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Factory Activity Growth Picks Up on Solid Demand
China’s economy got off to a strong start this year on the back of robust capital spending and real estate investment, as well as strong demand for industrial goods.
For the January-February period, value-added industrial output, which measures production at China’s factories, rose 7.2% year-on-year, accelerating from an annual increase of 6.2% in December, according to data released Wednesday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
- 1Power To The People: Pintec Serves A Booming Consumer Class
- 2Largest hotel group in Europe accepts UnionPay
- 3UnionPay mobile QuickPass debuts in Hong Kong
- 4UnionPay International launches premium catering privilege U Dining Collection
- 5UnionPay International’s U Plan has covered over 1600 stores overseas


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Verizon Customers Broadcast Problems With Service
Verizon Customers Broadcast Problems With Service
By RICHARD MULLINS of The Tampa Tribune
Published: March 26, 2008
Sam Miller came so close to tossing his Verizon cable TV box to the curb outside.
After signing up in November for Verizon's $99 a month deal for FiOS cable TV, Internet and phone service, Verizon was still sending him bills for $130 or more. He called to complain each month, but eventually his bill was stacked with $265 in extra fees.
One time he called Verizon, "they told me we didn't have an account. I told them they could pick up their stuff at the curb," Miller said. By calling random phone numbers at Verizon, he eventually found a helpful marketing clerk in a branch office to untangle his bill. He still hasn't gotten the free TV for signing up — that's going to take months.
"The TV picture reception is noticeably better," Miller said. "It just seems like they grew so fast they could not keep up with customer demands."
Unfortunately for Verizon, Miller is not alone in having complaints.
As Verizon signs up thousands of new customers a month in the Tampa Bay area, company officials say they're working to correct problems with customer service: firing some sales workers, retraining the rest, and restructuring how they deal with customer complaints.
It's not a simple challenge to tackle.
In the case of Verizon, the company represents a multibillion-dollar enterprise with more than 10,000 local employees that used to hold a monopoly on telephone service in the area. Now, it's attempting to become an agile competitor that rises and falls on customer service.
Meanwhile, reports of problems with Verizon are stacking up at government offices and on customer blogs — complaints about elusive discounts, missing equipment and frustrating calls to customer service. In March, 23 customers went so far as to call Florida's attorney general to complain about Verizon's cable TV deals, up from six in January. Some irate customers are even taking their gripes public, posting videos on YouTube of balky cable TV images, Internet breakdowns and their arguments with Verizon customer service centers.
Verizon has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars laying state-of-the-art fiber optic lines to nearly every home and business in the area, and could spend about a billion dollars by the time construction is complete.
Verizon's new head of operations in the Tampa Bay area, Suri Surinder, said he recognized the problems soon after coming to Tampa in August, and said fixing customer service is "a high priority for us."
Amid the work, Surinder wants to emphasize one point: With any big company, some customers will love or hate the service no matter what. Verizon was immensely popular last year, however.
"When you have people breaking down the door to get your service, some will fall through the cracks," Surinder said. "Everyone knows that we're doing a great job with the product. We need to do a better job with the customer experience, training our people, educating the customer and a better job of resolving issues."
Complaints Are Varied
Tracking just how many problems customers have is becoming less clear. Combined cable, phone and Internet companies are not regulated as closely as traditional telephone service had been in years past.
For instance, Florida customers with complaints would have to know to call the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in Tallahassee, because many cable companies now operate on statewide licenses.
Lately, those problems come in a wide variety.
For example, Verizon normally "back charges" telephone customers, sending bills for service provided the month before. When people sign up for new bundled phone-cable-Internet service, however, Verizon "forward charges" customers for the month to come. That means new customers can get a much bigger bill than they expected. Verizon didn't do a good enough job telling customers that would happen, Surinder said.
Verizon also encountered problems with the non-Verizon contract workers who go door-to-door to sell FiOS service. Those workers are paid partly on commission, and some customers complain about broken promises.
In November, a contract salesman knocked on Bill Stine's door in Tampa. Stine was already paying $97 for phone and Internet service through Verizon, so the salesman said Stine could get cable TV "for just $2 more," Stine said. "It turned out to be $138.50 a month. Each time the bill arrives, me or my wife spends hours on the phone with these people. If we had any idea what it would be like to go through this, I'd never have done it." The salesman never told Stine that Verizon would charge a $5 a month rental fee for each cable TV box, Stine said.
Tom Gump of Wesley Chapel signed up for HDTV in two rooms, in part to get a free 19-inch HDTV. The Verizon installer who came in January could only give one HDTV cable box. "That [second] box still has not arrived, and it's March," Gump said. The free HDTV won't arrive for 6 to 10 weeks.
"Verizon only gives you 30 days to cancel service or pay a $199 cancellation fee. That's not enough time to find out how many lies they are going to tell you."
John O'Donovan signed up for Verizon's $99 a month deal for FiOS cable TV, Internet and phone service last year. Instead, Verizon each month sends him bills for $125 or more, plus $45 more for an old phone line that Verizon technicians actually unplugged when he upgraded.
"I've called them three or four times each month now," O'Donovan said. Sometimes Verizon refunds his money. Sometimes not. "I feel like I'm always getting the runaround. … They told me I'd have to call my own credit card company to find out if Verizon was double-charging me. How can they not know what they're billing customers for?" It took six months of calls — and help from a special team of service people at Verizon — to untangle his bill.
Verizon officials said they would investigate those customer situations.
Regarding Stine, Verizon officials said employees can "do a better job" explaining pricing with the $99 deal. They plan to contact Gump to address the shortage of HDTV set-top boxes. They have issued a "significant credit" to O'Donovan, and issued other credits to Miller to bring his monthly price closer to $99.
Service Wasn't Important Before
Some customers are taking their complaints public.
YouTube now has dozens of videos produced by Verizon customers with
complaints. One shows a broadcast of the movie "Happy Feet," with jerky motion and missing images. Another shows an Internet modem regularly dropping its Internet connection. One video edits down a 30-minute call with technical support into a 10-minute drama of frustration.
Typically, backlashes like this happen for the same reason, said Charlotte Baker, CEO of the Tampa-based customer service company Digital Hands.
"Large companies, especially former monopolies, never had to examine every element of the customer experience before," she said. Sales departments operate differently than installation, billing and customer service.
For decades, Verizon and its predecessors held a de facto monopoly on telephone service in the Tampa Bay area and were tightly regulated by the government. The company simply didn't have to provide attractive service, Baker said, because customers didn't have anywhere else to go. Those types of corporations easily turn into rigid structures, set in their ways, she said.
For example, when problems occur, customers too often end up in "phone tree hell," because companies divide their call centers into "pods" — $10 an hour employees for simple problems, $50 an hour employees for complex issues. Customers start with a novice employee and don't get their problem fixed until they "complain enough and climb up to someone who is skilled," she said.
"Companies think they're saving money because it looks good on paper to divide people up, but any savings they think they make are quickly eroded by customers churning away."
Likely there isn't any one solution or project that would fix everything, said Shelley Evenson, a professor at Carnegie Mellon who studies customer experiences. Rather, it will be a long list of smaller projects, all aimed at bringing every sector of Verizon together, Evenson said, so customers get help wherever they call, and end up more loyal than when problems started.
Verizon Is Making Changes
To be sure, Verizon's arch rival Bright House has its share of complaints. Hillsborough County officials have logged dozens of calls from irate customers of Verizon and Bright House. But Bright House has turned
Verizon's problems into an advertising campaign, centered on "The Asterisk," symbolizing the fees Verizon charges beyond $99 a month.
For its part, Verizon's Surinder is working to improve service. Verizon is redesigning its monthly bills into a simpler format that's easier to understand, he said. "Two pages to a bill, not 10," he said.
He has started retraining sales staff to better "educate the customer" about what to expect — in particular about charging customers in advance. He also is testing new methods of customer service, including a special team of seven representatives who live in Tampa and know the market better than others who could be in a call center across the country.
"We know some customers are going to have issues with us," Surinder said. "The question is how hard do you work to correct them?"
What You Should Know
Questions to ask any cable TV, Internet and telephone service provider:
• Are there any activation or installation fees?
• Are there charges or rental fees to connect more than one phone, computer or TV?
• Does the company bill a month in advance, or retroactively for the past month?
• What will be the total amount of the first bill, and subsequent bills, including taxes and fees?
• Are there charges for repair calls?
• Are there termination fees?
• If you cancel service, what do you do with the equipment?
• Is there a "grace period" to cancel the service without a termination fee?
Last edited by Bschneider; 03-27-2008 at 12:51 PM.

domain: news


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IKEA to partner with Design Indaba to launch African design collection
Swedish furniture giant IKEA has announced that it will work alongside Cape Town organisation Design Indaba to produce its first collection made completely by African designers.
The collaboration will see "pan-continental" designers, architects and other creatives from South Africa, Kenya, Senegal, Egypt, Angola, Ivory Coast and Rwanda come together to produce a series of domestic objects.
Each designer will work alongside IKEA's in-house team during the Design Indaba conference in Cape Town this March, with an aim to launch a collection in 2019.
"It's affirming for the world's biggest furniture and homeware store to partner with Design Indaba to curate their first African collection, and we have learnt so much from the collaboration to date – the designers and ourselves," said Ravi Naidoo, founder of Design Indaba.
"They look towards democratising design, and are happy to be infiltrated by external ideas," he continued. "Now, it will be also inspired by urban Africa, and our intrepid pan-continental group of reformers, thinkers, makers and activists."
The furniture and homeware collection will focus on "modern rituals and the importance they play in the home", according to Naidoo.
Bethan Rayner and Naeem Biviji, who specialise in made-to-order, handcrafted furniture, are among the designers contributing, along with designer and tutor Bibi Seck, architect Christian Benimana, designer Hanna Dalrot, duo Hend Riad and Mariam Hazem, and architect Issa Diabaté.
Johanna Jelenik, who has worked for IKEA since 2002, will also take part, as will Kevin Gouriou, Laduma Ngxokolo, Mikael Axelsson, Paula Nascimento, Renee Rossouw, Selly Raby Kane and Sindiso Khumalo.
"The creative explosion which is taking place in several cities around Africa right now is something IKEA is curious about," said IKEA design manager Marcus Engman.
"We want to learn from this and spread it to the rest of the world. Working together with these designers and creatives gives us the opportunity to do so."
This is the latest collaboration to be announced by the Swedish furniture giant. Towards the end of last year, Tom Dixon revealed he is developing a product with an "ecosystem" of add-ons for IKEA, while Hay teased its 2017 collaborative collection with an abstract movie.
The annual Design Indaba Conference of Creativity is set to take place at Cape Town's Artscape Theatre from 1 to 3 March 2017.


