text:
Backyard trading of motor vehicles ends in fine for Thornlie man (Samuel Pihl)
- $7,908.30 fine and costs for buying and selling motor vehicles without a dealer’s licence
- 21 vehicles bought and 24 sold during almost a year
- Public urged to report unlicensed motor vehicle dealers
The Armadale Courthouse has imposed a $7,500 fine on a backyard dealer who operated without a motor vehicle dealer’s licence between July 2021 and April 2022.
Samuel Pihl of Thornlie pleaded guilty to carrying on a business as a dealer without having a dealer’s licence as required by the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act. He was also ordered to pay costs of $408.30 when convicted on 16 May 2023.
Mr Pihl bought 21 vehicles and sold 24 of them within a 12 month period. The average turnover of the vehicles was 25 days.
Commissioner for Consumer Protection Trish Blake appealed to the public to report illegal backyard motor vehicle traders.
“Operators who don’t have a licence are undermining the industry by creating an uneven playing field and it undermines the integrity of the industry by taking away market share from those licensed dealers who conduct lawful business,” Ms Blake said.
“It also threatens consumer rights such as those covering warranties and jeopardises their safety,” Ms Blake said.
“We want to put a stop to this illegal practice in the interests of not just consumers, but also in fairness to those licensed businesses that bear the cost of doing the right thing.
“If you come across an unlicensed dealer, report them to Consumer Protection immediately so we can investigate.
“We hope this conviction will deter Mr Pihl and other unlicensed operators from doing the wrong thing in future.”
Consumers can check whether a motor vehicle dealer is licensed by doing a search on the Consumer Protection website. Unlicensed dealers can be reported by emailing firstname.lastname@example.org or by calling 1300 30 40 54.
Media Contact: Jasmine Sidhu, (08) 6552 9248 / 0429 078 791 / email@example.com


text:
From the rise of QR codes to the fall of physical cash: How the pandemic shifted the way we pay and what it means for the future of payments
- Contactless payments were already booming in Britain before the pandemic
- Government guidance has meant even more consumers have gone cashless
- QR codes and smartphone payments are becoming even more popular - but there are fears that a slump in cash usage could leave millions adrift
There are not many things that had a better 2020 than the QR code. Although the scannable square barcode dates back more than 25 years, it became an everyday fixture this year thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.
Pubs and restaurants digitised their menus and Britons across the country were asked to scan black and white codes printed on sheets of paper to 'check in' and provide our details to the NHS contact tracing service.
By September, two in five UK smartphone users had scanned a QR code in the past week, according to a survey by MobileIron and Ivanti.
But usage extends far beyond just provide your details to show where you've been and who you've seen.
The black and white QR code has become a fixture in Britain thanks to the NHS contact tracing service
QR codes are just the latest example of how the way in which we pay for things has been upended by the coronavirus, as we increasingly do so without even reaching for our wallets, let alone the physical cash which might be in them.
From Esso garages to boutique homeware stores, the QR code is increasingly a fixture, allowing for people to spend money simply through scanning a data matrix using their smartphone's camera.
The American payments giant PayPal rolled out QR code payments in May, with retailers set to be charged 1.5 per cent plus 10p per transaction from January, and hopes to have 500,000 businesses globally taking payments this way by the end of 2020.
Meanwhile, the open banking company Moneyhub has piloted charity donations this way, with people able to send money directly from their bank account through scanning a QR code.
It raised more than £2,640 this way during a fundraiser held in mid-December, with chief executive Samantha Seaton crediting the NHS for introducing more people to the barcode.
QR codes are increasingly used to make payments in this country, with PayPal rolling out the feature in mid-May
Britain goes contactless in 2020
The QR code, although admittedly a niche offering for now, is symptomatic of a wider shift towards contactless and digital payments.
The trend was already well underway but has accelerated in 2020, thanks to Government guidelines to businesses, fears about handling cash and already changing consumer behaviour.
'The pandemic has accelerated a significant shift in how we shop, pay and move money', PayPal's Lisa Scott said. '
With social distancing regulations accelerating the decline of cash and encouraging adoption of 'touch-free' payment options, we're seeing demand for more choice at point of sale.'
Smartphone payment methods like Apple Pay or Google Pay, which digitalise Britons' bank cards, were already booming before the pandemic and the sudden shift towards contactless.
Close to a fifth of UK adults were registered for mobile payments last year, according to the trade body UK Finance, and nearly four in five who had done so made a payment.
Whether they're made using a smartphone through Apple Pay, Android, Google or Samsung Pay or up to £45 using a physical debit card - contactless payments have boomed in Britain
Meanwhile research last month from the payments processor Worldpay found 45 per cent of UK Gen-Zers, 32 per cent of millennials and even a fifth of baby boomers have made payments using digital or mobile wallets, suggesting it is not just teenagers and twenty-somethings happy to tap their phone to pay.
Its own data found £4billion was spent through contactless payments in the UK in July, double the just over £2billion spent that way in April.
'Mobile enabled contactless payments have been growing in popularity for some years, but 2020 has seen them take off in the UK, thanks in part to the pandemic encouraging more people to embrace digital forms of payment', Worldpay's Pete Wickes said.
And even the method of tapping a contactless physical debit card, although seemingly old-fashioned by comparison, has benefited from the pandemic, with the per transaction contactless limit upped from £30 to £45 earlier this year.
Figures from UK Finance found 64 per cent of debit card transactions were contactless in September, the second straight month in which a record proportion of payments were 'tapped'.
Given continued Government guidance to Britons about 'hands, face, space' and to businesses about using cashless payment methods where possible, it seems hardly a surprise the UK is fast becoming a contactless society.
And even if life returns to normal after the pandemic, the trends seen in 2020 are unlikely to be reversed, even if fears about cash spreading coronavirus are misplaced.
'The biggest barrier to adoption of digital wallets is the first usage, so as consumers find themselves in situations where new payment methods are required, perhaps for hygiene reasons, they'll be more likely to use the new methods again', Matt Henderson, from the payments processor Stripe, told the Financial Times earlier this year.
Are we heading for a cashless society?
But another, potentially more worrying trend, has also been accelerated this year, that of the decline in cash.
While contactless has boomed, cash usage has slumped, with fears that those not ready, or not able, to go digital could be left out in the cold as banks close branches to cut costs and cash is no longer widely accepted.
'Cash czar' Natalie Ceeney has called for the Government to safeguard access to cash
'Over half of those aged 55 and over indicated that they find it difficult to use mobile wallets to complete purchases, and there will be a need to focus on accessibility and user experience to ensure that older consumers are not left behind', Worldpay's research into digital payments last month acknowledged.
And beyond concerns about ease of use, widespread adoption of the likes of Apple Pay and Google Pay puts more pressure on two major card companies, Mastercard and Visa, with fears about what could happen to peoples' ability to pay if things ever go wrong.
'There are millions of people in the UK who, for various reasons, depend on cash', Natalie Ceeney, who chaired a review into access to cash in the UK, said.
'They may not have a decent broadband or mobile signal; they may use cash to budget, or may be one of the 1.4million people in the UK who, for various reasons, can't get a bank account.'
There were still 73million ATM withdrawals in November during the second coronavirus lockdown, while figures from 11,500 Post Office branches found the amount of money paid in by customers over the counter fell just 2 per cent between October and November despite the lockdown – although withdrawals did fall by more.
There is a 'floor' beyond which cash usage will not fall, at least in the near future.
Millions of people still rely on and use physical money, as shown by figures from 11,500 Post Office branches which found £966m was still paid in over the counter in November
However, there's no doubt cash is increasingly on the way out, something only quickened, rather than caused, by the coronavirus.
ATM withdrawals in November 2019 totalled 139million, close to double last month's figures, and estimates from Link, which operates the UK cash machine network, are that just one in 10 transactions are made with cash.
Three in four people believe the pandemic will continue to affect their cash usage in 2021, and nearly half say they are likely to use cards significantly more, according to a survey of more than 2,000 people by YouGov for Link.
Around seven in 10 say they have been using physical cash much less since March.
Gareth Shaw, head of money at Which?, said: 'The pandemic has put added strain on the UK's frail cash network.
'Our research shows some of the most vulnerable, who rely on cash to pay for essential goods and services, are at risk of being excluded as the UK accelerates towards a cashless society before they are ready.'
The conversation is therefore increasingly about how to manage that decline, rather than reverse it.
Community-led pilots in several cash-starved towns across the UK begin next month, while legislation designed to preserve access to physical money, which Natalie Ceeney has called for, is supposedly due in the New Year.
|Number of ATM withdrawals in 2019:||Number of ATM withdrawals in 2020:||Fall:|
Pete Wickes of Worldpay, who said the pandemic has provided a 'perfect use case' in driving higher levels of contactless and digital payment usage, acknowledged retailers still need to build trust with consumers not yet ready to make the digital switch.
'Whilst convenience and ease are the top drivers of adoption, more needs to be done to reassure consumers about the security of smarter payments technologies', he said.
Until that happens, despite its successful 2020, the QR code might still be something we associate primarily with contact tracing, rather than making payments.

