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Huawei: United States permissions currently additionally endanger mobile phone manufacturing
For time currently, Huawei has actually been incapable to provide brand-new gadgets with Google’s very own software application and also solutions. Huawei Chief Executive Officer Richard Yu claimed at the “China Information 100” meeting that the chip manufacturing of Huawei’s Kirin chips will be stopped.
The 2nd round people permissions had actually made sure that providers just approved orders as much as May 15 th. According to Yu, this implies that manufacturing of the cpus will certainly upright September 15 th,2020 Huawei is unable to generate the cpus needed for the smart devices themselves. Huawei’s providers require United States innovations that are impacted by the United States federal government’s permissions. The present generation of Kirin cpus can additionally be the last, Yu claimed.
Huawei’s mobile phone manufacturing: no chips, no supply
Yu additionally claimed that mobile phone manufacturing will certainly have “no chips and also no supply”. Therefore, Huawei’s mobile phone sales this year are anticipated to be less than in 2014. In 2019, 240 million gadgets can still be counted. In the 2nd quarter of 2020, Huawei distributions were also sufficient to surpass Samsung.
This catapulted Huawei to starting point amongst mobile phone producers. According to experts, the factor for this was the massive need in the residence nation, while at the very same time international sales numbers sagged by 27 percent contrasted to the previous year.
United States permissions versus Huawei
In May 2019, the Trump management revealed permissions versus Huawei and also 114 of the business’s companions. This implies that United States firms are no more permitted to market innovation to the business without specific federal government authorization. This additionally suggested that Google was no more permitted to approve an Android certificate and also Google’s applications are consequently missing on brand-new gadgets.
Last May, additional permissions were included, obstructing the supply of cpus to Huawei from United States firms. These after that additionally made sure that also international firms were no more permitted to provide items to Huawei if United States innovation was made use of in their procedures. TSMC, the globe’s biggest chip supplier, is claimed to have actually quit providing Huawei’s HiSilicon cpus in May.
Yet there might be great information for Huawei. United States chip supplier Qualcomm is claimed to have actually asked the Trump federal government in current days to loosen up permissions to ensure that cpus can be provided to Huawei.


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Budbee has quite a different approach from more traditional parcel delivery services. First of all, the company only delivers parcels between 5 PM and 10 PM, when chances are higher that people are home. Customers can also make very specific requests regarding how they want their parcels to arrive. For example, they can ask the delivery person to knock on the door instead of ringing the bell.
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Swedish parcel delivery company Budbee arrives in Flanders
Adding to our customer-centric focus, Budbee delivers packages only in the evening, from 5 to 10 pm. That's when you're most likely to find someone at home.
Not only does Budbee have a different approach when it comes to meeting customer needs, it also aims to be a more sustainable alternative to traditional parcel delivery companies.
Retailer magazine Gondola previously zoomed in on this trend in an article about Budbee’s activities in Flanders:
E-commerce has boomed following the American model: free home deliveries within 24 hours. Now is the time for a new generation of delivery services that are more sustainable, more flexible and more platform driven, like Budbee.
According to a study by Gondola Academy and Belgian postal service bpost, 22% of citizens in Flanders think that the current parcel delivery system is not sustainable. Budbee tries to cater to this new customer philosophy and, besides providing more options for customers, their deliverers distribute parcels exclusively using electric vehicles and bicycles.
Budbee was established in 2015. Since then, it has raised EUR 92 million, EUR 52 million of which was obtained in 2021. Among its investors are Swedish pension fund AFM and fashion chain H&M. In 2021, the company will further expand to serve even more countries. Budbee currently distributes 1 million packages in 4 countries, generating a turnover of EUR 15 million in the first half of 2020 alone.

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According to a recent report on North American mobile OS market share for May 2010 by Quantcast, Android’s market share is growing. The report measured the mobile web consumption based on mobile OS for smartphones.
Apple led the way with 58.4% market share. Android is second with 19.9% and RIM is third with 10.4%. The remaining 10.9% is divided between other companies like Nokia, Microsoft and Palm. The smartphone market has grown considerably in the last year. The numbers how that Android’s share of the market has grown; it has a 12.2% increase from last year. The iOS market share has decreased to 8.1% in comparison.
To read the full story, click here.


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Kay Jeweleries Manhasses sales soar above $300M.
Its second-best ever.
The jewellers sales soared past $250M in the second quarter of 2016, according to a report from financial services company Citi.
Its fourth-best quarterly sales ever.
Kay’s revenues have been growing steadily for years.
The company has expanded in London, adding new outlets in Manhatten, Soho and Greenwich, among others.
Its first-quarter sales were up 7 percent compared with the same period last year, according the report.
As part of its expansion plans, the company has announced plans to open additional jewelers stores in Manhattan, London and San Francisco in the coming years.


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Tradewinds owner working to reopen upholstery shopBy Emily Etheredge Published 4:35pm Thursday, June 6, 2013
Exactly one week after a driver crashed into the front part of his store, Charlie Schoenvogel with Tradewinds Upholstery is trying to pick up the pieces.
“The place is definitely more crowded than it used to be.”
Schoenvogel stood near the front of his shop on Wednesday with antiques piled on top of one another, broken glass strewn about the floor and pieces of mangled furniture resting in small crevices of the store from the impact of the vehicle crash.
Due to insurance purposes, Schoenvogel was asked to not move any of the furniture until the damage could be assessed and has closed the shop this week due to having no room for customers to walk around.
A hot-pink poster board sign reads “drive-thru” on the outer portion of the store explaining to those passing by what happened to the shop and the store entrance has a handwritten sign telling customers the store is closed.
Schoenvogel said the motorist driving the car was traveling at a high rate of speed when he hit the front portion of the store and the impact from the car caused some of the furniture including a China display cabinet from 1880 to be heavily damaged.
“I am just going to have to trash that piece of furniture because I am not going to be able to salvage that,” Schoenvogel said. “I also have a walnut bed that was completely trashed resting in the front portion of the store.”
The crash occurred on May 30 shortly before 3 p.m. when a Hyundai Santa Fe car that was traveling south on U.S. Highway 31 crossed over one lane of traffic, hit the curb and crashed into the front part of Tradewinds Upholstery located at 1703 Seventh St. S.
No customers were in the shop during the time of the crash and Schoenvogel had just taken a seat in his chair toward the front of his store when the furniture inside the store started closing in on him.
“I heard tires screeching and the next thing I realized was the furniture surrounding me was closing in on me,” Schoenvogel said. “I am just thankful no one was hurt because that could have really caused some damage.”
Schoenvogel said he has seen several car crashes occur along the street directly in front of his shop due to motorists often speeding on the road.
A speed limit sign of 40 mph is posted a few feet away from the Tradewinds shop.
After the insurance company assesses the damage, Schoenvogel hopes to start repairing the front part of the shop and moving the furniture.
The driver of the vehicle was OK but told authorities including Clanton Fire Department and Clanton Police Department at the time of the crash he lost control of his vehicle.
Schoenvogel is still working on orders placed in his shop prior to the crash but the turnaround time for furniture reupholstering has slowed down by a few weeks.
“The crash happened on the two year anniversary of this shop being opened and it had been a good two years up until all of this happened,” Schoenvogel laughingly said.


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Asus was one of the first PC makers to go ultra-thin with its Zenbook line. That latest UX301 version packs in nearly every high-end spec you'd want, but it's priced out of reach for most, and lacks an all-day battery.
The Dell XPS 15 takes on Apple's MacBook Pro with Retina Display in almost every category, even beating it in a few. But for such a hefty investment, a design overhaul is in order.
You might want to think twice before reaching for the remote. A study points the finger of death at too much television, tying excessive watching habits to a higher mortality rate.
LG says its next flagship smartphone will feature a QHD screen, with four times the pixels of a standard HD screen.
A premium MacBook alternative with nearly every high-end spec imaginable.
The CMO of the Chinese device maker says Windows Phone is still on the agenda, but the company is more jazzed about its upcoming dual Android-Windows Phone device.
The weak display in last year's Razer Blade gaming laptop is swapped out for an amazing 3,200x1,800 one.
The Cupertino, Calif., electronics giant had its best quarter ever for smartphone and tablet sales, but Wall Street's unhappy. CNET breaks down why.
Seagate announces at CES 2014 a new 2TB Backup Plus Slim drive that's thinner than the previous model, and the all-new Backup Plus Fast, the first USB RAID 0 portable drive that offers 4TB of storage space and significantly increased performance.
For reasons that are as obvious as they are painful, there is now a competition that will prove who is truly more self-absorbed.


