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November 08, 2022
Powering Progress Through Electrification
The fuel retail and convenience industry is changing. With energy diversification and decarbonization at the forefront of this transformation, drivers can expect to see a very different fuel station than the one they know and use today.
This transformation should not be underestimated or overlooked as a “thing of the future”, as it will affect the entire fuel retail and convenience industry. Awareness of carbon footprints and our impact on the environment has been growing among consumers for some time, but now the industry has seen a real shift towards “greener choices”. This, alongside governments applying pressure on the transport industry to switch to zero emission vehicles and meet the EU’s climate neutrality objectives, means the primary focus is now on electric vehicles (EVs). 2021 saw a significant increase in the uptake of electric cars and vans in the EU-27¹. EV registrations for the year were close to 1,729,000 up from 1,061,000 in 2020 – that’s a 7.1% increase of total new car registrations in just 1 year. The uptake of electric vans also increased from 2.1% of total new registrations in 2020 to 3.1% in 2021. For fuel retailers, this means the traditional forecourt model is no longer sustainable or viable. In order to remain successful, they need to plan for this transition, finding ways to offer clean energy solutions alongside conventional fuels
With cars running on electricity alongside clean fuels such as hydrogen (H2), and compressed natural gas (CNG), becoming increasingly available, consumers now have more choices available to them and it’s these choices they want and expect to see when they pull up to a forecourt.
The EV Opportunity
EV markets are expanding quickly, with electric car sales accounting for 9% of the global new car market in 2021² – four times their market share in 2019. From this, it’s clear to see that EV will have a huge impact on the industry but realistically, it’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to take time. The reason behind this? In most countries it takes more than 10 years to convert the population of existing cars from ICE engines to EV, and many countries still require significant investment in EV infrastructure and there needs to be sufficient power, via National Grid’s, to meet demand. But this doesn’t mean forecourts shouldn’t be prepared now, for what the future will bring.
Although there is a lot of work to be done regarding mainstream EV implementation and adoption, there are still large groups of EV drivers already on the road, particularly across Europe. These are groups that hold a lot of potential and present valuable opportunities for fuel retailers; however, they are not currently being adequately catered for. If these groups are not considered “essential” to support at fuel sites now, why would they look to refuel at those same locations in the future?
Globally, there is a gap in EV infrastructure. Today, most EV charging takes place either at residential or workplace level, with the majority of availability being public charging points; however, consumers will gradually expect the same services, simplicity, and autonomy for EVs as they do for internal combustion engines (ICEs). Currently there are not enough chargers in place to meet EV demand, for example, there are approx. 475,800 EVs in the UK but just 24,219 public chargers – meaning there are around 20 vehicles per charging point³. If a fuel site is seen to be an “early adopter” of clean fuels, offering EV charge points, this can change consumer perception – transforming sites from a standard fuel station into an environmentally conscious energy hub, one who cares about their customers sustainable choices – while enabling EV drivers to have the same experience while charging their EV , as they did previously with their ICE.
While early investment in EV charging infrastructure can be a scary thought for a fuel retailing business, EVs should be seen as an expansion of the overall retail offer, increasing choices for customers, while providing an opportunity for fuel sites to stand out from the competition. EV charging systems are a substantial investment, there’s no denying that, but by implementing charging points at fuel stations, site owners can capture a “growth market”, one that is only going to grow and develop as the industry moves towards decarbonization and the various zero emission objectives set by governments, globally. By making the necessary investments now, fuel retailers can ensure their sites are able to cater to the accelerating clean energy adoption, future-proofing their forecourts for the “EV wave” set to come.
The Benefits of EV for Fuel Retail Sites
Drivers already associate fuel station stop-offs as essential to keep them moving, adding EV chargers to the forecourt is a natural point of progression. Not only could an EV investment help fuel retailers capture new customers – getting their foot into the clean energy door before their competition – it could also help them engage with new customer groups. This means the wait time to recharge a vehicle can be captured and transformed into potential for revenue and loyalty acquisition and retention.
Convenience is king and time is money, which is why consumers want to make the most efficient use of their time while waiting at a location to re-charge. This makes their visits to forecourts more multi-purpose than “fuel and go”. Increased driver dwell time will see a change in consumer spending habits at the convenience store (c-store), moving from “grab and go” purchases to more “destination shopping”, suggesting they have more time to spend in the c-store to make well thought out purchases, rather than just grabbing and adding a snack while paying for their fuel purchase. This presents an opportunity for fuel site operators to utilize and expand their c-store offering to EV drivers. Not only can this increase revenue, but it can enhance the overall consumer experience, turning an average charging stop into a future recharging destination encouraging repeat custom and long-term loyalty.
Today, there are dedicated apps and websites highlighting where EV drivers can recharge, specifically within Europe. With 37,000 charging stations in the Netherlands⁴ alone, drivers can map their journey while stopping at specific charging points on route, selected based on other drivers evaluations as well as the individual forecourt offering. This gives fuel sites additional exposure, reaching international audiences, while putting their forecourt on the map (quite literally). It’s a chance for fuel retailers to be part of the EV revolution, officially marking their commitment to support sustainable energies.
Is EV Integration Right for my Fuel Retail Business?
Although EV chargers could be a wise investment for many fuel retailers, and it’s clear EV charging units have the potential to bring in additional revenue over time, it’s not always suitable for every forecourt – not right now anyway. There are several factors that can impact an EV investment decision:
• EV charging systems need to be located at a distance away from other petrol and diesel dispensers on the forecourt. This means any site looking to invest in EV must have the footprint to do so, accommodating parked vehicles for charging while maintaining enough space for regular “refuel and go” customers.
• EV adoption isn’t widespread. EV adoption is still in early, incremental stages and isn’t widespread enough to make installing and investing in EV chargers profitable everywhere. The profitability of EV charging remains largely geographically dependant.
• Fuel site owners will have to rethink their business model. EV charging marks a departure from established business models, which have been built on traditional gas and diesel sales bringing consumers to site for a quick refill and convenience shop. Fuel sites looking to invest will have to rethink their strategy and look to boost profit margins by means of offering other goods and services during EV charging dwell time.
There are several other factors that should also be considered prior to making an investment, these include: local regulations and guidelines, range of power outputs and government incentives to name a few. It’s important fuel site owners take everything into consideration and do their market research before making the decision to invest in EV; however, one thing is clear, the industry is moving towards clean fuels and it will happen sooner rather than later. 90%⁵ of drivers who made the switch to EV have no desire to revert back to a petrol or diesel car – which further supports the move towards an electrified future where the need for accessible charging stations is not a “nice to have”, it’s a must. As such, fuel retailers need to stay proactive and consider how they can stay one-step ahead when it comes to their forecourt offering – providing the fuel choices consumers want, both now and in the future, so they don’t get left behind.
As the world tries to balance the ever-growing global need for more energy alongside decarbonization to improve sustainability within the transport sector, is your fuel business ready to take on the new opportunities it brings?


