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How MIL-SPEC Landscaping Went From 0 to 60 Clients a Week With Jobber
Brian Boase and his wife, Kristy, mowed their first property as MIL-SPEC Landscaping in the spring of 2017. They were both military veterans who wanted to maintain healthy, active lifestyles in the outdoors after their 20 years of service.
By the fall of that same year, MIL-SPEC was maintaining 60 lawns a week—and got so busy that they had to give jobs away to their competitors.
MIL-SPEC won their first few customers by advertising on social media and driving around with branding on their trailer. Then they won over dozens more by using lawn care business software to manage jobs efficiently and offering an outstanding customer experience.
Here’s how Jobber helped MIL-SPEC improve their scheduling, invoicing, payments, and customer service so they could run a fast-growing business.
“We save a lot of fuel and time”
To spend more time helping clients, MIL-SPEC tries to minimize their time on the road. The route optimization feature in Jobber maps out efficient driving routes for Brian and Kristy that require the least amount of travel time possible.
“We can pull into a neighborhood, drop the trailer and do five properties,” said Brian. “We’re not driving from place, to place, to place. We save a lot of money.”
When it rains, Kristy can easily reschedule a visit to a new date and time using the drag and drop calendar in Jobber.
“If it rained really hard, I move people’s jobs two days over,” said Kristy. “I go straight in the mobile app, or I can log into the desktop version and just start switching them over. It’s an easy click-and-drag to move visits over to another day.”
READ MORE: How do landscapers work in the rain?
“We can send invoices immediately”
MIL-SPEC uses Jobber to create and send invoices online. In just one click, Kristy can convert a client’s job into an invoice. Then, she can send that invoice by email or text as soon as the job is done.
“Everything happens in real-time. I’m literally finishing a job, closing the gate to the trailer, and Kristy’s already sending the invoice,” said Brian.
A faster invoicing process means MIL-SPEC can get paid throughout the workday. “A lot of the time, the payment comes in before we leave for the next property,” said Brian.
“Halfway through our day, 75% of our clients have already paid us”
Brian and Kristy never liked getting cash under the doormat and checks in the mail. By accepting online payments with Jobber, MIL-SPEC has made it easier for customers to pay.
Jobber Payments lets Brian and Kristy collect payment in the field at the end of every job. They can take credit and debit card payments in person with Jobber’s Card Reader, or automatically charge their customers’ credit cards saved on file.
“Customers don’t have to go get cash or write a check,” said Brian. “And I don’t have to go over, pick it up and then deposit it.”
By the fall of 2017, MIL-SPEC only had two clients that paid with cash or check. Every other client paid through Jobber.
“Clients get really excited that they can pay me immediately after receiving the email with their invoice,” said Kristy. “Their phones will ding and they’ll pay us right on the spot.”
“Our clients enjoy getting text messages”
Having great customer communication leads to better customer relationships—which made it easier for MIL-SPEC to grow. With Jobber, Kristy and Brian can keep clients informed through automated email and text messaging.
Kristy uses Jobber to send out automated text and email reminders that let customers know about upcoming visits. She can also send a quick ‘on my way’ text before leaving for a visit, at the click of a button.
Keeping important job updates in writing helps set customer expectations and protects MIL-SPEC from customer disputes.
“We’ve never had a client say, ‘you said you were going to do this and you didn’t do that,’” said Brian, “because all our communication leaves a digital trail. That protects both us and our clients.”
Customers are sent details about upcoming visits directly to their phones and can access the information they need at any time.
“It’s like having an office manager in the back of your truck, working all day long”
When MIL-SPEC’s client list got bigger than Brian and Kristy could manage, they continued using Jobber to stay organized, efficient, and to provide excellent customer service.
“It’s all about efficiency,” said Brian. “For a mom-and-pop type operation like ours, we want to be able to come home at the end of the day and be done. We don’t want to be doing paperwork at the end of the day, or on the weekend.”
Thanks to Jobber, MIL-SPEC can do everything they need to from a phone or tablet while they’re on the job site or driving to the next one.
“It’s like having an office manager sitting in the back of your truck working all day long and then even working while you’re sleeping,” said Brian.


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Get ready to add a new podcast to your apps: Office Ladies brings together Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, who are best friends in real life, to break down an episode of The Office and provide behind-the-scenes stories and answer questions from listeners. It starts October 16.
One of the big TV events on the horizon is the CBS All Access remake of The Stand. There’s been some casting news today with Alexander Skarsgård on board to play Randall Flagg, and Whoopi Goldberg playing Mother Abigail.
The BBC has signed up to soon-to-launch mobile streaming service Quibi to produce an international news bulletin.
With the recent closure of the Sky Business/Your Money channel in Australia, there has been a number of talented and bright people looking to find new work. One of the interesting projects that has sprung up has been former host Ahron Young launching a streaming video start-up called Ticker.
Mediaweek, the local media industry trade magazine (and my former employer), had a weekly show on the TV channel. It has now joined Ahron Young for a weekly streamed show on Ticker.
Here’s episode one:
Apple TV+: The morning after…
Yesterday saw Apple announce details of its streaming service Apple TV+. The announcement was a huge deal for two reasons:
- The obvious: It was one of the world’s largest tech companies announcing a streaming media service with significant financial backing that will have an impact on the TV industry globally.
- It marked the tipping point of large-scale companies announcing its plans. If we’re to consider the big guns moving forward as: Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, WarnerMedia, and NBCUniversal, then Apple announcing its model means we now know what exactly over half of the companies plan to bring to market. With fewer questions over price/what/how, it is much easier for the industry to get a handle on what the future will be looking like.
After the announcement, shares in Roku dropped 12% (significant as they are neck and neck leaders with Amazon in selling set-top boxes for customers to stream TV shows), and Netflix shares dropped 3%. Source: Multichannel
And Apple stock rose 3%.
“We think this is most interesting when looked at as an indicator that Apple has shifted its view to customer long-term value in its overall ecosystem,” Macquarie said in a note to clients, noting the one year of free service being offered to anyone who buys a new Apple device.
“In our view, even if video is a wild success for Apple (attracting 50%-100% of Netflix subs), it wouldn’t move [long-term earnings per share] more than 0.5%. However, it should be good for the overall ecosystem.”
The question to keep in mind is this: Where is the actual impact felt by Apple TV+?
You’ll see a lot of articles floating around today about how Apple TV+ isn’t a Netflix competitor. And it isn’t. Neither is Amazon or Disney+. Each of these companies have different agendas:
- Apple wants you to buy more iPhones/iPads/Airpods, but importantly they want you using the TV app. Apple TV+ is essentially a marketing tool. It will look enticing in Apple Shops, Apple customers will get free subscriptions, and it will encourage people to log into the TV app more where Apple can then up-sell customers movie/TV show rentals and also sell third-party subscriptions to other streaming services like HBO, Shudder, etc). Something to keep in mind: Consider how many people get free Apple Music subscriptions through their phone plan.
- Amazon wants subscribers to sign up to its Prime Delivery subscription service. All Prime customers get the TV service (and other services) bundled in. Subscribe for TV and ebooks, receive free shipping on Amazon items. Amazon Prime subscribers, on average, buy more from Amazon than non-Prime subscribers.
- Disney want you engaging with its brand. With Disney+, Disney will entice viewers to spend more time with Disney, encouraging sales of merchandise, theme park tickets, cruises, and movie tickets.
Meanwhile Netflix are actively seeking subscribers to its TV service for that sole reason. When WarnerMedia launch HBO Max, it will be chasing that same market. And again with NBCUniversal. Those are Netflix’s actual competitors.
Which isn’t to say that Amazon/Apple/Disney isn’t going to create an impact. If viewers find Apple delivering 1-2 shows a week that they like, along with regular interesting content from Amazon and Disney, that eats into viewing time. Maybe all a viewer needs on top of that is HBO Max or Netflix.
The real struggle is for every other TV service in the world. Netflix will be fine (at least, it appears that way for the moment). Not only will it soon be more of a struggle to acquire content, but these companies will be fighting for the attention of viewers who will suddenly have a lot more options for things to watch.
Is Amazon Prime Video investing in a reboot of Australian family drama Packed To The Rafters? That’s the rumour being reported by David Knox at TV Tonight. Something sounds a tad off about this story - lets put a pin in it and see how it plays out…
Source: TV Tonight

