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Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
Jacques Bungert and Frederic Torloting, the new owners of 1960s super-modernist label Courreges are planning on relaunching the brand later this year, with a new website and e-commerce capabilities hitting the web this November. WWD reports that the new site will sell signature updated Courreges pieces including A-line dresses and vinyl jackets. The new owners have also signed a fragrance licensing deal, and will relaunch Eau de Courreges and Empreinte by Mother's Day 2012.
· Courreges gets ready for a relaunch [WWD]


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Mazda North American Operations is recalling 180 2017-model year Mazda6 cars because the turn signals may not automatically cancel after completing a turn, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported.
The vehicles at issue were manufactured Aug. 12-Sept. 28 of this year. They’re all equipped with optional accessory fog lights. The problem stems from a faulty combination switch.
“A vehicle continuously driven with the turn signal flashing may result in confusion to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash,” NHTSA warned on its website.
Mazda dealers will replace the combination switch, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin this month.
Vehicle owners can reach Mazda customer service at (800) 222-5500. Mazda’s number for this recall is 0316J.

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Fear of cyber-threats and ongoing demand for digital information boosted Symantec’s second-quarter performance as enterprises and consumers continued to buy its security and backup products, the company said.
The company reported fiscal second-quarter revenue of $1.68 billion, a 14 percent increase from last year’s revenue of $1.48 billion. Symantec’s net income was $182 million, or 24 cents a share for the quarter ended Sept. 30. The company beat the top end of its own revenue estimates. Excluding some costs, earnings were 39 cents per share, which was on target with analyst estimates.
Also boosting Symantec’s bottom line were the two acquisitions, VeriSign and Clearwell, according to Symantec CEO Enrique Salem on the company’s earnings call on Oct. 26. VeriSign, the identity management company Symantec acquired a year ago for $1.28 billion, generated $89 million in revenue during the quarter. Clearwell, acquired in May for $390 million, generated $20 million. The acquisitions performed well “against our expectations,” Salem said.
“We continue to effectively integrate and grow our acquired assets, as demonstrated by the authentication business once again generating strong results for the fifth consecutive quarter,” said James Beer, Symantec’s executive vice president and CFO.
Beer also noted there continued to be strong demand for security and storage products, despite the overall concerns about the uncertain economy. Revenue in the security and compliance and storage and server management segments accounted for 65 percent of total revenue.
The explosion of cyber-attacks and the increasingly sophisticated nature of threats are driving consumers and enterprises to invest in security products, according to Salem. Threats are more targeted and attackers are going after everyone, including individuals, small businesses, large enterprises and government agencies, he said.
The security and compliance segment had the strongest performance of all Symantec businesses, with a 27 percent boost in sales. The segment includes enterprise security, managed security services, data loss prevention and authentication.
Salem touted the success of Symantec Endpoint Protection 12, which launched in July and has already been deployed on more than 1.3 million endpoints. Customers are “increasingly relying” on Symantec’s Managed Security Services to protect their environments and information as they struggle to meet IT staffing needs, according to Salem.
The data loss prevention business performed well “as information protection continues to be top of mind for corporations and governments around the world,” he said.
The storage and server management segment climbed 8.6 percent, led by Symantec’s portfolio of backup products. Storage growth was strengthened by the fact that Symantec’s backup products include deduplication technology and virtualization capabilities, according to Salem.
Adoption of NetBackup appliances grew during the quarter as customers took advantage of “backup, deduplication and the media server in a single appliance,” Salem said.
The Clearwell eDiscovery team, in its first full quarter with Symantec since the acquisition, signed the largest deal in its history with the federal government during the quarter, according to Salem. “As expected, Clearwell’s eDiscovery solution complements our archiving capabilities,” Salem said.
Despite weak consumer demand for personal computers, Symantec’s consumer segment increased 11 percent during the second quarter, compared with the comparable period a year ago. Consumer products now make up 31 percent of total revenue, Beer said.