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Professor Frink may have come up with the idea for a sarcasm detector years ago on The Simpsons, but it took a team of Israeli scientists to actually make it work.
Three researchers at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem have just developed a unique algorithm that can detect certain sentence patterns and identify them as sarcastic. Named SASI, short for a Semi-Supervised Algorithm for Sarcasm Identification (such a clever title), the program is able to recognize sarcastic comments with 77% precision – making it better at detecting sarcasm than most humans.The research team scanned over 65 000 product reviews from Amazon.com and each sentence was then tagged independently for sarcasm by three human annotators. Sentences were then put into sub-categories of sarcasm: some mean the opposite of the actual statement and others transmit a sentiment inconsistent with the literal meaning of the statement. The program was able to learn from the annotations certain patterns in sentence structure that make a sentence sarcastic. The algorithm was tested by being instructed to identify sarcasm in sentences that were nothing like the examples; that is where the 77% accuracy rate comes from.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Here are a few examples of product review excerpts used to ‘teach’ the computer to recognize sarcasm.
- “[I] love the cover”
- “Be sure to save your purchase receipt”
- “Trees died for this book?”
Sarcastic assessments of Amazon listings aside, the program genuinely has some very useful applications. It can be used to make personalized web content more accurate or to produce better opinion-mining programs that troll the web to assess public opinion about certain new products or services.
Next week, the team will be presenting their findings at the International Conference for Weblogs and Social Media in Washington D.C.
They clearly deserve massive accolades for their amazing invention.

domain: news


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3 Walmart Fires In Ontario May Be Linked To A Tweet Calling To Attack The Business
The message tells people to attack Walmarts that make you wear a face covering.
Waterloo Regional Police (WRP) have confirmed that they are looking into a tweet that may be linked to the threeon Tuesday.
The tweet, which was posted on September 30, presents an open call to those in the Kitchener and Waterloo who "want to start attacking places like Walmart."
According to the post, the reason for this is to retaliate against businesses that have reportedly been turning people away without a mask, even if they are medically exempt, due to store policies.
The message says, "does anyone in Kitchener/Waterloo want to start attacking places like Walmart who are refusing #canadians service because they have a medical condition that isn’t covid?"
It goes on to call on people to "start fighting back" against businesses that have their own store policies.
In an email to Narcity, WRP confirmed that "we are aware of the social media post and we are looking into it."
The social media post also includes a picture of a slip that a customer reportedly received at a KW Surplus store, asking them to leave when they wasn't wearing a face covering.
The investigation is currently ongoing, and police have not confirmed any motives or if there are suspects yet.
Thehappened within just over an hour of each other at three separate locations in the Waterloo region on Tuesday night, causing $4 million in damage per location.