domain: news


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Apple may raise iPhone 14 prices this year, with the baseline iPhone 14 expected to start at $749, or $50 less than the 128GB iPhone 13 which starts at $799.
- What’s happening? TrendForce has estimated that the entry-level iPhone 14 could start at $749 ($1,149 for a base model of the iPhone 14 Pro Max).
- Why care? Analysts expect the upcoming phones to cost an extra $100 due to costlier parts, but TrendForce suggests the price hike could be more modest.
- What to do? If you’re on an iPhone XS or older, consider upgrading to an iPhone 14 to enjoy significantly improved cameras and other enhancements.
TrendForce calls a modest iPhone 14 price increase
There will be two 6.1-inch and two 6.7-inch models in the iPhone 14 family (the 5.7-inch iPhone mini will be discontinued). But how much will they cost? Market intelligence company TrendForce has forecast the following price points across all baseline models in the iPhone 14 family.
iPhone 14 prices: TrendForce’s updated forecast
- 256GB iPhone 14: $749
- 256GB iPhone 14 Max: $849
- 256GB iPhone 14 Pro: $1,049
- 256GB iPhone 14 Pro Max: $1,149
iPhone 13 prices:
- 128GB iPhone 13 mini: $699
- 128GB iPhone 13: $799
- 128GB iPhone 13 Pro: $999
- 128GB iPhone 13 Pro Max: $1,099
TrendForce explains that a combination of new hardware features and costlier components will force Apple to push iPhone 14 prices up.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models should increase the RAM to LPDDR5 6GB, swap the main wide camera for a new 48-megapixel shooter, replace the notch with a pill and punch-hole design and so on. The biggest unknown is the amount of storage, with TrendForce claiming 256GB will be the new 128GB.
Will there be a price hike or not?
This rumor was started by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who thinks the average selling price of the iPhone 14 Pros might increase by about fifteen percent versus the iPhone 13 Pros, which start at $999/$1,099 in the United States.
Piggy-backing on Kuo’s report, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives made a prediction calling for a $100 price increase for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
This had people speculating that Apple could double the base storage on the iPhone 14 Pros to appease would-be buyers. The suggestion isn’t without merit. As flash storage prices decrease, Apple typically increases the amount of iPhone storage without raising prices. Read: 30 ways to free storage space on your Mac
But with the global chip shortage and increasing component prices, there’s no guarantee the iPhone 14 will double the storage to offset the price hike.
As mentioned earlier, the source of the double-the-storage rumor is TrendForce, which back in June predicted that the iPhone 14 Pros would ship with 256 gigabytes of base storage instead of 128. Read: Tips for freeing up your iCloud storage


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Norfolk broadband campaign launched at The Forum in Norwich
Norfolk took its first hopeful steps towards a new technological era today as the mission to prove the undeniable demand for better broadband began in earnest.
A registration website was launched this morning at The Forum in Norwich, aimed at gathering data from tens of thousands of internet users in a bid to entice private investment in a scheme to upgrade the county's networks.
The Better Broadband for Norfolk project has set the target of equipping the majority of the county's neglected 'not spots' with superfast speeds of at least 30 Mbps (megabits per second) by 2015.
It has already secured �30m in public funding, but needs a similar amount from the telecoms industry in order to obtain the best value solution for Norfolk.
And to convince potential bidders of the overwhelming consumer demand for the improvements, the Say Yes to Better Broadband campaign, run jointly by the Evening News' sister paper the EDP and Norfolk County Council, needs as many people as possible to sign up.
Among the councillors, community leaders and business people who lined up to become the first to register were Ann Steward, Norfolk's cabinet member for economic development.
'The importance of painting an accurate picture of the demand that exists in Norfolk cannot be understated,' she said.
- 1 City teen named Ikea drops furniture brand as first name
- 2 Norwich chippy ranked as one of best in UK
- 3 Neighbourhood bemused after garage turned into barber shop
- 4 Customers in shock as parking charges rack up at retail park
- 5 'It would mean everything to get it back': Heartfelt plea to reunite widow with engagement ring
- 6 Former City defender Klose training with Championship club
- 7 Smokehouse launches takeaway Sunday roasts with loaded Yorkshire puddings
- 8 'Normal is nerve-wracking': City bosses' plan to keep masks despite rules
- 9 Arrest after man found with large quantity of cannabis and lock knife
- 10 How Covid restrictions will change in England this week
'We know that many individuals, families, businesses and communities are held back and frustrated by poor broadband access.
'Now we need a sheer volume of people to show they want a better broadband service so we can ultimately get a deal that means the Better Broadband for Norfolk project can get superfast broadband out to as many properties as possible.
'We really need everyone's support on this.'
For a full report on the formal launch of the Say Yes to Better Broadband campaign, see tomorrow's Evening News.


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Oppo has teased its new cross-platform smart ecosystem for Oppo devices—Pantanal—via a post on Weibo. The platform has been developed by the company in-house and will work across all Oppo products. It appears that the smartphone maker aims to create its own ecosystem with the new platform.
According to a report by ITHome, the Pantanal platform will be launched at the OPPO Developer Conference on August 30, 2022. This ecosystem will be based on ColorOS. It will come as one of the three major releases for Oppo in 2022, alongside a device featuring the MariSilicon X processor and an unannounced product.
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Liu Zuohu, the chief product officer of OPPO and founder of OnePlus had stated that the company aims to offer a smoother experience between the various smart devices running different operating systems with a “fully open integration ecology.”
Geographically, the Pantanal is a region that occupies a region within Brazil and also stretches into portions of Bolivia and Paraguay. It is a massive tropical wetland area and is known as the world’s largest flooded grasslands. Perhaps Oppo is inspired by how the Pantanal encompasses multiple states, similar to how the company aims the platform at multiple products.
Oppo has already been making strides in becoming self-reliant, with its in-house MariSilicon X NPU. Additionally, the company is said to be developing an application processor (AP) as well. The upcoming chip will likely be announced sometime next year in 2023 and will reportedly enter mass production within the same year. The smartphone maker is also aiming to to build upon the AP to developed a full-fledged SoC with a modem by 2024.


