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W&WP May 2004
Hale Mfg. Co. conquers the recession by moving into a new facility and introducing new products.
Just over a year ago, a bookcase would make up to a 20-mile trek before Hale Manufacturing Co. was able to ship it to the customer. The process would start with the production of solid wood parts moving up and down and all around a century-old, four-story building in Herkimer, NY. The parts would, in some cases, then be trucked to a second building five miles away to be machined on a CNC center - then returned for sanding, assembly and finishing - before making a 9-mile trip to yet another building to be inventoried as completed, packaged goods.
Hale Mfg. Co.
Hale Mfg. is a third-generation company specializing in bookcase and storage display furniture. The 97-year-old business recently moved its wares into a new 80,000-square-foot facility after operating for 96 years in a four-story brick building and two satellite facilities. Hale employs 60 full-time employees, who work a 10-hour day, Monday through Thursday. The company primarily works with domestic New York state wood species, but utilizes walnut, yellow birch, red oak, cherry, maple and basswood. It does produce veneered pieces but generally sticks to solid wood furniture. The biggest portion of the market is directed at office furniture dealers, who oftentimes provide to schools and libraries.
Three Keys to Success
To say the least, a 100-year-old building does not exactly make for the most time-efficient production processes. Yet, the 97-year-old company specializing in high-end bookcases and shelving units for schools, libraries, law offices and others somehow made it work.
"We were moving trucks and people around, and it was just too much," explains Jon Benson, vice president and general manager of the now Frankfort, NY-based company. "We had efficiency issues that just weren't going away with a four-story building. We would start it on the first floor and send it up the elevator to the rest of the floors, and then back down."
In 2000, Benson and his brother Jim, Hale president, decided the company was not going to successfully move into the future maintaining the status quo. They scouted out locations and found a spot in a newly opened industrial park at the foot of a hill in Frankfort - a far cry from the cramped space in the middle of Herkimer. Jim Benson said they bought the property from Herkimer County at "a great price and payment terms."
From drawing up the initial plans to installing the last piece of machinery, the new 80,000-square-foot facility took almost three years to complete. Wood Management Systems helped design the shop's floorplan as well as the financial feasibility study to start the project. The resulting consolidation into a one-floor, modern factory, plus the addition of several new key pieces of equipment, has greatly enhanced Hale's competitiveness.
"When we started with the consolidation, we went out for new business and went after custom work and tried to cultivate more of that aspect," Jim Benson says.
Hale's products are mainly marketed to office furniture dealers, which oftentimes end up going to schools and libraries. The company's bookcases and other storage and display cabinetry can be found in places like the University of Texas, Yale University, the National Archives and Saratoga High School (NY), the namesake of Hale's new case goods library line. Hale will introduce its Saratoga Series at NeoCon World's Trade Fair, June 14-16 in Chicago.
"We made a big step forward in just moving into one building," Jon Benson says. That big step has facilitated increased production and sales. As of December 2003, company sales were up 10 percent, he notes. In addition, prime costs including labor and material, have been reduced by 5 percent primarily due to no longer needing to move materials and personnel among three buildings. "All of that was wasted effort that did not add to the value of the product and did increase the chance of damage to either component parts or finished furniture," he adds.
|The Saratoga Series, a new solid wood line of library case goods, is set to debut at the NeoCon World's Trade Fair, June 14-16 at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. Pictured is maple with a clear lacquer finish.|
Jim Benson explains that the labor costs have been reduced also in part to the decrease in sales of Hale's import line of KD wood veneer bookcases, and the increase of its domestic products, which are up 15 percent. "The efficiencies gained in labor costs in our new building, for the most part, were offset by increased production requirements. The change in our product mix allowed us to keep most of our labor force intact after the move."
Despite increased sales, the Bensons agree their new facility has not been fully tested yet. "We feel we could do 20 percent more business, and that is a conservative guess," Jon Benson says.
After about 13 months in the new plant, business seems to be taking off. "It was a balancing act, but we pulled it off in fine shape. We are settled in now and ready to go," Jim Benson says.
Battling the Recession
When Hale entered the planning stages for the new 80,000-square-foot facility, a strong, record-setting economy was about to burst. "We felt we could introduce new products and ideas of what direction we wanted to go in," Jim Benson says.
Then the country went into a recession, crippling many businesses and costing hundreds of thousands of people their jobs. That caught the Bensons' attention, but they decided to go ahead with their plans. "All the pieces (of our project) came together when the economy fell apart. But we decided to weather the storm. It was a gamble, but we chose to see what would come out of it," Jim Benson explains.
What the Bensons did not know was how long the recession would last, but fortunately for them and their company, they pulled through. "You think of a recession lasting maybe six to eight months, not two years. It got a little bit scary, but we are now where we want to be," Jim Benson says.
|This version of the 200 Signature Series is done in birch with a light cherry finish.|
In the recession, many companies began outsourcing more often, and even went offshore for production of parts or finished products. Jim Benson admits that Hale looked at offshoring during the economic downturn. "For some components, we did shop around overseas, but found that it was about the same; the price was not that beneficial," he explains. He adds that Hale utilizes at least a half-dozen stateside wood component manufacturers for specialized items, such as lumber squares, hardwood plywood panels - some machined, some as blanks - to Hale specs and domestic kiln-dried lumber.
Having already drawn up plans for the new factory, Hale took advantage of financial assistance and tax incentives offered by the state and local authorities. The aid helped the company battle its way through the recession.
Jim Benson says Hale applied for an industrial revenue bond, which he adds is a time-consuming process that has to go through several agencies for approval. The "very low interest rates" made the process well worth the effort, he adds.
Hale is also participating in New York state's pilot program, which offers companies reduced property taxes as an inducement to keep businesses and jobs. "New York gave us a lot of help," Jim Benson says.
While Hale prevailed during the recession, a few jobs were cut. "With the economic conditions we had to cut back a little. It would be nice to get back to what we used to be (65 employees)," Jon Benson says. Hale currently employs 60 full-time workers.
Hale is on its way back to its previous total as two employees recently have been hired full-time, one of whom is in training on the company's Weeke CNC machining center from Stiles Machinery.
Out With the Old
The 40,000-square-foot old production home was built in the late 1800s, and the village of Herkimer slowly built up around it, Jim Benson says. But with the growth of the town, came less space. Jon says when tractor trailers would unload at one of the docks at the old building, traffic would be blocked until they were unloaded. Today, the local community college uses the old building as additional residential housing.
Not only did the building create traffic problems, it also limited Hale's production possibilities. The company could not accommodate a customer who wanted furniture more than 84 inches because it did not fit in the elevator, Jon Benson says.
The office building in Mohawk, NY, measured 10,000 square feet and was about 5 miles from the main building. Because the old mill building did not have a sturdy concrete floor, the Weeke/Stiles Machinery CNC machining center was housed at the office facility.
|The Richfield imported line, middle, has an anigre veneer. This 300 Series oak hutch, right, has stackable lateral files finished in a brown tone lacquer.|
The last stop was a 25,000-square-foot facility in an industrial park in Little Falls, NY, about 9 miles away. Here, the furniture would be inventoried in Hale's Quick Ship program, a same-week, ship-from-inventory program. Jon Benson adds that the building was also used for storing some raw materials. Today, the shipping and packaging areas are in the same wing of the new factory, rather than being 9 miles apart as they once were. Hale still owns the building, but leases it out.
In With the New
"The move has been very positive. There is much more productivity in just moving to one building instead of three," Jon Benson says.
Jon Benson says Hale's average lead time has been decreased by about two weeks because there is no need for sending materials to different places. "It is so much more streamlined," he says. "We don't have people and production chopped up between three buildings; those impediments are gone."
One of the keys leading to this increased productivity is the floor layout. Machines are configured in a quasi-horseshoe shape, far more efficient than the four-story layout of old. In addition, tracks on the shop floor guide bed-roller carts carrying parts and products from workstation to workstation.
Laying the Hammer Down
In 1953, hammers were a big part of production at Hale Mfg. Co. No, not those hammers, piano hammers. When John A. Benson Sr. took the helm at Hale in 1953, he added piano hammers, the small pieces of wood that strike the piano strings, to the production schedule. His previous entrepreneurial streak saw a niche market that supplied to large piano manufacturers like Kimball, Wurlitzer and Baldwin.
Benson and his son, John A. Benson Jr., produced as many as 5,000 sets of hammers and other wooded piano components a week. Even still, Jon Benson says the hammers were not a big part of the business.
The piano hammers were manufactured in the same plant as the wood bookcases for 31 years. But in 1984, the piano hammer business declined dramatically because of the introduction of electronic pianos and keyboards, as well as plastics and cheaper offshore competition.
An unsung trait of Hale's new home is the docks. At the old facility, there were three docks. The new place has seven total-five outbound docks and two inbound, one for receiving lumber and one dock-height for receiving raw materials.
As Jon Benson explains, Hale "backed into" the new facility. By this he means once one part of the process was ready, they would move those employees to the new building to work there. He says they started with the first step, warehousing and office space, and gradually moved in reverse order of the production process. The only time work ceased was for two weeks when all the heavy machinery, most of which was moved by Hale, had to be relocated to the new building, he adds.
"Most everybody is excited about the move. There were some who weren't that excited, but sometimes change is hard to except," Jim Benson adds.
With the new facility comes a need for new, better equipment. Perhaps the most essential purchase Hale made was the Weeke CNC machine. "We have a CNC machining center and that has become a big part of what we want to do. In three short years it has become the most important piece of equipment in the shop. There is no more loading the carts, wheeling it around and taking it to another spot. It has eliminated a lot of work," Jon Benson says.
Jim Benson says the rough mill Hale now uses was purchased "at the eleventh hour." Hale uses a Barr Mullin and GreCon rip-first computer-assisted rough mill. All the spray booths are new, and bigger than the previous. Hale also bought a used Celaschi double-end tenoner from Danckaert, which will replace the Wadkin double-end tenoner now in use.
A Chiptec gassifier boiler, which heats the entire facility, and a Pneumafil baghouse filter were also purchased for the building. Despite all the new technologies, Hale keeps some elements from the past. Hanging in random spots around the shop are measuring gauges.
Benson says the company's next move is to look at buying another moulder for more specialized pieces and eventually a flat panel ultraviolet finishing system.
Even with all the new equipment, Jon Benson thinks production could be stepped up more than it is. "We are a little softer than we'd like to be, and it could be a lot easier."
"We were able to increase sales and in the last two years we came out with six new specialized items plus the custom work," Jim Benson says. "Our goal is to double sales in a five-year period."
With one year down, it seems Hale is on its way to that goal.
Have something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.


