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Bakkt Users Will be Able to Spend Bitcoin via Google Pay
Digital asset marketplace Bakkt said that their clients will be able to add their Bakkt Visa Debit Cards into Google Pay for everyday purchases.
Bakkt also said that they’ve chosen Google Cloud as a preferred cloud provider. That said, they plan to market their solutions that will be powered by Google Cloud to “leading retailers and merchants in the United States.”
The company plans to further leverage Google Cloud’s tools by building new analytics on its platform, along with artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and geolocation functionality, in order “to draw out deep, location-aware business insights.” These insights will then provide expanded loyalty redemption options for Bakkt consumers, as well as consumer behavior patterns for Bakkt partners, they said.
Per Bakkt CEO Gavin Michael, “partnering with Google Cloud will enable us to continue to build a best-in-class, innovative platform that can undoubtedly scale to meet the needs of millions of users.”
Meanwhile, in late September, the crypto platform owned by the Intercontinental Exchange Inc., partnered with Choice Hotels International to expand the utility of the company’s rewards program, Choice Privileges, through the Bakkt App – which they launched back in March.
Prior to that, in early August, they partnered with quick-service restaurant Quiznos to launch its first physical location pilot enabling Quiznos customers to pay with BTC.
– Bakkt Launches Bitcoin Wallet With Starbucks And More
– Bakkt Predicting Sky-high Growth for ‘USD 3 Trillion’ Crypto Sector
– Bakkt Plans to Have 18M Users in 2022, Announces Post-Merger Valuation


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Kiwis overwhelmingly support local businesses, but half of New Zealanders say they don't know the name of a single shopkeeper in their neighbourhood.
A nationwide survey commissioner by American Express revealed 92 per cent of Kiwis thought that local shop owners make their neighbourhood a better place to live.
Kiwis also go out of their way to shop locally and support the local small businesses.
But, the time of knowing your local grocer or barista by name might be disappearing, Rob Bourne, American Express Head of Card Services said.
"Times have changed. We used to have a much closer connection with local shopkeepers. Kiwis are still very supportive of local businesses and want to help support local businesses."
When asked if they know the name of a local shopkeeper or restaurant owner, 52 per cent of respondents said no.
However, some shopkeepers and customers foster close relationships.
Tara Bourgan, owner of Foxtrot Parlour cafe in Auckland suburb Grey Lynn, said she knew her regular customers by name, including one customer who would come in for a morning coffee and muffin at the same time every day.
"We know his order. It's a real community based cafe."

domain: news


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A week in tech, August 29 - September 4
A round-up of all the latest tech news.
ò Livedoor Co says it booked a Ñ6.4 billion $54.6 million group net loss in the nine-month period to June 30, due to the adverse effects of a scandal over alleged accounting fraud that resulted in the arrest of its former president and executives in January. Livedoor says it had to book a one-off loss of Ñ12.2 billion due to the discontinuation of a range of its business plans including one for an online bank. Livedoor withdrew...
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The St. Petersburg Times reports that the House passed the bill (H.R. 4167) and the Senate will considered it in coming weeks. Don’t be fooled by the bill’s innocuous title, the National Uniformity for Food Act. “It’s about more than food labeling,” Aller said. “It pre-empts state food adulteration laws.”
The bill has the backing of the powerful Grocery Manufacturers Association, the lobbying arm of such heavyweights as Archer Daniels Midland, Campbell Soup Co. and Del Monte Foods. The group’s stated goal is to give consumers “the best, science-based food safety standards and information available to them regardless of where they live.” But the bill does just the opposite.
Most pre-retail inspection of food is done by the state, and Florida has several laws and regulations that go further than federal law. But the bill would make state law conform with federal law and prohibit states from adopting tougher food safety regulations without facing a costly legal battle.
Florida PIRG put out a helpful report on what protections Floridians would lose if the bill becomes law. The group found that while the state regulates the sanitation of shellfish processing, no such federal law exists. Aller said Florida sets a strict limit on the amount of E. coli bacteria present in oysters; federal guidelines allow 1,000 times the state limit. State law requires inspections of milk production and food safety in restaurants; federal law does not. Florida also has its own strict code for fresh and processed citrus products. All of those extra protections could be lost if the bill wins Senate approval.
Food manufacturers would like all authority turned over to the malleable federal bureaucracy, presumably so companies can sell their food products with less oversight. Only the Senate stands in the way of this threat to consumers. Floridians should urge Sens. Mel Martinez and Bill Nelson to stand firm against any power grab by the federal government or erosion of state food safety protections.


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Irish whiskey brand Element has entered Nigeria after signing a five-year deal to bring 15,000 bottles to the market.
New Era Spirits, the parent company of Element, said Nigeria was a ‘rapidly growing market’ for Irish whiskey with 390% growth between 2016 and 2021.
The brand’s co-founder, Fionn Cox, also has a personal tie to the region. Upon finishing his studies at University College Cork in Ireland, Cox worked as a brand ambassador for Jameson Irish whiskey, covering West Africa. Living in Ghana, he looked after the world’s biggest Irish whiskey brand in Nigeria, Cameroon and the Ivory Coast.
“Nigeria is often referred to as the ‘giant of Africa’ due to the emergence of its increasingly developing economy,” Cox said.
“With a more favourable economic climate, paired with one of the youngest populations in the world we have identified Nigeria as an area where a class of young professionals are likely to crop up, the very demographic Element Irish Whiskey is designed for.”
Cox said that the US represents the largest market for the category (42% of sales today) but non-traditional territories such as Africa and the Far East present “greater opportunities to premium brands” due to their emerging middle-class populations.
“Our target demographic (Gen X/Y) are the largest single group of consumers (29.5%), they have the highest percentage of female consumers (35%) and exhibit the fastest growth for new entrants of any demographic,” he added. “These consumers’ desires are not fulfilled by the current market offering.”
Since its launch in 2022, Element has entered seven markets.
The Element range includes two expressions: Fusion Series R/1.0 (€49.50/US$54) and Lore Single Malt R/1.0 (€65/US$71).
Launched in November 2022, Fusion Series R/1.0 is a blend of both single malt and single grain whiskeys which have been matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon, virgin American oak, oloroso Sherry and seasoned stout casks.
Released in May 2023, Lore Single Malt was finished in ex-Bourbon, Madeira and sweet Moscatel casks.


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Dunelm eyes areas for improvement after profits fall again
Dunelm's new chief executive has identified areas for short- and medium-term improvements as the homewares retailer reported falling profits for the second year in a row.
Results for the 12 months to 30 June, which had been largely flagged in a pre-close update, saw profit before tax and exceptional items fall 6.7% to £102.0m on sales up 10% to £1.05bn. Gross margins fell 90 basis points to 48.9% due to a higher mix of online sales, while trading losses continued from the acquisition of online specialist Worldstores in the previous financial year.
With earnings per share down 6.5% to 36.2p but cash flow almost quadrupling to £52.9m, a final dividend at 19.5p per share was declared to bring the total dividend to 26.5p, up 1.9% on the previous year.
New CEO Nick Wilkinson, who joined in February, set out his first public thoughts on the company, including noting positives including its unrivalled position in the homewares market, "prudently financed and highly cash generative", with a superstore portfolio that combines good locations and attractive rent levels, and that the Worldstores acquisition provides "the key ingredients for a step change in our digital capabilities".
However, he said the company would "need to continue to change if we are to continue to win", noting the increasing penetration of online retail, discounters expanding their store estates, Dunelm's slowing rate of market share gains, a rudimentary furniture offer and that while the acquisition of Worldstores has accelerated the development of our multichannel capabilities, but the process of integrating Worldstores, including transferring approximately 15,000 product lines to Dunelm.com "has been substantial and has reduced our focus on some of our operating disciplines".
His conclusion was that Dunelm is "an excellent business which is experiencing some new challenges, both near term and medium term", but will "differentiate ourselves by being famous for product style, value and quality in all market segments", stressing that convenience and customer experience would be selling points for the multichannel offer.
The acquired technology platform is seen as a "real asset" and the tech team, which has seen a significant increase in the number of digital developers and addition of a digital development centre in London, is "well advanced" in the programme to move the Dunelm.com website onto this platform. This will allow the launch of Click & Collect and subsequent developments such as improved delivery options "with much greater agility than has been possible whilst working with a third-party technology partner".
Preparations for the launch Dunelm.com on the new proprietary technology was said to be on track for the third quarter of the new financial year. "This is a new and exciting chapter for Dunelm as we fully embrace digital retailing," Wilkinson said.
"The UK retail environment remains challenging, but against this difficult background we have traded in line with expectations during the current financial year to date."
His strategy for driving growth includes a greater focus of brand-building, with the launch this month of a campaign of TV sponsorship and advertising, supported by PR, social media activity, email communications and instore activities, plus acceleration of investment in online marketing.
Other strands of the strategy include an efficiency drive from improving controls on stock loss, sourcing and procurement, and a continual improvement of the product proposition, broadening the product appeal "to suit all customer tastes" and driving "broader category awareness" to help drive visit frequency and basket size.
Dunelm shares, in which Wilkinson and other directors have been picking up stock since falling to around six-year lows, were up almost 6% to 539p in early trading on Wednesday.
There was "no surprise" to the numbers, said broker Peel Hunt, with PBT in line with consensus expectations. With net debt of £124m and no change to forecasts, analyst John Stevenson said a resumption of special dividends is unlikely until the 2020 financial year.
"Worldstores has ceased trading as a separate website (as of last week), cutting out the trading losses, although Dunelm does not move over to the new platform until early 2020," he added, but finding the "main news" being Wilkinson’s plan to take a more direct approach to marketing.
"Historically, we had always seen brand awareness as a major opportunity for the brand."


text: Buoyed by an anticipated half-million dollars in additional tax revenue, the fiscal year 2018-2019 budget for the Village of Flossmoor was passed unanimously by the board of trustees April 16. The nearly $14 million budget leans in part on revenue projected to be collected from the sales tax increase Flossmoor residents approved in a March referendum. The sales tax, which goes into effect July 1, is anticipated to bring in about $450,000 during the new fiscal year. “That will only be for about three-quarters of the year,” said Flossmoor Village Manager Bridget Wachtel . . .


