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Brixton Capital, a privately held real estate investment firm, has acquired Pacific Town Center, a 143,217-square-foot shopping center in Stockton, California, for an undisclosed amount. Brixton purchased the property in an off-market transaction.
Encompassing 718-760 West Hammer Lane, Pacific Town Center is located at the southeast corner of one of Stockton’s busiest intersections. Existing tenants include Smart & Final, Aaron’s, Panda Express, Subway and other neighborhood-serving retailers and restaurants.
“For Brixton, opportunity once again met experience in Stockton, where our firm continues to invest in neighborhood-servicing shopping centers in the heart of California’s fastest growing metro area,” said Daniel Sutherland, Brixton Capital’s Managing Director of Investments, “Our team is thrilled to acquire the ideally located center, already home to a robust lineup of tenants, with even more value-enhancing prospects on the horizon that will improve the community’s shopping and dining experiences.”
While the center is currently 42% leased, Brixton plans to re-tenant a former Toys ‘R’ Us space and the center’s recently vacated T.J.Maxx storefront to bring new retail offerings to the community.
Mark Selman, President of Brixton Capital said, “This transaction embodies Brixton’s unwavering commitment to acquiring value-add retail properties in high-growth markets and transforming them into local hubs that fit the modern needs of local residents.”
Hanley Investment Group represented the Sacramento-based, private seller in the transaction.
About Brixton Capital
Brixton Capital is a preeminent private real estate investment firm that seeks to generate outstanding, risk-adjusted returns by unlocking embedded value in commercial real estate transactions spanning all property types. Headquartered in San Diego County’s Solana Beach, California, Brixton is led by a team of seasoned commercial real estate experts with an average of more than 25 years of experience. Brixton currently owns and operates a portfolio valued in excess of $1.5 billion, representing over 10 million square feet of multifamily, retail, and land investments across the United States and Europe. For more information, visit www.brixtoncapital.com.


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The volume and value of international trade in the Los Angeles Customs District is expected to grow this year, according to a report released Wednesday by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp.
The five-county Southern California region will benefit from the growth, the report showed, but it will only account for a 2percent increase in jobs.
The value of trade in the Customs District, which includes the Long Beach and L.A. ports, will grow by 7.5 percent this year, according to the report prepared by the Kyser Center for Economic Research.
The number of containers handled at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach is also expected to grow to 14.8 million units, an increase of 5.2 percent from 2010. The ports are Nos. 1 and 2 respectively in the country in terms of volume.
It’s some good news for business in the region, but it all depends on what happens with the Panama Canal, said Donald Sachs, the executive director of the Industry Manufacturers Council.
“I hate to rain on their parade,” he said. “But until we know what effects the widening of the Panama Canal will have, we won’t really have a clear picture.”
Sachs is concerned that allowing bigger ships to go through the canal will give a lot of the local Customs District’s business to Texas ports.
The report is counting on the growth of trade with Asian countries and the overall growth of international trade.

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The report, “Millennials in the US: Trends and Opportunities Surrounding Gen-Y Adults”, found that even though 18- to 29-year-olds – dubbed ‘millenials’ or ‘generation Y’ by many marketers – were hard-hit by the recession, they are less likely to have cut their spending than those in other age brackets.
Publisher of Packaged Facts Don Montuori said: "The older Gen-X consumers are at a 'big-spending' stage of life, while Gen-Y consumers offer a bright note in an otherwise dismal spending picture because throughout the recession they have been more willing than older shoppers to spend more in coming months. Additionally, Gen-Y consumers are at a stage in life where most of the income they earn is likely to be spent.”
In terms of food and drink in particular, the market research organization found that 18- to 29-year-olds are more likely to enjoy trying new drinks than any other age group, and those aged 25 to 29 are most likely to try new food products – even more so than younger adults.
There are 51 million Americans who fall into the 18- to 29-year-old age bracket and they have a combined income of nearly $1trn, according to Packaged Facts, therefore offering “significant opportunities” to marketers.
However, the report notes that consumers in the group are reputed to be notoriously difficult to reach.
“Although they have been bombarded with commercials and ads from their earliest years, Gen-Y consumers are seen as multi-taskers who have learned to filter out and discriminate among the vast number of commercial messages they receive in the course of their lives,” the report said, urging marketers to use creative and experimental strategies to target younger adults.


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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Chain-store sales for the week ended Aug. 23 rose 2.3% from the year-earlier period, according to a survey released Tuesday by the International Council of Shopping Centers. On a week-over-week basis, sales climbed 0.2%, their biggest gain this month. "The consumer has been helped by some additional gasoline price relief this past week, but offsetting that pocket book ease is that August is shaping up to be the second coldest August in 11 years and the second wettest month in more than 16 years--according to Weather Trends International," said Michael Niemira, ICSC's chief economist. "Cold and wet conditions have traditionally hurt August sales but ICSC continues to expect comp-store sales to increase by about 2%."
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(WXYZ) — Tim Hortons and Justin Bieber have teamed up once again for a new creation available in Canada and the U.S.
The Biebs Brew is the second collaboration between Tim Hortons and Bieber. It's a French vanilla-flavored Cold Brew Coffee.
With the Biebs Brew, Tim Hortons is bringing back the TimBiebs, which are TimBits with flavors inspired by Bieber. The flavors are: Chocolate White Fudge, Sour Cream Chocolate Chip, and Birthday Cake Waffle.
During the collaboration with the Tim Hortons team, Bieber said he prefers iced coffee, which led to the new flavor.
"We couldn't stop at Timbiebs, we needed a Biebs Brew too," Bieber said in a release. "Doing a Tim Hortons collab had always been a dream of mine. I grew up on Tim Hortons and it's always been something close to my heart."
In Canada, restaurants also have limited-edition Biebs Brew tumblers available for purchase, and some restaurants will have limited quantites of Timbiebs merchandise for guests, including beanies, fanny packs and a tote bag.


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Skull and Bones, the long-awaited open-world game, that aims to build on the pirating genre of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag and Microsoft’s Sea of Thieves has once again been delayed until “early 2023-24,” as developer Ubisoft announces plans to launch a beta phase, postponing the Skull and Bones release date.
Beginning development in 2013, Skull and Bones was first revealed during Ubisoft’s conference at E3 2017. An initial release date of late 2018 was soon changed to 2019. The game then slipped again, to 2020, and again to 2021. In July 2022, Ubisoft announced a November 8 release date for Skull and Bones. Two months later, in September, that date was changed to March 9, 2023.
And now Skull and Bones has once again been delayed, with Ubisoft reporting during its January 11 investors call that a playable beta will be made available ahead of a full launch during “early 2023-24.”
“Players will be able to discover the beauty of Skull and Bones in the upcoming beta phase,” the developer says. “The additional time has already paid off and brought impressive improvements to its quality, which has been confirmed by recent playtests.
“We believe players will be positively surprised by its evolution. We have decided to postpone its release in order to have more time to showcase a much more polished and balanced experience and to build awareness. Skull and Bones will now be released early 2023-24.”
“Early 2023-24” may refer to a release period, outlined by Ubisoft, that will see the launch of various new games, including a “large…yet-to-be-announced premium game.”
“Leveraging the biggest pipeline of games in the Ubisoft’s history,
2023-24 will see the releases of Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Avatar Frontiers of Pandora, Skull and Bones, and other yet-to-be-announced premium games, including a large one, as well as promising free-to-play titles for some of our biggest brands,” says Frédéric Duguet, the company’s chief financial officer. Possibly, then, Skull and Bones could still launch within 2023, during the early stages of this release period designated by Ubisoft.
Ubisoft also says that the “postponement” of Skull and Bones contributes to a revision of its full-year financial targets, with “net bookings expected to be down more than 10% year-on-year versus a prior expectation of up more than 10%.” A release date for the Skull and Bones beta has not been announced.


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The new website Overlyzer went online about a year ago, and the innovative tool for live betting has also been available in the Google Play Store since the midth of May. Overlyzer offers a brand new algorithm that shows the course of soccer games from over 800 leagues and competitions from 160 nations in graph form – and all of this in real time.
The user can see at a glance which team is exerting more pressure, whether the game is being played offensively or defensively and which team is currently on the trigger. With the help of the extended filter options, users of the tool can sort their game selection according to all conceivable criteria: pressure, shots, corners, cards, but also game phases, pre-game and live odds or possession. In this way, the game selection can be tailored directly to the user’s needs.
Large community on Twitter
Overlyzer is the new project of the makers of the Austrian Soccer Board and abseits.at, two of the oldest and most renowned soccer portals in Austria. The new platform now has active users from over 40 countries who have been brought together to form a large community, especially on Twitter, to exchange tips and tricks – and of course their favorite filter settings.
Overlyzer is now also available as an app in the Google Play Store. So for live betting enthusiasts, Overlyzer is available even faster than before. As managing director Daniel Mandl explains, the tool was specially developed for sports betting: “Of course, success in sports betting in general and soccer betting in particular depends on numerous factors. Some of them can hardly be controlled by yourself.
In this regard, Overlyzer is the ‘missing piece of the puzzle’ to success. The visualization of the game progression and the filter functions enable users to find games that they could normally overlook and, above all, significantly reduce their risk when betting.”
Former Interwetten CEO on board
Also on board is Heinz Patzelt, a real industry celebrity. The former CEO of Interwetten and founder of wettfreunde.net, which was sold to the Danish company Better Collective about three years ago, invested in the company and will contribute to even faster growth with his expertise.
“We are very happy that we were able to win Heinz Patzelt, one of the greatest domestic experts in this segment, for our project. He completes our team and we have big plans for the future,” emphasizes Mandl.
New features and collaborations incoming
In addition to several new features, the team is now working on a native app for iOS systems. The next innovations will be presented in the coming weeks and months. These include improvements in usability and new algorithms that are primarily intended to become real game changers for football bettors “pre-game”.
But managing director Mandl also wants to announce further collaborations, for example with well-known football clubs, in the near future.


