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E3 was cancelled last year, due to the unexpected impact of COVID-19, and an online-only replacement failed to materialise. The good news is that this year, the event is going ahead, but as a digital-only affair between the 12th and 15th of June.
It'll be a free online event and should prove a good opportunity for industry professionals to connect and network. It's facing a lot of competition now, especially as more conferences go digital-only in light of the current world situation. Indeed, the event has been pushed back from the usual date of June 16th - 19th thanks to the Steam Next event, which was scheduled for June 16th.
The Entertainment Software Association have said they have "early commitments" from Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, along with Take-Two, Warner Bros. Games and Koch Media. This is a pretty heavy lineup of games and should prove interesting as a digital event, given the consumer-orientated nature of the event. No doubt other companies will also be holding their usual media streams at around this time, too.
Sony is once again absent, though, as are Activision-Blizzard and EA this time around. The great news is, as a free event, you can't really complain, and the event promises to be "more inclusive" than ever before, with promises of major reveals and insider opportunities for gamers.
I'm still sad it won't be an in-person event, but you never know, maybe next year...


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Rapha has announced its newest top-of-the range Pro Team bib shorts and, as we’d hope from the brand, they’re high-tech and unapologetically expensive.
The Pro Team Powerweave bibs are “made for race winning movement” from a new woven fabric that claims to improve performance over the existing Pro Team shorts, offering a close fit, lower weight and better moisture management.
Powerweave fabric for fit and performance
The new Pro Team bibs’ Powerweave fabric claims to improve moisture management and reduce overall weight by 20 per cent compared to the previous Pro Team II bib shorts.
Powerweave is made using a jacquard weaving process (yes, we had to Google that too) that differs from more basic techniques in that it allows control of individual threads.
It is usually associated with producing complex surface patterns for aesthetic purposes, and the concept dates back to the early 19th century.
Rapha notes that the existing Pro Team shorts use a knitted fabric rather than a weave. A weave can combine multiple types of yarn, while a knitted pattern is formed by continuously looping a single yarn.
A stretchy “compression fit” means fewer panels are needed and the new shorts have just seven panels, compared to 14 on their predecessors. This reduces the number of seams, making chafing less likely.
Rapha says it has also redesigned its chamois pad with higher density foam. The new pad is narrower and claims to be lighter, quicker drying and more breathable.
Other features of the Pro Team Powerweaves, such as integrated leg grippers and laser-cut bib straps, are de rigeur for high-end shorts these days.
Pro testing Down Under
Rapha says it developed the shorts in collaboration with riders from its sponsored team EF Education First Pro Cycling, including the likes of Mitch Docker.
We take the opinions of sponsored riders in press releases with a pinch of salt (they are, by their nature, biased), but Docker is apparently an avowed fan of the Powerweaves, citing their breathability in Australia’s baking heat and the comfort offered by the tight-fitting fabric.
If you’re itching to splash out on these fancy new bibs, you’ll have to be patient unless you’re a member of the Rapha Cycling Club.
The design Rapha is showing off in its press material is a limited-edition available to RCC members only.
A black version will be released to the public later this year, costing £275 / $375 / AU$465 / €325. This is £80 more than the current Pro Team II bibs and a hefty sum by any measure, but it’s in the same ballpark as top-end shorts from the likes of Assos.

domain: news


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The East Coast states in Malaysia were hit by monsoon flood waters with some areas reaching 15 feet deep, the worst the country has experienced in 30 years. The flash flooding, along with landslides, has destroyed buildings and roads – causing more than 100,000 people to evacuate their homes.
Available only through Photobook Malaysia and Photobook Singapore, lend us a helping hand to aid the East Coast flood victims by purchasing an Extra Small Square Softcover Photobook for MYR5 and SGD2 respectively.
All proceeds will be donated to the Malaysian Red Crescent Society to provide essential provisions and logistics in their relief efforts. Those affected are in need of basic daily necessities such as mats, blankets, towels, diapers, sanitary pads, cooking oil, bottled water, milk powder, sugar, rice and canned food; so every little help counts.
Together, we can respond and contribute to those in need as small moments can truly bring big meanings.


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Aussies selling items to make extra cash this Christmas
New research shows more Aussies are selling possessions to make some extra cash to spend this Christmas.
Bill Woods spoke to the Head of Communications at eBay, Sophie Onikul, about how to save money in the festive season.
Listen to the full interview here.
Download this podcast here


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Low-yielding dollar savings accounts aren’t cutting it for Americans anymore.
An economy is an area of production, distribution, trade and consumption of goods and services by different agents. Any given economy is a product of current and past culture, technology, education, social and political structure and other society characteristics that define an economy. Economics is a science field for sociology, history, geography, math and other disciplines, all of which combined have results in studying economic growth, the reasons for current economic events and their consequences.
As a result of historical progression, every economy of some time period is special in its own way. Technological progress has made it possible to build and internet-based economy and now it is evolving into a crypto-economy, based on blockchain technologies and digital money, which is much faster and more private than the old economic systems.
Enjoying a stronger negative correlation with the U.S. dollar than gold, Bitcoin may start to present a more attractive alternative to both in the eyes of the investors.9272
Sejong police are investigating who leaked details of the government’s crypto tax bill before it was formally announced.2617
Crypto taxation in South Korea could increase to 20% for capital gains.5330
Forte Labs' vice president of token economics explained blockchain underpinning can affect in-game asset supply and demand economics.4357
Coinbase’s former CTO believes over powered governments could lead to accelerated crypto adoption post COVID-19.2858
Smaller firms in the sharing economy can find it difficult to compete with established, centralized platforms. A blockchain-based protocol plans to change that.10665
Experts from the Bank of Canada have released their thoughts on how a digital dollar should be available to all Canadians.5475
Professor of Economics, Sergei Guriev, told Cointelegraph how Bitcoin can be used as a tool to combat authoritarian regimes.6960
Chamath Palihapitiya says Bitcoin is uncorrelated to financial markets, which is one reason people should invest 1% of their wealth in it.28869
South Korea economist worries that tough regulation would slow down crypto’s growth.11229
Nanjing, China is basically using the blockchain to drive a local economic stimulus program.4407
Amid protests, rioting and general uncertainty, mainstream markets have posted positive numbers, seemingly contrasting the state of the U.S.4699
Negative interest rates may turn Bitcoin into an attractive alternative for institutional investors, claims a recent report.8423
Blockchain incubator's CEO says crypto is hot, even given current economic difficulties.5659


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The Samsung Galaxy S4 U.K. release date has been pushed back to April 27.
The device was originally expected to hit stores on April 26, but was delayed for unknown reasons, according to personnel from the Samsung Stratford Westfield store. The retailer is normally the first to offer new Samsung devices in the U.K.
The Galaxy S4 will be released on seven carriers in the U.S.
Although it was previously common knowledge that it would land on the major ones such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint, Samsung has announced plans for three more in a new press release.
Along with those companies, carriers such as U.S. Cellular, Cricket and C Spire will also offer the Galaxy S4.
"The Galaxy S line of smartphones has achieved momentous success with 100 million in unit sales worldwide in less than three years. This validates that we are addressing what consumers want from a smartphone," said Dale Sohn, President of Samsung Telecommunications America. "The fourth generation of Samsung's flagship device builds upon the tradition of excellence and provides consumers with even more innovation that simplifies and redefines the way individuals will interact with their Galaxy S4."
Sprint revealed its plans to begin offering the Samsung Galaxy S4 on April 27 yesterday.
The carrier announced the news earlier and is excited that this new Samsung flagship will be available in the very near future.
"Galaxy S4 is packed with incredible new features that will benefit from unlimited data plans on the Sprint 4G LTE network," said Fared Adib, Senior Vice President of Product Development at Sprint.
Pre-orders for the Galaxy S4 on Sprint started on April 18. The 16GB version will retail for $249.99 with a new line or eligible upgrade and 2-year service agreement. It will hit stores April 27 and will come in two colors: White Frost and Black Mist.


