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Haley Nusbaum, Visa’s senior director of shopper merchandise, reveals off two tap-to-pay merchandising machines at her firm’s contactless funds occasion area.
Ben Fox Rubin/CNET
At an occasions area by New York’s Union Sq., Visa and Chase final week created a pop-up social gathering venue to rejoice — of all issues — contactless funds. There was a tap-to-pay, brightly coloured tap-to-pay merchandising machines and a wall-mounted show that allow you to faucet to pay to get somebody behind a curtain handy you a tote bag.
Executives there have been predictably psyched about what they noticed because the transformative energy of this expertise.
This story is a part of CNET’s ongoing Observe the Cash collection.
“It is only a actually thrilling time,” Dan Sanford, Visa’s world head of contactless funds, advised a small group of reporters. “It is quick, it is safe, and it is seamless for the shopper.”
For the previous few years, a lot of the eye within the funds world has been directed at cellular gadgets, with Apple, Google and Samsung making it potential to pay on the register by waving your telephone or smartwatch. Now that very same radio expertise enabling cellular funds is lastly coming to scale for credit score and debit playing cards within the US.
You merely wave your card in entrance of a cost terminal and also you’re achieved. No extra swiping, no dipping.
And, sure, we People know that is removed from a brand new expertise, with international locations together with Canada, the UK, South Korea, China and Australia providing contactless playing cards for years. Additionally, sure, this is not even the primary time contactless playing cards have been tried within the US.
Regardless of this wait, American banks, funds networks, transit businesses and retailers aren’t any much less enthused in regards to the change. They anticipate the rollout of contactless playing cards will deliver a couple of main shift in shopper habits, dashing up transactions and altering the way in which we store and commute each day.
Apple and Google are leaping on board the tap-to-pay bandwagon, hoping its recognition will encourage extra individuals to make use of cellular funds likeand Google Pay. All these monetary and tech corporations are hoping the simplicity of tap-to-pay will get extra buyers utilizing these cost platforms as an alternative of money and hopefully get them buying extra.
“Everytime you make it straightforward, it actually unlocks the potential for the patron to spend extra,” Linda Kirkpatrick, government vp of retailers and acceptance at Mastercard, mentioned in an interview.
The shift is already beginning, with New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority turning on contactless funds this Friday. This transition is predicted to kick into excessive gear as this yr continues and extra banks difficulty contactless playing cards. Chase has already despatched out 20 million contactless bank cards, and Visa expects 100 million Visa contactless playing cards to be issued by yr’s finish.
You’ll be able to argue contactless shall be evolutionary in retail. For transit it is utterly transformational.
Dan Sanford, Visa
However it’s straightforward to be skeptical about this alteration. Contactless playing cards got here to the US a couple of decade in the past and did not take off, as few retailers accepted them. These playing cards’ return has been delayed for a very long time since then, thwarted by the huge measurement and complexity of the US market.
Google, Apple and Samsung have tried for years to get of us to make use of cellular funds — which 4 years in the past was the large new factor — however adoption continues to be sluggish. Additionally, the final time the US funds business pushed a giant change for customers, it was a swap from magstripe playing cards to chip playing cards in 2015.
That transition made funds safer however irked prospects, who did not know whether or not to swipe or dip when paying and needed to wait longer to finish a transaction when utilizing a chip card. Funds corporations are hoping to repair these points this time round, aided by sooner transaction speeds whereas providing the identical stage of safety as chip playing cards.
Nonetheless, funds corporations may find yourself introducing yet one more approach to pay that confuses prospects much more.
Altering shopper habits might be notoriously troublesome, however funds consultants predict transit shall be a giant driver for tap-to-pay adoption. Executives from Visa and Mastercard mentioned they’ve already seen this transition work in different international locations when contactless playing cards are launched.
Together with New York’s MTA, Portland already turned on contactless funds with its Hop Fastpass transit playing cards in 2017, and Chicago has been providing its contactless Ventra transit system for 5 years. As with the MTA, each supply cellular cost choices, and extra US transit methods are anticipated to hitch this listing quickly.
With the MTA’s new OMNY contactless system, riders will now not want to hold separate transit playing cards or wait in lengthy strains to reload funds throughout rush hour. As an alternative, they’re going to be capable to faucet their contactless playing cards or smartphones at a turnstile and go. That change ought to lead to fewer strains, fewer missed trains and fewer misplaced transit playing cards.
“You’ll be able to argue contactless shall be evolutionary in retail,” Visa’s Sanford mentioned. “For transit it is utterly transformational.”
That optimistic transit expertise is predicted to encourage individuals to maintain tapping to pay all through the day, serving to push adoption to contactless at eating places and shops.
The brand new OMNY system ought to assist the MTA reduce down on upkeep prices for its cumbersome MetroCard cost stations and supply much-needed area underground because it removes these machines from stations.
“My drawback with contactless and cellular wallets on the whole is that it did not resolve an precise drawback,” mentioned Rivka Gewirtz Little, a funds analyst at analysis agency IDC. “We’re starting to see that really occur.”
Now you can use your iPhone to pay for NYC transit rides
, nevertheless, are dealing with a backlash from native politicians amid issues these places discriminate in opposition to prospects with out financial institution accounts, together with lower-income individuals and youngsters. Seeking to keep away from the same state of affairs, the MTA is phasing out its MetroCard slowly, with availability till 2023. After that, the MTA will nonetheless promote its personal contactless playing cards that can be utilized for the OMNY system.
The MTA will begin by providing single rides utilizing its tap-to-pay system, with availability beginning on a restricted variety of trains and buses. By the top of subsequent yr, contactless will go systemwide and the MTA plans to supply totally different fare choices, like scholar fares and well-liked month-to-month passes.
Cellular funds could get left behind
Proper now, 80 of the highest 100 US retail shops already settle for contactless funds, Visa mentioned. Cost corporations at the moment are working laborious to drive curiosity in tap-to-pay, with Visa placing collectively a giant TV advert marketing campaign that includes the New York Giants’ Eli Manning and Saquon Barkley exhibiting off tap-to-pay in shops and at merchandising machines.
A demo of a brand new tap-and-go transit turnstile.
Ben Fox Rubin/CNET
However regardless of tech corporations’ pleasure about this transition, contactless playing cards could not persuade many to start out utilizing cellular funds. Visa, as an example, mentioned almost half its face-to-face transactions outdoors the US are already contactless, however 90% of these transactions in mature markets are with playing cards, not telephones. Visa and Mastercard say they are not selecting sides between playing cards and telephones, saying they simply wish to give prospects decisions — as long as these decisions do not embrace money.
That is been a wrestle for cellular funds from the start. US prospects are simply extra comfy utilizing playing cards or money and have not seen sufficient profit from cellular funds to justify altering their methods. In a way, contactless playing cards are an admission that cellular funds have not gained as a lot recognition as hoped. In any other case, they would not be wanted.
In China, almost 80% of smartphone customers made a cellular cost transaction inside six months, in accordance with an eMarketer examine. Comparatively, solely 25% of US prospects had, due partly to US retailers’ sluggish adoption of contactless expertise.
For its half, Apple has pointed to sturdy progress for Apple Pay, with CEO Tim Prepare dinner saying final month that transaction quantity greater than doubled from a yr earlier.
All the eye on contactless definitely gives one other potential spark for Apple Pay and Google Pay. The power to pay along with your Apple Watch at a transit turnstile with out even having to decelerate might draw in additional prospects, too.
“Contactless card adoption and wearables,” Little mentioned, “will drive how open we’re to cellular wallets.”


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TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust.
The retail industry has changed quite a bit over the past decade. Online shopping has exploded in popularity, leading to market leaders like eBay and Amazon significantly expanding their product offerings over time.
With this in mind, some may have been surprised to see Amazon seemingly take a step backward by recently launching their own physical retail location. However, Amazon's "Go" supermarket is far from a typical store. Go locations feature checkout-free technology that allows customers to walk in, pick up any items they want and walk out - the store's many weight sensors and cameras handle the rest, sending a bill to your Amazon account later on.
Now it seems traditional retail companies could also get in on the checkout-free experience. According to Engadget, computer vision company AiFi has created a checkout-free system that can be implemented in virtually any existing retail store, whether it's owned by a giant corporation like Walmart or a small family.
"Here's what we know. More than 90% of last year's retail sales came from physical stores yet Americans spent at least 37 billion hours waiting in line, which is considered the top frustration among shoppers," AiFi CEO Steve Gu said in a statement. "Convenience is key if stores want to grow and drive business. Or solution helps stores run more efficiently and provides customers with a better shopping experience."
"Convenience is key if stores want to grow and drive business. Or solution helps stores run more efficiently and provides customers with a better shopping experience."
From the information the company has provided so far, it sounds like AiFi's checkout-free system will work in much the same way Amazon's does. However, AiFi calls Amazon's solution the "tiniest taste" of what their own checkout-free tech can do.
In addition to using Amazon Go-like sensors, cameras and AI technology, AiFi says their system will offer retailers "a comprehensive understanding" of an individual's shopping behaviors and gestures. AiFi also says their system can detect "abnormal gestures," though it's unclear what that means right now.
Furthermore, AiFi's system won't require any "major retrofitting" to install at a given location, meaning, in theory, companies like Target and Walmart wouldn't need to launch entirely new locations to begin testing.

