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Artificial Intelligence in Retail is disrupting the lifestyle of each and every customer. It is not just for big retailers any more as AI adoption is swiftly increasing post covid. As online shopping was gaining momentum, the year 2020 brought in a drastic change to the retail industry with the onset of the Covid19 pandemic. The outbreak of coronavirus has resulted in the closure of many brick-and-mortar stores including popular brands not able to survive the economic effects of the pandemic.
While most stores were exploring whether to liquidate their stores or file for bankruptcy, there were some stores that managed to not only survive but fared relatively well. Retailers invested in Artificial Intelligence in the field of merchandising, e-commerce, delivery, and omnichannel experience continue to thrive better amid Covid19.
Gartner has reported that in the year 2021, 77% of retailers are surveying to adopt AI and 87% reported robotics in the warehouse to be their №1 use case. The market size of AI in Retail for the year 2020 was 2 Billion USD and it is expected to grow yearly at the rate of 30% CAGR forecasted to reach 20 Billion USD by the year 2027.
Retailers sustainable during the recession are the ones embracing agility to the changing environment centered around their customers. AI-Revolution in Retail along with the expansion of IoT transaction have shaped the Internet of Behaviors geared towards marketing aided by human psychological behavior.
AI-powered Virtual Assistants provide the assured in-store assistant shoppers look for while searching for a product. By using voice command and Natural Language Processing, Virtual Assistants are playing a major role in transforming customer experience personalized to their native language.
Virtual Assistants improve business revenue by reducing abandoned carts, increase customer satisfaction recommending products, tracking orders, and assisting in sales and billing inquiries.
With the increase in IoT devices and advancement in edge computing it is estimated that by the year 2026, the number of IoT devices will be reaching 5.7 Billion. Even though IoT was introduced 10 years back, the quick adoption by consumers will see a huge impact on the economy as stated by Mckinsey in 2015 that the economic impact from IoT will be ranging between $4 trillion to $11 trillion.
Ever-changing human behavior with the advancement of technology has contributed to the rise in visual and voice search to obtain product information before purchasing. Many retailers have jumped into the bandwagon of using IoT devices like Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, and Cortana for e-commerce and thereby growing the number of voice searches.
Many big retail corporations are partnering to improve retail business not just for themselves but also for small mom-and-pop stores. For example, Walmart and Google have launched Walmart Voice Order by combining their technological and retail expertise.
By the year 2018, Visual search wherein customers search using digital image has gained momentum taking the retail world by storm. Gartner has predicted that early adopters implementing voice and visual search in their e-commerce will be increasing revenue by 30%.
Machine learning models predicting risky transactions and the availability of technology to handle the large volumes of data in real-time are helping businesses make smarter decisions to improve their profitability plus reputation.
Many retailers have come a long way in mitigating risk by enhancing their rule-based risk management engine with machine learning models. Companies like Walmart are externalizing their machine learning models for fraud detection and prevention aiding small businesses who cannot afford to build and manage machine learning models.
Retailers are reimagining the digital shopping experience with Augmented Reality. Consumers can now visualize before purchasing any product. AR-powered fitting rooms allow customers to visualize how they will look like while AR in furniture stores render virtual placement of furniture.
The increase in spending by 40% and the customer presence by 60% in an AR-enabled shop only proves AR is getting bigger and better in retail scene. The growth rate of AR in retail industry is projected to increase at the rate of 20% CAGR amounting to 4.6 Billion USD by 2026.
Businesses need full visibility into their inventory of products whether they are in-store or in transit. Each and every retailer is measuring their success rate around customer satisfaction using metrics like Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Lifetime Value(CLTV). On-Demand Shipping is no longer a desired feature but rather a must in the current competitive retail trend.
Artificial Intelligence in Logistics is lessening the transportation cost and improving customer satisfaction. By predicting the optimal routes, AI is reducing product delivery delays and informing customers promptly on their desired mode of communication.
Artificial Intelligence in merchandising looks beyond traditional product categorization with machine learning models learning human behavior for better product placements increasing its sellability. By understanding and learning from consumer behavior patterns, AI-enabled merchandising empower businesses with a more agile approach in reducing out-of-stock and over-stock products by refining their stocking strategy.
The Supply Chain team usually spends a lot of time to gather data from disparate systems such as Business Intelligence and Spreadsheets scanning for patterns to improve the supply chain. Robotic Process Automation(RPA) like Cognitive Automation is enhancing the supply chain by applying Natural Language Processing(NLP), text analytics, semantic data mining, etc., improving pricing, promotion, and quality of retail service.
The technological advancements in processing big data at record speed and the availability of computing resources processing petabytes of data are revolutionizing supply chain management.
Artificial Intelligence has been playing a major role in transforming customer experience personalized to their liking. 75% of shoppers are expecting a personalized experience with 57% ready to exchange personal data for offers and discounts personalized to their shopping trends.
Product Recommendation is driving the number of sales at a record pace. Amazon increased its revenue by 30% with product recommendations. Companies like Youtube and Netflix have changed customer behavior with their recommendation engine.
Retailers like StitchFix have turned personalization into an entire business by selling not just clothes but recommending personalized styles. Starbucks app has been the most commonly used mobile payment platform until 2019 when Apple Pay took over. The success of the Starbucks app was the result of a personalized customer experience with reward points for purchasing online.
The advancement in Artificial Intelligence and the availability of powerful computing resources should have made all retailers adopt AI, but there is still a considerable lag.
Retailers trying to adopt AI usually have a team of Data Scientists working on Machine Learning Models to grow their business based on predictions. Even if the Data Scientists have built models with 100% accuracy, it is a different story in the real world. The accuracy of machine learning models decreases over time due to possible model and data drift. Machine Learning is not like software development where an application is developed and maintained, but rather an iterative process involving continuous training and deployments.
Businesses should understand that the ROI from adopting AI depends on not just building prediction models but on the continuous improvement achieved via retraining models accommodating to the ever-changing retail environment.
Retailers trying to venture into Artificial Intelligence will soon learn that it is not just building machine learning models that matters, but rather how it performs in the real world. The performance of machine learning models degrades over time due to the change in data and model. As the business grows, data and model drift happens with changes in the environment like product recategorization, changes in delivery and notification process, etc.
Educating businesses about the capabilities of AI technologies like deep learning, voice/visual search, natural language processing, neural networks, etc., and the need for IT infrastructure needed to run AI at scale are crucial to sustain and predominate the retail industry.
Advancements in Machine Learning have reached the stage where anyone can become a Citizen Data Scientist with AutoML. AutoML does the heavy lifting by automating the pipeline of converting datasets to deployable models. Understanding the domain and knowing what to expect from machine learning models, one can convert their retail data to predictions thereby managing supply and demand.
Even with AutoML, if there are no proper deployment strategies, then it defeats the purpose of building the model prediction to gain insight and improve business. Continuous Integration automates the testing phase whenever there is a change to the machine learning models and datasets. Continuous Deployment kick starts once CI completes testing. Automating CI/CD Pipelines with reusable deployment strategies like blue-green deployment, canary, etc., reduces the cost and resource required to continuously improve business with iterative training and deployment of ML models.
Models without automated deployment are like a compass with no direction.
There are too many pilot programs to improve businesses with Machine Learning projects but most of them create no actual value with quick wins. It is not just a challenge facing small to mid-size businesses. Even big retailers have learned from their experience to overcome challenges posed with no unified monitoring system for Machine Learning projects.
Visibility into the performance of machine learning models and the computing resources needed to run the models are essential to accelerate AI adoption for retail success.
Based on a survey done by Boston consulting group and MIT in 2017, it was reported that only 40% were involved with ongoing strategies to adopt AI while 80% believed that applying AI will have a competitive advantage. Covid has changed the mindset of retailers to swiftly adopt AI. But where to start and how to start are the questions that linger in the minds of most retailers.
For starters pick a simple use case with a quick win. AI is not just for big retailers trying to attract customers. Small and mid-size retailers whether they have a physical store presence or online presence can grow their customer base by building a community-based shopping experience by understanding their customers.
Whether a business chooses to build or buy a Machine Learning Solution, they have to properly assess not just the cost of building the machine learning models but also deploying and monitoring those models to stay relevant.
There is significant progress made in the Machine Learning world wherein retailers can pick and choose readily available algorithms. Big Retailers like Walmart who have witnessed significant progress in their customer satisfaction especially during Covid are trying to externalize their already proven machine learning models. AI is becoming the norm for retail success as adoption is swiftly rising post-Covid.
Follow us to learn more about our MLOps journey building and managing Machine Learning models for different industries like Retail, Healthcare, Pharma and Fintech.


text: World Trade Center Kochi organized a certified online workshop on “Virtual Selling for Sales Professionals” with Mr. Rakesh Gopinathan, Mentor & Coach, WowRakesh as the faculty. Mr. Rakesh spoke about the importance of content, creativity and communication in B2B, B2I and B2E interactions. He elaborated on the concept of virtual reality which could drive future sales in the era of virtual selling and also explained how virtual selling is different from conventional sales. He demonstrated how to establish virtual presence using appropriate backgrounds, positioning of the screen and gestures. Sales professionals from the low, mid and executive levels of companies from various sectors took part.