domain: news


text:
April 29, 2013 weblog
Microsoft job ads for engineers show body-double plans
(Phys.org) —The buzz around new happenings at Microsoft stems from two job ads posted last week. The ads reveal that Microsoft means serious business about working on telepresence technology that will enable body doubles, in the next wave of business conference calls. Microsoft seeks two software development engineers, and the job ad wordings reveal Microsoft's research goals: Microsoft plans to deliver a telepresence technology system that can depict a person on the other end of a business conversation.
The ads indicate that these representations of remote conference attendees are on Microsoft's virtual conferencing technology agenda. One of the two ads posted was for a Software Development Engineer, Principal. The ad asked: "Want to be responsible for redefining how people telecommute, communicate and work? Not just getting them connected, but truly bringing them together with cutting edge software and hardware."
Microsoft said it is now developing the hardware and software necessary to have a realistic physical body-double or proxy taking part in a remote meeting.
Microsoft said the remote worker will have a "true seat at the table, the ability to look around the room, turn to a colleague and have a side conversation. Longer-term, this same platform will enable high-definition communication scenarios for consumers over Skype."
That wording indicates the new technology, once ready for release, would take videoconferencing beyond talking heads and into the realm of communications capturing dynamic exchanges of multiple conversations. The frequently heard reservation by business managers about tele-meetings has been how in-person meetings generate more substantive idea-swaps and better collaborations. Should the technology enable a true seat at the table, as described by Microsoft, then businesses may be far more amenable to teleconferencing.
Microsoft's ad called on experienced developers (C/C++/C#). The leader is expected to not only lead the project but also contribute to the architecture and hands-on coding. The ad called for expertise in "any of the following," WinRT, Win 8, mobile applications, communication applications, distributed systems, Lync/Skype, video & audio codecs; image/video processing, computer vision, embedded systems, firmware, sensing, robotics, control systems, and hardware products.
The other job listing was similarly for a software development engineer, and this ad referred to a "Microsoft Mesa project." According to the ad, "The Microsoft Mesa project is creating immersive telepresence products that will change the way remote workers experience and are experienced in meetings."
The ad mentioned how Microsoft builds on technologies like Lync and Skype and also "emerging" ones like Windows 8 and Surface, with the additionof "unique Mesa specific technologies (like video processing)." According to the ad, experience with "XAML, MVVM and property models is a plus."
© 2013 Phys.org


text:
The Office of Fair Trading's (OFT) proposed measures for the unsecured credit market have been welcomed by the Association of Business Recovery Professionals (R3). The regulatory body is considering taking action following a super complaint by Citizens Advice, which indicated that some unscrupulous credit brokers are charging vulnerable customers for finding them unsecured loans without actually delivering. Highlighting the poor practice that still persists in the unsecured loans market, R3 said that its own research indicated nearly one million people are struggling with debts, while a further two million have taken out a payday loan this year.
Julie Palmer, an R3 councillor, welcomed any measures that protect consumers looking for unsecured loans, however she recommended that those struggling with debt look for sound financial advice first. "Those who seek financial advice should be put in the debt solution which best suits their needs, rather than being shoe-horned into the wrong procedure," Ms Palmer said. "We hope that the OFT's new guidance will go some way to ensuring that debtors are given clear and impartial advice which makes them aware of all their options from the start."
The Association of British Credit Unions has also issued a positive response to the OFT's proposed guidance on standards for credit brokers and debt management companies. The government will also be asked to consider legislation banning upfront fees in the sub-prime unsecured brokerage market for loans. People looking online for loans should:
• Compare a number of products from different providers to find the one that is best for their needs
• Consider more than just the headline rates. Are there any additional charges or fees?
• Remember that comparison sites such as moneyexpert.com often exclusively offer the best deals


text:
Not only do the uncertainty and challenges due to the Coronavirus outbreak cost the shipping industry. So do the increasing ocean freight rates. But not all rates and charges have gone up.
Some things have stayed the same. Others haven’t. With the coronavirus, the market in container shipping has been turned on its head. Many factors play in when it comes to the worldwide business of container logistics.
One of those factors is the ocean freight rates.
Changing freight rates
It’s not unusual for the ocean freight rates to be changing, and it happens on a regular basis. What is not that usual, however, is the reason behind the changes this time.
At India’s two largest ports, JNPT and Mundra, carriers have introduced new general rates. Here, shipments going to the Western Mediterranean and Northern Europe have risen with almost 25 percent.
We’re seeing this increase because of the equipment shortages and the reduction of vessel capacity in the Indian subcontinent. This is leading to an increase in ocean freight rates that started at the beginning of March. This is happening in a market that, just like the rest of the world, was hit by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
From China to Africa
Looking away from India, these ports aren’t the only ones, where the ocean freight rates have gone up. Containers from Jebel Ali, the United Arab Emirates, and the ports of Qingdao, Shanghai, and Nansha, China, with a destination to Africa have also seen an increase in freight, of all kinds, rates from Maersk.
Also, CMA CGM has introduced peak season surcharges from Turkey to several destinations in e.g. Africa and Seychelles.
Find alternatives at xChange
Despite the rise in ocean freight rates, the change in equipment availability hasn’t made the charges for e.g. pick-up and drop-off charges go up or down on xChange.
Just as there now are many areas with a lack of equipment available, several countries have a surplus of equipment. More so, then the supply and demand usually create container imbalances. But these changes haven’t meant a noticeable change at the rates being charged at the online platform at Container xChange.
Instead, people have continued to look for and find SOC partners to get their commodities, as well as their containers, moved around. Increasing the flexibility of the industry.
We’re here to help you ship freight and moving containers even in these corona times. We recently had a webinar discussing the current market situation. You can see a short clip from the talk below.
If you’re looking to have commodities shipped Container xChange might be interesting for you. On our site, all you have to do is type in the ports of departure and arrival, and within minutes have found available containers from verified partners.
Click on the banner below and schedule a demo and see how xChange can help you!


text:
Gusto Founder: IPO “Not if, but When”
August 13, 2019 | Contributed by: Charles Laughlin
Gusto CEO Josh Reeves sat down for an interview this week with Yahoo Finance and talked about his company, its commitment to the small business market, and his desire to maintain Gusto’s independence.
On the latter point, one path to ensuring Gusto’s ongoing independence is an IPO, which Reeves characterized as a matter “not of if, but when.”
Reeves would not be pinned down on a timeline to going public, however. “We have all the resources we need to just keep building products and serving the customer.”
Gusto has now passed the 100,000 customer threshold and has raised $316 million in venture capital to date. Its current valuation is a whopping $3.8 billion. We recently reported on Gusto’s latest venture round, clocking in at $200 million.
In the interview, Reeves points out a few things that help explain Gusto’s success.
Focus on Simplicity
Reeves compares SMB SaaS to enterprise SaaS in the interview, noting enterprise is all about customization. In SMB SaaS, the key is to build a product that is dead simple.
“With small business, it is more like the consumer market,” Reeves said. “You have to build a really easy-to-use product.”
We wrote this week about the challenge of driving engagement with small business software. A key finding from our Modern Commerce Monitor survey research is that SMBs crave simplicity in the products they use.
Reeves said the companies organic approach to customer acquisition is another key to its success.
“We do some paid, but word of mouth referrals is the primary driver of our growth,” Reeves said. “If we don’t do a good job for the customer, we don’t get more customers.”
Getting customers is probably a little more challenging for Gusto than Reeves lets on. It is true, however, that in an era of rising customer acquisition costs, SaaS companies that can let their product and customers act as their de facto sales channels are in a far stronger position than those relying on advertising or direct sales. This requires building the right product for the market, making it dead simple to use, and delivering seamless customer experience.


text:
iCloud Hacked, iOS 7 Jailbroken. Yea. Yesterday in Malaysia security conference Hack in The Box Kuala Lumpur has been released new training sessions.
We’re looking forward to the provocative talk abour iClocu hacking and Analyzing Apple’s iCloud Protocols, where developer Vladimir Katalov will give the first-ever report on work Apple iCloud communication protocols. We’re looking training about how an attacker can extract Apple user data from the Apple iCloud Login (including geolocation data) without a device tethered or access to iCloud.
Upon release of first iOS 7 Jailbreak screenshot this month, member and speaker of Evad3rs iOS7 Jailbreak Pod2g and GG divulged a few teaser details to press about their still-shadowy presentation that promises to reveal how Apple can eavesdrop on iMessage users.
Themes: iCloud Hacked
, iOS 7 Jailbroken


text:
According to Zacks, “Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company. It focuses primarily on developing, manufacturing, marketing, and selling generic and proprietary injectable and inhalation products. The company products include Enoxaparin Sodium Injection; Amphadase; Cortrosyn for Injection; and prefilled disposable emergency syringes for crash cart use. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, California. “
Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, August 9th. Piper Jaffray Cos. restated an overweight rating and issued a $23.00 target price (up previously from $22.00) on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, September 7th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, June 28th. They issued a market perform rating and a $17.00 target price for the company. Finally, Jefferies Group upped their target price on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, August 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $20.00.
Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) opened at 18.425 on Monday. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals has a 12-month low of $10.50 and a 12-month high of $21.53. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $19.26 and a 200-day moving average of $16.18. The stock has a market cap of $831.35 million, a PE ratio of 59.821 and a beta of 1.83.
Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 8th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.01 by $0.22. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 5.19% and a return on equity of 4.71%. The company had revenue of $68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $62.10 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.09) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 26.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals will post $0.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
In related news, President Jason B. Shandell sold 5,636 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.01, for a total transaction of $101,504.36. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 208,948 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,763,153.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Diane G. Gerst sold 24,046 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.28, for a total transaction of $463,606.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 39,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $752,517.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 29.30% of the company’s stock.
Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Acrospire Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 57.5% in the second quarter. Acrospire Investment Management LLC now owns 6,791 shares of the company’s stock worth $109,000 after buying an additional 2,479 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth $190,000. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth $207,000. Simplex Trading LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth $277,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management & Equity Research Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter worth $180,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 35.87% of the company’s stock.
Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Company Profile
Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a specialty pharmaceutical company. The Company focuses primarily on developing, manufacturing, marketing and selling generic and injectable and inhalation products. The Company has two segments: finished pharmaceutical products and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) products.
For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com
Receive News & Ratings for Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Inc. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
Tag Archives: Lenovo
In the modern education system study has become almost impossible without personal computers or laptops. Keeping this in mind Lenovo has planned to launch their special laptop series for students. The new ThinkPad X130e, the company has claimed is specially designed to help in education. Lenovo has incorporated the ThinkPad X130e with features, necessary for students like 33 per cent more solid corners, rubber jolts to make the sides of the laptop more bump absorber, strong hinges, more resistant and well-built ports and in addition a 1.2mm thick plastic bezel to guard the screen of the laptop.
Cell phone manufacturing company Motorola has recently announced their upcoming product Xoom 2. As the company said their this new tablet will come out in the market being packed with two new edition – Xoom 2 and Xoom 2 Media Edition.
Both of the tablets are coming by associating with next generation Android operating system or Android 3.2 Honeycomb. In an announcement the authority has claimed that these two model will be 10 percent lighter and 33 percent thinner than the original one.
The market for tablets is full of fierce competitors and it is growing day by day. Lenovo has recently produced the IdeaPad K1 which promises a great deal at a fair amount of money. Indeed the $499 price tag may probably be justified considering the fact that the tablet is pretty good in terms of both its looks and performance. The tablet possesses the Android Honeycomb in its 10.1 inch display. Now, it is to be seen whether this new addition to the tablet market can offer some of the best features possible or not.
World’s leading computer manufacturing company HP and Dell are going to bring in market their first Ultrabook. Digi Times’ has leaked the news. Earlier Acer, Asus, Toshiba and Lenovo had introduced their Ultrabooks to market. HP has revealed their plans to launch their ultrabook at the very end of this year through Quanta Computer, a Taiwanese computer manufacturing company, while Dell has planned to make the first appearance of their ultrabook, co – produced by Wistron in January 2012 in CES. They have also informed that their ultrabook will be offering a 14 inch screen.


