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According to data from Lumina Intelligence’s Menu Tracker, the average price of a hot coffee across the entire hospitality industry rose from £2.78 in February to £2.88 in May – representing a 3.5% increase.
In coffee and sandwich shops alone, the average price of a coffee had risen by 3.1% to £2.94.
Greggs offered the cheapest hot coffee at £1.90, but its prices had increased by 5% since February.
A Greggs spokesman put this down to the end of government VAT relief for fast food chains and coffee shops, introduced in 2020, in April.
“We had to make some changes to the pricing on individual hot drinks to reflect the return of the standard 20% rate,” he said. “We are confident that we continue to offer great value for money for our customers.”
Creams Café, meanwhile, had the highest average price for a hot coffee, at £3.34. This price represented a 29% increase versus February 2022. The Grocer has approached Creams for comment.
Inflation was not the case across the board, though. The data shows the average price of a hot coffee at Starbucks decreased over the same period, by 0.8% to £3.13.
The steepest price increases were seen at quick service restaurants, where average prices rose 5% to £2.37 over the same period.
Pubs and bars, meanwhile, were the most expensive channel for hot coffee, charging £3.24 on average – a 4.4% increase over the same period.
Lumina Intelligence senior insight manager Katherine Prowse said operators, manufacturers and consumers were “facing significant challenges” amid “decade-high inflation”.
“To mitigate rising costs, operators are going to need to increase prices across the board and this is likely to be just the start, as inflation is forecast to increase,” she said.
However, operators needed to “be mindful of consumer behaviour and strike the right balance between cost increases and offering good value”, Prowse added.


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Consumers are driving the need to migrate video from TVs and desktops to smart phones and tablets. Amazon Web Services’ purchase of Elemental Technologies Inc. is just one of many deals fueled by the trends. There were also some mega deals. Most notably, AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) paid $48.5 billion to buy DirecTV, creating the largest pay-TV provider in the world.
“We’ll now be able to meet consumers’ future entertainment preferences, whether they want traditional TV service with premier programming, their favorite content on a mobile device, or video streamed over the Internet to any screen,” said AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson.

domain: news


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A new app that mixes the elements of Facebook and iTunes will be available in Apple’s app store sometime in the new year.
Patrick Rousseau, the co-founder and creative visionary of the program budtobud, says he was inspired to create this service while on a flight.
He wanted to listen to music with his girlfriend.
The program allows users to listen to music along with their friends from anywhere in the world.
“Music is a very social thing, and it’s something that always brought people together before everything went digital,” said Rousseau, who wanted to restore that social aspect to the world of music.
Although the program is currently only available for Apple computers, budtobud will expand to PC operating systems as well as smartphones this year.
Rousseau says there are potential users for the new service in many different countries.
Rousseau attributes a lot of the program’s success to his partner in the project, Kurt Bauer, who got involved very early on.
“I had the seed, and now it’s a tree. There’s a lot to be done from seed to tree, and Bauer was instrumental in the progress,” said Rousseau, stating that this program was a “joint effort.”
Devon Patterson, a SAIT student and early user of budtobud, says she “absolutely loves” the idea.
“I use the program on my Mac at home, and I can’t wait until the app for my phone comes out. I think using budtobud with my boyfriend while I’m at work and he’s at home will be pretty cool,” Patterson said.
Rousseau says he would like people to look at budtobud as their primary social music tool.
Listening, sharing and getting recommendations are all parts of the program that he hopes to “make more comprehensive” as the project expands.
“We kind of bring everybody together and use the music service you prefer,” he said, since budtobud is compatible with different music players.
Getting music recommendations from friends is a preferred method since they are a “trusted source,” said Rousseau.
Since people trust their friends, that is the most common way for people to discover new music.
“Using budtotbud has definitely expanded my tastes in music,” said Patterson.
“You find all sorts of new music through your friends that you might not listen to without them.”
You can download budtobud on their website and it is completely free.
You can also look at updates on Facebook and find other people to discuss the project with.


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When it comes to the demise of cash, Peter Hannibal, chief executive of the cross industry strategic body, the Gambling Business Group, believes it’s down to the industry to develop its own cost-effective solutions pointing out that some are already available.
From a low stake gaming perspective do you think the issue of contactless/non-cash play is the elephant in the room that the Gambling Commission is choosing to ignore?
This is a difficult dilemma for the Gambling Commission. The consumer migration towards cashless commerce is undeniable and the Commission’s current direction of travel puts the consumer at the heart of their thinking. But debit card transactions are specifically prohibited in legislation, and to change it will require government intervention. In the current climate where operators are being asked to be more socially responsible, there are very few, if any, sponsors in Parliament of what would be regarded as a relaxation of this regulation.
Every metric is confirming the unstoppable rise of contactless over cash – is there a danger that the AGC will be the only venue on the high street that won’t/cannot accept contactless?
This scenario is actually in the hands of AGC operators, although there are costs attached to the solutions. AGCs can, and are offering contactless transactions via ATR and TiTO. But cashless doesn’t have to be contactless. Either way, operators will need to invest in the technology that enables cashless transactions in their premises, but it can be and is being done.
The Pub AWP relies on loose change paid out at the bar – what happens when the majority of wet sales are conducted by card?
I think this ship has already sailed. The majority of over the bar sales are already cashless, and the trend with pub machine revenues is going in the wrong direction. If ever there was an urgent and critical need for change then this is it. We can not expect the DCMS or the Gambling Commission to offer any answers for the reasons stated, so it is up to the industry to come up with a cost effective solution that does not fall foul of legislation. It is good to see that there are a number of products currently emerging and entering the marketplace.
Is there an argument that playing by card would mitigate the risk of under age play?
There absolutely is. And the banking industry is in the process of reformatting the card numbering standards that will include age identification. But this is some way off and those that understand these things appreciate that card based play is indeed a form of player ID and therefore tracking – which has to be more responsible than anonymous cash. But Ministers will not be able to see past the fact that machines would be transacting direct with (leading to the wrong perception of clearing out) a bank account.
What’s next on the GBG agenda?
The Gambling Business Group has created a suite of protocols for TITO exactly for this reason. Cash is no longer the consumers preferred choice of currency or method for playing machines. We have also created an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) standard for the use of digital cash with gambling machines. All of these standards are put together by the GBG members and are created to enable all systems and solutions providers to deliver products to a common process, whilst ensuring that all machines from any manufacturer can communicate with them. Fortunately, the GBG membership had the foresight to create these standards. There is a further set of requirements identified by members to take us into the next stage. All of this is on the premise that we are not expecting any help from either the DCMS or the Gambling Commission in this area.


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Until the first week of February, Moroccan tomato and courgette exports to the EU had not reached 50% of their quota. According to data from the Prices and Markets Observatory, by January 30 of this year, Morocco had exported 128,889 tons of tomato to the EU, i.e. 4% less than by the same date of last year and less than half of the 285,000 tons total export quota it can export to the EU in the 2021/22 campaign (between October 1, 2021, and May 31, 2022).
The average entry price of Moroccan tomatoes in the EU during week 4 amounted to 132.76 euro/100 kg.
The quota for the Moroccan courgette in the period between October 1 and April 20 amounts to 56,000 tons. According to the Observatory, so far, Morocco has exported 22,431 tons of courgette to the EU, i.e. 11% more than in the same period of the previous campaign.
According to the report, the average entry price of Moroccan courgette in the EU in the last week of January amounted to 145.83 euro/100 kg.
Meanwhile, in Andalusia, autumn crops increased their supply slightly, in general terms, throughout week 4 favored by the rise in night temperatures and the greater availability of solar radiation on these dates. However, the Andalusian production continues to be limited and, in cumulative terms, slightly lower than last season.
"The tomato campaign is in the central phase of its production and the entry of goods to marketers has increased slightly compared to last week. The active demand has led to a nearly 20% increase in the average price of the product, the highest figure of the last two campaigns. Approximately 25-35% of the short-cycle round tomato harvests in eastern Almeria have been completed. Regarding long-crops, 40 to 50% of the branch and pear tomato commercial varieties forecasted for this agricultural year have been harvested."
"Courgette continued to be the most valued product that week, although its average price has fallen by 17% and its production has increased slightly, favored by the increase in solar radiation and the rise in temperatures," the report states.


