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BizBash recently listed Delta as No. 3 among the top 10 innovative brands of 2017. The marketing trade outlet highlighted companies that create compelling live events to engage customers and build social media buzz.
The outlet spotlighted the airline’s most engaging marketing events, including a fashion show to unveil Delta’s new uniforms, a collaborative art project with Seattle pro soccer team Sounders FC and interactive booths during the Oscars and Emmys pre-party. The events provide attendees with an interactive element, like the virtual dressing room at the uniform event, to get a hands-on experience with the brand.
The common thread through each of these events is creating a customer connection, explained Julieta McCurry, Delta’s Managing Director – Marketing Communications.
“When we’re reaching out to customers, innovative experiential marketing allows Delta to engage in unexpected and delightful ways and, in turn, build brand affinity,” McCurry told the outlet. “We always work to align with trends, conversations, and the right people, places, and, events that our customers care most about.”
The ultimate goal, McCurry said, is to improve and enhance customer experience when interacting with the airline.
Delta was listed among other cutting-edge brands, including No. 4 Google and No. 5 Nike. Delta’s partner American Express took the top spot.


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Honda Cars India has called off all work-in-progress on its new midsize SUV – the Honda HR-V. On sale in some key markets as the Honda Vezel, the five-seat SUV (codenamed 2XV), will not be available in the Indian market, sources have exclusively told our sister publication Autocar Professional. This development comes after Honda India’s multiple attempts at bringing the model to the country.
When contacted for an official confirmation, a Honda Cars India spokesperson said: "We do not comment on speculation."
The 4.2-metre-long crossover, which is built on a monocoque construction, was expected to arrive on Indian roads to rival the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos with a 1.8-litre naturally aspirated petrol and a 1.6-litre turbocharged diesel engine.
It is understood that the company first conducted a feasibility study on the HR-V back in 2013, soon after the SUV was launched in the US and Japan. However, it did not get the nod then, given the high level of import content in the model, which wouldn't have given Honda the scope to price it aggressively when it still had plans to bring the cheaper BR-V and position it in the Rs 10-14 lakh price bracket.
Given the exponential growth in the utility vehicles segment in India – which recorded a surge of close to 30 percent between April 2016 and March 2017 – and after tasting much success with the WR-V that had launched in 2017 – it saw the company's UV market share nearly double from 3.54 percent in FY2017 to 6.50 percent in FY2018, the brand decided to increase its efforts and started work on the 2XV project in late 2017 in a bid to bring in the MY2018 HR-V facelift to India.
According to sources, it was in 2017 that the company finally considered the HR-V seriously enough to plan its assembly together with the new CR-V and the Civic at its Greater Noida plant. For this, the company kept up investment into new jigs and fixtures at the 1,20,000-units-per-annum capacity factory over the last two years.
Only 30 percent localisation achieved
To keep costs in check, Honda’s main focus this time was to localise the new model to the highest possible extent. While it is likely that it had identified local suppliers for batteries, seats tyres and some plastic components to achieve roughly 30 percent localisation (a level similar to the Civic) the current slowdown in India plummeted its volume confirmation to its vendors, which was recently revised from an already low 12,000 units over two years to 8,000 units; this didn't warrant a strong business case to bring the model to India, sources tell us.
Called off at the last moment
While work on the HR-V was in full swing and Honda had also conducted two trial productions of the SUV – one last year and another earlier this year – and produced around 4-5 prototypes, the company was all set to complete the final trial production of the HR-V in September, before subsequently aiming for mass production in December of 2019.
It is believed that the foray of MG Motor and Kia Motors into India made a tough climb look even tougher for the Japanese carmaker, which was tasked with procuring nearly 70 percent of components for the HR-V from Japan, Thailand and China. This high level of import content would have meant that Honda India would have found itself in a disadvantageous position when it came to pricing the model amidst the aggressively positioned newfound competitors in the Indian market.
Since its suppliers had participated in two trial productions and had invested an early amount into developing tooling for the prototypes, Honda will now need to honour its agreement terms and compensate them for their initial investments. While there is no final word on it yet, sources tell us that the compensations could be roughly to the tune of around Rs 20 lakh per vendor, depending on the part.
The sum doesn’t look so big because most of the parts that were localised had commonality with the City and the Jazz, and some of the new tools that have been made will continue to produce parts for these models currently on sale in the market.
While it took way too long to decide and remain firm on its stand to act upon what could have been a rather attractive proposition for the Indian market, it looks like all plans on the Honda HR-V’s launch in India have finally been laid to rest.
The company, it seems, will now focus on the launch of the fifth-generation Honda City sedan, slated for an introduction in 2020.

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Obama Daughters Dolls “Sweet Sasha” & “Marvelous Malia”
Ty Inc., the creators of the ever popular Beanie Babies, is hoping for two more big winners with its latest creation–“Sweet Sasha” and “Marvelous Malia” dolls, inspired by our nation’s new First Daughters Sasha and Malia Obama.
“There’s nothing on the dolls that refers to the Obama girls,” she insist. “It would not be fair to say they are exact replications of these girls. They are not.”
The Sasha and Malia dolls are currently on-sale in gift shops across America.


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Longo Toyota, the largest dealership in the world, has signed on to use online retail startup Roadster's digital storefront.
The El Monte, Calif., store now uses Roadster's Express Storefront. The platform, launched last summer, allows consumers to complete transactions online and have vehicles delivered to them.
In just over a year, nearly 80 dealerships across 21 states have turned to Roadster's digital storefronts. But the addition of Longo Toyota represents a huge catch for the online retail startup.
Longo Toyota sits on more than 50 acres. The store expects to sell around 22,000 new and used vehicles in 2017. It is owned by the privately held Penske Motor Group, which is separate from the publicly traded Penske Automotive Group Inc.
While Roadster's storefront offers consumers the option to buy vehicles without coming to a store, its value isn't predicated on replacing salespeople.
Longo Toyota President Brendan Harrington says the majority of consumers want to see vehicles up close before making a purchase. For those customers, Roadster's storefront enables them to expedite things by completing much of the buying process online before coming to the dealership, which saves time for them and the sales team.
Harrington expects 20 percent of shoppers using the tool to transact entirely online. With the Express Storefront, shoppers select a vehicle, value trade-ins, get approved for credit and pick their desired F&I options.


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Sushi Hawai‘i to Open in Pāhoa
A new sushi restaurant is opening in the Puna Kai Shopping Center this Friday.
Sushi Hawai‘i is a new “design your own sushi” takeout restaurant. Along with social distancing and safety measures in place, there will be giveaways with every purchase and live music outside by Loeka & Friends.
Sushi Hawai‘i is a fast, casual concept where customers can build their own sushi rolls or bowls from behind plexiglass.
Sushi Chef and Owner Kaikili Roldan has worked in a variety of fine dining restaurants, including an apprenticeship under sushi master Norio Yamamoto, according to a restaurant press release. He decided to open his restaurant in the Pāhoa area, where he grew up.
“I knew opening my first restaurant wouldn’t be easy, but the COVID-19 pandemic has really thrown us a loop,” Roldan said. “After a lot of delays, but also a lot of support from our community, we’re confident that we can safely open with social distancing and other safety measures in place.”
Along with sushi rolls and bowls, the restaurant will offer take-home sushi bakes and sushi cakes by special order. Customers will be able to order in-person, online or by phone. See the full menu online.
Sushi Hawai‘i is located in the Puna Kai Shopping Center at the intersection of Pāhoa Village Road and Kahakai Boulevard. Grand opening hours will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Regular hours, starting Saturday, June 6, will be from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. six days a week. The restaurant will be closed Tuesday.


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Orders for a Dumbarton-based vodka are pouring in as it prepares to rival some of the world’s leading elite brands.
The makers of Valt Vodka, produced in a small distillery in the town, are setting their sites on the huge US market after successfully selling their premium product to the home of vodka, Russia.
Ambitious director Ricky Christie, who worked in the whisky industry for 30 years, also recently secured a deal with Sainsbury’s which is stocking the product in stores across Scotland.
He said: “This was obviously very important to us because they have a big custom base and it is giving us national exposure.
“Russia, Poland, Slovakia, Italy and Germany are strong export markets for us although we initially had a lot of resistance in Russia.
“A lot of the Russians were very scornful but the reality is that they like vodka because it is the most readily-available spirit on the market. And Valt has set itself above the vodkas they were used to because of the flavour to it.
“It has now been accepted very favourably in the Russian market and the connection is that people think ‘What does Scotland do? It makes great booze!”
Ricky has distilled the spirit himself at the Dumbarton site since 2011 using a 1,500-litre German still that was specially designed for the task.
He said: “The term single malt does raise the assumption that the spirit is made from whisky but it is actually made 100 per cent from Scottish-grown malted barley.
“We are kind of reinventing the wheel a bit. It has went from being an expensive hobby to a financially-viable business.
“I knew our spirit had to be different and had to be unique because a lot of brands claim to be distilled from melted icebergs, with hand-picked organic wheat – and a lot of it is just not true.
“I just wanted to make the best vodka in the world but we had to have a unique selling point. Nobody has done a single malt Scottish vodka. That’s what set us apart from the rest.”
Valt is produced for a niche market and, this year is set to meet its initial target of producing 20,000 bottles. In comparison, Smirnoff sells more than 25million nine-litre cases every year.
Valt is created using a single malt spirit that would usually become a single malt Scotch whisky, which is then distilled three times.
Ricky, who co-founded the firm in 2006, said: “In volume terms it’s small but it’s a very exclusive market for people who are willing to spend money and don’t think otherwise about it. It is a bespoke business and we are quite innovative in what we do. I won’t accept we can’t do something. I wanted to build the market on quality, image and style.”
Sainsbury’s have an exclusive deal with Ricky and business partners Donald McCann and Oliver Storrie meaning they will be the only supermarket to sell the product until the end of the year.
Following that, Ricky hopes the business can go even further. He said: “We have a distribution network set up in the States and we are ready to go. We’re hoping that our first shipments will go to the States this year.”
The firm has also been working on a premium gin named Gilt which was first produced earlier this year. See www.valtvodka.com