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The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) is a government entity and the world’s fastest-growing free zone. It has reported its best performance in the year’s first half by registering 1469 new companies in the first six months of 2022. This signifies a 19% surge over the same period last year. In June alone, DMCC welcomed 323 new businesses to its Free Zone and business district, the best performance since its inception in 2002. Following on from the unsurpassed 2021, in which DMCC attracted 2,485 new members, DMCC is now home to over 21,000 businesses. Crypto and Blockchain companies already make up 1.6 per cent of the total number of registered companies at DMCC.
Crypto and Blockchain firms in DMCC
Notably, UAE is now home to 1000 blockchain and crypto entities per the statistics provided by the Crypto Oasis ecosystem. In response, UAE-based Crypto Oasis recently updated its target for 2022 to 1500 crypto and Blockchain companies from its previous target of 1000. Accustomed that UAE is home to 1000 blockchain and crypto companies, and DMCC houses a total of 373, this means DMCC is home to 37 per cent of all the blockchain and crypto entities in the UAE.
DMCC’s ongoing progress was driven by a strong demand from international markets, including Europe, China, and India, representing Dubai’s continued commercial appeal and the ease of setting up and doing business at DMCC. Growth was also lifted by continued interest in the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Crypto Centre, and high volumes of trade were witnessed for a range of commodities, predominantly diamonds, tea, and coffee.
Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at DMCC, stated that the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre was constantly striving to enhance Dubai’s status as a hub for business across the globe. This ethos has enabled them to grow from zero to over 21,000 member companies in merely two decades. By providing a hyper-connected community for trade and constantly striving to improve its services, the centre would continue to work with its member companies towards new growth in the years to come.
He further elaborated that with their facilities and services truly representing the centre of global commodities trade, the centre continues to be a core partner to its members, significantly impacting the emirate’s thriving economy.
Advancing Crypto Technologies in Dubai
As an all-inclusive ecosystem for developing and operating blockchain and other cryptographic technologies, the the crypto centre has seen significant interest since its launch in mid-2021. This growth has recommenced into 2022, with 14% of new company registrations in H1 relating to crypto activities. The crypto centre extends home to all types and sizes of crypto businesses, from companies developing blockchain-enabled platforms, NFTs, and Metaverse environments, to firms trading crypto assets.

domain: news


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Apr 13, 2017 AM EDT Elon Musk plans to shorten "flight tested" rockets re-launch to 24 hours saving the company millions in the process.
Mar 26, 2017 PM EDT The Amazon drone drops its first package in the United States during a test delivery light on Monday.
Mar 07, 2017 AM EST Billionaire and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced that his space project, Blue Origins, are creating a mega rocket for its New Glenn spacecraft
Jan 13, 2017 PM EST Amazon recently announced it will by employing 100,000 people with full benefits for the next 18 months. This is welcomed as good news especially to US cities where people are ravaged by poverty. The ...
Jan 03, 2017 AM EST Billionaires are still humans after all and they have their quirkiness as well like the rest of us
Dec 07, 2016 PM EST Nowadays, nerds with money rule the world and they are bent on turning science fiction into a reality. If you have the money, send a spaceship to space is the new status quo
Dec 02, 2016 AM EST Ever wondered where rich people like Warren Buffett, Carlos Slim Helu and Jeff Bezos went to college?
Aug 24, 2016 AM EDT Ordering from Amazon was easy because of Jeff Bezos.
Jun 23, 2018 AM EDTWhat if you can control robots with a simple flick of a finger? A team of experts is trying to make that a reality through this latest experiment.
Jun 16, 2018 AM EDTScientists from the Boston University School of Medicine looked into the effects of flavored e-cigarettes to the lining of blood vessels. Here are ...
May 31, 2018 AM EDTLendingTree outs its study that identifies places in the United States with the most student debt. Here's the complete list.


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To quit or not to quit?
Amid the brouhaha over the social networking site’s controversial privacy settings, uneasy Internet socialites are looking to shift their loyalties to others.tech reviews Updated: May 27, 2010 15:07 IST
Amid the brouhaha over the social networking site’s controversial privacy settings, uneasy Internet socialites are looking to shift their loyalties to others.
“I hate Facebook,” says best-selling author Fatima Bhutto. “The idea that this company owns everything you put on it, is ridiculous. I don’t know why it doesn’t scare more people.”
“I haven’t quit Facebook — yet,” says Rachna Dubey, a painter. “But I’ve started to feel insecure about whether my private info and pictures are being shared without my knowledge. So if something better comes up, I’m leaving.”
Despite its 400 million members, Facebook is now alarmed enough for its CEO Mark Zuckerberg to write a special op-ed for an American daily, saying, “Many people choose to make some information visible to everyone...We already offer controls to limit the visibility…we intend to make them even stronger.”
New websites such as Pip.io, nesocialweb.org and Elgg.org are offering alternatives. On wikihow.com, there is a page on‘How to quit Facebook”. On the other hand, the website quitfacebook.com, designed like a Facebook page, sarcastically gives options to ‘creep’, ‘stalk’ and ‘infect’.
Incidentally, a site that celebrates May 31 as ‘Quit Facebook Day’ has already attracted 14,956 'Committed Facebook Quitters.'
First Published: May 27, 2010 14:37 IST


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ALTHOUGH the car industry is usually perceived as an industry where males are supposed to lord it over, there are achievers or even overachievers in the industry who are from the fairer sex.
And this should not come as a surprise in the Philippines because the country is actually the highest ranked in the Asia-Pacific Region in the 2015 Global Gender Gap Index Report on gender equality. The Philippines rose to No. 7 among 145 countries globally and remains the highest-ranked country in the region when it came to gender equality.
So when a female works hard and excels in marketing a car brand, that should not actually come as a surprise even if the brand was known many decades back, or even up to now, for very masculine cars like the Camaro, Impala, Bel Air and Corvette.
Lyn Manalansang-Buena, as the senior vice president and director for Marketing and Customer Services of The Covenant Car Co. Inc. (TCCCI), was also very instrumental in leading the Chevrolet brand to unprecedented growth in 2014. During that year, sales of Chevrolet vehicles in the Philippines rose by about 59 percent.
Buena said that level of growth was not achieved overnight as work to make the Chevrolet brand among the top in the Philippines began in 2009, when TCCCI took over the marketing of the brand in the country.
“When we embarked on the journey to managing the Chevrolet brand, the battle cry then was to ‘reignite the passion for Chevrolet’ [and]we needed to make sure that we bring in quality, good value Chevrolet cars to the market,” she said.
“Apart from that, we needed to make sure customer service is at the level that befits a Chevrolet owner,” Buena added.
AMONG THE FIRST FOR 5-YEAR WARRANTY
And on March 2011, TCCCI made a bold move by offering a five-year warranty for Chevrolet vehicles, or the first American car brand in the Philippines to offer such.
Buena said when TCCCI offered a five-year warrant for its cars starting March 2011, most car firms offered up to three years warranty.
“[We wanted] to make sure the market understands that we are in for the long haul,” she said.
“At the heart of it is our belief that our cars are of high quality because we are putting our money where our mouth is. We were betting on the brand,” Buena added.
Among vehicles in the Chevrolet stable, it was the Cruze that made the brand more prominent in the Philippine car market.
“When we entered the market as Chevrolet, it was the Cruze that we had [and]we used it to launch [the brand], and it was met with a lot of success. It was actually the car that propelled us to where we are now,” Buena said.
“I mean the brand recognition, I mean people started paying attention to Chevrolet and a large part of it was because of the Cruze. It was a really good car,” she added.
However, sales of the Cruze tapered off as car buyers started to favor sport utility vehicles (SUVs) that also led to lesser sales of compact cars in the Philippines. Fortunately, TCCCI had a good contender in the mid-sized SUV segment in the Trailblazer.
“We were blessed because it was also the time that General Motors introduced the new Trailblazer, which is our mid-sized sport utility vehicle which really has a lion’s share in our product line,” Buena said. The Trailblazer accounts for about 65 percent of TCCCI’s sales.
She said mid-sized SUVs being powered by diesel engines and having seven seats were among the reasons that class of vehicles gained more buyers. Also, the growing economy resulted to more people buying bigger cars.
“We have a growing middle class and the prospects for the economy are good. And bank loans are okay. So I think it’s easier to decide in favor of the bigger cars,” Buena added.
While mid-sized SUVs are currently the superstars of the domestic vehicle market, TCCCI is also looking into expanding its market offerings, which can include the new Cruze that is gaining positive reviews in some parts of the globe because of its larger dimensions and turbocharged 1.4-liter gasoline engine.
Buena said TCCCI is also looking into introducing a small passenger car while the Trax mini-SUV or crossover was launched late last year.
“And it’s [Trax] actually our representative in the segment that we see will be burgeoning very, very soon. Because we think that people will be going toward that type of preference. There would be people who would want an SUV or crossover but without too much bulk. And I think people will surely like a nice interface [of the Trax]because we spend a lot of time in traffic,” she said.
Chevrolet has a rich heritage because it has been in existence for more than 100 years. So it may not be a surprise the brand is known to car buyers whose parents or even grandparents drove Chevrolets.
“We always talk to a lot of people who always say ‘my lolo [grandfather]used to own a Bel Air, my lolo had an Impala.’ I think a lot of Filipinos have family members who used to drive a Chevrolet, we always encounter a lot of them and we think to ourselves, ‘well, I think we’re there, we’re ingrained in their minds as an American car manufacturer.’ Chevrolet has been around for 104 years,” Buena said.
Looking back at her career in the automotive industry, Buena said she has no regrets even if she did not have any plans to be part of the industry.
After finishing her nursing course, Buena decided to work with Scandinavian Motors Corporation or Volvo Philippines while she was studying for the board exams. Little did she know she will be part of the car industry for good because the front desk job she took at Volvo Philippines was simply to while away time as her nursing review classes started at 9 pm.
“I was taking up my board exam reviews and I was requested to join just as a front desk officer,” she said.
“I thought I would go back to nursing, it did not work out that way,” Buena added.
She eventually was transferred to customer relations where she learned to enjoy her work. Buena would be transferred to marketing where she would become the department’s vice president.
Volvo Philippines and TCCCI are sister companies and both headed by lawyer Alberto Arcilla, who obviously saw Buena’s savvy in marketing. So she was eventually tasked to handle the marketing of Chevrolet from the brand’s revival in 2009.
The work environment of Volvo Philippines and TCCCI also gave her a chance to look after her family.
“While we work very hard, we have the flexibility to look after our families,” Buena said, adding she is very thankful to Arcilla whom she has worked with for about 20 years.
Her rise to handle both marketing and customer service of Chevrolet proves that through it all, it’s hard work that really matters even if the automotive world is still seen as male-dominated. Then there’s the fun factor of working in the car industry where there are numerous product launches, and activities for the customer and the media, among others.
“It’s hard work, but it helps if you think that what you do is fun. It helps a lot,” she said.
“I think it’s [automotive industry]not gender bias, because I found that hard work is hard work. Hard work pays off,” Buena added.


