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A growing number of M&A deals and funding rounds are bringing together some of the biggest names in the fashion and luxury space. In November, a $1.15 billion deal came to light, bringing together Cartier’s parent company Richemont, Chinese e-commerce titan Alibaba, and fashion retail platform Farfetch. The headline-making transaction followed from reports that a “mega deal” was in the making. In addition to proving noteworthy because it brought together three very big names in the fashion sphere in furtherance of an effort that largely focuses on “providing luxury brands with enhanced access to the China market,” the alliance is striking, as it has given rise to speculation about a potential consolidation, with at least some analysts wondering aloud whether the $1.15 billion tie-up could be “a preamble” a larger M&A effort, namely, Richemont merging Yoox Net-a-Porter with Farfetch or the Swiss conglomerate selling the fashion e-commerce pioneer to Alibaba.
Around the same time, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton decided to make good on an acquisition effort of its own, the one it had also been quietly (and then not so quietly) working towards: Tiffany & Co. Just a matter of days before the Farfetch-Alibaba-YNAP deal was confirmed, LVMH and Tiffany revealed that they had managed to put their rival lawsuits to bed and come to agreeable terms under which the famed New York-based jewelry stalwart could be brought under the ownership umbrella of the Paris-based luxury goods titan. In exchange for $15.8 billion, LVMH would acquire all shares in the formerly publicly-traded Tiffany & Co.
Both instances come as consolidation has been top of mind in the luxury space, where the biggest groups, such as Louis Vuitton-owner LVMH and Gucci’s parent company Kering, have amassed sizable rosters of brands over the past several decades by way of various fashion and luxury-centric M&A transactions, thereby, enabling them to benefit from sheer size and scale, while making it more difficult for independently-owned brands to compete. The havoc wreaked on brands’ balance sheets by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shift online (and the expenses that come with doing that and doing it well) is expected to accelerate that existing fashion industry M&A activity even further.
“With the financial difficulties [brought about by COVID] in mind, many players, and in particular the smallest, will become more-affordable M&A targets,” according to Isabelle Chaboud, an Associate Professor in the Finance, Accounting and Law Department of Grenoble Ecole de Management. “The most financially solid players – such as LVMH, Kering or Chanel – will no doubt have the option of buying out competitors, subcontractors and even suppliers.” (For a timeline of supplier-specific M&A, you can find that here.)
A Timeline of Transactions
With the foregoing in mind, here is a running timeline of the most recent fashion and luxury-focused M&A and investments dating back to LVMH’s headline-making deal with Tiffany & Co. …
Sept. 12, 2023 – Birkenstock Announces IPO
Birkenstock announced on September 12 that it will list shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker BIRK – without disclosing how many shares it will list or what the anticipated price range for those shares will be. It did, however, reveal that its net revenue for the six months ending on March 31 amounted to 644.17 million euros ($692.87 million), up 19 percent, and its profit was 40.21 million euros (down 45.3 percent). The WSJ reports that German footwear company listed entities affiliated with L Catterton, the U.S. private-equity firm, as the selling shareholder in the IPO, which is being underwritten by Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, and Morgan Stanley. “Entities affiliated with L Catterton will control a majority of the combined voting power of the shares after the offering,” the company confirmed.
Aug. 24, 2023 – Rolex to Acquire Bucherer
Rolex has agreed to acquire Bucherer in what is being characterized as “a major tie-up in the closely held luxury-watch industry that will give it more control over how its watches are sold.” 135-year-old Switzerland-based Bucherer, which operates more than 100 stores globally, more than half of which stock Rolex watches, “will keep its name and continue to independently run its business,” Rolex said Thursday, as reported by the WSJ, which notes that “Rolex’s move deeper into the retailing side of the business is a major shift for the Swiss manufacturer. While the company authorizes hundreds of retailers around the world to sell its watches, Rolex only owns and operates one store in Geneva.” The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Aug. 24, 2023 – Forever 21 and Shein Form Joint Venture
Forever 21 and Shein are joining forces in furtherance of a joint venture that will see the Chinese ultra-fast fashion giant acquire about a third of Forever 21′s operator, Sparc Group, while Sparc will also take a minority stake in Shein. (Sparc is, itself, a joint venture between brand holding/management company Authentic Brands Group and Simon Property Group, the biggest shopping mall owner in the U.S.) “For Shein, the deal will give the company a larger presence in U.S. malls, where its current customers and potential new customers shop,” per CNBC, which notes that the company plans to “test new approaches, such as shop-in-shops and allowing customers to make returns in stores.”
Aug. 24, 2023 – Ghost Raises $30M in Series B Round
Ghost has raised $30 million in Series B round found led by Cathay Innovation with participation from existing investors Union Square Ventures, Equal Ventures and Eniac Ventures. The round brings the Los Angeles-based members-only B2B marketplace’s funding to date to $68 million to date. It plans to use the new funds to hire for several roles in product, engineering and design while developing its platform further to meet rising demand. Since coming out of stealth with a $20 million Series A in July of 2022, Ghost counts over 1,000 members, including some of the world’s best brands and global retailers in categories such as apparel, footwear, beauty and home goods, which use its platform to unload surplus inventory.
Aug. 14, 2023 – In-Seam Raises $2M in Pre-Seed Round
In-Seam has raised $2 million in a Pre-Seed round led by Far Out VC on the heels of raising $120,000 via a convertible note in November 2022. The New York-based company says that it “helps connectors in the U.S. (aka personal shoppers, stylists, and sales personnel), who’s personal relationships account for the majority of luxury fashion sales, to better service their high-value clients by leveraging our platform to access the best product for their clients through our streamlined UI, curated network of luxury designers, and access to consignments, free shipping, and commissions.” Founded by Amy Wehren in 2020, In-Seam works with top luxury brands like Dior, Khaite, Ganni, Brandon Maxwell, Altuzarra, and Rosie Assoulin, as well as top personal shoppers and stylists across the U.S. “to shift the value chain and bring power, efficiency, and financial reward to the behind-the-scenes connectors whose personalized service drives luxury while reimagining connection for designers and clients alike.”
Aug. 10, 2023 – Tapestry to Acquire Capri Holding in $8.5B Deal
Tapestry will acquire Capri Holdings in a deal valued at $8.5 billion. In furtherance of the deal, Tapestry – which owns Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman – will pay Capri shareholders $57 per share in cash, or $6.69 billion, to acquire the group, whose holdings consists of Versace, Jimmy Choo and Michael Kors. “Once the deal closes, it will create an American fashion giant that – while still not quite as large as its European competitors [like LVMH, Kering, and Richemont, in particular] – will be better positioned to compete in the luxury market,” CNBC reported.
“We’ve created a dynamic, data-driven consumer engagement platform that has fueled our success, fostering innovation, agility, and strong financial results. From this position of strength, we are ready to leverage our competitive advantages across a broader portfolio of brands,” Tapestry CEO Joanne Crevoiserat said in a statement. Meanwhile, Capri Holdings’ CEO John Idol said, “We are confident this combination will deliver immediate value to our shareholders. It will also provide new opportunities for our dedicated employees around the world as Capri becomes part of a larger and more diversified company.”
Aug. 8, 2023 – Advent Takes Majority Stake in Zimmermann
Private equity firm Advent has acquired a majority stake in Zimmermann from founder-sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann and the Milan-based Style Capital fund (the latter of which acquired an estimated 70 percent stake in 2016 from American private equity firm General Atlantic), in a deal that reportedly values the Australian fashion brand at $1.5 billion. The Zimmermann family will retain a minority stake in the 32-year-old, Sydney, Australia-based brand. “The investment by Advent will allow Zimmermann to speed up expansion abroad including in Asia and the Middle East, and boost its distribution network, including the digital offer,” Advent, Zimmermann and Style Capital said in a joint statement as reported by Reuters.
Jul. 28, 2023 – Richemont Acquires Controlling Stake in Gianvito Rossi
Richemont has acquired a controlling stake in Gianvito Rossi, the renowned Italian shoemaking Maison, in “a private transaction.” Cartier-owned Richemont said in a statement that founder Gianvito Rossi, who serves as the CEO and Creative Director of the eponymous brand, “will retain a stake in the company and continue to nurture and develop the Maison in partnership with Richemont.” Mr. Rossi said in connection with the deal, “I have found in Richemont a partner who shares common values such as the greatest attention to quality, design and craftsmanship and the preservation of tradition handed down from generation to generation. I decided to choose them to keep developing the brand worldwide and for their expertise and model of global expansion. Our partnership will be beneficial for the company’s next stage of growth, and we look forward to starting this exciting new chapter together with a spirit of fruitful cooperation.”
Jul. 27, 2023 – Kering to Acquire 30% Stake in Valentino
Kering and Mayhoola have entered into a binding agreement for the acquisition by Kering of a 30% shareholding in Valentino, for a cash consideration of €1.7 billion. The parties said in a statement that “the agreement comprises an option for Kering to acquire 100% of the share capital of Valentino no later than 2028. The transaction is part of a broader strategic partnership between Kering and Mayhoola, which could lead to Mayhoola becoming a shareholder in Kering.” Moreover, they asserted that “the strategic partnership will further support the brand elevation strategy implemented by Valentino CEO Jacopo Venturini,” with Kering to become “a significant shareholder with Board representation, [while] Mayhoola will remain the majority shareholder with 70% of the share capital and will continue to execute on the successful brand elevation strategy.”
As part of the broader partnership, Kering and Mayhoola say that they will “explore potential joint opportunities in line with their respective development strategies.” The transaction is expected to close by end of 2023, subject to clearance by the relevant competition authorities.
Jul. 19, 2023 – SKIMS Raises $270M in Series C
Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS has raised $270 million in a Series C round led by Wellington Management with participation from Greenoaks Capital Partners, D1 Capital Partners, and Imaginary Ventures, bringing the company valuation to $4 billion. That is up from a valuation of approximately $3.2 billion in 2022. SKIMS co-founder and CEO Jens Grede told The New York Times DealBook that the company expects to generate $750 million in sales in 2023, up from $500 million in 2022. As for the company’s plans, “At some point in the future, Skims deserves to be a public company,” he said.
Jul. 19, 2023 – Musinsa Raises Almost $190M in Series C
Musinsa raised 240 billion won ($189.7 million) in its Series C round from a consortium led by global private equity giant KKR & Co. Inc., with participation from U.S. investment firm Wellington Management Co. The round, which brings Musinsa’s valuation to the mid-3 trillion won mark, follows from a 130 billion won Series B in 2021 and a 100 billion won Series A in 2019. South Korea’s leading fashion platform, Musinsa will use the new funds to “strengthen its profitability, secure the intellectual property of overseas fashion brands that haven’t yet entered the Korean market and invest in promising designer brands.”
Jul. 6, 2023 – Ten Thousand Raises $21.5M in Series A
Ten Thousand has raised $21.5 million in a Series A round led by Provenance with participation from Fernbrook and Alfa, which join existing seed investors, including Dave Gilboa (co-founder of Warby Parker), Blue Scorpion, and Elizabeth St Ventures. The New York-headquartered men’s activewear brand, which was founded and is led by Keith Nowak, will use the new funds to “grow [its] team, invest in more inventory, and explore retail, larger partnerships and new marketing channels.”
Jun. 29, 2023 – Authentic Brands Group Raises $500M in New Round
Authentic Brands Group has raised $500 million from growth-equity investor General Atlantic, nabbing a reported valuation of more than $20 billion in the process. “General Atlantic first invested in Authentic Brands in 2017 and has now invested a total $2 billion in the company,” per Bloomberg. “Other investors in Authentic Brands include BlackRock Inc.’s private equity arm, mall operator Simon Property Group Inc., Leonard Green & Partners and retired basketball star Shaquille O’Neal.”
Jun. 20, 2023 – Frasers Group Acquires 5% Stake in Boohoo
Frasers Group has taken a 5 percent stake in Boohoo in a strategic move given the fast fashion retailer’s “attractive proposition to us with its laser focus on young female consumers.” In a statement, Frasers said that its “sees potential synergies and an opportunity to strengthen our own brand proposition in collaboration with Boohoo, most obviously with Frasers Group brands I Saw It First and Missguided.” The terms of the investment have not been disclosed.
This is a short (and incomplete) excerpt from a data set that is published exclusively for TFL Enterprise subscribers. For access to our up-to-date fashion investment and M&A tracker, inquire today about how to sign up for an Enterprise subscription.


