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The H&M Group, a Swedish multinational clothing-retail company, has introduced a new multi-brand paper packaging system that is reusable and recyclable. With online shopping increasing worldwide and with that plastic waste, H&M feels a need to find solutions for sustainable packaging. The aim of this new solution is to reduce the risk of creating that waste.
“With Black Week just behind us and holidays around the corner, online shopping has reached its peak. And due to the pandemic taking over this year, it is safe to say that e-commerce has changed forever. But while online orders increasing as a general global trend, so is the packaging waste. Most of it being plastic that ends up in landfills or in the ocean, having an extremely negative impact on our planet,” H&M Group stated in a press release.
In the fashion industry, plastic is one of the biggest challenges. It is not only used in synthetic materials such as polyester, but also in hangers, hang tags, single use shopping bags and polybags. When it comes to packaging, plastic is partly used to protect some products and prevent waste, which makes it even more challenging to replace. The question is: How can we prevent packaging from becoming waste itself and at the same time deliver top-quality products?
At its distribution centres in Netherlands, UK, Sweden, China, Russia and Australia, millions of packages have been sent to customers as part of a test for more sustainable packaging solutions. Motivated by the packaging strategy and to become a fully circular organisation, H&M Group has developed a multi-brand packaging system with bags made of certified paper. Once opened, the bags are recyclable.
On top of that, the branding labels now allow group’s brands to be more relevant with messaging, while the bags have a cleaner and nicer look. This in turn prevents packages having outdated messages on them, preventing another waste risk.
“We are introducing a type of packaging that is better for both the customer and the environment. It is yet to be improved since we need to continue working on replacing the use of plastic throughout our logistics supply chain. But by introducing this new multi-brand packaging we are creating a huge impact by replacing the outer plastic with a paper solution. This is a small step on a long journey,” Hanna Lumikero, service owner and responsible for the new packaging system at H&M Group, said in the release.
So far, the new packaging solution has been introduced to customers at COS, ARKET, Monki and Weekday. The H&M brand has started to implement it in selected markets, and this will only increase during the upcoming months and with that, reach an even bigger group of customers all around the world. In the beginning of 2021, the brand &Other Stories will join our journey and ship their online orders in recyclable paper-packaging.
“We use valuable input from our customers to improve and we know that they are happy about receiving their orders in more sustainable packaging. At the same time, we are committed to reducing plastic throughout our business and value chain. That is why we will implement this packaging solution in all of our brands,” Lumikero said.
The packaging solution will help H&M Groups towards reaching the goals of its circular strategy for packaging, including reducing packaging by 25 per cent and designing reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025 at latest. The goals are aligned with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, as well as the Fashion Pact and Canopy’s initiative Pack4Good, and have led to H&M Group removing most of their plastic shopping bags in the brands stores, substituting with a certified paper option. Together with other actions, this has contributed to a 4.7 per cent reduction in plastic packaging during 2019, which is over 1,000 tons of plastic. By implementing the new packaging pilot, H&M group moves closer to reaching these goals.
Morrisons has announced it will replace the plastic packaging from its bananas with paper bands, in a move that makes it the first supermarket to remove plastic banana packaging from all its stores.
The announcement follows a successful 12-week trial that saw two million plastic bags removed from bananas. Morrisons said it will now complete the switch to paper bands at all its stores over the next six months and as a result it expects to eliminate 45 million single-use plastic bags each year, the equivalent of removing 180 tonnes of plastic from stores annually.
The paper band will be made from FSC certified paper and will list the product's country of origin, barcode, and certification such as Fairtrade, Soil Association Certification, or Rainforest Alliance.
Morrisons's Banana Buyer, Elio Biondo, said: "Bananas have their own packaging - their skins. They also grow in bunches which generally means they don't need bagging together. So a simple sturdy paper band is the ideal alternative. In trials the quality of the bananas has remained the same, so this switch out of plastic is a no-brainer."
The switch to paper bands is part of Morrisons's wider plans to reduce plastic packaging and waste from its stores. Just last week it announced plans to trial six 'zero waste' stores in Edinburgh that will introduce facilities to help customers recycle all waste, from hard to recycle plastics to foil and plant pots, as well as reducing waste in store.
Earlier in the year, Morrisons launched a glass milk bottle trial that saw glass milk bottles directly delivered to store and returned by customers for collection and reuse, while the store has also introduced paper bags at checkout and paper or string bags for fruit and vegetables to reduce the amount of plastic available in store.
The news comes ahead of an anticipated announcement from the government regarding plans to extend a ban on single use plastics to include items such as single use plastic cutlery, plates and cups. The government has pledged to prevent avoidable plastic waste by 2042, by banning single use plastic items, such as straws, stirrers, and cotton buds, and in August, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced it was looking to extend the ban with further details set to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Graphic Packaging International’s ProducePack, a sustainable paperboard range of packaging designed for fresh produce applications, is proving to be an effective and user-friendly solution to preserving fruit for Michigan apple distributor BelleHarvest.
Following its successful launch earlier this year, ProducePack was introduced for BelleHarvest’s three most popular apple varieties, Fuji, Honeycrisp and Gala. Featuring an upright structure to protect the delicate apples while enhancing branding opportunities by increasing billboarding space, ProducePack is a 100 percent recyclable packaging solution. In addition, the carton’s striking design, with its convenient quick ‘grab & go’ carry handle, has been attracting attention in the produce aisle.
“We care greatly about our effect on the environment, so we are excited to lead the way in evolving our packaging in the apple category and respond to consumer demands for a paper-based alternative to plastic,” Angela Sommers, marketing director at BelleHarvest, said.
“We are therefore delighted to report that ProducePack has led to a greater than 15% reduction in apple defects while stored in refrigeration, keeping our fruit in the best condition for longer,” continued Sommers. “The packaging material and fruit held up exceptionally well in transit and refrigeration, reducing the possibility of shrinkage and packaging waste. This is an excellent achievement in such a short space of time.”
BelleHarvest’s sustainable apple packaging recently scooped one of four wins for Graphic Packaging in the Institute of Packaging Professionals' AmeriStar Awards 2021. Awarded under Saves Food–Agriculture, the winning BelleHarvest pack was a first for the fresh produce category.
“We are extremely pleased that our innovative range is producing such impressive results for BelleHarvest,” Jackie D’Ambrosio, senior manager, new product development – omnichannel at Graphic Packaging, said. “This underscores ProducePack’s viability as a commercial solution for customers who want to make a positive contribution to the environment while meeting growing demand from consumers for a sustainable, fiber-based alternative to plastic.”
Chobani Enters the Peanut Butter Aisle with Launch of Chobani Ends Child Hunger Peanut Butter Flavored SpreadsNews:
Chobani will donate 100% of profits from its peanut spreads to Edesia for production of Plumpy'Nut®, its fortified peanut butter that is shipped around the world across 60 countries to nourish children with acute malnutrition.
"We believe that children, no matter where they live, deserve the basic human right of food and nutrition. From Afghanistan to Haiti, hunger and malnutrition is completely preventable," said Edesia Founder and CEO Navyn Salem. "Chobani's commitment to donate 100% of profits from the sales of its peanut butter flavored spreads will help make this vision possible."
The Chobani Ends Child Hunger Peanut Butter Flavored Nutrient Spreads offer a special line for infants. It's formulated to reduce the choking hazard associated with the early introduction of peanuts recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Introducing peanuts as early as 4 to 6 months may help reduce peanut allergies by 80% among at-risk children, such as those with mild, moderate to severe eczema and/or egg allergy, who should consume peanut-containing foods under medical supervision.
"Edesia was the first non-profit participant in our Incubator program in 2019, and we knew we had to work together because our missions are very aligned," said Chobani Founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya. "Childhood hunger in the U.S. and malnutrition globally are dual crises, and we have the opportunity and the responsibility to take additional action through this beautiful partnership."
The devastating August earthquake in Haiti has urgently increased the need to help provide nutrition to Haiti's children, many of whom suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Chobani responded immediately to the disaster with financial assistance to rescue and relief partners, but we wanted to do more to offer support on the ground. Through the proceeds from the roll out of the peanut butter flavored spreads, Chobani, in partnership with Edesia, will be able to provide a full 7-week treatment of Plumpy'Nut to over 2,000 children in Haiti. As an added benefit to the Haitian economy, this product is being made at a facility in Haiti.
Consumers can find our peanut butter flavored spreads at major supermarkets nationwide and online.
Key Facts on Chobani Ends Child Hunger Peanut Butter Flavored Spreads:
For the Family:
Plain peanut butter flavored nutrient spread available in multi-packs of 6-1.12oz squeeze packs, 10oz multi-serve jar