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+ Signature Sotheby’s reports more than $1 billion in sales
Judy Green, president and CEO of Signature Sotheby’s International Realty, announced that the real-estate firm reached more than $1 billion in sales for the first half of the year in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties.
“Our associates’ sales performance year-to-date is incredibly encouraging for our region,” said Green in a prepared statement. “It signals an increasing confidence among buyers, both domestic and international, that real estate in Southwest Florida continues to be a solid investment.”
In addition to the firm’s achievement of the No. 1 market-share position in the region, it also attained the highest average sales price in Southwest Florida year-to-date of $847,329.
Compared to the same period in 2010, Signature Sotheby’s sales listings of more than $1 million in Sarasota and Manatee counties are up 30.72%.
+ Coldwell Banker announces increase in activity
Bob Stanley, managing broker of Coldwell Banker’s Longboat Key office, announced that June pending sales volume was up by 38% compared to June 2010. Additionally, open sales rose by 26.5%.
According to Stanley, open sales volume for the first half of 2011 was up 39% from the same period in 2010, and closed sales for the same period also showed a 39% increase.
+ Island Real Estate starts new monthly photo contest
Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Inc. announced a new monthly photography contest. The theme for July is “Pets on Vacation,” and gift certificates will be awarded for first, second and third prizes. For contest information, go to blog.IslandReal.com. Submit photos at [email protected].
Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].


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Top 1 News results
1.Inflation Hits Record 10% In 19 Countries Using The Euro
Consumer prices in the 19-country eurozone were up from an annual 9.1% in August. One year ago, inflation was as low as 3.4%.
From : Newsy
Wikipedia sayings about which european country has the lowest high point?
1.Grading systems by country
points) which they use to apply for their next level of education. Switzerland has a grading scheme from 1 to 6, where 6 is the highest, 1 the lowest, and
2.COVID-19 pandemic by country and territory
Vatican City. Italy was the first European country to experience a major outbreak in early 2020, becoming the first country worldwide to introduce a


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The slew of scam allegations and accusations is already an old story in the online gaming industry; thus it is not surprising to come across another one. However, given the growing interest and the close attention Bitcoin is getting from its users, the same cannot be said when such scam issues involve Bitcoin gambling brands.
The latest Bitcoin casino brand to have been dragged to the list of alleged online scam is DiceBitco.in, an online dice betting platform.
According to reports, this brand is being accused of cheating its players now that its cold wallet and investment funds have been emptied out after a player named ‘mateo’ went on a mysterious winning streak, crippling its abilities to pay out further winnings. The remaining balance before the platform’s funds ran out was paid to some players as a refund.
Moreover, there have been speculations that the DiceBitco.in owners manl and gerry masterminded the scam scheme to begin with and that they are either in relation with or are disguised as mateo. Both, however, through their Bitcointalk account, vehemently denied these assertions.
The owners announced in their last post in their official thread that they will no longer answer questions as they have run out of ideas on how to solve the situation. This, no matter how suspicious or unfortunate, came after the Bitcoin dice brand’s profits surpassed 100 BTC for the first time ever.
However, DiceBitco.in is not the only dice brand to have succumbed to scams or mere allegations. Several months back, 999Dice received a massive blow after it received a negative reception from the Bitcoin gambling community due to its alleged gambling scam nature.
Primedice owner Stunna even went the extra mile to challenge the 999Dice owner to sign an address with the 3,000 BTC as proof for the website’s claim.
Other Bitcoin dice brands that have been accused of being a scam include EveryDice and the more popular ones like Primedice and the now-defunct Just-Dice.
Unfortunately, due to the anonymity prevalent in the world of Bitcoin gambling, proving that the DiceBitco.in scam allegations, as well as those of other brands, are true or false is rather difficult. Nevertheless, the clamor for a friendlier and scam-free Bitcoin betting environment is only getting stronger.


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Oreo announced it would debut the limited edition cookie on February 2 and is letting more than 20,000 get a sneak taste of the new flavor at oreoredvelvetrope.com.
The red velvet Oreo comes with cream cheese flavored creme to complete the red velvet taste.
So how do they taste? The NY Daily News got their hands on a package and opinions were varied. One taster said the flavor was "great, the cream cheese isn't overwhelming and the red coloring is subtle." Most said it was slightly sweeter and creamier but others refused to taste on principal alone.
"They basically castrated the Oreo," said one Newser. "It's lacking the chocolate bite that makes the Oreo."
So would you try it? You can get registered to be one of the lucky taste testers by clicking here. The registration is open between Jan. 20 and Jan. 22 at 11:59 p.m. ET.


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an member station
The United States Post Office announced this week it will eliminate letter delivery on Saturdays. The Post Office will still deliver packages on Saturdays but stamped letters will not be delivered. The elimintion of Saturday delivery is estimated to save the Post Office about $2 billion at a time when the agency struggles to stay solvent. How might those changes affect Nevada? We'll talk with former Nevada Congressman Jim Bilbray who is also vice chairman of the USPS Board of Governors about the changes and what Nevadans can expect.
Jim Bilbray, former Nevada Congressman and Vice Chairman, USPS Board of Governors


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Galeon yachts has named MarineMax Fort Myers, MarineMax Port Clinton and MarineMax Naples as its top three U.S. dealers.
“We are proud to name these three MarineMax stores as the top dealerships for Galeon Yachts in the U.S.,” said Bob Burke, Galeon Yachts U.S. brand manager, in a statement. As Galeon continues to develop and manufacture the most innovative and highest quality yachts in the world, we depend on our dealerships to not only deliver these exciting products to our valuable customers, but they are instrumental in servicing our customers after the sale which is of paramount importance. The contribution of these top MarineMax stores can be seen in their customer ratings for satisfaction and for this they are most appreciated and hereby recognized.”
Established in 1982, Galeon is a privately-owned company with 800 employees working in a 240,000 square foot facility.


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Do any of the components in your product contain conflict minerals? Are they manufactured in sweatshops? Do their factories follow environmental best-practices? Are you sure about your answers?
These may be tough questions for many companies to answer. In fact, it seems as if many companies don't want to know the answers. But the days of secrecy in your supply chain are over. Government regulations, as well as demands from consumers, are forcing companies to not only ask these questions, but to share publicly the answers.
If supply chain transparency is not a top strategic issue in your company, re-evaluate your priorities. The issue is taking on a new urgency as new laws and regulations requiring identification, tracking, and reporting on materials, components, and working conditions start kicking in.
As of January 2012, the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act requires companies that sell goods in California (i.e., everybody) to disclose what efforts, if any, they are undertaking to eliminate forced labor and human trafficking from their supply chains. The law assumes, of course, that companies are aware of any such activity at any point in their supply chains. (You can find a good description of the act and its requirements here.)
Meanwhile, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 contains provision requiring companies to identify and disclose whether their products contain any minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although the US Securities and Exchange Commission has been dragging its feet in coming out with final rules, Congress recently sent a letter chiding the agency for the delay and asking for quick action. Presumably, the regulations will be issued soon. (See: The Great Congo Paper Chase.)
And starting in September, a provision included in the National Defense Authorization Act is going to require government contractors to systematically identify and report on any counterfeit or suspected counterfeit parts in their supply chains. Apparently, even when these companies find counterfeits, they don't readily share that information. Not only don't they share the information with the government and industry — they are supposed to file a GIDEP (Government-Industry Data Exchange Program) report — they don't even share the information with other divisions within their own company, according to a speaker at a recent conference on counterfeit electronics.
These are just three examples of the growing pressure for supply chain transparency. Yet the industry seems ill-equipped to deal with these requirements. Most companies do a poor job of tracking information on materials, component sources, working conditions, and environmental impacts in their supply chains, according to Gil Friend, CEO of Natural Logic, a sustainability consultancy. In a recent report from the Wharton School, “Greening the Supply Chain: Best Practices and Future Trends,” Friend claims that even the world's largest corporations simply use Excel spreadsheets to compile the data. At one company, Friend found a senior vice president actually collating those spreadsheets himself.
It may have been an executive doing the work, but such an approach is far from strategic. How are you gathering and reporting this information? Do you have a strategy? Without one, the new requirements could put you at a competitive disadvantage.