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A new Italian restaurant has opened in Lake Geneva, but with a style of presentation that has been modified to account for the coronavirus pandemic.
The Cuoco Pazzo Eatz & Drinkz restaurant, 393 N. Edwards Blvd., officially opened for business May 29. The restaurant is located in the former Red Geranium restaurant building, which closed in January after about 35 years in business.
Cuoco Pazzo owner Eric Webber said he is excited that his new Italian restaurant has opened, although he had to alter plans because of the contagious coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
Webber initially was going to call the restaurant Cuoco Pazzo Antipasto Bar, which would have featured a self-serve bar with Italian meats, cheeses and other selections that customers could gather themselves.
Webber, however, decided that to switch instead to a dine-in, sit-down option.
“With COVID and everything, we completely had to change the concept,” he said. “Basically the salad bar and self-serve concept isn’t going to happen now.”
Cuoco Pazzo offers several Italian and pasta dishes, including shrimp puttenesca, meatballs and linguine, beef ravioli, portobella lasagna, crab and shrimp manicotti, and Tuscan-style ribeye steak.
Lake Geneva Mayor Charlene Klein is among those voicing excitement that a new restaurant has opened in Lake Geneva and that a new purpose was found for the former Red Geranium site.
“I think it’s great that we have another dining option here,” Klein said. “And I am especially happy that the building is remaining.”
The Red Geranium was a popular spot among both visitors and local residents. Known for its prime rib, grilled salmon and barbecue ribs, the dining room also featured art exhibits, fashion shows and other special attractions.
Customers were disappointed in January when restaurant owner Dotty Swatek decided to close the doors.
Stephanie Klett, president of the VISIT Lake Geneva tourism and business organization, said she was excited about another dining option being offered in the Lake Geneva region.
“Right now, any new business opening is a celebration,” Klett said.
County property records that the building’s former owner, Swatek Sales Corp., sold the restaurant property on March 5 for $1.5 million to a buyer identified as RGLG LLC.
State business records indicate that RGLG LLC registered with the state in February, showing a registered agent in Fort Atkinson.
Webber operates another restaurant in Fort Atkinson.
Webber said Cuoco Pazzo currently has nine employees, and he hopes to add three more.
Several menu items also are offered at his Fort Atkinson restaurant, Magiami Italiano, which has been in business for about eight years.
So far in Lake Geneva, his most popular menu item seems to be pasta rags, which include torn sheets of pasta with braised beef and crumbled gorgonzola cheese, topped with a three-cheese cream sauce.
The new restaurant has drawn a positive response, and Webber said he hopes to soon see repeat customers.
“We want to maintain a great business after the summer, and make sure locals are comfortable eating here,” he said.
The new restaurant includes a bar offering beer and wine. The city approved a Class B liquor license, so Cuoco Pazzo can start offering cocktails, too.
Webber said he was happy to obtain the license, considering that he was in competition with other restaurant owners seeking the license.
“That was a little stressful, but I’m glad that all worked out,” he said.
Cuoco Pazzo has implemented other safety measures to combat the threat of spreading coronavirus. The restaurant is using disposable paper napkins, washable fabric tablecloths, and seating at every other table for social distancing. Employees are required to use hand sanitizer, and tables are cleaned regularly.
“We’re trying to do all the right things,” he said.
The biggest challenge has been finding employees comfortable working in a restaurant during the coronavirus outbreak. Employees and customers are not required to wear face masks inside the establishment.
“I’m feeling anyone who is coming out to dine is coming out to dine,” Webber said. “So, they’re comfortable with being in a public place.”
Webber spent a few months giving the old Red Geranium a bit of remodeling before he opened his doors. He voiced confidence that it is an ideal location for his new restaurant.
“I fell in love with the place the first time I walked through it,” he said. “It’s just a great building.”
Klett said having more restaurants available will attract visitors to the area. Local tourism spending is near one-fourth directed at food and beverage sales.
Plus, she said: “Who doesn’t love Italian food?”
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Facebook has approached several publishers, including the Huffington Post, about hosting content directly on the social network, according to people familiar with the matter.
The plan would be a shift in the relationship between the world’s biggest social-networking service and media outlets, which use Facebook to drive traffic to their sites and help boost revenue from online advertising. Facebook is proposing that publishers post directly to its platform, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private.
Facebook is in talks with the New York Times, BuzzFeed and National Geographic about hosting their articles or videos directly on the social network, the New York Times reported Monday. In February, the Times said it nominated Rebecca Van Dyck, global head of consumer and brand marketing at Facebook, to join its board.
Facebook has been working to increase the quality of the news content on its feed, weeding out posts that it deems to be click bait or link bait. The Menlo Park, California-based company has also been emphasizing news with partnerships for its Paper application, a magazine-style Facebook experience. Meanwhile, publishers are eager to get their stories to appear on its News Feed.
Last month, Facebook’s chief product officer, Chris Cox, said at a media conference that the social network had early conversations with publishers about hosting their content. Their concern is lack of control, Cox added.
“Reading news on a smartphone is still a very bad experience most of the time,” Cox said at the Code/Media conference. “We want to try and make that a better experience for publishers.”


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Nintendo has officially announced that a new indie-focused presentation is on the way, and it's airing tomorrow.
The announcement comes via Nintendo's European social media accounts (as seen below) telling us that the video will showcase "some of the indie games" arriving on Switch in 2019.
The video will be posted on the Nintendo UK YouTube channel tomorrow, Wednesday 23rd January, at 2pm GMT / 3pm CET (so that's 6am PST / 9am EST). Naturally, we'll share the video and cover everything you need to know right here on Nintendo Life, too!
Are you excited? What do you hope to see? Share your wildest predictions with us in the comments below.


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Before we get to duke it out against UFC fighter Conor McGregor’s character in the upcoming Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, McGregor took his own crack at the game using the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. There’s just one catch: As far as we know, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare isn’t coming to the Oculus Rift.
A video was recently posted to McGregor’s YouTube channel, The Fight Life, showing McGregor using a VR setup for what seems like the first time. According to the video’s title, he’s playing Infinite Warfare.
While there is a VR experience coming with Infinite Warfare, it’s so far been touted as a PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR exclusive. Does this video confirm that it’ll eventually make its way onto PC-compatible VR headsets as well? Is the video’s title just wrong?
Then again, it doesn’t sound like any combat is taking place, so it may be a special demo prepared just for McGregor and not anything that will ever be made available to the public. Whatever he’s checking out, it’s apparently pretty impressive.
McGregor was revealed in September as playing a role in the futuristic shooter, but he may not be the only sports star to show up in Infinite Warfare.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is slated to launch November 4th on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.


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Leaked! New Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3 price and specs revealed ahead of launch
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3 foldable mobile phones are to be launched at a special event on August 11, but the leaks look to have spoiled the party a little.
In a big setback for the South Korean tech major, the details about the still-to-be launched Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3, including price and specifications, have been leaked. And this has happened just a week before the launch event itself. The leaks have left virtually nothing to the imagination, if they are to be believed, that is.
Samsung is all set to host its second Galaxy Unpacked event of the year on August 11. At its first Galaxy Unpacked event of the year, the tech-giant launched its Galaxy S21 series of smartphones. This time around, the company is expected to launch its next-generation of foldable-display smartphones, Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 foldable display smartphones along with Galaxy Watch 4, Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, Galaxy Buds 2. Here are all the details that have been leaked about the upcoming foldable display smartphones:
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 expected price and specs
According to tipster Snoopy Tech, the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 3 smartphone will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor that will be coupled with 12GB of RAM, up to 512GB of storage space and a 4,400mAh battery. It will come with a 7.6-inch AMOLED display with a screen refresh ratio of 120Hz and a resolution of 2208x1768 pixels. This will be the primary display. There will be a secondary 6.2-inch AMOLED display with a screen refresh ratio of 120Hz. In terms of the camera, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will sport a 10MP+4MP camera in the front and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor + 12MP primary sensor + 12MP zoom lens at the back. It will come with IPX8 dust and waterproof coating.
Also read: Looking for a smartphone? Check Mobile Finder here.
As per a separate report by tipster Evan Blass, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will be available in two variants. While the 256GB variant will be available for 1,899 Euros, the 512GB variant will be available for 1,999 Euros.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 expected price and specs
Coming to Galaxy Z Flip 3, it is expected to have a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a screen refresh rate of 120Hz, which will act as the primary display. For the secondary display, it is likely to come with a 1.9-inch screen. The phone is tipped to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC that is coupled with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space. It is likely to come with IP68 dust and water-resistant coating and feature support for a 3,300 mAh watery with a 15W charger. On the camera front, it is likely to come with a 12 MP main camera + a 12 wide-angle camera at the back and a 10MP camera in the front.
Coming to the price, Blass says that Galaxy Z Flip 3 will also be available in two variants, each of which will be priced at 1,099 EUR and 1,149 EUR.
Follow HT Tech for the latest tech news and reviews , also keep up with us on Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.


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“Apple is being sued again over the controversial data location file on its iPhone and iPad devices,” Jim Dalrymple reports for The Loop.
“Filed in the United States District Court for the District Of Puerto Rico, Lymaris M. Rivera Diaz is suing Apple, The Weather Channel and Pandora Media for intentionally intercepting personally identifying information,” Dalrymple reports. “The lawsuit contends that Apple captures the Unique Device ID and transmits that information, along with location data, to third-party advertisers.”
Dalrymple reports, “Apple is facing six different charges, including fraud, abuse, and unfair trade practices. The lawsuit is asking for monetary damages.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Mike Judge’s Idiocracy timeline was way too generous.
Apple sued for privacy invasion, computer fraud over iOS location data collection, storage – April 25, 2011


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Two new unannounced Yen Press manga listings popped up on Amazon.ca today. The first is a pleasant-to-see license rescue from the now-deceased Broccoli Books: Pandora Hearts by Jun Mochizuki. The second title is Jun Mochizuki’s other work, Crimson Shell. As usual, please keep in mind that Amazon listings do not count as official license annoucements and nothing is confirmed until released by the publisher themselves.
Also on the Yen Press newsfront comes word via an interiew with YP’s Kurt Hassler, that the company is planning a rerelease of Azumanga Daioh at the end of the year. Though the series was previously released in full by ADV, Yen Press’s edition will have new translations and lettering. Tiamat follows up the original interview with a few Azumanga-specific questions including confirmation that the release will be a rerelease of the original series and not the 10th Anniversary addition currently coming out in Japan.
[…] Pattillo reports that it looks like the Yen Press Rescue Squad has pulled a former Broccoli title, Pandora Hearts, back from oblivion, and picked up another […]
[…] word is out — and Amazon Canada and Lissa over at Kuriousity beat us to the punch! D’OH!Ah well, you’d have read about it in the May issue of YEN […]
[…] for both Pandora Hearts and Crimson Shell first popped up on Amazon.ca earlier this […]
[…] updates on older news, Amazon now lists Yen Press’s upcoming omnibus re-release of Azumanga Daioh. The book is dated for December 2009 and with a 672 page-count. You can […]


