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This time of uncertainty, Amazon’s recent announcement of decreasing its workforce has become a tragic truth. We’re saddened to hear that 18,000 of our hugely valued workers will endure straight. At Amazon we have a major precedence that is to make sure we are doing the correct factor for our staff. It can be a not easy and unsettling for those who are affected. We’re extremely grateful for those who have been affected, and we’re decided to do every thing we can to help them. We’re providing workers who’ve experienced a hardship with months of paid time and various reward to help them transition into the subsequent stage of their career
. 1. How many workers do Amazoncom. Inc. lay off?
Amazoncom. Inc. introduced that in the latest reduction in its workforce, it will be laying off more than 18,000 workers. This is being performed in attempt to streamline the structure of the enterprise and its operations. The move is anticipated to affect 14%. of Amazon’s present workforce which is 13. million. Amazon isn’t the only enterprise who has been compelled to trim the dimension of its workforce. In the month of January, the enterprise laid off around three thousand workers. In April 2020 it layoff another 77,000 workers in its retail division. This latest round of layoffs is possibly the most severe ever and reflects the state of the tech industry in the wake of the continuing pandemic
. 2. What are the instructions to staff relating to the elimination of employees?
The memo despatched to workers regarding layoffs got here as a response to recent announcements from Amazon as good as Salesforce about their determination to reduce a portion of their workers. This is a sign of the financial conditions. Many companies have had to make not easy financial judgements in the wake of the present recession. The announcement of cutbacks have prompted a lot unhappiness and anger and the letter to the workers is an attempt to both make clear the scenario and furnish some kind of understanding for people who are affected. Important to keep in mind that the explanations for these layoffs are not reveal the level of work or character of the employees, but rather the actuality of the economy today
. 3. Is there a cause for the droop in the tech industry?
Recently, the media has been flooded with accounts of tech giants, such as Salesforce and Amazon making layoffs of workers due to the slowing tech industry. This sudden shift in the know-how industry has led some to query the trigger of the droop. In general, the tech industry’s droop can be traced to a variety of factors, from the worldwide pandemic , to the current financial recession. Many agencies have had to assessment their specifications for staff due to the spread of the sickness. The agencies are also looking for to decrease expenses as a result of the downturn in the economy. It has resulted in reductions in staff for many tech companies
. four. How did Amazoncom. Inc. achieve its annual plan?
Amazoncom. Inc. introduced plans to reduce more than 18,000 of its workers as part of their annual budgeting. The determine is 35. p.c of Amazon’s world-wide workforce. The COVID-19 epidemic has introduced significant financial damage to many companies and has led to a decline in sales of certain items as good as providers. The total enterprise are affected by the reduction in jobs, together with Amazon Web Services (Amazon’s cloud computing division) and physically-based retail retailers. The majority of job cuts are likely to arise in the United States and Europe. However, Amazon also plans to downsize its workforce in locations exterior the US
. 5. What measures has Amazoncom. Inc
. Amazoncom. Inc. took a variety of steps to decrease its staff of over 18,000 workers in the latest purge of know-how workers. These steps aim to decrease cost and to restructure the organization so that it can remain competitive in the market. The enterprise launched a voluntary program for early retirement that allows eligible workers to obtain a severance cost along with a decrease in personnel, which could lead to job losses. Additionally, the enterprise has the hiring freeze which blocks the creation of jobs as good as a limited hiring freeze which permits restricted hiring. Furthermore, Amazoncom. Inc
. A Quick Summary
The know-how industry’s job loss by 2020 is a surprising warning that even the largest agencies can be affected by recessions. Companies like Amazon have, for example, should reduce again their workforce to weather the recession and keep financially sustainable. Amazon along with other tech-related agencies have confirmed their resilience even in powerful environments. This could serve as an inspiration to other agencies looking for ways to meet the challenges that lie ahead


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India’s Cashless Frontier
Going cashless is the paradigm that several leading economies around the world are striving towards. In India as well there have been several moves towards enabling a cashless economy. The most significant move in recent history was demonetization which has helped drive the penetration of cashless payment mechanisms in India. Nandan Nilekani, termed this demonetization move as “a defining point in India moving to cashless”.
The Myth of Free Cash
In India many of us assume that cash itself does not cost anything but according to the Institute for Business in the Global Context report “The Cost of Cash in India”, the Reserve Bank of India and Commercial Banks annually face a total of Rs. 21,000 crores in currency operations costs. This spending is huge especially when we compare it with our peer developing nations like Brazil, Mexico and South Africa. In Delhi alone citizens spend 6 million hours and Rs. 9.1 crores to obtain cash yearly.
“For a number of reasons, cash is a drag on the economy. It imposes costs on consumers, businesses and most significantly Treasury. We have studied the cost of cash in over 70 countries around the world and India scores among the highest in terms of the costs to the consumers”
In this scenario, cashless systems will save time and money that could be deployed more productively.
Cashless Economies around the world
Cashless economies have various benefits including: better tax collection, greater transparency and accountability, direct payment into accounts and lower corruption. Globally, some of the benefits observed in cashless economies include a decrease in cash transactions in Sweden to just three per cent in the national economy. This has not only solved the black money problem but it has also resulted in better tax collection. In the UK an average of 89 per cent of the population uses digital banking for transportation and other transactions whereas in France people haven’t stopped at mobile payments, they have even started using contactless cards and mPOS to avoid the daily hustle of obtaining cash from ATMs.
India’s Journey towards a Cashless Economy
India had been preparing itself for going cashless since a long time. In the 1990s the Reserve bank of India introduced Electronic Clearing Service(ECS) Credit to handle bulk and repetitive payment requirement (like salaries, interest, dividend payments) of corporates and other institutes. In 2004 Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) and in 2005 National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT) were introduced, now it was easy for Individuals/corporates to transfer money from one account/bank to another. Soon to follow was National Electronic Clearing Service (NECS), a new avatar which allowed and managed multiple credits to beneficiary accounts. As a result of all these initiatives the total transactions(by value) for the year 2015-16 through RTGS was Rs. 824,578 billion and NEFT was Rs. 83,273 billion. Hence we can say India was already equipped with several different modes of electronic payments before November 2016, the demonetization drive just accelerated the push.
Demonetization also acted as the catalyst to boost the growth of e-Wallets in India. The mobile wallet sector in the 1st quarter of 2017 grew up by 81 per cent in terms of volume over the same quarter a year earlier, as reported by RedSeer Management. With more and more people switching to mobile wallets for their daily transactions, companies like Paytm, MobiKwik and FreeCharge have increased their Active User base by 10 times in last 6 months.
The prices of smartphones have also gone down as a result India has around 320 million smartphone users but still there is a long way to go until 100% of the Indian population has mobile internet access. Nevertheless, the banks made sure that getting a smartphone is not a barrier to access mobile payments, thereby providing a USSD option on older, “non-smart” phones. All these factors led to Rs.111.09 trillion digital transaction in the month of May alone.
The government is also promoting going cashless to consumers proactively, offering different incentives and rewards. BHIM, Direct benefit transfers, launch of Aadhar Merchant App are just some of the measures by the government to accelerate the push.
Cashless Transactions at the Local Government level
The Central Government has also asked all the statutory 4,041 urban local bodies to switch to e-payments as soon as possible. Every year crores of Rupees are collected by ULBs in form of Property tax, Issuing trade licenses, Building plan approvals and other Service charges. There are many ULBs which are not yet digitized and hence it becomes burden on these resource starved ULBs to operate cash counters and keep an account of all this money manually. Both cash and cheque reconciliations are tedious, time consuming processes. There are a significant volume of transactions to validate every month for which a lot of data entries and manual adjustments have to be made. Moreover manual processes are fraught with the risk of data errors. The citizens on the other hand have to stand in long queues multiple times a year to deposit these taxes and payments.
eGovernments Foundation’s SmartCity platform enables ULBs to go cashless, reduce their burden of manual cash accounting while saving citizens time and money in the process of making payments to the ULBs. SmartCity comes embedded with different online payment options, automatically generates demands and receipt and streamlines reconciliation thereby reducing paperwork and eliminating errors. The time and effort currently spent on payment collection and reconciliation can be greatly reduced enabling ULBs to focus on better service delivery to citizens.
This platform has enabled New Delhi to roll out complete cashless transaction services to the citizens of Delhi. Now all the payments to NDMC can be made through cashless options such as credit and debit cards, mobile wallet, e wallet, aadhar enabled payment systems, Unified payment interface etc. Even in Chennai the platform has met with great success since it was introduced with total property tax collections rising from 280 crores in 2012 to 680 crores in 2016. The share of online payments also rose from 4% to 25% during the same period. The system has helped save time for municipal employees and citizens, thus ensuring the city is effectively utilising its resources.
"eGov’s SmartCity platform has helped Chennai Streamline their tax collection process, while enabling ease of payments to citizens. As a result tax collections have improved drastically. Our system has enabled Corporation of Chennai to offer citizens the option to go cashless and they have responded with more than a third of the transactions today taking place online"
eGov is proud to partner with over 325 ULBs across India in their journey to a cashless economy.

