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Suh Jung-min, CEO of KR Motors, unveiled his vision of reinvigorating Korea's motorcycle industry by increasing R&D investment and improving the efficiency of its sales network on the back of the company's latest acquisition of a unit of Daelim Motor Company.
KR Motors, the nation's second-largest motorbike maker, signed a deal on July 11 to acquire the motorbike manufacturing unit of Daelim Motor Company, the nation's largest company in the industry, for 33.4 billion won.
The acquisition is set to be completed by October 2017. Under the terms of the deal, KR Motors can use Daelim's trademarks for free for one year.
Suh said, "To create maximum synergy effects, the two companies will eventually be merged into one in the long run."
The size of the nation's motorcycle market stood at about 300,000 units in the 1990s. The market, however, has contracted sharply to about 150,000 units after the Asian financial crisis and then plunged to less than 100,000 units in and after the global financial crisis in 2009.
Suh said, "Given that the sales of high end bikes from Japanese and German makers and low end models from Chinese companies are growing steadily, there should be a chance for local companies to revive in this market."


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INDIANAPOLIS — The Better Business Bureau is warning Hoosiers about scammers claiming to be from Microsoft.
The caller says your computer has a problem but they can fix it over the phone by walking you through some steps. After gaining your trust, they eventually want to either gain access to your computer by remote access or get your credit card number.
“Be rude and hang up!” said Central Indiana BBB President and CEO Tim Maniscalo. “You don’t want to have that phone connection going for any length of time at all.”
One Florida woman recorded her conversation with a scammer and posted it online.
The man on the other end of the phone says, “We are calling from the computer department ma’am, the Windows computer department and we need to get rid of all the viruses you have in your computer.”
Microsoft has created a webpage about the scam.
It says, “Neither Microsoft nor our partners make unsolicited phone calls (also known as cold calls) to charge you for computer security or software fixes.”
The site says if someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support calls you:
- Do not purchase any software or services.
- Ask if there is a fee or subscription associated with the “service.” If there is, hang up.
- Never give control of your computer to a third party unless you can confirm that it is a legitimate representative of a computer support team with whom you are already a customer.
- Take the caller’s information down and immediately report it to your local authorities.
- Never provide your credit card or financial information to someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support.
The site says callers may claim to be from:
- Windows Helpdesk
- Windows Service Center
- Microsoft Tech Support
- Microsoft Support
- Windows Technical Department Support Group
- Microsoft Research and Development Team (Microsoft R & D Team)
If you get a call, report it to the BBB at (317) 488-2222 or 1-866-463-9222 and the Indiana Attorney General’s Office at 1-888-834-9969.
If you fall victim to the scam, contact Microsoft and change all your passwords right away.

domain: news


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Novinky a události
Yamaha RIVAGE PM7 Highlights Niavac’s Commitment to Excellence
Established over 60 years ago, Belfast-based Niavac has grown steadily to become one of Northern Ireland’s most successful systems integrators, covering the corporate, healthcare, hospitality and education sectors. The acquisition of audio company Loft Sound in 2016 expanded Niavac’s portfolio into the live event industry, a business which is proving every bit as successful. The company has invested in a Yamaha RIVAGE PM7 digital mixing system to continue its commitment to high quality service and it has already been out on tour.
RIVAGE PM7 Is The Progressive Solution For Haken
Far from being an ‘uncool relic from the 1970s’, nowadays progressive rock has a sizeable following and is becoming more popular. There are a number of artists following the likes of Muse and Dream Theater into the mainstream, none more so than Haken - a multinational six-piece recently returned from a European tour mixed on a Yamaha RIVAGE PM7 digital mixing system.
Chakor Sound Makes Waves In India With Yamaha RIVAGE PM7
Based in Mumbai, India, Chakor Sound is committed to providing the best equipment and service for the demanding needs of a diverse range of events. The company’s recent investment in a Yamaha RIVAGE PM7 digital mixing system has highlighted its determination to keep delivering the ultimate in production values.
Yamaha RIVAGE PM Digital Mixing Systems Chosen By Gabisom For Rock In Rio 2019
Every year Rock In Rio attracts the cream of the world’s international rock acts, performing alongside artists from Latin America, Spain and Portugal. The 2019 event saw the festival held over seven days at Rio de Janeiro’s Barra Olympic Park, attracting an audience of 100,000 each day. Yamaha digital mixing systems were used on five stages, with RIVAGE PM systems used for the first time.
Yamaha Professional Audio Technology Does Double Duty at Winter NAMM 2020
Yamaha professional audio products will be on display — and in action — at the 2020 Winter NAMM Show. Inside the Anaheim Marriott's Marquis Ballroom and Elite Lounge, more than 34,000 square feet of Yamaha exhibit space will include the company's full line of digital mixing consoles, amplifiers and loudspeakers, plus the latest audio production tools from Steinberg Media Technologies and loudspeakers from NEXO, both Yamaha companies.
Rockin’ 1000 That’s Live Grows Again With Yamaha RIVAGE PM series
Every October for the past five years, over a thousand musicians have gathered together in Italy to perform as the ‘biggest rock band in the world’. Yamaha digital mixing has featured each time, with a RIVAGE PM10 digital mixing system making its debut in 2018. This year the event moved to Linate Airport, Milan, where a RIVAGE PM7 system was added for the first time.
Historie se setkává s modernou když Praha hostí konferenci Yamaha 2019 System Designers Conference
Minulost, současnost a budoucnost profesionálního zvuku se nedávno propojila v České republice, kdy se více než 300 profesionálů z oblasti zvukového průmyslu ze 40 zemí setkalo v hlavním městě Praha, kde se konala pravidelná roční konference Yamaha System Designers Converence.
Derek Smalls: Stinkin’ Up The Great Indoors With Yamaha
Famed for his struggles with stage props, attempts to smuggle vegetables through airport security and a Big Bottom, former Spinal Tap bass guitarist Derek Smalls recently delighted fans by inviting them to ‘rock til you sit’ at Lukewarm Water Live, a one date tour of the US West Coast. Increasing age may have brought Derek a subtle change of hair colour but, with a Yamaha RIVAGE PM7 digital mixing system on monitors, he delivered the full majesty of rock.
Yamaha QL1 Is The Compact Solution For RTV Drenthe’s New Outside Broadcast Van
The regional broadcasting industry is bigger than ever in Europe, with webcasting running alongside television and radio to provide content specifically aimed at local populations. High end facilities in a very compact footprint make Yamaha’s QL1 digital mixing console a great solution for local broadcasters, highlighted by a recent investment by the Netherlands’ RTV Drenthe.
Qualia Restaurant Improves Its Customer Experience with Yamaha and NEXO
Nestled in the heart of Mumbai’s upper class Lower Parel area, Qualia restaurant is one of the most popular fine dining locations in the city. Perfectly complementing the exceptional food and exquisite decor is a high quality Yamaha and NEXO audio system.


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Holding out for the white iPhone 4? Even though you had probably considered it vaporware by now, Apple says you can finally go out and get it tomorrow.
I'm not going to simply reiterate what you probably already know about the white iPhone 4 ordeal—that it was supposed to come out along with the black one last summer, that it kept getting delayed due to production issues, and that Apple made a few excuses here and there as to why it has taken so long to ship (well, I guess I just did). But I wanted to look at this release in terms of its sales forecast and what it means overall for iPhone release cycles.
Some analysts predict that the new white iPhone will boost Apple's handset sales by 1M–1.5M. Although I do agree there is a market for it—lots of people went as far as buying pre-release white iPhone parts overseas (an operation that was shut down and deemed illegal, if I remember correctly)—I still don't think we'll see a dramatic, if noticeable, sales increase. Two reasons: the iPhone 4 has already lost its newness. And I don't think novelty overshadows aging technology.
Which leads to my next point: a lot of folks thinking about buying an iPhone are probably considering waiting for the iPhone 5. Consequently, sales will plateau just before the summer, even if we see a short white iPhone sales boost. Traditionally Apple announces a new handset every summer at WWDC, but multiple media outlets (with all those reliable sources) are saying not to expect much until this Fall—a time usually reserved for iPods and iTunes-related stuff. Either way, this is the waning period for iPhone sales.
Overall, Apple is playing the cards right this hand. One thing consumers have had on their side is the predictability of a new iPhone each summer. By staggering iPhone releases this year—the Verizon iPhone 4 in February, the white iPhone 4 tomorrow, and the possible later release of the iPhone 5 this fall—Apple has effectively turned the tables back in its favor.
If you must have it, go get it. If you have that amazing virtue they call patience, wait for the 5.


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The new Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is set to release on June 10. As this graphics card is the successor to the RTX 3070, it has been the subject of a lot of speculation as to how much better the Ti model is going to be. Thanks to benchmark leaks on the Chinese video portal Bilibili, we now have a better idea of the future performance of the RTX 3070 Ti. Compared to its predecessor, the new card has shown quite a lot of promise in testing.
Two benchmark results have leaked, each coming from different sources and pertaining to different models of the card. The source of the first leak is the Chinese Doge Guy (TecLab), who tested the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Gaming OC. It seems that the exact model of the GPU was not meant to be revealed, but some Gigabyte labels slipped past and show up in the video. This is a card that comes with a custom PCB design with a 10+2 phase VRM (voltage regulator module). It runs on dual eight-pin power connectors and comes with a single HDMI port and three DisplayPort connectors. In order to showcase the PCB, the cooler was removed in the leaked video.
Gigabyte’s RTX 3070 Ti Gaming OC had been tested in both gaming and synthetic benchmarks. The results were then compared to the basic RTX 3070 and to an RTX 3080. When tested against its predecessor, the RTX 3070 Ti shows an increase in performance measuring at around 10%. This boost in frame rates is to be expected and is comparable to the difference between the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 and RTX 3080 Ti cards, the latter of which released last week.
Compared to an RTX 3070, the RTX 3070 Ti has faster GDDR6X memory modules. Tests show that the TDP of the card has gone up compared to the previous model, now requiring up to 325W on full power. The cooling system seems to do its job, keeping the GPU at a peak temperature of 60 degrees Celsius.
The second leak comes from a Bilibili leaker known as Big Hardware Player. The card in question was made by the Chinese brand Colorful, a manufacturer known for producing premium, custom GPUs. This time, a GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Vulcan-X was tested not only in games and synthetic benchmarks but also in cryptocurrency mining.
Mining Ethereum is exactly what this GPU is not meant to shine at, as Nvidia attempted to prevent the card from being sniped by crypto miners by implementing the Lite Hash Rate limiter. Due to this feature, the mining performance drops down to half speed shortly into testing. The card returns at most 45 MH/s when overclocked and, much like the first model, showed an increase in gaming performance of around 10%.
Nvidia’s new GeForce RTX 3070 Ti will feature 4% more CUDA cores than its predecessor. On the other hand, compared to the RTX 3080, this card has around 30% fewer cores. This is combined with a base clock speed of 1,580 MHz and 1,770 MHz when overclocked. The default models will feature 8GB of GDDR6X memory, and all the cards are said to maintain a 256-bit memory BUS interface.
This latest release from Nvidia is a welcome sight but will likely sell out quickly. Set to hit the market on June 10, the RTX 3070 Ti is going to come with a $599 starting price — and a whole lot of people looking to buy it.
- Acer’s new gaming laptop bring Nvidia RTX 40-series GPUs under $1,000
- Asus’ new RTX 4090 shattered GPU overclocking records, and you’ll be able to buy it soon
- I tested AMD’s RX 7800 XT against Nvidia’s RTX 4070, and there’s a clear winner
- I’m fed up with the AMD vs. Nvidia vs. Intel discourse, and you should be too
- MSI’s new RTX 4090 might finally convince me to buy one