text: The event held in honor of Elizabeth Taylor’s extensive Bvlgari collection was a star-studded celebration. Would you expect anything else? By sheer carats alone, Julianne Moore stole the show. The face of Bvlgari had on Elizabeth’s $6.1 million necklace, the emeralds perfectly accenting her rich red locks and McQueen dress. It’s a piece you might remember – Richard Burton gave the necklace to the diamond diva as a wedding gift in 1964 (a.k.a. the first time). Julianne’s the first person to wear it since Ms. Taylor herself! Drew Barrymore also showed up in a statement necklace, hers in rainbow colors – true Drew – while other celebs at the Bvlgari bash like Naomi Watts, Kirsten Dunst (currently repping the Italian brand’s fragrance), Marisa Tomei, and Kate Walsh went for more understated pieces. If you want a peek at the exhibit, head over to Bvlgari’s Beverly Hills flagship now through March 10.


text:
The National Taxation Bureau of Taipei, Ministry of Finance (NTBT) announces that for the Nov-Dec 2021 Uniform Invoice Lottery were drawn on January 25th, 2022. Of the uniform invoices issued by business entities in Taipei City, 4 uniform invoices won the Special Prize (NT$10 million), 5 won the Grand Prize (NT$2 million), and 14 won the million-dollar prize of the cloud invoice award.
The NTBT states that 23 of all receipts issued by Taipei business entities won over NT$1 million prizes. Twenty-two of those won the NT$1-million award for cloud invoices. To encourage people to use a carrier to store cloud invoices, the Ministry of Finance has increased cloud invoice awards in the uniform receipt lottery since the July-August 2021 period. The awards added 100,000 sets of the NT$800 prize only for cloud invoice holders in addition to the original 30 sets of the NT$1 million prize, 16,000 sets of the NT$2,000 prize, and 1,000,000 sets of the NT$500 prize. Now, the sum of the awards only for cloud invoices in every period reaches NT$642,000,000. People with a carrier, such as a mobile barcode, EasyCard, or iPASS Card, can scan their purchases on their carrier barcode and receive their cloud invoices without any paper receipts. Apart from common prizes, the cloud invoice receipt holders have extra chances to win exclusive prizes. Due to those awards only for cloud invoices, the winning possibilities are much higher than for common ones. Besides, the Ministry of Finance promotes diversity to redeem uniform invoice receipt lottery winnings. People can download and use the Redemption APP of the Uniform Invoice Receipt Lottery, Ministry of Finance to set up a savings account to claim their winnings. Via the redemption APP, prizewinners can claim their winnings exempt from stamp tax on the Internet anytime anywhere. Using the redemption APP gets several things done at one stroke.
The NTBT further points out that offshore e-commerce suppliers shall issue cloud invoices to their purchasers when selling electronic services to domestic individuals in the territory of the R.O.C. according to Article 7-1 of the Regulations Governing the Use of Uniform Invoices. Thus, the Ministry of Finance utilizes the email address, which the purchasers left as part of registration information, as a carrier storing cloud invoices for consumers. In the November-December 2021 period, two of the cloud invoices issued by offshore e-commerce suppliers won the exclusive NT$1-million prize. If consumers link their email registered as offshore service account information to their mobile barcode accounts, they can download and use the redemption APP to claim their winnings. If consumers win prizes but have no linkage set, E-invoice Platform, Ministry of Finance will send them a winning notice by email. The prizewinner can click the hyperlink in the email notice to ask E-invoice Platform for a one-time password. After the one-time password is received, the prizewinner shall print the winning certified copies of electronic uniform invoices on an Interactive Kiosk, usually located in 7-11, FamilyMart, Hi-Life, and OKmart convenience stores, within 48 hours. Before the deadline for redemption, the prizewinner shall bring any paper copies to redeem their winnings at the redemption locations.
The NTBT urges people to store cloud invoices by carriers while shopping. Apart from increasing the chances to win the lottery, asking cashiers to store cloud invoices can free invoice holders from worries about missing or damaged vouchers, prevent business entities from evading tax, increase revenue of the National Treasury, maintain fair taxation, save energy, reduce carbon, and protect our environment. Promoting cloud invoicing will create a win-win situation for the consumers and the government.
(Contact: Ms. Lu, Section Head of the Fourth Examination Division; Tel: 886-2-2311-3711 ext.2530)


text:
T&T Supermarkets plans to open a new store in Toronto’s Chinatown area by fall 2021, and they’re already accepting new applications.
The location will take over 301 College Street and plans to bring almost 100 jobs to the city.
This would be the second time the company opened a downtown location. Last year, the grocer closed its Cherry Street store.
“When we heard that the redevelopment project would mean closing the Cherry Street store, we knew our customers would be devastated. While we’ve been able to continue to support our downtown customers through our online shopping, we’ve been looking for a new store location,” Tina Lee, CEO of T&T Supermarkets, said in a press release.
Lee said the new location is marked to open sometime in September.
- See also:
The store will provide more than 10,000 products, including a wide variety of fresh produce, meat, seafood, grocery items, daily baked bread, and ready-to-eat meals.
Customers will also be able to order their groceries online for home delivery or click and collect. T&T is now hiring for the new location.
T&T Supermarkets is the largest Asian supermarket chain in Canada, with stores in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario.


text:
New Revolving Credit Facility for Brammer plc in Connection With Acquisition by Advent
London – Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, announced today that it has advised HSBC, Lloyds and ING in relation to a new revolving credit facility which will replace Brammer plc’s existing financing upon Advent International acquiring the company.
The proposed acquisition of the company, announced today, by Advent International will proceed via a scheme of arrangement.
Brammer is a London-listed supplier of maintenance, repair, and operations products serving more than 100,000 clients in a wide range of manufacturing sectors across Europe.
The Paul Hastings team was led by London partner
At Paul Hastings, our purpose is clear — to help our clients and people navigate new paths to growth. With a strong presence throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the U.S., Paul Hastings is recognized as one of the world’s most innovative global law firms.


text:
A sapphire weighing in at 441 pounds was revealed to the world earlier this month.
But, no, it's not going to a jeweler. You'll probably find parts of it in notebooks later this year.
Rubicon Technology synthetically crafted the stone, which is essentially one massive crystal, as part of its ongoing effort to expand the market for light emitting diodes, the solid state light sources that are expected to see an upsurge in demand in the next few years. Unlike microprocessors or memory chips, LEDs are not made from silicon substrates.
"People try it, but silicon is not a good match," said senior vice president of marketing Hap Hewes. Instead, LED makers deposit gallium nitride onto sapphire wafers to make their products.
Thus, that massive stone is going to be melted down at 2,300 degrees and turned into 4-inch diameter wafers.
"That's about half of the temperature of the surface of the sun," Hewes adds. "Sapphire is the second hardest material."
From a technical standpoint, LEDs are perhaps the best light sources in the world (seeMissile Defense Tech Lights Luxury Condos). The chips can last up to 50,000 to 60,000 hours, emit a variety of colors of light, and now emit light in tones and temperatures that humans find comfortable and enjoyable. The "alien autopsy" shades of early LED bulbs and flashlights are fading away.
But, oops, there's the price. An LED bulb that emits about the same kind and quality of light as a 60-watt incandescent bulb or a 15-wall compact florescent can cost $60 to $90. Cheaper versions are available, but the light quality is often shoddy, says, among others, Jim Parks, who runs energy efficiency programs at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.
To bring down that price, component suppliers and chip makers have been tinkering with ways to cut their own costs. The sapphire substrate accounts for about 5 percent to 10 percent of the overall cost of an LED, said Hewes.
To cut costs, Rubicon has been expanding the diameter of its wafers. The larger the wafers, the larger number of LEDs that can be made simultaneously, which in turn means a lower cost per chip. Two-inch diameter wafers remain the industry standard. Later this year, Rubicon will be able to deliver three- and four-inch wafers in volume. Ideally, the four-inch wafers will result in more than twice the number of chips per wafer (think ∏r2) with a lower increase in overall costs.
It is also working on six-inch wafers. (Silicon wafers are much larger. Large chipmakers like Intel use 12-inch wafers in its current fabs.)
There is also experimentation in substrates. Some companies are continuing to try to produce LEDs on silicon, but Hewes claims that it won't have a major impact for three to five years at best. Others are also trying aluminum nitride substrates, but they remain "unbelievable expensive," he claimed. A wafer from that material might cost $5,000. An equivalent sapphire wafer would cost $15 to $20.
Despite the high prices for LEDs, volumes are growing. Notebook makers are already stocking up. "Notebooks are a no-brainer," he said. By the fourth quarter, nearly 90 percent of the backlights in notebooks will be LEDs. Apple and Dell have already been rapidly adopting LEDs.
Big TV makers are also rapidly adopting LEDs as backlights (Scott Alberts, a venture partner at DCM, largely agrees that demand is somewhat strong from notebook and LED makers).
Street lighting will follow. But LEDs in your house?
"In 2011, you'll see demand kick in for replacing regular bulbs," said Hewes.
Join industry leaders and influencers at Greentech Media's Green Building Summit in Menlo Park, Calif., June 11.


