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The Mother of Direct-Trade Coffee
Issue: September 30, 2016
COMMUNITY AGRICULTURE GOES GLOBAL WITH COFFEE
APRIL 21, 2011
Rather than buy produce at a store, members of community-supported agriculture programs, known as C.S.A.’s, pick up their vegetables in a neighbor’s garage, right where a local farmer leaves them. This direct grower-to-consumer relationship has become so popular that it has inspired meat and egg C.S.A.’s among Northern California ranchers and farmers, as well as grain C.S.A.’s and even C.S.F.’s — community- supported fisheries — elsewhere.
Last week, the movement made a shift from the locavore to the global withCoffeeCSA.org
To join the group, which is based in Davis with a roasting plant in San Francisco, a customer can choose between monthly or annual memberships with a specific farm or a farmer-of-the-month subscription. The coffee costs roughly $10 a pound, plus $9.99 in shipping per delivery.
Conventionally, coffee farmers sell their green coffee beans to a broker. From there, the beans go through several hands before they reach retail shelves. In recent years, a small number of roasters in the United States — like
But with its online C.S.A. model, farmers in
“The Internet is a unique opportunity to level the playing field,” said Thaleon Tremain, chief executive of Pachamama and CoffeeCSA.org. “The economic impact is significant.”
Continue Reading at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/us/22bccoffee.html
Thinking out of the box
Other companies are pursuing similar strategies. Agrofair, a tropical-fruit distributor based in the Netherlands, is half-owned by producers. It in turn owns a part of Oké USA, which markets Fairtrade bananas in America. Pachamama, a federated co-operative of Latin American coffee growers, has just completed its first year roasting coffee in America. With the help of in-kind loans of green coffee from its members, the firm has not had to solicit outside investors at all. And Coffee Pacifica, a coffee importer that is publicly traded in America, is one-third owned by the Papua New Guinea Coffee Growers Federation, which represents 120,000 farmers. In 2006 the firm's sales doubled to almost $3m in America and Europe.
Continue reading at: http://www.economist.com/node/8966366
Fun, Socially Conscious Gift Ideas for Food Lovers
Warm a foodie’s heart (and belly) this holiday season with these eco-friendly and beautiful gifts. I’ve included some personal favorites that I use in my own kitchen (and plan on gifting to others), plus a smattering of newly discovered items I covet. Notice how each product on the list tells a story — of artisans, farmers, foodways and families — and in doing so, offers a window into how others may live.
If you’re a regular farmers’ market shopper, chances are you’ve heard about CSAs — community-supported agriculture programs, direct relationships between growers and shoppers. Until recently, CSAs were typically produce based, but now there are CSAs for seafood, grains, eggs, meat — and most recently, coffee. Enter CoffeeCSA.org, an farmer-owned enterprise run by a California-based cooperative that represents 140,000-some coffee farmers in Ethiopia, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Mexico. The beans are organic and Fair Trade certified and roasted in California. Upon visiting the site, you pick the farmer you want to buy from and choose the level of pre-paid commitment, from one month to one year. The farmer receives 100 percent of the profits. Three monthly deliveries start at $78.99, which includes shipping.
Continue reading at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/socially-conscious-foodie-gifts_b_1146429
Pachamama Coffee Cooperative: A Locally Based Model Goes Global
Development Marketplace winner Pachamama Coffee Cooperative (PCC) was featured in the New York Times not too long ago. Its newest initiative CoffeeCSA.org found its roots in humble beginnings. Springing from the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement which began in the 1960’s in Switzerland, consumers receive their produce directly from the farmer through a household subscription paid for in advance. Then on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, the consumer cum subscriber receives a portion of the overall harvest.
Continue reading at: http://blogs.worldbank.org/category/tags/pachamama-coffee-cooperative
Vertical Integration in the Coffee Supply Chain: Pachamama Coffee Cooperative
By Maria Hill
In recent years, the specialty coffee industry has actively focused on the producer. There are two major issues the industry faces when it comes to empowering the farmer: coffee prices are determined by the commodities market and the farmer is far removed from the consumer. In response to these obstacles, several new types of coffee company have emerged that are vertically integrated. I had the pleasure of interviewing Thaleon Tremain, founder of Pachamama Coffee Cooperative, an example of the vertical model, about how his company is helping to put the producer first.
How Pachamama Got Started
Tremain spent two years in the Peace Corp that took him to Bolivia and exposed him to bean, pork, and orange small-hold farmers. He quickly realized that farmers take the most risk for the least income. Through his work, he decided that his passion was to learn more about business structures, so he could help empower these small farmers. Tremain returned to the U.S., where he earned an M.B.A. and met future business partner Nick Brown. At that time, Fair Trade was just starting to take off, and consumers were looking for a more direct transaction with farmers. The two started exploring the idea of a coffee co-op where farmers actually owned the brand. In order for the concept to work, it would require the involvement and support of the farmers, so Tremain and Brown reached out to several leaders in Latin America and found a co-founder partnership in Raúl del Aguila, who was head of the Peru coffee cooperative COCLA. The first official meeting of the Pachamama Coffee Cooperative happened at the 2003 SCAA conference in Boston, Massachusetts, where a room crowded with coffee farmers decided to launch the brand. The vision was to create a global coop brand that farmers own and control. It would focus on a direct connection to consumers. The closer the farmers are to the consumer the more money they make.
A coffee CSA brings java to your door
The package sits by the mailbox, its aromatic contents promising a richly flavored, caffeinated start to the day.
Anyone can get his java delivered from Starbucks or Peet's, but this particular box has a different, very specific provenance. These coffee beans have traveled from Meliya Ame's four-acre farm in Ethiopia, with only one small detour: a San Francisco coffee roaster who toasted the still-green beans to order, then sped the delivery to one of the "investors" in Ame's family farm -- a cup of joe for a regular Joe.
Nothing's terribly new about CSAs -- or community supported agriculture -- in this brave new world of origin-conscious, eco-friendly gourmets. In typical CSA arrangements, small farms send their subscribers regular deliveries of locally grown produce, farm fresh eggs or humanely raised meats. For the farmer, subscriptions offer financial stability.
Until now, CSAs have been all about local food. Now, they've been joined by small coffee farms from half a world away: members of the Pachamama Coffee Cooperative, a collective of tiny family farms in Africa and Central America, which has launched a CoffeeCSA based in Davis with roasting facilities in the Bay Area. Organized by Pachamama general manager Thaleon Tremain, the CoffeeCSA is the first of its kind.
By Lou Fancher
Continue reading at: http://www.mercurynews.com/food-wine/ci_18121919
Farmer-Owned Coffee Coop Merges with Online Coffee Marketplace
This press release is presented without editing for your information. The Utne Reader editorial staff does not recommend, approve or endorse the products and/or services offered. You should use your own judgment and evaluate products and services carefully before deciding to purchase.
The Pachamama Coffee Cooperative, a farmer-owned distributor of premium coffee, recently announced its merger with Farm to Cup, Inc., an online coffee marketplace founded in 2011 by three classmates at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Pachamama Coffee, founded in 2001 and based in Sacramento, California, is the hub of a worldwide collaborative of 140,000 coffee farmers that brand and distribute their best coffee directly to consumers. This direct relationship provides consumers with access to high quality coffee and compensates farmers with the retail price of coffee–giving farmers and consumers control over the entire supply chain.
“For coffee farmers in Ethiopia and other coffee-producing countries to improve their standard of living and continue to grow this luxury product, a larger percentage of the retail dollar needs to reach those farmers,” said Tadesse Meskela, manager of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union in Ethiopia and a member of Pachamama’s board of directors.
A Grassroots Student Effort Now Has Even More Impact
This article was originally published by Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
Their mission has been to disrupt the coffee industry by providing the most direct connection to growers and to empower every participant in the supply chain. In 2011, three intrepid Stanford MBAs launched Farm to Cup as an online coffee marketplace for farmers to sell their coffee directly to American consumers. After more than a year of growth, last December they merged their enterprise with Pachamama Coffee Cooperative, a farmer-owned distributor of premium coffee, which will allow that organization to accelerate its growth in the online farmer-direct coffee market in North America.
“We’ve been all about partnership from day one, so joining forces with Pachamama, which has an open and collaborative business model, made sense to us,” says Caroline Mullen, MBA ’12, who co-founded Farm to Cup with her twin sister Catha, MBA ’13, and Monica Lewis, MBA ’12, while they were all still in school.
“Pachamama is 100 percent farmer owned,” Caroline emphasizes. “Their boardroom is filled with farmers. They’re making a real impact on the ground in terms of empowering people who work the land with what is really an innovative economic framework. Their model represents the wave of the future, and so we saw them as the ideal organization for us to team up with.”
It was on a trip to Guatemala with the Stanford Center for Social Innovation that the trio was inspired to help farmers to take greater control of their economic lives by fostering an online link between coffee farmers and consumers. The “ah ha” moment came traveling between farms, when they realized that each farmers’ coffee was unique and that they lacked an easy way to market this. “I began to think of all the intermediaries in the supply chain that extract value from the coffee, and then I began to think of how sites like eBay connect the buyer and seller directly,” says Lewis, the organization’s CEO, who worked in the sustainable development arena at the global consulting firm Arup before coming to Stanford. Farm to Cup’s online platform was created to give the consumer the chance to “travel to coffee’s origin” and buy directly from coffee farms.
Upon returning to Stanford, Lewis shared the idea with Michael Dearing, former senior VP of eBay, and Perry Klebahn, former head of sales and marketing of Patagonia and CEO of Timbuk2, both faculty consultants to an entrepreneurism course at the Stanford Design School. “They enthusiastically told me to go for it,” says Lewis, who promptly enlisted the Mullens in forming the enterprise.
– Marguerite Rigoglioso
Green Economy Coalition
Pachamama is a unique company founded in 2001. It is a cooperative owned by more than 150,000 coffee farmers around the world, which is democratically-controlled and owned by its members, producer-groups representing small-scale coffee farmers around the world. It has more than 8,500 family farmers in Peru, 2,300 family farmers in Nicaragua, more than 1,100 family farmers in Guatemala, some 1,950 family farmers in Mexico and 135,000 in Ethiopia. It provides customers with premium coffee in the most direct manner possible and, in doing so, helps improve the lives of small-scale farmers and their families.
Continue reading at: http://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/know-how/pachamama-coffee-cooperative
NCBA CLUSA Member returns to Africa for another Farmer-to-Farmer assignment
Pachamama Coffee Cooperative, flew to Zambia for her second assignment through NCBA CLUSA’s Farmer-to-Farmer program. Building on work from previous NCBA CLUSA member volunteers who helped to form the Chipata Farmers Cooperative, she assisted the group in opening a bank account and even joined another co-op herself.Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers continue to return to the program again and again. This past month, Mollie Moisan, Director of Cooperative Development for NCBA CLUSA member
After her first assignment last August in Senegal, Moisan facilitated trainings for smallholder farmers in cooperative enterprise development and marketing in Zambia. She worked with Chipata District Farmers Association (CDFA) and three of its member cooperatives, including Chipata Farmers Cooperative—which NCBA CLUSA and CDFA helped establish in 2012 during another volunteer’s assignment—Feni Multipurpose Cooperative Society, and Mwende Cooperative.
Sacramento Cooperative Serves as Coffee CSA Storefront
A new Sacramento, Calif., coffee company is hoping to survive using a simple but appealing business model — selling beans as a community supported agriculture (known as CSA) storefront.
With no cafe or in-house roasting, Pacha Coffee, located in Midtown Alley, boasts of selling 100 percent “farmer-owned” beans to its customers. According to numerous reports, the cooperative business sells the beans, which are roasted in nearby Fort Bragg, and returns the profits to the coffee farms from which they came.
Sacramento Bee food writer Blair Anthony Robertson suggests the coffee coop is the latest in a series of community-minded coffee businesses that have served to revitalize Sacramento’s specialty coffee scene:
Pachamama coffee chosen in blind tasting to serve at TED Conference
NCBA CLUSA member and global cooperative Pachamama Coffee—the only U.S. coffee brand 100 percent owned by smallholder farmers—is partnering with the flagship conference behind the popular TED Talks. Pachamama's Yirgacheffe Gedeb, a single-origin coffee from Ethiopia, was selected by a panel of experts in a blind tasting to serve at this week's TED2016: Dream, a conference to stimulate conversations and innovation around technology, entertainment and design meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia. Pachamama is honored by the selection, which marks the first time that TED has partnered with cooperative coffee farmers.
“Coffee offerings at TED are curated internationally by a panel of experts, so it is a great honor and a validation that we are creating value for Pachamama's farmer-owners,” said Thaleon Tremain, co-founder and CEO of Pachamama.
In addition to its coffee being served during the week-long conference, Pachamama’s Manager of Cafe Operations Cruz Conrad will attend the event as a guest barista. Conrad is among a group of baristas who are serving the world's finest coffees throughout the conference.
Pachamama launches East Sac coffee cafe and midtown roastery
As Sacramento’s reputation for specialty coffee continues to brew, one of its local purveyors is expanding.
Pachamama Coffee Cooperative, the midtown Sacramento co-op that works with small growers in five countries, recently installed its first local coffee bean roaster. And in August, Pachamama will open its third coffee cafe, on 36th and J Street in East Sacramento.
For Pachamama’s co-founder and CEO Thaleon Tremain, the new roaster – a polished, black and chrome Ambex with a 66-pound roasting capacity – is “a defining piece of the puzzle” in the company’s business model. Until recently Pachamama had outsourced its green coffee bean roasting to other local roasters, including Sacramento-based Coffee Works.
“We control our coffee every step of the way now,” said Tremain. “We grow, we import, we roast, we package, we sell.”
The new roaster, which cost roughly $35,000, also means Pachamama can compete on a new level with Sacramento’s specialty coffee celebrities, including Temple, Insight, Old Soul and Naked.
CoffeeCSA Connects Farmers and Coffee Drinkers
Looking for fresh-roasted, organic, fair trade coffee that you can truly trace back to the farmer? Through a new coffee CSA – aptly named CoffeeCSA – you can support small-scale farmers in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Peru and Mexico and get your share of the harvest every month of the year.
CoffeeCSA is a project of Pachamama, an international collective of 100% farmer-owned and controlled cooperatives. Its 140,000 small-scale farmers produce coffee that's shade grown, certified organic, fair trade and traceable.
Farmers deliver the coffee to their local cooperatives, which then ship to CoffeeCSA's roaster in California. From there, the beans are mailed directly to CSA subscribers, who can choose to support a specific grower or a CSA-selected farmer-of-the-month. (Subscribers who live in Davis, Calif., can pick up their share at the farmers' market; CoffeeCSA plans to establish other pick-up sites in the future.)
Continue reading at: http://www.thekitchn.com/coffeecsa-connects-farmers-and-149940


