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A McFlurry of activity is currently taking place on the east side of Guelph.
McDonald's and their golden arches are coming to that part of town — the fast-food eatery is among buildings going up at the intersection of Watson Parkway North and Eastview Road.
Soon enough, McDonald's fans will be able to bite into a Big Mac, gorge on some golden fries and sip on a soda at the brand-new location — it is expected to open in mid- to late February 2022.
And along with fuel for your belly, the area will include fuel for your vehicle — among other amenities scheduled for the Watson and Eastview spot are a gas bar, car wash and convenience store. Also being built, to the south of the McDonald's, is a nine-storey multi-residential building.
Trevor Westerhoff, Guelph McDonald's director of community and guest relations, is chuffed for the future location at 455 Watson Pkwy. N.
The owner and operator is Westerhoff's wife, Jennifer Antolin, who owns the Guelph McDonald's restaurants on Stone Road, Gordon Street, Woodlawn Road and at Walmart on Woodlawn.
"Jennifer and her team are thrilled with the upcoming expansion to this rapidly developing part of Guelph. The city has grown a lot since there was a new McDonald's built!" said Westerhoff, in an email.
"We are happily assembling a team who will uphold our commitment to quick service and delicious food served with a smile. We look forward to welcoming our guests with a grand opening celebration early in 2022."
MCDONALD'S ON WATSON PARKWAY:
SIZE: 5,000 square feet, 103 seats.
FEATURES: 12-seat patio, double-lane drive-thru, parking stalls for McDelivery drivers and for guests that use the app with the curbside pickup option.
EXPECTED OPENING DATE: Mid- to late February 2022.
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES EXPECTED TO WORK THERE: 100-115 employees. For information, visit careers.mcdonalds.ca.


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GameStop, the world’s largest multichannel video game retailer has launched a new website designed specifically for gamers in the Untied Kingdom. Game enthusiasts in the UK will now have round the clock access to the widest selection of gaming hardware, software , accessories and pre-owned games, as well as GameStop’s full range of digital content and services through www.gamestop.co.uk.
To celebrate, GameStop is offering online customers at http://www.gamestop.co.uk a number of special offers, including:
- Nintendo 3DS Cosmic Black Console, no only £154.97
- Call to Juarez only £21.97 (for Ps3 or Xbox 360)
- 3 for 2 on Pre-owned Games — buy two pre-owned games and get the third free. Thousands of titles to choose from.
- Exclusive Assassin’s Creed® Revelations Animus Edition now available for preorder.
In addition, gamers who pre-order Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare on www.gamstop.co.uk will be entered into a contest to win two tickets to the Call of Duty XP event in Los Angeles, CA, USA. For more details on entering, visit www.gamestop.co.uk/MW3/Preorder.
All offers are limited and available on a first come first serve basis.
“GameStop’s entry into the UK online market will provide consumers with more choices and exclusive content that they can’t find anywhere else,” said Mike Mauler, executive vice president of GameStop International. “One of our European exclusives is for the anticipated release of Assassin’s Creed Revelations Animus Edition, which will be available to UK gamers on through www.gamestop.co.uk.”

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Stadium, Sweden’s largest sports chain, and cosmetic brand IDUN Minerals are now joining H&M, Kingfisher and more in ChemSec’s corporate PFAS movement.
Taking on the role of a regular consumer and asking retailers about chemical content in products proved to be surprisingly hard.
The fact that the new manufacturing hubs of the world are now located in low-income countries where worker protection and environmental safety laws are nowhere to be found, means that workers are fighting an uphill battle when it comes to their exposure to hazardous chemicals. Could supply chain blacklists help solve this problem?
Multinational home improvement company Kingfisher, and the European Water Association EurEau are the latest additions to ChemSec’s call to end the use of harmful PFAS chemicals in products and supply chains.
Companies ask regulators to take PFAS pollution seriously
To me, it’s obvious that policy makers need to step up their game. The transition to safer chemicals cannot solely be driven by consumers trying to make sense of content declarations on the back of shampoo bottles. Besides, the positive environmental impact of an informed purchase is absolutely dwarfed by an industry wide law.
A couple of weeks ago, chemical producing giant Dupont announced via a press release its new sustainability goals, including an ambition to design all of its products in line with the green chemistry principles. In this situation, where the current business model has reached the end of the road, there aren’t many options left for Dupont but to announce a major turnaround.
Mind the Store just released its new report card, which shows some real improvements in how retailers are dealing with the use of hazardous chemicals in their products. Here are three interesting findings from this year’s report card.
Perfluorinated chemicals (PFAS) are not only a huge threat to human health and the environment. They are also a really bad investment for the producers and their investors. Lawsuits and liability cases are making PFAS producing companies such as DuPont, 3M and Chemours lose a ton of money. They are also taking a huge toll on their respective stocks.


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When it comes to IT security, good technology can’t protect an organization against bad policy. Judging from the way the banking industry handled the recent theft of more than 8 million credit card account numbers, that’s a lesson that major U.S. credit card associations and issuers have yet to learn.
The situation is unlikely to improve in the near term because the financial services firms that control most credit cards see little economic incentive to change their ways. Those most at risk of incurring losses include consumers (through identity theft), and merchants that accept “card-not-present” transactions.
The card associations’ policies, as demonstrated, could be described thusly: don’t publicize credit card thefts in any way; don’t require card issuers to notify affected card owners unless they ask; don’t share the list of compromised account numbers with merchants; and don’t require banks to reissue stolen cards. And don’t worry – banks will monitor accounts for “unusual activity” with automated, high-tech monitoring tools.
Card-not-present transactions aren’t protected by the same zero-liability policy given to consumers and merchants at brick-and-mortar stores, where clerks can physically check the credit card and obtain a signature. This puts online vendors at a competitive disadvantage.
If accounts are used fraudulently, how much damage will online merchants suffer before the monitoring systems catch on and defuse the situation? Probably nothing will happen. But merchants won’t know for sure until cardholders receive their statements.
To their credit, some card issuers are moving to protect online transactions with new authentication programs. For example, MasterCard SecureCode and Verified by Visa require the buyer to use a password before making a purchase. Merchants who obtain passwords from buyers are protected from chargebacks. But most buyers don’t have one yet. MasterCard and others should follow Visa’s lead and protect e-commerce providers that request passwords from buyers.
This shifts the cost of stolen data away from merchants but doesn’t solve the problem. Credit card companies should also question whether having dozens of processing companies handling customer data makes sense in a Web-connected world. Or whether security measures that address the way card transaction processors, issuers and merchants handle and protect account data should be more strictly dictated and policed. Or whether it makes better business sense to assume a policy of more open disclosure with cardholders.
The industry worries about the expense of reissuing cards.Yet banks have spent a lifetime building trust, and serious erosion of consumer confidence could cost far more than simply replacing those cards. It could cost billions in lost sales to e-commerce merchants that are dependent on credit card payment systems.
The current policies are bad for e-commerce, bad for consumers and, ultimately, bad for business. The industry should make changes now, before consumers finally wake up to what’s going on and legislators step into the breach.


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Renowned football statistics website WhoScored.com has united with Adidas on a project which combines WhoScored.com’s unique football data with the real world performance of Adidas boots and the football players wearing them.
In a first of its kind project, a number of data driven tables will be formed which rank well-known players who wear Adidas boots, such as Lionel Messi, according to numerous characteristics and the football boots they wear.
Araz Heydariyehzadeh, WhoScored.com’s Commercial Director commented: “We wanted discover if a particular kind of football boot was statistically better for certain skills, and then use this data to make engaging content as well as helping users with their purchase decisions in an statistically driven way”
“We’re delighted to have Adidas as a partner in this endeavour, together we have created something that appeals to both of our audiences and provides a now look at football boots”
Alongside graphical and social media content, the partnership has so far created a selection of ranking tables, as well as a Boot Finder tool, which allows users to generate boot recommendations, based on their position and desired attributes. These can be accessed via a dedicated “Adidas Power Rakings” section on the WhoScored.com website as well as other integration points across the site. There are currently plans to expand functionality and platforms.
Cristiano Acconci, WhoScored.com‘s Co-Founder and CEO said “We like being creative when sponsoring our premium partners and this deal shows the depth that WhoScored.com has in connecting our users with quality brands like Adidas.”


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Hyundai Motor Group, which includes Kia and Genesis, made big news by announcing at the end of 2014 that it was bringing on Albert Biermann to its research and development division. He had spent just over 30 years at BMW and was in charge of the M division before he left. His time at Hyundai led to some of the company’s best driving cars, which meet or beat the global competition. But now, the company has announced Biermann is retiring.
At 65 years old, it’s not entirely surprising that Biermann would be looking at retirement, and he seems to be leaving on good terms.
“Korea will remain as my second home, and all of my colleagues at Hyundai Motor Group will always be considered part of my family. I would like to recognize that our success has always been based on the strong collective spirit of the many talented people at Hyundai, and I will value our unique achievements wherever I live,” he said in a release from Hyundai.
Fortunately, Biermann will still be an Executive Technical Advisor for the company. Specifically, he’ll be advising on electrified performance cars. We say fortunately, because Biermann has been so involved in some of the company’s best cars. He helped make the company’s rear-drive-based cars such as the Kia Stinger and Genesis models so fun to drive. He also helped setup Hyundai’s N sub-brand, and the N models are among the best sport compacts in the world.
Assuming Hyundai has taken to heart many things from Biermann, and with his continued advising, the company should still be in a good position.


