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December 02, 2009 12:57
North Korea replaced its practically worthless currency at a rate of 100:1 on Tuesday. The North's last currency reform was 17 years ago, when it replaced old won with new at a rate of 1:1. The announcement sent North Koreans scurrying to exchange their won into U.S. dollars or Chinese yuan.
The reform appears to be aimed at suppressing soaring inflation. The communist country implemented partial market reforms back in 2002 that resulted in rising in prices of food, manufactured goods, homes and electricity fees, while wages increased 18 to 25 times. The North also adopted a system of incentives in proportion to labor productivity to overcome shortages in food and daily necessities.
Money supply rose as a result, but shortages in energy and raw materials compounded by an ailing infrastructure and other structural limitations interfered with supplies of food and daily necessities leading to skyrocketing consumer prices. Inflation has grown so bad recently that a 2 kg bag of corn is worth a month's wage. North Korea's central bank is virtually useless since it is incapable of implementing monetary policies and has no way of mopping up excess liquidity in the markets. That is why the North Korean government has virtually confiscated cash from its citizens by replacing the currency.
Some experts say the currency reform resembles the market-opening steps taken by Vietnam. From 1979 to 1981, Vietnam implemented similar steps to raise wages and the prices of goods to levels seen in capitalist countries and then replaced the currency at a ratio of 10 to 1. If North Korea is to overcome its economic difficulties, it has no choice but to pursue market reforms by liberalizing prices just like Vietnam.
Others, however, say the intention is to strengthen the planned, socialist-style economy by getting rid of economic imbalances created after private farmers'markets mushroomed and widened the gap between rich and poor. Since April, North Korea has been rounding up citizens and sending them to communal farms to take part in state efforts to boost production and revive the economy. But the real intention, experts say, is to bolster the regime's control of the public.
Regardless of the intentions, the North must boost the supply of goods to succeed in its currency reform, and that is possible only through economic cooperation and support from South Korea, the U.S., China and other countries. That means there is a strong possibility that North Korea will take a more accommodating stance in talks with Seoul and Washington. If not, the North's economy could get even worse following the currency reform and make living conditions for its people intolerable. One thing is clear: North Korea's economy stands at a crossroads.
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com


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How to Develop an Engaging Snapchat Content Strategy Without Breaking the Bank
October 3, 2016
Admit it, at least one time when you were tweeting or commenting on Snapchat’s recently announced goggles, you accidentally typed Googles. In fact, the miscue might be more of a Freudian slip than a bad keystroke. The $130 sunglasses, unveiled Sept. 23, which will allow users to shoot snaps from a tiny camera embedded in the glasses, and its decision to change its name to Snap, Inc. are evidence the company wants to mature, says Kathy Baird, Ogilvy’s managing director of content and social for North America. “It wants to be a company offering a full range of apps like” Facebook and Twitter, for example, says Baird, who’s also an EVP.
The rub, of course, is that Snapchat, as an app at least, has tried to eschew a corporate image, in keeping with its informal and in-the-moment tone. Slowly, perhaps even reluctantly, it’s introduced features, such as Memories, that make it slightly easier for corporate communicators to have some level of control over the platform. This can be a conundrum for communicators who are looking to create content for Snapchat. As you’ll see in this first of a two-part series about content for the transitory tool (we’ll discuss measurement best practices next week), the advice is to continue to assume it’s best that snaps avoid feeling like ads. Behind-the-scenes content is stressed, as are quirky and fun experiences. And what of Memories, which allows communicators to store and use prerecorded material on Snapchat? “Well, it’s an interesting opportunity for brands,” Baird says, adding diplomatically, “it’s probably steps away from what the average millennial wants from Snapchat…the beauty of the platform is it’s real, live, unpolished and authentic.”
We’re always looking for budget ways to use web tools. As we know Snapchat video need not involve a formal photo shoot with expensive lights and cameras. In fact, a rustic look is preferred. Playing off that informality Casper, the e-commerce company that sells mattresses online, mixes Snapchat with sleeping and breakfast for its Waffle Crush Wednesday, says Lindsay Kaplan, the brand’s VP, global communications. Casper’s top performing Snapchat series costs “only the price of a waffle,” Kaplan says. “We celebrate breakfast as a reason to get out of bed by going each week to a local breakfast spot and reviewing a different waffle. We tour the restaurant, try the syrup, chug the coffee and give it our very unofficial waffle rating.”
For Baird of Ogilvy many tactics used with Snapchat hark back to PR and social media basics: setting goals at the outset of a project and using an editorial calendar. Similarly, she touts a three-year-old Snapchat campaign, ancient in social media terms, which frozen yogurt brand 16 Handles mounted. Arguably the first brand to host a promotion on Snapchat, 16 Handles started the process by asking fans to snap photos of themselves eating yogurt at a 16 Handles location. 16 then snapped a coupon to the obliging customers. The catch is that once the snapper opened the coupon snap, he or she had just 10 seconds to show it to the cashier at the 16 Handles before it expired. The coupon entitled the bearer to 16%, 50% or 100% off the price of a frozen yogurt. “They were an unknown…a small business…they got a ton of earned media out of that quirky, ephemeral campaign,” Baird says.
Use What’s Already There
Several communicators advocate their own version of “buy two, get one free” to create budget-wise Snapchat content. Sarah Maloy, director, social media and external video at Fuse Media, parent of national TV network Fuse TV, advocates tapping into “what you’re already creating [for other platforms] and what resources you already have at your disposal. If the brand is working on a video, see if you can steal a few minutes to record something for Snapchat…You can also repurpose content [on Snapchat] that’s been created on a blog post or e-book.…”
Adrienne Chance, director of corporate communications at Topgolf, uses a variation on Maloy’s tactics by encouraging guests at the brand’s grand opening parties to snap away. With a red carpet, celebrity golfers, DJs, food and drink, there’s plenty to snap. The parties are occurring anyhow, so why not take advantage of them, she says. And “our guests can tell our story better than we can…they love to share the experience with friends, which creates a lot of awareness…it’s the bragging factor…we’ve found this to be a high-engagement, low-cost” undertaking, Chance says.
Topgolf also has plans to piggyback on scheduled celebrity visits to its locations, she says. “We’ll to let local marketing managers take over Snapchat on those days,” Chance adds.
By Seth Arenstein, PR News

domain: news


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"With our relationship with Voyager HQ, we’ll continue to make these investments and support the vibrant travel startup community, which we have worked so hard to build and is the first of its kind in New York City,”
NEW YORK (PRWEB) January 30, 2020
Voyager HQ, the global startup club for the travel, tourism and hospitality industries, is announcing the launch of a new, exclusive Labs program with Fareportal, the parent company of CheapOair and OneTravel.
“As Fareportal continues to grow, it will require more investments in new technologies and new business models. With our relationship with Voyager HQ, we’ll continue to make these investments and support the vibrant travel startup community, which we have worked so hard to build and is the first of its kind in New York City,” said Sam S. Jain, Founder and CEO of Fareportal, and Co-Founder and Board Chairman of Voyager HQ.
Through this effort, Voyager HQ will focus on their core competencies developed over the last three years that bring value to the entire global travel ecosystem and provide more opportunities to connect startups with Fareportal and other enterprise partners in the network. As part of this strategy, Voyager HQ will be moving into Fareportal’s new 66,000 square foot office space at the original NY Times building in Times Square, where they can host their signature events and be directly involved in product development.
"The main challenge many enterprise travel brands are still facing is managing the integration and development of their growth initiatives. We have found a way to manage that phase of the process and want to eventually bring it to the entirety of the industry.” remarked John Matson, Voyager HQ’s Managing Director.
In 2020, the community can expect more networking events that are currently operating in five U.S. cities and London. The company has plans to continue to expand this offering, helping cities around the world grow as technology hubs and creating local communities of engaged entrepreneurs and travel partners.
“By continuing to develop this resource, we hope that even more startups and established companies will also be able to gain meaningful relationships for their businesses on a global scale by leveraging Voyager HQ’s network”, added Matson.
Other updates will be to Voyager HQ’s digital membership and include new, impactful offerings such as digital streaming content, educational workshops, and more. The first new benefit to be announced in the coming months are white paper reports from a series of Think Tank sessions, deep-dive discussions dedicated to specific challenges in the travel industry. Voyager HQ has completed an initial series of Think Tanks and will be releasing the full reports, along with an announcement of the partners involved, starting in February, 2020.
For more information, visit http://www.voyagerhq.com or email email@example.com
About Voyager HQ
Voyager HQ is the startup club for the global travel, tourism, and hospitality industry. The community brings together entrepreneurs, corporate partners, and investors from around the world to create the future of travel experiences through curated events, educational content, actionable introductions and collaborative innovation initiatives. The global digital community encompasses 2,000+ entrepreneurs in more than 400 cities around the world. Join the Voyager HQ club by visiting https://www.voyagerhq.com/join-voyager/.
Fareportal is a travel technology company powering a next-generation travel concierge service. Utilizing its innovative technology and company owned and operated global contact centers, Fareportal has built strong industry partnerships providing customers access to over 600 airlines, 1 million hotels, and hundreds of car rental companies around the globe. With a portfolio of consumer travel brands including CheapOair and OneTravel, Fareportal enables consumers to book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone, or live chat. Fareportal provides its airline partners with access to a broad customer base that books high-yielding international travel and add-on ancillaries.


