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The European Union on April 26 has released a draft of the probable and proposed revamp of its drug manufacturing laws. The changes have gone on to cause controversy among the manufacturers, with some even opining that they might as well leave the region if the laws actually take effect. That said, as per the announcement made by Stella Kyriakides, the EU Health Commissioner, the transformation will go on to provide EU citizens with more accessible, affordable, and novel medicines.
It is well to be noted that the reforms will fall within the wider EU health plan from 2021 to 2027, in which one of the objectives is the affordability of medicines for members. The revision aims to address the limitations of the industry and, at the same time, increase the supply chain within Europe so that there is more access to the medicines. The step also looks into addressing environmental challenges and taking tangible action when it comes to antimicrobial resistance.
The anticipation is that these changes might as well benefit not just Europe but also third parties of the EU, for instance, the associated countries, by sharing a more robust global supply chain from Europe across the rest of the world.
The program is going to have changes when it comes to data exclusivity, which means that other companies will be able to make use of the work done by their competition sooner than in the present scenario. Significantly, the public has viewed these changes more positively after many were upset at how the healthcare sector has gone on to struggle right from the time the pandemic began.
That said, the changes have also prompted some pushback from the drug manufacturing sector. Many of the costs are directly passed on to the manufacturer, with some even giving serious thought to moving away from Europe. This attitude is indeed at its peak, as there happen to be more profitable markets in certain other countries, like the largely unregulated ones in the US and China. According to the CEO of a pharmaceutical major, sharing data within such a time frame can have a damaging impact on Europe.


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Why you ought to break your coffee habit and drink tea instead.
To the average american, coffee is a daily habit. But little do they realize the implications of drinking this roasted bean...
Coffee is linked to heart disease, according to a study done by researchers at the European Society of Cardiology. Apparently it causes the arteries to harden, putting your heart under strain and raising your blood pressure. Not only that, but there are chemicals in coffee that are linked to heart disease and strokes. Not even filtered coffee can stop that.
Which is why you should switch to tea. According to John Weisburger, Ph.D., tea can not only reduce the risk of heart disease, but also according to studies done by the University of Cambridge School of Medicine, it can strengthen bones and prevent against osteoporosis in women. And there's a chance that it may help to prevent cancer, as well. Oh yes, and studies have shown that compounds in black tea attach bacteria causing gum disease and cavities. In fact, they can even "suppress growth and acid production of cavity-causing bacteria in dental plaque."
Then again, if you've been drinking coffee all your life and are depressed by these facts, you'd better drink more coffee. Word has it that drinking coffee prevents suicide.

domain: news


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CC has taken another step toward the goal of expanding its electric vehicle infrastructure to make charging more accessible campus wide.
CC has installed a dual-head (two-car capacity) ChargePoint electric vehicle charger just north of Tutt Library. The parking is open to members of the CC community and outside community members, as it is on the national ChargePoint network. The cost per hour to charge is 75 cents.
“Now that there are more electric vehicles on the roads and higher demand for charging facilities, it made sense to upgrade to the newest system, so now we’ll have more charging spaces,” says Ian Johnson, director of the Office of Sustainability.
Jim Burness ’90, CEO of National Car Charging, cut the ribbon on the new electric vehicle charger as part of the Earth Week celebrations. Burness’s company is working to improve the electric vehicle infrastructure in cities like Colorado Springs.
The company has worked on projects across the nation to jumpstart electric vehicle use by providing the necessary infrastructure. Burness says he’s passionate and enthusiastic about this issue in Colorado Springs and even helped CC use tax credit savings to subsidize the new charging station.


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The owner of a closure-threatened fish processing factory in Annan has been put up for sale.
Two weeks ago, Young's Seafood announced plans to close its Pinneys factory in the town, which would result in the loss of at least 450 jobs.
Now, the owners of the Grimsby-based company have put the firm itself on the market.
Current owners Lion Capital, Bain Capital and HPS Investment Partners have been involved in Young's Seafood for a decade, having bought it from Bidvest in 2008 for £1.1m.
The company's plans to make major operational changes - closing the Pinneys factory in Annan and adding new jobs in Grimsby - are understood not to be affected by the latest developments.
In a statement to ITV Border, a spokesperson from the company said there would be a "structured and open bidding process".


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Boston-based hospitality group, PPX Hospitality Brands, is partnering with DoorDash to bring Legal Sea Foods to greater Columbus and Chicago for National Seafood Month, according to a company press release.
Operating out of the group’s long-standing America’s Steakhouse destinations, Smith & Wollensky at Easton Town Center as well as Smith & Wollensky Marina City, Legal Sea Foods offers a variety of menu items available for delivery or pick up.
With over a decade of experience at the helm of Smith & Wollensky, as the national director of culinary development and vice president of culinary, Matt King oversees both Smith & Wollensky and Legal Sea Foods as PPX’s chief culinary officer.
“PPX Hospitality is proud to offer the freshest New England flavors of Legal Sea Foods to the people of greater Columbus and Chicago, communities we’ve been so privileged to be a part of for many years with Smith & Wollensky at Easton Town Center and Marina City,” Kim Giguere-Lapine, CMO, said in the press release. “We are dedicated to delivering the same standard of excellence with our virtual Legal Sea Foods kitchen as we have to our guests of Smith & Wollensky, and will ensure this by utilizing the same high-quality, local vendors and suppliers that we’ve been partnering with for years, all under the culinary leadership of Chef Matt.”
Seventy years ago, Legal Sea Foods opened as a fish market in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has grown to 23 restaurants along the east coast.


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Tata Teleservices and NTT DoCoMo sign US$2.6 billion Deal
Feb. 24 – On Monday, the Indian government finally gave their nod to Japan’s NTT DoCoMo buying a 27.3 percent stake in Tata Teleservices Ltd the country’s sixth-largest mobile operator for 129.24 billion rupees (US$2.6 billion). The deal will also allow NTT DoCoMo to acquire 20.25 percent in Tata Tele's listed unit Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Ltd, for 9.45 billion rupees (US$188 million) the government said. The twin investments make this one of the largest foreign direct investments to flow into India in the past year and NTT DoCoMO's largest overseas invetsment in eight years.
This marks the Tata Group’s third major international deal. In 2007, Tata Steel bought the Corus Group Plc for US$13 billion marking India’s largest takeover. Last year the conglomerate’s automobile arm Tata Motors bought Jaguar and Land Rover for US$2.3 billion.
The deal with NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest telecom operator will allow Tata Teleservices to expand networks, access to newer technology and compete with larger rivals Bharti Airtel Ltd. and Reliance Communications Ltd. It will also give NTT DoCoMo an entry into the world’s most dynamic wireless market.
Indian and Japanese trade ties have been rising year on year. The two countries plan to sign a FTA soon and expect trade to reach US$20 billion by 2010.
Besides NTT DoCoMo, China Mobile is also interested in garnering a share of India's telecom pie. “We are looking at India for our expansion,” Wang Jianzhou, chairman and CEO of China Mobile, told the Business Standard on the sidelines of a press conference at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
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Flybe's £215m flotation has come crashing down as the carrier's shares shed 25% of their value in the wake of a profit warning over waning consumer appetite for air travel.
The Exeter-based regional carrier bases its appeal on "affordable travel from the most convenient airport" but admitted that lower high street spending in the UK had affected demand for cheap flights since the new year, with domestic routes among the hardest hit. Despite warning of cash-strapped customers, Flybe also announced a £3 fuel surcharge on all flights from September.
Flybe said the slowdown in consumer outlay, already indicated by trading woes at high street names such as HMV and Mothercare, had affected "discretionary spend" on air travel and triggered significant analysts' downgrades. Flybe said it expected pre-tax profits for this year to be broadly in line with the 2010/11 figures, which put it heavily out of kilter with analysts' expectations. Investors ignored Flybe's defence of its "resilient and flexible" business model of flying from small airports such as Southampton and Norwich, and sold the shares heavily.
Shareholders had expected a pre-tax profit of about £36m, not the £22m indicated in the trading update, and Flybe's shares slumped 25% to 172.50p, far below the flotation price of 295p last December.
Flybe's new investors included George Soros, the hedge fund tycoon, who acquired a 3.4% stake on flotation and whose more assured bets included starting a run on the pound in 1992. British Airways owns a further 15% of the business.
One of the pioneers of add-on charges including baggage fees when it rebranded from British European in 2002, Flybe said the £3 fuel surcharge would be dropped if the price of Brent crude fell below $75 (£45.60) per barrel for 28 consecutive days; its current price is $117 per barrel.
Flybe also indicated cutbacks on its domestic routes as it flagged the possible disposal of surplus aircraft, believed to include the Bombardier Q400 turboprop planes that are used on its UK services.
In its trading update the company did not expand on its strategy of building its presence in continental Europe but it is understood that Flybe is standing by plans to add 35 Embraer aircraft to its 68-strong fleet, with the option of buying 105 more. The £66m float proceeds have been earmarked for the expansion, which includes codeshare deals where it operates flights on another carrier's behalf.
The International Air Transport Association (Iata) warned that the financial markets have taken a bearish stance on airlines. Airline share prices have underperformed stock markets by 17% this year, Iata said, and investors now fear that carriers will be hard hit by higher fuel costs – about a quarter of the industry's cost base – and the consequent effect on demand as higher prices hit sales. "Financial markets, bullish over airlines through 2010, now believe the industry will suffer more than most in this high fuel cost and demand-shock environment," said Iata.
Flybe said demand from business travellers, who account for 45% of its customers, remained strong. "This sector has proved very resilient," said Flybe, echoing recent comments by Iata, which said demand for business class travel was holding up more strongly than in the back of the cabin. The premium airline market grew 7.7% in February, compared with a 3.3% improvement in economy class traffic.