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Canberra prides itself on being a cycle-friendly city.
We have an extensive network of bike paths throughout the Capital, designated bike lanes on our arterial roads, a range of bike-friendly cafés and a year-round calendar of cycling events.
Whether you’re hitting the trails of Stromlo Forest Park or pedalling leisurely around Lake Burley Griffin, there’s something for everyone. But is this really the case?
Few women will strap on a helmet to drop a convoy of kids to school before cycling into the office. Even fewer will cycle down to Coles to do the weekly shop. And though there may be some, I personally don’t know any woman who would jump on a bike to get to a business meeting.
Women are often considered the ‘indicator species’ for cycling. Women tend to be risk averse, which translates into increased demand for safe bike infrastructure as a prerequisite for riding. Women also do most of the household shopping and childcare, which means bike routes need to be practical. And they may also be less enthusiastic about getting sweaty or helmet hair.
But a study undertaken by the government-funded Norwegian Institute of Transport Economics has discovered that people – particularly women – are more likely to embrace cycling if they have access to electric bikes.
The study’s test group outlined a range of barriers that prevented them from cycling, from the lack of safe infrastructure and the need to carry cargo to the problem of getting sweaty. Women reported these barriers more often than men.
But once they had access to e-bikes, participants took more bike trips and the overall distance they travelled increased. They spent less time behind the wheel of a car, which reduced their carbon footprints. And because they took longer and more frequent trips, the riders’ health improved.
But most interesting of all, I think, is that the female e-bike riders in the study took far more trips than male riders did.
This is why I’m excited about an Australian-first electric bike sharing program in a residential apartment development that is just getting underway on Northbourne Avenue.
Art Group has signed with Bykko to install 10 electric shared bikes at its new On Forbes development in Turner. The new apartments come with a free twelve-month e-bike share subscription for residents.
Art Group is looking to lighten its carbon footprint, and get people out of their cars and into a sustainable mode of transport.
But could electric bicycles encourage more women to embrace the cycle commute? Monica Zarafu thinks so.
The founder and CEO of Bykko, and a champion of bike sharing as a transport system, Zarafu says e-bike sharing is easy to implement, environmentally friendly and cost-effective.
“Research has found that by overcoming barriers to cycling, electric bikes could encourage more people to cycle and existing network users to cycle more.
“People need to move fast from A to B. They need to be multi-tasking, highly productive and adaptive to change. They will choose the fastest, cheapest and most convenient travel mode,” she says.
Bykko’s approach is not just about the bikes. It also includes a bike reservation system, integrated docking and battery recharging system, and a one-swipe checkout system.
Zarafu says electric bikes – sometimes called power-assisted bikes or pedelecs – can address the gender imbalance in cycling “as more women will be attracted to a sweat-free and effortless ride”.
Cities like Milan, Madrid, Copenhagen, Stuttgart, Oslo, Zurich have already opted for electric bike share systems with great results, Zarafu says, but even small-scale schemes can have great results.
“We’ve run a small trial in Newcastle and we had users from pregnant women to people with serious health issues riding the Bykko bikes.
“With all the negative discourse around cycling in Australia, we have forgotten how fun and liberating you feel on a bike,” Zarafu says.
Cathy Bussey, the author of The Girl’s Guide to Life On Two Wheels, says breaking down the barriers to more women cycling means showing them “how they can cycle to work and still look presentable for a meeting with the boss at 10am”.
“We need to show we understand that issues like showering and changing, helmet hair, transporting makeup and cosmetics to and from work and having somewhere to plug in a hairdryer aren’t just superficial ‘vanity’ but really do matter to many women – not all women, granted, but many.”
E-bikes may not be the silver bullet to more women cycling. But they’re a good start.


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WILMINGTON, MA – Burger King customers can help fight cancer by contributing $1 or more to the Jimmy Fund through the “A Chance for Kids & Families” fundraiser at participating Burger King restaurants from July 24 through September 3.
Participating restaurants include 280 Lowell Street in Wilmington.
With each contribution of $1 or more, Burger King customers will receive a guaranteed-win card as a thank you from the Jimmy Fund, featuring prizes including tropical vacations from Elite Island Resorts, American Airlines AAdvantage miles, cash prizes, theme park tickets, Lyft rides, Blue Man Group tickets, and Valvoline Instant Oil Change℠ services, as well as food prizes and gift cards from Burger King restaurants. Customers can also enter the unique code found on each promotion card at http://www.jimmyfund.org/acfkf for a chance to win additional prizes from the Jimmy Fund. Complete promotion details can be found at participating locations.
“The Burger King community is proud to partner with the Jimmy Fund each year for A Chance for Kids and Families,” said Larry Kohler, CEO of Mastoran Corporation, a Burger King franchisee. “Cancer affects almost everyone in one way or another, and we are honored to support cancer research, patient care, and overall, the lifesaving mission of Dana-Farber to end cancer.”
Since 2000, participating Burger King restaurants have raised more than $13 million for the Jimmy Fund to support patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
“We are proud to continue to partner with Burger King each year for A Chance for Kids & Families,” said David Giagrando, assistant vice president, corporate partnerships in Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Division of Development & the Jimmy Fund. “The generous support from Burger King franchisees, employees and restaurant guests directly benefits the Jimmy Fund and significantly impacts Dana-Farber’s mission to cure cancer.”
For more information about the Jimmy Fund or A Chance for Kids & Families, including official rules and an alternate method of entry, visit a participating BURGER KING restaurant or visit http://www.jimmyfund.org/acfkf.
About the BURGER KING Brand
Founded in 1954, the BURGER KING brand is the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world. The original HOME OF THE WHOPPER, the BURGER KING system operates in over 14,000 locations in approximately 100 countries and U.S. territories. Almost 100 percent of BURGER KING restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. The Burger King brand is owned by Restaurant Brands International Inc. (TSX,NYSE:QSR), one of the world’s largest quick service restaurant companies with more than $23 billion in system sales and over 19,000 restaurants. To learn more about the BURGER KING brand, please visit the BURGER KING® brand website at http://www.bk.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About the Jimmy Fund
The Jimmy Fund (www.JimmyFund.org) solely supports Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, raising funds for adult and pediatric cancer care and research to improve the chances of survival for cancer patients around the world. The Jimmy Fund is the official charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, the Pan-Mass Challenge, and the Variety Children’s Charity of New England. Since 1948, the generosity of millions of people has helped the Jimmy Fund save countless lives and reduce the burden of cancer for patients and families worldwide. Follow the Jimmy Fund on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thejimmyfund and on Twitter: @TheJimmyFund.
(NOTE: The above press release is from the Jimmy Fund.)


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DETROIT: Wall Street may love the shares of Silicon Valley electric carmaker Tesla Inc, but Americans love big, fuel-thirsty trucks like Ford Motor Co’s bestselling F-Series pickups and are paying ever higher prices to buy them.
IT has not exactly been smooth-sailing for Lotte Chemical Titan Holding Bhd since its July listing.
Amazon.com Inc's audacious spending on original TV shows and movies, its cloud business and an ever-expanding core retail operations.


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In the bustling city of Sialkot, Pakistan, a hidden gem of economic potential awaits. Sialkot has long been known for its rich history of craftsmanship, especially in sports manufacturing, but its commerce landscape is evolving rapidly. This article delves into the thriving market momentum in Sialkot, shedding light on the economic opportunities and sectors that are igniting the region’s growth.
The city of Sialkot, nestled in the northeastern region of Pakistan, is often referred to as the “Manchester of Pakistan” due to its remarkable prowess in manufacturing and trade. Historically recognized for producing world-class sports goods, surgical instruments, and leather products, Sialkot has now embarked on a transformative journey, diversifying its economy and capturing global markets.
One of the most notable features of Sialkot’s commerce landscape is its adaptability. The city’s entrepreneurs have exhibited remarkable resilience and innovation, which have helped them explore new avenues beyond their traditional industries.
Textile and Apparel Industry
Sialkot’s textile and apparel industry is one of the driving forces behind its economic growth. With a well-developed network of textile mills and garment manufacturing units, the city has cemented its place in the global textile market. The sector’s success is attributed to its ability to produce high-quality, cost-effective products that cater to a global clientele.
The city’s textile sector is not just limited to manufacturing; it also boasts a strong design and fashion industry. Local designers and artisans are creating unique, trendy clothing items that have garnered international attention. This synergy between traditional craftsmanship and modern design is propelling Sialkot’s textile and apparel industry into the future.
Sports Goods Manufacturing
Sialkot’s legacy in sports goods manufacturing remains intact, as it continues to produce a significant portion of the world’s sporting equipment. From soccer balls to cricket gear, Sialkot’s expertise in sports goods is unparalleled. The city’s manufacturers have consistently met international quality standards, making their products sought after in global markets.
Moreover, Sialkot has evolved to cater to changing market demands, including customized sports equipment. The flexibility and adaptability of local manufacturers have allowed them to maintain their stronghold in this competitive industry.
Sialkot is renowned worldwide for its precision engineering, particularly in the production of surgical instruments. The city’s manufacturers have earned the trust of the global medical community due to their commitment to quality and precision. The surgical instruments from Sialkot are used in healthcare facilities around the world, highlighting the city’s significant contribution to the medical field.
The leather industry is yet another thriving sector in Sialkot. From high-quality leather bags and shoes to accessories, Sialkot’s leather products have found their way into international markets. The city’s craftsmen have combined traditional techniques with modern designs, creating a unique blend of craftsmanship and style.
E-commerce and Export Potential
Sialkot’s commerce landscape is not just limited to traditional markets. The rise of e-commerce has presented a significant opportunity for the city’s businesses to expand their reach globally. Many local businesses are establishing an online presence, making it easier for international customers to access Sialkot’s products.
Export potential is another area where Sialkot excels. The city’s export industry has been a major contributor to Pakistan’s overall exports, with Sialkot-made goods finding their way to numerous countries. The diversity of products and the commitment to quality ensure that Sialkot remains a reliable source for global consumers.
The growth in Sialkot’s commerce landscape has not gone unnoticed by investors. The city offers a range of investment opportunities across various sectors. Whether it’s supporting the expansion of existing businesses or establishing new ventures, Sialkot provides a conducive environment for investors. The government’s commitment to promoting investment and creating a business-friendly atmosphere further enhances Sialkot’s appeal to potential investors.
Infrastructure and Connectivity
Sialkot’s commerce momentum is not solely reliant on the products it manufactures. The city’s infrastructure and connectivity have also played a vital role. The presence of Sialkot International Airport, which is one of Pakistan’s busiest cargo airports, facilitates the swift transportation of goods to international markets. The city’s road network and proximity to major ports make it an ideal location for trade and exports.
Sialkot, the “Manchester of Pakistan,” is not just a city with a rich history of craftsmanship but a burgeoning hub of diverse economic activities. Its commerce landscape has evolved significantly, encompassing textile and apparel, sports goods, surgical instruments, leather products, and more. The city’s adaptability, commitment to quality, and embrace of modern trends have ignited its market momentum.
Investment opportunities abound, and Sialkot’s infrastructure and connectivity make it an attractive destination for businesses and investors alike. As Sialkot continues to sizzle in the world of commerce, it stands as a testament to the potential of adaptability and innovation in fostering economic growth.


