employees growing interest in bringing their own devices (BYOD) into the workplace. Here are four key findings of the study:
1. 51 percent of respondents said they would contravene any established company policy banning the usage of personal mobile devices at work or for work purposes.
2. 36 percent of respondents who use their own personal cloud storage (i.e. DropBox) accounts for work purposes said they would break any policy created to stop them.
3. Over 55 percent of respondents indicated that they have had a cyber attack on personally owned PCs or laptops. Approximately half of these attacks have caused losses of personal and/or corporate data.
4. 14 percent of respondents stated they would not inform their employer if a personal device they used for work purposes became compromised.
The Fortinet Internet survey shows that a number of Generation Y mobile device users will oppose company policies that restrict usage of personal mobile devices in workplace settings. Policy contravention among Generation Y mobile users might be high; however, this user group acknowledges that ensuring mobile security is their responsibility as well. “On the positive side, however, 88% of the respondents accept that they have an obligation to understand the security risks posed by using their own devices. Educating employees on the threat landscape and its possible impact is another key aspect for ensuring an organization’s IT security,” Maddison says.
To see the press release regarding the Fortinet global survey click on this link: https://www.fortinet.com/press_releases/2013/fortinet-global-survey-shows-employees-against-byod-policies.html


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Rami Levy's drone.
Will it be with you soon? (Photo: Moorg Bitan)
After during the summer the "Rami Levy Marketing Sycamore" group announced its intention to make deliveries using drones, a pilot for making commercial deliveries in an urban area is taking place at the chain's logistics center in Modi'in.
Deliveries will be made using a fleet of autonomous drones operated by Shob Highlander software.
As part of the pilot, in the first year the Rami Levy chain, the leading retailer in Israel, made deliveries by heavy logistics drones and air taxis. The chain recently purchased a third of the drone company Cando Drones. "The strategy is to
put the customer at the center," said Rami Levy, "through the drones." We intend to develop a system for managing deliveries by a fleet of autonomous drones, in which customers will be able to order deliveries via drones directly from our online ordering website or from the app and significantly shorten the waiting time for the customer, take the load off the roads, contribute to the environment and promote innovation."
Yiffit Levy Atias, Rami Levy's VP of Marketing, with a delivery drone (Photo: Moorg Bitan)
The network wants to be at the forefront of technology in the fields related to its activity.
The entry of 'Rami Levy Sycame Marketing' into the field of drone activity is another technological field, alongside the electronic wallet activity, the activity of independent cash registers, internet deliveries with an advanced ordering application, the mobile market and more.


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Angry Bird is world’s most played mobile game and with its popularity it is attracting not just players but also other business to cash in on its success. And the latest one to get attracted is mobile accessories makers.
Gear4, a mobile accessories maker, has launched a new line of iPod, iPhone and iPad cases designed with Angrybirds theme. And it has not just stopped at that, it will soon launch a mobile speaker with Angry Birds’ design. The prices of the cases start at Rs 800 and go up to Rs 2,500.
The T-shirts are also available with Angry Bird pictures which will cost you Rs 300. Soft toys of Angry Bird characters are also available starting from Rs 1,300 to Rs 5,500.
With the success of the game continuing unabated, we are likely to see more merchandise designed to lure Angry Birds fans.