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It’s a good time to be a beauty brand, as millennials embrace technology and social media in unprecedented proportions.
Happy to step out of brick-and-mortar confines, beauty brands are experimenting with VR and AR in everything from customer service chatbots to 360-degree video.
Add to that, emerging from the social media ooze, “Influencers have greased the wheels of the beauty industry, providing trusted conduits between brands and customers as brand loyalty and faith in salespeople erodes, and ad blockers proliferate.”
According to Marketing Dive, “The power of influencers is so great in the beauty business that a collaboration with a single YouTube personality — Jaclyn Hill — transformed the sleepy brand Becca into a hot commodity, leading to it being acquired by Estée Lauder.”
Major brands including P&G’s SKII, Laura Mercier, First Aid Beauty, L’Oreal, BareMinerals and MAC are all working with influencers–big and small–proffering a cardinal tool for make-up behavior (trying it on), and AR is a major boon.
L’Oreal partnered with Image Metrics on the virtual mirror Makeup Genius, which has drawn some 20 million users globally and led to AR apps Nail Genius and Essie Dressing.
L'Oréal's MAKE-UP GENIUS.. how digital is making over the way companies are becoming increasingly relevant in the customer's life #spdm
— Gazalgeet Kour (@GazalGeet) May 5, 2016
Shiseido and Microsoft Japan created the Telebeauty app for women to ready themselves for video conferencing. Coty has unveiled Clairol MyShade for hair color, Rimmel Get The Look for makeup and Sally Hansen MiniMatch for nail polish.
Beauty marketers are trialing 360-degree video and VR to transport customers to stores to virtually interact with social media influencers. Burt’s Bees recently collaborated with Google, Baldwin& and MediaMonks to creat a VR tour of founder Burt Shavitz’s rural cabin. And Charlotte Tilbury premiered a virtual-reality film with Kate Moss to launch fragrance Scent of a Dream:
“I wanted people to feel as though they’re truly surrounded by the alluring characters of my hypnotic, other-worldly film, and be totally immersed in the euphoric atmosphere of a wild, glamorous party,” said Tilbury. “I wanted it to be thrilling, real and intense.”
Mobile video shopping platform MikMak connects Instagram Stories and Snap Ads for e-commerce sites and brands on board include Beautyblender, Birchbox and Dr. Brandt.
L’Oreal opened a center for AI in Montreal and rolled out a Facebook Messenger chatbot giving advice on gifts. L’Oréal Beauty Lab in New York City is being used to improve their 30 different cosmetics, hair-care and skin-care brands rather than focusing first on consumers. The VR capabilities and 3D renderings allow the brand to jumpstart prototypes and in-store demos.
Dermablend was a first-use case of L’Oreal’s Beauty Lab for “a strategic and aggressive leap forward” in 2017 and Malena Higuera, GM said, “We’re undergoing a renaissance of sorts […] Every time we need to see something in real life, we come here. Speed is important. But it’s about doing the right thing, fast.”
— Ryan Draven McNamee (@Draven_Ryan) June 29, 2017
Estée Lauder’s Messenger chatbot pairs skin tones with foundation shades while Dior’s Dior Insider chatbot answers product questions.
Procter & Gamble’s Olay launched a Skin Advisor platform that uses AI to analyze skin using selfies and recommend products.
— Heart Defensor (@HEARTDEFENSOR) June 30, 2017
Sephora’s Innovation Lab in San Francisco created ModiFace, a brand that “pushed facial recognition technology to a new point of sophistication.” Its capabilities are impressive, “After months of development, the technology can break down one virtual makeup application into a step-by-step layering process, while maintaining critical accuracy and reaching mass scale.”
In-app, The Virtual Artist tutorial tool offers steps to a nighttime-perfect smoky eye, eyeliner three ways, brows three ways, contouring and highlighting, as users watch a video play in the bottom right of their screen reflecting their face shape and skin tone. As each step is completed, instructions on product and how to apply it appear over their image.
Spanish brand Natura Bissé enrolled John Mayer in viral Snapchat videos, sharing personal hacks for better skin, followed by The Mindful Touch Experience, “the most innovative and trailblazing venture within the spa sector, in which the results of Natura Bissé’s cosmetics are combined with the most advanced technology.”
How it works: “Through virtual reality, mindfulness and the therapist’s expertise– the touch–we invite the client to reconnect with the here and now, to relax their body, to awaken their senses and to experience the pleasure of beauty in a more intense way.” And all for just $1,200 for one hour.
Natura Bissé spent two years developing and refining “‘The Mindful Touch” treatment, “to translate the fashion for mindfulness into the beauty world, to help quieten the constant chattering in the brain, which is the main source of our worry, anxiety and stress.”
Virtual makeup app YouCam just partnered with celebrity makeup artist Kristofer Buckle on six new fantasy looks to the app’s beauty catalog. Buckle said, “You can paint a soft natural angelic look or create a ferocious aggressive sexy style with the same products, and I’m showing you the fun extreme possibilities with YouCam.”
Guive Balooch, global VP L’Oréal’s technology incubator, summed it up for Canada’s The Globe and Mail: “The more we’re able to use these tools like augmented reality [and] artificial intelligence to provide new consumer experiences, the more we can move to customizing and personalizing products for every consumer around the world, no matter what their skin tone is, no matter where they live, no matter who they are.”


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Comprehensive M&A data with integrated detailed company information
Xerox has eyes on HP takeover: WSJ
Posted on Wednesday, 06 November 2019 11:51
Coping machine maker Xerox Holdings is mulling over a possible acquisition of HP at a premium to the US-based computer and printer manufacturer’s current market capitalisation, people close to the matter told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
These sources observed that the potential buyer is considering tabling a cash and stock bid for the business, which is more than three times its size.
While the insiders did caution there is no guarantee of a deal being reached, a tie-up would bring together two household names that have been trying to reboot their operations, as the need for printed materials declines, with most organisations and individuals shifting to become paper-free and keep their data online.
Shares in HP have increased 14.1 per cent to USD 21.00 in pre-market trading at 04:00 today, with the company’s close yesterday giving the group a market capitalisation of USD 27.27 billion.
Xerox’s stock closed at USD 36.37 on 5th November 2019, valuing the total number of outstanding scrips at USD 8.05 billion.
Despite being worth significantly less than the company it plans to acquire, the potential buyer is expecting a windfall worth USD 2.30 billion after reaching a deal earlier this week to sell stakes in joint ventures with Fujifilm Holding to its partner, which includes its interest in Fuji Xerox.
Xerox’s board discussed the possibility of a takeover of HP in a meeting yesterday, the people told the WSJ, which also said the company has received informal funding commitment from a major bank.
HP is what remains of Hewlett-Packard following the 2015 spin off of the servers, data storage and related services arm Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
The company is billed as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of computers and laptops, while also supplying printers and ink cartilages.
WSJ’s report follows HP’s announcement yesterday that it plans to publish its full year financial results for the 12 months to 31st October 2019 on 26th November 2019.
In the nine months to 31st July 2019, the group recorded revenue of USD 43.35 billion, up slightly from USD 43.11 billion in the corresponding period of 2018.
Net earnings totalled USD 2.76 billion in the same timeframe, a 28.9 per cent decrease from USD 3.88 billion in Q1-3 2018.
© Zephus Ltd


