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Natural pet foods remain a popular seller, with innovative offerings emerging at a quick pace.
Citing statistics from market research company Packaged Facts, Michael Landa, CEO of Austin, Texas-based food manufacturer Nulo, said that U.S. retail sales of natural pet food through all channels are forecast "to surpass $12.2 billion by 2022, accounting for about a third of the $36 billion market of U.S. pet food and treat sales."
The popularity of natural foods for dogs and cats is being propelled by people focused on their own eating habits and how foods impact overall health, industry insiders said, and sales are up. Customers want the best for their pets, and many equate minimal processing and foods close to their natural state as beneficial for their furry companions.
"Natural as a category progressed from being heavily ingredient focused to a much broader scope that considers how a food is processed," Landa said. "Raw-frozen, fresh-refrigerated and freeze-dried foods are leaning into innovative technology and packaging to deliver nutrition to pets in new ways without the need to rely on traditional preservatives. This is a niche where technology and ‘natural’ intersect and has potential to fuel exciting pet food and treat innovations for the next several years."
Nicci Decrisantis, owner of NorthPoint Pets & Co., a pet store in Cheshire, Conn., reported sales of raw foods rising due to consumers’ increased understanding of the link between nutrition and health. She also provides nutritional counseling for pets and focuses on natural foods that are biologically appropriate for animals to digest.
Demand on the dog side is up for natural toppers, treats and high-meat, grain-inclusive foods with functional benefits, insiders reported. For cats, the emphasis is on clean eating—a concept that is also prevalent in the human natural market—as well as human-grade bone broths and freeze-dried raw offerings.
Of equal importance to what’s in the foods are the ingredients that are not contained inside.
"Many pet parents find reassurance in claims such as ‘no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives,’ ‘grain free,’ ‘no corn, wheat or soy,’ or ‘made without white potatoes or tapioca starch,’" Landa said. "Some pet parents are simply looking to avoid certain ingredients in their search for the best natural food or treats for their pet."
Because "natural" means different things to different people, Christine McCoy, owner of The Natural Pet Enrichment Center, a pet store in North Royalton, Ohio, focuses on helping customers choose the most healthful option for their individual pets, lifestyles and budgets.
"The goal is finding the best choice for overall health and that addresses any specific issues that pet may be having," she said.
Ultimately, customers want to understand the benefits of natural foods, she added. For example, "What’s going to be the outcome of switching to this healthier food? It could be a better coat, a healthier weight or just overall improved longevity," McCoy said. "Customers want to understand those benefits."
Ingredient transparency is another important component in the natural pet food market.
"Ten years ago, it was rare for consumers to read an ingredient panel before putting it into their cart, but now it’s the norm," Landa said. "They are much more likely to purchase products which contain recognizable ingredients and when companies are transparent about ingredient sourcing and quality control."
Natural pet products clearly have a strong foothold in the marketplace, and pet specialty retailers have a continued opportunity to drive sales in dog and cat. As demands evolve, companies are working to reimagine how these natural ingredients are grown, prepared, distributed and ultimately served to pets, Landa added.


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The market for construction machinery in the Africa/Middle East region totaled US$6.9 billion in 2010, representing six per cent of global demand, according to a new report from Freedonia Group.
Caterpillar saw global retail sales of its construction machinery jump by 35 per cent in the three months to the end of July, though the pace of growth weakened in most regions
Caterpillar posted strong second quarter 2011 profits and revenues on the back of continuing improvement in demand around the world.
The Manitowoc Company reported sales of US$949.8mn for the second quarter of 2011, a rise of 15.9 per cent over Q2 results for 2010.
The Liebherr Group benefited from the global economic recovery which saw the company return to growth in 2010. Its total turnover rose by 9.0 per cent to US$1.9 billion in 2010.
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Marvel's dysfunctional gang of rowdy space heroes is back for even more intergalactic action.
Spring flowers won't be the only thing popping up after this prolonged winter fades, as Marvel Comics is primed to plant a brand new "Guardians of the Galaxy" odyssey in our laps when the premiere issue of this new comic series arrives on April 12, 2023. Check out the fresh comic book trailer above!
One month before director James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" invades theaters in May, Marvel will gift avid fans this ongoing cosmic adventure series that strikes deep into the heart of our favorite interstellar squad.
Want to watch The Guardians of the Galaxy on Disney Plus? You can get a 7-day free trial here.
Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly ("Star Trek," "Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty") and fortified with stirring artwork from illustrator Kev Walker ("Predator"), ace colorist Matt Hollingsworth ("Tokyo Ghost," "Wytches"), and main cover artist Marco Checchetto ("Daredevil," "Star Wars"), "Guardians of the Galaxy" is being branded as essential reading for followers of these beloved sci-fi luminaries.
"These characters have been psychedelic super heroes, lovable smugglers, and cosmic war fighters who are living under constant chaos. This was a chance to take them somewhere completely different," Lanzing told CBR in a recent interview. "So, the Western became a way for us to say that the tone of this book is going to be different from the 'Guardians' books that you're familiar with, and it allows us to get a little crazier."
Here's Marvel's official synopsis:
"Guardians of the Galaxy #1" introduces an overwhelming new cosmic threat to the Marvel Universe, one that emerged from the very heart of the team: Grootfall. This mysterious phenomenon will push Marvel's beloved team of intergalactic super heroes to the Manifold Territories: an uncharted, lawless area of Marvel space filled with never-before-visited planets and undiscovered alien species.
The Guardians have been brought to their lowest depths and their found family is fractured like never before. Tying to outrun their tragedy, the Guardians rise as the Folds' only chance at salvation. Can they rediscover their heroism and humanity on the bleakest frontier? Can they forgive the failures of their past? Or will they fade into the dark, eternally unforgiven?
This rousing new teaser reveals the subtle makeover given to the team that includes Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Nebula and Mantis while letting readers absorb the dark galaxy-twisting force they're being confronted with.
"I think fans can also get excited about the structure of our run," Kelly added. "Initially, we're popping off five individual issues. This is the story of every week coming to a new town and discovering the trauma, drama, and pain, then engaging with that and not necessarily resolving it in the best of ways, but stepping into it in their own way and then coming out the other side."
Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy #1" blasts into comic shops and online retailers on April 12, 2023 with variant covers by Derrick Chew, Aaron Kuder, Kael Ngu, and Scottie Young.


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Stocks were mixed in late-afternoon trading as the Dow and S&P 500 staged positive reversals. The Dow Jones industrial average led with a 0.3% gain; the S&P 500 added 0.1%, while the Nasdaq fell 0.3%. Volume was tracking heavier across the board, more so on the NYSE.
Leaders up in volume were limited, but J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) climbed 4% in huge trade to a record high. The trucking and logistics firm announced Q1 earnings before the open that topped expectations.
Warehouse grocery chain Smart & Final Stores (SFS) hit a new high in heavy trade before surrendering the majority of gains. The stock is extended since gapping past a 16.95 cup-base entry on strong fourth-quarter results.
Among IBD 50 stocks, Chinese car website Autohome (ATHM) outperformed with a 4% gain. Shares are forming a cup-shaped base with 53.66 buy point.


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A fast-growing marketplace for peer-to-peer loans, Lending Club, has attracted a prominent investor: Google.
Lending Club plans to announce on Thursday that Google led a $125 million deal to buy a stake in the company from existing investors. Foundation Capital, a current shareholder, also participated in the transaction. The latest investment values Lending Club at $1.55 billion, nearly triple the valuation of the last fund-raising round that closed last summer.
Google has made a number of investments in start-ups both directly and through its venture capital arm, but it has not dabbled much in the banking industry. Google Wallet, a mobile payments system, may be its most prominent financial offering to date.
The technology company will own a stake of less than 7 percent in Lending Club. And the senior Google executive who led the talks over the investment, David Lawee, vice president for corporate development, will sit as an observer on the start-up’s board.
“We’re really excited about partnering with Google,” Renaud Laplanche, Lending Club’s chief executive, said in a telephone interview. “We’re trying to be the good guys of finance and banking, and Google has a reputation of being the good guys of technology.”
Google’s arrival signals another significant partner for Lending Club, ahead of a potential initial public offering that could come as soon as next year.
The company essentially connects investors with people seeking money after screening the credit histories of potential borrowers. The average FICO credit score of a Lending Club borrower is about 706, while the average loan is about $13,076.
Lending Club claims that its operations provide a lower cost for personal loans, with an average annual percentage rate of about 6.78 percent, below a national average of 9.06 percent. And it estimates that most of its investors have made a profit from the loans.
Lending Club, a six-year-old start-up, has emerged as one of the biggest members of the peer-to-peer lending industry. It originated about $780 million in loans last year, and Mr. Laplanche estimated that it was on pace to issue $2 billion this year.
Among its backers are venture capital heavyweights like Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Norwest Venture Partners and Union Square Ventures. Its directors include John J. Mack, the former chairman of Morgan Stanley, Lawrence H. Summers, the former Treasury secretary, and Mary Meeker, the prominent Internet analyst turned venture capitalist.
Despite what Mr. Laplanche said was a steady stream of calls from hedge funds and private equity firms seeking to invest in the company, Lending Club was not looking to raise new equity for fear of diluting existing shareholders.
But Mr. Lawee of Google was initially eager to discuss ways to collaborate, tapping into Lending Club’s online loan market.
“When he reached out, his mind went immediately into all the cool stuff we can do together,” Mr. Laplanche said. “We didn’t talk about valuation or investment amount for many weeks. It was almost like two engineers meeting.”
As Mr. Lawee began making regular phone calls and treks to the company’s headquarters in San Francisco — about eight to 10 calls and meetings in all — Mr. Laplanche began to consider bringing Google on as a shareholder.
The companies eventually settled on a secondary transaction in which some existing investors would sell less than 20 percent of their holdings to Google and Foundation Capital, realizing investment gains while still staying involved with Lending Club.
At the heart of the discussions, Mr. Laplanche said, was a sense that the financial industry was due for a shake-up. Each company thinks that Lending Club could eventually replace some of the banks’ branch networks with a lower-cost alternative.
“Lending Club is using the Internet to reshape the financial system and profoundly transform the way people think of credit and investment,” Mr. Lawee said in a statement. “We are excited to be a part of it.”