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Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has released more good news for the cruise industry as part of its first Cruise Industry Consumer Outlook of 2017, conducted in partnership with J.D. Power.
According to the report, cruise travel is continuing to become more popular and awareness is on the rise among all types of travelers. 64 percent of study respondents said that their awareness of cruise vacations has improved within the last two years, and, in the last four months alone, 30 percent of respondents said that their awareness of cruising and ship-based excursions “increased greatly” compared to a year or two ago. In terms of perception, only 6 percent of respondents expressed an unfavorable attitude towards cruising, down 11 percent from four months ago.
The findings dovetail with other recent positive signs for the cruise industry. In CLIA’s fourth Travel Agent Cruise Industry Outlook Report of 2016, over three-quarters of travel agents surveyed projected a continued increase in cruise sales volume, and 67 percent of travel agents reported seeing growth in river cruise popularity.
Similarly, in the American Society of Travel Agents’ (ASTA) recently-released 2017 ASTA How America Travels National Study, the organization found that Millennials were the generation most likely to take a cruise. 57 percent of Millennials reported having taken a cruise, with 90 percent of those Millennials who had taken a cruise saying that they liked the experience.
Other notable highlights from CLIA’s 2017 study:
The number of travelers who are interested in taking a cruise vacation is up to 63 percent, with interest in both ocean cruising (50 percent) and river cruising (30 percent). Over 50 percent say they will or probably will take an ocean cruise, while 80 percent say they will board a cruise ship within the next 12 months.
The study also found that travelers find cruising a good value for the money. 67 percent of respondents said that cruising offers a high value experience for the money, beating out land-based vacations at 47 percent. 66 percent were aware of close-to-home embarkation port options and more than 50 percent were willing to drive up to 500 miles to a port.
J.D. Power conducted the survey online in August and December 2016, targeting 500 consumers who earn more than $50,000 annually and had taken a vacation within the past three years. CLIA said that this report is the first of three to be released in 2017.


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Volkswagen has revealed its plans to recall 8.5 million vehicles across the European Union over the ongoing dieselgate scandal.
About four weeks ago, the Volkswagen Group admitted to cheating diesel emissions testing in the United States by installing software which limited emissions when EPA tests were being conducted. It is said that about 11 million VW Group cars worldwide contain the illegal software and will have to be recalled.
The announcement of a European recall of 8.5 million vehicles comes on the back of an order from Germany’s KBA automotive watchdog. Of those vehicles, 2.4 million reside in Germany and the recalls and repairs should begin at the start of 2016. Importantly, all the recalls will be mandatory.
It is reported that once fines, lawsuits and vehicle repairs are accounted for, the scandal could cost the Volkswagen Group as much as $40 billion.


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Enjoy “Christmas on the Avenue” Saturday in Nederland
Published 12:13 am Friday, December 6, 2019
NEDERLAND — Boston Avenue in Nederland will be lit up with Christmas lights, color and snow from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday.
The annual ‘Christmas on the Avenue’ event, organized by Nederland Parks and Recreation, will be filled with family-friendly activities, local shopping, food and holiday cheer.
Angela Fanette, parks and recreation supervisor, said the event takes place at Tex Ritter Park in Nederland and spreads along Boston Avenue to 13th Street.
“This event has been going on for 11 years,” she said. “We started this event with a small craft time at our old city hall and our council chambers. We just did crafts with the kids, made some cookies and that was it.”
Fanette said the occasion grew to become a full-fledged, all-day holiday party with a petting zoo, synthetic ice rink, toboggan tunnel, polar golf and more.
“This is Southeast Texas. We don’t get real snow but the kids do get to wear real ice skates and experience a little bit of it,” Fanette said. “We’ll also have nine-hole polar golf in the middle of the street that will be fun to participate in.”
All activities are free. Kids under the age of 16 can also participate in a scavenger hunt with a chance to win several prizes including an Xbox 1, Nintendo Switch and Air Pods.
Story time will also be available at different hours with readings by the Nederland Fire Department at 1:30 p.m. and Mrs. Claus at 4:30 p.m. in the firehouse.
“Besides story time, the fire department is also giving away popcorn,” Fanette said. “They are very proud that they are able to provide these services to the community.”
Homegrown shops will also have booths set up for early Christmas shopping.
“We want to encourage residents to shop local this Christmas season,” Fanette said. “We want to support our local businesses and their products, so several vendors will be set up along Boston Avenue selling their goods.”
The day will also be riddled with entertainment performances from Ned and Company, local choirs and student presentations, with a tree lighting ceremony beginning at 6 p.m.
“We have a new tree this year,” Fanette said. “It’s a massive 22-foot tree and it is forecast to ‘snow’ during the ceremony. It’s going to be beautiful.”
Fanette wants to encourage the community and surrounding communities to come out and participate.
“I think everybody in town has had a rough few weeks,” she said. “It’s been stressful. Holidays can always be stressful for families, but especially with everything going on. This event is important because all these activities are meant to be something fun to bring our communities together, to let everyone enjoy time with neighbors and friends and to get into the spirit of the season.”
Entergy, Cricket Wireless, DuGood FCU and the Golden Triangle Emergency Center sponsor this event. Fannette extends her thanks to all sponsors.
“It’s going to be a fun day, the weather is going to be fantastic,” she said. “It will be a great time to drink some hot chocolate, shop, have fun and enjoy a nice day on Boston Avenue. We want everyone to take the time to enjoy the lights, activities and being with their families.”
For more information, visit ‘Christmas on the Avenue’ on Facebook. Nederland Parks and Recreation will post a full timeline on social media this evening.


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Recent rises in values were put down to lack of supply and led to a warning that prices will fall when the number of sellers increases.
But the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors latest survey found that more homes for sale was having little effect with 28 per cent of members saying inquiries from potential buyers rising rather than falling.
Meanwhile estate agents report no let up in business as would-be buyers ignore the traditional winter lull.
James Hyman, partner at agents Cluttons, said sales for the month were on course for a record. “This has to be one of the best Decembers we have experienced in many years,” he said.


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Renesola expects revenue for Q3 to be in a range of $8 million to $10 million
Post date: 13/11/2020 - 08:44
Chinese solar project developer Renesola Ltd announced preliminary unaudited financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2020. The company expects revenue for the third quarter of 2020 to be at the high end of the previously announced guidance range of $8 million to $10 million. In addition, Renesola expects a profitable third quarter with at least $2 million in net profits, which significantly exceed the current analyst consensus estimates. The company plans to release its third quarter 2020 financial results on December 1, 2020.


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Electric mobility start-up ElectricPe raised $5 million in a Pre-Series A funding round led by investors like Green Frontier Capital, Blume Ventures and Micelio Fund. The investment round witnessed participation from Dubai-based NB Ventures, Anchorage Capital Partners, Supermorpheus and Climate Angels.
Prior to this, the company bagged $3 million in a seed funding round.
ElectricPe will utilise the entire fund of $8 million for technological advancements. Additionally, it wants to expand its business operations.
"We've received positive consumer response to our offering of a single app to find, use and pay across any charging or swapping station. Our belief has always been in stage-by-stage capitalisation as we ramp up our operations and create a holistic full-stack consumer-facing platform," Avinash Sharma, co-founder of ElectricPe said.
“We are focused on investing in homegrown start-ups which have a strong vision and are proving their ability to provide a unique technology solution to the growing climate change issue. As e-mobility is gaining traction in India, ElectricPe has identified a primary challenge and is working to create easy and seamless access to a trusted network of charging points/swapping stations all in one space,” Sandip Bhammer, managing partner ( MP) at Green Frontier Capital, said.
"The EV sector is growing at a rapid pace and consumers are seeking full-stack solutions in one place. Having a trusted dense network of charging/swapping points to find, use and pay will not only help increase adoption, but also utilisation of charging infrastructure,” Arpit Agarwal, director of Blume Ventures, added.
ElectricPe claims to build 10,000 live charging points in seven and half months. It has witnessed a 30 per cent month-on-month increase in the usage of its ElectricPe app.


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Results for the end of the tax year showed that revenue was up 12.6% on the previous year, taking the total to £189.6m (€219.8m). Before tax profit was also up 8.5% to £5.8m (€6.7m).
The company experienced bread and free form sales growth of 14.25% on last year, which brought sales for these goods to £50m (€57m). The company said that strong performance in this category was mainly due to investment in its Vogel brand and expansion of its free form product range as a result of work with gluten-free bakery firm Genius Foods.
This partnership has allowed Finsbury Foods to seize a significant share of the gluten-free market.
The total free form gluten free market is worth £208m (€241m) and it grew 17% in the last year, according to figures from Kantar.
Finsbury Food’s bread, cakes and other gluten free bakery products account for £39m (€45.2m) of the market (18.7%). The firm’s sales represented a 21% rise on last year.
Company CEO John Duﬀy said: “The current year delivered strong growth in the fresh gluten free market for our Genius brand and an equally favourable outcome for our Vogels and Cranks brands in the speciality bread sector.”
He said the partnership with Genius Food established in January 2011 would allow Finsbury Food to expand its fresh bakery portfolio further still.
In response to the rising price of sugar, butter and wheat, Duffy said: “I foresee no respite in commodity or general cost inﬂation in the near term. Pressure, if anything, is likely to increase the impact of such factors, redoubling our efforts to alleviate price rises by focussing on internal eﬃciencies and productivity initiatives.”
Martin Lightbody, non-executive chairman, said: “Innovation and adaptability are paramount. Input price inﬂation is clearly a matter of concern, particularly in such a low margin industry. Commodities have reached record levels and have inevitably impacted on our operating margins.”
“Rising sales together with savings from efficiency projects have largely offset the impact of commodity price inﬂation but recouping costs has become an imperative,” he said.
However, he said that with consumer income falling and public sector cuts due to be fully implemented the next year would be a test.
The firm made no acquisitions over the past year, but Lightbody said Finsbury Food would look to stimulate growth through acquisitions when the economy improved.


