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Books – Mustafa Eid:
The prices of many basic commodities and raw materials have witnessed remarkable increases in recent months and weeks, including iron, copper, fodder, aluminum, petroleum, oils, and wheat, which portends a large global inflationary wave that has begun to emerge and is expected to be reflected more and clearer during the coming period. Especially on final product prices and inflation rates.
In Egypt, some commodity prices have already begun to rise due to this increase, such as iron, some electrical appliances, fodder, flour, coffee, and other commodities, but the biggest impact it seems from analysts’ and experts’ expectations has not yet been reflected on inflation in Egypt, which is expected to be Slightly different compared to other economies, especially developed ones.
In this report, Masrawy tries to understand the reasons for the rise of these commodities and raw materials globally during the recent period, and how the impact of this rise could be reflected on price inflation and consumption in Egypt.
Why are prices of commodities and raw materials rising globally?
Ayman Abu Hind, investment expert, founder and investment manager at Adviseball Holding, sees that it comes at the top of the reasons behind the rise in the prices of raw materials and commodities globally, the reopening of many economies after a great distance in vaccinating citizens in these countries, which raised the demand for materials Crude with the return of economic activity.
Abu Hind told Masrawy that this coincided with the inability of the producers of raw materials to quickly absorb these requests because they did not expect the demand for them to return so quickly, as their estimates were that this would happen at the end of this year.
He stated that this resulted in a large difference between demand and supply, which resulted in a rise in many prices of raw materials and basic commodities. Despite that, demand does not decline due to the increase in prices, in order for manufacturers to cover the demands for their products. In the end, the increase in raw materials prices will be passed on to the final consumer. .
Muhammad Abu Basha, deputy head of the research department at Hermes Investment Bank, told Masrawy that the rise in commodity and raw materials prices is due to the beginnings of recovery in part of the most important economies in the world, such as China, the United States and Britain, which is due to the expansion of the spread of vaccines against the Corona virus.
He added that this means that these countries will complete the opening of their economies soon after they began to partially open, and this is reflected in the rise in economic activity and demand.
Abu Basha stated that by doing so, he will benefit from the stimulus packages that were injected during the last period, especially in the advanced economies, part of which was cash directed to individuals, and with the opening of the economies, these funds will be spent in the markets, thus raising the demand for goods and products.
Abu Hind explained that part of the current demand for raw materials and basic commodities is due to the producers’ desire to obtain more than their needs for the purpose of storage, for fear of a greater shortage of these raw materials, and thus the inability of these producers to meet the demands they have for the products.
He pointed out that the recent global increase in demand for raw materials is mainly due to the increase in demand in China, Southeast Asia and some other countries such as India – before the recent setback in the face of the spread of the Corona virus – and not only the opening and resumption of activity in the European and American economies.
Muhammad Abu Basha believes that coinciding with the high demand in some countries, there were problems related to the accumulation of demands on companies and the difficulty of meeting them through the speed of supply, which generates pressure on these companies because there are already problems related to supply since the period of closing economies, which coincides with the already high demand In the current period, which was evident in the shortage of electronic chips for the auto industry.
The inability of companies to supply at the same speed of orders results in gaps that represent pressure on companies, which leads to higher prices, in addition to the impact of other factors such as transportation bottlenecks, the issue is like a “domino” game, and imbalances in the elements of the production and consumer process began to appear with the start of the return The request, according to Abu Basha.
Abu Basha said that inflation figures have already begun to rise in some countries in recent months, including the United States last month, especially with the fear of the inflationary wave that has already begun.
He added that there is also a surge in demand from some producers for some raw materials in order to want to store them due to fears of the shortage in them, which puts pressure on their prices. At the same time, these producers cannot get what they want from the raw materials, and eventually these increases will move to prices final goods to the consumer.
Abu Basha stated that there are a number of primary commodities whose prices have increased significantly during the last period, such as iron, aluminum, copper, as well as petroleum, and contributed to the rise of some of these commodities, as China’s attempts to store quantities of them in order to meet the requests related to them, especially with the recovery that it began to witness in the last period in a way earlier than other large economies.
How long will this wave last?
Ayman Abu Hind said that there are two scenarios for the period of the inflationary wave that hits the prices of basic commodities and raw materials globally, one of which is expected to be temporary, and the other believes that it may continue.
He added that it is likely that the first scenario will occur, that this inflation will be temporary, and with the increase in supply and coverage of high demand in the coming period, prices will be controlled.
Abu Hind stated that the second scenario is that prices will continue to rise for a while in order for producers to compensate for the losses they suffered in 2020, coinciding with the beginning of the repercussions of the Corona crisis, and then prices will decrease with time.
This scenario may include an increase in the prices of all products globally, which leads to a large inflation wave that results in a decline in demand and thus a decrease in prices after that, according to Abu Hind.
Muhammad Abu Basha expects this inflationary wave to continue globally until next year, with a maximum ending in late 2022.
He pointed out that the continuation of this wave is related to the speed of vaccination with Corona vaccines around the world, especially in emerging countries, which are currently witnessing a slowdown in this process, and thus, with time, the gap between supply and demand will be healed, with the opening of economies in all countries.
How will this inflationary wave affect prices in Egypt and when?
Abu Hind believes that the impact of the external inflation wave will start to appear and reflect on consumer prices in Egypt by the end of next June and that it will be temporary, but Abu Basha expects that the peak of the high inflation rates in Egypt will be affected by this imported wave at the end of this year and the beginning of the new year.
The two experts agreed that Egypt’s impact on this wave will not be significant, as the average inflation rates, according to their expectations, will range between 6 and 8%, which is consistent with the Central Bank’s inflation targets at 7%, with an increase or decrease of 2% during the last quarter of 2022, and also lower. From the general average of inflation rates in the past two decades between 9 and 11%.
Abu Hind said that it is expected that the increase in the international prices of raw materials will be reflected in the raw materials entering the industry in some sectors in Egypt, but not all, including the increase in prices in a number of commodities that have already occurred, such as iron, cement, bricks and fodder.
He completely ruled out that Egypt will go through the same inflationary wave that it was exposed to after the flotation or even close to it, and it is likely that the annual inflation rates in Egypt under this wave will not exceed the 8% level and that it will be temporary and will not exceed 8%, because the external inflationary wave will not transfer with its full effect to the Egyptian market.
While Abu Basha believes that this wave will be reflected in the prices of commodities in Egypt and emerging countries gradually, especially with the continued impact of the repercussions of the Corona crisis and the slowdown in recovery in light of the slow movement of vaccination and the absence of strong stimulus packages, and thus consumption was affected in the recent period.
He said, “The increases have affected almost all basic commodities, and it is expected that its impact will take time in emerging countries, including Egypt, which will cause delays in passing the increases to the prices of final products, and also that this happens gradually and does not represent a pressure on the consumer.”
Abu Basha expected that the peak of this effect would be with the start of a recovery in consumption, which is expected not to occur before the end of this year and the beginning of next year, and its strength will be related to the strength of this recovery, but the average inflation rate in general will not exceed 6% at this peak and the rises will be gradual.
Other factors that help prevent Egypt from being affected by the force of this wave
Muhammad Abu Basha said that there are other factors that will help prevent inflation rates in Egypt from making a big jump at the height of being affected by this inflationary wave, including the low inflation rates that Egypt has witnessed during the past and current years, which range between 4 and 7%, especially since it did not exceed this 5% level. year so far.
He added that among these factors is also the presence of a stock of raw materials in some companies, and thus the ability to pass the increase in raw materials prices gradually to the final goods in a way that does not lead to large price hikes at once, with the purchase of new materials gradually in the coming period with the end of the stock Present.
Companies may also resort, coinciding with passing the price increase gradually, to other financial measures related to reducing costs in order to be able to bear part of this increase without passing it on to the consumer, who may not bear large increases in prices once, especially after the price hikes during the years that witnessed the implementation of the program Economic reform, according to Abu Pasha.
He pointed out that one of these factors is also the provision of quantities of food commodities whose prices have risen globally in a subsidized manner for the owners of ration cards in Egypt, which contributes to the fact that the increases in their prices do not fully affect the Egyptian consumer.
The fact that the prices of gasoline and diesel did not drop significantly during the significant drop in oil prices last year contributed to the fact that they were not raised significantly locally last month and thus did not have a noticeable impact on inflation, according to Abu Basha.
Also, the prices of other non-food commodities that may rise in the coming months as a result of this wave, such as cars or electrical appliances, will not affect the inflation rate significantly due to the lower relative weight of these commodities in the index, according to a macroeconomic analyst.
Does the expected rise in inflation rates in Egypt affect consumption and interest?
Ayman Abu Hind expects that the expected rise in inflation rates will not have a significant impact on consumption in Egypt, because it is already affected by the measures and crises that it has been exposed to during the last stage, the latest of which is the repercussions of the Corona pandemic, and therefore it has almost reached the peak of its impact, and no new inflationary wave will have a noticeable impact on it. .
He ruled out that the economy would be affected by the expected inflationary wave significantly, given that the effect of any wave of this type is focused on the consumption side, which is already affected in the case of Egypt, and therefore there is no room to absorb more repercussions, but the effect that may occur is to prolong the period that may take Consumption for recovery.
Abu Hind also ruled out the significant impact on the consumption of basic food commodities and the impact of this wave on low-income earners, due to the fact that the prices of these commodities did not rise as strongly as some other raw materials and commodities, in addition to the fact that part of these commodities that reach low-income people is subsidized.
He explained that even if some food commodities are affected in some way, this effect will be reflected on the way of consumption in general and not on their consumption because they are necessary commodities, and therefore some families may be forced to dispense with other commodities for some time in exchange for maintaining the same level of consumption of these commodities.
He pointed out that the biggest impact may be on some sectors, including electronics, iron and steel, cement, as well as pharmaceuticals, among others, in light of the fact that the non-oil private sector is already suffering from a relative stagnation, which is what the PMI shows.
Muhammad Abu Basha expects that the expected rise in inflation rates in Egypt during the coming period will not necessitate raising interest rates in the Central Bank.
He said that even after inflation reaches its peak, Egypt will provide a positive real return in the range of 3% or a little less (compared to about 4% or more currently), which will be higher than the general average, which is supposed to range between 1 and 2%.