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Will Sanofi be top in 2012?
There could be changes coming in next year's Big Pharma league. The current king of the industry is Pfizer, but a report from analysis firm EvaluatePharma has predicted that the company will find itself in the shadow of bigger fish as patent expiries and draining pipelines take their toll. The new leviathan in the industry will be Sanofi, which is expected to experience sales of $51.6 billion in 2012, while Pfizer will drop to third place with predicted sales of $49.8 billion. In between the two in second place will be Novartis with forecast sales of $49.9 billion.
The rankings are expected to stay the same until at least 2016, but the gap between the new top two and Pfizer will widen with Sanofi and Novartis growing at a projected compound annual growth rate of 4% and 2% respectively, compared with Pfizer's 1% over the period 2011–2016. Pfizer may also face competition from GlaxoSmithKline and Roche, which won't be far behind in terms of sales. By 2016, GlaxoSmithKline is expected to rank fourth with sales of $50.9 billion (compared with ranking fifth in 2011 with $39.3 billion) while Roche will come in fifth with $49 billion (up from sixth in 2011 with $39.1 billion).
In 2011, Pfizer was forecast to have prescription and over-the-counter sales of $54.1 billion. The decline in revenue in 2012 and onwards can partly be attributed to Pfizer's US patent loss on Lipitor, which holds the record for the world's biggest selling medicine when sales peaked at $13.4 billion in 2008.
"Pfizer's $68 billion acquisition of Wyeth in 2009 went a long way to alleviate the pain of the impending loss of lipitor but the cholesterol-lowering statin is a huge product to replace… the loss of US patent protection in November means sales will shrink to $2 billion by 2016," said a news release from EvaluatePharma.
However, the release also added that Pfizer can expect to benefit from recent pipeline successes in rheumatoid arthritis (tofacitinib) and blood thinning (Eliquis). Top line drug sales are expected to start growing again by 2016.
As for Sanofi, EvaluatePharma ranked the company third in terms of sales ($47.billion) in 2011, but the French company has been moving up the rankings for some time. In particular, Sanofi has been boosted by a decade of mergers.
"The takeover of Genzyme this year was an aggressive cross-border move that revealed just how much the culture of Sanofi has changed in the last few years," explains the EvaluatePharma analysis. "The traditionally inward looking French drug maker has, like many of its peers, taken big strides to acquire and license innovation from beyond its own labs in an attempt to revive flagging R&D productivity."
The analysis adds that sales of Genzyme's enzyme replacement therapies should be enough to keep the crown on Sanofi's head until at least 2016 when it is forecast to have sales of $58.4 billion. As for Novartis, the company is expected to maintain second place until 2016 thanks to strong growth from Gilenya and Tasigna. The company will also be bolstered by its acquisition of eyecare company Alcon.
Meanwhile, there will also be some shuffling in the league table among the other drugmakers too. Merck, currently ranked 4th, will drop to 6th by 2016 and Eli Lilly will also drop through the rankings from 10th in 2011 to 15th in 2016. The analysis also highlights generics giant Teva, which is expected to rise from 12th position in 2011 to 9th in 2016 as it grows at a CAGR of 7%. Novo Nordisk will also experience a high growth rate—currently ranked in 17th place, the Danish diabetes specialist will climb up to 14th by 2016 with a CAGR of 9%.
Of course, as with any forecasts, the situation can chance and EvaluatePharma adds that another wave of mega mergers can't be ruled out in the ever-consolidating sector.
EC probes J&J and Novartis
The European Commission has launched another antitrust investigation, this time examining whether contracts between Johnson & Johnson and Novartis were designed to delay the market entry of generic versions of Fentanyl in the Netherlands.
Read more at: www.PharmTech.com/ecprobe
GSK's US settlement
GlaxoSmithKline has come to a tentative agreement with the US government to conclude ongoing investigations relating to sales and marketing practices. The settlement is still subject to negotiation, but GSK expects to pay around $3 billion, which is covered by existing legal provisions.
Read more at: www.PharmTech.com/gsksettles
Lily–Amyline alliance ends
Eli Lilly and Amylin have terminated their alliance relating to the diabetes medication exenatide. Amylin will have responsibility for exanatide's global development and commercialisation while Eli Lilly will receive an upfront payment of $250 million and a secured note for $1.2 billion plus interest.
Read more at: www.PharmTech.com/lillyamylin
Annex 16 revisions
The EMA has released a concept paper for consultation that recommends a revision to Annex 16 of the Guide to Good Manufacturing of Medicinal Products. According to the EMA, the revision will address new falsified medicines legislation and the industry's complicated global supply chains.
Read more at: www.PharmTech.com/annex16


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On Saturday, December 14, it was announced that Rosa Porto, a legend in the baking world, had passed away at the age of 89. The founder of Porto’s Bakery & Café grew her business to be one of the premier names in the industry after starting from her home kitchen selling cakes and pastries to friends and family.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Porto’s Bakery founder and Porto family matriarch, Rosa Porto. She passed peacefully yesterday at the age of 89 surrounded by her loving husband and family,” Porto’s announced on social media late last week.
Founded in 1960 by Rosa and her husband Raul Porto Sr., Porto’s now operates locations in Burbank, Glendale, Downey, Buena Park, and West Covina. Porto’s Bakery traces its roots to Manzanillo, Cuba, where Rosa worked as a home economics teacher before she began to sell cakes from the family home. The original recipe followed her 2,599 miles to Los Angeles in 1971. Rosa had a well-established business once the family left for Southern California, where Rosa resumed her home bakery business. Within a few years, she couldn’t do it out of the house anymore.
The family would open a small bakery in Echo Park, California in 1976. The bakery became known for its Cuban cakes and pastries, meat pies, potato balls, empanadas, and guava-and-cheese strudels. That success eventually allowed them to move to a larger location in Glendale in 1982.
Thanks to Rosa Porto’s hard work and dedication, Porto’s Bakery & Café has become an industry leader, and that legacy continues to this day. She is survived by her husband and her three children, Beatriz, Raul Jr., and Margarita, who now run the business.


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Heading into 2022, shipments of almost all consumer electronics products such as mobile phones, TVs, and computers are declining.
Due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, global inflation, supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic and other factors, consumers have become increasingly pessimistic about the economic trend, and the global demand for consumer electronics has also shrunk sharply.
Against this backdrop, industry cancellations have also increased. On July 10, Taiwan media quoted sources in the island as saying that Samsung will extend the suspension of parts procurement period, due to the high inventory of some products, even the end of the year will not be restocked. Meanwhile, Dell, the US PC giant, is said to be cutting orders for its entire PC line by 50%, regardless of whether it has previously signed a supply and quantity guarantee agreement, in order to avoid falling stock prices.
Worryingly, consumer electronics have shown a long-term trend of continuing to cool. A phenomenon that has to be paid attention to is that the consumer electronics industry is gradually entering the mature stage of this round of product innovation cycle, the growth of the existing market space is slowing down, and the industry chain competition is intensifying. In secondary market investment, the consumer electronics industry is no longer a growth track that can give a high valuation. In the view of some industry insiders, the investment logic has even turned from growth to cycle.
According to a new forecast from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, global shipments of traditional PCs will fall 8.2% year over year in 2022 to 321.2 million units. Similarly, the forecast for worldwide tablet shipments has been lowered to 158 million units, a 6.2% decline compared to 2021.
IDC expects shipments to return to positive annual growth in 2023 and beyond, although this year’s decline will result in a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -0.6%. Meanwhile, tablets face a larger decline over the same period as competition from PCs as well as smartphones will continue to inhibit growth, leading to a -2.0% CAGR.
According to data collated by coupon website CouponBirds, search trends of computers are also declining. Before the pandemic, interest in computers declined year by year, from 79% in 2017 to 64% in 2019. In 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19, people being quarantined at home led to a rapid increase in the demand for working from home, making personal computers indispensable. As a result, searches for computers have gone straight to the top. With the current pandemic abating, people can get out and about and back into the office, and interest in computers has plummeted.
“Supply shortages have plagued the industry for a while and the recent lockdowns in parts of China continue to exacerbate the issue as factories struggle to receive new components from upstream suppliers while also facing issues downstream when it comes to shipping finished goods,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers. “While the restrictions are expected to ease soon, worker sentiment within the supply chain remains muted, and backlogs of deliveries will persist for the remainder of the year.”
While supply chain deliveries have eased from the second half of last year, some mobile phone components are still in short supply, mainly for low-end and mid-range smartphones. In particular, the delivery delay of 4G SOC is quite prominent. Delivery time is about 30 to 40 weeks. Due to limited capacity planning, the market demand for low-end and mid-range phones has not been met since last year.
According to Canalys data, in the first quarter of 2022, global smartphone shipments fell by 11% year-on-year. For example, Samsung still ranks first in the market, its shipments fell by 4% year on year. In the dominant European and Indian markets, Samsung’s mobile phone shipments fell by 9% and 2%, respectively.
In late June, Sunny Optical, a supplier of camera modules for mobile phones, said in an institutional survey that it expects global mobile phone sales in 2022 to be 1.22 billion units, a year-on-year decrease of 7.9%. China sold 260 million mobile phones, declining 16.9% year on year. European market sales of 170 million units, down 15% year on year. Other regions sales are 790 million units, down 2.6% year on year.
The TV market is also not optimistic. Omdia forecast in May that global TV shipments in 2022 were estimated at 211.639 million units, the lowest since 2010 and about 1.89 million less than last year. In the first quarter, demand in the North American, European, and Chinese markets fell sharply by around 20% from a year ago.
This year’s consumer electronics industry is in crisis. Although next year it may turn out to be better, but the difficult situation will continue. Because of Russian-Ukrainian conflict, inflation, supply chain tensions and shrinking demand, the current consumer electronics situation is not optimistic. Many investors are also less confident in the sector than they once were.