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Livestock production is estimated to contribute to 14.5% of human-induced global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With global populations on the rise, demand for protein is set to soar – animal-derived protein alone is expected to double by 2050.
It’s been suggested that consumers, on the whole, are relatively unaware of how their diet could damage the environment. Eco-labelling – which can provide details of water and land usage, as well as GHG emissions – is one way to educate consumers about the environmental impacts of their diet.
But do they work? Research led by the University of Bristol, UK, has sought to find out whether applying eco-friendly ratings on menu items encourage diners to make choices which are kinder to the environment.
Beef, chicken, or veggie burrito?
In an online survey, participants were asked to choose a hypothetical food item from a menu containing three choices: a beef burrito, a chicken burrito or a vegetarian burrito. Three mock-ups of food delivery app menus were created, each showing the three burrito options with different accompanying information.
All menus featured a photo of each item, as well as the calorie content, a Fairtrade logo, a spice indicator, and the price (which was the same for all options).
One mock-up also featured a ‘social nudge’, which the researchers describe as an indicator encouraging people to act according to the most sustainable option. In this case, the ‘social nudge’ resembled a gold star with the words ‘Most Popular’ placed next to the veggie option.
Another mock-up saw each burrito accompanied with a traffic light-style ranking of sustainability, with the vegetarian option being ‘green’ – indicating it was the most sustainable. The beef option scored ‘5’, indicating it was the least sustainable. The chicken option scored a ‘3’ and the vegetarian option scored a ‘1’.
Participants were randomly shown one of the three menu mock-ups and to select a burrito option.
The results: traffic light eco-labels work
Findings revealed that 5% more of the 1,399 adult participants opted for the vegetarian option when the eco-labels were included, while 17% more went for vegetarian or chicken – the second most sustainable option.
Meanwhile, one-third of the participants who were given a ‘control’ menu without a social nudge or eco-label on it, selected the beef burrito. This dropped to 29% for those who had the social nudge menu, and even further down to 16% for those who had the eco-labelled menu.
“Adding a traffic light eco-label to menus increased the selection of more sustainable food items,” said lead author Katie De-loyde, research associate in Psychological Science. “Further, and somewhat surprisingly, participants were positive about the eco-label, with a huge 90% of participants supporting the idea.”
Overall, the choice of a vegetarian burrito was relatively low (just 12% of participants opted for the veggie option), but the researchers judged this to be in line with previous studies indicating vegetarian food choice in meat-eating individuals to be 13%.
“Additionally, the choice of beef burrito was more likely to be reduced and replaced with a choice of chicken burrito, rather than choice of a vegetarian burrito increased,” noted the study authors. “However, this is consistent with research showing that people are more averse to choosing red-labelled products than they are enticed by green-labelled products.”
Given that reducing beef intake is a specific component of British sustainability strategies, the researchers suggest eco-labelling could provide an effective method to achieve this.
“Pending replication in real-world settings, our results suggest future policy could include mandatory eco-labelling, just like the health traffic light system, on food products as a way to promote more sustainable diets,” noted De-loyde.
Source: Behavioural Public Policy
‘Promoting sustainable diets using eco-labelling and social nudges: a randomised online experiment’
Published online 5 September 2022
Authors: Katie De-loyde, Mark A. Pilling, Amelia Thornton, Grace Spencer, and Olivia M. Maynard.


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To our valued Bowerbird community,
In light of the current uncertainty surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19 it is with a heavy heart that we have decided to postpone the May Bowerbird Design Market until 27–29 November 2020.
Stay tuned – Bowerbird will continue to celebrate the incredible talents of the Australian design community. Let’s support our local businesses when they need us most.
Connect with us on our social platforms for the latest market updates and news.
Bowerbird Design Market


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Efforts to patch up the South's once-thriving textile industry have run up against NAFTA and the economic recession. Meanwhile, globalization and even the war on terrorism are rippling through competing clothing-manufacturing industries in places like Mexico and Pakistan.
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Some people climb mountains. Margaret Blankenship has sewn one — out of sweatpants; 21,565,440 pairs of them, to be exact.
Every workday for the past 36 years, the bundles of fuzzy cotton kept coming and Blankenship kept stitching, making more sweatpants along the line at the VF Imagewear factory than anybody in company history.
But recently she got laid off. VF is ceasing operations here, the latest in a long list of Southern textile mills to succumb to the pull of globalization. And Martinsville, once the sweatshirt and sweatpants capital of the world, is fast approaching its last batch of fleece.
For years, these mills had eluded obsolescence with an iron-hard work ethic and investments in technology that kept production costs competitive. No more. Just as the textile industry left New England for the South 80 years ago, it's now shipping off for Mexico, Honduras, even Pakistan, thanks to looser trade laws.
Thousands of middle-aged, minimally educated American textile workers have been left behind in a landscape of shuttered plants and cool smokestacks.
The lintheads, as they were once called, have few prospects.
"Dreams? Ambitions? Goals?" Blankenship asked, as if she were talking about foreign lands. "It's funny, but I've never thought about them. I always figured I'd be sewing."
It's the same old story, one that many American steel workers or toy makers could tell.
But the last decade has been especially harsh on the textile industry, with 441,000 jobs disappearing, a loss of 44 percent. Last year, 110 mills shut (most of them in the South), 68,000 workers were laid off and several of the largest companies filed for bankruptcy.
"It's so sad," said Judy Brooks, a bank manager in Andrews, N.C., where a Lee jeans plant just closed. "I got people calling up, telling me, 'Just come and get it. I can't pay for my car no more."'
Few places have been as hard hit as Martinsville and surrounding Henry County, along the Virginia-North Carolina border. In the past eight years, the area has lost 9,360 jobs, forcing county leaders to consider closing four schools because tax revenues are plummeting and folks are leaving.
From red-brick factories looming over the hilltops and along the churning rivers, Martinsville used to produce wooden furniture, auto parts, grandfather clocks and more sweatshirts and nylon than anywhere else in the world. Its neighborhoods are lined with graceful Tudor homes — mill-manager homes — and downtown there's an arts center and history museum, symbols of a grander day.
Now, abandoned trailers sulk outside the old Tultex plant, the DuPont factory is essentially a bulldozer practice pit and Bassett Chair, once home to the Chateau Marseille dinette set, is roped off with yellow police tape.
But people here are trying not to get too far behind. Thick-handed mill workers are learning to type, others commute miles to new jobs, and a big new Mexican restaurant — a sign of the changing times — is going up on Memorial Boulevard, the main strip through town.
"We thought it was the end of the world when tobacco left," said town historian Carl DeHart. "But then we got textiles. Who knows what's next?"
American companies had kept themselves relevant by specializing in products composed of nylon and fleece and developing high-tech machines such as the "napper," a computer-controlled contraption that whips sweatshirt fabric with wire brushes to make it fuzzy. VF, a $5.8 billion international corporation, invested $25 million in the past five years for new machines in Martinsville.
But starting in the mid-1990s, with the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement, these companies began to suffer from foreign competition and falling prices. The more labor-intensive apparel work went first, with sewing shops moving to Mexico. The textile industry has two components: textiles, the business of knitting, dying and cutting cloth; and apparel, the assembly or sewing stage. Many companies do both, and labor statistics tend to group textiles and apparel together.
After the Asian financial crisis of 1997, which devalued currencies, overseas textiles became even less expensive.
The final blow was the terrorist attacks, according to textile lobbyists, which left the industry with the bleakest outlook since the Great Depression. Since Sept. 11, 42 mills have closed or announced closings, including VF, the last of the sweatshirt makers in Martinsville.
Also, President Bush is under pressure to lift textile tariffs on Pakistan, the third-largest cloth maker in the world, as a way to say thanks for the country's help in fighting terrorism.
"The industry is doomed," said Wayne Hill, VF's vice president of textiles. "We used to compete against the mill down the street. Now we're up against the world."
Today, 85 percent of VF's manufacturing jobs are offshore, compared with 20 percent just six years ago. Since 1997, VF has added 13,000 employees in Mexico and Honduras, while cutting 24,000 jobs in the United States. The company is paring its domestic operations to a handful of mills in the South.
"It's four to five times cheaper to make sweatshirts offshore," said Cindy Knoebel, a VF spokeswoman. "We don't have a choice."
These business realities leave huge holes in communities like Martinsville.
Across town from the mill, in a new office in the Henry County government center, Wayne Sterling is an economic-development adviser earning $200,000 a year, more than twice the next-highest-paid county official and about 10 times the earnings of a veteran mill worker.
Sterling is best known for leading the team that persuaded BMW to locate its first North American production plant in Spartanburg, S.C., which provided 4,000 jobs. It's hard to talk about jobs in Martinsville without Sterling's name coming up, whether in the halls of the county center, at the employment office or during lunch at the D & A cafe, where a plate of chicken and "taters" costs $3.90 and people who don't know each other cram into booths and swap stories about getting laid off.
"Wayne better produce," DeHart said, "unless he thinks he looks good in tar and feathers."
Martinsville's leaders are bracing themselves for the summer, when the last of VF's 2,300 textile workers are let go and the jobless rate is expected to hit 20 percent.
"Let's be honest," said Tim Hall, Henry County spokesman. "Most of our people are not ready to step into some New Economy gig."


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Manchester United fans have accused UEFA of pricing thousands of them out of going to the Champions League final.
The cheapest ticket for the May 28 showdown with Barcelona at Wembley is £150 - but touts are offering them for up to £7,000 on the black market.
Mark Longden, of the Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association (IMUSA), said the pricing structure was further proof of how out of touch UEFA is with the ordinary fan.
"Genuine fans, who have gone to matches all season home and away, won't now get the chance to watch the biggest game of them all," said Longden.
"It's crazy when you have Michel Platini saying the final has been moved to a Saturday to make it more family friendly and then then you see these ticket prices.
"It's a complete contradiction. But it's always been the same and I can't see it ever changing. We keep saying the same thing every year.
"We've made overtures to all the authorities over the years regarding ticket allocations, but nothing is done. At every level the game is going away from the ordinary supporter."
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has already criticised the ticket pricing structure, claiming loyal supporters will ultimately lose out as UEFA puts sponsors and dignitaries ahead of them.
"It's a killer and a corporate deal, that," he said. "Managers and players can't do anything about it. I don't know what you can do."
With 55,000 season-ticket holders at United and 150,000 members at Barca, the demand for tickets for this season's final is huge.
Tickets are priced at £300, £225 and £150, plus £80 for wheelchair users, and will be on sale to United supporters from 8am today until next Tuesday, with fans learning in a week's time whether they have been successful in securing seats.
UEFA have pledged to crack down on internet touts selling tickets at vastly at inflated prices as fans scramble to make sure they are at Wembley for what could be a classic encounter.
Although Wembley has a capacity of 86,000, United and Barcelona have each been allocated just 25,000 tickets, with UEFA having reserved a further 25,000 for the "European football family", which consists of officials, sponsors and VIPs.
UEFA have sold the remaining 11,000 tickets via a public ballot - with a £26 admin charge per ticket - and many of these are now being offered for sale online as touts try to exploit the huge demand from both sets of fans.
It was claimed one ticket with a face value £140 was available on Madrid-based globalticketmarket.com for £6,000 with a £1,088 booking fee.
Tickets were also available on eBay, with one seller demanding £6,500 for a pair.
UEFA are determined to take a hard line with regard to tickets being sold illegally for profit, but with some fans prepared to pay way over the odds to be at Wembley, it is a tough situation to police.
A UEFA spokesman said: "Selling tickets such as this is illegal and we are working to prevent that from happening, and are very serious about taking legal action against it.
"We would advise fans to only buy tickets through official channels.
"The only tickets that are left are to be sold individually by the clubs."
WHERE THE WEMBLEY TICKETS GO
General public: 11,000
Manchester United: 25,000
'The football family' (UEFA, organising committee, national associations, commercial partners and broadcasters): 25,000


