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The new State of Home Spending report by HomeAdvisor provides a treasure trove of information regarding the habits and behaviors of homeowners relating to home improvement spending, home maintenance spending, and home emergency spending.
Misha Fisher, Chief Economist for ANGI Homeservices (which owns HomeAdvisor), provides insight on the report.
Homeowners spend more on home improvement than home maintenance
When taking out their wallets, homeowners are more likely to spend money to improve their space, rather than tackle a maintenance project. “For every dollar they spend on home maintenance, homeowners spend an average of five dollars on home improvement projects,” Fisher says.
In 2018, homeowners spent an average of $7,560 on home improvement projects. “They spent an average of $1,105 on home maintenance projects, and $416 on home emergency projects,” according to Fisher.
States spending the most and least on home improvement
Residents in Massachusetts, Hawaii, Rhode Island and Maryland are among the states that spend the most on home improvement projects. “On the other hand, West Virginia, Wyoming, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Maine are some of the states that spend the least amount on home improvement,” Fisher says.
Home improvement spending is up by 17.5% from 2018. Fisher attributes some of this to an increase in consumer wages, and a cultural focus on design aesthetics. “Also, the cost of skilled tradespeople is rising, and there are better (but more expensive) home improvement tools,” he says.
What are homeowners improving?
Rooms are the most popular home improvement choice. “Among these remodeling projects, bathrooms remain the overwhelmingly popular choice across all generations, likely in part because of their comparatively cheaper cost relative to kitchens,” according to Fisher. Many homeowners are incorporating 2019 bathroom technology trends. “A bathroom renovation usually costs $10,352, and most homeowners spend between $5,957 and $14,832.” While a small or medium-sized bathroom ranges between $3,500 and $7,000, he says that a master or large bathroom could cost more than $13,000 to remodel.
Besides remodeling rooms, other popular projects include installing new appliances, replacing the roof, and refinishing hardwood floors.
Motivation to complete projects
Among generations, millennials are more likely to complete a home project to increase the home’s resale value. “Also, while baby boomers and Gen X are more likely to want to ‘modernize” their homes, millennials and the Silent Generation say they want to improve aesthetics and design,” Fisher explains.
When homeowners turn their attention to fixing parts of the home, they’re replacing or repairing areas that are damaged, decaying, or defective. Fisher says they’re most likely to focus on the following projects: a new roof, a new HVAC, new fencing, building a deck, new gutters, replacing windows, and new siding.
Emergency home projects
One out of every five homeowners reported the need to complete an emergency home project. Examples of home emergency projects include fixing hail damage to the roof or replacing a failing hot water heater. “Homeowners who live in areas prone to extreme weather events spend the most money on emergency projects,” Fisher says. Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana lead in this area, as a result of tropical storms, thunderstorms, flooding and hail.
However, you might be surprised to find out that an older home doesn’t necessary mean you’ll spend more in the event of an emergency. “The owners of a 100-year-old home spend an average of $370 less on emergency home repairs than the owner of a brand-new home,” Fisher says.
How homeowners research costs
When researching home improvement costs, there are stark generational differences. For example:
- Millennials: 77% use the internet, 64% check big box stores, 30% ask a previously used contractor
- GenX: 74% check big box stores, 70% use the internet, 23% ask a previously used contractor
- Baby Boomers: 60% check big box store, 58% use the internet, 35% ask a previously used contractor
- The Silent Generation: 50% check big box stores, 32% ask a previously used contractor, and 25% use the internet
The post HomeAdvisor’s 2019 Report Reveals Popular Spending Trends appeared first on Freshome.com.


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PS4 Exclusive Driveclub Gets Spectacular Screenshots of the New Koenigsegg One:1; Double Fame Weekend
Today Evolution Studios detailed the upcoming Driveclub DLC coming this month, and they also released a batch of screenshots of the ultra fast DLC car Koenigsegg One:1, which you can see at the bottom of the post.
On top of that, the studio also announced a double fame weekend starting today and ending on Monday. Multiplayer events will have a double fame symbol, and they’ll allow you to rank up faster.
— DRIVECLUB (@DRIVECLUB) February 13, 2015
While the new DLC will come with a new track, Game Director Paul Rustchynsky clarified that no more are planned after that one, for the moment.
@Mysticwolf1981 Currently we don't have additional tracks planned.
— Paul Rustchynsky (@Rushy33) February 13, 2015
While I’d really love more locations to appear in the game, looks like we’ll have to make do with what we have, which definitely is quite a lot already.

domain: news


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Connor Franta, an openly gay YouTube personality and entrepreneur worked alongside Urban Outfitters and GLSEN to promote an LGBTQ campaign that benefits those dealing with bullying.
In order to help these members of the community, all proceeds from Connor Franta's clothing label, which is available at Urban Outfitters, will go towards GLSEN, an organization that offers support to LGBTQ persons across the US. In addition, Connor Franta will appear at a selection of the retailer's locations to bring more fans in and to ensure that a substantial sum of money is raised for the LGBTQ campaign.
The YouTube star voiced his support of GLSEN by saying, "They're an organization that helps end bullying in schools, specifically for LGBTQ students, and me being an openly gay male it kind of hits home for me."
Anti-Bullying LGBTQ Campaigns
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ACT NOW: Save Up to 70% on Future Festival
Supportive LGBTQ Campaigns
LGBT Teen Community Apps
LGBT Streaming Apps
LGBT Motherhood Vlogs


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FNG Exclusive… FNG has learned that Spotware has hired a new business development executive to replace its recently-departed team in that department (more on that below), in the person of Andreas Masouras.
Andreas Masouras joins Spotware from MT4/MT5 tech and bridge solutions provider Tools for Brokers (T4B), where he was a sales manager for the past two years. At Spotware, the developer of the popular cTrader retail trading platform, he will carry the title of Business Development Manager.
The new hire follows our exclusive report from yesterday that longtime Spotware executive and business development head Alex Geralis had left the company to launch a new FX broker consultancy firm called Finthentic. Also leaving to join Mr. Geralis at Finthentic is Andreas Georgiades, who worked under Mr. Geralis in business development at Spotware for the past two years.


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BRP to introduce electric models for each product line by 2026
BRP has announced its five-year plan to offer electric models in each of its product lines by the end of 2026.
To achieve this, BRP plans to invest $300 million over five years in product development, specialised equipment, infrastructure, production tooling and facilities.
“We have always said electrification was not a question of ‘if’ but a question of ‘when’,” said José Boisjoli, president and CEO of BRP.
We’re very excited to unveil more details of our plan to deliver market-shaping products that will enhance the consumer experience by offering new electric options
“We are leveraging our engineering know-how and innovation capabilities to define the best strategy for developing electric-powered products,” he added.
Evaluating electric models
In order to achieve this goal, BRP is expanding its Rotax electric power unit development infrastructure in Gunskirchen, Austria, and is also creating the BRP Electric Vehicle Development Centre, located in its hometown of Valcourt, Quebec, Canada.
“We are thrilled to create our EV expertise centre, taking steps into the world of electrification,” said Bernard Guy, senior vice president of global product strategy.
“Experts on our EV team will feel the agility of a startup environment but will benefit from BRP’s financial resources and state-of-the-art equipment to design our in-house technology,” he concluded.