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Stage two of the £60 million project to build an IKEA near to Meadowhall industrial park is underway.
Dozens of diggers and hundreds of workmen descended on the 31, 500 square metre site as the foundations for the Swedish retailer are beginning to be laid.
The store which is scheduled to open next summer is expected to create 700 jobs with the first job fair being hosted last week at the Town Hall.
Following 15 years of planning the project was given final permission to go ahead early this year with a legal agreement being signed in 2015.
Plans are for there to be a two-storey store as well as a café and children’s play area.
It is hoped that the development will benefit the local area by creating jobs, attracting more tourists and providing a wider variety of choice for shoppers.
Image Courtesy of Gerard Stolk


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What if I told you there’s a cronyist program designed to be irresistible to politicians that not very many people are familiar with? This is a policy that combines American manufacturing, high-tech startups, Silicon Valley billionaires, “green energy,” and enough layers of complexity to hide how these cronyists are fleecing Americans.
Welcome to the world of “solar leasing.” This is a new business model pioneered by a handful of solar panel companies in the last couple of decades in which the solar company “leases” panels to homeowners – sometimes covering installation and other associated up-front costs – in order to provide and sell solar energy to customers.
A key variable in this business model is what is called “net metering.” In a lot of jurisdictions, homes with solar panels that are also connected to the traditional power grid get to sell their unused solar energy back to the local utility company for a profit. In fact, in many places, the power companies are required to buy back excess solar energy. And, as you can imagine, this comes with political fights.
In places with net metering mandates, there are local regulatory authorities that set prices at which the power companies are required to buy-back this excess solar power. Naturally, power companies fight for lower prices to be set on these net metering mandates. Solar panel owners and solar panel companies fight for higher rates.
The companies involved in solar leasing have the biggest incentive to fight. In the solar leasing business model, the leasing company pockets the net metering money as pure profit.
Analysts will tell everyone that solar leasing is a bad deal for homeowners. For those who are truly dedicated to greening their home with solar energy, the good move is to purchase the panels, not lease them. The leasing model is a complicated scam by the solar corporations as a way to take minimal up-front risk and profit for years and years off of homeowners.
What the net metering pricing fights have revealed is that much of the solar leasing business model is unsustainable without central regulators setting artificially high prices for net metering buy-back. When Nevada lowered their net metering prices from what’s called the “retail rate” (the rate that customers buy from the power company) to the “wholesale rate” (the bulk rate for power generation), many solar leasing companies protested. Some exited the market entirely.
Elon Musk, billionaire Silicon Valley entrepreneur, pioneer of high-tech darlings Tesla and SpaceX, is also at the helm of one of the biggest players in the solar leasing market, SolarCity. He’s a major investor and has consistently funneled money into the company as its chairman. And he’s continued to support the company even as it’s been described as preying on “subprime” customers in its leasing program. But the allure of Musk and the high-tech industry is often irresistible for politicians who want to claim they’re major players in the “green” economy.
Unfortunately, data doesn’t bear this out. It turns out that the entire “solar leasing” market is dependent on government subsidies. A report from Navigant Consulting in March revealed that the solar leasing companies only “choose to operate in jurisdictions where they can maximize their return by undercutting utility offset rates,” and that “providers’ project returns vary by utility service territory.” There’s only one explanation for this: government policy is subsidizing these leasing projects. The companies pick and choose their service areas based on how much money they can extract from the government and from utility companies. The solar panel technology has potential, but the technology is unable to stand on its own without subsidy.
When Nevada changed its net metering subsidy from the retail rate to the wholesale rate this year, and Solar City announced it was exiting the Nevada market. Late last year, Hawaii ended its net metering subsidy program, and a coalition of solar companies, including SolarCity and ZEP Solar, promptly filed a lawsuit. All over the country – in California, Arizona, New York and more – these net metering fights are breaking out, and the big solar companies are throwing their weight at the political fight, nervous that they’ll have a cash cow taken away from them.
When utility companies are mandated to buy energy at artificially high prices, the people who pay the cost are people who are on the traditional energy grid – in other words, everyone who is a paying customer from the utility company. Everyone who gets an electric bill every month is paying to subsidize their neighbor with the solar panel – and often, their green-friendly neighbor is just a conduit to subsidize a billionaire-helmed solar corporation.
The allure of solar panels, like the allure of green-friendly lightbulbs and other green-friendly household appliances, should be that customers can pay something more up front in exchange for lower energy prices in the future. (And, of course, that great going-green feeling it gives you.) The current net-metering policies – and, in particular, the artificially high prices bestowed by many energy regulators – is such an over-the-top subsidy that it has created an entire crony industry. Those energy regulators should reconsider their net metering policies. It’s a cronyist subsidy and it comes straight out of the pocket of ordinary Americans.


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Kroger has been running a 4x fuel points promotion on Happy branded gift cards since about a week and a half ago, and mid-last week a promotion for 2x fuel points on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays showed up too. To everyone’s surprise:
- The 4x and 2x coupons stacked to earn a total of 5x on Happy gift cards
- Variable Visa and Mastercard gift cards earned 1x
- Money order purchases earned 1x
The 2x coupons aren’t new, they show up every couple of months and have standard language that excludes earning on gift cards and money orders (amongst other things). Typically that language is enforced, but obviously not always. There’s another piece of good news too: the current 2x coupon is running through January 30. That means you’ve probably got another Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for shenanigans assuming no one fixes it.
- Always clip all coupons related to grocery points
- Always enter your rewards ID at checkout even if you wouldn’t normally earn points
- Pay close attention to the rewards earned on your receipt to spot anomalies
Finally, remember that this sort of thing isn’t just a Kroger phenomenon; it happens at other chains too (and there are gems to be found out there right now).


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"3D Guild Award" Unveiled at Cannes
This Friday 15 May, on the American Pavilion, at the heart of Festival de Cannes, a press conference unveiled to the world of cinema the creation of a new award destined to recognize and honor the best productions and other masterpieces in stereoscopic 3D.
The announcement of this new award for 3D - which could quickly reach the notoriety of some of the world's best-known awards - followed the announcement, at the same press conference, of another initiative just as strategically important for 3D, i.e. the creation of a new association called the "3D Guild", conceived to link the professionals from all over the world who share a passion for 3D, in order to help them to work in concert, to push always further back the fascinating and sometimes surprising frontiers of 3D.
3D Displays Market Will Soar Above $110,000,000,000 in 2020
According to a new report by Allied Market Research, the global 3D Display market is expected to reach $112.9 billion by 2020, growing 26.8% each year until then. TVs and smartphones will drive the 3D stereoscopic display market significantly by year 2020, contributing more than 2/3rd of overall market revenue collectively.
Report Title: "Global 3D Display Market - Size, Industry Analysis, Trends, Opportunities, Growth and Forecast, 2013 - 2020"
The Global 3D Camera Market 2020 Forecast is Incredible
3D camera captures three-dimensional images which enhances the quality of visuals. Nowadays, the adoption of 3D camera is increasing among world populace due to the demand by the photographers. Growing demand of 3D stereoscopic content from entertainment industry and enhancement in 3D scanning technology are fueling the market growth. The just published report covers North America, Europe, EMEA, and other markets.
“Global 3D Camera Market is Expected to Reach $7.6 Billion by 2020”
Red/Cyan 3D Come Back (at NYFW at least)
Rebecca Minkoff, an American fashion designer, launched a line of garments featuring stereoscopic 3D fabric last week at New York Fashion Week. Show attendees were each provided a pair of red/cyan 3D glasses to view the final five looks of the her Summer 2015 ready-to-wear line.


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Aug 1, 2013 From using common sense to minding your p's and q's, eight tips for how to survive in the social media space as well as the workplace.
Jul 31, 2013 The social network is getting half of television viewers between 18 and 24 years old during the primetime hours.
Jul 29, 2013 Google changed its popular free email service Gmail last week. Where once there was one true inbox, now there seems to be three.
Jul 26, 2013 Facebook wants to be the Internet portal for mobile users. Those users won't likely have smartphones -- instead flip phones and text messages will connect them to the web.
Jul 25, 2013 Facebook says that mobile advertising now makes up more than 40 percent of the firm's ad revenue. But will users be turned off?
Jul 25, 2013 Facebook's latest business results have the company and investors in high spirits today. Sales rose significantly and the mobile advertising efforts seem to be working.
Jul 25, 2013 Machines are becoming alarmingly intelligent, smart enough to root out crime.
Jul 17, 2013 After more than five years of anonymous comments, ESPN.com now requires your Facebook account if you have something to say.
Jul 15, 2013 New documents, leaked by Edward Snowden and reported in The Guardian newspaper, show how the NSA got Microsoft to circumvent its own encryption to intercept Outlook and Skype communications.


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So much for the 2MP incremental steps we’ve been so used to.
Canon has built a 50 megapixel CMOS monstrosity, which is reportedly almost twice the resolution of its nearest competition, and is prepping it as a sort of large format surveillance camera for monitoring large, busy areas such as parking lots and theme parks, along with detailed work like factory part inspections. Despite the sensor’s clear industrial-end aims, Canon has managed to build its prototype at 19 x 28mm in size, the same dimensions of the sensors in its DSLR cameras, so who knows where this tech could end up in the long run.
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III anyone?
[tags]canon, eos, 1ds, iii, mark, mk, dslr, 50, mp, megapixel, news, digital camera, cmos, sensor[/tags]


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ATLANTA, UPI–Aug. 25 Michael Vick stands to lose upwards of $100 million after his admission Friday to federal charges connected to dogfighting.
That figure could skyrocket to upwards of $144 million, according to The Atlanta Journal Constitution, reporting Sunday that lost Nike contracts, an Atlanta Falcons bonus and other deals gone South could make Vick’s career sack the biggest reversal of fortune in NFL, or even U.S. sports, history.
The beleaguered Atlanta Falcons quarterback signed a plea agreement admitting conducting an enterprise including gambling and the sponsoring and transporting of dogs in dogfighting operations.
Afterward, he was suspended indefinitely without pay by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank said the team wants to recover its $22 million bonus from the 10-year, $130 million contract Vick signed in December 2004.
Also, Nike has canceled its endorsement deal, which includes an athletic shoe due to be released to retailers later this year.
“The best advice any PR person can give Vick is ‘work out, lift weights and run a lot while in jail,’ Ronn Torossian, president and chief executive officer of New York-based 5W Public Relations, told the newspaper, “because the only money he has a chance to make in the future is on the football field, not off it.”