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MINNEAPOLIS — The rapid rise in at-home eating as a result of pantry stocking led to a surge in fourth-quarter sales and operating income within the North America Retail segment of General Mills, Inc., contributing to sharply higher full-year results at the Minneapolis-based maker of Big G cereals and Gold Medal flour.
Operating profit within the North America Retail unit soared 69% in the fourth quarter ended May 31, to $892.6 million, driven by a 36% spike in sales to $3.17 billion. In the full year, operating profit increased 15% to $2.63 billion, and sales rose 8% to $10.75 billion.
Overall, net income at General Mills in the year ended May 31 totaled $2.18 billion, equal to $3.59 per share on the common stock, up 24% from $1.75 billion, or $2.92 per share, in fiscal 2019. Net sales increased 5% to $17.63 billion from $16.87 billion a year ago.
“The significant surge in demand has reinforced the importance of supply chain excellence, something that has been a hallmark of General Mills for decades,” Jeffrey L. Harmening, chief executive officer, said on July 1. “We've increased the agility of our supply chain, including partnering with customers to prioritize production of key products to reduce downtime and increase capacity. With the uptick in consumers eating at home, we've seen broad-based improvements in household penetration for our brands, and we're encouraged by early indicators on repeat. And we've seen many more consumers buy their food online in recent months.”
Mr. Harmening said at-home food demand accelerated dramatically during the fourth quarter, contributing to the company’s US retail unit’s best full-year market share performance in a decade.
“This performance was led by our US meals and baking operating unit, which generated 68% retail sales growth in the fourth quarter, including strong results for Pillsbury refrigerated baked goods, Progresso soup, Totino's hot snacks, Betty Crocker desserts and Gold Medal flour,” he said.
In US Cereal, General Mills delivered its third consecutive year of retail sales growth and extended its leadership position in the category, Mr. Harmening said, gaining 70 basis points of share for the full year.
“This performance was due to strong brand building, especially across the Cheerios franchise, which grew retail sales and market share in Q4 behind the success of its heart health messaging,” he said.
In US Snacks, General Mills followed through on its goal to improve its focus on bars and fruit snacks.
“We drove 11% retail sales growth on fruit snacks behind increased capacity and exciting equities such as Disney's Frozen 2,” Mr. Harmening said. “And we made important improvement in our snack bars market share throughout the year, including share growth in the fourth quarter, led by improved innovation, merchandising and distribution for Nature Valley.”
In the company’s US Yogurt business, fiscal ’20 retail sales slipped 1% as General Mills continued to experience declines in the tail of its yogurt portfolio, including light and Greek varieties. But Mr. Harmening said the core yogurt business performed well, as retail sales of original-style Yoplait increased 5% and GoGurt rose 8%.
Because of the significant uncertainty in the balance of at-home versus away-from-home food demand, Mr. Harmening said General Mills is not providing guidance for fiscal 2021. The company has set three key priorities, though.
First, General Mills aims to compete effectively everywhere it plays. Second, General Mills will drive efficiency to fuel investment in its brands and in capabilities. Finally, the company will look to reduce its leverage to increase financial flexibility.
“To achieve our fiscal '21 priorities, we will need to focus across the enterprise in several key areas, including brand building, innovation and strategic capabilities,” Mr. Harmening said. “Bold brand building is the lifeblood of a consumer products company, and we have plans in fiscal '21 to advance our efforts to meet consumers where they are with purpose-driven brands.”
For example, Mr. Harmening said General Mills is renovating its entire Pillsbury Refrigerated cookie dough line to be safe to eat raw.
In fiscal '21 General Mills will continue to innovate across all aspects of its business. In US Snacks, General Mills is launching a new Nature Valley sustained energy bar, made with nuts, seeds and fruit and available in almond butter and blueberry and peanut butter and cranberry varieties.
In US Yogurt, General Mills has a number of new items coming to market in the first half of fiscal 2021, including a keto-friendly yogurt with 1 gram of sugar, 2 grams of carbs, 15 grams of protein and 15 grams of fat available in five different flavors, including strawberry, black cherry and coconut.
In focusing on strategic capabilities, General Mills plan to leverage its scale through fiscal '21 through enterprise capabilities like e-commerce, data and analytics, Mr. Harmening said.


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Oakley Adds Two Riders to MTB Hall of Fame
Oakley’s very own Sports Marketing Manager Steve Blick will be inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame during a ceremony at Interbike 2008 at the Sand’s Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on Wednesday, September 24th. Joining him in the group of inductees will be Oakley’s longtime rider Brian Lopes.
Established in 1988 in Crested Butte, Colorado, the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and Museum showcases the history of mountain biking. The MBHF documents the individuals and the events, which have contributed to the history of mountain biking since the sport’s inception nearly thirty years ago.
Every year the MBHF’s current members and former inductees vote in three to seven new nominees. Nomination is open to anyone, but the bar has been set high. Of the 107 individuals and four groups currently inducted, each has played a specific role in progressing the sport’s development.
Oakley’s Steve Blick will be inducted for his “promotion” within the industry. From his beginnings as a childhood BMX’er, Blick went from shop rat to pro cross-country racer to R&D rider for Shimano’s SKUNK program. He turned his passion into a career as he worked in marketing for Marin, GT and finally Oakley where he works today. Blick has been at the big O for close to a decade and is loved by the two-wheeled athletes he supports from the Tour de France to Crankworx. But it’s his behind the scenes work, where he takes an active role in the Oakley’s cycling product development that touches the everyday rider the most.
Oakley’s Brian Lopes will be inducted in the “racing history” category, thanks to his 25 world cup wins, four world championship titles and nine national titles over a 15-year career. For this he is a racing icon, but also the coauthor of a how-to book on mountain bike riding and a digitalized Sony PlayStation character. Lopes continues to compete in events across the board from world cup four cross to progressive competitions like Crankworx. Lopes is a mountain bike lifer and his entry into the hall of fame just adds cache to his legend.
Brian Lopes (racing history)
Steve Blick (promotion)
Bob Girvin (industry)
John Finley Scott (pioneers)
Nat Ross (racing history)
Philip Keyes (advocacy) and
The Induction Ceremony is set for 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 24 during the Interbike Show at the Sand’s Expo and Convention Center. The ceremony is open to the public.


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Perfumer Jean Claude Delville has joined drom Fragrances’ creative team in New York City. He will work out of the company’s revamped Tribeca studio on the development of fragrances for a variety of applications, with a focus on fine fragrance and personal care.
Delville has created a wide range of successful fragrances for major beauty marketers around the world and was previously with Firmenich, IFF and Symrise. Of the appointment Ferdinand Storp, general manager, drom, said, “We are extremely excited to have Jean Claude on board … [His] extraordinary skills and expertise make him one of the world’s best perfumers, and a great addition to our team of perfume fanatics.” “Jean Claude is a great fit for drom, he embodies our signature approach to perfumery, an approach of unlimited creativity, openness and flexibility, of breaking down existing structures and doing whatever it takes to move our industry forward. We have big plans,” added Andy O’Shea, vice president of drom’s US operation.


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Roxo’s Kayla Emmerson and her team scored a 2014 Worthy Award from the Greater Fort Worth Chapter of PRSA for the fun and flirty social media campaign they devised and conducted for TCU’s Men’s Tennis.
Lauren, Maddie Slezak and Lauren Pennington came up with a highly effective strategy tied to Valentine’s Day that helped establish a brand personality for the team and increase attendance at its opening games in late February.
The tennis team had approached Roxo, TCU’s student-run agency strategic communication, for help with a challenge. The team wanted to remain one of the top schools in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for game attendance. Roxo sought to go one step further and increase attendance by targeting TCU sorority women, specifically.
Roxo used Valentine’s Day as a “hook” for the campaign. The team designed flirtatious Valentine’s Day cards using a Ryan Gosling-themed meme format and profiling each tennis player. The cards read, “Hey girl, you look great… but you would look even better watching my match. Feb 21st at 5:30.”
Roxo interviewed all 10 tennis players with questions they could use on the cards: “What would be your perfect date?” and, “Tell us your best pick up line.” The cards featured each teammate’s home town and favorite pick-up line, as well as basic guidelines for the sorority competition: “Share the front of this card on Facebook tagging TCU Men’s Tennis, or Tweet @TCUMensTennis to find out. Part of the sorority competition?
Roxo’s campaign generated results that far exceeded the objectives. The campaign increased attendance at the opening matches by more than 20 percent over the previous year. Before Roxo’s involvement, the TCU team had an average reach of 500 people on Facebook. On Valentine’s Day Roxo increased the reach to 33,400 people.
The Worthy Award is the highest-level honor in the student contest sponsored by the Greater Fort Worth Chapter PRSA.


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The offer is nearly 50 per cent cheaper than the current going price.
The airline has partnered with Singapore Tourism Board to celebrate 2015 being Singapore’s Golden Jubilee year.
Passengers travelling from Chennai, Bengalaru, Hyderabad, Kochi and Tiruchi can make use of this offer between July 7 and July 15, 2015 (booking period).
The applicable travel period is between August 4 and November 6, 2015, said Teh Yik Chuan, sales and Marketing, Tigerair Singapore.
The one way fare from Chennai to Singapore begins at Rs 3,799, says a press release.


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Ford becomes latest car manufacturer to pledge future to Britain in major vote of confidence following Brexit vote
Ford has become the latest car manufacturer to pledge its future to Britain in a major vote of confidence following the Brexit vote.
Just a day after Nissan said it would build two new models at its Sunderland plant, Ford said there were no plans to close any of its UK operations.
Jim Farley, Ford’s European boss, said the American company had operated in Britain for more than a century and had 14,000 UK staff – ‘many’ more than Nissan.
Badge of honour: Ford has said there are no plans to close any of its UK operations
The comments defy doom-laden reports claiming Ford was mulling plant closures in the UK and Europe to combat the Brexit blow. They will come as a boost to workers at its UK facilities, including at Dunton in Essex and at Bridgend in Wales, where production of its new Dragon engine is due to start in 2018.
‘We just announced a £100m investment in Bridgend to install our new Dragon engine and we have no plans to change our investments or make any new changes,’ said Farley.
He was speaking as the European division posted record results, with profits jumping to £113m from £7m.
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Walmart buys a VR company on its way to invent ‘contextual commerce’
The purchase establishes the third ‘portfolio company’ through the giant retailer’s tech incubator, Store No 8.
Walmart, which has been gearing up to take on Amazon’s continued competitive threat, added a new item this week to its arsenal: a virtual reality startup called Spatialand.
The purchase was actually made through Walmart’s tech incubator, Store No 8, which had worked with Spatialand in 2017 on a VR project. Announced last March, the incubator’s name comes from one of the original Walmart store locations in Arkansas, where founder Sam Walton liked to test retail ideas.
Spatialand, which offers VR development tools, will operate as a portfolio company, Store No 8’s third, and will work to create new VR/AR applications for both the online Walmart and the physical stores.


