text:
Google buys part of HTC, or more specifically the HTC team that worked with Google to create Pixel phones. Last year, HTC helped Google create the Pixel and Pixel Xl phones, while this year the company would have helped the company create the Pixel 2.
Google said it paid $ 1.1 billion to HTC for it. The deal came after HTC announced it should stop trading its shares on Wednesday.
In addition to acquiring a set of engineers and resources that HTC will dedicate to Pixel phones, Google will also acquire non-exclusive rights over an intellectual property of HTC. This apparently refers to technologies that are already on HTC phones and will probably end up on the Google Pixel phones.
An example will be the “squeezable frame” that HTC has inside the U11 and that Google would also have placed Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Then there are technologies such as BoomSound speakers and Ultrapixel cameras, which are common on HTC phones, but in the future can access the Google Pixel phones.
Interestingly, the deal does not mean that HTC will stop making phones. Although the company has informed the world of its agreement with Google, HTC also said it would continue to manufacture smartphones. In fact, he said that a new flagship phone – possibly based on upgraded hardware for the U11 smartphone – was up and running before the end of the year. In addition to phones, HTC is also heavily invested in making virtual reality helmets. This makes the VR Live Headphones and the company also continue to work.
As part of the deal, Google has signed an agreement with HTC, especially to produce more exciting products in the next 20 years or so. “This agreement reflects the long history of teamwork between HTC and Google,” said Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of Hardware, Google in a blog.
Commenting on the acquisition, Rick Osterloh said: “We are thrilled with the 2017 schedule, but even more inspired by what is in store for the next five, 10 and 20 years in consumer electronics that will further drive innovation of the products in the next years “.
With this agreement, Google will receive some HTC employees, many of whom are already working with Google to develop future Pixel smartphones. To remember, last year’s Pixel phones – Pixel and Pixel XL were HTC makers – and there is no doubt that the phones were perfect in almost every aspect, especially in the imaging department. Google is ready to announce last year’s successors Pixel phones aka Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL October 4,
“In many ways, this agreement demonstrates the decade-long teamwork history between HTC and Google.” This agreement is a brilliant next step in our long standing partnership, allowing Google to overload its hardware activities, while ensuring continued innovation in our HTC smartphone and virtual VIVE business. “We believe that HTC is well positioned to maintain our rich legacy of innovation and realize the potential of connected products and services,” said Cher Wang, President and CEO of HTC.
With this agreement, Google has confirmed that a talented HTC team will join Google as part of its hardware department. “These future Googlers are incredible people with whom we already work closely in the range of Pixel smartphones, and we are delighted to see what we can do together as a single team.” The agreement also includes a non-exclusive license for HTC intellectual property, “says Rick Osterloh.
To remember, HTC and Google have several steps together in recent days. “We have made several first mobile companies, including the first Android smartphone, HTC Dream, also known as T-Mobile G1 (I loved it!), As well as the Nexus One in 2010, the Nexus 9 tablet in 2014 and the first smartphone Pixel the last year “.
HTC has been a longtime partner and has created some of the best high end devices in the market. We can not wait to welcome HTC team members to join us on this trip. ”
But by acquiring members of the HTC Pixel team, Google is essentially looking forward to expanding its hardware business, “the company said,” it’s still early in the Google hardware industry. ”
“We focus on creating our core capabilities while creating a portfolio of products that delivers people with a unique and delicious experience while being able to bring together the best


text:
FORT COLLINS — A former police officer and his fishing buddy are opening an Asian fast-casual restaurant on Fort Collins’ north side this week.
The Teriyaki Madness franchise location, in 1,300 square feet of leased space in the North College Marketplace at 1880 N. College Ave., Suite 130, will open with a limited “sneak peek” staff-training event on Wednesday. The first 70 customers who show up between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. for lunch or between 5 and 6:30 p.m. for dinner will receive a free entree bowl and have the option to buy a drink for $1 and an appetizer for $2. The location will then have a “soft opening” on Thursday and a grand opening on Friday.
Denver-based Teriyaki Madness has 128 units open now in 33 states plus Lethbridge, Alberta, Regina, Saskatchewan, and San Luis Potosi in Mexico, and chief marketing officer Jodi Boyce said it plans to open 59 more shops this year. Locations already open in Northern Colorado include Broomfield, Longmont, Johnstown, Greeley and Firestone.
A meal at that Firestone location and a conversation with its owner, Tim McCurry, helped Bobby Traylor and Justin Ballek decide to open a Teriyaki Madness location in Fort Collins.
Traylor’s family had owned restaurants for 30 years in Cheyenne, Wyoming. A University of Wyoming graduate, he worked in construction but also was a police officer for 15 years. Ballek, a Colorado resident since 2003, has a background in corporate finance.
The pair met while sitting next to each other at their children’s Denver Nuggets Skills Challenge Final. They and their families became best friends and neighbors.
“We kayak fish,” Traylor said, “and I had the idea during COVID to take Justin after we fished to restaurants he’d never been to before.”
While eating at a Raising Cane’s chicken location, they talked about opening their own fast-food restaurant. Traylor knew a real-estate agent who had brokered Teriyaki Madness locations, and because the chain’s Firestone shop along Interstate 25 seemed a good midpoint between Fort Collins and their children’s softball and basketball activities, the pair stopped there and got the details from McCurry, then made the decision to sign up to bring up to three Teriyaki Madness franchises to Fort Collins.
According to its website, the initial investment range for a Teriyaki Madness location is between $346,000 and $768,760, compared with what it says is the average initial investment in the fast-casual restaurant industry of $764,395. According to the website, the average unit volume for a Teriyaki Madness unit is $1,161,201.
Starting up in the post-pandemic era hasn’t seemed to slow Teriyaki Madness’ growth, Boyce said.
“A lot of it’s based on the technology and support we offer,” she said, noting that even before COVID the company had an app and a system for ordering integration with third-party delivery. “So we didn’t have to pivot too much, just crank up the volume and let people know about how they could get food into their hands,” she said. “In fact, some of our best years ever were 2020 and 2021.”
She said supply-chain and labor issues in 2022 posed more of a challenge, “but we have a pretty robust system,” as well as strong support from restaurant-food suppliers “to get the right food into our shops.”
Traylor and Ballek said opening a new venture in the current atmosphere wasn’t really an issue.
“I don’t think there’s any good time to do things,” Traylor said. “Who knows what it’ll be in a year or two?” Ballek added that “we’ve already had plenty of experience with supply-chains, and the availability is pretty good. Whatever you need, those suppliers work hard to find it for you. Everyone’s working hard to make sure everything along the chain is working smoothly.
The chain’s Mad University platform “allows our shops to thoroughly train our employees and create retention,” Boyce said. “Although it’s not perfect, we’re definitely making headway.”
Traylor and Ballek test-marketed their Asian-themed bowls Sunday by giving them away to staffers and customers at the nearby King Soopers, as well as to a local fire station and the Northside Aztlan Community Center. “The comments we’ve gotten so far are that these portions are huge,” Traylor said.
The pair said their goal is to make the restaurant a staple in north Fort Collins, a healthier alternative to burgers and tacos. They described the north side as a fantastic neighborhood with a lot of great people, but also one that needs some more diverse food options.
“We’re really excited to open up there,” Boyce said. “There’s a bunch of people in our office who went to (Colorado State University) and even grew up there, so we’re excited to bring the madness to Fort Collins.”

domain: news


text:
The software titan has just announced in a press release that Amy Hood would officially become the next chief financial officer of Microsoft effective immediately. Amy Hood was previously the chief financial officer of Microsoft’s Business division.
Microsoft is currently busy deciding on a new chief financial officer, and word is that Redmond may name the new CFO as early as next week. Outstandingly enough, it could be the first time the company names
Well, I wrote an article stating that it wasn’t clear how much Microsoft was listening to us regarding Macro issues. Well, now we have a good indication – Not much. CFO and Chief Marketing Officer Tami Reller
Microsoft’s chief financial officer, Peter Klein is responsible for leading Microsoft Corp.’s worldwide finance organization which includes overseeing acquisitions, corporate strategy, treasury activities, tax planning, accounting and reporting, internal audit and investor relations. Here’s an interesting quote


text:
Many corporate customers still do not grasp the key benefits of cloud computing, one top analyst says.
In a research note posted today, Gartner distinguished analyst John Pescatore said many corporate customers he's talked to recently who are evaluating cloud computing for the first time are not interested in "true" cloud benefits -- that is, the offloading of compute and storage to infrastructure as a service -- but rather they are looking at the technology as a means to secure the virtual data center.
"A lot of those client calls are around dealing with the issues of business unit desire to use the cloud or IT wanting to use cloud, Pescatore wrote in his blog. "But when you dig a bit deeper, the current business issues (not the hype) are really about (in order of currency and importance):
1. Maintaining security when the data center goes virtual, both VMWare and SAN issues.
2. Being told “We are going to consume ‘X as a Service’ – go make sure it is secure.”
3. A narrower version of (2): “We are looking at Microsoft BPOS or Google Apps Premier Edition for email/office productivity as a service – is anyone like us doing that? If so, what about security?”
4. User desire to use consumer-grade services, like free online backup or other advertising support online offerings.
Pescatore wrote that questions about “true” cloud usage are tutorial in nature and that many clients have "no near term" plans to embrace IaaS.
Details on his finding will be released in a report later this month.
Can't say I'm that surprised: a lot of IT pros who used mainframes or looked at mainframes didn't get the benefits of automated workload management either.