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Walt Disney World has reported $20,000 worth of pieces to a pair of Magic Kingdom attractions missing from storage, according to a new law enforcement report.
Last week, a Disney employee noticed a set of sails used in the high-flying Peter Pan’s Flight was gone in a storage shed behind Epcot’s Test Track ride. He had been doing inventory counts when he realized something was wrong.
Upon further look that afternoon, the employee later realized “a shell” and three seats from Space Mountain roller coaster had also disappeared. Disney declined to provide more information on what the shell was used for in the ride.
The materials attendant contacted the planning manager, who notified the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 2, the following day.
"None of the items taken have unique markings or serial items,” the sheriff’s report said.
It was a mystery how the grand theft and burglary occurred.
The items were in padlocked storage. Fencing surrounded the shed, according to the report.
A Disney spokeswoman declined to comment, calling it a law enforcement issue.
The black market for rare Disney World items is a lucrative one.
Earlier this year, authorities investigated a case where a now ex-Disney employee and his cousin are accused of breaking into the Haunted Mansion and stealing items from the attraction.
Got a news tip? email@example.com or 407-420-5470; Twitter, @GabrielleRusson


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RuPay debit and credit card holders in the country can avail a discount of 10 per cent on purchases from the retail stores of Future Group including Big Bazaar. Under this offer, the customers can avail the benefits at Food Bazaar, eZone and fbb, apart from Big Bazaar.
RuPay debit and credit card holders in the country can avail a discount of 10 per cent on purchases from the retail stores of Future Group including Big Bazaar. Under this offer, the customers can avail the benefits at Food Bazaar, eZone and fbb, apart from Big Bazaar. The offer will be valid from Friday (March 23, 2018) till April 30, 2018. The offer was launched by Future Retail along with the ‘Free Shopping Weekend’ campaign which will take place from March 23 to March 25.
Under the Free Shopping Weekend, the customers will receive free gift vouchers and goodies worth Rs 2,000 on purchases made for an equal or higher amount. This means that the RuPay card holder will get extra benefits if they shop for Rs 2000 or more. The customers will not only get 10 per cent discount but will also be given goodies worth Rs 2,000.
However, if they shop for just Rs 1500, they will still get 10 per cent discount, up to the maximum cap of Rs 250.
Kunal Kalawatia, SVP – Marketing & Branding, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), said that the step is aimed at enhancing the value proposition of RuPay cards for customers. He said that the collaboration with Big Bazaar is aligned with their efforts to benefit both the RuPay and Future Retail customers.
The customers need to keep in mind that the offer is applicable for each RuPay card holder only once in a month during the campaign period. It will be applicable on either of the retail chains of Future Retail namely, Big Bazaar, Food Bazaar, eZone and fbb.
Any card transaction over Rs 1500 in the month will qualify for 10 per cent discount.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer, Big Bazaar, Sadashiv Nayak said that the group is always looking for new ways to collaborate and ensure that their customers get best value purchases.
“Future Group has always believed in understanding and meeting the aspirations and changing needs of the customer through wide assortment and extremely affordable prices. We are constantly creating newer ways and collaborations to ensure that our customers enjoy the best value for their purchases and we strongly believe that our association with RuPay will enhance their shopping experience,” he said.


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SAP rejects allegations of Gupta kickbacks
An amaBhungane and Scorpio investigation says that in order to clinch Transnet business, SAP agreed to pay 10% “sales commission” to a company controlled by the Guptas.
JOHANNESBURG - Software company SAP has denied paying kickbacks to a Gupta-linked company and says it is now investigating possible action into the media reports.
An amaBhungane and Scorpio investigation revealed on Tuesday that in order to clinch Transnet business, SAP agreed to pay 10% “sales commission” to a company controlled by the Guptas. The evidence suggests the company – a little-known outpost of the Gupta empire – was deliberately interposed to obscure Gupta involvement and to launder the proceeds to them.
SAP describes the Gupta leaks report as unfounded.
SAP Africa MD Brett Parker says the company "strongly rejects allegations of kickbacks recently made by some South Africa-based media".
"The accusations made around the use and payment of subcontractors are unfounded and unsubstantiated.
"SAP is dedicated to conducting every aspect of our business responsibly and in accordance with the highest global compliance and legal standards.
"As part of its day to day business, SAP South Africa engages various subcontractors, SMEs and partners and it has always been and will continue to be SAP’s policy to partner with a wide pool of organisations that qualify for our partner programme, if those organisations successfully meet the exacting criteria of our global due diligence and certification processes," says Parker.
"SAP has taken strong exception to the reports issued in the media today, and is investigating possible action."
The AmaBhungane and Scorpio probe states that in August 2015, SAP signed a “sales commission agreement” with a small Gupta-controlled company that specialises in selling 3D printers.
The terms suggest a thinly disguised kickback arrangement: If the Gupta company were the “effective cause” of SAP landing a Transnet contract worth R100 million or more, it would get 10%.
In the year to follow, SAP paid the company, CAD House, a whopping R99.9 million, suggesting SAP used the Gupta influence network to drive sales of R1 billion to Transnet and other state-owned companies.
Meanwhile, amaBhungane journalist Susan Comrie says she is surprised by SAP’s response.
“We interviewed SAP’s local officials about this. We interviewed both senior executives from SAP in South Africa. They admitted to paying this money and entering into a sale agreement with this company.”


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Microsoft Surface Pro 5 With AMD Ryzen And Windows 10 Update Coming This Spring
The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is expected to be launched this coming spring and it is rumored to come with AMD's latest Ryzen processors along with the latest Windows 10 Creators Update. There are rumors that say two variants of the Suurface Pro 5 will be launched - one with the said AMD CPU and another with rival Intel's latest processors.
According to Inquisitr, initial rumors indicated that the next Surface Pro will utilize Intel's latest 7th-generation Kaby Lake processors. There are new speculations, however, that the Surface Pro 5 will be powered by AMD Ryzen CPUs instead. The recent rumor emerged after a similar device was used in the teaser for the film "Alien: Covenant". The teaser shows a scientist using what looks like a Microsoft Surface Pro and later embedding a chip with the AMD logo on the head of Walter, played by Michael Fassbender. The shift from Intel to AMD wouldn't come as a surprise since the latter has been getting praises since its release. Also, other high-end devices such as the iMac 2017 and MacBook Pro have been rumored to be coming with the AMD Ryzen processors as well. Another rumor surfaced earlier that it is also possible that Microsoft will release two Surface Pro 5 variants with AMD and Intel chips. This rumor came about after a photo of a wall in Microsoft's building 88 was leaked indicating that there are more than one Surface Pro devices in the offing.
Unless an official announcement comes out, all these are mere speculations. PC Advisor suggested that the Surface Pro 5 may launch this spring so it just a matter of weeks before the industry finally gets to see the highly-anticipated convertible. There are a number of reasons why the Surface Pro 5 may come real soon. First, the Surface Pro series is ripe for an upgrade. Microsoft did not debut the Surface Pro 5 device at last year's October Windows event and last month's MWC 2017. It has been more than a year since the Surface Pro 4 was released so it is highly plausible that a new one is coming. Second, some retailers have slashed the price of the Surface Pro 4 by $100 back in January. A price drop for a current flagship device is a common indication that a new one is coming soon. Lastly, a leak from China says Pegatron, the maker of the Surface Studio, has already received a contract to manufacture the Surface Pro 5.
Earlier this month, Microsoft launched an updated Surface Book with impressive features including the 6th-generation Core i7 Skylake processor, 16GB of RAM, 1TB of solid-state storage and a cheaper $2,999 price tag. The launch of the Surface Pro 5 will likely not be as quiet as the Surface Book simply because the device, whether it would come with Intel or AMD Ryzen processors, is something everyone has been waiting for.
Microsoft Surface Hub vs Google Jamboard: Which Is The Better Digital Whiteboard
The Google Jamboard will drop in stores in May and is expected to give the Microsoft Surface Hub a run for its money.
Microsoft Surface Phone 2017 Latest News: Patent For Foldable Smartphone Surfaces
A patent granted to Microsoft shows that the highly-anticipated Surface Phone may be a foldable device.
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'Tokyo Ghoul' Season 3 Delayed By Its Live-Action Movie? Ken Kenaki Returns With Another Identity?
"Tokyo Ghoul" season 3's release is delayed and there are countless speculations as to why it is being pushed back. Reports claim that the show is to give way to "One Punch Man" and "My Hero Acdemia" but new rumors say that it's lack of materials and storyline as well as its live-action movie are causing the delay.
Here's The Game Lineup For PlayStation Plus This May
Sony just revealed its upcoming PlayStation Plus lineup for the month of May. Check them out here!
'One Piece' Manga On A Break; Chapter 864 Arrives In May With The Big Mom Assassination Plot Backfiring On Luffy And Capone, Jinbei Dies?
"One Piece" chapter 864 will not come out next week as it will be on a scheduled break following a holiday. Spoilers and predictions reveal to see Big Mom going furious for the destruction of the Mother Caramel portrait and fans might see a character dying.


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What a Difference Six Months Can Make
When the NY Department of Health and Mental Hygiene passed a law that required chain restaurants to post calories on their menus restaurant six months ago, owners didn’t believe it would make a big difference in what people ordered. A recent survey, however, found that nearly a quarter of consumers say the nutritional information is having an impact on what they eat. Read this interview to see the healthy changes New Yorkers are making.
While it’s great that this change has made consumers more aware of what they are putting into their bodies, it is also important to understand the caloric density of foods. In other words, how much nourishment are you getting from those 100 or 200 calories? For example, a 100-calorie pack of cookies may have fewer calories than a handful of almonds, but the nuts have much more nutritional value. Empty calories found in lower-fat foods may not sustain you the way a food with higher fat and calorie content would.
Do you think restaurants should be required to post ingredients on their menus as well so you know exactly what benefits you’re getting out of your meals?