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Pandora Joins Google Play Music, musiXmatch and YouTube On Google Glass
Remember when Google Glass was a thing? At least to us media people? As Google Glass has gone from hard to get to available if you can afford it, it's mostly dropped out of music-related news. But yesterday Pandora launched a Google Glass app aka "Glassware" bringing the incredibly popular web radio service to Glass users.
Pandora announced Pandora for Glass yesterday on their blog. Here's a mockup of what the app shows:
Pandora for Glass was created at a 72-hour company hackathon:
"During the Hack-a-thon this spring, one team developed a hack for Pandora on Glass. It was such a hit that we decided to show it to Google, and we’re excited to announce today’s launch of Pandora for Glass."
They also shared more specific details on the product:
"Our Glassware allows you to access your personalized radio stations from wherever you are, interacting with the service through voice command or by using the touchpad. Supported voice commands for Pandora include selecting an existing station and creating a new one."
"For a more advanced experience, you can use the touchpad, which offers the ability to thumb-up and thumb-down tracks, as well as access standard controls like pause, skip and stop."
You can see additional Recommended Glassware where you'll also find Google Play Music, musiXmatch and YouTube.
- Google Glass Adding Music, Young Guru Helps Out
- Band Uses Google Glass To Shoot Live Music Video On Warped Tour
- 5 Ways Musicians Can Benefit From Google Glass[es]
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch) recently launched DanceLand. Send news about music tech startups and services, DIY music biz and music marketing to: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.


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Lesley STEAM joined in another rollicking evening of making at the STEAM in Riverside event at the MLK Jr. Elementary School in Cambridge, thanks to Sharlene Yang, Coordinator of the Cambridge STEAM Initiative. K-8 students brought the idea of Hack the Dollar Store to life with outlandish electronic redesigns of dollar store items.
The challenge was to choose one electronic dollar store item from the bin and use a variety of tools (screws, pliers, scissors, etc) hack open the object. Next, using art supplies and recyclables, redesign the product into a completely new customized device. Inventions included bedside reading lamps, spinning Halloween accouterments, and suspended LED lighting. We’re looking forward to the next STEAM night at the Cambridge Upper School in January 2017!


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Coinbase Seeks Broker-Dealer Status With Takeovers
Coinbase Inc., one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, agreed to buy a registered broker-dealer as it races to build a trading platform for the surging number of digital tokens deemed to be securities.
The San Francisco-based company announced a trio of acquisitions Wednesday, including a takeover of Keystone Capital Corp., a California firm overseen by the nation’s main brokerage watchdog, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Subject to U.S. regulatory approval, Coinbase plans to use licenses it gets in the deals to offer customers securities that trade on a blockchain ledger.
More from Bloomberg.com: A 9,500% Stock Surge Turns Janitors Into Millionaires in China
“This is an important moment for the crypto ecosystem, and yet another indication of the maturation of the crypto economy,” Coinbase said in a statement that didn’t include terms of the takeovers. The moves “will set Coinbase on a path to offer future services that include crypto securities trading, margin and over-the-counter trading.”
Ultimately, “we can envision a world where we may even work with regulators to tokenize existing types of securities,” Coinbase said.
Corrects day of announcement in second paragraph.
More from Bloomberg.com
Read Coinbase Seeks Broker-Dealer Status With Takeovers on bloomberg.com
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Firewood consumers are collecting firewood for their households much earlier than in other years. Normally, firewood was purchased in October and November. It was done when it was getting cold and winter had not yet arrived.
Firewood is one of the cheapest energy sources for consumers. Wood producers claim that “firewood offers heating up to 50% cheaper than conventional heating with gas“.
In recent months, the price of wood has risen, as with any product nowadays. Even so, it is still the most economical heating alternative for households.
What is the problem with the sale of wood and pellet stoves?
The problem that arises is for those households that, at this stage, have not yet purchased their wood-burning or pellet stove. Demand is increasing at an exorbitant rate and the stock of these products is highly variable.
“Instead of waiting for winter, people are buying firewood and stoves in advance for fear of running out“, said a company in the wood sector. We have been seeing this advance in the purchase of stoves since the beginning of the summer, where it has increased by more than 30%.
Winter is just around the corner, the situation in Europe is tense, prices are rising and life is becoming more and more expensive. We have to look for alternatives and, this winter, without doubt, the best alternative is wood and pellets.
This year, households with a wood-burning fireplace or pellet stove will be particularly privileged, especially in their pockets.
You may be interested in:


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An enormous number of organizations, including Budweiser, Pinkberry from there, the sky is the limit, are purportedly trying different things with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to drive their dedication and prizes programs.
According to a report by CNBC, Web3 startup Hang is meaning to give a portion of the world’s biggest brands, like Budweiser, Pinkberry, and Bleacher Report, “the power of web3 through its NFT-based membership platform, using new reward mechanics and technology to increase customer loyalty and LTV.”
On July 14, Hang, sent off its “no-code platform for seamlessly creating and managing Web3-powered membership programs”, and announced a $16M Series A round drove by Paradigm. With Hang, “program managers can easily set up membership rules and logic, add benefits and rewards, and connect to third-party services.”
Hang’s declaration happened to say:
#Major #Brands #Budweiser #Increasingly #Turning #NFT #Technology


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The Second Annual Snapdragon Technology Summit witnessed many big announcements including the future-ready Snapdragon 845 processor. It is the much-anticipated flagship processor from Qualcomm.
The Snapdragon 845 is a direct successor to the Snapdragon 835 processor which is powering most of the flagship phones today. While Snapdragon announced this mobile platform to come to flagships next year, Samsung and Xiaomi had a big part in the announcement.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845: What’s new?
While all the specifications of the processor are not revealed yet, there are certain things we are sure about. The latest Snapdragon 845 processor will be coupled with Qualcomm’s latest X20 modem, allowing Gigabit speed in uploads and downloads on compatible phones.
A major announcement came from Xiaomi Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Lei Jun. Mr. Jun has confirmed the presence of Snapdragon 845 processor in a Xiaomi device next year. He stated, “Xiaomi is committed to making devices that combine cutting-edge innovations in technology and beautiful design, while defying price expectations, and we have chosen Snapdragon 845 to power our next flagship smartphone.”
While this is a major announcement, we can also expect brands like Google, HTC, LG, Samsung, and OnePlus to upgrade their next flagships with the Snapdragon 845. Also, Qualcomm made a major announcement in collaboration with Samsung.
The company has announced that the Samsung Foundry will fabricate the Snapdragon 845 processor. This further strengthens the ties between Qualcomm and Samsung as the Samsung phones already come with Qualcomm processors in the USA.
“I am proud to join Qualcomm Technologies on stage at the Snapdragon Technology Summit. As the foundry partner for the Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform, we look forward to our continued collaboration,” said Dr. ES Jung, president, and general manager, foundry business, Samsung Electronics.
While the Gigabit speed is an obvious update, this latest Snapdragon processor may also share the same 10nm design as its predecessor. More details will be unveiled at the summit today.


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In just more than a year, my thirty-something patient sprouted 13 skin cancers: a baker’s dozen. It seemed an apt number, because he had literally cooked his skin in indoor tanning beds during his twenties. His skin cancers were not life-threatening, but caused substantial anxiety, scarring and financial stress.
His indoor tanning habit is not uncommon in California. It’s time the state stepped up efforts to drastically decrease its use.
First, California should raise the minimum age to 21, just as it is for buying cigarettes and booze, then enforce it. Now, no state agency actually enforces the under-18 restriction on indoor tanning, the first in the nation when imposed in 2012.
Second, the state should beef up enforcement of prohibitions on false advertising. In a 2010 settlement, the indoor tanning industry’s trade association agreed to stop making false health and safety claims, including assertions that indoor tanning was “approved by the government” and “safer than outdoor tanning.” But marketing problems persist. Misleading health claims will likely stop only if those making them are held accountable.
Third, California should tax indoor tanning. The federal government imposes a 10 percent excise tax, but many tanning parlors fail to pay. Not only could a hefty state tax diminish demand, but funds collected could also underwrite anti-indoor tanning campaigns, modeled on anti-smoking efforts. Businesses that lose revenue due to increased taxes and regulations could instead market safer products and services, including spray tans and sunless tanning products.
Indoor tanning increases the risk of skin cancer, including melanoma, which this year will kill more than 10,000 Americans. The younger people start, the greater the danger. Indoor tanning can also damage the eyes, prematurely age the skin and cause allergic reactions. And there’s no upside; it’s not a safe way to boost vitamin D levels, which pills can do more safely and inexpensively.
In 2014, the surgeon general took aim at indoor tanning to help prevent skin cancer and the Food and Drug Administration required stronger warnings and safety features and has proposed banning their use by minors. Indoor tanning before age 18 is already prohibited in 11 other states and the District of Columbia.
Indoor tanning’s dangers are also recognized worldwide. The World Health Organization classifies indoor tanning as a carcinogen. Brazil and Australia have banned indoor tanning, and numerous European countries prohibit indoor tanning by minors.
California can and should do more to stop residents from getting burned, literally and figuratively, by indoor tanning.
Kenneth A. Katz is a dermatologist in San Francisco who previously worked at local and federal public health agencies. He can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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The good news, according to Edmunds.com, is the industry is on pace to top last year's record new-vehicle sales total. The bad news, the firm noted in a separate release, is car buyers are rolling over negative equity from their trade-ins in record numbers.
November 28, 2016
Millennials are bucking the stereotype that women are damsels in distress and men are confident decisionmakers, according to new research from Edmunds.com.
October 25, 2016
The vehicle information site said this week that April sales are on pace to eclipse the April 2005 sales record of more than 1.5 million units. It also believes the industry is on pace to shatter last year’s 17.5 million-unit sales record.
April 28, 2016
An Edmunds analysis found that only 27.5% of all hybrid and EV trade-ins in 2016 have been applied to the purchase of another hybrid or EV, an 11.3% drop from last year’s rate of 38.5%. A larger percentage, 33.8%, of trade-ins are going toward the purchase of SUVs.
April 21, 2016
Automotive dealers sold 38.3 million used vehicles in 2015, the highest single-year total since 2007. And they did so despite the price of an average used car rising 4.6% to $18,600.
February 25, 2016
Edmunds is teaming with CUneXus to build new shopping and purchasing solutions. The latter offers a “click-to-accept” consumer loan platform that allows finance sources to deliver loan offers to in-market consumers through their mobile devices.
January 7, 2016
The number of consumers willing to pay a premium for the benefits of a certified pre-owned vehicle is growing, Edmunds reported this week. Between July and September, certified pre-owned vehicles accounted for 22% of used-car purchases at franchise dealerships -- the largest share of any third quarter.
December 14, 2015
Millennial car buyers are leasing vehicles at a higher rate than the overall car-buying population, according to analysis from Edmunds.com.
July 21, 2015
Edmunds.com has opened registration for its Used+ used-car sales program, which offers shoppers a vehicle-protection plan and a $200 gas card. Asked if the program might lead Edmunds into F&I product sales, a spokesperson said '... It is an option we would be open to exploring.'
July 8, 2015
Projected September sales would be an 11% increase from the previous year, with Edmunds predicting that about 1.26 million new cars and trucks will be sold during the month.
September 25, 2014
Edmunds.com forecasts that about 1.46 million new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. market in July, the highest July total since 2006.
July 24, 2014
Edmunds.com forecasts that about 1.36 million new vehicle will be sold in June, a 15.4% decline from May and a 3.1% decline from June 2013. Analysts, however, say the declines don’t mean June will be a bad month for car sales.
June 26, 2014
Honda won in the nonluxury division with a projected residual value of 50.1% after five years, while Acura took home the luxury crown with a projected five-year residual value of 45.4%.
June 17, 2014
Edmunds.com presented its inaugural 2014 Most Popular on Edmunds.com Awards at this week’s New York International Auto Show, with Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota taking home top honors.
April 17, 2014
The vehicle information site names the seven judges who will oversee its second annual Hackomotive event, a three-day contest in which participants develop products and ideas that promote a better car-shopping experience.
February 17, 2014


