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Tolnatext revenue climbs to HUF 4.9 bln in 2014
Revenue of German-owned industrial textile manufacturer Tolnatext, rose by approximately 10%, reaching HUF 4.9 bln last year, managing director Róbert Horváth told Hungarian news agency MTI.
According to the director, turnover was boosted by increased demand from the European market for industrial textiles for insulation systems, asphalt production and the construction industry.
Exports account for 86% of Tolnatextʼs revenue. Last year, sales were up in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine, as well as in Western Europe, while domestic sales rose more than HUF 300 mln.
This year, Tolnatext expects revenue to rise by 4-5%, Horváth said. The company, based in Tolna, southwestern Hungary, has a headcount of 230.
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Still just 25 years old, Patrick Mahomes has racked up a bunch of individual and team awards in his brief NFL career that it probably seems like he could open a museum showing them off. While the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback isn’t doing quite that, he did decide to launch a digital cards series called “The Museum of Mahomes”, which focuses on some of his accomplishments in both football and in his life.
Recently talking to Yasmin Khorram of CNBC about the new venture, Mahomes said that his decision to get into the digital cards industry (and sell NFTs that exist on a blockchain) was a simple one, referencing how blockchain-type auctions like NBA Top Shot and Sorare, among others, are growing.
“I’m looking to break boundaries and make history on and off the field,” Mahomes said. “That’s the great thing about being an athlete these days, you have so many outlets and opportunities to expand your brand and make an impact.”
Mahomes said he’s fascinated by digital goods and “how blockchain auctions are growing, so when the opportunity to get into digital memorabilia came my way I jumped.”
From the #NFL to NFTs: superstar quarterback @PatrickMahomes is launching "The Museum of Mahomes" on March 17. Six art pieces are up for auction and part of the proceeds will go to his foundation called 15 and the Mahomies & the Boys & Girls Clubs in Missouri. pic.twitter.com/nCPI7J8woa
— The Exchange (@CNBCTheExchange) March 12, 2021
According to the CNBC article, Patrick Mahomes’ digital art gallery, “The Museum of Mahomes”, consists of three different tiers, and includes unique pieces of sports memorabilia from the Kansas City Chiefs’ superstar. Prices range from $2,500 to $15,000, and features a mystery auction piece, with portions of the sales being donated to the 15 and the Mahomies Foundation, as well as the Boys & Girls Clubs in Missouri. See below for more info on pricing.
- Tier 1: Three pieces featuring special moments in Mahomes’ life and career, with prices ranging from $2,500 to $7,500
- Tier 2: Features a jewel-encrusted helmet and football priced at $15,000 apiece
- Tier 3: Features a one-of-a-kind piece that will be revealed on the day of the auction (which takes place March 17)
For those interested in Mahomes’ digital assets, more information can be found at MakersPlace.com, which is a digital marketplace for crypto collectibles where the auction will be held.
With the trading cards industry exploding over the past year or so, especially digital cards, more and more athletes are entering the market. Earlier in March, four-time Super Bowl champ Rob Gronkowski also released his own collectable series, and sales of NBA Top Shot cards for players like LeBron James are setting records nearly each week, so many players are striking while the iron is hot.

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The first exchange rate of BTC detected by our platform is $134.40, the lowest price was $70.15 in Jul 2013, and the maximum price that Bitcoin reached was $67,505 in Nov 2021. All of these factors influence the Bitcoin price – and the prices of other cryptocurrencies – today. These scheduled adjustments, in which the number of Bitcoins awarded to miners as a block reward for processing transaction data is cut in half, take place every four years. Halving events have correlated with temporary rises in Bitcoin value, though the rises could be explained by other factors. Sometimes the changes are nothing more than a dollar or two per coin.
When Satashi Nakamoto posted the genesis block to the public blockchain, Bitcoin became the world’s first cryptocurrency, and that has been enough to give Bitcoin market dominance in the crypto world. The value of the circulating supply is measured in hundreds of billions of euros. Years after it was launched, it is still the most widely used cryptocurrency. Like other currencies, products, or services within a country or economy, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency prices depend on perceived value and supply and demand. On March 27, 2011, Britcoin launches the first exchange to trade bitcoin and British Pound Sterling .
Bitcoin Price in US Dollars
Only bitcoin daily price history is entirely digital; no one is carrying actual bitcoins around in their pocket. With any Bitcoin price change making news and keeping investors guessing. Any number of things could affect the amount you pay for BTC in the future, including regulatory changes, the rate of adoption by retail and institutional investors, and the rollout of scalability solutions. Environmental concerns and news events have led some crypto users to consider alternatives to Bitcoin. The carbon footprint of Bitcoin mining is substantial because of the high energy consumption of the high-speed computer equipment needed to set up Bitcoin mining rigs. Bitcoin’s historical prices can be analyzed with many of the techniques used by brokers and investors to analyze stock performance.
The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has stopped around 1,100 customers from sending around $280,000 in bitcoin to hackers who gained access to high-profile Twitter accounts. According to the SEC’s lawsuit, the duo ignored legal advice that the cryptocurrency could be considered an investment contract and therefore was a security. Chinese authorities in the south-west province of Sichuan ordered bitcoin mining projects to close. China’s largest bitcoin-producing provinces have intensified a crackdown on cryptocurrency mining in the latest sign of how authorities are toughening their stance on the rapidly growing digital asset markets. The first US-listed bitcoin exchange-traded funds launched after the deadline passed for an objection from SEC, America’s top securities regulator. US Securities and Exchange Commission had not formally approved the creation of bitcoin futures ETF but no formal declaration of approval was needed from the Agency.
Bitcoin Passes $20k For The First Time, Leaving 2017’s All Time High Price Behind – December 16, 2020
Canada’s main securities regulator has cleared the launch of the world’s first bitcoin exchange traded fund, providing investors greater access to the cryptocurrency that has sparked an explosion in trading interest. The Ontario Securities Commission has approved the launch of Purpose Bitcoin ETF, Toronto-based asset management company Purpose Investments Inc. The on-going U.S. government shutdown has forced the withdrawal of a closely-watched proposal to list a bitcoin exchange-traded fund on the Cboe BZX Exchange. The bitcoin ETF proposal, brought by investment firm VanEck and financial services provider SolidX, has faced an uphill battle for approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission due to concerns the bitcoin price is susceptible to market manipulation. VanEck CEO Jan van Eck explained that the companies filing the rule change proposal had been in talks with the SEC, but these talks ended when the shutdown began.
What is today’s Bitcoin price?
Today, Bitcoin’s price is at $[commodity-day-price currency=”USD” symbol=”BTC” day=”today”]. In mBTC that’s $[commodity-day-price currency=”USD” symbol=”BTC” day=”today”]. One unit of mBTC is one thousandth (1/1000) of a Bitcoin. BTC’s price is [commodity-day-change-wording currency=”USD” symbol=”BTC” up-wording=”up $PERCENTAGE%” down-wording=”down $PERCENTAGE%” same-wording=”the same” day=”week”] from the previous trading day. Compared to its price one week ago, Bitcoin is [commodity-day-change-wording currency=”USD” symbol=”BTC” up-wording=”up by $PERCENTAGE%” down-wording=”down by $PERCENTAGE%” same-wording=”the same” day=”week”]. See how Bitcoin performed against other cryptocurrencies over the past month.
There’s a period with little change, a dramatic spike, a correction that erases much of the sudden gain, and then a relatively rapid climb to establish a new stable price. Their skepticism was rewarded when Bitcoin’s value fell by 50% suddenly in an epic crash following the 2017 high. Once again, the price cycle moved through a long static period, with prices dipping as low as 2,500 euros per Bitcoin. To check Bitcoin’s price live in the fiat currency of your choice, you can use Crypto.com’s converter feature in the top-right corner of this page.
Bitcoin Price Hits $1.00 USD – February 9, 2011
Peter Schiff cannot access his bitcoin wallet and is blaming his “losses” on the blockchain. Schiff is a boomer in every sense of the word, and his lack of blockchain understanding shows. This launch means that retail investors will be able to gain exposure to Bitcoin’s price using a traditional, regulated stock exchange. The bug, which the Tel Aviv-based firm calls BigSpender, allows a hacker to double-spend a user’s funds and possibly prevent them from ever using their wallet again.
Using offshore banks, novel cryptographic voucher systems and other solutions, these trading platforms continue to operate, but at greatly reduced volumes from their hayday in 2013. To celebrate Bitcoin’s 10 year anniversary, long-time Bitcoin advocate and successful investor Trace Mayer proposed that the community start an annual tradition of a crypto bank run on exchanges – to be known as Proof-of-Keys. The idea was to get as many cryptocurrency users and investors to withdraw all funds from wallets that they did not hold the private key to. Cryptocurrencies have few metrices available that allow for forecasting, if only because it is rumored that only few cryptocurrency holders own a large portion of available supply.
comments on “Historical Price”
Blame Silvergate’s collapse on bitcoin daily price historyy crypto, Elizabeth Warren says – but others slam ‘arsonist and firefighter’ crackdowns. The differences are usually small, so there is rarely a reason to change where you sell or buy Bitcoin. Other cryptocurrencies have been environmentally friendly from the start. Minters have relocated to be closer to renewable energy sources to minimize the environmental impact. Ethereum has switched from its energy-intensive proof-of-work consensus mechanism to an environmentally friendly proof-of-stake mechanism, so the Ethereum vs. Bitcoin question weighs on the minds of crypto users.
- Canaan Inc., the world’s second-largest maker of Bitcoin mining machines, filed for a U.S. initial public offering.
- The order was dubbed the “BearWhale” by the Bitcoin community due to its unprecedented size.
- Halving events have correlated with temporary rises in Bitcoin value, though the rises could be explained by other factors.
- Graphs also report the total value of all Bitcoins that have been created through mining operations – this figure is the market cap.
Partly this is because Bitcoin’s market cap accounts for more than a third of the crypto market as a whole. Another factor that affects Bitcoin’s price also relates to supply and demand. Bitcoin became a financial instrument that investors and financial institutions used to store value and generate returns. As a result, derivatives have been created and traded by investors.
To start your crypto journey with the simplest trading experience on the internet, register at Kriptomat today. There is no better place to create a portfolio and explore the fascinating world of crypto. The price is displayed on the BTC price chart, and it is ultimately defined by transactions conducted at exchanges. When more people are buying coins than selling them, the price goes up, and when more are selling than buying, the price goes down.
🔶From 23rd June; bear flag pattern with Hidden Bearish Divergence just like previous months
🔶Also like the months of April, May & June; when the RSI approaches 50 we experience a large dip (~30%) in price
🔶Will history repeat itself? pic.twitter.com/VdmdPO9aW9
— KAR Crypto (@KAR__Crypto) July 15, 2022
Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to https://www.beaxy.com/ their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. ETC We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in oureditorial policy. Speculation, investment product hype, irrational exuberance, and investor panic and fear can also be expected to affect Bitcoin’s price because demand will rise and fall with investor sentiment.
Bitcoin can be purchased through a digital marketplace, through which you can fund your account with your currency of choice, and place an order on the open market. Bitcoin cash came out of left field, according to Charles Morris, a chief investment officer of NextBlock Global, an investment firm with digital assets. The new software has all the history of the old platform; however, bitcoin cash blocks have a capacity 8 megabytes. Supporters of the newly formed bitcoin cash believe the currency will “breath new life into” the nearly 10-year-old bitcoin by addressing some of the issues facing bitcoin of late, such as slow transaction speeds. But go by its recent boom — and a forecast by Snapchat’s first investor, Jeremy Liew, that it will hit a bitcoin price of $500,000 by 2030 — and nabbing even a fraction of a bitcoin starts to look a lot more enticing. No one controls these blocks, because blockchains are decentralized across every computer that has a bitcoin wallet, which you only get if you buy bitcoins.
What Is Bitcoin’s All-Time High Price?
Bitcoin reached an all-time high price of $67,566.83 on Nov. 8, 2021.
You’ll be pleased with the low trading fee for crypto funds compared to what financial asset managers and bankers charge. The price of Bitcoin is determined by the market forces of supply and demand on cryptocurrency exchanges. Changes in demand are influenced by various factors such as news, adoption, regulations, and investor sentiment. The People’s Bank of China’s frequently updated restrictions against Bitcoin finally pressure some Chinese banks to issue a deadline against several bitcoin exchanges, requiring them to close their accounts by April 15. Although some are spared the warnings, the uncertain regulatory environment holds some prominent loopholes that virtually all Chinese exchanges quickly adopt.