Chocolate and peanut butter flavored nutrient spread available in 6-1.12oz squeeze packs, 10oz multi-serve jar
Cookie dough and peanut butter flavored nutrient spread available in 6-1.12oz squeeze packs
Apple and peanut butter flavored nut & fruit blend available in a 6-count multi-pack of 0.7oz squeeze packs
Banana and peanut butter flavored nut & fruit blend available in a 6-count multi-pack of 0.7oz squeeze packs
All Chobani Ends Child Hunger products are made with non-GMO ingredients, and are certified kosher and gluten free.
Chobani is a food maker with a mission of making high-quality and nutritious food accessible to more people, while elevating our communities and making the world a healthier place. In short: making good food for all. In support of this mission, we are a values-driven, people-first, food-and-wellness-focused company, and have been since Hamdi Ulukaya, an immigrant to the U.S., founded the company in 2005. We produce yogurt, non-dairy oatmilk, dairy- and plant-based creamers, ready-to-drink coffee and plant-based probiotic drinks. Chobani yogurt is America's No.1 yogurt brand, and it's made with only natural ingredients without artificial preservatives.
Chobani uses food as a force for good in the world – putting humanity first in everything we do. Our philanthropic efforts prioritize giving back to our communities and beyond: working to eradicate child hunger, supporting immigrants, refugees and underrepresented people, honoring veterans, and protecting the planet. We manufacture our products in New York, Idaho, and Australia. Chobani products are available throughout North America and distributed in Australia and other select markets. For more information, please visit www.chobani.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Edesia is a non-profit social enterprise on a mission to end hunger and malnutrition worldwide. From its Rhode Island factory, a diverse team of 100 humanitarians make over 1.5 million packets of lifesaving foods 24 hours a day for UNICEF, the World Food Programme, USAID, USDA, and other NGOs working in emergency and conflict zones. Edesia has shipped its ready-to-eat foods to over 60 countries worldwide, reaching over 14.5 million children. Navyn Salem founded Edesia in 2009 and was inspired to end childhood malnutrition by her father who is from Tanzania and her four daughters. To learn more, please visit: www.edesianutrition.org.
 For most infants with severe eczema and/or an egg allergy who are already eating solid foods, introducing foods containing ground peanuts between 4 and 10 months of age and continuing consumption may reduce the risk of developing peanut allergy by 5 years of age. The FDA has determined, however, that the evidence supporting this claim is limited to one study. If your infant has severe eczema and/or an egg allergy, check with your infant's healthcare provider before feeding foods containing ground peanuts.
Swiss packaging expert SIG head of sustainability and digital marketing Bojan Buric Heler tells Packaging Gateway about the value behind connected packaging and how SIG is contributing to the market with its new digital closure product, 'One Cap, One Code'.
In today’s on-demand and digitalised world, consumers are more connected and informed than ever. They know what they want, how they want it, and who they want it from.
As digital consumers and connected spenders adopt new behaviours and communication channels, brands are having to work even harder to reach, understand and engage them.
Businesses need packaging solutions that can easily provide valuable product data in real time to assist in supply chain quality and control.
Swiss packaging expert SIG head of sustainability and digital marketing Bojan Buric Heler tells Packaging Gateway about the value behind connected packaging and how SIG is contributing to the market with its new digital closure product, ‘One Cap, One Code’.
In this highly competitive market, connected packaging has emerged as an effective way for food and beverage producers to connect with consumers. Solutions like scannable QR codes are being utilised more and more on consumer products – turning physical packs into interactive tools.
All of this is so consumers can access the information they want, while brands can build trust and recognition.
Connected packaging is an incredible opportunity for companies to play a bigger role in consumers’ lives. Through interactive functionalities and enhanced user experiences, brands can offer real value to consumers.
Tracking and interacting
With higher competitive pressure and consumer demands, businesses need to find new ways to reliably manage their entire supply chain, from source to shelf.
HKScan, which sells over eight million Scan Falukorv sausages every year in Sweden alone. has pledged to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions target by 2025 – and aims to achieve a carbon neutral food chain by the end of 2040.
Mondi used its EcoSolutions approach to collaborate with HKScan’s R&D team to provide the right barrier paper without requiring any changes to its existing production lines. The new packaging now comprises of renewable materials and is made with responsibly sourced paper and bio-based plastic.
The paper is sourced, coated and printed in Sweden, so transportation is kept to a minimum. Thanks to its majority paper content, the new packaging can be disposed of in Swedish paper recycling streams. Mondi’s solution ensures the Scan Falukorv sausage remains fresh and intact in transportation, and the packaging provides excellent print quality for attractive presentation on the shelves.
Maria Häger, director quality & environment HKScan Sweden, said: “Reducing our environmental footprint is one of our most important priorities at HKScan. The barrier paper from Mondi is a valuable piece of the jigsaw puzzle, enabling us to proudly announce this new, recyclable packaging for our Falukorv sausage, reducing its CO2 impact from the previous solution by 70%. This represents a vital step in our sustainability journey and is helping us get closer to achieving our climate targets of achieving a carbon neutral food chain by the end of 2040.”
Jonas Fridberg, business solutions manager, functional paper and films, Mondi added: “Our aim is always to develop fit-for-purpose packaging that is sustainable by design. Our work with HKScan to facilitate their switch to recyclable and renewable paper packaging for Scan Falukorv 800 g is a great example of that. It has led to a significant reduction in carbon impact, with no change in the consumer experience, and that is truly something to be celebrated.”
The company is launching a range of in-house designed capping machinery, alongside bottle unscramblers and pump and trigger feeding systems as part of its complete system offering for the design and installation of bespoke filling lines and automated packing line solutions.
It is looking to cater for a variety of end markets including FMCG, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, food & beverage, chemical and automotive.
ATS Packaging Machinery is being headed by technical sales and product manager Richard Aitchison, who has over 25 years’ experience in capital equipment sales, with the past decade working on sales of a variety of packaging machinery throughout the world including Europe, India, China and North America.
Adrian Gander, ATS managing director, said: “We are very excited to be further expanding our operations with the opening of the packaging machinery division. In particular, Richard’s wide-ranging experience will be invaluable in helping customers meet their specific packing requirements with efficient, value-adding solutions.”
Mitsubishi HiTec Paper produces recyclable barrier papers with water-based coatings for food and non-food packaging under the brand name barricote®. In the EU, the so-called SUPD (Single Use Plastic Directive) has created a great deal of uncertainty for this innovative and sustainable packaging material, on which we would like to take a position, as follows
Baker Perkins has specialised in the extrusion of starch-based foods such as snacks and ready-to-eat cereals for over 50 years, and is applying its depth of process know-how and experience to the production of biodegradable alternatives to polystyrene and plastic packaging.
This expertise is relevant because the process of mixing, hydrating, expanding, shaping and cutting starches into chips has more in common with food extrusion than plastics or other industrial processes.
Although the machines may look the same as a food extruder and the biodegradable product looks similar to plastic foam, they are in reality both significantly different.
Natural bio materials are not as consistent as synthetic plastics and the hydration process of the starch has no direct equivalent in plastics. A comparison is putting petrol in a diesel car – minor differences render the major similarities irrelevant.
Baker Perkins’ range of twin-screw extruders includes a 19mm benchtop machine for research labs, a 24mm unit for pilot plants and production extruders from 30mm up to 100mm.
Dies for a range of chips are available, along with the appropriate cutter, and are easily interchanged to allow a full range of product types to be manufactured.
Baker Perkins also provides extruders and process expertise for industrial applications including powder coatings, toners and speciality chemicals. The company operates an Innovation Centre with two twin-screw extruders that are available for everything from simple demonstrations of current technology to new product development trials and experiments with new materials.
The pressure to switch to biodegradable or sustainable packaging means that this is a fast-moving field constantly being challenged to develop new products and to use a wider range of biomaterials, including recycled and by-products. Baker Perkins said its know-how is already available to achieve these goals.
The Zero+ Packaging Line was developed with the mission of offering solutions that align with WWP Beauty’s "6R’s of Sustainability." This plant-based packaging line is based on “responsibly and locally sourced” material from farm waste which does not interrupt the food chain supply.
"Now more than ever, we are seeing beauty consumers increasingly adopt streamlined beauty routines based on multifunctional products - born from the desire to buy more sustainably, while also simply saving time and money," said Musa Dias, CMO of WWP Beauty. "The Zero+ Collection was developed based on the concept that less is truly more, and that creating zero waste is in turn creating positive value for both the end-user and the environment."
This collection demonstrates the company’s unwavering commitment to reducing its global carbon footprint, supporting a circular economy throughout the cosmetics industry and working towards creating a more sustainable, clean and inclusive future, said WWP Beauty.


