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At the beginning of 2017, Iowa State University Dining made a list of goals the department wanted to achieve by 2018. One of those goals was recently realized when the university opened its newest retail dining outlet, Lance and Ellie’s.
Named after ISU’s swans, Lancelot and Elaine, the retail sandwich shop is an original idea for ISU Dining. It replaced a Subway.
“We wanted to create our own branded upscale retail sandwich shop,” says Kristi Patel, assistant director of ISU Dining. “We can now better control the quality of the ingredients.”
Nolan Nguyen Green, chef de cuisine – retail for ISU Dining, is the man behind Lance and Ellie’s menu.
“The concept is modeled after a New York delicatessen,” says Green. “We hang our hat on the quality of our ingredients. We use whole-muscle meats, breads that we make from scratch, artisan cheeses and housemade dressings. The customer can see everything as it’s being made. They can smell the fresh-baked bread and watch us slice the meats.”
Located in the student union, Lance and Ellie’s invites students to customize their sandwiches, wraps or salads. First, they must choose either a “Stack,” “Roll,” or “Toss.” Stacks are sandwiches. Rolls are wraps. Tosses are salads. The customer then chooses between nine different ingredient combos including selections such as the So-Cal, featuring turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese and avocado puree and the pepper chicken, featuring roasted chicken breast and three pepper Colby jack cheese. Hot Stacks—or warmed sandwiches—are also available along with a series of sides such as potato salad and a housemade edamame salad and treats like a marble cookie or a mocha brownie.
Most importantly, everything is completely customizable.
“When you replace a national brand like Subway, it’s critical to get student buy-in early on,” says Green. “We did lots of tastings and control groups early and through those found that our students value quality and personalization. Lance and Ellie’s delivers on both.”
In order to get up and running, ISU had to completely gut and rebuild the space once Subway vacated. All new equipment was purchased and the layout of the space was redesigned to me more functional.
“We didn’t want anyone to look at the space and think, ‘you took a Subway out,’” says Patel. “We created our own brand and spent a lot of time and effort developing it.”
Construction took the majority of the fall semester, but Lance and Ellie’s opened for business Jan. 17. So far, it’s going really well.
“It’s in a very visible space, and the potential to increase sales is huge,” says Patel.
“We’re seeing a lot of repeat guests,” says Green, adding that the team in place is doing a fantastic job with production and speed.
“Our biggest challenges were with construction taking longer than we hoped and having to onboard the team in about a week,” says Patel.
In the next few weeks, Lance and Ellie’s will be available via GET Food, an online food ordering app that allows students to order and customize meals from a phone or computer and schedule a convenient pickup time.


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2023 has been a year of recovery for streaming TV platform company Roku (ROKU 0.22%). That trend continued in the third quarter, the company revealed in its earnings report on Thursday. After posting 1% year-over-year revenue growth in Q1, growth accelerated to 11% growth in Q2 and then to 20% in Q3.
“We had a solid rebound in video ads in Q3 and we expect the YoY growth rate of video ads in Q4 to be similar,” Roku told investors in its third-quarter shareholder letter.
Roku’s upbeat view for Q4 is encouraging news after Meta Platforms spooked investors late last month as it downplayed its own acceleration with warnings about an uncertain macroeconomic environment’s potentially negative impact on ad spend going forward.
Breaking down Roku’s accelerating third-quarter growth, the tech company benefited from an 18% year-over-year increase in platform revenue. This put platform revenue at $786.8 million, accounting for the bulk of Roku’s total third-quarter revenue of $912 million. Devices revenue grew even faster, rising 33% year over year to $125.2 million.
Roku’s third-quarter revenue of $912 million notably obliterated analysts’ average forecast for revenue of $853 million. Helping the quarter was a 16% year-over-year increase in active accounts and a 22% year-over-year increase in streaming hours.
Management insinuated in its third-quarter letter that it is gaining market share:
In Q3, the macro environment continued to pressure the overall U.S. advertising market, with ad spend on traditional linear TV down 12% [year over year], and traditional ad scatter down 27% [year over year] (according to SMI). Conversely, we saw continued signs of rebound: in Q3, the [year over year] growth of video advertising on the Roku platform outperformed both the overall ad market and the linear TV ad market in the U.S.
Notably, Roku’s average revenue per user for the trailing 12 months was $41.03, down 7% year over year. But this represents a stabilization in this key metric, as the figure was down 7% at the end of Q2 as well. So, it’s good that there wasn’t further deterioration in this trailing-12-month metric. This stabilization is likely caused by a stabilization in ad pricing, which is something visual search and idea discovery platform Pinterest saw from its ads during Q3.
Operating in an uncertain macroeconomic with “an uneven ad market recovery,” Roku said it is taking a cautious stance when it comes to its guidance. But even with a cautious approach to its outlook, management guided for total Q4 revenue of $955 million, up from $867 million in Q4 2022. Further, Roku said the figure would be higher if it weren’t for a difficult year-over-year comparison in its content distribution and media and entertainment promotional spend portions of its platform business.
Also worth highlighting is Roku’s intensified focus on profitability. Despite guiding for adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) to be negative $50 million during Q3, the key figure came in at positive $43 million.
Looking ahead, management wants to maintain this discipline.
“We will continue to operate our business with discipline to define margins, with a focus on driving positive free cash flow over time,” management said in its third-quarter update. The company also said it expects positive adjusted EBITDA again for Q4.
With a rebound in video ads, improving profitability, and a promising outlook for Q4, there’s a lot for Roku investors to be happy about.
Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Daniel Sparks has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. His clients may own shares of the companies mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Meta Platforms, Pinterest, and Roku. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Electra Commercial Vehicles is presenting a world-first in hydrogen!
Our refrigerated hydrogen Fuel Cell Battery electric Vehicle (FCBeV) has hit the road in Stockton on Tees.
A major supermarket will trial the truck over the next few months as part of the Tees Valley Hydrogen Vehicle Project.
Electra Chairman Sid Sadique commented: ‘We have deliberately designed the truck with an over-specified battery capacity. ‘The vehicle will be on trial and collecting data, so we required contingency in its ability to return to base.
We are excited to venture into this trial to demonstrate once again that Electra is leading on the road to genuine zero-emission vehicle solutions.
For more information and press enquiries, contact:
Mobile: 07888 692 339


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The year 2014 was certainly historic on the postal and logistics front. Alibaba entered the U.S. market with a bang, setting a record with the largest ever U.S. initial public offering. For the first time ever, non-mail revenues exceeded mail revenues for postal administrations around the world. Shippers braced for the full effect of dimensional weight pricing. And the U.S. Postal Service added its name to the growing list of agencies and companies to suffer a data breach.
Amateur astronomers are excited about the total solar eclipse set to appear (or disappear?) on August 21. This is the first time in 99 years a total solar eclipse will cross the entire United States.
Capitalizing on the public’s excitement, the U.S. Postal Service...Read More


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Suzuki to set up wholly owned manufacturing plant in Gujarat post Companies Act amendments
Suzuki plans to set up a wholly owned manufacturing plant in Gujarat as amendments to the Companies Act have made it easier to get share holder approval.
NEW DELHI: Suzuki Motor Corporation, parent of the country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki, plans to push ahead with its contentious plan to set up a wholly owned manufacturing plant in Gujarat as amendments to the Companies Act have made it easier to get share holder approval.
The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday cleared 16 amendments to the Companies Act, 2013, that included replacing ‘special resolution’ with ‘ordinary resolution’ for approval of related-party transactions by minority shareholders in a company.
This means, Suzuki can go ahead with its plans if 50% of Maruti’s minority shareholders support the proposal. Under ‘special resolution’ the move would have required the backing of at least 75% non-related shareholders.
“We would now go ahead and decide the time table for the voting on the issue,” said RC Bhargava, chairman of Maruti Suzuki.
“We have been waiting for the proposed changes in the Companies Act and would proceed accordingly to seek minority shareholders’ approval,” he told ET.
Maruti Suzuki had last year transferred its land for a new car plant in Gujarat to parent Suzuki that owns around 56% stake in India’s largest carmaker, which is also Suzuki’s most successful venture globally.
According to the plan, Suzuki would operate the plant and all cars made there would be sold to Maruti at cost plus some profit.
The move was bitterly opposed by several minority shareholders in Maruti Suzuki, including institutional investors, mutual funds and insurance companies, saying such a deal will lower the local firm’s profit margins.
To allay the concerns of shareholders, the company has since tweaked its plans whereby Suzuki would supply cars made at the plant to Maruti at a no profit, no loss basis.
Suzuki also proposed to transfer this Gujarat subsidiary at the book value to the Indian company if required. Maruti Suzuki will now seek minority shareholders’ approval for the Gujarat plant by its parent through an ordinary resolution.
Suzuki Motor had already laid the foundation stone of the new facility in Mehsana district in Gujarat and started construction.
The factory, which would be SMC’s first fully owned plant in India, will have an initial capacity to build 100,000 units a year by 2017. An investment of Rs 850 crore has been earmarked for the facility for the current fiscal.