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Microsofts Mix conference this week in Las Vegas will be the venue for news surrounding its Web 2.0 strategy. A key part of that strategy is "Atlas," the companys AJAX development tool, for which Microsoft will release a new preview at the show.
Past Go-Live licenses have been associated with late betas of products. However, customers have been asking for a Go-Live license, and Microsoft officials said Atlas code is stable enough. Developers, though, should be aware that there is no official support from Microsoft and that the upgrade path is to continue with future Go-Live CTP releases of Atlas.
Microsoft also is expected to show off its Expression suite of design tools. However, although the company has delivered March CTPs for its Expression Interactive Designer and Expression Graphic Designer, a first CTP for its Expression Web Designer wont be forthcoming at the show.
In the meantime, Microsoft is rethinking how, when and if it should issue betas for testing and development. The company may move soon to a new model in which various product groups release more frequent, less thoroughly tested builds—a strategy similar to one on which open-source developers rely.
Microsofts Engineering Excellence unit, headed by Jon DeVaan, is overseeing a project to re-engineer the way software is developed. DeVaan, a member of the software makers central Business Leadership Team, manages the engineering standards used to create Microsofts software products.
With feedback from the companys Windows Core Operating Systems Division and its Office, development tool and applications units, DeVaan is spearheading a fundamental change to Microsofts engineering process in which major product units will do more "virtual teaming" across divisional lines. At the same time, these teams will rely on CTPs—or whatever Microsoft ultimately ends up calling the more frequent test builds—rather than betas to speed up the product development and testing cycles.
Microsofts SQL Server team, under Senior Vice President of Server Applications Paul Flessner, is moving in this direction. If Flessner prevails with what he describes as the "SQL Server re-engineering initiative," it will be a beta-free world for SQL Server developers and testers. With "Katmai," the next major version of SQL Server, Flessner said he plans to move to a pure CTP/no-beta model.
Flessner said he expects the new engineering process to have an immediate and beneficial effect on product shipping cycles for everything from the next version of SQL Server to WinFS, the Windows File System code.
Based on a tighter timetable, Katmai would be a 2007 or 2008 deliverable. SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 1 will also come to market more quickly. Microsoft on March 15 released its first CTP for SP1, and Flessner estimates that the final service pack code should be ready in April, many months quicker than the typical service pack is developed and tested.


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Whistl introduces low-volume e-tailer delivery service
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Delivery management company Whistl has launched a trial of a delivery service for e-tailers with low volumes.
During the trial, which is running in the West Midlands (Minworth), South Yorkshire (Dinnington) and Nottingham, Whistl will collect parcels from local e-tailers and consolidate the packages at dedicated micro-hubs.
It will then pass the parcels over to its partners for delivery.
Whistl said the service would help low-volume e-tailers, who cannot access competitive parcel pricing, save money.
It should also simplify delivery, with Whistl using single labels to make it easier to track parcels.
The use of micro-hubs to pool and sort parcels will also help reduce the environmental impact of deliveries.
E-tailers using the service will be given access to carrier management systems (CMS), allowing them to offer customers a wider range of delivery options, including 24- and 48-hour services.
The CMS will automatically choose the best carrier for the job, depending on size, weight and service required.
Whistl’s service will also provide e-tailers with access to its account management team.
Nick Wells, chief executive at Whistl, said there was “unprecedented demand” for buying goods online during the Covid-19 crisis, and that it was important that small retailers were not at a competitive disadvantage with delivery.
“Whistl has always been a champion for our customers and looking at ways for organisations, no matter their size, to benefit from competition in the delivery space.
“We look forward to rolling out to further locations across the UK depending on the performance of the trial.”
Separately, Whistl has released a study finding that 20% of Brits are less likely to make international online purchases following the coronavirus outbreak.
A further 22% of UK respondents said they had already stopped buying products from all other countries due to the virus.
The survey found that UK consumers were among the least likely internationally to allow the pandemic to influence their purchasing behaviours, with 28% in the US and 27% in Australia saying they were less likely to make international purchases.
In general, Whistl predicted that international online purchases in key markets will fall in the next year thanks to the pandemic.


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In 2023, more people than ever have jumped into retail investing, supporting up-and-coming publically traded companies at unforeseen levels. However, many companies remain private, leading to speculation about when and if they will go public. Recently, men and women met in an online discussion to reveal the companies they wish would go public so they can invest as soon as possible!
Going public to the chicken sandwiched-based fast food chain would entice countless investors. Why wouldn’t it? Chick-fil-A has experienced a surge in popularity over the past decade. “I’ve never seen one without a line out the drive-thru and down the road,” explains one potential investor. “And the line stays moving. That’s what’s insane. People see a line out the door anywhere else and leave because it’s a 30-minute wait, but not at Chick-fil-A.”
Whether you love or hate him, you must acknowledge the impact of any company that Elon Musk founded. Getting in on the ground floor of a Musk-opened tech company could be a life-changing decision, and many investors wish SpaceX would go public so they can buy shares in a company with literal “out of this world” expectations. The space exploration company promises to deliver ordinary citizens to Mars, and their work in satellite communications is unparalleled. Many investors are waiting for the day that SpaceX goes public.
Anyone who’s lived in the Northeast part of the United States should be intimately familiar with Wawa. In the eyes of many, it’s the ultimate convenience store! “I remember the good old Wawa days when I was a poor college kid,” recalls one man. “Wawa was a godsend back then for late-night snacks or food. However, I have to say that Wawa’s quality dropped off drastically since then. My opinions aside, investing in Wawa is a good idea if they go public.”
Wegmans is a high-end grocery store chain with a reputation for excellent prices and an immersive in-store shopping experience. “Wegmans would be amazing, but they’d probably price the initial public offering (IPO) with a very high valuation, so maybe I would not invest at first,” explains one investor. “The first time I walked into a Wegmans many years ago, I was so impressed that I went home and looked them up on the internet, thinking I’d buy stock in them. I saw they were private. It was so disappointing. I love Wegmans.” I wish there were a Wegmans near me!
Curiously, Rolex is a legacy brand in America that has never gone public despite being in existence for over a century in one form or another. The controlling shares of the luxury watch company are held by a private trust, which means going public will always be unlikely. Still, it doesn’t stop investors from dreaming: Owning a piece of one of the most respected watch brands in the world is an enticing proposition!
As one of the most-visited websites on the internet, conventional wisdom argues that Craigslist going public would yield a large amount of cash flow for its founders. However, in 2023, Craigslist shows no signs of wanting to open the company up to retail investors. Take one look at the Craigslist website: Seemingly unchanged for decades, it’s a sign that the company has no intention of changing anytime soon!
As one of the pioneers of the burgeoning modular home construction industry, getting in on the ground floor of a Boxabl IPO could yield impressive dividends down the road. One man makes a bold prediction: “Modular home building will disrupt traditional home construction like electric vehicles disrupted the automobile industry,” he declares. “Boxabl is a leader in this category.”
Canva is an invaluable tool for creative professionals, and investors are salivating over rumors that the company could one day go public. Thanks to impressive advancements in artificial intelligence, Canva is getting more powerful by the day. Speculation has risen in recent months, pointing to Canva leaning toward an IPO, but until that happens, retail investors will wait patiently until that happens. Many believe investing in Canva could lead to a big payday.
Valve’s prowess as a software company is arguably overshadowed by its innovation in the hardware space. The portable Steam Deck console has enjoyed unprecedented popularity lately, and satisfied customers would line up for a chance to invest in Valve! “As a Steam Deck owner, nothing comes close to this awesome little device,” confesses one gamer. “It’s the best electric device I’ve ever owned, and I would invest in the company in a heartbeat.”
10. In-N-Out Burger
Like Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out Burger is a fast-food chain enjoying unprecedented success in various areas of the country. In-N-Out Burger has built a strong fanbase since its early upbringing in California and has slowly built hundreds of corporate-owned locations, mainly in the Southeastern United States. In many people’s eyes, In-N-Out Burger represents the pinnacle of American fast food, surpassing legacy brands like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King.
12 Frugal Meals People Eat Even When They’re Rich. Do You?
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
When money isn’t a problem, people tend to indulge in all sorts of luxuries they couldn’t afford when they didn’t have excess money to spend. However, sometimes, even when money is easy, there are food items you can’t say “no” to. Here are some of the most addictive, economical meals you can eat, even when money is no issue.
12 Grocery Store Luxuries That People Love To Treat Themselves With
Photo Credit: Deposit Photos
Sometimes, grocery shopping can be a chore. It can feel like just one more thing to get done during the week, so you don’t have to worry about it during the weekend. When money is tight, it can be even more overwhelming to try and get the best deals on food until you get to that one item you can’t resist. We all do it, splurging on that one food item we can’t do without. To that end, here are some of the most luxurious food choices people must have.
12 Dream Treats People Would Splurge on if Money Were Infinite
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Imagine a reality where your bank account was bottomless and financial constraints vanished. What would you choose to splurge on? Here are 12 dream treats members of an online forum would throw their money at if money were no object.
10 Frivolous Things People Spend Their Money On When They Could Be Saving
Image Credit: Dean Drobot From Canva.com
Are you spending your money frivolously on stupid things when dealing with a tight budget, or saving more for emergencies? We all do. Door Dash and Uber Eats? Need I say more? Between the higher menu prices, delivery fees, and tips, you can spend $35 on a single sandwich! It’s absurd, and yet so many people do it. Worse, they know it’s a waste of money but will continue using the services. I’m guilty of using the delivery apps myself. Someone recently asked on an online forum for other examples of dumb things people waste their hard-earned cash on, and these are the top-voted responses.
Lovingly Limiting Loans: 10 Wise Ways To Set Money Boundaries With Family
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Family ties are undoubtedly some of the strongest bonds in our lives. We share laughter, create lasting memories, and support each other through thick and thin. However, navigating boundaries can be complex when it comes to financial matters. Here are 12 wise ways shared by members of an online forum to set monetary limits with family members.
This article was initially published and syndicated by The Cents of Money.


