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It’s just a matter of time before there’s legal action against SAHPRA licensed growers in at least three provinces who have been getting rid of their export rejects into the local illegal market. Or not! Who knows?
One statistic tells it all. Of the 80 or so cannabis cultivators licensed by SAHPRA, perhaps five have actually managed to export their harvests. That’s less than seven percent!
If one considers the capital outlay required to be SAHPRA compliant, that represents billions of rands worth of capital that is not getting a return. Goodleaf CEO Warren Shewitz has estimated that up to US$5 billion has been invested in the South African cannabis industry and even though he’s bullish about the sector in the long run he acknowledges the trickiness of the current regulatory environment and that no-one is getting serious returns.
Cannabis activist and lawyer Ricky Stone first raised the issue when he told Parliament in May 2022 that he had evidence that licensed producers were offloading the flower they couldn’t export onto the local illegal market. He said this was creating a glut in the domestic “recreational” market and that a cannabis stockpile was building in Mpondoland. Stone told MP’s that under customary law the commercial trade in cannabis in traditional areas was legal in terms of UN heritage conventions, and that it was unfair that traditional farmers were being economically deprived of their livelihood.
He pointed out that President Cyril Ramaphosa had made it his priority earlier this year to provide support for traditional cannabis farmers in order to bring them into the mainstream economy. However, all current cannabis-related legislation on the table will have the opposite effect, a situation which Cheeba Africa’s Trenton Birch calls an “absolute disgrace”.
During the recent cannabis protests, the Government promised to fast-track urgent interim measures to protect legacy growers, but nothing has happened.
“There’s more ‘legal’ cannabis on the black market than ever before” says a leading cannabis industry insider, who chose to remain anonymous: “licensed growers are finding it difficult to fulfil offtake agreements because many thought that a Section 22 license from SAHPRA automatically entitled you to export overseas. This is not the case because SAHPRA’s standards are not on par with EU GMP specs and that even when you’ve got a SAHPRA license there are still additional compliance measures if you are to export.
“One of the problems is many prospective cultivators have been given the wrong advice. They’ve spent the minimum in order to comply with SAHPRA standards in order to leverage that into raising capital, and then find they have to spend a whole lot extra in order to meet international specifications, with each market having its own rules - and right now there are not large amounts of capital available for investment in cannabis, and many growers are having to make uncomfortable choices.”
“The situation is bad” he says. “A lot of people are going to get hurt and get out of this space”.
Cannabiz Africa understands that Stone has contacted SAHPRA but has not had any meaningful response. Cannabiz Africa has mailed SAHPRA to find out whether it intends taking action against rogue license-holders but has not had any response either. For SAHPRA license-holders to be dumping product locally, not only defies their license conditions but is also in contravention of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Bill of 2022. When this comes into law, cannabis with a THC percentage of greater than 0,2% will continue to be criminalized, effectively preventing commercial trade in the plant.
An Eastern Cape source tells Cannabiz Africa that elements within the law enforcement cluster have the most to lose if South Africa legalizes cannabis. He says by Government’s own estimations the industry is worth R28 billion a year, of which 90% is going into the illegal adult use market locally and abroad. “Bribery is rife” he said, posing the question as to how high up this went.
A complicating factor is that Justice Minister Ronald Lamola is one of President Ramaphosa’s staunchest political allies but sits across the fence from his boss on cannabis issues. Lamola is in charge if the state’s legal drafting department, the police and correctional services cluster, and under his watch, none of the cannabis reforms promised by the Government are seeing the light of day, in that:
Cannabis was removed from the Drugs Act schedule by Sarel Robbertse’s team and then mysteriously re-inserted, apparently on orders from above;
THC% limits for hemp and CBD products have been set at 0,2%, which is against the advice of Government’s own experts (this effectively means that a hemp farmer, who’s crop has a higher THC% than 0,2 is open to prosecution under the Drugs Trafficking Act);
The Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill is fraught with constitutionally-flawed contradictions and does not take into account traditional healers or growers – or anyone who does not have access to private property for that matter; yet it is due to be passed into law within months;
“The net effect is that the Department of Justice has chosen to continue criminalizing every cannabis stakeholder – the legacy growers, the traditional healers, the township entrepreneurs, private cannabis clubs, and now, SAHPRA license holders are finding themselves running foul of the law, and everyone is just trying to stay alive” says the Eastern Cape source. “This makes the whole industry vulnerable to corruption in the most frightening way”.


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Stillborn babies, rotting feet just might stop Russians from smoking9/5/2012
You may not have to gaze at sewn-up corpses or diseased mouths when you pick up a pack of cigarettes here in the U.S., but in Russia, anything goes. The country’s health ministry has unveiled a series of extremely graphic images on its website to deter hard-core Slavic smokers from lighting up. Not sure what we mean by “extremely graphic”? We’re talking a stillborn baby, a rotting gangrenous foot and a face prematurely ravaged by the effects of smoking, among others (yes, there are more). Russian cigarette companies will be required to incorporate these images onto their packaging starting next May. Makes the commercials we show here of those poor folks with voice boxes look pretty tame. (Source)
Do you think these graphic images will deter people from lighting up?

domain: news


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Major Bottling Company Demands Apology for False Arsenic Claims
Dec. 7 – Major bottling company, Nongfu Spring, is demanding an apology from the industry and commerce bureau of Haikou, Hainan Province for a claim that falsely charged its products of having high levels of arsenic.
The bureau made the claims on November 24 with orders to remove products from shelves immediately only withdraw it on December 1. A separate test conducted by the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine showed that all the products were safe. According to The Global Times, the provincial health department admitted that the bureau had made “errors in its procedure.”
The company earlier disputed claims made by the bureau as false citing that according to regulations sampling and testing of products must be witnessed by industry and commerce authorities, the producer and the lab in charge of the test.
“The Nongfu Spring was not present when the first test took place, and after the result came out, the beverage corporation applied twice to the Haikou municipal bureau of industry and commerce but received no definite reply,” Ye Zhijian, attorney of Nongfu Spring told Xinhua.
A second test of the products was still not witnessed by Nongfu Spring. In its first announcement, the Haikou bureau of industry and commerce warned that the company’s 30 percent mixed vegetable and fruit juice, C-100 grapefruit juice, and other Uni-President Co. products had high levels of arsenic.
Arsenic has various commercial uses although when administered in high doses could lead to problems ranging from skin cancer to poisoning.
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- Next Article Chongqing Releases First Food and Entertainment Service Standards


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LONDON — Simon Fuller, creator of hit talent series “American Idol,” has inked a deal with top soccer player David Beckham and his wife, Victoria, a former member of the Spice Girls, to turn the celebrity couple into a global brand.
The pair want to crack the U.S. after last month’s visit failed to raise their profile. The couple appeared at the MTV Movie Awards but neither the U.S. press nor Hollywood responded as keenly as the Beckhams would have liked.
Fuller has garnered a reputation for launching the pop careers of Brit bestsellers S Club 7, Will Young and Gareth Gates, winner and runner-up, respectively, on ITV’s “Pop Idol.”
He also managed the Spice Girls and is helping kickstart the solo careers of Victoria Beckham and former band member Emma Bunton.
Victoria Beckham’s self-titled album, released in 2001, failed to live up to the expectations of her record label Virgin, which dropped her. She is also working with hip-hop mogul Damon Dash on her music, as well as repping his clothing line.
Fuller wants to take the Beckham brand across music, fashion and TV, including product endorsements, television shows, mobile phone video clips and fashion boutiques.
“The Beckham brand is about aspiration and family values. The couple came from nothing to achieve their dreams,” Fuller told the U.K.’s Times paper.
“People forget that Victoria is better known than David in parts of the world because of the Spice Girls. The combination of Victoria’s glamour and David’s sex appeal and sporting prowess could create a $1 billion brand,” he said.
Fuller’s company 19 Entertainment is in talks with David’s management company SFX, a division of U.S. media group Clear Channel, about joint ventures.
David, a former Manchester United player, recently signed a £25 million ($40 million) transfer deal to join Spanish team Real Madrid.


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Political tensions between Australia and China did not appear to affect trade between the two countries in October, as a rise in iron ore export receipts sent the value of Australia's shipments to its biggest trade partner to a four-month high.
Australia's exports to China were valued at A$12.7bn ($9.05bn) in October, the highest since A$13.79bn in June, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures.
Australian iron ore export receipts hit a record A$11bn. Around 80pc of Australia's iron ore exports are shipped to China.
China accounted for 35pc of Australia's total export receipts of A$35.72bn in October.
Bulk metals and energy accounted for around 60pc of Australia's merchandise goods exports in the month.
The Australian government is considering taking China to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over Beijing's import tariffs on Australian barley, as relations between the two countries continue to worsen. China has imposed import constraints on Australian coal, barley, copper, wine, beef, lobster and some wood products.
Source: Argus Metals
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July 30, 2019 @ 12:26 by Richard Dawson
New 3D renders and CGIs give a first look inside the £7.5 million restoration of Newcastle’s historic City Baths.
The Grade II listed building will be redeveloped by Fusion Lifestyle into a health and fitness suite, with a swimming pool, fitness studio and a spa with treatment rooms.
The 3D renders showcase the new workout space, complete with cardio equipment like treadmills, rowing machines and indoor cycling bikes.
The CGIs also show functional workout spaces and dynamic stretch areas, as well as strength and conditioning equipment.
Anthony Cawley, operations director at Fusion Lifestyle said: “We know how eager everyone is for the City Baths to reopen and we’re working incredibly hard to create something special that can be enjoyed by the people of Newcastle and surrounding areas.
“We can’t wait for the day the doors reopen and we can show off the restoration first hand, but we now, this sneak peek shows what’s coming very soon.”
Those looking for a new gym membership will have full access to the fitness suite as well as a jam-packed calendar with up to 130 exercise classes per week.
Memberships and prices have just been released and range from £30 – £81 – and include everything from ‘Gym and Swim only’ to ‘Premium Anytime’ which includes unlimited use of the fitness suite, swimming pool and Turkish baths as well as unlimited group exercise classes.