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It’s the start of a new month, so why not get refreshed on what’s been happening in the world of tech and EVs? We are here to make it easy. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this month’s EV News Rewind.
Plan to buy an EV with a tax credit? Time is running out for Toyota and Nissan EVs.
The current consumer incentive put together by the federal government allows buyers $7,500 for an EV tax credit. If you want it, you might want to go shopping now.
Here’s how it works – under the guidelines, when automakers sell 200,000 of the qualifying EVs, a phaseout period begins. The 1-year phaseout starts the next quarter.
That phaseout is nearing to a close for Toyota and Nissan because the two companies are inching toward the maximum amount of sales. In a nutshell: if you were hoping to get your hands behind the wheel of the Toyota bZ4x or Nissan Ariya, get test driving sooner than later!
FedEx is getting crafty with LMD! It plans to start testing electric carts to make some delivery runs. Testing begins in 10 U.S. and Canadian cities this year.
FedEx hopes the new carts will help with a major challenge – not enough parking spots. The electric carts are made by General Motors’ BrightDrop.
The lack of parking makes sense when we break down the numbers. Data from Mastercard shows E-commerce sales spiked to more than $86 above pre-pandemic levels in February. The problem is that the number of loading zones and parking lots remained almost the same in many places, especially in NYC and Toronto, which are two spots FedEx has been giving the carts a practice run.
The cart, called the “EP1” is described as “an electrified and connected pallet developed to transport goods and services over short distances.” It’s good for more than just squeezing in a tight spot, GM’s website points to its ability to better track packages from the sorting center to a shopper’s front step. GM said in a pilot run with Toronto’s FedEx, the electric cart was able to deliver 25% more packages each day. Talk about a perk!
Is the jump in gas prices making you think about going electric? You might be limited.
U.S. gas prices have hit record highs, and some are rethinking their gas-powered cars.
Prices on EVs continue to rise and EVs are in short supply right now. This is all happening as the war in Ukraine has sent energy markets around the globe rattling. Data from the CoPilot app shows the surge in demand for EVs made the price of used Teslas jump $1,700 in a week, to $63,000. To add to the hike, CEO Elon Musk said recent inflation is impacting the cost of raw materials like aluminum, nickel and palladium.
Despite a growing interest in EVs, finding one is tough because they make up for just over 4% of U.S. sales.
“There’s a ton of demand in the market, but there just isn’t the supply,” said Pat Ryan, the CoPilot CEO.
As of now, many Tesla models are sold out until 2023. When will the tight supply ease up? Once almost all automakers get on board.
“That competition from the EV market is going to be hugely intense,” said Craig Bickmore, the executive director for new car dealers of Utah. “You watch what happens in the next year and a half — you will have scores to choose from, in the fit, and model, and towing capacity, and range. It’s going to be remarkable,” he told FOX 13 Salt Lake City.
A large order of electric school buses is headed to California.
We all know the fuel-hogging school buses we took to school as a kid. They might soon be a thing of the past. A school district about 75 miles east of the San Francisco Bay area just ordered 30 electric school buses to convert almost half of its diesel-run fleet. Blue Bird Corporation, based in Macon Georgia, is fulfilling the order, which happens to be the single largest order of electric school buses from a school district in history.
The Modesto City School district did some number punching and estimates this will save some major cash – about $250,000 annually just in fuel costs. The buses can carry up to 84 on board with a range of up to 120 miles per charge. As for charging up? They need between 3 and 8 hours for a full charge.
On the company’s website it boasts, “because there is no need for engine oil changes, and no transmission or engine to maintain, Blue Bird’s electric buses have a lower cost of maintenance than a traditional, combustion-fueled bus.”
Stay up-to-date with the latest EV News by following Fluid Truck!


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With tightening credit standards being paired with a struggling economy, many Americans have been having difficulty working toward their dream of one day owning their own home. However, recent reports show that a positive turn is beginning to take place.
According to the latest Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, consumer debt declined in the third quarter. This was due in large part to nationwide decreasing mortgage debt.
Specifically, consumer debt now stands at about $11.31 trillion. This is 0.7 percent below last quarter and continues a downward trend of almost four years.
Mortgage delinquencies – when a borrower is past due on a monthly payment – are also decreasing, stated the report, and foreclosures are beginning to slow down. In the third quarter, 5.9 percent of mortgages were 90 or more days delinquent, down from 6.3 percent in the second quarter.
With these numbers, consumer confidence could begin to grow. Lenders should ensure that they are prepared for any influx in requests for loans. Investing in mortgage loan software will be highly beneficial. Furthermore, delinquency rates could also be pushed further down when an amortization calculator is used, ensuring that monthly payments are within borrowers' abilities.
While consumer debt is lowering, the most recent report from Trulia said that the housing market is also accelerating forward and is now 47 percent of the way back to normal – compared with 25 percent in October 2011.
"In October 2012, all three housing measures improved – construction starts increased again, existing-home sales rose, and the delinquency [plus] foreclosure rate dropped considerably," Jed Kolko, chief economist at Trulia wrote in a recent Forbes article. "Even though construction and sales declined month-over-month in the Northeast region, stronger activity in the rest of the country outweighed the impact of Hurricane Sandy."


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Surface Duo, which was unveiled only in October 2019, is Microsoft’s long-awaited Surface phone powered by Android. Surface Duo is said to launch in December 2020 and it comes with two screens that can be used as one larger display, or both can run independently of each other.
Surface Duo will also come with a 360-degree hinge to offer both tablet and phone experience. Depending on the position of the two screens, Microsoft Launcher will also change the UI.
The prototypes showed off at the October launch event confirmed that Surface Duo had holes in place of an actual camera lens. Redmond tech giant’s Panos Panay recently also confirmed that Surface Duo will have a world-class camera.
Previously, we reported about Surface Duo’s multi-spectral camera and today we have discovered a LinkedIn job post that suggests a world-class camera with multi-sensors is indeed in the works.
As per the LinkedIn listing, Microsoft is looking for a camera hardware architect to build RGB, IR, 3D and multi-sensor camera systems and develop camera modules for Surface products.
Microsoft is expecting the hardware architect to lead the development of high-performance camera and innovative camera solutions to meet the following requirements:
- ME Constraints and EMI.
- Thermal and reliability.
With 3D and multi-sensor camera system, Surface Duo will be able to recognize features on a person’s face such as the eyes, forehead and chin.
As the patents recently revealed, Microsoft could use neural networks to analyze images, which will allow Surface Duo’s built-in camera app to determine eye colours. Based on the information gathered from a person’s face, Microsoft could allow users to apply filters and other customizations.
An advanced camera system like this could be used for facial recognition purposes as well.


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Education Marketing Program
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio farmers and food producers can learn how to target and communicate with consumers to help increase the visibility and economic potential of their businesses at a workshop offered at three Ohio locations in March and April.
The Educational Marketing Program workshop is being offered by specialists from the Direct Agricultural Marketing Program of Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Ohio Proud program. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University. The Ohio Proud program identifies and promotes food and agricultural products made and grown in Ohio.
The workshop is designed to offer food producers practical information on best marketing practices, including strategies that can be used to better promote their direct marketing businesses, said Christie Welch, director of OSU Extension’s agricultural marketing program.
A goal of the workshop, Welch said, is to help food producers increase the effectiveness of their marketing by learning how to communicate directly to their target customers.
"The workshop can help growers, food producers and direct marketing business owners walk away with a better understanding of how to communicate with and more effectively engage their target customers,” Welch said.
The program will also feature an overview of the Ohio Proud program presented by Lori Panda, senior program manager. The workshop will be offered in three locations statewide:
- March 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ohio Department of Agriculture, 8995 E. Main St., in Reynoldsburg.
- March 30 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ohio State University South Centers, 1864 Shyville Road, in Piketon.
- April 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at OSU Extension’s Huron County office, 180 Milan Ave., in Norwalk.
Registration is required and is $15 by March 22. It includes a box lunch and handouts. Payments can be mailed to Ohio Proud, 8995 E. Main St., Reynoldsburg, OH 43068. Contact Welch at 740-289-2071 or email@example.com or Panda at 614-466-8798 or firstname.lastname@example.org with questions.


