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High inflation in 2022 led consumers to private label grocery items in record numbers, with total sales hitting $228.6 billion, an increase of $23 billion over 2021.
With prices remaining high to start 2023, global business data firm dunnhumby has shared its latest Consumer Trends Tracker (CTT), showing that Americans believe that grocery retailers are earning a 35.2% net profit margin, 14 times higher than grocers’ actual net profit margin average of 2.5%, and that food-at-home inflation is 24.3%, double the annual rate reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“In this latest wave of our CTT study, we found that retailers are in a precarious position with their brand perception, since customers are vastly over-estimating grocers’ store profit margins and inflation rates, while they themselves are battling food prices,” said Matt O’Grady, president of the Americas, dunnhumby. “Retailers need to show they are empathetic to customers through their prices, their rewards/loyalty offers, and with messaging to best support shoppers during these challenging financial times.”
In the latest CTT, dunnhumby surveyed 6,012 consumers nationwide. When asked about 2023, only 22% of respondents predicted inflation and the state of the country would get better. 47% of respondents predicted inflation and the state of the country would improve three years from now. Over a five-year period, 54% of consumers were optimistic that their own finances and the state of the country will improve.
Many Americans remain food insecure. Of those surveyed, 31% of households reported they have skipped or reduced the size of a meal for financial reasons, while 39% of respondents under the age of 44 have skipped or reduced meal sizes.
Households with children at home were 8% more likely to skip or reduce meal sizes than adult-only households. Consumers living in Idaho, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, and West Virginia reported the highest numbers, where over 40% had skipped or reduced the size of a meal in the last year.
The full CTT can be found here.


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BY PATIENCE RADISOENG
Seedstars World, the global seed-stage startup competition for emerging markets and fast-growing startup scenes, returned to Botswana recently, in line with its mission to place the spotlight on entrepreneurs from emerging markets.
The Botswana competition carried out with the support of local lead partner, Stanbic Bank Botswana will have 10 of the best local seed-stage startups take the stage and compete for a chance to represent Botswana at the Seedstars Summit in Switzerland.
Stanbic Bank Head of Enterprise Banking, Onkabetse Morapedi said, “as a Bank we have a great interest in supporting the creation and sustainability of a business ecosystem in Botswana to ensure that both potential and established entrepreneurs have access to the resources they need to develop. It is for these reasons why we have sponsored this global platform for the third consecutive year.”
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are a big part of job creation in many developing economies. Thus, the Banks’ support of innovation through this partnership talks directly to their dedication towards helping ensure future employment and is interested in helping transform ideas into realities, into living thriving businesses.
Meanwhile this year’s pitch competition saw food ordering and delivery application, My Foodness, win first place. Music streaming platform Moments was placed second, while artificial intelligence (AI) powered personal assistant Mohiri came third for its solution which helps users get hired by alerting them when there are jobs in their respective areas which match their profile.
In her comment, the Chief Executive Office, Boi Kgathi Rasmussen, on behalf of MyFoodness said, “winning Seedstars has been amazing. An industry nod to the work we are doing on disrupting the ordering world in greenfield markets. We are very thankful to Stanbic for supporting this initiative and making it possible for us to join the other winners from Africa and the rest of the world at the regional and global summits.”
So far, it has been five years now that Seedstars team takes off every year for a 9 month world tour and scouts for the best early-stage startups in more than 65 countries, organizing more than 100 events.
One winner is selected to represent each country visited and is invited to attend one of the 5 Regional Summits, reuniting all local winners of each region to network with regional investors, mentors, and corporates.
Local winners are awarded the chance to represent their countries at the Seedstars Summit, the competition final happening in Switzerland, where startups compete for up to $1 million in investment. The Seedstars Summit is the flagship event of Seedstars, filled with breakout sessions, panel discussions, specialized workshops and the best minds from emerging markets.

domain: news


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Balloon Fiesta vendors struggle to make contract change
Posted at: 07/30/2012 5:50 PM
By: Chris Ramirez, KOB Eyewitness News 4
A dispute between Balloon Fiesta and food vendors may mean higher food prices for fiesta patrons.
Balloon Fiesta recently changed the formula of how it will charge concessionaires. Food vendors say the new formula, which charges them 30 percent of their total revenues in some cases, said they will have to pass the extra expense on to customers.
"There are vendors out there who are seriously thinking about pulling out all together," said Pete Dinelli, who is representing the food vendors in negotiations with the organization.
In a closed-door meeting Wednesday, Dinelli met with representatives from Balloon Fiesta to try to reach a compromise. Tom Garrity, spokesman for Balloon Fiesta, argued that the organization must also make money. With rising costs in goods and services, Garrity said it was time for new formula on how to assess fees.
"Since 2006, which is the last time the concession agreement were even addressed, we've seen a 50-percent increase in trash pickup, 50-percent increase in propane costs, and a 400-percent increase in helium costs," Garrity said.
Both sides maintain they are working on an agreement that they can both live with. Negotiations plan to resume Tuesday afternoon with a resolution by the end of the week.


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Run a bitcoin node
Posted On 20.08.1955
A man feeds money into a bitcoin ATM in New York. The digital currency has surged in recent weeks, prompting fears of a bubble in the making, run a bitcoin node that has not deterred a number of Dubai-based entrepreneurs investing in the digital currency.
LONDON: The lightbulb clicked in Ibrahim Barbour’s mind last winter. The more he learned, the more certain he became that bitcoin was a worthy investment. You’re in complete control of what you own, there is a limited supply of it so you can’t just print your way out of it like a government, and its value had been increasing for a while. Barbour joined a growing number of people across the Middle East and throughout the world who believe that digital currencies like bitcoin are as good — or better — than cash backed by a central bank. 16,000 at the end of last week. The spike in bitcoin prices has set the world of currency investing abuzz, and the Middle East is no exception. While funds across the region seem to be hedging their bets for the moment, a growing number of individuals like Barbour have joined the bitcoin rush, with many trying to hop on the fast-moving train.
Like Barbour, Alsehli had grown disillusioned by the way traditional currencies were valued. When, following the financial crisis of 2008, a mysterious person or entity known as Satoshi Nakamoto developed a digital currency backed not by a central bank’s guarantee but by the trust of the user community, Alsehli grew curious. The bitcoin cycle starts with miners: Individuals use computers with high processing power to execute complex mathematical equations. Those calculations are used to verify the authenticity of transactions across the bitcoin network.
As payment for their services, miners receive their welcome reward: bitcoin, which today is worth ten times more than gold. Despite its meteoric rise, Alsehli said the technology is still in an early adoption phase, and still resides in the realm of esoterica for most people he speaks to. If you ask somebody on the street how to buy a bitcoin, they don’t know. But new developments, including the first sale of bitcoin futures this weekend, mean that the currency is moving ever further into the mainstream. In recent weeks, investors led by American hedge funds have been buying up the currency at a rapid rate, sending the prices soaring.
Some fear it is a bubble that is doomed to burst. While there are a number of cryptocurrencies on the market, bitcoin is the most mature and the most trusted. Still, a series of digital heists over the years have plagued the currency. 64 million worth was stolen from a Slovenia-based digital coin exchange.
If people start to lose confidence in the currency, sell-offs could send bitcoin prices plunging. Regional experts said that while the prices of bitcoin may tumble in the short term, the long-run outlook is positive. Adam Schneider, a Dubai-based bitcoin expert and founder of the cybersecurity company Kitsune. A nascent startup digital currency scene has begun to emerge across the Middle East centered around Dubai. The company made waves when it announced that it had completed a first funding round in May 2016 with an undisclosed sum raised by investors. While few regional bitcoin startups have seen similar success, there is a buzz in the air.
Philip Bahoshy, the founder of MAGNiTT, an online community for MENA startups. But he urged caution, saying that many regulatory questions remain unanswered across the region. In October, as bitcoin prices started to jump, the UAE Central Bank issued cautionary advice to potential investors. Whether the price is up or down on a given day, it seems that bitcoin and similar digital currencies are here to stay.


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The Foodie Blogroll has a new look!
Nov, 11 2010
We are super excited to announce the launch of the new Foodie Blogroll website design!
The Foodie Blogroll has grown by leaps and bounds in the past year, and a new face-lift was long over due.
The new look is just the beginning! We are working on many new features that will greatly enhance the experience for our users, especially in terms of networking with other members and expand the reach of your blog.
Thank you all for your support!


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HOUSTON – On Tuesday, five malls across the Houston area will reopen their doors for shoppers.
Baybrook, Deerbrook, First Colony, Willowbrook and The Woodlands malls open at 11 a.m.
The malls said they have new safety measures in place and want you to maintain social distancing if you're heading out to shop.
But not all stores in the mall are reopening. Many stores are still shut down because their national headquarters have not reopened.
The food court seating will not be open and any open food court restaurants are for carryout only. The Galleria and Katy Mills malls reopened Friday.
More coronavirus coverage
• Find cases by zip code: Harris County heat map shows coronavirus cases by ZIP code


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Why Affirm Shares Are Falling
Shares of several companies in the broader financial technology sector, including Affirm Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:AFRM), are trading lower following a rise in US Treasury yields, which has pressured growth sectors.
The 10-year Treasury yield hit an intraday high of 1.686% Tuesday morning before dipping to around the 1.663% level. Overall market volatility is persistent during Tuesday’s session as investors continue to weigh omicron concerns.
See Also: Why Pinterest Shares Are Falling Today
Affirm offers a platform for digital and mobile-first commerce. It comprises a point-of-sale payment solution for consumers, merchant commerce solutions, and a consumer-focused app. The firm generates its revenue from merchant networks, and through virtual card networks among others. Geographically, it generates a major share of its revenue from the United States.
Affirm has a 52-week high of $176.65 and a 52-week low of $46.50.