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European supermarket giant Tesco has announced it will no longer retail sugar-filled products at some 2,500 stores in response to the increasing adverse health consequences related to uncontrolled sugar consumption. This is a marketing decision U.S. retailers should voluntarily follow to improve diets and promote better health.
Diabetes, heart disease, stroke and obesity, are some of the known health problems associated from uncontrolled consumption of heavily sugared products. The Department of Health and Human Services estimates Americans consume an unhealthy 150 pounds of sugar annually.
Consumption of sugar is based on sophisticated marketing by sugar producers and food companies who load sugar into retail products as diverse as infant formula, fruit and vegetable juices, milk, flavored instant oatmeal, child-popular breakfast cereals and canned fruits and vegetables.
It is virtually impossible to buy foods in mainstream retail stores that are sugar-free. Congress allowed this “sugarization” of the U.S. food supply and unless marketers reduce the sugar content of their products, Congress should consider legislation to do it for them.
Reportedly, Tesco’s customers lobbied the retailer to remove the unhealthy sugar products due to demand from kids, conditioned by marketers, to demand candies and confections in the sugar sections of their stores and in the checkout aisle.
U.S. food and retail marketers, like their European counterparts, invested heavily with money and strategic shelf and store placement of sugar products so children could see them and demand their parents buy them. Expensive TV advertising also played prominently in Big Sugar’s malicious marketing assault on children’s health. Government has taken a blind eye to this sugar industry attack on children and vulnerable adult shoppers who lack willpower to ignore the sophisticated marketing of unhealthy products.
U.S. food retailers should immediately follow Tesco’s bold sugar-free market leadership and remove the abundant and unhealthy sugar-filled products from their store shelves. Such a move would nicely complement First Lady Michelle ObamaMichelle LeVaughn Robinson ObamaYouTube confirms it picked kids featured in Harris video Photos of the Week: Congressional Baseball Game, ashen trees and a beach horse The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Alibaba - Gears begin to shift in Congress on stalled Biden agenda MORE’s healthy foods initiative for our nation’s children.
If U.S. food retailers fail to act in response to consumer demand for healthier food products, Congress should help them with this decision for the sake of consumers who cannot make healthy food choices on their own. Congress made the decision to regulate hazardous tobacco products and limit tobacco availability to consumers. They should act similarly with sugar, another product known to be a health hazard. Regulation and reduction of sugar consumption, might also reduce the cost of Congress's scandalously massive sugar program.
Tesco plans to replace sugar-filled products with healthier food options including dried fruits, nuts and popular seed snacks, like sunflower and pumpkin seeds. If U.S. retailers respond similarly this will send healthy food signals to U.S. producers, especially in California. With almond production on the increase in California, largely for export markets, growers can take advantage of a new market opportunity for healthier foods and expand domestic consumption for their crop.
Reducing the amount of sugar in food products is responsible marketing. If U.S. companies, including retailers like Walmart, Target and Safeway, feel they cannot do this, Congress should legislate responsibly and vastly reduce the amount of sugar in our food supply. Such actions would increase consumer confidence in our food marketing system and support healthier lifestyles.
Longtime Washington diplomat James Patterson, an international agricultural economist, writes and speaks on trade and technology from his San Francisco office.


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The Pokemon Company knows that fans are hyped up for Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution, a CGI remake of the franchise's very first film. It seems like there will be a lot of cool promotional items to hype up the film's release but this might be the best one yet; Armored Mewtwo coming to Pokemon GO.
Considering how Armored Mewtwo isn't playable in any video game - not even Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or Pokken Tournament DX - the fact that fans will be able to battle the enhanced legendary in Pokemon GO Raid Battles is great. Plus, players will be given the chance to catch the fabled Pokemon in armor, which means this could be the first time fans will have two of this Pokemon in their party.
Since this is coming to an international mobile game, it seems like Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution will be eventually be released outside of Japan. Pretty much every Pokemon film has gotten a worldwide release so it's safe to assume that this will get one as well. At the least, the inclusion of Armored Mewtwo in Niantic's popular mobile game is a nice bit of fanservice.
Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution will be coming out in Japan this month. Armored Mewtwo will be coming to Pokemon GO on July 10 and will be available until July 28.


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Few geeks haven't dreamt of one day taking on cyborg enhancements—me included. And today I did, thanks to two of Honda's wearable Asimo-inspired Walk Assist devices. This is how it felt.
How It Feels To Walk With Honda's Cyborg Legs
Trending Stories Right Now
Netflix shares plummetted in after-hours trading following the release of its latest earnings report. The streaming giant missed the mark on several of its projections, and analysts are blaming its lacklustre content.
Last week, Apple announced an updated MacBook Pro, packing in fresh processors that were announced just three months ago, and tweaking the keyboard. A new keyboard! Let’s talk about that.


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WWD Digital Daily
Frank Horvat, Fashion Photographer And Photojournalist, 92
PARIS — Frank Horvat, who worked as a fashion photographer and photojournalist, and kicked off his career shooting the first Givenchy fashion show in the Fifties, has died at age 92.
His death was confirmed by his daughter, Fiammetta Horvat.
Born on April 28, 1928, in Abbazia,
Italy — which is now called Opatija and is part of Croatia — Horvat acquired his first camera as a teenager, trading in a stamp collection for a 35mm Retinamat.
After studying fine art at the Brera Academy in Milan, he made his first trip to Paris in 1950, where he met Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa. Five years later, he moved to the French capital, and spent the late Fifties and early Sixties shuttling between Paris, New York and London. He was a Magnum photographer and worked for Life and Paris Match, and also shot fashion photos for Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar. He spent time in Asia, and was sent around the world for the German magazine Revue. When magazines began to disappear in the Seventies, he embarked on freelance projects and set about interviewing photographers himself.
“In almost 70 years of photography, I had the time to photograph many different subjects, with at least a dozen different techniques. But that’s almost beside the point. The point is that I had the time to play many different games,” he wrote on his web site.
The photographer sought to capture what was happening beyond the frame of an image.
“It’s not what a photographer shows me that interests me,” Horvat told WWD in 2016, “but what kind of person this photographer is.”
One of his first assignments was to shoot the first Givenchy fashion show; he published a book in 2016 that featured a model in a Givenchy look on the cover.
“I started with Givenchy, so to speak,” Horvat said. His reportage-style fashion shoots of top models and designers often included lively street life and have become classics.
Horvat remained active throughout his life, embracing digital technology and becoming a fan of Photoshop — it helped him compensate for the loss of sight in one eye and later, a heart attack that he said had slowed him down.
Horvat also set up an iPad app called Horvatland, and a Facebook page that he curated daily, uploading pairs of photos for his followers to interpret freely. “It’s great fun because it always
The lensman got his start at the first Givenchy fashion show.
means something else when they’re combined,” he said.
His web site spans his career, featuring photos of a beggar in India in 1953, French strippers at the Sphinx club in 1956, subway commuters in New York City in the Eighties and intimate shots of life at his country house for a project he called La Véronique in 2003.
“The only thing that truly interests me in a photo is the miracle,” said Horvat. “That something happened at that moment that can never happen again. And I’m astonished by those miracles.”


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Aluminum prices reached the highest level in the last two years. This fact contributed to the positive assumptions about China. There is an expectation that there will be a reduction in sales volumes. Also all hope that oil prices will soon be restored as well.
Aluminium for three-month deferral of deliveries on the metal exchange in London grew up. Growth rates will be eight percent, reaching a peak in the spring of 2015. In cash terms, this amounts to nineteen hundred and sixty dollars per ton.
The potential for growth in the aluminium market will be as long as China does not change its policy. Their attitude to environmental issues very seriously and consistently. This situation was investigated, the analyst Etie securities Nitesh Shah. He is an expert on commodities.
China said that during the heating season plans to reduce capacity by thirty percent. It will be implemented in the framework of the programme to combat environmental pollution.
The improvement in sentiment on the subject of base metals coincides with the expected increasing activity in March. For eight months without interruption, it increases with the support of unexpected activity in the field of real estate. Also contributed to the strong boom in construction that pushed forward sales of building materials.
Sales within the market of aluminium has increased in January and February of this year. It was a challenge to restrictions imposed by the state with unfair prices. This is especially noticeable in the major cities, which include Beijing. Profit industrial complex in China increased by thirty-two percent over the same months. And this is the highest rate of increase in prices over the last six years. This has helped the rapid growth of the prices of all commodity groups.
Some Chinese experts believe that the influx predotvrashteniya measures will have a negative impact on the event. The increasing restrictions in the property sector, which said last year that could slow down housing sales. As a consequence, prices in this area will be significantly reduced.
Under the action of the government’s new measures, the market is in any case will weaken. «The drop in sales can be up to 90%," said Yi, Xianrong. Currently he is Professor at the University of Kinda.


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Here's why Netflix is falling after its earnings report
5:22 PM ET Tue, 16 April 2019
Netflix beats on the top and bottom, but the stock still falls. Has it gone too far, too fast? With CNBC's Melissa Lee and the Fast Money traders, Pete Najarian, Tim Seymour, Steve Grasso and Guy Adami.