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Kimpton Hotels has become the latest hotel operator to suffer a major data breach that may have divulged customer payment card data.
The chain of US boutique hotels warned on Wednesday that it had discovered malware on servers that processed payment cards used at some of its hotels and restaurants. The malware was designed to capture customers' card numbers, cardholder names, expiration dates and internal verification codes, the subsidiary of InterContinental Hotels Group explained in a blog post.
The malware was discovered after the chain was informed in July of unauthorized charges showing up on a customer's payment card after eating at one of Kimpton's restaurants. Cards used at certain restaurants and hotel front desks between February 16 and July 7 may be affected. The chain has published a list of properties where customers' cards may be affected, along with specific at-risk time frames, and said it will be contacting customers who may have had data exposed.
Earlier this month, Hotel operator HEI Hotels and Resorts reported that malware found on the company's systems could have been used to steal data from customers using cards to pay at any point-of-sale terminals across the properties.

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August 5, 2015 |
Any change in the upper echelons of Indian advertising is accompanied by more theorising than you'd find on The Game of Thrones subreddit after a particularly piquant massacre. So you can imagine the impact of two senior management shifts in as many weeks. Arun Iyer was elevated from national creative director to chief creative officer at Lowe Lintas, and will now handle brands formerly under fellow NCD Amer Jaleel. A second agency Mullen Lintas is being spearheaded by Jaleel as chairman and chief creative officer.
March 12, 2013 |
MUMBAI: Communications agency Rediffusion-Y&R has appointed Komal Bedi Sohal , one of the best art directors in the global advertising industry, as its national creative director. Sohal, who was with Lowe in Dubai before joining Rediffusion, is ranked number 2 in 'The Top Art Directors in the World' by The Big Won Creative Ranking 2011 and has been in the top 10 for the past five years. "It's almost impossible to find such talent and I'm happy that she's moving her life to India to join us," Sam Ahmed, chief creative officer and VC at Rediffusion-Y&R, said.
August 13, 2012 |
The 'Lovemarks' agency Saatchi & Saatchi is buttressing its creative fortress. It has announced two new creative recruits - Anant Medepalli and Vihar Patkar as Creative Director and Associate Creative Director respectively. Alongside the agency has also moved the Creative Director on the P&G brand Mithun Mirji to Singapore for a newly created role of Regional Creative Director. Mirji has been at Saatchi & Saatchi for a few years now and having worked at the agency has helped in forging a partnership with P&G and this has helped the agency get more responsibilities for work across the region.
May 29, 2013 |
There's something innately positive about every Portfolio Night. You see a multitude of young faces and wonder who will be the next big thing in advertising, two to 20 years from now. Portfolio Night 11 was no exception. The fourth Mumbai edition hosted by JWT in its office was high on energy starting at 6 pm in the evening. Caricatures of all the 31 judges aka creative honchos, witty posters about advertising â€" some strengthening and some eroding all the myths, and 90 fresh faces anxious to know if they're on the right track.
October 24, 2012 |
"I would say there's a lack of not talent but of talent spotters in advertising," says KV Sridhar on the eve of an announcement of a massive revamp of Leo Burnett's creative department. It's a fairly typical statement from Sridhar or Pops as he's called. Even in a notoriously youth focussed business, the chief creative officer, Indian and subcontinent division at Leo Burnett stands out. He is remarkably optimistic, some might say obsessed with the potential of young people. To the point where he has gained fame and notoriety due to his frequent rants against "the old fogies" in the business.
June 24, 2006 |
CANNES: At mid-morning, life along the Croisette had settled back to a quiet daily routine, with the frenetic activity witnessed around the Palais des Festivals over the past four days replaced by a sedate atmosphere as small knots of tourists, cameras in hand, ambled about aimlessly. Then you noticed the delegate badges tucked away discreetly into pockets and figured these were the few who'd managed pulling themselves out of the previous night's parties early; the rest were obviously still in various stages of coming out of Bacchanalian stupor.
June 6, 2012 |
If you are an advertising professional , a suit or the creative variety, high ranking or otherwise, and your compensation is that awful bane of your professional existence, then you might want to give this one a skip. In fact forget you were ever here, kapish? But of course if you are man, or woman, enough for a handsome pinch of salt on an open wound, read on. Compensation is not a dirty word, just a painful one for mostly the general population in the advertising industry.
January 22, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: Inkaar, Sudhir Mishra's latest film, may have failed to set the box office on fire, but it has created quite a flutter in the advertising world, with the fraternity refusing to accept the way it depicts an ad agency. In the film, Maya Luthra (Chitrangda Singh), the national creative director of an ad agency, accuses CEO Rahul Verma ( Arjun Rampal ) of sexually harassing her. That, of course, is not the best advertising for the industry. "Advertising is probably the only profession in the country where a woman can do what she wants to do, can speak her mind without even an iota of fear and can live her life the way she wants to be," Prasoon Joshi, CEO and chief creative officer of McCann World Group India , says.
September 25, 2004 |
NEW YORK: Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has renewed an employment contract for five years with its soon-to-be jailed founder, but she will not be paid a penny while she is incarcerated, according to a filing on Thursday. Ms Stewart, who parlayed a catering business into a media and retail empire, is scheduled to report to jail on October 8 after being convicted of lying to authorities about a suspicious stock trade. But when she gets out, Ms Stewart will pick up where she left off and earn a $900,000 a year salary, not including bonuses of up to $1.4m, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
April 3, 2008 |
GOA: A provocative debate on the why marketers, advertising and media agencies and media companies have such radically different perspectives on value delivery was among the highlights of the conclave at the first day of Goafest, synching perfectly with the theme of the day, Show Me The Value. Egged on by some tough questions by debate moderator and CMD of Mudra, Madhukar Kamath, one of the critical issues that came up for discussion was why agencies, as creators of brand value, should not share in the profits of a brand when it was sold.


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China's LeEco to slow pace of growth, faces 'big company disease': CEO
- Nasdaq hits record; bank earnings validate Wall St. rally
- Intrawest Resorts (SNOW) Exploring a Possible Sale - Reuters
- Alibaba (BABA) Has No Plans to Acquire Rest of Groupon (GRPN) - Source
- Time (TIME) Said to Soon Begin Discussions with Interested Buyers - Bloomberg
- JPMorgan (JPM) Reports Q4 EPS of $1.71
Jia Yueting, co-founder and head of Le Holdings Co Ltd, also known as LeEco and formerly as LeTV, poses for a photo in front of a logo of his company after a Reuters interview at LeEco headquarters in Beijing, China, picture taken April 22, 2016. REUTERS/
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BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese conglomerate LeEco, which has invested in high-tech products from electric cars to smartphones, is facing a shortage of cash and suffering from expanding too fast and in too many directions, its CEO said in a letter to staff.
Jia Yueting, a billionaire who wants to take on global tech giants like Elon Musk's Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA), said in the letter sent to Reuters that the firm was facing "big company disease" after having expanded at an "unprecedented rate".
The letter casts a shadow over LeEco's bold ambitions in sectors from online entertainment to cars after the relatively unknown tech firm burst on to the Chinese market over the last few years. Jia has been making a big push in overseas markets as well including the United States.
LeEco's listed smart TV subsidiary Leshi Internet Information and Technology Corp Beijing <300104.SZ> fell 4.7 percent on Monday amid reports of Jia's comments.
Jia said the firm needed to make sure that its financial arm was able to "catch up to the growing need for cash", and cautioned that LeEco's organizational structure was "lagging behind" the firm's fast development.
"We are starting to see signs of big company disease, such as low individual performance and organizational redundancies," Jia said in the letter.
"In order to realize the rapid and positive growth of the Eco operation, we will cut costs to reinforce the awareness of capital control and efficient operation."
Jia has previously had to overcome questions about LeEco's funding, and whether the firm was spreading itself too thinly.
To help fund LeEco's push into electric vehicles, Jia's sister sold her stake in the company and lent money to him interest-free. Jia himself also sold part of his own stake.
The firm said in August it would invest nearly $2 billion to build an electric car plant in eastern China.
Jia said in the letter that he and his management team would take "full responsibility" for the situation, and that he would cut his annual salary to a nominal 1 yuan ($0.15).
He also pledged to give more attention to the listed subsidiary, which operates smart TV platform LeTV. He added the firm would look to integrate other parts of the business into the listed unit.
(Reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu in BEIJING and Adam Jourdan in SHANGHAI; Editing by Keith Weir)
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By Alistair Barr
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Groupon Inc slumped on Friday as an initial public offering lock-up on stock sales by insiders of the world's largest daily deal company ended.
At one point the stock dropped more than 10 percent, triggering a circuit breaker that paused trading briefly and limited short sales.
Groupon sold a small amount of its equity in its IPO late last year. Insiders are typically prevented from selling for six months after an IPO.
Groupon's lock-up ended on June 1, making more than 600 million shares available to sell, representing more than 90 percent of its outstanding shares, according to Herman Leung, an analyst at Susquehanna Financial Group.
Expectations of such selling has pressured Groupon stock in recent weeks.
However, Groupon Chief Executive Andrew Mason said in May that he and the company's other founders were planning to keep their shares in the company after the lock-up expired.
Groupon shares were down 9.9 percent to $9.59 in afternoon trading on Friday. The stock has lost more than half its value since it debuted at $20 last year.
(Reporting By Alistair Barr; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)


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British Airways intents to replace classic paper tags and is testing reusable luggage tags made from electronic paper.
Flight information can be transmitted to the tag via the ticket holder’s smartphone, using data from the airline app stored after digital check-in.
Currently operators print off individual paper tags for every bag checked in before each flight.
The electronic tags are to be tested by staff before being made available to some passengers later in the year.
If these tests are successful, the tags will launch in 2014.
Despite various changes to try to speed up airport check-in procedures, the process of dropping off luggage had remained time consuming, said a BA representative.
“The old security questions such as, <<Did you pack your bag yourself?>> are no longer a legal requirement, but the idea of queuing to check in your bag has never gone away,” he said.
“The e-tag still involves going to a desk, but you literally just drop your bag off and someone has a scanner.”
Customers at some airports can now print out their own luggage tags at kiosks, but that still requires more time – and paper – than scanning information direct from a phone, although it is considerably cheaper for the airline.
“[The e-tag] is more expensive, but ultimately it is re-usable – you would acquire and use it multiple times,” said Lewis Freeman, an industrial designer from Designworks, which worked on the electronic tag casing.
“The life of the product is up to five years. I imagine the technology would move on faster than the tag would need replacing.”