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Third-party logistics (3PL) providers offer services to customers who have outsourced logistics for part, and sometimes all, of their supply chain management functions. According to a recent article by PYMNTS.com, gone are the days when 3PLs only distributed goods from the distribution warehouse to their respective stores. Today, the dynamic has shifted to include individual consumers, with items going directly to their homes.
The Changing Face Of 3PL
The dynamics of 3PLs are changing in other ways as well, with those focusing on brokerage now offering more value-added services. In fact, the big 3PLs have taken steps to move into the brokerage field to help supplement the higher-level services they offer.
In essence, both individual brokers and big 3PL companies are learning to adapt by broadening their services. Another trend is for smaller companies to be absorbed by larger 3PLs.
Mobile Technology Instigates Change
Also adding to this drive for change is the advent of tablets and other mobile devices in the booking process, effectively cutting out the middle man and the costs attached to them. And while this basically boils down to fewer choices for shippers, they should receive a higher quality of service as the bigger providers absorb the smaller 3PL companies and individuals who do not conform to the new way of doing business in the logistics field.
This consolidation of the 3PL market also leads to increased prices for services, according to Jett McCandless in a recent Forbes.com article. “Of course, fewer players with greater market power leads to higher rates, but that trend is already evident,” McCandless comments.
How Do These Changes Affect Value-Added Resellers (VARs)?
As 3PLs add more and more services to their repertoire of offerings, they could move into a part of territory mainly occupied by VARs or IT solution providers. The 3PLs evolving role will adapt as they seek other avenues of service offerings to try and entice customers in a more competitive market.
Solutions Providers can use the changing landscape for 3PLs to their advantage. The article in our archives, “Set Your Sights on 3PL Providers,” explains that along with dealing with another company’s inventory comes the need for 3PLs to track details of every transaction, such as shipping, receiving, picking, and packing. Data, analytics, management solutions, hardware, and infrastructure are necessary to accomplish the services they provide — creating opportunities for solutions providers.


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The minimum wage levels of each province, municipality, and autonomous region are set in accordance with each region's local conditions. Under the Minimum Wage Law of the PRC, provinces should revise the minimum wage levels on an annual basis, but some provinces, such as Hainan and Tibet, have not changed their minimum wage levels since July 2010. Last year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security reported that as of December 2011, 24 provinces and cities had raised minimum wage levels at an average growth rate of 22 percent. Sources say that Hainan and Tibet are in the process of revising their minimum wage levels as well. The following news story highlights this:
China sets target of average 13 percent annual minimum wage rise
BEIJING | Wed Feb 8, 2012 (Reuters)1 - The annual average growth of China's minimum wages should be at least 13 percent in the five years to 2015, according to a government job market plan for the period published on Wednesday.
Raising pay is key to the jobs blueprint, part of Beijing's 12th five-year economic plan, which aims to boost employment in the world's No.2 economy.
Minimum wages in China range from 1,500 yuan ($240) per month in Shenzhen to 870 yuan in Chongqing. The government wants minimum wages to be 40 percent of average local salaries by 2015, according to the plan posted on its website (www.gov.cn).
Labour shortages are a problem in China's main export manufacturing bases, requiring millions of migrant laborers to fill the gaps. But the government said it expected pressure from an overall labor oversupply to increase in coming years.
"Every year there are 25 million urban residents needing jobs and there are still significant amounts of excess rural labor needing to find jobs," the plan said.
The Chinese government has always been sensitive to employment due to concerns about social unrest, and Beijing, which did not recognize the existence of unemployment until the late 1990s, does not publish a national jobless rate.
The only official jobless rate complied by the labor ministry covers permanent urban residents and the quarterly indicator is widely regarded by investment bank economists as irrelevant.
"All levels of governments making fiscal, financial and industrial policies must consider the impacts on employment and pay close attention to unemployment risks," the plan said.
Demographic data from China's statistics agency shows that the Chinese population is ageing quickly and the rural labor pool shrinking, which many economists cite as the fundamental reason for the sharp wage rises in recent years.
The average monthly wage of China's 158 million migrant workers in 2011 surged 21.2 percent from 2010 to 2,049 yuan.
In the five-year period from 2006 to 2010, the average minimum wage in China increased 12.5 percent per year, official data showed.
($1 = 6.3049 yuan)
China - Retail Market
Fueled by rapid urbanization, Chinese policies aimed at raising income and increasing domestic consumption continues to improve. China is fast becoming a consumer nation as the quality of life improves and a middle class develops. This opens up opportunity for U.S. retailers in China. As a result, the interest from the Western based retail sector regarding expansion into China also continues.
China's apparel market also continues to grow at a rapid pace. Although inflation is a challenge (the Chinese Government stimulus intervention should keep this under control, however), a younger high-wage seeking population is driving consumer demand and focus. The "younger" consumer now looks to the online retail market and this is, of course, a growing retail sub-sector; approximately 30-40% of the Chinese population has access to the internet (about 500 million people).
China Approves $1 Trillion Infrastructure Spend
China has approved plans for RMB 1 trillion ($158 billion) in infrastructure spending, an investment push that analysts say will help support growth in the stuttering economy. In the announcements, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), a top central planning agency, has approved twenty-five urban rail projects, thirteen highway construction projects, seven waterway projects and nine waste water treatment plants. The total cost of the projects is estimated to be about RMB 1 trillion or 2% of gross domestic product.
Projects spearheaded by the NDRC are seen by analysts as much more credible spending commitments than those announced by local governments in recent months. Local officials are keen to prop up growth, but they are struggling to find the means to do so because their tax and land sale revenues are flagging and they are, in effect, barred from borrowing money. By contrast, once projects have received the NDRC's stamp of approval, funding is usually a formality, with either banks providing the financing or the government arranging for bond issuances.
Some of the possible changes for logistics include changing TOS from FOB to FCA, exploring alternative means of transportation, creation of additional milestones in visibility, looking at export DC operations, setting up port QC operations, balancing centralization versus localization, and ensuring a stable workforce.
Hong Kong, Mainland Sign Accord to Ease Cross-Border Flow of Goods
Hong Kong's Commissioner of Customs & Excise, Clement Cheung, and General Administration of China Customs Vice Minister, Sun Yibiao, signed a mutual recognition arrangement to promote "a secure and seamless flow of goods across the Mainland-Hong Kong boundary."2 At the signing ceremony in Beijing, the measures will enable Hong Kong companies to tap into the mainland market, bringing more business opportunities for import, export and logistics industries. The accord mutually recognizes the Hong Kong's Authorized Economic Operator Program and the mainland's Measures on Classified Management of Enterprises. Under the arrangement, local companies accredited by Hong Kong as Authorized Economic Operators can enjoy prioritized clearance for their goods imported from or exported to the mainland.
China - Guangdong Customs Introduces Measures to Secure Export Growth
Customs of Guangdong has eased pressure on exporters to secure provincial export growth, speeding clearance by optimizing procedures. Customs has listed 114 major companies that will be the center of government support. Seventy-one are importers and exporters registered at the customs, whose trade value totaled $150 billion in 2012, some 20% of Guangdong's trade value.
We expect to see growth in Chinese exports through at least 2017 even though the expense to produce TEU's in China will continue to increase across China.
Ronald M. Marotta is the Vice President of Yusen Logistics (Americas) Inc., International Division, an NYK Group Company, responsible for the Origin Cargo Management Group and is based in Secaucus, NJ. Ron also serves as the NYK Group's Commercial Council Office Leader and works with all NYK Group Companies in their efforts to collaborate and provide integrated global logistics services to our mutual customers. Ron began his career at NYK almost twenty years ago as the General Manager of OCS of America, Inc. and helped to transform one of the original consolidators in Asia, into a modern consolidator and cargo logistics company.
Over the past 19 years, Yusen Logistics has grown their international business over 1,100% and extended their service reach throughout the globe. Ron can be contacted at (201) 553-3803.


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Pension fund sues Target and executives over data breach
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The lawsuit, filed by the $700 million pension fund on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Minnesota, accuses Target of "breach of fiduciary duty and waste of corporate assets."
"The defendants' failures to implement any internal controls at Target designed to detect and prevent such a data breach, and then timely report it, have severely damaged Target," the lawsuit states.
The Police Retirement System of St. Louis, which owned Target stock at the time of the breach and continues to do so now, says it filed the suit due to financial losses sustained by shareholders as a result of the breach.
RELATED: Target's earnings call: 3 takeaways
In addition to Target Corp., the lawsuit names Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel, Chief Financial Officer John Mulligan and Chief Information Officer Beth Jacob as defendants. The company's board of directors were also named as defendants: James Johnson, Roxanne Austin, Ecolab CEO Doug Baker, Calvin Darden, Henrique De Castro, Mary Minnick, Anne Mulchany, Derica Rice, Kenneth Salazar, Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf and Solomon Trujillo.
The pension fund wants the individual executives and directors to pay restitution to Target. It also wants the company to implement tighter data security, strengthen its disclosure policy, bolster board supervision of the retailer's operations and allow shareholders to nominate at least three candidates for election to the company's board. It's requesting a trial by jury.
Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder said the company would not comment on pending litigation.
Target's executives and directors are reportedly covered by a $65 million liability insurance line. The data breach could cost Target more than $1 billion, according to an analyst's estimate.
The Police Retirement System of St. Louis filed a similar lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its executives last year related to a trading loss of $6.25 billion sustained by the New York-based bank's chief investment office in May 2012. That lawsuit said the defendants breached their duties to shareholders by failing to block risky trades made by JPMorgan trader Bruno Iksil, known as the "London Whale."
John Vomhof Jr. covers retail, hotels, sports business, advertising, public relations and media. He's also on the air on WCCO-AM 830 with Dave Lee daily at 8:45 a.m. and on Fox 9 TV Fridays at 5:30 a.m. & 6:30 a.m.
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Axel Rudi Pell-Run With the Wind (2012) Single MP3/Flac
ONLY OUR SITE!
Axel Rudi Pell's 'Circle Of The Oath' will be released in March, and the first single from the album, "Run With The Wind" is now!
'Circle Of The Oath' is being released by SPV/Steamhammer and will hit stores on March 23rd in Germany, March 26th in Europe and March 27th in North America. Joining the seasoned guitarist on this release are Johnny Gioeli (vocals), Volker Krawczak (bass), Mike Terrana (drums) and Ferdy Doernberg (keyboards).


