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According to report from The Korea Times, LG has released a statement in which they expressed confidence that LG G3 might exceed the 10 million sales mark, making it one of the best selling LG smartphones in recent history.
LG has managed to beat other major smartphone makers with the QHD resolution display on the LG G3 and while Vivo and Oppo might have been the first to announce it, LG is certainly selling a higher volume of QHD smartphones. LG definitely managed to attract a lot of attention with the LG G3 and it is no wonder that it is confident that this phone will manage to pass the 10 million sales mark.
In a recent Q2 2014 financial report, LG noted that it managed to ship 14.5 million smartphones and the big part is the LG G3. Of course, shipping and selling numbers tend to differ and we should wait for LG's next financial report to see if this confidence in LG G3 proves to be justified.


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Lenovo Data Center Group Delivers Broad Edge Computing Portfolio, Expands Investments in IoT
Next week at MWC Barcelona, Lenovo Data Center Group (DCG) will showcase continued investments in its solutions supporting IoT and edge computing as part of its IoT growth plan over the next few years. Building on the momentum of its fifth consecutive quarter of profit growth, Lenovo DCG is building a portfolio that takes infrastructure to where the data is, whether that be in the traditional data center, in the cloud or increasingly, at the edge.
Today, around 10 percent of enterprise-generated data is created and processed outside a traditional centralized data center or cloud. By 2022, Gartner predicts this figure will reach 75 percent. This migration is driving increased concerns around data privacy, security and regulations coupled with challenges of latency, bandwidth and downtime. Lenovo is addressing these challenges by creating a broad portfolio of edge computing offerings that address the different ways that customers want to deploy edge computing solutions for IoT use cases.
At MWC Barcelona, Lenovo will unveil the ThinkSystem SE350, an edge server that is just slightly larger than a ThinkPad. This purpose-built server will come to market this summer and is half the width and significantly shorter than a traditional server, making it ideal for deployment in tight spaces. It can be mounted on a wall, stacked on a shelf or mounted in a rack. The ThinkSystem SE350 puts increased processing power, storage and network closer to where data is generated, allowing actions resulting from the analysis of that data to take place more quickly. Since these edge servers are typically deployed outside of secure data centers, they include technology that encrypts the data stored on the device if it is tampered with, only enabling authorized users to access it. In addition, the server will support both Wi-Fi and LTE connectivity.
“There is tremendous opportunity to help customers realize the power that edge computing can bring to their organizations,” said Kirk Skaugen, Executive Vice President, Lenovo and President of Lenovo Data Center Group. “We’ve made significant focused investments in our IoT and Telco offerings over the past year with several strategic partners, enabling connectivity from edge to data center. We are committed to supporting industry open source initiatives, including the Open RAN, and Lenovo looks forward to co-chairing the Open RAN (O-RAN) Cloudification and Orchestration groups.”
For customers who want pre-integrated and validated IoT solutions for simplified deployment and accelerated digital transformation, Lenovo has partnered with the industry to bring expertise to support edge computing use cases:
- Lenovo teams up with Pivot3 to drive smart city capabilities. Lenovo demonstrates its commitment to Video- and Security-based solutions powered by Pivot3 with live demos and customer examples at MWC Barcelona. As governments and organizations adopt the next generation of edge computing to help protect people, increase efficiency and avoid loss, Lenovo and Pivot3 are working together to support mission-critical smart city and safe campus deployments across multiple sectors. In collaboration with SecureTech, a leading integrator of video security solutions, Lenovo and Pivot3 helped a leading Middle East hospitality customer secure their sprawling hotel complex meeting their mission critical requirements for resilience, security and manageability. Together, they delivered a successful security solution, efficiently capturing and managing their security video data. The project reduces risk of data loss, system failure and lowers cost of acquisition and ownership, while reducing their need for advanced technical skills.
- Lenovo reveals its Future-Ready Retail Store Infrastructure solution in partnership with Scale Computing, enabling retail customers to deploy mini data centers that offer enterprise-class IT infrastructure at the edge of their networks. Ahold Delhaize, an international food retail group headquartered in Zaandam, Netherlands, operates supermarkets and e-commerce businesses across 6,700+ stores in 11 countries, serving over 50 million customers each week. Delhaize wanted to reduce time spent deploying and managing edge IT infrastructure and needed a solution that could host traditional and IoT applications on the same hardware. With the combined solution, Delhaize found the stability, support, cost savings, simplicity and optimized security needed to modernize its stores with IoT for optimizing freezing, heating and the customer experience.
- Lenovo is working closely with VMware on Project Dimension, which will dramatically simplify the delivery of infrastructure-as-a-service to on-premise locations including at the edge. A pilot program is underway with several customers with the aim of providing a commercially available offering that will extend VMware Cloud to deliver a software-defined data-center (SDDC) in a hyper-converged appliance as-a-service for enterprise customers.
- Lenovo partners with select visionary ISVs and CoSPs to validate unique use cases, enabling CoSPs to roll out new monetizable services. Lenovo’s Communication Service Provider (CoSP) strategy is aligned with the new emerging areas like Multi-Access Edge computing (MEC) and C-RAN. Partnering with China Mobile, Intel and Baicells, Lenovo demonstrates the first 5G O-RAN virtualized solution providing increased flexibility to CoSP.
- Focused on our customer experience and solving relevant use cases, Lenovo and Orange established a Joint Innovation Partnership focused on hardware composability using Intel® Rack Scale Design (RSD). The main focus area of the joint research is maximizing energy, performance and cost efficiencies by pooling & abstracting hardware resources, such as FPGA, GPU, and SmartNICs in edge deployment environments.
Demonstrations of Lenovo’s IoT and edge solutions can be seen at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February 25 – February 28 at the Lenovo Showcase in Hall 3, Space 3N30. For more information, visit www.lenovo.com/mwc or www.lenovo.com/datacenterevents
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a US$45 billion Fortune Global 500 company and a global technology leader in driving Intelligent Transformation through smart devices and infrastructure that create the best user experience. Lenovo manufactures one of the world’s widest portfolios of connected products, including smartphones (Motorola), tablets, PCs (ThinkPad, Yoga, Lenovo Legion) and workstations as well as AR/VR devices and smart home/office solutions. Lenovo’s data center solutions (ThinkSystem, ThinkAgile) are creating the capacity and computing power for the connections that are changing business and society. Lenovo works to inspire the difference in everyone and build a smarter future where everyone thrives. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Weibo, read about the latest news via our Storyhub, or visit our website at http://www.lenovo.com/.
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Concierge Auctions and Engel & Völkers to Sell $29.9 Million New Jersey Estate Without Reserve20.5.2019 20:32:00 EEST | Tiedote
A 32,507-square-foot Saddle River residence will sell at auction next month via leading global firm Concierge Auctions. Known as “Stone Palace on the Hill,” the home features a glass elevator, tennis court, racquetball court, wine cellar, and two swimming pools. 144 East Saddle River Road was previously listed for $29.9 million and will sell Without Reserve in cooperation with Alina Pogorelova and Lisa Troyano-Ascolese of Engel & Völkers. Bidding, which will be held via Concierge Auctions’ online marketplace, will open on June 21st and close on June 27. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190520005686/en/ 144 East Saddle River Road | New York Metro, NJ (Photo: Business Wire) “The quality of work and detail that went into building this home is perhaps the most impressive element of the property,” said Troyano-Ascolese. “With astounding details from custom gold-plated and forged-iron railings to a complete hand-cut
CNIM to Optimize Renewable Heat Production for Nantes District Heating20.5.2019 20:20:00 EEST | Tiedote
CNIM, a French international industrial equipment manufacturer and integrator, has entered into an agreement concerning the energy efficiency optimisation at the waste-to-energy plant serving the cities of Nantes and Saint Nazaire, in the North West of France. Under the terms of this agreement, CNIM will install an absorption heat pump to boost the supply of hot water to Nantes. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190520005678/en/ Heat-Pump_13MW_Brive (c) CNIM The delivery is scheduled for October 2019. The new system has been designed to inject 3.1 MW of heat energy into Nantes' district heating system. 2018: Two contracts to upgrade heat networks in France and Switzerland Prior to this agreement, CNIM won two other major contracts to upgrade the energy efficiency of waste-to-energy plants in France and Switzerland, and to supply district heating networks with renewable energy. Supplying 30 MW to Basel's district
Phase III study showed nintedanib slows the loss of pulmonary function in people living with systemic sclerosis associated ILD120.5.2019 19:46:00 EEST | Tiedote
Boehringer Ingelheim today announced that the SENSCIS® trial met its primary endpoint: reduction in the annual rate of decline in forced vital capacity (FVCa) in patients with systemic sclerosis associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD). Results show that nintedanib slows the loss of pulmonary function in patients with SSc-ILD compared to placebo. Patients taking nintedanib showed a 44% reduction in the rate of decline of their lung function, measured in FVC assessed over 52 weeks1. These new data were today published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and presented to the medical community at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference, in Dallas, USA. SENSCIS® is the largest randomised controlled trial to be conducted in patients with SSc-ILD, a disease for which there are currently no approved treatments.1,3,4 Results also showed that nintedanib had a safety and tolerability profile similar to that observed in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibro
MyHeritage laajenee terveyteen lanseeramalla uuden DNA-testin, joka tarjoaa kuluttajille yksilöllistä tietoa terveydestä20.5.2019 18:55:00 EEST | Tiedote
MyHeritage, maailman johtava perhehistoria- ja DNA-testauspalvelu, ilmoitti tänään DNA-tuotevalikoimansa merkittävästä laajenemisesta MyHeritage Terveys+Perimä DNA-testin lanseeraamisen myötä. Testi tarjoaa uuden ulottuvuuden geneettiseen tietoon kattavien terveysraporttien avulla, mikä voi vaikuttaa terveys- ja elämäntapavalintoihin tulevaisuudessa. Se on nykyisen MyHeritage Vain-Perimä DNA-testin supersetti ja sisältää sen peruspilarit: etnisen alkuperän prosentuaalisen jakauman ja yhteisen, jaetun DNAn avulla löytyneet sukulaiset. MyHeritage on nyt ainoa maailmanlaajuinen DNA-yritys, joka tarjoaa kuluttajille kattavan terveys- ja perimä-tuotteen yli 40 kielellä. Tämä lehdistötiedote sisältää multimediaa. Katso koko julkaisu täällä: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190520005590/fi/ MyHeritage laajenee terveyteen lanseeramalla uuden DNA-testin, joka tarjoaa kuluttajille yksilöllistä tietoa terveydestä (Graphic: Business Wire) Terveys+Perimä-tuotteen lanseeraus erottaa MyHerita
Airship Bolsters its Senior Leadership Team for Accelerated Global Growth20.5.2019 16:00:00 EEST | Tiedote
Customer engagement company Airship today announced four senior leadership appointments including Dale Flores as vice president of sales Americas, Neil Gariepy as vice president of infrastructure and security, David King Harris as vice president of sales EMEA, and Jeff Winsor as vice president of technology services. Dale Flores will lead the rapid expansion of Airship’s Americas sales organization, growing solution adoption to generate greater business value for customers throughout the region. Flores brings two decades of global SaaS sales and customer success management experience to Airship, including over 14 years leading sales teams at Silverpop and IBM. Most recently, Flores was head of customer success at digital customer experience company Clicktale. Neil Gariepy will lead Airship’s customer engineering, infrastructure and security teams, with responsibility for expanding Airship’s infrastructure globally while further optimizing its cost, performance and security. Gariepy bri
Analogix Introduces Its VirtualLink™ Reference Design for High-Performance Gaming Notebooks20.5.2019 16:00:00 EEST | Tiedote
Analogix Semiconductor, Inc. today announced the availability of its VirtualLink™ Reference Design which enables VirtualLink directly on the motherboard of high-performance gaming notebooks, allowing them to support virtual reality (VR) over the USB-C™ connector. External accessories can also leverage the reference design to interface legacy graphics processing units (GPUs) to future VirtualLink-enabled VR head-mounted displays. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190520005132/en/ Analogix VirtualLink™ Reference Design brings VR support over the USB-C™ connector to high-performance gaming laptops. (Graphic: Business Wire) Introduced by a consortium led by NVIDIA, Oculus, Valve, AMD, and Microsoft, the VirtualLink Alternate Mode of USB Type-C™ was designed to deliver the power, display, and data required to power VR headsets through a single USB Type-C connector, eliminating the need for multiple cables. It expands
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Dangerous emissions are the dirty little secret of the ballooning 3D printing industry.
October 6, 2019 By Greg Nichols
It's looking more and more certain that 3D printing has a serious safety problem. Though largely overlooked in the tech press, the problem is pervasive and could impact millions of students, patients, and employees who work in non-industrial settings that lack controlled environments.
That's according to a two-year study by UL Chemical Safety and Georgia Institute of Technology, which shows that 3D printers emit airborne nanoparticles and volatile organic compounds that can cause cardiovascular and pulmonary issues. The UL/Georgia Tech study details the alarming presence of more than 200 volatile compounds that are detected in environments where a 3D printer is in use, including known irritants and carcinogens.