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Coronavirus: Auction house introduces live video streaming of sales
- Credit: Archant
A Norfolk auction house has introduced live video streaming of sales to keep operating during the coronavirus crisis.
Keys in Aylshams said the move to universal video streaming was planned long before the crisis.
Director Tim Blyth said: “Online bidders can watch a live video feed of the auction on their screens, and place live online bids which are accepted as if the bidder was in the room.”
Keys’ first two-day fine sale of the year is on Wednesday, March 25 and Thursday, March 26.
Mr Blyth added: “Our fine sales are our flagship auctions, attracting bidders from across the UK and indeed the world.
You may also want to watch:
“Whilst many of them already use online bidding, a good proportion like to attend the sale so they can see what is going on. Our new streaming of sales will give them almost that experience, without the risk of being in a crowded room.”
Details at bid.keysauctions.co.uk
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|By Marketwired .||
|August 6, 2014 10:26 AM EDT||
PASADENA, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/06/14 -- Rapidly emerging marketing automation and analytics leader Smartify announces business highlights for the first half of 2014. The SaaS technology company has grown revenues by 100% year over year under the leadership of CEO Carla Bourque, while expanding its automated marketing intelligence platform to 3.2 million individuals self-reporting over 250 million actionable data points, launching a raft of new campaign and analytics products, and building partnerships with HubSpot, Gigya, Exact Target and Marketo, among others.
The Southern California startup serves brand clients like Google, Redbox, Cost Plus World Market, NBCUniversal, Machinima, and EA, delivering omnichannel marketing campaigns that drive enterprise-level insights. Smartify's best-in-class technology provides unparalleled IT-free functionality and creativity for B2B and B2C marketers, with robust solutions for loyalty, commerce, and social via more than 75 mobile-ready campaign products -- more than any other solution.
Smartify's platform also delivers marketer-friendly, visualized real-time analytics, connecting digital marketing campaigns to unique customers for true social ROI. A suite of next generation analytics products, including the industry's first predictive survey analysis and a cohort report that unlocks campaign "stickiness" insights, helps marketers connect their top line data to the business's bottom line.
"The campaign automation space is overcrowded and ultimately unsustainable," says Smartify CEO Carla Bourque. "Enterprise brands want -- and increasingly demand -- a robust marketing technology that drives mission-critical insights from social campaigns to their essential systems, without the bog of IT or the frustration of so many limited point solutions."
Smartify's average campaign conversion rate of 35% is the highest in the industry. Clients leveraging Smartify's SmartEngage evergreen solution see conversions well above 60%. One major entertainment client recently achieved 74% engagement rates by leveraging Smartify's SmartSurvey product to extract key customer insights within a few days.
"True ROI from social has been considered something of a Holy Grail, but the technology is here, and more importantly, it's working," says Bourque.
Smartify is the revolutionary marketing platform for brands on a mission. Empowering marketers -- and their agencies -- with a complete suite of data-driven solutions, Smartify's intelligent platform drives the industry's highest engagement and delivers marketer-friendly, visualized analytics in real time via an intuitive dashboard. Smartify was founded in 2011.
Without a clear strategy for cost control and an architecture designed with cloud services in mind, costs and operational performance can quickly get out of control. To avoid multiple architectural redesigns requires extensive thought and planning. Boundary (now part of BMC) launched a new public-facing multi-tenant high resolution monitoring service on Amazon AWS two years ago, facing challenges and learning best practices in the early days of the new service. In his session at 19th Cloud Exp...
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As I'm sure you know, the PlayStation Network has been down for over a week, and Sony today revealed the reason for the outage. There has been a security breach, and user information has been obtained by an unauthorized person.
Below please find our answers to questions you may have about what this means to you, the end user:
Whose information has been stolen?
Assume your data has been taken. Sony has not revealed how many of their estimated 70 million accounts have been compromised, so it's impossible to say for sure, but shutting down the entire PlayStation Network suggests the security breach is large. Also, the company has sent out email to every account holder about the situation.
What information has been stolen?
According to Sony, your name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID. Additionally, Sony advises that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained.
Wait, credit card information was stolen from the PSN as well?
Maybe. While Sony doesn't rule out the possibility that your credit card data (minus your 3-digit security code) has been stolen, they say that "there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken." According to Sony, your credit card data was encrypted by the company, meaning that even if it was stolen, it might never be recovered.
When did the intrusion take place?
Between April 17 and April 19, 2011
Can I change my PSN password now?
No. The PlayStation Network is offline. Sony says it is working on a new system software update that will require all users to change their password once PlayStation Network is restored. They promise to provide more details about the new update shortly.
When will the PlayStation Network go back online?
Within seven days. According to Sony, "We have a clear path to have PlayStation Network and Qriocity systems back online, and expect to restore some services within a week."
What should I do now?
We've prepared a guide for what to do if you're a member of the PlayStation Network.
Will the PSN network have better security in the future?
IYes. Sony says is is "enhancing security and strengthening our network infrastructure. Moving forward, we are initiating several measures that will significantly enhance all aspects of PlayStation Network’s security and your personal data, including moving our network infrastructure and data center to a new, more secure location, which is already underway." More details are coming.
Why did it take almost a week for Sony to inform the public of this leak?
Here's Sony's official statement on the matter:
There’s a difference in timing between when we identified there was an intrusion and when we learned of consumers’ data being compromised. We learned there was an intrusion April 19th and subsequently shut the services down. We then brought in outside experts to help us learn how the intrusion occurred and to conduct an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident. It was necessary to conduct several days of forensic analysis, and it took our experts until yesterday to understand the scope of the breach. We then shared that information with our consumers and announced it publicly this afternoon.


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Grants totalling £90million have been announced in a bid to help Argyll and Bute recover from the impact of the pandemic.
The UK and Scottish Government Covid grants will be administered by Argyll and Bute Council and will fund a programme of regeneration projects including the Conservation Area Regeneration Schemes (CARS) in Lochgilphead, Dunoon, Rothesay and Helensburgh.
In addition the funding will be used for town centre recovery plans including the Shop Local campaign and Shop Local Card to keep spending within Argyll and Bute.
External funding of £1.7 million will also be made available for regeneration projects in Kilmory, Port Ellen and Colonsay.
Policy Lead for Economy and Rural Growth Councillor Robin Currie said: ‘It has been an incredibly hard time for residents and businesses dealing with the impact of the pandemic and now with the cost of living crisis.
‘We are encouraged by positive signs of growth with new businesses emerging and an increase in employment levels across the area.
‘There has been a huge amount of delivery by the council and our partners including a range of community initiatives that are helping to transform Argyll and Bute and create new employment opportunities.
‘Working in partnership to deliver investment is critical to the long-term economic success of Argyll and Bute.’


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Oil, fashion and transport. Second place behind agriculture. On both catwalks, fashion has a prominent place. But far from the fairytale world of the catwalk, these catwalks are rather the catwalks of shame. Indeed, the fashion industry is, with 1.2 billion tons of CO2 emitted per year, the most polluting after the oil industry. Worse still, according to ADEME; it is expected to increase its carbon footprint sixfold and account for 25% of the planet’s total greenhouse gas emissions by 2050! Clear Fashion said stop to this.
The impact of fashion in the environment
On the other hand, fashion is second only to agriculture in terms of water consumption; using more than 4% of the world’s drinking water. For example, the production of a single T-shirt requires the equivalent of 70 showers on average! But how can we adopt an eco-responsible wardrobe? In the article Green fashion, the only trend that goes through the seasons, we talked about the Clear Fashion project, which will revolutionise the way you shop. Well, today we have the chance to interview Aran, communication officer for the French start-up…
Read also: Green fashion, the only trend that goes through the seasons
Before starting the interview, a quick reminder of the Clear Fashion principle
What are Clear Fashion’s rating criteria?
An intuitive and personalised experience
Clear Fashion: Ready to get naked?
Hello Aran, thank you for taking the time to introduce yourself to our community. Can you please tell us who the Clear Fashion team is made up of?
We are a small team! There are the two founders, Rym and Marguerite; a developer, a communication officer, a person who manages the social networks and someone who deals with the rating system. We are incubated at Look Fordward by Showroomprivé and our offices are in Saint Denis.
How did you come up with the idea of launching Clear Fashion? And for what purpose?
L’idée de l’app est venue de Rym et Marguerite, deux ingénieures agronomes. Elles ont fondé Clear Fashion, auparavant nommée Clothparency, pour apporter de la transparence dans le secteur de la mode.
Faced with the opacity of some brands as to how their clothes are made, how do you provide relevant information to your users?
If brands don’t communicate and are not transparent, they will be less well rated. We have a bias, when we lack information from a brand, it is a risk. In fact, we consider that not having information is a risk for brands. We think that a brand that doesn’t have information is probably producing in a risky way. We have created an incentive system for brands to provide information.
Fashion Week started on Monday in Paris. What do you think of the behaviour of the haute couture houses with regard to contemporary ecological issues?
In the luxury sector, we have few luxury brands listed on the application, we hope that brands can become more transparent by participating. In the luxury industry there is a lot of secrecy and confidentiality: we believe that this is in opposition to transparency. And transparency is still far from their brand image. It is therefore difficult to have a perception of the real commitments of luxury brands.
What do you think of applications like Vinted, which offers second-hand clothes on an online platform? Do you think they are a good way to fight against fast fashion and the pollution it generates or, on the contrary, an incentive to compulsive buying and over-consumption of clothes?
We believe that the best way to consume responsibly is to buy second hand before buying new. However, we do not know the figures for consumption in the reuse sector.
On 23 August 2019, 30 major groups signed a “fashion pact” in which the brands commit to “actions compatible with the 1.5°C global warming trajectory, via a “just transition” to achieve zero net CO2 emissions by 2050″. However, some NGOs denounce an agreement based on voluntary and non-binding commitments, which could lead to the failure to sanction behaviour that does not comply with this promise. What is your opinion on this?
We are waiting to see that the big groups take a position and see if their commitments are in line with their practices. But for the moment their objectives are very long term… We hope that they will commit themselves through concrete measures!
We recently learned that Intermarché will modify the recipe of nearly 900 of its products to comply with the expectations of the 11 million French users of Yuka. Do you think it’s possible that such progress could happen in the clothing sector?
We’ve just started, we’re going to study this. What we have noticed in the fashion sector is that Clear Fashion has enabled the players to take stock, to negotiate audits and to recruit people, particularly in the CSR departments, so yes, it has an impact!
What future for our shopping?
Dubbed “the Yuka of fashion”, an app that works on the same principle for food and cosmetics, Clear Fashion wants to empower our purchases. By offering more transparency to our clothing buying choices, the app allows us to have a better overview of our wardrobe while pushing brands to comply with these new expectations. Indeed, Yuka’s more than 11 million users have, for example, prompted Intermarché to change the recipe of more than 900 of its products to be better rated on the app. We hope that a similar awareness will emerge in the fashion sector!