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Powerscreen, a Terex company, says its new Warrior 1400X portable screen was designed with reduced engine running speed, enhanced hydraulics, and a reduction in fuel consumption of up to 15 percent in comparison to its predecessor. Other key achievements include ...
Powerscreen, a Terex company, showcased its latest XH500 horizontal shaft impact crusher at ConExpo-Con/Agg, held in late March in Las Vegas. Representing the latest generation of highly versatile track crushers, the company says it is designed for maximum throughput of up ...
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An interactive plush Labradoodle puppy with smart colors and a “magic cauldron” allows kids to brew furry pets from a mixture of ingredients amid a global supply chain shortage. To
The Moji the Lovable Labradoodle and Magic Mixies Magical Misting Cauldron boxes are sitting in the harbor due to a national shortage of truck drivers for delivery, and senior vice president of marketing and communications for the Nonprofit Toy Association. Adrienne Appell said.
“It’s a perfect storm,” Appel told The Washington Times. “We have advised consumers to shop as soon as possible to avoid supply chain problems.”
Skyrocket’s Moji is a realistic puppy that responds to voice commands stored on the card, with smart colors that allow you to perform tricks like skipping rope. The suggested retail price for ages 4 and up is $ 99.99, which is listed as “out of stock” on the website of retail giant Target.
“It’s pretty hard to find in the store,” Appell said. “We have one at home, and my kids have loved it.”
She said there was also a shortage of toy cauldrons with a suggested retail price of $ 69.99.
Both toys are among the 114 finalists of the Toy Association’s 2022 Toy of the Year Awards. This award allows consumers to vote for the best toys in 16 different categories and the best toys overall in 16 different categories online until January 4th.
Winners will be announced on February 18th at the annual contest where Hasbro won the Star Wars: Child Animatronic Edition Toys last year. This is widely known as the “Baby Yoda” doll.
Other finalists this year include Mattel’s Jurassic World Ocean Protector Mosasaurus, Crayola Light Up Activity Board, Super Mario Deluxe Bouzership Playset, Bill Nighy’s Space Lab, and VW Camp Bus.
According to industry insiders, parents are more likely to find these toys than moji or fog cauldrons.
The toy scalper has already sold Moji for $ 144 through its resale website, and Amazon’s earliest delivery date for robot puppies is well past New Year’s Day.
Nelo Lucich, CEO of Skyrocket Toys, a California-based high-tech entertainment specialist, said the toy scalper uses a “gray market bot” to automatically purchase inventory as soon as the item is displayed online. And said it would resell at a higher price.
“Scalpers with bots get them before they can be parents,” Lucich told The Times, Skyrocket’s Moji “after hitting the shelves after the third week” for most retailers. He added that it was out of stock at the store.
Designed in California, Moji will be assembled in Hong Kong and returned to US retailers. This is probably a time-consuming process that will help you make it the rarest hot toys of the year.
Lucich, who co-founded Skyrocket in 2010, said:
Meanwhile, the makers of Magic Mixies Magical Misting Cauldron say this week more inventory supplies will arrive at retailers in the United States.
Belinda Gruebner, Chief Marketing Officer of Moose Toys based in Australia, said in an email: “Therefore, if shoppers haven’t been able to find Magic Mixies yet, they should check frequently online and over-the-counter at their favorite national retailers.”
According to market research firm NPD Group, Magic Mixies Magical Cauldron was the third best-selling product in the toy industry in October.
Apel of the Toy Association quotes her experience with a 6-year-old son and an 8-year-old daughter that parents should not be too stressed about getting the hottest toys for their children. say.
“The hottest toys can be anything that kids play,” she said. “For me, it was a cabbage patch doll from the 1980s, but it depends on age and children.”
Interactive dog, magic cauldron is a toy that is hard to find in a supply crisis
Source link Interactive dog, magic cauldron is a toy that is hard to find in a supply crisis