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No retreat in the summer heat. Inflation blistering at 9.1% in June
Updated July 13, 2022 at 8:39 AM ET
Record gasoline prices pushed inflation to a new, 40-year high last month. The Labor Department reported Wednesday that inflation hit 9.1% for the 12 months ending in June. Prices rose 1.3% between May and June, with energy costs accounting for nearly half the monthly increase.
Sariah Masterson had plans this summer for a camping vacation at Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah. But when gasoline prices hit $5 a gallon last month, she and her family scrapped the five-hour road trip and opted for a backyard campout at their home in Provo instead.
"I used that money to buy a couple of extra cots and we camped in the back with our kids," she says. "The youngest is two. He woke up in the middle of the night and then we all went back inside."
The high price of gasoline and other goods is interrupting the dreams of a lot of Americans this summer.
Masterson uses an online budget tool, so she's been acutely aware of rising prices this year. She says the high cost of groceries and other bills has quickly gobbled up the pay raise her husband received from his new job as a technical writer last year.
"With the inflation, that extra money is decreasing," she says. "I'm glad we have that cushion, but it's also, jeez, this isn't as comfortable as at the beginning of the year."
Average wages in June were 5.1% higher than a year ago. But prices have been climbing even faster, chipping away at workers' purchasing power.
Bethany Chambliss recently took a new job as a hospital registrar in Lexington, Ky. The 28-mile commute from her home in Frankfort was manageable until the price of gasoline took off this spring.
"At $3.50 a gallon, I can handle it," Chambliss says. "But when it shot up to almost $5 a gallon, that raise that I received was completely wiped out."
Chambliss looked at moving closer to work, but found that rents in Lexington were unaffordable. She expects her own rent to jump by 7% when she renews her lease next year.
"If gas prices don't come down or food prices don't come down, that's pinching my budget right to the very limit," she says.
Gasoline prices have dropped sharply since hitting a record high last month. AAA says the average price for regular gasoline on Wednesday was $4.63 a gallon, down about 38 cents from the peak price in June.
But "core" inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, is also elevated — driven in part by the high cost of new and used cars, medical care, and rent. Annual core inflation was 5.9% in June, down only slightly from 6% in May.
Rents have been rising at double-digit rates, with the median monthly cost topping $2000 in May. Shelter costs are one of the biggest factors in the government's inflation measurement. At the same time, rising mortgage rates have pushed home ownership out of reach for many people.
"I've talked about buying a house with my friends and their family," Chambliss says. "It just seems so unattainable right now."
The Federal Reserve has begun to raise interest rates aggressively, in an effort to tamp down demand and curb inflation. The Fed's benchmark rate has increased by 1.5 percentage points since March. Policymakers are expected to boost rates by another 0.75 percentage point later this month.
While prices continue to climb at a rapid rate, many people have managed to stay afloat with the help of additional savings that they socked away during the first two years of the pandemic. Bank balances ballooned when many people were unable to spend money on travel or live entertainment. Those savings were supplemented by government relief payments, tax credits, and additional aid.
While most of that government assistance has now dried up, many people are still sitting on thousands of dollars in extra savings that can help them maintain living standards in the face of higher prices.
"Obviously, they're paying a lot more to fill their gas tank and buy groceries and pay rent," says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. "They have less to spend on everything else. But they're using that savings cushion to keep their spending up."
That's important, because consumer spending is the biggest driver of the U.S. economy. Without the extra savings, Zandi warns, shoppers might be forced to cut back, and that could tip the country into a recession.
Zandi thinks price hikes will cool off substantially over the next year. But he acknowledges, he and others have been wrong in the past about how quickly inflation would subside.
"If it does not moderate, lower-income households, they're going to blow through this extra cash fairly quickly, and by early next year, probably run out," Zandi says. "That's when things will really get tricky if we don't see lower inflation by then."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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With Hurricane Idalia heading towards Florida and Hurricane Franklin threatening Bermuda, cruise ship passengers are experiencing unexpected itinerary changes. The named storms are causing cruise companies to take action to ensure the safety of their guests and crew.
Hurricane Idalia and Hurricane Franklin Cruise Updates
After being classified as a hurricane on Tuesday morning, Hurricane Idalia has been intensifying and is set to strike Florida on Wednesday as a Category 3 level storm, with winds of 120+ mph.
RELATED: Cruising During Hurricane Season
Here are the latest updates to cruise itineraries provided by the cruise line.
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line has also adjusted for four ships. Carnival Conquest will visit Bimini in place of Key West and spend a day at sea instead of stopping in Cozumel. Carnival Valor’s Monday stop in Costa Maya was canceled, and will dock in Cozumel on Tuesday.
Carnival Magic will now visit Half Moon Cay, Nassau, and Freeport, while the Carnival Legend will skip Bermuda for Nassau and Freeport.
Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean
Celebrity Equinox, initially slated to stop in Grand Cayman, will now dock in Falmouth. Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas postponed Monday’s Cozumel visit to Thursday and skipped its stop in Costa Maya altogether. Wonder of the Seas will skip Honduras this week.
Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Fantasy, originally set to sail to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica, is making an unexpected detour. The ship will stop in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands while visiting its private island, Castaway Cay, as planned.
MSC Meraviglia, on a two-long cruise from New York, has switched its Miami and Nassau stops. Additionally, MSC Seaside, which is currently sailing an 11-night from Port Canaveral, will extend its stay in Nassau, bypassing the planned visit to MSC’s private island, Ocean Cay Marine Reserve.
Virgin Voyages ship Scarlet Lady is skipping Grand Turk this week and heading to Costa Maya.
Various Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina cargo and cruise ports are under advisories from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Travel during hurricane season requires cruise lines to be able to adapt to rapidly changing conditions and forecast models.
Last updated on August 29, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.


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Neighbours object to ‘mini-supermarket’ plans
- Credit: Archant
A developer’s plans to convert a former car showroom and garage in Ely into a new convenience store have met with stiff opposition from neighbours.
KDM Enterprises has applied to covert the former Marshall Vauxhalls garage in St Mary’s Street into a retail premises which includes retail floor space, a warehouse, a food preparation area, offices and a staff room.
Speculation abounds that the outlet could be taken over by one of the major supermarket retailers and be used as a mini-supermarket outlet for top-up shopping.
But the idea of more traffic on St Mary’s Street has caused outrage among neighbours, who have objected to East Cambridgeshire District Council about the plans.
John Kirk, of Cromwell Road, said: “The traffic already backs up from the Lamb Hotel at busy times. To add what will be a quick stop car park along with the shop will create an increasingly dangerous environment.”
And Donald Guy, of St Mary’s Street, added: “While the previous business was a car dealership, it was quiet on weekends and outside normal working hours. We are concerned that noise from deliveries, car doors, engines etc could detract from the quality of life for the many residents of the neighbourhood.”
The City of Ely Council has also weighed into the consultation, saying it had “serious concerns” about the parking and access to the site. It called for the plans to be deferred to a meeting of the district council’s planning committee later in the year.


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International streamer Netflix is reducing their subscription prices in Kenya and Sub-Saharan Africa beginning today. This will apply to all subscription tiers including Mobile, Basic, Standard and Premium.
Netflix Kenya has reduced their prices and released the slate of upcoming shows.
In a statement, Netflix said subscribers can now watch content on the streaming platform starting from Sh200.
Basic will cost Sh300, Standard Sh700, and Premium Sh1,100.
The update will also roll out to existing members over the coming weeks from their next billing cycle.
Existing members will be notified by email, [as well as within the Netflix app 30 days before the new prices are applied to them (this is only for auto-upgrades)].


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Trade is high up on the policy agenda: Whether international trade negotiations, tensions between large economies, or updates on the work of the World Trade Organization, we want to keep you informed about what to expect in international trade in 2020.
Impacts of Coronavirus:
Following an interim economic review of the OECD, the coronavirus could reduce global economic growth by about half a percentage point to a rate of 2.4 percent. That would be the case if the epidemic reaches its peak in the first quarter of 2020 and the outbreaks in other countries are “mild and contained”.
In a worst case scenario, global growth could fall to 1.5 percent in 2020 (half the rate predicted before the outbreak) if the epidemic lasts longer and spreads widely. This could plunge several economies into recession, including Japan and the Eurozone.
The OECD noted that the economic outlook for all G20 countries has declined, but economies heavily intertwined with China, including Japan, South Korea and Australia, will feel the negative effects of the outbreak more strongly. Production declines in China have quickly affected companies around the world.
The US Chamber of Commerce recently published an assessment of the economic impact the coronavirus might have on the US and the world economy. “The spread of the coronavirus is a drag on global growth, which includes the United States. Growth in the United States will likely drop in the first quarter by 0.1 to 0.3 percent. Under this scenario, growth could fall under 2 percent in the first quarter.” At present, some forecasters expect growth in China to decline from 5 to 6 percent to 2 to 3 percent in the first quarter, but this figure could be much lower.
The ongoing spread of the virus in Japan, Korea, Italy and other markets is causing additional demand shocks and disruptions in the supply chain, with corresponding downside risks to growth in the US and globally. Some forecasters warn of a sharp decline in US corporate earnings in 2020.
Find out more about the coronavirus’ impacts on businesses of all sizes and sectors at the press conference held by the US Chamber of Commerce.
Read more about client advisory on operational and legal issues related to the disruptions caused by the corona outbreak here.
The US Chamber of Commerce published interim guidances for businesses and employers on how to plan and respond to coronavirus disease as well as on workplace tips for employees.
Section 232 Steel and Aluminium
According to a White House announcement on 24 January, the existing punitive tariffs (10% on aluminium imports and 25& on steel imports) were extended to additional steel and aluminium products from 8 February 2020. Newly affected are the so-called derivatives (derived items) of aluminum and steel products, where aluminum and steel account on average for two-thirds or more of the total cost of materials, whose imports have increased annually since the imposition of tariffs on June 1, 2018, and whose imports exceed the average annual increase in the total volume of US imports of goods (in the amount of four percent) since the tariffs were imposed. With the extension, the US government wants to prevent the previous tariffs from being circumvented. As has been customary since 2018, exemptions for specific products of US subsidiaries, US agencies or customers in the US must be submitted to the US Department of Commerce. Find out more here.
Update on the WTO
EU, US and Japan agree on proposal to limit state aid
On 15 January 2020, the EU, the US and Japan presented a proposal to limit industrial subsidies among WTO members and explored ways of regulating forced technology transfer (particularly in China). Alongside Phil Hogan’s visit to Washington, a number of points in the EU-US trade issues, including the Airbus-Boeing issue were negotiated.
EU, US and Japan reiterated their view that the current WTO list of prohibited subsidies (which comprises only two categories) “is not sufficient” to tackle market and trade distorting practices. It is proposed to add four new types of “unconditionally prohibited subsidies” to the list. These are: unlimited guarantees; subsidies to an insolvent firm or a firm in financial difficulties in the absence of a credible restructuring plan; subsidies to firms in sectors or industries in overcapacity which are unable to obtain long-term financing or investment from independent commercial sources; and certain direct debt write-offs.
WTO rules currently only prohibit subsidies that are linked to export performance and dependent on the use of excessively imported domestic goods. With regard to other subsidies with “injurious effects”, the joint statement proposes a reversal of the burden of proof. This would require the subsidising country to demonstrate that there is no serious negative effect on trade.
These “harmful subsidies” include excessive subsidies, public aid to rescue uncompetitive enterprises, subsidies that create massive production capacity or subsidies that reduce domestic input prices relative to the price of exported goods.
Establishment of interim dispute settlement
Since December 2019, the WTO Appellate Body only consists of one judge. even though, three judges are required to settle disputes. However, the US Administration is blocking the replacement of the vacant judges’ positions. Furthermore, the government has frozen all payments to finance the Appellate Body, which is why the Body is currently unable to act. As an interim solution, the EU and 16 other WTO states have established a two-stage dispute settlement procedure for legally binding decisions. At the same time, the EU states stressed that an independent and neutral appellate body must be an essential part of the WTO dispute settlement system. Further negotiations on reforms and improvements to the WTO structures are currently taking place.
The US Trade Representative (USTR) has outlined his criticism of the WTO Appellate Body in a new report, according to which the Appellate Body had frequently failed to comply with WTO rules and misinterpreted the WTO agreements. These measures have harmed the US and its citizens, workers and businesses while undermining the effectiveness of the WTO dispute settlement system. Despite the strong criticism, the comprehensive report does not propose any solutions.
After the trade conflict between the US and China lasted for almost two years, a slight easing is now becoming apparent. Both states signed a first partial agreement in Washington in January 2020, the Phase One Agreement. The agreement provides for a partial reduction in US punitive tariffs on Chinese imported goods (now 7.5 percent instead of 15 percent on goods worth USD 120 billion). However, customs duties on Chinese goods worth a total of USD 370 billion will largely remain in place.
According to American sources, the agreement obliges the People’s Republic to significantly increase its imports from the US. China has committed itself to additional imports worth at least 200 billion US dollars over the next two years compared to the import level of 2017. The agreement also addresses issues such as forced technology transfers, intellectual property protection, monetary policy, market access for US financial services providers and agriculture. It also contains a dispute settlement mechanism. In return, the US waives the threat of new punitive tariffs worth 150 billion US dollars. China was also removed from the US blacklist of currency manipulators. The signed agreement is considered the first of several phases of a comprehensive trade agreement.
At the beginning of February 2020, the Chinese Ministry of Finance announced that the tariffs imposed in September 2018 on several US imported products would be halved as of February 14, 2020. Tariffs on about 1700 US product groups are to be reduced from 10 to 5 or from 5 to 2.5 percent, depending on the type of goods. It remained unclear, however, which goods with which trade volume will be affected by the reduction. Read more about US-China relations in our briefing.
In February, Donald Trump visited New Delhi for political talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. USTR Lighthizer did not travel to India earlier this month as originally planned, however a limited agreement between the two states was likely. Even though Trump left Delhi without a negotiating a deal, he and the Indian Prime Minister Modi are optimistic, that there could still be a comprehensive agreement later this year.
The Indian government’s goal for an agreement is to restore benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences program, which reduced tariffs on Indian imports worth nearly $6.2 billion. The US has made it clear that restored benefits only correspond to the value of Indian market access. India is expected to relax price caps on US medical products, remove certain import barriers to US agricultural products, including dairy products, and reduce tariffs on motorcycles and other US goods. Technical problems between the two trading partners still need to be resolved. However, India experts in the US point out that there was too much momentum not to have some level of agreement when the leaders meet.Trade_Update_February_2020_final
Read the entire briefing here.