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NEW YORK – Target plans to invest as much as $5 billion this year expanding services for customers, including a drive up service for returns, renovations at 175 stores and improvements in online shopping.
The Minneapolis retailer announced the investments Tuesday during its annual investor meeting as it reported a 43% tumble in profits for the holiday quarter, reflecting the ongoing challenges of balancing more cautious consumer spending and rising costs.
Target issued a cautious outlook for the year as inflation squeezes household budgets, but it topped Wall Street expectations for the fourth quarter and shares rose nearly 3% in mid-day trading, reversing an earlier sell-off.
“We recognize that the landscape is unpredictable, and there are plenty of challenges in the near-term horizon,” Target's CEO Brian Cornell told analysts at the meeting on Tuesday.
Target's more modest expectations for 2023 follow weaker outlooks from Walmart and Home Depot last week. Higher costs for everything from food to gas is weighing on Americans, though there has been some easing of inflation in recent months.
Part of the reason inflationary pressures have eased, at least for some things, is a campaign by the Federal Reserve to cool spending, and the economy. Those efforts make using credit cards more expensive, which can negatively impact retailers.
But how Americans spend is changing, too. More people are spending money on travel or going out for dinner than they were during the pandemic, which can mean they are spending less at stores.
Walmart said it expects sales at stores opened at least a year for its U.S. business to rise 2% or 2.5% for the year, while Home Depot forecasts growth for that metric to be roughly flat this year compared with a year ago.
For the full year, Target expects comparable sales — those from stores open at least a year and online channels — will range from a low single-digit decline to a low single-digit increase.
“We're planning our business cautiously in the near term to ensure we remain agile and responsive to the current operating environment," Cornell said in a statement.
Target's total comparable sales inched up 0.7% in the fiscal fourth quarter compared with a year ago. That was fueled by increased customer traffic, but customers are shifting their spending to necessities like food and paper towels over discretionary items like fashion. Groceries typically have a much smaller profit margin. Still, Target said that shoppers are attracted to new and trendy clothing, and that's a key reason for increased store visits.
Cornell noted that the company entered the year in a “very healthy inventory position,” reflecting its conservative approach in discretionary items. Inventory in categories like fashion was roughly 13% lower in the fourth quarter than a year ago.
Target has taken a bigger hit to its business compared to other big box retailers likely because it relies more on discretionary items like clothing and home furnishings. More than 50% of Walmart’s U.S. business comes from groceries; that number is 20% at Target.
It was the fourth consecutive quarter that retailer's profit has slipped. Target reported a 52% drop in third quarter profits, 90% in the second quarter and a 52% decline in the first.
In early June, Target warned that it was canceling orders from suppliers and aggressively cutting prices because of a pronounced spending shift by Americans.
Last November, Target said it was slashing expenses with a goal of saving $2 billion to $3 billion over the next three years. At that time, it said shoppers were waiting to buy on sale, purchasing smaller packages and trading down to store brands instead of national labels, which tend to be more expensive.
But even as Target projects lower sales, the retailer is pushing ahead to accelerate its e-commerce strategy. It announced last week that it will spend $100 million to develop a larger network of package sorting centers that cut the cost of delivering online orders while increasing the speed of delivery.
Target said that its drive up service for returns will be rolled out to all stores by the end of this summer. Customers will be able to return most new, unopened items within 90 days of purchases without leaving their car.
Target also plans to open about 20 new stores in addition to renovating 175 of them. One of the big attractions has been its partnership with Ulta Beauty to have shops at the store. Last year, its sales from Ulta Beauty at Target were more than four times higher than in 2021, the company said.
Target also aims to launch or expand more than 10 owned brands. In addition, the retailer will appeal to price sensitive shoppers with more items starting at $3, $5, $10 and $15.
Fourth-quarter profits fell to $876 million, or $1.89 per share, for the quarter that ended Jan. 23. That compares with $1.54 billion, or $3.21 per share, in the year-ago period.
Sales rose 1.3%, to $31.4 billion. Analysts were expecting earnings of $1.40 a share on sales of $30.7 billion, according to FactSet.
Fourth-quarter gross margin rate was 22.7% compared with 25.7% in 2021, reflecting pressure from higher markdowns, net merchandise costs, and so-called shrink, which reflects inventory losses related to such factors as theft, fraud or damage.
The company expects adjusted earnings per share to be in the range of $7.75 to $8.75 for the year. Analysts were expecting $9.18, according to FactSet.
Target said that over the next three years, it expects its operating income margin rate will reach, and begin to move beyond, its pre-pandemic rate of 6% as early as fiscal 2024, depending on the economic recovery and consumer demand.
Shares rose $4.42 to $171.23 Tuesday.
Follow Anne D’Innocenzio on Twitter


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YBS COMMERCIAL MORTGAGES' OFFER PIPELINE BREAKS £100M
31 Mar 2021
YBS Commercial Mortgages has reported more than £100million in its offer pipeline, just 18 months after its formation.
The commercial lending arm of Yorkshire Building Society started with just 25 colleagues and nine panel broker partners in 2019.
Despite the pandemic, the lender has doubled its team, introduced new propositions and expanded its broker panel significantly, now working with more than 120 broker firms.
Tom Simpson, director of YBS Commercial Mortgages, said: “The impact Coronavirus had on the market was significant and affected many of our key sectors and investor confidence, but in the face of adversity we saw opportunity, and I’m delighted we’ve broken the £100million mark in our offer pipeline.”
YBS Commercial Mortgages says the new products it launched to support investors have contributed to an increased number of deals in the pipeline, after launching a five-year semi-commercial product and a holiday buy-to-let offering as it looked to support the bounce back of the staycation sector.
Tom added: “The commercial property market is fundamentally strong and there should always be support for experienced investors operating in sectors that are largely resistant to the impact of the pandemic, such as essential retail or manufacturing.
“We’re also keen to support sectors that are set to thrive as lockdown restrictions ease, such as the UK holiday market, particularly while uncertainty around overseas travel remains. There’s light at the end of the tunnel and we look forward to continuing to deliver reliable, long-term mortgage solutions for brokers and their clients.”


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One year to the day after Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad, the News Corporation said it was ready to unveil its iPad newspaper, The Daily.
The News Corporation said on Thursday that it would release the highly anticipated app on Feb. 2. The company invited reporters to an 11 a.m. press event that day at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and a spokeswoman confirmed that the app would be made available to consumers on the same day.
Last month, it was reported that the rollout of The Daily had been delayed. News Corporation has not commented on the reason, but the reports came amid the decision by Mr. Jobs, the Apple chief executive, to take a medical leave of absence. The invitation to the Guggenheim event says that Mr. Murdoch will be joined by Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet services.
In the media world, interest is high in The Daily because, as David Carr of The New York Times reported last November, it will be the first of a kind — “a ‘newspaper’ with rich media and photography built especially for the iPad.”
The Daily is also proof of Rupert Murdoch’s keen interest in tablets. He expects tablets to be in the hands of hundreds of millions of people around the world, creating new opportunities for news delivery.
“I believe that it’s a game changer altogether,” Mr. Murdoch said on a conference call with analysts last summer. “We’ll have young people reading newspapers, we’ll have different-looking types of newspapers. It’s a real game changer in the presentation of news.”
The Daily is said to have a about 100 staff members. In preparation for the public release, the staff has already been producing daily editions of the publication.


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By Francisca Oluyole, Nigerian News Agency (NAN)
The growing wave of insecurity, especially armed robberies, kidnappings and banditry, has affected the attitude of Nigerians to life as everyone struggles to survive the crimes that are gradually becoming part of daily life. .
The kidnapping for ransom seems to be more frightening as most Nigerians now live in fear of falling victim to the criminal elements.
True to type, Nigerians are inventing different ways of surviving the challenges and vagaries of this new life with women, traditionally known to be the main patrons of gold jewelry, changing their attitude towards the adornment of beauty. .
Because it attracts kidnappers like honey attracts bees, some women stopped wearing expensive gold jewelry, while some quickly sold theirs to ward off the temptation to wear it or even be identified as owning it. .
Magdalene Okon, an official, said wearing gold was not as fashionable as it once was, adding that high cost of gold over the years had prompted people to invest in land in the past. place of gold jewelry that could be stolen in the blink of an eye. with one eye.
“I like to wear gold jewelry sets that include a necklace, earrings and bracelets. But I stopped this because of the insecurity in the country.
“Recently my uncle’s grandchildren were kidnapped because their mother is known to have massive gold jewelry that attracted the kidnappers.
“I learned from this terrible incident and have warned myself not to wear gold at this time as the country is not as safe as it used to be.”
Undergraduate student Ms Aisha Abubakar said northern women are well known for adorning gold, such as Saudi gold, jewelry 22 karat and above.
“The surprise is that they hardly wear gold these days.
“Most women now wear costumes such as Zeconia jewelry for the safety of their lives.
“In the past, my mom couldn’t do without putting in gold, she is so addicted to gold. But she sold almost all of the gold to pay our tuition and settle some debts when the cost of selling the precious metal to merchants got so lucrative.
“Gold came as a massive relief. She is the only one to take care of the family because of the death of our father. The product has proven to be useful in solving some financial burdens.
“My mom now wears costume jewelry for the occasion.
“With the worsening security situation in the Norwegian side, some of his friends have deposited their gold in banks while others have found alternatives to protect them.
“I only have one gold earring and chain, but I stopped wearing them, especially on campus, due to fear of the unknown.
“Even when I wear them for a night out, I watch my back because they are expensive.”
Ms Bukola Adekola, a 52-year-old civil servant in Abuja, said she couldn’t do without buying the precious metal when it was affordable, just to compete with her friends.
Adekola said Yoruba women are known to wear gold.
“We invest in gold as future assets, not just to develop them.
“The last time I bought gold was when a gram was sold for N3,800.
“I disposed of all the gold I bought at N3,800 per gram last year when a friend told me that a gram was sold at N 24,000. It was like I won a jackpot because I had sold all the gold I had and was making millions of it.
“What is the essence of keeping gold at home when it becomes more and more dangerous to do so with the current insecurity in the country?
“I now wear costumes for the occasion and I’m fine with that. I invested the money in children’s education, business and the like, ”she said.
Ms Chioma Nnamdi, a nurse at a private hospital in Lagos, said her husband married her last year with a silver ring due to the high cost of the gold ring.
“We got married last year in September because we planned it before the pandemic set in. Things were very expensive and we resorted to a normal ring. It is not about a gold ring, but about the union and the love we have for each other. “
Alhaji Dahiru Abdullahi, a gold trader in Abuja, also denounced the weak patronage of gold due to the advent of COVID-19 and the economic crisis in Nigeria and around the world.
“We no longer feel rushing from customers, but people bring what they have to the market to sell. Costume jewelry is now all the rage, especially Zaconia.
“Zaconia also has second hand value, but we don’t measure them per gram for sale or when we want to buy from customers unlike gold jewelry.”
He said buying a gram of gold is an asset, adding that many people invest their capital in gold for future security.
According to him, the current price of 18 carats of new jewelry is 26,000 naira per gram, while 18 carats of fairly used jewelry is now sold at 19,000 naira per gram.
He said that 21 karats of new gold jewelry is now worth 32,000 Naira per gram and 21 karats of fairly used jewelry is sold at 21,000 Naira per gram.
“These are the current international prices. The amount that I sell gold or buy from customers is the same as that of other gold dealers. We use the international standard rate.
“We don’t fool customers because they need the money and want to sell their gold. We buy gold at the international rate then in effect.
“Prices fluctuate, but we follow international rules and standards for selling and buying.”