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TOPEKA — Governor Laura Kelly has pledged to sign a bill approved by the Legislative Assembly on Thursday phasing out the state’s 6.5% grocery sales tax by January 2025.
Kelly and Democratic lawmakers pushed for an immediate end to the state sales tax on food purchases, but Republican leaders in the House and Senate held firm to a staircase plan that gave lawmakers the ability to change strategy in response to economic downturns.
The measure passed unanimously by the Senate and overwhelmingly in the House would make no changes to the state sales tax on groceries in 2022. It would initiate the adjustment of the rate of the state food sales tax on January 1, 2023, with a reduction to 4%. It would drop to 2% on January 1, 2024 and zero on January 1, 2025. Local sales tax rates on grocery purchases would not be changed by Bill 2106.
“Make no mistake, today’s action is a win for every Kansan,” Kelly said. “Eliminating the state food tax will bring financial relief to everyone, and this bill is a good first step.”
The governor reiterated his recommendation to the 2022 Legislature to consider a bill July 1 to completely remove the state sales tax on groceries. She said the prices of basic necessities such as groceries were rising due to inflationary pressures and the legislature may pass an alternative bill when members return to the Capitol on May 23.
House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, said tax reduction proposals must be weighed carefully and the goal of reducing sales tax on groceries does not exception. He stuck to that philosophy despite passing a new state budget that would leave a projected $1 billion in the treasury in July 2023.
“You always have to hedge maybe a little bit on the conservative side,” Hawkins said. “Because bad things can happen. We’ve had downturns in our economy before and we will have more, and they’re probably not far away. The way it’s structured allows us to be on the safe side.
Representative John Carmichael, a Democrat from Wichita, proposed a motion, which failed, that would have sent the bill back for another round of negotiations between members of the House and Senate. He wanted the bill amended to dissolve the state food sales tax in July.
He said rising consumer costs in the United States needed quick help for Kansans, arguing that “families cannot afford to buy food. People on fixed incomes cannot afford to buy food.
Under the bill, the definition of food and food ingredients that would be eligible for the sales tax reduction included groceries as well as bottled water, candies, dietary supplements, soft drinks and foods sold in vending machines. This would exclude alcoholic beverages, tobacco and most prepared foods that would be offered by restaurants.
The financial implications for the Kansas State Treasury would be significant. In fiscal year 2023, which begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2023, lowering the food sales tax to 4% would reduce state revenue by $77 million. Revenue declines would increase as the rate declines, resulting in projected revenue declines of $252 million in fiscal year 2024, $411 million in fiscal year 2025, and $500 million in fiscal year 2024. during the 2026 financial year.
Ending the state’s share of the grocery sales tax in 2022 would reduce state revenue by a projected $455 million.
“They need relief now,” said House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, D-Wichita. “We must not make them wait until 2023. Zero relief in 2022 is unacceptable.”
Rep. Adam Smith, a Weskan Republican and chairman of the House Taxation Committee, said the Kansas Department of Revenue and retailers in the state could not respond to the sweeping change in sales tax policy by July. He said it was appropriate to delay the first rate change until January.
In 2012, Governor Sam Brownback signed a bill that aggressively cut state income tax rates. A soft economy and high levels of government spending led to years of government revenue shortfalls. In 2015, the state general sales tax on groceries was increased to 6.5% in an effort to balance the budget. The Brownback tax strategy was repealed by the GOP-controlled House and Senate in 2017.
Smith reminded colleagues that the Legislative Assembly in 2019 passed a bill containing a package of tax reforms, including a reduction in the food sales tax. This tax legislation would have reduced state tax revenue by $500 million over three years and was vetoed by Kelly. She said it would be irresponsible to cut taxes until the state’s fiscal health stabilizes and guaranteed funding is available for basic government services.
Derek Schmidt, state attorney general and GOP gubernatorial candidate, said he welcomes the Legislature’s bipartisan response to state demands for the reduction or elimination of sales tax on groceries.
“The state food tax should have been put on the path to elimination in 2019, but Governor Kelly’s veto got in the way. It’s a second chance to get it right,” Schmidt said.


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In a spectacular show of generosity and opulence the Cape Wine Auction broke their own record by raising a staggering R22.3 million on 11 February at the Antonij Rupert Wyne Estate, sponsored by Nedbank Private Wealth.
All proceeds raised at the auction, with no deduction, will be allocated to 22 beneficiaries who make a profound impact on education and the lives of children in the Cape Winelands.
Bids of exciting travel, luxury accommodation and limited edition wines went under the hammer with a bespoke experience in Napa Valley, California, reaching a height of R3 million – the highest ever paid lot in the history of the auction’s existence since 2014.
The Lionel and Anton Smit collaborative sculpture, created especially for the auction and standing at three meters tall reached an incredible R1.2 million and included a wine and dining experience at Idiom Fine Dining Restaurant and Wine Estate.
Guests from across South Africa and as far as the USA, Germany and Sweden were treated with cuisine prepared by some of South Africa’s leading chefs, limited edition wines and performances by Zolani Mahola , Watershed’s Craig Hinds and George Town.
Cape Wine Auction Director, Darielle Robertson says they are overwhelmed by the generosity of the bidders.
“We set out aiming to raise R15 million this year but the final amount has literally left everyone speechless. The commitment to giving-back, changing lives and sharing good fortune was certainly testament in the overwhelming bids raised. With this money we can expand our programs and reach even greater highest with the progress we have achieved so far.”


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The NSW and Victorian Governments have announced close contacts of Covid-19will no longer have to isolate for seven days.
The removal of the requirements was welcomed by both the National RetailAssociation (NRA) and the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), stating itwill provide relief to businesses burdened by staff shortages.
Paul Zahra, CEO of the ARA, said the isolation rules are well past their useby date given Australia is one of the most vaccinated countries in the world.
“Staff shortages due to Covid isolations have been an enormous frustration forsmall businesses in particular, with 48 per cent of ARA members saying thesituation had gotten worse in the past month. Some have had to alter theirtrading hours, or close some locations altogether, because they haven’t beenable get people to fill shifts at the last minute.”
In NSW, those deemed a close contact must perform a daily RAT, wear a facemask while indoors, and are being urged to work from home where possible.
In Victoria, close contacts must produce at least five negative RAT resultsover the seven days, wear a mask while indoors, and avoid sensitive settings.
Dominique Lamb, CEO of the NRA, said the isolation rules had been devastatingfor the retail and hospitality workforce as employees are forced intoisolation regardless of a negative test result.
“Isolation rules have been critical in reducing the severity of infectionrates, but as vaccination rates peak, close contacts who are vaccinated shouldbe able to continue to work, or we will continually have large numbers ofpeople out of the workforce.
“Small businesses are losing massive chunks of revenue as their employees areunable to work. This is causing our economy to fall behind other developedcountries that are prospering from an active workforce.”
Lamb said over the past two years the industry has mitigated the risks as muchas possible, often at times to the detriment of the retail and hospitalityworkforce.
“Other industries are exempt from close contact isolation rules to ensureessential services can continue. This needs to be extended to the rest of theworkforce to allow people who cannot work from home to return to workfollowing a negative test result.”
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The Tyre Industry in India is experiencing disruptions in transit times and freight rates due to the Red Sea incident, affecting both tyre exports and the import of raw materials.
Rajiv Budhraja, Director General of the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA), revealed that freight rates from India to Rotterdam have increased 3-4 times, with transit times extending by 14 days due to ship diversions through the Cape of Good Hope.
In the context of India-US shipping, Budhraja noted that there is no noticeable impact on transit times to the West coast, but there is an 8-10 day increase in transit times to the East coast. Freight rates have doubled to the West coast, and there is a 40% surge to the East coast. While container availability has been somewhat affected, operations have not been disrupted significantly.
The Red Sea serves as a crucial channel for shipping goods to the US East Coast, Europe, West Asia, East Asia, and Africa from India. Rajiv Tharian, associated with Southland Rubber Group, a major processor and importer of natural rubber to the Indian market, reported a substantial increase in freight rates from Asia to Europe (300%), Asia to the US (200%), and other routes like Africa to Asia (100%).
Additionally, there is a severe shortage of containers, leading to extended circulation times and significant delays in planned shipments from various locations. This situation has prompted many tyre companies, particularly in the US and Europe, to aggressively procure nearby shipments and increase buffer stocks of raw materials, including natural rubber, to mitigate the risk of shipping delays in the upcoming weeks and months.
This increased demand has further strained the natural rubber supply chain, which was already under pressure due to lower-than-normal production in recent months from the top three producing nations—Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The peak production season for natural rubber is from November to February, after which many countries enter a wintering or low production season.
On a different note, George Valy, president of the Indian Rubber Dealers Federation, mentioned that despite the Red Sea crisis, domestic procurement by the industry remains unaffected, even though there is tight availability toward the end of the production season. Natural rubber prices have increased by ₹6 per kg, reaching ₹160 per kg, primarily due to lower availability. The crisis has also caused delays in rubber imports.


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An interesting story was published today on the Harvard Business Review Blog, called The Irresistible Power of Storytelling as a Strategic Business Tool. The post talks about the power of classic storytelling as a means to connecting with an audience.
If you were one of the millions, and millions of people watching the Super Bowl this year, you would have seen the Puppy Love ad. It was one of the most popular ads broadcast during the Super Bowl, for many reasons. But as discussed in this HBR story, it’s success is largely the result of the development of a classic story, this one presented in a mini-movie format.
Harrison Monarth spoke with the researchers at Johns Hopkins, who predicted that the Budweiser spot would be a winner after conducting a two-year analysis of 108 Super Bowl commercials. In a paper that will be published in the Fall 2014 issue of The Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, Keith Quesenberry and research partner Michael Coolsen focused on brands’ use of specific strategies to sell products, such as featuring cute animals or sexy celebrities. But they also coded the commercials for plot development.
They found that, regardless of the content of the ad, the structure of that content predicted its success. “People are attracted to stories,” Quesenberry tells me, “because we’re social creatures and we relate to other people.”
It’s no surprise. We humans have been communicating through stories for upwards of 20,000 years, back when our flat screens were cave walls.
As Monarth notes in his story, “the most successful storytellers often focus listeners’ minds on a single important idea and they take no longer than a 30-second Superbowl spot to forge an emotional connection.”
For advertisers and marketers seeking to connect with your audiences in this fast moving marketing and media landscape, the simple concepts laid out in this story are most certainly worth your while.
Read the full story here: link


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In its effort to contain inflation, the Federal Reserve has launched what many expect to be an ongoing series of interest rate increases, which are already taking a toll on stock and housing markets, with job losses likely to follow. As weary as Americans have become from paying record high gas and grocery prices, however, another round of price hikes is making its way through the food supply chain and is expected to reach consumers this fall.
“People don’t realize what’s fixing to hit them,” said Texas farmer Lynn “Bugsy” Allen. “They think it’s tough right now, you give it until October. Food prices are going to double.”
The 8.8 percent increase in food prices that Americans have already seen does not take into account the dramatic cost increases that farmers are now experiencing. This is because farmers pay their costs upfront and only recoup them at the point of sale, months later.
“Usually, what we see on the farm, the consumer doesn’t see for another 18 months,” said John Chester, a Tennessee farmer of corn, wheat, and soybeans. But with the severity of these cost increases, consumers could feel the effects much sooner, particularly if weather becomes a factor.