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SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook, pressed for years by users to add a “dislike” button, announced on Tuesday it was working on the feature and will be testing it soon.
“We’ve finally heard you,” chief executive officer and founder Mark Zuckerberg told a public town hall meeting in Facebook’s hometown of Menlo Park, California.
A question submitted online by a user asked the oft-repeated question of why there were no buttons along the lines of “I’m sorry”, “interesting” or “dislike” in addition to the classic thumbs-up “like” button, through which users show their support for posts by friends, stars and brands on the social network.
“Probably hundreds of people have asked about this, and today (Tuesday) is a special day because today is the day where I actually get to say we are working on it and are very close to shipping a test of it,” Zuckerberg said.
“It took us a while to get here ... because we don’t want to turn Facebook into a forum where people are voting up or down on people’s posts. That doesn’t seem like the kind of community that we want to create.” — AFP
This article first appeared in digitaledge Daily, on September 17, 2015.


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In a generation that has been revolutionised by the introduction of smart technology even the humble cycle helmet is now smart.
The device has been designed to reduce the number of accidents involving cyclists. Featuring a wireless headset that attaches to the helmet and straps to the users cheek or jawbone transmits the audio via ‘bone conduction’ technology. This involves sound waves vibrating against the bones before reaching the cochlea, which transmits to the brain – the process bypasses the ear canal and eardrums, allowing users to hear their surroundings.
Each year thousands of cyclists are seriously injured on UK roads, but start-up business Coros believe its helmet will significantly reduce this figure worldwide.
The Coros LINX helmet weighs 400g (made from a waterproof polycarbonate shell with EPS impact foam lining the inside) and allows you to wirelessly listen to music, podcasts and also make phone calls by connecting via Bluetooth to your phone. The device is mounted to the handlebars and can be used to adjust volume, pause, skip songs and answer/reject calls. It has a ten-hour battery life and takes one and a half hours to charge with a USB cable.
The helmet also allows cyclists who are wearing the helmet to communicate each other via the group communication tool. It also has an emergency alert system, which notifies an emergency contact when the helmet experiences significant impact.
Chuck Frizelle, CEO of US-based Coros, said: “We are trying to solve the big problem that exists of people listening to music while they’re cycling. LINX is a smart cycling helmet for people who want to enjoy the key features of their phone while cycling without enduring the hassle of ear buds and wires.
“It would be great if in a few years we can look back and see that we have actually effected cyclists’ injury rates, that’s the ultimate goal.”
The Coros LINX is available to buy from the crowdfunding site at a start price of £75 for early birds and £150 after it hits the shelves.


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Facebook Acquires VR Game Developer Studio; App-Based Bus Aggregator Shuttl Raises USD 36 Million; Germany’s Ecommerce Estimated to Hit Euro 68 Billion by 2019; Pinterest Launches Online Shopping Feature for Small Businesses; Musician Gene Simmons and IMG Ink Licensing Deal; Viacom Launches SpongeBob and MTV Branded Ecommerce Sites and more.
Facebook Acquires VR Game Developer Studio
Video game developer Beat Games, known for its popular virtual reality game Beat Saber, is being acquired by social media giant Facebook. Beat Games will now become part of Oculus Studios, Facebook’s virtual reality gaming group. According to Oculus, this move is to offer more development resources to Beat Games. Mike Verdu, the content director at Oculus, said that Beat Saber will continue to be released across all platforms and Facebook’s own Oculus headsets will not be prioritised in connection with the game. The game has received positive reviews and has benefitted from a thriving mod scene, where other gamers and developers can modify certain specific bits of the game which, however, primarily revolves around pirated music, something the developers, and now, Oculus, have tried to discourage without actually supressing the community.
App-Based Bus Aggregator Shuttl Raises USD 36 Million
Indian app-based bus aggregator service Shuttl announced that it has raised USD 36 million in its ongoing Series C financing round. Toyota Tsusho Corporate, SPARX Group, and some unnamed investors have joined Amazon among other investors in Shuttl, which has raised about USD 70 million to date. Shuttl manages around 2,000 buses that run over 100,000 rides every day across the six cities where the company currently operates. The new round of financing is meant for Shuttl to expand its operations in other cities. Passengers book their rides via an app and board the bus at designated bus stations.
Though its expansion has been slow, compared to other ride aggregators like Ola and Uber, cofounder and chief executive Amit Singh remains positive that Shuttl is inching towards reaching “escape velocity”, after which, it would be able to scale more rapidly. Shuttl has been experimenting with a host of features including emergency buttons that would stop the bus at the nearest bus station, live feeds passengers can transmit to family or friends, authentication and alcohol tests for drivers, and providing meals onboard. Shuttl’s safety features have made it popular among women, who make up 40% of its passengers, who use the service primarily to get to work. This is a promising figure because women only make up about 20% of India’s workforce.
Germany’s Ecommerce Estimated to Hit Euro 68 Billion by 2019
German market researcher IFH Köln estimates growth of almost 9 per cent for ecommerce in Germany in 2019. Though this would indicate a small drop from the 9.1 per cent growth last year, it would mean ecommerce in Germany grows from Euro 63 billion to Euro 68 billion at the end of 2019. These predictions are more optimistic than those from trade association Handelsverband Deutschland, which estimated the German online retail industry to end 2019 at around Euro 58.8 billion. IFH Köln, however, does say that while absolute growth remains relatively stable, online growth rates are declining. Growth drivers online are primarily fast-moving consumer goods, the DIY & garden sector, and the home & furniture goods, paired with growth weakness of the fashion and consumer electronics markets in the retail sector.
Pinterest Launches Online Shopping Feature for Small Businesses
American social media website Pinterest has launched a new section on its site called Pinterest Shop, where the profiles and products of small businesses are showcased. Currently consisting of 17 small businesses that make and sell unique goods, Shop is a natural extension of Pinterest’s native visual platform which acts as a discovery engine for users to generate ideas, and users can now view a pinned item and decide to make a purchase.
Social media platforms are increasingly looking into facilitating a shopping experience on their sites, banking on the interests of their users pertaining to unique products and curated collections. Instagram, for instance, showcased a curated collection of products, based on the top trends of the year on the app.
Musician Gene Simmons and IMG Ink Licensing Deal
Entrepreneur and co-founder of rock band KISS, Gene Simmons, has announced an exclusive global licensing deal with IMG. Lauding IMG as “the world’s leading licensing agency”, Simmons said that they aimed to create a “whole new range of products and to expand into areas of merchandising that are innovative and exciting to [him] and [his] fans”. Licensing plans will be created by IMG across multiple categories including apparel, homeware, automotive, travel accessories, gaming, and electronics, with these products expected to launch in early 2020. Moreover, IMG will also represent Simmons for promotions, commercial tie-ins, and brand endorsements.
Viacom Launches SpongeBob and MTV Branded Ecommerce Sites
Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products (VNCP), the merchandising and retail operations arm of multimedia entertainment company Viacom Inc., has announced the launch of branded ecommerce websites, SpongeBobShop.com and MTVshop.com. This is VNCP’s first venture into branded online shops, and this is slated to be the first of more. VNCP also plans to open brick-and-mortar pop-up shops dedicated to their brand and characters.
The first-ever Nickelodeon Holiday Shop opened in Los Angeles this year in November. The two sites feature a collection of exclusive items, limited-edition collaborations, and products from licensing partners. They will also include personalized and print-on-demand items that will not be available elsewhere.
Authored and compiled by Neharika Vhatkar (Associate, BananaIP Counsels) and Param Gupta (Legal Intern)
The Licensing and E-Commerce News Bulletin is brought to you jointly by the E-Commerce Law and Consulting/Strategy Divisions of BananaIP Counsels, a Top IP Firm in India. If you have any questions, or need any clarifications, please write to [email protected] with the subject: Licensing News.
Disclaimer: Please note that the news bulletin has been put together from different sources, primary and secondary, and BananaIP’s reporters may not have verified all the news published in the bulletin. You may write to [email protected] for corrections and take down.