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Los Angeles: Supermodel Irina Shayk is pregnant with her first child with Hollywood star Bradley Cooper.
The 30-year-old Russian model debuted her baby bump on the ramp at Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Paris.
Shayk wore a maroon lace bra and kept her stomach semi-concealed by a beaded long-sleeve top, reported Us magazine.
The model also kept her midriff covered up in a signature pink Victoria's Secret silk robe backstage.
"Irina is in her second trimester and is so excited about becoming a mother for the very first time," a source said. Shayk and Cooper, 41, first started dating in April 2015.
The pair went public with their romance at a party during Paris Fashion Week this past March.
Since meeting, they've put their love on display while jetting around the world together.
Shayk has also met Cooper's mother, Gloria, in New Jersey last year.
This will be the first child for both Shaky and Cooper, who previously dated Suki Waterhouse and Zoe Saldana....


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The Intelligence Brief is our weekly compendium of food and drink news sourced from outlets all over the world, including right here at home.
Week 7 of lockdown and the province is seeing a decline in cases as well as a decline in hospitalization; all signs pointing to societal success in flattening the curve. This week comes with a promise from Premier Horgan to release details on a plan for a gradual lifting of restrictions and the re-opening of businesses. As we wait for his announcement, we continue to cover how the pandemic is affecting the hospitality industry both at home and abroad…
As the restaurant industry awaits news of what reopening may look like, bars and restaurants consider how dining-in may change going forward.
Similarly, as the bar industry grapples with a vision for reopening, The Daily Beast asks several bar owners to weigh in on what the process might look like.
Sell, sell, sell! Incredibly rare Prohibition-era barware surfaces in special Sotheby’s auction:
“The online auction, titled “100 Years — Prohibition in America,” begins May 7 and features 54 items including novelty cocktail shakers and other drinking paraphernalia dating back to World War I.”
Local city councillors are exploring increased patio options for restaurants to promote social distancing while still being able to serve their guests.
While many suspect that reduced capacity will be the answer, there is concern that the strategy may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Despite calls for patience and a measured approach, some states in the US have pushed forward quickly with reopening even amidst a concerning spike in Covid cases.
Not surprisingly, Trump signed an order last week forcing meat processing plants to remain open despite unsafe working conditions and well-documented outbreaks.
As we begin to grapple with longer-term consequences of the global pandemic, experts are predicting higher food costs in the future.
This prediction is more troubling given that farmers are having to destroy food they can’t sell now that restaurants, bars, hotels and schools are shut down.
“The closure of restaurants, hotels and school cafeterias wiped out huge sources of demand for fresh food, leaving farmers with millions of pounds of excess. While increased sales at grocery stores have made up for some of that, not since the Great Depression has so much fresh food been destroyed.”
This week in food and podcasts: Robert Belcham talks future kitchens with executive chef Wilbert Choi.
Next, NPR hosts a discussion on hazard pay for frontline workers including grocery store clerks and delivery people.
“We are in a moment where inequality has become really, really visible. Some people get to stay home, while others have to go to work. And women, especially women of color, are disproportionately likely to be working in jobs deemed essential. The market is supposed to solve this kind of risk-slash-reward problem… so why aren’t these workers getting paid more?”
Despite the global pandemic and ongoing closures, new restaurants are still finding ways to open!
Case in point: Vancouver’s much anticipated Lunch Lady plans to start offering a limited menu for take-out starting in mid-May.
And while we welcome a few new gems, we’ve also had to say goodbye to some legends, including New York’s Pegu Club, which announced its closure after 15 years as an institution in the cocktail industry.
And speaking of cocktails, Stanley Tucci delighted the masses with this Nergoni-how-to video he posted on Instagram last week.
Although the industry has been hard hit, restaurants and entrepreneurs are still finding ways to support their communities. For example, business owner Hawa Hassan is feeding health care workers at one of the hardest hit hospitals in New York.
Closer to home, Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society, Growing Chefs!, Chef TJ Conwi and Vancouver School Board have partnered to prepare meals for families requiring support.
Canadian musicians raised more than $8 million dollars for food banks across the country after their Stronger Together performance last week.
Meanwhile, a brewery in England is offering free beer in exchange for donations to health care workers.
And finally, a reminder that there are still substantial ways you can help the hospitality community through this crisis. These are people that can’t work from home. They are hourly wage earners who often have fewer extended benefits and paid sick time. If you’re looking for ways for ways to support our local hospitality industry and employees:
– Purchase gift cards to use at a later date.
– Participate in Canada Takeout Day and order from one of your favourite local restaurants.
– Support your local small grocers and independent food stores.
– Order food for pick-up or for delivery (keeping social distance during pick-up).
– Make sure to tip your delivery person well (in many ways, they are on the front lines).
– Support your local food bank. This pandemic is increasing the number of people facing food insecurity. They ask that you prioritize financial donations over food so as these can be made online.
– Engage with local restaurants, bars and cafes on social media. Share photos and leave words of encouragement and support.
– If you do need to go grocery shopping, consider supporting a local small business (they’re also often less busy than the larger grocery stores and have more supplies in stock).
– Buy restaurant/bar merchandise online if available (ie: t-shirts, hats, tote bags). Helen Rosner has compiled a list of great F&B merch on her IG Stories.
– If you have private events booked at any local bars/restaurants, consider postponing rather than canceling.
– Check in with your friends who are bartenders, servers, dishwashers, cooks, etc. and ask them how you can best support them through this.
Most importantly, stay safe and take care of each other. We will get through this!


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TikTok user Mârio Scott (@cactusmvrkss) has over 170,000 followers and often posts content about his job at McDonald’s. In one of his latest skits, Scott shared what it’s like for food-service industry workers who work at establishments with drive-thrus when they are greeted by a “loud” customer.
“Let me have a double cheese, a six-piece break menu, a large Sprite no ice. Make sure all my food is fresh,” the “customer” yelled. Scott flinched and removed the headset from one of his ears.
@cactusmvrkss it always be the females with them the damn altimas #loud #mcdonalds #customerservice #foryou #humor ♬ original sound – Mârio ScoTT
While Scott’s video resonated with many workers who deal with “loud” customers and have to take off or turn down their headsets, a few argued they have the opposite problem. “Or the quiet customer that you need to put the volume at the max,” @___joujou66 said in what is the top comment on the video.
“NAH IT BE THE ONES THAT ARE WHISPERING,” another shared.
This isn’t the first time a food service industry worker on TikTok has taken viewers behind the scenes of what it’s like to work the drive-thru. These videos often serve as a reminder to customers to be mindful of their etiquette when ordering via a drive-thru.
One Starbucks worker reminded customers to watch what they say after revealing that all the baristas working a shift can hear a customer’s order, not just the barista who’s taking it. Another Starbucks worker reminded customers to be courteous of the volume they keep the music in their cars on. A McDonald’s worker reminded customers to greet them before rattling off their order.
As Scott’s video was viewed nearly 100,000 times, hopefully it can help more than a few customers remain mindful of the volume they speak at when at a drive-thru speaker box.
The Daily Dot reached out to Scott via Instagram direct message.


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Nine months after it was introduced, the Magic Key annual pass system at Disneyland Resort isn’t available for any new customers.
Sales for the four-tier system have been paused in phases. The top tier pass, the $1,400 Dream Key, has been considered sold out since October 2021. The next tier down, the $950 Believe Key, was similarly sold out in November. Then on Tuesday, guests lost their last two Magic Key options: the $650 Enchant Key and the $399, Southern-California-only Imagine Key, as new sales have been suspended for both.
When the passes come up for renewal later this year, existing Magic Keyholders will be able to renew. Other guests will only be able to purchase single- or multi-day tickets. Disney announced a summer ticket discount for California residents along with the Magic Key pause, costing $250 for a three-day, one-park-per-day ticket good for Mondays through Thursdays and $300 on the weekends.
Disneyland had tried for years to winnow its large annual passholder base with price increases, without much success. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the yearlong shutdown of the resort provided Disney the opportunity to cancel all passes in January 2021.
The replacement Magic Key program provided fewer benefits and more blockout dates, along with the requirement to obtain theme park reservations in order to visit.
That led one passholder to file a lawsuit against Disney, claiming that the company “appears to be limiting the number of reservations available to Dream Key passholders on any given day in order to maximize the number of single day and other passes that Disney can sell.” The case is still pending.