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As the demand
for desktop E-commerce solutions increases, organizations are looking for new
and improved ways to speed up the signature authentication process that is inherent
in relying on FAX machines. Today's choices for authenticating documents include
faxing handwritten signatures or using secure public key infrastructure (PKI)
solutions. With the complexity of installing and administering PKI through-out
large organizations, coupled with fast growing presence of pen-based devices
on the market, electronic handwritten signatures are sure to gain popularity.
Current trends indicate a 90% probability that digital E-Pads will gain mainstream
popularity in the next 24 months.
This past July,
the U.S. Congress became an early adopter of electronic signature technology,
giving its stamp of approval, when they signed the Year2000 Readiness and Responsibility
Act electronically. J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House, and Strom Thurmond,
President Pro Tempore of the Senate, electronically signed H.R. 775 in order
to present it to the President of the United States. They signed an Adobe PDF
version of the Bill with their handwritten signature, which was captured on
a standard laptop equipped with PenOp Signature
software and a Wacom digitizer.
Penop is a global leader in legally binding electronic signature technology.
PenOp combines biometric and digital signature technology to streamline document
sign-off procedures, reducing the risk of fraud and making the paperless office
a reality. PenOp solutions are currently deployed in more than thirty countries.
Vancouver based Wacom is a developer of graphic, intuitive, input devices. Interlink
Electronics ( NASDAQ: LINK ), another developer of intuitive interface solutions,
and a partner of PenOp, is positioning itself for increased demand of its electronic
signature digital E-pads. E. Michael Thoben, chairman, CEO and president of
Interlink Electronics, Inc. says, " Our new signature pad, ePad, has generated
substantial industry excitement and shows great promise for the E-Commerce market."
experts will still prefer PKI solutions over electronic signatures. Since electronic
signatures are bit and byte representatives of personal signatures, their incorporation
in .jpegs, .bmps, or .gifs are subject to unscrupulous manipulation. Though
we expect this not to slow down the market, electronic signatures that transverse
public networks will be subject to new sorts of electronic fraud. Like PKI signatures,
electronic signatures can be altered during transport, however a key difference
is that once digital signatures have been altered, they are no longer reusable.
Until electronic signatures start getting hacked, don't expect organizations
to worry too much about signature security.
As more and
more technologies converge to form new markets, and as hackers learn to manipulate
electronic signatures, expect PKI and Digital E-pads to join the ranks of other
connubial technologies. Vendors that embrace the merger of E-Pads and Digital
Certificates will command instant market share. Currently electronic signatures
and PKI signatures are not the same thing. PKI gives far more bullet proof certainty
of identity than electronic signatures.
will become mainstream when mainstream PC vendors delivers them built-in on
desktop keyboards. Leading the way is PC and multi-media vendor Sony.
Sony's VAIO 55 SuperSlim Notebok already comes equipped with a pen input for
signatures or drawings.
vendors have seen PC sales shrink in recent years, the birth of an all new E-Commerce
Desktop with digital E-Pads will rekindle revenue streams. Being able to attach
an electronic signature to an electronic credit card transaction is another
level of security for consumers that is sure to become ubiquitous.


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Electric vehicle maker Rivian, which some investors hope could be the next Tesla, went public at a valuation of $90 billion on Wednesday, with shares surging 29% as they commenced trading in America’s biggest initial public offering since Facebook in 2012.
Rivian’s stock, trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker RIVN, opened at around $106 per share, a 36% surge from its initial IPO price of $78 per share.
Within minutes of trading, the stock rose as high as $116 per share, a more than 50% jump from its starting IPO price—before paring back gains and finishing the day at just over $100 per share.
While the company’s pricing gave it an initial valuation of $66.5 billion, the stock’s surge means that the electric vehicle company is now worth more than $90 billion.
Rivian raised $11.9 billion from a 153 million share offering in its public market debut—making it the largest IPO haul since 2012, when Facebook went public and raised $16 billion.
The electric vehicle maker is backed by Amazon, which has a 20% stake, and Ford, which owns 12% of the company.
Some investors are betting that Rivan could be the next Tesla: Rivian was the first company to release a fully electric pickup truck, the R1T, with plans to launch its electric SUV, the R1S, this December.
Beyond electric pickup trucks and SUVs, Rivian is also expanding into commercial vehicles: Amazon is its biggest customer and has already ordered 100,000 of Rivian’s electric delivery vans.
What To Watch For:
Rivian’s whopping market valuation comes despite its lack of revenue—though it’s not the first electric vehicle maker to attract massive valuations under similar financial circumstances. Rivian expects to lose up to $1.28 billion this quarter, with revenue of no more than $1 million during that time period. The company said in filings, however, that it has a backlog of over 50,000 orders for its R1T and R1S vehicles, both of which have starting prices near $70,000.
Big Number: $1.7 Billion
That’s how much Rivian founder RJ Scaringe’s stake in the company is worth after the stock’s first day of trading.
With Rivian’s opening valuation of over $90 billion, the company is already worth more than the likes of legacy auto industry giants such as Ford ($79 billion) and General Motors ($85 billion).
Rivian, which had over 6,200 employees at the end of June, said in its prospectus that it expects its factory in Illinois to produce up to 150,000 vehicles per year. Founded in 2009, the company was last valued by investors in an early 2021 funding round at $27.6 billion, according to Pitchbook.


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It's been months -- and China still can't deliver.
The COVID-19 global outbreak that ignited a mad dash to buy up millions of masks, rapid test kits and other personal protective equipment around the world hit a major snag when countries counted on China for help.
The growing pains of trying to slide into the role of international hero as well as rushing -- and failing -- to fulfill billions of orders might lead to China's undoing.
When news of the novel coronavirus hit, China, the epicenter of the crisis, became the target of anger and accusations.
Still, as the virus grew in strength and spread around the world infecting more than 2.5 million people, China took the opportunity to rebrand itself as a global humanitarian.
The problem is that they aren't one.
While suggesting to the world they were donating equipment and test kits, Beijing actually bumped up prices and sold lifesaving supplies at a tremendous profit.
When countries started to complain about the quality of the products they had purchased from China, instead of taking the criticism and vowing to do better, China initially blamed it on user error.
Things have steadily gone downhill since then as more and more countries come forward with claims of shoddy products and test kits that don't meet medical standards.
Spain got a double dose of poorly made China test kits. The country announced Thursday it is sending back faulty coronavirus tests that were supposed to be replacements for the first faulty batch the country brought from China.
Spain's Health Ministry said the order of 640,000 antigen coronavirus tests were canceled after health officials once again found the tests were not sensitive enough to detect the virus.
Spain had initially bought $467 million in medical supplies from China, including 950 ventilators, 5.5 million testing kits, 11 million gloves and more than half a billion protective face masks. But soon after the shipment was received, the Spanish government announced plans to return 9,000 "quick result" test kits to China because they were deemed substandard, specifically the sensibility of the test was around 30 percent when it should have been higher than 80 percent.
With its patience pushed, the European country is demanding a refund.
Spain has 213,024 confirmed coronavirus cases - the second most in the world behind the United States. Spain's numbers could be even higher because the country has not been testing widely.
The Netherlands also had a problem with China and complained that the masks it was sent did not close over the face properly and that others had defective filters. Dutch officials had to recall tens of thousands of the ones they had already distributed to hospitals because they didn't meet quality standards, the health ministry said in a March 21 statement.
Up to 80 percent of the 150,000 rapid coronavirus test kits China delivered to the Czech Republic in March were also faulty and less accurate than other tests, forcing the Czech Republic to continue to rely on conventional laboratory tests.
In April, the Australian Border Force seized around 800,000 defective face masks it bought from Beijing worth $7.6 million following a video that went viral of a Chinese factory worker snickering as he rubbed the face masks on his shoe. People not only had a problem with the masks but also with how much China charged Australia for them. A senior government minister claimed the Chinese approach of jacking up the prices was borderline "extortion."
Scientists in Slovakia, Turkey and Britain have also complained about faulty antigen or antibody coronavirus test kits bought from Chinese companies, in some cases costing their governments millions of dollars.
Georgia ended up canceling its contract with the Chinese company that sent its faulty test kits to Spain while Malaysia skipped China altogether and went with a South Korean company.
The United States, which has been at the forefront of Chinese criticism, has not been immune to faulty equipment.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker bought $17 million worth of masks from China after claiming the Trump administration was not helping hard-hit states. The money was spent on Chinese KN95 masks which the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said were an alternative to the hard-to-find N95 masks.
However, Missouri's health department tested the masks made in China and found that 48,000 of them needed to be recalled.
Pritzker has come under fire from the White House for criticizing its handling of the coronavirus crisis. Trump pushed back and accused Pritzker of not being able to do his job and said he was "complaining all the time."
“That’s the landscape we’re operating in, competing with other states, other countries, and even our own federal government for supplies – so if an airlift is what it takes to bring the PPE to protect our nurses, firefighters, police officers and other essential workers, then it’s an airlift we’ll use – without hesitation,” Pritzker said.


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To meet consumer desire for eco-friendly activewear, O’Neill, the original American surf brand, has developed a line of women’s swimwear made with Hyosung’s Mipan regen nylon as part of its new O’Neill Blue sustainable collection.
Mipan regen nylon is 100 percent recycled from reclaimed waste, which saves resources from being removed from the earth. The fiber is recognized and certified by the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) of the Control Union in the Netherlands for its energy saving benefits.
O’Neill recently announced its mission to minimize the impact on the planet and become a frontrunner on sustainability. Founder, Jack O’Neill, said it himself: “The ocean is alive, and we’ve got to take care of it.”
In 1996, O’Neill founded the O’Neill Sea Odyssey as a commitment to educating youth about ocean conservation. Today, the company carries on the spirit of its founder in protecting our playgrounds through ocean initiatives, supply chain and expanding the O’Neill Blue sustainable product collection.
O’Neill’s new Blue Sustainable collection can be found online at: https://us.oneill.com/collections/womens-oneill-blue


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By Alan Patterson, EETimes (June 6, 2022)
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) has chosen nanosheet technology for production of its next 2 nm node starting in 2025 to help cut energy consumption in high–performance computing (HPC) systems.
The company will follow rivals Samsung and Intel, which plan to roll out their own nanosheet devices as early as this year.
TSMC briefed a handful of news media on its roadmap for the next few years as a preview for its annual technology symposium, which will be held at several global locations in the coming months. The world’s leading chip foundry is evaluating other process technologies such as complementary FET (CFET) to follow nanosheet, according to Kevin Zhang, TSMC vice president of Business Development.
Click here to read more ...