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Ryanair, Europe’s favourite airline, today (14 Oct) launched its Zadar Summer 2016 schedule with a new route to Berlin and 13 routes in total, which will deliver 315,000 customers p.a. and support 230* “on-site” jobs at Zadar Airport.
Ryanair’s Zadar summer 2016 schedule will deliver:
Croatian consumers and visitors can choose from Ryanair’s 13 low fare Zadar routes in S16 and can look forward to further improvements, as Ryanair continues its “Always Getting Better” programme, which includes new bases, a new personalised website, new app, new cabin interiors, new crew uniforms and improved inflight menus.
In Zadar, Ryanair’s Chief Commercial Officer, David O’Brien said:
“Ryanair is pleased to launch our Zadar summer 2016 schedule, with a new route to Berlin and 13 routes in total,which will deliver 315,000 customers p.a. and support 230* “on-site” jobs at Zadar Airport.
Our customers can look forward to further improvements in the coming months, including our ground breaking personalised website, with exciting new digital features such as ‘hold the fare’ and real customer destination reviews, and improved menus, new cabin crew uniforms and new cabin interiors on board, with more to come in Year 3, as we continue to offer so much more than just lowest fares.
To celebrate the launch of our Zadar summer 2016 schedule, we are releasing 100,000 seats for sale across our European network at fares starting from just €19.99, which are available for booking until midnight Thursday (15 Oct). Since these amazing low prices will be snapped up quickly, customers should log onto www.ryanair.com and avoid missing out.”
*ACI research confirms up to 750 ‘on-site’ jobs are sustained at international airports for every 1m passengers


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Filing your taxes on April 15? What if someone has already filed “your” income tax return? Sadly, this can happen, and it does happen, all too often. Here’s why, and what you can do about it.
Scans of a huge botnet have revealed that it has harvested at least 16 million usernames and passwords for email sites and other online services, according to a report released by German security agency, the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI).
The National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance activities revealed by former CIA contractor Edward Snowden appear to be taking a serious toll on public confidence in technology companies in America, such as Internet service providers and software companies, according to a Harris poll commissioned by ESET. The poll found that two-thirds of adult Americans who said
A new Harris poll shows that revelations about the National Security Agency’s digital surveillance activities are changing online behavior for many Americans and some say they are doing less online banking and less online shopping because of what they have learned about the NSA.
The Model S is rated one of the safest cars on the road – but the electronic security system protecting its locks may not be quite as bulletproof, researchers claim. The six-digit PIN used to protect its lock can be brute-forced, or phished, by attackers.
Microsoft will cease providing security updates for the Windows XP operating system on April 8, 2014. If you cannot get away from Windows XP yet, there are still a few things you can do to keep yourself safe.
Contrary to reports late last week, the BlackBerry smartphones used by White House staffers and the President are not to be replaced by Android or Windows Phone handsets from Korean manufacturers LG and Samsung.
Apple’s Mavericks update was the first free update to Mac OS X – itself a big step forward for security, as all Mac users can update to the latest version freely (providing their machine is up to the new software – which Apple allows you to check here). But under the bonnet of Mavericks lurk
A new form of Android malware could bypass one of the main warning systems built into Google’s smartphone and tablet OS – allowing malicious apps to ‘sneak’ onto a phone with a relatively innocuous list of ‘Permissions’, then add new, malicious abilities.
As Mac malware increases in prevalence, testing security software that supplements OS X internal security gets more important and more difficult.
Recently it was announced that Satya Nadella will be Steve Ballmer’s successor as CEO of Microsoft. Of course for the cybercriminals this is the time to dust off and polish the good old Microsoft Lottery scam and update it.
Welcome to the new ESET blog: We Live Security. In fact, We Live Security is a lot more than a blog: it contains the same great content you have enjoyed on blog.eset.com, but also includes new features and a wider range of content. For example, here’s a podcast talking about the new site, one of
Could holes in security code and major information systems in America be due, at least in part, to the dire state of education in subjects like Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)?
Phishing is unique among cyber attacks – it doesn’t rely on weaknesses in computer software, or new vulnerabilities – it relies, initially at least, on human gullibility. Our guide offers advice on how to avoid the latest scams – and why tablet and smartphone users need to stay alert.
Following the ground up overhaul of the BlackBerry operating system and accompanying launch of their new flagship smartphones last year, we wondered how they really stack up–security wise–against the other smartphones you might already have in your pocket or purse right now. How do new devices running Blackberry 10–as the new OS is called–compare to
Users of Apple iPhone and/or iPad need to install iOS 7.0.6 right away to patch a vulnerability in the SSL code that protects connections with websites and other computers. Users of Mac OS X should be on alert for a similar fix, due shortly.
Malicious apps are multiplying rapidly in Google’s Play store – where a survey found that the number of malicious apps had grown 388% from 2011 to 2013, according to Risk IQ.
A large scale cyber-theft has drained the relaunched ‘online drug bazaar’ Silk Road 2.0 of nearly all of its Bitcoin reserves – estimated to be worth $2 million or even more. The site relied on bitcoin to help anonymize transactions.


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WASHINGTON --- Wachovia Corp. has agreed to pay an estimated $144 million to settle federal allegations that it failed to stop telemarketers charged with taking advantage of thousands of elderly consumers.
The federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said Friday that Charlotte, N.C.-based Wachovia didn't act quickly enough to block telemarketers and payment processors who maintained their accounts at the bank. The marketers obtained customers' bank account numbers while selling products including vouchers for discount travel and groceries and medical discount plans.
Wachovia did not admit any wrongdoing, but will pay up to $125 million in claims, $8.9 million toward consumer education programs and a $10 million fine.
"This situation was unacceptable and we regret it happened," said Wachovia spokeswoman Christy Phillips-Brown. "We will work diligently to provide restitution to consumers affected by the situation and to educate consumers."
Ms. Phillips-Brown said the bank was not directly involved in the telemarketing activity or soliciting of account information from consumers, and said the settlement is not expected to impact the company's financial condition.
The Wachovia case, the subject of an 18-month investigation by bank regulators, involved the telemarketers' use of "remotely created checks," which do not require a customer's signature.
Regulators said telemarketers would make sales calls, obtain customers' bank account information, create a check and withdraw cash from customers' accounts.
The government said a "large percentage" of the consumers complained, saying they never authorized the payments, or didn't receive the products or services offered. Those affected included customers with accounts at numerous banks, including Wachovia.
Though the bank became aware of the situation, it "failed to take quick action to terminate these account relationships or otherwise correct the problem," the OCC said in a statement.


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Google Wallet, which lets online shoppers make purchases without having to enter credit card numbers each time, could soon be available to Google Glass users, allowing them to make purchases with voice commands or gestures.
The pending addition of Google Wallet services to Google Glass users was reported in a TechCrunch story on May 5, citing a “source close to the company.”
“Google Wallet is coming to Glass soon,” the story reported. “… Google is currently testing a way for Glass users to send money to their friends through Wallet by simply using their voices to ask Glass to ‘send money.’ The company is testing this service internally right now, but chances are it will launch to all Glass users in the near future.”
Presently, the only people testing the fledgling service are Glass users who can sign in through Google’s corporate network, the report stated. “From there, they can install the Wallet glassware, and after setting the service up from there, they are ready to send money from Glass.”
The user fee for Google Wallet transactions is 2.9 percent of the transaction or 30 cents, whichever is higher.
A Google spokesperson declined to comment about the Wallet services for Glass.
Google Wallet just gained some new order tracking features in March, allowing users to receive status reports and purchase information right on their devices after they make purchases. So far, the improvements are available to users in the United States who are using Android devices running Version 4.0 or higher or Apple iOS devices running Version 6.0 or higher. Customers are also now able to see receipts sent to their Gmail accounts when they are inside the Google Wallet app. And they can view shipping updates, including whether their package is out for delivery, delayed or delivered.
In November 2013, Google gave Google Wallet customers in the United States another convenient way to make purchases using the funds in their Wallet accounts by offering a new Google Wallet Card, a debit card with no annual or monthly fees. The Google-branded debit card lets Wallet customers take money out through ATMs, make purchases anywhere MasterCard is accepted and receive quick notifications on their mobile devices to track their expenditures, according to an earlier eWEEK report.
While there are no fees from Google for transferring money to or from the card using a bank checking or savings account, a fee of 2.9 percent is levied when a user sends or receives money to or from a credit or debit card, according to Google. The minimum fee for such a transaction is 30 cents. Some ATM operators also charge an ATM fee to use the card, according to Google.
In September 2013, Google released a new version of its Google Wallet app for Android phones that included improvements for sending money to others, getting special savings on online purchases and tracking purchases. The new version of the Google Wallet app rolled out for all Android phones Version 2.3 and higher.
In May 2013, Google announced that it integrated its Wallet payment services with Gmail, allowing users to safely and securely send money to a recipient in an email. The service, which allows up to $10,000 to be sent in a single transaction, works even if the recipient does not have a Gmail address. The new Google Wallet app also received that capability.