domain: news


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Quiz inks deal to become 'style partner' for Grand National
Fashion retailer Quiz has become an ‘Official Style Partner’ for one of horse racing’s major UK events – the Grand National Festival at Aintree in 2023.
The three-day event across 13-15 April includes the Ladies Day style competition on 14 April. And Quiz joins House of Cavani, an Official Partner of The Jockey Club, which will head the style competition for men.
Quiz said it hopes “to inspire all women to look fabulous and feel confident every day, on any occasion from casual to formal”.
The brand launches its new occasion-wear collection in mid-January.
Sheraz Ramzan, Chief Commercial Officer at Quiz, said: “Our occasionwear is perfect for a day at the races – it’s the ideal time to dress up and have fun. The partnership feels like a natural progression for Quiz, as in previous years we have seen many attendees of Ladies Day wearing our dresses and accessories.”
Jack Royle, Head of Partnerships for The Jockey Club, added: “The Quiz brand is a perfect match for our Ladies Day style competition on the Friday and we look forward to working alongside the team at Quiz in the months and weeks ahead.”
Founded in Scotland in 1993, Quiz has now grown to over 150 stores and concessions in most of the major shopping centres and high streets across the UK. The company has faced major challenges in recent years, but seems to be on a recovery trajectory, post-pandemic. The signing of the new deal comes at a good time for it as it makes the most of occasion dressing, despite the cost-of-living crisis.
Copyright © 2023 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


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Our Stock Pick of the Week Is…
The best stock picks in today’s market are becoming increasingly rare: large, high-quality companies with great growth potential that are also cheap. However, as we’ve started to incorporate this year’s batch of annual reports into our models, we’ve managed to find one such stock. This company makes products that will likely never become obsolete as long as people need to get around or move things. We tend to like companies that produce staple goods like this, as they offer limited downside. The upside? This company’s increased operating efficiency and bargain bin price. This week’s stock pick of the week is the 117-year old Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (GT).
A Company That Needs No Introduction
Goodyear, founded in 1898, is one of America’s oldest companies and the third-largest tire manufacturer in the world. It began producing automobile tires but has since expanded to supply the aviation, agricultural, mining, and other industries. While 87% of Goodyear’s sales are new tires, the company also sells rubber and chemicals to other parties and businesses and provides automotive repair services.
So Why Buy Goodyear Now?
Goodyear is operating at its highest efficiency of any time in the past 16 years. In 2014, Goodyear earned an after-tax operating profit (NOPAT) of almost $1.4 billion, its highest ever in our model. Despite a 7% revenue decline, the company’s NOPAT was up over 11% year over year. Growing profits is nothing new either, as NOPAT has risen by 24% compounded annually since 2009. This is a direct result of cost of sales that declined 26% and SGA that declined 4% from 2011, bringing total expenses down by 21%.
Investors can see this expense reduction manifest itself in something tangible: Goodyear’s number of manufacturing plants. In 2006, the company had 96 plants worldwide. This has been reduced to only 50 in 2014.
All of this expense trimming has raised Goodyear’s after-tax margins to almost 8%, up from 4% in 2012, and its return on invested capital (ROIC) from under 6% in 2012 to 9% today.
Should You Be Worried About Rubber Prices?
Many sell-side analysts appear to be concerned about the impact of declining rubber prices on Goodyear’s bottom line. It’s true that the price of rubber has been on the decline since its spike in 2011, and this decline has almost certainly been accretive to Goodyear’s operating profit. However, much of Goodyear’s profit gain is still due to the company’s vastly increased operating efficiency, as Goodyear’s profit margins of 8% are over twice as high as they were in 2005, when the price of rubber was on par with today’s price.
As we noted earlier this week, commodity prices will not stand in the way of lean, well-run businesses over the long term. To that effect, Goodyear earned almost $1.7 billion in free cash flow in 2014, and $6.8 billion in cumulative free cash flow since current CEO Richard Kramer joined the company as vice president of corporate finance in 2000. Goodyear has proven its ability to generate cash no matter the price of its inputs.
Tire shipments also tend to track vehicle shipments, and with the recent rise in auto sales Goodyear is poised for another record year.
These Adjustments Reveal Goodyear’s Operating Profitability and Valuation
We make several key adjustments to the earnings and balance sheets of companies to uncover the recurring cash flows of each company’s core business and the value left for shareholders. We made the following major adjustments to Goodyear’s earnings in 2014:
- Removed $189 million in non-operating expenses hidden in operating earnings
- Removed $825 million reported non-operating expenses included in operating earnings
- Added back $2.2 billion in taxes due to non-operating expenses lowering operating earnings
When considering Goodyear’s valuation, we also add $1 billion in off-balance sheet debt (13% of total debt) due to operating leases to Goodyear’s reported debt, bringing the company’s total debt to $7.5 billion, or 102% of its market capitalization. We also subtract $817 million in minority interests and $1.1 billion from the company’s underfunded pension in our calculation to reach shareholder value.
Goodyear is a Steal at These Prices
Despite these extra cash obligations like pensions and off-balance sheet debt, Goodyear is cheap at its current price of $27/share. This price gives GT a price to economic book value (PEBV) ratio of just 0.8, which implies that the market expects Goodyear’s profits to permanently decline by 20%. This seems extremely pessimistic when considering Goodyear’s increased operational efficiency and the increased automobile sales in this country.
If Goodyear can grow NOPAT by just 2% compounded annually for the next 13 years, the company is worth $39/share — a 44% upside from current levels. It will be difficult for Goodyear to fail to beat expectations as low as these when considering the company’s historical profit growth rate of 18% compounded annually since 2000.
At current levels Goodyear has excellent upside and little downside. The company’s healthy free cash flow should assist it in paying off its significant debt and pension obligations, as should the fact that the company’s cash tax rate will be effectively 0% for the next five years due to a deferred tax allowance. GT is a steal at its current price.
Disclosure: David Trainer and André Rouillard receive no compensation to write about any specific stock, style, or theme.