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Yours Truly, the restaurant at 229 Ossington that renovated the old Galaxy Donuts spot (remember them?) announced today that September will be their last month of service and then they will be shutting their doors for good. […]
We now have Greek food on Ossington! Mamakas Taverna is now open at 80 Ossington, and is serving traditional Greek food and drink 6 nights a week.
We have been anticipating this opening for many months now, and the spot has developed from the imagined bakery cafe into a full fledged restaurant and bar serving very tasty food. […]


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ALTOONA, Pa., Feb. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Sheetz, one of America's fastest growing family-owned and operated convenience store chains, will open their new concept restaurant to the students and locals of Morgantown, WV on March 3, 2015. This will be the first location for Sheetz featuring the fuel free concept with a complete focus on the food and beverage offerings. The new store concept will be located on the ground floor of University Place, located at 2151 University Avenue, Suite 220 Morgantown, WV.
The grand opening will start at 11 am with a ribbon cutting and celebration will last until 3pm with sampling, free self-serve coffee and fountain drinks, games and prizes. WVAQ will have a live remote from 11am -3pm.
More than two years in development, this experience will allow customers to engage with Sheetz in another way, showing Sheetz passion for food and a devotion to innovation and excellence. Every detail of the space will give customers a new way to enjoy Sheetz food and grocery offerings and provide locals and students a new way to shop, live and socialize in downtown Morgantown.
The 15,000 square foot grocery store and café concept will serve as the first retailer to offer grocery options in the downtown Morgantown area in several years. Sheetz at University Place will triple the size of a typical Sheetz store and will provide indoor and outdoor seating for 100 people.
In addition to the grand opening, Sheetz is offering a $10,000 dollar scholarship to one full or part-time West Virginia University student. 10 finalists will be selected and the winner will be announced March 7th at the WVU vs. OSU game. Winners must be present at the game to win.
Sheetz is deeply committed to the communities each store serves. The Sheetz For the Kidz® annual holiday event has provided more than 85,000 underprivileged children with new toys, clothes and necessities each holiday season since 1992. Sheetz partners with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, sending over 40 families of seriously ill children on dream vacations to Disney World each year. As part of every grand opening, Sheetz will make a donation of $2500 to Special Olympics Pennsylvania, a cause that is valued by the company and employees. Sheetz has been a proud supporter of the Special Olympics for more than 20 years with both financial and product support as well as providing event volunteers.
Sheetz Convenience Stores strives to give customers what they want, how they want and when they want it. They are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and offer fresh food such as Made To Order (MTO®) subs, sandwiches, burgers, premium salads, appetizers and breakfast sandwiches and more. They also feature MTGo!® ready to eat foods and Shweetz® Bakery lines donuts and muffins, along with Sheetz Bros. Coffeez®, a full-service espresso and smoothie bar where customers can order hand-made specialty coffee drinks including lattes, cappuccinos and mochas – hot, frozen or iced. For more information, visit www.sheetz.com or follow us on twitter @sheetz, on facebook (www.facebook.com/sheetz) and on instagram (instagram.com/Sheetz).


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New Chick-fil-A aiming for April opening; Wages start at $15 an hour
Around 70 employees will be hired at the new Chick-fil-A opening on Spartanburg Highway, and they can expect to at least make $15 an hour.
The location at 640 Spartanburg Highway will open around mid-April, with an exact opening date still to be determined.
Chick-fil-A Hendersonville recently announced it was increasing its starting wage to $15 an hour. The local franchise raised its starting wage to $13 an hour in 2017, and increased it again in 2019 to $14 an hour.
“We believe this is helpful to our community,” Chick-fil-A Hendersonville said in a news release.
Those interested in applying may do so at https://zippyapp.com/biz/cfa-hendersonvilleso. Open positions include back-of-the-house team members and front-of-the-house team members.
The Hendersonville South Chick-fil-A will be open 6:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, nd closed on Sundays. Chick-fil-A also has a location at 52 Highlands Square Drive in Hendersonville.


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The March social media visit tallies are rolling in. It may not suprise anyone, but social media newcomer, Pinterest, is burning up the road. Experian Marketing Services data revealed that the baby on the block ranked third in the U.S. -- behind Facebook and Twitter, respectively -- for total number of visits for February and March.
Here is the March tally:
1. Facebook: 7 billion*
2. Twitter: 182 million
3. Pinterest: 104 million
*(Before you yell "7 billion! There are only 7 billion people in the world," Keep in mind, this is total visits, not unique visitors.)
LinkedIn crossed into April with 86 million visits. Experian's data does not include mobile visits, so that could change the results a bit since users' habits differ when they are on a mobile device. Twitter is a mobile favorite. Pinterest announced in March that an iPad app should be introduced soon, so we'll see if that tickles the fancy of Pinnies.
Since last fall, Pinterest has been whoopin' some social media tail. It has grown about 4,000 percent in the previous 6 months. In the U.S., the site is still used more by women (Forbes calls them "mature female consumers") than men. According to Experian's "The 2012 Digital Marketer: Benchmark and Trend Report," the states where the platform is most popular are Missouri, Utah, Alabama, Oklahoma and Kansas. And Pinnies spend an average of 15 minutes on the site when they log on.
Pinnies, businesses and online marketers are all trying to figure out how to make the most of Pinterest as they explore community boards, professional uses, personal uses, SEO value and cross promotional potential. Pinterest allows businesses to tell a story through images. And that works great for some businesses; but not for others. Thus far, businesses that are the most popular on Pinterest in the U.S. are B2C and e-commerce related, simply because of the visual aspect of displaying goods. But the popularity of sharing videos and infographics is picking up steam. And more and more businesses are trying out Pinterest to see what it is about and if the platform can help them reach new audiences and build brand loyalty. Given the March visit tallies, it seems like Pinterest isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
I don't see Pinterest ever overtaking Facebook (and I'm anxiously watching to see what Facebook does with its recent acquisition of Instagram and how that affects sharing images), but it will be interesting to see how the use of Pinterest morphs over time and if it can broaden its demographic appeal in the process.


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Africa fumbles during internet land grab
BUSINESS| July 9, 2012, 8:20 a.m.
By Howard Rybko, CEO, Syncrony
In mid-June of 2012, when the big Internet players revealed their cards in the highest stakes game in web history, the best Africa could come up with was four predictable geographic plays (.JOBURG, .DURBAN, .CAPETOWN and .AFRICA) and a few MNET pals covering their brand names.
At stake is the ownership of the digital real estate represented by the few hundred new domain name extensions that will start appearing in 2013. These include extensions like .ZULU, .WEB, .LOTTO and a possible 1,400 more. The new extensions are designed to unclog the constipation resulting from the lack of availability of dot com names (and the handful of alternatives like dot net, dot biz and dot org).
The problem is that no one really knows how this is going to pan out. It is possible that the new names may cause an online earthquake that will change our digital business models for ever. However some big players like Facebook haven’t even bought a ticket to this movie, by applying for .FACEBOOK. Many others like Microsoft, Apple, Jaguar and Sony have been only slightly more adventurous, and have come up with the $185,000 required for each registration, simply to cover their brands and trademarks.
Closer to home, our entire African continent accounted for a paltry 13 English name applications. Peanuts compared to the enterprising Donuts Inc, who went out on a $65 million limb and applied for a staggering 307 new Top Level Domains. The names that Donuts (Domain Nuts) have applied for run the generic gamut from .RUGBY to .CASINO, .FAMLILY, .BLOG and even a controversial few like .SUCKS. If things turn out as Donuts’ hope, they will profit by making it affordable and simple for businesses and individuals to lay claim to their online territory.
The Google Play?
After Donuts the next biggest applicant was Google. Under the quaint name Charleston Road Registry, they have applied for 101 top level domains. As a long time Google watcher I have pondered long and hard on the possible strategy behind Google’s play. So have many others. (Note that Amazon has applied for 76 largely generic names and may possibly have a similar strategy, since many of their applications are in competition with Google’s.)
It seems to me that at the moment that Google runs a one trick magic show, producing an ocean of cash from advertising that is generated by search. Most of this revenue comes from the millions of small and medium businesses who are plugged into Google via their credit cards and tithed monthly for targeted traffic.
In order to grow, Google needs to be connected to more credit cards. Since about 70% of small companies worldwide are yet to obtain domain names or an online presence, Google needs to find ways to enable these kinds of enterprises to get online.
Domain registration and verification are huge hurdles for newcomers. Finding an appropriate name is tough, but wiring the new domain to email and web content is much harder. This is further complicated by yearly fees and the various service providers who become involved.
What if Google provided a free domain name registration service? A service that would allow users select a meaningful name from a range of possible domain extensions, plug in some basic company info, provide a list of mailbox names and then one click later they could be fully online.
At this point, all the newcomer is missing would be some customer feet, which could easily be provided by a complimentary Adwords voucher.
Time will tell what the exact Google strategy is going to be, but if Google and Amazon get it right, Facebook may well regret the IPO preoccupation that caused it to miss the next Internet tsunami.
Other players bound to be affected by all the new domain name strategies will be many of the niche feeders in the web ecology, like the ISP’s who use the domain registration process as a route to netting fresh paying customers. Also affected could be the huge businesses of Network Solutions, VeriSign and others who rely on revenue from bloated charges for yearly domain registrations and SSL certificate renewals.
The lucrative game of domain investment - which has seen some traders make huge windfalls - is bound to change as well.
It is definitely going to be an interesting year ahead for online organisations.
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Canadian consumers are among the world's heaviest Internet users, and embrace E-commerce. Canada has a population of close to 38 million people, and a gross domestic product (GDP) of just over CAD $55,000 per capita. Approximately 82% of the population have access to the Internet, leaving a consumer market opportunity of over 30 million people. … Continue reading E-commerce is driving business in Canada.
Using a third-party sales platform offers opportunities to increase sales revenue. These systems are designed to save time and money, a business’s two most essential assets. Canada is an incredibly vast landscape, with a population of more than 37.5 million people concentrated primarily in four provinces – Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta. In fact, … Continue reading The benefits of third-party sales platforms.
Key investment trends (with enriched housing systems for poultry operations) are changing the supplier landscape in Canada. The food industry is committed to sourcing 100 per cent cage-free eggs by 2025, and Canadian egg farms have made a commitment to transition. The growth of poultry housing systems comes from increased new building construction and new … Continue reading Investment trends in Canada’s poultry sector.
Millennials represent a large segment of the Canadian population with buying power in multiple sectors. Since Newsweek named the Boomer cohort, each subsequent generation has been labeled (Gen X, Millennial, Gen Z) as though age defines us. Generational experts are reshaping this way of thinking. Canada has approximately 9.5 million Millennials, born between 1981-1996. What are the … Continue reading Are millennials your market? Here’s how to reach them.
It's mind-blowing for those of us who were born before microwave ovens and cellular phones. Both Facebook and Neuralink are building technology that literally reads your mind. Facebook is funding research on brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that can pick up thoughts directly from neurons and translate them into words in real time. And Elon Musk's Neuralink … Continue reading Exciting times – and big headaches – for neural technology.