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Cyber criminals are getting smarter and their numbers are growing. So how do you protect your business from attack?
In this edition of BTalk, Patrik Runald (Senior Manager, Security Research at Websense Security Labs) describes how cyber criminals are now able to buy mass-marketed exploit kits over the Internet. That means when a software provider releases a patch, very often hackers will see what the patch tries to fix and sell their own software to exploit that vulnerability.
The rise in exploit kits means many more people can become cyber criminals in, what Patriuck describes as the wild, wild west.
The big question is, will we ever be beaten by it? If there are 70-90,000 new malicious files every day, and the size of the issue is growing, will we reach a point where we just can’t cope? Although security software is a big help, what else do we need to do to stem the tide?

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Those are just some of the ideas being discussed by a committee of young residents and business people organized by business owner Betty Louie.
The bottom line, says the committee, is that Chinatown is looking worn and dumpy and something must be done to update it.
“My thought is to showcase what farmers are doing here now and also cleaning up a lot of food,” said up and coming chef Brandon Jew. ” A lot of it is getting rid of imported stuff from China and just make it here.”
Restauranteur George Chen is set to turn a 20,000 square foot property on Broadway into a food marketplace and destination restaurant.
You can read about plans to update the decor in Chinatown on CBS SF.


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It may be a winter tradition, but this week’s celebrity style was hot, hot, hot!
This may be due to the menswear shows currently taking place in Europe, which have created many photogenic moments.Louis Vuitton menswear designer Laura Abecassis Sartore A glimpse into the fitting of the collection by guest designer Kidsuper. Meanwhile, sister band Haim has doubled down on its commitment to wearing professionally coordinated outfits, mostly those designed by Louis Vuitton.
On the other side of the pond, stars like Ariana Grande and Lizzo have opted for a naturalistic approach with front-facing cameras. Grande took the form of an emotional rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” which she sang while wrapped in a giant baby pink knit.Lizzo shared a series of photos with a self-aware caption. .
At the more glamorous front, singer FKA Twigs unveiled the Jean Paul Gaultier archives obtained from the trending online archive shop CopMeIfYouCan.
May these snaps pull you out of the winter blues and remind you that serving is seasonless.


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Stating that the new MSME classification criteria will defeat the Atma Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India), RSS-affiliated Laghu Udyog Bharati has sought urgent intervention from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
The MSME trade body has said that the change in definition of MSMEs will allow large corporates and multi-national companies (MNCs) to have indirect control of the manufacturing sector in India through their subsidiaries.
"It will also promote trading of imported goods rather than manufacturing and innovation in our country as there is no direct incentive for the Micro and Small Industries (MSIs) to do so. The inclusion of service enterprises and trading services with increased turnover limits will provide all the privileges of MSIs to them by depriving the MSIs," said a statement jointly issued by Laghu Udyog Bharati President Baldevbhai Prajapati and Secretary General Govind Lele.
Removing the distinction between a manufacturing and a service enterprise, the government has substantially raised the turnover criteria for MSMEs, thus covering a large number of firms into its fold.
As per the new definition, an enterprise with an investment of Rs 1 crore or less and annual turnover of upto Rs 5 crore will be considered a micro enterprise. The investment limit for small enterprise tag has been raised to Rs 10 crore while turnover limit increased to Rs 50 crore. For medium enterprises, investment limit has been increased to Rs 50 crore while turnover limit is capped at Rs 250 crore.
As part of the new definition, exports will not be counted in turnover for any enterprises whether micro, small or medium.
"These kinds of exclusions and the substantial increase in the previous limits, together are likely to provide a window for the medium and large scale industries to indirectly squeeze in the MSME space, exploiting the concessions and privileges, especially like the priority lending norms given to the banks for the MSME sector and the 25 per cent purchase reservation policies for the government departments and PSUs," the RSS associate said.
It further said that the changes notified through a gazette notification will certainly lead to the already beleaguered MSIs to face further hardships as they are incapable of competing with the mighty medium and large-scale industries.
The trade body has urged PMO to take immediate cognisance of the issues and direct concerned departments to take corrective actions.
Copyright©2023 Living Media India Limited. For reprint rights: Syndications Today


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Earlier this week, Citrix announced the new features that will be part of XenDesktop 5.0, the company’s virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) platform.
Besides the obvious presence of XenClient 1.0, officially released last month and already included in XenDesktop 4 Feature Pack 2, the most relevant new component of the platform is called Desktop Director, an additional web-based console for operations management.
The tool provides statistics about the deployed applications instances and virtual desktops, the software inventory usage and even basic information about the health of underlying infrastructure.
If an end-user reports a problem, Desktop Director can be used to analyze the desktop environment and recognize if there’s any performance bottleneck or any missing software component (like the Flash plug-in for internet browsers). From the new console, operators can also launch a Remote Assistance session on Windows desktops and directly solve misconfiguration errors.
One of the most useful capabilities anyway, is the one that allows operators to recognize unused virtual desktops and terminate them in different ways (put them in maintenance mode, powering them off, logging-out inactive users, etc.), freeing up resources inside the virtual data center.
Citrix published a video tour of Desktop Director here.
The second new piece of XenDesktop 5 is called Desktop Studio, an authoring solution to build, test and update desktop images.
Thanks to this component, the installation and configuration of a new VDI has been dramatically reduced: Citrix reports that a corporation can start deploying new virtual desktops within 10 minutes.
Citrix published a video tour of Desktop Studio here.
The third most significant change in XenDesktop 5 is a revamped Citrix Received, the platform’s client, which now acts as a unified access portal for applications stored inside virtual desktops, terminal server silos, private and public Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) clouds.
The new Receiver uses a new single-sign on (SSO) technology, OpenCloud Access, to allow a corporate user to access on-premises and cloud-based applications, but Citrix didn’t detail yet how the identity management works and what kind of limitations it has.
Citrix has also improved the Receiver performance for audio/video traffic through a new version of the HDX technology, which now supports 32bit color depth and a new dynamic color compression algorithm.
Citrix’s strategy is to place receiver on every device that a corporation may decide to adopt, without betting on any specific one. So it’s expected that the new capabilities will be available for Windows and Windows Phone, Mac OS and iOS, Android, BlackBerry OS platforms as well as the upcoming new ones like the HP/Palm WebOS, the Google Chrome OS or the Cisco Cius OS.
In its new incarnation, the Receiver replaces the previous Citrix attempt to offer self-service provisioning for enterprise applications: Dazzle, a clone of Apple iTunes.
The new Receiver makes Dazzle unnecessary, and allows Citrix to better compete against the recently announced Project Horizon, that VMware plans to include in its VDI platform View next year.
XenDesktop 5 will be generally available later this quarter. Suggested pricing will start at $95 per user or device for the VDI-only edition.
While waiting for the GA, interested customers can already take a free, 60-minutes training course: Citrix XenDesktop Overview, updated to discuss the features of the upcoming 5.0 release.