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Getting a helicopter can be a pain. You call an operator, get the tail number, then have to email or call the operator back and forth until you get ushered on your flight. Often, you'd be better off driving. And chopper services certainly don't work like Uber, picking you up at convenient locations whenever you want.
Two years ago, Warner Music COO Rob Wiesenthal set out to change that. He had been at Sony Entertainment for 13 years when he got the idea to bring a mobile app like Uber's to the chopper industry. He partnered with Steve Martocci, the cofounder of the Skype-owned GroupMe and the music service Splice, to launch Blade last Memorial Day weekend. Like Uber, Blade is an operator and logistics manager; it doesn't own any aircraft. Instead, Martocci and Wiesenthal partnered with Liberty Helicopter and offered flights for New Yorkers to and from the Hamptons. Uber even partnered with Blade for a Fourth of July weekend promotion.
Blade was an instant hit among the 1% last summer; it powered 800 trips to the Hamptons in just 16 weeks.
"Blade was launched with $50,000 and it was immediately profitable," a Blade representative tells Business Insider.
The app has since been downloaded more than 20,000 times. Bookers can either select a future flight that has already been scheduled (it's $575 per seat one way to the Hamptons or Fire Island from New York City) or create a flight for anytime they want. But those who book a whole new flight must pay to fill the entire aircraft up front. Blade will then try to fill extra seats with other Blade members who will offset the cost. A trip to the Hamptons, which normally takes a few hours, takes just under 45 minutes with Blade.
After its success last summer, Blade set out to launch new services and destinations, and it has raised $6 million at a $25 million valuation from some big names in business. Investors include Google chairman Eric Schmidt, Discover Communications CEO David Zaslav, IAC's Barry Diller, Alex von Furstenberg, Raine Ventures, and iHeart Media chairman Bob Pittman. Both Pittman and Schmidt have licenses to fly helicopters and jets.
Blade's service now extends beyond the Hamptons and Mohegan Sun. Its members can fly to Fire Island via a new seaplane service, Blade Aqua. Melissa Tomkiel, who was president of Fly the Whale — an aviation company Aqua partners with — is Aqua's new CEO. Wiesenthal and Martocci are advisers.
Users can also book flights for about $650 a seat to Martha's Vineyard or Cape Cod from Manhattan.
And, if you have a flight taking off from or landing at any New York City airport, Blade's Bounce service can get you from your jet to the city in just five minutes. Blade Bounce will pick you up at JFK, Newark, Teterboro, Westchester, or LaGuardia and have the chopper waiting to bring you home within 20 minutes of booking for $800 to $900.
The price point may sound steep considering you can take a cab from the airport into New York City for just $50. But for Blade's affluent audience (the company advertises about 17 times a day on CNBC's local network, aiming its services as business executives), it could be considered a small price for convenience.
"For $895 we position it so the helicopter can land 40 feet from your jet," a Blade representative says. "It's a 45-min drive to JFK. If you're spending $100,000 on a jet, the extra $895 really isn't going to count."
Blade also prides itself on its luxury lounges and amenities onboard the choppers. It has lounges in Manhattan on West 30th Street, East 34th Street, and 23rd Street. It offers passengers rosé in sippy cups, and the company says customers will arrive early just to hang out in the boarding area. But Blade insists that just because customers are wealthy, that doesn't mean they're arrogant jerks.
"These people aren't assholes saying, 'I'm some banker flying above traffic and screw you,'" Blade says. "They're people who view it as a fun luxury to them. Seventy percent of people had never flown in a chopper before. We're making it really easy to do, and it's completely done from your app."
Blade says it is much different from BlackJet or Surf Air, which allows customers to fly as much as they want locally for a set monthly fee. Instead, Blade wants to own all flights for distances under 200 miles.
"Unlike things that have failed like BlackJet, you really don't want to have a swinging bathroom door hitting you; that's a little too intimate," Blade tells Business Insider. "The alternative is, 'Let's just fly first class and no one bothers me.' Blade can take a 3-1/2-hour trip and make it 30 minutes, and that could be worth $575 to somebody."


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Family businesses keep farmers market growing in Torrington
TORRINGTON >> Fruits, vegetables and maple syrup are just a few of the many items sold at the Torrington Farmers’ Market held at Sky Top Lanes on Saturday.
The farmers’ market is part of Northwest Family Farm, which had been bringing farmers markets to the northwest corner of Connecticut for more than 20 years. The locations include Torrington, Thomaston, Bristol and Southington.
For some customers like Kristen Conway, the farmers’ market is a new and fun experience. Conway said this is what she was expecting and would definitely come again.
Kim Yoket is another newcomer who enjoyed herself and is expecting to come back.
Most of the vendors have been attending this farmer’s market for several years and some of them such as Paul Tonn of Tonn’s Orchard, have been coming since it was first developed. Tonn’s Orchard first started out selling strawberries and small fruits and along the way, Tonn said he planted about an 8-acre orchard.
“It’s my father’s hobby,” said Tonn. “A hobby led into a very large hobby and we bought 10 more acres of land and planted an orchard.”
The Hilljack Sugar Shack is another example of a family business that started out as a hobby when Jesse Nivolo tapped his first maple tree at 8 years old. It was from that point that Jesse developed a life-long interest in sugaring and farming. Today, Hilljack Sugar Shack produces and sells maple syrup, honey, fudge and farm fresh eggs.
Jesse’s mother Gerri Nivolo said they attend the Torrington Farmers’ Market as well as the Riverton Fair every year.
Pat Izzo, owner of The Berry Patch, is an individual, who, like Paul Tonn, has been attending these farmers markets since they first began. She sells her blueberries at several restaurants and has planted more than 180 blueberry bushes at Rockefeller Center. Izzo has also done a variety of fairs.
There are some individuals like Beth Zukowski of Better Baking by Beth who started out selling her baked goods in a bakery but has found better luck in selling them at farmers’ markets. Better Baking by Beth has a variety of different baked goods including cakes and pastries for all occasions, holiday cookie trays and dog treats.
Vendors like Giv COFFEE strive to make a difference and help those in need. Emily Brooks said she and her family have been attending farmers’ markets for about three or four years. The business, however, first began in the fall of 2011 when Emily and her husband Jeff visited Cameroon, Thailand and Nicaragua and saw that there were people in need who could benefit from their business. Currently, Giv COFFEE donates $2 per bag to the homeless.
It is their faith, Emily said, that inspired their business and it is their faith that keeps it growing every day.
There are other vendors like Joanne and Reese Piper of Ridge Runner Soap, who are attending the Torrington Farmers’ Market for the first time but started attending other farmers’ markets late last year. Ridge Runner Soap sells hand-crafted natural soaps and also has vegan and vegetarian lines.
Joanne Piper said the business all started because of her son. “Our son has very sensitive skin. Anything he buys from the store, he’s allergic to, so he developed this soap, all fragrance free” said Joanne.
The Barden Farm is another family business run by Lauren Fox, Cara Donovan and Bryan Heafy, that is new to the Torrington Farmers’ Market. The Barden Farm is a family farm that was first developed in the 1900’s and currently has a CSA program (Community Supported Agriculture.) Each week there is a bag of produce pre-packed for families and each bag includes the produce of their choice; they pick what’s in it based on what’s in season.
March Farm, like The Barden Farm has also been around since the 1900’s. Ben March said it was first developed in 1915. March said he and his family participate is a variety of farm markets including Torrington, Litchfield and Goshen. They also wholesale a lot of their products to different stores such as Labonne’s, Bishop’s Market and Lyman Orchards.
Some of the other vendors who attended this year are Big City Stone, Cy-Bon Farms, Gresczyk Farms and Hilltop Vegetable Farm.
The Farmer’s Market is held in Torrington each year from June 6 to October 31. Customers can attend every Tuesday from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on 1000 East Main St at the Sky Top Lanes parking lot.