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It had been rumored for a little while, but now it’s official. Sonic the Hedgehog is getting a 3D animated series on Netflix, and you’ll be able to see it when it premieres in 2022.Continue reading A 3D Sonic Animated Series Is Coming To Netflix In 2022!
We’re chalking this up as a rumour for now, but there is some widespread chatter on the internet today about a Sonic the Hedgehog costume buried within the code of popular knockout party game Fall Guys on PC and PlayStation 4. Continue reading Has a Sonic Costume Been Added to Fall Guys Season 2?
Don’t blink! New details on the Ninjala and Sonic the Hedgehog collaboration have just been announced. The ninja-based battle royale developers revealed that between September 23 and October 21, players will be able to unlock cool Sonic outfits as well as emotes and a new Dr. Eggman Ustusemi. Continue reading Sonic x Ninjala Collaboration Details Revealed – Costumes, Eggman Utsusemi and More!
If you’ve been following things, you may remember that this was leaked via a datamining of the game Ninjala for Nintendo Switch (these things tend to happen) where references to the Sonic franchise were found. Anyway, Ninjala makers GungHo finally revealed the existence of the collaboration with our fav blue Hedgehog. Only, that’s all for now! We’ll have to wait and see what the collaboration will actually be about. When that time comes, we’ll let you know!
Ninjala for those who don’t know is a free-to-play competitive action game that’s out right now worldwide exclusively on Nintendo Switch (from the director of Dissidia Final Fantasy on PSP, I am not kidding). So if you have a Switch, you can try it out now (find your regional store page on the official site) and see if it’s your thing, and it’ll hopefully give you an idea on what to expect from this collaboration.
Via GungHo’s Youtube Channel (at 6:10).
Genesis does what Nintendon’t? Apparently not.
In today’s “Japan gets all the cool stuff” news, SEGA is celebrating Sonic the Hedgehog’s 29th birthday by making sure its arcade-goers don’t go hungry. A select number of Tokyo-based SEGA Taiyaki stores will be selling taiyaki in the shape of the blue blur’s face! Continue reading Munch on Sonic’s Delicious Face With This Chili Dog-Flavoured Taiyaki
It’s June 23rd, and you know what that means. Today marks the anniversary of Sonic’s first adventure. Of course, in the game’s canon, he remains a 15 year old. But Sonic 1 released 29 years ago on this date, which means Sonic, and even Dr. Eggman, are now 29 years old.
Good things come in pairs, and following the Sonic sale on the U.S. Nintendo eShop, Microsoft joins in with intense 50% discounts on ten more Sonic games for multiple Xbox Marketplace regions, most of which aren’t part of the Nintendo sale. As a reminder, all these games are playable on the Xbox One, and will likely be playable on the Series X in the near future.
Prices in USD/GBP respectively.
Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis) – $2.49/£1.69
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis) – $2.49/£1.69
Sonic CD – $2.49/£1.69
Sonic the Fighters – $2.49/£1.69
Sonic Adventure – $2.49/£1.69
Sonic Adventure 2 – $4.99/£3.37
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I – $4.99/£3.37
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II – $7.49/£4.99
Sonic Unleashed – $7.49/£5.99
Sonic Generations – $9.99/£7.49
While at Comic Con last week, I managed to grab a SDCC exclusive copy of Tangle and Whisper issue number one, The very first IDW spin-off mini series based on comic exclusive Sonic the Hedgehog characters. Written by Ian Flynn with art by Evan Stanley.
Yes, it’s that time of year again – Sonic the Hedgehog officially turns 28 years old on this day, 23rd June 2019. I mean, he doesn’t -really- turn 28 because Sonic is not real (sorry), but today was the day, 28 years ago, that the original Sonic the Hedgehog game was released on Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. So, that makes Sonic (and Dr. Eggman, technically) the same age. Continue reading Happy Birthday Sonic the Hedgehog! 28 Years Old Today!
The tie-ins won’t stop! Japanese mobile RPG game Idola: Phantasy Star Saga is running a special promotion where you can grab a “Special Soul Symbol” based on the recently released racing spin-off title Team Sonic Racing.
In a recent interview with Japanese gaming website 4Gamer, Takashi Iizuka, the head of Sonic Team, answered some questions regarding Sonic’s future. The following excerpts from that interview were translated by Nintendo Everything.
When asked about Sonic’s upcoming 30th anniversary in 2021, Iizuka said that “planning would need to begin now,” and that he’d “really like for us to take on some sort of new challenge for it though.”
On the subject of Sonic in eSports, Iizuka was ambivalent, saying that because Sonic is primarily an action platformer, going into eSports “might not be feasible.” However, he did express a willingness to take on new genre challenges, bringing up the recently released Team Sonic Racing as an example. He indicated that “there’s always the chance that something suited to eSports might come out of those different projects.” The Sonic franchise is no stranger to spin-offs in other genres, so it would appear that an eSports focused Sonic spin-off is at least a possibility, albeit a remote one.
While this likely has nothing to do with Sonic’s still-far-off 30th anniversary, Iizuka did confirm that a new 3D Sonic title was in development earlier this year at SXSW’s Sonic panel.
As part of Nintendo’s E3 2019 Direct, we got a new look at Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games – Tokyo 2020 for Switch. We got to see new footage of numerous events, as well as the release month of November 2019.
Sega also opened the website for the game showcasing the numerous events they’ve announced so far, starting with four new ones:
– Surfing – Snow Board
– Karate – Kumite
– Sport Climbing
– Skateboarding – Park
And returning ones including:
– Gymnastics – Floor Exercise
– Swimming – 100m Freestyle
– Equestrian – Jumping
– Canoe Double (C-2) 1000m
– 110m Hurdles
– Football (Soccer)
– Javelin Throw
– Rugby Sevens
Sega also confirmed numerous characters, all returning from the previous games so far. The website displays Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, and Bowser from the Mario series, and Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Amy, and Eggman from Sonic’s series. However, others were shown in the trailer, including Donkey Kong and Silver.
Sega also confirmed the return of online multiplayer for the first time since Sochi 2014, though to what extent is not currently clear.
The trailer may also briefly features retro graphics for one of the events. Whether this is simply a flourish for the trailer, or a legitimate game mode is currently unknown.
Finally there are a few new screenshots to check out below:
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games – Tokyo 2020 releases on Switch this November.
We didn’t want to wait until the end of the month to talk about this one. Recorded the day after the trailer’s release, Jason, Alex and Chris discuss their opinions on the Sonic the Hedgehog movie trailer. We may have seen leaked images early, but we weren’t going to pass judgement until we saw the hedgehog in motion. Well we did and…..it’s even worse than we thought. Join us and listen to what we thought of Sonic, James Marsden, Jim Carrey and more.
You can listen to it here:
You may recall around this time last year, we reported that a strange Sonic the Hedgehog statue had been discovered in the remote woodlands of Japan, some years ago. Now, a TSS reader has managed to travel once more to the exact location and take some more pictures of the statue in situ! Take a look. Continue reading Giant Japanese Sonic Statue Mystery Solved! New Photos & Details!
Video game legend and former Sonic Team character designer Naoto Ohshima turned 54 today. Ohshima is best known for designing Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman, as well as directing Sonic Team classics like Sonic CD, NiGHTS into Dreams and Burning Rangers. After leaving Sonic Team following the completion of Sonic Adventure, Ohshima formed Artoon, where he would go on to create Blinx the Timesweeper (an attempt at creating a platforming mascot for the original Xbox) and act as a producer for a few Yoshi games.
These days, Ohshima serves as the Vice President of Arzest, a Japanese video game studio he helped form after leaving Artoon in 2010.
From all of us here at the Sonic Stadium, happy birthday Naoto Ohshima!
Check out some art from Ohshima below:
A LEGO-obsessed Sonic fan has wowed the online community by designing a Sonic the Hedgehog-themed set on the toy brick company’s ‘Ideas’ website. And, if enough of us vote for it, LEGO might actually make it a reality. Continue reading This Sonic LEGO Set Is Incredible And You Can Help Make It Real
Yesterday we brought you the news that SXSW were teasing a Sonic related announcement.
Well that announcement has just been made and we can now reveal that there will be another Sonic Panel at this years SXSW! The initial details for the panel are as follows.
Date/Time: March 16, 2019, from 1:00PM to 2:00PM.
- Aaron Webber (SEGA of America),
- Jasmin Hernandez (SEGA of America),
- Jun Senoue (SEGA),
- Takashi Iizuka (SEGA of America)
Nothing has been confirmed or even teased with regards to announcements, but… and I stress this is my pure speculation here…
I’d like to think that since the panel is close to TSR’s release, there will be some new information on that, especially since Jun is… if you’ll excuse the pun… instrumental with the music for that game.
Jasmin Hernandez was also the production manager for Sonic Mania Adventures, could get confirmation of Season 2?
And you know that with Aaron and Iizuka on the panel, Aaron will do all he can to pry any secrets from Mr Iizuka on the day!
What do you think? What do you think will be announced or talked about, let us know in the comments.
Tomy’s 2019 catalogue just got released and despite fears that they may have lost the Sonic license, they appear to still have it… However there is a big catch. Continue reading Tomy To Release ‘New’ Sonic Toys In The EU/UK In 2019!
Less than 24 hours after the first teaser poster for the upcoming Sonic movie was released, a second posted was spotted at a movie theatre showing Sonic sat on top of the Golden Gate Bridge displaying his hairy legs and the graffiti ‘Sonic Wuz Here.’
Well, a second photo has emerged of this poster at another theatre putting to rest claims that it was in fact a hoax, it is very real, so behold Sonic’s hairy legs!
It IS real pic.twitter.com/ka3lGUVcJP
— Lorenzo Estrada (@Lozoescartoons) December 12, 2018
The Sonic movie releases in Winter 2019.
Hot off the heels of the teaser shown to Brazillian audiences over the weekend, IGN has posted the first look at the Sonic Movie poster which in turn shows the title of the movie and the design for Sonic! Continue reading Sonic Movie Design, Poster & Final Release Revealed!
It looks like the Sonic social media team is up to it’s old tricks again! Earlier today a seemingly innocent tweet was posted which invited fans to take part in an innocent game of Bingo! Continue reading The Sonic Twitter Is Dropping “Moooore Clues…!”
In this month’s Sonic Talk, we talk about Shenmue and how sometimes nostalgia isn’t enough. More on Team Sonic Racing, our final thoughts on Sonic Mania Plus, the Sonic movie, GX’s distain for Funko Pops and much, much more! Continue reading Sonic Talk 55: Funko Pooped
Just two days before the Sega Ages games start rolling out in Japan, Sega in the west have announced the d3t-developed Sega Genesis Classics (Sega Mega Drive Classics in EU) for Switch. This was released earlier this year for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Continue reading Sega Genesis Classics announced for Switch
Sega have announced their line-up for this year’s Tokyo Game Show event in Japan (which includes Team Sonic Racing). Alongside it, they’ve announced a special stage event will be taking place on September 22nd at 15:10-15:40 that will be all about their Sega Ages line-up for the Switch eShop. The stage event promises updates including “major title-related announcements”. Continue reading SEGA AGES TGS Event Announced, Major Reveals Planned
Microsoft just held their weekly sale and among the games on sale are a bunch of Sonic’s titles for Xbox 360 for up to 50% off. While the games below have their US prices listed, the sale should be available worldwide and presumably the same discounts should apply. The sales for these games below shouldn’t require XBL Gold as well. Continue reading Various Sonic games for Xbox 360 are on sale worldwide for up to 50% off
The director of Disney’s upcoming animated film ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ has confirmed that Sonic the Hedgehog will once again feature – most likely as a cameo character. Continue reading Sonic Will Appear in Wreck-It Ralph Sequel, ‘Ralph Breaks The Internet’
SEGA have announced that the SEGA AGES release of Sonic the Hedgehog, along with the accompanying release of Thunder Force IV has been postponed until September. Continue reading Sega Ages Sonic the Hedgehog Delayed
If you’re thinking of travelling to Tokyo, Japan in September, then make sure you take time out to visit the Yokohama store of department outlet ‘TOKYU HANDS’. SEGA Japan has announced a special ‘SEGA Fair’ promotion with the commercial chain, where customers can bag themselves some cool Sonic-themed merchandise for a limited time. Continue reading Limited Edition ‘SEGA Fair’ Merchandise To Be Made Available in Japan Throughout September
As announced back at the Sega Fes 2018 event back in April, Sega and the developer M2 will be releasing individual classics on the Nintendo Switch eShop as part of their Sega Ages line. This succeeds the Sega 3D Classics line from the Nintendo 3DS (also by M2), and one of the first two games to launch with the line is of course; Sonic 1 (the other being Thunder Force IV on Genesis). Continue reading Sega Ages: Sonic the Hedgehog for Switch releases in Japan in August for 925 yen
Recently, there was a charity racing event in which several game studios took part, including Sumo Digital and Sega’s HARDlight studio. Each studio brought a special customised car, and HARDlight’s car was themed on Sonic Dash.
Well the event is over, and most (if not all) of the cars are now up for sale!
Yes, you can now own an official Sonic car!
Currently, the vehicle is at £360, which is a lot cheaper than some other pieces of Sonic merch! The vehicles are local pickup only, but all the money raised will go to Special Effect, so check out those bus times if you happen to put in the winning bid.
Sumo Digital are also selling their vehicle too, a Sumo Digital branded Subaru Impreza Turbo.
Remember how I wrote a month ago about what exactly do we do with all these epic promotional items? Well, now is your chance to save something quite epic and a genuine one off! The links to both auctions can be found at the end of this article. We wish Special Effect all the best with their auctions.
From June 21st, something is going to happen, something which will change the Sonic community forever.
Sonic the Hedgehog curry will be released!
A Japan exclusive item from Geek Life, because lets be honest there is absolutely no way this will come to the west! The curry is due for release on June 21st and will be delicious I imagine.
Costing a cool 500Yen, you will soon be able to dine in quick and affordable convenience using the power of Microwave radiation.
If we manage to get some of this here at TSS, we will cook it, we will eat it and we will let you all know exactly what it tastes like.
The comments are there for all the jokes and puns you can dream of.
Growing up in the 90’s, I can remember seeing adverts for a very unique toy, Stretch Armstrong, he was a super hero who in the adverts would stop crime by using his powers to stretch, bit like Mr Fantastic from The Fantastic Four, only he later got a Dog and then a dedicated villain. Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic The Hedgehog Stretch Armstrong Toy
At the end of 2015, twitter user and bike enthusiast 250moriyuki wanted to test out his new bike around some of the more remote parts of Japan, on his journey he documented the trip and posted a number of images showcasing the sights on his adventures.
Including the following…
One of three images showing a giant Sonic statue, standing on what appears to be a snowboard held in place against two trees.
Only a handful of Sonic fans had seen this, at the time only a single blog entry showing a low quality image of it existed online which again didn’t give an exact location.
Given the lack of information and the significance of the find, many users on our forums including myself attempted to find the statue. We knew that it was in the Mie Prefecture and on the day moriyuki posted his original images, he mentioned the Soni Village, so we knew the rough area it was in.
However, despite efforts to pin point the location, that region is huge, with hundreds of roads, it was going to take a long time to find searching manually.
Since then, other images of the statue have surface, but again, no location posted.
— ちかる? (@ztue6) August 14, 2016
Since August 2016, the trail had gone cold. Until last night…
SSMB user BxB-Meister posted a single image from what appears to be a google street view search showing the statue! Following a conversation with BxB, he agreed to give me the exact address of the statue on one condition.
That condition is to keep the exact location a secret for now.
The reason being is that the statue is in a very remote location and people are worried that once the location is fully revealed, the statue’s days are numbered, there is a risk of vandalism or even theft.
Until someone can go out there, and document this statue with the intention of taking high quality photographs and even video, it’s exact location should be kept secret.
Now that said, I will gladly give out the location of the statue if someone is able to go out there and document it. So here is the only hint as to where it is.
By car, it’s between 15-30min away from the Kindai University Technical College located in Nabari. So if you are capable of getting to that location, it should be very easy (even by foot) to get to the statue.
If you do happen to live in Japan can get to this area and are willing to go on an adventure, contact me via the SSMB forums and I will give you the address if you be worthy! Yup, I’m treating this exactly like a quest, because let’s be honest! This is as close to an RPG quest as we’re going to get!
So until the day comes where someone fully documents this statue, let’s hope it has many years ahead of it as it cheers on riders and other adventures!
Although, as one mystery ends, the other remains.
Just why is this statue there?
Diamond Select Toys have been responsible for some very well done toy lines based on pre-existing licensed products such as Ghostbusters and Marvel. Well with New York Toy Fair just a few days away they have just announced that they will be making a new line of Sonic toys.
The first products will be on display at the International Toy Fair in New York City, with a focus on the core Sonic characters — the speedy hedgehog Sonic, the energetic Amy, Tails the two-tailed flying fox, Knuckles the powerful Echidna, Shadow the anti-hero hedgehog, Metal Sonic the evil robot hedgehog, and the mustachioed mastermind Dr. Eggman. Product categories include Gallery PVC dioramas, Minimates block figures, Vinimates vinyl figures and PVC mini-figures with collect-and-connect racetracks.
I’ll let you guys decide if you want to add that racetracks bit to the racer game rumour pile.
The company goes on to say
“It’s an honor and a challenge to develop products based a world with such a long history and distinctive style,” said Diamond Select Toys president Chuck Terceira. “The Sonic Universe has so many possibilities that we are excited to explore – in our established categories, like Vinimates, Minimates and Gallery PVCs, but also the PVC mini-figure category, which we are diving into for the first time!”
So we have, diorama style figures, miniture block figures, mini figures and racer figures!
The toys are due for release around Christmas 2018, but they will apparently be on display at the New York Toy Fair which is next week.
We’ll update you as soon as we get more information.
Source: Diamond Select Toys


