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Grappling with the agonising human effects of Covid-19 together with mounting inflation and wavering geopolitical scenario, there is a palpable positive sentiment across sectors in India to go full-throttle on the recovery process to sustain the economic growth of the country.
Notably, the recent RBI data shows that Indian companies’ direct overseas investment increased 8.5 per cent YoY to $3.34 billion in March 2022. In fact, even at the height of the coronavirus pandemic last year, Indian companies had invested $3.1 billion in their overseas fully-owned subsidiaries and joint ventures.
Private equity capital flows to India reached a record $27.6 billion in the first six months of the year, nearly equalising the $29 billion outflow in portfolio investments and establishing that the country’s appeal as a growth engine in the long term is unabated despite near-term disruptions caused by a surge in dollar-denominated assets.
Most importantly, the job market is also optimistic. Reportedly, in Q3 (July-September) 2022, 63 per cent of companies are planning to employ more people. Significantly, in the Asia-Pacific region, with 51 per cent hiring, India reported the highest recruitment, according to a survey.
Moreover, India recorded its second-highest monthly gross GST revenues in June at ₹1,44,616 crore, 56 per cent more than a year ago. The Finance Ministry said that coupled with economic recovery, anti-evasion activities, especially action against fake billers, have been contributing to the enhanced GST.
The driving force
Even though private investment is slowly picking up, it is the government that is the driving force behind India’s economic recovery.
In recent years, the government has relaxed FDI norms across several sectors, including defence, PSU, energy, stock exchanges and more. Therefore, FDI will play a significant role in the country’s future economic development. Notably, India’s gross FDI inflows increased, from $82 billion in FY 2021 to $83.6 billion in FY 2022. Several sectors remained attractive to investors, including FMCG, IT, pharma, financial services, etc.
The government’s capex recorded a 39 per cent growth over 2021, at a record ₹5.9 lakh crore. Additionally, the government has budgeted ₹7.5 lakh crore capital expenditure in FY23 that rivals a revised ₹6.03 lakh crore capex in FY22.
Additionally, the center’s PLI scheme has been received well by Indian businesses. For instance, the PLI for domestic production of specialty steel will result in capacity addition of 25-million tonnes, additional investments of about ₹40,000 crore.
The Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) introduced as a part of the Indian government's Covid-19 financial relief package, supported the services sector which led to an increase in debt intake. Thus, the sector’s overall operating margin recovered. Reportedly, the performance of MSMEs has been more significant than corporate, with a two-year revenue annual growth of 13.4 per cent and an annual net profit of 63.7 per cent.
The government is looking at the long-term growth of the economy and short-term developments. Hence, the manufacturing, service and infrastructure sectors could see a strong investment-led recovery in the coming years.
Still more, in 2021, 598 M&A deals worth $112.8 billion were signed or concluded at a record high. Start-up PE/VC investments were the highest between January-March 2022, with $7.7 billion invested across 255 deals. And, 2250 new startups were founded in India in 2021, which raised $24.1 billion combined.
Confidence among India's small businesses remains high with an overwhelming majority of executives expecting improvement in the second quarter of 2022 on most of the parameters, including sales, capacity utilisation and hiring, according to the ASSOCHAM-Dun & Bradstreet Small Business Confidence Index. The index, which measures the level of optimism of small and medium businesses on key business factors such as sales, employment, prices, inventory and investment, stood at 87 in Q2 2022.
Further, the RBI has projected a GDP growth of 7.2 per cent for the fiscal ending March 2023. Similarly, Moody's Investors Service has lowered India's growth forecast for 2022 to 8.8 per cent from 9.1 per cent projected in March. According to the Finance Ministry, India’s GDP growth for 2022-23 is expected to be above 7 per cent even in the face of global headwinds.
India Inc. is expected to see revenue growth of 10-14 per cent next fiscal. This is steered by IT services, which are seeing robust demand, and BFSI, where digitalisation and novel business models are driving growth.
On the whole, infrastructure and transport, technology, IT, telecom, manufacturing including defence, electronics and chips, pharma and healthcare will be front-runners in the investment recovery. India has become easier to do business. In July 2022, India’s flagship digital payments platform UPI saw a record transaction of over six billion, the highest since its inception in 2016. The volume and value of transactions are set to increase with the RBI’s decision to link credit cards to UPI.
Conversely, however, India’s investment focus is shifting towards green capital expenditure, with an expected spend of over ₹2.85 lakh crore per annum over fiscals 2023 to 2030, accounting for nearly 15-20 per cent of total investments (in the infrastructure and industrial sectors) per annum. This will further help push a supply-driven recovery for the economy as a whole.
The writer is Secretary Genera,l ASSOCHAM
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The biennial Hospitality Industries Exhibition - Hospitality Expo is set to be the largest since 2008, taking up to three halls in the Main Hall of the RDS, Dublin, on February 4th and 5th next year.
Hospitality Expo is organised by SDL Exhibitions Ltd and was was held initially in Galway in 1977 as Vintra – The Licensed Trades Exhibition. The event was subsequently held in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin, Leopardstown Racecourse, The Kings Hall Belfast and for many years in the RDS.
The exhibition is targeted at owners and proprietors interested in developing the attributes of their product offering. It has been bringing buyers and sellers together at the RDS for over 20 years with up to 200 exhibitors and 6,000 trade visitors.
"The 2014 event now looks certain to be a largest since 2008 taking up to three halls in the RDS. Hall 1 is Hospitality Expo with over 100 stands in five different zones. Hall 2 has been booked by Stonehouse - Ireland's leading independent wholesale group for their highly successful annual trade show with many top national brands participating. Hall 3 will accommodate the annual Chef Ireland event organised by The Panel of Chef of Ireland" said Managing Director of organisers SDL Exhibitions Ltd, Sean Lemass.

domain: news


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Twelve Smartphone Firms Respond To Govt Notice On Data Security
The Electronics and IT Ministry, last week had sent notices to 21 smartphone companies, with a majority of them Headquartered in China, asking them to outline the procedures and processes adopted by them to ensure security and privacy of users data. Soon after, nine more companies, including Motorola, Honor, Asus, OnePlus, InFocus, were added to that list.
The latest update states that a total of twelve companies including HTC, Xiaomi,Vivo, Huawei and Lenovo, have responded to the notice, while others like Samsung, Oppo, Sony, etc. have acknowledged and requested an extension. The ministry official said that agreeing to the requests, the government is likely to extend the deadline for submitting the details of the data security procedures.
Apple confirmed in an email, that the iPhone maker has sent its response to the ministry and a Vivo official stated that the company has replied to the government notice.
The ministry officials said that the 30 smartphone makers were asked to share security information to ensure that required data security measures were being taken. To support their claims, the IT ministry had cited international and domestic reports regarding data leaks from mobile phones.
Based on the response of the companies, the ministry will initiate verification and audit of devices where required. If a company fails to provide the information, the said firm will face charges and levy penalty for violation of security norms under provisions of IT Act 43 (A).


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As CES 2012 winds to a close, so does Microsoft's presence at the world's largest consumer electronics show. Microsoft, which has had a presence at the show since 1995, announced in December that it will no longer present a keynote or have a booth at CES after this year.
Frank X. Shaw, VP of Corporate Communications at Microsoft, said that the company "[will] continue to participate in CES as a great place to connect with partners and customers across the PC, phone and entertainment industries, but we won't have a keynote or booth after this year because our product news milestones generally don't align with the show's January timing."
Following Apple's lead to some degree, Microsoft prefers to have control of its product announcements and releases, rather than being tied to a trade show schedule once every year. This actually makes a bit of sense, since the show takes place in early January – just weeks after the year's busiest shopping season.
Microsoft didn't exactly go out with a bang, either. Speaking primarily about Windows 8, Windows Phone and Xbox, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's final keynote was somewhat subdued in comparison to past addresses.
Will other companies follow Microsoft's lead and stick to their own events? Only time will tell. However, CES won't be hurting financially in the wake of Microsoft's departure – their floor space was sold in just 45 minutes to Dish and Chinese electronics maker Hisense for the same price Microsoft would have paid in 2013. Pressure's on, guys!


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Toyota and Ford are ready to buddy up to defend their vehicle dashboards as tech-industry bigwigs Google and Apple introduce in-car entertainment and navigation systems.
The partnership between the two automakers will explore how to integrate smartphone applications into new vehicles, reported Bloomberg. The fight for the dashboard is critical for the likes of Ford and Toyota who want to maintain control of their car designs.
Meanwhile, Apple recently launched its CarPlay offering, and Google released its Android Auto in a bid to dominate connectivity in cars, a feature meant to attract younger customers looking for tech-laden rides.
By 2020, nearly 31 million vehicles could feature Apple’s CarPlay, and another 37 million could have Android Auto, according to IHS Automotive. That growth rate would trace the rise of Bluetooth and auxiliary-cord inputs that we’ve seen over the last 10 years, according to IHS analyst Mark Boyadjis.
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DGAP-Adhoc: Aumann adjusts sales and earnings forecast
DGAP-Ad-hoc: Aumann AG / Key word(s): Change in Forecast
Beelen, 10 July 2019
Aumann AG ("Aumann", ISIN: DE000A2DAM03) has today cautiously reassessed its revenue and earnings expectations for the 2019 financial year. Repeated postponements of orders with significant volumes led to a disappointing order intake of around EUR 85 million in the first half of the year. Against this backdrop, revenues of EUR 240 to 260 million are now expected for the current fiscal year. Adjusted EBIT is forecast at up to EUR 22 million, but may be reduced to EUR 16 million depending on further market developments.
The main reasons for this development are the decline in vehicle sales and the resulting uncertainty in the automotive industry, which is reflected in a considerable reluctance to invest and cost discipline by manufacturers and suppliers. Aumann expects these factors to continue beyond the current fiscal year, but considers the medium-term trend in e-mobility to be unbroken.
10-Jul-2019 CET/CEST The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.
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|EQS News ID:||839589|
|End of Announcement||DGAP News Service|
839589 10-Jul-2019 CET/CEST


