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China made sure major cities could self-sufficient food supplies when it imposed a blockade and quickly switched to selling online.
When Covid-19 spread strongly in China in the first months of 2020, the country imposed many measures to blockade major cities, home to tens of millions of people, strictly restricting the entry and exit of places. this side.
One of the top concerns of government officials and residents when imposing a blockade is the ability to ensure food for people in the city. Although some reports of people rushing to hoard, skyrocketing food prices and concerns about food freshness have surfaced on Chinese social media, in general food supply and prices in Chinese cities under lockdown remain stable.
Experts believe that this can be a lesson for countries to apply food security measures to cities that have to blockade to fight the epidemic, in the context that food shortages can become a challenge. serious for many countries when Covid-19 complicated developments.
An important factor in maintaining food security is Various forms of food sales in Chinese cities. The outbreak has taken an unexpected hit to online food markets operated by the private sector.
While millions of people were stuck at home, brick-and-mortar markets were closed, and online food markets became a popular form of retail. In cities where e-commerce thrives, stores and restaurants are rapidly shifting from selling in person to online.
It is estimated that the number of people under the age of 25 in China buying fresh vegetables from online markets increased by more than 250%, while the number of patrons over 55 years old of online stores increased by nearly 400 percent.
Some of the most popular online food markets saw a 470% increase in sales year-over-year. Millions of orders are recorded every day and delivered to the door or to the gathering point next to the blockaded buildings for people to pick up.
China’s online food markets will not succeed if Beijing does not adopt an urban food security policy called “vegetable basket program”.
Proposed in 1988, the program requires city mayors to be responsible for providing, ensuring the affordable and safe availability of non-grain foods, mainly vegetables and meat.
Wuhan, the epicenter of Covid-19 in China in early 2020, is among 35 major cities that the central government reviews every two years for the effectiveness of the program implementation.
Cities will get high marks if there are improvements in delivery facilities in their neighborhoods, like password lockers for food delivery and pickup, and ensuring there are multiple food outlets like supermarkets. , a small grocery store and most importantly a fresh market.
Rigorous assessment ensures that every region has a wide and varied supply network of vegetables and meat. When Covid-19 hit, cities with high scores were able to adapt and ensure food security for their citizens.
Local governments set specific goals for self-sufficiency in different foods to demonstrate their commitment to the vegetable basket program. The city of Nanjing, with a population of 8 million, aims to be 90% self-sufficient in leafy vegetables between 2008 and 2012.
This goal of local food production comes with strict farmland maintenance plans. Chinese cities often have large town areas outside the inner city districts. Farmland in these towns is protected for the implementation of the vegetable basket program.
Food security in China is also underpinned by the system food reserves. The Chinese government has long operated a system to buy excess grain and pork with minimal purchase prices. They release stocks to the market in case of food shortages and rising prices.
In 2018, China’s total grain reserves were estimated at 120 million tons of corn, 100 million tons of rice, 74 million tons of wheat and 8 million tons of soybeans. The emergency grain reserve ensures a 10-15 day supply of refined grain in major cities.
To ensure the process freight Favorably, China establishes a “green channel”, allowing vehicles carrying agricultural products to pass through a quarantine station or toll station with a pass issued by the provincial government. The pass allows them not to be required to park, pay a fee, or be subject to lengthy checks. Officers at the checkpoint also assist with vehicle disinfection. When the vehicle reached its destination, officials took the driver’s temperature, recorded the schedule, and disinfected the vehicle again before allowing it to enter the facility.
In January 2020, the State Tax Administration of China announced that any income from the transportation of critical items during the crisis, including agricultural products, would be exempt from value added tax. The government also provides financial support to improve cold storage and storage facilities for family and cooperative farms.
When the city of Wuhan was locked down early last year, the Hubei provincial government worked with retailers in other localities, including as far away as Yunnan or Hainan, to provide food. for the city. They also strongly cracked down on traders who had hoarding or speculative behavior to prevent prices from escalating.
As a result, despite being locked down for a long time, nearly tens of millions of people in Wuhan are still not short of food, while supermarkets and shops still ensure the supply. “These facilities all meet our needs,” Cai, a 40-year-old resident of Wuhan, said last year.
Zhenzhong Si, an expert from the University of Waterloo in Canada, said that to adapt to the pandemic, national governments should “restructure food supply chains that are too dependent on the supermarket system and imported food. from far away countries”.
Encouraging the development of diverse food production businesses through urban food system planning will improve crisis response and provide greater support to local and local food producers than transnational food corporations.
“They are the safety nets we look to in an increasingly uncertain world,” Si wrote.
Phuong Vu (According to the CNA/FAO)


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Company Overview of Ford Motor (China) Ltd.
Ford Motor (China), Ltd. builds, imports, and sells cars in the Peoples Republic of China. It also operates dealerships and offers care services. Ford Motor (China), Ltd. has a research and engineering center in Chongqing, the Peoples Republic of China. The company was founded in 1995 and is based in Shanghai, the Peoples Republic of China. Ford Motor (China), Ltd. operates as a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co.
221 Century Boulevard
Shanghai Information Tower
Pudong New District
Founded in 1994
Key Executives for Ford Motor (China) Ltd.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
President of Asia Pacific & Africa - Ford Motor Company and Group Vice President of Ford Group
Executive Vice President of Asia Pacific & Africa Operations
Vice President of Communications of China Operation
Director of Investor Relations for Ford Motor Co
Compensation as of Fiscal Year 2014.
Ford Motor (China) Ltd. Key Developments
Ford China Announces Sales Results for the Month and Year to Date Ended November, 2014
Dec 8 14
Ford China announced sales results for the month and year to date ended November 2014. The company reported that sales volume in China inched up 2% to 108,000 vehicles in November and hiked 20% to more than 1 million in January to November period. Wholesale volume in China climbed 1.7% from 99,157 vehicles a year earlier to 100,834 vehicles in November. The figure increased 19.8% from 840,975 vehicles a year ago to more than 1 million in January to November period.
Ford China Reports Sales Results for the Month and Year to Date Ended May 2014
Jun 6 14
Ford China reported sales results for the month and year to date ended May 2014. The company its sales rose 32% in May, with 93,323 wholesale vehicles sold compared to 70,449 in the year-ago period. Passenger car sales for the company--which include imported cars--grew 35% in May with 71,981 vehicles sold.
Year-to-date sales were up 39%, with 461,473 wholesale vehicles sold versus 332,308 in the first five months of 2013. The company has sold 347,547 passenger cars so far in 2014, up 46% from the same period last year.
Ford China Reports Sales Results for March 2014 and First Quarter of 2014
Apr 9 14
Ford China has reported an increase in sales for the month of March 2014. The company sold 103,815 units last month, up 28% over the year-ago period.
The company's first quarter 2014 sales increased by 45%, to 271,321 vehicles, compared with the same period in 2013.
Similar Private Companies By Industry
Recent Private Companies Transactions
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domain: news


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Apple’s chop-blocking update is here.
While most of us are looking ahead to the new stuff coming in iOS 12, Apple has released their iOS 11.4.1, update – a small update with a very important new security feature: USB Restricted Mode.
The long-awaited feature, that is intended to keep bad actors from bypassing Apple’s encryption and breaking into your phone, basically protects your phone against the USB devices being used by law enforcement and private companies that crack an iPhone’s passcode and evade Apple’s usual encryption safeguards.
While institutions such as the FBI like to complain that they need special workarounds for encryption in order to keep us safe, any security flaw only serves to put our private data at risk.
To check the feature works, head to Settings and click on Face/Touch ID & Passcode. You’ll see a new toggle for USB Accessories.
By default, the switch is off. This means that once your iPhone or iPad has been locked for over an hour straight, iOS will no longer allow USB accessories to connect to the device — shutting out cracking tools.
You should leave the toggle disabled if you want your iPhone to be most secure.
“We’re constantly strengthening the security protections in every Apple product to help customers defend against hackers, identity thieves, and intrusions into their personal data,” Apple said in a statement on the feature. “We have the greatest respect for law enforcement, and we don’t design our security improvements to frustrate their efforts to do their jobs.”
The only other notable feature with this update is a fix that improves the Find My AirPods feature. Happy hunting.


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Huobi is one of the leading bitcoin exchanges in China. Founded in 2013, Huobi went one to capture over 50 percent of total bitcoin transactions in the world during January 2014. The company also holds the distinction of having processed over 380,000 BTCs and 1.5 billion yuan on february 25, making it the all time high for any bitcoin exchange across the world.
Huobi continues to capture over 35 percent of bitcoin trading volumes across the world since the past 6 months.
Huobi has raised over $1 million in series A fundrising so far.
Leon Li and Dylan Du


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Stainmaster carpet has found a new home.
The company shifted its creative and media business to GSD&M after a review, the agency has confirmed. Annual media spending is estimated at $15 million.
GSD&M, a unit of Omnicom Group based in Austin, Texas, succeeds Havas Worldwide in San Francisco on the creative business. (The media incumbent was Havas Media.) Havas, the agency formerly known as Euro RSCG, had handled the brand for four years.
At GSD&M, the business will be managed by account director Ronnie Steck, who also works on Pulte Homes and Lennox, an agency representative said. The new agency's first campaign is expected in the fall.
Stainmaster, which also makes vinyl flooring, is a division of Invista, based in Wichita, Kan.
This story has been updated to correctly identify the creative incumbent.