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KevinMD on Enhancing a Physicians' Online Reputation
Kevin Pho, MD, the ubiquitous social media guru known as KevinMD on the blogosphere and Twitter, has published a book to help physicians do just that. Establishing, Managing and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices, gives tips on how to best represent themselves to the new generation of wired, empowered, and social patients.
In an interview, Pho discussed some of the biggest mistakes physicians make in regard to their online reputation – and explained how they can be rectified.
Mistake 1: Ignoring your online reputation
When it comes to a physician's online image, the first mistake he can make is to ignore it.
"When you consider how online reviews have affected other industries, like books, hotels, and restaurants, it's inevitable that this level of transparency will become the standard in healthcare," Pho says.
"So it's up to physicians to be aware of their online reputation, because if they aren't, patients and other entities will define them online."
Solution: Get Googling
"Most doctors' biggest fear is Googling their name, and having a negative online patient review show up," Pho says. "To prevent these situations, they not only need to be aware of their online reputation, they need to take steps to proactively protect it."
Physicians should create a Google news alert to notify them whenever their name or organization is mentioned in the press. They should also regularly enter their name and other relevant key words (John Smith, cardiologist, Atlanta) into search engines to keep an eye on the top results.
- Ratcheting Up Patient Experience Has a Downside
- 'Mega Boards' Could be Rural Healthcare Disruptor
- Narrow Networks Enjoying a Resurgence
- Physicians Trained in High-Cost Regions Spend More
- Christmas Tree Syndrome Season Underway
- HL20: Anne Wojcicki—Unlocking Consumer Access to Genetics
- Population Health Starts with Ending Hunger
- HL20: Tom X. Lee, MD—Reinventing Primary Care
- HL20: Lee Aase—Who's Behind @MayoClinic
- HL20: José Ramón Fernández-Peña, MD, MPA—A Welcoming Approach


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- Prachi Singh |
Skechers net sales for the first quarter, increased 9.6 percent to 1.073 billion dollars compared to first quarter 2016. The growth was, Skechers said, the result of a 16.8 percent increase in the company’s international wholesale business and a 12.8 percent increase in its company-owned global retail business, which included comparable same store sales increases of 2.9 percent.
“First quarter 2017 net sales represent a new quarterly record and the first time we exceeded 1 billion dollars in quarterly sales. We are particularly proud of the growth in the quarter considering the tough comparison to 2016, which included the benefit of an additional day in February and Easter falling in March,” said David Weinberg, COO and CFO of Skechers in a statement.
Gross profit improves, earnings decline
The company said negative currency translation impact on its gross margins in its international wholesale and international company-owned retail businesses was 6.1 million dollars. The company’s domestic wholesale net sales were relatively flat compared to the first quarter of last year.
Gross profit was 476.5 million dollars or 44.4 percent of net sales, compared to 432.2 million dollars or 44.2 percent of net sales, for the first quarter of last year. Earnings from operations were 124.4 million dollars, a decrease of 10.2 percent over the first quarter of 2016. Net earnings decreased 3.7 percent to 94 million dollars and diluted net earnings per share were 0.60 dollar.
The company’s gross margins were negatively impacted by approximately 6.1 million dollars due to negative foreign currency translations and approximately 900,000 dollars in pre-tax expenses related to foreign currency transaction losses during the first quarter of 2017. Skechers’ operations in the United Kingdom were significantly impacted by currency headwinds as its wholesale sales were up 6.1 percent for the first quarter in local currency but down 8.2 percent in US dollars.
Commenting on the company’s results, Robert Greenberg, Skechers Chief Executive added, “In 2005, we surpassed 1 billion dollars in annual sales, and now less than 12 years later, we had our first 1 billion dollars plus in quarterly sales. Our global footprint continues to grow with our ongoing success in Canada, Chile and China as well as in India, Australia and Turkey, and many other markets.”
At quarter end, there were 2,055 Skechers retail stores, including 1,471 third-party-owned locations, of which 551 are in China alone.
Expects Q2 sales to range between 950 to 975 mn dollars
Based on these key indicators, the company believes it will achieve net sales in the second quarter in the range of 950 million dollars to 975 million dollars, a second quarter sales record, and earnings per share of 0.42 dollar to 0.47 dollar. This projection includes flat to slightly positive sales increases in the company’s domestic wholesale business, and increases in its international business and company-owned retail stores.
The company expects its ongoing capital expenditures for 2017 to be approximately 40 million dollars to 45 million dollars, which includes corporate office upgrades and an additional 50 to 75 company-owned retail store openings and several store remodels, as well as an additional 25 million dollars for infrastructure primarily in its China joint venture.