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Low & Bonar, the specialist materials group which has its roots as a jute maker in Dundee, today said its chief executive is leaving as it again warned on profits.
The group decided that a change of leadership is required as the business looks to turnaround its fortunes and that Philip de Klerk will depart on 1 July. Non-executive chairman, Daniel Dayan, will become executive chairman and Low & Bonar said the search for a new chief executive will not be initiated immediately and the situation will be reviewed later in the year.
“The board expresses its thanks to Philip for his efforts as CFO and CEO in identifying and tackling significant and long-standing cultural, operational and organisational weaknesses during a very challenging period for the group,” the group said in a statement.
The news came as the company said the rate of improvement in trading performance is below expectations and that first half performance will be materially behind that of the prior half year.
It blamed factors including the ongoing Chinese/US trade dispute which it said has created significant uncertainty in the Chinese market. Weak demand in transport markets, notably Germany and Eastern Europe, has also been a headwind.
“The board continues to expect the improving sales trend to underpin a stronger second half, helped by the usual seasonality in the business, and also supported by further cost reductions already in process. In light of current trading and ongoing weakness in certain markets, the board has lowered its expectations of full year performance.”
Low & Bonar’s products are used in applications including civil engineering and flooring to building products, transport and industrial businesses.
The group employs around 50 people at its site in Dundee where it makes carpet backing.


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- Robinhood is aiming for a July IPO after delaying its programs this thirty day period, Bloomberg noted.
- The expense application needs to wait till folks return from the July 4 holiday getaway, the report claimed.
- The system rolled out a support to permit traders to obtain into IPOs, together with its individual, last thirty day period.
- Indicator up here for our each day e-newsletter, 10 Items Just before the Opening Bell.
Robinhood is targeting a inventory industry debut in July, right after its strategy to go public this month fell by means of, Bloomberg noted.
The popular investing-application company, expected to trade on the Nasdaq index, would like to time its initial public offering for when persons return from the US Independence Working day holiday split following thirty day period, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing sources.
The choice is just not final, and Robinhood’s designs are issue to modify.
The organization confidentially submitted for an IPO in March, aiming to make its debut in late June. But its prospectus with the securities’ regulator has not however been made community. It has been contemplating a listing since as early as 2018.
Popular amid retail investors, Robinhood counted a lot more than 13 million end users at the finish of 2020. It has been credited with assisting empower the investing frenzy that sent GameStop stock skyrocketing this year.
The trading system scored an $11.7 billion valuation at a funding round late last year. But secondary shares have specified the enterprise a valuation of as a great deal as $40 billion, in accordance to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst David Ritter.
3 new impartial administrators joined Robinhood’s board previously this thirty day period. The addition of its initial woman director, Paula Loop, allows it meet up with a necessity by underwriter Goldman Sachs that all firms looking for to go public need to have at the very least just one diverse board member.
Previous month, the firm rolled out a company that will allow customers to buy into IPOs along with establishments and wealthier investors – together with into its own listing.
Robinhood declined to remark about its designs for July.
Go through Much more: A veteran solutions trader breaks down 3 probable drivers of AMC’s 2,500% surge this calendar year – and shares how extended the retail-fueled rally could possibly last


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The Friday Report: August 14th, 2020Quick wrap up of a few hot topic newsworthy stories in the supply chain logistics industry
Lo-Calorie Whodunit: What Happened to All the Fresca?
By now, Americans have come to accept that there will be a snafu or two with respect to toilet paper, meat, cleaning supplies and some other goods, but Fresca? It seems beyond belief.
Yes, it is true. For those die-hard Fresca fans, the shortage of the delightful grapefruit citrusy fizzy liquid has been downright painful. But why?
In investigating this issue, it turns out that production of Fresca was not halted, but delays were experienced in particular geographic locations and stores. During the initial wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Coca Cola, the parent company reduced production on a variety of its products, including Fresca so as to enable it to concentrate on meeting the high demand of water and other high profile products. Fresca increased in demand during the pandemic but was met with an additional challenge: the shortage of 12 ounce aluminum beverage cans. Because bars were closed for several months, consumers increased their purchases of six-packs of beer.
Another mystery solved. Fresca should be back soon at a retailer near you.
COVID-19 Vaccine: Getting the Global Supply Chain Ready
From reduced capacity on container ships and cargo aircraft to outdated, legacy technology, manual operations and burdensome paperwork, the eventual arrival of an approved COVID-19 vaccine, while welcome, does not guarantee smooth delivery to billions of people worldwide.
With the extended global economic downturn, many businesses have been suspended or closed, slowing down the required infrastructure needed for the pharmaceutical supply chain. Add to this a lack of global strategy, adequate capacity to refrigerate the vaccine during the shipping process and during storage and a major problem emerges.
Over 160 coronavirus vaccines are in development, however only 25 are currently in human studies. Some candidates have advanced to late-stage trials and are hopeful of obtaining emergency use authorizations from regulators to use the vaccine before the end of this year for healthcare workers and possibly vulnerable groups.
For more information, please continue reading here.
USDA Proposes Blockchain Use for Organics
The USDA recently reported that it expects that electronic tracking systems will play an “essential role” in tracing organic products through the supply chain. Using blockchain, sometimes referred to as digital ledger technology (DLT) will enable the security, traceability, verification and transparency of confidential business information including trade secret information, keeping it safe from prying eyes.
The USDA report issued on August 5th cited several pilot programs including Walmart blockchain tracking systems involving pork and mangos, Nestle testing traceability of its milk supply and Bumble Bee Foods monitoring yellowfin tuna from Indonesia.
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5. Executive-level attention and oversight


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O&H Danish Bakery releases new holiday flavor: Santa's Secret Christmas Kringle
Posted: Dec 2, 2019 7:46 AM CDT
RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- O&H Danish Bakery is releasing a new holiday flavor, the Santa’s Secret Christmas Kringle.
The new kringle is made from a red velvet cake recipe, layered with vanilla pudding and topped with frosting and sprinkles.
Santa’s Secret Christmas Kringle is now available at any of the bakery’s five locations and for online ordering throughout the country.
Along with the new Kringle, O&H Danish Bakery is also producing other holiday pastries, including last year’s holiday flavor, the Eggnog Kringle.


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Marks & Spencer has announced it is proposing to close it's Cascades Portsmouth store in early 2018.
It's part of the companies review of their stores and are today consulting with staff over the closures - which include 5 other shops across the UK.
The company say they plan to open a new Foodhall at Ocean Retail Park early next year.
Gordon Scott, Regional Manager of Home Counties South at M&S, said: "Proposing to close our store in Portsmouth is not a decision we have taken lightly. We value the loyalty of our customers in the city and know that some of them will be disappointed by this proposal. We are working closely with our colleagues on the consultation and would help them relocate to other stores, should the closure go ahead. It is our intention that nobody would leave M&S.
"We are committed to delivering the very best of M&S for shoppers in the area, which includes the proposed new Foodhall at Ocean Retail Park and our recently opened store in Havant."
The Havant store opened last year and they also have an outlet store in Gunwharf Quays. If the Commercial Road store does close the company have confirmed that all staff would be guaranteed redeployment at nearby stores.
The companies plans going forward include opening 200 new Foodhalls and reducing the places they sell Clothing and Home products by 60.
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Memory booth to record your memories at Portsmouth Guildhall
As part of its Discovering the Guildhall history project to preserve people’s memories of the Guildhall and the historic events which surround it for future generations, the Guildhall has created a fun memory booth.
A level celebrations for Portsmouth students
Students across Portsmouth are celebrating excellent A level results today, with many going on to their first choice of university.
Early figures point to success of wheelie bin scheme in boosting recycling
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Stop Domestic Abuse wins grant to launch ‘Family Fun Time Thursdays’
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Southsea coastal defence designs submitted for planning approval
Work to build new sea defences which will ensure the safety of more than 8000 properties and 700 businesses took a step forward as the planning application for the Southsea Coastal Scheme was submitted for approval to the local planning authority.
Say "bonjour" to Southsea's new French market
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A former teacher who abused schoolgirls between 2007 and 2013 has today (Monday 29 July) been jailed for 12 years.


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Apple has made iOS 11.0.2 available on supported iPhones, iPads and iPods. It's the second update since the launch of iOS 11 on September 19. Like 11.0.1, it aims to fix some problems that users have complained about. Among them is the iPhone 8 crackling audio problem. If that's something you've been experiencing, you can download the update now.
iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus owners had taken to forums and social media to report a crackling noise when making phone calls over cellular networks. Apple acknowledged the issue when it came up and promised a fix in "an upcoming software release." Now it's here.
I didn't have the crackling audio problem on my iPhone 8 unit, so I haven't been able to test if the update is effective. But if the patch does fix the issue, that's a relief, as some users were concerned it was a problem with their hardware rather than the software.