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Liverpool have issued an urgent warning to fans who buy tickets for upcoming Premier League games after seeing a rise in scams offering fans tickets that are too good to be true.
Demand for tickets to the newly-expanded Anfield stadium has rocketed in recent months after Jurgen Klopp announced he would be leaving the club at the end of the season and the club embroiled in a dramatic three-way title race in the German manager's final season at the club.
However, the huge demand has led to a rise in scammers selling fans fake tickets and scamming supporters desperate to secure their seats for the last games of the 2023/24 season. Fans who fall for the scams risk losing thousands of pounds and could risk being locked out of the stadium if they have bought ineligible tickets for the games.
Liverpool say it has launched an investigation into Facebook and Snapchat pages and groups purportedly offering fans genuine tickets. It says: "The club’s investigations and sanctions team has also seen increased issues with a number of closed ticketing groups on various social media platforms, including Facebook and Snapchat, even where the title of the group claims ‘No Scammers’.
"Liverpool FC has seen a worrying increase in the number of innocent supporters scammed into buying fake or non-existent tickets for home games in recent weeks.
"As a result, the club would like to reiterate the places where fans should purchase Anfield tickets from in order to guarantee they are genuine."
General admission tickets to Anfield are only available to fans who buy them via the club website. Fans will need to be a season ticket holder or a Liverpool FC member. Fans can buy a membership here and signing up also gives fans access to LFCTV Go and discounts on the Liverpool FC store.
Fans can buy hospitality tickets to Anfield from a small number of verified third parties. Liverpool supplies a small number of official partners with hospitality tickets and packages. The list includes Champions Travel, which sells packages for Brodies Sports Bar in the newly developed Anfield Road stand. Fans can book tickets here.


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There's a lot of spinning in the dark for Walt Disney (DIS -0.26%) investors these days, and I'm not just talking about folks riding the new Guardians of the Galaxy indoor coaster at Disney World that officially opens later this month. The media giant finds itself back on top of the battle for box office receipts, and its theme parks are packed despite getting tangled up with conservative politicos in Florida.
The shares are now trading 47% below where they were at their peak 14 months ago. Disney reports fresh financials after Wednesday's market close. Let's go over some of the reasons it could be a better-than-expected quarterly report.
It's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Expectations are reasonable heading into Wednesday's fiscal second-quarter report. Analysts expect the leading media stock to report revenue of $18.88 billion for the first three calendar months of this year. That translates into a beefy 21% increase from last year's showing, but keep in mind that Disney's cruise line and even Disneyland itself weren't open in the prior year's fiscal second quarter. Disney also held back on major theatrical releases -- outside of the poorly performing Raya and the Last Dragon in March of last year -- as major studios delayed high-profile films.
Analysts see earnings more than doubling to $1.07 a share, but Wall Street pros aimed too low last time. In short, the pieces are in place for Disney to deliver blowout results. With patrons returning to movie theaters, theme parks posting record revenue and operating income, and Disney cruise ships on the open seas again, the real shock here would be if Disney doesn't blow Wall Street estimates away.
Obviously, a strong quarter isn't enough. Disney produced an initially well-received fiscal first quarter, and the stock has plunged 27% since that report back in February.
Disney shares hit a 23-month low on Monday, so it shouldn't take much to impress the market this week. But things can still go wrong. Disney+ can have a rough quarter the way we saw the leading premium video service do last month. Cord-cutters and hesitant advertisers can eat it into its media networks business. It also doesn't help that even a "beat and raise" report isn't enough to trigger a rally lately.
There's also the surprising reality that Disney isn't as cheap as you might think for a blue chip that has been nearly cut in half since hitting all-time highs in March of last year. Disney is trading for 26 times this fiscal year's projected earnings and a more palatable 20 times next year's target. Losses at Disney+ that are expected to continue until 2024, and margins contracting from where they were six years ago are gnawing away at the bottom line.
We're not at peak Disney, and that goes for both the business and the stock. However, it's easy to see its theme parks and cruise lines continue to thrive barring a global recession. You don't want to bet against the momentum that Disney+ has generated in less than three years, and we're now two years away from when it adds to the bottom line instead of subtracts from it. As a bellwether for entertainment stocks, a well-received report can do more than lift the sentiment for just Disney stock. If it really surprises Wall Street -- in a market hungry for good news that it can sink its teeth too -- the House of Mouse could save the stock market itself.


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Chinatown plans tempt Banksy pub owners to test market
Less than nine months after acquiring the Whitehouse pub daubed with a large Banksy artwork on the corner of Berry Street and Duke Street in Liverpool city centre, the owners are putting the property on the market at a guide price £60,000 above the price they paid.
The pub was sold in February by local investor Frenson at Sutton Kersh's first property auction of the year to Sina Moradian, a nightclub owner from Kirkby, and his business partner, builder Billy Palmer.
The pair paid £114,000 for the landmark site paying £34,000 more than its guide price of £80,000.
The pub will be among the catalogue at Venmore's auction on 19 November at a guide price of £175,000.
In October, a UK and Chinese consortium of developers and investors headed by Liverpool-based Dr Lee Kai Hung, unveiled plans for a major mixed-use development of Liverpool's Chinatown, on the edge of which the Banksy pub sits.
The secretive Bristol-based graffiti artist, Banksy, was commissioned to create piece for the 2004 Liverpool Biennial art festival. He created a giant rat holding a marker pen next to his red zig-zag scribble.
Nick Ball, head of auctions at Venmore, said: "Given what is happening in the area now, the owners want to see what somebody else is prepared to pay for the site. The location is highly visible on a busy route in and out of the city."
The 200-year-old pub is a listed building and the owner must apply to Liverpool City Council for planning consent if they choose not to keep the artwork and paint over it.
Venmore's November sale will be its largest this year, with over 70 lots ranging from residential, commercial and 10 development opportunities for landlords and investors.
The auction will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Liverpool One and will be filmed by BBC's Homes Under the Hammer which uncovers the tricks of the property auction trade.
- Venmore's next auction will be held on Friday 19 November at 2.00pm at The Hilton Hotel, Liverpool One. To register interest contact Venmore Auctions on 0151 236 6746 or online at www.venmoreauctions.co.uk


text: Canada retail sales remains strong in 2017. The recent rapid sale of a Canadian retail shopping plaza highlights just how strong demand still is in this sector. Investors want a well located and well managed shopping plaza with competent asset management, generally proves to be exactly what the market desires. Quick Closing ReDev Properties just closed the sale of the Daly Grove Centre in Edmonton. Closed in just 30 days, the transaction could be a record breaker for a commercial property. The property combines 33,000 square feet of office and retail space, and was fully leased at the time of the sale. The deal was a testament to both the firm's expertise, and the strength of the market. Changing Retail RENX (the Real Estate News Exchange) notes that although retail is certainly changing, it is still strong in Canada. Target and Sears may have failed, but local shopping plazas seem to be doing an excellent job at reinventing themselves as the social heart of communities, which are blending clicks and bricks, and entertainment. Various shop sizes with unique brands may be bigger winners than those in the past few years in some markets, but Canadians haven't stopped going out shopping yet. In fact, Canada has some of the lowest rates of online shopping versus physical retail. New Demand We are also facing new times when Canadian real estate may be even more in demand. There has been as recent surge in immigration. There are ever heightening fears of a major stock market correction, and the recent record setting storm and natural disaster activity in the US and Central America is forcing many to rethink their investments and retirement plans. There is both a need for new homes, offices, retail space and investments. This could bring in billions more in investment capital as well as increased consumer spending. Canada may also be successful in landing Amazon's second international headquarters HQ2. That would not only increase demand for commercial space in multiple Canadian cities, but also draw more talent and investment seeking to benefit from Canada as a new tech powerhouse. Summary Canadian retail maybe changing, but it appears to be changing for the better. The market is still strong, leasing rates are strong and there is a healthy appetite for good retail properties. As asset management and retailers get better at curating properties as community hubs, their value is only likely to rise. Even more so, if Amazon makes Canada its second home.


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Under the article reporting the Northwest Herald’s dramatic loss of circulation Monday, a new commenter left the following message.
I am certain it will be well read by the paper’s advertising department:
I think the NW Herald is suffering the same pressure (and probable demise) that many, long-time subscription-based news outlets are dealing with.Cable news networks, online news sources, and social media is where many people turn to for national and local news – not the local rag.
The NW Herald probably reports a lot of local sports because parents with school-age children like to see their kids’s names in the paper, and this is an easy source for subscriptions.
Plus, I happen to think that their local sports writers are excellent.
I do see a recent effort to offer more in-depth local stories but many of these stories seem rather “sensational” and this can cause great harm to an innocent business or individual that is unfairly accused, but “featured” prominently in the paper.
I’m sure these types of stories sell papers!
The Herald is also trying to diversify into specialized online advertising platforms, SEM, SEO, and small business marketing programs.
I feel they are too late to this party.
From a revenue standpoint, newspapers like the NW Herald are kept afloat with advertising dollars and this is where the NW Herald has, in my opinion, dropped the ball because many local businesses no longer advertise or advertise with the Herald very sporadically.
I used to advertise every week in the Herald, but rarely now.
They stopped calling on our business with advertising opportunities, they stopped offering any help designing our ads, and all of the attention and support suddenly shifted to downtown CL businesses.
I believe a NW Herald ad rep sits in on downtown monthly meetings.
In contrast, we might hear from a Herald ad rep once a year.
The pitch is usually last minute, with minimal explanation.
The last time we ran a story in the Herald was a feature section called, “All About Crystal Lake” and it was pitched to us as a city wide feature for long time businesses.
It ended up being, “All About Downtown Crystal Lake” and they shoved our very expensive advertisement at the back of the section while featuring downtown businesses up front.
Our mayor was interviewed for the article and as usual, gushed about downtown, along with the downtown association director.
They burned the bridge with us on that one.
Interestingly, the City’s main EDC person is a member of the downtown board of directors which, in my opinion, is a huge conflict, considering the City’s favoritism and subsidies of downtown.
Is there a reason why Route 14, the real economic engine of Crystal Lake continues to struggle?
Last weekend the Herald did a feature article about Small Business Saturday, a day that many of us participate in and promote.
The business featured in this article has been featured many times in the Herald and the owner is the president of the downtown association.
It would be nice if the Herald stepped out of downtown CL every once in while and covered some of the many, long-time successful businesses on route 14 and scattered throughout the city.
Heck, it would be nice if they covered other small businesses in other McHenry County cities!
We all know the “historic” downtown CL story – a quaint little shopping area, 2 blocks long, bought and paid for by TIF money and retail tax dollars collected by businesses throughout the city (with no cost sharing or contribution by downtown business owners who have exclusively benefited from all of the City’s handouts.)
The Herald seems to think that businesses in this area are more “special” than other small businesses in Crystal Lake.
I can tell you that there are many, many, small businesses outside of the downtown area who are very active with local charities and contribute every day to make Crystal Lake better.
They do this quietly and without all of the fanfare that the downtown merchants and director like to brag about.
I don’t want to spend my advertising dollars with the Herald any more because of their bias and I think many small businesses outside of downtown feel the same.
They don’t support us or represent us.
The Herald has left a lot of advertising revenue on the table, following the city’s lead and obsession with little downtown CL.
= = = = =
McHenry County Blog, of course, also accepts advertising. The price is $50 a month for a side ad (revolving images cost more), $10 a day for an ad inserted between stories, if copy is provided.
Since this is a political publication, the charge for candidates doubles in the last month before each election.