text:
Hewlett-Packard will host it annual presentation to investors on Wednesday and CEO Meg Whitman is relying on its printer division to help buy time in her efforts to turn the company around.
Reuters reported that Whitman has been talking about long-term plans in the company's battle against rivals IBM and Dell Inc. She's used buzzwords such as "cloud," and "social" and "big data," Reuters said.
But the company's printer unit still generates roughly a fifth of the company's total revenue and 35 to 40 percent of it annual profit.
Hewlett-Packard is the parent company of Plano-based HP Enterprise Services.
You can read Reuters full report here.


text:
Scottish flavoured bottled water brand macb is withdrawing bottles of its Strawberry & Kiwi water amid reports of an ”unpleasant smell and taste” in the liquid.
Foods Standards Scotland (FSS) yesterday tweeted a warning about the brand, which is owned by Cott Beverages, advising consumers to avoid its products as a precaution.
The watchdog was aware of an investigation following reports by consumers of “feeling unwell” after drinking the beverage, and was liasing with the business and relevant enforcement authorities, it said.
”Macb has voluntarily instigated a withdrawal of some of their products from sale. We will continue to work with the business regarding this investigation and further information will be issued as soon as it becomes available.”
It comes as tweets surfaced claiming customers had found “floating” matter in some bottles accompanied by a “chemical” odour.
“We are aware of a quality issue relating to our macb Strawberry & Kiwi still flavoured water in 1.5L and 330ml bottles, with a best before end date of August 2018,” a spokeswoman for the brand said.
However, she stressed while the drink “may have a strong odour and be unpleasant to taste”, it was “not harmful” and no other bottle sizes or flavours had been affected.
She encouraged customers in posession of affected bottles to contact the brand’s customer care team directly.
“We take our responsibility as a quality soft drink manufacturer very seriously and we are removing affected products from sale. We apologise to anyone who has received a bad experience with any of our drinks and once again we would like to reassure customers that this is not a food safety issue and the product is harmless.”


text:
Last week, we had our first event in Sydney – Echelon Ignite Australia. With almost 300 attendees, our one-day event was filled with a full day of Southeast Asia-centric content and concluded with MathSpace emerging as the most promising Australian startup.
Thailand and Indonesia: Countries you should look at
Patai Padungtin, principal at Builk Asia as well as Anthony Liew, Chief Executive Officer of Merah Putih Incubator, both shared various statistics of Thailand and Indonesia respectively, showcasing various trends and opportunities to Australia startups and investors interested in the two countries.
- 69 million population, second largest economy in ASEAN
- 78 million mobile subscribers, 25 million internet users, 20 million access internet through mobile
- 18.5 million Facebook users
- 10% of LINE’s 150 million users are from Thailand.
- Thailand has the third largest number of 7 Eleven Stores after Japan & USA (7,000 outlets), offering a great payment gateway for e commerce companies
- There are 10 coworking spaces now in Bangkok
- 10.8 million smartphones and tablets are expected to be shipped in 2013.
- There are more than 16 million credit cards in 2013.
- Thailand is among the global top 15 mobile apps market in terms of downloads. It is also the only Southeast Asian country on the list, according to App Annie.
- 240+ million population 6%+ GDP Growth for the past three years
- Indonesia is the largest country in SEA, makes up more than 30 percent of the total SEA population.
- 55 million internet users (Internet World Stat as of May 2012)
- E-commerce is huge in Indonesia. Anthony cited examples such as Disdus (Groupon), LivingSocial, Tokobagus, Tokopedia, Rakuten, Rumah123, Zalora, Lazada, Traveloka and many more.
- Mobile apps is huge in Indonesia. There are more than 220 million mobile subscribers
- While the potential is huge, Anthony also noted that there are a few challenges for companies and startups to overcome, notably: competing with free alternatives, lack of incentives to buy online, lack of good solutions for mobile payments, and certain regulatory retards which makes setting up in Indonesia painful. Of course, there are ways to go around that.
Of opportunities and investments in Singapore
Other than the Thailand and Indonesia opportunities, another widely discussed topic at Echelon Ignite Australia was the topic of funding and opportunities in Singapore. According to Edgar Hardless, CEO of SingTel Innov8, if you can’t get funded to US$250,ooo in Singapore, you’re not much of an entrepreneur.
“In Singapore there is plenty of money up to the 500k mark. In fact to be honest., the reality is if anyone comes to me in Singapore saying they are struggling to raise $250,000, I actually sometimes don’t rate them as an entrepreneur. Because there is literally so much money available. There are 15, 16 TIS (Technology Incubation Scheme) incubators. . . who are available to give funding up to around $600,000.”
Singapore based angel investor John Tan on the other hand, cautioned startup founders to not raise any funding unless they absolutely have to. To John, fund raising is a “necessary evil.”
“Don’t raise money unless you really have to, I think there’s something to be said about bootstrapping and growing organically. Honestly, to me, fundraising is a distraction. If you really need that money, avoid the temptation of raising more than you need. When you have not a lot of money you are more disciplined in how you spend the money.” – John Tan.
MathSpace wins Most Promising Australia startup
After a day of Southeast Asia-centric content and panel, 11 startups pitched themselves to a panel of judges consisting of Mohan Belani of e27, Edgar Hardless of SingTel Innov8, Amit Anand of Jungle Ventures, Benjamin Chong of Right Click Capital as well as Garry Visontay of Sydney Seed Fund. MathSpace is cofounded by former derivatives trader Mohamad Jebara and tutor Chris Velis. The cloud-based maths learning software is now in its trial phase for 15 schools in New South Wales and Victoria, and Jebara says he has a very high conversion rate among those he has approached.
MathSpace will be pitching against 10 other startups at the main Echelon event on June 4 in Singapore.


text:
We tell the whole stories that matter. To simply help protect quality reporting and spark change, please offer the Bureau
The Bureau co-publishes its tales with major media outlets all over the world so they really reach as many individuals as feasible.
Pay day loans companies are attracting a rush of borrowers. (Image: Neon indication from Shutterstock )
Controversial payday advances organizations, some billing interest levels because high as 7,000per cent, have seen phenomenal development because the start of recession.
New research because of the Bureau, which analysed lots of records and internet sites, discovered a rush of businesses in to the industry. At the very least 24 brand brand new ventures have already been launched when you look at the cost that is high sector since 2008, some operating many different trading organizations and numerous providing short-term payday-style loans.
But far from feeling squeezed by the increased competition, all except one for the ten biggest loan providers especially providing payday advances saw their return significantly more than dual in only 3 years вЂ“ with one lender growing 42 times.
Together, the ten biggest lending that is payday had a complete turnover of nearly ВЈ800m. Simply 36 months ago these businesses had a combined return of just ВЈ313m. And also at the start of the recession only one business had return of greater than ВЈ50m, now you can find four businesses with turnovers considerably over ВЈ100m.
The 2nd an element of the BureauвЂ™s research to the high expense credit sector follows WongaвЂ™s statement that it made significantly more than a million pounds of revenue per week year that is last. But Wonga just isn’t the only business running when you look at the sector to make a revenue вЂ“ the BureauвЂ™s studies have shown five of BritainвЂ™s top ten payday loan providers each recorded significantly more than ВЈ10m in pretax profits in their last reported records.
The BureauвЂ™s latest research focused at the top ten organizations particularly providing short-term, high-cost loans, nearly all of that are connected to a borrowerвЂ™s pay check, to ascertain just how this controversial sector is continuing to grow through the recession.
Above: The key findings of this BureauвЂ™s research. Obtain the complete dataset right here.
The lending that is short-term provided by these businesses, frequently referred to as payday advances, came under hefty attack by customer teams like the people information Bureau. Such teams draw in research into the industry showing the problem people that are many repaying their loans. These reports attracted the eye of this Archbishop guaranteed approval payday loans no telecheck in ohio of Canterbury, Justin Welby, earlier in the day this season as he announced that the Church of England promises to help credit unions so as to place loans that are payday вЂout of businessвЂ™.
Yet despite these commonly reported problems, customers usually do not be seemingly shying far from the services and products being offered.
Wonga, which established in 2007, reported the largest earnings available in the market. It offers turned a loss four years back into profits of ВЈ84m in 2012 despite significantly more than doubling its wide range of workers into the a year ago. Last year the ongoing business had 131 people in staff. By the final end of 2012 this had grown to 325.
The organization reporting the next greatest earnings after Wonga had been MEM Consumer Finance. The company that is US-owned a revenue of ВЈ38.7m this past year for a return of ВЈ123m. It lends as much as ВЈ1,000 at 2160per cent APR.
Wage Day Advance, that has been purchased by US-owned Speedy money Holdings in February, has grown its earnings 32 times in 5 years to ВЈ20m on return of ВЈ39.5m. This represents an extremely healthy 50% profit percentage. The business provides loans that are payday borrowers at an APR of 7069%.
The fastest growing company was American-owned Lending Stream in terms of turnover. Its return increased 42 times from ВЈ700,000 to over ВЈ32.7m in three years. It offers loans that are payday-style the united kingdom though Zebit, which lends as much as ВЈ800 in one to seven months at an APR of 1561.7%. The business also provides a fixed-term six loan through Lending Stream at an APR of 4071.5% вЂ“ a rate that recently rose from 3378.1% month.
Despite its growth Lending Stream is just one of the few lending that is payday examined not to ever be making a revenue. Its newest records record a pretax loss in ВЈ4.3m, but this is right after paying over ВЈ5.2m in royalties and basic administrative costs to a relevant us company. As Lending Stream have not reported a revenue since its incorporation in britain 5 years ago this has thus far compensated no business income tax in Britain. The company declined to comment.
The next biggest pay day loans company, CashEuroNet, owned by US giant money America Global, turned over ВЈ198m in britain year that is last up from ВЈ15m in 2008. It runs in britain through QuickQuid, that offers loans all the way to ВЈ1500 at an APR of 1734%. It doesn’t publish any revenue numbers because of its British operation.
The industry regulator, the Office of Fair Trading, has been looking at the payday loans sector since last year. A study posted in March highlighted many issues and the OFT has written to 50 payday advances businesses asking about their types of marketing financing. The sector has been referred by it to your competition Commission.
The BureauвЂ™s previous research examined the 50 biggest high price lenders to show that BritainвЂ™s high-street banking institutions have actually placed an incredible number of pounds to the industry. It revealed they are based, are now investing heavily in the UKвЂ™s less regulated market that US companies, some banned by law from issuing payday loans in the American states where.