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Concept cars at auto show offer glimpse of the future
DETROIT - Japanese vehicle brands are exploring new design ideas – and figuring out what sets them apart from their U.S. and European rivals – with new prototype vehicles.
Nissan, Infiniti and Lexus are all unveiling new concept cars at the Detroit auto show, which opens to the public Saturday.
Concepts are used to test ideas and see how show visitors react. Some elements are glamorous but impractical, with sharply angled headlights or pencil-thin side mirrors that will never actually end up on a production vehicle. But other elements from concept cars do make it onto the road. Lexus’s gaping spindle grilles, now a feature on the automaker’s vehicles, were introduced in 2011 on the LF-Gh concept car.
“Maybe they don’t develop that concept per se, but it makes a statement about where the brand is going,” says Michelle Krebs, an executive analyst with the car buying site Autotrader.com.
This year’s auto show concepts differ in many ways, but they’re striving for one thing: simplicity. They all have serene interiors with real wood and minimal distractions. Karim Habib, Infiniti’s executive design director, says designers are reacting to all the visual stimulation in the world.
“It is our intention to be an antidote to that,” he said.
MORE: Car enthusiasts converge in Toms River
MORE: Don’t forget to insure your expensive gift
Here are some details on the concept cars at the show:
INFINITI Q INSPIRATION: The sleek sedan from Nissan Motor Co.’s luxury Infiniti brand explores how design will change as it moves to compact but powerful variable compression ratio engines. Karim Habib, Infiniti’s executive design director, said the smaller engine allows for a shorter hood and a bigger passenger cabin than Infiniti’s previous models. The exterior is bold and deceptively simple; there are few lines, but they’re deeply etched into the surface so the curves shift as the viewer moves around the vehicle. At first glance, it’s hard to see the grille, which is made of twisted metal painted the same color as the car. Inside, there are subtle details, like the traditional Japanese fabric made with gold rice paper that’s tucked under the door handles. Each passenger has a touchscreen that offers guided meditation to reduce stress. Habib says the interior is meant to reflect Japan’s tradition of polite, generous hospitality. Habib says elements from the Q Inspiration will eventually make it into production vehicles.
LEXUS LF-1 LIMITLESS: Vehicle brands have always had so-called flagship sedans, the big cars in the lineup that set the tone for all the others. Lexus, which invented the luxury crossover 20 years ago with the RX 300, is now playing with the idea of a flagship crossover SUV. The LF-1 is built so it can be powered by a fuel cell, a hybrid system, gasoline or a battery. By 2025, Lexus says, all of its models will have one of those options available. The LF-1 was designed in California but took its inspiration from a traditional Japanese sword, imagining smooth molten metal flowing into a solid, chiseled form. Inside, knobs and buttons are replaced by motion-activated controls and a wide, unobstructed dashboard. Lexus General Manager Jeff Bracken says Toyota Motor Corp.’s luxury Lexus brand will decide whether to build a flagship crossover based on customer and dealer response to the concept.
NISSAN XMOTION: Nissan Motor Co.’s XMotion – pronounced “cross motion” – differs from the Infiniti and Lexus concepts in exterior styling; instead of spare, undulating designs, the Xmotion is solid, square and blocky. It’s ready for rugged use, with all-terrain tires and a retractable rooftop cargo box. But Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan’s global design director, said the tough exterior protects the soft, cocoon-like interior. The long center console, which runs from the front to the rear seats, is made of cedar and uses a traditional Japanese architectural wood joinery technique. Cedar is also used for slats below the dashboard, which are meant to convey the sturdy “bones” of the vehicle. Nissan says the XMotion will serve as a blueprint for the company’s SUVs and eventual autonomous shared vehicles.


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China’s securities regulator denies reviewing Ant Group’s IPO
Chinese securities regulator said that it is not currently reviewing or conducting research to revive billionaire Jack Ma’s Ant Group’s initial public offering, after multiple news outlets quoted unnamed sources as saying the watchdog was considering the deal.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) issued the denial on Thursday, the same day Reuters and Bloomberg reported that authorities were considering allowing the Hangzhou-based fintech giant to relaunch its stock sale plans. . In a one-sentence statement posted on its website, the CSRC also said it supports overseas IPOs of platform companies that meet government requirements. Ant Group, for its part, said via its official WeChat account that the company has no plans to launch an IPO and is instead focused on “steadily advancing our rectification work.”
News of the IPO restart and subsequent denials have sparked wild swings in New York-listed shares of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, which owns about a third of Ant. The company’s U.S. Deposit shares were down 8.1% on Thursday, after climbing 7% in premarket trading on hopes its IPO could be revived. In Hong Kong, where Alibaba is also listed, the company’s shares are up 1.7% as of 2 p.m. Friday.
Ant Group, for now, is targeting other parts of Asia for future growth, after Chinese authorities asked it to become a financial holding company and comply with banking regulations. This week it launched a digital bank in Singapore to attract merchants with cross-border operations, just two months after acquiring a majority stake in Singaporean fintech company 2C2P.
For Ant investors, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The company was once valued at more than $300 billion when it was set to raise $35 billion in what was to be the world’s biggest IPO. After the plan was brutally crushed by Chinese authorities at the end of 2020, its valuation was valued have plunged into a range between $170 billion and $190 billion.
The fintech giant’s once-lucrative microcredit and consumer credit businesses, for example, are coming up against growth caps imposed by authorities seeking to limit risk and reduce leverage in the financial sector. group of ants was ordered by regulators to return to its roots as a payments service and “rectify” its sprawling lending, insurance and wealth management services.