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The new version of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 mobile platform termed Mango will feature several updates including an enhanced web browser based on same engine as Internet Explorer 9. According to an xml file discovered by UnwiredView, LG is prepping to soon release a new Windows Phone 7 handset called E700 armed with Internet Explorer 9.
No other details like the look of the phone, its various specifications or camera resolution were revealed. This handset that comes equipped with built-in IE9 browser is slated for release sometime around the Mango availability.
This is likely to make it one of the few first devices that will be retailed with the latest version of Microsoft’s OS already pre-installed. Other alleged rumors suggesting launch of mobile phones featuring IE9 web browser much before the official Mango update are also doing the rounds.
The exact release date or pricing details of the LG E700 handset have not been divulged upon yet.


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Young’s Seafood Limited, the UK’s number one chilled and frozen fish business, is today announcing the results of innovative research into sustainable fishing technology. Backed by Young’s Seafood, Project TrawlLight was a scoping study compiled by the Government’s Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science using technology created by SafetyNet Technologies. The research found that…Read more
Welcome to Young's Press Office
You'll find all the latest news and updates from Young's Seafood, including new product release,
corporate announcements and industry insights.
Want to know more?
For new, media, trade and corporate enquiries please contact
Aberfield on email@example.com or 0113 880 0444


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The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) has announced an unprecedented partnership with the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) for its 32nd Annual National Convention & Business Expo taking place at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, Fl. from September 18-21, 2011. “The USHCC is committed to forming a strategic partnership with a leading […]
Tag: "U.S. Hispanic Business Leaders"
Page 1 of 11


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Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory Philippines gets fair reviews for food, mixed for service
Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory was much anticipated before it opened its doors in Ayala Malls Manila Bay and Estancia at Capitol Commons.
Excited new customers checked out the first Tokyo Milk Cheese Restaurants in the world but while they expressed satisfaction over the menu selection, they had some reservations about the waiting time and the service.
Scoring 4.3 stars out of 5 based on 93 reviews, some customers complained about the long waiting time for their orders. In one instance, a customer was told that food will be served in 20 minutes but after an hour, they were informed that the food would be ready in another 20 minutes.
Another customer expressed a similar complaint where the customer had to wait an hour and a half for their order.
In terms of flavor, the customers gave the restaurant’s selection a stellar review. (ANGEL ONG)


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The move is likely to boost consumer spending in the coming festive season.
The group also informs that during the January-August period, it has delivered 7,101,000 vehicles globally, down 2.8 per cent compared to the same period last year, when it recorded 7,302,900 vehicles.
President Donald Trump met with senior officials on Thursday at the White House to discuss the administration's plan to divide its August 2018 proposal to rollback Obama era standards through 2025.
In the longer term, of course, we could do away with internal combustion engines altogether, switching to electric vehicles.
Fair has announced the acquisition of Canvas, a vehicle subscription service provider owned by Ford Motor Credit Company, informs the automaker in a release.
Under the scheme, odd and even numbered vehicles ply on alternate days.
The scheme is based on the last digit of the vehicle's registration number. Under the scheme, odd and even numbered vehicles ply on alternate days.
The economic growth slowed to a seven-year low to 5 per cent in April to June quarter from 8 per cent a year ago, as per the government data.
In this role, Smith will be responsible for overseeing parts and service operations for MMNA in the United States, and all aspects of parts export logistics for Latin America, the company said in a statement.
Currently, there are over 4 lakh two-wheelers, 70,000 four-wheelers, including heavy commercial vehicles and cars, besides 25,000 auto-rickshaws plying on the streets of the industrial town.
The truck, having a Haryana registration number, was challaned by an enforcement team of Transport Department on the GT Karnal Road on Wednesday evening, the official said.
The GST council is meeting on September 20 and most players in the automobile industry have been lobbying for an immediate reduction in GST levied on vehicles to 18% from 28% to boost demand.
Data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Thursday showed industrial output rose to a two-month high of 4.3% in July, higher than downwardly revised 1.2% in June and lower than 6.5% in the same period last year.
The government is unlikely to offer GST concessions to the auto sector as it believes that the current slowdown is the result of higher growth in the last few years, although pressure started building up in the second half of the last fiscal.
Delhi's Transport minister Kailash Gahlot on Wednesday announced that the PUC centres will be opened for private vehicles from 11 AM to 7 PM.
BSE Auto index has eroded 23 per cent value since the end of 2018.
M.S. Mani, Partner with Deloitte India, said that during the implementation of GST, most small traders and businesses had found it difficult to shift to GST and any relief to them would be a big help for the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector.
The exhibition, a staple of the global automotive calendar, has been the target of protests by environmentalist groups like Greenpeace and Sand in the Works because of the contribution Germany's vast car industry makes to climate change.
MG Motor India's Bridge programme aims to facilitate two-way learning, from international markets to India and vice-versa, claims the automaker in a release.
Merkel insisted that some form of carbon pricing will be needed if Germany is to cut its emissions by 40% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.


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Nestle removes over 100m packaging wrappers from environment
By Chioma Obinna
Nestlé Nigeria has reiterated the need for continued consumer education on the collection and proper disposal of packaging waste. This is in line with the company’s commitment towards ensuring that none of its product packaging, including plastics, should end up in landfills or as litter in the environment, in the seas, oceans and waterways.
Waste pollution is one of the biggest sustainability issues the world is facing today. Its impact can be seen across many urban cities, oceans and waterways across the world. Nigeria generates more than 32 million metric tonnes of waste annually with Lagos alone producing about 10,000 metric tonnes which end up in landfills and in waterways, exacerbating the challenges of flooding and traffic gridlocks.
Tackling this menace requires multi-sector and multi-stakeholder collaboration to accelerate progress towards a sustainable solution. The recently concluded MAGGI MEGA MILLIONS was, therefore, a welcome intervention to sensitize the general public on the need for proper waste management. Over 100 million Maggi wrappers – over 7 tonnes, were collected and returned by participants across Nigeria.
Speaking at the end of Maggi Mega Millions in Lagos, Nwando Ajene, Category Manager Culinary, Nestlé Nigeria said, “We believe that this activity has helped encourage the proper collection, sorting and disposal of packaging materials to help ensure a cleaner environment. With the success of this initiative in retrieving this volume of wrappers in only six weeks, we believe that with all stakeholders working together, we can ensure a sustainable waste-free environment”.
Participants at the closing event included members of the Nestlé Nigeria’s management team and the Executive Secretary of the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), Agharese Lucia Onaghise,
This is a great initiative by Nestlé in line with their commitment to recovering their post-consumer waste from the environment.
It is interesting to see the amount of Maggi wraps collected from this program that would otherwise have been disposed of indiscriminately. I encourage all to continue to ensure we are responsible for the waste we generate so we can have a cleaner environment.”


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Spas in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are going full couture for the holidays.article Spas have been dressing up for years, but this year, they are bringing the decorations to a whole new level.
Article 5,000,000 people in Canada have a spa in their home, and in some parts of the country, the number of such facilities has doubled in the past two decades, according to the Association of Canadian Spa and Body Works (ACSBW).
With the help of the ACSBW’s national membership, the spa is expanding their offerings to include spa uniforms and spa dress up.
“There’s no shortage of options,” said Laurie Clements, the organization’s president.
“In some areas, the facilities are becoming quite luxurious and they’re becoming more of a symbol of spa-ness.”
The spa dress-up includes spa uniforms with sequins and flowers on them, as well as spa uniforms featuring a stylized spa staff and a spa nurse.
Spas also have a new option for their visitors to dress up for Halloween: spas decorations.
“I think that’s really cool, because you can actually decorate your room with whatever you want,” said Clements.
“You can make your own, make something like a pumpkin or something.”
Spas can have a number of different decorations, including a traditional spa bed, a sphinx, a candle, a fire, a snow globe, a snake, a clown and more.
The spas dress-ups are also a way to celebrate the holidays, especially when it comes to the holidays for spas.
“For us, Halloween is just a really special time of year, especially for our spa,” said Kari Mares, the director of events at the Spas Boutique in North York.
“We’ve been doing spas for years and years, and it’s really just a big family, and so I think it’s always really special to be able to celebrate this with other people, and bring back a little bit of that family atmosphere that we’re used to.”
Mares said the decorating has been a way for people to express themselves.
“It’s really nice to be kind of dressed up, it’s not a traditional thing, and a little spark of creativity that’s kind of something to share,” she said.
“When you’re out in the community, it really just adds to that family vibe.”
Marianne Schaeffer, the owner of the Spats Boutique, said the decorations have become so popular that she’s planning to put them up throughout the year.
“They’re not just for Halloween,” Schaeffer said.
“We’re actually going to put these up on Christmas Eve.”
I think for some people it’s a little too much, but for others, it can be something to do and a fun way to get out in nature.
“Maren said they are also planning to get a spas costume made for a Christmas party, but she said it would be a little more challenging.”
If it’s going to be a Christmas Party, you want to make sure you’re comfortable, you’re going to have to be prepared, you need to be wearing some costumes,” she added.”
But at the same time, we’ve seen a lot of people that have been out here for Halloween and they’ve been really, really good and they have had the whole family here, so it’s something they can really enjoy.
“Mare said she is happy to welcome spas to the community and to celebrate them in a positive way.”
We’re always going to do that, so if we can help do that and celebrate them with our community, then it’s great.””
It’s always been about being part of the community.
We’re always going to do that, so if we can help do that and celebrate them with our community, then it’s great.”