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New Delhi: Samsung will reportedly use a technology used in electric vehicles to boost the battery of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is about 10 months away now. Samsung’s SDI division, responsible for battery research and development, is reportedly exploring the possibility of introducing stacked batteries to their smartphone business, reports GSMArena.
Unlike a change to the chemical composition of the battery, this innovation involves rearranging the cells within the battery, resulting in a higher energy density, which in turn, will allow for a greater capacity of the battery to fit within the same volume, potentially extending the battery life of Samsung’s future smartphones. (Also Read: SBI ATM Cash Withdrawal Limit 2023: Check How Much Money You Can Withdraw Daily)
The Elec first reported the news. Audi’s Q8 e-tron used similar tech to fit a 114kWh battery inside, the report said. (Also Read: SBI FD vs Post Office Fixed Deposits: Which One Should You Choose?)
While smartphone batteries operate under significantly different conditions than electric vehicle power packs, the report suggests there can be a 10 percent increase in density.
Meanwhile, Samsung will reportedly ditch Exynos system-on-chips (SoCs) for its upcoming flagship series `Galaxy S24`.
According to a Twitter leaker, smartphones in the Galaxy S24 series will not use an Exynos SoC anywhere in the world, reports SamMobile.
Hence, the S24 series will likely be similar to the latest S23 series and is expected to come packed with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor.


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Potentially bad news for fans of Samsung and the good ol' headphone jack — the analog audio port won't be making an appearance on Samsung's forthcoming Galaxy Note 10 flagship. At least according to new rumors, that is.
If true, it's hardly surprising. Ever since Apple ditched the headphone jack on the iPhone 7, nearly every manufacturer followed suit. Now, the number of companies who have chosen to keep it can be counted on one hand. Samsung will reportedly be the latest to join this no-headphone jack bandwagon, sad to say.
No Headphone Jack
According to Android Police, Samsung is planning to release two sizes for the Galaxy Note 10, one regular and one "mini" version, both of which won't have a headphone jack. They also apparently won't have any physical buttons at all — no volume buttons, no power button, and not even a dedicated Bixby key.
In place of buttons, Samsung is reportedly putting capacitive or touch-sensitive areas where those buttons typically are, and they're textured so it's easier for users to recognize them from the rest of the phone's body and surfaces. Perhaps it'll be similar to how the power button and fingerprint sensor is implemented on the Galaxy S10E. This new report is not unprecedented; there were earlier rumors that suggested Samsung would be getting rid of buttons completely for a seamless, uninterrupted design.
If true, the Galaxy Note 10 wouldn't be the first Samsung device to not have a headphone jack. The Galaxy Fold also doesn't have one, but that device is currently having a handful of problems of its own and isn't officially out the public yet.
As for removing the button entirely, that could be an interesting design choice. Samsung, after all, has been leaning increasingly toward a sleeker unibody design in the last few years, and this direction makes plenty of sense. However, removing the headphone will no doubt cause some controversy, especially since Samsung is one of the few major manufacturers left who insist on putting the component on phones.
What About The S Pen?
One of the arguments for removing the headphone jack is to make the device thinner, as adding the component somehow enlarges the phone's overall build and profile. It's going to be tricky if Samsung plans on using this argument. If the Galaxy Note 10 plans to retain its stylus, it would still require a slot to store the S Pen, which in turn contradicts the argument for more volume.
Of course, all rumors must still be taken with a grain of salt. More information about the device might arrive as summer continues, so make sure to check back with Tech Times as we learn more.


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Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua held a conversation on bilateral economic and financial cooperation with French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire via video as invited on Thursday.
Since the beginning of this year, the two heads of state have reached a consensus on issues including strengthening bilateral cooperation, dealing with global climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic jointly, and promoting the global economic recovery, said Hu. Hu leads the Chinese delegation in the China-France High-Level Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD).
China stands ready to work with France to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state and jointly plan the key points of bilateral economic and financial cooperation in the new era, Hu said.
China is willing to work with France to actively promote local economic cooperation and expand cooperation in modern agriculture, the digital economy, and finance to inject new impetus into the economic development of the two countries, he added.
Le Maire, who also serves as the leader of the French delegation to the EFD, noted that France attaches great significance to the development of bilateral relations.
France hopes to enhance communication and coordination with China and deepen bilateral cooperation in the economy, trade and investment to promote the continuous progress of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two sides.


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MarginEdge, a restaurant management and bill payment platform, has successfully raided $45 million in a Series C funding round that was led by Ten Coves Capital with participation from Fiserv, Derive Ventures and all of the company’s previous institutional investors.
Bo Davis, co-founder and CEO of MarginEdge said that “restaurant operators are a resilient and resourceful bunch and pushed through the adversity of the last few years with a commitment to their craft, their teams and the guests they serve — but also with a recognition that this new normal requires new tools”, according to TechCrunch.
Per the report, MarginEdge grew its revenue 100% and is now working with 4,000 customers and processing 80,000 invoices per week this year alone while nearly doubling it’s team to around 700 employees, and Davis says that it represents $2.5 billion in purchasing.
“We’ve seen the pain points and complexities around managing inventory and expenses, only made worse with unpredictable supply chains and skyrocketing food costs,” Ned May, co-founder and managing partner of Ten Coves Capital said. “Further, with strong cloud point-of-sale adoption in recent years, many restaurants have shifted their focus to streamlining back-of-house operations. MarginEdge’s restaurant management platform is purpose built to serve these needs and, as such, is poised for incredible growth.”


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Dec. 6, 2007 — -- Legend has it that Hernan Cortez and his men exhausted their wine supply when celebrating the conquest of the Aztecs in the 1500s, so the Spaniards decreed that every recipient of a land grant must plant grape vines so that sacramental wine would be plentiful.
While Mexico is one of Latin America's oldest wine-producing countries, it is not well known for it. There is a legacy of protectionist laws that came out of Spain in 1699 that prohibited wine production in its colonies, particularly Mexico.
The Mexican War of Independence lasted from 1810-1821 and its earliest winery is still in operation today: Bodegas de Santo Tomas, opened in 1888 near Ensenada on the Baja California Peninsula. However, early wine made there tended to be sweet and of low quality.
In 1987 a small group of investors came together with the sole purpose of creating quality wine in Mexico. They founded the vineyard Monte Xanic on the Baja peninsula and achieved their goals.
Their wines have become well known in Mexico City, and according to Carlos de la Mora, who came from Baja to New York City to promote Mexican wine, they soon were served by former Mexican President Carlos Salinas at formal dinners held at Los Pinos, or the Mexican equivalent of the White House.
With the bar raised, Bodegas de Santo Tomas hired Hugo d'Acosta. This Mexico City native received his doctorate in enology in Montpelier, France, and then worked in wineries in Italy and California's Napa Valley.
He turned the winery around and then founded his own, Casa de Piedra, in 1997. He is now working with partners to open more boutique wineries. The first, Paralelo, has recently opened. He also started a winemaking school, Estacion de Oficios del Porvenir, to train a new generation of Baja residents in winemaking traditions.
According to Rodrigo Ofner, the head of the food and beverage at the Maroma Resort and Spa, viticulture in Mexico has persisted, and today there is a renewed interest in Mexico's wine industry.
"You're seeing many more Mexican wines being served to tourists in the luxury resorts of the Yucatan," he said. "But much of the upswing in popularity is due to an increase in interest by middle-class Mexican families, especially in Mexico City."
De la Mora explained that right now is a very exciting time for Mexican wine. More and more vintners are being drawn to the winemaking regions of Mexico and better wines are being produced.
"This is still a work in progress," he said. "Most of the wineries are very young, under 20 years old. There's a lot of potential here. Mexico is working to find it's own style in the world of wine."
For more information about wines in Baja California, visit: www.enswine.com


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Modern technology has led to the development of many systems and among the most recent is the Sony Playstation 4. Sony recently announced the sale of Sony Playstation 4 in its stores and this has left game lovers searching for these technologically advanced gadgets. The Sony Playstation 4 news state that the new gadget was designed with an overarching theme of a frictionless and seamless gaming experience.
The new Sony Playstation 4 which was recently launched has incredible features. It new looks which resembles that of the Xbox One is amazing. Its design alone has attracted more gamers and made it the most awaited gadget overpowering the previous ones.
The latest Sony Playstation 4 News has revealed that the new gadget has an 8GB of GDDR5 memory. This memory capacity is enough to support the PS4 performance and it allows the gamers to stop in the middle of the game and switch it on back and pick up right from where they stopped. This feature has overdone all other previous gaming gadgets.
The information about the features of Sony Playstation 4 have also indicated that the PS4 has a CPU of lower x86-64 AMD “Jaguar”, 8 cores. The CPU makes the speed performance of this new PS4 very high and relia0ble.
The new Sony Playstation 4 also has a newly advanced camera system. The camera uses two high-sensitivity camera equipped with wide-angle lenses and 85-degeree diagonal angle views. This outstanding camera can cut out the image of a player from the background and it also enables logging in by use of facial recognition mechanism. With the Sony Playstation 4 camera, you can use voice and body movements to play games making playing more interactive, natural and interesting.
According to the latest Sony Playstation 4 News, the official release date of this awaited gadget has not yet been revealed. However, Sony has stated that the release date is “later this year”, meaning that before the end of this year, the new PS4 will be available in the market. Sony has also said that online shopping will be accepted. Despite the fact that the official release date of Sony Playstation has not been given, the new machine has already been advertised on various platforms. It was even advertised at the Champions League 2013 final at Wembley stadium, in London.
Some of the buttons on the Sony Playstation 4 include the following: SHARE button, Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square), OPTIONS button, Directional buttons (Up/Down/Left/Right), R1/L1/R2/L2/R3/L3, Right stick, Left stick, Touch Pad Button, Touch Pad 2 Point Touch Pad, Capacitive Type, Click Mechanism, etc. These buttons are appropriately placed making the gadget easy for use.
The Sony Playstation 4 recent news also revealed that it supports wireless communication. It is Bluetooth enabled, in addition to three ports: USB (Micro B), Extension Port and Stereo Headset Jack.
Another catchy information from the latest Sony Playstation 4 News is its price. Many people had anticipated that based on its high-tech features and applications, it would cost much more than the available gadgets in the market. However, this is the opposite of people’s expectations. The starting price of the Sony Playstation will be $399 in the U.S., €399 in Europe and £349 in the UK. However, this price does not include the PS Eye camera.