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|Bid||11,950.00 x 0|
|Ask||12,000.00 x 0|
|Day's Range||11,900.00 - 12,100.00|
|52 Week Range||9,210.00 - 14,650.00|
|Beta (5Y Monthly)||0.38|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||N/A|
|Earnings Date||Aug 07, 2020 - Aug 12, 2020|
|Forward Dividend & Yield||400.00 (3.35%)|
|Ex-Dividend Date||Dec 27, 2019|
|1y Target Est||19,864.00|
(Bloomberg) -- Sign up for Next China, a weekly email on where the nation stands now and where it's going next.China’s phone carriers offered discounts to subscribers after switching on the world’s largest 5G network Thursday, seeking to spur growth for an ultra-fast wireless system that’s key to technology supremacy. The country’s three wireless operators need to attract users to help pay for infrastructure they’ve spent more than $43 billion on in this year alone. While the technology is essential for developing industrial applications expected to drive a new digital economy, its faster speeds and lower lag times may be less compelling for consumers than previous upgrades.On the launch day of fifth-generation services in Beijing’s financial district, stores were quiet as carriers said they expect more users to sign up online.On the Twitter-like Weibo, “5G launching in 50 cities” and “5G package prices” were among the top-20 trending topics. But some Chinese consumers are balking at the high prices for handsets and service plans.“I don’t have money to buy a 5G phone, or to pay for a plan,” said Weibo user Yuanyao. “Too expensive. I can’t afford it,” said another named XBACK-No fear.Smartphone SupremacyWhile carriers look to lure more users to pay up for faster services, China’s handset makers also stand to benefit from fast uptake.Huawei Technologies Co., which also supplies the biggest slice of 5G network equipment, saw its smartphone market share jump to 42% in the third quarter, up from around 25% a year ago, according to research firm Canalys. It has already introduced several 5G models, as have Chinese brands including ZTE, Xiaomi and Vivo.Luring users to the world’s largest 5G networks may also help Chinese handset makers increase their global market share. Samsung Electronics Co. is the world’s top seller of smartphones, followed by Huawei. and Apple Inc.Huawei has already debuted models that work on the super-fast network in the U.K. and other markets in addition to China. On Wednesday, the Nikkei reported that Apple is telling suppliers that it expects to ship at least 80 million iPhones with 5G wireless modems next year.5G DealsAs of Thursday, China Mobile Ltd. was offering discounts of as much as 30% for users that pre-registered for 5G. Consumers buying 5G handsets from the carrier will get as much as 600 yuan ($85) off and gifts worth 699 yuan, the biggest operator by users said in a statement.China Unicom Hong Kong Ltd., the No. 3 carrier, and No. 2 China Telecom Corp. are also offering similar discounts to pre-registered users, along with other discounts and gifts via online lotteries and through their branches throughout the country.South Korea’s wireless carriers were the first to offer commercial 5G services, with SK Telecom Co. launching its network in April and Samsung already offering a 5G-enabled smartphone. Total 5G subscribers have surpassed 3 million in the country, although consumer reaction has been mixed.The faster network’s coverage was initially incomplete, leaving users to fall back on 4G more than some had expected, especially when using the service indoors.South Korean carriers SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp., have also sought to entice new users to adopt the technology, offering trade-ins and incentives that slash the price of new 5G phones to less than $200 from sticker prices of as much as $1,000. The subsidies have declined as the rollout expanded, said Kim Hee Sup, vice president at SK Telecom.“It’s true that the speed and coverage of 5G didn’t meet consumers’ expectations in early days,” said Kim Hee Sup, a vice president at South Korea’s largest carrier SK Telecom. “Now, the 5G service is rapidly improving as carriers are expanding the roll-out.”T-Mobile US Inc. earlier this week said it will flip on a nationwide 5G service by year end. Still, the carrier doesn’t offer yet offer a 5G compatible device yet and the service will be available only on one band of airwaves they are calling the “foundational layer,” with more layers of spectrum to come.The largest U.S. wireless carrier Verizon Communications Inc. launched 5G in April and has promised to have it available in parts of 30 cities this year. Rival AT&T Inc. has 5G in areas of 21 cities and plans to offer 5G nationwide by mid 2020. Sprint Inc., which has limited 5G available in nine cities, has promised a superior 5G network if its $26.5 billion merger with T-Mobile is approved.\--With assistance from Sohee Kim and Scott Moritz.To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Shirley Zhao in Hong Kong at firstname.lastname@example.org;Gao Yuan in Beijing at email@example.comTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Sam Nagarajan at firstname.lastname@example.org, Dave McCombs, Colum MurphyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
(Bloomberg) -- Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy Fold will go on sale Sept. 6 in its home market of South Korea, following a months-long delay caused by the discovery of a severe defect in the original design.The Galaxy Fold, a $1,980 luxury Android device that opens like a book, was originally scheduled to go on sale in April, but it was delayed after multiple early tests, including by Bloomberg News, found the screen to have severe reliability issues. Samsung said in July that the phone would relaunch in September but had not previously provided an exact date.People familiar with Samsung’s plans indicate that the Galaxy Fold will be coming to the U.S. on Sept. 27, and Samsung itself lists the American market as one of its expansion geographies after the Korean launch, alongside France, Germany, Singapore and the U.K.In South Korea, the Galaxy Fold will be offered in only one configuration -- with 512GB of storage, 12GB of RAM and fifth-generation cellular connectivity -- by SK Telecom, KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. South Korea’s carriers said the sticker price for the Fold will be 2.39 million won (roughly equivalent to the $1,980 US price) with a bundled free Montblanc luxury case. 5G will be an option in some other markets.As Bloomberg previously reported, Samsung’s redesign involves stretching the Fold’s protective film to wrap around the entire inner screen, making it impossible to peel off by hand. The company also put protective caps on the top and bottom of the hinge and reduced the space between the hinge and the display, preventing the ingress of dust, which was another pain point in the original design. Questions over the Galaxy Fold’s durability now move on to how well the hinge and display hold up over the long term and how well those protective caps will withstand external shock. A crease is still visible in the middle of the unfolded device, but is not obtrusive.Transitioning seamlessly between closed and open states is a universal challenge for foldables, and Samsung’s solution is a promising app continuity system. It picks up most user activities from the small external screen and expands them on the bigger display inside when flipped open. It works well.When answering phone calls on the Fold, the most natural way to talk is by holding up the closed device to your ear. If a user wants to open the tablet up and continue conversations, the call is automatically switched to speakerphone mode. For more privacy, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds (which come bundled in the box) or USB Type-C earphones are the answer.Samsung’s first foldable device is arriving on the market mere days ahead of Apple Inc.’s 2019 iPhone refresh. That puts it up against formidable smartphone competition, however Samsung’s pitch for the Fold is that it defines its own new niche. Featuring a 7.3-inch internal flexible display, a smaller screen on the outside and app continuity between the two, the Galaxy Fold is an attempt at crafting a tablet device that fits into the space of a somewhat thick phone.Bloomberg News reported this week that Samsung is already working on a new foldable phone for 2020, one that collapses down to a square clamshell. Smaller, thinner and cheaper than the Galaxy Fold, that second device is likely to have wider market appeal than the distinctly exclusive and high-end Fold, but Samsung’s future plans for the category are said to hinge on the reception to the gadget.(Updates with a hands-on experience from the 5th paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Sohee Kim in Seoul at email@example.com;Mark Gurman in San Francisco at firstname.lastname@example.orgTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Edwin Chan at email@example.com, Vlad Savov, Peter ElstromFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.


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Google to manufacture smartphones in India starting with Pixel 8
NEW DELHI -Alphabet Inc will start manufacturing in India and will partner with international and domestic manufacturers to produce its Pixel smartphones locally, starting with Pixel 8, an executive said on Thursday.
The devices are expected to be rolled out in 2024, Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of devices and services, said at a Google event.
“India is a priority market for Pixel smartphones, and we’re committed to bringing the best of our hardware and underlying built-in software capabilities to people across the country,” Osterloh said.
India is aiming to become a manufacturing powerhouse, amid a greater push for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” initiative.
Apple, which has been touting India as its next big growth driver, is projected to account for 7 percent of all smartphone sales in the country from July to December, up from 5 percent in the first half of 2023, according to data from market researcher Counterpoint.
U.S. memory chip firm Micron Technology recently announced plans to set up its first semiconductor plant in the country.


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Orange County Sign Maker News from the OC.In this photo taken Monday, July 27, 2015, workers prepare to bring food orders to customers at an Ivar's restaurant in Seattle. After Seattle's new minimum wage law took effect last April 1, Ivars Seafood Restaurants announced that it was jacking up its prices by about 21 percent, eliminating tipping as a routine procedure, and immediately paying all its hourly workers a $15 per hour. They began the new pay rate three years earlier than the law required. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
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Visit Anaheim Signs for your free Sign Design with your Free Sign Quote
More Info about Custom Signs made Irvine Ca. Visit us on Google Maps.
Young adults: California’s forgotten class was originally posted by Anaheim Signs - Local Sign Company


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ASE, the dealer profitability specialists, has launched a global consultancy division, called the ASE ProFit Optimisation service.
The new team of 'profit optimisers', head-hunted directly from operational roles, were selected for their "exceptional track record in delivering performance improvement in motor retail".
The new service combines ASE’s insight into the key profit drivers for motor retail, gained over 40 years of analysing transactional data from and providing solutions to thousands of dealers across the world; with the practical hands-on motors experience of the new team.
The profit optimisation service delivers dealer performance improvement and is aimed at dealer groups and manufacturers.
The team is currently engaged engaged in the following tasks:
• in-dealership performance improvement
• dealership turnaround
• consultancy outsourcing & implants
ASE’s chairman Mike Jones said: “We have been working to improve profitability within dealers, groups and manufacturers for many years, but we have now formalised it by creating a specific division within ASE employing exceptional operators rather than consultants, to add to the two existing professional services and business management divisions.”
Head of the new division is Steve Hopewell (pictured), an ex-Pendragon operations' director and owner of a group of dealerships.
He said: "The ProFit Optimisation service goes beyond other consultancy services to leave a long-term legacy as well as create an immediate fix. The profit optimisers have actually made a measurable improvement in performance within dealerships and can go beyond talking about solutions to implementing them.”