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Tag: Bell Nexus
CES 2020 – Las Vegas (Jan. 6, 2020) – Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, reveals at CES a vivid look into the future of the smart city ecosystem. The Bell Nexus air taxi and the Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) – both groundbreaking technologies – will coexist to move people, products and information across connected cities.
Autonomous Pod Transport
Fairfax, Virginia, USA — The Vertical Flight Society, the world’s leading non-profit organization working to advance vertical flight, salutes the unveiling of the Bell Nexus hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft today at CES 2019, the world's largest consumer technology show. [Read More...]
Vertical Flight Society
Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas - The first application of the Safran Hybrid-Electric Propulsion System (HEPS), the Bell Nexus, is officially unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The propulsion solution of this multi-rotor vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is capable of producing more than 600 kWe power. During ground tests last June the system produced 100 kWe and further tests will be carried out next year. [Read More...]
Consumer Electronics Show


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Kappa Bioscience is the first company to have developed a synthetic form of vitamin K2 MK-7, with the same full bioavailability and bioequivalence as natural vitamin K2 MK-7, in a proprietary process. With the addition of this new very pure vitamin K2 MK-7 in their ActivK™ range, Danisco will be able to bring further opportunities to food manufacturers to expand the use of this highly functional vitamin in even more cost-effective ways.
“This new agreement between Danisco and Kappa Bioscience will enable the expansion of vitamin K2 into broad market segments. Not only will this aid the availability of a broader format of end products, it will also increase awareness and education amongst consumers, thus establishing this vitamin alongside many other highly functional and necessary vitamins,” explains Peter Wisler, Director Business Development, Danisco Health & Nutrition.
Creating new market opportunities
It is Danisco’s ambition and focus to establish vitamin K2 as a household name within food manufacturers. The umbrella brand ActivK™ currently includes the natural form of vitamin K2 MK-7, best known for its high presence in the traditional Japanese food Natto, which is proven suitable in a wide range of food & dietary applications.
“Kappa and Danisco are in the process of gaining regulatory clearances in Europe and USA for this synthetic form of vitamin K2 MK-7, which we expect later this year, and with that will be ready to launch into the functional food markets,” adds Wisler.
EFSA stamp of approval
Vitamin K2, specifically the long chained menaquinones, are known to have crucial influence on bone and cardio functions, and recently, its importance was recognised by EFSA by granting a bone health claim for vitamin K.
“Our agreement with Danisco reflects our shared commitment to boosting the portfolio of scientific evidence for vitamin K2,” comments Dr Egil Greve, CEO of Kappa Bioscience. “I strongly believe that together we can develop an exciting new ingredient category in the bone and cardiovascular health area, and that industry interest and confidence in vitamin K2 will grow following this co-operation,” adds Greve.
About Kappa Bioscience
Kappa Bioscience is the innovative leader and first mover with high purity vitamin K2 as menaquinone-7 (MK-7). Kappa Bioscience is a Norwegian based entity with extensive knowledge about vitamins and vitamin K2 in particular. Kappa Bioscience is currently the only vendor with vitamin K2 as pure MK-7 in various formulations, following a traditional vitamin production process with proprietary and innovative new steps.
For more information about Kappa Bioscience, please visit www.kappabio.com
For more information on Danisco Health & Nutrition, please visit www.danisco.com/health


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Flipkart set to start hyperlocal delivery services
Walmart-ownedwill soon launch a new hyperlocal delivery service that will enable customers to receive items from nearby stores, according to sources.
Flipkart is looking to start testing the service in Bengaluru in the next few weeks, beginning with grocery deliveries, sources close to the development said.
One of the sources said Flipkart will utilise the last-mile capabilities of logistics firmto facilitate the deliveries. Last year, Flipkart had led a $60 million funding round in Shadowfax, which offers an on-demand, last-mile logistics network.
Flipkart did not respond to e-mailed queries.
The service will be available via the Flipkart app, and initially, deliveries will be done from local warehouses and select shops.
Online grocery delivery has gained significant traction amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With the entry of Reliance-owned JioMart in the segment, the competition is set to intensify further. Offline retailers, who have taken a major hit on account of the lockdown, are also keen on partnering with digital platforms to facilitate delivery of goods.
In the past few months, Flipkart has partnered with retail chains likeand Vishal Mega Mart to enable hyperlocal deliveries of groceries and essentials in various cities.
Recently, Flipkart introduced voice technology to help consumers discover and buy products easily using commands in Hindi and English.
Called the 'Voice Assistant', the feature is being rolled out on Flipkart's grocery platform first. More languages can be expected in due course.
"Our indigenously developed and AI-enabled Voice Assistant, which is first introduced for grocery, will make shopping simpler for consumers by assisting them in an easy basket-building experience," said Manish Kumar, Senior Vice President of grocery and general merchandise and furniture at Flipkart.
The company said it undertook a detailed ethnographic study for over five months, in multiple towns and cities, to gather insights and opportunities, which led to the development of Voice Assistant for grocery.
(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context)
(Edited by Teja Lele Desai)


