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Croda could sell off its industrial focused assets, including a major site close to its East Yorkshire headquarters.
The FTSE-listed giant has launched a strategic review into its performance technologies and industrial chemicals businesses.
It will take in the Clough Road facility in Hull, which is one of the group's largest chemicals manufacturing sites, as well as plants in Holland and China.
The UK plant, where around 250 people are employed, benefited from a £27 million investment four years ago as part of an expansion programme aimed at increasing the production of polymer additives.
It feeds into the manufacture of plastic materials in numerous industries, including car-making and packaging.
In a statement on the new review, released to the City, a spokesperson for Croda said: "The core objective will be to establish what ownership structure best serves this part of Croda’s business going forward, to create a stronger platform for its future growth.
"The review is consistent with Croda’s prioritisation of investments in faster-growth life science and consumer markets, which now represent over 80 per cent of the group’s profitability."
Recent months have seen French fragrance business acquisitions.
The company described its performance technologies and industrial chemicals (PTIC) businesses as "excellent, world-leading and with an impressive financial track record."
The spokesperson added: "It has a highly attractive portfolio, offering customers innovative, sustainable solutions in advanced technologies, and is focused on fast-growth markets in the circular plastic economy, electric vehicles and other renewable technologies.
"This strong technology portfolio supports PTIC’s leading market positions in automotive, polymer and food packaging applications
"The scope of the strategic review will focus on the businesses and activities within PTIC that do not directly support the consumer care and life sciences sectors.
"It will consider whether Croda is the best future owner of all the PTIC businesses within the context of opportunities to deploy more capital and resources within PTIC, as well as in consumer care and life sciences.
"The review will assess whether the full potential of PTIC can best be delivered under Croda, as a stand-alone business, or via a full or partial divestment.
"It will consider the extent of the mutual dependencies between PTIC and the rest of Croda, the practicality of all options, whilst prioritising the best interests of all stakeholders, including employees, customers and shareholders."
The review is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.
Originally founded in 1925 by two business partners who set up a company in Rawcliffe Bridge making lanolin wood grease, Croda took over the Clough Road site in 1970 when it was being used for modifying vegetable oils.
The company's headquarters remain in East Yorkshire, being based at Cowick Hall in Snaith, near Goole, where it has also just added a huge distribution centre.


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Store Owners Shift Gears as Meat Prices Rise
As kosher meat prices climb in the wake of the mid-May raid on the Agriprocessors slaughterhouse, at least one purveyor, the online supermarket Kosher.com, is trying to make the best of tough times by getting creative: The store now offers high-end specialty meats in addition to more traditional fare. If consumers balk at higher prices for brisket or chicken, the company reasoned, let them eat organic bison instead.
“When Agriprocessors was providing a large quantity of the meat, the marketplace was strictly priced competitive,” said Ron Katz, director of operations for Kosher.com. “Now there’s room for people to differentiate the prices based on the quality.”
Production is still reduced at the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, Iowa, which lost about half its work force when a federal immigration agency raided the slaughterhouse May 12. And while meat prices in general are jumping in response to the rising costs of animal feed and fuel, butchers and customers who had been accustomed to paying cut-rate prices for Agriprocessors products seem to be feeling the markups more than those who had always bought the higher-priced brands.
“Agriprocessors is the primary driver of discount price,” said Elie Rosenfeld, a spokesman for poultry-production rival Empire Kosher. “If you’re used to buying the value brand, and the value brand’s not in the store, you have to step up to the next brand — which is always more expensive.”
Agriprocessors consultant Menachem Lubinsky, editor of the trade magazine Kosher Today, told the Forward that Agriprocessors’ retail prices had increased by 10% to 15% since early May. By contrast, Rosenfeld said, Empire Kosher prices had not increased at all since the raid. At Vineland Kosher Poultry, a New Jersey-based meat processor, wholesale prices have increased by about 5% since May, according to manager Abe Raab.
Rosenfeld said that Empire’s production and sales have increased between 5% and 12% since the raid, though he would not give precise sales figures.
The retail price of nonkosher beef increased by 3% between April and June of this year (statistics are not yet available for July), and the price of nonkosher chicken rose by 0.5%, according to information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. (The USDA does not keep statistics of kosher meat prices.) Kosher meat producers and purveyors, like those who produce nonkosher meat, blame the soaring costs of corn and transportation for their price increases.
Yet, buyers who have long patronized non-Agriprocessors brands report having experienced relatively modest price increases since the raid.
“It didn’t affect us,” said Eli Scharf, who works in the meat department at Glatt Mart, a large supermarket in Brooklyn. “We only buy the poultry from [Agriprocessors]. We feel it less, because we don’t buy the meat from them.”
Conversely, Irving Gonzalez, a butcher at Koshermart in Baltimore who once bought most of his meat from Agriprocessors — which sells under such brand names as Aaron’s Best and Rubashkin’s — reported major price increases.
Agriprocessors now “only gives us about 5% of the meat we’re selling,” Gonzalez said. “It used to be about 60%.”
Of the price, he said, “It’s going up a lot.”

domain: news


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Mercedes-Benz is world’s most valuable automotive brand, according to the latest study conducted by Brand Finance. The premium car maker overtakes Toyota for the top spot, while its arch-nemesis BMW comfortably sits in number three.
Mercedes-Benz managed to achieve an impressive 24% year-over-year growth in its brand value, hitting $43.9 billion. The former number one, Toyota, fell by 6%, now sitting at $43.7 billion, which Brand Finance blames on the Japanese car maker’s weakened position on the world’s most influential car market, China. The Chinese have lately become keen on aspirational luxury brands, letting the popular volume brands fall behind. BMW goes into the third place, up by 6% to $41.8 billion.
It is though the market that made Mercedes’ value skyrocket for the past few years and the fact that the Chinese Geely recently purchased a nearly 10% stake in Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler could boost the three-pointed star brand by $6 billion.
The Volkswagen Group, keeping Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and Lamborghini under its umbrella, boasts with a position as most valuable overall, at $75.8 billion, but the figure includes the entire portofolio.
Aston Martin also climbed at the top of the ranking, as the British automaker went up by 268% over the previous year, now reaching a brand value of $3.6 billion. The Brits have recently announced that 2017 was the first profitable year since 2010, an outcome that boosted the company from the 77th spot in the ranking straight to the 24th for this year’s forecast.
The sales of the SUVs generated major revenues for most of the brands. SUVs now represent 34% of all new car sales to almost 28 million units globally. Mercedes-Benz sold 805,000 SUVs worldwide in 2017.


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Music on Main event is next Thursday
Published 9:31 am Thursday, November 14, 2019
This year’s Music on Main event will be held next Thurs., Nov. 21, from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. in Atmore, according to chamber officials.
The after-hours shopping event includes free outdoor and indoor music.
This event is for all ages, and is a great time to finish your last-minute shopping for Thanksgiving or get a jumpstart on finding that perfect Christmas gift while enjoying more than nine unique musical experiences spread throughout downtown Atmore, chamber officials said in a release.
Current businesses participating in this year’s Music on Main include:
• 30 Below
• Alabama Wing House
• Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce
• Atmore Flower Shop
• The Tot Shop / Carl’s
• Cotton + Co
• Hawt Mess / Tiger Lily
• Homestyle Furniture
• Southern Roots Boutique & Bridal
• The Coffee House
• The Junky Pearl
• The Philanthropic Seed
• The Publican
• The Yellow Garden
• uFinancial & Payroll
• We Care Thrift Store
Musical entertainment this year will include:
♪ Britt & Brad – 5:30–7 p.m. at Hawt Mess/Tiger Lily
♪ Chris Hergenroder – 5:30-7 p.m. – The Tot Shop/Carl’s
♪ Escambia County High School Band – 6-6:30 p.m. – Beside the American Legion
♪ John Mascaro – 5:30-7 p.m. – The Coffee House
♪ Justin Wall – 5:30-7 p.m. – The Publican
♪ Nostalgia Road – 5:30-7 p.m. – Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce
♪ Open Mic Competition Sponsored by Subway and Music by DMS Sound & Stage – 5:30–7 p.m. – The Yellow Garden & First National Bank & Trust
♪ Paul Therrell – 5:30-7 p.m. – 30 Below / Southern Roots Boutique & Bridal
Area residents can walk, bike, drive or dance their way over to Atmore for the event, officials said.
For more information and to have the most recent information on Music On Main or any chamber news, contact the Chamber at 251-368-3305, by e-mail at email@example.com, or visit us 137 North Main Street in Atmore, Alabama and be sure to follow the Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce on Facebook.


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Colorado Ag Today
Land & Livestock Report
Washington State Farm Bureau Report
American Robotics FAA Approval and BASF's Teraxxa Launched
Monarch Tractor 3
David Sparks Ph.D.
Fruit Grower ReportWashington Wine Commission President Steve Warner reflects on the cancellation of Taste Washington due to coronavirus.
Fruit Grower ReportCorliss Estates makes a wine you might want to "squirrel" away.
Fruit Grower ReportNorthwest Pears may take a little ripening when you bring them home, but they are so worth the wait.
Washington State Farm Bureau ReportTaste Washington Day kicks off Farm to School Month on Tuesday, October 2nd.
Fruit Grower ReportWashington blueberry harvest is in full swing and the fruit appears to be in excellent shape.
Washington State Farm Bureau ReportOregon State University researchers are on the cutting edge of a critical study of the flavor contributions from different varieties of barley in craft brewing.
Fruit Grower ReportProprietary Variety Management Marketing Director Kathryn Grandy talks about the much-anticipated Cosmic Crisp apple debut later this year.
Fruit Grower ReportOne of the stranger named wines I saw at the Taste Washington in Seattle last week was "Dead Crow."
Fruit Grower ReportTaste Washington, the granddaddy of all wine events kicks off this week.
Fruit Grower ReportMarch is Taste Washington Wine Month and the celebration has begun!
Fruit Grower ReportFresh or Frozen, raspberries are good either way!
Washington State Farm Bureau ReportOregon State University researchers study flavor characteristics in beer.