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Adam Avery isn’t running away from risk.
“We jump the shark more often than we need to, but without jumping the shark, you don’t know what is possible,” says Avery, who started his namesake brewery in Boulder, Colorado, a quarter century ago with his father, Larry. “We need to do the things that we want to do and not be afraid.”
That lack of fear is evident as Avery literally barrels into 2017. The company has invested heavily in a 42,000 sq. ft. barrel-aging warehouse, with capacity for 30,000 oak barrels, about a block away from its two-year-old production brewery.
A majority of the facility will be dedicated to aging a new series of beers known as Botanicals and Barrels. Avery said he hopes to build the largest and most renowned barrel-aging program in the country.
“I think this is a big opportunity,” he said.
It’s all part of a drive for innovation and an effort to meet consumers’ constant craving for new beers, Avery said. That wasn’t the case when he started, but that’s the new reality of a hyper-competitive beer industry with 5,000-plus breweries battling not only for market share but also mindshare.
Avery likes to call the competitive edge for his brewery “the tip of the spear.” If his plan works, the tip will penetrate deep into the mainstream, where consumer thirst for barrel-aged beers will develop thanks to the company’s Botanicals and Barrels series. The six beers in that portfolio — Raspberry Sour, Vanilla Bean Stout, Tangerine Quad, Apricot Sour, Ginger Sour and Coconut Porter — will push the boundaries of style and flavor, while selling at an attractive price point, he said.
Last year, the company produced about 4,000 barrels of barrel-aged beer, a sizable jump from the 1,700 it made in 2015. In 2017, the company could pump out as much as 10,000 barrels of barrel-aged beer, Avery said, adding that the aging program itself has grown so much that a tanker truck was purchased to transfer beer between the company’s two facilities.
But in order to explore those experimental offerings, the company needed to make some hard decisions, discontinuing six popular beers — The Beast grand cru, Samael’s Ale English-style barleywine, Mephistopheles stout, The Kaiser Oktoberfest, The Czar Russian imperial stout, Salvation Belgian strong pale ale and Dugana IPA — which had been part of its Demons and Dictators series.
“The total of those beers was a couple million dollars in sales,” Avery said. “We’re sad to see those beers go, but they ran their course. It’s not that we get bored with making those beers, but there are so many things that we want to do, so many flavors to explore. Those beers got in the way. They take up tank time. They keep you from making new things.”
So is he crazy? Kevin Roberts, national executive vice president of sales and marketing for Breakthru Beverage Group, which distributes Avery’s beer in Colorado and Nevada, doesn’t think so. Roberts, who has visited the new facility, told Brewbound that the brewery’s “intense focus” on its barrel-aging program was striking.
“Everyone has dabbled with it, but the commitment that they’ve made to the concept struck me as truly differentiating themselves from everyone else,” Roberts said. “The fact that they weren’t just trying to geek out truly resonated with me.”
“It’s so much further advanced than I’ve seen anywhere else,” he added. “They’re poised to do that better than anyone now.”
To support the barrel-aging program, Avery is also focusing on his brewery’s most popular brand, White Rascal witbier, which accounts for 30 percent of the brewery’s production. Last year, sales of White Rascal increased by 18 percent.
“You have to have the sales; that’s the strength of the shaft of the spear,” Avery said, moving his metaphor into mainstream sales. “That’s what White Rascal provides for us.”
In the past, White Rascal received little marketing help, Avery said, but this year the company’s flagship will get the “big spotlight” with a stronger marketing focus and sales push.
White Rascal isn’t the only beer with more runway. Avery will be able to increase production of The Maharaja imperial IPA due to an increase in the availability of simcoe hops. The company’s inability to get enough of those hops from growers and suppliers had limited the brewery’s ability to make the beer, he said. The Maharaja, along with The Reverend quadrupel and Hog Heaven imperial red IPA, have been added to the company’s year-round lineup in 4-packs of 12 oz. cans.
“I think we can produce three times the amount that we did in 2016,” Avery said.
This flurry of activity is a long way from the scattershot collection of buildings where the brewery spent its first 21 years, when its production and taproom were clustered off Arapahoe Avenue in east Boulder in what was known as the “Avery Alley.” But there are stepped-up production plans in place designed, Avery says, to eventually hit 500,000 barrels of production.
He admits that’s a long way off from last year’s 62,000 barrels, and realizes that even maxing out the brewery’s current capacity of 150,000 barrels is also a ways away (the goal this year is 75,000). But Avery has heavily invested in the future with its 2-year-old production brewery, and it’s already starting to feel the benefits. Last year, production grew 26 percent, and revenues were up 40 percent.
Avery appears to be turning the corner after years of not having a facility with the capacity to match the company’s growth. The nadir was 2010, when Avery had to pull out of 18 markets to focus on where sales were growing. Near the end of the brewery’s tenure in the “Alley,” there were 15 more distributors that the brewery couldn’t supply.
“We’ve been rebuilding those bridges with our distributors for the last two years,” Avery told Brewbound. “We’re regaining their confidence.”
That starts with the addition of Nevada, which will put Avery’s beer in 33 states. However, Avery said he’s taking a more measured approach to expanding his company’s footprint.
“If we wanted to be in 50 states, we could be in 50 states,” he said, but instead, the company is focusing on bolstering its top markets — Colorado, Southern California and Texas, which account for more than 50 percent of the company’s volume.
To bolster sales in those states, the company has hired several salespeople in the last six months, Avery said. Still, the company’s home state of Colorado is a stronghold, accounting for 80 percent of Avery’s IPA sales.
And if too little production was a problem before, mastering the new, vast capacity of his new facilities is the new challenge.
“The jump from the Alley to here was a far bigger jump from my stove to the Alley,” Avery said.
Easing the transition is Bernardo Alatorre, a beer industry veteran who spent the last two decades working for Grupo Modelo and MillerCoors before joining Avery in April 2016.
“He’s the best draft pick we had last year,” Avery said. “He’s changing the way that we produce our beer. It comes down to Bernardo making everybody’s job easier by bringing in standard operating procedures that he’s lived his entire life that he can now bring here.”
Meanwhile, the brewery’s business is split evenly between on-premise and off-premise sales, Avery shared. Taproom sales also account for a large share of the business, an unsurprising observation about a brewery whose best retailer, Hazel’s Beverage World, still sits in the brewery’s hometown and, according to Avery, sells “a metric f–kton of beer for us.”
“It’s millions and millions of dollars,” Avery said of his taproom. “It’s our biggest marketing tool. You can see entire process from grain to glass, can and bottle. There’s nothing in the process you can’t see by walking on our tour. It’s invaluable to who we are.”


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Quantum Materials Corp (OTCQB:QTMM) today announced that the Distributed Computing Industry Association (DCIA) has released Quantum Materials'... ...http://www.efytimes.com/e1/fullnews.asp?edid=161435
Comments February 26, 2015 - Boston, Ma And San Francisco, CA BOSTON, MA and SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - February 26, 2015) - InMoji, Inc.,... ...http://andhranews.net/Business/2015/InMoji-Raises-1-Million-Master-Peer-Peer-7775.htm
Acer, a few days ahead of MWC 2015 , has started teaser the products it intends to launch at the trade show. The firm has uploaded an image on... ...http://m.gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/acer-set-to-launch-smartphones-and-a-wearable-at-mwc-2015-664876
Centerpoint (NYSE:CNP) Intraday Stock Chart Today : Thursday 26 February 2015 HOUSTON , Feb. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy,... ...http://in.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=65641052
LG has been making plenty of announcements this week; be it Android smartphones to Android Wear smartwatches. So today was indeed nothing new but... ...http://techtree.com.feedsportal.com/c/33242/f/556752/s/43d1b84b/sc/28/l/0L0Stechtree0N0Ccontent0Cnews0C84670Clg0Eshowcase0Ewatch0Eurbane0Elte0Ebands0Emwc0Bhtml/story01.htm
ces computer center
A SOFTWARE TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT...


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The pitch is expected to take place in the next couple of weeks and will involve around 20 RBS Group roster agencies, which include M&C Saatchi's direct marketing arm, Lida, and CHI & Partners.
It is understood that RBS Group, which operates brands including NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Direct Line, aims to consolidate its agency roster down to two or three agencies.
Separately, RBS has still to reach a decision on its digital advertising pitch. It called the pitch last year with a view to consolidating its digital advertising arrangements.
The company initially shortlisted six agencies, including glue London, M&C Saatchi's digital arm, Play, and CHI & Partners, to pitch for the business, which spans both the RBS and NatWest brands. It is understood that two agencies are now left in the running to win the business.
The digital and direct reviews do not affect the above-the-line business, which is handled by CHI & Partners and M&C Saatchi.
An RBS Group spokesman said: "We constantly review our suppliers to ensure that we best meet the needs of our businesses."
Last week, RBS announced it was planning to cut up to 2,300 jobs across the company.