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Minneapolis-based developer Last Straw Productions (Fowl Prowl
) announced the third annual Independent MMO Game Developers Conference (IMGDC) for April 17 - 19, 2009.
The upcoming event will move the conference from Minneapolis to Las Vegas. “Establishing IMGDC 3.0 in Las Vegas will propel growth by providing easier access, while keeping it affordable for smaller independent studios that drive innovation in this exciting game development arena," says IMGDC founder and Last Straw CEO Jonathan Stevens.
Next year's IMGDC will feature industry keynotes, informal round-tables, and demo stations for independent developers to exhibit their work. In addition to covering self-funded massively multiplayer online games, the expo's scope will also be broadened to include virtual worlds.
Ahead of the conference, a new community portal has been launched at the official IMGDC 3.0website
, now featuring IMGDC advisor and speaker blogs as well as forums.


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Nestlé said it would continue its legal battle to trademark the shape of its Kit Kat brand, after losing an appeal in the High Court yesterday (20 January).
The confectionery giant intends to appeal Mr Justice Arnold’s ruling that there was no evidence the design of the four-finger chocolate bar was distinctive enough for consumers to confuse similarly shaped products with Kit Kats.
“Kit Kat is much loved, and the iconic shape of the four-finger bar, which has been used in the UK for more than 80 years, is well known by consumers,” a Nestlé spokesman said.
“We believe the shape deserves to be protected as a trademark in the UK and are disappointed the court did not agree on this occasion. We are taking the necessary steps to appeal this judgment.”
The company first applied to register the shape as a trademark in 2010 but faced legal opposition from rival Cadbury.
Michael Gardner, head of IP and commercial at law firm Wedlake Bell, remarked: “This deals a major blow to Nestlé’s hopes of acquiring a monopoly on being able to use the four-fingered Kit Kat shape for chocolate bars and other products.
“The ruling does not affect any other aspects of their branding, such as the Kit Kat name. The company’s only hope is to battle on and take the case to appeal.”


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WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives voted yesterday to renew a long-standing program that allows about 130 developing countries to export thousands of goods to the United States without paying duties.
Renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences, which also requires Senate action, would help support about 82,000 American jobs tied to products imported under the program, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp said.
“Many U.S. companies source raw materials and other inputs from GSP countries, and the duty-free treatment of these imports reduces the production costs of these U.S. manufacturers, making them more competitive,” Camp said.
About three-quarters of all GSP-eligible imports are raw materials, components, parts or machinery and equipment used to manufacture goods in the United States, the Michigan Republican added.
The bill extends the program through July 31, 2013. It also is retroactive to last Dec. 31, when the program expired after Senator Jeff Sessions blocked efforts to renew it.
The Alabama Republican complained that duty-free sleeping bags imported from Bangladesh under the program threatened to drive a manufacturer in his state out of business.
U.S. companies have since been required to pay import taxes on some 4,800 goods that previously came in duty-free.


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Amazon Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) has entered a new sector after opening an online pharmacy on Tuesday.
The online behemoth is providing a service to deliver medication and prescription refills to customers, who can order through a secure pharmacy profile, in a couple of days.
The service will begin in the US with prescribed medications, even those that require refrigeration such as insulin, and will not offer formulations that can be abused such as those that contain opioids.
The website will use Pillpack’s infrastructure, which was acquired for US$753mln in 2018, though PillPack remains a distinct service for customers managing multiple daily medications for chronic conditions.
Prime members will be able to access savings on medications at Amazon Pharmacy when paying without insurance, as well as at over 50,000 other participating pharmacies nationwide.
Lots of hype and lots of opportunity for Amazon to lower drug costs, but as is typical, little discussion about the quality of the service to the patient and the positioning of pharmacists to improve outcomes. People forget that pharmacy is meant to drive care, not just pills. https://t.co/yjfJOFwmR0
— Antonio Ciaccia (@A_Ciaccia) November 17, 2020
The news prompted pharmacy chains Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ:WBA) and CVS Health Corp (NYSE:CVS) to drop 8% to US$40.55 and 3.7% to US$68.38 respectively at open. Meanwhile, Amazon rose 1% to US$3,151.99.
These companies rely on extra purchases such as shampoo or groceries to plump revenues alongside the medicines.
They have all boosted their online capabilities but they are competing with the well-oiled Amazon machine which may be about to disrupt yet another sector.


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Will Bush’s Generic Drug Compromise Work?
Once generic drugs pass a Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process they become lower cost equivalents of brand-name pharmaceuticals, often saving consumers one-third the purchase price of their brand-name counterparts. Part of this approval process includes requiring generic drug manufacturers to demonstrate to the FDA that their drugs are equivalent to the name-brand product. Also, the FDA helps to ensure that the innovator’s patent rights are protected – which can bog down the approval process, especially when brand-name companies manipulate the law in order to delay the generic drug’s release. Policymakers began examining the process when it was discovered that name-brand companies are using loopholes in patent protection laws in order to delay competition from the generic drug manufactures and delay the access consumers have to up-and-coming generic drugs. On October 24, 2002 President Bush proposed some new rules through the FDA in order to get the less expensive generic drugs on the market and to the consumer faster. White House officials estimate the president’s plan will save consumers $3.2 billion in the first year and $35 billion over 10 years (Pear, New York Times, 10/22/02).
Pharmaceutical Companies Delaying Public Access to Generics Using Legal Loopholes
On October 21, 2002 the president made an televised announcement stating "Our message to brand-name manufactures is clear. You deserve the fair awards of your research and development. You do not have the right to keep generic drugs off the market for frivolous reasons." Commenting on the president’s proposed changes in a PBS NewsHour discussion with Ray Suarez, commentator Susan Dentzer suggests that some brand name companies are improperly manipulating patent laws and slowing up the accessibility of generic products by "exploiting a loophole in the law (Dentzer, PBS, 10/21/02)." Using the loophole, some patent holding drug manufactures have applied for and filed new patents for the same drugs they already have patents for in order to delay the introduction of generic equivalents to the market. Brand-name manufactures can control patented drug prices longer because other manufactures are not allowed to market the same drug while it is still under patent protection.
Under the 1984 Hatch-Wexman Act the FDA gives brand-name companies a 30-month patent protection stay whenever a generic drug manufacturer challenges a brand-name patent (American Health Line, 10/21/02). This stay is in place to give the original drug manufacturer time to protect its patent rights in court. In some instances the brand-name manufactures use the 30-months to make an inessential change to their product and file a new patent in order to trigger yet another 30-month stay and further delay FDA approval and the generic competitor from making their product available to consumers. For example, brand-name patent holders are known for making a minor change to the packaging, the color or the shape of the product while leaving the drug fundamentally the same, and then obtaining a patent base on purely an aesthetic change. In one case a company the patented the brown bottle that a cancer drug comes in during the 30-month stay claiming the packaging preserves the drug’s potency. Another 30-month stay was stacked on top of the first stay, delaying competition and the generic company’s ability to market the drug by another 30-months, at the expense of consumers. In another case, Glaxo-Smith-Kline, the original manufacture of the anti-depressant Paxil, stacked eight patents on top of each other, delaying the generic equivalent for years, costing consumers an estimated two and half billion dollars during the additional patent period.
Bush’s proposal would use a new interpretation of the 1984 Hatch-Wexman Act. Pharmaceutical companies would no longer be able to obtain multiple 30-month delays related to newly obtained patents. This does not compromise patent rights since innovator companies would still retain the right to protect their patent rights though traditional patent infringement suits. In their October 21, 2002 the News Release the Health and Human Services states that the "FDA’s proposed rule change would eliminate a significant impediment to prompt approval of generic drugs while preserving the legitimate incentives necessary for innovative drug development" (HHS Release, 10/21/02).
The proposal also sets new requirements that pharmaceutical companies need to follow in order to list drug patents in the "Orange Book" (the FDA’s official drug product digest):
Kathleen Jaeger, president of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, says that the president’s proposal is "a good first step administrative action to curb some of the abuses" (Carter, AP, 10/22/02).
What are the Critics Saying?
The Senate passed a more comprehensive measure July 2002 but the House never acted, and when the bill died, the president intervened. Some critics say that in comparison to the Senate’s bill, Bush’s proposal does not do enough. Senator Edward Kennedy, who heads the Senate’s health committee said the presidents proposal ‘will do little to assure that these loopholes will be closed or the abuses that are preventing the generic drugs from getting swiftly to the market will end." Senate Majority leader Tom Dashchel says that Bush’s proposal "falls short of what the Senate has already passed."
In its proposal, the White House made the following omissions from the Senate’s July 2002 bill:
An author of the July 2002 Senate Bill, Senator Charles Schumer said that the president’s proposal "closes on door to the pharmaceutical industry in their attempt to delay generics, but it opens up several others. I think that within three weeks, the pharmaceutical industry will find a way around it" (Carter, AP, 10/22/02).
The pharmaceutical industry, one of the most influential lobbyists in Washington, may be viewing the president’s proposal better than the Senate’s July version, and something they could work with considering the current political climate, rising healthcare costs and senior care. In Online NewsHour Susan Dentzer said that the pharmaceutical industry, specifically PhRMA, was privately "very concerned that the Senate did pass that legislation last summer [July 2002], which would have actually have gone much further than the FDA rule today [the 10/21/02 rule] would have gone in terms of baring the kinds of legal maneuvers that some companies are engaging in" (PBS, 10/22/02). Concerning the more comprehensive Senate bill (July 2002), patent lawyer Dr. Gregory Glover who works with pharmaceutical companies said that the Senate’s bill would make it difficult for innovators to "protect their discoveries," resulting in "fewer new drugs for American consumers" (Glover, Newstream, 07/02). Because of experimentation, testing and frequent failures it typically takes a drug company 12 to 15 years to develop a new drug before it can be released to the public. Strong patent protections help companies bear the research and development costs associated with new drugs. The Senate’s bill would decrease profits to the point where new drug development would be jeopardized. Generic drug companies only copy the most profitable drugs; Dr. Glover warns that the generic companies are not in the business of developing new drugs and cures. "The only companies that are investing in new drug discoveries are the brand-name pharmaceutical companies" (Glover, Newstream, 07/02). Dentzer went on to say that the president’s proposal, which is a compromise of the original Senate bill, is something that some of the pharmaceutical companies "could live with" (PBS, 10/22/02).
Access to the Proposal and Public Comments
President Bush’s proposal was published the in the Federal Register on October 24, 2002. The FDA accepts public comments for 60 days after publication and then moves to issue a final ruling. The proposal is titled "Application for FDA Approval to Market a New Drug (Docket No. 02N-0417)." It contains a link to the Dockets Management page where the pubic can make and submit electronic comments. The president’s proposal can be found at www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/index.html.


