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Q1 2018 saw 116 early stage deals worth $204 million and 16 debt deals worth $242 million
In Part 2 of the YourStory Q1 2018 Funding Report, we showcase startup funding by stage, gender, and city.
‘Nothing grows under a banyan tree’ - this is well-known proverb in the Southern parts of the country. Could this be applied in the context of startup funding? The top companies in the ecosystem are quite easily finding investors and are able to command higher valuations. But the others are finding that fund raising, which was never easy, is getting tougher.
Most investment bankers will call this a dull environment. If you are in the top or big companies it will not seem so. The way I look at it — the market is stratified. The top companies in India are finding it easy to raise money. The ones who have scaled are finding it easier to raise capital. There is a sheer cliff after that. After the top 30-50 companies (and I am keeping the range board) it is hard, harder than last year to raise funding. This includes the Series B level,” says Parag Dhol, Managing Director at early-stage venture capital fund Inventus Capital Partners.
As we discussed in Part 1 of the YourStory Q1 2018 Funding Report, deal value and volume have gone up in Q1 2018, compared to the same quarter last year — from 211 deals worth $1.38 billion in Q1 2017 to 221 deals worth $2.26 billion in the just concluded quarter. This data set includes PE and debt financing deals. Once those deals are removed we see deal volume is slightly lower in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year — 206 in Q1 2017 and 202 in Q1 2018. But there is a surge in value from around $931 million in Q1 2017 to $1.87 billion in Q1 2018.
However, as mentioned in part one of the report the top 10 deals have cornered 55 percent of this amount.
Bengaluru leads the pack
The erstwhile garden city is at the top by deal value and volume. It tops the charts with 68 deals and around $920 million in funding (In Q1 2017 Bengaluru saw 55 deals worth around $358 million). Delhi-NCR follows with 45 deals (much lower than last year’s 58 during the same quarter) and deal value of around $532 million (much higher than last year’s $376 million in the same quarter). Mumbai is third in the ranking both in terms of value and volume. Chennai and Pune round up the top five in terms of volume. But Ahmedabad beats Pune in terms of value. That’s because Lendingkart is headquartered in Ahmedabad and it raised Series C round of $87 million.
Two deals account for just under half of the deal value in Bengaluru. BigBasket’s $300 million and Swiggy’s $100 million ensured a dramatic increase in value that city-based startups raised this year compared to Q1 of 2017. Zomato’s $200 million fund raise was the only deal over $100 million in Delhi-NCR in the just concluded quarter. However, the National Capital Region had four deals of over $50 million.
Bengaluru saw eight Series B deals, five Series C deals and four deals that were beyond Series C (across D, E and F). Delhi-NCR had only one deal each in Series B and Series C stages. However, the region saw six deals beyond Series C — three series D, two Series E and one F.
This concentration of deals in the top startup ecosystems in the country — Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR and Mumbai — raises the question of whether it makes sense for startups to base themselves elsewhere. Yes, there are exemptions, like a Lendingkart or Patna-based Husk Power Systems that raised $20 million in Series C round of funding. This question is especially pertinent when state governments across the country are creating policies and funds to encourage the setting up of startups in their states. Karthik Reddy, Co-founder of early-stage fund Blume Ventures, says:
It has nothing to do with policies but an ecosystem that can service the startup — talent, capital, rules of engagement of what a startup demands, which doesn't get solved with simply policies.”
Startups get credit
While the number of deals in Pre-Series A stage is much lower (98 in Q1 2018 and 133 in Q1 2017), the value is up, from around $42 million in Q1 2017 to $71 million in the just concluded quarter. There were just 18 Series A deals (just one deal higher than last year’s number) worth $133 million.
Good news is that there is no hype right now. But, investors are being picky on segment… and the bar is high,” says T C Meenakshisundaram, Founder and Managing Director of early-stage venture capital fund IDG Ventures.
Karthik says there are more options at the very early stages now, with a large and active angel investor pool along with a number of early stage funds. “That said, it is super tough to know which is the best option for a particular company and depending on sector, choices could dry up quickly,” says Karthik.
It is in the Series B and C stages that companies are struggling to get capital. Q1 2018 saw 14 Series B deals and 11 Series C deals. Most of the deals marked as venture are bridge rounds raised by the startups. (The chart above does not include Private Equity deals)
“The winners or market leaders are getting more interest. I know of companies that are sitting on cash and getting more money. There’s more appetite from later stage investors to invest in (category) winners. That's one clear trend,” says T C Meenakshisundaram.
What’s also interesting is that the largest deals in both Series A and B were worth $50 million. SaaS startup BrowserStack raised $50 million in Series A round from Accel Partners — the most prolific investor of 2017. The largest Series B round was raised by B2B marketplace Udaan. Even the largest Series D round was only $51 million, raised by co-living rental startup NestAway. In contrast, the largest Series C round was worth $87 million — raised by fintech startup, Lendingkart.
The real good news for startups is the rise in debt financing. The traditional banking system, with its focus on collateral-based debt, has historically been unable to cater to the tech startup ecosystem. The rise of venture debt funds like Trifecta Capital, InnoVen, and IntelleGrow is now ensuring that startups do not have to resort only to equity finance to fulfil their capital requirements. It is not just specialised debt funds that are offering this type of capital. Banks too now see startups, primarily those that have scaled to a certain extent and raised a few rounds of venture capital, as worthy of being offered credit. For instance, health and fitness startup Curefit raised $10 million in debt funding from HDFC Bank and Axis Bank in Q1 2018.
Too few women
The percentage goes up when we include startups with at least one woman co-founder. Startups with at least one woman founder (this includes the startups with only women founders) account for around 17 percent of all deal volume and around nine percent of all deal value. When debt finance is removed, such startups got five percent of all equity funding in Q1 2018.
The largest round raised by such a company (when Spandana Sphoorty’s debt finance deal is excluded) is the $50 million Rivigo fund raise.
As we wrote in this article last October, it is better for the entire ecosystem (not just for women-led companies) if more women become startup founders and raise funding. Hopefully we will see an increase in startups founded by women and these will feature in our funding charts.


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The Toyota bZ4X is set to launch in Australia in the fourth quarter of this year, and will be the first of at least three initial electric vehicle launches.
“Starting with the bZ4X, we will launch at least three EVs in the space of three years, with more in the pipeline,” said Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia’s vice president of sales, marketing and franchise operations.
“Toyota is committed to bringing electric vehicles to Australia, in their thousands within a few short years, and ultimately, in the tens of thousands.”
In addition to these three, Mr Hanley says the company is “examining closely” a production version of last year’s bZ Compact SUV concept.
Toyota has revealed only one other production bZ EV thus far, the bZ3 sedan, but this is understood to be for the Chinese market only.
While it has yet to release local pricing and specifications, Toyota has warned the bZ4X won’t be cheap, citing lithium prices eight-times higher than just two years ago.
“Battery electric cars are expensive. Don’t kid yourself. They are expensive to build,” said Mr Hanley.
“So I’ve always said this car will not be a cheap car. But as we go forward, as hybrid did over 22 years at scale-up, EVs will come down in price.
“But up front, and this is exactly why I use the quote, hybrid suits the masses not a few.”
Toyota’s European operations have confirmed six bZ-branded vehicles for launch by 2026, and in late 2021 Toyota revealed a bevy of concepts ranging from city cars to a large SUV and a ute. It plans to launch 30 EVs by 2030, by which point it wants to be selling at least 3.5 million EVs globally each year.
Initially slated for a late 2022 arrival, Toyota says it delayed its first volume EV, the bZ4X, to secure sufficient supply.
“The reason we delayed actually, despite some popular opinion and commentary, is that we want to be able to secure supply and the latest spec,” said Mr Hanley.
“So they’re the two fundamental reasons why it’s been delayed. I haven’t got the exact numbers. It’s a bit early, but we expect to have a reasonable launch volume for this data based on our market size.”
Toyota says there are still many obstacles to EV adoption in Australia, even as it expects growth in the EV market to accelerate over the next seven years.
Mr Hanley cited Australia’s limited infrastructure, referring in particular to reports over the holiday period late last year of queues at charging stations.
He also indicated many buyers won’t be served by EVs, in particular those in regional areas who tow heavy loads.
“It was a stark reminder to me of what motor cars and vehicles that are fit for purpose truly mean for those people who live in regional areas of Australia. And it reminded me that we can’t leave them behind on this journey to carbon neutrality,” said Mr Hanley.
He expects both local charging infrastructure and battery technology to improve, but said it’s “too early and too risky to put all our eggs in the electric vehicle basket”.
“The most responsible thing to add you can do right now is help our customers reduce their carbon emissions as much as possible and as soon as possible,” he added.
“That means offering low emission solutions that meet the diverse needs and circumstances of all our customers.”