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The quietly brilliant handset maker is expected to be dipping its toes in the tablet waters. Does it have what it takes to put a dent in the iPad's sales?
The first alleged details for an HTC-branded tablet have surfaced thanks to a recent DigiTimes article. According to its sources, Taiwanese hardware manufacturer Pegatron Technology has started taking orders from HTC for an Android-based tablet due in the first quarter of 2011.
It's being reported that the device will feature a multitouch display with 1,280x720-pixel resolution and will run an Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor. Other details should include a 32GB memory card, 2GB of internal memory, Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth. We don't know an exact size screen, but considering the resolution I'd guess it will be 10 inches at least. For reference, the new Galaxy Tab offers a 1,024x600-pixel 7-inch screen.
As nice as it would be to have an Android tablet from HTC in time for the holidays, I am content with waiting a little longer. We've heard recently that the current build of Android (Froyo) is not optimized for the tablet experience. If anyone truly wants to release an "iPad killer" then they will need to nail down every little detail--especially the part where it just works. On the other hand, the rumored price of NT$25,000 ($789.75 U.S.) could scare quite a few potential buyers.
It will be interesting to see how the early part of 2011 shapes up. Motorola is rumored to be working on a tablet called the Everest for the first quarter of next year. By that time, however, the Galaxy Tab will have been out for a few months and Apple will likely be ramping up the iPad 2 by then. And let's not forget that Archos should have an entire line of tablets and PMDs as well. It will be a crowded space that really didn't exist six months ago.
I'm curious to hear what you think about the Android tablets. Do you care about function, form, or price? Are there certain specs you need to have or does it even matter?


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VitrA bathroom, Oxfordshire, is weathering the COVID-19 crisis by focusing its efforts on ensuring there is product availability for its distribution partners and retailers.
VitrA owns and operates the factories that produce the comprehensive bathroom collections the company supplies to retail and commercial customers. VitrA has continued to operate its factories at almost full capacity during the pandemic. In the UK, the 2019 investment in additional warehousing has proved invaluable, helping to hold stock for distributors as they tackled their own COVID related issues.
Levent Giray, managing director for the UK and Ireland, points out. “We work with well-resourced distribution partners and have been able to keep them supplied or hold stock on their behalf because we own and operate the factories and control production for brassware, ceramic ware, furniture and tiles. Fortunately, we are not reliant on importing from third parties or using multiple countries to supply products. The continuance of supply has allowed us to maintain our levels of service during what have been very challenging months.”
In addition to the continuance of supply, VitrA has also pushed forward with plans for its new showroom in London, due for launch at the end of the year. The company’s advertising campaigns have been sustained, to help build demand for its retailers, alongside significant investment in a suite of glossy brochures for both consumers and retailers.
Levent Giray continues “We certainly see the benefits of consistency and positivity. Retailers are reviewing relationships with their suppliers based on service levels during this time. All our staff have adapted well to the new ways of working. I want to pay tribute to the team at VitrA who have certainly gone the extra mile this year to support our customers.”
To stay up to date on the latest, trends, innovations, people news and company updates within the UK property and housebuilding market please register to receive our newsletter here.
Rebecca Morpeth Spayne,
Editor, Showhome Magazine
Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922


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Chep for sustainable freight transport
Conversion of two routes by ship and by road into south-north railway routes
They are called "green kilometers" because, according to data from the European Environment Agency, only 0.5% of emissions in the transport sector in Europe are attributable to the train. Much less than transport by road (72%) and by ship (13.6%). Yet in Italy only 13% of goods travel by rail, while the European average is about 18%: a spread that Chep, an expert in supply chain solutions with a strong specialization in pallets for food goods, intends to contribute to filling also thanks to the launch of two important collaborations with players in the transport sector. These are Mercitalia Logistics, a company of the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group operating in the freight transport and logistics business and Smet, a company that has been active in the sector for 70 years.
The pallet pooling company, one of the most sustainable companies in the world according to the Wall Street Journal-affiliated weekly Barron's, has decided to bring two routes by ship and road by rail. The first, Catania-Bologna, will no longer be mixed (by ship and road) but will travel by rail, thanks to the support of Mercitalia Logistics, the operational subholding of the Mercitalia hub, which carries out logistics activities through the Transport and Multimodal Logistics business unit integrated, combining rail-road transport over long distances with “door to door” services. A choice that will not only have an environmental impact through the reduction of polluting emissions, maritime transport is in fact responsible for about 2.5% of global emissions of greenhouse gases, but also social and economic, potentially favoring greater accessibility to markets. of production and consumption. The project, which started on an experimental basis during the lockdown, is now fully operational and provides for 10 trips a week south-north.
The second route, on the other hand, concerns the Bari-Verona axis which, with the support of Smet, is no longer on the road but travels by rail, with similar advantages in environmental terms: in fact, a reduction of 11 tons of Co2 per week is estimated. in the transition from road to train, and positive repercussions for the entrepreneurial fabric of the north and south thanks to the possibility of 8 direct connections every week with consolidated and emerging markets. Furthermore, the two projects guarantee both faster transit times compared to road and sea, and a decongestion of the roads.
"The current mobility system accounts for almost a quarter of Europe's greenhouse gas emissions", says Francesca Amadei, Chep's country general manager for Italy. "We must all ensure that the future of Italian logistics includes quotas transport by rail, also due to the European objectives which aim at the conversion of 30% of goods transits by road by 2030. We are open to new collaborations with producers to increase the loads traveling, especially at a time like this where the rail transport is a potentially safer option than road transport to prevent contagion from Covid-19. The Chep business model is intrinsically sustainable: by promoting the shared use of pallets and their reuse, pooling is a concrete representation of a circular economy that favors the creation of more efficient supply chains with less operating costs and less exploitation of natural resources" .
EFA News - European Food Agency


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The National Petroleum Authority, (NPA), is set to re-introduce the Price Stabilisation and Recovery Levy, today, Tuesday, February 1, 2021.
Price Stabilisation and Recovery Levy is a key component of the Fuel Price Build-up.
This means consumers should expect to pay more at the pumps.
The NPA suspended the levy in October 2021 as part of efforts to cushion consumers from the constant rise in the price of fuel products in the country.
This was upon the request from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
However, the NPA in a press statement issued, yesterday, Monday, January 31, 2022, the zeroing of the PSRL cannot be extended any further as it remains the source of revenue for the payment of the subsidies on Premix Fuel and Residual Fuel Oil (RFO).
“We hereby wish to inform all Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and LPG Marketing Companies (LPGMCs) that effective 1st February, 2022, the PSRLs on petrol, diesel and LPG have been fully restored.”
It added that any attempt to extend the suspension will “negatively affect the payment of subsidies to the suppliers of these products, and threaten their continuous supply to customers.”
The PSRL is 16 pesewas per liter on petrol, fourteen pesewas per litre (GHp14/Lt) on diesel and fourteen pesewas per kilogram (GHp14/Kg) on LPG.
Currently, some Oil Marketing Companies are already selling fuel beyond the GH¢ 7 per litre mark which means the reintroduction of the levy will send prices further above GH¢ 7 per litre.
|Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.|


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Mahindra is among the largest SUV producers in India. Their Thar, XUV700, Bolero, and Scorpio N are all performing properly available in the market. These SUVs are so fashionable that a few of them have a ready interval exceeding over a 12 months. Mahindra not solely sells these SUVs in India but additionally in different nations like South Africa and Australia. It’s possible you’ll already remember that the previous Australian cricketer, Matthew Hayden, has been related to the model for a really very long time. Mahindra has now launched a scheme the place clients reserving an SUV would get an opportunity to fulfill the cricketer.
Mahindra Auto has shared a video associated to the identical on their Instagram web page. On this video, we see Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden arriving at a Mahindra dealership in Chennai. The cricketer is carrying conventional South Indian apparel. After arriving on the dealership, he interacts with the purchasers. Pictures exhibiting the identical could be seen within the reel. Matthew Hayden just isn’t solely seen interacting with clients, however he additionally delivers a brand-new XUV700 SUV to a buyer within the video.
After the supply, Mahindra additionally organized an opportunity the place the shopper might be a part of Matthew Hayden for a brief drive. On this brief reel, Matthew Hayden and the purchasers are seen in a Mahindra Scorpio N. It seems to be a demo automotive from the dealership. The video was posted on-line 5 days in the past, so the supply might be nonetheless legitimate. It’s not clear whether or not this supply is legitimate just for clients in South India or throughout India.
This supply is probably going in place due to the continuing Cricket World Cup that India is internet hosting. The video that Mahindra has shared on-line comes with a caption, “Conventional apparel, unforgettable expertise, drive with an icon, guide your favourite Mahindra SUV, and stand an opportunity to fulfill Matthew Hayden. Coming quickly to a dealership close to you.”
As talked about earlier, Matthew Hayden has been related to Mahindra for a really very long time. He has been the model ambassador for Mahindra Australia since 2015. He’s typically seen selling Mahindra autos on-line. Earlier this 12 months, Hayden visited Mahindra’s SUV Proving Observe in Chennai, the place he drove the Mahindra XUV700 and Scorpio-N. After driving the SUVs, the cricketer shared his expertise on Mahindra Australia’s official YouTube channel.
He has even featured in lots of video commercials for Mahindra overseas. Mahindra unveiled the Thar.e idea to the world earlier this 12 months. In addition they unveiled an idea model of the Scorpio N pickup truck. The pickup truck model is unlikely to be launched in India. Mahindra is engaged on a wide range of electrical SUVs, and the Thar.e is considered one of them. One of many upcoming launches from Mahindra is the 5-door model of Thar. Spy pics of the manufacturing model of Mahindra Thar have been noticed a number of occasions, and the launch is predicted to occur someday subsequent 12 months. The SUV will probably be supplied with each petrol and diesel engine choices and will probably be accessible in each 2WD and 4×4 configurations.