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Here's some good news if you've been battling a craving for cherry limeade, tater tots, or a burger delivered by a carhop on roller skates: Sonic recently announced a goal to open 1,000 new drive-ins in the next 10 years (which would represent a 30 percent increase in total locations).
Whether or not the nation's largest chain of drive-in restaurants can accomplish this lofty target remains to be seen. According to the official press release, the chain has a long way to go. So far, plans are underway to open 56 new locations over the next six years, including five locations in Rochester, New York, by 2018, eight locations in Buffalo, New York, by 2020, 14 in the greater Seattle area by 2018, 15 in Los Angeles and San Diego by 2020, and an additional 13 locations in small towns in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
Are you excited for the possibility of Sonic opening in your town? Let us know in the comments.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Glancing constantly at his rear view mirror, truck driver "El Flaco" journeys the highways of Mexico haunted by the memory of when he was kidnapped with his security detail by bandits disguised as police officers two years ago.
Volkswagen is content being a "second mover, who would rather check a couple of times more whether the standards are right."
That's a negative Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.
A transportation bill enacted last week isn't just another piece of legislation. It has far-reaching implications for everyone who drives a car.
Yes, the most recent poll results from the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) were about as predictable as asking Americans whether they wanted more sunlight or to lose a few pounds. Indeed, when one asks John Q. Public whether he's in favor of better fuel economy for semi trucks, well, the result's likely to be affirmative. To us, it's the 26 percent who were not in favor of more fuel-efficient trucks that have some explaining to do.
Days before Morgan's accident, the Senate approved legislation that would undo rules that mandated certain rest periods for truck drivers.
UPDATE: The text below has been amended to include new details provided by Ford.
A truck driver who refused employer's orders to violate safety regulations will receive compensation for lost wages and earn a clean personnel file.
Roundabouts are generally a good idea when it comes to easing traffic flow, as they eliminate traffic lights by keeping cars moving more often. They are not, however, great if you're the driver of a semi with a particularly oversize load. Depending on the length of the trailer, in fact, a roundabout may be a wildly difficult obstacle, requiring its own degree of special equipment.
The California dream is becoming a bit more of a nightmare, at least according to some truckers there. With the California Air Resources Board (CARB) mandating that older trucks be equipped with a special diesel soot filter in order to reduce pollution, trucking advocates are arguing that the device is not only cost-prohibitive but dangerous as well, says Forbes.
Have you ever wondered why home improvement delivery trucks have that little forklift piggybacking on the back of the trailer? To make unloading all the heavy supplies easier, of course. But what happens if you're trying to unload a massive amount of bamboo quickly and without a forklift? For this driver, the answer is to get creative.
As a leader in commercial vehicles here in the US, we knew Ford wouldn't take too long to show off the chassis cab and cutaway versions of its 2014 Ford Transit van. Set to go on sale this fall, Ford already revealed the full-body version of the Transit, and now it has pulled the cover off exposed-frame models just in time to to compete against the all-new Ram Promaster.
The California Construction Trucking Association has filed a notice of appeal with the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. It's the latest in a two-year legal battle against the California Air Resource Board's heavy-duty, on-road truck and bus regulations. The CARB diesel engine regulation will force the replacement of most diesel-powered commercial motor vehicles that don't meet 2010 US Environmental Protection Agency standards in order to operate in the state.
The imposing commercial truck above has a feature that might be surprising to most Autoblog readers – a Blue Oval emblem on the front. Here in North America, Ford simply doesn't play in the eighteen-wheeler sandbox, but that doesn't mean that the Dearborn-based automaker is absent in the heavy hauling space in other parts of the globe. In fact, Ford presently fields two completely different big rig ranges under the Cargo moniker – one a product of an Eastern Europe/Turkey joint ventu


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(WTVA) - Walmart has made the decision to remove the Mississippi state flag from its stores.
The flag features a Confederate battle emblem, and changing the flag has been a heated debate for decades.
Changing Mississippi's state flag, which features a Confederate battle emblem, has been a heated debate for decades.
“Displaying state flags in our stores is a common practice nationwide,” Anne Hatfield, Walmart spokesperson said. “We know the design of the Mississippi state flag is being discussed by various stakeholders. While the issue continues to be discussed, we’ve made the decision to remove the Mississippi state flag from display in its current form from our stores.
“We believe it’s the right thing to do, and is consistent with Walmart’s position to not sell merchandise with the confederate flag from stores and online sites, as part of our commitment to provide a welcoming and inclusive experience for all of our customers in the communities we serve.”
Entities, including the NCAA and the Southeastern Conference (SEC), have also expressed disapproval of the current flag. Leaders at Mississippi State University and Ole Miss, which are both members of the SEC, have also pushed for the flag to be changed.
This has put pressure on state lawmakers to make a decision about the flag's fate.


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Three of the country’s top retailers have teamed up to rescue Bhs from the fate awaiting other chains on the UK high street – terminal decline followed by complete annihilation.
As C&A prepares to close its doors for the last time and Littlewoods repositions as a discounter (and, quite possibly, prepares to quit the high street altogether), the crisis at Marks & Spencer appears to be deepening by the day.
Meanwhile, Bhs, with its 155 high street stores, has lost sight of its customers and let its brand become so vague, it no longer stands for anything. But help is at hand.
As dream teams go, you would be hard-pressed to beat the recently assembled driving force behind Bhs. After buying the chain for &£200m in April, retail entrepreneur Philip Green hired former Debenhams boss Terry Green as chief executive and Allan Leighton, former head of Asda, as chairman.
This is the clique Philip Green had in mind during his attempt at a hostile takeover of Marks & Spencer last February. But with three of the biggest egos in retail crowding around the Bhs boardroom table, sparks are expected to fly.
Turning around Bhs is no easy matter, and could make Terry Green’s stewardship of Debenhams and Leighton’s tenure at Asda look like child’s play.
Dream teams have been assembled before, but not always happily. The Knutsford saga saw some other big retail names join forces. But the result was almost Titanic-like as the “Gang of Four” failed to deliver, amid speculation that decision-making stagnated under the weight of such forceful characters.
Former Asda chief Archie Norman, dealmakers Nick Leslu and Nigel Wray, and Richer Sounds boss Julian Richer formed the shell retail takeover group Knutsford in late 1999, buying up shares in an obscure leather goods maker for 2p. At the height of the rush, shares reached 265p but, when the group failed to take over anything more substantial than Internet company WiLink, they plummeted and now stand at around 5.25p.
At Bhs, wheeler-dealer Philip Green will lead the two retailers but analysts say there will need to be a strong sense of direction and clear guidelines of responsibilities for each of the players.
Terry Green comes from the branded retail environment of Debenhams and Leighton from the mass marketing background of Asda.
Retail Intelligence director Clive Vaughan says it is too early to say how they will get on on a personal level, but he sees Philip Green taking a back seat in the day-to-day running of the chain.
“It is a two-man show. Philip Green is a dealer, rather than a running day-to-day man. He has two strong individuals and I cannot see him being involved greatly in a day-to-day role.”
According to former Bhs marketing chief Helena Packshaw, who now heads consultancy Helena Packshaw Associates, Terry Green has strength and dogged determination, while Leighton’s abilities lie in his talent for asking pertinent questions. She believes it will be Leighton’s role that will not be very hands-on, more in the context of formulating strategy than getting his hands dirty with retail operations.
“I think sparks will fly. If sparks are not flying then there are problems. It is no bad thing – it helps to hone everyone if things are argued out,” she says.
Bhs has faced similar problems to Marks & Spencer, trying to hold on to market share in the face of a two-pronged attack from fashion specialists and discounters. With stores in prime high street locations, running costs are high and there has been a lack of internal investment.
The chain recorded an underlying yearly profit to April 2000 of &£13.1m on sales of &£822.4m, down drastically on the &£86m profit on sales of &£813.7m the year before.
The company is owned privately by Philip Green – an advantage, according to analysts, because spending, profits and sales are all kept away from the eager eyes of the City. But that is expected to change: Green has said in the past that he will look at floating the company once the turn-around is under way.
Packshaw says that although Bhs has not been floated and therefore figures remain private, Philip Green is still keeping the City informed of plans for the business. “Philip Green had the reputation of being a bad boy but the City has given him credence because of the Sears property deal. He managed to make a few people look silly and sold it for exceptional money,” she says.
Packshaw adds that this year’s autumn/winter lines would have been too soon for Philip Green to change and the first likely changes of range will probably be seen in the spring lines.
The Bhs brand is well recognised, with 90 per cent of people knowing and having some sort of opinion of it, says Vaughan, but since the departure of Sir Terence Conran in 1990, the brand focus has been vague.
The general view is that Terry Green will strengthen the Bhs brand with better quality and value, while bringing in outside designers to improve the stores.
Vaughan believes Terry Green will add greater clarity. “Pricing will be an issue – he will seek to be quite competitive and pick up the C&A market share,” he says.
The other major shift will be in the middle market itself. Packshaw says that 18 months ago, 98 per cent of the clothing trade was middle market but customers were becoming more “savvy”.
“They have to be very, very clear about who they are targeting. You cannot have everybody in your store. The average 20-year-old is uncomfortable about shopping next to a 50-year-old,” she says.
Verdict Research director Mike Godliman says: “I will be very surprised if in the next two years they don’t look elsewhere. Bhs will not be big enough.”
Will Marks & Spencer be back on the hit-list for Philip Green? The City thinks not. It is too big with too much property, say analysts, and there are too many problems that will have to be changed from inside.
It will be next year before any new direction for Bhs becomes clear but, as Vaughan says: “If they can’t do it, nobody can.”
Bhs shoppers and staff – and three of the biggest egos in retail – will be hoping the dream team does not turn into a nightmare.