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Former Mexican president reveals how his New Climate Economy initiative aims to demonstrate that economic growth and decarbonisation are compatible
Felipe Calderón is not one to back away from a challenge. After all, this is the man who, on taking office as Mexican president in 2006, declared war on the country's powerful drug cartels, challenged...
Power network operator seeks public feedback on ambitious five year green grid investment programme
Lawyers allege European Central Bank's quantitative easing programme undermines the EU’s emission reduction commitments because it favours high emitting companies
Deal aims to shore-up Drax's wood pellet supply chain as it sets sights on global biomass and carbon capture growth
Falling out of fashion: How growing environmental concerns could jeapordise the future of the fast fashion sector
New UBS analysis warns consumption of fast fashion items is likely to decline by up to 30 per cent over the coming decade as consumers increasingly embrace more sustainable fashion choices


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Thursday morning, the Labor Department released its report on import and export prices in the month of March. While imports prices increased after trending lower in recent months, export prices continued to fall.
The report showed that import prices rose 0.5 percent in March following a revised 0.1 percent decrease in February. The increase in import prices marks the first price growth in eight months.
At the same time, the Labor Department said that export prices fell 0.6 percent in March after edging down 0.3 percent in the previous month. With the decrease, export prices fell for the seventh time in the past eight months.
For comments and feedback: contact firstname.lastname@example.org


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A report by Juniper Research says that the market for smart home automation and monitoring devices will grow to over 770 million globally by 2021, representing an eleven-fold rise from just 68 million estimated in 2016.
But it claims that subscription services, such as the O2 Home model, are losing traction, and will be overtaken by one-off purchases.
The new research, Smart Home Markets: Entertainment, Monitoring, Automation, Health, Metering, Appliances 2017-2021, found that increasing adoption of platform evangelism and openness to partnerships is boosting third party development of devices, especially in developed markets.
It says that North America, the Far East and China and Western Europe will account for almost 75% of all households adopting the technology by 2021.
But it concludes that home automation hardware sales are rapidly outstripping subscription services, such as AT&T’s Digital Life offering (on which O2 Home is based). Juniper forecasts that while homes adopting this payment model will increase, a one-off purchase model will see faster growth over the next five years. It found that revenues from hardware sales will exceed subscription revenues for the first time in 2018, reaching $4.9b.
The report says that subscription-based offering will remain niche, as consumers will be unable to on-board devices of their own choice. It also stated that the subscription business model was not fit for such an immature market.
Along with machine learning which will drive case-specific applications, the research found that new entrants and disruptors will intensify input from the developer community. But it concludes that the ‘Big 4’ platform providers, Apple, Amazon, Google and Samsung ‘will continue to have a monopoly on the market, therefore any successful new entrants into the market will be those who integrate themselves into a wider offering from the bigger players.’
‘The greatest challenge for any start-up in the Smart Home market continues to be the inability to determine the industry’s path in the future’ says the report. A start-up’s influence on the market is not big enough to drive mass adoption of a technological standard, business model or process. Where, for example, Apple has been able to drive wider take-up of NFC-enabled solutions across some retail and financial industries, no start-up will be able to singly ensure that a low-power communications technology becomes dominant in the Smart Home; unless they emerge from start-up status.’
Research author Sam Barker remarked: ‘Successful players will be able to identify critical issues which can be alleviated through the introduction of smart home technology. For example, countries that are faced with ageing populations, such as Japan, will benefit from increasing interplay between automation and digital health services’.


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Most Eddie Bauer stores to stay open
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- Greg Lamm
Eddie Bauer has struck a deal to be bought by a private equity firm for $202 million with an agreement to keep most of the retailer’s stores open and employees on the payroll.
The company announced that it struck an agreement with New York–based private equity firm CCMP Capital Advisors LLC to buy Eddie Bauer’s assets, subject to an auction and bankruptcy court approval.
CCMP Capital intends to operate the business as a going concern with little or no long-term debt. According to Eddie Bauer, CCMP Capital has agreed to keep a majority of the 371 stores open and retain a majority of the employees.
CCMP Capital specializes in buyouts and looks for investment opportunities in retail and other sectors, and have made investments in the outdoors specialty retailer Cabela’s, which sells hunting, fishing and camping gear.
Eddie Bauer said it hopes to operate business as usual during bankruptcy court proceedings and has asked for court approval to continue paying vendors and workers. The company also said it intends to honor customer gift cards, returns and loyalty program points.
The company also announced that it has secured a commitment from its existing revolving credit lenders, Bank of America, N.A., GE Capital Corp. and CIT Group/Business Credit, Inc. for so-called debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing of $90 million on an interim basis and $100 million based on the final court order.
The move, the company said, should provide it with ample cash flow to continue paying its bills.
“Eddie Bauer is a good company with a great brand and a bad balance sheet. This process will allow the business to emerge with far less debt, positioned for growth as the economy recovers and as our new products gain traction,” said Neil Fiske, Eddie Bauer president and chief executive officer, in a statement. “We expect this process to be completed very quickly, protecting our employees and critical vendor partners every step of the way.
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The latest rumors about Apple’s next iPhone reveal that preventing interference is higher priority than ever before. Korea’s ET News reports that Apple will apply electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding to individual chips in the forthcoming iPhone 7. Previous versions of the iPhone have included shielding on the entire circuit board, and then the Apple Watch introduced shielding on an individual chip.
Now, Apple will add EMI shielding to a “variety of digital chips, radio frequency (RF), connectivity (wireless LAN, Bluetooth) chips and others that also include AP (application processor) and modems,” according to ET News. Apple has reportedly enlisted StatsChipPac and Amkor to process the EMI shielding in South Korean factories, using a “sputter” technique to cover the chips with an ultra-thin metal shield.
As clock signals of digital chips have increased and as diverse functions such as 3D-touch and others have recently added, reduction of electromagnetic waves have emerged as major topic of this industry. As other Smartphone businesses might be looking to apply EMI Shield technology to major chips just as Apple did, packaging and other related equipment industries will benefit a lot from this.


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Convenience Stores Emerge As Net Lease Darling
Convenience stores are garnering big interest from both institutional and private investors looking for stable income opportunities in the net lease sector, according to a new analysis from B+E Net Lease.
Cap rates remain low for quality net lease C-store assets, analysts say, with an average on-market cap of 5% and a 2022 year-to-date sale cap of 5.26%. And quality matters: B+E says smaller and lesser-known operators with older buildings are “massively outperformed” by their Class-A counterparts.
“C-stores are garnering a positive perception from both private and institutional investors due to their strong tenant credits, strong profit margins, and large variety of concepts,” B+E analysts note in the report. “This variety encourages customers to spend more time at the location and, in turn, spend more money.”
In addition, C-stores have capitalized on a growing consumer demand for high-quality, made-to-order meals by including quick service restaurants within their walls.
Read the full article on GlobeSt.com.


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An Post has reported group after tax profits of €347,000 for 2011.
This compares to a loss of €24.6m in 2010, which was due to an exceptional provision of €20m that year to cover the cost of redundancies.
Group operating profits fell to €2.2m from €5.8m, while turnover inched higher to €807m from €805m in 2012.
Mail volumes decreased by 7% last year, which An Post said was mainly due to the economic situation, an increase in the use of email and a reduction in the number of houses being built.
Mail volumes have now fallen by 23.5% since their peak in 2007 and An Post predicts another fall of 7% this year.
Overall mail revenue fell by €17m to €535m and An Post said this fall has resulted in a ''serious and unsustainable shortfall in Universal Service Obligation funding''. It warned that this jeopardises both the future of the service and the viability of its wider operation.
'Without necessary and overdue price adjustments, this situation will continue to deteriorate,'' it said. It has applied to the Commission for Communications Regulation for an increase in the price of a standard stamp, which currently costs 55 cent, later this year.
The company said that its total full time staff numbers have fallen by 1,100 since 2008 and it wants to cut another 1,500 by the end of 2016. An Post said that savings of €14.5m in pay costs were seen through more efficient working arrangements, increased use of automated mailing processing and headcount reductions.
Today's results show that the value of state savings reaching €14.1 billion in 2011, up €1.4 billion on 2010. An Post added that other new retail initiatives showed very encouraging growth, including its agency services for AIB and National Irish Bank.
''A strong and stable mails and retail infrastructure, trusted as it is by Irish and international customers, is an essential support to the process of economic recovery,' commented An Post's chairman John Fitzgerald.


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Digital Music News reports…
At least three major ISPs have already announced significant price hikes for 2018. News of the increases come just days after the FCC voted to roll back net neutrality protections. …
Just this morning, Karl Bode of DSLReports caught wind of numerous increases at mega-ISP Comcast. But that is simply the latest in a string of planned increases by the likes of Cox, Frontier, and even DirecTV and Dish Network.
In all cases, these are increases for essentially the same services, with Bode noting that American will be stuck paying ‘significantly more money for the same service in the new year’. In many cases, the changes are padded into existing bills, with most consumers failing to see the changes.
You can check out the article for specifics on the increases.
I’ve heard from other providers that they have no plans to increase rates. It will be interesting to see what happens. And now I’m going to plug the idea to crowdsource benchmark prices today to track increases – by asking folks to report what they currently pay for service from their provider. I heard from a few folks – but not many and not from customers of local independent and cooperative providers. Providers are welcome to send me the info too.
It would be nice to give a nod to those who don’t raise prizes and be aware of those who do.


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The decisions to lease, reengineer, or build a mobile backhaul network is the critical dilemma facing wireless carriers over the next four years. According to a study by iGR, a market research consultancy focused on the wireless and mobile industry, the wireless industry is at the point where 2G, 2.5G, 3G, HSPA+ and 4G LTE technologies, using macro, metro, and picocells, must be simultaneously supported in order to maintain financial performance and a high degree of subscriber satisfaction.
This, in turn, means mobile backhaul demand and costs will continue exploding due to mobile data bandwidth demands required to support data, content, and more sophisticated multimedia communications, the byproduct of new 4G networks and the plethora of new devices, says the research firm.
"Just as the radio networks are transitioning from 3G to 4G and adding more small cells, the mobile operators must also upgrade their mobile backhaul from legacy TDM to Ethernet . This study shows clearly the size of the challenge that faces the operators and, of course, the significant opportunity for mobile backhaul service, infrastructure and solution providers," said Iain Gillott, president and founder of iGR  (Austin, Texas, USA). "The upgrade of the mobile backhaul networks presents a significant opportunity for cable MSOs, IP equipment and infrastructure vendors, tower companies, and the telecommunications services providers."
As a result, iGR forecasts the demand for U.S. mobile backhaul will grow at a CAGR of nearly 58% between 2011 and 2016, with the overall demand growing by 9.7 times. And the growth of fiber backhaul , the preferred method for providing mobile backhaul, is expected to reach a CAGR of nearly 85% over the same period.
Legacy mobile networks were tuned for voice communications, with some data, but now the trend is completely reversed and mobile backhaul networks are being stressed to their limits. The legacy 3G and new 4G networks must now be equipped to support a very high Quality of Service (QoS) for very dynamic transmission of customized data, say iGR.
Mobile backhaul is now the critical link between the Radio Access Network (RAN) and the carrier wireless backbone that supports smartphones and new sophisticated multimedia data rate plans. Mobile backhaul transports mobile data from the end-user device to mobile IP networks or traditional landline networks, says the research company. The consumer demand for smartphones, tablets and other devices has led to atmospheric growth in bandwidth demands.