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Photos by Jorge R. Perez: Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, left
Coke's Hybrid Delivery Truck Armada
Adding to the 132 hybrid trucks it already has in circulation across the nation, green (ish) going Coca Cola deployed 10 more to the Miami area last week. The new grand total of 142 evidently makes them the largest "heavy-duty hybrid-electric delivery fleet in North America."More Efficient Coke Delivery, More Quietude
According to the press release, the new trucks will improve fuel efficiency by 32 percent and reduce total emissions by 37 percent. And, as a bonus to anyone who's plugged their ears whilst idling next to a behemoth delivery truck at a stoplight, they'll create significantly less noise.
"These new hybrid trucks are intended for use in high-traffic metropolitan areas," said Jose Brito, Miami Market Unit Fleet Supervisor for Coca-Cola Enterprises. "What makes them unique is the fact that a hybrid electric motor/generator works with the transmission and a 340-volt battery, allowing the truck to source electrical power instead of diesel gas when traveling at speeds below 30 MPH."
It's hardly a monumental innovation, but as is often the case when considering large corporations' progress on the environmental front, it's a step in the right direction--just last year Coca-Cola spent $3 million on green upgrades.
More on Coca-Cola Enterprises
Can Coke Save Lives?
Coca-Cola Femsa Faces Over US$ 111,000 Fine over Contamination in Bogota
Coke's New Green Vending Machines: "Like Taking 218,000 Cars Off the Road for Two Weeks


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The Environmental Protection Authority is to investigate products containing synthetic pyrethroids as part of its revamped reassessments programme, announced in mid-October.
Synthetic pyrethroids are insecticides found in some fly sprays, insect repellents, automatic insect dispensers, bed bug treatments, and animal flea collars and treatments.
The EPA has announced a call for information as it seeks more detail, from New Zealand households and commercial users, on how and where products containing these substances are being used.
General Manager of the EPA’s Hazardous Substances Group, Dr Fiona Thomson-Carter says synthetic pyrethroids (which are not the same as the naturally occurring pyrethrins derived from chrysanthemums) are hazardous substances. They should be used with care and product label instructions strictly followed.
New information from international regulators in the United States, Canada and the European Union has identified certain risks to people and animals from the use of products containing synthetic pyrethroids. These warrant further investigation.
“This information concerns risks to children from accidental exposure to flea collars and treated carpets, as well as people reporting a burning or prickling sensation, known as paraesthesia, after coming into contact with synthetic pyrethroids,” says Dr Thomson-Carter.
“It is important to clarify that synthetic pyrethroids, and products that contain them, are not banned. The call for information signals the Authority’s first step in exploring whether a reassessment is necessary.”
The public, industry and manufacturers of the chemicals, can support the EPA’s call for information by completing a response form on the EPA website which will help us build a more detailed picture about their use in New Zealand.
The EPA has also issued a Caution Notice which provides concerned members of the public with up-to-date guidance about the safe use of products that contain synthetic pyrethroids.
The call for information will close on 1 February. The EPA will use this information to determine the next steps.
Source: Environmental Protection Authority


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- Guerrilla artists turn John Oliver billboard ad into right-wing meme Tuesday 4:20 PM
- Netflix lines up unnecessarily good cast for ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ Tuesday 3:48 PM
- Netflix drops trailer for Mötley Crüe biopic ‘The Dirt’—and the cast is wild Tuesday 3:41 PM
- QAnon’s repetitive posts are alienating even his most ardent supporters Tuesday 3:36 PM
- Noah Cyrus cries on Instagram after Lil Xan’s baby announcement Tuesday 2:26 PM
- The ‘Well yes, but actually no’ meme is here to help you explain things Tuesday 12:07 PM
- Judge orders Roger Stone to appear in court after his Instagram post Tuesday 11:24 AM
- I worked with the migrant caravan—and Trump is the cause of his national emergency Tuesday 11:09 AM
- How to watch Liverpool vs. Bayern Munich online for free Tuesday 11:08 AM
- ‘Patriot Act’ volume 2 proves Hasan Minhaj is the next big star of the news-comedy genre Tuesday 11:01 AM
- ‘Friends From College’ canceled after 2 seasons at Netflix Tuesday 10:53 AM
- Allow your wallet to be your spirit guide during this rad anime sale Tuesday 10:43 AM
- Man stages fake DUI trial to propose to girlfriend, and people are asking why Tuesday 10:40 AM
- Bernie Sanders’ website full of 404s on launch day Tuesday 10:23 AM
- Pose’s Indya Moore goes viral for arguing trans women have ‘biologically female’ penises Tuesday 10:21 AM
Banksy painting self-destructs after being sold at auction
As the saying goes, a fool and his money are soon parted—and one fool just parted with $1.4 million thinking they were buying a rare and valuable Banksy painting at auction. Instead, they were the subject of a savage prank at the hands of the most notorious and mysterious graffiti artist in the world.
Sotheby’s had up for auction a piece of one of Banksy’s most well known and iconic images, a 2006 painting of “Girl with Balloon” done in a spray paint and acrylic. But the moment the hammer dropped, signaling the end of the auction, some sort of remote device triggered a shredder hidden within the piece’s large gold frame which caused the painting to be destroyed right before the eyes of everyone in attendance.
Seriously though—how relieved must the second highest bidder have been in that moment?
To add insult to injury, Banksy posted a photo of his creation to Instagram in mid-shred, with the tongue-in-cheek caption, “Going, going, gone…”
Alex Branczik, the senior director and head of Contemporary Art in London said of the prank, “It appears we just got Banksy-ed,” which is one hell of an understatement. The price tag of the piece was tied with Banksy’s highest-ever at auction back in 2008.
A Sothebys press release notes that the incident “marks the first time in auction history that a work of art automatically shredded itself after coming under the hammer,” which would have been a pretty good assumption.
However, in an even odder twist, the piece may have actually increased in value after having been destroyed. MyArtBroker.com co-founder Joey Syer told the Evening Standard that the value may have even doubled due to the popularity of “Girl with Balloon.”
“The auction result will only propel this further and given the media attention this stunt has received,” he said. “The lucky buyer would see a great return on the £1.02M they paid last night.”
According to a since-deleted Instagram post, Banksy had apparently been planning this stunt for years.
Banksy posted this video (and then deleted it) on his Instagram: pic.twitter.com/NDpkNpqJUD
— Ali A. Rizvi (@aliamjadrizvi) October 6, 2018
Whether he expected the piece to increase in value is another story, which we can sum up by saying, “I don’t feel that I need to explain my art to you, Warren.”
Stacey Ritzen is a reporter and editor based in West Philadelphia with over 10 years' experience covering pop culture, web culture, entertainment, and news. You can follow her on Twitter @staceyritzen.


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A company has raised US$93mln to develop a gaming platform where users build a ‘metaverse’ to build, own and monetize their virtual gaming experiences using non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
The Sandbox, a Hong-Kong based gaming platform majority owned by blockchain game developer Animoca Brands, has completed a funding round from a variety of investors led by SoftBank, the giant Japanese venture capitalist.
Since being launched in 2012, The Sandbox has generated over US$144mln in gross merchandise volume to date and over 500,000 users now have a connected wallet to the platform.
Metaverses and NFTs have been the talk of the town over recent weeks, following Facebook’s decision to rebrand as ‘Meta’ to focus on its own metaverse, and high-end NFTs selling for over US$1mln becoming a regular occurrence.
The Sandbox has attracted brands such as Snoop Dogg, The Walking Dead and The Smurfs, which have formed intellectual property partnerships to create virtual sub-worlds and characters in the metaverse.
Sandbox co-founder Sebastien Borget said the investment will “help scale up our growth strategy, operations, and player acquisition in The Sandbox ecosystem”.
SoftBank’s investment is the Japanese company’s first venture into crypto assets, while among the many other investors in the funding round were True Global Ventures, Liberty City Ventures and Galaxy Interactive.
The company has not commented on its valuation but the cryptocurrency it backs, named ‘The Sandbox’, has a market cap of nearly US$2bln.