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Gdax bitcoin split
Russia could prohibit bitcoin mining in large residential spaces.
Reply 1 month 21 days ago Guest TradingBTC Share On Twitter Share On Google This definitely makes it easy to compare which exchanges have their shit together.I believe the replay attack risk is why most exchanges will be disabling deposits (and some stopping trading) for 24 hours.Gdax: A very vague contingency plan has been announced by Gdax.BTC-E Offers Users Free Trading for Exchange Issued Debt Tokens.
Learn Crypto | GDAX Pledges to Enable Bitcoin CashVitalik Buterin is in the top 10 most influential people under 40.As this is a chain-split, Bcash (Bitcoin Cash). that all accounts will be credited with BCH in the near future while Bitstamp, Gemini and GDAX have no plans on.
Only the exchanges that are adequately prepared will survive the outcomes of the chain split.Adam White, head of cryptocurrency exchange GDAX. there is still risk that bitcoin could split into different chains supporting different maximum block sizes.
BTC-e opens user support resources ahead of a planned trading relaunch.Bitfury and Ripple have developed a scaling solution for blockchain systems.Bitmex will not support the split or distribution of Bitcoin.Realtor-Backed Incubator Invests in Ethereum Identity Startup.
Bitcoin Beginners Guide Split Forks - Crypto-News.net
GDAX TO SUSPEND BITCOIN TRANSACTIONS IF UASF ACTIVATES
Bitcoin Hard Fork Split 1st of Agusut - Need to KnowWhat is next for Bitcoin after digital currency split is averted With the Bitcoin development community embracing a software. head of cryptocurrency exchange GDAX.SBI Ripple Asia begins testing of Blockchain bank transfers between Japan and South Korea.
Reply 1 month 21 days ago Guest Bike Share On Twitter Share On Google In my opinion many exchanges Coinbase included, are actually not prepared for the chain split.Though no clear target date was disclosed, White said that GDAX would integrate Bitcoin Cash by January 1,.In a blog post on July 13, GDAX announced it will temporarily suspend Bitcoin transactions if a soft fork is activated on August 1.Bloomberg Editorial Board: Public and Private Blockchains Need Level Playing Field.
Gdax- bitcoin exchange, litecoin exchange • Newbium
The Bitcoin Split and What I Did Today in the Crypto World
Investing.com - Investing.com - Bitcoin traded higher on Monday, on reports the blockchain supporting the cryptocurrency is poised to split into two,.What all this means to you is that if you own 1 Bitcoin now (pre-split), after the. (BTC) and bitcoin cash (BCC) need to withdraw bitcoin stored on GDAX before 11.Reply 1 month 21 days ago Author BestBitcoinExchange Share On Twitter Share On Google Not entirely.
GDAX to Suspend Bitcoin Transactions if UASF ActivatesBisq (aka Bitsquare ): As the leading decentralized exchange, Bisq have opted for caution and conservatism (User Activated Soft Fork) all throughout the scaling debate.Both GDAX and Bitstamp addressed the issue by describing BCH as an alternative.
The recent announcement by Coinbase and GDAX that they will not allow their customers to withdraw.


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Today, there are 3.1 million Americans who follow a gluten-free diet. Of those 3.1 million, however, roughly 72% are classified as people without celiac disease yet still avoiding gluten (PWAGs). Whether an individual needs to avoid gluten because of health issues or not, the popularity of this new diet is changing the way foods are being consumed and products are being sold.
According to Packaging Digest, gluten-free breakfast options are now available in paper pouch-bowls that accommodate the on-the-go dieter.
A Dinova survey shows that 64% of American corporations include gluten-free options at their corporate events, but not as many offices have food accommodations throughout the regular workweek. That’s where this new convenient gluten-free portable food option comes in.
Gluten Free Bar (GFB), from Grand Rapids, Michigan, has developed its on-the-go healthy snack products in hopes of strengthening their brand. The new protein-packed breakfast is labeled as: “like oatmeal, but better.”
“We are stepping outside of the box with this packaging and we think this brings some sorely needed innovation to the oatmeal category,” said Elliott Rader, a partner and co-founder of GFB. “We wanted to provide our consumers with a healthy breakfast option without compromising on taste or convenience. Power Breakfast is easy to make at the office, at home or out in the wilderness while camping. We like to say Power Breakfast is like oatmeal… but better… better ingredients, better taste, all in a portable and convenient package.”
The GFB Power Breakfast is available in five varieties: coconut cashew, fruits, nuts, and seeds, peanut butter and jelly, maple rain, and apple cinnamon. All breakfast bags will be available at nationwide health food stores and go for $2.49 per 2-ounce package.
Each pouch-bowl features high-protein oatmeal with no added sugar and can be easily carried around for convenient consumption. Also, the pouch can pop open to act as a microwavable bowl at any time by removing the top.
For the 58 million people who go to a gym or health club, this is the perfect on-the-go protein power-up!
GFB has been providing fun and flavorful gluten-free snacks across the U.S. and Europe since 2010.


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Genius Brands International’s animated preschool series Llama Llama (pictured) gave the company a massive boost in Q3 this year.
Earnings from the show’s second season delivery to Netflix in September were largely responsible for GBI increasing its revenue 563% to US$3.5 million in Q3 2019, from roughly US$523,000 in the year-ago period.
The Llama Llama bump, coupled with revenue from the delivery of Rainbow Rangers season one to Nickelodeon in Q1, also helped boost GBI’s revenue for the nine months ending September 30, 2019 to US$5.2 million versus approximately US$693,000 for the same period last year.
Based on the bestselling book series by author and illustrator Anna Dewdney, Llama Llama season two was greenlit by Netflix in June 2018. The new episodes and specials will bow on the SVOD this month.
Meanwhile, Nickelodeon ordered a new season of Rainbow Rangers in April and recently upped the show’s broadcast presence on Nick Jr. to three time slots per day, six days a week with a new premiere ep launching every Sunday.
GBI’s Q3 results come amid a busy growth period for the company. It recently secured a co-production partnership with Alibaba’s Chinese video streaming platform Youku for its new animated series Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The pact will also see Alibaba distribute, promote, and oversee the IP’s consumer products and merchandising licensing in China. GBI is currently in discussion with US partners for the brand and expects to announce a master toy partner and tentpole licensees in the coming weeks, according to a Q3 statement from the company’s chairman and CEO Andy Heyward.
More than 450 products inspired by Rainbow Rangers and Llama Llama began rolling out in Q3 in the lead-up to the shows’ premieres.


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Pre-tax profits are up at McCauleys
pre-tAX profits for the Wexford-headquartered Sam McCauley chain rose by more than 50 per cent to €2.98 million while revenues for the 12 months to the end of last September increased from €74.16m to €74.78m.
The group operates 30 outlets across the country, employing more than 528 staff.
In business for more than 60 years, it has a strong presence in counties Wexford, Carlow, Cavan, Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford and Wicklow.
The firm last year paid a €3m dividend to its shareholders, which followed a €500,000 payout to shareholders in 2014. According to the directors' report section of the recently-released accounts, '2015 was a year of consolidation and the directors are pleased with the performance achieved in a retail market that continued to be difficult outside the larger population areas'.
The report said the outlook for 2016 was 'better' and the group is 'well-positioned to benefit from the expected improvement in consumer confidence and spending.' The number of people employed by the group fell from 554 to around 528.


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ONLYOFFICE Docs v7.0 brings in a range of useful improvements and new feature additions for desktop and online users.
Latest News and Articles
Linux Mint 20.3 now offers a separate Edge ISO for the Cinnamon Edition to help users with latest-gen hardware!
The recently published roadmap promises a Linux port and making the code open-source. A wonderful news, indeed!
Ubuntu 21.04 will no longer receive any updates, starting January 20th, this week. It’s time to consider your upgrade options!