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Antique tractor auction to benefit Powdersville YMCA
Powdersville businessman Steve Crowe and Easley, Pickens and Powdersville YMCA President Sid Collins didn’t know what to expect when they were called to a meeting with longtime Piedmont community leader Jimmy Wilson. But when the meeting was over, the Y was the proud new owner of an antique tractor collection considered to be one of the best in the country.
“Jimmy gave me a call and asked me to get Sid and come visit. We chatted for a while then all of a sudden Jimmy said, ‘I’ve got something on my mind that I want to do. I want to give my tractor collection to the Y,’” recalled Crowe, owner of Foothills Motorsports in Powdersville and a longtime YMCA advocate. “I knew what the tractor collection was because I had seen it many times. It was quite a shock to be honest.”
Valued at more than $500,000, Wilson’s collection includes a Hart Parr 30, an IHC 8-16 Junior Kerosene, an International Harvester Titan 10- 20, a Case 18-32, more than 50 John Deere tractors and several other unique brands. The tractors, some of which date back to 1919, have been restored to their original working condition.
“You get different gifts from time to time, but this is definitely one of a kind and just an amazing testament to Mr. WIlson,” said Leebo Keels, branch executive of the Powdersville YMCA.
The YMCA, in partnership with Aumann Auctions of Illinois, will host an auction of the The Jimmy Wilson Collection on Sat., Oct. 9, beginning at 10 a.m., with a preview event scheduled on Fri., Oct. 8, from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. Proceeds from the auction will help fund a future Child Development and Training Center in the Powdersville and Wren communities.
For Wilson, a lifelong resident of Piedmont who spent 25 years acquiring the vintage tractors, the donation will ensure that proceeds from the sale of his collection will stay in the local community.
“I knew at some point in time the collection would be sold, and the Y is probably one of the best things that has ever happened to our community,” Wilson said. “It serves Piedmont and Powdersville and anybody can go. I just wanted the money to stay in the area, and really that’s kind of where the Lord led me to leave it.”
The public is invited to attend the Oct. 9 auction at 300 Shiloh Road in Piedmont, SC. Bidding has already begun online, with online and in-person bidding taking place at the event, according to Crowe.
“Most of the time at an auction like this, 60 to 70 percent of the buying will probably be done over the internet, but we’re expecting several hundred people to be here at the auction,” Crowe said. ”We will have people here from all over the country and a lot of these tractors will probably go out of the country because there is a lot of international interest in antique tractors.”
YMCA officials say that auction proceeds will begin the effort to make the Powdersville Child Development and Training Center a reality. Construction costs are estimated at $1.5 million to $2 million, however a location has not been identified.
The center will offer primary childcare for infants through 4K, help train family caregivers in the community who are serving as primary caregivers, and provide support services to expecting and new mothers.
“It’s just so unbelievable and amazing that (Mr. Wilson’s) generosity and passion for this community is now benefiting the Y,” Keels said. “He cares a lot about the Y, but he cares more about this community and it’s amazing that he wants these funds to stay in the community.”
Go HERE to view the Jimmy Wilson Collection benefiting the YMCA of Powdersville.
Want to attend?
What: The Jimmy Wilson Collection Benefiting the YMCA of Powdersville
When: Sat., Oct. 9, 10 a.m.; Preview Event on Fri., Oct. 8, 2 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Where: 300 Shiloh Road, Piedmont SC 29673
For more information on the YMCA of Easley, Pickens and Powdersville, go HERE.


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Fresh off of CES 2011, the anticipation for the Motorola Xoom probably couldn't be any higher, and many of us here think it was one of the best showings at CES. Motorola apparently shares that excitement. According to DigiTimes, Motorola is expecting to launch between 700,000 and 800,000 Xooms in the first quarter of 2011. That's a hefty amount for the first three months of the year, especially considering the Xoom isn't immediately available. If Motorola hits that target and sales stay at a constant, we could be looking at over 3 million Xoom shipped by years end.
Now, shipped units and sold units are different figures, so we will have to keep an eye on both going into the future, but Motorola obviously expects to be selling a lot of these, and we can't really blame them. Be sure to sound off in our Xoom Forums and share you thoughts with us! [via DigiTimes]
Everything you need to know about the OnePlus 8, 8 Lite, and 8 Pro!
OnePlus wowed us in 2019 with an onslaught of excellent handsets, and for 2020, the company looks to one-up itself yet again. Between the OnePlus 8, 8 Lite, and 8 Pro, here's everything you need to know about what OnePlus is cooking up this year.
Top 15 Google Duo tips and tricks for better video calls
Google Duo is a solid yet simple video chat app that is available across several platforms, including Android, iOS, and web. Yet despite how simple it is, there are a number of useful tips and tricks to be learned to get the most out of the app. We'll walk you through the top 15.
The Galaxy S20 is currently $200 off — are you going to get one?
The Galaxy S20 is one of our favorite phones of 2020, and right now, Amazon and Best Buy are selling it for $200 off. Are you going to finally pick up the phone for yourself?
The Xperia 1 is still our favorite phone for shooting video
If video recording is your thing, then look no further than the Sony Xperia 1 — it offers a large screen, three great cameras, and extremely robust manual video controls.


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Dec. 1 (UPI) — A global rise in the cost of energy was the main factor in pushing consumer prices in the eurozone to a record level during the month of November, officials said.
Eurostat, the official record-keeper for the nations that use the euro currency, said prices last month increased by 4.9% — the highest since it began tracking inflation in 1997. In October, eurozone inflation rose by 4.1%.
Eurostat said spiking energy prices contributed most to the November rise, while the cost of food and other goods rose faster than the European Central Bank’s 2% target.
Economic recovery in the member nations and global disruptions in supply chains were great contributors to the rise in prices, officials said.
Germany hit a 29-year-high inflation rate in November and France’s was the highest since 2008.
“In 2022, bottlenecks may last longer than expected,” ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos told The Financial Times.
De Guindos also said the ECB will end emergency bonds purchases in March.
The eurozone is comprised of 19 nations, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.


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Nike has agreed to a partnership with South Korean eSports giant T1 Entertainment & Sports. The sportswear giant will help create training programs designed to boost the athletic capabilities of T1’s players and teams based on its sports research facilities and athletic training expertise.
All T1 players and teams will now be wearing Nike footwear and apparel during competition. This includes T1’s famous League of Legends team, featuring the star player Faker.
Nike and T1 partnership a historic moment
“We’re interested in understanding and learning more about the relationship between improved physical fitness and athleticism as it relates to gaming. These athletes have unique skill sets that we believe we can help improve through tailored training methods,” said Brant Hirst, marketing director of Nike Korea.
“Partnering with Nike marks a historic moment in our organization’s history as we work to transcend esports and further cement T1’s position as a global brand,” Joe Marsh, chief executive of T1, said.
The partnership was brokered by Lagardère Sports, T1’s exclusive commercial agent. T1 Entertainment & Sports was launched in October 2019 as US media giant Comcast combined forces with South Korea’s largest telecommunication operator SK Telecom.


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Following many counties, officials and business owners appealing to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to reopen the state last week, by Wednesday, May 20 it was announced that the governor’s office had repealed the controversial emergency rule to punish businesses that reopened early with fines and/or jail time. Also, the governor announced that he was amending Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan.
Currently, all four regions of the state are on track to move into Phase 3 on Friday, May 29, which means many businesses that have been closed since mid-March will be reopening by this weekend.
Announced among the changes to the governor’s reopening plan were: bars and restaurants can reopen for outdoor seating only; hair and nail salons, spas, barbershops and tattoo shops can reopen; all retail stores can reopen for in-person shopping; all state parks to reopen; reopening of indoor and outdoor tennis facilities; foursomes on the same tee for golf; and up to 10 persons boating or camping. Social distancing, safety precautions and capacity limits will be applied.
For more on the state’s reopening process, please see this week’s print edition.


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Carbonite has updated its online PC backup product. For a uniform price Carbonite version 3.5 provides an "all you can eat" style online backup service aimed at consumers and SMEs.
Digital Home Advisor - News
More than one-third of the ultramobile PCs coming later this year on Intel's Atom Centrino platform will offer a combination of WiMax and Wi-Fi, the head of the company's Ultra Mobility Group said Tuesday.
Apple Tuesday patched 13 vulnerabilities in Safari with an update that takes the browser to version 3.1.
Microsoft will release Windows Vista Service Pack 1 next week to a wider audience, according to information posted on and reports from a Web site that correctly called SP1's ship date last month.
Antivirus vendor Trend Micro confirmed Thursday that "some portions" of its site had been hacked earlier this week, but hedged when asked if those pages had been serving up attack code to unsuspecting visitors.
In his second attempt to recapture arcade gaming glory, Steve Wiebe failed to topple Billy Mitchell's high score of 1,050,200 in Donkey Kong.
Aaron Stanton doesn't give up.
New online travel shopping site InsideTrip.com offers users more than just good prices; It details information about other travel-related "pain points" like cramped leg room, unpredictable security wait times, lost luggage and crowded planes.
Motorola has released a Draft 802.11n access point that supports wireless meshing, plus a new wireless controller.
Hackers looking to steal passwords used in popular online games have infected more than 10,000 Web pages in recent days.
In around about a month from now, Linksys will unleash its latest broadband router - the WRT160N - which specifically targets users who are after a more wireless networking range.
A Japanese government agency has ordered an investigation into possible defects in Apple's first-generation iPod nano after one of the music players emitted sparks while charging, wire service reports said today.
Intel this week confirmed that it is close to unveiling a new line of solid-state drives for laptop and notebook PCs that will feature a storage capacity up to 160GB.
A flaw in the way Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser processes FTP commands could let attackers steal or erase data from a victim's FTP site.
Internode has launched its first Naked ADSL2+ broadband service - designed to appeal to 'early adopters' - which will be available at 350 telephone exchanges across Australia and deliver an ADSL2+ service over a dial-free phone line.
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At an event in Paris, Huawei has revealed the Ascend P7, a stunning follow up to the well-received Ascend P6 from 2013. Huawei hasn’t tampered with the design drastically, but this isn’t a bad thing. It’s still incredibly slim at 6.5mm, and wrapped up in aluminium and sheets of Gorilla Glass. The rear panel has a reflective coating with a spun metal pattern, which looks good in the pictures, and likely even better in real life.
On the tech side, the screen now measures 5-inches, and has a 1080p resolution, two essential features if the phone is to contend with other top-end smartphones this year. Huawei has used one of its own 1.8GHz quad-core processors, accompanied by 2GB of RAM, to power the phone.
Huawei has paid particular attention to the camera setup on the Ascend P7. It has turned to Sony for the rear camera, which has 13 megapixels, while the front camera has a very impressive 8 megapixels. Not only that, but it can shoot 1080p video, and take wide-angle stills to ensure all your friends get in on your selfies.
The latest Android KitKat OS is installed, the phone has 4G LTE connectivity, and there’s a 2500mAh battery to provide the energy. Huawei has added a clever power saving mode too, where a 10 percent charge can be extended out to last 24 hours. The phone will be sold in several colours, and is expected to launch in the UK over the next month or so.


