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2010 was the best year for Habbo Hotel and I thought this would be one news regarding Habbo Hotel for quite some time to come. But success is not stationary and it continues to move ahead. The world’s largest teen virtual community and social game, Habbo registered its 200 millionth user just with the start of January. Quite a news since its tenth anniversary.
We have been following Flowdock quite regularly since its launch back in 2009. Flowdock is an online collaboration tool for organizations and teams to effectively communicate with each other, pretty much like Yammer. It originated from the idea of having a tool to effectively manage the number of hours put up in a project, thus providing a platform to organize the organizations.
Zokem is a Finnish based market leader in the next-generation mobile analytics, providing its patented products to the leading players of mobile and media industries. Earlier today Zokem released an interesting report on how the various smartphones and operating systems perform in the US market. The gist of which clearly puts the likes of older Windows Mobile phones and the Symbian devices to have lost the battle in the US. Which isn’t surprising as users in the region have migrated quite quickly towards the iPhone, Android and the BlackBerry.
I guess Angry Birds think that the mobile platforms don’t give them a large enough empire to vent their wrath upon the pig army. Rovio’s sensational game has grown leaps and bounds so much that the mobile strategy is now just a smaller part of their expansion strategy.
Yandex is a giant and a veteran in Russian Internet. Its founding team has been developing the technology since 1989 and managed to innovate throughout the two decades of its existence to merit the status of Russia's number one search engine. Last week Yandex announced its unaudited financial results for 2010 and they look sweet. Unlike in 2009 when its revenue shrank by $26M, Yandex reported a 43% increase, reaching $410M annual revenue. Contextual ads make up 88% of that revenue. Online advertising has been growing exponentially in Russia throughout 2010, which is great news for Yandex who generates over 64% of overall search engine traffic in Runet (with Google having a bit over 22% of the market share). Estimates of Mail.ru Group's revenue for 2010 at the time of its IPO application were around $300M. The Group has not yet published its financial results for 2010 but if those figures are correct, Yandex's annual revenue might have surpassed that of Mail.ru's by over $100M. What's the reason for Yandex's current success?
Europe’s most popular music streaming service, Spotify is finally edging closer to cross the ocean and land into the US market with rumors of it attempting to sign deals with major labels in the US market. Last week Peter Kafka hinted that it might have struck the cords with Sony US. This will be a distribution deal and wouldn’t necessarily steer clear Spotify to invade the US market.
Seedcamp London has just announced the 20 teams it will invite to the one day event that will try to connect them to investors, mentors and advisors from their network. From Northern Europe, only two companies made the finalists - GrabCAD from Estonia and Huikea Experience from Finland.
When you succeed at first, you have every reason to expand and take up newer and bigger challenges. That’s exactly what Startupbootcamp is doing after the very successful first edition, which was launched as a quarter long program in Copenhagen between August and November, 2010. It brought 10 teams of 32 selected entrepreneurs from 12 different countries, face to face with 75 top mentors in the industry. All that came with thanks to Startupbootcamp’s co-founder, Alex Farcet who put a good number of months to find the right mentors to guide these entrepreneurs.
We're very excited to announce a completely new event format called Arctic15 that we've been putting together since late last year. The event, in its simplest form, will be the best way to launch your company in 2011. We love technology entrepreneurship and we want to support it in the best way we can. Therefore, Arctic15 will launch 15 of the most potential technology startups from the region together with world class keynote speakers. The event will be organised on 22nd of September in Helsinki, Finland. If you've been to our ArcticEvenings, you know Arctic15 will rock.
A little over a year ago we reported on a Finnish media startup called Indiedays. The company put together a fashion, beauty and lifestyle network of bloggers, all under the same address to leverage their traffic and build a new media destination. I talked to the CEO and co-founder Esa Suurio about their development in 2010 and how they were able to exceed their goals.
Envault has a lot to announce this January. They've signed a contract with a new CEO, brought on board new clients and also plan to fuel growth more in 2011 with an array of new products. Envault's new CEO is Jörgen Jansson, who has built an extensive career in Progress Software, CA and IBM. He has started his work at Envault and plans to extensively grow the reach of their products in the coming years.
Planely is a small Danish startup that has a big idea. They want to make flying more social. As everyone knows, flying has become somewhat of a routine for most people and there isn't really any joy in it left. One of the reasons is that you're stuck in a closed space for a certain set of hours and you can't really use that time to socialize. Planely is changing all this and trying to match air travellers between themselves based on their relevances. It's a bit similar to the concept of Dopplr matching your friends when you're travelling. However, Planely wants to do this with people you don't know yet, but there's something there that connects you. I had a brief chat with Nick Martin, the CEO and Founder of the company where they are now and where they're headed in the future.
It appears I have booked myself to news on Spotify. But let the truth be known that there is nothing of the sort and like any decent writer, I am just sharing what makes news. The latest from Spotify is its deal with Shazam.
We at Arctic Startup have talked about WOT or Web of Trust extensively and honestly love how it helps the online community. The safe surfing software keeps users protected from malicious links, spam, spyware, etc by warning them of such sites. The working is based around the idea of getting information from other trusted sources as well as from the online community.
The best thing about reviewing a startup is following up on what it has achieved since the first time you reviewed it. The idea to share progress, how it has improved and what direction is it heading on to, stands as an essential proof to why you actually reviewed it. Today we catch up on Ge.tt, the Danish startup we reviewed back in December 2010.
Too much of call or video oriented ventures associated to Niklas Zennström. You can watch our recent video interviews with him here and here. The Skype co-founder recently revealed his passion for fashion as his investment firm, Atomico Ventures made a $500,000 seed investment in Fashiolista.
Yandex, one of the biggest internet companies operating in Russia and the likes of Kazakhstan and Ukraine reported its 2010 revenue increase 43% compared to 2009. The giant reported revenues of 12.5 billion rubles in 2010, which equal to $410 million US. Yandex makes most of its revenue from contextual advertising, just as its counterpart Google does in the US.
Writing this as the presentation is still on going at stage here in the launch event. Brain Alliance, a Finnish PHP-oriented software and web development house has in co-operation with Sanoma, the largest media organisation in Finland, launched Brain.fi. Brain.fi is a service that enables e-commerce store owners to also sell their goods through the largest bidding sites in Finland - Huuto.net and Keltainenporssi.fi.
Lets watch TV together, it could be anything, your favorite drama or something as addictive as a Football match. But don’t you think the idea of getting ready and walking to a friend’s place sounds a bit too tiring? And where’s the fun in all that when you have already watched a countless games together? How about jumping on the Internet bandwagon and having a more social experience? That’s what formed the basis of the launch of Sofanatics. The startup was launched back in February giving users a platform to cheer for their teams.
The former Nokia executive has invested into GameBook, a developer of real time scoring information for golfers in the form of a mobile app. GameBook is a Finnish run startup and has very strong and high profile investors before Vanjoki already. Some of the previous investors include Mikko Ilonen (European tour player), Teemu Selänne and Elias Pietilä (famous Finnish iPhone developer - received an Apple Design Award as a student). Vanjoki will join the Board of Directors with his investment.


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Chinese travelers remain biggest overseas spenders
Updated: 2013-06-04 10:40
By Shi Yingying in Shanghai (China Daily)
Chinese are still spending more on shopping overseas than people from any other nation, with an average of $1,139 per trip despite the country's super-rich travel less often, according to a report.
The average spending per trip by Chinese travelers is 70 percent higher than the global average, according to the Hurun Report's Chinese Luxury Traveler White Paper 2013.
The paper, to be released on Tuesday by the Hurun Report in association with International Luxury Travel Market Asia, said it is the third consecutive year that Chinese tourists ranked first in the global shopping market.
But China's super-rich made fewer overseas trips in 2012 - on average, 3.4 journeys compared with 4.2 in 2011, the report said.
Zhao Huanyan, a senior researcher at the Tourism Research Institute under the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said: "It's not the best time for China to promote the luxury travel market ... especially given the fact that the central government is fighting corruption. In China, junket tours account for a large percentage of the country's high-end market."
Jiang Yiyi, director of the Chinese Tourism Academy's International Tourism Development Institute, said the fact that luxury brands cost about 30 to 70 percent more if bought in China compared with overseas encourages Chinese to spend more outside the country.
Statistics from the National Tourism Administration show there were 83 million Chinese outbound tourists in 2012, an 18.4 percent increase year-on-year. The country's outbound market is expected to continue to grow throughout 2013, with the number reaching 94 million.