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Three Bullish Apple Data Points
According to a new report, small and medium sized businesses prefer Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) devices to all others.
In fact, according to a study by Intermedia, the margin between Apple and everybody else is huge.
According to its report, about 190,000 iPhones and iPads were activated on its network during the first 10 months of 2013. The second most popular, Samsung, only had 29,000 activations.
Specifically, the iPhone 5S logged 6,906 activations compared to the 5C that had 1,521.
The iPhone 5, 4S and 4 logged more activations than the lower-cost 5C. Why such a lackluster performance for the 5C? Intermedia believes that small business owners are less price conscious and prefer a full-featured phone over the stripped-down 5C.
Intermedia is a third-party provider of hosted Exchange delivering integrated email, calendars, and contacts to more than 700,000 business customers.
Users Considering iPads
In other news, a November study by research firm Changewire found of all the people who reported being in the market for a tablet, 72 percent said they would only consider an iPad. That’s up from 55 percent reported during the firm’s August survey.
Samsung dropped 13 percent to only nine percent and Google’s nexus fell three percent to nine percent.
Of the iPad buyers, 55 percent said they would purchase an iPad Air, 16 percent wanted an iPad mini with Retina display, and 17 percent weren’t sure which model they would purchase.
Finally, another analyst released a report that advised investors to stop putting so much weight on the market share number.
Charlie Wolf, of Needham & Co. said that market share matters “very little” because the Apple ecosystem is so vast that each customer will purchase more than just the device. This will include apps, music, and other hardware devices. Google’s Android devices hold a larger market share but the margins are lower and the ecosystem isn’t as developed.
"Indeed, there appears to be no correlation between market share and the viability of a platform. In surveying the variables that determine the viability of a platform, we would argue that the breadth and depth of the platform's application library and ecosystem play a far more important role than does market share,” Wolf said.
Still, worldwide market share for iOS devices continues to rise. It now sits at 9.2 percent—up from 3.5 percent in 2009.
Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Tim Parker had no position in the above name securities.
© 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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Increased rental revenues led the way as H&E Equipment Services posted a 17.4 percent revenue jump in fourth quarter earnings – to $346 million – compared to $294.7 million a year ago.
Equipment sales exceeded expectations amid a busy year for the construction industry, with crane aerial equipment leading the surge.
For the full year, new equipment sales soared by 29 percent compared to 2017. And the outlook for 2019 is positive as both rental revenues and construction activity remain in an upswing, according to CEO and President Brad Barber.
Drilling down on fourth-quarter details, the company reports:
- Equipment rental revenues increased 27.6 percent to $163.0 million. That’s compared with $127.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2017.
- New equipment sales increased 7.1 percent to $79.7 million from $74.4 million a year ago.
- Used equipment sales increased 17.8 percent to $37.8 million, compared to $32.1 million a year ago.
- Parts sales increased 9.1 percent to $30.5 million from $28 million in the fourth quarter of 2017.
- Service revenues decreased 3.3 percent to $15.2 million compared to $15.8 million a year ago.
The company’s gross margin was 35.6 percent compared to 34.2 percent a year ago. The increase in gross margin was the result of a shift in revenue mix to higher margin rental revenues combined with strong operating performance from several business segments, H&E says.
Rental gross margins were steady, at 51.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to 51 percent a year ago.
“As a result of strong demand for rental equipment and new machinery combined with solid execution throughout our business,” Barber stressed, “fourth quarter total revenues increased 17.4 percent and adjusted EBITDA increased 26.2 percent from a year ago.
“Project activity in the non-residential construction markets remained healthy, and we continued to achieve rate improvement and high physical utilization levels, which drove a 27.6 percent increase in rental revenue from the prior year quarter,” he explains.
“New equipment sales exceeded our expectations, increasing 7.1 percent from a year ago, which we believe to be a tough comp. The increase in new equipment sales was largely due to higher aerial and crane sales, up 95.5 percent and 5.7 percent, respectively.”
Here are more results:
- The size of the company’s rental fleet based on original acquisition cost increased 25.7 percent from a year ago, to $1.8 billion.
- Average rental rates increased 2 percent compared to a year ago and 0.5 percent sequentially, a press release says.
- Average time utilization (based on original equipment cost) was 72.9 percent compared to 74.2 percent a year ago.
- Dollar utilization was 37 percent in the fourth quarter compared to 36.2 percent a year ago.
A younger fleet
Average rental fleet age at December 31, 2018, was 34.5 months, compared to an industry average age of 45.4 months.
At the end of the fourth quarter of 2018, the original acquisition cost of the company’s rental fleet was $1.8 billion, an increase of $361 million from the end of the fourth quarter of 2017, H&E says.
2018 full-year results strong
For the the full year of 2018, H&E reports:
- Total revenues increased 20.3 percent, or $208.9 million, to $1.2 billion in 2018 from $1.0 billion in 2017.
- Equipment rental revenues increased 23.6 percent to $592.2 million compared with $479.0 million in 2017.
- New equipment sales increased 29.3 percent to $262.9 million from $203.3 million a year ago. Used equipment sales increased 16.6% to $125.1 million compared to $107.3 million a year ago.
- Parts sales increased 5.4% to $120.5 million from $114.3 million in 2017. Service revenues increased 1.0% to $63.5 million from $62.9 million a year ago.
Industry growth fuels positive outlook
“Our outlook for 2019 is positive as industry rental revenues are forecast to increase, growth in the non-residential construction markets is expected to continue and our larger contractor customers remain confident about the level of projects in their pipelines,” says Barber.
“Even with a fleet size that is 25.7 percent, or $361 million by original acquisition cost – larger than a year ago – physical utilization is currently running above year-ago levels.
“We remain focused on additional growth through acquisitions and warm starts,” he says, “with two acquisitions in 2018 and our recent purchase of Texas-based We-Rent-It.”


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Planning ahead key for those hitting the slopes in Vermont
By Chris Mays
Hitting the slopes requires patience and planning this season.
Vermont ski areas, including Stratton Mountain Resort in Stratton; Mount Snow Resort in West Dover; and Bromley Mountain Resort in Peru will all have limited inventory when it comes to daily lift tickets and rentals, and are requiring advance reservations for tickets, stays, lessons and dining.
While adhering to COVID-19 protocols means ski and snowboard lessons will have fewer people in each group, it also means more one-on-one time with the instructor.
“The main goal is to have smaller group sizes, less contact,” said Andrew Kimiecik, Stratton’s marketing communications specialist.
With that in mind, Kimiecik advises people to sign up for lessons ahead of time because smaller group sizes will limit the number of lessons. Private lessons at Stratton will be kept to four students, while group lessons will be limited to six.
Smaller class sizes aren’t new for Stratton, which already offered Max 4 lessons, where the number of participants is kept to four.
“We had it, last season, in our program as a more personalized experience; more instructor time,” Kimiecik said. “Having a model already proven, it was easier to implement it into following guidelines for this year’s lessons.”
The hope is to see more interest in the Teens Instructional Program or TIPS, which is designed as an eight-day training course for young people interested in becoming part of the Junior Mountain Sports School ski and snowboard staff.
The program, he says, is seen as a rite of passage. He anticipates local teens or those who are taking classes remotely and living in the area will be interested.
“It’s something to do,” Kimiecik said. “It’s a good way to get outside and be part of the community; more than an average weekend skier.”
An increased interest in skiing and lessons are expected this season, he said, after mountain bike, camping gear and skateboard sales soared during most of the pandemic.
“I think there’s definitely an appetite more than ever to get outside,” he said, “especially in an area like ours that’s heavily outdoors influenced.”
Stratton’s Nordic Center is now open seven days a week, instead of just weekends and holidays. The center offers more than 12 kilometers of trails and rentals for fat bikes, cross-country skis and snowshoes.
Kimiecik says the activities available at the Nordic Center are a way to get outside and stay away from crowds.
Newly available this year is a season pass for the center. Although, anyone with a season pass to the resort gets access to the center.
Stratton has implemented several safety measures this season, to help ensure both guests and staff stay healthy this winter. Lift tickets, rentals, lessons and lodging are available by advance purchase only, with limited inventory. Lodges will have limited seating, which is available by advance reservation. The resort has apps for guests to make dining reservations, equipment rental pickup and check-ins.
Mount Snow has also implemented a reservation system for tickets, that, according to its website, “prioritizes pass holders.” Ticket sales will be limited and all transactions at the resort are cashless.
According to its website, the Ski & Ride School is still offering group and private lessons, with a maximum class size of six. All lessons will meet outdoors. Lessons for 5- and 6-year-olds have a maximum class size of four, while lessons for 3- and 4-year-olds are being offered one-on-one. Childcare is not being offered this season.
At Bromley, pass holders are not required to make reservations, but are required to scan their pass at the entrance of each chairlift and provide staff with contact tracing information, as required by the state.
“You will be scanned every time you ride a lift or enter the lodge whether it’s your first day or your 100th,” Bromley’s website states.
Bromley also has redesigned its snowsports lessons for this season. Private and group lessons are available, although group lessons are limited to six people per class and all members of the group must be from the same household or travel group.
The Hermitage Club at Haystack Mountain is hiring new employees as the now member-owned private ski resort is reopening after being closed since the end of the 2017/2018 season due to financial issues. First-time ski instructors were encouraged to apply as the club has Professional Ski Instructors of America members on staff to train them.
Bill Benneyan, general manager at the club, says the resort has “a lot of wide-open space, nice customers and a nice, long season ahead of us.”
“If anyone ever thought it would be fun to be a ski instructor,” he says, “this is the place to do it.”
Chris Mays lives in West Dover and has been writing for the Brattleboro Reformer for five years. He spends his free time playing guitar, biking, snowboarding and hanging out with his Yorkie.