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Denmark’s retail sales declined in February, after rising in the previous month, as consumer confidence eroded sharply amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
Retail sales fell a seasonally adjusted 1.2 percent month-on-month in February, after a 5.0 percent growth in January, figures from Statistics Denmark showed on Friday. Sales declined in November and December.
The latest decline was led by a 1.5 percent fall in sales of other consumables and a 2.0 percent drop in food and grocery sales.
Meanwhile, sales of clothing and other goods grew 5.1 percent.
The statistical office said the decline in sales was in sync with the deterioration in consumer confidence in the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Earlier, data showed that consumer confidence sunk to its lowest level since October 2008 in March as expectations on the economic outlook were hurt by the war.
On an annual basis, retail sales increased 2.5 percent in February, after an 8.3 percent rise in the previous month. Sales rose for a second straight month.
For the December to February period, retail sales gained 2.8 percent annually, but fell 4.1 percent quarterly.


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V1 Interactive will be treating fans to a reveal of their upcoming game Disintegration during Gamescom on Aug. 19. The reveal will be happening during the event’s opening night festivities. It’s unclear if a livestream will take place for fans not in attendance (though I’d say it’s very likely that one will), but V1 encourages folks to follow their social media accounts for updates. V1 Interactive was co-founded by Marcus Lehto, a former Creative Director at Bungie and co-creator of the Halo series.
Little is known about Disintegration, but a new teaser trailer showing off a gorgeous, combat-ready ship was revealed to help hype up the incoming announcement. V1 Interactive describes the game as a “sci-fi, first-person shooter.” It is planned for release sometime during the 2020 fiscal year (April 2020 to March 2021). The title is being published by Private Division (The Outer Worlds, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey) and Take-Two Interactive (Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption).
Another new series descended from Halo
Disintegration is V1’s first title since starting up back in 2014. The studio is home to AAA game development veterans who have worked on SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs as well as some new developers. It’ll be great to see what the minds behind one of last generation’s most well-regarded series, paired with some new blood in the industry, have in store.
With Disintegration coming from ex-Bungie talent and being described as a sci-fi, first-person shooter, it sure feels like we will be getting a game that walks in the same footsteps as Destiny or earlier Halo titles. Whether this game is a story-driven, linear experience like the latter or a massively multiplayer shooter like the former, the game is bound to grab a lot of attention during Gamescom. Let us know what you hope Disintegration might be down in the comments below!