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Singapore –31st October 2017 – Leading anime video game developer and publisher BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Asia today announced ‘FULL METAL PANIC! FIGHT! WHO DARES WINS’ for the PlayStation®4, launching in 2018. The first-ever stand-alone Full Metal Panic! game will be available in Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines,) with Japanese voice-over and English subtitles.
Full Metal Panic! Fight! Who Dares Wins will be developed by the studio behind the Super Robot Wars’ series, B.B. Studio Co. Ltd. Look forward to an engaging gameplay coming in 2018, so stay tuned for further updates!
The Full Metal Panic! series is a sci-fi action classic where the military, robots and school life collide! In a war-hardened world, Black Technology has led to a proliferation of humanoid weapons known as Arm Slaves. Sousuke Sagara of Mithril, the world’s foremost armed organization, encounters high school student Kaname Chidori, and has to fight to survive chaotic school days and dangerous battles. A new television animation titled Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory is also planned for the series, which has been well-loved since first publication in 1998.
‘Full Metal Panic! Fight! Who Dares Wins’ for the PlayStation®4 will be released in Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines) in 2018, with Japanese voice-over and English subtitles.


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Sigfox 0G Network on Track to Establishing a Standard
2018 was marked by strong growth for Sigfox , the first global 0G network, confirming its leadership in small data collection. The French-based company has now validated its unique standard with major industries and key players trusting Sigfox as the world’s leading small data provider.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190220005403/en/
Significant, measurable milestones have been reached by the company such as:
- The expansion of its network to 60 countries through new Sigfox Operators joining the largest IoT ecosystem in the world. More than 500M € have been invested by Sigfox and Sigfox Operators to create this unique network.
- The latest milestone was reached at the end of December 2018, with Poland joining the Sigfox Operators family allowing Sigfox to become the only operator offering full European coverage
- 1 billion people are now covered by the network. This represents a huge milestone since the beginning of the company’s epic adventure, which started with the first antenna installation in France in 2011
- Data services activity is now successfully growing with more and more significant deals secured: 6,2 million devices are connected to Sigfox network as per last year’s objective (+148%) , and 13 million messages are collected every day.
Overall, the company’s total revenue has increased by 20% since 2017, bringing it to 60 million euros. Connectivity revenue has increased by almost 100% . In just 4 years, Sigfox’s revenue has increased by 400%.
- The dynamic market has been enhanced with Sigfox’s unique value proposition based on robust technology and plug-and-play solutions. In 2018, Sigfox signed major deals with industry leading companies including Dachser, Getrak, Michelin, NEC, Netstar, PSA/IBM and Total for asset tracking, demonstrating that Sigfox is 100% a viable solution to digitalize industrial patrimony. Tier one manufacturers in the automotive and mobile industries, Alps and LiteOn also joined the Sigfox ecosystem.
Sigfox is also playing a remarkable role in the back up of connectivity services. 0G technology has been chosen and integrated into the innovative FreeBox Delta , through a strategic partnership with Free, Iliad Group led by Xavier Niel, with the use case showcased during its latest keynote in Paris, France.
Indeed, Sigfox technology is a reliable alternative service of communication for security devices. Over the last 5 years, 2.8 million Securitas alarms have been linked to the Sigfox network.
- The adoption of Sigfox is growing tremendously with more than 200 universities, and partners as well as more than 1.200 startups developing the future with Sigfox’s simple technology. The first Hacking House is now open in San Francisco to accelerate emerging solutions across industries.
- Sigfox technology is now being democratized with the recent opening of its specifications for devices . This major step will empower the whole ecosystem of device makers as well as academic communities to develop new solutions connecting the unconnected.
The World is not enough!
As part of its ambitious 5 year strategy referred to as “1B23”, Sigfox is naturally working towards its target of connecting 1 billion devices to its 0G network by the end of 2023.
The execution of the strategy, driven by an international Exco team and backed by its two co-founders, is structured around the following initiatives:
- Achieving a global footprint of its 0G network by expanding in strategic countries: India, Russia, China.
- Partnering with Eutelsat, Sigfox will test its first Satellite in H2 2019 : The two companies will finetune their offer to prepare for the commercial launch of the “ELO” constellation in 2020. The key objective is to cover the entire planet under one single umbrella with simplicity and high capacity as a result of a combination of ground and satellite networks. The Sigfox ecosystem and customers will experience satellite usage without modifying their existing devices.
“With its unique coverage and large quantity of connected devices, Sigfox definitely demonstrates its performance and relevance. Tier one customers around the globe acknowledge our value proposition with a high level of satisfaction. It’s no longer a dream to track assets across continents with a few dollar trackers with years of autonomy. Only a 0G network can deliver such performance. But it’s never enough, save the date for Sigfox Connect in Singapore ” said Ludovic Le Moan, CEO and Co-Founder of Sigfox .
About Sigfox www.sigfox.com
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Lynn Burkhead — TPWD printed regs booklet falls victim to COVID-19
As the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has evolved in recent weeks, it might not be accurate to say that everything in the world has changed.
But many portions of it have, some for good. And that includes the Texas outdoors scene, where hunters and anglers across the Lone Star State found out this week that one of the state’s longest running yearly outdoor staples has been swept to the curb by the ongoing pandemic winds.
Specifically, Texans will soon notice a big absence at their favorite outdoors store, a change brought about by the negative economic results of the ongoing worldwide pandemic, as well as recent content consumption trends.
That will happen later this summer when hunting and fishing licenses go on sale in mid-August. When outdoorsmen make such purchases, there will be no Texas Outdoor Annual Hunting, Fishing and Boating Regulations booklets to pick up and carry out of the store with you.
Officials with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (www.tpwd.texas.gov) made that announcement a few days ago when the agency said it will now be going to an all-digital format for the upcoming hunting and fishing license season, which starts on Aug. 15, 2020 when next season’s licenses go on sale.
According to TPWD, thanks to the economic impacts of the coronavirus, the Outdoor Annual booklets will not be printed this year. Instead, they will now be available only online at OutdoorAnnual.com and through TPWD’s free Outdoor Annual mobile app.
“We are well aware that this change may be disappointing to some of our long-time outdoorsmen and women that have become accustomed to bringing the Outdoor Annual booklets on their hunting and fishing trips,” said Carter Smith, executive director for TPWD, in the news release. “Be assured, it is not going away and will still be accessible via the web and our special Outdoor Annual Mobile app.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure hunters, anglers and boaters are aware of this change and utilize the benefits of the digital Outdoor Annual during the upcoming seasons,” he added.
While this change is sudden, it isn’t entirely unexpected either. According to TPWD’s news release, Texas Monthly, the long-time publisher of the Texas Outdoor Annual, has made it possible for the agency to provide regulations booklets and a mobile app.
But in recent years, the agency says that “…an increasing number of hunters and anglers have turned to the website and mobile app to get the most up-to-date information about regulations, including any changes in chronic wasting disease zones.”
While economic realities and media trends are obviously forcing changes, do the numbers support the all-digital move by TPWD?
According to the agency, they do, since TPWD notes that last year alone, more than 2.8 million users visited the Outdoor Annual website to access current regulations. Agency officials in Austin also say that’s significantly more than the 2.3 million printed copies that were distributed during the same time.
One way or the other, because of the evolving health crisis situation, one of the pandemic’s victims is now a longtime staple of the Texas’ outdoors scene. But it’s also a result that has been slowly approaching for some time now.
“Texas Monthly has enjoyed a decades-long public-private partnership with TPWD which made it possible for the Texas Outdoor Annual print and digital versions to be produced using revenue from sponsors and advertisers,” said Scott Brown, president of Texas Monthly, in the TPWD news release.
Now that oncoming change is here to stay.
“2020 has presented our partnership and the world with a host of new challenges connected to COVID-19,” said Brown. “Our shared goal is that hunters, anglers and boaters will find the Outdoor Annual website and the significantly enhanced mobile app to be user-friendly ways to get the most up-to-date information and, on the mobile app, to access the regulations without needing internet connectivity.”
While those who still like to utilize printed products might chafe at this news, in the 24/7/365 digital world that has been evolving for more than two decades now, there are also some unique opportunities for Lone Star State outdoorsmen.
According to TPWD, the Outdoor Annual mobile app also provides interactive features not found in the printed copy, including the ability to view regulations offline and in remote locations, and to even be able to carry a digital copy of one’s hunting and fishing license.
TPWD also notes that additional app features include location-based functionality such as “Seasons and Regulations by Current Location,” “Where to Fish,” “Game and Fish Identification,” "Finding a Nearby License Retailer” among others. Push notifications can also provide an angler or hunter with useful information.
Should you want to, like carrying it around in a pack to read on a slow day, TPWD points out that hunters and anglers will still have the ability to print copies of relevant portions of the Outdoor Annual before they head out the door. Or you can simply read it on your Smartphone or tablet…if you have connectivity and don’t run out of battery power.
Finally, TPWD reports that currently, the Outdoor Annual website and mobile app are showing the 2019-2020 regulations now in effect through Aug. 31, 2020. But they also note that the mobile app, which is available for download at www.outdoorannual.com/app, will be automatically updated on Aug. 15.
As the countdown begins to Sept. 1st and the dove season opener that will usher in another fall of hunting action across the Lone Star State, TPWD says that you won’t need to wait any longer to begin getting ready for another autumn run in the great outdoors.
While the printed paper product is now gone, consumed finally by the passing of time and a pandemic that has changed the world, outdoorsmen are already looking forward with hope to next year and the hunting and fishing action that the 2020-21 season will bring.
In the meantime, you might rummage around in your hunting pack or angling gear bag to see if you can still find a copy of the 2019-20 regulations book.
Because if you do, you might want to hang onto it — it’s now a collector’s item.