text:
Tim Pool, who pioneered livestream reporting during the Occupy Wall Street movement, live on scene right now in the East Village in New York City at the site of an explosion, massive fire, and building collapse.
Daily Archives: March 26, 2015
Even those who think they know everything about tablets will find at least one new thing in it [Google Translate].
Sony has not made it clear whether it plans to update select 2014 non-Xperia Z series handsets to Lollipop, but these certifications are promising and shows that Sony is at least internally doing some testing
Just when my thinking was settled on the ZTE Zmax, this news comes along.
If Sony were to actually offer Android 5.x for the T2 Ultra, it’d represent a breakthrough in that company’s thinking. They have a record of abandoning customers. This would show that they’re no longer taking their sales for granted.
Although the T2 Ultra has just 1GB of RAM compared to the 2GBs of the Zmax, there’s something about that Sony phone that appeals to me. It’s the first Sony phone to do so — and all of their current phones actually repel me.


text:
New spy photos of the Mercedes-Benz GLC have emerged revealing the interior of the SUV.
Following the exterior spy photos of the model from last week, we now have new fully revealing interior photos of the GLC to share, showing the model will get a C-Class-inspired cabin. We see a tablet-style display and three round air vents on the center console, while next to the armrest there’s a controller for the infotainment system. Other notable features are the leather seats and partly leather dashboard and the wooden trim on the console.
The model is expected to be unveiled in June this year and will be based on the MRA platform. The engine lineup will likely be carried over, which means a variety of familiar diesel and petrol units will be available. The range-topping AMG variant will get the new 4.0-liter biturbo engine with 476 HP (350 kW) and 650 Nm (479 lb-ft) of torque.
More spy photos can be found at the two source links below.


text:
Man says he found maggots in convenience store sandwich
Ewing, N.J. — A man claims he found maggots in a sandwich he ordered from a convenience store in New Jersey.
Chris Garcia tells The Trentonian he bought a buffalo chicken cheesesteak hoagie Saturday from a Wawa store in Ewing, where he lives. He claims after a taking few bites, he noticed sauce from the sandwich was moving.
The 22-year-old says he found two maggots moving around his sandwich. Garcia’s mother recorded video of maggots crawling on the sandwich wrapper.
A spokeswoman for the 750-store chain says Wawa inspects its stores daily and holds itself to the “highest standard of quality” in the food it serves.
Garcia says he was given a refund after returning to the store with the sandwich.
Wawa also has stores in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida.


text:
PlayStation’s handheld gaming device, the PlayStation Vita received a lot of praise and at the same time criticism from the industry and gamers worldwide since its release in 2012. Slowly chugging along in its lifespan, some retailers seem to be letting go of the device, leading some to believe that the handheld is being discontinued, at least in the U.S.
Have you checked lately? While online availability seems consistent, large retail stores do not seem to be restocking the PlayStation Vita in their physical stores. Check your local Best Buy and GameStop stores, there is either very low stock or no stock for hundreds of miles around at least several major cities like Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Chicago, Houston, and more.
After inquiring about this shortage at one Best Buy store, a sales rep said she was told the handheld was being discontinued and that they would no longer be restocking them. When asked if this was just an assumption on her part, she replied that it was told to her through a company newsletter.
Take that with a grain of salt as this sales person has no real authority to speak on behalf of the company but considering PlayStation called the Vita a legacy device last year, it’s not impossible to conceive the possibility either.
PlayStation has stopped reporting their sales of handhelds and all indications were that outside of Japan, the device sold relatively poorly. With the PlayStation 4 being Sony’s flagship gaming device and money maker, could the handheld be on its way out finally, at least in the United States or Western countries? We tried reaching out to PlayStation for an answer but got no response. We will update if we do hear anything.
Sound off in the comments below: What do you think? Is the PS Vita being discontinued? How would you feel if it was?


text:
Jewish food festival set for Sunday
The Jewish Food Festival sponsored by the sisterhood of Congregation B'Nai Abraham is Sunday, Nov. 23, from noon to 3 p.m. in the synagogue social hall at 53 E. Baltimore St. in Hagerstown.
Last year about 350 people attended, says Jeanne Jacobs, who is chairing the event along with Delcina Lechten.
At least that many are expected this year, and they'll be seeking traditional favorites such as matzo ball soup, beef brisket, potato knishes, blintzes, noodle puddings and chopped liver. Other specialties are chicken couscous and kasha, a mixture of pasta and buckwheat.
Desserts will include cheesecake, Danish pastry, tarts, cookies and cakes. Other items available for purchase include bagels, challah and rye and pumpernickel breads.


text:
Last year, id Software confirmed that
it would no longer license its engine technology to developers outside of the umbrella of corporate parent Zenimax, which also owns The Elder Scrolls
developer and publisher Bethesda Softworks.
The move was a surprise -- id had become known for licensing its tech for games ranging from American McGee's Alice
to Call of Duty
, even releasing its tech for free after a few years. Technology sharing, whether through licensing partnerships or through a free release of id Tech, seemed to be part of id's DNA, and the studio's acquisition by Zenimax helped put an end to that.
But id co-founder and lead programmer John Carmack told Gamasutra at E3 that he's happy to be out of the engine licensing business, as the studio concentrates on finishing id Tech 5-powered Rage
and continues work on the further-off Doom 4
"It's interesting when you look at our technology licensing -- it was never really a business that I wanted to be in," he said. "In the very early days, people would pester us, and we'd just throw out some ridiculous terms, and we were surprised when people started taking us up on it."
"I didn't want to be in the process of supporting a lot of outside teams, because you feel beholden to not make radical changes when it's going to pull the rug out from lots of other people," he explained. "When it's your own team, you can make the sensible decision that [a big change] is going to be worth it, that it's going to suck for a while, but we make our way through it. But you don't want to do that to other people."
Gears of War
developer Epic Games is a dominant force in engine licensing in this console generation, and Carmack acknowledged that company's success in that area.
"Epic's done a really good job of building up a support structure for [engine licensing]. The market was ours to keep, but we abdicated because we weren't willing to put that effort into it. We didn't want half our company to be about managing technology licensing. Epic has gone and done a great job with it."
"If you have a team that's up to speed and going great with Unreal technology, I don't care at all. It's not a personal affront to me if somebody wants to choose a different technology to build a game upon," he said.
He added that id Tech 5 is "not magic," and the engine is good for certain kinds of games such as Rage
, but not as much for games such as Grand Theft Auto
that render cities with lots of surface area.
"The megatexture direction [in id Tech 5] has some big wins, but it's also fairly restrictive on certain types of games," he said. "It would be a completely unacceptable engine to do [Bethesda's Elder Scrolls V
in, where you've got the whole world, walking across these huge areas."
id Software creative director Tim Willits said in a separate Gamasutra E3 interview that dropping engine licensing was a welcome change. "For us, it was such a burden off our back. Licensing is a big pain, it really is. ... We always wanted to focus on the games, so it was a nice relief for us not to have to do that."
"... But John is still very active in open source," Willits said, "and we're the only ones that release our source now to such an extensive level, and the PC version [of Rage
] will have the SDK ... all that stuff will be available. The spirit of [Carmack's] sense of sharing and working with the community, that's still pretty intact. I wouldn't stress too much about it."
Gamasutra will have more from id Software in the coming days.


text:
The Pick of the Day is a four-wheel-drive SUV that was hardly ever driven
For the 1974 model year, Jeep launched a second version of what we now recognize as a full-size sport utility vehicle, the new Cherokee joining the Wagoneer.
It is designated as Arizona 288 and while it does climb high into the Sierra Ancha mountains northeast of Phoenix, only the southern portion of the road is paved
Pick of the Day was a ‘little old lady’ special ’61 Olds
Full-size SUV packs loads of muscle, finesse and bragging rights
Collector car sale runs through Saturday in Connecticut
RM Sotheby’s to offer late collector’s well-known trove of Porsche/VW cars and automobilia entirely without reserve at September auction
The Pick of the Day is handsome, rare and with a race-track pedigree