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Stephen Edelstein graduated from Clark University in 2011 with an M.A. in American History. He was the Editor in Chief of Clark's student newspaper, The Scarlet. Stephen enjoys all things historical, science-fictional, and transportation-related.
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk isn't shy about his fear of artificial intelligence. In an interview at MIT, he described A.I. as humanity's greatest existential threat and warned students against tinkering with it.
The ability for cars to detect pedestrians and other obstacles is becoming more commonplace, and Ford is the latest automaker to add this capability to its vehicles, using a combination of radar and camera images.
The BMW i8 is an impressive piece of kit, but the Bavarian Motor Works may have something even more special in mind for its centennial in 2016. The i8S promises to take this plug-in hybrid from sports car to supercar.

domain: news


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South African Ports Become Smart
All eight commercial ports across South Africa’s coastline are now using Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA) new R79 million web-based Integrated Port Management System (IPMS), following the rollout of the system to the Port of Richards Bay on November 26, 2015.
TNPA began registering Richards Bay port users onto the IPMS network from November 23.
The MS Insignia passenger vessel was the first to be brought into the port on November 26 using the new smartPORT technology.
“We are extremely pleased to see the completion of this strategic project that aims to support the broader objectives of the Transnet Market Demand Strategy (MDS) – which is now in its fourth year – in terms of efficiency and productivity. This journey began in 2008 and is the culmination of various feasibility studies where we identified the need for an automated and web-based system to improve port operations, strengthen efficiencies and enhance competitiveness,” TNPA Chief Executive, Richard Vallihu, said.
IPMS has been rolled out to the Ports of Durban, Cape Town, Saldanha, Port Elizabeth, Ngqura, East London, Mossel Bay and now recently Richards Bay over four months beginning late July 2015.
“Apart from a technological competitive edge, IPMS will bolster transparency and efficiencies in the port while enabling business continuity for our customers, visitors and general stakeholders,” Richards Bay Port Manager, Preston Khomo, said.
The system, jointly developed by India-based company Navayuga Infotech and their South African partner Nambiti Technologies, replaces manual processes that were previously used for monitoring marine operations, vessel traffic services and terminal performance and enables key port operations to be managed online and in real time across TNPA’s eight commercial ports.
Since IPMS was first introduced in July, more than 300 vessel agents have registered onto the system and more than 1600 vessel arrival notifications have been submitted across all eight ports.


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Bandcamp Friday is back this week! This Friday December 2nd, 2022 is the final Bandcamp Friday this year, and perhaps ever. Bandcamp forgoes its usual cut of every sale and donates that back to the band. Please support underground artists ,indie labels, and merch sellers today, and every day! Bandcamp was sold to Epic Games earlier this year, but so far we have not seen any radical changes. Bandcamp fridays have accounted for $78 million extra dollars from sales and the company has paid artists $973 million dollars since its inception.
If you can’t make a purchase, you can always support bands by sharing this post and asking bands to post their links!
On the first Friday of the month since March of 2020, we’ve waived our revenue share to help support the many artists who have seen their livelihoods disrupted by the pandemic. Over the course of 17 days, fans paid artists and labels more than $78 million dollars, helping cover rents, mortgages, groceries, medications, and much more. If you’re among the nearly 800,000 fans who participated, thank you.
We’re going to continue doing Bandcamp Fridays in 2022, resuming on September 2nd, and continuing on October 7th, November 4th, and December 2nd. As always, isitbandcampfriday.com has the details.
If you’ve started to feel guilty about buying music on any day other than Bandcamp Friday, here’s something to keep in mind: on Bandcamp Fridays, an average of 93% of your money reaches the artist/label (after payment processor fees). When you make a purchase on any other day of the month (as 2.5 million of you have since March, buying an additional $190 million worth of music and merch) an average of 82% reaches the artist/label. Every day is a good day to directly support artists on Bandcamp!
All from midnight to midnight Pacific time. For time zone demystification, check out: http://isitbandcampfriday.com/


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— Celebrating the Magic of the Season with a Snow Show in the Center Atrium at Destiny USA Brought to You by Channel 9, APEX Entertainment, and Visit Syracuse —
Syracuse, NY (November 23, 2022) – The Incredible Indoor Snow Show makes its 3rd return to Destiny USA this Friday, November 25th. In partnership with News Channel 9, Visit Syracuse, and APEX Entertainment, Destiny USA will bring the magic of winter indoors with an enchanting snowfall in the Center Atrium every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until Christmas Eve. The Incredible Indoor Snow Show is free to the public and lets us celebrate the Holiday Season in a unique way while remaining warm!
The show will start at 5:00pm (Christmas Eve’s show will start at 4:30pm). Each snow show will kick-off a 30-minute tribute to holiday movies and music, emanating from the large LED Display above the Center Atrium, immediately followed by the Incredible Indoor Snow Show at 5:30pm.
“The 2022 Incredible Indoor Snow Show marks the event’s 3rd year at Destiny USA. Every year the celebration grows, attracting more families to enjoy the holiday season and bringing our community together.” said Alannah Gallagher, Director of Marketing at Destiny USA, “We are proud to provide shopping therapy and holiday magic through our partnerships with News Channel 9, Visit Syracuse, and APEX Entertainment.”
For more information about the Incredible Indoor Snow Show, please visit destinyusa.com


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Interested to know how the upcoming Nintendo Switch Lite ticks on the inside?
Previously, we reported that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had approved the Nintendo Switch Lite for sale in the US. Along with that approval, we now have detailed pictures of the device’s main circuit board, which may be of interest to some. Check them out below.
An interesting detail you may notice is that one of the control sticks is actually built directly into the board. We’re not entirely sure what Nintendo intends with this design change – but let’s hope the infamous Joy-Con drifting issues don’t strike again…
We’ll report back when more info about the Switch Lite crops up. Stay tuned!