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It is with regret that we confirm what some of our Sacramento readers may have already heard in the news and it is that another person is reported to have lost their life because of Takata's defective airbags. The accident happened only a month before we wrote our post that talked about a pending investigation into the defect. At the time only six deaths had been linked to the product defect. Now, that count has risen to seven and it is confirmed that the victim's family in this recent case has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
For those who didn't hear about the case, an article for the Claims Journal indicates that the car involved in the accident had been on the recall list, but the victim's family claim that they didn't receive the later until two days after the crash. By then it was too late for the driver who suffered a severed carotid artery, likely because of the shrapnel released from the airbag during explosion.
Possibly in response to this recent accident, Toyota has announced that it is expanding its recall to include 1.37 million more vehicles to account for the deadly airbags. Honda is doing the same and added roughly 1.39 million to its expansive recall list as well.
As anyone who regularly reads our blog knows, the cost of a defective product is not just measured in how much a manufacturer must pay out in compensation, it's also measured in the number of lives it affects. From those who become injured to the family members of those who have been killed by it, a defective product can impact hundreds of thousands of lives if a manufacturer does not address the problem quickly.
In the end though, many consider just one life lost to be too many, which is why most seek legal representation and compensation from negligent manufacturers after tragedies such as those that occurred because of the defective Takata airbags.
Sources: The Claims Journal, "Another Death Linked to Defective Takata Airbags," June 15, 2015
Auto Blog, "Toyota recalls 1.37 million more vehicles for Takata airbags," Chris Bruce, June 16, 2015
Auto Blog, "Honda adds 1.39 million more vehicles to Takata recall to fix Civic and Accord," Chris Bruce, June 16, 2015


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A little-known Kmart loophole has recently come to light, and it seems some shoppers are not happy.
Some customers have taken to Facebook in recent days to share their annoyance at not being able to use Kmart gift cards to pay for online orders.
While many retailers give customers the choice of using gift cards to pay for their online shopping, Kmart has confirmed they do not currently offer this payment option.
For more Lifestyle related news and videos check out Lifestyle >>
And with more Australians shopping online in recent months due to coronavirus restrictions and concerns, it’s become a “frustrating” situation for some Kmart fans.
“Why can’t we use our Kmart gift cards online?” asked one shopper.
“I really don’t want to go in store as I have cancer and I am at a high risk of getting COVID. Hopefully you will change this to suit the current situation.”
Said another: “I had no idea I couldn’t use my Kmart gift card when paying for online orders. This is so frustrating, especially given we are in lockdown.”
Responding on their Facebook page, a Kmart representative said the retailer is exploring options with regards to gift cards.
“We don’t have the ability to accept gift cards online at the moment, but we do understand that this is a unique situation and an uncertain time for everyone,” the representative said.
“We’ve certainly explored this option for our customers, but it seems changing the functionality of our website would take some time, so may not be something we can turn around in the coming weeks.
“We’re looking to extending gift card timelines for those that need it and we hope we can continue to provide them easy access to the products they need during this time.”
7NEWS.com.au has reached out to Kmart for further comment.
Watch below: UK traveller’s warning about Kmart goes viral


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Readers who can’t get enough books can now put their growing book habit to good use.
The Nashville Public Library began an ongoing book sale fundraiser to help purchase a new book cart for the library.
Library Director Kelsey Schaepperkoetter said donated books are now on display for patrons to purchase.
Schaepperkoetter said the library was interested in acquiring a new cart since the previous one has a tendency to squeak after years of use.
The prices for the fundraisher have suggested costs between 25 cents and a few dollars.
Schaepperkoetter said a cart for the library costs about $500. After that money is raised, she said it may move toward other projects and items needed.
The fundraiser seems to be off to a good start. After its first day, there has been $9 raised for the cause.


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Apple’s Lala music team working on video streaming service for 2010 launch?
When Apple acquired Lala , the obvious use for all that local scanning and internet streaming technology would have been to serve up our hard-drive-based iTunes music libraries from the cloud. Here we are though, eight months later, and the only significant impact from the acquisition was the closure of the Lala music service . And it doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon. According to an investigative piece by CNET , Apple is telling the big-four music execs that it won’t be offering any significant cloud-based music offerings within the next few months. In fact, CNET ‘s sources claim that Apple still hasn’t obtained the licenses required to store and distribute music via a cloud-based service.
Read similar Posts:
- Apple working on unlimited downloads of purchased iTunes music, setting MobileMe free?
- Reuters: Apple set to launch cloud-based music service ahead of Google
- Apple in talks to launch iTunes subscription music service?
- Apple’s iCloud music service will automatically mirror your iTunes library using ‘high-quality’ tracks?
- Apple signs Warner Music to its cloud-based music service


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An Post and its creative agency Folk Wunderman Thompson have created a new advertising campaign to mark the launch of An Post’s Green Hub, a one-stop-shop resource with need-to-know information and low cost loans to help simplify the journey for Irish consumers to a more energy efficient, comfortable and sustainable home.
The ads aim to simplify the jargonistic process around home retrofits and improvements, explaining the process through the eyes of a child and feature An Post’s brand ambassador Angela Scanlon (above) in some unusual poses. The campaign is a full through the line campaign with a TV, VOD, press, out of home, radio, social, in-store and digital.
Keith Lawler, creative director, Folk, said understanding the ins and outs of creating a more sustainable home can be complicated, the Green Hub makes things easier for people to digest. “We decided to show offering through a child’s imagination we aimed to debunk the jargon and make sustainable living more accessible for everyone,” Lawler added.
Ailish McGlew, brand communication manager, An Post, said the home retrofit process can be daunting and key to the campaign was communicating the Green Hub’s simplicity. “It’s important to help homeowners get a better understanding that the end result is a greener, cosier home that saves money in the long run,” McGlew added.


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US: Coke declares quarterly dividend increase
The Coca-Cola Company's board has approved its quarterly dividend of 41 cents per common share. This is equivalent to an annual dividend of US$1.64 per share, up from $1.52 per share in 2008.
The company said that the rise in quarterly dividend, up 8%, was the 47th consecutive increase.
It will be payable to shareowners of record as of 15 March 2009.
"The increase reflects the board's confidence in the company's long-term cash flow. The company returned $4.6 billion to shareowners in 2008, through $3.5 billion in dividends and $1.1 billion in share repurchases. In the past five years, the company's dividends have grown at a compound annual rate of more than 10%."
The board also elected Javier Goizueta as vice president of the company. Earlier this month, he was named president of The McDonald's Division. Goizueta succeeds Jerry Wilson, who was recently named the company's chief customer and commercial officer.
Innovation is a much banded-about word in the world of soft drinks. And nobody likes to bang on more about innovation than The Coca-Cola Co. The company's global strength and leading status stems from...
A little over ten years since it divested itself of its major bottling asset, Pepsi Bottling Group, PepsiCo this week sealed a deal that reversed the move - flying in the face of the recent perceived ...
The Coca-Cola Co posted a healthy 16% lift in first half net profits this week, ahead of PepsiCo's 2% drop. Michelle Russell examines the fortunes of the two rivals....
In absolute volume terms, Turkey was the third strongest growing soft drinks market in the world last year, generating 1.6bn litres of new business, according to data from Euromonitor International. O...
Environmental concerns have climbed steadily up the agenda for soft drinks producers in recent years. However, Annette Farr writes, progress has been faster in the UK than in the US....
Soft drink giant Coca-Cola Co. and its Mexican bottling partners are to invest US$5bn in Mexico during the next five years, Coca-Cola Co CEO Muhtar Kent said yesterday (20 August)....
Coca-Cola Enterprises is to close its Kansas bottling plant in a bid to cut costs, the company said today (10 August)....
The top ten stories published on just-drinks this week:...
- Comment - Diageo Spins the Guinness Wheel... Again
- Diageo's Labels Give Industry Something to Digest
- Comment - 'Craft' and the Danger of 'Romance Copy'
- Is A-B InBev/SABMiller 'Mega-Merger' Off?
- Who should Stock Spirits Acquire?
- Diageo lines up UK innovations push
- Craft is an 'abused' term - Pernod Ricard exec
- Pernod Ricard queries nutritional label use
- SPI Group 'disappointed' over Stolichnaya ruling
- Diageo's Guinness Golden Ale
- Global rum insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends research
- Global non-Scotch whiskies insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends research
- Champagne: Less Than Bubbly
- Beer Market Insights Africa 2014
- ALDI 2015: Radically transforming Anglo Saxon grocery markets


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AI robots steal the show during Spring Festival
Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, including four-legged ox robots and virtual and intelligent shopping “guides," shined during the Chinese New Year holiday — used to boost innovation and the economy, prevent and control the coronavirus and improve people’s daily lives.
Ox robots, called “Pioneering Ox,” debuted at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, the most watched television program in the world.
The prototype robot — designed by startup UBTech to celebrate the Year of the Ox — danced and interacted with human actors on stage, triggering a huge online buzz.
The ox robot features the company’s core technologies, such as high-performance drives and control algorithms, motion control, computer vision, autonomous navigation and positioning algorithms. It will have commercial applications in the future, according to UBTech officials.
Zhou Jian, UBTech’s chairman and chief executive officer, said he is looking for “a unique road for China's intelligent robot development."
The company's products are used in education, security, health care and coronavirus prevention, and smart logistics.
In 1,100 shopping centers across China, 11,000 robot guides greet, give directions and offer location-specific coupons to visitors, according to developer Cheetah Mobile.
Because so many people opted not to return to their hometowns over the holiday, coupon-triggered transaction volume jumped about 40 percent year on year, according to Cheetah Mobile.
Startup Xiaoice — a Microsoft spinoff — began partnering with Watsons during Spring Festival to offer customers customized AI introductions and recommendations, enabling them to carry out transactions and have products delivered to their homes in as little as 30 minutes.


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Meijer last week opened two new supercenters in Michigan—one at 15 Caberfae Highway in Manistee in western Michigan and another at 1251 M-32 West in Alpena on the northern end of the state. Both stores are 190,000 s.f.
The grocery options that Meijer offers include more than 600 varieties of farm-fresh produce and a meat department that sells fresh seafood, Certified Angus Beef and select cuts of meat. The bakery specializes in custom-decorated cakes and fresh bread baked four times daily. Both stores are built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and will be open 24 hours a day.
The new stores’ pharmacies feature drive-thru pickup and offer the company’s free prescription program, as well as clinical services and immunizations designed to promote family health. The prescription program includes leading oral generic antibiotics with a special focus on prescriptions most often filled for children, prenatal vitamins and medications for those with diabetes and high cholesterol. Since its inception in 2006, the Meijer free prescription program has filled more than 25 million free prescriptions, saving Meijer customers more than $370 million.
Among other one-stop shopping highlights, the stores’ Health and Beauty Care sections carry prestige skincare and vitamin brands and a new Baby Center provides a refreshing shopping experience for expectant parents, according to the Grand Rapids-based retailer. The apparel department features national brands like Fila, New Balance, Reebok, Amy Byer, Carters, Wallflower, Almost Famous, Union Bay, Chaps and Jessica Simpson. The pet department offers a wide assortment of natural pet food.
During a ribbon-cutting event April 30, Manistee store director Ken Babcock presented a $25,000 check to the Manistee County Council on Aging, an organization that works to keep seniors independent by providing a variety of services that offer assistance to local residents 60 years and older.
Alpena store director Warren Richter presented a $30,000 check to Alpena High School for a new scoreboard at its football stadium during that store’s ribbon-cutting event April 30. He also presented a check for $25,000 to the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary to help support its various educational programs.