text:
Resurgent Meego Renamed Tizen, Sponsored by Linux Master Group
September 28, 2011 8:55 AM
comment(s) - last by
Samsung and Intel are among the corporate sponsors who will support the new OS
that Intel Corp. (
) was about to
follow Finnish phonemaker Nokia
) lead and drop support for the struggling Meego project, quite the reverse has happened. Overnight two giants of the Linux movement -- the
LiMo ("Linux Mobile") Foundation
thrown their support behind
[press release] Meego platform, which they've retitled as "Tizen".
announced in February 2010
as a mobile Linux alternative to Google Inc.'s (
) rising Linux kernel-based OS, Android, which would go on to dominate the market. Meego's main sponsors were Nokia and Intel. The project merged Nokia's Maemo mobile Linux distribution (mostly open source) with Intel's Moblin distribution (open source). Intel's rival chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (
) began participating in the project in November 2010.
This year, which was hoped to be a landmark year for the project, it instead has struggled, with no commercial products released. The primary source of these struggles has been waning support from Nokia. In February Nokia
announced a strategic partnership
with Microsoft Corp. (
) to put Windows Phone 7 on all its future smart phones,
leaving behind Meego and its proprietary Symbian operating system
. Without a major handset partner the Meego project looked ready to fold.
The new adoptions by LiMo brings a whole slew of top handset makers onboard. It also makes for strange bedfellows as Motorola Mobility, a subsidiary of Google, is a member of the project. While not a founding member (it's an associate member) Motorola has released a number of LiMo handsets, including the MotoRazr V8. Technically this means that Google is sponsoring one of its own competitors. But given that Meego/Tizen (or LiMo, for that matter) has yet to see significant adoption, it may be comfortable with that arrangement.
Another key sponsor brought onboard with the addition of LiMo is Samsung Electronics Comp., Ltd. (
). Samsung was rumored to be
shopping around for an alternative to Android
. While Google's OS has been lucrative in sales, Samsung has expressed the desire to have alternatives on hand, perhaps for budget models.
: Motorola (an associate member not pictured... see the PDF FAQ on LiMo) and Samsung are two top members of the LiMo coalition.
The support of the Linux Foundation is also a good sign for the project. The Linux Foundation funds creator Linus Torvalds and other top Linux developers to work full time on improving the kernel. It also works as a distribution-neutral force to promote the spread of Linux on the market.
: The Linux Foundation funds Linux "Benevolent Dictator For Life" Linus Torvalds to continue his kernel work, which underpines the Red Hat Linux family, Android, Ubuntu, and a whole host of other distributions. [Source: Wikimedia Commons]
And of course it has the support of many of the industry's top players:
Linux Foundation members.
Mr. Torvalds finally got bit by the mobile Linux bug last year,
when he picked up a Nexus One
, Google poor-selling flagship model for Android 2.1. Now many Linux fans are likely hoping that he and his fellow core developers will give Meego a much needed injection of life.
Today Google and second place Apple, Inc. (
own almost 85 percent of mobile phone sales in the U.S.
Waterloo, Ontario-based Research In Motion, Ltd. (
) and Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 each own a small chunk of the remaining market share. While the phone market has seemingly
approached a Google-Apple duopoly
, there's plenty of emerging talent. The Mozilla Foundation -- a LiMo member itself -- is
working on a forked version of Android
as is Amazon.com
, Inc. (
). Between these operations and Meego there should be enough fresh blood to keep the market interesting despite the seeming GOOG-APPL hegemony.
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
RE: This is excellent news
9/28/2011 5:29:36 PM
Yeah, the only real advantage Meego has there is in not using Java.
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text:
Hard Rock International acquires license from The Ritz Club
Hard Rock International is extending its U.K. footprint after the casino operator announced that it has obtained a casino premise license from The Ritz Club in London, which provides it with the ability to “establish a new casino premise” within the city premises. This is just one of many changes the company is making in order to expand globally as a casino force in major cities all over the world.
HRI already has a massive presence in hotspots across the world, including in multiple cities in the U.S., as well as Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid and many others. It has also been approved for a brand new resort in Virginia, but lost an opportunity to add Greece to its portfolio last year. The company is also grasping onto the hopes of possibly being able to get in on Japan’s integrated resort industry at some point in the near future. Moreover, the return of the Hard Rock name to Las Vegas is in the talks. HRI has 12 casinos and a total of 240 locations scattered across the world and has a presence in 69 different countries.
The company did not give out many details about its plans for London, or when it might be ready to bring its iconic huge guitar to London, but it probably will not be anytime soon, considering the world’s situation right now. The U.K. is dealing with new COVID-19 strains and skyrocketing cases that have forced most commercial venues, including casinos, restaurants and bars, to shut down, and HRI can take its time finding the best spot for its new property.
Chairman Jim Allen stated in an announcement:
We look forward to expanding our brand offerings within London and bringing our award-winning hospitality, gaming and entertainment to the birthplace of Hard Rock.
At the end of 2020, HRI began stepping deeper into the digital gaming realm after the launch of Hard Rock Digital. This is to be an iGaming and sports gambling platform that it will operate through a partnership with Seminole Gaming. The company tapped three executives formerly with The Stars Group (TSG) to help build the brand, including former CEO Rafi Ashkenazi, former attorney Marlon Goldstein and the former head of TSG’s U.S. operations, Matt Primeaux.
Allen stated last month:
Hard Rock Digital also intends to pursue strategic branding and distribution opportunities both within the U.S. and globally. In the U.S. alone, the potential future market size is estimated [by Morgan Stanley analysts] at $7 billion for sports betting and $14 billion for online gaming.


text:
Serbian economy in 2021 and growth projections in the next five years, News
According to the IMF projections, our country can expect an improvement in economic parameters in the next five years, which will be reflected in the growth of real incomes (salaries and pensions), ie living standards. Of course, there is always a risk of projections, but after a strong economic shock caused by the pandemic, it is difficult to expect that something similar could happen again, which could significantly disrupt the IMF’s forecasts.
It can be said that in the first half of 2021, Serbia has good economic indicators, despite the difficult circumstances due to the pandemic. That the Serbian economy is booming is indicated by three main macroeconomic variables (along with GDP): industry, exports (and imports), and retail trade turnover.
Namely, compared to last year, in the period January-May, industry grew by 10.3%, retail trade by almost 13% in real terms, exports by 28% (and imports by 18%, both in euros). Otherwise, the strong growth of exports is a consequence of the strong increase in exports of the processing industry (of almost 27%). The continuation of a solid increase in Serbia’s merchandise exports will be supported by further growth in investments in export-oriented sectors, as well as a recovery in external demand (with the expected successful vaccination process worldwide). In addition, the economic recovery was significantly supported by strong growth in construction (estimated at close to 20% in the first quarter of this year).
Although the tendencies in May were not as good as in previous months, which is expected given the low base, especially in April, it seems that the high growth of economic activity in 2021 will be achieved. The seasonally adjusted GDP index shows that economic activity in the first three months of 2021 has already slightly exceeded its highest pre-crisis level, while high growth in the second quarter (probably around 15% year on year) will further improve Serbia’s relative position.
According to the statements of the highest officials, the year-on-year economic growth in the first half of 2021 will be high at 8.3%. Experts gathered around the Quarterly Monitor also claim that high economic growth (6%) will be achieved in 2021 (while the economies of European countries are estimated to achieve almost two percentage points lower GDP growth).
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) also increased Serbia’s growth forecast for this year to 6%, which is twice as much as its estimate from September 2020. The EBRD emphasizes that domestic economic activity will be strongly supported by additional government health expenditures, subsidies for salaries and one-off payments to pensioners and other categories of the population (the Government has adopted additional fiscal incentive measures in the amount of 4.5% of GDP or two billion euros in the budget for 2021).
The IMF also projects real GDP growth of Serbia of 6% in 2021, while on the other hand, the World Bank is somewhat more cautious, with the projected growth of Serbia of 5% this year. The same projection of growth was given by the rating agency Standard and Poor’s, which in its June report confirmed Serbia’s credit rating at “BB + / B” and kept stable prospects for its further increase (so we are in the group of rare countries whose credit rating has not been downgraded).
As in other countries in the region, under the influence of higher energy and food prices, as well as due to the low base effect from the same period last year, inflation accelerated, reaching 3.6% year on year in May (twice as much as expected), is slightly above the central value of the NBS target.
Namely, year-on-year inflation in May in the USA reached 5% (projected 1.6%), the EU 2.3% (projected 1.3%), Germany 2.4% (projected 1.1%), France 1.8 % (estimated 0.9%), Italy 1.2% (estimated 0.7%), in Hungary 5.3% (estimated 3.3%), Poland 4.6% (estimated 2%), Romania 3, 2% (projected 2.5%), Bulgaria 2.3% (projected 1.4%).
The increase in inflation is a consequence of disturbances in individual markets due to the pandemic (supply chain disruptions, as a result of which input stocks were depleted during the pandemic, whose prices consequently rise due to the inability of producers to adjust to increased demand in the short term). However, if inflation is prolonged and if price growth encompasses a larger number of products, it is more likely that the causes of inflation are expansive monetary and fiscal policy.
It is a good sign that already in June this year, year-on-year inflation slowed down to 3.3%, while in the coming months inflation is expected to move around the central value of the target of 3% (and after the cessation of temporary factors slowdown from the second quarter of 2022).
The absence of significant inflationary pressures is indicated by the stable movement of core inflation, which amounted to 2% year on year in June. Also, an important factor of low and stable inflation is the provided relative stability of the exchange rate, as well as the anchoring of inflation expectations of the financial sector and the economy (by the way, prices of goods and services in Serbia are only 58% of the EU average).
In addition to accelerating inflation, the unfavorable trend is the growth of unemployment in the first quarter of this year (compared to the first quarter of 2020), by 2.3 percentage points (Labor Force Survey). In addition, instead of the originally planned fiscal deficit of 3% of GDP and the planned reduction of the share of public debt relative to GDP, the fiscal deficit will be between 6% and 7% of GDP according to the new government plans, which will lead to public debt growth. reach 60% of GDP, but this level is not yet critical (otherwise it is planned to reduce the fiscal deficit from about 7% of GDP in 2022 to 3%, and then continue to decrease to 1%).
Why is Serbia going through the crisis relatively well?
The key is the structure of the economy. Namely, it is about the specific structure of the economy, ie the large share of activities such as agriculture and the food industry, which had growth in the crisis. In addition, Serbia has a very small share of tourism in GDP, as well as the car industry and other industries most affected by the crisis. In addition, strong anti-crisis measures, primarily fiscal, but also monetary policy that will continue in 2021, as well as relatively mild anti-epidemiological measures (from mid-May 2020), and favorable trade relations (affecting the growth of net exports in late 2020 and early 2021) further improved the relative position of Serbia.
Strong investment activity, which in the years before the pandemic crisis brought solid rates of economic growth, also plays an important role in the good ranking of Serbia. Strategic diversification of investors and markets, ie the fact that the largest part of FDI in Serbia goes to industry, other export-oriented sectors and infrastructure construction, also stimulates economic growth. The best example is the car industry, where Serbia has the most diverse range of products produced in this area – from tires, batteries, conductors, to the most sophisticated products such as microchips and electric motors (eg exports of auto components have increased fourfold since 2012, to 2 billion euros).
In Serbia, the realization of infrastructure projects continued during the pandemic. The share of state capital investments in GDP increased to 5.4% in 2020 (from 4.9% in 2019), while in 2021 they should reach 7% of GDP.
Serbia has been successful in the development of the IT sector (exports of services related to the IT sector have almost quadrupled in eight years – to over 1.4 billion euros in 2019, and export growth was achieved even in the crisis of 2020, with the continuation of this trend this year).
In addition, agricultural exports have almost doubled since 2012 – to almost 1.3 billion euros in 2020, while dynamic growth (of as much as 20%) continued in the first five months of 2021.
What can we expect in the medium term?
As we mentioned, in 2021, the IMF projects real GDP growth in Serbia of 6%, and then the continuation of high growth rates. These projections are minimally different from those presented by the IMF in its April report (IMF, 2021).
The table shows the IMF’s expectations for Serbia as of 2026, which indicate that this international institution is quite optimistic about the economic prospects of our country.
This year, GDP per capita will be close to $ 9,000, and its purchasing power equivalent over $ 20,000. The share of investment in GDP is estimated to approach the famous quarter of GDP in 2026, while inflation will remain stable and relatively low (around 3%). The volume of export growth will be around 11%, which means that its growth rate, expressed in euros, will be around 13%. A slight decline in unemployment is also projected, while it is estimated that the fiscal balance could be almost balanced, although projections for this year did not include a budget rebalance. The balance of payments deficit will remain at around 5%, which is considered a long-term sustainable level, and public debt should start declining as a share of the country’s GDP after growth this year.
In summary, our country can expect an improvement in economic parameters in the next five years, which will be reflected in the growth of real incomes (salaries and pensions), living standards. Of course, there is always a risk of projections, but after a strong economic shock caused by the pandemic, it is difficult to expect that something similar could happen again, which could significantly disrupt the IMF’s forecasts.