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The U.S. Justice Department and the state of California have filed suit against eBay, saying former CEO Meg Whitman colluded with Intuit founder Scott Cook in an agreement not to poach each other’s employees.
Intuit was not targeted because it was part of a 2010 antitrust settlement with the Justice Department that included similar claims against Adobe, Apple, Google, Intel and Pixar.
The federal lawsuit claims that between 2006 and 2009 or later, recruiters for eBay were instructed to disregard resumes from Intuit employees, Reuters reports.
Joseph Wayland, the Justice Department’s acting antitrust chief, is quoted at Siliconvalley.com as saying:
eBay’s agreement with Intuit hurt employees by lowering the salaries and benefits they might have received and deprived them of better job opportunities at the other company.>
The federal lawsuit against eBay was filed Friday in San Jose federal court. California Attorney General Kamala Harris also filed a separate lawsuit against eBay Friday, saying:
The pact harmed employees and it harmed competition. If California is going to continue to be the high-tech capital of the world, we can’t allow anticompetitive conduct that prevents talent from going where it’s put to its highest use.
Harris’s announcement says that California law contains stronger protections against anti-competitive behavior than federal law.
eBay says it will vigorously defend itself against the allegations.
“The DOJ is taking an overly aggressive interpretation in their enforcement of antitrust law in this area,” eBay spokeswoman Lara Wyss is quoted as saying.

domain: news


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Absa is making a raft of changes to its top management position to refocus its strategy towards being more customer centric.
Browsing: Arrie Rautenbach
Absa has appointed long-serving executive Arrie Rautenbach as its new CEO, replacing Daniel Mminele, who resigned last year after clashing with the banking group’s board.
Barclays Africa Group, South Africa’s third biggest bank, will split into four operating units as the lender outlines its growth strategy after the sale by its UK parent. The Johannesburg-based firm will separate retail
Absa on Thursday launched Features Store, a new platform it says will give its customers full control over their own transactional banking needs. The online platform is intended to be a one-stop shop where Absa clients can acquire new banking
Absa and Telkom are cosying up over broadband. The two companies said on Monday that they had signed a collaboration agreement in terms of which Telkom will offer Absa customers rewards when subscribing to Telkom’s broadband products. The agreement
Absa has released its transactional banking application for BlackBerry devices, but only for those phones running the older BlackBerry 5, 6 and 7 operating systems. The bank already has apps for iPhone and Android and recently launched a version for BlackBerry’s new Z10 smartphone, which is powered
Three weeks ago, in mid-April, Absa became the last of South Africa’s big banks to launch a mobile transactional banking application for smartphones and tablets, beating at the finish line by First National Bank, Standard Bank, Nedbank and Investec. But Absa, South Africa’s
Banking group Absa has launched its first mobile bank branch on a trial basis in the rural town of Idutywa in the Eastern Cape, where the bank’s bricks-and-mortar branch was destroyed in a fire. The “Branch on the move” concept is designed to simulate
Banking group Absa has launched a product aimed at tech-savvy young professionals. Called Potentiate, it includes a new bank card with a digital display for showing one-time Pin numbers. The product promises various loyalty benefits and those taking it up can opt to purchase an
SA consumers have all but abandoned the chequebook as a means of payment, with corporate use declining severely in recent years, as technology takes over. Apart from the obvious security problems with cheques, the lower cost and added convenience of electronic channels mean chequebooks could soon join audio


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Kuala Lumpur (The Star/ANN) - An online survey by Nielsen shows consumer confidence in Malaysia rose four points to an index of 111 in the second quarter.
It also shows that the country advanced to fifth place from seventh among the 56 countries surveyed in terms of confidence level, after Indonesia (120), India (119), the Philippines (116) and Saudi Arabia (115).
The survey of consumer confidence and spending intentions had been conducted in May and polled about 28,000 online consumers in 56 countries throughout Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and North America.
"Several developments have prompted an upbeat attitude among Malaysians," said Nielsen Malaysia managing director Richard Hall in a statement.
"Inflation grew at a slower pace since February, the ringgit outperformed Asian currencies in the first four months of the year, corporate earnings showed a favorable outlook for 2012 and manufacturing output picked up pace in February, March and April."
Nielsen said despite the optimism shown in several indicators, the movement of the fast-moving consumer goods showed a slowdown year-on-year in the last three months.
It said although May sales grew 2.8 per cent month-on-month, with 67 categories reporting growth, sales were stagnant in May 2012 compared with May 2011.
"The trends actually indicate that optimism does not necessarily translate into spending, as Malaysians are among the highest savers in world.
"The survey shows that almost three out of five (59 per cent) online respondents actually saved their spare cash. Consumers are holding back spending and deferring purchasing plans amid uncertainties with their "wait-and-see" attitude," said Hall.
Nielsen noted that there was evidence of consumers holding back their expenses by controlling household budgets after paying off essential living expenses.
"There are 10 online respondents who actually claimed that they would still continue to cut down on out-of-home entertainment to manage their budget even in the event that economic conditions improved," it said.
The survey also showed that the state of the economy remains the biggest concern for consumers surveyed.


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The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has the green light to collect new data on the pricing of so-called special access services, the middle-mile network services used to deliver business broadband and mobile service backhaul.
Digital rights group Public Knowledge will file net neutrality complaints against each of the four largest mobile carriers in the U.S. over their practice of throttling some traffic, in some cases on so-called unlimited data plans.
Mobile carriers have pulled in hundreds of millions in profits through third-party charges tacked onto customers' bills without their consent, according to a report from a U.S. Senate committee.
A majority of AT&T's new smartphone customers are now choosing a plan where they pay for their phones over time, helping to drive strong second-quarter financial results, the carrier said.
The most successful wearable devices will be ones that can work without a phone, and AT&T will have at least one of them by the end of this year, the man who manages the carrier's partnerships said.
When users had unlimited data there was no reason to be concerned with how or where that data was being consumed. Since AT&T dropped unlimited data in favor of tiered data caps, though, users have struggled to understand data usage, and now AT&T is f...
HTC's just-released Android smartphone, the HTC One, offers high-quality hardware, an outstanding camera and stunning design. But the device isn't without its drawbacks.
I've written before that it seems like HTC was due for a win one of these days (even though the rumors about the M7 were a bit off) and it sure looks like they've done pretty well for themselves with the new HTC One, which was rolled out Tuesday in N...
BlackBerry's new Z10 smartphone offers a superior display, great navigation and interesting BYOD features. But is it too little, too late?
With the U.S. presidential election on Tuesday, it's fair to say that technology policy hasn't risen to the top of the agenda in the debate between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
Samsung's Galaxy Note II is big, bright and powerful, with a number of new features. Here's an in-depth look at where it excels -- and where it falls short.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.


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Accra Fashion Week 2019 Summer Harmattan is slated for 2nd-6th October. And one feature that everyone looks forward to in the Summer Harmattan edition is the Face Of Accra Fashion Week model competition.
Face Of Accra Fashion Week had its humble beginning once upon a time in 2016 upon the launch of the first ever Accra Fashion Week. The price offered was a 2000ghs cash prize, management by Confidence Models and have their face plastered on billboards for all further promotion of Accra Fashion Week.
The organization has stuck to those rules making the winners some of the most noted fashion faces on Ghana and from Ghana. However with the rise of instagram in Ghana, in 2019 there has been a lot of progression in the world of modelling.
Models are crossing bounderies with popularity, engaging in massive international shows, and much more. The most current winner to date is Beatrice Eli, who has almost every major Accra Fashion Week show under her belt as well as a fascinating amount of editorials. She recently shot for VOGUE magazine and will show up in the upcoming September issue.
With consistent push, there is a high chance we should expect to see her walk the runway in a western country shortly. Organisers have had difficulty with this issue as visa’s are not the easiest process to execute when it comes to Ghanaians visiting the west.
However all that may come to a change outlined in the reasons why this year might just be the tightest experience for girls in the Face Of Accra Fashion Week competition.
To start of with, there are some heavy hitters, when it comes to fashion model within the competition. In many cases, the winner for the competition has always been fairly obvious, if not from the start, closer to the end. That is not the case this year, the is a well rounded number of models all of which have very strong points.
In addition, this year edition will be hosted by NIVEA the world’s biggest skin care brand who will also be looking for a beautiful flawless skin model.
If you think that wasn’t tight enough, there will be a judge flown in from a popular milan agency that will play the role of a lead judge guaranteeing the the winner representation in Italy. So expect a fierce, Tyra Banks style competition.