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At a dealer event in Valencia, Spain, John Deere unveiled its new 7R, 8R and 8RT tractors. An unidentified Deere representative at the event also confirmed the manufacturer's plans to produce a new four-track tractor, the 8RX.
A video of the event showed that Deere revealed a life-sized image of the 8RX on a giant screen, flanked by a pair of new 8R and 8RT models physically driven into an arena surrounded by dealers to a heavy beat and laser lights.
The 8RX will debut at AGRITECHNICA 2019 in November in Hanover, Germany.
The video footage was obtained and reported by Farm Connexion (France) on Sept. 25, 2019. Farm Connexion is an on-line service reporting on agricultural equipment news.
The new 8RX is a soil specialist, the speaker told the dealer audience. "Like a Formula 1 car is tuned to the racetrack, the new 8RX is tuned to maximize in-field performance with minimal soil compaction."
The Deere presenter told the dealers the 8RX is a unique machine. He described it as "the first, unique, four-track standard design, exclusive to you, exclusive to Deere."
He told dealers present at the event in Spain they would be able to begin ordering the 8RX also in November.
Here is a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/…
Dan Miller can be reached at email@example.com
Follow him on Twitter @DMillerPF
© Copyright 2019 DTN/The Progressive Farmer. All rights reserved.


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Porsche Design announced that its new business luggage – the P´2150 Roadster 2.2 Lean BriefBag -- is now available. Developed with the motto “Only what is actually needed belongs inside,” the Lean BriefBag is intended to be the ideal luggage to accompany managers to the office or on business trips.
This briefcase was initially designed as a prototype by business consultants from Porsche Consulting GmbH.
Eberhard Weiblen, Chairman of the Management Board at Porsche Consulting GmbH, said that the Porsche Design P´2150 Roadster 2.2 Lean BriefBag came about as the company sought to transfer its experience as business consultants to a tool that managers would use daily.
The BriefBag has a special system that allows the user to see at a glance if his personal requirements are all present.
One example is that if a pen is missing, the user’s attention would be drawn to a colored marker on the loop. It’s also convenient for traveling as passports and tickets are immediately accessible in one of the large outer pockets.
A second, removable meeting bag is also attached to the P´2150 Roadster 2.2 Lean BriefBag. This offers enough space for a laptop and some documents, making it perfect for meetings. It also has an extra bag that’s meant for technical accessories such as your download cable, mouse, 3G dongle and USB stick.
"With the design for the lean briefcase, we wanted to transfer our experience as business consultants to a tool that would be used by managers every day. After we launched the prototype, purely as a study, in our customer magazine, many of our readers wanted to order the bag and the sooner the better. That is why we are thrilled that our sister company, Porsche Design, a well known specialist in high quality luggage, has developed the prototype to production and brought it to market," said Eberhard Weiblen, Chairman of the Management Board at Porsche Consulting GmbH.
Early this year in January, Porsche Design released a new variant of its award-winning cell phone -- the P'9522 Black Edition. This cell phone comes with a sensor that can read fingerprint, guaranteeing secure access to personal information. Shortcuts can also be configured by the user.
The P'9522 Black Edition cell phone makes use of a combination of matt, black anodized aluminum and black mineral glass. Its casing is milled from a block of solid aluminum. A laser text -- "Porsche Design Black Edition” – can be found on the back of the casing.


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By Liz Segrist
Published July 22, 2014
U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently finalized a five-year contract with ATS Logistics to operate the federal customs examination station for cargo coming through the Port of Charleston.
Charleston Freight Station operated customs’ Centralized Examination Station from its facility off Clements Ferry Road for 18 years.
The station now operates out of ATS Logistics’ new facility at 4033 W. Montague Ave. in North Charleston. ATS recently consolidated its three warehouses into the 140,000-square-foot facility.
The Centralized Examination Station enables U.S. Customs to consolidate all physical inspection operations to one location, according to a statement from Steve Switzer, U.S. Customs’ public affairs liaison.
U.S. Customs officers, agriculture specialists and import specialists conduct the inspections on every type of cargo, including refrigerated cargo, from a designated inspection area within the ATS facility, Switzer said.
The customs station has 24 federal agents working out of around 6,000 square feet, according to ATS President and CEO Jimmie Gianoukos.
The agents physically inspect designated containers coming through the Port of Charleston for potential contraband, such as drugs or weapons, or for cargo that violates trade agreements or creates security threats.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Agriculture Department decide which cargo must undergo inspections at the station before going onto its final destinations.
“The current CES, the only one of its kind in South Carolina, is a state-of-the-art facility, which will increase CBP’s inspection capabilities and ensure the execution of our critical mission of securing America’s borders,” Switzer said in a statement.
In September 2013, U.S. Customs tentatively selected ATS Logistics from among six local applicants to be the new operator of the customs station. The agreement was finalized on June 23, and the station is now operational.
“This will bring a substantial amount of new business in through our doors every day,” Gianoukos said. “We handled customs cargo before, but nothing like this. We expect it will have a domino effect for us in the future.”
Charleston Freight President and founder David Blair said the relocation is a relief to many of his customers and frees up warehouse space for new business, such as a recently secured contract with Mumbai, India-based BKT Tires, part of Balkrishna Industries Ltd.
Charleston Freight will retrieve huge industrial tires from the Port of Charleston, store them in its 55,000-square-foot warehouse and then distribute them across the East Coast.
Blair expects the demand for more customs examination space to increase as the Port of Charleston continues to grow.
“We feel the exam processes in Charleston will only increase and that a second exam site is going to be required,” Blair said. “No one exam site would be able to keep up with growth.”
Read more details in the July 28 issue of the Charleston Regional Business Journal. Reach staff writer Liz Segrist at 843-849-3119 or @lizsegrist on Twitter.


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China Marine Food Responds to Radiation Concerns
China Marine Food Group Limited, a manufacturer of Mingxiang seafood-based snack foods, "Hi-Power" marine algae-based beverages and a distributor of frozen marine catch, responded to shareholder concerns over possible radiation contamination of its seafood supplies, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to China Marine Food.
"Our supplies of raw fish and seafood come from the Taiwan Strait, which is located between Taiwan and Fujian Province, China and thus pose no threat of contamination. In addition, this area maintains a separate ocean current from those of the East Japan Sea. According to the nuclear radiation-monitoring station in Shanghai, large-scale and long-distance radiation spread is unlikely as the primary containment vessel and fuel rods in the nuclear plant in Japan were not damaged.
Under the current circumstances, only those residents within 110 miles of the nuclear plant will be affected," stated Mr. Pengfei Liu, CEO and Chairman of China Marine.
"Furthermore, there has been no disruption in the buying pattern of our customers and we do not anticipate one will occur," Mr. Liu concluded.
About China Marine
China Marine Food Group Limited is a food and beverage manufacturer of Mingxiang seafood-based snack foods and "Hi-Power" marine algae-based health drinks, and a wholesaler of frozen marine catch in seven provinces in the PRC. Founded in 1994, China Marine has grown steadily and positioned its Mingxiang® brand as a category leader in 3,200 retail food sales points and 13,000 beverage sales points in China. The Company has received "The Famous Brand" and "Green Food" awards. Located in Fujian province, it is one of the largest coastal provinces in the PRC and a vital navigation hub between the East China Sea and the South China Sea. The Company is committed to the highest standard of quality control with the ISO9001, ISO14001, HACCP certification and EU export registration.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Marco Hon Wai Ku, CFO
China Marine Food Group Limited
Suite 815, 8th Floor
Ocean Centre, Harbour City
Kowloon, HONG KONG


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Posted 15 November 2017
An UK regional press ad for Salin Plus, a natural salt therapy, seen in the Down Recorder on 26 October 2016 and several other dates up to 17 February 2017, stated in the headline that “COPD, Asthma and Sinusitis sufferers can get relief with Natural Salt Therapy – No Masks or Tubes”. The ad stated that “according to pharmacists, this natural salt therapy service can improve the health of sufferers of debilitating issues including Asthma, Sinusitis, Rhinitis … Cystic Fibrosis, Allergies, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Snoring and Sleep Apnoea”.
The UK ASA challenged whether the efficacy claims for the medical conditions listed in the ad were misleading and could be substantiated.
… Read the rest


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Bono is sorry he forced U2‘s 2014 album, Songs of Innocence, onto your iTunes.
“I take full responsibility,” he writes.
For those who don’t recall, U2 released Songs of Innocence by automatically uploading the album onto the library of every single iTunes user across the world, all for free. The strategy wasn’t exactly a hit with users, who criticized U2 for inserting the record into their library without their consent, while other artists and critics felt offering the album for free “devalued” the music.
In Surrender, Bono explains how he pitched the idea to Apple CEO Tim Cook by suggesting that the tech giant pay U2 for the album and then “give it away free, as a gift to people.”
“‘Like when Netflix buys the movie and gives it away to subscribers,'” Bono recalls saying. When asked about the iTunes users who maybe aren’t U2 fans, he replied, “It’s their choice whether they want to listen to it.”
“What was the worst that could happen?” Bono remembers thinking. “It would be like junk mail…Like taking our bottle of milk and leaving it on the doorstep of every house in the neighborhood.”
Eight years later, Bono now admits, “We didn’t just put our bottle of milk at the door but in every fridge in every house in town.”
“In some cases we poured it on to the good people’s cornflakes,” he writes. “And some people like to pour their own milk. And others are lactose intolerant.”
“I’d thought if we could just put our music within reach of people, they might choose to reach out toward it,” he adds. “Not quite.”
Surrender arrives November 1.
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