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A Disney exec who plays his own corporate villain
FORTUNE — In 2011, Disney launched a behemoth sea craft — a 4,000-person occupancy vessel called the Disney Dream. She’s been a profitable barge. According to the company’s 2011 annual report, the Dream accounted for 3% of the nearly $1 billion increase in domestic revenue for Disney’s “Parks and Resorts” division.
But the ship’s financial success doesn’t exempt it from an effort, led by Disney’s head of sustainability, to reach zero net greenhouse gas emissions, company-wide. In that sense, the Dream set the company back, increasing its 2011 direct emissions by 15%, compared to the 2006 baseline. Parks and Resorts, like every department, must include greenhouse gas emissions as part of their profit and loss statements.
You would think that such a moneymaker would get a pass from the numbers guy. But at Disney (DIS), the numbers guy is also the green guy. Jay Rasulo, the company’s CFO, oversees Disney’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability initiatives.
“It’s not easy, it’s quite difficult,” Rasulo says, referring to the effort needed to reach the company’s emissions goal. When department heads are busting tail to make shareholders happy, reporting greenhouse emissions along with financial numbers can seem like just another obstacle. “At the same time,” Rasulo says, “I know for a fact that it has forced actions within Disney.”
Could it fly at other companies?
“Let’s admit it: CFOs haven’t exactly been at the center of the corporate sustainability movement,” UPS (UPS) CFO Kurt Kuehn told the audience at a 2010 International Corporate Citizenship Conference. “But a funny thing has happened to the role of the CFO in recent years,” he continued. “As issues like global recession, company bankruptcies, and credit crises have taken center stage, CFOs have gone from being fancy accountants to co-drivers of corporate strategy. [As] you know, long-term growth can’t be separated from issues of economic, social and environmental policies.”
Keuhn, like Rasulo, is both UPS’s CFO and sustainability advocate. That makes sense for a shipping company — green goals often line up with cost-cutting measures. For example, re-routing trucks to drive more efficient routes burns less fuel, which both saves the company money and reduces its greenhouse-gas emissions.
Companies in the consumer goods industry also tend to have a sustainability plan, according to a 2011 sustainability report by KPMG. And, in total, “more than 3,000 companies worldwide now publish sustainability reports,” according to a 2011 paper from Ernst & Young; that figure includes two-thirds of the Fortune Global 500. But for most companies, publishing these reports requires serious negotiation between the sustainability head and CFO.
There are a couple of benefits to fusing the two roles. Of course, having the CFO involved in sustainability efforts benefits the eco-conscious members of any organization. “It gives higher visibility to the role of sustainability,” says Denise Kleinrichert, a professor at San Francisco State University’s Center for Ethical and Sustainable Business. “It raises the level of importance of sustainability instead of just being seen as, you know, a bunch of tree-huggers.”
Besides, in spite of the stereotypes, CFOs might be cut out for the job. According to the Ernst & Young report, most sustainability measures require third-party certification, which can feel a lot like a financial audit. That’s right up a CFO’s alley, the report says: “They know how to select the best providers and work with them effectively.”
CFOs can also benefit from taking charge of corporate social responsibility efforts. “The CFO has been strictly confined to looking at the financial picture,” Kleinrichert says, but taking over sustainability can make the finance person more visible to the rest of the company. This has likely worked well for Rasulo, who has been mentioned as a potential successor to CEO Robert Iger.
Giving Disney’s Rasulo the job as sustainability head wasn’t a major strategy change for Disney; it’s just how the company rolls — Disney’s CFO has always been in charge of CSR. Rasulo argues that this may work for Disney more than many companies as its business depends on the wiling participation of informed parents. The media giant’s consumers closely monitor the actions of Disney brands because those names play strongly with their children. “A lot of the value of our brand and company is the authenticity with which we act,” Rasulo says. “We cannot act in a way that is different from what we try to represent.”
Rasulo sees the benefits of his dual job. “I think that the CFO has the unique obligation and opportunity to make the business case for what sometimes, on their face, seem to be very tough decisions,” Rasulo says, “[CFOs] are particularly well-positioned to both make the business case and to proselytize the fact over and over that this is a core value of the company.”


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For the 4th edition of the Australian eChallenge France, a team of 5 students from MSc ICE (Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship) in collaboration with SCBS (South Champagne Business School) was awarded a second place and won a 5000$ prize thanks to their “Fashion Mavericks” project.
The University of Adelaide in Australia started this challenge. Since 2016, it is promoted in France through the city of Châlons en Champagne. The objective of the competition is to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship by helping students go from a simple innovative idea to a concrete strategic project.
Thanks to their idea called ‘Fashion Mavericks”, the 5 members of the team – Danielle, Marinus, Werner, Tim and Paul- from South Africa, Germany and France won the jury over.
The objective of their project is to create a place for exchange for fashion design students and fashion consumers through a unique platform, which enables students to put their creations online with a technical description of each creation. This is a way of enhancing their portfolio and curriculum thus benefiting from a first recognition. Fashion amateurs will have access to a catalogue of exclusive and unique creations. They can buy designer’s products at a low price, made to measure and ethically acceptable that gurantee designers with a fair pay and help them develop their notoriety before graduating.
The idea, which is currently being tested at the Cité de la Mode et du Design in Paris, could be adapted to other French cities if the tests are conclusive.
Congratulations to the team and we wish you every success for the rest of the project!


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Nissan Introduces Eco-Carrier to Transport LEAF EVs
Nissan has introduced an all-new energy efficient car carrier for sea transport of its LEAF electric vehicles across Europe.
A massive transport car carrier, called “The City of St. Petersburg”, is the first carrier of its kind to incorporate a unique design, cutting air resistance by nearly 50 percent compared to conventional vessels by making the bow sleek and semispherical.
Based on calculations of an annual navigation rate of 75% under average hydrographic conditions for the North Atlantic Ocean, this new design is expected to curb fuel consumption by 800 tons annually, which converts to achieving an annual reduction of approximately 2,500 tons of CO2 emissions.
“The City of St. Petersburg” weighs 21,000 tons and can accommodate 2,000 cars. It’s slated to transport vehicles to Northern Europe and Russia from Nissan’s factories in the United Kingdom and Spain.
The “City of St. Petersburg” does not seem to be running on any different fuel. Most ships run on Bunker Fuel, which is pretty much the dirtiest liquid fuel around.
That is good news, considering findings reported in 2009 that the pollution and subsequent health risks from the global shipping industry are grossly understated. The largest ships can each emit as much as 5,000 tons of sulfur in a year -- the same as 50 million typical cars, each emitting an average of 100 grams of sulfur a year.
- Geneva 2008: New Diesel Engines for Ford Mondeo, Ford S-MAX and Ford Galaxy
- MIT Scientists Find New Way to Generate Electricity
- Coskata Opens Semi-Commercial Feedstock Flexible Ethanol Facility
- High Performance, 92 Mpg High Mileage 3 Wheel Sport Car
- SolarCity, Rabobank to Build Fast-Charge Electric Car Charging Corridor


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Mothercare this week reported falling online sales in response to a move away from discounting. While sales were lower, it said, they were also more profitable since more were made at full price.
The maternity to nursery equipment retailer said online sales for home delivery were down by 6.4% in the 15 weeks to July 12, compared to the same period last year, while total UK sales fell by 1.2% at a time when space reduced by 2.4%. Given that decline in space, UK like-for-like sales were up by 0.9%.
Total group sales fell by 1.8% over the period, while international retail sales rose by 0.8%, or 14.7% when currency fluctuations were discounted. International space grew by 13.3% at the same time.
The update came as new chief executive Mark Newton-Jones formally took over the role. He said he was looking forward to leading the turnaround of the business. He said: “Mothercare and Early Learning Centre are two iconic UK retail brands which have both developed into significant international businesses, serving parents and young children in 60 countries. We now need to put in place the building blocks to strengthen the UK performance and I believe there is then a tremendous opportunity to take this business forward.”
He said the company would concentrate on four themes as it modernised and invested in the business, including improving online and store service. Other priorities include reducing costs while generating cash, rebuilding profit margins and improving products.