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IPO publicity hype or a genuinely amazing new stock, Fitbit opened 52% above their IPO price on the first day of trading, putting them in the top ten stock market debuts for this year.
This came after the stock opened at $30.40 on the New York Stock Exchange.
Fitbit, manufactures of a range of wearable accessories that keep the user constantly updated on various fitness and health related statistics, priced its IPO at $20 per share on Wednesday, a day after it had increased its IPO price range from $15 to $19.
With the price closing at $29.93 after its first full day of trading, more than 40 million Fitbit shares had changed hands.
This compares very favorably with data storage firm Box, which saw 42.6 million shares traded on its debut trading day.
The company, currently valued at $4.1 billion, is very popular with investors because it is actually profitable. Early investors in Fitbit, going back to its days as a startup, have seen a massive improvement in their financial health since the listing, with original investments growing by as much as a thousand times. Interestingly, SoftTech invested $125,000 in 2008, for a stake that is now worth $124 million.
Despite growing competition from the likes of Apple, Garmin and Jawbone, all fighting for a share of the lucrative $200 billion in consumer spending on health and fitness, Fitbit CEO James Park is very positive. Speaking on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street”, prior to the IPO, Park he said he believes that Fitbit can continue being competitive while Apple and the other industry players ramp up their marketing efforts.
Park told CNBC that Fitbit’s brand is recognized for its strong link to health and fitness tracking. As a result, the company feels that they already have “significant competitive differentiators in the market”. Added to this, Park claims that Fitbit controls 85% of the wearable fitness market with the brand more widely searched on Google than the likes of Adidas, Lululemon, Under Armour, and Garmin.
JMP Securities analyst Alex Gauna noted on CNBC that the Apple Watch had not “come out of the gates blazing” and that Fitbit should maintain its first mover advantage for at least the next two years. Gauna added that Apple is not comparable with the products of Fitbit in terms of price, battery life, or integrated GPS, which provides Fitbit with a lot of room to grow over the next couple of years.
Gauna also feels that Fitbit, which integrates with both Apple and Android mobile operating systems, is very well positioned, provided it continues with innovation beyond its fairly limited product range.


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The 3 passenger motor vehicle producers, Ford, Holden and Toyota, have every announced they will cease manufacturing in Australia over the coming years. Weatherill says a deal could and must have been struck with Holden to extend the car industry for another decade. If you are interested in following up on this, do a Google or Bing news search utilizing the names of big automakers and the following cities: Monterrey, Saltillo, Celeya, Guanajuato. I do NOT believe customers have any proper to know our accurate expenses, even though vendors like TrueCar CEO Scott Painter say that hiding that accurate dealer expense details from buyers is costing the business 4 million new automobile sales per year because it creates friction” in the promoting method.
I’ve only owned Total OBD & ECU Auto Diagnostics by Total Vehicle Diagnostics for handful of weeks, and currently extracted more than a dozen fault codes from my own vehicle (2001 Volvo S60 Sedan) and a couple coworkers (Volkswagen Passat two. turbo 2006, 2006 Dodge Ram SRT-ten, 2005 Hyundai Elantra FX). The Japanese share of the light-truck segment has regularly trailed that for automobiles.
Almere-Digest is an independent nearby news and information resource and is not affiliated with any Public entity. Yet even though a drop in second-hand automobile sales is a boon to dealerships – and an environmental plus when it comes to the country’s carbon emissions, with fewer fuel-inefficient clunkers on the roads – the market has gone via a radical modify in recent years that can be summed up in 1 word: downsizing. It began when I back the automobile into driveway ( was at an incline ).Parked it on level ground and nevertheless leak a lot. If history is a guide, the eco car market could adhere to the path of the Pc marketplace.
When I took my vehicle in to be worked on the mechanic mentioned a single jumped out of the engine and ran across the garage. Driving means getting out onto diverse sorts of roads, distinct targeted traffic conditions, all sorts of weather and as a lot of exclusive scenarios as possible to prepare you for what driving independently is actually like…NOT driving around in circles or sitting in car parks to save the instructor’s overheads on a cheap driving lesson. In 2011, 87 percent of Uzbekistan’s auto exports went to the gigantic Russian marketplace, with 6 % going to neighboring Kazakhstan.
But if your power steering belt broke and you drove the auto, It really is a very good opportunity you saw energy steering fluid dripping from your car. AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS gives beneficial guidance as automotive sector players seek out the proper path to succeed in this new world. Clusters, the neighborhood automotive eco-systems also have a great access to industry networks.


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Dot Transportation honors four-million miler
Dot Transportation, Inc. (DTI), a subsidiary of Dot Foods, was recognized by the company recently for driving four million miles during his career. Dick Kramberg of Quincy, IL., who operates out of the food redistributor’s Mt. Sterling distribution center, was honored at the firm’s annual National Business Meeting in St. Louis by company leadership. “Dot Foods and Dot Transportation rely on loyal drivers like Dick, who spend endless hours on the road to deliver our products efficiently to our customers,” said Paul Mugerditchian, president of, DTI. “We have some of the best drivers in the industry and we’re proud to recognize them for their outstanding accomplishments.” In addition, Kramberg will celebrate another milestone with the company later in 2012: On June 9, he will have served 36 years with Dot. “This has been a wonderful company to work with for both my family and myself,” said Kramberg. “They’ve given me the opportunity to have a fulfilling career and travel around the country. Being the first driver to hit four million miles is an honor.” Several other drivers were recognized for reaching the three-million mile mark as well. The drivers, also operating out of Mt. Sterling, are Jim Mashburn and Month Stabler of Mt. Sterling, IL; Dale Little and Wayne Thomas of Rushville, IL; Zane Keylor and Bob Patton of Timewell, IL; and Monet Estes of and Randy Dieterle of Camp Point, IL. With trucking reporting a shortage of nearly 200,000 drivers at the end of 2011, DTI said it is “aggressively hiring” to accommodate their growing business. “Recruiting new drivers and retaining the drivers we already have is crucial to our success as these are the men and women who keep business moving across the nation,” noted Mugerditchian. “Dot has been aggressively hiring drivers for some time now and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.” According to DTI, it offers an “exceptional “benefit package to its drivers. On average, most DTI drivers are home with their families two days a week. Compensation for full-time drivers includes pay on actual miles; delivery pay; pickup and layover pay; fuel incentives; quarterly and annual bonuses; paid personal days, sick days, vacations, holidays; 401(K) benefits with company match; short and long-term disability; experience pay, and exceptional unload pay. Founded in 1994, DTI specializes in delivering mixed loads of dry, frozen and refrigerated products across the country. DTI, a private carrier, is a subsidiary of Dot Foods, Inc., a family-owned business that lays claim to being the largest food redistributor in the nation. DTI operates out of terminals in Modesto, CA.; Vidalia, GA.; Burley, ID; Mt. Sterling, IL.; Cambridge City, IN; Williamsport, MD.; Liverpool, NY; Joliet, IL, and Ardmore, OK.


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Actia UK, part of the French-listed automotive electronics group, has set up the subsidiary Actia Miller UK for the marketing, sales, installation and support of Actia Muller’s range of garage equipment.
It will be based at Newtown, Powys. Richard Tomkins, previously Sun Diagnostics UK sales and service director, will lead the venture as general manager.
Initially, the focus will be on creating a sales distribution network with partners serving the auto-service and commercial vehicle aftermarket. Recruitment for a team of regionally based technical support representatives is currently underway.
Richard Tomkins said: “Our sales force will be available to support the distributors.”
The company also intends to sell directly to the automotive industry where there is no conflict with its partners.
“The aim is to make a two-pronged approach, targeting the independent service centres and franchised dealers, as well as commercial vehicle workshops and other allied interests, such as the training and support organisations,” added Tomkins.


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American Express Co. said Walt Disney World Resort has become its first global partner for Membership Rewards.
American Express offers the rebate program to cardholders in 30 countries. Card members in 19 of those countries can earn free Walt Disney World vacations and theme park passes.
The giant card company has 55 Membership Rewards partners in the United States.
Cardholders pay $25 to participate in the program. They earn one point for every dollar spent, which they can redeem for travel, merchandise, sports rewards, or gourmet foods. The points do not expire.