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QMobile has introduced its new flagship mobile, D10 in Pakistani market. This newly launched handset has the features of 2.4 inch TFT LCD display with VGA back side camera. This smart phone is added with dual SIM slots with the video and audio players and it comes in the market with 3.5 mm headphone jack.
The smart phone, D10 has the microSD card slot and it supports up the 16 GB memory, which can be extended and it makes the smart phone different from other feature phones and it has 4 LED flash light.
This handset is the utility based feature phones and excellent for those, who use flash light often. It is the utility based smart phone and it is also added with LED torch. This smart phone is powered by 1800 mAh battery and D10 can last for several days and this smart phone is available in black color and it is also provided with the price tag of Rs.1725/-


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Local stock highlight: Paychex Inc.
Observers from both Wall Street and Main Street will be watching Paychex Inc. Monday as the Penfield business services firm announces its latest quarterly financial results.
Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg are expecting, on average, to see sales up about 3 percent from the same quarter a year earlier. Paychex and its chief competitor, Automated Data Processing, often are looked to as sort of unofficial bellwethers of the economy, as their results somewhat reflect the amount of hiring going on in the nation's small and mid-sized businesses.
Investors have been generally pretty pleased with Paychex so far this year. Shares have been averaging around $40 so far this month. It started the year at about $32 and has been trending generally steadily upward since then.
Paychex stock closed Friday at $40.35, down 45 cents or about 1 percent for the day.
— Matthew Daneman, staff writer


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Starting in January, when California’s vast legal marijuana market opens, all cannabis must be tested — and most chemicals will be banned.
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The pressure is on for Los Angeles, as some anticipate that the city will be among the hottest marijuana markets in the country, if not the world.
A trade agreement with South American countries is largely blamed for the failure of greenhouse nurseries along the California coast. Now the vacant flower greenhouses are getting snapped up in a cannabis land boom.
County supervisors have approved a 45-day moratorium on marijuana growing operations that can be extended for two years while they consider next steps in what officials called a changing landscape, as the state drafts its own regulations on recreational pot cultivation.
Terra Tech, a national cannabis company announced a $7 million deal to buy The Reserve dispensary in Santa Ana, which has been co-owned by rapper The Game.
Former Cincinnati Bengals star linebacker Reggie Williams doesn’t go anywhere without his 96-hour cannabis patch for pain relief. It helps him live with a right knee that is as gnarled as redwood burl.
After years of managing pain through the use of alcohol, nonprescription anti-inflammatory drugs and highly addictive opioids, some former football players are turning to cannabis for relief.
NFL players hope CBD research leads to breakthroughs with treatment for neurological disorders including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Two years ago, former NFL All-Pro lineman Kyle Turley began using marijuana in place of painkillers and other pharmaceuticals. Since then he has become one of the biggest advocates of cannabis for treatment of football injuries.
More than nine months after San Bernardino residents voted to allow medical cannabis businesses in town, city officials have approved a dispensary permit for the location now occupied by Flesh Showgirls.
The Humboldt County Deputy Sheriff’s Organization launched a public outreach and advertising campaign this week against illegal indoor cannabis grows and is calling on the public to weigh in on potential solutions.
Feuding owners of Orange County’s first medical marijuana dispensary, South Coast Safe Access filed rival lawsuits alleging a range of illegal behavior.
Veterinarians are seeing an unforeseen consequence of marijuana legalization — the accidental poisoning of pets who consume their owners’ weed.
It’s in the NFL’s interest to recognize now what its players did long ago: Cannabis is a far safer and more effective treatment for pain than the powerful and dangerous opioids the league is doling out.
Yolo County, California is fostering what could be a prime example of the cannabis industry working in tandem with local economy and law.
An active campaigner to legalize recreational cannabis in California will head the agency tasked with regulating the Los Angeles marijuana industry.
California government, financial and marijuana business leaders met last week in a far-from-resolved debate over whether a state-run bank could be the solution to the cannabis industry’s banking problem.
As California’s legal marijuana industry booms, property owners and entrepreneurs are seizing the chance to transform spaces across the state into cannabis grow sites, processing facilities and dispensaries.
A former Congressional aide was arrested on federal bribery and extortion charges that allege he took $5,000 in a shakedown of a Compton marijuana store.
Here’s an update on license applications for Oakland’s new cannabis reparations program that requires half of all medical marijuana licenses go to “equity” applicants.
California officials announced they must craft recreational marijuana sales rules under an “emergency rulemaking process” that bypasses additional public hearings.
Montel Williams has been experimenting for 17 years with medical cannabis to figure out the best ways to ease symptoms of multiple sclerosis for himself and others.
When it comes to home cultivation, the line of separation between medical and recreational marijuana becomes blurred, according to industry officials.
The County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team led a raid on about 25 marijuana gardens on Sherwood Valley tribal land in Willits on Tuesday, assisted by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.
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Pomona, California leaders are taking steps leading to the regulation of recreational marijuana in Pomona, including permits for residents to grow at home.
A new study from UC Irvine suggests the conventional wisdom is wrong and that crime increases after cities move to close pot shops.
A bill making its way through the California Legislature would prohibit marijuana businesses from using branded merchandise as a form of advertising.
Casual Crop Exchange, a medical marijuana farmers market, was canceled after the Humboldt County Planning Department sent a cease and desist letter.
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California’s MedMen embodies what many tout is the future of the industry, as the cannabis business transforms into a regulated, commercial marketplace.
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SINGAPORE — “We’re approaching Asia very carefully,” said Alex Bolen, chief executive officer of Oscar de la Renta, commenting on the company’s business plans for the region.
Asia, including China and Japan, only contributes 5 percent of de la Renta’s revenues, mainly from its bridal and ready-to-wear lines.
“Our Asian business should be much bigger,” Bolen admitted.
Around 10 years ago when Bolen was named ceo, the company was 98 percent North American-based, and exclusively distributed through wholesale partners, he said. Since then, it’s expanded its retail presence in the U.S., and pushed into Western Europe and the Middle East.
“It may have taken us a bit longer to get into Asia, but we’ve been thoughtful about it,” he said.
One of the main challenges de la Renta faces is in changing Asian buying habits, Bolen noted.
Compared to other high-end brands, de la Renta does most of its business in Asia — at up to 80 percent — in rtw pieces, and far less in accessories.
This situation is often the reverse for competing brands, where the bulk of Asian sales tends to be done in leather goods and jewelry, for example, said Bolen.
“This presents for us both an opportunity and a challenge: an opportunity to set ourselves apart, but we also need to be careful to bring a compelling commercial offering [to the market],” he said.
He’s noticed, however, that Asian fashion consumers are warming up to rtw pieces increasingly, and the brand hopes its time to attack Asia in a big way will happen soon.
On Monday, the fashion house will hold a full-day trunk show at enVie de Pois down Orchard Road in Singapore.
Besides the trunk show, Bolen was in town for the brand’s runway show that closed the Audi Fashion Festival, one of Singapore’s biggest fashion events. De la Renta himself did not make the trip.
Sunday’s closing show at Ngee Ann City Civic Centre sold out within an hour of tickets going on sale to the public, according to organizers. It saw a full attendance of 600 people to see de la Renta’s fall collection.
This is the sixth year for the annual extravaganza, and the event drew a largely young audience, with numerous local socialite and celebrity faces among the crowd. Hollywood actress Kate Bosworth was one of the international luminaries who flew in for the event.
Chan Shu Ling, a public relations executive based in Singapore, attended the closing show. She said she knew de la Renta mainly for his ballgowns, and was pleasantly surprised by the rtw collection on the runway.
The fashion festival began Wednesday with a show of the fall collection of Nepalese-American designer Prabal Gurung. Returning to the country he was born in, more than 30 years after leaving, the Singapore show was his debut on an international runway. “As Prabal was born in Singapore, and hasn’t been back since, it was a homecoming of sorts,” said a representative.
A sold-out crowd attended the show, and Gurung also hosted a meet-and-greet backstage with major customers.
On Saturday, London-based designer Thomas Tait showed his fall collection. The young designer is in the running for LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton’s prestigious Young Fashion Designer Prize.
Other designers who showcased their work included Ashley Isham, Spanish house Desigual and Malaysian socialite Farah Khan. Besides international brands, the festival prominently featured four local designers: Exhibit, Saturday, Ong Shunmugam and Hansel, with the latter two showing their rtw collections for the first time.
Ong Shunmugam featured designer Priscilla Shunmugam’s trademark batik print fabrics and reinterpreted Chinese cheongsams, and Hansel’s signature whimsical colors and prints were in full force in its women’s wear collection.
Exhibit and Saturday trotted out their minimalist designs — Exhibit’s designer Yoyo Cao added leather details to the collection, while Saturday kept its silhouettes clean and basic.
The festival’s organizers offered fans an inside look behind the scenes via local fashion bloggers Velda Tan, Arissa Cheo, Sheila Sim and New York DJ Chelsea Leyland, who blogged and posted photos on Instagram marked with hashtags #AFF2014 and #AFFSG.
My character, Dinah Madani, is just the coolest, [most] badass woman imaginable," says @amberroserevah. The actress stars in @marvel's newest series on @netflix, @thepunisher. To prepare for her role, Revah sat down with Homeland agents to get a real sense of with Dinah's day-to-day life is really like. Read our full interview on WWD.com. #wwdeye (📷: @jilliansollazzo)
A scene from the 91st annual @macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. The parade, which boasts 50 million TV viewers and 3.5 million on-site spectators, is considered one of the largest and most watched parades in the world. (📷: Jason Szenes/EPA-REX)
The circus came to @bloomingdales 59th Street on Tuesday night and lit up Lexington Avenue with acrobatic dancers, death-defying knife throwing, sword swallowing and aerial acts with no net. The 45 minutes of theatrics built up to unveiling the holiday windows depicting @swarovski crystal-encrusted circus pieces and scenes from “The Greatest Showman” – songs from the soundtrack included. See the rest of the photos on WWD.com #wwdfashion (📷: Joshua Scott)
The psychedelic fashion that pervaded the ’60s is back with an exhibit at the @museumofcityny. “Mode New York: Fashion Takes a Trip” chronicles the changing styles from 1960 through 1973 and features designers such as @ysl, @oscardelarenta and more. The exhibition, which is on display through April 1, is organized into four periods: First Lady Fasion, Youthquake, New Bohemia and New Nonchalance. Pictured here is model Pat Bardonella during the Garvey Day Parade in 1968. (📷: @kwamebphoto) #wwdeye #wwdfashion
“People should be a lot more honest in expressing both the dark and light of themselves. We need to give each other the space to do that because it’s the only way we can grow and evolve,” says @noelwells of her new film “Mr. Roosevelt,” which is largely based on her own struggles. Unexpectedly leaving @nbcsnl in 2014 after just one season, Wells felt set back in her self-esteem and career trajectory. She quickly refocused her energy to more personal projects, which led to the completion of “Mr. Roosevelt.” Read the rest of WWD’s interview with the “Master of None” actress on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @jilliansollazzo)
@barbrastreisand is giving fans a chance to see her perform up close in a new concert series, which makes its debut on @Netflix today. From behind-the-scenes takes to her concert performance in Miami last December, the two-hour streaming special captures Streisand in her element. Pictured here is the singer/actress photographed for WWD in 1963. (📷: Palmieri Tony) #wwdeye #wwdarchive
@chanel and @pharrell dropped what’s being dubbed as the world’s most exclusive sneakers yesterday. The Adidas Originals NMD Hu, which Williams designed in collaboration with Chanel and @adidasoriginals, has a waiting list of over 120K people who pre-registered online at chanelatcolette.fr –– and only 500 pairs are on sale. The singer predicted the resale value of the shoes could reach $40K. Read the full interview on WWD.com. Link in bio. #wwdfashion (📷: Dominique Maître)
@imanshumpert is diving deeper into his creative endeavors and relaunching his clothing line, Post 90s, and is helping to raise money for the hurricane victims in St. Maarten with a jersey he’s designed with his brother. The Cleveland Cavaliers player talked to WWD about kneeling during the national anthem, working with fashion brands and how he wants to be more than an @nba player. Read the interview on WWD.com #wwdfashion (📷: George Chinese)


