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After logging a record 10.2 million visitors in 2018, the tourism industry in Volusia County struggled to maintain momentum this year in the face of challenges that included a costly brush with a Labor Day hurricane and the looming prospect of a cloudier economic forecast.
DAYTONA BEACH — After logging a record 10.2 million visitors in 2018, the tourism industry in Volusia County struggled to maintain momentum this year in the face of challenges that included a costly brush with a Labor Day hurricane and the looming prospect of a cloudier economic forecast.
“Will we do the 10.2 million that we did last year?” said Bob Davis, president and CEO of the Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County. “I can’t project that. It’s not that I don’t think so, it’s that I know so.”
“How can we do it when we lost September, October and part of August?” Davis said, alluding to the economic impact of Hurricane Dorian’s threat to the Volusia County coast over the important Labor Day holiday weekend, the last big tourism push of the key summer season.
Although the storm spared the area major property damage, the loss of Labor Day business was estimated to result in a $21 million economic impact to hotels, restaurants, attractions and other businesses reliant on tourists, according to Mid-Florida Marketing & Research.
Indeed, Hurricane Dorian represents the year’s most clearly defined tourism milestone, an impact that is still reverberating in occupancy, revenue and bed-tax collections that have plummeted, both in the run-up to the storm and in the month’s afterward.
In August, ahead of the storm, occupancy took a 13 percent dip to 58 percent, compared with 67 percent for the same month a year ago, according to statistics compiled by Mid-Florida Marketing & Research.
Revenue per available room, a figure calculated by multiplying a hotel’s average daily rate by its occupancy rate, sank in August by about 15 percent to $65.57 from $77 for the same month in 2018.
In September, occupancy took a 26 percent nosedive to 44 percent, compared with 59 percent for the same month a year ago. Revenue per available room dropped by about 28 percent to $44.98 from $62.40 for the same month last year.
Despite the presence of Biketoberfest, occupancy in October suffered a roughly 6 percent dip to 56 percent, compared with 59 percent for the same month a year ago. Revenue per available room fell by about 9 percent to $63.03 from $69.27 for the same month last year.
At the same time, Volusia’s countywide average daily hotel room rate for that month decreased by about 3 percent year-over-year to $113.39, compared with $117.01 in October 2018.
That month also was affected by the threat of bad weather, as Tropical Storm Nestor dumped record rainfall on Volusia County during part of the Biketoberfest weekend.
‘Reminded in a big way’
Year-to-date through October, the most recent figures available, occupancy at hotels in Volusia County is 67 percent, below the 70 percent figure for the same period in 2018, the year that generated a record 10.2 million visitors.
Revenue per available room also is down for the same 10-month period to an average of $88.39, compared with $91.53 for the same period in 2018. Meanwhile, average daily room rate is up slightly to $131.22, compared with $130.80 for the same period a year ago.
“While we watched Dorian destroy parts of the Bahamas and were so thankful our area was spared, visitors around the country and the world were reminded in a big way that Florida experiences hurricanes during the season,” said Lori Campbell Baker, executive director of the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. “In addition, when the storm then traveled up the coast it impacted some of the key markets that would otherwise be visiting our area.”
Despite Dorian’s impact, bed-tax collections for the 2018-2019 fiscal year that ended September 30 were up 1.83 percent to $23,267,923, compared with $22,850,764 for the previous year.
The county collects a 6 percent tourism tax on hotels and lodges with half of the revenues going to fund the county-run Ocean Center convention complex in Daytona Beach. The other half goes to the county’s three tourism ad authorities to market their respective areas — the Daytona Beach/Halifax area, Southeast Volusia and West Volusia — as tourist and special event destinations.
Although Dorian took an obvious toll, some area hoteliers also reported soft summer business, as well.
Despite the presence of the major Independence Day holiday and a signature NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway, occupancy rates at Volusia County hotels decreased by 3 percent in July compared with the same month a year ago, according to Mid-Florida.
Average occupancy for the month was 79 percent, down from 82 percent in July 2018. Revenue per available room sank by about 4 percent to $112.35 from $116.44 for July 2018.
In June, occupancy at hotels in Volusia County slipped by about 1 percent compared with the same month a year ago, despite the presence of roughly 10,000 electronic gaming fans for the CEO Fighting Game Championships at the Ocean Center.
“We’re definitely down from last year by about 8 percent in revenue year-to-date,” said Gary Brown, longtime owner of the 91-room Sun Viking Lodge in Daytona Beach Shores. “Most of it was in the fall, but not all of it. We were slipping all the way back to February.”
There’s a similar story at the 212-room Shores Resort & Spa, also in Daytona Beach Shores.
“With the exception of May, which was a strong month for us, most of our months are lower than the previous year,” said Rob Burnetti, the hotel’s general manager. “We’re up 2 or 3 percent here and there. There’s not any one thing that has impacted it. I think it’s a combination.”
Supply and demand
The presence of bad weather at key moments obviously didn’t help, Burnetti said, but he adds that the addition of more hotel properties to the market also is a factor.
Also, this year’s summer business didn’t benefit from the boost of the Shriners International Convention that helped fill rooms and bolster food and beverage operations in July 2018, he said.
“I would think some of it is saturation,” Burnetti said of the addition of new hotels such as properties at One Daytona and elsewhere on the mainland. “Demand is about the same. What has increased is the supply side of things. There also were the storms, but quite honestly, it’s the added supply, and that will take us some time to grow into that.”
The added availability of rooms in some ways connects with potential lingering visitor concerns about hurricanes, Burnetti said.
“It makes people more cautious to make reservations further out when they know these kinds of things may happen,” he said. “It’s different if we have enough demand for people to feel a sense of urgency to book, but people are waiting longer. Back when there weren’t all these hotel rooms in town, there was more urgency to get reservations early, so people would take that risk.”
On the positive side, the addition of more branded hotel properties makes the area more appealing, Davis said.
“Our product is by far the best it has been in many years,” Davis said, adding that he is encouraged to see properties such as the Hard Rock Hotel and the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort adding more in-house entertainment for guests. “Hotels are understanding that they need to bring more entertainment in. If it rains, what else is there to do? Now, we’re starting to understand that.”
In the coming year, Davis also pledges to continue to pressure city and county officials to crack down on Airbnb and other vacation rentals operating in areas not zoned for them.
In addition to the issue of lost bed-tax revenue collections, short-term rentals also have contributed to an affordable housing shortage that acutely affects hospitality industry employees, he said.
“We’re not against short-term rentals, but they must be in a tourist zone otherwise they are illegal,” Davis said.
There are indications that steps are being taken to control the issue.
In November, Daytona Beach Police Chief Craig Capri said the city is moving toward partnering with a company that has software that can track down unauthorized short-term rentals. Earlier this month, the Volusia County Council unanimously approved contracts to collect revenue from both Airbnb and VRBO that will become effective in early 2020.
“These additional funds will benefit both the Ocean Center and the CVB’s marketing efforts,” Baker said. “We’re excited about the progress and looking forward to adding these revenues to our marketing efforts.”
Meanwhile, with the 2020 election year kicking into high gear, tourism leaders are bracing for challenges it might present, Davis said.
“All the gurus in my industry from the top down absolutely predict a 4 percent decrease in tourism travel,” Davis said. “In a presidential election year, tourism slips, especially August through the election.”
At a September panel, the Florida Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research projected that lasting effects from recent hurricane seasons and a global slowdown could hamper economic growth in Florida, a slowdown that could become evident in summer 2020.
Yet other hoteliers remain optimistic about the coming year, despite potential issues.
“An election year is always a cause for concern for the travel industry, as well as a softening economy or talk of an economic slowdown,” said Domien Takx, vice president of operations for Ormond Beach-based Premier Resorts & Management.
Premier properties include Hilton Garden Inn; Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites; Best Western Daytona Inn Seabreeze; and Ocean Breeze Club Hotel, all in Daytona Beach; as well as the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Daytona Beach Shores.
“Other factors such as the U.S.- China trade war and Brexit could reduce international travel. We anticipate our Daytona Beach hotels in 2020 to be competitive, and to be even or slightly ahead of 2019,” Takx said. “There is no reason to believe 2020 will be a down year. The economy is strong, our special events will bring thousands of tourists to our destination.”
The explosion of development, especially in the Interstate 95-LPGA Boulevard area, also is reason for optimism, said Brown, of the Sun Viking Lodge.
“All these new housing developments coming in will garner a lot of attention to Daytona Beach,” Brown said. “Traditionally, when you move to Florida you find out you have a lot more friends than knew you had and most of them want to come visit you. So hopefully some of them will end up on the beach and need hotels to stay in.”