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Uber to sell shares at $44 to $50 each in stock market debut
NEW YORK (AP) — Ride-hailing giant Uber is planning to sell 180 million shares for between $44 and $50 per share, in a sign of caution.
That would raise up to $9 billion for the San Francisco-based company, which reportedly values the company at $80 to $90 billion, lower than previous estimates that were as high as $120 billion.
Uber gave potential investors a first look at its finances this month, revealing nearly $8 billion in losses over a decade. That mirrors the challenges faced by its rival Lyft, which went public last month and saw its stock price rapidly decline.
But Uber also showed impressive growth.
Uber stockholders also will be selling 27 million shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase stock.


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Siren, a startup that has developed fabric with embedded microsensors, has unveiled its product, a sock for people with diabetes. Siren also announced a $3.4 million investment from DCM, Khosla Ventures and Founders Fund.
Powered by its Neurofabric technology, the diabetic sock can monitor foot temperatures with the idea that those with diabetes will be able to detect potential foot injuries.
“What we do is we take proven technology and we put it inside of socks so people can use it easily,” Siren co-founder and CEO Ran Ma told me. “If you get injured and have diabetic nerve damage, it’s hard to feel pain. The pain can go unnoticed, become infected, turn into an ulcer and lead to an amputation.”
Each sock is fitted with six sensors, so 12 sensors for every pair of socks. They’re also machine-washable and don’t need to be charged.
Siren sells for $19.95 a month, which gets people an initial pack of five pairs of socks, access to fresh socks every six months and access to the Siren Hub for monitoring.
Since its conception, Siren has had a few versions of its socks. Over the years, Siren has fine-tuned its development process to more seamlessly integrate the technology into the socks. Last January, Siren Care won TechCrunch’s Hardware Battlefield at the Consumer Electronics Show.
The plan is to create additional products in the health space with this technology.
“It’s very easily scalable,” Ma said. “It’s the same process. You just switch out the component. We already know sensors and electronics are getting cheaper and smaller every single day. So we just take advantage of this trend. Most of this stuff is made for wearables but we’re hijacking it and putting it in your clothes. And we think that’s the best use case.”


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San Francisco, CA – The newspaper industry is adapting to the digital age as more readers turn to online platforms for their news consumption. In an effort to cater to this growing demand, newspapers are offering subscription packages that provide unlimited access to their content and digital apps. Two major newspapers, based in different parts of the country, have recently introduced new subscription plans with enticing features for their readers.
In the first offering, readers will receive unlimited access to the newspaper’s website and apps. This includes access to all articles and features available online. The subscription also includes a digital replica of the newspaper, giving readers the experience of reading the paper in its traditional format.
The second newspaper subscription plan offers readers a discounted rate of 92 cents per week for the first three months. In addition to unlimited access to the newspaper’s website and apps, readers will also receive all the features included in their Essential Digital package. These features include Sunday print delivery and access to the USA TODAY Crossword.
For readers looking for an even more affordable option, the third subscription plan offers a rate of $2.99 per week for the first three months. This plan also includes unlimited access to the newspaper’s website and apps and all the features of the Essential Digital package. However, subscribers to this plan will receive print delivery of the newspaper from Monday to Sunday, along with access to the USA TODAY Crossword.
These new subscription packages showcase newspapers’ efforts to adapt to the changing media landscape and provide readers with a variety of options to suit their preferences. With unlimited access to online content and additional features like digital replicas and print delivery, readers can choose a subscription plan that best fits their needs. As the newspaper industry continues to evolve, these subscription plans aim to ensure that readers can stay informed and engaged in the ever-changing news landscape.
In summary, two major newspapers have unveiled new subscription packages that offer readers unlimited access to their websites and apps. These packages also include features such as digital replicas, print delivery, and access to puzzles. With flexible pricing options, these subscriptions cater to the diverse needs of readers in the digital age. The newspaper industry is embracing innovative approaches to keep readers engaged and informed amidst the evolving media landscape.


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Despite the teeming immune support field, the company said their science speaks for itself: “As an international health ingredients manufacturer, Kyowa Hakko and Kirin were confident, based on Immuse's unique mechanism of action and human trials, that the paraprobiotic would make an excellent fit into the growing immunity market. As a standalone or into a mixed ingredient formulation, Immuse can easily be added to an existing portfolio of products or developed into a new line of products,” explained Elyse Lovett, MS, MBA, senior marketing manager at Kyowa Hakko USA.
Immuse, discovered by Kirin Holdings, a pioneer in fermentation technology, is said to act by activating plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC). pDC has been shown to activate pivotal cells such as NK, Killer-T, Helper-T, and B cells, providing broad range immune support.
The dietary supplement ingredient is a unique patented strain of Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma characterized as a heat-killed lactic acid bacteria (paraprobiotic) that functions to activate the immune system.
Kirin Holdings said they have continued their research into Lactococcus Plasma since its discovery, including various experiments that suggest effective anti-viral defense mechanisms.
Immuse is already on market as a finished product in Japan, where it is sold in the form of gummies, tablets, yogurt, and functional beverages. The product can be found in a wide variety of applications including tablets, capsules and gummy formulations.
The Immuse products will be the first and only products in Japan to display an immune-related function on the product.
Lovett told NutraIngredients-USA that Kirin Holdings and Kirin Beverage recently launched six new products containing the Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma. “These six Immuse-branded products that utilize Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma were registered as Foods with Functional Claims with Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA). When registration is accepted by the CAA, labeling of “functional claims” (usually health benefits) on products becomes possible.”
“We could not be more thrilled to integrate the immune support benefits of IMMUSE into the US market,” said Lovett. “With more consumers looking for ways to enhance their immune system and stay healthy throughout the year, we are confident that Immuse, backed by both Kirin Holdings and Kyowa Hakko, will open new doors for consumers desiring a novel option for brand range immune support.”


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Flexe’s integration with Shopify enables fulfillment for e-commerce merchants
On-demand warehousing and fulfilment provider Flexe has announced its integration for Shopify, making it easier for e-commerce merchats to find warehouse space in real-time.
With the integration Shopify merchants now have access to the more than 850 warehouses in the Flexe network.
Merchants can build a on-demand fulfilment network with enhanced order management and inventory visibility.
Flexe said the integration makes it easy for Shopify merchants to add fulfilment centres to test new markets, scale up during peak seasons and meet customer demands for fast, affordable delivery.
“Shopify has built its business by providing a suite of services that make it easy for online retailers to launch and scale their businesses," said Karl Siebrecht, co-founder and CEO of Flexe.
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“Now, through their existing Shopify account, merchants can integrate, launch and scale their fulfilment operations, whether they need access to a single facility or a nationwide next-day delivery network.”
The push to reach online shoppers faster has intensified in recent years, propelled by Amazon and its two-day delivery service to Amazon Prime customers.
By integrating with Shopify, Flexe has made it possible for eCommerce merchants to easily expand their fulfilment networks as they grow, without the resources typically required.
“This integration is just one of the many examples in our industry where technology providers are unlocking agility and scale for online merchants,” Siebrecht said.
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Peak Games the fastest-growing emerging markets social gaming company, today announced new acquisitions, new partnerships, new social games, new funding and massive, continued growth in some of the largest emerging markets including: Turkey, MENA (Middle East North Africa), South America and Mexico. Peak Games has been executing on aggressive growth plans by acquiring two hardcore strategy games studios Umaykut and Erlikhan , new partnerships with companies including RockYou , new games including Umaykut and Happy Farm , and updating and improving developed games including TrendKiz and Okey . The company also raised an additional 11.5M USD in new funding from Earlybird Venture Capital, Hummingbird Ventures and a strategic investor (bringing the total raised to 19M USD) which will be used f or market expansion, additional game studio acquisitions, hiring, and user acquisition . Peak’s games now reach over 16M monthly active users (MAU source: AppData ). Core to the company’s strategy, Peak Games reaches underserved markets with localized and culturally-specific games that employ strong engagement and monetization strategies. Peak Games is now among the top six social gaming companies in the world.
“At Peak Games, understanding emerging markets like Turkey, MENA and Latin America is in our DNA! We’re at a point where we know what kind of games they enjoy, how to acquire new users in specific regions, what triggers virality, and, ultimately, how to monetize,” said Sidar Sahin , chief executive officer and founder of Peak Games. While much of Peak Games’ rapid rise was originally due to games based on traditional Turkish and Arabic card and board games such as top performing game Okey , the company has expanded offerings to include a wider range from rather hardcore games such as Umaykut , and to games specifically for women and girls such as TrendKiz . All games provide localized content showing a strong understanding of the local audience. In addition to developing its own IP (intellectual property), Peak has partnered with several of the leading global social gaming developers – including RockYou , which created Zoo World 2 ; The Broth , which created Barn Buddy ; and MagnetJoy , which created Pet Party – to create and publish localized versions of those games. Fostering even further growth, Peak Games has launched games such as Happy Farm in modern Arabic in the MENA region, and is supporting this game while developing others through a strategic acquisition of Umaykut and Erlikhan game studios.
Turkey is already the fourth largest Facebook market, with over 30 million users and growing, representing over 87 percent of the online population (source: Socialbakers.com). Taken as a whole, the MENA region is one of the fastest growth areas for Facebook and social networking, with the number of users growing by 30 percent over the last six months to 35 million users and forecasted to reach 250 million users by 2015. People across MENA are increasingly active on the Facebook platform and starting to use it in a more sophisticated way as they interact more with each other via games. Latin America is currently at 130 million Facebook users with the entire region growing at 37 percent over the last six months. More specifically, Brazil has 26 million Facebook users representing a whopping 98 percent growth in the last six months and in Mexico Facebook has 29 million users representing 21 percent growth over the last six months (source: Social Bakers ). “Similar to most emerging markets, the patterns we see in MENA gaming are exceptionally exciting,” said Rina Onur, chief strategy officer for Peak Games. “Given our current portfolio of games and those in the pipeline that incorporate local languages , we believe we will be able to connect with users in MENA and Latin America by offering games that speak to their needs and passions .”