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With a clear agenda of empowering women and producing sustainably, Carcel is pioneering the future of luxury fashion. The brand was founded by social entrepreneur Veronica D’Souza and designer Louise van Hauen in 2016 and merges Danish design traditions for high quality with a socially responsible production. Now, they are scaling up the impact having launched on Net-A-Porter on June 22nd this year.
Each Carcel garment is made by women in prison in order to empower them to obtain a crime-free future and break with poverty. As the young Danish brand continues to establish themselves on the global fashion scene, they are now joining the world’s leading high fashion labels at Net-A-Porter.
“We constantly ask ourselves how we can contribute to a future of fashion that empowers its producers and protects our planet without compromising on quality and material. Working with Net-A-Porter makes it possible for us to prove that a responsible production and desirable products can be both scalable and commercial”, says Veronica D’Souza, CEO and Founder of Carcel.
“It’s deeply rooted in our Danish design DNA to make pieces of long-lasting quality.”
In less than a year within its official launch, Carcel has already gained global recognition for its radically different model: transforming problems into solutions by re-evaluating every step of the supply chain. In addition to setting up productions in women’s prisons, the brand only uses 100% natural materials local to the country of production. The designs are made to last beyond seasons and launched in limited batches to eliminate stock and waste. The result are desirable, long-lasting and non-seasonal designs that are born classics.
“It’s deeply rooted in our Danish design DNA to make pieces of long-lasting quality. Our designs have an understated sporty reference with a certain elegance. They are to be worn effortlessly and are items that you can always pull out of the closet – no matter the season. And to me, the Milano Outfit and our Uni-Tee are exactly that”, says Louise van Hauen, Creative Director and Partner at Carcel.
Net-A-Porter are increasing their focus on sustainable and ethical labels, including Carcel, as part of a broader commitment by THE YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP, outlined in their responsibility statement: “We commit to leading sustainability developments in our industry and collaborating with brands and suppliers to improve practices”.
From June 22nd Carcel’s popular Uni-tee and the Milano Outfit will be available to Net-A-Porter’s global customer base, who in turn have the power to change the future of luxury fashion.


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Stocks that rallied over 10% included, Orient Bell(13.04%), Filatex India(12.96%), Wardwizard Innov(PP)(12.9%), Madhav Marbles(12.41%), Ponni Sugars(12.03%), Regency Investments(11.79%), Shri Keshav Cem(11.11%), Tiaan Ayurvedic & He(10.73%), PrismxGlobalVent(PP)(10.73%) and Sahara Housing(10.63%).
The 30-share Sensex traded 835.79 points up at 53809.63, while the 50-share Nifty index rose 255.5 points to 16097.8.
In the Nifty 50 index, 45 stocks traded in the green, while 5 stocks were in the red.
Stocks such as Gorani Ind, Honda Siel Power, Megastar Foods, Mehta Housing and Dhanlaxmi Fab hit their fresh 52-week high, while Life Insurance Corporation of India, Vista Pharma, Global Longlife Hospital and Research Ltd., Vaksons Automobiles and Future Enterprises (DVR)touched their new 52-week low in trade.
- Front Page
- Pure Politics
- ET Markets
- Apple: Need Solid Reason to Take Down Betting Apps
Apple has told Indian officials that it needs a "concrete reason or a legal requirement" to fully comply with the Centre’s directive to take down betting apps from its App Store, according to people directly aware of the matter.Political Stability Helping Drive Investments to India
Chip Bergh, the global chief executive of denim maker Levi Strauss & Co., said political stability has helped Indians stay optimistic about the future, driving consumer demand as well as investment by multinationals.FAME Electric 2-wheeler Beneficiary Tally Slashed
Nearly every second electric two-wheeler sold under the Centre’s ambitious ₹10,000-crore electric vehicle promotion scheme was based on false localisation claims, an investigation has found, said people with knowledge of the matter. This has prompted the government to slash its official sales tally, they said.
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NTL has again fallen foul of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which has now upheld complaints running into double figures against the cable firm this year.
Claims that NTL's digital service gave users access to "some of the world's best internet sites for free" angered customers, who discovered that this meant home shopping or advertising walled websites and not access to the world wide web as they had thought.
In all, only 60 websites can be accessed through NTL digital TV and only then in certain areas. NTL was also told to restrict its advertising to those areas where users could access the services offered.
An ASA spokeswoman said: "We will be discussing NTL's poor compliance record and be looking for signs that it is taking appropriate action."
The advertising watchdog has now advised NTL to submit future ads for vetting prior to publication. It could refer NTL to the Office of Fair Trading.
Meanwhile, Orange was criticised for not adjusting ads claiming that its network could transfer data three times quicker than its rivals.
The ASA pointed out that this was no longer true once Vodafone's GPRS network was launched, which occurred during Orange's campaign, and that the ads should have been changed. That Orange's network used different technology was no defence, the body ruled.
However, it was only Orange's second offence within the last year and the telco will not have to have its ads vetted.
Cotton seedling freezes to death as Chang'e-4 shuts down for the Moon's 14-day lunar night
Fortnite easily out-earns PUBG, Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018
Meteor showers as a service will be visible for about 100 kilometres in all directions
Saturn's rings only formed in the past 100 million years, suggests analysis of Cassini space probe data
New findings contradict conventional belief that Saturn's rings were formed along with the planet about 4.5 billion years ago