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NDC CEO David Kellie expects diamonds to "connect stronger than ever before" as the global economy recovers.
"Consumers will have a greater respect for all things natural and seek brands that have an honest mission to be truly sustainable. They'll be purchasing luxury goods with a greater meaning, particularly those celebrating connections between friends and loved ones," said Kellie.
"We need to speak to the younger audience in a different way and we're delighted to have brought in a number of partners that will contribute to the new world of natural diamonds we're creating."
NDC MD Kristina Buckley Kayel echoed Kellie's sentiment, saying the younger audience was "clearly engaged and inspired when we present ourselves with authority in the digital world".
The rebranding exercise comes with a new website meant to become a one-stop digital platform and resource for marketing diamonds and industry content.
As part of the launch, the NDC will also reposition its consumer identity, formerly known as ‘Real is Rare, Real is a Diamond' under the brand name ‘Only Natural Diamonds'.
The launch of the NDC reflects commitment of its members ALROSA, De Beers, Dominion Diamonds, Lucara Diamond, Petra Diamonds, Murowa Diamonds and Rio Tinto, to the growth of the industry going beyond the current economic crisis.
"There is no task more important than inspiring consumers with what we call ‘the Diamond Dream'," said NDC chairman Stephen Lussier.


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GAC signs Eastern African partner
GAC, the Dubai-based 3PL and shipping agency, has expanded its global network through a deal with Kenya’s Seaforth Shipping.
GAC, the Dubai-based 3PL and shipping agency, has expanded its global network through a deal with Kenya’s Seaforth Shipping. Working alongside GAC’s own office throughout Africa, the tie-up with Seaforth will allow the company to expand its operational presence in Kenya and Tanzania.
Both Dar es Salaam and Mombasa, the main ports in Eastern Africa, are important trading points for Middle East companies, with two sailings a month going out of the UAE alone. The loads carried include cars, tyres and automobile spare parts for resale in the East African markets.
“Mombasa and Dar es Salaam are transforming into important transport arteries for international trade, especially in trans-shipment to the adjacent Indian Ocean islands,” commented Lars Heisselberg, group vice president, GAC Shipping. “Besides the significant increase in trans-shipment traffic, the cargo boom is also fuelled by domestic cargo demands from hinterland states bordering Kenya and Tanzania.”


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The Frost Week Variety Show brought out Gustie talent like guitarist, Chris Cannady who performed a cover of MGMT’s “Kids.” Melody Monyok.
A team of education majors celebrated Frost Week tradition by participating in a campus organization competition of Family Fued. Melody Monyok.
Singer and dancer, Dandara, performed with Beira Mar Brazil at the Brazilian Carnival and led the audience in traditional Brazilian dance and song. Clark Kampfe.
Bushra Wahid and Muresuk Mena strut their stuff onstage during the Africa Night fashion show. Clark Kampfe.
Valentina Muraleedharan and Abdi Umur at Africa Night showed off their outfits during the fashion show portion of the evening. Clark Kampfe.


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New research from Commonwealth Bank shows there’s no one-size-fits all approach to enticing shoppers via price promotions, and some may even be turned off by discounting – depending on which consumer personality they are.
Most (81 per cent) ‘bargain hunters’ say price is the main influence when purchasing whereas almost all connoisseurs (95 per cent) say quality is more important than price. The majority (84 per cent) of ‘researchers’ plan their purchases around sales. And half of all ‘brand loyalists’, the fourth shopper personality, say brands lose their allure by offering discounts too often.
Michael Cant, Executive General Manager, Corporate Financial Services, Commonwealth Bank said: “For shoppers, the price they pay for an item often reinforces their perception of themselves – whether as a savvy bargain hunter, or as a discerning consumer of quality goods whose buying decisions help them stand out from the crowd. The bottom line is, the lowest price is not always the most attractive.
“Understanding the broad types of consumer is an important starting point for price strategy. Savvy retailers are very clear on the subtleties of their target market.”
Some never pay full price
The research also shows while most shoppers (68 per cent) consider quality more important than price, they also believe it’s easy to buy at a discount, with a significant minority (46 per cent) now unwilling to pay full price on any occasion.
More than three quarters of shoppers (77 per cent) also admitted to making impulse purchases, and a 25 per cent discount is the average trigger point to entice them to purchase.
Jerry Macey, National Manager Retail, Commonwealth Bank said: “It’s interesting that consumers typically need a 25 per cent discount to make an unplanned purchase whereas retailers generally start their promotions at 20 per cent. It gives retailers room to move over time while using the initial discount as a form of advertising.
“Pricing clearly plays an important role in both driving sales and prompting purchase, but its important retailers remember shopper behaviour can vary widely and consider the type of consumers they are seeking to attract,” said Mr Macey.
Percentage discounts – retailer practices and consumer responses
The report also finds:
- 71 per cent of consumers plan purchases ahead of sales periods.
- 25 per cent of retailers are increasing the frequency of sales compared with 12 months ago.
- 59 per cent of retailers agree their category is price sensitive.
- 61 per cent of shoppers said price is the main influence on their buying decisions.
- 75 per cent of shoppers said brands do not lose their allure by offering discounts too often.
- 23 per cent of shoppers preferred blanket discounts across the entire range; only 8 per cent of retailers viewed this as popular with their customers.
- Twice as many shoppers (18 per cent) nominated free shipping as the most appealing discount, compared with 9 per cent of retailers.
The research also suggests group sales such as Click Frenzy attract a lot of shopper interest, but are not overly effective given low conversion rates. Forty-four per cent of retailers participated in events such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday or Click Frenzy but only 16 per cent of shoppers indicated they made a purchase.
More detail on the four general types of shopper
The researcher – 23 per cent of all survey respondents
- 90 per cent compare prices online before buying;
- 85 per cent spend time researching before they buy;
- 79 per cent visit multiple stores to seek lower prices;
- Likely to be female, aged from 18 to 39 years, with an annual household income of more than $100,000.
The bargain hunter – 23 per cent of all survey respondents
- 90 per cent buy products when they are on sale;
- 89 per cent say retailers are becoming more price competitive;
- 81 per cent say price is the main influence in buying decisions;
- Likely to be female, are found in all age groups, and have an annual household income of less than $100,000.
The brand loyalist – 31 per cent of all survey respondents
- 50 per cent say brands lose their allure by offering discounts too often;
- 47 per cent say full priced products and services are better quality than discounted ones;
- Likely to be male, under 60 years and are found in all income groups.
The connoisseur – 23 per cent of all survey respondents
- 95 per cent say quality is more important than price and this is their top shopping driver;
- 75 per cent are prepared to pay more for products tailored to their needs;
- 74 per cent buy products when they are on sale;
- Likely to be male, older than 40 years and have an annual household income of more than $100,000.
About the Retail Insights Report
The data shown above comes from the Commonwealth Bank Retail Insights Report edition three.
The report is based on a quantitative survey conducted by ACA research in August of 500 senior retail business decision makers from small, medium and large retail businesses. The report also includes a survey of 1,001 shoppers.