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Apple Acquires MailShare -- Apple announced last week that it has acquired both Glenn Anderson and his excellent program MailShare, an SMTP and POP Internet mail server for the Mac. Apple will rename the program "Apple Internet Mail Server" and plans to continue making the current version of the software available as freeware on the Internet, although future versions will be commercial products. Glenn will be moving to Cupertino from New Zealand to work for Apple as a software engineer. It's nice to see additional recognition of Internet talent from Apple - particularly if Apple pays Glenn's moving expenses. [GD]
Quickly Attach to an Email Message
Want to start an email message that requires an attachment? Save a step or two by dragging the file's icon onto Mail's Dock icon - Mail automatically opens a new message window with the file already included as an attachment.
Visit MacTipster Blog


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According to a new status report from security vendor Symantec (Quote, Chart), home users are the target of 86 percent of attacks. Financial services ranked second, the target of 84 percent of phishing (define) attempts in the first half of 2006.
"Attackers see end users as the weakest link in the security chain and are constantly targeting them in an effort to profit," Arthur Wong, senior vice president of Symantec Security Response and Managed Services, said in a statement.
"Education doesn't make a difference," Alfred Huger, senior director of Symantec Security Response, told internetnews.com. Despite headlines and information campaigns, consumers remain vulnerable, said Huger.https://o1.qnsr.com/log/p.gif?;n=203;c=204660766;s=9477;x=7936;f=201812281312070;u=j;z=TIMESTAMP;a=20392931;e=i If home users are the most common target of attackers, Web browsers are the most common vehicle, according to Symantec.
Nearly two-thirds, or 69 percent, of hackers used vulnerabilities found in browsers.
In a surprising finding, Mozilla-based browsers led the list with 47 vulnerabilities, compared to 17 in the last report.
This combination of the insecure user and unsafe Web browser could result in a "profound impact" on online commerce, warned Huger.
As more consumers lose confidence in their browsers, there is a growth in effort to ensure transactional security, he added.
Symantec said 2,249 holes were discovered in the first half of 2006, the highest number of vulnerabilities ever reported.
E-mail users saw an 80 percent increase in phishing attempts, which dupe users into disclosing personal or financial information.
Spam, already more than half of e-mail traffic, rose just a modest 4 percent to 54 percent, Symantec said.
The company also pointed to a resurgence in polymorphic attacks, designed to change signature and shape to avoid filters.


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Amy Adams is returning to the small screen with her next project, as it was announced that she's starring in the new Netflix series Kings of America! As Entertainment Tonight shares, the news came on Tuesday during the streaming service's Television Critics Association summer press tour.
Adams to executive produce her new Netflix drama
Adams will not only be starring in Kings of America— she'll also act as executive producer for the project! Entertainment Tonight mentions that the actress's production company, Bond Group Entertainment, will be producing the show along with Stacy O'Neil.
Kings of America will also see Adams reteaming with director Adam McKay, who is set to direct the first episode. The duo previously teamed up for the 2018 movie Vice, as well as 2006's Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. McKay will also executive produce Kings of America through Hyperobject Industries, alongside Betsy Koch.
Adams' show Kings of America: here's what we know
Adams' new Netflix show certainly has an interesting premise! According to Entertainment Tonight, Kings of America "focuses on a Walmart heiress, a maverick executive, and a longtime Walmart saleswoman and preacher who dared to fight the retail giant in the biggest class-action lawsuit in US history."
The limited series will tell the story of how the lives of all three of these women became intertwined through Walmart. Playwright Diana Son is the showrunner for Kings of America, as well as executive producer alongside creator and writer Jess Leslie. Film producer Brunson Green will also be executive producing.
Adams generally tends to favour movie roles over television roles, so the announcement of her new project is especially exciting! Her last small-screen appearance came as "Camille Preaker" in HBO's Sharp Objects, a psychological thriller based on Gillian Flynn's novel of the same name. Netflix hasn't revealed which role Adams will be playing in Kings of America yet, but fans of the actress will undoubtedly tune in to check the show out!


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European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
Underwear manufacturer Triumph is to cut at least 622 jobs at its Austrian and Hungarian production sites. As previously reported by ERM, the closure of its final Austrian production plant in Oberwart, Austria, will affect 210 jobs from the end of July. Cuts will also affect the company's Austrian headquarters in Vienna Neustadt. Triumph moreover hopes to find a buyer for its Hungarian production site in Dunaújváros by the end of the year. The site currently employees 412 workers . German media indicate that the cuts are likely to also affect the company’s design and logistics centres in Heubach and Aalen respectively.
The company cited the “optimisation of the supply chain” in the face of shrinking markets, rising production costs and a difficult global economic situation as the reason for the cuts. The cuts continue a downward trend in Triumph's workforce in recent years. As previously reported by ERM, a number of Triumph’s Austrian production sites have been closed in recent years (in 2010 and 2013.)
Eurofound (2015), Triumph International, Internal restructuring in European Union, factsheet number 83065, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/83065.


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DIAMOND BAR, Calif. — An estimated 25 million Americans will take road trips and family vacations this summer.
Since June is National Tire Safety Month, Nexen Tire America Inc. has compiled several tips to help drivers ensure their tires are road-trip ready.
According to Nexen, consumers should consider four items before a summer road trip:
• Tire pressure
Properly-inflated tires are key to safety and longevity, the company said. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends drivers check the air pressure in their tires at least once per month when the tires are "cold" (i.e. haven't been driven for at least three hours).
Tires should be inflated to the vehicle's recommended cold tire pressure, which is found in the owner's manual and on a label inside the driver's door jamb. It is also important to check the air pressure and condition of the spare tire.
• Visual inspection
Drivers should check for visual defects and check the amount of tread left on their tires.
Drivers can use the penny trick by placing a penny in the tread with Abraham Lincoln's head upside and facing you. If you can see the top of Lincoln's head, it is time to replace the tire.
• Balance, alignment and rotation
Drivers can maximize tread life and fuel efficiency by rotating their tires every 5,000 to 8,000 miles — or sooner, if the tires are showing signs of uneven wear.
Drivers should also have their tires balanced and the vehicle's alignment checked by a qualified technician.
• Tire age
As tires age, rubber construction and other important safety features decrease, Nexen said. Most vehicles are driven often enough to replace their tires on a regular basis. However vehicles like RVs, passenger vans, collector cars and trailers could be at risk.
Infrequent use, constant exposure to sunlight and poor storage can age tires prematurely. Drivers should inspect tires for cracking and dry rot, and tires should be replaced within five years of their manufacture date.
Nexen recently opened its third distribution center in the U.S. The tire maker said it can service customers throughout the Midwest, Great Lakes and the Northeastern states with its new facility in in Lockbourne, Ohio, just south of Columbus in central Ohio.


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By Karen Stokes
Businesses are facing major financial storms due to high inflation figures and the ominous cloud of COVID-19 that continues to hang over their heads.
Jason Alston, owner of Heavens Table BBQ, 5507 W North Avenue, used a variety of strategies to weather the storm and keep his business afloat.
At Heaven’s Table BBQ you can find a variety of menu items which includes a variety of smoked meats like brisket, ribs, pulled pork, excellent pastrami and sausages, as well as wings, sandwiches and sides .
“I want to start and say that COVID-19 was the first supposed disaster and the problem with businesses is that you always have to be ready for adjustments. I learned in culinary school when it comes to the restaurant industry, even when there’s no inflation you still have prices fluctuating up and down,” said Alston.
Alston says the restaurant business is a whole different animal.
Alston has a passion for cooking and has been cooking professionally for 13 years with a background ranging from Culinary MATC, to Cardinal Stritch to Marquette, he was well trained and up for the challenge.
Many businesses are also struggling with inflation. Raw materials and finished products are more expensive and workers demand higher wages. Owners have been forced to increase prices or reduce certain services.
“I had to raise my prices several times with my product and my customers weren’t too happy,” Alston said. “I also have to accommodate them too, so by raising the prices, I have enlarged my sides, you have to justify the price increase.”
“Every industry is impacted a little differently from inflation which is a general blank statement, but overall material costs, commodity costs, inventory can be affected,” said Jason Engledow, regional director of corporate banking, JPMorgan Chase.
“I contacted JP Morgan Chase for a PPP loan when it was available. I also received a credit card. Chase offers a lot of help with the conversation and constantly asked me what I needed help,” said Alston. “They were really helpful and it was the first bank I worked with and I actually didn’t have to look anywhere else for my business needs.”
JPMorgan Chase serves a variety of customers ranging from restaurants and industrial to manufacturing and professional services.
Engledow offers advice for businesses to mitigate inflationary risks, examine their excess cash flow and maintain a buffer to weather the storm. Contact a financial adviser to learn how to manage their debt and how to manage supplier relationships. Focus on operations and the relationships they have with their employees and customers.
JPMorgan Chase constantly invests in the people and technology of the communities they serve.
“One thing I’m so proud of is that in 2023 we’re going to invest in a mentorship program,” Engledow said. “We have free peer-to-peer advice to educate on business plans, coaching and tools.”
“We want to do everything we can from Chase’s perspective to really focus on black entrepreneurs and the critical role they play, the economic role of the community. It will be a unique program that we have launched in other cities and which has been very successful. I’m very excited for it to come to our market in Milwaukee in 2023,” Engledow said.
For more information, visit jpmorganchase.com.
It is remarkable that some companies have demonstrated their ability to weather the pandemic and inflation. Businesses will need to stay alert to keep their business afloat.
Important advice from Alston: “Don’t let current circumstances discourage you, these things happen. Whatever your dreams and passions are, keep following them.
For more information about Chase products for children and teens, visit your local Chase bank to speak with a JPMorgan Chase Bank Community Manager, NA FDIC Member.
JPMorgan Chase & Co Sponsored Content