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3.70 0.00 (0.01%)
After hours: 4:46PM EDT
|Bid||3.13 x 1100|
|Ask||3.71 x 28000|
|Day's Range||3.51 - 3.76|
|52 Week Range||1.69 - 4.74|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||N/A|
|Earnings Date||Sep 24, 2018 - Sep 28, 2018|
|Forward Dividend & Yield||N/A (N/A)|
|1y Target Est||2.63|
This morning, WallStEquities.com turns investors' attention to the following Apparel Stores stocks: Stein Mart Inc. (NASDAQ: SMRT), Tailored Brands Inc. (NYSE: TLRD), Ascena Retail Group Inc. (NASDAQ: ASNA), and Chico's FAS Inc. (NYSE: CHS). According to a First Research report, the US clothing store industry includes about 100,000 stores, with combined annual revenue of about $190 billion.
Higher market demand, growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations drive Fastenal's (FAST) Q2 results. However, decline in margins is a concern.
LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / July 5, 2018 / If you want access to our free earnings report on Ascena Retail Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASNA) ("Ascena"), all you need to do is sign up now by clicking the following link www.active-investors.com/registration-sg/?symbol=ASNA. Ascena reported its third quarter fiscal 2018 operating and financial results on June 05, 2018. The parent Company of Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant provided guidance for the upcoming quarter.
LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / June 25, 2018 / If you want a free Stock Review on ASNA sign up now at www.wallstequities.com/registration. WallStEquities.com has issued research reports on four Apparel Stores stocks, namely, Chico's FAS Inc. (NYSE: CHS), Ascena Retail Group Inc. (NASDAQ: ASNA), Francesca's Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: FRAN), and Guess' Inc. (NYSE: GES).
How far off is Ascena Retail Group Inc (NASDAQ:ASNA) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, I am going to take a look at whether the stockRead More...
Ascena's (ASNA) Ann Taylor Factory plans to launch its collection on Jun 26 on AnnTaylorFactory.com, after showcasing LOFT Outlet products on LOFTOutlet.com on Jun 19.
NEW YORK , June 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ann Taylor Factory and LOFT Outlet will be launching e-commerce sites to give clients 24/7 access to modern workwear pieces and feminine, versatile clothing from ...
MAHWAH, N.J. , June 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ascena retail group, inc. announced today it is participating in Pride marches in Columbus, Ohio on June 16 and New York City on June 24 . ascena is also activating ...
NEW YORK, June 12, 2018-- In new independent research reports released early this morning, Fundamental Markets released its latest key findings for all current investors, traders, and shareholders of ConocoPhillips, ...
Today I will examine Ascena Retail Group Inc’s (NASDAQ:ASNA) latest earnings update (28 April 2018) and compare these figures against its performance over the past couple of years, in additionRead More...
Trade balance data for April as well as productivity stats for the first quarter will be highlights on an otherwise slow day for economic and business news on Wednesday.
Ascena Retail Group Inc. shares slumped 8.5% in Tuesday premarket trading with analysts citing same-store sales and revenue declines in largely bearish notes. Ascena Retail, whose brand portfolio includes ...
Ascena Retail Group Inc (NASDAQ:ASNA) had high hopes going into its fourth quarter of fiscal 2018, but its latest fiscal report suggested that the company’s business is not doing as well as investors expected. In its latest quarterly earnings report, the women’s apparel retailer — which is the parent company of Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant — announced its outlook for its fourth quarter, which is now slated to bring in an earnings in the range of an adjusted loss of 5 cents per share to an adjusted profit of 5 cents per share, while revenue is slated to be between $1.62 billion and $1.66 billion. Ascena Retail Group’s bottom line guidance was well below analysts’ expectations as the break-even midpoint is lacking when compared to Wall Street’s adjusted earnings projection of 3 cents per share, according to data compiled by FactSet.
Ascena Retail Group Inc. shares dropped in the extended session Monday after the Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant parent company's bottom-line outlook mostly fell short of Wall Street expectations. Ascena shares fell 11% after hours, following a 10% gain to close at $3.66 during the regular session.
MAHWAH, N.J. (AP) _ Ascena Retail Group Inc. (ASNA) on Monday reported a loss of $40.2 million in its fiscal third quarter. On a per-share basis, the Mahwah, New Jersey-based company said it had a loss of 20 cents. For the current quarter ending in July, Ascena Retail expects its results to range from a loss of 5 cents per share to earnings of 5 cents per share.
ascena retail group, inc. today reported financial results for its fiscal third quarter ended April 28, 2018. For the third quarter of Fiscal 2018, the Company reported a GAAP loss of $0.20 per diluted share compared to a GAAP loss of $5.29 per diluted share in the year-ago period, which included a significant non-cash impairment charge to write-down a portion of the Company's goodwill and other intangible ...
On Monday, June 4, Ascena Retail Group (NASDAQ: ASNA ) will release its latest earnings report. Benzinga's outlook for Ascena Retail Group is included in the following report. Earnings And Revenue Based ...


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Lotte Chemical has invested 161.7 billion won to acquire a 4.46 percent stake in Japanese chemical company Showa Denko.
The move is seen as reflecting Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong-bin's intention to take over Japanese chemical companies with strong technologies.
Lotte Chemical bought Showa Denko shares in March and April. Showa Denko is a medium-sized chemical company with strengths in high value-added materials such as semiconductor materials. In 2019, it defeated Lotte Chemical in acquiring Hitachi Chemical, a subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd. which has battery cathode material technology.
Lotte chairman Shin said in an interview with the Nihon Keizai Shimbun in March, "There are many Japanese companies that cannot develop global businesses with their excellent technologies.”
Lotte Chemical said in a conference call for its first quarter earnings announcement that it may consider acquiring companies to optimize its business portfolio. Its targets include not only companies with specialty products but also those with profitable general-purpose products.
Chairman Shin called for bold investments in new businesses in the post-COVID-19 era at a meeting of Lotte Holdings executives on May 19. He reportedly met with business leaders in Japan to discuss global economic situations and ponder on the group's strategy in the post-COVID-19 era.
Lotte Chemical has strengths in general-purpose products but is in need to strengthen its specialty product groups. The company posted 86 billion won in operating loss in the first quarter of 2020, the first quarterly loss in eight years. In particular, it suffered 11.7 billion won in operating loss in the olefin business and 40.7 billion won in operating loss in the aromatics business. On the other hand, the company posted 41 billion won in operating profit in the high-tech material business. Lotte Fine Chemical also contributed 51 billion won in operating profit.
Lotte Chemical's cashable assets, which will be financial sources for investment, are abundant at 3,770.6 billion won. Its debt ratio is also only 43.4 percent. "As COVID-19 has increased uncertainties, diverse companies could come up for sale in the M&A market," a Lotte Chemical official said. "We will consider taking M&A chances with various options based on our solid cash flow."


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The study said that from January to October 2018, Russia’s foreign trade amounted to $ 567 billion and increased by 20% compared to the same period in 2017. In turn, Rosstat identified 27 countries that significantly increased their turnover over the specified time.
And now, just 17 of the above countries support sanctions against Russia. At the same time, trade with them amounted to 48% of Russia's total trade for 10 months of 2018. In monetary terms, this amounted to $ 271,6 billion.
Surprisingly, Poland took the first place in the growth of commodity circulation, with the overwhelming anti-Russian hysteria regularly sounding from Warsaw. It increased trade with Russia over the 10 months of 2018 by 37,5%, bringing it to $ 17,8 billion. In the same period of 2017, the total trade between the countries amounted to $ 16,5 billion.
The second place is taken by Moldova. For 10 months of 2018, it increased trade with Russia by 31%. Switzerland is in third place, increasing its trade with Russia by 30,1%.
This is a classic situation of unity of entrepreneurs, when businessmen practice aggressive rhetoric and shake hands under the table
- said Elena Trubnikova, Chairman of the Board of Directors of FinExpertiza.
However, none of the countries mentioned has yet succeeded in approaching the pre-sanctioned level of trade that was reached in 2013. It is noted that Belgium came closest to this indicator with a result of 99,6% of the pre-sanction level. The USA reached the level of 92,6%, Moldova - 91,8%. Least of all managed to win back the drop in trade with Russia to such countries as Latvia - 38,7%, Ukraine - 39,5% and Italy - 50,8%.
Experts note that in 2018, Russia's trade amounted to 83% of the pre-sanctioned. This is much better than in 2016, when the volume of trade between Russia and other countries fell to a minimum, amounting to 56% of the level of 2013.