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A recently uncovered patent that was filed by Sony in July 2021 shows that the entertainment company has more than a casual interest in blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The patent includes diagrams depicting how Sony plans to track whenever digital assets change ownership, how their visual appearance changes and how the accompanying metadata of those digital assets changes. The patent indicates that those assets could include in-game moments, characters or items within the game.
In a write-up that strongly suggests NFT-like assets, Sony’s patent lays out the specifics regarding the mechanisms that the company intends to use to monitor and keep tabs on the history of a specific item as it moves from player to player during a game. The patent claims that currently there isn’t a method to definitively distinguish a specific item that a renowned player made use of in order to win a game or tournament. The patent claims to have such a method, noting that the method will give individuals a unique opportunity to own and take pride in such a unique game or tournament-winning item. Such items hold special meaning to people, the filing asserts.
It is noteworthy that Sony PlayStation tendered this patent document in July last year when the media storm about NFTs hadn’t yet boiled over.
This patent filing isn’t PlayStation’s first interest in NFTs. During EVO 2O22, the company circulated a survey to players and fans seeking their views about any types of non-fungible tokens they may wish to buy. The answers obtained mentioned NFTs featuring esports, music artists, famous game characters and PlayStation paraphernalia as well as EVO-based NFTs.
Sony has a rewards program called PlayStation Stars. It includes digital collectibles that are handed out to qualifying recipients, but the company was quick to emphasize that those items weren’t NFTs since those cannot be sold or otherwise traded by the recipients.
It should be remembered that the video game industry has seen a lot of speculation this year regarding matters of non-fungible tokens, and several actors in this space have debuted their own products in this category. For example, GameStop unveiled its own wallet for NFTs and cryptos while EA (Electronic Arts) is actively assessing this technology. Other studios are vehemently opposed to the proliferation of NFTs in the video gaming niche, and a number of developers in this space have signed a petition denouncing or promising not to participate in creating this type of asset in the gaming field.
Regardless, Sony’s patent is further proof that blockchain technology is filtering through to all industries and sectors, and that if entities such as Canaan Inc. (NASDAQ: CAN) continue to expand their footprint, it is just a matter of time before this technology becomes commonplace.
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Weis Markets’ Paws for Pets program sets record
Weis Markets raised $385,000 for more than 150 local animal shelters and pet rescue organization during its 10th annual Paws for Pets initiative, marking a 21 percent increase compared with 2017, the retailer announced on Tuesday.
During the four-week program, which ran from April 26 to May 23, customers purchased vouchers for $1, $3 or $5, with all proceeds donated to pet shelters and rescue organizations selected at the local level. Weis Markets customers also donated various pet-related products including dog, cat, puppy and kitten food; cat litter; collars; harnesses and leashes; and related products. Weis also partnered with local shelters to host nearly 30 pet adoption events and pet photo shoots at local stores.
“Our Paws for Pets program has had another record year thanks to the hard work of our store associates, and the generosity of our customers,” said Ron Bonacci, Weis Markets vice president of advertising and marketing. “They’ve helped us generate record donations in 2018 and nearly $2 million in contributions and product donations since 2008. These donations will help more than 150 animal shelters and rescue organization throughout our market area.”
Weis Markets’ Newton, N.J., store once again took the lead, raising $11,868 for One Step Closer Animal Rescue in Andover, N.J., while its Clarks Summit, Pa., store raised $8,995 for Griffin Pond Animal Shelter in South Abington Township. The company’s stores in the Poconos and Northern New Jersey raised $80,881.
Walgreens to provide HIV testing in more than 180 cities for National HIV Testing Day
Walgreens has announced that it is working with Greater Than AIDS, a national public information response to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic, and 220 health departments, AIDS service organizations, and other community organizations to help provide free HIV testing and information at participating Walgreens stores in more than 180 cities on National HIV Testing Day on June 27.
Walgreens and Greater Than AIDS are helping the participating testing partners to expand the free HIV testing to even more locations this year with a focus on heavily affected communities. Since 2011, more than 40,000 HIV tests have been conducted as part of the activation. BioLytical Laboratories and OraSure Technologies, Inc. are donating test kits and Abbott Rapid Diagnostics is providing support for outreach.
Local agencies will be at participating Walgreens stores to provide free, confidential, and fast test results on site, without the need to schedule an appointment. Counselors will be on hand to answer questions about HIV prevention and treatment options, including PrEP, a medication that offers another effective means of protection for those testing negative for HIV.
“Walgreens has supported people living with HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic more than 30 years ago,” said Glen Pietrandoni, senior director, patient care and advocacy, at Walgreens. “Early testing can mean access to effective treatment and the opportunity to go on to live a healthy normal lifespan. In addition, with proper adherence to medication, successfully treated patients cannot easily transmit the virus to others. As we continue to work towards an end to HIV/AIDS, it is crucial that testing and trusted resources on treatment are made more widely available within communities.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends HIV testing as part of routine health care. An estimated 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV and approximately 1-in-7 are unaware of their status.
“There are more options than ever to prevent and treat HIV,” said Tina Hoff, senior vice president and director, health communications and media partnerships at the Kaiser Family Foundation, which leads Greater Than AIDS. “The first step is knowing your status. This collaboration normalizes HIV testing as part of everyday life, while helping to educate about these advances.”
The community partnership is part of an ongoing commitment by Walgreens and Greater Than AIDS to broaden the reach of HIV testing and information in non-traditional settings and to support the outreach of local organizations. Year round, HIV-trained pharmacy staff are available at more than 1,000 Walgreens locations nationwide, including communities with high HIV prevalence, offering one-on-one, confidential medication counseling to support treatment adherence, and assisting with other care needs, such as identifying financial assistance options.
Amazon, Whole Foods add markets to grocery delivery
Amazon and Whole Foods Market are adding four more markets to their two-hour grocery delivery program.
On June 12, the online giant launched free two-hour delivery of products from Whole Foods through Prime Now in Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia and Richmond. The service first launched in February, and was available in seven cities by April.
With the additional markets, the service is now available in 14 cities. Amazon plans to continue expanding the service across the United States throughout the rest of the year, the company said.
The service extension comes on the heels of another program expansion across the Whole Foods Market chain. Starting this week, Amazon will introduce its Prime discounts program to Whole Foods stores across 10 additional states, a move that gives members an extra 10% off sale items.


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The registration of the Made in India game FAU-G launched in the competition of PUBG mobile game has crossed 40 lakhs. Made in India FAU-G is a multiplayer game that is currently being registered from the Google Play Store, although the game has not yet been made available on the Apple App Store. 40 million registrations have been given by nCore Games, the company developing FAU-G games.
The FAU-G game is scheduled to launch on January 26. There is also news that the FAU-G game may be launched for the iPhone and iPad next week. Vishal Gond, the co-founder of Encore Games, said in a statement that the FAU-G game has so far received 4 million registrations on the Google Play Store. Let us know that when the registration of the FAU-G game started on Google Play Store, then it had crossed the 10 lakh mark in just 24 hours.
FAU-G arrives at Play Store on 30 November
The FAU-G game was made live on the Google Play-Store on November 30 by the company and pre-registration has been underway since then, although the company has not yet given any information about the launch date of FAU-G. The full name of FAU-G is Fearless and United Guards.
The FAU-G game is a made in India game created by Indian game developer company nCore Games. 20% of the earnings from this game will go to the Veer Trust of India. 'Bharat Ke Veer' is an organization dedicated to army personnel, which has been established by the Ministry of Home Affairs.


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AMD has been developing semi-custom chip designs and speculation is rife that one of these just might be for Nintendo’s NX console.
Nintendo has already partnered with AMD for the GPU in the WiiU, so rumours that their next console could have an AMD processor isn’t so far fetched.
Back in December last year, at the Raymond James Financial technology conference, Devinder Kumar – chief financial officer of AMD – mentioned that the company had two semi-custom chips in development. One of the chips was described as being made for a “beyond gaming device,” leaving us to infer that the other would be for a console or something game-related at the very least.
He was quoted by kitguru.net as saying, “I will say that one [design win] is x86 and [another] is ARM, and at least one will [be] beyond gaming, right. But that is about as much as you going to get out me today. From the standpoint [of being] fair to [customers], it is their product, and they launch it. They are going to announce it and then […] you will find out that it is AMD’s APU that is being used in those products.”
AMD isn’t without financial troubles so this could be a lucrative deal – provided the NX takes off.
Is this what they’ve been working on? Let us know what you think in the comments.


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LOT Polish Airlines is hanging twigs of mistletoe onboard their aircrafts until Jan. 6.
With BMW’s Remote Valet Parking Assistant may you never have to set foot in a parking garage again: The car should find a place to park on its own!
Calvin Klein Collection’s Madison Avenue flagship has installed an exclusive floral shop with artist Lauren Messelian.
FENDI has teamed up with Dimore Studio to create an interpretation of an ideal, contemporary Fendi apartment in Rome at Design Miami 2014.
This holiday season, Starbucks is giving the ultimate gift to 14 very lucky customers: Starbucks for Life.
Luxury London department store Harrods has created a special pop-up store to celebrate an exclusive capsule collection created by Valentino.
Burberry celebrates Art of the Trench in Los Angeles with a series of images captured in and around the city
Alexander McQueen is set to open in its first store in Paris next summer, a 6,458-square-foot space at 372 Rue Saint-Honoré.
For the second time in a row Dolce & Gabbana have spread their magic in Claridge’slobby by designing this year’s Claridge’s Christmas tree.
Swarovski has opened a new Milan flagship on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, one of the city’s major pedestrian shopping avenues.
Come November 18, the much talked about ‘Pradasphere’ exhibition which debuted in London earlier this May, will be staged in Hong Kong.
BUGATTI has unveiled its first lifestyle store, located on the Brompton Road in London’s exclusive Knightsbridge district.
Princess Cruises’ was joined by six members of “The Love Boat” cast during the christening ceremony for its latest newbuild Regal Princess on 5 November.
In keeping with tradition, Gucci has created a limited edition foulard for the latest Gucci Paris Masters.
BALMAIN, which has undergone a hip revival under young creative director Olivier Rousteing, is set to open a Mayfair flagship store in 2015.
The Christian Dior creative director will show the brand’s Pre-Fall 2015 collection in the Japanese capital in December.
Bubbly lovers take note: October 24 has been designated international Champagne Day.
Madrid’s Thyssen Museum opens Wednesday the first major retrospective of designs by French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy.
BURBERRY has updated and extended its flagship store in the Italian fashion capital with luxurious interiors and more digital features.
The short film explains that “the most iconic images in history, even the ones that weren’t taken with a Leica, were taken ‘because’ of a Leica.”


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TYCOON Robert Kuok has bought a controlling interest in Transmile Group Bhd via an off-market deal. Sources said a company owned by the Kuok family bought 45.2 million shares or 28.5% of the air transport services firm yesterday.
MESB data showed that such a transaction was made at RM6.25 per share in the afternoon. However, the exchange was not informed of the identity of the buyer or the seller of the shares.
According to Transmile's latest annual report, its chief executive officer Gan Boon Aun and director Khiudin Mohd are the largest shareholders in the company, with a stake of 21.67% and 13.93% respectively.
The acquisition of the Transmile stake will enable the Kuok family to control another Malaysian transport services company besides Malaysian Bulk Carriers Bhd, which was listed last December.
The Kuok family has had strong interests in the transportation and logistics business for decades. It has a presence in most parts of Asia.
The family owns Singapore-based shipping company Pacific Carriers Ltd and Hong Kong-based Kerry Logistics. The latter's core activities encompass contract logistics, distribution centres, and international air and sea freight forwarding.
Analysts see Transmile, which operates intra-Asia air cargo services, as a good fit with the Kuok family's logistics business in the region. DHL Worldwide is one of the company's largest customers.
The recently signed air services agreement between Malaysia and Hong Kong, which removes restrictions on the number of flights that can be operated between the two destinations, is likely to benefit Transmile, analysts say.
The agreement will enable Transmile to use Hong Kong as a hub to launch trans-Pacific freighter services to Los Angeles, the United States.
For the financial year ended last Dec 31, Transmile posted a 50% jump in pre-tax profit to RM65.5mil, from RM43.5mil a year earlier, on higher revenue of RM289.2mil.