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A next-generation model is coming soon.
Unless you are walking around a rental car lot, you aren't likely to find the 2022 Chevrolet Trax. In fact, the 2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer nearly doubled its outdated sibling's sales volume, selling 90,163 units in 2021 compared to 42,590 for the Trax. Admittedly, the Trax performed much better in 2019 and 2020 when it moved 116,817 and 106,299 units, respectively. Despite the Trailblazer performing well, Chevy says it makes sense to sell both subcompact SUV models. That's why the Trax will be replaced.
"Chevy can confirm that production of the current Chevrolet Trax will end in late 2022," a spokesperson confirmed. "Rest assured, Chevy does not plan to abandon the important, entry-level small SUV segment though, as we will reveal an all-new Trax later this year."
Along with the Trax, General Motors will also discontinue the Buick Encore, which shares the same platform. The Encore is effectively in the same situation as the Trax, with the much newer (and similarly named) Encore GX taking away sales. Production of the next-generation Trax is expected to begin in 2023, though it's unclear if it will spawn a new Encore.
Some rumors indicate the next-generation Trax will be a crossover "coupe" model, designed by GM's Korean division. This model should ditch the outgoing Sonic-based Gamma II platform in favor of the newer VSS-F platform, which is currently assembled in South Korea.
While we'd like to see the Trax debut with some form of electrification, this seems unlikely. The more expensive Trailblazer, which starts at $21,800, includes either a 1.2-liter or 1.3-liter three-cylinder engine. We doubt GM could package a hybrid system at a lower price, meaning it will likely arrive sporting gas engines only. The current Trax exists as a more budget-friendly option, so unless Chevy wants to change its marketing position, we doubt the new version will have anything special under the hood.


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- Paisa Wasool: Mutual Funds-SIP Returns Calculator | Start from Rs 5k, get Rs 1.75 cr - SOLID MONEY FORMULA
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- Loss-making US company's share price zooms over 400% in one month - factors behind rally DECODED
Monetary Policy alert: RBI raises CPI Inflation target for 1HFY20 - Vegetable, crude oil, households to play this role
The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) or retail inflation numbers are slightly up at 2.92% in April 2019 compared to 2.86% in March 2019.
For the third time in a row, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cut policy repo rate and this time it has been by 25 basis points. It also pointed out some interesting facts about CPI Inflation. RBI's policy decision making is set by inflation performance. The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) or retail inflation numbers are slightly up at 2.92% in April 2019 compared to 2.86% in March 2019. In June 2019 policy, RBI had raised its inflation target for 1HFY20. This is due to factors like vegetable prices, overall inflation indexes, household, etc.
In June 2019 policy, RBI highlighted that, retail inflation, measured by y-o-y change in CPI, remained unchanged in April, at its March level of 2.9 per cent, with higher inflation in food and fuel groups being offset by lower inflation in items excluding food and fuel.
The April food inflation print showed an increase to 1.4 per cent from 0.7 per cent in March. Within the food group, vegetables moved out of nine months of deflation. However, three sub-groups, viz., fruits, pulses and sugar, remained in deflation in April, though the extent of deflation moderated. Among other food sub-groups, inflation in prices of milk, oils and fats, spices, non-alcoholic beverages and prepared meals moderated, while inflation in meat, fish and eggs prices ticked up.
Going forward, RBI said, "baseline inflation trajectory for 2019-20 is shaped by several factors." There were four pointers mentioned by RBI. These are:
First, the summer pick-up in vegetable prices has been sharper than expected, though this may be accompanied by a correspondingly larger reversal during autumn and winter. More recent information also suggests a broad-based pick-up in prices in several food items. This has imparted an upward bias to the nearterm trajectory of food inflation.
Second, a significant weakening of domestic and external demand conditions appear to have led to a sharp broad-based decline of 60 bps in inflation excluding food and fuel in April; this has imparted a downward bias to the inflation trajectory for the rest of the year.
Thirdly, crude prices have continued to be volatile. However, its impact on CPI inflation has been muted so far due to incomplete pass-through.
Finally, near-term inflation expectations of households have continued to moderate.
Taking into consideration above factors, RBI said, " the impact of recent policy rate cuts and expectations of a normal monsoon in 2019, the path of CPI inflation is revised to 3.0-3.1 per cent for H1:2019-20 and to 3.4-3.7 per cent for H2:2019-20, with risks broadly balanced.
In April 2019 policy, CPI Inflation was projected at 2.4 per cent for Q4:2018-19, 2.9-3.0 per cent for H1:2019-20 and 3.5-3.8 per cent for H2:2019-20, with
risks broadly balanced.
From the new predictions it can be understood that, CPI Inflation is set to rise in the first half of FY20, as RBI has lowered its target for second half of the fiscal.
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"An ingredient used in Coca-Cola and Pepsi is a cancer risk and should be banned, an influential lobby group has claimed."
"The government has again delayed independent safety tests required for many toys, youth all-terrain vehicles and other children's products as part of a 2008 anti-lead law -- a move meant to help small businesses burdened by the law."
"Starting in the next few months, the front of many food packages will prominently display important nutrition information, including calorie, fat and sugar content. The industrywide program was announced Monday by food makers and grocers."
"Struggling automatic dishwasher detergent manufacturers turn to chemical industry for help with phosphate-free formulas."
"Twenty-one reusable bags sold as alternatives to disposable plastic or paper bags had dangerous levels of lead, according to new test results provided to USA TODAY."


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Japan’s Sharp Corp said yesterday it expected its first-ever operating loss this fiscal year and would eliminate 1,500 jobs as its revenue from high-end televisions drops sharply in the recession.
Sharp expects an operating loss of ¥30 billion (US$335 million) in the year to March 31, down from a previous forecast profit of ¥130 billion.
It would be the first loss ever for the company, which started out making belt buckles and pencils and has become a leader in liquid-crystal-display (LCD) televisions. Sharp has reported earnings since 1953.
The company posted an operating profit of nearly ¥184 billion in the previous year.
Sharp said it would eliminate 1,500 jobs by the end of the fiscal year next month of non-permanent workers at its factories.
“We have decided not to renew 1,500 contract workers in Japan,” Tetsuo Onishi, the company’s director for accounting, told a news conference.
“By doing so, we shall build a human resource structure that meets the size of sales,” Onishi said.
Top managers will also accept pay cuts of up to 35 percent over seven months and forgo bonuses, the company said.
In the first nine months of the year, Sharp said that its core LCD business took a beating because of the global downturn.
Even though sales of large LCD televisions rose, revenue decreased as retail prices tumbled, the company said.
Sharp also suffered from a sharp drop in sales of mobile telephone handsets because of a saturated market in Japan, it said.
“We stand in a situation where we are not able to catch up with the rapid fall in prices,” Onishi said.
“In terms of the demand and supply conditions for LCDs, we believe we are hitting the bottom in the January-to-March quarter. Things should improve from April on,” he said.
Sharp was also hit by special factors including an extraordinary loss of nearly US$500 million in the third quarter owing to the plunging value of its investments in the stock market.
The company was also paying off a fine — estimated at US$120 million — imposed by US authorities for fixing prices of LCD screens with its competitors.
The electronics maker said it now expected a net loss of ¥100 billion for the year, as opposed to an earlier forecast of a net profit of ¥60 billion.
For the first nine months, Sharp posted a net loss of US$37.8 billion as opposed to a profit of US$72.9 billion in the same period a year earlier.


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MOTHA' FRICKIN' STREET!
YO DAWG, DEEZ GAMES R GUNNA BE GOTY FO SHO! YOU'D BEST NOT BE DISSIN' THE STREET!
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has entered into a multi-year exclusive agreement with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street. Under the terms of the agreement, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has the right to create and publish interactive videogame titles worldwide based on Sesame Street, one of the most beloved and the longest running children’s television program.
“With Warner Bros.’ capability to create and publish videogames and its ability to distribute and market home videos, together, we are able to deliver the ultimate Sesame Street experience for families,” said Gary E. Knell, Sesame Workshop President and CEO. “We are incredibly pleased with this partnership in creating innovative interactive content to be enjoyed across media platforms.”
"There's a big open hole in the market," said Warner Bros' SVP of Marketing Russell Arons. "This is the first generation of parents who grew up as gamers. Unlike prior generations where people weren't sure of the value of video games, these are people who know there's value and fun for the whole family."
The games will offer kids both educational and entertaining content, to get preschoolers playing, laughing and learning with their favorite Sesame Street characters. Aligned with the standards of Sesame Workshop, the games will provide engaging learning experiences developed around particular types of curriculum.
Screw preschoolers, I am definitely buying these bad boys. No word of a lie, I'm a massive Jim Henson fan, super excited for any game that uses his wonderful characters.