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Jio Airfiber Plans 5G Launch Date, Device Price, Booking, Free Trial & Plans: Since the arrival of Jio, access to the internet has become very easy for people. Jio and Airtel have launched 5G services in many cities in the country. People are getting fast internet facilities in metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai, but people in small towns and villages are now away from the reach of high-speed internet. But now Jio Air Fiber device will make it easy to access fast internet from house to house. Jio Air fiber can change the whole game of the internet. There has been a lot of discussion about Jio Air Fiber for the last few days. Photos of Jio Air Fiber are becoming increasingly viral on social media. So let’s see the complete information on the Jio Airfiber Plans 5G Launch Date, Device Price, Booking, Free Trial & Plans through this article.
Jio Airfiber Plans 5G Launch Date
Everyone wants to know about it and is eagerly waiting for it. At this time, the price of Jio Air Fiber is being discussed the most. At present, no information has been given by Reliance Jio regarding its price, but some tweets are going viral on social media, in which claims are being made about the price of Jio Air Fiber. Stay tuned with the article till the end to get all the details of the Jio Airfiber Plans 5G Launch Date, Device Price, Booking, Free Trial, And Plans.
Jio Airfiber Plans 5G Launch Date- Highlights
|Article||Jio Airfiber Plans 5G Launch Date, Device Price, Booking, Free Trial & Plans|
|Device||Jio AirFiber 5G|
|Launch Date||By the end of November 2023|
|Networks Offered||5G Internet|
|Technology Used||Inbuilt Wifi technology|
|Price||Around Rs 6,000|
|Plan Offered||Multiple Plans|
Jio Airfiber Plans 5G Device Price
Jio can launch Jio Air Fiber in the coming few months. The company introduced it in its last AGM meeting and now it is expected that users will be able to buy it by the month of June or July. Meanwhile, a tweet has surfaced on social media claiming that Jio Air Fiber will cost Rs 6,000. Jio Air Fiber is a high-internet speed device. In this, users will also get the option to install Jio Sim.
Jio Air Fiber will be a movable device, so you will be able to easily shift it from one room to another. However, the option of a wire connection will also be available in it. Jio Air Fiber will be a kind of router that will easily give speed up to 1 GB in a house of 1000 square feet.
Jio Airfiber Plans 5G Free Trial
Reliance has announced the date of its AGM event almost two weeks in advance. It is being told that the company can make many big announcements in the event. This may include Jio Phone 5G 5G plans and Jio Air Fiber 5G. Jio is also expected to launch its first 5G smartphone in India. Let’s know about it. Reliance Industries will host its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in India on 28 August this year. Chairman Mukesh Ambani will address the annual event as usual and he will make special announcements of the company for the users. Please tell me that there will be some information regarding Jio as well.
Jio Airfiber Plans 5G
- Jio launched its first 4G smartphone in India last year.
- The company can launch a new smartphone with 5G connectivity in the August event. A report in December 2022 spotted a Jio 5G smartphone on benchmarking site Geekbench.
- The listing revealed that the smartphone is likely to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 480+ chipset, 4GB of RAM, and run on Android 12 OS.
- Furthermore, a Twitter user posted leaked images of the Jio 5G smartphone and hinted that the smartphone will be launched in India for under Rs 10,000.
- The leaked images suggest that the smartphone may come with a dual rear camera setup that includes a 13MP primary sensor and a 2MP secondary sensor.
- It is expected to have a 5MP front-facing camera.
- Jio announced its 5G hotspot device called Air Fiber 5G at last year’s AGM.
- However, the actual device was not launched at the event.
- There are speculations that Jio may announce the Jio AirFiber price in India and its availability.
- The device is designed to provide high-speed 5G hotspots at home and office.
- At the annual event, the company may announce new Jio 5G plans for various cities across India. Full rollout of Jio 5G services was promised by 2024.
- Since Jio has so far used existing 4G plans to deliver 5G services, it is likely that the company may announce 5G plans at the event.
1. What is the name of the device?
Ans. Jio AirFiber 5G
2. What plans are offered?
Ans. Multiple plans.
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Amid the prolonged slowdown, many car manufacturers have opted to skip the 2020 Auto Expo. The biennial event will start from 7th to 12 February at the Indian Expo Mart in Greater Noida. Maruti Suzuki is among the top participants that will unveil a range of new models at the motor show. While the carmaker hasn’t yet revealed its lineup for the Auto Expo, it’s likely to include five new models.
The all-new compact SUV could be the showstopper from the Indo-Japanese carmaker at the 2020 Auto Expo. It could be based on the global-spec new-generation Vitara that’s 4175mm long, 1775mm wide and 1610mm tall. The India-spec model is likely to measure around 4.3m in length. The new Maruti Suzuki compact SUV could be made available with two new BS6-ready engine options – a 1.2L turbo petrol and a 1.5L diesel. In the company’s product lineup, it will sit above the Vitara Brezza and face challenge from cars like Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta.
The Indo-Japanese carmaker might also showcase the Maruti Suzuki XL5 premium hatchback that will be sold exclusively via Nexa dealerships. The XL5 will essentially be the premium version of the WagonR with minor styling and feature upgrades. It could also be offered in Nexa Blue paint scheme. No changes are likely to be made its engine setup. Similar to the regular WaognR, the Maruti Suzuki XL5 might come with the 1.0L, 3-cylinder K10B and 1.2L, 4-cylinder K12M petrol engines with a 5-speed manual and AMT gearbox options.
Maruti Suzuki’s top-selling Vitara Brezza subcompact SUV is ready to receive its first mid-life update early next year. The carmaker might preview the 2020 Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza at the 2020 Auto Expo. The vehicle’s facelifted version will come with improved styling and a set of new comfort and safety features. Though, the major update will be made under the skin. The SUV will feature a 103.5bhp, 1.5L, 4-cylinder K15B petrol SHVS petrol engine, sourced from the Ciaz sedan. Transmission choices will include a 5-speed manual and AMT unit.
Besides unveiling the premium version of the WagonR, Maruti Suzuki might also unveil the electric iteration of its popular hatchback. Details of the vehicle are yet to be revealed. Though, the Maruti Suzuki WagonR electric is likely to be offered with both AC charging and DC fast charging capabilities. Its battery could be fully charged in 7 hours via AC charger and up to 80% in an hour via fast charger.
The BS6 Maruti Suzuki Ertiga diesel was recently spotted testing in the country. Reports suggest that the carmaker might showcase the new BS6-compliant version of the MPV at the 2020 Auto Expo. The carmaker has already discontinued the Fiat-sourced 1.3L diesel engined variants of the Ertiga. The MPV comes with a BS6-compliant 1.5L VVT petrol and a 1.5 DDiS 225 diesel engines pushing out power worth 103bhp and 94bhp respectively.