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Upper Crust owner SSP Group is planning to raise £475m from shareholders in a rights issue to strengthen the balance sheet and prepare for a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic as lockdown restrictions begin to lift.
The group, which operates food concessions at airports and train stations around the world, has also secured an extension to its bank facilities, consisting of £373m of loans and a revolving credit facility of £150m.
SSP said the move would “significantly strengthen” its financial position and resilience, and would position the business for the next phase of the pandemic.
“These measures will protect the business if the global travel sector experiences a more prolonged recovery from the pandemic, whilst under SSP’s base case scenario, they will strengthen the group’s balance sheet and provide increased capacity for investment as the travel market recovers,” the company said.
In the five-year period to 30 September 2019, SSP’s revenues increased by 53% to £2.8bn.
With global travel coming to a halt during the Covid crisis, SSP has been hit particularly hard. Revenues collapsed by 95% in April and May last year, compared to 2019 levels, as airports and railway stations were abandoned by passengers.
Sales continue to be down by about 80% this year and the group said this morning it didn’t expect like-for-like revenues to recover to 2019 levels until 2024 as air rail travel passenger numbers slowly recover from the pandemic.
SSP closed about 2,500 units and made more than 14,000 staff redundant to reduce operating costs by £584m in a bid to survive the pandemic.
Shares in SSP spiralled downwards by more than 70%, and, despite being given a boost by the development of vaccines, are still about 50% lower than pre-pandemic levels.
CEO Simon Smith said over the past year the group had experienced unprecedented disruption in the travel sector.
“Early and extensive action has enabled us to protect the business and put ourselves in the best possible position to emerge strongly as the market recovers,” he added.
“Strengthening the balance sheet now will underpin the business if the recovery in the travel sector is slower than we anticipate and it gives us the capacity to invest in growth opportunities as we emerge from the pandemic. Our current expectation is that the early recovery will be led by domestic and leisure travel from which we are well-placed to benefit.
“We are ready to re-open rapidly, welcome back our teams, and provide our travelling customers with a great service when they return. Looking further ahead, the actions we’re taking will allow us to capitalise on the recovery as well as future new business opportunities, enabling us to deliver long term sustainable growth for the benefit of all our stakeholders.”
Shares fell 2.3% to 337.8p this morning as investors reacted to news of the rights issue.
Dutch dairy company FrieslandCampina and the Arabian Food Industries have signed a joint venture agreement to focus on the export of cheese to Africa and the Middle East.
Arabian Food Industries is one of the biggest cheese manufacturers in Egypt, producing market leading brand Domty. Established in 1989, it now has a total turnover of more than €100m and makes white cheese, mozzarella, cream cheese, as well as fruit juices and bakery products.
FrieslandCampina’s brands, Frico and Kroon, have been dominant market leaders in hard/semi-hard cheese in several North African countries for decades.
The cooperation with Domty would allow the FrieslandCampina to enter bigger, more affordable and faster-growing cheese categories and better serve consumers across all meal occasions, the Dutch group said.
Dustin Woodward, FrieslandCampina MD of consumer dairy in Africa, added: “We are very excited about the joint venture with Domty. Combining our joint expertise, capabilities and footprint will allow us to nourish more African families than ever before.
“Over the next few years we will bring exciting innovations that will create new cheese propositions that are more healthy, affordable and accessible to consumers across Africa and the Middle East.”
Mohamed Damaty, vice CEO of Arabian Food Industries, said: “We have been seeking this venture as a company for long. We believe that our products can fit well into the African market and joining forces with FrieslandCampina will help us a lot to do so. We are optimistic about the venture and its ability to grow in the future.”
FrieslandCampina will hold a 51% interest in the joint venture and Domty will take a 49% stake.
Performance nutrition brand Science in Sport has held revenues in line with 2019 levels at £50.4m despite the disruption caused by the pandemic.
A shift to online shopping offset losses elsewhere as ecommerce sales grew 39% year on year in 2020 and increased to 50% of total group revenunes.
Almost a third of revenues are generated in the Australian, Italian and US markets, with sales in the US growing 33% to £3.5m.
The company took a hit in the UK retail sector, falling 26% to £16.1m, as consumers reduced spending on energy gels, protein supplements and other nutrition products during the pandemic.
SiS said it held back some product innovation because of the pandemic, but added the 2021 new product pipeline was “extremely strong”.
Losses for the year improved significantly to £2.3m, compared with £5.1m in 2019, as margins increased and overheads reduced.
The group returned to profitability at an underlying level, with EBITDA profits of £1.1m compared with a £200,000 loss in the prior year.
CEO Stephen Moon said: “Delivering a robust underlying EBITDA profit was a key goal for 2020, and this was achieved through a focus on developing our fundamental building blocks of long-term profitable growth.”
He added: “The very strong momentum in our online business continues into 2021 with growth in all markets. We see recovery in international retail, and the US business is well ahead of last year. Revenue is on track for the first half, despite continued lockdown restrictions in many key markets. We are well-positioned to accelerate as restrictions are lifted.
“Our long-term and proven profitable growth strategy remains unchanged. We have demonstrated the business’s resilience in 2020 and are continuing to invest for growth in the key strategic areas of online and technology. This year will see us roll out our premium brands to several key European and Asian markets.
“Whilst it is too early to reinstate market guidance, given the current Covid-19 lockdown, we are well funded and remain very optimistic about the long-term growth prospects for the group.”
Shares in the group rose 3.5% to 54.9p this morning.
The FTSE 100 opened 0.3% down this morning to 6,780.77pts.
Early risers this morning included McColl’s Retail Group, up 3.1% to 33p, Bakkavor Group, up 1.7% to 104.2p, Hilton Food Group, up 1.2% to 1,063p, and The Hut Group, up 1.2% to 684.1p.
Fallers include Stock Spirits Group, Hotel Chocolat Group and Compass Group, down 2.1% to 276p, 1.8% to 390.4p, and 1.8% to 1,567.3p respectively.
Yesterday in the City
The FTSE 100 climbed another 0.7% yesterday to 6,793.26pts.
Greggs jumped 2.4% to 2,264p as it moved back towards heights not seen since before the coronavirus pandemic disrupted its record run. The rise came despite the high street bakery chain posting its first-ever loss as sales fell 31%.
Investors weren’t as kind to Bakkavor after the food-to-go and ready meal maker announced annual sales declined by 4.9% as Covid continued to prove a drag on the business. Shares slumped 3.6% to 101.8p as a result.
Cider maker C&C Group increased 0.7% to 296.5p after issuing a trading update.
Other risers yesterday include McColl’s Retail Group, The Hut Group and Ocado, up 7.5% to 33.8p, 3.8% to 678.1p and 3.6% to 2,190p respectively.
Total Produce and Just Eat Takeaway were among the fallers, down 5.3% to 161p and 1.9% to 7,202p.


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Yorkshire-based chain Rhythm & Booze enjoyed a 40 per cent increase in like-for-like sales over the Easter weekend. Managing director Martin Swaine attributed the uplift to the UK's unseasonably warm weather, adding that "sales are buoyant which looks set to continue".
Responsible petition grows
An Early Day Motion call ing for retailers to end "irresponsible" drinks promotions has now attracted signatures from 187 MPs. The All Party Parliamentary Beer Group, headed by John Grogan, met UK supermarket representatives on April 18. A report will appear in OLN's May 4 issue.
Cheesman for Bordeaux
Allan Cheesman has been appointed non-executive director by Bordeaux rosé specialist Château de Sours. The former Sainsbury's trading director has been employed to help double the ch âteau's production over the next five years.
Winecorp has sold its Longridge range and winery to focus on the Spier brand. The new owner is Aldo van der Laan, who own s Zwanenberg Food Group in the Netherlands. Stellenbosch-based Winecorp was formed in 1999 as the result of a merger between Spier, Longridge and Savanha wineries.


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The golden discourse for the development of technology. The average consumption of 375 tons of gold in the last five years is the “technology industry”. According to the data, eight percent of the world’s demand for gold is in the technology sector.During the quarter ended September 30, gold consumption was 84.2 tons. This is two percent higher than the July-September 2016 consumption. Consumption of the electronics industry increased by three percent.
The demand for gold is in the process of building smartphones and LED 3D sensors. As the popularity of smartphones and other products increases, the consumption of gold will increase.In computers, memory calendars, memory chips, transistors and printed circuit boards have gold in hybrid circuits, space vehicles, satellites and telescopes.
The demand for gold has increased due to the nano particles widely used in the medical and water purification sectors. Some Ayurvedic medicines and the gold of the isotopes used for cancer treatments need gold. Gold has also played a role in the configuration of the threads.
The reason behind the industry is that gold is the best in terms of heat and power, and the advantages of molybotillosidad and the nature of fiber switching.In the south, Taiwan, China, Japan, Italy and Switzerland, gold is being used in the industry. The electronics industry in Japan uses around 150 tons of gold per year.