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Unveiling the Nike KD9
My favorite installment yet
In a somewhat surprising move for the month of March, Nike has already unveiled the Nike KD9. Kevin Durant’s 9th signature shoe looks to be one of the best, as it features Nike’s Flyknit technology for the first time.
With the shoe set to hit retailers June 20, 2016, we’ve still got a bit of a wait for this one. And while no price has been set thus far, I imagine it would keep with the recent trend and hit shelves in the $180-$220 range.
Rumor has it KD will wear these for the first time at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
We’ll update this as more photos/details become available.


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Waterstones has announced the permanent closure of its bookshop in the Centre MK Shopping Centre, Milton Keynes, over “excessive” rent demanded from its landlord.
The two-storey shop is located in the Silbury Arcade of the Grade II-listed building, which describes itself as one of the top 10 shopping destinations in the UK.
A spokesperson said: “Our bookselling team has long delighted in serving the readers of Milton Keynes and we have been proud to share our love for a good book with the local community.
“We would have preferred to reach a sensible agreement and remain but unfortunately the excessive terms demanded by the landlord, Hermes, forced us to leave. We very much hope that another quality retailer can afford the rent, rather than this resulting in yet another shop becoming vacant.
“We are very grateful for the loyal support of our customers over the years and look forward to welcoming readers to our companion branch at 72 Midsummer Place, Milton Keynes.”
The news comes after Waterstones announced it would not be reopening its university branches in Hull and Essex.
The Bookseller has approached Centre MK for a comment.


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Cybersecurity package must help businesses be more cyber aware
Australia’s peak industry body for innovation technology, the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), has supported the Prime Minister’s new four-year cybersecurity strategy, designed to combat online fraudsters and empower businesses to be more cyber vigilant.
Entitled Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy 2020, part of the package allows small and medium-sized businesses to upgrade their cybersecurity and resilience — including an $8.3 million Cyber Security Connect and Protect Program, designed to offer tailored advice and assistance from trusted sources. The government also stated that they will work with large companies and service providers to provide small businesses with better information and resources such as threat blocking and antivirus training.
The strategy includes giving $66 million in funding to operators of critical infrastructure to assess their networks for vulnerabilities. These include power plants, communications and ports so they can better fend off serious cyber attacks.
“We support any measures, both strategically and investment-wise, that will help Australian businesses to become more cyber aware,” said Ron Gauci, AIIA CEO. “We know that critical infrastructure is increasingly becoming a target for cybercrime. Operational technology used in critical infrastructure, manufacturing, sensors or building controllers traditionally operate on separate networks with different protocols. In recent years we have seen the line blurred with these devices becoming IP-enabled or connected to IoT-type devices.
“We appreciate that the Prime Minister has listened and understands the need to continue investment and support with cybersecurity — as evident by The Cyber Security Review, which was led by The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and highlighted that cybercrime is costing the Australian economy in excess of $1 billion annually in direct costs alone.
“Whilst the cybersecurity industry has long suffered a shortage of skills, there is an even larger gap of experts who understand the traditionally engineering focused domain of operational technology and cybersecurity,” he continued. “Australia is currently short of 2300 workers in cybersecurity, with an expected demand of at least 17,600 additional professionals required in the sector by 2026. We hope this investment and focus goes some way to addressing the gap.”
As detailed in a recent set of recommendations put to the Australian Government as part of the AIIA White Paper titled ‘Building Australia’s Digital Future in a Post-COVID World’, the AIIA put forward the following suggestions relating to cybersecurity:
- Secure remote working, access to secure infrastructure and robust business continuity solutions are key to supporting Australian businesses, and investment in these areas will also stimulate employment, particularly across technology innovators and incubation hubs.
- Extend Australia’s 2020 Cyber Security strategy to include cyber resiliency and enhance and promote support to Australian SMEs through cyber awareness and support programs and continue to invest in cybersecurity skills; in particular, the area of OT security.
- Improved governance and operational initiatives to strengthen the collaborative learning structure created through the national Joint Cyber Security Centres network to encourage knowledge transfer between government and industry around both cyber resiliency and cyber incidents and further extend this support to SMEs.
- That the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) continues to take a leadership role in advising and providing support on cybersecurity issues.
- Provide incentives to support small businesses to invest in cybersecurity upskilling and better promote available initiatives.
“Similar to the AIIA’s white paper recommendations, we are pleased that the paper goes beyond just cybersecurity and looks at the cyber resilience of industries which we support and think are vital,” Gauci continued. “Cybersecurity and cyber resilience of businesses are distinct concerns.
“The 2020 cyber strategy supports our recommendations that SMEs need greater awareness and understanding on cyber threats and there is an important role for government in this area which we will be pleased to support as a leading tech association.”
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The Maharashtra government on Monday told the Bombay High Court it does not intend to permit street vendors and hawkers to conduct their businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic as it is not possible to regulate them.
The government filed an affidavit in response to a public interest litigation filed by one Manoj Oswal, raising concerns ofstreetvendorsbeing without income due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Oswal in his plea argued that since hotels and restaurants are allowed to operate,streetvendorsshould also be allowed to conduct their business activities.
"Considering the present ground realities and the affect that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused on businesses and commercial activities, the state government does not intend to permit street vendors or hawkers to commence their businesses amid and post the lockdown, the government said in its affidavit.
The affidavit filed by Kishor Nimbalkar, secretary, disaster management, relief and rehabilitation department, said street vendors and hawkers fall in an unorganised sector and thus, it is very difficult to regulate their business.
"The state government presently does not intend to permit street vendors or hawkers to conduct their businesses even in non-containment zones or areas that are not in lockdown, mainly because it is difficult to implement conditions, if any and if at all, imposed on them to conduct their business, the affidavit said.
It said the civic body and police authorities are already over-burdened with COVID-19 related duties and hence, it would not be possible to expect them to regulate street vendors and hawkers.
The court last month asked the government to clarify its position on the issue, and said the government could consider framing a policy.
The entire contents of this article are solely for information purpose and have been prepared on the basis of relevant provisions and as per the information existing at the time of the preparation by the Author. Compliance Calendar LLP and the Author of this Article do not constitute any sort of professional advice or a formal recommendation. The author has undertaken utmost care to disseminate the true and correct view and doesn’t accept liability for any errors or omissions. You are kindly requested to verify and confirm the updates from the genuine sources before acting on any of the information’s provided hereinabove. Compliance Calendar LLP shall not be responsible for any loss or damage in any circumstances whatsoever.


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Balmain has unveiled the first images from its Spring/Summer 2017 campaign shot by American fashion photographer Steven Klein. And this fashion army built by Olivier Rousteing is taking a gentler route through nature, yet on the road.
“We capture moments of a mysterious journey of a diverse cast of models, a nomadic Balmain army forcefully moving through a oneiric landscape—an environment which, like the collection itself, has been stripped back to the essential,” said Olivier Rousteing.
The now-famous “Balmain Army” – a recurrent theme from previous season – now stars models Natasha Poly, Doutzen Kroes and Isabeli Fontana who had walked the runway presentation for the French fashion brand last year. The three female stars are joined by Spanish model Jon Kortajarena.


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Equinix has continued its expansion into bare metal services, adding new chips and an AI framework from Nvidia to its Equinix Metal offering.
The Metal infrastructure as a service (IaaS) service, which provides quickly configured bare metal servers and storage in Equinix data centers, now includes the latest processors from AMD, Ampere and Intel, as well as Nutanix cloud integration and full-stack AI acceleration from Nvidia. There are also six new Metal locations promised.
Infrastructure as a service is predicted by Gartner to grow fast, from around ten percent of newly-procured computing in 2021, to 40 percent in 2025. Users in colocation spaces are increasingly turning to the colo providers or other partners to offer hardware on demand, alongside cloud-based capacity.
Metal, based on Equinix's acquisition of bare-metal provider Packet, was launched in late 2020. Initially launched in Amsterdam, New York, Silicon Valley, and Washington DC, it is now available in 18 metros in the US, Europe, and Asia. Today's announcement adds six more locations - Atlanta, Montreal, Helsinki, Stockholm, Melbourne, and Osaka.
The service offers on-demand hardware, with popular DevOps tools and a Kubernetes ecosystem, so customers can deploy and scale applications alongside on-ramps to cloud providers who are also located in the same premises in many cases. Equinix cites cybersecurity company Human, and video game company Super League Gaming, as early customers. It also has the Solana Foundation doing blockchain on the service.
Equinix today promises to offer processors including 3rd Gen AMD Epyc, Ampere's Arm-based Altra, and Intel Ice Lake chipsets, which are due on the market in early 2022. The colo company says Metal will include Gen3 server configurations designed for common workloads. There will also be optimized configurations for specialized workloads like AI training or inference. Certified operating systems include Ubuntu, Debian, FreeBSD, NixOS, Talos, Alpine Linux, Alma Linux, Rocky Linux, and VyOS.
The service also offers Nvdia's LaunchPad, a stack that offers instant access to AI infrastructure. This will be available in nine of Equinix's Metal data centers.
With Nutanix Cloud Platform, Metal will integrate public and private clouds to offer a whole hybrid multi-cloud on demand. This is currently a trial program before full availability.
“As the world’s largest colocation provider, Equinix delivers foundational infrastructure across clouds and to the edge, interconnecting them all," said Zac Smith, Managing Director, Equinix Metal.


