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A joint venture of five New Zealand wineries has established its own US importing business and secured distribution into 14 states from New York to California in nine months. Its business model is unique in this country’s F&B exporting sector.
Pacific Prime Wines was formed by five successful family owned wineries, each representing a major wine region, in order to succeed in the rapidly growing, but highly challenging United States wine market. It has gone from a standing start since its inception in February of this year to distribution in fourteen states and exports of over half a million dollars. With the USA now the largest wine market in the world, the company’s growth prospects are outstanding.
Established by Maimai Vineyards, Lake Chalice, Forrest Wines, Seifried Estate and Carrick
Wines, the business has set up a subsidiary company in Oregon which drives marketing and sales activities across the continent through a team of US staff. Local knowledge and strong networks have enabled rapid progress in this highly regulated and ultra-competitive market. Pacific Prime Wines expects to grow sales of its wine brands to $10 million within five years.
While collaborative and joint venture exporting are being promoted as essential to New Zealand’s international trading success, Pacific Prime Wines is the only business of its type in the billion dollar New Zealand wine sector. In fact it’s essentially unique in this country’s F&B export sector according to NZ Trade & Enterprise.
Pacific Prime Wines has been able to leverage off the resources of five medium sized businesses to create an enterprise with sufficient scale to tackle a major market directly. Most importantly, it has bypassed the importer tier, allowing direct access to trade customers and greater control of its brands in the market. By operating with professional managers who are highly experienced in the market it has been able to move much faster and more effectively than the typical owner-operated exporter.
Chairman Chris Seifried comments: “Pacific Prime Wines has achieved far more than we expected, in a very short space of time. The US market is worth $40 billion and it’s immensely important to New Zealand wine exporters. Having our people on the ground there enables us to create genuine local relationships with our customers – relationships that we own. We’re building a position for our brands that has real strength and longevity. That wouldn’t be the case if our wines were sold to a standard third party US importer.”
The United States market: New Zealand has been exporting wine to the USA since the late 1970s, with sales now worth over $230 million in 2011. Shipments of New Zealand wine to the U.S. surged by nearly 40% to 3.5 million nine-litre cases in 2010, according to Impact Databank, and have more than doubled since 2005. New Zealand premium wine is the top performing import category in the US at a growth rate of 21%, compared to the total market at 8%. 87% of exports are Sauvignon Blanc, 7% Pinot Noir and 3% Chardonnay. Wine exports to the US earn 30% more than those to the United Kingdom. Americans spent more than US$30 billion on wine in 2010 and consumed over 4 billion bottles of wine. 40% of consumption is imported from foreign producers like New Zealand and imported wine growth is currently over 5%.


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Read the full story at Triple Pundit.
The effervescent Drew Barrymore has partnered with sustainable consumer brand Grove Collaborative on a line of 15 home goods products. The limited-edition collection features refillable packaging and two signature scents.
Consumers have signaled that they’re ready for refillable and sustainable products, and there’s a blossoming potential to bring them to scale. Celebrity endorsements and partnerships like this one can help influence a growing number of consumers to take the leap toward eliminating excessive packaging and single-use items from their day-to-day lives.

domain: news


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No iPhone X deals, no problem: Apple still sold 6 million last weekend
The latest iPhone is usually a hot Black Friday item, but this isn’t a usual iPhone year. Apple launched three new iPhones this year, including two iPhone 8 flavors that launched in late September as expected, and the highly anticipated iPhone X that only hit stores in early November.
That’s why, when it comes to iPhone Black Friday deals, the best you could hope for was iPhone 8 promos and discounts — retailers and carriers delivered that. The iPhone X, on the other hand, was sold out through Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and Apple is far from meeting demand.
BGR Top Deals:
- Amazon’s single best-selling Black Friday deal is still available right now
- Surprise! Nest’s Learning Thermostat just dropped to an all-time low for Cyber Monday
Trending Right Now:
- 8 paid iPhone apps on sale for free today
- Russians claim they’ve found the first extraterrestrial life, and it was right under our noses
- Critical security flaw lets anyone gain root access to a Mac running macOS High Sierra
No iPhone X deals, no problem: Apple still sold 6 million last weekend originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 28 Nov 2017 at 16:32:20 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.


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Pharrell Shows Off His Apple Watch on Instagram [PIC]
With Apple Watch pre-orders set to go live this Friday, April 10 at 12:01AM PDT (3AM EDT), the iPhone maker’s marketing continues to roll out. The company has provided celebrity Pharrell with an Apple Watch Edition, which he prominently showed off on his Instagram account.
According to the video below, Pharrell flips his wrist up which shows Apple Watch automatically turning on its screen, revealing the musician’s choice of the classic Mickey Mouse watch face. The video appears to showcase a 38mm or 42mm Apple Watch Edition with Sport band (in white?).
Pharrell also was seen wearing Apple Watch last night on NBC’s The Voice, which gets millions of TV viewers, and where the artist is one of the judges.
Apple has started showcasing Apple Watch in a variety of magazines, including recently in Canada, landing on the front cover of Rogers Media’s Flare.
When the original iPhone was announced, Shaq told a story of how he called Steve Jobs every other day to ask for an iPhone, to which the Apple co-founder repeatedly said “I can’t,” to deny the future NBA Hall of Famer early access to the company’s first smartphone.
With Apple Watch, it looks like Pharrell gets to be one of the first celebrities to receive the smartwatch before its April 24 launch. I wonder if he called Tim Cook every other day asking for a watch?
Probably not. I’m guessing Apple’s Beats Music boss, Jimmy Iovine, provided a hook up with Pharrell to show off the wearable. The musician was one of the first celebrities Iovine approached to check out prototypes of the original Beats headphones.


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Downgrade rights will be critical to Windows 8's acceptance in the enterprise, but if they're exercised by consumers, it's a sign Microsoft's newest OS has pulled a "Vista," analysts said today.
For consumers, downgrade rights, which let customers replace a newer version of Windows with an older edition without paying for two copies, are available only in copies of Windows 8 Pro pre-installed on new PCs. On the other hand, corporations with enterprise licensing agreements, including the annuity-like Software Assurance, are always allowed to downgrade from any version of Windows to any previous edition.
Downgrade rights broke out of their enterprise niche to became a hot topic after Windows Vista's 2007 launch when many consumers rebelled and turned back the clocks on their PCs to run XP instead.
It was one of several signals that Vista was on shaky ground.
Compared to Vista, interest in Windows 7's downgrade rights has been minimal. Today, Windows 7 is the world's most-used version of Windows, with a share nearly two-and-a-half times that of Vista at its peak.
"For enterprises, downgrade rights are tremendously important [for Windows 8]," said Michael Silver, an analyst with Gartner. "Most of the traditional form factors -- desktops and notebooks -- will be downgraded. But if it gets so bad that consumers downgrade, that's a disaster for Microsoft. That means there's word in the public that [Windows 8] is just bad."
Exercising downgrade rights in business is not unusual, but they will be more important than in 2009, when Microsoft launched Windows 7.
"On the enterprise side, my thinking would be along these lines. I've just finished my plan to upgrade XP to Windows 7, and along comes Windows 8," said Michael Cherry of Directions on Microsoft. "This is the last thing I need right now. I don't want to stop to evaluate Windows 8."
Cherry has a point.
Most companies have either recently finished, or are in the middle of, migrating from the 11-year-old Windows XP to Windows 7. Even Microsoft acknowledges this.
"Today, approximately 40% of enterprise desktops worldwide are on Windows 7, and we see continued momentum as the remaining desktops upgrade from Windows XP over the next two years," said Peter Klein, Microsoft's chief financial officer, in an April 2012 earnings call.
By the end of the next quarter, Klein reported in July, the 40% had grown to 50%.
Rather than adopt Windows 8, companies with enterprise agreements will simply downgrade newly-purchased PCs to Windows 7, Silver and Cherry agreed.
"Those who have finished a Windows 7 rollout will probably want to stay homogenous," said Cherry.
Their expectations about Windows 8 and downgrades are due in no small part to factors outside the operating system's control.
Because of Vista's failure to take hold, Windows XP had an unexpected long life. Then when Windows 7 launched, the pent-up demand for new machines, the looming 2014 end of support for XP, and positive reviews for Windows 7 kick-started migrations of the latter in 2010.
And because companies are loath to change, what with the expense that entails, they're likely to stick with Windows 7 for the foreseeable future. "Windows 7 will have long legs. It will be another XP." Cherry said, referring to the 2001 edition's longevity.
It doesn't help that Windows 8 is a dramatic departure from its predecessors: The so-called "Modern" interface -- touch-first, tile-based -- has put off early users, and as Silver noted, it's doubtful enterprises will jump to it on traditional, non-touch PCs. "The biggest problem enterprises will have with Windows 8 is the Metro interface," said Silver, using the now-abandoned label for the touch-and-tile environment.
Not all hardware will get the downgrade treatment. Both Cherry and Silver envision pockets of Windows 8 within companies, such as developers or workers with new touch devices, whether Windows 8-powered tablets or so-called "convertibles," hybrid hardware that melds tablet and notebook components.
Enterprises may also see an uptick in Windows 8 if employees purchase their own tablets, convertibles or traditional PCs, then demand that they be able to use them at work or connect to corporate resources from home or the road.
The bring-your-own device (BYOD) move may, in fact, be a boon to Windows 8's acceptance, said Cherry.
"If Windows 8 is really being used a lot [by employees], can you say that you're a BYOD firm if Windows 8 isn't on the eligible devices list?" Cherry asked. "This is one way Windows 8 might get on that list quickly."
Absent Silver's take on what a consumer move to downgrade would mean for Windows 8's reputation, neither analyst had prognostications about how the upgrade will play out among that audience, or in small businesses that don't have enterprise or Software Assurance agreements with Microsoft.
Those users are on their own, and by the downgrade rights Microsoft has set with the OEM edition of Windows 8 Pro, are responsible for obtaining the installation media for an older operating system.
Windows 8 Pro's downgrade rights allow customers to fall back to either Windows 7 Professional or Vista Business.
An alternative to do-it-yourself downgrading is to purchase new PCs with Windows 7 installed. According to policies that Microsoft unveiled several years ago, OEMs will be able to offer new Windows 8 Pro PCs that are downgraded at the factory to Windows 7 Professional, and will be able to sell Windows 7-powered PCs for up to two years after the debut of Windows 8, in other words, until late October 2014.
Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed. His email address is email@example.com.
Read more about windows in Computerworld's Windows Topic Center.
This story, "Analysts: Windows 8 downgrade rights crucial to success" was originally published by Computerworld.