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Gen Z Consumers Visit Bank Branches More Often than Any Other Age Group, Including Baby Boomers
Gen Z consumers (i.e., people aged 18-21) are surprisingly more likely than any other age group, including Baby Boomers, to visit a bank branch at least weekly, according to a study from Accenture released in October 2017 – reflecting the heavy cash dependence within their age cohort. The study also found that Gen Z consumers are the most active and engaged group using mobile banking, with all other consumers preferring online banking as their primary banking channel.
Among the key findings: 20 percent of customers visit their bank branch at least weekly, with 23 percent of Gen Z accessing banking services through a branch at least weekly, compared with only 16 percent of Baby Boomers.
However, for college-age consumers whose first jobs tend to be cash-based, branch usage may be more a necessity than a choice. Gen Z consumers prefer to manage their money on mobile devices, but they still need branches to digitize their earnings.
The study also found that online banking has become the preferred way for North American consumers to access their banking services, with 65 percent using online banking at least weekly. The one exception is Gen Z consumers, who prefer to bank via a mobile app.
The study, 10 Mega Trends Driving the Future of Payments, is based on a survey of 1,500 consumers in the United States and Canada.
Whilst the results of this study may not be directly transferrable to insurance products, where the frequency of client-provider interactions is much lower than in consumer banking, the appetite for online or mobile contacts over person-to-person interactions (or is it the long waiting times at bank branches?) may very well apply to high-frequency, low-complexity tasks such as health insurance claims and asset allocation in pensions.


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The National Bank of Georgia is considering launching its personal Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). The regulator has invited monetary establishments, fintech companies, and expertise corporations within the personal sector to accomplice with it to construct the CBDC mission dubbed “Digital GEL.”
The intention of the mission is simply the identical as different CBDC tasks. The Central Bank of Georgia believes that the CBDC growth would improve Georgia’s fee system, incentivize innovation, facilitate monetary inclusion, and supply an outreach to the unbanked inhabitants.
The central financial institution is anticipating potential companions from the personal sector to make strategies on learn how to introduce the use and near-instant settlement of CBDCs to the final inhabitants, all of the whereas conserving transacting prices low. The monetary regulator additionally expects the CBDC options to permit for automated funds and good contracts for tax assortment and automated tax accounting duties.
According to the central financial institution, the “Digital GEL” would adjust to the requirements for a CDBC that the Bank for International Settlements laid out final yr. The new CBDC is ready to adjust to Europe’s private information safety guidelines and the FATF anti-money laundering directives and permits the operator to gather statistical information with out de-anonymizing customers.
The regulator would possibly develop a testing surroundings or regulatory sandbox for the companies engaged on CBDC mission.
Countries Leading the CBDC Pack
Georgia – a state inside the United States with a inhabitants of 3.7 million – was ranked as one of the world’s prime leaders within the Bitcoin mining subject. The state is now planning to affix the rising quantity of nations analyzing potential sovereign digital currencies.
In response to the worldwide improve of digital fee options, central banks throughout the globe are working in the direction of creating their very own CBDCs. The plans of adoption of Central Bank Digital Currencies has been on the rise as governments will not be fairly in a position to management the rising reputation of Bitcoins and different cryptocurrencies. If this development continues for the subsequent few years, then the standard banking system is more likely to have to offer methods to accommodate and combine the rising innovation of cryptocurrencies into the present monetary system.
That is the rationale why central banks of varied nations internationally are within the course of of creating their very own CBDCs.
The CBDCs, not risky like cryptocurrencies, are only a digital model of fiat currencies.
So far, the Bahamas and Cambodia have already launched their CBDCs. China’s digital renminbi – essentially the most outstanding CBDC mission – is being examined readying for launch very quickly. The United States, European Union, Sweden, United Kingdom, Canada, and South Korea are additionally researching and contemplating their very own CBDCs.
Image supply: Shutterstock


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And after discharging the duty of inking their fingers, Indians are travelling like never before this summer with airlines and travel companies reporting double digit growth over last year.
As the political situation in Thailand continues to be volatile, scores of Indians who had made travel arrangements to the popular South East Asian destination have been forced to reconsider their vacation plans
With Thailand's military taking control of its government in a coup on Thursday, imposing a curfew, apart from suspending the constitution, tourists from India might give the country a miss during the peak travel season.
A three-day sale of domestic air tickets for travel around a month from now was launched by three low-cost carriers on Tuesday, giving flyers another incentive to book early.
The rail budget may not have made it cheaper to travel, but low cost carrier SpiceJet on Tuesday offered 10 lakh tickets at a base fare of Rs 999.
The delayed monsoon may be making agriculture and industry jittery, but the Indian traveler is busy making plans for the annual monsoon vacation.
The deep discounts offered by domestic airlines have come as a windfall for online ticketing websites, such as MakeMyTrip, Yatra and Goibibo, which have seen sales go up by as much five times.
Three years ago, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD) shot most of its sequences in Spain. In fact, the idea of including a flamenco sequence in the movie came from the Spain Tourism Authority.


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U.S., EU reach accord on beef
OMAHA (DTN) – The Obama administration has accepted a deal from the European Union that allows the U.S. to export more non-hormone-treated beef to the EU in exchange for not imposing new sanctions in legal trade battle over beef.
In a joint news release issued Wednesday, the two sides announced they had “reached an understanding that provides a pragmatic way forward in the long-running beef dispute.”
An agreement prevents a 100 percent levy on 40 EU products from going into effect. The sanctions had been imposed by the Bush administration in retaliation over the beef dispute.
The EU and U.S. have been in a legal fight over the safety of hormone-treated beef since the late 1980s with each appeal or ruling in the World Trade Organization simply leading to more consultations and arguments over the safety. The decisions have prevented the U.S. from exporting more beef to Europe.
The agreement announced Wednesday does not change the dynamics on hormone-treated beef. The EU will continue to ban such products.
Under the new agreement, the U.S. would not impose new sanctions on EU products. In return, the EU will provide additional duty-free imports of non-hormone treated beef from U.S. beef exporters. Packers would be allowed to ship an additional 20,000 tons for each of three years, increasing to 45,000 tons in the fourth year of the agreement. By the end of the four-year period, the U.S. and EU would have to agree on conditions for further beef trade.
The overriding question now is, despite the tariff-rate quota increase, whether U.S. packers and beef producers will be able to increase production to meet the potential of the duty-free shipments. Beef producers have been reluctant to move away from hormone treatments due to the higher feed costs associated with non-hormone-treated beef because cattle take longer to feed out before going to slaughter.
Currently, the U.S. is allowed to export 11,500 tons of non-hormone-treated beef to Europe. U.S. beef exports to Europe have steadily increased in recent years. In the first half of 2008, U.S. beef exports to Europe were triple the volume over the same period in 2007, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation. The Federation projects Europe will have to steadily increase its volume of imports in the coming years to meet beef demand.
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According to a post by US-based developers’ platform XDA-Developers, the bigger Google Pixel 2 — code-named ‘Taimen’ — will feature a 1440p OLED panel.
The devices will run on Snapdragon 835 with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. The note said the devices will have a glass and metal finish and might contain a single rear camera with dual LED flash.
The ‘Walleye’ or the smaller Pixel 2 will have 4.97-inch display with a resolution of 1080p. This device will also run on Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, and has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage.
The devices would (Read More)


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South Africa has a unique opportunity to leapfrog from HCFCs to natural refrigerants, and major end users are doing just that, heard participants in ATMOsphere Frigair in Johannesburg on Thursday (7 June).
ATMOsphere Frigair took place in Johannesburg, South Africa on 7 June.
The trickle-down effect of rising HFC prices as a result of the global phasedown being put in place in the context of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol offers South Africa a chance to adopt natural refrigerants as replacements for HCFCs, heard participants in ATMOsphere Network Frigair 2018, held on Thursday (7 June) at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg as part of Frigair 2018 – Africa’s only dedicated HVAC&R tradeshow.
“In South Africa, we have an opportunity to leap straight from HCFCs to natural refrigerants,” Alex Kuzma from leading South African retailer Woolworths told the ‘Future of the Industry’ panel at the event, hosted by shecco (publisher of this website) in conjunction with South African HVAC&R firm Commercial Refrigeration Services (CRS).
“CO2 is sustainable and future-proof. You put it in, and you don’t have to worry about it any more,” Kuzma said.
“Anyone putting in HFC plants now, brace yourselves, because it’s going to get ugly!” he added.
“CO2 is sustainable and future-proof. You put it in, and you don’t have to worry about it any more.”
– Alex Kuzma, Woolworths
In2Food opts for CO2 transcritical
Malcolm Moore of the In2Food Group (Pty.) Ltd., which operates in South Africa and Australia, outlined the process by which the company decided to opt for CO2 transcritical for its new food processing plant.
In2Food is the largest supplier of fresh and chilled food products to supermarket chain Woolworths. Boasting over 1,000 product lines, it also exports to UK retailer Marks & Spencer.
The company has 11 sites in South Africa, five in Gauteng and six on the Western Cape.
For its giant new food factory on a 3.3-hectare site – the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere – In2Food wanted to minimise its environmental footprint.
“Ammonia refrigeration seemed the obvious choice. I’d successfully used it in four installations in the last 25 years, two of which were at In2Food,” Moore said.
It contracted CRS to provide the HVAC&R system, which offers refrigeration, chilled water and blast freezing, as well as heat transfer for hot water. CRS recommended CO2.
“CO2 was the far less obvious choice,” he admits. “The number of suppliers and installers in South Africa was limited. And industry spoke only of risks.”
CRS, however, worked hard to convince Moore of the benefits of choosing CO 2 – making a business case around lower initial investment and running costs, and additional features such as heat reclaim.
Installation will begin in August 2018, with the goal of commissioning the system in November. The factory should be up and running by January 2019.
Commercial refrigeration market continues to grow
CO2 is also making inroads into commercial refrigeration in South Africa, driven largely by the efforts of system provider Commercial Refrigeration Services (CRS) and the commitment of leading South African food retailer Woolworths.
Going down the CO2 road is a good business journey in terms of energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions, said Alex Kuzma of Woolworths.
Kuzma cited an initial cost premium of +45% vs. the previous systems, fear of the unknown, relative system complexity, difficulties sourcing components, and the development of local skills among the initial obstacles of adopting CO2 transcritical technology in South African food retail.
Fast-forward to 2018, and such growing pains are very much a thing of the past. Since opening its first CO2 transcritical store in 2010, Woolworths now boasts between 60 and 70 stores.
Among the CO2 transcritical system innovations that have improved energy vs. traditional HFC-based systems, Kuzma cited the use of electronic expansion valves, variable speed EC fans and variable-speed compressors alongside the elimination of defrost heating.
“CO2 is reliable and simple – our technicians are now familiar with DX technology,” Kuzma said. “It’s sustainable and future-proof, and almost cost-neutral.”
“CO2 transcritical works well in high ambient temperature conditions,” Kuzma said. “There are excellent heat reclaim opportunities, and the cost of HFC gases is spiralling,” he said.
Wynand Groenewald of CRS outlined global trends in the adoption of CO2 transcritical systems and expressed optimism that the market for these solutions in South Africa would continue to grow.
“Today our clients are posting energy savings of up to 40% by using CO2 transcritical systems,” he said.