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LinkedIn’s new privacy setting prohibits marketers from exporting emails
A new privacy setting allows users to keep their email address from being downloaded.
LinkedIn has introduced a new privacy setting that lets users choose whether or not their email address can be exported by connections. The default for the setting is “No” — meaning connections will be unable to download a user’s email via a data export unless the user manually switches the setting to “Yes.” TechCrunch first reported the email privacy setting after being tipped off by a reader.
This new privacy setting gives users a new level of added security around their email address, but at what cost to marketers?
Impact on advertisers. “This was certainly a blow to advertisers,” says AJ Wilcox, a LinkedIn ads expert and the founder of the LinkedIn ad agency B2Linked. Wilcox says this new privacy setting will definitely impact marketers who used email addresses they exported from LinkedIn connections to target ads both on and off the platform.
“One of the popular use cases of exporting these email addresses was CEOs who are well-known in a market who want to show ads to people who already know and respect them, which results in a warmer touch. Advertisers could take the bulk export of email addresses, and upload them into LinkedIn Ads, Facebook Ads, and other platforms,” says Wilcox.
Now, that the default setting for downloading email addresses is set to “No” — many LinkedIn user emails will no longer be available for data exports, severely limiting the amount of email addresses marketers can pull from the platform.
Why LinkedIn made the change. LinkedIn says this new setting aims to give members more control over their information on the platform.
“If you take a look at the setting titled ‘Who can download your email’ you’ll see we’ve added a more detailed setting that defaults to the strongest privacy option. Members can choose to change that setting based on their preference. This gives our members control over who can download their email address via a data export,” says a LinkedIn spokesperson.
Wilcox agrees LinkedIn’s new privacy setting will help curb the amount spam users receive, but says the trade-off comes at the cost of a worthwhile marketing resource.
“I can’t bring up this conversation without someone complaining about how they accepted connections on LinkedIn, and all of a sudden, they’re on a mailing list they didn’t sign up for,” says Wilcox, “This move for privacy certainly will put an end to the poor-taste practice, but the marketers using those emails for positive uses now are missing out on a valuable tool.”
Why you should care. Generally speaking, this will not have a significant impact on large-scale marketing efforts as major brands are not scraping email lists from LinkedIn connections. It’s the influencers, entrepreneurs, SMBs and one-person shops using LinkedIn connections to market services who will be impacted as they can no longer rely on LinkedIn connection lists to build targeted ad campaigns both on LinkedIn and off the platform (i.e. using bulk data export to build custom audience lists for other platforms).
With privacy and security top of mind for the industry at large, LinkedIn’s move to safeguard user emails is not a surprise. In fact, in today’s climate of user data protections, it’s arguably more surprising that bulk data export of connections’ email addresses is even an option at all.
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


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TORONTO, Cananda – Shares in The Becker Milk Company Ltd. shot up more than 17 per cent Tuesday after Firm Capital Realty Partners said it was interested in buying the Ontario retail commercial property firm for about $38 million.
Toronto-based Firm Capital said it is prepared to offer about $21 per share if it can gain access to Becker’s data room to conduct due diligence and finalize its financing — access that Becker management has so far refused to grant.
At $21 per share, Firm Capital’s potential bid represents a 23 per cent premium to Becker’s closing price on Dec. 13 and a 35 per cent premium to its price before Becker’s board said it would consider a possible sale of the company.
Becker (TSX:BEK.B) announced plans in August to consider selling the company.
On the Toronto Stock Exchange, Becker stock closed up $2.95 at $20 in on Tuesday.
Firm Capital said in a news release that it has made several proposals to acquire Becker’s assets, but the target company has been unwilling to engage in meaningful discussions or grant access to its data room.
With no apparent alternative transaction, Firm Capital said it may take its offer directly to Becker shareholders.
Becker did not respond directly to the proposal from Firm Capital, but later issued a statement saying that PriceWaterhouseCoopers Real Estate Inc. had completed initial steps in exploring the possible sale of the company.
It said PWC had canvassed potentially interested parties and was now proceeding with discussions with a short list of potential acquirers.
“Interested parties who are on the shortlist have been granted access to the data room of the company,” it said.
Becker Milk Company owns and manages 67 retail commercial properties in throughout southern Ontario, with the majority of locations lease to Mac’s, which is owned and operated by Alimentation Couche-Tard (TSX:ATD.B). It earned nearly $420,000 on $2 million of revenues for the six months ended Oct. 31.


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A French court slapped Nike with a $75,000 fine for using a famous sculpture of Winston Churchill for promotion in violation of the artist's rights.
The San Antonio Express-News reported that the artist — Jean Cardot — sued Nike and the promotional company behind the stunt.
Footwear giant Nike has been fined €67,500, the equivalent of roughly $75,000, for putting an oversized Tony Parker France national team jersey on a statue of Winston Churchill to commemorate Les Bleus’ qualifications for the 2011 European Championships.
The statue is in front of the Petit Palais. The artist is also known for sculptures of General Charles de Gaulle and Thomas Jefferson.