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95% of buyers comfortable visiting a dealer when restrictions lift as consumer confidence rises
This is the latest report in a series of weekly updates for industry colleagues from Rachael Prasher, managing director of What Car? and Haymarket Automotive. Quoted poll data is from more than 2800 whatcar.com users.
On Monday, the Prime Minister announced that showrooms in England will remain closed until at least 12th April, delivering a disappointing blow to the country’s dealers looking to welcome customers back. The plan means showrooms will remain closed throughout the first quarter, including the March plate change, which is typically the busiest month of the year for new car sales.
When showrooms finally do open, our latest research shows there will be very little hesitation from customers in visiting their local dealer. As part of our latest weekly industry study of 2823 in-market buyers, an overwhelming 95% confirmed they would be comfortable entering their dealer’s premises when the lockdown restrictions lift.
The same proportion of buyers also believe that showrooms and retailers can be run in a Covid-safe way, to ensure the welfare of both staff and customers – this figure is up from 89% in October 2020, when the same question was asked.
For those not comfortable visiting a showroom, 27% of respondents said a booking system with timed appointments would make them more comfortable visiting a showroom, while 21% would want to see evidence that vehicles and waiting areas are being regularly disinfected, and 14% would prefer a clear division of space for staff and customers.
It is important to remember that car dealerships were required to meet demanding new Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines in order to reopen last June, following months of closures. This saw new hygiene and social distancing measures introduced across dealers.
Showrooms are an ideal retail platform for social distancing and hygiene guidelines, thanks to their typically large open spaces and the possibility of conducting business outside. It’s clear the vast majority of customers appreciate and understand this.
Responding to our survey findings, the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) said the results were “extremely encouraging”. NFDA Chief Executive Sue Robinson said: “the fact that most respondents are confident that dealerships can be run in a covid-safe way pays testament to the efforts dealers have been making over the past months to follow covid-secure guidelines and protect the health of staff and customers”
“Our members have repeatedly implemented the required, robust safety precautions and it is positive that consumers recognise their efforts. Although we are disappointed that showrooms in England will need to remain shut during the March plate-change, dealers will continue to offer click and collect services while they look forward to safely welcoming customers back as soon as it is allowed”
For further insight from whatcar.com’s unique website data, please contact firstname.lastname@example.org


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Posted 15 April, 2019 at 16:26
Motor Fuel Group (MFG), the largest independent forecourt operator in the UK, has signed a new five-year 1 billion litres a year fuel supply contract with BP.
This announcement comes after MFG’s acquisition of MRH last year. The deal commences this month and secures the fuel supply across nearly 250 BP branded forecourts across the UK, including retention of all the former MRH sites.
This is the largest single group re-signing that BP has ever secured in the UK and paves the way for the two parties to now focus on additional sources of value including Wild Bean Café, BP Chargemaster, Ultimate fuels and BP’s new loyalty scheme which will be launched later in the year.
Nikki Grady-Smith, BP’s UK retail director says: “We’re delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with MFG for the re-signing of their business which now includes the former MRH business. This is a fantastic opportunity to further strengthen our relationship together.”
William Bannister, MFG’s chief executive officer says: “The BP brand is a significant part of our fuel offer to customers. I am very pleased that this deal has been signed and that our strong and successful partnership will continue.”


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Intel has announced a new processor for its current Haswell line-up. The new chip is set to be launched in the second half of 2013. It will have a special
According to a Reuters report, noted chip maker Intel Corp is boosting its efforts to have more of its chips used in mobile devices. In fact, if officials with
Haswell is here. Intel has unveiled the chips based on its latest fourth-generation core microarchitecture, code-named Haswell. The first batch Intel also
IDF 2012: Intel wants you to call new CPUs ‘4th generation Intel Core', not 'Haswell'
Intel is focusing on branding its upcoming family of CPUs more as ‘4th generation Intel Core' processors than as ‘Haswell’ processors before...
With too many SKUs and different generation processors still in the market, Intel is finally doing some spring cleaning (more like winter cleaning) with their
Acer first unveiled the Aspire S3 Ultrabook last month at IFA 2011, and just a month later, it has landed on our shores.
Fujitsu has announced a new line-up of mobile and desktop workstations from their CELCIUS range targeted at Autodesk 3D design, engineering and entertainment environments.
PC desktop enthusiasts worldwide will have to wait a while before the AMD Bulldozer processors for desktops, Zambezi, arrives. On the other hand, AMD has
There’s lots to see at IFA 2011 and it’s not just tablets and phones. Toshiba has announced their new Protege Z830 Ultrabook.


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Wave goodbye to your halal meat and white rice filled plastic foam containers. After today, single-use foam products will be banned — including food and drink containers and packing peanuts.
Mayor de Blasio made this announcement in early January in an attempt to help save the environment from the essentially non-recyclable objects that fill NYC garbage cans.
Although, with a six-month grace period before city agencies enforce the law, both food vendors and consumers will have more time to say a heartfelt goodbye. In the meantime, vendors need to think of a backup plan: Many food carts and restaurants (Halal Guys, Chipotle, etc.) use the aluminum base containers with the plastic or paper top.
One street vendor near Maiden Lane noted that the food typically keeps better for longer in an aluminum container versus the plastic foam container, in which it is better to eat right away.
Multiple vendors seemed unphased by the ban and responded with nothing more than a shrug of the shoulders or shake of the head. A couple were unaware the ban was even in effect.
Regardless, take these next few months to engrave your name into a couple more containers and prepare for the aluminum container takeover that may be upon us.
Restaraunts, food carts and eateries aren’t the only places that plastic foam containers pop up, they make their way into our homes, too. Whether it is disposable dishware, egg crates, packing peanuts or insulation, there are alternatives out there to the polystyrene foam.
Foam objects Replacement objects
Foam plates Paper plates
Foam egg crate Cardboard egg crate
Foam cups Plastic cups
Packing peanuts Newspaper or bubble wrap
Insulation Greensulate, Aerogel, denim andmore


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French M&S boss blasts ‘senseless and tragic’ vote to leave the EU
French Marks & Spencer executive director Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne hit out this weekend at the Brexit vote, calling it a ‘senseless and tragic choice’.
In an unusually candid message on twitter he vented his frustration over the ‘historic mistake’ to leave the EU.
Bousquet-Chavanne, who oversees M&S’s marketing and online business, linked his twitter message to an article by The Economist entitled: ‘A tragic split: how to minimise the damage of Britain’s senseless, self-Inflicted blow.’
Tragedy: M&S’s Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, left, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley modelling M&S lingerie
M&S chief executive Steve Rowe last month blamed Brexit fears as well as ‘terrorism and immigration’ for a dip in consumer confidence in recent months.
M&S declined to comment last night.
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Panasonic slumps to $4 billion yearly loss
Published 05/15/2009, Associated Press
Panasonic Corp. slumped deep into the red last fiscal year, joining the expanding club of big Japanese brands shellshocked by their rapid descent from cash cow to money loser.Word count: 680
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The U.S. economy grew modestly over the summer after nearly stalling in the first six months of the year, lifted by stronger consumer spending and greater business investment.
The Commerce Department says the economy expanded at an annual rate of 2.5 percent in the July-September quarter. That’s nearly double the 1.3 percent growth in the April-June quarter, and a vast improvement over the anemic 0.9 percent growth for the entire first half of the year.
While 2.5 percent growth is enough to ease recession fears, it’s far below what’s needed to lower painfully high unemployment. Analysts project similar growth for the October-December quarter.
Consumers spent at an annual rate of 2.4 percent — triple the rate of spring. They spent more on cars, clothing and health care, and utilities.
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Most of the time pets are family members, which is why many pet owners purchase supplements to ensure they live long and happy lives. As we become more pet health-conscious, PET-HEALTH SUPPLEMENTS are contributing to not only the health of pets, but that of the U.S. supplement market as well.
Market researcher, TechNavio, points to a bright future for dietary supplements in the global pet-health market. Projection: a CAGR of 5.26% for the global pet-supplements market from the time span of 2016 to 2020 (nutritionaloutlook). Surprised?
Packaged Facts reported that from 2012-2016, pet supplement sales reached a CAGR of nearly 4%, with sales of U.S. $580 million in 2016 (nutritionaloutlook). Impressive, I know.
What’s causing this growth?
- The simple fact that people want to ensure a healthy life for their pet
- The increasing number of patents in the ingredients marketplace as pet-health dietary supplement manufacturers formulate better products
- Onset of age-related health issues in pets that can lead to disorders
- Consumers educated on human supplements extends to being educated on animal supplements
Obese pets are in peril of a damaged heart, damaged ligaments and joints, and a damaged digestive system, to name a few. Supplements have the chance to get to work before this damage occurs
Ingredients Gaining Traction
Bill Bookout, founder and CEO of the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), a nonprofit trade association dedicated to improving the health of companion animals, claims “the pet market is split approximately 50% dog and cat, and 50% for horses” (petfoodindustry).
Bookout foresees more attention in the following ingredients among pet supplements:
These ingredients are popular in the market for supplements and nutraceutical treats for cats, dogs, and horses. Omega fatty acids are popular when it comes to seasonal allergies, itchy and flaky skin, skin and coat health, as well as unwanted or extreme shedding. Omega fatty acids and biotin is a combination often used to foster healthy horse hooves. Bookout also thinks probiotics and weight-management ingredients will gain popularity “to help address obesity- and health-related issues for pets” (nutritionaloutlook).
A Chance for Supplements To Slay
1. Weight Management
Weight management is a pet health condition of which pet owners are growing more aware and on which they want to be educated in order to keep their pets healthy. Obese pets are in peril of a damaged heart, damaged ligaments and joints, and a damaged digestive system, to name a few. Supplements have the chance to get to work before this damage occurs (nutritionaloutlook).
2. Joint Health
In 2015, “the joint-health category represented a whopping 39% share of the pet-supplements market, according to TechNavio’s market research report, and is forecasted to grow further” (nutritionaloutlook).
The demand for gastrointestinal pet health supplements is growing right along with the human gastrointestinal health market. Products comprising digestive enzymes, prebiotics, and probiotics, among other ingredients can support the digestive health of pets, balancing good and bad bacteria levels—just as they do in humans (nutritionaloutlook).
Packaged Facts survey data unveiled that both digestive and joint health pet food supplements top the list of supplement types most frequently purchased. Moreover, pet owners are seeking out supplements to support cognitive health, heart health, and skin/coat health. Here lies the opportunity for “condition-specific products to compete with similarly formulated pet foods and pet treats” (petfoodindustry).
While hairball control supplements remain in high demand, marketers have started targeting other conditions specific to cats. This means focusing more on “the other companion animal” that does not always get as much attention as the dog (petfoodindustry).
A common roadblock for pet owners is finding a way to get their pets to actually ingest the supplement. Disguising supplement products by wrapping them in cheese or smearing on peanut butter are two nuisances that will soon be unnecessary, as supplement makers are developing functional treats. That includes exploring alternative forms such as chews and finding other ways to make supplements easier for pets to take (petfoodindustry). These innovations are paving the way for a bright future of the pet food supplement market AND pet health for years to come.