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Last week’s article in The New York Times “How Visa, Using Card Fees, Dominates a Market” detailed the behind-the-scenes struggle between banks and retailers to encourage customers to sign when making debit card purchases or to punch in their PIN because of the higher fees that stores pay banks for signatures.
Many readers took issue with the notion in the article that the debate over signing versus typing in a PIN “is a pointless distinction to most consumers, since the price is the same either way.”
Some readers said they felt there actually was a big difference between signatures and PINs for consumers in terms of fees and cost, safety and protection against fraud and purchase records, among other issues.
We’ve boiled this down to four main points: which costs more, which is safer, which offers more protection in the case of fraud and which is easier to track.
Last week, we looked at the cost differences for consumers and this week, we have looked at which use of a debit card might better protect consumers’ accounts from the risk of fraud and at the differences in protections available if you’re a victim of signature vs. PIN transaction fraud. (To be sure, many people think using credit is better than using any kind of debit transaction, but we’ll save that issue for another series.)
In this, our final, installment, we look at why there might be differences in debit purchase records depending on whether you signed or punched in your PIN.
What kind of differences in records exist for debit purchases made with a signature vs. with a PIN?
In response to the article “How Visa, Using Card Fees, Dominates a Market,” some readers noted that when they sign for debit card purchases, they have more proof of purchase and get more information in statements like a retailer’s name rather than just its street address.
Such record differences, however, experts said, aren’t across the board and are at the discretion of the merchant, its bank and others involved in processing the merchant information.
While there are federal regulations covering what information must be disclosed in debit purchases, there are no differences in the rules relating to signature versus PIN-based transactions, said David Robertson, publisher of The Nilson Report.
Instead, what information shows up depends on how the particular merchant’s system is programmed and on the policies of certain parties.
While there are four entities involved in almost every transaction -– the cardholder, the cardholder’s bank, the retailer and the store’s bank –- “it’s not the cardholder’s bank that is in charge of the information that leaves from the point of sale,” Mr. Robertson said. “The deciding factor is the decision the merchant, their bank or their system integrator, made about the point of sale transaction” and how to handle the information.
Retailers that offer the most detailed level of information disclose the store name and number as well as item-level information, said Brian Riley, a research director at the TowerGroup, a research and advisory firm. But “not all merchants will go down to that level,” he said.
Some retailers, he said, use subprocessors that truncate such information. In some cases, retailers will show up in records as their corporate name, he said, or the same retailer may have different policies for various types of transactions.
The information recorded “is very inconsistent,” Mr. Riley said. “At the same merchant, it can vary within signature and PIN and within debit and credit and not all merchants do it the same way.”
If you care about getting the name of the merchant and as many other details as possible, check your account statements to see which retailers provide such information and shop at those stores, Mr. Riley recommended.
What differences have you noticed in your PIN vs. signature purchase records? What questions do you have about the differences between PINs and signatures that we haven’t addressed?


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However, the supply of sugar in the country would be sufficient to meet the domestic consumption, which is estimated to be at 27 million tonnes in the 2021-22 marketing year, it added.
Sugar marketing year runs from October to September.
In case of exports, the All India Sugar Trade Association (AISTA) said the outbound shipments are estimated to be lower at 6 million tonnes in the current 2021-22 marketing year, as against 7.2 million tonnes in the previous year.
"The actual exports in 2021-22, would depend upon the level of domestic sugar prices vis-a-vis international sugar prices," the trade body noted.
According to the AISTA's first estimate, the country's sugar production is expected to be at 31.9 million tonnes in the 2021-22 marketing year, as against 31 million tonnes in the previous year.
Out of the total estimated sugar production for this year, mills in Uttar Pradesh -- the country's leading sugar producing state -- are estimated to produce 10.5 million tonnes of the sweetener in the 2021-22 marketing year, lower than 11.1 million tonnes in the previous year.
However, production in Maharashtra -- the country's second largest sugar producing state -- is estimated to be higher at 11.5 million tonnes, as against 10.7 million tonnes, while that of in Karnataka -- the country's third largest sugar producing state -- the production is expected to be 4.8 million tonnes, as against 4.7 million tonnes in the said period.
Sugar production is pegged to be slightly higher at 1.1 million tonnes in Gujarat, at 1 million tonnes in Tamil Nadu, and at 3 million tonnes in other states, the data showed.
"The above estimates of 31.9 million tonnes of sugar production excludes the diversion of sucrose for ethanol production," AISTA said.
It is estimated that 3.1 million tonnes of sucrose would get diverted in the current marketing year for ethanol production from B-heavy molasses and sugarcane juice, it added.
AISTA also said the domestic sugar consumption is estimated to increase by 2 per cent to 27 million tonnes in the 2021-22 marketing year, from 26.5 million tonnes in the previous year.
The first estimate has been arrived at after considering the estimated sugarcane production, sugar production, recovery rate and drawl rate achieved so far in the current marketing year, as well as likely diversion of sucrose for production of ethanol from B-heavy molasses, it said.
Sugarcane crushing is going on, AISTA said and added that it will come out with a second production estimate for the 2021-22 marketing year by February-end or early March.
Saturday, 09 Dec, 2023
- RBI Holds Rates Again, Bumps up FY24 Growth Forecast to 7%
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Friday held interest rates and its monetary policy stance for the fifth consecutive review meeting on moderating price pressures, but signalled that rates will remain elevated to ensure consumer inflation retreats toward the central bank’s legally mandated target. It also bumped up the economic growth forecast for FY24 on robust demand.Nifty Scales 21k Intraday; Sensex Nears 70k Mark
Indian stocks rose to fresh closing highs on Friday with the Nifty briefly crossing 21,000 in early trade led by gains in large-cap bank and IT stocks. Upsides were, however, limited with the market shuttling between gains and losses for most of the session on concerns whether the recent pace of run-up was excessive.Worked 70+ Hours a Week For Over 40Yrs, wasn’t a Waste
Infosys co founder NR Narayana Murthy doesn’t seem perturbed by the kerfuffle he sparked by suggesting recently that youngsters ought to work 70 hours a week to boost productivity and enhance India’s competitiveness.
Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.


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The NFL has become one of the biggest and major sports in the world in recent years, gaining major popularity outside of the United States. Over the last 15 years, the league has slowly but surely cracked Europe and now even has a permanent home from home in London.
As well as being the home of English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur, its multi-purpose design features the world’s first dividing, retractable football pitch, which reveals a synthetic turf field underneath for NFL London Games.
There has also been games played in Germany in recent years and the sports’ fanbase is only growing every year. Whilst talks of a Super Bowl outside of the US are somewhat quiet, it is a real possibility at least. NFL lines currently have the Philadelphia Eagles as favorites heading into Super Bowl LVII.
Such popularity has seen the NFL become an incredibly profitable and lucrative sport. Maybe the biggest reason for this is the league’s television and brand deals. The NFL groups its revenue streams into two categories: national revenue and local revenue. National revenue includes the aforementioned TV deals along with merchandising and licensing contracts.
These are negotiated by the league itself. In 2021, the NFL made $9.8 billion in national revenue. Whilst this is a drop from the previous season, it is still extremely impressive when you take into account that the league was running through a pandemic. The NFL is the most watched sport in the nation and is an absolute dream for advertisers. Three hours plus of television with just one hour plus stoppages of actual play time leaves a more than generous amount of time for ads.
NFL games are consistently the highest-rated shows on TV, so media companies like Fox and NBC are more than happy to part with eye-watering amounts of money for broadcasting rights. The NFL currently has TV deals in place with the likes of Amazon, CBS, ESPN/ABC, FOX, and NBC running through the 2033 season. In march 2021 it was revealed by CNBC that they could be worth more than $100 billion.
They also make money through merchandising deals with retailers such as Fanatics. This allows them to sell NFL-branded merchandise such as Jerseys, hats, helmets, and pretty much anything else you can think of.
Local revenue is money earned by the teams. This can be everything from ticket sales and corporate sponsors to the hot dogs and sodas bought in the stadiums. Before expenses, NFL teams can expect to earn an average of around $10 million per game for a sold-out stadium. Whilst they may not be quite as big a money maker as national revenue streams, they are still just as important in the day-to-day financial running of an NFL team.
Of course, the bigger and more popular the team is, the more money they will earn from local revenue. This is why the Dallas Cowboys are the richest team in the league in quite some way. According to Forbes, they made $800 million in revenue and an operating income of $280 million in 2021.
The revenue the league makes as a whole does have a direct impact on the team and the more it makes, the bigger the benefit. The money made through national revenue is split evenly between all 32 teams and in 2021 that number was around $309 million. Most of this money will go into player salaries.
The future looks bright for the NFL and revenue will likely grow further. TV deals are astronomical and they will have no trouble finding broadcast deals in the immediate future and beyond. In fact, it is only likely to become even more competitive with streaming services entering the sports market as previously mentioned with Amazon having exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football until 2033. This alone is making the NFL $1 billion per season.
The league also made a U-Turn year in the making over the gambling policy. In May 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to let states determine whether or not to legalize sports gambling. Many have since capitalized on this, seeing the enormous potential of the tax revenues they could generate. The NFL had for a long time argued that they were adamantly opposed to sports gambling, but in 2021 announced it had reached agreements with four gambling retailers to become Approved Sportsbook Operators for the 2021 NFL season. This is yet another money-making avenue for the league.
With big markets opening in Europe and TV rights deals only rising in price, the NFL has very little to worry about when it comes to generating money. As one of the biggest sports in the world, it is no surprise that is one of the most affluent.


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Tuesday, October 16, 2012
It's too good to be true: A food truck specializing in Indian food will soon add its assortment of skewered meats and other dishes to the ever-growing ensemble of local mobile-food options. From the Twisted Tandoor Facebook page:
Hi Tucson !! this is to let you all know that our food truck The "Twisted" Tandoor is in the process of being built and outfitted to be released on the streets of Tucson in the middle of November. We are bringing North Indian Grilled meats,Punjabi Fish, Curries , Wraps, Vegan and Gluten free dishes!!
Oh hell yes. More over here.