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JUMIA Côte d’Ivoire continues its rapid expansion process with the opening of six new hubs in Cote d’Ivoire in the cities of Yamoussoukro, Bouaké, San Pedro, Daloa, Gagnoa, and Korogho. Jumia intends to achieve its goal to revolutionize the shopping habits of all Ivorians.
The new JUMIA hubs are service points where customers can pick items ordered online, and they will enable the e-commerce startup to satisfy its growing customer base throughout the country. Activated this month, the hubs of Yamoussoukro, Bouaké and San Pedro serve three important regions in the country. Several hubs are planned to open in the upcoming weeks in the following areas: Daloa and Gagnoa in the western central region, Korogho in the north and other cities to come. New hubs will also open within the vicinity of Abidjan, in the districts of Yopougon and Treichville.
To celebrate the openings, all deliveries inside the country are free of charge during the month of March. The JUMIA hubs are open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and Saturdays from 8:30 to 6pm.


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In 2015, Apple fans were exposed to iOS 9 which introduced users to the public transport facilities available via the maps app; and let’s not forget, Apple Pay.
Following this launch, 2016 brought users the launch of iOS10 which increased security by disallowing iPhone and iPad passwords to be 3 digits or shorter. Monday unveiled the launch of the well awaited new iOS generation – iOS11 which is set to be released to the public in September 2017.
We’ve put together a few of the new features Apple has given their customers to look forward to.
Social media login deactivation
Being able to activate or log into an app via social media accounts such as Facebook or Twitter has been extremely useful and time saving method for 6 years. This was introduced with iOS 5 in 2011. This will no longer be an option; as iOS 11 will require users to log in through a web browser and being redirected to the third-party app.
4th Generation iPad, iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C
Due to Apple devices now being made with a 64-bit processor as appose to a 32-bit; some previously downloaded educational apps and games will be unavailable on the iPhone 5, iPhone 5C and 4th Generation iPad after the iOS 11 update. However, this will not effect apps which have been updated within the last couple of years; although these devices will no longer receive software or security updates from September.
Money transfers via Apple Pay
iOS 11 will introduce Apple Pay for transferring money or making payments to friends and family. Siri will recognise a conversation about money on the Messages app and suggest Apple Pay to either send or receive money.
Airport guidance & Shopping centre maps
Do you spend hours searching for a certain shop within a large shopping centre; or wonder what shops exist past the security in an Airport? Apple are introducing airport guidance and shopping centre navigation; this will allow users to see what restaurants and shops are available past security and what shops are located on which level in a shopping centre.
Do not disturb whilst driving
Safety comes first! Apple are encouraging drivers to concentrate on the road when behind the wheel; this means they will be introducing a ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’ option. When turned on; this will automatically silence notifications and the option to send automatic replies to favourite contacts will be available which will tell favourite contacts that you are driving.
Finally, it doesn’t end there; we’re also going to see changes iMessages; a control centre revamp and a brand new app store!


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Link to article:
Healthy Offerings on Retail Menu at Shopping Centers
As established retail brands like Borders Books and Circuit City disappear, what is taking their place at America's shopping centers? Health clubs are the new anchor tenants, bringing in athletic wear boutiques and healthy dining chains in their wake. The workout clientele is well-heeled and educated, and the time they spend at the gym makes them more open to buy ready meals and snacks to take home.
Excerpt: " The national obsession with fitness, healthy eating and battling obesity is altering the retail landscape of neighborhood shopping centers and strip malls: They are becoming suburban havens of healthy living.
Health clubs are increasingly anchoring outdoor shopping centers. Yoga studios, yogurt shops, vitamin and workout apparel stores, organic food markets and health foods restaurants quickly follow.
Health clubs — from large workout centers featuring indoor pools and row after row of equipment to small home-gym types of franchises — have undergone 'a huge explosion over the last 10 years,' says Tom Simmons, Mid-Atlantic president of Kimco Realty, the largest owner and manager of neighborhood and community shopping centers. 'The consumer is becoming more mindful of healthy living.'
Frozen-yogurt stores are replacing retailers of fattier ice cream, he says. Kimco had 13 yogurt stores in its portfolio just five years ago. Today, it has 73. The square footage they occupy went from 16,000 to 108,000 during that time.
Restaurants with names such as Sweetgreen, Sweet Leaf and Energy Kitchen (slogan: 'fast food, not fat food') are sprouting in strip malls across the country, catering to the national passion for all things "green."GNC, seller of vitamins, supplements and herbal remedies, is opening 150 stores this year, Simmons says, and Smoothie King plans 1,000 more stores in five years."


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AFK Sistema OAO Buys Blocking Stake in Detskiy Mir from Sberbank Rossii OAO-Interfax
Interfax reported that AFK Sistema OAO (Sistema) is closing the acquisition of a blocking stake in children's goods retail chain Detsky Mir from Sberbank Rossii OAO (Sberbank), Sistema's core owner, Mr. Vladimir Yevtushenkov, told reporters on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. Sistema will pay more for the stake than it sold it for to Sberbank originally, he said, without naming a figure.
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Is the Automotive Aftermarket Immune to E-Commerce?
Auto parts suppliers are responding to the growth in e-commerce with a multi-pronged strategy, from the expansion of retail locations to the addition of regional and “mega” distribution hubs.
2018 Auto/Aero Site Guide
Some longstanding companies, however, are experiencing an entirely different reality. AutoZone, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Advance Auto Parts are automotive aftermarket suppliers that were founded decades ago and represent a market that is experiencing a counter-narrative. In 2018, these companies have announced plans to expand their retail footprints while embracing e-commerce, despite the attempts of competitors like Amazon and Walmart to encroach on this $130 billion market.
Why The Retail Expansion?
Institutional auto parts retailers are becoming more strategic about what differentiates them from their aspiring competitors. Expanding retail locations is just one strategy to remain in the lead, in addition to prioritizing better service, housing comprehensive inventory, maintaining strategic supply chains, and securing quick and reliable deliveries.
Over the last several years, AutoZone has continued to expand its footprint with more than 5,500 stores across the U.S., the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. By the end of 2018 alone, it will open 26 new stores in the U.S., and over the next three years, it plans to open additional regional hubs and up to 40 additional mega hubs.
It was in 2002 when AutoZone first began experimenting with a distribution hub strategy. Regional hubs can store up to 50,000 different items at a given time, and for AutoZone, this has proven to be an effective way to adequately stock its retail stores across the country. Mega hubs have followed, which are even larger distribution centers designed to keep regional hubs fully stocked with deliveries of inventory arriving multiple times a day. Ultimately, regional hubs and mega hubs have allowed AutoZone to complement its retail stores and build up an immense stock of inventory that ensures surrounding stores and commercial mechanics can quickly access a diverse and comprehensive range of auto parts.
O’Reilly Auto Parts has pursued a similar model. Last year, the company opened 190 new retail stores, and by the end of 2018, it is projecting the addition of 200 new stores. Overall, the company has 27 regional distribution centers that supply 331 hubs. Those hubs ensure consumers can quickly and easily access thousands of specialty auto parts at its growing number of retail stores, which is nearing 5,000 locations. Advance Auto Parts also maintains a network of 54 regional distribution centers that support a similar store base of over 5,000 retail locations, and in 2018, it is also looking to expand.
More store fronts have translated into more distribution centers, and this is where institutional leaders like AutoZone, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Advance Auto Parts have a strong foothold over their competitors. The leaders have developed extensive networks complete with distribution facilities and advanced supply chains, and their continued expansion is a clear effort to maintain a competitive advantage as new players enter the market.
The DIY Customer
E-commerce has also driven the buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) trend that is allowing auto parts retailers to capitalize on online sales at their physical locations. In late 2017, AutoZone’s BOPIS sales actually outperformed ship-to-home sales. Customers can select from thousands of items online, and thanks to strategically and well-organized supply chains, AutoZone is able to ensure a seamless in-store pick-up experience that satisfies customer demand.
These customers are typically do-it-yourself (DIY) consumers who are making repairs to their own vehicles. DIY sales constitute approximately 80 percent of AutoZone’s business, 60 percent of O’Reilly Auto Parts’ business, and 40 percent of Advance Auto Parts’ business. By investing in regional and mega hubs, auto parts retailers can stock more inventory than a regular warehouse and quickly supply stores with customers’ in-store pick-up deliveries across thousands of locations.
What’s driving the demand for auto parts? Our aging American auto fleet — the average car on the road is 11.6 years old. The sheer demand for auto parts is also driving the decisions of auto parts suppliers. U.S. automotive aftermarket sales within the DIY segment have increased an estimated $15 billion over the last 10 years. What’s driving that growth? Our aging American auto fleet. In fact, in 2017, the average car on the road was 11.6 years old.
Further, Advance Auto Parts is embracing the ride-sharing market in an attempt to bolster its DIY customer base. In 2018, the company announced a new partnership with Uber to support the Uber Visa Debit Card program. The goal of the partnership is to incentivize the fast-growing population of ride-share drivers to complete their DIY retail needs at a discount and exclusively with Advance Auto Parts.
Looking To The Future
Traditional auto parts retailers know, however, that DIY consumers may be the first share of the market attracted away by competitors like Amazon and Walmart, which means ensuring a steady business with commercial retailers and mechanics is an additional strategy to remain competitive.
While the rising number of aging cars on the road may stoke immediate demand from DIY, as cars undoubtedly become more complex, DIY repairs will become equally as difficult. Today’s cars are equipped with sensors to detect lane changes, 360-degree cameras, and technology that requires professional support. Consumers with these types of vehicles are likely to become reliant on auto repair shops and mechanics in a trend that is known as do-it-for-me (DIFM).
As auto parts retailers look to prioritize commercial business sales, companies will need to evaluate future demand with a forward-looking strategy. For the top automotive aftermarket retailers, profits from DIY consumers still make up a majority of business profits today, but directing attention to commercial repair shops and mechanics may be another preemptive strategy in order to remain competitive.
Advance Auto Parts is creatively capitalizing on e-commerce to target this segment of the market. To enhance its B2B (business-to-business) revenue, this year, the company has worked to roll out Advance Pro, which it describes as an e-commerce engine for professional customers. Since its launch, the platform has been used by nearly 20,000 professional Advance customers to order auto parts inventory.
Investing in online B2B sales is a long-term priority for Advance moving forward, and the retailer is looking at online efficiencies to improve user experience. To do this, Advance recently implemented “cross-banner visibility,” an initiative to streamline the inventory search online for both professional customers and store associates alike. The goal of the strategy is to save time and resources on both sides of a transaction.
In the wake of technological advances, many retailers are experiencing improved supply chains. However, for traditional brick and mortar retailers without a strong online strategy, new Internet channels and buying habits have come at a cost. Ultimately, the auto parts sector has managed to remain more immune to these undesirable effects. As competitors continue to target this lucrative market, the automotive aftermarket industry should continue to leverage physical stores, digital B2C (business-to-consumer) and B2B, and the evolving supply chains that enable these marketplaces. By doing so, the industry may prove to be more resilient in the e-commerce revolution than others.
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C. Jacks Sidewalk Cafe is leaving the Village Shops at the end of the year, but its signature menu item, C. Jacks Quiche, will still be available in northeast Johnson County.
C. Jacks owner Ron Shockley said the shop will stay open through the holidays and move to its new location in Shawnee close to the new year. C. Jacks will be sharing a space at 11111 Johnson Drive with Iced Art, owned by Michelle Rice, one of Kansas City’s top cake stylists. The new location is across the street from Shawnee City Hall.
C. Jacks Quiche will still be available at Hattie’s Fine Coffee in Corinth Square and at Twisted Sisters Coffee Shop on Johnson Drive in Mission. Whole quiche also will be available at Hen House in Village Shops and orders through C. Jacks at the new location can be picked up at Hattie’s on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
C. Jacks will still serve customers out of its current location at 6937 Tomahawk until at least after Christmas, Shockley said. He hopes to now focus on wholesale clients rather than being a restaurant and cafe, but still serve customers who want individual orders. C. Jacks narrowed its menu earlier this year to concentrate primarily on quiche.
Shockley said the new location may serve coffee, quiche and pastries in the morning, but that decision has not been finalized. C. Jacks quiche also is available at Homer’s Coffee House locations, Black Dog in Lenexa and Cosentino’s Market in downtown KCMO. Shockley said larger orders will be delivered within a limited service area.
The name will change to C. Jacks Quiche (dropping the ‘sidewalk cafe’), but the phone number will remain the same for orders (913-384-2445), which also can be placed online at cjacksquiche.com after the move. Shockley said his lease is up Jan. 1, so he will likely move in the few days just before then.