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According to recent reports, Google is finally looking to replace its ‘Nexus’ line of devices with the ‘Pixel’ line of upcoming smartphones. The two handsets codenamed HTC Marlin and Sailfish are said to carry Pixel XL and Pixel names. This will help streamline the company’s smartphone range with the pixel range of laptops and tablets.
Both of the Nexus devices are being developed by HTC, and were first reported to be in development in July 2016. The company will likely announce the launch of both devices sometime in October.
Google Pixel XL ( aka HTC Marlin) Rumoured Specifications
The upcoming device has been tested to have 4GB RAM, and come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with four cores clocked at 1.59GHz. The HTC Marlin is going to feature Android 7.0 ‘Nougat’ out of the box. The phone scored 1593 on its single-core performance and 4151 on the Multi-core one.
The smartphone is said to feature a 12MP Sony IMX378 rear camera sensor and an 8MP front-facing IMX179 camera sensor.
Google Pixel (aka HTC Sailfish) Rumoured Specifications:
The Google Pixel is expected to feature a full-HD (1080×1920 pixels) resolution display and quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor(clocked at 2.1GHz) with an Adreno 530 GPU clubbed with 4GB of RAM. Site listing also suggests that the device will house 32GB inbuilt storage. Sailfish in its benchmark scored 2158 on Single-core, and 5355 on Multi-core.
Sailfish benchmark report also showed the phone will feature an 11MP rear camera capable of 4K video recording – the front camera will be 7MP.
When will the Phones be available and how much will they cost?
The phones, as of now are scheduled to be announced in October and will be available some days post their announcements. The 32GB Sailfish base model will be available at a price of $449 which comes down to approximately Rs.29,840 and the 32GB version of the HTC Marlin will be available at a price of $599 which comes down to approximately Rs. 39,809.
Post the launch date, both the devices are expected to be available on Online E-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart.


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Samsung is expected to begin work on 7th-gen OLED displays anytime soon. A new South-Korean report claims that the company’s latest move will give Samsung Display a boost against its rivals.
According to The Investor, which cites an analyst report, the seventh-generation OLED panels from Samsung will feature an impressive 800ppi pixel density. “Samsung Display, the display-making unit of Samsung Electronics that dominates more than 95 percent of organic light-emitting diode panels for smartphones, will be seeking to further widen its gap with rivals by speeding up the production of the larger seventh-generation OLED panels,” the report began.
The report went on to suggest that an analyst from the company's new A4 production line claimed that the production will start as early as in the second quarter of 2018. However, the analyst said that securing necessary equipment such as LTPS-FTF, or low temperature polycrystalline silicon-thin film transistor, and FMM, or fine metal mask, based deposition system, can be an issue because equipment manufacturers are focusing on those for the six-generation panels for now.
“Samsung Display did operate production lines for the eight-generation OLED panels for TVs. So it could recycle LTPS-FTF it used at the time,” the analyst said. “Samsung Display has continued research to diversify its OLED portfolio to include foldable OLED, chip-on-plastic OLED and 800ppi high-resolution OLED. With the possible production of seventh-generation panels, it would continue to maintain its dominant market position for years,” he further added....


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New hires at Cobb Cycling • Lazer unveils new helmets at Tour • Tim Johnson commits to DealerCamp ‘cross race
TYLER, TX (BRAIN) Wednesday July 11 2012 10:22 AM MT—Saddle manufacturer Cobb Cycling has hired Amy Miller to head up marketing and business operations and Seth Cooke as sales consultant.
“This is the next step in our desire to build a team that will provide the support and depth needed to grow this business and help give better service to those who ride,” said company president John Cobb. “We believe the combination of Amy and Seth will helps us achieve our long and short-term goals of offering superior service and information.”
Cobb Cycling, headquartered in Tyler, Texas, offers a full line of bicycle saddles focused on comfort, speed and performance. The company’s been in business since 2008.
Lazer Sport unveils new designs at Tour
BRIANCON, France (BRAIN) Wednesday July 11 2012 10:23 AM MT—Lazer is showcasing its latest helmet designs at the Tour de France including its new Wasp aerodynamic helmet as well as an aeroshell for its Helium helmet. Both are being worn by the Lotto-Belisol team.
The Wasp, short for watt saving performance helmet, has been developed over the past year. It has an integrated visor; front and rear vents and molded EPS air channels; and adjustable rear retention. Lazer claims it provides an advantage of two to four watts at 45 kph.
The helmet features what Lazer calls dual-layer aerodynamics, which uses a “trip wire” on the surface of the helmet to create small air vortices on the tail of the helmet to direct air. The tail section of the helmet was also designed to minimize the gap between the tail and a rider’s back.
The Wasp helmet comes in two sizes, 53-56cm or 57-60cm, and retails for $399 with the visor or $299 without visor. It becomes available in January.
Also new is the Lazer Smooth Aeroshell, which increases the aerodynamic performance of its Helium helmet. The company claims the shell saves the rider between 4 and 10 watts at 45 kph compared to wearing the Helium without the shell.
The Smooth Aeroshell will come in four sizes to match each Helium helmet size and will retail for $20. It also becomes available in January.
Johnson signs on for DealerCamp ‘cross race
PARK CITY, UT (BRAIN) Wednesday July 11 2012 10:26 AM MT—Six-time national cyclocross champion Tim Johnson has registered for the Raleigh Midsummer Night’s CX Race in Park City, Utah, later this month. The race will be held during DealerCamp in Park City.
Johnson, who races for Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com, will face off against long-time rival Jonathan Page, Ben Berden and other pros.
The race will be held on July 24 beginning at 4:30 pm, kicking off happy hour at DealerCamp 2012.


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A sales account management shake-up that has reportedly seen long-standing customers passed onto sales colleagues in different offices has caused unrest among Misco staff.
Customers are now divvied up between sales staff according to vertical markets and geography, instead of the old way which was based on vendors, CRN understands.
Earlier this year, a new 25,000 square-foot headquarters was opened in Weybridge. Insiders claim a number of long-standing customers managed by sales staff based in Wellingborough – the old HQ – were passed over to those in the new office, a move that angered some staff.
One ex-Misco worker told CRN the account management realignment was done "badly and too quickly".
"There was lots of change and no thought was given to customers," the source said. "Wellingborough staff were upset at losing key accounts for no reason and their customers were never consulted... lots of senior sales people left as a result."
Sources have placed the number of staff thought to have left the firm in recent months at as many as 30 or more, but Misco refused to comment on the claims when contacted by CRN.
Morale in the Wellingborough office is described by insiders as being "at rock bottom" because of the changes, and there is speculation that a botched commission rejig also fuelled unrest.
The move to centralise some back-office functions to Budapest – a process parent Systemax announced this week that it would expand upon – has also caused "major disruption" in the UK, a source added.
MSP plans to use new acquisition to expand its security offerings
Reseller also saw its operating profit fall five per cent in its financial 2017
Wendy Bahr to bring 18-year spell at networking giant to an end
AdEPT says latest purchase will push revenue beyond £50m


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Jockey Wins ANA Multicultural Excellence Award in the People with Disabilities Category
Dec 5, 2017
eSSENTIAL Accessibility Inaugurated the People with Disabilities Category Four Years Ago to Educate CMOs on Value of Being an Inclusive and Disability-Friendly Brand
TORONTO, Nov. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — eSSENTIAL Accessibility, a digital accessibility services provider, today announced that Jockey won the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Multicultural Excellence Award in the People with Disabilities category. The award was presented on Sunday, November 5th at the ANA’s Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference in Miami, FL.
The annual ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards celebrate the year’s best multicultural advertising campaigns. The awards, sponsored by the ANA Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Committee, raise awareness and exposure of the outstanding work being done in the areas of African-American, Asian, Audio, B-to-B, Experiential Marketing, Hispanic, LGBT, People with Disabilities, and Total Market advertising.
Luke Visconti, the founder and CEO of DiversityInc, presented the award to Jockey for its powerful ad “Show ‘Em What’s Underneath. Show ‘Em Your Jockey: Chris Van Etten.” Created by advertising agency Pure Growth Consulting, the ad features U.S Marine Veteran, Chris Van Etten.
The other two finalists in the People with Disabilities category included Square Enix and Toyota for their ads “Human by Design” and “Championship Game.”
“Since we inaugurated the People with Disabilities category in 2014, we’ve been blown away by the thoughtful and impactful advertisements that feature individuals with physical disabilities; in fact, many of the submissions in this category have gone on to win the overall Best in Show,” said Simon Dermer, managing director of eSSENTIAL Accessibility.
“Although it can be a decisive advantage, many Chief Marketing Officers fail to harness the power of demographic and cultural changes,” says Luke Visconti, CEO of DiversityInc. “The ANA’s Multicultural Excellence awards is the celebration recognizing those that do.”
eSSENTIAL Accessibility congratulates Jockey for winning this important category and we thank Square Enix and Toyota, among many other organizations, for engaging the disability community in their marketing campaigns.”
About eSSENTIAL Accessibility
eSSENTIAL Accessibility is the smarter way to digital accessibility compliance. We power brands to empower people by helping them deliver inclusive web, mobile, and product experiences that comply with global regulations, and ensure that people of all abilities have equal access. For more information, visit essentialaccessibility.com.
The mission of DiversityInc is to bring education and clarity to the business benefits of diversity. The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list began in 2001, when many corporations were beginning to understand the business value of diversity-management initiatives. The 2017 Top 50 Companies for Diversity results are featured on ”ªDiversityInc.com and in DiversityInc magazine. DiversityInc is a VA certified veteran-owned business and a USBLN certified business owned by a person with a disability. For more information, visit www.diversityinc.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn @DiversityInc.
Media contact: Please direct all media inquiries to email@example.com


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RoHS | September 27, 2006
RoHS-compliant or not, when does it matter?
As the industry scrambled towards RoHS compliance, manufacturers of mission-critical products successfully campaigned for exemption because of fears over tin-whiskers and the lack of field-data on the reliability of lead-free components.
It is ironic, therefore, that many of these manufacturers have now discovered they have been using RoHS-compliant, lead-free components. At the heart of the problem is the way in which different manufacturers decided to manage their part numbers during the transition from lead-inclusive to lead-free parts. Click here to read the full article.


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PALM BEACH, FL – January 24, 2017 – Today GLX is happy to announce the launch of our new corporate holding site at GLX.com. We will also begin the roll-out of our multilingual search engine optimization (SEO) strategy at all of our international top level domains (TLDs).
Almost identical holding sites will be launched at over 150+ GLX url’s with each site having its own unique native language description section. GLX.eu (European Union) and GLX.co (Colombia) will be the first to go live shortly. In the near future when our full financial networking platform is launched at GLX.com the “Get Launch Updates” button on the top right of all the sites will be replaced with “Sign Up” and “Log In” buttons.
GLX expects this strategy to produce huge international notoriety and lots of generic traffic from a variety of search engines.