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Mark Fields and son have eyes only for Ford products at 2013 auto show charity preview gala
Detroit Free PressSaturday 19th January, 2013
At Friday night's Charity Preview of the 2013 North American International Auto Show, Ford president and Chief Executive Officer Alan Mullaly had his eyes focused on just one brand. Mullaly touted Ford's growing work force, growing ranks (they hired 8,100last year) and fresh 2013 plans (they plan to bring on 2,200 more employees). Mullaly said he doesn't spend time looking at what the competition is up to when he attends the auto show gala. "We r...


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Sony is keeping stores running on PlayStation 3 and Vita consoles, but this support will soon become almost meaningless. Kotaku reports that Sony will no longer accept credit, debit and PayPal payments for games from users of older consoles starting October 27.
From now on, they will have to buy new games online or a more modern console, or rely on gift cards. The company did not explain its decision in the notice that customers received and did not comment on it in response to media inquiries. Whatever the reason, the limitation of available payment methods clearly indicates the company’s desire to “bury” old consoles and force gamers to upgrade to the current Play Station 5.
The attempt to cut PS 3 users from the PlayStation ecosystem is not surprising given the venerable age of the console, which turns 15 in November. Nevertheless, the owners of the device still have three weeks left to purchase the desired games without unnecessary difficulties.


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SNYP to offer spay/neuter discounts during February
Pet owners can get discount certificates for spaying and neutering cats and dogs during the month of February as part of the World Spay Day campaign.
SNYP, a Jackson County spay/neuter referral and assistance program, offers the certificates good for surgical sterilization for $25 for a cat and $75 for a dog up to 60 pounds. An additional $10 fee is due at the time of surgery for dogs that weigh more than 60 pounds. The certificates can be purchased at Pet Country, Rogue Valley Pet in the Winco shopping center, the Mini Pet Mart on Stewart Avenue, and the Grange Co-op stores in south Medford, Central Point, White City and Ashland. Each certificate includes a list of participating local veterinary clinics.
"Our biggest challenge is the cat overpopulation issue in Jackson County," SNYP board president Sally Mackler said in a release, adding cats can start breeding at four months of age and can birth as many as three litters a year.
The U.S. Humane Society started World Spay Day 20 years ago as an event that only lasted a single day, Feb. 24. It eventually expanded to the whole month. Organizers say conservative estimates point to nearly 2 million animals spayed and neutered through the program.


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Singh, Prem along with the three others - Sanjay Mishra, Prashant Bhatnagar and Surakshit Bhatt - have been arrested and will be produced on Thursday in court where "we will seek their custody", said Assistant Commissioner of Police Bhupinder Singh, who heads the special investigation team probing the case.
Subhinder Singh and Bhat were booked for fraud, criminal conspiracy and other charges under IPC for allegedly siphoning off the sportswear maker company's money by creating ghost distributors across the country and generating forged bills over the last five years.
When the alleged scam came to light in March 2012, Singh, who had been made the Managing Director of Adidas India last year as a part of an integration of the businesses of both Adidas and Reebok brands, was dismissed from the company.
Bhat's services were terminated too.
The company's financial director, Shahim Padath, later lodged a formal complaint against the duo. The economic cell of Gurgaon police conducted a probe and found that Singh and Bhat had allegedly rented four warehouses without informing their seniors and used them to store goods and claimed they were supplied to genuine dealers.
They also allegedly siphoned off goods to ghost companies and distributors across the country, claiming they were defective pieces. On the complaint of Shahim, an FIR was lodged against them. Singh and Bhat have denied the charges.


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After 25 Years Of Pollution Prevention, Wash. State Working Toward Greener Chemicals
It has been 25 years since the federal government passed the Pollution Prevention Act. The 1990 law is credited with reducing industrial waste by as much as 60 percent since it was enacted, by getting companies and governments to look upstream at what goes into the manufacturing process and stopping pollution at the source.
But the effectiveness of that approach appears to have limits. With many toxic chemicals remaining, especially in consumer products, additional strategies are needed. And that’s where states come in.
Looking To Washington As A Model
Washington is considered a pioneer. Ken Zarker, a section manager for pollution prevention with the State Department of Ecology, says Washington has 8 or 9 laws on the books that are looked to by experts as model legislation for the reduction of toxic chemicals.
“For example our laws, like the Children’s Safe Products Act, requires manufacturers to report the presence of these chemicals in products. This helps increase awareness and it also helps drive the market toward safer chemicals,” Zarker said.
A Broader Movement
Requiring this kind of disclosure – of whole classes of toxic chemicals – has been groundbreaking, says Ken Geiser, a national expert on policies to reduce toxic chemicals. He says just banning individual toxics, such as mercury or lead, will only get us so far.
“We should be regulating some. But it’s not going fast enough,” said Geiser, a professor emeritus of work environment at the University of Massachusetts.
Geiser has just released a new book, called "Chemicals Without Harm: Policies for a Sustainable World”. The book is a blueprint for making the transition to greener chemistry.
“We really need the market to shift. We really need safer substances to be developed and that you can’t necessarily do by regulation,” Geiser said. “That happens through a much broader movement,” he said.
In Washington, that movement is supported by a new non-profit, called Northwest Green Chemistry. Set up by the Department of Ecology, it provides technical assistance to researchers and gives out annual awards to local organizations and companies using safer substances.
This year the organization gave its Safer Chemistry Champion Award to a business called Tidal Vision, which is replacing a toxic chemical used as an odor-fighting anti-microbial in clothing with a natural substance found in crab shells and other seafood waste. It is a prime example of the kinds of strategy the state is looking for in its quest for safer chemicals.
Reinventing The Way Products Are Engineered
“At the end of the day, our manufacturers are the ones who are going to be able to help drive green chemistry and innovation,” said Zarker.
The hope is that by growing the field though institutions such as Northwest Green Chemistry, a new generation of chemists will reinvent the way many products are engineered, from the ground up.
With Washington’s track record as a hub for innovation, the potential is there for a new industry of bio-based chemicals to grow up alongside related sectors, such as the one emerging for biofuels.
“What we’re talking about is all the basic materials and chemicals that we use and love every day that go into our clothes, our cars, our airplanes,” Zarker said. “It’s really fundamental, important work."


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Players in the US and Europe have been spending more time and money on games since the beginning of the pandemic
Because of the coronavirus quarantine, people are paying more and more attention to games. According to Nielsen, a 45% increase in the indicator “time spent in games” was recorded in the United States. In addition, users began to spend more money on games.
Swrve: mobile igroprom has outgrown the race to acquire users
We have already written more than once that the revenue of the shareware game is provided by a small percentage of “whales”. Mobile marketing platform Swrve clarified the figures in its research. Only 0.23% of the players are responsible for 64% of the revenue.
The global tablet device market in 3Q13 through the eyes of IDC
According to IDC, global shipments of tablet devices increased to 47.6 million in the third quarter of 2013. This indicates a 7% increase compared to the figures of the previous quarter and 36% compared to the figures for the same quarter last year. And again, the bulk of deliveries are accounted for by Android tablets.
App Annie: iOS and Android statistics for Q3 2013
App Annie employees have published the results of the latest App Annie Market Index report for the third quarter of 2013. The document compares in detail the revenues and the number of downloaded mobile programs in various countries, stores and categories.


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However, Epic Games delayed the release of the patch after discovering an "issue" with the update. These include new guns, along with the removal of the Thanos Infinity Gauntlet weapon that has been keeping players occupied. Due to this delay some quests may not function until the build releases. Downtime begins at 4am ET (08:00 GMT),' Epic Games said in a statement overnight.
You have only until today to find the Infinity Gauntlet in Fortnite and be transformed into Thanos because Epic Games has now confirmed that this limited time mode will not be available from tomorrow.
Patch notes for Fortnite update 4.2 have not been revealed yet.
As soon as the patch notes do officially roll out, we will update you with everything new in the update.
'Right Stuff,' 'Bonfire' Author Tom Wolfe Dead at 87
A pioneer of new journalism , Wolfe wove ornate tapestries through his fervent prosaic style and vivid storytelling techniques. Wolfe is survived by Sheila Wolfe, his wife of almost 40 years; a son, Tommy Wolfe, and a daughter, Alexandra Wolfe.
However, we know for certain that Fortnite update 4.2 will signal the end of the Thanos Infinity War event.
However, the Fortnite Tracker app seems to already list the damage numbers for the Burst Assault Rifle, showing the Epic variant to do 32 and 64 damage per bullet to the body and head respectively, and the Legendary variant to do 33 and 66 damage per bullet.
Pundits have predicted a new Burst Assault rifle will be thrown into the mix with the update for PS4, Xbox One and mobile, after being bombarded with hints as they now played Battle Royale.
The news of the new Burst Assault Rifle hasn't been publicized through Fortnite's various social media accounts, but those who have been playing Fortnite recently spotted the new weapon included in the "New Updates" section when you log in.