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Oh, give it a rest…
I feel awfully silly…who needs enlightenment and self actualization
"As Apple explained at its launch of the device, the new feature is an improved version of its personal assistant, Siri,...
Hahaha this is great
This has got to be a joke?
Gotta love Andy B’s headlines


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Coca-Cola Networks Paving the Way for Monster Beverage (MNST)
In a report released on May 22nd, Morgan Stanley reiterated their Overweight rating on Monster Beverage (MNST) with a price target of $168. Their analysis concludes that there is significant upside versus consensus from FY2017 on, as shown in the chart below.
On April 29th MNST reported impressive first-quarter 2016 earnings growth of 26% driven by strong sales, margin expansion and lower tax rate. Net sales of $680.2 million increased 8.5% YoY driven by higher international sales, despite negative FX impact .
Coca-Cola’s decades of networking paving the way
In June of 2015, Coca-Cola (KO) acquired a 16.7% stake in MNST. Without any doubt, KO’s worldwide established bottling and distribution network is what will help drive Monster energy drink to all corners of the globe. Already, in markets where MNST transitioned to the KO system with an existing strong local partner, MNST’s market share increase as a percentage of its prior year share has been strong. The three top increases are South Korea at +87%, Germany at +22% and Japan at +19%.
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China potential is huge
Morgan Stanley cites International market penetration as the key driver to their forecast, specifically China where the expectation is 10% market share by 2020, this could translate to about $4B in sales. The target is reasonable considering that MNST reached 11% share in Japan in four years, and the Dali food company’s Hi-Tiger brand has been able to gain nearly 6 points of share in three years while others have rapidly lost ground. China’s overall energy drink sector is dominated by Red Bull with an astounding 80.1% share.
The company is also planning to relaunch Monster energy drinks in India in late 2016 and is moving ahead with its plans for local production there. In mid-2015 Indian Health officials banned ginseng-laced beverages after regulators declared its unsafe.
Other countries where sales are expected to contribute positively to the bottom line are Russia and Nigeria.
Overall International revenue is forecast to be 21% by 2020 (CAGR), and a mid 20’s EBIT margin by FY18. Lastly, with a 35% domestic market share, US sales growth is expected to continue its solid trend.
By their own admission, Morgan Stanley’s MNST valuation is not cheap at 26.4x CY18e EPS and 17.6x CY18e EBITDA, translating to 15.3% and 25.5% premium to high growth peers. Their closing paragraph states: “we still do not believe MNST’s much more attractive financial profile is fully appreciated, with MNST’s 1.8x PEG ratio well below the 2.5x average of the high-growth CPG peer set.”


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ONE of the country’s leading retail outlets, Bon Marche will on Saturday host a walkarobics event, which will include a walk and aero bath exercises.
Starting at 0600 hours, at the retailer’s Eastlea outlet in Harare, the event will be directed by top fitness instructors to ensure those who attend have the most rewarding experience.
“Fitness is deliberate, it is also a conscious indulgence that helps to keep the mind and generally the body alert,” said Bon Marche in a statement.
“To live longer, we definitely need to stay fit. Bon Marche is a healthy lifestyle brand and there is none better to offer a complete circle in wellness outside them.”
Those keen to participate in the event are expected to buy their regalia and kits from any of the Bon Marche stores in Harare. Registration is instore to ensure convenience to the participants.
The supermarket has also partnered many brands to support the event.
The retailer is, meanwhile, offering daily prizes to two customers in every Bon Marche store in its ongoing Liv It up Fiesta promotion which commenced on January 19, 2023.
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Law marks ‘new era in competition law enforcement’
Irish competition authorities will gain greater powers to fine companies for engaging in cartels, bid-rigging or abusive market practices under legislation welcomed as the beginning of a “new era in competition law enforcement”.
The Competition (Amendment) Act 2022, which has now been signed into law and will be commenced in the coming weeks, transposes Directive 2019/1 (ECN+ Directive) into Irish law.
The law gives substantial new powers to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), which will be able to impose fines on an administrative basis for the first time.
Until now, Ireland was one of a very small number of European countries that only allowed for a company to be fined for breaching competition law if the case was proven in court to a criminal standard.
Jeremy Godfrey, chairperson of the CCPC, said: “The Act marks the beginning of a new era in competition law enforcement. It gives the CCPC the power to fine companies that break competition law, for instance by engaging in cartels, bid-rigging or abusive market practices.
“We are ready to use our new powers as soon as the Act comes into force. We have experienced teams in place to investigate suspected breaches of competition law, and we are introducing a leniency programme to encourage whistleblowing on secret cartels.
“The new powers will greatly enhance our ability to ensure open competitive markets that work in the interests of consumers, businesses and all of Irish society.”
Robert Troy, minister of state for trade promotion, digital and company regulation, said: “Anti-competitive practices affect everyone, make it more difficult for honest businesses to prosper and have adverse effects on consumers.
“By strengthening the powers of our competition authorities, we are taking an important step to ensure that Ireland’s economy is open, fair, and transparent.
“The government is committed to taking a tough stance on white-collar crime and the enactment of the Competition (Amendment) Act represents an important step in this regard.”


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New business registrations in Bend last month returned to typical levels, doubled state average
Following a fairly significant dip in new business registrations statewide in April, Central Oregon showed encouraging gains in May, with Bend more than doubling the rate of new business registrations in Oregon as a whole. That’s according to today’s edition of the monthly Bend Entrepreneur Report from Bend business attorneys EagerLaw PC.
April saw 260 new business registrations in Bend, but in May, reports EagerLaw, that number increased to 314, which is roughly on par with new business registrations each month during the first quarter of the year.
“We consider April’s 260 new business registrations impressive based on the average throughout Oregon that month, but in May, those numbers came back up fairly dramatically,” explained EagerLaw PC founder and Bend business attorney Jeff Eager. “In May, state business registration data showed 314 businesses registered in the City of Bend. We’ll see if that continues going forward, but we’re certainly optimistic.”
Nearly all of Oregon’s largest cities had an increase over April’s new business registration numbers during May. That held true for Central Oregon as well, with the exception of Redmond and La Pine, which saw 50 and 15 new business registrations in May, respectively. For prospective business owners eyeing those two cities, that could signal opportunity–particularly since both cities’ average rates of new business registrations per 100,000 population last month were well above the state average.
“As a whole, Central Oregon continues to be an attractive location to entrepreneurs looking to start new businesses or relocate businesses from out of state,” Eager stated.
Each month, EagerLaw carefully analyzes Oregon Secretary of State’s business registration data to prepare the Bend Entrepreneur Report. The Report is released monthly to local media and via Facebook Live at the EagerLaw PC page, where the firm also spotlights local business achievements and provides information of use to Bend businesses.