text:
The National Shooting Sports Foundation reports some astonishing figures for gun sales in 2020:
Nearly 5 million Americans purchased a firearm for the very first time in 2020. NSSF surveyed firearm retailers which reported that 40 percent of sales were conducted to purchasers who have never previously owned a firearm.
NSSF tracks the background checks associated with the sale of a firearm based on the FBI’s National Instant Background Check System (NICS). NSSF-adjusted NICS checks for January through July 2020 is a record 12.1 million, which is up 71.7 percent from the 7.1 million NSSF-adjusted NICS January through July 2019. This equates to nearly 5 million first-time gun owners in the first seven months of 2020.
Certainly, many of those sales are related to home defense. The climate in America is becoming more dangerous and the rhetoric of revolution is being used freely and openly. This has turned some who might have been wishy-washy about guns into Second Amendment believers.
“This is a tectonic shift in the firearm and ammunition industry marketplace and complete transformation of today’s gun-owning community,” said Lawrence G. Keane, a senior vie president at the foundation. Read more…


text:
"The Package Tour," featuring New Kids on the Block with special guests 98 Degrees and Boys II Men, is coming to First Niagara Center on Friday, Aug. 2, at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, Feb. 23, at 10 a.m., and are priced at$92, $72, $52 and $29.50 (includes $2.50 facility fee). They can be purchased at the First Niagara Center Box Office, online at www.tickets.com or by phone at 716-888-223-6000.
A random handbill policy will be in effect. A limited number of handbills are available now. Tickets subject to applicable service charges (no service charge applies at First Niagara Center Box Office). All dates, acts and ticket prices subject to change without notice.
VIP packages will be available to purchase beginning Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. by clicking here.
Packages include premium tickets, meet-and-greet, photo op, exclusive merchandise and more.
Find additional information online athttp://www.firstniagaracenter.com/eventX/78.


text:
Forbes Partners with Forbes Slovakia and GLOBSEC to Host First-Ever Under 30 Summit Global Retreat in Europe
An elite community of young entrepreneurs and leaders will gather in Bratislava, 6-9 June 2019
BRATISLAVA (May 2, 2019) – Continuing the expansion of its global Under 30 franchise, Forbes today announced its first-ever Under 30 Summit Global Retreat in Bratislava, organized in partnership with Forbes licensee Forbes Slovakia and global think-tank GLOBSEC. The Forbes Under 30 Summit Global Retreat is an invitation-only gathering of the most solutions-oriented 30 Under 30 listmakers who are transforming industries and driving change. It coincides with the 30th anniversary of Slovakia’s “Velvet Revolution,” which helped usher in democratic government and a new era of freedom and entrepreneurial capitalism across the region.
“With Slovakia about to celebrate 30 years since the fall of the Iron Curtain, Bratislava is home to many startups and a testament to the transformational power of entrepreneurial capitalism,” said Randall Lane, Chief Content Officer at Forbes. “The Under 30 Summit Global Retreat will offer our most influential and globally-minded honorees the ability to connect directly with their peers, address challenges and create meaningful partnerships in the heart of central Europe.”
Taking place 6-9 June in Slovakia’s capital city, the Under 30 Summit Global Retreat, which will draw more than 300 Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees and VIPs from more than 30 countries, is a part of the 14th edition of GLOBSEC’s Bratislava Forum, an established and essential meeting place for political and business leaders, visionaries and innovators who share a common determination to make the world a better and safer place. The GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum hosts annually more than 1000 participants from around 70 countries. The combination of the events will enhance both their potential and networking possibilities.
In recent years, Slovakia has been represented on Forbes’ Under 30 Europe list by honorees including Andrej Pancik, co-founder of crowd-selling platform Represent.com, and Ladislav Kovacs, a professional gamer with the team Faze Clan.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Forbes to bring the first-ever Under 30 Summit Global Retreat to Europe,” said Róbert Vass, President, GLOBSEC. “GLOBSEC and Forbes Under 30 share the aligned goal of bringing together visionaries and innovators for dialogue and to develop constructive solutions for the world’s biggest problems, and we look forward to welcoming the Under 30 community to Bratislava. In June, Bratislava will become a capital of global entrepreneurship.”
“Slovakia is increasingly visible on the global stage as an emerging entrepreneurial ecosystem, benefitting from an abundance of young, homegrown talent,” said Juraj Porubsky, Editor-in-Chief, Forbes Slovakia. “Forbes Slovakia celebrates the entrepreneurs who have made it and we’re excited to join with Forbes and GLOBSEC for this celebration of local and global entrepreneurship.”
The defining voice of entrepreneurial capitalism, Forbes champions success by celebrating those who have made it, and those who aspire to make it. Forbes convenes and curates the most-influential leaders and entrepreneurs who are driving change, transforming business and making a significant impact on the world. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 120 million people worldwide through its trusted journalism, signature LIVE events, custom marketing programs and 40 licensed local editions in 70 countries. Forbes Media’s brand extensions include real estate, education and financial services license agreements. For more information, visit: https://www.forbes.com/forbes-media/.
Forbes Under 30 Franchise
Forbes’ Under 30 franchise is a global platform, which comprises Forbes Under 30 lists featuring young game changers published in print and online all over the world; live summits in the U.S., Asia, Europe and Israel; and an Under 30 channel on Forbes.com.
GLOBSEC is a global think-tank committed to enhancing security, prosperity and sustainability in Europe and throughout the world. Its mission is to influence the future by generating new ideas and solutions for a better and safer world. We believe we can change the world by putting together the right stakeholders at the right time for a free exchange of ideas.
About Forbes Slovakia
Launched eight years ago, Forbes Slovakia is dedicated to Slovak-specific economic and financial topics. We portray business as a part of everyday life and bring stories to draw inspiration from. Forbes Slovakia discusses successful business strategies with top business leaders and profiles the most interesting Slovak entrepreneurs. We also monitor start-ups, young talents, small and medium-sized companies as well as family businesses.
Forbes tradition includes putting together regular lists and rankings, such as Slovakia’s and the world’s rich-list, the 30 most successful people under 30, the top family businesses in Slovakia and many others. Together with our partners, we conduct analyses and surveys focused on the business environment in Slovakia.
Through Forbes Slovakia events we bring together the elites of Slovak business, experienced leaders, promising start-ups and people from a broad range of fields, such as business, technology, science, art, culture and sports. Our conferences serve as a platform for networking and mutual exchange of experience, trends and visions.
U.S. – [email protected]
Europe – [email protected]
GLOBSEC – [email protected]
Forbes Slovakia – [email protected]


text:
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Abdirahman Kahin, who immigrated to the U.S. and built a successful food business, was named Monday as the National Small Business Person of the Year.
The honor for Kahin, CEO and owner of Afro Deli & Grill in St. Paul, was announced at an awards ceremony in Washington D.C. marking National Small Business Week.
Kahin, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1996, opened Afro Deli & Grill in 2014 as a fast-casual restaurant serving healthy, fresh African fusion cuisine.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the restaurant to close and change to grab-and-go products, according to a news release from the Small Business Administration.
Afro Deli & Grill now supplies eight stores in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and 15 other stores across the Twin Cities area, and has expanded to four locations. The business also partners with Meals on Wheels and Minnesota Central Kitchen to provide home-delivered meals to vulnerable community members.
Juanny Romero, of Mothership Coffee, which operates multiple cafes and a coffee roasting business in Nevada, was named national runner-up for the award.
Douglas Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, and Small Business Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman will travel to Minneapolis on Wednesday to have a roundtable discussion with small business community leaders and present the award to Kahin.
Welcome to the discussion.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.