domain: news


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* IPO prices at $13 vs $9-$11 range, sells 10.5 mln shares
* Goldman Sachs, Barclays Capital led underwriters
* Develops online learning, talent management software
* To trade on Nasdaq under symbol “CSOD” (Adds details on company, selling shareholders)
NEW YORK, March 16 (Reuters) - Learning software maker Cornerstone OnDemand Inc priced shares above the proposed range and raised $136.5 million in its initial public offering on Wednesday, an underwriter said.
The developer of web-based learning and talent management software sold 10.5 million shares for $13 each. It had planned to sell the shares for $9 to $11 each.
The Santa Monica, California-based company has yet to become profitable, although its gross revenue grew 59 percent to $46.6 million in 2010 and 49 percent in 2009.
In 2010, Cornerstone recorded a loss of $48.4 million after a loss of $8.4 million in 2009, as it expanded its sales and marketing spending.
Selling in the IPO were Bessemer Venture Partners, Meritech Capital and Bay Partners, which together were expected to own 37.9 percent of the company after the IPO, compared to 48.9 percent before it.
Chief Executive Adam Miller also planned to sell stock in the IPO, cutting his stake to 14.7 percent from 18 percent. Altogether, stockholders were expected to sell 3 million of the 10.5 million shares sold in the offering.
Shares of Cornerstone are expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq on Thursday under the symbol "CSOD" CSOD.O.
Underwriters on the offering were led by Goldman Sachs & Co and Barclays Capital. (Reporting by Alina Selyukh; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Tim Dobbyn)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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In 2014/15 MY Russia to export more than 25 mln tonnes of grains – D.Medvedev
In 2014/15 MY Russia may export more than 25 mln tonnes of grains, declared Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, on August 22.
According to the harvesting campaign rates, the agricultural sector can completely meet the domestic demand in grains, create the required reserves and increase export volumes, because the harvest is expected to reach nearly 100 mln tonnes. The reporting level of production allows increasing the export potential to 25 mln tonnes, and even more, said the Head of the Government.
As a reminder, previously Nikolai Fedorov, Minister of Agriculture, forecasted the index at 25 mln tonnes.
You should be authorized to post comment
Russia to negotiate with Turkey after cancellation of the current export ban on grain exports - A.Dvorkovich
April 21, 14:30
In January-February, Russia exported over 4.4 mln tonnes of cereal crops - Rosstat
April 21, 14:00
Russia planted spring grains throughout 3.3 mln ha - Ministry of Agriculture
April 21, 10:40
Russia lost nearly 1.3-1.5 bln USD due to limitations of agricultural exports by Turkey - A.Tkachev
April 20, 14:40
Current limitations on the supply of Russian agricultural products to Turkey made losses at 1.3-1.5 bln USD - experts
April 19, 17:30


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In recent years, the economy hasn’t been all that kind to the Lake Tahoe community of ski resorts. Now, all of this is not on the shoulders of the resorts themselves. Extensive droughts have drastically reduced the amount of snow falling on the regions. Falling snow is the lifeblood of these communities. While areas such as Squaw Valley do offer spring and summer activities outside of skiing, the majority of business comes from vacationers looking to hit the slopes. With a lack of snow, this has handcuffed the industry a bit. Andy Wirth, the CEO of Squaw Valley Alpine Ski, knows this all too well.
In an article originally published in December, 2015 by the Reno-Gazette Journal, it points out the problem has not only been due to the lack of snow, but also political issues through the form of incorporation. This has made it difficult for many towns and lodges to go about business as usually. Andy Wirth though now sees light at the end of the tunnel. He stated that while it has been a rather tough four years for the company, it nows looks as if snow storms are starting to pile up new, fresh snow while bringing in tourists and visitors to enjoy the winter wonderland.
Beyond the fresh blankets of snow, backers of incorporation have started to lay off the civic climate and are no longer pushing to incorporate what is known as Olympic Valley. Andy Wirth and Squaw Valley spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to oppose this incorporation, as it would have resulted in drastically higher taxes on both residents inside the valley and businesses. This would have put local businesses out of work and would have cost the industry potentially millions of dollars annually.
Andy Wirth has been the CEO of Squaw Valley for several years now. He has spent almost his entire professional career in the hospitality business. He received his education in hospitality so he understands not only the business aspect of it but the industrial aspect of it as well. While working his way up, he has also spent the majority of his time within get Colorado Rockies area, so not only does he understand the business and industry, but he understands the region, which makes him that much more valuable of a CEO.
While the last several years have proven challenging for the industry, Andy Wirth sees bright skies ahead.


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The fitness industry is one of the largest growing industries in the United States. Already a multi-billion dollar industry, it projects to continue growing for at least the next five years. People are putting a premium on their health and being in shape is popular again.
Baby boomers are going to the gym in droves. They are the largest demographic in terms of numbers and for years have been the key marketing demographic. The fact that they join gyms at a rapid pace is excellent news for the fitness industry. Baby boomers are fighting age and want to prolong their health. Personal trainers are in demand, and gym membership is going up yearly. This is great news for gyms as they try and create atmospheres and work out environments that create a comfort zone for first-time gym members.
Additionally, younger generations are going to the gym at higher rates as well. Being healthy and fit is important to the younger generations. They post their workout routines on social media, show who they are working out with and where. This is good for gyms because it provides free advertising, and they are gaining customers who have the potential to be customers for life. Like with baby boomers, membership just keeps on going up amongst younger generations and the fitness industry is booming because of it.
Swift Funds Financial Services is an account receivable management provider. They are the largest accounts receivable management providing serving the health and fitness industry and have been doing so for over 40 years.


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By Nathan Gill and James Attwood
April 14 (Bloomberg) — Cia. Sudamericana de Vapores SA, Latin America’s largest container ship company, rose the most in six years in Santiago after saying it’s in talks to raise $750 million to turn around unprofitable shipping operations.
The Valparaiso, Chile-based company plans to sell about $350 million in new shares and may raise $400 million from companies it leases ships from, it wrote in a statement on Chile’s securities regulator’s Web site.
The shares jumped 14 percent to 373 pesos, the biggest gain since April 2003. Before today, Vapores was the worst performer in Chile’s Ipsa index in the last six months, losing a third of its value compared with the index’s 12 percent gain.
“It’s not surprising stocks are rising with a small glimmer that the company won’t go broke,” Cristina Acle, head of research at CorpResearch SA, said by phone from Santiago.
Chairman Jaime Claro is seeking funds after Vapores reported a $38.6 million net loss for 2008 and forecast “important” losses and service cutbacks this year as the global financial crisis saps shipping demand at a time of increased supply of vessels. Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings cut the company’s credit ratings in the past month.
Vapores said last month that it hired a unit of Germany’s HSH Nordbank AG to evaluate cost-saving measures and the possibility of selling “non-essential” assets. The company met with ship owners, ship financing banks and shipyards in Hamburg, it wrote in an e-mailed statement today.
The financing plans would put the company “in a very strong position to not only overcome the current external pressures but to recover its financial strength,” it wrote.


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PARIS (AP) — Monumental light-bulb encrusted letters spelling CHANEL sparkled over the runway at the Grand Palais on the last day of Paris Fashion Week prefacing a collection celebrating the cinema industry.
It brought a pang of nostalgia for better times during this reduced virus-hit season that has been notable for its lack of star power.
Like Milan before it, Paris has undertaken an unusual fashion season for Spring-Summer 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The nine-day calendar was a mix of ready-to-wear runway collections with masked guests in seated rows, in-person presentations and completely digital shows streamed online with promotional videos.
- Florida librarian dies weeks after teens ran her over with vehicle, deputies say
- Justices hear arguments on undocumented immigrants’ status for 2020 Census
- New multi-million dollar housing development coming to Lake Providence
- List: Cyber Monday 2020 gift card freebies
- “A Christmas Carol” set for Dec. 3-6 at Strauss Theatre Center


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China’s economy grew 6.4 per cent in the first quarter compared to a year earlier, beating analysts’ expectations.
But this was the joint-slowest growth rate since quarterly growth records began to be published 27 years ago, official figures show.
The median forecast of a Bloomberg survey of economists predicted gross domestic product (GDP) growth would slow to 6.3 per cent for the quarter.
However, it falls within the government’s growth target range of between 6.0 and 6.5 per cent for this year. Last year the economy grew at 6.6 per cent.
GDP growth matches the fourth quarter growth figure of 6.4 per cent, which matched the lowest growth rate since the Chinese government began publishing quarterly growth rates at the beginning of 1992.
The Chinese economy is battling a number of serious headwinds, including a long-running trade war with the United States, weak consumption at home and slower export demand abroad, as well as debt problems in both the public and private sectors.
Industrial production higher than expected
Industrial production, a measure of the output of the industrial sectors in China’s economy, including manufacturing, mining and utilities, grew by 8.5 per cent in March from a year earlier.
This was much higher than a Bloomberg poll of analysts, which had forecast 5.9 per cent growth and is up from the 5.3 per cent year-on-year growth for January and February, when the data was combined to counter the distortions created by the Lunar New Year holiday.
The January-February growth rate was the lowest reading since 2002.
Also, retail sales, a measure of consumer demand in China, grew by 8.7 per cent in March from a year earlier. This was higher than the expected figure of 8.4 per cent.
It was also better than January-February’s combined performance, when it grew 8.2 per cent.
The numbers suggest that Beijing’s stimulus measures are starting to boost the Chinese economy, as intended. It has been estimated that stimulus, through expansionary monetary policy, tax cuts and infrastructure spending, could be as high as 4.25 per cent of GDP this year.
US-China trade war takes its toll
Meanwhile, the US-China trade war has acted as a net drag on the economy over the past 10 months.
Exports showed some sign of recovery in March, rising 14.2 per cent growth from a year earlier. However, imports fell by 7.6 per cent, suggesting continued weak domestic demand.
Experts have long warned that the real impact of the trade war will be on economic sentiment, with uncertainty reducing business investment and consumer spending.
Beijing has been attempting to counter weaker sentiment in China with its substantial stimulus program.
Source: South China Morning Post


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PENSACOLA -- Gateway Inc. has been hit with a $3.6 million jury verdict for a wrong number that flooded a Florida company with calls from thousands of angry computer customers.
The number belongs to Mo' Money, a Pensacola business that makes promotional items with company logos, including shirts, caps, gym bags and jackets.
In January 1999, Gateway incorrectly distributed Mo' Money's numbers as the number for the computer company's toll-free customer complaint line. It took Gateway more than two years to fix the problem.
A federal jury awarded the damages to Mo' Money on Wednesday. The company said it lost business while dealing with all the wrong numbers.


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The launch of the latest iPhone last week saw the usual excited queues forming outside Apple shops.
But two Singaporeans allegedly thought they had found a new way of queue jumping, and saving some money, by buying plane tickets so they could pick up the iPhone 7 at Changi Airport.
They were arrested on 16 September for breaking airport laws.
Police said they had “no intention” of leaving Singapore so should not have been in the departure hall.
The two have been charged under the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act. They face a fine of up to 1,000 Singapore dollars ($735; £565) and a jail term of up to two years if convicted.
Police have warned others not to misuse their boarding passes for shopping trips.
There is no official Apple store in Singapore, so customers have to buy devices through resellers or online.
The first batch of iPhone 7s sold out in the city-state within days of launch earlier this month, with customers who had pre-ordered complaining about delays.