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Majority of Hungarians still cautious about travel plans
The majority of Hungarians are still cautious about their travel plans due to the coronavirus epidemic, writes profitline.hu.
Some 63% of respondents plan to travel by the end of summer at the earliest, while 51% of those planning to travel in the summer are already thinking of traveling abroad, up from 44% at the beginning of last summer.
For those planning a trip abroad for the summer, half are opting to get to surrounding countries by car.
Additionally, 81% of those planning to travel take into account the nature and level of COVID-19 coverage when choosing travel insurance. The survey, conducted by Netrisk, received nearly 6,000 responses.
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Goldfish and Blink, two of
’s top DJs have signed on as ‘Sennheiser Celebrity DJs’. The dynamic DJ duo who recently released their self-titled album can now be seen using a range of Sennheiser headphones. Malaysia
This year marks the 20th Anniversary of Sennheiser Asia. Fully owned by Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. in
, Sennheiser Asia was the first Asian subsidiary formed in 1992. It currently covers Germany Southeast Asia, Korea, and other subcontinent markets. India
As part of the 20th Anniversary celebrations which will be held later this year, Sennheiser has embarked on a campaign ‘The Pursuit of Perfect Sound’ where ‘Sound Heroes’ from across the region will be honoured at a celebration party.
will be represented by DJ Goldfish and Blink who recently also starred in Sennheiser’s latest campaign video. Malaysia
Watch DJ Goldfish and Blink speak about their Pursuit of Perfect Sound
Sennheiser Sound Hero - Zouk DJ Goldfish & Blink,
The Sennheiser brand which has a long established history in the audio industry is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of headphones, microphones and wireless transmission systems. It also endorses other world renowned celebrity DJs including Bob Sinclair from
“Sennheiser is proud to be associated with two of the most talented DJs in
. What makes this relationship even more special is the fact that both Goldfish and Blink were fans of the brand even before we approached them”, said Ng Chee Soon, President and Managing Director of Sennheiser Asia. Malaysia
Founded in 1945 in
, Sennheiser has always stood for the highest quality audio products across all areas of sound recording, transmission and reproduction. Over the years it has also created many firsts and solidified its position as one of the key inventors and thought-leaders in the innovation of sound technology. Germany
“I’ve been using Sennheiser headphones ever since I started DJ-ing so naturally, when Sennheiser asked us if we would be interested at being endorsed by the brand, it was a very easy decision to make”, DJ Blink said.
“I think what makes Sennheiser great is that every pair of Sennheiser headphones produces great quality sound. And as DJs, that’s what we want. We want to be able to listen to every sound or beat with perfect clarity”, DJ Goldfish added.
For more information visit Sennheiser MalaysiaFacebook Page


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Impact of Corona Virus in the Motorcycle Market in Bangladesh
With the current pandemic will bring a huge downfall in the world economy we did a small study on what impact of corona virus will bring on the motorcycle market in Bangladesh.
Corona Virus has become a huge headache for the world, so far corona virus has affected over 200 countries and killed around 50,000 people. One of the countries which have mostly been affected is China so how does it give an impact in Bangladesh? As you know most of the bikes which come in Bangladesh come from India. Starting in the tail end of March most Indian motorcycle companies have shut down their factories until April 14th which also might get extended in the near future.
As the factory in both China (which provides some raw materials for motorcycle manufacturing) & India which manufacture raw materials & also a full bike) will create a vacuum as the factories in both the countries are shut down.
Now in Bangladesh, the motorcycle companies which have manufacturing plant also depend on raw materials from either China or India. Hence there will be a delay of supplies of motorcycle parts from those countries which will create a vacuum in the market if this lockdown or shutdown continues for a certain period of time. Also, I think sales of the motorcycle will drop by a good margin this year. In the last 4 years, the motorcycle market grew by 25% every year with record sales of 5.5 lac motorcycles last year which I think will have lesser numbers this year as people will be more & more interested into saving money.
To compensate for this it will be nice if the banks of Bangladesh can come forward to ensure that they can give motorcycle loans to bikers with a lesser interest rate which will help them to grow the market & also will help the economy a bit. We mustn’t forget that although current city traffic conditions you can go from one place to another in a quick time when things get back into normal position motorcycle is the fastest way to move around in the city. Stay Home, Stay Safe.
Published by Arif Raihan Opu
Creating a value of life isn't easy. But creating life valuable is easy. So I tried to creating value and make an impact. I like to work in a team that is cooperative and helpful. I like to share my knowledge and skills for the betterment of the company. Always find out the opportunities and use in a proper way.


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|Make your mobile food dreams come true|
|Make your mobile food dreams come true|
Summer ends early for one farmers market
Uptown Market opens--here's a first look
This Sunday will be Uptown Market's last.
The market opened its fourth season in a new location just a month ago, on June 10, and was scheduled to run through the end of September. Instead, the market's mix of crafts, food trucks, and farm-fresh produce will be available just one more time, on July 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. On its Facebook page, the group behind the market wrote that it hopes "this will be a 'farewell' of sorts," and asked friends and supporters to swing by and support it during the last hurrah.
The market's board chair, Brendan Jordan, explained the reasons behind the closing.
|Shaved meat makes great street eats.|
Northeast Minneapolis restaurant Anchor Fish & Chips is expecting quite a party when it launches its new food truck in its parking lot on May 19. Its debut will be part of the northeast Minneapolis 2012 Art-a-Whirl and will feature a few beer vendors as well as live music. Fish and chips, meat pasties, and a variety of other Irish goodies will be on the menu when Anchor joins the ranks of our eclectic mobile merchants. .
Anchor Fish & Chips goes mobile
We recently talked about the young restaurant's new endeavor with co-owner and chef Luke Kyle.
Today is May Day, which always somehow seems like the first unofficial day of spring. And as we know, the Best Sign of Spring this year is the return of the food trucks--the best excuse yet to get out of the office and enjoy the day.
Lunch made easy: Food trucks at your fingertips
But with so many mobile lunch counters on the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul, how can you keep track of them all? You could take a walk to Marquette Avenue or Rice Park and hope for the best. You could follow a dozen or more Twitter feeds and spend half your lunch hour searching through them all. Or you could just click on City Pages' newly updated and incredibly handy Food Truck Map and find them all at your fingertips. Just click on a truck icon to find a favorite food cart near your location and get connected instantly to its Twitter page or website, where you'll find its daily location and what's on the menu.
The map is a work in progress--constantly updated as new trucks hit the streets. So forget the sack lunch or the same old fast food. Just bookmark our map and try a new food truck today.
City Pages Food Truck Map
From Doomtree, simply: "Dirty Donuts."
Before long, concert-goers were tweeting that they'd just been mysteriously pastry-bombed at venues around town by a strange guerrilla doughnut operation.
But who or what is Dirty Donuts? Today we got some answers. Some.More »
You have to travel to the Iron Range to match the porketta sandwiches for sale at the new Untamed Cart stand at 10th and Nicollet Mall.
Michelle Bruch The owner of Sporty's Pub and Grill is using his new food cart to get creative in the kitchen.
"They're definitely not what people expect," says owner and chef Joe Radaich, who also owns Sporty's Pub and Grill near the University of Minnesota campus.
He's selling porkettas and Mexican pot roast sandwiches that are much more adventurous than the burgers and fries he sells at Sporty's. Radaich says the sandwiches are so unconventional, he has a little bit of trouble describing them.
Sarah Burt thanks her Italian grandmother for the inspiration to open a food cart selling Italian meatball subs.
Michelle Bruch Saucy Burt's aims to be one of the few local places to find a meatball sandwich.
You'll find Burt on the corner of Fifth and Nicollet scooping meatballs smothered in a marinara sauce of her own creation.
"The Twin Cities was lacking in a solid meatball sandwich option," Burt says.
Burt's meatballs are made with beef, pork, and veal, and the sandwich comes with Italian plum tomatoes and lots of fresh herbs and garlic.
We talked with her more about this new Minneapolis street cart.
On some of these summer days when it's been hot as Bangkok at 9 'o clock in the morning, we figure, Why try to beat it, when we can join it?
Try Gai Gai Thai's green curry rice and Thai iced tea.
Such weather is just an excuse to indulge in the Southeast Asian street eats of farmers' market vendor Gai Gai Thai and have ourselves a green curry breakfast.More »
When the city of Minneapolis was creating its food truck policy, several restaurant owners spoke out against it, saying the competition was unfair.
Brent Schoonover St. Paul restaurants vs. food trucks.
Now that food trucks have come out in full force in downtown St. Paul, the Pioneer Press has found several frustrated restaurant owners.
Mario Gambino, owner of Andreas Pizza in Lowertown, reportedly screamed at the drivers of a cupcake truck parked in front of his restaurant for more than two hours. He says that enforcement of time limits has been lax and that the trucks take away business, take up parking spaces, and the generators make too much noise.More »
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Sit. Stay. Bring Beer? This Might Be The Cutest Delivery Option Ever
How a family business is bringing suds and smiles to others during the crisis. Watch the heartwarming video!
With small businesses all over the country struggling to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, business owners are coming up with unique ways to get their goods to their loyal customers.
For example, brewery owners Mark and Karen Heuwetter have made running the business a family affair in recent weeks since they had to furlough 12 of their workers due to the epidemic.
"When it first came out we were like, holy smokes, can we open? Can we close? What do we do?" Mark told CBS News. "We had to redefine our business. We never had curbside, we never had delivery."
A family-owned brewery in Long Island, NY is putting their family members (both two and four-legged) to work during the crisis. Six Harbors Brewing Company/Facebook
The Heuwetters own Six Harbors Brewing Company in Huntington, NY. Not only are they getting their kids involved in day-to-day tasks like canning, answering phones, and making deliveries, but the Heuwetters are also putting their fur-babies to work.
The family's two golden retrievers, Buddy and Barley, are already well-known in the town as the "brew dogs." When people started requesting to see the dogs when they picked up their craft brews or got them delivered to their homes, Karen said it only made sense to make the pups a more permanent part of the process.
"They have been requested on many cases, and we are making it well known that they can deliver beer to your house," she said.
The "B" brothers have been making beer deliveries to help pay the bills. Six Harbors Brewing Company/Facebook
In order to maintain safe social distancing guidelines, the Heuwetters strap six-packs to the dogs and they deliver the cans right to the customers' front porches, where the friendly pups are "tipped" with head scratches and belly rubs.
While the pups have been helping to keep the orders coming in, the family says the brew dogs aren't just good for business. They also give people who have been feeling isolated and depressed during the quarantine a much-needed boost.
"When they go out and make people smile, I think people really like that," she said. "In fact, people need that these days, so when they put a smile on people's faces they're doing their job — which, by nature, is easy for them."
The dogs provide a fun, socially-distant way to safely deliver cans to customers. Six Harbors Brewing Company/Facebook
The Heuwetters aren't the only ones using their four-legged family members to help bolster sales during the pandemic. A winery owner in Maryland has trained her 11-year-old boxer to carry wine to customers in a horse saddlebag.
"I put a couple treats in the pack, a bag for the wine, and the two bottles of wine. I then open the door and he marches on up the walk to the curb and parking lot to deliver the wine," Lori Yata, the winery's owner, told Today.
Here's "Soda Pup" delivering wine for his owner in Maryland. Stone House Urban Winery/Facebook
What a sweet way to keep people smiling – and keep the bills paid – during the crisis. Maybe their success will inspire other business owners to put their pooches to work.