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Tag: erik sass
The media companies making the latest publishing business news include Conde Nast, Time Inc., and IAB
The watch word in recent weeks has been "reorg" when it comes to the publishing
Your digital magazine website is like a basketball team, always on defense and offense simultaneously.
For a basketball team, protecting the goal keys the transition to scoring success. A rebound, a
Premium publishers in the news: Bloomberg, Hearst, and more; plus, native ads not a cure-all
There are are premium publishers, and then there is premium publisher's content, and you don't have
The publishers making magazine revenue news include Gannett; plus, digital advertising, print circulation, and more
If generating magazine revenue were easy, we wouldn't exist. It's our mission to make it easier
Multimedia publishing demands multiplatform strategy, and Ebony is embracing it; plus, NYT latest to consider ad-free model
Multimedia publishing is remaking the industry, fueled by multiplatform strategy, content like video and
Despite all of the ups and downs of digital publishing, the online magazine business keeps on cranking along, and companies like Time Inc. continue to set the pace with strategic
What we know: Ad blocking is on the rise. What we don't know: whether the effort to block ad blockers will prove effective. What's starting to become apparent: The ad
Online video publishing, especially when taken in tandem with mobile advertising, is arguably the most alluring revenue opportunity to come along for digital magazines in a long time.
But, like any
Ad blocking. Digital publishers are doing their best to combat it – you might be one of them – but they're not necessarily in accordance with what the solution is.
Who are the companies and what are the trends making the latest media news relevant to digital publishers like you?
The latest media news this week includes news from the earliest
In recent news from the world of publisher analytics, we see Google share the top factors for search, the IAB's latest pronouncement on ad viewability, the efficacy of data monetization,
Checking in on the magazine strategy fueling digital publishers' latest efforts
There are core tenets to magazine strategy, but it's also mutable, malleable, and always evolving. We make it our business
Among all of the challenges facing digital publishers, international expansion is understandably on the back burner, but don't sleep on the possible new revenue stream. Social media has shown that
Bullish 5-year study on digital magazine market shows record growth; plus, Forbes' focus on events
Monitoring the digital magazine market is a necessity for us to successfully help online publishers establish
Is an online ad network the answer to publishers' prayers when it comes to digital advertising revenue? We're seeing it with programmatic partnerships and other arrangements, and why not? Brands
If you want to drive traffic – and revenue – as a digital publisher, social media for magazines is no longer a religious discussion. It's a must-have component of your
While most of us are still ramping up, the early days of 2016 haven't seen much of a break in the action when it comes to the top magazine publishers'
Since its inception in late 2014, we've been paying close attention to the Association of Magazine Media's 360° Brand Audience Report, an innovative data study of digital consumption, as well
Digital profits are what it's all about, right? This business is about results, not process, and with a business operating with a small margin of error, the more inroads publishers
We're not even through the first week of 2016, and this is already our second digital publishing trends post on native advertising. That should tell all of us in the
The digital media industry trends dominating the headlines at the end of 2015 share some overlap with the digital media industry trends we started the year with -- monetizing mobile
For some companies with multiple properties, publisher networks just make sense as a way to centralize operations and standardize content across all platforms for the purposes of more attractive options
Regional magazines can cover several states or be hyperlocal, but regardless of their geographical reach, they operate with a hardwired niche strategy no matter what the topic, based purely on
Internet advertising revenue isn't all the way there quite yet as the sole source of profit for the majority of publishers, but it continues to grow at a rate that
Have you noticed an uptick in your online ad revenue?
If so, take pride in keeping pace with the rest of the industry. 2015 has seen a jump, from several sources.
The ties that bind publishing, social media are stronger than ever; plus, Condé Nast debuts new video platform
If you own a company in digital publishing, social media is not an
There aren't many industries as exciting these days as media and publishing, which rivals even the tech sector for growth opportunity.
Each week brings with it a new advancement, revenue stream,
Digital magazine readership – or audience, for our purposes – keeps climbing. Even as publishers grapple with ad viewability, mobile content strategy, and other challenges, they can take comfort in
MediaPost reports that the first half of 2014 found 93 new magazine launches, with just 30 closures.
Condé Nast continues to up its video production and strengthen its broadcast presence, most recently through a "first-look" deal with Fox, MediaPost reports.
Publishers were initially skeptical about The New York Times charging for online content. We now see that the paywall has worked beautifully. In the last three months, 28,000 new subscribers
That day we thought would never come is here. Search Engine Watch is reporting that Google has encrypted all search queries thus cutting off all keyword data. Thom Craver writes,
It looks like "native advertising" has caught the eye of the Federal Trade Commission, again. Paid Content reports,"On Monday, the FTC announced that it will hold a workshop on December
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The Renault 5 was one of the most eagerly awaited 2024 models as the all-electric remake of the small French car produced from 1972 to 1984. There was no possibility of having it fitted with petrol or electrified engines as it had to conform with the 'on tap' strategy for the French manufacturer, which, however, has no intention of abandoning combustion engines at least for the next 10 years.
This was stated by Fabrice Cambolive, CEO of Renault brand, during an interview with Automotive News on the occasion of the Geneva Motor Show 2024. "Our strategy is to have 'two legs' in each segment: an ICE [internal combustion engine] range with hybrid technology and a fully electric model.
Depends on demand
A statement that follows on from what Luca De Meo, the Group's CEO, said in 2022 that Renault would only market electric cars in Europe from 2030, five years ahead of the petrol and diesel stop imposed by the European Union. Everything, however, will depend on market conditions.
Right now, the sale of electric cars in the Old Continent is not accelerating as expected (and hoped), raising questions about the real willingness of consumers to switch to plug-in mobility, which is more expensive and dependent on recharging infrastructures in the territory.
Renault 5 2024
"For me, the issue is not to move only to electric vehicles in 2030: we will follow the trends with two very competitive offers in our range, on both motorisations", said Cambolive. "This strategy could work for the next 10 years."
Small is beautiful
Yet electric in Renault is working: Cambolive said the new Renault 5 has a waiting list of 50,000 names, not bad for a car presented just four days ago and still to be tested. Marketing will begin in May with the 52 kWh version, to be followed by the less expensive one with 40 kWh batteries.
Renault Twingo Concept
With it, the company will begin to focus more on small cars - a priority according to De Meo at the Geneva Motor Show 2024 - after having launched numerous models in the compact and medium segment. The next 'big' news should be the new Twingo, due in 2026.


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Not the kind of news we like to here at Starbuck Mama and Her Buck-A-Roos Starbucks Coffee Blog. What is that life lesson, you have to back up to move forward. Or The Dip by Seth Godin
“The old saying is wrong-winners do quit, and quitters do win. [PS The Dip just hit #5 on the New York Times bestseller list.]
Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point-really hard, and not much fun at all.
And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle. Maybe you’re in a Dip-a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing.” May Starbucks move forward pushing onward!
Starbucks to cut up to 12,000 jobs, close 600 stores
By Lisa Baertlein
22 minutes ago
Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) said on Tuesday it plans to close 600 underperforming stores and eliminate as many as 12,000 full- and part-time positions, lifting shares nearly 6 percent.
The company, which has been grappling with the slowing U.S. economy and consumer spending at the same time that major competitors like McDonald’s Corp (MCD.N) have begun attacking its core business, now plans to close a total of 600 underperforming stores by the end of March 2009.
Howard Schultz, the coffee chain’s founder and chief executive, retook the helm in January and quickly announced plans to shutter 100 underperforming outlets.
With U.S. sales growth slowing, he slashed plans for store openings and shifted the company’s most ambitious expansion efforts to international markets.
“At this point, management has decided that 2008 is a wash and to throw in everything but the kitchen sink to get ready for growth in 2009 and beyond,” said William Blair analyst Sharon Zackfia.
“It’s another sign that management doesn’t have their head in the sand,” said Zackfia, who has an “outperform” rating on the stock.
Starbucks said the closures are spread across all major U.S. markets and that 70 percent of the targeted stores have been open since the beginning of fiscal 2006. The accompanying job losses would represent about 7 percent of the company’s global work force.
Starbucks estimated that total pretax charges associated with the planned U.S. company-operated store closures, including costs associated with severance, would be in the range of $328 million to $348 million.
The Seattle-based company aggressively opened stores in areas such as California and Florida, which have been hardest hit by the U.S. housing downturn. Some investors, worried that the company had built too many outlets in the United States, pushed the company to increase the number of store closures.
“This is validating some of the critics who said they were opening stores too close to one another,” said James Walsh, an analyst at Starbucks investor Coldstream Capital Management.
Starbucks also said it will open fewer than 200 new U.S. company-operated stores in fiscal 2009, down from 250 previously.
The stock rose to $16.53 in late electronic trading, up 5.8 percent from its close of $15.62 on Nasdaq.
(Additional reporting by Nichola Groom and Jennifer Martinez; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe, Leslie Gevirtz)


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After being overclocked to 6.8GHz, the Alder Lake Intel Core i9-12900K processor has been successful in breaking several records.
Intel’s most awaited, top-of-the-line Alder Lake CPU Core i9-12900K has managed to achieve new single-core and multi-core benchmark world records. The CPU was able to hit extremely high clock speeds of up to 6.8 GHz, a liquid cooling solution was utilized in the process.
Few hours after Intel officially announced the 12th generation of its much awaited desktop CPUs, a tinkerer made a new performance record through Core i9-12900K with an extraordinary cooling solution and aggressive overclocking.
In an article by Tom’s Hardware it was mentioned that Allen “Splave” Golibersuch managed to overclock the Golden Cove performance cores of the i9-12900K to an impressive 6.8 GHz. Moreover, the Gracemont cores were also overclocked to 5.3 GHz.
Reportedly Splave used the ASRock Z690 motherboard, a 1600W EVGA SuperNova PSU and DDR5 memory.
Although Core i9-12900K was successful in breaking the previously set single-core record by the Intel Core i9-11900K by 19%, the multi-core benchmark results(that were even better) were the highlight. The Intel Core i9-12900K was successful in scoring 93,232 and 26,649 points respectively in the Geekbench 4 and Geekbench 5 multi-core benchmarks. For comparison, Core i9 outperforms AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, a 16-core record-holding CPU, by 27%.
All eyes are now on AMD’s upcoming Ryzen CPUs and whether they will be able to outperform or even match the formidable overclocking performance of the new Intel Core i9-12900K.


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Envolve Entrepreneurship, the non-profit empowering Greece’s start-up ecosystem by providing education, resources, and monetary prizes to entrepreneurs, announced on Wednesday the three winners of the Envolve Award Greece.
This is the tenth year of the program, which was created in 2012 by the Libra Group on behalf of The Hellenic Initiative with the goal to create an ecosystem to advance technology and innovation and support future business leaders.
The contest highlighted the best new start-ups and early-stage businesses in Greece. The three winners received a prize of up to €50,000 in interest-free funding, as well as mentorship, business support services, and more to accelerate and scale their business.
Winners of Envolve Award Greece
Bespot is a company that is unlocking the value of geolocation data and contributes to the digital transformation of the retail experience. Utilizing artificial intelligence and IoT technology, the application offers high accuracy mobility-tracking activity for over 4,000 indoor and outdoor retail venues. It offers personalized content and captures trends to improve the customer experience.
Grandmama is an online platform that connects seniors and their relatives with trusted caregivers for home healthcare all over Greece. Grandmama curates the onboarding process for the caregivers, including background check, reference check, interview, and eligibility to work in Greece. Users also give feedback about caregivers’ services with a rating system employing specific qualitative KPIs.
Kineo is a company that offers micromobility subscription services. With a fixed monthly fee, riders can select the e-bike or e-scooter of their choice according to their daily needs, as well as technical support, insurance, road assistance, and parking.
This year’s 10 finalists represented critical future-focused sectors in Greece, including health and pharmaceutical services, education, sustainable transportation, fintech, retail tech and delivery tech.
“Innovation is born of adversity”
In the keynote speech, Chairman and CEO of Libra Group George Logothetis, the mastermind behind the Envolve Award, said that the Award strengthened Greek entrepreneurship by bringing hope where it once did not exist.
“We tried to be providers of hope and not just mere providers of money,” he said and revealed that the award was born of anger.
“Anger at the way Greeks were treated worldwide … anger at the gap between dreams and reality, especially for young people. We were angry and decided to be part of the solution rather than mourn about the problem.”
The Libra Group established a number of programs to help Greece get out of the economic crisis. “It was philanthropy in its purest form – give without waiting to get something back.
We tried to do what we considered our duty. To lead from the front,” Logothetis said.
He noted that a new era of Greek creativity has begun. “I am proud that this program has helped so many after so many years of difficulty and pain.
“I believe that if an individual, a family, a country goes through a crisis and comes out of the crisis, wound healing can be an advantage. Genius can emerge from great difficulties.
“Innovation is born of adversity. A crisis can fill the reservoirs of determination. The Greek crisis may have armed you, the businessmen of today and tomorrow, in ways you have not even imagined. We have to believe in ourselves to succeed,” Logothetis added.
Alexandros Nousias, Country Director of Envolve Entrepreneurship in Greece said that “This year’s finalists are strong teams with market knowledge, innovative approach and tenacity, ready to develop inside and outside of the Greek market.”
He also congratulated the teams’ entrepreneurs for their willingness to share their visions and business ambitions with Envolve and emphasized that in the eye of Envolve Entrepreneurship, “they are all winners.”
Since first established in 2012, Envolve has supported 34 award winners in Greece, representing 19 sectors.
These winners have contributed to the Greek economy with the creation of more than 2,000 new jobs and have a combined valuation exceeding €850 million.
Striving for a global society where all business owners can prosper and grow, Envolve is committed to developing and cultivating entrepreneurial ecosystems by ensuring business support services are more readily available to entrepreneurs.
The Libra Group is a privately-owned international business group whose subsidiaries own and operate assets in more than 50 countries. The Group is predominantly active in six sectors, including several vital to the global economy. These sectors include renewable energy, aviation, hospitality, real estate, and shipping as well as selected diversified investments.
The Group has also created 10 social responsibility programs that have a positive impact on the lives of many people around the world.
The mission of the Hellenic Initiative is to invest in the future of Greece through direct philanthropy and economic revitalization. It empowers people to provide crisis relief, encourage entrepreneurs and create jobs.