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Flagship Oxford Street BHS closes doors with remaining stores to shut next week
The doors have been locked for the final time on British Home Store's flagship branch in central London - and by next weekend no stores will be left.
The Oxford Street outlet is one of 58 closing over the next eight days as administrators call time on 88 years of British retail history.
On their last-ever shift, workers told the Press Association of their fears as the chain's collapse has affected 11,000 jobs, 22,000 pensions.
The last hours of trading at BHS on Oxford Street
Maira Estupinan, 39, said: "I'm very sad, for myself and everyone losing their jobs. I have worked with so many lovely people here, a lovely manager, and I'm so upset to leave."
Inside, the shop was littered with scores of red and yellow "everything must go" style signs advertising as much as 80% off.
Hundreds of last-minute customers picked over the remaining stock.
Duff & Phelps and FRP Advisory have already overseen 105 closures over the past weeks, with the last of BHS's total 163 stores scheduled to close on August 20.
News of the store's failure in April sparked a lengthy parliamentary inquiry and has left its high-profile former owners potentially facing a criminal investigation.
Retail billionaire Sir Philip Green has borne the brunt of the public fallout, having been branded the "the unacceptable face of capitalism" by furious MPs.
Sir Philip owned BHS for 15 years before selling it to serial bankrupt Dominic Chappell for £1 in 2015. Sir Philip has come under fire for taking more than £400 million in dividends from the chain, leaving it with a £571 million pension deficit and for selling it to a man with no retail experience.
Veteran Labour MP Frank Field has asked the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to launch a formal investigation into the pair to ascertain if any criminal wrongdoing occurred during the sale of the chain and throughout their respective ownerships.
He said: "The central concern that emerged from our inquiry was the rushed sale of a struggling high street institution to manifestly unsuitable buyers. There is no way someone with Sir Philip Green's experience believed they were anything but."
Surai Zacarias, 36, who has worked at BHS since 2012, said: "I have to look for another job, of course, it's been such a long day. It's been very badly managed by those in charge, I wish this to happen to no one else - not at any company.
"It is not easy to come in to work and the next thing you have no job."
Brendon Cabey, 34, from Islington, north London, has worked at BHS for 12 years. He said that if he saw Sir Philip he would "say nothing at all to him. He has made this company go down the drain. I would not talk to him".
He said he is "trying not to think" about his pension.
Nikki Rav, 25, has worked in the store since she was 17.
She said of Sir Philip: "Just leave it to Karma. It will come round to him."
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A poster of 2017 Good France gastronomic event. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]
A total of 2000 chefs and 2000 menus from over 2000 restaurants in 150 countries on all five continents will participate in the Goût de/Good France event to celebrate French gastronomy on March 21, 2017.
Chefs from all over the world will cook a dinner to pay tribute to the excellence of French cuisine and its capacity to innovate and unite people around the common values of sharing and enjoyment in a planet-friendly and healthy way.
A press conference of 2017 Good France is held on March 7th in Guangzhou. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]
The Goût de/Good France menu includes an aperitif with finger food, a starter, one or two main course(s), a cheese platter and a dessert, accompanied by French wines and champagnes.
Dinners served simultaneously in participating restaurants will honor the merits of French cuisine, its capacity for innovation, and its values: sharing, enjoying, and respecting the principles of high-quality, environmentally responsible cuisine.
Guests taste French food after the press conference on March 7th in Guangzhou. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]
This event, organized by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development and chef Alain Ducasse, is inspired by Auguste Escoffier, who launched the “Dîners d’Épicure” (Epicurean Dinners) initiative in 1912: the same menu, on the same day, in several world cities, for as many guests as possible. The aim is to showcase the French lifestyle, regional products and, more broadly, to promote France as a tourist destination worldwide.


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The Fed continues to insist high inflation is “transitory,” but experts interviewed by Forbes think higher prices will stick around for longer.
Ifit feels like you\’re paying more for everyday goods, it\’s because you are. Inflation is surging at the fastest pace in over 30 years and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Some experts say high inflation is just temporary, while others think it could last well into next year—or longer.
The consumer price index, a key measure of inflation, rose 6.2% in October compared to a year ago, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Supply chain disruptions and labor shortages have only exacerbated the issue. Spooked investors are now looking ahead to 2022, wondering how the Federal Reserve will react if inflation doesn’t moderate and return to the central bank’s long-term 2% target rate.
Although investor fears over higher prices continue to rise, they haven\’t derailed markets just yet. Stocks remain near record highs—boosted by solid third quarter earnings—and now look poised to rally through the holiday season.
But market experts and economists interviewed by Forbes largely think higher inflation is here to stay, which could derail markets down the line. They also remain bullish on U.S. economic growth over the long-run, despite a period of higher costs. The main concern, they say, is how the Federal Reserve will react—and how that will affect markets, which are likely to be bumpy next year.
The Federal Reserve announced last month that it would begin reducing the historic level of stimulus it has been providing markets since the Covid-19 pandemic began, which is also making investors wary.
Minneapolis Fed president Neel Kashkari said in an interview with CBS News earlier this month, investors shouldn’t “overreact to some of these temporary factors.” He added, “The math suggests we\’re probably going to see somewhat higher readings over the next few months before they likely start to taper off.
Here\’s what some of Wall Street\’s top experts are expecting.
Moody’s chief economist
The current surge in inflation is largely due to the pandemic and more specifically the Delta variant, which was a “classic supply shock that slowed economic growth,” Moody’s chief economist Mark Zandi tells Forbes. “As the pandemic winds down and the Delta wave fades, inflation will gradually begin to moderate,” he predicts. That won’t happen quickly—due to significant supply chain and labor market issues, he clarifies, but by the start of 2023 he does expect inflation to be within distance of the Federal Reserve’s target goal.
While the “worst is over” with supply chain disruptions, it will take well into next year for them to moderate and get to a place where inflationary pressures start to abate, Zandi predicts. Moody\’s chief economist thinks economic growth will remain strong—and it should pick up as inflation goes back down and the Delta variant fades. Recent job numbers, retail sales, auto sales and unemployment insurance claims are all showing signs of improvement, he points out.
There is a high chance that markets will be more volatile in 2022, with “signs of speculation” and high valuations, Zandi says, adding that asset prices will be “very vulnerable to higher interest rates.” If the Federal Reserve has to become more aggressive and pull forward expectations, Zandi expects “tough going” for markets in 2022 with a correction on the horizon.
Professor of finance at University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business
Despite the Fed reiterating its stance that higher inflation is “transitory,” other market experts are not so sure and predict otherwise. “I’ve been worried about inflation for a while,” says Jeremy Siegel, professor of finance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School. “The jump in money supply we saw during the pandemic was unprecedented and inevitably going to cause higher inflation,” he adds, predicting cumulative inflation of between 20% to 25% over the next three or four years.
Siegel warns that if the market gets another bad consumer price index reading in December, “there is no question that Powell will be forced to accelerate the tapering due to political and economic pressures.” Markets will be bumpy once the Federal Reserve gets more serious about dealing with inflation, and “we could easily have a correction of 10-15%,” Siegel predicts.
“Once the Fed changes its stance on raising rates, the market will have to take a pause at some point in early 2022,” he predicts. “But then again earnings have been spectacular — this is a much better founded bull market than in 2000.” Economic growth should remain strong despite higher inflation, as the Delta variant burns out and the economy continues to reopen, he says. “We could easily see 4% to 5% GDP growth next year.”
Founder of Gamco
Billionaire and famous value investor Mario Gabelli, who started his investment firm Gamco in 1977, also expects inflation to continue. “This is a cycle that has legs to it,” he says, predicting interest rates will rise as a result.
Though inflation will remain high, he expects economic growth—powered by solid corporate earnings—to continue, though a stock market correction could be on the horizon next year. Gabelli predicts that stock multiples are likely to contract in the face of tighter monetary policy from the Federal Reserve over the next five to ten years. “A lot of this excess liquidity is creating speculative bubbles that are not sustainable,” he says, adding, “There are cushions in the stock market in terms of rising earnings and fundamentals, but I see a possible correction of 10% to 15%.”
The billionaire investor thinks that despite rising costs due to inflation, many companies will still be able to get pricing traction, which should keep earnings and revenue numbers strong. For now, amid supply chain issues and a tight labor market, “companies are hedging inventories and raising prices,” he describes.
Founder of Ark Invest
On the other side of the spectrum, growth investors like Ark Invest’s famed stock picker Cathie Wood think worries about the current inflation “burst” are overblown. She predicted innovations like AI and robotics to lead productivity gains, which should help lower prices over the long-run.
Another factor working against inflation is the strength of the U.S. consumer who is holding lots of inventory at home, Wood told Forbes in an interview last month. “When companies who are probably double and triple ordering right now have filled the shelves, they\’ll probably find that the consumer has enough.”
Managing director at Zevenbergen
There was a bit of a “knee-jerk reaction” to the latest consumer price index data from October, says Lisa Foley, managing director at $5.7 billion (assets) Zevenbergen Capital Investments. “I don’t fear inflation as much as other people,” she says, adding that she expects it to be “transitory.” Foley points out that even as it takes inflation some time to moderate, economic growth and corporate earnings will remain strong.
“There are still a lot of industries that will produce significant profit in this environment,” she says, adding that numerous companies will continue to see strong revenue growth despite inflation as they are able to pass pricing on to customers without hurting demand.
Co-head of Global Value at First Eagle Investment Management
“I can\’t remember a time where more companies were talking about labor shortages and raising prices,” says Matthew McLennan, co-head of the Global Value team at First Eagle Investment Management. “We’ve added tons of demand, but the supply side hasn’t bounced back.”
McLennan expects inflation to moderate somewhat before settling at 3% or 4%. “There are a lot of question marks for the economy going forward—the next few years of growth might be below the prior generation,” he warns.
His main concern, which could lead to market volatility, is that the “Fed is behind the curve” with its policy response. The central bank has not yet adequately tightened its policy to deal with a higher inflation environment, he says, instead letting the economy get up to steam by allowing inflation to run above the trend.
“You can’t discount the possibility that markets will at some point react sharply fearing the Fed has made a policy mistake,” McLennan predicts. “If we enter a window of greater market volatility because of increased fears around inflation, the Fed may find it difficult to tighten monetary policy and find itself in a Catch 22,” he says.
Chief economic advisor at Allianz
“I think the Fed is losing credibility,” Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic advisor at Allianz, similarly said in an interview last week. The Federal Reserve has oft repeated the mantra that inflation is transitory, but that is not the case, he says: “It is not transitory… this will last for a while.”
Companies are charging higher prices, supply chain disruptions are lasting longer than expected and consumers are hoarding products ahead of time, all of which put added pressure on inflation, El-Erian described. He called on the Fed to “reestablish a credible voice on inflation” and to “accelerate, in December, the pace of tapering,” not to mention “start preparing people for higher interest rates.”