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- Online Beauty Retailer Nykaa Records 10 Lakh Subscribers - February 21, 2020
- Ixigo Trains is the World’s 6th Most Downloaded Travel Application - January 24, 2020
- Ratan Tata Invests in CabCompany Ola’s Electric Vehicle Project - January 2, 2020
Grofers has raised $200 Million in its series F funding round led by Softbank Vision Fund.
Grofers valuation reaches $600-700 Million.
Grofers works with 4,000-5,000 small merchants who assist the company in fulfilling its orders.
Online grocery retailer Grofers has raised $200 Million in its series F funding round. The funding round is led by Softbank Vision Fund. Its existing investors Sequoia Capital, KTB Ventures and Tiger Global also participated in the funding round. It has attained the status of the highest fundraising company in India’s online grocery delivery industry. The latest fundraising is inclusive of $60 Million raised funds by the startup in February 2019. Post this fundraising the company’s valuation has reached close to $1 Billion.
Grofers opponent Bigbasket also revealed that it has raised $150 million from China’s Alibaba Group and South Korea-based Mirae-Naver. By this round valuation of Bigbasket has crossed a $1 Billion mark.
Grofers was founded by IITians Albinder Dhindsa and Saurabh Kumar. Currently, Grofers operates only in Eastern Region out of Kolkata. By using existing warehouses in the NCR region, the company is going to spread its services to nearby cities such as Rohtak, Bhiwadi, and Meerut. Grofers works with 4,000-5,000 small merchants who assist the company in fulfilling its orders.
Co-founder Dhindsa said, “We are very close to breaking even in Delhi and we have managed to break even in Gurgaon and Noida regions. Kolkata numbers are also on the verge of turning positive.” He also added by end of the current financial year many more cities will turn profitable except for the ones in western and southern India, where Grofers is still in investment mode. At the company level, we will start making profits by 2020- 21.”
Grofers is aggressively enhancing its business and trying hard to give tough competition to its rival Bigbasket.
Stay connected with us for latest updates!


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Replica Hublot, according to a video on YouTube channel of the company.It is published this week.A known as the Hublot G Watch R smart watches, circle elegant display.
Video display Hublot in IFA announced the new smart watches With circular dial.Watch this video did not disclose the Hublot G R details, but we can find that.It USES the classic round Watch dial. Watch video also shows that Hublot G R will be released in this year’s international consumer electronics exhibition in Berlin.
Besides learning Watch design from traditional, Hublot Watch R G.It seems still learning other design from MOTOROLA smart watches. MOTOROLA will be held in Chicago on September 4, announced a new product release its smart Moto 360 watches products. Moto use circular dial 360, price is $250 , the configuration of 1.5 inch backlit LCD touch screen.
Hublot in June released the first generation of smart Watch G Watch products, also marked the first time yahoo platform into the field of smart watches. Smart watch is the hot topic of science and technology on the market, has attracted many manufacturers, but the present situation of the smart watch can use failed to sell to describe. yahoo announced the Android operating system in intelligent watch to Wear.


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POMPANO BEACH, Fla., Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Kalashnikov USA said it plans to build a factory in Pompano Beach, Fla., where it will manufacture the AK-47 assault rifle.
Kalashnikov USA previously imported weapons from Kalashnikov Concern, the original AK-47 manufacturer in Moscow, but began producing them last year in Tullytown, Pa., soon after sanctions were imposed against Russia by the United States over President Vladimir Putin's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The guns created in Pompano Beach are expected be sold to retailers nationwide, as the licenses given to Kalashnikov USA do not allow the company to sell guns in the South Florida city, nor make ammunition, CNN reported.
The AK-47 is one of the most popular assault rifles in the world, known for its durability and reliability. The price of the weapon has increased significantly since sanctions were imposed.
Named after its designer, Mikhail Kalashnikov, the Avtomat Kalashnikova -- or Kalashnikov Automatic Rifle -- went into production in 1947; thus named AK-47.


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Remember, this past December we shared with you all about the exciting DIESEL❤VES collaboration?! Now, let’s check out part two which just launched:
The two denim giants, in theory competitors, united to create a collection of jeans fully constructed from fabric sourced from both brands’ respective unsold stock. Artisanal conceived and crafted to embrace differences in length and rise, each DIESEL❤VES LEE jean either has Diesel denim on front and Lee on the back, or vice-versa. One half Lee, one half Diesel: every pair one of a kind.
“Lee is proud to be part of this transformative initiative; it’s a reflection of our shared commitment to driving meaningful change by uniting our expertise,” said Simon Fisher, managing director of Lee Europe. “Through this capsule collection, Lee and Diesel redefine competition by prioritizing innovation. By joining forces, we harness our collective strengths to lead by example, one denim at a time.”
As the everyday uniform of modern life, denim is something everyone has in common despite our differences. This collaboration represents the power of denim to unite in line with both brands’ commitment to creatively finding a new use for unsold, excess inventory.
Requiring significant development to harmonize all the different fits, treatments and sizings, the capsule has two fits and four styles playing on the brands’ combined heritage – two men’s straight fits, two women’s boot/flare fits – and features customized trim and unique details enriched with raw-cut and needle-stitched side seams.
“It’s easier to create something new than it is to repurpose a garment, especially when customers want it to look exactly like they do online,” said Glenn Martens, creative director for Diesel and the creator of DIESEL❤VES LEE “The small things you do can go far and deep. DIESEL❤VES LEE is the ideal opening act for our continuous call to action with DIESEL❤VES LEE. Two denim giants, often selling the exact same product with different logos, dropping our weapons and teaming up to address overconsumption and make something good and beautiful.”
Created exclusively for DIESELVES LEE, the limited-edition capsule is sold in select Diesel and Lee stores globally as well as on each brand’s owned websites.


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LAKE GEORGE — Freedom Boat Club has signed an alliance agreement with Jeanneau to cooperatively develop Freedom Boat Club franchises among its European dealer network.
The FBC franchise model is being offered to Jeanneau retailers in Europe who will have the opportunity to develop franchises in their local markets using Jeanneau outboard-powered boats, according to a news release.
Multiple FBC locations are expected to be open in France this spring, with additional expansion elsewhere throughout Europe to follow.
Club owners Matt and Rebecca O’Hara said they are very excited to expand the club.
“Our Freedom Boat Club Lake George members can now travel to over 150 domestic locations and with the international locations on the horizon, we expect demand for our club to increase,” said Rebecca O’Hara in a news release. “For less than the cost of a seasonal dock space, members can boat from New York, to California, to now France.”


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France's CMA CGM Group, one of the world's top container shipping companies, plans to develop India's largest container port in a joint venture with local Adani Ports & SEZ.
The 50:50 venture will add a fourth terminal at the Mundra port in the western state of Gujarat and marks the first port investment in India by the French firm, CMA CGM partners said in a notice to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
Construction on the facility is due to begin immediately, and its completion, expected in two years, will make Mundra the country's largest container port, the statement said.
Farid Salem, executive officer of CMA CGM, said his company had "strong ambitions" in India.
"With this investment, CMA CGM and Adani Ports will develop a state-of-the-art infrastructure that will play a key role for the development of the country's industry," he said.
Adani Ports & SEZ is part of the Adani Group, founded by billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani, who has been closely linked to India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Critics have accused Modi, previously chief minister of Gujarat state where he earned his business-friendly reputation, of favouring Adani with cheap land to build the Mundra port.


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Trends in the markets for commercial vehicles
We expect trends in the markets for light commercial vehicles in the individual regions to be mixed again in 2016. Overall, we envisage slight growth in demand, a trend that is likely to continue in the period 2017 to 2020.
Given that the economy is expected to recover further in 2016, we estimate that demand for light commercial vehicles in Western Europe will be in line with the prior-year figure. We anticipate that new registrations in Germany will be around the previous year’s level.
In the Central and Eastern European markets, registrations of light commercial vehicles in 2016 will probably be flat on the previous year. We also expect the market volume in Russia to remain stable compared with 2015.
In North and South America, the light vehicle market is reported as part of the passenger car market, which includes both passenger cars and light commercial vehicles.
The market volume in the Asia-Pacific region in 2016 will probably record a modest increase year-on-year. We are expecting demand in the Chinese market to be up on the previous year. For India we are forecasting a substantially higher volume in 2016 than in the reporting period. In the Japanese market, the downward trend is likely to continue in 2016 at a moderate pace. In the ASEAN region, we assume that the market will grow in 2016.
In the markets for mid-sized and heavy trucks that are relevant for the Volkswagen Group, new registrations in 2016 are set to drop slightly below the prior-year level. For the period 2017 to 2020 we anticipate a positive trend, however.
We expect to see demand in Western Europe and Germany slightly edge up year-on-year in 2016.
Central and Eastern European markets should also record a slight uptick in demand. Following the significant slump in the Russian market in 2015, we are forecasting a moderate recovery in demand. Despite this backlog effect, the Russian market as a whole will remain at a low level.
As pent-up demand in the US truck market has become saturated, new registrations in North America in 2016 will probably be down appreciably on the prior-year figure.
Demand in the Brazilian market in 2016 will be substantially lower than the already weak figure recorded in the previous year. This is attributable to the economic conditions, which continue to be weighed down by the muted business climate and negative growth rates.
For China, the world’s largest truck market, the significant market decline in 2015 will result in pent-up demand, so registrations in 2016 will probably be noticeably higher than in the previous year. Nevertheless, this market will not reach the high level recorded in preceding years. In India, we expect sizable growth in the market on the strength of the positive economic climate and the implementation of numerous infrastructure measures.
In the bus markets that are relevant for the Volkswagen Group, we expect that demand will decrease perceptibly in 2016. Following the sharp increase in Western Europe in 2015, we are likely to see demand dip slightly in 2016. For Central and Eastern Europe, we are forecasting that the volume of demand will be down significantly on the previous year. In South America, new registrations will probably also be substantially lower than the prior-year level.
For the period 2017 to 2020, we expect moderate growth overall in the bus markets that are relevant for the Volkswagen Group.