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What if airlines could do almost anything they wanted, knowing that they would probably get away with it? As 2018 comes to a close, critics say that’s already the case. The reason? Lax government regulation, which leads to lower airline fines.
Read more “Airline fines are taking a nosedive. Here’s what it means for you”
Never check luggage. That’s the winter travel advice of CNBC correspondent Contessa Brewer, who, coincidentally, was emailing me from a plane en route to cover a weather disaster.
“Bring carry-on luggage,” she told me. “It makes it much easier to rebook flights. And don’t take no for an answer.”
Read more “Meteorologists share their winter travel advice”
At about this time every year, radio and TV producers ask me to go on the air and dispense travel advice. They’ll ask me how to avoid the biggest holiday travel mistakes. And at about this time every year, I really want to tell them, “It’s easy: If you want to avoid holiday travel hassles, stay home.”
Read more “Don’t make these common holiday travel mistakes”
When Jeremy Epstein rented a Nissan Altima from Hertz in Albuquerque recently, he couldn’t believe the car rental fees. They made the extras charged by the rest of the travel industry look like the work of amateurs.
They do. But not for much longer.
Read more “Is this the end of unexpected car rental surcharges?”
If you think flying with a baby is easy, maybe you didn’t hear about Krupa Patel Bala, who recently traveled from Sydney to San Francisco on United Airlines with her husband and 8-month-old son.
Read more “Everything you need to know about flying with babies”


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Sterling climbs as warm weather boosts retail sales
22/May/2015 • Currency Updates•
Sterling climbed to its highest level against the Euro in two months and soared by 0.8% against the Dollar after an impressive set of retail sales figures.
Retail sales in the UK surged in April, far above forecasts, as unusually warm weather encouraged shoppers to spend more. Sales volumes jumped by 4.7% on an annualised basis and by 1.2% month on month, much higher than the 3.7% and 0.4% that was previously expected. The large increase in sales was in part due to greater purchases of clothing, textiles, and footwear, which jumped by 5.2% to mark its greatest monthly rise in four years. Yesterday’s data was in sharp contrast to March, where a drop in fuel prices caused sales to plunge by 0.7%. The data also provides evidence that the modest slowdown in the economy in the first quarter may prove to be short lived.
Public sector borrowing figures for April released at 9.30am this morning will the only major data announced today. Later this afternoon, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney will be speaking at the ECB forum on Central Banking in Portugal.
The single currency traded within a narrow band against the US Dollar for a second successive day on Thursday, and ended 0.75% lower on the Pound.
The accounts of the latest ECB monetary policy meeting showed policymakers are satisfied with the start of their historic quantitative easing program. Members agreed that emphasis should be focused on a “steady course of monetary policy”. While the initial results of the QE program were encouraging, the report suggests the Eurozone will continue to be subject to a number of downside risks and uncertainties. Now in its third month, the bond buying scheme has already notched up 136 billion Euros in public-sector bond purchases.
The impressive uptick in manufacturing performance continued yesterday with a better than expected flash PMI from Markit. The index rose to a multi month high 52.3 despite a slight slowdown in manufacturing activity in Germany. In contrast, the services sector suffered an unexpected dip in growth, down marginally to a PMI of 53.3. Elsewhere, in a low key appearance, central bank President Mario Draghi claimed growth was too low everywhere in Europe, despite conditions improving somewhat of late.
Growth figures for Germany will be released before markets open in the UK this morning. This will be followed by a couple of speeches from Mario Draghi at the ECB forum, first at 9am and then 2.30pm BST.
The Dollar index was mostly unchanged on Thursday, down by 0.1%.
There were no major announcements in the US on Thursday, although plenty of data was released across the pond. Growth in the US manufacturing sector slowed for a second month. The flash PMI released by Markit declined from 54.1 in April to just 53.8 in May. The Conference Board’s leading indicator, a measure of overall economic activity, jumped in April, widely surpassing most expectations and forecasts. The index rose by 0.7% to 122.4 following a 0.4% increase in March. In other announcements, the Philly Fed manufacturing survey declined to 6.7, while initial jobless claims increased marginally, although remained impressive, at 274,000 for last week. Elsewhere, Federal Reserve member Stanley Fischer turned attention to the Eurozone, claiming he believed Greece would survive its current crisis.
Traders today will await the announcement of inflation data in the US for April, set for release at 1.30pm UK time. The consumer price index is expected to remain negative for the second consecutive month.
Rest of the world
There was more bad news for the Brazilian economy. The economic activity index, seen as a good measure of economic growth, fell by 0.8% in Q1. The economy is now expected to shrink 1.2% this year, the worst decline in 25 years.


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Closing loops in the circular economy: Recovery of an extended range of high-tech materials under research
There are a massive amount of electronic devices going onto the market today. Nearly 60 million televisions were sold in Europe last year alone. Sooner or later these devices will return as electronics waste. In the past years, the recycling industry has developed to recover many metals such as ferrometals, copper, aluminum, precious metals, along with some selected plastics from these devices, but currently ignores many other important materials. The recently launched €5.9million project, CloseWEEE, will facilitate recovery and re-use of these materials and ensure the electronics manufacturing and recycling industry plays a key role in the drive towards a circular economy.
The project brings together experts from across Europe. Disassembling of electronic devices will be facilitated through the development of an online Recycler Information Center by iFixit in cooperation with the D.R.Z – Dismantling and Recycling-Centre. Sound disassembly guides will be provided to assist workers on the disassembly line to dismantle electronic devices rapidly. Reusing of previously under-recovered high grade polymers, such as PC/ABS, and antimony compounds used as flame retardants, from electronics waste without the usual problematic quality compromises will be investigated by major TV manufacturer, TP Vision. Recycling of batteries for recovery of graphite and other materials will be addressed by recycling experts, Accurec through development of advanced staged recycling processes.
Fraunhofer IZM coordinates the project, provides latest insights into product technology and will feed major findings into ongoing environmental product policy developments internationally. “Providing dismantlers with immediate online information on disassembly strategies for individual products will bring a touch of Industrie 4.0 to the recycling business”, states Karsten Schischke, researcher at Fraunhofer IZM and coordinator of the project. His colleague Gergana Dimitrova adds: “Closing the loop for high-tech plastics from post-consumer electronics products is quite demanding economically and technically, but will help channeling large material flows back into new products.”
The CloseWEEE project is among the first projects to be launched under the latest European research programme, Horizon 2020. Sign up for CloseWEEE communications and ensure you remain updated with project progress in the coming years at www.closeweee.eu/news-events.


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We’ve been getting quite a few leaks regarding the Google Pixel Fold over the past few weeks. As we near the Google I/O event, the foldable phone is all about to be released into the wild. But if you’re waiting to get an official glimpse of the device, there’s no need to wait until the event.
Google Pixel Fold Official Image Revealed! This is the first image showing the eye-catching details of the upcoming foldable phone. This could be your first official look at the device before release.
Here’s your first official Google Pixel Fold fix
The official render image of Google Pixel Fold has been leaked by Evan Blass, who is known as a very reliable tipster. On a personal Twitter account, @employeeThe leaker shared what appears to be a press render of the device that could be used for marketing purposes.
Yes, the image only shows the outline of the Google Pixel fold. But this is the first time we get a closer look at the hinge of the device. To be honest, the hinge looks exceptionally thin. The thin-looking hinge may simply be a result of the angle at which the phone is viewed.
The leaked image also confirmed the wide aspect ratio of the outdoor display. However, as you can see, the aspect ratio of the external screen seems less than that of a Pixel smartphone. And, just like any other Pixel phone, the Google Pixel Fold will launch using the Pixel Launcher.
Apart from that, there is nothing else of value in the film. But we hope that the show will be released in full in the coming days. When we do, we’ll update you. Stay in touch!
“Professional coffee fan. Total beer nerd. Hardcore reader. Alcohol fanatic. Evil twitter buff. Friendly tv scholar.”
Is artificial intelligence still far from Apple’s priorities?
Scientists have discovered a strange body orbiting the earth.. What is it?
What is the difference between the new Apple update iOS 17 and iOS 16?