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Judging of the Melbourne Royal Australian International Beer Awards was held over four days at the Melbourne Showgrounds, with our judges deliberating on the champion beers and breweries of this year’s competition on the final day, Friday 13 May.
Thank the judges and stewards, all of whom are volunteers, for their time, passion, commitment and professionalism over the judging week.
Celebrating and promoting beer and brewing excellence in Australia and around the world, the Awards are the largest annual beer competition in the world assessing both draught and packaged beer, as well as design and media.
What was happening over the four-day judging period?
- 2,630 beers entered, from 355 breweries representing 20 countries
- 65 judges across 15 panels
- 30 stewards
- 900 kegs tapped
- 1,300 cans opened
The winners will be announced at the now-sold-out Trophy Presentation Dinner on Thursday 26 May 2022 in the Victoria Pavilion at Melbourne Showgrounds. It's the beer industry's biggest celebration of the year!
Melbourne Royal thanks all partners that support the Australian International Beer Awards.


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Global trade in transition? The world after covid-19
Global trade in transition? The world after covid-19 ran on September 9th 2020, its on-demand content is now available below.
For more trade insights from The Economist, we invite you to join us at Asia Trade Week from February 22nd-25th 2021. Join 850+ business leaders; trade negotiators; policymakers; academics and economists for a week of rigorous discussion into the major factors that will shape the future of trade in Asia and beyond. Register your free place today.
About Global trade in transition? The world after covid-19
Trade is one of the biggest casualties of the public health crisis caused by the novel coronavirus. According to the April forecast from the World Trade Organization, world trade is expected to fall by between 13% and 32% in 2020 as the covid-19 pandemic disrupts economic activity and life around the world. It is little surprise that industries whose value chains are complex, particularly electronics and automotive, would be the worst hit by transport and travel restrictions, along with services. Food shortages loom in some countries because migrant harvest workers are banned from travelling. Protectionism is on the rise. By the end of March, up to 60 countries had introduced export restrictions on medical supplies. The United States and Japan recently announced incentives to promote domestic reshoring.
Even more concerningly, nationalism seems to be recharging itself in the United States and China, the world’s two largest economies. Isolating China has been suggested to Trump by his advisors as a main strategy for re-election. Will we experience a round of deglobalisation? Is it even possible to dismantle the frameworks and infrastructure established through a long period of globalisation? Are international and regional collaboration still possible? What is the future of free trade?
This virtual panel will bring together a group of experts to discuss the future of globalisation after covid-19, and its impact on Asian trade.
For sponsorship enquiries:
Email: [email protected]
Asia Trade Week
As part of Asia Trade Week 2021, The Economist events is excited to host this series of Asia Trade Insight Hours.


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The Ghana cedi started this week on a strong note gaining some grounds against the US dollar in the retail or forex market.
The local currency gained about 20 pesewas in value against the US dollar yesterday.
This follows a 1.61 percentage points improvement against the American greenback last week, ending the week at a mid-rate of ¢12.45 pesewas to the dollar.
It occurred despite some analysts expressing missed developments on the forex market.
Generally, there was an improved investor confidence which helped ease demand for foreign exchange, some analysts told Joy Business.
This was lifted by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta’s visit to China to discuss a debt restructuring, which has been described as progressive with hopes of China reaching an agreement in the near term.
The visit of US Vice President, Kamala Harris to Ghana appears to also have boosted investor confidence as the US is a key player in the International Monetary Fund, which could fast-track Ghana’s support from the Fund.
Additionally, the US Federal Reserve increased its policy rate by 25bps but also announced the need to slow the policy hike cycle in subsequent meetings as inflation figures tame.
Last week, the Bank of Ghana sold only $5.5 million on the spot market, while providing no support to the Bulk Oil Distributing Companies.
The cedi clawed back 1.61% week-on-week against the US dollar to trade at a mid-rate of ¢12.45 on the retail market.
It also strengthen in value marginally against the pound and the euro, gaining 0.50% and 0.19%, respectively.
Cedi depreciates by 22.1% in March 2023 – BoG
The Bank of Ghana last week put the depreciation of the cedi to the dollar so far in the year at 22.1%.
In its latest Summary of Economic and Financial Data, the Central Bank pegged the cedi at ¢11.104 to one US dollar on the interbank market.
In February 2023, the local currency also lost 22.1% in value to the American greenback, but its depreciation in January 2023 was 20.6%. This was after the earlier estimate of 19.1% depreciation was revised.


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Outdoor accessories brand Snugpak has won three awards at the Keighley and Airedale Business Awards ceremony which took place earlier this week.
The awards – which were created to showcase the success and achievements made by businesses in Keighley and District and to celebrate hard work, innovation and integrity in the business world – handed over three accolades including Overall Business of the Year, Large Business of the Year and Manufacturing/ Engineering Business of the Year to the brand.
Snugpak sales director Darren Burrell said: "We are delighted to have won these three awards – it demonstrates how much our customers love our products. After all, without their continued support, we wouldn’t be where we are today."
The Keighley Business Awards cover the Airedale corridor encompassing Cross Hills, Steeton & Silsden, Keighley, Crossflats, Bingley and the Worth Valley.


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Today, Apple released iOS 16.1 Beta 3 to developers with the aim of testing purposes a week after releasing the second beta update.
The new iOS 16.1 Beta 3 comes with a new build number 20B5056e. This is an over-the-air update and is available to download for eligible iPhone and iPad users across the world who installed the developer beta profile on their iPhones and iPads from Apple Developer Center.
iOS 16.1 Beta 3 – Updates and changes
- Updated Wallpaper Gallery design alongside new options to customize wallpapers as well as add new ones
- With iPadOS 16 Beta 3, Stage Manager can now be accessible on 2018 iPad Pro models, which was limited to M1 iPad Air and M1 iPad Pro models.
- Some of the internal code about the “Emergency SOS via Satellite” service that will be coming to the iPhone 14 lineup starting in November.
However, it is recommended to download on the secondary device as there are some known issues as well which are expected to fix in future updates.
Along with this, Apple also released the third developer beta update for watchOS 9.1 and tvOS 16.1 as well as iPadOS 16 Beta 10 and macOS Ventura Beta 9.
You can know more about the new beta software update in the company’s official press release.


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"Rick And Morty" is coming in a comic book form to hold you over until season 4.
"Rick And Morty" recently reached the end of it's third season without Cartoon Network confirming a renewal for the fourth season. While Dan Harmon's confirmed that he'll be working on a fourth season, we probably won't receive it for the foreseeable future. However, fans will be able to hold themselves over until then with a new comic book anthology, "Rick And Morty Presents."
The "Rick and Morty" universe will now be available in a forty page, quarterly series that's set to release in 2018, according to Inverse Entertainment. "Rick and Morty Presents" will explore some of the series' side characters backstories. The first issue, "Rick and Morty Presents: The Vindicators!" will drop on March 7th, 2018. They say the Vindicators book "follows the Vindicators superhero team as they travel through time and accidentally create a new villain." So expect some brand new members as well as new looks for some of the heroes.
The books will be released through Oni Press who sat that fans will "gasp in shock and awe as the plot twists and previously irrelevant characters revive the dead" as well as "frown in frustration as [they] forget the complicated backstory of suddenly important mythic items."
The other three issues next year will explore other characters including Krombopulos Michael for the second issue, Sleepy Gary for the third and Pickle Rick and Jaguar for the fourth.
J. Torres will be behind The Vindicators issue with artists C.J. Cannon and colorist Nick Filardi handling the visuals.


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Millennials gifting experiences, not things this holiday season
Who needs clutter when you can have concert tickets?
Americans are prepared to spend an average of $588.90 per shopper on holiday gifts this year, as the holiday shopping forecast grows yet again in 2016, according to the National Retail Federation. But while traditional seasonal thinking says "Get that sweater!" for your loved ones, the millennial generation is looking for something else.
A survey conducted earlier this year by the Harris Group found that millennials prefer experiences to stuff. Which means that while department stores are the most popular shopping destination for Americans at large, those with millennials on their list should redirect their search to box offices and travel websites.
When studying millennial desires, the Harris Group found "this generation not only highly values experiences, but they are increasingly spending time and money on them: from concerts and social events to athletic pursuits, to cultural experiences and events of all kinds. For this group, happiness isn't as focused on possessions or career status. Living a meaningful, happy life is about creating, sharing and capturing memories earned through experiences that span the spectrum of life's opportunities."
Specifically, Harris Group found that 72 percent of millennials plan to increase their spending on experiences rather than physical things, "pointing to a move away from materialism and a growing appetite for real-life experiences."
What does this mean for shoppers looking to make millennials happy? The folks over at secondary ticket marketplace, TickPick, dug into their data to determine the most popular events people are buying tickets for this holiday season. Check out which 10 performances TickPick reports have the highest demand -- and see what it will cost you to get in -- in the gallery above.