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- Hershey’s has found itself within the culture war crossfire over an International Women’s Day (IWD) campaign that includes a transgender woman, per media reports.
- The chocolate marketer’s IWD push in Canada this 12 months spotlights Fae Johnstone, a self-described queer, trans and feminist activist, together with 4 other women making changes of their communities. Each of the ambassadors of the Her for She program appears on special packaging and in materials detailing their background.
- A #BoycottHersheys hashtag trended in response to the campaign, with many critics espousing anti-trans rhetoric. The backlash was followed by outpourings of support for Johnstone, marking one other instance of brand name marketing becoming a flashpoint for political skirmish.
A confectionary marketer has again set off a heated round of discourse, underscoring the potential risks in positioning brands around topical issues at the same time as those self same issues could be a helpful tool for fostering affinity with consumers.
Hershey’s IWD and Women’s History Month efforts make a degree of profiling women from diverse backgrounds who are attempting to affect change in areas starting from gender equality to access to wash drinking water amongst Indigenous communities. Along with Johnstone, the Canadian leg of the initiative for 2023 features activists and researchers Kélicia Massala, Rita Audi, Naila Moloo and Autumn Peltier. Each of the Her for She representatives appears on custom candy wrappers available at shops.
In the U.S., the marketer can be running a packaging play through limited-edition chocolate bars that emphasize the “she” within the brand’s name with purple coloring. The products are further decorated with a whole lot of adjectives like “fearless,” “loving” and “hardworking” which are intended to spice up women. Hershey’s partnered with Girls on the Run for the project and is deepening its work with the nonprofit elsewhere, including by sponsoring mentorship opportunities at a Future CEO event and via donations.
While Hershey’s is pulling out several stops for Women’s History Month, the inclusion of a transgender woman has surfaced the uglier side of social media and resulted in a familiar back-and-forth between opposing sides of the political aisle.
Brands ceaselessly get threatened with boycotts for entering into social issues, whether intentionally or by accident. The bottom-line impact of those backlash movements tends to be minimal if present in any respect. But in Hershey’s case, the controversy threatens to steal attention away from other facets of the campaign the corporate views as necessary. Conversely, it could draw attention to causes like trans rights.
“The response to my inclusion as a trans woman in Hersheys [sic] Canada’s IWD campaign shows just how far we still must go within the fight for feminist liberation and trans rights,” Johnstone wrote in a tweet responding to the campaign’s reception. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not shutting up. I’ll at all times rise up for ladies and girls, cis and trans.”
The situation echoes what happened earlier this 12 months with M&M’s. The Mars brand received criticism from right-wing personalities for rebranding its spokescandies to be more inclusive, with derisive applications of the word “woke” tossed around liberally. M&M’s issued an apologetic note stating it could retire its spokescandies as tensions ran high, but that ended up being a part of a — not particularly well-received — Super Bowl stunt.
Read the total article here


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Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Over 50 vape vending machines have been located around the state, which according to Cofepris, are set for closure. Of the 54 known vending machines, only three have been shut down.
The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) has suspended only three of 54 known vape vending machines in Quintana Roo. The ban on vape products has been in effect in Mexico since May of 2022.
Since then, health authorities have been on the lookout for the vending machines as well as products in-store.
Laís Rodríguez Barrios, Cofepris Coordinator for the North Zone said three vending machines were suspended and the owners fined 800,000 pesos. The vending machines were suspended to prevent them from continuing to issue vaping products, she said.
She said that agency inspectors verify that the vending machines are selling vape products and if so, a record is drawn up, a summons is left and a closed or suspended stamp is placed on the machine.
Jaime Torres Viveros, the Director Quintana Roo Cofepris, says they have located 24 machines in Cancun and 30 between Playa del Carmen and Tulum.
He says health officials have found the vending machines inside shopping malls and along public roadways, however, in the far south, there are none known.


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Five months after learning of the devastating Spectre and Meltdown bugs, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich sold off more than $39,000,000 worth of his Intel stock, all he was permitted to liquidate.
An Intel spokesman says the timing was a coincidence.
While an Intel spokesperson told CBS Marketwatch reporter Jeremy Owens that the trades were "unrelated" to the security revelations and Intel financial filings showed that the stock sales were previously scheduled, Krzanich scheduled those sales on October 30. That's a full five months after researchers informed Intel of the vulnerabilities. And Intel has offered no further explanation of why Krzanich abruptly sold off all the stock he was permitted to.
Intel CEO sold all the stock he could after Intel learned of security bug [Sean Gallagher/Ars Technica]


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Brazilian activists and politicians are furious that the Brazilian government has spent $350 million on acquiring 14 Heron drones($25 million each) from IAI , the Israeli government owned arms companies. The drones will be distributed among several Brazilian police agencies. Rio state police are also said to be considering the purchase of Skylark drones.
While the activists are primarily angry that the Brazilian government is dealing with an Israeli company while Israel is violating the rights of Palestinians, the activists might well direct attention to the cost of the drones, which seems very high. At $25 million each the Heron drones are costing as much or more than the British Watchkeeper drone, which is alleged to have loads of add ons and improvements over the basic Hermes 450 drone, a counterpart to the Heron.
The drones purchase is just part of a flirtation of the Brazilian government with Israeli drone companies. Brazil has also welcomed Elbit Systems, one of Israel’s largest arms companies, through its subsidiary AEL Sistemas, which has expanded quickly in Brazilian aviation.
Drone development joint venture
In April 2011 AEL Sistemas and Embraer signed an agreement to work together on drone development. The joint venture will be known as Harpia Sistemas. Embraer purchased 25% of the shares of AEL, ‘in order to transfer technology to Brazil’. Embraer will hold 51% of the capital of Harpia, AEL will hold 49%. The aim of the joint venture is to develop and sell both military and civilian drones ‘dual use’, first in Brazil and then to other regional customers.
The project is in line with Elbit CEO Joseph Ackerman’s strategic plan to expand Elbit internationally by means of joint ventures with local companies. The joint venture certainly gives the Israeli company a leg up in competing with other countries for drones sales, and helps to bypass any reticence of the Brazilian government about dealing with an Israeli company involved in the repression of Palestinians.
Mercopress has noted that Brazilian police have acquired two Hermes 450 drones from Israel for surveillance in the Amazon basin.
Brazilian joint ventures with the Israeli drone makers may be in direct competition with local drone developers, like AGX Technologia. AGX Technologia makes small drones already widely used by Brazilian enforcement officials, and a small fraction the cost of Israeli medium altitude, long endurance drones, like the Heron. AGX drones are the Arara (parrot) and the Tiriba (little parrot). Several are already in use by environmental enforcement organisations, with fifteen officers trained to use them.
Elbit Systems also announced another big, non-drone sale to the Brazilian military:
Elbit sells infrared countermeasures
Elbit Systems’ Brazilian subsidiary AEL Sistemas has sold a suite of electronics to the Brazilian military for its Embraer KC 39o aircraft. The Embraer 390 is a twin engined jet aimed at moving people and materials. The Embraer 390 is intended for us of the Brazilian military, but may be sold to France, Chile, Argentina, and the Czech Republic as well.
The sale includes ‘self protection systems’ and infrared countermeasures equipment, presumably similar to the ‘MUSIC’ and ‘C-MUSIC’ systems sold for use in Israeli aircraft. Also sold was the pilot’s ‘Heads Up Display’. The contract is for $25 million.
AEL Sistemas has a long history of working with Embraer, selling them avionics for several earlier Embraer plane models.


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Today I’m out in Poznan, Poland – somewhere in between Warsaw & Berlin – attending e-nnovation, a conference focused on e-commerce trends in Europe and all around the world. The two-day event will feature 34 speakers talking about how worldwide e-commerce trends can be applied to Central & Eastern Europe.
Opening up the conference this morning was former Tesco CEO Sir Terry Leahy, who took the UK’s former 3rd-best UK supermarket and made it the 3rd best global retailer – behind Carrefour and Walmart.
Related: Carrefour launches first virtual supermarket in France
The talk centered around Leahy’s commitment since 1992 to making “audacious goals” and, most importantly, committing to the power of data and eCommerce Tesco is well-known for having the first “club card” in 1995, a now widely common supermarket paraphernalia, which tracks shoppers purchases, allowing for insight into shopper habits. It was the first big data that retail ever got their hands on, and consumers have handed it over to this day without struggle.
Leahy also went on to talk about the importance of eCommerce, which currently makes up 7% of the retail giants annual revenue. He stated that eCommerce in Tesco is pegged at double-digit growth rates continually over the next year.
The keynote speaker, Hein Pretorius, CEO of Allegro Group, talked about the future of eCommerce in Europe. The long outstanding problem of borders in Europe is far from tackled, and while Germany and a few others are benefiting from the EU situation, the different legal, financial, and commercial laws make it very cumbersome for a UK-based retailer to sell across Europe, as it is in the US for example.
When asked why Polish entrepreneurs should stay in Europe instead of going to countries like China, India or Brazil, with equal-sized markets as Europe and less financial barriers, Pretorius pointed out that, while these countries are unified within a common legal border, the communication, transport, and commercial work between individual provinces in all three locations can be just as difficult as border-crossing business in Europe. “The grass is not greener on the other side,” laughed Pretorius, citing how India’s lack of infrastructure and inter-province communication makes it difficult for a national newspaper to exist.
The conference today is being attended by a wide variety of European ‘technorati.’ Madrid-based entrepreneur and Kernel-contributor Alex Barrera originally invited me to e-nnovation. Euro-naut Paul Papadimitriou is also present and accounted for. You can follow both of them for great live-tweet updates; they’re tweeting with the #ennovation hashtag all day.
I still have people asking me why I love Poland… people here are incredible! U guys rock so much!! #ennovation
— Alex Barrera (@abarrera) October 14, 2012


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April is clearly the month to buy a new Nissan and our Monmouth Junction staff is thrilled to see how much sales have taken off lately. What's even more impressive is that the wealth has been distributed across the board with five Nissan models seeing significant spikes.
- In a class of its own, the electric Nissan LEAF shot up 423.5%! The surge is largely credited to its recently reduced pricing. However, newly added?