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According to the theory of the political business cycle, governments call elections at the point in the business cycle that gives them the greatest likelihood of winning. This is normally near the peak of the cycle, when the economic news is currently good but likely to get worse in the medium term. With fixed-term governments, this makes it harder for governments as, unless they are lucky, they have to use demand management policies to engineer a boom as an election approaches. It is much easier if they can choose when to call an election.
In the UK, under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act of 2011, the next election must be five years after the previous one. This means that the next election in the UK must be the first Thursday in May 2020. The only exception is if at least two-thirds of all MPs vote for a motion ‘That there shall be an early parliamentary general election’ or ‘That this House has no confidence in Her Majesty’s Government.’
The former motion was put in the House of Commons on 19 April and was carried by 522 votes to 13 – considerably more than two-thirds of the 650 seats in Parliament. The next election will therefore take place on the government’s chosen date of 8 June 2017.
Part of the reason for the government calling an election is to give it a stronger mandate for its Brexit negotiations. Part is to take advantage of its currently strong opinion poll ratings, which, if correct, will mean that it will gain a substantially larger majority. But part could be to take advantage of the current state of the business cycle.
Although the economy is currently growing quite strongly (1.9% in 2016) and although forecasts for economic growth this year are around 2%, buoyed partly by a strongly growing world economy, beyond that things look less good. Indeed, there are a number of headwinds facing the economy.
First there are the Brexit negotiations, which are likely to prove long and difficult and could damage confidence in the economy. There may be adverse effects on both inward and domestic investment and possible increased capital outflows. At the press conference to the Bank of England’s February 2017 Inflation Report, the governor stated that “investment is expected to be around a quarter lower in three years’ time than projected prior to the referendum, with material consequences for productivity, wages and incomes”.
Second, the fall in the sterling exchange rate is putting upward pressure on inflation. The Bank of England forecasts that CPI inflation will peak at around 2.8% in early 2018. With nominal real wages lagging behind prices, real wages are falling and will continue to do so. As well as from putting downward pressure on living standards, it will tend to reduce consumption and the rate of economic growth.
Consumer debt has been rising rapidly in recent months, with credit-card debt reaching an 11-year high in February. This has helped to support growth. However, with falling real incomes, a lack of confidence may encourage people to cut back on new borrowing and hence on spending. What is more, concerns about the unsustainability of some consumer debt has encouraged the FCA (the financial sector regulator) to review the whole consumer credit industry. In addition, many banks are tightening up on their criteria for granting credit.
Retail spending, although rising in February itself, fell in the three months to February – the largest fall for nearly seven years. Such falls are likely to continue.
So if the current boom in the economy will soon end, then, according to political business cycle theory, the government is right to have called a snap election.
Gloomy economic outlook is why Theresa May was forced to call a snap election The Conversation, Richard Murphy (18/4/17)
What does Theresa May’s general election U-turn mean for the economy? Independent, Ben Chu (18/4/17)
It’s not the economy, stupid – is it? BBC News Scotland, Douglas Fraser (18/4/17)
Biggest fall in UK retail sales in seven years BBC News (21/4/17)
Sharp drop in UK retail sales blamed on higher prices Financial Times, Gavin Jackson (21/4/17)
Shoppers cut back as inflation kicks in – and top Bank of England official says it will get worse The Telegraph, Tim Wallace Szu Ping Chan (21/4/17)
Retail sales volumes fall at fastest quarterly rate in seven years Independent, Ben Chu (21/4/17)
Retail sales in Great Britain: Mar 2017 ONS (21/4/17)
- For what reasons might economic growth in the UK slow over the next two to three years?
- For what reasons might economic growth increase over the next two to three years?
- Why is forecasting UK economic growth particularly difficult at the present time?
- What does political business cycle theory predict about the behaviour of governments (a) with fixed terms between elections; (b) if they can choose when to call an election?
- How well timed is the government’s decision to call an election?
- If retail sales are falling, what other element(s) of aggregate demand may support economic growth in the coming months?
- How does UK productivity compare with that in other developed countries? Explain why.
- What possible trading arrangements with the EU could the UK have in a post-Brexit deal? Discuss their likelihood and their impact on economic growth?
The latest figures from the ONS show that UK inflation rose to 2.3% for the 12 months to February 2017 – up from 1.9% for the 12 months to January. The rate is the highest since September 2013 and has steadily increased since late 2015.
The main price index used to measure inflation is now CPIH, as opposed to CPI. CPIH is the consumer prices index (CPI) adjusted for housing costs and is thus a more realsitic measure of the cost pressures facing households. As the ONS states:
CPIH extends the consumer prices index (CPI) to include a measure of the costs associated with owning, maintaining and living in one’s own home, known as owner occupiers’ housing costs (OOH), along with Council Tax. Both of these are significant expenses for many households and are not included in the CPI.
But why has inflation risen so significantly? There are a number of reasons.
The first is a rise in transport costs (contributing 0.15 percentage points to the overall inflation rate increase of 0.4 percentage points). Fuel prices rose especially rapidly, reflecting both the rise in the dollar price of oil and the depreciation of the pound. In February 2016 the oil price was $32.18; in February 2017 it was $54.87 – a rise of 70.5%. In February 2016 the exchange rate was £1 = $1.43; in February 2017 it was £1 = $1.25 – a depreciation of 12.6%.
The second biggest contributor to the rise in inflation was recreation and culture (contributing 0.08 percentage points). A wide range of items in this sector, including both goods and services, rose in price. ‘Notably, the price of personal computers (including laptops and tablets) increased by 2.3% between January 2017 and February 2017.’ Again, a large contributing factor has been the fall in the value of the pound. Apple, for example, raised its UK app store prices by a quarter in January, having raised prices for iPhones, iPads and Mac computers significantly last autumn. Microsoft has raised its prices by more than 20% this year for software services such as Office and Azure. Dell, HP and Tesla have also significantly raised their prices.
The third biggest was food and non-alcoholic beverages (contributing 0.06 percentage points). ‘Food prices, overall, rose by 0.8% between January 2017 and February 2017, compared with a smaller rise of 0.1% a year earlier.’ Part of the reason has been the fall in the pound, but part has been poor harvests in southern Europe putting up euro prices. This is the first time that overall food prices have risen for more than two-and-a-half years.
It is expected that inflation will continue to rise over the coming months as the effect of the weaker pound and higher raw material and food prices filter though. The current set of pressures could see inflation peaking at around 3%. If there is a futher fall in the pound or further international price increases, inflation could be pushed higher still – well above the Bank of England’s 2% target. (Click here for a PowerPoint of the chart.)
The higher inflation means that firms are facing a squeeze on their profits from two directions.
First, wage rises have been slowing and are now on a level with consumer price rises. It is likely that wage rises will soon drop below price rises, meaning that real wages will fall, putting downward pressure on spending and squeezing firms’ revenue.
Second, input prices are rising faster than consumer prices. In the 12 months to February 2017, input prices (materials and fuels) rose by 19.1%, putting a squeeze on producers. Producer prices (‘factory gate prices’), by contrast, rose by 3.7%. Even though input prices are only part of the costs of production, the much smaller rise of 3.7% reflects the fact that producer’s margins have been squeezed. Retailers too are facing upward pressure on costs from this 3.7% rise in the prices of products they buy from producers.
One of the worries about the squeeze on real wages and the squeeze on profits is that this could dampen investment and slow both actual and potential growth.
So will the Bank of England respond by raising interest rates? The answer is probably no – at least not for a few months. The reason is that the higher inflation is not the result of excess demand and the economy ‘overheating’. In other words, the higher inflation is not from demand-pull pressures. Instead, it is from higher costs, which are in themselves likely to dampen demand and contribute to a slowdown. Raising interest rates would cause the economy to slow further.
UK inflation shoots above two percent, adding to Bank of England conundrum Reuters, William Schomberg, David Milliken and Richard Hunter (21/3/17)
Bank target exceeded as inflation rate rises to 2.3% ITV News, Chris Choi (21/3/17)
Steep rise in inflation Channel 4 News, Siobhan Kennedy (21/3/17)
U.K. Inflation Gains More Than Forecast, Breaching BOE Goal Bloomberg, Dan Hanson and Fergal O’Brien (21/3/17)
Inflation leaps in February raising prospect of interest rate rise The Telegraph, Julia Bradshaw (21/3/17)
Brexit latest: Inflation jumps to 2.3 per cent in February Independent, Ben Chu (21/3/17)
UK inflation rate leaps to 2.3% BBC News (21/3/17)
UK inflation: does it matter for your income, debts and savings? Financial Times, Chris Giles (21/3/17)
Rising food and fuel prices hoist UK inflation rate to 2.3% The Guardian, Katie Allen (21/3/17)
Reality Check: What’s this new measure of inflation? BBC News (21/3/17)
UK consumer price inflation: Feb 2017 ONS Statistical Bulletin (21/3/17)
UK producer price inflation: Feb 2017 ONS Statistical Bulletin (21/3/17)
Inflation and price indices ONS datasets
Consumer Price Inflation time series dataset ONS datasets
Producer Price Index time series dataset ONS datasets
European Brent Spot Price US Energy Information Administration
Statistical Interactive Database – interest & exchange rates data Bank of England
- If pries rise by 10% and then stay at the higher level, what will happen to inflation (a) over the next 12 months; (b) in 13 months’ time?
- Distinguish between demand-pull and cost-push inflation. Why are they associated with different effects on output?
- If producers face rising costs, what determines their ability to pass them on to retailers?
- Why is the rate of real-wage increase falling, and why may it beome negative over the coming months?
- What categories of people are likely to lose the most from inflation?
- What is the Bank of England’s remit in terms of setting interest rates?
- What is likely to affect the sterling exchange rate over the coming months?
The economic climate remains uncertain and, as we enter 2017, we look towards a new President in the USA, challenging negotiations in the EU and continuing troubles for High Street stores. One such example is Next, a High Street retailer that has recently seen a significant fall in share price.
Prices of clothing and footwear increased in December for the first time in two years, according to the British Retail Consortium, and Next is just one company that will suffer from these pressures. This retail chain is well established, with over 500 stores in the UK and Eire. It has embraced the internet, launching its online shopping in 1999 and it trades with customers in over 70 countries. However, despite all of the positive actions, Next has seen its share price fall by nearly 12% and is forecasting profits in 2017 to be hit, with a lack of growth in earnings reducing consumer spending and thus hitting sales.
The sales trends for Next are reminiscent of many other stores, with in-store sales falling and online sales rising. In the days leading up to Christmas, in-store sales fell by 3.5%, while online sales increased by over 5%. However, this is not the only trend that this latest data suggests. It also indicates that consumer spending on clothing and footwear is falling, with consumers instead spending more money on technology and other forms of entertainment. Kirsty McGregor from Drapers magazine said:
“I think what we’re seeing there is an underlying move away from spending so much money on clothing and footwear. People seem to be spending more money on going out and on technology, things like that.”
Furthermore, with price inflation expected to rise in 2017, and possibly above wage inflation, spending power is likely to be hit and it is spending on those more luxury items that will be cut. With Next’s share price falling, the retail sector overall was also hit, with other companies seeing their share prices fall as well, although some, such as B&M, bucked the trend. However, the problems facing Next are similar to those facing other stores.
But for Next there is more bad news. It appears that the retail chain has simply been underperforming for some time. We have seen other stores facing similar issues, such as BHS and Marks & Spencer. Neil Wilson from ETX Capital said:
“The simple problem is that Next is underperforming the market … UK retail sales have held up in the months following the Brexit vote but Next has suffered. It’s been suffering for a while and needs a turnaround plan … The brand is struggling for relevancy, and risks going the way of Marks & Spencer on the clothing front, appealing to an ever-narrower customer base.”
Brand identity and targeting customers are becoming ever more important in a highly competitive High Street that is facing growing competition from online traders. Next is not the first company to suffer from this and will certainly not be the last as we enter what many see as one of the most economically uncertain years since the financial crisis.
Next’s gloomy 2017 forecast drags down fashion retail shares The Guardian, Sarah Butler and Julia Kollewe (4/1/17)
Next shares plummet after ‘difficult’ Christmas trading The Telegraph, Sam Dean (4/1/17)
Next warns 2017 profits could fall up to 14% as costs grow Sky News, James Sillars (4/1/17)
Next warns on outlook as sales fall BBC News (4/1/17)
Next chills clothing sector with cut to profit forecast Reuters, James Davey (4/1/17)
Next shares drop after warning of difficult winter Financial Times, Mark Vandevelde (22/10/15)
- With Next’s warning of a difficult winter, its share price fell. Using a diagram, explain why this happened.
- Why have shares in other retail companies also been affected following Next’s report on its profit forecast for 2017?
- Which factors have adversely affected Next’s performance over the past year? Are they the same as the factors that have affected Marks & Spencer?
- Next has seen a fall in profits. What is likely to have caused this?
- How competitive is the UK High Street? What type of market structure would you say that it fits into?
- With rising inflation expected, what will this mean for consumer spending? How might this affect economic growth?
- One of the factors affecting Next is higher import prices. Why have import prices increased and what will this mean for consumer spending and sales?
The Bank of England’s monetary policy is aimed at achieving an inflation rate of 2% CPI inflation ‘within a reasonable time period’, typically within 24 months. But speaking in Nottingham in one of the ‘Future Forum‘ events on 14 October, the Bank’s Governor, Mark Carney, said that the Bank would be willing to accept inflation above the target in order to protect growth in the economy.
“We’re willing to tolerate a bit of an overshoot in inflation over the course of the next few years in order to avoid rising unemployment, to cushion the blow and make sure the economy can adjust as well as possible.”
But why should the Bank be willing to relax its target – a target set by the government? In practice, a temporary rise above 2% can still be consistent with the target if inflation is predicted to return to 2% within ‘a reasonable time period’.
But if even if the forecast rate of inflation were above 2% in two years’ time, there would still be some logic in the Bank not tightening monetary policy – by raising Bank Rate or ending, or even reversing, quantitative easing. This would be the case when there was, or forecast to be, stagflation, whether actual or as a result of monetary policy.
The aim of an inflation target of 2% is to help create a growth in aggregate demand consistent with the economy operating with a zero output gap: i.e. with no excess or deficient demand. But when inflation is caused by rising costs, such as that caused by a depreciation in the exchange rate, inflation could still rise even though the output gap were negative.
A rise in interest rates in these circumstances could cause the negative output gap to widen. The economy could slip into stagflation: rising prices and falling output. Hopefully, if the exchange rate stopped falling, inflation would fall back once the effects of the lower exchange rate had fed through. But that might take longer than 24 months or a ‘reasonable period of time’.
So even if not raising interest rates in a situation of stagflation where the inflation rate is forecast to be above 2% in 24 months’ time is not in the ‘letter’ of the policy, it is within the ‘spirit’.
But what of exchange rates? Mark Carney also said that “Our job is not to target the exchange rate, our job is to target inflation. But that doesn’t mean we’re indifferent to the level of sterling. It does matter, ultimately, for inflation and over the course of two to three years out. So it matters to the conduct of monetary policy.”
But not tightening monetary policy if inflation is forecast to go above 2% could cause the exchange rate to fall further. It seems as if trying to arrest the fall in sterling and prevent a fall into recession are conflicting aims when the policy instrument for both is the rate of interest.
BoE’s Carney says not indifferent to sterling level, boosts pound Reuters, Andy Bruce and Peter Hobson (14/10/16)
Bank governor Mark Carney says inflation will rise BBC News, Kamal Ahmed (14/10/16)
Stagflation Risk May Mean Carney Has Little Love for Marmite Bloomberg, Simon Kennedy (14/10/16)
Bank can ‘let inflation go a bit’ to protect economy from Brexit, says Carney – but sterling will be a factor for interest rates This is Money, Adrian Lowery (14/10/16)
UK gilt yields soar on ‘hard Brexit’ and inflation fears Financial Times, Michael Mackenzie and Mehreen Khan (14/10/16)
Brexit latest: Life will ‘get difficult’ for the poor due to inflation says Mark Carney Independent, Ben Chu (14/10/16)
Prices to continue rising, warns Bank of England governor The Guardian, Katie Allen (14/10/16)
Bank of England
Monetary Policy Bank of England
Monetary Policy Framework Bank of England
How does monetary policy work? Bank of England
Future Forum 2016 Bank of England
- Explain the difference between cost-push and demand-pull inflation.
- If inflation rises as a result of rising costs, what can we say about the rate of increase in these costs? Is it likely that cost-push inflation would persist beyond the effects of a supply-side shock working through the economy?
- Can interest rates be used to control both inflation and the exchange rate? Explain why or why not.
- What is the possible role of fiscal policy in the current situation of a falling exchange rate and rising inflation?
- Why does the Bank of England target the rate of inflation in 24 months’ time and not the rate today? (After all, the Governor has to write a letter to the Chancellor explaining why inflation in any month is more than 1 percentage point above or below the target of 2%.)
- What is meant by a zero output gap? Is this the same as a situation of (a) full employment, (b) operating at full capacity? Explain.
- Why have UK gilt yields soared in the light of a possible ‘hard Brexit’, a falling exchange rate and rising inflation?
There is a lot of pessimism around about the state of the global economy and the prospects for more sustained growth. Stock markets have been turbulent; oil and other commodity prices have fallen; inflation has been below central bank targets in most countries; and growth has declined in many countries, most worryingly in China.
The latest worry, expressed by finance ministers at the G20 conference in Shanghai, is that UK exit from the EU could have a negative impact on economic growth, not just for the UK, but for the global economy generally.
But is this pessimism justified? In an interesting article in the Independent, Hamish McRae argues that there are five signs that the world economy is not doomed yet! These are:
||There are more monetary and fiscal measures that can still be taken to boost aggregate demand.
||Despite some slowing of economic growth, there is no sign of a global recession in the offing.
||US and UK growth are relatively buoyant, with consumer demand ‘driving the economy forward’.
||Deflation worries are too great, especially when lower prices are caused by lower commodity prices. These lower costs should act to stimulate demand as consumers have more real purchasing power.
||Inflation may start to edge upwards over the coming months and this will help to increase confidence as it will be taken as a sign that demand is recovering.
So, according to McRae, there are five things we should look for to check on whether the global economy is recovering. He itemises these at the end of the article. But are these the only things we should look for?
Five signs that the world economy is not doomed yet Independent, Hamish McRae (27/2/15)
- What reasons are there to think that the world will grow more strongly in 2016 than in 2015?
- What reasons are there to think that the world will grow less strongly in 2016 than in 2015?
- Distinguish between leading and lagging indicators of economic growth.
- Do you agree with McRae’s choice of five indicators of whether the world economy is likely to grow more strongly?
- What indicators would you add to his list?
- Give some examples of ‘economic shocks’ that could upset predictions of economic growth rates. Explain their effect.