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With at least half a dozen new alcohol laws set to go into effect later this year, including alcohol delivery and direct to consumer wine shipment, work is underway at the Alabama Alcohol Beverage Control Board to draft new guidelines and requirements for the regulation, distribution, and sale of alcohol.
The Alabama ABC board has a number of tasks on its agenda, including updated requirements for record keeping and creating new third- party licenses for businesses who plan to deliver alcohol. As the board proposes these new courses of action, members of the public will be able to submit feedback.
The Alabama Beverage Control Board will post its intended action on the Alabama Administrative Monthly, the state legislative service’s website which contains notices from state agencies about their plans to adopt, amend, or repeal rules in the Alabama Administrative code (The Alabama ABC falls under Title 20 of the state administrative code).
Members of the public can submit feedback about the proposed actions by submitting an email to email@example.com or, mail feedback to Renee Ferraz, Alabama ABC Board, 2715 Gunter Park Drive, W, Montgomery, AL 36109.
All the feedback received will be presented to the ABC board members, who will then consider the feedback and vote to adopt the proposed regulations later this month. The final text of the adopted rules will be submitted back to the Legislative Services Agency.
In May, the ABC board posted its intended actions regarding proposed changes to chapters five and six of Title 20, which govern licenses to sell alcohol and the operation of licensed premises. Amendments to chapter five include the board’s requirements for alcohol delivery and wine shipment. While most of the proposed actions have already been outlined in the official legislative acts, the proposals do offer some more details on rules businesses and consumers can expect once the laws go into effect.
For example, the alcohol delivery law requires businesses who intend to use their employees to deliver alcohol to design a mandatory training program. The proposal in chapter five contains more details regarding the requirements for the program, including criteria for refusing delivery to a consumer.
The proposed changes are also listed on the ABC website.
The deadline for public comment on chapters five and six is July 2. The ABC plans to post intended action regarding requirements for manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers (chapter eight) and record keeping (chapter nine) in late July, and the deadline for public feedback will be in September.
The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has a busy summer ahead. 2021 was a landmark year for alcohol in the Alabama legislative session, and lawmakers passed more than half a dozen measures changing state alcohol laws. Two of the biggest game changers– alcohol delivery and direct-to- consumer wine shipment, will go into effect in October.
Legislation passed this session will also allow winemakers in the state to become less dependent on distributors to sell their products to consumers. Starting this fall, Alabama winemakers will be able to sell wine directly to consumers at events without having to use a distributor. Vintners in the state will also be allowed to distribute their wine directly to retailers. In August, breweries and distilleries will be able to sell more alcohol to patrons to consume off premises.
In addition to writing new guidelines for alcohol retailers and manufacturers, the Alabama ABC Board is also trying to decide whether its state-run ABC stores will deliver alcohol to patrons when the new alcohol delivery law goes into effect.
Language in the alcohol delivery law, pertains to “licensees” of the board, or private entities that must be licensed by the ABC Board in order to legally manufacture, distribute, or sell alcohol in Alabama. Since ABC stores are businesses “governed” rather than “licensed” by the ABC board, the Alabama ABC is spending the next few months examining the factors of home delivery to make a decision “that is in the best interest of the citizens of the state,” ABC Board Government Relations Manager Dean Argo explained to AL.com in an April email.


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The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum has officially launched today a new virtual exhibition, “America’s Mailing Industry.”
When it comes to saving money, the focus is often on how a piece is produced, but the right postal solutions can have a bigger impact.
At the quarterly public meeting of the Postal Regulatory Commission, the Commission outlined its plans for the upcoming review of the existing ratemaking system. The Commission is notifying the public so that all interested parties may prepare to fully participate in the review that will start after Dec. 20, 2016.
It is no secret in Washington that top officials at USPS would like to do away with the Postal Regulatory Commission.
Households with incomes above $100,000 receive three times as many periodicals as households earning less than $35,000.
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It’s been well over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. While things are slowly returning to normal, much like the flu pandemic of 1918, we’re going to be feeling the effects for a very long time, not only in our personal lives but in the lives of our businesses as well. The pandemic has impacted every industry, including our own – and it’s continuing to impact our world at levels we haven’t even seen. While we’re picking back up the pieces in our own industry – trade shows are starting to get scheduled again, people are ordering things other than just PPE, we have another hurdle to jump through: port delays.
Admittedly, I first became aware of the port delays because of my hobby. If you haven’t guessed already, I am a massive Star Wars fan. I collect high-end action figures of my favorite Star Wars characters from a company called Hot Toys. Hot Toys happens to be based in Hong Kong, and all of their products are produced there. One of their releases – a life-sized fully articulated replica of The Mandalorian’s The Child happened to be one of the first of many of their products to be delayed. He was initially scheduled to arrive in either February – March of this year. I didn’t end up receiving him until June. He was so delayed, the US distributor that I purchased him from ended up shipping him straight from the port in Los Angeles.
Unfortunately, my life-sized replica of The Child isn’t the only thing getting delayed.
According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (say that five times fast), the US imported a total of 451.7 billion dollars worth of goods from China in 2019. Everything from clothes, furniture, electronics, and toys to those little googly eyes for your kid’s crafts are manufactured in China and shipped to the United States. So that means a whole lot of product is sitting out in ports or sitting on docks waiting to be delivered.
At the beginning of the year, a shipping container shortage saw shipping prices jump 300% as companies scrambled to find containers, and prices have continued to rise. Then we had the Suez Canal incident, truly a Little Engine That Could story of modern times, which saw month-long delays after that. Ports were just catching up from that when there was a COVID-19 outbreak in the Guangdong province and resulted in the shut down of several parts of the province. Guangdong is home to Yantian, which is one of the world’s busiest ports. Now, it’s just clearing the backlog of ships. At one point in June, Yantian saw at least 70 ships waiting to dock. And it’s not just China that’s seeing this backlog of ships; ports in California saw at least 40 ships waiting to dock and unload their containers as well.
There’s a mad rush to get products from China to the US before the holidays, especially as peak season starts. There’s an estimated 90-day delay in ports, and as people return to their everyday lives, demand is continuing to rise. Experts are expecting this holiday shopping season to be even bigger than the last.
So, what can we do? Especially with the holiday season fast approaching, a traditionally very busy time for us, right around the corner? We can’t control the ports or try and get the ships containing our products through the delays faster.
Our advice? Order early.
Your best bet to make sure that your clients get their products on time for the holiday season is to get their orders as early as possible. There are six months until Christmas and with the estimated 90-day port delay, that gives you about three months from now. While this can be fairly stressful, try and have fun with it! One way you can get your customers ahead of schedule – take a page from QVC, Hallmark, and Disney – and celebrate Christmas in July! Don’t underestimate how much people love the holiday season and that warm fuzzy feeling that memories of holidays past bring.
Start by calling on the clients that you know always order for the holidays, and get your process started early. Get it into their minds that this year will be hectic, and the sooner they order, the better. You can even use the SAGE Print Studio to create your own catalog showcasing great gift ideas to send to your customers.
With any luck, the port delays will ease up soon – especially with the push to get the backlog cleared by August, and our industry will be plowing forward just as we’ve always done. But if we’ve learned anything this past year, we know the best plan of all is to be prepared for any outcome!
Does inspiring your clients to order their holiday gifts early with a catalog sound good to you? Click here to learn more about SAGE Print Studio, and reach out to your account executive today to get started.


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Rodent hairs, mites, maggots and mould; these are some of the less-than-savoury elements the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) allows in your food. But don’t worry: a little dose of this won’t hurt you.
The CFIA has guidelines for the general cleanliness of food, which say your food is safe, until insects and filth reach certain levels. For example, manufacturers can’t allow more than 1/100 of a gram of rodent hair in chocolate.
In cheese, the CFIA states there can’t be more than five dead mites per square 2.5 centimetres and to a depth of 0.6 centimetres. Live mites are not tolerated.
Mushrooms can’t have more than 10 maggots in 100 grams of mushrooms.
Rice can’t have more than 25 insect fragments per 100 grams.
Not all of the allowed defects are organic. Cocoa powder can’t have more than five magnetic metal particles (that are less than two millimetres) in every 100 grams of powder.
It’s important to note the defect levels don’t represent an average of the insect filth in any of the products — it’s just an acceptable amount that isn’t hazardous to your health.
WATCH: Bugs for dinner anyone?
“It always sounds unappetizing, but the CFIA uses a science-based approach to the level of tolerance,” Sylvain Charlebois, professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University said.
And if the risks weren’t included, Charlebois said: “we would have a highly inefficient food distribution system, leading to more expensive food.”
The CFIA said on average, it receives 2,000 reports from consumers concerning food safety issues each year, including complaints of extraneous matter. The agency also conducts around 3,000 food safety investigations each year.
FDA also allows defects in food
The acceptable level of microorganisms allowed in food isn’t just a Canadian rule. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which governs food safety in the United States, also has a list of “natural or unavoidable defects,” in the Food Defect Action Level Booklet.
WATCH: Eating insects, from fringe fad to the future of food
For example, 10 fly eggs or two maggots are acceptable in a 500 gram can of tomatoes.
The FDA explains that it’s “economically impractical to grow, harvest, or process raw products that are totally free of non-hazardous, naturally occurring, unavoidable defects.”