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Just Dial IPO Makes Amitabh Bachchan Richer
Indian search firm Just Dial Ltd. on Wednesday successfully closed its initial public offering, by getting bids for twice as many shares as it was offering to sell.
The deal is notable for two reasons. Firstly, the numbers: The $173 million-share sale is only the third successful IPO on India’s major stock exchanges this year.
Secondly, one of the beneficiaries: Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, who has owned 62,794 shares, or 0.1% of Just Dial, since February 2011.
Though Mr. Bachchan won’t be selling his equity in the share sale, his investment could now be worth as much as 34 million rupees ($615,249). Meaning, he has made a theoretical profit of 33.5 million rupees ($603,048).
That’s probably peanuts for Mr. Bachchan in sheer amount, but his return would be a neat 54 times his original investment.
To be sure, this profit is only on paper, and real returns will come only when Mr. Bachchan sells stock.
Also, the price of Just Dial’s shares is yet to be finalized.
The company is selling 17.5 million shares at a price in the range of 470 rupees ($8.6) to 543 rupees ($9.9) per share, and the final price will be decided by investment bankers based on the amount of bids from investors.
Mr. Bachchan could not be reached for comment.
The star, who recently attended the Cannes film festival for his first Hollywood appearance in movie the Great Gatsby, is also Just Dial’s brand ambassador.
He signed a three-year contract with company to that effect in December 2010.
Just Dial’s IPO will allow the company’s existing investors like Sequoia Capital, SAIF Partners and Tiger Global to sell a part of their stake, according to the IPO prospectus.
Follow India Real Time on Twitter @IndiaRealTime.
Source : By Ashutosh Joshi, http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/