text:
April 21, 2008 |
MUMBAI: GHCL on Monday said it will restructure its US home textile business, previously operating under Dan River, Best Textile and HW Baker, into a single entity - a move that will enhance its business to business (B2B) operations. The company is creating focused verticals for its US business wherein all its institutional and hospitality businesses, including supplies to hotel chains, restaurants, laundries and hospitals, would come under one vertical, it said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
April 8, 2006 |
MUMBAI: The Indian textile industry is on a consolidation spree for the second year in a row. While the sector has been in the thick of M&A and fund raising activity in FY06, the deal sizes total to a little under Rs 800 crore. Analysts point out that this is because most of the textile companies are midsize, with very few clocking a turnover of over Rs 500 crore. According to Sonali Sinha, vice-president, transaction advisory services, Ernst & Young, the broad trends that emerged in the last year were cross border acquisitions and joint ventures to gain better access to developed markets, mergers and acquisitions in the domestic market to achieve globally competitive size, equity fund raising through private equity investors and debt fund raising under the technology upgradation fund scheme to support expansions.
February 14, 2007 |
GHCL has acquired yet another overseas textile company. The company, which makes soda ash and home textiles, has bought the assets of US-based Best Manufacturing for $35 million. This acquisition will be funded by debt, though the company claims its long-term funding will not get affected, as its bankers are providing it short-term funds for the acquisition. Still, a string of acquisitions will mean that GHCL will need to put in place fund raising plans. In recent times, GHCL has aggressively opted for the inorganic route to expand its home textiles business in the US and UK, two large markets.
January 19, 2006 |
NEW DELHI: Soda Ash producer GHCL Limited on Thursday posted a three fold increase in net profit at Rs 26.55 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2005 from Rs 7.39 crore in the same quarter in the previous year. The income from operations of the company registered a growth of 29 per cent to Rs 190.04 crore in Q3 of FY2006, from Rs 147.33 crore in the corresponding period previous year. The company attributed its robust performance in the quarter to the major growth initiatives including the acquisition of a soda ash capacity in Romania and the US-based Dan River in January this year, a company statement said.
August 3, 2006 |
NEW DELHI: Gujarat Heavy Chemicals (GHCL) is on a global push again. After acquiring the UK-based retail chain Rosebys last month, the Ahmedabad-based textile to chemical major is now learnt to be in advanced stage of negotiations with a French home textile retail chain. The retail chain, which currently has about 150 stores, has presence in the US and Eastern Europe besides France.Sources said GHCL has held several rounds of negotiations but the crucial price negotiations are expected to be held next month, after the holiday season in the West.
December 7, 2005 |
MUMBAIAHMEDABAD: GHCL has struck an initial agreement to buy Dan River, a leading Virigina-based home fashion and fabric maker for about $100m, top industry sources said. The Sanjay Dalmia-promoted company is also acquiring a majority stake in SC Bega Upsom SA, one of the leading soda ask makers in Romania for $20m in an all-cash deal. An announcement is expected to be made this week. GHCL, which has major operations in Gujarat in the areas of textiles and soda ash, signed a preliminary agreement with Dan River some weeks ago. The US company, which was established in the town of Danville, Virigina 123 years ago, emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February this year.
January 28, 2006 |
NEW DELHI: Textile mills are spinning gold for their masters. While net profit of firms like Vardhman Polytex, Abhisekh Industries, GHCL and Banswara Syntex has jumped by over 200% in the third quarter of the current fiscal, the boom has brought companies such as Winsome Textile and S Kumars back into the black. Experts predict the trend to continue as the Budget '06-07 is expected to incentivise synthetic textile sector. The financial results in the third quarter of '05-06 have shown a significant improvement in the bottomline of textile mills, compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.
October 18, 2006 |
NEW DELHI: S Kumars is acquiring American Pacific, a US home furnishing maker and distributor, for around $90 million (Rs 405 crore), nudging past a few Chinese companies and private equity funds, sources close to the development said. While S Kumars CEO Nitin Kasliwal said "No comments" on the deal, sources said a company announcement on the deal is likely by the month end. ET had earlier reported that S Kumars was bidding for American Pacific. This is the third largest overseas acquisition in the home textile space in less than a year.
December 15, 2008 |
AHMEDABAD: The Home retail arm of Gujarat Heavy Industrial Chemicals (GHCL) is eyeing an Italian home furnishing brand, even as it is striving to keep the UK retail operations of Rosebys afloat. The company, that had earlier acquired Rosebys (UK) and Dan River (US), is likely to sign up an Italian home textile brand in the next three to five months, a company official said. Meanwhile, Rosebys UK is facing tough times due to negative market conditions. The company is now planning to revive a chunk of its 320-odd stores through the franchisee model.
August 26, 2006 |
MUMBAI: After acquiring a soda ash company in Romania last year, the Sanjay Dalmia-promoted Gujarat Heavy Chemicals (GHCL) is close to buying another Romanian firm for an estimated Rs 100 crore. The move could help consolidate its position as a leading player in the soda ash sector and as one of the major suppliers of raw material for the growing detergent market. According to sources close to the development, GHCL is in the final round of negotiations to buy the Romanian company with an annual capacity of 4,00,000 tonnes of soda ash. The buy will rev up GHCL's total annual capacity to about 2 million tonnes and will make it one of the largest soda ash companies in East Europe.


text:
Hekemian & Co., owner of the Rotunda mall in Hampden, has named the Greenbelt, Md.-based Bozzuto Group as general contractor for the Rotunda’s upcoming redevelopment. According to local land use consultant Al Barry, who works for Hekemian, the choice of Bozzuto and the “imminent” selection of a grocery store will open the way for construction to begin as soon as mid-September, 2013.
In the past few years, the Bozzuto Group has successfully completed a number of major construction projects in Baltimore, including the Fitzgerald, a luxury apartment building adjacent to the Lyric Opera House and the Union Wharf in Fells Point, a high-end mixed-used development on Wolfe Street.
Plans for the redesign of the Rotunda (approved in February of this year) include 382 residential units, 182,000 sq. ft. of retail space and 153,00 sq. ft. of office space, as well as parking for 1,100. Target date for completion has been given as summer 2015.
The choice of an anchor grocery store for the Rotunda continues to be shrouded in mystery. “This is a highly sought after retail space,” says Barry, and several groceries have been openly in the running, including Graul’s Market, Fresh Market and MOMS Organic Market. In March, Graul’s lost its perceived front-runner status over the issue of square footage, according to owner Dennis Graul, in an interview with the Baltimore Messenger. Graul stated that Hekemian had scaled back its original plan for a 20,000 sq. ft. grocery store to a 10,000 sq. ft. store, a size which, of the three, only MOMS would be able to accommodate. This Friday, Mr. Barry stated that “no lease has been signed with any grocery store,” and he indicated that Graul’s is still a contender.
Chris Bell, Senior Vice President at Hekemian & Co., a real estate company based in Hackensack, New Jersey, would not comment on the selection, but noted that “on August 20 there will be a meeting of our citizens’ advisory task force, with whom we have been working for months, and at that point we will be ready to release more information.”
We’ll let you know when we know more.


text:
If you have been an avid fan of Sister Wives, it’s no secret that Meri and Christine’s employer LuLaRoe has always been somewhat of a controversy. According to recent happenings, the company was sued for its deceptive practices. Some new docuseries have exposed its scam. We already know that the company drives a huge portion of the revenue the Brown family makes. In fact, fans have seen multiple Facebook live sessions from Meri and Christine as they try to sell the merchandise.
A new docuseries named LuLaRich features the infamous company and exposes their scam targeting women who work from home. According to an exclusive reveal from The Sun, the company has to face a class-action lawsuit going to deceptive and unfair practices claims, endless chain schemes, violating the California corporations code, false advertising, and so on. Let us take a detailed look at this.
Sister Wives: LuLaRoe Retailer Sues The Company for Pyramid Scheme
Jessica Ponkey, a former LuLaRoe retailer, sued the company calling it a fraudulent pyramid scheme. Accusing them of targeting stay-at-home moms, she continued to call the brand unlawful. Adding to the details, she also stated that LuLaRoe promises these women that they can help them generate a decent income without disturbing their work-life balance. According to the claims, in place of product sales, LuLaRoe derives its primary income from the retailers’ ability to recruit others.
She agrees that along with other consultants, she has been doomed from the beginning itself. Even though they made consistent efforts, the plan allegedly rewarded consultants who recruited others over those making sales. Another claim suggested that the business model of LuLaRoe allowed some few people are the top to grab millions of dollars. According to the court papers, Stidham and Brady have amassed millions in profits at the expense of innocent women looking for a genuine business opportunity.
The range of onboarding fees started from $2000 to $9000. New consultants are mandated to pay the amount depending on the product. She also claimed that even when inventory was in demand, the company was unable to keep up with the orders. Plenty of customers received low-quality items and faced other problems such as that with size and matching.
LuLaRoe Files a Motion
Instead of responding to the complaint, they filed a motion for compiling arbitration. In other words, the case would go directly to arbitration for settling the dispute. But Jessica responded by stating that this is a means to get out of prison. Considering how Meri and Christine
have thousands of followers on their Facebook group, this lawsuit might affect their business.
Redditors have accused the Sister Wives of using their fame to use others to make them rich. Christine’s daughter Mykelti came to the company’s defense by stating that most people don’t understand the effort it takes to succeed with LuLaRoe. Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments below.


text:
Google Sued by an Italian CompanyGoogle is a big company now. It's now almost symbolic to the term 'Internet'. Even if it's profit index is going up and down, mostly likely it's making huge turnovers every year. Needless to write, It's one of the biggest fortune companies in the world. With that written, every here and there, we read news about Google getting sued for some compensations. Sometimes, we read news like 'some couple sued Google just because they clicked their homeyard driveway picture and put it on Google maps' and sometimes Google sued for some kind of illegal content sharing on one of it's Franchise-network. I mean the reasons to sue are almost baseless and look like a way to shell out some million dollars from big fortune companies like Google(Remember?? Microsoft getting sued every here and there?? Now it's Google's Turn).
Recent news about Italian media company Mediaset pressed charge against Google's Youtube for sharing their content publicly. Mediaset(which is owned by the Prime Minister of Italy) filed a lawsuit alleging that Youtube distributed their commercial property. To some extent they are right. But their demand for compensation of $779 million dollars?? That's ridiculous.
User shares the content all over the internet and Youtube is on constant watch for such unethical activities. Sometimes, it's hard to filter certain contents. In that case, Google should be informed not be pressed charge for million dollars. If Google just keeps mum, then it should be penalized for supporting illegal content sharing and causing million dollar loss to company. But, the incident doesn't look such. It just looks like pulling out some honey off it.
In the response to Mediaset's accusation, YouTube wrote," YouTube respects copyright holders and takes copyright issues very seriously. There is no need for legal action and all the associated costs."