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One of the attractions at the forthcoming IMHX Exhibition (NEC, Birmingham, 13-16 September) will be the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) Pavilion.
Prominently located within Hall 9 of the NEC, the UKWA Pavilion will showcase the products and services offered by UKWA’s members and associate members.
UKWA is constantly introducing significant new member benefits and services designed to help members grow and succeed in a fast-moving, rapidly changing and increasingly competitive marketplace and those attending the show are invited to visit the UKWA Pavilion to learn more about the workings of UKWA and the many benefits of belonging to the Association.
Key UKWA personnel will be present throughout IMHX to discuss recent and future initiatives – which include a logistics industry trade mission to China, details of which are available at www.ukwa.org.uk.
The UKWA Pavilion will feature a number of exhibition stands set out around a business networking area. Companies exhibiting as part of the Pavilion include: The Rack Group; AMH; Total Logistics; Gideon Hillman Consulting; SEC; Filplastic; Lenze; Indigo Software; DAI and Harting.
UKWA members who are keen to exhibit at IMHX 2016 within the UKWA Pavilion should visit www.ukwa.org.uk for up to the minute information on stand availability.
With over 650 member companies, UKWA is the ‘Voice of the Logistics Industry’. It is the UK’s leading trade association dedicated to the third party logistics sector, and its members control in excess of 100 million square feet of warehousing space from over 2,000 locations across the UK.
Arkill Matthews Allen Ltd


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You know it's a slow news day when we're writing about European variations of cars sold stateside.
Read This Article
Honda announces recalls on select Accord and Fit vehicles.
The 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show is fast becoming memory as we occupy our minds with filling Thanksgiving tables with mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, and the now-traditional turducken.
The recent flooding in Thailand has forced Honda, alongside Toyota, to reveal that its North American production will be cut by a whopping 50 percent.


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While cryptocurrency values rise, the quantity of money lost to crypto scams continues to rise.
According to the US Federal Trade Commission, crypto scams cost consumers almost $82 million between October 2020 and March 2021. (FTC).
The $82 million loss is ten times what was reported a year ago for the same six-month period.
Crypto frauds, according to the FTC, increase as cryptocurrency prices rise. Bitcoin increased by 490 percent from $10,000 to $59,000 between October 2020 and March 2021. In the same time frame, the price of Ethereum increased from $360 to $1,940.
“Cryptocurrency aficionados gather online to discuss their common interest. New investors may be keen to get in on the action now that bitcoin’s value has skyrocketed in recent months. The FTC stated, “All of this plays straight into the hands of scammers.”
Because the FTC’s statistics is based on individuals self-reporting their losses, the true loss may be greater than recorded.
Others who have been affected Consumers who have reported crypto scams to the FTC are far from the only ones who have fallen victim to them.
According to a report released this month by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, scammers in Australia stole almost $20 million in cryptocurrency payments last year. After bank transfers, crypto was the second most common payment method for scammers, according to the commission.
The National Crime Agency in the United Kingdom is similarly afraid that crypto acceptance would boost crypto-related crime. The National Crime Agency claimed in its annual report on severe organized crime that increased Bitcoin acceptance might make life simpler for crooks.
If cryptocurrencies are the way of the future in finance, they are also the way of the future for con artists.


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Tech Minute: How to stop Facebook face recognition
And we've all been there before -- -- the -- -- -- that doing something you'd rather the whole world tendency.
Now the acquisition official recognition startup -- dot com FaceBook may soon make it easier for mobile phone users to attack people.
But there is a way that you can keep FaceBook from recognizing your face first log on to FaceBook and -- privacy settings click on timeline and -- and choose the last option.
Who sees -- suggestions when photos that look like you are uploaded.
From the drop down menu choose no one and a mobile device the process a similar.
Even though it takes a few extra steps to opt out from this feature it's the best way to stop others from being able to tag you in pictures.
Uniting something stupid or regrettable is now up to Yale.
In San Francisco I'm Kara tsuboi cnet.com for CBS news.
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CHICAGO (Reuters) - A Michigan meat processing plant has
recalled 1.8 million lbs of ground beef for possible
contamination with the E.coli bacteria, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
announced on Monday.
USDA said Wolverine Packing Co in Detroit is recalling the
1.8 million lbs of ground beef products produced between March
31 and April 18 after FSIS was notified of a case of E.coli
0157:H7 illness on May 12.
FSIS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
traced the case to the Wolverine Packing Company. Further
investigations identified 11 people in four states sickened by
the potentially deadly bacteria.
The product in question bears the establishment number
"EST.2574B" with a production date code marked "Packing Nos:MM
DD 14" between "03 31 14" and "04 18 14."
USDA said some of the recalled products were shipped to
distributors for restaurant use in Massachusetts, Michigan,
Missouri and Ohio.
They said none of the potentially contaminated ground beef
made its way to the Department of Defense, the National School
Lunch Program or catalog/internet sales.
The #1 daily resource for health and lifestyle news!
Your daily resource for losing weight and staying fit.
We could all use some encouragement now and then - we're human!
Explore your destiny as you discover what's written in your stars.
The latest news, tips and recipes for people with diabetes.
Healthy food that tastes delicious too? No kidding.


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At Riverwards produce market in Fishtown, owner Vincent Finazzo is getting rid of single-use plastic bags. On Monday, he will celebrate Earth Day, which is also the store’s second anniversary, by giving away 100 reusable produce bags with samples from local companies, such as snack-size packs of tahini.
On Wednesday, Weavers Way Co-op locations will launch “Weigh it Wednesday,” a pilot program offering a 10 percent discount on bulk items for shoppers who bring their own containers. Weavers Way will soon roll out reusable takeout containers that customers can put a deposit on and bring back for refills, a spokeswoman said. The organization also plans to replace the foam trays used in meat packaging, and will soon sell reusable bulk bags made from recycled plastic to replace single-use bags.
And there’s a little Earth Day every day in local grocery aisles, as co-ops, neighborhood shops, and even major chains move toward ways to reduce plastic.
Trader Joe’s uses compostable produce bags and paper grocery bags, and gives raffle tickets for gift cards to customers who bring their own bags. The company has replaced Styrofoam trays in the produce section with biodegradable packaging, and in December announced plans to reduce plastic elsewhere in the store.
Walmart is seeking to convert its private brand packaging to recycleable, reusable or compostable materials by 2025, the company announced this year.
Some grocers, including Whole Foods and Mom’s Organic Market, offer credits of a few cents for customers who bring bags. Many large supermarkets, including Acme, Giant, and ShopRite, have recycling bins where customers can dispose of plastic bags for recycling.
At Reading Terminal Market, online orders are packaged in reusable bags provided by online delivery service Mercato, which has reduced the use of plastic bags by individual vendors. And at the market’s Customer Hub, a spokesman said, the best-selling item is a reusable tote.
At Riverwards, the latest changes are one step in what Finazzo said was a long-term project to eliminate plastic. He is also replacing the plastic used for such items as salads with biodegradable containers, and he’s putting a bag exchange in the store where people can take and leave reusable totes, similar to the bag library at Weavers Way in Ambler.
After the store’s remaining stock of plastic bags is gone, Riverwards customers who want plastic produce bags can buy biodegradable bags for 15 cents each. Finazzo said he’ll donate proceeds to the Riverfront North Partnership, a nonprofit that maintains trails and parks along the Delaware River.
“I’m thinking of the bags as a gateway for people to think about where else they can make small changes," he said.
A growing number of environment-conscious retailers say using biodegradable plastic isn’t enough: unless the material is thrown away in a dedicated facility, it ends up in a landfill, where it breaks down no faster than other garbage. That’s why Finazzo is talking to local composting companies he works with, as well as with his suppliers, about designing a better way to dispose of trash.
“The point is to be able to follow the packaging every step of the way and make sure it’s disposed of in the best way," he said.