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Last year, I wrote a column describing the growing phenomenon of product placement in American television. Product placement is increasingly being promoted as a response to the growing tendency of consumers to fastforward through comercials using their vcrs or tivos. If anything, the trend has expanded dramatically since I wrote that column. Monday, ABC announced a deal with MindShare North America, an media company, to develop a system which would allow potential sponsors to weigh in early in the development of new series. This consolidates trends we have already been seeing at the media companies – for example, Coca Cola played a central role in the development of American Idol precisely because they felt its content served their brand well.
The industry has been monitoring early experiments in product placements closely to see how consumers respond. So far, the evidence suggests that consumers are more accepting of product placements than many might have originally imagined, though they prefer them in some genres over others. Early surveys find that they will tolerate placements in reality, game shows, and comedies far more than in dramas or news programs. Most of the evidence suggests that consumers have higher recall of products incorporated into the shows themselves than they do of spots inserted into commercial breaks and that they are receptive to products which seem to fit well into the ethos of their favorite programs. The risks though remain high, since viewer response to product placements which are read as inappropriate tend to be harsher than towards inappropriate commercials. Most consumers, however, express concern when placements seem to compromise the integrity of the program, whether that’s the objectivity of news shows or the entertainment value of other series.ABC seems to be looking for a good match between sponsor and viewer interests, but this step can backfire if the programs it produces feel like little more than extended commercials. This doesn’t have to be the case – as the decade’s long prestige associated with the Hallmark Hall of Fame programing suggests.
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Retail giant Gamestop is taking a good, long look into reselling digital content, according to CEO Paul Raines.
Speaking in Grapevine, Texas this week, Raines shared his thoughts on his company exploring their options with secondhand digital game sales as the industry continues to trend away from boxed retail.
It’s very interesting,” Raines told Gamespot. "There are some technologies out there in Europe, and we’ve looked at a couple that are involved.”
Raines made it clear that while the retailer is looking into the business, it’s not something they’re in a huge hurry to dive into.
We’re interested; it’s not a meaningful business yet. Right now we’re not seeing that as a huge market, but I think we’re on the leading edge. There are a few companies, a few startups, out there that we’ve talked to that are doing this.”
Sales from used boxed games bring in over 25 per cent of Gamestop’s total revenue.


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Alibaba's Tmall marketplace halts online medicine sales
Updated: 2016-05-31 14:20
By Meng Jing(chinadaily.com.cn)
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has ceased online sales of medicines on its Tmall platform, citing changes in government regulation.
Tmall has received a notice from the China Food and Drug Administration's (CFDA) Hebei province branch, requiring "urgent control measures relating to drug products".
In a statement on Tuesday, website management said they would cooperate and stop the online medicine retail business on the third-party platform.
The new regulations come as a surprise as an increasing number of e-commerce companies plan to tap into the online sales of over-the-counter medicines. The CFDA did not elaborate on the reason why sales were halted.
An industrial insider, who refused to be named, said the regulation did not only apply to Tmall. Other e-commerce companiesinvolved in selling drugs on third-party platforms, such as Yhd.com, are expected to receive similar orders from local food and drug authorities.


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Cloudflare has announced the Workers Launchpad Funding Program has grown to $2 billion for potential investment in startups building on Cloudflare Workers, an increase of 14 partners and $750 million in less than two months. Cloudflare is also introducing the first cohort of startups participating in the program, featuring 25 companies from 10 countries.
“When we set out to debut the Workers Launchpad, we were aiming for $250 million and surpassed that goal by a mile when we hit $1.25 billion. To reach $2 billion is a big deal, and one that proves the industry trusts in the potential of our global network” said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO, Cloudflare. “As we hit 1 million developers building and maintaining applications with Cloudflare, there’s no better time to continue investing in the developers using Cloudflare.”
The Cloudflare Workers Launchpad funding program initially launched in September 2022 to provide up to $1.25 billion of financing to startups building applications on Cloudflare Workers, a highly-scalable serverless computing platform that allows developers to build or augment apps without configuring or maintaining infrastructure. In the days and weeks following, Cloudflare received a surge in interest globally from venture capitalists interested in joining the program. Cloudflare has now welcomed 14 additional venture capital partners into the program, adding regional expertise in Australia and Latin America to the pool of partners.
New venture partners include:
- 8VC: “We’re extremely excited to be backing the next generation of founders building at the edge on top of Cloudflare Workers. At 8VC, we partner with founders to build transformational technologies that create long-term value for the economy and society as a whole. We believe that serverless infrastructure will enable a new generation of transformational technologies in the area of multi-modal, data and AI driven applications,” said Bhaskar Ghosh (BG), Partner and CTO at 8VC.
- AirTree: “AirTree partners with Australia and New Zealand’s top founders, right from the start. Seeing enterprises like Cloudflare deliver value to startups developing on the next generation in edge computing is only a win for the global tech ecosystem, and enables founders to focus on what matters most: building category-defining companies,” said John Henderson, Partner at AirTree.
- Alumni Ventures: “We’re looking to back the next wave of innovative entrepreneurs and businesses. We believe the Cloudflare Workers platform will be a critical component for founders as they build innovative apps and products. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Cloudflare on this initiative,” said Wesley Yiu, Senior Principal at Alumni Ventures.
- B Capital: “Workers provides the technology and infrastructure to founders excited to build next generation products, and B Capital is proud to work alongside of these great innovators to provide insights and capital to grow in a bold way from the start,” said Karen Page, General Partner at B Capital.
- Benhamou Global Ventures: “The next generation of apps will be built in a distributed way and at the edge to meet the consumer demands of latency, performance, and scale. We are excited to partner with the Cloudflare Workers Fund and support the entrepreneurs building this next wave of enterprise startups,” said Yash Hemaraj, Partner at BGV.
- Chamaeleon: “At Chamaeleon, we look forward to collaborating with Cloudflare’s Workers Launchpad, by bringing the firm, our unique quant & tech platform, and our #KIN members to the forefront of our value-add to this pioneering ecosystem,” said Nuno Goncalves Pedro, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Chamaeleon.
- Conversion Capital: “The Cloudflare Workers platform provides the building blocks to usher in a new era of serverless infrastructure, which is drastically reshaping large parts of the global economy run on software. We are excited to partner with Cloudflare and help accelerate this transition,” said Christian Lawless, General Partner at Conversion Capital.
- Counterpoint Global (Morgan Stanley): “We have a culture of continued learning and long-term thinking, and are uniquely positioned to partner with like-minded companies over the course of their lifecycle. Given Workers’ incredible innovation platform, we are excited to support the next generation of businesses emerging from Cloudflare’s dynamic and growing ecosystem,” said Dennis Lynch, Head of Counterpoint Global (Morgan Stanley).
- GGV: “We’ve been amazed by how quickly the Workers ecosystem has blossomed and are already seeing some of the most innovative founders we know building serverless products on top of or closely tied into Cloudflare. As more startups look to build on Workers from day one, we’re very excited about supporting the ecosystem,” said Dan Cahana, Investor at GGV Capital.
- IGNIA: “IGNIA’s focus of partnering with world-class tech entrepreneurs in Latin America aims to ensure the best technology can scale in and out of the region. Cloudflare Workers’ ability to have code running in minutes around the world gives so much potential to the entrepreneurs we want to see succeed,” said Alvaro Rodríguez Arregui, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at IGNIA.
- Kleiner Perkins: “For five decades, Kleiner Perkins has partnered with founders at the earliest stages of company formation. Many of these companies were enabled by advances in computing, from the PC, to mobile, to cloud. The Cloudflare Workers Launchpad program stands to advance the next wave – serverless computing. We’re excited to be a part of the global platform they are building to support builders in this rapidly growing ecosystem,” said Bucky Moore, Partner, Kleiner Perkins.
- Nauta Capital: “Thrilled to partner with Cloudflare on this Workers Launchpad Funding Program. Nauta Capital has been keenly following the technology disruptions in enterprise infrastructure software for decades, and developers are increasingly interested in spending time on the ‘core problem’, leaving infrastructure to be handled for them. Cloudflare provides a powerful platform for some of these new ideas to take shape,” said Pratima Aiyagari, Venture Partner at Nauta Capital.
- Primary VC: “At Primary, we love building with founders from the ground up. Cloudflare Workers has the performance and scale that founders need to build a category-defining company and we’re eager to partner with the teams using this powerful platform,” said Brian Schechter, Partner at Primary VC.
- Unusual Ventures: “Founders want to focus on creating products that matter. To do that, they need partners and infrastructure that allow them to efficiently run secure, scalable applications. That’s why we’re excited to partner with Cloudflare on Workers Launchpad: to enable founders and teams with the tools they need to reach product-market fit and beyond,” said Wei Lien Dang, General Partner at Unusual Ventures.
Introducing the Workers Launchpad’s Fall 2022 Cohort Additionally, Cloudflare is announcing the Fall 2022 cohort of 25 entrepreneurs from around the world, chosen from hundreds of applicants from over 30 countries. Cohort finalists include Apyfy, working on data privacy, and Grafbase, accelerating backend software development. The cohort includes startups from Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The cohort will have the opportunity to pitch VC partners for investment, receive technical advice and support, participate in a virtual boot camp featuring sessions led by Cloudflare leaders and VC partners, and showcase their businesses during a Demo Day.
- “Apyfy aims to provide a privacy firewall that solves data privacy challenges in the health care, financial service and ecommerce industries. We use Cloudflare Workers and Durable Objects to enable privacy-preserving computation across a global network. Cloudflare also solves our customers’ data sovereignty and data residency requirements while providing massive compute power, and minimal latency,” said John Childs-Eddy, Cofounder of Apyfy.
- “Grafbase is the easiest way to build and deploy GraphQL backends. We set out with Cloudflare thanks to their global network and serverless FaaS platform without cold starts, with the goal to simplify and speed up backend development for frontend and mobile developers,” said Fredrik Björk, Founder and CEO of Grafbase.
“We’ve been blown away by the engagement and excitement the venture capital firms have shown when they saw the caliber of applicants,” said Mia Wang, M&A and Strategy Director at Cloudflare. “The selection process for the first cohort has been collaborative and we’re looking forward to connecting startups directly with VCs in the coming weeks.”
A Million Developers Building With Cloudflare Earlier this week, Cloudflare shared that 1 million developers are building and maintaining enterprise-ready applications with Cloudflare. With Workers features like Pages, Durable Objects, R2 and D1, and application services like rate limiting, load balancing, bot management and more, Cloudflare provides the tools to make building and maintaining applications cheaper, faster, and easier for developers.