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Dollar Shave Club (DSC) is launching its first campaign for a non-razor product, a skincare line called Big Cloud.
The campaign, titled, “People Notice,” centers on videos conceptualized in-house by DSC's eight-person creative agency team. The videos are designed to motivate DSC's three million members to care more about their skin.
The concept is based on DSC's research that guys have a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" attitude when it comes to skincare. Either they try to take care of their skin and wind up with greasy hands, shiny face and glossy lips or they avoid taking care of their skin completely and experience cracked hands, sunburnt face and chapped lips.
One video, to that end, shows a man on a job interview putting on greasy lotion right before the interviewer comes out to shake his hand. The video ends with the message that people notice how you care for yourself and Big Cloud helps guys do that.
For now the ‘People Notice’ campaign will play online and on social media. DSC is planning "a targeted campaign that rolls out across multiple social channels," says Alec Brownstein, creative director and vice president of creative, DSC.
"We are targeting all guys who have been frustrated by the current available skincare options, to help them understand the importance of taking care of their skin against the harsh elements of wind, sun and time."
In all, DSC hopes this campaign will help the brand revolutionize skincare as it has for razors. In less than four years, DSC has become the number two razor brand in the country shipping 73 million cartridges per year and owning 16% of the men's cartridge market by volume.


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Notre Dame alumna creates clothing line to celebrate kids
ND alumna creates clothing line to celebrate kids, undo gender stereotypes
Shopping trips with her 5-year-old twin daughters often left Dana Babbin frustrated. Unable to find the types of clothes her girls wanted, she would turn to the boys section.
But for as long as Dana can remember, her spunky twins weren't fawning over princesses — they wanted trucks and bulldozers.
"My girls just love trucks and they were basically given a message through the marketplace that it wasn't cool for them, and that was unfortunate," said Babbin, a 1992 University of Notre Dame graduate.
Babbin, a former prosecutor who now consults about cyber crimes against children, decided to try to change things. So she started Pink Truck, a clothing company for all ages that blurs the gender divide.
Babbin, though, doesn't like using the term "gender neutral" for the clothing line that she launched in December. After all, her goal is to provide more options for kids to feel comfortable being who they are, she explained.
"I want to celebrate gender and its differences, but more importantly, its commonality," Babbin said. "I just want you to know that no matter what things you enjoy and have a passion for I'm going to celebrate."
She says her message, sent through pink truck, train, boat and other vehicle logos on neutral-colored clothing, is as simple as that — letting kids be who they are. The Pink Truck line isn't in stores yet — that's one of Babbin's next goals — but they can be purchased online at www.pinktruckdesigns.com.
Though the idea of gender neutral clothing is far from commonplace, it's becoming a growing niche in the apparel industry, with some well known labels such as Gucci and a host of smaller ones making inroads through online stores and even mainstream retailers such as GapKids and Babies 'R' Us.
Many are startup businesses created by parents such as Babbin and others who were simply frustrated by not being able to find the type of clothing that would appeal to their children. Northern Virginia resident Jaya Iyer, for example, was motivated to start her own line named after her daughter, Svaha, because she couldn't find clothing that might inspire her space-obsessed daughter.
Babbin's goal of taking the gender specifics out of clothing isn't quite catching on in major stores, but there are some retailers making a shift in other areas. In August, Target announced it was eliminating "boys" and "girls" signs from its toy and bedding departments. It has been seen as a big cultural shift by the second-largest discount retailer in the United States.
In an interview with The Tribune, a spokeswoman for Target wouldn't comment on the cultural statement, if any, the company was making with the change in product marketing. Gender-focused marketing had been an ongoing conversation for some time, she said, spurred by guest comments on how gender indicators were used in the store and if it made sense to forgo it in some departments.
In June, Target received criticism after a customer tweeted a picture of signage in the toy department that read "Building Sets," and "Girls' Building Sets."
Ultimately, the change was made to make the shopping experience better, according to Target.
“Historically, guests have told us that sometimes…signs that sort by brand, age or gender help them get ideas and find things faster. But we know that shopping preferences and needs change and, as guests have pointed out, in some departments like Toys, Home or Entertainment, suggesting products by gender is unnecessary. We heard you, and we agree,” the company wrote in a statement.
Target's spokeswoman couldn't comment on any future changes in gender-based marketing in the store.
But the change by Target, and the cultural shift as a whole, is not being embraced by everyone. Target was attacked on social media, with many calling for a boycott of the store and taking their business elsewhere.
Speaking on Fox News, the Rev. Franklin Graham, president of the Christian relief organization Samaritan's Purse and son of evangelist the Rev. Billy Graham, said the change was a "slap in the face" to the hardworking American men and women that are the heart of Target's success.
"God made us male and female, that's just a fact, and to think we are gender neutral is foolishness," Graham said on Fox. "I think this is just absolutely ridiculous and I think Target has forgotten who's made their stores strong. ...This whole gender neutral business has gone too far."
Personally, Babbin said, she has not had any negative reactions to her clothing as severe as what Target had. There are those who the message is lost on, she said, and some who take longer to come around to it. But overall she has been surprised by the varied demographics that have embraced the line.
Gender-focused marketing for kids products started picking up in the 1990s, said Mary Celeste Kearney, a professor of film, television and theater at the University of Notre Dame whose research focuses primarily on gender, youth and media culture.
Starting in the late '80s there was a big push specifically toward marketing to girls, Kearney explained, because marketers realized there was a large population to go after. And women are typically the ones in the home making the decisions on everyday purchases, so the younger a girl is hooked, the better brand loyalty will be, she said.
But like Babbin's goal of letting kids be who they want, public culture has become very gender segregated, Kearney said, and it can become hard for kids as consumers to make the choices they want.
"Kids are pretty savvy, but also very confused about gender," she said, making it hard for them to understand why marketing would tell them a product is specifically for a boy or a girl.
Clothing lines like Pink Truck and the changes Target made are steps in the right direction for kids, but there needs to be more, Kearney said. Specifically, there's a lot of attention on girls, which is good, she said, but there is less attention on boys having access to things seen as "girly."
Not limiting products and marketing by gender is something Babbin said she hopes wills start catching on more quickly. Once more stores like Target make the change, Kearney said, she thinks marketers will realize it's a good move.
"I think it's a message that everyone can send," Babbin said. "I'm not here to do anything but help support your kids and yourselves as individuals."
To view Pink Truck products and to learn more about Dana Babbin's message, visit www.pinktruckdesigns.com.


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This weeks Future of TV Briefing talks about the partnership between YouTube Shorts and traditional YouTube videos as video publishers adopt the former hoping of adding to rather than cannibalizing the latter.
The long game of YouTube Shorts
The main element hits:
- YouTube Shorts offer an effective opportinity for YouTube channels to include subscribers.
- But media execs are cautious with Shorts effects on the long-form video viewership.
- The dynamic between Shorts and traditional YouTube videos could be monitored by way of a metric YouTube provides to channel owners.
YouTube Shorts are actually a shortcut to subscriber growth for channels on the Google-owned platform. But could YouTubes TikTok clone find yourself short-changing channels over time?
The next, long-term possibility is really a concern that media executives are considering as short-form video rises in stature. As video publishers adopt YouTube Shorts, they’re trying to measure the relationship between Shorts and their traditional YouTube videos so the former will not cannibalize the latter.
It will be is a hot topic in 2022 but additionally since YouTube began launching Shorts globally, said Victor Potrel, vp of platform partnerships at TheSoul Publishing, which received a lot more than 25 billion YouTube Shorts views in the initial half a year of 2022 across its portfolio of channels offering 5-Minute Crafts and Wood Mood.
While Shorts are attracting lots of views and converting viewers into subscribers for YouTube channels, YouTube will not provide a revenue-sharing program for Shorts enjoy it does for traditional YouTube videos. That Shorts viewership could come at a price to channels monetization if Shorts viewers and Shorts-driven subscribers drag down the performance of the channels traditional videos.
They keep telling me its ideal for subscribers, but I dont know very well what which means, said one media executive.
Ideal for subscribers sounds straightforward enough. And theres proof how great Shorts could be for accumulating YouTube subscribers.
- This past year, ESPNs SportsNation channel on YouTube added 1.5 million subscribers almost exclusively through Shorts. And Shorts as a subscriber growth catalyst comes at the same time when subscriber growth on YouTube could be tricky to find.
- Earlier this season, Team Whistle cut a clip from an bout of its No Days Off series on YouTube right into a Short. That Short has received a lot more than 131 million views and generated 125,000 new subscribers for the channel, in accordance with an organization spokesperson.
The impact of YouTube Shorts to a YouTube channel for a publisher has been pretty staggering. YouTube is really a tiny slog to essentially grow subs or viewership. To include 100 thousand subs in one Short, that’s radically different, said another media executive.
But what the initial media executive meant by asking what’s this is of ideal for subscribers is what’s the importance for a publishers or creators broader YouTube channel. As great since it would be to grow subscribers, that only really matters if those subscribers help grow viewership for the videos a channel makes money from through YouTubes rev-share program.
In the event that you just get followers on the trunk of Shorts, could it be just followers with regard to having followers without monetization? said a third media executive.
Additionally, a potential downside of the Shorts-driven subscriber growth may be the possibility that Shorts viewers are bored with a channels traditional videos, i.e. the videos that produce the channel money.
After all, theres only so enough time youre likely to devote to the platform. Therefore if youre spending your time and effort consuming Shorts, youre not spending that point consuming long-form [videos], said the initial media executive.
In order to avoid the development of an adversarial relationship between Shorts and traditional YouTube videos, media executives are ensuring the two forms of videos usually do not significantly diverge content-wise. The editorial strategy of Shorts needs to be very closely aligned to your output of original YouTube videos, said a fourth media executive.
Along with taking advantage of its channels catering to niche interests like DIY crafts, TheSoul Publishing also takes care never to overwhelm audiences with Shorts on its channels with established long-form subscriber bases. For a channel that publishes 2-3 videos weekly, one additional Short will be a good balance between making certain the Short gets visibility rather than flooding the audience at all, Potrel said. But in case a publishing schedule is more aggressive, you may increase the amount of Shorts. Theres not just a secret.
Without a secret, a magic metric for monitoring the partnership between Shorts and traditional video viewership could be the percentage of traditional video views via channel subscribers. It is a stat that YouTube provides through its channel analytics tool and that the fourth media executives company tracks to see whether Shorts cannibalizes viewership of its traditional YouTube videos. Up to now, there’s been no sign of such cannibalization.
This executives company has had this closely aligned approach with Shorts and contains not seen Shorts cannibalize viewership of its traditional YouTube videos.
As our subscriber base grows, the quantity of views grows with it. But [with respect to subscriber-based views] as a share [of overall views], there hasnt been a significant fluctuation, besides that were consistently getting a higher level of views from subscribers because our subscriber count is certainly going up, said the fourth media executive.
This short article has been updated to say Wood Mood as you of TheSoul Publishings YouTube channels driving its Shorts viewership. A previous version had incorrectly cited another channel.
What weve heard
We’ve this show thatll turn out from Netflix in the initial quarter. Were waiting to discover if theyre likely to now require us to provide [episodes] with advertiser breaks.
Trend watch:Streaming subscriptions in Q2
On Wednesday, Disney will report earnings and offer the most recent subscriber counts for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. Those numbers should complete the puzzle on what the streaming subscription market fared in the next quarter.
In line with the numbers supplied by other streaming service owners latest quarterly earnings reports, the time was a mixed bag.
WHO ADDED SUBS
- Warner Bros. Discovery: Added 1.7 million subscribers across HBO, HBO Max and Discovery+ to attain 92.1 million.
- Paramount+: Added 3.7 million subscribers to attain 43.3 million.
- Starz: Added 1.8 million subscribers to attain 26.3 million.
- AMC Networks: Added 1.3 million subscribers to attain 10.8 million.
WHO LOST SUBS
- Netflix: Lost 970,000 subscribers to fall to 220.7 million.
- FuboTV: Lost 110,000 subscribers to fall to 947,000.
- Sling TV: Lost 55,0000 subscribers to fall to 2.2 million.
WHO STAYED FLAT
- Peacock: Stayed flat at 13 million subscribers.
Numbers to learn
175: Amount of advertisers that decided to try non-Nielsen measurement providers in this years upfront deals, which means not even half of upfront advertisers.
1.7 million: Estimated amount of people who use Netflixs mobile games each day, normally; the figure means significantly less than 1% of Netflixs subscriber base.
$774.8 million: How much cash advertisers will devote to TikTok influencer marketing in the U.S. this season.
-2%: Percentage decline in the amount of U.K. households with usage of a subscription-based streaming service in Q2 2022 in comparison to Q1 2022.
What weve covered
Instagram will turn off its affiliate commerce program on Aug. 31:
- Instagram officially started testing a joint venture partner program for creators in July 2021.
- Creator industry executives said this program struggled to get adoption among creators.
Read more about Instagrams affiliate commerce programhere.
How fighting game events could give a blueprint for success in live esports:
- The Evolution Championship Series may help spur the return of audiences to in-person esports competitions.
- 11,000 people registered to wait this years event, up from 9,000 entrants in 2019.
Read more about live esportshere.
What were reading
Triller does not fulfill pledge to Black creators:
This past year Triller pledged to get $14 million in 300 Black creators, however the company has been late in paying creators while still demanding creators fulfill their sides of the offer, based on the Washington Post.
Netflix races to improve an advertising business:
The historically ad-averse streaming service made a decision to reverse course late this past year and is wanting to quickly operate an advertising business that may charge $80 CPMs, based on the Wall Street Journal.
YouTube creators get-rich-quick scheme:
The allure of YouTubes ad revenue-sharing program has resulted in would-be creators paying thousands for courses to understand how exactly to create low-cost, cookie-cutter videos, based on the NY Times.
Streaming poaches political ad dollars:
Streaming is defined to steal political ad dollars from traditional TV in this years U.S. election cycle, because of its advanced targeting and measurement capabilities, in accordance with Ad Age.