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A disappointing third quarter and lowered full-year outlook hung over Kohl’s Corp.’s stock yesterday.
For the period ended Nov. 2, the Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based retailer logged adjusted diluted earnings per share of 74 cents, well below Wall Street’s forecast of 86 cents. Profits dropped to $123 million, compared with $161 million the previous year. Same-store sales, which grew 2.5% in the same quarter last year, increased slightly by 0.4% this Q3, versus expected growth of 0.8%.
Kohl’s also slashed its full-year guidance and now expects adjusted annual earnings per diluted share to be $4.75 to $4.95, compared with the previous range of $5.15 to $5.45.
But CEO Michelle Gass remained optimistic on the business for the crucial holiday shopping period. Although revenues shed 0.1% to $4.63, they topped analysts’ expectations of $4.4 billion. The company also continues to work on strategies to lure millennial and Generation Z shoppers.
As it tackles the final months of the year, here’s what went wrong at Kohl’s and where it’s improving.
The firm said it saw a heightened promotional environment in the third quarter coupled with unseasonably warm weather in September. Kohl’s expects this period to continue through the year as the holiday shopping season takes shape, forecasting comps in the range of flat to up 1% for the fourth quarter.
“It’s really important that we capitalize on this moment and drive market share and customer acquisition,” Gass explained. “We’re going to lean in and make the short-term investment in pricing and promotion as we need to — to make sure that we can capture these customers and, importantly, get them on our loyalty ladder for the long term.”
Higher Costs Due to Brand Launches
Store expenses at Kohl’s increased 3.2% to $1.4 billion due to factors including costs related to a significant number of brand launches as well as early holiday hiring and the Amazon Returns program, the company said.
In September, the chain added Koolaburra by Ugg Home and Nine West’s line of footwear, apparel and accessories. The following month, it welcomed Scott Living, its collaboration with the Property Brothers. Kohl’s also recently launched its partnership with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, becoming the exclusive retailer for Elizabeth and James apparel, handbags and accessories.
“We view each of these brand launches as an investment in driving future growth while modernizing the Kohl’s brand and attracting younger customers,” said Gass.
Decline in Women’s Business
During the third quarter, all lines of Kohl’s business were positive except one: The women’s category declined 1%, compared with strength in the men’s, footwear and accessories business. While women’s “made progressive improvement relative to the first half of the year,” said Gass, it was “our only negative performing category.” She added that women’s “underperformed” in stores, but it did experience growth in digital channels in tandem with other Kohl’s categories.
Although women’s active and intimates departments showed solid performances, the firm has taken steps to address the slowdown in others: It has added Nine West and Elizabeth and James to its roster of brands and it exited the Dana Buchman label.
“With these introductions, we reflowed the layout of the women’s area in our stores so the brand agencies would better align with customer shopping preferences,” Gass said. “While this had some disruption in the short term, it positions us well for the long term.”
Acceleration in the Active Category
Activewear continues to be a major growth driver for Kohl’s, with revenues in the category increasing 7% in the quarter. While brands like Nike, Adidas and Under Armour pushed active apparel sales up at a high single-digit rate, footwear returned to positive revenues following a slow start to the year — aided by Adidas, Under Armour, Vans and Asics.
During the period, the firm also built on its in-store active expansion strategy. It increased the active square footage by 25% in roughly 160 high-performing stores as well as adding 100 Adidas shop-in-shops.
Digital on the Rise
Digital sales increased at a mid-teens rate in the third quarter. Mobile served as the primary source of gains, with a particularly solid performance from the Kohl’s app, which nearly doubled and tripled in traffic and sales growth, respectively.
The retailer also pointed out improvements on speed, with 95% of buy online, pick up in store orders available within a single hour. It will also expand the number of stores — from 10 to 135 — that carry incremental inventory to support the peak volume period of its digital services during the holidays.
Amazon Boosting Brick-and-Mortar
Late in the second quarter, Kohl’s completed the nationwide rollout of its partnership with Amazon, which allows customers who shopped on Amazon.com to make returns to Kohl’s brick-and-mortar locations with no additional fees. “The program is driving incremental traffic into our stores,” observed Gass, “and we are particularly encouraged by the disproportionate amount of new customers, which on average are also younger than the typical Kohl’s customer.”
Additionally, the retailer is considering expanding the pilot of its Outfit Bar, a merchandising concept launched in May that is currently in 50 of its nearly 1,200 stores. Curated by Kohl’s, a platform that showcases emerging digitally native brands, has also proven lucrative for the firm. It debuted last month in about 50 stores with the help of Facebook and Instagram’s social media marketing efforts.
Kohl’s Slashes Full-Year Outlook on Big Earnings Miss


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What started out late last year as a minor clarification of Evanston’s zoning code has morphed into an ordinance that — if it were approved — would turn the city’s only remaining car dealerships into non-conforming uses.
The original proposal, introduced in December at the recommendation of city staff and with the backing of the Plan Commission, would have specified that car and truck rental businesses could be located in the same areas where car and truck sales are allowed — the C2 commercial zone and the I2 industrial zone.
Until now the code hasn’t dealt specifically with the motor vehicle rental businesses — they’ve been treated as retail service establishments — which could be located in many additional business and commercial zones.
At December’s City Council meeting, Alderman Ann Rainey, 8th Ward, objected to permitting truck rentals anywhere but in the I2 industrial zone.
She said a now-closed truck rental business on Chicago Avenue north of Howard Street had parked vehicles all over the neighobrhood and created a nuisance.
With that, aldermen directed staff to rewrite the ordinance to be more restrictive for truck rentals than car rentals.
Staff came back at the council’s Jan 11 meeting with a more complicated scheme that treated car rental businesses differently based on whether they had vehicles stored on site.
Car rental offices with off-site vehicle storage would be allowed in business, commercial and industrial zones under the revised scheme, while rental operations with vehicles stored on site would be permitted only in C2 and I2 zones.
Truck rentals — presumed to only occur with on-site vehicle storage — would limited to C2 and I2 zones.
That failed to address Rainey’s demand, and she persuaded the committee to again direct staff to limit truck rentals to the I2 zone only.
For last Monday’s meeting, staff returned with a version of the ordinance that finally addressed Rainey’s demand to limit truck rentals to I2 zones — but it went way beyond that to bar any car or truck rental or sales use from any zone other than I2.
That would bar any expansion of what’s left of Evanston’s traditional auto dealer row along Chicago Avenue — mostly zoned C2 — and would turn the Autobarn Volkswagen, Fiat, Mazda and Nissan dealerships now located there — which are among the largest sales-tax generating businesses in town — into nonconforming uses.
Under the zoning code nonconforming uses can remain in place — but the code imposes severe restrictions on their expansion and reuse.
Aldermen Monday night pulled the proposed ordinance from their agenda and directed staff to make unspecified revisions to the language.
Update 12:15 p.m.: Damir Latinovic, the city’s planning and zoning administrator, says the next version of the ordinance, to be presented at the Feb. 8 City Council meeting, will:
- Keep auto sales a permited use in C2 and I2 zones, as the existing zoning code provides.
- Allow car rentals with on-site vehicle storage in the same two zones.
- Allow car rental offices that don’t have on-site vehicle storage wherever other office uses are permitted.
- Limit truck rental operations to the I2 zone.


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Referral agreements with conTgo and WorldMate mark the beginning.
PARIS, April 29, 2010 – Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), a global leader specializing in business travel management, has signed non-exclusive, global referral agreements with conTgo and WorldMate, enabling the company to extend some of its key products and services to SMS and smartphone platforms, which are provided by each supplier respectively. This is the first phase of an extensive plan CWT has to increasingly offer its products and services via mobile channels and social networks.
Orlando, FL, WES 2010, April 27, 2010 – WorldMate today announced its collaboration with American Express Business Travel, a leading global travel management company, to add WorldMate’s mobile technology to their overall mobile platform for clients. WorldMate’s premium services will broaden American Express Business Travel’s current mobile offering and be available to its customers using BlackBerry® smartphones.
Ra’anana, Israel 12 April 2010 – Emoze, the global leader in mobile push email and push content solutions, today announced the release of Dragon 555, a revolutionary new technology for delivering push web content to mobile devices in real time.
The new Emoze Dragon 555 push content platform aggregates web information and converts it to a format that is viewable across a wide range of mobile devices. Based on the same smart, simple, secure technology as Emoze mobile push email, the Dragon 555 allows users to receive breaking news, financial updates, weather information, the latest sports results pushed to their mobile device in real time.
Moshe Levy, CEO of Emoze, Ltd said, “In the frantic pace of today’s world, it is often difficult to keep up with business and personal information. We are proud that Emoze is able to provide a solution that makes life better for our users.”
Ra’anana, Israel, 06 April 2010 – Emoze announced today the release of the latest version of their industry leading push email platform for Symbian devices. This version contains many enhancements requested by Emoze users designed to provide superior interface, ease and connectivity. “The user experience is very important to us”, said Moshe Dgani, VP R&D of Emoze, Ltd. “We want our platform to be simple to use, intuitive and above all valuable to the user. For that reason, we are pleased to announce the implementation of several features that our users have been asking for.”


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After revealing the international version of New Kadjar at the Paris Motor Show in October 2018, DRAC (Dongfeng Renault Automobile Company) last week unveiled the version for the Chinese market at the Guangzhou Motor Show. Enhanced on the design and providing equipment tailored for local needs, the New Kadjar offers young urban Chinese consumers extraordinary driving experience.
Reflecting the DNA of the Renault brand, New Kadjar features attractive and contemporary styling and offers even higher levels of safety and comfort. The exterior on both global and Chinese model achieves a new level of fashion and dynamism. The newly designed signature eagle-wing-styled sharp front grille combined with the C-shape LED light signature carried over from the Renault range delivers an impactful impression. With fluid lines, a shark-fin antenna, 3D taillights, and newly designed 18-inch diamond cut two-color wheels, the New Kadjar expertly combines fashion with the spirit of sport.
The New Kadjar is a DRAC masterpiece, integrating Renault’s design DNA with localized design concepts. From exterior to interior, it caters directly to the aesthetics and habits of Chinese, manifesting Renault’s ‘In China, for China’ strategy. Anthony Lo, Vice President of Exterior Design, Groupe Renault
The introduction of the New Kadjar model in China is part of a concerted effort by DRAC to deliver on its “2022 Vision” and also marks an important step in advancing its “In China, for China” strategy.
Michaël Dong, Vice-President and Commercial Director at RBJAC (Renault Brilliance Jinbei Automotive Company), and Thierry Aubry, Managing Director of RBJAC, unveiled two new models:
• The Lingkung EV is a fully-electric six-seater MPV. It is the very first electric LCV to be assembled by Jinbei.
• The Guangjing is a family and urban seven-seater SUV. With this vehicle, Jinbei inaugurates its entry into the SUV market – a major segment. These two models illustrate the renewal of the Jinbei brand and will be on the market next year. They were created specifically to adapt to the Chinese market and its regulations and offer all the quality of Alliance vehicles in terms of comfort, reliability and technology.
About the Renault-Brilliance-Jinbei Automotive Company joint venture
In December 2017, Groupe Renault and Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited (Brilliance) signed a contract for the formation of a joint venture to manufacture and sell light commercial vehicles (LCV) under the Jinbei, Renault and Huasong brands with the goal of achieving 150,000 sales annually by 2022 and an acceleration of electrifying powertrains.
About the Chinese LCV market
The Chinese LCV market forecast is for 3 million units per year, growing and moving rapidly. Increasing urbanization rate as well as an e-commerce explosion make new and optimized logistics as well as inner-city transportation schemes necessary for both people and goods. Urban last-mile delivery is expected to grow by 125% till 2030. China is also the biggest, fastest growing EV-market in the world.