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Via News Release
“Digital River introduces SocialStream, an innovative new social media toolset powered by its global e-commerce solutions. Using SocialStream, online brand and product marketers can easily launch and manage e-store promotions over multiple Facebook and Twitter accounts while capturing resulting sales metrics.
Digital River SocialStream can generate campaign reports that show customer activity, including unique clicks, conversions and revenue generated. Marketers can also track average order value and revenue per visitor, revenue generated per follower, number of click-throughs and total sales generated, among other metrics.”


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It’s become increasingly clear over the last couple of years that the world of 3D printing is experiencing a paradigm shift. While it has long been the domain of design engineers who have used it to quickly produce prototypes from computer-aided design specifications, there is a movement for change in the market across two fronts: the hobbyist or home users market continues to expand; and, industry is edging closer to using 3D printing for actual commercial products as opposed to merely prototypes.
As far as the hobbyist market, you can measure how fast it’s growing by the fact that major electronics distributors like Arrow Electronics are offering how-to videos on how to set up your 3D printer (see the video below). Another example of the growing hobbyist trend is Arrow offering tips on producing increasingly more complicated shapes with your home 3D printer.
However, there is another trend that companies like Arrow are taking notice of and could, as Laura Hughes, global application marketing manager for Arrow Electronics, has suggested, lead to an evolved market in which: “3-D printing technology would radically change the embedded systems development process, unifying physical and electronic engineering into a single seamless process that could yield products that are unimaginable today.”
This emerging market segment would help account for the 40 percent annual growth rate that has been projected for 3D printing between 2015 and 2020 in which the market will exceed $35 billion from its $5.6 billion market size in 2014, according to market research firm IHS Inc.
A key element in this “unifying physical and electronic engineering into a single seamless process” will be the use of nanomaterials that can impart electrical properties to the final product and lead to 3D printed electronics.
Some industry observers believe that this developing trend of 3D printed electronics will soon exhibit explosive growth. An indication of this potential was the recent launch of a new 3D printer from a company called Voxel8 that specifically targets the printing of electronics and circuitry.
There is a growing body of research that demonstrates that nanomaterials when combined with 3D printing techniques can fabricate a range of electronic products. For instance, researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland have used gold or silver nanoparticles in combination with a 3D printer dubbed the Nanodrip to produce the electrodes on touch-screens.
In other research, scientists at Princeton University have used 3D printing in combination with quantum dots to create an entire contact lens with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) embedded into it. While this prototype couldn’t be made into a practical device because it lacks an energy source to run it, the work does demonstrate that is possible to use 3D printing to create complex electronics including semiconductors
Nanomaterials are not only enabling the fabrication of a range of electronics, but they are also making possible new types of 3D printing. In recent research out of Harvard University, a silver-nanoparticle ink was used in a new 3D printing process in which the ink is extruded and annealed with a laser so quickly that the system is able to “write” free-standing 3-D structures. You can see the amazing process in the video below in which it appears as though the structures were written with a pen and are suspended in midair without any visible signs of support.
The new technique is not just amazing to watch but could be used to produce metallic interconnects; along with springs and other freestanding spiral structures that could be used in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS); as well as antennas that operate much more efficiently in 3D form; and a host of other electronic devices.
Nanomaterials are also beginning to blur the lines between industrial and hobbyist use of 3D printing. A start-up based in Calverton, NY, Graphene 3D Lab, Inc. has developed a graphene-based conductive polymer filament for use in 3D printing in the fabrication of electronic devices for both industry and hobbyists. The company has dubbed their product Black Magic 3D. The company claims that the graphene-based filament can be used with any 3D printer from the hobbyist to the industrial.
If products like this continue to develop, we may see an end to our current understanding of where the line exists between a hobbyist and industrial use of 3D printing.


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Telecoms revenue fraud is a primary driver for increased Apache Hadoop adoption, according to a recent poll of telco and enterprise users by Cloudera and Argyle Data. Communication service providers lose around U.S. $38 billion to fraud every year.
Cloudera and Argyle Data Survey Shows 90% of Service Providers Believe Hadoop Is the Most Effective Platform to Combat U.S. $38bn Revenue Fraud
Global supercomputer leader Cray Inc. (Nasdaq: CRAY) today announced the launch of the Cray® Urika®-GX system – the first agile analytics platform that fuses supercomputing technologies with an open, enterprise-ready software framework for big data analytics.
Benson Hill Biosystems, an agricultural technology company unlocking the genetic potential of plants, announced that it has commercially launched CropOS™, a cognitive engine using cloud biology to empower a new era of seed genomics innovation.
Syncsort’s Latest Innovations Simplify Integration of Streaming Data in Spark, Kafka and Hadoop for Real-Time Analytics
Syncsort, a global leader in Big Data software, announced new capabilities, including native integration with Apache Spark and Apache Kafka, allowing organizations to access and integrate enterprise-wide data with streams from real-time sources.
TIBCO Graph Database and Project Flogo Bring Smarter Connectivity and Real-Time Insights to IoT and Digital Business
TIBCO Software Inc., a global leader in integration and analytics, announced Project Flogo™, an ultra-lightweight integration software solution, and TIBCO® Graph Database, a translytical database for big data.
Hitachi Insight Group announced the launch of the City Data Exchange for Copenhagen, a new solution for making public and private data accessible so that they can power innovation that can make smart cities of the future more sustainable, prosperous, and vibrant.
TIBCO Software Inc., a global leader in integration and analytics, announced the launch of TIBCO® Cloud Services, a comprehensive tool-set for enterprises leveraging the cloud in pursuit of digital transformation.
SnapLogic, the unified data and application integration platform as a service (iPaaS), introduced the Spring 2016 release of its SnapLogic Elastic Integration Platform.
Eighteen months after its acquisition of Motorola Solutions Enterprise business, Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA), a global leader in providing solutions and services that give enterprises real-time visibility into their operations, shares its vision for the company moving forward within a growing industry category, Enterprise Asset Intelligence (EAI).
MapR Technologies, Inc., provider of the Converged Data Platform, announced the immediate availability of Apache Spark 1.6.1 on the MapR Converged Data Platform making it the eighth release of the full Spark stack available to MapR customers.