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3 dead after shooting at shopping mall in Maryland. Suspected shooter dead (of course)Submitted by go213mph on Sat, 01/25/2014 - 13:57
Three people died in a shooting at a large shopping centre outside Baltimore, Maryland, on Saturday, and police said they were allowing shoppers to leave the mall after determining there was no longer a threat.
A 911 call at about 11:15 am ET (1615 GMT) reported that shots had been fired at the Mall in Columbia in Columbia, Maryland, Howard County police said on Twitter.
Police did not immediately know the identities of the dead, but said one of the people was believed to be the shooter.


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Pirelli, Clean Diesel Technologies in emissions control JV
MILAN Feb 20 (Reuters) - Italian tyre maker Pirelli and Clean Diesel Technologies said on Wednesday they plan to team up to sell pollution control systems for gasoline and diesel engines starting in March 2013.
The two companies will set up a joint venture called Eco Emission Enterprise based in Milan to sell their products in Europe and in the CIS countries.
Under the terms of the agreement, a unit of Pirelli will supply its silicon carbon substrate particle filters to the joint venture, and Clean Diesel Techncology will supply its own vehicle emission control products.
- Malaysia signals missing plane has crashed; probes false IDs |
- Malaysian plane presumed crashed; questions over false IDs |
- Malaysian jet's disappearance among rarest of aviation disasters
- Radar showed missing plane may have turned back-Malaysia military


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It’s not every day a company slumps after releasing earnings and Wall Street walks away more confident than before. That seems to be the case with
Coty (ticker: COTY) hasn’t had an easy time of late. The parent company of Cover Girl, Kylie, Max Factor, and other well-known beauty brands has had too much debt, too little growth, and too many CEOs since the start of 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic hit its consumer brands hard, and the stock, down 38% last year, was removed from the
Still, things appeared to be turning a corner under CEO Sue Nabi, who took over in September, helping Coty rally 88% since the end of August.
Then it reported second-quarter earnings. They weren’t so terrible: a profit of 17 cents a share, beating analyst forecasts for seven cents, though sales of $1.42 billion were a touch light compared with the $1.43 billion consensus. Yet the stock plunged 15% on Tuesday, the day results were released, before closing the week down 11% at $6.78.
What caused the meltdown? Some of it was surely high expectations—Coty stock had gained 25% in the six days before the release. But there was more than that, explains Citigroup analyst Wendy Nicholson, who rates the stock a Buy.
Sales from the Kylie brand—Coty paid $600 million for a 51% stake in the company last year—flatlined. Like-for-like sales growth, which Nicholson expects to grow by 4% in Coty’s fiscal third quarter, is sluggish, especially compared with competitors like
(IPAR). Guidance for $750 million in second-half earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization “might have looked light to some,” Nicholson says.
Still, she remains optimistic about Coty’s prospects. “We view the share price weakness following today’s print as an attractive buying opportunity and reiterate our Buy rating,” Nicholson wrote after the results.
Even better, Evercore ISI analyst Robert Ottenstein upgraded Coty shares to Outperform from In Line. He cited accelerating growth in its fragrances division, which makes up more than 50% of sales, and growth in online, which now makes up 19% of sales and is closing the gap with Estée Lauder, which gets a quarter of its sales from the web. Ottenstein also cited continued growth in China and the company’s plans to cut costs by $300 million in 2021.
But the upgrade really came down to one thing: an upgrade in management. Writes Ottenstein, who put a $10 price target on the stock, up more than 40% from Friday’s $6.78 close, “CEO Sue Nabi…has quickly attracted high quality talent to unlock the value trapped in Coty’s brands.”
And perhaps in the stock, too.
Write to Ben Levisohn at Ben.Levisohn@barrons.com


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SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hagens Berman urges Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: LDOS) investors to submit their losses now . The firm is investigating a potential securities fraud.
Leidos Holdings, Inc. (LDOS) Investigation :
The firm is investigating whether Leidos misrepresented and concealed problems with its Security Detection and Automation (SD&A) business.
In May 2020, Leidos acquired L3Harris’ SD&A business for $1 billion, claiming the deal would help Leidos achieve double-digit growth, 15% margins, and boost international sales. Leidos also represented that the cash acquired from the SD&A line was $30 million. Since this time, management has consistently stated that SD&A’s business was “ahead of our milestones” and on target.
But on Feb. 16, 2021, analyst Spruce Point published a scathing report, concluding that Leidos had “wasted” $1b on the SD&A acquisition. Spruce Point states, “We believe Leidos is potentially covering up at least $100m of fictitious sales, mischaracterizing $355 – $367m of international revenue.” Spruce Point also alleges that the company is “concealing numerous product defects from investors, notably faulty explosive detection systems at airports and borders.” Spruce Point further avers that management may be intentionally inflating certain of Leidos’ financial metrics, including operating cash flow and organic sales growth, to obscure strains from investors.
Most recently, on Feb. 23, 2021, Leidos released mixed Q4 2020 financial results and disappointing 2021 outlook, including guided revenue and EPS well below analyst consensus. Leidos also reported that the cash acquired in connection with SD&A Businesses purchase was $26 million.
The same day, Spruce Point highlighted the poor 2021 outlook and picked up on the SD&A cash acquired discrepancy, tweeting “[t]his asset is a total black box.”
On these disclosures, Leidos shares have declined sharply.
“We’re focused on investor losses and whether Leidos has misled investors about its SD&A business,” said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.
If you are a Leidos investor, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman .
Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Leidos should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email [email protected] .
About Hagens Berman
Hagens Berman is a national law firm with eight offices in eight cities around the country and over eighty attorneys. The firm represents investors, whistleblowers, workers and consumers in complex litigation. More about the firm and its successes is located at hbsslaw.com . For the latest news visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @classactionlaw .
Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895


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Cloud Music Expected To Boom In Next Five Years
According to a study released by ABI Research, the number of subscribers to streaming music applications is expected to top 5.9 million by the end of this year, and by 2016, that figure is expected to grow to more than 161 million subscribers.
The problem with such lofty projections, however, is that they fail to recognize the many, many other hurdles that remain in the path of subscription services.
Market Leaders Matter
Ubiquity of smartphones doesn't guarantee raised awareness of subscription services as we've learned from the success of the iPhone. While it surely provided services with a boost in consumer interest and new subscribers, the iPhone didn't help establish a market leader. Currently, a majority of the population has little to no knowledge that subscription music even exists.
That, and due to the recent news that an "Apple Tax" may be issued for in-app signups, it matters precisely what smartphone provider becomes the dominate brand. If Apple becomes a market leader and does decide to hold strong on its 30% tax on subscribers it helped services obtain, that may hinder, not accelerate the boom in subscriptions, because it will force prices to keep rising. Second, even if Apple doesn't remain firm on the App Store levy, there's absolutely zero indication that the major labels will be willing to let the bounty they collect from subscription services fall. If anything, once a market leader is established, major labels will continue to pressure higher royalty rates and erode its bottom-line.
Previously, Guitar Hero became a market leader in music gaming and rather than embrace them, labels demanded that the publisher paid higher and higher royalty rates because they believed their music, not gameplay, is what made it valuable.
And well, Guitar Hero is dead now, in part, due to this schizophrenic relationship.
Price Hike, Not Fall
The record industry is transferring from a business of selling CDs to one of digital downloads. Meanwhile, consumers are shifting from downloads to streaming. As the more lucrative income, i.e. downloads, declines, pressure will be placed on streaming revenues to rise. As a way to preserve what portion of the download business they can, the labels will not allow subscription services to be a better value proposition. This is why Apple and Google are selling downloads and not subscriptions, as the labels don't want them to accelerate the download decline.
Thus, when ABI Research predicts that prices will fall by 2016, due to major label intervention, it's likely that they're wrong. Apple may force a price hike and the labels may too, and if not a price hike, similar to the way movie studios treat Netflix, labels may begin withholding content to drive sales of digital downloads.
If enough new music isn't present on subscription services, consumers won't be interested. Added to this is the fact that services have yet to find a balance of effortless and investment, be everywhere consumers want, create meaningful choices and curated music for listeners, and encourage an active over passive relationship to music. The truth of the matter is that while Spotify may change the world and Slacker may thrive, there's still plenty of problems left for Rhapsody, Rdio, MOG, and Napster to navigate before such a boom by 2016 will ever occur.
- How Does Effort Impact Music Value?
- The Hidden Challenges of Subscription Music.
- The Day Spotify Changed The World.
- New Apple App Rules Could Kill Subscription Music.