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19 October 2022 | News
Acquisition strengthens Indegene as it partners with a single service provider
image credit- shutterstock
Bengaluru-based Indegene, a digital-first, life sciences commercialization company, has announced the acquisition of US-based CultHealth, a full-service, healthcare marketing agency for many life sciences brands.
The acquisition by ILSL Inc., a subsidiary of Indegene Private Limited, augments Indegene’s commercialization portfolio spanning drug discovery and development to marketing and sales, adding brand strategy and market development capabilities along with patient engagement platforms.
The global spend on medicine is projected to reach $2.1 trillion by 2025. Life sciences companies in the top 10 countries are expected to launch 290-315 products from 2022 through 2026, accounting for $196 billion in forecasted sales. However, only 1 in 5 products launched in the US reached a revenue of $1 billion from 2004 to 2016 and 50% of all products launched over the past 15 years failed to reach peak US sales of $250 million.
In an increasingly complex business and regulatory environment, life sciences companies seek deep brand and marketing strategy expertise as they explore modern, data-driven ways of ensuring launch success and building a personalized brand experience with omnichannel engagement journeys for patients and physicians.


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HTC today announced that its VIVE Pro Starter Kit and VIVE Consumer Edition virtual reality (VR) headsets will hit the Malaysian market from 31 October 2018. The leader in VR systems also introduced VIVEPORT, HTC VIVE’s global platform, app store and subscription service.
For hardcore enthusiasts, developers and enterprise users, the VIVE Pro Starter Kit is a complete premium solution that includes a VIVE Pro HMD, two wireless controllers and two SteamVR tracking Base Stations with room scale capability.
The consumer edition will be available for purchase via HTC’s online partners and major IT retailers starting early November. For early birds, HTC is offering a free 3-month subscription to VIVEPORT, limited to the first 200 customers.
VIVEPORT offers a curated library of over 1,400 diverse VR titles. A subscription allows customers to select five titles with unlimited access for MYR37.99 a month. There’s no monthly obligation and customers can cancel at any time.
In conjunction with the launch of the HTC VR kits, HTC VIVE will also enable VIVEPORT Arcade, a simple, intuitive content management system that allows arcade operators to flexibly control their VIVE VR stations.
VIVELAND is the first arcade store owned and operated by HTC VIVE, and it has worked with many arcade businesses worldwide.
For more information about VIVE VR, VIVE Pro Starter Kit or VIVEPORT, visit official VIVE website.


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iOS 17 is set to be unveiled a few days from now during the WWDC 2023 keynote. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, one of the new features expected is a new user interface with tweaks and enhancements on the Wallet app.
Although he only said the Wallet app would have “significant changes,” Google just published an article talking about five ways its wallet can improve people’s lives – and now I can’t wait for one of the features to land in iOS 17.
According to a blog post by Google Wallet executive Jenny Cheng, “While Google Wallet already supports a wide range of pass types, there are passes that haven’t always been easily saveable to your device. For example, I have a physical gym membership card that I use whenever I go to work out. It’s small and can easily be misplaced, but since it has a barcode on it, I’ll soon be able to simply take a photo of my card and create a secure, digital version of it in Wallet. Coming soon, this will work for any pass that contains a barcode or QR code and is also helpful for passes like transit QR tickets, parking passes, or e-commerce return QR codes.”
That said, imagine on iOS 17 Wallet if you can take a photo and create a secure, digital version of a QR Code for your gym, car parking, doctor’s appointment, or even at a workplace that requires this kind of pass.
Not only can this feature make your physical wallet lighter, but it’s useful so you don’t lose those little papers in your pocket.
In addition, Google is creating a “private pass” label in which you need to authenticate it’s you using it. While it’s already available for credit cards with the Apple/Google Wallet, iOS 17 could put some other cards behind this protection by only displaying sensitive info if authenticated again.
WWDC is just around the corner, and I hope Apple presents significant changes to the Wallet app in iOS 17, just as Google did.


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July 8, 2012
The following is the text of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s weekly radio address as prepared for delivery on 1010 WINS News Radio for Sunday, July 8, 2012.
“Good Morning. This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
“With delicious summer crops pouring in from local farms, the 138 farmers’ markets that serve New Yorkers are in full swing. And from now through November 15th, they’ll be doing more than ever to help New Yorkers eat healthy, stay healthy, and fight the obesity epidemic in our city. How? Because for the first time ever, they’ll all be accepting the City’s “Health Bucks.” That’s more than twice as many markets as did last year.
“A Health Buck is a coupon good for $2 worth of farmers’ market fruits and vegetables. Shoppers using Food Stamps at farmers’ markets receive a free $2 Health Buck for every $5 in purchases they make. Since 2005, we’ve also been distributing them to community organizations in low-income neighborhoods marked by high levels of diet-related illness, such as diabetes, and low levels of fresh produce consumption.
“Every way you measure it, the Health Bucks program has been a big success for both farmers and shoppers. A recent survey by the City’s Health Department found that farmers’ markets averaged more than twice as much a day in Food Stamp sales once they began accepting Health Bucks. Health Bucks also increased income to farmers at participating markets by an average of more than $2,700 a year. Most importantly, more than 70% of customers surveyed said that, thanks to Health Bucks, more fresh fruits and vegetables were in their diets. And now, with every farmers’ market in the city in the program, we expect $350,000 worth of free fresh fruits and vegetables to make their way onto New Yorkers’ tables through Health Bucks this summer and fall.
“The Health Bucks program is just one of the ways we’re improving access to healthy foods. Through our Green Carts program, we’ve also introduced nearly 500 fruit and vegetable stands to neighborhoods where fresh produce can be hard to find. This summer we’re also expanding the Stellar Farmers’ Markets program, which brings on-site nutrition education, shopping tips, and cooking demonstrations for turning fresh market produce into tasty, healthy home-cooked meals. These programs, along with other efforts to encourage healthy eating, reduce tobacco use, and expand opportunities for fitness and recreation, are a big reason why New Yorkers on average are living longer, healthier lives.
“Nevertheless, obesity and diabetes remain the only major health problems in our city that are actually getting worse – and sadly, they’re most prevalent in the low-income parts of our city. Our Administration is working hard to change that – for example, by our recent proposal to limit the sale of over-sized sugary drinks that are the leading contributor to rising levels of obesity and diabetes. It’s part of our efforts to help more New Yorkers enjoy a brighter, healthier future. Health Bucks are another great way to do that. For more information about them – and to find out locations and hours of farmers’ markets near you – call 311 or visit the City’s web site at nyc.gov.
“This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Thanks for listening.”


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G4TV, the United States based network and website that brings video game coverage to network television and had exclusive broadcasting rights to this past year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, has signed a deal that gives them those exclusive broadcast rights through the 2013 E3.
Adam Sessler, host of X-Play and Editor-in-Chief of games content for G4, wasted no time in crowing about the achievement:
“As we have demonstrated in the last five years, G4 is the only outlet that provides comprehensive coverage of an outstanding quality that both entertains and informs for the entire three-day show. With such reach, we can ensure that anyone who is unable to attend will feel like they are in the thick of the gaming madness from the comfort of their couch and with far less foot ache.”
Mr. Sessler is a good company man who knows who butters his bread, but this is terrible news for the average consumer who just wants news from E3. As Jim Sterling of Destructoid notes, G4/Comcast just essentially bought all of the seats at the table, which hurts bigger sites like Gamespot and IGN, and smaller sites like our own alike. Now, we all can only send our readers static, publisher-given assets and news releases, and consumers don’t have a choice of getting a large chunk of E3 coverage form their site of choice, be it ours or another site. Furthermore, if you’re a DirecTV customer, you’re doubly screwed, as G4 was dropped from the network on November 1st.1 It’s a hell of a cycle; DirecTV dropped G4 because of low viewership, yet now viewers *have* to view G4 to get video coverage from E3. There’s still the website, assuming the website holds up to the pressure, but again, we’ve got the same issue of a massive, heavy-handed corporation (Comcast, who own G4 Media) shutting out any and all competition to the detriment of their customers.
1 In the interests of full disclosure, I am a customer of both DirecTV for my satellite and Comcast for my internet.
The full press release is under the cut.
LOS ANGELES, November XX, 2010 – G4 and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) today announced a three-year deal naming the network the official broadcaster for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 Expo) through 2013. With this media partnership, G4’s team of gaming experts and popular on-air talent, including Adam Sessler, Morgan Webb, Kevin Pereira and Blair Herter, will bring viewers an unprecedented look inside the computer and video game industry’s biggest event with the high caliber coverage of the most important names in video games.
With over 24 total hours of LIVE broadcast coverage featuring exclusive news and original programming, as well as live-streaming events on g4tv.com, G4 will deliver the most extensive E3 Expo coverage and give gaming enthusiasts all the information and news they crave year after year.
“As the global epicenter of the gaming world, E3 Expo is one of the biggest and most important events of the year for G4’s audience,”Â said Neal Tiles, President, G4. “We are excited to have solidified G4 as the official broadcaster of E3 Expo for years to come and look forward to giving gamers a front row seat to all the big announcements, live news coverage and behind-the-scenes action.”Â
The multi-year broadcast partnership allows G4 to feature up-to-the-minute news and unparalleled on-air coverage to gaming enthusiasts LIVE from the Expo each year. Broadcast highlights will feature over 24 hours of LIVE coverage that includes a kick-off show, uninterrupted press conference coverage, developer interviews, hands-on walkthroughs and behind-closed-doors demos. With this unmatched level of E3 Expo news brought directly from the exposition floor, fans will never be left wanting.
“As we have demonstrated in the last five years, G4 is the only outlet that provides comprehensive coverage of an outstanding quality that both entertains and informs for the entire three-day show,” said Adam Sessler, host of X-Play and Editor-in-Chief of games content for G4. “With such reach, we can ensure that anyone who is unable to attend will feel like they are in the thick of the gaming madness from the comfort of their couch and with far less foot ache.”
Stay tuned to G4, g4tv.com, X-Play and Attack of the Show in the coming months to get the complete line-up of coverage for the annual expo.