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The New York legislature is considering a bill that would ban retailers from selling handguns that don’t have either a 10-pound trigger pull, a “firing mechanism” sufficiently unwieldy that a five-year-old couldn’t use it, or “the capacity to require a series of multiple motions” to fire the pistol. In a rather brilliant propaganda move, the bill labels heaters that don’t meet these features as “child operated firearms”.
Nick did a good job deconstructing the silliness of the law itself, talking about the abysmal rates of accuracy achieved by the NYPD after adopting its infamous ten pound trigger, as well as the deleterious effects the bill would have on safety for disabled or elderly gun owners.
But I fear his reality-based arguments backed up by provable facts are only convincing to those already on the side of the angels. In fact, this bill and its language are such a strong move that I’m scratching my head as to why the control lobby didn’t try this earlier in the home state of Bloomberg, Cuomo and Schumer.
The fact that this isn’t already law is even more puzzling when you consider that the New York bill plagiarizes language already used in Massachusetts gun regulations. As TTAG reader Button Gwinnet points out, 940 CMR 16.05, promulgated by the Massachusetts Attorney General in 1997, which calls it an “unfair or deceptive practice” for retailers to sell a handgun without a “safety device” which includes.
The language here is nigh-identical to that in the New York bill: ten pound trigger, multiple motions to fire, mechanism that the average five-year-old couldn’t use.
The only thing missing from the Massachusetts regulations is the Orwellian “Child Operated Firearm” label which is a sufficiently sticky (and corrosive) label that I hope whoever came up with it charged the diminutive plutocrat Bloomberg at least eight figures for the service.
I say that because the persuasion problem that the gun control lobby faces is that they’re going up against the naked self-interest of people when they try to ban firearms.
No human really wants to give up their ability to get tools that make them smarter, more attractive, more powerful or safer. On a fundamental level, even the proverbial five-year-old can grasp that guns augment an individual’s physical power.
None except the ideologically blind or religious pacifists (to the extent they differ) is truly anti-gun. Almost everyone wants guns to remain part of society — the control lobby simply wants them to only be in the hands of the privileged, the powerful, the well-connected, the wealthy and their security services…which explains New York City’s current gun laws.
Gun rights activists simply believe that the right to keep and bear arms should be available to the entire citizenry in any society where equality before the law is valued.
The move is brilliant in a way that the term “gun safety” as a euphemism for gun control isn’t. Most people would be willing to trade away a measure of safety for a little extra liberty or power. But a “child operated firearm”?
On an emotional level, that just feels like a bad idea. Call me a Cassandra if you want, but it’s really hard to fight something when you have to unpack a phrase that people instinctively feel is bad before you even get to the front line. If it catches on, “child operated firearm” will haunt the gun rights movement for a while in much the same way “assault rifle” has.
It’s all the worse given the results of the Massachusetts law. For GLOCKs, a 10-pound trigger is almost a drop-in replacement, one that requires a level of mechanical skill equal to assembling IKEA furniture. But that hasn’t stopped the Bay State from barring retail sales of new GLOCKs manufactured after 1998 under this rule.
Last year, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, launched a politically-charged “investigation” of both GLOCK and Remington, demanding access to internal corporate documents in the name of consumer protection. This was justified by the Commonwealth’s gun regs at 940 CMR 16.
GLOCK is fighting it, of course, calling it a “politically motivated” fishing expedition intended to “harass an industry that the Attorney General finds distasteful….” Also, GLOCKs aren’t even sold by retailers in the Commonwealth anymore. Duh.
(As it happens, the Second Amendment Foundation and Commonwealth Second Amendment, Inc. are supporting a lawsuit filed in 2014 by plaintiffs who were denied the right to buy a GLOCK from Massachusetts gun dealers due to the regulations under 940 CMR 16. Is it possible this litigation motivated the Attorney General’s fishing expedition last year?)
Massachusetts, though, is small beer at the end of the day. New York, however, is a big enchilada; this is an ambitious move in a high-profile state if the past is any guide, New York Republicans (who are vastly outnumbered in the House, and have a bare plurality in the Senate,) will be no more effective in protecting civil rights than the GOP was in protecting civil rights in the South after the Grant Administration.
When you consider the general political leanings of New York, the highly urbanized population, and the dense concentration of moneyed trial lawyers in the Big Apple, even if gun owners in New York rally stop this this time, that language is so sticky that it’ll be used again and again until something is enacted.
What’s the response to this? We should look to flip their language wherever possible. Frankly, there’s no reason why the NRA and its network of trainers shouldn’t OWN the phrase “gun safety,” for instance. And on this one in particular? We need to change the topic of conversation–fast.


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Binance is now an international partner of Danvel. It is assumed that such cooperation will allow working closely with the Binance platforms to conclude most of the cryptocurrency transactions. In addition, it will automatically increase the security of transactions several times over. It will also make it possible for users to test asset management.
In addition, the board of directors of Danvel, which includes Nazar Babenko IG: @nazar_8888_ and Igor Kotov IG: @igor_kotov , pleased us with the news that for the company’s traders, transactions on the service will be carried out on special conditions. What exactly these conditions will be, the company promised to announce in the near future, but we are confident it will be something innovative and attractive.
Reminder that, “Danvel” is a diversified company specializing in the trading of goods and currencies, which has been developing in the cryptocurrency market for more than 8 years. Today the company consists of 30 traders and stock analysts. The headquarters are located in Zurich (Switzerland).
The company entered the top 10 best trading teams in 2022.
As for Binance, it is an international cryptocurrency exchange service created in 2017 by Changpeng Zhao IG: @changpengzhao. Over the last couple of years they were able to capture significant portion of the global crypto market and at the moment the service cooperates only with top companies around the world.
Seemingly, Danvel will surprise us more than once with its expansion in the global market. We are in eager anticipation of news in regards to these moves and all should be ready to be part of the changes.


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HC to Provide Books for JetBlue’s Content Hub
HarperCollins has signed on as a partner in Fly-Fi, JetBlue’s new in-flight Wi-Fi program, which allows airline passengers to access movies, music, and books. Beginning November 26, the publisher will provide excerpts from a selection of bestselling titles, and each e-sample will include buy buttons linking to a variety of retailers.
Judge Approves Apple Settlement
Federal judge Denise Cote granted final approval to a deal that will settle money damages arising from Apple’s e-book price-fixing case. Under terms of the deal, Apple will pay $400 million to consumers—but only if the liability finding survives the appeal process.
Jessica’s Biscuit Closes Online Store
Cookbook specialty retailer Jessica’s Biscuit has shut down its website, ecookbooks.com, which was one of the first niche online bookstores. Owner Dave Strymish, who founded Jessica’s in 1980, said his next venture will be a microbrewery.


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Assassins Creed is not a 360 exclusive. It's gonna be released on both the 360 and PS3. Although Bioshock is still a 360 exclusive, there have been a lot of rumors that it'll be released on the PS3 as well, and the game maker hasn't denied it.
MS announced that the following games will be exclusive to the 360:
Assassins' Creed (Sony had thought they would have it too)
The next Splinter Cell (after DA)
And two exclusive episodes of GTA IV
Also, Halo Wars was announced as an RTS game based in the Halo universe and is being made by the same people who made Age of Empires 3. There is a trailer up for it so go check it out.
All this news definitely has me excited to be a 360 owner.