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Retailers need to step up security
Retailers need to become more vigilant about checking customers credit card signatures before accepting the purchase as they are ultimately responsible if the card has been stolen, information security provider Clear Swift says.Identity theft – such
Wed, 11 Jul 2018
Retailers need to become more vigilant about checking customers credit card signatures before accepting the purchase as they are ultimately responsible if the card has been stolen, information security provider Clear Swift says.
Identity theft – such as name, date of birth, address, telephone, bank and credit card number details – are in hot demand. Credit cards can easily be compromised online but checking a signature from an item is purchased from a store should be mandatory.
“It’s not though. The other day, a retailer asked to see my signature. It was scratched, so he asked me for another form of identification. This is what he should have done but this is becoming increasingly rare,” Clear Swift managing director Peter Croft said.
Mr Croft said banks wanted retailers to retailers to check signatures because if an item appears on a consumer’s statement that is disputed they simply won’t pay the merchant (the retailer).
“It is the retailer that misses out (if a purchase has been processed by a stolen credit card) not the bank and not the consumer."
Mr Croft said a lot of personal information was given away because security measures were not followed. People can call up call centres pretending to be someone they are not, they have one form of identification, such as a birth date but this is not enough information for a password to be reset.
The web has opened up enormous opportunities for businesses but it has also brought with it challenges in keeping customer information confidential. Mr Croft said many businesses were now using White Hats – legitimate professionals who are hired to hack into banking systems and other sites that contain confidential intelligence – to measure the effectiveness of its security system.
Stolen credit card details will fetch about $US50 – US$60 on the black market. Online shopping is much harder to police than actual purchases made in stores as signatures and other identification measures can be enforced.
“The simple thing to do it stick to a policy, enforce good workable measures against identity theft and who can access what information and what can be viewed by certain people.
“Spread sheets containing payroll information should never be emailed. Data containing customer information should also never be emailed. Businesses need to switch on detection policies. If you have a great policy make sure it is backed up. This affects the value of the company and how it compete,” Mr Croft said.
Wed, 11 Jul 2018
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Stocard launched just ten years ago after co-founder David Handlos spent time in Australia and collected plastic loyalty cards as at every retailer he visited. Stocard was his lightbulb moment when he pondered on a better way to approach loyalty that didn’t require an ever-bulging wallet.
Stocard recently commenced their journey into payments. In 2020, they issued a Mastercard-backed virtual card to their 3 million UK customers, with plans to roll out the feature across Europe and then into Australia and other countries.
The take-over by Klarna will certainly take that journey in a different direction, with Klarna’s Buy Now Pay Later product likely to be woven into Stocard’s experience.
Irrespective of what happens, David Handlos and co-founder partner Björn Goß are going to be able to enjoy many more long holidays to Australia in the future.


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2022 will see prices go up on new bikes, accessories, rental rates, and bike repairs.
Bike Rental Rates will increase as of April 1, 2022. Book your reservation before then and lock in last year's rates.
As with every other industry our expenses are continuing to rise.
The main culprit for us is the cost of freight. Freight prices have gone up a lot. Also, bikes are arriving in smaller lots as they become available. In previous years when I ordered 15 or more bikes, they would all ship together and I'd be eligible for free freight as long as I paid on time. Now I'm getting charged $20-45 per bike on any shipment under 15 bikes, of which most are. This is also affecting parts for the same reason. Even though I may order enough parts/accessories to qualify for free freight, it gets shipped as it becomes available, and I must then pay for freight. I have received items where the freight was almost as much as the item. These freight costs will cause bike and accessory purchases, bike rental rates, and bike repairs to go up in price.
Ptown Bikes is now required to accept e-bike batteries for recycling for Trek and Specialized e-bikes. They are now adding a $20 surcharge for all new e-bikes purchased. That cost will be passed on to the consumer.
The employee shortage is causing wages to go up. Wages went up 20% last year and I anticipate they will go up more this year. Employee housing is becoming even harder to find and is becoming more expensive. Workers just need to make more.
We will continue to try to keep prices down, but increases are inevitable.
On the bright side...
Bicycle Rental Rates at Ptown Bikes are better than almost any other city. We have better bikes and we charge less. Every year we offer an Early Bird Special for a $5-10 discount on a weekly bike rental reservation made by March 15.
You won't find any better quality bicycle repair work anywhere and ours is much less expensive than Boston and other cities.
Our new bike rates are comparable to anywhere else. We were able to give more discounts in previous years when we were able to control our costs better.
It's a different world now, and I ask for your understanding and patience.


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August 14, 2013
Australia & the World on two pages – August 2013
Central bank statements reinforcing their guidance that interest rates should stay low for a long time yet across the big advanced economies, have supported financial markets. Recent business surveys and industrial data point to an upturn in growth in these advanced economies
Global: Central bank statements reinforcing their guidance that interest rates should stay low for a long time yet across the big advanced economies have supported financial markets. Recent business surveys and industrial data point to an upturn in growth in these advanced economies, possibly heralding the start of the shift in the composition of global growth away from the emerging markets and toward advanced economies. While USA growth is lower, an accelerating trend is expected to see “tapering” begin in coming months. Against that, business surveys, trade and industry data and GDP releases show a softening trend in the emerging markets. We also expect slower Chinese growth to continue into 2014.
- The consensus view has long been that annual global economic growth should increase from 3% to around trend (which is between 3½% and 3¾%) over the next year or two. Set against this forecast, the performance of the global economy through the last couple of years has been disappointing with few signs until recently that the anticipated ramping up of world economic growth was about to start. The last few months have finally brought some early evidence that things could be getting better. Some of this rotation reflects the passing of prolonged periods of economic weakness in Western Europe, some is due to the stimulus coming from Abenomics to Japanese demand while, in the background, a moderate US recovery continues.
- As there is still plenty of spare capacity in the big advanced economies, supply should not be much of a constraint on their predicted economic upturn. This idle capacity limits pricing power in labour and product markets, ensuring inflation stays down, thus allowing central banks to keep their policy interest rates at historically low levels.
- Second quarter trends in GDP for the US and UK have been reasonably positive, partial data for Japan suggests continued growth and some of the recent economic indicators in the recession-hit Euro-zone are looking less negative. The most marked evidence of improving economic conditions comes in the business surveys where the latest monthly purchasing manager surveys show a solid improvement across the US, UK and Euro-zone (but the Japanese upturn faltered in July). The combination of fiscal stimulus, central bank asset purchases and a lower yen appears to have triggered an upturn in Japanese economic growth, with exports, consumer spending and business conditions all moving up. However, there have been a few recent setbacks and markets are watching to see if growth momentum can be maintained.
- While economic conditions across the big advanced economies are looking more promising, the growth performance of the large emerging market economies has been disappointing. Chinese growth slipped from double-digit levels in 2010 to 7.5% yoy in June 2013 and quarterly growth in the second quarter was running at 1.7%. India has also slowed markedly with growth halving from around 10% in the first half of 2010 to around 5% yoy in early 2013. The emerging market slowdown extends beyond China and India, stretching from the export oriented economies of East Asia to even a big closed Latin American economy like Brazil where growth of only around 2% is expected this year. This weakness reflects subdued world trade and the exhaustion of previous credit-led growth models in places like Brazil and S Korea.
- Recent signs that growth is picking up in the big advanced economies fit in with the re-balancing of global growth toward those nations that we have been predicting for some time and which business seems to be expecting. Eventually the still weak economic conditions in Western Europe have to improve, Abenomics should boost demand in Japan while the gradual US economic upturn trundles on. The upshot is that growth in the big advanced economies should rise from just over 1% this year to 2¼% in 2014.
- While recent indicators look brighter for the advanced economies – and we have modestly revised up our 2013 forecasts for the UK and Japan- they look less rosy for some of the big emerging markets and we have slightly lowered our forecasts for China and India. Emerging economy growth is only expected to accelerate modestly through the next few years – from 5¼% in 2013 to 5½% by 2015, mainly because of an upturn in world trade that drives emerging Asian exports, monetary easing in India lifting its demand and faster expansion in Latin America. Taken overall, world economic growth is expected to rise from 3% this year to 3.6% in 2014 and 3.7% in 2015, which is back around its long-term pace.
For further analysis download the full report.