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Europe CBD Expo is the UK’s First Ever Medicinal Cannabis and Cannabinoids Trade Show to Convene on 12th-13th July at the ExCeL London. Respected researchers, scientists, ag-tech, pharma experts, regulators, investors, entrepreneurs and eighty exhibitors will share their knowledge about the flourishing medicinal cannabis industry at Europe CBD Expo, Britain’s first-ever international Medicinal Cannabis and Cannabinoids Trade Show and Conference.
The B2B event will take place on Friday, 12th July at The ExCeL London, followed by a combined B2B and consumer day on 13th July.
The cannabis economy is one of the world’s fastest growing industries, with a UN report revealing that Britain is the world’s largest producer and exporter of medical cannabis in the world.
Companies, entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, clinicians, nurses, press and consumers, will meet at Europe CBD Expo to connect and learn about opportunities in the booming medical cannabis market, discussing the latest products, technologies and research in the field, including the latest in regulatory development across the legal cannabis markets.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in panel discussions from the leading experts in the research, development, and distribution of cannabinoids and medicinal cannabis products.
The Trade Show will feature eighty hand selected companies that have met the Exhibitions strict participation criteria, an independent laboratory test of Cannabinoid content, full unique terpene profile and important safety testing for microbiological contamination, heavy metals and pesticides, as well as reputational and ethical criteria.
The Conference will focus on discussions by the world’s leading names and industry experts in the cannabis and cannabinoids spheres. Click here to view the agenda


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UK gin sales reach £1.9 billion
Gin sales in the UK have been valued at £1.9 billion (US$2.4bn) in 2018 after more than 66 million bottles were sold during the 12-month period.
Gin sales in the UK were valued at £1.9 billion in 2018
The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) released its end of year market report, which shows that 19 million more bottles were sold this year than in the same period last year.
The WSTA said that sales were boosted by the heatwave the UK experienced over the summer, with more gin sold during the three-month period than in the summers of 2014 and 2015 combined. Over this period, almost 28 million bottles of gin were bought.
This quarter saw gin sales grow 53% by volume and 59% by value, compared to the same period in 2017, the largest growth by quarter on record for gin and the first time a spirit has seen growth of over 50%.
The WSTA said that “a huge part of the gin surge” has been down to sales of pink and flavoured gin. The latest data shows that flavoured gin has driven over half of all growth in the last recorded 12 months, despite only making up one fifth of total sales.
Flavoured gin alone brought in £165 million during this time, up 751% on the same period last year.
The WSTA report also shows that it was in the UK’s pubs, bars and restaurants that gin saw the largest growth in value sales. For the first time in a 12 month period sales passed £1 billion, with over 56% more gin sold than last year.
Gin is now the second most popular drink sold in the UK on-trade, behind vodka, overtaking whiskies and liqueurs for the first time.
Miles Beale, chief executive of the WSTA, said: “Gin is once again breaking records helped by our innovative distillers who have introduced an exciting array of new flavoured, pink and more traditional gins this year.
“The popular new products combined with a fantastic long hot summer and the excitement of the World Cup has helped boost the category beyond all predictions.”


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Are you looking for something more? Then this new dating app might be the one for you. S’More is launching in the US and promises to be about “Something More” than physical attraction.
Most people who use dating apps agree. No matter their sexual orientation, age, origins, location r even what they are looking for, the feedback is unanimous: people are looking for “something more” than what they get from the likes of Tinder, Bumble or other dating apps.
This is what motivated Adam Cohen-Aslatei, former managing director of Chappy, to launch S’More, the first dating app that foes beyond superficial looks.
With S’More, there is no scrolling through user profiles. There is not swiping left and right either. Instead, S’More users received five suggested profiles every day. These profiles come without photos or text, but only with icons that reveal characteristics about them, like what they are looking for, or what they like doing.
Interacting with these icons will start unlocking the user’s profile, ultimately revealing their profile photos, showing more personal information and giving access to their social media feeds. Reciprocated actions also unlocks the ability to start a conversation between users.
These interactions are also at the heart of S’More’s machine learning system. As the app learns more about what you are looking for, it starts suggesting profiles that are more likely to be the right matches for you.
“The greatest challenge is resetting expectations for consumers,” said Cohen-Aslatei. “We know that the swiping mechanism largely doesn’t work, but we’re providing another option which is, if you truly want to get to know someone, suspend physical judgement before you decide if you like them.”
S’More is getting ready to launch in the US, in Boston, Washington DC, New York City, Chicago, Los Angles, Philadelphia, Austin and San Francisco. The app will first be available on iOS, with an Android version coming soon afterwards.
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Government agencies using so-called canned air now have a safe and clean option that saves money. 02 Hurricane uses pure air and is rechargeable, improving employee safety and saving taxpayer money. http://www.canlessair.com
Scottsdale, AZ (PRWEB) January 08, 2013
Like a growing number of taxpayers, 02 Hurricane CEO and Founder John Scherer wants action, not talk from Government. And his American based business is offering an opportunity to do just that.
'Those of us who live and do business on Main Street USA have to follow some basic rules,' he says. 'You can't spend more money than you take in. One way is to stop wasting money when cheaper solutions are available.'
Scherer is backing up what he says with his revolutionary new cleaning/dusting system called the 02 Hurricane. It's designed to replace the so-called canned air products being used all across government.
The 02 Hurricane is receiving rave reviews for its innovative and green way to replace a very dangerous product being used in businesses and homes everywhere.
'Canned air is anything but air,' says Scherer. 'It's a dangerous mix of explosive and even deadly gasses and liquids. Worst of all, it's wastes our money. One can costs several dollars, lasts just a few minutes and when it's empty, that's it, it's done.'
The EPA classifies used canned air as hazardous waste. Proper disposal cost taxpayers even more money and exposes workers to dangerous residue in those cans.
The 02 Hurricane saves taxpayers money and the environment in two ways. Unlike canned air, it uses just the air we breathe, drawing it in from the outside and blasting it out a hurricane-force power. The 02 Hurricane is also rechargeable. You don't throw it away, It can be used over and over. There is no waste.
'Just one 02 Hurricane is equal to a thousand units of canned air,' Scherer says. 'The math is easy. It saves taxpayers money and does it immediately.'
Scherer is also quick to point out that the 02 Hurricane is assembled in the USA at a plant in Tucson, AZ. Going green, saving green and creating American jobs. 'Win-Win-Win,' he says.
Scherer knows that switching from canned air to the 02 Hurricane won't solve the deficit by itself but as a businessman and successful entrepreneur he knows eliminating wasteful spending is a good place to start.
The company is beginning to hear from state and government agencies ranging from the United States Postal Service to the State of Alaska. They're mandated to eliminate dangerous canned air to protect workers and the environment. They also need to save money.
'It's why they're dumping canned air for the 02 Hurricane,' says Scherer. 'We offer a clean, green and sustainable solution that saves money. They win, more importantly, taxpayers win.'
To learn how to go green and save taxpayer green at the same time, visit: http://www.CanlessAir.com.
Conversation Starters Public Relations
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2013/1/prweb10285542.htm


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Steinhoff blame game goes on as ex-CEO targets German partner
Steinhoff International Holdings NV ex-Chief Executive Officer Markus Jooste said the origin of the global retailer’s near-collapse was a protracted dispute with former partner Andreas Seifert, the latest example of a senior figure blaming others for the crisis.
The legal battle with Seifert, mainly over the valuation and ownership of German furniture chain POCO, led to investigations by European regulators and tax authorities that attracted the attention of Steinhoff’s auditors at Deloitte LLP, Jooste told lawmakers in Cape Town on Wednesday. He quit in December after the retailer’s board disagreed with his plan to replace the auditors, he said.
In his first public appearance since the accounting crisis that wiped billions of euros off the company’s market value, Jooste, 57, said he wasn’t aware of the financial irregularities reported by the company the day he quit. Instead, he blamed Deloitte for wanting an additional probe into allegations of financial mismanagement in Europe just days before the retailer was due to report 2017 financials.
“My advice was to appoint new auditors and get accounts out by end-January,” Jooste told the lawmakers. He knew the alternative of failing to report full-year results — which eventually happened — would have a “disastrous impact,” he said. The board disagreed, and opted to appoint PwC to probe the accounts.
Steinhoff said Dec. 5 that it had uncovered accounting irregularities and that Jooste had left. The shares have since crashed more than 95 percent, causing the company to restructure about 10 billion euros ($11.6 billion) of debt and sell a string of assets to stave off collapse. The owner of Conforama in France and Mattress Firm in the U.S. has reported Jooste to a South African police unit known as the Hawks, although they say they don’t have enough information to start an investigation.
“To me, accounting irregularities means fraud,” Jooste said. “I was not aware of any accounting irregularities.”
Jooste’s appearance in parliament follows a similar hearing with former Chief Financial Officer Ben La Grange last week. By contrast, the ex-CFO didn’t mention Seifert, opting to blame Jooste for not sharing information and for influencing third-party transactions that are now being investigated by PwC. Before that, former Chairman Christo Wiese said news of the financial wrongdoing came as a “bolt from the blue” and also accused Jooste of being involved.
Flanked by four lawyers and wearing a dark suit and spotty gray tie, Jooste said the billionaire Wiese was involved in several meetings with Deloitte leading up the refusal to sign off on 2017 financials. Wiese’s net worth has plunged to $1.3 billion from $5 billion before the scandal. Jooste said he personally has lost 3 billion rand ($193 million).
Steinhoff agreed to sell half of POCO to Seifert earlier this week, putting an end to the dispute.


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Middle schoolers dive into ‘Shark Tank’
Students present business plans to panel of judges
MORONI—Students at North Sanpete Middle School experienced their own version of “Shark Tank” last Thursday, May 4.
Twelve seventh and eighth grade students in Carey Ivory’s business and marketing class and Laura Tenney’s textiles class presented business plans they had created to a panel of three judges as well as to their peers, families and friends that evening.
“The kids were amazing. Every one of them did a fabulous job,” Superintendent Sam Ray, one of the judges, says. “I appreciate the teachers who made it happen.”
For the competition, each student or pair of students chose a business, a business name and developed a business and marketing plan. (See accompanying table.)
A t the end of the evening, Emmett Thompson won the Best Business Plan award in Ivory’s class for his wildlife art company called “Studio 17.”
In Tenney’s class, Audrey Inglish and Halley Madsen won Best Business Plan with their recycled bag company, “Knotworks.”
Ivory asked her students to including advertising, a billboard, business card, a magazine and a company website which were shown to the judges, in their business plans.
In Tenney’s class, company plan components included creating a post-consumer item from recycled materials.
While the judges were tabulating scores, the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America middle school chapter served soup to the audience in ceramic bowls made by Abe Kimball’s art students.
For the bowl project, the students created two bowls, one to donate and one to keep, employing a pinch method on one and a coil method on the other.
This was the first semester the school has done a Shark Tank. In previous semesters, Tenney has had a design show for her students to display their recycled products. She says she had been thinking of having them build businesses around their products when Ivory mentioned the possibility of a Shark Tank. So the idea for a collaboration was born, and the program “went off without a hitch,” Tenney says.
The other judges were North Sanpete High family and consumer studies teacher Auralee Brooks and NSHS business teacher Justin Morley.
Suggested admission to the event was a food item for the Sanpete food pantry. About 50 items were donated.
Shark Tank is an ABC TV series where would-be entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a group of possible investors.