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It’s crunch time in the world of instant grocery delivery, with the latest turn representing a big blow specifically in Europe. Berlin-based Gorillas, which raised nearly $1 billion dollars at around a $3 billion post-money valuation only seven months ago — today announced that it would be laying off some 300 employees and exiting four markets — Italy, Spain, Denmark and Belgium — as it seeks to shift from “hyper growth” (read: burning tons of cash to win new customers and expand its operations) to “a clear path to profitability.”
Going forward, it will focus instead on its home market of Germany, as well as France, the Netherlands, the U.K. and the U.S., which it says collectively account for 90% of its revenues currently. The announcement came on the heels of a report in the German press last night about the layoffs. The cuts will be mainly of staff in its Berlin HQ and represent about half of Gorillas’ employees, many of whom would have only joined in the last six months (and therefore still on “probation” and so easier to make redundant under German labor laws).
Gorillas, according to a presentation it made to investors in March that a source shared with us, has around 700,000 active customers.The news comes on the heels also of rumors we’d been hearing that the company had been raising more funds. But, given the state of the venture market at the moment — trickling down from the massive drops in the public markets, investors are reigning in their activities, and startups are finding it harder to close rounds — Gorillas was struggling to close its own new funding in recent weeks.
One source told us that it was estimated that in recent weeks the company had about $300 million left in the bank, but it has run into trouble because it has significant outstanding debts owed to suppliers and others, and it has been (prior to the cuts announced today) operating on a monthly burn rate of between $50 million and $75 million.
We contacted Gorillas for comment on this; a spokesperson said it declined to comment on market speculation.
The tech world — from publicly traded companies down through to much younger startups — has been reeling from a huge drop in technology finance, which has been playing out in the form of market caps getting slashed; startups struggling to close rounds; and companies enacting hiring freezes and layoffs and cutting costs in other ways to conserve cash as they miss revenue targets.
But those who have been looking at the instant grocery market for a while will know that it was long seen as over-inflated and due a correction. There has been too much money swimming around too many startups, with founders and investors all looking to ride what seemed like a wave of opportunity for fast delivery on the back of changing consumer habits during COVID-19.
While some companies have fallen by the wayside, others have been gobbled up, and a smaller group has continued to raise money (for example Zapp closed $200 million in January; Flink just last week announced more funding amid its purchase of Cajoo in France; Gopuff apparently is in the process of closing a big $1 billion round).
Gorillas’ news today spells out a couple of different challenges both for it, and for the wider instant delivery space.
First, on the part of Gorillas, the question will be whether it will shape up to be one of the last ones standing (and whether these moves will help it get there), or if it too will find itself on the bargaining table.
Gorillas has been one of the consolidators, buying companies like Frichti in France; but we’ve heard that it has also talked to buyers itself. One big candidate, sources tell us, has been Delivery Hero, which led Gorillas’ big $1 billion financing in October; but it has its own profitability issues to contend with before bringing on yet another loss-making investment. Apparently others have also looked. (It’s not clear who else but other big players in the market include Getir, Gopuff and Flink.)
Gorillas hasn’t particularly helped its case: In the investor presentation that it made in March, it talked not just about its current market opportunity, but future plans to move into a pretty ambitious range of new areas like wearable health tech to help people make better life choices. “An AI app telling you what to buy and what not to buy and what is healthy or not,” one source told us with a laugh, comparing it to the lofty goals WeWork (later The We Company) once set out before it crashed.
Second, more generally in the market, Gorillas’ shift will definitely send already wary investors into a new level of anxiousness about the state of this market.
“We believe instant grocery is profitable in the long term, but this sheds a bad light on it, and raises more questions around the business model,” one person from another fast-delivery platform told me. “Now even more people will look at this like it’s just a bubble.”
The big struggle (and opportunity) for players in this space has always been how to differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack, since at the end of the day they are all promising the same things — a mix of essentials and sundries — and to consumers largely all look the same — you order with an app, and you get your goods in an hour or often less.
Now, added to that will be a new set of challenges: how to convince investors that this gap in the market actually exists, and that it’s as big as they say it is; and that they are approaching it in a better and more profitable way than the rest of the field.
“While this was an extremely hard decision to make, these are necessary moves that will help Gorillas to become a stronger and more profitable business with a sharpened focus on its customers and its brand,” Gorillas said in its statement. “With our current investments we are strengthening our position both financially and strategically for the future. We are extremely proud and grateful for what our teams have achieved over the last two years and we will do everything we can to support our employees in this transitional phase.”


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Two years after man first stepped foot on the moon, another important landing was taking place.
It was arrival of the first ever shipment of Canters in Australia, which drove off the wharf and straight to work in 1971.
Now Fuso is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic Canter, the only truck with a household name in Australia. All up, more than 72,700 Canters have been sold here.
Back in 1971, the first Canter actually wore a Dodge badge due to the tie up with Chrysler, which saw many Mitsubishi products sold as Chrysler and Dodge products in Australia.
Flick through newspapers of the time and you’ll notice, in between stories about Australia pulling troops out of Vietnam and the first release of the first ‘pocket calculator’, advertisements for the new Canter which was described as a great ‘all-rounder’.
It had a rating of 3.5-tonnes, a cab-forward design (it was a cab-over), 95hp and price of $3287.
That was surely a great deal, as was the rip-snorting Ford Falcon GT-HO Phase III advertised for a touch more than $5000 on another page.
The Canter was first introduced in Japan in 1963 as the T20 and proved its toughness in our region on the rugged ‘roads’ of Papua New Guinea a couple of years before it arrived in Australia.
Looking back at it now, the first Canter appears basic, even though the ads boasted of ‘extra’ features such as “flow-through ventilation” and “safety glass all-round.”
The radar-based Advanced Emergency Braking System of today’s Canter would have seemed like the stuff of a science fiction movie, as would its dual airbags and camera-based Lane Departure Warning System. The current Canter’s common rail turbo diesel engine and dual-clutch fully automated transmission also delivers the kind of performance that could only be dreamt of back in the early 70s.
But the first Canter was a willing worker and proved popular.
Perth to Sydney
Soon, Australians found out the Canter could do just about anything. One owner decided to use a single axle Canter to tow an enormous boat all the way from Perth to Sydney. The little truck looked tiny compared to the vast boat it was hauling, and would likely attract plenty of attention from authorities these days, but it made the trip without missing a beat.
Keen eyed viewers would have also noticed the original Canter even had a cameo in the much-loved 1995 movie, Babe.
But it wasn’t on the movie screen that would make Canter famous. Instead, Canter became a household name thanks to an advertising campaign for TV.
In 1978, three ‘Japanese Sumos’ climbed into a Canter truck, before one declared that it was “Not so squeezy!” The effect of the ad, which aired across the country, was immediate and the Canter name, as well as the term “Not so squeezy,” would soon be etched in the minds of everyday Australians.
Interestingly, the so-called Sumos were not even Japanese. The ad agency sourced some big Kiwis to fulfil the roles with the help of some make-up and questionable Japanese-English accents.
The Canter evolution continued through the years as technology advanced. It launched in 1971 with a petrol engine only, but was joined by a diesel four years later and it soon became the preferred engine.
In Australia, the petrol unit was dropped in 1991, but the Canter is still available in the United States with a petrol engine, a 6.0-litre GM V8.
By 1978, Canter was available with a wide cab, much to the delight of larger Australians, in addition to its standard cab. Both options remain today, with the City Cab preferred for operators who need to slip into tight spots such as city lanes and cramped building sites.
The first factory tipper was added to the Canter range in 1983 and remains a central part of the Canter range (there are actually two tipper models available these days).
The 4×4 Canter arrived in 1989 and was an instant success. Rural fire brigades loved it, and for some time, the biggest 4×4 Canter fleet in the world was owned by the NSW Fire Service.
The TF Canter arrived in Australia in 2011 and was substantially different to the previous model.
It was the first Canter developed after Fuso joined the Daimler family and efficiency was a key focus, both in terms of fuel economy, but also an optimum payload.
Revisions were made along the way and the truck was given an upgrade in 2017, before the Canter became the first light duty truck to be fitted with Advanced Emergency Braking System, Electronic Stability Program, Traction Control and Lane Departure Warning System two years later.
The current Canter features best in class payload, the biggest warranty (five years/200,000km, whichever comes first) a modern common rail turbo-diesel engine with a five-speed manual or fast-shifting dual-clutch Duonic automated transmission.
It is available in a range of configurations from a 3.5 tonne car licence model to an 8.5 tonne version, along with City Cabs, Wide Cabs, Crew Cabs, Built Ready tippers, tray trucks and pantechs as well as a rugged 4×4 unit.
This year, Fuso started a new chapter in the Canter story by introducing the first OEM fully-electric truck in Australia; the eCanter.
Introducing a pioneering truck that heralds a new age for electric trucking in this country seems like the perfect way to celebrate the 50th birthday of the iconic Fuso Canter.
Fuso celebrates 50 years of Canter in Australia at Brisbane Truck Show
The Canter has become a household name and more than 72,700 have been sold in Australia since the first trucks rolled into showrooms in 1971.
Visitors to the Daimler stand at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre can go on a trip through time from the first Canter along to the latest model introduced, the fully electric eCanter.
The eCanter became the first Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) all-electric truck available in Australia when it was launched in March and the production truck will appear for the first time at a public event in Brisbane.
Fuso will also present a current 515 Canter, a much more advanced truck than its 1971 relative, with features such as the radar-based Advanced Emergency Braking System, a lightweight common rail turbo diesel engine and a dual-clutch automated transmission.
The first Canter to be sold in Australia was rated at 3.5 tonnes, produced 95hp and was priced at $3287. Advertisements at the time boasted of ‘extra’ features such as “flow-through ventilation” and “safety glass all-round.”
Canter soon established a reputation as a durable and willing worker and it wasn’t long before it became a common sight on roads and industrial facilities across Australia.
The Canter has continued to evolve over the years, with constant improvements that have meant each new model is more efficient, safer and easier to drive.
Canter is now available in a range of configurations from a 3.5 tonne car licence model to an 8.5 tonne version, along with City Cabs, Wide Cabs, Crew Cabs, Built Ready tippers, tray trucks and pantechs as well as a rugged 4×4 unit and the new all-electric eCanter.
Fuso Truck and Bus Australia Director, Alex Müller, says: “The Canter has achieved a lot of firsts throughout the years and the current model is the best Canter ever, being first with active safety and first with an OEM electric option in the form of eCanter.”
“If you also consider Canter’s low tare weight and its five year/200,000km warranty, it becomes clear why Canter has such a good reputation in Australia,” he says.