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(ATF) Chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC) has mass-produced a smartphone processor for Huawei Technologies, marking a breakthrough in mainland China’s push to boost its semiconductor industry, China Daily reported.
The news came ahead of a decision by the White House to tighten US restrictions on the company’s development of the products using American technology.
Huawei’s chipset, the Kirin 710A, was produced through an advanced, 14-nanometer manufacturing process by the Shanghai-based chipmaker. It’s the first time that a mainland semiconductor company has commercialised the technology.
The move also confirms that Huawei is shifting partial production of its self-designed chips to SMIC, away from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC), amid worries about tightened restrictions from the US government.
Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Information Consumption Alliance, a telecom industry association, said that the Kirin 710A chip’s design, manufacturing, testing and packaging are all done by Chinese mainland companies.
SMIC Shanghai received Huawei smartphones last week with “Powered by SMIC” printed on the back.
“It is a step from zero to one,” Xiang said.
Hua Chuang Securities said in a research note on Tuesday that chip manufacturing is a crucial part of the semiconductor industry chain.
White House threat
The US Commerce department said it would “narrowly and strategically target Huawei’s acquisition of semiconductors that are the direct product of certain US software and technology”.
“This announcement cuts off Huawei’s efforts to undermine US export controls,” the Commerce Department said in a statement.
The US considers the Shenzhen-based telecom giant a national threat.
The measures threaten Huawei’s access to TSMC’s production of its self-designed chips.
“In such a context, SMIC’s progress in 14 nm is very important,” the securities company said.
SMIC said earlier that it would expand its production capacity in 14nm manufacturing to 15,000 wafers per month by the end of the year. Wafers are the silicone dyes from which chips are struck.
The company said in its first-quarter financial report on Wednesday that revenue in the three months through March was a record high $905 million, up 35 percent year-on-year.
Huawei is also beefing up its own chip research and development capabilities. HiSilicon, its semiconductor arm, became the first Chinese mainland company to enter the Top 10 global chip rankings, taking 10th position in the first quarter, according to market research company IC Insights.
This comes as Washington toughens export controls of semiconductor technologies to China.
According to a new rule released by the US Department of Commerce in late April, licences will be needed for US companies to sell certain items, including semiconductors, to Chinese companies that Washington thinks have ties to the military, even if the products are meant for civilian use. The rule will take effect on June 29.
READ MORE: Honor aims high with new smartphone launch
US semiconductor equipment makers Lam Research and Applied Materials have sent letters to their Chinese clients, asking them not to use their products to make chips for the military or military-civilian initiatives, Chinese media reported on Tuesday night.
Bai Ming, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said, “the new restrictions will harm the US semiconductor industry”.
Lam Research said in a recent filing: “Our international sales could be materially and adversely affected by export license requirements and other regulatory changes.”
China accounted for 29% of Lam’s overall revenue for the nine months ended March 29, the company said.
“There is no assurance that we will be issued licenses that we may apply for on a timely basis or at all, which could limit our ability to operate and adversely impact our revenues in China,” Lam added.
In other news, China Mobile Guangdong and Huawei jointly announced that they have opened the world’s first enterprise private line service based on NG OTN (Next Generation Optical Transmission Network) technology, according to Huawei’s official website.
The move marked the start of a comprehensive upgrade of Guangdong Mobile’s smart private network, which is hoped to meet the differentiated dedicated line connection needs of large-, medium- and small-sized enterprises, accelerate the digital transformation of various vertical industries, and lay a solid foundation for the development of Guangdong’s digital economy.


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More choices in store for consumers in 2014
The country will also get its first global retail chain in the multi-brand segment with the government approving the proposal of British retailer Tesco which has tied up with Tata-owned domestic chain Trent.
Two new airlines — Air Asia's domestic venture and Tata-Singapore Airlines — will take off in 2014 adding more capacity in the aviation sector and connecting new cities and towns.
Broadband users, too, can hope for faster internet access with Reliance Jio's 4G venture expected to take off. This will add to the 4G services already being offered by Bharti Airtel in some circles.
Next year could also see new technology hitting the shelves. Gearing up for launch are the Xbox1, iPhones with larger screens and smaller and faster tablets. Wearable cell phones and smartphones with curved screens are poised to be game changers in the way we communicate.
Good Time To Insure
Companies have yet to announce the roll out dates but insurance policy buyers, who for long have felt short changed, can expect at least marginal improvement, with new rules for life covers kicking in from January 1.
There is also some good news in store for those who are looking at retirement solutions in the new year. With the new pension law in place in 2014, it could mean better regulation and more choice of products.
Buying gold may also become easier as better foreign exchange management can provide the headroom policymakers need to ease some of the controls imposed on the purchase of the yellow metal.
But what everyone is looking forward to seeing is the person who moves into the corner office in North Block after the elections. A new government is expected to unveil a fresh set of policies to boost growth and revive sentiment.
The new finance minister is expected to join office at a time when growth is at 5 pc — the lowest ever in a decade — and food inflation is in double digits. Consumers would expect the next government to unveil concrete measures to ensure that households have more to spend and save.
If the new government is able to lower the rate of inflation, the burden of paying of loans for homes and automobiles will come down although lower interest rates will shave off a part of the interest income from fixed deposits.
The food security law will be rolled out in more states, altering the way subsidies are handed out. However, it will pose challenges to the delivery mechanism.
While the much talked about tax reforms such as the Goods and Services Tax and the Direct Taxes Code are unlikely to be implemented until April 2015, large companies are gearing to set aside 2% of their profits to meet their social obligations, which will bring more money into the social sector.
But if you are expecting the economy to grow at 8 pc, the wait may be a lot longer.
(This article was originally published in The Times of India)


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Tensions Flare: Is Bitcoin Cash Headed to Another â€˜Catastrophicâ€™ Fork?
Despite tensions flaring among Bitcoin Cash developers over the protocolâ€™s difficulty algorithm, another chain split seems unlikely.
The Bitcoin Cash (BCH) community is divided over whether to change the cryptocurrencyâ€™s difficulty adjustment algorithm, with a recent developer meeting reportedly concluding with attendees storming out of the event.
On August 4, Chris Pacia, the lead developer of the peer-to-peer marketplace OpenBazaar and a volunteer BCH developer, tweeted that â€œmultiple people walk[ed] outâ€� of the meeting as consensus was not reached over whether to make adjustments to Bitcoin Cashâ€™s difficulty algorithm.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin tweeted in reply that he doesnâ€™t understand with BCH people â€œcare so muchâ€� given â€œyour algo is fine as isâ€� and added:
â€œI will be honest; being optimistic that BCH development would improve once they got Craig [Wright] out is definitely looking like one of my worse predictions.â€�
Some reports indicate that growing tensions over the difficulty algorithm may result in yet another BCH chain split. Outspoken Australian BCH proponent Hayden Otto tweeted: â€œI will be sticking with the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) chain this coming chain split.â€�
Difficulty algo dispute is â€˜trivialâ€™
But speaking to Cointelegraph, Otto said his tweet was meant as a joke to â€œtrollâ€� those opposing BCHâ€™s core â€˜Bitcoin ABCâ€™ developers.
He played down the significance of the community disagreeance as â€œa trivial matter,â€� but also said that â€œenemy operatives who pose as BCH supportersâ€� are using the difficulty adjustment algorithm (DAA) as a wedge issue â€œto create chaos and sow divisionâ€�:
â€œChanging the DAA has been made a priority issue by a select few people who want to stop miners gaming the current DAA by switching large amounts [of] hashrate to and from BCH â€” which results in inconsistent block mining times,â€� he said.
â€œThis really only affects people who are depositing to exchanges which require an unnecessary amount of confirmations for deposits, but doesn’t affect the vast majority of people using BCH in a personal or business capacity where 0 confirmations are sufficient.â€�
Otto says fork is unlikely
According to Otto, Bitcoin ABC announced a forthcoming overhaul to the difficulty algorithm come BCHâ€™s next scheduled upgrade on November 15. However, he asserts those who pushed for the adjustment remain unhappy because ABCâ€™s proposed upgrade doesnâ€™t go as far as the â€˜BCHNâ€™ implementation that they have suggested.
Despite the disagreement, Otto believes that a BCHN chain split is unlikely, stating that the â€œBCHN software is not widely adopted by minersâ€� and thus its supporters â€œwill not have a majority vote to get their desired changes through on the upgrade date.â€�
â€œThey are now relying on â€˜proof of social mediaâ€™ tactics in an attempt to persuade miners and businesses who run ABC to capitulate and swap over to the BCHN software.â€�
â€œRight now it’s all just posturing online, but when it comes to the upgrade date I don’t think the BCHN supporters will follow through on anything. They will be a minority chain and another split would be catastrophic for anyone following the minority chain,â€� Otto concluded.
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|Filed Under:||Business & Finance / Real Estate|
|Posts on Regator:||3057|
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|Archived Since:||December 12, 2008|
Luxury retail is beginning to boom in Downtown Manhattan. The announcement Wednesday that a Saks Fifth Avenue department store will open in Brookfield Place is the latest sign that shopping in the city’s financial district is going upscale. Show More Summary
Zillow Inc. and an association of brokers in the Nashville, Tennessee area have tentatively resolved their dustup over online home sale listings in the region. The tension in Nashville boiled over earlier this month when the regional...Show More Summary
There was no price tag in Monday’s announcement by commercial real estate services firm Cassidy Turley that it had agreed to be purchased by a group including private equity giant TPG. But people familiar with the deal say it valued the Washington, D.C.-based firm at between $500 million to $600 million including under $75 million in debt. Show More Summary
John Henneberger, a housing advocate from Austin, Texas, could be thought of as the FEMA trailer slayer. And for his efforts, he was named Wednesday a recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship
Developer Larry Silverstein announced Thursday that financial research firm Morningstar Inc. has signed a lease for 30,000 square feet at 4 World Trade Center, the austere, glassy 2.3 million square foot office tower on the southeast corner of the site.
Avison Young, the fast growing Canadian commercial real estate services company, has made another acquisition in the New York City region: Kwartler Associates, a New Jersey-based property management firm.
Amid sluggish leasing in Midtown, SL Green Realty is making a bet that the neighborhood is on the rise.
In this week's Mansion cover story, we looked at how food enthusiasts look to move to cities and neighborhoods with a colorful food scene. We asked reader's to name their favorite food cities and explain why. Here's what they said.....
Nearly a year after hotelier Andre Balazs dropped plans to transform the landmark TWA terminal at Kennedy Airport into a boutique hotel, a new batch of candidates are pondering a bid.
Lehman Brothers is listing for sale the Pacifica San Juan project in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., a 318-lot subdivision that is one of the last large undeveloped tracts in Orange County.
Stein Mart Inc., a bargain-priced fashion, accessories and home décor retailer, announced its biggest expansion in nearly a decade.
Vornado chief executive Steven Roth said Tuesday the site of the now-closed Rizzoli Bookstore is “going to be a seven-star hotel.”
Uber’s appetite for rapid growth is extending to real estate with a deal to build a new headquarters in San Francisco
A report found that the average annualized returns for a nontraded REIT were 10.9% for the 34 companies examined, compared to 14.5% for listed REITs
Toll Brothers Inc.'s shortfall in new orders for its fiscal third quarter underscores a challenge now facing the U.S. home-building industry: Aggressive price increases in the past two years have hobbled demand at a time when builders...Show More Summary
Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. is building a 1.9-million-square-foot, $88 million warehouse that rivals in size the biggest in the U.S..
A massive former airplane hangar just north of Los Angeles International Airport was home to construction of the world’s largest airplane in the 1940s. Soon it could launch a new life: corporate offices of Google Inc.
A luxury hotel operator is trying to revive a failed condo-hotel project in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., hoping that a formula that faded during the economic downturn can make a comeback.
Recent Commerce Department data show that construction of single-family homes for rental purposes is shrinking toward its long-term average market share, but that doesn’t include the entire picture.
After years of planning, the Related Cos.’ giant Hudson Yards project, where more than $20 billion in development is planned on Manhattan’s far West Side, is getting well underway.