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A report which suggested female businesswomen are increasingly awarded positions of power only to companies in crisis has been criticised by a recruitment agency. Hitchenor Wakeford has slammed the research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and dubbed the organisation "misguided". "Most women and businesses will find the interpretation of this research […]
Posted on 23rd March 2007 in Regional News.
UK-based small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) do not feel adequately supported and are increasingly relying on advice from their families, new research has revealed. According to a survey by Brighter Business, SMEs are not supported enough by their financial service providers or their business advisors and instead turn to members of their families for […]
Posted on 23rd March 2007 in General business.
"Excessive pressure" is causing an increasing number of employees to feel stressed at work, costing businesses approximately £9.6 billion a year.New research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has found that 44 per cent of people feel extremely pressured at least once or twice a week, while one in five admitted to […]
Posted on 22nd March 2007 in Regional News.
A quarter of small businesses are failing to choose the most suitable mobile communications provider for their needs because mobile technology is too "confusing". According to new research from T-Mobile UK and YouGov, 36 per cent of SME managers responsible for mobile communications believe that their current mobile service provider is too expensive.However, a third […]
Posted on 22nd March 2007 in Tech.
Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) will be badly hit by the chancellor’s decision to increase the small business rate, experts have warned. The small business rate will rise from 18 per cent to 20 per cent as of April 1st 2007 – meaning small firms will have to pay an additional £820 million per […]
Posted on 22nd March 2007 in City News.
The chancellor is not expected to reduce the rate of corporation tax in this year’s Budget. Business advisory service Grant Thornton has issued the warning in the run up to what will likely be Gordon Brown’s last Budget, despite the current rate affecting competitiveness within UK business. International tax partner at Grant Thornton, Heather Self, […]
Posted on 21st March 2007 in City News.
Small retailers in Wales are being "killed" by their larger competitors, according to the Federation for Small Business (FSB).The FSB argues that chain retailers can currently assess planned development without considering the impact of new projects on their smaller counterparts, icWales reports. It is calling for local Welsh authorities to accommodate independent retailers by forcing […]
Posted on 21st March 2007 .
Workers in the construction industry falsely claiming to be self employed are costing the treasury £2.5 billion in tax a year, the Times newspaper reports. According to construction union Ucatt, 40 per cent of the UK’s 2.2 million building workers are incorrectly registered as self-employed, meaning they are not paying enough in national insurance contributions. […]
Posted on 20th March 2007 in General business.
Start-up businesses could receive up to £250,000 as part of a new investment project. Launched by The National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (Nesta), the funding project aims to provide start-ups with £50 million worth of funding. Nesta will run the scheme for five years, offering £10 million annually alongside business advice and […]
Posted on 20th March 2007 in City News.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the Surrey area are set to benefit from a new financial advisory scheme, yourlocalguardian.co.uk reports.The SME Funding Adviser scheme is aimed at giving small firms greater access and a wider choice of financial advisers throughout the UK.Accountancy firms can register the specialist areas of their practices in an online […]
Posted on 19th March 2007 in City News.
Nearly 50 per cent of UK businesses are spending up to 14 hours a week dealing with health and safety regulations, new research has revealed. Figures from the Forum of Private Business (FPB) show that 47 per cent of firms spend more than seven hours a week making sense of alterations to legislation and then […]
Posted on 17th March 2007 in Regional News.
Fraudulent employee activity in the UK is causing a cumulative yearly loss of more than £50 million for business, personneltoday.com reports.Protiviti, the independent risk consultancy firm, has revealed that theft from employers was admitted to by over 3 million workers (one in ten).Sean Holohan, director of Protiviti, commented: "Most fraud in the UK goes unreported […]
Posted on 17th March 2007 in City News.


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SINGAPORE, Nov 10, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – Recently, Joan Hu, Roborock’s Southeast Asia Overseas Manager, announced Roborock’s great success based on Euromonitor data and shared his strategies.
According to data recently released by Euromonitor, global retail sales of robot vacuums exceeded 15 million units in 2021, representing a compound annual growth rate of more than 20% over the past five years. In particular, the Asia-Pacific region accounted for about 44.2% of the total, making it the largest robot vacuum market globally. High-end robot vacuums, usually priced above $500, perform far better in terms of intelligence and cleaning efficiency than standard models.
After Roborock only announced its expansion into the Southeast Asian market in 2020, the company achieves rapid success in just two years.
“We are truly proud of our ability to provide consumers with cutting-edge robot vacuum technology. Users are spoiled for choice when it comes to innovations for smartphones and smartphone-related gadgets. However , there’s not a lot of growth in the home improvement space, so we saw an opportunity for Roborock to tap into that space and deliver technology that aims to deliver real convenience to users. first half of 2022, Roborock’s R&D expenditure increased 13.74% year-on-year to 226 million yuan (about 31.6 million U.S. dollars),” Joan Hu said.
How did Roborock manage to dominate the high-end robot vacuum market in such a short time, especially with the challenges posed by the pandemic over the past two years? Given the continuous pursuit of a high-quality home environment, especially in a rapidly changing world, there is a growing trend that consumers prefer to use robots to do housework so that they can spend more time on the things that matter or with the people they love. This has been prevalent during the pandemic over the past two years as the majority of people across the world have had to be stuck at home due to movement restrictions. With large numbers of people working from home, responsibilities for household chores – such as cleaning – are becoming blurred and have caused tension between couples and families living together. Roborock has taken the initiative to increase exposure and acceptance of robot vacuum cleaners to the general public by providing customers with innovative high-end products that use advanced technologies to create a cleaner home environment while providing a hands-free cleaning experience – something that requires very little manual interaction from their consumersIn doing so, the leader in robot vacuums has helped the industry grow.
Roborock has partnered with China’s leading online shopping platforms, Tmall.com and JD.com, to launch the Super Brand Day campaign. Similarly, for their core SEA markets including Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, they have worked closely with renowned shopping platforms Shopee and Lazada to bring their popular high-tech products to a wider range of consumer groups, with the aim of improving the quality of daily life and the well-being of consumers around the world. It is also through this platform that they were able to exercise the credibility of their brand and the services they offer.
In addition to this, Roborock has also strengthened marketing efforts in SEA markets – creating localized marketing campaigns in terms of digital reach and influence for each market to extend their reach to the right target audience.
How Roborock’s Premium Products Differ From Its Competitors
In March 2022, Roborock rolled out the high-end G10S and S7 MaxV series of robot vacuum cleaners with the upgraded RR mason 9.0 algorithm system, enabling more precise obstacle avoidance and route planning. The series also includes the industry’s first VibraRise® sonic vibration technology that cleans floors up to 3,000 times per minute as well as the disruptive integration of Auto Mop Wash, Auto Anti-Bacterial, Auto Fill of the tank, automatic dust collection and automatic dumping dock, in addition to optional water and drying components. With these technologies, the series has dramatically improved cleaning efficiency, providing an optimized hands-free floor cleaning experience.
To further enhance the consumer experience, Roborock is also partnering with industry leaders, such as INEOS Styrolution. In May this year, they partnered with the company to incorporate Novodur®, INEOS Styrolution’s specialty acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) copolymer brand. This enables us to produce robot vacuum cleaners in terms of sweeping and mopping, as well as intelligent wireless dual scrubbers to provide consumers with a superior cleaning experience.
What are Roborock’s aspirations and goals for the local market
In addition to growing their online presence, Roborock hopes to be able to provide a service center to better serve existing customers. In the near future, Roborock aims to have its own branded flagship store which will also serve as an after-sales service center to provide consumers with a healthier shopping experience.
In the meantime, consumers can look forward to the sales events that Roborock organizes in conjunction with their local business partners.
Roborock is dedicated to the research, development and production of household cleaning robots and other cleaning devices. With the goal of helping people enjoy the convenience and ease of life, our engineers, designers and manufacturing experts work together closely through constant exploration to create truly functional and durable technology products.
Contact: Media Team, Roborock
Email: [email protected]
THE SOURCE: Roborock
Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com