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From coining salon luxury to the evolution of salon experience and exceeding consumers’ expectations, the success of Oscar Oscar salons is now well defined. The energetic Irishman and his entourage of entrepreneurs has the energy and tenacity not often witnessed in an increasingly challenging industry. With an approach to hairdressing that has defied the statistics. 20- 30 per cent growth year on year for the past three years means the Oscar Oscar salon group continues to be at the helm of strong partnerships.
“The industry has changed a lot in the last 30 years. Traditionally it was about a great haircut, colour and blowdry but now the industry has become a lot more sophisticated in terms of the diversity of work store to store,” Oscar said.
“A big component of the business is now bringing people into stores via social media. Instagram has shaken some of the older players and made it more challenging for them in the industry,” he said.
There’s no question the online environment has made the average consumer more aware, and as Oscar confirms, it is all about quality control and consistency.
“The customer is now happy to pay good money for a luxury product and more reluctant to pay average money for an average product.” “It’s more important than ever to have a really slick website. Not only this but each location upholds the brand’s values of consistency – it’s a constant challenge in our industry whereby many brands have done this for particular periods in time and may not have adapted or evolved,” Oscar said.
Colour brand and salon partner of choice Redken 5th Avenue NYC has aligned with Oscar sharing values of innovation, growth and community. Colour innovation has been at the forefront of the Oscar Oscar brand’s growth, with many stores averaging around 65 per cent colour services.
“We partnered with Redken initially when they launched a revolutionary colour range, ‘Chromatics’ and this technology was the closest thing to the multi-faceted benefits we needed in salon, and now Shades EQ is no exception,” Oscar said. This year marks a special anniversary for arguably Redken’s most prized colour range – Shades EQ. This highly versatile gel colour is celebrating a milestone 30th anniversary with a strong following of colour obsessed loyalists. Addicted to the unique formulation in hair colour that blends like no other, achieving Demi Permanent results for unmatched colour blending and vibrancy.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Redken on a new color launch, Color Gels Lacquers. As a group we were integral in testing and offering feedback on this range. The perfect complement to Shades EQ, and what we see as Shades EQ with a permanent heart.” Oscar said. In-line with that Oscar says Shades EQ is one of the most diverse colour ranges in the market, Redken has a solution for everything which is crucial in a dynamic luxury brand like Oscar Oscar. “Redken always continues to evolve, and it’s no wonder some of our salon partners are up for Colourist of the Year in the AHFAs and have in the past won colour awards,” Oscar said.
“We partnered with Redken initially when they launched a revolutionary colour range, ‘Chromatics’ and this technology was the closest thing to the multi-faceted benefits we needed in salon, and now Shades EQ is no exception” OSCAR CULLINAN
Oscar believes a salon’s delivery process is important and if changed by merely 2 per cent the message becomes unrecognisable, so it’s little wonder that throughout 2019 Oscar Oscar has continued to grow on a refined approach, with management having dedicated time to further regulate these processes and prepare for significant expansion in 2019, and 2020. This expansion mindset also included the appointment of Lee Cohen as Business Development Manager for the group. According to Oscar, Lee is a great energiser for the brand and has injected a lot of vitality.
“We bounce well off each other,” Oscar confirmed. Oscar makes special note that to be successful you have to be aware of the great pretenders as ‘all that glitters can fade quickly’. Oscar believes the moving image has been massively under- utilised and Instagram has become what he calls ‘the Tinder for hair’, where only very few of the connections made via social will result in long-term relationships.
The first Oscar Oscar Salon opened in 1989 in Brisbane and today Oscar Oscar Salons are found in prestigious locations throughout Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Toowoomba, including at the chic Fashion Precinct at Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast and Chadstone – The Fashion Capital in Melbourne. Ultimately, Oscar confirms that there are three primary driving forces that continue to make the Oscar Oscar brand, 1) the location of the stores, 2) word of mouth, and last but not least, 3) a great salon culture driven by great salon partners. Fourth and fifth in order of importance sit the website and social media.
The key drivers in bringing new customers into the salon, as Oscar believes. Next for the brand will be a new flagship Oscar Oscar salon in one of the three capitals (Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney) as well as an existing store relocation, plus another high street salon. “We look forward to strengthening our partnership with Redken as an authority in colour in trends, offering creative techniques for the luxury, trend-driven client!” Oscar said.
For more information visit www.oscaroscar.com.au
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Report: Airbnb Risks Becoming Napster of Short-Term Rentals
If Airbnb hopes to survive beyond its booming startup years, the company may need to re-evaluate its approach to business, seeking out more city partnerships rather than opposition. We chatted with assistant professor of urban planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs Paavo Monkkonen, to get details on an analysis he co-authored with Nathan S. Holmes.
Paavo tells us he wrote the paper, which suggests that Airbnb could go the way of music service Napster if it isn't careful, because of recent ordinances in cities such as Santa Monica, which banned short-term rentals, and because of anti-short-term rental activism in major cities such as Los Angeles and New York City.
Reports and articles blaming high rents in those cities on short-term rentals overstate the effects of the service, but they have momentum and popular appeal, he says.
The authors note Airbnb rentals are becoming the modern way to travel, with the company currently valued at north of $24B and growing steadily in hosts and visitors. But its relationship with local governments is uneasy at best and hostile at worst because of the way the short-term rentals are perceived to reduce hotel tax revenue and limit housing.
Though it failed, San Francisco tried to pass a measure that would limit short-term rentals in the city. New York's attorney general has declared most Airbnb listings in New York City are illegal.
Airbnb has a lot of public sentiment on its side, as shown in the San Francisco vote, Paavo tells us, because it provides a great service to help provide accommodations that were not easily available before. But opposition to short-term rentals is growing and the perception of short-term rental companies as disruptors creates a real potential threat to this new industry from local ordinances, Paavo says.
Such confrontational relationships are akin to how Napster once interacted with the music industry, cutting into revenue streams for established companies. The authors write that Napster's success led to its downfall. While collaboration may have saved the company, instead it became mired in legal challenges.
Instead, the authors suggest more conciliatory dealings between Airbnb and cities could help to secure the company's future. That could mean Airbnb paying the same taxes required of hotels, creating better oversight over its hosts and even using its position as the short-term rental giant to push tourism into lower-income areas, they write.
In response, Airbnb directed us to its "community compact" released in November. In that compact, the company talks about how homesharing has existed as a right for a long time and how Airbnb works to develop partnerships with cities "that embrace the right of people to share their homes."
The compact lays out ways the company will work with regulatory agencies and policymakers, stating that the Airbnb community wants to pay its fair share and keep homesharing from being abused.
It commits to working with individual cities to help in collection of tourist and hotel taxes; building an open and transparent community and release regular economic reports; and promoting responsible homesharing to prevent short-term rentals from interfering with the availability and cost of permanent housing.


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Koei Tecmo announced sales for Nioh 2 have surpassed 2.5 million units worldwide. This number accounts for digital and physical sales of the title. The announcement coincided with the fifth anniversary of the Nioh series. It it, Koei Tecmo also thanked consumers for their support and expressed its wish for fans to continue to enjoying Team Ninja titles.
Today marks the 5 year anniversary of #Nioh, released in 2017! Since then, we’ve gone on to launch a sequel with #Nioh2 which sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide! Thank you so much for the last 5 years of support making Nioh such a memorable franchise for us.
— Team NINJA (@TeamNINJAStudio) February 9, 2022
Nioh 2 originally released in March 2020. It then reappeared as Nioh 2: The Complete Edition a little less than a year later in February 2021. The Complete Edition includes all post-release DLC, such as the Tengu’s Disciple, Darkness in the Capital, and The First Samurai expansion. Prior to this update, Koei Tecmo confirmed Nioh 2 hit the 2 million unit milestone in April 2021.
The first Nioh title also performed well. The title passed the 3 million mark in February 2020. In April 2021, Koei Tecmo revealed its digital and physical sales hit 5 million units worldwide.
There’s no word as to whether or not the series could continue. When Head of Team Ninja Fumihiko Yasuda spoke about potential features the team would like to bring into a future Nioh game, he noted development on the Nioh series had paused.
Nioh 2 is immediately available on the PlayStation 4 worldwide. Nioh 2: The Complete Edition is available for PlayStation 5 and PC.