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POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - Valentine's day is not only a day for love and relationships, but also very important to many local businesses in the Pocatello community.
Flowers by LD owner LD Wolfley says the days leading up to Valentine's Day are some of the busiest of the year.
"Valentine's Day is really an important day for a florist, and even with the pandemic, people can still call us and we can still deliver to their sweethearts," Wolfley said. "We can drop it off on the doorstep. We call before to make sure they're home. So, we can get that special valentine to your loved one."
Wolfley says that special valentine can be a makeup of flowers from all over.
"We have absolutely gorgeous flowers that are so unique," Wolfley said. "A lot coming from Ecuador and California. Everything we've done is really, really pretty and a little bit different."
"Spending decades as a florist, Wolfley says the time has helped him build a strong customer base within the community.
"I've had the shop 35 years, so we do have a lot of repeat customers, which is wonderful," Wolfley said. "We can get to know them and their style and what they like."
This year's holiday is extra important for Cherub Capers Creations owner Alesha Churba, as her store had to close for a significant amount of time last year due to the pandemic.
"It’s very important, because last year we were closed during these holidays, so a lot of the stores that purchased gifts related to those holidays still have those, because they still had to pay for them." Churba said. "I'm one of them. So, it's very important."
For Churba, Valentine's Day is all about making someone else's day.
"So much today is not," Churba said. "So much today is about me, and Valentine's Day is about you."
Cherub Creations are open this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Flowers by LD will be taking deliveries on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.


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Fat Daddy’s Barbecue
It’s been 4 weeks since the grand opening of the new Fat Daddy’s barbecue restaurant, and “business is booming” according to owner Chris Reeder. Reeder’s father Billy Ray Reeder started Fat Daddy’s BBQ in Cross Hill, SC. Chris has now expanding the family brand into a 4,000-square foot restaurant located in Uptown Greenwood’s Shoppes at Hampton Place.
When asked why Reeder decided to bring his family owned business to Greenwood he stated, “The city has made huge strides and continue to make progress, and my family and I would love to be part of that.”
Fat Daddy’s seems to be very popular with the Greenwood community. Sean Butler a Greenwood native said Fat Daddy’s has “great food.” He also stated that “the brisket was so flavorful I almost felt guilty putting sauce on it, though the sauces were fantastic, too. The portions were reasonable but not huge, which I appreciate because it meant I could enjoy everything on my plate without feeling awful afterwards.”
Cynthia Ethers who is another Greenwood native had this to say, “We ordered plates of 1 meat 2 sides. Unfortunately, the brisket was very dry, the 1/4 chicken portion was so small I thought it was a mistake and the tasteless hush puppies did not help matters.” She stated that there were also pros to her visit to Fat Daddy’s BBQ “there was such a nice atmosphere, friendly informative staff, an efficient ordering system, and the owner Chris was making sure that every customer felted welcomed.”
Reeder promised patrons during the grand opening of the restaurant that he planned on being visible and accessible to customers when Fat Daddy’s opened. Reeder now feels like that’s a promise that he kept.


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iPhone, Version 3.0, Revealed
Apple showed off everything from a blood pressure monitor to the latest version of The Sims at an event today where the company revealed new features and software for the iPhone.
The latest version of the iPhone's software, version 3.0, launches this summer. And yes, at least one rumor was correct: The smartphone's new software will indeed finally allow users to cut, copy and paste text from one place to another.
Apple's "App Store" has seen over 800 million downloads, the company said, and there are 25,000 applications available on iTunes for use on the iPhone or iPod Touch.
Look for new types of pricing on software bought from the company's iTunes store. Under the latest software tools, developers will be able to sell their products through the store on a subscription basis, for example. Or, game designers will be able to sell new levels of their videogames, one or two levels at a time, if they choose.
And with new developer tools, software designers will be able to pull more information from other parts of your iPhone. In that upcoming handheld version of The Sims, for example, your virtual people will be able to listen to music from your iTunes collection.
The biggest share of the applications available at iTunes have been games or entertainment-related widgets, but it looks like Apple is also encouraging the development of more serious-minded products. Scott Forstall, senior vice president of iPhone software, showed off an iPhone-compatible blood pressure monitor and an iPhone-compatible device that diabetic users can use to monitor their glucose level. Database company Oracle doesn't often join Apple on the stage, but an executive from the business software company gave a short demonstration of some iPhone-compatible Oracle tools.
I'm looking forward to getting the latest iPhone OS on my own iPhone tonight. Anybody out there have early thoughts about 3.0 yet? (As of this writing, Apple executives are still talking up the latest features.)
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April Fools day has come and gone and you Rated G loves all the goofs and gags. Dan and Dave talk about their favorites. In the news, Sony revamps its gaming service into a three tiered system to compete with Microsoft’s Gamepass offering, Xbox Gamepass is reportedly adding a family plan option, E3 2022 is canceled, and someone made a real Mario Kart out of cardboard and it’s pretty awesome. All that and more on episode 310 of Rated G.
At the top of the show, another sad week in celebrity news as we say goodbye to the drummer for the Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins. In brighter news, all of the Netflix Marvel shows are now on Disney Plus. Also in the news, PlayStation acquires Jade Raymond’s Haven Studios, the NFL is making an annual VR football game, a new Witcher game confirmed to be in development on Unreal Engine 5 and someone gets Doom to run on a text-based terminal. All that and Dave talks about Vampire Survivor in the Indie Game Spotlight.
On this month’s episode of Saturday Morning Retro, Dan and Dave talk about The Guardian Legend for the NES and game that started it all, Yakuza for the PS2. Also, in our “Our Top 3” segment, Dan and Dave talk about the top 3 NES sports titles.
At the top of the show, Dan and Dave say goodbye to wrestling legend Scott Hall, they welcome back Tom Brady to football and talk about the worsening state of Gran Turismo 7 gameplay grind. In the news, the Xbox Indie Showcase and Sony’s second State of Play drop, Nintendo’s Online Expansion Pack gets better, EA cancels it’s summer Play showcase and Xbox outsells Playstation. All this and more on episode 308 of Rated G.
At the top of the show, Dan saw The Batman, the EVO 2022 lineup and Dave talks about Gran Turismo and some shady business practices. In the news, PlayStation’s February state of Play, E3 may actually be happening this year and Super Nintendo World in California is opening next year. All that and more on episode 307.
On episode 306, Dan and Dave get a little political with all the gaming companies banning sales and services in Russia. In the news, Nintendo celebrates 5 years of the Switch, Netflix gets into gaming for real and Super Smash Bros. gets pulled from EVO 2022.
At the top of the show, Dan and Dave discuss Peacemaker, the Cuphead cartoon and Dave’s new statue. In the news, the Steam Deck reviews are here and scores are mixed, Capcom is making waves for it’s divisive Street Fighter 6 logo and Elon Musk wants to bring Steam to Tesla cars. All that and more on episode 305 of Rated G for Gamers.
Saturday Morning Retro is back and the most important episode ever is here. Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES and Super Mario World for the SNES. Dan discusses SMB3 and Dave discusses SMW. Also, in a new segment “Our Top 3”, Dan and Dave talk about 3 games that defined the N64.
On today’s show, Dan runs down the games coming out next month, Dave talks about the game he made and his upgrades to his outdoor deck. In the news, Netflix is making a Bioshock movie, Capcom’s countdown timer and EA blames Halo Infinite for Battlefield 2042’s poor reception all on episode 304 of Rated G.
Dan and Dave took a bit of a hiatus they’re back with all the news of the past few weeks. Sony makes a move on Bungie and it’s now a part of the PlayStation family. What does this mean for Destiny and future projects? Also in the news, Nintendo has a killer Direct showcase and it’s great for all the RPG fans out there, The Wolf Among Us 2 gets revealed and reportedly the Days Gone director had some ideas for an Uncharted prequel starring Sully all on episode 303.


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N/APosted on - 06/08/2012
Is mobile gaming, via smart phones and tablets, a threat to handheld consoles? Can mobile gaming replace console gaming or are they designed for totally different markets? Will the console players go for the easier and simpler mobile games or will they stick to their Nintendo and Sony Vita?
Smart phones and Tablets Versus Handheld Consoles
Judging by the current trend today, I can say that mobile gaming is slowly but surely chipping off handheld gaming consoles' powers for handheld gaming supremacy. Gamers all around the world are shocked over the past months because of how the sales of Nintendo's current handheld giant, the 3DS and Sony's champion the PSVita are dwindling down exponentially. This is mainly because of the usage of both types of devices.
People that are not gamers by heart are starting to play creative and innovative games because they can easily be accessed on their phones, the same unit that they use every day. Compare it to a standard handheld gaming console that its sole purpose is to only provide a gaming experience, the result is not shocking. Add also the fact that most game developers are now developing games for smartphones and tablets (like game giants Square-Enix and Electronic Arts, to name a few). It’s only a matter of time before handheld game consoles are diminished from the market (one sign is the significant price drop of the Nintendo 3DS last year) and tablets, smartphones and any other personal devices will reign supreme on the portable gaming arena.