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Swiss Based ETP Provider Amun Receives Clearance From Swedish Regulator
Amun AG, a Swiss firm focused on cryptos, has obtained necessary clearance to sell its products to interested retail customers in the EU.
Amun, through a news release, has stated that it has received endorsement for an introductory prospectus it tabled with the Sweden’s finance regulator, the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (SFSA).
As the firm has received regulatory clearance, the firm is now allowed to market several exchange-traded products (ETPs) to retail customers all across the EU.
Ophelia Snyder, president of Amun, commended the approval by the regulator. Snyder said “We recognise that the regulatory framework in Sweden has been supportive of such initiatives and we welcome its deliberation.”
Snyder further stated that ETPs are always in demand all over the 28-member bloc:
“The combination of strong demand for ETPs in Sweden – especially in crypto assets – among private investors and institutional clients and our strong expertise in these product categories create ideal conditions for Amun’s entry into the Swedish and European Union markets for ETPs.”
Amun has so far played a significant part in the roll out of country’s crypto offerings, within and outside the country. Notable ones is the tailor made ETP created based on Binance Coin (BNB), in-house crypto of Binance exchange. The ETP was rolled out on the Swiss Stock Exchange, or SIX, in October.
In the future, the company stated that it intends to launch more ETPs, with commitment to maintain “highest standards of professionalism and looks forward to continuing a productive and collaborative relationship with new and existing partners in Sweden and the rest of the European Union.”
In November, SIX unveiled a Tezos (XTZ)-based ETP that offers staking rewards. The feature permits users to “stake” their holdings to assist in keeping the Tezos network balanced, while earning rewards passively. A week before, SIX rolled out an institutional ETP based on Bitcoin that is physically backed, with Swissquote bank serving as a custodian of the crypto.


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The US has added more European Union products to a list of goods it could hit with retaliatory tariffs in a long-running trans-Atlantic subsidy dispute between Boeing and Airbus.
The Trade Representative’s office in Washington on Monday published a list of $4bn worth of EU goods to target in retaliation for European aircraft subsides. The products range from cherries to meat, cheese, olives and pasta, along with some types of whiskey and cast-iron tubes and pipes.
This adds to a list of EU products valued at $21bn that the USTR published in April, according to the release.
The EU has a similar case pending against Boeing and has readied retaliatory tariffs of its own. Though the dispute predates President Donald Trump’s efforts to overhaul America’s big trading relationships, the timing of the latest punitive measures will add to already strained ties between Washington and Brussels.
The airplane subsidy spat and the tariffs both sides are threatening contrast with the Trump administration’s other high-profile trade moves because they’re playing out under WTO rules rather than by unilateral White House authority. Under Trump, the US has called for sweeping changes at the Geneva-based WTO and is currently blocking nominees to its appeals panel – a move that may paralyse the institution’s dispute-settling capacity by year end.
The latest US targets were identified following a two-day hearing in Washington in May when 40 stakeholders made their cases about the countermeasures. The USTR said a public hearing on the proposed additional $4bn worth of products will be held on August 5.
The USTR estimates the EU subsidies to Airbus cause approximately $11bn in economic harm to the US annually. The World Trade Organisation has found the EU subsidies violate international trade rules and it’s expected to decide this summer on the amount of countermeasures the US can impose.
“The final list will take into account the report of the WTO Arbitrator on the appropriate level of countermeasures to be authorized by the WTO,” USTR said on Monday.
Airbus shares fell as much as 1.4% in Paris on Tuesday. The European plane maker, which has repeatedly called for a negotiated settlement, said by email that the USTR proposal will only add to tensions.
“That is not creating a healthy environment for working towards a negotiated solution and risks a wide variety of industries on both sides of the Atlantic to arrive in a lose-lose situation,” Airbus said.
While senior EU officials expect the US to move forward with retaliation once the WTO authorises it, the imposition of the proposed tariffs would threaten to further strain ties as the US and EU try to sit down to negotiate a trade deal.
US industry groups were quick to oppose the tariffs. “US companies – from farmers, to suppliers to retailers – are already being negatively impacted by the imposition of retaliatory tariffs by key trading partners on certain US distilled spirits resulting from other trade disputes,” the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States said in a statement after USTR’s announcement.
The EU has its own pending WTO case against Boeing. The EU in April published its preliminary list of US goods being targeted in a $12bn plan for retaliatory tariffs over subsidies to Boeing, with a focus on farm products from areas that help form Trump’s political base. Other items in the wide-ranging target list included ketchup, nuts, video game consoles and bicycle pedals.


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Continuing to celebrate community, creativity and the voices of the future, Burberry has unveiled its latest campaign. The campaign itself fosters a community – bringing together different creative spheres and juxtaposing figures from fashion, dance and sport. Dynamic, diverse and free, it is a unified world – a Burberry universe.
The campaign film, created in collaboration with Megaforce, unlocks this idea, transporting the viewer from the everyday to the extraordinary, allowing them to explore a new fantasy.The stills imagery, photographed by Rafael Pavarotti and styled by Ibrahim Kamara, reflects the film’s fusion of different worlds: instead of land and sea, it is the combined creative realms of sport, high fashion and dance.
The dynamic images feature a frieze of models and dancers alongside Marcus Rashford MBE – his debut in a fashion campaign. The imagery celebrates the community around Burberry: blurring boundaries, crossing divides, bringing people together. Signature house codes feature in the campaign including iconic outerwear as well as trench coats, diamond-quilted barn jackets and hooded puffer jackets made from recycled nylon. Accessories include the Pocket Bag, an archive-inspired tote in canvas and topstitched leather.As part of this multifaceted campaign, Burberry has joined forces with charities supporting young people across the world, providing protection, encouragement and empowering them to shape our tomorrow.A campaign of particular importance in such unprecedented times. Burberry’s history of supporting its communities is rooted in the altruism of its founder Thomas Burberry – a former apprentice who established his company aged just 21 and whose fundamental values of contributing back to society continued throughout his life.This campaign represents the longstanding importance of supporting communities to Burberry – as the luxury fashion house pledges to support the voices of tomorrow to build a better future.


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Fans who wanted to celebrate Force Friday had a fun AR game to do it with as Labor Day weekend launched.
Disney and Lucasfilm came together for the second Force Friday to offer fans a Star Wars augmented reality game app called “Find the Force.”
The free game was available from Force Friday through to Sunday on Labor Day Weekend.
It was a free and interactive opportunity that went alongside the sale of a huge amount of Star Wars Merchandise. The global Force Friday event is in celebration of the upcoming “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” movie release. It came with a huge launch of merchandise and, of course, the Star Wars augmented reality game. Retailers also hosted a number of themed special events and activities in order to draw fans. These included exclusive gift giveaways as well as “midnight madness” store openings.
Fans downloading the Star Wars augmented reality Find the Force app take part in an AR treasure hunt.
To participate in the Find the Force augmented reality experience, fans who downloaded the app needed to visit any of 20,000 participating locations over the weekend. There, they could hunt and battle to their hearts’ content.
“Star Wars has always championed new technology, and we are excited that augmented reality will allow fans to experience the universe in a whole new way,” said Lucasfilm president, Kathleen Kennedy.
The AR app game was especially popular at events such as the Fan Expo 2017, which took place in Toronto, Canada, over the long weekend. The event was attended by well over 120,000 people and it featured several Star Wars themed components. Attendees in costume or dressed as regular everyday people were using their smartphones to play along.
The Star Wars augmented reality game launched directly from the main brand app. From there, players could unlock additional AR experiences by searching throughout participating locations such as the Fan Expo and many different stores worldwide. They simply needed to look for the “Find the Force” logo, scan it with the phone camera and receive a data chip for each new character that was scanned. The more chips a participant received, the more rewards they received in the mobile game app.