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If you get “China fatigue” from my articles, go ahead and skip to the next one. But before you go, know that I get the same “China fatigue” writing articles. This article is my justification.Read More
The short term prospects for beef, pork and poultry in terms of both domestic and overseas sales look bright for all major producing countries as demand is outpacing supply – and will likely do so for years. One possible future constraint to grow, however, bears close monitoring.Read More
Public street demonstrations are rocking Cuba, due in part to the lack of food availability. We have written several times last year and earlier this year that Cuba would face a food crisis in 2021 and that the Biden administration would face hard decisions on how to address such shortfalls. That time has come.Read More
As has long been predicted, Asia is solidly the dominant growth region for global protein demand. Constrained by resources and blessed with rising incomes across 4.1 billion people, the Asian middle class surges higher, bringing a broad wave of consumer demand. Even as population growth rates slow, the region will average 27 million population growth annually through 2030.Read More
Although Ambassador Katherine Tai, the new head of the USTR, has been active in talking with her counterparts as well as members of Congress, any new international trade agreements promoting protein exports are likely only to be modifications of existing agreements rather than new bilateral or multilateral FTAs. The administration’s trade focus is shifting from transactional agreements of the prior administration to deals which will be “labor” and “climate” centric.Read More
On March 30, World Health Organization (WHO) officials held a press briefing to discuss their report on the origins of the COVID-19 virus. Although such a study on the origins of the virus was mandated by the World Health Assembly resolution adopted in May last year, the team did not visit China until January 14th through February 10 of 2021. The team’s report, also released on March 30, was simply titled: WHO-convened Global Study of Origins of SARS-CoV-2: China Part 1, Joint WHO-China Study.14 January-10 February 2021 Joint Report.Read More
The newly agreed FTA agreement between the US and Japan now creates an even playing field between Australia and the US with both tariffs to be at 26.7% on January 1st, 2020 (three weeks away) and this further reduces to 26% on April 1, 2020 for both countries.Read More
When assessing the November global beef shipments from Australia I did so with the intent of trying to identify what markets might still be needing meat for Chinese New Year on January 26th, 2020 and the Northern Hemisphere summer.Read More
When will global beef prices be reflected in our cattle prices? This one of the more complex questions in today's global beef market and the simple answer is when rain comes - Australian cattle supply will tighten as the cattle slaughter slows down dramatically and the females are retained for breeding and herd rebuilding commences in earnest.Read More
Recently I was fortunate enough to visit four meat processing plants across India on behalf of a customer where I was able to have a first hand look at India's buffalo industry that has progressively got larger in recent years and now ranks in the top four global exporters of bovine in the world.Read More
In the last week we have seen global beef prices go to new record price levels as protein supplies shorten everywhere - as I write this I almost have reluctance to put pricing down as these in certain markets are changing by the hour.
It seems the leaner the product is the higher the prices are going - a good example being Bull 95 CL which in mid-September was trading at 238-240 CIF into the US and two months later is now 40% higher at 335 CIF EC today - US importers are matching their counterparts in China.
Much of the rally I believe in the market is a direct result of African Swine Fever and the estimated 15-20 million tonne shortfall in China's pork production expected each year for the next 3-5 years - the recent price action of imported pork, beef, chicken and sheep meat is reflecting China's need to fill this protein void - as a result US importers and end users are needing to buy away from China in preparation for the northern summer.
In this paper I am sharing my thoughts on where imported 90 CL and US fresh 90's CL might end up in 2020 - I would ask you seek other peoples opinions and do your own research as these are only my own personal views - given the variables that exist both globally and within China forecasting is a precarious business at the moment.Read More
At the recent Leman China Swine Conference I listened to Chinese hog producers large and small, Chinese swine academics and their US counterparts speak on a vast array of topics on ASF in China and how the China pork industry will eventually rebuild itself from this disease.
I believe the China pork industry is coming to several crossroads on how the industry will evolve from here - in this paper I look to explore these potential evolution optionsRead More
This week I attended the Leman China Swine Conference where 5,200 delegates were present - the conference was held in Zhengzhou, in Henan Province, with the main focus of the three day meeting being African Swine Fever, presentations were made reflecting the lessons learnt in the last 12 months and the advances that China has made in dealing with this disease.
This paper is the first part of three papers that I will write about that focuses on the findings of the conference.Read More
I believe we are looking at a critical global protein shortage next year due to the impact of African swine fever driven by China as well as nine other Asian countries. These nine other countries will also add to next years genuine global protein shortage. Such shortages are likely to lead to a substantial increase in prices across all proteins, and I see beef in particular having the largest price increase globally compared to pork and chicken in 2020.Read More
I don’t know exactly when it happened, but recent political movements clearly indicate that perceptions around the idea of globalization have changed. Not just in the U.S. with the election of Donald Trump, but also with Britain’s Brexit, and Marine Le Pen’s announcement to run for France’s president in April. It is also being manifest in China by President Xi, who has moved toward nationalistic policies. Make no mistake, the world is changing. Participants in global trade must adjust and prepare accordingly.Read More
Trump's hot rhetoric against China is raising trade friction. Will it be in a good way or bad? Too soon to tell. But in the meantime, it's important to understand the agriculture trade relationship with China; what China needs, and what China does not.Read More
Market uncertainty and volatility are defining 2016. Major trend shifts are noted. Events were set into motion in 2015, which marked a major correction in most global agriculture commodities. Assumptions are shifting and strategies must be realigned as well to adjust to a much different global picture.Read More
The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is scheduled to formally launch the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) on January 1, 2016 (yes 2016, we take a forward-view). The AEC is to be the first step to achieve full regional economic and financial integration among the 10 member nations: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Some have called it the ASEAN’s version of the European Common Market. When the AEC comes into being in 2016, it would stand as the world’s eighth largest economy with a total population of 610 million people. Although the AEC is a year away, ASEAN members and their meat and poultry suppliers need to watch for creeping protectionism beginning in 2015.Read More
The world’s trade agenda, and most of America’s trade agenda, show few vital signs and little hope of a recovery in the near term. While small victories may be on the horizon, like beef to China, there are almost no bright spots for agriculture.Read More
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) recently released a publication Generation 2030 / Africa which focuses on population growth in Africa. While much of the world is experiencing a slowdown in population growth, the same cannot be said for sub-Saharan Africa. If the UNICEF projections are correct, significant resources are needed to improve the region’s transportation, sanitation and water infrastructure; power generation and food supplies. Without income growth and policies to provide more jobs and better living conditions parts of Africa may see even greater unrest in the future.Read More
New 10 year global estimates were recently published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN/FAO). These estimates confirm our expectations of strong global food demand growth.Read More
Japan is one of the largest pork importers on earth, buying just under 1 million metric tons in 2013. However in terms of total dollar value pork imports, they are a solid #1 at $4.8 billion in 2013. #2 Germany was at US$2.9 billion.
Last year, Japan imported 48% of their entire national pork consumption. And 41% of that pork came from the U.S. The U.S. has been the dominant pork supplier to Japan for over a decade.
A newly released demographic research paper is altering thinking about how Africa, and African markets, are developing. Prior projections from the UN showed much of Africa fertility rates falling, but a new study indicates that fertility rates remain exceptionally high (5.1 to 6) in many of the best developing markets in Africa. This includes the nations of Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, Tanzania, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast and Senegal.Read More
In our newsletters we often state our mistrust in Chinese data, whether it be agricultural or economic. Often Chinese data is adjusted to fit what provincial leaders and Beijing planners have targeted for the year. One does not get promoted for being below output expectations.Read More
2014 will be defined by biological and political factors. Economics may take a backseat to both.Read More
For years, the U.S. has been the largest beef importer on the planet, due mainly to the need for fast-food grinding beef. However, last fall a seismic shift occurred: Chinese beef inflation rapidly moved China from the #4 beef importer to #1; and it happened in 8 months. Today the greater China region (China+ H. Kong) is the #1 importer of beef globally. And the growth is not over yet.Read More
The high 2012 corn prices continue working their way through the global pork production sector. And they are having an impact.Read More
China has restricted the use and importation of beta agonist compounds and meat from animals fed beta agonists for years. Ractopamine has been recently listed by both China and Russia in new requirements to have imported meat be certified free of the compound prior to import. In an illogical move, Taiwan restricts pork produced with ractopamine but not beef; ironically, they also have a substantial pork industry but not much of a beef industry. The European Union also restricts beta-agonists in meat imports. These “requests” by overseas governments (not consumers) are beginning to impact U.S. production practices.Read More
There is a widening global poverty gap emerging. A gap between the “haves” and the “have nots” are widening. It is a story commonly heard. However, in this case the poorer countries are becoming the “haves” and the developed world is becoming the “have nots”. The story is U.S. livestock and poultry products, and as the charts below show, more and more of the dollars generated by U.S. farmers are coming from the world’s poorer residents.Read More
No export market has shown the growth performance for the U.S. meat/poultry sector more than Mexico. U.S. meat/poultry exports to Mexico are set to top 1.5 million metric tons (2.4 billion pounds) valued at US$2.8 billion this year, the equivalent of over 8 pounds for every American. The 15 year growth rate in export value has averaged 15% back to 1995. Broiler exports have posted new record highs two of the past three months (Aug/Oct). Broiler exports to Mexico will surpass annual record volumes by >20% this year; pork exports will surpass last year’s record by >10%. Turkey exports have bloomed also, up 9% through October and on track to set another annual record. While Mexican pressure has grown against the rising pork and broiler shipments, both domestic production levels have held relatively steady for years (see note on broiler issues below).Read More
A very interesting irony in the global agriculture sector today is that India will become the largest beef exporter globally in 2012. However, they do have the largest cowherd (and dairy herd) on earth. This discussion always brings a flurry of questions as perceptions of India’s strong vegetarianism and bovine religious views would project a very different story. In a limited amount of space here today, we hope to break it down in a clear way.Read More


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Welcome Cyber Monday, while most deals don’t seem to be as good as they were last year, Amazon shares are up 1% already.
Cyber Monday has become one of the biggest online retail days in history and follows in the footsteps of Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.
The internet is supposed to be full of deals and discounts however, honestly speaking it seems like all the good things are still full price- go figure.
Amazon is however, offering heavy discounts on their Kindle line in an attempt to win over some of the tablet market which is currently dominated by Apple.
Last year, Amazon broke records for Cyber Monday Kindle sales and it appears that the company is trying to do it again.
All weekend Amazon has been reporting huge spending by consumers as customers stay away from the stores and shop online instead.
Including the Kindle, shoppers can also get heavy discounts on toys from Mattel and Fischer-Price, TV’s, cameras and more.
Amazon just recently announced too that it was testing delivering products by a drone. (A little robot like plane that can deliver packages by air in 30 minutes). While this technology is far off, it appears that this could be the way of the future.