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If you have yet to give Overwatch a try, you can do so for free this weekend.
As part of the long holiday weekend in the US and UK, Overwatch is free to play for the duration.
If you are a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One user, you were able to pre-download the game on Wednesday. Hopefully you did, but if not, you can get started now. Once the event goes live, PC users can download the Overwatch client.
A PlayStation Plus subscription is not required to play online, but you must be an Xbox Live Gold subscriber to take advantage.
The Overwatch free play weekend kicks off on today, May 25 at 11am PDT, 2pm EDT, 7pm BST. It ends on May 28 at 11:59pm PDT, May 29 at 2:59am EDT, 7:59am BST.
Timing for the free weekend is perfect considering the Overwatch Anniversary event is live.
There’s the brawl of the day featuring past seasonal events, 190 Anniversary items to collect, the new Free-For-All Deathmatch map Petra and more fun that you can shake Doomfist’s, well, fist at.


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Libra Association, the non-profit organisation launched by Facebook to oversee its proposed cryptocurrency Libra, has today announced that it is pursuing a payment system licence under the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA).
Facebook announced its plans in June, unveiling a “new global currency powered by blockchain technology”, which has been designed to be borderless and backed by low-volatility assets. This will help to avoid the constant fluctuations that have stopped cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin from achieving widespread adoption.
Libra is being targeted at the 1.7 billion people around the world without some form of bank account by offering an easy to access service that offers low-cost transfer fees anywhere in the world.
However, Dante Disparte, Libra Association’s head of policy and communications, has insisted that innovation won’t be put ahead of regulatory compliance:
“Since our vision for the Libra project was announced 3 months ago, we have maintained our commitment that technology-powered financial services innovation and strong regulatory compliance and oversight are not in competition.”
According to a statement released by Libra, it has chosen to base operations in Switzerland due to its “pathway for responsible financial services innovation harmonized with global financial norms and strong oversight” that will allow for its open-source blockchain network to become a “regulated, low-friction, high-security payment system”.
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While cryptocurrencies and related technologies are often associated with criminal activities — given their common use on dark web marketplaces — FINMA released guidance last month detailing how organisations offering blockchain payments can adhere to regulatory requirements.
Facebook Libra “would go beyond pure payment system”
FINMA confirmed that it has received a request from the Libra Association to assess Libra under Swiss supervisory law in a statement today. The non-profit has asked FINMA to confirm how it would classify the Libra project.
While FINMA confirmed that Libra will need a payment system licence in order to operate, it has also said that additional services that “increase the risks” of a payment system must comply with additional requirements.
“Due to the issuance of Libra payment tokens, the services planned by the Libra project would clearly go beyond those of a pure payment system and therefore be subject to such additional requirements” the statement confirmed.
Facebook will have to navigate a tricky regulatory landscape if it is to successfully launch its Libra cryptocurrency. However, Kerim Derhalli, CEO and founder of investment platform Invstr, previously told Verdict that while its 2020 launch target may be ambitious, regulation is unlikely to halt Facebook’s plans to dominate payments.
“There is a long, rocky road ahead before we see Libra in the hands of the mass public,” Derhalli said. “But,this is Facebook. If anyone has the resources and lobbying power to launch in 2020, it’s them.”


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In the post-Flipkart world, Bansal spent quality time with his parents and in-laws.
With arch rival Walmart entering India this year through acquisition of Flipkart, Amazon is expected to double down on its ecommerce play.
Eight out of 10 women resellers from small towns had quit their jobs after embracing motherhood. The online reselling opportunity is a boon for such people.
The core contest comes down to warehouses. Foreign-funded firms aren’t allowed to hold e-commerce inventory in India. That’s a disadvantage for Amazon, since it prevents the firm from fully capitalizing on the strengths of its vaunted logistics operation, seen as one of its most decisive edges in the U.S.
Sellers said the option to port seller reviews and ratings across online marketplaces will give them a level playing field. Some even complained about false user ratings on e-commerce platforms that are often used to mislead customers.
The draft was circulated within the ecommerce thinktank of the commerce ministry, which had held several meetings in recent months. Here are the key proposals & their impact.
PepsiCo in its suit claimed that videos/posts made false claims that the snack had inflammable plastic.
Shop 101 enables merchants to sell online and via social media by creating an online store for them. It is a mobile-first platform which helps sellers build their own website on their phone.
Srikrishna is leading the effort to draft new data-privacy laws that will regulate how tech giants from the US operate in the nation of 1.3 billion.
According to a report in New York Times, Facebook is said to have formed data - sharing partnerships with at least 60 device makers - including Apple, Amazon, BlackBerry, Microsoft and Samsung.
It took some 20 years for e-commerce to bring on the shopping mall apocalypse. The next transformation will happen faster, much faster.
In India, as internet consumers become comfortable using AI-powered voice assistants to play music, set tasks and seek information, they are also waking up to the fragility of data privacy.
These sellers said that Flipkart Internet, the marketplace running Flipkart.com, has held back payments up to 50-75% of the amount that was due to be made to vendors on Monday
You can minimise the odds of unpleasant privacy surprises with these tips.
Compensation for CEOs is often hundreds of times higher than typical workers. This year, many cos had concerns about the reaction to their CEO-to-worker pay ratios
Some of the high ranking officials which Spencer Stuart has reportedly considered or shortlisted include Star India MD Sanjay Gupta; Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats.
India has emerged as the most-valuable emerging market retail segment, which is altogether valued at $44 billion in the report seen by ET.


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Jordan Cool Grey XI, by now we all know to expect something irresistible from Jordan Brand at holiday time. This year December 23 will be the release date for the Jordan Cool Grey XI’s. You can expect them to retail for $175 and for 8&9 matching shirts to be in stores early. Stay tuned. Follow @8and9 for t shirt release date and news.
Until next time…
The post Jordan Cool Grey XI Release Date Holiday 2010 appeared first on 8&9 Clothing Co..


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“Data-Driven Thinking” is written by members of the media community and contains fresh ideas on the digital revolution in media.
Today’s column is written by Justin Petty, vice president of global media and partnerships at dunnhumby.
We’ve all done it. Days after browsing a product online, maybe across several different sites, we see it out of the corner of our eye on the screen. “You know you want me. C’mon, just click this ad.”
For many of us, it works. We’re sold.
It’s similar to a friend saying, “You look great in that jacket, just get it.” We might not buy immediately; we‘re uncertain or think we might find it cheaper elsewhere. But we like instant gratification, so typically only wait a couple days at most before breaking down and buying. And that’s one of the reasons retargeting works.
Retargeting has always been a label applied to advertisements triggered by a consumer’s online behavior. In today’s world of big data, the lines are blurring between offline consumer behavior and online ad targeting. In essence, everyone can now retarget, even if it’s not labeled as such.
More positively, retargeting can remind you that the brand you love is out there, always waiting for you. Whether you like to browse cars or guitars, seeing the ads repeatedly is relevant and sometimes more interesting than the article you’re reading.
What about products with limited online availability, like CPG products? Historically, these brands haven’t had a way to retarget customers in the traditional sense, instead being limited to retargeting website visitors. Without an ecommerce platform, measureable value is limited. However, with the increase in programmatic buying and robust consumer data available, offline verticals can now retarget based on purchase history.
Programmatic media spending is expected to grow more than 25% each year for the foreseeable future. The CPG industry is now the second-largest buyer of programmatic media behind retail, according to Casale Media’s Q2 2014 Index Quarterly Report. This is for the same basic reason that retargeting works: When historical shopping behavior is used to target an online audience, based on purchases made in a physical store, it’s the offline to online equivalent of retargeting.
Other verticals, with significant ecommerce presence, have always had the data needed for retargeting. The rise of CPGs in the programmatic space is due to the increase in data available for CPGs to leverage. Offline buyers of their brand are available as online audiences through various forms of data-management platforms. Like retargeting in the traditional ecommerce space, it’s now extremely effective for offline sales, too. Though the ad isn’t triggered by online behavior, it’s still a form of retargeting.
Brand loyalty makes this work particularly well for CPG brands. When you see an ad for your favorite beverage, it’s relevant and often provides a promotional message or coupon that delivers value back to you. With programmatic buying based on consumer behavior, ads can be targeted to the right individuals – that is, those who buy the brand in-store. Advertising to already-loyal customers may seem counterintuitive to marketers who only aim to find more people who look like their current consumers.
Savvy marketers understand that targeting existing consumers is effective for two reasons. First, it will take, on average, 20 new trial consumers to equal the loss of one brand loyalist, and second, even the most loyal consumers still have capacity to buy more. Programmatically serving ads to these people gives a better online experience, through more relevant ads for the consumer, and delivers a better long-term return on investment.
Where common retargeting fails is when you have browsed a product at multiple ecommerce sites and purchased from only one. Those you didn’t patronize think you’re still interested in their ads. This is exactly why the retargeting idea works for products and brands one repeatedly buys: Brand awareness is critical to good marketing and routinely delivering ads to loyal consumers makes sense.
Consider frequent travelers with multiple hotel chains to consider. They might browse rates at several hotels and then select one. Even though they’ve already made their choice, continuing to see ads for other hotels may lead them to make a different decision on subsequent trips, especially if the ad is compelling. For a hotel chain, systematically and consistently serving ads to their best customers, even if they haven’t recently visited their website, helps sustain brand awareness. Using their CRM database to identify to whom to serve those ads is just another form of retargeting.
Targeting brand loyal consumers has proven to deliver between four and 10 times as much ROI when compared to targeting nonloyal households. Programmatic buying and retargeting are essential in achieving such ambitious results – no matter what you call it.