“We continue to see good demand for our products and services across the portfolio,” Salem said.


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2020 became a huge Twelve months for blockchain adoption, with a pair of of the good monetary institutions worldwide buying or integrating cryptocurrencies into their industry model. It became moreover a historic Twelve months for decentralized finance (DeFi) which has grown from not up to $1 billion in whole ticket locked at first of January 2020 to virtually $15 billion. As this know-how continues to broken-down, increasingly more world organizations are beginning to perceive the influence blockchain tech can relish on rising usability, transparency, and affordability of their platforms.
TransferWise, an on-line money transfer carrier basically basically basically based out of London, would possibly perhaps well perchance also not relish integrated blockchain into its platform but, however that doesn’t mean the company founders aren’t drawn to the know-how. Valued at over $5 billion and with over 2,000 workers, the founders of TransferWise relish a deep understanding of what it takes for a platform to reach success in world remittance. TransferWise became co-founded by Taavet Hinrikus, a World Financial Discussion board Tech Pioneer and adviser to the Top Minister of Estonia’s digital agenda, one in every of basically the most accepting countries of blockchain tech on this planet. Sooner than beginning TransferWise, Hinrikus started as Skype’s first rotund-time employee as the Director of Technique. For somebody so winning within the finance and remittance world, a blockchain undertaking would must supply staunch, underlying ticket to customers for Hinrikus to fetch in thoughts an funding.
Hinrikus has investments all over a differ of high tech sectors, comparable to drag-sharing and femtech, however moreover has fetch investments within the blockchain house. One amongst Hinrikus’ investments is in Radix, a public, decentralized ledger designed to facilitate the creation and execution of decentralized applications. On the Radix platform, developers and customers can trip lightning speedy interactions and transactions with out having to sacrifice decentralization or security. With the demonstrated ability to take care of 1.4 million transactions per 2d, Radix can lay a claim to being the good decentralized ledger platform for DeFi applications.
How Radix Improves DeFi
DeFi has been catapulted into the mainstream this Twelve months, with decentralized exchanges recognize Uniswap generating a pair of of the highest transaction expenses of any blockchain platform. Decentralized finance provides an array of monetary products and companies that previously needed to be regulated and speed by a third birthday party, comparable to exchanging monetary assets, insurance, loans, and borrowing. Providing rapid transactions and products and companies to any individual who requires them, decentralized applications relish started to revolutionize the monetary industry, taking vitality a long way flung from third events which relish historically acted as gatekeepers.
Although the principle that and fundamentals of decentralized finance are stable, there are restful many bottlenecks which can perhaps well perchance be keeping it help from broader adoption. A form of these factors embody the high transaction expenses and uninteresting transaction speeds. Radix has constructed a platform that it believes will fully divulge these aspects which can perhaps well perchance be keeping help DeFi usability. As somebody who invests in doubtlessly innovative know-how that can fundamentally change how an industry operates, Hinrikus’ ardour within the Radix platform comes as no shock. His trip as an consultant to Estonia’s digital agenda highlights his records of blockchain know-how, and for Hinrikus, the Radix platform is one formulation he can see these applications virtually about fruition.
DeFi Without the Drawbacks
A pair of of basically the most talked-about “Ethereum killers” can’t compete with Radix by formulation of very lengthy time interval scalability and throughput. Even platforms with multi-billion dollar valuations are compelled to invent exchange-offs after they point of curiosity on rising scalability whereas attempting to fetch decentralization. Radix has created a platform that can effectively scale, dwell decentralized, and drastically lower transaction expenses, factors that compelled one in every of basically the most winning tech entrepreneurs on this planet to make investments within the undertaking.
Many others are beginning to leer the writing on the wall: that these decentralized platforms relish the flexibility to totally change how the monetary industry operates on a elementary stage. For decentralized applications to reach their rotund likely and offer customers a viable different to the present infrastructure, DeFi needs in an effort to supply the equivalent tempo and usefulness whereas remaining just from third birthday party alter.