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The year 2017 will mark the 70th anniversary of Martinsville Speedway whose track looks like the shape of a paper click.
Vegas announced its hockey team’s name “Golden Knights” two weeks ago at the T Mobile Arena located on the Vegas Strip.
The Kentucky Derby Museum unveiled its new logo design. This year has been one of the best years for the museum and in order to celebrate this they gave their identity a modern and fresh look
The new logo design of ASICS Tiger is used in the décor and furniture of its new store is Osaka City.
The game developers are responsible for a number of famous first person and 3rd person shooter games, including different genres. Perhaps the most famous and ongoing is the “HITMAN’ Series”.

domain: news


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New electronic devices are made possible by improvements in circuit boards and separate components. Scientists are putting a lot of efforts in developing more capable electronic components, but some of the most significant discoveries are made without thorough planning. Now a team of scientists from the University of Amsterdam invented a new material, which may become a basis for new kind of supercapacitors.
Although it cannot be said that this discovery was made by accident, scientists were not working in this exact field. They were researching fuel cells – scientists were trying to develop solid catalytic electrodes for these devices. They modified the surface of these materials, which resulted in a highly porous yet well-structured compound. These results inspired further testing of the supercapacitance of the material. Initial testing was successful and the University has already filed a patent application on this invention. It is said that this new supercapacitor material has a potential to be applied in electronics, transportation and energy storage devices.
The new supercapacitor material has several good points about it – it is light, cheap, and non-toxic, and it can be prepared easily on a large scale. Dr David Eisenberg, one of the inventors of this new material, said: “Companies making electronic devices look for low-cost, highly reproducible materials with a low environmental impact. The literature abounds with reports of high-performance electronic materials, but these will only be applied if they can be made cheaply in large quantities”.
One may wonder, what exactly a supercapacitor is and why is it such a big deal. Scientists explain it is a device, which combines properties of capacitors and batteries. These two devices are similar in a sense that both of them store power. But batteries can store large amounts of energy and charge and discharge slowly, while capacitors store only a limited amount of energy and release it quickly.
Furthermore, while batteries use their entire body for energy storage, capacitors only use their surface. Supercapacitors combine these properties and can store larger amounts of energy than usual capacitors, while still taking and delivering energy quickly. It is extremely useful in many applications, such as protecting electronic circuits against power surges, regenerative breaking in cars and elevators, and burst-mode power delivery in camera flashes.
New electronic elements and devices are able to improve our technology. One might think that a new phone or a tablet is a big deal in the industry. However, inventions like this are able to improve entire range of devices we use every day.


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Nowadays, longtime campers may find it difficult to book their favorite camping locations. That’s because camping is gaining popularity at a rapid pace. The North American Camping Report is an annual camping research initiative by KOA or Kampgrounds of America. As per their 2019 report, the number of US campers has increased by 22% since 2014, meaning that almost 7 million camping households were added. Let’s find out the reasons behind this incredible enthusiasm.
The Success of Millennials
Professionals have tried to anticipate the cause behind this increased enthusiasm for camping. According to the vice president of communications for KOA, Mike Gast, the increasing interest in camping is mostly due to millennials. A huge number of millennials have now established themselves with successful careers and new families. So it’s not surprising that they would love to seek out adventure activities that reflect their progressive and active lifestyles.
The Diversity in Campers
This surprising growth of camping and other outdoor travel segments is also fueled by a comparatively more diverse group of enthusiasts than ever before. In 2019, a new ethnic mix among campers was noticed by professionals. Since then, the otherwise Caucasian-dominated camping world has been outpaced by new campers from multicultural groups, mostly driven by a large upsurge of Hispanic campers. According to Gast, Hispanic campers are generally highly enthusiastic, intend to spend more durations in camping, and are likely to take more trips the following year.
The Age Range of Campers
Along with ethnicity, the average age range of the campers has changed too. According to Gast, the vast majority of these new Hispanic campers are young. It indicates that more younger Hispanic families are taking to camping. Also, they are mostly highly social campers tending to camp in not only large but also in multigenerational family groups. So, for these households, tents have increasingly been replaced by cabin stays and RV camping.


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By Jacob Bunge
Syngenta AG is discussing possible deals with “a number of parties” and is open to combinations with companies including U.S. rival Monsanto Co. as consolidation in the agriculture industry intensifies, the Swiss pesticide giant’s top executive said.
John Ramsay, who was appointed Syngenta’s interim chief executive in October, said in an interview Friday that the company is “interested in any value-adding opportunity that exists for us in this industry, which includes Monsanto and many others.”
While Mr. Ramsay said Monsanto hasn’t revived its takeover effort, his professed openness to a tie-up with the U.S. company marks a shift from Syngenta’s posture just a few months ago. Monsanto in August abandoned a $46 billion takeover effort of Syngenta after the Swiss company’s board repeatedly declined to enter formal talks, citing antitrust risks and concerns that Monsanto’s offer was too low.
Since then, Syngenta, the world’s largest pesticide company and a major seed supplier, has faced pressure from shareholders to consider tie-ups. Last week’s merger between DuPont Co. and Dow Chemical Co., both major agricultural suppliers, effectively removed two potential partners for Syngenta and could eventually pose a greater competitive threat in the roughly $100 billion global seed-and-pesticide industry.
“We are prepared to discuss options with the whole industry, including Monsanto, but our focus has got to be on the ability to actually believe in the value creation and have the confidence we can pull it off,” Mr. Ramsay said.
While Monsanto hasn’t reached out to Syngenta again about a deal, he said, “they know where we stand, and I think we know where they stand.”
“If there’s a willingness to discuss, then we are prepared to discuss,” Mr. Ramsay said of Monsanto.
A Monsanto spokeswoman had no immediate comment.
While combining Syngenta with DuPont’s agriculture business, which boasts the huge Pioneer seed franchise, would have had “the potential to create significant value,” Mr. Ramsay said the DuPont-Dow merger plan took that option off the table for Syngenta. Still, he said, “there are many other opportunities for us.”
China National Chemical Corp., or ChemChina, has been interested in acquiring Syngenta, according to people familiar with the discussions. Mr. Ramsay declined to comment on the status of those talks, though he said that any deal with ChemChina, which has a smaller profile in agricultural products, would likely face lower regulatory risks than a combination with Syngenta’s main Western rivals, which also include Bayer AG and BASF SE.
Mr. Ramsay, who took over after Michael Mack retired in October, said he has put himself forward as a candidate for the permanent CEO job. Syngenta’s board is considering internal and external candidates for the job and it would be “some months” before they choose, Mr. Ramsay said.
Syngenta also is revisiting its decision to sell its vegetable-seed unit to “double-check the implications” for the company’s broader seed research functions, as part of a review of Syngenta’s seed businesses, Mr. Ramsay said. That review is expected to finish in the first quarter of 2016, he said.
Write to Jacob Bunge at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Old-fashioned values have endeared the Wynn family to Naples residents since the town was barely a dot on the map.
This year, the family celebrates two landmark anniversaries – 80 years of business for Wynn's Market and 50 years for Sunshine Ace Hardware.
"The primary philosophy, which has remained constant over the years and drives our business, is, ‘Always do the right thing for your staff and your customers, even if it hurts the bottom line,'" explains Michael Wynn, president of Sunshine Ace Hardware, and a third- generation Wynn businessman.
Other family members involved in the family business include Larry Wynn, CEO/president of Wynn Properties; Tom Wynn, vice president of Wynn Properties; Jerry Wynn, CEO of Sunshine Ace Hardware and Tim Wynn, president of Wynn's Family Market & Wynn's Catering. Third-generation Jeff Wynn manages the East Naples store and Katie Wynn, is assistant manager of the San Carlos store.
The business began in 1938, as a small food store owned by Peter Parley Wynn and his wife, Vida, in the old Bayview Inn and Grocery. Their son, Don, took over after a stint in the service in World War II. In 1948, Naples was growing quickly, so Don and his wife, Annie, opened Sunshine Super Market, on the northeast corner of 7th Street and Fifth Avenue South. The move was well received by the community and in 1953, the store was expanded.
Five years later, the family opened Sunshine Ace Hardware. In 1964, the store was relocated to the block between 1st and 2nd Avenue, off US 41, where both Wynn's Market and Sunshine Ace Hardware stand today.
Run by Don's youngest son, Tim, Wynn's Market specializes in unique, gourmet products with a temperature controlled wine cellar containing unique labels from around the world.
The bakery offers fresh international and American fare, as well as Wynn family favorites.
"We use my grandmother's recipes," Tim says.
Michael Wynn started out as a bag boy at the grocery store. After receiving his CPA, he worked his way up the family business, bringing the company into the 20th Century by computerizing the accounting process.
Jerry Wynn oversees operations of the six hardware stores, each of which offers 40,000 products specific to their customer's needs. If someone can't find a part, the store can special order it through its connection to vendors across the United States.
While the company focus is old-fashioned friendly service, it is also reaching to the next generation with advanced technology.
"As the Wynns were pioneers in the past, we are pioneering some new technology right now," Jerry says. Customers can sign up to receive special announcements and coupons via their text message function on their cell phones.
Community members can sign up with the Mobile VIP Club by texting the word ‘ace' to the number 247365. They can opt into the program at the prompt message for the latest news and coupons.
Jerry foresees the new technology as a useful tool, especially during storm season.
"We constantly get phone calls, asking when our trucks are coming in," he says. "With this technology, we can send out a text stating that 100 generators just arrived at our downtown Naples store."
Over the past 80 years, there is one thing has never changed.
"I think there is an atmosphere and a culture in our stores that is tangible," Jerry says. "Customers are happy and the employees feel like they are part of a family."