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Mercedes warmed the crowds up at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show by displaying the SL 63 AMG , but next month at the 2012 New York Auto Show, things will be heating up as the company will be bringing an even more powerful version for the current SL-Class : the SL 65 AMG.
While the current SL 63 AMG is powered by a 5.5-liter V8 engine that delivers a total of 537 HP and 590 lb-ft of torque, the SL 65 AMG will be powered by a AMG 6.0-liter V12 biturbo engine that delivers a total of 621 HP and a maximum torque of 738 lb-ft. With this amount of power the SL 65 AMG will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, while top speed goes up to an impressive 186 mph (in Europe it will be limited to 155 mph).
In Germany, the new SL 65 AMG will go on sale in September 2012 at a starting price of 236,334 euro (about $310,000 at the current exchange rates). Prices for the US market will be announced at a later date.
UPDATE 04/24/2012: Mercedes has unveiled a new promo video showing off the brand new SL 63 AMG and SL 65 AMG as they drive through the beautiful Tenerife. Enjoy!
Hit the jump to read more about the new Mercedes SL 65 AMG.


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Celebrating the stories that have already been told.
Informed by Savile Row, Charlie Casely-Hayford has brought his expertise in tailoring to a new collection created in collaboration with Fred Perry.
Continuing the legacy of his father, Joe, who founded the label in the mid-80s, Charlie focuses on subtly eccentric tailoring through his designs. He says that, “I am creating something new from something old, celebrating cherished garments that are passed down and their cultural relevance through the generations.”
The collection visits classic styles such as a cable knit cardigan and polo shirt, which are signatures of Fred Perry. Details such as an exposed pocket with branding and a digital print are then added to these items as Casely-Hayford’s way of bringing the clothing a multi-generational relevance.
The designer says that, “Growing up, I remember being submerged in a mix of cultures on Ridley Road, East London. The clashing prints and colours and vibrancy of life on the market, juxtaposed with harder pieces like the bomber jacket.”
See the collection below, which is launching July 29 and will be available online and in select Fred Perry shops.
PHOTO CREDIT: Fred Perry


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Purple Innovation is suing Diamond Mattress over the company’s Gel Grid line of mattresses, alleging patent infringement.
LOS ANGELES — Direct-to-consumer bedding brand Purple Innovation has filed a patent lawsuit against Diamond Mattress, alleging the company infringed on its iconic purple gel grid mattress design.
At the heart of the lawsuit is Diamond’s Gel Grid line of mattresses shown at the Las Vegas summer market in July. The lawsuit was filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Purple cites Patent No. 11,317,733 and supports its claim with its filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office in Virginia.
In July, Diamond introduced its two Gel Grid mattresses designed with cooling gel material created with an open-cell blue grid.
Purple burst onto the bedding scene in 2016 and earlier this year announced its acquisition of fellow gel mattress maker Intellibed.
In 1998, brothers Tony and Terry Pearce developed a stretchy gel-like material and licensed the patent for use in shoe and hospital bed insoles. In 2010, the duo branched out and began selling polymer seat cushions that would become the base material used in the Purple mattress. Prior to 2010, the Pearces had licensed the material to Intellibed for use in mattresses.
I’m Sheila Long O’Mara, Managing Editor at Furniture Today. Throughout my 25 year career in the furniture industry, I have served as editor for several industry publications and had a brief stint at a public relations firm where I worked with some of the leading bedding brands in the industry. I joined Furniture Today in December 2020 focusing on bedding and sleep products. It’s a homecoming for me, as I was a writer and editor at Furniture Today from 1994 to 2002. I’m glad to be back and look forward to telling the important stories that impact retailers. and bedding manufacturers.


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Extensive stretches of stay-at-home requests and different limitations during the Covid-19 pandemic fuelled a run of favorable luck for game-creators around the world.
However, examiners caution of a log jam popular for indoor diversion as immunizations help life move towards ordinariness, in spite of the spread of the Delta variation.
Nintendo said it produced 92.7 billion yen ($846 million) for the three months to June, contrasted and 106.5 billion yen in a similar period last year.
It passed on its figure for the year to March 2022 unaltered, as yet hoping to report a 340 billion yen net benefit on deals of 1.6 trillion yen.
The firm posted its most elevated ever yearly benefit in 2020-21, pushed by the runaway ubiquity of its Switch console and the family-accommodating game “Creature Crossing”.
“Equipment and programming deals in the principal quarter of last monetary year were considerably determined by the March 2020 arrival of ‘Creature Crossing: New Horizons’,” Nintendo said in an explanation on Thursday.
“So contrasted with then, at that point, equipment deals were down 21.7 percent and programming deals were down 10.2 percent year-on-year.”
Last month, Nintendo declared it would deliver another model of the Switch in October – however experts are partitioned over possibilities for the Switch OLED, with the suggested cost higher than that of the first control center.
“The outcomes were more vulnerable than anticipated, somewhat because of lazy deals of Switch Lite control center,” Hideki Yasuda, an expert at Ace Research Institute in Tokyo, told AFP.
“The lockdown blast is easing back, yet its exhibition stayed cutthroat,” he said. “Nintendo actually has a decent opportunity to redesign its entire year estimate not long from now.”
The Switch, which can be handheld or utilized with a TV, was delivered in 2017, while the handheld-just Switch Lite model turned out in 2019.
Nintendo’s new control center deals have recently would in general top in the third year, and afterward ease off.
Yasuda cautioned that the worldwide chip deficiency, driven by a flood sought after for electronic gadgets during the pandemic, could likewise represent a danger for Nintendo.
“The lengthy effect of both Covid-19 and the worldwide semiconductor deficiency makes a condition of proceeded with vulnerability, with the chance of future effect on creation and delivery,” the gaming goliath said.
Serkan Toto, a games industry advisor at Tokyo-based Kantan Games, said the Switch was “presently in the center of its lifecycle”, yet was idealistic for its future.
“Toward the finish of the financial year they will have three major Pokemon discharges. So Nintendo is by all accounts in a greatly improved shape as far as first-party content, and that will drive equipment deals,” he said before the profit discharge.


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Audio from Last Month's Commonwealth Club Street-Food Panel Discussion Now Available
Missed last month's panel discussion on street food at the Commonwealth Club? No worries -- audio is now available. To refresh: On Oct. 29, SFoodie contributor Tamara Palmer moderated The Street Food Movement: SF Hearts the Cart, a discussion about the challenges of selling street food in San Francisco, with Charles Phan (The Slanted Door, Out the Door), Steven Gdula (Gobba Gobba Hey), Anthony Myint (Misison Street Food), and Brian Kimball (Magic Curry Kart). A tasting at 111 Minna followed, emotionally charged by the recent detention of Amuse Bouche vendor Murat Celebi-Ariner. Listen here.
Meredith Brody Anthony Myint (left) and Brian Kimball
Follow us on Twitter: @SFoodie


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Domestic sales of new motor vehicles excluding minivehicles and specialty vehicles fell 1.4 percent in May from a year earlier to 284,826 units, down for the ninth consecutive month, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Monday.
Although sales of cars were boosted by the popularity of some models, sluggish truck sales bogged down the total figure, association officials said.
Sales of cars rose 7 percent to 227,307, up for the second straight month. Of those, sales of cars with engines of more than 2,000cc fell 8.5 percent to 45,294, while those of smaller cars climbed 11.8 percent to 182,013.
Sales of trucks declined 25.3 percent to 56,567, the lowest for May, marking the 13th consecutive month of year-on-year decline. Meanwhile, sales of buses rose 1 percent to 952.
Toyota Motor Corp. remained the top seller, with 122,290 vehicles sold, but posted a 3.6 percent fall from a year earlier.
Nissan Motor Co. ranked second, with sales up 6.6 percent to 54,639 vehicles, followed by Honda Motor Co., whose sales climbed 23.2 percent to 45,376.
Meanwhile, sales of new minivehicles rose 3.9 percent in May from a year earlier to 136,456, up for the second straight month, the Japan Mini Vehicles Association said.
Suzuki Motor Corp. topped the minivehicle list with sales of 44,047 vehicles, up 3.9 percent from a year earlier.
Daihatsu Motor Co., a Toyota subsidiary, ranked second with sales of 35,167, down 8.7 percent, followed by Honda with 19,638 vehicles sold, up 9.3 percent.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.