When when when in contrast with other decentralized application platforms recognize Cosmos and Polkadot, that are aiming for 4,000 and 3,000 transactions per 2d respectively, Radix blows these “rookie numbers” out of the water. Taavet Hinrikus understands this, and as Radix evolves, the shrewdness of his funding will near into spicy point of curiosity.
Portray by Pete Linforth from Pixabay


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Google‘s Stadia team reportedly cancelled numerous projects and third-party licensing deals, including a multiplayer game from a former Assassin’s Creed developer.
Other abandoned projects included a sequel to Journey to the Savage Planet, as well as agreements with Hideo Kojima, developer of Death Stranding, and Yu Suzuki, designer of Outrun, to create exclusive games for the platform, sources told VGC.
In a statement released on February 1, the company said it would to provide technology and platform tools to external partners, rather than developing original titles in-house. As a result, the company was shutting down all of its internal Stadia game development teams.
Its canceled third-party licensing agreements also included an original game from Harmonix, an indie studio, best known for creating franchises like Rock Band and Dance Central, that is nearly complete, according to sources. Although Harmonix may still release the game for Stadia, music licensing difficulties for Stadia’s Pro service have disrupted development of the game, sources say.
However, Harmonix CEO Steve Janiak has denied that the game has been cancelled, or that there were problems with music licensing. “While Google has shifted its strategy, we remain incredibly excited about what we’ve been working on for Stadia and if the project isn’t released for Stadia we will take it to other platforms,” he told VGC.
The Kojima Productions project was reportedly an episodic horror game, however the deal with the studio was suspended by Stadia GM Phil Harrison last year. Last summer, Kojima hinted at a possible project with the platform, saying that a “major” project had been cancelled, adding, “I’m pretty pissed, but that’s the games industry for you.”
In addition, the team formerly known as Typhoon, which Google acquired last year, was working on a sequel to the co-op adventure game Journey to the Savage Planet. The project was expected to expand the scale of the original game and include fully animated cut-scenes, yet the team was informed earlier this month that the project was canceled.
Another Stadia team, headed by former Splinter Cell and Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate producer Francois Pelland, was developing a multiplayer action game codenamed Frontier, which was also abandoned.
Source: Read Full Article


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How super fan Alyssa Milano has turned a practical idea into a trendy women’s sportswear brand for enthusiasts from the diamond to the raceway.
Walls Outdoor Goods will include DuPont Kevlar materials in its new line of outdoor workwear designed for durability in demanding conditions.
Swimming equipment manufacturer Aqua Sphere and Olympian Michael Phelps are launching the MP brand of competitive swim gear.
For the sixth time in his career, the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James leads the National Basketball Association's list of most popular jerseys for the 2014-15 season.
Authentic Brands Group's Taryn Rose footwear brand has teamed with Best Legwear to for a new line of luxury legwear.
Authentic Brands Group has partnered with the Japanese brand management company Itochu in a joint-ownership agreement for the youth brand Airwalk in Japan.
Saban Brands is launching an advisory committee for its new lifestyle group that will counsel the company on its current brands and future acquisitions.
Sesame Workshop has launched a new collection of "Sesame Street" pajamas from Peter Alexander in Australia and New Zealand as part of the show's 45th anniversary.
Procter & Gamble is reportedly looking to sell off portions of its struggling beauty business.
Fashion label Psycho Bunny has signed a multi-year deal with the Japanese licensee Itochu to develop an upscale accessories program.
Hoho Entertainment has tapped Global Solutions for Clothing to produce a collection of "CloudBabies" costumes under its Pretend to Bee brand in the U.K.
Perry Ellis International has signed with Parigi Group to develop children’s apparel for its Perry Ellis and Original Penguin brands.