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First launched in the early 1990s, Fry Family Food Co has now overcome challenges and achieved business goals and paved the way for herbal products.
“With this innovative idea and the family's commitment to eating kindly (and helping to change the food system to a less effective one), Fry & # 39; s has moved from being a family kitchen to a global supplier of plant-based products, including meatless ones Burgers, sausages, schnitzel, nuggets, seafood, ground beef and more, ”says Tammy Fry, co-founder of The Fry Family Food Co.
The vision and driving force behind The Fry Family Food Co is “principles before profit”.
Popular products and trends
Fry & # 39; s has seen strong 30-40% year-over-year growth in recent years, and "more recently it has seen the same 30-40% growth due to a change in consumer buying habits in the early days of the pandemic" . in March 2020 alone.
“Consumers are certainly taking advantage of the plethora of herbal options on the market,” explains Ms. Fry.
"Australian consumers are especially fans of Fry's soy flaxseed schnitzel, the sausage rolls and our chicken-style nuggets."
Keeping up with the community
Fry's Family Food Co also provides social and environmental aid.
In early 2021, Fry & # 39; s teamed up with the marine conservation organization Sea Shepherd to help protect marine life. As part of this partnership, Fry & # 39; s will donate up to $ 15,000 from the sale of Fry & # 39; s Fish-Style Fillets to the conservation organization to support global efforts to protect the oceans.
Read the full company profile in the August issue of Retail World.


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Buffalo Wild Wings has set a record for the largest Community Day fundraiser, generating more than $900,000 in donations.
On April 18, more than 1,000 Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants teamed up for the annual fundraiser in which restaurants donate at least 10 percent of proceeds to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
To date, the partnership between Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Buffalo Wild Wings has helped more than 385,000 youth nationwide participate in organized sports leagues.
Buffalo Wild Wings has committed to raising at least $22 million for Boys & Girls Clubs of America by 2020. Since the partnership began in 2013, Buffalo Wild Wings has donated more than $16 million to support sports programs at local Clubs.


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Within two days, a jewelry store and a convenience store were robbed in Hemet and police there are calling for the public’s help in finding the suspects.
The first robbery happened Oct. 14 just before 4 p.m. at the Gold Crown Exchange at 326 S. Sanderson Ave., according to a news release from Hemet police.
Two men entered the business and robbed an employee and a customer at gunpoint. The men left with jewelry, cash and personal items, police say. The department released a surveillance video of the incident.
The jewelry store is offering $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the men who robbed their store.
Then about 10:20 a.m. the following day, Hemet police responded to a Check N Go at 3671 W. Florida Ave. and learned that three men entered the business and robbed an employee at gunpoint. The suspects made off with cash and personal property.
Investigators believe the same suspects were involved in both robberies. A surveillance camera captured photos of the suspects at the Check N Go.
Anyone with information about the robberies may call Investigator Jessica Tuttle at 951-765-2422.


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McDonald’s Japan Expects Net Loss This Year
Sales Sag After Problems Involving Chinese Chicken Supplier
TOKYO—McDonald’s Japan said Tuesday it will sink into the red for the first time in 11 years this year due to lost sales and higher expenses after problems involving a Chinese chicken supplier.
McDonald’s Holdings (Japan) Ltd. now expects a net loss of ¥17 billion ($157 million) for the current fiscal year ending in December. That compares with a ¥5.14 billion net profit in the previous year. It had previously forecast a net profit of ¥6 billion for the current year.
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Under the UK's lockdown rules, hair salons must close, and business owners could be fined up to 10,000 pounds for any sort of breach.
According to a report, Priyanka, who is currently filming 'Text For You' in the city, was at the Josh Wood Colour salon in Notting Hill with her mother Madhu Chopra when the police were alerted of the breach.
The police officials reached the salon to give a verbal reminder to the owner and no fine was imposed.
In the statement, the actor's spokesperson said Priyanka was in the salon for the purpose of the film and the exemption paperwork permitting her to be at the facility was provided to the police.
"Following government guidance, Priyanka's hair was colored for the purpose of the film she is currently shooting in London. The salon was opened privately for the production and everyone involved had been tested and followed both the DCMS working guidelines and the film production regulations.
"Film and TV production is permitted to continue in the UK, and locations can continue to accommodate shoots and recces that are carried out in-line with government guidelines. The exemption paperwork legally permitting her to be there was provided to the police, and they left satisfied," the spokesperson said.
In a statement issued to Mirror.co.uk, a police spokesperson said that they were alerted about the actor's visit to the salon on Wednesday evening.
"Police were alerted at around 17:40hrs on Wednesday, 6 January to reports of a Covid breach taking place within a hairdressers on Lansdowne Mews, Notting Hill.
"Officers attended and the owner of the salon was given a verbal reminder of the important need to comply with all regulations regarding Covid-19 and signposted to other sources of advice. No fixed penalty notices were issued," the statement read.
'Text For You' is inspired by the 2016 German-language box office hit 'SMS Fur Dich', which is based on Sofie Cramer's popular novel of the same name.
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- Byju’s New India CEO to Cut More Than 4,500 Jobs
Arjun Mohan, who took charge as the new chief executive of the India business at Byju’s last Wednesday, is set to unveil a series of changes at the financially troubled edtech firm, including cutting the headcount by a third or about 4,000-4,500 people to further tighten costs, people aware of the matter said.ADIA Looks to Put $600m into RIL’s Retail Business
After QIA, yet another oil-rich Gulf sovereign fund, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), is looking to buy an additional stake in Mukesh Ambani’s retail empire. ADIA is seeking to invest $600 million into the organised retailing business of Asia's richest person, people aware of the developments told ET, at valuations that significantly exceed those during an earlier concluded round three years ago.Bigger Ecommerce Sales Set to Light up Volumes
The upcoming festive season sales are expected to bring the steepest online discounts since Covid, up to 60% in certain categories, with several ecommerce majors indicating a push to expand volumes.
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Sales Up At U.S. Rubber Recycling
Change in consumer buying habits helped drive major growth in 2020
When a company boosts sales by 40 percent, diverts waste from landfills and helps ex-felons rebuild their lives by putting them to work, it must be doing something right.
U.S. Rubber Recycling Inc., a Colton, California business that converts used truck tires into rubber flooring and sound-reducing underlayment, has accomplished all of that amid the COVID-19 pandemic, no less.
CEO Jeff Baldassari attributes the company’s 2020 sales increase to a few factors:
“People changed their buying behavior in 2020 because of the virus,” he said. “They weren’t going to stores as much, but online sales went up. We’ve had a longtime partnership with Rubber Flooring, which sells rubber mats and flooring, and their sales exploded because of online buying.”
That alone would have put the company well ahead of its 2019 performance. But U.S. Rubber also inked a deal with Home Depot.
“It usually takes a business nine months to onboard with Home Depot, but we did it in a week,” he said. “Their online purchasing has accelerated quickly and they needed flooring.”
With fitness centers and gyms closed during much of the pandemic, Home Depot customers were clamoring for rubber flooring to outfit home gyms in their basements, garages and bedrooms, Baldassari said.
And as COVID-19 restrictions continue to ease, fitness centers and gyms are reopening with some upgrading their facilities, so demand for rubber flooring is higher than ever.
“We doubled our workforce since April of 2019,” Baldassari said. “Now we have 62 people in the company, including about 50 who work in the factory. The way we’re growing, I expect to add 20 more jobs this year.”
Needless to say, all of that momentum has fueled some growing pains.
U.S. Rubber Recycling’s Colton facility is 50,000 square feet, but the company is looking for a bigger space with 100,000 to 150,000 square feet to expand its production lines.
The factor that sets U.S. Rubber apart from its competitors is “the people part,” according to Baldassari.
“There’s a lot of competition for employees right now and we’ve hired ex-felons to help us grow our workforce,” he said. “Most employers won’t even talk to them once they’ve checked that box, but some of them have incredible skills.”
Because labor shortages abound in the Inland Empire, U.S. Rubber Recycling’s Bounce Back second chance hiring program gives it a competitive advantage, according to Baldassari. About 50 percent of the company’s current workforce is composed of formerly incarcerated people.
The company hired a psychiatric rehab counselor who conducts a screening process for hiring ex-felons to gauge their mental maturity and mindset and is on staff to help ex-felons adjust to the working world.
“We don’t want to have turnover,” Baldassari said. “If we give them some guidance to make better choices they are less apt to go down the wrong path again.”
Finally, there’s the environmental component.
U.S. Rubber diverted more than 9 million pounds of post-consumer tire rubber from local landfills in 2020 alone, and the company gets 70 percent of its source material from tire processing facilities within 15 miles of the factory, giving it a low-carbon supply chain.
That makes its products appealing to green builders and companies with sustainability goals. There’s a financial advantage as well.
“When we get the rubber it’s already been ground up and granulated,” Baldassari said. U.S. Rubber created a management team that has rejuvenated the company over the past couple of years by streamlining operations, empowering personnel and promoting shared goals. That has resulted in a 30 percent increase in worker output.
Source: Kevin Smith, Orange County Register
© Scrap Tire News, August 2021


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El Salvador To Eliminate All Taxes On Technology Innovations, Establishes A National Bitcoin Office
El Salvador continues to take steps towards economic growth via technology.
- Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele sent a bill to Congress - effectively eliminating all income, property and capital gains taxes on technology innovations such as software programming, coding, apps and AI development, as well as computing and communications hardware manufacturing.
- "The purpose of this law is to contribute to the economic growth and sustainable development of the country by strengthening competitiveness through the promotion of innovation and manufacturing of technology developed in the national territory, promoting the growth of the skilled workforce to generate advanced technological products and services, as well as strengthening participation in the essential supply chains for the development of the technological industry at the global level."
- The president also established a National Bitcoin Office (ONBTC) in tandem with this recent move. The regulatory body will work hand in hand with bitcoin companies and entrepreneurs in the country.