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DETROIT (News Nation) — Honda is recalling approximately 608,000 minivans and SUVs in the U.S. to fix problems that include faulty backup camera displays, malfunctioning dashboard lights and sliding doors that don’t latch properly.
They cover certain Odyssey minivans from 2018 to 2020, Pilot SUVs from 2019 through 2021 and Passport SUVs from 2019 and 2020, according to a statement from Honda.
Honda has traced the problems to faulty backup camera software programming, water entering door handles, water getting into camera mounting holes, and defective instrument panel software.
Honda said there have been no reports of crashes or injuries related to these actions.
Dealers will fix the problems at no cost to owners.


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Every time you go online, your privacy is at stake. As you surf Web sites and enter search terms, large Internet companies and ad networks are collecting data about you, your hobbies, your habits, and your purchases in order to figure out which ads to display for you next. The companies argue that this practice, known as behavioral advertising, produces ads that
are far more relevant to users than simply spamming them with whatever is selling that week, but privacy advocates are concerned about the amount of data that is being collected and what might be happening with that data behind the scenes [CNET].
Earlier this year a congressional committee held hearings on the topic, and asked for input from privacy groups.
On Tuesday, representatives from a range of privacy and consumer protection groups asked the House Commerce Committee to prohibit online marketers from collecting sensitive data, require them to inform users what the data is being collected for and give individuals the right to see data collected about them [Wired.com].
U.S. Representative Rick Boucher of Virginia is expected to introduce a privacy bill this fall, and privacy advocates are hopeful that he'll incorporate their ideas. The off-limits "sensitive data" could include information about an Internet user's race, political activity, and sexual orientation, as well as medical and financial data. The privacy groups also said in their recommendations (pdf) that data should not be collected from any user under the age of 18, if age could be determined. They also suggest that
Web sites and advertisers only retain behavioral data for 24 hours, after which they must receive consent from users or get rid of it [The Wall Street Journal]
, in what amounts to an "opt-in" system for consumers. Such changes seem like common sense, when there are so many ways that targeted, online advertising can betray a person's secrets. Imagine a teenager who thinks he might be gay and surfs the net looking for like-minded souls; the next time his mom logs on, ads may pop up for gay clubs or chat lines. Targeted advertising could also take advantage of the unwary. Consider someone searching for information on a devastating illness they've just been diagnosed with--ads could pop up for sites hawking fake cures.
"The basic idea is ... we want consumers to be able to take advantage of all the new technologies without having the technologies take advantage of the consumers," said Pam Dixon, executive director of the World Privacy Forum [PCWorld].
The companies who engage in targeted marketing say that they don't need to be regulated by law, and that they've already adopted voluntary privacy policies. Mike Zaneis, president of the Internet Advertising Bureau, also argues that consumers aren't worried about the current advertising practices.
“There is a lot of naivety being expressed by consumer groups that suddenly are acting like behavioral ads are a huge consumer problem, when in reality, they have been key to the market for well over a decade,” Zaneis said [Wired.com].
But it's pretty clear that the industry's voluntary privacy policies are extraordinarily weak. Most sites presently offer "opt-out" systems, but they're rarely used, possibly because they—or the reasons consumers would want to use them—are effectively hidden.
In a questionnaire sent to companies last year, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce asked what percentage of current users were actively opting out of their online tracking programs.... Microsoft, which draws roughly 130 million monthly visitors in the U.S. to its online properties, told the committee in writing in August 2008 that since the spring of that year, its opt-out mechanism had been used "approximately 1,800 times" [The Wall Street Journal].
Related Content: 80beats: How Did "Soupnazi" Allegedly Steal 130 Million Credit Card Numbers? 80beats: Researchers Guess Social Security Numbers From Public Data 80beats: Some M.D.s Try to Amputate Online Reviews 80beats: For the Greater Good, Ten Pioneers Will Post Their Genomes on the Internet Image: iStockphoto


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India MarTech Survey 2020
The inaugural Mirum MarTech Report
The report reveals increased spending commitments on MarTech. Those who are invested in the MarTech space will find the MarTech Survey 2020 findings quite encouraging. And those who are still on the fence will hopefully start thinking about making the leap into this space soon.
Digital marketing is maturing, placing more emphasis on ROI than flag-planting. The next few years are likely to see companies upskill their own talent, in order to take advantage of increasingly sophisticated MarTech tools. The industry is still gearing up for new technologies like blockchain, IoT, AR/VR, AI, etc. and their impact is yet to be measured. MarTech firms have to partner with companies to ride this wave together. These are not challenges, but opportunities.
Key findings include:
- MarTech spends are poised to increase: 80% of marketers expect their organisations to invest more in tools and technologies over the next few years.
- Business results are driving marketers’ decisions: ROI and efficiency are the key drivers for adopting MarTech, reflected in the use of “old guard” tech such as CRM and personalisation.
- MarTech’s benefits follow a maturity curve: 87% of those who invested in MarTech find a definite positive impact over a three-year period.
- The era of cautious experimentation is upon us: Technologies like wearables and voice search need to show solid use cases before being considered.
- Both B2C and B2B offer big opportunities for MarTech and solutions providers: While consumer-facing firms are more bullish on new tech opportunities, B2B businesses are not far behind.
- MarTech companies need to help clients with internal skilling and integration: 64% of marketers see the lack of internal skills while 59% of marketers see cross-organisation adoption as hurdles.
25 March 2020
More in Technology & data
Social media & COVID-19: digital crisis interaction among Gen Z and Millennials
A global study by Wunderman Thompson, The University of Melbourne and Pollfish, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation
Five steps to digitise your data capture
Wunderman Thompson’s five-stage approach to frictionless customer data capture to boost business, drive efficiencies and keep your customers happy
How to jump-start customer engagement with zero-party data
As cookies fall under greater scrutiny, the importance of zero-party data (and first-party data) will only grow


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Sephora announces new program features available to participating brands
In celebration of one-year anniversary of Sephora at Kohl’s, the retailers’ rollout underscores growth opportunities for both companies, as evidenced by a strong first year
Today, Sephora is excited to announce the return of its biggest and most inclusive beauty event of the year, SEPHORiA: Virtual House of Beauty.
Leading Beauty Omni-Retailer Advances With Microservices Based, API-First, Cloud-Native, Headless (MACH) Architecture As The Foundation Of Its Digital Ecosystem
Offering a Flexible Way to Pay Online and In-Stores Across the U.S.
This year’s graduating class of BIPOC beauty entrepreneurs is the seventh cohort to participate in Sephora’s longstanding brand incubator program, with founders’ brands spanning makeup, skincare, haircare, and for the first time ever – fragrance.
EPHORA, Gap Inc., CarMax, Ben & Jerry’s amongst industry leaders taking first-of-its-kind national pledge to implement strategies aimed at addressing racially-biased and unfair treatment in retail
Today, Sephora announced its 2022 birthday gift offerings in the makeup, skincare and haircare categories from Laura Mercier, Tatcha, and amika.
Today, Sephora unveiled its first-ever Black-owned brands campaign to further recognize and celebrate the contributions that Black culture and Black innovators have made to the beauty industry.