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Shopping online has soared during the Covid-19 pandemic, but brands needs to create experiences in real life to keep their customers engaged in the longer term, says Simon Hatter, founder of creative retail agency Hatter
The candles feature the scents that three refugees, from Syria, Iran and Nigeria, personally remember from home. All profits from the sales will go to the charity Choose Love, to help those fleeing war, persecution and the impact of climate change
Its seductive promise of friction-free shopping has helped it become the world’s biggest retailer, without the need for a beautiful brand experience. As Amazon now joins the physical retail world, has it moved beyond the need to worry about ‘good’ design or aesthetics?


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Although Ubisoft hasn't provided an official release date for Rayman: Origins, it hasn't stopped Amazon from putting up a placeholder date of November 15 for North America.
Still, we'll send a mail on this.
Last week, details regarding Rayman Origins were pulled from an issue of Game Informer, which revealed that the title would see a physical release. It was originally announced as a downloadable title at last year's E3.
Then, earlier this week, a Gamestop listing revealed that the game would also be making its way onto Wii and DS, which would be a rather interesting move, especially since you can play DS titles on 3DS and the rumored Project Cafe from Nintendo is also supposed to be backwards compatible.
We'll let you know if Ubisoft gets back with us on this or not.


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Raving Nigerian street-hop artist, Naira Marley comes through with a brand new single titled ‘Soapy.’
The controversial Moves Recording signed artist has been in the news for different reasons in recent weeks, including his arrest by the EFCC for alleged credit card fraud.
This, however, has not deterred Naira Marley, as he has since his release on bail, released a couple of songs.
Here is the official music video for SOAPY
Watch Video Below:


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Intel engineers hope that the EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography) manufacturing process will be responsible for making the next generation chip jump in terms of energy efficiency and processing speed. The process used today, called photolithography, has been used in chip and semiconductor manufacturing since 1977.
The company has decided to announce the SoC that will integrate the Galaxy Note 10 before the launch of the smartphone.
This is a mechanism that has evolved a great deal since that time, but it still follows the same basic principle – and today has great difficulty continuing to develop. As the Engadget website explains, photolithography works as a kind of projector.
This is because it depends on lasers emitting light through a mask and even reaching light-sensitive chemicals that are painted on a silicon plate.
The end result is very reminiscent of exposing a photograph: light transmits the image from the chip to silicon. From there, this chip can be engraved directly on the metal.
As time went on, the transistors created by this process began to get smaller, which made them faster and more energy efficient. But we are reaching the limit of this evolution.
That's where the Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography process comes in, which promises to be the solution to enable chips to keep getting better and faster in the future.
Companies have been working for years on creating an economically viable EUV model, but only now that the first devices with the technology are coming to market.
The EUV technique still designs a chip plan on silicon. But for that, it uses extremely short wavelength light. This means that it is easier to create smaller transistors than those possible through photolithography.
In waves as small as these, ultraviolet light is absorbed by almost anything. Therefore, it is not feasible to use any type of laser for this process. It requires the use of more expensive and advanced techniques such as the application of liquid metal and high energy plasma.
. (tagsToTranslate) euv (t) extreme ultraviolet lithography (t) technology (t) trend (t) plasma (t) lasers (t) processor (t) cpu (t) gpu (t) lithography (t) manufacturing (t) chip manufacturing technique (t) new generation chip


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It’s official! The Diageo beverage company is formally ending its business relationship with Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The move comes after entrepreneur and music professional previously accused the company of treating his Ciroc vodka and DeLeon tequila brands as “urban” products and, therefore, failing to invest resources.
In response to the accusation, on Tuesday (6.27) in Manhattan federal court, Diageo stated that Combs made “false and reckless allegations, including numerous defamatory and disparaging accusations of racism on the part of Diageo and certain of its senior executives.” According to Bloomberg, the beverage company subsequently filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit or move Combs’ case to arbitration, stating:
“Mr. Combs’ bad-faith actions have clearly breached his contracts and left us no choice but to move to dismiss his baseless complaint and end our business relationship. Mr. Combs has repeatedly undermined our partnerships and threatened to publicly defame Diageo if we did not meet his unreasonable financial demands.” “We have exhausted every reasonable remedy and see no other path forward.” The company claims to have invested more than $100,000,000.00 in an attempt to grow DeLeón, alleging that Combs “contributed a total of $1,000 and refused to honor his commitments.”
According to suit filed by Combs’ attorneys in May, they claim that Diageo and its executives have “put their feet on the neck of Mr. Combs’ brands. In a business where production, distribution, and sales are the pillars of success, Ciroc and DeLeon have been starved of resources for all three.”
Combs also alleged that Diageo’s President of Reserve and New Business, Stephen Rust, “directly acknowledged the company’s racist undertones in 2019,” and told the entrepreneur that some of the company’s leadership “resented him for making too much money.” The suit also claims that Rust admitted that Combs’ race was “part of the reason Diageo limited the neighborhoods where the Combs brands were distributed.”
In response to Diageo’s Tuesday filing, per the Financial Times, Combs’ attorney claimed the company “attempting to end its deals with Mr. Combs is like firing a whistleblower who calls out racism. It’s a cynical and transparent attempt to distract from multiple allegations of discrimination.”


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Polk County Sheriff's detectives are seeking information about the theft of beer from the Circle K store located at 6000 SR 60 in Bartow.
On Saturday, September 4, 2010, around 9:16 p.m., a white male suspect entered the store and put four quart-sized bottles of beer in his pants pockets and left the store without paying. The suspect is described as a white male, around 6'1" tall, 160 lbs., wearing black shorts and a red shirt. He left the scene in a green 4-door car.
If anyone has information about this incident or can identify this suspect, they are urged to contact Detective Mike Carver at 863.534.6291 or 1.800.226.0344, or call Heartland Crime Stoppers at the below numbers.


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Think supply chains are borked? Say hello to the brown marmorated stink bug
Food & Agriculture
Food & Agriculture
Link copied to
It currently cost US$12,000 to get a container from China to Australia’s east coast, a stunning 1400% increase on the start of the pandemic.
But that’s not the biggest issue; ports are congested due to managing Covid-19 cases and rampant demand for eCommerce has seen shippers prioritise lucrative freight routes from China into the United States.
This is great for the ship liners. Danish freight giant Maersk tripled EBITDA to US$24 billion in 2021.
But it’s not so good if you’re running a business Down Under.
Getting a container to Australia on time is a tough business right now.
Can’t get worse? Think again. An invasive stink bug is about to make things even harder for many importers.
Last Monday the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment added China as an emerging country of risk for the brown marmorated stink bug until the end of the season on April 30 after detections of live bugs in some containerised commodities from China.
You know all those Made in China jokes you’ve heard? Yeah, this could cause some delays.
Previous efforts to control the brown marmorated stink bug have focused on other countries where it has been identified in cargo coming to Australia.
David Aherne, the managing director of freight forwarder Across the Ocean Shipping, said quarantine and fumigation orders on goods coming from Italy a couple of years ago caused two week delays in some containers being processed.
But the inclusion of China on the list for the first time would create a far larger backlog in fumigation warehouses.
“If you bear in mind that normally when goods pass through quarantine in Australia, you’re looking normally about 24 hour turnaround time,” he said.
“Pre-Christmas because of the sheer demand quarantine was out to nine days just to get things moving. We’ve seen two years ago with typical containers from Italy, where the stink bug was prevalent, we had clients waiting up to two weeks for their container to be fumigated here in Australia upon arrival.
“Now if you think of how many containers Australia imports from China it’s going to be massive, massive delays for importers here in Australia. We’re already seeing fumigation warehouses that offer this stinkbug fumigation pushing out fumigation to three-four weeks.”
That comes in at an extra $200 for each day the container remains in detention, Aherne said, costs likely to be passed on to consumers.
“I guarantee that three out of the four things that you pick up around you right now are made in China,” he said. “Hundreds of 1000s of containers a year are imported into Australia from China.
“Importers are struggling to get space out of China right now, because the demand is so high.
“You imagine all those containers land in Australia that potentially need to be inspected and fumigated. The knock on effects can be massive.”
The DAWE said it would “redirect resources from current BMSB verification activities to conduct verifications on Chinese origin goods to ensure there is no additional resources required by the department to conduct the new inspections and no additional delays to be experienced by importers through increasing levels of intervention.”
But Aherne believes the designation of China, the world’s largest container exporter, as an emerging risk country will further hit supply chains he described as “fractured”.
He said the Federal Government should increase its investment in fumigation warehouses to improve its ability to process goods.
“The notice has been coming for a while,” he said. “We have a list of countries where stinkbug spread is prevalent which has been getting longer and longer.
“From our point of view, it’s more frustration and we care about our clients and the goods they bring in, and we see the hurt they feel when they’re slugged with 1000s of dollars of extra charges because of detention and fumigation.
“Ultimately, there’s a lot of small businesses struggling to stay alive with COVID and the way freight prices have increased.
“This is just going to be another kick in the guts for a lot of small businesses that rely on imports.”