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Corteva Agriscience plans to exit 35 countries; layoff 5% of its workforce
16 September 2022, US: As part of its cost-cutting initiatives, the seeds and pesticides giant Corteva Inc. announced on Tuesday that it would leave around 35 countries and lay off nearly 5% of its global employees.
American corporates have been forced to reduce projected spending and implement policies to protect their margins from growing raw material costs as a result of this year’s inflation spike to four-decade highs.
At Corteva’s annual investor meeting, Chief Finance Officer, Dave Anderson stated, “We don’t think that inflation is abating. Cost pressure will lessen from levels observed this year until 2023, but it will still be significant.”
The United States, Canada, Brazil, India, and Western Europe are among the 20 main nations on which Corteva aims to concentrate its attention out of around 110 markets. Less than 5% of the company’s annual revenue comes from the non-core regions, according to Anderson.
According to a statement released by Corteva on Tuesday, the company anticipates net sales of $19.5 billion to $20.5 billion by 2025. It also stated that it intends to devote around 8% of those funds on R&D.
Also Read: India is on its journey to become number one in the agriculture sector in the world: Agriculture Minister Mr. Tomar
(For Latest Agriculture News & Updates, follow Krishak Jagat on Google News)


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Fresh and effective
Approximately 25 people work at the 14,000-sq.-ft. Ontario, California, facility where production is between 90,000 lbs. and 100,000 lbs. of sausage per week. About 40,000 lbs. a week of that is chicken sausage. Villa Roma’s third-largest selling style behind Sweet Italian and Hot Italian pork sausages is its chicken breakfast sausage. Lopes believes chicken sausage’s popularity will continue to grow in the future based on the health and wellness trends continuing to gain momentum.
“I’ll tell you what I’m seeing a lot of, I think we’re going to see more and more fresh chicken sausage,” Lopes says. “I think the public is desiring more all natural, no preservatives, more antibiotic free (ABF).”
The majority of Villa Roma’s chicken sausage goes to specialty markets such as Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Sprouts, but poultry-based sausages continue to grow in the conventional style supermarkets. A new Kroger-owned account on the West Coast buys a significant amount of chicken sausage from the company, and the orders increase every week, according to Lopes. It’s telling that conventional supermarket shoppers are beginning to see the advantages of chicken and turkey sausage.
“The beautiful thing about poultry is natural fall on leg meat is 93/7. So, a skin-on thigh would come out to 93 percent lean and 7 percent fat. That in and of itself is significantly lower than what’s used to make [pork] sausage,” Lopes says. “The standard for USDA Italian sausage is 65 percent lean. So, you start off with a chicken sausage and you’re already 30 percent leaner than pork sausage, just because of the raw material.”
The USDA allowance on breakfast sausage is 50/50, which makes Villa Roma’s popular chicken sausage over 40 percent leaner right off the line. It’s so significant Lopes says, that the company uses “lower-than” claims on its labeling.
This desire for a healthier sausage includes specific certifications as well. However, Lopes cites multiple reasons for the difficulties involved with organic and ABF type production, the top of which is cost. The expense comes in the form of certifications and what producers need to do to obtain those certifications. While ABF materials don’t cost as much as organic, they still bring a higher per lb. price tag, but Lopes envisions ABF for Villa Roma in the future.
“My thought is to create, maybe in 2018, an optional line,” he says. “You can buy the regular pork or chicken, or you can buy the ABF. The regular is one price and the ABF is priced accordingly, and where ABF finds a home it does, and if it doesn’t, at least we’re offering it because I think there’s a customer out there.”
The 11 different pork sausages and six poultry sausages (four chicken and two turkey) Villa Roma produces go to retail stores as far north as Washington state, to the southern border of California and from Texas to the Pacific Ocean, including Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Colorado. The addition of the MAP packaging has allowed Villa Roma to move as far east as Texas, but Lopes admits that it’s difficult to go national from the West Coast with fresh products. He’s comfortable however with the company’s volume and notes that sales have been static for the past 10 to 12 years.
“It’s a good territory, and especially the southwest up to about San Francisco, you’ve got a lot of people there,” he adds. “We’ve got the advantage of having several million people to sell to.”


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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in so many ways, some very likely permanently. Nowhere do we see this more than in the way we consume and purchase goods. In the first of two articles on this topic, Katy Sayer takes us through the developing world of contactless and “checkout-free” shopping, to see what the future holds and the impact intellectual property is having in this space.
Public Health England’s report on the impact of the pandemic on grocery shopping found that the week before the first formal lockdown in March 2020, the highest ever volume of sales of food and drink was recorded in the UK: at 43.6% higher than the same week in 2019. But where are we now?
Lockdown and social distancing measures have now eased in the UK and many of us may be back to our pre-pandemic supermarket shopping routines; but some changes remain and hygiene is still inevitably of importance. As the way in which we buy our food and who we buy it from continues to evolve, intellectual property is of ever-increasing importance in the grocery industry – not least in terms of new technological innovations and new branding strategies, for eating and purchasing in a cashless, virtual world.
Contactless shopping for a cashless society
Social distancing and touchless technologies have understandably been a big focus since the pandemic hit, but some companies have been looking at this area already for quite some time.
No stranger to filing patents, Amazon’s contactless stores (“Amazon Go” in the US and “Amazon Fresh” in the UK) use cutting-edge technology for a cashless society. Providing a queue-less, socially distanced service with no need for card or cash, Amazon’s stores make for an alternative post-pandemic shopping experience.
The stores’ “Just Walk Out” technology uses a combination of weight sensors, QR codes, video camera and computer vision systems to keep track of what customers pick up and take out of the door. The systems also include spring-loaded plates and weight sensors on “smart shelves” which push rear items to the front once front items are removed. Amazon filed patent applications  relating to these technologies back in 2014 and 2015, years before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Their first London Amazon Fresh store opened in Ealing in March 2021: the first and only of its kind in the UK, their monopoly seemingly facilitated by their patent portfolio. Household names in the UK supermarket space are now following suit at their own pace, albeit in a less radical way.
Amazon has also developed technology using hand biometrics for payment. In June 2018, Amazon filed a US patent application relating to a non-contact biometric identification system including a hand scanner that generates an image of a user’s palm using characteristics such as wrinkles and veins. A user can then be identified based on a comparison of the image with previously stored images associated with that user. Unlike fingerprint scanners found on some smartphones, the system doesn’t require the user to physically touch their hand onto the scanning device. The application was published in December 2019, shortly before reports of a new virus started to sweep the world.
The system, named “Amazon One”, is already in use as an entry and payment option at several Amazon and Whole Foods (owned by Amazon) stores in the US. Not only is the scanner contactless, but the system can apparently also process a charge in less than 300 milliseconds, while a regular card transaction typically takes between three and four seconds. Supermarkets in the UK are now playing catch-up with Amazon’s innovative stores.
Data shows that one in ten adults in the UK have now gone “cashless” , inevitably accelerated by the pandemic. Sainsbury’s has trialled an app allowing shoppers to scan and pay for items with their smartphone then leave without going through a checkout. Waitrose’s “Quick Check” offers a similar service. Tesco’s High Holborn branch (a stone’s throw from Kilburn & Strode’s London HQ) went cashless in 2020, with payment options being limited to card or mobile. In 2021, it has taken it a step further by going contactless. “Contactless” in this sense means going one step further than offering payment by contactless cards, mobile phones, smart watches etc. It’s going completely touch-free so that all that customers will have to touch is the products they pick up to buy, with no need to touch even their own wallet or mobile phone to pay. The store will use “GetGo”, an alternative technology to Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” system, developed by Trigo, an Israeli start-up rivalling Amazon in the cashier-less shopping space. Trigo’s system uses ceiling cameras and AI to track customer movement and document items to charge the customer automatically for what they’ve taken.
As these kinds of contactless solutions are advanced, patents will inevitably have a significant role to play. Patents are of course monopoly rights giving the owner the right to prevent others from using their claimed invention without their permission. The filing of Amazon’s patent applications for the technologies core to its “Just Walk Out” stores therefore gave a monopoly for these technologies before interest in contactless shopping technologies was catalysed by the pandemic. Without these patent rights, supermarket competitors would have been free to copy and use the technologies used in Amazon’s stores. As it is, they will have to develop different technologies to accomplish the same end – or take a licence from Amazon.
Indeed, Amazon has since made its “Just Walk Out” technology available as a service to third-party retailers to use in their stores. However, in the wake of Tesco announcing its partnership with rival Trigo, supermarkets seem to be seeking solutions elsewhere, perhaps due to Amazon’s size and financial muscle. Reportedly, Amazon is offering licences for its technologies to rival retailers at the same time as collecting customer data to outmanoeuvre those same retailers.
Although Amazon’s supermarket patents might not be living up to their full licensing potential just yet, their purpose as a monopoly right still seems to have commercially assisted Amazon in being the first to market in this area and slowing down competitors, forcing them to seek alternative technologies.
What will the future look like?
The Food & Drink sector has quickly evolved, taking advantage of and fast-tracking developments which were, in some cases, already in the pipeline. There is a huge opportunity for the sector to tune in to and take advantage of changing consumer trends for purchasing in a cashless, virtual world. If you’re a F&D business, your intellectual property needs to work harder for you than ever before – but the potential rewards are greater than ever.
If you would like to know more and find out how we might be able to help your Food & Drink business, please get in touch. We would love to be part of your journey. But more than that, we understand your sector. Against the commercial backdrop which is already familiar to us, we work hard to get to know your business and its own individual needs, providing tailored, pragmatic advice and building a genuine partnership.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with Katy, or your usual Kilburn & Strode advisor.


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Revy, a Baton Rouge startup based out of the Louisiana Technology Park, takes a virtual crowdsourcing approach to locating unique and hard-to-find items.
Users can post items for sale or items they want at the price they want to pay, such as a family heirloom or a rare baseball card. Revy’s “Connector” tool enables the connectors to get paid if they find a buyer for a seller that has an item in the want ad.
“If you think about it, we are all connected now more than ever; Revy just taps into this notion and gets you paid for all those connections,” said Jesse Hoggard, Director of Communications at the Louisiana Technology Park. “Overall, this crowdsourced approach gives buyers more leverage to find almost any item they want.”
Revy Founder Travis Drago said the online service is, “ideal for consumers who want to find that lost family heirloom, rare piece of jewelry or the hard to find collectible to finish off their collection. However, utilizing Revy to find just about anything is certainly possible”, said Drago.
Drago came up with the idea for the platform when his dad mentioned he wished he could purchase the exact car he had when he was younger, a 1972 Chevy Monte Carlo. Fast forward to the launch of Revy, and the car was actually used on the site as the first want.
Revy’s Mission is to offer a fun, user friendly and secure website for buyers to find items they want at prices they want to pay. For more information, visit revyit.com.