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Generative AI in Games Will Create a Copyright Crisis
Improbable’s original business plan was to apply its technology in gaming, and the company had partnerships with numerous studios including Bossa Studios to develop huge, constantly rendering mass multiplayer online games with its SpatialOS technology. The word on the street is that, in line with the cryptocurrency bubble bursting, those involved in its initial ascension have now shifted focus to generative AI; pitching it as the next big thing. In November, Lensa AI (among others) gathered a lot of attention, as users began uploading images awash with errors and accusations of plagiarism to social media platforms. While the flurry of interest was certainly immense, it was ultimately met with negative backlash and a class action lawsuit. A new era of fandom, powered by social platforms like TikTok, combined with the rise of niche communities, is forcing businesses to adapt and make room for the consumer on their boards, and as a core partner in innovation.
The success of Fortnite, Roblox, Zwift and other multiplayer online games and fitness platforms demonstrate that people like interacting with (and competing with) each other in a 3D environment. Although these environments are currently self-contained and will continue to be for some time to come, they may become interoperable in the future, just as organisational networks gradually connected to the internet. For the digital economy, the metaverse is the logical end point for a journey that the tech and telecoms industry started more than a decade ago with the advent of digital twins. As these examples demonstrate, virtual reality, augmented reality and extended reality are no longer the preserve of big tech companies and niche enthusiasts.
New Chupa Chups Game ‘Skate & Create’ Aims to Earn ‘Creds’ with Gen Z
There are trade-offs that need to be made between meaning and utility, and internet users and society at large will have to grapple with the boundaries they want to set. As we move toward a more immersive internet, the allure of convenience and the temptation to avoid the messiness of human relationships by replacing them with virtual placebos will grow stronger. The question lies in whether we are willing to resist the temptation to do so and choose to retain some element of complex and multifaceted human relationships. We should ask the right questions as we navigate this new reality, and we should start now.
- Deloitte Insights delivers proprietary research designed to help organizations turn their aspirations into action.
- Run by the Evening Standard and supported by ChromeOS, the show once again provided the perfect environment for ambitious SME founders and decision makers who are looking to scale to gain insights, connect with peers, and explore the latest business solutions.
- Looking at behaviours from previous UK recessions, we know that lotteries and luck-based gambling appear to be fairly recession resistant.
- What Improbable is launching isn’t a public release of its network of metaverses but rather the developer tools that will enable programmers to build their own metaverses.
- As the next internet inches closer, society, businesses, and regulators will need to think through the questions noted in figure 6 if they want to elevate our humanity as social and moral beings.
For example, we recently launched a partnership with AliPay which is streamlining the payment experience for gamers in South East Asia, allowing tens of millions of players access to reliable, safe and fast ways to pay for their favorite games and items. “Fortnite and Roblox are excellent examples of how a game, a digital experience, can converge media, entertainment, technology, and business. The metaverse can be developed because of innovations in video game technology, methodology, and its proven revenue-driving community,” Yim tells Meta News.
Big tech earnings: tech surprisingly robust – here’s why
But as the mom of Gen Alpha kids, I’ve observed that it is a highly intelligent, creative, and tech-savvy cohort. They are outspoken kids, willing to voice their concerns and make their impact felt. And they’re extremely proficient with technology, enjoying virtual fashion and gaming as much as sports and music. Charisma is a user-friendly AI platform that helps you to develop characters that are real looking.
Imagine you’re as comfortable playing the guitar in a friend’s garage as attending a live concert with them in Fortnite. Are you a Game Developer looking for the Best AI Tools For Gaming that can increase your gaming experience to the next level, then you are in the right place. Players have the choice to head on over to the Hub Store, where they can redeem tokens for the aforementioned “verch”, including Walmart-themed clothing and branded electronics. When young players arrive in Walmart Land they’re met with the sight of a colourful amusement park with Walmart-themed rides and locations – all set on an island shaped like the Walmart logo.
Q&A: HearstX’s Mark McCafferty on Roblox, and adding purpose to content
Each week, contestants had to undertake mini challenges, with Habbos voting for their favourite ‘employee; those with the least votes dropping out of the competition. Finally, the winner took it all, getting their own salon full of rare itmes and an Always Salon badge—the only one of its kind genrative ai in the game. As reported in New Media Age (‘memba them?!), 13,000 kids engaged with the experience during the campaign. At one end of the spectrum is VR and the kinds of digital worlds already seen in massively multiplayer online games like Second Life, Minecraft, Fortnite and Roblox.
Part 1 of our 3-part series looks at SKT’s journey and how its propositions have developed from when 5G was launched to the current time. It includes an analysis of both consumer and business offerings promoted on SKT’s website to identify the revenues streams that 5G is supporting now – as opposed to revenues that new 5G use cases might deliver in future. Whereas the existing Internet is essentially a 2D digital overlay of the world, composed of text, voice, images and video, the Metaverse will provide a 3D digital overlay. This is the way Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang, portrayed the Metaverse in a speech in November 2021.
MIDAS SHARE TIPS
With the sun shining through the window on the Skyline stage at BrightonSEO, Jon Earnshaw from Pi Datametrics delivered an intriguing and engaging talk to delegates about the future of SEO by looking at how people actually go about searching. Being a leader requires the ability to lead people so that you can have a profitable business. Investor focus is set to shift from inflation to earnings season, which starts on Friday, as it will give us more insight about a forthcoming recession, says the CEO of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory, genrative ai asset management and fintech organisations. This year, World Earth Day is challenging organisations and consumers alike to make more sustainable choices and ‘Invest in Our Planet’. Berlin-based Swobbee, a provider of rental batteries and battery swapping stations for urban mobility, has raised another €2 million in an extended Series A round. SMEs still share the load with the wider business community in driving progress towards the UK’s net zero targets, despite having fewer resources to adapt to growing economic and environmental pressures.
The game development platform Roblox announced a focus on generative AI last month and has now released two beta version tools that the company says will make it easier to create content that can be used on the platform. As well as being the home to user-created video games Roblox is also the home of virtual concerts with its first-ever music festival held in mid-October 2021. REUSE – Ikea announced Updatables, an app designed to extend the life of furniture by suggesting adaptations. Using AR, AI and machine learning technologies to have the pieces themselves “suggest” updates and improvements through additions of new IKEA parts.
Entities will be able to build metaverse experiences using Improbable’s Morpheus technology, which is designed to host mass-scale multiplayer online games, Improbable said. My daughter, for example, who is nine, only watches media made in spaces where she plays and builds. And as I see it, this underlying desire for highly personalized and participatory media is going to be key in shaping the future of media and entertainment. Working at game and entertainment companies has also really influenced the way I look at messaging and engaging with our partners. I truly believe in providing interesting narratives and content to help get our message across, versus selling purely based on data. Being able to connect authentically and emotionally with our partners has really come from these previous experiences creating engaging content for games and interactive media.
It’s time for producers to get a sense of how spatial storytelling and interactivity differs in a 3D space to a 2D space. Have a play with Unity, one of the two main game engines, along with Unreal (owned by Fornite owner Epic), through which much of this type of content is created. This will require an investment in new technologies, processes, skills, training and approaches to storytelling, boosting areas like virtual production and game engine-based makers.
The character entertainment company, which focuses on creating superheroes, comics and stories that are uniquely Indian through mobile and digital platforms, is currently producing 200 episodes of animation content across TV and digital platforms. With hundreds of high-quality, immersive experiences being released all the time for gamers – the attempts by big corporations at providing something they deem to be on the same level has so far been mostly unsuccessful. A game called AI Dungeon is pushing the limits of this question because it quickly amassed millions of players. The game allows players to create worlds and gives them complete ownership of the content created from it. For example, the United Kingdom and the United States say that only human beings can claim authorship. Indeed, a tool like this could be a powerful bargaining chip when signing a new studio.


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For more than 30 years, National Garden Bureau (NGB) has been showcasing and promoting their members' new plant varieties in the inspirational program appropriately named “New Plants.”
December is when many are planning their product line-up and garden selections for the new year. A complete selection of the newest varieties available for the coming year can be found at https://ngb.org/new-plants/
Photos, descriptions and other resources are available on National Garden Bureau’s website: www.ngb.org.
NGB has long been promoting its members' new plants. Over time, this program has generated consumer and industry publicity. The NGB urges the entire industry—breeders, brokers, seed companies, growers, nurseries and garden centers—to highlight these flowers and plants when planning their 2019 marketing.
Publicity of the 2019 “New Plants” to the garden writer community began in August 2018 during the GWA Annual Symposium in the NGB sponsored “New Plant Showcase”. Publicity direct to the consumer will begin in January 2019 via the NGB e-newsletters and social media posts. Visit the National Garden Bureau website to download photos, logos, slide shows and much more. These tools will help the home garden industry promote these new varieties to consumers and encourage gardening.
For more information about this program and/or membership in National Garden Bureau, email Diane Blazek


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What to Know
- The FDA has launched a "major operation" to investigate the finding of a cancer-causing agent in the active ingredient of popular meds
- Traces of N-nitrosodimethylamine, a "probable human carcinogen," were found in the active ingredient valsartan in the recalled products
- Valsartan is an ARB used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure; more than half of all valsartan products have been recalled in U.S.
The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the agency has launched a "major operation to investigate and address" the "troubling" finding of a cancer-causing agent that may be contaminating a growing number of medications used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure.
In a joint statement Thursday, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), said they have developed a multidisciplinary task force to investigate trace amounts of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a "probable human carcinogen," detected in some generic versions of the medication valsartan.
The initial recall in July has now been expanded to include five manufacturers and other companies who repackage the affected valsartan products under a different name, and officials warned Thursday more products may need to be recalled. A third-party supplied the valsartan contained in the recall. The FDA recently updated the list of products affected and the list of those unaffected.
"At the same time, the FDA is working to make certain that patients have access to the treatment that they need," the joint statement said. "Currently, more than half of all valsartan products on the market are being recalled. But prescribers can find a similar replacement product within the same class to substitute for patients who require this medication."
The FDA said it is working with companies to take "swift action" to pull any products found with unacceptable amounts of NDMA from the U.S. market. The agency also said manufacturers would not have been testing for NDMA in valsartan because there was no anticipation such levels would be evident.
"Recognizing these risks is based on a deep understanding of the chemistry involved in drug manufacturing, and the theoretical risk that an impurity could be a by-product of an essential step used in the manufacture of an active ingredient," the statement said. "When these impurities are identified, there are ways to re-engineer manufacturing processes to find pathways that don’t create these by-products."
U.S. & World
It continued: "As we develop a better understanding of the root cause of NDMA formation, and develop a way to detect NDMA in valsartan or other ARBs, we can ensure that appropriate testing is performed in the future."
The FDA also said that while millions of Americans take blood pressure medication, the risk of many of them developing cancer because of the NDMA exposure is fairly low. CDER toxicologists and chemists estimated that if 8,000 people took the highest valsartan dose from NDMA-affected medicines every day for four years, which is the period of time officials believe the affected products have been on the U.S. market, there may be one extra case of cancer beyond the regular average cancer rate of Americans.
Patients are urged to look at the drug name and company name on the label of their prescription bottles to determine whether a specific product has been recalled. If the information is not on the bottle, patients should contact the pharmacy that dispensed the medicine to find out the company name.
If a patient is taking one of the recalled medicines, they should follow the recall instructions each specific company provided, which are available on the FDA’s website.
If a patient's medicine is included in the recall, he or she should contact his or her health care professional to discuss treatment options, which may include another valsartan product this recall doesn't affect or an alternative option.
The agency encourages patients and health care professionals to report any adverse reaction to the FDA’s MedWatch program.
In the meantime, the FDA said it will continue to improve its procedures for guarding against such impurity risks.
"We will use the information that we learn from our investigation into valsartan to strengthen our oversight," the statement said.