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In online commerce news, big box store giant Walmart is planning to buy the online retail startup Jet.com for $3 billion. Jet.com started last year as a would-be competitor to online giant Amazon. It featured a pricing model based on how much stuff one buys, as well as free two-day shipping.
Below is an infographic showing how much revenue various major US retailers brought in in 2015.
Much has changed in both technology and in the business world since 2006. A decade ago, the smartphone boom hadn’t started, Apple started its MacBook series of laptops (replacing the previous iBook and Powerbook lines), and social media was just taking off.
On the business side, the most valuable public companies in 2006 were mostly energy companies or banking. However, the next 10 years would see big changes for both sectors.
Back in 2014, I wrote about the various digital video services available that sell or rent digital videos. While Netflix, Hulu, and similar streaming services are convenient, some may still want to either rent or buy TV shows/movies. Yes, DVDs and Blu-Rays are still available, but their popularity and sales are starting to wane in favor of … Read more


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In preparation for the release of the new 13th generation Intel Core processors, the Canadian online store PC-Canada inadvertently revealed their estimated prices. The chipmaker plans to update the assortment at the beginning of 2023. The previously released models will be joined by a CPU with a multiplier locked up, as well as the flagship Core i9-13900KS. This processor will run at up to 6.0 GHz out of the box.
PC-Canada’s price list shows prices for ten yet-to-be-released 13th Gen Intel Core processors, ranging from the Core i3-13100F to the aforementioned Core i9-13900KS. We talked about the characteristics of models with a locked multiplier in a separate article. Approximate prices for all new products are summarized in the table below.
The official presentation of the new 13th generation Core processors should take place at CES 2023 in early January. Intel will introduce both new desktop models and the Raptor Lake line of mobile CPUs. In addition, the release of the 4th generation Xeon Scalable server chips (Sapphire Rapids) is scheduled for January 10th.


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Amidst all the excitement his message got a bit lost – or at least, it took me months to assimilate it. WiM promotes moderate consumption of alcohol, which seems obvious, but the subtext to their message is more potent. The wine industry and wine communicators need to work hard to separate the rich, cultural and continuing history of wine production and consumption from issues relating to alcohol abuse that probably have nothing to do with wine.
Why is this important now? Because we live in an age where the promotion and consumption of alcohol is increasingly being questioned, demonised and restricted. There are now 14 countries worldwide where alcohol of any kind is prohibited. India has a partial ban in some states. Turkey passed new laws in 2013 outlawing any promotion or advertisement of alcohol whatsoever, a decision that has squeezed its fledging wine industry to within an inch of its life. Turkish producers now have to resort to clandestine, borderline legal methods to get any domestic exposure at all for their wines.
The vociferousness of the anti-alcohol lobby, and most governments’ apparent inability to distinguish between responsible wine consumption and harmful alcohol abuse involving spirits or other cheap drinks is an issue that should concern all wine lovers. This was rammed home to me in January when the UK’s Department of Health announced its findings based on new research, leading to new proposed alcohol consumption guidelines.
The research itself was not the main issue – although it did appear to show a more definitive link between some types of cancer and alcohol consumption than hitherto. There isn’t universal accord on these findings, as shown by Erika Syzmanski in this informative piece.
No, the problem was the emotive, scaremongering language, and a “one size fits all” approach taken to alcohol consumption, ignoring any health or lifestyle differences between industrial whisky, alcopops or fine wine drinkers. “There is no safe level of alcohol consumption”, the DoH blurted out, before grudgingly proposing reduced weekly recommended limits of 14 units of alcohol for men and women – that’s roughly 7 large glasses of wine, assuming an average strength of 13% and a serving size of 175ml (6 fluid oz).
The DoH also branded the idea that moderate consumption of red wine can help prevent heart disease “an old wives tale”, a statement that apparently relied on a severely biased interpretation of their research. A week after the initial announcement, England’s chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies made an even more extraordinary statement: “I would like people to make their choice knowing the issues and do as I do when I reach for my glass of wine and think, ‘Do I want my glass of wine or do I want to raise my risk of breast cancer?'”
I don’t wish to deny that there may be a link between alcohol consumption and some forms of cancer, but this statement lacks any context or balance. One wonders if Dame Sally asks herself the same question before applying a deodorant containing aluminium, eating some tasty charcuterie or consuming food or drinks that contain artificial sweeteners – all substances where a plausible link between ingestion/usage and cancer has been demonstrated.
Andrew Jefford gave a more measured analysis of the UK DoH’s pronouncements in his Decanter column, outlining why they are dangerous for the wine world. His article ends with the words “It’s time to act”, but he frustratingly omits to provide any steer on how we should act. “We”, in my view means the wine industry, communicators like myself, connoisseurs, wine lovers and geeks such as those who hopefully read this article.
In terms of action, we should start by being honest with ourselves that the wine world is not free from alcoholics, nor is it immune from occasional bravado about the quantities we can, have, or want to drink. We must distance ourselves from this. For my own part, I now take WiM’s agenda very seriously indeed. It would be a tragedy if fear, small-mindedness or misinformation were to deny future generations the joys and subtleties of wine.


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Welcome to Diagon Alley! Officially revealed today, we have Jonas Kramm to walk you through every shop – as well as the new moulds and each of the 14 minifigures – found in the latest LEGO® Harry Potter extravaganza. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover HP sets. Read about our stance here.
75978 Harry Potter Diagon Alley is the new addition to the LEGO® Wizarding World, launching on 1 September 2020, just one day after the official reveal! Measuring over 1 metre (3.3 feet) long and made up of 5544 pieces, it’s one of the biggest LEGO sets ever and will cost £369.99 / US$399.99 – to learn the price in your country, see the list at the end of this article.