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Android Gains Apps Developer Love
The wireless app developer industry has more or less bifurcated into two camps: Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone iOS or Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android. Apple has led, but the Android army is growing as hardware manufacturers -- most recently Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Korea: SEC) -- introduce new phones with beefed-up capabilities. (See Samsung Gets Epic With WiMax Smarty for Sprint.)
Samsung’s latest handsets, which will launch with six of the top US carriers, for example, include high-definition video, video chat, and a built-in compass. But analysts say that, while these new hardware capabilities are notable, they aren’t what’s causing developers to flock to Android.
“Since hardware will vary per device and per smartphone manufacturer, I think it might be difficult for apps developers to address their activities for specific hardware developments,” said Anthony Cox, senior analyst at Juniper Research Ltd. , in an email interview.
Instead, it’s the operating system and, of course, revenue-generating potential that’s drawing developer interest.
According to an Appcelerator Inc. survey released this week, developers are concentrating the most on iOS now, but they are placing their long-term bets on Android. Interestingly, every platform outside of these two is taking a backseat.
Specifically, 90 percent of developers said they were very interested in creating applications for the iPhone, 84 percent for the iPad, and 81 percent opted for Android. The next closest OS was BlackBerry, which only captured 34 percent of developer interest.
The developers said that Android will win because of its OS capabilities, openness, and long-term outlook, but 61 percent were worried about fragmentation in the platform.
Appcelerator’s developers indicated that testing and developing across the various Android OS versions and devices is cost- and time-prohibitive and is their biggest worry for the platform. Given this, they aren’t as likely to get excited about one new device as a customer might.
SPB Software Inc. is a video-focused company that offers both a free Android and iPhone live TV app. Juggs Ravalia, the company’s vice president of strategic alliances, says that a fancy new device doesn’t sway his willingness to develop. He’s going to port his app to each new phone either way. Juggs does note, however, that it could be a different story for a smaller company or guy-in-his-garage developer that has fewer resources, a fact that Appcelerator’s findings back up.
“We don’t worry about there being too many versions of Android,” says Juggs. “We’ll work through it.”
New hardware capabilities might not inspire new apps, but some existing apps could get a lot more attractive when the device capabilities improve. Moving streaming site Qik, for example, has an Android and iPhone app, but the mobile video sharing app is more compelling where a front-facing camera is available.
SPB, too, has to optimize its platform for every device, and Juggs says that more advanced hardware can mean more innovative capabilities, like better graphics on its live TV service. SPB will build for one OS then tweak that service for every phone available based on the capabilities of the OS and the hardware.
Even if hero device capabilities don’t end up driving a new wave of apps, new hardware sets in motion a cyclical process for Android. The more Android devices that enter the market, and the more operator support they receive, the larger their addressable market becomes. In turn, the more attractive Android becomes to profit-motivated developers.
“Capability is important, but it comes down to how much revenue can be generated from the platform,” says NPD Group Inc. analyst Ross Rubin. “Some of that is dependent on how engaging it can be, but more significant is the installed base, how likely they are to download apps, and how good of a job the marketplace does of pointing customers to apps they would find of value.”
— Sarah Reedy, Senior Reporter, Light Reading Mobile


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A recent report said that deployment of the public cloud computing system can add around US$ 100 billion to the Indian economy and generate 2.4 lakh direct jobs by 2023.
As it stands now, the cloud computing market in India is extremely vibrant and dynamic. Various examples of cloud computing transactions can be seen here. Where on the one hand the private sector is excelling in this regard, the government sector is also encouraging the active use and implementation of cloud-based computing operations.
“Public cloud deployments in India have the potential to contribute approximately US$ 100 billion in GDP (gross domestic product) cumulatively from 2019 to 2023. When annualized, this is equivalent to 0.6 percent of GDP and 15 percent of the GDP impact of the IT industry and 25 percent of the textile industry in India,” revealed Google Cloud-BCG joint report.
To recall, the public cloud services revenue in India was projected to total US$2.4 billion in 2019, an increase of 24.3 percent from 2018, according to Gartner, Inc. As noted by an Economic Times report last year, even though India’s revenue has represented only 1.2 percent of the global public cloud services total in 2019, it ranks among the nine countries whose growth rate will be higher than the global average growth rate (16 percent).
“The shift from ‘cloud-first’ to a ‘cloud-only’ model is pushing organizations in India to increase their spending on public cloud services to advance their digital business initiatives,” said Sid Nag, research vice president at Gartner. “Disinvestments in new data centers are also one of the early signs of this move.”
Cloud application services (SaaS) was predicted to be the fastest-growing market segment in India in 2019, accounting for nearly half of total public cloud services revenue, followed by cloud system infrastructure services (IaaS).
These last year’s prediction are seeming to get real as the new report indicates a significant growth in cloud computing market in India.
As noted by Deccan Herald, according to the recent Google-BCG report, manufacturers and financial institutions are still in the early stages of public cloud adoption due to the perceived complexity of migrating legacy data and evolving government regulations around data and security.
“Traditional retailers are expanding into e-commerce to capture digital and omnichannel revenue growth, and they are turning to the public cloud to help them scale up quickly and handle peak loads during special sales like Diwali,” Google Cloud Asia Pacific Managing Director Rick Harshman said.
He also said that access to cloud-based smart data analytics solutions also enables retailer customers to become more customer-centric and data-driven so they can optimize their spend across channels, plan inventory and manage their supply chains.
According to the report, the business efficiencies and growth resulting from public cloud deployments have the potential to generate up to 2.4 lakh jobs and impact another 7,43,000 jobs through second-order effects from 2019 to 2023.
“Of the 2,40,000 direct jobs, around 1,57,000 will be in digital and technology-related roles such as data scientists, product managers, engineering, design, user experience, and infrastructure management jobs with cloud service providers, IT service providers and across industry verticals,” the report said.
Moreover, it also implied that the public cloud deployment will create another 83,000 direct roles that will be related to core business functions across industry verticals.