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Confectionery retailer Thorntons is to refresh part of its store technology to offer mobile point-of-sale services using new handheld devices and software. The company last week announced the purchase...
Who made it big on the night?
Everyone, everywhere needs to see the same performance information says LogicMonitor
John Abel, vice president, cloud and technology, UK & Ireland at Oracle tells the audience at Computing's Cloud & Infrastructure Live event that the cloud won't fix certain types of problem
New technology is the best way to counter the skills gap


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At LOPEC 2024, the HOPE-A Business Association, the Greek company Organic Electronic Technologies (OET) and the COPE-Nano Centre of Excellence exhibited together to showcase their latest work. One highlight was the presentation of the Flex2Energy project. PRO Flextronics was on-site at the press event.
LOPEC 2024 took place from 5 to 7 March at the Messe Munich Exhibition Centre and brought together thousands of representatives of high-tech companies, scientists, representatives of institutions and policy makers from all over the world.
European flagship projects
The OET booth (B0.409) was co-hosted by the HOPE-A Association and the LTFN Nanotechnology Laboratory of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. 3rd generation photovoltaic applications were highlighted during the event, particularly the European flagship projects Flex2Energy and COPE-Nano, which respectively aim at creating an industrial production of organic electronics in Europe, and further innovation in these fields.
During LOPEC 2024, the President of OET and the HOPE-A Business Association, Prof Stergios Logothetidis, and the Vice President of Coatema, Thomas Kolbusch, invited partners, customers and press to their presentation of the European Flex2Energy project on 6 March.
3rd generation photovoltaic production plant
The Flex2Energy project sets a very ambitious and critical goal at European level: The mass production of 3rd generation photovoltaics, by establishing the world’s first automated production line for 3rd generation photovoltaics in Europe, with an annual production of 1,000,000 sqm per year. Furthermore, it is paving the way for the production of other opto-electronic devices, such as flexible Organic LEDs.
Its objectives also include the creation of tools for mass production of organic translucent PVs, both in the industrial and aesthetic fields, and in the manufacture of high performance durable printed products of integrated PVs at competitive prices, installed in buildings, greenhouses and electric car roofs.
The 3rd generation photovoltaics are slightly flexible and translucent. They can be placed anywhere inside and outside buildings and facilities, greenhouses and open crops, etc. They provide energy autonomy, are recyclable and can be transported or even incorporated into all the materials we use in our daily lives. The mass production of these products marks the evolution of a green industry, and a climate-neutral economy, which incorporates all the latest technological advances (automation, industry 4.0, AI, ML), and drastically reduces production costs.


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The aftermath of the Rittenhouse trial exposes a bitter divide across the nation.
We're on the road to a social credit system, whether we like it or not.
Adoption of a Chinese-style social credit score across the West seems more like a matter of “when” rather than “if” at this point. The pandemic has accelerated this tendency, with people in many parts of the United States having become accustomed to presenting their vaccination papers in order to sit down in a restaurant or enter a movie theater. Other countries are further along the curve, with QR-coded cell phone passports required for travel, shopping, work, and public life in general.
But the effort to aggregate personal data into a usable form of social control is taking place on multiple fronts. Credit cards—ubiquitous, trusted, and pre-linked to essential data sources— are an obvious platform upon which to build the new system. We see it happening all around us, but it’s all being rolled out slowly so as not to frighten the prey.
Doconomy is a Swedish tech company that uses its proprietary “Åland Index” to allow consumers to track their individual environmental harm based on various lifestyle factors, including travel and consumption. The company partnered with MasterCard to produce the DO card, which “enables the cardholder to track and measure its carbon footprint for each purchase and to compensate for its impact day by day.” As opposed to standard green-branded credit cards, however, which use a few pennies per purchase to buy carbon offsets, or contribute to enviro-oriented non-profits, the DO Black card tallies the carbon footprint of one’s every purchase and cuts you off when you have hit your limit.
“In other words,” boasts the company, “it’s the first credit card ever to stop you from overspending based on the level of CO2 emissions generated by your consumption.” The card sets a “carbon spending limit” based on Paris Climate Accord targets and issues a “Transaction Denied!” warning when you try to overspend.
Much like the Paris Accord itself, of course, the limit is arbitrary and voluntary, and doubtlessly can be overridden. The type of well-heeled consumers who would carry the DO card—which is composed of biodegradable Poly Lactic Acid instead of plastic—surely aren’t counting on its credit limit to buy their staples; carbon frugality is a luxury only the rich can enjoy. The DO card doesn’t seem to have caught on in a big way yet, but a hard carbon spending limit tied to personal consumption certainly sounds like something that the Regime would be happy to impose. Look for it soon.
Credit card companies track debt and payment levels to generate credit scores, which banks and other lenders use to determine how much to charge consumers to borrow money in the form of interest rates. FICO scores—the industry standard—can also be consulted by employers and landlords to determine, as a kind of shorthand, how reliable their potential workers or tenants are. These scores thus already serve as a kind of social credit index, except they are still largely voluntary. No one has to maintain lines of consumer debt in order to build up one’s score; it just makes it harder to finance large purchases if you don’t.
In our age of racial obsession, the disparate impact of bad FICO scores has attracted the attention of the equity and diversity mob. Blacks and Latinos, it appears, tend to have worse credit, for a variety of reasons, some of which are said to be rooted in racism. In an effort to remedy this problem, advocates aren’t demanding that credit scores be less central to evaluating credit-worthiness; rather, they want an expansion of amount and kind of data that is fed into the algorithms to determine the scores.
The Biden Administration backs the creation of a Public Credit Registry (PCR) under the aegis of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to replace the private credit reporting agencies that currently control the market. According to a report from Demos, the leftist policy group with ties to the Democratic Party, “the public credit registry will develop new algorithms for predicting creditworthiness with a goal of minimizing disparate racial impact.” The PCR will include rental history and utility payments, among other data sources, “when these data have been shown to be predictive and to minimize racial disparities.”
Moving consumer credit reporting onto a federal-run platform sounds worrisome even if you aren’t a hard-core conspiracist, so couching it in the language of minimizing racial disparities is a good way to baffle surveillance concerns. But it’s hard to escape the nefarious implications to privacy that the Public Credit Registry represents.
Society is so awash in personal data that it must drive planners and experts crazy that so much of it is going to waste. That’s why we discover from the New York Times that “a study analyzing medical records and consumer credit reports for more than 80,000 Medicare beneficiaries showed that seniors who eventually received a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease were significantly more likely to have delinquent credit card payments than those who were demographically similar but never received such diagnoses. They also were more likely to have subprime credit scores.” Who’d have thought that credit scores would be such an important indicator of an unrelated health risk? Let’s start churning through all that data immediately, in the interests of public health, of course.
None of this proves that we are heading toward a Chinese-style system in the next calendar year. But taken together it certainly indicates that we’re going that way sooner or later.
The American Mind presents a range of perspectives. Views are writers’ own and do not necessarily represent those of The Claremont Institute.
The American Mind is a publication of the Claremont Institute, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, dedicated to restoring the principles of the American Founding to their rightful, preeminent authority in our national life. Interested in supporting our work? Gifts to the Claremont Institute are tax-deductible.


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Weekly Roundup – 3/22/14: Why it’s time to start feeling good about Africa
If the facts don’t fit the frame, all too often, those facts are disregarded. The facts about Africa’s economic and entrepreneurial growth continue to defy the frame of the “impoverished third world and therefore to be pitied” continent that, even now, remains fixed in the minds of many.
A couple of news items this week added a few more cracks to that tired old framing:
Reuters reported on a new A.T. Kearney study showing Rwanda and Nigeria are Africa’s most attractive markets for global retailers looking to expand. While Rwanda’s economic surge and pro-business environment are increasingly recognized, markets like Nigeria are at a tipping point, Mike Moriarty, a partner at A.T. Kearney and lead author of the firm’s African Retail Development Index, told The Wall Street Journal (subscription required).
“If personal security risks can stabilize, the next 10 years could be as dramatic for business development as the last 10 were for political development,” he said.
The story also notes that consumer growth isn’t limited to Africa’s burgeoning middle class, and is moving closer toward the lower income scale:
“… the African Development Bank says that a more-generous definition of nascent consumers, those who earn at least $4 a day and have some money to spend on items beyond sustenance, housing and transport, already includes about a third of the roughly 1 billion Africans. By 2060, the bank says, more than a billion Africans will have joined that class, about 40% of the continent’s population by then.”
Meanwhile at the Cards and Payments World Africa 2014 conference in Johannesburg, IOL reports that Mastercard is doing business in seven new African countries in just the last year. That makes 48 of the 55 countries in Africa with a Mastercard presence for merchants and consumers.
“It has become an industry as opposed to the next best thing,” Aaron Oliver, the head of emerging payments in the Middle East and Africa for the multinational firm, told IOL.
About 16 percent of adults used a cellphone to pay bills and send or receive money in the past year in sub-Saharan Africa, and there are 42 million active mobile money users, which represent about 70 percent of the global population of active users, Oliver told the publication.
Those increasingly typical stories might please Dayo Olopade, author of the book “The Bright Continent: Breaking Rules and Making Change in Modern Africa”. Olopade grew up in Chicago, a child of Nigerian parents. She brought this dual perspective with her as she traveled through 17 African countries over the course of two years.
She posits two persistent reasons why Africa doesn’t get due credit for its rapid economic growth. One is what she calls “poverty porn,” in which images of the needy are designed by sources (mostly well-meaning non-governmental organizations) “to make you feel bad about Africa.” One of the examples she gives is the winner of a United Nations poster competition which showed the leaders of the G8 from the waist up, and poor, presumably African children from the waist down.
The other is what she calls “formality bias.” While African nations are often ranked based on their government, fair elections and GDP, the innovations that thrive within the informal markets are overlooked. For instance, casual observers of a traffic clogged street in Lagos don’t see the vast informal marketplace, where from your car you can buy fruit, mobile phones, even luggage, Olopade notes.
“Far from seeing congested roads as an opportunity to feel self pity, people seize upon these as marketing opportunities,” she says in her talk at a recent Zocalo Public Square event.
She refers to Bridge Academies, Baobab Health and M-Pesa as examples of African business-minded solutions that, rather than being hatched in Geneva or New York, “met people where their needs were.” While those examples will be familiar to many NB readers, Olopade is a voice that needs to be heard and shared – one that’s creating one more crack in the outdated framing of Africa.
In Case You Missed It … This Week on NextBillion