Fashion U.K. is planning a new line of apparel featuring the classic British design brand A-Z, known for its maps and guidebooks.
PVH has tapped TS Commerce to manufacture, sell, distribute and promote apparel and accessories for the Van Heusen brand in Korea.
The Original Muck Boot Company is planning its first fashion collaboration with The Fabulous Beekman Boys’s Beekman 1802 brand.
British TV personality Samantha Faiers, of ITV’s “The Only Way is Essex,” has released her first fragrance, La Bella, from licensee Per-Scent.
Skechers USA has tapped Jakks Pacific to develop a line of toys and products inspired by the Skechers and Twinkle Toes brands.
Cherokee has appointed Copyright Promotions Licensing Group to represent Cherokee Global Brands in its European markets.
PepsiCo’s Mtn Dew, with help from The Joester Loria Group, has become an iconic brand for cutting edge youth culture.
Canadian fashion designer Brian Bailey has appointed the Toronto-based agency The Licensing Shop to extend his brand.
Sports and fitness brand Everlast Worldwide has teamed with lifestyle company Cellutions to expand its product offering to a include sports performance drink.
©2015 ADVANSTAR COMMUNICATIONS INC. All rights reserved.


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“Apple is on the offensive,” Neil Cybart writes for Above Avalon. “This is not a company content with standing by and letting Google, Facebook, Spotify and a handful of other third-parties take over critical elements of the user experience of approximately 500 million iPhone users.”
“Instead of just swinging a sword and trying to compete with everyone indiscriminately, Apple is carefully positioning its resources and the overall iOS platform to stress value propositions at which Apple has historically excelled,” Cybart writes. “These include personalization, emotion, and privacy. WWDC highlights how battles are being chosen meticulously as Apple’s mission is clear: reducing its dependency on others.”
“With the News app, Apple is trying to change users’ habits in terms of how they get content. Apple Music is a test in how successful Apple will be once again in not just getting customers to pay for something that is free elsewhere, but rethinking the music industry,” Cybart writes. “Siri and Spotlight are being positioned as Apple’s method for rethinking search. Instead of sitting back and letting third-parties have all the fun, Apple wants more.”
Much more in the full article – recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: The best defense is a good offense.


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99 Cents Only stores sued over price hike
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
A fraction of a penny is amounting to one big headache for 99 Cents Only Stores.
Two years ago, the City of Commerce retailer — faced with rising inflation and higher costs — raised the top price of its goods to 99.99 cents from 99 cents. Company executives thought it was a clever way to increase sales while staying loyal to the chain’s love for the number 99.
But the move seems to be riling some customers who say they weren’t aware of the nearly one-cent increase and felt duped into believing they were still paying 99 cents ‘only.’ Because U.S. currency makes it impossible to pay 99.99 cents for an item, shoppers are essentially paying $1 plus tax at the cash register.


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Following in the footsteps of Tesla, Chinese app maker Meitu has joined the ranks of cryptocurrency investment.
In the early 2010s, Meitu reached such dominance in the portrait touch-up space that its eponymous flagship app became a verb for “photo beautifying” in China. But in recent years, as smartphones became to offer built-in filters, photo editors like Meitu are struggling to hold their lead. Meitu’s stock shrank from HK$18 apiece in 2017 to less than HK$3 today.
As the company turns 13 years old and seeks alternative growth, it sets its eyes on cryptocurrency.
Meitu purchased 15,000 units of Ether and 379.1214267 units of Bitcoin worth around $22.1 million and $17.9 million respectively on March 5 in open market transactions, the company disclosed Sunday. The purchase is the first tranche of the firm’s investment plan to buy up to $100 million worth of cryptocurrency, which is financed by its cash reserves.
In recent times, Meitu chairman Cai Wensheng has been an outspoken advocate of blockchain technologies. Though China has banned initial coin offerings and crypto trading exchanges, Cai said in 2018 that he personally bought about 10,000 bitcoins.