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SOUTH AFRICA – The Competition Commission of South Africa has recommended that the Competition Tribunal approve the proposed transaction of Consol’s Group’s acquisition by Ardagh Group after reaching a consensus.
The acquisition was first announced in November 2021, aAt the time, Ardagh said it would pay R10.1 billion (US$670m) for Consol, and finance the acquisition through a combination of its cash resources, as well as by assuming Consol’s existing debt of R5.7 billion (US$378.5m).
Headquartered in Johannesburg, and founded in 1946, Consol is a leading producer and supplier of glass packaging on the African continent headquartered in South Africa.
It serves a broad range of leading international, regional and domestic customers, principally in the food and beverage industries including the beer, alcoholic beverage, wine, fruit juice, soft drinks, mineral water and spirits industries, as well as for pharmaceuticals and cosmetics industries.
The company also has a small retail presence, supplying empty glass containers to various retailers for sale to consumers.
Meanwhile, Ardagh Group, is a global supplier of sustainable, infinitely recyclable, metal and glass packaging for brand owners.
Through its subsidiaries, it is also involved in the supply of glass manufacturing equipment and the sale of glass moulds.
The group does not have any glass manufacturing facility in SA and only exports its glass products to its customers in SA.
The deal also includes Consol’s operation spanning Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia, enabling Ardagh expand its European and North America presence in glass packaging into Africa.
Terms and conditions merging parties need to abide with
However, the commission found that the proposed transaction raised significant public interest concerns.
To remedy this concern, the merging parties agreed they will establish a new employee share ownership programme, which will hold a 7% shareholding in Consol.
Also, Ardagh will incur all reasonable capital expenditure, including raising necessary debt funding required to finalise the construction of the glass manufacturing facility planned by Consol, and invest in the construction of a new glass manufacturing facility.
Consol Glass had announced plans of establishing a new R1.5 billion factory in 2020, which was indefinitely put on hold due to the reduction in demand for glass products driven by the Covid-19 pandemic and government’s ban on the sale of alcohol.
Further, Ardagh committed to procuring recycled glass, or cullet, for use in its operations in the ordinary course, and will favour historically disadvantaged persons in such procurement. Consol shall also increase its pre-merger procurement of cullet from small or historically disadvantaged person vendors.
Additionally, within a specified time frame, Ardagh shall expand Consol’s existing cullet owner-driver scheme and support small, medium-sized and microenterprise customers through a reduction of minimum order quantities.
Meanwhile, Ardagh will use reasonable endeavours to introduce a new production line of glass-related products.
The commission was also concerned about the effect of the merger on the market for food jars and wide-mouth jars. The merging parties agreed they will continue to supply food jars or wide-mouth jars.
“The commission is of the view that the proposed remedies or conditions adequately address the public interest concerns resulting from the proposed merger,” it stated.
While Consol and Ardagh have received node for their proposed merger, the commission has prohibited the acquisition of industry peer Neopak Limited by Corruseal Group, citing the merger is likely to result in a substantial prevention and lessening of competition.
The Commission found that Neopak is considered an important independent supplier of recycled containerboard paper to firms that manufacture packaging products, thus the merger would thus result in the loss of the Neopak as a non-integrated firm.
The investigation further showed that the merger will result in the creation of an entity having high market shares irrespective of whether production capacity, production volumes or domestic sales volumes are used to measure their size.
This brought to the fore the concern that the merged entity will have the ability to act unilaterally for example by raising the prices of recycled containerboard, refusing to supply competitors of Corruseal who also rely on Neopak for recycled containerboard, or supplying downstream competitors on poor terms.


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- The travel division of the Iberostar Group has relied on Microsoft and Bravent as technology partners to develop and implement this disruptive initiative.
- Mía, located at the W2M stand at FITUR, is a realistic avatar that, thanks to previous video training, can offer 100% personalized content in real time.
W2M, the travel division of the Iberostar Group, revolutionizes FITUR, presenting the first digital person created with Generative Artificial Intelligence in the history of the trade show: Mía.
The company has relied on Microsoft’s leadership in the field of Generative AI and its partner Bravent, specialized in Artificial Intelligence solutions, to develop and launch this cutting-edge tool, which has been presented for the first time at the W2M stand at FITUR. This revolutionary project is the result of an R+D collaboration agreement between the three companies, with which they continue to work to develop different Artificial Intelligence projects with the aim of improving the efficiency of internal processes and providing new and innovative tools to automate internal processes.
Thanks to previous training and content generated by the World2Meet team, Mía can offer any type of information and 100% personalized and real-time answers about any data about the group, its main brands and destinations. This is possible thanks to advanced neural network models, which, based on a few videos and audios of a real person, make it possible to create a high-quality, synthetic-realistic talking avatar for various applications, while adhering to responsible AI practices. The potential of the solution breaks down common barriers, allowing it to reach multiple people, languages, and styles in a more inclusive way.
Joan Barceló, CIO of W2M said: «At W2M, innovation is a strategic and transversal pillar that is part of our DNA. For this reason, we are firmly committed to implementing technological tools that optimize processes and facilitate the day-to-day life of our employees. We are profoundly proud of being the first company to present such an innovative service at the FITUR fair.»
Mario López, CIO of Bravent, added that «This opportunity offered by W2M is the perfect fit between our constant commitment to personalize customer solutions and our journey in the development of Generative AI solutions based on virtual assistants. With Microsoft Azure Text to Speech Avatar, we’re taking a giant step towards creating the virtual first person, which means creating an experience that is as close to human interaction as possible.»
Marc Riera, Head of Innovation & AI at W2M, highlighted: «Mía resides in our private environment and is the result of an innovative partnership with Microsoft. With Generative AI technology ethically developed and executed on W2M, in collaboration with Bravent and powered by Microsoft, we not only elevate the customer experience to another level, but also ensure privacy and security. This initiative reflects our commitment to a revolutionary and responsible project, setting a new benchmark in the tourism sector.»
Juan Gil, Hospitality Lead at Microsoft, commented: «It is a pleasure to collaborate with a company with the innovative spirit of W2M. The disruptive creation of avatars with Generative AI enables scenarios and new possibilities for the segment of companies in the tourism sector and travelers. At Microsoft, we seek to boost operations, productivity and the creation of memorable experiences for our customers in this key sector for Spain.»
For W2M, innovation is a key lever and one of its corporate values. The company is firmly committed to promoting new concepts with the aim of inserting disruptive changes in the market while optimizing its operations thanks to technological advances.
World2Meet is the travel division of the Iberostar Group, a vertically structured tourism group (VITO). A project based on the principles of quality, innovation, sustainability and flexibility. All of this is backed by the team’s proven experience. Today, the group is made up of 17 brands specialising in the entire tourism value chain: World2Fly, Azul Marino Viajes, Flowo, Úbico, The Sphere, Dakari, Viajes Eroski, Bytour, Newblue, Icárion, Club Marco Polo, W2M Pro, Kannak, Escape Home, O7 Hotel W2M DMC and E-North Safaris.
Bravent is the Spanish technology services consultancy specialized in the development and implementation of solutions based on Microsoft technologies, with solid experience in Artificial Intelligence projects, applied to all areas of the company. With more than 10 years of experience and a team of highly committed professionals, Bravent has also consolidated its presence in the USA, Latam and Middle East regions. Learn more at www.bravent.net


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Market conditions vary across local markets, but the REALTORS® confidence and traffic indices indicate that overall market activity picked up slightly in March 2016 compared to one year ago and to the previous month, according to the March 2016 REALTORS® Confidence Index Survey Report. REALTORS® reported strong demand, but severely low inventory in many states has weighed heavily on sales and has pushed prices up, making homes increasingly unaffordable, especially for first-time buyers.
First-time home buyers accounted for 30 percent of sales. Purchases for investment purposes made up 14 percent of sales, while distressed properties were eight percent of sales. Cash sales accounted for 25 percent of sales. Nationally, properties typically were on the market 47 days and took 39 days to close the contract. There are reports that the TILA/RESPA disclosure guidelines have led to longer rate lock and escrow periods.
Very low supply, steep price increases, and lender processing delays were reported as the key issues affecting sales, especially to first-time home buyers. Appraisal backlogs and below-market” and “inconsistent” appraisals were also reported to be causing transaction delays and cancellations.The collapse in oil prices remains a concern in the oil-producing states of North Dakota, Alaska, New Mexico, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Texas, and Montana. Still, with the spring and summer months coming, respondents were generally confident about the outlook for the next six months across all property types. Respondents typically expected prices to increase 3.7 percent in the next 12 months.
 The TILA‒RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) regulations came into effect on October 3, 2015. The new guidelines are intended to provide disclosures that will be helpful to consumers in understanding the key features, costs, and risks of the mortgage for which they are applying.
 The indices are not seasonally adjusted.