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| Jan 30, 2012
E. coli O157:H7 is one of the biggest villains in food safety circles, made famous by the 1993 Jack in the Box hamburger outbreak and by later food poisoning cases, including the 2006 spinach outbreak.
But even as bagged-greens companies perfect their...
| Jan 29, 2012
What started out as an effort to gradually downsize large business signs may end up shrinking those golden arches, along with other hallmarks of fast food chains across Glendale.
After tabling the matter in October, the Glendale City Council this week...
| Sep 19, 2012
| 7:30 AM
Five Guys Burgers and Fries topped a new survey of favorite burger chains, leaving bigger chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King in the dust.
Market Force Information questioned 7,600 consumers, calculated the fan favorite based on total votes...
| Sep 28, 2012
| 6:06 AM
A drive-thru was hit by a drive-by shooting when a customer fired through the window of an Auburn Jack in the Box Friday morning, Auburn police said.
The suspect drove up to the drive-thru window at the 315 15th Street NE restaurant at 2:54 a.m. He...
| Feb 15, 2012
| 1:08 PM
In one of the more unfortunate cases of a company living up to its name, a man dining at the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas had exactly what was on the menu: A heart attack.
The diner was eating a “Triple Bypass Burger” -- including 1.5...
| Feb 16, 2012
| 9:58 AM
LA MESA, Calif. -- A man armed with a box cutter injured a cook while robbing a fast-food restaurant in La Mesa early Thursday, police said.
The armed robbery at the Jack in the Box restaurant at 6140 Lake Murray Blvd. was reported about 1:45 a.m.,...
| Aug 1, 2012
| 1:04 PM
7:30-9:30 a.m.: Women's Surf (Round 4, Heats 1-4), Surf Stadium
8 a.m.-6 p.m.: Nike U.S. Open Retail Store, Merchandise Kiosks Open Retail Store
9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.: Nike U.S. Open Score Card Festival Village
9-11 a.m.: Converse Open Skate...
| Feb 29, 2012
| 11:34 AM
Consumers tend to have a better time at fast-food chains such as Chick-fil-A and Subway than they do at many other types of companies, according to a new survey that rates customer experiences.
Research firm Temkin Group ranked more than 200 companies...
| Mar 8, 2012
| 3:59 PM
It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Laguna Beach, and my boys were holed up in the house, so I started to kick them outside when I stopped myself.
One was laughing loudly with a group of online friends while playing a game. Another was Skyping with...
| Mar 9, 2012
| 1:05 AM
Every day, inspectors in white hats and coats take up positions at every one of the nation's slaughterhouses, eyeballing the hanging carcasses of cows and chickens as they shuttle past on elevated rails, looking for bruises, tumors and signs of...
| Apr 19, 2012
| 7:26 PM
Life isn't fair. I get it.
Growing up, this was pointed out pretty much every time my sisters and I fought.
When we whined about one getting something another didn't, my parents would point out that life does not dole out everything equally. However, my...