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The funding round was also backed by XYZ Venture Capital, GreatPoint Ventures, and existing investors 500 Startups and M12, the venture fund of Microsoft Corp.
LottieFiles said it will use the funding to further its product roadmap and expand its operations to cater to the expanding user base.
The company plans to launch a new design workflow and collaboration solution to its global user base in summer 2022, which will enable designers to save even more time per asset shipped and even more time to focus on creativity. Using Lottie, motion designers and developers can save weeks of effort by not having to code motion graphics individually for each platform.
“Our mission is to democratize motion design and graphics animation and make it accessible to all,” said LottieFiles’ CEO and co-founder, Kshitij Minglani.
“LottieFiles completely transforms the creation and design workflow process, which empowers every designer and their teams to leverage the power of motion to create delightful user experiences. The LottieFiles team spent the last three years studying and perfecting a blueprint that now works for design and developer teams from more than 135,000 companies. We are excited to bring LottieFiles into offering this year and grow our user base even more.”
The LottieFiles.com website currently counts users from more than 135,000 companies globally, including animation designers and motion designers from Google, TikTok, Disney, Uber, Airbnb and Netflix.
Every nine seconds a new animation goes through the LottieFiles workflow and tooling, making it the most-visited destination for Lottie motion worldwide. LottieFiles also has integrations with the most popular design tools, such as Adobe XD, Adobe After Effects, Figma, Webflow, WordPress, and more.
ottieFiles previously raised $9 million in Series A funding in January 2021, led by Microsoft Venture Fund M12, and has experienced 160% growth in net new registered users since that time.


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The growth of the aquafeed and aquaculture additives market is driven by increasing consumption of aquaculture products, rising consumer purchasing power, and growing consumer demand for processed seafood, says this report.
SELBYVILLE, Del., July 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — According to the report published by Global Market Insights Inc., the Aquaculture and Aquafeed Additives Market was estimated at $66.5 billion in 2021 and it is estimated that it will reach a valuation of more $117 billion by 2030, progressing at a rate 7% CAGR from 2022 to 2030. This report offers a detailed analysis of drivers and opportunities, major winning strategies, faltering market trends, competitive scenarios, major investment pockets, and market size and estimates.
Aquaculture and aquaculture feed additives are dietary supplements used to improve the quality of fish and crustaceans to provide complete nutrition. Certain aquatic animals contain nutritional ingredients, such as omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, iodine, etc., which help human health by lowering blood pressure, improving memory, offering anti-inflammatory properties and promoting healthy skin . In recent years, increased consumer spending on processed seafood, coupled with growing awareness of the benefits of aquatic animals, has driven the adoption of fish as a regular supplement, which will further expand the food market. aquaculture products and aquaculture additives during the planned period of time.
Sample report request: https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/495
Catfish is an important source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, protein, vitamins B-12, and minerals, including magnesium. Continued consumer interest in a healthy diet and growing awareness of the nutritional benefits catfish offer are anticipated to drive demand for catfish in the food industry. As a result of the positive outlook, the catfish end-use segment was valued at around $4 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 6.9% during the forecast period.
Similarly, the aquaculture and aquafeed additives size of the tilapia end-use segment is poised to outperform $6 billion in income by 2030. Tilapia is low cost to produce as it is disease resistant, has a high survival rate of around 70% and grows well in high stocking densities, which is projected to boost its income by the world aquaculture market. Furthermore, changing consumption patterns and an emerging trend towards healthy eating will also drive demand for tilapia in the food industry.
Key reasons for aquafeed and aquaculture additives market growth:
Increased consumption of catfish and tilapia.
Increased demand for vitamins in fish and shrimp.
Increasing focus on fish farming in North America.
Forecasts for 2030 show that the “vitamins” segment will retain its dominance:
With reference to the product, the vitamins segment is projected to expand at a CAGR of approximately 2.5% during the evaluation period. Vitamins are a vital feed additive for fish and shrimp as it improves the defense mechanism and supports resistance to disease. Therefore, the increasing prominence of the functional benefits of vitamins is poised to drive their demand in the aquaculture industry, driving segmental growth.
North America to continue your superior status in terms of income:
In the regional panorama, the market for aquaculture feeds and additives for aquaculture in North America it was worth it $7.5 billion in 2021 and is projected to progress to a CAGR greater than 6.5% over the study timeline. It is speculated that high research and development spending by manufacturers in fish farming systems, coupled with increased investments, will drive the development of the regional aquafeed additives market. In addition, the change in consumer eating patterns and the notable shift towards nutritious foods are expected to increase the acceptance of seafood, which will complement market growth in the region.
Request for Customization of this Report: https://www.gminsights.com/roc/495
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Aquafeed and Aquaculture Additives Market:
Due to growing concern about infections spread through animal meat, seafood consumption declined due to the risk of contracting coronavirus infection, hampering the adoption of aquafeed additives in the early stages of the outbreak. COVID-19. Subsequently, declining demand and strict lockdown restrictions led manufacturers to close production facilities, hampering the expansion of the industry. However, the increasing inclination of consumers towards seafood for benefits such as less fat and caloric content than meat has stimulated demand for the product, which has been lucrative for the market during the pandemic.
The main market players:
Some prominent players Aquafeed and aquaculture additives industry include Alltech, Biomar, Cargill, Ridley Corporation, Aller Aqua A/S, Norel Animal Nutrition, Beneo GmbH, ADM, BASF, DSM, Biomin Gmbh, Addcon, Nutriad International, Evonik and others.
About Global Market Insights Inc.
Global Market Insights Inc., headquartered in Delaware, USA, is a provider of global market research and consulting services. By offering custom, syndicated research reports, growth consulting, and business intelligence services, Global Market Insights Inc. aims to help clients with insightful insights and actionable market data that aid in strategic decision-making.
View original content to download media:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-aquafeed-and-aquaculture-additives-market-would-exceed-117-billion-by-2030-says-global-market-insights-inc-301580355. html
SOURCE Global Market Insights Inc.


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A British consortium that includes Cornish Lithium, a junior eager to lead the development of a lithium industry in the UK, said on Monday it had locally produced its first lithium carbonate, an essential ingredient for the batteries that power electric vehicles (EVs) and high-tech devices.
The government-funded Li4UK project, which main goal is to secure a domestic supply chain of the battery element in the UK, said the product came from Cornish Lithium’s project in Cornwall and from another site, in Scotland.
It followed 18 months of work involving scoping for suitable lithium mineralisation in hard rock and geothermal waters, field sample collection and analysis, as well as processing production of two separate lithium carbonate concentrates at the WAI Mineral Processing Laboratory
The UK government has been working on attracting investment into battery factories in order to protect the future of local car plants.
Figures released in early January by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the local industry body, showed new car sales in the UK fell by almost 30% to 1.63 million in 2020, the toughest year for the market since 1992.
UK carmakers have three years to source local electric car batteries, following the Brexit free trade deal inked last year. Under the agreement, all European trade in cars and parts will continue to be free of tariffs or quotas after the Brexit transition period ended on December 31, as long as they contain enough content from either UK or EU factories.
Batteries will at first be allowed to have up to 70% of materials from countries outside the EU or the UK. From 2024 onwards, however, that requirement will tighten to 50%.
In September 2019, the UK government launched the Faraday Battery Challenge as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF), to spur research and innovation.
Li4UK (Securing a Domestic Lithium Supply Chain for the UK) was one of the projects to secure financial backing from the pioneering program, soon to open a fifth round.
Most of the world’s lithium is currently produced in huge brine evaporation ponds in South America or open pit mines in Australia. The metal is then shipped to China for processing into lithium chemicals for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries.
Europe is not too far from commercially producing battery-quality lithium, industry actors believe.
“The development of lithium processing technologies at the WAI labs as part of the Li4UK project has been a huge stepping-stone,” Ben Simpson, technical director for mineral processing at WAI, said in the statement. “What has been achieved here puts the UK at the forefront of developments in the European battery industry.”
“Given the potential that has been established by this project to exploit lithium resources in Cornwall, it is possible that the UK could produce a significant percentage of its lithium demand domestically,” Cornish Lithium chief executive, Jeremy Wrathall, noted.
The miner received a permit earlier this month to explore for the battery metal in geothermal waters off the coast of Cornwall.
Cornish Lithium is targeting four sites where it plans to potentially extract lithium using a low-impact and environmentally responsible process. Mining lithium from geothermal water allows using the same hot rock water to power up turbines, generating zero-carbon electricity and heat.
The £4 million ($5.4m) project will trial direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology, which removes dissolved lithium compounds from water without the need for brine ponds.
Cornwall also provides access to renewable energy from solar and wind, and offers established infrastructure such as rail, road and port facilities – which represent a considerable advantage over other European lithium projects.
The Li4UK consortium is made up of Wardell Armstrong International, The Natural History Museum and Cornish Lithium.