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February 13, 2018
ESPN announces streaming details… Fans yawn
ESPN, which bills its media brand as the worldwide leader in sports, soon hopes to be the worldwide trendsetter in live, streaming sports. The network, which is owned by Disney, announced plans to unveil its new streaming app to consumers this spring. The new streaming app, which will be called ESPN Plus, will be a subscription service that will cost consumers about $4.99 a month. This pay service will debut alongside an updated ESPN app. Disney CEO Bob Iger touted the app, saying it would let consumers “see ESPN just about any way imaginable…”
But, of course, there’s a catch. While the lineup has yet to be announced, ESPN has admitted that viewers will not be able to watch the biggest games shown on the network for only five bucks a month. To tune into those, viewers will need to continue to maintain an existing subscription service that offers the full ESPN experience. So, what, exactly, will viewers get for their Abe Lincoln every month? Iger describes the content as “greatly expanded array of programs…” as well as live sports not currently widely available in the US. Some examples? Baseball, soccer, boxing, hockey, golf, rugby, and cricket…
Notice the big omission there? No football. Neither NCAA college football nor the NFL made Iger’s list of five-buck viewing options. Iger tried to sweeten the deal by telling reporters ESPN’s popular 30 For 30 documentary series would be available on the app. That omission in this situation is a good example of the gap that now exists between a “cord-free” viewing experience and the desire for cable networks to keep people subscribed for as long as possible.
Disney, as a parent company to ESPN, is in kind of a bind trying to walk this fine line. The company still depends on TV programming, broadcast via cable, for significant income. The company owns several cable channels, including Disney branded content, several ESPN iterations, and all the ABC channels. Disney also has a stake in A&E. In other words, the imminent death of cable could be a big deal for Disney’s bottom line. If too many people cut the cord and Disney’s apps bomb, they could be in trouble in a big way, without any direct to consumer options.
Disney has been trying to wean customers off cable by offering content on Netflix and Amazon, as well as Hulu, the streaming service in which Disney owns a minority stake. But those offerings, though popular, were nothing in comparison to the properties still tethered to cable TV. Sure, everyone loved the Marvel shows on Netflix and Disney has some popular kids content on streaming too … but nothing can touch college football or the NFL.Sooner or later, Disney will have to decide to side with the trend or continue dragging its feet.
In the meantime, Iger’s likely to have a tough time getting huge numbers of American sports fans to cough up five bucks to watch hockey, cricket, and a series of documentaries they can already get on cable.


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Top grossing non-gaming apps in the U.S. last year included Pandora, Disney+, and YouTube
Worldwide spending on the top 100 non-game subscription apps worldwide through the Apple App Store reached a total of $10.3 billion last year. That figure was almost four times the $2.7 billion amount spent in the Google Play Store over the same time period according to Sensor Tower. Overall spending in that category (both iOS and Android) rose 34% on an annual basis from $9.7 billion in 2019 to $13 billion last year. Consumers spent $111 billion on in-app purchases in both app storefronts last year. In 2020, U.S. consumers spent $5.9 billion on the top 100 non-game mobile apps offering subscriptions during 2020. That was a 26% hike over the $4.6 billion spent on such apps in 2019.
If there is one thing that has been true over time, it is that the App Store generates more revenue than the Google Play Store even though Android controls roughly 85% of the global smartphone market. But here is something that Android users might want to know. The top 100 non-game subscription apps took in $4.5 billion in 2020 from the U.S. App Store, up 26%. While the same type of apps generated a much lower $1.4 billion in the Play Store last year, the year-over-year increase of 40% was larger than the 26% that the App Store achieved.
YouTube generated the highest amount of revenue among non-game subscription apps in the U.S. last year
While talking about these numbers might be interesting, what you want to know is the name of the apps that sucked up cash like a vacuum cleaner collects dust. So here we go. The number one app in the App Store by revenue worldwide last year was YouTube. The streaming video app took in a leading $991.7 million bucks in the last year which includes the $562 million it generated in the U.S. It was the top subscription app in the App Store while Google One had this honor in the Google Play Store taking in $445 million worldwide and $255.7 million in the U.S. The service includes cloud storage. Every Google Account starts with 15GB of free storage shared with Google Photos, Drive, and Gmail. In the states, an additional 100GB of cloud storage is $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year. 200GB of storage is $2.99 per month or $29.99 annually. And 2TB of data is $9.99 per month or $99.99 for a year.
Top grossing non-game subscription apps in the U.S. last year
The second largest subscription app in the states last year was the hugely successful Disney+ streamer. With close to 100 million customers, Disney+ is well ahead of expectations thanks to a huge variety of programming including Marvel's popular WandaVision which stars two characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Disney+ finished third in the App Store for 2020 and was second in the Google Play Store. This finish must have made the Disney executives in charge of streaming ecstatic for topping expectations.
The third highest grossing subscription app in the U.S. was dating app Tinder which got help from its second place showing in the App Store. It didn't place in the top ten non-game subscription apps in the Play Store. We already told you that Google One was the top grossing app in the U.S. version of the Google Play Store last year. But overall in the states, the dating app finished fifth after Pandora. The music streamer was fourth overall and in the App Store and did a tad better in the Google Play Store where it was third.
Speaking of streamers, video streamer HBO Max first left the starting gate on May 27th. Led by popular sitcom Friends (an HBO Max exclusive), the app finished 8th overall among non-game subscription apps in the U.S., seventh in the App Store, and fifth in the Google Play Store. Thanks to its ESPN+ premium service, ESPN hit the charts last year. Combining iOS and Android versions of the app, ESPN finished in 10th place. In the App Store it was ninth, and was sixth for 2020 in the Google Play Store.


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Furious MPs today demand new chancellor Rishi Sunak axe an EU-imposed tax that has added almost £2,000 to the cost of a new motorhome and hand a post-Brexit boost to British businesses.
Under a green Brussels regulation change last September the vehicle excise duty for new campervans rocked from £265 in the first year to £2,135, an increase of more than 700 per cent.
Many motorhomes are manufactured in the UK and the sector has seen new sales fall 7.3 per cent since the increase came in, according to the National Caravan Council (NCC).
A campaign to reverse the swingeing new tax has cross-party support among MPs, who want the chancellor to promote domestic tourism and manufacturing now that the UK has left the EU by removing the tax in next month’s Budget.
Richard Holden, the new North West Durham Conservative MP, said: ‘This EU Regulation is causing unnecessary and untold damage to Britain’s tourism and motorhome manufacturers.
‘It’s time Britain broke free and put our domestic manufacturing and tourism sectors first.
‘The Chancellor must take the first opportunity to ditch this EU regulation at earliest opportunity at this years budget.’
According to the NCC the leisure vehicle sector – which includes motorhomes, campervans and caravans – contributes more than £9.3billion to the economy, employing for than 130,000 nationwide.
UK manufacturers build more than half of motorhomes registered in the UK but face significant pressure from foreign firms.
They are unhappy at the impact of last September’s change, which was spurred into effect by the Volkswagen diesel scandal, where the German firm falsified emissions data to make their engines seem less polluting than they were.
Previously, motorhomes were classed as light goods commercial vehicle, because of the chassis they were built upon.
But under the new regime they are classified as cars, despite being based on commercial vehicles.
And 96.9 per cent of all motorhomes built in the UK are based on a chassis that allows installation of just four different engines – which are all diesels that exceed maximum emission levels. There is currently no electric-only option.
A campaign has now been launched for them to be switched back to being classed as commercial vehicles.
The Fair Motorhome Tax campaign says it is unfair to impose this higher level levy on vehicles used a few times a year, when vans with the same engines travel many thousands of miles per year but pay far less tax.
They also point to a potential knock-on effect to UK tourism businesses if sales drop.
Former Brexit Secretary David Davis, the Tory MP for Haltemprice and Howden in Yorkshire, has one of the largest manufacturers, Swift, based in his constituency, where it employs more than 1,000 people.
‘One of the important advantages of Brexit is the ability to decide our own taxation rules,’ he said.
‘The motorhomes tax, which is damaging both to the industry and many less well off holidaymakers, should be the first to go.’
NCC director general John Lally said: ‘NCC firmly believes that new generation motorhomes and campervans should not be taxed as cars but should have their own dedicated VED category going forward.
‘We have enormous support for this, from within our industry, from MPs, and from the media and we now would like to see some action from HMRC.’
A Treasury spokesman said: ‘We want to incentivise drivers to make the greenest choices, which is why we’ve introduced a new, robust CO2 emissions test procedure.
‘Motorhomes move into a different VED category as a result, but we recognise the concerns of the sector, and keep all taxes under review.’


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The EU has said it will not rush into a decision about the fairness of Google's search results.
Speaking to Reuters, EU competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia said he hadn't decided to formally charge Google yet.
"We are not there yet," he said. "This is a complex case. We are not in a hurry. We are very serious about the investigation."
Thus dispelling that rumour that the EU competition commission was just sitting around eating sandwiches and aimlessly searching for Googlewhacks.
The EU is investigating claims that Google prioritises its own products' search results over their competing products in Google searches, and had been expected to announce its next step in the case just after Easter.
There are 16 complaints against the Mountain View company over search bias, including several from travel companies like TripAdvisor.