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EDMONTON—Alberta has ended its moratorium on new weed stores.
The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) announced Thursday morning that it has lifted the moratorium on accepting new licence applications and issuing licences “due to a steady increase in AGLC’s cannabis supply.”
The AGLC issued five new licences Thursday and plans to continue issuing five per week.
“From our perspective, it is improving, so we’re hopeful that this is going to continue to improve,” spokesperson Heather Holmen said, adding the AGLC will consider reinstating the moratorium if inventory stability takes a drastic downturn.
“(We) of course, continue to monitor the supply situation to make sure that the improvements we’ve seen are consistent, and in an ideal world (will) see them increase even more.”
The AGLC temporarily suspended new retail licences in November and offered refunds to hopeful business owners in response to significant product shortages.
They invested $200,000 before cannabis was legal. Now, these retailers are stuck in limbo as Alberta’s supply runs out
Newly licensed Edmonton cannabis producer says no to recreational market
Alberta temporarily suspends cannabis store applications as weed supply dries up
The agency briefly lifted the moratorium in January, issuing 10 more licences — and again in April, issuing 26 — as more licensed producers came on board to supply product for its government-run retail website and licensed private retail stores.
The AGLC now has contracts with 26 federally licensed cannabis producers.
The province has 101 cannabis retail stores, which is the most in Canada.
Holmen said 115 more applications had been approved and waiting for a licence as of Wednesday, and those will take several weeks to get through before any new applicants have a chance.
“They’ve had their store inspections completed, they’ve got their municipal licensing, they’ve gone through all of AGLC’s due diligence requirements,” she said.
Glenora Cannabis co-owner Chris Zimmerman has been waiting to open his family business since recreational pot was legalized in October, and he said he was “very excited” by Thursday’s announcement.
His family jumped through all the regulatory hurdles last year, building a steel backroom, installing a high-tech security system, and applying for the city permit, before putting up an LED sign outside the central Edmonton store.
Zimmerman said the family has sunk roughly $250,000 into the business already, including the cost of leasing the building that has sat vacant for months.
“It’s been very, very challenging, especially for a store in our position. We’re a smaller business,” he said. “My parents, who are the primary owners, invested the vast majority of their retirement savings into it. So there were definitely some scary moments there.”
Zimmerman said he’s confident the business will be able to recoup its losses and sell enough product to justify the lost time.
Calgary-based Westleaf has more than 20 planned Alberta stores in various stages of development. The company has three stores operating in Saskatchewan under its Prairie Records brand, but has not been able to open any in Alberta.
“We’re excited that there is going to be more clarity and movement on opening more (stores) in Alberta,” the company’s chief commercial officer Adam Coates said.
“There was a big land grab that kind of happened, especially in the spring of 2018, of aggregating and consolidating real estate to open stores, thinking that you were going to be able to open them as the licensing became available after Oct. 17.”
Coates said the timing of the announcement is important as it will allow business owners to prepare for the second wave of legalization, with vapes, edibles and beverages expected to become legally available this fall.
Edmonton-based Fire and Flower filed the maximum 37 licence applications last year, and is still waiting to open 28 of those stores across the province.
CEO Trevor Fencott said he is “tremendously happy” with Thursday’s announcement.
He said his company was always prepared to play the long game because Alberta pioneered the best approach to recreational cannabis.
“We were prepared to invest and be patient, but there’s obviously always a limit,” he said.
Nova Cannabis, owned by Alcanna Inc., is still waiting to open 29 of its 37 prospective stores across Alberta.
“It certainly was not the best situation to have things ready to go and not be able to open them,” said Marcie Kiziak, Alcanna’s managing director of cannabis.
Kiziak said she was pleased, but not terribly surprised, by Thursday’s announcement as she has noticed more product flowing to stores in recent weeks.
“The process has been slower than we thought, but supply is definitely picking up.”
University of Alberta business professor Kyle Murray said the lifting of the moratorium is a sign that the cannabis industry is starting to mature in Alberta.
He said the interest in opening stores will remain high, but acknowledged the delay has likely pushed out smaller mom-and-pop shops that didn’t have the money to sit dormant while they waited for the AGLC to reopen applications.
“I think it’s mostly the smaller stores that don’t have that financial strength,” Murray said.
“That’s really the nature in almost any industry — that as it matures, the larger players take more market share.”


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Crock Science Cooks Up Findings Against Chicken Nuggets
Researchers recently decided to “investigate” the contents of chicken nuggets and found that they are not made of 100% chicken as advertised but include fat and other contents. The methodology behind the experiment was laughable and the American Journal of Medicine ought to be ashamed for legitimizing this junk science by publishing the results.
The media have had a field day with this story. On a local morning news program, I listened as the anchorwoman expressed disdain for fast food chicken nuggets because, according to her, they are not real chicken. Like many other journalists and mothers out there, this news caster jumped to conclusions and raised alarm which the researchers no doubt intended.
Here’s what happened:
Researchers from the University of Mississippi Medical Center were curious as to what fast food chicken nuggets were really made of. After all, they are incredibly popular in the U.S. In 2011, 50 billion pounds of broiler chickens were raised and sold, according to the National Chicken Council. And, about 50 percent of that meat was made into nuggets and similar products. However, the researchers found that for all this meat sold, much of the chicken nuggets we are served do not contain simply breast meat, as many fast food chains claim.
“Striated muscle (chicken meat) was not the predominate component in either nugget,” the researchers noted in their study. “Fat was present in equal or greater quantities along with epithelium, bone, nerve, and connective tissue.” Epithelium is one of the four types of animal tissue, and usually lines cavities and structures throughout the body. The study ultimately concluded that “chicken nuggets are mostly fat, and their name is a misnomer.”
The researchers withheld the names of the fast food chains they visited because they felt “that would generate negative publicity off topic.” But whether it was Wendy’s, Burger King or McDonald’s the damage inflicted on a whole nugget industry is done.
What was not reported was the shoddy methodology these researchers used to come to their conclusions. Dissecting a chicken nugget on one random day should not serve as the basis for a nationally recognized study that people use to make informed decisions.
According to the study “The Autopsy of Chicken Nuggets Reads “Chicken Little” here’s what they did:
“We bought an order of chicken nuggets over the counter at each of 2 national fast food chain restaurants near our academic health center in Jackson, Mississippi. One nugget was selected at random from each box and fixed in formalin, processed for histology, and embedded in paraffin. Sections were cut with a microtome and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) or trichome stain for microscopic evaluation.”
You read that right: one chicken nugget at two different restaurants. If the researchers had dissected a box of ten nuggets out of 100 that might be slightly more believable, but not one lone nugget. I can’t help but question their other work if such small sampling and simple testing passes for legitimate researcg. That the Journal of Medicine even published the findings should call into question the Journal’s credibility as well.
The chicken industry isn’t letting these researchers wring its neck without a fight and has fired back in a statement:
“This study evaluates only two chicken nugget samples out of the billions of chicken nuggets that are made every year. It is not scientifically justifiable to make inferences about an entire product category given a sample size of two.
“Chicken nuggets tend to have an elevated fat content because they are breaded and fried. But it’s no secret what is in a chicken nugget – most quick service restaurants have nutritional information posted in the store or on their Website.”
This study joins other examples of alarmism in the U.S. So-called experts engage in junk science experiments and draw conclusions based on questionable methodologies. It all serves to advance a specific social agenda. They want to scare us out of or into certain behaviors and to shame one industry while rewarding another that they find more favorable.
This time the target is chicken nuggets. While these researchers would have us believe that they have exposed a food cover up, the real wrong doing is misleading the American people with an experiment that a fourth-grader would know is a non-representative sample. Let’s hope moms and dads don’t fall for the headlines or the hype.