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News - Subaru - Liberty
Subaru draws curtains on Liberty
Subaru confirms Liberty fans’ worst fears, the mid-size sedan is a goner
7 Sep 2020
THE ongoing SUV onslaught has claimed one of its biggest and most iconic passenger car scalps to date, with Subaru Australia announcing this week that its Liberty mid-sized sedan will be axed after 31 years of service.
With only 2441 units sold over the past two years, the Liberty was outsold more than five times over by the closely related Outback SUV and according to the latest round of VFacts figures, that trend has continued in 2020.
As of the end of August, 573 new Libertys had found homes in Australia compared to the 3104 Outbacks that were shifted over the same period.
In fact only the niche WRX-based Levorg wagon (230) and BRZ coupe (216) have performed worse than the Liberty this year, however Subaru insists they are niches worth occupying.
Despite the slow sales, those 573 deliveries account for 8.0 per cent of the total sub-$60,000 medium car market, a stark indication of the segment’s shrinking popularity.
The other definitive nail in the coffin for the iconic mid-sizer is the fact the Outback is not even Subaru’s best-selling vehicle this year – that mantra belongs to the Forester with 7436 units sold so far in 2020.
“More recent contraction of the medium sector has seen Subaru's burgeoning Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) range surpass Liberty's previous successes,” the brand said in a statement.
In total, Subaru has notched up more than 153,700 Liberty sales in Australia across the six generations to have been offered here with each generation offering their own distinct character.
“The first turbocharged Libertys paved the way for the fantastic successes that followed with both Subaru Rally Team Australia and the Subaru World Rally Team,” Subaru Australia managing director Christian Dinsdale said.
“While customer preferences have moved on to other vehicles in our range, Liberty has played a hugely influential role in the brand's growth and reputation for engineering, safety, durability and retained value.
“It was our first model with global appeal and moved the brand away from its utilitarian roots to becoming a respected automotive company.”
Despite the somewhat cult following amassed by the various generation cars, Mr Dinsdale assured both prospective and returning customers that Subaru still had and would continue to offer sedans.
“For those customers still seeking a Subaru sedan, we remind them that current generation Impreza closely mimics the physical size of third-generation Liberty sedan and, of course, offers the same symmetrical all-wheel drive attributes.
“Equally, WRX is a performance sedan option that is probably the closest relative to the various turbocharged Liberty variants, such as the RS, GT and tuned by STI, which captured the hearts of so many enthusiastic drivers in their heyday.”
A turbocharger was one of the Liberty’s defining features (in the higher grades) when it debuted in 1989, a trait it would keep right up until the six-cylinder 3.6R replaced the GT as the range flagship in 2015 with the launch of the sixth generation.
Up until then, the six-cylinder R variants had always sat one step below the turbocharged GTs (fourth and fifth generation), carrying a more luxury biased image rather than all-out performance.
According to Subaru Australia national corporate affairs manager David Rowley, the move was the result of shifting customer preferences as demand rose for the bigger engine and turbo fans started to opt more for the smaller and lighter WRX.
In February of last year, Subaru unveiled its seventh-generation Liberty (Legacy overseas) at the Chicago Motor Show which also marked the return of a turbocharged engine in the flagship XT model.
Due to the previously mentioned slow sales, the seventh-gen car was reportedly never really deemed a viable option for the Australian market.
“Changing customer preferences and the decline in the medium car segment generally meant the business case for another generation wasn’t justified,” Mr Rowley said.
At this stage the Liberty looks set to remain in showrooms until early 2021 with one final production order being fulfilled before the curtains close on the Liberty’s time Down Under.
2nd of March 2020
Subaru Liberty future under a cloud
Dying medium car segment spells uncertain future for next-gen Subaru Liberty
8th of February 2019
Australia in dark as new Subaru Liberty lights up
Question mark over Subaru Liberty’s RHD future as hi-tech new generation shown in US
12th of December 2012
Update for Subaru Liberty
Subaru gives new lease of life to Liberty range courtesy of MY13 facelift
8th of September 2009
First drive: Subaru Liberty grows up
Fifth generation all-wheel-drive Subaru Liberty expands in every area
19th of June 2009
Subaru Liberty lights up with 195kW ‘Rex’ engine
Powertrain puzzle almost complete for Subaru Liberty/Outback launch line-up
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Motor industry news


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Facebook last week unveiled a new app — for feature phones. Those “quaint” devices are usually overlooked by developers, and for some good reasons. Smartphone users consume far more data because their handsets offer more sophisticated operating systems and superior hardware. They’re vastly better vehicles for playing games, watching videos and surfing the web. Smartphone sales are expected to begin outpacing feature phone sales in the U.S. sometime this year, according to Nielsen.
But the fact is, nearly three-quarters of U.S. subscribers don’t own a smartphone — and that figure is surely much higher in many foreign markets. So if you’re a content publisher or app developer, should you follow the social network giant’s lead and target feature phones in addition to Android, iOS and other smartphones?
If Facebook wants its reach to stretch around the globe, offering a feature phone app is a no-brainer. But Facebook already has 500 million (by some accounts, 600 million) users. One of the factors its developers, as well as other smartphone developers, must understand when creating and distributing apps is how much reach they need — or want.
Mobile data usage is ramping up substantially in emerging markets — like those in Africa — where smartphone uptake lags. Feature phones don’t provide the level of high-quality user experience that smartphones do, but they still account for the vast majority of handsets worldwide. And they’re still adequate for accessing mobile websites and using some applications that enable basic social network interaction (like Facebook’s) or simple, casual gaming. So feature phone apps can surely remain an attractive avenue for developers looking to bring their wares to developing markets.
However, there are numerous other factors developers must keep in mind when considering feature phones. For an in-depth look at more of those, see my weekly column at GigaOM Pro (subscription required).
Image source: Flickr user goosmurf.
Related content from GigaOM Pro (subscription required):


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It’s been a long time since Samsung officially released the Samsung Galaxy S II, the company’s flagship mobile phone for 2011. The mobile phone however hasn’t seen its light of the day in the U.S. yet. But we already knew that the device is coming to variant U.S. carriers under different names. According to what we already heard, Sprint is going to launch this beast as ‘Samsung Galaxy Within’. That was all we knew until yesterday rather unofficially. Thanks to a new leak, we can now confirm that the Galaxy Within is coming in quick time to Sprint as the phone has been spotted in the wild in a blurry cam pictures sporting the logos of Sprint and Samsung on its textured back.
As you can see in the pictures, the phone has a textured back and an 8 megapixel camera on the back. While we can’t say anything about the overall design of the phone, but the textured back as we know is the same like what the international version of Galaxy S II has. The source has also indicated that the phone is running Android 2.3.4 which brings the support for Gtalk Video chat, while the international version of the Samsung Galaxy S II is still shipping with the Android 2.3.3. Good news, eh?


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Capital Technology Distributors is not taking a backseat to other Brightmail distributors as it has signed up another exclusive agency.
The company was the original exclusive distributor of the antispam software into the New Zealand market until Symantec acquired the brand earlier this year.
After a lengthy regional review of its distribution model, Symantec last month awarded distribution rights for Brightmail to Express Data and Tech Pacific, which also stock its security software, and relegated Capital Technology to value-added reseller status.
Darin McKay, CEO of Capital Technology, says while the company was “naturally disappointed” about its exclusive distribution rights being changed, it has retained a “very satisfactory” ongoing relationship with Symantec, which allows it to continue promoting Brightmail.
McKay adds that Capital Technology continues to deal with other resellers and remains one of the most active representatives of the brand in the country. However, the company has added another emerging brand to its portfolio, which is already generating interest.
It has secured the exclusive New Zealand agency for RTO Software, the makers of T-Scale, a performance enhancement and application-shaping suite for thin client environments, which is one of Capital Technology’s areas of focus.
“We already work in that space with ThinPrint and are always looking to complement that market,” says McKay.
Since T-Scale is globally certified for Citrix Metaframe and Microsoft Terminal Services, it slots perfectly into Capital’s portfolio, he adds.
"This product represents good incremental business opportunities for resellers to Citrix and Microsoft Terminal Services customers," he says.
“Citrix is incorporating T-Scale into the next release of Metaframe, which is a huge endorsement.”
The benefit of the T-Scale system, according to McKay, is that customers can typically achieve a 40% to 60% increase in the number of users connected to existing server farms, without the need to invest in additional hardware.
McKay states initial interest in the product in New Zealand is high, with some customers already piloting the software through partners.
T-Scale suits larger resellers that supply Metaframe and Terminal Services, he says.
Meanwhile, the profile of Brightmail has increased since Symantec’s acquisition, says McKay.
“Increased marketing by Symantec has driven awareness of the brand up a lot,” he says.
Wins at large enterprises such as Wellington Polytechnic and TVNZ have also boosted the brand, with a number of large contracts with major public and corporate organisations being finalised.


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There’s been a lot of talk that Odell Beckham Jr. is not happy as he finishes up a disappointing first season with the Cleveland Browns.
The star receiver and his team head into Week 15 with a 6-7 record and almost completely out of the AFC Playoff race. Cleveland could very well look to move the former Pro Bowler in a trade this coming offseason.
Whether it’s a parting gift or just OBJ being in the holiday spirit, he just gifted all of his teammates a pair of the receiver’s Nike Air Max 720 shoes on Monday.
Retailing for $130-plus, this is not a small gift from Mr. Beckham. It also comes after he wore pair of OBJ Nike cleats for “my cause, my cleats” for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Beckham’s cause was to help support animal shelters.
It goes without saying that Beckham Jr. has a sense for fashion. It’ll be interesting to see the styles he gifted his teammates.