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The world returns to Frankfurt: over 80 percent of the exhibitors are coming from abroad, while the Automechanika Innovation Awards have received a record number of registrations
Finally, the international automotive aftermarket is getting back together in Frankfurt: from 13 to 17 September 2022 and then in even-numbered years. Numerous leading companies from over 60 countries have already confirmed their participation. Recent statements by major industry players have underscored Automechanika’s significance as the sector’s most important international meeting place. The Automechanika Innovation Awards have received a record number of submissions. And in-person networking is more important than ever, with additional networking lounges now available. Other areas of focus: automotive logistics, sustainability, training, professional development and recruiting.
Automechanika Brand with nine shows yet to come in 2022
With 13 events around the globe, Automechanika is the world’s most successful B2B trade fair brand. Trade fairs are finally permitted almost everywhere again, and the Automechanika brand is off to a strong start with no less than four events in June and five more already scheduled before the end of the year.
New talent for the automotive aftermarket: Automechanika joins the new Talents4AA association
The ongoing shortage of specialists has long since reached the automotive aftermarket. Since March, the newly established ‘Talents4AA’ association has been working to bring new people into the industry. Now the association's newest member, Automechanika, is putting this at the top of the agenda for its next event, which is taking place from 13 to 17 September 2022.
Automechanika Frankfurt is looking for the smartest driver – join the FIA Smart Driving Challenge Subevent
Automechanika Frankfurt is launching the FIA Smart Driving Challenge Subevent together with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Swedish AI and insurtech company Greater Than. The international challenge will take place in the run-up to the fair that will take place from 13-17 September 2022 and aims to engage exhibitors and visitors of the show in adopting the safest and most sustainable driving behaviour possible. The winner will be honoured at Automechanika Frankfurt.
Automechanika Innovation Awards: Pioneering products given even bigger role with new concept
Full speed ahead for the automotive aftermarket: in September 2022 Automechanika Frankfurt will be honouring pioneering products and solutions with a new concept for the Automechanika Innovation Awards. Companies have until the end of April 2022 to enter their products in the competition. Nominees, finalists and winners can look forward to lots of media attention.
Let’s talk business: Experts discuss innovative solutions for workshops
Experts used the fourth instalment of the ‘Let’s Talk Business’ series to discuss which innovations can help manufacturers and workshops to meet the challenges of digitalisation and the mobility transition. The web talk brought together representatives from AVL DiTEST, Carbon and Hunter to share their views on this topic.
Partnership with APRA Europe to be continued – remanufacturing to be featured at Automechanika Frankfurt 2022
Following collaboration with the prestigious international Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA) on this year’s special edition of Automechanika, a decision has been made to extend the partnership in the future. Remanufacturing – a topic that is becoming significantly more important in an age of climate change and scarce resources – will also be featured at next year's trade fair. There will again be a special Remanufacturing Day where trade visitors can find out about the latest trends and developments.
The engine has been started – Frankfurt’s autumn trade fair season is underway!
Frankfurt am Main, 16 September 2021. Following a forced, one-and-a-half-year break, from 14 to 16 September Messe Frankfurt was finally able to welcome exhibitors and trade visitors to two of its own events at its home venue. 388 exhibitors took part in the special Automechanika Frankfurt Digital Plus event in Hall 3 and the Hypermotion Frankfurt conference and trade fair in the Forum. Of these, 53 percent were present in person in Frankfurt, with the remainder participating online. Approx. 10,000 visitors from 70 countries followed the three-day trade fair programme live in Frankfurt and online. Two-thirds of the participants made use of the many new digital features to do so on-screen, including live streams, intelligent matchmaking and one-to-one video calls. The platform played host to approx. 25,000 interactions in all. The streams were viewed 21,000 times, while 1,600 video calls were made.
Live in person and online: Automechanika Frankfurt Digital Plus features an appealing array of new topics and an extensive supporting programme
Frankfurt am Main, 1 September 2021. The anticipation is mounting: Automechanika Frankfurt Digital Plus starts on 14 September 2021. The three-day event is taking place as a hybrid event for the first time, combining a compact exhibition on the Frankfurt exhibition grounds with an online platform that allows exhibitors and visitors to participate and network digitally. In addition to product innovations, the focus will be on the topics and trends impacting the automotive aftermarket today. There will also be a three-day programme of events supported by numerous partners and sponsors.
Innovative products and trends, professional development and networking – Automechanika Frankfurt prioritises personal interaction and digital networking
What are the current issues and trends in the aftermarket? What are the future challenges for car repair shops, e.g. due to the fast increase in alternative drive systems? This year’s Automechanika Frankfurt Digital Plus will be held in a more compact form, with a different model adapted to suit the prevailing situation, and also with a wide range of online products and services. There is a strong demand for personal interaction, as around 75 per cent of the approx. 200 exhibiting companies want to have physical stands at the exhibition. What’s new is that Automechanika will take place at the same time as Hypermotion – the tradeshow of the logistics industry – at the Frankfurt Exhibition Centre. This will give the automotive sector valuable inspiration, e.g. with regard to resilient supply chains, fleet management and IoT systems.
Let’s talk business: Experts discuss connectivity and data as a form of currency
Frankfurt am Main, 14 June 2021. A web talk on the topic of ‘Connectivity, data-based business models and the legal framework’ held by the organisers of Automechanika was the third instalment in the ‘Let’s talk business’ series. Representatives from various sectors of the automotive industry got together to discuss the latest developments in this area.
German participants are on the home stretch of the Automechanika Body & Paint competition
German body and paintwork professionals are competing to reach the finals of the first international Body & Paint World Championships at Automechanika Frankfurt Digital Plus 2021. On 14 September in Frankfurt, an expert jury consisting of renowned trade journalists, designers and industry insiders will select Germany’s winner. More than ten participants are at the start.
Automechanika Frankfurt with new concept for 2021
Frankfurt am Main, 03.05.2021. This year's Automechanika Frankfurt, from 14 to 16 September, will be unlike any other with its once-only ‘Digital Plus’ format. In addition to a compact physical exhibition, Automechanika’s primary focus is on offering all participants the opportunity to network and present their companies digitally. The new offer, which is currently being introduced to the industry, reduces trade fair preparations to a minimum. Next year, the leading international trade fair will return to its familiar format on the Frankfurt exhibition grounds from 13 to 17 September 2022.
Driving Europe’s sustainable mobility with low-carbon liquid fuels – leading experts discuss the need for a long-term European strategy on low-carbon liquid fuels
Brussels, 17 March 2021. Messe Frankfurt held the second edition of its “Energy4Mobility Expert Talk” series, in cooperation with the Representation of the State of Hessen to the European Union, on 15 March 2021. On this occasion, policy, industry and research representatives shared their views on the question: “Should the EU launch a Low Carbon Liquid Fuels Strategy?” The speakers agreed that a long-term strategy for low-carbon liquid fuels is needed at EU level to design the required policy framework and unlock the full potential of these types of fuels to support the EU’s climate neutrality ambitions.
Automechanika Frankfurt: Leading aftermarket trade fair to take place as physical event with a new online programme
Frankfurt am Main, 10 March 2021. This year's Automechanika Frankfurt is taking place as a hybrid event for the first time. The primary focus will be on the physical event and all the advantages it offers. Automechanika will be supplementing these by providing all exhibitors with new opportunities to network digitally with those members of the international B2B audience who cannot travel to Frankfurt due to the pandemic. Digital features that are made available to all exhibitors free of charge maximise their reach while opening up entirely new possibilities for product presentations and communication with customers.
Automechanika launches FIA Smart Driving Challenge Subevent
The world’s largest trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds, Messe Frankfurt, partners with the Swedish AI and Insurtech company Greater Than, on behalf of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), to launch a FIA Smart Driving Challenge subevent, a pre-exhibition activity encouraging people to drive in a smarter way.
Automechanika expands its online programme for an international audience with a new talk series for industry and trade: ‘Let’s Talk Business’
Frankfurt am Main, 26 October 2020. A new English-language talk series is being launched under the Automechanika brand in late October: ‘Let’s Talk Business’. In the first talk on 30 October, leading international suppliers will be getting together to discuss the impact of the coronavirus on the automotive aftermarket.
Automechanika to launch digital offensive in September: Online workshops and networking with a Who’s Who of the industry
Maintaining contact is more important now than ever – Automechanika is offering new digital networking opportunities for everyone who had been looking forward to coming to Frankfurt this September. Starting on 10 September, there will be a series of online training courses for workshops available at sneak-preview.automechanika-frankfurt.com. Visitors to the website will also find updated company profiles for exhibitors, while users of the new ‘Connect’ tool in the Automechanika app will be able to contact other automotive professionals directly.
New date: Automechanika Frankfurt to be held from 14 to 18 September 2021
Due to difficult conditions resulting from the corona pandemic and measures taken to stem its spread, including event bans and travel restrictions that are regularly being extended, Messe Frankfurt and its customers, partners and supporting associations have agreed to postpone the Automechanika Frankfurt event that was originally scheduled to take place from 8 to 12 September 2020.
Real and up close: Automechanika launches workshop campaign with insiders and influencers
An industry gathering in Würzburg gave rise to the idea of an advertising campaign featuring testimonials that is targeted directly at workshops. Unique advertising motifs and video clips were created featuring professionals in the field, workshop owners who are passionate about their profession and blazing new trails, and influencers.
The knowledge advantage: experimenting and learning for the future in the Future Mobility Workshop 4.0
Innovation showcase, training centre and test lab for car dealers and workshops: the Future Mobility Workshop 4.0 at Automechanika Frankfurt – organised in cooperation with the Institute for the Automotive Industry (IfA) – showcases the technologies, processes and business models of the future, offering automotive professionals valuable expertise and new ideas for their own work in future.
Cooperation with APRA Europe: Remanufacturing – the highest form of recycling – to be featured at Automechanika Frankfurt 2020
In collaboration with the Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA), Automechanika Frankfurt will be presenting this diverse theme as part of a special ‘Automechanika Remanufacturing Day’.
A strong team: Automechanika Frankfurt and RETRO Messen continue their successful partnership
Automechanika Frankfurt and RETRO Messen have decided to continue their partnership this year, and the Classic Cars area – a lucrative aftermarket sector – will be expanded further at Automechanika Frankfurt 2020.
Winners chosen at the Automechanika Body & Paint Championships in Shanghai
The Automechanika Body & Paint Championships have selected one more finalist for the 2020 competition: Sun Xiao Shuai, a painter sponsored by SATA, became the last finalist selected in 2019 for his creation entitled ‘The 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China’. The people’s choice award, for which trade fair visitors and paint enthusiasts had until 17 December 2019 to vote for their favourites online, went to Ian Lai. His car hood is an homage to the R-M paint brand, which is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year.
Automechanika Body & Paint World Championships: Round 2 in South Africa
Following its successful debut in Great Britain, the Automechanika Body & Paint World Championships are moving on to South Africa for round two. The next national winner for the grand finale in Frankfurt in 2020 will be determined at Automechanika Johannesburg, which is taking place from 18 to 21 September 2019.
Automechanika Body & Paint World Championships: The first finalist has been chosen!
Anthony Fryett of the UK is the first finalist in the international Automechanika Body & Paint World Championships. Fryett impressed the panel of judges at Automechanika Birmingham with both his design idea and his painting skills – which he applied to a bonnet. He will be joined by five other national winners for the grand finale in Frankfurt in September 2020. The next round of the competition will be taking place soon at Automechanika Johannesburg, with the remaining finalists being chosen at the upcoming Automechanika shows in Shanghai, Dubai, Mexico City and Frankfurt.
New cooperation between Automechanika and IBIS
The IBIS (International Bodyshop Industry Symposium) global conferencing platform and the international Automechanika trade fair brand are coordinating their schedules: the upcoming Automechanika fairs in Shanghai and Frankfurt will each feature an IBIS regional event.
Automechanika Frankfurt broadens its scope
The leading international trade fair for the automotive aftermarket is creating new structures for the 2020 event, both thematically and physically on the exhibition grounds. The portfolio will now be more clearly organised, particularly in the areas of workshop equipment and future mobility.
Automechanika releases calendar for 2019
Automechanika’s new annual companion captures the industry’s visions for the future and stages them in the form of spectacular vehicles. The result: complex, futuristic motifs composed solely of car parts from Automechanika exhibitors.
New exhibitor record and more visitors at the 25th Automechanika Frankfurt
Automechanika Frankfurt concluded on 15 September following five trade fair days with a record number of exhibitors, more visitors than in 2016 and a new record for the amount of exhibition space. The event drew 134,622 trade visitors from 184 countries – another record . Of these, approx. 10,000 were at the event for the first time. 82 percent of exhibitors said they had achieved their goals for the event (2016: 78). The megatrends at the fair were digitisation, clean vehicles and classic cars.