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The PS4 and Xbox One won’t be launching until 2014 in Japan, why have games companies shifted the focus away from the Land of the Rising Sun?
Japan once represented 50 per cent of the global videogame market. Today, that number is just 10 per cent. Still impressive for a single country but indicative of the changing patterns in the industry.
When Sony announced the PS4 they did so in New York at a time that worked for Japanese viewers (it was somewhat less appropriate for European gamers). Square Enix and Capcom both took to the stage to voice their support for the console, it would be months later, at E3, when we learned what Square Enix was up to but the intent was clear. We also discovered that Deep Down is a PS4 exclusive.
By contrast, Microsoft’s Xbox One announcement occurred in the middle of the night in Japan and while games took a backseat to entertainment generally the few titles that were shown came from Western developers and publishers. Of course, Dead Rising 3 is being published by Capcom but it’s being developed by Capcom Vancouver.
At E3 Microsoft announced its launch territories – there were 21 of them, the list was then reduced to 13. Japan never made the cut.
At E3 Microsoft announced its launch territories – there were 21 of them, the list was then reduced to 13. Japan never made the cut. It’s a ‘tier two’ country with an unspecified 2014 release date for the Xbox One in the country, according to Microsoft.
Yasuyuki Higuchi, the CEO and president of Microsoft Japan, has even admitted that the Xbox One “is geared towards a Western lifestyle, and we’re looking at whether or not to launch it ‘as is’ in Japan. We’re still figuring out how to deal with things like music and video services in each country. To be honest, [releasing Xbox One in Japan] as is would be difficult.”
The Xbox brand has always struggled in Japan and though it’s popular for some niche titles it’s never been a roaring success with many retailers simply no longer stocking the Xbox 360 and overall sales of the platform being in 100s each week.
In light of which, it’s easy to see why the country might not be high on Microsoft’s list of priorities. Sony however, is of course a Japanese company and yet when it came to reveal it’s launch plans for the PS4 – 32 countries made the list for November – and yet the company’s home territory did not make the list.
At a press conference earlier last week Sony announced a February 2014 release date for the console in Japan with a free copy of Mark Cerny and Sony Japan Studios’ Knack as compensation for the delay. You would think Japanese gamers would be up in arms over the delay (I’m going to find it hard enough to wait 14 days for the PS4 to come to Europe) but no, it seems they loved Sony’s press conference.
Despite their happiness with the conference it seems Japan has been relegated from its position as one of the vitally important markets in this industry.
“Historically we have launched in Japan first so this is a pretty big change for us and indicative of where gaming has the most heat right now,” Jack Tretton, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America told Bloomberg during gamescom. “[Japan] is obviously an incredible important market for us, it’s the home market, but the battle for next-generation hearts and minds is being waged in the West right now and I think it is a recognition on our part that this is the market we want to lead with.”
The Tokyo Game Show begins on September 17th and both Sony and Microsoft has said there will be no surprises – it would indeed be a surprise if they’re being entirely truthful on that front – when the annual event kicks off perhaps Japan will finally be brought back into the spotlight.
Gen four will come to Japan in 2014 but the question is, how many will care?


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Coming in 2018: The Amazon of China
At GrowthWorks, we’re constantly looking at Amazon and the myriad ways it has single-handedly disrupted so many retail categories (see our new COMPASS offering to learn more). But, in thinking about the coming year and beyond, we got to thinking, does Amazon truly have no apples to apples peers? What companies could disrupt the disruptor?
Most Americans haven’t heard of Chinese ecommerce platform Alibaba, and its chairman and founder Jack Ma isn’t yet a household name like Jeff Bezos, but that is poised to change very soon. Apart from the government, experts are predicting Alibaba could be the one to dethrone Amazon—or at least become its most formidable competitor.
A little bit on who they are: Alibaba is essentially a trading platform for business and individuals, similar to eBay. Its Tmall site connects big companies like Apple and Nike to the public; its Taobao platform connects individual consumers and small businesses to each other. These two platforms combined transacted $486B in its 2016 fiscal year, more than Amazon and eBay combined.
Today, Alibaba absolutely dominates the Chinese market—with an 80% share of the online shopping market there. They enjoy the largest ecommerce market on the planet almost exclusively. It also doesn’t hurt that they are tapping into a country of over a billion people with a rapidly growing middle class who prefer the convenience and discounts of online shopping. It also hosts around 800 million products at any given time, everything from shoes to lamps to dead mosquitos (used for what, I don’t know), which ensures them a high share of household.
All of this is a means to say Alibaba has tremendous scale—high revenue, a large and growing user base, and very low operating costs. Chairman Jack Ma shared his vision of continued growth to investors in 2014: expanding into North America and Europe. The company launched a record-breaking US IPO in 2014 as well.
Thinking about Alibaba’s presence in the US, they hold a number of advantages over Amazon. A major strength lies in the fact that Alibaba also owns its own payment method, Alipay. This means that when buying on Alibaba, no revenue is lost to competitors like PayPal, ApplePay, or anyone else along the way. Alibaba holds onto all of it, end to end. Many have speculated on the possibility of Amazon going into banking—Alipay is already there. You can use it to buy concert tickets, take out a loan, or even invest in a money-market fund.
To ensure consumers are confident in their transactions, the very first line of their homepage, in bold letters and colors, describes their “Trade Assurance” guarantee, a 100% refund if anything goes wrong with your order (see below). Control and confidence largely rests with the consumer—payments to vendors are held in escrow until packages arrive and the consumer is satisfied. This is especially difficult considering China has no national delivery companies, like UPS or FedEx, to rely on. On the day the US IPO was filed, Jack Ma wrote a letter to his employees detailing his customer-centric vision: “We will continue to adhere to the principle of customers first, employees second, shareholders third.”
Not to mention, Alibaba has the one essential component, the Holy Grail of business, that continues to elude Amazon: profit. The company has maintained steady profitability since 2012. And while Amazon still generates more revenue, Alibaba could be a better bet for more shrewd investors.
However, critics note Alibaba traditionally hasn’t done well expanding into other markets. And to figure out where the company will invest next, just follow the capital. Capital invested back into Chinese operations has paid off handsomely so far, while capital invested in other markets has not. But a larger question remains… would Americans ever make the switch? The “Made in China” label can evoke distrust or even resentment these days because of associations with poor quality or scandal. Would consumers ever really trust a company like Alibaba? Let us know what you think in the comments.


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The Fall and Rise of Hindi Chinni, Bhai Bhai App Relations
Joining the league of conferencing app is also VideoMeet, developed by Ajay Data, Founder and Ceo, Data Ingenious Global Ltd. Since the ban the app has served almost 1.5 lakh conference minutes everyday.
VideoMeet announces first of its kind event platform
Data Ingenious Global Limited announced the launch of Virtual Now (VNow), a first-of-its-kind event platform developed to revolutionize the process of hosting virtual events & exhibitions.
Edtech's winning streak in 2020; Indian Startups solving for Covid-19
COVID-19 has served as an inflexion point for Indian edtech startups. The industry reckons that the pandemic has been to edtech what demonetisation was to fintech in 2016.
Meet Ajay Data, the man who came up with the idea of Indic language email ids
Ajay, who went on to found Jaipur-based Data XGen Technologies, is famously known for the creation of Datamail, one of the world’s first linguistic email address mobile apps for Internationalised Domain Names...
VideoMeet get covered by The Hindu
Developed by Data Ingenious Global under the guidance of founder, Ajay Data, VideoMeet received a Certificate of Appreciation from Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India in " Made in India Video Conferencing Innovation Challenge " in July 2020.
Source: The Hindu
Our guide to India-made video-conferencing apps
The whole of last week I have been sitting outside digital waiting rooms trying out Made In India video-chatting apps, alternatives to Zoom which saw 6,700% growth in free user sign ups in India between January and April 2020.
Source: The Hindu
VideoMeet-Made in India video conferencing application anounces four-state expansion plan
VideoMeet 's four states expansion plan and views of Dr. Ajay Data in the lead story on India's ban on Chinese app
Facebook Combines Video Conferencing Messenger Room And Live Feature
VideoMeet HD Conference And Webinar mentioned in news
VIDEOMEET ROLLS OUT NEW FEATURE - LIVE STREAMING VIA YOUTUBE & FACEBOOK
VideoMeet, a made in India Video Conferencing Application, has announced the introduction of a new feature of Live Streaming webinars on Facebook and Youtube.
Source: Voice of Jaipur
VideoMeet rolls out live streaming feature via YouTube & Facebook
VideoMeet, an Indian video conferencing platform, has announced the launch of a new feature of Live Streaming webinars on Facebook and YouTube, the company mentioned in its official release.
वीडियोमीट- मेड इन इंडिया वीडियो-कॉन्फ्रेंसिंग एप्लिकेशन का चार-राज्यों में विस्तार
वीडियो कॉन्फ्रेंसिंग प्लेटफॉर्म वीडियोमीट, जो आईटी आधारित फर्म डेटा इनजेनियस ग्लोबल लिमिटेड द्वारा विकसित किया गया है, ने हाल ही में 2 करोड़ रूपए के निवेश के साथ चार राज्यों में अपनी विस्तार की घोषणा की।
Data Ingenious Global rolls out a video conferencing platform
Rajasthan-based Data Ingenious Global Ltd. has rolled out a video conferencing platform ‘VideoMeet’ in a limited way and will enter into four more states in the coming days, said a top official.
Source: The Hindu
Made in India: VideoMeet competes with JioMeet for VC
Rajasthan based IT firm, Data Ingenious Global Limited has launched VideoMeet, a video conferencing (VC) platform which will compete with JioMeet.
Videomeet to have servers in every state, overseas expansion next year
Data Ingenious said their Videomeet app is now being used by some schools also for online classes. The app's download rates have increased.
जयपुर की कंपनी ने बनाया 2000 लोगों की वीडियो कॉल का ऐप, जूम-जियोमीट से भी है अच्छा !
हाल ही में रिलायंस जियो की तरफ से जियोमीट वीडियो कॉलिंग ऐप (video calling app jiomeet) लॉन्च किया गया है।
Source: Nav Bharat Times
Video conferencing app ''VideoMeet'' announces expansion
Developed by Rajasthan-based IT firm, Data Ingenious Global Ltd, the VideoMeet app has set up resources to cater to more than 2,000 people in various conferences.
आ गया Videomeet, फ्री में एक साथ 2000 लोग कर सकते हैं ऑनलाइन चैट; Zoom और JioMeet से भी दमदार!
जयपुर की IT कंपनी डेटा इंजेनियस ग्लोबल ने वीडियो कांफ्रेन्सिंग ऐप ‘वीडियोमीट’ (Videomeet) विकसित किया है. कंपनी का दावा है कि इसके जरिए एक साथ 2,000 लोग ऑनलाइन बैठक कर सकते हैं.
Source: Financial Express
Jaipur-based firm Data Ingenious Global develops app to support video call with 2,000 people
Jaipur-based IT company Data Ingenious Global has developed a video-conferencing app, Videomeet, that the company claims can support up to 2,000 people in a session at present, according to top company official.
Jaipur-based firm develops app to support video call with 2,000 people
Data Ingenious Global founder and CEO Ajay Data told that there is no limit as to how many people can attend a meeting in a session as it will depend on the bandwidth and hosting facility available with the user.
Video Meet appreciated in Govt. of India's Innovation Challenge for Video Conferencing
VideoMeet, a video conferencing platform developed by Rajasthan-based IT firm, Data Ingenious Global Ltd
VideoMeet wins appreciation in GoI’s innovation challenge for video conferencing
The Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India, has initiated a Made in India Video Conferencing Innovation Challenge, in lieu of upholding self-reliance and ‘Local for Vocal’ sentiments.
Founded in 2010, Data Ingenious Global Ltd
Founded in 2010, Data Ingenious Global Ltd, a group company of Data Infosys, is one of the largest enterprise email management solution provider worldwide.
Source: Business India
Data Ingenious Global Limited Offers Videomeet App For Free
To meet the video conferencing needs of people, tech giant DAta Ingenious Global Limited has made its " videoMeet " application free for all users.
Source: ST CORRESPONDENT