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The National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA) has launched two, limited edition “International Year of Co-ops” chocolate bars, made in partnership with Seattle-based Theo Chocolate, available exclusively through NCGA food co-ops across the country. For every chocolate bar sold, NCGA will donate 50 cents to support the two co-ops that supply cocoa to manufacture the products: Fortaleza del Valle cocoa cooperative in Ecuador and the CEPICAFE cocoa cooperative in Peru.
“Food co-ops have long provided a direct link between shoppers and farmers,” said Robynn Shrader, CEO for Iowa City-based NCGA. “These limited edition chocolate bars provide direct support for cocoa farmers by ensuring living wages, promote the health of our planet through organic growing practices, and create artisan food manufacturing jobs in the U.S.”
The International Year of Co-ops chocolate bars are organic and fair trade certified, and come in 85 percent dark and 45 percent milk chocolate varieties. NCGA aims to raise more than $40,000 for the cacao growers' co-ops in Ecuador and Peru by year-end. For more information, or to find a participating co-op, visit the official website.
Cooperative businesses are part of a diverse and growing worldwide movement. In recognition of the tangible economic and social contributions made by cooperative businesses, the United Nations declared 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives.
The NCGA helps unify food co-ops in order to optimize operational and marketing resources, strengthen purchasing power, and offer more value to natural food co-op owners and shoppers everywhere. The 128 member and associate co-ops operate 165 storefronts in 35 states.


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New Saab 9-3 unveiled
Under new ownership, Saab has unveiled the new 9-3 saloon aimed initially at the Chinese market
Saab has taken the warps off the new 9-3, following the news that production on the saloon has restarted earlier this week. The new model is virtually identical to the facelifted version launched in 2011, with the only major difference being the absence of the griffin badge.
Under the new ownership of National Electric Vehicle Sweden, the Saab 9-3 will initially be aimed at the Chinese market with a small number being sold directly from NEVS to Swedish customers via its website.
The new model is powered by the same 220bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine used in the 9-3 before the company went bankrupt. Manual and automatic transmissions will also be available.
Production rate will be ‘very modest’ initially, with Saab confirming only around 10 models will be produced per week to ensure quality is at the highest level. Gradually, production will increase to meet customer demand.
An electric version of the 9-3 will also be launched in spring next year, with China again being the first market. NEVS’ partner and part owner Qingdao has initially placed an order for a fleet of 200 electric 9-3s.
Priced from 279,000 SEK (£26,125), the 9-3 will go on sale in Sweden from December 10.


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SIA, the cybersecurity company of Minsait (Indra), has acquired the Extremadura-based Mobbeel to “grow in digital identity services”, the company said in a statement.
The acquired company, based in Cáceres, is one of the “most advanced” companies in the field of digital identity verification through biometric recognition solutions with a presence in more than 30 countries and 60% of international customers. Mobbeel has implemented its solutions in sectors such as banking, insurance, telecommunications, automotive, and tourism.
The CEO of SIA, Luis Álvarez, highlighted the key role that protection plays in organisations and the complement that Mobbeel’s biometric services represent for SIA’s portfolio and, therefore, for Minsait and the Indra Group.
For his part, Mobbeel’s CEO, José Luis Huertas, underlined the commercial growth that the agreement will mean for the company, as well as the possibility of achieving “more ambitious goals”.
ECIJA’s team advising Mobbel was led by partners Alonso Hurtado and Borja Díaz-Guerra.


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Google’s new ‘100%’ reporting mode!Posted by on October 24, 2012 07:54 AM
Head of Google’s webspam team- Matt Cutts at PubCon has recently announced that Nearly All Manual Actions Now Reported by Google.
At the conference, Matt Cutts said, “We’ve actually started to send messages for pretty much every manual action that we do that will directly impact the ranking of your site. If there’s some manual action taken by the manual web spam team that means your web site is going to rank directly lower in the search results, we’re telling webmasters about pretty much about all of those situations.”
Manual actions are penalties issued by people at Google manually checking the site and finding it flouting Google’s quality standards- and breaching its code of conduct. Webmasters can now know if manual actions have been taken against their site after any sort of complaint made against them. They can make an appeal or clean up their site to reach the quality standards required by Google.


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Darkode hacker "Phastman" pleads guilty in federal court
The FBI announced that Darkode hacker Eric Crocker, known as "Phastman," pleaded guilty on Monday for sending spam.
Darkode hacker Eric Crocker, known as “Phastman,” pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday for violating the CAN-SPAM ACT.
Crocker was one of 70 individuals arrested in July for their roles in the Darkode cybercrime forum, which facilitated the purchase and trade of botnets, malware and stolen personal data such as payment card details and user credentials.
"In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Crocker knowingly accessed a protected computer without authorization, namely a computer that had been infected by the Facebook Spreader and Slenfbot, and did intentionally initiate the transmission of multiple commercial electronic mail messages from or through such computer," an FBI release said.
Crocker is scheduled for sentencing on November 23, 2015 and is facing up to three years in prison and a fine of $250,000.


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The Town of Granger is hosting its first Craft Fair/Yard Sale on Saturday, July 15th.
Those who are creative and make their own products and those who simply have items to sell are encouraged to reserve a space during the event. A reservation for vendors is priced at $10 and can be purchased by calling 307-875-5556.
Doors open at 10 a.m. at the old school which has been renovated as the townâ€™s Community Center, located at 200 First Street. No entrance fee is required for shoppers.
The event will run until at least 4 p.m. and may stay open later depending on foot traffic.
Food items and refreshments will be available for purchase at the event.


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Seattle Central College alum Jose Perez has shuttered his first restaurant venture as Villa Escondida is on a search for a new home — preferably on or near Capitol Hill, we’re told.
Word spread over the weekend of the affordable Mexican eatery’s preparations to shut down inside the Broadway Alley retail complex. A few fans had one last opportunity to eat at the restaurant Saturday night.
In a Facebook post, the restaurant’s management chalked the closure up to a “contract disagreement.” The restaurant had recently been unsuccessful in winning a beer and wine license for the location.
CHS reported on Perez’s first restaurant venture last spring as Villa took over after Mexican sandwich shop Torteria Barriga Llena also pulled out of the Alley. The family connections to Capitol Hill’s Mexican food scene run deep:
“I always wanted to do it but never had the opportunity,” said Perez. His cousin,Misael Dominguez, has previous experience opening up businesses and is kicking in financial support. “He’s the one, I guess, that is teaching me all the stuff.” Dominguez, when we spoke with him last, was opening La Cocina Oaxaquena at Melrose and Pine last spring. Dominguez managed Ballard’s La Carta de Oaxaca back when the restaurant first grew into prominence. Roberto Dominguez, the managing partner of La Carta de Oaxaca and Mezcaleria Oaxaca on Queen Anne, just opened the beautiful the beautiful and mezcale-stuffed Mezcaleria Oaxaca Capitol Hill on E Pine.
The recipe of affordable Mexican food and breakfast options seemed to be catching on. Earlier this month, the Seattle Times named Villa Escondida to its roster of “best new cheap eats for 2015.” “This is the Mexican diner that Seattle’s been dreaming of,” the Times wrote in a sentence now likely filling you with deep levels of regret. Hopefully that regret won’t last long.
Keep an eye on the Villa Escondida Facebook page for updates about a new location.


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Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images
File photo of Jon Moeller, chief financial officer of Procter & Gamble Co.,left and Jay Rasulo, chief financial officer of Walt Disney Co. in 2011.
Procter & Gamble said Jon Moeller, its chief financial officer, will add the title of vice chairman, effective July 1.
Moeller has been CFO of the household products giant for the past eight years, and is a 29-year veteran of the company.
The maker of Tide detergent and Bounty paper towels said the appointment reflects the leadership Moeller has shown in the past and the expanded role he will have as the company works to overhaul its business.
P&G is in the midst of a restructuring aimed at squeezing $10 billion in cost cuts from the business. The company is trying to revive its sales growth, which has slowed in recent years.
It also has been meeting with Trian Fund Management, which has built up a stake in the company.


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UOKiK’s consent to the lease of a dairy cooperative
Laktopol will be the lessee. As soon as the obtained consent becomes valid, Laktopol will resume production at the Bielmlek dairy. He also continues to want to buy the cooperative.
It is worth recalling that the dairy cooperative Bielmlek has been undergoing restructuring proceedings since March last year. Initially, Okręgowa Spółdzielnia Dleczarska Piątnica showed interest in taking over the cooperative. At the end of 2020, she withdrew. At that time, talks with Zakłady Dleczarskie Laktopol began.