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Ford to reveal new Fiesta, X-max in September
20 March 2007
Ford Iosis X
Not content with launching the new Mondeo, which was given its world unveiling at last week's Geneva motor show, Ford will reveal hints at two other crucial new models later this year.
The UK's biggest-selling brand will use September's Frankfurt motor show to remove the covers from concept versions of the next generation Fiesta and a near-production version of the long-awaited off-roader first previewed in the form of last year's Iosis X concept (pictured), expected to be called X-max when it goes on sale.
The Fiesta will arrive next spring, giving Ford a much-needed boost in a segment that has seen a new Vauxhall Corsa, Peugeot 207, Renault Clio, Toyota Yaris and Fiat Punto all launched in the past 15 months.
The off-roader will give Ford a presence in what is a rapidly growing segment. The brand hasn't had a 4x4 on sale since the Maverick was dropped in 2004, and even then it was never seen as a serious rival to the likes of Toyota's Rav4. Expect the production version in 2008.


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The retailer is on a mission to reformat its stores to push pickup and delivery shopping options, which will then drive more online business, which will then bring in more online advertising revenue, which it can then use to invest more in the online-offline capabilities.
The discount chain will open locations in Helena and Billings next month, expanding its presence to 10 states throughout the western U.S.
The Kroger Co. has named the country’s next two customer fulfillment centers in its partnership with U.K. online grocer Ocado. Central Florida and the Mid-Atlantic will host the new facilities, automated warehouses with digital robotics capabilities – aka “sheds.”
Piggly Wiggly Alabama has seen higher revenues and store counts over the past year thanks to operators purchasing Southeastern Grocers stores and tackling new projects that have led to organic growth, says David Bullard, president and CEO. The company also specializes in individualized marketing programs for each store and recently adopted a new retail management pricing system.
Walmart’s e-commerce sales increased 21% in its fourth quarter, continuing to benefit from the expansion of grocery pickup and delivery. The chain’s U.S. same-store sales increased 6.8% in the quarter, while Sam’s Club’s same-store sales grew 3.3%. In fiscal 2019, U.S. same-store sales increased 3.6%, while e-commerce sales jumped 40%.
More than 300 stores have integrated the Shopper Engagement Platform offered by Associated Wholesale Grocers, giving a boost to in-store loyalty programs. Retailers using the platform can offer points and gas credits to consumers and can operate with or without loyalty cards.
In a recent report billed as the “2019 U.S. Supermarket Experience Study,” the Retail Feedback Group (RFG) compared U.S. supermarkets to deep-discount chain ALDI and the nation’s largest retailer Walmart to gain consumer feedback on overall satisfaction, quality and variety.
Kroger will open its high-tech warehouses in partnership with Britain’s Ocado in three initial markets: one where it is heavily invested, another with less infrastructure and a third in a new market, CEO Rodney McMullen said.
Earth Fare plans to open 50 stores across the U.S. in the next five years, doubling its store footprint. The chain’s stores are about 24,000-sq. ft. and focus on natural and organic foods, with sections such as bulk nuts and spices, a pizza station, a sandwich counter and packaged meals-on-the-go.
Publix Super Markets has once again been named one of the World’s Most Admired Companies by Fortune magazine, ranking No. 2 in the food and drug stores industry category – the highest of any mainstream supermarket operator.


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Google is going to eventually replace Duo with Meet
Google is not going to replace Duo with Meet just yet, but before it happens, a lot of key features from Duo will be incorporated into Meet.
Google currently has two video calling apps, Google Duo and Google Meet, now that Google Hangouts is on the way out. However, it seems like Google wants to tidy it up further and according to reports, the company plans to replace Duo with Meet.
According to 9to5Google, this discussion is a result of Google placing its consumer communication services, Duo, Messages and the Android Phone app, all under the leadership of G Suite head Javier Soltero. After this new ‘unified team' was made public in May, Soltero told employees that it did not make sense for Duo and Meet to coexist.
With almost everyone working from home and handling everything from classes to meetings online, Google has had to move aggressively to beef up Meet to take on Zoom. Like Duo, Meet is now free for everyone and is looking to capture the same market.
The focus is now on Meet and Soltero has opted to make it Google's one video calling service for both enterprise and regular customers. Internally, this is being described as a merger or two services and has been codenamed Duet - the portmanteau of Duo and Meet.
Sources told 9to5Google that this new direction and the reduced interest in creating a dedicated consumer service surprised The Duo team.
Google Duo was announced at I/O 2016 as one half of Google's new consumer messaging strategy to replace Hangouts. While Allo, Google's text messaging service, failed, Duo found great success as an app that's focused on video.
Since then, Duo has added a web client, group calling, the ability to send “story-esque audio and video messages”, but it integrally remains a simple app with a list of contacts that you can tap to start a call.
Duo is integrated with Google Messages and Google Phone dialer and has recently added the option of letting people be reached through their email IDs. For all intensive purposes, Duo was Google/Android's version of FaceTime.
An update in April introduced the AV1 codec that improved video call quality, built-in screenshots, larger groups and the ability to save messages on Duo. Following that, in early May, Google followed that up with a “Family mode,” more virtual effects, link-based invites and 32-person calls.
Sources made it clear that at the end of this merger, Duo is going to go away and engineers who were working on Duo will move on to work on Meet's enterprise development or have left the team.
To be fair, Meet's usage has surged past Duo over the last few months. In April Google announced that Meet's peak daily usage grew by 30x with three billion minutes of video meetings and almost three million new users daily. Daily meeting participants crossed 100 million.
On the other hand, Duo reported an 8x surge in group calls in April as well as 10 million sign-ups per week and a ten-fold increase in call minutes.
The popularity of Zoom shows that regular users are fine with using an enterprise app for personal communication. And what's important in 2020 is the fact that the users are now familiar with generating a link that can be sent to other users instead of a direct contact list.
Monetised as a part of G Suite from day one, Google has been explicit about how important Meet is by integrating it with Gmail. And now, before the replacement happens, the plan is to get several key Duo features on to Meet and these include end-to-end encryption, contacting users for a video call via a phone number and 3D effects.
Google has also slowed Duo's development pace after the introduction of group conversations to the Nest Hub Max last month. Overall as well, Duo's development has been slowed down in comparison to the other video calling apps. Google provided a detailed timeline for Meet's upcoming features.
However, Duo is not going away any time soon. According to sources the timeline for this transition could take up to two years. While development plans could change, it's not happening any time soon.
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