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Fiscal policy is important to economic planning considering that taxation is the primary means by which governments generate revenue to fund expenditure. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the global economy is still recovering from the attendant economic decline.
In Ghana, the government has proposed several tax measures in its 2022 economic policy and budget statement to aid recovery. These include a unified common platform for property rate administration; at least a fifteen percent (15%) increase in fees and charges and the imposition of an electronic transactions levy (E-levy).
Drawing on the experiences of Kenya, this brief argues that taxation on electronic transactions may not expand the tax base significantly as envisioned but, rather, may reverse the gains on financial inclusion and digitalization.
What is E-levy?
The government of Ghana has proposed a tax on all electronic transactions at a rate of 1.75 percent on mobile money transactions above one GHC 100 or less a day. To wit, transactions amounting to GHC 100 cedis is exempt from the 1.75 percent tax. Nevertheless, the tax has attracted some amount of backlash from the general Ghanaian population. The concerns raised are mainly centered on the idea that such a tax may not protect or exclude the most vulnerable members of society. For instance, the main opposition party has argued that the tax is punitive, regressive and will affect inward remittances. Beyond this, there are concerns that the implementation of the e-levy will adversely affect the digitalization agenda and in turn reduce drastically the amount government has projected to receive from the E-levy.
Implementing an Electronic Transactions Tax: Evidence from Kenya.
Since its emergence over a decade ago, mobile money has become the financial service of choice for many previously unbanked persons in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). In the last decade, sub-Saharan Africa has seen a double-digit growth in both the value and volume of electronic transactions. As a result, many countries in SSA have introduced taxes on electronic transactions in the bid to expand the tax base and increase revenue.
In Kenya, the electronic transactions tax was first introduced in 2013 as an excise tax at a rate of 10 percent on both bank transfers and mobile money payments. The rates were increased to 20% and 12% respectively in July 2018. Since the introduction of the levy, the growth in electronic transactions reduced markedly from 12.2 percent between 2010 and 2013 to 7.0 percent from 2014 to 2017.
Data from the central bank of Kenya shows that while the number of mobile phone accounts increased from 1.4 million in 2007 to 44.3 million in September 2018, the average value of mobile phone transactions experienced a sharp decline over the period. This means that, while the volume of transactions experienced a steady increase, the value of transactions remained low.
What can Ghana learn from the Kenyan experience?
In Ghana, growth in the value of electronic transactions has been pegged at 120 percent while the total mobile money subscribers and active mobile money users have grown by about 18 percent between 2016 and 2019. The mobile money tax is likely to slow or completely reverse this growth. The tax has the capacity to redirect the consumption behavior of mobile money users and through that, increase traditional cash transactions while simultaneously reducing the volume and value of electronic transactions.
By effect, the revenue projections made by the government may not be realized. In Kenya, mobile money-related taxes amounted to less than 1 percent of the government’s total tax revenue but yet came at high costs to the Kenyan government. The E-levy may have the same effect on Ghana. Ghana’s efforts at financial inclusion have been championed by mobile money and its interoperability with the banking system. A high tax on that same system is very likely to cause a reversal in the progress made.
What Can Policy Makers do?
A country’s fiscal policy includes both revenue policies and expenditure policies. The government of Ghana can consider contractionary fiscal policy measures in the bid to reach fiscal consolidation. At any cost, if the electronic transactions tax will be introduced, its implementation should take into consideration the experiences of other countries in sub-Saharan Africa. For instance, Nigeria’s electronic transactions levy proposes a small flat rate of 50 Naira (75 pesewas) on any amount beyond a 10,000 Naira (149 Cedis). This model’s concurrent flat rate and exemption threshold may be more appealing for two reasons. First, the exemption threshold will exempt the most vulnerable members of society. Secondly, the flat rate may seem almost negligible on large transactions.
Another key consideration the government must make is the fact that mobile money users already pay a service charge of 1 percent on all transactions. The imposition will mean that most users will be paying 2.75 percent on their transactions. This may discourage digital transactions and encourage more cash transactions thereby shrinking the digital economy.
Closely related to this, the government should consider an upward review of the exemption threshold from hundred cedis (GHC100) to about two hundred and fifty cedis (GHC 250) per day. This will ensure the protection of the poor and vulnerable while at the same time protecting the digitalization agenda which lies at the center of the 2022 economic policy.
The government of Ghana’s attempt at economic recovery budget following the global economic decline caused by COVID-19 is commendable. The growth in electronic transactions in the past two years presents a good opportunity for the government to innovatively increase Ghana’s tax revenue towards building a sustainable entrepreneurial nation through fiscal consolidation and job creation.
At the same time, the government should take note that the policy could increase the tax burden on mobile money users, promote cash usage, reverse financial inclusion and eventually reduce drastically the progress made in digitalization.


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By Staff Writer
Fewer jobs, less money for college, more worries – these are the side effects of a struggling economy that not only affect adults but also trickle down to teens. Although parents worry their teens aren’t living the youthful, carefree lives they deserve, there may be a silver lining to the current economic climate: Every obstacle presents new opportunities to learn valuable life lessons.
The Economic Crunch Strikes Teens
There’s no question that teenagers are feeling the impact of the economic crisis. According to a survey by Junior Achievement, 33 percent of teens said there seemed to be fewer jobs available, 29 percent said the economy was causing them anxiety, 18 percent say they’ve lost a job due to the economy, and 15 percent said they’ve reduced extracurricular activities as a result of the economy. Fourteen percent of adolescents ages 15 to 17 reported that they contribute money to their family budget, and close to 50 percent said that their parents had discussed family finances with them as a result of the downturn.
Although the news sounds dismal, economists, teachers, and parents are taking advantage of the struggling economy to teach important lessons to the next generation, including:
Living on a Budget. For teens, the recession means spending is out and frugality is in. Jobs once occupied almost exclusively by teenagers are now being filled by adults who have been laid off or need a second job to support their families. Parents are feeling the pinch financially, which results in smaller allowances and fewer handouts. On top of having less money to spend, costs of favorite teen indulgences like junk food or and new clothes are rising, not to mention the soaring cost of getting around with higher gas prices.
Economists have suggested that the current teen spending slump is the worst in 17 years, and the teen unemployment rate is at its highest level since the end of World War II, according to a report from the Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies. But the news isn’t all bad. Teens are learning how to live on a budget and save money, the difference between needs and wants, and how to shop for bargains and make cuts when necessary. Some are getting jobs to contribute to the family income, encouraging teens to look beyond their own wants and become more appreciative of their parents’ efforts.
Understanding Personal Finance. The struggling economy also presents teens with the opportunity to learn about economics, the stock market, the fluctuating value of the dollar, and personal investing through hands-on experience. In a few short years, teenagers will be bombarded with credit card offers, student loans, and personal expenses. The current credit crunch may help young people understand the dangers and value of credit as well as strategies for building good credit. Teens can also take this opportunity to learn the basics of personal finance, including how to read a bank statement, create a budget, balance a checkbook, take out and repay a loan, or pay a bill. Learning these lessons now may help the next generation avoid the mess previous generations have created.
Working Through Tough Times. A tightening economy has put a lot of strain on American households. Couples are renegotiating their relationships after losing jobs, their homes, and their plans for the future. Teenagers are looking to their parents as role models for what it takes to get through tough times, which creates a wealth of opportunities for parents to instill values in their kids. For example, it is a valuable lesson for teens to see that life doesn’t always go according to plan and that they must remain flexible and have a good attitude even in the face of challenge.
Paying Attention to the Needs of Others. The bad news is jobs for teens are scarce. The good news is teens aren’t letting a tough job market deter them. Many are dedicating time to volunteer work and internship opportunities. According to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive, nearly seven out of 10 parents say the current economic climate has made their teens "more aware of the needs of others." In addition, more than half of parents said their teens actively support charitable causes or volunteer with a charitable organization. Volunteer service not only helps on college applications but also can be an excellent way to get work experience, learn a new skill, work as a team, and decide on a career.
Finding Creative Uses for Free Time. Not every teen can afford the newest, trendiest clothes right now, but many have found creative ways to expand their wardrobes by making their own clothes, swapping clothes with friends, or shopping at thrift stores. Not every family can afford a summer vacation, and many teens face stiff competition for a summer job, so they have found alternative ways to spend summer break, returning to old favorites like reading, sports, arts and crafts, and volunteering. Although their stress levels may be high, teens are learning to solve their own problems and get creative.
Life is full of hardship, and today’s teens are likely to live through at least one more recession in their lifetimes. What better time than now to learn about fiscal responsibility and discover that life is about much more than designer jeans and instant gratification? No one is happy about the troubled economy, but we can all make the most of the situation by seizing on the teachable moments and sharing a little wisdom with the next generation.