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Agilyx, Tigard, Oregon, and Toyo Styrene Co. Ltd., an affiliate of Denka Co. Ltd., Nippon Steel Chemical & Material Co. Ltd. and Daicel Co. Ltd., have announced that the construction phase has begun on a 10-ton-per-day chemical recycling facility in Japan that uses depolymerization technology from Agilyx.
The recycling plant will convert postuse polystyrene (PS) into a styrene monomer that will be purified using Toyo Styrene’s proprietary purification process. Styrene monomer produced from this process can then be converted into PS products with a significantly lower carbon footprint than similar products made with virgin monomer, according to a news release from Agilyx.
“As the first step toward the circular economy, we will construct a chemical recycling plant for this project, collect postindustrial materials for the time being and start a chemical recycling business,” Sanshiro Matsushita, president of Toyo Styrene, says. "Furthermore, in order to build a carbon-free society through chemical recycling in Japan, we are also planning to participate in a platform that integrates citizens, businesses and local government, which is being undertaken by Ichihara City, Chiba prefecture.”
“The decision to move into the final stages of this project is a big accomplishment for the members of Agilyx and Toyo Styrene, who have worked tirelessly to bring us to this point,” says Tim Stedman, CEO of Agilyx. “We are very proud of their efforts and excited for the opportunity to bring our proven advanced recycling technology into the Asian markets to help improve the availability of recycled plastic content and increase global plastic recycling through circular pathways.”
Agilyx announced its partnership with Toyo Styrene in April 2020. In December of that year, the companies announced they were 30 percent complete with the final phase of developing the front-end loading design to deploy Agilyx's technology.


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The Trump administration unveiled its proposal to weaken Obama-era fuel economy standards Thursday.
A 2012 rule imposed under the Obama administration put automakers to task to drastically improve fuel economy. By 2025, passenger cars were required to achieve an average of 54 miles per gallon. However, a joint publication by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation freezes rules requiring automakers to build greener, more fuel-efficient cars.
The new proposal, in its current form, would set the average fuel economy standard to 37 miles per gallon by 2021. As of January 2018, the average fuel economy of U.S. cars and trucks stood around 25 miles per gallon.
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and acting EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler penned a column published in the Wall Street Journal Wednesday, prior to the announcement. Entitled “Make Cars Great Again“, they contended high fuel efficiency standard levied an undue burden on consumers. Wheeler wrote that the 2012 standards would “impose significant costs on American consumers and eliminate jobs”. Furthermore, the current proposal would “give consumers greater access to safer, more affordable vehicles, while continuing to protect the environment.”
Environmental advocacy groups and individuals argue the proposal would sharply increase greenhouse gas emissions. That, in turn, would contribute to climate change and further environmental degradation, such as air pollution.
Revoking Clean Air Act Waiver
This proposal would not just lower the fuel economy standards, either. It also aims to revoke a 1970 Clean Air Act waiver granted to California to set its own, more stringent standards. Thirteen other states also follow the standards set forth by California’s emissions regulation agency, CARB (California Air Resources Board). CARB released a statement in conjunction with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Governor Jerry Brown in response to the Trump administration’s proposal.
In that statement, they expressed their strong opposition to the new standards. “At first glance, this proposal completely misrepresents costs and savigns. It also relies on bizarre assumptions about consumer behavior to make its case on safety”, said CARB Chair Mary Nichols. The EPA and Transportation Department’s proposal contends that lowering fuel economy standards will save consumers money, which will in turn allow them easier access to newer, safer cars.
As this proposal moves forward, environmentalists and consumer groups race to oppose its enactment. Barring legal challenges, the proposed rules may go into effect before the end of this year.


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A buzzy new non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace has entered the arena, offering zero trading fees and an airdrop of its native token to JPEG collectors who have kept trading despite the bear market.
Blur, an Ethereum-based platform, launched a beta version on Wednesday with over $14 million of backing from venture-capital giant Paradigm, NFT-native investment fund 6529, digital art collector Cozomo Medici and others.
The platform is targeting “professional” NFT traders with features like “floor sweeping” across multiple marketplaces, reveal “sniping” and portfolio analytics tools, along with a future airdrop of its BLUR token to anyone who has traded Ethereum-based NFTs in the last six months.
To claim the airdrop, users must list one of their NFTs on the marketplace, which grants them access to “care packages” that can be redeemed for tokens in the future.
“Care packages can be opened for BLUR tokens when we launch our token and protocol governance in January,” the company said in an announcement. “This is just our first step towards making Blur a marketplace that the entire NFT community can own and profit from.”
While the marketplace follows the recent trend of optional royalties in a bid to attract users, it has also created a rewards program that incentivizes users to pay royalties in exchange for more BLUR tokens.
The royalty debate has been the center of attention in the NFT industry the past few weeks, ignited most recently by Magic Eden, the top marketplace on the Solana blockchain, moving to a royalty-optional model.
Blur, like Magic Eden, has also put a temporary pause on its marketplace fee.
It’s not the first marketplace to strive for market share by using an airdrop and extensive tokenomics – LooksRare and its $LOOKS token was the first platform to popularize the strategy and remains a strong competitor. In addition, Rarible’s recent Rarible 2 update has introduced new incentives to buy and sell its RARI token and participate in its expanding ecosystem, alongside airdropped rewards.
(Disclosure: the author of this post claimed a modest Blur airdrop of five care packages.)
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Learn more about Consensus 2023, CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.


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The New York State Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that would exempt many basic and necessary women’s items from being taxed.
The bill passed unanimously in the Senate and would exempt feminine hygiene products such as sanitary napkins, tampons, and panty liners from the New York’s sales and compensating use tax.
Currently, medicine, medical equipment, supplies to correct or alleviate physical incapacity, and products consumed by humans for the preservation of health are included in the list of items exempt from the sales and use tax.
However, cosmetics and toiletry items are explicitly excluded from the list unless they contain medicinal ingredients. Feminine hygiene products are among those items considered taxable under state law, despite being a necessity for women.
This bill would add sanitary napkins, tampons, and panty liners to the items exempt from retail taxes to make the existing law fairer, especially for women. New York will join several states including Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania who have already passed similar legislation to end the so-called “Tampon Tax.”
The bill will be sent to the Governor Cuomo, who is expected to sign the legislation into law. In a statement, Cuomo said, “Repealing this regressive and unfair tax on women is a matter of social and economic justice, and I commend Assembly Member Rosenthal and Senator Serino for their strong advocacy on this measure. I look forward to signing it into law.”