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Cars, AI assistants, and mixed reality. Those seem to be the major thrusts of tech companies of late, and Apple is no exception. But, as typical of the Cupertino-based company, it keeps its major projects under wraps, dropping hints here and there for fans to chew on. Thanks to renowned blogger Robert Scoble, we have confirmation about Apple’s next major endeavor. Well, third-party confirmation, of course. After grilling an unsuspecting Carl Zeiss AG employee, Scoble says that the two companies are indeed working on a pair of smartglasses that will become Apple’s first and formal entry into the augmented reality market.
Apple, or at least CEO Tim Cook, made it no secret that it was interested in the technology. Cook admitted as much in an interview at the height of the Pokemon Go craze. Unlike HTC, Google, Facebook/Oculus, and Samsung, however, Apple seems to lean more towards the mixed reality that the likes of Microsoft, Meta, and Magic Leap are pushing for. And it has apparently found a willing partner.
Scoble’s discovery comes after he noticed a Zeiss booth at CES in the augmented reality area. The strange thing about that was that Zeiss didn’t have any AR product to show off. A Zeiss employee later “confirmed” that a partnership was forged between the two companies there.
Just as interesting is the tip that said product would actually be revealed this year. While it was known that Apple had its eyes on the AR market, it was speculated that its first device won’t be out until 2018. Now it seems that Apple is rushing it out instead.
Even if you give credence to this new development, a lot of pieces in the puzzle still remain unknown. Carl Zeiss is a name best known for optics and lenses, but it will take more than that to develop a full-fledged AR eyewear. And there hasn’t been any clue on the software side about how Apple plans to implement its mixed reality interface.
SOURCE: Robert Scoble


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Google places has gone to be replaced by Google+ places…a tighter integration between G+ and the location based service which your business could very well be using (or listed in).
Does this mean that Google is upping its game…and possibly going after Facebook/Twitter in a way that it hasn’t done before? Who knows, but as it starts to pull its incredibly wide range of services more and more tightly together there are likely to be some casualties.
As your Google Apps email (running on your own URL), your Analytics, your YouTube channel, and your Places listing all integrate seamlessly with your G+ account there are going to be fewer and fewer benefits to using stand alone services like Twitter. Already we’ve seen Facebook purchase Instagram earlier this year and no doubt there’ll be other similar purchases over the coming months to try keep Facebook as a long-term viable platform against the tsunami of services that Google offer.
Clearly Facebook has some other issues (mostly financial) at the moment as their share price continues to nosedive, but long term I suspect that their stock will reach its own level but the success of the business will be based on re-introducing innovation(s).
Facebook was a picture sharing site, then it was a words and picture sharing site, now it has picture and words sharing supported by location based services…but it isn’t really getting in to more areas of life. Now, don’t get me wrong it is a brilliant engagement tool for both individuals and businesses and, perhaps more importantly it has 950,000,000 members (which is more prospective clients than most businesses want or need) but it is still an online community like Friends Reunited, MySpace and Bebo…and look what’s happened to them.
Facebook clearly needs to diversify it needs to find some really compelling reasons for people to engage with them other than just social otherwise it’s likely to find it’s self on the long slope down to oblivion!


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Have you been unloyal to Microsoft by using a third party memory unit recently? If so, it is completely understandable. Microsoft’s memory units that feature a measly 512MB can cost you around $29.99 which doesn’t grant gamers many options. Gamers looking for a better deal have been able to purchase third party units that hold 4GB of space and only cost $50.
If you are one of these gamers however, you may want to save up some cash to invest in a Microsoft licensed memory unit. On his blog, Microsoft spokesperson, Major Nelson, has warned Xbox 360 owners that if they have any data stored on a third party memory unit “you’d better move it back onto an authorized Xbox 360 storage device prior to taking the update.” With the arrival of the new Xbox 360 update to take place this week, Mjor Nelson has stated that, “one of the changes is that unauthorized Memory Units will no longer work with the Xbox 360.”
This may seem unfair to many gamers but the change is already going into affect. Gamers may plan to pass on this update but those who do will miss out on tons of new features such as Facebook, Twitter, MSNBC news, Zune video and more.
On the upside, Microsoft has mentioned that not all cards will be rendered useless on their console. As of now, no list has been made or released to identify which memory units this update will affect. Nonetheless, the company has released some guidelines on which units will be compatible.
Article from Gamersyndrome.com


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Payment service provider PayPal Holdings (NASDAQ: PYPL) reported adjusted EPS of $1.07 on revenue of $5.26 billion for the second quarter of 2020. Based on the strong performance in the quarter, the company also raised its outlook for FY20.
With year-to-date revenue growth of 17%, and 19% FXN (currency neutral basis), PayPal expects FY20 revenue growth to be 20%, and 22% on FXN. GAAP and non=GAAP EPS growth, both are expected to be 25%.
For 3Q20, PayPal expects revenue to grow 23% and 25% on FXN basis. GAAP EPS is estimated to grow 45% and non-GAAP EPS is targeted to grow 25%.
“In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital payments have become more important and essential than ever. Our record performance in the second quarter — our strongest quarter ever — reaffirms the relevance of PayPal in the unfolding digital future,” said CEO Dan Schulman.
PYPL stock, which hit a new 52-week high ($185.44) today, rose about 2% in the after-hours session.
Yelp (NYSE: YELP) reported second-quarter financial results after the regular trading hours on Thursday. The results were better than what the street had anticipated. YELP shares rose 4% immediately following the
Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER) reported its second-quarter 2020 financial results after the regular trading hours on Thursday. Revenues exceeded the estimates, while the bottom-line missed. Shares of the ride-hailing company
TMobile US Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) on Thursday announced financial results for the second quarter of 2020, reporting a 61% increase in revenues aided by strong customer growth. The results also


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Alteryx (AYX) provides a subscription based platform for analytics; the stock has broken out from a ...
Join Lindsey Bell LIVE at The MoneyShow Las Vegas!
Join Lindsey Bell LIVE at The MoneyShow Las Vegas!
With Retail Index Up 14%, Can Rally Continue Next Week with Earnings?
08/09/2018 3:22 pm EST
Retail stocks usually go on vacation during the summer months. The industry has historically reported the weakest performance May through September, as investors take their vacations and wait to focus on back-to-school trends. Will this be different? asks Lindsey Bell.
Advance Auto Parts (AAP) and Home Depot (HD) kick-off earnings season on Tuesday, August 14; followed by Macy’s (M) and L Brands (LB) on Wednesday, August 15; Gap (GPS) and Nordstrom (JWN) on Thursday, August 16 and Foot Locker (FL) on Friday, August 17.
This summer hasn’t exactly hasn’t gone by the script. Instead, the S&P 500 Retail Index (SPSIRE) has advanced 14.1% since the end of April, while the S&P 500 (SPX) is up only 7.9%, from the start of May. With retailer earnings slated to kick-off next week, can the rally continue through the remainder of summer?
Economic data certainly suggests the second quarter was a solid one for retailers. Consumer confidence remains near a 17-year high, unemployment is close to an 18-year low, wages are moving higher (even if slowly) and spending has ensued.
Retail sales, excluding motor vehicle sales, increased 7.0% year-over-year in June, an acceleration from the 6.8% increase recorded in May and the 4.9% average monthly growth in the first quarter. Personal consumption growth in the second quarter, used to calculate GDP, rebounded to a robust 4.0%, from 0.5% in the first quarter, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The back-to-school shopping period, which is currently underway, is expected to be a solid one for retailers, with the National Retail Federation (NRF) estimating total spending for K-12 schools and college to reach $82.8 billion. While that is slightly below the $83.6 billion recorded in 2017, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said, “College spending is expected to be at its highest level ever, and back-to-school will be one of the three highest years on record.”
Department stores have consistently topped the list of places to shop for the back-to-school period. An update on how sales are progressing will be a topic of discussion during earnings calls next week.
The S&P 500 retail index received a boost of momentum from solid first-quarter earnings in late May and June, where many retailers, including Macy’s, TJX Companies (TJX), Kohl’s (KSS) and Tiffany’s (TIF), raised full year guidance expectations on the back of improving same store sales.
While Amazon (AMZN) and Netflix (NFLX) are key contributors to the index’s performance year-to-date, accounting for about 80% of the 33.1% advance (versus a 6.9% advance for the S&P 500), there are several other traditional retailers that have impressive stock runs, despite their less significant contribution to the index.
Several of the traditional retailers have jumped 30% or more in 2018.
Macy’s has been the come-back kid of the group, advancing 58.4% year-to-date through August 8. Advanced Auto Parts is 46.9% higher, Kohl’s is up 37.2%, Tiffany’s is 31.7% higher, and TJX is up 20.4%. If you expand outside of the S&P 500 Retail index, American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch and Dillard’s are 40-50% higher on the year.
To be sure, since the run up that followed first-quarter results, many of those stocks have underperformed both the S&P 500 and the S&P 500 Retail Index. That could mean investors haven’t gotten ahead of what could be another strong period following the release of second-quarter earnings next week.
Earnings estimates for the department stores and specialty retailers haven’t moved significantly since June 30. The small increases that have occurred are significantly less than the increases for the overall consumer discretionary sector.
Valuations are mostly reasonable for the department stores and many of the specialty retailers, despite the move higher in shares year-to-date. The department store price-to earnings (P/E) ratio of 12.0x is below the five-year average of 13.7x.
Macy’s seems to have some opportunity: trading at 10.3x, it is below the 10-year average of 11.3x. TJX and Home Depot are specialty retailers that trade in-line with historic averages, while the discounts on Ulta Beauty and L Brands have gotten quite large. But not all retailers are created equal. Dollar Tree, L Brands and the Gap have traded significantly lower year to date and are valued at a discount as they grapple with company-specific issues.
High levels of short interest remain at many of the department stores, which we think may not be warranted and could support a move to the upside if better-than-expected earnings are reported. In such case, the short sellers would get squeezed (they have to cover their short position by buying shares), helping to accelerate upside in those stocks. Macy’s and Kohl’s have 15.4% and 16.3% short interest, respectively, well ahead the sector average of 5.6%.
Even though August and September are typically weak months for retail stocks, CFRA forecasts earnings could be a catalyst for many retailer stocks, and for the sector to continue to grind higher.
The upside may not be as significant as after first-quarter results given an increase in valuations and year-to-date stock moves, but our analysis suggests the fundamental strength of the consumer and retail sales doesn’t appear to be fully baked in to the stocks.
Retail sales from clothing stores, department stores and online have been strong in the past three months and will be key in the success of retailers this quarter.
A summary of the retail index companies, along with key stats and valuation is on the chart.
Please consider joining me and an impressive list of investors and market observers at The MoneyShow in San Francisco on August 23-25. LindseyBell.SanFranciscoMoneyShow.com
A full schedule of events can be found here: https://conferences.moneyshow.com/moneyshow-san-francisco//schedule/full-schedule/
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E Wallet News
Avoid utilising telephone customer service representatives to complete payment transactions.
The arrested woman, who allegedly masterminded the extortion bid, is the secretary of Sharma and the trio had threatened to leak the data and misuse the information to cause the firm loss and dent its public image, officials said.
Bitcoin rally: RBI again warns users of risks, says huge recent volatility increases possibility of losses
Exchange platforms on which the Bitcoins are traded are set up in various jurisdictions whose legal status is also unclear.
Previously, PhonePe had received Rs 83.68 crore in October, 2016 through allocation of 41.84 lakh shares at a premium of Rs 190 per share.
Moreover, Paytm has introduced customised post cards where the user can send money along with a customised post card which woukd have a personalised text.
Mobile wallet companies like Paytm and MobiKwik have witnessed significant growth in number of users as well as volume of transactions on their platforms.
Malaysia's second largest bank, CIMB forms JV with parent company of Alipay to provide financial services
Digital payments firms are looking to tap the more than 370 million people without bank accounts that use cash on a day-to-day basis in Southeast Asia to offer lending and other financial services.
Alibaba and Tencent are also taking their technology, and deep pockets, abroad as they target cashed-up Chinese tourists and nascent payment markets in developing countries.
Paytm aims to sell 5 tonnes of gold in a bid to develop a 'viable business' from its e-wallet platform
Paytm plans to sell 5 tonnes of gold valued around $200 million this year, the digital payments firm said on Friday, as it strives to develop a viable business from its e-wallet platform.
The J7 Pro is equipped with Samsung Pay, while J7 Max comes loaded with Samsung Pay Mini.
MF houses or asset management companies (AMCs) have been allowed to provide instant online access facility to resident individual investors in liquid schemes
Financial literacy and awareness about digital transactions is paramount in rural India to make the cashless economy a reality, executives of mobile wallet-provider services said here at a panel discussion.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) may soon introduce some serious upgrades to the existing payment system used by the public transport corporation that maintains Delhi Metro.
As traffic to e-wallet platforms grows, there has been a significant increase in cyber attacks on online payment gateways to steal data than to disrupt operations, a new report said on Wednesday.
Despite 110% increase in m-Wallet transactions since demonetisation, there are hurdles that still need to go
Ever since the prime minister demonetised the Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes from circulation, there has been one category that has been seeing massive growth, every month. That category is the mobile wallet category.
Paytm's journey from being an online recharges platform to building India's largest mobile payments platform has been selected as a case study by the India Research Centre of the Harvard Business School, the e-wallet company said on Monday.
Both Paytm and the demonetisation drive are products of grand ambitions, they’ve both suffered from shaky execution, and they will, undoubtedly, play an outsized role in shaping the future of the Indian economy in the time to come.
Kerala has all infrastructures in place to embrace cashless economy. Besides 100 percent literacy, Kerala is one of the most banked states in the country today. The state achieved 100 percent bank account coverage for all the household way back in 2011.
Paytm’s CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma has a lot to answer for if he hopes to make the company a staple of India’s digital future.
The company detailed that it discovered a bug in the app where some Paytm app users were not able to pay using the e-wallet.