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Apple is an American multinational technology company headquartered in
Cupertino, ... It was incorporated as Apple Computer, Inc. in January 1977, and
was ...... and the iPod brand is now the market...
Feb 7, 2013 ... Now on to the numbers: Apple, Canalys' said, was the PC leader for the quarter
with 27 million shipped units, giving the company a market ...
Executive Profiles. Tim Cook profile picture. Tim Cook. CEO. Angela Ahrendts
profile picture. Angela Ahrendts. Senior Vice President Retail. Eddy Cue profile ...
Nov 22, 2011 ... Apple now has about 15% of the global PC-plus-tablet market, Coulling said.
That puts it a close second behind PC-leader HP. HP had an 18% ...
Jan 16, 2007 ... Truth be told, Apple is the design leader in the PC world. .... Yup.. they do now but
until recently usability has been hindered by the design ...
Nov 29, 2016 ... For Steve Jobs, having the cheapest computer on the market wasn't the goal.
Instead, he ... The Strategy That Made Apple Computers a Leader in Mobile
Computing ... Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes.
Sep 19, 2010 ... But for now, Apple's iPad pricing is impressively affordable relative to its ...
Generic Company Place Holder Apple iPad Tablet Computer.
Feb 24, 2016 ... In the week since Apple said it would do battle with the FBI over its request for
access to a ... to one of the San Bernardino terrorists, tech industry leaders have
been weighing in with their views. ... I'm hoping now we can have the discussion.
.... The 15 highest-performing PC components you can buy today.
Apr 15, 2016 ... Apple suddenly dropped support for the software, which has dangerous bugs. Do
you still have QuickTime for Windows on your PC? Get rid of ...
Jan 29, 2015 ... Apple, after all, is now as dependent on the success of one product line ...
Microsoft foresaw a computer on every person's desk, a radical idea when IBM ...
And then there's Apple's successful leadership transition to Mr. Cook, ...


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Latest Retail Traffic Index (RTI) figures, released by Ipsos Retail Performance today, show the number of shoppers in non-food stores increased by 1.2% in September 2012 against the same month in 2011.
This marks the first month of the year in which retail footfall has risen, said researchers.
Month-on-month store traffic was down by 4.8% on August 2012. For Quarter Three as a whole the RTI stood 7.3% up on Quarter Two – well above the 4.4% seasonal average of the three previous years. The Index was just 1.6% down on Quarter Three 2011, compared to year-on-year deficits of 6.0% in Quarter Two and 5.4% in Quarter One.
“We have been seeing footfall gradually returning to the shops as the year has worn on,” said Tim Denison, director of retail intelligence at Ipsos Retail Performance. “The gap on last year has been steadily closing, and now, for the first time this year, we have recorded a month of growth.”
The results from Ipsos are the latest metric to suggest aspects of the economy are beginning to stabilise.
The labour market is strengthening: the total number of jobs has grown by more than a quarter of a million over the last three months and unemployment is in decline. Job vacancies are rising and redundancies falling.
Retail sales are continuing to grow, up 3.4% in September 2012 (total sales value), according to the BRC/KPMG Retail Sales Monitor.
Inflation, now standing at 2.5% (CPI), has dropped considerably from its 5.2% peak in October last year.
For the third consecutive month, household spending power has risen. In August 2012, families had £2/week more disposable income to spend than the year before, according to the Asda Income Tracker.
Consumer confidence measures continue to show improvement, albeit they remain firmly entrenched in negative territory, said Ipsos Retail Performance.
“None of these latest results are symptomatic of an economy on the slide, but at the same time we might fool ourselves that everything is rosy,” said Denison. “Many indicators are still pointing in the wrong direction and those that have turned may have just seen temporary respite. Concerns over energy and commodity price increases, for example, could refuel inflation towards the end of the year.”
As regards footfall, it was the last fortnight of the month that produced the year-on-year improvement, said researchers. The autumnal weather brought shoppers out in force to find suitable seasonal wear, in stark contrast to the same time last year when temperatures soared to the heights of mid-summer.
“Let’s be clear, retailing is still hurting,” said Denison. “The number of retailers entering administration is once again on the rise, as a consequence of the continuing low level of demand, and margin sacrifice.
“The number of store units in the UK run by multiples has shrunk for the first time in history. We continue to read about retrenchment and redundancy.
“But equally let’s not talk ourselves down and back into decline. Some key metrics are showing signs of improvement and we should be thankful for that.”


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Rap mogul Russell Simmons has put half of the clothing division of his PHAT FASHIONS empire on the market for a whopping $150-200 million (GBP93.7-125 million).
The sale will include the popular PHAT FARM clothing line.
Def Jam co-founder Simmons says, "There are many great partners for Phat Farm. I want to make a billion dollar company and I need more resources. I am open to sell as much as half, depending on who the buyer is."
Simmons, who is in talks with various clothing companies, seeks a deal that would allow him to remain in charge of the companies he founded. He is also seeking a portion of future revenues.
The 45-year-old mogul says he needs the resources of a larger company to push his brand further. He is also hoping to get his clothing lines into more department stores.
The company, which launched 11 years ago, saw profits of almost $29 million (GBP18.1 million) last year (02).
But Simmons stresses that none of his other ventures are for sale, explaining, "No film, magazines, DEF JAM UNIVERSITY or RUN ATHLETICS is for sale, just Phat Farm."
He plans to retain ownership of his other businesses, which range from television, print and film to mobile phones and credit cards.27/08/2003 08:53


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Ariana Grande’s 'Thank U,' Next has reached No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 according to Billboard.
The top chart position comes less than six months are her last album, 'Sweetener' also hit No.1 in on Billboard.
The album earned 360,000 equivalent units in the with 116,000 from traditional album sales, and 228,000 from streaming equivalent albums. These are Grande's highest ever numbers and her debut had the biggest streaming week ever for a female artist’s album or a pop album.
'Sweetener' debuted with 231,000 total copies when it landed the No. 1 spot last year.


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Every year at this time, Macy’s (M) is the center of Thanksgiving attention, thanks to its iconic N.Y.C. parade. This year, as huge inflated Charlie Browns and Elmos make their way down Broadway, the company is also welcoming a parade of new customers thanks to a growing business footprint in China.
This month, Macy’s made business headlines after its sales declined 5.2% (which was worse than analyst predictions). The department store chain recently launched a new off-price retail chain, Macy’s Backstage, as a competitor to popular chains such as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, but its effect on the parent company’s bottom line will not be known for some time
Hope from China?
One of the biggest initiatives for Macy’s has been its partnership with Victor Fung, the honorary chairman of Li & Fung Ltd., which allows Macy’s to sell products online in China. The company enjoyed some success with its sales during November 11th’s Singles Day in China, and Macy’s chairman, Terry Lundgren, recently appeared on Bloomberg.com to share his thoughts about what Chinese consumers are looking for from Macy’s:
No miracle yet
So, even as Macy’s provides its new consumers in China with high thread-count sheets, and 5 new Backstage stores open in the U.S., some investors wonder if the company can increase sales (with most analysts not expecting a new “Miracle on 34th Street”). Macy’s is aggressively promoting its Black Friday offerings, and by next week there may be more data to determine if Macy’s should be in your portfolio now.
In the meantime, it is guaranteed that Macy’s and its associates will dazzle New York City crowds (and, of course, the Today Show’s Al Roker) with floats, marching bands and inflated cartoon characters in tomorrow morning’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
Black Friday is just around the corner
We’ll be taking time off for Thanksgiving with our families, but our expert analysts will be live once again on Black Friday (and we’ll have our own Black Friday specials!). Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, and make sure you join us for our webinars where we’ll be watching the best opportunities for you to profit.
Just visit https://www.markettraders.com/stock-package/ today to join us for one of our free stock and options events.


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A major deal has been struck in the US media industry with the potential to change everyday streaming choices around the world, by allowing Hollywood giant WarnerMedia to join forces with channels like HBO, CNN and Discovery.
For many people with a Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ or Amazon Prime account, this means you may soon find yourself tempted to switch to a new streaming heavyweight with films, shows, sports, news, documentaries and other content.
The telecommunications giant AT&T is splitting off its WarnerMedia division for this purpose and merging it with the TV group Discovery. AT&T is to benefit from this with 43 billion dollars in cash, shares and in the form of debt takeovers, as the companies announced on Monday. AT&T's shareholders are also to get a majority of 71 per cent in the new company.
With the deal, AT&T is largely abandoning its ambitions to be a major player in the media business after spending billions of dollars on it in recent years. AT&T had paid more than 80 billion for WarnerMedia in 2018 - taking on huge debt to do so.
So what does this mean for streaming fans?
WarnerMedia owns HBO, CNN and Warner Bros. as well as other channels such as TNT, while Discovery has so far focused on documentary formats with channels such as Animal Planet and Food Network.
This means subscribers can expect to see HBO hits like "Game of Thrones" and "Westworld" alongside Warner content like "Friends" and Hollywood blockbusters like the Batman and Harry Potter franchises.
In addition, CNN news shows, nature and cooking documentaries are expected to feature heavily in any offering, as will basketball, hockey and other sports content from the Discovery-owned Eurosport.
The development comes as the TV and film business is currently undergoing a profound change with the advance of streaming services, which has been accelerated by the closure of cinemas during the pandemic.
WarnerMedia is currently trying to jump on the bandwagon with its streaming service HBO Max, which also features Warner films.
However Netflix and Disney are already particularly strong in the streaming business and industry observers are wondering how much room there is for another streaming service.
The streaming boom is also thinning out revenue in the erstwhile lucrative cable TV business in the US. The Warner news channel CNN, which can be seen on cable TV in the US, experienced an upswing last year with the election campaign for the White House. Recently, however, viewer numbers have declined again.