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LG Electronics has decided to relocate some of its TV production lines in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province abroad. As a result, the relocation of workers at LG Electronics' Gumi workplace is expected.
LG Electronics announced on May 20 that it will relocate two of its six TV production lines at its Gumi plant to Indonesia as early as the end of this year. LG Electronics' Gumi workplaces are currently producing finished products such as OLED TVs, LCD TVs, and monitors for computers.
LG Electronics is planning to increase production capacity of TVs in Indonesia by 50 percent by moving two production lines from its Gumi plant to its Cibitung plant in Indonesia within this year.
To that end, the Cibitung plant will expand its automated facilities in large numbers throughout the entire process, including assembly, quality inspection and packaging. The Cibitung plant in Indonesia, which was completed in 1995, is currently producing TVs, monitors, and signage, with labor costs reportedly about one-seventh of Korea's.
At the same time, LG Electronics is going to strengthen its base production system by region. The plan is to increase productivity and efficiency by allowing production plants in Poland, Mexico and North America to supply TVs exclusively to the continental market, respectively.
Amid stagnant global TV demand recently, LG Electronics is pushing to streamline production sites to flexibly cope with rapidly changing business conditions such as intensifying price competition.
In relation to this, TV production sites such as Rayong in Thailand, Shenyang in China, Wroclaw in Poland, Haiphong in Vietnam, and Almaty in Kazakhstan have been integrated into nearby production sites since 2015.
The Gumi plant plans to exclusively produce top-notch premium TVs and medical monitors that require high technical skills such as rollable and wallpaper, instead of reducing the number of TV and signage production lines from six to four. In addition, it will also carry out research to verify mass-production of new products and improve efficiency of production.
"The move of production lines in Gumi is not a decision made due to the lack of strategic importance of domestic production sites," LG Electronics said. "The move is aimed at strengthening the regional hub production system, led by the Gumi plant, which is the mother factory and control tower of global TV production."
However, it drew a line that there will be no artificial manpower restructuring for Gumi operations. "There are about 500 employees in charge of TV-related work at Gumi," LG Electronics said. "About 400 of them will work at TV production lines and solar module production lines at the same workplace."
It added, ”The remaining 100 people will be relocated to LG Digital Park in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, through individual meetings to support TV-related services and research and development.”
In order to help employees adapt to Pyeongtaek, LG Electronics will provide convenience such as special loans and expenses to move, holidays for travel to workplaces, and weekend transportation.
Meanwhile, civic groups in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, immediately protested the relocation of LG Electronics' production line to Indonesia. Cho Geun-rae, secretary general of the Gumi Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, criticized, "There are many parts suppliers of LG Electronics, and we are concerned about the impact on these companies," adding, "The Gumi mayor, lawmakers of the district, and other municipal officials have given a bad signal that they will remain silent even if large companies leave."
"The relocation of production lines is not only about two out of six, but also about leaving one out of 4.5 lines at its Gumi plant," he said. "The company is trying to relocate the complete assembly line to Poland as well as Indonesia."
Regarding the reduction of the number of employees, he pointed out, "LG Electronics said there is no artificial restructuring, but it is fortunate that the number of workers for restructuring has been reduced to 100 from the original 380 while pointing out that LG Electronics is currently receiving applications for voluntary retirement along with the relocation of Pyeongtaek.
It is heard that LG Electronics' Gumi business will receive applications for voluntary retirement and relocation of Pyeongtaek from June 1 to 12. The procedure will be completed by August 31.


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Following a detailed review of the Kildare Show (the horticulture trade event organised since 1985 by Kildare Growers), GLAS was developed by Kildare Growers with input and support from Bord Bia and organised by Mediateam on their behalf.
Following a detailed review of the Kildare Show (the horticulture trade event organised since 1985 by Kildare Growers), GLAS was developed by Kildare Growers with input and support from Bord Bia and organised by Mediateam on their behalf. GLAS showcased the best of Irish horticulture, attracting quality trade buyers to this key new event in the industry calendar.
During the event Bord Bia organised GLAS Marketplace, targeting key horticultural buyers from across all sales channels including independent garden centres, garden centre/DIY chains, multiple retailers, and local authorities and county councils, maximizing face-to-face time between buyers and sellers.
Shane McEntee TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine attended and complimented all those involved in organising the inaugural show. He saw it “as a good example of what can be achieved by a group of people within an industry coming together with a common purpose”. Acknowledging the difficulties experienced by the amenity sector over recent years, the Minister stated, “While the horticulture amenity sector has experienced a number of difficult years it has great potential to develop if growers come together to exploit the opportunities that exist to reduce input costs and promote co-ordinated marketing of plants.”
The Irish horticulture amenity sector has been confronted by many challenges in recent years through a combination of the economic downturn and adverse weather conditions. However, many producers have re-aligned their production to reflect their changed circumstances and this appears to be reflected in spring and summer sales figures, especially in the area of garden plant sales to date in 2011 which have been particularly strong especially for those supplying garden plants. There is a new air of enthusiasm in the industry. Market conditions continue to be challenging, but the mood at GLAS was optimistic and enthusiastic about emerging opportunities.
A survey conducted amongst the 800 visitors to the one day event confirmed that 94% of them considered their visit as ‘worthwhile’ and 82% planned to spend with an exhibitor as a result of their visit. While a separate survey conducted amongst the 75 participating exhibitor companies confirmed that 100% of them considered their involvement in GLAS as ‘worthwhile’
GLAS returns to Citywest Events Centre July 19th 2012.


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Maulana Tariq Jameel is a famous Pakistani religious scholar who is widely followed worldwide. He has launched a Owner MTJ clothing Brand.
according to Maulana Tariq Jameel’s spokesperson, a new clothing brand selling shalwar kameez and kurtas is going to be launched at an unspecified date.
MTJ Clothing Brand Collection:
“MTJ clothing Brand being supervised directly by Maulana, is dedicated to weave people’s beliefs and convictions into reality. Provides a garment shopping platform to discover and re-associate with that lost identity that is ingrained in all of us.
a new clothing brand selling shalwar kameez and kurtas is going to be launched at an unspecified date.
Also Read: Pifra Salary Slip registration
The brand’s Linkedin page introduces itself as “fashion retail brand strives to learn and exhibit the principles taught by Maulana and break the eroding stereotype”.
Bilal Akram, who was the Head of South at Junaid Jamshaid’s fashion brand, is the Director of Operations at MTJ, it says on his Linkedin profile.
However, Maulana has not made any announcement on its social media accounts in this regard.
Why Did I Launch MTJ clothing Brand?
The majority of the people criticized Maulana Tariq Jameel for cashing the religion for doing his own business. And several people also supported him.
Maulana Tariq Jameel also added that this brand will help my Madrassahs to grow more even after I leave this world.
You can see below Video of Maulana tariq jameel told why he did launch MTJ Brand..