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Following the recent launch of the Redmi Note 13 5G in India, information about its price in Europe has been posted on online stores. In addition to the price, the listing also includes information about the specifications of the Redmi Note 13 5G, which is headed to Europe. Here are all the details.
Specifications of Redmi Note 13 5G (global model)
According to the listing, the Note 13 5G has a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and a resolution of 1080p. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Under the hood of both devices is an octa-core Dimensity 6080 chipset made on a 6 nm process technology. The chipset is accompanied by a 5,000 mAh battery with 33W wired charging support. Like the Indian variant, the European model will also launch with MIUI 14 based on Android 13, rather than HyperOS based on Android 14.
The phone has a triple camera on the back, consisting of a 108-megapixel main sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle unit and a 2-megapixel macro camera. The front panel has a 16-megapixel selfie camera. Aldi Talk, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), has listed the only Redmi Note 13 5G model in Europe with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
While Aldi Talk currently prices the device at €279, Xiaomi is expected to offer multiple memory options, which will lead to price changes. It is speculated that the entry-level variant could start at €229 with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The Redmi Note 13 5G is expected to be available in Europe and other markets on January 15. Stay tuned for more information about this newest addition to Xiaomi’s smartphone lineup.


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When he became CEO of satellite communications company Inmarsat on January 1, Rupert Pearce immediately had a full inbox. After taking on the role of CEO on January 1, Pearce will oversee the company’s restructuring, which aims to consolidate the company’s recent acquisitions.
Inmarsat announced a new corporate structure at the start of the year. As part of the process, some of its biggest recent acquisitions, including Stratos Global and Ship Equip, are now being integrated into the main company and will start to use the Inmarsat brand.
“With me coming on board as CEO I think it was the right time to start thinking about integrating the businesses more powerfully,” Pearce says. He adds that when Inmarsat made the acquisitions, it allowed them to continue to run as separate entities for various reasons.
Stratos, a global provider of mobile and fixed satellite communications solutions and one of Inmarsat’s two largest distributors, was acquired in April 2009. This was followed with the purchase in January 2010 of Segovia, a provider of secure IP-based managed solutions to the US Government, and leading VSAT provider Ship Equip last year.
The biggest of the acquisitions was Stratos. Prior to this acquisition, all of Inmarsat’s sales had been made through channel partners, including Stratos, and it was keen to convince its partners that the deal did not signal a change of strategy away from working with channel partners.
“Stratos was a business that basically doubled us in size in terms of headcount and we left it well alone because we wanted to convince the channel that any steps we were going to take were going to be gradual and incremental, and we wanted to show them that this wasn’t a first step towards going predominantly direct, and I think we have achieved that over the last 2-3 years,” Pearce says.
Inmarsat acquired Ship Equip International, a provider of VSAT maritime communications services to the shipping, offshore oil and gas and fishing markets, in March last year. “We did that for strategic reasons,” Pearce says. He add Inmarsat “wanted a bridge” into maritime VSAT which it sees as an exciting area for its fifth generation of satellites, Global Xpress, which are due to be launched in 2013. Global Xpress, which will operate on the Ka-band, will offer downlink speeds of up to 50Mbps, and up to 5Mbps over the uplink, from compact user terminals.
“We wanted access to knowledge, skills, intellectual property to help us design Global Express maritime, which we got. They [Ship Equip] have 1000 ships under contract and those ships will be migrated to Global Express…to ensure the launch is very powerful,” he says.
“What we are doing through the restructuring is taking all of the market facing capabilities around the Inmarsat Group – sales, marketing and delivery, everything from the early product marketing through to installation and customer service and support – and bringing it together in one place under the name Inmarsat Solutions.
Under the restructured organisation, Inmarsat Solutions becomes responsible for all global direct and indirect sales, marketing and delivery, through four new market-facing business units: Maritime, focusing on worldwide commercial maritime opportunities; Government US, focusing on US government opportunities, both military and civil; Government Global, focusing on worldwide non-US civil and military government; and Enterprise, focusing on worldwide enterprise, energy, media, carriers, commercial aviation and M2M opportunities. Pearce says that the enterprise division is effectively an “amalgam of smaller but high growth business units” that fall under enterprise. He expects that some of these business units could experience rapid growth and eventually be spun out under their own business units. “We don’t expect those business units to sit within enterprise forever. We expect them to be high growth,” he says. “As a rule of thumb, once one of those sub business units gets to $100 million revenue a year, we will probably spin it out in its own business unit.
“We are creating market facing business units and we are trying to make them as entrepreneurial as possible, so we are putting one person in charge of each of those business units.”
Pearce says the idea behind the restructuring is best summed up by three words: “proximity, agility, efficiency”. “Because we haven’t integrated these acquisitions, when we look at what we do across the group, we find that there is quite a lot of duplication, in terms of going to market, technology infrastructure and we feel it makes sense to be as efficient as possible,” he says.
“The other two are more profound. By proximity I mean proximity to the markets we serve and to the customers we serve, and we wanted to create an organization that is focused in a laser-like way on the customer and the markets we serve,” he adds.
Investing for growth
Inmarsat’s collaboration with channel partners is “natural” according to Pearce, not least because the company tends to invest “very large amounts” in infrastructure about every five to 10 years. “In 2005 we came to the end of a $1.5 billion investment in our fourth generation satellites, which will last us deep into the 2020s, bringing internet protocol technology to the satellite market and bringing broadband services for the first time to the world in the form of a laptop sized device that is completely portable and delivers 500 kbps up and down. That was a revolution that happened in 2005,” he said.
Inmarsat’s fifth generation satellite programme, which is called Global Xpress, is also coming close to fruition. These satellites, which are due to be launched in about 18 months, will take Inmarsat into KA band. “This will deliver another step change in services,” Pearce says.
Stressing the importance of Inmarsat’s channel partners, Pearce says that these companies also add flexibility and value to its services “in a very powerful and agile way”.
“They actually take that service and turn it into a customer solution and in doing that they can add value, differentiate themselves in the market and align a capability to the needs of the customer in a very tailored way which adds value to everyone, particularly the customer,” he says.
The channel partners competetence also helps to give customers greater choice and better value. “When you are a customer for our services, you want to make sure you have got best value and if you see people competing for your custom, you realise that you are going to get best value through that competitive process. We are very happy to see that whole retail network taking our service and adding value to it and positioning it powerfully in the market. That has been our model for 30 years.”