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British fans of Toblerone chocolate bars have bared their sweet teeth over a cost-cutting move to space out the distinctive jagged peaks on versions of the Swiss treat sold in the UK.
The scaled-down version was prompted by higher commodity prices and had nothing to do with the British pound's plunge in value since Britons voted in June to exit the European Union, manufacturer Mondelez International said.
All the same, a Tobler-moan broke out on social media in Britain as it was the third case in a month in which UK brands have taken steps - including hefty price rises - to offset higher costs for their products in the wake of the Brexit vote.
"This must be up there with the dumbest corporate decisions of all time," Toblerone customer Michal Tat posted. "You have a somewhat premium chocolate bar which is very well known for its distinctive shape, and to save money you change the shape?
“Now you have a premium-priced product that looks like a weird knock-off of itself... Shame on you, Mondelez."
"It's not as if people eat Toblerone every day. You could literally double the price and people would still buy it. Fools," posted Nicholas Barker.
Mondelez reduced the weight of a version of Toblerone sold to British discounter Poundland to 150 grams from 170 grams by spacing its triangular chocolate peaks out more widely.
Another altered version, lightened to 360 grams from 400 grams, is sold in stores other than Poundland, a Toblerone spokesperson said.
While denying that the reductions were related to any consequences of Brexit, Mondelez said on Tuesday that Toblerone bars would continue to be sold elsewhere without changes.
Mondelez exports Toblerone to 120 countries from a Swiss plant in Bern. Its main sales channel is duty-free outlets.
Sugar prices have risen about 45 percent this year. Milk prices have also started to rise, boosted by a pick-up in demand and tighter supplies in the EU.
Economists believe that sterling's slump since the June vote will lead to higher prices in Britain despite fierce competition between supermarkets.


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India is likely to overtake Japan and Germany to become the third largest economy in the next 10 years but needs to be consistent in reforms and focus more on the social sector.
While its GDP is estimated to grow at 7.72% till 2025, China’s will lag at 4.41%, a Harvard study says.
“The economic pole of global growth has moved over the past few years from China to neighbouring India, where it is likely to stay over the coming decade,” according to growth projections from Harvard University’s Center for International Development (CID).
The research has attributed India’s prospects to its potential to diversify into newer areas of production and export. The country has been diversifying its export base to include products from other sectors, such as chemicals, vehicles, and certain electronics.
The Indian story will be different from the export- oriented one of China’s, pointing out that domestic consumption with over 550 million consumers will be the standout factor.
Even though China ranks better than India in economic complexity, it fell four spots to land at 23. Meanwhile, at 46, India is more diverse in it political, institutional, geographic, and demographic dimensions. This gives it more room to diversify into newer and more complex products, the report stated.
Source: The Economic Times


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There is no question that, to grow sufficiently to ensure job growth, entrepreneurs need to create new businesses which in turn will employ more people. This is easier said than done, as former finance minister, Nhlanlha Nene inferred at the opening of Cash Converters new store in Sanridge Square in Midrand. “Jobs are not created through government announcements, but by people using their resources to start and build businesses. What is needed is a more dynamic business environment with higher rates of entrepreneurship which in turn will create those much-needed jobs.” Richard Mukheibir, MD of Cash Converters, backed that up confirming that every time one of its second-hand goods stores opened, 12 new jobs were created.
Franchising, a force to be reckoned with in South Africa for the past 38 years has been doing just that as FASA’s latest survey results show.
- The employee count was pegged at 343 319, with the Retailing sector being the biggest employer. Sixty-five percent of employees are black, 24% white, 6% coloured and 5% Indian. The number of black employees has increased by 8%.
- In total, some 20 000 people are employed by franchisors, while 323 592 are employed by franchisees. These figures include both management and staff.
- Ownership by Previously Disadvantaged Individuals for 2017 was given at 17%, similar to the 18% mentioned for 2016. There appears to be a slight downward trend in terms of PDI ownership since the 2015 survey, which may be as a result of the changes to the B-BBEE Act of 2013. Categories such as Childcare, Education and Training, Personal services, Fast Foods and Restaurants and Building, office and Home services are above average in this regard. Approximately half the sample (56%) did not have any PDI ownership in their businesses at all.
- When it comes to business ownership by women, the average percentage ownership is 25%. The sectors with the highest incidence of female ownership are the Health, Beauty and Body Culture and the Childcare, Education and Training sectors.


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The cast of Prison Break had Â£35,000 in cash and credit cards stolen from the LA set last week.
Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Gretchen Morgan) and Dom Purcell (Lincoln Burrows) discovered their trailers had been broken into on Thursday during filming.
An insider told The Sun: "The robbers used the stolen cards to clean out Â£16,000 from Jodi's account and put Â£9,000 on her credit cards.
"They also went into Dom's trailer and took his credit card - and they have spent Â£1,100 in stores and withdrew Â£1,900 in cash."
Amaury Nolasco (Fernando Sucre) lost a PC and a passport in the break-in.
"He said he just hopes whoever did the robbery does not know how to hack into a computer," said the source.
The show's bosses hope the thieves will be caught with the assistance of CCTV.


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Andy Faulman, broker with ever.ag, says there’s definitely a seasonal spike happening in the dairy product complex. The butter market took a six cent jump on Wednesday, indicating seasonal baking is upon us.
He says there’s been a big jump in the international space, catching up to the rest of the world in terms of price. Milk production has been steadily declining in the U.S., France and Germany, for example, playing a role in rising costs.
But there’s a constant challenge in infrastructure. Faulman says there’s been record shipping container congestion overseas. But export data shows that food isn’t having a hard time getting out. Exports are looking good for cheese. He says nonessential items, like toys for Christmas, are faring worse in the ports. It helps that the U.S. can ship via rail and truck to our trade partners to the north and south — Canada and Mexico.
Looking ahead to 2022, Class III exports look good for the U.S. in terms of prices, Faulman says.


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Chinese solar companies Suntech Power (STP), Trina Solar (TSL), Yingli Green Energy (YGE), JA Solar (JASO), LDK Solar (LDK), and China Sunergy (CSUN) have all performed terribly recently as have their U.S.-based counterparts First Solar (FSLR) and Evergreen Solar (ESLR). A look at China’s rise to become the global leader in solar energy shows how the country has, in the process, destroyed the basic economics of the industry – hurting both Chinese and American solar companies.
The New York Times ran a frontpage article today titled “China Racing Ahead of U.S. in the Drive to Go Solar.”
The article’s takeaway is that despite President Obama’s ambition to make the United States “the world’s leading exporter of renewable energy,” China is actually walking the walk rather than just talking the talk:
“I don’t see Europe or the United States becoming major producers of solar products — they’ll be consumers,” said Thomas M. Zarrella, the chief executive of GT Solar International, a company in Merrimack, N.H., that sells specialized factory equipment to solar panel makers around the world.
Since March, Chinese governments at the national, provincial and even local level have been competing with one another to offer solar companies ever more generous subsidies, including free land, and cash for research and development. State-owned banks are flooding the industry with loans at considerably lower interest rates than available in Europe or the United States.
Tellingly, Chinese-based Suntech Power Holdings [[STP]] will become the second-largest supplier of photovoltaic (PV) cells in the world this year behind Arizona-based First Solar, Inc. [[FSLR]].
But there is a darkside to China’s impressive growth for those looking to capitalize on the rise of Chinese solar companies:
Chinese companies have already played a leading role in pushing down the price of solar panels by almost half over the last year.
Indeed, less than two years ago the average U.S. retail price of a 200-watt module was $1500 while now it is less than $650.
From an investment-perspective, the real story here is that, thanks in part to China’s aggressive strategy for growing its solar industry, the solar market is flooded with products for which there is no demand. Demand for solar panels is largely dependent on government subsidies because solar energy is still more expensive to produce than using fossil fuels or even wind power (even with the drop in the price of solar panels), and these government subsidies worldwide are being scaled back due to tax revenue concerns. The decrease in subsidies is only compounded by dampened demand due to the worldwide economic downturn. Basically, the economic downturn is a double-whammy for solar demand: it hurts demand the way a recession hurts demands for all kinds of products while also decreasing government revenue on which solar subsidies (and much solar demand) depend. Global demand for solar panels is expected to drop nearly 20% this year.
Even worse, this decrease in demand is being met not with a decrease or even flat supply, but with an increase in supply – total solar cell manufacturing capacity will be up more than 50% this year, and is projected to grow at an astonishing annual rate of about 50% for the next 5 years.
This sobering mismatch – increased supply and decreased demand – is taking its toll on Chinese solar companies’ stock prices over the last month:
- Suntech Power Holdings [[STP]] is down 29%.
- Trina Solar Ltd. [[TSL]] is down 16%.
- Yingli Green Energy Holdings [[YGE]] is down 29%.
- JA Solar Holdings [[JASO]] is down 29%.
- LDK Solar Co. [[LDK]] is down 25%.
- China Sunergy Co. [[CSUN]] is down 17%.
This terrible performance is during the same period that the S&P 500 gained 5%. American solar companies are not immune, given the global nature of the solar market:
- First Solar, Inc. [[FSLR]] is down 24%.
- Evergreen Solar, Inc. [[ESLR]] is down 27%.
Looking back 12-months leads to an even less flattering profile for most of these stocks, with many losses far greater than 50%.
The simple fact is the blood-letting is probably only going to continue. Save for First Solar and Trina Solar none of these companies are profitable – and with the very bad economics of the market right now there is no reason to think any of them are going to become profitable or get more profitable any time soon.