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St. Louis Plans to Become International Air Cargo Hub
Plans to Become International Air Cargo Hub are Back on Track
Developers say the project will help establish St. Louis as an international air logistics hub as originally established and first approved in 2015.
Work on the project’s $56 million first phase is expected to begin by March 2019 and will cover 1.1 million square feet of the long-vacant aircraft manufacturing complex, with plans to be finished in 19 months. The biggest change to the original plan is that it will involve rehabbing most of a long-vacant aircraft manufacturing complex, rather than replacing it. Other operations are expected to start later this year only when the rehab portion is partly complete. Two other phases will occur later and involve new construction. [St. Louis Dispatch]
Financing for the first phase of the project includes $8.7 million of federal historic tax credits, $11.4 million of state historic tax credits, and state brownfield remediation tax credits.
Let’s Put St. Louis on the Map
Ricardo Nicolopulos, president of Bi-National Gateway Terminal LLC, said “he still is pursuing approval by Mexico to locate at the terminal a “dual-customs’ facility capable of clearing goods moving to and from that country.”
“He said it would permit pre-clearance of cargo bound for Mexico and for U.S. customs inspection of cargo imported from Mexico. He said he expects Mexico to approve the idea sometime after work on the terminal begins.” The first of its kind, SkyBridge in Arizona is a great example of this unified cargo process.
How it Affects St. Louis and Nearby Locations
About 700 jobs are expected to be created once the first phase is completed in 19 months. Having a big international air cargo hub located in the heart of America, not only for shipments to and from Mexico, but including all countries globally, will streamline the supply chain process. Importers and exporters throughout the Midwest will have more options to route their cargo. I presume the new hub would also alleviate cargo congestion at ORD airport.
Ricardo Nicolopulos, president of Bi-National Gateway Terminal LLC, said:
“The complex, built by Curtiss-Wright Corp. in the early 1940s to produce Navy dive bombers and other military aircraft, was added to the National Register of Historic Places at his urging,” Nicolopulos said.
Read more: St. Louis Post Dispatch


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Over 15,000 PlayStation 4s have been sold for an average price of $600 on Ebay since launch.
Gamers hunting for Sony’s PlayStation 4 consoles are flocking to eBay, where there are currently thousands of available units with mark-ups. Gamers are willing to fork over extra to be the first to own the next gen device. Ebay reports that the average price for the PS4 is $600, with consumers paying well over that to get the hard-to-find device. Sony sold 1 million consoles at launch but will only have 3 million worldwide available for this year.
As of November 18, eBay had 13,000 PS4 listings with mark-ups. Since the PS4’s hotly anticipated launch this past Friday, sales heated up significantly over the launch weekend, with more than 10,000 PS4 units sold on eBay in just three days from Nov. 15-17 – that’s more than two PS4s sold on eBay every minute. More than 15,000 PS4 units have been sold on eBay since Nov. 1.
Sales of older consoles on eBay have also spiked, with 14,000 used consoles from previous generations sold on eBay since the launch of the PS4. That’s a 25% increase when compared to the 10 days preceding the launch as shoppers look to get some cash to put toward the purchase the new PS4 and upcoming XBox One.


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Exel Direct, the home and business delivery service and business unit of North American supply chain management provider Exel, announced that it recently renewed its contract with Crate & Barrel. Under the terms of the two-year agreement, Exel provides white-glove delivery and setup of home furnishings to Crate & Barrel customers.
Exel Direct says the contract focuses on its dedicated business with the company: The Exel Direct team will manage operations and deliveries out of three facilities – two in California and one in Colorado – to serve customers primarily in the Central and Western portions of the United States. Exel Direct says it also will provide a two-hour scheduling window to Crate & Barrel customers, in-carton or fully deluxed services, and delivery to the room of choice inside the home.
“As one of the leading retailers of furniture and tabletop accessories, Crate & Barrel needs a home delivery partner that understands our customer experience philosophy,” says John Ling, vice president of supply chain management and logistics at Crate & Barrel. “This contract renewal represents a significant piece of our home delivery volume because we know Exel Direct continues to be a nationwide partner that practices our high standards of customer commitment at each possible touch point.”
Exel Direct says this renewal represents a significant portion of the nearly 110,000 annual nationwide deliveries it performs on behalf of Crate & Barrel through two contracts. The second contract, which is for network home and business delivery solutions, is current and fully operational.
“As a seamless extension of Crate & Barrel’s brand, our goal is to achieve the highest level of customer satisfaction,” says David Vieira, president of Exel Direct, based in Westerville, Ohio. “Crate & Barrel has been a customer for nearly 20 years, so its culture and brand value are thoroughly entrenched in our team. In fact, some of our delivery drivers have been with Exel Direct nearly 25 years and with Crate & Barrel nearly 10 years. That kind of longevity is hard to find, and is one example of how our entire team is committed to helping customers achieve their business objectives.”
As a single source provider, Exel Direct says it provides nationwide order fulfillment and warehousing, transportation management, cross-dock services, home delivery and reverse logistics for many of the country’s leading furniture, appliance and electronics retailers. Exel Direct says it has made more than 50 million home and business deliveries in its 34 years of business.


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Canadian automotive designer Ralph Gilles has been recognized for his body of work.
The Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology on Tuesday said it will honour the current Stellantis head of design with the 2023 EyesOn Design Lifetime Design Achievement Award.
He joins previous winners such as Peter Brock, Ed Welburn, Chris Bangle, and Gilles’ mentor Tom Gale.
The annual prestigious award is given to an automotive design honouree selected by previous winners. Gilles will receive his award at a ceremony on June 16, 2023, at the Conner Center, the former Dodge Viper assembly plant in Metro Detroit.
“Ralph is a respected leader within the automotive design community and his creativity and passion is reflected in his work. His understanding of the market, trends and car culture strategically positions him at the forefront of his profession,” Dr. Philip C. Hessburg, of the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology at Henry Ford Health said in a statement. “At Stellantis, Ralph champions diversity and inclusion while promoting a work environment that encourages mutual respect and integrity. We’re proud to honour him with this year’s award.”
In 2022, Gilles, 52, marks 30 years with Stellantis and its previous companies.
He has overseen and contributed to the creation of a vast portfolio of eye-catching designs for the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram brands.
His vehicles include the Chrysler 300, Dodge Viper SRT, Ram 1500, Jeep Grand Cherokee and concept vehicles that include the Chrysler Portal, Chrysler Airflow and Dodge Charger Daytona SRT.
Gale, who served as Chrysler Corp. head of design from 1985 to 2000, will present the award to Gilles, a designer Gale helped mentor while at Stellantis.


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This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.
San Diego chip giant Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) announced its fourth-quarter and fiscal year 2019 earnings yesterday. The company reported $4.8 billion GAAP revenues for the fourth quarter and a net income of $500 million. Revenues were down 17% from the year-ago quarter and net income was up by $1 billion to $506 million, following the $513 million loss that Qualcomm reported in last year's fourth quarter. Now, in the day after its earnings, Qualcomm's stock is up by 8.9% and is trading at $92.14.
Qualcomm Up By 8% Following Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2019 Earnings As Company Projects Strong Forecast For Current Quarter
Longer smartphone upgrade cycles have hurt a lot of companies of late. Cupertino tech giant Apple, for example, has been actively trying to entice users for an upgrade. It launched the iPhone XR last year as an 'affordable' alternative to the higher-priced iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. However, the simple fact that the iPhone XR is branded differently than its compatriots, and the fact that Android gadgets within a similar price bracket offer similar features didn't let the device take off.
Qualcomm's facing a similar dilemma. Huawei's massive growth in China has stopped smartphones with Qualcomm's hardware from selling. And given that China is one of the two countries that have rolled out 5G globally, unless devices with Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) hardware ship in the country soon, the company will have missed out on a valuable opportunity to make sure that its products are inside users' hands.
Non-GAAP results for the company exclude revenue from Qualcomm's Strategic Initiatives division and tax, shareholder and acquisition-related items. Therefore, while Qualcomm reported $24.3 billion in revenue and $4.4 billion in net income in GAAP results for the fiscal year 2019, the company's non-GAAP revenues stand at $19.4 billion and net income at $4.3 billion. Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) reported a $5 billion loss in GAAP net income last year owing to four different charges.
The bulk of these was from a $6 billion charge due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and a $2 billion termination fee paid to NXP semiconductor. Qualcomm, through its subsidiary Qualcomm River Holdings B.V had initially planned to acquire NXP semiconductor, but the deal did not follow through due to a lack of regulatory approval from Chinese authorities.
Qualcomm Earned $4.7 Billion From Settlement Agreements With Apple Made Earlier This Year - Company's Chip Shipments Projected To Drop Heavily This Calendar Year
A big highlight of Qualcomm's earnings call is the amount paid to it by Apple for settling multi-year royalty disputes. The company's partnership with Apple forms a big part of its latest earnings release and future, but we'll get to that in a bit. Qualcomm's known for its stringent licensing agreements (as Samsung would attest) and Apple's known for being hard-headed when it comes to litigation. However, both have realized the urgency to cooperate due to the impending boom of 5G connectivity all over the globe.
Huawei's decision to manufacture smartphone chipsets internally has hurt Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) as the company expects to ship in between 608 million - 628 million MSM chips this year. This will mark a 196 million - 176 million drop from the chips that the company shipped last year. Qualcomm's expected to launch the Snapdragon 865 next month, and an alleged benchmark for the processor has suggested that it won't perform on par with Apple's A13 processor found inside the 2019 iPhone lineup.
Qualcomm expects to earn between $4.4 billion - $5.2 billion in revenue for 2020's first fiscal quarter. The company believes that an uptick in 5G demand will help it achieve the target. Qualcomm's estimates suggest that 3G/4G/5G shipments will lie in between 1.75 billion - 1.85 billion in the calendar year 2020. These will form the backbone of guidance that has helped the company's stock jump by 8% after trading commenced today.
Out of the optimistic 1.85 billion cellular shipments that Qualcomm expects will help it gain revenue next year, 225 million will belong to 5G modems. Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) currently offers the Snapdragon X55 modem for 5G connectivity, but this is a standalone modem that isn't housed on any of the company's system-on-chips (SoCs). The upcoming Snapdragon 865 is rumored to be Qualcomm's first SoC with integrated 5G connectivity, bringing down power consumption. Qualcomm's CEO Steve Mollenkopf also stated that 230 5G phone models are now based on the company's chips.
In 5G, Qualcomm's agreement with Apple will help the company go a long way - at least in the near-term. Apple has not launched a 5G iPhone, but the company will introduce the next-generation cellular connectivity on the iPhone 12 lineup due to launch in 2020. The fees earned from this launch will help Qualcomm earn some serious cash, but whether the company can make a presence in China's 5G sphere is unclear.
Qualcomm's Share Price Up By 8% During Intra-Day Trading But Can Company Capitalize On Promised 5G Growth?
The bulk of Qualcomm's optimism present in yesterday's earnings call rests on 5G. The company believes that sales inside the United States will help it make up for a modest financial performance of late. Additionally, having the iPhone ship with Qualcomm's modems will earn the company a nice premium especially as Apple only targets the high-end smartphone segment with large average selling prices.
Qualcomm is currently trading at $91.30/share after having opened at $89.93 today and the stock has gained 43% over the year. While Qualcomm's patching up with Apple will help the company, this won't be a permanent or a long-term revenue generator. Apple's already bought Intel's wireless patent portfolio, and the company will develop its in-house modem solutions to end dependency on third-party suppliers for this crucial technology.
Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), therefore, needs to target China if it's to stay financially healthy. However, Huawei's the king of China's smartphone market and Qualcomm's partners in the country have failed to bring in big numbers. Following its earnings release, Cowen raised Qualcomm's price target to $100 per share from $80 per share. UBS maintained a Neutral rating and raised its target to $87 from $73.
Thoughts? Let us know what you think in the comments section below and stay tuned. We'll keep you updated on the latest.