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Tech corporations have pulled back sharply on hiring, introducing to the cascade of adverse economic shocks triggered by the coronavirus outbreak.
It is been roughly a person month given that the country’s 1st remain-at-household buy arrived down in the San Francisco Bay Place. In the weeks considering that then, shutdowns to handle the pandemic’s distribute have unleashed havoc on industries ranging from retail to journey and tourism. The tempo and scale of the economic harm have been placing. An more 4.4 million Us citizens filed for jobless promises past week, bringing the total to 26 million about the earlier five weeks. And some economists are predicting the U.S. unemployment level could soon eclipse 30% — up from a 50-year very low of 3.5% in February.
On the other side of the ledger, using the services of developments are portray an equally distressing picture. And, despite the shift to remote function and the surge in demand from customers for sure on-line services, tech is not immune to the pullback.
Jobs openings nationwide across the marketplace dropped additional than 20% amongst mid-March and mid-April, according to analysts at Glassdoor.
“A lot of attention has concentrated on the effects of assistance workers,” Daniel Zhao, senior economist at Glassdoor, said. “But the point of the subject is that there is not any market that is immune to the results of the outbreak. And the tech sector has to determine out how to adapt like each other market.”
The drawdowns have been specifically acute in the Bay Area and in the sub-sector of online and technology — which include businesses like Pinterest and Yelp. These platforms have documented substantial bumps in user engagement, but they have been offset by a sharp slowdown in promotion shelling out. Even more regular roles seem to be to be on precarious footing. Postings for laptop or computer software, components, and IT jobs have all dropped double digits between mid-March and mid-April.
Components, fintech and begin-ups under stress
Between the rise in on line grocery buying, heightened target on cloud computing, and seemingly insatiable demand for videoconferencing tools, some tech businesses have benefited as far more individuals turn to their solutions whilst sheltering indoors.
Total, while, it is been challenging to locate quite a few corporations ramping up choosing endeavours, in accordance to data equipped to CNBC by Thinknum Option Details, a study group that tracks task listings posted on the net by both community and non-public corporations. All those figures are aggregated from companies’ recruiting, HR, and professions sites.
The assortment of organizations slowing choosing reveals the depth of the coronavirus-induced shock to demand from customers.
Concerning Jan. 1 and April 15, nicely-set up components businesses like Analog Gadgets, Dell Systems, Intel, and Micron have all slice postings concerning 30 and 60%. In excess of that very same time frame last 12 months, the companies both greater listings or held pretty constant.
“Like all businesses suitable now, we’re scrutinizing all selecting and trying to keep a concentration on preserving staff member employment,” a spokesperson for Dell told CNBC. “We’re honoring all delivers that have been prolonged and stay fully commited to our early-in-profession expertise packages, like summer season internships.”
Even industries seemingly poised to advantage amid rigorous social distancing steps have witnessed vast pullbacks in position postings.
Cybersecurity infrastructure seems as important as ever with much more and much more men and women doing work from home, but these corporations usually are not always ramping up selecting.
Of the major 10 most worthwhile general public cybersecurity corporations tracked by Thinknum, six have minimized the variety of job postings given that the begin of the year. Two of those people corporations have held continuous, whilst just two have additional to their position boards.
Fintech has witnessed a person of the starkest divergences in using the services of tendencies.
Some firms have benefited from the shift to digital and contactless payments, like PayPal. The organization practically doubled the range of occupation postings amongst Jan. 1 and April 15. Through that very same time period previous year, listings essentially declined.
But using the services of at some of the most very valued money tech commence-ups like SoFi and Stripe are down double digits considering the fact that the get started of the year. A spokesperson for SoFi observed that was, in section, thanks to a new adjust in how the organization categorizes occupation postings on its internet site. Economists say the over-all pattern, though, underscores tighter financial conditions in the industry.
It’s not just fintech start-ups sensation the warmth. Best tech get started-ups from information-analytics software program firm Palantir to searching platform Would like have lowered their range of work postings.
Total, of the 219 privately held tech organizations with valuations of $1 billion or much more (“unicorns”) that are tracked by LinkedIn, source chain logistics and shipping and delivery corporations are slowing the speediest, with a decrease of 72% in position postings. Travel start-ups have also been slammed, with listings down 47% just concerning February and March.
“The problem is what kind of companies can proceed choosing for the duration of a downturn like this,” Glassdoor’s Zhao claimed. “When you glimpse at start out-ups, you don’t have a whole lot of dollars on hand. They cannot automatically climate the downturn and continue on choosing into the disaster.”
LinkedIn Employing Rates
Amazon is choosing, other e-commerce corporations are slowing
With non-vital retailers shut and huge swaths of The usa however sheltering in put, extra people are buying online and extra frequently, putting Amazon into the national spotlight — and making it a uncommon exception to the tech selecting slowdown. The company filled 100,000 new positions it created very last month, and said it strategies to seek the services of 75,000 additional warehouse employees.
Amazon is currently advertising for more than 37,000 roles throughout the company, and is quickly scaling in roles close to its developing supply chain and worker safety.
“Medical, Well being, and Security” occupation postings have risen far more than 80% in 2020 and are up three-fold 12 months-in excess of-calendar year. Meanwhile, career listings in ‘Fulfillment and Functions Management’, which incorporate roles in managing or operating with shipments, have enhanced far more than 55%.
But most other e-commerce businesses are demonstrating the opposite craze. Shelling out priorities have shifted, and some vital shopper bases have fallen off totally.
In between Jan. 1 and April 15, Wayfair and Grubhub diminished listings 73 and 94%, respectively. And that are unable to just be attributed to intense employing plans in the 1st quarter. Both providers added postings all through the exact time frame in 2019, according to data from Thinknum.
Grubhub has captivated a history variety of new diners and new dining places in selected marketplaces, but that has been overshadowed by a extraordinary fall in corporate enterprise. The meals delivery company withdrew its whole-year steering before this thirty day period. Wayfair, explained gross sales growth has doubled involving March and April, but that isn’t really displaying up on the position boards.
It can be challenging sledding on the personal facet, as well, primarily for fashionable direct-to-shopper brands. Away and Warby Parker, for instance, have each slashed postings by 70%. They accelerated hiring throughout the very same period of time past 12 months.
Away, the New York-based mostly vacation model that fetched a valuation of $1.4 billion past calendar year, reported in a publish previously this month that profits had plummeted extra than 90% amid the coronavirus outbreak.
“It is not only hard to do small business during a global pandemic — for us, it is practically unattainable to continue on our mission of reworking travel when travel has come to a halt,” Absent founders Steph Korey and Jen Rubio wrote.
Motives for optimism
Continue to, analysts say, there are some good reasons to be optimistic about the industry.
Task postings for roles in tech have declined significantly less than in other industries, according to Jed Kolko, main economist at In fact — the most important selecting system by targeted visitors in the U.S.
Position postings on In fact, across all industries nationwide, fell 31% between Feb. 1 and April 10 versus the identical time period previous year. Listings in hospitality and tourism, the hardest strike sector, have plunged 63%.
By comparison, postings for two distinct sorts of tech jobs — information and facts design and style and software package progress — are down only 25% and 26%, respectively.
Tech is displaying a lot more resilience than other industries in component for the reason that these organizations are staffing up to assist the infrastructure for massive remote workforces, according to Male Berger, principal economist at LinkedIn.
“Across the financial system, enterprise is down, persons have a lot less income to commit, and fiscal ailments are tighter, but organizations that are undertaking rather much better are supplying critical or near-vital tech companies,” Berger mentioned. “That’s factors that individuals have to have to do…like videoconferencing and working on the web.”
That confluence of things has boosted some program names like Slack, Twilio, Adobe, and Salesforce. According to Thinknum, in between Jan.1 and April 15, all 4 organizations have observed task listings leap concerning 20 and 40%.
Some of the industry’s most important and effectively-acknowledged gamers, like Apple and Facebook, have also stored hiring reasonably stable vs . final year. Facebook said past month that overall messaging throughout its platforms surged 50% in countries strike really hard by the virus. Video messaging much more than doubled.
Even Alphabet subsidiary Google, which stated it ideas to sluggish using the services of for the relaxation of 2020, experienced increased occupation postings by 17% in between Jan. 1 and April 15.
These are signals, Glassdoor’s Zhao suggests, that probably, amid the uncertainty, possible workers are searching toward even larger providers with a lot more dollars on hand, noticed as safer bets in contrast to start off-ups.
“When you have a downturn like this, money safety and occupation security arrive to the forefront in everybody’s brain,” Zhao claimed. “What that indicates is that individuals will prioritize work and fiscal security and glimpse to do the job at firms that are additional secure and much more founded.”
He included that, in the corporation assessment sections on Glassdoor’s website, lesser tech firms are observing the major increase in conversations all-around layoffs.
Seeking toward re-opening
As cities and states discussion relaxing social distancing limits and providers commence to system for a phased return to the workplace, many economists have their eyes qualified on career postings.
Throughout the earlier several months, according to In fact, the metros that have seen the major drop in career listings in general are journey places and hubs of hospitality and tourism: Honolulu, Miami, Orlando, and Las Vegas.
The impression of selecting trends in tech, on the other hand, falls disproportionately on the Bay Region. And tech using the services of styles also have ripple results across other sectors that depend on the sector.
“When we imagine about tech staff in the tech field, a large amount of us imagine software package engineers or information scientists or product managers, but there are a ton of people who are in non-technical roles in the tech marketplace,” Glassdoor’s Zhao claimed. “That is anything from promoting administrators to administrative assistants to the employees that is supporting clean up and manage the structures. So, there really is this popular impact.”
LinkedIn’s Berger stated the Bay Location experienced a huge shift throughout the whole labor industry final month. In March, selecting across all industries in the location was down 4.8 per cent from February and down 9.1 p.c as opposed to March 2019.
That financial injury has prolonged to the state level, much too. According to CNBC analysis, California qualified prospects all states with 3.4 million jobless promises filed above the system of the previous five months. It truly is also the 3rd toughest strike state, with 17% of the labor drive trying to find unemployment.
A rebound in selecting and economic activity — in the Bay Spot, across California and all over the nation — hinges on expanded public wellness actions, most notably a large pickup in screening. It will also rely on how quick the tech business, which accounts for an approximated 10% of the U.S. financial state, can get back again on its feet.
“The sector has experienced a notably acute labor lack in the previous few yrs, and I feel employers are nevertheless feeling that,” Zhao stated. “You will find nevertheless a psychological tick in people’s minds that they will need to be equipped to compete for labor. I really believe that, as soon as this crisis is around, you may see hiring ramp up pretty speedily in the tech sector just for the reason that people have this memory of a quite restricted labor current market.”


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TOKYO: Toyota Motor's close ties to its "keiretsu" - or family of affiliates and suppliers - have helped it become the world's top automaker. But two major production stoppages this year highlight the risks, too.
The car maker's reliance on Aisin Seiki Co, an affiliate, for door and engine parts forced Toyota to halt much of its production at virtually all its plants in Japan this week after an earthquake damaged Aisin plants in the south.
The stoppage follows another week-long production halt in February after a fire at another affiliate, Aichi Steel and could initially cost Toyota up to 90,000 vehicles and 30 billion yen ($275 million) in profit, by some estimates.
Toyota says it will restart production at most of its assembly plants in Japan next week.
Nonetheless, the two incidents at the two affiliates illustrate the delicate balance for manufacturers like Toyota to disaster-proof the supply chain - a crucial part of the 'Just in Time' production system it pioneered over half a century ago to improve efficiency and reduce wastage.
"Just in Time works when everything's running smoothly," said CLSA analyst Christopher Richter. "But if you balance the cost (of holding more inventory) for however long you have between these disruptive events, it would probably be worth sticking with the system."
And that's what Toyota is doing.
"The Just in Time system is to ensure we receive supply as we need and only in amounts required at the time. We have no plans to change this policy," a company spokesman told Reuters.
"It takes time to procure the 30,000 parts we need to produce each vehicle. Bringing all these parts together is a massive process, so we're always looking to strengthen our supply chain, but we're not considering changing the inventories we hold (because of the recent earthquake)."
Toyota says it needs to produce at least 3 million vehicles domestically each year to keep its plants, and those of its suppliers, operating efficiently, while also making its product development arm competitive.
The company said, It takes time to procure the 30k parts we need to produce each vehicle. Bringing all these parts together is a massive process, so we're always looking to strengthen our supply chain, but we're not considering changing the inventories we hold.
"If this base were to crumble because we shifted too many operations overseas, we would lose our domestic manufacturing expertise," the Toyota spokesman said.
Toyota has, though, pushed some of its core suppliers to find more customers so they don't over-rely on the 'keiretsu' at times of disruption.
Around 62 percent of Aisin's sales now go to Toyota, down from 68 percent before the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Big, non-Toyota customers now include Volkswagen , Audi, Peugeot and Volvo.
But the sheer size of orders from Toyota - which gobbles up 90 percent of Aisin's Japan-made door check straps - means any disruption at just one supplier can have a disproportionate ripple-on effect across the automaker's production lines.
MADE IN JAPAN
Also, Toyota's 'Made-in-Japan' ethos carries risk when disaster strikes. Investors will have noted that while Toyota shut down in Japan because of quake damage to its supply chain, rival automaker Nissan Motor remained operational.
Nissan, and third-ranked Honda Motor, make less than a fifth of their vehicles in Japan, having shifted more production overseas after 2011. Toyota produces 40 percent of its global output at home.
But for Toyota, which with its group companies employs well over 150,000 people in Japan, its status as the country's flagship company also carries a high responsibility and can come before maximising profits in the short term.
Nissan, and others, though, are changing tack to minimize the disruption from a seismically active domestic production base.
"We have implemented measures since 2011 so we are better equipped to deal with natural disasters," said Masahide Amada, Nissan's chief product specialist. "These include diversifying production capabilities and supply chains."
Analysts said Nissan's plant in southern Japan avoided serious impact from the recent earthquake because it sources parts both in Japan and from South Korea and China.
"Nissan sources more parts from overseas than Toyota. This gives it a longer supply chain to avoid possible disruptions," said Koichi Sugimoto, auto analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities.
Nissan declined to comment in detail on its supply chain.
($1 = 108.9000 yen)