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NEW YORK — Hands cramping up from too many video games?
How about controlling games with your thoughts instead? Later this year, Emotiv Systems Inc. plans to start selling the $299 EPOC neuroheadset to let you do just that.
The headset's sensors are designed to detect conscious thoughts and expressions as well as "nonconscious emotions" by reading electrical signals around the brain, says the company, which demonstrated the wireless gadget at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.
The company, which unveiled a prototype last year, says the headset can detect emotions such as anger, excitement and tension, as well as facial expressions and cognitive actions like pushing and pulling objects.
The headset will be sold with a game developed by Emotiv, but it also can be made to work with existing PC games, the company said.
Emotiv plans to work with IBM Corp. to explore applications beyond video gaming. The "brain computer interface" technology could transform not only gaming, but also how humans and computers interact, said Paul Ledak, vice president of IBM's Digital Convergence business.
Need Help? Call us at 1-877-710-6182.
Monday-Friday: 6am-3pm / Saturday: 6:30am-10:30am / Sunday: 7am-11am


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How an ag company most people have never heard of could prove itself more disruptive than Netflix or Airbnb
This month, CNBC published its Top 50 Disruptors List, a guide to the new generation of not-yet-public companies vying to change the way the world does business. Among them are some of the world’s most recognizable and talked-about startups: Airbnb, the wildly popular room-for-rent platform; The We Company, parent to the burgeoning network of WeWork coworking spaces; and Impossible Foods, the buzzy alternative protein company likely headed towards an eagerly awaited I.P.O. later this year.
But the number-one spot went to a brand that’s not yet a household name: Indigo Agriculture. It’s not immediately obvious why. The company sports some impressive fundamentals including $650 million in funding, a reported value of over $3.5 billion, and 750 employees across the world—but, as described by CNBC, its business model sounds uninspired and fuzzy. Indigo uses “natural microbiology and tech to improve sustainability, profits for growers, and, of course, consumer health” with the help from “a digital platform that allows growers and buyers to electronically connect with each other.” What does that mean, exactly? And how to reconcile that middling pitch with Indigo’s leading spot on the list?
Yes, Indigo’s business model is hard to parse quickly. Yet it’s also true that the company may represent a profound shift in the way food is grown, distributed, and sold—one that could prove as transformative for agriculture as Netflix has been for the movie business, or Airbnb has been for lodging. And since food is so much more integral than films and hotel rooms, Indigo’s impact could be truly planet-shaping. Understanding why just requires a little context.
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Indigo was founded not by agricultural scientists but disruption specialists—business leaders who see the disturbance of existing markets as their path to profit. It is just one of over 100 ventures to originate at Flagship Pioneering, a biotech and pharmaceuticals startup machine that has generated over $30 billion in aggregate market value since 2000. The project began in 2014 and, in January 2015, Flagship tapped David Perry, a veteran CEO of the pharmaceutical industry, to lead the company.
Indigo began as a microbiology firm hawking microbially treated seeds, which research suggests can improve yield with fewer chemical inputs. But the Flagship scientists quickly realized that agriculture was ripe for a data coup, and Indigo’s scope became much bigger. Since then, Indigo has launched ventures that sprawl across the supply chain and the globe. As of right now, it manufactures seed treatments, incubates dozens of precision ag technologies, brokers billions of dollars of commodities, and is investing in storage, logistics, and more. The idea is now not just to sell a profitable alternative within the existing system, but to disrupt agriculture as we know it.
Today, the word “disruption” tends to denote the transition of a given sector from the analog, industrial economy to the digital. But agriculture—a top five global industry, by some estimates worth $5 trillion—has so far escaped digital reinvention. While digitally enabled tech has helped agricultural machinery become more powerful and precise, the sector is not fundamentally different today than it was a century ago. Farmers are forced to squeeze as much profit as they can out of a piece of land between rising costs and falling prices on the global marketplace—where each crop variety carries the same price, regardless of where it was grown. The system depends on the assumption that a bushel of corn, soy, wheat, or rice is as generic as a barrel of crude oil, whether harvested in India, Kansas, Australia, or Argentina.
A commodity’s anonymity, and the mystery of its path from field to factory, are key to the “business” of agribusiness. Since the Industrial Revolution, the real money has been made by corporations who control the infrastructure necessary to centralize, transport, and process raw product from millions of farms around the world: rail and shipping networks, grain storage elevators, mills, processing plants, and storage warehouses. Under this system, crops themselves remain generic and undifferentiated—a bushel of soy is a bushel of soy. The value, supposedly, added mostly by the middlemen.
This is the system Indigo hopes to upend, while making a killing in the process. It’s about overthrowing the notion of commodities entirely, finding new ways to monetize the untapped value of what each farm, specifically, does well. And it will all be powered by Big Data—the lifeblood of the digital age, and the commodity era’s Kryptonite.
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Indigo’s central thesis is that commodity crops are not all created equal. One farmer’s corn may contain more starch than most; another’s may require less water or fewer pesticides to grow. The company wants to find ways to compensate farmers for those attributes, so that they’re no longer forced to sell into an ocean of anonymized grain.
To Indigo, the existing system is a giant missed opportunity. As soon as a crop gets mixed into a grain elevator, it acquires one price and one price only—and key information disappears into the globalized commodity ether. But finding ways to track what is singular about each crop will allow buyers to be much pickier, helping producers to monetize their assets in new ways. Though today’s agribusiness giants prize standardization above all else, Indigo sees unrealized value in specificity.
Making those distinctions, though, will require data—an enormous amount of it. Which is why Indigo has launched an enormous data-gathering apparatus, Indigo Research Partners (IRP), which it calls “The World’s Largest Agricultural Lab.” It’s a global network of sensors, drones, and satellites that send one trillion data points per day back to Indigo’s Boston headquarters for analysis. 125 farm businesses averaging 8,000 acres in size, spread across the largest commodity hotbeds in the world, allow Indigo to collect data and run tests on new technology in the field.
IRP’s director Barry Knight claims that Indigo’s data resources are unique. “We’re not aware of one other company that has a network that has 50,000 acres of detailed geospatial research connected within the bounds of about a million acres to do work on,” he tells me.
Knight says that IRP works with “top” farmers who are “innovative” and “willing to take risks.” Translation: These farms are massive, corporate and comfortable. Farms larger than 5,000 acres (again, Indigo’s partner farmers average 8,000 acres) account for one percent of growers and cultivate over a third of all farm acreage in the United States, per UDSA’s 2012 Ag Census. Combine this granular data with the satellite technology Indigo owns after purchasing Tellus Labs, which predicted the 2017 U.S. corn yield with 99% accuracy, and Indigo can pursue its goal of providing analytic data by the acre for every farmer in the world. All this means that Indigo has perhaps the world’s most sophisticated digital eyes and ears on the ground, and can make predictions about American farmland perhaps better than anyone else.
In fact, twice, Indigo has bragged about providing data that even the U.S. Department of Agriculture didn’t have: first during the U.S. government shutdown that began in late 2018, and again during the flooding that plagued the Midwest this spring.
This is where the end of commodities comes into play. Indigo is betting that the transparency and traceability its data enables will drive the future of agribusiness, which is why it’s developing and investing in new technologies that can evaluate, track, monitor, and protect crops while they’re in storage and waiting to find a buyer.
Knight gives the example that bread millers prefer high-protein wheat, while brewers favor lower protein content. But right now—because commodities, by definition, don’t differentiate by attribute—they’re each getting an average. Finding a way to deliver the type of wheat each processor wants is what John Henneck, co-lead of Indigo’s Innovation Team, calls “creating value from nothing, or sometimes actually just stopping value from being destroyed.”
Buyers are showing interest in this—big ones, like Anheuser-Busch. Indigo offers its buyers the chance to contract for a specific type of product with a specific delivery date, promising to take care of the rest. The result combines the convenience of the commodity system with the benefits of contracting with an individual farmer for a specialized product.
This approach is still radical, while addressing a major processing infrastructure hurdle: Even when farmers can get their special wheat to the bread mill, that mill was likely built to process generalized grain. The Indigo alternative, along with other trends, gestures toward a supply chain moving away from undifferentiated commodities.
Keith Harris, who concluded a long career in agribusiness to become an assistant professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University, sees a buying arena that is trending “away from mass production and showing more and more signs of going to mass customization.” Mainstream brands are under increasing pressure to deliver a product with an extra label that demonstrates good nutrition or sustainability—both of which are claims that Indigo makes on its treated seed crops. Indigo may be an appealing partner for these buyers, since it claims its microbially treated seed crops—corn, soy, rice, and both hard and soft red wheat—require less water and fertilizer to grow, can be more nutrient-dense, and allow for greater transparency. So far these are vague and unrealized promises; the results are still coming in. Ultimately, though, Indigo envisions an approach that “makes the food system more responsive to consumer preferences.” In one sign the company plans to cater to more conscientious consumers, Indigo received the first-ever organic certification for a microbial seed treatment in March of 2018.
Another convincing sign that the commodity system’s days are numbered is that some of the giants who built it are bold enough to pronounce it dead already. Barry Parkin, chief procurement and sustainability officer at Mars Incorporated (which operates about 50 brands in 50 countries, with reported revenues over $35 billion), insists that “the commodities era as we’ve known it is over.” “We are now in a transparency race,” Parkin wrote on an industry blog called Triple Pundit. “It’s time to radically simplify our supply chains and commit to buying from known and verified suppliers.”
But all this data has to come from somewhere. In order to obtain it, Indigo has to get farmers on board—and that’s where things get trickier. Though some farmers have benefitted from moving past commodities into differentiated markets like organic and others, Indigo’s approach comes with a different risk: It means buying into a supply chain that Indigo owns and controls completely.
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There’s really only one way to win farmers over to a new system: convincing them it will make their lives easier. Like all of us, farmers prefer to deal with a one-stop shop. So if it wants to become a Big Ag contender, Indigo must first make itself indispensable to farmers from seed to factory.
Paul Schrimpf knows a bit about this. He’s a journalist who has covered agtech for a retailer audience through Meister Media for over twenty years. “In order to get enough value where [growers] would be all in on Indigo, you’d have to be better all the way across the board,” he explains. “Not that that’s impossible, but it’s a difficult challenge.”
So how could data upend commodity traditions and deliver a new product to buyers, all while persuading farmers to change their habits?
First, Indigo launched its own online “Marketplace” service to shepherd carefully-monitored grain—loaded with dozens of accompanying data points—to precisely the buyer who ordered it. The idea is that farmers get better prices. To facilitate this direct transfer, Indigo is essentially paying growers to store their grain on-farm.
It also provides zero-interest loans to farmers to install grain bags, a new long-term storage method that lasts up to 11 months and provides a drier, cooler method than traditional storage. Additionally—provided they allow Indigo to monitor their grain and harvest the resulting data—these farmers receive a per-month “incentive” directly from the company. This is presented as a win-win for farmers and Indigo, but it’s clearly a must-win for Indigo. Once that grain leaves the farm for an elevator or elsewhere, all that traceable data vanishes.
Then there’s Indigo Transport, an Uber-like app that matches haulers with loads. Indigo says that Transport and its marketplace are facilitating over $12 billion in business between buyers and growers, claiming a $0.14 per bushel average price increase for growers. In the case of corn, with the large farms in question, that could translate to tens of thousands in savings. That may sound substantial, but given the multi-million dollar revenues of Indigo’s current partners, it’s hard to tell.
Ultimately, the strategy is to get all of these marginally beneficial services—like data-informed planting advice, drought-resistant seed treatments, transport services, and more—under one umbrella. Henneck, co-lead of Indigo’s Innovation Team, says that “no one technology or algorithm” will create a winning model, “but the combination, a systems approach, is what will take us there.” His job is to scout services that will make a good addition to the Indigo package, reach out, and try to work out a deal.
Paul Schrimpf says it’s very early on, but “if [Indigo] is willing to duke out every segment and try to take it over, anything’s possible.”
The worldwide network of 125 farms in Indigo’s IRP group donate their data, receiving shares in the company for their participation. For the farm owners, that’s no small thing. While agribusiness competitors hustle to procure field data, Indigo’s top producer partners—the ones big enough to buy in, at least—directly benefit from the company’s growth. The shares may prove to be a key enticement for producers to hand over enormously valuable data for free. It’s worth pointing out, though, that while these farms represent a vast acreage, they are controlled by a small group of people, and farms that fall outside the IRP group are out of luck.
In any event, the resulting data platform has given Indigo serious leverage in the agriculture space. Already, potential agtech competitors depend on access to IRP’s fields, licensing Indigo data in order to develop their own products. It’s kind of like how you’ll never build a national shoe brand unless you pay for Facebook ads or an optimized SEO slot on Google. “There are small startups, and some not-so-small startups, that don’t have access to 100 growers like we do, and so they pay to play,” says Knight. “And we evaluate it at the same time.”
This allows Indigo to keep a close eye on all the technology in the pipeline, and to pick and choose what seems to show promise. The program is testing 100-plus technologies of all types—drones, sensors, satellites, and more—and will negotiate a purchase or partnership if a product passes muster. The research has resulted in one high-profile acquisition last December: Tellus Labs’ leading geospatial satellite technology. The company promises more will follow.
The writing is on the wall that data, the most valuable currency in the Digital Age, will drive the future of agribusiness. In 2013, Monsanto’s billion-dollar purchase of Climate Corp, a weather data company, signaled that tech firms could cash in by developing products which introduce agribusiness to technologies like machine learning, cloud computing, new apps, and the rest. Since then, agtech has seen investment of almost $7 billion in the past five years, ramping up even more in 2018. The technology is aimed at helping growers use information collected from the soil, climate and crops to make decisions informed by algorithms. But most startups simply develop one such technology, demonstrate value, and court a buyout from a giant.
Indigo is not for sale: It’s going for all the marbles. The company is a play to develop the best data-gathering machine in agriculture—a strategy premised upon the idea that whoever has the best data, wins.
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Companies that achieve disruption don’t just compete well in a competitive market. They break ground on a new sector of the economy entirely, and that means that the disruptor of a given sector often finds itself with a monopoly. That may sound like a bad thing to some policymakers, but for startups it can be an explicit goal.
The idea isn’t just to monetize data—all technology companies want to do that. Indigo’s goal is instead to create an agriculture company that operates more like Google or Facebook, companies with information resources so vast that their services go unopposed. Why? Because to do what Google does as well as Google, you’d have to have its data resources. And you don’t.
“Data monopolists’ ability to block competitors from entering the market is not markedly different from that of the oil monopolist Standard Oil or the railroad monopolist Northern Securities Company,” wrote data expert Kira Ridinsky in the Harvard Business Review. This vision of disruption all but guarantees extreme market power to the disruptor.
It’s not unlike Google, Amazon, and Apple, but Indigo’s potential monopoly isn’t just consumer-facing: It also could look back up through the other end of the supply chain. Like Google, Amazon, and Apple, Indigo wants to lock users—in its case, farmers—into a product ecosystem that is too powerful and convenient not to use. The potential implications of this are worth considering.
For now, Indigo’s data will provide an edge for some early-adopting farmers. But if and when it becomes the norm, data insights like these won’t just be an advantage; they’ll be crucial for a farm’s survival. For all the crop premiums Indigo hopes to unlock by disrupting the commodity system, its success could actually narrow the choices farmers have when it comes to a newer resource they will soon depend on: data. Potential pitfalls come with yielding that much power to one company.
There’s a great irony here. Indigo is creating an array of options for its buyers, luring producers and customizers both with the promise of a more diversified marketplace. But for farmers who buy in, it will be incredibly hard to switch gears once they’ve cast their lot. Indigo’s products could mean a new, more diverse marketplace for buyers, while their actual producers may face a scarcity of choice—at least in one regard. It’s hard enough to switch phone providers because we have all our photos in one tech giant’s cloud. When it comes to the idea of switching over thousands of acres of land away from Indigo’s system, that choice may feel impossible to make.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said that Indigo was founded in 2016, and CEO David Perry joined in 2017.