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How Retail Can Maximize Pet Parent Benefits
Chewy CEO Sumit Singh is “dancing at work every day”, thanks to the growing buying power of his customers – “pet parents”.
Chewy is an online pet retailer that since 2018 has grown its presence and engagement with beloved pet owners across the United States. In 2018 and 2019, the company spent “astronomically” on marketing and building e-commerce operations to make that investment pay off significantly, as the pandemic saw more pet adoptions and more pet spending. line. With growing market share, revenue surpassed the $7 billion mark with over 20.1 million active customers and sales per active customer of an impressive $404.
And whether it’s basics like dog food, pet furniture, or even clothing (quilted puffer jackets are hot for humans and dogs alike in these colder months), Chewy, who s ‘associates with brands such as Disney, says he knows the way to a furry heart.
Singh was speaking at the National Retail Federation’s ‘Big Show’ in New York, as the retail world once again came together in real life to debate and discuss the future of the ever-changing world. of retail.
And while it can be difficult for pets themselves to engage with researching products online, real-life examples of retail pet haven brick-and-mortar stores are alive and well at New York.
On the sidewalk before entering the Reddy store (part of Petco) is a paw print sticker with the promise of “Free Belly Rubs Await”. Dogs can accompany their human friends to the store to be greeted by a chandelier made up of light bulbs and hanging tennis balls.
In stores, the theater of the commercial offer is geared as much towards the puppies as towards the owners. Dogs have harness and clothing adjustment areas with custom sized benches to make the process more comfortable and free tasty treats. There are even floor mirrors to check on your furry friend to check out their appearance. Unfortunately, while they don’t make sense to dogs, mirrors aren’t tools to help them feel camera-ready; they are more likely to be a “simple backdrop of life” according to American Scientific. Practically, the store also has the most important cleaning station with poop bags, gloves and sprays.
Services include necklace engraving and dietary consultations. Reddy’s proposition is to prepare you and your furry companion for adventures with products that are also deemed better for the planet. The Soho, New York-based store opened in October 2021 as an experiential retail environment.
Across the pond in Britain, the power of the pet pound (£) is just as buoyant, with huge growth in the number of pet owners.
In 2010, around 22% of UK households owned dogs, a rate which remained stable for almost a decade until 2020-21, when it rose to 33%, or more than 12 million households . The pandemic has increased the appeal and opportunity of owning a pet: working from home makes the prospect of having a four-legged friend more realistic.
Indeed, general pet ownership has grown significantly. Last year, the Pet Food Manufacturers Association estimated that 17 million (59% of) UK households had pets.
The UK’s largest pet store chain, Pets at Home, recorded sales of £319.4 million in the 12 weeks to December 30, 2021, an increase of 5.8% from a year to year. Despite cost pressures, bosses are confident that underlying pre-tax profits will beat expectations, coming in at at least £140m.
Pets at Home’s VIP loyalty program saw strong growth, up 13% year-on-year to seven million members, with more than one in four making purchases in-store and online.
Membership of the brands’ puppy and kitten club has increased by 60%, with an average of 24,000 new members signing up each week and members typically spending a third more than unregistered customers.
“The trend of new pet ownership has continued at the same rate we’ve seen throughout the pandemic and I don’t see that declining,” CEO Peter Pritchard predicted.
Pets at Homes also noted inflationary pressure and ongoing supply chain issues as ongoing concerns: “While we are not immune to these challenges, we are proactively mitigating them through a series of planned initiatives”. said Prichard.
With the average lifespan of a dog 10-13 years and a cat 12-18 years, the current wave of additional pet owners presents a decade of opportunity for the pet industry. .
The opportunity to build genuine and lasting relationships with every customer is important, and those who do so with respect will win the hearts and minds of ‘pet parents’.
There are still plenty of opportunities for pet retailers to move beyond promotions, premium brands and plush toys to ensure this generation of pet owners can provide the best quality of life they can afford. allow their pets.
Chewy absolutely recognizes this growth potential. Singh says, “A pet and a pet parent in their life cycle have more important needs than just buying food, toys or accessories. There are real health care needs, there are real service needs, and we have an obligation to connect them.
Having a pet often means a significant commitment of time and money, and animal charities are keen to make sure the realities of pet ownership are clear from the start.
As pet retailers ride the pulse of consumers’ desire to be a pet parent, the industry must be ready for a new era and one in which retailers deliver to customers, stakeholders, the community and even the animals.
In addition to sustainability and environmental improvements, leaders must ensure that their organizations are engaged with stakeholders and the broader pet community. This means looking not only for opportunities that bring financial gain, but also a commitment to helping owners through all stages of the animal’s life.
Supporting and educating pet owners should be part of what retailers offer, as we see a shift from generic images of perfect pets to a celebration of individual stories and the realities of ownership. pets on a daily basis.
Just as the early stages of pet ownership can be exciting and all-consuming, the final days can be emotionally turbulent. Clumsy CRM systems that send messages about pets that have “gone too soon” and how a retailer engages at a time when there are no more pets in the home are critical areas to address. Retailers need to develop a more sophisticated approach that ensures nuanced support and an appropriate sensitive response to these truly emotional moments in the pet ownership cycle.
This is truly an area of retail where brick-and-mortar environments play an important role and where small, independent businesses can flourish. The ability for a retailer to establish a personalized, one-to-one relationship with the animal and its owner, as an advisor, adviser and even friend, is an opportunity that many small retailers understand and offer.
James O’Reilly is the owner of a local pet shop and Honley DIY and Pet Supplies store in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England.
“In the current climate, where there is little or no support from our large suppliers, we try to go the extra mile to find the best quality products for our customers. We invest in our knowledge and are on the lookout. at the forefront of trends and new concepts and we pride ourselves on our ongoing relationship with our customers. If we recommend a new food to a customer, we always follow up to see how the animal is doing and to understand its there is something else we can help in. We want to make sure every animal can thrive.
Honley’s message and approach match those of Sumit Singh in New York. Singh told NRF conference attendees that it “takes a village to raise a pet” with cooperation, networking and a holistic approach shaping the future of pet ownership.
It’s a philosophy that’s already passed down through the hearts of local pet stores, and where smaller retailers have certainly taken the lead.


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Retailers across the country are being alerted to a proliferation of fake vodka over the Christmas period.
A report from Mintel says the beer market will end 2014 back in growth after five years of decline.
The number of alcohol units sold in the UK dropped by 1.9 billion between 2011 and 2013, according to new Department of Health figures.
Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling will address the football nation on Boxing Day in a “King’s Speech” as part of Carlsberg UK’s Mid Season’s Greetings marketing campaign.
Online retailer Ales by Mail said it sold 300% more craft beer during November 2014 than in the same month last year.
The Local Government Association has indicated that retailers signing up to Reducing the Strength schemes could be breaking competition law.
Premium gin brand Pinkster has signed distribution deals with Coe Vinters and Gordon & MacPhail as it steps up expansion plans following second round financing.
Spar is giving away drinks brands including beers from Heineken and Molson Coors when it brings back its Shop & Win mobile promotion in January.
The godfather of booze cruising Dave West has been stabbed to death in central London, and his son David has been charged with murder.
Bargain Booze is launching an app called As If It Wasn’t Cheap Enough to offer customers exclusive deals and competitions.
A 2% cut in duty on wine and spirits would give the Treasury a £1.5 billion boost, according to new independent research commissioned by the drinks industry.
Retailers are convinced that business will be better in 2015 than this year as consumer confidence and spending power rises, according to OLN research.
A junior Tory heath minister has told a House of Lords committee she would like to see “flexibility around taxation” on lower- alcohol wine-type products made a priority in discussions on alcohol strategy in Europe.
Beer consumers are as likely to buy on style and product heritage as price, an exclusive OLN retailer poll has shown.
A local council that is trying to banish beer and cider above 6.5% abv has admitted the scheme is struggling as retailers stand firm and refuse to join.
Retailers are jeopardising the future of Champagne by slashing prices and using it as a loss leader to drive footfall, according to a leading supplier.
Accolade Wines has launched a non-alcoholic sparkling drink under its Echo Falls label, which it says will provide a “credible substitute” for Prosecco.
A Which? report has found own-label Champagne matches big-name brands in a blind taste test involving leading wine writers.
OLN columnist Richard Hemming is joining forces with MWs Anne McHale and Alex Hunt, Bordeaux Cellar founder Matt James, Concha y Toro PR boss Ben Smith and PR Helen Chesshire to form a wine trade supergroup called Skin Contact.
Fruit cider is still driving growth in the cider market while pear and apple struggle, the latest Nielsen figures have revealed.
Codorníu is back on the hunt for a new UK boss after the appointment of John Hearn fell through.
The Federation of Wholesale Distributors is celebrating after news that a wholesaler registration scheme on alcohol it has long campaigned for will be included in the Treasury’s 2015 finance bill.
Borough Wines has opened its sixth London shop in Clerkenwell’s Exmouth Market.
Formula 1 stars Mika Häkkinen, Jenson Button, and Kevin Magnussen are the faces of Johnnie Walker’s new campaign to cut out drink driving.
The Wine Fusion has signed an exclusive deal with Conviviality Retail to supply its stores with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc brand Bay of Plenty.
Global Brands is launching 66cl bottles of its tequila-flavoured beer Amigos in a bid to tap into the growth of big bottle formats in the off-trade.
Enotria has appointed Hallgarten Druitt’s Helen Munday as its new marketing director.
Pernod Ricard chief executive Pierre Pringuet has vowed to take the Scotch industry “from strength to strength” after becoming the new chairman of the Scotch Whisky Association.
Hatch Mansfield has added boutique winery Te Awa to its portfolio after the New Zealand producer parted ways with Bibendum.
The trade can taste wines from a host of niche importers under one roof next year after the organisers of the London Wine Fair confirmed that Esoterica will return in 2015.
Spanish brewer Estrella Galicia has launched a Christmas beer that uses Nugget hops from its home region to create a spicy golden brew.
Accolade has sealed a long-anticipated deal to add Australian wine producer Grant Burge to its portfolio.
Pernod Ricard UK’s wine boss Chris Ellis has been promoted to a role that also encompasses the group’s spirits portfolio.
The Arran Brewery has “declared war” on the “antisocial idiots and thieves” of North Ayrshire after its new site in Dreghorn was again hit by vandals.
Laura Jewell MW is leaving Tesco to take up the top job at Wine Australia in the UK.
Tesco has slashed the price of its exclusive label Champagne to just £8 – the cheapest any supermarket has sold Champagne in recent years.
Buck’s Fizz is the nation’s favourite Christmas tipple, according to a survey of 1,000 people by Waitrose Cellar.
Maison Sichel has teamed up with Amazon to offer UK consumers its flagship brand Sirius Red in an exclusive online deal.
The advertising watchdog has upheld complaints against Morrisons after disappointed shoppers could not find wines advertised in a high-profile three-for-£10 deal.
Maxxium is launching a new rage of fractionals on brands including Courvoisier, Jim Beam and Macallan to drive convenience sales over Christmas.
Aldi has put BWS at the heart of its Christmas marketing strategy and is taking on specialists, online businesses and luxury retailers with cut-price deals on premium lines.
Kent brewer Shepherd Neame has released two festive brews.
Jon Pepper MW is joining Enotria as buying and retail director in February 2015.
Oddbins boss Ayo Akintola has admitted plans to re-establish the group as a 300-store national chain have stalled, but remains confident of returning the business to profit.
Asda has slashed the price of its exclusive-label Pierre Darcys Champagne to £10 as the Christmas price war heats up.
The Campaign for Real Ale is lending its name to a range of beers sold in Tesco to raise the profile of bottle-conditioned ales.
Off Licence News’ campaign for legal clarity over the swathe of Reducing the Strength schemes mushrooming across the UK has moved up a gear with action in both Westminster and Brussels.
A leading licensing expert says people applying for licences for shops in cumulative impact zones shouldn’t bow to police opposition without a fight.
Maxxium UK has launched four limited edition Courvoisier expressions for luxury retailers.
Gallo Family Vineyards has launched a wine called Autumn Red, and is running an experiential campaign in retailers to support the release.