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Commercial growing has eventually changed the genetic makeup of the tomato, making the once-sweet fruit relatively flavorless. Now, researchers have identified the flavor-enhancing genes that the tomato lost which could give growers a roadmap to make tomatoes flavorful again.
Determining The Most Flavorful Of Tomato Varieties
In a new study published in the journal Science on Jan. 26, Harry Klee, from the University of Florida, and colleagues analyzed the genetic codes of 398 varieties of tomatoes. The researchers then chose 160 samples of tomato that roughly represent a hundred varieties and grew these in the lab.
Once the fruits were ripe, the tomatoes were given to a panel consists of 100 people who tasted and rated the tomatoes based on the taste. The feedback helped scientists determine which of the tomatoes varieties people liked the most.
The researchers then used gas chromatography to sort out the molecules of the tomato samples yielding a list of chemicals and their concentrations for each sample of the tomatoes.
Klee and colleagues then zeroed in on chemical compounds called volatiles, which are released when the fruit is chewed and trigger a response in the olfactory system, that contributes to the overall taste sensation.
By comparing the panel's tomato preference to the chemical profiles of the fruit samples, the researchers were able to come up with a list of 13 chemical compounds that are strongly associated with the flavors that people tend to enjoy.
The researchers were also able to identify the acids, sugars, and aroma compounds that can make tomatoes flavorful. The researchers were thus able to create a genetic roadmap that can help growers produce tasty tomatoes.
"Whole-genome sequencing and a genome-wide association study permitted identification of genetic loci that affect most of the target flavor chemicals, including sugars, acids, and volatiles," the researchers wrote in their study.
"Together, these results provide an understanding of the flavor deficiencies in modern commercial varieties and the information necessary for the recovery of good flavor through molecular breeding."
Making Once- Sweet Tomatoes Flavorful Again
Commercially sold tomatoes are not as flavorful as the heirloom varieties that are characterized by sweet and richer flavors. Klee said that by crossbreeding commercial tomato crops and heirloom varieties over multiple generations, tomato growers can gradually produce large and plump red tomatoes that are not only disease resistant but taste pretty good as well. The researcher said that the process may only take a few years.
"A breeder can now simultaneously select for hundreds of these genetic markers to rapidly select new plants with as many of the desirable traits as possible," said Adrian Hegeman, from the University of Minnesota, who was not part of the study. "This will make it easier to cross two different tomato varieties and test the progeny from that cross at very early stages of growth to get rid of plants that lack key gene linked traits."
Although crossbreeding could lead to tastier tomatoes that are sold in the mass market, researchers cautioned that modifying the genes may also mean the fruit would have shorter shelf life.


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TAINAN, TAIWAN – Analysts say this month’s U.S. designation of Vietnam as a currency manipulator will spur talks amongst the two international locations that could see Vietnam buy extra U.S. products or lower federal government intervention in the foreign exchange level.
The designation arrived about for the reason that the U.S. Treasury Section decided, in accordance to its semiannual report on key U.S. investing partners’ macroeconomic and overseas trade guidelines, that Vietnam – as very well as Switzerland – is a currency manipulator. The section decided that Vietnam’s currency was undervalued by 4.7% in 2019.
US Labels Switzerland and Vietnam as Forex Manipulators
Designations result in disputes with trading partners
In announcing the final decision, Treasury claimed it discovered just about every country’s trade policies over the yr by means of June have been at least partly aimed at preventing successful harmony of payments adjustments and, for Vietnam, “for gaining unfair aggressive benefit in international trade as perfectly.”
In announcing the determination, Treasury mentioned it would observe up the report with talks to include urging actions to handle the brings about of forex undervaluaton.
Vietnam had racked up a trade surplus of $54.4 billion in 2019, a different irritant to the United States.
Vietnam’s central financial institution turned down the U.S. accusation that it manipulates its currency.
The country’s trade level “has been created to provide the steady aim of managing inflation and stabilizing the macro-economic climate, not to achieve an edge in world trade,” Vietnam’s Point out Bank stated December 17, as cited by VGP News, the government’s on-line newspaper.
Vietnam’s reduced trade fee suggests Vietnamese corporations promoting products to the United States earned a lot more Vietnamese dong from the bucks they been given from U.S. customers, when American exporters would fork out more to trade dong.
Vietnam and the United States are expected to reach a currency-linked arrangement over the future 12 months, two professionals explained. The two sides get together politically these days regardless of previous baggage from their war that finished in the 1970s.
“Basically, it’ll now be a period of time where by the U.S. will have conversations with Vietnam to try out to resolve the situation,” stated Rajiv Biswas, a senior regional economist with IHS Markit, a London-primarily based sector investigation firm. In Washington, he explained, “They won’t promptly just start using motion in conditions of coverage actions.”
Hanoi may well agree to obtain additional U.S. merchandise or intervene a lot less in its overseas trade rate and enable the cost-free sector choose, authorities say. Inaction by Vietnam more than the up coming 12 months could prompt U.S. officials to levy import tariffs.
About a quarter of Vietnam’s economic climate rests on exports, the outcome of small producing charges and federal government incentives to advertise international expense by the likes of Ford, Intel and Samsung Electronics.
Vietnamese exports include smartphones as very well as clothes, footwear and automotive components. The United States was Vietnam’s leading trading spouse in 2019 in both equally imports and exports.
Other international locations labeled forex manipulators have patched issues up with the United States by agreeing to invest in American goods. Taiwan, for illustration, was reportedly preparing more purchases of U.S. goods late very last yr to lessen its U.S. trade surplus and stay clear of remaining labeled a manipulator.
In February 2019, Vietnam-dependent spending budget provider Vietjet Air agreed with U.S. plane company Boeing to buy 100 further 737 MAX planes.
“Once Boeing will get its MAX planes in purchase, Vietnam will order far more,” explained Jack Nguyen, a associate at the business advisory company Mazars in Ho Chi Minh Metropolis. “We built a big buy to Boeing, so we’re attempting to harmony the trade.”
The United States dubbed China a manipulator in August 2019 but removed that label in January of this calendar year right after China agreed to an original trade deal auguring effectively for American businesses.
Hanoi and Washington will probably commence talks towards an “enhanced bilateral engagement” calling on Vietnam to do something with its currency rate and “address any substantially big trade surplus with the U.S.,” SSI Exploration of Hanoi reported in a December 21 summary of financial traits in Vietnam.
Vietnam’s central financial institution has mentioned it’s eager to work with Washington.
“The nation is also eager to coordinate with the U.S. aspect to focus on applicable challenges centered on the spirit of cooperation and mutual positive aspects, to reasonable and harmonious industrial ties between the two sides,” VGP News reported.
Vietnam would find it difficult to snap up a ton of American imports or provide down the trade hole in the in the vicinity of time period, Biswas mentioned. It would be less complicated for now, he said, to intervene fewer in the international trade level.
China, like Vietnam, is dependent seriously on created exports and its communist authorities controls the forex exchange price. China and the United States are individually entrenched in a trade dispute that has despatched tariffs soaring on equally sides because 2018.
U.S. President Donald Trump is not personally concentrating on Vietnam, students believe, nevertheless American officials are warily looking at Vietnam as a place where China-based factories have relocated to steer clear of tariffs tied to the Sino-U.S. trade dispute.
From the U.S. facet, “this is possibly just a tiny form of a warning to Vietnam to not take pleasure in the benefits of supply chain also a great deal,” said Tune Seng Wun, an economist in the private banking device of Malaysian financial institution CIMB.