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A PAIR of fraudsters who flooded Tyneside with fake notes have been jailed for 18 months.
William Thompson and Kevin Turner used counterfeit £20 notes to buy low value goods then pocketed clean cash in change.
The con men left traders in the east end of Newcastle and Wallsend out of pocket to the tune of hundreds of pounds in the scam.
Now a judge has jailed them after hearing how they used their ill-gotten gains to buy drink and drugs.
Recorder Jonathan Sandiford, at Newcastle Crown Court, told them: “The nature of these offences strikes at the heart of the economy on which society relies.
“This undermines people’s confidence in the currency we use day in and day out.
“The victims are often small traders who are left with worthless bank notes and sentences must be passed which discourage people tempted to commit offences which are by their nature difficult to detect.”
The pair had bought the fake £20 Bank of Scotland notes in February last year.
Over a space of a few days they went into shops including McDonalds, KFC and Argos and used the dodgy currency to buy things.
Thompson, 29, of Mostyn Green, Fawdon, Newcastle, and Turner, 25, of Saffron Place, Walker, admitted various counts of possessing and passing counterfeit goods.
Mark Saunders, for Thompson, said he had recently started tackling a long standing problem with drink and drugs and had been in rehab.
Mr Saunders said: “He went into a bar in the east end of Newcastle and bought 17 of these notes for £70 and took them to shops and bought items of small value and used the cash to buy drugs.”
Jonathan Pigford, for Turner, said: “This cannot be described as sophisticated in any form.
“He had 300 of these £20 notes and he was frank with the police when they interviewed him.”


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Need Will Drive Back-to-school Buys
Discount stores will continue to dominate as the destination for the majority of consumers’ back-to-school dollars this year, with office supply stores also remaining strong.
That’s among the findings of a new Accenture study, which notes a desire among shoppers to stretch their dollars. “Necessity, not desire, will drive this year’s back-to-school season purchases,” said Janet Hoffman, managing director of Accenture’s Retail practice. “The consumer has spoken and reports that they ‘dread’ these back-to-school shopping trips. Parents will be spending less on themselves to fund these purchases, and they will spend their dollars where they find the right mix of discounts, quality and convenience. Spending will neither be penny-pinching nor excessive, so retailers will need to keep a keen focus on inventory levels and delivering a targeted offer that meets their customers’ needs.”
Among the study’s other key findings:
- Department stores and online-only retailers saw an increase this year, while electronics stores and specialty stores saw a noticeable decline in intended spending.
- 89 percent of parents will shop at discount/mass merchandise stores (87 percent in 2010).
- 56 percent at office supply stores (58 percent in 2010).
- 46 percent at department stores (43 percent in 2010).
- 32 percent at drug stores (32 percent in 2010).
- 24 percent at grocery stores (24 percent in 2010).
- 22 percent at online-only retailers(18 percent in 2010).
- 18 percent at electronics stores (24 percent in 2010).
- 17 percent at specialty stores (20 percent in 2010).
- 13 percent at home stores (15 percent in 2010).
Among what Accenture calls back-to-school surprises in 2011, online shopping is not in the plans for many. Half of parents said that they would do “none” of their back-to-school shopping online, while only 4 percent said “all” or “most” of their shopping would be done online.
Electronics are sliding lower on shopping lists. One-quarter of parents plan to purchase computers, cell phones and other electronic items for their children; down from 36 percent in 2010. Basic school supplies like pens and paper (87 percent) and clothing (80 percent) are at the top of the back-to-school shopping list. Other key items on the shopping list include shoes (67 percent), accessories like backpacks (66 percent) and dorm/apartment furnishings (18 percent).
Accenture expects big-ticket items to be on the low end of demand this year. The majority of parents (59 percent) will spend between $100 and $500 on their back-to-school shopping this year, the study reveals. Only 21 percent of consumers plan to spend more than $500 on back-to-school shopping this year, down from 28 percent in 2010, indicating a decline in spending on the big ticket items for school. Half of parents (53 percent) plan to spend the same amount on back-to-school shopping as last year; 31 percent plan to spend more money than last year; and 16 percent plan to spend less money than last year.
Of those consumers who said they will spend more this year: 38 percent claim schools are requiring more this year (still high but a big decrease from 51 percent in 2010); 58 percent say that the cost of items has increased; and only 10 percent are spending more because they have more discretionary income to spend this year.
Of those consumers who said they will spend less this year: 37 percent cite having less discretionary income (still high but decreased from 44 percent in 2010); 28 percent have more worries about the economy this year and 16 percent feel they have less job security.
Parents said their top three priorities when choosing a retailer for back-to-school products are pricing and discounts (91 percent); quality of the products (69 percent); and in-stock products (49 percent).
When parents are choosing a retailer this year compared to last year, the importance of product quality did go down slightly while the important of convenience and one-stop shopping went up. Store experiences like customer service and loyalty programs once again ranked low on the list of priorities.
Parents are still making sacrifices: 60 percent say that they spend less on themselves at back-to-school time to ensure they can buy their children what they need; 29 percent of parents say that they “dread” back-to-school shopping, even more than the 25 percent of parents who said this in 2010; 19 percent believe that there is more pressure than ever before for kids to have what their friends have. Back-to-school shopping lists are getting larger and more expensive, according to 36 percent of parents.
This online survey was conducted from July 15 to 18 among 624 adults 18 and older who have children entering school this year (kindergarten through college).