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Google gives special treatment to secure HTTPS websites
Search engine wants to encourage all websites to switch to with more secure, encrypted connections.
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Google is starting to give preference to websites with more secure, encrypted connections.
Websites that use HTTPS will automatically be highlighted in search results as part of Google’s efforts to encourage more secure pages.
“Over the past few months we’ve been running tests taking into account whether sites use secure, encrypted connections as a signal in our search ranking algorithms,” Google said in a blog post to webmasters. Now it will be ranking sites that have adopted HTTPS (a secure version of the widely used Hypertext Transfer Protocol) higher in results by default.
For now, the preferential treatment is weak, affecting fewer than 1 per cent of searches on Google. Other factors such as “high-quality content” continue to affect results, the company said.
“But over time, we may decide to strengthen it, because we’d like to encourage all website owners to switch from HTTP to HTTPS to keep everyone safe on the web,” Google said.
Encryption technologies scramble information in transit, making it less vulnerable to hackers. Encryption is used for electronic banking, medical records, e-commerce transactions, and online communications but many other websites have been slow to adopt the secure protocol, which is recognizable by a telltale tiny padlock in the address bar.
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Equipped with cutting edge technology, the newly launched platform for digital financial transactions, Binimoy, can put an end to any illegal transaction, currently used frequently to rob people who rely on mobile financial services (MFS), a spokesperson of the platform has said. In reference to the recent arrest of three fraudsters by law enforcers in Bogura, the official, on condition of anonymity, said Binimoy authority was the first to identify the location and tipped off law enforcers to track these swindlers. Such malpractices are common in Bangladesh and some fraud groups are doing their transactions using MFS gateways, he said, requesting Binimoy users to get in contact with prior monetary service providing organizations in case they encounter any kind of issue during registration or transaction. Binimoy ensures clarity by providing uninterrupted and secure transactions between different payment system providers, at a cost-effective rate, added the official. Read: Interoperable digital transaction platform Binimoy to be inaugurated Sunday Days back, a team of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested three people from Bogura while stealing money of general MFS users, and several media outlets reported the incident. According to CID, the frauds used the Islami Bank CellFin app to infiltrate Binimoy and managed to steal Tk96.74 lakh from bKash. However, the prompt action by Binimoy has not been taken positively by a group who charges a pretty high amount against providing certain services. Other competitors present in the market cannot tolerate a safety insured cost-effective rate and dynamic service's arrival, the official added. Attacking each other is common among the MFS providers in Bangladesh, both in real life and social media platforms, alleged the official. Launched weeks back, Binimoy, the first such platform, is a bridge among customers, businessmen, payment service providers, e-wallets, banks, monetary organizations, payment system operators, government and private institutions. Read: Binimoy: Interoperable Digital Transaction Platform could open a new horizon in money transfer People will be able to do all kinds of financial transactions securely, such as giving salary to workers, VAT / Tax, e-commerce transactions with clarity, by using Binimoy and this app is highly secured, because two factor authentication is mandatory to do each single transaction, according to a statement from Binimoy.
Bangladesh India Business Council (BIBC) along with the Women's Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (WICCI), jointly organized the International Women Entrepreneur’s Summit 2022 on the 23rd and 24th of November. The annual summit aims to champion women's entrepreneurship and focus on the bilateral commercial ties between Bangladesh and India. As part of recognizing female excellence in business and industry, BIBC-WICCI recently held its excellence awards for 2022 at Hotel Radisson. The award was given to exceptional women and organizations in championing female contribution and growth in several streams. This year’s theme focused on education and skill development, young innovators, fashion and arts, business and SMEs, health, and public service. Read More: Find foreign partners for technology transfer, PM tells businessmen BIBC – WICCI honored 7 international female entrepreneurs along with 14 Bangladeshi companies and female leaders in their respective streams. Uzma Chowdhury, Managing Director of RFL, Rupali Chowdhury, CEO of Berger Paints, and Shopna Bhowmik, Regional head of Marks and Spencers India and Bangladesh, were awarded as the Outstanding Women in Business. One of the main sessions of the summit focused on the graduation of SMEs. Farzanah Chowdhury, Managing Director of Green Delta Insurance Ltd, moderated the session. The keynote speaker for the session was Barrister Nihad Kabir, Chairperson of BUILD. The guest speakers for the session were Syed Nasim Manzur, MD, and Co-founder of Apex Footwear Ltd; Tamara Hasan Abed, Managing Director, Aarong; Dr. Mafizur Rahman, managing Director SME Foundation and finally, Dato Tom Abang Saufi, Chairman of the National Art Gallery, Malaysia. Read More: Despite Tk 2000cr credit guarantee, only Tk 192cr loan disbursed to CMSMEs The overarching theme of the session was the overall condition of SMEs and the role of Women in it. The guest speakers also shared their ideas about the challenges faced by women in their respective industries. The session started with the keynote speech from Barrister Nihad Kabir. She presented the overall scenario where the cottage, micro, and small CMSMEs contribute over 25% of the GDP, 45% of the manufacturing GDP, 75% of export earnings, and over 87% of industrial employment. Yet there seems to be a disproportion of incentives and loans provided to the CMSMEs compared to the medium and large enterprises. What was even more surprising is that out of the 8 million CMSMEs in Bangladesh, only 8% are owned by women, which is the lowest in South Asia. Read More: 'ONDC to play key role in business development of online SMEs' Barrister Nihad Kabir identified two main constraints for such a disproportion of initiatives and ownership -the documentation and ownership procedure and the financing opportunities. By definition, the ownership of a CMSME doesn’t have to be the same as the one holding the trade license for the business. But the tendency of financial organizations to treat the trade license as proof of ownership and a general archaic tendency to divert female loans has only made the situation grave. Then the discussion brought the second issue to light: access to financing opportunities. Very recently, there has been a policy initiative by Bangladesh Bank to segregate the medium industry from the CMSMEs. This move has allowed CMSMEs to access better loan disbursement. Currently, only about 7 to 8% loans are disbursed to female-owned SMEs. Read More: MSMEs: Experts want realistic steps taken to enhance service quality, business development Ms. Kabir also pointed out that because of the documentation-related hassle, 63% of the female entrepreneurs solely rely on their personal savings to start a business with the MFI, and the banks make up only 24%. She also identified that banks and NBFIs should be more inclined to disburse female entrepreneurial loans. Specialized financial institutions should also be set up along with direct lending and PPP to enhance the existing structure better. Syed Nasim Manzur, while sharing insight into the footwear and leather industries, pointed out that women are interested in starting ventures in the leather industries. However, the hassles of documentation and an archaic male-dominated mindset in the industry are strong barriers along with the financial aspect. He also emphasized the need to develop technical know-how about the leather and footwear industry before diving into it. Mr. Manzur also pointed out several regulatory shortcomings where an export contractor like Apex cannot utilize the small up-and-coming SME ventures because of outdated customs, VAT, and financing rules. He pointed out these are creating a barrier to the growth and scalability of female-led ventures in the footwear industries. Read More: '91% SMEs don't get bank loans' Tamara Hasan Abed focused more on the financing aspect through BRAC. BRAC bank has been a pioneer in providing loans to CMSMEs, especially the ones led by Aarong. Aarong, through its several sub-brands, has enabled and empowered rural CMSMEs and is continuing its stride in ethical growth. Dr. Rahman and Ms. Saufi also chimed in on the need for financial restructuring and a change of mindset in enabling women in CMSMEs. The need for documentation reform and better access to equitable funding like impact funds and venture capitalization should also be streamlined to finance the female-led CMSMEs. BIBC-WICCI Awards 2022 Event's Graduation of SME Session concluded with the interaction between the guest speakers and the participants. The speakers explored several of the established constraints and how they affect individual industries and even on the micro initiative level. Read More: BCI, SME Foundation tie up for capacity building of small, medium industries
Islami Bank Bangladesh inaugurated its Islampur branch in Jamalpur Thursday. Md Faridul Haque Khan, state minister for religious affairs, inaugurated the 394th branch of the bank as chief guest, according to a media statement. Mohammed Monirul Moula, managing director and chief executive officer of the bank, was also present. Islami Bank is a joint venture public limited company engaged in commercial banking business based on Islamic shariah. Established in 1983 as the first Islamic bank in Southeast Asia, it is listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange and Chittagong Stock Exchange. Read more: Islami Bank opens Bonpara branch in Natore
The Ministry of Commerce has extended the validity of both the Import Registration Certificate (IRC) and Export Registration Certificate (ERC) to five years from one year. The ministry in a notification said that as part of the ease of doing business and following the demand from businesses in the country, the government has decided to extend the registration validity for IRC and ERC. Read more: BGMEA for ensuring workers' health, well-being for improving productivity The traders can get IRC or ERC as per the requirement of 1 to 5 years by paying the necessary fees. The tenure will be counted from the issuing date of the certificate. The IRC and ERC are renewable. The trade bodies and businesses have been demanding extension of the tenure and a hassle-free renewal system for a long time. Read more: Initiatives taken to establish fair price shops for RMG workers
Bangladesh’s newest private airline, Air Astra, started its journey this morning with hundred percent passengers on flight 2A 441, from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar. Air Astra will operate three flights on Dhaka-Cox's Bazar-Dhaka route and two flights on Dhaka-Chattogram-Dhaka route from today (Thursday), said a press release signed by Sakib Hasan Shuvo, deputy manager (Public Relations) of the organisation. Read more: 'Air Incheon-Korean Airlines’ introduces direct cargo flight from Bangladesh to South Korea The airline will launch flights on all domestic routes in the country in phases, it read. The minimum one-way fare, from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar, was set at Tk 4,800 and Dhaka-Chattogram Tk 3,695. Read more: Newest private airline ‘Air Astra’ set to start journey Air Astra has already taken delivery of two ATR 72-600 aircraft in Dhaka and two more aircraft are scheduled to be delivered within 2022. By 2023, Air Astra’s fleet will grow to 10 aircraft.
Electronics brand Marcel has launched its Digital Campaign Season 16. Under the campaign, customers can get cashback of up to Tk50,000 and products on the purchase of refrigerators and washing machines, according to a media statement. The announcement of Digital Campaign Season 16 was made at a programme in Dhaka Sunday and its offers will be available till further notice. Read more: ‘Marcel to be best brand in Bangladesh’ Also, the Hot Sale campaign of Marcel fridges will continue till November 30. Marcel's Advisor Md. Shakhawat Hossen said, "Apart from providing high-quality products to the customers, Marcel is also providing various benefits." "Marcel now has about 200 models of refrigerators of various capacities. They include intelligent inverters, BSTI's 5-star energy rating, glass doors and side-by-side doors. The price of these refrigerators is between Tk14,990 and Tk92,990." Read more: Int’l Rating Chess: IM Minhazuddin, CM Sharif Hossain share top spot after 6 rounds
Ensuring the health and well-being of the workers must be a key priority for building a better and more sustainable readymade garments (RMG) industry, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has said. "If the workers are healthy, the industry will run well. As we are increasingly focusing on enhancing the industry's capacity and productivity, it's imperative to ensure workers' health because healthy workers are more productive," BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said Tuesday at the global women leaders' organisation G100's first summit in Bangladesh. Read more: BGMEA calls for Italian investment in Bangladesh's emerging industrial sectors Planning Minister MA Mannan attended the event as chief guest. Dutch Ambassador to Bangladesh Anne Gerard van Leeuwen, founder and President of G100 Harbin Arora Rai, and Farzanah Chowdhury, G100 global chair of healthcare and wellness, also spoke at the programme. Faruque said: "We often talk about socio-economic issues like employment, empowerment, environmental sustainability, and workplace safety. But we also have to remember that health is a very important part to keep our workers well, happy and productive." "Most of our factories maintain health care centres, eye care facilities, daycare centres, fair price shops, and so on within the premises. Factories also run schools, hospitals, and other charitable initiatives for the community, and employ physically challenged people," he added. Read more: Bangladesh to stay safe, sustainable apparel sourcing destination: BGMEA Industry stakeholders need to take a more holistic approach to ensure workers' health which would contribute to making the workforce more productive and the industry more competitive, the BGMEA president said.
The National SME Product Fair will kick off tomorrow (Thursday) to promote small and medium entrepreneurs’ products which are manufactured using local raw materials. The SME Foundation is organising the 10-day fair with the sponsorship of the Ministry of Industries at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC). Minister of industries Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun will open the 10th SME Product Fair as chief guest at 10:30 am at the fair venue. State Minister Kamal Ahmed Mojumder, Secretary Zakia Sultana, FBCCI president Md Jasim Uddin, SME Foundation’s Chairperson Professor Dr. Md. Masudur Rahman will also be present at the opening program. Around 325 entrepreneurs will set up 350 stalls to display their products. Read more: SME Foundation to hold fair in 6 divisions to promote local products “All foreign-made products are prohibited at the fair this year to encourage domestic industries,” said Dr. Md. Mafizur Rahman, Managing Director of SME Foundation. He said, “This year, 60 percent of the total stalls are by women entrepreneurs, as we are giving priorities to women in small and medium industries sector.” Most of the 130 entrepreneurs participating in the event are from the apparel sector. Apart from this, 45 are food/agricultural processing product producer, 38 in the handicraft industry, 36 companies in the leather goods sector, 35 in jute products, 8 companies in ICT products and services, 6 companies in light engineering products, 3 companies of electrical and electronics sector, 5 companies involved with plastic products are participating in the fair. Besides the 10-day fair, 5 seminars on easy financing for SME entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs, technology, ICT and cluster-based product development will be organised at the event premises. Among the seminars, CMSMEs’ access to finance in Bangladesh: Scope for alternative financing options will be held on November 27, cluster-based SME development and potentiality of cross border e-commerce on November 29, regional and global network for women entrepreneurs, and applying modern technology and ICT in SMEs will be held on November 30. Read more: BB revises cluster credit guidelines to boost small enterprises The SME Foundation set targets for this fair to promote, disseminate, sell and market expansion of products produced by small and medium-scale entrepreneurs at local and international levels; assist in developing relationships, communication, and bridging of SME entrepreneurs; connect consumers and SME entrepreneurs.
PRAN-RFL Group has secured the highest national export trophies for its outstanding contribution to export segment for FY 2018-19. This business giant received six trophies, including gold, out of the 71 companies nominated for the trophies, from the Commerce Ministry for exporting agro processing, plastic goods and light engineering sectors. Though this group secured five export trophies in 2016-17 and 2017-18, each, this time they broke its own record and got the highest six trophies. Read more: PRAN-RFL targets $2 billion export by 2030 Moreover, the concerned Commerce Ministry awarded export trophy to the Group as the highest exporter for the last 18 consecutive years. Minister for Commerce Tipu Munshi awarded the trophies among the winning organisations at a function at Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center in Purbachal on Tuesday, as chief guest. Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, chairman and CEO of PRAN-RFL Group, received the award on behalf of PRAN Dairy while Uzma Chowdhury, director (corporate finance) at the group and Eleash Mridha, managing director of PRAN Group received the award on behalf of PRAN Agro and PRAN Foods respectively. Therefore, RN Paul, managing director of RFL group received the award on behalf of Rangpur Metal and Toukirul Islam, executive director of Durable Plastic and Mohammad Kazi Abdul Quiyum, executive director of Banga Plastic International received the award on behalf their organizations. PRAN-RFL Group, the country’s leading food manufacturer and exporter, started exporting its products to France in 1997. At present, the group is exporting it wide range of products to 145 countries in the globe. Read more: Pran-RFL launches food delivery service Foodano PRAN-RFL has a big market in India and Middle East countries and also available in Africa, Europe and North & South America region.
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), a Switzerland-based international development organisation, has come forward with consultancy assistance to set up shops at RMG factories to sell goods at comparatively lower prices to the workers. Under the initiative, about 80,000 people (20,000 female workers and 60,000 family members) are likely to get benefits. This announcement came at a kick-off meeting titled ‘RMG Workers’ Access to Affordable Nutritious and Safe Food’ at a hotel in the capital on Tuesday. Read more: BGMEA for more partnerships between Bangladesh, Germany to unlock trade, investment potential GAIN organised the meeting with the participation of partner organizations and stakeholders to chalk out future strategy on technical assistance and how to make the initiative success. Mohammad Ehsan-E-Elahi, secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, attended the meeting as chief guest while Moniruzzaman Bipul, portfolio lead of GAIN Bangladesh, delivered the welcome address and GM Reza Sumon, manager of workforce nutrition project of GAIN Bangladesh, presented the keynote paper. With Dr Rudaba Khondker, country director of GAIN Bangladesh, in the chair at the meeting where Dr Hasan Shariar Kabir, director general of Bangladesh National Nutrition Council and Faruque Hassan, president of BGMEA, among others spoke at the event. It was shared at the meeting that the project aims at ensuring access to nutritious foods for RMG workers with affordable prices and strengthening the food marketing management. It also aims at working for ensuring nutritious and safe foods for RMG workers so that they can play more productive role for production in the RMG sector. Praising the initiative, Mohammad Ehsan-E-Elahi called for the expansion of such facility to other factories across the country. Speakers said it is imperative to give priority to the issue of safe and nutritious food for the workers, for implementing the government’s Perspective Plan 2021-2041 and achieving SDGs. The speakers called upon those involved in production, processing, supply and marketing of foods to establish fair price shops with nutritious foods at factory areas along with encouraging the workers to take such foods. Read more: Bangladesh to stay safe, sustainable apparel sourcing destination: BGMEA Mentionable, several shops have so far been set up at two factories at Ashulia and Gazipur with the support of GAIN. About 15,000 RMG workers along with their family members are entitled to buy essentials from those shops with a special discount.