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Kohl’s has strengthened its omnichannel offerings ahead of Holiday 2022 with the expansion of its BOPIS Self-Pickup services for eligible Kohls.com orders at all of its 1,100 stores across the U.S. Kohl’s Self-Pickup accepts online orders and generates an email that is sent to the customer once the order is ready — typically within two hours — beginning the BOPIS process for retrieval upon arrival at the store, when shoppers:
- Click on a link in the email to open their Pickup Passes;
- Find the in-store signage that leads to the Self-Pickup area;
- Select “Start Pickup” on a mobile device;
- Identify the order by entering the Self-Pickup station’s four-digit code onto the device;
- Locate items according to a spot number for the bin in which the order has been placed; and
- Select the “Complete My Order” option once items are picked up.
“Our teams have been working hard to ensure Kohl’s Self-Pickup service was available for all of our customers ahead of the holiday rush,” said Siobhán Mc Feeney, the recently appointed CTO at Kohl’s in a statement. “At Kohl’s, we’re focused on listening to what shoppers want, and using technology to make it as easy as possible for families to get everything they need quickly, and through a simple experience.”


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Talk about art imitating life! Thanks to the recent release of the Netflix movie To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, which debuted on the streaming service on Friday, August 17, Yakult sales have seen a major spike.
The Japanese drinkable yogurt, which is featured in several of the film’s iconic scenes, is never mentioned by its brand name – it’s referred to as a “Korean yogurt smoothie” instead – but viewers familiar with Yakult could clearly spot the company’s distinct red foil top and have sought out the tasty beverage.
Mark Bachman, head of M Science’s TickerTags, a research firm that analyzes the relationship between social media and a company’s performance, tells Bloomberg the brand’s “mention frequency” increased after the release of the movie. He also noted that a majority of the conversations were directly related to interest in the product, which, in turn, has led to sales growth and a higher stock price.
Though shares of Yakult’s stock dropped approximately 6 percent this year amid slower sales growth, they’ve climbed nearly 3 percent since the movie debuted last month. In fact, the stock closed 1.7 percent higher on Monday, September 3, the highest it’s been since July 31.
“Given the increasing conversation levels, we believe Yakult is achieving greater brand awareness, which should likely result in higher sales volume,” Bachman explained.
Considering the movie and has already been watched by thousands of viewers, many of whom are thrilled to see more Asian American representation on screen, the increased interest in Yakult is not surprising. The drink is often consumed by protagonist Lara Jean, played by Lana Condor, and her little sister, Kitty, (Anna Cathcart) who offers one to Peter (Noah Centineo), Lara Jean’s pretend boyfriend. Later in the movie, Peter drives across town to a Korean grocery store in order to procure some Yakult for Lara Jean.
Tell Us: Are you interested in trying Yakult?
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Welcome to the WrapUp by CyberNet. This is a collection of news stories, downloads, and tips that we have collected over the last few days, but never got around to writing about. Don’t forget to send in your own tips, or just leave a comment on this page if you think you’ve got something we should include.
HP Making webOS Open Source
HP has decided to push the mobile-focused webOS into the open source community, and may even release webOS tablets later on.
Evernote Launches ‘Food’ and ‘Hello’ iOS Apps
Evernote has launched two new iOS apps that help you better remember both food and people.
Jawbone Up Owners Eligible for Full Refund
Those of you who purchased a Jawbone Up bracelet are eligible for a full refund due to issues the manufacturer has identified.
Twitter Gets Another New Design
It wasn’t that long ago that Twitter was redesigned, but they are at it again this time with web, iOS, and Android apps all being refreshed.
Google Image Search Enhanced for Tablets
Searching for images just got a lot better for tablet users thanks to Google. There is a new carousel view for flipping between images as well as infinite scrolling.
Family Data Plans Coming to Verizon in 2012
Verizon’s CEO said that they expect to have shared/family data plans coming in 2012.
Windows Store Preview
This article provides some screenshots from the upcoming Windows Store, which will allow app submissions with the Windows 8 Beta due in February 2012.
Android App Downloads Top 10 Billion
Google announced that there have been more than 10 billion apps downloaded from their app store, and they provide some nice infographics breaking down information about the people downloading the apps.
Xbox 360 Dashboard Update Rolls Out
Microsoft’s latest Xbox 360 Dashboard was pushed out to users last week, and brings a fresh UI along with a few new features.
Hack Brings Siri to Jailbroken iPhone 4
iPhone 4 owners that are willing to jailbreak their device can get Siri running, but be advised that all Siri actions get passed through the servers owned by the Chinese hackers rather than going directly to Apple.
–Tips, Tutorials, and Reviews–
Jailbreak the Kindle Touch
The new Kindle Touch has been jailbroken using an MP3 file, which is pretty awesome. Now we just have to wait for the mods to roll in that take advantage of the device being jailbroken.
Put the New Twitter Content Pane Back on the Left
If you’re using the new Twitter interface you may have noticed that your timeline has jumped to the right side of the screen. This script pushed the content back to the left side.
Google Currents: iOS and Android News Reader
Google’s latest app lets you read your favorite news in a magazine-like format.
Growl Fork Adds Mac OS X Lion Compatibility
The team behind the Growl app on the Mac went to a paid model earlier this year, which used to be necessary upgrade for anyone wanting Lion compatibility. Someone has now forked the project, fixed the Lion bugs, and released the software for free.
Get Alerted When CPU Intensive Apps Start/Stop
Something Is Ready is a useful Windows app that can alert you when a CPU intensive app starts or stops.
Windows Defender Offline Beta
There is now a Windows Defender Offline Beta app that can be put on a CD or USB drive, and can actually be run when Windows isn’t running.
Mac Only: Pull to Refresh in Chrome and Safari
Mac users can enjoy the “pull to refresh” gesture in both Chrome and Safari thanks to a free extension.
Using Google as a Graphing Calculator
Google’s search engine is now able to detect mathematical formulas and plot the equations on a graph just like Wolfram Alpha does.
- CDBurnerXP 184.108.40.20638 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- Dropbox 1.2.49 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- Evernote 220.127.116.1104 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- Firefox 9.0 Beta 5 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- Foxit Reader 18.104.22.1681 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- GOM Player 22.214.171.12483 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- Google Chrome 17.0.963.2 Beta [Homepage] [Mirror]
- Google SketchUp 8.0.11752 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- KMPlayer 126.96.36.199 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- Opera 11.60 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- Opera 12.00.1191 Beta [Homepage] [Mirror]
- Picasa 188.8.131.52 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- Process Explorer 15.10 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- PSPad 184.108.40.2063 Beta [Homepage] [Mirror]
- PuTTY 0.62 Beta [Homepage] [Mirror]
- SeaMonkey 2.6 Beta 3 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- Silverlight 5.0.61118 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- TeamViewer 7.0.12189 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- Thunderbird 9.0 Beta 4 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- uTorrent 3.1.26593 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- Winamp 5.623 [Homepage] [Mirror]
- WordPress 3.3 RC2 [Homepage] [Mirror]


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Virtual reality (VR) is set to be everywhere in 2016. And for good reason. The HTC Vive went live for pre-orders just a few days ago and was snapped up by 15,000 early adopters despite the eye-watering...
Apple Watch and iPads may be launched next month
App designed to safeguard children online was the result of two years' toil at AI's cutting edge, says product manager Jon Howard
Acknowledges many small problems that still remain to be solved
Blockchains are slow, wasteful and ill-suited for digital currencies, say researchers who believe they've found a better way
GitHub says it has found the problem and is working to resolve it.


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PRESS RELEASE. The gaming ecosystem has been at the forefront of the NFT and other blockchain innovations’ adoption. However, despite the impact of the play-to-earn gaming model in driving blockchain adoption, it has been highly criticised due to most gaming projects’ models.
It is believed that blockchain games sacrifice the quality of the gaming experience with the opportunity to earn or make more playing these games. Is this the truth? Well, yes. Although this might have been the norm but, with the evolution of blockchain games, the narrative is changing.
This article will dive into a new blockchain gaming project preserving both the play-to-earn model and the quality of user experience. The game is called MMG (Monopoly Millionaire Game).
What is MMG(Monopoly Millionaire


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With immediate effect, Aldi Suisse has completely banned the supply of fruit and vegetables transported by air, an aspect that moves even further forward in its progress as a sustainable supermarket.
Aldi Suisse is also a pioneer in the promotion of local strawberry production and, since last year, it only advertises strawberries during the Swiss national season of this fruit.
The amount of goods imported by air available in Aldi Suisse has gradually decreased in recent years, at the same time as new, more environmentally friendly transport alternatives have been adopted. At the beginning of 2023, the chain has completed this process with the decision to not offer its consumers fruit and vegetables transported by plane.
“Sustainability in the supply chains is a keystone of Aldi’s philosophy. For this reason, one of our goals was to ensure that none of our fruit and vegetables arrived by air,” Jérôme Meyer, General Manager of Aldi Suisse, revealed. With this action, the company, whose branches reached carbon neutrality back in 2017, will reduce its CO₂ emissions even more.
In addition to the new supply policy, the retailer has also decided to change its course regarding the promotion of Swiss agriculture. Since last year, Aldi Suisse only offers strawberries during the Swiss strawberry season. Thanks to this step, the company not only supports the Swiss national red berry producers, but it is also promoting knowledge about the seasons amongst consumers.
Aldi in Spain
ALDI has maintained its expansion plans in Spain intact and has announced that during 2023 the company plans to open around 50 new establishments throughout the country. Amongst the planned new openings, the entry of ALDI in the autonomous city of Melilla during the second half of the year stands out, along with the opening of new stores in Galicia, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and Asturias.
The other openings will mainly be divided up amongst the company’s strategic areas, where it will continue to consolidate its presence: the Community of Madrid, Catalonia, Andalusia and the Valencian Community, which will concentrate almost half of the growth planned in 2023.