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CORAL GABLES — In case you were looking for an excuse to drink, we have found one for you. February 7 happens to be Pisco Sour Day (who knew?), and to honor the beloved national holiday SushiSamba is adding two new pisco 'inspired' dishes to its menu along with two new pisco-based drinks available special for that weekend only. Time to get to celebrating. [EaterWire]
WYNWOOD — Seems like gastroPod is going country. Its chef Jeremiah Bullfrog is teaming up with Travis Grimes of Husk Charleston to make a five-course lunch and seven-course "low country smorgasbord" dinner on February 8 and 9 respectively. Tickets can be purchased here. [EaterWire]
MIAMI — Apparently there is a big football game going on this weekend? You may have heard of it. If you're looking for a spot to watch the Super Bowl we've rounded up a list of the best spots around town to do that. Check it out this way.


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It's become one of the louder post-Covid debates specifically linked to our love for eating out. That is, how to staff an industry which is heavily reliant on migrant workers when that previously generous labour source no longer exists.
As we've heard, it's pushing some restaurants to the brink.
The owners of popular Auckland restaurants Cassia, Sidart and Sid at the French Cafe even said last week they would be closed for the school holidays to give overworked staff a much-needed break.
"Business has definitely improved, but we are now faced with the new predicament of not having people to meet the demand," co-owner Chand Sahrawat said.
Seems extreme, right?
But then again, if your staff are being worked to the bone because they're covering positions that haven't been filled, something has to give.
Restaurant owners like Sahrawat have been vocal about the dire need to fix the labour shortage. Summarised by industry groups like the Restaurant Association, they believe the best and only immediate fix is to extend visas for those already in the country and working. A clear pathway to bring in migrant workers who can fill positions which simply aren't being taken up by locals must also be secured.
Portrayed as a win for both migrant workers and restaurants, the arrangement benefits those who want to live in New Zealand, as well as the businesses who have a place for them.
It also means everyone else involved with the restaurant industry — from consumers to their suppliers — can continue to enjoy its fruits.
To be honest, it's an argument that seemed relatively safe before 2020. But now, the world looks a little different, and the significant flaws in New Zealand's migrant worker policies are no longer being papered over by a seemingly endless supply of overseas workers. Instead, we're being asked to consider why locals tend not to apply, and then strive in roles that overseas workers do in the hospitality industry.
Second, but no less important, is how we've managed to develop a booming industry which seems so reliant on having a workforce tied to conditions and pay rates many who grew up in New Zealand would consider unsustainable.
Are locals actually reluctant to work compared to their migrant counterparts?
Or are migrant workers majorly short-changed when they're promised a life in New Zealand? Closely linked to this is how a more obliging and overwhelmingly overseas workforce often impacts on wider industry standards around pay expectations and conditions.
Further, what about those who are working holiday visa holders and international students? Isn't it a good thing to they can pick up jobs on short-notice when they need money?
So far, we've seen a range of answers which touch on a variety factors — including New Zealand's low unemployment rate, labour and visa arrangements which enable exploitation, and the relatively tight margins many restaurants and cafes operate on.
The argument put forward by some is that better pay and conditions would automatically make hospitality jobs more appealing to locals.
It would also improve standards in the industry overall, which would benefit all workers, including visa holders.
Others are adamant that conditions and pay in the industry are as good as it gets, and without a serious injection of labour willing to do the work, hospitality businesses will start to close.
I'd argue it doesn't need to be one or the other.
Both scenarios present a way forward — which will undoubtedly be hard to swallow for some businesses.
Overall, it isn't fair that New Zealand has built a booming restaurant industry which a significant number of locals won't work in because of the demanding conditions and poor remuneration. Saying that, it's also on us to fix the problem we've created.
Unfortunately, that may mean paying more for a meal out, or even the closure of certain eateries because the pandemic has forcibly halted a business model that should never have flourished.
Either way, it's a step in the right direction.


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IPC voices concerns over RoHS revision developments.October 29, 2008 -
After recent report that Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is on draft list of substances for priority examination under EU RoHS, IPC President Denny McGuirk dispatched letter to EU commissioners expressing organization's concerns for inclusion of TBBPA. McGuirk explained that TBBPA has already undergone comprehensive EU Risk Assessment, and recommendation for priority review of TBBPA under RoHS seemingly undermines EU's emerging chemicals policy and law under REACH.
IPC Voices Concerns Over ROHS Revision Developments
(Archive News Story - Products mentioned in this Archive News Story may or may not be available from the manufacturer.)
IPC-Association Connecting Electronics Industries
3000 Lakeside Drive
Bannockburn, IL, 60015
Press release date: October 24, 2008
BANNOCKBURN, Ill., USA, October 24, 2008 - On the heels of a recent news report that Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is on a draft list of substances for priority examination under the European Union's (EU) Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), IPC President Denny McGuirk dispatched a letter to EU commissioners expressing the organization's concerns for the inclusion of TBBPA.
In its October 15 issue, ENDS Europe DAILY reported it viewed a proposal drafted by the European Commission's Environment Directorate-General (DG) with a new annex listing five substances for priority assessment and potential inclusion in RoHS, including TBBPA, a reactive flame retardant used in a majority of printed circuit board laminate.
"TBBPA has already undergone a comprehensive EU Risk Assessment and, therefore, is not expected to be subject to authorization under REACH," explained McGuirk. "The recommendation for priority review of TBBPA under RoHS seemingly undermines the EU's emerging chemicals policy and law under REACH. We urge the commission to reconsider the inclusion of TBBPA in its list of 'priority review' substances under RoHS."
Following interagency review of the Environment DG proposal, the Commission will present the proposed RoHS Revision to the European Parliament. This summer IPC hosted a workshop in Brussels outlining the negative impact of the Íko-Institut's recommendations for the inclusion of additional chemicals to RoHS including TBBPA. The Environment DG's proposal is based on the institute's recommendations.
TBBPA is used in more than two-thirds of the world's electrical and electronic (E&E) appliances. A ban of TBBPA, a reactive component to produce flame retardant epoxy systems, would have a tremendous impact on the electronics industry in Europe.
A copy of IPC's letter to EU commissioners is available at www.ipc.org/ehs.
IPC (www.IPC.org) is a global trade association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 2,700 member companies which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $1.5 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Arlington, Va.; Garden Grove, Calif.; Stockholm, Sweden; and Shanghai, China.


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3D printing filament subscription services, plant-based meal-planning services and apps that will quickly deliver books from nearby bookstores are just a few of the most innovative August 2016 start-up ideas that have been recently launched.
In order to support the many bright entrepreneurs out there in the world, there are now services like AI Facebook Messenger chatbot 'Kukie' and the 'Unicorn' app to easily connect people with guidance and financial support; these resources are invaluable for those who want to make the foray into the business world.
Big-name brands are also embracing the start-up spirit with a variety of unconventional new ventures. A few notable examples of this include food service chains like Tim Hortons and KFC launching consumer packaged goods, Procter & Gamble introducing a laundry pod subscription service and Heineken & KLM teaming up to serve in-flight draught beer.
Top 45 Start-Up Trends in August
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American Anime Cafes
Empty Restaurant Office Initiatives
Anime Gaming Taxis
Startup Investment Apps


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Tyson Goldsack may have found a niche in the market.
It’s rare to come across functional drinks in Australia that can provide the type of kick you need, and are healthy at the same time.
Conversely, is there a drink that can give the reserve effect and help you to relax?
Along with co-founders Leigh Morgan, Michael Brinkley and Toby Tap, Goldsack and Collingwood Football Club dietitian Dr. Emily Walker have worked tirelessly to create three natural products that can be used in a number of different ways.
“I had the idea of an energy drink that is still good for you but gives you a kick when you need it,” Goldsack told Aflplayers.com.au.
“Leigh, who is a co-founder, wanted something that could help him relax, so we came up with an idea to create a range of drinks that are functional.”
Fellow co-founder, Toby Yap wanted to find a drink that could alleviate stress and assist in providing a relaxed nature that has the potential to benefit sleeping patterns.
The UTONIC team use wholefoods and natural products, with all of the ingredients having plenty of science behind them.
“We want people to be able to find something in the market that’s not going to do them harm and is going to change the way they live in a sense,” Goldsack added.
The team have put more than 12 months of work into the venture, and have their sights set on a release this month.