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LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Piper Jaffray upgraded networking gear provider Cisco Systems CSCO, -3.48% to outperform from market perform, saying it believes the company will benefit from ongoing network investments for bandwidth thirsty-applications like high-definition television and mobile and Internet video. The broker told clients that consumer bandwidth demand will likely increase five- to seven-fold from the current level if video penetration improves. "Cisco did an exceptional job capturing share in the most recent quarter and posted impressive market share improvements in nearly every product category they competed in," Piper Jaffray concluded.
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Cold brew is big business now. Olive Strand tracks the rise for the New York Times.
Slingshot’s ready-to-drink cold brew and cascara tea will be available at nearly 250 Target locations.
Bad Larry’s Cold Hard Coffee sits at 6% ABV and contains 180mg caffeine.
The new ready-to-drink cold brew comes in three different flavors.
Somatik is a cannabis infused cold brew made with coffee from San Francisco’s Ritual Coffee Roasters.
The La Colombe Draft Latte is the first ready-to-drink coffee beverage in space, or at least that’s what they want you to think.
Joe Jonas answers coffee questions in his Reddit AMA.
We’ll all remember May 31st, 2016 as the day we reached the cold brew singularity. Yesterday, Starbucks officially announced the launch of their nitro cold brew on tap, to be released in 500 stores across the United States by the end of the summer. Close your eyes with holy dread, for we on the nitro […]


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Editor’s note: This post includes updates related to COVID-19 and its effects on Albuquerque and the rest of the state.
Salvation Army closes area thrift stores
In a move meant to keep the community safe, the Salvation Army says it is closing its Albuquerque and Santa Fe thrift stores until further notice.
Each store will continue to accept donations and the organization will continue to offer social services to people who are in need.
“If you have a need, please do not hesitate to call on us,” Capt. Dwaine Breazeale, The Salvation Army’s Albuquerque city coordinator, said. “We are praying for everyone’s health and safety.”
— Katy Barnitz
Laguna Pueblo declares public health emergency
As the number of coronavirus cases in New Mexico continues to climb, the governor of Laguna Pueblo has declared a public health emergency.
Gov. Wilfred Herrera signed the declaration Friday, which lets the pueblo more easily access funds for materials needed to help contain and respond to COVID. Among other possible measures, the declaration also encourages departments to take steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and suspends most out-of-state travel for pueblo employees.
— Katy Barnitz
City hosts phone-in town hall
City leaders are holding a town hall over the phone at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow to help answer coronavirus-related questions from community members.
In a news release Sunday evening, the city announced that participants can register at cabq.gov/townhall.
Mayor Tim Keller and other leaders will take questions from people in Albuquerque who want to learn more about the city’s response to the outbreak.
— Katy Barnitz
Driving directions for Balloon Fiesta Park COVID-19 testing site
The city is asking drivers to enter the new Presbyterian drive-up testing site at Balloon Fiesta Park by taking the southbound Interstate 25 Frontage Road to Balloon Fiesta Parkway.
Balloon Museum Drive will be closed to northbound traffic from Alameda, the city announced in a news release Sunday, and drivers should not use San Mateo north of Alameda.
The new site will offer drive-up coronavirus testing beginning Monday.
— Katy Barnitz
Roadrunner Food Bank affected by panic buying
Panic buying continues and grocery store shelves seem to be emptied immediately after they’ve been restocked, as people face the possible need to self-isolate at home for an unknown time period to keep the COVID-19 coronavirus at bay.
That panic purchasing has had an impact on the Roadrunner Food Bank, since local grocery stores and retailers “haven’t had a lot of excess product for us to pick up,” said Roadrunner spokeswoman Sonya Warwick.
— Rick Nathanson
8 new COVID-19 cases in NM, total now 65
Health officials say eight more New Mexicans have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the state’s total number of cases to 65.
Among the eight new patients is a 9-year-old boy from McKinley County.
Today’s updated total also adds two cases in Bernalillo County: a woman in her 60s and a man in his 30s; two new cases in Dona Ana County: a woman in her 50s and a woman in her 20s; a male in his 50s from San Juan County; and two men in Santa Fe County: one is his 30s and one in his 40s.
Anyone who is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, including fever, cough and shortness of breath is encouraged to contact his or her health provider or to call 1-855-600-3453.
— Katy Barnitz
Rand Paul tests positive for COVID-19
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Sunday that he had tested positive for the disease caused by the new coronavirus, becoming the first member of the Senate to report a case of COVID-19. He said in a tweet that he was feeling fine and was in quarantine.
Paul, a doctor, said he has not had symptoms and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He said he was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person.
Local stores offer shopping hours for most vulnerable
Some grocery and retail stores in New Mexico have changed their hours of operation to allow seniors and those most at risk from COVID-19 to shop without facing regular crowds.
Katrina Hotrum-Lopez, Cabinet Secretary for New Mexico’s Aging and Long Term Services Department, praised the stores.
“Many older adults already face obstacles in day-to-day activities that many of us take for granted. In these particularly challenging times, we are grateful to our wonderful private sector community partners who are working extra hours to accommodate these more vulnerable populations for the good of our communities,” Hortum-Lopez wrote in a release. “They are a bright light and amazing resource as we navigate these unique circumstances.”
In the release, the ALTSD listed some of the stores and their adjusted hours:
“Smith’s locations – throughout New Mexico – Opening early on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM, for 60 years of age and older, including waiving pick up fees for seniors.
Walmart locations – throughout New Mexico – Beginning on March 24 through April 28, Tuesdays (only) stores will open one hour early, for those 60 years of age or older.
Target locations – throughout New Mexico – Wednesdays (only) stores will open one hour early, for those individuals who are elderly or have underlying health conditions.
Farmers Country Market – Roswell and Portales — Opening early, from 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM every day (except Sundays for Roswell locations), for seniors ages 60 years of age and older.
La Tienda Thriftway – Carlsbad – Opening early, from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM every day, for seniors.
Fenn’s Country Market – Artesia – Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (only), opening from 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM, for seniors.
John Brooks Supermarkets – various locations throughout New Mexico – varies by store, but many including Albuquerque Candelaria location and Santa Fe market to open early on Sundays to serve seniors. Call your local market for details.
Dollar General – various New Mexico locations — Opening one hour early every day, for seniors.
Whole Foods locations – throughout New Mexico – Opening one hour early every day, for those 60 years of age and older.
Albertson’s and Safeway Markets – throughout New Mexico – Tuesdays and Thursdays (only), opening from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM, for seniors and at-risk populations.
Big Lots – throughout New Mexico – Reserving first hour of every day for seniors and those most vulnerable to COVID-19 virus.”
— Robert Browman
Number of Navajo Nation cases nearly doubles to 26
The number of people infected with the COVID-19 virus on the Navajo Nation nearly doubled Friday to Saturday, from 14 to 26, as residents on the reservation were ordered to stay at home, according to the tribe’s president.
“This includes 18 cases from the Kayenta Service Unit, four from the Chinle Service Unit, three from Tuba City Service Unit, and one from the Crownpoint Service Unit,” Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez’s office wrote in a news release.
There have been no confirmed deaths due to the virus on the reservation, which has a reported population of more than 350,000 and extends into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
Late Friday, the Navajo Nation Health Operations Center ordered all residents to stay at home and all non-essential businesses to close to limit the spread of the virus.
“There are people who are testing negative for COVID-19 and that is good news, but there are still many more tests that the Navajo Department of Health and the Navajo Area IHS are waiting for results and confirmation,” Nez said.
On Saturday, first responders began delivering supplies to residents of Chilchinbeto, an area of about 1,000 people hit particularly hard by the virus.
“We are here to help our Nation get through this time,” Nez wrote. “We will overcome this virus.”
— Robert Browman
Coronavirus tests NM rural health networks
New Mexico is bracing for the possible spread of coronavirus to some of America’s most remote, impoverished communities, as hospitals across the state prepare to convert operating rooms into acute respiratory care units.
Health officials are outlining medical triage strategies in the state that struggles to keep physicians in rural areas. Officials have declined to disclose the number of hospital beds and ventilator machines that could be made available quickly to treat severe coronavirus cases.
NM hospitals mobilize for COVID-19 surge
Only a small fraction of New Mexico’s nearly 60 coronavirus patients were hospitalized as of Saturday. But the possibility of hundreds of such hospitalizations to treat the respiratory virus spurred the state’s biggest hospitals to set up emergency command centers weeks ago.
Nurses are being recruited from Canada. Critical supplies are being stockpiled. State, hospital and city leaders are eyeing in-house offices and out-of-hospital settings, such as at Balloon Fiesta Park, for treatment sites if the demand exceeds available bed space.
— Colleen Heild