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Start-up revolution at risk as younger generations put off from setting up their own business
London, 1st October 2018
New report reveals Britain is missing out on 70,000 would-be entrepreneurs
Paper calls for the creation of an Enterprise Account – a new online dashboard to make it easier for people to set up their own business
Young people in Britain who have the skills and determination to set up their own business are being put off due to the perception that the process is too difficult and confusing.
A report, ‘The Great British Enterprise Opportunity’, out today and authored by Steve Hughes a former Bank of England economist, examines both the start-up conditions across the country and whether a person has the necessary skills to start up a business. The findings reveal that:
There are over 70,000 people across the country who have the ideas and desire to set up their own business but choose not to
Three fifths – 59% – of those people are aged between 25 and 49, highlighting the fact that younger generations are less willing to try and start their own business
A new YouGov poll of 2,000 people contained within the paper shows that over 1 in 4 (28%) people are put off from starting their own business due to the complexity of the process
The numbers rise markedly for younger people with nearly half of those aged under 35 saying they are put off from starting a business as they wouldn’t know where to start and the process is too confusing
The paper, commissioned by Atos, a leader in digital transformation, finds that the UK could add more than a third of new businesses to the 197,000 that already exist if steps were taken to improve the way in which would-be entrepreneurs of all ages could access information. It says that the government should prioritise digital education programmes to help up-skill and re-train people so they have the ability to access jobs in an increasingly technology dependent labour market.
It also reveals that there are over 1.6million existing businesses – especially micro-businesses consisting of less than 10 employees – which are failing to maximise their growth potential. This is largely due to a failure to use digital technologies effectively including maintaining a web presence, selling online and using the cloud. A recent report found that almost 2 million SMEs in the UK operated without a website.
The report calls for the creation of an Enterprise Account – similar to the pensions dashboard – which contains everything from how to register a business, bookkeeping services and tax liabilities to how to access specific funds, as well as specialist mentor and training schemes.
Adrian Gregory, CEO Atos UK & Ireland, said: “The barriers to growth – both for individuals looking to start their own business, and small businesses looking to expand – are real and are holding the country back. Reducing the complexity in how young people especially, access information, advice and funds to start and grow their own business will ensure that Britain retains its entrepreneurial zeal. “Unleashing Britain’s full entrepreneurial potential will also require workers of all ages to be match fit for the opportunities of a changing labour market. A relentless focus on upskilling and retraining people at all stages in their life will ensure the country is able to compete, innovate and create the jobs of the future.”
Rachel Maclean MP for Redditch County and Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Entrepreneurship said: “Frankly starting a business is terrifying, and I know I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t found myself married into a family of entrepreneurs. Anything that can be done to ease these challenges is welcome.“
Notes to editors
Enterprise opportunity of people split by gender and by region
Enterprise opportunity of SMEs, split by number of employees and by region
|Micro businesses (0-9 employees)||Small businesses (10-49 employees)||Medium businesses (50-249 employees)||Total businesses|
|Yorkshire and The Humber||102,273||9,990||1,637||113,900|
Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with approximately 100,000 employees in 73 countries and annual revenue of around € 12 billion. European number one in Big Data, Cybersecurity, High Performance Computing and Digital Workplace, the Group provides Cloud services, Infrastructure & Data Management, Business & Platform solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payment industry. With its cutting-edge technologies, digital expertise and industry knowledge, Atos supports the digital transformation of its clients across various business sectors: Defense, Financial Services, Health, Manufacturing, Media, Energy & Utilities, Public sector, Retail, Telecommunications and Transportation. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting, Atos Worldgrid, Bull, Canopy, Unify and Worldline. Atos SE (Societas Europaea) is listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index.
For more information, visit atos.net.
Should you no longer wish to receive news from Atos UK&I, please contact AtosUK@3×1.com


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Technology firms led a sell-off across Asian markets on Tuesday on fresh concerns about demand for Apple's iPhones, while Japanese car giant Nissan and Mitsubishi plunged on news chairman Carlos Ghosn had been arrested over alleged financial misconduct. After a brief couple of days of stability, panic returned to trading floors following a report that the US titan had slashed production of its popular handset.
That comes just a week after a supplier suggested the firm had cut orders, fanning speculation the latest incarnation of the gadget is not selling as much as hoped. Apple collapsed four percent in US trade with Facebook, Amazon, Google parent Alphabet and Microsoft each diving three percent or more.
The losses filtered through to Asia, where Apple suppliers were also in trouble.
In Tokyo, Japan Display, which has lost about a third of its value over the past week, was off 3.9 per cent by the break while Alps Electric fell 1.3 per cent. Among other tech firms Sony shed 2.6 per cent and Hong Kong-listed Sunny Optical Technology dived 2.8 per cent.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company shed 1.1 percent in Taipei and Delta Electronics was off 0.8 percent.
Broader markets were also well down as investors fret over a number of issues, with attention now turning to next week's G20 summit in Argentina, where Donald Trump is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping to talk trade.
There had been some hope that the world's two economies could find a resolution to their painful tariffs row but a clash of words at the weekend between Xi and Trump's vice president Mike Pence has muddied the waters.
"A comprehensive trade agreement at the G20 that rolls back the tariffs still looks unlikely," warned Bank of Singapore currency strategist Sim Moh Siong. "But a constructive US-China statement, agreement to restart talks and a tariff pause appear to be emerging possibilities.
"The most positive outcome at G20 would be the White House 'stopping the clock' on the now-scheduled ramp-up in tariffs from a 10 percent rate to a 25 percent rate, moving that date from 1 Jan 2019 to a later date."
This, he added, would provide some stability to the Chinese yuan and under-pressure Asian currencies.
Hong Kong fell 1.4 percent in the morning, Shanghai was off one percent, while Sydney, Seoul and Singapore each fell 0.8 percent. Wellington dropped one percent, Manila 1.2 percent and Taipei 0.6 percent.
Tokyo was down 0.9 percent by lunch.
Nissan lost 4.3 percent and Mitsubishi sank 7.1 percent as they prepared to sack Ghosn after it emerged he had been taken into custody as detectives looked into claims he under-reported his income for years.
Ghosn has long been a major player in the car industry and is credited with resurrecting the once-troubled Nissan, which he allied with Mitsubishi and France's Renault.
Renault's share price plunged eight percent in Paris.
Nissan CEO, Hiroto Saikawa insisted the partnership among the three "will not be affected by this event" but had no details on how the other firms would respond, or who might succeed Ghosn.
Key figures around 0230 GMT
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.9 percent at 21,633.64 (break)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng: DOWN 1.5 percent at 25,974.16
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 1.0 percent at 2,676.80
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1448 from $1.1452 at 2200 GMT
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2853 from $1.2850
Dollar/yen: UP at 112.60 yen from 112.54 yen
Oil - West Texas Intermediate: UP three cents at $57.23 per barrel (new contract)
Oil - Brent Crude: DOWN four cents at $66.75 per barrel
New York - Dow: DOWN 1.6 percent at 25,017.44 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 7,000.89 (close)
Architects of India's future will define the agenda for growth in this Golden Decade, at the Times Network India Economic Conclave - 25, 26 March | New Delhi. Watch LIVE coverage from the ground on Times Network News channels and www.indiaeconomicconclave.com.