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If the Apple Watch is a little out of your price range, don’t worry, Alcatel has confirmed its first smartwatch will set you back just £99.
Having debuted at CES 2015 at the start of the year, the Alcatel OneTouch Watch has now been dated and priced for a UK release.
Coming to British retailers in ‘mid-June’, the round LG G Watch R rival will set wannabe owners back just shy of £100, a third of the price of the entry-level Apple Watch Sport.
Although an exact date of release has yet to be announced, Alcatel has confirmed the wearable will be availble for purchase through Currys PC World’s physical and online stores.
He added: “Our philosophy on the watch is that it’s a wearable so it should be nice to wear. You shouldn’t feel as though you are strapping a smartwatch to your wrist, which is why it’s round, so it looks like a watch.”
Having shunned Android Wear in favour of its own wearable OS, Alcatel has bestowed the OneTouch Watch with a 1.22-inch round LCD display.
Like the Moto 360, this circular screen features a ‘flat tyre’ bottom which holds the device’s light sensor.
Lining up at 10.5mm thick, the metal-framed wearable features an optical heart-rate sensor on the rear and a USB charging port hidden within the device’s rubber strap.


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While consumers have happily shared personal data on social platforms in return for greater connectivity and shared experiences, recent news about data harvesting has caused alarm. Many companies that rely on consumer insight are rethinking how to build digital trust and make it sustainable.
A study of 25,000 consumers across 33 countries, the majority of 92 % of which are U.S. consumers say it’s extremely important that companies protect their personal information. Another 79 % say it’s frustrating to realize that some cannot be trusted to use it appropriately. Lack of trust is one of the biggest reasons consumers switch companies.
And with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a regulation intended to strengthen data protection for EU citizens and let individuals decide which brands can use their personal data, good data stewardship is becoming critical to the success of every business globally.
The Importance of Insight
The ability to process personal data is critical to business in the digital age. Data-driven organizations rely on customer insights to help inform the development and design of products and services, the overall customer experience, and marketing strategy. From demographics to personal preferences, customer data allows companies to deliver hyper-relevant products, services, and experiences.
Some companies have built entire business models around the sale of anonymized personal data. Technology is creating opportunities for businesses to understand their customers on a deeper level and monetize this knowledge. Biometric, visual, genomic, and device data can allow ever-increasing degrees of personalization.
Personal data is a currency no business can afford to risk.
Earning Digital Trust
To earn digital trust, organizations' leaders have to eliminate anything that jeopardizes it. Companies looking to future-proof their customer data supply should take these measures:
• Deliver on their commitments. 83 % of U.S. consumers say it’s extremely frustrating when companies promise one thing but deliver another. An organization’s commitment to delivering promised experiences and meeting customers’ expectations is paramount to earning trust. Successful companies understand their baseline level of trust and eliminate issues or offers that detract from the trust. Otherwise they must reset their parameters.
• Establish rigorous governance. The only way trust can become sustainable is by establishing a rigorous process and a robust, cross-functional governance structure to continuously measure trust and hyper-relevant effectiveness and acting on the findings. Please see our posts on Information governance.
• Give customers full control over their data. As customers demand greater control over how companies use their personal information, organizations must become more transparent. Customers must be given full access to, and control over their data, which will demonstrate responsible stewardship and ethics. Furthermore, they must ensure that the appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it.
Some companies may look to adjust their profit models and potentially charge for services (i.e., “pay for privacy”) so customers are explicitly aware of the value being exchanged. That way companies could make money on direct interactions with customers as opposed to the derivatives of those interactions (i.e., selling insights or advertising). Or they could move from an information exchange relationship to a more classic view of understanding what customers need and having them pay for it.
More companies will undoubtedly assess their existing propositions and the economic viability of new models. But the question remains as to whether the underlying information and experience will become something that is merely expected, rather than something that customers would be willing to pay for.
The Path Forward
Digital trust is only sustainable when companies establish a rigorous process and governance structure. Most importantly, digital trust must be managed as the critical growth enabler it is. Companies will inevitably look to capture new categories of customer data such as biometric, geolocation, even genomic data in their drive for greater relevance. Customers' concerns will inevitably rise, so it’s critical that companies have strong data security and privacy measures in place, give customers full control over their data, and, crucially, are transparent with how they use it.
We have successfully implemented data security and data privacy in many organizations. Please contact us today for a free consultation.


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In a strategic move to closely align itself with the strong growth of the worldwide online gaming market, Sony Computer Entertainment announced Thursday that Sony Online Entertainment will report to Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO, SCEI, effective April 1, 2008.
The new structure is designed to mutually benefit both companies by further accelerating the PlayStation business through SOE's strong online gaming expertise.
San Diego-based SOE is currently part of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Under the new structure, SOE will continue to develop its games for the PC and the PLAYSTATION3 computer entertainment system, and SOE President John Smedley will report to Hirai.
Hirai said, "This new structure will allow us to take full advantage of the extensive breadth of expertise of the two companies and increase our range of exciting entertainment offerings to our consumers."
Sony Online Entertainment is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe.
Sony Computer Entertainment manufacturers, distributes and markets the PlayStation game console, the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, the PSP (PlayStation Portable) handheld entertainment system and the PLAYSTATION3.


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Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot SA decide on the name of the AllianceJuly 16, 2020
The merger of the two concerns, which will lead to the creation of one of the largest automotive alliances in the world, should be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2021.
The last quarter of 2019 was marked by the intention to create a huge alliance between PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), which was supposed to contribute to the formation of the fourth largest automaker in the world. The former head of FCA, the late Sergio Marchionne, has long sought to ally with another car manufacturer, and now the FCA has almost joined forces with Peugeot Citroen.
Now the merger has passed to the final stage. So, it should be completed by the end of the first quarter of next year. In addition, one of the largest automotive alliances will be named Stellantis.
“Stellantis is derived from Latin and means ‘illuminated by the stars’, which reflects the spirit of a new and ambitious project of two legendary car brands,” says the press service of the Italian-French company.
Earlier, we reported that the board of directors will include 11 members: five people each from the FCA and PSA, as well as one leader. The chairman of the governing body will be the current head of Peugeot-Citroen Carlos Tavares, who will also lead the team from PSA. The team leader from FCA will be Mike Manley, the current CEO of Fiat Chrysler.
- Businessman predicts Tesla worth $ 2 trillion
- Fiat Mobi city car has undergone an update
- Audi E-Tron GT RS will receive three electric motors
- Electric Porsche Macan spotted on tests
- Tesla Model 3 of Chinese assembly will be on sale in Europe