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“The Internet is dead. It’s had its time; say goodbye,” said Cuban, who helped launched HDNet in 2001 and remains its chairman.
He had a great idea, launched a renowned website, HDNet, and now says the internet is dead. Don’t Drink Antifreeze!
This is one of the most asinine things I’ve read in years. Before I read more than a paragraph into this article I had triple checked the time stamp thinking it was from 2000.
Seeing it was in fact 2008, I kept reading. Only to have my jaw fall farther.
[Cuban] bolstered his claim by saying the Internet and popular sites such as YouTube can’t provide high-definition programming like cable and can’t offer the interactivity that cable programmers can. High-definition television screens are large enough to give viewers more options that will allow them to use the television like a personal computer desktop…
I’m sure this billionaire can afford to have a HD TV in his office for a computer, and put one on the desk of every office worker, but I know the majority cannot.
Not to mention, I cannot foresee ever surfing the web, or doing serious computer work on my television in the middle of the living room. If you have a normal setup then your sitting area is at least 6 feet from your screen, and text from a normal document or web page is nearly illegible at that distance.
Internet TV never exploded or took off. The setup boxes with their wireless keyboards and mice sold to businesses for conference rooms but never received wide spread adoption in homes.
Where is Cuban coming from saying the internet is dead?
Finally, what are those massive HD Displaying televisions going to show without the internet? Are the cable providers going to take over all web surfing with their proprietary boxes? The answer… NO!
Currently, I already think the Cable companies have too much control over us.Giving them our entire web experience would be ludicrous and more than just a step back for the internet, it would be a step forward off a very steep cliff.


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Reid Cycles is best known in Australia for their retail stores in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne of the same name that sell budget priced bicycles. But this Melbourne based business also has significant international operations. According to their website they’ve expanded into other countries including in the following order since 2014: England, New Zealand, Switzerland, Germany, Singapore, USA, Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Hugary, UAE, South Korea, Argentina, Denmark, France, Chile, Canada and South Africa.
At the end of 2019 Reid Cycles launched an environmental pledge that can now be read in full on their website here.
In summary it says Reid commits to planting a tree for every bike that they sell.
“We have responsibility as a good-manufacturing business to offset the carbon that we are using to make our already sustainable products, bikes and what better way to do this than planting a tree,” the statement says. “This is more of a moral obligation for us than a business choice.”
“To make the biggest impact we can with our tree planting, we have partnered with the amazing www.edenprojects.org, who will be planting the trees on our behalf. They have planted more than 265 million trees since starting their project and we’re honoured to be the latest partner to contribute to this.
“Eden Reforestation Projects is a 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to provide fair wage employment to impoverished villagers as agents of global forest restoration. They hire the poorest of the poor to grow, plant, and guard to maturity native species forest on a massive scale. Their “employ to plant methodology” results in a multiplication of positive socio-economic and environment measures. By the year 2020 their objective is to plant a minimum of 100 million trees each year and to offer hope through the employment of tens of thousands of people in countries where extreme poverty is rampant and we’re glad that we’re able to partner with them this year to make this happen.”
According to the FAQ’s in the Eden Projects website, the cost of planting a tree ranges from US$0.10 to $0.35. (A$0.15 to $0.51). This includes all related expenses and the price variance depends upon the nation in which the program is operating. They are currently planting about 4 million trees per month across a range of countries where they employ local village labour to propagate seeds and plant the trees.


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New York(CNN Business) Amazon said Wednesday that for the first time in company history it will charge sellers a 5% fuel and inflation surcharge.
The e-commerce giant said the new fee will begin April 28 and is being imposed because inflation has worsened significantly in recent months.
"In 2022, we expected a return to normalcy as Covid-19 restrictions around the world eased, but fuel and inflation have presented further challenges," Amazon wrote in memo that was provided to CNN by the company. "It is unclear if these inflationary costs will go up or down, or for how long they will persist."
Amazon spokesman Patrick Graham told CNN that the fee surcharge applies only to fee rates paid by sellers that choose to use Amazon's fulfillment services, which include storing, packing and shipping products. Others sellers that do not use Fulfillment by Amazon will not be impacted. News of the surcharge was first previously reported by Bloomberg News.
The fee hike is the latest example of how businesses are reacting to spiking energy and other costs. Uber and Lyft recently began tacking on temporary fuel surcharges to rides and airlines have been raising airfare.
Amazon's fee hikes on sellers could translate to higher costs to consumers as businesses seek to pass along rising expenses to their customers.
Suppliers sharply raised prices by 11.2% in March, the most on records that go back to 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday. Consumer prices spiked by 8.5% year-over-year in March, the biggest jump since 1981.
Amazon said in its memo that the company has attempted to minimize the impact of inflation.
"Like many, we have experienced significant cost increases and absorbed them, wherever possible, to reduce the impact on our selling partners," Amazon said. "When we did increase fees, we were focused on addressing permanent costs and ensuring our fees were competitive with those charged by other service providers."


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Walmart this week announced it will expand its immunization offerings to more than 2,700 Walmart stores across the U.S. It will work with Mollen Immunization Clinics to offer ten of the immunizations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at events from August 27 through November 15.
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many adults are not up-to-date with recommended life-saving immunizations. Vaccinations may not be top-of-mind while the weather is still warm, but they are a critical part of public health, especially in light of recent outbreaks of whooping cough and shingles,” said John Agwunobi, a doctor and president of Walmart U.S. health and wellness. “We are making it easy and affordable for our customers to receive their vaccinations – while on their normal shopping trips they can simply stop by immunization events, which will accept thousands of insurance plans and offer low price options for our cash paying customers.”
Just this week the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported the death of a Forsyth County two-month-old to whooping cough. Immunization relies on herd immunity to protect those who are not immune to a particular disease, or cannot yet be immunized. Herd immunity requires that a large portion of the population be immunized.
The immunizations at Walmart will be available to anyone three years or older. The vaccines available include ones for pneumonia, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Chickenpox, HPV, MMR, meningitis, shingles, tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough, though specific offerings may vary by store. This year’s flu shots will also be available for $25.


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Raisins are full of nutrients and should be eaten more, according to a South African industry campaign which aims to encourage UK consumers to eat more raisins.
Besides being a “natural health powerhouse”, raisins contain fibre, iron, calcium and antioxidants. Because most water is extracted from raisins the nutrients are concentrated, and 30g of raisins count as your five a day.
South African trade body Raisins SA is striving to spread awareness of raisins and their benefits, including correcting misconceptions around raisins and dental health. This comes in the wake of health studies recommending switching from confectionery and biscuits to dried and fresh fruit.
Recent research has shown dried fruit is not more detrimental to dental health than fresh fruit and vegetables; other studies have highlighted that the for people who eat raisins, their sugar intake is lower, as the dried fruit replaces other sugary snacks in their diets.
The campaign both promotes the benefits of raisins as well as their health credentials more generally. Raisins can fit into the trend for plant-based diets as an alternative to meat. The push includes organic content and advertising on social media to inspire consumers to incorporate South African raisins in their diets through imagery and recipes.
This comes at a time of increasing raisin production in South Africa. The 2022 yield is estimated at 67,000 tonnes, up from 59,000. South African raisins are produced in the Orange and Olifants river regions, with the Northern Cape Province accounting for 88% of total annual production.
“We hope to inspire UK consumers to see raisins as a delicious, healthy product that is easy to incorporate into their diets. Over the years there has been a lot of misunderstanding around the raisins and their sugar content, but we want to reassure consumers of the wide-ranging and positive health benefits of eating these delicious products,” concluded Ferdie Botha, Chief Executive of Raisins SA.
Stay up-to-date on the latest industry news and developments in our magazine.


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Public, a commission free stock-trading app similar to Robinhood, will allow its users to buy and sell cryptocurrency in the coming weeks.
- The company said Thursday users will be able to trade 10 cryptocurrencies to start: bitcoin, bitcoin cash, ether, ethereum classic, litecoin, dash, stellar, cardano, zcash and dogecoin.
- Public’s customers in New York will not be immediately able to trade crypto because the company doesn’t have a state BitLicense, Public said. The firm is working on getting one, however, and says it is optimistic crypto will be available to New York residents “soon.”
- The back-end operations of Public’s new crypto offerings will be managed by Apex Crypto.
- Public joins the likes of Square and Robinhood in offering cryptocurrency trading on its platform.
- The company says it is working towards offering its own crypto wallet in the future.
- Public said it passed the million user mark last February and has raised $310 million from investors.
The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.