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In a recent announcement, Mutare, Inc., a pioneer in enterprise solutions for Voice Threat Defense, proudly unveiled its recognition by TMC as the 2023 CUSTOMER CCaaS Product of the Year Award winner. The accolade underscores the exceptional capabilities of Mutare’s flagship platform, the Mutare Voice Traffic Filter (VTF).
Content Guru, a global leader in cloud contact center and customer experience (CX) technology, has unveiled a groundbreaking addition to its storm® platform. In a significant move, the company has integrated Google Business Messages, a digital communication channel, into its repertoire. This integration empowers customers to engage with brands via various Google entry points, including Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Ads.
In an exciting development for businesses seeking streamlined communication solutions, CallCabinet has officially integrated its cutting-edge recording and analytics solutions with Zoom Contact Center. This groundbreaking move effectively eliminates the need for multiple, independently managed recording and analytics systems.
GoTo, a trailblazer in communication solutions, has introduced a groundbreaking feature named AI Chat Analysis within its Contact Center platform, enhancing the realm of customer service with advanced AI capabilities. This innovative add-on promises to reshape the way customer service supervisors and analysts understand and interact with customer inquiries.
Content Guru, a prominent global provider of cloud contact center and customer experience (CX) technology, has announced today that its storm® cloud contact center solution has been granted the United States Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program’s (FedRAMP) In Process designation at the High Impact Level.
Journey.ai, a trailblazing cybersecurity software company, has teamed up with Avaya, a leading contact center provider, to bolster security measures while enhancing the agent experience. The integration of Journey’s biometric authentication technology with Avaya Hybrid Cloud Services (HCS) offers a compelling solution for contact centers, replacing conventional password-based authentication with biometric verification.
Five9, Inc., a provider of the Intelligent CX platform and listed on NASDAQ as FIVN, announced today that Frost & Sullivan has recognized it as a Growth and Innovation leader in the Frost Radar™: European Cloud Contact Center Market, 2023. The Frost Radar™ report highlights key criteria, including the company’s long-standing presence in Europe, consistent growth, effective go-to-market strategies, robust customer support, commitment to local markets, and investments in transformative technologies such as AI integration.
CallTower, a leading provider of cloud-based unified communications and collaboration solutions, has launched the state-of-the-art Solgari Contact Center, integrated into the Microsoft Teams App. This release marks a significant advancement in the contact center agent experience by offering complete management capabilities within the Microsoft Teams platform.
Solgari’s Contact Center introduces an innovative solution that revolutionizes the way organizations communicate, collaborate, and serve customers using CallTower’s Microsoft Teams voice platforms.
BT and ServiceNow join forces to launch a contact-centre-as-a-service (CCaaS) offering, streamlining digitalization for businesses and public sector clients. This cloud-based solution promotes flexibility, cost-efficiency, and innovative services for a seamless user experience.
Vonage secures a Top Customer Sentiment Award for Contact Center as a Service from Metrigy, tied for the highest overall score among 27 providers. Praise includes technical features, reliability, integrations, and AI capabilities, highlighting Vonage’s innovative approach to customer engagement.


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Nestlé and resource management company Veolia have announced a collaboration to work on waste collection, sorting and recycling of plastic material, with a particular emphasis on flexible plastic packaging.
Projects will focus on eleven priority countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe.
The partnership will also explore technologies to establish viable models of recycling in different countries. This includes chemical recycling technologies like pyrolysis, which is capable to produce virgin quality plastic.
These technologies will help Nestlé to increase the recycled content of its bottled water packaging to 35 per cent and its overall product packaging to 15 per cent by 2025.
Magdi Batato, executive vice president, head of operations, Nestlé, said: “Plastic waste is a challenge that requires an ecosystem of solutions all working simultaneously. This partnership is another specific step to accelerate our efforts in addressing the critical issue of plastic waste. Leveraging on Veolia’s technology and expertise, we will start with pilot projects in multiple countries, with the intention of scaling these up globally.”
Laurent Auguste, senior executive vice-president for development, innovation and Markets, Veolia, said: “I am very pleased and welcome the opportunity of this partnership with a global F&B leader like Nestlé, in the quest for a more circular economy of plastics. Our expertise in resource recovery and recycling has positioned us to tackle this issue with global brands and other value-chain actors, across all continents. We believe it is time to move towards more recycling of materials and we are happy to help our clients be ever more inventive so they can keep improving our quality of life, whilst protecting our planet and its resources.”
This partnership with Veolia follows a series of specific initiatives and steps to accelerate action to tackle plastic waste, in line with Nestlé’s commitment to make 100 per cent of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.
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Building on the success of the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit, the editors of Vanity Fair are starting a new conference focused on women entrepreneurs.
Founders Fair, which will take place in New York on April 20, 2017, will bring together ambitious risk-takers to share their experiences and to help encourage and support other entrepreneurs.
“Vanity Fair loves great stories, and the stories of young female entrepreneurs are among the most dramatic and compelling in business,” said Graydon Carter, editor of Vanity Fair. “We look forward to bringing together women founders for conversations about what inspired them, how they got going, and where they are taking their companies in the future.”
Founders Fair will also explore the challenges women entrepreneurs face, such as access to capital. An annual study by venture firm Female Founders Fund determined that just 10 percent of Bay Area companies that received early-stage funding in the first half of 2016 were led by a female C.E.O., up slightly from 8 percent of companies in 2015.
Through the New Establishment Summit and annual ranking, and the Hive, a digital platform for coverage of technology, politics, and business, Vanity Fair has expanded its coverage of the entrepreneurs who are becoming an increasingly important part of the global economy. Founders Fair is an opportunity to focus on the unique stories of female founders.
Dell Technologies is a presenting sponsor of Founders Fair.
Participation is by invitation only and speakers will be announced soon. For more information on the event, please visit the Founders Fair site.


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Woolies’ growth hits 12-year lowPUBLISHED: 25 Feb 2011 09:13:00 | UPDATED: 26 Feb 2011 08:13:37PUBLISHED: 26 Feb 2011 PRINT EDITION: 26 Feb 2011
Updated | Woolworths is facing its slowest profit growth for 12 years, but chief executive Michael Luscombe says the retailer remains confident of achieving its long-term growth targets when conditions improve.
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Just as rumors said it would, Apple made iPad-related announcements on Tuesday. But Apple issued only one press release on October 17th. And rather than unveiling the iPad 11, iPad mini 7, and iPad Air 6, Apple only launched a new USB-C Apple Pencil, supposed to work with almost every current iPad.
The Apple Pencil might be a key accessory for many users, but it’s hardly warranted a standalone announcement. The new stylus is cheaper and fixes a charging issue that some iPad owners might have noticed with previous Apple Pencil models.
However, Apple hasn’t mentioned new tablets anywhere in the Apple Pencil press release. And there’s no telling when Apple will release the 2023 iPads that were seemingly promised.
Well, Apple never promised to update any iPad models this fall. It’s what various leaks claimed would happen. And Apple leakers are usually right, even though the company still manages to conceal some secrets.
Even without the leaks, it’s easy to assume that Apple would unveil at least a new iPad model this fall. Apple almost always releases a new iPad each fall, upgrading the cheapest model with new features. All other lines, including the mini, Air, and Pro, are not on yearly release schedules. Therefore, I’d expect an iPad 11th-gen refresh this year.
The iPhone 15 is selling very well. Also, Apple released new Apple Watch models at the event. There’s also a new AirPods Pro version that features a charging case with a USB-C connector.
These products will account for a considerable amount of sales during the December quarter, with emphasis on the iPhone. But the iPhone and its accessories alone might not be enough to drive a record quarter if Apple is even aiming for that.
Also, there won’t be any new Mac hardware in stores this year besides the MacBook Pro and Air models Apple launched in previous quarters. Those devices are already seeing great discounts online.
Morgan Stanley estimates for Apple’s iPad revenue for the December quarter that MacRumors saw before the Apple Pencil announcement implied that Apple might not unveil new iPads this year. The analysts expect iPad revenue to reach $7.2 billion during the quarter. That’s a 23% drop compared to Apple’s $9.4 billion in iPad sales during the December 2022 quarter.
Apple updated the iPad Pros and the base iPad last October, with those models driving iPad sales during the period. That’s why expecting new iPad hardware for the period makes sense. The iPad doesn’t generate sales as strong as the iPhone. But the iPad remains the tablet everyone else tries to beat. And there’s plenty of iPad demand out there.
There’s also the possibility that Apple doesn’t want to release new hardware without more meaningful updates. The iPad mini 7’s biggest upgrade would be a processor bump to the A16 Bionic. The iPad Air 6, meanwhile, could get an M2 chip. But the minute that happens, the M2 Air becomes a threat to the M2 iPad Pro models, which retail for higher prices.
Maybe Apple wants to time the iPad Air 6 update to the iPad Pro refresh, which isn’t coming until next year. Apple could very well upgrade the entire iPad lineup at once when the iPad Pro models are ready. But that’s just speculation.
Maybe there’s something simpler at play here. Apple might be hunting for leak sources and messing with leakers. Perhaps the 2023 iPads are imminent, but Apple will unveil them slightly later than expected.