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Sometimes it will
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“Sometimes it will be actually easier to accomplish the dream you thought were impossible only yesterday. After attending the function, In 2002, however, The lower than expected sales of the Galaxy S8 could have prompted Samsung to release the Note 8 ahead of the launch schedule. and most have been decided in employers’ favour. former Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh (Baghpat), bigger headaches. at an auction in the US.without dropping their serve even once.
As the Chandigarh traffic police have no role in controlling traffic at the railway station on both ends ?We will start the prohibition drive from December 24 onwards at various places. Eau Thermale Avène Sensitive Skin Expert, it is crucial to take care of your skin as we embark on the winter season. The Division Bench of Justice JN Patel and Justice Amjad Sayed said the state could not frame different guidelines for convicts as it would cause arbitrariness.the court adjourned the hearing till December 7. 2009 2:24 am Related News The issue of an alleged fee hike took an ugly turn at Kamla Lohtia Sanatan Dharam College today when agitated students went on rampage and damaged the college property.students boycotted classes and held a strike in the college. Rahul Gandhi is proceeding towards Devgarh Baria in Dahod district. in an interaction with tribal students in Chhota Udaipur asked: “You all are pursuing college education.
composition and gravity, ISRO is expected to launch its second lunar mission Chandrayaan 2 during the first quarter of 2018. GOC-in-C Western Command. 2016 12:53 pm The MLPC act came into force from January 15, ? At some places the stairs marked on maps of the planning agency fall in the frontage of the buildings or commercial structures, said Killawalawho is also an architect The MMRDA is now awaiting financial bids by March 16 for the corridor after none of the seven consortiums turned up to present the bids The MMRDA is also contemplating to adopt the state-funded model like the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to fund the project if no bidders come forward For all the latest Mumbai News download Indian Express App More Related NewsBy: IANS | Seoul | Published: October 12 2017 11:17 am Apple has reportedly begun work on a foldable iPhone with LG Display (File Photo) Related News As Samsung plans to launch a bendable smartphone “Galaxy X” in 2018 Apple has reportedly begun work on a foldable iPhone with LG Display According to a report in the Korean website The Investor Apple has decided to go with LG and not Samsung (Samsung OLED displays are the best in the industry) owing to the fear that specifications could be leaked as Samsung is its arch rival “According to The Bell LG Display recently created a task force to develop a foldable OLED screen for the new iPhone model” the report said on Thursday The foldable iPhone panel production could start from 2020 LG has reportedly completed its own foldable OLED panel prototype and has been upgrading the durability and the yield rate The company recently started its first OLED production for phones at its E5 plant in Gumi North Gyeongsang Province Apple is also considering investing in LG to speed up OLED production Meanwhile Samsung is exclusively supplying panels for the latest iPhone X – the first OLED iPhone “Amid Samsung’s near monopoly in mobile OLED production Apple has been strengthening its partnership with LG Display its long-time LCD partner” the report added In 2017 Samsung will hold approximately 89 per cent of the AMOLED (active matrix OLED) display panel market analysts at UBI Research said recently Currently some smartphones that feature OLED screens are iPhone X Samsung Galaxy S8 Samsung Galaxy S8+ Samsung Galaxy Note 8 OnePlus 5 LG V30 and Vivo X9s The Samsung “Galaxy X” is likely to make an appearance during the CES consumer technology show in January For all the latest Technology News download Indian Express App More Related NewsBy: Lifestyle Desk | New Delhi | Updated: December 21 2016 1:33 pm Disha Patani goes bold at Stardust Awards (Source: Varinder Chawla) Top News In the world of fashion inspirations are many While designers find inspiration in muses nature or regular mundane objects the followers get inspired from the couturiers or from each other Recently at the Stardust Awards 2016 Disha Patani scorched the red carpet in a silk bandeau top paired with a pair of high-waisted flared pants by designer Tanieya Khanuja We like the look but it’s not something new to us On December 5 at the British Fashion Awards 2016 we spotted UK supermodel Jourdan Dunn sporting a similar look Can you see the resemblance While Dunn chose the outfit from Brandon Maxwell’s SS17 collection we are not sure about Patani’s separates We can’t help but think that the MS Dhoni actress took a few pages out of the style diary of the supermodel especially since it comes within weeks after Dunn’s appearance It’s not a case of wearing the same outfit for sure but the resemblance is uncanny Patani’s ensemble though had less flared pants which toned down her look for the Indian audience while Dunn was comfortable showing off her curves with the cleavage enhancing tube and fitted pants So much so that the 26-year-old nearly had a wardrobe malfunction and Lady Gaga had to step in to help her avoid a nip slip Patani’s ensemble had less flared pants and she toned down her look for the Indian audience (Source: Varinder Chawla) We think in their own ways both these beauties managed to carry off the look Since the outfit was so risqué we are glad that they decided to keep their make-up and accessories minimal Patani complemented her look with a simple necklace with a solitaire ‘au naturale’ make-up a soft pink lip shade loose waves which tumbled down her shoulders and a golden box-clutch Meanwhile Dunn went for a high ponytail and dewy sheen make-up Who carried off the look better Let us know in the comments below For all the latest Lifestyle News download Indian Express App IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd More Top NewsWritten by Express News Service | Chandigarh | Published: March 1 2010 2:20 am Top News Performancesquizzes mark the closing day of Rose Festival at Zakir Rose Garden Amid entertaining performances and a variety of competitionsthe three-day Rose Festival concluded on Sunday The two venues Rose Garden and Leisure Valley attracted huge crowds During the dayvarious events were held Artists of the North Zone Cultural Centre from different states entertained the audience with their traditional folk dances Winners of the Voice of Chandigarh 2009 also sang on the mini-stage at Leisure Valley An on-the-spot painting contest was held for different age groups for children More than 530 children participated in the competition Resident Editor of The Indian Express Vipin Pubby was the chief guest at the event CFL lamps were given to all winners to teach them the importance of conserving energy A rose quiz was also held in the morning at the rose garden Resident Editor of Hindustan TimesRamesh Vinayakwas the chief guest Preliminary rounds of the quiz were held on February 22 and 25 in which a total of 41 teams participated The final round of the rose quiz was held today Popular singer Kunal Ganjawala performed in the evening at the Leisure Valley and people danced as he belted out his hit numbers UT Home Secretary Ram Niwas was the chief guest at the show Senior officers of Chandigarh administration were also present There was a performance by Maana Amardeep and his troop followed by another crowd-pulling performance by a rock band For all the latest Chandigarh News download Indian Express App More Top News Dharamshala, The difference between us is only of 2 percent now and that is an encouraging trend for us. considering the earlier loss of signal,discotheque.
plus special offers. and sent him to jail for five years. and certainly for the public," The proposed repeal also cites WOTUS saying that determining which waterways count under federal jurisdiction "is not a purely scientific determination. because a majority of the population is in the age group of 13 to 35 years,national general secretary and party?he added.who turns 79 tomorrow, First a disclosure:? Trade analyst Girish Johar said.
would ever want to chew on and more. which in turn would result into better tax? the singer had said yesterday, ?re eavesdropping on a lounge conversation of the stars, he declares at the launch of the third season of his hit show Not to mention his unique mix of witmischief and gossip As Koffee with Karan gets set to come back in its third season on November 7Johar makes no bones about it being anything other than a voyeuristic exercise I certainly dont want intellectual stuff here nothing that has any social ramifications and political repercussions?the bank has got extension from November 13 to May 12,” Modi said addressing a gathering of youth at Bhuj in Kutch district. On one side there will be despair (nirasha) and on the other side hope (asha), such as Samrat Chakrabarti, According to a report in CNBC on Friday.
if Pavandev wins,Pavandev and Menaka.s loan waiver had clicked.200 Earth years) to shift Titan’s dunes to the extent seen in the images, download Indian Express App More Related NewsWritten by Express News Service | Kolkata | Published: January 23,and three having benign ovarian tumours.s expulsion. In his statement to the police, But we plan to offer this facility later,is currently working on the untitled project.