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WINDSOR, N.S. — Angela Grant may not have a business degree but she has an acumen that is serving her well at an upscale boutique in downtown Windsor.
Grant co-owns Pearl and Nanny’s Fashion and Gift Boutique with Mark Wainman and has created an empowering enterprise that highlights successful businesswomen.
“My background is not business but I want to encourage the feeling of camaraderie and togetherness and I wanted to help promote women in business by offering items for sale, or stocked for sale, that are from women-owned businesses,” she said.
“I feel very passionate and very strongly about supporting women in business.”
How it started
Grant took over Sequels Boutique in 2020 – during its 20th year in business. At that time, she said roughly 90 per cent of the operation was consignment. It was located on Gerrish Street in downtown Windsor, long considered prime retail space due to foot traffic.
By 2022, the owner of the Wilcox Building where Sequels was located was starting renovations upstairs and in the process of creating apartments. A staircase and lobby was being planned that would cut into Sequels’ retail space, so Grant said she began brainstorming.
“Within a couple of months, Winegrunt ended up closing and leaving so we took the opportunity to move just around the corner, which worked out great for us because we’re still in the same building, same landlord, same traffic … but more space,” she said.
And with the additional space, Grant said she wanted to expand what she offered, focusing on supporting Canadian businesswomen. A rebrand saw her adopt the names Pearl and Nanny, which reflects two strong family members that Grant looked up to.
Pearl Delage was Grant’s aunt, while Bernadette George, was her grandmother. They lived in Marshy Hope, Pictou County.
“I was super close to them as a kid,” recalled Grant, who is originally from Antigonish.
After both of their husband’s died, they moved in together, Grant said, noting she’d spend many summers at their house.
“They were survivors. They had to make the best out of what they had and they instilled that in all of us. They did a lot of things for their family. ... They were just amazing, amazing women,” Grant said, adding they served as role models.
“They just became those people that you think of when you want to feel good or when you want to feel supported.”
The logo bears Delage’s signature, as she often signed her recipes, and the store has photos and a teacup set to pay tribute to the strong women that helped shape Grant.
The store reopened under the new brand on March 8, 2023.
How it's going
Although there were some initial hiccups, Grant said the support she has received has been fantastic.
“Our customers have been amazingly supportive and we’ve acquired a nice strong following of new customers. It’s been wonderful,” said Grant.
The shop now offers about 60 per cent consignment and 40 per cent new products. Grant said currently, the gift and décor items are 95 per cent made in Canada, with 98 per cent of those being women-owned businesses.
“Everything that we offer that is new, we strive to obtain it from Canadian suppliers and not only that, we strive to make sure those Canadian suppliers are owned by women when we can,” she said.
Grant said she’d like to see more awareness of and support for women-owned businesses, noting multiple downtown Windsor businesses are owned by women.
She said what makes Pearl and Nanny’s stand out is that “it’s not your average thrift store. We have consignment clothing but we like to present it as if it’s an upscale boutique so it speaks to a different experience when shopping.”
Helping give a touch of class to the shopping experience is Kendra Norman, who works at Pearl and Nanny’s full-time and is the “fashion and style specialist” and store manager. She moved from Halifax to Windsor in 2022 and joined Grant at the shop in mid-August 2023.
“I’ve worked at a few boutiques in the past and I prefer that smaller type of business, compared to working at a bigger box store or larger workplace,” said Norman, who enjoys the interaction with “generally more friendly customers” and the “small-town vibe.”
Grant said they strive to provide an elevated shopping experience and hopes people will check them out before travelling out of town.
“It’s a place … that offers another reason to shop in Windsor and not to leave. There’s a huge migration of shoppers that leave Windsor to do anything but if we look hard enough, we will see that there’s tons of stuff here and we want to be part of that,” said Grant.
To mark the one-year anniversary of the rebrand, which coincides with International Women’s Day and what would have been Delage’s 95th birthday, Grant said Pearl and Nanny’s is hosting a two-day saleabration March 8 and 9 during regular business hours.
“We will be offering a storewide sale, free gift with purchase and cake as a thank you to all our customers who supported us over the last year,” said Grant.
Additionally, they will be offering a commemorative soap that is in collaboration with All Lathered Up – a Windsor-based, woman-led natural soap company.
Did you know?
International Women’s Day is a civil awareness day celebrated annually on March 8 to recognize the many social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Part of the women’s rights movement, it also serves as a day to raise awareness of inequality and highlight the many issues and barriers that still remain for women. The theme for 2024 is Inspire Inclusion.
Proceeds from the sale of the special soap will be going to the POSSE (Peer Outreach Support Services and Education) Project, which is “a non-judgmental, harm reduction and human rights project committed to meaningful youth involvement.”
Grant said one neat thing about the two-day sale is that the playlist has been largely curated by shoppers – and the songs will all be women-led. She said they asked for recommendations on social media, and they now have 11 hours worth of music to play during the weekend.
“It’s pretty exciting. It was one of our biggest posts ever as far as engagement and comments. It was awesome to see everybody come together and want to be a part of that,” said Grant.
As for what the future holds, Grant said she hopes to continue to build on her brand and encourage more people to support women in business.
What: An upscale consignment shop and gift boutique that focuses on supporting and promoting women-owned businesses and women-created products.
Who: Angela Grant and Mark Wainman co-own the business.
Where: 43 Water St., Windsor.
When: Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Upcoming: A two-day, one-year anniversary saleabration on March 8 and 9 that coincides with International Women’s Day. There will be thank you gifts for shoppers plus free cake.


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U.S. to ban drop-down cots that have 'killed 46 babies'
Cots with drop-down sides are to be banned in the United States.
Critics of the drop-down cots - versions of which are widely sold in Britain - say they can trap or suffocate babies.
They have been blamed for the death of at least 46 American children in the past decade.
More than seven million of the cots have been recalled in the U.S. over the past five years, often because screws, safety pegs or plastic tracking for the rail could become loose or break.
Cots with drop-down sides are to be banned in the U.S.
Drop-side cots are still in wide use around the world, with versions on sale on the internet.
Many major British retailers, including Mothercare, sell them, although the models tend to be smaller than their U.S. counterparts and are designed with double safety locks.
Mothercare was last night unable to comment on the issue.
In the U.S., big stores such as Babies R Us and Wal-Mart have withdrawn DIY cot kits with drop sides.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said: 'There's a great urgency here. We have to make sure that no parent is unaware that drop-side cribs could kill their children.'
She is preparing the legislation to outlaw the manufacture, sale and resale of all drop-side cribs and ban them from day- care centres and hotels.
One of the cots became a death trap for six-month- old Bobby Cirigliano, of New York's Long Island.
The side rail on his drop-side cot slid off the tracks and trapped his head and neck between the mattress and the malfunctioning side rail.
His face was pressed against the mattress and he suffocated.
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As more of the consumer population gets vaccinated and pandemic restrictions are relaxed across the country, many restaurants and retailers are turning their attention to a return to “normal.” With a wealth of experience under their belts from the year-that-shall-not-be-named, restaurant and retail marketers are finally able to take a breath and analyze the tsunami of change that they just endured.
One thing is clear: brands that had integrated digital loyalty programs in place fared well overall compared to those that didn’t. From March to April last year, loyalty sales dipped by only 36%, compared to 55% for anonymous sales. And while anonymous sales took fifteen weeks to recover, loyalty sales recovered in only nine weeks.
But what about adjacent technologies like contactless payments, delivery, and curbside pickup? While many of the pivots that businesses were forced to make during the pandemic were born of urgency and necessity, marketers can take heart that they were not implemented in vain.
Now is the time to double down and permanently embrace some of the new technologies that emerged as a result of the pandemic. Contactless payment is one such solution that has risen to the top of the priority list for many brands. Here’s why.
Consumers will continue to expect contactless payment options
A recent survey revealed that over 70% of consumers intend to use contactless payment solutions post-pandemic. While the technology has been around for several decades, usage was relatively sporadic among restaurant and retail brands until the 2010s, when Google and Apple introduced their NFC-based payment solutions, Google Pay and Apple Pay. Meanwhile, a fast-growing San Jose company named PayPal was taking the payments world by storm. Founded in 1998 as a service for securely transferring money by email, the enterprise has grown to become the global leader in online and contactless payment solutions, with over 325 million accounts in 202 countries and 25 different currencies.
As consumers realize the security and convenience of utilizing a mobile wallet, companies like PayPal (and its subsidiary Venmo), are constantly innovating on new ways to make the consumer experience even faster, safer, and more frictionless. Today, PayPal and Venmo users can make secure contactless payments with the funding source of their choice, all in one simple scan of a QR code and without exchanging cards or cash. And with contactless payment integration to a brand’s loyalty platform, loyalty guests can seamlessly earn, redeem, and pay in one simple scan flow.
Loyalty participation and contactless payments go hand in hand
It’s not just a better experience for customers–brands have much to gain by embracing contactless payment integration. 47% of consumers report that they will not shop at a brand that doesn’t offer a contactless way to pay. Couple that with the fact that 69% of shoppers say that their choice of retailer is impacted by where they can earn loyalty and rewards, and it’s clear that contactless payments and loyalty programs are an integration made in revenue heaven.
Consider adding contactless payments as part of the consumer experience to:
- Establish a safe and convenient payment option that keeps customers inside the merchant app experience
- Provide your franchisees a contactless option to deploy quickly in addition to NFC integrations
- Allow customers to make seamless loyalty-integrated payments anywhere, including in-store and drive-through using a simple QR code
- Leverage the reach of the PayPal/Venmo user base to acquire new customers through additional payment & funding options
If you’d like to hear more about how contactless payments can improve customer acquisition and loyalty participation, contact one of our loyalty experts today.
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Duane Weeks vividly recalls those frustrating days last summer when his frequent trips up Sand Hill Road in pursuit of capital were proving fruitless. On one such trip the Exemplary Software CEO noticed what appeared to be an entrepreneur near the intersection of Interstate 280 holding a tin cup and wearing a placard that read: “Will work for venture capital.”
“People were blowing their horns as they went by, sort of waving and laughing,” Weeks says. “When I was done [seeking funding], I kind of felt like that guy.”
Six months and $12 million later Weeks can afford to laugh. The Series C financing came in two tranches with Clearstone Venture Partners, who led the round, putting in $4 million last fall and Woodside Fund adding $4 million more in February. Previous investors came up with the last third of the money on a pro rata basis with both Clearstone and Woodside taking seats on the Exemplary board of directors.
Despite closing the Series C round undersubscribed, Weeks says the funds would carry the Cupertino, Calif.-based company to profitability. He predicts Exemplary will be cash flow positive by mid-2002. Exemplary hopes to jump-start a sales and marketing campaign with the new money. According to Weeks, the product will save businesses money, something he anticipates will catch the ear of CFOs and operations chiefs in this tough economy.
Exemplary’s software automates and accelerates information exchange along the supply chain
Investors believe the supply-chain space to be an explosive and competitive market and that the wealth of experience in supply-chain solutions among Exemplary’ s management sets them apart. Erik Lassila, managing director at Clearstone and Exemplary board member, said that his firm had been watching the market for more than a year but wanted to make sure they were looking at a market leader before committing funds. Lassila added that Exemplary was in a difficult place last year. With product just starting to ship and VCs on the defensive, Weeks couldn’t point to significant past revenue to instill confidence. “But this company really jelled and grew its customer base rapidly toward the end of last year,” Lassila said.
Exemplary spun out of HP Labs in 1998 and has now taken in about $24 million. The initial financing of $4 million was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners (formerly Weiss, Peck & Greer Venture Partners). Series B was led by JT Venture Partners and yielded $8 million.