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Napa citizens have been hit hard, but some of their difficulties cannot be expressed in pictures or video. The losses that they have faced have yet to be extensively covered by the media. These damages are not property values or burnt buildings—but a loss of life and of business revenues that stems from the Napa fires.
Hidden Costs Are Striking Businesses
Napa businesses are still counting up the costs they are facing from the Wine Country wildfires. Most business owners acknowledge that their expenses reach well beyond their burnt properties. The hotel industry is one of the corporate circles that lost revenue due to a decrease of visitors. Profit loss can end up doubling or tripling the total amount of cost for a Napa business.
When compared to last year, the Napa Valley hotel business reported a 36% drop in revenue due to the wildfires. According to Smith Travel Research, the hotel occupancy rate sank 22% as the daily room rate dipped 19%.
The hotels lost patronage during the fires, but they also attained revenue costs from special events. Many hotels, especially in the Napa Valley area, host weddings or business meetings. Many of these functions were moved to other locations because of the fires, resulting in more losses for the Napa hotel industry that compounded with the dwindled occupancy rate.
Concealed Pain Is Overwhelming Citizens
The Napa fires claimed the lives of thousands of animals in the Wine Country area, and citizens have gathered together to remember these beloved creatures. On Sunday, December 8, more than 50 Napa residents came together to remember their animal companions. They stood outside the Silverado Resort and Spa clubhouse for a memorial that commemorated the lives of the animals lost to the flames.
The organization, In Defense of Animals, joined with the Napa-based Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch to put the memorial together. A member of the former gave a speech at the ceremony and said that, “We acknowledge their (animals) suffering and we give them our love, we also praise the heroic people who came to their aid.”
One speaker at the ceremony reminded everyone why they had gathered, and what had been lost to the flames. She stated that, “A pet is not just an animal, it’s a part of the family.” All who attended the memorial that day were able to grieve their loss together. The community of Napa pet owners have lost members of their family, but this group gathered together to grieve through their pains together.
The Past Can Be Rectified with the Right Representation
Hotels are only one of the hundreds of businesses that have been indirectly affected by the Napa Valley wildfires. While the hotel industry lost an estimated 36% of their revenue, other businesses suffered much worse. If you are a business owner who has lost profits or assets due to the Napa Valley wildfires, we can help.
At Arnold & Itkin, our wildfire insurance claim attorneys have recovered billions of dollars for people just like you. We can help you understand the compensation you are entitled to while forcing insurance companies to pay out what they owe in a timely manner. We can help company owners estimate their losses, file their claims, and obtain the peace of mind they need to continue running businesses.Why take losses when you can recover? Contact us to start your claim. Call (888) 493-1629 now


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It has just been announced that South West based Maybe* has been shortlisted for the 2017 Natwest Great British Entrepreneur Awards in the High Street Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Maybe* beat off some tough competition in order to make the regional shortlist, with over 1000 businesses entering the awards nationally across the wide range of categories.
Now in its fifth year, the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards has celebrated some amazing entrepreneurs over the years, many of whom are now household names. Past winners include David Buttress of Just Eat, Julie Deane of The Cambridge Satchel Company, James Watt of BrewDog and Alexander Solomou of TheLADBible Group.[minti_blockquote]“It’s a great achievement for our team and also the towns, cities and businesses that we are working with. The #WDYT (What do you Think) campaign has proven how you can increase footfall to our High Streets by using digital channels. I believe that every High Street in the UK is the sum of its digital parts. Those places that make less digital noise will have less footfall and make fewer sales.[/minti_blockquote] [minti_blockquote]High Street businesses must be encouraged to put themselves on the Map. I hope that by being recognized in this way we can increase the awareness of the #WDYT campaign and the impact it is having.” [/minti_blockquote] says Polly Barnfield, OBE. CEO Maybe*
Creator of the Awards, Francesca James, said:
[minti_blockquote]“We have been inundated with some incredible entries this year, and all shortlisted applicants should be extremely proud of themselves! This year has seen a record number of entrants and we’ve been absolutely blown away by the strength and diversity of applications.”[/minti_blockquote]
[minti_blockquote]“We cannot wait to celebrate entrepreneurship across Great Britain with them, and put a spotlight on the incredible talent within the British entrepreneur ecosystem.”[/minti_blockquote]
Gordon Merrylees, Head of Entrepreneurship at NatWest said:
[minti_blockquote]”I want to thank all of the entrepreneurs who entered this year and congratulate those who have been shortlisted, I look forward to seeing them at the regional finals.”[/minti_blockquote]
[minti_blockquote]“It is clear that entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well and NatWest is thrilled to be able to support these awards to celebrate success with the businesses that are the lifeblood of the UK Economy as they start, scale and succeed.”[/minti_blockquote]
The NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards will celebrate entrepreneurship across a number of categories at 5 gala finals across the UK, including; Cardiff, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester & London. You can find more information about the awards and the ceremonies here: www.greatbritishentrepreneurawards.com.


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- Westfield Garden State Plaza brings digital technology to physical world
- Apple and IBM partner for business software
- Kroger debuts Retail Site Intelligence, new enterprise IT architecture
- Wal-Mart's tech lab buys Stylr mobile fashion app
- Motorola’s new mobile marketing platform uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology
Purchase, N.Y. -- National Realty & Development Corp. said it has been chosen to receive the New Jersey Future 2012 Smart Growth Award for the redevelopment of CooperTowne Center in Somerdale, N.J.
The award recognizes the best development or redevelopment projects around the state that embrace sustainable growth and environmental preservation. CooperTowne Center was classified as a greyfields project, one of the first in the state, by the New Jersey Office of Smart Growth.
NRDC transformed the former 52-acre Lions Head Plaza into a 367,000-sq.-ft. state-of-the-art downtown shopping destination, bringing 650 new jobs to the area.


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Flowers Foods, which has stunned a rival with its move to buy Koffee Kup Bakery, said its talks to buy the closed Vermont baker started two months ago.
Last Monday (7 June), Flowers, one of the largest bakery groups in the US, announced it had bought Koffee Kup Bakery from a court-appointed receiver.
The deal “shocked” Canada-based bakery group Mrs Dunster’s, which said it had been told by the receiver it was the successful bidder for the business.
Koffee Kup Bakery closed at the end of April after being owned by US investment firm American Industrial Acquisition Corp. (AIAC) for under a month.
The firm, set up in 1940, marketed bread, English muffins, buns and donuts in the north east of the US. It had two factories in Vermont and one in Connecticut.
Mrs Dunster’s had announced its plans to buy the assets on 28 May. At the time, it said it planned to re-open the bakeries in Vermont and sell the Connecticut site.
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Reacting to Flowers’ announcement of its deal for Koffee Kup Bakery, the family-owned Mrs Dunster’s said on Wednesday it thought its deal with the receiver was set to be signed on Monday, the day its rival unveiled its transaction.
Flowers, Mrs Dunster’s added, “to our knowledge … did not participate in the original court-sanctioned process and has no immediate plans to operate the bakeries”.
Speaking to Just Food, a Flowers spokesperson said the company had been in negotiations with AIAC two months ago. “Flowers was involved in good-faith discussions concerning the purchase of the assets of Koffee Kup Bakery since April of this year with the owner at that time. We had signed an NDA and were waiting to hear back regarding our interest in the assets,” the spokesperson said.
“When it was announced that there was a preferred buyer, we were surprised – and realised the process had started moving forward without consideration of our interest. So, we immediately contacted the court-appointed receiver to ensure our offer was considered.”
Mrs Dunster’s co-founder Blair Hyslop has said the company believes it has “a strong case” and is “pursuing all options”, adding: “It will take us some time to decide on the appropriate legal response.”
The Flowers spokesperson refused to be drawn on its thoughts about any potential legal action Mrs Dunster’s may pursue.
When AIAC acquired Koffee Kup Bakery at the start of April, G2 Capital Advisors, which worked with the baker on the deal, said the company was “in the process of repositioning its business to capitalise on a compelling platform of established brands, private label partnerships, long-term relationships with blue-chip retailers and a vast distribution network”.
By the end of the month, Koffee Kup Bakery was closed. State-government filings showed 247 staff at the two Vermont bakeries had lost their jobs. A Connecticut state filing did not disclose the number of employees who had lost jobs at the third factory.
In Flowers’ statement announcing its purchase of Koffee Kup Bakery last Monday, president and CEO Ryals McMullian said: “This acquisition brings brands and production capacity in the north east, a key growth market for our company. The Koffee Kup and Vermont Bread Company brands have a strong consumer following in the region and we’ll be evaluating their role within our brand portfolio.”
McMullian said Flowers would not instantly open the factories but insisted the company is weighing up what to do with the sites. “We have no immediate plans to reopen the bakeries but will be assessing how they may fit our strategic network optimisation efforts in the future.”
The Flowers spokesperson did not comment when asked about when the company would decide on the fate of the Koffee Kup Bakery factories, or on its plans for the firm’s staff.