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Coffee is one of the commodities the Government has lined up as a major foreign income earner.
Information from the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) shows that a total of 457,244 60-kilo bags of coffee valued at $ 67.10m were exported in October 2022.
In addition to fetching the country more money, the Government also wants to increase household incomes among the smallholder coffee farmers.
By adding value, smaller sizes of coffee or screens below size 13 that exporters reject can be processed into other products that will earn farmers additional income.
One way through which smallholder farmers can earn from coffee is through value addition.
According to coffee experts attending the expo, value addition can be applied along the entire coffee value chain.
For example, Joseph Nkandu, the executive director of the National Union of Coffee Agribusinesses and Farm Enterprises Ltd (NUCAFE), who is training farmers on how to add value to coffee at the ongoing Harvest Money Expo, advised farmers on various ways of adding value to it.
One can roast, grind or pound the coffee and then package it as beans that can be eaten as snacks.
These can be carried to places with coffee grinders, and packaged in small units to be sold at sh500. The farmer will not only have earned from the coffee, but its shelf life will have increased.
Smallholder farmers can also be assured of daily income, which will then improve their livelihoods.
This is one of the reasons President Museveni has, on several occasions, advocated for coffee value addition. For one to get quality beans for value addition, they have to choose the right size screen.
For instance, the beans should be uniform, of the same size, and roasted at the right temperatures.
“To have a final quality product, the coffee should be kept away from perfumes, paraffin, chilly because these affect its aroma and taste,” Edward Lutakome, a trainer from Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).