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New tenants coming to former Macy's
- Oscar Pedro Musibay
A jazz and blues club, a wine store and a new Cuban coffeehouse with hopes for national expansion will open by summer in most of Macy’s unused space in downtown Miami.
The department store is leasing 20,000 square feet of unoccupied space in its west building at Flagler Street and Miami Avenue to Miami-based Barlington Group.
Barlington unveiled its leasing strategy and new tenant lineup at Thursday’s Miami City Commission meeting.
The firm leased 2,500 square feet to Kana Cuban Coffee for a coffeehouse that includes 1,100 square feet of outdoor space. The owner of Transit Lounge in the Brickell Avenue area has leased about 10,000 square feet for Avenue D. The jazz and blues club will also operate Kork Wine & Spirits, a wine bar and package store, in the basement. The club is named after South Miami Avenue, which in the 1920s was called Avenue D.
Bill Fuller, Barlington’s co-managing partner, said he vetted prospective tenants for six months. The remaining 7,500 square feet will be home to a restaurant that will feature comfort food, and a separate light-food eatery.
“Every tenant had to make a profit,” said Gautier, noting that lease rates gave retailers “breathing room” to be successful.
He said the leasing strategy was about generating steady traffic for the department store and reinvigorating the area. Barlington agreed to this strategy as part of its deal with Macy’s, according to Martin Pinilla, another of Barlington’s co-managing partners.
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Snack brand Slim Jim had been struggling to gain traction on social media. Most marketers are familiar with the growing pains that come with trying to grow a brand’s presence online, and Slim Jim was experiencing this trouble firsthand. Repeatedly failing to hit the right note that would connect with customers and drive sales growth, the brand’s Instagram page struggled to get over the 5,000 follower mark.
Meanwhile, an unknown name unaffiliated with Slim Jim had started a fan page called @SlimJimsDoingThings. The page, which capitalized on the current trend of meme culture and humor that appeals to a younger demographic, gained popularity swiftly. Andy Hines, the creator of the page, had somehow found the right way to connect with fellow Slim Jim fans, to the tune of 15,000 followers on Instagram. So Slim Jim did what it needed to do: the brand invited Hines to a pop-up event and eventually went on to hire him as a content manager, allowing him to bring his fresh ideas and engaging content to the official Slim Jim platforms.
What does this teach other brands about marketing and hiring the right team? It shows that the right person for the job may not be the person with the high level résumé or the massive list of accomplishments and accolades. Hines had zero previous experience running a brand’s social media, but he did have the right eye for content that works. And this instinct is perhaps more valuable than decades of experience in managing platforms. Having a thorough understanding of what consumers like to see and engage with is a valuable asset for any marketing professional. Yes, there’s a technical level of understanding needed to effectively manage, analyze and plan content for a social media platform. But often, this is a skill that can be taught. Instincts, however, can’t; some individuals may just have a better knack for content than others, and any perceived shortcomings on their résumé should be considered to be learning opportunities for the right candidate.
Slim Jim’s Instagram page now boasts more than 500,000 followers, a number Hines was able to achieve in just a year of work. And with a growth rate of nearly 100,000 new followers each month, it’s safe to say the brand found a true diamond in Hines’ brain. While Hines is no longer on the front line of managing content, the effects of his work can still be seen throughout the content plan for Slim Jim, which has embraced the idea of meme culture and hit a home run with its efforts.
All of this serves as a reminder that not every “good on paper” candidate will be an ideal fit for a position, just as not every layman with real world experience will be a prime candidate for a major upheaval such as Slim Jim’s social media overhaul. However, learning to look past the résumés and awards and to instead look for skills that are more in tune with the right instincts and feel for tone can be invaluable for brands seeking a fresh voice or perspective.


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Women may glow and the men might plunder in the land down under, but they get awfully touchy when you release a 4G-enabled tablet in Australia, only to find out that it doesn’t actually work there -- and as usual, all signs point to the courtroom.
It seems like every new iteration of Apple’s notebooks, there’s speculation about when the company might add integrated 3G data to the mix. It still isn’t happening just yet, but that doesn’t mean Cupertino isn’t entertaining the notion -- as evidenced by this 2007 MacBook Pro prototype which has turned up on eBay.
Although Apple only started offering officially unlocked iPhone 4 models in the United States earlier this month, that hasn’t stopped owners from using jailbreak methods to free their devices from AT&T’s clutches and into the waiting arms of T-Mobile, who now claims there are more than a million such users on their network.
With winter in full swing, and March Break only a few weeks away, we know that a lot of you are no doubt planning a getaway. If those vacation plans include an iPhone and a trip outside the United States, your time abroad could quickly turn into an expensive proposition, thanks to your telecom’s data roaming fees or even worse, a lost or stolen iPhone. Fortunately, we've got tips to travel smarter with your iPhone.
Previously, it had been rumored that Apple was trying to design its own SIM card for iPhone users, to give them a chance to use the device and be able to bypass carrier contracts at the same time. But now, some carriers are saying they would forgo subsidizing the costs of the phone if Apple were to follow up on those plans.


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The launching of the program is set to happen on May 10.
The socio-economic situation around the world is getting stiffer and unprecedented by the day. The government of the Republic of Senegal is on the verge of supporting low-income families hit by these tedious conditions. A total of 540,000 households are going to be prime benefactors.
Oumar Gueye, the government spokesperson, briefed the press on Thursday that these measures were taken to mitigate the surge in prices of essential foodstuffs and other products. Prices of cooking oil, for instance, rose from 18,000 to 27,000 CFA francs. The price of rice has also risen substantively.
The spokesperson also indicated that the government has created a price support scheme for wheat and the temporary wavering of import taxes on some products.
The low-income households are listed on the National single registry and will receive approximately 64 million dollars to cope with the rising cost of living.
Senegal is currently grappling with the sad eventualities of global inflation and the halt of international trade due to the political conflict between Ukraine-Russia.


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22 Feb How Brexit Affects Businesses: Surprising Benefits and Drawbacks
How Brexit affects businesses is clearly still evolving. The new rules and regulations that have arisen in the wake of Brexit undoubtedly bring disruptions for UK businesses. But, as changes are implemented, we’re starting to see what the future landscape looks like, along with the benefits and drawbacks that might surface.
While some of these impacts are expected, for example changes to import and export paperwork or shipping delays, others may come as a surprise.
The good news is that not everyone will need a visa to travel to the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Lichtenstein. If you plan on staying for less than 90 days in a 180 day period, you may be able to do simple things without a permit.
However, the UK government website advises that you might need some form of documentation if you’re planning on doing any of the following:
- Transferring from the UK branch of a company to a branch in a different country.
- Carrying out contracts in a country where your employer has no presence.
- Providing services in another country as a self-employed person.
For more information on how Brexit affects businesses in terms of travel, please see the advice published on the Gov.uk website page.
Businesses with .eu URLs won’t be able to keep their domain names unless the owner is an EU/EAA citizen or resident, or an EU-based business. According to Forbes, 81,000 .eu domains have been suspended as a result.
More Jobs For Certain Sectors
The Financial Times recently reported on one surprising way Brexit affects businesses involved in shipping in the North West. Liverpool is one of the UK’s most prominent shipping hubs.
In recent months, certain port operators have seen significant increases in traffic as businesses use the port to avoid congestion at other channel crossing points. Stephen Carr, the commercial director of Peel Ports, told the Financial Times that his company was at 80-90% capacity and is hiring 150 new dock workers.
Music Industry Concerns
In January, over 100 well-known artists and creatives signed a letter protesting current regulations on touring in the EU. At the moment, new Brexit rules mean work visas are needed, which critics say will make touring impossible for some bands. This could impact not only the bands themselves but the wider music industry.
Long-Term Growth From Emerging Economies
How Brexit affects businesses in the long run is still emerging. However, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says that future benefits will be seen in trade deals with emerging economies.
He told the BBC that a “ten-year view” shows that future deals with areas such as the Indo-Pacific will be done in a Britain-friendly way. This, he says, will be beneficial for “jobs, livelihoods..[and] start-ups that want to scale up”.
For more industry insights, have a look at our news section.
Please note this article is not intended as advice. For more information see the UK government’s Brexit transition website or contact a legal or financial representative.


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We love the United States Postal Service. It is cheaper and faster at sending pens across the country and around the world than any of its rivals. After the early pandemic problem with international mail, everything is going great! (It also is one of the only governmental services mentioned and mandated by the U.S. Constitution.)
The USPS just announced it will be — just for the holidays! — RAISING its RATES annnnnnd SLOWING SERVICE! This new policy goes in effect October 3.
We are sorry, but we likely will have to raise our shipping charges to keep from losing money.
Why is the USPS spiking rates and slowing service for the holidays? As a former journalist, I can tell you the old rule of “Follow the money” is never more true than now.
Look no further than Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. Prior to becoming Postmaster General, DeJoy had a political axe to grind against the USPS and wanted it privatized. Why? U.S.A. Today points out that he has between $30 million and $70 million dollars invested in 3 delivery corporations in direct competition with the United States Postal Service. Those corporations are United Parcel Service (UPS), XPO Logistics and J.B. Hunt (Freight).
I don’t think it matters what your politics are, that looks a lot like hiring the fox to watch the hen house.
No. Maybe it doesn’t matter if a pen takes 2 or 3 days longer to get to you. BUT, what about critical medication to the elderly and sick? What about vital real estate, tax and business records where a lot of money is changing hands or peoples’ lives are put on hold as these items, for legal reasons, must be sent via the mail?
And why raise rates and slow service just before the holidays? Could it have anything to do with bringing the USPS down to the overpriced, slow service levels of UPS and DeJoy’s other corporate interests to help bolster their sales at the expense of the USPS? He’ll say no, but I’m not convinced when he has $30M to $70M at stake to make his investments do better.
I have already written DeJoy and President Joe Biden, demanding the service disruption be stopped and preferably to have DeJoy sacked. Yet, my two lonely letters won’t get much attention. Please write to both men and demand better of the United States Postal Service. The more letters they get, the more results we might get.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy
United States Postal Service
475 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20260
President Joe Biden
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW