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BUILDERS merchants are spending £40,000 on new delivery vehicles so they can stop customers going elsewhere while they are surrounded by traffic works.
Bridge works will partly block the entrance of Hoole Bridge Building Supplies from January to May next year, and staff are concerned customers may be put off by diversions and traffic jams.
Steve Bedford said: ‘We are buying two new vehicles so we can deliver goods to our customers, as it will be harder for them to come to us.
‘It will cost us a lot more – £40,000 for the vehicles, then extra on fuel, but it is worth it if we can keep our customer base. We have a lot of loyal customers, but for every 20 customers you lose during roadworks, only 10 of them will come back.’
Mr Bedford added staff first heard rumours of works from councillors four weeks ago.
He said: ‘At first we had heard it would be closed for four to six weeks, which was bad enough. It was a big shock when we heard it was going to be three months.
‘For such a long stretch of disruption, they haven’t given us a lot of notice.’


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Future marketing challenges and drought were two topics that dominated discussion among panelists who took part in the Aug. 5 Cattle U and Trade Show at United Wireless Arena, Dodge City, Kansas.
John Campbell, with Winter Livestock at La Junta, Colorado, and affiliated with the Winter family 41 years, said vertical integration has made a difference in how cattle are marketed and is becoming more of a factor in the industry.
“Not necessarily, in my opinion, of the betterment (of the industry) but out of necessity,” Campbell said.
Smaller producers have been “steamrolled” by the large-chain process. “The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 changed how consumers buy beef and opened new opportunities for small independent meat packers who have developed a niche,” he said.
“These small independent packers are still killing a lot and that is good thing,” Campbell said. “I’m not sure it will feed the masses.”
The concentration of the meat packing industry is still the dominant factor, he said, and makes it tougher on smaller marketers and ultimately impacts the farmer and rancher. who “cannot sell a hamburger one at a time.”
The end result remains troublesome and clouds the future, he said.
Kelli Payne, president of Oklahoma National Stockyards, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, says pre-pandemic many producers were making all the right decisions and through the pandemic and post-pandemic they are continuing to make good decisions and in the future will continue to do so but there risks, too.
Corbitt Wall, commercial cattle manager for DV Auction and host of the Feeder Flash daily cattle marketing summary and based in Canyon, Texas, said his concern with vertical integration is that it’s a top-to-bottom model rather than a bottom-to-top process, which allows producers—regardless of size—to have an opportunity to profit.
He likened what he has seen to the change in the hog industry. He remembers when he worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2000, the feeder pig industry was still a viable market.
“They were just as excited as Kelli is selling a nice set of black baldies,” he said.
The problem at the current pace—without reform—is in 25 to 30 years he envisions a cattle industry that will be similar to the pork industry as smaller producers and backgrounders continue to feel the brunt of the cost squeeze.
“We don’t have enough negotiation now,” Witt said. “It scares me.”
Josh Mueller, a fourth-generation farmer and rancher from Halstead, Kansas, who along with his wife own El Dorado Livestock Auction, said producers also need to remember the business has a history of being cyclical. The pandemic caused a significant shift in consumer behavior and millennials are among those driving that shift.
In the 1980s and 1990s the focus of meat consumption was through fast food restaurants. Today many consumers consider themselves foodies, which means they are fans of meat and have a greater passion for it. Those positives can be built upon.
Another reason he is more optimistic is that packers do not want to own or raise cattle. It takes a lot of resources and land to raise cattle. Mueller said individuals who come to events, like Cattle U, and share their stories help the overall story that needs to be told.
“We need to come together and talk about,” he said of the marketing challenges, then quipped, “We are stubborn and bull-headed when it comes to cattle production.”
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Campbell said the drought has made it tough but he calls the 2002 one of the most devastating in its impact on producers’ long-term prospects. One difference is this year the market has prices that allow a producer to stay profitable.
Payne said the drought has been spotty and not as bad as it was seven to 10 years ago but there are producers who are selling more ahead of their original schedule. They are also starting to cull a little bit deeper into their herds. She worries it could get worse without more widespread moisture.
Wall said the northeast region of Texas and the region from Dallas to San Antonio have been hit the hardest and small producers are the ones who have really been hurt. “They are the bread and butter for sale barns,” he said.
Once those producers fully liquidate, those numbers will not come back. The liquidation level is high enough that Wall will not be surprised if in a couple of years the U.S. Department of Agriculture will no longer list Texas as the nation’s top cattle state.
Mueller said states that have been hit hard are really suffering but his region has been less impacted. “As far as cows coming to town early, I don’t see that.”
The Flint Hills and central Kansas have mostly been spared of the conditions of the western region; however, regardless of region, “everybody takes a turn at it,” he said. It is a reminder that producers need to always have a plan, regularly review it and be willing to act on it.
The experts said special sales can work to the sellers’ advantage, but they also noticed other trends too. Mueller said the seller might want to pay attention to the overall market in the week that leads up to the sale. He also says producers might want to make sure they match up with like-size cattle.
Wall said producers need to work closely with their marketing agent.
“You need to be best friends,” he said and quipped, “Drink coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon and beer at night.”
The marketing agents are the key and it requires work on behalf of the seller. “Don’t just show up at the sale. If you have a nice set of cattle, let them know early.”
Payne said that 2 1/2 years ago Oklahoma National Stockyards partnered with Oklahoma Angus for special sales twice a year and that has been a success as Oklahoma Angus uses it as an opportunity to sell feedstock. Her team focuses on it each week. “Every sale is special,” Payne said.
Campbell said the overall market is the bigger factor and that is why he re-emphasized the importance of the producer and marketing representative relationship. A buyer from Nebraska won’t buy 30 head of cattle from La Junta because of cost of freight, but if he can combine several groups of cattle the buyer likes and can create a load there is an opportunity for the sellers to have an additional outlet.
Freight, fuel expenses
Freight prices were also on the minds of the marketers. Managers understand the cost of diesel, particularly on independent truckers, which are the primary carriers for their respective outlets, and it has pinched bottom lines. Wall said stories abound of truckers who give up their independent gig to take a six-figure salary to drive a truck for Walmart.
This all comes at a time when calves need to be hauled south from ranches in the northern Plains this fall. “The market is really good until they run out of trucks,” Wall said.
Payne works with truckers to find back hauls as a way to offset costs but that has become tougher. She has gained a greater appreciation for those truckers who continue to do it out of the love for the industry.
Campbell said the barns have to work closer with buyers to accommodate their trucks and at times that may mean feeding the cattle in the outlet’s pens additional days.
The panelists agreed that following protocols to keep cattle healthy should be a high priority. Wall said having a third-party verification on vaccines is gaining more popularity. Years ago, there was an assumption if cattle had a blackleg shot that met the definition of full inoculation but he added most pharmaceutical companies have a protocol that makes sense to follow.
Mueller said the increase in “all-natural beef” sales has added value—and responsibility—for producers to have third-party verification because buyers expect it. Mueller will not be surprised if that does not become a full market standard.
“Two shots are good and three rounds is almost better,” he said. If they are not weaned at least 45 days or preferably 60 days, the seller is unlikely to get a premium.
Payne also preferred 60 days but she noted if the producer needs to sell without the shot protocol, it maybe something he or she has to consider depending on the individual situation.
Although much of the focus is on getting top dollars for sellers, Campbell said to keep in mind what many marketers know when it comes to buyers.
“We don’t remember the good ones, but they remember the wrecks and the bad deals.”
Cattle U and Trade Show is an annual High Plains Journal event.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].


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Five men have been jailed after stealing £1.5million from Selfridges while dressed in burkas.
The gang smashed display cabinets and threatened staff and customers as they made away with 142 designer watches in the the heist at Selfridges’ flagship store on Oxford Street.
The five, who committed the Selfridges robbery in broad daylight on 6 June last year, were given a combined jail sentence of 58 years at Kingston Crown Court today for their roles in one or both of the Oxford Street heist and an aborted robbery of a Windsor jewellery store some weeks previously.
Judge Nicholas Jones called the Selfridges raid ‘professionally planned, carefully executed’.
‘The vehicles were stolen in advance and you entered the store half an hour before it closed on June 6 last year,’ he said.
‘You walked in with your faces disguised by burkas and smashed the jewellery cases with axes.’
Two of the group, Conor Groake, 25, and Sam Curtin, 20, were detained by members of the public after crashing their moped during the getaway, with bystanders tackling the robbers to the ground and holding them until police arrived. They were sentenced at an earlier date.
Ritchie Graham, 24, received 15 years, while Kris Monaghan, 25, was handed a 10-year sentence for their crimes.
37-year-old Vincent Bellamy and 31-year-old Ian Rawlings received 15 years and 10 years respectively for their roles as getaway drivers.


text: Rapid technologies have shaken up today’s world. Telecommunication, for instance, has progressed from telegraph to telephone, from copper wires to fiber optics, from analogue to digital, from wireless to satellite. Now it seems that we are at the start of a revolution in the automotive industry. Petrol-powered cars will probably soon become a thing of the past. FEV Dauerlaufprüfzentrum GmbH (DLP) is constantly facing new challenges – they open up new opportunities for the durability test center.