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Quick-service operator Restaurant Brands said while the group was able to take rapid and appropriate action across its stable of brands the COVID-19 crisis has severely affected its operations over the past few months.
At the company’s 2020 AGM, chairman Jose Pares Gutierrez said that it will be important to monitor the economic impact moving forward after the markets it trades in were all adversely impacted.
However, Pares Gutierrez believes the company’s fundamentals are solid and the major impact of COVID-19 on its businesses will be short-term.
“Once the pandemic is under control, operations will gradually be re-established in all markets to move forward with plans in place,” Pares Gutierrez said.
Chief executive Russel Creedy said New Zealand was the hardest hit of its markets, due to the closure of its entire store network over a five-week period.
“These closures have cost us dearly in terms of total sales, with New Zealand sales down nearly $45 million since 25 March,” Creedy told investors.
“Fortunately the nature of our business and the strength of our brands means that our sales do bounce back strongly… However, the nature of our products means we never actually recover the lost sales because the consumption opportunity is not deferred but lost entirely.”
While all 148 New Zealand stores were shuttered for the five week lockdown period, Creedy added that the business had been able to retain all staff and have paid them full wages due to assistance from the government wage subsidy.
“We estimate that the impact of the virus has impacted New Zealand operations in excess of $15 million in lost EBITDA,” Creedy.
However, it is likely Restaurant Brands is unlikely to recover the cost of the lockdown period, Creedy said, and wouldn’t put forward a profit guidance due to the level of uncertainty still in the market.
“Whilst we are planning for a steady improvement and are certainly experiencing strong signs of a resurgence in our sales volumes, the sales and profit shortfall of the last few months, particularly in the New Zealand business, is not going to be fully recovered over the rest of this year.”


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HAWLEY – The founders and owners of Sidehill Farm, said to be the only commercial yogurt producer in Massachusetts, are looking to sell to someone with the energy and vision to expand the business.
Since 2006, Amy Klippenstein and Paul Lasinski have been building a $1 million-a-year yogurt business with stores in Massachusetts and neighboring states.
“Business is really good. There’s a lot of demand for yogurt,” Klippenstein said. “There’s a lot of potential.”
Still, the couple feels someone else can take this successful business to the next level.
“A person with more energy, more vision, can do better at the company,” said Klippenstein.
Klippenstein and Lasinski said they don’t have the energy to expand the business and feel it’s unfair to let the company go offshore.
“We are doing more as employees,” Lasinski said, explaining that they spend more time having fun than developing new products and expanding into new markets.
“For the business to continue to be successful going forward, it needs someone to deliver, and that’s not us,” Klippenstein said.
Some possible expansions include reaching larger markets in other states or diversifying the production base. Klippenstein and Lasinski say consumers have asked for more products like fruit-flavored yogurt, kefir and cottage cheese.
The couple hopes to sell the business for $750,000, most of which will be spent on stainless steel equipment and trucks. They’re willing to wait as long as it takes to find the right buyer, and they’re looking for someone who believes in their mission and is willing to honor their contract – Sidehill Farm has a contract to buy milk from Gus and Kira Taffle of Meadowsweet Farm. until 2027 – and will allow the five current employees to continue working with Sidehill Farm if they choose. Klippenstein and Lasinski say decency – one of the company’s values - is very important in the new owner.
Lasinski may decide that a loyal customer wants to know if Sidehill Farm is for sale, take a stab at making yogurt, and buy the company.
Lasinski and Klippenstein said they have no plans for the future after the sale, saying they need to “clean their plates” before starting their next venture. He explained that he is not retired, and expects to have 15 more years in his career.
“We’re both at a point in life where we’ve built this from nothing,” Klippenstein said. “It was our passion and our dream. It felt like something we had to do.”
The two felt the call to start a yogurt business in 2006. Before that, they grew most of their own food and lived as housewives. They discovered that their biggest expense outside of their produce was yogurt. So, using a 1970s yogurt maker—which they still keep in their office as an heirloom—they began creating recipes.
This desire to sell the yogurt business came about when the couple sold their 225-acre farm to Gus and Kira Tafel in 2020 for $1.1 million. Klippenstein and Lasinski say owning a farm and yogurt business is like having two full-time jobs, and they want to focus on yogurt production rather than land and herd management.
While announcing this major business decision, Klippenstein and Lasinski are also preparing to roll out two new environmentally friendly activities. Starting in January, they will begin selling 6-ounce portions in paper cups that can be reused.
“One thing we worry about is putting more plastics into the world,” Klippenstein said. “We are putting a black mark on the company.”
Thanks to a $45,000 grant from the Northeast Dairy Innovation Center, they are in the pilot phase of creating reusable stainless steel containers for their 32-ounce yogurts. The system works by adding a refund for each reusable container.
Klippenstein and Lasinski worked on a life-cycle analysis by engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to find that six to 10 stainless steel containers would need to be used for a stainless steel container to last longer than plastic. They hope to get 50 to 100 uses out of each container.
Bella Blevavi can be reached at 413-930-4579 or [email protected].


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Azzouz will team up with Darden veteran Doug Doran, who helped launch Orlando-based Darden's Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52 restaurant concepts. Doran -- who left Darden in November -- has formed an Orlando-based limited partnership, called Group Four Restaurants, and assumed the title of president of the group.
Initial plans call for Doran to help Azzouz develop restaurants, a nightclub, movie theater, wine bar and coffeehouse at Veranda Park, a $400 million town center Azzouz is developing in the MetroWest neighborhood in southwest Orlando.
According to materials released to the media Thursday, the restaurants will include a new American cuisine concept, an upscale seafood concept, a Tapas concept and a high-end steakhouse.
In 2002, Azzouz, a former computer-software entrepreneur, announced his intention to build Veranda Park, a 1.6 million-square-foot complex that would include condos, office space and 300,000 square feet devoted to high-end restaurants and retailers. The project was intended to have the look and feel of a village on the Italian Riviera, according to marketing materials distributed in 2005.
The majority of the center's retail and restaurant space is still under development, Doran said Thursday. One restaurant -- Dan Marino's Tavern on the Lake -- recently opened at the center and operates alongside a Barnie's Coffee & Tea. At one time, developers listed hamburger chain Johnny Rockets, Panera Bread and Winter Park-based Urban Flats restaurant as possible tenants.
Along with the Veranda Park development, Doran said he will work with Azzouz in developing restaurants and other types of entertainment venues in Windermere and for two planned town centers in Lake Nona and Maitland.
However, he said that the "full focus at this point is on Veranda Park."