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Thanks to FCC filings and rumors, we're pretty certain Sonos is about to announce its entry into the smart speaker market. Sonos sent out press invites to an October 4 event where the company is expected to announce an Amazon Echo-like smart speaker.
.@Sonos sends press invites to an event in NYC on Oct 4 - https://t.co/5io7tqHhtA pic.twitter.com/kcoAThKHrm.@Sonos sends press invites to an event in NYC on Oct 4 - https://t.co/5io7tqHhtA pic.twitter.com/kcoAThKHrm— LAUNCH Ticker (@launchticker) August 29, 2017August 29, 2017
Press invites reference UI elements present in the FCC filing that appear to be on-device controls for playing, pausing, navigating, and activating voice control. The invites also feature a prominent Rolling Stones-esque mouth that — as far as we can tell — is a nod to voice control capabilities. Check out TechCrunch's report for a side-by-side look at the invites TechCrunch and The Verge received — they're different styles that, when combined, reveal even more of the UI controls. (Android Central also received the second invite — we'll see you there!)
Sonos's smart speaker is expected to include far-field voice recognition technology (like the far-field microphones in Amazon Echo devices and may include support for multiple voice assistants. How that would work, exactly, isn't mentioned in the FCC filing, but it could get confusing shuffling between Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, Google Assistant, and — if applicable — any smart assistant Sonos brings to the table.
No word yet on when this product will launch or how much it'll cost, but folks are starting to bet that Sonos will try to beat Apple's HomePod to market, which is expected in December.
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December 16, 2018: Attention Children!
There are ten additions today, all holiday ads from December 1950.
There's one addition to the WSPD-TV 13 Ads Gallery 1:
Monday, 12/25/50 ad, for a Christmas show, sponsored by Bob Reese Motors (Attention Children! See Hans Christen Anderson and Grimm's Fairy Tales, on Television...
There's one addition to WTOL-AM Gallery:
There's one addition to The Blade gallery:
There are also seven "other" ads...
One addition to the Food-Drinks-Tobacco-Misc Products Gallery 1:
One addition to the Food-Drinks-Tobacco-Misc Products Gallery 2:
There are four additions to the Utilities Gallery:
There's one addition to the Retailers # 1 Gallery:
Be sure to check out the holiday ads in these five galleries:
More 1950s Holiday ads, from the online archives of The Toledo Blade, are on the way...


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There are so many new smartphones coming out nowadays that it’s nearly impossible to keep track of them. This makes it difficult for smartphone fans to decide which device they should buy and use as their daily carrier for the next year. However, having multiple options to pick from is always a good thing.
The awesome thing about the smartphone industry is that tech companies are always working on new products in secret and sometimes they leak out! This is exactly what happened today with Vivo X21.
Vivo is slowly but surely becoming one of the most active smartphone companies in the world. The perfect example of this is the newly leaked Vivo X21. The reason we are saying this is because Vivo created the new smartphone in secret and it planned to release it during a surprise press event. Luckily for us, everything there is to know about Vivo X21 starting with press renders and ending with the price and launch date has been leaked!
The first thing that we need to go over when it comes to Vivo X21 is the spectacular design that this smartphone has to offer. Vivo X21 ships with a full-screen design that is bezel-less. To make things even better, Vivo X21 is not equipped with a massive top-notch as Google and Apple’s latest flagship are and instead, the top-notch has been slimmed down to only contain the selfie camera.
Impressive Hardware Specs
Vivo X21 will hold the title of being a flagship smartphone and this means that it will represent the best that Vivo has to offer. Therefore, the Chinese tech giant has made sure to equip it with a Snapdragon 660 CPU that clocks at 1.95GHz. Not just that, but the CPU is also paired with 6GB of RAM and a 3,330 mAh battery.
Launch Date and Price
The last thing we need to mention is that Vivo X21 will launch on 11/15/2018 and that it will be priced at the rather affordable 2798 YUAN price tag.


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The low-cost carrier expanded its air cargo business to Mexico over the weekend, its cargo business’s first international destination.
The expansion is an an effort to fly fruits, vegetables and pharmaceuticals, and a host of other goods between the U.S. and its third-biggest trade partner. The program started service Sunday between Houston and Mexico City and will expand to other cities, including Cancun and Puerto Vallarta later this summer. Mexico is the biggest source of imported fruits and vegetables to the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Air cargo is a tiny but growing part of U.S. airlines’ overall revenue, thanks to e-commerce and picky eaters who want more fresh food. Southwest made $173 million from it last year, less than 1 percent of its overall revenue.
Large U.S. airlines, unlike some foreign carriers, don’t operate a dedicated freighter aircraft. Instead they fill up passenger planes’ bellies with cargo. Freight demand in North America is growing faster than the global average, according to the International Air Transport Association, a industry group that represents most of the world’s airlines.
Southwest operates a fleet of all Boeing 737s and other airlines have much bigger aircraft with more space below the passenger cabin. But the airline hopes the structure of its network will entice shippers to select the carrier. Southwest, which carries more passengers within the U.S. than any other airline, so-called point-to-point flights that often require a stop in a big-city hub, said spokesman Dan Landon.
Other products that might find their way on board include fresh-cut flowers and U.S.-made pharmaceuticals said Southwest spokesman Dan Landon.
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text: The Internet of Things is driving rapid change in consumer behavior and content consumption, including advertising consumption. According to a recent study conducted by Adobe, the average U.S. adult uses six different devices to connect to the Internet. Connected devices extend beyond just desktop computers, smartphones and tablets. Now they also include wearables like Fitbits and Apple Watches, gaming consoles like PlayStation and Xbox, and home appliances like smart refrigerators, thermostats and even lightbulbs. The proliferation of connected devices has forced marketers to try new advertising tactics to keep up with consumers' multiscreen world.