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When talking about customized Ford Mustang s, you can name five of the best the business has to offer in a heartbeat and chances are, one of those names would be SMS Supercars.
Founded by the legendary Steve Saleen, the same man that founded Saleen Inc. that gave way to the Saleen S7 supercar , SMS Supercars is considered as a go-to-shop for Mustangs of varying versions, including the Mustang Boss 302.
Recently, SMS proudly unveiled three new editions of the Boss 302: the White Label, the Yellow Label, and the Black Label.
The top-end of the three versions is the Black Label, which bears some similarities to the Saleen S281E of the past. This particular version features more advanced aerodynamic body components than the White and Yellow Label editions, including the company’s very own S4 suspension system, a custom SMS leather interior and an engine modification that took the Mustang Boss 302’s 5.0-liter V8 engine from a standard output of 440 horsepower all the way up to 575 ponies.
And as is the case with most of his models, the SMS Mustang 302 Black Label will be available in a number of unique custom paint colors that only SMS Supercars can provide. According to SMS, the car retails for $48,000 for the naturally aspirated model of the car and $58,000 for the supercharged version.
Bad news for all Saleen fans out there! Revstone Industries, the company that builds models for Saleen, has announced that by the end of 2011 they will no longer produce vehicles for Saleen. The main reason for their decision is "the confusion and controversy with Steve Saleen’s company, SMS Supercars."
In an official letter sent to dealers, Saleen said: "Over the past several years, we have witnessed a lot of confusion around the Saleen brand, due to a number of financial ups and downs and accompanying changes in ownership. The name itself has become the center of countless conversations and debates, detracting from the cars themselves, and from the culture of performance that they both embody and serve."
"Through our conversations with Ford Motor Company and one another, we have come to feel that those things have become overshadowed by questions surrounding the name. So we want to wipe the slate clean, and usher in a new era of American Muscle. We are confident that, in time, you will agree this was the right decision."
Plan to see the same type of American muscle, but under a different brand that has yet to be determined.
We will continue our list of ultra-expensive Christmas gifts with a special vehicle: a street legal Saleen Competition S7 supercar available for sale for an impressive $499,000.
When unveiled in 2000, the Saleen S7 was powered by a naturally aspirated V8 engine with 550 HP. With the introduction of the Competition package, Saleen added a few updates, including 100 HP engine upgrades, a big Le Mans style race wing, winglets up front, and red/black 4pt
harness seats. With the new updates, the car was capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and hitting a top speed of more than 200 mph. This was just a step closer to the impressive Twin-Turbo version that was capable of a top speed of 248 mph.
The S7 on sale is the number 27 model, which was the first one offered with the competition package, and the first one that featured the red exterior paint.
However crazy the $499,000 price tag may sound, at least it’s less expensive than the $1.17 million dollar sticker on the Zenvo ST1 supercar . Which one would you like to see in your garage on Christmas morning?
The holy grail of speed has always been the production car speed record. Car companies shoot for this record - if they can - in hopes that they can put their names in the history books. Some of them have succeeded and some have failed, but either way, these machines are fantastic.
Most of the cars on the list are very expensive and only built in limited numbers. You would be hard pressed to find any one of the top ten machines on normal streets. Hell, you would be hard pressed to find these cars on local tracks.
In order to get on the list, the car must be street legal, so no Formula One cars or land speed machines. The laws for getting on the list are also very tough, as there are no set rules. Nonetheless, the current fastest production car hit a speed of 267 miles per hour. Can you guess which car that was?
There is another type of Mustang on the way. Welcome to the 2010 SMS 460 Mustang from Steve Saleen’s new company, SMS Supercars. There will only be 25 of these made because the company has already began to work on the new model, the SMS 302 based on the 2011 Mustang and its 5.0-liter V8.
The SMS 460 will come with a supercharged V8 that will crank out 470 horsepower and around 460 pound-feet of torque. The car will get a tweaked suspension and a neat-looking body kit. Plus, with only 25 made, this car will be a collector’s item for years to come.
The SMS 302 should be far better than the current 406 model. The base 302 should have around 450 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque. That is far more powerful than the normal Mustang GT. There will also be a supercharged 302 that should be on par with the GT500 and its 550 horsepower.
Then there is the less talked about SMS 351X, which will be the range topper of the SMS line. The company is shooting for around 665 horsepower and about the same amount of torque. That is well over 100 extra ponies than what we find in the crazy fast GT500. Let’s just hope they do something with the car’s suspension.
Saleen will unveil their first vehicle developed this year - the S302 - this week-end at the Carlisle Ford Nationals in Carlisle, PA. The new Saleen S302 is based on the 2011 Ford Mustang 5.0 and will be available in both coupe and convertible body styles.
The S302 will feature an imposing grille and front fascia, and a refined treatment of the familiar Saleen extended rear fascia and trunk lid with a simple, elegant, integrated wing. The interior will get leather sport seats with Ultrasuede inserts and unique treatments of the gauges, steering wheel, center console and shifter.
The V8 engine has been tweaked to deliver 425 hp and 395 lb.-ft. of torque. The whole package is finished by 20-inch, 7-spoke alloy wheels.
After unveiling the S281 Coupe at the 2009 SEMA Show, Saleen has announced that a convertible version will be revealed this coming Sunday at the 25th Annual Fabulous Fords Forever!, hosted at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California.
The black S281 production convertible will be making its debut accompanied by a silver coupe and the powerful Saleen 435S. The Fabulous Fords show is one of the premier Ford events in the country and Saleen Performance Vehicles continues its tradition of interacting with the thousands of Ford enthusiasts who attend each year.
The S281 will be powered by a 4.6-liter V8 engine producing 485 hp and 460 lb.-ft. of torque, connected to the rear wheels via a short-throw, five-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential with 3.73:1 final drive ratio.
Any Mustang lover will thoroughly enjoy this extravagant display of polished up ponies. If you are in the area or can get to the area, we would highly recommend attending this show. We hear there are about 2,000 entries expected to attend this event and will be sectioned off by generations as in the previous years. Last year, Shelby fans were thrilled to discover almost every Shelby model was in attendance. We could only imagine that this year will deliver the same excitement.
The American tuning house known for pumping out high performance Fords has just unveiled the new Saleen 435S, based on the new 2010 Ford Mustang, it will be the first vehicle launched under the aftermarket automaker’s new ownership.
The Saleen 435S rides 1.5 inches lower to the ground than a stock Mustang GT and is powered by the same 4.6 Liter, 3 valve, SOHC V8 engine, with the addition of a Saleen Series VI twin screw supercharger and two stage intercooler to bring the intake charge down to a manageable temperature. The blower brings the car’s total output up to 435 HP and 425 lb-ft of torque.
The exterior of the Saleen benefits from an understated blacked out trim panel between the taillights with “Saleen” written in raised lettering, a mesh cover for the fog lights in the grill and graphic elements placed low on each side of the vehicle. Saleen is offering the 435S with a set of 18 inch 5 spoke alloy wheels with 19 and 20 inch rims available as an option. Finishing off the Saleen Mustang transformation are the “435S” lettered on each side of the hood of the pony car’s power dome.
Steve Saleen can never keep his hands off of Mustangs, so its no surprise that he’s already announced plans for the 2010 Mustang .
Then again, the engine modifications won’t be too hard because the mechanical bits of the new Mustang are just a carryover from the previous model. So the 4.6-liter V8 SMS has been working on may have already been in development for quite some time by now. The 2010 Signature Series SMS 460 Mustang will make between 475 to over 650 hp and go on sale in the second quarter of 2009.
The biggest changes to watch out for on SMS car will be how they will handle aerodynamic upgrades to the 2010 ’Stang’s body.
For the savvy investor, why buy a part of the near-bankrupt Ford when you can probably get an entire company that does better work with Ford’s engines. In a statement Friday, Saleen said it has hired an investment bank to explore selling the suburban Detroit company by early next year. But be cautions, the resources of Saleen Automotive may not be much. Founder and car guru, Steve Saleen, left the company in May 2007 to start a new company that works on more than just Fords (like the SMS 570X Challenger .)
This may not be the best time to do a sale. While there is a lot of news about the big auto companies teetering on the edge of destruction, the little guys are absolutely feeling it too. Tight credit markets and the slump in auto sales have hurt specialty companies such as Saleen and ASC Inc. (who are now owned by the same parent company.)
There’s no speculation yet on how much the company is going for, but hey, the owner will likely recoup some of that instantly considering that there must be a few $590,000 S7 s lying around the factory somewhere.


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Spotlight on Louisville’s Front-Line Hospitality Workers
National tourism program engages essential workforce to enhance visitor experiences
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (October 5, 2020) – As tourism begins a slow trickle back within pandemic regulations, customer service will be an important factor in sustaining business. Louisville Tourism is both celebrating and helping train the hospitality industry’s “front line.” A slate of fall and winter virtual Certified Tourism Ambassador™ (CTA) classes are planned just after the conclusion of National Customer Service Week October 5-9.
In recognition of National Customer Service Week, Louisville Tourism’s twitter social media channel will share stories and experiences from Louisville’s local front-line hospitality industry workers, similar to the Humans of New York project. Often these workers are in essential, behind-the-scenes jobs that are not customer facing such as housekeeping or kitchen staff. As the third largest industry (prior to Covid) in Louisville, tourism is at the forefront as one of Louisville’s key economic drivers. Louisville relies heavily on the $3.5 billion in visitor spending generated for the local economy.
In a regional collaboration with the Southern Indiana Convention and Tourism Bureau, Louisville Tourism continues its involvement in the nationally recognized Certified Tourism Ambassador™ (CTA) with the fall and winter schedule release of classes.
The Louisville Tourism Ambassador Program trains applicants using Louisville area curriculum, a half-day training session, and an open-book exam covering local history, attractions, events and prominent figures. The goal is to create knowledgeable and positive interactions with every visitor to the city, thus encouraging repeat business, increasing new visitors and boosting visitor spending.
The CTA courses are open to all residents in Louisville and Southern Indiana. There is a one-time non-refundable, non-transferable application fee of $45 per person with a typical annual renewal fee of $30 per person. Renewal fees are waived this year due to COVID-19 restrictions on obtaining certification hours, saving participants and partner businesses $16,000 this year. CTA’s who were expected to renew in 2020 are automatically renewed until 2021.
Among the certified ambassadors are Louisville’s hotels from front line to management, TARC Coach operators, attraction personnel and volunteers and distillery teams. In addition, Louisville Tourism’s partnership with JCPS will continue in the spring, aiming to add the CTA class into the curriculum at Doss High School, giving students exposure to hospitality career opportunities as well as teaching them about Louisville.
“Visitors choose to spend time in Louisville for a variety of reasons, but it’s the high level of customer service that keeps them coming back. Participation in this program is key, now more than ever with the current challenges facing Louisville’s tourism industry,” said Karen Williams, President & CEO of Louisville Tourism. “This engaging industry program ensures our front-line hospitality workers are kept up-to-date on improvements being made to our tourism product and infrastructure and gives them the tools to provide guests an exceptional experience.”
How tourism affects Louisville (numbers prior to Covid):
- Louisville welcomes an average of 16.4 million visitors each year - which is the combined population of Michigan and Indiana
- Visitors spend $1.6 billion, which supports $3.5 billion in total economic impact
- Tourism supports 60,000 jobs in the Louisville MSA
- Tourism tax revenue benefits the 309,175 households in Jefferson County by generating $540 in annual tax savings
Upcoming virtual CTA schedule is below. More information on the program can be found at www.gotolouisville.com/cta.
- October 12. Web-based class; Go To Training
- November 17, Web-based class; Go To Training
- December 16, Web-based class; Go To Training