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How Canadian bookstore chain Indigo plans to compete against Amazon in the U.S.
In the age of Amazon, Borders is bankrupt, and Barnes & Noble is closing stores as sales decline, reportedly 6 percent in the first quarter of this year. But one Canadian bookstore chain is expanding to the U.S. anyway.
Indigo’s first U.S. store opened this week in Short Hills, New Jersey, along with an in-store Café Indigo coffee shop. The company thinks it can make headway in the U.S. because of its lineup of exclusive products and its “store within a store” model to showcase different product categories. It’s also a fresh brand that avoids the legacy baggage of incumbent retailers and taps into the experiential, destination-style retail model that Amazon hasn’t quite cracked yet. The retailer, which is a publicly-traded company, reported $833 million in revenue last year, up nearly 6 percent from the year before.
“Our customers in Canada often say that Indigo is their happy place and we believe our concept will resonate for the U.S. customer as well,” said company spokeswoman Kate Gregory. “Indigo offers a unique approach to lifestyle retail with our product curation, store design and joyful events and experiences, all inspired by books and celebrating the power of human connections.”
The company, which is Canada’s largest book, gift and specialty toy retailer, currently has 85 large and 121 small-format stores under the brands Indigo, Chapters, Coles, Indigospirit and The Book Company. It’s held its own against the growth of Amazon in Canada by moving beyond books to lifestyle and home accessories, and it’s created an inviting atmosphere for customers. It’s also built an arsenal of private-label brands exclusive to the retailer, including IndigoKids, IndigoBaby, Wellness, IndigoPaper, among others.
Toronto-based retail analyst Bruce Winder, co-founder and partner of the Retail Advisors network, said Indigo is hoping the Amazon defense strategy it’s employed in Canada will resonate with U.S. customers. He said in recent years, the 21-year-old company made a shift away from a focus on books, anticipating that Amazon would quickly gain share.
“They realized that Amazon was starting to eat their lunch on books,” he said. “They’ve become a destination for people to cocoon a little bit inside; they also have a fairly good selection of consumer electronics and lifestyle accessories, and they have differentiated merchandise.”
While Indigo may appear like a Canadian answer to Barnes & Noble, by becoming a department store that happens to sell books, it’s avoiding a trap in which legacy book retailers like Barnes & Noble often find themselves — appearing too much like a library where people don’t actually buy merchandise.
“People may drop in for a browse but they won’t make a dedicated trip to a bookstore,” Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, recently told The Guardian, speaking of Barnes & Noble.
Despite its edge over some legacy retailers, Indigo still faces a steep climb as an unknown brand in the U.S. Even if the retailer can master the in-store experience, driving traffic to stores will necessitate large investments in branding and marketing, all of which will likely cut into its bottom line, said David Bray, CEO of Briz Media Group, an ad agency that works with retail tech companies.
Indigo’s choice of New Jersey’s Short Hills mall offers access to a relatively affluent, suburban clientele — a good test market, he added. If the brand successfully scales, it could represent a new stage of evolution for physical retail.
“What’s old is becoming new again — the retail market is correcting itself and becoming about these experiences, understanding how to use data to facilitate better experiences and crafting better relationships between the brand and the customer,” he said.
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Specsavers Newark is relocating to larger premises at 25 Middle Gate, extending its optical and audiology services for the local community.
The store in Morrisons Superstore is moving to a new unit next door to the Buttermarket Centre in Newark, opening on Friday 18 December.
A word from the store director
‘We’re really excited to be moving to our new store which is around three times bigger than our current location,’ comments Sarbjeet Soar, Specsavers Newark store director. ‘We’ve simply outgrown where we are now – it’s been 26 years, but the time has most certainly come. The larger store has already given us the opportunity to expand our team so it’ll be fantastic to have more hands on deck.’
As part of the store relocation the old store will close at 3pm on Monday 14 December before the new store opens at 8.30am on Friday 18 December.
About Specsavers Newark
The new store will boast six optical consulting rooms including a dedicated sound-proof room for audiology, and a contact lens area. The latest high-tech optical equipment will be kitted throughout and will include a brand-new Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) machine usually found in hospital eye departments. This 3D scanning technology allows optometrists to view the eye in more detail than ever before, helping to detect several eye conditions, including glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy.
A word from the audiology director
Jake Tyers, audiology director at Specsavers in Newark says: ‘Our hearing service has seen a two-fold increase for intake of new customers over the last two years, so we’ll benefit greatly from the extra space the new store provides for hearing aid fittings and wax removal procedures. Most importantly, it will allow us to increase our testing capacity so customers can get the appointment times they desire every time.’
A word from the leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council
Councillor David Lloyd, leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: ‘It’s fantastic that this move has been secured. It’s sure to have a positive impact on the town centre as although Specsavers has been part of the town for a while, its previous location meant shoppers might just drop in via the supermarket car park rather than pass the other excellent shops that Newark has to offer, not forgetting the almost adjacent Newark Royal Market.’