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- Lee Kun-hee, chairman of South Korea’s top multinational, Samsung Electronics, passed away on Sunday after being under observation and in hospital care for six years.
- His family, including Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee, were by his side.
He was 78.
Born in 1942, Lee had led Samsung Group to great heights with his trademark zeal following in the footsteps of his father, Samsung founder Lee Byung-c....
Tags : Chairman Lee kun-hee, Samsung Electronics, Age 78, visionary, zeal, Global, Heart attack,


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Hot Webinar: Top 5 Hybrid AD Management Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
F5 Networks' new offering will let companies extend storage to clouds both public and private...and we really don't have anything clever to say about that. But it's interesting...
Posted by Lee Pender on 12/15/2010 at 1:23 PM
Microsoft released its quarterly cumulative updates (CUs) for Exchange Server 2013, 2016 and 2019 products this week, but added an extra step for IT pros to consider before installing them.
So you want to know whether a Hyper-V virtual machine built on a legacy host will be supported by a newer server? There's a PowerShell command for that.
Datacenter solutions vendor Kaloom this week unveiled a new offering the company says will enable the development of "self-driving" datacenter networks.
Microsoft on Tuesday announced a preview of the Azure Bastion service, which lets a user connect to an Azure virtual machine (VM) using a private Internet connection.
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Cash no object? Here’s how to honeymoon
Today’s high-net-worth newlyweds are taking post-nuptial holidays to a whole new level, says John O’Ceallaigh
Admittedly, the nuptials of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank in Windsor this week haven’t attracted as much attention as the recent wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex or Pippa Middleton’s 2017 marriage to James Matthews, but one thing everyone can get behind is a curiosity about where and how newly married couples honeymoon. While British weddings tend to be prescriptive irrespective of budget – white dress, big cake, bad dancing – honeymoons are personal. One of the most extravagant expressions of taste and aspiration a couple is ever likely to make, this is their heir chance to spend on whatever constitutes onstitutes their own trip of a lifetime. ifetime. For the lucky few untroubled by financial constraints, onstraints, the sky’s the limit. .
Co-founder of tour operator Black k Tomato, Tom Marchant t is increasingly tasked with creating complex plex itineraries for newlyweds who ho “are looking for or demanding adventure, seclusion and personalisation n rather than clichéd rose petals etals sprinkled on the beds”. Their parents may have been content with a two-week fly-and-flop at a beach resort, but that won’t suffice for high-net-worth couples who have likely cohabited for some time and already enjoy those holidays as a matter of course.
It was that emerging desire for intrepid, bespoke itineraries that precipitated the launch of Blink. From deserts to mountaintops, pristine and isolated terrains provide the settings for elaborate temporary camps that are developed to clients’ specifications. Honeymooners have lapped up the concept, and after they’ve checked out, the same experience is never replicated for another customer – blink and you’ll miss it. A three-night retreat in the Moroccan desert, with helicopter rides and special experiences, costs about £16,000 for two.
The founder and CEO of tour operator Red Savannah, George Morgan-Grenville, has also seen honeymoons change markedly over his 27 years in the luxury-travel industry. As with so many things, it seems the inexorable rise in the use of social media has a lot to answer for. With peers having shared pictures of their own extravag extravagant honeymoons, today’s newly marr married couples feel under pres pressure to ensure theirs ap appear just as adven adventurous and amo amorous. That means a wee week in Portofino, alon alongside whoever’s bee been disgorged from the cruise ship, just won won’t cut it. Instead, say says MorganGr Grenville, “it has to be som somewhere far more rem remote, interacting with the indigenous peo people or doing som something adrenalinfuel fuelled but with a luxu luxury touch.” For
Pack to perfection for your trip Capture the moment with Fujifilm’s new XT100 digital SLR – in ‘champagne gold’ accents, of course. £619; johnlewis.com High-net-worth newlyweds might consider swapping the classic fluffy towelling spa robe for this green 100 per cent silk number designed by Olivia von
Halle: easy tiger. £750; olivia vonhalle.com BRICS has released a limited-edition gold rendition of its ‘Bellagio Spinner’ – a style towed by Kate Middleton and Amal Clooney, among others. £530; available exclusively at harrods.com previous clients, that has meant honeymoons dog-sledding to the ghost town of Pyramiden in Svalbard and cattle-mustering in the American West. If that sounds exhausting, spare a thought for those planning their honeymoons in the years to come:
“[On these trips] up goes the drone and before you know it the experience has been shared with hundreds of friends, setting the bar even higher.”
Perhaps that’s why two clients of tour operator Blue Marble Private went to exceptional effort to ensure pictures from their honeymoon to South Africa and Zimbabwe were up to scratch: they hired an award-winning
ROYAL COUPLESThe Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, can be rented in its entirety


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Korea’s war over desserts gets its ammunition from Japan
The dessert wars among retailers began with a competition to find matjip, which means “delicious restaurants” in Korean, from the Garosu-gil and Hongdae area, known for their diverse food scenes. The next fad was hunting down famous regional bakeries, and then foreign desserts.
Japanese desserts are the fourth realm of the battle.
The main Lotte Department Store opened a pop-up shop of Gateau Festa Harada, a Japanese brand famous for its signature rusks, a type of hard cookie made from thinly sliced baguettes. The store will be open from this Sunday to the following Saturday. In Japan, Gateau Festa Harada has long queues outside its outlets and 180 billion won ($163.9 million) in annual sales.
“The brand is one of the top five in terms of revenue in Japanese department stores amid all the fashion luxury brands,” said Lee Han-sang, a Lotte Department Store official. “We had to put in a lot of effort just to open the temporary store.” Gateau Festa Harada insisted that three of its Japanese employees manage the shop to maintain its strict standards, such as how to serve customers and offer samples.
Cream-filled buns are a core area of competition. The three major department stores - Lotte, Hyundai and Shinsegae - have launched outlets by Hattendo, a Hiroshima-based cream-filled bun maker famous for running out of stock in afternoons because their offerings are so popular. More than 6,000 buns were sold in each store on weekends. The launchings were on the same date, and each retailer insisted that it was the first to open the cream bun store.
According to Hyundai Department Store, the proportion of Japanese dessert sales in its main store was merely 1 percent of all desserts in years past. But this year that figure leaped to 13.5 percent. Shinsegae Department Store, which did not have any Japanese dessert shops in 2012, said 7.9 percent of its dessert sales are now Japanese.
In Hyundai, Mon Chouchou, a cake roll brand from Osaka, has been the top selling dessert since its launch in August 2013. In Shinsegae, Sapporo chocolate maker Royce had 600 million won worth of sales at Valentine’s Day, when Koreans presenting chocolate to their paramours. The high sales grabbed the attention of the local retailers.
Analysts say Japanese desserts have special appeal to Koreans. “The bland sweetness of Japanese treats is just right for Koreans,” said Cho Chang-hee, a buyer at Shinsegae. Compared to desserts from the United States or European countries, Japanese desserts are light in sugar and fat. Also, the wide variety of Japanese brands and products that have survived generations are quality-guaranteed.
“The fear of radioactive food after the 2011 earthquake and nuclear accident in Japan has receded,” added another retail official.
Because of the nuclear fears, sales of Japanese baked goods and dessert imports plunged from 17 billion won in 2010 to 10 billion won in 2013. Imports rose 30 percent to 13 billion won last year. The weak yen also boosted imports from Japan.
The geological closeness of the countries means fresher products and ingredients, as well as easier management for the retailers. High brand awareness among local consumers who visited Japan in the past is also a factor.
According to the retail industry, three or four more brands are planned for local department stores soon.
“Japanese dessert fever will continue,” said a department store official.
BY KOO HEE RYUNG [firstname.lastname@example.org]


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When Culture Club released its 1983 single “Karma Chameleon,” the song instantly became a global sensation. Although not yet on the global scale, Austin, Texas-based Chameleon Cold-Brew with its array of refrigerated ready-to-drink (RTD) cold brew and coffee concentrates has become a “hit” in the beverage market.
The majority of consumers do not plan on changing their dining out behaviors this year; on top of that, the entire restaurant industry is projected to grow, Chicago-based Mintel explains in its January report “Dining Out: A 2016 Look Ahead.”
Juice market seeks to combat concerns about sugar content
July 11, 2016
Although concerns about the sugar content within products in the juice and juice drink category have challenged the market, juice smoothies and their association as a healthy beverage option have helped the category mitigate contraction.