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|ORO Y PLATA INTERNACIONAL S.A.
Tiffany Holiday Sales -21%; U.S.
Comparable Stores Sales -35%
16/01/09. Tiffany & Co. reported before the opening bell on Wednesday
that its worldwide sales fell 21 percent to $687.4 million in the final two
months of 2008 as the weak economy in the U.S. weighed on company
sales. Sales were down 20 percent on a constant-exchange-rate basis,
while same-store sales decreased 24 percent for the period.
Tiffany reported that its sales in the Americas declined 30 percent to $385.9
million, led by a 35 percent drop in comparable store sales across the U.S.
A similar sales decline was experienced at the company’s flagship New
York store. In the Asia-Pacific region, sales fell 2 percent to $216 million,
and on a constant-exchange-rate basis sales were down 8 percent. In
Europe, sales declined 4 percent to $79.2 million but rose 19 percent on a
constant-exchange-rate basis, with a comparable store sales drop of 3
percent. Sales in other regions decreased 53 percent to $6.3 million in
November and December, “primarily due to reduced wholesale sales of
diamonds,” Tiffany explained.
This was Tiffany's second consecutive tough Christmas season. In
November and December 2007, same-store sales fell 2 percent as
recessionary pressures began to impact consumer spending, especially
for Tiffany products with price tags above $50,000. The drop in tourism to
New York -- since the record year in 2006 -- may have also hurt Tiffany’s
flagship sales. The number of foreign visitors to New York in the fourth
quarter of 2008 fell 5.1 percent to 10.2 million, according to estimates by
the Manhattan Institute. This Christmas season, sales declines were so
widespread across the U.S. in all price categories that Tiffany stated
during a call with analysts this morning that it was the worst Christmas in
21 years of being a public company.
Michael Kowalski, Tiffany's chief executive officer (CEO), said in a
statement, “We believe these conditions will continue well into 2009.”
Given the sales declines, Kowalski expects net earnings for the fourth
quarter ending January 31, 2009 to drop. For the full year, Tiffany expects
net sales of approximately $2.85 billion and net earnings of $2.25 to $2.30
per diluted share. Tiffany shares were down 35 percent from one year ago
on Wednesday, to $22.


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Concur reported 24 percent higher year-over-year revenue of $118 million for its fiscal fourth quarter, ending in September. The company said it expects at least as much growth for its 2013 fiscal year thanks partly to record client signings. Concur in the September quarter also more than doubled its operating income compared with the same period a year earlier. While new accounts are the biggest driver of growth, a smaller factor, travel transaction growth, has turned from a "tailwind" to a "headwind" against growth, according to the company. This headwind plus the impact of Hurricane Sandy on both travel and Concur's deployments are driving weaker expectations for the current quarter.
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Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Max Hopper, Andrew Menkes, Jean-Cyril Spinetta and Andy Taylor this week were inducted into The BTN Group's Business Travel Hall of Fame.... read more »
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As Ohio continues re-opening from coronavirus shutdowns, stores across the state are making critical decisions on safety measures for shoppers.
During this time, stances on face coverings have flip-flopped by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. cleveland.com has been contacting supermarkets, big box retailers, drug stores and assorted stores around Northeast Ohio to get their latest policies on masks for customers.
Here is the latest roundup of store policies.
REQUIRING CUSTOMERS TO WEAR MASKS:
Costco was the first major retailer to announce it was making face coverings mandatory for customers.
The policy began May 4. The requirement does not apply to children under age 2, or to shoppers with medical conditions that make it difficult to wear one.
The store is requiring all guests to wear a face mask or covering while shopping in any of the stores. If someone does not have either one, $1 masks are available for purchase at the door while supplies last. Also, children under 16 are not allowed in the store.
Mustard Seed Market & Cafe
Mustard Seed announced that effective May 4, anyone entering the building is required to wear a face cover. It has two locations in Akron. The new procedure requires all customers, vendors, delivery drivers and salespeople to have a face covering. The exceptions are for health purposes and children under the age of 2.
NOT REQUIRING CUSTOMERS TO WEAR MASKS:
Aldi is asking customers to wear a mask, but is not requiring them to do so.
Since Ohio does not mandate customers to wear masks, it is not required at local CVS stores, spokesman Matt Blanchette told cleveland.com. “We have store signage in any market with state or local orders to remind customers that wearing a mask is required by law,” Blanchette said.
Aaron Saltzman, one of the owners of Dave’s Markets, told cleveland.com the chain is “strongly encouraging their customers to wear a face covering when shopping."
Face coverings are not required for customers, according to an email from a Drug Mart spokesperson.
Family Dollar is not mandating that customers wear face masks or coverings, according to its website.
Customer face coverings are strongly encouraged but not required, Fresh Thyme said in a statement from president Gerald Melville.
Dan Donovan, a spokesperson for Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle, told cleveland.com the chain has no policy when it comes to face masks and coverings for customers.
Locally-owned Heinen’s “strongly encourages" guests to wear face coverings but does not mandate it.
A mask is encouraged but not required in order to shop at Home Depot.
Joann, a national fabric and craft company based in the Cleveland area, is strongly encouraging customers to wear a mask, said spokesperson Shauntina Lilly.
Lowe’s customers will not be required to wear a mask, a company spokesperson said.
Lucky’s customers are not required to wear face coverings but it is strongly encouraged, Cleveland store manager Vanessa O’Brien said.
Flyers at Marc’s grocery store suggests customers wear masks and gloves while shopping, but the store does not require them.
Michigan-based Meijer says shoppers in Ohio will be encouraged, but not expected, to cover their faces.
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet
The outlet store does not specify that masks are mandatory in its coronavirus store policy notice.
While Trader Joe’s customers are encouraged to wear face coverings, the store does not require them.
Face coverings are strongly encouraged but not required of customers at this time, said Rite Aid spokesperson Chris Savarese.
Save A Lot
According to the company’s website, Save A Lot “asks customers and team members to wear masks," but are not requiring usage.
Target is not mandating that customers wear a face covering in order to shop, according to policies on its website.
Walgreens is asking customers to wear face masks but it’s not a requirement, according to its website.
“Walgreens encourages customers to wear face coverings but out of concern for employees’ safety, advises against confronting customers about the policy or trying to keep them from entering stores,” the company says on its website.
Walmart customers are not required to wear face masks. However, Walmart spokesperson Rebecca Thomason said the company “encourages customers to be especially mindful of one another during this unprecedented time and adhere to recommendations that we all use face coverings while in public spaces.”
Whole Foods is not mandating that shoppers wear a face covering. Last week a rep said customers would be asked to wear a mask while shopping and that Whole Foods will be providing face masks at the entrance for customers who do not have one, said Nathan Cimbala of the chain’s Global Public Relations Department.
Reporters Brenda Cain and Yadi Rodriguez contributed to this report.


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USANA Health Sciences on Tuesday celebrated the grand opening of its 350,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Beijing.
The $40 million complex will produce nutrition supplements for Mainland China, one of the company’s top markets. Since 2014, when construction began at the site, USANA’s sales in Greater China have increased more than 40 percent.
“There were many back orders and we wanted to increase the supply to satisfy the demands in China,” Brent Neidig, USANA Vice President of China Strategic Development, said in a company announcement.
During the past two years, USANA has navigated China’s complex regulatory process to secure 12 separate building licenses. The plant initially came online last fall, operating at limited capacity. Now fully up and running, the Beijing site can produce 1.2 billion tablets each year, as much as USANA’s Home Office facility in Salt Lake City.
USANA invested in the facility to ensure product quality is on par with what the company produces in the U.S.
All five buildings on site meet the requirements of the China Food and Drug Administration and the GB standards, the national standards issued by China. According to company officials, the plant is part of a broader plan to accelerate growth in China as USANA celebrates a milestone 25 years in business.
USANA develops and manufactures high-quality nutritional supplements, healthy foods and personal care products that are sold directly to Associates and Preferred Customers throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Mexico, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Thailand, France, Belgium, Colombia and Indonesia.
Get more information, facts and figures about USANA, click here for the USANA overview.


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Baku, August 21, AZERTAC
Amazon is to open a support centre for AWS users in London – the first of its kind outside the company`s Seattle base, according to the www.theregister.co.uk.
The purveyor of cloud and tat is to open a "Loft" – or tech support space to you and me – in East London in the September to support a number of tech startups.
London is apparently the obvious choice to launch outside the US, because of the number of "tech" startups it works with here – such as online takeaway outfit Just Eat. It will also open a shop in Berlin in October.
The cloudy seller has a number of "Lofts" in New York and San Francisco, having worked with the likes of Airbnb, Pinterest, Spotify and Hailo.
Werner Vogels, CTO and Vice President, Amazon.com said: "With the AWS Pop-up Loft in London we will be bringing together a host of AWS resources, and some of the brightest and most creative minds in the industry, to help startups across the UK."
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PlayStation 4 Sales Jump 106% in the UK due to inFAMOUS: Second Son - NewsWilliam D'Angelo, posted on 24 March 2014 / 13,056 Views
The first big PlayStation 4 exclusive of 2014, inFAMOUS: Second Son, launched on March 21. There are reports that in the UK the game was the bestselling game for the week ending March 22.
The game also boosted PlayStation 4 hardware sales 106 percent in the UK, according to a source who spoke with MCVUK. This is a bigger boost than Titanfall provided. It boosted Xbox One sales by 96 percent. With a 106 percent increase PlayStation 4 sales would be ay 20,538 units for the week ending March 22.