His support for cryptocurrencies is manifested in Meitu’s latest investment move. In the disclosure, the company states:
“The Board takes the view that blockchain technology has the potential to disrupt both existing financial and technology industries, similar to the manner in which mobile internet has disrupted the PC internet and many other offline industries. The Board believes that the blockchain industry


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Activities has just announced losses 0f £ 181. 4, 000, 000 for the season to 23 January 2011, three times the prior year’s decrease in £ 68. 6, 000, 000. In response they plan to close 89 with their 247 retailers over the subsequent two years to reverse their very own fortunes. And HMV has just had to sell off Waterstone’s with respect to £ 53 million to pay down many of its £ 170 mil of personal debt. In addition, they propose to close 40 shops amid ongoing decline inside the sale of DISC, down simply by 15% inside the 17 weeks up to 30th April.
Oddbin’s too, went like most additional wine in a store chains, having appointed facilitators following the failed make an effort to agree a restructuring approach with their creditors, which was refused by HMRC. Plainly there is a major earthquake taking place over the High Street, and it is not all about cutbacks in consumer spending, although decrease of discretionary spending will likely have performed a part inside the high street retailers’ troubles. Moreover is that sell purchasing is usually changing. Moreover to spending less, consumers are becoming clearer shoppers by looking elsewhere, not in the High Street. They are browsing dedicated sell parks incorporating shopping and leisure to offer an experience, entertainment and ease in one place.
In addition people are increasing their online spending, not just catalogs and DVDs but household goods, clothing, equipment and much more. This kind of second era of internet use is contributing to the decline of this High Street. Customer purchasing response is changing, not only through cutting out the middle man just like retailers, but also for services such for the reason that recruitment, travel, and even professional services like legal, accounting and financial advice. Most of these are moving out of the Traditional. The government has recently asked Margaret ‘Queen of Shops’ Portas to take a look at the country’s Superior Streets and come up with recommendations for rescuing all of them, clearly hoping to find a way of refreshing this area of the UK economic climate.
What Ms Portas will conclude remains to be seen although she may likely conclude the fact that the competition from shopping and leisure companies with their quick access via car and open public transport is too much. In the event that so, the chances are that she will suggest that the High-street can survive nonetheless only if it includes something different. Spots like the Lanes in Brighton or Bicester Village might continue to entice visitors able to travel nevertheless most substantial streets look after local buyers. They need to support local requirements and identify that the significant supermarkets include moved into town to whirlpool up. Natives still plan to buy from regional shops offering a personal program, ideally providing local manufacture such as farm-sourced. This ought to support vendors like the grocer who permits you to taste a cheese just before you buy, self-employed butchers that will advise, lean or even marinate meat and native bakers. Cafes, restaurants and cafes that cater for young families, young people, seniors all perform their component in holding up community, even the self-help run library. But also for the Traditional to avoid additional decline, everyone needs to communicate and this will be needing leadership. A small business rescue professional, says: “retail turnarounds in a recession tend to involve ruthless cuts to drastically reduce the number of stores, engaging with staff just who are key to improving the customer experience, research online for a ‘wow’ factor or at least products which will generate thrill and a long period of market research to evaluate, look over, consider options pertaining to resuming progress. Successful turnarounds normally develop as very different retail designs, repositioned retailers, motivated personnel, a different product offering, different channels and a much upgraded image”. You never find out, the High-street may be once more be a place where store shopping is a pleasurable experience, but what will it resemble?
Read more sheripalmspa.co.ke


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Washington state hosts 647,639 small businesses that employ 1.4 million workers – more than half the state’s private-sector workforce. These small businesses represent 99.5% of all Washington-based businesses, more than half of which maintain fewer than 100 employees.
Washington’s economy is worth over $668 billion, making it the 14th largest economy in the U.S. In 2021, the real GDP grew by an impressive 6.7%, outpacing the overall U.S. change of 5.7%.