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Personal care firm PZ Cussons has said that it expects to report like-for-like revenue growth of 3% for its current financial year, with trading in the fourth quarter continuing to be 'in line with expectations'.
In a trading update, the Carex maker sad that fourth-quarter growth is likely to be up 7%, and continues to be driven by improvements in price/mix, with limited impact on volumes.
The group is set to report its full-year 2022 results on 22 September, along with a full-year 2023 outlook.
"As we close our first full financial year under our new strategy, 'Building brands for life. Today and for future generations', I am pleased with the significant progress made in returning the business to sustainable, profitable revenue growth," commented Jonathan Myers, PZ Cussons chief executive.
"With a new team in place, we have re-focused on the core job of building brands and have started to unlock value through dramatically reducing complexity in our business."
The group said that it continues to see 'good revenue momentum' in is Must-Win Brands portfolio, including the recently-acquired Childs Farm, Joy, Morning Fresh, St. Tropez and others, which is set to grow by 4% in the fourth quarter of the year.
It said that the performance of this division 'reflects the ongoing benefit of marketing and executional focus', while demand for its Carex brand has now 'normalised' following a large swing in performance for the hand hygiene category during the pandemic.
High Input Cost Inflation
That said, Myers added that the current trading environment "continues to be challenging", citing high input cost inflation and pressure on household budgets.
"We have plans in place to mitigate the impact of this, as we continue to deliver great value for consumers, whilst also investing behind more premium innovations," he said.
"The recent introduction of our new portfolio brand, Cussons Creations, for the value-conscious consumer, alongside the re-launches of Sanctuary Spa and Imperial Leather, are good examples of such initiatives. They have been well received by customers and have allowed us to secure significant distribution gains."


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Posted by Sheila Shayon on November 4, 2013 12:25 PM
Tesco, the world's third-largest retailer, has debuted a new technology in a place where consumers might least expect it—the gas station.
The British multinational grocer and general merchandise retailer is installing hi-tech screens that scan customers' faces at gas stations so targeted, tailored ads can be delivered to them. The OptimEyes screen, now being rolled out by Lord Sugar's Amscreen, will be installed in all 450 Tesco UK filling stations in a five-year deal, according to The Grocer.
"Yes it's like something out of Minority Report, but this could change the face of British retail and our plans are to expand the screens into as many supermarkets as possible," said Simon Sugar, CEO of Amscreen, about the high-tech upgrade to Tesco's petrol station advertising capabilities.Continue reading...
Posted by Sheila Shayon on January 25, 2013 09:55 AM
Digital messaging will rise in 2013 and owners of prime real-estate (out-of-home landlords) are increasingly venturing into the landscape for marketing and revenue.
According to a new report from Accenture, “Despite the global economic downturn, significant infrastructure projects are still being planned or built, and interestingly, the money realized from selling advertising space at airports, train stations and other transport hubs will supplement the finances needed to deliver the upcoming large-scale projects.”
Opportunities for owners of public and private facilities, struggling to offset rising costs, such as airports and on-road transit systems abound. Recent US transit examples include: Cleveland renamed the new Bus Rapid Transit system the “HealthLine” promoting the Cleveland clinic and University Hospitals; the Chicago Transit Authority is in the process of selling naming rights of 11 train stations to advertisers; and the New York MTA is considering selling advertising space on the front of the subway MetroCard.
Kerry Bianchi, Managing Director, Global Lead for Media Management, Accenture Interactive, spoke with brandchannel about the biggest obstacles to digital out of home advertising in 2013.Continue reading...
Posted by Sheila Shayon on November 13, 2012 03:22 PM
UK ad tech startup Captive Media, as its name implies, is looking to reach captive audiences — which may explain why it's looking to bring marketers into the loo. The Chelmsford, England-based firm made a splash last year when its urinal-mounted-and-controlled game console appeared on the British version of Dragon’s Den as the first hands-free video gaming console of its kind. That appearance prompted Ogilvy and other British companies to sign up for a trial.
It just raised $700,000 in seed funding to expand its network of interactive units to even more bars, hotels and airports. How they work brings a whole new meaning to P.O.S. — the game action is controlled by aiming left and right. An infrared beam enables simple games and quizzes to be “pee-controlled” with nothing installed on the urinal itself other than washable stickers as points of desired interaction. According to its research, the average man spends 55 seconds at a urinal – 55 golden, undivided seconds with eyes focused straight ahead — so why not onto your brand or campaign?Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on November 9, 2012 04:01 PM
Everywhere you look are advertisements: on your clothes, on your gas-pump handle, on manhole covers, or on the front of your subway card. But one man is aiming to create a special spot where consumers will be advertising-free. Strangely, though, it’s a place that has long been a home for advertisements: the billboard.
Artist Stephen Glassman believes that drivers shouldn’t have to be looking at advertisements when they are stuck in traffic. Instead, wouldn’t it be nice if they were looking at gardens floating in the sky? Glassman, who has been creating large-scale bamboo installations in L.A. since the 1992 riots there, would like to transform the world’s billboards into a sea of floating bamboo gardens, NPR reports.
Well, if we can bring clouds indoors, why not help more of nature float outdoors?Continue reading...
out and about
Posted by Dale Buss on February 29, 2012 02:01 PM
It's not exactly Coke vs. Pepsi, or Chevy vs. Ford, but the intensifying battle of the gas-pump TV networks just got a little more interesting.
Outcast just signed an exclusive deal with Fox News Channel to distribute its programming to more than 13,000 screens at gas station in 130 U.S. markets via its PumpTop TV network. Its rival, Gas Station TV (GSTV), has been adding branded content as well, including news reports from Bloomberg TV.
In the distribution battle to win valuable eyeball-level distribution via gas stations, expect more exclusive programming deals with big media brands as the duelling "networks" spread across America. It's also good news for brand marketers, expanding the quality of "place-based" or out-of-home opportunities to reach drivers.Continue reading...


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Bombora Feeds B2B Data to Everyone
Customer Experience Matrix
APRIL 24, 2015
One of the little patterns that caught my attention at last week’s Marketo conference was that several vendors mentioned using data from the same source: Madison Logic Data, which recently renamed itself Bombora *. A couple of emails later and I was on the phone with Erik Matlick, Madison Logic founder and Bombora CEO. The change from Madison Logic Data to Bombora was announced on April 13. Bombora’s core business is assembling data about B2B companies and individuals.
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Shiv Sena workers ask business owners to shut shops in Sion after leader’s demise
Shiv Sena workers visited commercial establishments in Sion Koliwada on Thursday morning, allegedly asking owners to shut their shops following the demise of their leader Shashikant Sawant.
Sawant, a former Vibhag Pramukh (area chief) of Shiv Sena’s post in Sardar Nagar at Raoli Camp in Sion, passed away during the wee hours on Thursday.
Sena workers allegedly visited establishments in the morning, requesting owners to close their shops out of respect for the deceased leader.
By 12 pm, all commercial establishments around Sion Koliwada area, including those in Makawadi, Raoli Camp, Gandhi Market and others were closed.
While no one was forced to close their shops, some were warned about consequences.
“7-8 Sena workers visited us around 10 am in the morning and politely requested us to close our shops. Since most of us knew Sawant, we decided to comply. But there were some who went on with their business,” said a shop owner from Gandhi Market, requesting anonymity.
“Then, around 12 pm, some party workers visited them again and told them to either shut their shops or not hold them responsible for anything that happens thereafter,” he said, adding that after the second visit, all shops in the market were closed.
A resident of Sardar Nagar and an active political figure in the area, Sawant was popularly referred to a ‘Shashi Bhai’ by locals.
As Sena workers prepared a grand farewell for the leader, hundreds of followers and well wishers gathered outside Sena’s office to pay their last regards. Antop Hill police also deployed additional force to maintain law and order.
Senior Police Inspector Nasir Shaikh with Antop Hill Police Station told Local Press Co, “Mr Sawant passed away around 1 am at Sion Hospital due to natural causes. Although no law and order situation has arised, we have deployed force as a precaution.”
When asked if he was aware of Sena workers visiting commercial establishments and asking them to shut shops, Shaikh said, “No one told us about any interference. If the owners have closed their shops, they have done it on their own accord.”
Some of the establishments are likely to re-open in the evening after the funeral is over.
Over the years, the saffron party has often used their ability to bring businesses to a standstill in the country’s financial capital to show their political might.