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Letter to the editor: U.S. gun policies have gone berserk
"No shirt, no shoes, no service." This is a common policy businesses use to keep out those who they feel would be a detriment to their store and their customers. It's also a matter of courtesy that my behavior does not upset others' enjoyment in dining or shopping.
So, why is it so difficult for stores like Target in Dallas, Texas, to balk at no longer allowing customers to carry rifles into their store? ("Businesses Should Side With Mothers on Guns," June 11.) What does this have to do with Second Amendment rights of having "a well regulated militia?"
And, what message do we give as a society when we allow rifles in stores, but yet 6-year-old Tommy asks his parents why he can't take a squirt gun to school or use his hand to go "bang, bang" while playing cowboys during recess? This situation has gone berserk.
— Kevin Pokorny, Des Moines


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Since the dawn of the pandemic, the Food and Beverage industry has witnessed a massive increase in demand for food and grocery delivery services as customers isolate in the safety of their homes. In Thailand alone, around 20,0000 small- and medium-sized businesses signed up to food delivery platforms and the number of food deliveries grew by 150 percent in the first half of 2020.
However, this privilege comes with its drawbacks, namely the increasing amount of disposable plastic consumption. To address thi, Duncan Stewart, the founder and CEO of MenuVenu, shares a sustainable delivery solution that would benefit both the Food and Beverage (F&B) industry as well as its consumers.
A walk in The PARQ: Bangkok goes green with mixed use
With its green credentials and high-tech trimmings embodying modern office development, The PARQ provides an urban oasis in Bangkok for its tenants
China restricts land portions in a bid to end developers’ panic buying
As China’s central government aims to rein in runaway real estate prices, new measures restrict land auctions to three per year in large cities including Beijing and Shanghai
6 of the most breathtaking sights in Tangerang, Indonesia
Home to Jakarta’s international airport, Tangerang is emerging as a viable investment option thanks to its lifestyle and infrastructural perks
Equality hits a wall in Israel as West Bank becomes site of unlikely real estate boom
An emboldened Israel pushes forward with its construction of illegal settlements in Palestinian territory


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Halifax bills customers for glitch that took money twice
Halifax is attempting to charge customers twice for the same transaction after it made a mistake and put through some payments twice.
Customers had made direct payments from their bank accounts to pay for goods. But the bank paid the bills twice, though it only debited customers' accounts once.
Now Halifax is attempting to take a second payment from its customers even though they have not bought or paid for anything extra.
Naughty naughty: Halifax has attempted to charge some customers twice over
In a letter, it says: 'To recover the duplicate payment it is our intention to debit your account in 14 days. Unless we hear from you before this date we will assume that this is in order.'
Pensioners Eileen and Jeffrey Rye, from Brighton, received a letter last week saying book club BCA Collectors had received a £76.25 payment on January 13 twice.
But the money had only been taken from the Ryes' bank account once. Eileen, 62, says: 'I couldn't believe they were going to take this money for a mistake they had made. It is an outrageous cheek.'
When computer problems hit BACS payments, banks usually ask those who have received extra money to pay it back. Banks cannot debit money from your account without permission - unless it is a specific charge written into your terms and conditions.
As a result, when Eileen complained, Halifax agreed to drop the repayment.
A Halifax spokesman says: 'Due to an error, which affected a small number of customers, we duplicated some payments but only debited the customer's account once.
'We have contacted those customers affected to apologise. Each case will be reviewed on an individual basis. We recommend that any customer who has any concerns regarding this issue to get in touch with us.'
If you have received funds by accident, payments association Apacs says there is no obligation to pay it back. But, once you spend the money, it is theft.
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TOKYO—Toyota Motor Corp. rolled out its latest hybrid model Monday in Japan, looking to regain traction in sales hit by disasters this year in Japan and Thailand.
In what looks to be a promising start, the Japanese car maker said it had received orders for 60,000 Aqua hybrid cars ahead of its launch, five times the monthly sales target of 12,000 vehicles, Koei Saga, a Toyota managing officer, told reporters at a media briefing on the new hybrid.
Toyota said it would take about four months for customers to take possession of the cars after placing an order.
The robust orders bode well for the vehicle’s global debut next year. The car will be sold as the “Prius c” abroad and will be introduced in 50 countries, including the U.S., following its Japan rollout. Toyota will release a new small hybrid in Europe based on the Yaris compact and using the same hybrid system as the Aqua.
The company stopped short of disclosing global sales targets for the new hybrid, but last week Toyota outlined an ambitious sales target for 2012 to increase global sales by 20% to 8.48 million vehicles worldwide. That would be a reversal from an estimated 6% drop this year, partly based on expectations for the compact hybrid.
The Aqua boasts fuel economy of 35.4 kilometers per liter under Japan’s JC08 test cycle, outstripping the 32.6 kilometers/liter of its larger hybrid cousin, the Prius. The Aqua’s starting price has been set at ¥1.69 million (about $22,000), compared with the Prius’s ¥2.17 million.
While the price is higher than for rival models, it aspires to higher fuel efficiency.
Honda Motor Co.’s Fit compact hybrid, which gets 26 kilometers/liter, has a starting price of ¥1.59 million, and Mazda Motor Corp.’s Demio gasoline engine-powered compact runs 25 kilometers/liter and has a starting price of ¥1.4 million.
The Aqua comes to market at an opportune time in Japan, as the government this month decided to reintroduce subsidies and extend tax breaks for fuel-economy cars. An Aqua buyer could receive up to ¥210,000 of government aid.
The compact hybrid is Toyota’s latest foray into gasoline-electric cars, as government emission standards become stricter and customers look for better fuel-efficiency.
The company has said it plans to roll out 11 hybrid models in the two years through the end of 2012. The Aqua is the 6th hybrid following models such as the Lexus CT200h and the Prius Alpha minivan hybrid.


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Martyn Fisher meets sales director Shaun Atherton of Cumbria-based wholesaler JMP Foodservice
In terms of office space, JMP Foodservice has a unique selling point.
The 85-year-old Cumbrian wholesaler operates from an old textiles mill, purchased in the 1940s by the company’s founder, James Metcalfe Pratt.
In those days, Pratt collected eggs from farmers in and around Sedbergh, in the Yorkshire Dales, and sold them at markets in West Yorkshire.
Pratt’s son Dennis joined the business in the 1960s and is still at JMP today. His daughters, Anne Benville and Jill Fearnhead, are long-serving directors. Their lengthy tenures are no anomaly – many of JMP’s 40 members of staff have been there more than 25 years.
Sales director Shaun Atherton joined as a driver in 1978 and was soon promoted to run the company’s cold stores, before moving upstairs. He was eventually made a director in 2001.
He says the best part of working for an SME is that you can be “involved in the whole process”. Atherton organised the firm’s exhibition this year and has helped to develop its product range.
JMP abandoned its focus on eggs in 1988 to focus solely on the frozen category, which it entered in the 1960s. But 15 years later, it introduced ambient and chilled SKUs in response to the needs of its customers, which include hotels, restaurants, cafés, schools and golf clubs.
It was a move worth making – of the business’s current £8.2m annual turnover, frozen products account for £3.6m, with ambient and chilled goods making up the other £4.6m.
Atherton says: “Reputation is everything and we have been in the trade a long time. Everyone plays a vital role here, from top to bottom.”
The business has proved itself capable of changing with the times. As Atherton notes: “We introduced an app six months ago and it has gone down extremely well. Chefs always have their phones with them, and an app gives them images, cooking instructions and nutritional information there and then. Already 15% of our orders are through the app or online, and we hope to have it at over 30% in 12 months.”
JMP has also just unveiled fresh branding, including a new logo, to give the firm a more fitting, modern image.
Atherton says: “We need to remain competitive in a crowded market. But we are routinely first to market with some products and we have kept service levels high.”
Extending the family link, the great-grandson of James Metcalfe Pratt, 20-year-old Sam Fearnhead, joined JMP Foodservice last year. This is a firm that really has gone to work on an egg, and Fearnhead and co have a lot to look forward to.


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The world as we know it is becoming smaller by the minute. Remember back in the 1960’s and 70’s…when almost every American garage housed a Ford, Chrysler or Chevrolet? Now the American garage is filled with international brands like Toyota, Hyundai and Kia. Remember when Zenith was the brand of choice among American TV owners? Today, global..
How long does it take you to typically respond to a patient inquiry? 24 Hours? One hour? Thirty minutes? If your average reply time is more than 5 minutes, I have bad news for you. You’ve already lost a potential patient. The lead is cold. According to a study conducted by Dr. James Oldroyd of..
Introduction There’s a saying in marketing that even the best ad or website can only do one thing: make the phone ring. Of course there are a few more options these days, like sending email or clicking on a link, but you get the point. Effective marketing motivates people to respond by taking an action…
As mortgage rates continue to hover near historic lows — currently mortgage rates for a 30 year fixed mortgage are below 4.4%– there appears to be no better time to buy a home or refinance a current mortgage. However, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. According to a recent..
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The Goodness Company, a leading Advertising and Marketing firm with offices in the US and Costa Rica, is pleased to announce its 5th annual Project Santa Claus campaign to distribute Christmas toys to poverty-stricken children in Costa Rica. While many think of Costa Rica as a lush paradise of tropical rain forests, sunny beaches and..