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Which variables fueled Bitcoin’s astronomical 2017 gains?
Bitcoin has enjoyed some astronomical gains this year, climbing to nearly $20,000 earlier this month on the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index (BPI).
Even after its recent pullback (and subsequent recovery), the world’s largest digital currency by market capitalization (market cap) has risen more than 1,300% year-to-date, additional BPI figures show.
While analysts identified several factors as pushing Bitcoin prices higher in 2017, here is a short list of the top causes:
1) Growing Visibility
Bitcoin’s visibility has skyrocketed this year, according to data for Google searches and also Social Media activity.
While the Google Trends score for this term hit 100 earlier in December, this score was as low as five during several weeks earlier this year.
The number of Social Media posts involving Bitcoin also hit a record high this month, according to data provided by social analytics company Crimson Hexagon.
Several analysts weighed in on the growing appreciation of the world’s largest digital currency by market capitalization.
“The top driving factor behind bitcoin’s price increase, especially in the last few months has been wider mainstream awareness and acceptance,” said Oliver Isaacs, cryptocurrency investor and influencer.
“Many well-known businesses have begun accepting bitcoins as a means of transaction,” he noted.
In addition, the cryptocurrency has benefited from “increased media coverage,” said Sheila Warren, head of the blockchain project at the World Economic Forum’s Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“Public figures and celebrities ranging from movie stars to heads of banks debated, discussed, and/or promoted bitcoin,” she stated.
Bitcoin’s substantial visibility has been a long time coming, said Trevor Gerszt, CEO of CoinIRA, a company that specializes in digital currency IRAs.
Cryptocurrencies were always going to take a while to gain mainstream acceptance. As the Bitcoin ecosystem began to mature and develop more customer-friendly ways to purchase, trade, and use Bitcoin, it gradually began to build the network effects that would be needed to establish it as a viable cryptocurrency. It just needed to hit that critical mass to really take off, and this year seems to be the year that that happened.
Source/More: Top 5 Factors Driving Bitcoin Higher This Year


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The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx 5G Compute Platform is expected to power the first generation of commercial 5G always on, always connected PCs, transforming both industries and the lives of businesses and consumers
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., has unveiled at Mobile World Congress the PC industry’s first commercial 5G PC Platform, the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 8cx 5G compute platform.
Featuring the groundbreaking second-generation Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X55 5G modem, the Snapdragon 8cx 5G platform will help PC manufactures take advantage of the global rollout of 5G networks.
With the power and performance of a premium thin and light PC, the Snapdragon 8cx 5G will modernize how people connect, compute and communicate with their PCs.
This new PC platform will impact consumers, small businesses, the enterprise and those on-the-go, by enabling multi-gigabit connectivity, multi-day battery life and performance computing in a modern device.
First Mobile Platform with Integrated 5G
Qualcomm Technologies has also announced the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Mobile Platform with 5G integrated into a System-on-Chip (SoC).
The Company builds on its 5G leadership with the Snapdragon X50 and X55 5G modems and RF front-end (RFFE) solutions by offering a newly integrated Snapdragon 5G mobile platform, which reinforces the Company’s role in providing the global mobile ecosystem with the flexibility and scalability needed for broad and fast 5G adoption.
OEMs will be able to utilize the investments made on the Snapdragon X50 and X55 modems to enable accelerated commercialization on the new integrated 5G platform.


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STOCKHOLM, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) companies have become the major driver of unicorns -- startups reaching $1 billion valuation -- with 60% of the new ones falling in this category, according to a report from venture capital firm Accel.
Funding in European and Israeli GenAI startups was close to $1 billion in the last 12 months compared with over $14 billion in U.S. ones, though skewed due to a $10 billion funding to OpenAI alone, the report said.
"A very limited number of companies which have attracted a disproportionate amount of the capital... the investment going into the foundational models - we will see that going down," Philippe Botteri, a partner at Accel, said in an interview.
AI foundation models, developed by Microsoft-backed OpenAI, Meta and others, are capable of generating text, images or other media in response to prompts.
Europe, home to AI startups such as AI video avatar platform Synthesia and Stability AI, is already producing 50% more AI publications than the United States with similar citation rate, according to the report.


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CICT, Asia’s Best Container Terminal under 4 mn. TEU again
The winner of this prestigious award was announced on October 21st at the 2021 Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain (AFLAS) awards gala at the New World Millennium Hotel in Hong Kong.
“This award is a victory not just for CICT but for the Port of Colombo, of which we are an integral part,” CICT CEO Jack Huang said. “Competition among ports is intense at the best of times and more so when the global shipping and cargo logistics sectors are faced with disruptions and challenges due to a pandemic and the resultant economic downturn.”
“This award affirms CICT’s ability to maintain efficiency and competitiveness in the face of adversity and is a tribute to the commitment and passion of the CICT team as well as to the support we receive from the Sri Lanka Ports Authority to maintain operations at optimal levels.”
CICT, which is managed by China Merchants Port Group (CMPort), beat three other shortlisted finalists in its category – Dalian International Container Terminal (China), Jakarta International Container Terminal (Indonesia) and Laem Chabang International Terminal (Thailand) – to win the AFLAS award. Hosted by Asia Cargo News, more than 40 different awards were presented to leading companies in the cargo, logistics and supply chain sectors at the 2021 edition of the AFLAS awards.
Huang attributed CICT’s achievement to the terminal’s continuing high levels of productivity leading to fast ship turnaround times.
CICT manages the South Terminal of the Port of Colombo, the first deep-water terminal in South Asia, which is equipped with facilities to handle the largest vessels afloat. Since its inception in 2014, the terminal has incrementally grown the volume it has handled; from 686,639 TEUs in 2014 to 1.56 million TEUs in 2015, 2 million TEUs in 2016, 2.38 million TEUs in 2017, 2.67 million TEUs in 2018, 2.9 million TEUs in 2019 and 2.89 million TEUs in 2020.


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Berlin-based MK Payment and Dutch bit4coin partner up to bring Bitcoin to the masses, as the two companies launch eVoucher program Bitupcard to enable locals to purchase Bitcoin at retail stores in Turkey.
The pilot program will start with 30 participating locations in Istanbul and major regions, but Bitupcard has already signed up 5,000 retail locations throughout Turkey, the company stated in an announcement.
Founded in 2013 in Amsterdam, bit4coin is a Bitcoin gift-voucher company that focuses on providing simple solutions to buy bitcoins. These solutions include gift cards and SMS vouchers, as well as enterprise offerings such as branded and white-label Bitcoin voucher solutions. Founder and CEO Dolf Diederichsen stated:
"One of the most difficult problems in Bitcoin is still how to get them. Enabling Turkish consumers to buy bitcoins in stores provides a simple, convenient and trustworthy solution."
Similar to prepaid mobile phone cards, the Bitupcard eVoucher allows users to credit their Bitcoin wallets with relevant fiat values varying between 50 and 500 Turkish lira (~US$20–200). Customers can purchase eVouchers in any of the participating retail stores. After having received a paper receipt with the voucher code, users are asked to enter the code at www.bitupcard.com, along with their Bitcoin wallet addresses. The company charges a 6% fee, which is said to be a very competitive option to purchase bitcoins in Turkey.
Bit4coin and the e-payment-technology company MK Payment joined forces and expertise to build this product, according to the two companies.
MK Payment is a Berlin-based online payment and technology company operating an electronic voucher network across Europe and the Middle East North Africa (MENA). CEO Ibrahim Tarlig shared his excitement in helping to bring Bitcoin to the masses:
"With Bitupcard, MK Payment and bit4coin are able to deliver a great product that will allow even consumers with little prior experience to buy their first bitcoins."
The two companies said they plan to expand their Bitcoin eVoucher program to other markets.
In other parts of the world, similar initiatives have been undertaken to provide easier methods to acquire bitcoins. In early September, Indonesia's leading Bitcoin exchange Bitcoin Indonesia announced it had partnered with payment processor iPaymu. They said their collaboration enables locals to purchase bitcoins over the counter at over 10,000 Indomaret stores. Indomaret is the largest chain of convenience stores in the country.
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PLUS Model Magazine Highlight: Interview With October 2013 Cover Model Fluvia Lacerda by Editor-in-Chief Madeline Jones
PMM Editor-in-Chief Madeline Jonesinterviewed our October 2013 cover model Fluvia Lacerda in the October 2013 issue of PLUS Model Magazine. Fluvia is a veteran in the industry who has built a successful modeling career despite not meeting the standard plus size requirement. With that achievement, she has opened the doors for other models to be successful and has helped set a new precedent in the industry.
In the interview, Fluvia expresses her opinion regarding the label ‘plus size’ in modeling, bloggers being used as inspiration by consumers, her personal style, tips for aspiring plus models wanting to get into the modeling industry and more! It’s a great, inspirational interview that’s a must-read.
To read Maddy’s interview with Fluvia Lacerda in our October 2013 issue, click here. The interview is on pages 135-142.
Please also make sure to check out the entire October 2013 issue, which is our annual Love Your Body Issue. There’s 200+ pages of so many wonderful articles, interviews and editorials that celebrate body love, confidence and inspiration.
This issue is brought to you from Amoena, the world’s leading breast care brand that offers bras, lingerie and prostheses for women, which supports their lifestyle after a diagnosis. We are so happy to partner up with them this month for this important issue right on time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is a cause we believe strongly in.