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A US court is reportedly scheduled to deliver a ruling ordering the payment of US$200 million in compensation for Samsung Electronics’ unapproved use of mobile patent technology that companies like Apple and Intel are currently paying millions of dollars in usage fees for. Samsung Electronics plans to appeal the ruling.
Bulk FinFET suit timeline
According to various sources on Feb. 20, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, which is conducting the first trial, issued a “conditional decision” on Feb. 13 requiring Samsung Electronics to pay US$200 million in compensation for “deliberate” infringement of a bulk in field-effect transistor (FinFET) patent held by the company KIP. The ruling becomes finalized once accepted by KIP, which filed the patent infringement suit. With KIP indicating its plans to immediately accept the court’s decision, the ruling is scheduled to be finalized within a matter of days. KIP is a KAIST affiliate specializing in patents.
Bulk FinFET is a three-dimensional transistor technology used with smartphones and tablet PCs, allowing for faster use of mobile devices by reducing power consumption. After its 2001 invention by current Seoul National University professor Lee Jong-ho -- who was employed by Wonkwang University at the time -- a patent application was filed in the US in 2003. Around July 2016, patent rights were transferred to KIP, with an agreement to share a certain percentage of the usage fees. Intel and Apple, both of which use the technology, have paid usage fees following agreements with KIP in 2012 and 2019, respectively. In contrast, Samsung, which has used the technology since 2015, has not paid usage fees. In response, KIP filed suit against Samsung Electronics for patent infringement with the Eastern District of Texas court in November 2016.
According to a copy of the court ruling acquired by the Hankyoreh, Lee Jong-ho, who submitted the initial domestic patent application in 2012, provided Samsung Electronics with an explanation of the patented technology and requested a licensing contract. Lee also requested an agreement on usage fees in 2011 and 2012, but Samsung Electronics did not agree to one. The court concluded that Samsung Electronics merely listened to Lee’s explanation of the technology before proceeding to “deliberately copy” and use it without paying usage fees.
During the trial, it emerged that Samsung Electronics attempted to encourage Kyungpook National University -- Lee's place of employment after Wonkwang University -- to claim ownership of the patent and requested a Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) investigation into allegations of KIP’s “unapproved divulgence of industry technology.” Its attempts were seen as pressure tactics to have the case thrown out or portray it as “technology leaking.”
“Samsung’s legal compliance monitoring committee was recently launched, and they held a ‘commitment to law compliance’ ceremony with the Samsung Electronics president’s board. I was at a loss as to what laws Samsung Electronics was pledging to abide by when it steals technology and doesn’t acknowledge it,” said KIP CEO Gang In-gyu in a telephone interview with the Hankyoreh.
“Rather holding out by forcing an economically disadvantaged small business to pay legal costs in the tens of billions of won and hoping that it dies off in the process, they need to immediately halt their illegal activities and pay a fair usage fee for the technology,” he insisted.
Samsung Electronics told the Hankyoreh that FinFET “is independent technology developed by Samsung”
“It’s unfortunate that the US court has accepted the claims of a company specializing in patents. We will appeal to have this recognized as Samsung Electronics’ own technology,” it added.
By Song Chae Kyung-wha, staff reporter
Please direct comments or questions to [firstname.lastname@example.org]


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As England rolls out of phase two of the lockdown roadmap, part of the country has been working from home for over a year now. We published results on what consumers could have saved over 12 months while locked out, assuming they were working from home.
According to a recent YouGov survey this shows that around 32% of brits were successful in increasing their savings during the pandemic, we calculated how much the average person could have saved.
With the offices closed, the ride to the guest room or the kitchen table is free, the morning latte can be made at home instead of being purchased, and the same for lunch. No after-work drinks, no meals out, and no need to fork out for fancy party clothes. Our research also showed that 42% of consumers said they don’t plan to travel in 2021, which is an immediate savings as well.
The average person could have saved up to £ 19,372, according to our estimates.
The costs include (on average per person):
- Average cost of the trip per year £ 1,738
- Cost of a cup of coffee per day per year – £ 7201
- Cost of daily lunch at work per year – £ 1,2002
- Annual cost of gym membership – £ 480
- Annual cost of child care expenses – £ 9,594
- Mobile phone data per year – £ 60
- Average annual cost of restaurant meals – £ 1,0403
- Average annual exit costs – £ 840
- Average cost of spending on clothing – £ 1,200
- Average annual cost of vacation – £ 2,500
While some people have been working from home for over a year now, and others are now doing it indefinitely, we wanted to see what could be saved. We calculated that this averaged £ 19,372. Little things like commuting, buying a cup of coffee every day, and going out for a drink over the course of a year can add up to a surprising amount.
Obviously, not everyone will have been able to work from home or take advantage of all of these savings, but it just shows how the costs can soon add up. For those looking to save money, even making a small change to their daily routine, such a home-cooked lunch, rather than buying it, can soon save £ 1,200 over a year.
Another point to note is that these numbers also don’t take into account where people may have had to pay more – for example, additional utility bills, additional food bills, and even the exchange of coins. work clothes costs for salon clothes costs for overtime. at home.
1 £ 3 x 5 days x 48 weeks
2 £ 5 x 5 days x 48 weeks
3 £ 10 per meal x twice a week x 52


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MATERIAL availability has replaced sustainability as the industry’s top priority this year, according to Dalkeith-based NSD Labels.
While environmental ambitions remain a crucial focus, NSD MD Chris Hogarth told Packaging Scotland that it has currently been replaced ‘by a bit of pragmatism’ in the face of long lead times and soaring demand.
“For every tonne of label material being supplied in the UK at the moment, there’s a one-and-a-half-tonne demand,” Chris explained.
This is partly related to the UPM paper mill strikes in Finland, which have had a huge impact on label stocks and resulted in many businesses pivoting to PET liners.
“We use four or five suppliers and every one of them was holding stock in the UK and offering 48-72 hour delivery,” Chris added. “Some of those products are now on 12-week delivery so you can imagine what that’s done to the supply chain and the amount of work you’ve got to do now to try to secure your label stock.
“Most buyers understand it’s not about price anymore, it’s about availability. It took us all by surprise.”
Despite these challenges, business is booming for NSD. The firm last year invested £1 million on a new digital press – an HP Indigo 6900 – and also purchased a Digicon finishing machine.
Many of the recent investment decisions have been influenced by a new trend Chris noticed developing several years ago within the whisky and premium spirits market. An increasing number of craft-type start-ups were gaining more market share and he spotted an opportunity to provide these smaller firms with the top-quality labels they required, with digital printing becoming more prevalent.
“The challenge for those guys was to get labels that they loved and were proud of at a cost/timescale comparable to what the big boys could get,” Chris stated. “The reason we invested in that kit was to be able to serve that market.
“We’ve seen a huge uptake from clients. In the year ended 2019 we did £1 million in digital sales – most of that was premium drinks. For the year ended 2020 that was £1.5 million, and in 2021 it was up to £2 million. We’re on target for £3 million now. We wouldn’t be able to achieve those revenue numbers without that investment. Really the investment was tailored at the high end, high embellished, premium uncoated paper, multiple foil marketplace.
“In some ways we’ve given some of those smaller brands access to labels they couldn’t get before because if they went to the traditional, global vendors of labels, they were pretty busy and probably smaller brands and start-ups were not really their target market. What we’ve tried to do is be really agile but also offer that high level of quality labels. That’s where we’ve seen great growth.”
NSD has also had to adapt to Brexit-related challenges. The firm correctly anticipated that the UK’s decision to leave the European Union would lead to much tougher supply chains.
While exporting to Europe has become more difficult, NSD has been able to capitalise on increased demand locally.
“The spirits industry in Scotland is a real unique marketplace for labels,” Chris explained. “It’s probably only replicated in maybe the Champagne region in France or the Cognac region. You’ve got a huge plethora of people producing the same thing, and in our case it’s premium spirits, so the market’s big enough for everybody.
“We estimate the label market in Scotland in premium spirits is way over £100 million.”
Chris highlighted the ‘diversification’ currently taking place, with smaller batches of whisky and higher levels of embellishment more commonplace.
NSD’s investment in technology has just seen the business complete its first run of labels with a unique QR code linked to an NFT (non-fungible token), which authenticates the whisky and deters counterfeiters. With the required software now available, Chris reckons this is going to be ‘huge’ for brands going forward.
And while sustainability might be currently playing second fiddle to material shortages, it’s still a key area of focus.
“Generally, the premium drinks industry uses paper labels, and generally they have always been in a very sustainable stream,” Chris said. “Most of them are FSC-certified. With paper labels, the sustainability is already there, but the question everybody wants answered is what you do with plastic labels.
“How could you ever put a paper label on a bottle of shampoo as it will just come off in the shower? Biodegradable, sustainable products have to be balanced against what your end use is. That’s a challenge for the whole industry.
“Single-use plastic has to become a thing of the past. We supply plastic labels, which are put on plastic bottles. Yes, they ultimately get recycled IF the recycling chain is in place. I think a lot of the responsibility for that has to be led by the government. The industry’s crying out for direction. We must get plastic recycling improved.”
At the time of interview, Chris had just taken delivery of two bottles of Jack and Victor Still Gin, inspired by the hit TV show Still Game. NSD provided the packaging and labels for the product.
Chris is planning to raffle them and was clearly proud to have been involved with such a project.
He’s also proud of his team. NSD last year won two FlexoTech Awards in the categories of Labels (process) and Digital labels and packaging, for the firm’s work with whisky and gin products, respectively.
There’s no danger of standing still though, with Chris concluding the interview by detailing that discussions are currently taking place around what to invest in next to stay ahead of the game.