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One of the fears prospective electric car buyers have is the myth that their batteries only last 3 to 5 years and cost up to $20,000 to replace. If that were true, of course, nobody in their right mind would buy an electric car. Over the past decade, that fear has been squashed. As more electric cars take to the streets, there have been few reports of battery failures. There are now lots of electric cars with 200,000, 300,000, or more miles on the odometer.
Still, longer lasting batteries are good for business. Lately, Tesla’s Elon Musk has been dropping hints about his company having a million-mile battery. General Motors says it is closing in on having a million-mile battery of its own. This week, Contemporary Amperex Technology, commonly known as CATL, announced it is ready to begin manufacturing a battery that will last for 16 years and power an EV for 2 million kilometers (1.24 million miles), according to a report by South China Morning Post.
“If someone places an order, we are ready to produce,” said Zeng, 52, without disclosing if contracts for the long-distance product have been signed. It would cost about 10% more than the batteries now inside EVs, said Zeng Yuqun, founder and CEO of the company.
That comment is revealing. CATL has signed a 2-year contract with Tesla to supply batteries for the Model 3 cars being manufactured in Shanghai, so it is safe to assume the million-mile battery is not the same as the battery Tesla will use in those cars. Also, Zeng says the long-life battery will cost about 10% more than a conventional battery. Tesla is focused on reducing the cost of the Model 3 so that it continues to qualify for China’s newly revised EV incentives.
The automotive industry has been hit hard by the economic downturn created by the coronavirus pandemic, but Zeng is optimistic about electric cars. “The pandemic may have a lasting effect throughout 2020, but won’t be a major factor next year. We have great confidence for the long run.”
The Tesla Connection
The question is whether Tesla is sharing the fruits of the research being done by Jeff Dahn and his team at Dalhousie University with CATL, or CATL is coming up with its own innovations and sharing them with Tesla.
Zeng tells SCMP he often shares insights with Musk and the two frequently exchange text messages about developments in technology and business. CATL is strengthening its relationship with Tesla, particularly with regard to developing cobalt-free batteries, he says. “We’re getting along well and he’s a fun guy,” Zeng says of Musk. “He’s talking about cost all day long and I’m making sure we have the solutions.”
CATL is building a battery factory in Germany and has established ties with several German automakers, including BMW, Audi, and Porsche. Asked about a factory in the United States, Zeng demurred, saying he is not ruling anything out.
What Do You Do With A Million Mile Battery Afterwards?
Imagine if gasoline engines lasted for 1 million miles. Few cars go that far before they are scrapped. What would we do with all those leftover engines? Forbes asks the same question about million-mile batteries and suggests they could be repurposed to power other electric cars. Stop and think about that for a moment. In 10 years, we have gone from worrying that batteries won’t last for 3 years to thinking about using them again in new EVs.
Those used batteries could also make great energy storage units for homes or businesses, or could provide uninterruptible power supplies for remote facilities like hospitals or wildlife monitoring stations. The possibilities are endless and we can expect to see new business opportunities to exploit them.
Battery research is proceeding at a feverish pace. Today’s headlines will be yesterday’s news. Prices will come down. New battery formulas will reduce the use of expensive minerals like cobalt. Battery recycling will need to ramp up to handle the demand. But as the fear of expensive battery replacements fades, the number of people willing to switch to electric transportation will increase, driving the EV revolution forward faster than any of us dared hope just a few short years ago.
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American multinational Nike faces accusations of false advertising in China after an expose by a consumer rights program on China Central Television.
- gbtimes Beijing
Facebook has reportedly suspended ads for Chinese mobile utility apps that offer to save battery or clean a device’s memory.
China’s leading social media platform, Sina Weibo, reported stronger-than-expected growth in the second quarter of 2016, with the company seeing a rapid rise in active users.
Euro 2016 is proving to be a huge hit in China and is reportedly having a direct impact on sales and consumption trends.
Television advertisement slots for the Chinese Super League are set to be auctioned off on Alibaba's e-commerce platform Taobao.
Chinese microblogging platform Weibo posted a net profit of US$7.1 million in the first quarter, compared to a loss €3.1 million a year earlier.


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On Feb 28, we downgraded hhgregg Inc. to Underperform due to a disappointing third quarter fiscal 2013 (ended December 31, 2012) and a consequent cut in fiscal 2013 outlook, particularly due to continued decline in the video category.
Why the Downgrade?
Appliance and electronics retailer, hhgregg has witnessed sharp downward estimate revisions after it announced weak preliminary results for the third quarter fiscal 2013 on Jan 14. hhgregg later delivered weak third quarter results on Jan 31 and also slashed its earnings, sales and comparable sales guidance for fiscal 2013 due to sluggish video category sales.
hhgregg’s third quarter earnings declined 13.3% from the prior-year quarter due to revenue and comparable-store sales decline, especially in the video category. Sales dropped 3.6% year over year due to a decline in comparable store sales. Sales also fell shy of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The company also reported higher selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expense ratio, which resulted in the decline.
Following the release of third quarter results, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2013 has gone down 1.4% to 75 cents per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2014 has also declined 1.2% to 84 cents per share. With the Zacks Consensus Estimates going down, the company now has a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).
Cause for Concern
hhgregg’s video category is suffering from significant top-line pressure due to fundamental shifts and lower-than-expected margins across all screen sizes. In addition, declining industry demand for flat screen LCD televisions is severely impacting overall store traffic and video category sales. Moreover, promotional activities or product innovation within the video category has further declined the gross profit margin rate for the video category and total company gross margin rates.
Though hhgregg has slightly improved its margins in the third quarter fiscal 2013 and also been testing new merchandise categories to improve overall mix in the video category, we believe that the industry-wide headwind in video category has overshadowed the company’s efforts to improve the overall mix of business. Moreover, we continue to expect sluggish performance in the video category over the near term.
Other Stocks to Consider
Not all stocks are performing as poorly as hhgregg. Other retail and wholesale stocks that are presently doing favorable business include Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. , Safeway Inc. , and Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cotta (NGVC - Free Report) . Green Mountain holds a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Safeway and Natural Grocers carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).