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Florida has lagged the burgeoning national ‘green building trend’, but it is now poised to go mainstream with increasing commercial retail and office buildings going to the process of green or LEED certifications. As of 2006 there has not been any residential homes that have received LEED certification in Florida although homes may have been built to those standards.
Residential Green Building
Maybe it was soaring home energy bills, or the cost of filling up at the pump. Maybe we finally got the message about global warming. Maybe it was sustainable but handsome materials, like cork and bamboo flooring. Maybe we finally care about indoor air quality. Now consumers routinely expect energy-efficient homes packed with insulation; Energy Star appliances; building materials that don’t fill our homes with noxious chemicals; natural fibers and materials. We feel good about buying green; and we’re willing to pay more upfront to save later.
Green Building Trend
Further evidence of the trend – The National Association of Home Builders headquarters in Washington is a “green” building. And the Color Marketing Group, which specifies colors for everything from Cadillacs to Kleenex boxes, says, “The mainstreaming of environmentalism is the key” to 2007′s colors: green, blue, brown, warm red and orange. In addition to saving natural resources and money, many companies have also realized that green buildings can be healthier for the people who work or live in them.
Until recently, Florida has lagged a growing national green-building trend. Many states have dozens of buildings certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s ”Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Program”. This LEED program is the national standard for commercial structures. By contrast, there are only 10 LEED-certified buildings in Florida.
The Florida Green Building Coalition also offers green-building designations, including one for homes, which are not yet covered by LEED.
Homebuyers are increasingly concerned about the impact their homes have on the environment. This has led to an upsurge in green home products and, naturally, to green homes. NAR’s website has has numerous links to different articles, websites and additional resources.
Commercial Office and Retail LEED Certified Buildings
But now, green building is poised to go mainstream. Since December 2004, the number of Florida commercial projects seeking LEED certification rose from 30 to 133. Last year, the Florida Home Builders Association agreed to adopt the standards set forth by the Florida Green Building Coalition, a non-profit organization that has worked for years to create rigorous practices, including for houses.
The Promenade at Lyons is a 23-acre mixed-use project that will bring upscale shopping, living and working venues to the city of Coconut Creek and create one of South Florida’s most progressive, environmentally-friendly centers. The Promenade at Lyons will feature more than 50 retail tenants, including Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic, Brighton, Chico’s, Coldwater Creek, Jos A Banks, and Limited Too, New York & Company, SOMA, Starbucks, Talbots, and White House Black Market.
Developer Brown Hill Development , along with its retail partner Stanbery Development, have received final approval for the design and development and are in the process of obtaining LEED certification, which requires that the project meet strict guidelines to promote and ensure environmentally responsible design.
The Promenade at Lyons is the first project to be completed within the city’s proposed downtown and is located on a portion of the largest undeveloped land parcel in Broward County at the corner of Lyons Road and Wiles Road. It will include approximately 250,000-square-feet of shopping and restaurants, up to 125,000 square-feet of office space, and up to 450 residential units. Construction will begin with the open-air shopping, restaurant and office components in fall 2007.
It will be one of the first major developments to be awarded LEED certification in the Southeast United States. Additionally, the newly designated downtown in Coconut Creek may become one of the first planned and zoned contiguous areas in the country to be named a ‘LEED district.’


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After the rise in inflation and crude oil, now the prices of electric scooters can also increase up to Rs 45,000 in the next three years. Crisil said in a report that the demand for e-vehicles is increasing due to increasing awareness among people to save the environment. Most of the e-scooters are seeing a boom in demand.
According to the report, due to the increase in the attraction of people towards e-scooters, their prices may see an increase of up to Rs 45,000 by 2025. This can be compensated by the Production Based Incentive (PLI) scheme for e-vehicles. The growing adoption of e-vehicles will continue due to cost-effectiveness, availability of multiple models and easy at-home charging options.


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A new brand POLLEN has joined the CBD wellness products available on Amazon UK. It has been launched by Tilray, the Canada-founded, cannabis research, cultivation, processing and distribution company which now has teams on the ground in seven countries, and supplies products on five continents, according to company statements.
The launch marketing includes encouragement for consumers to join “the community” which can be accessed at @withPollen. The stated aims for the brand are “to normalise CBD usage through education, transparency and credibility within the CBD market, and the growth of a community to create the first globally accessible CBD lifestyle brand in the world.”
In the POLLEN range are CBD gummies and drink drops in three lines, Powerbank, No Pressure, and Soothe You.
Powerbank has been developed to give consumers “that ‘full tank’ feeling”, as company marketing describes it. The gummies are a combination of lemon, orange and cacao, and the drink drops include citrus, lemon, orange, and coffee. The aim is to “promote a natural energy boost”.
No Pressure has been created for “those seeking to relax”. The gummies include grapefruit, turmeric and cayenne, and the drink drops are “packed with a punch of blackcurrant”.
Soothe You is “all about finding that sense of serenity and balance”. The gummies include a blend of chamomile, honey, and cherry, and the drink drops are “a breath of fresh air with tasty hints of grapefruit and raspberry”.
The ingredients are described as “vegan-friendly”.
The products are all listed as ‘awaiting evidence’ on the Food Standards Agency public list.


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The co-founder of Vice Media Inc. has overseen the transformation of the 23-year-old outfit from a Montreal punk magazine to a global media powerhouse, based in Brooklyn. Smith reportedly holds the largest equity stake of Vice’s three co-founders. The company’s valuation was pegged at $5.7 billion after a $450 million investment from San Francisco-based private equity firm TPG last year. The outlook has been tempered somewhat by recent misses on revenue targets of more than $100 million last year.
Smith stepped down as chief executive in March of 2018 after a New York Times investigation into the company’s sexist work environment. A lawsuit also was filed in Los Angeles claiming the company violated the federal Equal Pay Act and similar laws in New York and California. A&E Networks reportedly invested $250 million that helped with the creation of Vice’s TV channel Viceland. Walt Disney Co. has invested $400 million into the company for an 18 percent stake, according to media reports.
Last year: $1.1 billion
RESIDENCE: Santa Monica
SOURCE OF WEALTH: Media


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PRETORIA: Monday, August 02, 2021: The hugely anticipated new vehicle sales for the month of July reflected a mixed bag of statistics due to a number of factors which include: the recent economic disruptions caused by unrests in Kwazulu-Natal and certain areas across the Gauteng Province, the cyberattack on Transnet operations which led to a force majeure which in turn impacted negatively on vehicle export and import operations, as well as the adjusted Alert Level 4 lockdown restrictions which lasted for more than five weeks, curtailed the good progress made in the automotive industry’s rebound during the first six months of the year. As a result, export sales recorded a huge decline of 8,381 units, or 33,1%, to 16,931 units in July 2021 compared to the 25,312 vehicles exported in July 2020.
Aggregate domestic sales in July 2021, at 32,949 units, reflected a modest increase of 544 units, or 1,7%, from the 32,405 vehicles sold in July 2020. Overall, out of the total reported industry sales of 32,949 vehicles, an estimated 28,326 units, or 86,0%, represented dealer sales, an estimated 9,2% represented sales to the vehicle rental industry, 2,7% to industry corporate fleets, and 2,1% sales to government.
The July 2021 new passenger car market at 20,575 units had registered an increase of 1,719 cars, or a gain of 9,1%, compared to the 18,856 new cars sold in July 2020. The car rental industry supported the new passenger car market during the month and accounted for 11,9% of car sales in July 2021. Domestic sales of new light commercial vehicles, bakkies and mini-buses at 10,266 units during July 2021 had recorded a decline of 899 units, or a drop of 8,1%, from the 11,165 light commercial vehicles sold during July 2020.
Sales for medium and heavy truck segments of the industry also reflected a weak performance and at 587 units and 1,521 units, respectively, showed a decline of 113 units, or 16,1% in the case of medium commercial vehicles, and, in the case of heavy trucks and buses a decline of 163 vehicles, or a fall of 9,7%, compared to the corresponding month last year. The July 2021 exports sales number at 16,931 units reflected a huge fall of 8,381 vehicles, or 33,1%, compared to the 25,312 vehicles exported in July 2020. Encouragingly, for the year-to-date, vehicle exports, however, were still 47,3% ahead of the same period last year.
In addition to the adjusted Alert Level 4 lockdown restrictions being in place for most of July 2021, the civil unrest in the country along with the cyber-attack on Transnet, left a major scar on the country’s economy. The ABSA Purchasing Manufacturers’ Index [PMI] reflected that the magnitude of the monthly decline was worse than during the hard lockdown in April 2020.
“The devastating economic impact and unintended consequences of these actions not only caused a setback in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic but could prolong the economic recovery process and also have a lasting impact on the country’s challenges of dealing with poverty, inequality, and unemployment”said Mikel MABASA, naamsa CEO.
“Physical damages to assets and property, lost sales orders as well as the cancellation of new developments in the automotive industry are estimated at well over R3billion. Businesses and consumers already had to brace themselves for the significant price hikes in key living costs such as electricity, fuel, and municipal rates and taxes during July 2021”MABASA said.
“However, South Africans once again showed their goodwill and social solidarity during these challenging times. With the calm returning to KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, the country moving to adjusted alert level 3 lockdown restrictions and the accelerated roll out of the vaccinations, the gradual recovery in the new vehicle market is anticipated to continue for the remainder of the year”naamsa CEO.
The upward momentum in vehicle exports also grinded to a halt during the month as the civil unrest well as the Force Majeure declared by Transnet after the cyber-attack, which took effect from July 22 and resulted in many operations having to be conducted manually, caused massive logistical challenges on the N3 highway and at all the country’s major ports. Vehicle exports and imports as well as vehicle production and the delivery of automotive components could take some time to normalise. It is always unfortunate that these mindless actions, which lasted only a few days, could potentially affect the image of an industry as a reliable manufacturer and supplier of quality vehicles and automotive components to world markets, which took several decades to establish.