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Speaking to Polygon, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has said that the company doesn’t plan on bringing Twitch streaming to Wii U beacause direct gameplay streams aren’t that fun to watch.
“We don’t think streaming 30 minutes of gameplay by itself is a lot of fun,” Fils-Aime said, in part. “What we’ve got to think through is, so what’s fun about that? From a consumer standpoint, what’s fun about it?”
Instead, Fils-Aime said that the company plans to partner with Twitch for events such as the Nintendo Treehouse E3 streams or the Super Smash Bros. Invitational.
He noted that putting Nintendo videos on the internet can result in fun content, but it needs to be curated such as Mario Kart 8‘s highlights-sharing feature.
“You can make some choices as to what parts are going to be shared,” Fils-Aime added. “We think that makes it interesting, and obviously, the meme of the Luigi death stare is wonderful when that comes out of that type of experience. But in the end we’ve got to make sure that it’s fun.”
He said that Nintendo will highlight its games in the community through events like the Smash Bros. Invitational in the future. “But that’s different than watching Joe Blow’s 30 minute stream, which may or may not have something that’s all that interesting.”


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Tekken certified by Guinness World Records as longest-lasting 3D fighter & video game with longest-lasting story
Tekken series featured in Guinness World Records 2018.
Today the Guinness World Records office of Japan announced that the Tekken series holds two world records that will be included in their newly released book Guinness World Records 2018. Tekken is certified as being the “longest-lasting 3D fighting video game series,” which is 21 years and 179 days. As well, it is certified as being “video game with the longest-lasting story” (20 years and 99 days).
Tekken first became available to arcades in December 1994. Tekken 7: Fated Retribution, which is the latest version of the arcade version, launched in July 2016. And as you should well know, the home version of Tekken 7 just released on June 2, 2017.
Guinness World Records 2018 became available today, August 31, 2017, and releases in Japanese on September 7, 2017.
Congrats to the Tekken Team!


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Consumer prices rose 2.3% year on year in April and were up 0.7% from March, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) announced on Thursday.
Twelve-month CPI was unchanged from March when prices rose 2.3% year on year and 0.6% in a month. In the first four months of 2006, consumer prices rose 2.5% year on year. Seasonally-adjusted core inflation was 0.8% year on year and 0.2% a month in April, after an annual 0.7% and a monthly 0.2% rise in March.
Excluding tax changes, consumer prices rose 0.7% from March and were up 4.1% year on year in April, the KSH said. In March, tax-adjusted prices rose 0.5% a month and 4.1% in twelve months.
According to the harmonized consumer price index (HICP), prices grew 0.7% from March and were up 2.4% from April 2005.


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Nearly half (49%) of Generation-Zs say in-store shopping makes them feel anxious.
This is according to new data from in-store digital engagement company, M-Cube, which surveyed 18- to 24-year-olds in the UK to discover younger generations’ attitudes towards the high-street.
The findings revealed that 47% feel more anxious shopping in-store now than before the pandemic, while 49% said it has always made them feel anxious. When shopping on the high-street, almost half of Gen-Zs (48%) don’t like speaking to customer service staff, and would prefer to use digital channels to access the information they need.
Digital vs Physical
The research also highlighted the comparative attitudes towards online and in-store shopping, with the majority of respondents saying they prefer to shop online (54%). When asked why, 73% said it’s quicker and easier to find products and they enjoyed the convenience of buying anytime, anywhere (68%).
Of the 46% who prefer shopping in-store, 71% of those surveyed said this is because they like having the product instantly, while 66% said they like to see and feel the products before they buy. Enjoying the experience was also identified as a key reason (49%).
Improving the high-street experience
60% of Gen-Zs think in-store experiences need to be improved. When asked how this can be achieved, the majority of respondents said physical stores need to become more of a social space. This was closely followed by having more QR codes/access to quick information (44%) and better music and lighting (29%).
Alexios Blanos, UK business director, M-Cube, said: “To get Gen-Zs back into physical stores, retailers need to make it more of an experience, the products alone are no longer enough to sway customers. Younger generations are known for being digital natives, who enjoy the speed and convenience that ecommerce offers. That’s why it’s crucial brands bring the advantages of the online world into the physical stores, and create a social space that Gen-Zs are excited about.”


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Starbucks workers at more than 100 U.S. stores are on strike Thursday in their biggest labor action since a campaign to unionize company stores began late last year.
The walkouts coincide with Starbucks’ annual Red Cup Day, when the company offers free reusable cups to customers who order a holiday drink. Workers say it’s often one of the busiest days of the year. Starbucks declined to say how many red cups it plans to distribute.
Workers say they are seeking better pay, more consistent hours and higher staffing levels at busy stores. Stores in 25 states planned to join the labor action, according to Starbucks Workers United, the group organizing the effort. Strikers hand out their own red mugs with union logos.
Starbucks, which opposes the organizing effort, said it is aware of the walkouts and respects its employees’ right to lawfully protest. The Seattle-based company noted that the protests were taking place at a small number of its 9,000 company-operated U.S. locations.
“We remain committed to all of our partners and will continue to work together, side by side, to make Starbucks a company that works for everyone,” the company said in a statement Thursday.
Some workers have planned to picket all day while others will take shorter walkouts. The union said the aim was to close stores during strikes and noted that the company usually struggled to recruit staff on Red Cup day due to the crowds.
Willow Montana, a shift manager at a Starbucks store in Brighton, Massachusetts, planned to strike because Starbucks had not begun bargaining with the store despite a successful union vote in April.
“If the company is not negotiating in good faith, why should we come to work where we are understaffed, underpaid and overworked?” Montana said.
Others, including Michelle Eisen, a labor organizer at one of the first stores to organize in Buffalo, New York, said workers were angry that Starbucks had promised higher wages and benefits. to non-union stores. Starbucks says it abides by the law and cannot give unionized stores pay raises without negotiation.
At least 257 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since late last year, according to the National Labor Relations Board. Fifty-seven stores held votes where workers chose not to unionize.
Starbucks and the union have entered into contract negotiations across 53 stores, with 13 more sessions planned, Starbucks Workers United said. No agreement has been reached so far.
The process has been controversial. Earlier this week, an NLRB regional manager filed an injunction against Starbucks in federal court, claiming the company violated labor laws by firing a union organizer in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The regional manager asked the court to order Starbucks to reinstate the employee and stop interfering with the nationwide organizing drive.
It was the fourth time the NLRB has asked a federal court to intervene. In August, a federal judge ruled that Starbucks had to reinstate seven union organizers who were fired in Memphis, Tennessee. A similar case in Buffalo has yet to be decided, while a federal judge ruled against the NLRB in a case in Phoenix.
Meanwhile, Starbucks has asked the NLRB to temporarily suspend all union elections at its stores in the United States, citing claims by a board employee that regional officials improperly coordinated union organizers. A decision in this case is pending.


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Skype Insider: here come the calls of a group of up to 50 participants
Skype Insider Preview back to update on all platforms and move to the release 220.127.116.11. The announcement comes directly from Microsoft, via a post on the official forum, has announced the availability of the new update update that introduces support for group calls of up to 50 people.
Unlike anything available up to this moment, therefore, the Redmond company has doubled the number of users who can participate in an audio or video call (the groups could contain a maximum of 25 members) in the note instant messaging platform.
Once you've initiated a call with 50 participants, Skype will send a notification, rather than call, in order not to disturb the people who can not attend. A similar possibility - confirmation Microsoft - will be provided to smaller groups where it is made optional, the choice of ringtone for the start of a video call. The iPhone more powerful than ever with the design of the most classic ever? Apple iPhone 8 is on offer today on to 493 euros, or from the Media World to 549 euro. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING


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Reddit appoints Durgesh Kaushik as VP of International Growth
Durgesh Kaushik takes up a new role as VP of International Growth at Reddit, aiming to increase global user adoption. .
LucidLink launches efficiency tool for Adobe Premiere
Revolutionize your Adobe Premiere Pro workflow with LucidLink's new panel integration, offering seamless media caching and real-time collaboration.
Vultr announces launch of GPU stack and container registry
Vultr launches Vultr GPU Stack and Container Registry, aiming to accelerate global AI development and ML models' deployment.
US company opens Amsterdam data centre to adhere to GDPR
In response to the imposition of GDPR, First Advantage has opened a 'state-of-the-art' data centre in Amsterdam to ease growing customer concerns.
e-shelter adds Amsterdam data centre to its EU portfolio
The company says Amsterdam is one of the most connected countries in the world, making it ideal for e-shelter's 40,000 sqm development site.