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Source: Dow Jones News Service, July 22, 2019
Posted on: https://www.advisen.com
Bayer AG, the German pharmaceuticals and chemicals group battling legal claims over its Roundup herbicide, said Monday it would sell its Dr. Scholl’s foot-care business to Yellow Wood Partners for $585 million.
The unit is one of a series of assets Bayer marked for disposal last fall, aiming to boost profitability and repair damaged investor confidence in the overall company.
Boston-based private-equity firm Yellow Wood said it would create a stand-alone company for Dr. Scholl’s, which reported sales of $234 million in 2018.
Shares of Bayer listed in Frankfurt were mostly flat at EUR59.73 in afternoon trading Monday.
Bayer has been under pressure for the last year as it contends with litigation from more than 13,000 U.S. plaintiffs who claim the weedkiller Roundup caused their cancer. Over the past year, Bayer has lost three jury trials in California.
Bayer’s failure to foresee the scale of the legal liability attached to Roundup when it acquired its owner Monsanto Co. last year caused a powerful backlash among large Bayer investors who passed a rare no-confidence vote in management at the company’s last general meeting.
Partly in reaction to the criticism, Bayer said in June it would seek outside legal help and form a special supervisory board committee to oversee the company’s legal approach to the lawsuits.
Bayer said in May it would sell its Coppertone sunscreen brands to German consumer-care group Beiersdorf AG for $550 million.
The sales come as Bayer aims to trim 12,000 jobs, or 10% of its workforce, to pare costs.


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After a long period of anticipation Disney has finally announced its mammoth streaming service, that will be rivaling giants such as Netflix & Amazon Prime Video. Due to hit North America in November of this year, can this century old powerhouse become one of the leaders of the not only the big screen, but the small screen too?
Taking place at Sound Stage 2, at the company’s iconic Los Angeles hub, the firm chose a very fitting place to announce Disney+. The set that Mary Poppins was made, and latterly Pirates of the Carribean, both films heralded advances in technology, which is exactly what Disney are presenting with their latest offering. Comprising of a long list fan favorite franchises such as Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel Studios, and National Geographic, Disney looks to be an absolute streaming juggernaut, that nerds and nostalgia fiends everywhere will be bathing in.
On day one nearly ALL of each franchise / studio’s back catalogs will be available, including all the core Disney family favourite films. Bob Iger and Chief Executive at Disney also gave a preview of the new content provided on the streaming service, which includes 10 brand new movies, and 25 different series. The stars of which boast to be multiple Marvel Universe series including Loki starring Tom Hiddleston, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, starring Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, WandaVision starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany and Hawkeye with Jeremey Renner.
And if that’s not enough to tickle your taste buds, there will also be a new live action Star Wars series titled The Mandalorian, brought to life by Iron Man director Jon Favreau. It is set after the events of Return of the Jedi and before the Force Awakens, after the fall of the Empire and prior to the emergence of The First Order. It follows a lone gunfighter who travels to the far reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic, and will be available for you to stream from day one. There will also be another Star Wars series that’s yet to be named, but it will be a prequel to Rogue One and will feature Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk.
Among other original films and series coming to Disney+ in its first year, will be a live action Lady and the Tramp, a new Phineas and Ferb movie and a Monsters, Inc series reprising Billy Crystal and John Goodman in their roles as Sully and Mike Wazowski called Monsters at Work, which is set 6 months after the end of Monsters, Inc.
With its its recent $70bn purchase of 20th Century Fox, and also welcoming the likes of Malcom in the Middle and the first 30 seasons of The Simpsons to its ranks, Disney have not been shy in getting out the chequebook of late. However, in the new unveiling of this streaming service like 1movies, they have promised that subscribers to Disney+ won’t have to shell out. With a monthly cost coming out at $6.99 and the yearly being $69.99, this works out $2.00 cheaper than the lowest monthly subscription Netflix offers, and will certainly be challenging Apple TV’s payment plan idea’s, when they launch their subscription site later this year.
So with all that to offer, it was no surprise that Disney shares went through the roof after the announcement of Disney+. The real challenge now facing Bob Iger and “his biggest priority”, is getting the rights back to the content sold to the other platforms prior to Disney’s plan to launch their own, taking as long as four years until some deals expire. However with the new content Disney are looking to bring, as well as its plethora of existing content, fans and family’s alike will no doubt be signing up come November 12th. The question is, will you switch to The House of Mouse?