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Ben Rothstein / Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
Aaron Paul is opening up about his thoughts on not getting paid for the streams Breaking Bad generates on Netflix.
One of the key issues in the SAG-AFTRA strike is the payments to actors from streaming services. As it stands right now, actors are not getting residuals from their work being exhibited on streaming services like when their show is on linear platforms.
“I don’t get a piece from Netflix on Breaking Bad, if we’re being totally honest, and that’s insane to me,” Paul told Entertainment…
Read more on google news


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Digital bank execs have been scratching their heads for years about how to lure users into premium subscriptions. They've tried shiny cards, exclusive features and even cashback.
But now their attention seems to be on offering payment protection (or embedded insurance) at low cost, allowing them to undercut pricey credit card companies — as well as disrupting the €360bn alternative insurance market.
Monese, the London neobank for expats, is the latest to introduce comprehensive protection on all UK transactions, following in Revolut's footsteps. Monese will now automatically cover goods bought within the last 90 to 180 days — available for paying subscribers at no extra cost.
This is the latest sign that 'embedded insurance' is the new battleground and a 'must have' for neobanks. It comes alongside fintechs' unilateral move into the 'Buy Now Pay Later' space, vying to give consumers the most competitive packages.
For context, banks offering insurance is nothing new; even neobanks offer specific coverage for phones or foreign travel. But what's novel here is that Monese's policy will cover all items that are lost or damaged when bought on its card.
Monese is also going further by offering a form of income insurance. Under its new 'Bills protection' feature, Monese's ~2m users can get accommodation coverage for just £1.95 a month. In the event of lost income, users can claim up to £600 across 3 months without leaving the app.
This combination could be a winning recipe, says Matthew Jones — an insurtech specialist at VC fund Anthemis.
"These kinds of products are some of the better examples of [embedded] insurance products.... low premium, high perceived value," he told Sifted.
Survey data also indicates this should prove popular with consumers. A recent poll found that 71% of UK digital bank customers want transaction-based insurance. That figure stands at 44% for conventional bank customers.
That's making embedded insurance hot property for fintechs, says Sarah Kocianski, a strategist at Founders Factory.
"Offering insurance as part of a packaged/premium account... is definitely a trend [among digital banks]."
She added: "Banks offering insurance isn't a new idea; cover comes with a lot of premium bank accounts from the big high street brands. But what the digital-only banks are doing is offering different types of protection."
No money, no cry
Monese, which recently announced $90m in new funding, is not yet profitable.
Yet this new initiative is not about making money, says CEO and founder Norris Koppel. In fact, Monese will foot most of the insurance bill, having opted to keep the subscription price the same at between £6 to £15. Instead, the idea is to use the embedded insurance perk as an acquisition tool and to encourage the use of Monese as a primary account.
"We just want to add value to our customers…It's part of our longer strategy," he told Sifted. "This is about broader retention, loyalty, word of mouth... it doesn’t need to be direct revenue."
Currently, 40% of Monese's users are paying subscribers. While the new insurance features are expected to grow that ratio, offering "indirect revenue", it's still likely to run at a loss.
The new policy is powered by Belgian startup Qover, which allows non-insurers to offer coverage at a cost. Qover will be responsible for handling (and approving) any claims, and also powers Revolut and Deliveroo's insurance policies.
Sarah Kocianski warns that the partnership's success will now depend on the delivery.
"There has been a lot of attention paid to banks having mis-sold these products, and customers can reclaim the account fees at a later date if that's found to have been the case," she told Sifted.
"[If] customers that think they are covered [are denied] when they try and claim, you are going to have some very unhappy customers. You could also end up in trouble with the regulators."
Although insurance won't make Monese money, it's not completely ignoring the revenue question.
The company announced last week that it was moving into the banking-as-a-service (BaaS) space, currently dominated by the likes of Railsbank and Clearbank. Fellow digital bank Starling has also dipped its toe into the BaaS sector, while US neobank Moven pivoted completely into BaaS after closing its consumer arm.
It isn't an obvious move for Monese, given its tech stack relies on several third parties too. But Koppel hints that Monese isn't competing with the large BaaS players — instead, it'll be "complementary" to them, providing some unique modular "features".
The team is therefore optimistic about the new BaaS division.
"There's not a massive sales team there yet...[But] in terms of revenue, I'd say in the next 3 to 4 years, it will be as big as [the] consumer [side]," says Koppel.
Elsewhere, Monese is also looking to introduce a new credit offering. However, unlike its peers, Monese won't be adopting Buy Now Pay Later tools, Koppel tells Sifted.
"We've got a new announcement coming that's closely connected to credit. But it won't be Buy Now Pay Later... we have no plans there. It's a different approach."
Monese is currently looking to close its Series C, having secured the first $90m tranche last week. Koppel declined to comment on specifics.
Last year, before the Covid crisis hit, Monese was reportedly looking for a £1bn valuation.


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Microsoft has been expanding its Bing Translator software to more and more of the company's products, including apps for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. Today, Microsoft announced that a new Translator app for Word and PowerPoint 2013 users will be launched in the Office store later in the day.
In a post on the Next at Microsoft blog, it states:
Expanding on top of built-in functionality within the products, it allows you to select any text and instantly translate it. Using this app, organizations can utilize within Office the custom translation systems they built with the Microsoft Translator Hub. Already, Office users translate over 1.3 million characters each hour using the built-in translation features.
The new app is being released as part of Microsoft's celebration of International Translation Day. The blog goes over how Bing Translator is now being used daily by people in 187 countries. In addition, over 80,000 developers are currently using Microsoft’s Translation API. The blog even looks to the future as Microsoft continues to develop improvements with the goal of making a Star Trek-like universal translator, something that the company has demonstrated a year ago with an impressive presentation in China.
Update: The app is now available to download but it is apparently for Word only, despite Microsoft's earlier announcement that it was also for PowerPoint.
Source: Microsoft | Image via Microsoft


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12 months ago, no one could have predicted how it would all unfold. Now, after a year of shifting consumer behaviours, we look at some of the most dramatic shopping stats caused by the pandemic
Pandemic Performance of Retail Giants
🛒 Nearly 60% of shoppers said they visited Amazon last year to find products they were unable to find in stores, while 40% said they went to Amazon after being unable to find what they were looking for online. Pattern
UK Pandemic Online Shopping Stats
Global Pandemic Shopping Consumer Stats
🛒 60% of consumers have seen an increase in their online spending since the Covid-19 outbreak.
🛒 55% of consumers shop online more frequently than they did before the pandemic.
🛒 70% are more likely to shop elsewhere if they can’t find products quickly online.
🛒 40% of consumers spent more time comparing prices and offers with other websites over the last 12 months.
🛒 44% of consumers tend to make at least one unplanned purchase of an item with every online transaction made.
🛒 86%of shopper say that a simple online experience is very important to them.
Laura Roche Marketing Executive, Scurri
Laura Roche is a Marketing Executive at Scurri, managing social media and content marketing. Laura shares breaking news in the eCommerce space with our readers as well as sharing insights across the delivery and logistics landscape.


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Legislation that would require all businesses be treated equally during an emergency declaration has been approved by the Legislature and sent to Governor Tony Evers for signature.
Bill G. Smith, State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) in Wisconsin, the state’s leading small business organization, said the legislation, Assembly Bill 912, has the overwhelming support of the state’s small business community.
“When we surveyed NFIB’s large and diverse membership, small business spoke clearly with one voice to end the discrimination associated with government designating essential and non-essential businesses.”
According to a recent NFIB survey of members across Wisconsin, 97 percent said they support eliminating the essential and non-essential designations from emergency orders.
“The Small Business Fairness Act (Assembly Bill 912) is a straight forward proposal that simply requires all businesses be treated equally during an emergency declaration by the government,” said Smith, “this legislation eliminates the essential and non-essential designation of businesses from emergency declarations, it eliminates the basic unfairness of government arbitrarily choosing winners and losers during an emergency, and it eliminates the economic hardship by thousands of small businesses ordered to close, while their big box competitors remained open for business,” said Smith.
NFIB, on behalf of its 10,000 members located throughout Wisconsin, is urging the Governor to sign the Small Business Fairness Act into law, which would require all businesses be treated equally during an emergency declaration.
Assembly Bill 912 approved by the Assembly 59-35, and the Senate concurred 20-10.


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The American Data Dissemination Act would require the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to use the Privacy Act of 1974 to recommend legislation regarding consumer data. Congress would then be required to pass any suggested legislation within two years, or the FTC will be able to write the rule itself. Currently, the FTC only has the power to enforce existing rules.
In addition, the bill would protect small businesses from being hindered by any final legislation.
“While we may have disagreements on the best path forward, no one believes a privacy law that only bolsters the largest companies with the resources to comply and stifles our startup marketplace is the right approach,” Rubio wrote in an op-ed for The Hill.
And under the legislation, which reportedly does not have any co-sponsors at the time, national regulations would preempt state laws. While Rubio explained that “a state-by-state patchwork of laws is simply not an effective means of dealing with an issue of this magnitude,” Democrats have said they won’t support any federal regulation that isn’t as strong as state laws, like the new digital privacy law passed in California last year.
In fact, California now has one of the strictest laws regarding digital privacy, giving consumers the right to know what information companies are collecting, why they are doing that and who they are sharing it with. Customers can also request that companies delete their personal information and to not share the data with any third parties. Businesses are also required to provide the same level of service even if customers decide against sharing their data with the company, and companies will face stricter restrictions when it comes to sharing and/or selling data on children under the age of 16.