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A 2016 tweet extrapolated that Nike sells 25 pairs of sneakers per second. This is an estimate, we do know—thanks to information from Shahin Rahimifard, director of the Centre for Sustainable Manufacturing and Recycling Technologies (SMART)—that 27 billion pairs of shoes (not just sneakers) are manufactured each year. This production is responsible for 1.4 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to a 2018 report by Qantis, which is not an insignificant figure, given that air travel accounts for 2.5 percent of all emissions.
Running shoes can use as many as 26 different materials and some even require 360 separate steps to build.
While more sneaker-specific data is difficult to come by, one recent study by MIT scientists did find that a "typical pair of running shoes" generates 30 pounds of emissions. Most of this impact had to do with the lengthy manufacturing process: Running shoes can use as many as 26 different materials and some even require 360 separate steps to build. The study stopped tracking the sneakers' footprint once they found their way onto your feet, which means that it didn't take into consideration the impact a pair has once it thuds into a landfill.
As consumers have become more savvy about the environmental impacts that their closets have on the environment, shoe giants have gone in pursuit of ways to make their product better for the planet This rush has produced many pairs that tap materials that don't leave as big of a carbon footprint as their predecessors; however, while these actions are a step in the right direction, no one has nailed the sustainable sneaker perfectly just yet.
"When somebody says: 'This is a sustainable shoe,' I often see their claims as an oversimplification without due attention to many impactful considerations,” says Rahimifard. Without a governing authority on what makes a shoe sustainable, many brands don't take into consideration the entire production chain, including material sourcing, manufacturing, wear, and recycling. “If there is a definition for ‘sustainable shoe,’ it is one in which the entire lifecycle impact is minimized and the use is maximized,” says Rahimifard. While there are ways that brands can work to push their sustainability efforts forward, as consumers we also have to shop smarter as well. Together, Rahimifard sees a way that we can push this forward.
1. Decrease production impact through fewer, better materials
The bulk of the sustainability innovation in sneakers is currently happening with materials, as many designers look to swap out virgin polyester (made from petroleum), virgin plastic, synthetic rubber, and leather with less impactful materials, says EcoCult, a sustainable fashion site founder Alden Wicker.
All the big names are in on the game: Allbirds uses sustainably sourced merino wool, eucalyptus, and sugarcane in its sneakers. APL also uses merino wool. Nike taps recycled leathers and plastics, and Adidas and Everlane are utilizing recycled plastic as well. Reebok has been working with corn and cotton materials since 2018, and will soon release a fully plant-based running shoe. Veja, meanwhile, uses sustainably-sourced Amazonian rubber, cotton, and silk. There’s even a brand, aptly named Gumshoe, making trainers out of ABC (already-been-chewed!) gum, and one called Native that offers 100-percent biodegradable sneaks.
It can be dizzingly complicated for a consumer, however, to discern which options are legitimately more sustainable and which claims are smoke and mirrors. Take, for example, leather. Wicker tells me that while you may feel like your leather demand is leading to deforestation (because forests are being cleared for grazing land) there is currently, there is a leather surplus. Plus, leather shoes may last longer than synthetic or even other natural materials, she says, which improves their overall sustainability quotient. On the flip side, however, leather's processing has a significant negative environmental impact. In other words, if you look like the head-explosion emoji right now, you're not alone.
As a result, sustainably sourced shoe materials should be considered a sign of progress rather than perfection—after all, manufacturing from better materials, even if they do prove more sustainable, doesn't bring us to net zero emissions. In acknowledgement of this, some retailers, like Everlane, are using profits from your purchases to buy carbon offsets in order to achieve net zero in a more roundabout way. To do this, they've actually calculated—and gone public with—their sneakers' carbon footprints. This is a trend that would be great to see spread throughout the industry; however, it depends completely on total brand transparency.
2. Improve design for recyclability
More sustainable sourcing is a huge step forward for the industry; however, with the exception of that aforementioned fully biodegradable shoe, all of the above options will still clutter landfills. Many people donate gently worn sneakers to running programs at JackRabbit sports as an eco-friendly gesture. Yet, Rahimifard points that this doesn't do away with the landfill problem. After all, regardless of who tosses the shoe, it's eventually tossed.
To solve for this, Rahimifard launched his first footwear recycling project way back in 2001. Through these trials to separate footwear materials, he found that closed loop recycling—wherein an old shoe can be turned into a new shoe—is not currently economically feasible, due to the complexity of shoe design. "Sports footwear typically includes complex material mixes and component gluing, resulting in a shoe that can only be down-cycled," a spokesperson for Adidas tells me. "There are upwards of a dozen different materials on average holding more than 70 components in place, typically." Downcycling means that old shoes are shredded, sorted, and its bits are re-used for other purposes.
"There isn't a global infrastructure for recycling shoes in the same way that there is, for example, for other recycled material, like your cars or your water bottles or your papers,” says Rahimifard. However, he tells me there is a huge market opportunity with respect to sneaker down-cycling. Nike’s been doing this since 1992 through its Grind program, wherein returned shoes are scrapped for parts to be reused in apparel, footwear, and sports surfaces (e.g. tracks and courts).
Beyond downcycling, recycling is actually fairly difficult in the current climate. Because every brand of shoe is designed differently, there isn't one way to recycle a shoe. To remedy this, shoes would have to be designed specifically to be recycled. Materials would have to be standardized and used in large swaths over the shoe, there would need to be less glue that holds small bits and pieces together, and overall, shoes would have to be more simplified than the current sneakerhead-beloved renditions. Adidas is trying to do with its FUTURECRAFT.LOOP product. In April of 2019, 200 beta testers were given first generation Loops, which were then returned to the company and recycled into second generation Loops, which are currently being tested. The company hopes to release the shoe to the public in 2021.
For now, the best thing you can do to support the creation of a recycling industry is to support the brands, like Adidas and Nike, that are attempting to create closed-loop systems, and pressure your favorite sneaker brands to follow suit.
3. Change consumer behavior to buy less
The last key to a more sustainable sneaker industry is in our hands as consumers. We need to buy fewer pairs and wear them for as long as possible. "Really the best thing is just to buy sneakers that you're going to wear all the time—so, pick a pair that you really like and that are comfortable and go with a lot of different outfits," says Wicker.
One method for buying less over time is prolonging the lives of your current trainers by cleaning and maintaining them regularly. Jason Markk, founder of the eponymous sneaker-care brand, offers two main tips for doing so. "Don’t allow dirt to sit—dry brush your trainers daily. Use a soft bristle brush and simply give the entire shoe a once over. Not only will this keep your trainers looking tip-top, it will prevent dirt and dust from seeping deeper into the material, which will make it more difficult to clean. Secondly, clean your trainers regularly.
It's difficult to resist the siren song of new kicks, but as with all things related to sustainability, we individually need to do what we can to downsize and then collectively pressure corporations and governments to change so we can feel better about what we do buy. When you do shop for sneakers, pay attention to the efforts being made around mitigating the environmental impact of those sneakers, press the brand for more information, encourage them to try harder or point them in the direction of initiatives you like, and maybe don't shop the styles you know will look ridiculous by next season. With many concerted efforts, we can create a sustainable future, putting our best foot forward for the sake of the planet.
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Retailers, consumers and prices
Check Out Line: More Woe for Office Depot
Check out a brewing tussle at Office Depot
The office-products retailer is fighting back one shareholder’s attempt to nominate two directors to replace both its current and former CEO on the board.
Shareholder Woodbridge Group said it planned to nominate an ex-president of Office Depot and and a former president of rival Staples as board members in hopes of revitalizing the retailer, which has been bruised by the economic slowdown that has led small business customers to cut back.
It’s yet one more hurdle for Office Depot, which disclosed last month that it faces a regulatory probe into allegations that it made phone calls to analysts last year warning that weak economic conditions were hurting sales.
The retailer is urging its shareholders to vote down the dissident board nominees. Stay tuned.
Also in the basket:


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Irish deal to sell beef in China
The agreement is estimated to be valued at 50 million Euro and extends to ABP’s joint venture partners Slaney Foods; the deal is contingent on Irish beef gaining access to the Chinese market. ABP and Wowprime have also agreed to extend the arrangement to include ABP’s UK operations, in the event of the UK gaining market access to China.
ABP has been assessing opportunities in the Asian markets over the past seven years, and has now confirmed it has struck a three-year agreement with Wowprime Corporation to supply beef to its restaurants, even before Irish exporters get the green light for access to the Chinese market. The food group said the contract - estimated at 50million Euro - would also extend to its joint venture partners Slaney Foods, but it remains dependent on Irish beef gaining access to the Chinese market.
China is already the world's second-biggest beef importer and access for Irish beef would be a major win for the industry here. Irish officials travelled to China recently in a bid to progress the long-running bid for access for beef. It follows the Department of Agriculture reviewing and responding to draft inspection documents following a visit by Chinese officials from their certifying body to Irish factories last year.
Ireland is thought to be close to becoming the first major EU country to secure access for its beef to China, where consumers' appetite for the meat is growing strongly. Bord Bia has said it was "optimistic" about securing market access to the Asian powerhouse, part of a strategy to open up new markets after Brexit. Bord Bia's Shanghai-based trade marketing specialist Conor O'Sullivan said that with rising incomes and urbanisation, the appetite for beef among Chinese consumers is growing faster than any other protein.
Restaurants like Wowprime as well as ecommerce channels are seen as key to getting prime Irish beef to Chinese consumers, once the market opens up.


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Jascha Kaykas-Wolff is CMO of Mozilla.
These are dark days for trust. Darkest of all for marketers and advertisers.
Only 3% of people trust marketing and advertising, the lowest of any industry or practice, and that trust is falling fastest among millennials, an ominous sign for the future.
We have no one to blame but ourselves.
Like everyone else, we’ve been blinded by the promise of tech’s false promise of “Big Data Solves Everything.” Martech is driving the dialog in our industry right now, and they’re telling us that collecting as much consumer data as possible — regardless of the actual value of that data, and regardless of our consumer’s best interests — will reveal a magic growth formula.
That’s a farce. There is no magic growth formula, and tech won’t do your job for you. Believing that amassing data will save your business instead of focusing on fundamentals has only led to lazy marketing, plummeting consumer trust and a two-fold increase in the number of expensive martech solutions over the last two years.
Public awareness of the surveillance economy is sharpening. The press is increasingly paying attention to business AND advertising practices. Consumers are …read more


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News UK, Telegraph Media Group and Guardian News & Media are to pool some of their digital display ad inventory in a new joint advertising platform in a significant move.
News UK is to aggregate all its audience data from its media properties on a single platform, News IQ, and let advertisers target users based on opinions and emotions.
Marketers who use data to inform creativity can drive double the revenue growth of companies that do not integrate the two disciplines, according to a study by McKinsey.
WPP's Read: We're focusing on collaboration, rather than 'collapsing' agency brands and restructuring
Mark Read has warned against "collapsing" too many WPP agency brands and said driving greater collaboration is more important than a "major restructuring".
Annette King, the new chief executive of Publicis Groupe UK, has made her first appointment, recruiting James Barnes-Austin as chief financial officer.
Global ad expenditure will increase by 6.4% to $551bn (£416bn) this year - the fastest rate since 2010, according to Magna, the media research arm of Interpublic.
Goodstuff Communications is hoping to back a new breed of independent media agency start-ups by offering a total of £1m in finance and business support in return for majority stakes.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into media trading and transparency in the US advertising market.
Dentsu Aegis Network expects global ad expenditure to rise 3.9% in 2018 thanks to consumer packaged goods companies returning to higher levels of spend and an "uptick" from the FIFA World Cup.
WPP faced tough questions about Sir Martin Sorrell's exit at its annual general meeting, with more than a quarter of WPP shareholders voting against his entitlement to a possible £20m pay-off.
OMD UK has landed Lidl's estimated £70m strategic media planning account after a competitive review.
WPP investors are set to lodge a significant protest over Sir Martin Sorrell's pay-off but executive chairman Roberto Quarta is expected to survive.
Former JWT global chief executive Gustavo Martinez has departed WPP in a sign that the ad group's new leadership wants to draw a line under his controversial tenure.
Channel 4 has warned the UK might be "sleep-walking" into a pre-9pm ban on high fat, salt and sugar TV advertising that could backfire by driving more money into Facebook and YouTube.
A timely, new book on the advertising industry is full of revealing stories, including how Sir Martin Sorrell considered selling WPP to Warren Buffett.
Estee Lauder Company is to appoint Dentsu Aegis Network to handle its media buying across much of Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Specialist media consulting firms and media agencies have claimed Accenture faces a "clear conflict" of interest over the launch of its programmatic media planning and buying unit.
Stylist magazine wants to flood London with "living statues" of female role models in a stunt to highlight the continued bias that women face.
Accenture has taken another big step into the agency space by launching a programmatic media planning and buying unit.
Omnicom's PHD has won HSBC's estimated $400m (£298m) global media planning and buying account.