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The system will go into production later this year, appearing in dealerships first either on the 2020 Cadillac CT5 or the mid-engined 2020 Chevrolet Corvette. Yes, these are the same electronics cited for delaying the launch of the C8 Corvette over excessive draw, security and getting the more-than-100 computer modules to communicate seamlessly. When Car and Driver asked about that, GM replied with “No comment.” Volkswagen’s having the same issues with the Mk8 Golf right now, though, so GM isn’t alone, and this will be the new normal among OEMs for a while.
What’s certifiable is that the new architecture is robust enough to handle 4.5 terabytes of data per hour, which is five times what GM’s current wiring can handle. And thanks to Ethernet connections of 100 Mbps, 1 Gbs and 10 Gbs, communication within and without the vehicle happens much faster.
The advances mean better screen resolutions, better battery management for hybrids and electric vehicles, the capability for over-the-air updates and “functionality upgrades throughout the lifespan of the vehicle.” Cadillac’s Super Cruise has already been lined up as a leading candidate for constant improvements in the driving assistance suite, a key part of GM’s “vision for a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion.” And whenever GM decides to take the plunge, it will mean a 48-volt electrical system.
More than 300 specialists worked on the digital platform, and security was a huge part of the task. We’ve already heard that GM consulted with Boeing and military contractors on how to prevent hacking. The carmaker has an internal Product Cybersecurity group that reached out to the research community, and created a “bug bounty” program to crowdsource uncovering any flaws. As told by Wired, GM had “assaults by ‘red team’ hackers probing for weaknesses” and “[benchmarked] aviation and defense systems.”
After its retail launch this year, the new electrical architecture will roll out to “most” GM vehicles around the world by 2023.


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It used to take months for movies to make their way from the cinema to your home. Now, that wait could be as little as one week.
Foxtel and Dendy on Thursday announced a partnership for the "near simultaneous" release of feature films. You'll be able to see a raft of "niche feature and documentary films" in any Dendy (or partner cinema) around Australia and then download the title the next week through Dendy Direct or the Foxtel store.
The first movie to get the week-later turnaround is the Bryan Brown-led "Australia Day," which will hit cinemas on Sept. 21, before becoming available on Sept. 27 as an "Express from Cinema" title in the Foxtel Store and on Dendy Direct.
It's a big deal for the cinema industry, which has long held on to its theatrical release windows as a way to squeeze the maximum revenues from a movie title, before customers are able to access it more ubiquitously through home entertainment.
That said, the fact the initiative is rolling out with "niche" content in the first instance means it could still be a while before you see the next blockbuster rushing into your home from cinemas. And the language around Foxtel and Dendy's joint statement on Thursday's news shows the cinemas are still keen to keep some of that exclusivity.
"The growth of digital adoption provides a significant opportunity for on-demand delivery to add real and sustainable value to the content ecosystem for filmmakers, exhibitors and consumers, whilst maintaining theatrical exhibition as the 'gold standard,'" the joint statement read.
Star Wars at 40: Join us in celebrating the many ways the Force-filled sci-fi saga has impacted our lives.
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Cheap As Chips will soon be moving in to the old Pakenham IGA site on the corner of Main Street and Drake Place, creating more than 20 local jobs.
Facey Industrial Commercial partner Matt O’Dea told the Gazette the site had received “strong” inquiries from national companies before a 10-year lease was granted to the South Australian-based discount variety store.
Cheap As Chips is due to commence operation in late March at its new Pakenham site.
The company has 38 stores throughout Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales and plans to double its 15 Victorian stores by 2020.
Cheap As Chips chief managing director Shane Radbone said the company was focused on expanding throughout regional Victoria, having most recently opened a new store in Ballarat in December.
Refurbishment works, including new flooring, is planned over the next two months.
“We’re very excited to be coming to Pakenham. We’re opening the store up a bit, so it will be a bit brighter,” Mr Radbone said.
“The Ballarat opening has been our most successful in our company’s history. I think our brand is starting to make a name for itself and we’ve found a niche market for a discount variety store with a great range of quality products and good customer service.
“We saw an opportunity in Pakenham for a very good discount store. It’s a great location with good visibility and parking options for customers.”
He said the store had about 9000 products ranging from arts and craft, to furnishings, confectionery, hardware, garden and party supplies, beauty products, home wares, stationery, toys, motoring products, pet accessories and travel goods.
Mr Radbone said products were “cheap in price, not in quality” with specials planned for the opening week in early April, exclusive to the Pakenham store.
Originally published at Pakenham Officer News.


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Trade deficit that Trump is so eager to eliminate is actually a lifeline for US dollar — RT's Keiser Report
The trade deficit with China may have cost US jobs, but it could be one of the few things keeping the greenback afloat, RT's Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert have found.
"It's trade deficit which maintains the US dollar as that global unit of account. Without that trade deficit, the US dollar could not be the world's reserve currency. So that trade deficit harms American workers, but it helps Wall Street bankers," Stacy Herbert said, discussing what is causing job losses and the recent study from the Economic Policy Institute.
Max Keiser explained that bringing China into the global economy was based "on people's conception of what a trade policy should be," with no global standard for money. Thus, instead of creating one, US tariffs and trade policies "replaced having a yardstick for the global economy like a gold standard."
"You need to have a standard unit of money in the globe to have to have global trade. Once you get rid of that, as now we have no global standard of money in the world, you will open yourself to fraud and gaming the system and hopeless collapse," Max Keiser said.
For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section


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For the sake of the environment, health, or simply because it’s trendy, many people are reaching for nondairy milk these days. The trouble is, when you scan a store shelf or cooler and see soy milk, macadamia milk, oat milk, pea milk and more, it can be hard to know which alternative to dairy milk is the best choice for you.
To help sort through the sea of alt-milk facts, we spoke to some environmental and nutrition experts, who shared some details that will make your decision a bit easier. We got the scoop on nutrition content, as well as important environmental factors to consider, such as greenhouse gas emissions, water use, land use, where a crop is grown, transportation and how crops are processed.
Here’s what you need to know when choosing a dairy milk alternative:
Among the dairy alternatives, oat milk is a pretty climate-friendly choice with fairly low water use, land use and greenhouse gas emissions, said Sujatha Bergen, director of health campaigns in the health and food division at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
A life cycle analysis of oat milk conducted by popular Swedish brand Oatly says land use and greenhouse gas emissions for oat milk are about 80% lower than for cow’s milk. But keep in mind that this comes from the oat milk company itself — there isn’t much independent research available on this topic right now.
As for nutrition, registered dietitian Taylor Wolfram told HuffPost that oat milk is lower in fat and protein and higher in carbohydrates than other alternatives. It also has a neutral flavor and creamy consistency, making it a popular choice in cafés. Overall, nutritionists say oat milk is a good option, especially for people with soy and nut allergies.
There’s a lot of buzz around the amount of water that goes into farming almonds, and that’s a valid concern — almond milk takes a lot of water to produce.
But results from a recent life cycle assessment of California unsweetened almond milk show that dairy milk in the U.S. has more than four times the global warming potential as California almond milk and uses nearly twice as much water. Additionally, the results show that almond milk’s global warming potential is similar to that of many other dairy alternatives, but its water use is higher ― though the researchers note it’s tough to compare studies of these different products side by side.
“In the data that I looked at, no plant-based milk is equal to the water usage of dairy milk,” Bergen explained.
The problem with almond milk is that most of it is produced in California, where drought potential is high. “Because 90% of almonds are grown in California where water is scarce, it causes more environmental stress than other nut trees that can be grown in other places,” Bergen said. “So, in addition to just the overall amount of water that a crop uses, you also want to consider whether the crop is being grown where water is scarce or not.”
From a nutrition standpoint, almond milk is a good option in many cases. “There is nothing about almond milk that sends any red flags from a health perspective,” Wolfram said, but this definitely isn’t the right choice for someone with an allergy to tree nuts or almonds.
Almond milk is low in calories, fat and protein, the consistency is thin, and the taste is fairly light and neutral, making it a good choice for mixing into smoothies. Wolfram suggests choosing a variety that’s fortified with calcium and Vitamin D.
Environmentally, coconut milk is a pretty good choice — coconut farming has a fairly low impact on the land, and water use is relatively low. “You don’t have to deforest trees to produce the milk,” Bergen said. “And trees themselves have great greenhouse gas benefits.”
However, most coconuts are grown in Indonesia, the Philippines, India and other wet tropical regions, and require a great deal of transportation to reach North America. Likewise, increasing storms driven by climate change can damage trees and impact yield, and many farmers do not earn enough money to support themselves and their families.
Nutritionally, coconut milk isn’t ideal when compared to many other milk alternatives because it’s high in saturated fat, explained registered dietitian Julieanna Hever. There’s some debate over whether saturated fat from plant sources — like coconuts — is less harmful to the body than saturated fats from animal products, but Hever recommends reducing consumption of saturated fats overall. “It can be included in a healthy diet, but should be limited,” she said.
If you’re looking to lower the water footprint of the products you consume, macadamia milk can be a good alternative to almond milk. It’s still a nut milk, but macadamias are typically grown in less water-scarce regions, Bergen explained. That said, as water shortages and other climate-related problems intensify for Australia, Hawaii and other common macadamia nut-producing regions, this could change.
Nutritionally, macadamia milk is an acceptable alternative to dairy for many people, Hever said. It’s typically low in calories, but the fat content is higher than some other nondairy milk alternatives, so you’ll want to keep an eye on that. Like other nut milks, this isn’t a good option for people with nut allergies.
Soy milk can be a great alternative to dairy milk, but you’ll want to pay attention to where it comes from, as some soybeans drive deforestation in the Amazon while also displacing indigenous peoples and small farmers.
There are other issues to consider, too — some soybeans are genetically modified to withstand pesticides. Soy milk also encourages monoculture, Bergen said, which has negative effects on soil and the climate. She recommends organic soy milk as the best option.
From a nutritional perspective, soy milk contains around six or seven grams of protein per serving (comparable to cow’s milk) and is less processed than many other nondairy milks. The key is to look for unsweetened varieties, said registered dietitian Amanda Baker Lemein.
Producing pea milk uses far less water than dairy milk and many dairy milk alternatives, Bergen said, and the greenhouse gas emissions are lower as well. As a nitrogen-fixing plant, peas don’t require much nitrogen fertilizer ― another plus for the environment. A life cycle assessment of Ripple pea milk (funded by the company) says the product contributes just 25% of the greenhouse gas emissions of dairy milk. There’s not much information on the environmental sustainability of pea milk from independent researchers.
Nutritionally, unsweetened pea milk is low in calories, high in protein and contains little or no saturated fat, making it a solid nondairy alternative. It usually has added oil and is fortified with vitamin B12 and other vitamins and minerals. But watch out for added sugars. “Once you get into flavors or sweeteners, then it changes how ‘healthy’ it is,” said registered dietitian Jill Nussinow.
How To Make Your Choice
From a nutrition standpoint, plant-based milks are fine to include in your diet, but it’s important to read the labels so you know exactly what you’re getting, and to choose unsweetened and fortified options when you can.
Climate impact is where things get a bit more complicated, as an alt-milk’s sustainability can vary depending on a lot of factors. But Bergen pointed out that any plant milk is going to be a better choice for the climate than dairy milk.
“I think the take-home message is that if people want to reduce the environmental impact of the milk that they’re consuming, then switching to plant-based alternatives as much as possible is a great option,” Bergen said.