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App analytics firm Flurry this summer released a report on mobile Web use that looked damning for search leader Google, a part of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG)(NASDAQ:GOOGL), and quite bullish for social network Facebook (NASDAQ:FB). But there's more to the story than the numbers many media outlets chose to focus on, and investors may not want to look at this as a zero-sum game for the search giant and social network.
In a nutshell, the report showed that nearly 90% of our time spent on the mobile Web is spent in apps, the most popular of which are owned by Facebook.
What's more, other research has shown that almost all of the typical tablet user's time is spent in three favorite apps, and for smartphone users, nearly half is spent in just a single app. (For many, the favorite apps in those scenarios are Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram, three Facebook properties that the social network says collectively have more than 1.3 billion mobile users.)
This all appears to be bad news for Google, which of course counts on people browsing to make money. Mobile is a fast-growing area of advertising, with eMarketer estimating that the market will more than double to $51 billion by 2017 as more traditional -- and historically more profitable -- web advertising shrinks. Flurry's report would seem to suggest dim prospects for Google.
Hold the phone ...
But just when things looked darkest came a light: Morgan Stanley last month issued a research note that seemingly dumped Flurry's report onto its head. The bank's analysts proclaimed that mobile Web browsing -- i.e., Google's domain -- actually commands an audience that is both twice as large as those using apps, and also growing faster than the latter.
So who's right?
It's no doubt confusing, but both companies appear to have a case. The two are using different measurements to come to their conclusions. The Flurry report tracked mobile use based on time spent. According to the firm, we spend an average 220 minutes a day on our mobile devices, and 198 minutes of that time are spent inside apps.
That leaves less than a half-hour per day spent browsing the Web on a smartphone or tablet, according to that data.
By that measure, Google would appear to be falling behind the popular apps like Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram -- and falling fast.
Morgan Stanley's research, on the other hand, was measuring traffic based on the number of unique visitors using mobile each day, not the time they were spending in any one particular place. So if a smartphone user opened a browser and searched for something, then spent the next hour on Instagram, mobile browsing and the app would end up with equal credit.
Searching for ad dollars
Both of these methods have their merits. Google doesn't need users to spend vast amounts of time on its properties to make money. Since it relies on search, it collects information efficiently, and it can link users with advertisers quickly. You type in a search term. Google delivers results. And among those results are ads, often at the top. You click. Transaction complete.
It's neat, tidy, and expedient.
There's more to Google's advertising platform, of course. Google offers targeted display ads that allow website owners to earn a share of profits. It also offers retargeting or remarketing ads -- the kind that follow you around like a lost puppy after you visit a website or use an app.
But the bread and butter of Google's $59 billion ad business remains search. And about 20% of that came from search on mobile devices last year, according to a Goldman Sachs analysis. In 2011, mobile search made up just 4.8%, according to eMarketer.
Come and stay a while
Facebook, however, banks on having users spend time in its platform, scrolling through news feeds and photos, and engaging with other users and the content they post. Users may see suggested posts in their news feeds and ads in the rail that Facebook thinks they'd be most interested in based on what they've entered on the site and where else they've visited. It also allows websites and apps to benefit from its data and select ads through its "audience network." And it also gives advertisers the chance to retarget as users move around the web.
It's not as efficient as Google's search platform. But it doesn't have to be. Facebook has built out a platform that people want to use for extended stretches -- and return to over and over again.
While these studies deliver what seem to be confusing -- if not conflicting -- results, there are important takeaways. Mobile computing is growing fast, and just a few companies are positioning themselves to take advantage of that over all others.
There's more than one winner here
So while each report from Flurry and Morgan Stanley initially seemed to spell trouble for one of the two companies, it turns out that each is doing well in a way that is important to its stability and growth in the mobile advertising market that is expected to mushroom from $19 billion in 2014 to $51 billion in 2017.
Both Alphabet and Facebook are in position to capitalize on the mobile megatrend. For investors, it's less helpful to focus on the seeming differences between the reports, and more beneficial to look at the bigger picture.
John-Erik Koslosky owns shares of Alphabet (A shares) and Facebook. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), and Facebook. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Tesla’s electric man
JB Straubel is charged with more than electrifying the Californian carmaker. He wants to take batteries to a new dimension
PUT your foot down in a Tesla Model S and the experience is rather different to other cars. The usual exhaust roar is replaced by a hushed whooshing sound as the car accelerates rapidly—and relentlessly—thanks to the high torque of an electric motor making gear changes unnecessary because there is no gearbox. And inside, instead of multiple dials and switches, a large touchscreen dominates the centre console. Established carmakers have tended to make modest electric vehicles, usually small ones to eke out the range available from their pricey batteries. But it was Tesla, a Silicon Valley startup, which realised that many early adopters of new technologies are likely to be well heeled and would prefer a large high-performance saloon that is both luxurious and extremely high-tech.
Why did Tesla act differently? For a start, it does not think of itself as a carmaker. “I see us more as an energy-innovation company,” says Jeffrey “JB” Straubel, the firm’s chief technology officer, and one of the co-founders of Tesla, along with Elon Musk, the chief executive. “If we can reduce energy-storage prices, it’s the most important thing we can do to make electric vehicles more prevalent,” says Mr Straubel. “Add in renewable power and I have a direct line of sight towards an entire economy that doesn’t need fossil fuels and doesn’t need to pay more to do it.”
Mr Straubel’s captivation with energy storage is understandable. He is cagey about the exact cost of the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery pack powering the Model S, but it is believed to represent around a quarter of the $70,000 starting price of the basic version. A smaller car, the Model 3, is due in 2017. Although the new car will have some self-driving features like the Model S, it is aimed more at the mass-market. But to hit the Model 3’s expected price of around $35,000, Mr Straubel now needs to reduce the cost of his battery packs by at least a third.
The best way to do that and to meet expected demand, Mr Straubel believes, is for Tesla to make its own batteries. And to make them big time. This is why he and Mr Musk are gambling on building a $5 billion “gigafactory” in Nevada in a joint venture with Panasonic, a Japanese battery supplier. By 2020 the gigafactory is set to produce as many Li-ion batteries as the entire world used this year.
“One lunch was the beginning of what eventually became Tesla”
The determination to act boldly and independently has worked for Mr Straubel in the past. When researching a charging system for the Model S he rejected existing industry standards because they delivered too little power. And instead of waiting for an agreement with other carmakers for a universal recharging plug, he designed his own proprietary connector. The company’s Superchargers, which provide free recharging in public locations to Tesla owners, can top up a battery to about 80% of capacity in 40 minutes. These now comprise the largest fast-charging network in the world.
Mr Straubel also takes a different view on the batteries themselves. Whereas most manufacturers of electric vehicles have opted for large-format batteries, both the Model S and its predecessor, the Tesla Roadster, are powered by around 7,000 individual Li-ion cells. The Roadster’s were originally the standard Li-ion cells widely used in industry and found in devices such as laptop computers. For the Model S, however, the cells have been significantly redesigned. Mounted inside a battery pack, the cells are interconnected and interwoven with liquid cooling systems to prevent fires in the event of an accident (damage resulting in short circuits and faulty charging can cause Li-ion batteries to burst into flame).
The electric Porsche
Teslas were always going to be unique. Mr Straubel, who is 38, made his first full-sized electric vehicle 14 years ago (a golf cart which he resurrected at the age of 14 doesn’t count). This was a 1984 Porsche 944 fitted with twin electric motors and 380kg of old-fashioned lead-acid batteries: a weighty proposition, but one that went on to become the fastest electric car in the world at a drag-racing event in California.
“I love immersive experiences where you’re engaged with the thing that you’re engineering. If you are driving, riding or flying it, it’s even more exciting and fun,” says Mr Straubel, who holds a private pilot’s licence. After graduating with a master’s degree in energy engineering from Stanford University, he worked with Harold Rosen (the designer of the first geosynchronous satellite) on a novel hybrid-drive system for cars. This used a turbine to generate electricity and a fast-moving flywheel to store and release kinetic energy when needed. Although the innovative combination worked, it was a leap too far for conservative carmakers, which declined to invest in it. Nevertheless, the pair licensed the technology to a company that makes flywheels for commercial vehicles. Mr Straubel and Mr Rosen went on to build a hydrogen-powered electric engine for aircraft, which was subsequently licensed to Boeing.
It was then that Mr Straubel met Mr Musk, a freshly minted multimillionaire from the sale of his PayPal digital-payments company to eBay. “One lunch was the beginning of what eventually became Tesla,” says Mr Straubel. “We spent most of the meal talking about electric aeroplanes. But as we were wrapping up, I said I was working on a fun crazy project with cars, trying to build a lithium-ion battery pack that could last 1,000 miles.”
That dream is still some way off. The Model 3 is likely to have a range of 322km (200 miles) compared with the 440km claimed for a top-of-the-line Model S. But with Tesla intending to sell ten times as many Model 3s, the need for a reliable battery supplier is paramount. Hence the gigafactory. Tesla will have to innovate in battery chemistry and manufacturing techniques even as it ramps up production. Although the new cells are likely to remain small, their exact specifications are still undecided.
Mr Straubel insists that this strategy is less risky than it might seem. He notes that Model S cells today are produced on equipment very similar to that used for the Roadster cells almost ten years ago, even though the energy from the cells has increased by half and their chemistry has changed substantially. The Roadster cells used cobalt oxide as a cathode whereas the Model S uses a nickel-cobalt-aluminium oxide. The difference, says Mr Straubel, is a much improved energy density, a longer lifetime and a higher operating temperature (which means less cooling is required). Besides the chemistry, Tesla is also developing other new features for the batteries.
The idea is that, benefiting from economies of scale, the gigafactory’s cells will be significantly cheaper than those from more established manufacturers. “Over the next ten years, it’s going to change to the point where we’re focused on production to meet the world’s energy-storage needs rather than waiting for a cost reduction from a radical change in battery technology,” says Mr Straubel.
Not everyone agrees. A report by Lux Research, a firm of technology analysts, has predicted that the gigafactory will bring about only a modest cut in battery costs and suffer more than 50% overcapacity. “Most other companies do not believe that battery volume will grow as fast as it’s going to,” Mr Straubel counters. “They don’t understand the tight linkage between cost and volume. We’re at this crossing-point where a small reduction in cost is going to result in a ridiculously big increase in volume, because the auto industry is so big.”
Not all the cells made by the gigafactory are destined for vehicles. Some will end up in the company’s Superchargers, allowing Tesla to cope with sudden bursts of demand should multiple vehicles need to recharge at once. Others will be used at Tesla’s assembly plants to store energy when it is cheap, typically at night, and release it when the price rises.
Keeping the lights on
The use of batteries to store renewable power (see article) may provide Tesla with its biggest opportunity in the years ahead. The potential is huge, says Mr Straubel. “The economics in many cases have already crossed a threshold where battery packs can effectively store renewables on a very big scale.” The main problem with renewable-power sources, such as wind or solar, is that the wind does not always blow or the sun shine when demand for electricity is high. This requires utility companies to maintain additional power stations, usually running on fossil fuels, to meet the shortfall. Batteries, however, could store the power from renewables when it is generated and release it when needed.
Around 1,000 households in California already have a Tesla battery pack installed alongside photovoltaic panels leased from Solar City, another company owned by Mr Musk. The battery packs allow householders to run appliances if the power goes out or switch when electricity prices are high. But they are also designed to maximise the return from “net metering” rules that allow residential customers to sell excess energy to utilities.
Tesla’s residential batteries have been plagued by interconnection problems with utilities and are not being adopted as swiftly as Mr Straubel had hoped. “Utilities tend to be very conservative by nature,” he says. Nevertheless, Mr Straubel thinks that favourable economics will persuade utilities of the benefits.
As batteries improve in terms of safety and the amount of energy they can store, this will allow new electrically powered products to be produced, reckons Mr Straubel, returning to another of his interests: “In the foreseeable future, electric aeroplanes become an interesting and pretty compelling proposition.” A variety of small electric aircraft have been built in America, China and Europe. Airbus recently set up a subsidiary in France to build a two-seater pilot-training aircraft called the E-Fan. It is powered by electric motors driving a pair of ducted fans on either side of the rear fuselage. The European aerospace giant is also looking at the potential of building an electric helicopter and a 90-seat electrically powered passenger plane for short journeys.
A number of developments are under way which have the potential to boost the amount of energy a battery can store. For instance, a team at Stanford University is investigating enclosing the lithium-based anodes used by Li-ion batteries in a thin film of carbon “nanospheres”. This would allow more lithium to be used safely in the anode (it is lithium’s high chemical reactivity that puts the batteries at risk of catching fire). The coating, researchers think, would allow a Li-ion battery to hold about five times as much energy as those used today, weight-for-weight.
Such innovations are still at the laboratory stage and remain some way from commercial reality. In time, perhaps, even lithium may be replaced by more exotic new materials in batteries. “No one wishes we could come up with a technology that makes today’s chemistry obsolete more than me,” says Mr Straubel. “We could sell more cars at a lower price. But we’re not waiting.”
This article appeared in the Technology Quarterly section of the print edition under the headline "Tesla’s electric man"
From the December 6th 2014 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contentsExplore the edition