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The price of a basic First Class stamp will remain unchanged at 28p. Basic Second Class postage will rise 1p to 21p.
First Class prices for heavier letters will fall but there will be increases for heavier Second Class mail. Parcels sent by Royal Mail will cost more, but there will be no change to Parcelforce Worldwide’s prices for express, time-guaranteed parcels. Most international prices will also rise from April 1.
The changes are in line with the formula announced last March by the postal regulator, Postcomm, setting a three-year control for Royal Mail’s prices.
Under Postcomm’s rules, Royal Mail prices overall must fit within an RPI-1% formula in the 2004/2005 financial year, which begins in April in the New Year. The average 1.2% rise means that Royal Mail’s range of prices will again not have kept pace with the Retail Prices Index, which was 2.5% in November, the most recent headline figure.
Royal Mail’s Chief Executive, Adam Crozier, said Royal Mail’s prices would firmly remain among the very lowest in the EU, where the average price of a First Class letter costs 36p — 8p more than the UK’s 28p basic First Class stamp price.
"The ability to send a letter via Royal Mail’s one-price-goes-anywhere service to the UK’s 27 million UK addresses remains fantastic value-for-money," said Mr Crozier.
"Even after the adjustments to our price have taken effect in April, the basic First Class stamp will be 4.7% lower in real terms compared to five years ago, while basic Second Class postage will have fallen 6.3% in real terms over the same period."
Mr Crozier added that the 1p rise in basic Second Class postage would help recoup some of the £257 million Royal Mail lost providing this category of mail in the last financial year.


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Ukrainian industrial company Interpipe supplied pipes with premium UPJ-M connection for Urja Bharat Pte. Limited (UBPL), a leading Indian oil and gas company developing a gas field in the United Arab Emirates.
The batch volume exceeded 200 tons. This is the first delivery of Interpipe premium pipes to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Casing pipes with a diameter of 114.3 to 177.8 mm will be used by UBPL for gas concession production. The premium UPJ-M CAL IV connection will provide the highest level of gas tightness in the column.
“Interpipe continues to increase sales of high-tech products. The company has already established itself in the Middle East as a reliable supplier of pipes for the extraction and transportation of oil and gas. The first deliveries in the premium OCTG segment allow us to expand the geography of sales of pipe products with high added value, ”comments Denis Morozov, Deputy General Director of Interpipe.


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New details have emerged on Google's 'Assistant', its rival to Apple's Siri, as the Android team reportedly takes over its development, ahead of a planned launch this year.
...of Windows devices with tiny prices, iCortana, and an amazing little Pi
LG 65" 4K OLED Curved TV review
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Hands-on and first impressions of Microsoft's Lumia 950 XL flagship
lumia 950 xl


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China is one step away from the perfect storm. The removal of the anti Covid 19 measures has triggered chain infections. The official figure of 5,267 dead since the beginning of the epidemic does not reflect reality, especially as by 31 March the Government announced its intention to financially support 60% of the treatments. The fuse has already exploded with the migrations of the Chinese New Year which, starting from Saturday, will last 40 long days: for the first time in three years there will be no travel restrictions, with the risk that the outbreaks will spread to the ...
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Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana is launching a limited-edition of its scent Light Blue and has created a microsite to solely promote the fragrance.
Articles Tagged ‘Affluent Insights’
Christian Dior and Gucci are among the marketers using Vanity Fair’s “Hollywood’s Next Wave” special issue to appeal to a new generation of consumers.
Italian automaker Maserati is honoring its centennial with an exhibit at the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena, Italy.
German fashion label Porsche Design is bringing in new consumers with a capsule collection designed in collaboration with United States rock band Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington.
Danish audio and video company Bang & Olufsen is joining forces with German automaker BMW to offer an in-car audio system.
U.S. fashion label Ralph Lauren has created a golf travel package for its Father’s Day gift guide to offer consumers a branded experience.
Prada-owned Miu Miu, Valentino and Dolce & Gabbana promoted accessories in the June issue of Condé Nast-owned Vogue to emulate the magazine’s “summer style made easy” tagline.
Cartier, Louis Vuitton and The Penthouse Collection were among the luxury marketers to use Town & Country’s June/July issue as a foundation for recreating the average affluent reader’s personal style.
Omega, Louis Vuitton and Chanel added to the ideals of a “Lush Life” in the June issue of Condé Nast shelter publication Architectural Digest.
Gucci and Estée Lauder were among the marketers to promote charity initiatives in the May edition of Condé Nast-owned Vanity Fair.


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With prestige hair sales on the rise, Bumble and bumble is primed to double its business.The Estée Lauder Cos. Inc.-owned hair brand — historically known as a stalwart of the professional salon category — is embarking on an ambitious strategy that includes distribution expansion, a web site redesign, influencer-backed product launches and a refashioning of its flagship Meatpacking District salon. Industry sources say Bumble today is a $100 million brand, and project it could double that number in three years.The first step is a big distribution move: expansion into Ulta Beauty. Bumble will launch online in August on ultabeauty.com and in 500 of the retailer’s doors in September.“Ulta is obviously one of the fastest-growing retailers in beauty and has a particular strength in the [hair] category,” said Zach Rieken, global general manager of Bumble and bumble.Bumble, Rieken said, will live in a new section of Ulta stores dedicated to prestige hair brands. The brand’s in-store assortment at the retailer will focus on key cult franchises, with clear signage that calls out popular ranges that consumers may already be aware of, including the Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil, Bb. Thickening, Surf and Bb. Curl product ranges.Bumble isn’t the first Lauder-owned brand to enter Ulta this year — WWD reported in March that MAC Cosmetics would launch with the retailer this summer. But the impetus for Bumble's move into Ulta, unlike MAC’s, isn’t necessarily to gain a new audience. According to Lauder executives, the Ulta launch is reflective of a larger shift in prestige beauty — the hair category is booming and the brand is looking to become more widely available. Bumble is already sold in about 2,300 salons — about one-third are Bumble exclusive — and 3,500 wholesale doors, including Sephora, Bluemercury, Space NK and Nordstrom.“There’s a new energy happening around hair,” said Jane Hertzmark Hudis, group president at The Estee Lauder Cos. “Hair is the new makeup, especially in terms of social media. You can see quick and exciting transformations, [and] it creates that same kind of excitement [as makeup] and people are really rallying around it.”While Hertzmark Hudis declined to talk specific financials, she did note that Ulta is expected to become “meaningful to the future of Bumble.”Prestige hair is indeed on the rise. The NPD Group reported that as of May, the category had grown 13 percent year-over year, beating out makeup as the fastest-growing segment within the prestige market.Bumble is intent on capitalizing on this surge in popularity, and a key strategy for the brand going forward is a focus on weaving together its salon, e-commerce and retail experiences.“When we first acquired Bumble, it was purely a salon brand, all about the hairdressers and very much the salon,” Hertzmark Hudis said. “Today, there’s such an evolution of marketing to consumers. She’s not just in the salons, she might be online or on YouTube or [on Bumble’s e-commerce site] or in Sephora or Ulta. The idea is to be with the consumer at every facet of her journey.”“We’re putting consumers at the core of our business,” Rieken said. “It’s a bit of an evolution for the brand because we’ve been focused on salons from a heritage standpoint, but we’re finding ways to connect the consumer with prestige retailers and online and create an ecosystem that drives those consumers back to our hairdressers and to salons.”That ecosystem is fueled by Bumble’s new e-commerce site, which launched last month. The site contains how-to content, tutorials and hair inspiration catalogued in the brand’s digital look book. It was designed entirely on a mobile phone — the brand says 60 percent of its customers shop and browse content primarily on their phones.“There’s an incredible demand and hunger for hair-related content,” Rieken said. “One of our biggest evolutions on the brand side is becoming a destination for hair expertise…[the web site] is a way to magnify the expertise of the hairdresser by making it accessible online.”Customer profiles now include information about hair type, texture and past purchases so online shoppers are targeted with the appropriate products. A geo-locating system to find nearby Bumble and bumble salons is also in place, along with a patented text-sharing functionality that allows customers to share looks from the web site with their stylists. And salon professionals now only have to use one log-in to access both the consumer and professional site, so they can see customer reviews on products without having to log off the professional site.Bumble is enhancing its in-salon experience as well, starting with a remodeling of its flagship Meatpacking District salon, slated to open this fall. The new retail area will include a smart display that pulls up information about a product once a consumer picks it up — the screen can display information on up to 12 products at a time. The salon will also open a 2,000-square-foot outdoor terrace and will boast an enhanced menu featuring quick services — including braids, ponytails and up-dos. Another new feature is in-person hair tutorials, where salon-goers can learn to use certain tools or products or do particular styles.Salons still remain core to the brand, said Hertzmark Hudis, who noted that this is especially indicative in product development, which Bumble stylists often have a say in. The next major product launch — Bumble’s biggest of the year — is a damage prevention and repair duo — the Bb. Save the Day protective fluid and Bb. While You Sleep overnight mask. The brand has tapped influencer Cindy Ramirez-Fulton, founder of Manhattan’s Chillhouse nail and massage studio, to promote the launch.
A grooming moment between @tanfrance and @antoni last night at the The LGBT Community Center Trailblazer Awards honoring Anna Wintour, Ricky Martin and more. See more photos at WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @lexieblacklock)
“It was a very surreal feeling. It wasn’t like we were in the studio together coming up with it — it’s more like he discovered it and loved it. I didn’t let myself get my hopes up, but then it happened it was very exciting,” said singer-songwriter @nombe on discovering that @pharrell would be using his song, “Cant Catch Me” on his HBO documentary series “Outpost.” The German-born singer — named Noah MacBeth — talked to WWD about feminism, using art as a platform for political expression and personal style. Read more on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @jilliansollazzo)
This season, denim is going west – in influence. Brands like @fathersdaughterla (pictured here), @tommyhilfiger Jeans, @levis and more are opting for raw, top-stitching styles. (Styled by @thealexbadia; 📷: @ryanplett)
20-year-old British singer @jorjasmith_ made her debut at Coachella last weekend. We caught up with her and talked about her love for Amy Winehouse, working with Kendrick Lamar on the “Black Panther” album and her fashion philosophy. Read the interview on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @katiedaisyla)
Supermodel @helenachristensen teamed up with longtime friend and designer @camillastaerk on a joint @paredeyewear collaboration. The lineup features three styles and 11 offerings, all of which embody a vintage feel. Get all the details on how they celebrated the collab on WWD.com. #wwdaccessories #wwdeye (📷: @slovekinpics)
“It’s a hard industry to keep motivated, as well, so finding different subjects and people is what makes it worth it – when you’re like, oh, I’ve met great people, I feel like I’ve done something good, and I feel proud of having done this,” said French actress Stacy Martin on being grateful for the variety of roles she’s take on. Read @ktauer’s full interview with Martin on her her latest film “Godard Mon Amour.” #wwdeye (📷: @danieldorsa)