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The pressure Donald Trump is putting on Huawei appears to be yielding some positive results as the tech giant is planning to launch its operating system ‘Harmony OS‘ on smartphones in 2021.
The tech giant disclosed this recently at its annual developer conference in Dongguan, China.
However, there is still a long way to go for HarmonyOS as the number of apps on its Huawei Mobile Services Core, the Google Play Store equivalent is still small compared to the millions on Apple Store and Google Play Stores. According to Huawei, the number of apps on the HMS Core currently stands at 96,000. That’s up from 81,000 in July and 60,000 in March.
In comparison, both Google Play and Apple App Store have accumulated apps numbered in the millions.
To lure more apps into its ecosystem, Huawei announced that a beta version of its second-generation operating system — HarmonyOS 2.0 — for mobile developers will launch by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, the beta version of HarmonyOS will go open-source for tablets, in-car systems, and smartwatches starting this week.
Huawei’s operating system has a current reach of 490 million users through the company’s family of hardware devices, and it’s looking to expand its base through the Internet of Things market.


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Fine jewellery brand Senco Gold has reported double digit growth in its East, South, West, and North Indian regions following a busy Dhanteras. The business expects the winter wedding season to bring strong sales and take its blended growth to 25%.
“The next two quarters will not be better than the first half,” Senco Gold’s chief financial officer Sanjay Banka told ET Now. “If we look at past trends, the major sales happen up to Dhanteras. We have already seen around 26% to 27% year-on-year growth till today. The next quarters are likely to take the blended growth up to 25%.”
Senco Gold retails from brick-and-mortar stores across India and plans to continue to expand across the country to reach more shoppers while focusing on return on capital employed. The brand now counts 10 stores in Delhi NCR and 10 in Uttar Pradesh which has brought its North India regional total to 20.
“As far as growth across all zones is concerned, we are very happy that we are growing across all the zones in India, particularly in the Eastern zone where the growth is around 22%,” said Banka. “In the West and South, the growth is much higher, more than 30% because our base there is slightly lower and we have much more to do. So the North region is growing. We have talked about the highest stud ratio in the North at around 19%.”
Source: Fashion Network


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Apollo RT6 debuts
At the 2022 Baidu World Conference held on July 21, Baidu demonstrated a major breakthrough in autonomous driving technology with the debut of the sixth-generation mass-produced unmanned vehicle Apollo RT6, which costs just 250,000 yuan ($37075).
Apollo RT6 at 2022 Baidu World Conference [Photo/kfqgw.beijing.gov.cn]
The Apollo RT6 is a mass-produced vehicle independently developed and designed by Baidu for future travel. It supports two modes: steering wheel and no steering wheel.
The vehicle has achieved 100 percent vehicle level and full vehicle redundancy system. Compared with the modified cars on the market, the reliability of the vehicle is much higher.
How can the cost be as low as 250,000 yuan? Baidu remarked that this was mainly due to lower costs of complete vehicles and autonomous driving kits, as well as the complete supply chain and manufacturing in China.
According to the plan, tens of thousands of Apollo RT6 swill be be put into use nationwide in 2023.
Future urban intelligent transportation will not only needs smart cars, but also demands intelligent roads.
According to the latest data disclosed at the conference, Baidu's intelligent transportation solution has been practiced and verified in more than 50 cities across the country, including Beijing E-Town.
The construction of intelligent intersections will allow citizens to travel with little to no traffic. Intelligent transportation based on vehicle-road coordination can increase traffic efficiency by 15 percent to 30 percent, and promote an absolute growth of GDP of 2.4 percent to 4.8 percent per year, according to Baidu.


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Freightos said that Sinotrans’ air freight subsidiary, Sinoair, will allow customers to pull global contract rates, get dynamic pricing and receive instant booking confirmation from more than 10 airlines integrated with WebCargo.
WebCargo, which Freightos acquired in 2016, has added a number of airlines to its platform. IAG Group, the parent company of British Airways and Iberia Airlines, said it would offer capacity and pricing information for air freight via WebCargo. Lufthansa and Air France KLM Martinair Cargo also signed up to use WebCargo to help distribute rate and booking information to forwarders.
While other customers use WebCargo to connect to forwarders specifically, Freightos said the Sinoair platform will be the “world’s first direct-to-customer air e-booking platform,” allowing access to both agents and shippers.
“As Asia’s top air freight forwarder, we take our responsibility to provide a best-in-class air cargo experience for all our customers seriously,” said Sinoair Deputy General Manager Liu Xin-Yang. “Freightos is our trusted partner, enabling us to offer e-booking to all, something the air cargo industry has never seen before.”
In the first half of the year, Sinoair transported 240,000 tonnes of air cargo.
“E-booking is something passenger travel has experienced since the 1960s. Today Sinoair is introducing it to the air cargo masses looking for a 21st century air freight experience,” said Freightos CEO Zvi Schreiber. “It is an honor to work with such a forward-thinking organization with the courage to shift an enormous part of the air cargo industry online.”


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No, this is not a fish market. This picture have been taken on a designated media day as the organizers decided to call it at the Auto Expo 2012. Visible here is everything but the media. Its been 3 days since I am back home in Mumbai and have only just recovered from the insanity which was the Auto Expo 2012, with one question still lingering in my head. Has the Indian Auto Expo lost its purpose? Or the most famous occupation in our country is media. The Delhi auto expo is the most sought after event but the worst organized one I have witnessed since memory recollects. To start off, the PR agency which handed the Expo, admitted the lack of sense in the way the press conferences were arranged. With a conference every 20 minutes, its just a rush rush and before u know the next one has started.
When Auto Expo registrations started in December the online link did not work till forever. When it did, online media was told they won’t be given media passes. Later they gave bloggers 9th January as the day for covering events, which is 4 days after show starts and then we say we are not racists? Why would anyone from online media wait till 9th!! Instead buy tickets and head on the 7th itself. Finally sense prevailed and the organizers allowed online media on the 5th Jan provided they meet some guidelines (traffic and age, which again was not followed). To make matters worse once registrations were done and confirmation number was given, the passes were all messed up. Badges of a particular person had a photographs of someone else altogether. My own colleague, Chandan, who came down from Oman with a confirmed registration was denied a pass due to glitch at the organizers end.
If that was not enough, thousands of uncles, aunties and kids made way into the expo with valid special invitee passes but how did so many passes make way into the general public? That too on a day which is specifically designated for the media to snap pictures and compile their stories for the various unveils and launches from the manufacturers. You would see kids and their mothers walking around the stalls. Oh wait I thought its media day. But remember we Indians are the pioneers in ‘jugaad’ and just about anyone or their relative who knew someone was strolling inside the Expo. The result, the real media which was covering the event and taking pictures could not get in for half of the press conferences. It was absolute madness as the crowd thickened. The line outside the venue became longer and longer and it was impossible for the media personnel to do their job. I nearly became a victim of stampede at the Skoda stall where the Delhi crowd was barging in for media kits and I feel for my friends at Skoda who had to double up as bouncers to keep the mob at bay. In the end, most of genuine media guys could not make it inside. I made it out towards the Audi stall, which happened to be right across and was hit by the tsunami of people who suddenly got excited to know that Katrina Kaif was going to be there.
This is an auto show, not a Bollywood awards night, hence please keep Bollywood away. But no, with 5 Bollywood actors coming to event, the 2012 Auto Expo became such a so called star attraction. Manufacturers, if you want to flaunt your celebrity endorsements, keep your celebs out of the media days, as hardcore automobile journalists, we really don’t care about them. There were people from the international media, imagine what they would be feeling and what an example we set as Indians. The 2012 Auto Expo might command the second highest floor rent of all auto shows in the world, but it terms of organization, the event it is definitely at the very bottom. Sadly even after 11 Auto Expos, the organizers seemed to have learned closed to little or nothing.