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At least 28 more garment workers die in Bangladeshi factory fire
At least 28 more Bangladeshi garment workers have died and dozens more have been injured when a fire broke out on the 9th and 10th floors of the "That's It Sportswear Ltd" factory just outside the capital Dhaka. Labour rights groups are calling for action: "failure of brands, government and manufacturers to take preventive action condemns more workers to die."
Cambodian Trade Union Leader Arrested
This appeal is no longer active.


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LIMERICK – Township supervisors unanimously approved two ordinances that will make it much easier for police to track, recover and eventually return stolen items to victims.
‘The current state law regarding pawn shops and precious metal dealers is very dated and it does not require the use of modern technology in the keeping of records relating to items brought to the business and the identification of the persons presenting them,’ said Limerick Police Chief Bill Albany last week. ‘Additionally, it does not require any reporting to local police on items offered for sale.’
The ordinances, approved by all five supervisors Aug. 6, utilize digital tools to expedite police investigations involving items that may have been sold at pawn shops.
‘The ordinances will require digital records, including photographs, of items offered for sale and the sellers,’ Albany said. ‘(They) will also require scheduled reporting to the local police of items received by their business.’
Albany hopes the ordinances will make theft rings much more difficult to operate in and around Limerick.
‘If you think of the recent theft of landscaping equipment case handled by Detective (Ernie) Morris in which more than 50 items were brought to local pawn shops by three local men, this case could have been solved a lot sooner had the municipalities where those shops are located had a similar ordinance in place,’ Albany said.
Three men, Jason Michael Davis, 38, Daniel John Vieldhouse, 28, and Donald Erris Hill, 28, all of Pottstown, were arrested and charged for stealing approximately $17,000 from local landscaping and hardware stores for at least two months earlier this year.
Many of the items they stole were sold at pawn shops, police said.
Vieldhouse allegedly used the proceeds from thefts, which spanned Montgomery and Chester counties, for drugs.
‘I think a not-too-distant goal of law enforcement is for all of these reported items to be entered into a database so that stolen property can be reunited with its owner,’ Albany said.
Recovery of the stolen items can have a sentimental value exceeding dollar figures, according to Albany.
‘Let’s face it, a flat screen TV can be replaced but the loss of a family heirloom lingers for a long time,’ he said.


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As the political landscape in Maryland undergoes a significant shift, all eyes are on Representative David Trone, wine retailer turned congressman, who is now seeking to fill the void left by Senator Ben Cardin as he retires. Trone's journey from building an empire in the alcohol industry as the founder of Total Wine & More to his current Senate campaign has been marked by controversy and heavy spending.
David Trone and his brother, Robert Trone, founded Total Wine & More in 1991, starting with a single store in Delaware. Over the years, they transformed their small wine shop into a retail giant, with more than 200 stores across 24 states at the time of my last knowledge update in September 2021. Total Wine & More became known for its vast selection and competitive prices, attracting a loyal customer base and generating substantial wealth for the Trone family.
Trone's foray into politics began in 2016 when he ran for Maryland's 8th Congressional District seat. His self-funded campaign was one of the most expensive House races in history, with Trone reportedly pouring more than $13 million of his own fortune into the campaign. Despite the spending, he lost to Jamie Raskin in the Democratic primary but returned in 2018 to win the seat after Raskin's departure for a House run. Trone spent $17 million on that race. In 2020, he set his sights on Senator Ben Cardin's seat, who had served Maryland in the Senate for over a decade.
Trone's deep pockets have sparked controversy and criticism from some quarters. Critics argue that his ability to self-finance his campaigns raises questions about the influence of money in politics and whether he truly represents the interests of everyday Marylanders. Others contend that his wealth disconnects him from the issues faced by working-class voters.
Many of Trone's campaign tactics have come under fire. First, Trone's campaign staff has raised eyebrows for being overrepresented by college students. While college students are regular fixtures in campaign offices across the country, what is unusual is that everyone working on the campaign, with the exception of the campaign manager, is a college student. There is speculation that the reason for this is that Trone is compensating them with wine and beer from his Total Wine stores to minimize, if not eliminate, payroll altogether so that the campaign can allocate as much as possible to their TV ad spend.
According to a low-level aide who requested anonymity, they revealed, "Yep, we are all working for free beer and wine. Plus, there's always an endless supply of beer nuts, sharp cheddar, and Carr's crackers in our offices. Congressman Trone has also promised 1,000,000 Total Wine Rewards points to everyone on the campaign if he gets elected. They just can't be used on wines with prices ending in 7. Congressman Trone is a great American like Ryan Seacrest and will be an even better U.S. Senator for Maryland."
From his beginnings as a businessman to his journey into politics, Trone's path has been marked by heavy spending and a willingness to focus his vast resources on TV spending by paying campaign staff in alcohol. Whether this approach resonates with Maryland voters remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: David Trone's political career is one that will continue to attract attention and scrutiny in the years to come.
For a wine like Snoop Dogg's Cali Red Blend to be commercially viable it needs to taste the same year after year.
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The wine industry has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past two decades, with the emergence of the online wine shipping market playing a pivotal role. This evolution has brought unprecedented convenience to wine enthusiasts, changing the way we discover, purchase, and enjoy our favorite wines. In this blog, we'll explore inflection points, market capitalization, and forecast for the future of the online wine shipping industry.
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But what made the Cabrera gift stand out was how it diverged from the norm of players often being gifted Rolex watches from teams and teammates. But Cabrera plays for the Tigers so it is likely that his team will be gifting the legend something more befitting of his stature in baseball history. As for the bottle of Caymus he likely left in the opposing team's dugout after the game, here's hoping it finds its way back to the individual in the Athletics' front office who hatched this brilliance.