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Cuyahoga County offering grants to local retailers in effort to reduce plastic bag waste
In Cuyahoga County, 319 million plastic bags are used each year, but only about 1% end up being recycled leaving more than 315 million bags filling landfills or littering local streets.
The county introduced Sustainable Store Grants in February through a collaboration with the Departments of Sustainability and Consumer Affairs, with support from the Solid Waste District, to provide local retailers with funds to phase out the use of plastic bags in their stores.
“This is a way for them to take their first sustainable action, or perhaps this is just another step in their journey,” Program Officer with the Department of Consumer Affairs Katharyne Starinsky said, “but it gives a small store who may have… limited marketing funds, limited bandwidth to be able to… implement new programs -- this grant will give them that leg up.”
Grants of up to $5,000 are available to local retailers to support their efforts to eliminate plastic checkout bags. We've launched the Sustainable Stores Grant Program. Deadline to apply is March 15, 2023. #SustainableStoresGrant #BYOBags #sustainability https://t.co/gvcjqJBxYU pic.twitter.com/lTM1dDZMFD— Cuyahoga County DCA (@CuyCoConsumers) February 16, 2023
Cuyahoga County has $200,000 in funding available to local stores through American Rescue Plan Act dollars allocated to the county, Starinsky said.
Locally owned, independent, employee-owned, or franchise retail stores located in Cuyahoga County are eligible to receive up to $5,000 in reimbursement grant funding per store location to support a variety of projects as long as the goal is to eliminate the use of plastic bags in their stores.
This can include promoting the use of reusable bags with signage and flyers, or investing in paper bags as a temporary alternative to plastic. The county also allows retailers to submit their own, original project ideas.
“We wanted to make sure that this was a grant that could be customized for the business and for the customer needs in each community throughout the county,” Starinsky said. “So, we have a ‘propose your own project’ option as well.”
Stores that receive grant funding and stores who have already made transition from plastic bags to reusable ones will be featured on the Cuyahoga County website through a “Sustainable Store” map.
“If you are a plastic bag-free store, please reach out, let me know, and we will make sure that they get on the map because we want to celebrate these actions,” Starinsky said.
Shoppers are encouraged to bring their own reusable bags to Sustainable Stores as part of the county’s #BYOBags initiative.
“We are using the grant as an opportunity for businesses to incentivize customers to bring in their reusable bags,” Starinsky said, “because what that does is it not only creates a bit of a partnership there between customer and retailer, but it also creates an opportunity to educate the customer.”
For shoppers, Starinsky said she recommends purchasing reusable bags or reusing plastic bags when going on shopping trips.
“If you're a customer and you're going out for your shopping trip, we recommend that you bring a reusable bag that you may already have at home,” she said. “Make it a habit like grabbing your wallet and keys.”
Reusable shopping bags can be purchased from a variety of places, including thrift stores and other local retailers, Starinsky said. The county also distributed 48,500 reusable bags so far through the #BYOBags initiative.
Changes implemented through the grant program will benefit both retailers and consumers, Starinsky said, while limiting plastic bag waste in the county.
“This is really a multi-pronged approach here,” she said. “This grant, we get money to retailers and then the consumers are also getting a lot of education and information as to how they can participate in sustainable action.”
The county is accepting grant applications through March 15. Retailers with concerns or questions about the application process are encouraged to reach out to Stravinsky directly.


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Why is my monthly bank fee 87
Bank fees: where the account really doesn't cost anything
Frankfurt The cooperative PSD banks are actually considered to be typical banks with a free current account. This is now only the case for eight of the 14 PSD banks. PSD Bank Rhein-Neckar-Saar, based in Stuttgart, has recently begun charging EUR 2.50 per month for its PSD Giro-Direkt account.
This means that the account is still cheaper than most current accounts at other banks and savings banks. Those who are members of the bank also receive a credit of two euros in addition to their monthly salary, which almost offsets the new fee. Nevertheless, the step taken by the Stuttgart-based company shows that the number of real free accounts is dwindling.
The low interest rate phase "means that certain products are currently causing considerable deficits and have thus become uneconomical," said the Stuttgart bank. "We have therefore made the fundamental decision for our company that every product or service should make a profit contribution and not be cross-subsidized."
This is exactly what has been the case with free accounts so far. The banks have offset the costs incurred through other transactions, such as the granting of loans and own investments. But that no longer works in view of the mini interest. They gnaw at the earnings of the credit institutions.
On the one hand, the margins in the lending business are shrinking; on the other hand, banks earn less if they want to invest money securely in the capital market. This particularly affects savings banks and cooperative banks, which make a living from the traditional banking business with deposits and loans. Many of these financial institutions, but also private banks, are therefore turning the fee screw.
There are therefore fewer and fewer real free accounts. The consumer portal Biallo currently has 32 free current accounts. Last summer there were at least 40. Biallo examined more than 1,400 private and cooperative banks and savings banks.
The financial institutions with a free offer primarily include direct banks, some cooperative Sparda banks, several PSD banks and some savings banks and Volksbanks that have a corresponding online account.
Biallo has set strict criteria for this: the account must not have a basic fee or require a minimum monthly receipt, the giro card must be free, as well as online transfers. The possible disadvantage with most of these credit institutions: They hardly have any branches.
This also means that Biallo, for example, does not count Commerzbank among the financial institutions with a free offer. Because Commerzbank's “0 euro account” only costs nothing if it receives at least 1200 euros per month.
For years, many banks have advertised cheap checking accounts. But these times are drawing to a close. A pioneer in the free version was Postbank, one of the largest German private customer banks with around five million checking accounts.
The Deutsche Bank subsidiary introduced a free account in 1998, but largely abolished it at the end of 2016. The account only remains free if the amount received is 3,000 euros or more, previously the limit was 1,000 euros per month.
Cash withdrawals can also be costly
Consumers therefore have to take a closer look if they want to see the costs of their current account. Many banks have recently made changes. Almost all of the largest savings banks have adapted current account models and ultimately made them more expensive for many customers. The Sparkasse Bremen has just announced this, as the "Weser-Kurier" reports.
Commerzbank's premium account will also cost 30 percent more in future, namely 12.90 euros per month. The costs for some of the services included in the offer have risen in recent years. "We were able to keep the price for the premium account stable for five years - now we were forced to increase the price," said a Commerzbank spokesman.
For fee increases, the financial institutions even get the backing of bank supervisors. To earn more, they could "try to increase their income from fees and commissions, for example," said the European Central Bank's chief banking supervisor, Danièle Nouy, recently. "Many banks have already indicated that they want to do just that."
It always makes sense to take a close look at the account fees, because some financial institutions charge unusual prices. According to Biallo 69, the almost 400 savings banks nationwide charge a fee for cash withdrawals from at least one of their account models. The same applies to more than 300 of the almost 1,000 Volks- and Raiffeisenbanks as well as to a direct bank. They also offer account models where withdrawals at ATMs or at the counter may cost money. Overall, there are twice as many credit institutions with such a fee as there was a year ago.
Despite higher and new fees, customers have hardly reacted so far - even though a new law and new service providers make the change easier. Last summer, only eight percent of consumers planned to open a new checking account and / or change their main bank account, according to a poll by pollsters from YouGov.
The bottom line is that Postbank initially lost customers after introducing new account prices almost a year and a half ago. Since autumn 2017, however, the bank has been adding new customers on balance.
The fact that so far relatively few customers have left their bank after a fee increase is also due to the fact that many consumers would find it too time-consuming to switch because, for example, an additional two euros a month, says Oliver Mihm, head of the Investors Marketing consultancy.
“However, customer reactions to significant fee increases are increasing. Where three years ago, on average, only one percent left the bank when the fees were increased on the current account, these reactions are already more pronounced, at currently up to three percent, ”observes Mihm. "In the future, customers will accept less and less pure fee increases without expanding the range of services."
Mihm expects further fee increases to follow. Banks could expand their business and take more risks in lending. In addition, the increase in fees remains one of the few options for many banks and savings banks to brace themselves against the low interest rates. This applies to both current accounts and, increasingly, to the securities business.
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Unwired will build and operate Australia's first 4G wireless network in Perth, but the services will be marketed to consumers through a new Seven Network retail company called Vividwireless.
Vividwireless chief executive Martin Mercer told iTnews the company had been "on the ground" in Perth deploying the $50 million network for the past two months.
Consumer services with peak speeds "in excess of 20Mbps" and average speeds of at least 4Mbps were expected to be available from March 2010.
There would be the option of contract-free plans and there would be no excess usage charges, according to Mercer.
"There will be no surprises on the bill," he said.
Mercer said Vividwireless had inked an agreement with Unwired to design, build and operate the network, which will be based on Huawei WiMAX technology.
Vividwireless would also lease the 4G spectrum from Unwired, Mercer said.
"The view [of the Seven Network] was to get Unwired to focus on their core area of expertise which is building and operating wireless networks," Mercer said.
"The Unwired [retail] brand is associated with pre-WiMAX technology, whereas 4G is a fundamentally different service delivered over different infrastructure.
"The view was that a new brand was required to differentiate the 4G service from the [existing] Unwired service. The structural decisions flowed from that."
Perth had been selected as the initial location "because it is a rapidly growing market with strong economic fundamentals, as well as being a market currently under-served by broadband infrastructure," the company said in a statement.
Mercer said while Vividwireless was focused 100 percent on the Perth rollout, they hoped to take the network nationwide.
"We want to test the value proposition and explore a range of funding options before we turn our attention to a national rollout. Right now it's wait-and-see."
Vividwireless had selected its billing and customer relationship management systems, but a formal announcement on the suppliers was not expected for two weeks.
Vividwireless would establish a call centre in Perth and hoped to have a team of 50 by the launch date.
Mercer had been in the chief executive role for seven weeks. He was formerly the executive director of marketing for Telstra's consumer business.