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Weeks after the game made its debut day-and-date on Google Stadia, Square Enix is finally acknowledging the many issues with Outriders on Stadia. Along with that news, the highly anticipated game Judgement has arrived along with more game updates.
Stadia Changelog is a weekly series on 9to5Google where we round up some of the Stadia news that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to talk about. This includes a roundup of what new games were released on Stadia during the week, what games saw updates and patches, new games either confirmed or speculated for the platform, and more. Come back every Friday!
Table of contents
New games now available on Stadia
There was only one new game added to Stadia this week, SEGA’s remaster of Judgement. The hotly anticipated remaster is a part of the Yakuza series and follows the character Takayuki Yagami. The game costs $39.99 and notably supports Stadia’s State Share feature (though it may not be finished yet).
Haunted by his past, he takes up arms as a private detective, clawing his way through Kamurocho’s underground crime network to investigate a string of grisly murders. Track suspects, discover clues, and bring evidence to court – but be careful, there are dark characters at every turn. Take advantage of two unique battle styles to take down adversaries in electrifying encounters. Packed with Hollywood-worthy combat sequences and cinematic twists and turns, this mystery will surely keep you on your toes.
As of this week, Google has added 43 games to Stadia in calendar year 2021, well on its way to the promise of at least 100 titles added this year.
Outriders finally recognizes crossplay and other issues w/ Stadia port
After weeks of silence, Square Enix finally spoke out regarding the numerous issues with the Stadia port of Outriders, most notably the lack of crossplay support. The developers have been silent on these issues since the game’s April 1 launch, but spoke out this week on Reddit.
You can read the full statement below, but here’s a short version. Yes, the developers are aware of the mismatched versions of Outriders on Stadia versus other platforms. Yes, this will be fixed hopefully next week. If all goes well, this means crossplay should come to Outriders on Stadia sooner rather than later and that some of the annoying issues will also be fixed, but there’s no concrete timeline yet.
Stadia has followed a different development timeline than other platforms. This is also why the Stadia version has certain unique features, such as Stadia’s Stream Connect, but also doesn’t necessarily face the same bugs and issues that other platforms may.
It was our intention to converge these development builds shortly after the Outriders launch, in order to provide Stadia players with the same experience and access to the same cross-play matchmaking pool.
Unfortunately, the launch weekend issues we faced, as well as the recent inventory wipe bug, have consumed much of our focus that would otherwise have been spent bringing Stadia in line with the other platforms.
As these other priority issues will very soon have been addressed, we will once again proceed with bringing the Stadia version up to date. We hope to release a patch for Stadia in the week of April 26 that will address pre-order issues. A second patch may follow soon after and we do hope to be in a position where Stadia will be fully in line with other platforms in the coming weeks, though we are working to a “the sooner, the better” timeline.
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom gets Stadia-specific features
In a fun Stadia-specific update, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom has been updated to support the platform’s Crowd Choice and State Share features. It’s not all that common to see games adopt these features, so it’s always exciting to see them arrive! Notably, this update also improves overall game performance with better GPU optimization on Stadia’s servers.
Marvel’s Avengers patch brings Tachyon Anomaly Event
Live now and until May 3, Marvel’s Avengers has kicked off one of its first in-game events with the Tachyon Anomaly event. The event brings new missions, in-game items, and more. It relies on the 1.6.0 patch which rolled out to Stadia on April 20. A full changelog for the update can be viewed here.
Disco Elysium v1.5
Rolled out on April 21, the v1.5 patch for Disco Elysium is on Stadia as well as all other platforms. What’s new? Mainly bug fixes.
- Fixed save games and updated the save game message regarding max save slots.
- Quick Save Button added to the pause menu.
- Further improved church cutscene behaviour under certain conditions.
- Finishing thoughts should no longer throw players into the void in certain conditions.
- Further VO fixes.
- Tons of smaller bug fixes.
Immortals: Fenyx Rising ‘Lost Gods’ Expansion is Live
Ubisoft is once again expanding Immortals: Fenyx Rising, this time with “The Lost Gods” story. You’ll need the Season Pass to play the expansion that also unlocks the “A New God” and “Myths of the Eastern Realms” expansions. You can buy the expansion for $39.99 if you already own the game, or in the “Gold” bundle for $99.99, $49.99 if you’re a Stadia Pro member.
Meet Ash, a new hero on an epic journey to reunite the Greek gods, including legends like Poseidon, Hades, and more. Unlock her powers using a brand-new customisable upgrade system and bring the gods back to the Pantheon.
Spiritfarer Lily Update
A free new update is now available to Spiritfarer players. The “Lily” update introduces the Butterfly Spirit who is an “important figure” from the main character’s past.
In this small yet important addition to Spiritfarer’s main game, Stella’s memories begin to blossom as wondrous flowers over her cabin. These flowers house butterflies that roost to form Lily, the Butterfly Spirit! Stella’s new spirit friend is revealed to be an important figure from her past; Lily will help our hero gain perspective on her life as she approaches the touching conclusion to her journey…
Games coming to Stadia
While there were no unofficial findings on what’s coming to Stadia this week, Google did confirm two new titles. Farming Simulator 22 is coming to the platform this fall, following up on one of the first titles that was available on Stadia. Further, Legend of Keepers is coming to Stadia next week on April 29.
This week’s biggest Stadia news
- Stadia 3.12 prepares new referral bonuses, exclusive avatar, Google TV details
- You can now subscribe to Ubisoft+ from within the Stadia app
- Listen to CD Projekt Red’s CEO laugh nervously when asked how Cyberpunk 2077 sold on Stadia
- Stadia Discounts for 20th April 2021
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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Tax Havens Turned NightmaresTrevor Gerszt
image: the picture postcard Singapore skyline
A pair of renowned tax haven economies found themselves on the ropes this week, having discovered that when you don’t have any income you can’t pay your bills. One had to pull out some fancy accounting tricks to make ends meet, a move that rattled Asian currency markets. The other just defaulted.
Singapore ran into problems last week because it’s a trade-dependent economy and in the Asia-Pacific region the currently-economically-wobbly China is everyone’s big trading partner. More accurately, Singapore is growth-dependent, and when the Chinese economy slowed down, so did goods and services flowing through Singapore. Without any other tax base to rely upon, Singapore’s economy was hit almost immediately by rapid deflation. Even with a healthy balance sheet and enviable employment numbers, businesses in Singapore suddenly found themselves faced with declining prices.
Inflation vs. Deflation
For most trade-dependent countries inflation is a good thing. For evidence of that counter-intuitive notion consider Japan, which has been trying to spur inflation ever since Prime Minister Abe took office. A lack of inflation hurts countries like Japan and Singapore because when prices don’t rise neither do corporate profits or salaries. Debt also becomes more of a problem because when corporate income drops, debt payments become a larger burden on company balance sheets. That’s why the most deadly force of nature for a country with no tax base is deflation. Deflation means prices for goods and services decline, so companies are making less money, but their debt payments don’t change.
In a consumer economy like the United States deflation can also be a problem, but it comes with a silver lining. When the price of goods and services drop, we buy more. When consumers are two-thirds of the economy that takes up some of the slack from declining prices. A company might make less on each sale, but it sells more product. That’s why the U.S. suffers less in a deflationary environment than an income- and investment-tax haven economy like Puerto Rico. When deflation shrinks the value of economic activity, it means no revenue is being generated. No revenue means no investment; and no investment mean no growth and, critically, no jobs – all of which leads to the disaster we’re seeing today as Puerto Rico defaults on hundreds of millions in debt.
When a country’s faced with deflation and stagnant growth it can turn to spending on infrastructure to spur the economy if, like the U.S., it has a tax base. But Singapore, long priding itself on being a tax haven for the wealthy, operates a trade-dependent economy. So when trade drops, there’s nothing left to support growth. Instead Singapore’s central bank turned to the one remaining trick a trade-dependent country has to spur business: it diluted the nation’s currency, making goods and services lower-priced, hence more attractive compared to other countries in the region. The last time Singapore had to dilute its currency this much was 2008, in the midst of a global recession.
The Race to the Bottom is On
Predictably, neighboring countries didn’t take this currency devaluation lying down. Other trade-dependent nations had to quickly devalue their currencies to prevent Singapore from stealing their business. Indonesia lowered its exchange rate and said it would announce new monetary policy this week. Now the race to the bottom on currency valuations is on in Asia and there’s no telling where it’s going to stop.
Look for smart investors in that region to protect the value of their currency by shifting to liquid hard assets like physical gold. That will be good for the price of gold on world markets as investors look for shelter from central bank madness. For investors in Asian countries, it’s the only play they have left to protect the value and buying power of their currency. Other hard asset shelters, like income producing property, are already pretty saturated in most Asian cities.
Unfortunately, bad news for Singapore and Puerto Rico is good news for gold investors, as well as retirement investors.


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Consumer Safety and China
News about Consumer Safety and China, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.
ARTICLES ABOUT CONSUMER SAFETY AND CHINA
From factory inspections to product recalls, laboratory testing to prosecutions, China’s emergent food-quality apparatus has turned into reform on the fly, with ever-changing threats and setbacks.
July 24, 2014, Thursday
MORE ON CONSUMER SAFETY AND CHINA AND: Walmart Stores Inc , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Food , World Health Organization , Burger King Corp , Chickens , Meat , Factories and Manufacturing , Starbucks Corporation , Shanghai (China) , Papa Johns International Inc , Kentucky Fried Chicken , China , McDonald's Corporation , Food Contamination and Poisoning , Fast Food Industry
Two members of the management of Shanghai Husi Food were among those held after workers were found using expired meat to make products for fast-food restaurants.
July 23, 2014, Wednesday
A television news program said it had captured footage of workers at a meat processing facility using out-of-date chicken and beef to make products for the fast-food outlets.
July 21, 2014, Monday
The victims died after eating a fermented corn snack that government officials had previously warned people against consuming.
July 4, 2014, Friday
The company said it was switching such products out for treats that are made in the United States, New Zealand, Australia and South America.
May 21, 2014, Wednesday
The Communist Party news organization said its reporters were attacked and robbed of their cameras and cellphones while investigating “gutter oil,” waste cooking oil that is illegally reused.
May 19, 2014, Monday
A leading Chinese scientist welcomed the release of a government report on contaminants in soil, a first in the country, but questioned why it had been done in such an understated manner.
April 18, 2014, Friday
Rapid industrialization, agricultural mismanagement and metals production are all contributing to contamination that is raising alarms about food and physical health.
April 18, 2014, Friday
Two children died and seven are seriously ill after more than 30 ingested rat poison at a kindergarten Yunnan Province.
March 21, 2014, Friday
The automaker found that a Chinese parts supplier used counterfeit material in an accelerator pedal assembly that had already prompted a recall.