text:
It is the question that continues to perplex the would-be cyberbusinessman: just how do you make money off the Internet?
For Lawrence Amoruso, the answer has been simple: sell cigars, and lots of them.
The Little Italy businessman, who last year opened the Three Little Indians cigar shop on Mulberry Street, isusing the Net to help cash in on the nationwide tobacco trend. Visitors to Amoruso’s Web site will find price lists for humidors, lighters, ashtrays, and a wide selection of cigars.
Amoruso, 38, proudly notes that his bustling shop, in a year’s time, has ”become famous all over the country as having one of the best selections of cigars around.” Indeed, his Web site offers all the brands (Cohiba, Arturo Fuente, Bahia, Davidoff) and sizes (robustos, Churchills, tubos, double-coronas) that a discriminating smoker would want.
And Amoruso has made it fairly easy for electronic shoppers to make a purchase. When you settle on a smoke, you can call a toll-free number and place your order, which will then be delivered by either UPS or Federal Express. All you have to do is give Amoruso your credit card number. As his Web sitepoints out, the businessman ”proudly” accepts Diners Club, American Express, Visa, and MasterCard.
And therein lies the rub.
Amoruso is a convicted felon–a credit card cheat, no less–who launched his cigar business only months after completing a federal prison term. In 1994, Amoruso pleaded guilty to charges that he was part of a ring that used stolen credit card numbers to make scores of unauthorized transactions, many of which were illegally run through an apparel company Amoruso then operated.
For his role in the scam, which was uncovered by Secret Service agents, Amoruso was sentenced to 18 months inprison and ordered to repay four credit card companies a total of $467,100. He was also sentenced to two years probation, which continues until early next year.
But in a freewheeling conversation with the Voice about cigars, computers, and credit card fraud, the voluble Amoruso assured that consumers would not be scalped by Three Little Indians. And, in fact,the Voice did not uncover any consumer complaints about Amoruso’s operation.
Asked whether he thought customers, if they knew of his criminal history, might think twice about parting with their credit card information, Amoruso said, ”I understand what you’re saying and there is some validity to it, but…should I put on my Web site, ‘By the way, I was involved with some people that had bad credit cards and stuff, so you might not want to order a box of cigars from me.’?”
Noting that, as a teenager, he was arrested for drivingwhile intoxicated, Amoruso wondered whether that bust should have precluded him from ever again getting behind the wheel. Referring to his felony rap, Amoruso said, ”I’m not embarrassed over it, because something happened. I was stuck in the middle and there was nothing I could do.” Sometimes, he said,”you just gotta keep your mouth shut and then that’s the end of that.”
While Amoruso’s release terms allow for his probation officer to order him to ”notify third parties of risks that may be occasioned by the defendant’s criminal record or personal history or characteristics,” the cigar salesman said that he has not been directed to make such a disclosure. Amoruso, who lives on Grand Street, said probation officials are well aware of his business pursuits: ”I see them every two weeks….The parole officer is on Mulberry Street every single day, he’s got plenty of stops over there.”
Inlight of his fraud conviction, it would seem that credit card companies would want nothing to do with Amoruso’s latest business venture. That is assuming, of course, that they are even aware of his involvement in Three Little Indians. Amoruso has apparently sidestepped that sticky problem by making sure that agreements with credit card companies do not bear his name, only those of his partners. ”The thing is in their name, it’s not in my name,” he said.
In addition to his retail business, Amoruso also hosts occasional ”cigar parties” at Florio’s, a Grand Street restaurant owned by his father, Ralph, a partner in Three Little Indians. According to a law enforcement source, as part of his fraud scheme,the younger Amoruso illegally secured the credit card numbers of some Florio’s patrons and used them to make unauthorized purchases. Neither Ralph Amoruso or Florio’s was implicated or charged in connection with his son’s operation.
Shortly after leaving federal custody last May, Amoruso opened Three Little Indians at 140 Mulberry Street, in a storefront that has long been the subject of law enforcement scrutiny. The cigar shop occupies the front section of the venerable Andrea Doria social club, a longtime hangout for members and associates of the Gambino crime family. For years, the club served as the headquarters for family captain Joseph ”Joe Butch” Corrao. Gambino boss John Gotti was a club regular who often hosted weekly dinners inside the Andrea Doria, which is far more spacious than the Ravenite Social Club, located a few blocks north.
Despite his shop’s location inside a wiseguy haunt, Amoruso said he has ”nothing to do with any of the John Gotti crap because, number one, that was never John Gotti’s club. ”Anyhow, he added, the club these days is only visited by a handful of harmless pensioners who sit around playing cards. ”Regardless of who used to hang out there or what, if someone was killed in a building, does that mean the building is a bad building?”
But Amoruso hardly shies from the Mafia aurasurrounding the Andrea Doria. ”I mean, don’t get me wrong…people eat that shit up!They love it!” In fact, after a 1990 Gotti acquittal, Amoruso gushed to USA Today thatthe crime figure ”appeals to the evilside of people. People wish they could do what hedoes, but are too scared to do it.”
Amoruso, who works seven days a week in hisstore, has seen his business swell with the launchearlier this year of his Web site. A self-taught Macintosh user, Amoruso said he sometimes stays upto three in the morning answering e-mails from across the globe, notes soliciting prices and availability of certain cigar brands. To further familiarize himself with Web workings, Amoruso noted that ”I just bought Claris HomePage 2.0.”
The Three LittleIndians Web site, which lists a toll-free telephone number, triggers upwards of 50 calls aday and 20 mail orders a week, said Amoruso, who has recently shipped products to customers in Australia, Hawaii, and England. The businessman added that he expects to soon upgrade his Web site so that customers worldwide can order online, 24 hours a day. Cigar aficionados will only have tokey in their credit card information and mailing address to place an order.
But this sensitive financial information, Amoruso assured,will be protected from prying eyes by the most advanced encryption software available.


text:
Caywood, 30, joined Barclays this month after almost three years at the digital bank, where she held the key post of overseeing the financial services used by the site 400,000 customers.
She becomes a managing director of the high street lender in charge of consumer strategy.
US-born Caywood oversaw the bank’s Marketplace operations, where it sells such products as investment, insurance and mortgage services to its customers, usually through third parties.
Starling Bank added: “Ben will be responsible for Marketplace product development, while Helen will take on responsibility for commercial relationships.”
Prior to Starling, Caywood spent just under four years working in California as a global product manager for cloud accounting firm Xero, and before that as a product manager for financial software business Intuit.
Caywood studied cognitive science at Stanford University, and earlier, at Pepperdine University, where she also founded its Entrepreneur Club.


text:
Shippers face tough choices in the US trucking market as costs escalate
Faced with the prospect of further rate hikes in the trucking sector, shippers are grappling ...
Crane Worldwide Logistics today announced “an exciting new logistics solution that delivers an on-demand final-mile service to retail customers”.
It says Crane Worldwide Doorbell will allow retailers to deliver faster speed-to-market and provide greater shopping convenience to end customers, “all with the added visibility of delivery tracking through a mobile platform”.
The 'mother of all BAFs' looms for shippers as green targets advance
First shipper uses new land-air corridor ex-India for Bangladesh exports
Maersk idles more ships while NOOs see a rebound in demand
Carriers turn their gaze back to scrubbers as voyage results tumble
Container shipping can see ‘green shoots’ of freight demand recovery
Forwarding M&A round-up: plenty of action making smaller headlines
Shippers advised to give strike-hit port of Hamburg a miss
CMA CGM eyes car-carrier market boom as liners are ready to invest
Some ocean trades stabilising, but transatlantic rates still falling
DSV buys in Arizona to boost services and cross-border LatAm trade
Retailers warn of challenging orderbooks amid continued high inventory
Mind the (income) gap with Mærsk, DP-DHL & Kuehne – DSV the safest
Comment on this article