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Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was just seen driving his brand-new Fisker Karma luxury range-extended EV, which means the green sports car is finally here! We told you before how DiCaprio had lined up to be the first of 3,000 people to own one of these sold-out luxury EVs, but Fisker had a bit of a wait before getting EPA approval for the Karma. Looks like that wait is over now, and we’re hoping to see more of these babies cruising the streets.
Fisker has a whole line of vehicles in the works, and now that the Karma is on the road, they can turn their attention to rolling out the convertible version of the Karma, a compact EV sports car, and other high-end electric hybrid cars. We can’t wait to see the whole Fisker line. So far Fisker has proved to be one of just a handful of green car start-ups that could make it through the gauntlet of developing a viable road-legal car from the ground up, and we’re expecting a lot more good things from them.
+ Fisker Automotive
Photo courtesy of Getty Images


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Kylie Jenner may have ignited a feud with Trixie Mattel after announcing new Kylie Cosmetics products.
The Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum recently displayed her Valentine’s Day-inspired makeup line via Instagram. Although Jenner received praise from her friends and family online, some fans didn’t enjoy how similar the line looks to her past products. As Monsters and Critics previously shared, several Twitter users accused Stormi Webster’s mom of “repackaging” the same items.
After seeing her announcement, Mattel pointed out that Jenner’s recent packaging looks a lot like her line, Trixie Cosmetics. Here’s how the Rupaul’s Drag Race winner reacted on Instagram.
Trixie Mattel released an Instagram video after Kylie Jenner flaunted her Kylie Cosmetics products
Earlier this week, Jenner posted several photos of her Valentine’s Day cosmetics on her main and business Instagram accounts. In the images, fans saw the entire line, including heart-shaped lip balms, eye makeup palettes, and red and pink packaging. In a caption describing the launch, Kylie Cosmetics’ Instagram page said the collection was the first 2022.
During her announcement, Jenner also showed off different colors from the line. Once Mattel caught wind of the photos, she shared an Instagram video of herself putting on lipstick from Trixie Cosmetics.
As she applied the product, the theme music from the X-Files played in the Instagram video while it displayed Jenner’s line in the background. Mattel looked stunned and confused in the post and called out the mogul in her caption.
“Kylie I’m calling the police,” Mattel wrote.
Trixie Mattel’s fans support the Rupaul’s Drag Race star’s claims against Jenner
Mattel took another shot at Jenner through Trixie Cosmetics’ Instagram page. On Wednesday, she posted three photos of her lip gloss collection. On each item, the cap was heart-shaped and had the letter “T” on it. Underneath the display, Mattel seemingly poked fun at Jenner’s alleged attempt to copy her in the post’s caption.
“Make sure you’re ??????? ?? ???? Trixie Cosmetics by giving us a follow,” the post read.
Many Rupaul’s Drag Race fans agreed with Mattel’s accusation. Following her post, several commenters stated that, although Jenner directly stole from the performer, Mattel has the better product.
“Nothing can replace the original,” one commenter said.
“Called it,” another mentioned of the similarities. “Much better products than Kylie Cosmetics anyway love you, Trixie!!!”
Jenner hasn’t responded to Mattel’s claims. Since launching Kylie Cosmetics in 2016, she’s received several accusations of stealing from other makeup lines. In 2018, TMZ reported that Sheree Cosmetics filed a lawsuit against Jenner for allegedly ripping off the brand’s Born to Sparkle collection. During her birthday launch, the beauty mogul reportedly added several items under the Born to Sparkle campaign.


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|Cricket Enters the Paso Del Norte Region|
Posted: 30-Jan-2006 [Source: Cricket Communications]
[Cricket is launching its CDMA service beginning January 31 in the Paso Del Norte Region offering flat-rate, unlimited service with no long-term contract or credit checks required. Cricket is offered by Leap Wireless.]
El Paso, TX and Las Cruces, NM -- Imagine wireless service with no annual contracts, no credit checks and the ability to talk as long as you want, for one, low, flat monthly rate. Introducing Cricket, a high-quality, affordable and predictable unlimited mobile phone service entering the Paso del Norte region tomorrow.
Cricket service will "kick-off" in the Paso del Norte Region tomorrow, January 31, with the opening of two retail stores in El Paso at 9801 Gateway West (I-10 and McRae), and at Fox Plaza, 5579 Alameda and approximately 50 indirect retailers including 21 premier dealers throughout the Paso del Norte region. To celebrate, the week is jam-packed with fun-filled Cricket-sponsored events for every age.
"We are thrilled to bring Cricket service to the Paso del Norte region," said Edye Popke, area general manager for Albuquerque, Tucson, El Paso, & Las Cruces. "We've planned an exciting kick-off week and the community is invited to participate. We're a different kind of wireless company since we offer flat-rate, unlimited plans with no annual contracts required. And with calls to Mexico priced as low as four cents a minute, we're ready to offer El Paso and Las Cruces residents an affordable, high-quality alternative to meet their wireless needs."
Cricket customers use their wireless service differently than the average mobile phone user. Based on company surveys, Cricket customers talk an average of 1,500 minutes per month, more than double the wireless industry average. And 52 percent of Cricket customers have "cut the cord" and rely solely on Cricket for their phone service. By comparison, six percent of all other U.S. wireless subscribers rely solely on their mobile phone (Yankee Group survey). In addition, 93 percent of Cricket customers reported their Cricket phone was their primary phone, compared to only 49 percent of traditional wireless customers.
Back to Headlines...


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A Santa Barbara County based fast food giant that became a privately owned company less than two years ago is once again going public.
Carpinteria based CKE Restaurants says it’s filed paperwork to do a $100 million dollar public stock offering. CKE is owned by Apollo Management. CKE is the parent of the Carl’s Junior, and Hardee’s fast food chains.
CKE had nearly $1.3 billion dollars in revenue last year.


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The lost freedom to explore inspires Burberry's Tisci
Burberry's Riccardo Tisci said the dream of being able to explore - a freedom denied during COVID-19 lockdowns - had inspired his first menswear-focused collection for the British luxury label.
LONDON: Burberry's Riccardo Tisci said the dream of being able to explore: a freedom denied during COVID-19 lockdowns: had inspired his first menswear-focused collection for the British luxury label.
"Enclosed indoors, I dreamt of the outdoors and its beauty, fuelled by the thought of the creativity that comes when we are together," Tisci said on Monday.
"With this dream in mind, I became fascinated by the widespread British craft and outdoor movements of the early 20th century, when people escaped to explore the unknown countryside."
Outerwear was a focus in the Autumn/Winter 2021 collection, filmed at Burberry's flagship Regent Street store in central London before being released on social media channels on Monday.
Burberry's traditional trenches were re-imagined with pleats, panels and fringes, while the colour palette centred on tonal shades of beige, bark brown, oxblood burgundy and city greys.
Tisci joined the 165-year-old brand in 2018 to give creative direction to chief executive Marco Gobbetti's re-positioning of the house further upmarket.
His designs have attracted new younger customers, particularly in the important Chinese market.
Like other labels, Burberry has been hit hard by global restrictions on shop opening and travel and tourism.
It reported a 9per cent decline in sales in its third quarter, a bigger drop than the 6per cent in the second quarter.
The company said last month trading would be remain susceptible to regional disruptions but it was confident of rebounding when the pandemic eased given the brand's resonance with customers.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle)


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Since the Good Food Awards program debuted in San Francisco three years ago, it has become a significant national honor. Now, Gina’s Homemade of Scottsdale has joined the roster of food companies being recognized for making a difference.
Owner Gina Buskirk’s cheese has been named a finalist in the 2013 competition. Hers is Arizona’s only finalist and a contender among 182 finalists from 31 states, chosen from among 1,366 total entries in nine industries.
Buskirk has been nominated for her ricotta, made by hand from all-natural scratch ingredients.
The goal of Good Food is to showcase products that are not only delicious, but also crafted in ways that support sustainability and social responsibility. The Good Food Awards Gold Seal denotes products that have obtained certified organic status or benefit the environment in nine categories: beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, coffee, confections, pickles, preserves and spirits.
Gina’s is up against major competition. The 100 winners will be announced in a black-tie ceremony at the San Francisco Ferry Building on Jan. 18. The following day, the public can taste the winning products at the Good Food Awards Marketplace outside the ceremony hall. Last year’s event attracted 15,000 people.
Go to goodfoodawards.org for tickets to the awards ceremony ($95) and Marketplace ($5).
Details: Gina's Homemade, 10953 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Suite 105, Scottsdale. 480-882-0787, ginashomemade.com.