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CD Baby has announced a round of new hires that represent its commitment to “becoming a global leader and serving independent artists around the world”.
The new positions are spread across Latin America, the UK and EU, Canada, and East Asia/Pacific, with the aim of expanding or introducing CD Baby’s presence in these areas.
Heli Del Moral, CD Baby’s VP for international development, said: “We need to be present where the artists are, and to provide artists everywhere the ability to get support and access to our services the way our US artists do. We feel it is very important to be physically present in these regions. To this end, we are expanding our global team with industry professionals who believe deeply in our vision and share our passion for indie artists.”
Former WIN executive Henriette Heimdal joins CD Baby’s London office as market development coordinator.
Heimdal said: "I have long admired the DIY spirit and independent-to-the-core ethos of CD Baby. The artist direct market is expanding daily throughout the world, and I am extremely excited to be joining the UK team as these opportunities continue to grow."
Rich Orchard, director for UK & EU market development said: “As we build increased and deeper relationships with our considerable UK & European artist base, I am hugely pleased to welcome Henriette on board. Her wealth of experience across those markets will be invaluable as we expand our European footprint in the months ahead.”
Darryl Hurs, founder of Indie Week Canada, is CD Baby’s new Canadian representative, based in Toronto.
“I've run Indie Week for the last 18 years with the focus on helping indie artists and I look at this as an opportunity to step it up to a higher level,” he said. “I am especially excited to help artists and businesses build success stories."
It is very important to be physically present in these regions
Heli Del Moral, CD Baby
Johanna Rivera arrives to join CD Baby representative Juan Peña in Colombia. Based in Bogota, her work will support artists from other South American and Spanish-speaking countries, including parts of the Caribbean like the Dominican Republic.
Riviera said: “I am happy to be part of a team created by artists for artists. Colombia is a big market and the artists are ready to grow. We are the partner to make that happen.”
Finally, Keith Tan will take charge of the first Asian office for CD Baby.
Tan commented: “Asia Pacific has a growing market of independent artists that are putting out content and music at a very high rate. We see potentially high growth in markets such as Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, The Philippines, Australia. We look forward to working with artists from these parts to assist them in their artistic journey.”
Additionally, CD Baby is introducing a series of Artist Support Centres around the world, starting in the UK. These will give specific advice in local languages tailored to the needs of artists in those locales.
Del Moral said: “One of CD Baby’s true differentiators is that we are very focused on customer service. You should be able to pick up the phone and talk to a person, or get an email back promptly with an informed reply. We need people to answer in a local timezone who know the intricacies of the region and who can relate on a very local level.
“We have built the team with this in mind, and the people who care most for artists will help us have our best business. We see this less as internationalisation, and more as regionalisation.”


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Kylie Cosmetics LLC, the cosmetic company founded by Kylie Jenner of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” fame, has disclosed that customer information was stolen as part of the data breach of Shopify Inc. last week.
The Shopify data breach involved two “rogue” employees being involved in a “scheme” to obtain customer transaction records from certain merchants. The data stolen included contact information as well as order details such as products and services purchased. Who the merchants were was never disclosed by Shopify.
In a notice to customers published by TMZ, Kylie Cosmetics said that it was “working diligently with Shopify to get additional information about this incident.” The notice states that the incident affected names, addresses, emails, product orders and the last four digits of customers. “Shopify has assured us that the customers’ full payment details… were not compromised in the incident,” the notice added.
Founded in 2015 under the name of Kylie Lip Kits, the company was valued at $900 million in March 2019 with a 51% stake in the company acquired by Coty Inc. for $600 million in November.
That a high-profile brand with a valuation of more than $1 billion has been caught up in a data breach that involved employees at a third-party supplier once again raises concerns.
“When a business engages with a third party to operate a critical portion of their business … the business is effectively transferring risk and obligations to the provider while accepting risk in return,” Tim Mackey, principal security strategist, Cybersecurity Research Center at electronic design automation company Synopsys Inc. told SiliconANGLE.
Full article on https://siliconangle.com/2020/09/30/keeping-cybersecurity-kylie-cosmetics-discloses-data-breach/
#kylie #jenner #KylieJenner #cosmetics #databreach #mindyourdata #yokdata #blog


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Indal WRTL launches new website, sells more than one million LEDs
Indal WRTL has launched a new website to reflect the continued growth of the company and answer our customers’ needs.
The interactive site allows you to find our latest products news and case studies. You can also download valuable resources, including videos, to enhance proposals. The home page features a carbon calculator, which shows how much energy Indal WRTL LED street lights have saved to date.
This feature rich web site will help us achieve our strategic and tactical goals and has been developed by North 51, a midlands-based company who have developed bespoke software to meet our requirements.
We would be interested to hear your feedback so that we may continue to deliver above and beyond your expectations.
Big numbers are big news
Indal Group has now reached a new height by selling more than one million LEDs. This fantastic achievement confirms our position as a world leader in the LED market.
In addition, more than 40,000 Stela LED luminaires have now been installed and these have accumulated over 100 million operating hours since installation.
Although these figures are independently impressive, Indal WRTL has also saved in excess of 5,000 Megawatt hours of electricity and fast approaching 3,000 tonnes of CO2.
Richard Schmit, European Lighting Director for Indal Group said:
“We would like to thank everyone at Indal WRTL for the hard work and dedication that has LED to this success.”
About Indal WRTL Exterior Lighting Ltd
WRTL Exterior Lighting Ltd is one of Europe’s largest suppliers of exterior lighting, with over 80 years of experience, and more than 500 lighting products and control systems. Part of the Indal Group, WRTL specialises in total exterior lighting solutions for commercial and public amenity applications, including transport, roads, tunnels, infrastructure, land and cityscape, retail and leisure developments.
For further information call Indal WRTL on 0121 521 1234.


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Estimated reading time: 5 minute(s)
You may be asking… why bother working with Aptoide to replace Play Store where Huawei already have their own App gallery?
You see, the Google ban on Huawei messed up a lot of things for Chinese tech Giant.
Huawei’s own app gallery is somehow small compared to Aptoide which has over 900,000 apps and of course, Huawei can’t do business with any us company come August 12. So they themselves can’t upload their apps to their own app store. So they need a middle man and that’s where Aptoide comes in.
The Chinese company already have multiple backup plans in place to combat the recent developments that threatens their survival. From an in-house built OS to sourcing and stocking their equipments and suppliers elsewhere. Huawei is taking this step one step at a time.
This time, we’re hearing that Huawei is working with Aptoide to replace the Google Play Store on their devices.
Aptoide is a Portugese company which claims to be the largest independent Android app store and allows anybody to setup and manage your own Android Store.
The CEO of Aptoide, Paulo Trezentos, confirmed the details of the deal between Aptoide and Huawei. Though he also hinted that nothing is set in stone.
Aptoide is already working with Oppo, so there’s no reason for them to not be capable of working with Huawei.
What we’re mostly interested to see it whether or not Huawei replaces their pre-existing App Gallery app with Aptoide. The App Gallery is Huawei’s own app store that already comes with most of their devices.
It’s relatively small compared to Aptoide which has over 900000 applications. Maybe we Huawei will merge Aptoide content into the App Gallery, but that remains to be seen.
I like the way Huawei is taking care of these multiple hits, and it seems they will take this opportunity to create their own ecosystem here.
Aptoide seems like a really logical solution to their problem, and we hope both companies come to an agreement.