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The traditional high street is now a thing of the past. Online retailing is changing the way consumers spend their time and money. Director Ben Taylor considers how Nottingham’s high street is performing in the face of this unrelenting but exciting change
The retail sector has changed more in the last 10 years than ever before and I’m often asked “how is Nottingham performing?” The answer is promisingly, but we are experiencing an important and encouraging period of change. The reason it’s difficult for the everyday person to see this is that online experiences change much faster than the high street itself, generating a perception that nothing is happening. There is change, but the high street is constrained by a whole host of issues - not least a fragmented ownership.
The online revolution, which has picked up momentum year-on-year, means retailers no longer require a vast number of stores. Some of the UK’s leading brands require larger than life stores which aim to develop their brand experience for shoppers. Fitting these spaces into the existing environments is difficult, but something we work hard to do, as it’s essential for Nottingham to attract and retain the biggest names in retail.
Retailers are also changing how they layout stores, altering floorplans and products to change consumers experiences visiting a brand. Take Debenhams for example, as reported in The Guardian earlier this year; the new chief executive Sergio Butcher is seeking to create ‘social shopping’ which is driven by experiential services rather than traditional goods. Butcher’s concept devotes more floor space to food and drink - possibly in partnership with restaurant brands - and also incorporates nail and blow-dry bars, as more people are prioritising spending on experiences such as facials over fashion.
Retailers are constantly changing the way they create the best experience for their customers. Some are upsizing, while others are downsizing, and there is not one stand-out trend which applies to all retailers. Traditional, physical stores are becoming the best way for retailers to enhance the feel and loyalty surrounding their brand. The high street can’t compete with the online offering in terms of range, but it can offer unique experiences. This shift to an experience-led high street has seen a huge rise in food and beverage offers throughout the UK, not least in Nottingham, but also in complementary services such as nail and beauty studios, waxing, hairdressing and men’s grooming.
I’ve had a first-hand experience of this, helping Nottingham-born NKD Waxing grow its business acquiring new stores in Leicester, and hopefully Derby soon. As my client says: “You can’t get a wax on the internet”. Demand for the service is huge, which in turn drives footfall to our city centres. Incredibly, services like waxing are not seen as a retail use, which causes an issue, as it requires planning permission. This causes unnecessary delays and adds risk for businesses and in turn, the high street. This approach needs to change; a relaxation of planning would help to drive these services through and make them more prevalent in city centres. An all-encompassing use class which recognises key uses in our centres would be more practical and would definitely help to modernise traditional retail.
So, what does Nottingham need to focus on going forward? It’s clear that simply building space and hoping it is a success doesn’t always work, as witnessed in the city centre over the last couple of years.
What happens around the space is equally important. Hockley is a champion of this, a hub for independent retailers, food and drink and arts organisations and Cobden Chambers - Nottingham’s ‘home of independent thought’ nestled in Hockley -which provides an intimate outdoor area for public events.
I am currently working to oversee the sale of Screen 22 on Broad Street, which is the world’s smallest cinema and has had a cult following since its opening in 2011. The building received so much interest since it was put on the market, which is thanks to its position and the vibrant community experience that Hockley brings. It is truly a hidden gem which is synonymous with the city and a venue which will continue to be part of Nottingham’s legacy.
One of the biggest challenges faced by Nottingham’s high street is its connectivity and how fragmented it can seem. The good news is that in many cases this is being addressed, or so we hope. The white elephant in the room is the Broadmarsh area of the city, which is hopefully gaining traction, including intu Broadmarsh. The wider and arguably more important issue for Nottingham is currently what it delivers, i.e. the route into the city centre and surrounding community. This city boundary has all the hallmarks of a vibrant experience – a hugely busy transport hub, new housing, but is desperately in need of Grade A offices. I’m not suggesting the lack of investment in this area is the only reason we have not seen new grade A offices appear, but it’s an important part of the jigsaw.
The changing face of our high street is not an easy problem to address and there is no silver bullet to solve how it should be managed. There is a combination of problems driven by an ever-changing sector working within a constrained real estate environment. Change will be slow, but there is growing momentum and in Nottingham the signs of change are promising.
The Broadmarsh area can’t be blamed for everything in the city. In this fast-paced changing environment there simply aren’t the number of retailers requiring stores as there were 10 years ago. Retail deals in the city centre over the last couple of years have been re-sites of existing retailers into larger or more appropriate locations, or new food and beverage occupiers.
How many food and beverage outlets the city’s infrastructure can support is debatable. There are definitely requirements from some great operators still wanting space, but not all them will want to be part of a shopping centre and would rather be located on the high street. intu has a difficult challenge in delivering a shopping centre with the right tenant mix from retailers willing to pay the rents required to make a viable scheme.
I’m not surprised the Broadmarsh redevelopment hasn’t moved quicker, but we are told things are moving in the right direction with positive dialogue with occupiers, so let’s hope this is the case, because for intu Broadmarsh, is not just a shopping centre in isolation, it’s a key driver for a number of other initiatives that will help deliver a better Nottingham.
Ben Taylor specialises in retail and roadside


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Fortaleza, a major city of northeast Brazil, will start accepting Bitcoin as payment for bus tickets by the end of 2019.
Bitcoin Accepted News
Bitcoin acceptance in an essential part in the development of the cryptocurrency industry. The growing amount of companies that accept Bitcoin makes it more liquid and popular for everyday use. Today, there are a lot of major companies that accept Bitcoin like Virgin Galactic and Subway, for example. There are also some websites that accept Bitcoin, such as Wikipedia, The Internet Archive and Overstock.com. Stores that accept Bitcoin have more secure, private and fast access to their funds and can get rid of various storage and robbery risks. Bitcoin is mostly accepted in progressive and technologically advanced countries, but even in some of them, it is illegal for businesses to accept Bitcoin due to governmental regulations. Still, businesses that accept Bitcoin are in an advantageous position by capturing additional consumers with nontrivial and useful features.
- ‘Weak Hands Are Out’ — Trader Who Called $20K Bitcoin Top Calls Bottom
- Crypto Fights for Freedom in India’s Supreme Court, Critics Cite Risk
- Bitcoin SV Drops 40% as Lawyer Admits Craig Wright Has No Private Keys
- New Analysis Finds That Mondays Are the Best Days to Buy Bitcoin
- Bitcoin Bull Market Gains Steam, Breaks $9K for the First Time in 2020


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Ragnarok: Violet, a single player version of Ragnarok Online, has officially launched for iOS devices in Europe. According to the dev team, Violet utilizes many of the online systems with new ones added for "more intuitive gameplay".
In this brand new adventure, you portray Clide, a young swordsman who tries to join the Violet Knights order to follow in his dead father’s footsteps. But his fate is about to turn more dangerous than he expects it to be: the missions he will be entrusted with will lead him to unveil a dark and sinister plot against the world.
Read the full press release about Ragnarok Violet.


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- The cost of shipping has skyrocketed, causing certain products to cost a lot more.
- Some have blamed this crisis on an increase in consumer spending.
- But the supply chain isn't meant to handle this much volume. If it was, we'd be paying for it.
- Eytan Buchman is the chief marketing officer at Freightos and the host of Ship Happens, a podcast miniseries on global supply chains gone wrong.
- This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.
While starting your holiday shopping this year, you — or your wallet — probably noticed that prices went up. A lot. Compare today's price of a 49-inch LED flat screen with its price in November 2019 and you'll find it went up by 90%. Go browse Amazon, and you'll see a top-selling iron skillet that shot up by 53%. Whether you're giving the gift of football or the perfect omelette, that stings.
If you've been tuning into the news, this probably doesn't catch you by surprise. Skyrocketing demand for goods in 2021 broke all-time US import records, labor challenges, port slowdowns, and congestion have pushed the average time it takes to ship an ocean container from China to the United States from about 40 days to more than 75. The cost to ship that same container catapulted from about $1,800 in November 2019 to a high of $20,500 in October 2021, according to the Freightos Baltic Index, a daily container index. This may sound abstract, but to make it clear: Nearly everything you buy moves in a container. So when it comes to that TV, while the ocean freight in 2019 cost just $3.70, today the importer is paying more than $40.
Since there's no such thing as free shipping, you, the consumer, pay. You're not the only one paying; more than 10% of small businesses are reducing their margins to reduce costs passed on to customers. But that's not enough to keep prices down.
The price hikes led to a common refrain that "container-geddon" is the consumer's fault. But, ultimately, it's much more nuanced than that. Like Robin Williams insists in "Good Will Hunting," it's not your fault. Global supply chains simply aren't set up to handle these volumes. Nor should they be.
The ability to string together factories, assembly lines, and stores, often is what differentiates successful retail businesses precisely because of its complexity. That's why even before COVID-19, supply chains were increasingly in vogue. It's no coincidence that the CEO of Apple is a supply chain professional, nor that Amazon is essentially a logistics company. In 2018, Amazon's warehouse footprint was already a quarter the size of Manhattan. And whether at Amazon or Apple, supply chains follow a similar principle; optimize for day-to-day performance but create appropriate buffers for emergencies.
Like buying a car
When it's time to buy a new car, buyers (hopefully) buy for circumstances they're likely to encounter most frequently. As cool as that two-seater Porsche 718 might look, even someone without a large family might prefer a five-seater to be able to drive around their friends. And while they may occasionally party with six or seven friends, buying a van just for those occasions would be impractical.
That's exactly what happens with freight. Having too much inventory in stock, too much warehouse space leased, or trucking, ocean, and air fleets that are too large means a company pays rent or maintenance fees for assets they are not using. And if the company is paying, you better believe you are too.
Back to today's container-geddon
Ports, container ships, dock employees, chassis to carry those containers, and warehouse space are all optimized for day-to-day demands with buffers built in for peak season. Having an emergency port that can dock those hulking 20,000 container ships would be super nice —but someone's gotta pay the bill to keep that port staffed, up to standard, and clean.
So, instead of keeping an infinite supply of extra ports, trucks, and containers, freight uses buffers too. For example, ocean carriers basically keep ships docked during lull periods, like the summer. Then, when demand increases, they bring those ships back into circulation and slowly start to increase prices. In other words, it's the supply and demand you learned about in Economics 101.
This is precisely what happened in April 2020, before consumer demand spiked. Across a global fleet of about 5,000 container ships, close to 10% went unused, docked outside of ports.
There's a magic balance to hit here. Too large of a buffer can spell death for a company. In September 2016, ocean freight prices dropped so low due to unused capacity that Hanjin, a top ten ocean liner, had to declare bankruptcy.
Instead, companies reduce buffers and plan on running out — occasionally. For example, a freight company I recently spoke to chartered a $30,000 executive jet for one tiny component that would have blocked their assembly line. Paying this bill made more sense than maintaining replacement parts for every single component.
The most mind-boggling part is that despite the high costs of importing, it still makes financial sense. When Trump's 2018 trade tariffs sent taxes on some products climbing by 25%, importers kept working, registering only small drops in total US imports. And it's still true today despite the rising cost of imports. A recent survey of over 300 Freightos importers found that close to 70% are importing similar or higher volumes than they were prior to COVID, while just 15% are now looking at domestic sourcing instead.
So the crisis is not your fault; it's the nature of how supply chains are built. If things did keep ticking exactly as planned in the face of the pandemic buying surges, it would mean you were paying for surplus capabilities every single day before COVID. Yes, we're all paying now through unavailable goods and higher prices. But think of it as the one time you needed that huge van and it made sense to rent one, as opposed to the rest of the year when you drive around in your five-seater Model 3.