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Miami, FL, April 15, 2012 --(PR.com
)-- Max Borges Agency, the fastest growing tech PR and social media firm focusing on B2B and B2C consumer electronics and technology, has signed agreements with these industry-defining companies:
- Clarion – Leading manufacturer for all auto-based interactive technology
- Geneva Labs – Hi-Fi simplified – iPod/iPhone, CD, FM – All in one
- Palo Alto Audio – Designer of creative audio sound systems
- iCache – World’s first intelligent, secure and easy-to-use digital wallet, the Geode
- Detached – Bringing consumers JuiceTank, the first case with integrated wall charger for iPhone® 4/4s
- Wahoo Fitness – Experts in smartphone fitness technology
- Motrr – Revolutionary, iOS-controlled robotic iPhone® platform with infinite spherical rotation capability
- Musubo – Smartphone accessories that go beyond tradition
- MyPix2Canvas – Turns digital photos into high-quality canvas photo prints
- LIL KIKR – Premium iPod® and iPhone® charging dock amplifies music up to 10 db
“Fueled by increased efficiencies and industry-leading technology PR results, the growth of the agency continues to soar,” said President & Founder Max Borges. “The social media department continues to develop tremendously creative solutions, while our Latin American and Enterprise Technology divisions provide comprehensive solutions to our clients. The ‘can do’ philosophy allows the agency to successfully and continuously expand to better meet the needs of the clients.”
Max Borges Agency has signed 27 clients and is up 40% YTD 2012. Agency representatives will be at the CTIA Wireless event in New Orleans and CE Week in New York in May and June, respectively.
For more information, please visit www.maxborgesagency.com.
About Max Borges Agency
Founded in 2002, Max Borges Agency is the nation’s only tech public relations and social media agency with a 100% focus on the technology industry. Representing over 60 of the most innovative brands and generating unparalleled volumes of impactful press coverage, Max Borges Agency has spearheaded the launch of over 1,000 products and services. MBA, official Consumer Electronics Association member and 2012 International CES Media Partner, was selected by Inc. magazine in 2009 - 2011 as one of the US’s fastest growing private companies and chosen as one of Outside Magazine’s and South Florida Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in 2010 & 2012. MBA has strategic alliances with numerous industry affiliates, marketing service providers and is a member of the Global Tech PR Group.
Director, Marketing & Business Development
Max Borges Agency
(305) 374.4404 x122


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In addition to launching the PlayStation Vita TV, Sony has also released an all new PlayStation Vita handheld which is now 20 percent thinner than its predecessor and has better battery life and is available in a bouquet of new colors.
The new PS Vita handheld measures just 15 mm and weighs in at a nimble 219 grams. Sony has replaced the OLED display with a new LCD panel, but there is no word regarding the use of its Triluminus display technology. Besides this, it has 1GB of internal memory, micro-USB charging, and Sony claims now the gaming product will offer improved battery life adding another hour of play time, rounding off at a figure of 6 hours.
It will be offered in six new colors that include – white, black, blue, yellow, pink, and olive green. Sony is also reducing the price of its proprietary 64GB memory cards in Japan, and this probably will be mirrored internationally. The new PS Vita will get launched in Japan on October 10, and there is no word about its international release.


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Primesight is now part of Global
London, December 21 2015
The Moroccan National Tourist Office is launching its first-ever digital out-of-home (DOOH) campaign with Primesight. The MuchMorocco campaign is leveraging ‘Network’, Primesight’s industry-leading portfolio of digital roadside 48-sheets, and digital posters in cinema foyers to maximise exposure for Morocco in the run-up to the tourist industry’s busiest booking period.
MuchMorocco is running five different creatives across Primesight inventory within a 90-minute drive from key UK airports until December 31. The colourful posters highlight the country’s many attractions, from its beautiful coastline and temperate climate to the bustling culture of Marrakesh.
As January is an important booking period, MuchMorocco will create memorable impact and increase awareness via Primesight’s digital roadside network, which this month reached 50 sites, while tapping into the positive emotional state of the cinema environment, to drive purchasing intention. Creative was handled by Spring, which is working with the Moroccan National Tourist Office across an exciting communications campaign encompassing on- and offline media.
Mark Henson, Head of Business Development at Primesight, said: “It’s exciting to see ‘Network’, our digital, large-format proposition, drawing advertisers to OOH that have historically tended to use other media.
“Even better to see the Moroccan National Tourist Office and Spring, its creative agency, making full use of the creative flexibility of DOOH, with the five separate pieces of copy showing off the vibrancy and variety of Morocco across these stunning sites.”
Amine Boughaleb, the Moroccan National Tourist Office Director for UK & Ireland, said: “Using DOOH is an ideal solution for us. It gives our creative additional impact, has allowed us to get the campaign live in record speed, and also offers great flexibility to change messaging as and when we wish to. In embracing the opportunities presented by new technology, we can reach large numbers of potential holidaymakers at a key point in their decision-making process.”
This new partnership between Primesight and the Moroccan National Tourist Office is reflective of the change occurring in media today, particularly as DOOH's flexibility and quality of presentation continues to attract new clients that have traditionally invested elsewhere. Tourist industry spend in OOH media has seen a year-on-year increase of 112%, elevating OOH's total market share from 7-18%.


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Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Reportedly, Su Weibing, general-manager of Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile Company Ltd. (DPCA) and other senior executives of the company will fly to Beijing to deliver a face-to-face communication with employees in terms of the existing conflict.
On January 10, 2018, DPCA announced that from January 15, it will move the two brand departments of Dongfeng Peugeot and Dongfeng Citroen to its headquarter in Wuhan and the marketing functional division of the two brands will leave for Shanghai.
This announcement was made for enhancing the company’s efficiency in communication and decision-making according to DPCA. However, some of Dongfeng Peugeot’s employees were dissatisfied with suddenness of the removal and unreason of the compensation terms. They wrote a letter blackened with signatures asking for some persuasive explanations from company's authority.
As to the controversial issues that concern employees, reporter has got a part of answers from the insiders of DPCA.
The rumor spreading on Internet that “employees have to move to Wuhan or Shanghai by January 15, otherwise, the company will disband them” is not true. January 10 is just the date that the company made the announcement and started to negotiate with employees to change the working place of labor contract. January 15 is the time that employees should have a meeting with managers in Wuhan.
Besides, DPCA will compensate those who will move to Shanghai or Wuhan in many aspects, such as rental subsidies, removal expenses, transportation subsidies, etc. Meanwhile, the company will help them settle in new cities and tackle other problems like children’s education and social security.
In addition, if employees refuse to change the working place, the company will terminate the labor contract with them according to the law and compensate them for severance package.
Gasgoo not only offers timely news and profound insight about China auto industry, but also help with business connection and expansion for suppliers and purchasers via multiple channels and methods.
All Rights Reserved. Do not reproduce, copy and use the editorial content without permission. Contact us: email@example.com.


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The Department of Energy has decided that certain light bulbs won’t have to show improved energy efficiency after all.
The department last week announced it intends to scrap plans for tougher efficiency rules that would have kicked in next year for a variety of bulb types, including reflector, globe-shaped, and candelabra lamps, according to a statement from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The new efficiency standards were to be the second stage of a process approved by Congress in 2007.
The announcement won’t affect tougher standards for A-type lamps — the familiar pear-shaped bulbs used in many lamps and fixtures. Those will have to meet the 2020 efficiency minimum of 45 lumens per watt as originally outlined.
The planned expansion of efficiency rules would have extended efficiency requirements to bulbs that are now in nearly 3 billion light sockets in the U.S., the ACEEE said, and pushed incandescent versions of those lamps off the shelves.
The dispute hinges on a definition of a “general service lamp.” Officials decided in 2017 that the list should include reflector lamps, small candelabras, three-way bulbs, and the globe lamps used in bathroom fixtures. That would make them subject to the 45 lumen-per-watt limit next year. The industry fought the decision.
The proposed rule says that DOE has determined that the legal basis for adding those lamps to a list requiring higher efficiency “misconstrued existing law.” The department has scheduled a public meeting on February 28 to discuss the plan and will be taking public comments for 60 days. (You can attend the hearing via webinar by registering here.)
Critics cite cost to consumers, increased power use
Efficiency advocates blasted the plan and said it would cost consumers roughly $100 per year in added electricity costs while pushing up power consumption in the U.S. by 80 billion kWh per year. That’s the combined electricity use in all households in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The move also would lead to more pollution from power plants.
Andrew deLaski, who heads the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, said in an analysis last year that the standards as originally written would have saved consumers about $22 billion in 2025. Total electricity savings would have exceed 140 billion kWh that year.
“The rollback sought by manufacturers would potentially eliminate all savings from the 2020 standards, slowing the transition to energy-efficient lighting and hurting consumers and the economy,” deLaski wrote.
Writing for the Natural Resources Defense Council, Noah Horowitz said the change would cost consumers as much as $12 billion on their utility bills and mean an additional 34 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
“DOE’s new proposal rolls back most of the definition that was previously updated in early 2017 by DOE under the Obama administration and needlessly provides a lifeline for the inefficient incandescent and halogen bulbs designed to go into 2.7 billion sockets — just under half of all conventional sockets in the United States — even though more energy-efficient models exist today,” Horowitz said in a blog.
Industry supports the change
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association, a trade group, said in a statement posted at its website that it had requested that the DOE review decisions it made in 2017 that would have broadened the definitions of bulbs to include a number of specialty types.
“NEMA argued that the inclusion of these specialty light bulbs in the definition of general service lamp was inconsistent with the text of the law and they were not ‘general service’ light bulbs,” the statement said. “Congress expressly stated these lamps were ‘not included’ in its definition of general service lamp.”
The group argued that the DOE plan is not actually rolling back any standards: “It is not legally possible to backslide from a point DOE could not legally stand upon in the first place,” it said. “To think otherwise would erode the rule of law and the primacy of Congress in establishing public policy.”
Also, NEMA said, consumers already get it and are switching to more efficient types of bulbs on their own. Shipments of general service LEDs topped compact fluorescent lamps and incandescent bulbs in the third quarter of 2017. By the third quarter of last year, LED lamps accounted for 65% of all general service shipments.
“NEMA estimates that approximately 75-77% of general service lamp sockets are occupied by general service LEDs and compact fluorescent lamps,” the statement said.
NEMA’s position is laid out in two blogs that review Congressional action on efficiency standards (they are available here and here). NEMA says that the 2017 rule adopted by DOE incorrectly applied to certain types of lamps.
“The DOE’s rule redefining general-service lamps was a regulatory expansion that relied upon an interpretation of Congress’s text that, in our view, can only be described as legally erroneous,” NEMA said.
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An art experiment in which photographs of McDonald's food was shown to not decay over the course of a year started some who enjoy the occasional Big Mac or golden fries.
New York photographer Sally Davies left a McDonald's cheeseburger happy meal, complete with a small side order of french fries, siting on a shelf in her home for more than 130 days. Every three days, Davies took a photo of the food. By day 137, the food looked pretty much the same.
Some were quick to blame McDonald's for using preservatives to elicit the appearance of "fresh" food. But scientists now say it's preservatives aren't the reason why the Golden Arch's food won't break down.
Instead, scientists at a university in Washington say fat found within the food may be to blame. Fries and burgers sold by McDonald's are high in fat -- more than 50% of the 250 calories found in McDonald's french fries contain fat, and the same amount can be said for the restaurant chain's burgers.
"Anything that is high in fat will be low in moisture," Washington State University professor Barry Swanson told Salon.com.
Low moisture on a surface means mold can't grow, which means the food can't decay.
It doesn't help that McDonald's pours on the salt too. A McDonald's double cheeseburger contains 1150 milligrams of sodium, while a large order of fries contains 350 milligrams of sodium. Foods high in sodium will have a low decay rate as sodium acts as a preservative.Copyright © 2014, Orlando Sentinel