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Kendall Jenner was hit with a $150,000 federal lawsuit for copyright infringement after she posted a paparazzi clip of herself on Instagram.
A photographer by the name of Angela Ma is suing Kendall Jenner for $150,000 for allegedly committing intentional copyright infringement by posting a video of herself on Instagram. The New York-based photographer captured the brief clip in question, which shows Kendall exiting a building while she was visiting New York City last year. The model proceeded to post the video on her Instagram account on September 12th of 2019.
View this post on Instagram
In the lawsuit, Ma asserts that she had already registered the clip with the U.S. Copyright Office before Kendall posted it without consultation or permission. Thus, Ma is suing both Kendall and her company Kendall Jenner Inc., for copyright infringement, claiming that the model had intentionally shared the content for free to her millions of followers “in disregard of and indifference to Plaintiff’s rights.” Ma is seeking in excess of $150,000, and has requested that the court order Kendall to remove the video from her Instagram and to account for all profits she made by using the video illegally.
Kendall is certainly not the first celebrity to be sued for posting content of themselves on social media. Last month, LeBron James was sued by photographer Steven Mitchell for sharing a photo of himself on Facebook that Mitchell had taken. Before that, Jennifer Lopez and her production company, Nuyorican Productions, were also hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit after she posted a photo of herself and fiancé, Alex Rodriguez, on her Instagram story. Like the Kendall case, both LeBron and J-Lo’s plaintiffs are seeking $150,000 in damages.


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Expect a lot more emails if a new device gets the funding it needs to be launched.
Those emails will be from your dog.
Billed as “The World’s First Petcam That Lets Your Pet Send You a Selfie Automatically” in an IndieGoGo campaign started today, the PetBot allows dogs (and cats, and rabbits) who are home alone to interact with their pet parents.
“When I’m not at home, I really wonder what my dog is doing,” Misko Dzamba, co-founder of the Toronto-based PetBot, says in a video on the IndieGoGo page. “Is he grooming himself? Is he defending the house against the mailman? I don’t know. PetBot was created to help me keep an eye on my dog.”
Here’s how it works: At scheduled times or when the PetBot camera detects your dog in its view field, a sound is played (such as your own soothing voice). When your dog approaches the camera, it starts recording a 10-second video or snaps a “selfie,” and then dispenses a treat. (You can limit the number of treats distributed each day in case your dog is a camera hog — er, hound.) The video or selfie is then sent to your phone.
The PetBot can also record live, streaming video. Another of its features is bark recognition, to “help reduce separation anxiety through the pet’s barking patterns,” according to the IndieGoGo page.
“It’s definitely reassuring, because we know if [our dog] is doing well,” says a customer named Adrian in a video testimonial. “If anything’s bothering her, she’ll make a noise and we’ll be able to check up on her.”
Co-founder Jason Yu told TNW News, “PetBot is the very first smart pet device that allows your pet to contact you. We’ve invented pet recognition — a brand new thing. It leverages ‘petificial’ intelligence — AI that can recognize the face of your pet, take a selfie and send the owners a short clip of their pet when they have to be away.”
Yu and the other PetBot developers have “years of pet training, pet care and technical experience including the development of machine learning and artificial intelligence that have been used to test the effectiveness of drugs on cancer,” according to the IndieGoGo page.
The PetBot may also help make homeless pets more adoptable by helping to calm anxious dogs and socialize shy cats, Yu told TNW News. It can intermittently play soothing nature sounds, such as wind and chirping birds, to “simulate a natural and relaxing environment for the cats and dogs after hours when the shelter is closed.” Prototypes are currently being tested in some animal shelters and rescues in Canada.
The developers have set a contribution goal of $80,000 in 45 days to launch the PetBot. During the first seven hours of the campaign today, over $5,200 has been contributed, so it looks like the goal will likely be met.
If that’s the case, the PetBot will be available early next year and sell for around $200.
To make a contribution to launch the PetBot, click here.
Photos via IndieGoGo.com


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March 13, 2019
Amazon is cracking down on books claiming to teach parents how to “cure” autism.
The effort comes after a Wired story revealed Monday that the e-retailer sells dozens of books boasting pseudoscientific — and often dangerous — autism "cures.” The next day, Amazon removed at least two of those books from the marketplace, Futurism reports. This is a welcome example of the powerhouse using its power to take a stand against the spread of misinformation.
According to multiple reports, news organizations have pointed out that Amazon has hosted books that promote vaccine and other health-related misinformation for years, but the pressure has grown in recent weeks.
RELATED READ: Facebook takes first steps to combat anti-vax movement
Amazon confirmed to NBC News that the books “Healing the Symptoms Known as Autism” and “Fight Autism and Win” are no longer available, but declined to answer specific questions about why it had removed them.
It’s worth noting that these books recommended pseudoscientific methods such as ingesting and bathing in a potentially toxic form of bleach and taking medication meant to treat arsenic and lead poisoning.
Of course, the Amazon initiative comes after several social media platforms made a push to limit vaccine misinformation. Pinterest has opted to block all vaccine-related search results, and YouTube disabled advertising on anti-vaccination videos last month. Additionally, Facebook pledged to take action against any vaccine hoaxes identified by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While this is a great first step on behalf of Amazon, dozens of similar books remain on for sale on the site. The company declined to comment to NBC on why those two particular books were removed or whether the removal was part of a larger crackdown.