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M&S rethink on refund policy
PRESSURED High Street stores group Marks & Spencer is reviewing its refund policy amid concerns that its generous 'no quibble' returns scheme is too costly.
The retailer is likely to close a loophole that enables customers to buy goods at a discount during sales and return them later to receive credit vouchers for the full price.
It is also expected to set a time limit on returns as some shoppers keep goods for several months before taking them back for a refund.
The changes will cause a stir among M&S's loyal customers as the generous refund policy has helped to make the retailer a favourite for Christmas and birthday presents.
It would represent another seismic shift for M&S which faced huge opposition during the 1990s when it switched to foreign clothing manufacturers.
However, M&S boss Stuart Rose is determined to push through reforms. He desperately needs to boost profit margins with sales still falling.
An M&S spokesman said: 'Everything is being looked at. The refund policy is definitely on Stuart's review list.'
Shoppers who last week took advantage of a one-day pre-Christmas sale received 20% discounts on almost all clothing, homewares and alcohol.
Cash refunds will not be given without receipts. But one customer said ail that he was planning to 'lose' his receipt and return his purchases to get credit vouchers for the full price.
M&S said: 'The majority of our customers are trustworthy.'
Let us hope so or the Christmas discount day could prove to be more of a hindrance than a help.
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Every summer, Google provides a pointed reminder that investing in the search giant represents the longest of long games.
This week’s Google I/O conference was no exception. The company kicked off the two-day event Thursday with a keynote address showcasing its latest innovations. Included in these was the newest version of its Android operating software along with a revised mobile-payments system, a new photo service and a peek into Google’s latest efforts in virtual reality.
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SCBNL bags award
KATHMANDU: Standard Chartered Bank Nepal (SCBNL) has been declared winner of the ‘Global Finance — World’s Best Consumer Digital Bank Awards 2015’ in the Asia Pacific category. The award was announced in New York, on July 21, by Global Finance as the first round winners in the ‘World’s Best Digital Banks’ competition in Asia-Pacific, as per a press statement issued on Wednesday. Winners were chosen among entries evaluated by a world-class panel of judges at Infosys, a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing. Global Finance editors were responsible for the final selection of winners in the first round. This is the second time in a row that Standard Chartered Bank Nepal has bagged this award. Earlier in March this year, the bank was also awarded ‘The World Best Emerging Markets Banks 2015’ in emerging markets category by the Global Finance magazine, the statement adds.
Indoasian meet held
KATHMANDU: Him Electronics held the ‘Indoasian Electrician Meet’ on Tuesday, which was attended by 200 electricians operating in Kathmandu Valley. The objective of the meet was to impart awareness on building better and safer in the future, as per a press statement issued on Wednesday. Assistant Manager of Indoasian — a subsidiary brand of Legrand — Amar Nidhi gave detailed information about Indoasian products like ACB, MCCB, MCB, RCCB, distribution board and other utility products at the programme. Vice President of Indoasian, Ajay Wali and General Manager of Him Electronics Prabhakar Sumsher Thapa spoke of the challenges that need to be overcome by the electricians in the days ahead. Indoasian is a renowned brand for switch gears and wiring accessories in Africa, South and Middle East Asia.
Gionee’s new handset
KATHMANDU: Gionee will soon introduce a new budget smartphone, the Gionee Pioneer P2M, in Nepal. The Gionee Pioneer P2M is a dual-SIM model that boasts of a four-inch WVGA display in a compact design, as per a press release issued on Wednesday. The P2M model has a 3000 mAh battery, which for its segment is the largest. A built-in power-saving mode enables it to operate even on very low battery. Similarly, it has 16GB internal storage capacity that can be further expanded via micro SD to 32GB. The Pioneer P2M is powered by a quad-Core 1.3GHz CPU and comes equipped with 1GB RAM. The P2M sports a 5MP rear camera and a 0.3MP front camera. The model operates on Amigo 3.0 OS based on Android 5.1 Lollipop, and also comes with exclusive Gionee apps such as Chameleon. With a price tag of Rs 9,999, it will be available in three colour variants — black, white and gold.
Vestas bags order
COPENHAGEN: Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems said on Wednesday it had received a 46 megawatt turbine order for a wind project in India. The order was for 23 units of the V110-2.0 MW turbine for a wind farm project in the Indian state of Karnataka, Vestas said in a press release on its website. The contract includes delivery, installation and commissioning of the wind turbines, as well as a 15-year service agreement, Vestas said. Installation of the turbines as well as commissioning was expected during the second quarter of 2016. In general, wind turbine orders give Vestas revenue of around 0.86 million euros per megawatt on average.


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Once the province of hobbyists, drones have left the hype cycle and are starting to become a major part of business for industrial sectors like construction and oil. Goldman Sachs estimates that drones will account for $100 billion of business value by 2020. There has been one thing holding commercial drone use back - and that's working with the FAA to obtain flight authorizations, which can be a time-consuming process. But that's now about to change.
In a collaboration with Boeing, enterprise drone software company Kittyhawk will be able to make the FAA's new program for faster drone authorizations accessible to its own customers. Beginning Tuesday, its customers will be able to use its platform to obtain near-real time authorizations for drone flights. That's because Boeing is one of only ten of companies that participated in the FAA's closed beta of drone authorizations, one of only three to use that beta to help create software available to the public.
"Our collaboration with Boeing means it will be faster for us to offer airspace authorizations in the next coming weeks," said Kittyhawk cofounder and CEO Josh Ziering.
This capability is now possible because the first phase of the FAA's Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) began rolling out on Monday. This program allows drone pilots to receive fast authorizations from the FAA in order to fly drones under 400 feet in a variety of applications. For the first phase, 150 airport geographic and metropolitan areas will be opened to the program, followed by 350 more as the year goes on.
Kittyhawk isn't the only company that's going to be offering an app-based platform to authorize drone flights through LAANC. It will be competing against other companies such as the Airbus-backed startup AirMap and SkyWard, which was acquired by Verizon last year.
But Ziering says his company differentiates itself not only because of its partnership with Boeing, but also because of its software's ability to manage every phase of drone operation. Through its SaaS services, the company provides operations and management solutions for drone flights in real-time. Those services include keeping flight logs, providing weather data on a hyperlocal basis, mission planning, maintenance management and more.
"We aim to be the operating system for drones," he said.
The company's customers use its software to manage a variety of drone applications, from oil & gas inspections to emergency management to construction use. In addition to the subscription SaaS services the company provides, it's also able to equip cameras to drones to livestream different locations on a pay-as-you-go basis.
"We can livestream from a drone securely to anyone else in the world," Ziering said.
Once the LAANC program has rolled out to the entire country, the company estimates that it will be able to at least double the number of drone flights its able to manage with its software. And, Ziering adds, with this regulatory hurdle out of the way, he expects this capability will get companies that aren't using drones to start thinking about using them.
"This is going to allow people to do work with drones faster," he said. "I'm looking forward to it because it's great that people will be able to touch drones in a positive way they haven't been able to before."
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that DJI is an investor in AirMap. This is not the case, and we regret the error.