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Srinagar: Lack of infrastructure in key areas is one of the impediments hampering the growth of our economy. One immediate solution to tackle such hiccups is involving the people concerned with the trade so that long term infrastructure is created which will provide the much needed boost to the economy besides, create new job opportunities.
One such effort that is being initiated in the horticulture sector has been conceived by the horticulture department and an association of fruit growers. The venture to construct 5000 metric ton controlled atmospheric (CA) store for preservation of fruits with an estimate cost of Rs 26 crore will be coming up in Parimpora. The cost of establishing the plant will be borne by the fruit dealers union itself.
However, the Horticulture Department has provided land measuring 7 kanals, 7 marlas for construction of the CA store at Parimpora fruit marketing complex.
Though a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Horticulture Department and growers association last week, the project can spell a new beginning for various other trades in the state.
This will be one of its first kind of an initiative where any union or association instead of waiting for government funds, has taken a step to develop facility for their common use. The move will help the growers to preserve fruits mostly apples for longer period and increase their revenue.
Interestingly, the government had decided to open up 10 key sectors for rapid infrastructure upgradation in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, a path-breaking policy framework approved by the State cabinet two years back.
To cope up with infrastructure deficit in crucial sectors like housing, public utilities, healthcare, roads, tourism, technical education, sports, commercial establishments, horticulture and animal husbandry, the Government had decided to adopt the PPP mode for time-bound asset creation in these sectors.
PPP is a funding and operational model for public infrastructure projects requiring large finance. The projects shall have to follow approved models and guidelines and will be implemented only after the approval of the state cabinet.
Though the PPP mode too had its share of criticism as the state featured among the bottom five states in terms of PPP investments in India.
The study, titled ‘PPP Investment in Indian Infrastructure: Need for Growth and Development’ by Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and SREI Infrastructure Finance Limited, had said that the contribution of JK towards PPP sector in India was only 0.2 per cent. The study said that most of the projects that have been taken up in PPP mode in Jammu and Kashmir have been declared as terminated projects.
However, considering the ground realities in the state, the PPP mode can evolve to be one of the key solutions to the problems faced by the state government. It’s only planning and execution that will make the difference.


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Oldenburg, March 25, 2021 | Seaports of Niedersachsen shines with a brand new homepage in a modern design, including revised content and new features. André Heim turns words into deeds. The digitization strategy has picked up speed and the first fruits have already been harvested.
A few weeks ago the new homepage www.seaports.de went online – including a virtual tour through the seaports of Brake, Cuxhaven, Emden, Leer, Nordenham, Oldenburg, Papenburg, Stade and Wilhelmshaven. Great highlight: the 360 ° view of the seaports in Niedersachsen offers a completely new perspective.
“We are proud of this project and we look forward to make it possible to experience our ports digitally on our homepage and worldwide at trade fairs,” explains Seaports Managing Director André Heim.
Picture: Seaports of Niedersachsen GmbH


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Harper Beckham certainly seems to be following in her fashionista mum Victoria's footsteps!
The five-year-old's dad David shared a sweet snap of his daughter's play area on Wednesday, showing her love of mum's footwear...
Harper's 'toy corner' was decorated with a pair of Victoria's Alexander McQueen high heels.
CLICK TO VIEW FULL GALLERY
David shared this snap of Harper's 'toy corner'
The black stilettos were perched on top of Harper's toy kitchen. "Someone's shoes have now become part of the toy corner... Ssssshhhhh daddy don't tell mummy," David captioned the snap.
David's 27 million Instagram followers were delighted by the adorable snap, commenting on how cute they found the picture.
It's not the first time Harper has shown an interest in her fashion designer mum's wardrobe. Last year, Victoria took to Instagram to share a picture of her daughter trying on her Prada wedges for size.
Victoria shared this adorable snap of Harper trying on her wedges last year
"Playing dress up in Prada!! X x vb," she captioned the photo.
The photo was taken ahead of the Beckham's family appearance at the Burberry show in Los Angeles, where Harper had a front row seat alongside Anna Wintour and the rest of her famous family.


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His Reaction to the GM Layoffs Shows He Doesn’t Get Automakers, Technology or His Own New Tax Law
Donald Trumps’ reaction to General Motors plans to close five North American plants and lay off nearly 15,000 workers reveals how little Trump knows about business, technology and the effects of a major tax law he signed.
It also reveals how worthless his campaign promises to voters were.
“If I’m elected you won’t lose one plant,” Trump declared on Oct. 21, 2016, in Warren, Mich., just miles from a plant GM is shuttering. “You’ll have plants coming into this country. You’re going to have jobs again. You won’t lose one plant, I promise.”
Now America is losing four GM plants; Canada, one. We can reasonably expect other American factories to close, too, including those that supply parts as the long economic boom that began early in the Obama Administration runs out of energy.
Just nine days before the 2016 election, Trump promised voters, “I will bring your jobs back. And I will keep companies from leaving Michigan, firing the workers, opening plants in Mexico and other places.”
He said that if Hillary Clinton won “you’re going to lose your car companies. And you’re going to lose them. Believe me. You’re going to lose them.”
Our Constitution grants him no such power to dictate where companies build factories. But Trump has shown that he has no regard for our Constitution’s limits on presidential power.
The Trump business model is a Mafia bust-out scheme. He’s a cash extractor, a financial vampire.
Trump went on to accuse politicians generally of being economic traitors who report not to American voters, but foreign governments, a preposterous lie that drew applause:
“Why do you think they’re making all these incredible deals in China and Mexico and all these countries? Why do you think?” Trump said. “Do you think because the politicians are that stupid? Some of them are. But do you want to know? They have total control over our politicians. We have to get the money, foreign money out of our politician’s pockets.”
Of course, what motivates GM is what its executives and directors believe is in the best interests of the company and its shareholders, not what Trump wishes they would do to help him acquire and hold onto power.
Marick Masters, a business professor specializing in labor economics at Wayne State University in Detroit, explained that the GM job cuts are “more of a strategic adjustment by General Motors to prepare itself for a future in which it’s trying to get ahead of the technology curve.”
As ride-sharing programs like Uber and Lyft expand GM and others will be making fewer cars. This trend will be accelerated as self-driving trucks and cars take hold, allowing people to get a vehicle on demand instead of having them sit idle for 23 or so hours each day so they can travel when needed. Then there is the shift from vehicles that burn gasoline and diesel and toward those powered by electricity, which also came under attack from Trump who denies the existence of climate disruption and favors burning more coal and petroleum.
Improved manufacturing efficiency means fewer good-paying automobile assembly jobs. That can be a benefit to America over time, painful as it is in the short run to auto workers who get pink-slipped.
More than a decade ago Harbour Consulting, known for its deep insights into the costs of vehicle manufacturing, noted that “Improved labor productivity allows money to be redirected to make future vehicles more appealing.”
The automotive industry has known for years that the future would mean fewer jobs. At the most efficient auto plants it takes less than 14 hours of labor to assemble a vehicle, though at some less efficient plants it takes 33 hours, Motor Trend revealed a decade ago. At the turn of the century nearly 1.4 million people were employed building cars, trucks and parts, but today the number is below 970,000, a decline of about a third, government data show.
This trend has long been obvious to anyone who actually studied economics. That Trump does not acknowledge there will be fewer auto industry jobs in the future provides further evidence that Trump was given a bachelor’s degree in economics by the University of Pennsylvania, but did not earn his diploma through study.
A fundamental trend that Trump does not grasp is that more and more industrial work is being performed by capital, in the form of machines, and less and less work is performed by people using their hands and backs.
Ashford explains how capital performs work with the story of a poor man who gets a job hauling sacks of grain on his back. From his pay for this arduous labor, he saves some of his money and buys a donkey. The donkey, a form of capital, can carry more grain, allowing the man to earn more money and to increase his savings until he can buy a pickup truck, which in turn allows him to make and save more so he can buy an 18-wheeler that can haul more grain in a day than he could in a year. Notice that as the man’s income grows the work is being done not by his labor, but by his capital.
Individuals cannot build their own auto plants, of course. Automobile factories are multibillion-dollar investments that take years to plan and then build. They also are designed to use less and less human labor over time as robotic arms replace humans with welding torches and components parts are designed for quick and easy assembly.
Similarly, when the first steel was made in India millennia ago it took years of labor to produce one ton of steel. Today a ton of steel requires less than 40 minutes of labor.
Vanquished cities in the ancient world often paid tribute to their conquerors not in gold or jewels, but in much more valuable steel. This is a running theme in the HBO television series Game of Thrones, where Valerian steel swords are prized above all other weapons. Today steel is cheap and easy to make, its central role in the American economy of the Eisenhower-Kennedy years long ago replaced by innovative digital services.
And it’s smart to do assembly, which accounts for only about 15% of the value in vehicles, near where they will be sold, so making cars in China for Chinese buyers, as GM does, makes sense. That Chinese government requires local assembly, just as Brazil does, is a matter properly negotiated as a global trade issue. Manufacturing and trade rules are valid subjects for revision and refinement, but that requires smart and informed negotiators and often involves other trade-offs, such as political-military diplomatic and national security concerns of mutual interest.
Trump understands none of this. All he knows is slogans and attacking those whose self-interested actions do not fit with his hollow promises. Look at his tweets after GM announced its plans.
“The U.S. saved General Motors, and this is the THANKS we get!”
His tweet seems aimed at the federal tax credit for electric vehicles (disclosure: my wife and I lease a Chevrolet Volt). His rhetoric is not to encourage domestic investment in auto manufacturing, but to propose punishing GM for making electric vehicles here in America and discouraging those who buy or lease them from continuing to do so.
Among the vehicles GM said it will stop making, not incidentally, is the Volt. The fate of its all-electric Chevy Bolt, a very slow seller, is uncertain, but GM ’s plans to move toward battery-powered and self-driving vehicles are clear.
Before Trump, remarks like those in his tweets would have evoked howls of protest from Republican lawmakers, the editorial pages of publications like The Wall Street Journal and others about improper political interference in business decisions. American presidents are not dictators, but servants of the people whose duty is to faithfully execute the laws Congress makes. Again, Trump doesn’t understand this or doesn’t care, speaking as he often does as if he is a dictator, albeit one stymied by federal judges and Congress.
Trump’s unconditional promise to voters about no factories closing was both impossible to keep and silly, especially for someone who promotes himself as a master businessman. But it won him votes.
Trump is not a businessman in the traditional sense of one who builds wealth, which is what GM shareholders expect over the long run and which explains its decisions to close money-losing plants.
The Trump business model is similar to Mafia bust-out schemes. He’s a cash extractor, a financial vampire. He gets control of enterprises using other people’s money and then withdraws cash as fast as he can until the firm collapses as he leaves unpaid bills behind.
What no voter could have anticipated is that the Trump/GOP tax law enacted in December 2017 would favor investment overseas at the expense of domestic investment. That’s because Trump’s tax law levies domestic profits at 21%, but profits of foreign subsidiaries pay just half that rate.
We call it the Trump/GOP tax law because it passed without a single Democratic vote in the House or Senate. It also showered the tax breaks on the richest Americans and corporations, especially multinationals like GM, Apple, General Electric and drug makers.
Implicit in Trump’s criticism of GM for seeking to maximize profits now and as the auto industry shifts into a new era is the idea that auto workers make too much. Companies build cars overseas because labor costs are often cheaper. Mexican autoworkers, for example, make about $8 an hour, half that for workers in auto parts plants, compared to almost $30 an hour for American auto workers.
Trump has proposed modest adjustments to the North American Free Trade Agreement that he claims will discourage GM and Ford from assembling cars in Mexico. If Congress approves, many Mexican auto workers make $16 an hour, still far less than American auto workers, but the rules are so vague that Mexican pay may not change much if at all.
GM and Ford would save money by keeping Mexican wages low and paying Trump’s proposed tariff on cars imported from Mexico. That tariff is just 2.5%, a sum of minor significance. The net result may be no identifiable change in North American automaking.
Featured image: By AP.