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Apple Pay will soon arrive in Taiwan with support from seven banks
Apple will soon be rolling out Apple Pay in Taiwan. While the company has yet to set a launch date, it has announced partnerships with seven of the island's banks for the contactless payment system.
On its Taiwanese site, Apple lists partnerships with Cathay United Bank, CTBC Bank, E.Sun Commercial Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank, Taishin International Bank and Union Bank of Taiwan. The company will undoubtedly add more banks to the lineup over time. In other countries, Apple has also made deals with credit card companies like American Express while agreements with banks were still being hammered out.
Taiwan will be the fourteenth territory to see the arrival of Apple Pay, and the sixth in the Asia-Pacific region, since its launch in late 2014.
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Joseph Keller is the former Editor in Chief of iMore. An Apple user for almost 20 years, he spends his time learning the ins and outs of iOS and macOS, always finding ways of getting the most out of his iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac.


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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Christmas trees line the fence at Piccolo Farms as goats and pigs much on the pine needles.
For three years, the farm has been taking used Christmas trees to use as treats for their animals. Piccolo Farms is a non-profit organization that takes in unwanted or abandoned farm animals.
"We have got a total of 58 animals right now, not counting chickens," Bonnie Glueck said, adding that the goats and pigs especially love the Christmas trees.
The idea first started with a pumpkin drive three years ago after Halloween. Then they had the idea to take in used Christmas trees, giving people a sustainable way to get rid of their decorations.
"We realized that the Christmas trees are also a huge source of vitamins and also a natural dewormer for the animals, so it's a really great thing for gut health, and it helps everybody else out too being able to have a place to dump their Christmas trees, too," Glueck said.
Glueck said Piccolo Farms is finished taking Christmas trees this season, but added that people can donate and follow the farm on social media if they are interested in helping its mission.


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Ascena Retail Group Inc. (NASDAQ: ASNA) may file for Chapter 11 as soon as next month, according to Bloomberg. This puts 13,000 more retail jobs at stake at a time when tens of thousands of retailer workers already have lost their jobs since the start of the year.
Investors in Ascena would take huge losses as well. In Chapter 11, the share price will push toward zero. The stock is down over 60% so far this year to $2.76 a share. If competitor J.C. Penney’s share price is any indication, the stock will drop to the point where it is worth pennies.
Retailers that go into Chapter 11 often keep some stores open. With most of their debt gone, parent companies can operate the locations that are profitable. Ascena does not break out per-location profit numbers. It owns Ann Taylor, Loft, Lou & Grey, Lane Bryant, Catherines, Cacique and Justice.
Ascena put a large number of its workers out of jobs at the end of March. It announced “a furlough program across its business, including all store associates and close to half of its corporate associates.”
More recently, the company announced it was operating successfully online. It has opened 450 of its 2,800 stores and will open more as local regulations allow it to do so.
Ascena said in its most recently reported quarter that revenue fell 45%. Carrie Teffner, interim executive chair, signaled bad news was coming:
COVID-19 has significantly disrupted our business. Despite aggressive actions to preserve liquidity, the pandemic has significantly reduced our earnings and cash flow, resulting in increased levels of debt and deferred liabilities. With retail stores making up the majority of our revenue and cash flow, the uncertainty created by COVID-19 requires us to evaluate all options available to protect the business and its stakeholders.
Will some of Ascena stores stay open? It is too early to say. What can be said is that 13,000 people are at risk of losing their jobs.
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Consumer healthcare company Haleon has said it wants to help healthcare professionals achieve positive health outcomes, upon completion of its demerger from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) yesterday (18 July).
Haleon - maker of Sensodyne toothpaste, as well as Voltarol and Panadol – said that it recognises that, 'despite huge improvements in medicine, data and technology, everyday health remains elusive for too many people’.
It said it aims to change this 'by working to remove barriers to better everyday health, and aiming to empower 50 million people a year by 2025 to be more included in opportunities for better everyday health’.
Tess Player, VP global head of expert/health professionals at Haleon, said partnering with health professionals is a ‘top priority’.
Haleon said collaboration with health professionals has revealed some of the barriers they are facing, including 'a lack of education in patient communication, behaviour change and emerging technologies, as well as a lack of time and recognition from peers, policymakers, and even patients at times’.
It said that 'these insights will feed into some significant new programmes and developments aimed at the health professional community,' including launching the new Haleon HealthPartner portal.
It added that the portal will include professional education, practical tools, news services, community building and awareness campaigns.
GSK had announced the creation of Haleon in February, due to ‘successful investments and strategic changes’ to GSK’s consumer health business. This includes the integration of the consumer product portfolios from Novartis and Pfizer.
It also described the demerger as the most significant corporate change for the company in 20 years, and said it will now focus purely on pharmaceuticals.


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March 21st is Small Business Development Center day, which means celebrating the impact and importance of small businesses. Here in Corpus Christi, small businesses are vital to the city's economy. However, owning and operating a small business can be tough.
Smoothie King owner, Joe Perez, has kept his doors open for ten years, but times haven't always been easy.
"I was in the store when we first opened, and we barely had any customers come in, and I'm like 'wow,'" Perez said. "If a company is waiting for customers to come in, I don't think it's going to happen."
That's when Perez reached out to experts at the Small Business Development Center with Del Mar College. It's a resource for anyone to get information and tips on how to run a business. Their advice for Perez, instead of waiting for customers to come to the store, go out into the community.
Perez took their advice, and signed up his business to partner with groups like the American Cancer Society, the Diabetes Foundation, and CASA.
"Being a part of the community, joining different groups, and partnering up with the different aspects of the community, that's going to be the key to any success," Perez said.
The success of small businesses like Smoothie King are essential for the city's economy. They provide nearly 85% of jobs in Corpus Christi.
Perez opened a second Smoothie King location, so he's already hiring more employees. But with the help of the SBDC, he hopes to open more stores in the future.
"I think more small businesses should seek them," Perez said. "They are a wealth of information and they're there to support you."
For more information about the Del Mar College SBDC, click here.
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