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Tesla Sells Bitcoin for 64M Profit, Still Posts 170M Impairment Loss
The drop in bitcoin prices has forced tesla to post a $170 million impairment loss along with strong second quarter earnings, with revenue up 42%.
tesla spent $1.5 billion to acquire around 43,200 btc in the first quarter of 2021, according to data from bitcoin treasuries. he went on to sell 10% of his bitcoin for $272 million that same quarter.
Reading: Did tesla sell bitcoin
at the time, chief financial officer zach kirkhorn commented that tesla’s bitcoin investment was for the long term and that such sales were just an experiment to demonstrate bitcoin’s liquidity and utility as an alternative reserve asset.
but last week, tesla reported that it sold 75% of its bitcoin in the second quarter of this year for $936 million.
“as with any investment and in accordance with the way we manage fiat-based cash and cash equivalents accounts, we may increase or decrease our holdings of digital assets at any time based on business needs and our vision of the market and environmental conditions”, said the company in a presentation before the sec.
See also: The 500mm Debacle at Zillow Offers – What Went Wrong with the AI Models? – insideBIGDATA
Digital assets are considered “indefinite-lived intangible assets” under accounting standards. For that reason, Tesla must value your Bitcoin at its lowest point during a quarter and recognize a loss if it falls below its purchase price.
Similarly, Tesla may recognize any gains if it sells its digital assets. The electric vehicle maker posted a $64 million profit on certain BTC-to-fiat currency conversions in the six-month period ending June 30, when the asset price hovered around $19,000.
vetle lunde, an analyst at arcana research, estimates that tesla sold 29,060 btc at an average price of $32,209, leaving the company with about 9,700 btc ($205.1 million) on its balance sheet.
The firm’s bitcoin sale during the financial market downturn shows it was forced to manage risk and raise cash in an environment of rising interest rates, said globalblock analyst Marcus Sotiriou.
See also: NIO Day 2021: ET5 unveiled with 1,000 km range plus global market expansions into 2025 | Electrek
Regardless, Tesla still has the second largest BTC reserve of all public companies, behind Michael Saylor’s data intelligence firm MicroStrategy, which currently holds 129,698 BTC ($2.74B).
elon musk says tesla sold bitcoin to increase liquidity
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has been a vocal proponent of cryptocurrencies, has to some extent held an influential position in the price movement of cryptocurrencies last year through his tweets. Markets were often swayed by his comments and closely watched tesla’s cryptocurrency purchases.
Bitcoin is down 55% year to date and last traded at $21,100 at 1:15am ET. m. on Tuesday, research data from blockworks shows. But the pioneering crypto asset may have reached its macro bottom at around $18,000, according to Varun Kumar, CEO of Hashflow.
“barring exogenous shocks to the macro picture, it seems unlikely to go down,” he told blockworks by email. “That’s not to say it can’t, but cryptocurrencies have led other markets in terms of pricing in an extremely negative global economic outlook.”
“I suspect, then, that much like the 2018 bear market, we will swing sideways and gradually higher until macroeconomic conditions improve. and when that happens, maybe a year from now, we may be headed for another bull run.”
musk said on an earnings call last week that tesla is open to buying bitcoin in the future. “It’s just that we were concerned about the overall liquidity of the company, given the COVID shutdowns in China,” he added, noting that his company did not sell any of its dogecoin.
Get the top crypto news and information of the day delivered to your inbox every night. Sign up now for the free blockworks newsletter.
See also: Justice Department Seizes and Forfeits Approximately 500,000 from North Korean Ransomware Actors and their Conspirators | OPA | Department of Justice


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The design of the future Porsche appeared on the webDecember 9, 2019
The designer presented what a new generation of a German company sports car might look like, whose cars are equipped with a powerful electric motor.
The new generation Porsche 718 is likely to receive an electric motor. This largely inspired designers to fantasize over the appearance of sports cars of the German automaker.
Estonian designer Rain Prisk, for example, recently introduced the future successor to the Cayman model not as a two-door coupe, but as an exotic shoot-out break. The car, the design of which was developed by this artist, was called Porsche Mission C. In the appearance of the sports car, you can find features of models such as the Taycan and Panamera Sport Turismo. Rear lighting in the form of a solid diode strip visually makes the car wider and lower.
It has long been no secret that in Zuffenhausen they seriously discuss the creation of a lightweight and compact electric sports car. Most likely, electric motors will receive copies of the new generation of the 718 family, since turning the legendary 911 into an electric car is still considered too radical a solution.
This issue is already being discussed with the engineers of the German brand, however, the future Macan crossover may well become the second electric car.
- The players of the English club had to go to the game by taxi because of the “smart” bus
- RS2 Avant-style tuning kit developed for Audi Coupe
- New Audi S8 and Bentley Flying Spur were brought to drag
- The fate of the Kia Stinger remains in question even after the update
- Ford publishes teaser for Bronco Warthog with 37-inch tires


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Wider availability, a price reduction and new features could help Google Compute Engine gain ground among cloud computing service providers.<br
You can only name new species after the discoverer of the species so many times before it gets boring.
Winner of technology competition has face recognition software and cameras mounted on outside of car capable of transmitting crimes via
Healthcare workers providing in-home care use digital pens to send patient information to and from hospital records systems.<br style="clear: both"
Social media behemoth Facebook has tapped architect Frank Gehry to design its headquarters.
T-Mobile’s long-promised iPhone is now available for preorder. Its “un-carrier” promises, early first-quarter results suggest, are beginning to work.
While Google uses their many services as data points to serve you ads, Facebook is taking the opposite approach.
Samsung’s expansive line of mobile devices paid off this quarter, as strong sales of its low-end and mid-range smartphones countered
Near-universal EHR adoption, genetics in clinical decision support and widespread Internet medicine are all around the corner, says study.<br style="clear:
The Raspberry Pi has already turned out to be a very diverse little PC. It forms the brain of
Textbook rental broker finds niche partnering with public colleges to lower the cost of higher education.
The software company’s new Oracle Virtual Networking fabric promises faster application performance and data center resource deployment.
After HP Chairman Ray Lane steps down, fresh Autonomy and Itanium distractions lie ahead. Customers just want strategic clarity.<br style="clear:
Audi says its T-Mobile–powered Connect service turns a car into the “ultimate mobile device.” It can be purchased month-to-month or
eWEEK shows images from Namie-machi, an evacuated small city in Fukushima, as captured by Google Maps Street View vehicles.
Facebook Home gives Android devices a new type of social wrapper that’s not quite an OS. Take a closer look
Windows RT could soon receive a native Outlook app. But the bigger question for many is whether we will see
Joint Ukrainian and Russian operation busts alleged Carberp boss and about 20 developers of malware-driven botnet that stole millions of


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Coronavirus infections would certainly dive if 80 percent of individuals used masks, research study states face mask n95
Infections would definitely plunge if 80 percent of people putting on masks, research claims– New York Rouses Point–.
face mask degrees.
In the air, there are numerous fragments of dust and also irritants that can trigger major injury to the body. Although no one can manage this, they can take precautions to deal with the situation. PPE masks can strain more than 95% of air fragments, vapors, and smells. It also aids resolve the problem of the coronavirus clinically. People who have symptoms of the condition will certainly usually cough and also sneeze. A face mask to secure against viruses will certainly protect against the launch of breathing goes down right into the air or spread to another person.
On the internet face mask offer store.
Make sure to wear a mask when you remain in a congested place; You need to additionally keep it while you are there. If you appreciate an unwell liked one, after that you ought to also safeguard on your own with a mask. You ought to also use one if you recognize that you are sick to stop the transmission of the infection to your loved ones.


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Sharing is Caring, Thanks to Philippe Starck
It’s 2017 and sharing is caring. Share a coke with friends. Tear and share your bag of Walker’s crisps. Share this post.
Luckily enough when the 2024 Olympics in Paris (pending a winning bid) roll around we will be able to dish out some precious metals with Philippe Starck’s shareable medals.
Splitting into four pieces, successful Olympians will be able to share their success with loved ones, or whoever they like for that matter, maybe even keep all four bits to themselves if they feel like it, who are you to judge? No longer will sharing that final Rolo be the paramount gesture of affection and selflessness.
The French designer is no stranger to designing on the world stage, with his most recognisable pieces including the iconic Juicy Salif citrus squeezer, Louis Ghost chair, and Gnome stool. Starck has actually already been involved with the Olympics in some capacity, having previously designed the torch for the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.
"Today, more than ever, the truth is that you're not winning alone, so I wanted this medal to reflect that," said Starck. "If the winner wants to share it, they can share it. It's a really nice way of truly showing team spirit. The winner can literally take his or her medal and separate it into pieces to be given away."
Should the Paris Olympic bid be successful, Starck's design would be presented at the 2024 Games, following the Tokyo Games in 2020. Japan's mountains of e-waste from millions of discarded smartphones and computers are reportedly being evaluated as a manufacturing source for the manufacture of medals for the Tokyo medals. This is following the Rio 2016 Olympics, where the silver and bronze medals were 30% recycled metals, with the ribbons being 50% made from recycled bottles.