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Hybrid cars ain’t cheap and they’re about to get a little bit pricier. Though you’re definitely going to save on gas, when you count all the parts, labor and complex technology needed to run a hybrid they’re just a bit more expensive to put together than other vehicles – which means they’re just a little bit more expensive to fix too. Because of these factors, it’s been reported that hybrid owners should be expecting an insurance increase in the next few years. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get the hybrid you’ve been dreaming of! Read on to get all of the facts about this bummer.
On average it costs the owner of a hybrid car about $182 dollars more per repair than the owner of a conventional gas guzzler. Now we’re not saying you should count out the hybrid — or electric — car on account of these fees, we’re just alerting you of the fact that these high tech autos are expensive to create, run and fix. Even though hybrid sales are jumping — the Prius is the third best selling car model in America — they remain high on the cost-list.
Now the real consolation we have here, as lovers of green design, is that the reason that insurance rates are on the rise is because insurance companies are terrified of the rising popularity of these easy on gas vehicles. The more people that buy hybrids — and we’re assuming this is about to stretch to the realm of electrics as well — the more insurance companies will have to pony up for repairs. Will this ever hit a downturn? Perhaps. But if you’ve currently got a hybrid or are thinking about getting one, don’t let this news stop you. The benefits far outweigh the negatives, especially when you consider that it was recently reported that hybrids are the least likely to be stolen cars in America.
Via Autoblog Green


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So I figured I’d continue covering my New York Fashion Week Stories this one is actually pretty dope. According to VIBE Indonesian fashion designer, Anniesa Hasibuan is here to revolutionize the American fashion industry, with a stunning runway show featuring 48 outfits, all with gorgeous hijabs. The collection was a bold move for the fashion industry, as Muslim women in the United States can be harassed for wearing hijabs in the workplace, and headscarves can make one a target on the street. And in France, a burkini ban was created, criminalizing Muslimah fashion.
Hijabs have been very versatile and huge fashion statement for Muslim women for centuries check out the beautiful photos below:


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More than half a million pub, bar and restaurant workers will lose their jobs by the end of the year thanks to a 10pm curfew, local lockdowns and plunging consumer confidence, MPs have been warned.
Kate Nicholls, boss of the trade body UKHospitality, told MPs that around 900,000 hospitality staff remain on full furlough payments with the government scheme set to end in a little over three weeks.
UKHosptality had forecast 560,000 people in the industry would lose their jobs by the end of 2020 but Ms Nicholls said the figure is expected to be "far higher" after new restrictions were introduced in the last two weeks.
She told the Commons Treasury Committee on Tuesday: "We are doing that data again but we anticipate it will be far higher due to local restrictions, the national constraints on events, working from home and the curfew," she said.
The UK faces a cliff edge of unemployment at the end of the month, Ms Nicholls warned, as the furlough scheme which covers up to 60 per cent of an employee's wages is replaced by the job support scheme which covers just 22 per cent.
The new scheme also has a built-in incentive for employers to sack staff rather than reducing their hours and keeping them on the payroll.
Meanwhile, the 10pm curfew as well as fears about rising case numbers mean that trade for many bars and restaurants is less than half of normal levels, and as low as 20 to 30 per cent in city centres.
"We fear that unless there are amendments for those areas which are particularly hit, you won't avoid the cliff edge in October and we have got large numbers of redundancies that are forecast in October because of how the jobs support scheme is set up," Ms Nicholls said.
"There is a very real danger that we will lose large chunks of the economy – in hospitality we will have insolvent businesses, businesses going into administration and therefore that engine of growth for re-employing people will be lost for good.
"I think that's what we need to be focusing on to make sure we support viable jobs for the future. In our sector, those on full-time and part-time furlough are in viable jobs in the long term."
The government is under intense pressure to review both the curfew and the chancellor Rishi Sunak’s support measures amid growing fears they will condemn hundreds of thousands of people to joblessness, sucking spending out of the economy and deepening the impact of the pandemic.
Hospitality, events and the arts are among the industries which are effectively banned from operating at full capacity by government decree, yet many businesses and workers are denied adequate financial support.
Labour has demanded a review of the 10pm curfew while the owner of G-A-Y nightclub has launched a judicial review against the decision, claiming that it has no scientific basis and may in fact encourage the spread of Covid-19.
Rain Newton-Smith, chief economist at the CBI, was more positive about the chancellor's winter economy plan, hailing his new jobs plan as a "lifeline", but said sector-focused support could still be needed.
"At this next phase of the crisis we did need to see an evolution of the support and the jobs support scheme will help to save hundreds of thousands of jobs," she said.
"But we may need to look at how that scheme is designed over the coming weeks if a crisis escalates.
"For some sectors and businesses, we might need additional support."
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Melania Trump may be known as a woman of few words, but it seems that the First Lady is speaking volumes through her fashion choices.
With her aversion to public speaking and seemingly impenetrable façade, it has been hard to catch glimpses of the First Lady’s personality. But fashion psychologist Dawnn Karen believes that Melania gives away several clues through her personal style.
‘She may appear to be difficult to read because she isn’t as flamboyant or as vocal as most First Ladies that we’ve seen in the past,’ Ms Karen says. ‘But as a fashion psychologist, when I analyze her I see her as speaking without saying words. She speaks very loudly through her clothing.’
Fashion forward: Fashion psychologist Dawnn Karen believes that First Lady Melania Trump has her own distinctive sense of style that reveals several clues about her personality
She notes that as a former model Melania has been trained to keep an impassive expression and maintain a quiet demeanor in public. ‘She seems to be very introverted. Maybe the most introverted First Lady we’ve ever had,’ Ms Karen says. But she adds that Melania’s style betrays a sense of her personality.
Drawing on a few key styles that Melania favors, Ms Karen, who is known as a pioneer in the world of fashion psychology and founded the Fashion Psychology Institute, discusses what she believes the First Lady’s fashion can tell us about her as a person.
The protective coat cape
Melania is often photographed wearing her coat draped over her shoulders, creating a cape-like effect. When the First Lady sported this style as left the White House in February – with a canary yellow full-length overcoat hanging over a coordinating Ralph Lauren yellow sweater and Pierre Herve leather skirt – social media users speculated that her penchant for this style could be a crafty technique to avoid holding her husband’s hand.
Barrier: In February, Melania Trump was photographed wearing her signature style of a coat draped over her shoulders like a cape as she left the White House with the president
Reclusive: The First Lady draped her Stella McCartney floral coat over her shoulders at the Thanksgiving presidential turkey pardon last year, and wore her Bottega Veneta coat in the same style during the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany, last July
Ms Karen believes this is perhaps going a step too far, but she says that the style is a nod to Melania’s reclusive and introverted nature.
‘Covering her hands and arms lets her appear less inviting and less warm,’ she says. ‘[Melania] is saying: ‘I’m creating a barrier, a protective shield.’
Ms Karen suggests that this shield gives Melania a sense of invincibility. ‘When you wear capes you feel untouchable,’ she says.
‘And given that Melania is getting some flak from the media and from the citizens of America about her not being as vocal – especially coming in after the previous administration – I think wearing these cape-like structures gives her that feeling of dominion, that superwoman power.’
Invincible: The First Lady covered her shoulders with a $1,600 Calvin Klein plaid coat to greet the official White House Christmas tree last November (left), and an embellished $51,500 coat by Dolce & Gabanna as she arrived at in Sicily last May for a G7 summit (right)
Sky-high ‘power’ stilettos
Melania’s penchant for towering heels has drawn criticism in the past. The First Lady was mocked for her impractical footwear when she donned a pair of black Manolo Blahnik stilettos last August while on her way to visit Hurricane-stricken Texas.
But this has not deterred the First Lady’s fondness for sky-high designer pumps, and Ms Karen attributes this to her seeking confidence.
‘It’s the opposite of the Napoleon complex,’ she says. ‘When you’re wearing high heels your confidence goes up. Some women feel like they are towering over others and it helps them to feel powerful.’
Confidence: Melania was mocked for her impractical footwear when she donned a pair of black Manolo Blahnik stilettos last August to visit Hurricane-stricken Texas. Ms Karen believes the First Lady chooses this type of footwear to feel powerful
The ‘pure’ white suit
When Melania wore an all-white Dior pant suit to the State of the Union address in January, speculation was rife in the media over what point the First Lady was trying to convey.
The color was once considered the Democrats’ signature tone, with members of the party sporting all-white at the previous year’s address. White was favored by the suffragettes, and was famously worn by Hillary Clinton throughout much of her presidential campaign.
All white: When Melania wore this Dior pant suit to the State of the Union address in January, speculation was rife in the media over what point the First Lady was trying to convey
Purity: Melania wore a white Dior dress with flutter sleeves for the unveiling of the White House Christmas decorations last November, and a sharp white suit by Karl Lagerfeld Couture to greet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in February 2017
Flowing: Melania stepped off Air Force One in a fit and flare classic Simone Rocha white dress with a gold belt as she arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in April 2017
But political motives aside, Ms Karen believes Melania’s fondness for wearing white is an attempt to portray an image of purity.
‘Some say that [Melania] has a lewd, salacious background,’ she says. ‘That she participated in other activities that were not so “First Lady-like”. Wearing white is kind of an ode to purity that she is trying to portray.’
‘Look but don’t touch’ sleeves
‘It’s kind of a paradox,’ says Ms Karen ‘She seems to not want to have contact or human touch, but she then embellishes the arm area.’
Ms Karen points out that Melania has a penchant for dresses and shirts that have flamboyant and detailed sleeves. Compared to her predecessor, Michelle Obama, who liked to show off her famously toned arms in sleeveless dresses, Melania prefers to keep her arms covered either with long sleeves or her coat draped over her shoulders.
Embellished: Melania wore a bordeaux zip-front Delpolzo coat dress with puffed out sleeves as she and President Donald Trump left Tokyo for South Korea last November
Attention: Melania often chooses pieces that embellish the arm area, including the hot pink Delpozo dress she sported at the UN last September (left) and the white Roksana Ilincic dress with bell sleeves that she wore to the RNC in 2016 (right)
But the former model is not afraid to draw attention to her arms, often picking pieces that embellish this area. She chose a Dior dress with wide flutter sleeves for the unveiling of the White House Christmas decorations, a white Roksana Ilincic dress with bell sleeves for the RNC in 2016, and a hot pink Delpozo dress with voluminous sleeves for a UN luncheon last September.
Ms Karen believes the First Lady opts for this style as it encourages people to pay attention to her, but to not get too close: ‘Again, she’s saying: Look at me but don’t touch.’
The Barbie style
Although Melania is known for her quiet demeanor, her clothes are often loud. It’s not uncommon for the First Lady to be seen in bright, eye-popping colors even when her style is classic and pared down. And it is rare to see the Melania without her hair flowing in long glossy waves and her make-up flawless.
Polished: Melania wore a $4,000 floral-embroidered sequin ERDEM gown at the Trump’s annual New Year’s Eve bash (left), and a silver high-necked custom Dolce & Gabanna gown during her visit to Sicily with President Trump last May (right)
Ms Karen, who worked as a model herself before entering the world of fashion psychology, attributes this very ‘put-together’ look to Melania’s own modelling experience.
She says: ‘That Barbie-ish look comes from her model background. [As a model] before you go in front of the camera or out on the runway, you have to have your face on, you have to be at your best, at a ten. You can’t step out of your house looking any less.’
The First Lady is often spotted with her face hidden behind huge sunglasses – even at nighttime. Last October, she was mocked on Twitter when she returned to the White House after visiting victims of the Las Vegas shooting sporting her signature dark shades, despite the fact it was dark outside.
Hidden: Melania donned her signature giant shades on the South Lawn of the White House last September while the president spoke to members of the media about Hurricane Irma (left), and again while departing the White House with her husband that same month (right)
Introverted: Melania covered her face with sunglasses as she stepped off Air Force One after arriving in Texas last summer (left), and as she departed the White House to visit Hurricane Harvey victims in Texas last November (right)
Just days earlier, Melania was also criticized for wearing sunglasses as she met with residents of hurricane-stricken Puerto Rico, with several commentators expressing their outrage on social media that she didn’t make the effort to look the people she greeted in the eye.
But Ms Karen believes the First Lady adopts this fashion for that very reason – to avoid having to make too much contact with others by using the sunglasses as a shield.
She says: ‘Again, this is her being introverted and reclusive. [She’s saying]: “I really don’t want you to look at me, I’m not really a people-person but because of this presidency, because of this administration, I have to go out here and shake hands and be interactive, but I really feel shy. I really feel nervous.”’
Despite her tendency to shy away from the spotlight, Melania has frequently chosen to wear figure-hugging outfits that show off her curves, in a style that could be seen as daring for a First Lady.
Figure-hugging: Melania attended a Hispanic Heritage Month event last October in a dark pink fitted skirt with a ruffled mermaid hem paired with a fitted off-white sweater, and she wore a custom-made Reem Accra gown to a dinner and reception in Washington DC in January 2017
She showed off this fashion last October when she attended a Hispanic Heritage Month event alongside her husband dressed in a dark pink fitted skirt with a ruffled mermaid hem paired with a figure-hugging off-white sweater.
This style is similar to the styles worn by ‘sweater girls’ like Jayne Mansfield, Marilyn Monroe, and Jane Russell, who sparked a trend in the 40s and 50s of wearing round-neck, skin-tight knits in order to emphasize their chests.
Ms Karen says: ‘It reminds me of when I was working out in the Middle East, and many women were conservative in their dress but they showed off their curves.
Throwback: Before Donald Trump entered politics, Melania appeared to be comfortable dressing provocatively and was not afraid to show some skin. Here she is pictured during 2005 spring Fashion Week (left) and at Time Magazine’s Time 100 party in 2004 (right)
‘I think Melania is saying: “I’m being conservative but I’m still letting you know: hey, Va va voom I am a woman.”’
She notes that before Melania’s husband entered politics, she appeared to be comfortable dressing provocatively and was not afraid to show some skin.
‘That’s still underneath there,’ Ms Karen says. ‘That’s still something about her, but she has to figure out another way to convey that sex appeal, without being jarring and without being inappropriate.’