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Today LoveDIY took a big step forward in its future development as the team took delivery of a paint mixing machine.
This £60,000 investment in a state of the art paint mixing machine will allow customers to choose between literally thousands of colours in a huge variety of paint finishes, from gloss to emulsion and from masonry to undercoat.
This is the latest milestone in the business’s expansion into offering a greater variety of paint options with free UK delivery and will also support the Gelder Group’s other divisions in sourcing high quality paint to meet customers’ needs.
To find out more visit www.lovediy.com
The COVID-19 lockdown has delivered a sales surge for Gelder Group’s online business ‘LoveDIY’ but amongst the thousands of tins of emulsion, 844 tins of shed & fence paint, 367 tins of doorstep paint and 402 hanging basket brackets however one item, above all others stands out, 52 ‘Gold Pans’!
LoveDIY Manager Martin Ward comments:
We started stocking gold pans as part of a manufacturing deal for tools, not expecting to sell many, if any at all. This all changed during lockdown when 52 where dispatched, mainly to customers from Wales.
Like many online businesses, LoveDIY has seen sales in various home improvement lines rocket during the COVID-19 pandemic but even with the gold price rising by over 50% since April a surge in Gold pans wasn’t predicted.
During the COVID-19 outbreak Gelder Group’s online business www.loveDIY.com has seen unprecedented demand for its decorating products, leading to staff erecting a large marquee to accommodate additional packers who can all work safely at packing stations located 2.5m apart.
On the temporary edition, LoveDIY’s Martin Ward comments:
Gelder Group is known for its ‘can do’ attitude, the team at LoveDIY is no different. We have plenty of decorating stock, packing it all safely was the issue, which is now resolved.
If your loved one is driving you up the wall, visit www.lovediy.com and get him/her to paint it!


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The Para Hills West Soccer Club in Adelaide seems to have missed the memo.
With a new focus on objectification of women, abuse, violence, sexism and misogyny, Para Hills West decides not only to host a ‘Men’s Night’ fundraiser – but advertise it at the club for all the junior boys to see.
Para Hills West is making sure boys learn early about what women are good for. It seems to have ignored amateur soccer’s own code of conduct.
This poster is on display at the club in full view of junior playersRead more
Doughnut Time joins a growing number of companies requiring young staff members to wear uniforms with sexually suggestive slogans and imagery. We have long raised questions about this exploitation of young female staff and invitation for sexual harassment.
Collective Shout's National Director of Operations Coralie Alison was quoted in The Age over uniforms for female staff with strategically placed doughnuts.Read more
**UPDATE** WIN! Rusty withdraws "Missing Pants" ad campaign
A representative from Rusty made the following statement in an email to one of our staff members:
Thank you for bringing the imagery to our attention. We are deleting the content that relates to Mimi on the bed “Missing Pants” campaign. All online imagery will be down over the next 48 hours and our sales team have been informed not to use that poster in store windows.
"We can shoot your wife and frame your mother-in-law, if you want we can hang them too" - Fantastic FramingRead more
But the male CEO of the fashion label suggests the ads are sexist towards men - we're #notbuyingitRead more
UltraTune are at it again.....here is their sexist ad campaign for 2016Read more
This week Zoo Weekly released their last edition ever. We're glad that pornographers will have one less outlet now to push porn to underage boys. See content from inside Zoo mag (warning, graphic).
ABC's Media Watch referenced our campaign, quoting Collective Shout's Laura Pintur.


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Market Expert Ashwani Gujral has suggested three BUY Calls and Two Sell Calls for the trading session. Indian markets are expected to open slightly lower as per the trading in SGX Nifty.
Market analyst Prakash Gaba has suggested two BUY Calls and two SELL calls for traders today. Indian markets are expected to open strong today as global markets have showcased bullish sentiment.
Indian automobile companies have delayed their plans to launch many new vehicles in year 2020 due to coronavirus related lockdowns.
There was a time when people owned a single car or used public transport to reach their destination. Slowly, with changing times, our dependence on personal vehicles has increased.
Research house CLSA has maintained BUY call for Cadila Healthcare, Bajaj Auto and Havells India. For Cadila Healthcare, CLSA has maintained its earlier BUY call with a target price of Rs 330.
According to a recent Autocar report, German automaker Audi has plans underway to accelerate its development of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).
© 2005-2020 TOPNEWS.IN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. COPYSCAPE PROTECTED


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Glass container manufacturer Allied Glass has been added to the portfolio of CBPE Capital for the second time in its history.
Having originally acquired the Yorkshire-based business in 2002 from ABF, CBPE Capital sold its stake in 2010 to Equistone Partners Europe. Now Equistone, which was known as Barclays Private Equity until a management buy-out in 2011, has divested of its interest.
Equistone originally bought a majority stake as part of a £75 million buy-out from its Fund III and has reportedly netted a 2.5x return through the sale of Allied Glass.
From its factory sites in Leeds and Knottingley, Allied Glass employs 660 and supplies glass bottles to customer including Smirnoff and Johnny Walker.
Over the course of the Equistone partnership, Allied Glass completed an investment in its Knottingley base to increase production and keep up with demand.
Alan Henderson, managing director at Allied Glass, comments, ‘Equistone has been an ideal partner for the business during this expansion period. We have focused the business on achieving quality and sustainable growth while strengthening relationships with our customers.
‘We have known [CBPE] for many years and are confident that they are the right partner as we enter the next phase of our development.’
More on Equistone deals:
New backer CBPE is currently investing from its eighth fund, a £405 million pot raised back in February 2010. It has made eight investments to date form the fund, with most of them being buy-outs.
Equistone partner and Allied Glass non-executive director Steve O’Hare says, ‘The business has grown strongly over the last few years by putting the customer at the heart of everything it does, investing significantly in operational capability and expanding its product offering.’
Alongside the recent investment in the new decoration facility at Knottingley, Allied Glass also recruitment James Hart as finance director to strengthen the senior management team.


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BSNL cuts ISD tariffs by upto 70%
The new rates, beginning Oct 21, would be applicable to all basic, cellular, WLL mobile and PCOs.Updated: Oct 21, 2003 16:19 IST
State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd on Monday slashed international long distance (ISD) tariffs by a massive 70 per cent on account of the festive season, beginning midnight of October 21 to November 21.
All calls to USA, Canada and European countries (except UK) would now cost just Rs 9.60 a minute, down from Rs 24, and calls to UK would cost Rs 7.20 a minute.
The pulse rate for UK would be 10 seconds and for USA, Canada and other European countries, the pulse rate would be 7.5 seconds.
The promotional scheme would be applicable to all basic, cellular, WLL mobile and PCOs, BSNL officials said.
BSNL, however, has not revised the ISD rates for other countries.
First Published: Oct 20, 2003 19:30 IST


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to get vaccinated, just ask the Amazon assistant
Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant, can now get you an appointment to get vaccinated. Enough to speed up the process, instead of spending long minutes on the web looking for the nearest vaccination center. You just have to make a request for all the necessary information before making an appointment.
Over the years, Alexa has regularly acquired new features such as translating your conversations on the fly, or predicting some of your requests. However, in this time of a global pandemic, Amazon has decided to make itself useful by turning Alexa into a mine of information regarding Covid-19.
If it could already answer most of your questions about the disease, or the health pass, which is now required to access many leisure places (cinemas, museums, amusement parks, etc.), the voice assistant of the American giant is now able to get you an appointment to be vaccinated.
Alexa helps you get vaccinated against Covid-19
Just ask him “Alexa, where can I get vaccinated against Covid in Marseille ” or another city obviously to get in a few moments a detailed list of vaccination centers near your home or your work. If one of the establishments interests you, just say “Alexa, give me more information on the first one ” for more information on the center in question, such as the phone number, address or available slots.
At the same time, Alexa will send a notification to your smartphone so that you can confirm your appointment on the Santé.fr website. “We will continue to evolve our experiences over time to provide customers with the information that is important to them. […] Alexa can answer questions about vaccine availability and eligibility requirements for over 85 countries ”, recalls Amazon on its official blog.
As a reminder, after President Emmanuel Macron’s speech on Monday, July 12, 2021, the French rushed to the web in search of a vaccination window. This massive influx had the consequence of saturating the Doctolib platform, which recorded more than 900,000 visitors during the evening. At the same time, Google searches for fake health passes exploded shortly after the head of state’s speech.


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A locally owned family business has outgrown its home.
In a few short months, Meierotto's Jewelers will soon have a new headquarters in the Northland. Designed by Davidson Architecture and Engineering, McCownGordon Construction is already building the new two-story headquarters building at Armour Road and Interstate-35 in North Kansas City, Mo.
The new building became necessary when after a recent wave of business growth, the company began growing out of its current location at 4311 NE Vivion Road.
"This prime location will make it easier for our customers from all over the Kansas City area to reach us," Ted Meierotto said.
The expanded store footprint will offer more space for the store's selection of rings, diamonds, jewelry and watches. Slated to open in Fall 2017, the building will include a headquarters office, store, and storage.