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GE Capital, Corporate Finance announced it is administrative agent on a $200 million asset-based credit facility for Furniture Brands International, Inc., a supplier of home furnishings. The loan will be used for general corporate purposes and to refinance existing debt. GE Capital Markets served as joint lead arranger and bookrunner.
Headquartered in St. Louis, MO, Furniture Brands International is a global provider in designing, manufacturing and selling home furnishings. Sold through specialized interior designers, independent retailers and mass merchant stores, the company’s brands include Thomasville, Lane and Broyhill.
“This credit facility will provide the financial flexibility we need to execute our business plans,” said Vance Johnston, senior vice president and chief financial officer of Furniture Brands International. “GE Capital brought in-depth retail expertise to the deal, and this capital structure supports our growth strategies.”
“Our specialty is providing capital that helps build middle-market companies,” said Jim Hogan, senior managing director of GE Capital, Corporate Finance. “We have a long-term interest in our customers’ growth, and work closely with them to find the right financing solutions in all economic cycles.”
Previously on abfjournal.com:


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Sustainability has become a way for a brand to differentiate itself. Zara plans to make greater efforts to become fully sustainable. This means transitioning to 100 per cent sustainable fabrics by 2025. Around 80 per cent of the energy consumed in Zara’s headquarters, factories and stores will come from renewable sources. Zara is bent on eliminating landfill waste. By 2023, Zara’s wood-pulp-derived viscose will not come from endangered forests.
Zara produces an average of 500 new designs a week and 20,000 designs each year. Zara is pushing into new markets right now, expanding into India and expanding its online presence globally. Among all of Zara’s announcements — from reducing landfill waste to using renewable energy — the switch to lower impact materials and removing hazardous chemicals from the supply chain is the most significant shift, by far.
Fast fashion is a business model built around disposable consumption and limitless growth. The bulk of fashion’s environmental impact happens in the manufacturing phase, in making new textiles and materials that become clothing and shoes. Zara is responding to consumers’ growing concern about sustainability and social issues. Consumers are more informed than ever about what’s going on in the world, and they don’t want to feel like they’re harming the planet when they buy fashion.


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London boutique cycle store Condor Cycles is hosting an evening book signing featuring well-known cycling authors William Fotheringham and Graeme Fife.
The signing will be held at Condor’s Gray’s Inn Road store from 17:30hrs on Wednesday 12th May. Both authors will be on hand to sign copies of their latest and previous books, which will be available instore to buy.
William Fotheringham is the Guardian’s cycling correspondent. His latest book is entitled Fallen Angel and tells the story of Italian cycling legend Fausto Coppi and his exploits.
Graeme Fife has a diverse portfolio of books. His new tome is entitled The Beautiful Machine and is a celebration of the bicycle and of the people with whom Fife has ridden.
For more information see www.condorcycles.com


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Thai exports are expected to rise by 5% this year, compared with a previous forecast of 5% to 8% growth, due to uncertainty over the Russia-Ukraine war, the Thai National Shippers' Council (TNSC) reported on Tuesday.
According to TNSC's forecast, exports would increase by 8% in the first quarter from a year earlier and by 2% to 4% in the second quarter. In the whole of 2021, exports jumped 17.1%.
- Related: World Bank on Thai growth outlook
Exports and tourism were the two sectors driving the economy in February, Bank of Thailand senior director Chayawadee Chai-Anant said on Friday.
In February, the value of merchandise exports after seasonal adjustment grew slightly by 0.9% on a month-on-month basis, supported by demand from trade partners.
The export growth was in several categories, such as petroleum-related products and agro-manufacturing products.
Automotive and electronics exports also showed signs of improvement thanks to recovering demand from trading partners.


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According to a recent poll conducted in the United States, Americans continue to express less concern about global warming than they have in the past.
51% of Americans say they worry about the problem, when three years ago the figure was as high as 66%.
The findings are part of Gallup’s annual environment poll, which has shown that:
-80% of Americans claim they understand the issue more than ever.
-43 % think the seriousness is generally exaggerated as opposed to 26% who think it is generally reported as corrected.
-the economic downturn may be of influence as environmental concerns tend to take a back seat to economic matters when the economy is in a bad shape.
The poll is based upon a random selection of 1,021 adults.


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For the second consecutive quarter, sales for food stores and eating and drinking places moved higher than a year earlier according to exclusive Food Institute analysis
For the second consecutive quarter, sales for food stores and eating and drinking places moved higher than a year earlier according to exclusive Food Institute analysis of government data, aided by more sizeable gains than the prior months during November and December. At the same time, food-at-home price inflation resurfaced after falling into negative territory a year earlier, indicating retailers are beginning to pass along some price increases, albeit not the lion’s share of what they have been encountering at the wholesale level.
Based on this graphic, foodservice operators have been boosting prices at a greater rate than retailers. And just last week it was reported that the nation’s largest restaurant chain, McDonalds will raise prices as much as 3% this year. Both foodservice and food store operators have been dealing with higher food costs for the past 15 months as the Food Institute noted here one week ago, and price increases in both segments are anticipated this year.
Looking more closely at each segment The Food Institute noted:
Following a year of no growth in 2009, U.S. food and beverage stores wound up 2010 posting a 2.4% increase from the following year, according to government data analyzed by The Food Institute. The final two months of 2010 were among the most positive of the year, rising 3.4% and 3.5% respectively. And considering that retail food price inflation was minimal during those months, it indicates that more physical product was passing through checkout counters. Supermarkets, for which data lags a month behind, seemed to be following the upward trend but were not quite as positive. For example, during November, supermarket sales increased 3.0% while all food & beverage store sales increased 3.4% that month.
Eating and drinking places rang up nearly $41 billion in sales during December, up 6.2% from the same month last year. This was the largest such increase since March of 2008 and considerably greater than any other monthly increase this year. This helped bring overall 2010 sales at these outlets 3.1% over prior year levels, with gains at limited service or fast food outlets outpacing full service restaurants.
Ending the year on such a high note should bode well for 2011 as it may be indicative that consumers are returning to restaurants in greater numbers after closely monitoring their eating out expenses for the past 18 months or so.