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Smaller competitor FormLabs sued over alleged patent infringement; Kickstarter stays out of settlement discussion
A federal district court judge has okayed settlement talks between 3D printing giant 3D Systems, Inc. and its smaller competitor, FormLabs Inc., granting a stay in the six-month old case.
3D Systems claims the defendants’ infringed at least one of its U.S. patents covering methods for creating physical 3D objects using solid imaging techniques, including stereolithographic techniques.
Headquartered in Rock Hill, S.C., 3D Systems (NYSE: DDD) manufactures and markets commercial and consumer 3D printers, printing materials and software services as well as CAD modeling, reverse engineering and inspection software tools.
Last September, Cambridge, Mass.-based Formlabs launched an online sales campaign with crowdsourcing platform, Brooklyn-based Kickstarter, with a goal of raising $100,000. By the end of the campaign a month later, Formlabs had been pledged nearly $3 million from just over 2,000 backers, who pledged as little as $5 for an .STL file to as much as $10,000 for a Form 1 3D printer.
The majority of the funds for Formlabs were raised by sales of 1,028 Form 1 3D printers to be delivered February to April 2013. The printers were initially sold at $2,299 before prices were increased to $2,999.
3D Systems claims Formlabs and its sales agent Kickstarter knew or should have known about, “or were willfully blind to,” 3D Systems’ extensive patent rights in the area of 3D printing and stereolithography, including but not limited to 3D Systems’ U.S. Patent No. 5,597,520 which covers methods of stereolithographically forming a 3D object.
Formlabs promoted its 3D printers saying they used “stereolithography (SL) technology,” a technology patented in 1986 by 3D Systems’ founder Charles Hull. Formlabs said it did not infringe on the patent.
3D Systems sued Formlabs and Kickstarter on Nov. 20 in Case #: 0:12-cv-03323-TLW.
“3D Systems invented and pioneered the 3D printing technology of stereolithography and has many active patents covering various aspects of the stereolithography process,” said Andrew Johnson, 3D Systems’ general counsel said at the time in a press release. “Although Formlabs has publicly stated that certain patents have expired, 3D Systems believes the Form 1 3D printer infringes at least one of our patents, and we intend to enforce our patent rights.”
Since then, the defendants sought a motion to dismiss the case, which was mooted by an amended complaint filing from 3D Systems in April. The two sides agreed to engage in settlement talks soon after.
Earlier this month, 3D Systems and Formlabs agreed to negotiate what is being called “an alternate dispute resolution protocol.”
That means the two sides will have to meet a series of deadlines over the next four months resolve the legal complaint. Kickstarter is not participating in settlement talks but believes “a stay is appropriate to permit discussions between 3D Systems and Formlabs.”
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Terry Wooten in South Carolina has stayed the litigation until Sept. 3, when the two sides will have another 30 days to answer, move or otherwise plead in response to 3D systems’ amended complaint if the matter is not resolved.


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The hype surrounding the HTC Vox continues to build, today bringing us an in-depth cavity search of a prototype. Not only do we get clear photos (we've been inching toward this day for some time now), but we also get more technical details. That and more pics inside.
Based on the prototype, the smartphone will run Windows Mobile 6.0 (nicknamed Crossbow) and will come with Wi-Fi (like its Dash cousin), 2-megapixel camera and 64MB of RAM. Potential deal breaker: no 3G UMTS support. You were so close, HTC. We've still not a clue when HTC plans to launch it, but the prototype definitely makes all the right impressions, less the 3G.


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For a man running a vehicle leasing operation unable to deliver any new vehicles, Jim Blair is keeping extraordinarily busy.
Jim is Operations Manager at Arnold Clark. The brand is a long-established household name in Scotland, and has operations throughout the UK. To give you an idea of the scale of the challenge Jim is facing: Arnold Clark is the largest family-run independent car dealer in Europe.
How business is running right now
Let’s start with what’s open. On 12 June 2020 in Scotland, the business is restricted to aftersales (service to you and me) and car rental. The vehicle leasing team is also working full-tilt, taking orders for new fleet deliveries and arranging returns when vehicles reach the end of their agreement.
But what about the main event, the showrooms?
In England, car retail started to reopen on 1 June. So when will showrooms fully reopen in Scotland? Jim explains: “We’re fully prepared, and everything’s ready for the official announcement. However, we’re also very conscious of what’s changed for our customers – with their physical and mental health, their family life, and their finances.”
Then there’s the business of getting vehicles to the right place. “A big issue for us – and our customers – is what to do with a vehicle that’s come to the end of its contract”, says Jim. “The obvious answer is to leave it where it is, at least for now. But that creates a real headache with insurance: are we responsible, or is it the customer’s job?”.
Arnold Clark had a simple answer: remove the problem completely by arranging for safe vehicle collections. No brand messaging worries. No contractual complications.
Clear messaging is key
When it comes to the collection, customers know exactly what to expect. This makes sure there are no unwelcome surprises, and keeps everyone safe when a member of the Arnold Clark team arrives to collect the keys and the vehicle. Part of this is down to the way the business handles training. “We’ve prepared incredibly detailed training videos for our staff, detailing the steps they need to go through”, explains Jim. “We’re now looking at taking some of that video content and sharing it with customers, allaying any fears and explaining what they can expect.”
This kind of transparent ‘this is what we do’ messaging is gaining a real hold. IHG – owner of the Holiday Inn brand – has launched a Clean Promise, and is open about the products and processes they use, right down to the brand names. A few well-chosen examples can go a long way.
Socially distanced showrooms
Looking at the competition, some dealerships in England are offering unaccompanied test drives. The customer books a socially-distanced slot online, and then picks up a sanitised set of keys at the allotted time. And some car hire companies are offering visual ‘proof’ that a vehicle has been sanitised – for example, by placing visible seals on the doors to show nobody’s entered the vehicle since it was cleaned. This throws up another question: what part will hygiene play in the customer’s perception of value?
Really, it’s about establishing trust and understanding how people feel. Jim explains, “We’re expecting some customers to feel quite unsure about getting in a car again. A recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that around 44% of people are anxious about returning to work, and 31% are anxious about their commute.
“To help customers, we’ve already set up free car rental for NHS workers during lockdown, and we could see flexible day-to-day rental being really useful for people who only need to travel to work occasionally.”
But what will demand be like when the showrooms open again? And what will people look to buy?
One possibility is that many more employers will offer a company car. If cycling or walking aren’t possible, it’s hard to see how people will get to work, given the likely drop in capacity on buses and trains. Another is that travel bans might see company car mileage go down.
The role of reassurance
On a final note, Jim is optimistic about the shift to electric vehicles. “For some, range anxiety has stopped them from seriously considering an electric vehicle. However, as battery capacity has increased and chargers have become more plentiful, it’s not the blocker it once was. And this constant evolution of the technology helps make the case for leasing – if you’re worried the ‘next big thing’ in electric vehicles could be on the market soon, leasing removes the worry”.
And removing worry is going to play a big part in lifting the world out of lockdown. It’ll be intriguing to see how many ‘physical’ brands adjust their messaging and push reassurance to the fore – we’ll find out soon enough.


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Linens 'n Things rocks 'n rolls
February 9, 2004,
Helped by its strongest same-store sales gain in the past two years, as well as lower costs and interest expense, Linens 'n Things pushed fourth-quarter profits up by 14.5 percent, to $46.1 million from $40.2 million last year.
Coming in at $1.02 per share on a fully diluted basis, earnings beat Wall Street's forecast by a penny. Cheered by the news, investors pushed the price of Linens 'n Things stock higher in the hours that followed the earnings release on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Shares of the retailer jumped by $2.15, or 7.5 percent, to $30.69, with more than 1.5 million changing hands.
"A key indicator of our performance in the fourth quarter is that sales were generated from both an increase in guest traffic, as well as an increase in average transaction," said Axelrod.
Fueling the bottom-line growth — in addition to the improvement in comps — the retailer kept whittling down costs by 50 basis points to 30.6 percent from 31.1 percent the preceding year. At the same time, the company was able to hold margins steady at 40.1 percent.
Lifted by the stronger same-store sales and lower costs, operating profits jumped, rising by 14.2 percent to $74.8 million from $65.5 million.
In another modest lift to profits, the retailer continued to pare its interest expense after paying down much of its debt. Interest expense was cut by almost a third (32.4 percent) to $276,000 from $408,000 last year.
Running somewhat ahead of the 9 percent increase in overall sales, inventories swelled by 14.1 percent during the holiday period, to $701.9 million from $615.3 million.
Going forward, Linens 'n Things forecasts that total sales for the new fiscal year will rise by 11 to 14 percent, with square footage increasing about 10 percent. But hobbled by new accounting rules governing the way vendor allowances are handled, the retailer estimated that diluted earnings per share for all of 2004 will be roughly flat with this year.
After $1.67 in per-share earnings for 2003, Linens 'n Things said it expects profits will come in at $1.66 to $1.71 after taking the accounting hit.
Linens 'n Things Inc
|Qtr. 01/03 (x000)||2003||2002||% chg|
|Oper. income (EBIT)||74,811||65,503||14.2|
|Per share (diluted)||1.02||0.90||13.3|
|Average gross margin||40.1%||40.1%||—|
|12 months||2003||2002||% chg|
|Oper. income (EBIT)||121,953||114,269||6.7|
|Per share (diluted)||1.67||1.60||4.4|
|Average gross margin||40.3%||40.0%||—|
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Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Michael Balzary – with stage name, Flea – has sold a unique beach house at Congo, between Batemans Bay and Narooma.
The musician reaped $2.475 million at auction for 775 Congo Road – nearly 20 per cent less than the ($3m) guide.
However the result is still a windfall – he paid $100,000 for the 2946 square metre waterfront block which made way for the five bedroom home in 1992.
The deal comes 12 years since Mr Balzary offloaded Koorabel Park, a 218 hectare cattle farm at Mogendoura, 20 kilometres inland from Congo, for $1.4m.
That price was a drop on the $1.795m he paid in 2004.
775 Congo Road
The listing of 775 Congo Rd coincided with a Red Hot Chili Peppers tour however Mr Balzary was in Perth when the auction took place.
The site includes a multi-purpose sports court – appropriate for basketball and tennis – and a double garage (story continues below).
The home, meanwhile, designed by the late Malcolm Cheadle with a roofline to resemble a cuttlefish, contains three bathrooms and four decks.
Jarrah floors were sourced from Canberra’s ex-Parliament House.
Mr Balzary, 60, was born in Melbourne and spent part of his teens living in Canberra.
Nowadays based in California, he dates fashion designer Melody Ehsani, with who he had a daughter in December.
LJ Hooker’s James Hamilton marketed 775 Congo Road.
The buyer is a local.
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The French-Dutch airline has announced that is teaming up with FastTrack to offer its eTag and eTrack system to passengers.
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Luggage causes all kinds of problems for both travellers and airlines — it can get mislaid by baggage handlers or customers can arrive late to find long queues for check-ins. In the past, we’ve seen the hop! suitcase automatically follow its owners so it never gets lost, but now Air France-KLM has announced that is teaming up with FastTrack to offer its eTag and eTrack system to passengers.
Working with the French-Dutch airline and suitcase manufacturer Samsonite, the company has created a smart tag that can be attached to travelers’ suitcases, alongside a tracker that’s placed inside. The devices use Bluetooth to connect to the passenger’s smartphone. The tag acts a theft-prevention device, notifying owners if their suitcase has been tampered with, as well as holding their check-in details. This means that they can check their luggage in before they arrive at the airport and can simply drop off their baggage at fast-track points. The tracker lets both the customer and the airline monitor the location of the suitcase, and both are immediately notified if it goes astray from its planned route.
The eTag and eTrack system will be trialled among a select group of frequent fliers in December this year. If successful, could we see this kind of scheme making airport experiences less stressful?