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Con-way development back in high gear
- Wendy Culverwell
Trucking company Con-way Inc. is back behind the wheel of a skyline-changing real estate project.
The trucking, warehouse and logistics giant owns 16 blocks and 20 acres — mostly covered with surface parking lots — just west of the Pearl District.
Last year, the company shelved a plan to sell the massive property and lease it back. Now it wants to sell individual pieces of the land and retain control over design and use of the area. It’s open to working with a master developer on the project.
Con-way envisions a mixed-use neighborhood that connects the Pearl District to Northwest Portland and includes residences, retail space, parks, entertainment venues and office space.
The property’s potential as a redevelopment site puts it in the same league as the Blitz-Weinhard Brewery, remade into the Portland Brewery Blocks, and the former Hoyt Street rail yards, remade into the Pearl District.
It consists of two office buildings totaling about 400,000 square feet and an array of tree-lined parking lots offering an almost blank canvas for builders.
The Portland Development Commission views Con-way as a significant opportunity and works closely with the company.
“There aren’t many of these left in the U.S.,” said Shawn Uhlman, spokesman for the city’s economic development arm.
Con-way would anchor the northern end of the Central City Urban Renewal Area, a new economic development zone under contemplation.
It’s been working on squeezing money out of the site for more than three years. Its motivation is simple. The San Mateo, Calif.-based public company has owned the site for 80 years and wants to capitalize on its tremendous increase in value.
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Social Impact in Canada
In 2019, Thomson Reuters Foundation and Deutsche Bank’s global survey saw Canada named as the best country to grow businesses seeking to tackle social problems. Canada claimed the top spot in three of the survey’s six assessment categories: ease of access to investment (debt and or equity), ability for social entrepreneurs to make a living from their work, and for momentum of social entrepreneurship. In Ontario, for example, The Social Venture ConneXion (The SVX), an impact-first platform led by MaRS and the TMX group, connects social enterprises with impact funds and investors. Naturally, with more funding opportunities it becomes easier for socially driven business leaders to make a living. Perhaps most importantly, however, is the momentum fuelled by government support, a highly skilled labour force, and socially conscious talent in post-secondary institutions and research centres.
British Columbia has helped drive momentum from all fronts. It was the first province to champion the idea of social enterprise and government support for it. Further, UBC Sauder’s Centre for Social Innovation and Impact Investing and UBC’s Social Impact Fund have allowed students and members of the UBC community to take action towards social impact goals. Last semester, NBR established its official blog Pitch Deck to explore Western Canada’s startup ecosystem; this semester we hope to highlight the leading social impact players within it.
As of this semester, Pitch Deck features profiles of UBC Alumni leading socially innovative startups based in Vancouver, that like the first batch of individuals interviewed, are similar or related. NBR was grateful to interview: Dr. Zac Hudson, Chief Scientific Officer at NEXE Innovations, Aaron Friedland, CEO and Co-Founder of Simbi, Madison Guy, Founder of GrantMe, and Praveen Varshney, Director at Varshney Capital Corp. Together and on their own, they have helped redefine the role of business in Canada.
NEXE Innovations: Rethinking What’s Possible
Dr. Zac Hudson is a UBC Professor in Chemistry and Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Chemistry. His research specializes in polymer chemistry, with applications in developing compostable plastics for consumer products and energy-efficient displays for cell phones and television screens. Zac has always been a strong advocate for chemistry’s power to make the world more sustainable, whether it's through clean energy, efficient electronics, or renewable bioplastics. That’s why he jumped on the opportunity to join NEXE Innovations as its Chief Scientific Officer, spending the last three years developing a fully compostable coffee pod that is compatible with leading coffee machines. The NEXE pod composts completely in as little as 35 days, while single-use coffee pods made from traditional plastic can sit in landfills for hundreds or thousands of years. Every year, 40 billion single-use pods are dumped into landfills. When lined up end to end, this figure would wrap around the earth 11 times.
Zac persisted in developing several prototype pods before finally settling on the final specially engineered components: an outer fibre jacket made from bamboo that both looks and feels like plant fibre, and a bioplastic inner capsule designed to break down into carbon dioxide, water, and organic biomass — leaving no microplastic behind. Multiple iterations were necessary to overcome the challenges of developing a pod suitable for mass manufacture that also met consumer preferences. Coffee drinkers are sensitive to packaging that alters the taste of coffee, and this has been a historical barrier to the adoption of compostable pods. NEXE has launched its in-house coffee label, XOMA Superfoods, and sold it direct-to-consumer, which should help accelerate consumer (and corporate) adoption of the new pods. Hopefully, bioplastic material will dominate the global coffee pod market, which is forecasted to reach USD $29.2 billion by 2025.
Zac’s work demonstrates the power of social innovation; when purchasing products, consumers should not have to choose between products that achieve Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals and products that perform well. The two qualities are no longer mutually exclusive. Already, we are seeing signs that companies that fail to take responsibility for the social impact of their products and place the onus on consumers to be creative in dealing with an unsustainable product are at a competitive disadvantage. Zac encourages aspiring scientists and business students alike to collaborate to reimagine a more sustainable future.
Simbi: Reading for Impact
Like Zac, Aaron Friedland, Co-Founder of Simbi, found his way into entrepreneurship via an academic background. Aaron worked on his Master’s thesis in rural Uganda, examining the positive influence that concurrent reading and listening to an audio narration of the same text had on one’s fluency — the same approach that taught Aaron, a student with dyslexia, to read. When Aaron decided to execute on his findings and create a prototype for the technology he was using to run his initial research, Simbi was born.
Simbi is an eReading platform with the mission to cultivate a lifelong passion for reading at a young age. Currently, the platform engages over 130,000 learners across 66 countries through its proprietary technology and global library of books. With Simbi, a student in Vancouver can record their narration of a book that is then played back by a student anywhere in the world to help them learn how to read (or vice versa!). Simbi’s process has helped students double their reading fluency in just three months while simultaneously empowering them to contribute to a global community built on improving literacy. Readers can track their fluency progress as they read books out loud, and see the extent of their progress with weekly progress reports detailing the number of individuals across the world who have benefited from their narrations.
Recently, Simbi has entered an exciting phase of growth as the need for engaging online learning platforms has become increasingly prevalent. Last year, Simbi signed an agreement with the United Nations to bring their product to an additional 1.3 million learners in refugee settlements across the world. Both Vancouver’s startup ecosystem and global literacy rates are elevated by Simbi’s innovation and purpose-driven mission.
GrantMe: Empowering Students’ Financial Futures
Similarly, Madison Guy found herself leading an edtech platform informed by her experiences as a student, while still a student at UBC Sauder. After her final season as the Team Captain of the UBC Women’s Soccer Team in 2016, she started to build GrantMe: an edtech platform that aims to increase scholarship accessibility for students, ultimately increasing access to education. GrantMe was inspired by her experience of applying to external scholarships; although the scholarship she received to play on the soccer team was substantial, it did not cover rising textbook prices and rent in Vancouver. During the process of applying, she discovered that the average student in Canada graduates with $26,000 in student debt, while $10 million worth of scholarships go unclaimed annually. Despite the abundance of financial aid, a lack of transparency made finding and applying for scholarships a significant investment of time — something that not all students have the luxury to spend.
This motivated her to bridge the gap between the millions of dollars worth of unclaimed scholarships and the hardworking students she knew could benefit from increased clarity and access to them. GrantMe has helped students win over $4 million in scholarships by matching students to scholarship opportunities, organizing applications, and creating application templates. By increasing accessibility to scholarships and coaching students in the application process, GrantMe empowers all students, especially those from low-income families and marginalized groups, to attain higher education. Madison’s powerful work has helped equalize access to education in Canada, earning her recognition on B.C. Business’ and Forbes’ 30 Under 30 lists.
Varshney Capital: Creating and Supporting Innovation
When Praveen Varshney read about Madison Guy’s story of founding GrantMe in a magazine, it instantly resonated. He recognized the impact of her idea and immediately sent her an email offering to help in any way that he could. This speaks to Praveen’s character and philosophy of life. As a Director at Varshney Capital, a leading Merchant Banking and Venture Capital firm in Vancouver, he believes one of his greatest value-adds to the entrepreneurs he supports is his ability to form strong teams of people to build a startup that can accomplish its mission. He does so by leveraging the extensive network he has cultivated over the years by thoughtfully investing in his relationships and genuinely seeking to support others. It has made him one of the most revered and active angel investors in B.C.
Today, Praveen is a proud Advisor of GrantMe because of Madison’s strength as a founder and GrantMe’s social impact. On Praveen’s path from accountant to serial entrepreneur to esteemed angel investor, he developed many important values that have led to his success and that he looks for in founders. At the top of his list is integrity. Acting with integrity, he notes, creates leaders who act according to principle and not simply as a result of what a situation provokes. This is a value that makes entrepreneurs more adaptable and ultimately makes them coachable.
Early into his investing days, Praveen recognized the growing importance of socially driven enterprises. Today within Vancouver, few individuals have made as much of a social impact through business or daily life as Praveen and Varshney Capital Corp. In 2000, Varshney played a huge role in Victoria-based Carmanah Technologies becoming the largest solar-powered LED lighting company in Canada. Praveen recounted that this venture was life-changing since it was the first time he had positively affected the planet and given value to his shareholders concurrently. That awakening helped shape the Varshney Capital portfolio; it now holds several social enterprises such as Little Kitchen Academy, a franchise of cooking schools for kids, and NEXE Innovations.
Varshney Capital has built a portfolio with unique breadth: cryptocurrencies, resource exploration, compostable single-serve coffee pods and more. Praveen admitted that he is no expert on each and every business sector. However, his experience of building companies has given him the foresight to invest successfully in unknown industries by leveraging three main pieces of criteria: strong financial control, qualitative factors (such as the founder’s vision), and recognizing market timing.
The Evolved Role of Business in Society
Market timing for social enterprises could not be stronger, with 86% of millennials thinking that business success should be attributed to the extent of its service to society at large, not just profit generation. It is clear that Michael Porter and Mark Kramer’s ideas of Creating Shared Value' and Stakeholder Capitalism, “the notion that a firm focuses on meeting the needs of all its stakeholders: customers, employees, partners, the community, and society as a whole,” will be of increasing importance in our currently polarized global economy. NEXE, Simbi, GrantMe and Varshney Capital have exemplified that success on the local and global stage is derived by keeping these ideas central to a business model or purpose. Further, they have highlighted that this success is driven by demand for social innovation from investors and consumers alike. We hope to see more businesses solve problems by having social impact philosophies truly synonymous with business operations, not simply a project on the sidelines.


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Elder Pharmaceuticals today said it is going through a 'tough cash flow situations' but has a substantial asset base to cover all its liabilities.
A meeting of board will be held on Sept 28 to consider the proposal for sale of step down overseas subsidiaries, it said in a regulatory filing.
Elder pharmaceuticals is targeting Rs 100 crore from global sales of its calcium supplement brand Shelcal by 2017-18, in view of increasing exports base to Europe, Asia and African countries.
Elder Pharmaceuticals said it is committed to repaying all its creditors and fixed deposit holders and are on a revival path with substantial growth in its business operations in the recent past.
Elder Pharmaceuticals today said it has entered into fast-growing Rs 600-crore market size Indian mouthwash category in oral care segment, where the company is eyeing 5-7 per cent share in the next few years.