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Direto Technologies is a Brazilian FinTech company with experience in innovative financial solutions, notary intermediation, debt collection, and recovery, focusing on a $5+ billion yearly market opportunity.
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Ikove and its portfolio of companies are making noise with groundbreaking innovation.
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NVIDIA recently announced a $40 billion acquisition ARM. Once reached, it will not only create the largest semiconductor acquisition in history, taking into account the respective influence of the two companies, but also have a profound impact on the industry.
However, because of the wide range of business involved, there are a lot of bad and bad voices.
According to foreign media reports,Intel, Qualcomm, Tesla and other manufacturers have formed a temporary alliance to express their concerns about the acquisition to the regulatory level, not limited to the United States.
Reports say Apple is starting to
Previous analysis suggested that regulators in China and the European Union were the most likely to decide the deal.
Moreover, ARM will become more American when taken over by the NVIDIA, contributing in part to the so-called local technological hegemony.
On this week's ARM DevSummit, as the report notes, NVIDIA CEO huang renxun, ARM CEO and others have come forward again to reiterate that the benefits of cooperation outweigh the disadvantages and will be beneficial to the world.
- THE END -
Reprint please indicate the source: Fast Technology


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Bit Stew to expand commercial horizons with GE-led $17.2 mln funding
May 12, 2015
When Yaletown and Cisco invested in Bit Stew two years ago, the focus was on confirming the platform’s effectiveness in the utility industry. In a short time, there has been a “remarkable pace of adoption” among leading North American electric, natural gas and water utilities that spurred revenue growth. Today, Bit Stew has more than 40 customers on three continents.
Bit Stew’s Series B round marks its next phase of expansion, as it seeks to broaden the scope of its customer base in North America, Europe and Australia. Bit Stew will also explore opportunities in new sectors, such as the oil and gas industry, where businesses are increasingly looking to innovation to overcome current market challenges.
Read the full story on PE HUB
Author: PE HUB
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November 17, 2022


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The use of Facebook, a process developed by a Russian company, has been increasing for the past two days.
Since this filter has been given a filter to make our appearance look older, everyone, young or old, uses their processor to put in their pictures and share it on social networks. These national images subsequently went viral, spreading the hashtag #PageShapeChallenge. Millions of people share their pictures.
Cinema stars, athletes, and many national and international celebrities use this processor to change their appearance and share pictures. The processor also has the ability to make older people younger, so any image is used to post images.
However, the security of this processor has been questioned. Some US media have reported that the process is a threat to privacy because it is a processor created by a Russian company called Wireless Lab.


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A recent comparative study on customer satisfaction around the world found that the United States of America fell behind third-world countries when it came to live chat. The study was conducted independently by leading gatekeepers of customer service insights throughout 2017 and 2018.
The findings showed the US is not only behind mature markets like the UK, Canada, Singapore, Australia, and a handful of European countries; it is also behind emerging markets like Mexico, Malaysia, Brazil, and the Philippines. American customer satisfaction rating is fourth worldwide with 87.58%, based on the 2018 LiveChat Customer Service Report
, behind Brazil's 88.34% and the Philippines' 89.02%.FinancesOnline
analysed the data from the 2018 LiveChat Customer Service Report
as well as other recent studies and compiled an infographic for a complete look at the findings.


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Aberystwyth Tesco and Marks and Spencer plans submitted
Developers have submitted a planning application for a controversial shopping development which could see a grandmother lose her home.
Tesco and Marks and Spencer stores are part of the scheme in Aberystwyth which could create about 280 jobs.
Twelve homes in Glyndwr Road face demolition under the proposals but Enid Jones, 57, is the only resident refusing to sell.
Ceredigion council has voted to issue a compulsory purchase order for her home.
The final decision about whether to demolish Mrs Jones's home will be made by the Welsh government.
The shopping development is earmarked for the council-owned Mill Street car park.
The two supermarkets are due to open by December 2016.
The council claims the development will boost town centre trade by between £1.6m and £3.5m a year.
"The planning application has been submitted and a total of eight site notices have been placed in and around the site to notify the public that the application has been submitted," said a council spokesperson.
"The application will not be reported to the September planning committee. It's too early to say when the application will be reported to the planning committee but the council will be aiming to report it to members before Christmas.
"Members of the public will have three weeks to submit representations to the council.
"It should be noted that any representations received after the three weeks up to the determination of the planning application will be taken into account by the council."
Mrs Jones is refusing to sell her home despite facing a compulsory purchase order (CPO) which councillors voted in favour of in May.
The CPO relates to Mrs Jones's home in Glyndwr Road and two pieces of land nearby.
Residents have also raised concerns about plans to demolish the town's 109-year-old Drill Hall to make way for the stores.
Tesco is planning a 25,000 sq ft (2,300 sq m) supermarket on the Mill Street car park site, while Marks and Spencer wants to build a three-storey, 36,000 sq ft (3,300 sq m) store.
The project also includes 550 car parking spaces, more than double the current number available.


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PETCO GOES PUBLIC AGAIN AS SPENDING ON DOGS, CATS SOARS
Petco, the pet store chain, went public again Thursday (Friday, January 15, 2021, in Manila), hoping to cash in on people’s obsessions with their furry pets, Joseph Pisani reported for the Associated Press (AP).
Petco’s stock, which opened at $18 Thursday, soared 63% to close at $29.40, valuing the company at more than $6 billion. It raised $864 million after selling 48 million shares in its initial public offering. The company plans to use that money to pay off debt.
It’s the third time Petco has gone public since it was founded in 1965 as a mail-order veterinary supplies business. Both times Petco was bought and taken private, most recently in 2006.
Much has changed since then. Pets, which were once banished to the backyard, are now sleeping in their human’s beds as Americans increasingly treat their cats and dogs like family members.
Spending on treats, medicine and pet-sitting is expected to reach a record $99 billion last year, according to the American Pet Products Association.
To lure free-spending pet parents, San Diego-based Petco has been shaking up its image as more than just a place to buy kibble. At its nearly 1,500 stores, dogs can get a fur trim, visit a vet, take a training class or try on a new outfit. In 2019,
Petco stopped selling dog and cat food made with artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. It now serves meals for pooches that are even safe for humans to eat. And last year it gave itself a new spa-sounding corporate name: Petco Health and Wellness Co. Inc.
WEEKLY FEATURE : JOSE MARI CHAN AND THE CHRISTMAS ANTHEM


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These results cast important context around the positive role that dairy can play as part of a balanced, healthy diet and lifestyle. Further, it reinforces the notion that dairy should not be singled out as a contributing factor in the approximately 32% and 17% of U.S. children aged 2 to 19 classified as overweight or obese, respectively. Current estimates indicate the prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents could almost double by 2030.
The Dairy Research Institute, which manages pre-competitive dairy research in nutrition, product and sustainability on behalf of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, the National Dairy Council, and other sponsors, has focused research on the connection between dairy consumption and healthy weight, including research among children and adolescents.
“This review underscores the importance of dairy’s role in promoting healthy growth and development in children and adolescents,” said Gregory Miller, PhD, president of the Dairy Research Institute and executive vice president of the National Dairy Council. “Obesity at such an early age is of great concern because it increases the risk for many debilitating health conditions, such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke and some types of cancer.”
The article published in Current Nutrition & Food Science reviewed 36 observational studies that examined the relationship between either dairy food consumption or calcium intake on body weight and body composition in children and adolescents. The results from nearly all of the studies demonstrate either a beneficial or neutral relationship between the consumption of dairy and/or calcium and body weight and body composition in children and adolescents.
The results from the few randomized clinical trials that investigated the effects of dairy consumption on body weight and body composition indicate that milk intake has a neutral effect on body weight and body composition in children and adolescents. However, additional clinical research is needed to better understand this relationship.
“While additional research is needed to better understand the relationship between dairy food consumption and weight management in children and adolescents, current research continues to show that milk and milk products provide important nutrients to the diets of children and adolescents without adversely affecting body weight and body composition,” says Christopher Cifelli, PhD, director of nutrition research, Dairy Research Institute.
“These study results provide an even stronger foundation for what we already know about the nutritious make up of dairy,” says Kevin Ponticelli, chair, Dairy Research Institute, and senior executive vice president of Dairy Management Inc. “It also reinforces the importance of developing nutritious dairy or dairy-based products that help consumers early on to establish recommended healthy eating patterns for life.”


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Ottawa (Canada): Canadian companies seeking an increase in profits ought to make strategic investments in India, Ontario Minister of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Harinder Takhar has said.
He asked Canadian companies to work with the province to make investments in India in infrastructure, research and development, wine, auto and food processing sectors that would go a long way to “make our economy more competitive and productive”.
Takhar urged business leaders to take a serious look at the opportunities that India offered for public private partnerships and joint ventures with other private companies.
“But you need patience to do business with India, and Ontario trade office in New Delhi and organisations like Canada-India Business Council and Indo-Canada Chambers of Commerce could help in getting the right business partner,” the minister said.
Inaugurating the ‘Telfer India Forum´ at the University of Ottawa, he suggested that doing business in India can also be cost-effective.
Meanwhile, inviting Indian companies to invest in Ontario, the minister said that “Ontario ranked as having lowest business costs when compared to other locations worldwide.”
He appreciated the contributions made by Indian companies in boosting Canadian economy. The Aditya Birla group has generated more than 3,500 jobs in the province, he said.
A large number of Canadian companies attended the function organised by Telfer School of Management of the University; Indo-Canada Ottawa Business Chamber and others.


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CAMDEN- The Cash for Clothes sale will be held Saturday, May 18 through Monday, May 20 at the American Legion Hall on Pearl street in Camden. You’ll find two floors full of good quality spring and summer clothing for the family at bargain prices There’s plenty of free parking too. . Be sure to keep a copy of this schedule on hand.
Friday, May 17: Receiving items from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 18: opening day of the sale. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday, May 19: sale runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday, May 20: bag sale from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.
This spring, Eastern Tire is sponsoring the spring sale. This sponsorship allows the Cash for Clothes committee to donate more of the sale’s proceeds to Coastal Opportunities.
The Cash for Clothes sale is the major community fundraising event for Coastal Opportunities, an agency to assist adults with intellectual disabilities to become participating members in the social and economic community.