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Tracking user behaviour through the browser has been an ever-growing nuisance, with companies resorting to more and more questionable practices to collect user information. Mozilla is now taking a hard stand against it.
Tracking user behaviour online has become a dominant source of revenue for many companies. By tracking what users do online, companies like Facebook, Google and Amazon are able to sell their services to advertisers in the form of targeted advertising. As users started to block cookies which were the original tracking method, companies developed newer, more persistent ways of tracking people through the browser, using technologies like invisible pixels and what not. Today, Mozilla is taking a stance against such practices, changing their policy in favour of the consumer, switching from passive a “do not track” policy to “will not track.”
“In the near future, Firefox will, by default, protect users by blocking tracking while also offering a clear set of controls to give our users more choice over what information they share with sites,” said Mozilla VP of product strategy Nick Nguyen.
The changes will roll out on a trial basis later in September with Firefox 63 which will block slow-loading trackers. Mozilla hopes that by the time Firefox 65 is released, it would have blocked all cross-website tracking by default. Mozilla will allow users to enable tracking if they need it and also add options to allow blocks for slow-loading trackers and third-party cookies.
While all the popular browsers such as Google Chrome, Safari and Microsoft Edge (IE) offer a 'Do Not Track' feature, none of them are as aggressive as the method being implemented by Mozilla on Firefox. Mozilla states that this decision goes beyond just protecting their consumers’ privacy. It says that slow loading trackers take as much as 50 percent more time to load in comparison to regular trackers. Additionally, Mozilla says that many trackers use deceitful methods to collect more information on users than they think, warranting a step to keep them in check.


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The week ahead is full of important economic events that may move financial markets: Fed’s Chair Powell testifies, and inflation and retail sales data are due.
Following a relatively calm first trading week of the year, the week ahead is full of important economic events and data, mostly from the United States. After the NFP report last week showed a tight labor market, all eyes are on the Fed.
Goldman Sachs now sees four rate hikes in 2022 and ten hikes by the third quarter of 2024, well above the market consensus. Moreover, if the Fed starts doing quantitative tightening too, the financial picture changes drastically compared to last year.
Jerome Powell testifies
Traders will find out more about the Fed’s intentions this week. Tomorrow, the Fed’s Chair will testify in front of the Senate Banking Committee on his renomination for a new term at the helm of the Fed.
As the Fed had shifted its approach to monetary policy by viewing inflation as not transitory anymore, traders will look at any hint that might reveal the next step. Earlier today, Richmond Fed’s Barkin said that a March rate rise is conceivable, and so confirmation from Powell will make it a certainty.
US Core CPI is expected to increase by 0.5% MoM
One day after the testimony, US inflation data is due. The market expects the Core CPI to increase by another 0.5% MoM, and a higher rate would be hawkish for the US dollar as a March rate hike becomes certain.
Many economists expect inflation to have peaked or to peak soon. If that is the case, this week’s data will offer market participants new clues about the upcoming changes in the trend, if any.
Core Retail Sales on Friday are seen at 0.2% MoM
On Friday, the US Retail Sales for December will reveal the state of the US consumer. The forecast for the Core Retail Sales is an increase of 0.2%, and a stronger number will bode well for the Fed’s hawkish view of the economy.
All in all, the week ahead is an important one for the US dollar. After the timid start of the new trading year, the US dollar may rally on a hawkish testimony and positive economic data.


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JEFFERSON CITY — Now is the time to satisfy your inner summer shopper—for school supplies, anyway. Missouri is waiving its 4.225% state sales tax for the weekend of August 4 & 5 on items pertaining to back-to-school shopping only, meaning practicality is the name of the purchasing game. The back-to-school Corvette purchase will have to wait. Also, don’t expect other Missouri municipalities to fall in line with the state government’s generosity, the Jefferson City News Tribune says:
Most Missouri cities and counties that impose local sales taxes are not participating in the tax savings for back-to-school shoppers.


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The recent explosion of immigrant populations in Ontario has had a tremendous effect on the demand for ethnic foods and produce. Opportunities have become available for farmers to increase their income by becoming involved in the production of ethno-cultural food. If farmers are able to capture this niche marketing opportunity there is great potential for profit in an otherwise highly competitive industry.
When new immigrants arrive in Canada, they seek things that remind them of home. Food is more than a source of energy and nutrients; it is a reflection of cultural values. Market research has shown that there is a shortage of supply for these vegetables owing to a dramatic increase in transportation costs both in North America and internationally. Producers in Ontario should take advantage of this opportunity and provide fresh, high quality vegetables for ethnic residents. This practice will also tie into the local food movement, as farmers will supply a wide variety of produce that is appealing to ethnic consumers.
Please click here to see the full article. This study is led by the University of Guelph with a number of collaborators including FarmStart.


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Retailers are expected to cut prices further this weekend in a desperate attempt to capture sales before Britain's big return to work on Monday.
"Most of us have been clearing stock all week but if you haven't got rid of it by Sunday you never will," said one clothing chief executive. "Demand has been fairly constant, people are buying lots in the sales - the expectation is they will disappear for a while after that." He said sales had been up to 20% below last year's levels during the pre-Christmas weeks despite the hefty discounts on offer.
Bargain hunters have been out in force since Boxing Day, but new data suggests the strong demand witnessed during the sales period has not salvaged a poor Christmas overall for retailers. Shopper numbers in December were 3.1% lower than last year, according to Experian, a research firm that tracks high-street footfall. Separate research by PwC found 42% of the consumers it polled had budgeted to spend less in the sales. "Retailers will cut prices further over the next few days as they need to grab as much trade as possible before the consumers ... lose interest in shopping," said Jonathan de Mello, Experian retail director. But he predicts that even aggressive discounting might not be enough to shift unsold Christmas stock, meaning the January sales could linger into February.
Concerns about the retail sector have been fuelled by a stream of bad news with 10 retailers including Woolworths, MFI and the Pier as well as clothing chains USC and The Officers Club collapsing in the last two months. The struggling childrenswear retailer Adams was confirmed as the latest casualty yesterday, with PwC appointed to handle its administration.
Rob Hunt, a joint administrator, said: "We are continuing to trade as we urgently review the company's financial position so as to assess which stores can remain open. Adams Kids is a well-known brand on the high street and we remain hopeful that it will prove attractive to a purchaser. However, the current difficulties in the retail environment are such that some store closures are likely."
Indeed, the January sales are expected to be the last hurrah for consumers as recession bites. Groups such as John Lewis and Debenhams are thought to have enjoyed a strong sale period over the 10 days from Boxing Day until this Sunday. "The first six days of the sale have been very strong and we expect that to last until Sunday, after that sales volumes and footfall will drop rapidly," predicted one senior retailer. "People are being conservative, but are responding to big discounts."
A picture of how quoted store groups have weathered the storm will start to emerge next week when the retail reporting season gets under way with updates from large chains such as Marks & Spencer, Debenhams and Sainsbury's. Analysts expect a mixed bag of results with the supermarkets expected to have fared the best.


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HST credits to be delivered in January28 December 2016
FREDERICTON (GNB) – The provincial government reminds eligible New Brunswickers they will receive their second provincial HST credit payment next month.
“We chose to protect education and health care and to create a new tax credit which will provide cash payments to help families deal with the rising cost of living,” said Finance Minister Cathy Rogers.
The first provincial HST credit was delivered in October 2016. Eligible New Brunswickers received two quarterly payments covering the period July through December in a single payment. Beginning next month, payments return to a quarterly basis. The next quarterly payment will be in April.
The Canada Revenue Agency will deliver the credit on behalf of the provincial government by adding it to the federal GST/HST credit payments. The credit will be paid on a quarterly basis either by direct deposit or cheque. In cases where the quarterly payment is less than $50, a single payment for the total annual amount was made in October 2016. For subsequent years, those receiving the annual payment will receive it in July.
The full HST credit will be provided to those with a family income of less than $35,000 per year. In addition, a person with an income of less than $50,000, or a family of two adults and two children with a combined income of less than $75,000 could receive a payment.
More information on the provincial HST credit is available online.