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Hamilton airport to get $12-million cargo facility
Horses, flowers, food and pharma — the new 60,000-square-foot intermodal cargo facility at John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport will be able to handle whatever the world would like to ship here.
The federal and provincial governments along with Tradeport International announced Thursday morning $12 million in funding for the new handling terminal at Hamilton’s airport. The governments are contributing $8 million while Tradeport is kicking in $4 million. Tradeport is the company which manages the airport in a contract with the city.
The funding will provide new business opportunities because the facility will include multiple truck docks to quickly move freight from airplanes to trucks; refrigeration to handle pharmaceuticals; flowers; food and other perishables; a live animal centre and multi-tenant cargo and courier handling facilities.
Construction is expected to begin this year with completion by mid-2014.
Frank Scremin, president and CEO of the airport, said that will give Hamilton a big competitive advantage over other airports and intermodal shipping locations.
“When you look at where we are located and where we live, we’re in the middle of the largest population base in the country. So when you look at perishable goods and how much is consumed in this area, if you can create an opportunity to have those goods shipped to Hamilton, there’s a significant competitive advantage.
“Currently a lot of those goods are shipped to other locations and brought in by truck. That’s the challenge for us, how do we shift those routes and get them shipped to us?”
Scremin said there will be about 50 jobs in the construction of the facility with another 400 jobs created directly or indirectly because of the expansion of space for multiple tenants such as freight handlers (brokers for shipping customers) and other cargo services.
Richard Koroscil, former Tradeport CEO and a consultant to Tradeport’s parent company, Vantage Airport Group, said being able to tap into pharmaceuticals alone is going to be a big advantage. Then there’s the live animal centre which could help facilitate the shipment of horses for the 2015 Pan Am Games.
“There are a lot of products moved all year — the big one is pharmaceutical,” said Koroscil. “You can have one pallet of pharmaceuticals worth $1 million — it has to be moved quickly and in a contained, refrigerated environment.
“The whales in Niagara Falls (at Marineland)? They were flown here from Russia. Then there’s the Pan Am Games. Horses are worth a fortune. The Hamilton region is a huge agricultural zone — chicks, cows, pigs, everything can move through here now.”
Lisa Raitt, Halton’s MP and the federal labour minister, who made the formal announcement on behalf of Infrastructure Minister Denis Lebel, said investing in air cargo infrastructure has a range of benefits for the local and national economy.
“Nationally, we take great pride in our logistics systems. We’ve got gateways on the east coast and the west coast and here in the continental gateway. This facility is going to help create a gateway concept, hopefully internationally.”
It was a long time coming.
Dean Allison, MP for Niagara-West Glanbrook, said the idea was first floated about six years ago when Koroscil was CEO for Tradeport.
“There’s great infrastructure already here at the airport and it’s so underutilized. It just makes sense given how much freight they do here that we support an already great asset.”
Article courtesy of Lisa Grace Marr , The Hamilton Spectator.


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Using SkyActiv-D power, Mazda looks to take its racing game to the next level.
Read This Article
Fiat and Mazda recently announced a partnership, and Fiat is taking it a step further by announcing that the Italian automaker is open to building Mazdas at its plants.
It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but yet it still is.
Mazda began producing the Mazda3 compact car in its new plant in Mexico this month.


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We hope that August treated you all well! Here are some updates from us:
Have you bought your raffle ticket?
As mentioned in our previous newsletter, we’ve partnered up with several amazing brands to bring you all TWO amazing raffles! All of the proceeds from these raffles will go towards the two projects that we are currently working on: Jaynii Orphange and the Ataaso Water Project. For more information on these initiatives, check out our website.
There’s a chance to win a beautiful Kofi Annan painting worth £250 by Sabina Silver with our £10 raffle. As for our £5 raffle, one lucky winner will win products from 8 different brands worth over £250 in total, including a photoshoot, African print face mask and scrunchie.
You don’t want to miss out! Buy your tickets today for a chance to win!
We will officially announce the winner on the 7th of September (which is very soon) so tell a friend to tell a friend!
The air borders are finally open! From the 1st of September. Ghana will allow international flights to enter the country again. However, the land and sea borders remain closed. This comes after all of the borders were closed in March to help combat the Coronavirus outbreak in the country. Passengers arriving in the country are required to have proof of a negative test result and upon arrival passengers will also be required to take another test, of which passengers are required to pay for (¢250-¢500). For more information on the guidelines in place, read this article on Ghana Web.
Will you be going to Ghana this year or wait until next year to enjoy Bloom Bar?
Earlier this month, the Volkswagen Group opened a facility to assemble vehicles. This comes after a partial government ban on imports of used cars that is part of policy measures to turn the country into an automotive hub for West Africa’s 380 million people.
On the 13th of August, President Akufo-Addo commissioned 75 greenhouses and an entrepreneurship and innovation centre, to be constructed by the Business Development Ministry and the National Entrepreneurship and Innovations Plan. This has been dubbed to the be the biggest green village estate in Ghana and aims to improve the present-day agriculture sector. The commissioning of these greenhouses is significant as the World Bank has estimated that the agriculture and agribusiness sectors could command a $1 trillion presence in Africa’s continental economy by 2030.
The Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) officially opened in Accra in August, marking a major milestone in the full implementation of the free trade agreement. The AfCFTA hopes to boost intra-Africa trade whilst securing the continents future. Find out more information in this BBC programme.
(Source: BBC News, Ghana Web, Automotive News Europe and My Joy Online)


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According to a latest reports, AT&T® is all set to disconnect their services over the customers who are accused of piracy and copyright infringement violations. The wireless provider will shortly terminate over a dozen of their customers because of repeated copyright infringement allegations. These unnamed subscribers have been alleged of repeatedly stealing the content through the network and violating the copyright.
The executives at AT&T® said that they received many complaints and notices from the copyright owners claiming that their users have violated the copyright rules and are stealing the content through the carrier network.
A spokesperson at AT&T® said, “Content owners notified us when they believed they had evidence that an internet account was sharing copyrighted material unlawfully.” He further added, “Based on the notices we received, we identified the customer on the account and share with them the information we received. We also reached out to the customer to educate them about copyright infringement and offer assistance to help prevent the activity from continuing. A small number of customers, who continue to receive additional copyright infringement notifications from content owners despite our efforts to educate them, will have their service discontinued.”
In 2013, most of the internet service providers were following the six-strike system in union with the Recording Industry Association of America and Motion Picture Association of America in order to tackle the piracy issues. However, the six-strike system was shut down in 2017 because of its lack of effectiveness. After this, AT&T® shaped their own privacy policies.
Any copyright violations or piracy is really significant in the case of AT&T® since the company is counted amongst one of the major media companies in the United States of America. It is to be noted that AT&T® has currently taken over Time Warner® and is running a major content business. However, the decision of AT&T® to remove the users who are accused of piracy has reportedly nothing to do with its Time Warner® ownership. Although there are some speculations that the copyright violation claims are reported by some of the Time Warner® segments, nothing has been proved yet.
Even though this is the first time, the company is following the policy of removing the customers who are alleged of copyright infringement violations for the past several years. Nevertheless, the company policy states that they will have to notify or warn their accused customers at least nine times before terminating the services.


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More than 120 participants walked and ran a 5k to benefit the organization during Las Vegas Jewelry Market Week.
The donation to a school in Namibia included computer equipment, infrastructure repair and sanitary wear.
Actress Michaela Coel was “dripping in gold” at the Met Gala, wearing jewelry handmade by fellow British-Ghanian artist Emefa Cole.
Selected designers will create jewelry using recycled and donated goods to be exhibited and judged in November.
Following a record number of applicants, 14 emerging designers were selected for the mentorship program, now in its fifth year.
Registration is open now to join the for-profit arm of Gem Legacy on its third trip to Tanzania and Kenya.
A portion of proceeds from select jewels will benefit the Lower Eastside Girls Club.
At the Prime Stage Theatre in Pittsburgh, “Perseverance” will share the story of jeweler Melvin Goldman.
In the wake of another school shooting, jewelry designer Brent Neale Winston raised money for the nonprofit via an Instagram sale.
The Museum of Arts and Design is hosting its annual benefit sale of contemporary jewelry later this month.
The CEOs of Signet, Helzberg, and GIA spoke on a water conservation panel, and had lakes named in their companies’ honor.
The exhibit received the Betty Clayton Gibson Memorial Trophy for “Best Museum Exhibit for 2023.”
It’s the sixth annual video championing women’s rights in honor of International Women’s Day.
It’s awarded annually to a female student majoring in a STEM discipline.
The Seven West Village literally went to the dogs in mid-December, hosting a charity event benefiting WeACT.
Six designers from the Natural Diamond Council and Lorraine Schwartz’s Emerging Designer Diamond Initiative have debuted their collections.
The application deadline is Feb. 28.
GetFit4Kids allows participants to join in no matter where they live.


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India gets $463.44 mn FDI in food processing in Apr-Sept FY20
New Delhi: India has received foreign direct investment (FDI) of $463.44 million in the food processing sector in the first half of the current fiscal, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday.
The country had received $628.24 million FDI in the food processing sector during the full fiscal year 2018-19 and $904.90 million during 2017-18, it added.
The government has permitted 100 per cent FDI through automatic route in manufacturing of food products subject to sectoral rules and regulations. Also, 100 per cent FDI is allowed through government route in retail trade in respect of food products produced/manufactured in India.
Placing the data before the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Rameswar Teli said the country has received $463.44 million FDI in the food processing sector during April-September period of 2019-20.
"...in April-June 2019 quarter, the FDI equity inflow was $329.04 million which is higher than the quarter ending September 2019 at $134.40 million," he added.
During the first quarter of the fiscal, maximum FDI of $244.95 million was made in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, followed by $25.08 million in Maharasthra, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, while $22.99 million in Delhi and part of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, the data showed.
As per the latest Annual Survey of Industries, the minister said the invested capital in the registered food processing sector was Rs 3,86,350 crore in 2015-16, Rs 4,17,695 crore in 2016-17 and Rs 4,48,938 crore in 2017-18.
In a separate reply, he also said the government has revised the operational guidelines of Scheme for Creation/Expansion of Food Processing & Preservation Capacities (CEFPPC) under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) and notified on January 8 this year.
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) does not set up any food processing industries/projects/units on its own. It provides credit-linked capital subsidy in the form of grants-in-aid for setting up of various food processing industries/projects/units under its central sector scheme PMKSY.


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Communications infrastructure provider and underground data center owner, Bluebird Network announced its first internet exchange in Missouri. The internet exchange is hosted in the Bluebird Underground Data Center. It allows customers to cross-connect, share traffic, and support the demands of the digital world. The internet exchange is one more Bluebird service underpinning the technologies which make the connected world possible and growing businesses successful.
Springfield Internet Exchange
Internet exchange allows networks to interconnect directly. Direct interconnection saves businesses money and also supports route optimization for greater traffic efficiency while virtually extending the business network beyond its current footprint. Michael Morey, President and CEO, Bluebird, said,
“After finishing our 61-mile expansion in Springfield earlier this year, we have a strong presence in the Ozarks and are dedicated to serving as a partner to organizations in the region. There are numerous companies in the region that will really benefit from a service like this, and we are proud to support them by hosting this internet exchange.”