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The CEO of Binance, Changpeng CZ Zhao, published an article about whether bitcoin is actually a safe haven.
The long article includes a series of answers given by CZ during several interviews on this issue.
First, he says that although bitcoin has not been immune to the losses suffered generically in recent days by all financial markets, he is not at all concerned about the crypto industry, because the fundamentals have not changed.
Bitcoin, in fact, remains a currency with a limited supply and demand is increasing.
He then goes on to suggest a more structured and in-depth analysis of the concept of bitcoin as a “safe haven”, as there are many factors to take into account.
Bitcoin as a lifebuoy
This is where he proposes an analogy to try to understand how bitcoin is behaving these days: BTC is a lifebuoy that helps people float in water and survive in case of a shipwreck. However, if the lifebuoy remains attached to the ship during the sinking, despite the fact that the functioning of the lifebuoy would be the same, it won’t actually be able to help during the shipwreck.
The blog then continues with a question about why in recent days bitcoin appears linked to traditional financial markets: according to CZ this is due to the fact that it is a freely traded asset, whose price is determined by the market, mainly through trading.
At present, the long-standing holders are not particularly active in this market, while investors who have recently acquired bitcoin are panicking more, and selling large quantities. However, once cryptocurrencies are sold and fiat currencies are cashed in, they tend to buy back cryptocurrencies after the price has dropped.
Moreover, many people are currently looking for liquidity, in fiat currencies, to pay for the expenses caused by the emergency, so they are selling everything they have in their wallets to collect fiat money.
Regarding the recent drop in the price of gold, CZ points out that gold is difficult to transport and spend, which is why people prefer fiat money, which is much more liquid.
Indeed, he argues that, unlike the bitcoin, gold is fading, while bitcoin is just getting started.
With regard to the creation of large amounts of fiat money by the Fed, the CEO of Binance points out that it has not progressed yet and that this kind of change takes time to propagate into the real economy.
When asked whether bitcoin can be considered a safe haven asset, CZ responds by saying that its price might not go up when the Dow Jones index drops, or vice versa, because there is no perfect inverse correlation.
Finally, he argues that the current financial system is broken and that Bitcoin solves this problem.


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BREAKING: David Jones, Country Road Underpaid Workers $3.7m
David Jones and upmarket clothing retailer Country Road have underpaid workers by a total of $3.7 million over a six-year period.
David Jones and Country Road, both owned by South African company Woolworths Holdings (not affiliated with the Australian Woolworths Group), found in an internal audit that 7300 workers across both chains (6200 in David Jones and 1100 in Country Road’s Politix business) had been underpaid, with “integration errors within rostering and payroll systems” identified as the cause of the problem.
Workers at David Jones are owed $1.35 million, with the majority relating to superannuation entitlements. Full back payments including interest will now be paid to all affected workers by mid-October, said interim CEO Ian Moir.
“Our team members should expect to be paid correctly. We deeply regret this has not occurred and apologise unreservedly to our team. We are now focussed on ensuring our team members are paid the money owing to them as quickly as possible,” he said.
The audit was launched in late 2019 after the company identified payment errors during system changes, and the ATO, Fair Work Ombudsman, and the SDA union have been notified. Scott Fyfe, CEO of Country Road, apologised to those impacted and said the company was working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
“The cause of underpayment across the CRG brands was identified as poor systems integration, with the material impact coming from the acquisition of Politix in 2016. We’ve now completed a thorough review of systems and processes and taken the necessary steps across the Group to ensure these errors cannot be repeated.”
The announcement is the latest in a string of bad news for David Jones, with sales down 8.1 per cent year on year, buildings being sold off, and stores closing down.


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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton declared Friday that gun stores can stay open amid the coronavirus pandemic even as many jurisdictions within the state have issued stay-at-home orders. Paxton’s nonbinding opinion says “municipal and county authorities may not use emergency powers to regulate or restrict the sale of firearms.”
Texas, the second-largest state by population, has not declared a statewide stay-at-home order. But some of the state’s largest jurisdictions, including Harris County (Houston), Dallas County, Tarrant County (Fort Worth), Bexar County (San Antonio), Travis county (Austin) and El Paso County have imposed stay-at-home orders.
On Wednesday, Texas State Representative Dustin Burrows,asked Paxton’s office to weigh in on whether gun stores could be considered essential by local officials, CBS Austin affiliate KEYE reported. “Having access to tools of self-protection, hunting and for keeping your property safe and secure is always essential. It’s even more essential for access during times of uncertainty and emergency,” said Burrows, a Republican from Lubbock, in a statement.
Molly Bursey, a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action, slammed Paxton’s decision as not making Texans safer. “Instead of overruling local public safety decisions during a pandemic, we should be talking about how to mitigate some of the serious risks that come from increased gun sales when Texans are spending so much time at home — like unintentional shootings and gun-related domestic violence,” Bursey said in a statement to CBS News.
In an interview with Lubbock’s KFYO earlier this week, Texas Lieutenant Governor said “I really don’t understand” how gun stores could not be considered essential businesses. Patrick, a longtime NRA member, said “if we have a breakdown in society, our frontline to defend ourselves are ourselves.”
Paxton said Friday that Texas law does not allow local officials to make any laws banning firearm sales. “Under our laws, every Texan retains their right to purchase and possess firearms.” Paxton said.
As of Friday afternoon, 24 states have issued CBS Los Angeles reports., including California, and Illinois, as well as local jurisdictions in other states. Some states have included gun stores in lists of essential businesses, while other states have not. And some states with statewide orders have left it up to local officials to decide on gun stores. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced Thursday he would move ahead with plans to close gun stores amid the crisis,
Gun dealers across the country have seenas the coronavirus outbreak spreads. After an initial tumble earlier this month, shares in firearm manufacturers American Outdoor Brands, the maker of Smith & Wesson guns, and Sturm, Ruger & Co., have been on the rise.


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Restaurant technology giant Par Technology Corp. has acquired Punchh, a provider of loyalty and customer engagement software, for about $500 million in cash and stock.
The transaction included a $160 million investment from Panera Bread founder Ron Shaich's Act III Holdings, generated by the sale of Par stock to Act III.
With Punchh, Par adds loyalty capabilities to its POS, back office and payment services for chain restaurants, creating an end-to-end, cloud-based platform. Par said the fully integrated product will allow restaurants to avoid having to build a tech stack piece by piece.
"This eliminates the need for juggling disjointed vendors, developing cumbersome point-to-point integrations and relying on third-party dependencies," said Savneet Singh, Par CEO and president, in a statement.
Shaich, who helped Panera develop a first-class tech stack, echoed that sentiment.
"I understand first-hand the struggles of trying to power a large enterprise by gluing together disparate technologies from multiple vendors," he said in a statement. "Those restaurant brands that can create a differentiated guest experience, aided by seamless omnichannel technology and a superior understanding of their guests’ preferences and behaviors, will be best positioned to win."
As part of the deal, Act III Partner Keith Pascal will join Par's board of directors, and Shaich will become a board observer.
Punchh is one of the leading providers of loyalty and engagement software for restaurants, counting more than 30 of the top 100 chains among its clients. It focuses on 1:1 marketing, using artificial intelligence to help restaurants create personalized experiences for individual customers.
It has long integrated with Par's Brink POS system. "We’re excited to join the PAR team and further our offerings to the hospitality industry," said Punchh co-founder and President Shyam Rao.
Par works with more than 100,000 restaurants in 110 countries.
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Fourth in a series.
Everyone has something to say about Apple, especially about the prospects for what could be its next big thing: a television.
In a recent magazine story, I laid out the prospects for what some people are calling the iTV, as well as the considerable challenges Apple faces in bringing it to market. I couldn't include all the insights I got from smart people in tech and media, so in a series of posts, I'm sharing some of their thoughts to shed a little more light on what Apple can and can't do in television.
Jeremy Allaire, chairman and CEO of online video services provider Brightcove, figures Apple will likely come out with a television set at some point. "They're really good at building gorgeous monitors," he says, and TVs could be as much as a $20 billion-a-year opportunity.
Allaire just thinks they will be almost beside the point. "They don't really stand to gain anything with a monitor," Allaire, who will step out as CEO and become executive chairman in April, told me recently. "The end game for Apple in the TV business isn't to make a monitor."
What is Apple's end game? As it is with all of Apple's products, he says, it's the package of hardware, software, and services that creates something consumers will crave. And so it will be in television as well.
In particular, Allaire sees Apple's biggest opportunity to be in apps that can make that TV package something really different from today's uninspired crop of "smart" TVs. It's not that all of those hundreds of thousands of apps would necessarily run on the TV itself. But Apple also has the iPad and iPhone, which increasingly are serving as second screens enhancing the experience on the bigger screen.
In particular, Allaire thinks those iDevices can help Apple replace the famously and persistently clunky user interface for cable TV. Already, iPhones and iPads, as well as newer MacBooks, can use a feature called AirPlay to beam video to a TV screen that's hooked up to an Apple TV device. Allaire thinks AirPlay, which he says still suffers from some glitches, will be improved in coming Apple TV generations, along with more TV-centric apps, to the point that the lines between TVs and second screens will start to blur. "The living room just got on the app innovation curve," he says.
What's more, apps are Apple's path to subsume other home consumer electronics, from DVD players to gaming consoles, Allaire says. He thinks these apps could open up entirely new markets with TVs and second screens at their center--markets that go well beyond the rudimentary apps that mostly connect people to existing video content. Indeed, some knowledgeable folks, such as former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassee, now a general partner with Allegis Capital, think the only real point of Apple making a television would be to make Apple's other products, from the Mac to the iPhone, more useful and thus more valuable.
All that's why the TV monitor that everyone likes to focus on will be much less important than the companion device--what is today called Apple TV. "They can disrupt the TV industry fairly significantly without selling the glass," says Gartner analyst Michael McGuire.
Sounds great, at least to people who want a more flexible TV experience. So what's the hangup? The TV industry, of course. Apple really needs the cooperation of the cable companies, even if it's minimal to start with. "They need the cable companies to open up their APIs [application programming interfaces]," he says. Unfortunately, he adds, "they're really struggling to sign them up. It could be another year."
Next: With Apple seemingly stymied for now in its attempt to foment a TV revolution, can TV device companies such as TiVo and Roku steal a march?