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BrightSpeed Solutions, Inc. and Kevin Howard
On March 3, 2021, the Bureau filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against BrightSpeed Solutions, Inc. (BrightSpeed) and its founder and former chief executive officer, Kevin Howard. BrightSpeed was a privately-owned, third-party payment processor based in Chicago, Illinois. Howard founded BrightSpeed in 2015 and ran the company until he wound it down in March 2019. The Bureau alleged that between 2016 and 2018, Howard and BrightSpeed knowingly processed payments for companies that purported to offer technical-support services and products over the internet, but actually tricked consumers into purchasing expensive and unnecessary antivirus software or services. The Bureau alleged that Howard’s and BrightSpeed’s actions were unfair practices in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 and as well as deceptive telemarketing practices in violation of the Telemarketing Sales Rule. On January 18, 2022, the Bureau filed a proposed stipulated judgment and order to resolve its claims, which the court entered on January 19, 2022. The stipulated judgment and order permanently bans defendants from the payment processing, consumer lending, deposit-taking, and financial advisory industries and from engaging in debt collection activities and telemarketing with respect to consumer financial products or services. The stipulated judgment and order also requires the defendants to pay $54 million in redress, which amount will be suspended upon Howard’s payment of a $500,000 civil money penalty.


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Activist investor Nelson Peltz has joined the board of Mondelez International.
Peltz, through his investment vehicle Trian Fund Management, is one of Mondelez’s largest shareholders, holding more than 46 million shares.
“Trian has long seen enormous opportunities in the company’s portfolio of strong global brands,” said Peltz.
“Irene Rosenfeld is a CEO who has created substantial value for shareholders over the course of her career. I look forward to working closely and constructively with Irene, the board and management team toward our shared goals of driving growth, improving margins and increasing value for all shareholders.”
Rosenfeld added: “We believe that Nelson will be a valuable addition to our board. We respect his more than 40 years of business and investment experience as well as his expertise helping consumer products companies leverage their brands and improve operating and financial performance. We welcome his input as we deliver superior shareholder returns.”
His appointment means Mondelez now has 12 members on its international board of directors, 11 of whom are independent.
Last summer, Peltz called for PepsiCo and Mondelez to merge. He claimed PepsiCo had reached a “strategic crossroads” and should merge with Mondelez to create a global snacks giant and then spin off its beverages business.


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The car, which is powered by a 5-litre supercharged V8 engine, can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds and hit a top speed of 322 km/h, the company said in a statement.
"The new F-TYPE SVR is the first Jaguar car to have been developed by the Special Vehicle Operations. Their ideas of precision engineering reflect brilliantly in each aspect of the car," JLR India President and Managing Director Rohit Suri said in a statement.
The company said it has begun taking bookings for the sports car, which is its fastest production car ever.
The Jaguar F-TYPE SVR is available in coupe and convertible form, it added.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


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Board Game innovator Hasbro and crowdfunding platform Indiegogo have joined forces to find the next cult face-to-face party game.
The companies are inviting professional game designers as well as novices to come up with ideas for a completely new game that doesn’t depend on WiFi or mobile phone network to be enjoyable.
Although the first couple of rounds of the competition won’t include crowdfunding, once Hasbro has whittled down the finalists to five, it will run the campaigns on Indiegogo to find the overall winner.
The winner will take home $10,000 and will be invited to Hasbro HQ where they can develop the idea with the game manufacturer’s designers and developers to make the game a reality.
“More people are gaming than ever before and the category has grown tremendously with the emergence of a passionate and talented community of game designers,” said Brian Chapman, head of design and development at Hasbro. “We believe big game ideas can come from anywhere and the challenge with Indiegogo will be a new way for Hasbro to connect with the gaming community and discover a big new idea that we can hopefully help cultivate and bring to market.”
Those who want to take part have until September 30th to submit their initial ideas to Hasbro and the finalists will be announced a month later, when the campaigns will go live on Indiegogo. Both Hasbro and Indiegogo will be on hand to offer support to the finalists in order to make their campaigns as successful as possible.
The overall winner will be announced shortly after the campaigns complete on December 1st, promising a very happy Christmas for one lucky person.
“We’re very excited to see the growing trend of large companies leveraging Indiegogo’s global community of early adopters to source, validate and launch innovative customer-driven products faster and with less risk than ever before,” Jerry Needel, senior vice president of sales and market development at Indiegogo said. “By teaming up with Hasbro, we’re helping talented game developers get the global exposure and access they need to help turn their ideas into reality.”


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Festival City Mall expansion continues
Dubai's growing reputation as a global shopping hub is set to be enhanced further by the expansion of the emirate's Festival City Mall.
The centre is currently undergoing an AED 1.2 billion development programme and this week will see its all-new Festival Square - the area that serves as the main atrium - revealed. Some 25 new stores are also set to be opened.
Brad Merchant, general manager of the mall, stated: "Many regional and international retailers have bought into our plans and have committed a growing number of stores to Dubai Festival City Mall as they are aspiring to expand their critical mass alongside our unique waterfront location on the banks of Dubai’s historic Creek."
The mall's expansion programme will continue throughout the year, with new developments to include a waterfront promenade, food court and children's play areas. Once complete, the retail hub will be home to 420 stores.
Last year, CBRE ranked Dubai as the second most important international retail destination worldwide, with only London rated ahead of the emirate on this front. This means the city was ranked ahead of the likes of Milan and Paris, which is a considerable achievement.


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The Ecuadorian shrimp does not fall asleep, nor does the current drain it. On the contrary, it goes to the trend of consumers in the world: that of responsible production. If not say Songa, Santa Priscilla, Omarsa, Lanec, Naturisa, the shrimp farms Nile River, Psalms, Lebama, Agromarina and Produmar, leading the initiative Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP).
The National Chamber of Aquaculture explains it this way: “It is a sustainability initiative with the commitment to grow shrimp with the highest standards, with zero use of antibiotics and completely traceable.” That is, the entire journey is known, from when the larva is purchased until the product is sold in supermarkets. “This is an international level project whose purpose is to guarantee not only the quality of the product but also its sustainable management with respect to the environment and the adequate use of inputs that do not affect the consumer or the environment that surrounds them,” he explains to Diario EXPRESO.
Eduardo Egas, executive president of the Corporation for the Promotion of Exports and Investments (Corpei). The initiative was launched this week in Boston, USA and has an advisory council integrated by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Certification. Shrimp surpassed banana last year as the country’s main non-oil export product, with sales of 3,037 million dollars (versus the $ 3,034 million of bananas).
This reflects the high responsibility of those who lead the Ecuadorian industry, not only for an adequate management of their activity, but also to guarantee respect for their clients, notes Egas, after emphasizing that “this puts the vanguard at the forefront of these themes.”
Ecuador is the fourth supplier of shrimp in captivity in the United States and the first producer in America, far from its competitors in this part of the world. And every day its power increases: last year it sold 438 thousand metric tons, 18.1% more in relation to 2016, generating 17.7% more foreign currency, according to data from the Central Bank.
Nancy Cely Icaza, former Executive Director of the Chamber of Aquaculture, highlights that this initiative places Ecuador in the # 1 position not only in the world shrimp sector, but also in many other food producing sectors, especially directed to developed countries, over which the Consumers have increasing misgivings about the conditions in which they are being cultivated.
The SSP also includes water quality and differentiates the shrimp from Ecuador that is sold under this certification from all other shrimp offered from other sources, as well as giving direct access to importers that serve socially and environmentally responsible buyers to satisfy this segment that is in high growth.
José Antonio Camposano, CEO of the Chamber
Shrimp is considered a commodity, with which price has often been more important than quality. But there are consumers who want more options.
Rodrigo Laniado, founding member of SSP
We learned a few years ago that the environment is the best friend of the shrimpers and today we are producing more shrimp and we are more and more sustainable.
There are parameters that companies that wish to be members must meet.
The product must comply with the ASC certification.
The industry will work with small and medium-sized farms to help improve their practices and certify them. Informed consumer Consumers will be made aware of the subject. (I)


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Marketing scheme to push new G-Shock lines delivers fantastic ROI.
Casio has said that taking over the shop window at the World Duty Free shop at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 has resulted in “fantastic sales”.
The watch brand initially set up the shop window as a marketing initiative to showcase some of its more pricey G-Shock lines and on-trend colourful watches but said the venture has been commercially successful.
Philip Wolkind, who heads up Casio’s timepiece division, said: “We did it for PR activity but sales have been fantastic.”
The window display launched last week and will run until the end of March.


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Facebook spent more than $50 million last year paying publishers and celebrities to create live video on the social network.
Now numerous publishers tell Recode that Facebook is de-emphasizing live video when it talks to them. And none of the publishers we’ve spoken with expect Facebook to renew the paid livestreaming deals it signed last spring to get live video off the ground.
Instead, Facebook is pushing publishers to create longer, premium video content as part of a larger effort led by Facebook exec Ricky Van Veen. The hope is to get more high-quality video onto the platform and into your News Feed — the kind of stuff, presumably, you might find on Netflix.
Facebook may pay publishers for that stuff, instead of paying them to make live video, a format Mark Zuckerberg was “obsessed” with last year. Late last year, Recode reported that Van Veen is having discussions with some creators to license TV-style shows.