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Sun sets on downtown Bay days Iconic store part of Winnipeg's 'cultural and historical fabric'
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/10/2020 (906 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
In February, just five years shy of its 100th anniversary, the Portage Avenue Bay store, the mammoth icon of a bygone era of downtown department store shopping, will shut down for good.
HBC’s decision to close the 650,000-square-foot store at Portage Avenue and Memorial Boulevard — twice the size of the Winnipeg Ikea store — won’t come as a surprise to most people in the city.
Over the years, the company has closed some of the store’s six floors and its basement, consolidating stock on just two levels. Last year a company-wide valuation of HBC’s real estate holdings valued the downtown Winnipeg building at precisely $0.
“The decision to close this store was a difficult one,” said Iain Nairn, president and CEO, Hudson’s Bay Co.
“The downtown Winnipeg Hudson’s Bay store is one of HBC’s ‘original six’ and has been a landmark in a city that has incredibly strong ties to HBC’s history. We also know that Winnipeggers have a strong and loyal affinity for the Hudson’s Bay brand today, and we hope to continue that relationship for many years to come at our Polo Park and St. Vital locations, and through thebay.com.”
Back in time
View a slideshow of construction of the downtown Bay, and video from its opening day in 1926.
View a slideshow of construction of the downtown Bay, and video from its opening day in 1926.
Company officials said it was a sad day, but as a result of changing consumer habits — shoppers long ago ditched the downtown for suburban malls and, more recently, online commerce — there was clearly no longer any commercial rationale for keeping the store open.
At one time, the closure of such a large store would cause serious ripple effects to commercial enterprises located within a few square kilometres. The reality is that the store has had little traffic for many years, its heft as a retail anchor long gone.
“Obviously, it is disappointing news,” said Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman. “Many of us have fond memories of that store. As a child, (my family) used to drive downtown in our old Pontiac to look at the Christmas displays in the windows.
“It is definitely part of our cultural and historical fabric.”
Friday was going to be a tough day for the store’s 60 employees, some of whom have been there for many years.
“We are committed to treating every associate with respect and fairness through this process,” a company statement said. “All eligible associates will receive appropriate employment separation packages and transfer opportunities will be explored where feasible.”
The discussion will move to what happens to the building. There have been several past attempts to put together viable renovation plans to repurpose the building, but all have fallen short.
The downtown Bay: questions and answers about its past and future
Why is the downtown Bay building significant? What's happened inside over the years? What's next for the building?
City council’s decision in January 2019 to assign the building official heritage status has complicated matters. The designation protects the building from being demolished and ensures that several features — the exterior limestone walls, the outside canopy and the curved elevator lobby, among others — are preserved in future projects.
HBC said there are no immediate plans for the property after the doors close. The company has told the mayor it will work with the city and any interested parties that step forward.
HBC would “be open to anything” and said that it would not hold out for commercial reasons when working with potential developers, a company official said.
“Nairn was clear HBC was looking to work with the community on the next step for the building,” Bowman said. “I appreciate the sense of corporate stewardship and responsibility to the community they have shown.”
While no one would argue that Winnipeg’s downtown no longer functions as a retail hub, there are other elements of development that are going strong.
The area boasts more residents than ever, along with a steady pace of investment that includes True North Square, the Artis REIT apartment tower, Red River College’s Innovation Centre and the soon-to-open Inuit Art Centre expansion to the Winnipeg Art Gallery across the street from the Bay store.
“The overall health and growth in our downtown is going in the right direction,” Bowman said.
That said, having such a large building — it occupies a full city block — sitting empty would cause problems for any city.
Craig Patterson, a professor at the University of Alberta’s school of retailing, and the editor-in-chief of Retail Insider, said the demise of downtown Winnipeg’s last department store speaks to the suburbanization of retail.
“The department store concept is on the way out in North America,” he said. “There is great downtown development, but the actual retail side of things is not what it used to be.”
Patterson, who is researching the Hudson’s Bay Co. and has done work on the decline of retailing in U.S. city centres, said such a large empty building can be bad for downtown.
“We have seen it in other cities,” he said, “It can become a blight.”
Maureen Atkinson, senior partner at retail consulting firm J.C. Williams Group, said, “People will bemoan the loss of a store like that, but the reality is, the reason the store is being lost is because people are not shopping there.”
Hudson’s Bay Co. timeline
An overview of the Hudson’s Bay Co., from the 1670 signing of the Royal Charter, to early trading posts, through to changes in ownership and purchases of other companies, to today’s news of the downtown store closure.
1670 – The Hudson’s Bay Co., the world’s oldest continuously operating trading company, is born with the signing of the Royal Charter on May 2nd to Prince Rupert and “the Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson Bay.”
1821 – Hudson’s Bay Company and North West Company merge. At the time, HBC has 76 trading posts, NWC 97, with 1,983 employees.
1831 – Fort Garry is originally built in 1821 on a site near The Forks, where the Red and the Assiniboine rivers meet. A new fort, Lower Fort Garry is opened downstream in 1831. In 1835, HBC rebuilds the first fort in its original location and names it Upper Fort Garry.
1881 – Opens a modest dry goods, grocery, and hardware store at the corner of Winnipeg’s Main and York streets and produces its first mail order catalogue that provides access to the Canadian rural market.
1913 – Builds the first of its modern department stores in Calgary at the corner of 7th Avenue SW and 1st Street
1926 – Opens its Portage Avenue store in Winnipeg, the last of its six large urban stores
1965 – Adopts “the Bay” brand for retail
1970 – Queen Elizabeth grants the company a new charter and its head office moves from London, England, to Winnipeg. The year also marks the company’s 300th anniversary.
1974 – Establishes itself in the downtown core of Toronto with 260,000 sq. ft. of retail space and relocates its corporate office to Toronto.
1978 – Buys Zellers, Fields, and Simpsons the idea being for HBC to satisfy all potential customers through its three banners: Simpsons for the premium trade; The Bay for the middle market; and Zellers for the discount, mass market.
1987 – Officially moves its headquarters from Winnipeg to Toronto
1993 – The Bay acquires Woodward’s Department Stores and most of the company’s 26 stores are converted to Zellers or Bay stores. The net gain to HBC is 11 Bay stores and 10 Zellers stores in British Columbia and Alberta.
1998 – Zellers acquires Kmart Canada. Zellers now operates in 17 new Canadian markets and has a bigger presence in Canada than Walmart.
1999 – Launches Home Outfitters
2000 – Launches its web presence with www.hbc.com
2006 – Becomes a private U.S.-owned company when American Jerry Zucker acquires the company for $1.13 billion
2008 – National Realty and Development Corp. (NRDC) Equity Partners, which also owns the 47-store Lord & Taylor department store chain, buys HBC.
2011 – Sells Zellers leases to Target Corp., which acquires 220 leasehold interests for $1.825 billion. In 2012, HBC announces that the remaining Zellers stores will close by March 2013.
2012 – Returns to the public marketplace with an initial public offering of common shares.
2013 – Buys Saks Incorporated, which operates banners Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks OFF 5TH, for US $2.9 billion
2019 – After two decades of operation, HBC announces the closure of its Canadian Home Outfitters business in February.
2020 – Hudson’s Bay Co. shareholders voted overwhelmingly to approve the purchase of the company by executive chairman Richard Baker for $2 billion, talking it private once again.
2021 – Scheduled to close its iconic Portage Avenue store in downtown Winnipeg.
But downtown economic development officials are not without hope. Dayna Spiring, CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg, said she has seen renderings of what is possible in that building.
“I think the store closing simplifies the issue,” she said. “Now we are not having to deal with retail on the main floor.
“There are challenges for sure. It’s a big building. But it is a landmark. There are opportunities, given its size, to really do something unique on the inside.”
“People will bemoan the loss of a store like that, but the reality is, the reason the store is being lost is because people are not shopping there.”–Maureen Atkinson
Kate Fenske, who runs the Downtown BIZ, said news of the store’s impending closure was hard to take.
“We all have fond memories of going to that store,” she said. “I just bought a new rain jacket there that I love, this spring.”
While she said its closure marks a significant shift in the downtown landscape, it could also be an opportunity to start talking about the future.
“It’s important not to lose site of major investments that are happening in the heart of the city,” she said. “I think we need to look at this as a really good time to have a conversation in the community about what we want our downtown to be in the future.
“There is so much potential… and it’s important to keep that momentum going even during a pandemic.”
Martin Cash has been writing a column and business news at the Free Press since 1989. Over those years he’s written through a number of business cycles and the rise and fall (and rise) in fortunes of many local businesses.
Updated on Friday, October 2, 2020 2:28 PM CDT: Adds missing word "of" to sentence
Updated on Friday, October 2, 2020 3:09 PM CDT: Corrects square footage. A previous version of this story indicated the building was 515,000 square feet; that is the area of leasable space.
Updated on Friday, October 2, 2020 5:59 PM CDT: Updated throughout, added timeline.