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A New Hiking Shoe That’s Partly Bio-Based
The Parisian brand that started with a vision to make a shoe entirely in Brazil using ethically sourced materials crossed another benchmark this week: it launched its very first technical hiking shoe.
Although Veja’s first styles were centered around everyday wear, their latest addition — the Fitz Roy— takes them into a whole new category, while keeping alive the commitment to use eco-friendly materials.
The shoe is named after Fitz Roy, a famous Patagonia peak, located on the border of Argentina and Chile, not far from where Veja sources its two core raw materials — natural Amazonian rubber and organic cotton.
While this shoe doesn’t feature the cotton (because it needs to be water-resistant out in the elements), it does include wild Amazonian rubber in its sole, a project that Veja has been intimately managing for over a decade.
In an effort to use natural materials, and support livelihoods, Veja works with seringueiros in the Amazon to get wild rubber from rubber trees that are native to the forest. It allows the seringueiros to earn an income and to keep the much beloved trees standing upright amidst the rise of timber harvesting and cattle rearing, which have been decimating the region.
This technical shoe was designed after a collaboration with Vibram, an Italy company known for their durable rubber soles. Hiking shoes need to be grippy and tough. Veja brought that balance together in a design that’s roomy, easy-to-wear, and ideal for expeditions.
Given that Veja co-founder Sebastien Kopp is not a fan of sustainability, but transparency, the materials used in the shoe are disclosed, down to the exact percentages so that consumers can know exactly what they’re getting — and Veja can be clear about how much “sustainable” material they’re actually using.
The uppers are made of 100% recycled polyester that is water-resistant but free of PFCs, chemicals that the outdoor industry has historically relied on to make their goods repel water.
The sole’s contents are broken down by its three layers. The insole has 12% Amazonian rubber, and 47% sugar cane. The midsole has 50% sugar cane. And the outsole is 31% Amazonian rubber.
The entire shoe is nearly 50% (well 43% to be exact) bio-based. And Veja hopes to keep increasing that percentage with each passing year as innovations in renewable materials progress.
Entirely made in Brazil, like their other styles, the materials are transported to the company’s facility in Porto Alegre. From here on out, they’re shipped via sea (Veja abstains from air shipments because of the heavy carbon footprint).
Yes, it’s another hiking shoe in the crowded footwear market. But its origin story is certainly unique.
Ultimately, Veja continues to build out a profile of shoes that meet modern needs, and yet keep its goal towards building a more ecologically-friendly company at the forefront. And they’re first to admit, it’s not perfect—not yet, at least.


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Press Release: Amazon Opens 3D Printing Store
"The personalization widget empowers customers to make something unique in seconds without knowing how to 3D model. A product personalization platform on Amazon has the potential to become the app store for the physical world," said Nancy Liang, co-founder for Mixee Labs, headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. "Customization gives customers the power to remix their world, and we want to change the way people shop online. It also makes the shopping experience more fun, creative and personal."


text: In the fourth quarter of 2021, South Africa’s merchandise exports continued on their upward trend, recording a 7.6% year-on-year increase, amounting to R466 billion. However, quarterly growth was marginal, with a 0.8% increase from Q3 2021. Imports also markedly increased by 17.8% year-on-year, amounting to R381 billion in Q4 2021 and, on a quarterly basis, imports increased by 5.6% from Q3 2021. A higher increase in imports than exports in Q4 2021 resulted in South Africa recording a slightly lower trade surplus of R85.3 billion, down from R102 billion in Q3 2021. In US dollar terms, South Africa’s exports increased by 14.6% year-on-year, amounting to US$30 billion in Q4 2021, while declining by 3.9% from Q3 2021. Imports also increased by 25.5% year-on-year, amounting to US$24.7 billion in Q4 2021 and marginally increased by 0.7% from Q3 2021.


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In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) engines have been leveraged to increase the efficiency and scalability of everything from fraud prevention to natural language processing (NLP). The typical use cases of AI have involved processing and managing existing data — but with the rise of automated art, AI is now being used to create something novel. Is AI image generation the future of creativity or a dangerous Pandora’s Box? Let’s explore.
The training of AI image models
Not unlike the process of training NLP engines using sentence completion exercises on large volumes of digital text, training AI image generators require a large volume of image data to educate the engine.
AI image models are fed an expansive sampling of internet images — including any associated captions or metadescriptions — and asked to select the correct caption for an image from a set of options. After receiving enough image/text pairings, the AI image model can create new images based on increasingly complicated written prompts - even quite surreal descriptions:
"A small cactus wearing a straw hat and neon sunglasses in the Sahara desert."
The major players in AI image generation
It should come as no surprise that AI image generation has been pioneered by industry leaders like OpenAI and Google.
OpenAI’s machine learning model was announced in 2021. DALL-E (a portmanteau of the movie “WALL-E” and surrealist artist Salvidor Dali, according to Wikipedia) is used to produce digitally-rendered images from natural language descriptions. OpenAI began beta-testing DALL-E 2 in July 2022, and by September TechCrunch reported DALL-E 2 customers could upload and edit human faces. We’ll get to the risks and potential ramifications of this in a moment.
In a bid to unseat OpenAI’s hold on the AI image generation market, Google announced its AI-powered text-to-image generator, Imagen, in May 2022. However, The Verge reports that despite Google’s claims “Imagen produces consistently better images than DALL-E 2,” the technology hasn’t been made public yet — and for good reason. “Although text-to-image models certainly have fantastic creative potential, they also have a range of troubling applications. Imagine a system that generates pretty much any image you like being used for fake news, hoaxes, or harassment, for example."
"As Google notes, these systems also encode social biases, and their output is often racist, sexist, or toxic in some other inventive fashion.”
Ethical issues, security risks, and other concerns of AI-generated images
Thus far, public access to AI image generators has been limited, with the exception of Craiyon (formerly DALL-E Mini), a lite version of DALL-E that allows internet users to input text and receive their custom AI art within two minutes or less. There are myriad reasons for limiting access to AI image generators, but here are some of the most prominent:
Ethical concerns — AI-image generation is rife with potential ethical abuses. Even Craiyon, with its significantly limited engine, is capable of generating some objectively awful content. When Futurism tested Craiyon with “a series of prompts ranging from antiquated racist terminology to single-word inputs,” they found the resulting images were often “stereotypical or outright racist.”
In order to avoid the creation of divisive, unethical content, AI image generators will need to implement strong guardrails (such as text filters) before the technology becomes more widely available.
- Security risks — AI’s ability to replicate human faces comes with all sorts of threats to personal privacy and security, including deepfakes and scams. MIT Technology Review warns unfettered access to AI image generators can “give malicious actors tools to generate harmful content at scale with minimal resources.”
- Legal challenges — In July 2022, DALL-E 2 gave its users the right to use their AI-generated images commercially. This, of course, opens the door to issues of copyright infringement and intellectual property. To get ahead of potential legal issues, Getty Images went so far as to ban AI-generated images in September 2022. Speaking to The Verge about the decision, Getty Images CEO Craig Peters stated, “There are real concerns with respect to the copyright of outputs from these models and unaddressed rights issues with respect to the imagery, the image metadata and those individuals contained within the imagery.”
- Impact on creators — Artists and designers are rightfully worried that AI image generators might complicate compensation, and even put them out of a job. MIT Technology Review shares the story of fantasy artist Greg Rutkowski, who has become one of the most popular prompts in AI art generator, Stable Diffusion. Though Rutkowski’s style of art has been used as a prompt far more times than Picasso, he’s less than thrilled by this newfound popularity, believing AI image generators “could threaten his livelihood.” Moreover, Rutkowski says “he was never given the choice of whether to opt-in or out of having his work used this way,” reiterating concerns over artistic compensation and consent.
A new disruptor on the horizon
While industry experts continue to weigh the benefits and risks of AI art, the technology continues to evolve, sometimes in alarming directions. The Verge reports that Stable Diffusion — developed by Stability AI — is a new “open-source, unfiltered image generation, that’s free to use for anyone with a decent computer and a little technical know-how.” (An online library of examples created by SD can be searched here: https://lexica.art/)
In addition to being readily available to the public, Stable Diffusion is unique for its “hands-off approach to moderation. Unlike DALL-E, it’s easy to use the model to generate imagery that is violent or sexual; that depicts public figures and celebrities; or that mimics copyrighted imagery, from the work of small artists to the mascots of huge corporations.” Despite these concerns, Forbes reports Stability AI “previously raised at least $10 million in SAFE notes (a form of convertible security popular among early-stage startups) at a valuation of up to $100 million.”
With the advent of Stable Diffusion, AI’s Pandora’s Box isn’t just open, it’s open-sourced. Industry leaders will need to continue grappling with these complicated questions of consent, security, and copyright to determine if AI art is the future of creativity — or its greatest threat.