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Even though banks remain key players in the finance industry, alternative finance and online lending platforms are witnessing immense growth. According to the report by the Federal Reserve, alternative lenders garnered around 32% of all business loan applications in the year 2018, up from 24% in the preceding year. Another report by Balboa Capital predicts that the market for alternative business loans will reach $350 billion by 2025 in the US. It is not much of a stretch to say that alternative lending has already gained momentum in developed countries and expected to get bigger in emerging economies.
Alternative finance: Total transaction value
Alternative finance industry analysis
The rising popularity of alternative lending platforms has laid a positive impact on the global finance sector. It has accelerated the growth for businesses of all sizes, especially for SMEs and startups that have struggled to secure appropriate finances from legacy institutions. That said, alternative finance models are showing no signs of slowing down. Here are some valuable stats to back it up:
As per statista.com
- China tops the list of top alternative finance markets with a total cumulated transaction value of $6,597 million in 2019.
- Total transaction value in Europe is expected to reach $3,787 million by 2023 with an annual CAGR of 13.2% from 2019-2023.
- According to Oracle’s Digital Demand in Retail Banking study, “40% of consumers say nonbank platforms can assist them better with investment needs and money management.”
A threat to banks?
According to the data reported by SME Finance Forum in 2018, there was a funding gap of $5 trillion between the funding needs of SMEs and the institution-based financing available to them. This has led SMEs to turn towards alternative finance platforms. Moreover, such platforms offer substantial advantages over traditional lending channels:
- A viable lending option when the credit score is low
- Simpler qualification process and quicker approvals
- Funding is faster compared to banks and traditional FIs
- Processes are less complicated
- Paperwork is significantly reduced, thanks to online channels
- More flexibility in terms of paybacks
Types of alternative lending solutions
Alternative platforms tend to offer mortgage loans at a lower cost with a simpler qualification process. This combined with the ease of the application process and reduced paperwork enables them to offer loan services in a more attractive way.
Given the huge funding gap for SMEs, business loans through nonbank platforms have gained popularity in recent years. This is also because loan applications from small businesses are generally rejected by banks and FIs over low credit score and stringent regulations.
P2P loans and Crowdfunding
Peer-to-peer loans and crowdfunding are the two most popular forms of alternative lending. They help individuals and businesses to raise quick funds without involving in the mundane processes of banks. Crowdfunding promises to be a great way for small businesses to raise funds which have been rejected by banks for finance. Read more at here.
An essential alternative
Perhaps the biggest reason for the immense growth of alternative finance sources is simply demand. Various researches have shown that nonbank lenders have approved more small business loans than large banks in the past couple of years. Moreover, adoption of the latest technologies like AI and Big Data has helped to offer a more comprehensive solution to borrowers.
To conclude, alternative finance platforms still have significant progress to make as banks still hold a major chunk of the market. However, with the benefits it tends to offer, alternative finance could soon become a go-to option for businesses.


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Struggling New Star is facing a quick sale
Aberdeen Asset Management, headed by Martin Gilbert, is a potential New Star bidder
Crisis-hit fund management group New Star could change hands within weeks.
The firm, headed by maverick industry veteran John Duffield, was effectively taken over by its banks late last year, in exchange for writing off £240million in debts.
At least four potential bidders - Gartmore, Henderson, Neptune and Schroders - are reckoned to have lodged offers with investment bank UBS.
Aberdeen Asset Management, having previously signalled that it would not bid, is now said to be keen.
Since the depth of New Star's problems became clear the firm has been losing huge chunks of its business, with funds being switched to other managers.
Just six months ago New Star was overseeing around £20billion of investments but the total is now just £12billion.
UBS wants to tie up a sale before business shrinks any further.
A sale is unlikely to raise more than £100million, meaning that HBOS, Lloyds TSB, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland and National Australia Bank will have lost more than half of their cash.
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The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has solicited for support of Nigeria Customs Service to enhance the efficiency of Nigerian ports.
Hassan Bello, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Council, who led his management team on a courtesy visit to Apapa and Tin can Area Command of Nigeria Customs Services, called for a synergy that would transform the nation’s ports to regional maritime hub in African sub region.
His words ‘’Since 2006 when the ports were concessioned, Nigeria has recorded mass improvement in terms of turnaround time of vessels but still other problems persist at the ports. We want Customs to be our critical partner in transforming the nation’s ports’’.
According to him, the Federal Government is now focusing on maritime sector now that the country is experiencing dwindling fall in the price of oil.
He said that the Council have been having meeting with Customs, especially, the Comptroller – General, adding that, it has assisted in solving many issues at the country’s ports.
Bello, who reiterated that in spite of the sea clearance, there are still other problems after cargo had been brought, it takes longer time before they are being delivered to the consignee.
He, however, advocated a synergy that would fast- track cargo clearance at the ports.
Nigerian Shippers’ Council, he said, is concerned with attainment of best practices in shipping operations.
Earlier, the Controller, Tincan Island Customs Area Command (CAC), Comptroller Yusuf Bashar welcomed Hassan Bello and his management team to the command.
Bashar said that the delays were usually caused by some shipping companies as well as shippers who engaged in false declaration which affected customs clearing processes.He said that there was need for all stakeholders operating at the ports to collaborate for seamless operation.
Also at Apapa Customs Command, the CAC at the command, Comptroller Willy Egbudin, emphasized the need for continuous support of stakeholders through honest declaration.
Egbudin said that the command was interested in achieving 28-hours cargo clearance.
He solicited government support on standard equipment adding adequate machineries would add more value to their operations.
The command has made recommendation to the customs Headquarters in Abuja to bring more high-quality scanners to our operation at the ports,“ He said
Egbudin said that NCS was ready to collaborate with both government and private stakeholders in the maritime sector to enable customs to achieve its target.
He, however, urged customs officers to be more professional in their operations at the ports.


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Africa Fashion Week Nigeria
Sat, Jun 3. 3:00PM - 6:00PM
National Theater Iganmu Ojo, Nigeria
The Africa Fashion Week Nigeria 2017 set to showcase Nigerian designers, their creative and innovative designs, styles, and ideas in the fashion industry. Top Nigerian Brands to show their collections... Don't miss out.. 3rd - 4th June...


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Surkus, a Los Angeles, CA-based provider of a technology platform which connects people to brands and events in their area, raised $10m in Series B funding.
The round was led by EOS Global.
The company intends to use the funds to incorporate blockchain technology into the platform and expand it into Asia with Hong Kong being the first international city available on the app.
Led by CEO Stephen George, Surkus provides an events-based promotion company primarily servicing the nightlife industry, comedy shows, brand activations, charity events, acting classes, extra work, movie screenings and more. Members get rewarded for engaging with different events and campaign, and in turn the platform learns more about their interests and better serves brand clients, who are able to hyper-target members by interests and demographics.
Hong Kong is expected to add hundreds of thousands of new members to the app’s 500,000+ US member base.


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Toys 'R' Us Closing 180 Stores As Part Of Bankruptcy
Toys "R" Us has announced it will be closing around 180 stores in the United States later this year.
The toy company filed for bankruptcy last year, and in a letter to customers Toys "R" Us CEO Dave Brandon described the closures as an unfortunate but necessary part of their financial reorganization (via Fortune).
"The reinvention of our brands requires that we make tough decisions about our priorities and focus. To that end and following a top-to-bottom assessment of our business, we have decided to close a number of our U.S. stores. We also intend to convert a number of locations into co-branded Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us stores. The actions we are taking are necessary to give us the best chance to emerge from our bankruptcy proceedings as a more viable and competitive company that will provide the level of service and experience you should expect from a market leader."
That will result in around 180 total stores, with around half of those being Babies "R" Us stores. That accounts for around 20% of their U.S. presence, but around 12 locations will also be getting a big revamp to better take advantage of the two brands. If successful that program will be expanded next year.
Brandon also cited issues during this holiday season as areas that need changing. "This past season, we were successful in accomplishing this objective for millions of customers. However, there were also far too many transactions where this wasn't the case - due to our operational missteps. As the leader of this company, I want you to know that we can and will address the gaps in the experience that you may have had when shopping this holiday. My team is already hard at work to make the improvements necessary to ensure that we have the products you want, when, where and how you want them."
Those store closings will begin in early February, and Toys "R" Us expects those locations to be mostly closed by mid-April. They also welcomed customers "to take full advantage of the deep discounts and deals available."
This holiday season was a bit rough for the toy industry in general, but hopefully one of the biggest names in the business can turn things around.


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Talia Announces Interconnection Service to AWS, Azure, Facebook and Google Cloud
Talia has today announced enhancements to its core network, adding interconnects to Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Facebook and Google.
Talia is pleased to cheap jerseys China announce the opening of a cheap jerseys new Engineering Solutions centre in Erbil, cheap nfl jerseys the capitol of the Kurdish Regional Government. Designed to support local partners wholesale jerseys China cheap nfl jerseys and corporate cheap jerseys China customers, the centre enhances Talia’s regional engineering capabilities, and serves as a technology showcase for innovative solutions. cheap jerseys nfl Additionally, it is a complete after sales support centre, providing maintenance and on-going technical support.
‘With expanded resources for field engineering, last-mile communications, structured cabling, and cheap jerseys China other systems integration services, Talia’s engineering centre will help validate and adapt technology to customer requirements,’ said Travis Mooney, Talia’s Chief Operations Officer. ‘We have been invested in business in Erbil wholesale nhl jersey China for cheap mlb jersey a long time, and our goal cheap jerseys is to build that investment into a first-rate cheap jerseys solutions centre.’
A customer solutions workshop is the focus wholesale mlb jerseys of the wholesale jerseys centre, with solutions for end-to-end communications focusing on mission-critical services, network reliability, and network/computer security. Terrestrial (fibre, wireless, microwave) and cheap nfl jerseys satellite communications solutions are featured, along with LAN and WAN installation, Structured Cabling, and other systems and network integration services.
‘The Talia Engineering Solutions Centre is part of our on-going process to offer top technical solutions cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys nfl in Erbil,’ said Ramiz Abbawi, Talia’s Sales Director for the cheap jerseys nfl cheap jersey Middle East.