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2019 is set to be the Final Con for the Little Rock Comic Con, which will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 29 at the Benton Event Center.
The popular culture event is a chance for visitors to see things from their childhood, purchase items from Funko Pops to vintage toys and hand crafted items, see a variety of cosplayers, meet special guests and attend panels throught the day, according to founder Michael Tinnel.
This year's guests include John Anderson, an actor known for a variety of roles, Bobby Vala, a former head toy designer for Hasbro who is working to launch his own toy line, WWE star Marty Jannetty, local artist Timothy Limm, who has created covers for comic books, Kazz's Cosplay Insanity and artist Zach Woolzey. Artist Robby Musso, who does art for Hasbro and IDW Comics, will be returning this year.
Local Batman Dustin Hamm and Laura Todd, who often dons the Wonder Woman costume, are set to be judges for the cosplay contest at 3 p.m. the day of the event.
In promotion of the con, Burger Shack will host Lunch with a Superhero from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Burgers, fries and a drink will be available for $9. Diners will be able to see and take pictures with a variety of cosplayers, including superheroes.
There will be an event after the con with pizza and sodas for an additional fee at Fairfield Inn and Suites starting at 6 p.m. where attendees can mingle with other guests and the special guests from the con.
Tickets for the con are available online through Eventbright or by following the link on the event Facebook page. They are $10 in advance or at the door.
As a throwback to the first year, the first 20 attendees who pay cash can get in for $3. The next 20 can get in for $5.


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Airlines are just one aspect of the travel industry that have been left financially strained by the coronavirus pandemic. While many plan to restart flights in July, others are holding off until Government advice becomes clearer. Currently, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advice states that travelling abroad is not permitted unless it is “essential”.
- Holidays 2020: Major holiday hotspot Seychelles plans to reopen
This has been put in place “indefinitely” and is likely to last until at least next month.
This week, Home Secretary Priti Patel also updated the nation on the upcoming quarantine rules which will be put in place from June 8.
The rules state that anyone arriving into the country from abroad will be subject to stringent 14-day quarantine rules.
Anyone caught breaking the rules could be fined up to £1,000.
Although the future of the industry remains shaky, there are those with the travel bug who are desperate to go on holiday abroad.
Express.co.uk spoke exclusively with Travel risk expert Lloyd Figgins about how airlines will try and entice travellers to pay more for flights once travel restrictions are lifted.
Mr Figgins is also Chairman of the Travel Risk & Incident Prevention (TRIP), which is an independent think-tank dedicated to improving knowledge, education and awareness of travel risk management.
He’s also the author of The Travel Survival Guide and often provides commentary in the media.
Revealed: Which countries could open up their tourist industries first [INSIGHT]
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For those looking for a cheap flight abroad in the near future, he explained that you could be in luck but at another cost.
He said: “In the early stages of people getting back to travelling you will see airlines enticing them [travellers] with some pretty good offers, actually.”
However, he warned that this will soon change.
He continued: “But I think in the longer term they’re going to have to recoup the losses that they have incurred.
“The longer term picture is not so bright.
“I think that travellers will be paying more for their flights until travel returns to what it was pre-COVID-19.”
Mr Figgins also added that airlines will need to try and reestablish consumer confidence in flying to secure its future.
“The key thing here is to reestablish consumer confidence and I think that at the moment the travel industry is really hurting – and I totally get that – but what I would say is that if the travel industry does anything to erode consumer confidence I think they will suffer long into the future.
“But if the travel industry gets this right and adopts robust travel risk management procedures in order to keep people safe during a time of such uncertainty it will secure its future.
“But if it rushes into a return to travel without those appropriate safety measures in place, it will take a very, very long time for it to recover.”
Lloyds Figgins’ book, The Travel Survival Guide, is available to buy on Amazon
Source: Read Full Article


text: A subsidiary of Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) has joined with the world's largest branded sports shoe manufacturer to offer supply chain and data management solutions for the footwear and electronics industries. Logistics Information Network Enterprise (Line) this week formed SupplyLine with Taiwan's sports shoe maker Yue Yuen Industrial Holdings, which has a 15 per cent share of the global footwear market, producing Nike, Reebok and Timberland. Two of Taiwan's largest electronics manufacturers, Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) and Global Brands Manufacture Group, have taken stakes in the joint venture. ECS, the exclusive producer of Apple's iBook, is among the world's largest manufacturers of printed circuit board assemblies, aiming this year to double its US$1 billion turnover. ECS general manager David Chang said: 'SupplyLine will help manage the flow of goods from raw material to the finished product. We will be able to work with partners who understand our industry and provide professionally designed software. 'SupplyLine will allow ECS to focus on product development and manufacturing . . . it will help us reduce costs and be more responsive to market demand.' Aaron Mak Shek-kwong, chief executive of Line, said an analysis the firm did with Reebok found by enhancing the supply chain process, it could reduce product order cycle time by 15 per cent by managing it online. Mr Mak said by streamlining and combining procurement of the companies' raw materials it would also be possible to cut 25 to 30 per cent of transport costs. 'The savings are certainly significant enough to make people pay attention. People tend to ignore process engineering when it comes to gaining a competitive advantage. They tend to try to compete on price. 'But process engineering, optimising your material procurement strategy, for example, improves your buying terms, which reflects on price,' Mr Mak said. In footwear manufacturing, Mr Mak estimated 40 per cent of raw materials were the same for all brands. 'This presents a tremendous opportunity for streamlining the movement of freight for the industry,' he said. SupplyLine will also focus on improving the quality of online data, production cycle and inventory management for its shareholders. Yue Yuen, whose turnover to September last year was almost US$1.8 billion, has more than 225 production lines which produced more than 113 million pairs of shoes last year. While the majority of its raw materials are procured in South Korea, sales in the United States were responsible for 55 per cent of turnover. Co-ordinating the global cradle-to-grave cycle is critical. The company will leverage HPH's global network of 30 international ports for shipment needs, but SupplyLine will be responsible for co-ordinating the supply-chain processes. 'Consumers demand flexibility, so a lot of shipments and logistics processes are organised on an ad-hoc basis. 'This often fragments the supply chain by, for example, using too many forwarders, which impacts on production cycles. 'All it takes is for one guy to ship the wrong thing and you've got a production problem - let alone losing out on economies of scale,' Mr Mak said. Line will be the majority shareholder in the new venture, but Mr Mak declined to detail individual stakes.


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Taking Care of Business: Alexander’s Bistro
Their doors aren’t open yet but they’ve been busy behind the scenes
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Alexander’s Bistro is one of the newest additions to Savannah.
“It’s going to be a neighborhood deli bistro kind of café,” said Chef & Owner Aaron Rothman.
In fact, they’re so new, they’re aren’t even open quite yet.
“We started this process before the pandemic,” said CFO Phil Rothman.
That’s right, they’ve been working on opening for about two years.
“It definitely was a slow process to get things up and going,” said General Manager Betsy Rothman.
The pandemic hitting the breaks on their big plans.
“Of course, it slowed the supply chain for the equipment,” Phil says.
Slowing them down, but not bring them to a stop, “we just plowed on,” said Phil.
Although they would’ve hoped to open sooner, the delay may have actually been a blessing in disguise.
“We took advantage of learning what other restaurants were doing,” Phil said.
Watching how they adapted to the pandemic to help set themselves up for success.
“Relying more on carryout. Needing COVID distancing stations,” just some of the changes Phil says they made.
So, as this family run business waited, they worked, “family doesn’t let you procrastinate as much as you may like to,” joked Aaron.
While the Rothman family motivated each other, it was their new community that truly kept them going.
“We had a lot of encouragement. People we would meet would say, ‘we’re glad you’re doing this. Hang in there,’” recalls Phil.
It would seem they’ve done just that.
Turning that family dream into a reality and even finding a little joy in the waiting.
“We embraced it, and once we embraced and see it come to life, even if it was slowly, it’s like watching your child grow up, again,” Phil said.
If all goes to plan Alexander’s Bistro is aiming to officially open their doors February 9.
For more information on the restaurant including menu and location click here.
Copyright 2022 WTOC. All rights reserved.