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By Atish Patel
After approving the food security bill, India’s challenge is to get all that heavily subsidized foodgrain to the 800 million or so people eligible to the program.
The bill expands an existing program that uses a five-decade-old public distribution system to deliver food subsidies to the poor and hungry. Experts say the system is highly inefficient, with more than half the food siphoned off and sold in the open market for higher prices.
States like Chhattisgarh and Orissa, however, are using technology to clean up their delivery systems and ensure that food reaches the right people.
“The only solution to the ills plaguing the PDS [public distribution system] is to introduce a completely automated system based on information technology, which would result in minimum human intervention,” a committee headed by former Supreme Court Justice D.P. Wadhwa said in 2007 after a review of food distribution in several states.
The central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, which already has its own food security law and delivers cheap grain to 90% of its population, has emerged as a model state when it comes to reducing the amount of food that goes missing, economists such as Jean Dreze and Reetika Khera say. The United Nations’ World Food Program also has praised Chhattisgarh for reducing leakages.
In an interview with magazine Tehelka in July, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said leakages have been brought down to just 4%. In 2004-05, around 52% of food was lost in the state, Mr. Dreze and Ms. Khera wrote in The Hindu newspaper.
Chhattisgarh uses technology to track food as it moves from government warehouses to ration shops and then to people’s homes.
An electronic database of beneficiaries was created to replace a haphazard paper system in the state in 2007, years before a 2011 Supreme Court order spurred other states to do the same.
To curb leakages during transportation, vehicles carrying subsidized food in Chhattisgarh are painted yellow so that consumers can alert authorities if trucks are seen unloading anywhere other than ration shops, Mr. Singh told India Real Time in August.
The state has also taken advantage of India’s growing mobile penetration rate (the country has more cell phones than toilets, according to census data) to bring more transparency by allowing beneficiaries to register to receive text messages that alert them when a truck destined for the local ration shop has left the warehouse, how much grain it is carrying and its registration number.
Chhattisgarh is rolling out what it calls a Centralized Online Real-Time Electronic Public Distribution System, in which 300 ration shops in four cities have been equipped with a device called “AnnapoornaATM.” Launched last year, the GPRS-enabled machine is used with a smart card containing a beneficiary’s personal details and grain entitlement.
When the card is used to make purchases at ration shops, the device sends data to a central server, ensuring that shopkeepers don’t overcharge and only honestly distributed grain is replaced when stock levels are low. The machine can complete transactions and store data offline, allowing it to be used in remote areas with unreliable electricity supply.
Beneficiaries are registered at specific shops, but once the $42 million program is extended across Chhattisgarh by 2015, they’ll be able buy grain at any of the state’s 11,000 ration shops, said A.K. Somasekhar, technical director at the National Informatic Centre in Chhattisgarh.
“The beauty of Corepds is that it empowers the beneficiary,” Mr Somasekhar said.
Dishonest shopkeepers will be forced to be honest, otherwise they will be out of business, he said, adding that around 300,000 families are using the program.
The eastern state of Orissa has taken similar steps. Working with the World Food Program, Orissa launched a pilot project in 2007 in Rayagada, a remote, mineral-rich district in the southern part of the state where impoverished tribal communities rely heavily on food subsidies. Villagers had their fingerprints taken, irises scanned and photographs snapped to create a database of biometric information.
Of the 209,351 families previously receiving food subsidies in the district, 10% were found to be holding fake or duplicate ration cards, the WFP said, adding that cancelling those cards saved the state government $1.4 million annually.
Villagers now use their fingerprint to identify themselves and buy food grains.
“India as an IT powerhouse… at the forefront of technology and it’s only appropriate now that the government is moving forward in the direction of transforming public sector systems using the same technology that is developed by Indian companies,” said Michael Jensen, deputy country director of the WFP in India.
“The Rayagada project was used a bit like a laboratory. We’ve gained some experience and that experience we hope now can bring practices that affect many more people,” he added.
The project will be rolled out in the state capital Bhubaneswar from December and then to the rest of the state. It will rely heavily on Aadhaar, a numerical biometric identification that is being given to all 1.2 billion Indians. So far 10.7 million people in Orissa, or 25% of its population, have received their unique ID number.
Once 80% of beneficiaries in a district have been enrolled, the state government says it will extend the program.
Ms. Khera, a development economist at the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi, says the Aadhaar program won’t be able to tackle the problem of families and individuals being misclassified or claiming benefits they aren’t entitled to.
“Technology is very important… however, even technology has its limits,” Ms. Khera said.
“Political will is the key mover. Technology and computerization can only come if there is political will to fix the solution,” she added.
Atish Patel is a multimedia journalist based in Delhi. You can follow him on Twitter @atishpatel.


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California Mudslide Turns A Prius Into A Bobsled
We’ve had stories covering gearheads and their cars impacted by everything from hurricanes to wildfires, and California’s latest mudslide brings us another one.
First responders on the scene outside Burbank managed to grab this video as the mudslide turned a Prius into a bobsled. It carries the car down the hilly street with no problems and the driver keeps it relatively under control, Local news KTLA caught up with the driver, who made it to ground safely, and surprisingly so did the car which came out with just a few dings and scratches. So say what you want about the electric cars but they can handle a natural disaster.
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The world’s first cell phone – or then, mostly called mobile phone – was made on April 3, 1973 by a senior engineer at Motorola. For those who don’t remember what cell phones used to be, they were large handheld devices, that while portable, were anything but compact. Since that initial design and development, we have seen phones become smaller, more portable, and include more features (such as games, better access to the internet, nicer cameras, etc.), it’s hard to imagine what could come next. Knowing that today a lot of hype is surrounding the development of foldable phones, it really seems like they have come up with just about everything.
With the constant change of technology, consumers are always looking to get the latest and greatest in their hands. But this of course comes with a higher price tag with each new feature included. Luckily, today’s consumers can upgrade their devices more efficiently and easily and, with this, the industry is seeing news trends with each new advancement in tech.
Online Trade-Ins are Becoming the Norm
The internet has allowed for the easiest shopping experience to date. Because of that, retailers are opting for an omni-channel approach to the mobile trade-in process.
While brick-and-mortar retail locations may provide better customer service and a more personalized experience, e-commerce allows consumers to manage their transactions faster and from the comfort of their own home, or on the go.
Hootsuite and We are Social release its Q4 Global Digital Statshot report and found that there are almost 2 billion internet users around the world and more than 1 billion people using a mobile phone. And according to Statista, mobile e-commerce sales could make up over 70 percent of total e-commerce sales by 2021.
Additionally, a Harvard Business Review study revealed that 73 percent of consumers use multiple channels during their shopping journey, which increases retail spending in-store by four percent and retail spending online by 10 percent. As omni-channel shopping changes the future of retail, 56 percent of store locations will become hubs for omni-channel fulfillment by next year.
Allowing for this kind of flexibility for your customers gives them the peace of mind they need when deciding how to trade in and upgrade their tech.
The Wearable Market is Trending Up
Another once futuristic product, turned necessity of tech lovers – wearables. It was once wondered if smart watches would take off and now, according to Gartner, worldwide shipments of such devices will reach 225 million this year – an increase of over 25% from last year.
The market has seen a distinct difference in wearables from cell phones, though. Wearables were not a product we saw being traded in until about Q4 of 2018. Apple released its first generation Watch in 2015 and when the second generation was released in 2017, a lot of people weren’t running to get it – unless they didn’t already have one.
Now on its fifth generation, just announced at this month’s annual event, it will be interesting to see how trade-ins and additional sales will spike.
The Extended Lifecycle of a Smartphone
As mentioned earlier, with each new release of a new device it seems that the price tag sees an increase. It’s likely because of this, that consumers are hanging on to their devices for a little longer than normal. Not to mention, major carriers are no longer offering plans that allow for customers to upgrade to a new device every two years.
Buying a new phone can mean shelling out up $2,000 upfront or being put on a monthly payment plan that ultimately increases your monthly bill. This has many consumers second guessing if they really need that new phone or not.
But reversely, a newer phone will have a higher trade-in value when compared to a dated phone – something to consider when thinking of future tech purchases.
With new innovations being released each year, and even more frequently, the market is sure to continue to evolve and see new trends in how the trade-in market performs.