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Weakness in the global economy, component shortages, sluggish demand for Windows 8 and the popularity of tablets all contributed to another double-digit percentage decline for the global PC market in the second quarter.
Lenovo is bringing another Windows 8 tablet to market -- this one made with keyboard cover in mind -- along with five new touch-based laptops that are slated to arrive globally in July and August.
Lenovo will enter the cloud storage market with a service that offers a single sign-on ID to access social networks, favorite applications, as well as a file manager with a search engine to help users find files, photos and other digital media.
Lenovo is in preliminary negotiations to start a joint venture with an unspecified party, the company said, setting off speculation that the company could be looking to bolster its expanding smartphone business.
PC sales in China and high growth in smartphones shipments helped boost Lenovo's net profit for its fiscal fourth quarter by 90 percent year-over-year.
PC shipments in Western Europe declined by 20.5 percent during the first quarter: The only vendors to see shipments grow were Lenovo and Apple, which returned to the top five.
Apple retook its spot as China's fifth largest smartphone vendor in the first quarter, as the country's market grew to triple the size of the U.S.'s.
Hard on the heels of the news that the Linux kernel itself has now added Chromebook support, other reports this week suggest that the ongoing popularity of devices that use Google's Linux-based Chrome OS operating system will likely continue unabated...
Any deal by IBM to sell parts of its server business to Lenovo is likely to focus on low-end commodity x86 hardware, not higher-end x86 systems such as IBM's PureSystems and iDataPlex servers, an industry analyst said Thursday.
IBM is in "advanced discussions" with Lenovo over a possible deal for it to purchase IBM's x86 server business, according to two news reports.
Cloud hosting provider Rackspace Hosting is striking back against patent holder Rotatable Technologies, a Texas company that has filed patent infringement cases against more than a dozen companies in the past year.
Microsoft's stock took a beating in trading today after a pair of research firms said PC shipments in the first quarter were down as much as 14% from the year before.
Small and medium-sized enterprises with no full-time IT staff are beginning to get some of the same features that large data centers have for efficiency and control.
Certain U.S. federal agencies could be hindered from buying information technology systems made by companies with links to the Chinese government under the new funding law signed by President Barack Obama earlier this week.
In the midst of its latest campaign to fight piracy in China, Microsoft has signed an agreement with Lenovo to ensure that its PCs ship with licensed versions of Windows software on its computers
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Their innovative iPhone app won the coveted Vodacom Mobile Award
(a Gold Loerie
) as well as a Silver Loerie
, while VISI.co.za bagged Silver in the Internet, Mobile and Interactive Communication category. The magazine’s website was the only site that won an award.VISI
editor Jacquie Myburgh Chemaly said VISI
is delighted that the magazine’s constantly updated design news and inspiration website had been recognised. “VISI.co.za is not only visually appetising, it’s also essential daily reading for anyone wanting to stay at the forefront of what’s happening in the décor, design and architecture world. The VISI
app – our open invitation to the design community to show us what they love and what they are doing – is such a unique development in the South African online landscape. We hope this award will encourage everyone in South Africa to join VISI
’s Covet design network.”
Carine Visagie, VISI
's online editor, added: "VISI.co.za and the VISI
Covet iPhone app are completely in step with the direction traditional media should be moving in the digital space. The VISI
Covet network, which sits across these two platforms, makes it possible for VISI readers to become part of the content-curation process. By uploading images and information about designs they've spotted, they help fashion VISI
's online and magazine offering. We have 140 BBDO to thank for this creative concept, and salute Native for making it happen in a short space of time."
Other design awards went to VISI
featured architect Mokena Makeka of Makeka Design Lab who won a Gold for “The People’s Police Station” – a remarkable project that breathed new life into a railway police station in Retreat.
Daddy’s World also took home a Gold for the Old Mac Daddy luxury trailer park in Elgin – a must-visit destination for design lovers. VISI
’s new décor editor, Tracy Lynch, was integrally involved in the décor process.
For more about VISI, go to www.visi.co.za
and follow @VISI_Mag on Twitter


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Nike to stop supplying small Singapore retailers in 2017
Nike will reportedly stop supplying smaller sports retailers in Singapore from January, 2017, in a bid to appear more appealing to larger retailers and boost online sales in the region.
According to the Business Times, several owners of smaller retail stores located in Singapore's Queensway Shopping Centre and Peninsula Plaza, see it as a huge blow, with the retailers relying on top-selling brands like Nike to attract customers.
"Its move would force many of us, some of whom had been operating since the 1970s and 1980s, out of business soon," Gurbachan Singh, manager of sports retailer Salam & Sons, told the Business Times.
"We did business with Nike for more than 20 years. We followed their rules, never defaulted on payments nor brought in fake or parallel imports. Many of us don't understand why they are doing this to us," Singh added.
According to Mark Penu, managing director of Premier Sports International, which markets and distributes sports merchandise, Nike has made the move to butter up the major sports retailers and "to get into bed with the big chains like Weston and Sports Link," he told BT.
Another motive behind the change could be part of Nike's plan to grow its online stores in the region, said retailers.
Last year, Nike announced to investors its plans to grow online sales 600 per cent by fiscal 2020 to US$7 billion. Currently, e-commerce represents only 2 per cent of its total sales of US$30.6 billion, and Nike projects that portion to grow to around 14 per cent in the next five years.
Nike continues to command strong revenues on the Asian continent. Last quarter, Nike's sales in Greater China rose 12 percent to $1.06 billion in the latest quarter. Excluding the impact of currency changes, sales in the region jumped 17 percent.
Copyright © 2022 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


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It’s clear by now that Oracle’s plans to buy BEA are still very much alive.
On Friday, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison asserted that the BEA board should allow company shareholders to decide whether or not to accept Oracle’s bid.
“The BEA board can go ahead and recommend against the vote. But it should be the shareholders that decide the fate of the company,” the Oracle CEO said at his company’s annual stockholder meeting.
Essentially he was singing the same tune as BEA’s largest investor-shareholder Carl Icahn, who a few days earlier had issued a statement charging the BEA board with trying to “derail” the sale.
Icahn had dubbed the board’s public declaration of a $21 per share “take it or leave it” price as a “management entrenchment tactic, not a negotiating technique.”
He also filed a lawsuit in Delaware demanding the holding of the BEA annual shareholder meeting “before any scorched earth transactions (such as stock issuances, asset sales, acquisitions or similar occurrences) take place at BEA, other than transactions that are approved by shareholders.”
Icahn’s concern for shareholder interests is perfectly logical when you consider he’s the chief among them – owning more than 58 million shares and equivalents.
And his indignation at the BEA board is understandable when you consider that he holds the board responsible for obstructing a sale that could add additional billions to his already humongous fortune.
There’s little doubt what the outcome will be if the Board leaves the decision to shareholders or conducts an auction sale process (as Icahn has called for).
BEA will be added to Oracle’s growing list of conquests and quite a few of its shareholders will make a killing.
To those who still hold on to the antiquated belief that a company exists because of its customers, the question is what kinds of benefits can customers hope to see from yet another mega takeover by Oracle?
And on that score, the picture doesn’t look great.
In the past five year years or so, with the incredible consolidation happening in the enterprise software space “choice” has gone out of the window.
Today’s ERP scene is remarkably different from the late 90s, when the vendor landscape included many strong players – Baan, SAP, PeopleSoft, J.D. Edwards, and Oracle – all competing for your business.
And this competition was certainly was good for customers because, if one vendor didn’t deliver, you had quite a few other options. But mega-acquisitions – mostly in the past three years – have shrunk these options, transforming a once diverse landscape into a monopolistic arena, essentially controlled by two players: Oracle and SAP.
Oracle executives take especial pains to emphasize the “benefits” of these buyouts to acquired companies’ customers.
For instance, in his keynote at last year’s open world Charles Phillips talked what he called the Oracle value-add for acquired companies. “We buy companies with world class technology and then add value to that technology.”
Phillips cited a few examples, including Oracle’s “quality assurance and testing” at its data centre in Austin, Texas – where acquired companies products are tested “to ensure they are truly best in class.” International market exposure, he said, is yet another benefit. “Many products aren’t ready for international market. We get them there providing multicurrency support and several other features.”
Finally, he alluded to “global support” as the other big value proposition, noting that Oracle has plugged the applications of some of the smaller companies it has acquired into its global support infrastructure.
These are enhancements their customers have been clamoring for – but never got until the company was acquired by Oracle, Phillips claimed. There’s no denying much of that is true but there’s also the price tag to all these benefits.
If the BEA deal goes through, one likely fallout, according to some analysts, is the significantly higher support and other costs customers are likely to incur.
According to Forrester Research analyst John Rymer in the event the acquisition goes through, BEA customers “are likely to pay premium support rates [to Oracle] if they stay on BEA products.”
He suggests that these customers start planning an exit strategy. “If you want to get off, you need to plan your migration. Getting a handle on those costs and the potential disruption now is about the most anyone can do until the drama reaches its final act.”


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Stockholm Arlanda celebrated the start of direct flights to Shanghai Pudong with China Eastern Airlines on 16 June. Cutting the ceremonial ribbon to mark the launch of services were Karl Wistrand, VP, Swedavia; Niklas Johansson, State Secretary of Trade and Innovation Minister Mikael Damberg; Tian Liuwen, VP China Eastern Airlines; Gui Congyou, China’s Ambassador in Sweden; Hu Zhenming, COO, China Eastern Airlines; and Peder Grunditz, Airport Director, Stockholm Arlanda Airport.
- China Eastern Airlines introduced two new routes to its network on 16 June, launching flights from Shanghai Pudong (PVG) to Stockholm Arlanda (ARN) and from Xining (XNN) to Taipei Taoyuan (TPE). The 7,776-kilometre connection to Arlanda will operate four times per week on its A330-200s while the 2,222-kilometre Xining-Taoyuan sector will be flown weekly on Saturdays using A319s. Neither airport pair faces any direct competition. Speaking about the launch of services from Pudong to Arlanda, Jonas Abrahamsson, President and CEO of Swedavia said: “China is an enormously important export market for Sweden, and there are many Swedish companies with operations established in the Shanghai region. The new direct route between Stockholm Arlanda Airport and Shanghai is thus vital to Swedish business and will also help make Sweden and Stockholm more attractive to the growing number of Chinese visitors.” See how Stockholm Arlanda Airport’s FTWA compares to others from around the world.


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Facebook's decision to hire a former Apple exec to lead
consumer marketing will make more sense if it announces a
Facebook phone this week.
Facebook's decision to hire a former Apple exec...
Inside the world's biggest Maker Faire
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Welcome to Digital Industry Insider, our collaboration with GE to cover the 'Industrial Internet'
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