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Volvo Trucks bags huge order of 16 Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 trucks
Volvo Trucks has announced that it has received an order for 16 Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 trucks. It is said to be the largest commercial order of the only battery-electric Class 8 model available in North America.
It had received an order from Performance Team, a US-based warehousing and distribution company, for 16 Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 trucks which is the largest order as of now. The company will start deliveries of these 16 trucks in the fourth quarter of 2021 and will be carrying regional loads daily to customers across Southern California.
“The shift toward electrification is an exciting time in the commercial truck space and Performance Team is leading the way with its largest order of the only battery-electric Class 8 model in scalable serial production today,” said Peter Voorhoeve, from Volvo Trucks.
The Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 truck is equipped with a 264-kWh lithium-ion battery pack which gives a range of around 240-kilometres (150-miles).
Volvo Delivers Electric Class 8 Truck to New York Metro Area
Volvo North America has delivered its first electric-powered Class 8 truck on the East Coast to New York-based Manhattan Beer Distributors.
“As one of the largest beverage distributors in the U.S., Manhattan Beer Distributors recognizes the broad sustainability impact that we can make by eliminating our fleet’s tailpipe emissions,” said Simon Bergson, the beverage distributor’s founder and CEO. “We look forward to gaining hands-on experience with our first five VNR Electrics and working with Volvo Trucks and local Volvo Trucks dealership Milea Truck Sales and Leasing to continue expanding our zero-emission fleet.”
A new report released by Frost & Sullivan has revealed that the global hydrogen fuel cell trucks market is estimated to register 142,858 unit sales by 2030, with China estimated to account for 63.9% of this.
Hino Trucks unveiled the first Class 8 Hino XL8 fuel truck
The Hino Trucks has unveiled its first Class 8 Hino XL8 fuel truck prototype which is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell electric drivetrain at the 2021 ACT Expo. “It’s amazing what our team has been able to accomplish in a relatively short period of time. I know our customers are going to be extremely impressed with this fuel cell electric truck,” said Glenn Ellis, Senior Vice President Customer Experience, Hino Trucks.
SEA launches new electric truck
Melbourne-based SEA Electric has also unveiled the SEA 300-45, a zero-emissions truck that can be driven by anyone with a basic driver’s licence.
Also, read related article: Volvo Trucks unveiled 3 new electric trucks
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text:
An SoLR can make a claim for Last Resort Supply Payment (LRSP) from relevant distribution networks if granted consent to the amount claimed.
Philippa Pickford, Director, Future Retail Markets, Consumers and Markets said: “Shell Energy indicated at the time of the SoLR appointment process that it would not waive its right to make a claim and would claim for the recovery of a percentage of credit balances. In keeping with that commitment, Shell Energy’s claim is for the cost of credit balances owed to customers of Usio when the company ceased trading.
“Shell Energy has indicated that the cost of credit balances for which it is claiming are final and based on actual meter reads.”
Ofgem is consulting on its proposal before it makes the final decision, which is expected in January 2020, on the agreed amount to be recovered from gas and electricity distribution network companies in 2020/21.
Views are sought from interested parties until 10th January 2020.


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Charles Ramsey, the Cleveland kidnapping hero who helped save three women held captive for 10 years, will never have to pay for a burger ever again.
The enthusiastic rescuer famously told reporters again and again how he was preparing to enjoy a juicy McDonald’s Big Mac burger when he heard victim Amanda Berry screaming for help next door. Now, dozens of local burger joints have offered free burgers whenever the hero wants, reports The Plain Dealer.
Not long after Ramsey rescued Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight did Hodges restaurant, where Ramsey works as a dishwasher, create a special burger in honor of the hero called the Ramsey Burger. The burger is a play on a Big Mac.
“It’s an 8-ounce burger of Certified Angus Beef, with a secret sauce,” says chef-co-owner Chris Hodgson.
Inspired by the restaurant’s tribute, Hodgson’s partner, Scott Kuhn of Driftwood Restaurant Group, felt that Ramsey deserved more. Kuhn created a single-edition “Chuck Card” for the hero, who will receive a free burger anytime he brings the card in to any participating restaurant.
“We want to honor our local hero with local food,” said Kuhn. “He stopped his meal midway through to help those women. We’re now making sure he has other opportunities to go out and fully enjoy his burger.”
The number of participating restaurants has reached 14. The only restaurant that seems to be missing, however, is McDonald’s, which promised Ramsey it would “be in touch.”


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The EU Commission has been urged to put together a specific maritime rescue and recovery action plan by European MEPs.
The MEP's from Renew Europe tweeted that 'Covid19 is affecting the maritime sector, putting the continuation of transportation of essential goods, such as food or medicines, at risk. High time for a maritime rescue and recovery action plan'
In response to the Coronavirus pandemic the Commission has already said it proposes to direct €37 billion under European Structural Investment to fight the economic crisis facing Europe, but the MEPs are arguing for a more targeted package specifically recognising maritime.
The maritime sector in Europe accounts for 90% of EU's external fright and 32% of the intra EU transport of goods. The internal market, citizens and industries needed a 'smooth and timely transportation of essential goods, food, medicines and a vast range of products of first necessity', Renew Europe said.
Sea and inland ports and the shipping industry especially needed a sector specific rescue and recovery action plan to 'ensure the continuity of seaborne trade to and from the EU, and to ensure less disruptions caused by the virus outbreak to the sector'.
Some 100,000 crew members need to change shift worldwide every month, so it was imperative seafarers were formally designated as keyworkers.
Inland waterway personnel across Europe should also be given special status to ensure these services were maintained.
For seafarers they asked the Commission to:
• ensure that all health and safety measures taken for transport workers are also applied to seafarers: to afford them a special consideration, providing the necessary assistance and flexibility to ensure the free movement of ships crews across borders as well as during change of shift
• ensure seafarers are recognised as keyworkers
• take effective measures at EU and international level in order to ensure the extension of the validity of current seafarer certificates by at least six months
• ensure the necessary assistance and funding for member states in implementing social protection and special assistance measures for seafarers based on best practices already put in place by some countries
• ensure that inland shipping personnel that have no Covid-19 symptoms are not stopped at internal borders, by including professional travel related to inland waterway transport in the Eu guidelines for border management measures.
• professional travel should be enabled to ensure transport of goods and services not only for transport workers are applied to inland waterway skippers and inland shipping persons – not just truck and train drivers
President of Renew Europe Dacian Cioloş @CiolosDacian later tweeted that the Commission's proposals for a short-time work scheme SURE is a welcome signal of solidarity with all European workers and a key request of Renew Europe.
'Saving jobs today is the first milestone for a quick recovery tomorrow.'
Among the signaturies on the open letter were the president of the fisheries committee of the European Parliament, Pierre Karleskind; Rotterdam MEP Caroline Nagtegaal; the president of the Balearics José Ramón Bauzá; and Danish liberal politician Søren Gade.
Nautilus members who are concerned or are experiencing difficulties related to the coronavirus outbreak are advised to contact their industrial organiser for assistance. In an emergency members can also contact the Nautilus 24/7 helpline.
More Nautilus assistance and our coronavirus resource hub can be found on our Assistance page.


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Concerned that its brand name implies that it sells only to schools, this education specialist launched a new unit - Atama - this April in order to target the commercial space. The London-based Apple, Jamf, HP and Microsoft partner enjoyed a barnstorming year to 30 June 2018, as revenues rocketed by 26 per cent and a net loss of £70,000 last year was reversed to a profit of £399,000. In October 2018 it invested in fellow schools IT supplier Vital York.
Our panel discusses how the channel can take advantages of the likes of IoT and AI
Context says monitor sales through distribution rose 19 per cent at the start of this year
Vendor continues to shine spotlight on print supplies business after EMEA sales fell nine per cent
Softcat, Insight and Trustmarque among successful bidders