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Macy’s has officially confirmed our exclusive report of an imminent collaboration between designer Karl Lagerfeld and the national retailer. “Karl Lagerfeld holds a unique place in the world of fashion, an icon who is the ultimate modernist,” said Terry J. Lundgren, chairman, president, and CEO of Macy’s, Inc. “Through the decades, his style and vision have marked the history of design. It is a tremendous honor to bring his inimitable perspective to our fashion customer.” The collection will debut in approximately 250 Macy’s stores and on macys.com in September 2011. According to a report in today’s issue of WWD that credits UnBeige with breaking news of the deal, the Lagerfeld line is part of a new designer initiative that Macy’s will launch in February. Other designers and brands slated to create capsule collections for the national retailer include London-based Kinder Aggugini, Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith, Calvin Klein, and Versace.
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Take a long hard look at yourself, Wall Street, because you just got head faked.
Shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals ended the week relatively flat after starting out with a violent crash.
The shares tanked after The Wall Street Journal reported that the company was about to make an adjustment to its earnings.
But the restatement turned out to be just a $58 million miscalculation of revenue back in 2014. The revenue should have been recognised after a sale to a customer, but was being recognised upon delivery to the specialty pharmacy, Philidor, that was selling it on Valeant’s behalf.
In other words: nothing to see here people. The stock shot up again once the details were out.
But Wall Street’s relief shows that it is distracted from the far more serious issues plaguing Valeant — namely the question of how it will grow sales and repay its huge debtload without the use of Philidor to push its products and unfettered price hikes.
Plus, analysts say they don’t have confidence company’s newest pharmacy relationship — with Walgreens — or that this is the last of Valeant’s disclosures.
Hedge fund darling
Valeant was a hedge fund parking lot until a short seller’s accusations in October forced the company to reveal its strange, and secret relationship with Philidor. Valeant then revealed that it had purchased the option to buy Philidor for $100 million.
Investors started asking questions. What is Philidor? Why didn’t we know about it, and why is Philidor being sued by another pharmacy in California that is supposed to be part of its network? How much revenue does Philidor and its affiliates contribute to the company?
Valeant was forced to shut Philidor down, and this scandal combined with government scrutiny over Valeant’s low R&D spending and practice of acquiring drugs and then dramatically increasing their price, sent the stock careening down 64% from this time last year.
The head fake
That brings us to today. Valeant has said that it will no longer increase its prices to make gobs of cash — a practice that was essential to its growth in the past.
Instead, it will depend on sales volume to grow revenue, and it has entered into a new distribution agreement with Walgreens.
When Valeant announced that it made a $58 million mistake with Philidor it also announced that it would have to delay the release of its annual report. Unaudited fourth quarter 2015 results will be released and discussed on Monday.
From the release [emphasis ours]:
The Company expects to delay filing its 2015 10-K pending completion of the review of related accounting matters by the Ad Hoc Committee, with the assistance of its independent advisors, and the Company’s ongoing assessment of the impact on financial reporting and internal controls.
“This determination and the need to delay our 10-K filing are very disappointing but necessary,” stated Howard Schiller, interim chief executive officer. “We remain committed to improving reporting procedures, internal controls and transparency for our investors.”
This event, however, was not announced as an 8-K, which would make it a material event and an official “restatement.”
(Valeant didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment on the reason’s for a lack of 8-K.)
Made you look
It was a big splash, though, and it did two really great things for the company. First, it stopped a stock slide that had started the week before, when Wells Fargo analyst David Maris dropped a 40-page take down of the company onto Wall Street.
It also took away from some news that was really bad for the company that came out around the same time. The fact that CVS Pharmacy will restrict sales of Valeant’s toe fungus drug, Jublia. That means before customers get to buy it, they have to try (and fail to be cured by) a generic first.
Maris’ report went through a bunch of problems at Valeant — like it’s $30 billion debt load, the fact that 82% of its assets are goodwill and intangibles, it’s declining free cash flow.
Most damning, though, was the simple fact that neither Valeant, nor Walgreens could answer Maris’ questions about their deal. CEO Mike Pearson (now on medical leave) promised that it would deliver all the volume necessary.
This doesn’t sound promising, though (from Maris and Wells Fargo):
“In our recent meeting with Valeant, management stated that it did not know what the dispensing fee will be and where it will be booked (in SG&A or as an adjustment to gross to net). Without knowing what the dispensing fee and the related costs of consignment inventory will be, and whether Walgreens can drive a similar volume as Philidor, it is difficult to determine whether the distribution arrangement with Walgreens is better or worse for Valeant.”
Maris’ report also highlights why the Jublia news is such a big deal [emphasis ours].
….according to Valeant, Jublia revenue increased to $106 million in Q3 2015 from $62 million in Q1 2015, making it the company’s second-largest revenue generator in Q3 2015. We believe that a substantial portion of Jublia’s growth was fuelled by Philidor and anticipate a significant negative impact to Jublia from the termination of Philidor and shift to Walgreens. While Jublia has patent protection into 2030, its exclusivity ends in 2019, and we believe competitors may be keen on introducing a less expensive version of the drug.
This CVS situation is going to cut into Jublia sales even more. Someone better be asking about this on Monday’s conference call. Its annual sales make Valeant’s $58 million “restatement” look like a blip.
This isn’t to say that all of this sat well with Wall Street. There were a few analysts who didn’t like what they saw on Monday — not because of how much it cost the company, but because of what it said about the company and how it was run.
“The larger problem with VRX shares, beyond management credibility (or namely lack thereof) in our view is the unknown,” said one analyst at Piper Jaffray. “Put another way, are there other issues (either additional accounting issues or malfeasance or both) that could be uncovered?”
Meanwhile, the man who used to run the company, Mike Pearson, is still recovering, according to reports. They say that his health is improving, but the board is debating as to whether or not he’ll be able to come back to work.
This doesn’t sit well with Valeant’s backers. Pearson was their guy. He’s the one-man-band that got hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman to play along to his tune.
“We believe investors still view much of Valeant’s strategy and success as driven by Pearson and losing him as a leader may remove much of the company’s competitive advantage,” wrote analysts at Nomura.
“In our view, if the board decided to remove Pearson from the CEO position, Valeant would ideally need to replace him with an outsider with extensive pharmaceutical experience. Alternatively, we think the board could choose a more drastic approach and consider selling all or parts of the company.”
Sell? That’s major.
So whether Pearson stays or goes, people on Wall Street are going to be unhappy. There are a lot of moving parts to keep track of for Valeant and its investors, so it’s important to pay attention.
If not, you might get distracted.
NOW WATCH: EXCLUSIVE: Hugh Hefner’s son speaks out against Playboy’s decisions to go non-nude and sell the Mansion
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Cubik Innovation will return to the BristolLive & BristolPost Business Awards as category sponsors for a second year.
After scooping the award for Best Manufacturing or Engineering Business at last year’s ceremony, we are delighted to announce that we will be back this year as sponsors for this category.
The Business Awards are a fantastic opportunity for local businesses to showcase their achievements to a regional, or national audience regardless of size or industry. It’s a celebration of thriving businesses and businesspeople within the South West region and has become a much-anticipated event in the South West business calendar.
Our association with the awards began in 2015 when a young Cubik was awarded Best Start-Up after just 3 years of being in business. Over the years that followed, we quickly became a success story earning praise amongst the local engineering community. Our move from the Bristol and Bath Science Park to Verona House, Fishponds enabled the business to double the size of its manufacturing facility.
In 2015, Cubik received the award for Best Start Up Business
In 2019, we were over the moon to return to the awards as category sponsors for Best Tech Business won by local ecommerce specialist, The Pixel. But the highlight of the evening was scooping the Best Manufacturing or Engineering Award firmly placing us as a key player amongst local manufacturers too.
This year, our story continues but this time we are sponsoring the very award that we won. Speaking about Cubik’s continued support of the awards, Paul Mullen said:
Cubik returned in 2019 as category sponsors of the Best Manufacturing or Engineering Award
“We are delighted to be involved with the Business Awards again this year. It’s a fantastic event that recognises the achievements of some of the very best businesses and businesspeople in the South West. After winning the Best Manufacturing or Engineering Award last year, we are looking forward to passing over the baton to the next worthy winner at this year’s ceremony.”
Business of the Year
Lifetime Achievement Award
Paul Brown – MHI
Family Business of the Year
Best Tech Business
Best Creative Business
Best Engineering or Manufacturing Award
Best SME (Under £15M turnover)
Inside Asia Tours
International Trade Award
British Corner Shop
Contribution to the Community Award
Womble Bond Dickinson
Young Businessperson of the Year Award (Under 35 years old)
Yasmin Keetley of Made by Yasmin
Retailer of the Year
Rare Meat Ltd
Employer of the Year
Thornbury Community Services
Find out more about the 2020 business awards, this year’s categories and available sponsorship opportunities.
BristolLive & BristolPost Business Awards 2019 Winners


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Home Depot press release
Hurricane Ida tore through southern Louisiana yesterday carrying winds of 120 – 150+ miles per hour and knocking out power for over 1 million residents. Big box retailers such as Walmart and Home Depot monitored the situation from emergency operations centers and have made preparations to offer assistance. “More than 250 associates from the company’s merchandising, operations and supply chain teams are working around the clock to move truckloads of products to stores in Louisiana and Mississippi. Products like generators, water, tarps, batteries and flashlights are moving into stores in the area,” wrote Home Depot in a press release on Saturday.


text: Richard Solomons, CEO of IHG, stopped by Bloomberg Television’s “The Pulse” to discuss the company’s growth, especially in the booming Chinese hospitality marketplace. “The Chinese are traveling more on business, they’re traveling more on leisure as the country opens up,” explained Solomons. “The Chinese government has described travel and tourism as the fifth pillar of economic growth, so they’re investing behind it. So hotels are getting built.” Currently, IHG has 200 hotels in China, with about 200 more in the pipeline. To watch the video, click here.


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Supreme and Emilio Pucci released their first-ever collaboration for Week 16 of the streetwear brand's Spring/Summer 2021 season. The collaboration featured more than 40 new apparel items and accessories, including nine new Supreme Emilio Pucci Box Logos.
The nine Supreme Emilio Pucci Box Logo T-shirts released came in three different print and t-shirt colorways. The Supreme Emilio Pucci prints made available were blue, dusty pink, and black and all three colors were available on black, white, and grey t-shirts. This Supreme Emilio Pucci Box Logo T-shirt features a black logo on a grey t-shirt.
Supreme's Emilio Pucci Box Logo T-shirt in grey and black was released at the retail price of $54 USD on June 8th, 2021.


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Sometimes it seems that there are no new ideas to spur economic growth and business stability, that we’re stuck with all the familiar disfunctions that have restrained manufacturing over the past few years: inflation, unreliable supply chains, skilled labor shortages, overregulation, unfair trade practices, and various other problems that linger on to keep metalcasters and most manufacturers wary about future prospects. It’s the lingering that is most frustrating, it seems. Nothing, or no one, breaks through the stasis to cause us to reimagine how metalcasting, or manufacturing in general, is or will be done – as seems to happen in high technology, or energy, or biotech sectors.
One week last month there was a buzz among the intelligence sources and discussion groups that I access to keep myself alert to trends and other nascent ideas. It seemed everyone was sending it to me, urging it on me, asking for my response. It was not really an idea, but a restatement of things we know. It came from an economic consultant named Bruce Mehlman, and it’s tied to his argument that the global economy is static but also tense because over the past two decades the U.S. and other free markets have been trapped by “four addictions”: over-reliance on China for cheap manufactured goods; over-commitment to digitalization; over insistence on low-interest financing; and over-confidence in debt financing to cover future liabilities.
It’s surely a provocative analysis, one that I commend to the attention of anyone who similarly wonders why some problems get no relief, show no sign of easing, or attract any better approaches.
To clarify, it’s no revelation to identify these problems. The novelty is in identifying the four addictions as a single problem – one that defies resolution because all the individual elements are in a sort of deadly tension. For example, there are compelling reasons for U.S. manufacturers (and consumers) to break the economy’s dependence on low-cost goods produced in China: that would create new opportunities for domestic manufacturers, which then could increase capital spending and hiring, promoting more local and regional economic growth. There are various promising examples of this shift already.
But how that break-up with China might happen is quite uncertain, and any such move brings new risks to the U.S. economy, including potential trade wars and other market restrictions. There are similar risks, maybe even greater risks, to the global economy and security if economic engagement with China becomes more strained than it is now.
The other addictions are no simpler to break. The “digital revolution” has made organizations more efficient and productive, created more access to information and streamlined many essential activities. But digitalization has also destabilized many jobs, increased businesses’ and individuals’ vulnerabilities, and promoted a range of sociological ills. While there are obvious advantages to Artificial Intelligence, its emergence now is amplifying our awareness of how it might endanger individual rights – and all the efforts to regulate AI suggest censorship and authoritarian actions that Americans would surely resent. And, because the digital landscape that already exists will surely continue – it makes all businesses and individuals vulnerable to retaliation if the engagement with China is downgraded.
That’s just two of the interlocking addictions. Now mix in the expectation that capital should be easy to borrow. Spending and investing spurs economic growth, as we have learned to appreciate over recent decades – but the inflation that has gripped the U.S. and global economies over the past two years is not abating.
The only known solution to rampant inflation is to make borrowing more difficult, more expensive, and that limits economic growth. Building a new domestic manufacturing base is difficult enough without the higher interest rates crimping the return on investments. And higher interest rates also make other things more expensive, such as labor, energy, new technology, and foreign trade. How can we alter our addictions to Chinese goods and digitalization if we cannot invest in new organizational plans?
Higher inflation also accentuates the last addiction… debt. Even during periods of strong economic growth, debt was a chronic problem for individuals, businesses, and governments. Simply put, debt limits all the other choices one can make – which means opportunities for improvement, for growth, are fewer.
Unfortunately, the consultant’s point seems to be analysis, not advice. But characterizing these problems as “addictions” necessarily means they require some resolution that is decisive and accountable, something more than new policies. We need to reckon with these pathologies and their consequences before we can identify any breakthroughs.