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Panel: Custom Publishing Revenues Growing as Quickly as Online
Custom publishing in the business-to-business space is a stealth moneymaker with revenues growing at about 20 percent annually, which on-par with the rate of growth in online revenues, said American Business Media CEO Gordon Hughes, speaking Wednesday before an ABM-sponsored panel discussion on "The Identity Game: Custom Media Builds Brands." "Custom publishing is now a $7 billion industry in the business-to-business space," said Hughes. "That’s a real business."
Panelists, including representatives from traditional, online and custom publishers, took turns offering case studies of the growth opportunities available in custom publishing and content marketing.
Like traditional media, custom publishing is becoming more diverse and taking many forms from print magazines and newsletters to Web sites and podcasts, said Joe Pulizzi, chairman of ABM’s custom publishing committee and group director for Penton Media’s custom media division. "Traditional content marketing isn’t going away," he said. "But, just like traditional media is under pressure from flat print revenues and spending more on digital media, (custom publishers) are starting to spend more money on digital media."
Quoting a survey from Veronis Suhler Stevenson, Pulizzi said custom publishing on both the consumer and b-to-b sides grew 29 percent in 2005 and that custom publishing is now the eighth-largest media sector. The VSS study also found that:
- 80 percent of respondents say they’d rather see marketing information in a collection of articles, rather than in an adverstisement.
- 70 percent said custom publications make them feel closer to a company.
- 40 percent say they are more likely to buy a product from a company that provides custom marketing information.
Michael Hurley, vice president of custom publishing for Hanley Wood, said custom marketing campaigns often work best when the company’s brand is not overtly used. He said using high-quality edit from third party sources often adds credibility to custom publishing campaigns.
Using a case study on a campaign produced for Minneapolis-based, business, accounting and tax firm, RSM McGladry, Hurley said Hanley Wood target C-level executives at mid-size companies with print magazines and newsletters, an interactive Web site, e-newsletters, white papers, talking points and other marketing materials.


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YDA - Young Director Award
Thu, 10 Apr 2014 12:47:47 GMT
Young Director Award has announced that one of Scandinavia’s – actually make that the world’s – most celebrated directors Martin Werner will be joining the judging panel this year in Cannes.
Founder of cool production company Bacon, Werner’s awarded work
includes commercials for Coca-Cola, Audi, Carlsberg, Café Noir and most
recently a Jack & Jones campaign starring Christopher Walken.
view more - Awards and EventsYDA - Young Director Award, Thu, 10 Apr 2014 12:47:47 GMT


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Apple's problems have just got worse, with retailers in Australia already reporting "extremly slow" demand for the new iPhone 8, it's been revealed that several more iPhone 8 models have split with observers blaming a battery problem.
Interestingly, even if demand for Apple's iPhone 8 and 8 Plus is well below customer interest in the iPhone X, the availability of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus at the end of the quarter still may provide a nice boost to iPhone sales. Apple offered a free battery replacement service for the defective phones. "We continue to believe Apple's stock will not only benefit from this iPhone cycle but also the company's capital distribution initiative, attractive valuation and potential new innovations". (NASDAQ:AAPL) has said it is looking into reports of iPhone 8 Plus handsets bursting open due to swollen batteries.
One key determinant of whether Apple might meet its guidance is if management factored a later-than-usual launch for its flagship iPhone X into its forecasts.
The first complaint on the iPhone 8 Plus came from Taiwan.
A new report by analytics firm IHS Markit has named the Apple iPhone 7 as the top-selling smartphone of 2017.
For now, the current number of reports regarding inflated iPhone 8 batteries is not enough to conclude that the problem exists in every model distributed worldwide, Tech Crunch reported.
Apple apparently sent orders to Samsung Display, the iPhone X's OLED display manufacturer, for 5.28-, 5.85-, and 6.46-inch OLED displays, but the one for the smallest display has been canceled, according to ET News.
That won't be happening soon, though, as it could take Android companies about two and a half years before they can roll out phones with depth-sensing cameras and facial recognition prowess comparable with Face ID.
IHS Markit has also stated that compared to 2016, the number of smartphones with shipments of more than 1 million units per month has increased 22 from 17 in this year.
Importantly, all of this demand is incremental upside that is coming from new use cases, which is why the VCSEL market is expected to skyrocket from approximately $950 million in 2015 to $3.1 billion by 2022, according to Markets and Markets.


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Robbery suspects run into a jewelry store waving AK-47’s. Suspects pistol-whip jewelry store security guards. Suspects smash showcases with sledgehammers and take all the high-end watches and diamonds they can, as quickly as they can. The robbers leave within 30–60 seconds, often taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise. This is a smash-and-grab robbery, the current No. 1 crime threat for a U.S. retail jeweler.
So far this year there has been a dangerous pattern of these cases, particularly in California, but over the last several years smash-and-grab gangs have hit coast to coast. The investigation of a very active gang that operated out of Detroit during 2014–2015 has resulted in the arrest or indictment of an astonishing 54 suspects, and numerous members of a very mobile Oakland, Calif., gang that struck from California to South Carolina have been arrested. Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, new dangerous and violent gangs have sprung up to take their place.
In the last five months there have been 25 smash-and-grab robberies of jewelry stores in the United States, out of 65 robberies of all types, and in 2015 there were 72 smash-and-grabs. The FBI, ATF, and local police have been very active in investigating jewelry store robberies, and this year there have been arrests of 49 robbery suspects in 20 cases.
Jewelers need to focus on these risks, and there are important steps that retail jewelers can take to reduce the likelihood of a smash-and-grab robbery as well as the amount of the loss if one occurs. However, having adequate insurance is the underlying protection absolutely needed by retail jewelers no matter what crime-prevention steps are taken.
Recommendations for reducing smash-and-grab robbery losses:
1. Don’t resist. The most important advice is for the jeweler to cooperate once a robbery is in progress. Resistance can provoke violence or a shoot-out and puts at risk the lives of the jeweler, employees, customers, and innocent passers-by. Even when robbers come in with a gun, they come in to take a jeweler’s merchandise, not a jeweler’s life. Don’t resist, cooperate, and live to sell another day.
2. Showcases with laminated glass and sturdy frames have prevented many smash-and-grab robberies or greatly reduced the amount of a loss. Properly built showcases with laminated glass can withstand numerous blows from a sledgehammer, and robbers will often leave when they can’t easily smash through the glass. Jewelers’ Security Alliance (JSA) has not seen cases in which smash-and-grab robbers retaliate with violence in stores that have laminated glass showcases. Furthermore, even if the robbers are able to smash a small hole in the laminated glass, they often cut themselves reaching in, leaving blood, which can be valuable DNA evidence.
3. Buzzers with locked doors can provide some deterrent in preventing robbers from targeting or entering a store.
4. Don’t concentrate high value merchandise in only one showcase.
5. The use of guards, armed or unarmed, is a complicated issue that each owner needs to decide in his or her own special circumstances. Bold smash-and-grab criminals do not seem to bypass stores with unarmed guards. In at least three recent cases, there were unarmed guards that did not deter robbers. If a jeweler decides to have armed guards, JSA recommends off-duty police personnel in uniform, if that is permitted by the local police department. However, the presence of even armed guards is not without a downside: It can possibly escalate the level of violence or cause harm to an innocent bystander. Guards have been pistol-whipped, and shoot-outs have occurred.
6. Jewelers should establish a personal relationship with their local police department, explain to a supervisor their unusually high risks, and request an increase in directed patrol for their stores.
7. Jewelers should be alert for casing and suspicious circumstances, and record such instances in a suspicious-incident notebook. Surveillance video should be saved for at least a month, and videos of suspicious incidents and persons should be copied and kept indefinitely.
8. Having eye-level cameras in stores at the front that clearly record those going in or coming out can provide great investigative material for law enforcement. Review surveillance video images taken at different times of the day to make sure placement and lighting is adequate.
9. Share information, photos, and videos on possible casing and suspicious incidents with other jewelers in the area, local police, and with JSA. Many crimes have been prevented and many criminals arrested due to the timely sharing of information. JSA works with dozens of local networks of jewelers around the country that share such information, and JSA can provide guidelines upon request for the best way to organize and operate a local jewelers’ crime-prevention group.Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine


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Footy fever felt in shops
IT is that time of year when friends become enemies, clothing colours become uniforms and your preference for toads or cockroaches is similar to picking a side in war – it’s State of Origin time.
Bundaberg pizza shops are braced for the expected onslaught of football fans who pack the shops every year on Origin nights.
Pizza Hut franchisee Andrew Hamilton said he expected to sell more than 600 pizzas tomorrow night.
“It will be a big day because we have to prepare a lot of fresh dough,” he said.
“We will have extra staff on to get the pizzas to the customers as quick and hot as possible.”
Mr Hamilton said waiting times for deliveries were likely to be increased by about five or 10 minutes.
“It’s a real ritual,” he said.
“Grabbing a pizza and a few drinks and watching the footy. People love it.”
Mr Hamilton said while all but one of his staff were Queensland supporters, Blues backers were still welcome.
“Everyone’s excited and it’s all a bit of fun,” he said.
“It’s a great time of year.”
Pubs and clubs are also getting prepared for the expected influx of patrons.
Across The Waves general manager Brendan Royall said there could be up to 200 people at the club during the first round of State of Origin, compared with 40 or 50 on a regular Wednesday night.
“It’s a really big thing here,” he said.
“Everyone is really keen. It’s no one group of people; everyone loves State of Origin.”
Mr Royall said staff were already preparing for the football game.
“We are getting set up now,” he said.
“We need plenty of food and beverages to go around and we will be having pizza and beer deals on the night.”
Mr Royall said the event was always fun for patrons and staff.
“There is a fair bit of banter between supporters but it’s all in good fun,” he said.
Other businesses around town are also preparing for the first round of Origin.
Chop Shop manager Rick Elliott said the staff would be decked out in their maroon and blue finery.
“It’s all a bit of fun,” he said.
“We get dressed up and then have a beer and barbecue and watch the footy. There are two Queenslanders and two New South Wales supporters, so it’s lots of fun.”