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Early bird tickets are available for Town's Firework Spectacular
- Tickets available now for HTAFC’s Firework Spectacular
- Event will take place on Sunday 22 October 2017 at PPG Canalside
- Only 5,000 tickets available for supporters
October sees the return of one of the Town’s favourite events – The Firework Spectacular and this year, we are aiming to be bigger & better than before!
The Firework Spectacular will take place at the Club’s PPG Canalside Training Ground on Sunday 22 October 2017, with the fireworks commencing around 7.30pm.
This year we have decided to make the theme all about us and celebrate our achievements – so the theme is none other than Huddersfield Town and we will have plenty of entertainment on the evening to make it another fantastic event.
Along with music on the night and various food stalls throughout, we will also have a fun fair in place with what promises to be a wonderful day for families and guests of all ages.
As the Club’s success on the pitch continues we are also anticipating higher crowds for this event and we are encouraging fans to use the Club’s early bird booking system to avoid cues on the evening.
The early bird booking system is available now at a discounted price of £4 for adults and £2 for children. Tickets can be bought through the Club’s Ticket Office on 01484 484 123 or online by clicking here.
We look forward to welcoming everyone to the event however, be quick as the tickets sales are already higher than last year and will be capped at 5,000 – so don’t miss out and book now!
A big thanks to club partner Pulse Radio for providing the entertainment and Firework’s provider Standard Fireworks, who are offering Season Card Holders a 10% discount at their new factory shop which opens on Wednesday 18 October.
For more information on the event please click here!
*Tickets can also be bought on the gate - £5 adults and £3 children.


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Global automotive sales for 2015 could hit 88.6 million vehicles, a 2.4 percent increase from 2014 that would continue a five-year growth streak, IHS Automotive said today.
China and the U.S. will lead the increase, with regions in Europe and South America in flux.
“The global market continues to move to new highs, but it’s very spotty,” George Magliano, senior principal economist at IHS Automotive, said in an interview.
Although the U.S. and Chinese markets are improving, “most of the rest of the world is struggling,” Magliano said. “Western Europe right now is only starting to come around very slowly.”
North America’s overall economic growth and improving credit conditions will continue to power global light-vehicle demand through this year, IHS said.
Regional light-vehicle sales volume in North America should hit more than 20 million units in 2015, a 2.5 percent increase from 2014.
U.S. expansion continues
IHS forecasts sales of 16.9 million vehicles in the U.S., up from 16.5 million in 2014.
“With a strong exit to 2014, and gasoline prices currently plunging, consumers may feel even more positive throughout 2015,” an IHS statement said.
U.S. light-vehicle sales will increase over the next couple of years, Magliano said.
IHS is forecasting 17.2 million deliveries in 2016 and a U.S. peak of 17.5 million in 2017.
In Canada, IHS predicts a slight sales increase to 1.88 million vehicles, up from 1.85 million in 2014. If the Canadian market performs as IHS forecasts, it will break the annual sales record it set in 2014.
Even with a slow sales start during the first half of 2014, IHS predicts that Mexico will continue the momentum it gained in the last five months of the year. Sales will climb 3 percent to 1.17 million vehicles, IHS estimates.
China’s light-vehicle sales are expected to post the most growth this year -- a 7 percent leap. The boost will land China’s sales at 25.2 million vehicles, driven by increased finance penetration, fast dealership expansion and government vehicle scrappage programs, IHS said.
IHS expects SUV sales to lead China’s gain this year, forecasting an increase in share from 26 percent in 2014 to 28 percent in 2015.
The current antitrust campaign environment, which is expected to impact premium parts and vehicle prices in China, could affect relationships among consumers, dealers and automakers, IHS said.
“Coupled with this, the momentum could lead to downward adjustment in premium pricing, which helps provide solid foundation for premium vehicle penetration to further increase in China in the next decade,” the statement said.
IHS predicts that premium vehicles in China will rise to more than 2 million units in 2015, a 15 percent increase from 2014.
India’s market also is expected to improve, after a two-year lull, because of lower interest rates and energy prices, IHS said.
But the 2015 sales forecast is bleaker in Europe, where the Russian economic collapse will impact surrounding countries, potentially offsetting the benefit of plunging gas prices, IHS said.
“The size of the market contraction in Russia is the biggest wild card facing vehicle manufacturers across the European continent, if not the world, in 2015 and 2016,” Nigel Griffiths, chief automotive economist at IHS Automotive, said in a statement.
Light-vehicle sales in Western Europe still will increase 3 percent in 2015, but they could jump even more depending on the value of the euro, IHS said.
With the instability of Russian currency, prices of cars will increase. Imported vehicle prices will increase more than 20 percent, and domestic-vehicle costs also will increase by double digits, IHS said.
In Russia, “this, along with a deep recession compounded by the recent credit rating downgrades, could push the market down to just 1.8 million units; a 27 percent decline over 2014 and nearly 40 percent (1.2 million) below the market level recorded in 2012,” the statement said.
South American troubles
South America’s sales are also on the decline. After monthly sales units broke 500,000 vehicles seven times in 2013, South America’s automotive demand dipped 10 percent in 2014.
In 2014, “Politics [impaired] Argentina and Venezuela, and the economic climate [weighed] down markets like Brazil, Chile and Peru, where it may take at a few years for demand to recover to previous highs,” the statement said.
IHS forecasts 500,000 vehicles sold in Argentina during 2015 and 3.25 million sold in Brazil. In Chile, IHS predicts 300,000 sales.
In Venezuela, the government’s access to foreign currency will be limited as oil prices plunge, which will weaken vehicle production, IHS said.
But setbacks in Russia and South America would affect neighboring regions only. They’re “not big enough to trigger a global recession or derail a global auto recovery,” Magliano said.
Exchange rate movements, price changes and oil prices will be determining factors for global automotive sales in 2015, IHS said.
Commodity and raw material price changes and low fuel prices, “will be significant tailwinds for the auto sector, its margins and for most of the world consumers, but at the same time, their unpredictability will mean long-term business plans will likely change at a more cautious pace,” the statement said.
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As more Americans seek healthy alternatives to soda, a growing number of natural beverage companies are innovating with carbonation and adding sparkling sub-lines to their portfolios.
Tea continues to be one of the fastest-growing categories in the mainstream beverage set, up nearly 10 percent over the past 52 weeks. A lot of this is being driven by Lipton Pure Leaf and Gold Peak, which has a strong presence in both chilled and ambient areas.
In an interview at Expo West, GoodBelly CEO Alan Murray explained that the development of GoodBelly Sparkling Drink and GoodBelly Ade stems from an innovation strategy that seeks to “constantly rejuvenate the energy behind probiotics.”
In this video, filmed at Natural Products Expo West 2016, BevNET’s John Craven and Ray Latif discuss current trends in the cold-pressed and high pressure processed (HPP) juice category.
Marley Beverage CEO Harry Bigelow said that the company “wanted to dial it back a bit” in terms of its original reggae-themed labels and marketing initiatives, while maintaining the brand equity of Bob Marley.
Yahoo Finance reported on the company’s wellness initiative dubbed “See Ya Soda,” which will also see the end of fried food, white bread and pasta in Reebok’s cafeteria.
From large producers like WhiteWave and Califia Farms to tiny upstarts, including Pop & Bottle, Malk and Three Trees, BevNET’s John Craven and Ray Latif discuss the role that innovation and branding has played in the development of each and the overall segment.
Described as a yogurt beverage “made with only natural ingredients including real fruit and probiotics,” Drink Chobani will join the drinkable yogurt category where brands like Lifeway Kefir, B’More Organic, Wallaby Yogurt Company and Karoun Dairies’ Blue Isle reside.
As for how the brands will leverage its relationship with Coca-Cola, Jeremy Faa, senior vice president and general manager for craft beverages at Coca-Cola North America, said that while operating independently, the company will “tap into Coca-Cola in terms of synergies, supply chain innovation and key account relationships.”
From the maturation and evolution of established beverage trends and brands to the emergence of entirely new ones, Expo West 2016 offered further proof of the emphasis on innovation for natural and/or organically inclined beverages.
BluePrint, which helped pioneer the category of high pressure processed, cold-pressed juices, is attempting to pivot away from its roots in detoxifying cleanses with new branding and products designed to appeal to a broader set of consumers.
In the following video, BevNET CEO John Craven and BevNET Managing Editor Ray Latif sifted through the dozens of new beverages that debuted at Expo West and offer their take on the most notable and impactful for the industry.
The deal was unanimously approved by the company’s board of directors, with the exception of The Fresh Market founder and chairman Ray Berry, who recused himself from negotiations pertaining to the deal.
Here is part two of our photo gallery from Natural Products Expo West 2016, featuring new products, notable innovation, brand updates and more as displayed by beverage companies exhibiting at the event.