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Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of GT Advanced Technologies
So what: Canaccord Genuity analyst Jonathan Dorsheimer boosted the firm's rating on GT Advanced Technologies to "buy" along with a $9 price target, representing nearly 30% additional upside from even today's high. Dorsheimer cited potential applications for the company's materials in smartphones, which is one of the hottest growth sectors in technology today.
Now what: GT Advanced Technologies currently produces specialty materials for solar and LED companies, and the analyst believes that its sapphire material could potentially be used as for a device's casing. Even if the company were to share design wins it would still be a boon for its business as a new revenue stream. Smartphones and tablets are the biggest growth stories in computing, and any potential exposure to those sectors are certainly cause for optimism.
Interested in more info on GT Advanced Technologies? Add it to your watchlist by clicking here.


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PetHub: 'like an Amber Alert for pets'
TechFlash Cup profile
If your dog has ever escaped its leash and run off, or your indoor cat has slipped out into the world through a not-quite-closed door, then you'll likely understand what PetHub is all about.
The startup's founder, Tom Arnold, developed a technological solution to finding a lost pet, and he has teamed up with companies that make pet collars and tags to bring his system to market.
“It’s like an ‘Amber Alert’ for pets,” Arnold said.
Only about 20 percent of lost dogs and fewer than 2 percent of lost cats get back home again, Arnold said. When he heard that, the software-developer-by-trade decided there must be a way to increase those odds.
So he built a software system to connect pet ID tags with a call center (contracted by PetHub) and with an online pet profile that alerts owners of a lost pet’s location.
PetHub dog and cat ID tags have phone numbers, website addresses, QR codes and, in some cases, near-field communication technology built in. So when a friendly stranger comes across a lost pet, he can scan the tag or call a number that's built into the software instead of displayed publicly as with traditional tags. The owner is instantly alerted via email where her pet was found and who found it.
This is one of 16 profiles featuring competitors in the first-ever TechFlash Cup startup competition. To read about the other competitors, and to cast your vote, go to TechFlashCup.com. And follow along on Twitter, using the #TechFlashCup hashtag.
The person who found the pet can also see the pet’s profile, with any information the owner would like to reveal, like contact information, pet medications and vet location.
The basic service is free for pet owners once they purchase the tags. PetHub initially made some tags itself, but Arnold said the ultimate goal is to license the technology to other tag makers.
In fact, he’s already had some early success with that.
“One partner put us in 1,000 retail stories in just one month,” Arnold said.
PetHub also has a premium model for customers who want all the bells and whistles. For a small monthly fee, a pet owner can be alerted to the location of the lost pet and have an interactive map sent to her with turn-by-turn directions to help her get to the location quickly. Premium users also get access to PetHub’s database of 13,000 shelters and other locations, all of which receive alerts from the pet owner when a dog or cat goes missing in their area.
PetHub has raised nearly $2 million in funding and Arnold said he hopes to have 1 million animals on the site within a year.
Emily Parkhurst oversees all digital content for the Puget Sound Business Journal.
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（Written by Matt W）
Recent World Health Organization reports state that COVID-19 is here to stay and will soon become an pandemic that we should all learn to live with.So, what impact will the pandemic have on our dining culture? Mandatory temperature checks at the restaurant entrance, large gaps between tables, and being served by robotic masked waiters?Well, possibly all of the above and more. Social distancing is one thing we’ll learn to live with for the unforeseeable future.
The Impact of Social Distancing on the Restaurant Industry
At the moment, we still do not know when restaurants are expected to reopen in most parts of the world although some states in the US have started allowing restaurants to open their doors albeit with extremely strict social distancing and safety requirements.
Most restaurant owners are already expressing fears of reopening their businesses under strict social distancing rules as being impractical and implausible.Diners may also lose interest in going to eat out at a restaurant where they sit in isolation served by waiters wearing masks and gloves. There’s seriously no fun in that.
The new normal under strict social distancing rules will definitely leave restaurantsoperating at a significantly reduced capacity, which is a scenario that many operatorsdon’t view as economically viable.
Individual Greenhouses to Keep Diners Apart
Restaurant greenhouses have been touted as one of the most practical ways of enforcing social distancing rules while keeping diners happy. The need to maintain social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the food industry has even led a restaurant in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to experiment with new ways to keep their customers happy while abiding by the rules.Located at the Arts Center of Mediamatic Biotoop in Amsterdam, the Mediamatic
ETEN veganrestaurant has set up cozy greenhouses to allow their customers to follow social distancing rules while eating out. The eatery calls this new social distancing initiative Serres Séparées, which basically means greenhouses in French.
So far, the diners’ response has been great. Diners can still enjoy their favorite
four-course vegetarian delicacies while sitting in their own personal quarantine
greenhouses. At the moment, the service is still on a trial phase and is only
provided to family or friends groups of up to 3 persons. According to the Mediamatic ETEN’s website, all upcoming reservations have already been sold out.
The goal of dining greenhouses is to also minimize contact between diners and waiters. To achieve this goal, Mediamatic ETEN’s food servers wear gloves and face shields and use a long wooden board to serve customers seated inside individual greenhouses. The dishes, served on longboards, are slid on to the table from outside the sleek fashionable greenhouse.
Families and friends currently isolating in household groups can share the same greenhouse with a limit of three people per greenhouse. Mediamatic’s founder, Willem Velthoven recently stated that, if the plans work, the restaurant will build larger greenhouses for people isolating together in large household groups.
The greenhouse dining initiative comes at the right time in the Netherlands, where restaurants, theatres, and museums are expected to reopen at a reduced capacity as of June 1. The Netherlands has over 40,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Mediamatic ETEN already has reservations slated to start on May 21st and will still require permission to open from local and national authorities.
Greenhouse dining is expected to take off as many countries worldwide begin to allow restaurants to open under strict social distancing restrictions.Restaurant greenhouses are not only super-cozy, private, and stylish but provide a safer way to go out and have a great time at your favorite eatery.We hope more restaurants will soon adopt this new normal of public dining.


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Last week, the marketing team at British Wool unveiled their brand-new showroom at a press event. The space features all their licensees, including; Harris Tweed, Brockway Carpets, Camira, Yan Tan, Woolyknit, Devon Duvets and many more.
Brockway's Lakeland Herdwick Windermere carpet was chosen as the floorcovering for the showroom - the contemporary, natural looking, light grey loop pile carpet provided the perfect colour and texture for the scheme.
We picked the carpet because first and foremost its British Wool and the natural tones of the carpet really complement the centerpiece, which was used originally at the Harrogate Flooring Show in 2021.
Graham Clark, Director of Marketing at British Wool, said: “There is an emphasis on environmental sustainability in all products produced using British Wool as it is a natural, biodegradable fibre. Due to its durability and it also having a longer lifespan than other textile fibre products.”
This recent rise in demand for natural fibre, in part can be attributed by consumers being more aware of the environmental impact of man-made fibres and materials. The new state of the art showroom champions wool and the farmers who produce it.


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Last Updated: Wednesday, August 20, 2014, 14:14
Earlier this year, the company had entered the compact sedan segment with Xcent.
Last Updated: Saturday, March 30, 2013, 17:51
The announcement comes at the heels of the Korean automaker’s decision to launch a car which will be placed between the successful i10 and i20 series.
more videos >>