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Nissan has been in the news a lot lately, and unfortunately, it’s been for all the wrong reasons. Over the course of the last year or two, Nissan’s profits have plunged (and then plunged some more!) as sales of the company’s vehicles have started trending in the wrong direction. Nissan has also been forced to deal with a slew of ongoing Nissan CVT transmission problems in a variety of the company’s vehicles. Those who own Nissans have been forced to pay anywhere from $3,500 to $8,000 on average to fix Nissan CVT transmission problems. This has, in turn, forced Nissan to extend the warranties on many of their cars from five years or 60,000 miles to 10 years or 120,000 miles.
It remains to be seen whether or not Nissan is going to be able to get this problem under control. If they aren’t, it could very well lead to their profits plunging even further than they already have, and it could threaten to put the company into a precarious position as far as their future is concerned. But in the meantime, many Nissan owners are having to deal with the Nissan CVT transmission problems found in a bunch of Nissan’s most popular vehicles. Learn more about some of the specific problems below.
What Is a CVT?
Before we get into talking about some of the specific Nissan CVT transmission problems that are out there, you need to know exactly what a continuously variable transmission, or CVT, is. Sometimes called a shiftless transmission or a pulley transmission, a CVT is a type of automatic transmission that utilizes variable-width pulleys and a flexible belt as opposed to fixed gears like a regular automatic transmission. CVTs are designed to deliver seamless acceleration by helping cars avoid having to shift from one gear to another, which can sometimes cause a car to hesitate or jerk suddenly.
Over the last 20 years or so, there are a number of car companies that have started using CVTs in their vehicles. From Audi and Honda to Subaru and Toyota, many of the major car companies have bought into CVT technology to some degree. But none have bought into it more than Nissan. Nissan quite literally bought into CVT technology at one point by purchasing a stake in JATCO, a company that has been responsible for building many of the CVT transmissions found in cars all throughout the world. This should illustrate just how committed Nissan has been to CVT despite all the Nissan CVT transmission problems that have popped up over time.
The Introduction of the Nissan CVT
There isn’t anything particularly new about CVT technology. Believe it or not, Leonardo da Vinci came up with one of the initial concepts for the technology way back in the late 1400s, and it appeared in some of the earliest automobiles that were invented in the late 1800s. Nissan has also been using CVT technology in its cars for decades now. They first started incorporating CVTs into their vehicles in the early 1990s when they released the1992 Nissan March that contained the N-CVT, which was based on the Fuji Heavy Industries ECVT. They then went on to design their very own CVT in the years that followed and worked them into several of their Japanese models.
Nissan didn’t get serious about adding CVTs to their U.S. vehicles until the early 2000s, though. The 2003 Nissan Murano, which was released in 2002, was the first Nissan to feature a CVT transmission in the U.S. It came in the form of the XTRONIC CVT from Nissan, and it marked a complete change in the way that Nissan would approach transmissions. Within just a few years, Nissan shifted to including CVTs in almost all of the vehicles they released in the U.S. CVTs were soon found in Nissan Altimas, Nissan Pathfinders, Nissan Rogues, Nissan Sentras, and Nissan Versas. It seemed like such an exciting time for Nissan, but it wouldn’t be long before the Nissan CVT transmission problems would start to appear.
Beginning of the Nissan CVT Transmission Problems
When Nissan first started introducing CVT technology into their North American cars in the early 2000s, there was a lot of fanfare that surrounded them. People thought that CVTs could potentially be the transmissions found in all cars at some point in the near future. But it didn’t take very long for some people who owned the 2003 Nissan Murano to start to see signs that the CVTs in Nissans might not be all they were cracked up to be. They noticed Nissan CVT transmission problems like:
- Difficulty accelerating
- Shaking and/or stuttering during acceleration
- Transmissions running too hot
- Transmissions shutting down without warning
Transmission failure was—and is still is—one of the most common complaints that people had about the 2003 Nissan Murano. The CVTs in these Muranos would give out unexpectedly right around the 118,000-mile mark on average and force people to pay upwards of $4,100 for transmission repairs. In many cases, the owners of Muranos had to have their transmissions replaced altogether, which eventually led to Nissan having to extend the original warranty that came with the car. It would, unfortunately, be a sign of things to come as it was the first Nissan to experience Nissan CVT transmission problems, but as you’re about to find out, it was not the last.
4th and 5th Generation Nissan Altima Transmission Problems
The 4th generation Nissan Altima—which was introduced in 2007 and replaced by the 5th generation Nissan Altima in 2012—was the recipient of a series of complaints from those who drove them. People who owned an Altima during this time period reported experiencing everything from steering wheel lock failure to instances in which their dashboards melted. But one of the biggest issues in these Altimas was CVT failure. In 2007 Altimas, for example, many people reported CVT transmission failure at around the 100,000-mile mark and found that it cost about $4,400 to repair. The problem persisted over the next five years with many people also reporting CVT transmission failure in 2012 Nissan Altimas at around the 110,000-mile mark and at a cost of about $3,200.
Nissan vowed to try and fix the issues that so many people were having with the CVT transmissions in their Altimas, but they were unable to do it throughout the duration of the 4th generation Altima’s lifespan. The issues continued with the 5th generation Altima, and some might argue that they even managed to get worse. Many people who owned the 2013 Nissan Altima started to notice Nissan CVT transmission problems at around the 53,000-mile mark and found that they cost around $3,100 to fix. It caused many Altima owners to second-guess their decision to buy Nissans and is at least partly to blame for Nissan’s current predicament.
3rd and 4th Generation Nissan Pathfinder Transmission Problems
Nissan CVT transmission problems have become pretty much synonymous with the Nissan Altima at this point, which is why we decided to discuss the Altima first. But the Nissan Pathfinder was actually one of the first Nissans outside of the Murano to have a CVT transmission installed in it way back in 2005 when the first 3rd generation Nissan Pathfinder was released. And not coincidentally, that year’s Pathfinder ended up going down as one of the worst Pathfinder model years for transmissions in the Pathfinder’s history.
Those who owned a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder had a variety of widespread transmission problems, including coolant leaking into their transmissions and causing transmission failure. These problems started to appear at around the 90,000-mile mark in these Pathfinders and cost right around $3,500 to fix. They also showed up in the 2006 and 2007 Nissan Pathfinders before Nissan appeared to get its act together and reduce the CVT-related issues found in Pathfinders.
But they reared their ugly head again when the 4th generation Nissan Pathfinder was released in the form of the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder. That model Pathfinder would go on to be involved in a class-action lawsuit that claimed the Pathfinder would shake very violently when it was driven between 15 and 30 miles per hour in some instances. It was a problem that appeared in some 2014 Pathfinders as soon as the 32,000-mile mark and cost $4,000 to fix on average.
1st and 2nd Generation Nissan Rogue Transmission Problems
First released in 2007, the Nissan Rogue has, somewhat surprisingly, turned into one of the most popular Nissan models ever. When it was first released, some people didn’t know what to make of it, but thanks to the rise of crossover SUVs, it’s transformed into a staple in the Nissan lineup. But with that being said, it’s not without its Nissan CVT transmission problems, which it has experienced since pretty much the beginning. Both the 1st generation Rogue, which was manufactured by Nissan from 2008 through 2013, and the 2nd generation, which was manufactured by Nissan from 2014 through 2019, have been hit with the same transmission issues as other Nissans.
The initial 2008 Nissan Rogue, for example, would sometimes stop accelerating or stop driving completely for some people due to Nissan CVT transmission problems at around the 86,000-mile mark. It cost almost $3,000 to fix the issues that caused this to take place. Many early Rogue owners also reported their transmissions failing completely at around the 125,000-mile mark, thus forcing them to pay almost $3,200 on average to repair or replace their CVT transmissions.
This trend kept up once the 2nd generation Rogue was released with the 2014 Rogue starting to show signs of trouble in many cases at around the 80,000-mile mark and forcing Rogue owners to endure average repair bills in the $3,500 range. There haven’t been as many Nissan CVT transmission problems reported with Rogues in more recent years, but all of this has scared off some people who might normally consider buying a Rogue.
6th Generation Nissan Sentra Transmission Problems
The Nissan Sentra is one of the longest-running models in the Nissan lineup. It was first released way back in the early 1980s, and it continues to be a linchpin for the Nissan name. But that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t without its fair share of Nissan CVT transmission problems. When the 6th generation Nissan Sentra was put out in 2013, many people who bought it reported problems like revving and jerking and total CVT transmission failure. It often struck at around the 80,000-mile mark and cost about $3,500 to fix. The 2013 and 2014 Nissan Sentras, in particular, seemed to give drivers the most fits as far as the Nissan CVT transmission problems go.
1st and 2nd Generation Nissan Versa Transmission Problems
There was one very prominent problem with 1st generation Nissan Versas released between 2007 and 2011 that earned Nissan a lot of negative press. They came equipped with Takata airbags that were later found to be defective. Nissan was forced to recall these vehicles in May 2016 and July 2017 to replace the airbags that were in them.
But this wasn’t the only problem that portrayed Nissan in a negative light. While the company was dealing with its airbag problem in Versas, they also had to deal with transmission problems in many 1st generation Versas. Owners of the original 2008 Versa, for instance, started reporting Nissan CVT transmission problems that appeared at around the 120,000-mile mark and cost $3,700 on average to fix.
And those problems only seemed to get worse once the 2nd generation Nissan Versa started to hit showroom floors. Owners of the 2012 Nissan Versa were forced to put up with major transmission problems, including transmission failure. These problems presented themselves at around the 72,000-mile mark and cost more than $3,500 on average to fix. The Nissan CVT transmission problems got to be so bad that a group of Versa owners eventually filed a class-action lawsuit against Nissan alleging that the CVT transmissions they put into 2nd generation Versas were defective. Nissan settled the case and agreed to provide extended warranties to those who qualified for them based on certain conditions.
What Should You Do With a Car With Nissan CVT Transmission Problems?
To Nissan’s credit, they have stepped up and tried to make things right with many past and current Nissan owners by offering extended warranties to them. These warranties have helped many people cover the costs associated with Nissan CVT transmission problems. But there are some people driving around in Nissans that have Nissan CVT transmission problems that aren’t covered by a warranty. There are also others who don’t feel comfortable about driving around in Nissans because of the Nissan CVT transmission problems that they’ve heard so much about.
If you want to get rid of a Nissan that has CVT transmission problems and get your hands on something new, Cash Cars Buyer will gladly take your Nissan off your hands and give you cash for it. It’ll allow you to go out and buy something that’s safer, more reliable, and less expensive than the Nissan you’re driving now. Contact us today to obtain a quote for your car.