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NEW YORK — Fifty-four billion and 4,000.
This story first appeared in the October 14, 2011 issue of WWD. Subscribe Today.
Those are the magic numbers in terms of revenue and units for Fast Retailing Co. Ltd., parent of Uniqlo. Chief executive officer Tadashi Yanai said the firm remains on target to achieve them by 2020 — which would make it the largest apparel retailer on Earth. It was a goal he set for the Japanese fast-fashion firm in 2009.
On the eve of unveiling the biggest Uniqlo flagship in the world, an 89,000-square-foot unit on Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street here, Yanai said, “By 2020, we’ll have 4,000 [Uniqlo] stores worldwide.” Asked if he was aware of other retailers with as many stores, Yanai said, “In Japan, there are 10,000 convenience stores, but I don’t think any apparel retailer has that many stores.”
There’s more than enough global demand for Uniqlo products, Yanai insisted. “China and India will become the center of growth with a population of at least 3 billion,” he said. “That’s more than half of the world’s population. All of those people will start to become middle class.”
There are 149 Uniqlo stores in China. Yanai wants 1,000 in operation there by 2020. Doing meaningful business in India is still several years away for foreigners. In the meantime, Uniqlo is opening stores in Southeast Asia. After unveiling two units in Singapore and a second location in Malaysia, Uniqlo last month opened its largest store in the region, a 9,000-square-foot unit in Bangkok. A few years ago, the income disparity between Thailand and Japan would have made opening a Uniqlo store there “unthinkable,” Yanai said. “Now, Asia is going to become developed and industrialized. Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Taipai, Jakarta, Manila, Kuala Lampur and Ho Chi Minh City. In the next 10 years, they will all come of age,” he said.
Yanai envisions Uniqlo stores throughout Asia as well as dotting other markets. “This year we’re able to open a large number of stores — 150 — overseas,” Yanai said. “Next year and the year after, we hope to open 200 to 300 stores. We want as many as possible to be large-scale stores.”
The ceo said he hasn’t decided on the exact number of stores for the U.S. “We want to make the Fifth Avenue flagship a success and then open about five other stores in Manhattan and about 15 in the suburbs. New York is a very good market and I think there are other good markets in other cities. We’ll go to Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.”
Uniqlo’s second-largest store in the world, a 64,000-square-foot unit, will bow on Oct. 21 at 31 West 34th Street in Manhattan, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
Such stores come at no insignificant cost. Uniqlo signed a lease to pay $300 million over 15 years, or $2,000 a square foot, to rent the Fifth Avenue space, which remains the richest lease in Manhattan’s history. According to real estate and construction sources, the flagship cost between $20 million and $25 million to build. The company declined to comment. With a length of 297 feet — more than three-quarters the size of a football field — the flagship has oak floors staircases that glow with LED lights. Glass boxes house featured products, 300 LED screens and 300 ultramodern mannequins designed for Uniqlo are distributed throughout. Rotating mannequins spin in the first- and second-floor windows along 53rd Street, and are perched alongside the escalator. A massive escalator goes straight to the third floor, but doesn’t come down.
If Yanai betrayed any apprehension, it was over the Fifth Avenue flagship’s opening today. “I’m afraid it will be raining in the morning,” he said, adding that he hopes the weather won’t deter people from lining up outside the building.
Uniqlo’s partnership with Jil Sander, who designed the +J collection, has ended. The last delivery will be on Nov. 2. “What we did with Jil Sander, we probably cannot do with another designer because we think she is the best designer in the world. If we could find someone that matches us, but maybe comes from a little different world…,” he said, his voice trailing off. If he had anyone in mind, he wasn’t saying.
While Yanai has been bullish on Uniqlo’s high-quality basics, he said some of the more fashion-forward elements of creative director Naoki Takizawa’s new Innovation Project could find their way into more of the standard Uniqlo fare. Takizawa, who worked for Issey Mikaye and Helmut Lang, “will bring more style to the Uniqlo line and also bring something the customer wants and longs for,” said Yanai.
Pieces made from Uniqlo’s high-tech fabrics, such as Heattech and Drylux, are expected to be big sellers. Shin Odake, ceo of Uniqlo U.S., said the retailer is planning to sell 100 million pieces of Heattech items worldwide this year. Yanai cited Uniqlo’s Silky Dry men’s underwear. “I’m wearing it right now,” he confided. “It feels like you’re not wearing anything. The original idea was for it to be worn in the spring and summer, but I wear it year-round.”
Yanai’s efforts to grow Fast Retailing could be accelerated by acquisitions. Fast Retailing in 1997 bid $900 million for financially troubled Barneys New York Inc. before losing out to Dubai-based Istithmar. Yanai was not displeased with the outcome in 2009, when he said in an interview, “We are so happy that we could not buy Barneys. If we owned Barneys right now, we would be building their business and we would be spending a lot of effort on that.” On Thursday, he sounded a different tune. “If there is an opportunity I’d like to buy some company in the fashion industry,” he said. “If Barneys or Bergdorf’s wanted to work with us and we felt synergies with them, we might buy them. We’d have to feel the synergies. It’s like a marriage.”
Yanai said there’s still significant potential to expand Fast’s previous acquisitions, Comptoir de Cotonnier and Link Theory. The latter’s business will be developed in Europe and China. “We hope to open a lot of stores for Theory,” Yanai said, adding that the company plans to bring European brands such as Comptoir to Asia, “where there is more opportunity and there’s also more opportunity in the U.S.”
Fast Retailing on Wednesday reported full-year financial results, including a 12 percent decline in net profits for the 12 months ended Aug. 31, but the company said it expects to post double-digit profit and sales growth for its current fiscal year, ending Aug. 31. The retailer blamed the weather as well as a poor selection of products. On Thursday, Yanai said stores offered too many different products, yet were out of stock on core items. “Rather than have a wide array of products, it’s more important to have the right products,” he said. “Any business has its ups and downs. We think we can grow in Japan.”
For now, though, Yanai’s mind is on the U.S. “I want to make sure that [Americans] are very happy to have Uniqlo in the U.S.,” he said.


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Toshiba has launched a new line-up of NAND flash memory products for embedded applications that are compatible with the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI).
Wide ranging applications for the new Serial Interface NAND include such consumer applications as flat-screen TVs, printers and wearable devices, and industrial applications, including robots. Users can choose from a line-up of 12 products that offers three densities, 1Gbit, 2Gbit and 4Gbit; two packages, WSON and SOP; and two power supply voltages.
Compatibility with the SPI, which can be controlled with just six pins, allows the new Serial Interface NAND to be used as SLC NAND flash memory, with a low pin count, small package and large capacity.
NOR flash memory is typically used in embedded applications for consumer and industrial devices. However, in order to realize extra functionality in embedded devices, demand is growing for larger memory densities for saving software (including boot up programs, firmware, and embedded OS) and data (including log data). This is driving demand for SLC NAND flash memory, which offers higher density and reliability and a lower bit cost than NOR flash memory.
Nishant Arya, Vice Chairman, JBM GroupPhoto: Company
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Apple's HomePod mini is the newest addition to the HomePod family. At just 3.3 inches tall,...Photo: Company
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Samsung has been pushing investments in Vietnam and India and is expected to continue doing so for the next several years as...