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Stop it before it happens.
BMW has recently submitted a patent with the aim of solving the issue of motion sickness for passengers in cars, specifically those in the back seat. CarBuzz stumbled upon this patent on file with the European Patent Office, which outlines a concept where a display is mounted on the car’s roof to prevent occupants from feeling nauseous while traveling.The patent proposes the use of a roof-mounted display, similar to the Theater Screen found in the latest BMW 7 Series, as a means to combat motion sickness. The display would provide visual stimulation that can help distract and soothe passengers, making their journey more comfortable. This technology could be particularly beneficial for those who are prone to motion sickness or experience discomfort during long drives.This innovative idea by BMW is intended to enhance the overall riding experience and make it more enjoyable for passengers, especially in the rear seats. With the increasing popularity of ridesharing services and car sharing programs, such a solution could greatly improve the comfort level for passengers when using these vehicles.BMW’s patent shows their commitment to continuously improving the driving experience for their customers and addressing common issues like motion sickness. If implemented, this technology could potentially revolutionize the way we travel in cars and make journeys much more pleasant for passengers. Overall, this patent demonstrates BMW’s dedication to innovation
For many years, both car manufacturers and ride-hailing companies have been striving to find remedies for motion sickness. Volkswagen has proposed ideas such as adjustable seats and LED lighting, while Jaguar has invested significant resources in studying ways to alleviate the brain’s cognitive disorientation that triggers this discomfort.
As technology advances and the possibility of self-driving cars becomes a tangible reality, motion sickness is expected to become more prevalent among individuals who have never previously experienced it. This may seem insignificant to those who are not affected by this condition, but for BMW, it is a concern that needs to be addressed.The approaching era of self-driving cars has the potential to significantly impact the transportation industry. However, it also brings about a new challenge – motion sickness. BMW recognizes the need to proactively address this issue as it is likely to affect both current and future car owners.While motion sickness has always been a problem for some during car rides, the introduction of self-driving technology could potentially increase its reach to a larger segment of the population. With this in mind, BMW is taking steps to prepare for and minimize the effects of motion sickness in their vehicles.BMW’s dedication to addressing motion sickness goes beyond simply acknowledging its potential to become an issue. The company has taken active measures to research and find solutions to prevent or alleviate this discomfort in their cars. Through partnerships with experts in the field of motion sickness, BMW is working towards implementing technologies and features that can mitigate its effects.In conclusion, although it may seem trivial to some, BMW understands the significance of motion sickness in the age of
A great solution would involve a panoramic glass roof, which when combined with the windows, can effectively give the illusion of movement to those prone to motion sickness. However, BMW’s innovative ceiling-mounted display and other elaborate ceiling designs lessen the advantage of a glass roof. In order to combat this, BMW has devised a plan to make it appear as though the ceiling is transparent. This can be achieved in vehicles equipped with a retractable ceiling-mounted display by projecting images onto the existing screen. Another possibility would be to project images directly onto the ceiling itself.
Both options would necessitate the use of eye-tracking in order to guarantee that the visuals are synchronized. Of course, with just one display, only one person sitting in the backseat would be accommodated. However, if there were multiple passengers in the vehicle, virtual and augmented reality technology could fill in the missing pieces.
Multiple sensors are necessary for a system as intricate as this. According to BMW, the display attached to the ceiling must consider various factors such as the car’s angle in relation to the sky, its velocity and orientation compared to stationary celestial objects like the sun, moon, and stars, and any flying creatures that may be visible through the vehicle’s actual windows.
Cameras have the capability to record the outside view of the vehicle and transmit visual displays onto a screen mounted on the ceiling. BMW has also incorporated GPS, weather updates, and celestial data to ensure precise projections regardless of atmospheric conditions or lighting. Furthermore, artificial intelligence can enhance the display on the ceiling for a more dynamic effect when gazing at a clear sky.
The integration of accelerometer and gyroscope sensors would guarantee that the image moves smoothly with the movement of the car, creating a seamless experience for the occupant akin to sitting in an open-air vehicle. This innovative concept holds great potential and seems attainable; however, its implementation may be limited to the widespread use of self-driving cars, if at all.


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YouTube to acquire Twitch
Philip Ellison 20 May, 2014 at 02:05
Earlier this year we brought you the story of Twitch, the video streaming platform that has transformed gaming into a spectator sport. YouTube has had its eye on the company for a while, and now a reported $1 billion acquisition is in the works.
The thing that many can’t seem to get their heads around is that there are consumers out there who want to watch other people playing games. But the numbers don’t lie; in February, The Daily Dot posted stats which indicated that Twitch receives more traffic during peak hours than giants like Hulu, Facebook and Tumblr.
“Companies like Facebook and Amazon don’t stream video, so it is important to take that context into account when thinking about these numbers,” says Patrick Howell O’Neill. “However, Amazon has a dedicated video streaming service, Valve offers massive game downloads and video, Hulu streams television and movies, and Pandora streams music. The recent study suggests that Twitch is stepping above them all in terms of peak traffic.”
Among the games attracting the most traffic on Twitch are League Of Legends, Call Of Duty, and Minecraft. And the games companies themselves are fans too. “Game developers and publishers have quickly adapted to Twitch as a way to interact with fans directly,” says Chelsea Stark at Mashable. “2K Games, Minecraft creators Mojang, Epic Games, Sony, League of Legends creator Riot Games and others have all used the platform to hold community events, stream announcements and show off new game footage.”
While the acquisition would yield a number of benefits for Twitch, primarily a wealth of resources and expertise within its new parent company, fans aren’t loving the idea. “Some in the gaming community are in panic mode at the thought of another beloved service being swallowed whole by a tech titan,” says TIME’s Jared Newman. “We did, after all, just go through this with Facebook and Oculus VR.” YouTube expert Lamarr Wilson agrees, and anticipates some “pushback” from long time Twitch users. There is also the possibility that, by acquiring another successful video sites, YouTube could create an unfair monopoly.


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Black Friday is right around the corner. A day of capitalistic greed disguised under mountains of markdowns. A day of traffic jams and long wait times. A day that has overshadowed it’s neighboring holiday, Thanksgiving, so much that Black “Friday” starts on a Thursday.
As someone who has worked in retail for almost 3 years, with my 4th Black Friday coming up, I can personally tell you the hell that Black Friday can be for workers like myself. Each year I find myself having to show up for work earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving as retailers decide to push the Black Friday agenda to be sooner. There’s the obvious physical demand for the job: headaches and sore feet/hands. There’s also the emotional: wanting to spend Thanksgiving dinner with your family but instead are stuck being berated by a Karen for the register crashing or our sales not being good enough. We’re trying our best, people!
In an article by Transformation Marketing, the Bean Team writes about how Mall of America has actually stepped back from opening on Thanksgiving and let their workers rest with family. From a Public Relations standpoint, this was huge. The Bean Team mentions that
“fans of the closure have taken to Twitter to show their support for the mall, and many are hoping for other businesses to follow suit”.
Generation Z is really big on respecting workers. It’s a trend to have the mindset of “hey, don’t be a jerk to your minimum wage waiter at Applebees”. It’s interesting to see how big businesses are responding to this new wave of thinking. One might think that Mall of America was analyzing this trend to be receptive to the newer generation, which is an insanely good PR stunt if that was so. Although, they may have also closed because no one was shopping that early on the holiday so it wasn’t profitable, but hey! Who’s to say.
From a brand perspective, Black Friday is the time to get your PR out there! There are countless articles on how to effectively use PR and social media to boost your Black Friday sales, as it is a perfect opportunity to showcase your products. No one will use your awesome deal if you don’t tell them about it.
Black Friday and PR go hand in hand. Whether it be applause for not overworking your staff or promoting your own brand, public relations is quite evident in both.


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EGR Marketing and Innovation Awards 2019
The EGR Marketing & Innovation Awards are back for 2019 with NEW categories and a return to the fantastic setting of the Tower of London on the afternoon of Tuesday 25 June.
Attracting over 250 industry professionals, the Awards reward the most innovative and creative operators in the online gaming industry, recognising those who have pushed themselves to bring something new to the industry in the last 12 months.
Find out the winners of EGR Marketing & Innovations Awards 2019 and the Judges comments for each winner.
EGR Global is pleased to announce that the 2019 voting process will be officiated by accountancy giant Deloitte. The adjudication by a third-party continues to be a part of EGR’s pledge to make the judging process the most stringent and transparent in the industry.
Become an EGR member
Not an EGR member? Join our membership community today and receive a wealth of benefits including:
• Direct access to daily news updates, data & analysis
• Exclusive access to all of our Breakfast Briefings
• Invitations to our collection of events including awards, summits and webinars
• Five specialist networks for the latest industry trends
• Benchmarking data for flows, performance and product development, and more.


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Please see the article below.
MEET THE COMPANIES JOINING THE 2022 NEW YORK FASHION TECH LAB
The NYFTL chose five innovative, women-lead companies for this year’s 12-week program
For the past nine years, the New York Fashion Tech Lab has been the premiere program in creating innovative advances in the fashion and retail-tech space through its community-driven, relationship-building, business development platform. After opening applications for its 2022 Lab, the non-profit chose five companies to participate in NYFTLab’s 12-week program this year.
All women-led companies, each works to offer solutions focused on a variety of areas, including the metaverse, NFT’s, gaming, social commerce, returns, personalization and more. Dress X, Greenlist, Digital Village, Squadded and Window each snagged a spot in the 2022 Lab, where they will collaborate with NYFTLab’s retail and brand partners.
The goal for the collaborations is to connect tech with fashion, beauty and retail to find innovative new ideas and solutions to bring to the space. The selected companies will engage in curated workshops and have sessions with investors and senior executives from the Lab’s network of experts.
During the application process, NYFTLab sought out early-to growth-stage emerging tech companies that have developed B2B innovations at the intersection of fashion, retail, and technology. The six companies of this year’s Lab were all selected by NYFTLab partners, including the largest ever lineup with representatives from Burberry, The Estée Lauder Companies, Levi Strauss & Co., LVMH, Macy’s Inc, Perry Ellis International, PVH Corp, Richemont, Tapestry, Tory Burch, Marriott International and Walmart.
“It is extremely exciting to have the partner’s continued support and involvement,” Jackie Trebilcock, Managing Director of NYFTLab said in a statement. “These organizations realize the value in cutting edge new technologies and we can’t wait for the lab companies to collaborate with them and others in our network to propel the acceleration and transformation of this industry.”
The Lab will run from March through June and end with a Tech Runway Demo Day. Each founder of the Lab companies will present their solutions to fashion and retail executives, investors and media.
To learn more about this year’s cohort, visit nyftlab.com.
Read the article from Grazia.