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Sales of electrified passenger vehicles including all-electric cars and light trucks, and plug-in hybrids will range from 5.5 million to 6 million vehicles in 2022, the China Automobile Dealers Association said this week.
The forecast is significantly higher than the dealer group’s previous outlook of 4.8 million.
It raised the forecast in view of the Chinese government’s less-than-expected cut in subsidies for electrified vehicles this year, CADA said.
China’s Ministry of Finance, in a note posted on its website in late December, said subsidies for electrified vehicles will be cut 30 percent on average in 2022 and the subsidy program will be terminated at the end of the year.
After the reduction in subsidies, electric passenger vehicles qualify for 9,100 yuan ($1,427) if they have a range of 300 kilometers to 400 km on one charge, or 12,600 yuan if the range tops 400 km.
Subsidies for plug-in hybrid passenger vehicles have been revised down to 4,800 yuan if they have a range of more than 50 km on batteries only and sell below 300,000 yuan prior to subsidies.
More importantly, the government didn’t set a quota on the number of electrified vehicles eligible for subsidies in 2022 as had been expected, CADA noted.
In November, electrified passenger vehicle sales in China surged 132 percent to approach 430,000, with year-to-date volume soaring 190 percent to exceed 2.8 million, according to CADA.
The dealer group hasn’t released December sales figures.


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Fast-growing Middle Eastern airlines have been luring business travelers away from carriers in the U.S., Europe and Asia for years. But they may find the seats in the front of the plane going unfilled after the U.S. and U.K. ijucted laptop bans and other large electronics in the cabin on some flights from the region.
Travelers across expressed frustration Wednesday at a ban on large electronic devices for flights to the US and Britain that has sparked confusion and speculation.
Passengers on flights to the US and Britain from major hubs in Turkey and the Arab world will now have to check in any device larger than a smartphone, including laptops and tablets. Caught in the middle of the ban are thousands of travelers growing increasingly frustrated with what they see as an absurd measure.
European security experts will meet in Brussels next week to assess the restrictions on this laptop bans calling for more information on the intelligence behind the British ban.
The EU commissioner for transport, Violeta Bulc, plans to speak to the British transport secretary, Chris Grayling, to discuss the UK’s ban on carrying electronic devices larger than a phone in cabin baggage.


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A cattle industry promotion in the Northern Territory is highlighting the importance of cattle farming to the region and the contribution made by pastoralists to the Territory economy.
The HerdThat initiative is the work of the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association (NTCA) and provides a platform where primary producers and associated supporting companies in the private sector can generate ideas that promote sound policy and good governance.
“Livelihoods, especially in remote and regional parts of the Northern Territory, depend on a healthy, booming cattle industry,” NTCA Chief Executive Officer Ashley Manicaros said.
“The Territory’s $1.2 billion cattle industry is a foundation of the Northern Territory economy and HerdThat is playing a crucial role in connecting with Territorians so they understand what the cattle industry does and how our pastoralists work.”
The HerdThat campaign first started in late 2019 with a new website, social media accounts and TV commercials.
In March this year the campaign launched an online shop selling HerdThat branded products, with all money made through sales to be invested back into the Territory cattle industry and associated promotional activities.
“I think people are surprised about the reach of the NT cattle industry when it comes to jobs - from cattle producers themselves to station hands, truck drivers, mechanics, grader drivers, service station operators, shop assistants, butchers, stock agents, helicopter pilots, public servants responsible for monitoring the industry, vets, environmental scientists and so many more,” said Mr Manicaros.
“By purchasing HerdThat merchandise, all Australians can show their support for an industry which has been a key performer at a national and international level. In times of economic downturn, the cattle industry continues to support local Territory businesses – Territorians working for Territorians.”
Figures show that 50 per cent of local cattle industry spending stays in the Territory, with money flowing directly into NT communities and rural towns.
“The NT cattle industry isn’t just about a steak on a plate. Families, businesses and the future of the Northern Territory rely on our support for the cattle industry,” Mr Manicaros said.
You can follow HerdThat on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and visit www.herdthat.com.au/shop


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Why does it pay to have Dairy Revenue Protection (DRP)? DRP sets a quarterly price floor based on Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) futures prices to protect dairy producers against unexpected declines in milk revenue. It’s important to protect your operation — and DRP is one of the resources you can have in your toolbox to do so.
Today’s Harvest Blog
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The recently enacted New York State budget makes the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) fully refundable for eligible farmers who derive more than two-thirds of their gross income from farming. This provision will be in place through 2027 and will greatly benefit eligible farmers in New York State. Today’s post provides a high-level overview of the ITC.
May 29, 2023
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In our final installment of the Lessons from the Pandemic series, we shift from the impact on the food system to the impact on the Northeast’s fiber system. The timber industry reacted quickly to the pandemic, promptly curtailing production, but soon found demand for many wood products would actually increase.
June 08, 2021
In honor of National Dairy Month, this installment in our Lessons from the Pandemic series highlights the tremendous resilience of the Northeast diary industry during the coronavirus pandemic.
June 01, 2021
Vegetable growers in the Northeast experienced significant draught in 2020, which is continuing through 2021. Growers selling to foodservice markets had to adjust their marketing, but those selling to grocery stores or direct-to-consumer have seen good sales. Like other agricultural commodities, vegetable demand has shifted but is still strong.
May 04, 2021
Cash field crops had a relatively good year in 2020, with most corn and soybean yields higher than 2019 averages. Ethanol production decreased due to reduced exports and domestic gasoline demand, however production levels should increase this year.
April 20, 2021