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Adapted from a press release:
Nestlé Purina PetCare unveiled a US$90 million upgrade to its Blayney, Australia facility, which will increase pet food production capacity. As well, the Purina team has expanded to meet increased pet food demand, with 20 new jobs now created on site. The facility creates cat foods such as Felix, Fancy Feast, Pro Plan and Purina One.
The expansion may position Nestlé Purina as a key regional supplier, with both wet and dry pet food exported from Blayney to New Zealand, Thailand and Japan.
The new facilities will also see a significant quantity of local ingredients used in production. More than 85% of raw materials used at the Nestlé Blayney factory will be sourced locally, including meats and grains.
The Nestlé factory in Blayney began operations in 1989 and manufactures brands such as Felix, Fancy Feast, Pro Plan, Supercoat and Purina One. Nestlé Blayney employs more than 300 people and supports more than 60 local businesses and contractors in western New South Wales.
Nestlé Blayney Factory Manager Charlene De Wit said the new facility is a testament to Nestlé’s commitment to local manufacturing and support for the central west Australian community.
“We are proud to produce quality Purina pet food for our much-loved furry friends across Australia and around the region, right here in Blayney,” De Wit said. “Our expanded facilities will allow us to scale up production of single-serve wet cat food by over 120% – as well as the dry cat and dog food we already produce.”
The opening brings Nestlé’s total investment in the factory to more than US$200 million over the past 10 years, as the business has increased production and developed new capabilities. The wet cat food facility, which opened in late 2014, was developed to create premium products.
“We have an incredibly dedicated and highly skilled team here at Blayney,” DeWit said. “By bringing leading technology to our factory and continuing to use high-quality ingredients in our product, we are even more confident that we will continue to enrich the lives of pets and the people who love them for years to come.”
More about Nestle Purina PetCare
According to Petfood Industry’s Top Pet Food Companies Current Data, Nestlé Purina reported strong organic growth in its pet care products in 2020, led by its premium brands Purina Pro Plan, Purina ONE and Felix. Long a leader in the U.S. market, Nestlé Purina also operates pet food factories in 19 countries. Nestlé Purina claims three headquarters globally: St. Louis, Missouri, USA, for its North American and Latin American operations; Lausanne, Switzerland, in Europe; and Sydney, Australia, covering Asia, Oceania and Africa. Its parent company, Nestlé's world headquarters, is in Vevey, Switzerland.
Annual Revenue 2020 - US$15,422,000,000


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Talbots has a new executive team to go along with its new owner — both of which hope to turn the specialty retailer around.
Michael Archbold is the new chief executive officer and chief financial officer, effective immediately. Archbold is an industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience, holding c-level positions. He was most recently president and chief operating officer of The Vitamin Shoppe. Prior posts include a stint as cfo and chief administrative officer of Saks Inc.
In addition to Archbold, Lizanne Kindler was named president. Kindler, who joined Talbots in 2008 and left in 2010, was most recently executive vice president for product development at Kohl’s Corp. She also had a stint on the merchandising team at Ann Inc. before her first tour of duty at Talbots.
The final new member of Talbots’ troika is Michele Mandell, who has been named chief operating officer. Mandell, who retired from Talbots in 2009, is a 26-year veteran of the retailer. Her last position at Talbots was executive vice president of stores. Sources familiar with the appointment said Mandell’s history with the company is expected to serve as the “foundation” to reenergize the struggling business as it seeks to bridge the soul of Talbots with a modern vision to move forward.
Archbold said, “By restoring the company’s focus on Talbots’ classic styling, we will be able to reconnect with the company’s historical customer base. Lizanne, Michele and I look forward to working closely with the other members of the Talbots’ leadership team and the company’s more than 8,000 committed and hard-working associates to reestablish the brand as the category leader.”
Stefan Kaluzny, managing director of Sycamore Partners, said Tuesday, “We are pleased to have completed this acquisition and are ready to deliver on the promise of executing on the significant potential inherent in Talbots, which remains a premier, storied brand.”
He added that the new team is made up of “all veteran retailers and, together, [they] have extensive financial, merchandising, product development, marketing and operational skills that will be invaluable as we move to better position Talbots for long-term, positive growth.”
According to sources, Kaluzny told Talbots employees about the new management team on Monday.
These sources also said Kaluzny on Monday sought to reassure employees of Sycamore’s belief and commitment in Talbots’ future.
According to one source, Kaluzny wrote in an e-mail to employees: “Talbots is a brand with 65 years of history and a great deal of potential. Together, we believe we can help the brand realize the potential and move forward on a path of positive growth.”
This source also said Kaluzny emphasized that the “collective focus will be on financial discipline, protecting the integrity of the Talbots brand and, most importantly, on our customers....”
Turning around the retailer won’t be an easy task.
For the fourth quarter ended Jan. 28, Talbots posted a loss of $53.3 million, or 77 cents a diluted share, compared with a loss of $2.8 million, or 4 cents, a year earlier. Revenues fell 1.1 percent to $289.4 million from $292.6 million. For the year, Talbots posted net losses of $111.9 million on sales of $1.14 billion.
One risk is that the core customer has already moved on and found other brands to meet her shopping and fashion needs. Getting her attention back will be that much more difficult amid all the marketing noise among the different distribution channels, including online.
The firm operates 516 Talbots stores in 46 states and Canada.
Talbots is Sycamore’s second deal. Its first deal, in November, was a 51 percent stake in Limited Brands Inc.’s sourcing division, Mast Global.
Sycamore now has more than $1 billion in capital under management.
The private equity firm is expected to remain on the prowl for more deals in the retail and fashion space.
@kith is moving into children’s. The men’s and women’s streetwear brand has launched Kidset, a Kith kids line located in New York at 64 Bleecker Street. The line includes mini versions of staple Kith pieces like the Astor bomber jacket and the Kith box logo sweatshirts, along with a wall that can display up to 120 pairs of shoes from @adidas, @newbalance, @timberland and more. #wwdfashion
“I just wanted to create this fully rounded character, but I do think what excited me most was just the opportunity to give a group of people representation that I feel needs it. I like to do characters in projects that stand for something and Karolina definitely does, so that was really exciting to me,” @ginnygardner says of her new role in @hulu’s “The Runaways.” Gardner plays Karolina Dean, a queer superhero, which is a rarity for @marvel. Read more about Gardner’s character on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @dandoperalski)
@heriethpaul and @gracebol have a moment on the @victoriassecret fashion show 2017. See every look from the runway on WWD.com. Link in bio. (📷: @giovanni_giannoni_photo) #wwdfashion #victoriassecret #VSFashionShow
“Azzedine has been one of the biggest influences in my life. He has always been such a strong, loving, fatherly figure to me. I call him Papa. His designs are indescribably unique, they are pieces of art. He knew how to make the female form look its loveliest. I have so many memories of him; my favorite might be during my first show with him in Paris. He liked me and he wanted to help me get more work. He called all his friends at Kenzo and Comme des Garcons, and asked them to book me. They said, ‘But she can’t walk!’ And he said, ‘but she has such a great ass!' His friendship and support has been the great privilege of my career. I can't imagine life without him. Repose en paix mon Papa.” - @stephanieseymour tells @wwd. #wwdfashion (📷: @steveeichner) #alaia #azzedinealaia
Azzedine Alaïa, flanked by two of his closest friends, models Stephanie Seymour and Naomi Campbell.
He designed Seymour’s dress for her 1995 wedding to Peter Brant, and treated Campbell (who famously called him Papa), like a daughter. For more on the legendary designer, tap the link in bio. #wwdfashion #alaia #azzedinealaia


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burn fat fast hiit
Below is an excerpt from an article written in the la times about hiit. “… a study published in december in the journal of applied physiology and conducted by a team at canada’s university of guelph found that just two weeks of alternate-day interval training increased moderately active 22-year-old women’s fat-burning ability by 36%.. Lean it up | a list of 10 full-body exercises to burn fat, increase the metabolism, and shred pounds insanely fast.. Just because you’re new to fitness doesn’t mean high-intensity interval training isn’t for you. otherwise known as hiit workouts, these fast-paced routines have been shown to torch tons of calories in a short amount of time — so you don’t need to spend hours in the gym..
How to burn belly fat fast. many people struggle with weight loss issues. losing belly fat in particular is about more than just aesthetics: visceral fat, the kind of fat that tends to settle around the midsection, can cause an increase in…. Including more protein-rich foods in your diet is an effective way to reduce your appetite and burn more fat. in fact, multiple studies have found that eating more high-quality protein is. I recommend you perform hiit training 2-4 times a week for fat loss (try not to do it on consecutive days). if you’re already doing a weight lifting or cardio program then you can incorporate a few hiit sessions in a week to accelerate fat loss..