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Billionaire MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has donated another $2.7bn (£1.9bn) to a range of charities.
Axar.az reports that Ms Scott said in a blog post that she wanted to give the money to those "that have been historically underfunded and overlooked".
She wrote that she had chosen 286 organisations working on racial inequality, the arts and education.
Ms Scott is one of the world's richest women.
Much of her fortune comes from her 2019 divorce from Mr Bezos, who is currently the world's richest man.
As part of the deal, Ms Scott ended up with 4% of Amazon's shares, having helped Mr Bezos start the technology giant in 1994.
The author has since posted about her charitable donations, such as in December, when she revealed she had donated more than $4bn in just four months to women-led charities, food banks and Black colleges.
Despite the size of these donations, she is still the world's 22nd-richest person, worth $59.5bn, according to Forbes.
2021.06.15 / 23:14


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An Africa-wide innovation challenge, modelled on the successful SA EO Challenge, is seeking the best ideas in the downstream application of space technology. The Space-Tech Innovation Challenge 2020 will identify and provide business development support, as well as exposure to investors and markets, for the top 10 African innovators who are using geospatial intelligence to service African industries including agriculture, insurance, retail and conservation.
The African downstream space industry is one of the fastest growing markets in the world, representing a $7bn opportunity, and yet only 0.5% of investments in space-tech globally go to African companies.
“There is massive room for investment into the African space-tech sector,” says Kamal Ramsingh, CEO of ZASpace, the industry body for the geospatial sector in South Africa and the convenor of the Space-Tech Innovation Challenge.
“ZASpace is launching the Challenge, with the support of SANSA, to develop local talent and ensure that African businesses service African demand for geospatial intelligence,” says Andiswa Mlisa, Earth Observations Managing Director at the South African National Space Agency (SANSA).
Examples of companies which have been through previous Challenges include Aerobotics, which just landed R100m in investment funding from Naspers Foundry and is opening a US office. Aerobotics uses aerial data to monitor crop health and support farmers in decision-making.
Most industries currently use earth observation data – often without even knowing it. The gathering of information about the physical, chemical and biological systems of the planet using remote-sensing technologies such as satellites is being applied to everything from modelling damage caused by extreme weather events in the insurance industry, to assessing the risk of supply chain disruptions in retail industries.
Through the Space-Tech Innovation Challenge the top 10 innovators, entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses which are servicing African markets will be identified and put through an intensive one-month business development support programme, delivered by research and management consultancy, RIIS and supported by SANSA and earth intelligence and space infrastructure company, Maxar. This will be followed by a pitching den where the start-ups will battle it out in front of a panel of judges and industry representatives, hosted by the SA Innovation Summit, the largest tech start-up event in Africa. All finalists will be screened for investment funding by Anza Capital, a female-led fund focused on early-stage businesses.
“We want to ensure that we pave the way for these businesses to become sustainable companies,” says RIIS CEO, Davis Cook. “This means providing full wraparound support in the form of business architecture development, capital injections, and links to market.”
Entries are now open at https://spacetech.africa/. Entries close on 16 October 2020.
Enquiries: [email protected]
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Is Soda The New Cigarette?
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Smoking cigarettes used to be a common habit for most teens in the 70s era, but after research was done showing how cigarettes can affect your body, more warnings and ads against smoking were produced. Nowadays soda is some people’s essential drink, but for others they drink it maybe once or twice a month. No matter what, when you’re putting something in your body, it’s important to consider the effects it may have. Many don’t care about the effects that soft drinks can have on them or other people.
“I don’t drink soda a lot, but if people want to drink it it’s their choice,” says senior Anna Padgett.
While some don’t care to learn about the bad qualities of soda, others are aware of how terrible soda can be, but they still choose to indulge in the soft drink.
“I know that it’s pretty unhealthy, but I don’t see anything wrong with drinking it occasionally,” says senior Sophia Garrett.
According to MedicalDaily, soda can affect the body horribly in many different ways. By drinking soda you can, develop kidney issues, asthma, heart disease, and many more other diseases.
“After hearing those facts, even though I do enjoy drinking soda, I definitely will have to lower my intake of it,” says senior Rebekah Sherer.
For decades the media has shown anti-smoking advertisements in magazines, television shows, movies, etc. Why can’t any of these outlets show how bad soda is?
“I think that companies will try to keep any bad commercials from coming out because it will hurt their monetary gain,” says Garrett.
Companies like Coca-Cola are essentially making money off of killing people. Not only is the sugar in soda affecting us internally, it is also affecting Americans externally. More than 2/3rd’s of Americans are obese and the extreme obesity rates are growing every day in this country.
“I think it’s one factor of many in which causes obesity. Due to the amount of soda Americans on average intake in relation to the amount of physical activity and real food such as vegetables, proteins, healthy fats, and fruits they eat is very unbalanced which leads to obesity,” says Garrett.
No matter how delicious soda may be, it is no lie that it can be very harmful. When researchers discovered that cigarettes were bad they put warnings on them, should companies have to do the same for sodas?
“I think they should put, ‘Warning could cause: cancer, death, kidney issues,’ because there’s a lot of risks you take with drinking it,” says Sherer.
No matter where you stand on this soda debacle it is safe to say that there needs to be a way to raise awareness of the effects soda can have on you.
“We should spread the word and allow others to make their decision on whether or not they want to drinks sodas. It’s important that we raise awareness before more people become addicted to sugar,” says Garrett.


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Asia is the powerhouse of the global economy, from enterprise to consumer. 4.5 billion people and some of the most innovative enterprises in the world are testament to the innovation and potential. Malaysia has been a country that for some has slipped under the radar in the overall growth of Asia.
Economically it remains solid. Since the GFC it has annual GDP growth has been consistently around 5%. Average incomes for consumers are growing, reflected by strong retail sales growth. In spite of these metrics, Malaysia faces a number of challenges. It’s old frenemy Singapore takes so much of the investment as the city-state wrings every piece of economic, political and innovation from the magic of its location, social makeup and benevolent dictatorship. It also suffers from a level of corruption that is unheard of in Singapore. According to the Transparency Index benchmark, it is ranked in the mid 50’s well behind Singapore and Hong Kong amongst others.
More broadly in ASEAN, with 31 million people, it does not have the population and thereby, consumers and related investment that is enjoyed by Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand. There is also an over-reliance on Petronas (state oil provider), that represents almost 30% of GDP, and an economy, particularly in Kuala Lumpur that commonly measures success in the number of skyscrapers it can build.
As a veteran of the commercial property market, the skyline is impressive but typifying Malaysia, cannot meet the likes of Shanghai, Dubai, Singapore or of course, Hong Kong. The economy is dominated by the Klang Valley Metropolis, with limited exposure to the rest of the country politically, or economically (To be fair, capital city primacy is an issue faced globally, Thailand suffers from it, but also France and the UK have particularly dominant political, social and economic capitals) It seems to fall between a few of these cracks to be in a middle economy limbo.
Subsequently, it struggles for innovation. The government has made long-term investments in Cyberjaya, but transformational digital innovation is lacking throughout the economy. When one looks at the banking, retail and telco sector, there is very few formats and dynamic customer experiences that are developed by Malaysian based enterprises. It is “follow the leader” from the likes of Singapore, Dubai etc. There is no Malaysian stamp. Education needs to improve as well. Education offshore needs to be balanced with growing a skillset locally that wants to remain, and one that wants to return to work locally in their home country rather than Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia or other markets.
The agencies charged with creating an innovative and digital leading Malaysia are not doing enough to create a great leap forward for the economy. It is all words and talk, but not enough differentiation to enable innovation to be homegrown, rather than imported. It must turn this around, take leadership from diverse countries such as Singapore, China, the UAE, Estonia and Korea and find a way to lead with digital outcomes and innovation that is for the Malaysian experience.
Malaysia is a country that can fall in the middle of the pack, whether it is economically, socially or population wise. It needs to drive digital and innovation outcomes within the local market to avoid this fate for the Digital economy of the future. It needs to develop local solutions, diversify the economy, remove corruption and encourage educated professionals to remain or return in the country. It needs to do this whilst at the same time decentralise the economy to ensure that solutions meet the needs of the entire country, not just Kuala Lumpur. This is a considerable challenge and requires the public and private sector to have more focus on real outcomes rather than just talkfests.
If you require further information, please contact Phil Hassey, CEO of capioIT. capioIT is an advisory firm focused on helping organisations to understand emerging technology as the world becomes Digital. Phil may be contacted easily in the digital and real world.


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Spotify is preparing to launch its own podcast subscription service as soon as next week, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
Following Apple’s decision to launch a Podcasts Subscriptions service in iOS 14.5, Spotify is about to reveal its already-announced plans to offer paid subscriptions of its own.
However, distinguishing itself from Apple according to the WSJ sources, podcasters will be able to set their own fees, but Spotify itself won’t take a cut, or charge a fee.
Apple will take a 30% cut from content creators, as it does for all in-app purchases, but Spotify intends to forego that revenue. Apple won’t benefit from Spotify’s move either.
It plans to by-pass App Store regulations by guiding potential podcast subscribers to its website in order to complete the transaction, according to the report. Spotify is already in a potential antitrust dispute with Apple about paying the 30% cut, which the former calls out as anti-competitive.
The company has preciously revealed it plans to test paid podcasts but hasn’t gone into detail on how it would work yet. During the Stream On event in February, where it announced a podcast with Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama, Spotify said it was working on ways for podcasters to add paid subscriptions for fan-only content.
The move is likely geared to foster loyalty from podcasters, with Spotify making a major push to sign up some of the audio format’s biggest names in the last couple of years. The move should also enable Spotify to move towards its aim of becoming the most popular podcasting app, to match its status in music streaming.
Apple and Spotify going head-to-head for paid subscriptions is likely to create another media streaming war. We hope doesn’t pan out like video streaming, where viewers need to subscribe to 5-6 services in order to see all of the big shows and movies. Spotify has already snapped up exclusive access to popular podcasts like the Joe Rogan Experience and we can envision more joining the fray, especially if they don’t have to give up 30% of any new revenue.
Spotify has been flooding user’s app experiences with podcast recommendations in recent months, detracting from the experience for those focused on music. We can only see this spam growing now the company is planning on adding paid subscriptions.