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Why Are FMCG Giants Adding D2C To Its Cart? According to a Mordor Intelligence report, the total addressable D2C market in India is forecast to hit $100 billion by 2025. The opportunity is so lucrative that traditional FMCG companies such as Dabur, ITC, Marico, Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting, Parle Agro are trying their luck in the space either by acquisitions or starting their own digital first brands
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"We had a Flipkart moment," said Suhasini Sampath, co-founder, Yoga Bar, describing the euphoria when the acquisition deal with legacy brand ITC was finalized. "I believe the ITC acquisition of young brands will become a defining moment in the history of startups and corporates just the way the Flipkart-Walmart deal opened a lot of doors for the entire ecosystem," she added. ITC is set to acquire Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) snack brand Yoga Bar and the company is aggressively scaling young brands to amp up the D2C offerings.
A relationship can thrive only if feelings are mutual, and that precisely is the point of a report by McKinsey which states that startups can benefit from corporate funding, resources and customer access, whereas corporations need to innovate to stay ahead of competitors and access new technology. "This makes it an important time for collaborations between corporates and startups," noted the report. While this might be an old report, the essence remains: A symbiotic relationship between startups and corporations.
The D2C space is one such area where FMCG companies have been trying their luck with either acquisitions of startups or investments…but is it symbiotic? Over the years large conglomerates have evolved their ways of dealing with startups. While some corporates believe in taking minority stakes in startups and helping founders with industry expertise, for other conglomerates, acquisition is an option only if the value system aligns and therefore be a mutually beneficial relationship.
"With any acquisition, the first priority of Marico is to look at companies that align with its values and would therefore be a mutually beneficial relationship," said Saugata Gupta, managing director & CEO, Marico Ltd.
The D2C (direct to consumers) market in India is witnessing an upsurge, these digital-first brands use online platforms to sell directly to the consumers without the traditional distribution network of wholesalers, stockists and retailers. According to a Mordor Intelligence report, the Indian D2C market size was estimated to be at $55 billion in 2022. With an expected CAGR of 34.5 per cent during the 2022-2027 period, the total addressable D2C market in India is forecast to hit $100 billion by 2025.
Dabur India, a consumer goods company, has soft-launched its own D2C channel called DaburShop. DaburShop has currently been launched with a limited assortment of products and is working on progressively increasing the range as it intends to provide consumers access to the entire Dabur range of products, including its Ayurvedic medicines. "This will become a one-stop shop of the entire Dabur range, including our Ayurvedic medicines portfolio that's not easily available on the e-commerce marketplace. DaburShop will not just be restricted to our widely distributed products, we intend to use DaburShop as a platform for special digitally curated or digital first brands and products that would be launched from the House of Dabur," said Mohit Malhotra, CEO, Dabur India.
Dabur today has one of the highest penetrations in the FMCG industry in India with products reaching 6.9 million retail outlets across the country. With DaburShop, the company aims to deliver to almost 85-90 per cent of pin codes within 24-72 hours, "We are working on progressively increasing its coverage across towns," Malhotra added.
Some of the previous launches in the e-commerce space were Real Health range of Superfood Seeds, Dabur Baby Diaper, Dabur Cold-Pressed Mustard Oil, Dabur Ghee and Vatika Select range of shampoos, to name a few. "So, e-commerce is a big future pillar of growth for us," said the CEO of Dabur.
ITC, a conglomerate with a diversified presence across industries, has invested in D2C brands such as Mother Sparsh, Mylo and recently in YogaBar. Customisation is another key vector which ITC is increasingly working on to drive growth, currently, under its food section, it has Aashirvaad 'Meri Chakki' and in personal care it has ITC Engage Fragrance Finder and Dermafique.com Smart Skin Advisor, likewise, it has classmateshop.com, a platform to customize notebook covers. "Furthermore, through our own D2C platform ITC store, we are now operational across 20,000 pin codes making our entire range of products directly available to consumers. We are also now present on ONDC - government led digital platform and we believe, when streamlined, this will certainly enable us to create new touch points," said Shuvadip Banerjee, chief digital marketing officer, ITC Ltd, adding that with the D2C boom, penetration into Tier III/IV cities, have been witnessing encouraging growth.
These Investments enable ITC to augment its future-ready portfolio which is in line with the 'ITC Next' strategy articulated by chairman Sanjiv Puri that focuses on evolving consumer needs.
Why Do Companies Prefer D2C Model?
Large FMCG brands have an opportunity to sustain a completely new operating model through the D2C mindset. D2C ceases to become just another sales channel but opens pathways to build direct dialogues with end consumers which hitherto was obscured by multiple intermediaries and intermittent communication. So, how come big companies remove purchase friction and make the transaction a win-win proposition for the consumer and company? "Enabling factors for large brands will be to build a large cohort of loyal purchasers (vs. fringe/occasional buyers) by moving impulse purchases/ shopping lists with automated subscription services. D2C also drives lower landing prices for the end consumer," said Ravi Kapoor, partner and leader, Retail & Consumer, PwC India.
D2C helps in building rich first party data and polish marketing mix models' basic attribution through the entire marketing funnel. Talking about the importance of having a D2C website for traditional companies, Kapoor said, "It helps in pristine consumer experiences, show case the long tail portfolio, build first party data to drive better consumer insighting, help strengthen tie ups with retailers through enabling hyper local deliveries and build deeper end consumer engagement through gamification."
Going D2C strengthens two of the most fundamental capabilities in the FMCG space: consumer insights and brand trust. "By directly interacting with the consumers, the brand gets more control to build trust that enhances loyal/high-frequency consumers and gets profitable revenues," he added.
Wipro Consumer Care – Ventures is the venture capital arm of Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting. It started its VC fund a few years ago with the aim of investing in innovative and disruptive startups in the consumer space. Since then it has done 10 investments, including MyGlamm (BPC), Ustraa (male grooming), Power Gummies (vitamin supplements), The Ayurveda Co (Ayurveda based personal care), Soulflower (natural personal care), Gynoveda (women's health). One investment has also been made in a south east Asia based startup and another in a Singapore based VC.
"While we take minority stakes in our portfolio, our aim is to help, support and nurture the startups with our industry knowledge and expertise wherever possible. I think the boom in D2C will continue and one will see many more models emerging in the years to come. The entrepreneur ex-system has developed well with strong passion and knowledge which will drive outcomes. We continue to look for interesting opportunities in these spaces," said Sumit Keshan, managing partner, Wipro Consumer Care – Ventures.
Old Wine In New Bottle
While e-commerce has grown rapidly due to smartphones, technology and the demand for convenience, before the pandemic, customers preferred visiting stores to purchase items. However, since the pandemic, the e-commerce platform has become an integral part of people's lives, particularly for purchasing FMCG products. Consumers and households that did not normally adopt online platforms to buy groceries, suddenly started utilizing them.
E-commerce has been one of the channels that Parle Agro, India's largest beverage company, has been using to sell its products even before other companies became a part of the game, however, for a very long period it did not offer significant growth opportunities for beverages until the pandemic. "In 2020, we ventured into e-commerce in a big way. We did not look at it as a platform to leverage only during Covid-19, but as an important channel that will contribute to our sales in the future in a significant way. We collaborated with national, regional and niche e-commerce players with a long-term vision to not only maximize our products' reach and grow our business but increase the contribution of the beverage category to e-commerce players as well, thus creating value for all," said Nadia Chauhan, joint managing director and CMO, Parle Agro.
Over the last three years, the company has seen healthy growth in demand for brands on e-commerce. Parle Agro is witnessing massive growth of brands on quick commerce platforms. In quick commerce, it is experiencing triple-digit percentage volume growth and it plans on capitalizing on this opportunity and growing 4-5 times by summer of next year. "Consumers often purchase beverages impulsively which makes quick commerce an ideal platform for us. Our aggressive strategy and increased investment in this platform will drive further growth in the quick commerce sector," she said, adding that they are looking at an SKU-based approach offering specific pack sizes and products for e-commerce platforms to cater to distinctive consumer needs and drive in-home consumption.
FMCG giant Marico is on a digital transformation journey and aims to build a portfolio of at least three digital brands, either organically or inorganically, with a combined turnover of INR 450-500 crore by FY24. In line with this, it has chosen to keep the operating models of legacy brand Marico and the digital brands separate. "I believe, what is important is we build brands which are based on long term sustainability, profitability and potential growth, as opposed to just top line growth and pathway to profitability," said Saugata Gupta, managing director & CEO, Marico Ltd.
The company has made strategic investments in companies such as Beardo and Just Herbs, and last year, we acquired a majority stake in True Elements, a digital-first breakfast and snacking brand. Over the next 12 to 24 months, it plans to add its own portfolio of digital-first brands including Pure Sense, a line of bath and skin care products, and Coco Soul, a range of cold pressed coconut oils.
Boost To Different Categories
With the pace at which the Indian economy is expected to grow, the market will have enough space for many D2C brands to not only co-exist but also to make it big and in many cases even solve niche consumer pain points profitably.
Daily consumption categories such as fresh milk,curd, bakery, biscuits, packaged water, juices, might see a boost. "Due to Inflationary pressures, FMCG volume growth is under a lot of pressure. However, some product categories such as premium personal care products, healthy foods (Millets, super foods etc.) are expected to do well in 2023-24," said Anand Ramanathan, partner, Deloitte India.
Additionally, heavy spending categories such as pulses and edible oil where loyalty can easily be enabled through better value would do good. "High involvement categories where variety is key such as beauty, apparel, spectacles, accessories; health and wellness categories which have high brand loyalty; electronic category where features can be easily discerned and user generated content can influence purchase are the D2C categories that would thrive in 2023-2024," said Ravi Kapoor, partner and leader, Retail & Consumer, PwC India.
In India, with roughly 700 million Internet users and 190 million online shoppers, the country has the third-largest digital shopping base after the United States and China. The D2C gives an experience of freedom: Companies using the channel inevitably develop an emotional connection with their customers, informed through a distinctive brand identity and an apparent value offering which ultimately helps in understanding consumer needs.