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Online gambling has become a popular form of entertainment and a way to win money for millions of people worldwide. As the popularity of online gambling grows, governments are faced with the challenge of regulating the industry and ensuring that players and operators are paying their fair share of taxes. In recent years, many countries have introduced new tax rules and regulations for online gambling sites. In this article, we will explore the new tax rules for online gambling sites. The United Kingdom is one of the countries that have implemented new tax rules for online gambling sites. In 2014, the UK government introduced a new point of consumption tax POCT which requires all online gambling operators to pay a tax of 15% on their gross profits from UK customers. This means that if a gambling operator has UK customers, they must pay tax on their profits, regardless of where they are based. The POCT has had a significant impact on the online gambling industry in the UK. Prior to its introduction, many operators were based in tax havens such as Gibraltar and Malta, where they paid little or no tax.
However, since the introduction of the POCT, many of these operators have relocated to the UK to avoid paying the tax. This has led to an increase in revenue for the UK government and has also helped to create jobs in the country. Another country that has implemented new tax rules for online gambling sites is France. In 2010, the French government introduced a new tax on online gambling sites. The tax, known as the Gross Gaming Revenue GGR tax, requires operators to pay tax on their gross gaming revenue from French customers. The tax rate varies depending on the type of game being played, but it is generally between 15% and 37%. The GGR tax has been controversial, with some operators arguing that it is too high and that it has led to a decline in the French online gambling market. However, the French government argues that the tax is necessary to fund social programs and to prevent problem gambling. Australia is another country that has implemented new tax rules for online gambling sites. In 2017, the Australian government introduced a new tax on online betting.
The tax, known as the Point of Consumption POC tax, requires operators to pay tax on their net wagering revenue from Australian customers. The tax rate is 15%, and it applies to all online betting operators, regardless of where they are based. The introduction of the POC tax has had a significant impact on the Australian online betting market. Many operators have pulled out of the market due to the tax, and those that have remained have been forced to increase their prices to cover the cost of the tax. This has led to a decline in the number of Australian customers using online betting sites. In the United States, online gambling is still largely illegal at the federal level, but some states have introduced their own laws and regulations. One such state is New Jersey, which has legalized online gambling and introduced a tax on online gambling sites.
The tax, known as the Internet Gaming Gross Revenue Tax, requires operators to pay tax on their gross gaming revenue from New Jersey customers. The tax rate is 15% for online casino games and 10% for CS:GO Betting sites. The introduction of the Internet Gaming Gross Revenue Tax has been positive for the New Jersey economy. Since the tax was introduced, the state has generated over 150 million in tax revenue from online gambling sites. This has helped to fund education, healthcare, and other public services in the state. In conclusion, online gambling is a rapidly growing industry, and governments around the world are introducing new tax rules and regulations to ensure that operators and players are paying their fair share of taxes. The UK, France, Australia, and the US are just a few of the countries that have implemented new.


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For some brands, putting a modern spin on heritage elements can be a challenge. Aveda, on the other hand, has effectively used the Internet to help expand the iconic collection’s fan base, simultaneously promoting both its classic qualities and cutting-edge innovation. Online marketing campaigns like the one it launched last December—#SmellsLikeAveda, a nod to the recognizable fragrance the late founder, Horst Rechelbacher, used for the collection when it was introduced in the 1970’s—exemplify this technique. “It’s a balance between the new product technology we now have and still staying true to being a professional salon brand, which is how Horst launched the company,” explained Rachel Ostrom, Aveda’s Executive Director of Consumer Engagement. “We don’t want people to forget that heritage and that core tie to the brand for people who know us going back 35 years, but at the same time, we’re also moving into high performance hair care, so feel like these tactics let us reach the guest that has really focused on that high performance hair care and the proven results that go with it.”
Aveda has been an early adopter of many online marketing strategies for the past decade. It was the first professional hair care brand to offer e-commerce; five years later, it was one of the first brands to launch mobile commerce. It was the first Estée Lauder brand to launch ratings and reviews, and the first professional hair care brand with a proprietary loyalty program, too. No wonder it was named as one of the top three “genius brands”, along with L’Oréal Paris and Pantene, in the most recent L2 Digital IQ Index for the second year running. “It’s not always that we’re the trendsetter as much as we’re kind of willing to be first,” Rachel said. “We really do like to be the first to do something. We’re willing to try new things all the time.”
Other online strategies that have been particularly successful, and will continue, are the use of how-to videos on YouTube, which can get millions of page views, and Facebook, where Aveda has 1.3 million fans. Aveda also posts from backstage at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. The Internet has also offered the brand a particularly effective medium with which to build up momentum for new products before they’re released. Pre-sampling for key product launches such as Smooth Infusion Naturally Straight, which was recently introduced, lead to ample positive reviews on Aveda.com prior to its in-store date. (For that specific product, salons were encouraged to share before-and-after images on Instagram as well.)
The Internet will be a key component in this year’s remaining campaigns, promoting its customizable hair color, as well other (non-hair) launches, such as a hand cream and new makeup colors.
“Ideally, we’re just trying to get the word out on new products before they launch, give people a chance to experience and talk about them, and hopefully they’ll come back when they’re on counter and make a purchase,” Rachel said.


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Nest are holding a press conference on the 19th of June, the company is expected to announced a new product and it looks like it has been leaked, a Nest Security Camera.
The guys over at Droid Life have managed to get their hands on some photos of the new Nest Security Camera.
Nest have apparently been testing out their new security camera over the last few months in disguise as a Dropcam Pro, and this new nest camera will offer Full HD streaming in 1080p.
As well as the new security camera, Nest will also launch a new version of their Nest app, which will come with a new user interface and it will allow you to control all of your devices, including the Nest Thermostat, Nest Protect and the new Nest Security Camera.
We should have more details on this new security camera from Nest when it is made official at the company’s press event on the 17th of June.
Source Droid Life
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by Wadsam | November 7, 2018 1:40 am
According to Herat’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry department, a total of 2,880 trade licenses were issued following a reduction in the license fee.
Director of the department, Jamila Bahaduri, said each license was sold for 2,600 AFN.
The reduced license fee has encouraged people to obtain business permits, added Bahaduri.
Presently more than 200 factories are operating in the industrial park of western Herat province.
Economic experts have voiced their concerns over the latest US sanctions imposed on Iran as they might have adverse effects on the economic situation of Herat, which shares a border with Iran.
Source URL: https://wadsam.com/afghan-business-news/business-licenses-increase-herat-following-reduction-fee-232/
Copyright ©2019 Wadsam unless otherwise noted.


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Luxury shopping and dining destination, The Galleria on Al Maryah Island is continuing its partnership with Pink Caravan, a UAE breast cancer initiative by Friends of Cancer Patients (FoCP) to support International Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The activity will take place from October 1-7 and will offer a free breast cancer screening service for all visitors.
Every visitor to the Pink Caravan booth will be offered a free and private breast cancer screening, alongside the opportunity to talk to experts in the field in a dedicated seating area. Visitors undergoing a screening will also receive a complimentary nail polish treatment from Nstyle Beauty Lounge, free mini cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery and macarons from Sprüngli will be given to the first 15 women each day throughout the activation.
Many of The Galleria’s restaurants are also taking part with a variety of offerings, including Roberto’s Abu Dhabi, Loca, 99 Sushi Bar and Restaurant, Eat Greek Kouzina, Bentley Kitchen and Costa Coffee. Throughout the month, pink balloons and breast cancer pins will also be distributed by hospitality ambassadors within the shopping centre.
The Pink Caravan team will further provide an educational platform to communicate the causes, symptoms and methods of early detection for breast cancer through its mobile medical booth. The Galleria on Al Maryah Island’s location and easy access point will provide convenience to those living and working in Abu Dhabi looking for free screenings and consultations.
Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases in the UAE, but is preventable and curable with a success rate of 90% if detected and treated in the early stages.
The Pink Caravan Ride is a pan-UAE awareness initiative which runs annually throughout the seven emirates, including remote and outlying areas. Every year, over 150 experienced equine riders across different sectors join forces to bring together schools, universities and businesses in order to showcase their support in fighting breast cancer.
J Lindeberg was started by Johan Lindeberg in 1990s with the aimSeptember 2, 2022 | By RetailME Bureau
Majid Al Futtaim has made significant strides toward environmental, social, and corporateJuly 5, 2022 | By RetailME Bureau
Abu Dhabi based grocery retail chain Lulu Group has partnered with Amazon
UAE-government-led initiative Food Tech Valley – announced in 2021 by His Highness
Abu Dhabi-based supermarket chain Lulu Hypermarket is all set to open in
Plant-based meat brand Beyond Meat’s financial results for the third quarter of
UAE’s fresh produce brand Barakat has launched bio-degradable packaging across its entire
UAE-based agritech start-up Pure Harvest Smart Farms has signed a Memorandum of
Carrefour, owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim – Retail in the
Grandiose Supermarket, part of Ghassan Aboud Group, has announced expansion plan in
The Valrhona journey began 100 years ago with a cocoa bean. Since
Deliveroo UAE has announced the expansion of its rapid grocery delivery service
The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) revealed that the UAE
Dubai’s newest lifestyle and shopping destination Silicon Central – under the portfolio
Line Investments & Property LLC, the shopping mall and management division of
The Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) has unveiled an exciting line-up
This month Dubai’s Italian themed Mercato mall will complete two decades since
Majid Al Futtaim’s shopping mall City Centre Mirdif has launched a two-week
UAE-based retail conglomerate Landmark Group’s children’s concept Babyshop has opened a new
Dubai’s new lifestyle and shopping destination Silicon Central signs up five brands
Sunset Hospitality Group (SHG) has announced a partnership with award-winning Italian restaurant
UAE-based retail group Brands For Less Group (BFL) launched its first shopping
The UAE e-commerce market is expected to reach $9.2 billion in 2026,
As part of its expansion plan home-grown brand PINZA! opens two dine-in
Alison Rehill-Erguven the new CEO of Arabian Centres Company (ACC), owner, developer