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In recent weeks, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have become an unexpected sensation in the world of Halloween costumes for couples. The surge in search interest surrounding the two celebrities can be attributed to Swift’s appearances at Kansas City Chiefs games. Let’s delve into the details of this fascinating trend and what it means for Halloween enthusiasts and fashion brands.
The Google Search Surge
A recent analysis of Google search results conducted by Music Industry How To has revealed a remarkable surge in search queries related to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce costumes. Over the last seven days, searches for “Travis Kelce costume” have skyrocketed by a staggering 761 percent, while “Taylor Swift costume” queries have seen a substantial increase of 464 percent. These surges in search interest can be directly linked to Swift’s attendance at two Kansas City Chiefs games.
Swift’s first appearance at a Chiefs game was during their match against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 24. This event alone saw a significant spike in searches for both “Travis Kelce costume” and “Taylor Swift costume.” Her subsequent presence at the Kansas City Chiefs vs. New York Jets game on Oct. 1 further fueled this trend.
As Halloween approaches, individuals are actively searching for costumes that reflect the latest trends. This year, it seems that the combination of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is a hot choice for couples’ Halloween costumes. Searches for “Travis Kelce Halloween costume” have surged by 466 percent, while “Taylor Swift Halloween costume” queries have experienced an even more impressive increase of 816 percent.
Moreover, searches for costume ideas that include both celebrities, such as “Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift costume” and “Taylor and Travis costume,” have surged by 528 percent and 629 percent, respectively. The desire to emulate this high-profile couple’s style is evident in the rising search trends.
The Influence on Couples’ Costume Searches
Interestingly, Swift and Kelce’s joint appearances have not only boosted searches for individual costumes but have also led to a 277 percent increase in searches for “couples costume” on the same day as their first public outing together. The interest in coordinating costumes for couples reached a 90-day high after the news of their joint appearances spread.
Impact on Fashion Brands
Swift’s attendance at Kelce’s football games has not only affected costume searches but has also made a significant impact on certain fashion brands. For instance, following her appearance at the Jets game, the crystal-cut denim shorts she wore from Area quickly sold out online, demonstrating the influence of celebrity fashion choices on consumer behavior.
Additionally, when Swift attended Kelce’s game against the Chicago Bears, sales of his jersey experienced a remarkable spike, becoming one of the top five jerseys sold on Sept. 24. This surge in jersey sales reached across the Fanatic network of sites, including nflshop.com, with a remarkable 400 percent increase.
Swift’s overall influence on the fashion industry, particularly for luxury brands like Area, cannot be underestimated. According to data from Launchmetrics, her “Eras” tour generated an astounding $97.5 million in media impact value (MIV) by mid-August. Designers like Roberto Cavalli, who dressed Swift for the tour, accumulated $4.9 million in MIV, while Zuhair Murad, another designer she worked with, scored $2.3 million in MIV. These figures highlight Swift’s significant role as a fashion influencer.
As Halloween enthusiasts seek the perfect costume for this year’s festivities, the search for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce-inspired outfits has taken center stage. The surge in search interest for these celebrity costumes, driven by Swift’s appearances at Chiefs games, underscores the enduring influence of celebrities on popular culture and fashion trends. Moreover, it reaffirms Taylor Swift’s status as a fashion icon capable of making a significant impact on the choices consumers make.
Why are Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce costumes so popular this Halloween?
The popularity of these costumes can be attributed to Taylor Swift’s appearances at Kansas City Chiefs games, where she was seen supporting Travis Kelce.
What are the top Halloween costume searches related to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce?
Searches for “Travis Kelce Halloween costume” and “Taylor Swift Halloween costume” have seen significant increases, along with searches for couples’ costume ideas involving both celebrities.
How has Taylor Swift’s fashion choices impacted brands like Area and jersey sales for Travis Kelce?
Taylor Swift’s fashion choices have led to increased sales for brands like Area, with items she wore selling out online. Travis Kelce’s jersey sales also spiked after Swift attended a game wearing it.
Why are couples’ costumes in high demand this year?
The demand for couples’ costumes has surged after Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were spotted together, inspiring many to coordinate their Halloween outfits.
What is the overall influence of Taylor Swift in the fashion industry?
Taylor Swift has a significant influence on the fashion industry, particularly for luxury brands, as evidenced by the high media impact value (MIV) generated during her “Eras” tour.
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Macintosh and iPod sales helped boost Apple Inc’s fiscal third-quarter earnings 31 percent, beating Wall Street’s expectations on Monday, but investors pummeled the stock after Apple issued soft guidance for the current quarter.
Apple chief executive Steve Jobs did not join the conference call with investors, prompting an analyst to inquire about his health. Jobs has survived pancreatic cancer.
“He has no plan to leave Apple,” chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer said. “Steve’s health is a private matter.”
Apple earned US$1.07 billion, or US$1.19 per share, in the fiscal quarter ending June 28 — US$0.11 ahead of Wall Street’s expectations, based on a Thomson Financial survey of analysts.
Revenue jumped 38 percent to US$7.46 billion — ahead of analysts’ average forecast of US$7.37 billion in sales.
Apple said Mac shipments in the quarter reached a record 2.5 million, up 41 percent from a year ago, with desktop shipments growing faster than laptops. Apple also said iPod sales jumped 12 percent.
The company shipped 717,000 iPhones, a device launched a year ago that melds smartphone and portable media player features.
Oppenheimer said he was confident Apple would meet its goal of selling 10 million iPhones this fiscal year, including the cheaper, faster iPhone 3G that reached stores in 22 countries early this month.
Oppenheimer said sales from its retail stores, most of which are in the US, rose faster than revenue overall, despite economic turmoil wrought by the domestic mortgage and credit crises.
He also teased forthcoming “state-of-the-art new products that our competitors just aren’t going to be able to match,” but told investors he could not give any details.
“The quarter was a home run,” Oppenheimer said in an interview earlier on Monday, but at first glance, investors disagreed. Apple’s shares sank US$18.04, or 10.8 percent, to US$148.25 in after-hours trading, after gaining US$1.34 to close at US$166.29.
Investors might have been spooked by Apple’s conservative outlook for fiscal fourth quarter, though the company often shoots low.
Apple predicted profit of US$1 per share on US$7.8 billion in sales — well short of Wall Street’s expectations. Analysts had been expecting Apple’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings to reach US$1.24 per share on US$8.32 billion in sales.
“The stock is plagued by high expectations,” said Shaw Wu, an analyst for American Technology Research, in an interview. “Looking at the numbers by themselves, they are actually quite strong.”
Investors may also have been eyeing a drop in Apple’s gross margin, which fell to 34.8 percent from 36.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. During the call, Apple said that the margin was actually better than expected, helped in part by better commodity prices and stronger sales of higher-margin products.
Apple doesn’t disclose margins for specific products, but Wu said Macs, which sold briskly in the quarter, were among the company’s higher-margin items.
Looking ahead at the fourth quarter and next fiscal year, Oppenheimer forecast even lower margins, tied in part to the launch of undisclosed new products.
Wu said he didn’t know exactly what Apple is planning, but said he expected changes to the Mac laptop lineup.


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Igor Levin is the founder of the company “Elektrosfera” with the brand Antelope Audio , a world leader in digital audio technology. The company was founded in Bulgaria by Levin, who for the first time in the world introduced the use of an atomic clock in music engineering as a radical innovation. The entire cycle of development and production takes place in Bulgaria. In 2016, the company won an award in the Market Leadership category of the 12th Innovative Enterprise of the Year Competition, organized by the Applied Research and Communications Fund and Enterprise Europe Network – Bulgaria.
Read the interview he gave to the magazine “Ikonomika”, within the communication campaign of the Contest, for issue 73/May.


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The Town of Leesburg’s Economic Development Office will hold its next quarterly HUBZone business meeting on Thursday, April 28 at the Mason Enterprise Center.
The guest speaker will be Stan Fujii, who worked for the U.S. Small Business Administration for more than 20 years in various capacities before launching his own management consulting business focused on assisting businesses to understand the federal procurement process.
The session will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. It is free and open to all small businesses. The Mason Enterprise Center is located at 202 Church Street SE.
For more information about Leesburg’s HUBZone, go to leesburgva.gov/hubzone or contact Kindra Harvey at firstname.lastname@example.org or 703-737-6530.