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GoldConnect, a North American based telecommunications firm had on Tuesday made public its decision to adopt crypto remittances. Remittances with cryptocurrencies will happen through BitPay, this is another major break for crypto industry in the Northern America region.Remittances with crypto can uninterruptedly be made through LatamConnect; the latest pricing and engagement platform that is linked to BitPay. Crypto remittances made using BitPay are concluded using the legal tender.
The telecommunications company said that its acceptance of crypto remittances is in tandem with the increasing need for such operation.The CEO of GoldConnect stated that as an innovation oriented firm, they have a duty to accept state of the art technologies and operation methods in other to enhance customer participation and satisfaction.
The BitPay deputy president said that the telecom firm has an understanding of crypto’s latent ability in transforming businesses. The adoption of crypto payments will aid swift and reliable transaction.Latin America is fast becoming a hub for crypto ventures as observed recently. El Salvador recently announced its adoption of the crypto; Bitcoin as a lawful means of exchange setting the pace for other countries in the region. Government officials from different countries have also shown interest in crypto adoption.
Cointelegraph said that Bitso is currently the leading cryptocurrency trade firm in the region. Bitso went up the ladder gradually, they had 1 million customers after a six-year period but took only ten months to double the number, a reflection of the 2020 cum 2021 bullish market trend. Ee I have a few things I would do anything to make significant amount garnered much dividend
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The pre-press and printing group Wace looked to be headed for oblivion three years ago, when the new chief executive Trevor Grice came aboard. He found a company struggling under debts of pounds 100m, gearing of almost 200 per cent and an unpleasant whiff of scandal - alleged links with the IRA are hard to shake off.
The departure under a cloud of the former chief executive, John Clegg, amid rumours of insider dealing, and a string of profits warnings had sent the shares into freefall. From a peak in 1991 of 283p, they fell to less than a quarter of this.
The change in Wace's fortunes since then has been remarkable, not least because it has been achieved with no recourse to the stock market and no disposals of the family silver. The new team was right that a good underlying business was battling to escape from the straitjacket of excessive borrowings.
Bringing debts down to a manageable level has been hard work, involving a tough rationalisation programme, but it has not passed unnoticed by the market. The shares, which bottomed at 62p in January 1993, closed yesterday at 238p, up 18p on the day as interim profits came in slightly ahead of expectations.
Pre-tax profits, before a one-off charge to cover the disposal of troublesome Italian and German operations, jumped 22 per cent to pounds 13.5m as margins pushed ahead from 8 per cent to 9.1 per cent. Earnings per share improved a more modest 9 per cent to 9.4p, as the tax charge edged up, but the dividend, still generously covered, was given a 23 per cent push to 1.85p.
The market welcomed that show of confidence, as it did the announcement that, recovery now being largely over, Wace is back on the acquisition trail. With gearing down to 32 per cent and being driven down fast by strong cash-generation, the company has plenty of firepower.
Wace is in its best position for years. Its markets are still showing good growth, despite the worries of the sceptics that desk-top publishing would squeeze the professionals out. The challenge is to cope with rapid changes which are turning the likes of Wace from inky-fingered artisans' operations into very high-tech information processors. Profits growth will come from navigating that change within the existing businesses and applying it to underperforming acquisitions. This year analysts think profits will forge ahead to about pounds 27m, giving earnings per share, on a near-normal tax charge, of 20.5p. That puts the shares on a prospective p/e of 11.6, pretty attractive compared with the rate of recovery. The shares have drifted sideways for a couple of years, but yesterday's movement suggests they could have resumed an upward tack.
Thorn fans await their big break
Thorn EMI's results have become a mere sideshow to the continued speculation over when and how the demerger and possible break-up of the business might take place. It is break-up talk that has been fuelling the share price, which has enjoyed a meteoric rise since the beginning of the year. From 997p in January, the shares have rocketed to 1,437p.
The rise has continued since the company's annual meeting in July when Sir Colin Southgate, chairman, confirmed that a demerger would be in shareholders' best interests. The company plans to consider proposals to hive off the rental operations to form a separate company, with the HMV record shops lumped in with the EMI music business. Analysts expect the de-merger to go ahead next year.
But, as sideshows go, yesterday's results were pretty good. Profits for the three months to June nearly doubled from pounds 32.6m to pounds 63.7m, though Sir Colin warned that this level of growth was unlikely to continue as this quarter included exceptional gains. First, the closure of the loss- making Rumbelows chain in March eliminated the pounds 6m of losses incurred in the equivalent quarter last year. The consolidation of the Toshiba- EMI figures into EMI music results boosted the music subsidiary's figures.
But the trends are also encouraging at the trading level. Even stripping out the Toshiba figures, profits at EMI increased 10.6 per cent. In the rentals business, which includes Radio Rentals and the fast-growing Crazy George's format, operating profits increased by 42 per cent to pounds 36m. Half the growth came from organic expansion.
At HMV, profits also grew strongly, boosted by the opening of more than 20 new shops. Like-for-like sales grew by 7 per cent worldwide and 13 per cent in Britain.
The Dillons bookshops, acquired from the receivers earlier this year, increased like-for-like sales by 3.6 per cent, though the inclusion of Dillons doubled the division's seasonal loss to pounds 7m.
What is hard to judge is whether Thorn's share price has run out of steam or whether there is more growth to come. BZW is forecasting profits of pounds 515m for the current year, which puts the shares - up 4p yesterday to 1,437p - on a forward rating of 20. Corporate action such as a bid for EMI could send the shares higher, but on fundamentals, they look fully valued.
Kalon spreads itself thin
Kalon has been transformed since May's pounds 330m acquisition of the paint business of Total, the French oil company. Overnight, the small Yorkshire-based group, which turned over pounds 157m last year, became Europe's second-largest producer of decorative paint (after Akzo Nobel), selling more than pounds 520m worth a year.
With Euridep under Kalon's belt for just 10 weeks, it is a little early to judge the performance of the revamped business, but other trends are clear. Half-time results to 1 July, out yesterday, confirmed that the UK paint market remains as tough as when Kalon issued a profits warning last December.
Pre-tax profits, up from pounds 10m to pounds 11.6m, were only kept moving forward by a pounds 2.76m maiden contribution from Euridep, while earnings per share slumped to 4.68p from 5.17p. The original business saw profits slip to pounds 9m as Kalon pitched aggressively for market share at a time of soaring raw-material costs and soggy demand.
So while Kalon has raised its already impressive two-thirds-or-so share of the UK private-label market even further, margins sagged from 12.3 per cent to 10.4 per cent. That, and the fact that around four-fifths of Euridep's profits come in the first half, led to profit forecasts being slashed to around pounds 28m for 1995, putting the shares at 151p, down 2p - a forward multiple of 21.
Mike Hennessy, Kalon's managing director, has shown with the 1993 acquisition of Novadec what can be done in France. Novadec now commands half the private- label market there, and its margins have been increased to 15 per cent by the British group's greater purchasing power.
With six factories and 3,300 employees, compared with Kalon's 1,700-strong workforce and five factories, there should be scope for substantial rationalisation at Euridep. Up to pounds 15m a year could be shaved after detailed rationalisation plans are revealed in October, but it may not be until 1998 before the benefits are fully realised. With a three-year wait in prospect, the shares are high enough.
Turnover pounds P/Tax pounds EPS Dividend
Ben Bailey (I) 11.3m (9.2m) 103,000 (70,000) 0.66p (0.45p) 0.3p (0.3p)
Graseby (I) 45.1m (47.4) 5.4m (5m) 5.8p (5.8p) 2.7p (2.7p)
Hambro Countrywide (I) 73.7m (49.2m) -5.8m (-707,000) -1.92p (-0.21p) - (-)
Kalon Group (I) 114.6m (83m) 11.6m (10m) 4.68p (5.17p) 1.6p (1.5p)
Mersey Docks (I) 70.2m (61.5m) 16.8m (15.8m) 12.56p (1.72p) 3.56p (3.3p)
News International (F) 841.3m (733.5m) 778.7m (360.9m) 53.69p (26.18p) 1.62p (0.72p)
Parity (I) 61.5m (38m) 3.1m (2m) 4.8p (3.5p) 1p (0.75p)
Relyon 24.8m (22.5m) 2.75m (2.6m) 8.6p (8.2p) 2.2p (2.1p)
Specialeyes (I) 9.5m (9.5m) 146,000 (-187,000) 0.63p (-1.22p) - (-)
Thorn EMI (Q) 1.05bn (931.1m) 63.7m (32.6m) 8.4p (3p) - (-)
Wace Group (I) 159.3m (164m) 10m (11m) 7.3p (10p) 1.85p (1.5p)
WSP Group (I) 11.7m (10.2m) 854,000 (545,000) 2.6p (1.9p) 1.1p (1p)
(Q) - Quarterly (F) - Final (I) - Interim


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A year after Edward Snowden shocked citizens with details of how much of their lives are being snapped up by the National Security Agency, tech giants have sounded alarms about the government’s practices — but maintained near radio silence about their own data-collection efforts.
Top Internet companies like Google, Facebook and Yahoo have pressed Washington for stronger NSA reforms and more transparency around government surveillance orders. All three recently launched a public effort to increase encryption to protect user emails from government snooping.
Story Continued Below
But the companies, which themselves collect increasingly granular bits of data on users to fuel advertising revenue, have taken few steps to curtail their own corporate data practices. Think of it as the Internet’s version of a marketing Jedi mind trick. If everyone is focused on the government’s surveillance, maybe people won’t zero in on what companies have.
The response from Silicon Valley shows that while the Snowden leaks have sparked fears in the industry about a damaged reputation, they haven’t prompted companies to rethink their basic business models — which produce the very data the NSA covets. And a privacy marketing war with products and services that give consumers more control over their data hasn’t really materialized, to the dismay of advocacy groups and regulators.
“We fundamentally believe that the best Web is a personalized one. We work hard to provide our users with a highly personalized experience, and keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world,” said a Yahoo spokesperson, adding the “privacy of our users is and will continue to be a top priority for us.”
Google and Facebook had no immediate comment.
These days, advertisers demand more and more data on which to base their buys. The fact that the Internet makes it easier to track specific consumer behavior has amounted to nothing less than a gold mine for tech companies that can present advertisers with precise data for targeting consumers.
“They can’t compete on privacy because they are competing to undermine privacy,” said Jeff Chester, executive director for the Center for Digital Democracy. “Their basic business model is to collect everything all the time. It can’t be a sales point if it’s not reality.”
Big data has made big headlines in Washington of late on the heels of the NSA revelations. Both the White House and the Federal Trade Commission have issued reports on the collection of consumer information and how it could be used in discriminatory ways. And in a January speech about NSA reforms, President Barack Obama pointed to commercial privacy as an issue ripe for debate.
It’s not that the nation’s Internet giants have done nothing on the privacy front. They have. Two years ago, Google launched a “good to know” campaign, highlighting its security and privacy tools in magazines, billboards and newspapers. Last month, the company agreed to stop scanning student emails.
Facebook, for its part, recently launched a little blue dinosaur icon reminder for people posting publicly to make sure that is what they intended to do.
But the tech companies can’t go whole hog on privacy as long as their revenue depends on advertising and data gives it value.
Google relies on advertising for 91 percent of its revenue, Facebook for 88.7 percent, Yahoo for 78.9 percent, Twitter for 89.4 percent, AOL for 69.6 percent and LinkedIn reports 80 percent of its revenue comes from ads.