The unemployment rate in Washington is 4.1%, low by historical standards but higher than the national average of 3.6%. This means that, because Washington’s economy demands many new jobs, small businesses shouldn’t expect the same level of fierce competition in the hiring process found in other states’ labor markets. However, small businesses must compete with a high concentration of large companies, especially in the tech sector, for access to top talent.
What can entrepreneurs expect in Washington?
What advantages and challenges have business leaders encountered in Washington during this period of robust growth? Business News Daily reached out to some Washington-based entrepreneurs and small business owners to learn more about their everyday experiences, including the upsides and challenges of doing business in Washington state.
1. Washington state has a booming tech industry.
Seattle’s burgeoning tech industry has propelled the state’s economy forward, attracting new talent to Washington. That trend is a boon for tech industry businesses and entrepreneurs who indirectly benefit from tech industry growth. As profits rise, startups launch and more people flood the state seeking jobs, entrepreneurs in other industries see their customer bases expand and customers’ disposable incomes rise.
“We’re seeing massive growth right now driven by the tech industry,” said Nipul Patel, a media consultant for software companies who co-founded the entrepreneurial network Townsquared. “It’s accompanied by population changes to the younger side and higher incomes, which is having a huge impact in many ways. People have more discretionary income. They have more income to spend on the products and services small businesses carry.”
The Puget Sound region is well known as a tech hub, hosting campuses for huge companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Meta. Collectively, rapidly growing tech companies are responsible for hundreds of thousands of jobs in the state. Washington’s tech industry includes over 13,000 businesses, accounting for more than $103.5 billion annually and representing over 20% of the state’s economy.
The tech sector attracts Gen Z workers, who are up to speed with the latest technology and social norms, but any business that wants them to stick around needs to understand and prioritize what Gen Z wants in the workplace.
2. Washington offers access to accelerators and development centers.
Accelerators, business incubators and development centers have opened their doors in Washington, offering entrepreneurs a chance to refine their ideas, find mentors and pitch business ideas to potential investors.
“On the startup scene, we actually have a vibrant and growing community,” said Katya Constantine, founder and owner of small business marketing company Digishop Girl Media. “There’s a real estate infrastructure, a ton of co-working spaces and a lot of accelerators. Also, there’s a lot of tech talent and education with a focus on entrepreneurship. We’ve seen amazing growth in the startup community.”
9Mile Labs is a tech industry-focused startup accelerator specializing in helping B2B companies grow. Sanjay Puri, co-founder of 9Mile Labs, said that the accelerator opened its doors because he and his partners saw great promise in Washington’s entrepreneurial community.
“We believe the region has a lot of promise,” Puri said. “If we could help address these issues of [starting up and finding investors], we believe that there is a lot of opportunity.”
Patel added that the state’s culture treasures and supports local independent businesses, helping small business owners succeed.
“I think Washington state is in a place where people very much value local economies by shopping local and supporting local businesses,” Patel said. “So many new small businesses and independent stores are succeeding because people value the character and uniqueness.”
3. Washington has a skilled talent pool.
Washington’s entrepreneurs report a robust talent pool from which to draw employees. Many attribute the wealth of knowledge and in-demand career skills in the area to local and regional universities and high employee turnover within the large companies based in the state. As experienced employees leave big corporations to start a business or work in a more intimate setting, entrepreneurs benefit from the skills emerging from the corporate world.
“Training and networking are big opportunities [in Washington],” said Joan Koas Woodward, president of small business advocacy organization The Travelers Institute and executive vice president of public policy at Travelers. “The employee pool is strong and skilled. Silicon Valley has the opposite problem, where they have to steal people from each other.”
Local talent has contributed to the wealth of startups in the state, Puri said. He believes skilled employees are critical to a startup’s success. In Washington, entrepreneurs have every opportunity to put together a well-rounded team.