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Fan favorite and famous TV series, FRIENDS, opens its interactive space filled with different exciting sets in Plano for fans and guests to enjoy according to a Business Wire article from November 4 which reports,
“The FRIENDS™ Experience opened its doors in Plano today and is set to run through Jan. 17. Only a 20-minute drive from downtown Dallas, this is only the fourth city in the nation to get access to the experience, “The One in Dallas” was created by Superfly X, Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television Group.
“We’ve had such an incredible response from fans across the country in cities like New York, Chicago, and Atlanta and are excited to bring this experience to the Dallas Fort-Worth metro-area,” said Stacy Moscatelli, Co-President and Chief Strategy Officer of Superfly X. “The FRIENDS Experience will be open at the Willow Bend Mall in Plano through Friendsgiving and the full holiday season and our team is very excited to welcome fans from across Texas.”
The immersive 12 re-created sets amazingly captures the different sets and even featured different replica pieces and props as seen in the series itself according to a WFAA article from November 10 which reports,
“Walking onto each recreated set draws memories from the show. They are shockingly similar to what is seen on the series, including Monica’s kitchen and balcony, Chandler and Joey’s apartment, the hallway between the two apartments, Ross’s famous “pivot” stairway and more.
There are also props, costumes, hairstyles, and other memorable character moments. Items found in a glass case are original to the show. Fans can immerse in a hands-on experience with the replica pieces.
In each room, the sounds of scenes play out. The laugh tracks from “Friends” reverberates throughout the tour.”
The new attraction in Plano received a heart-warming welcome, support and love from Plano fans as 6,000 comments and 1,900 reactions filled a Facebook post from November 3. One woman said,
“We just went yesterday and it was amazing! Buy me a vowel because OH MY GOSH, I want to go back!! ”
Another woman excitingly announced her newly bought tickets for the experience,
“I just bought my tickets!! Eek!!!”
More noticeable is the fact that the majority of the comments were people inviting their family and friends to buy tickets for the experience and visit the same. One said,
“Allecram Pos we should go and take alicia for birthday weekend”
“Paige Hutchings here’s your Christmas trip you want to go on”
One suggested to her friend,
“Mike Riches we may have to go to Dallas at some point to do this. ”
In the same post, Visit Plano posted several photos of the different sets, costumes and props as well as fans and guests enjoying and posing inside the FRIENDS experience.
You can plan your visit by buying tickets which start at $32.50 plus taxes and fees. The sets were recreated at The Shops at Willow Bend.


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I spent Saturday morning at Harvard Business School, moderating a panel on digital media investing. Good timing, given the prior day’s Microsoft-Yahoo news (really don’t know what we would have talked about one week earlier). Some notes:
* Howard Morgan of First Round Capital noted that his firm had been in talks with both Microsoft and Yahoo about possible portfolio company sales, but that the talks had “frozen” due to the takeover attempt. Most panelists agreed that the two companies are going to cut way back on acquisitions in the short-term.
* All the panelists agreed to that merger – if it happens – would shrink the buyer pool for their companies, but Dennis Miller of Spark Capital stressed that Microsoft, Yahoo and Google aren’t the only players in the digital media pond.
* We talked a lot about online advertising, in the context of a recessionary environment causing macro ad spend cutbacks. Most panelists played the counter, arguing that online ad accountability and price may actually increase online strategy adoption.
* I wondered if Rupert Murdoch’s decision to keep some WSJ content behind the walled garden could be a watershed for other online content companies – kind of like how the legal destruction of P2P sharing companies like Napster (mostly) ended the notion of free music content (not that it’s helping the record cos. much). Most folks didn’t think so, but Alan Spoon of Polaris made an interesting addendum: He thinks Murdoch is charging too little for the WSJ premium content (at least if it stays status quo). If someone believes content is valuable enough to pay for – particularly businesspeople – then they’re probably willing to pay a lot.
* Speaking of Murdoch, there was some talk about MySpace being unprofitable today, and perhaps unprofitable forever.
* Unrelated, but Paul Finnegan of Madison Dearborn gave the event’s morning keynote. Am I the only one who thinks he’s a clone of Tom Finneran, the former Massachusetts House Speaker? Sounds exactly like him. Shares a similar last name. And looks like him:


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The ban on tiger trading in China is causing importers to use South African lion parts to make traditional tiger-based medicines, according to a report by the Environment Investigation Agency (EIA).
Traders are replacing tiger parts with lion parts to sidestep Chinese laws regarding the sale and purchase of products containing tiger bones. A joint study from conservation groups, Traffic and Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, notes that the sale of lion skeletons in South Africa had jumped from 50 skeletons in 2008 to 800 in 2015.
In China and parts of South East Asia, tiger bones are regarded to have powerful medicinal qualities.
In 1993, the Chinese government outlawed the trade of tiger bones in a bid to preserve the species which is listed as endangered by the World Wildlife Fund. When poachers turned to leopards and other Asiatic big cats as a substitute, the government implemented protective measures from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) in 2002 and 2006.
South Africa is the main exporter of lion skeletons to Asia. Traffic and the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit have warned that the country will provide “a plentiful, cheaper and mostly legally sourced alternative to tiger bones” in the future.
As well as demand for tiger bones, China is also responsible for the huge demand for rhino horns and elephant tusks, also for medicinal purposes. The Chinese demand has seen an increase in poaching and endangering species of rhinos and dwindling elephant populations. Last December, China said it would enforce a total ban on domestic ivory trade within a year.
The move is considered a major milestone by conservationists who argue that China’s domestic ivory trade is the desirable end-market for poached ivory, mainly from Africa. Without China’s market, poachers will find it tougher to cash in on illegal ivory.