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SAN JOSE, Calif. (ACNI) – EBay has stepped up to the plate and addressed the 800-lb. elephant that has loomed large since the online-commerce giant launched its site in 1995: the problem of no definitive referee to resolve buyer/seller disputes.
In an April 14 posting in its News section, eBay’s Senior Vice President & General Manager, North America, Stephanie Tilenius, announced that the company has now established “an entire team devoted to finding new ways to help [eBay users] improve their efficiency.” One of the key areas the team will oversee is the resolution of squabbles resulting from claims including non-receipt of purchased items or items said to be different than as described in the eBay seller’s ad.
“The goals of the new process are to keep buyers on eBay by giving them a more familiar e-commerce resolution experience, and to reduce the time buyers and sellers spend resolving issues,” Tilenius said. But that doesn’t mean the process will be a single-step solution in which eBay is the stage-one ombudsman.
“Direct communication between buyers and sellers will continue to be strongly encouraged,” Tilenius said. “[but] buyers and sellers will also have an option to call eBay.” A tollfree number will be available, as will an internally generated dispute form available on the eBay Web site, which initially would be the default option available to non-U.S.-based users.
EBay will also be taking it a step further by providing financial backup in some cases. “We’ll be taking a more active role, and in certain cases when we determine the seller was not at fault we may [issue a refund to] the buyer at our own expense,” Tilenius explained.
Another unexpected boon to buyers is eBay’s decision to exercise control over eBay-transaction-related disputes within its PayPal subsidiary. Beginning this quarter, Tilenius said, such disputes will be directed to the newly deputized resolution team at eBay.
“Until this transition is complete, both the current PayPal and new eBay processes will be in place, so sellers will need to continue to monitor the PayPal resolution center as well as incoming communication from eBay,” Tilenius said. “We are gradually transitioning the dispute process, and anticipate that the change will be complete before the holiday 2009 selling season. Once complete, the new on-eBay resolution process, backed by eBay customer support, will serve as the primary entry point for buyers who are unable to resolve disputes directly with eBay sellers.”
Deadbeat bidders, be forewarned. Tilenius said that later this year eBay will be announcing “improvements to the process for resolving seller claims of unpaid items.” The goal she said, is to enable users to sell “more efficiently and profitably on eBay.”
A soft launch of the new dispute-resolution protocol is expected to roll out around June 15.
Copyright 2009 Auction Central News International. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Meizu is in the middle of the top Chinese smartphone makers list. Because of many factors, it falls behind Huawei, OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi. But the biggest reason why it fails is the lack of innovations. There are only two innovations we can recall. First, Meizu has granted the mBack patent almost a year back. And second, the only smartphone with a more or less innovative feature is the Meizu Pro 7 that comes with a secondary display on the back. The rest of Meizu smartphones look and act identically. This simply means the company should change much in its strategy and start coming in with new phones sporting trendy features. Say, you won’t find any smartphone with this brand that uses a full-screen design. The latter is the most demanded feature on any handset. However, seems all these shortcomings are going to be fixed in the nearest future. According to the Meizu founder, Jack Wong the company is going to release a dream machine next spring. It’s called the Meizu 15, while its enhanced version is named the Meizu 15 Plus.
Gizchina News of the week
Also Read: Meizu’s Bezel-Less phone in works?
This company has been founded 15 years ago. So as the phone name suggests, it will be dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the manufacturer. Today, the Meizu founder was asked why the company doesn’t launch competitive devices. And he answered: ‘The product I need takes too long and it will be listed next year.’ He also added that’s not the much-rumored Meizu MX7 or Pro 8. The name of the upcoming model is symbolic – the Meizu 15. Moreover, Meizu follows the world trend, and it will launch the more powerful variant of this device dubbed as the Meizu 15 Plus. The time when we can get our hands on it is set to be next spring.


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Study sheds new light on vitamin E
More than 90% of US population get inadequate vitamin E from the diet
by Newsletter Editor
Dr. Maret G. Traber, professor of health sciences at Oregon State University, a director at the Linus Pauling Institute and an internationally recognized expert on vitamin E, has published a new report detailing how the body metabolizes vitamin E.
Two systems in the liver help control vitamin E levels and excrete excess amounts. “Unlike some other fat-soluble vitamins such as A and D, it is not possible for vitamin E to accumulate in the liver or other tissues,” Traber said. “I believe that past studies which have alleged adverse consequences from vitamin E have misinterpreted the data,” Traber stated, continuing, “Taking too much vitamin E is not the real concern. A much more important issue is that more than 90 percent of people in the U.S. have inadequate levels in their diet.” The doctor recommends taking a multivitamin with the full adult RDA of vitamin E, 22.4 IU per day.
Reference: Journal of Lipid Research; March, 2013, Electronic Prepublication


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These will be great for kids and may even create a positive memory of this pandemic. Mattel has launched a new collectible line of action figures and Little People Community Champions to honor the front line COVID-19 responders. They not only salute the medical workers and first responders, but everyday heroes as well, working to keep our communities going. And what's really wonderful is that all net proceeds will go to #FirstRespondersFirst.
Fisher-Price also launched the first collection line, #ThankYouHeroes, including 16 different action figures from doctors to EMTs, nurses and delivery drivers.
Click HERE to check out the new action figures


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Ahead of President Trump's planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Huawei drilled down on its patent claims against Verizon during a Thursday press conference.
Speaking at a press conference at the company’s headquarters, Song Liuping, Huawei’s chief legal officer, said Huawei would not "weaponize" its portfolio of patents. Instead, Huawei will adopt an open and cooperative attitude and follow the FRAND principle, or “fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory,” when engaging with relevant parties in the industry on patents licensing, according to Song.
Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Huawei was seeking $1 billion in patent-related royalties from Verizon for violating 238 patents that cover core, wireline and IoT technologies being used in Verizon's network.
While Verizon isn't a Huawei customer, the Chinese company claimed that Verizon should pay the hardware and software licensing fees because Verizon does rely on more than 20 vendors that use technology owned by Huawei, according to a story by The New York Times (NYT).
Republican Senator Marco Rubio has described Huawei’s demand against Verizon as “baseless,” and filed legislation to prevent Huawei from seeking damages in U.S. courts.
"We simply don’t believe Marco Rubio’s amendment could be passed as law,” said Song Liuping, said at the company’s Shenzhen headquarters on Thursday, according to Reuters.
In addition to Song's press conference, Huawei also released a white paper on innovation and intellectual property (IP), and warned against the issue being politicized.
“If politicians use IP as a political tool, they will destroy confidence in the patent protection system. If some governments selectively strip companies of their IP, it will break the foundation of global innovation,” said Song, in a prepared statement.
The patent dustup comes against the backdrop of mounting trade war tensions between China and the U.S.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Commerce put Huawei on a trade blacklist, which is called an Entity List, that was designed to make it difficult for the world's largest telecom vendor to do business in the U.S. The blacklisting, set to take effect after a 90-day reprieve, would require U.S. companies to ask the government's permission to do business with Huawei.
Over the past few months, Huawei has aggressively pushed back as the U.S. has urged other countries, such as the U.K., to take similar measures. Huawei faces a threat to its supply chain as several companies, including Arm and Google, have said they would no longer do business with Huawei if the issues with the U.S. government weren't resolved.
Google has suspended business with Huawei in some areas, and said it would no longer allow access to software updates for its Android operating system and apps that are used in Huawei's smartphones and tablets.
Xi and Trump are slated to meet this Saturday in Osaka, Japan, during the G20 Summit. The WSJ reports that Xi plans to present President Trump with a set of terms the U.S. should meet, which would include lifting the U.S. ban on technology sales to Huawei.
On Wednesday, a U.S. jury cleared California semiconductor designer CNEX Labs Inc of stealing trade secrets from Huawei while awarding CNEX no damages on its own trade theft claims, according to Reuters.
While Huawei has long been accused of stealing other companies' intellectual property, Song said that over the past 30 years no court has ever found that Huawei has engaged in IP theft and that the company has never had to pay court damages in this area.
Huawei's white paper, titled “Respecting and Protecting Intellectual Property: The Foundation of Innovation,” provides background information Huawei's practices in and contributions to innovation and the protection of intellectual property rights.
By the end of last year, Huawei had been granted 87,805 patents, of which 11,152 were U.S. patents. Since 2015, Huawei has received over $1.4 billion in licensing revenue.
Aside from accumulating patents of its own, Huawei has also paid more than $6 billion in royalties to legally implement the IP of other companies, with nearly 80% of that paid to American companies, according to the paper.
“As always, Huawei is ready and willing to share our technology with the world. That includes 5G. It includes U.S. companies and U.S. consumers. Together, we can drive our industry forward and advance technology for all mankind,” said Song.
Trump and Xi's Saturday meeting could lead to Huawei being removed from the U.S. Commerce Department's Entity List, which would not only benefit Huawei, but also the vendors and trade associations that it does business with in the U.S.


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Last week, Respawn revealed a partnership with Chinatown Market to bring skins based on the brand to Apex Legends, including the Sundown Desperado skin for Bloodhound and Mic Check skin for Lifeline. The set was scheduled to roll out on March 30, but Respawn announced today that it's been put on hold, as Chinatown Market itself is changing its name.
Chinatown Market announced the rebranding earlier this afternoon, saying that "the Asian American community is rightfully demanding all of us think and act more honestly."
huge update. proud to work at a company that considers its impact on the world at large. pic.twitter.com/JJo6mar3dUMarch 29, 2021
"Our name was inspired by the shops, people, and vibrance of Canal Street and Chinatown in New York but it's not our name to use," the company tweeted. "We did not do enough to consider what this name would mean to communities in Chinatowns across the world and we need to take ownership of this mistake. It's time to do the right thing and we are committed to be a part of the change."
The new name will be announced "in the coming months," and in the meantime that proceeds from existing Chinatown Market-branded products will be donated to non-profit organizations that support the AAPI [Asian American Pacific Islander] community.
It's fair to guess that the name change announcement came as a surprise to Respawn and EA, as Lifeline's Mic Check skin was revealed just yesterday. But just a couple hours after Chinatown Market's announcement, Respawn tweeted in support of it.
In support of our friends at @ChinatownMarket's decision to rebrand, we're holding the launch of in-game CTM-branded skins in @playapex tomorrow.The skins will come back with a fresh look after the rebrand.For more on CTM's decision:https://t.co/s2cpiGUVF8March 29, 2021
"In support of our friends @ChinatownMarket's decision to rebrand, we're holding the launch of in-game CTM-branded skins in @playapex tomorrow," it wrote. "The skins will come back with a fresh look after the rebrand."
The Chinatown Market name change comes amidst a sharp rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and violence in the US and around the world. A recent NBC report cited analysis by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino saying that while hate crimes in 16 major US cities actually decreased by seven percent overall in 2020, those targeting Asian people rose by nearly 150 percent. Much of the blame for the sudden spike is attributed to the racist rhetoric of former US President Donald Trump, who repeatedly used terms like “China virus” and “kung-flu” to describe the Covid-19 pandemic while in office.