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A tighter jobs market, soaring inflation (at +2.9% well above target) and rising personal debt would normally be the three ingredients for an interest rate rise announcement from the Bank of England today. But the refusal of British wages to rise meaningfully, let alone consistently, has held governor Mark Carney back – so far.
But with rates at a rock-bottom 0.25% there is room for a surprise shock. If Carney pulls the trigger the pound will surge against major currency pairs, the most important being the euro and the dollar. If rates don’t climb, keep an eye on the MPC member ratio in favour of a hike. More than two will give sterling a kick higher. All to be revealed at midday.
Overnight sterling was trading -0.03% down at $1.3204 while the euro was down -0.11% at $1.1875. Earlier this morning Reuters was reporting that prime minister Theresa May is poised to give a speech on the UK’s post-Brexit future with Europe on 22 September in Italy. US markets didn’t move much yesterday but all-time highs were still recorded with the Dow hitting 22,158 points.
- UK FTSE 100 7,379.70 -0.28%
- Dow 22,158.18 +0.18%
- S&P 500 2,498.37 +0.08%
- Nasdaq 6,460.10 +0.09%
- Nikkei 225 19,821.54 -0.22%
- DAX 12,553.57 +0.23%
- CAC 40 5,217.59 +0.16%
- Gold 1,325.90 -0.16%
- Oil WTI 49.21 -0.18%
Next upgrades profit outlook despite tricky sales
We start with a mixed trading update from Next with profits down -9.5% to more than £309m and a -2.2% total sales slump. However the performance was better than the retailer had previously anticipated, with a +5.7% sales surge from its Directory business to £868m.
Whilst the retail environment remains tough Next said its prospects "appear somewhat less challenging than they did six months ago. As a result, we are taking the opportunity to modestly upgrade our sales and profit guidance.” That means pre-tax profits of between £687m and £747m.
Waitrose margins slip while Morrisons sales surge
More evidence that things aren’t so rosy on the high street: John Lewis Partnership profits have tumbled by more than -50%. Much of this hit is accounted by major re-organisation costs as well as staff redundancies for the purveyor of goods to the middle classes. Operating margins at Waitrose tumbled -18% due to cost pressures.


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NEW ZEALAND: Fonterra accepts charges related to botulism recall
MPI files charges against Fonterra
Fonterra has accepted four counts of food safety violations related to last year's botched recall of whey powder concentrate.
The New Zealand dairy giant issued a recalled of concentrated whey powder last August over concerns some batches were contaminated with a bacteria that can cause botulism. While it transpired the recall was a false alarm, the incident sparked consumer-facing recalls in various markets, including China and New Zealand.
In Wellington District Court yesterday (12 March), New Zealand regulators filed charges against the co-operative accusing it of processing and exporting dairy products that failed to meet food safety standards.
New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries, which conducted an investigation into the incident, also accused Fonterra of "failing to notify" the authorities of "significant concerns" that products had not been processed in accordance with risk management programmes.
Fonterra said it accepted it breached New Zealand's Food Act and Animal Products Act.
"We have accepted all four charges, which are consistent with the findings of our operational review, and the independent board inquiry," Fonterra's managing director people, culture and strategy, Maury Leyland, said. "The WPC80 event caused us to examine in detail what happened, why it happened, and what we must do to minimise the risk of it ever happening again. We are making good progress on implementing the necessary improvements."
Fonterra is also facing legal action from French diary giant Danone, which is attempting to recoup its losses associated with the recall. Danone has estimated the recall resulted in lost sales of EURE350m (US$476m).
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Fonterra is the world’s largest milk processer in the world, and in 2012 was ranked fourth in Rabobank’s Global Dairy Top 20. Fonterra has posted impressive half yearly results in 2013, showing a 33% ...
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In a bid to give a quantum boost to the Indian electronics and software manufacturing industry, the government is planning a new policy for electronics and software production, as well as for data protection and setting up start-up clusters.
Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced this on Friday after a meeting here with industry leaders in order to launch work on the blueprint to realise a $1 trillion Indian IT economy in the next 5-7 years.
According to IANS, Prasad said that the government will be shortly laying down the new electronics policy because between the old policy and now, India has changed completely. Therefore, to boost electronics manufacturing, we will come up with new policy. There is need to look at inward software market. Therefore, government will come with a new software product policy and we are going to have framework for data security and protection policy.
The National Policy on Electronics was drawn up in 2012 and approved by the previous the UPA cabinet in 2013.
Noting that India ranks third in the world in terms of the number of start-ups, the Minister said the country needed to have start-up clusters for facilitations.
Besides, such an architecture for the future of Indian information technology (IT) would be incomplete without a dispute resolution mechanism as being demanded by the industry, Prasad said.
Earlier, Prasad outlined the government’s vision for building the Indian IT sector into a $1 trillion economy by 2022 that would become a global hub of low-cost digital technology.
Noting that it already is an industry with an estimated worth of $400-450 billion, he said Indian IT would not take long to became a $1 trillion industry.
Pointing out that 72 new mobile manufacturing units have opened in the last three years, the Minister said: “Mobile manufacturing itself will become a Rs 500 crore industry in the next few years.”
“The Indian IT industry has a clear potential to provide 10.5 million jobs, at a minimum,” he added.


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Demand for KeyKeg and Unikeg is sky rocketing in Southern Europe.
And for that reason OneCircle, the Dutch company that produces these revolutionary kegs for beverages, is currently investigating the possibilities for their sixth production facility that will be located in Italy.
Anita Veenendaal, Chief Executive Officer of OneCircle, says: "In our philosophy, offering customers the best possible service and support means that we have to be present in the local market. At this moment we are already present in Italy with warehouses and a sales team and soon with a brand new production plant. This plant will be our sixth; as we currently already produce in The Netherlands, United States, Germany, United Kingdom and Spain."
The company focusses on the environment in addition to the production of a quality product, a new production line in Italy will contribute to lowering environmental footprints even further. Together with One Circle, an initiative of OneCircle, aimed on the collection and recycling of one way kegs in general, the company is really making a big difference in leaving the world a better place.
OneCircle is serving thousands of happy customers from warehouses and sales offices spread worldwide and production facilities in the United States, Germany, United Kingdom and the company's native Netherlands. Across all continents, breweries, winemakers and producers of soft drinks and other beverages are making the switch to the KeyKeg and Unikeg. Since its start in 2006, OneCircle from Den Helder in the Netherlands, have grown into an impressive global market leader. The family owned business has an eye for the long term and especially the environment, with Anita (CEO), her brother Jan-Dirk (Chief Innovation Officer) and their father Jan Veenendaal (Non-Executive board member/Founder) as the core of the company.More information


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Respected Roots Opens 6th Physical Location of 2020 Amidst Pandemic and Financial Uncertainties
Nashville, TN and Atlanta, GA: On Saturday, December 5th, Respected Roots, The Golden Standard of family grooming, celebrated the grand opening of it's 6th location (all 6 of their physical locations were opened during 2020). Many customers who could only previously shop online, in addition to new buyers of the Respected Roots brand, exceeded sales goals and welcomed the new addition to Opry Mills shopping center with a bang!
Respected Roots has been notably affected by the pandemic in a number of ways, but has achieved increased success by going against the grain and opening physical locations. Other locations opened during 2020 include:
Arundel Mills in Hanover, Maryland
Fashion Centre at Pentagon City in Arlington, VA
Grapevine Mills in Grapevine, TX
Sugarloaf Mills in Lawrenceville, GA
Lenox Square in Atlanta, GA
Respected Roots was conceptualized in 2015 through the creation of our beard butter. In a personal search for a high-quality beard grooming product, it was discovered that there was a demand for a cost-effective product that could naturally produce results of a healthier beard. Through a series of testing and development, our Original Scent Beard Butter was produced and brought to the market for mass consumption.Today, we carry a variety of products ranging from beard butter to body butters. The key ingredients of our product line naturally produce the emollients, protectants, antiseptics, and antioxidants that create optimal skin and hair health.
At the core of our brand is the belief that we can be the change that we wish to see. As Respected Roots grows, we are proud to know that the entire family can trust our full line of products. We are focused on creating a brand legacy that incorporates legacy within our communities and families as well.
Founders: Jason Hawkins and Jaret Patterson


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Sprint is currently the number 3 wireless carrier in the US and to try and turn this around, they've ordered an astonishing $20 billion worth of next-gen iPhones. Sprint are hoping that the next-gen iPhone is that good, as this is a matter of do-or-die. Currently, Sprint have 52 million subscribers who are mostly pre-paid, but with $20 billion worth of next-gen iPhones, I'd be willing to wager that they want to get those customers off pre-paid and onto contracts.
This move allows Sprint to subsidize the $500 cost of each handset and should give Sprint a running start. 30 million-plus iPhones sure is a lot of iPhones...
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