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Museums Victoria has partnered with LJ West Diamonds to showcase the world’s largest collections of natural fancy colored diamonds, including the legendary Argyle Violet.
The exhibition will be located in the Melbourne Museum’s Dynamic Earth Gallery with screenings starting November 5.
Much of the focus of the exhibition will be on Australia’s role as the source of many of the world’s most coveted diamonds, with over 100 diamonds discovered in the Kimberley region on display.
“Museums Victoria is pleased to present this world premiere exhibition of some of the earth’s extraordinary beauty,” said Lynley Crosswell, Director of Museums Victoria.
“The exhibit will highlight their dazzling hues, the fascinating science and the precise craftsmanship required to cut these exquisite gemstones.”
New York-based LJ West founder Larry West said the unique characteristics and rare nature of diamonds are what drives collectors above all else.
Larry West said: “My attraction to natural colored diamonds is much like my attraction to life – every day is unique. Every colored diamond I have ever seen or owned has its own unique characteristics, its own flaws and its own beauty.
A diamond that is sure to be popular with onlookers is the 2.83 carat Argyle Violet, a one-of-a-kind oval-shaped beauty with a color gradient of fancy deep grayish bluish-violet – the only purple diamond in the Argyle mine. to receive this grading from the Gemological Institute of America.
Best of the best
The exhibition – titled pink diamonds – will have an extended run at the Melbourne Museum with a planned closing date of January 29, giving visitors much of the summer to examine rare beauties.
LJ West Australian manager William Gant said Jeweler that the aim of the exhibition was to raise awareness of the importance of Australian diamonds internationally.
“We think this is probably the first time the Australian public has had the chance to see such a wide range of pink diamonds, and for us it’s all about raising awareness of what these stones are,” said Glove.
“It’s not just about attracting people who know these diamonds or know the history of the Argyle mine, it’s also about reaching the new, younger generation of consumers who may not be aware of how mine was important.”
Pink diamonds take over 1.6 billion years to form and it can take over a year to perfectly cut and polish a pink diamond.
“Understanding that diamonds come in all sizes, shapes and colors is something the average person may not know, and having the chance to see what we consider to be the pinnacle of the field is special,” Gant said.
“If you want to see the best, this is what it looks like.”
For more information on this free exhibition, visit: Victoria Museums
Roughs Argyle Violet and Pink Diamond alongside a polished scrimmage.
A taste of the range of diamonds on display, including the famous Argyle Violet, at the Melbourne Museum.
The rarest of the Argyle purple diamonds stand out from the rest of the Argyle colored diamonds, including the coveted pink diamond. But what makes it one of Earth’s greatest gifts? Explore everything there is to know about the Argyle Violet. Learn more »
Pink Diamonds: Do You Get What You Pay For?
The pink diamond is expected to fetch $30 million at auction
Fill the void of fancy colors
Rio Tinto launches exclusive program for Argyle pink diamonds
All About Argyle Purple Diamonds: One of Earth’s Rarest Gifts


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Yesterday Konami announced that they have entered into a long-term partnership with Manchester United, started with the upcoming eFootball PES 2020.
The partnership includes player likenesses, club name, club kits and more that will be available in the new game. Old Trafford shall also join the foray, which was only available to play in FIFA.
Konami also revealed that with their new 3D scanning tech, the player likenesses will be more accurate than ever before, as projected in this tweet.
United midfielder Scott McTominay has become an eFootball PES ambassador. Manchester United legend David Beckham has also been confirmed for PES 2020 and Konami say that he will be available to play as a Manchester United Legend Player in-game.
Konami also have a similar partnership with Spanish giants FC Barcelona, with Camp Nou available on PES 2019, which is not included in FIFA 19.
eFootball PES 2020 will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 10 in Europe, America’s and Asia and September 12 in Japan with pre-orders for its Standard and Legend Editions.


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Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Geng Shuang confirmed at the regular press conference today that China will resume imports of beef and pork from Canada.
Recently, the Canadian side has proposed a corrective action plan for the issuance of certificates for their meat products, after the assessment from the Chinese side. It is believed that the Canadian rectification action plan basically meets the requirements for ensuring the meat safety and China agreed to resume the acceptance of health certificates for meat products exported to China issued by the Canadian government, Geng said.
Geng added that "we hope that Canada can earnestly fulfill its responsibility of food safety supervision, ensure the safety of meat products exported to China and ensure the smooth progress of trade".
Earlier, to protect the safety of Chinese consumers, China has taken urgent preventive measures and requested the Canadian government suspend the issuance of certificates for meat exported to China starting June 25.
The decision came immediately after the Chinese Customs authorities found ractopamine residues in a batch of pork products exported from Canada, according to the statement.


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What you need to know
- Microsoft's Surface app has been updated with a new look and user experience.
- The app now supports Surface accessories, including audio devices, docks, and pens.
- The Surface app now works with Smart charging for devices that support it.
Microsoft launched the Surface Pro 8, Surface Laptop Studio, and Surface Go 3 this week. Following the availability of the new hardware, Microsoft updated its Surface app for Windows. The app has a new look that fits in on Windows 11, and it has several new features. The app now works with Smart charging on supported devices. It also supports Surface accessories, including docks, pens, and audio devices.
Here's everything new from the Surface app's October 2021 update:
- An updated user experience that complements the premium hardware experience for Surface
- Support for Surface accessories, including Surface audio devices, pen, and docks
- Support for features, like Smart charging, on devices that support it
- New promotions for eligible Surface devices
- Support for 36 languages
The app's user experience has changed quite a bit. Previously, the app looked similar to Windows 10 apps like the Settings app. The updated Surface app lines up better with Windows 11.
It's been a busy week for Microsoft's Surface lineup. Make sure to check out our Surface Pro 8 review and Surface Laptop Studio review to catch up on everything about the latest devices from Microsoft.
This app lets you customize options for your Surface devices. Its latest update brings a new look, support for Smart charging, and several other new features.
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Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at email@example.com.


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SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — Tourists visiting Seoul are buying more fashion products than last year, according to a recent survey.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Organization announced on Sunday that compared to last year, tourists in Seoul purchased fewer cosmetics and more fashion products.
Querying 1,500 tourists who visited South Korea between July and September of this year, the survey showed that the share of tourists who bought clothes and apparel increased from 52.1 percent last year to 57.7 percent, while those who bought shoes also went up from 22.7 percent to 32.5 percent.
K-pop fever also boosted sales of related goods, with the share of tourists purchasing such products increasing from 10.3 percent to 14.4 percent. Cosmetics continue to comprise the majority of purchases at 73.4 percent.
However, the drop in visits from Chinese tourists and an increasing number of online shopping malls has shrunk the share of purchases by 3.1 percent compared to last year.
Most tourists (65.1 percent) went to duty free stores in downtown areas for shopping.
“Tourists typically prefer cultural experiences over sightseeing,” said a Seoul city official. “Their area of interest is going beyond K-beauty to K-fashion.”
Compared to the third quarter of last year, there has been an overall increase in the duration of stay, revisits, and other indexes related to tourism.
Tourists spent 0.64 days more in Seoul (from 5.21 to 5.85 days), revisited Seoul 3.4 percent more (44.5 percent to 47.9 percent), spent 30,000 won more (1.95 million won to 1.98 million won), and were 0.08 points more satisfied with tourism in Seoul on a satisfaction index (4.16 to 4.24).
The most popular tourist areas included Myeongdong (88 percent), Lotte Department Store (56.1 percent), and N Seoul Tower (44 percent).
More than 1.2 million tourists visited Seoul in October, a 31.1 percent increase from last year. Chinese tourists were the most numerous, with 370,000 visiting Seoul.
The total number of tourists visiting Seoul from January to October was 9.99 million people. Japanese tourists have increased the most in number, while Chinese tourists are also making a slow but gradual comeback.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government expects the number of tourists to surpass 12 million by the end of this year.
Lina Jang (email@example.com)


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According to CoreLogic preliminary auction results, the week ending 6th of July saw just 15 commercial properties go up for auction across Australia, following a trend of declining auction volumes over the last 6 months.
The preliminary figures suggest a clearance rate of 53.3%, with 8 properties sold prior to, or at, auction. This has brought the rolling monthly average clearance rate down to just 50.3%.
This is far lower than the same week last year, which saw a clearance rate of 67.5% across 40 auction events. The decline in the clearance rate and volume of commercial auctions suggests a softening in commercial market performance.
The data collected so far by CoreLogic suggests that the cleared auctions were concentrated in NSW, with 5 of 8 properties sold.