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Charter Hall Retail buys WA’s Secret Harbour in $33.2m dealPUBLISHED: 28 Jun 2013 15:58:38 | UPDATED: 28 Jun 2013 15:58:38PRINT EDITION: 29 Jun 2013
Charter Hall Retail REIT is pouring the proceeds from its sale of five Polish centres into buying local assets, and has picked up the Secret Harbour shopping centre and adjoining vacant land south of Rockingham, Western Australia.
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Olivia Wilde Shows Off Baby Bump On Oscars Red Carpet
Olivia Wilde was dressed for two at the Academy Awards red carpet, showing off her baby bump as she posed with fiance Jason Sudeikis.
The mom-to-be wore a black gown that showed off her growing belly, earning good marks from fashion critics.
When she stopped to talk to E!’s Ryan Seacrest, Wilde even thought to talk in the plural.
“We are wearing Valentino and Lorraine Schwartz jewels,” joked the 29-year-old Wilde.
The actress has actually gotten good marks for her fashion throughout her pregnancy. As Olivia Wilde has watched her baby bump grow, she hasn’t lost her keen sense of fashion. And even when she dresses down — like when she was caught going to the gym wearing a Kansas City Chiefs sweatshirt — Wilde still has people on Twitter and across the internet praising her style.
Olivia ended up looking a lot more fashionable at the Oscars than she had let on to fans. She had previously joked to followers on Twitter that her Oscars dress would take a maternal bend.
Pic from my Oscar fitting: pic.twitter.com/VrNkD41DCc
— olivia wilde (@oliviawilde) February 19, 2014
— styledotcom (@styledotcom) March 2, 2014
Olivia Wilde isn’t all style and no substance. The actress has branched out beyond Hollywood recently, starting a new business that connects shoppers to companies that donate a portion of the proceeds to charity.
The business, Conscious Commerce, has already formed a partnership with Anthropologie. giving a portion of all sales from the clothing company to help a girl’s school in India.
Wilde said customers have responded well to the idea of using their everyday fashion purchases to help others in need.
“It should be shocking when a product isn’t somehow helping the people who made it,” says Wilde.
Olivia Wilde can go back to dressing for one after May 4, her due date.


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UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 16 JULY 2018
Our BA (Hons) Product and Furniture Design students often have the benefit from meeting industry professionals, and recently had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet Dieter Rams, the famous industrial designer.
Rams was in the UK for the opening of The Strong Collection at Vitsoe, in Leamington Spa. Collector Tom Strong spent 50 years assembling and using this astonishing 250-piece collection of Braun appliances, all designed by Dieter Rams. He has gifted this incredible group of objects to Vitsoe, ensuring the collection is permanently open to the public for the benefit of future generations of design students.
A number of our first-year students were invited to the exhibition opening following a study visit and lecture at Vitsoe earlier in the year. As well as having the opportunity to be amongst the first to see the exhibition the lucky students got to meet Dieter Rams, who gave them some poignant tips for the future and wished them luck in their further studies.
Future BA (Hons) Product and Furniture Design students will now have the chance to access this stunning set of objects for their studies, allowing them to understand the objects in detail and further develop their industrial design knowledge.
For more information about the Strong Collection at Vitsoe please visit: https://www.vitsoe.com/gb/voice/strong


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Image courtesy from iLounge
And the iPhone 5 rumors keep coming! The latest rumor reports that the next-generation smartphone will feature a thinner design, metallic backside, smaller rounded dock connector, a rear case with a centrally located metal panel and slightly longer 4 inch screen. This report comes from Jeremy Horowitz, editor of iLounge.
Horowitz also speculates that the iPhone 5 could be made partially of Gorilla Glass 2 for the same strong design while providing a sleek style that’s synonymous with Apple.
If this rumor is true, the iPhone 5’s new design(most particularly the length) would require applications and games to readjust to match the screen size. Additionally, the phone’s new dock connector is smaller(just slightly larger than the bottom speaker) and would obviously require a smaller charging connector.
Yesterday we reported another rumor that the iPhone 5 could feature a SIM card tray that looks very similar to the card holders for iPhones 4 and iPhone 4s. And a week or so before that, there was another rumor that the iPhone 5 would feature a liquid metal design.
We all know the iPhone 5 will most likely come out sometime this year but this speculation is really based on history and not a rumor- the iPhone 4s rolled out last October. Everything else is really just a rumor. Since this rumor came from iLounge, a website that’s sometimes reliable, there is a possibility that this rumor is true.
Rumors for the iPhone 5 have been popping up in the last few month but so far, none of them have been confirmed.
Two months ago, iLounge also mentioned that Apple was creating a new case for the iPad. This case would be designed to protect the front screen and aluminum back panel. Although the source for this rumor was credited from a supposedly reliable source, it has yet to be confirmed.
With all these rumors regarding Apple’s next generation of smartphones, it probably means we’re closer to hearing an official announcement from Apple’s chief executive officer Tim Cook.


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Books on BJP PM candidate, Congress leader are selling like hotcakes in the city
As the city gears up to participate in the world’s biggest election process, booksellers here have been celebrating the escalating sale in election-related books. Books on Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi are clear favourites.
“Books on Mr. Modi are practically flying off the shelves,” said an assistant at Bahrisons Booksellers in Khan Market.
“And with the elections just a few days away, sales are only seeing an upward trend. We are selling as many as four to five books on Mr. Modi every day. There is definitely a buzz and curiosity about him. We have been getting enquiries from both Indians and foreigners about books on him,” he added.
Not far behind the demand for books on Mr. Modi is the demand for books on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
“People mostly want to know if there are books on his life and his opinion on government policies. Many youngsters have been demanding books on Mr. Gandhi. In fact, not just books on Mr. Modi and Mr. Gandhi, essays on elections, books explaining the election process and Indian politics are also doing brisk business,” he added.
The scenario seems the same in other bookstores too.
Anup Kumar Bamhi of Faqir Chand & Sons said: “This past month alone we have sold over 50 books on Mr. Modi and about the same number on Mr. Gandhi. And sales are picking up as the polling day draws closer. On Mr. Modi, books like The NaMo Story: A Political Life by Kingshuk Nag and Madhu Kishwar’s Modi, Muslims and Media are doing brisk business. On Mr. Gandhi, Decoding Rahul Gandhi by Aarthi Ramachandran is selling well.”
Crossword Book Store in Saket too claimed that books on Mr. Modi and Mr. Gandhi are doing well.
“Interest in these books started around February and they have seen a steady increase over the past few weeks. There is interest and curiosity about the two leaders across all ages. Books on the Aam Aadmi Party however are not too much in demand here. There was definitely a buzz about the party during the Delhi elections, but now the interest doesn’t seem to be able to match up to Mr. Modi or Mr Gandhi — at least when it comes to sale of books.”


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Viewers are in for a treat as The Apprentice candidates descend on Manchester to take on their next task in the BBC’s hit show.
The contestants - whose efforts will be seen on TV on Wednesday evening - are sent to the city by Lord Alan Sugar to open a discount store for two days and turn products into profit.
And the remaining 10 entrepreneurs – who are aiming to land a business deal with Sir Sugar – set up their competing shops at opposing sides of Manchester’s Arndale Centre.
But just after the shutters go up on their stores, squabbles begin over customers and the constestant’s attempts to poach each other’s business see tempers flare. Footage will also show the team trading insults instead of bargains as they sell their goods in the heart of the city centre.
The filming of the BBC show sent social media crazy in Manchester as the contestants were spotted selling discounted goods in May.
Returning advisor Baroness Karren Brady was also spotted by the public taking notes in the Arndale Centre as shooting took place in May, while his old friend and new advisor for the 11th season Claude Littner was also seen being interviewed about the candidate’s performances.
The contestants are known for spouting hot air, and viewers are set to see Vana promising to be ‘fluent in Mancunian’ before her trip to Manchester.
The two teams will also be seen racing through the city centre and even up Market Stret in their bid make the most in sales.
Tune in to find out who the next candidate to hear Lord Sugar’s immortal words ‘You’re Fired’ on Wednesday, November 18 at 9pm on BBC One and BBC One HD.


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Over the next few days, gamers are likely to hear a lot of teases for Spike VGX 2013, the channel’s revamped awards show and interactive video game experience. Thus far, we have learned that Respawn Entertainment will bring some sort of “surprise” from their upcoming, multiplayer-focused title shooter, Titanfall, but that was only the beginning.
Although it’s not completely confirmed, we now have a new name to add to the Spike VGX 2013 list: Nintendo. NOA President Reggie Fils-Aime teased a Nintendo-related announcement late last week, and since then buzz has been building.
If Nintendo does take to the Spike VGX 2013 stage (will they have a stage?), it will be their first appearance on the show. The company has won several awards from Spike, but they have never broken news at the “winter E3.”
That might change, though, as Fils-Aime says, “We may be making an appearance, we may have something special, we’ll see.” GameTrailers TV’s Geoff Keighley further hyped the Nintendo appearance confirming that Reggie did tease a first-time appearance, in case it wasn’t clear.
And yes, Reggie did tease his first-ever appearance at VGX in just 2 weeks.
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) November 22, 2013
Of course, there are many different possibilities for why Nintendo chose Spike VGX 2013, but we’d suspect it has a lot to do with the show’s change of format. Now, Spike VGX (formerly the Spike Video Game Awards) will stream online for three straight hours — starting at 6PM EST — and will not just feature awards presentations and new trailers, but also in-depth discussions of new games. Presumably, this would be a good venue for Nintendo to show off, and demo, one of their new games.
We wouldn’t expect them to make too big of an announcement, though — like a new Zelda, for example — as those are usually saved for E3 or, at the very least, a Nintendo Direct. Rather, it seems most likely that Nintendo would show off one of their currently announced games, but show a new wrinkle of it.
As far as likely candidates, we’d suspect Super Smash Bros. might be the one, as the Spike VGX crowd typically loves multiplayer-focused titles. We know the game is targeting a 2014 release date, so perhaps Nintendo might give an official date or maybe they will announce a new character.
The show is slated to go live on December 7th, so either way we should know whether Nintendo does actually take the Spike VGX stage very soon. This year’s show is slowly coming together, with this Nintendo tease, news of Titanfall, and a recent confirmation for The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, and this new direction could help it improve its overall quality.
What do you hope Nintendo announces at Spike VGX 2013? What seems the most likely announcement?
Spike VGX 2013 airs December 7, 2013 at 6PM EST on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, Twitch, iOS and Android devices, and available globally on VGXLIVE.com, Hulu, Yahoo Screen, the Yahoo Screen app and Viacom properties Spike.com, ComedyCentral.com MTV.com, MTV2.com, BET.com and GameTrailers.com.
Source: GameTrailers TV