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The owner of the Trafford Centre, Intu, has called in administrators, placing thousands of jobs in doubt.
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Financial technology (Fintech) is the hottest technology that is involved in improving and computerising the use and distribution of financial services. Fintech is utilised to aid business vendors, companies, organisations and customers to manage their financial operations, processes, and lives in an enhanced way by using certain procedures, software and algorithm on computers and smartphones.
Additionally, the use of fintech, especially in transaction and payments, has been vital in reducing costs for banks and boosting their return on equity. Consequently, due to changing circumstances banks are turning to fintech and restructuring their payment methods. Traditional payment processing techniques will turn out to be troublesome to banking businesses worldwide, in a time where more than 70% of transactions and deals are taking place online.
It is worth noting that easy cashless payment options boosts transaction frequency and aid local players grow in international markets. Fintech is bridging the gap between global economies and removing currency barriers.
According to media sources, fintech spending is expected to be more than $300 billion by 2023, an increase in the low 20% range per year. Notably, emerging economies in Asia America and Latin America are growing at a fast pace.
With the application of advanced software and leveraging AI, big data, and the Internet, Fintech companies are augmenting things to provide enhanced services to customers as and when they require it. Scaling is also more efficient as they use online resources.
With the dynamic consumption patterns and a need to go cashless, customers desire online and mobile payment platforms for paying their bills and shopping. This in turn reduce the demand for cash and credit cards.
Key Finding About Fintech
In 2020, financial technology is likely to move in a direction of the growth of Neobanking and banking as a service platform, along with tokenisation, rise in cloud-based platform and tests to continue with robotic process automation.
Furthermore, growing demand of social-media platforms, increase in e-commerce space, and digital ad-spending are key growth drivers. Additionally, higher commitment to online gaming, music, payment portals, and video streaming services has propelled the growth opportunities for the FinTech Players amid coronavirus-led shut down.
In Australia, Fintech companies have been establishing robust demand and is witnessing massive growth across the retail segment. Owing to ever-increasing use of mobile applications as well as greater use of technology, fintech has offered value proposal to its investors.
Given the current backdrop, we have highlighted Tyro Payments Limited (ASX: TYR) stock with promising fundamentals that are poised to grow in coming years.
Tyro Payments Limited (ASX: TYR)
Payments solution company, Tyro Payments Limited operates in three segments namely payments, banking and other corporate segments. The Company aids credit and debit card acquiring, along with additional functions, such as Medicare Easyclaim and private health insurance claims acceptance. It also offers integrated health claiming facilities to medical practitioners.
COVID-19 Trading Update
On 20 April 2020, TYR provided trading update for the week closed 17 April. The Company is offering the weekly update to give transparency as to the effect of coronavirus on its operations.
The following table offers TYR’s transaction value data until and includes 17 April. The financial information offered is based upon unaudited management accounts which have not been independently reviewed or verified.
Source: Company’s Report
Earlier this month, on 6 April, TYR revealed a weekly transaction value update, in which the transaction value stood at $16.381 billion in April FY20 (year-to-date basis), up 26% from $13.047 billion in FY19. Nevertheless, the transaction value for the period from April to 3 April on date-on-date basis came in at $0.102 billion, a decline of 23% from $0.133 billion recorded in FY19.
During the month of January FY20, TYR saw an increase of 27% in the transaction value as compared to January FY19. Additionally, the transaction value came in an $1.785 billion in February 2020, an increase of 30% from $1.377 billion in FY19. In March 2020 (year-to-date basis), the Company’s transaction value stood at $16.279 billion in FY20, up 26% from $12.914 billion in FY2019.
Notably, Tyro’s transaction value has processed >$11.1 billion in 1HFY20 for more than 32,000 Australian merchants who joined with Tyro in the same time period.
Tyro’s Response to Covid-19 Crisis
The COVID-19 crisis has almost shaken the management of every company due to the mounting uncertainties in the market. Tyro’s management has been vigorously involved in tracking the impact of the measures being employed by the state, federal, & territory governments to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
Tyro has been constantly involved in evaluating any effect upon its transaction values along with projected financial information. The Company has found it sensible to withdraw the Financial Information guidance contained in its Prospectus lodged with ASIC on 18 November 2019, owing to the present uncertainty related to the spread of COVID-19 virus.
Nevertheless, Tyro has retained a healthy financial position, with cash balance amounting to $154 million at the end of February 2020, which does not consist of net banking funds. Moreover, at the end of 31 December 2019, cash balance stood at $149 million. Also, Tyro’s capital structure continues to remain debt-free.
TYR is taking necessary measures to offer the needful to keep away its merchants from suffering any hardship and additionally maintain its team together in the current uncertain times. Furthermore, Tyro’s business has been operating continuously. The Company has further extended its customer support teams, which is operating 24 hours a day to aid its merchants.
It is to be noted that not only Tyro, but other companies have also withdrawn their guidance amid COVID-19 spread. In current situation, Tyro has shared its lack of ability to deliver a dependable forecast at this time.
1HFY20 Operational Highlights
For the period ended 31 December 2019, the Company reported revenue of $117.3 million, up 28.4% on y-o-y basis. The company achieved an all-time $11.1 billion high in transactions value, which increased 29.7% year over year. During the period, 32,450 merchants choose Tyro as their payment’s solution, which increased from 26,351 merchants in 1HFY19.
Revenues from transaction and merchant stood at $113.6 million, an increase of 29% year over year. EBITDA for the period stood at $1.5 million as compared to a loss of $3.0 million in the prior corresponding period. Tyro ended the period with cash and financial investments of $171.1 million. The Company reported a loss after income tax of $19.2 million as compared to a loss of $7.7 million in 1HFY19. TYR posted an operating expense of $48.8 million, which includes $34.4 million for employee benefit expenses.
During the period, the Company took initiatives to implement the trial of new term deposit product for merchants along with the launch of eCommerce solution.
Financial Highlights (Source: Company’s Report)
Liquidity & Cash Flow Analysis
In 1HFY20, TYR’s total capital ratio stood at 145%, an increase from 109% in 1HFY19. During the period, operating cash outflow came in at $12.2 million, owing to $7.5 million cash spend relating to IPO costs and $2.4 million for terminal purchases.
Key Growth Strategies
The Company’s key main strategies for FY20 are aimed at sustained growth in its payments as well as banking businesses. In doing so, TYR remains on track to grow its existing verticals in Australia. The Company expected ~$171 billion from Health, Hospitality and Retail SME payments market in the coming years. Further, the Company is increasing marketing for brand awareness, and making more POS integrations, and is developing more industry specific solutions. The move is expected to be a tailwind, going forward.
Further, the Company remains focused to add new core verticals by entering the accommodation and services verticals. Tyro is also leveraging its existing platform + payments domain knowledge in order to achieve continues growth in its payment solutions.
Tyro also remains active in its mergers and acquisitions front along while pursuing strategic partnership. The Company in doing so, is taking necessary steps to strategically undertake equity investment in me&u - App that enables patrons to view menus, order and pay for meals via their mobile phone. Tyro is also assessing any possible opportunities to increase scale, leverage its platform or capabilities, in order to strengthen its market position. Further, the Company is maintaining a disciplined approach to inorganic growth.
Other Recent Updates
Recently, TYR stated that FIL Limited and the entities, a substantial holder of the Company, has now increased its voting power from 6.30% to 8.27%.
Tyro has a market cap of $1.42 billion with ~497.35 million outstanding shares. The Company’s stock was trading at $2.92 on 20 April 2020, up by ~2.456% (at AEST 3:11 PM).
This website is a service of Kalkine Media Pty. Ltd. A.C.N. 629 651 672. The website has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not intended to be used as a complete source of information on any particular company. Kalkine Media does not in any way endorse or recommend individuals, products or services that may be discussed on this site. Our publications are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold. We are neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice.


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Phil Silver called J. on April 2 to report he couldn’t find any kosher-for-Passover matzah for the holiday in all of San Luis Obispo County.
The Nipomo resident had made the rounds of every supermarket he could think of, all the way to San Luis Obispo, about 25 miles north. “Even Ralph’s had nothing, not even a Passover display,” he said.
Last year, he reports, the local supermarkets had plenty. This year, none at all. Some had a box or two of regular matzah, but nothing that was kosher for Passover.
Silver spoke to the manager at his local Vons in Nipomo. “He was aware of the problem, but couldn’t explain it,” Silver said. He also called and left a message with the rabbi of Congregation Beth David in San Luis Obispo.
Apparently SLO isn’t the only matzah desert in the region. Locals in Bakersfield, 120 miles east in Kern County, also have reported a shortage of the kosher-for-Passover variety. According to a report in the Bakersfield Californian, Vons actually advertised kosher-for-Passover matzah but didn’t carry it. A store employee in Bakersfield told a resident that the regional distributors that deal in holiday foods hadn’t ordered any. The story also reported that a local Trader Joe’s had run out of its supply well before the holiday.
But there was some matzah on tables through the goodwill of Chabad of Bakersfield, which put out a call on Facebook offering matzah to those in need. Esther Schlanger said she and her husband, Rabbi Shmuli Schlanger, didn’t want to “make a big deal of it” but they understood people were upset.
“They needed their matzah,” she said, adding that they’d distributed around two dozen boxes.
“We sincerely appreciate the feedback of our customers,” a spokesperson for Albertsons/Vons, which also owns Safeway, said in an email to J. about the shortages in San Luis Obispo County and Bakersfield. “While many of our stores were prepared to serve customers during Passover, unfortunately, it is clear that we missed the mark in this region. We are working with our merchandising team and intend to do much better by the community in the future.”