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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Workplace inspections will be the new normal for reopening businesses.
Workplaces allowed to reopen in B.C. will be subject to random inspections to ensure physical distancing rules are being followed, according to the province’s labour minister.
Harry Bains warns the province will crackdown if it has to, but says that’s not the preference.
“As Dr. [Bonnie] Henry has already said, we don’t want to be in a position to start the businesses then have to shut them down again. That’s not good for the businesses [and] that’s not good for the economy.”
Bains explains the check-ups apply to all businesses allowed to open in B.C.’s second phase of its restart plan.
“It could happen anywhere. It’s a restaurant, or hair salon, or manufacturing, or service providers, they will be required to follow those instructions,” he explains.
The inspections, Bains says, are meant to minimize transmission of COVID-19 as much as possible.
He adds there are penalties for companies violating the rules, but Bains is hopeful business owners take the new health and safety standards seriously.
Some sectors were given the green light to reopen earlier this week, granted public health guidelines are being met.
For a full list of specific guidelines for each industry allowed to open up, click here.


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Nabil Daud, CEO of Retail Arabia, said, “High on quality and service – House of Fraser’s first international store will be in the UAE and we at Retail Arabia want the customers within the region …Read full article » United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, May 09 - 2012 @ 13:10
John King, Chief Executive at House of Fraser says, We are delighted to announce our plans to take the House of Fraser brand to the Middle East. This forms a key element of our …Read full article » United Arab Emirates: Thursday, February 25 - 2010 @ 13:48
The partnership will strengthen the Géant hypermarket, Géant easy supermarket brands overall presence in GCC countries. Retail Arabia has successfully launched both the brands and currently operates 10 stores across UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain with …Read full article » Qatar: Tuesday, December 27 - 2011 @ 10:59
This comes as part of Géant/Le Marché’s continued efforts to reduce the use of plastic bags, and it’s commitment to support EWS-WWF’s environmental causes and initiatives.
EWS-WWF volunteers distributed re-usable bags and informative leaflets, to encourage …Read full article » United Arab Emirates: Sunday, July 15 - 2012 @ 16:00
The Géant Easy supermarket in Abu Dhabi was opened on 21st March at the One Stop Center compound in Khalifa City A in the presence of a large number of customers and executives from Retail …Read full article » United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, March 21 - 2012 @ 15:21


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EU debates PV panels' inclusion in WEEE law
The European Commission has launched a consultation on whether to regulate solar photovoltaic (PV) panels under revised rules on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Member states have called for their inclusion in the WEEE directive.
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The Emerging “Metaphysical Corporation”
The articles of business thinker and writer Gord Hotchkiss are “go-to” columns on the web because they’re invariably thought-provoking pieces to read.
In one recent piece, Hotchkiss poses an interesting set of questions surrounding the emergence of the “metaphysical corporation.” Hotchkiss notes that more business today is being conducted in non-physical markets.
To illustrate, he cites a recent evaluation issued by intellectual property merchant bank Ocean Tomo, which reports that the asset mix of companies has undergone a massive shift over the past 40 years.
In 1975, tangible assets — equipment, buildings, inventory and land — made up more than 80% of the asset market value of the S&P 500 companies.
In just 35 years, that ratio has flipped. Intangible assets — patents, trademarks, goodwill, brand equity — now make up 80% of the S&P 500’s asset market value.
To Hotchkiss, this trend promises to have major implications on the future structure of corporations. Historically, companies that made physical products needed a supply chain.
Vertical integration was the common way to remove physical “transactional friction” from the manufacturing process. And vertical integration was best managed through hierarchical management styles.
By contrast, companies that sell ideas or intangible products need to have a network. By their very nature, these networks don’t have physical friction, so supply chains aren’t required.
In fact, attempting to control a network via a centralized organizational structure tends to be counterproductive, as branches of the network are prone to wither under such constraints.
Building on this notion, Hotchkiss concludes:
“As we move from the physical to the metaphysical, the cost of producing consumable services or digital concept-based products … drops dramatically. Capital was required to overcome physical transactional friction. If that friction disappears, so does the need for capital.”
Like other big trends, this transformation won’t happen overnight. But Hotchkiss predicts it will happen by degrees in the coming years and decades.


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Mobile entertainment market to reach $54 billion by 2015
The rise in the market is driven by the continuing escalation in smartphone adoption and the attendant increase in downloads of consumer-oriented applications.
Juniperâ€™s latest mobile entertainment report observed that the combination of app stores and smartphones had created an unprecedented level of awareness and usage of services such as social media, games, video and streamed music.
At the same time, the transition from the walled garden business model to an open mobile internet had created greater opportunities for D2C players in niche areas such as gambling and adult services.
In addition, the report noted that the rise in consumer adoption of rich media content had prompted unprecedented interest in mobile channels from major brands, which are allocating increasing proportions of digital budget to mobile. As a result, content providers in particular are benefitting from the additional revenue stream created through in-app advertising.
Windsor Holden, report author, said: â€œWeâ€™ve witnessed a quite dramatic evolution of the mobile entertainment market over the past few years, in terms of type of content, scale of content and how that content is monetized.
â€œThe challenge for the players across the redefined mobile ecosystem is to recognize how best to leverage their strengths to ensure that their respective revenue streams are optimized.â€
Have your say and discuss with your peers on the InfoGrok community.
Participate by posting your comments now.


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(Updated 5:15 ET)
Microsoft reportedly is expanding its retail footprint in advance of its big reveal of Windows 8. Analysts say it’s a smart move even as some question whether the company can generate enough buzz to make Windows a viable alternative to the iOS-Android duopoly in the mobile device market.
“They’ve got to give consumers a reason to go out there and upgrade,” said Israel Hernandez, senior analyst and managing director at MKM Partners LLC.
Tech media site The Vergereported that job ads seems to indicate that the company plans to open a dozen pop-up stores in major markets — including some where it doesn’t already have a retail presence, like New York City and San Francisco — as showcases for items like its flagship Surface tablet and new smartphones. Previously, Microsoft announced it will sell the Surface only through its own brick-and-mortar and online stores, so 12 more stores — albeit temporary ones — will give the company a boost during the crucial holiday shopping season.
A Microsoft representative confirmed via email that the company does plan to open pop-up stores for the holiday season, but did not confirm the number or locations of stores.
Pop-up stores are an effective retail strategy because they create an "urgency to buy," said Nancy Liu, a retail strategist at consulting firm Kurt Salmon.
The limited distribution of the Surface might seem to put a drag on Microsoft’s ability to grab mobile market share right out of the gate, but scarcity can be an effective tool to generate interest and demand, she said. "Microsoft's choice to sell it dirctly in their own stores is creating this exclusivity... because you can’t get it anywhere else."
"They’re trying to create some buzz... I think they’ve got a lot of work to do in terms of convincing consumers." Hernandez said. However, he added, "If they build that momentum, it can sustain itself."
Branded stores will let Microsoft show show that Windows 8 is a multitasking platform capable of connecting a user’s media, gaming and social activities across a slate of devices, said Yun Kim, an analyst at ThinkEquity LLC.
“Because Microsoft is [leaning] so much on its OEM partners, the overall consumer expereince they try to deliver to the market has been lost,” he said. “I think consumers today, if they think of Microsoft, they think of Windows and Office.”
In its own stores, Microsoft can control both users' experience and that branding message. If these resonate with consumers — a big "if," analysts acknowledge — its retail presence will help it better compete with Apple. Liu said the pop-up stores will be a good place for the company to try out new layouts, services or designs.
The success of Apple’s retail empire shows that letting people play with new tech toys is an effective sales tactic. Liu said Microsoft should take a page from Apple’s playbook and augment the tactile experience with services like tech help or mobile checkout.
"Not selling through others is a problem only if you have too much inventory you need to sell," Sucharita Mulpuru, an analyst at Forrester Research, said via email. "Otherwise, it's a great way to generate demand and excitement."


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Nissan on Friday unveiled a prototype production facility for all-solid-state laminated battery cells — a potentially groundbreaking technology the Japanese automaker hopes to bring to market by 2028.
The new facility is located at the Nissan Research Center in Kanagawa Prefecture. Nissan will use the facility to study the materials, design and manufacturing processes it will use to produce prototype all-solid-state batteries. Next, the company plans to set up a pilot production line at its Yokohama plant in fiscal year 2024.
All-solid-state batteries could make electric vehicles significantly cheaper. Nissan believes it can reach $75 per kWh in fiscal 2028 with fully solid-state batteries and $65 per kWh thereafter. That would bring EVs to the same cost level as petrol vehicles.
Given all the benefits, Nissan expects to use fully solid-state batteries in a wide range of EV segments, including pickup trucks. They offer an energy density about twice that of conventional lithium-ion batteries, a significantly shorter charging time and they can be made from cheaper materials.


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Facebook’s highly-expected ‘Clear History’ feature is not available yet, but it’s getting business-ready. Advertisers, be warned.
Facebook’s Clear History feature, first announced on stage at F8 2018 by Mark Zuckerberg himself, is not available yet. But the company is preparing advertisers for what it will mean when it comes to targeting on the platform.
While there is not yet an exact date for the feature’s rollout, Facebook recently confirmed it will be introduced “in the coming months.”
Announced as the biggest privacy feature ever to roll out on the platform, Clear History will work in the same way that browsers enable users to clear their browsing histories and cookies. One click should wipe out all of your activity – on and off the platform (yes, Facebook collects information on your browsing habits outside its own app.)
Facebook says that transparency is not necessarily bad news for advertisers who have grown dependent on targeting Facebook users based on their interests and browsing history: “It’s important to understand that advertising and protecting people’s information are not at odds—we can do both.”
Facebook explained that the purpose of the feature is to give people more transparency and control over the data that is shared with Facebook by other apps and websites. This data is often shared via the Facebook pixel, Facebook’s software-development kits and APIs.
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