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- October is forecast to be the second consecutive month of year-over-year volume increases.
- The question on many people’s minds is just how much longer can this keep going on?
- The two wild cards are a second stimulus package and a winter wave of COVID-19 infections.
One of the most remarkable stories in the car business this year has been the extent to which new-vehicle sales have rebounded from the depths of April and May. October is forecast to be the second consecutive month of year-over-year volume increases, and the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) is expected to be 16.4 million! Back in April, nobody in their right mind would have bet a dollar that the industry SAAR would reach 16.4 million in October. Incredible.
Most industry forecasters have been predicting a pullback in vehicle sales since August, but the new-car market just keeps charging forward, driven by strong consumer demand.
Not only have sales volumes been climbing, but average transaction prices are now near $39,000, up roughly $1,000 versus year-ago levels according to data from our Kelley Blue Book team. Americans continue to buy larger, more expensive vehicles while the smaller, more affordable ones gather dust on dealer lots. Incentives, too, are being kept in check, as OEMs in aggregate are thoughtfully managing incentive spend as inventories remain thin.
This unexpected strong consumer demand is being driven by a potent combination of home refinancing, sky-high used vehicle trade-in valuations, and likely, the emotional need for something to feel good about in 2020—Honey, let’s go buy a new car tonight.
There’s reason to believe the demand will continue in the months ahead. The new car market is largely driven by more affluent “work from home” professionals who have been less financially impacted by the pandemic. Massive white-collar lay-offs seem unlikely. Also, the automakers are continuing to ramp up production to improve their inventories and provide shoppers more selection. Interest rates will remain low for the foreseeable future, which bodes well for both the housing and auto sectors.
The question on many people’s minds is just how much longer can this keep going on?
The two wild cards are a second stimulus package and a winter wave of COVID-19 infections. This past weekend the U.S. marked a record high with nearly 100,000 new cases, so dealers around the country are going to face new challenges as fresh measures are taken at the state level to curb the spread. As for stimulus, we will know more once the election is over. It’s not a question of if, but when and how much new money will be infused into the economy.
There are some warning signs that demand could be slowing down: Online shopping for new vehicles on KBB.com was down 14.9% in October from the prior month and Manheim has observed softening used-vehicle values, which suggests weaker demand. Consumer sentiment is still off 20% versus pre-COVID levels.
Still, the fundamentals should remain pretty stable in the near term. The Q3 GDP growth numbers were largely driven by strong consumer spending on durable goods, while less money is being spent on services. This trend is good news for car dealers. The Cox Automotive Industry Insights team is forecasting full-year 2020 sales to reach 14.3 million. That means more than 2.5 million total new-vehicle sales in November and December are up for grabs. One thing is for certain: New-car dealers are optimists by nature, and the fundamentals are all pointing toward a continued strong new-car market.
Brian Finkelmeyer is senior director of new car solutions at Cox Automotive. The Cox Automotive Rates & Incentives (CAR&I) team has developed a methodology for measuring the accuracy of data used to calculate pricing and payment information presented through dealer service provider tools (e.g., dealer websites, inventory management, digital retailing & advertising, desking, equity, etc.). Approximately 17,500 individual dealerships – rooftops, in automotive parlance – in the U.S. rely on CAR&I incentive data for powering 5 different software applications through Cox Automotive native software/sites and our many industry partners. In all, an estimated 90,000 applications are relying on CAR&I data in a given month, providing valuable information to 40 million shoppers.


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thodonal - stock.adobe.com
Amazon quietly signed an agreement to acquire a tiny Australian e-commerce platform, Selz, last month. It confirmed this week that the deal is complete.
When the news broke earlier this week, the acquisition wasn't so tiny. Shopify's stock dropped 7% before rebounding somewhat. Experts attributed the drop partly to indications that 2021 revenue growth may slow compared to 2020, as shoppers return to stores, but say Amazon's e-commerce acquisition played a role.
Amazon said "nothing will change" for Selz merchants or customers at this time. Other details of -- and motivations behind -- the Amazon e-commerce acquisition were not disclosed.
Amazon Webstore, its prefab online storefronts for small businesses that competed with Shopify and BigCommerce, shut down in 2016. Many merchants moved their stores to Shopify and continued to sell on Amazon as they do with BigCommerce as well.
Over the years, Shopify and BigCommerce added many features to their platforms, including analytics and hooks into small-business-friendly services such as accounting software, financial services and live chat. The platforms also integrate with leading content management systems, including Acquia.
Despite starting out way behind its competitors, the next iteration of the Amazon e-commerce retailer storefront platform could pose a threat to Shopify in particular because of one key technology component in Selz: Liquid, an open source templating language developed in 2006 by Shopify cofounder Tobias Lütke. Liquid enables store themes and simplifies the connection to back-end product data.
Liquid compatibility would likely make migrations from Shopify into a new Amazon e-commerce environment straightforward without a change in look and feel for the merchant's customers, said Dennis Consorte, small business and startup marketing consultant at Digital.com.
"That's just cut and paste," Consorte theorized. "You have a Shopify store, you connect through an API with Selz, pull all of your Liquid themes into the platform, and boom, you're suddenly up."
Good news, bad news
Amazon remains mum about why it chose to acquire Selz instead of another e-commerce technology, or to build one itself, as it did with the Amazon Connect contact center platform. Liquid compatibility, an inexpensive acquisition cost and a potential jump ahead of its competitors with relatively newer tech all likely figured into the choice, said IDC analyst Jordan Jewell. Selz is a younger company than its bigger competitors; it launched in 2013, compared to 2006 for Shopify and 2009 for BigCommerce.
More than that, Jewell said, small businesses that sell on Amazon but don't have their own dedicated web storefront need to get one immediately. Having control over an item with their own branded site pages makes it a more trustworthy "gold standard," Jewell said, with more complete and more credible product information. Amazon product pages are sometimes incomplete and typically come with content noise and recommendations for competing products.
Jordan JewellAnalyst, IDC
Amazon's acquisition of Selz shows that the e-commerce giant plans to follow through on promises to help small and medium-sized businesses, Jewell said. He believes Selz technology will eventually enable small businesses to expand beyond the Amazon.com site and sell elsewhere, such as on eBay and in person. Digital.com's Consorte points out that Selz also has plug-ins to expand sales to social media and WordPress sites as well.
"If you're an SMB, you can list on Amazon. That's great, they give you tools to be relatively successful on Amazon.com," Jewell said. "It's potentially the most important channel -- but it's just one channel. You need to sell on multiple, different channels to be successful. In the past, Amazon wasn't really able to offer that."
Consorte isn't as sanguine about Amazon's motivations. He sees the Selz e-commerce expansion as a means for Amazon to get control of more sales trend data. Amazon, he predicts, will incentivize retailers to move on to its new platform. It will be profitable -- at first.
There's a risk that once Amazon sees what successful retailers sell, it will use that data to create competing products. Consorte cited the example of batteries: Amazon Basics batteries are listed ahead of Duracells and Energizers in product search pages.
He advises small businesses to closely examine the pros and cons before entering into an agreement with Amazon once the fruits of the Selz acquisition turn into a web store product offering.
"In the short term it looks good, but in the long term they become dependent on Amazon," Consorte said. "If I had a choice between a Shopify, BigCommerce and a Selz, I would hold off on Selz for the moment."


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The Ministry of Trade and Industry Cooperatives and Marketing of Lesotho went live with their new Catalyst based companies registry on 15 December 2014. The project was a collaboration between the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foster Moore International Limited.
The introduction of the online registry greatly enhances the work of the One Stop Business Facilitation Centre, an initiative of the government of Lesotho to delivery fast and efficient services to businesses.
Visit the Lesotho Companies Register
Using our Catalyst Adoption Methodology the project took 9 months to deliver and the launch was celebrated in style in Lesotho.
Members of the official delegation were presented traditional Basotho hats and blankets by the Minister of Trade, Khulumi Ntsoaole.
The project marks the first for Foster Moore in the African continent.