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Servers push Intel’s Q4 to new heights
In a promising start to earnings season, Intel reported profits of $3.7 billion for its fourth quarter on Thursday, up 39 percent from a year ago. Its server business contributed $4.1 billion in revenue, up 25 percent from the fourth quarter last year.
Xiaomi has a plan for the smart home, too
Xiaomi is looking beyond the smartphone market: At Thursday’s launch of a phablet meant to eat into iPhone 6 Plus market share, the Chinese company said it has plans for the smart home market. It wants home-appliance partners to install its smart module into washing machines, refrigerators and the like. Then its smartphone apps would be the smart-home control hub.
Google Glass org shakes up as Explorer sales to consumers halted
Is Google just giving Glass more time—and space—to refine itself for a relaunch, or is there trouble for the smart eyewear? It is stopping consumer sales of the $1500 Explorer edition and shaking up management at the unit. Glass is moving out of the Google X research lab and will be a business unit led by Ivy Ross, reporting to Nest Labs CEO Tony Fadell.
Marriott backs off on effort to block guests’ Wi-Fi
After paying a hefty fine in the U.S. last year for illegally blocking hotel guests’ personal hotspots so they would be compelled to pay for the Marriott’s own pricey Internet service, the hotel chain has now backed off on a request to regulators to allow it to resume the practice. An activist group called Care2 gathered 14,000 signatures on a petition to the FCC opposing the plan, and was claiming victory on Thursday.
Prosecutors say they caught their pirate red-handed
The trial of the man charged with masterminding the Silk Road online market in illegal wares was well underway in New York on Thursday, as prosecutors laid out their case and told of how law-enforcement caught Ross Ulbricht online using the handle Dread Pirate Roberts. His attorney has an answer for that, of course…
But MtGox’s Karpeles says he’s not the pirate you are looking for
After his name was dropped by the defense in the trial of accused Silk Road mastermind Ross Ulbricht, Mark Karpeles, former CEO of the failed bitcoin exchange MtGox, denied involvement in the now-shuttered underground marketplace. Ulbricht’s lawyer said Karpeles was an early suspect in the investigation, but he told us via email, “This is probably going to be disappointing for you, but I am not Dread Pirate Roberts.” He did acknowledge that his company hosted a website that was used to market Silk Road.
Cities cheer Obama’s broadband move
Cities that have been fighting for a repeal of state laws banning municipal broadband are applauding President Barack Obama’s proposal this week to come to their aid. Members of the 55-city Next Century Cities group watched a live video stream of Obama’s announcement and “there was a lot of cheering in the room” when he said he would encourage federal regulators to green-light local networks, according to a city manager from Missouri.
No job too small on this hacker-for-hire site
Hiring a hacker to pry break into someone else’s system isn’t just for big companies and governments anymore: The New York Times reports on a new site where anyone can find the right geek for their job, whether you want into your ex-girlfriend’s email or your employer’s accounts. The founders think they’ve set it up to stay on the right side of the law.
Wonder how hydrogen fuel cells power cars? Catch this explainer featuring a new model at the Detroit Auto Show.
One last thing
Is proposed cybersecurity legislation a threat not just to the bad guys but to IT security pros as well? Robert Graham argues the case in Obama’s War on Hackers.


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In the cutthroat startup world, challenges are aplenty. And, bringing in a new process and a product in an already-established industry is no cakewalk. But, Bangalore-based Malayali couple Dr Nidun Jacob and Parvathi Radhakrishnan has managed to take the challenge head-on and is already scripting success.
ZEPNURhealth, an online platform for medical equipment and consumables, started by the couple aims to make the process of procuring equipment for hospitals and clinics a hassle-free experience. Through ZEPNURhealth, the duo has launched possibly the country’s first healthcare group-purchasing organisation.
In a chat with Express, the duo shares their journey and the risks of venturing into the highly-competitive healthcare sector.
For someone who runs a hospital or a diagnostic centre, procuring equipment can get a bit overwhelming. Choosing from a sea of brands that sell different equipment with distinct technical capabilities while negotiating the best price, and liaisoning with multiple vendors for different products, can be a strenuous task. That’s where ZEPNUR plays a significant role, says Parvathi who is the co-founder and marketing strategist of the venture.
“Using the platform, users can browse and review equipment across multiple specialities. They can consult with our technical team for any product-related queries and get access to the best prices by way of our Group-Purchase Model. Unlike a traditional distributor, we are not limited to work with only a few brands and products, and can offer Indian as well as international products,” she adds.
The entrepreneur duo agrees that startups as such can be tricky. “I think our challenge lies in the fact that we are in the B2B space, where there is already a set way of doing things,” says Parvathi.
That said, there is a great relevance for such a venture in a place like Kerala which is peppered with several small to mid-sized doctor-owned healthcare facilities.
“Moreover, as the demand increases for good quality healthcare, the equipment used needs to be able to provide that kind of standard as well. This is applicable not only in Kerala, but can be said about other states in the country as well,” she adds.
Right now, ZEPNURhealth operates in Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Delhi and is planning expansion too. “We are in talks with a few potential partners that can both diversify our product portfolio, as well as expand our market growth,” says Parvathi.
Out of comfort zone
The duo was working in Australia before returning to India to start their venture. Coming out of their comfort zone and taking a plunge in the medical sector needs a lot of grit, but Parvathi and Nidhun are only happy they did it. “Fortunately, both of us have always jumped at any opportunity to get out of our comfort zone. We each bring our own unique set of experiences to the table and are able to play off each other’s strengths to do what’s in the best interest of the company. It’s been wonderful so far, and we highly recommend it to couples out there who are looking to start something of their own,” says Parvathi. – The New Indian Express


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There are dozens of reasons why you should check out an apartment before buying it. (Number one: to make sure everything’s in working order—read on for more tips on what to look for on a visit (http://www.brickunderground.com/blog/2015/05/what_you_should_keep_your_eye_out_for_when_you_tour_a_new_rental).) But of late, developers and real estate agents have been introducing virtual reality into their marketing toolkit. Earlier this year, the (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/14/realestate/virtual-reality-to-sell-homes.html) the efforts of brokers to market still-to-be-finished condos in Brooklyn and Queens, among a handful of others. (According to the paper (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/12/style/virtual-reality-interior-design.html), the technology has also been deployed by interior designers who want clients to gain a more multi-dimensional sense of how their homes will be transformed.) Curbed also recently tried out a VR tour (http://ny.curbed.com/2016/5/16/11686056/take-a-virtual-walk-through-pacific-park) for Pacific Park in Prospect Heights.
Last spring, a representative for ProMedia (http://www.brickunderground.com/blog/are_virtual_reality_listings_the_future_of_apartment_hunting_or_just_a_high_end_gimmick), a studio that creates VR tours, told us that slowly but surely, more real estate experts are turning to the technology, lured by the chance to provide a more immersive experience for buyers checking out spaces. And indeed, virtual reality seems to be gaining some foothold in the industry. Take 275 West 10th Street—aka The Shephard—a former warehouse in the West Village that became a rental that, through the Naftali Group, has morphed into a 38-unit luxury condominium project with amenities like a spa, game room, fitness center, and a library.
Central to their marketing, however, is the lobby that leads to a private garden, a space still unfinished, though it’s slated to be completed at the end of the month, says Matt Van Dam, executive vice president of marketing and development for the Naftali Group, which is handling the project. Though the firm has dolled up the sales office with finishes that evoke the building’s main entrance, he says so much about it still doesn’t translate, and so they turned to virtual reality, using it as one of two VR tours they’ve been using to showcase the space. (Their showroom is equipped with virtual reality View-Masters—like the red toys of old, but you have to use a smartphone, not photo reels—with which they can “walk” clients through the lobby and the penthouse’s terrace; they sent one to the Brick Underground office for a try.)
“It’s one of the more interesting parts of our project,” Van Dam says. “It’s a really important element of the experience for the building… It sets the tone for the rest of the experience, but oftentimes, it’s not communicated well in a sales environment experience. It’s difficult to do.” To show off a project’s kitchen and bath, developers have long relied on building a facsimile of them using the same materials in their marketing offices, but building an entire lobby that captures a space’s volume and vibe is a bigger logistical conundrum.
Ditto penthouses and their outdoor spaces, which tend to be finished last during construction, and whose grandeur may be hard to describe or capture in floorplans or even the best of renderings. “It’s always very challenging to convey what space feels like,” says Van Dam. In The Shephard’s case, the developers also wanted to show off views that, Van Dam says, aren’t typical of the West Village, where buildings tend to be low-lying, rarely offering the 360-degree city vistas that other, taller projects have come to rely on to sell off units
So what’s it like actually taking a virtual tour with headsets? In a word: trippy. But in a good way, the same way one would feel, perhaps, after trying on a theme park ride for the first time (but with a little less excitement). For starters, once you don that viewer, it’s easy to forget that you’re not walking through an actual space, but a close representation of one, which means you’re still in the room you’re standing in and might run into chairs and tables (and people) around you. You can look up the ceiling and gain a sense of height, peek at the flooring, and turn around to view the entire room. For The Shephard’s tours, stepping forward didn’t exactly “move” me forward or backward around the room I was checking out through the viewfinder. (And if you’re prone to seasickness, it might feel a little jarring.) In short, it feels like stepping into a rendering, but you can’t touch the space or really make your way through it except only from one vantage point.
Considering the fees for making a VR tour, which, Van Dam says, run in the thousands, it’s unlikely VR will be available for each part of a project or an apartment. “Each rendering can cost $4000 to $8000 for a really good, top-notch [one],” he explains. “VR is even more than that.”
Still, there’s no denying the novel appeal of it. But there’s more to it than that. It could also streamline the apartment-buying process, says Matthew Leone, chief marketing officer at Halstead Property, which has used VR recently to market some new, not-yet-built apartments the firm was handling. “We’re huge fans of it,” he says. “It can help the [apartment-hunting] process be more efficient,” allowing buyers to make purchasing decisions faster, and weed out listings that may not make the final cut. (The firm is currently testing VR for resale apartments.)
Nonetheless, VR isn’t likely to replace a real walk-through of an apartment anytime soon. Which it really isn’t meant to do, says Van Dam. “I always believe in people touching and seeing [real estate] as much as they can,” he says.