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At the closing ceremony of the Brazil-Italy Forum in the headquarters of the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (FIESP), Wednesday, March 29, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva affirmed that it is time for Italian investors "to drop anchor for good" in Brazil.
According to Lula, the country is ready to receive them. The president expressed interest in long-term partnerships, so that Brazilian companies can grow in harness with Italian ones.
The purpose of the forum is to drum up more business between the two countries. The business volume is still considered small, although it has grown over the last three years.
Italy is the world’s six largest economy and it occupies the fourth spot in the European Union. As one of Brazil’s important trade partners, it bought over US$ 3 billion from Brazil last year and sold Brazil over US$ 2.2 billion, mostly manufactured goods.
The event, sponsored by the FIESP and the Italian Confederation of Industry (Confindustria), brought together more than 200 Brazilian and Italian entrepreneurs.


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PhysicsWallah has witnessed 100% growth in online business, says Alakh Pandey
Students now favour a hybrid approach, engaging in both online and offline methods for learning, said Alakh Pandey.
Students now favour a hybrid approach, engaging in both online and offline methods for learning, said Pandey, in a fireside chat with Shradha Sharma, Founder and CEO of YourStory, at TechSparks 2023.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, students expressed a desire for offline learning options, prompting edtech companies to establish a physical presence.also expanded into the offline space last year.
However, PW's venture into offline learning hurt its Net Promoter Score (NPS), according to Pandey, who mentioned that the company reduced its pace of offline expansion in FY23 to improve its NPS.
NPS is a crucial metric for companies, providing insight into a customer's perception of their brand and is often linked to revenue growth.
Pandey emphasised that the projections made by many edtech companies during COVID-19 were overly optimistic, leading to a dichotomy where edtech companies built on sound principles are currently functioning smoothly as the pandemic-driven boom subsides, whereas others are facing challenges.
Nonetheless, PW is facing its own set of challenges with the influx of numerous new edtech companies focusing on democratising education, noted Pandey, who added, “It presents a challenge for us, but it’s a positive one, as it keeps us on our toes.”
While PW is monitoring other edtech companies, it's also closely observing their strategies and initiatives. As a result, the company is engaging in AI-related advancements and developments.
“We’ll have to wait and see how things will work out. But 2023 is the year of AI,” PW CEO said, adding that it is working on an Alakh AI tool.
According to Pandey, if PW ever needs to train an AI model, it won't require external assistance as it can utilise its abundant data for training purposes. Currently, its app attracts two million students daily, spending an average of 80 minutes on the platform, he shared.
Affordability and jobs
Speaking of affordability, Pandey referred to a person named Rahul Kumar, whom he had a chance encounter with earlier today outside his hotel. Four years after completing his 12th grade, he continues his studies through PW's Yakeen batch while managing a modestly paying job.
According to Panday, the company has brought “one revolution” by addressing affordability concerns in the test-prep sector, providing products and services at notably reduced prices compared to its rivals.
Presently, its attention is directed towards the "next revolution"—helping people in securing jobs, Pandey said, adding that over the past year, the edtech firm has been focusing on skilling.
Skilling isn't merely an additional focus for PW; instead, it represents a core area for the company's future expansion, spanning both online and offline channels, Vishwa Mohan, CIO of PW and Sudhanshu Kumar, CEO of PW Skills, had told YourStory, last month.
The company provided a glimpse into its proactive strategy in July through the launch of PW Institute of Innovation (PW IOI), which comes under the umbrella of PW Skills.
PW, which began its journey as a YouTube channel created by Pandey in 2016, holds a unique position as the only profitable edtech unicorn in India. It expects to score a third consecutive year of profitability in FY 2022-23.
(The copy was updated to correct the average time spent on the platform.)
Edited by Affirunisa Kankudti


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In theory, encoding with VP9 will reduce the video data needed for 4K (Ultra HD) video by about half. Google is attempting to get past a roadblock: streaming is the biggest obstacle in the way of widespread adaptation of the next cycle of TV hardware. TV hardware that plays well with the web.
So another reason this is a big deal is that Google is taking a perfectly aimed and executed ‘kill shot’ on H.265 (another codec that will usher us into this brave new world of trillions of pixels beamed into your eyeballs).
I say ‘perfectly aimed and executed’ because the timing of the release is right before a flurry of press releases from Main Concept H.265. Another huge aspect of VP9 is that it also works on existing, good old fashioned, regular HD content. That’s right, VP9 is ‘backwards compatible’ to all your quaint, caveman-esque 1080p HD video. I joke, but that’s actually a really good thing.
If Google brings VP9 4K video to the masses, it might mean that we’ll soon be watching 4K video and it will truly be ‘TV everywhere’.


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The 2015 holiday season saw a soar in the number of digital shoppers in the U.S., a
On February 5th, Direct Agents invites marketers in the Ecommerce, retail and on-demand app space to
Thanksgiving weekend might have looked a little different this year.
Last week, we hosted a successful pre-holiday mixer, featuring our Director of Programmatic, Nicholas Galante, and Goo
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Here’s how to use Samsung’s gaming-focused ‘Pause USB Power Delivery’ feature as it expands to more phones
A new feature was spotted on Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series last week, which allowed users to pause charging with USB and send that power directly to the components that need it. Now, Samsung appears to be making this “Pause USB Power Delivery” feature more widely available.
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“Pause USB Power Delivery” first showed up on the Galaxy S23 series, and it’s a feature that was slightly buried in the Settings menu. At the time, the feature was also starting to appear on the Galaxy S22 series for some users, presumably via the same app update that appeared to trigger it on the Galaxy S23.
Now, SamMobile has spotted the feature rolling out to older Samsung Galaxy smartphones.
“Pause USB Power Delivery” can be found on the Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy Z Fold 2, Fold 3, and Fold 4, as well as on the Galaxy A73 5G, as one YouTuber highlighted.
Since initially reporting on the feature, 9to5Google has confirmed with Samsung that this setting appears when a user has their phone plugged into a USB power source and opens Game Booster settings while having a game actively running. After that point, the setting will appear in Game Booster settings as an option. The series of events is as follows:
- Plug Samsung Galaxy device into a USB-PD charger
- Open a game
- Open Game Booster from notifications
- Open Game Booster settings from overlay
- Toggle on “Pause USB Power Delivery”
Notably, the feature won’t work on all chargers but, in theory, should work on anything around 25-45W, as long as it’s USB-PD compliant.
It’s unclear how widely Samsung will make this feature available, but it’s great to see that it’s not limited to the latest hardware.
More on Samsung:
- Here’s everything that’s actually changed on Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series
- Samsung’s new Galaxy Book 3 laptops are even better connected to your phone
- Google Fi now supports eSIM on these Samsung Galaxy smartphones
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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According to Willamette Week, a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on July 13 had some… less than jolly news about this year’s Christmas tree supply. It would appear that the things tree growers across the state have been warning us about are getting worse.
Rising temperatures, dry summers, seedling shortages, droughts, and record-breaking heat waves are bad news for tree growers, and the cost to consumers? More expensive Christmas trees and a smaller supply — for more than just Oregon.
In the report, which compares holiday tree sales from 2015 to those of 2020, the USDA found that in five years, a few things happened. The total acreage growing trees fell by 24%, and the total number of trees sold fell by 27% — though that wasn’t simply the end for tree farmers. The average price for a Christmas tree nearly doubled, going from $17.90 to $30.06 per tree. Surprisingly, sales didn’t suffer — they rose by 26% to $107 million.
According to a report from Reuters, however, Oregon’s supply of Christmas trees may be in danger. With increasing temperatures and record-breaking fires thanks to climate change, it’s becoming harder and harder to keep trees alive long enough to mature.
It takes roughly eight years to grow a sale-ready noble fir or Nordmann fir — and the fires and heat waves from the past two years have severely damaged the supply of mature trees. If you’re looking to grab a Christmas tree this year — don’t wait until the last minute, or you may be disappointed.


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Hampton Creek is a food technology company working to revolutionize the way consumers eat everyday food items – from mayonnaise to cookie dough – starting with the egg. Founder and CEO Josh Tetrick has drawn parallels to the company’s mission and that of Amazon’s, saying that at its heart, Hampton Creek is “a technology company pioneering food”.[i] Through its investment in R&D and testing, the company is developing a new line of plant-based food products. Hampton Creek shies away from labeling itself as “vegan” or “healthy”, largely because it does not want to be viewed as a niche product relegated to the “health food” aisle; rather, it wants to become a substitute for our most common animal product-based staples. The company has raised $120 million from well-known investors since 2011 and sells its products everywhere from Target to Walmart.[ii]
Hampton Creek seeks to create value for consumers, manufacturers, and the environment by 1) delivering cheaper, healthier foods at scale and 2) developing sustainable and safe food products. This value is captured in its low product pricing and ubiquity, as well as its commitment to working with plant-based suppliers only. Unlike most consumer packaged goods companies, technological innovation is at the core of Hampton Creek’s operating model and has been the foundation of its early success. The following are some of the key ways in which Hampton Creek is able to deliver on its mission:
Technology and R&D – The company’s core focus is its technology and product development. In fact, Tetrick has said the company will allocate one third to one half of recent funding round to R&D.[iii] It has a large team of scientists and researchers working together in a facility to find new plant-based proteins. The team screens hundreds of plant samples and has developed a large database with over 7,000 plant samples and 16 proteins to be used in recipe testing. For example, the company is now working on developing “Just Scramble” (plant-based scrambled eggs) and is about to launch a line of salad dressings (“Just Caesar”).[iv] Tetrick hopes that this investment in research will eventually allow him to expand beyond egg products into other types of animal protein substitutes.[v] In using technology to find plant-based alternatives, Hampton Creek is able to keep its product costs low and, in theory, reduce the environmental impact of the food chain by using less land, water, and resources.[vi] The database and any proprietary scientific discoveries the company makes will also serve as strong competitive advantages.
Human Capital – Hampton Creek has hired a skilled team of food scientists, biochemists, data scientists, researchers, and chefs in order to create their products. For example, Hampton Creek’s vice president of data managed analytics for Google Maps and YouTube.[viii] The expertise of the team lends additional credibility to the business, is a strong selling point for investors, and is essential in driving forward the business’s core goal: to develop healthier, delicious foods.
Supply – In working only with plant-based suppliers, Hampton Creek aims to mitigate the safety and price risks associated with sourcing eggs. Salmonella, avian flu, and allergies pose health concerns, and eggs are more expensive to source than plant-based ingredients.[ix]
Distribution – The business creates value for customers and the environment by producing at scale and partnering with mass retailers and distributors. In addition to its presence on mainstream shelves at places like Walmart and Whole Foods, Hampton Creek recently formed a partnership with Compass Group, a food service provider that serves over eight million meals per day at corporations, universities, and museums.[xi] While the company has not shared specifics, it is also a provider to food manufacturers.[xii] This distribution strategy allows Hampton Creek to serve a large customer base and change the eating habits of the “everyday” consumer. Hampton Creek’s ability to execute on its distribution strategy may be due in large part to the positive press and its well-known investors; nevertheless, it is this strategy that has allowed it to grow quickly, become more “mass market”, and reduce the environmental impact of sourcing eggs.
Hampton Creek’s investment in technology and human capital, as well its supply and distribution strategies, have allowed it to become a large producer of healthier, less expensive, everyday food products. Its creation of a plant database, commitment to discovering new plant-based proteins, and strong retailer relationships have, to date, given the company an early competitive edge.