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From the beginning of 2017 through April 5, according to iSpot.tv, Hulu has spent $38.3 million in national TV advertising -- more than double the $16.2 million it spent over the same time period a year ago.
PlayStation Vue has seen its media spend triple this year so far -- $37.6 million versus $11.1 million in 2016.
Netflix's spend is $14.9 million (versus $10.8 million in 2016), while Amazon Prime Instant Video has spent $12.1 million (versus $5.9 million a year ago).
Big TV broadcast network spending is generally up, as well.
Fox has spent $27 million ($15.3 million in 2016); NBC has spent $11.3 million ($10.4 million in 2016); ABC, $10.0 million (down from $16.5 million for the same period a year ago); and CBS, $6.9 million ($6.3 million in 2016).
Overall, TV networks' and new digital TV channels' spending through April 4 total $375.4 million -- up from $335.7 million over the same time period a year ago.
Top TV networks that are benefiting from TV networks/new platform advertising spending this year are Telemundo at $77.6 million; Fox at $34.4 million; CBS at $29.0 million; ESPN, at $22.3 million; and ABC at $18.6 million.


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Tesla Motors (TSLA) updated its second quarter 2017 vehicle production and delivery report to include the number of vehicles in transit at the end of the quarter. Missing to report that crucial number when it reported the sales numbers on Monday, July 3 triggered a lot of speculation in the market.
Tesla’s stock price started declining sharply after the company released its sales reports on Monday, as many analysts started speculating about a slowdown; and the missing transit vehicle number only ended up adding more fuel to that fire.
To make matters worse, Goldman Sachs slashed its six-month price target to $180 from $190 on Wednesday (5th July), a significantly lower level than Tesla stock is trading at right now.
“We remain sell rated on shares of TSLA where we see potential for downside as the Model 3 launch curve undershoots the company’s production targets and as 2H17 margins likely disappoint,” Tamberrino wrote in a note to clients Wednesday. “This comes as demand for TSLA’s established products (Model S and Model X) appear to be plateauing slightly below a 100k annual run rate.” reported CNBC
Tesla has always faced issues in meeting its production targets, as the company has been on a steady ramp up mode since the day Model S started rolling out of its factory. But the second part of the analyst’s statement, where he talks about plateauing Model S and Model X sales, would have clearly raised some concerns in investors’ minds. And Tesla did not help themselves by failing to report the number of vehicles that were in transit at the end of second quarter, a number which it always used to report.
The sharp decline in the stock price possibly pushed the company to correct its course and issue an updated sales report on Friday. Tesla noted in its press release that it will include transit vehicle details in all future quarterly sales reports.
“In response to questions we have received about the number of customer vehicles in transit at the end of Q2, we are updating our Q2 delivery release to provide this information. This information will continue to be included in all future quarters.” – Tesla Q2 Sales Report
Tesla delivered just over 22,000 vehicles in Q2, of which just over 12,000 were Model S and just over 10,000 were Model X, a 53% increase over Q2 2016 but nearly 3000 units less than the units it delivered in the first quarter. Total vehicle deliveries in the first half of 2017 were approximately 47,100, barely making it to the low end of their forecast range of 47,000 to 50,000. Tesla had 3,500 vehicles in transit, which was 1,150 units less than the units that were in transit at the end of first quarter.
Tesla’s stock, after declining throughout the week, snapped its downward trend on Friday and closed the trading day 1.42% higher than its close on Thursday.


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The planning values and principles of New Urbanism are deeply rooted in human history. What does this look like, and what can we learn from it? The archaeology of an ancient Mayan city sheds some light.
The New York MTA this week approved reduced fares for low-income riders. According to blogger Steven Polzin, that decision might have unintended consequences. Asking users to pay for transportation is a complex proposition.
Years before there was e-scooter-share, there was electric (Vespa-like) scooter-share in San Francisco by start-up Scoot. Now that they are ready to launch electric bikeshare, the city won't let them, unlike Barcelona, Spain where it began service.
Private bikeshare companies have rolled out large fleets of bikes in cities around the world and United States, but despite their ubiquity, dockless bikeshare is actually much less popular than traditional bikeshare.
As bikeshare operations have evolved and spread they've begun to differentiate, not just between docked and dockless, but also in terms of public or private ownership and electric and non-electric offerings.
Public bikeshare arrived in San Diego in 2014. Last month, three companies unleashed thousands of dockless bikes, cluttering sidewalks in three business districts to the chagrin of merchants who want a time-out so the city can develop regulations.


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When asked if they understood what Industry 4.0 is, 37% of UK manufacturing and engineering professionals said ‘no’, while a further 19% were ‘unsure’.
Even among those that answered positively, just 23% were certain that they had a handle on the concept, with a further 22% ‘positive but not sure’.
However, the survey did reveal that UK manufacturers and engineering businesses are investing in the technologies associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, even without high levels of confidence in their understanding.
Looking at the past 12 months, the Subcon research found that 46% have invested in simulation and CAD modelling technologies; 36% have invested in automation and robotics; 28% have invested in 3D printing; and 23% have invested in cyber-physical systems and the Internet of Things.
Looking ahead to the next year, automation and robotics leads the charge with 34% of respondents planning investment. Meanwhile, 27% plan on investing in simulation and modelling in the next year and 24% plan on investing in 3D printing.
Explains Subcon event director Gordon Kirk: “Looking at these figures, it is clear that UK engineering and manufacturing businesses understand the benefits of new technology, even if they don’t quite get the buzzwords. This investment is being driven by the competitive issues of new product development and improving design and production processes.
“The question that follows is whether or not these investments are delivering everything they could do. The educational programme at Subcon will help these businesses put their investment in context. This year we have a 36-session conference programme based over two theatres and Industry 4.0 and the development of digital manufacturing technologies forms a key part of the subject matter. We anticipate a lot of conversations around these technologies as businesses need to find out how to put their investments to work in creating competitive advantage.”


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If rumors are to be believed, October looks to be Microsoft's month.
Microsoft’s Surface brand boomed after the Surface Pro 3 was launched, leading the company to create a portable device that can go with it.
Despite Microsoft not yet releasing titles for the September 2015 list of free games exclusive to Xbox Live with Gold subscribers, players are already excited about what they can expect next month.
Xbox One testers are set to experience a new addition to the gaming console’s features as Platform Engineering Head Mike Ybarra reveals his plan to have them preview Windows 10 by September, whilst the public rollout has been set for November.
The Microsoft Lumia 950 XL and the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 are two of the most awaited devices in the market.
Despite earlier reports revealing that the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL will launch by September during the IFA, recent rumors believe that it will come in the market a month after.
With the coming of Microsoft Windows 10, will the public bid goodbye to Lumia to say hello to the Surface Pro?
Here's what to expect from Microsoft's brand-new Windows 10.
On Wednesday, the most awaited Windows 10 launches and people can get the update in a couple of clicks.
Xbox Gold members are in for a treat as Microsoft releases two more free games in commemoration of the second year anniversary of the company’s Games with Gold program.
Latest reports say the Microsoft would be unveiling its next generation laptop-tablet hybrid Surface Pro 4 in October with Samsung parts under its hood.
Two tablets that are creating a buzz in the tech world recently are the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and the Microsoft Surface Pro 4.
A screenshot of the alleged lineup for Xbox Live Games with Gold for the month of August leaked online recently.
The most awaited Lumia 950 and 950 XL are expected to come packed with great features, as revealed by recent leaks of the two devices.
Consiga dos boletos por el precio de uno con el código OBWW2018.
The superhero movie "Deadpool" has crushed box-office records despite the restricted rating (Rated R) given to the film.
This was the first time in their 52 years in the industry to reveal three cover girls.


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HJ Weir is now the exclusive authorized partner in the UK and Ireland for Milnor batch washers.
On opening day of the Clean Show in Las Vegas, Ross Weir, managing director of HJ Weir Engineering, and James W. Pellerin, chairman and CEO of Pellerin Minor Corporation, announced the start of the exclusive partnership, agreeing that HJ Weir is now the sole, exclusive distributor for Milnor products in the UK and Ireland.
HJ Weir has joined hands with not one but two family powerhouse brands this year says Ross Weir – Laco for ironers and now Milnor for washers.
“We are thrilled to be working with the Milnor family brand,” says Weir. “There was a real synergy with business ethics and vision for the future. We agreed on the UK partnership because we always want to offer our customers the best quality products that last. We didn’t have a batch washer offering and we always wanted to have the full solution under one roof.”
He adds, “The team and I are very confident our partnership with Milnor is an exciting first step in a long business relationship. We already have had requests for Milnor products and we look forward to meeting many more laundries to showcase the full range.”
James W. Pellerin agrees, “Together we will tackle such opportunities in the UK as have been met throughout the world by Milnor products such as PulseFlow™ batch tunnel washers. We are confident this new relationship will be found to offer value appreciated by UK Laundry professionals.”
For more information visit the company’s web site: Milnor
Or call: (504) 467-9591.