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DURBAN - The Insider just released a list of the 20 most visited cities in the world for the year 2017.
Market research provider Euromonitor International also issued its yearly Top City Destinations Ranking.
The list has a number of cities from countries such as China, Saudi Arabia and South Korea featured on the list. In 2017 the Asian cities dominated the list, taking four out of the top 5 places.
ALSO READ: Concerns raised over Eskom reinstatements
Here are the top 5 visited cities in 2017:
1. Hong Kong
Hong Kong had 25,7 million visitors to the city this year. Although the city is very densely populated, it still attracted millions of people who visited the city for work and play. Visitors made full use of Hong Kong's many shopping malls and markets, like the Temple Street Market.
Hong Kong Photo: Facebook
2. Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok is a flourishing metropolis compared to Phuket. Bangkok's narrow canals are home to colourful markets that float and its opulent shrines are a must see. Also a Bangkok street stall was awarded a Michelin star. The city hosted 23,3 million visitors last year.
Bangkok's Floating Markets Photo: Facebook
3. London, England
The English capital drew in 19,8 million visitors in 2017. Because of Brexit, day to day living costs in London have decreased, thus making it a more attractive choice for those that travel on a budget. London is home to many iconic tourist spots, such as the Tower Bridge and the Big Ben.
London Photo: Facebook
Singapore has great food options in abundance throughout its hawker centres. Singapore also boasts a street stall which has been awarded a Michelin star. Visitors are also attracted to the skyline view from the world's largest infinity pool. The pool sits 57 floors above street level and can be found at the Marine Bay Sands Hotel. Singapore saw 17,6 million visitors in 2017.
Singapore's infinity pool Photo: Facebook
Macau is often referred to as the "Las Vegas of China," because of its many casinos and shopping malls. For more than 300 years, the region was Portuguese territory; the reason why tourists enjoy an interesting and diverse mix of cultures. Macau hosed 16,3 million visitors last year.
The Venetian Macao in Macau. Photo: Facebook
- BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE


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Responsibility For Distributors’ Claims At Root Of Supplement Direct Seller’s Advertising Review
After the DSSRC recommended that Root Wellness remove health claims from its advertising in 2021, the direct seller has not made efforts to remove the claims that its ambassadors have made on social media.
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Q Sciences initially disclaimed responsibility for its independent sales representatives’ claims posted on social media and questioned whether BBB National Programs’ Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council had jurisdiction to review advertising for its nutritional, fitness, weight-loss, energy and hemp products.
Guidance notes settlements Herbalife and Vemma Nutrition made in 2016 as examples of its enforcement policies. FTC prohibition against misleading claims extends to requiring direct sellers to base claims of distributors' compensation on sales to consumers, not on measures such recruiting more distributors.
FDA says warning to VPR Brands could be its first move to reign in sales of nicotine gummies. Statements on brand’s site could indicate sales of nicotine gummies for smoking cessation are on the rise even though the claim isn’t approved.


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Vacation lodging rental service Airbnb has seen 125% growth in guests staying in Canada over the last year, to some 19,000 listings across the country and more than one million bookings by Canadians, the San-Francisco-based company said Wednesday, and is ramping up its efforts to avoid regulatory uncertainty.
Aaron Zifkin, Airbnb’s first country manager for Canada, says he took the role four months ago and the company plans to build a team on the ground and establish an office “very shortly.”
tap here to see other videos from our team.
“It’s a top-five priority market around the world. There’s a lot of inbound and outbound travel [in Canada],” Mr. Zifkin said in an interview.
Mr. Zifkin’s role involves raising awareness of the Airbnb platform in Canada, but also to meet with local regulators, various levels of government and tourism officials, he said.
Airbnb has grown rapidly since it was established in 2008, with more than 15 million short-term stays booked and more than 800,000 properties listed worldwide. But it has also raised the ire of some government and municipal authorities, including in Quebec, where the law stipulates that anyone renting out accommodations for less than 31 days needs a government permit or face fines. Last year, Tourism Quebec said it was cracking down on home rentals. And in June, Airbnb hired lobbyist Martin Geoffroy in Quebec City to nudge the provincial government toward reform, according to the Montreal Gazette.
“First and foremost, Airbnb wants to be a good corporate citizen,” said Mr. Zifkin. “And we are working in an emerging space, and are working very closely with these regulators to try and find sensible laws. The real issue with most of these regulatory conversations is a lot of the times these laws predate the internet itself and didn’t contemplate models like the sharing economy.”


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Valdemar wrote:I took a closer look yesterday at LA Auto Show. Given a choice of the Kona and the Bolt, I don't know why would one buy the Bolt except for availability reasons.
https://insideevs.com/hyundai-kona-electric-range-lowered-wltp/Hyundai Kona Electric Gets Range Downgraded Too: Follows Kia Niro EV
When the specifications for the 64-kWh version of the Hyundai Kona Electric first appeared, it was graced with a range of 292 miles under Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP). If it seemed a little too good to be true, that’s because it was. The automaker has learned that the external agency responsible for making the calculation slipped up, and Hyundai has now published new, lower figures.
According to a report in Autocar, the 64-kWh Kona Electric is now rated at 279 miles under the WLTP, while the 39.2-kWh version — which will not be available in the U.S. — has been downgraded from 186 miles to 180 miles. The news comes after learning that its corporate cousin, the Kia Niro EV (e-Niro), suffered the same fate. . . .
In the U.S., meanwhile, the EPA has rated the 64-kWh Kona Electric at 258 miles, which we believe is a more realistic figure. For its part, the (64-kWh) Kia Niro EV was given a more believable 239 miles of travel on a charge using the U.S. agency test.
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2018/12/20181215-kona.htmlHyundai prices Kona Electric starting at $36,450 before Fed tax credit
Hyundai announced that the starting price for the 2019 Kona Electric electric crossover is $36,450, for an effective net price of $28,950 ($29,995 including delivery), with the electric vehicle tax credit of $7,500 factored in. . . .


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Aberdeen-based XIC has been acquired by two of its longest-serving staff members as its founder steps aside after 32 years at the helm.
Bill Fawcett, who established the printing business more than three decades ago, has passed on the managerial reins to Murray Alexander and Jason Moir, who become managing director and business development director respectively. Fawcett wiill retain a minority shareholding in the business.
The company, which was known as Xpress Print prior to rebranding in 2006, originally began trading in Aberdeen in 1986. Fawcett later bought out the entire share capital of the print franchise, having previously run the business for a decade.
It has since grown from high street copy shop to become a provider of design, print and digital services throughout Scotland.
Alexander takes over as managing director after acquiring a majority shareholding. He will work alongside business development director Moir, who also becomes a shareholder.
Fawcett said: “Murray joined the business in its fledgling years as Xpress Print, working his way through the ranks and becoming an extremely valued member of the management team. Jason is another stalwart of the business, who is well-known and highly regarded by our existing client base.
"I look forward to watching the business continue to grow under their combined guidance and leadership.”
Alexander was appointed as XIC ’s production director in 2006, before becoming director of operations in 2010. Moir joined the company as studio manager in 1999 before moving into a business development role.
Alexander said: “XIC has always been a progressive and innovative company to work for – it was one of the first printers in Scotland to install Apple Mac workstations in 1987.
"This aligns with the company’s commitment to delivering the best possible service for clients – a commitment I look forward to upholding in the years to come."
Moir added: “Exciting times lie ahead for XIC – and I am looking forward to introducing new and existing customers to the growing range of services and products that we can provide.
"The company has developed an excellent reputation for its service standards and expertise, which we intend to sustain – and indeed build on.”


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MINI has recently announced its plans to launch the 2013 JCW Countryman ALL4 Dakar Winner Special Edition of the following weeks.
According to the British based automaker, the newest creation signed by the brand is named the 2013 MINI John Cooper Works (JCW) Countryman ALL4 Dakar Winner, and it’s a special edition of the regular model made in order to celebrate winning the Dakar Rally. According to the car manufacturer, the new special edition of the 2013 MINI JCW Countryman is coming with a matte black exterior finish, with green sport stripes, MINI ALL4 Racing lettering, with 19-inch alloy wheels and with the Dakar Logos on its body.
Moving into the cabin and we can find the individually numbered plaque, the contrast stitching, green and black trim and the green embroidered headrests. The model is getting the same 1.6 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine under its hood, which is good for 218 HP (160 kW) and it has a peak torque of 280 Nm (207 lb-ft), mated to an ALL4 all-wheel drive system. The JCW Countryman ALL4 Dakar Winner can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.0 seconds. The model will be sold in France exclusively.


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The positive predictions that are unleashed across Automotive News Europe, are a result of the launch of three new models. For starters, there is the strong European focus new Micra, there is also a facelifted Qashqai and finally there is a lot expected of the all-new Leaf. The electric car was doing it already exceeded expectations recently well in countries where the model is already on sale. If Nissan is indeed growing in 2018, it means that the upward trend continues. This year, the market share of the brand in Europe by 0.1 percent, while sales volume even 5.4 percent was higher, as distilled Auto News' data from ACEA.
On the Japanese headquarters of Nissan they will be pleased with the news, because in the home there are plenty of headaches for senior management. By inadequate checks that Nissan is working on a massive recall that at least 1.2 million vehicles involved. The mistakes are only of interest to the Japanese market and have no negative effect on the quality of the vehicles, reports the brand.