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Many industry experts commented on the speed with which retailers — even those that had been slow to embrace online sales, such as grocers — pivoted their operations in the suddenly ecommerce-heavy environment of 2020. The agility they displayed was remarkable, but it was made possible by the existence of technologies that had been waiting for their moment to shine. Retailers accelerated implementations, many of which were already part of their long-term IT roadmaps, and consumers embraced the solutions.
Indeed, the new digital and “phygital” shopping behaviors that consumers and retailers readily adopted last year look like they’re here to stay. Double-digit growth in U.S. ecommerce is expected to continue in 2021, according to eMarketer, which also projects that digital sales in the U.S. will surpass $1 trillion in 2022. And yet, despite this recent huge growth in ecommerce, physical retail still maintains a firm foothold: Forrester predicts that the vast majority of retail — 72% — will still take place offline as far out as 2024.
It appears that, somewhat paradoxically, the next stage in the evolution of ecommerce actually involves physical stores to quite a large extent. “Retail has survived since biblical times roughly in the form of a physical space with product available to sell and the exchange of funds for that product,” said Jonathan Sharp, Managing Director at the Alvarez & Marsal Consumer and Retail Group. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not pretending ecommerce doesn’t exist, but I think it would be a real failure of imagination if this is the moment, 2,000 years on, where we can’t imagine a future for the physical shop.”
Omnichannel Offerings for Channel-Agnostic Consumers
As the separation between physical and digital continues to blur, retailers must throw out traditional ideas about the role physical locations play in the customer journey. Stores will become inspiration hubs and fulfillment centers as much as they are purchase points, and ecommerce touch points such as apps and websites will be crucial facilitators for all stages of shopping.
“Where we’re moving to, it’s not going to be siloed into physical and digital,” said Matt Maher, Founder of technology-focused consultancy M7 Innovations in an interview with Retail TouchPoints.. “It’s going to be one customer experience, and [shoppers] are going to want what they want, when they want it, wherever they want it.”
Key to success will be the ability to offer a unified, seamless flow, from online to brick-and-mortar and back again. That means having one system of record for customer data that all others systems can tap into, said Emily Pfeiffer, Senior Analyst at Forrester: “[Store] retailers and digital businesses still talk about the experiences they create as if they are two separate things, but customers don’t think about it that way,” she said in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “[Consumers] have an experience with a brand or a retailer — it’s all tied together whether they’re in an app, in a store, online, talking to someone or calling. And if they have an interaction in one channel that the next channel is unaware of, they feel like they’re not understood, not respected by that retailer. That omnichannel view of understanding is terribly important.”
For example, if a customer returns an item and the reason for that return is logged, yet that same customer continues to see recommendations for similar products or items with the same problematic feature, retailers are missing not only opportunities for future sales but also for building rapport with that customer.
“My biggest advice to retailers is to break down the silos, and build partnerships that continue to blur the lines, because when [business units] stay in their own tunnel of singular experience with the consumer, they’re limiting themselves,” said Pfeiffer.
Want more? Here are a few other pieces of content you might like:
- FREE WHITE PAPER Ecommerce Tech Guide: The Latest Tools for Bridging the Physical-Digital Divide, which, in addition to this excerpt delves into the democratization of digital commerce via the mobile phone, developments in headless commerce and new tools to remove friction in the customer journey.
- PODCAST BigCommerce and Diono Dig into ‘Hybrid Retail’
- HIT LIST 5 Brands Augmenting Business Results with Augmented Reality


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Motor Transport’s owner Road Transport Media has revealed today (25 May) that it is acquiring Tip-ex, the UK’s only exhibition for the tipper and bulk transport sector. The annual trade show, held in Harrogate, attracts over 70 exhibitors and 2,000 visitors every year and is a major focal point for the construction and bulk transport sector. “Tip-ex serves an extremely important part of the UK road freight industry and we are delighted to have the opportunity to get involved with […]
Rhenus Group has expanded its UK presence with the purchase of Palletforce member RCS Logistics.
SDC Trailers has been acquired by Chinese trailer manufacturer CIMC Vehicles for an undisclosed sum.
Ripon-based Potter Group Logistics has bought York logistics firm and Palletline member House of James for an undisclosed sum. The deal, struck yesterday (16 May) boosts Potter’s turnover by 50% to £22m, adding 100,000ft² of warehousing space, 35 vehicles and 55 trailers to the fleet. Motortransport.co.uk understands that Simon Gill, MD of House of James, will remain at the combined business for at least three years in the role of commercial director. Matthew Lamb, MD of Potter’s, says: “We have […]


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Air Canada Cargo has joined IATA’s Net Rates air cargo rates platform.
IATA Net Rates supports real time rates distribution, dynamic pricing and booking, and is available worldwide.
Under the TACT Air Cargo Solutions umbrella, freight forwarders can access the latest information on rates, rules, tariffs, schedules and compliance information, that can be accessed online or integrated with customer systems, accelerating the distribution of rates to market while simplifying and reducing the cost of rate handling procedures.
For air carriers IATA Net Rates automates rate distribution on a stable and secure platform, making is simpler for freight forwarders of all sizes and in all markets, to gain rate information.
“IATA is very pleased to welcome Air Canada Cargo to the IATA Net Rates platform to support its cargo rates distribution processes. We look forward to future collaboration with Air Canada Cargo,” said Frederic Leger, interim senior vice-president commercial services and president, CNS.
“We are delighted to be working with IATA Net Rates as we continue our digital evolution. Through IATA Net Rates, Air Canada Cargo will be able to securely automate its rate distribution to freight forwarders around the globe,” said Matthieu Casey, senior director, cargo global sales and revenue optimization for Air Canada Cargo.
“This initiative comes at an opportune time for Air Canada Cargo as we grow our business with the upcoming arrival of new dedicated freighter aircraft.”
IATA (International Air Transport Association) represents some 290 airlines, comprising 82 percent of global air traffic.


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The LG Prada was developed with fashion house Prada to be a slim and elegant fashion phone. It has a single touch-screen, 2-megapixel camera and is just 12mm thick.
"LG and Prada have worked together seamlessly towards a shared vision to develop one of the most beautifully stylish handsets the market has ever seen," said Dr Scott Ahn, president of LG Electronics.
In developing the phone LG contributed the internal electronics and hardware, while Prada developed the touch screen interface, exterior styling and a host of accessories for the fashion conscious.
"As we do with ready-to-wear and accessories, we were looking at a breakthrough," said Patrizio Bertelli, president of Prada.
"Consistent with our approach, we are not branding an existing product; rather we have been working with LG to give this new phone a very strong character and unique style, both in its content and in its design."
The phone is icon-based for control but the screen shuts down to conserve power when not in use and presents a uniformly black exterior. The handset will be available next month at a cost of €600.
J1043+2408 was observed for more than 10 years, and its radio light curve exhibited a periodic signal repeating in about 563 days
Success of Unity's test flight means Virgin Galactic is now close to taking its first paying tourist into space
V3 puts the pro-level football GPS tracker through its paces, and asks if it's more than a gimmick
Finding refutes many earlier studies that suggest that galaxies don't have much dark matter at the time of their birth


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Want to join the conversation?
CEO Ron Boire said $BKS expects its marketing, merchandising and Membership initiatives will lead to increased traffic and conversion in stores for FY17 and beyond. $BKS plans to open four new concept stores opening later this year, beginning with the first store opening this October in Eastchester, NY, Boire added.
$WBA is yet to receive US anti-trust clearance for its Rite Aid acquisition. The deadline for the deal expires on January 27.
$BMY plunge 7.2%. No credits to the non-acceleration of approval for lung cancer combination treatment.
Well this is big! I don’t know if it’s someone’s monopoly or genuine excitement, but either way, $CSX is up 23% after market closed. I heard some activist investor is going to blow big money into CSX Corp. Anyone mind explaining?


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Electronic Arts is preparing to bid for UK-based video game maker Codemasters, tweeting US video game rival Take-Two Interactive, according to people with first-hand knowledge of the situation.
California-based EA’s offer reportedly disrupts planned cash and stock deal agreed between Take-Two and Codemasters last month and is expected to value the UK company at over £ 900million, the people said.
EA’s offer is expected to come with a premium of more than 10% over Codemasters’ London-listed closing price on Friday of 534p.
The offer could be announced as early as Monday; However, these people warned that a leak on Sunday from the British channel Sky News EA’s interest may complicate the move.
EA’s purchase of Codemasters at a valuation greater than $ 1 billion would be the biggest deal the California-based company has ever made, but its move could yet spark a bidding war.
Take-Two, parent of Grand Theft Auto and NBA 2K games, and Codemasters had Okay a cash and stock transaction in early November that initially valued the Warwickshire-based company at around £ 759million ($ 994million).
Although Take-Two’s share price subsequently rose, increasing the value of its bid, certain Codemasters shareholders had expressed frustration that the 34-year-old games company had accepted only a modest premium over its previous trading levels.
A deal with EA would unite the publisher’s formidable Silicon Valley sports games stable, including the FIFA football and American Madden football franchises, with racing simulators from Codemasters. EA is one of the biggest video game companies, valued at nearly $ 40 billion, and it is the strongest in the PC and console markets where Codemasters has also focused.
Battle for Codemasters follows year of gaming industry negotiations capped by Microsoft $ 7.5 billion plan to acquire ZeniMax, as the pandemic has drawn record audiences to console and mobile games.
Console makers like Sony and Microsoft, as well as internet groups like Google and Amazon that launched cloud gaming services Over the past year, they have fought for exclusive content rights in order to win players over to their platforms.
Sports games have proven to be particularly attractive during coronavirus-induced lockdowns, as traditional leagues have been unable to play or have been forced to do so behind closed doors. This has accelerated the dynamics of competitive play, with Formula 1 racing hosting its own professional esports tournament based on Codemasters software.
EA and Codemasters both declined to comment on the threads.
In a note to customers on Sunday night, analysts at Mirabaud noted that EA’s offer came as Codemasters was riding the back of good reviews for its latest racing game, F1 2020.
“In some ways, EA’s move seems defensive, as they are already under attack by Take-Two and a lot of their franchises are becoming second-rate to executives,” wrote Neil Campling, head of TMT research at Mirabaud.
“If EA bids, I think [Take-Two] may counter with a higher bid due to Codemasters ‘long term strategic value’ [intellectual property] and technology. “


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New Delhi: Indian ecommerce player ShopClues
today said 90% of its customers have shopped using mobile phones during its recently organized Maha Bharat Diwali Sale
in the last week of September, 2017.
The ecommerce platform
had over 250 million visits during the sale
event, it said in a statement today.
During the sale, customers were inclined more towards fashion and electronics than other categories. Mobile phone, fashion apparel and some other items made it to the list of most popular products on the site.
ShopClues said it saw 70% new customers during the sale. Tier IV cities have registered 60% buyers, whereas metro city comprised only 8% of the total customers.
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