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After a breathtaking Pro Open event on the sunny beaches of Barcelona, Spain, Street League Skateboarding is heading back stateside for Stop One of the 2015 Nike SB SLS World Tour, kicking off at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. While Barcelona may be Europe's skate capital, LA is undoubtedly the sport's global epicenter with more pros, ams and industry in residence than anywhere...
Photos of USMNT World Cup Away Jersey Modeled By Spike Lee, Andrew Luck, Eric Koston and Other Stars
USMNT’s away jersey for World Cup 2014 is now available, and Nike have featured several celebrities in photoshoots to promote the launch of the shirt that will be worn by the USA team during 2014. The new away jersey has a modern crew-neck collar and consists of three bands representing the colors of the American flag. The base color of the jersey and the cuff of the sleeves feature...
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The world's biggest girl group, Little Mix, are thrilled to announce that they're bringing their brand new arena tour to Australia in July of next year - The Glory Days Tour 2017.
'Aussie Fans! We are so excited to bring our Glory Days tour Down Under!" – Little Mix
The Glory Days Tour will kick off in the USA on Thursday February 2nd, and will be the second time Little Mix tour Australia, following on from their massive Get Weird east coast tour last May.
Tickets go on sale at 10am Monday, December 12.
Telstra Thanks is bringing an exciting 48-hour pre-sale just for Telstra customers from midday Wednesday, December 7 until midday Friday December 9. For more information on how to purchase, visit: telstra.com/music.
For complete tour and ticketing details, visit: livenation.com.au.
Fans can expect songs from their brand new, ARIA #2 album Glory Days (through Sony Music Entertainment), including the cheeky lead single -Shout Out To My Ex', as well as their mega hits -Hair', -Wings', -Move', -Change Your Life', -Secret Love Song' and -Black Magic'.
Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall formed as Little Mix in 2011. Since then they have without doubt become one of the biggest pop acts on the planet, racking up 12 million global sales and three UK #1 smash hits. UK #1 album Glory Days is the quickest selling album in the UK charts by a girl group since Destiny's Child's Survivor in 2001.
Their third album Get Weird, released last year, is their most successful to date selling an amazing 1.5 million copies worldwide, also debuting at #2 on the ARIA Album Chart. The accompanying tour saw them play an incredible 60 shows across the UK and Europe, Asia, and here in Australia, selling in excess of 500,000 tickets.
The group recently won 'Best Music Act' at the 2016 Glamour Women of the Year Awards and has amassed a staggering one billion YouTube and Vevo views worldwide.
Little Mix Glory Days 2017 Australian Tour Dates:
Perth, Crown Theatre Thursday July 20
Melbourne, Margaret Court Arena Saturday July 22 (sold out)
Melbourne, Margaret Court Arena Sunday July 23
Adelaide, Aec Theatre Wednesday July 26
Brisbane Entertainment Centre Friday July 28
Sydney, Qudos Bank Arena Saturday July 29


text: Home Industry Retail Majid Al Futtaim reopens more cinemas, entertainment destinations across UAE VOX Cinemas at Al Hamra Mall, Ras Al Khaimah will reopen on June 23, while VOX Cinemas and Magic Planet at City Centre Sharjah will resume on June 24 by Zainab Mansoor June 23, 2020 UAE’s retail conglomerate Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), has announced the reopening of more of its leisure and entertainment destinations across the country, it announced on June 23. It will reopen VOX Cinemas at Al Hamra Mall in Ras Al Khaimah on June 23, following a directive from the Ras Al Khaimah Department of Economic Development while VOX Cinemas and Magic Planet at City Centre Sharjah will reopen on June 24, in line with directives from the Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD). It reopened VOX Cinemas, Ski Dubai, Dreamscape and Magic Planet in Dubai on May 27. Read more: Dubai’s MAF to open cinemas, entertainment destinations from May 27 Cameron Mitchell, chief executive officer of Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas and Majid Al Futtaim Leisure & Entertainment said, “Following the reopening of our entertainment venues in Saudi Arabia earlier this week, I am delighted to announce the reopening of more of our leisure, entertainment and cinema experiences in Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah. “Our team has been relentlessly planning and preparing to welcome back guests and we have introduced innovative new health and safety measures which have been successfully implemented across our entertainment experiences in Dubai. Since we reopened last month, 93 per cent of guests in Dubai have said they are satisfied or extremely satisfied with our enhanced measures and we will continue to ensure a best in class experience for our guests in Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah, with health, safety and customer satisfaction at the forefront.” At MAF’s leisure, entertainment and cinema locations, surfaces will be cleaned and sanitised after every guest interaction while it is mandatory for employees to wear masks and gloves. All team members are to have their temperatures checked on arrival for their shifts. Safe distance is maintained with the installation of instructional signage and the deployment of safety ambassadors to guide guests on best physical distancing practices. Both Magic Planet and VOX Cinemas will be operating at reduced occupancy. In cinema auditoriums, seats in front of, behind and next to a guest’s selection will be left vacant while at Magic Planet, alternate seats will be kept free on rides, and machines will be spaced apart to ensure that physical distancing can be maintained. Guests are advised to book their tickets online in advance. To further minimise physical contact and exposure, contactless payment options are available. To maintain highest levels of food safety, employees will be following strict safety protocols which include sanitising of workstations and countertops every 30 minutes and washing their hands at least every 20 minutes and before handling food. Tags Al Hamra Mall City Centre Sharjah Magic Planet Majid Al Futtaim Ras Al Khaimah Sharjah UAE Vox Cinemas 0 Comments Share Tweet Share Share You might also like UAE retail e-commerce market reaches $3.9bn in 2020 UAE reports 1,988 Covid-19 cases, 6 deaths Flights between India and UAE to remain suspended until July 6 – airline Where is the UAE’s car leasing business headed?


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Japanese multinational personal care company Shiseido is blazing a new trail in skincare.
On July 1, 2019, it introduced an internet of things (IoT) personalized skinscare system that offers to match individual users daily skin conditions and living environments to a skincare regimen.
The subscription service called Optune has a dedicated app that uses an original algorithm to analyze skin condition and environmental data such as temperature, humidity, as well as sleep data.
These are sent to a dedicated machine which recommends a personalized skincare pattern suitable for the users’ skin condition in real time.
Shiseido said in the news release that an increasing number of women do not have enough time for daily skincare. However, skin conditions can vary each day due to external factors such as weather and fine particulates in the air, as well as internal factors including sleep, stress/mood, and even menstrual cycle.
Optune then “leverages skin data collected for many years and research results of aroma and product usability and combines IoT-based digital technology.”
Shiseido claims that Optune can provide 80,000 patterns of skincare to users. In Japan, the cost of the subscription is 10,000 yen (approximately US$9.7).
The Shiseido Group, which has over 38,000 employees all over the world and has reported consolidated net sales of 1,094.8 billion yen in fiscal year 2018.
Founded in 1872, it is among the oldest cosmetic companies globally and offers products and services related to skin care, hair care, cosmetics and fragrance.
In 2019, the company has adapted a new corporate mission centered on innovations that it says could lead to new lifestyles. Hence, it is actively promoting collaboration with partners in different research areas and industry sectors.
Orbis Research estimates the global cosmetic products market to be valued at US$532.43 billion in 2017, and is expected to reach a market value of USD$805.61 billion by 2023, or a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.14% over a five-year period from 2018 to 2023.