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Since then however, some sectors – particularly Consumer Staples – have rebounded and demonstrated marked improvement. Through sentiment analysis data from August 2022 – August 2023, it’s possible to gain an insight into what companies across several sectors experienced, and explain why sentiment towards supply chains is broadly on the up.
ESG supply chain sentiment in the news
As consumer demand shifted and labour shortages became apparent, supply chain issues first rose to prominence during lockdown. Problems continued to dominate headlines last year too, as business models were disrupted and many companies incurred increased costs.
The Consumer Staples space has seen the most improvement in the past year in terms of supply chain sentiment. A key reason for this is the consumable and perishable nature of consumer-staple products, which leads to higher inventory turnover than with other sectors. These companies have several additional inventory cycles to experiment and fine-tune their supply chains.
Another factor is high visibility from consumers, which provides these companies with a greater incentive to implement new methods to cut costs and reduce carbon footprint.
One case study worth exploring further is Walmart, which has been busy improving its supply chain. Walmart has been using AI to run simulations and predict consumer behaviour during sales-boom events like Black Friday to anticipate supply chain needs. Walmart is also planning to open in 2025 its first-ever beef facility, which will create more than 600 new jobs in Olathe, Kansas. This is part of Walmart’s larger goal to establish an end-to-end beef supply chain. The company also announced an updated seafood policy in June that will provide greater transparency and monitoring of fishing activities in the supply chain to reduce risks such as illegal fishing.
Walmart is also partnering with Pepsi on a seven-year regenerative agriculture initiative. This plan is expected to reduce emissions of 4-million metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2030. Regenerative agriculture encompasses various land-management practices, such as improving the co-existence between agricultural land and wilderness vegetation, fostering carbon sinks, and encouraging wildlife habitation.
Employing these methods can promote soil health, pollination capacity, and overall environmental health. Many companies have invested in regenerative agriculture practices in recent years, including major grain producers.
Materials and Industrials
When compared to Consumer Staples, both Materials and Industrials sectors have been slower to rebound in supply chain sentiment. This is most likely due to the capital-intensive nature of these sectors. The majority of materials and industrial companies build and aggregate machinery and vehicles from other specialized parts. The parts themselves can be expensive, hard to obtain, or in many cases, both. Furthermore, there is high demand for some materials and components with an emphasis on sustainable development.
Indeed, supply chain issues are still affecting large manufacturers of aircraft and other vehicles. Boeing had been expected to deliver 51 new aircraft to Ryanair in April, but it was unable to complete the delivery until July due to supply chain issues. Boeing receives payment upon delivery of the aircraft, so as Airways Magazine points out, “supply chain problems create cash flow problems”. From a business perspective, supply-chain risk is still relevant for companies such as Boeing and other aircraft manufacturers.
There was also recent supply chain news involving General Electric relating to Materials and Industrials. GE plans to improve the wind turbine supply chain through a joint venture with Toshiba in Japan. Based on online news data, wind turbines are still a major segment for GE, and this latest development with Toshiba further supports that idea. GE is actively working to improve its supply chain with this latest venture, and clearly there is room to do so.
Supply chain sentiment in the Consumer Discretionary space has also taken time to bounce back. This is due primarily to the variable nature of the automotive industry, coupled with an increasing demand for electric vehicles. Electric vehicles—a relatively new consumer good compared to internal combustion engine vehicles—require their own supply chain, and that supply chain is still growing and evolving.
One example is Tesla, which has been working on reducing its need for cobalt. The company has also produced its first cyber truck, but has had to delay mass production due to supply chain issues. Tesla is also exploring expansion into India, a bold move considering that Tata Motors already produces EVs in India at a fraction of the cost compared to Tesla. For example, a Tata Motors EV is about $10,000 compared to a Tesla that can range from $45,000 to $90,000. Tesla will not only need to compete with the Indian manufacturer on price, but also figure out how to set up its supply chain.
Time will tell how successful Tesla will be in shoring up that supply chain. But the fact that it is also focusing on water, and not just on the rare earth minerals needed for production, is a good sign, as water use is becoming a growing concern in the ESG space.
More sector rebounds on the way
While Consumer Staples sentiment has had the greatest rebound in the past year, it’s also clear there has been a concerted effort from the Materials and Industrials sectors and the automotive industry within the Consumer Discretionary sector to promote sustainable development through clean technology and EV production. Sentiment has rebounded for those sectors as well, but at a more sluggish rate due to capital constraints and high demand.
In the coming months, it will be worth keeping an eye on legislation – particularly the Inflation Reduction Act – which may help spur activity in these sectors. EU rollouts around carbon taxation on imports may also increase innovation further.
Sam Leavitt is ESG Product Lead atSymphony.


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Nanotechnology may have a future in space travel--and a bit closer to home, too. Imagine a self-aware airplane that's constantly tracking its own condition. Boeing is already thinking about what it would take to accomplish that.
Most observers agree that the future of nanotechnology is still largely up in the air, and that's just fine with David Swain.
As chief technology officer of aerospace company Boeing, it's his job to figure out how emerging technologies will change the design of next-generation airplanes and spacecraft. And the way he sees it, nanotechnology will be as important to the future of flight as was the jet engine in the 20th century.
Swain became interested in nanotechnology two or three years ago, when he was studying the future of space travel. He tried to imagine what it would take to make orbital jaunts as common as commuter flights. "I realized that it was going to take a huge breakthrough," he says. "Then I found out about nanotech, and thought, 'This could be it!'"
Swain believes one key to practical space travel is the superlightweight materials made possible by nanotech. Both low-weight and superstrong, nanotech materials would make it easier to put into orbit a lighter ship that could stand up to the stresses of the trip and protect passengers. "Some scientists believe you can reduce the weight [of a spacecraft] by a factor of five to 10, with the same strength," he says.
As he studied the topic more closely, Swain began to realize it also could revolutionize aircraft travel. Clearly, the same nanomaterials useful for spacecraft could be used to lower the weight of commercial jets. But there were other opportunities as well. Because nanotech allows the manufacture of ultrasmall and precise sensors, Swain envisioned a jet riddled with the devices, penetrating every system and piece of machinery almost like a nervous system. And the small, ultrafast computers of the nanotech future would be powerful enough to process that mass of sensory data. The result: a self-aware plane that's constantly tracking its own condition.
"We can imagine, in a decade or two, vehicles that we would call superintelligent," Swain says. "You wouldn't have failures that weren't predicted, you suddenly can avoid long inspections. ... It's really a big deal." He says such smart planes would not only be safer, but they'd save airlines a fortune in maintenance and repair costs.
But many challenges are ahead before you can fly the nano skies. It's difficult to take theoretical research and turn it into an actual vehicle, Swain says. "How do we go from the science of doing this in the laboratory to good engineering?" he asks. To clear that hurdle, he makes sure to stay in close content with academics; Boeing engineers meet with them regularly to keep track of where the technology is going. Then, when applications like the superintelligent jet are actually viable, he can have his engineers already up to speed and ready to crank out a product. "This holds great promise," Swain says. "It gives us a tremendous advantage."
The Business of Going DigitalDigital business isn't about changing code; it's about changing what legacy sales, distribution, customer service, and product groups do in the new digital age. It's about bringing big data analytics, mobile, social, marketing automation, cloud computing, and the app economy together to launch new products and services. We're seeing new titles in this digital revolution, new responsibilities, new business models, and major shifts in technology spending.
What The Business Really Thinks Of IT: 3 Hard TruthsThey say perception is reality. If so, many in-house IT departments have reason to worry. InformationWeek's IT Perception Survey seeks to quantify how IT thinks it's doing versus how the business views IT's performance in delivering services - and, more important, powering innovation. The news isn't great.


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Tesla Shows Roadster Interior in New Video
And what is that mystery vehicle at the 15-second mark?
Tesla is facing all sorts of criticism lately, for missing its first quarter production targets for the Model 3 to concerns over its financial status. Despite the naysayers, the automaker is finding time to celebrate its achievements. In what Elon Musk calls a "quarterly all-hands video," Tesla recaps its current operations in under 2 minutes.
Just after the 1-minute mark, Tesla showcases the new Roadster. The video provides what could be our best view yet of the car's simplistic interior, consisting of an oval-shaped steering wheel and large central touchscreen. That screen, as we saw in a previous video, will display a colorful animation when the Roadster reaches full power and "goes to plaid." Tesla claims the new Roadster will hit 60 mph in just 1.9 seconds when it arrives by 2020.
Other highlights of the video include wild horses running near the Gigafactory in Nevada and a blacked-out Tesla Model 3 driving through what looks like a large empty parking garage. At the 15-second mark, Tesla shows a partially cloaked vehicle, and we're wondering exactly what it is. Perhaps it's the upcoming Model Y, which Musk said will likely enter production in early 2020. However, it's a bit low to the ground, so it could be something else.
Watch the video below to see what Tesla has been up to so far this year.
Source: Tesla via YouTube, Elon Musk via Twitter


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A Perthshire butcher says he is on track to deliver over 1.2 million haggis this Burns Night.
Simon Howie said staff have been working around the clock for their busiest Burns season yet, saying it equates to 3.5 million individual plates.
If this happens, it will top the butcher’s previous record set for sales in 2019 by 200,000.
As sales of haggis have grown, so has the butcher’s market share, with Simon Howie accounting for 53 per cent of the total haggis sales over Burns Night, more than double its nearest competitor.
The brand’s ‘original’ haggis is now the UK’s best selling haggis.
Meanwhile, the growing trend for vegan and vegetarian diets, particularly as thousands take part in Veganuary, has prompted a spike in the popularity of the butcher’s meet-free haggis.
Sales of Simon Howie’s vegetarian haggis, which is vegan-friendly, were up 31 per cent last year and the butcher is forecasting a further increase in sales this year.
Simon Howie said: “Since becoming the UK’s best selling haggis brand four years ago we have continued to see double digit growth year on year.
“It is absolutely testament to my hard-working team and the strength of relationship that we have with all the retailers that this year is set to be another record breaker as our haggis is put on key promotional space in supermarkets across the country in the run up to Burns Night.
“Also helping our sales is the growing popularity of our vegetarian haggis, which is actually vegan certified, so we’re starting to see an uptake in new customers trying our products who previously wouldn’t have been able to.
“We are absolutely delighted with sales so far this January and are working round the clock to deliver the 1.2m haggis forecast for Burns.”
Simon is also toasting a growing taste for the savoury pudding south of the border, with 60 per cent of his haggis now sold in England and Wales, up six per cent from the previous year.
This comes as the butcher signs a deal worth over £670,000 with Tesco, meaning the supermarket will now showcase Simon Howie haggis on premium end-of-aisle positions in 776 of its stores across England and Wales.
James Lamont, buying manager for local sourcing at Tesco, said: “While haggis is known as the national dish of Scotland - it’s been the case for quite some time that more haggis is sold in England than Scotland each year and that Burns Night is very much a nationally celebrated event - and not just by Scots living south of the border.
“It is a brilliant result for both Tesco and Simon Howie to be working together and offering our customers in England and Wales great value with the ‘original’ 454g haggis on offer in stores across the south for the two weeks leading up to Burns Night.
“This highlights our commitment to fully support regional brands that hold national appeal.”