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CHANCELLOR George Osborne heaped even more pressure on Scotland’s pubs after increasing alcohol duty by 7.2% – or 4p a pint – in last week’s Budget.
The increase took effect at midnight on March 28 after Osborne confirmed the coalition was sticking with the duty escalator established by the previous government, under which tax on beer, wine and spirits goes up by 2% above the rate of inflation every year. The mechanism will remain in place until 2014. Pub owners must now decide whether to pass the increase on to drinkers to maintain profit margins – at a time when consumer confidence is fragile.
But with VAT having increased to 20% in January, and the major brewers serving notice of their annual price rises in the first two months of the year, many will simply be unable to absorb it.
The SLTA warned the ‘onslaught of crippling taxation’ would accelerate the trend of drinking at home, while the British Beer & Pub Association said the government had delivered a ‘hammer blow to pubs and pub-goers’.
“This will not raise any more money for the Treasury, cost ten thousand jobs this year alone and see many more pubs close,” said BBPA boss Brigid Simmonds.
Harry Hood, whose Lisini Pub Co runs four pubs across Glasgow and Lanarkshire, said publicans are being asked to pay 18p more for a pint than they were at the start of the year due to the various VAT, duty, and beer price increases. He said he would have to put the price of a pint up 25p to “get any sort of margin” – but fears such a move would be the “death knell” for business at a time when unemployment is growing and people are worried about money.
“One thing that amazes me is that every year the brewers put prices up by 5p, the government gets a penny more in VAT,” he said. “It’s a ‘double-dunt’ – they’re always getting an increase in VAT, so why do they need to put duty up?
“The supermarkets won’t pay it [duty increase] – they’ll tell the brewers to pay it. And what the government doesn’t realise is that every time a supermarket loss leads [on alcohol] it’s getting less VAT.”
Meanwhile, the promise of a penny off a litre of fuel duty, and the scrapping of the Budget fuel duty escalator, failed to cut the mustard with microbrewers.


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CHICAGO — A variety of occasion-based triggers drive candy category sales in the c-store—particularly as it relates to the hard-to-read Gen Z and millennial crowd. It has retailers working overtime to figure out their flavor of the day.
Consumers who are part of the Gen Z and millennial juggernaut—or anyone born between 1981 and 2010—are armed with buying power. For example, while Gen X and boomers are responsible for 70% of total candy sales, according to Chicago-based IRI, millennials grew their total candy purchases by 8%—and by 9% for nonchocolate—vs. a year ago.
That candy growth performance is two times more robust than that of the total population (3.5%), according to IRI data reflecting multioutlet plus convenience channel activity for the 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2019.
While younger consumers have a decided sweet tooth, they are discriminating in their tastes.
“Broadly, we know that millennials truly walk their talk when it comes to buying products aligned with values around sustainability,” said Sally Lyons Wyatt, executive and practice leader for IRI’s Client Insights division. They seek fulfillment around experiential and simplicity, or natural, clean and limited ingredients, she said.
And one candy segment in particular has proven its potential to deliver the experience these younger age groups are craving.
“Millennial and Gen Z consumers want dynamic flavors, engaging products and fun brands—and these days, new flavor profiles are off the charts with the nonchocolates segment,” said Lyons Wyatt. The timing is fortuitous: Cocoa prices spiked in 2019 and have pressured wholesale chocolate costs, with varying effects on retail prices. But there’s more to the motivation for nonchocolate.
“Exotic, hybrid flavors are gaining popularity [regardless of price spikes],” said Andrew Lee, senior category manager of center store for Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven Inc. “Customers seek out-of-the box flavors, and this led 7-Eleven to collaborate with a brand like Hi-Chew to bring exclusive fruit combinations, such as passion fruit and mango, to our stores.”
Varieties such as soft fruit chews, sour gummies and others “continue to be a focus with Gen Z and millennial consumers,” said Spencer Webb, center-store category manager for Temple, Texas-based McLane Co.
“Retailers should think about highly visible merchandising solutions to complement inline and candy bag sets, such as endcaps and displays,” he said. They should also leverage four influential values: sharing, treating, fun and experiential.
C-stores can be a direct beneficiary of the trend, too: Across multiunit outlets, chocolate represents 55% of the category, with nonchocolate at 30%. But across convenience, chocolate shrinks to 46% of the category as nonchocolate varieties climb to 34%, according to IRI.
Research Driving Innovation
Research is driving innovation, and suppliers are reading the tea leaves to formulate strategies that resonate with younger consumers.
“We’re seeing a dramatic shift in snacking habits among Gen Z and millennial consumers, who demand more choice when it comes to flavors, textures, pack sizes and price points,” said James Dodge, vice president for convenience for Hackettstown, N.J.-based Mars Wrigley U.S.
Marrying up in-store activity with online engagement—all to meet demands of today’s on-the-go consumer—Mars Wrigley has rolled out several new products. One of these is Extra Refreshers, the brand’s first soft-chew format gum. Mars Wrigley introduced the item based on a recent Nielsen study indicating that soft-chew gum is the fastest-growing form with the under-25 age group, Dodge said.
Based on its own global research into consumer preferences, Mars Wrigley also debuted Skittles Dips—candy that combines a chewy texture with creamy yogurt-flavored coating—and Starburst Swirlers. On the chocolate side of the category, the company introduced M&M’s Fudge Brownie, which has a denser, creamier fudgy center than the original milk chocolate M&M’s.
Retailers are also testing and learning. 7-Eleven strives to be a destination for exclusive and limited-edition candy options. The retailer embarked on exclusive collaborations with Mondelez, Trolli and Hi-Chew, including social-media programs, augmented reality experiences, online games and giveaways, Lee said.
In the chocolate category, millennials have overindexed on purchasing small-batch, premium and artisan varieties that are organic and fair trade certified.
7-Eleven is bullish on a new high-quality Belgian chocolate item that joined the mix, touting “playful images and a highly approachable price point,” said Lee. “We know from recent tests that customers still enjoy indulgent treats. Because healthy confection is gaining popularity with customers, we continue to test new products and explore options that will cater to the customer’s needs.”
Newcomb Oil Co.’s Five Star Food Marts, Bardstown, Ky., is focusing on the sharing, treating, fun and experiential aspects of candy to help grow sales, said Tim Young, sales manager for the 82-store chain.
Five Star’s in-store merchandising program articulates these occasion-based need states, and peg bags, gummies, tubes and stand-up pouches garner top sales receipts across all pack formats—with younger consumers driving the lion’s share of volume, particularly for nonchocolate, said Young.
Five Star saw everyday candy at its 82 stores achieve double-digit sales increases throughout 2019. The result: no SKU cutbacks with its January 2020 reset.
“Usually a reset means eliminating something to make room for new arrivals, but this year we expanded in-store candy footprints to 12 feet from 8 feet without trimming,” said Young, who carved out additional space by vertically creating gondola space. The tactic yielded an additional 35 new SKUs.
Managing the candy category has gotten more challenging because Gen Z and millennials’ purchasing behavior can be a moving target.
“We’re in the beginning stages of diving into a higher degree of demographic data through exchanges with vendors and suppliers like Hershey’s and Mars Wrigley,” Young said. Five Star’s center-store team is examining how its stores are meeting the confection desires of this younger target audience.
“The broad idea to remember is that, as much as we are in the food business, we’re also in the entertainment business—to create an experience,” Young said.
Mars Wrigley is set to unveil its Innovative Merchandising Incubator, a national program to help retailers address tough merchandising challenges. The company sees the initiative as “a custom solution to drive in-store sales and ultimately grow the category,” Dodge of Mars Wrigley said.
CPG companies are eager to obtain deeper insights about Gen Z and millennials and optimize new product development. “The data is still early for purchasing impacts of Gen Z since many are still living at home,” said Erica Norton, senior director of consumer insights for Hershey, Pa.-based The Hershey Co.
Gen Z consumers in middle and high school identify with “the social dynamic of ‘treat time’ as [a phenomenon] having an impact on choices,” Norton said. “They are more likely to choose candy with extreme flavors or different flavor combinations with friends.”
In the meantime, millennials have increased their candy buying propensity by 30% or more since 2015, Norton said. “Millennials continue to join the workforce and are using this newfound financial independence to experience different kinds of chocolate and candies that are a reflection of their growing maturity. This is seen with bold combinations and exotic and international influences,” she said.
And now a new wave of young consumer—Generation Alpha—is emerging on retailer and CPG checklists, said Lee of 7-Eleven.
“Born after 2010, Gen Alpha represents our future customer, which has led us to expand novelty sets with a focus on ‘surprise and delight’ items like Kinder Joy and Yowie. To highlight our exclusive products, we use eye-catching display shippers to draw attention,” said Lee.
As the next generation begins shopping c-stores, retailers and manufacturers will be tasked with deciphering a new set of buying patterns. But some commonalities between age groups remain.
“Candy is known across all generations for treating and fun,” Lyons Wyatt said. “It’s paramount to most consumers and isn’t going to change.”
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The BFM (British Furniture Manufacturers) has revealed that the falling pound has increased the cost of material imports for furniture manufacturers following the Brexit decision, with confidence at a three and half year low.
According to the BFM’s latest Commodity Price Data System, the data highlights how the fall in value of Sterling against the Euro and US Dollar has seen suppliers ask for significant increases in the cost of materials such as chemicals that feed into foam.
Polyol Flexible and TDI rose by over 7% against the Euro between the 22 June and 29 June 2016, which was entirely the effect of the exchange rate. The BFM indicate that this will be mirrored with other material inputs.
The BFM also revealed that confidence within the sector, pre-Brexit, was at a three and half year low, with both output and new order intake trending in the wrong direction, in its June 2016 State of Trade Survey conducted before the Brexit result.
However, according to its Financial Ratios Survey, in terms of profitability, the report, which looks at the four ratios to sales of direct materials and labour, overheads, profit and distribution costs, suggested that last year was the most successful for the industry as a whole for some time, with only 5% of the sample making losses.
For more information, visit BFM.


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The board of directors of Weis Markets Inc, a Sunbury PA-based grocery chain, increased the company’s quarterly dividend by $.01 to $.28 per share—a 3.7% increase—to shareholders of record Aug 8, 2003, payable Aug 22, 2003.
At the current market price per share, the company’s current dividend yield is about 3.5%.
“We also continue to make major investments in our capital expansion program,” said Robert F Weis, company chairman. “We are currently scheduled to invest $72.4 million in our capital program, a program that we have invested more than $500 million in since 1995.”
Weis operates 159 stores in six states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and West Virginia. In 2002, the company generated $2 billion in total sales.