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Hospitality bosses facing £1.5bn rent bill within days as fears grow over fresh lockdown in January: Pub and restaurant chiefs are braced for a wave of bankruptcies as a £1.5bn rent bill is due on Christmas Eve after covid restrictions triggered a steep drop in festive trading. The Telegraph reports businesses are scrambling to make their quarterly payments to landlords following a collapse in sales of up to 60% at the busiest time of year. One in three have no cash reserves left, according to figures from UKHospitality. Figures from the data company Springboard showed footfall at the weekend was 8.5% lower than the week before, with a 6.4% drop in other big cities. A weekly drop is highly unusual so close to Christmas. Industry leaders warned hospitality is now in danger of "bleeding out" as companies that survived the two previous lockdowns finally go under. It came as prime minister Boris Johnson downplayed the likelihood of any immediate new support for struggling companies, saying only the government would keep existing measures under review. UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said: “The industry is bleeding out. It is dying on its feet.” Industry groups including UKHospitality and the Federation of Small Businesses will make a fresh plea for help today (Tuesday, 21 December) in a call with business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng. Nicholls is also understood to have written to senior figures in government on Monday (20 December), warning the situation has worsened since last Wednesday. She said uncertainty over future measures is having an effect on bookings and confidence, and added: “If this trading period is to be affected, it will be vital to give businesses as much notice as practically possible to avoid unnecessary spend and costs building up.” The Society of Independent Brewers became the latest industry group to pile pressure on chancellor Rishi Sunak to come out with an aid package, saying: "We urgently need to see an appearance from the chancellor and for him to deliver new support for the beer and pubs sector.”
Propel Premium Advent Video Calendar to feature Michael Harrison:
Propel has launched its Premium Advent Video Calendar, giving subscribers access to a great video each day in December from our autumn conference series. Each day in December in the run-up to Christmas, Premium subscribers will be sent a video featuring some of the sector’s leading operators, who will share insights, advice and expertise. The next video – which will be sent at 9am today (Tuesday, 21 December), – features Michael Harrison, co-founder of Gravity, who discusses the company’s “future of the high street offer”, the thinking and launch of its 80,000 square foot entertainment venue in London’s Wandsworth, and how it offers a solution for landlords who are looking to diversify and secure the future of their assets.
Earlier this month, Premium subscribers received the fifth edition of The New Openings Database,
which is produced in association with StarStock. The database showed the details of 366 newly announced site openings and upcoming launches. Premium subscribers also receive access to two other databases. The latest Propel Multi-Site Database,
which is produced in association with Virgate, and the Turnover & Profits Blue Book,
which is produced in association with Mapal Group. Subscribers also receive access to Propel’s library of lockdown videos and Friday Wrap interviews and now also have access to a curated video library of the sector’s finest leaders and entrepreneurs, offering their insights on running outstanding businesses in the sector. Premium subscribers also receive their morning newsletter 11 hours early, at 7pm the evening before our 6am send-out, regular video content and regular exclusive columns from Propel group editor Mark Wingett. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £895 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The regular single subscription rate of £395 plus VAT for operators and £495 plus VAT for suppliers remains the same. To subscribe, email email@example.com
Stealth lockdown causing Christmas ‘disaster’ for pubs and restaurants, warns Franco Manca boss: The hospitality industry is on the brink of collapse as the government urges people to slash social contacts without offering support to businesses, Fulham Shore chairman David Page has warned. Christmas is becoming “a disaster area” for small businesses, said Page, whose company runs Franco Manca and The Real Greek. “I’m not sure any of the current Cabinet understands cash flow,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “Cash flow is the problem at the moment, over the last week or two and over the next ten days.” Page said while his company will survive due to its spread across the UK, smaller businesses will struggle: “Nearer London, and nearer city centres, these businesses have no cash flow,” he said. “They are paying staff, they have got to pay suppliers, it is a bit of a disaster area for smaller businesses.” He urged chancellor Rishi Sunak to act rapidly to support those businesses now at risk. It comes after hospitality chiefs warned on Sunday (19 December) that Sunak has just 24 hours to commit to a package of support for businesses, or risk the closure of 10,000 pubs and restaurants. Page said: “This is lockdown by stealth and by government advice to stay away from crowded areas, which may be a very good idea health wise, but it is ruining a lot of small businesses. The chancellor had better get his act together, otherwise it is going to be a really horrible Christmas for our sector.”
Inn Collection Group sets out plans to add up to eight sites a year, completes renegotiation of main banking facility: The Inn Collection Group has set out plans to add up to eight new sites a year to its rapidly growing portfolio and has completed a renegotiation of its main banking facility to support its expansion plans. The group revealed its plans as it published accounts for the year ended December 2020, showing turnover rose slightly from £13.6m to £13.8m on the 15 sites it owned and operated across Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne & Wear, Cumbria, Lancashire, Teesside and Yorkshire, despite the impacts of the pandemic. However the group’s operating loss of £1.3m widened to £4.3m and pre-tax losses increased from £5.2m to £10.4m on the back of a year of significant investment, with the company almost doubling its portfolio in a year, adding 13 sites. The group has also made two further announcements on its first acquisition in Wales and the opening of a newly remodelled pub-with-rooms in Ambleside. The group has been backed by OakNorth, which has amended its support after the year to give £63.5m of committed facilities, to fuel the growth plans, with further funds being made available, subject to conditions, next year. The company stated: “In November 2021, the group completed the renegotiation of its principal bank facility that provides debt finance to the group. This has seen the committed facility increase from £42.5m to £63.5m, on a four-year term, as well as the addition of a further £30m as an accordion to be made available during 2022, subject to a number of conditions. The covenants on the new facility have been reset. Based on both the group base case forecast and the group severe but plausible downside forecast, there are not anticipated to be any issues with covenant' compliance on the new facility.” Writing in the report, chief financial officer Paul Edwards said 2020 had been impacted by the significant effect of covid-19 and two national lockdowns, and that results for 2021 would also be affected by closures that lasted until May. But he added: “Significant investment continued in 2020 into the management and operating infrastructure to support execution of the long-term expansion plan and delivery of the high-quality standards and customer service levels expected throughout the group. A strong pipeline of further acquisition opportunities has been developed gradually at the time of issuing the financial statements, all at different stages of progress through to near completion. The covid-19 impact saw a number of sites coming to market as incumbent owners felt the impact of the pandemic on business being affected by national and global economies. Potential new-build sites and further acquisitions are constantly being assessed and it is anticipated that at least one further new build site or acquisition will be committed shortly following normal trading resumption for the group and the sector. The group intends to add a further four to eight new sites per year.”
Discovery Group opens debut England site: Scottish-based multiple operator Discovery Group has opened its debut site in England. The company, led by Alan and Andrena Bowes, has launched speakeasy-style bar, The Exchange, underneath Eldon Square in Newcastle. It follows an extensive £300,000 renovation with pub owner Greene King. The venue offers a premium drinks and cocktail range paired with a dining food menu that includes Prohibition themed burgers and Bayo buns. Discovery Group also operate eights sites in Scotland including the Barologist in Leith. Alan, who originates from the north east, said; “We are excited to have been able to open this great new bar in the city. We wanted to create something unique and interesting that appealed to all ages, and I think we’ve done that with the Exchange”. Sarah Barron, business development manager for Greene King Pub Partners, added: “Alan and Andrena have a real understanding of what customers want and they can certainly deliver. The Exchange is a fully inclusive city centre bar that will draw in a great crowd.” Greene King Pub Partners operates more than 1,000 pubs in England, Scotland and Wales.


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President’s Choice, the name best-known for no-frills banking and private label chocolate chip cookies sold at Canada’s biggest grocery chain, is launching a slate of mobile phone contracts.
PC Mobile says its monthly plans will offer “unique protection against billing shock,” as well as a wide range of included features, no cancellation charges, and “some of the shortest contract terms currently available in the Canadian market.”
“At President’s Choice, we believe we have been the customer’s champion,” Maria Forlini, senior vice president of President’s Choice Services Inc., said in an interview.
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“We want to go out there and offer something that’s simple and convenient for customers that are coming into our stores.”
PC Mobile has offered pre-paid or pay-as-you go mobile phone service since 2005.
This marks its first foray into what’s known as the post-paid market.
The contracts are offered in partnership with incumbent national telecommunications company Telus Corp.
A Telus spokesperson could not be reached for comment.
Starting Wednesday, PC Mobile will offer three plans for voice and data services that cost $35, $50 or $65 per month. Customers can choose from contract terms of 18 or 30 months.
The monthly plans offer nationwide minutes, data, unlimited international text, picture and video messaging.
Users will be notified by text message when they approach, reach or exceed their monthly limit and have the option to purchase additional voice or data at affordable rates, PC Mobile said.
Plans will be available at Mobile shops in 175 Loblaw grocery stores across the country.
The company is sweetening the offer with a $100 President’s Choice gift card for new contract activations as part of the launch.
Customers can also earn double PC points, redeemable toward free groceries and merchandise, if they pre-authorize their monthly mobile payments using a PC Financial MasterCard, the company said.
The service is launching with six handsets from Nokia, Samsung, Nexus, and the new BlackBerry Q10.
“We will continue to evaluate the marketplace and make sure we have very strong plans for Canadian consumers,” Forlini said.
Forlini would not disclose how many pay-as-you-go customers PC Mobile has, saying only that “we’re quite pleased with how we’ve progressed” in this market.
In its latest quarter, Loblaw credited revenue growth at the Mobile Shop with boosting its overall revenue and net profit.
President’s Choice is part of Canada’s largest supermarket chain, Loblaw Cos. Ltd., President’s Choice Services includes PC Insurance and PC Mobile.
Correction - June 19, 2013:
This article was edited from a previous version that mistaknely customers were able to buy a prepaid cellphone from PC mobile since 2011.