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On March 10, by a vote of 276 to 139, the House passed the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act (H.R. 339), which is designed to prevent class-action lawsuits that try to hold food companies responsible for Americans’ super-sized waistlines.
In the wake of the recent announcement that obesity now rivals tobacco as the nation’s No. 1 preventable cause of death, the House addressed what happens when people do not want to take personal responsibility for their own choices.
In other words, Americans are simply eating themselves to death–by their own free will. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced, “we’re going to do something about it.”
However, the Republican-controlled House decided that “doing something about it” does not include bringing lawsuits against Taco Bell or McDonalds.
“The food industry is our nation’s largest private sector employer, providing jobs to some 12 million Americans. Today, that industry is threatened by an array of legal claims alleging that it should be liable to pay damages for the over-consumption of its legal products by others,” said Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R.-Wis.).
Lawsuits against the food companies pertaining to matters other than weight concerns could still be filed, despite the bill.
Democrats, demonstrating what critics consider their absolute loyalty to the trial lawyer lobby and their philosophical denial of personal responsibility, tried with six different amendments to soften or alter the impact of the bill. They all failed to pass, however.
Rep. Mel Watt (D.-N.C.), indicated that he thought the House should get back to debating matters of “true importance,” as though the well-being of the nation’s largest over all employment industry was not truly important.
Conservatives argued that obesity lawsuits will result in higher prices at restaurants, and that many small business owners will be forced out of business and consequently, jobs will be cut.
Sarcastic comments from liberals concerning the bill were heard throughout the debate. “I suppose just like every other self-serving business lobby in Washington, the fast food industry wants the Republicans to protect them from being responsible,” said liberal Rep. Pete Stark (D.-Calif.).
Republicans remained steadfast in their position that frivolous lawsuits would only drive up the cost of doing business, harming the economy. In addition, “The Big M in the Sky didn’t make you obese; you did,” Rep. Robin Hayes (R.-N.C.) said.
A “yes” vote was a vote in favor of passing the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act, barring weight-targeted lawsuits. A “no” vote was one against the bill.
|FOR THE BILL: 276||AGAINST THE BILL: 139|
|REPUBLICANS FOR: 221
Davis, Jo Ann
DEMOCRATS FOR: 55
|REPUBLICANS AGAINST: 1
DEMOCRATS AGAINST: 137
INDEPENDENTS AGAINST: 1
NOT VOTING: 18
|REPUBLICANS (5):||DEMOCRATS (13):||INDEPENDENTS (0)|


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April 6, 2018
CVS will feature an exclusive first look of Khroma Beauty's core collection in more than 2,000 stores across the U.S.
The Khroma Beauty brand will release a limited edition holiday collection in late-November and plans to officially debut the core collection at other retailers in January 2013, after the CVS release.
Kourtney, Kim and Khloe gave design direction, tested and approved each product in the new beauty line, which will include Au Naturel nude lip sets, Intimate Spotlight highlighter and Honey Sticks lip gloss.
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IDC-G adds Main One to alliance
BUSINESS| Oct. 7, 2012, 11:43 a.m.
The International Data Centre Group (IDC-G), a global data centre alliance, has added West Africa via its latest member Main One Cable Company.
IDC-G notes that Main One Cable Company, based in Lagos, Nigeria, is West Africa’s leading communications services company and operates its two data centres in its cable landing stations in Lagos and Accra. Main One data centres offer highly conditioned, secure, Tier 3 power rated rack space in rooms that are connected to a backbone, via diverse physical and logical network paths.
The facilities are home to Main One’s 1.92Tbps submarine cable system connecting West Africa to the rest of the world. Beyond the existing facilities, the company is actively planning the construction of additional data centres in Lagos. Given this increased focus on the data centre business, Main One is pleased to become a member of the IDC-G alliance of world class data centers around the globe.
“Main One, led by Funke Opeke, who really is an exemplary visionary, has made a great impact on the African market, especially in Nigeria. We cannot be more pleased to have such a major player in West Africa on board,” said Guy Willner, Executive Chairman of International Data Centre Group.
Main One Cable Company CEO Funke Opeke said: “The alliance with the International Data Centre Group will create knowledge sharing platforms which we can leverage to further strengthen our data centre operations in West Africa. In addition, the business networking opportunities will further help raise the awareness of the tremendous opportunities for data centre operations in West Africa”.
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Flurry of enterprises head to Peterborough business hub
Six businesses have agreed leases on new units on a Peterborough industrial estate.
The spate of deals cover premises ranging in size from 600 sq ft to 1,250 sq ft at Benedict Square in Werrington, which have been leased to businesses from various sectors,
The companies moving on to Benedict Square are Crunchy Snacks, DS Fleet Maintenance, Brents Boxing Peterborough, Stitches & Print, EasyPrint as well as S-Print.
The deals have been overseen by commercial agents Savills on behalf of Jubilee Industrial Investments.
Edward Gee, associate director at Savills Peterborough, said: “Despite ongoing uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic, small, mostly local, businesses have continued to actively look for space and the scheme has provided the ideal place for them to continue to thrive.
“Due to its strong credentials and flexible lease terms we expect to receive significant interest in the last remaining units.”
It is the second flurry of business property deals in Peterborough announced by Savills over the last two weeks.
The company announced last week that it had secured deal on three shops in the city centre.


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CarMax Inc.’s weak second quarter financial results paint a bleak picture: high vehicle prices, economy-wide inflation and rising interest rates are causing consumers to put off car purchases. used cars and trucks. The challenges are forcing the used-car giant to cut costs to better match sales levels.
The retailer’s decline in volume and earnings reported last week fueled fears of a more protracted deterioration in demand in the used-car market. CarMax’s share price fell 25% on Thursday, September 29, the day it announced its earnings, and share prices of competitor Carvana Co. and other state-owned retailers also fell. This marks a significant reversal from just a year ago, when retailers reported sustained high demand and strong profits for used vehicles and benefited from strong stock prices.
CarMax sold 457,889 used vehicles in the six months ended August 31, down 8.9% from the year-ago period. Company executives said the pressure on vehicle affordability that showed up in early 2022 appeared to be building and continuing through the summer.
CarMax said its net profit fell 56% to $125.9 million.
Industry sales were impacted by “a shift in the prioritization of consumer spending from large purchases to small discretionary items,” CarMax CEO Bill Nash said after the company’s earnings release.
CarMax same-store vehicle sales fell 8.3% year-over-year during the summer months, falling to a low single-digit rate in June, but accelerating in July with steeper declines that underperformed expectations.
The drop in demand has occurred “almost solely because of affordability issues,” said Daniel Imbro, managing director of Stephens Inc. covering CarMax and other auto retailers.


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Report claims FTC is likely to challenge Microsoft’s $68.7B Activision deal. Politico reported late Wednesday that the United States regulator is very much likely to file an antitrust suit against Microsoft’s blockbuster video game deal.
Report Claims FTC Is Likely to Challenge Microsoft’s $68.7B Activision Deal
Microsoft’s blockbuster $68.7 billion buy of game maker Activision Blizzard may once again face a new regulatory hurdle, with a report from Politico citing that the US Federal Trade Commission is “likely” to file an antitrust suit against the deal.
The story, which was published late Wednesday citing anonymous sources, reported that the FTC’s commissioners had not yet voted on whether to file suit against Microsoft. But, however, the publication added that the FTC’s staff are “skeptical” about each company’s claims of benefits from the deal. And with that being said, an investigation into the deal is reportedly ongoing at the moment.
What Microsoft Has To Say about the New Development
The FTC did not respond to a request for comment immediately. A Microsoft spokesperson however said that said the company is “prepared to address the concerns of regulators.” Microsoft has stated in the past that it believes the deal will be approved both in the US and in overseas. A spokesperson from Activision defended the deal, citing in a statement that it will “benefit gamers and the U.S. gaming industry, especially as we face increasingly stiff competition from abroad.”
In the event that the FTC does ultimately challenge Microsoft’s deal, it’ll be the biggest move that has been made by President Joe Biden’s administration against the tech industry. FTC Chair Lina Kahn has long expressed interest in reining in tech’s largest companies, which have now grown to become some of the biggest and most highly valued in the world. And she’s not alone in this.
The Tech World Have Been Scrutinized By both Lawmakers and Regulators Lately
Regulators and lawmakers all over the globe have increasingly scrutinized the tech world, following a series of privacy and political scandals at both Facebook and Google in particular. Amazon on the other hand has also been targeted as one of the world’s largest retailers, while Apple has been criticized for the power it wields in regard to the more than 1 billion actively used iPhones.
Microsoft Largely Has Avoided Scrutiny As Of Late
Microsoft largely has avoided scrutiny as of late, despite a US judge famously declaring it a monopolist over two decades ago. The executives of the company have spent the previous year discussing the Activision deal with regulators all over the world, who’ve received concerns from competitors and this is including Sony’s PlayStation division.
What the Involvement of the FTC Means to the Deal
And even if the FTC does ultimately challenge Microsoft’s deal, it may not get to win in court. Longtime video game industry analyst Michael Pachter, of Wedbush Securities, has responded to the story, saying that he expects that the regulator would be “crushed in court” and that it will also likely strike an agreement with Microsoft in a bid “to maintain the status quo.”