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Elephone P25 will be equipped with a 16MP high capacity front-facing shooter. According to Elephone sources, the handset will be specially designed to deliver attractive selfies that you will love.
The image released by Elephone (shown above) reveals the date as April 23, 2017, with 09.06 AM as time. Can we infer that the smartphone will launch on April 23? We have no other option other than to wait and watch.
The highlight of the Elephone P25 is the integration of a 16MP Samsung Image sensor coupled with the new optimized algorithm. If you look at the result of the captured selfies, you will be able to observe that the images will be sharper. Moreover, you can capture vibrant selfies with natural-looking skin tones.
In addition to 16MP front-facing snapper, the Elephone P25 will also ship with a 21MP rear camera. In a statement released to the press, Elephone disclosed that footprints should not be the only thing left during your trip. However, you should make yourself the most beautiful scene around the nature.
On the specifications front, the Elephone P25 will feature an Helio P25 processor, up to 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage loaded with Android Nougat. Designed using an all-metal enclosure, the Elephone P25 is powered by a 3600mAh battery.
If you buy Elephone P25, you will be able to enjoy all the latest features of the Android Nougat in addition to Elephone specific features. The company recently announced that they are gearing up to release exclusive EleUI interface by the middle of 2017.
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Android 8.0 Oreo: Is Now Available for Pixel and Nexus Devices :- Google draw back or pulled-off one of the best marketing stunts which are being witnessed in the entire history of the world on the last Monday. This is done by inspiring and having improvement of the solar eclipse so, post the solar eclipse it is declared to have a cool name for Android O.
The name is now somehow going viral and trending which is actually making the news. So obviously it is catching the attention of the people who are just as in love with the various kinds of gadgets or the electronic devices. The gadget Android 8.0 is now officially regarded as the Oreo, but as remarkable this may be one sad fact that till now we will fail to have the most devices anytime soon.
Android 8.0 Oreo: Is Now Available for Pixel and Nexus Devices
Except if you own a Pixel- or Nexus-branded gadget, and then you’ll have to wait a while longer afterward you can get the Oreo on your hands.
That is the point if you happen to rock one of any Google devices that can run Android 8.0, then you will come to know that the Google already posted on its Android Developers blog so that post of this episode you can download links for Oreo if you keen to see the Google devices.
As a reminder, you can run Android 8.0 anytime or right now if you own a Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel C, and Nexus 5 X, Nexus 6P, and Nexus Player. Google has download links till now and the links can be used for all and any type of the devices.
You need to search the link in the Google in order to grab the appropriate system image which you need to see. Instructions for manually flashing a device is available at the Android update — Oreo.
A few months ago Google introduced Android 8.0 back at I/O 2017, and post that the first Android O betas soon after that. In case you are not aware of the Android O’s brand new features, you should check and see the Google’s Oreo announcement news on the various media portals.
This news is going through all the major additions to Android, for both of the end users and developers. Google’s VP of Engineering Dave Burke, writes about the announcement, and he stated that the Google worked with various hardware makers, which includes, Essential, Huawei, HTC, Kyocera, Motorola, HMD Global Home of Nokia Phones, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony on Android Oreo and these company will be upgrading from the releases.
These companies are likely to start and launch the Oreo devices or upgrade existing ones which will be all set to happen at the end of this year.


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December 23, 2019 |
Chile's Parque Arauco has hired Alejandro Camino to lead its business in Peru, according to a company spokesperson.
Camino joins the shopping mall company from the real estate private equity firm TC Latin America Partners. He previously worked as a real estate development manager at Urbanova and the head of corporate finance at Interbank in Lima.
Eduardo Herrera used to be the country manager for Parque Arauco in Peru, but the company went through a restructuring after it took control of the Inm
Chilean shopping mall company hires Alejandro Camino to lead its business in the neighboring country


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Alexandria, VA… A new video unveiled by NATSO, representing the nation’s truckstops and travel plazas, the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) and the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA) demonstrates how shifting the compliance responsibility under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) away from refiners will raise fuel prices, hurting small retailers and the entire U.S. economy.
The video was developed to dispel the widespread confusion created within the marketplace by a handful of merchant refiners and investors who have petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to shift the compliance requirements. Doing so would undercut the program’s efforts to sustain the use of renewable fuels in gasoline and diesel fuel.
NATSO, NACS, SIGMA, and a coalition of more than 35 organizations and companies representing the entire fuel supply chain - from refiners to retailers to renewable fuels groups -vehemently oppose shifting the compliance responsibility under the law. Changing the compliance structure would inject massive disruption into the marketplace and ultimately raise prices at the pump.
The RFS is working as intended by creating stable gas prices and encouraging renewable fuels in the fuel supply. Shifting the compliance obligation would undermine and unnecessarily complicate the program. It would also add significant compliance costs and burdens to freight shippers, which would raise the cost of consumer goods though higher shipping costs.
“It is imperative that policymakers, fuel marketers, and consumers understand how moving the RFS point of obligation will impose significant costs on small fuel marketers and ultimately American consumers while lowering the nation’s overall consumption of renewable fuels,” said David Fialkov, NATSO Vice President of Government Relations. “It is a very complicated issue, however, so this video should clarify how the program really works, and how damaging it would be to change the point of obligation.”
This video, according to NACS’ and SIGMA’s general counsel, Tim Columbus, “provides a clear representation of how the fuel marketplace works today under the RFS and eliminates the confusion that has been created by those who wish to shift the point of obligation.”
To view the video, visit: http://mainstreetenergyalliance.com/video-the-real…


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"The world is now in the hands of the banking institutions," says G. Edward Griffin, author of Creature from Jekyll Island and founder of the Red Pill University. He says that large banks have become so powerful that they are now "regulating th
Mel K | Can Programmable Central Bank Digital Currencies & Digital Dictatorships Be Stopped? Is There a Practical Plan to Save Our U.S. Election System? Steve Stern Shares His Practical Plan to Save Our Country One Precinct At a Time
As in neighboring Germany and Austria, cash is still king in Switzerland albeit a much diminished one. But the Swiss will soon have the chance to vote on whether to preserve notes and coins indefinitely.
Now, a year after its launch, the adoption of the eNaira is not going quite as the government had planned as only 0.5% of Nigeria's 217 million citizens are using the central bank issued digital currency, according to a report from Bloomberg.
CBDC Central Bank Digital Currency or the Digital Dollar is now in beta test mode. The Federal Reserve has initiated a 3 month trial with Citigroup, HSBC, Mastercard, and Wells Fargo. Digital currencies will change the privacy potential of money fore
In the slipstream of "big" issues, there is a stubborn struggle in many countries to keep cash. Many governments want to gradually phase out cash and are aiming for purely digital currencies in the future.
A Starbucks store with a sign declaring that it will be going cashless has sparked widespread outrage and more than a little speculation, with many believing that this will apply to every store in the UK.
Digital Dollars is the unofficial tag for the Central Bank Digital Currency or CBDC. The USA is on its way to implementing CBDC. China is the first and is already using digital Yuans today so the US has no choice but to proceed. This technology has s
Because of the Pandemic, there has been a big move to contactless payments. Many stores in the US no longer accept cash. But a cashless society has many unplanned negatives. Without alternative means of payment, we will lose a significant amount of p
The endgame is to total control of the slaves with a cash-free system. Those at the top will fully control a central bank digital currency or CBDC, and once they roll it out, it's game over for the slave class.
Canada's Rogers Communications Inc. reported widespread network outages on Friday morning, affecting financial institutions, government agencies, law enforcement, businesses, and wireless phone and home internet customers.
I've been addressing the war on cash lately, and for good reason. While everyone's attention is focused on the war in Ukraine, inflation and the Supreme Court, government plans to eliminate cash are accelerating.
Financial services provider Mastercard has earned one of three accreditations under Australia's Trusted Digital Identity Framework (TDIF). The accreditation is a major step by the company which aims to be a TDIF accredited identity provider, exchan
As the architects of the Build Back Better society assist you in creating easier ways to show your vaccinated and compliant status, perhaps it is prudent to pause and think about the discussions that take place behind the opaque glass doors.
It was supposed to be the biggest threat to the reserve status of the dollar (China's denial that it has no desire to replace the USD with the digital yuan only confirms it) since the failed experiment that is the "whatever it takes" euro, but instea


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Hong Kong Customs conducted an anti-smuggling operation on the western waters on October 15 and detected a suspected smuggling case using cargo vessel, barges and tugboats off Lung Kwu Chau. Preliminary figures show that about 240 tonnes of suspected smuggled frozen meat and 600 cartons of fruit with a total estimated market value of about $20 million were seized. Twenty-two persons were arrested, and one cargo vessel together with three tugboats, have been detained as well. This is also the first suspected case of using barges for high-end fruit smuggling activities as detected by the Customs.
On the day of the case occurred, Customs officers spotted seven suspicious vessels, comprising one cargo vessel, three barges and three tugboats, off Lung Kwu Chau in night hours. The cargo vessel was intercepted when it was about to leave the Hong Kong waters, while other barges and tugboats were also stopped for examination. The suspected smuggled frozen meat and fruit were seized as a result.
The frozen meat seized included beef, pork rib, pork offal worth about $19.5 million, while the fruit products netted are high-end grape, honeydew and kirin fruits among others carry an estimated market value of around $500,000.
Twenty-two men whose ages range between 20 and 67 were arrested. Four vessels have also been detained for investigation.
Investigation is ongoing.
Hong Kong Customs will continue taking stringent enforcement action against sea smuggling activities.
Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (firstname.lastname@example.org).
Ends/Sunday, October 18, 2020


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FDA Hopes to Accelerate Biosimilar Supplement ReviewsFebruary 7th 2020
The agency will now review and act on original 351(k) biologics license application (BLA) supplements with clinical data within a 6-month time frame. Originally, such supplements had a 10-month goal date for review. In addition, applicants can now request the FDA refrain from taking action on supplements of 351(k) BLAs before a certain date.
The Most-Read Contributor Articles of 2019December 26th 2019
In 2019, readers of The Center for Biosimilars® gravitated toward content reflecting the future of the market. Contributors from Amgen and Coherus BioSciences drew in readers with their assessments of new developments and practices to increase savings for patients, while other contributors took a look at how FDA guidelines will impact biosimilars.
The Most-Watched Interviews of 2019December 25th 2019
This year, interviews with industry experts were the most popular among readers of The Center for Biosimilars. Touching on topics like market performance, cost, and government regulations, officials and professionals weighed in on the debates surrounding biosimilars and offered their opinions on how the industry can improve.