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Local Londis exclusively trials pioneering mobile self-checkout technology in Irish grocery retail stores
Londis in the News
New technology enables greater social distancing in-store by allowing customers to scan and pay for items using their phone
Jonathan and Derek Corbett, owners and operators of Londis Newcastle in Galway, have become the first retail and FMCG business in Ireland to deploy an innovative Scan, Pay & Go checkout technology, developed by MishiPay, as part of a new pilot scheme.
The pioneering pilot scheme, which is the next evolution of the mobile-scan checkout, is being trialled in two strategic locations within the BWG Foods retail estate. BWG Foods own and operate the Londis brand in Ireland. The new Scan, Pay & Go technology is entirely contactless and frictionless, meaning it will facilitate greater in-store social distancing by allowing customers to scan and pay for items using their own mobile phone and is unique to the FMCG market. In addition, the software allows retailers to place limits on the quantity of goods purchased by each user, thereby helping to ensure better stock management.
Other benefits of the technology include greater convenience for customers, with less time queueing at checkouts, while also allowing customers to scan products remotely from home for Click & Collect or Home Delivery services meaning even less time spent in-store. It is anticipated that the technology will allow retailers to improve operational efficiencies by freeing up staff from checkouts to meet increasing demand in other areas of store operations including foodservice.
This innovative mobile checkout technology, which went live at Londis Newcastle in Galway last week, marking MishiPay’s first foray into grocery and convenience, integrates with retailers’ existing IT systems without requiring any additional hardware, which will facilitate a rapid rollout if required.
Commenting on the launch of the pioneering technology, Chris Donnelly, IT Director, BWG Foods said: “The current pandemic has accelerated the need for consumer facing businesses to embrace new technologies that make shopping experiences safer, quicker and altogether more convenient. We’ve been exploring a number of different advanced solutions to further enhance the convenience of our retailers’ offerings and we believe this innovation represents the next great evolution of grocery retailing in Ireland. We’re delighted to be partnering with a reputable and innovative business such as MishiPay, whose solution marks the ultimate consumerisation of technology and has the potential to deliver major benefits to both consumers and retailers alike.”
Jonathan Corbett said, “We’re delighted to be trialling this innovative technology in Londis Newcastle. What the Covid-19 crisis reinforced for us – and all Londis Retailers – is that the health and safety of our staff and customers is our primary concern. If this cutting-edge technology affords us even greater safety considerations we will be thrilled. Londis also has a strong history of introducing innovation to the retail convenience industry and we’re thrilled that BWG Foods and Mishi-pay are trialling this in our Londis.”


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A giant plastic Christmas tree in Louth has been the topic of debate in its town council of late. They have decided to spend £7500 on the tree to replace the traditional fir that costs £900 per year. Although a big investment, those who supported the decision said there would be a lower carbon footprint over the 10-year lifespan.
One supporter stated “Over a 10-year period, an artificial Christmas tree produces lower carbon emissions. The carbon footprint is lower than the deforestation of 10 real trees.” Furthermore, councilors at the meeting were informed that the supplier would plant a tree in the Borneo rainforest for each item sold.
However, Opponents stated that the levels of CO2 involved in manufacturing and shipping created a much larger carbon footprint. An opposing councilor also stated that “Growing trees puts CO2 back into the atmosphere too”
As well as environmental concerns, one councilor highlighted issues regarding the storage and logistics of the giant plastic tree. He stated that: “It’s all got to be put together like a jigsaw”
Whilst there are valid arguments on each side it is certainly an interesting debate.


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In August of 1997, Apple and Microsoft decided to put the past behind them and focus on the future. At that year's Macworld event, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates announced that the two companies had entered into a historic agreement. In addition to agreeing to a broad patent cross-licensing agreement, Microsoft promised to support Microsoft Office for the Mac for 5 years while Apple agreed to make Internet Explorer the default web browser on the Mac.
Microsoft also promised to invest approximately $150 million for shares of Apple non-voting preferred stock. Though the Mac faithful at the time were wary of Microsoft, Steve Jobs at the time famously explained that "we have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose."
The deal between the two companies was mutually beneficial from every angle. Apple got some much needed cash while Microsoft was able to keep a weakened competitor afloat, thereby alleviating concerns about the company's monopolistic power.
Since then, Apple has enjoyed an unparalleled resurgence, ascending from the brink of bankruptcy to one of the most valuable companies on the planet.
That being the case, one can only wonder: What ever became of Microsoft's $150 million investment?
Here's the scoop.
Microsoft's $150 million investment netted the company 150,000 shares of preferred stock, convertable to common shares of Apple stock at a price of $8.25, redeemable after a three year period. By 2001, Microsoft had converted all of its shares into common stock, netting the company approximately 18.1 million shares.
But by 2003, Microsoft had sold its entire stake in Apple.
But what if the folks at Redmond decided to hold on to their Apple shares? How much would they be worth today?
Well, Apple stock split on a 2-for-1 basis twice since the agreement, once in June of 2000 and again in 2005. At the time of the first split, the three year window had not yet passed so let's just assume that Microsoft's shares would have split only once. That would have given the company 36.2 million shares.
At the close of trading on Monday, shares of Apple were trading at $604.59. If Microsoft still had their shares, they'd be worth $21.86 billion, a hell of a return for the initial outlay of $150 million.
Note that this isn't meant to disparage Microsoft, but rather to point out how incredibly high Apple's share price has been. And besides, the influx of cash was never about Microsoft pursuing an investment opportunity.


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Automation software provider Kofax will offer its robotic process automation (RPA) and digital transformation solutions to customers of JIEC, a partner of SAP Japan which serves companies in the finance, travel, transportation and communications sectors.
JIEC plans to deploy Kofax Kapow RPA software, which automates human and information intensive processes across front and back office operations, and the Kofax TotalAgility platform to improve efficiency by reducing the need for manual input in SAP operations such as purchase management. The TouchAgility platform includes capabilities including omnichannel information capture, business process automation, robotic process automation, analytics, customer communications management and e-signatures.
“We are extremely pleased to announce the signing of a sales partner agreement with Kofax,” said Atsushi Innami, president and representative director, JIEC. “By combining Koufax’s RPA solutions with the know-how that we have developed in SAP-related business, we will pursue business opportunities in intelligent process automation.”
“The Kofax platform is ideally suited to meet the increasing demand for more efficient process automation. We’re committed to offering technologies such as RPA, AI and deep learning, driving broad digital transformation throughout the Asia-Pacific region,” said Reynolds C. Bish, chief executive officer, Kofax. “Our JIEC partnership speaks to this commitment, particularly for SAP related solutions, where JIEC is focused and renowned for its expertise.”


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Starting January 2019, all small businesses in Kenya, going to renew their business permit or trade license, or apply for the first time, will be required to pay a new Presumptive Tax. This tax was non-existent in the previous years and was just recently introduced with the enactment of the Finance Act 2018. The bill for which was passed under very weird voting in parliament; those who voted against it were clearly many than those who voted for it, so it is not clear how it sailed through.
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) wants millions of small businesses in the country to start paying the Presumptive Tax from January 1st, 2019. The tax will be a prerequisite to getting their business permit or trade license renewed or issued for the first time. The said tax will be 15% of the cost of the business permit or trade license.
“In accordance with Finance Act, 2018, the Presumptive Tax shall become payable from January 1, 2019. All eligible taxpayers are advised to pay for the presumptive tax at the time of payment for business permit fee or trade license,” …read more


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At 13:53 of the second period in the Rangers/Devils game, video review supported the referee's call on the ice that the puck shot by New York's Carl Hagelin entered the New Jersey net in a legal fashion after it deflected off defenseman Marek Zidlicky and netminder Martin Brodeur. Good goal New York Rangers.
I remember the first time at Wrigley Field all of us had the long johns, the turtlenecks and the extra equipment because we were afraid of being cold. Halfway through the first period everybody's ripping everything off and we just ended up wearing what we would normally wear for a game at the United Center.
— Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp on the 2009 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic