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This press release just went out this morning:
Master Chief Explodes Onto Xbox in the All-New ?oHalo? Triple Pack
Bungie Studios’ Trio of Action Lands on Store Shelves on October 4, 2005
Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios announced today the ?oHalo? Triple Pack, a winning compilation that combines the excitement of ?oHalo: Combat Evolved,? ?oHalo 2? and the ?oHalo 2? Multiplayer Map Pack into one impressive package. With an MSRP of $59.99, the ?oHalo? Triple Pack allows new gamers to experience the thrills and excitement of the ?oHalo? franchise at an attractive price point.
The groundbreaking ?oHalo? franchise has shattered global video game sales records, selling more than 13.8 million units worldwide and earning more than $600 million in revenue. ?oHalo 2? destroyed the previous day one video game sales record by amassing more than $125 million in sales within its first 24 hours. The franchise, one of the biggest and most successful in the industry, has also been the recipient of more than three dozen national and international awards, including 19 Game of the Year honors for ?oHalo 2.? Those that are new to Xbox can finally find out what the buzz is about taking them through the entire ?oHalo? story from beginning to end.
?oHalo: Combat Evolved?
Experience the phenomenon that started it all. The game that put first-person, console shooters in the spotlight is back to electrify an entirely new legion of gamers. Witness all of the explosive action from the start and unravel the secrets surrounding the mysterious ?oHalo.? With a detailed twisting story-line, complex characters and cunning enemies, ?oHalo? fulfills every sci-fi enthusiast’s dream.
Enjoyed by nearly 7 million fans worldwide since its launch in November of 2004, the second installment of this revolutionary franchise introduces new weapons, new abilities and new environments that change the ?oHalo? universe in unexpected and exhilarating ways. Double the firepower and take out foes in style with the all-new dual-wielding feature. In this continuation of the award-winning ?oHalo? franchise, drama, excitement and intrigue await as players are treated to a story of betrayal and deception. The plot continues as players tasked with carrying on Master Chief’s saga to save the world. Revel in a massively-enhanced multiplayer game ?” play split-screen or System Link, or take the battle online against more than 2 million Xbox Live subscribers.
?oHalo 2? Multiplayer Map Pack
The first of its kind for consoles, the ?oHalo 2? Multiplayer Map Pack enhances the ?oHalo 2? game with nine intense battlefields in a variety of locations ranging from a swamp to a space station. New gameplay enhancements intensify weapon, grenade, and melee combat. Play offline via split-screen or System Link, or battle online on Xbox Live.
?oHalo 2? is one of the highest rated and top selling video games of all time. As Xbox Live continues to redefine online gaming, ?oHalo 2? features superior online multiplayer capabilities, evidenced by the fact that Xbox Live gamers have logged a record-breaking 387 million hours playing ?oHalo 2? since its launch.


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The new Mercedes-Benz GLS (seen above) is a rather important car for AMG because the GLS 580 merges an AMG-designed 4.0-litre twin-turbo V-8 with a 48-volt electric motor on the crankshaft, creating a mild-hybrid system.
Even though this model does not sport an AMG badge, AMG boss Tobias Moers confirmed to Road & Track that this drivetrain previews the future for AMG.
“The development was done by us, including the 48-volt system. We’re going to use that as well,” Moers said. “Initially, we kicked it off for the 63 engines for the GLE and GLS, and now we’ve brought it to [the GLS 580]. It’s part of the future. At the beginning of 2021, there will be no car launched without an electrified powertrain. We’re heading fast in that direction … I think the share of electrified powertrains is going to be higher in the performance segments than in other segments in 2025. It’s the key to bringing that segment to the future.”
The first hybrid powertrains from Mercedes-AMG arrived with the 53-series cars which paired a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six with a 48-volt-driven Integrated Starter Generator (ISG) and an Electric Auxiliary Compressor (like an electric supercharger). The new GLS 580 pairs the V8 with this ISG but it does without the electric compressor.
When the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door arrived in concept form back in 2017, the front axle had an electric motor which according to Moers will be offered on a production car in the coming years.
Moers also noted that the hybrid V8 plus electric front axle could become the drivetrain of choice for future 65-series AMG models, replacing the soon-departing 6.0-litre V12.


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Tesla boss Elon Musk said during a shareholder’s meeting for the electric car company on Wednesday that he believes inflation is much worse than what is being reported and that it is unlikely to slow down this year.
Musk’s comments come after statistics from the Labor Department showed inflation skyrocketed 8.5% annually in March, representing the largest 12-month increase since December 1981.
“I think the official numbers actually understate the true magnitude of inflation. And inflation appears to be likely to continue for at least the remainder of this year,” Musk said. “What’s keeping costs down, at least in the short term, is that we have locked in contracts with suppliers. Those modular contracts will obviously run out, and then we’ll start to see potentially significant cost increases.”
The issue of inflation will likely play a major role in the upcoming midterm elections, as numerous polls show it is major source of pain for American voters. Midterm elections are typically a referendum on the party that controls the White House, which is why Democrat President Joe Biden is trying to blame rising costs on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Recent polling from Pew Research found that “strengthening the economy” is the top issue for voters headed into the 2022 midterms and that concern over the issue is being driven by inflation.
“The public’s policy agenda reflects continued concerns over the economy,” the report said. “With inflation at a four-decade high, large majorities of Americans say prices for food and consumer goods (89%), gas prices (82%) and the cost of housing (79%) are worse than they were a year ago. Only 28% rate economic conditions as excellent or good.”
A recent Gallup poll also found that a large number of Americans were concerned about inflation and the impact that it is having on the country.
“Roughly one in five Americans mention the high cost of living/inflation (17%), or fuel prices (4%) specifically, as the most important problem facing the U.S. today,” the survey found. “Together, these account for over half of the economic issues that 35% of Americans cite as the nation’s top problem. Within that group, 11% identify the economy in general as the chief problem.”
A recent survey from The New York Times revealed that a staggering 90% of Americans said they were worried about inflation.
Biden has also faced scrutiny over his fitness for office, including in a poll earlier this year that asked respondents, “Is Joe Biden mentally fit to serve as President of the United States or do you have doubts about his fitness for office?”
A majority of Americans, 53%, said, “I have doubts about his fitness.”


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Recently, Huawei’s wireless headset model, FreeBuds 3, was introduced at IFA 2019 in Berlin. The most important feature of the new headset is that it is equipped with intelligent technologies thanks to the Kirin A1 processor.Huawei FreeBuds 3 announced.The third generation headset has a stylish design. More elegant than previous members of the family, the FreeBuds 3 can be charged with a circularly designed box. Powered by the Kirin A1 processor, the smart wireless headset supports Bluetooth 5.1. The headset also offers BT-UHD support on EMUI 10 phones and is capable of transferring 2.3 Mbps of data. With Active Noise Canceling (ANC), the headset can be used for up to 20 hours with the included charging box. The charging box of the headset also features wireless charging. With this feature it is possible to charge this box with the help of a convenient charging station or a phone with reverse charging.The official price of the Huawei FreeBuds 3 , which has not yet been announced, is expected to be around $ 200. The headset also announced that Turkey be offered for sale in the market will take place on the shelves in the coming days.
- Introduced by Huawei
- EUV technology