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Own a Piece of Young & Restless: Your Chance to Take Home a One-of-a-Kind Souvenir
You can be just like Victor!
What better way to celebrate 50 years of The Young and the Restless than by taking a piece of the show home with you? That certainly seems to be the idea behind the sudser’s charity auction benefitting the Alzheimer’s Association! Starting today, March 24, and running for three weeks until Friday, April 14, Sony Pictures Television has 65 lots up for bid from the most popular soap on daytime.
How would you like to own Drucilla’s silver locket? (We guess she must not have been wearing it when she fell to her death, seeing as how her body was never found!) Or how about honoring the passing of the great Katherine Chancellor with a program from her memorial, a framed photo, memoir book cover, and Restless Style magazine cover? Feeling in the mood for some vinyl nostalgia? Well, you’re in luck, because you can get your hands on a signed record sleeve from pop superstar Danny Romalotti himself!
From props to costumes like one Nikki’s dresses, there is a ton of cool items up for bid from Genoa City itself. Plus, the show’s auctioning off signed scripts, a signed photocopy of the show’s very first script and even a cast photo with 25 signatures — including from the much-missed Jeanne Cooper! Actually, that sounds like the perfect thing to go along with the Duchess’ memorabilia…
The biggest prize, though, may just be the VIP experience for two for the lucky bidder to attend a taping of the show and meet the cast. Forget just owning a piece of history, you can watch it being made!
Check out the full catalog of items here and, for those interested in bidding for a piece of history for a great cause can visit the Propstore auction here.
It doesn’t get much better than taking home a piece of daytime history and supporting a great cause like the Alzheimer’s Association!
Take a look at all the gorgeous clothing worn at the grand bi-centennial ball celebrating the show’s anniversary in our photo gallery!


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The UK police’s trial of the electric vehicle is getting rave reviews from officers and the public, it says
- Tesla says 9 month UK trial of a Model 3 as a patrol car has had ‘great results’
- Fully-electric vehicle can be used for 4 hours in ‘advanced driving conditions’
- Officers recharging the car during shifts, taking 20 minutes to boost batteries
- If rolled out nationwide by forces, Tesla says it would lose the roof light bars
- Says blue-and-twos mounted on the roof act like a parachute and impact range
Tesla police cars could soon be a common sight on our road if reported positive reviews from UK forces are to be believed.
The US firm provided a £60,000 police-liveried Model 3 to be used by forces up and down the country earlier this year, with Tesla claiming it has received ‘mind blowing’ reports from officers as well as public support.
A synopsis of the first nine months of the trial published this week says the electric cars are capable of running for up to four hours of continuous ‘advanced driving conditions’ and says charging during shifts has been working with officers plugging into the brand’s Supercharger network.
Read more: This Money


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Some Reds fans have made waiting in line for the tickets an annual tradition.
9 News is on the lookout for baseball fans showing up early for their chance to purchase Reds tickets for opening day.
Reds fans camp out for Opening Day 2012 tickets.
Reds fans camp out for a chance to get Opening Day tickets.
CINCINNATI, OH - MARCH 31: General view during the National Anthem prior to the opening day game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ballpark on March 31, 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI - Reds fans are camping out Friday morning to snag some tickets to the Opening Day game.Fans started camping out at Great American Ball Park at 9 a.m. Friday to get their hands on Opening Day tickets, which will go on sale 9 a.m. Saturday. The game is on April 5 against the Marlins.The available tickets will be for 1,000 view level seats for $35 each and 500 standing room only tickets for $25 each.The team says last year tickets sold out in less than an hour and they are expecting the same thing this year.Also, the team is offering a bonus this year. All Opening Day tickets come with a ticket to the Spring Showcase Reds vs. Futures game on April 3.Tickets are only available at the Great American Ball Park ticket window and there is a limit of six per person.


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Operators will continue to add trendy, high-margin products to stores to stimulate growth.
New York, NY (PRWEB) February 21, 2014
Over the past five years, the Coffee and Snack Shops industry has been buoyed by increased consumer spending, driven by higher disposable incomes and greater confidence in the economic outlook. The industry was hit hard by the recession as unemployment rose, consumer confidence tanked and spending dried up. But coffee and snack shops have rebounded from the recession at a faster rate than most segments of the food service sector as consumers increasingly seek convenience at an affordable price. The industry has been given a much needed boost by rebounds in consumer spending and the Consumer Confidence Index over the past five years, which have increased at annualized rates of 2.2% and 11.2% respectively over the period, respectively. In the five years to 2014, industry revenue is expected to increase an annualized 2.7% to $30.2 billion. This trend is expected to continue into 2014, with an expected growth of 1.4%.
The Coffee & Snack Shops industry has had to adapt to changing consumer preferences over the past five years, especially those relating to health and diet. According to IBISWorld Industry Analyst Andy Brennan, “Consumers have become increasingly health conscious and are avoiding foods that are high in fat and salt content.” Some operators have responded to this trend by expanding the number of healthy options on their menus. Many operators selling unhealthy food have lost business to operators that promote more nutritious, wholesome options.
Major operators like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts are expected to expand their menus in the five years to 2019 in order to increase sales and access higher profit margins. "This includes increasing their offerings of nontraditional, high-margin menu items like iced coffee drinks, breakfast items and wraps," says Brennan. Both Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts plan on rolling out hundreds of new stores over the next five years, making up for lost ground they experienced during the recession. Dunkin', which is highly concentrated in the east, is aiming to expand westward to steal market share from local competitors. The major chains are also expected to invest more in international growth as part of a long-term strategy, because many larger players view emerging economies as markets with huge potential for growth and long-term profitability. This international move is being made as the domestic industry approaches maturity.
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IBISWorld industry Report Key Topics
The Coffee and Snack Shops industry is composed of establishments that prepare or serve specialty snacks and nonalcoholic beverages including ice cream, frozen yogurt, cookies, donuts, bagels, coffee, juices, smoothies and sodas. Purchases may be consumed on-site, taken to go or delivered.
Key External Drivers
Industry Life Cycle
Products & Markets
Products & Services
Globalization & Trade
Market Share Concentration
Key Success Factors
Cost Structure Benchmarks
Barriers to Entry
About IBISWorld Inc.
Recognized as the nation’s most trusted independent source of industry and market research, IBISWorld offers a comprehensive database of unique information and analysis on every US industry. With an extensive online portfolio, valued for its depth and scope, the company equips clients with the insight necessary to make better business decisions. Headquartered in Los Angeles, IBISWorld serves a range of business, professional service and government organizations through more than 10 locations worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.ibisworld.com or call 1-800-330-3772.


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Contrary to recent criticism, Afterpay believes the buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) doesn’t put people’s financial health at risk as much as traditional credit cards. Instead, the fintech is adamant about it actually raising the standards for the credit industry.
The Australian BNPL business made the statement as it unveiled its new money management app for Gen Z, Money by Afterpay.
The BNPL industry has been around for years and grew tremendously during the pandemic. The growth happened in tandem with skyrocketing adoption of ecommerce as more people took their shopping online during lockdown. Recent GlobalData Thematic Research even estimates that the worldwide BNPL sector will be worth $166bn by 2023.
Bigger firms such as PayPal have also muscled into the sector and are rumoured to soon be joined by Apple, which is said to be working on a BNPL solution of its own.
However, criticism against the fintech industry has grown louder in tandem with the growth of the BNPL sector. Mostly, the worry from politicians, regulators and other concerned parties is that BNPL companies’ instalment plans put users’ financial wellbeing at risk as they arguably encourage people to live beyond their means.
In an exclusive comment to Verdict, Afterpay has now responded to this criticism.
“It’s important to note that BNPL can be used as an umbrella term for a multitude of providers with very different offerings,” Amanda Shannahan Moore, head of communications and PR, tells Verdict. “Afterpay’s model is highly unique and differentiated in that group.
“We believe we have lifted the standards when it comes to best practice – we don’t know of a credit card offering that freezes a customer’s account as soon as a payment is missed, to prevent the customer from taking on more than they can afford.
“This is in stark contrast with credit cards, where very low minimum payment requirements mean that consumers can extend their credit card debt over many years (or decades) at interest rates of 20% or more.”
Shannahan Moore adds that these efforts to raise the credit industry standard extend to the new money management service Money by Afterpay.
“For Money specifically, we’re looking to re-imagine money for the next generation and make savings as fun as spending,” she says.
Money by Afterpay is the result of a collaboration between the BNPL company and Westpac, one of Australia’s traditional lenders that in 2020 was fined AUS$1.3bn ($951m) for breaching anti-money laundering rules not on a few occasions but 23 million times in the last decade.
The “money and lifestyle app” is aimed at young people to “ease the mental load” of managing their financials.
Essentially, the app will allow any Australian Afterpay account holder to log into the Money by Afterpay app. From there, they will be able to stay ahead of any upcoming orders and planned instalments and check their BNPL balance alongside their daily spending account and saving accounts. The app users can earn a 1% yearly rate of up to 15 savings accounts, which will be paid by Westpac.
Afterpay will make what Shannahan Moore refers to as a “small income from deposits.”
Money by Afterpay will initially be rolled out in a staff trial in July to try out new features and to refine the user experience ahead of the official launch in October. Some of those features will, according to Shannahan Moore, include a referral stream for mortgages “and product enhancements that will drive revenue.”
“You’ll hear a lot more from us in the next few months!” Shannahan Moore tells Verdict.
Afterpay co-CEOs Anthony Eisen and Nick Molnar, add: “Afterpay has always stood apart in the way it connects with customers around common core values of simplicity, transparency and trust. Ultimately, with Money by Afterpay, our goal is to make managing your money simple, frictionless and stress-free.
“Money will broaden our relationship with our loyal customers and also attract a new group that’s looking to streamline how they manage their finances within the debit economy, further cementing our commitment to supporting responsible spending.”
Afterpay is operating in Australia, New Zealand, the US, the UK and Canada.