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Millennial Esports’ World’s Fastest Gamer wins AVA Digital Platinum Award
GlobeNewswire • February 6, 2018
TORONTO, Feb. 06, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Millennial Esports Corp. ("Millennial" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:GAME) today congratulated CMO Darren Cox and the team at Millennial’s IDEAS + CARS for winning a coveted AVA Digital Platinum Award. The award cements Millennial’s position at the forefront of the biggest story in motorsport right now: virtual racing.
“Coming hot on the heels of our purchase of Eden Games, this award offers proof that Millennial Esports is poised to be a major player in Esports racing in 2018,” said Alex Igelman, CEO, Millennial Esports. “We offer our congratulations to Darren Cox and his team at IDEAS + CARS as well as our partners at McLaren who made World’s Fastest Gamer possible.”
World’s Fastest Gamer - a collaboration between McLaren and Millennial Esports’ subsidiary IDEAS+CARS - pit over 30,000 entrants around the world across multiple racing platforms as they battled it out to become the ultimate ‘champion of champions’. Winner Rudy Van Buren is now an official simulator driver for McLaren’s F1 team.
“Our team at IDEAS+CARS is very proud to have obtained this first award under the ownership of Millennial Esports,” said Darren Cox, the founder of IDEAS+CARS and virtual motorsport’s famous GT Academy. “This adds to our numerous previous awards including two Cannes Lions and Autosport Innovation awards. I’m sure this won’t be the last as we continue to push the boundaries of Esports.”
The AVA Digital Awards are currently announcing the winners from the 2,500 global entries into this year’s competition. AVA Digital Awards is an international competition which recognizes excellence by creative professionals responsible for the planning, concept, direction, design and production of digital communication, from digital engagement campaigns, audio and video production, to website development and social media interaction, to mobile marketing.
Fellow AVA Digital Platinum award winners in 2018 include Arizona Cardinals, Disney Consumer Products, Hilton, Intercontinental Hotels Group, MRM/McCann, Sony Music Entertainment and UEFA.
Millennial Esports Corp.:
Millennial Esports Corp. is a mobile video game publisher focused on Esports and Racing. The company also provides turnkey global solutions that cover gaming technology and studios, event management, research and analytics, content production, and broadcasting, through its various subsidiaries.
- Eden Games is owned by Millennial Esports Corp. and is an innovative French video game publisher that took the mobile gaming world by storm with the release of Gear.Club, an immensely popular racing game that has been downloaded more than 6.5 million times. Gear.Club Unlimited was recently made available as the first realistic racing game on the Nintendo Switch.
- IDEAS+CARS, based out of Motorsport Valley, UK, provides industry leading knowledge and intellectual property in the burgeoning and increasingly lucrative Esports racing genre. Founded by Darren Cox in 2015, and acquired by Millennial Esports Corp. in 2017, IDEAS+CARS works with high-profile brands and rights holders in the automotive and motorsport worlds, including Aston Martin, Formula E, Moto GP and Silverstone Circuits.
- MillennialEsports.gg is the premier operator of tournaments and building communities by and for gamers.
- O’Gaming TV, based in Paris and a part of Alt Tab Productions, is an Esports video content production and events company, and a major player in live French-language Esports streaming.
- thE Arena at Neonopolis is Las Vegas’s first permanent Esports venue. The 15,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility accommodates more than 1000 people in comfort and provides technical services including facilities, expertise, and manpower for clients such as EA, Amazon, and Microsoft.
- Stream Hatchet, operating out of Barcelona, Spain, offers complete Esports data analytics solutions. The company focuses on providing actionable intelligence in a format that is easy to understand at a glance.
“Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release."
Director, Communication Strategy
CEO and Director


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For off-road cognoscenti, there are few automobiles more iconic than Jaguar Land Rover’s Defender. Since its introduction in 1948, the rugged old workhorse has earned a reputation for go anywhere capability and durability as an article in the FT notes.
Benchmark Your Current Metal Price by Grade, Shape and Alloy: See How it Stacks Up
The Defender’s engineering simplicity meant that the car could be repaired in the middle of the desert with the sparsest of resources and spare parts. But that rugged simplicity also led to its downfall. The SUV’s body-on-frame construction meant that it failed to meet modern safety crash tests and the engine just polluted the air too much to meet European emission rules. JLR consequently halted Defender production last year to the anguish of its diehard fans.
Well, it would seem JLR has aspirations for a comeback. According to the FT, the group expect to relaunch the Defender in 2019 and its design group is working furiously to reconcept a new vehicle that meets modern environmental and safety standards, requiring a complete redesign from the ground up of the old Defender.
It would be inconceivable if the new Defender was less capable than the old, a betrayal of that once iconic brand and, by all accounts, JLR has no intention of letting them down. Like the old Defender, a new version will employ considerable use of aluminum in the body, but unlike the old steel chassis will have an entirely new aluminum frame construction.
The company says model options will stretch from the “base car” to “very luxury” while the group’s special operations unit will work on a beefed up version to meet demand in Russian and China for an alternative to the Mercedes G 63 AMG. Although the new SUV will be designed and engineered in the U.K., it seems unlikely it will be built in the old Solihull plant where the previous Defender was assembled. JLR just doesn’t have the space in the U.K. and says the new vehicle will probably be manufactured in their Slovakia plant.
Auto Express, in an article late last year, summarized one of JLR’s principal challenges, how it can deliver the sort of off-road capability and versatility that is at the core of Land Rover’s DNA, while still making money out of a car that sells in relatively small numbers. The group says it hopes rising demand for the SUV segment and a sufficiently wide range of model options will generate sufficient volume for the group to make money off of the new Defender via a larger market appeal than the old model.
Two-Month Trial: Metal Buying Outlook
For fans of the marque, the launch of the new model cannot come soon enough with the early reports suggesting demand at launch could be considerable if it proves, as promised, to be even better than the old.


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November 22, 2016
FTR's September Trucking Conditions Index shows a reading of 5.47, down somewhat from August’s reading.
October 26, 2016
The FTR Trucking Conditions Index saw an increase in August fueled by tighter capacity brought about by looming regulations.
September 9, 2016
FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index improved in July reflecting improved market prospects as a result of moderate economic growth and a regulatory environment that is tightening capacity.
August 25, 2016
HaulHound is a free app that allows truckers to post their available empty capacity to shippers can find and fill empty trucks and transport their products.
August 3, 2016
Provider of cloud-based, data-driven tools for the transportation industry FR8 Revolution has launched FR8.guru, a new platform and marketplace with routing, scheduling and tracking features.
May 16, 2016
FTR's Trucking Conditions Index fell by nearly 50% in March as a weak economy during the first quarter of 2016 negatively impacted the freight market.
February 18, 2016
FTR is forecasting stable trucking conditions for 2016 after its Trucking Conditions Index rose more than two points in December to a reading of 10.88.
January 19, 2016
The November FTR Trucking Conditions Index jumped by more than three points to a reading of 8.64, possibly pointing to improvements for truckers in 2016, according to FTR.
December 11, 2015
With another year behind us, Editor in Chief Deborah Lockridge takes a look back at the year of the driver.
December 10, 2015
The October FTR index fell by more than three points from September to a reading of 5.06, in line with previous predications from FTR.
November 1, 2015
The compounding effect of several new safety regulations in the next few years could have more of a negative impact on industry capacity than the individual regulations themselves.
September 15, 2015
Finding enough drivers to keep trucks on the road has long been a problem for trucking companies, and that problem is only expected to get worse. But the resulting "mother of all capacity shortages" could be very positive for fleets.
June 24, 2015
Some interesting articles about trucking capacity have landed in Editor in Chief Deborah Lockridge's in-box recently, as she reports in her "All That's Trucking" blog.
April 15, 2015
The Port of Savannah moved 333,058 TEUs in March, setting a single-month record that surpassed its previous high set in October 2014 by more than 21,000 TEUs.
March 18, 2015
Talbert Manufacturing updated its Traveling Axle Series, increasing hauling capacity by 5 tons. The five new trailer models will replace the previous versions within the trailer series.
February 16, 2015
Sabre features include a 13% stronger main frame, a lower skid ramp to more easily pick up low-nosed trailers, 30% faster actuation of the fifth-wheel boom, easily replaceable parts, and a more comfortable cab.
January 13, 2015
The latest industry survey by the consultancy group Transport Capital Partners sees a shortage of capacity and lack of qualified drivers changing the dynamics of freight, with trends in capacity and rates also contributing to a decline in broker freight.
December 22, 2014
It’s been a busy year for the heavy-duty aftermarket. With the age of the nation’s fleet still high, fleets are spending a lot of money to keep trucks on the road. Given the importance of maintenance and repair, we'll recap some of the key issues that affected fleets in this area in 2014.
September 23, 2014
Brokers and third-party logistics providers are feeling the labor squeeze along with the trucking industry, according to Robert Voltmann, president and CEO of the Transportation Intermediaries Association.
September 11, 2014
INDIANAPOLIS -- Partnership. Collaboration. Shipper of Choice. These were the buzzwords at this week's FTR Transportation Conference as truck and rail providers, shippers and others discussed the current capacity crunch and what's ahead for the freight transportation industry.
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The expert, Shawn Whitacre from Chevron Delo, will answer your questions
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Flagship Tottenham Court Rd store to boast best PC rigs and games.
Currys and PC World has unveiled its “Gaming Bunker”, a one-stop shop for hardcore PC gaming needs, including playable powerhouse desktops and top games at its flagship Central London store.
Playing host to 20 networked high-end custom-built PCs, gamers will get chance to try out the best that gaming has to offer, including Assassin's Creed 3, Borderlands 2, Planetside 2,League of Legends and more.
The Gaming Bunker will show off the best that PC gaming has to offer, including high-tech peripherals from Razer, TurtleBeach, Logitech and others, as well as fully programmable keyboards with built in LED screens for keys.
This is an opportunity for curious gamers to try out high-end PC gaming, which Crysis 3-maker Crytek recently praised, saying it outpaced even the next generation of consoles.
"We're incredibly excited to unveil the Gaming Bunker at our Tottenham Court Road store. The store has a great track record for hosting launches and events, so it's the perfect place for the UK's newest PC gaming destination; the most interactive space of its kind,” commented PC World executive Simon Urquhart.
"We look forward to introducing gamers to the best mice, keyboards, headsets and other essential PC gaming gear. But as well as being the best place to try out these superb products, we hope the gaming community will enjoy coming to events, launches and tournaments and get involved in making the Gaming Bunker a hub of PC gaming and eSports in the heart of London."