text:
(MVCOSHOP, CC BY-SA)
The Ukrainian private equity Horizon Capital estimates the compound annual growth of Ukraine’s e-commerce segment at 26 per cent y/y in USD terms over the past three years. Even more importantly, this segment is poised for further growth, with online sales accounting for a ca. 7 per cent share of total retail in 2018 vs. 15-20 per cent share in mature markets.
Meanwhile, EVO, the internet company behind the country’s largest marketplace Prom.ua, believes that the e-commerce sector could grow by 25 per cent y/y in 2019 to UAH81.25bn (USD3.1bn), following a 30 per cent y/y growth in the previous year.
“This can be partially attributed to the underdeveloped market — there is simply ample room for growth,” EVO’s co-founder and business development director Denis Gorovoy told the Central European Financial Observer.
On top of that, Ukrainians are increasingly trusting online shopping, Mr. Gorovoy adds. “[The quality] of services has significantly improved, and this also affects the frequency of purchases.”
A third important factor is the development of mobile internet in Ukraine. In 2017, the share of online orders from mobile devices at EVO’s Prom.ua stood at 33 per cent, compared to 62 per cent from desktop computers. Last year, mobile orders grew to 45 per cent, while the share of orders from desktop computers dropped to 50 per cent. “You can buy anywhere, anytime now,” Mr. Gorovoy added.
Cards vs. cash
According to a national survey of internet users, conducted by the GfK market research group in May, 36 per cent of consumers prefer to pay for purchases with a banking card on a website, while cash payment is chosen by 23 per cent of buyers. 14 per cent of respondents preferred payment by a bank transfer or payment on delivery at a post office. The main barriers for customers to pay with a card on the website are: reluctance to pay in advance (reported by 44 per cent of respondents), a lack of such a payment method on the website (26 per cent), a perceived danger of paying online (10 per cent), as well as the high cost (9 per cent).
Shoes and clothing are the most popular online purchases for Ukrainians — 64 per cent of internet users make such purchases, while 6 per cent want to make them but are not able. Some 11 per cent of respondents buy food online, while 11 per cent of internet users would like to but are unable.
Merger creates a leader
In November 2018, EVO finalized a merger with Rozetka, the nation’s leading online e-commerce retailer. According to Horizon Capital, which took part in the deal, the combined Rozetka-EVO platform has 2 billion website visits and facilitates 30 million e-commerce transactions per year in four regions.
Rozetka and Prom.ua consistently rank among the top 10 most-visited websites in Ukraine, reaching over 40 per cent of Ukraine’s internet audience.
Aleksandr Sokolov, CEO of Kyiv-based Pro-Consulting company, believes that the potential for further consolidation on the e-commerce market in Ukraine is “still significant”. „That mainly concerns specialized segments of home and business products,” he added.
In addition, not all Ukrainian offline retailers are actively represented in the online segment, and if some of them are not planning to sell goods through existing e-commerce giants, „then they may consider the acquisition of an existing online store instead of launching their own website. This may include clothing stores, household goods retailers, as well as sellers of goods aimed at the B2B segment,” Mr. Sokolov said.
“There is a high probability that in the coming years, several transactions will be made that aim to buy websites focused on retailing household appliances and electronics. In addition, the demand for business in clothing, cosmetics and perfumery may grow,” Pro-Consulting CEO told the Central European Financial Observer.
A business model that “kills”
„There are players on the market that will not abandon the situation so simply, when Rozetka is number one in the market and has been constantly strengthening its position,” Artem Shevchenko, founder and CEO of Hubber, a Kyiv-based B2B cloud platform that provides services to retailers and suppliers, told the Central European Financial Observer.
Specifically, 27.ua — an online shop controlled by Epicentre K, a chain of stores specializing in home improvement and gardening — will do „everything possible” to provide Rozetka with “healthy competition”, Mr. Shevchenko believes. However, he argues that 27.ua can only succeed if it is transformed into a marketplace.
Rozetka and Epicentre K have a track record of rivalry. In 2016, Rozetka’s CEO Vladislav Chechetkin accused Epicentre K of „unfair competition”, alleging that they were pressuring suppliers not to cooperate with Rozetka.
Hubber’s Shevchenko believes that many online shops in the market could be „killed”, not because of the Rozetka-EVO merger, but „due to their business models”, which may lead to losing competitiveness.
„Rozetka and Prom.ua are marketplaces. The marketplace model implies a radically different format of interaction with suppliers and a completely different range of product expansion,” Mr. Shevchenko said. „Therefore, other companies in online retail should not seek consolidation, but look towards the marketplace model in order to continue working in this market,” he added.


text:
Logistics conference to take place Tuesday
The second LogisticsConnect conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center in Lewis Center.
The focus is the challenges facing the logistics workforce and ideas for hiring and retaining employees.
Sally Hughes, founder and CEO of Caster Connection, will give the keynote address on making the most of a multigenerational and diverse staff.
To read the full article, click here.


text:
Lately, many of our favorite celebrities have been practicing social distancing and staying at home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus — and that includes power couple Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas.
A quick scroll through their Instagram accounts reveals the couple has been filling their time with things like big bowls of pasta and virtual DJ sets but it appears that some of Joe’s fashion choices haven’t been quite as appealing to Sophie as some of their other activities.
Recently, the Game of Thrones actor (virtually) stopped by Conan at Home to chat about her social distancing habits, revealing she feels “very, very safe” and is overall “loving” the experience due to her introvert status and the fact that she’s able to wear comfy clothes 24/7. But it appears her husband isn’t doing the same.
“I mean, this is something that’s only kind of come to my attention since this…


text:
MILAN — Growth in all markets except Italy and gains at its retail and wholesale channels helped Brunello Cucinelli SpA close the first nine months of the year with a 25.3 percent increase in net profits, excluding nonrecurring costs associated with its initial public offering in April.
In the period ended Sept. 30, earnings reached 21.3 million euros, or $27.2 million. Including the IPO expenses, the Italian luxury company posted a net profit of 17 million euros, or $21.7 million, in line with the same period last year.
Sales grew 15.2 percent to 220.2 million euros, or $281.8 million.
Brunello Cucinelli expressed satisfaction with the performance of the company, which is listed on the Milan Stock Exchange. “Since the end of the year is very close, we can say that everything seems to point to truly special 2012 full-year results for our company,” said Cucinelli. “The great 2011-2015 investment plan, whose purpose is our company’s growth in the so-called absolute Made in Italy luxury segment worldwide, is bearing fruit.”
Dollar amounts have been converted at average exchange for the periods to which they refer.
In the first nine months of the year, exports grew 25.3 percent and accounted for 72.9 percent of total sales.
Revenues in the U.S. rose 28 percent to 62.1 million euros, or $79.5 million. Europe showed a 17.8 percent gain to 69.1 million euros, or $88.4 million.
Sales in Greater China were up 30.9 percent to 9.6 million euros, or $12.3 million, driven by boutique openings in Shanghai, Macao and a second opening in Hong Kong, and accounting for 4.4 percent of sales. Revenues in the rest of the world area climbed 45.6 percent, boosted by a strong performance in Korea and Japan. Sales in Italy decreased 5.4 percent to 59.6 million euros, or $76.3 million, slowed down by the multibrand channel, but lifted by tourists in the company’s own network of boutiques in main cities and resorts.
Sales derived from directly owned stores rose 43.4 percent to 50.1 million euros, or $64.1 million. Wholesale revenues grew 36 percent to 29.5 million euros, or $37.7 million.
The store-opening plan continued in line with the company’s growth projects and between the end of Sept. 31, 2011, and the end of September this year, Cucinelli opened 11 directly operated stores with five units opened by third-party operators. As of Sept. 30, the brand had 74 stores.
In China, following an agreement reached between the group and Sichuan Lessin Department Stores Ltd., six stores, comprising units in Chengdu, Shanghai, Dalian and Harbin and two boutiques in Shenyang, are run as directly operated stores. A new directly operated venue has also been opened in Tianjin.
Six directly operated boutiques are expected to open by the end of the year, in cities including Aspen, Berlin and Venice, together with the opening of a second banner in Shanghai. The company said agreements for 12 additional locations have already been signed.
Through the cash generated by the IPO, the company slashed its net debt, which, as of Sept. 30, stood at 14.4 million euros, or $18.4 million, compared with 59.6 million euros, or $76.3 million, at the end of September last year.
@chanel and @pharrell dropped what’s being dubbed as the world’s most exclusive sneakers yesterday. The Adidas Originals NMD Hu, which Williams designed in collaboration with Chanel and @adidasoriginals, has a waiting list of over 120K people who pre-registered online at chanelatcolette.fr –– and only 500 pairs are on sale. The singer predicted the resale value of the shoes could reach $40K. Read the full interview on WWD.com. Link in bio. #wwdfashion (📷: Dominique Maître)
@imanshumpert is diving deeper into his creative endeavors and relaunching his clothing line, Post 90s, and is helping to raise money for the hurricane victims in St. Maarten with a jersey he’s designed with his brother. The Cleveland Cavaliers player talked to WWD about kneeling during the national anthem, working with fashion brands and how he wants to be more than an @nba player. Read the interview on WWD.com #wwdfashion (📷: George Chinese)
Not only does #TheProfit return to CNBC tonight, but @marcuslemonis has launched @shopmarcus, a new shopping and lifestyle retail experience in Aspen and Chicago, with more locations to come. The retail stores offer in-store stylists and a variety of contemporary womenswear selections.
“It’s life, I’m going to face it,” @mingxi11 sighed. “I fell, but you know, I think the most important thing is that I get back up. I had the love, the help from my sister — the girl next to me Gizele [Oliveira] — she’s so nice. When I went backstage everybody was trying to comfort me like ‘Oh Ming, it’s OK.’ I’m really, really touched. I think it’s them who gave me the courage to go back on stage for the finale,” Xi told WWD of her fall at the @victoriassecret fashion show. (📷: David Fisher) #wwdfashion #vsfashionshow #victoriassecret
@louisvuitton tapped @therealpeterlindbergh for its latest city-centric photo book, which is part of a series called Fashion Eye. The primarily black and white book captures the spirit of Berlin in 57 images shot between 1989 and 2019. “Berlin is an inspiration for me, more than a city. I mean @millajovovich is simply Berlin!” said Lindbergh. #wwdfashion
“You know, I think audiences expect a certain performance so I have to deliver to them what they’re expecting to a certain degree. But I’m also a different actor and a different person, I have my own spin on the character,” says @noahegalvin of his takeover of the leading role in “Dear Evan Hansen” following the departure of @bensplatt, who originated the role. Read WWD’s interview with the 23-year-old actor on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @jilliansollazzo)
For pre-fall 2018, @etro created richly-colored wonderland, using tapestries, textiles and wallpapers from the Eastern world at large. The line featured floral and graphic prints and jacquard motifs, like this two-piece look featured here. #wwdfashion (📷: Giovanna Pavesi)
@kith is moving into children’s. The men’s and women’s streetwear brand has launched Kidset, a Kith kids line located in New York at 64 Bleecker Street. The line includes mini versions of staple Kith pieces like the Astor bomber jacket and the Kith box logo sweatshirts, along with a wall that can display up to 120 pairs of shoes from @adidas, @newbalance, @timberland and more. #wwdfashion
“I just wanted to create this fully rounded character, but I do think what excited me most was just the opportunity to give a group of people representation that I feel needs it. I like to do characters in projects that stand for something and Karolina definitely does, so that was really exciting to me,” @ginnygardner says of her new role in @hulu’s “The Runaways.” Gardner plays Karolina Dean, a queer superhero, which is a rarity for @marvel. Read more about Gardner’s character on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @dandoperalski)