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In March 2012, the South Korea- US KORUS FTA eliminated a 24 per cent tariffs on US cherries. By the end of 2012, 5,897 tonnes of US cherries had been exported to South Korea, almost double the quantity the previous year. The cherries are sold by major retailers including Lotte Mart, E-Mart and the QVC home shopping channel.
Ninety per cent of the cherries are shipped by air. One cherry grower chartered two Boeing 747 flights specifically for exports to Seoul, because the cargo space on scheduled commercial flights was full up.
Removal of an 8 per cent tariff on almonds has led to a 22 per cent increase in exports of the crop from the US to Korea. This has benefitted Californian almond growers who produce 80 per cent of the world’s total crop.
Removal of a 15 per cent wine tariff increased exports by 26 per cent in 2012, compared to the previous year.
In 2012, total exports of high value agricultural goods from the US to South Korea totalled a record $208 billion.


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US-Italian auto giant Fiat Chrysler and France's Groupe PSA, the maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars, announced Wednesday they are in merger talks that could create the world's number four automaker.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) said in a statement it "confirms there are ongoing discussions aimed at creating one of the world's leading mobility groups" with PSA.
The statement and a similar one from PSA offered no additional details. A person with knowledge of the matter told AFP on Tuesday that the merger would yield an entity valued at about $50 billion.
The person said Carlos Tavares, the chief executive of Peugeot's parent, Groupe PSA, would lead the new company as CEO while John Elkann, chairman of FCA, would be chairman.
Discussions between the automakers are ongoing and there is no guarantee of an agreement, the source said, confirming details first published in the Wall Street Journal.
According to Bloomberg News, FCA's board of directors is expected to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday.
A merger of the two groups would bring under one roof Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroen, Dodge, DS, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot and Vauxhall.


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If hotcakes were selling like iPads, IHOP would be the hottest investment on the block. But hold the maple syrup -- despite the higher price tag on most Macs, Apple’s making more money off iPads these days. Its Q3 2011 iPad earnings were $6.05 billion, up 179 percent since the previous year. Meanwhile, Mac sales raked in $5.1 billion…representing gains of only 16 percent.
What’s driving the iPad’s explosive growth? The “cool factor” is certainly part of it, but the iPad’s utility is the foundation of its success. It’s terrific as a second computing device (the first being a Mac or PC), and for many of us, it’s taking the spotlight as our primary platform for work, email, browsing, and beyond. Thanks to the cutting-edge offerings in the App Store (15 billion downloads served!), it’s even more practical than ever before to handle all your productivity needs with an iPad. We’re talking photographing checks to deposit them, piping video calls to your TV, and loads more. But how?
Apple seeds yet another iOS 5 beta to developers on Wednesday night, an over the air update less than half the size of the last one with few obvious changes -- with the exception of killing what appeared to be streaming music tracks through the iTunes Match beta.
I have spent all week playing a game that has no Mac version on my MacBook Pro. Without a copy of Windows. Specifically, I've been playing Guild Wars, the uber-popular, uber-fun MMO that is due for a sequel any day now. I did it all without hitch too, running the application without needing to run that other icky operating system. With CrossOver Games there are currently thousands of games to choose from.
Love your Mac but just can’t feel the emotional connection to the iPhone the way the rest of us can? Perhaps you’ve turned your back on BlackBerry, webOS and Android in favor of the Microsoft flavor, Windows Phone 7. With a new version of the Windows Phone 7 software (codenamed “Mango”) just around the corner, you’ll be happy to know your Mac is ready for it.
Remember that odd MacBook Pro that turned up on eBay earlier this month sporting a MagSafe antenna and SIM slot? It turns out that Apple killed the auction and is now requesting the owner to return it, following an interesting saga involving Craigslist and a local Genius Bar.
Maybe you’re not down with Apple’s push for a gesture-based operating system on OS X Lion, preferring to crunch numbers the old-fashioned way with your keyboard. You may change your opinion soon enough when you see how easy it is to temporarily convert a Magic Trackpad into a touchable number pad.
Oh, Mac Pro… poor little neglected Mac Pro. All of your other family members have gotten the Intel bump this year with Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt I/O ports, and yet you remain frozen in time, no longer the fastest Mac of them all. While we (im)patiently wait for a new version of you, here are a few things we’d like to see in your next incarnation.
There’s no doubt that new CEO Tim Cook’s intentions are pure. As Apple’s Board of Directors swiftly confirmed, there is no one more capable of stepping into Steve Jobs’ shoes, and no one more eager to stay true to Apple’s culture and DNA. But no matter how much wisdom Steve has imparted on Cook or how many late-night phone calls they have, decisions no longer go through Jobs. And as with any regime change, things will be different, no matter how reassuring Tim’s words are.
Now, that doesn’t mean Apple’s going to suddenly start selling iPhones with slide-out keyboards, but some noticeable changes might be in store over the next year or so. Click through for a look at what we might be seeing a little different this time next year.
In yet another sign that Apple is moving swiftly toward the release of iCloud this fall, Apple released a new beta version of iTunes to developers on Monday night which brings iTunes Match testing -- that is, for those quick enough to sign up and discover the service appears to stream as well as download songs.


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Capcom Leaks Reveal Resident Evil Village Release Window & More
A group of hackers called Ragnar Locker penetrated Capcom’s defences earlier this month and stole over 1TB of data. Apparently, the Japanese games giant refused to submit to their demands, resulting in the leaks of a portion of that enormous data on 4chan and Reddit.
Here are the biggest revelations to come out of the leaks:
Capcom has responded with an official press release, stating that alongside all the game details and information above, the hackers may have obtained information of 14,000 customers from the North American Capcom store, as well as the names, addresses and gender of 4,000 users from Capcom’s esports operations in the US.
In addition, the company reassured that it is safe for players to continue playing their games, both online and offline.
It’s worth pointing out that these are all based on alleged leaks obtained illegally by hackers, so none of it can be confirmed to be true. They might turn out to be true, but just take it all with a grain of salt for now.


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New Delhi: Announcing the details of ‘INDAI 2.0’ project, ŠKODA AUTO CEO Bernhard Maier and Gurpratap Boparai, Managing Director of ŠKODA AUTO India Private Ltd said that Volkswagen Group will invest one billion Euros in the project.
Going forward ŠKODA AUTO is responsible for leading Volkswagen Group’s planned model campaign on the Indian market. Volkswagen Group is investing one billion Euros towards the implementation of the project, primarily between 2019 and 2021.
To ensure the products are perfectly suited to the Indian market, ŠKODA AUTO will set up an engineering centre in the country. All models designed and produced locally in India in the future will be based on Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform, which already fulfils the stricter legal requirements for India that come into force in 2020.
ŠKODA AUTO CEO Bernhard Maier said, “Experts predict that in the next few years India is going to become the third-largest automotive market worldwide. With our ‘INDIA 2.0’ project we are now creating the right conditions for sustainable growth there. Our objective is ambitious but achievable: together with the Volkswagen brand, we are seeking a market share of up to five per cent in the long term, depending on market and segment development.”
Gurpratap Boparai, Managing Director of ŠKODA AUTO India Private Ltd, added, “With the ‘INDIA 2.0’ project, ŠKODA AUTO India and Volkswagen Group India are in an excellent position to optimally confront the dynamics of the Indian car market. In India, we will offer world-class products at prices that amount to a paradigm shift in the automotive industry. We will manufacture the new products on the localised MQB A0 platform, which already fulfils the stricter emission and safety standards that are expected to come into force in India in 2020.”
Details of Project ‘INDIA 2.0’
Initially, ŠKODA AUTO will develop the MQB A0 platform with a focus on India (MQB-A0-IN). In the second phase, ŠKODA will be assessing the possibility of exporting vehicles manufactured in India. ŠKODA and Volkswagen will develop several products based on this platform. The model campaign will begin in 2020 with a mid-size SUV.
To ensure that the planned models will fulfil the requirements of Indian customers, ŠKODA AUTO will develop these products at the world-class engineering centre which is part of the INDIA 2.0 project. Within the INDIA 2.0 Project, ŠKODA AUTO India plans to gradually create 4000 – 5000 new jobs.
ŠKODA AUTO India Private Ltd. currently offers four models on the Indian subcontinent: the OCTAVIA, SUPERB, RAPID and most recently the KODIAQ, which was launched in October 2017. The RAPID is manufactured at the Pune plant, while the OCTAVIA, SUPERB and KODIAQ models are produced in Aurangabad where the company headquarters are located. ŠKODA vehicles are sold in India through 70 dealerships and 70 service centres are available to customers.


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70% of public firmly opposed to drivers using hand-held mobiles at the wheel'
The proportion of Britons who "disagree strongly" that it is safe to talk on a hand-held mobile phone while driving has reached its highest level since current records began, new research shows. Some 70% of people said they are firmly against the practice, according to the annual British Social Attitudes Survey which holds data on the topic going back to 2006.
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MMA Offshore Limited (ASX:MRM)
has announced it will sell its Dampier and Broome Base Supply assets to Toll Group.
The marine service provider will realise $44.1 million from the sale of the Dampier Supply Base, which operates in the North West Shelf of Western Australia.
The company will also realise $8.7 million from its 50% interest in the Toll Mermaid Logistics Broome base.
The transactions will reduce MMA Offshore’s debt over the course of the 2017 financial year. The sales are also subject to regulatory approvals.
MMA Limited (ASX:MRM)
reported a net loss of $45.4 million for the half year ending 31 December 2016.