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SINGER Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z have lost a battle to trademark the name of their daughter Blue Ivy.
The celebrity couple filed legal patent papers to protect her moniker soon after her birth in January.
They planned to launch a range of baby clothing using her name.
But they were blocked after a challenge by Boston wedding planners Blue Ivy, formed in 2009.
Owner Veronica Alexandra, 32, said she would welcome an offer for the Blue Ivy naming rights.


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Marketing and digital recruitment agency Forward Role has appointed Brian Johnson as its new Managing Director.
Johnson, who joined in 2014 as Operations Director, has taken the firm from a five-person business based in Bolton, to the largest marketing and digital recruiter in the North of England – with 35 staff based out of their Manchester city centre offices.
Founder Steve Thompson will stay with the business in a strategic marketing and business development capacity and continue to head up the businesses’ executive search brand; FR Executive.
“I’d like to put on record my thanks to Brian, for his dedication over the last six years” Thompson said. “I think one of the hardest things to do as an entrepreneur is find someone who is as committed and passionate as you are about your business. Brian has been responsible for creating the key pillars for growth that have enabled the business to double in turnover every two years; the main one being a culture of constant learning and development that has allowed us to grow such a high performing team.”
On his appointment, Brian said:
“Forward Role has continued to go from strength to strength and I’m pleased to have delivered on the goals that Steve and I set out, when we first met six years ago. I’d also like to thank all our clients and partners for their continued support. 2020 is an exciting year for us – with industry leading innovations in the pipeline and the expansion of our Digital, Technology and Contract divisions already under way.”


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Europe's largest sugar group Südzucker sees, despite all the turbulence in the Corona-crisis on course to a strong jump in earnings. In the first quarter (by the end of may) for the business year 2020/21, the operating profit improved to 61 (previous year: 47) million euros, although sales 1.67 (1,68) stagnated billion euros as the group announced on Thursday in Mannheim. In the sugar business of Südzucker held thanks to price increases, the loss in the borders, despite the lower demand from the sugar processing industry as a result of the Store and restaurant closures to contain the risk of Contagion, the positive effects of hamster purchases quickly superimposed.
in the meantime, the largest division specialities the Corona showed crisis opposing effects, the anschoben but the bottom line is sales and operating profit. While the demand for frozen pizza and dietary fiber while the output restrictions rose sharply, broke through the sales of pre-packaged serving of articles for the gastronomy. In the case of the subsidiary CropEnergies lower demand for power fell substances more weight than the growth in Ethanol for disinfectant.
the forecast for the financial year Südzucker: sales are expected to rise to 6.9 to 7.2 (6,7) billion euros, driven firmly holds especially of the sugar division. The operating profit are expected to increase as a result of the recovery in sugar prices on 300 to 400 (116) million euros, – if, as a result of the Corona pandemic, nothing in between.Date Of Update: 09 July 2020, 11:19


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Ginny Gasswint, a Badger Sportswear executive, pronounced a association systematic a tiny volume of products from Xinjiang, and used Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production, a nonprofit acceptance organization, to safeguard that a suppliers accommodate standards.
Seth Lennon, a orator for Worldwide, pronounced that Hetian Taida had usually recently enrolled in a program, and a classification had no information on probable coerced labor in Xinjiang. “We will positively demeanour into this,” he said.
Repeated calls over several days to Wu Hongbo, a authority of Hetian Taida, went unanswered.
Satellite imagery suggests that prolongation lines are being built inside some internment camps.
Images of one stay featured in a state radio broadcast, for example, uncover 10 to 12 vast buildings with a single-story, one-room pattern ordinarily used for factories, pronounced Nathan Ruser, a researcher during a Australian Strategic Policy Institute. The buildings are surrounded by fencing and confidence towers, indicating that they are heavily rhythmical like a rest of a camp.
“It seems doubtful that any detainee would be means to go to any building that they were not taken to,” Mr. Ruser said.
Commercial registration annals also uncover during slightest a few companies have been determined this year during addresses inside internment camps. They embody a copy factory, a noodle factory and during slightest two clothing and weave manufacturers during camps in farming areas around Kashgar. Another wardrobe and bedding manufacturer is purebred in a stay in Aksu in northwestern Xinjiang.


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Shri Nitin Gadkari
Hon’ble Minister of Road Transport & Highways
Government of India
It gives me immense pleasure to know that Auto India Expo is being organized at various locations across the borders Of the nation and I happy to be part of the exhibition. Auto India Expo has taken initiative for holding the event and I congratulate the whole team for taking labours for holding incident and creating awareness among masses.
In last few years the use Of vehicles has increased manifold and there is dire need to create awareness and sense Of responsibility among the masses and major the youths and the very purpose is achieved through Sur h holdings as road safety has become major issue with rising number Of vehicles on the roads not only in India but across the borders Of the world.
It is our collective responsibility to educate the people and make aware the public and youths about traffic improvement, environment, road marking, modern systems, green highways, automobiles, new innovations and the technology being introduced and used in the automobile industry to make the vehicles user friendly and sophisticated.
The initiative of the Auto India Expo is supportive to the efforts of the government and I am pleased to be part Of the event. I congratulate the organizers and wish success for their future efforts.
With Regards !


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November 30, 2021
Digital sales hit new records this year, despite a decrease in average discounts. Image credit: Rupixen
By Luxury Daily News Service
As Cyber Week comes to a close, data shows that global digital sales reached $275 billion, an all-time record for the holiday sales week.
Share your thoughts. Click here


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Luxury Fashion Begins to Move Manufacturing to Southeast Europe
It’s no secret that we, as a society, are far too used to instant gratification. One only has to scour the internet to find numerous articles and think-pieces on how social media, or technology in general, is leading to our ruin.
It should come as no surprise, then, that this desire for immediate results should extend to the fashion industry.
A recent article by Reuters, notes: “gone are the days when everything was geared towards a few pre-seasonal catwalk shows giving them [fashion houses] months to roll out their collections.”
With the advent of “social media influencers,” there is a much higher demand for quicker releases which feature more products. As such, it is no longer practical for luxury fashion brands to produce within the same borders as their headquarters.
The Italian fashion house Armani, when speaking about the location of its suppliers, mentioned that “convenience and proximity are only two of the precise criteria” used by luxury brands to decide where their goods are manufactured. It is perhaps for these reasons that many fashion houses have now opted to have their products manufactured in southeast Europe.
Factories within the Balkan region are just beginning to establish themselves as a go-to for many of these brands as they attempt to meet widescale demand. While the region has previously been home to lower-profile garment manufacturers, this is the first time that they have done business with high fashion clientele. And, according to statistics, it’s set to be a profitable venture for the region. According to Reuters, this sector of the industry is said to grow from 4–5% this year, as opposed to the 3.5–4.5% expected from the rest of the fashion industry.
Such prospects can only mean an influx of wealth and subsequent growth for the local economies. However, one wonders how this opportunity will affect the people making these items in particular.
Armani’s statement that among the expectations held for potential manufacturers are “quality, reliability, and respect of company conduct codes” should imply an adherence to fair the treatment of parties on both sides of the contract. Furthermore, as the economy grows, factories may begin to offer further benefits to their employees. Miglena Hristova, the owner of a factory in Rousse, Bulgaria, mentioned installing new bathrooms and fitness rooms, among other renovations, as a way of ensuring that she does not lose employees to other jobs in Bulgaria’s growing economy.
While this information bodes well for both the luxury fashion industry and the manufacturers, it is rather hard to make predictions as to the extent of the effects this trend will have. There are some major names that have remained quiet regarding their manufacturing practices. For example, Mihai Tincu, head of Romanian clothing manufacturer Rapsodia Conf, cited Prada and Maison Margiela among the labels that send in larger orders. However, while Margiela has said that the vast majority of its products are made in Italy (Around 90%), Prada has made no comment.
Featured Image via pxhere/Public Domain
Originally published at www.ifashionnetwork.com on June 13, 2018.