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iOS devices and Samsung Galaxy line up substantially the same
Apple later called Peter Bressler, a college professor with electronics design experience and some 70 patents to his name, who analyzed a number of Samsung Galaxy gadgets and the iPhone and iPad. They were "substantially the same", said Bressler, who lectures at the University of Pennsylvania and founded the design firm Bressler Group. He has worked with clients including Motorola in the past.
"The aesthetics they (Apple) were trying to achieve were particularly difficult and expensive," said Bressler, who said he read numerous depositions of Apple employees and discovered the company employed special machine processes, for instance. Apple and Samsung are going toe-to-toe in a high-wattage patents dispute, which mirrors a fierce battle for industry supremacy between two rivals that control more than half of worldwide smartphone sales.
Bressler examined a number of gadgets, Apple's patents on file, and even a Wired article before forming his conclusion that Samsung had borrowed multiple Apple design elements. But under cross-examination from Samsung's lawyer, he said consumers ultimately were unlikely to confuse the two brands -- a key contention in the case.
The U.S. company accuses Samsung of copying the design and some features of its iPad and iPhone, and is asking for billions of dollars in damages and sales bans. The Korean company, which is trying to expand in the U.S. market, says Apple infringed some of its key wireless technology patents.
The trial began last week and has already granted Silicon Valley an unprecedented peek behind the curtain of Apple's famously secretive design and marketing machine.
On Friday, lawyers showed Apple Vice President Eddy Cue urging then-Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook in January 2011 to build a mini-iPad because he believed there was a market for a seven-inch tablet. Late co-founder Steve Jobs was "receptive" to the idea, according to Cue's email, fanning speculation Apple plans to make a mini-iPad to take on cheaper gadgets from Google Inc
Published Date: Aug 07, 2012 09:31 am | Updated Date: Aug 07, 2012 09:31 am


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AT&T added 2 million wireless net subscibers
AT&T America’s biggest phone company and sole carrier for the Apple i-Phone in the US announced third-quarter profits, with net income at $3.2 billion which was a 5.5 percent on last year’s $3.06 taking the share value up 55 cents. Sales went up 4 percent to $31.3 billion according to AT&T.
Dallas-based AT&T activated 2.4 million last quarter with roughly 40 percent going to new clients. It’s said that AT&T relied have relied on wireless service due to the lack of interest in home-phone customers and corporate budgets with several large companies reducing orders due to the credit crunch. Business sales to large companies fell to $4.7 billion down 1.4 percent.
Due to the iPhone AT&T added 2 million net wireless subscribers, which was an increase of 2.7 percent, seeing its wireless revenue shoot up 15 percent to $12.6 billion.
In morning trade in New York, AT&T shares fell 89 cents to $24.84, within the last 12 months before today the shares dropped 38 percent.


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Car production in Russia fell 62.6% year-on-year to just 369,000 units in the first eight months of the year, according to government data.
The Industry and Trade Ministry figures also showed that the output of foreign-branded cars fell 54.2% on the year to 181,200 vehicles in January–August.
Companies operating under industrial assembly agreements with Russia produced 123,600 cars in the period, down 48.5% on the year. Industrial assembly agreements eliminate or substantially reduce import duties on foreign car components, Prime-Tass noted.
The output of Russian-branded cars fell 68.3% on the year to 187,000 units in the same period.
Russia’s car industry is suffering the effects of a sharp economic recession that has halved the car market this year.


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Iran and Algeria explore ways of expanding economic ties
Trade officials from Iran and Algeria have held trade webinar to explore ways of expanding economic ties between the two countries.
The online event was held on Wednesday and chaired by the head of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Gholam-Hossein Shafeie and Shabab Tayib, head of Algerian Chamber of Commerce.
Using barter trading between the two countries, cooperation in the field of tourism, the introduction of joint projects, exchange of trade delegations, and revival of the two countries’ trade council were some of the major issues discussed during the event.
Opening the meeting, Shafeie stated that despite the historical and cultural similarities between Iran and Algeria and the expansion of relations at different levels, the economic relations between the two countries are not proportionate to the capacities and capabilities of both nations.
“The value of trade between Iran and Algeria in 2020 was reported at about $124 million, while the potential for cooperation between the two countries could exceed these figures,” Shafeie regretted.
According to the official, by removing some trade barriers facing the traders of the two countries, including banking and transportation barriers in the short term, the volume of exchanges can be increased to more than $500 million and with coherent long-term planning to more than two billion dollars.
Emphasizing that the Iranian private sector is seriously interested in expanding economic relations with African countries, especially Algeria, he said: “Iran and Algeria each have a significant geopolitical position and great potential in West Asia and North Africa and can be the pioneers of economic relations between these two regions.”
Further in the meeting, Tayib stated that Iran's economy is one of the top economies in West Asia and, like the Algerian economy, is based on oil, gas, and petrochemical exports.
"We seek to remove trade barriers between the two countries, considering the privileged political relations between Iran and Algeria. Algeria has plans to expand trade between the two countries. We are also looking to have joint projects with Iranian companies, especially in the fields of agriculture and health,” he said.


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Seaspan hosted a groundbreaking ceremony today to announce it has officially started construction on a new head office in North Vancouver.
The 7,800 square metre (84,
The Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) has welcomed the decision by Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry to extend the Competition (Block Exemption
Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen is ordering ten 2,800 TEU container ships from Japanese shipbuilder Imabari Shipbuilding Co.,Ltd and compatriot CSBC Corporation.
A marked drop in Asian imports to Europe, made worse by a strong dollar, has exacerbated the pressure on shipping lines already struggling with massive over capacity,
Terex Port Solutions (TPS) has received an order from a subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) in Iraq for two Terex shiptoshore
Kuwait-headquartered United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) said that marked drop in Asian imports to Europe, made worse by a strong dollar, has heaped pain on container
Technical plant and equipment installation for the first stage of Bronka’s port facilities is now complete with the Liebherr LHM 800 mobile port crane installed at the end of September,
Ecoslops' refinery in the Port of Sinès, Portugal, has commenced industrial production and delivered the first volume of marine fuel products compliant with ISO8217,
The Barbados-registered cargo vessel Skog, which was adrift off Orkney after encountering engine problems, is now under tow, the U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) reported.
Classification society ClassNK has released draft amendments to its rules and guidance for container carriers, with the aim of implementing more comprehensive rules for increased ship safety.
The United Nations (UNFCCC) has published a Synthesis Report analyzing the impact of the pledges made by 146 nations to reduce CO2 emissions in advance of next
The world's largest container shipping company, Maersk Line, plans to raise spot freight rates sharply on main routes from ports in Asia to ports in northern Europe, with effect from Dec.
In a container freight market challenged by volatility and facing the prospect of further consolidation, member shipping lines in the Transpacific Stabilization
At its meeting in New York on November 20, the American Club’s board resolved to levy a general premium increase of 2.5 percent for P&I cover, but no increase in
Press release - Global marine terminals operator DP World’s flagship Jebel Ali Port has received the world’s largest container vessel, the Magleby Maersk, which is on its maiden visit to the region.
Port of Long Beach officials will consider reducing the amount of time import containers can be stored on docks without charge, hoping the change would increase
APM Terminals, with local Jordanian partner Kawar Group, officially opened the expanded Aqaba Logistics Village (ALV) on November 12th, with a formal ceremony
In third-quarter 2015, CMA CGM once again outperformed the market average in an industry shaped by a sharp fall in freight rates and overcapacity in certain markets.
On October 27, Barcelona Europe South Terminal (BEST) achieved another milestone for the Port of Barcelona.
BEST serviced the MSC Livorno, a 14,000 TEU vessel
CMA CGM confirms that it has entered into exclusive discussions with Neptune Orient Lines Limited (NOL) and Lentor Investments Pte. Ltd. (a wholly-owned subsidiary


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Retail and malls arm of the Dubai real-estate giant says it made $117.8 million in first three months of the year
Emaar Malls, the retail and malls arm of the Dubai real-estate giant, has announced a 32% increase in its first quarter profits.
The firm, which is listed on the Dubai Financial Market, says it made $117.8 million in the first three months of the year, compared to $89.5m during the same period in 2014.
Revenue for the same period was $200 million, up by 21% from $164.7 million a year earlier.
“The robust performance of Emaar Malls assets in Dubai during the first quarter was led by the positive growth of the city’s retail sector, which was catalysed by the Dubai Shopping Festival, the growth in tourism and round-the-year activation initiatives in The Dubai Mall,” said Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Malls and Emaar Properties.
Dubai Mall, Emaar’s flagship retail property, contributed the single largest sum of tenant sales – $1.25 billion. Total tenant sales amounted to “more than $1.41 billion”, Emaar said. The tenant sales were set at $1,365 per square foot of leasable, which was ‘marginally higher’ compared to the same period in 2014, Emaar Malls said.
The base-rent renewal rates for leases were up by 26% compared to the first quarter of 2014.