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MORE than half of small businesses in the UK do not have a website, despite research revealing an average 37% increase in turnover among small businesses with an online presence.
The findings, from Mr Site, the website creation package and PayPal, the online payments service, show that small businesses without a website could be collectively reducing their turnover by as much as £235bn.
Despite consumers embracing the digital age, and the Government’s pledge to transform the UK into one of the leading digital world economies by 2012, the study indicated that a large proportion of small businesses are still not cashing in on the potential of the internet. 61% of small businesses selling goods and 46% of service- providing small businesses reported they are yet to take the plunge and get online.
Among businesses that have an internet presence, more than half (56%) stated their overall turnover had increased since the introduction of a website. The average reported increase in turnover for small businesses since having an online presence is 37%. This means that small businesses without a website could potentially be missing out on additional turnover of as much as £52,000.
Mr Site co-founder Beatrice Hatherley said: “Our research clearly indicates how valuable it is to have a presence online but it’s also understandable how they might struggle with the financial implications.
“When we were developing the Takeaway Website packages, start-ups were always at the front our minds – in today’s financial climate it’s even more apparent that we should be assisting with more cost-effective web solutions.”
Cameron McLean, PayPal’s general manager for UK merchant services said: “We know that consumers are looking to the internet more and more in the current climate to search out bargains and fully research which businesses they are going to use.
“Online sales are bucking the high-street street trend and businesses should establish their online presence before they are left behind. Not having a website is like leaving your shop-front boarded up or refusing to tell customers anything about the services you provide. Creating an impressive ‘virtual shop’ is the way to stay ahead of the game and having a website can be more cost-effective for your business than a high street presence – and is a key launch pad to business success.”


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An empty unit could be taken over by a national pizza chain after plans for an independent restaurant appear to have fallen by the wayside.
Bosses at Domino's Pizza have filed plans with Wokingham Borough Council proposing the opening of a new shop in an empty unit in Finchampstead Road.
The chain already has a unit in Bush Walk off Market Place, however there are plans to relocate this as part of the town centre regeneration project, which will see the Rose Street car park replaced with a town square.
The unit, which sits opposite Carnival Pool in nearby Wellington Road, looked set to be the new home of restaurant Wokingham Gourmet Kitchen after applicant Robert Tang was granted planning permission in April to turn the former furniture store into a dining experience.
Mr Tang was hoping to have the business open at the beginning of September and even demonstrated a number of dishes at the 2011 Wokingham Food and Drink Festival on Elms Field in August.
However, he declined to comment on the application put forward by Domino's Pizza, which was handed over to planning officers last month, although he did tell The Wokingham Times the situation surrounding the future of the building was “complicated”.
Elsewhere in the town, Italian restaurant Sorrento’s in Peach Street, which closed earlier this year, is due to re-open as Sapori, which is also an Italian restaurant.
Pub landlords and restaurateurs across the town centre, meanwhile, have said they would prefer to see the building be used to home a restaurant, given the option.
Mick Musson, licensee at The Crispin in Denmark Street, which is one of the closer watering holes to the restaurant, was against the move.
“I would prefer a restaurant, because it gets more people into the town,” he said.
“If another restaurant opens then it is likely more people from Reading or Bracknell will want to come, and they get free parking in the town centre during the evening too.
“Being one of the closer pubs to Finchampstead Road I would hope people visiting the restaurant will come here for a drink either before or after their meal. I don’t think a takeaway will help.”
Over at The Victoria Arms in Easthampstead Road, landlady Ebony Kaye said she likes the idea of a gastro-type restaurant opening in Wokingham.
“If it had to be a takeaway I would like it to be something different because we already have a Domino's Pizza,” she said.
“I have not heard about it [the application] to be honest, but I would much rather have a new restaurant.
“It sounds different, and that is what we need in Wokingham, because the town centre is full of Italian restaurants, pubs and curry houses.
“To have a gourmet kitchen sounds a bit like a gastro restaurant and I would like something like that.
“I think the Olde Leathern Bottel [in Barkham Road] is the nearest we have to that in the town centre so I think it sounds a good idea.”
A member of staff at Rossini in Denmark Street, who asked not to be named, said: “The more restaurants there are the better it is for everyone.
“The opening of a new restaurant always brings new people to the town, and with the incentive with free parking in the evenings should bring them back to try some of the other dining experiences within the town centre.”


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South Korean tech giant LG has revealed the release date for its latest flagship smartphone in the Canadian market. The G5 will launch in Canada on April 8 and will be available through all major carriers.
There’s no word about the pricing of the handset and its accessories, but the company announced that it will available at Rogers, Bell, Telus, Fido, MTS, SaskTel, Eastlink, Videotron and Wind Mobile. Rogers and Fido are also going to offer bundled options for the handset such as a free LG’s Cam Plus camera grip with two-year activation of the handset.
LG G5 comes with a modular design and features a 5.3-inch display sporting a resolution of 2560 by 1440 pixels and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor paired with 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a microSD card slot for expansion. Other features includes a 16MP main camera, 8MP front-facing camera, and ships with Android 6.0 Marshmallow pre-installed out of the box.


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A Coles customer has voiced her outrage after making a ‘crazy’ discovery on a packet of fish.
Sharing on Facebook, shopper Bronwyn revealed her shock after noticing the small print on a packet of Coles Australian Whiting Mini Fillets.
While the packet clearly states that the product is “responsibly sourced seafood” and made in Australia from at least 95% Australian ingredients, it says the fish is “filleted in Vietnam”.
Speaking to 7NEWS.com.au, a Coles spokesperson has defended the move, confirming that while the fish is filleted overseas, it is sourced and packaged in Australia.
But Bronwyn has questioned why Australian fish is sent all the way to Vietnam to be prepared – only to be returned back home for sale at Coles.
“Could someone please explain why this is necessary, to transport Australian fish thousands of kilometres to Vietnam to be filleted?” asked Bronwyn.
“I bought these yesterday noting the Australian Whiting and 95% Aussie ingredients ... Then have just noticed the filleting in Vietnam.
“Not so keen to eat them now. Fresh, I think maybe not. No way of knowing how old they might actually be!”
Bronwyn’s post was met with disbelief from some other Facebook users.
“Crazy isn’t it?” responded Bronwyn.
“But how old is the fish now, lol? And how many times has it been frozen?”
A Coles spokesperson tells 7NEWS.com.au that it has met its “Country of Origin” obligations with the product’s packaging.
“All Coles Own Brand seafood including seafood available at the deli, canned Own Brand tuna in the grocery aisle and frozen Own Brand products such as fish fingers have been responsibly sourced since 2015,” the spokesperson said.
“This product uses Australian whiting, which is filleted overseas, but is then crumbed and processed back in Australia.
“In line with our Country of Origin obligations, this is clearly labelled on the front of the pack.
“As always, customers who are unhappy with a Coles Brand product can return it to any store for a full refund.”
The find follows outrage over another supermarket seafood scandal, when shoppers noticed that Woolworths supermarket was selling Thawed Green Prawns which were marked ‘Made in China’.
Watch below: Seafood restaurant’s unusual tactic for ensuring social distancing


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Avast can be an malware program that helps users safeguarded their laptop by preventing malware and viruses via getting upon their computer system. Most sites that try to give out malware will be caught by Avast and the malicious documents are not executed. It also masks the wearer’s identity helping make surfing around the internet quicker. https://antivirustricks.com/avast-vpn-review It also offers advanced security for private information, so you can be confident that you are shielded. In this article, we’ll go over the good qualities and downsides of Avast antivirus.
This free malware program incorporates a feature named Behavior Cover, which scans applications pertaining to suspicious actions and hinders malicious software. Users can customize the software’s patterns by hindering specific websites and enabling Good Scans. In scanning your computer with Avast, you can right-click virtually any file inside the Windows Explorer panel, and then select which usually files you need to scan. In the event that you’re worried about privacy, you can even deactivate the program completely.
Avast has been around the news recently because of information of level of privacy breaches and cyberattacks. Even though it has a huge installed basic, the company has been accused of selling customer data. A few users consider Avast is trading their private information to third parties to boost its applications. This is not the only privacy issue Avast possesses. Motherboard and PCMag lately exposed the privacy routines of Avast in a joint investigation. Avast had been advertising personal info of nearly all people to advertisers.


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Julian Heathcote-Hobbins, General Counsel, FAST, stated: “Your business as a reseller depends on your reputation for delivering reliable products and services. Keeping a clean nose means being careful to only install genuine software procured from a trusted supplier.
"All it takes is an unscrupulous reseller or systems integrator duping unsuspecting customers using their technical skills to install unlawful copies on computers – if you like, a bad apple in the barrel. The system builder gets paid, the software publisher does not and the business customer is left without a genuine copy and is a copyright infringer," he added. “If that is not enough of a risk, it also raises the question of cyber health, and can damage the reputation of the supplier industry.”
Software piracy is the illegal reproduction and distribution of software applications. Because of counterfeit and unlicensed software ingress, legitimate software supplier businesses are not only losing customer opportunities; they’re missing out on ongoing revenues and the chance to add value.
“FAST has long campaigned on behalf of software publishers being one of the twentieth century's major success stories with the genesis of FAST being the clarification in law that software benefits from copyright. IP is a wealth generator and employment catalyst which Britain is rightly proud of,” continued Julian.
“Unscrupulous suppliers and hoodwinked businesses are not only at risk of infringement legal claims, legitimate customer trust can be blighted by a rogue reseller.”
FAST is working with its communities including the channel, alongside a number of its members, to raise awareness of this issue and educate them on how to avoid risk.
“It has always been our contention that end users themselves need to purchase from known and trusted sources and avoid ‘too good to be true’ deals. The channel needs to continue to be vigilant to root out any rogue resellers. After all, it is in no-one’s best interest if the reseller community is tarnished with the same brush if illegal activity is found,” he added.