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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Kronos Worldwide, Koninklijke DSM, Orion Engineered Carbons, Koppers Holdings and BASF SE
As the chemical industry's momentum is expected to continue in the second half, it would be a prudent idea to invest in chemical stocks with solid growth prospects.
Koninklijke DSM N.V. (RDSMY) is poised to gain from its efforts to develop new products, improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. Also, strategic associations will help improve businesses.
Orion Engineered Carbons S.A. (OEC) is poised to gain from its improving supply and demand conditions for its segments, expansionary investments and leverage reduction efforts.
The Chemours Company (CC) is poised to gain from its cost-savings initiatives, improving end market conditions and plant expansion efforts.
Royal DSM's (RDSMY) CEO Feike Sijbesma on Q2 2017 Results - Earnings Call Transcript
PPG Industries Inc. (PPG) reported adjusted earnings of $1.83 per share for the second quarter of 2017 surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.81.
Eastman Chemical (EMN) is raising the prices of specific products in North and Latin America due to a spike in raw material costs.
Praxair Inc. (PX) recently announced that it has started operating a new air separation plant at Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd's (SSNLF) display manufacturing plant in Tangjeong, South Korea.
Zacks.com featured highlights: Hitachi, Koninklijke DSM, Embotelladora Andina, Cambrex and Ituran Location and Control
U.S. Steel (X) has finalized an agreement for the sale and transition of ownership of U.S. Steel Canada to Bedrock Industries.
Based on its compelling prospects, we believe Eastman Chemical (EMN) has plenty of upside potential.
Net profit margin is the most effective way to measure a company's profitability.
PPG Industries' (PPG) industrial coating business has launched an innovative cloud-based platform, MeasureColor Mobile.
Celanese Corporation (CE) said that it will increase the selling prices of selective products like Dibutyl Maleate (DBM), Dioctyl Maleate (DOM) and Plasticizer WVC 3800.
DuPont (DD) declared that it will offer three newly approved bakery enzymes in Japan. The company recently secured approval of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for these enzymes for use as processing aids in that country.
Royal DSM NV engages in the manufacturing and sale of nutritional and pharmaceutical ingredients, and industrial chemicals. It operates through the following business segments: Nutrition, Materials, Innovation Center, Corporate Activities, and Eliminations. The Nutrition segment comprises of the DSM Nutritional Products and DSM Food Specialties business groups, which concentrate on human nutrition and animal nutrition health. The Materials segment produces synthetic fibers, engineering plastics, and resins used in coatings, and include DSM Engineering Plastics, DSM Dyneema, and DSM Resins. The Innovation Center segment enables and accelerates of innovation, which includes Emerging Business Areas. The Corporate Activities segment includes costs for regional holdings, corporate overhead and share-based compensation. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Herleen, the Netherlands. (See Full Profile)
Storyful, a division of News Corp, which owns MarketWatch, is a leading social media services company headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Storyful combines world class journalism with industry-leading technology to discover, verify and acquire original content and provide the on-the-ground sources news and media organizations need to tell the stories that matter to their audience.


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In another milestone for the medicinal marijuana movement, Australia's first state-grown cannabis crop has been successfully harvested. The Victorian government announced this morning that its mature cannabis plants are now being tested and formulated prior to being used as treatment for their intended trial patient group—a cohort of children suffering from severe epilepsy.
Overseen by a specialist government committee, this first batch of cannabis extract will be tested and then manufactured pharmaceutically into a safe and certified epilepsy treatment later this year. It will be the first legal medicinal cannabis product to be legally available in Australia.
In a media statement, the Victorian government said it was "getting on with establishing a reliable, safe production pipeline for the supply of high quality medicinal cannabis for Victorian patients."
Victorian Minister for Health Jill Hennessy was optimistic about the benefits the harvested crop would bring to its patients. "We promised Victorians they would be able to access this life-changing treatment and every day brings us one step closer to delivering on this Australian first commitment," she said.
"We have seen time and time again the difference medicinal cannabis can make to the lives of very sick children."
Victoria became the first state in Australia to legalise medicinal cannabis in April 2016, as the smug media release was eager to point out. It's worth noting though that Victoria's efforts have been eclipsed in recent months by other state governments enacting more flexible cannabis laws that will benefit a larger pool of patients.
In Queensland, for example, new legislation coming into force next month will allow doctors to prescribe cannabis for a much wider variety of people suffering from certain medical conditions. The state's more flexible set of laws will allow specialist doctors (like oncologists) to prescribe medicinal cannabis without state approval, and GPs will be able to apply for permission to do so.
And in New South Wales, patients can be assessed by an expert panel before getting access to medicinal cannabis treatment via the state's Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulations.
Still, Victoria can definitely lay claim to the first state-harvested cannabis crop, which would have seemed like an impossible feat even a couple of years ago. And given that other states have been slow to apply for medicinal marijuana licences, it's going to be difficult to access medicinal weed no matter you are in Australia—especially as it doesn't yet fall under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
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Budget 2022 expectations: 5 key concerns of MSMEs that need attention from FM Nirmala Sitharaman
Ease of doing business for MSMEs: Industry has learned to cope with the pandemic as governments have firmly steered clear of blanket shutdowns, although there are restrictions on service industries like restaurants , shopping malls, theaters. The MSME sector has borne the brunt of the pandemic and is in shock due to multiple issues.
By R Srinivasan
Ease of doing business for MSMEs: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the budget on February 1, 2022. It would be essential to see if the budget addresses the concerns of the MSME sector. On July 27, 2021, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industry observed that “the recovery plan announced by the government for economic recovery after the pandemic-stricken economy proved to be insufficient as the measures adopted were more offers loans and long-term loans”. measures instead of improving cash flow to generate demand as immediate relief. In the process of economic recovery after the first wave of the pandemic, the second wave tore the economy even more vigorously apart, especially the MSME sector. The committee therefore recommends that the government immediately present a broader economic package aimed at boosting demand, investment, exports and job creation to help the economy, including MSMEs, recover from the fallout from the pandemic.
We are in the middle of the third wave and a lot has changed since the presentation of the report. The industry has learned to work with the pandemic as governments have firmly steered clear of blanket shutdowns, although there are restrictions on service industries like restaurants, malls, theatres. The MSME sector has borne the brunt of the pandemic and is in shock due to multiple issues. Some key concerns that require the attention of decision makers are:
- Commodity prices increased significantly, affecting the cost of manufactured goods. MSMEs rarely have the bargaining power to effect a corresponding price increase. This affected gross margins. As large corporations record windfall profits, the MSME sector is under pressure.
- Diesel is key to keeping manufacturing industries running all week, as many MSME clusters have weekly power outages. With the runaway price of diesel, the cost of power consumption has increased by more than 15%, affecting the manufacturing cost. It is worth looking at the state and central taxes levied on fuel to alleviate stress.
- Diesel is also a key element in transport and logistics. MSMEs usually support logistics cost increasing the overall cost of operations and affecting margins.
- MSMEs contribute significantly to the country’s overall exports. the shipping and logistics costs increased, in some cases almost three times, due to the shortage of ships. This is accentuated by the shortage of containers since traffic is affected due to confinements in various ports. MSMEs who entered into CIF contracts are stuck and losing money. While most logistics operators believe this is a temporary phenomenon and that market forces will correct prices, no one knows when this will happen.
- The labor shortage has led to an increase in the cost of labor. Despite the willingness to pay, labor shortages continue to plague MSMEs. This again increased the cost of operations affecting profitability.
FinancialExpress.com presents its flagship event The ScaleUp Summit exclusively for MSME owners to learn from each other and grow their business. Join us by registering here.
In this scenario, what do MSMEs expect from the budget? A significant reduction in corporate tax so that they can hold on over this period. In fact, the Minister of Finance would do well to reduce corporate taxes to zero for MSMEs with a turnover of less than Rs 50 crore, that would be a huge relief. The government should work in tandem with states to reduce fuel taxes. There are also numerous reports of closures and resulting job losses. MSMEs are the biggest employers, especially in rural areas and are the most resilient sector of the Indian economy, but the pandemic has put it to the test. This is the time when they need real support.
R Srinivasan is director and co-founder of AIRA Consulting. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
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In the years during which the smartphone market has taken flight, Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) has failed to establish a strong position in the smartphone chip business, a fact that can only be viewed as a missed opportunity, coming as it does at a time when PC shipments are on the decline.
Surely Intel, the largest semiconductor manufacturer in the world, should have seen the rise of the smartphone market and prepared for its arrival, but figures show that Intel chips are not inside the majority of smartphones.
IHS Corp. numbers reflect this, and show that among suppliers of mobile handset baseband ICs (analog and digital), Intel holds only 8.4 percent of the market share, and is in third place behind Qualcomm Inc. at 52.3 percent and MediaTek Inc. at 14.9 percent.
I think it's fair for shareholders to raise questions about why Intel was unprepared to meet the high adoption rates of smartphones. I do accept the fact that it's a challenging market, as analyst Linley Gwennap of the Linley Group points out:
It's not every year that the third- and fourth-ranked mobile application-processor vendors bail out of the smartphone and tablet markets, as Texas Instruments and Freescale have done. Or that the fourth-largest cellular-baseband vendor loses its sugar daddy and appears likely to fail—the tenuous spot that ST-Ericsson is now in. Intel, by contrast, earned its first-ever smartphone design wins and appears ready to take up some of the slack, while MediaTek's shipments into smartphones suddenly took off.
As Intel prepares to catch up with its competitors, the company is seizing on the high expectations for the low-end smartphone market, which should offer the chipmaker a golden opportunity. Figures from IHS show that from 2012 to 2016, the market will double with shipments moving from 206 million in 2012 to 559 million in 2016. In fact, according to IHS, shipments of low-end smartphones will rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 51 percent from 2011 to 2016. That's faster than high-end smartphone shipments, which will grow at a CAGR of only 12 percent during the same period.
The strong demand for low-end smartphones is mainly from China and other Asia-Pacific countries, as well as Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. To get its chips into low-end smartphones, Intel introduced, at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, an Atom processor platform designed to target this market in emerging economies. Francis Sideco, senior principal analyst for wireless communications at IHS, called this a "shrewd strategy" that just might help Intel increase its chip business in this market segment.
In the meantime, Intel declares that it continues to make progress with its acquisition of Infineon Technologies AG Wireless Solutions business and is preparing to launch its first Long-Term Evolution (LTE) solution to support 4G wireless technology -- another important milestone for Intel as it seeks to make inroads into the US smartphone market.
The consensus is that the benefit to be derived from an LTE solution is substantial. According to IHS, three years after its original deployment, projections are that there will be 100 million subscribers to LTE this year.
Intel needs to effectively and efficiently adjust its supply chain to capture this market, but rushing into the market with its product, it seems, is the least of its concerns. With regard to timing, here's what Paul Otellini, Intel's CEO, had to say during a recent earnings conference call about rolling out an LTE for phones:
First LTE phones, I would expect to have launched early next year, principally around MWC-14. We believe we have a very competitive solution. The Infineon team is known for not necessarily being first to market, but being really good at engineering a very solid solution and being cost effective and cost competitive and I think that they are doing a very good job with respect to this product. In terms of integrated solutions, you'll see higher levels of integration from us next year.
Intel has a far way to go to catch up with Qualcomm in the smartphone market. As a company that is heralded as the largest semiconductor company in the world, with a market capitalization of $105 billion, and an aggressive capital expenditure budget of about $13 billion this year, Intel should not be so far behind in the wireless market, but it is.
That said, Intel has a lot to prove during the next 18 to 24 months as it begins to ramp up its processors and its presence in the smartphone market. How Intel rolls out its supply chain strategy during the next 12 months will truly be a test as analysts and investors wait to see its products, price, and smartphone wins. Certainly Intel has not demonstrated that it has what it takes to succeed in this market thus far, but that can change.