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"Safety and sustainability" are of paramount importance as trade shows and corporate events make a comeback to Asia in 2022, said Francis Teo, head of convention centres at SP Setia, which owns and manages Setia City Convention Centre in Selangor and Setia SPICE Convention Centre in Penang.
“But you can’t talk about sustainability when there’s no safety” remarked Teo, which is why SP Setia had prioritised health and safety measures at both convention centres, including the use of UVC light to sanitise the venues and getting certified as SafeBE sites by Bureau Veritas to ensure a safe and secure environment for meets post pandemic.
As the pandemic eases, Teo is adamant to shift up the sustainability gears at both convention venues. Notably, he believes Setia SPICE Convention Centre will be a standout for its strong eco-credentials.
“Setia SPICE is the world’s first hybrid solar-powered convention centre. We’ve had a solar panel on our rooftop since 2017, and based on our past records we can sustain 20-30% of our power requirement from the solar panel,” said Teo.
All power generation data from the hybrid solar panel is available real time on the centre’s website, thus enabling meeting planners to have the relevant information at hand to calculate their carbon footprint towards net zero events. The convention centre is also Green Building Index certified.
Meanwhile, sustainability initiatives such as omitting single-use plastic, bottling drinking water in-house, waste segregation and rainwater harvesting are already ongoing endeavours at the convention centre.
For instance, Setia SPICE has come up with various ways to tackle plastic waste, including upcycling event banners into products such as document folders, which are “ideal as corporate gifts while reducing waste going to the landfills”, Teo shared.
The convention venue chief also sees it as Setia SPICE’s responsibility to steer event organisers towards greener options whenever possible. A case in point is choosing bamboo over plastic packaging for packed food, even though the biodegradable option costs four or five times more. “Cost vs conscience, which one do you want?” he asked pointedly.
“We’re not net zero yet, but these are the things that we are doing right now towards that direction. This is our journey towards sustainability through all these small steps. We’re doing every little bit towards our goal one net zero.”
For sustainability, for community
The management is also keen to engage the community and embed the convention centre as an integral member of the local cultural fabric.
“We are using whatever we have available to make Setia SPICE a lot of more than just a MICE or business events venue. We want to contribute to the local economy and local community as well,” said Teo.
Not only is the convention centre’s rooftop garden a venue for events, it also doubles as a public park with features such as a spice garden, a children’s playground and a jogging track. “We are using the compound not just for international events but we are using giving back to the community as a space for them. Conference delegates and hotel guests can also join in the tai chi or Zumba lessons.”
All these fit into Setia SPICE’s masterplan which is centred around five components, namely the Convention Centre, the Arena (which houses the indoor stadium), the Canopy (which houses the rooftop park, retail outlets and offices), the Aquatic Centre (offering sports and scuba diving), and the upcoming 453-room Amari SPICE Penang, which is earmarked for opening on 1 September.
And when all five elements are ready, Teo will embark on a campaign to reignite Setia SPICE as a business meeting destination of choice. “We will have everything that will meet everyone’s needs – sweet, sour, spicy and all. We’re a destination by itself.”


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As Americans cope with the ongoing toll of COVID-19, jewelers should focus on holiday marketing that resonates emotionally, De Beers said, after it surveyed U.S. consumers on how the pandemic has affected their holiday buying plans.
According to Stephen Lussier, De Beers executive vice president, consumer and brands, his company has found a consistent pattern during and after recessions—self-purchase and fashion jewelry sales wane, while sales commemorating engagements, weddings, and other personal milestones gain market share. But even though the current situation is very different from past downturns—given there’s also a global pandemic involved—its market research has found that pattern is likely to hold.
Among De Beers’ findings in its “Diamond Insight Flash Report #1,” which can be seen here:
– De Beers research found that living in lockdown made consumers grateful for things they sometimes took for granted, particularly their family—and they want gifts to express that gratitude. When considering what to buy this holiday, 56% of respondents felt presents should be “meaningful,” as opposed to “practical,” “functional,” or “fun.”
“People have had to re-bond with those who are closest to them,” says Lussier. “We aren’t in this world where everybody is racing everywhere. There are a lot of people you went through this experience with that you might now want to express something symbolically to. It’s our task as an industry to unlock that, because diamonds are the perfect product for doing that.”
He believes the industry needs to pivot away from fashion-oriented product—at least for the moment—toward a message that taps into what consumers have learned from this experience.
“It’s probably not the time to be too clever with our marketing message. Consumers are not looking for super-high fashion. They’re looking for a more timeless classic type of product. Think about things that are more lasting and more symbolic and more classic.”
But, he adds, that doesn’t mean the industry should talk about these traditional products in a traditional manner.
“We need to communicate in a contemporary way,” he says. “These relationships aren’t just husband and wife. We need to recognize that there are relationships with grandparents, siblings, best friends.”
That likely means de-emphasizing self-purchase, though Lussier still sees that as an important potential growth market for the industry.
“Self-purchase remains a huge opportunity for the diamond sector and actually a crucial one. But this holiday, I just think that our opportunity is bigger in the more traditional areas.”
De Beers has found that self-purchase has done well in China but isn’t sure that will be replicated elsewhere.
“The month of May was spectacularly good for global brands in China. We saw a lot of young women just going out and buying themselves a kind of self-reward for having existed through the lockdown. They thought, ‘I deserve something for my sacrifice.’ So, I think luxury and jewelry companies benefited from that. But I think that is more of an Asian phenomenon. In America, the average self-purchaser is a married career woman.”
– An impressive 90% of respondents said that “choosing gifts that hold their value over time” would be important this holiday.
“We always talk about lasting value,” Lussier says. “That doesn’t mean investment value per se, but it means buying things that will be with you for a long time. If you think about the luxury-goods world, that’s why you see Hermès doing better than some of the more fashion-oriented brands. It’s about buying things that are lasting.”
Lussier feels that’s connected to consumers’ desire for meaningful gifts.
“You don’t tend to give meaningful things that disappear in a year. It’s hard to find meaningful things that don’t have enduring value. Generally, the two things go hand in hand.”
– The survey also found that 45% said they were likely to buy “fewer, better things” this holiday—which, not coincidentally, was the tagline of an ad campaign De Beers ran following the 2008 financial crisis.
“I think this reflects this idea that we need to be wiser and more reflective about how we spend money and show a little appreciation for all that people have done for us during this period,” Lussier says.
– As to where consumers planned to buy these meaningful gifts, most said they still felt safest buying diamond jewelry online. However, they also ranked independent jewelers highest in product knowledge and quality and thought that independents were the safest physical store to visit.
“Online has certainly been growing strongly through this period, but that’s a trend one has to be careful about whether to project out,” says Lussier. “You also have to look at how safe people feel in different environments. Do you feel safer in a smaller environment than you do in a big shopping mall or a big department store? We have all had the experience of going into a little neighborhood shop up the street, and you feel much more secure in those environments than when you’re packed in a big place with crowds inside. So it does present something of an opportunity for independents.”
One other notable trend: Shopping has become much more deliberate.
“People are doing a lot of their prepurchasing work in advance. There’s been a lot of technology that’s come out over the last month or so where people connect directly through apps. It’s hard to imagine people going into a store just to look. They go in with the intent of purchasing in advance. I think the connection between the in-store world and digital world will blur even more over the next few months.”
– People were feeling a little better about the long-term economic outlook. Yet only 47% of respondents felt optimistic about their financial situation over the next six months.
“There was clearly concern about their economic well-being,” says Lussier. “So, there is certainly some short-term or maybe even medium-term fear about economics.”
At the same time, two-thirds of the consumers polled indicated their personal finances have not been affected by COVID-19. That is in line with surveys that showed that, in spite of the ailing economy, personal income has risen—thanks to government interventions, such as the extra $600 offered in unemployment and stimulus checks.
“I think the government programs have been so aggressive that they were able to hold off some of the impact [of the lockdown],” says Lussier. “That has dulled a lot of the short-term stock. In the U.K., I think the government is paying over a third of all salaries. So, while people are nervous about their financial future, they weren’t in this state of high anxiety that we would have expected. There’s no doubt that’s a good thing, but I think there’s a concern of what will happen once we’re weaned off [the government support].”
– The survey also found that 39% of respondents said they wouldn’t travel again for the next seven to 12 months, which Lussier says may help the jewelry business.
“Travel has been quite a significant competitor for us, particularly for anniversaries. We have an opportunity to take significant market share from that.”
Lussier cautions that attitudes may be different by the time we get to the holiday season, since events are changing so rapidly.
“I don’t know how big the discretionary expenditure will be because of the economics,” he says. “No one has a crystal ball in this world today. I’ve never seen such a volatile stock market in my life. You almost don’t want to look at it.”
(Images courtesy of De Beers Group)Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazine
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Parkersburg Utility Board approves sewer project payment
PARKERSBURG — The Parkersburg Utility Board on Wednesday approved what’s expected to be the second-to-last payment on a $4 million sewer rehabilitation project.
The payment of $1,258,698.60 to Insituform Technologies was unanimously approved by the board at its regular meeting Wednesday. The project involved relining trunk sewer lines beneath Ohio and Garfield avenues and following Worthington Creek from 36th Street to Corning Park, as well as a line beneath Seventh Street.
“They are essentially complete at this point,” PUB Manager Eric Bennett said.
Some restoration work remains, and a final pay estimate could be presented to the board at its Nov. 1 meeting, he said.
In other business, board attorney George Zivkovich said the sale of the former PUB water maintenance and meter shop at 1900 Staunton Ave. closed Tuesday.
The $155,000 sales agreement was granted final approval earlier this month after the property received a variance from the Parkersburg Board of Zoning Appeals to allow new owner Zak Hooper to open his online, secondhand business electronic store in the residential district.
Hooper indicated the lower level of the building would likely be rented to an auto body shop.
In recent years, the building has been used for practice and storage by the Parkersburg High School baseball team.