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While its name might be synonymous with low-cost fitness trackers for many consumers around the world, Fitbit has faced quite the uphill battle trying to gain a foothold in the fast-growing smartwatch market over the last few years.
Get ready for a swift US and European release
The aptly named Fitbit ECG App will be enabled stateside sometime next month, as well as in a host of European countries including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. That’s right, Fitbit pulled a double, obtaining both FDA approval and Conformité Européenne (CE) marking in the European Union.
Why is ECG so important?
In a nutshell, this is what separates the serious health-tracking smartwatches from the casual fashion-centric wearable devices. As explained by Fitbit, the main purpose is to detect atrial fibrillation (AFib), a condition that affects more than 33.5 million people (!!!) globally, increasing the risk of complications like stroke.
A large chunk of those suffering from AFib are unlikely to become aware of their problem until it’s too late to keep it in check, which is where the Apple Watch lineup and now the Fitbit Sense come in, assessing a user’s heart rhythm for early signs of atrial fibrillation so you can receive the necessary medical attention to live a long and normal life.
Obviously, the ECG monitor built into a $330 commercial device also featuring a bunch of other sensors may not prove as reliable as a medical-grade system typically found in a hospital, but Fitbit claims the multi-site clinical trial it conducted as part of the submission process to regulatory agencies yielded a stellar 98.7 percent sensitivity score and a perfect 100 percent specificity rating.


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WEAR - Search Results
DOWNTOWN PENSACOLA -- Sci-fi and fantasy fans from all over will be traveling to Pensacola this weekend for the first ever Pensacon.
The event will kick off Friday and will give fans a chance to meet famous characters from horror and sci-fi movies... Like Stars Wars and Friday the 13th.
The event will be held at the Pensacola Bay Center and Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Audrey Mccrory "I can't keep up with it. I just got a new shipment in this morning, so hopefully we'll be able to take care of everybody this weekend."
"We kind of stay steady until around summer time then it kind of tapers off, so this time of year gets us through the summer for sure"
"If you're walking around Pensacola this weekend you might see some unusual things anything from Star Trek characters to Star Wars that's because everybody is going to be out celebrating Pensacon."
"Fanatic I think comes to mind as the first word."
"A lot of the kids seem to enjoy it the adults have a lot of fun seeing the characters they grew up with as kids from the big screen now in person."
"Several hundred pounds of ABS plastic, bondo, paint, fiber glass, and sorts of other good stuff."
"It's that little shining chip on your shoulder that's like hey I built this myself and look what I can do."
"So it doesn't matter if you bought or made your costume there will be a costume contest with a cash prize."


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With its newly launched 2030 Ambition, global packaging manufacturer and distributor LC Packaging commits to embracing the elimination of waste into its core business.
LC Packaging is a family-owned, international manufacturer and producer of flexible packaging solutions with headquarters in the Netherlands. The company’s Director Agricultural Packaging, Boudewijn van Fraassen, recently told PotatoWorld magazine that ‘half of LC Packaging’s turnover is realized in the agricultural sector, with the potato sector being an important player with about 10 percent of the total.’
The company now states that it has made it its mission to become a leader in sustainable packaging and to contribute to a world without waste; by protecting valuable goods from going to waste during transportation and storage and by eliminating packaging waste. The industry leader in sustainability, rewarded with an EcoVadis Platinum CSR rating for the second consecutive year in a row, now announces to ‘push its limits by committing to fighting working poverty in its supply chain, acting on climate change, and delivering the circular economy’.
‘To truly make an impact and make the world a better place for future generations to enjoy, we decided to bring sustainability into our core business and move from compliance to purpose. We believe in a future where sustainability is just as important and self-evident as quality and price’, says CEO Lucas Lammers. ‘Packaging should not contribute to poverty, waste, pollution, climate change or biodiversity loss. It should be a solution to bring valuable goods unharmed to the marketplace and therewith bring value to society; socially, environmentally, and economically’, adds Sustainability and Communication Manager Lotte Mastwijk.
Concretely, the international manufacturer and producer has now set itself three ambitious goals for 2030. Firstly, the company focuses on a living wage, aiming to fight working poverty worldwide. ‘We strive for all employees employed by our key production partners to earn at least a living wage, instead of a legal minimum wage, by 2030, as a legal minimum wage does not always support a decent standard of living’, they state. Secondly, the company aims for circularity. ‘By focusing on the sustainable use of materials and packaging design, we are determined to contribute to a circular economy. Therefore, we have connected our turnover and growth ambitions to the circularity of our packaging portfolio and services, and aim to have at least 80 percent of our turnover to come from packaging that delivers the circular economy by 2030.’ The third goal is climate action: ‘We have committed to reducing the emissions in our entire value chain by 50 percent no later than by 2030. Included in its scope are all of LC Packaging International’s operations, including its production facilities. The company strives for an absolute reduction in scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions (direct and indirect).’ More on these goals can be found here.
Director Agricultural Packaging, Boudewijn van Fraassen
©2015 - 2024 Potatoworld | Webdesign and realisation COMMPRO


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ARLINGTON, VA.: Consumer confidence in the economy is down this month, according to the latest data from the Consumer Electronics Association. Tech spending is also down, the organization reported.
After increasing for six consecutive months and reaching a 35-month high in January, confidence in the overall economy fell more than three points in February, CEA said. Its Index of Consumer Expectation, or ICE, dropped to 172 from 175.7 in January, when it peaked. The ICE measures consumer expectations about the broader economy. The ICE was 165 in February of 2010.
“Compared to last month, consumers’ expectations for employment increased but their expectations for the broader economy slipped slightly,” said Shawn DuBravac, CEA’s chief economist and director of research. “We also might be seeing the first signs of higher commodity prices influencing consumer sentiment.”
Consumer confidence in technology spending also fell in February. The CEA Index of Consumer Technology Expectations, or the ICTE, which measures consumer expectations about technology spending, dropped nearly 12 points this month to 76.2. The metric is the lowest in 10 months and down more than five points from a year ago.
“Consumers indicated they will spend less on consumer electronics, which is typically muted in the first quarter of every year,” DuBravac said. “Some of the decline in sentiment is related to consumers anticipating new product launches that happen in March for many key products.”
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Swiss luxury goods group Richemont announced Friday a partnership with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba to develop platforms in China for high-end products.
Under the deal, Richemont's online unit Yoox-net-a-porter and Alibaba will set up a joint venture with two mobile phone applications -- Net-a-Porter and Mr Porter -- to serve the Chinese market, a statement said. Net-a-porter and Mr Porter will also be made available on Alibaba's specialist luxury site, Tmall Luxury Pavilion, which was launched last year. The two companies also agreed to explore other opportunities to develop the luxury goods market in China.
"Our digital offer in China is just getting started," Richemont chief Johann Rupert said in the statement.
Richemont, ranked second only to French giant LVMH, has recently focused on online sales, a booming sector in the luxury goods industry and where China is seen as one of the most important markets. Its Net-a-Porter platform carries its own brands plus rivals', aiming to become a one-stop shop for the fashion conscious. Alibaba is one of the world's biggest e-commerce operations, with sales of nearly $40 billion in its last financial year to March 2018.


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The pound is currently enjoying a “respite” amid a torrid week for the sterling to euro exchange rate. GBP saw a small rise yesterday, courtesy of stronger than expected inflation rates, which saw it at its highest level this week. It marks positive news for holidaymakers who might be exchanging their currency ahead of a vacation to the Eurozone. The pound is currently trading at 1.081 against the euro, according to Bloomberg, at the time of writing.
A spokesperson for Caxton FX spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk about the reason for the minor upturn.
They said: “Yesterday’s mix of data releases help to propel GBPEUR to the highs of the week at 1.0835.
“The combination of a weak German GDP print along with a stronger than expected Inflation number from the UK provided a welcome respite for Euro buyers against the Pound.
“The rise in the UK’s core inflation number was still below the two per cent target and thus should not warrant any change in rhetoric at the next Monetary Policy Committee meeting.
“Today’s focus will be on UK retail sales which are due out at 9.30am.
“Economists have forecasted a weaker number and the market will cautiously be watching to see if GBPEUR reverses yesterday’s gains.“
It offers small hope for holidaymakers, who last week were hit with the worst exchange rates since 2012.
Yesterday, Express.co.uk reported how the pound was suffering from a “wave” of pressure, at the worst possible time ever for those leaving the country.
Talking of GBP’s poor form, a Caxton FX spokesperson said: “The British economy shrunk for the first time since December 2012, after data released on Friday showed that second-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) in the UK contracted by -0.2 per cent.”
Meanwhile, help could be at hand courtesy of the travel team at Voucher Cloud.
For those Britons who have not yet booked their holiday yet are looking for a break away, they have highlighted how to max out their currency.
The team studied fluctuations of the 25 different European currencies to find the destinations where your GBP will get you more than it did on January 1st 2019.
Their spokesperson stated: “As you might expect, Eastern Europe has performed well here, with beautiful Georgia coming 1st thanks to the GBP’s 2.83 per cent increase in value against the Georgian lari this year.
“The ever popular Turkey comes in 3rd, whilst rank outsider Moldova (next door to Romania, fact fans) comes in 4th, both currencies holding steady against the GBP.
“Surprisingly, upmarket Sweden features too, thanks to the GBP’s strong performance against the krona (worth 2.43 per cent more). Those majestic fjords, urbane cities and remarkable people will be cheaper to visit than ever!”