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What Gabriela Hearst’s first show says about Chloé’s strategy
The new-look Chloé, under the creative direction of Gabriela Hearst, will focus on sustainability, accessories and cocooning outerwear, her first show for the Richemont-owned French brand indicates.
The highly anticipated show at Paris Fashion Week — a fully digital season due to the sanitary restrictions — was shot by night in the empty streets of Paris under curfew, outside Saint Germain-des-Prés staple Brasserie Lipp, where Chloé founder Gaby Aghion invited guests when presenting her earliest collections 70 years ago. Chloé has been through many incarnations since then, under creative direction from Karl Lagerfeld to Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo.
The stakes are high, given that Chloé’s sales have been decreasing consistently even pre-pandemic. Morgan Stanley analyst Edouard Aubin estimates that Chloé generated €485 million in revenue the fiscal year ending March 2020, down from €510 million the year prior. Along with Montblanc and Alaïa, Chloé is part of Richemont’s “Other” division, which saw sales decrease by 13 per cent in the most recent quarter, following a 24 per cent drop in the previous quarter. (Richemont does not provide sales or profits of individual brands.) Chloé’s vulnerability lies largely in its exposure to wholesale, its reliance on ready-to-wear versus accessories and its limited offer in fast-growing segments such as sneakers, analysts say. Chloé chief executive Riccardo Bellini declined to respond to questions for this story.
“Like many other fashion brands, Chloé’s revenues have been hit hard by the Covid pandemic,” says Mario Ortelli, managing director of Ortelli & Co. “New creative leadership is the right first step to reboot the brand.”
The Autumn/Winter 2021 collection is a nod to the heritage of the French house, but the significant takeaway is the new sustainability focus, carried over from Hearst’s namesake brand. The company said in a press release that the collection is “four times more sustainable” compared to last year’s designs, attributing the progress to a shift to lower-impact raw materials. Hearst also reissued popular past products like the Edith handbag, repurposing 50 vintage bags with leftover materials, signalling an embrace of pre-made goods. “New isn’t always better,” said Hearst in a statement. Chloé is thus the latest luxury brand to dip its toes into the resale market.
The 30-piece collection also includes fringed and striped dresses, a poncho fused with a puffer coat called a “puffcho”, puffer coats assembled from Chloé fabrics and prints “in homage to previous designers” and a collaboration with Moonboots incorporating Chloé material and recycled cashmere.
“[Hearst’s] introduction of sustainably made pieces and overall general responsibility to the environment is sure to drive eyes and more business to the brand,” says Julie Gilhart, chief development officer of business accelerator Tomorrow and president of Tomorrow Projects says. She praised the “striped ponchos made of recycled cashmere” and “the embellished bags that had been rejuvenated from secondhand Chloé bags bought back from Ebay”.
Richemont has taken recent steps to reinvigorate its fashion division, which has been lagging behind for some years. Along with Hearst’s appointment, the group invested €25 million in the launch of AZ Factory, a new brand led by cult designer Alber Elbaz, and brought on Pieter Mulier as creative director of Alaïa. Chairman Johann Rupert is also committed to digital: Chloé started selling on Tmall in China in May 2020, several months before November’s Richemont-Alibaba-Farfetch mega-deal. The new collection’s handbags and focus on sustainability could win over the younger generation of Chinese consumers, an important market for luxury brands, says Shanghai-based creative consultant Leaf Greener.
“I believe Chloé is the brand with the most important potential in Richemont’s soft luxury portfolio,” says Bernstein analyst Luca Solca. “The most important challenge for Richemont in this division is to attract and retain the right talent. As the best — like Phoebe Philo at one point — are at risk to be poached by larger groups that can offer better prospects.”
Hearst’s first collection has been largely well-received. Natalie Kingham, global fashion officer at MatchesFashion praised the outerwear, ponchos, shearling and knitted dresses. “In such a short space of time you can see the codes of Gabriela Hearst for Chloé coming through.”
Accessories and footwear, both industry cash cows, were also a standout. “We love the new direction Gabriela is taking with Chloé’s accessories by reinventing and modernising iconic shapes from the archives,” says Roopal Patel, senior vice president, fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue. Brigitte Chartrand, vice president of womenswear buying for Ssense, called out the collection’s boots and sandals as a highlight.
Others have drawn comparisons to Philo, which could indicate a price hike, says fashion critic Pierre Alexandre M’Pelé, known online as Pam Boy. “It was a safe first collection, missing the lightheartedness and French attitude for which Chloé is known for,” he says, adding, “Gabriela Hearst’s sophistication is in tune with Chloé’s. She herself embodies the Chloé woman. In that regard, it was an appropriate choice and the garments reflect just that.”


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Subscriptions related to healthy eating and exercise grew this New Year, but there was weaker spending in areas such as vegetable delivery boxes and meal kits as shoppers cut back on non-essentials, new research suggests.
Health and fitness subscriptions both grew in January, but overall spending fell year-on-year according to Cardlytics analysis of spending data from 24m UK bank accounts. It showed that spending on gym subscriptions was 14% higher than in December, while at home workout plans and healthy meal kits grew by 11% between December and January. In-person gyms (+13%) such as David Lloyd and LA Fitness benefited but at-home fitness subscriptions that grew quickly during the pandemic fell. While transactions in those subscriptions had grown by 1,070% since 2019, spending this January was 25% down.
Orders for balanced meal kits were 11% up in January on December, but remain lower than a year earlier. Spending on fruit and vegetable box subscriptions was 16% down on the same time last year, while meal kit subscriptions were down by 9% over the same period. Subscriptions such as Hello Fresh, Mindful Chef and Gousto had risen by 379% since 2019, but are now 9% down on last year.
Spending on fruit and vegetable delivery subscriptions, meanwhile, was down by 20% month-on-month, and by 16% year-on-year.
Sharina Mutreja, partnerships director at Cardlytics, says: “January typically represents a clean slate for consumers who use the new year as an opportunity to not only set goals but also assess their finances and evaluate areas to cut back.
“The convenience of subscriptions allows brands to capitalise on such resolutions but this year’s dampened spending, particularly across the health and fitness space, could provide an indication of what retailers can expect in 2023.
“Brands need to recognise and understand changing consumer needs in the face of rising costs, offering tailored promotions, cashback and discounts on the subscriptions that matter most, to help build loyalty in the long term.”


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Press Release – Telecom New Zealand
Telecom has announced the appointment of two new General Managers to help lead its Retail business. Grant McBeath who joins as General Manager Sales, has most recently led a large team based in Thailand as Managing Director Thailand and Emerging Asia …5 February 2013
Telecom Retail Appoints Two New General Managers
• GM Sales, Grant MacBeath
• GM Brand, Communications and Digital, Kellie Nathan
Telecom has announced the appointment of two new General Managers to help lead its Retail business.
Grant McBeath who joins as General Manager Sales, has most recently led a large team based in Thailand as Managing Director Thailand and Emerging Asia at Nokia.
He has also held a series of significant senior positions with the company across Singapore, Australia and New Zealand over the past nine years. His roles included Heading Sales Operations across the South East Asia region; Managing Director and General Manager roles as well as Head of Sales across Australia and New Zealand.
Prior to joining Nokia, Mr McBeath worked for Cadbury NZ, Chevron Texaco UK and Coca Cola Amatil. He has an MBA from the Helsinki School of Economics and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland.
Telecom’s CEO Retail, Chris Quin, says he is delighted to have Grant on board.
“Grant has significant accomplishments including leading and developing exceptional teams combined with a solid track record of delivering strong revenue growth in the markets he has operated in. We’re excited to have him on board leading our retail sales team including our Telecom Retail Stores and Business Hubs across New Zealand.”
Additionally, Kellie Nathan has been appointed to the position of General Manager Brand, Communications and Digital.
Kellie brings with her almost 20 years’ experience across the FMCG, telecommunications and digital media industries in New Zealand. The majority of her career has been spent in senior marketing roles, leading all facets of marketing including brand management, advertising and communications, digital, market research and product management.
Kellie returns to Telecom having first worked for the company in 2005 as Head of Communications and Brand. More recently she spent four years at Yellow Pages, initially joining as a marketing director and then heading up the brand’s business transformation team. This saw her leading teams responsible for digital media, marketing, sales, HR and change management, IT and technology.
She has a Bachelor of Business Studies in Marketing from Massey University.
Telecom’s Chief Marketing Officer Jason Paris says is he delighted to re-welcome Kellie to Telecom and notes her arrival comes at an important point for the business.
“Telecom has significant commercial and customer momentum and I’m delighted that we have been able to attract one of New Zealand’s top business executives to lead and advance our brand, advertising and digital programmes.
“In an increasingly competitive retail environment, Kellie’s transformation experience will ensure that speed to market, quality, value and an outstanding customer experience are always placed front-and-centre in all that we do.”


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Apple is accepting Red Cross donations via iTunes to help survivors of the Nepal earthquake that claimed more than 3,000 lives last week. The link is featured prominently on the iTunes home screen, leading users to a simple page soliciting donations of $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, or $200. Apple assures users that 100 percent of the money raised will go to the American Red Cross, but since Apple is keeping the donations anonymous, users won’t get any communication from the Red Cross confirming the donation. The transaction will show up on credit card statements as an iTunes transaction, making it impossible to claim as a tax deduction.
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