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Bitcoin, along with the surging wider cryptocurrency market, has had an incredible start to the year.
The bitcoin price has rallied around 50% since January 1, with some smaller cryptocurrencies making surprise triple-digit percentage gains, and many bitcoin bulls think it still has further to go – though problems could be on the horizon, Billy Bambrough wrote in Forbes.
Now, Changpeng Zhao (often known simply as CZ), the widely-respected founder and chief executive of the world’s biggest bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has broken his rule against market forecasting to predict “the bitcoin price will likely increase.”
“I personally believe the halving has not been priced in,” CZ told bitcoin, cryptocurrency and blockchain video news site BlockTV this week, adding he “doesn’t usually give market predictions” because he will be wrong “50% of the time.”
Bitcoin traders and investors have begun gearing up for the looming May bitcoin halving event, among other positive bitcoin developments expected this year, when the coin reward for mining new bitcoin blocks is scheduled to drop from 12.5 bitcoin to 6.25 bitcoin – cutting the supply of new bitcoin coming onto the market by half.
There have already been two bitcoin halvings since bitcoin launched in 2009, one in 2012 and another in 2016. Bitcoin halvings are scheduled to continue roughly once every four years until the maximum supply of 21 million bitcoins has been generated by the network, something that won’t happen until well into the next century.
Whether the upcoming bitcoin halving has been “priced in” by the market has become a controversial issue among investors. Generally, in well-developed markets, equity, commodities and currencies are priced based on future expectations – suggesting that as bitcoin traders and investors are aware of the May halving, the price will have already made the gains related to it.
CZ disagrees, however, telling BlockTV: “The market is not efficient. Most people don’t get information quickly. People need a lot of time to let concepts sink in and adjust.”
Many are hoping the 2020 bitcoin halving will see a repeat of the last cut to supply. Bitcoin prices doubled in 2016 and soared 13-fold the following year.
However, CZ warned that “historic events do not predict future events, so don’t take that too literally,” but explained the bitcoin halving will mean “it costs miners almost double what it does now to produce one bitcoin. Psychologically, those miners won’t be willing to sell below that price.”
“New bitcoin coming to market will be severely limited and at the same time we’re seeing more users and traders coming in.
“Economic theory tells us that the bitcoin price will likely increase but this is just the theory and hard to predict,” CZ said, adding he’s feeling “pretty positive.”
Meanwhile, the number of people searching Google for the term “bitcoin halving” has been steadily rising along with the bitcoin price.
Analysts at Arcane Research found last month that an increase in searches could be a sign bitcoin’s halving will recapture the wider public interest in bitcoin and crypto that catapulted the bitcoin price to around $20,000 in 2017.
Many other bitcoin and cryptocurrency market watchers share CZ’s enthusiasm, though some think it could be other factors that push up the bitcoin price.
“I still think that bitcoin will hit $100,000 by end of December 2021,” Anthony Pompliano, the cofounder of bitcoin and crypto investment group Morgan Creek Digital, said last month, pointing to bitcoin’s “fixed supply” and “increasing demand” as the reason for bitcoin’s performance.
Elsewhere, others are not so upbeat—with the the chief executive of China-based investment advisory group RockTree Capital last month forecasting we could see the bitcoin price dip.


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GERMANTOWN, Wisc., Dec. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- 2013 Fleetwood Mac Tickets are expected to sell quickly once on-sales occur on December 14 and 17, 2012. Tickets will be available to the public for 34 tour dates in the United States and Canada. The tour will run from April 4, 2013 in Columbus to June 12 in Detroit.
Along the way, Fleetwood Mac will perform in seven cities in Canada and 27 cities in the United States. This is the band's first official tour since 2009, so fans have been waiting a long time to Buy Fleetwood Mac Tickets.
Many band members have joined and left Fleetwood Mac since 1967, but the 2013 tour will include long-standing members Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood. Although the band will not promote a new studio album on the tour, many critics and fans speculate that a new album will be released soon. Fleetwood Mac has already said that they will be performing some new music as part of the 2013 tour. The band will also include many of their greatest hits.
Although the North American leg of the tour winds up on June 12, the band will continue to tour throughout the world. Concerts are expected in Europe and Australia, and additional dates and locations will likely be added to the tour schedule in the near future. Fleetwood Mac will begin rehearsing for this exciting tour in February 2013.
It's best to secure Fleetwood Mac Tickets as soon as they go on sale at 10:00 am. There are actually two on-sale dates for the upcoming tour: December 14 (pre-sale) and 17 (public on-sale). On both of those dates, QueenBeeTickets.com will list an impressive variety of Fleetwood Mac tickets for all 34 performances at bargain prices.
Smart consumers save both time and money by shopping for event tickets at QueenBeeTickets.com. The website offers an incredible variety of tickets for live events at discounted prices. Whether fans are searching for Crossroads Guitar Festival Tickets, BCS Championship Tickets, or Super Bowl XLVII Tickets, they will find the authentic tickets they need at QueenBeeTickets.com.Media Contact:
Andrea Pedersen Queen Bee Tickets, LLC, 2624229800, firstname.lastname@example.org
News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com
SOURCE Queen Bee Tickets, LLC


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We already mentioned that the Wikimedia Foundation will be officially launching its travel site, WikiVoyage, today, the 15th of January. Well, just in time for 12th anniversary founding of Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation is announcing the launch of its free online travel guide today. Similar to its sister site, Wikivoyage is free to edit, free of ads, and built collaboratively by volunteers from across the world.
Published under a Creative Commons license, users are given the right to read, copy, print, save, download, modify, distribute, sell, and update its content, given that the terms of the free license are respected. Wikivoyage is currently available in nine languages including Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. The Wikimedia Foundation says that WikiVoyage already has approximately 50,000 articles, which are edited and improved by a group of 200 volunteer editors. You can check out the newly-launched site here.
Filed in Wikipedia.. Read more about


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Many restaurants have aspired to bring their diners an organic experience.
The concept isn't new. A lot of restaurateurs want to give customers a culinary concept that reminds them of their childhood or that takes them to a different time -- like paleo that takes from food eaten long before.
But a new London restaurant is one-upping all back-to-basics attempts, with what will no doubt prove to be a truly eye-catching concept -- naked dining.
The Bunyadi is a clothing-optional pop-up restaurant that will be opening in London in June. The idea has been developed by Seb Lyall, who was responsible for a popular Breaking Bad-themed pop-up last year.
Mr Lyall told The Washington Post eating naked is a liberating experience and part of it will also serve as a social experiment.
"There is a whole business of victimising people based on body image, but we are making a business out of correcting it," Mr Lyall said.
But it's not only the customers who will be nude. The food and dining room will follow through too, being free of industrial and modern impurities like chemical, gas, metal, electric lights and smartphones.
The kitchen staff will be clothed and the waiters will be in minimal clothing for hygiene purposes. Photography will not be allowed.
The waiting list is expected to soar and is already 25,000 names long.


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By Danielle Burr
August 3, 2020 at 5:00 am ET
Few industries have been harder hit or more resilient during the pandemic than the restaurant industry. Restaurants of all sizes are working around the clock to serve customers in any way possible, and many are looking to new technology or delivery platforms for additional support. And now, it’s clear that despite the value provided by delivery platforms in moments like the current environment, independent restaurants need more help from the federal government to survive.
At Uber Eats, we are invested in the best possible experience for all stakeholders. For consumers, this has meant increased access to their favorite restaurants during the pandemic. And for couriers, we’ve worked hard to secure additional aid through the Paycheck Protection Program and provide personal protective equipment reimbursement for those who choose to keep earning on the Uber platform.
At this moment, though, the independent restaurants, diners, eateries and bars across the country need urgent relief. As the service sector is working to transform complex operations and meet changing demands, we’re honored to innovate alongside restaurant operators — reducing their need to stay on the cutting edge of market trends — to produce flexible service and reliable sales.
To better understand how third-party delivery can best support restaurants, Uber partnered with Technomic, an industry-leading market research firm, to survey more than 400 restaurants across the United States and Canada in June.
The findings were eye-opening, with many respondents noting the benefits of delivery platforms. Eighty-one percent of restaurants in the survey reported that they would have had to lay off staff members if not for third-party delivery. Even more, three-fourths of the restaurants in the survey noted they would have had to close if not for Uber Eats. While these findings are encouraging, they also illuminate the uncertainty of the restaurant industry at this moment — which is why we are working hard to increase revenues and expand customer bases for our restaurant partners and couriers.
Third-party delivery has played a significant role in helping to offset the steep decline in sales, especially as dine-in restrictions have been implemented and at-risk populations have fewer opportunities to order out. Over 70 percent of restaurant operators in the survey have seen third-party sales increase during the COVID-19 outbreak thus far — providing a level of reliability for both couriers and restaurant operators. Those partnering with Uber Eats reported an even greater impact than others, including a larger increase in sales — as much as 40 percent for some of Uber Eats’ partners.
Although delivery platforms have been key pillars of COVID-era dining, there’s more work to be done and more help to be offered. For Uber Eats, that means introducing leading safety features and policies to support restaurants and delivery drivers, new financial tools to manage cash flow and receipts, waived onboarding costs for new restaurants on the platform and zero service fees for pickup orders. We also introduced a first-of-its-kind feature for customers to donate directly to restaurants: To date, Uber Eats customers have contributed more than $17 million to local restaurants. As the crisis evolves, we continue to innovate and offer new product advancements built to support restaurants’ evolving needs during these times.
In many ways, the post-COVID economic recovery will be powered by small businesses like independent restaurants and eateries. Ensuring that these establishments have every tool they need to succeed will be critical. For delivery partners, this can mean providing a seamless ordering experience, without commissions, or expanding software tools to allow managers to access order flow and completion from a mobile device. For policymakers and other stakeholders, this hopefully means more direct aid for restaurants and bars.
We’re proud to support the RESTAURANTS Act, from Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), which would create a $120 billion relief fund. These urgent measures should not be delayed.
Our favorite restaurants around the country have faced countless challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’re honored to work alongside entrepreneurs and operators as they reinvent dining and takeout almost overnight. Delivery platforms can play a role in helping establishments recover, and the feeling is generally mutual. In fact, more than 9 in 10 of the restaurants surveyed said they want to continue working with third-party delivery services even after the coronavirus outbreak is over. As for Uber Eats, we’re committed to developing new tools and expanding opportunities for restaurants, eaters and couriers across the country, helping move forward in the economic recovery.
Danielle Burr is the head of federal affairs at Uber.
Morning Consult welcomes op-ed submissions on policy, politics and business strategy in our coverage areas. Updated submission guidelines can be found here.
This op-ed has been updated with a new link describing Uber’s PPE reimbursement.