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What Will a U.S. - China Trade War Mean for Europe?
The U.S and China could be entering a trade war, but what will this mean for European Union manufacturers as their biggest trading partners?
By Nathalie Lindenhall, Account Manager, MSL UK
On the campaign trail, Trump – businessman and reality TV star – presented himself as a force for change who would bring manufacturing jobs back to the US by all means necessary. A year and a half into his term, this mission is still a priority, but has been confronted by the reality of governing: getting Congress approval can be difficult and lengthy.
President Trump’s first year has been centered around his ability to deliver on bold promises. Though some have been be broken, others have been kept, and right now his agenda to change trade policy is in full effect.
Read more on the MSL UK blog.
Nathalie Lindenhall is a multilingual Account Manager in the Corporate team, working across a range of global brands including EY and the fintech leader TransferWise. At MSL, she manages the day-to-day running of her accounts and leads on media relations. She also supports on content strategy, campaign management and event planning.


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IN FLORIDA, where orange juice has long been king, the $3 billion industry is losing its crown jewels. Since 1979, three freezes have devastated trees in Florida orange groves, the last wiping out close to a third of the state's crop. And now, seedlings that it was hoped would eventually replenish those groves are being threatened by citrus canker, a destructive disease that has thus far forced the burning of infected plants in six nurseries.
The Florida Citrus Commission predicts that the canker will not change the supply or price of oranges harvested this season, more than 90 percent of which will be processed into juice. Instead, the outbreak only aggravates an already tenuous situation.
In short, vast and complex changes have been occurring in the Florida orange juice industry, an industry that supplies the United States with 80 percent of the drink. And the gist of it is this: The connection that binds orange juice to Florida like lobsters to Maine is being severed. While orange juice may still be processed in the Sunshine State, nowadays it is a cross-breed, a blend. That carton in the refrigerator case or can in the freezer is a hybrid that includes concentrate from Brazil.
Consider the following supply-and-demand situation: Recent Florida freezes have decreased dramatically the numbers of oranges harvested for fresh and processed use. In 1979-80, the last harvest without a freeze, 206 million boxes of oranges were harvested. Last year, that figure dropped to 116 million. And for this year's '84-'85 season, according to Bill Jones, public relations director of the Florida Citrus Commission, the industry is estimating the orange harvest at between 95 and 110 million boxes.
At the same time, U.S. consumption of orange juice made from concentrate has increased substantially -- in fact, it doubled from 1970 to 1983, a trend that the Florida Citrus Commission attributes to an industry-wide quality improvement program, a massive advertising campaign and more recently, widespread consumer demand for fruit and fruit juices.
So to counter increasing demand with dwindling supply, the Brazilian orange market has been tapped. Since 1977, the United States has been Brazil's major market for frozen concentrate, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In fact, in 1982, according to the USDA, Brazilian imports of frozen concentrate contributed to more than half of U.S. production and nearly half of U.S. consumption. And although that figure fell slightly in 1983, predictions are that 1984 will be another boom year for Brazilian imports.
Brazilian concentrate is blended in the United States with Florida concentrate in varying ratios, depending on the processor, said Tim Clarke, director of corporate relations of Tropicana. Florida concentrate is sweeter than Brazilian, said Clarke, and interestingly, what makes it so are Florida's colder winter nights, which help to crystallize and retain the sugar. Processors can keep concentrate frozen for long periods, although the USDA says that U.S. juice processors do not maintain enough frozen concentrate to cover large shortfalls in production.
So while the extent of the infestation still remains to be seen, the canker's effect on the immediate future of orange juice will probably remain unchanged. But until Florida recovers from it and the past frosts, processors can only look forward to an increasing dependence on Brazilian concentrate, says Ben Huang, an agricultural economist at the USDA. And for the consumer, says Jones of the Florida Citrus Commission, it all means that relief from already-high orange juice prices is unlikely. The August 1984 Consumer Price Index for a 12-ounce can of frozen orange juice concentrate was $1.69, the highest ever recorded.
In the meantime, prices of California fresh oranges (about 75 percent of that state's oranges are sold fresh) remain high. Last week, California valencias were selling for two for 79 cents at Safeway and three for 99 cents at Giant.
The reason, however, has nothing to do with the canker, but with a general nationwide shortage of eating oranges. Besides a total wipeout of Texas' crop -- also due to a devastating freeze -- it is the tail end of a "very short" valencia season, according to Shirley Kirkpatrick of California Citrus Mutual, a trade association. Navel oranges (which are too bitter for juice) aren't harvested until Thanksgiving, she said.
But until the fresh and juice situation irons itself out, this could, says Barbara Ettinger of Safeway, be "the year of alternative vitamin C sources."


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The UK data centre will be a third Amazon Web Services region in the EU, joining Dublin and Frankfurt.
The weather is fast becoming an innovation incubator for the spread of big data, the Internet of Things, machine learning and cloud storage.
UpdatedOnline storage services have increasingly become part of everyday life. We compare the major players' offerings.
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Moving big data to the cloud takes serious bandwidth. Amazon's answer is a mail-able 50TB hard drive with a built-in Kindle.
UpdatedNintendo's new 3DS is more than a refresh - it's the console it should have been from the start.
UpdatedThe Roku 4 is the fastest, most egalitarian streaming player on the market, but relies heavily on the world being ready for 4K.
UpdatedRoku 3 is still the gold standard in HD streaming, but if you're looking for 4K, you need a Roku 4.
One of the most affordable curvy OLEDs out there – but that still means the glorious TV tech comes at a high price.
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Adobe is moving away from Flash, renaming it Animate CC and recommending HTML5 and other standards for the web.
Samsung's new Gear VR-ready browser brings the entire internet to the virtual reality world.
Techradar dealsFancy a super-sleek Android phone with the latest version of Android? We've got the top deals right here.


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Focus On: Barbecue by Rob Brown and Natalie Brown
Download feature synopsis here
Publishing: 28 March
Advertising deadline: 16 March
Submissions deadline: 9 March
Welcome to the clean eating barbecue. Burgers may still be the mainstay of the barbie, but UK consumers are increasingly turning to healthier options such as lamb and fish. Indeed, an extra 11 million servings were chosen for health reasons last year, according to Kantar. And that means a steer towards options that are perceived as more natural and less processed. On the one hand, it’s good news. Because these options tend to be pricier than a bargain burger, it could help to counteract the impact of unreliable weather, which resulted in 20 million fewer barbecue occasions last year. At the same time, the desire for unprocessed food doesn’t look good for traditional barbecue meats – or even plant-based meat substitutes. So what is driving the desire for clean eating barbecues? Just how big is this trend? And what does this mean for the future of the barbie?
Clean eating: Which retailers and brands are capitalising on growing demand for clean eating BBQ food, and how? What is driving demand for unprocessed, natural food for the grill, where are there gaps in the market to be filled, and what has the trend meant for the more processed BBQ products?
Meat: Which meats are playing into the clean eating trend? And what are sales looking like for those that don’t, such as burgers and sausages?
Vegetarian and plant based meats: Vegan-friendly products have been consistently firing up barbecues. Can that level of growth continue? Or does this move towards less processed options threaten their future?
BBQ additions: Traditional accompaniments to the barbie like vegetables and table sauce are in decline. What are the products replacing them? Are Brits switching to new BBQ sides, or are they ditching them altogether?
Weekday BBQs: For the first time in three years, Brits are whacking on the BBQ on more during the week than on the weekend. How does the midweek BBQ differ from the weekend, and how has the decline in weekend BBQs impacted sector sales?
Weather: After a scorching 2018, summer last year left a lot to be desired. How did the weather in 2019 impact BBQ occasions and sales, and what can brands and retailers do to weather proof their offer this year?
Kantar data: Using Kantar commentary, we explain the reasons behind the rise and fall of certain sub-categories.
Kantar data: Using Kantar commentary, we explain the reasons behind the changing need states at the BBQ.
Innovations: We identify four new products that have ideally not appeared in The Grocer before including launch date and RSP, and a picture of each.
- PDF, Size 0.13 mb


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Pizza Hut have added an excited addition to their menu [Getty]
Whether due to an allergy or a decision to lead a vegan lifestyle, it's hard to deny that more and more people are cutting back on their dairy consumption.
While some people have edited it out completely, others have simply cut back for a whole host of diet, health and beauty reasons, let alone as an ethical decision.
Which is why there are plenty of people who are super excited ...
Read Full Article On www.ok.co.uk


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BlackBerry has today announced its two new smartphones, Evolve and Evolve X. Optiemus is the local provider in India. The company says that these two new devices are conceptualized and designed in India. Further, the company excitedly announced that its new BlackBerry phones would be a Made in India phone. The Evolve is priced at Rs 24,999 and Evolve X is priced at RS 34,999. These two new phones will go on sale from the mid of September.
The iconic smartphone maker is teasing its new phones as the most secure Android smartphone. As suspected by looking at its launch event invitation, it is now confirmed that BlackBerry is marketing its new phones as most secured smartphones in the market.
BlackBerry Evolve and Evolve X
Talking about the BlackBerry specifications, it packs a 5.99-inch FullHD+ screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and oleophobic coasting. The company touts that its new phones utilize the Series 7 aluminum frame. Thus offering the best in class durability with over 8 lakh test cycles done during testing.
The Evolve is powered by a Snapdragon 450 processor and is accompanied by a 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. On the other hand, its sibling Evolve X comes powered by a powerful processor, Snapdragon 660. It is supported by a 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. These two phones will have a 4000mAh capacity battery to power up the device.
As far as the camera department is concerned, the new Evolve series comes with a dual rear camera setup. The Evolve packs a 12MP + 13MP lens setup on the rear, while the Evolve X has a dual 13MP lens on the rear. Whereas the front houses a 16MP selfie camera and dedicated flash on both models. Interestingly, these new two phones would be supporting the wireless charging. As the company has introduced its first ever wireless charger.
Plus the brand teases its new series will be coming with a set of new security features. These features include hide zone, re-imagined password keepers, and a privacy shade feature.
What do you guys think of the new BlackBerry Evolve and Evolve X? Would you go for it? Let us know in the comments section below.