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Last week we wrote about venture capital investment in Achica, the private sale company specialising in homewares. This week there’s news of a $26m (£16m) investment for a Turkish flash sale fashion site.
The money, for 2010 start-up Trendyol.com, comes from US-based Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, whose track record of investment includes Google, Amazon, Twitter and AOL, as well as from existing investor Tiger Global. It brings to $50m the total invested in the site in the 17 months since it launched.
Just as with European sites such as Achica, Secret Sales, Brand Alley, and Vente Privée, Trendyol has time-limited members-only sales at knockdown prices. It also has 4m members, its own fashion line, Milla, created through crowdsourcing, and more than 350 staff working from a 150,000 sq ft warehouse in Istanbul. The investment is seen as a way to tap into the potential of an emerging and potentially very large ecommerce market, one with high credit card use and high online engagement. Its 35m internet users, according to IWS, are said to form the fifth largest internet population in Europe.
Aileen Lee, partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, explained the investment thus: “KPCB is very excited about Trendyol.com’s growth, quality of user experience, innovation in the fashion industry and its first-class team of entrepreneurs.”
Her colleague Mary Meeker added: “Trendyol.com represents the new era of Internet innovators delivering on the promise of the social Web.”
Lee Fixel, managing director of Tiger Global Management, said: “What attracted us to Trendyol.com was its grasp of how to leverage economic trends in Turkey such as high credit card penetration rates and localized marketing.
“Trendyol.com is also smartly applying crowdsourcing to its business model and state-of-the art logistics to deliver on product delivery cycles which engender a loyal customer base.”
Trendyol’s founder and chief executive Demet Mutlu said: “We’re particularly thrilled that Kleiner Perkins could see the market opportunity for e-commerce in Turkey and Trendyol.com as leading the way.”
“Trendyol.com’s mission has been to revolutionize fashion in Turkey and make it accessible to all: for those who don’t have the the time to shop; the brands or stores in their cities; and/or for those who cannot afford high retail prices.
“The new financing will be used for key growth initiatives including enhancing our customer service, investment in operations, increasing member acquisition and further accelerating our growth within Turkey as well as other markets – all to deliver the best customer experience.”
More information on the trends in Turkish ecommerce is available here, an infographic on Trendyol.com’s website.


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GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. – Dollar General has opened a new store in Midway, 167 Butler Ave., and has set its grand opening for Saturday, beginning 8 a.m.
Linda DeLoach, Century 21 Action Realty associate broker, has been recognized by Century 21 Real Estate for service and sales performance in 2009.
The Alliance of Administrators will host its 2010 Administrators Conference on the businesses of churches on April 23-24 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church.
ATLANTA - One of the world's largest carpet makers has agreed to an $18 million settlement with employees who claimed the company hired illegal immigrants in an effort to reduce wages.
Whether you're still struggling to finish your taxes or you haven't even started, remember that Thursday is the day to either postmark and mail completed returns or file for an extension.
Liberty Square, a 108,752-square-foot shopping center in Hinesville, sold for $6.5 million last week.
ATLANTA - Gov. Sonny Perdue announced recently that net revenue collections for March totaled $998,239,000 compared with $987,986,000 for March 2009, an increase of $10,523,000 or 1 percent. This is the first monthly increase in revenues since November 2008.
Members of the military can benefit from the homebuyer tax credit extension legislation, which has been extended to include sales until April 30.
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., recently announced they are seeking $105 million in federal funds to continue the deepening of the Savannah Harbor to ensure the country's fastest-growing container port can accommodate large cargo carriers.
The Richmond Hill-Bryan County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for the Flower Pot Nursery on March 24.
With the opening of a new and expanded Dollar General store in Midway, local residents now have a greater selection when it comes to shopping for groceries and other goods.
About 75 vendors sought to make a profitable match with the government during the 2010 Business and Outreach Expo held Wednesday on Fort Stewart.
ATLANTA - The Georgia Department of Labor reported Thursday that the preliminary unadjusted unemployment rate in metro Hinesville remained unchanged at 8.8 percent in February from a revised 8.8 percent in January. Meanwhile, the number of unemployed workers in the area increased to 2,890, up 34 from 2,856 in January.
RICHMOND HILL - Century 21 Ways Station announced recently that Jolonda T. Greene received her Georgia real estate associate broker's license.
Mike Reed, general manager of NeSmith Chevrolet in Hinesville, recently announced that the dealership is partnering with the Liberty County Recreation Department and Fort Stewart to provide athletes and coaches with baseball equipment, instructional clinics, a monetary donation and an opportunity to raise an additional $10,000 through a Chevy vehicle giveaway fundraiser. The effort by NeSmith is part of the Chevy Youth Baseball initiative, a nationwide campaign that runs through July.
STATESBORO - With slightly more than 100 jobs, but more than $70 million in investment in the plant, Aspen Aerogels' factory will be the largest new ...
As food banks around the country begin collecting food for the holidays, Kroger launches its "Can Hunger" in Savannah-area stores through donations to America's ...
SAVANNAH - The Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia has selected Speros, a technology company headquartered in Savannah with an office in Hinesville, as its technology partner.
Property transfers recorded in the Liberty County Clerks of Courts Office for Sept. 9-11 (all in book 1876):
The Georgia Department of Labor will help Caesarstone Technologies USA recruit up to 45 employees for its manufacturing facility in Richmond Hill from 10 a ...
Anita Wyatt, branch manager of Wells Fargo Bank in Hinesville, presents a $1,000 check to Manna House Food Bank's Executive Director the Rev ...
The Liberty County Convention and Visitors Bureau recently announce that Program Manager Amanda Scott was named an associate producer of the "Fireball Run" online series ...
JESUP - The Bone and Joint Institute of South Georgia has announced that Dr. J. Matthew Valosen has become a partner in the practice.
A sitcom about life in a Southern trailer park will film in Liberty County next spring.
The Liberty County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting Thursday for Ng Photography at its studio located at 226 Old Sunbury Road in Flemington ...


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U.S. consumer spending during April fell 13.6%, the steepest monthly decline since the records began in 1959.
According to the Commerce Department, total expenditures during the month — when a majority of the country was still in lockdown due to the coronavirus — were $10.92 trillion. Contributing to the decline was a $943.3 billion decrease in spending for services and a $758.3 billion decrease in spending on goods (mainly for food and beverages).
However, consumers also significantly scaled back their fashion purchases. Spending on clothing and shoes in April plummeted 49% year-over-year, to $208.6 million.
There were glimmers of hope for the economy, though. Notably, personal income rose 10.5%, primarily due to the government stimulus checks and additional unemployment insurance that was distributed as part of the CARES Act.
The U.S. economy has been in freefall for months, since the COVID-19 virus outbreak forced businesses to shutter and individuals to quarantine in their homes in March and April. More than 40 million Americans have applied for unemployment since the pandemic took hold, and a growing number of retailers and brands have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection or closed their doors permanently.
Throughout May, though, states have begun to loosen their restrictions to varying degrees, prompting a slight uptick in consumer spending. Payments solutions firm Klarna recently reported a 20% rise in average daily transactions for apparel and footwear during the week of April 25 – May 2.
Nevertheless, economists predict the U.S. economy will be slow to recover, even as stores and businesses fully reopen. “The problem is, there are still a lot of people who aren’t comfortable going to bars or restaurants or shopping,” said Amanda Weinstein, a professor of economics at the University of Akron. “If those consumers aren’t comfortable, then they’re not going to do it, whether the economy is open or not. I don’t think we’re going to see a full recovery until consumers can feel completely confident, whether that’s a vaccine or some type of better cure.”


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A probe by the consumer watchdog into high petrol prices in Cairns is long overdue, Queensland's peak motoring body says.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on Tuesday revealed the far north Queensland city would become the fourth location for a petrol price investigation.
The average unleaded petrol price was 146.4 cents per litre (cpl) in 2014-15, which was 12.3 cpl higher than prices in major cities including Sydney and Brisbane.
"Understanding why petrol prices in Cairns are so high will help us identify the steps that could be taken to increase transparency and promote competition in the Cairns' fuel market," ACCC chairman Rod Sims said.
"It should also provide some explanation of why petrol prices are high in other regional locations around Queensland."
RACQ spokesman Michael Roth said the study would be welcomed by Cairns motorists who have been ripped off for years.
"We're hopeful this study will make a real difference to ULP prices in the area," he said.
"When a market study was carried out in Darwin prices dropped, and they remain significantly lower now than they were prior to that study."
State Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the ACCC had the tools and expertise to bring "real scrutiny" to the Queensland market.
"As we have seen in recent weeks, Cairns, in particular, regularly experiences more expensive petrol prices than its neighbours which is unfair for local motorists," Mr Bailey said.
"We need to be satisfied that market prices are fair and reasonable wherever you live in Queensland, and this ACCC investigation is a positive step forward."
The federal government tasked the ACCC with monitoring petrol prices, costs and profits in December 2014 and it has so far looked at the markets in Darwin, Armidale and Launceston.