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Juul Helping Keep Vaporizers Away From Kids
The quickly growing company pledged 30 million dollars to fight teenage vaping
Questions surrounding how vaping affects the future choices of teenagers has always been a hotly contested fight in the vaping community. Some believe that the vast majority of teens who start vaping had already been smokers, while others think that casual vaping among peers is leading to traditional smoking long term. While evidence is still inconclusive at best as to the reality of the situation, some e-cigarette makers are doing what they can to ensure the responsible and lawful use of their products. Juul Labs, the maker of the Juul e-cigarette, recently announced they would spend $30 million to fight the growing concern of youth vaping.
Juul Labs’ Pledge
Juul Labs originated as a subsidiary of the PAX Labs brand, most well known for their line of high-end marijuana vaporizers. Just last year, Juul Labs formally spun off into their own company run by James Monsees and Adam Bowen. The Juul e-cigarette has rocketed to the top of the cig-a-like world in the last couple of years, after finally surpassing Blu e-cigs. But this success has also put the target on their back, as legislators attempt to keep up with the rapidly changing vaporizer market. This culminated for Juul Labs as the FDA called into question the marketing and design of their products, claiming they aim to appeal to a younger audience.
While not being forced to do so, Juul Labs decided to donate $30 million to set up an expert panel whose goal would be preventing teenage vaping. The money will also go toward funding research into the long-term effects of vaping. The panel will be led by Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, who recently joined a group to formally question the FDA’s potential e-liquid flavor ban. While not much is know about the overall plan, one of the primary goals of the panel will be supporting legislation on a federal level that would raise the minimum age for vaping up from 18 to 21.
Statistics On Teenage Vaping
One of the toughest things about adequately understanding e-cigarettes is their relative infancy. Cigarettes have been studied for decades which uncovered the true depths of the damage they cause. That being said, researchers have seen troubling trends regarding the connection between vaping and eventual smoking. If proven correct, it would be a significant blow to the vaping industry, as well as a wake-up call for keeping vaping out of the hands of teens. On such study published back in January concluded that teens who vape are seven times as likely to end up smoking.
Luckily not all of the evidence is this grim. A poll conducted by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) found that only between 0.1% and 0.5% of teenage vapers had previously been non-smokers. So even if it does end up being true that vaping can lead to smoking, only an extremely small percentage of teens who vape were non-smokers to begin with. What’s better is the ASH poll was large scale compared to many of the other studies undertaken on the subject, totaling over 60,000 students between the ages of 11-16.
No one is trying to say that vaping is 100% harmless. It does, however, represent the best chance many smokers have to break free from the debilitating habit. A growing body of evidence shows that vaping is the undoubtedly safer alternative to continued smoking. Public Health England famously released a study back in 2015 that concluded vaping is at least 95% safer than smoking. Studies have also indicated that vaping is a hugely successful smoking cessation tool. Researchers at the University of Louisville found that vaping was actually more likely to lead to successful cessation than any other method, including prescription drugs.
But that being said, vaping must be done responsibly. That begins with understanding that vaping is a smoking cessation tool. It’s meant for adults who want to curb their smoking habit, not for teens looking to try new flavors. There isn’t enough support for the idea that acceptance of vaping as a smoking cessation tool and acknowledgment of the risk posed to teens aren’t mutually exclusive ideas. That’s why it’s so great to see a successful e-cigarette company take charge and start the dialogue about ways we can keep vaporizers out of kids hands, while still supporting them for their numerous benefits.
Do you think that vaping leads teens to pick up smoking? Do you think it’s a good idea for companies like Juul Labs to put money into fighting teenage vaping? How do you think we can better support responsible vaping while still protecting the kids? Let us know what you think in the comments, and don’t forget to check back here or join our Facebook and Twitter communities for more news and articles.


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Tesla Giga Berlin is expected to receive final approval before the end of next week, a German news outlet reported. The ceremony, where the first cars will be handed over to customers, should take place on March 22 or 23.
According to information obtained by Tagesspiegel (via Sawyer Merritt/Twitter), Tesla is gearing up for the grand opening ceremony of Giga Berlin, which will be the official event that Elon Musk attends. At the moment, it is scheduled for March 22 but it may be rescheduled for March 23. It is reported that the Brandenburg police are preparing for these dates. The Tagesspiegel expects the German federal government to also join the ceremony as Giga Berlin is the largest industrial and energy transition project in Germany and one of the most modern electric vehicle factories in the world.
The Brandenburg police are preparing for an event with about 500 invited guests. It is expected that the first 30 vehicles produced in Grünheide will be handed over to customers at the event. The launch of Giga Berlin will be the beginning of big changes in the automotive industry in Germany and throughout Europe.
© 2022, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.
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About the Author
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.


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Market Generates $56M Impact
A new economic impact study shows the Sarasota Farmers Market performs in the top 5 percent of such events in the nation in terms of attendance. The study shows that the event, held Saturdays year-round, infuses $56 million into the local economy each year.
Market Manager Phil Pagano says the board for the farmers market decided this year to fund the study in order to gauge the specific impact of the event on surrounding business. “We generate a lot of business for downtown merchants,” he says. “And that’s what the market was started for 38 years ago by Paul Thorpe. It was to bring an economic impact downtown.” The study shows that on average, visitors to the market spend 37.26 percent, and 75 percent visit neighboring merchants when they come to Downtown Sarasota for the market. The study figures the market draws some 520,000 visitors a year, on average 10,000 per week.
In terms of support for area agriculture, the study found 727 acres of local crop production gets supported by the market, and that those farms are located on average 50 miles from the market itself. More than 15,000 pounds of produce get donated as a result of the market, the study says. The information was gleaned from a survey of 883 market shoppers.
The data gathered will also help in decision-making about the future of the market. Nagano notes that in July, a test was done on moving the farmers market to First Street. With development of new condos and the opening of a city garage on State Street, the market will have to explore a change in its footprint, Pagano says. But the goal remains having a positive impact on merchants in the surrounding area. “Some of the best days for many merchants are Saturdays,” he says.
The market today operates as an independent nonprofit, with vendors for the market serving on a board of directors. The Sarasota Farmers Market operates Saturdays from 7am to 1pm.


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Spending on credit and debit cards fell in March as New Zealanders spent less on big-ticket items like appliances, electronics and hardware.
Seasonally-adjusted card spending fell 0.3 per cent in March after rising 0.6 per cent in February and 2 per cent in January, Stats NZ said.
The decline from February was largely attributed to the fall in durables purchases, down 1.9 per cent, or $26 million. Spending on apparel fell $9m, or 2.9 per cent. In the other direction, spending on consumables lifted 0.5 per cent, or $11m, while spending on fuel was up 0.7 per cent, or $4.2m.
"Spending on groceries, fuel, and other necessities was up in the March month, while spending on more discretionary items such as appliances, electronics, and new clothing was down," retail statistics manager Sue Chapman said.
ASB Bank senior economist Jane Turner said the warm March weather may have weighed on apparel. Spending on durables will likely receive a "second wind" later this year as she expects a recent surge in residential building consents to translate into an increased number of new homes ready to be furnished later this year.
Core retail spending, excluding fuel and vehicle spending, fell 0.2 per cent after a 0.7 per cent rise in February.
In actual terms, total retail spending using electronic cards was $5.6 billion versus $5.1b in February. On the year, spending was 0.7 per cent higher. Core retail spending was $4.8b versus $4.4b a month earlier. On the year it was up 2.0 per cent.
Credit card transactions continued to make up more than half of the total at 54 per cent in March but were down slightly from February when they made up 54.5 per cent of the total.
Calendar 2018 was the first time credit card transactions were a bigger proportion of transactions than debit cards.
February data from the Reserve Bank showed that New Zealanders had $7.428b outstanding on credit cards in February, up 2.8 per cent from a year earlier.
In the March quarter, however, total retail card spending rose a seasonally adjusted 1 per cent after a 0.3 per cent decrease in the December 2018 quarter. Core retail spending lifted 1.6 per cent from the December quarter when it lifted 0.6 per cent.
"The weak result in March follows a robust start to the year and on the whole retail spending growth was robust over the March quarter," ASB's Turner said.
Overall, she said the outlook for retail spending remains "finely balanced."
Tourism spending is likely to continue to grow, albeit at a more modest pace than seen in previous years. Meanwhile, consumer demand remains supported by the tight labour market, historically low retail borrowing rates, and the government's Families Package.
"However, the soft Auckland housing market, low wage growth and rising petrol prices may limit the pace of household spending growth going forward."