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Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Author: Krisendra Bisetty, Vancouver Sun
Published: Monday, September 13, 2004
Copyright: 2004 Vancouver Sun
Contact: [email protected]
People were lined up 20-deep for marijuana outside the Da Kine Food and Beverage shop on Commercial Drive within minutes of its opening at noon Sunday, while across the street Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell said the drug should be legalized.
But the mayor also appeared to backtrack slightly from comments he'd made earlier in the week that the sale of marijuana at Da Kine was not a "big deal."
"I support legalization of marijuana, but at the same time that doesn't mean Da Kine management get to flout the law until the law is changed," Campbell said in an interview outside the Britannia public library, where staff celebrated the city's decision to allow four local libraries to open on Sundays.
While Da Kine's selling of marijuana is illegal and a police issue, Campbell said, his earlier comment that it was not a "big deal" was made from the point of view that it was open for four months with no complaints.
"Certainly there is a big deal from the standpoint of legality. It's illegal, and there's nothing the city can do to change that. It's a federal law, and this idea that we can pass a bylaw that says coffee shops can sell marijuana is craziness. We can't do it; it's not a municipal responsibility."
While Da Kine continues to sell marijuana -- "poking a stick at the police" -- Campbell says that won't make marijuana legal. adding that there would obviously be repercussions, referring to Thursday's police raid at the Commercial Drive pot shop. In addition to a haul of marijuana and cash, Da Kine owner Carol Gwilt and seven employees were arrested.
"My answer is you legalize it and tax the living hell out of it. And every bit of the tax should go straight to health care, not the general fund," Campbell said.
Da Kine resumed business a day after it was raided by police last Thursday. In addition to a haul of marijuana and cash, Da Kine owner Carol Gwilt and seven employees were arrested.
Gwilt and others linked to her shop have said selling marijuana over the counter for medicinal purposes helps get rid of street peddlers. But the mayor dismissed that argument as specious, saying, "They [Da Kine staff] are peddlers themselves."
And Da Kine's marijuana sources are involved in organized crime, he insists.
"The fact of the matter is that it is against the law; it is illegal; they are trafficking in a drug. Would it make any sense if they opened up and started selling heroin?"
The mayor's tough talk aside, Gwilt said she is still "proud" of Campbell for his stance on marijuana.
As customers squeezed inside her store and others lined up outside, Gwilt, who was possibly contravening a condition of her release from custody that she stay away from marijuana or any location or person where it is present, said in a sidewalk interview that if Campbell can approve of a safe-injection site for heroin users, he should do the same for those who smoke marijuana.
"There's a safe-injection site in Vancouver although heroin is illegal. Why? Because there's a need for it, because people are dying on the street. And our wonderful mayor ... has realized this and has come to the aid of his people, which is what any good mayor will do," Gwilt said.
She described the police raid as a waste of taxpayers' money. "If they come again it's just absolutely absurd, and if they got the balls enough to do that, I got the balls enough to open up again ... This is war."
Gwilt said she works 15 hours a day seven days a week, and smokes pot during every one of those days for relief from a chronic "vertigo condition" she has had since she was five.
"I'm able to live each day and get out of my bed because of marijuana."
A customer leaving her shop after buying an undisclosed amount of marijuana said he's smoked it daily for 24 years simply to "get high" because his job as a driver in Vancouver is stressful.
"It takes the edge off, but I'm not a drug addict, except for pot," the 57-year-old man said, clutching a plastic container as walked away.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Da Kine management, Lorne McLeod, said Sunday the possibility of opening a similar store had come up.
"Opening elsewhere has been a thought, if we make money," he said, without elaborating.
Gwilt and her seven employees are scheduled to appear in Vancouver provincial court Oct. 6 on charges of possessing marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. Gwilt is also charged with possessing proceeds from a crime.
Gwilt told The Sun that representatives of her business are "trying to negotiate" with the city, ahead of a hearing the same day on whether its business licence will be revoked.
The city says Da Kine was granted a business licence in 2004 to offer limited food service and to sell publications, gifts and clothing.
Da Kine, however, claims that its intention to sell marijuana for medicinal purposes was indicated on its licence application.
Note: Mayor says store doesn't have a right to flout the law.
Related Articles & Web Site:
Cannabis News Canadian Links
Pot Cafe Has Restocked and Sold Out
Defiant Managers Keep Pot Cafe Open
Gripped By Reefer Madness
Police Raid Cafe That Sold Pot, Arrest Six People
Owner Says Cannabis Laws Should Be Done Away


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Chinese automaker’s facial recognition requires drivers to kneel down in front of bumper to activate
A Chinese electric vehicle company was forced to remove its cars’ facial recognition feature after its implementation was heavily ridiculed ...
Elon Musk says Tesla’s Chinese rivals ‘work hardest, smartest’
Elon Musk said that Tesla’s closest competitor is likely a Chinese company as they “work the hardest and the smartest.”
On Tesla’s earnings ...
Michelle De Pacina


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In case you missed it, our week in review:
Gray’s Papaya expanded its list of condiments, adding three new ones to the original four: molten cheese-like substance, emphatically canned chili con carne, and green pickle relish.
We’re also back at Food Gallery 32 for a revisit. Robert Sietsema reports that the food selections has expanded.
Abruzzi Pizzeria in Hell’s Kitchen serves a odd fusion of a burger and a pizza, and there’s free weird ice cream today at Ripley’s. And keeping with the theme of ice cream, Big Gay Ice Cream and Robicelli’s recently launched a “Salty Pimp Cupcake.”


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Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG) Friday announced its business results for the first half of 2018.
According to IDC, Huawei rises to become the world’s second largest smartphone manufacturer in Q2 with the global market share of 15.8%.
Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, said, “The past six months have been incredible for Huawei CBG, marked by robust growth of our business across all markets and product lines. Our success is owed to our commitment to innovation and, most importantly, our customers. Moving forward, Huawei will remain focused on continually improving our offerings with an emphasis on on-device AI, cloud and the wider Huawei ecosystem.”
The business performance highlights included HUAWEI P20 Series which has been very well received among the fashion-forward consumers. The global shipments of the HUAWEI P20 Series surpassed 9 million units.
Then HUAWEI Mate 10 Series which set the trend for mobile AI and strengthened the company’s position in the high-end market with global shipments of over 10 million units.
Globally, the number of HUAWEI nova Series smartphone users exceeded 50 million, contributing to growth of the overall mid-range smartphone market. Total shipments of the nova Series increased by 60 percent year-over-year and Huawei wearables which achieved a remarkable 147 percent increase year-over-year
Retail business has grown and now Huawei operates over 53,000 Huawei stores and 3,500 Huawei Experience Stores globally.
The company plans to bolster its retail network by adding another 10,000 retail stores and 700 Experience Stores around the world before the end of 2018.


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Auto sales beat expectations in May, as they totaled 1.6 million for the month, an 11.3 percent increase from April. This is the highest monthly total since July 2005, according to Reuters.
The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for sales in May was 16.8 million units. The increase is largely due to a higher demand for SUVs and pickup trucks.
The SAAR for the past month beat many economists' predictions. Kelley Blue Book projected the annual rate would hit 16 million.
Most of the major automakers recorded increases in May. Chrysler, Nissan and Toyota had double-digit gains from May 2013. General Motors, which has been in the news recently because of massive recalls, reported a 13 percent increase in sales. GM sold 284,694 vehicles in May, the best May sales figures the company has recorded in seven years.
Alec Gutierrez, an analyst at Kelley Blue Book, said May provided perfect weather conditions for car shopping and affordable financing options.
"Although transaction prices remain at record highs, shoppers have been able to offset rising prices with low-interest financing and affordable lease options for even those with less-than-perfect credit," Gutierrez said.
Ford's sales in May totaled 254,084, up 3 percent from the year prior. Chrysler recorded 194,421 automobiles exchanging hands, a 17 percent increase from last year and the best May numbers since 2007.
Gutierrez went on to say that the past three months have produced steady sales and the unwavering activity of the auto industry could signal a trend, but there could be some further improvements.
"It's interesting to look at where the winners and losers are," Gutierrez said. "If there's any weakness, it continues to be the small and mid-size sedan segments."


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One of the reasons we at The Spoon became bearish on meal kits was that while they promise convenience, they’re still a lot of work. And you never know how much work would go into making a meal kit until after you open the box and read through the instructions.
A new partnership between meal kit company Chefs’ Menu and media brand So Yummy is looking to remove that surprise with a little video help. The two companies announced today that they are working together to create So Yummy meal kits with QR codes on the label that when scanned, bring up So Yummy-created videos that show how to prepare the meal. Since the meal kits will be sold at retail, this means that before someone buys one, they can pull out their phone in the grocery store aisle, scan the code and watch a short video to see exactly what it will take to prepare it.
The video content will be the same type of top-down, short form videos that are de rigeur nowadays (think: BuzzFeed Tasty). So Yummy, a division of First Media, says its target demographic is moms aged 18 – 49 and that it reaches roughly 40 million millennials a month across Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and other social channels. In addition to videos that instruct on how to make the Chefs Menu meals, So Yummy will also include videos that show how to hack the meal, such as julienning a vegetable, to give it a more professional look.
The So Yummy-branded meal kits will be priced from $12.99 to $18.99 and will have seven varieties: Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry, Korean BBQ Steak, Chicken Marsala, Basil Alfredo Chicken Penne, Lemongrass Chicken, Cilantro Lime Steak and Thai Coconut Chicken. In a phone interview, Kevin McCray, Chief Operating Officer at Innov8 Partners (which owns the Chefs’ Menu brand) told me that because of the company’s sous vide preparation of ingredients, Chefs’ Menu meal kits have a 28-day shelf life without synthetic preservatives.
The meal kits are due out this September, but specific retail outlets and geographic availability have not been announced yet.
The meal kit sector as a whole is going through an ongoing evolution. While mail order meal kit pioneer Blue Apron faces getting delisted from the New York Stock Exchange, and Albertsons laid off staff at Plated, there is still projected growth for meal kits at retail.
The partnership between Chefs’ Menu and So Yummy seems to be a smart one. By giving people insight and–depending on the quality of the videos and hacks presented–inspiration right there in the grocery aisle, people could be prodded into buying those meal kits over others where prep is more of a mystery.