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Safety and security dominate the conversation with corporate travel managers.
German chauffeur service Blacklane, specialised in airport transfers, is looking to tap into demand for relatively safe city-to-city travel to grow revenue hit by COVID-19.
CEO and Co-founder Dr. Jens Wohltorf speaks about Blacklane’s business model and how the company modernized the chauffeur industry in this podcast.
Blacklane is focusing on these city to city transfers, focussing on both the peace of mind aspect of avoiding public transport, as well as productivity gains.
There’s a new kid in town hoping to shake up city-to-city travel in the U.K. Blacklane is now offering a chauffeur service, promoting fast, COVID-safe, luxury transfers between London and six cities across the U.K. in Mercedes E- or V-class vehicles.


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Photograph via The Grind Coffee Company’s Facebook page
We’ve all been there, rushing to finish ice-cream before it all melts down the cone, onto hands and possibly your clothes. Now imagine a cone filled with steaming hot coffee. What sounds like yet another barista’s brainwave, #coffeeinacone has been one of the most popular food tags on Instagram. In fact, according to a CNN story, this new avatar of coffee has been Instagrammed more than 1 million times over the last few months.
Johannesburg-born Dayne Levinrad, who returned to his home city after working as a coffee consultant overseas for four years, is credited with starting this craze simply because he wanted to put his city on the coffee map. After several experiments, Levinrad and his team at The Grind Coffee Company created a cone lined with four layers of chocolate which gives the consumer approximately 10 minutes to drink the coffee, before the coffee melts the chocolate layers and seeps through the cone. “Now we’ve got the whole thing under patent,” he says, “it’s a very arduous process.”
This highly Instagrammable concept has since made an appearance across coffee houses the world over.
Novelty aside, what seems to be working so well for this new creation is the fact that it brings together two popular favourites – coffee and chocolate.


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Galaxy Control Systems appoints president
The Board of Directors of Digital Systems Corp., the parent company of Galaxy Control Systems, announced the appointment of Rick Caruthers to the position of president at Galaxy Control Systems.
December 17, 2018 By SP&T Staff
“Rick has essentially been working in the capacity as president of Galaxy Control Systems for the past several years, and with this appointment will be able to execute his vision and goals for the company,” said Robert Laughlin, Chairman of Digital Systems Corporation. “After 17 years of proven service and dedication to Galaxy Control Systems, we are most confident that Rick is the person best suited to be at the helm of this organization moving forward.”
Caruthers’ extensive experience in the professional security industry spans over 28 years. Over 17 years to date, Caruthers has risen through the ranks in positions ranging from Regional Sales Manager, Government Sales Director, Vice President of Sales, Executive Vice President, to his current role as President of Galaxy Control Systems.
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'Alarming' detail on Woolworths product sparks concerns: 'Potentially harmful'
Concerns for how 'readily available' the product is have sparked calls for better controls.
A shocked Woolworths customer spotted a concerning detail on a cooking product, provoking a discussion on whether it should be sold in supermarkets.
In the video, Brayden Smith picked up the 250ml bottle of cooking sake from a shelf, pointing out the high alcohol volume inside.
"So in Woolies they've got cooking sake... surely it can't be alcoholic or anything, right?" the customer said on TikTok. "No it is, up to 14.5 per cent alcohol volume for $3.60."
"Why go to the pub when you can go to Woolies!"
Woolworths discourages drinking cooking sake
At the back of the product on the bottom there is a label that says "not suitable for drinking" in bolded writing — a point a Woolworths spokesperson stressed in their response.
"Cooking sake and wines are not intended for consumption as a beverage and the labels state that the products are not suitable for drinking," they told Yahoo.
"We strongly encourage customers to follow the guidelines and only use the products for their intended cooking purposes."
Social media users react to video
While it's not recommended to drink, the risk of people — especially those underage — buying it as alcohol at supermarkets still remains — something discussed in the comments of the video.
"That's wild, yet when I bought 0% beers at Woolies the other day they had to approve I was over 18," one person said.
Queensland woman arrested after recording ‘lethal’ blood alcohol level
Shocking CCTV shows children's deadly act inside washing machines
Tragic reason why hand sanitiser is banned in Alice Springs: 'Risk is too great'
"They also have this thing called sanitiser, and it's like 99% alcohol," another said.
"Just wait until you see vanilla essence," a third person said.
Others pointed out cooking sake has a large amount of salt content, which wouldn't make it particularly nice to drink. "Almost your whole recommended daily intake of salt in one bottle though," one person said.
Cooking sake is one of several household products sold in supermarkets that contain alcohol. Others include flavoured extracts, hand sanitiser and mouthwash.
Calls for 'more controls' on selling product
The content of alcohol in cooking sake is "similar to a [bottle] of wine," which Associate Professor Anne-Marie Laslett thought was "alarming" given how "readily available" it is.
"There is the potential for it to be used by people in a harmful way and there seems to be very limited controls on the amount that might be sold [at supermarkets] and whether you need a licence to access it," she told Yahoo News Australia.
"That is a risk that seems to be apparent for young people that are generally protected via other ways by licensing regulations which prevent them from purchasing alcohol from bottle shops."
In the Northern Territory, where alcohol consumption is almost twice the national average, supermarkets have been forced to take drastic measures. Photos shared by news.com.au show sanitiser locked inside cupboards along with Listerine and vanilla essence. On the open shelves, Listerine "Zero Alcohol" is the only option, an Alice Springs local told the publication.
"There have been discussions around vanilla essence which has a very high alcohol content and has been used by underage people who drink," Professor Laslett said. "Hand sanitiser is so dangerous as well."
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Target should be a key part of investors' portfolios as the U.S. economy enters an uncertain period, according to Barclays. Analyst Karen Short named Target a top pick in the retail space, saying that the stock was undervalued given its fundamental strength. "We are confident investors are being presented an attractive opportunity to own a best-in-class retailer at a sizable discount to other best-in-class peers," Short wrote. Target offers both a mix of household staples and products that fit more in consumer discretionary, which could take a hit during an economic slowdown. The combination of high inflation and an increasingly aggressive Federal Reserve has many on Wall Street worried about lower growth or even a recession in the coming years. However, a Barclays survey of consumers suggested that Target's foot traffic is largely driven by those staples items, which should help keep sales flowing. According to the survey, "~45% of customers buy more than originally planned when visiting a TGT store. So footsteps matter, and TGT has clearly gained footstep/mindshare/market share during the pandemic and this will prove to be sticky in our view," Short wrote. Barclays maintained its overweight rating and $280 per share price objective for the stock. That price objective is more than 29% above where the stock closed on Wednesday. Shares of Target, which are down about 4% year to date, were up more than 2% on Thursday morning. -CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.
Shoppers exit a Target store during Black Friday sales in Brooklyn, New York, November 26, 2021.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
Target should be a key part of investors' portfolios as the U.S. economy enters an un


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India’s steel exports is expected to fall by 40% to 12 million tonnes (mt) this fiscal, owing to duty related measures taken by the government last month, “Steel exports will drop 35-40% to 10-12 mt this fiscal following the 15% export duty imposed on several finished steel products last month. Exports of iron ore and pellets will also fall this fiscal, and lower domestic prices” said, ratings agency Crisil.
“The duty driven price correction will improve availability of steel in the domestic market. This will directly impact the export volume in the current fiscal. Steelmakers will attempt to skirt the duties by bumping up exports of alloyed steel and billets, but that is unlikely to compensate for the loss of finished steel exports” said, Hetal Gandhi, Director, Crisil Research.
The agency further said the both export volume of iron ore and pellets is expected to see a massive drop from 26 mt last fiscal to 8-10 mt in the current one, and bring about a sharp correction in domestic prices.
Steel prices (ex-factory), which averaged ₹77,000 per tonne in April, had already cooled off by ₹4,000-5,000 per tonne in early May in line with global prices. The duty imposition has driven prices down further, as current prices stand close to ₹14,000-15,000 per tonne lower than the April peak.
“Correction in steel prices was already on the cards as global prices started correcting As of mid June, prices are already at ₹62,000-64,000 per tonne and can be expected to trend below ₹60,000 per tonne by the end of the fiscal” said, Koustav Mazumdar, Associate Director, Crisil Research.


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Falcom Announces The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III RPG
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
Nihon Falcom announced on Wednesday that it has started production on Eiyū Densetsu: Sen no Kiseki III (The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III), the latest sequel in its Trails of Cold Steel role-playing game series. Additionally, Falcom announced that it will launch its Eiyū Densetsu: Akatsuki no Kiseki (The Legend of Heroes: Trails of the Dawn) online role-playing game on the PC in 2016.
Falcom also announced that it has slated its Y's VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita role-playing game (pictured below) for release in summer next year. The game is the latest in Falcom's Y's role-playing game series.
North American video game publisher XSEED Games is publishing the first The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel PS3/PS Vita game in North America on December 22.
XSEED published Y's Seven PSP game in North America and Europe in 2010.
Source: CNET Japan via Gematsu (link 2)]