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Consumer-grade Internet of Things (IoT) devices continue to multiply within enterprise networks, according to a new report out today that shows these IoT devices open up organizations to a wide range of attacks.
With data pulled from more than 1,000 enterprise organizations running one or more IoT devices in its network, the “2019 IoT Threats Report” study was conducted by researchers at Zscaler ThreatLabZ. Their goal was to survey the IoT attack surface within typical enterprises by looking at IoT device footprints over the course of a one-month period. It found that the organizations under study were running 270 different IoT device profiles from 153 different IoT manufacturers. All told, these devices pumped out 56 million device transactions over the course of a single month.
For the most part, all of that IoT data is flying around in the clear. Researchers found that 91.5% of IoT transactions are conducted over a plaintext channel, and a scant 18% of IoT devices running that use SSL exclusively to communicate in enterprise settings.
Read more: Dark Reading


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Payments & financial services company Square, Inc. has chosen Amrita Ahuja its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Ahuja is currently CFO at Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Activision Blizzard. Ahuja has had also served as SVP of Investor Relations and VP of Finance and Operations among other roles during her eight-year long tenure at Activision Blizzard.
Ahuja will take over from Sarah Friar, who announced that she was stepping down from her position as Square CFO in October. CEO Jack Dorsey indicated in a press release that Square has found a new leader in Ahuja. "Amrita brings the ability to consider and balance opportunities across our entire business, and she will help strengthen our discipline as we invest, build, and scale," Dorsey said. Dorsey highlighted Ahuja’s entrepreneurial qualities in a statement to CNBC.


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Veteran toy industry executive brings licensing expertise to PlayMonster.
May 3, 2021
PlayMonster has announced the appointment of Hollie Holmes to the role of global licensing head, effective immediately.
In this newly created role, Holmes will oversee the company’s global licensing business with an emphasis on the development and expansion of new IP across new and existing categories. She will report to Scott Flynn, vice president, sales and marketing, PlayMonster.
“Hollie brings vast experience and demonstrated success in building strong licensing programs that impact business in a meaningful way,” says Flynn. “It’s a whole new level of focus for us that we expect will not only amplify our existing portfolio but open more doors to exciting new opportunities.”
Holmes has more than 20 years of consumer products experience in identifying, securing and implementing partnerships with leading global entertainment, gaming, celebrity, influencers, toy, automotive and pop-culture brands. She has a long history of developing and maintaining strong executive relationships and is a collaborative partner, negotiating global agreements to increase brand awareness, profitability and sales.
“Hollie is one of the most widely respected and visionary executives in the licensing industry today, and we couldn’t be happier that Hollie chose to continue her career with PlayMonster,” says Tim Kilpin, president, PlayMonster.
Most recently, Holmes served as senior director, strategic development: global licensing acquisitions and entertainment partnerships, Mattel, where she was responsible for entertainment partnerships and license acquisitions across Mattel’s global portfolio. She oversaw the acquisitions for hundreds of licenses each year, negotiating and executing agreements with partners and evaluating and acquiring new content in various stages of development.
“Working with Tim previously at Mattel was an incredible experience, and I’ve always known I wanted to work with him again,” says Holmes. “Scott, and the entire PlayMonster team are innovative, fun, known as a great partner and incredibly agile, which I’ve learned brings the term ‘moving quickly’ to a whole new level. I’m thrilled at the opportunity to help expand our focus and accelerate growth for the PlayMonster team.”
Read more about:PlayMonster
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