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Foilacar Industries, the company which pioneered car wrapping technology and clear protection system, recently expanded their reach in the Southeast Asian market with the establishment of Foilacar Indonesia.
“With this car wrapping facility in Bali and Jakarta, Foilacar is set to open new horizons for Foilacar and we hope to replicate the success of our New York office here in Indonesia,” states Lester Codog, president of Foilacar Industries.
With the first facility based in Muding Batu Sangian VI No.19 Kerobokan Kaya Badung, Bali, the 1,000 square meters car wrapping facility have three work bays for cars, SUV’s and motorcycles. “This is new territory for Foilacar, and we feel that the market is just right for this kind of technology now,” adds Wayne Ramschie, President of Foilacar Indonesia.
In Jakarta, Codog met with supercar dealers such as Ferrari and Lamborghini for tie-ups with Foilacar. “Our arrangement was to have Foilacar as an added bonus to owning or when buying a supercar. Owners of these fine machinery can choose from a wide variety of colors and designs to make their supercars exclusive and unique,” says Codog.
Since Foilacar ventured into car wrapping in the domestic market, the company has remained as the standard for car paint protection and visual aesthetics. From celebrities, businessmen and corporate clients such as Volkswagen Philippines, Foilacar has earned the moniker as the “Belo” of car design in the country.
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Remember the last piece where we mentioned that Windows Phone is being left out of the Pokemon GO action? Finally, there’s a version out there for Window Phones. Unfortunately, like many other Windows Phone apps, it’s not official, but it connects to Pokemon Go servers. It even follows Microsoft’s standard of nomenclature. The app is called PoGo-UWP. Just rolls out of your tongue doesn’t it? UWP stands for Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform that enables an app to run on both Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile. It’s an app made by a guy with a potential supervillain mindset. Just how did the app come about?
The app was written from scratch by a guy suspected of being without ‘passion’ by Microsoft. Imagine that. In a sense, PoGO-UWP is the result of a crime of passion, the type of crime often the stuff of movies or thought-provoking TV. The perp’s name is a developer named Stefano Tenuta.
“…because learning new things is always cool…because it could be done…Because Microsoft rejected my job application saying that I wasn’t showing enough ‘passion’, and this proves them wrong :)… Being rejected is always a good source for motivations, and proving that I’m better than what they thought is one of them,”
— Stefano Tenuta
Now that is a guy with passion and giving Windows Phone owners who are passionate about their devices, a chance to roam around and catch Pokemon, is definitely a sign of talent or the potential of becoming a super-villain. There are always those square pegs trying to get into round holes that the late Steve Jobs talked about, still developing for defunct or obscure systems until they can develop no longer. What’s Microsoft thinking? This guy may have just given Microsoft that additional 1 to 5 percent market share. According to Tenuta on his interview with Business Insider, the app already has 50,000 unique users who open it about 1.5 million times a month.
Niantic, as well as other developers’ refusal to develop for Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile stem from the perceived lack of market share of Microsoft’s operating system. But many people who tried and use the platform end up loving the product making the few developers who work on the platform rather unique. It’s a chicken or egg thing for Microsoft. Developers aren’t making apps for Windows Phone because of lack of market share and lack of market share is because no one’s developing apps.
Now, about the app, PoGO-UWP (even typing it is a pain) functions much like the real Pokemon GO app unlike those me-too Chinese apps in Android. Much like other Freeware, donations allow the development to continue and Windows Phone fans are just happy to contribute. It connects to Pokemon GO servers so most of the functionality is there and Windows Phone users can now play with others running Pokemon GO on Android and iOS. Visually, the app looks very similar so Pokemon GO players on other platforms who are hesitant to shift to Windows Phone/Mobile can soon do so granted that Niantic doesn’t pull the plug on the project.
Niantic is currently conducting a witch hunt for unofficial Pokemon apps that give other users an unfair advantage. But Tenuta isn’t worried as the app isn’t designed to do so and his goal is just to get the game to work as good as the original. He isn’t alone in the project, and he’s been getting the help of other equally passionate people either passionate about Windows Phone or Pokemon GO or both, who volunteered to help him.
“I honestly didn’t expect such help from people, but I’m really glad that they’re here because I couldn’t have done this without them…we’re not harming anyone with this project, but we’re giving more users the chance to play their game, and every one of these users may be a potential customer for their in-app purchases, so this can be a win-win situation for both of us,”
— Stefano Tenuta
One sour note about PoGO-UWP is that it doesn’t function on the get-go. You’ll need to first create an account on the original Pokemon GO app on iOS or Android and choose your first Pokemon. After that, it should work okay with a few glitches, but Stefano and company should Weedle it out soon. As a UWP app, PoGO-UWP should install on Windows 10 Mobile phones, laptops and tablets.


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BUSINESSES in the West Midlands are being urged to explore new and growing overseas markets in the automotive sector by attending a key exhibition in India early next year.
With many companies battling for new markets in this period of economic uncertainty, the region is expected to make up a strong part of the UK delegation at Auto Expo, in Delhi in January.
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry, together with Advantage West Midlands and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, is organising a briefing to discuss the opportunities and support available for West Midlands companies wishing to attend the event.
It takes place at The Arup Campus on the Blythe Valley Business Park in Solihull on Friday, June 26 - between 12.30pm and 4pm.
The UK delegation at Auto Expo, Delhi is being led by the SMMT, who will concentrate on low carbon technologies. The West Midlands will have dedicated exhibition space and a series of parallel seminars, 121 business appointments and high-level networking events promoting the region and its opportunities.
Jonathan Webber, director of international trade at the BCI, said: “Auto Expo is the focal point for the Indian and wider Asia automotive industry.
“We have an excellent opportunity for the region to showcase its world-class, low carbon technology expertise, our wider automotive supply chain capabilities and the strength in depth of our R&D involving the region’s universities and other academia.
“It’s an exhibition that attracts over 9,000 participants and 100,000 business visitors from across the world.”
Mr Webber also praised AWM, who are strong supporters of a regional presence at Auto Expo, Delhi. He added: “This will be a major event with a strong West Midlands presence. It’s very good to have a committed partnership of organisations like AWM and the Birmingham Chamber and I very much hope that West Midlands business will take every advantage of the opportunity.”
For further information and registration contact Alison Hawkins at Birmingham Chamber of Commerce on 0121 450 4205.


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September 15, 2017
Kendrick PR Named As Awards Finalist for Best Clinic Support Partner
Kendrick PR have been selected as a finalist in the ‘Best Clinic Support Partner’ category of the prestigious 2017 Aesthetic Awards. This new award category recognises the partner company deemed to offer the best non-clinical support for clinics – including business services tailored to the aesthetics market.
“I am thrilled and honoured that Kendrick PR have been selected as a finalist in these awards, and that our commitment to delivering accessible, trusted and expert solutions for aesthetic businesses has been recognised” says Julia Kendrick, founder of Kendrick PR and creator of the E.L.I.T.E. Reputation Programme.
Kendrick PR brings accessible, trusted and expert solutions for aesthetic businesses and has this year launched the industry’s first and only PR and marketing online training support service: the E.L.I.T.E. Reputation Programme. This buildable, bespoke service provides a step-by-step structured process of training, templates and expert support for new and emerging clinics currently ‘going it alone’ on their PR and marketing.
Voting for the awards concludes on the 31st October and you can show your support here: ow.ly/HMxO30f0q0n


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MINNEAPOLIS — Nash Finch intends to boost its customers’ price-competitiveness behind a program to stock the distributor’s private-label items — and remove their competitors.
Retailers that agree to participate in the program, which launched last month, will get more competitive pricing on the items if they add them while also removing competing items — mostly regional packer brands — from the shelves, Alec Covington, Nash Finch’s chief executive officer, said last week. Nash Finch’s private brands include the Our Family, Value Choice and Nash Brothers Trading Co. labels.
“The goal is that both our customers and ourselves can drive our business forward faster in building our private label business, which is critically important to our customers in terms of creating the pricing pressure they need to have within their overall marketplace,” Covington said.
Covington said about 90% of Nash Finch’s 1,500 customers have already agreed to sign up for the program, which already has added 10,000 product placements in stores and is boosting private-label sales penetration.
Related story: Nash Finch Sees Inflation Abating
“This is going to be a big one for us,” Covington said. “We see a great opportunity to build this program, help our margins, and help our customers compete more effectively in the marketplace.”
Covington’s remarks came during a conference call discussing financial results for the first quarter ended March 24. Slowing inflation and higher investments in marketing programs led to quarterly declines in sales and profits.
Sales for the 12-week period were $1.06 billion, down 3.7% from the same period a year ago. Excluding the effect of closed stores, sales fell by 3.1%. Adjusted net earnings of $6.2 million declined 33.3% as the company experienced “a lag between investments we are making and the results we believe those investments will deliver,” Covington said.
Those investments include the new private-label program and an initiative to improve produce freshness by closing down a redistribution center in Denver that slowed delivery from the West Coast and added costs, he said.
Although quarterly sales decreased, Covington stressed the decline was less severe than the 4.8% slide in the fourth quarter, despite getting a smaller boost from inflation. “We know we’re getting stronger,” he said. “We actually feel pretty good about where we’re headed.”
Covington also touted Nash Finch’s potential to handle national retail accounts, noting that it is currently distributing food for 80 Dollar General stores.
By segment, Nash Finch said military sales of $531.3 million declined by 1.1% due to reduced sales to overseas commissaries. Profits were down in this segment due to increased competition, Covington said.
Sales for the combined retail and distribution segment declined by 6.2% due in part to the sale or closure of six retail stores and a comparable store sales decline of 4.4%. Higher inflation in the previous quarter pressured profits, the company said.


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Stay Alive has become a worldwide “trend” as fans fell into a rush of excitement when revealing the release date and name for the OST 7 Fates Chakho by Jungkook and produced by Suga. .
Many media outlets covered this soon after it was launched and the news quickly spread across all social media platforms as the anticipation for the release increased as the release date was revealed.
Fans have taken to social media to express their excitement about the OST and how eagerly they await its release.
Expectations are high as this is the first OST performed by Jungkook.
The OST will be released on all live streaming platforms on February 11, and fans around the world are waiting for the most anticipated release of the year.