Washington also has one of the higher unemployment rates in the country, although it remains at a healthy 4.1%. This means that, while the labor market is somewhat competitive, there are more opportunities to recruit top talent for open positions than in many other states. However, the unemployment rate is low by historical standards. Given the concentration of large corporations in the state, small companies might still find it challenging to secure the talent they need.
While Washington’s tech boom attracts many skilled workers, small businesses must compete with larger companies to attract and retain top talent.
4. Businesses must provide higher salaries and more benefits in Washington.
Even though the state’s labor pool is vast and skilled, the demand is high, making employee recruitment extremely competitive, particularly in the tech space.
Because of the state’s economic success, businesses must provide employees with more compensation, which means higher salaries and expanded employee benefits. Because larger corporations can offer higher compensation, it’s easier for them to recruit, so small businesses feel pressured to offer employees competitive wages and benefits to retain them.
Additionally, Seattle’s minimum wage increases annually based on the inflation rate. This is due to a mandatory minimum wage ordinance the city council adopted in 2014 to help workers afford the high cost of living. Under Seattle law, the minimum wage is adjusted yearly on January 1 based on the Consumer Price Index in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton area.
While some smaller businesses have a slightly lower minimum wage, small business owners say the area’s higher wages are a substantial expense to consider. “It’s a high cost to do business here,” said Tija Petrovich, owner of Seattle Fitness.
Most businesses in Seattle are now required to pay their employees $17.27 per hour. Someone who works at a company with fewer than 500 employees and either earns at least $1.69 an hour in tips or receives at least $1.69 from their employer toward medical benefits, must be paid at least $15.25 an hour.
Washington state as a whole has likewise raised its minimum wage to $14.49 per hour as of January 1, 2022, so businesses throughout the state must pay employees much more than the federal minimum.
In addition to paying fair wages, your company can attract and maintain excellent talent by providing employee benefits that exceed the bare minimum, including 401(k) plans and other job perks.
5. Washington’s large businesses bring benefits to small businesses.
While big companies sometimes generate stiff competition for small and midsize businesses, most entrepreneurs who spoke with us reported that the large companies based in Washington offer a net positive for their enterprises.
- B2B service opportunities: Many entrepreneurs in Washington, particularly in the Seattle area, take advantage of the opportunities large companies like Amazon and Microsoft present. Many small businesses offer B2B services the state’s larger companies need. This provides a reliable and deep-pocketed customer base for small B2B companies.
Increased talent pool: Small business owners also say they’ve benefited indirectly from big businesses’ out-of-state recruitment efforts. By bringing in talent from elsewhere, large companies attract skilled labor to Washington, and those talented workers often find their way to small businesses. “Companies like Amazon and others are pushing up the job market so much that it’s great for the city,” said Dave Parker, former CEO and current board member of developer training center Code Fellows. “We’re starting with something that drives market growth.”
6. Washington has manageable taxes and regulations.
Entrepreneurs in Washington reported a friendly business environment and relatively low taxes in their interviews with us. They emphasized that Washington does not have personal or corporate income taxes. Instead, the Washington Department of Revenue levies about 60 different taxes and fees, such as business and occupation (B&O), sales and use, property, and industry-specific taxes.
“The lack of personal income tax in the state is attractive from an employment point of view,” said Kristen David, a business consultant and former trial lawyer. “In addition, the corporate tax structure is relatively straightforward.”
However, companies located in Seattle must contend with high sales and property taxes. Savvy entrepreneurs can reduce tax liability by moving outside city limits. Small businesses that place their companies just outside Seattle still have access to the state’s largest and most affluent market without the added costs of doing business within the city.
“For having a progressive state of mind, our tax burden isn’t that bad compared to other states,” said Tom Sternod, owner of a Washington-based Five Star Painting franchise. “We’ve chosen to locate our business 10 miles outside of the city limits of Seattle, which allows us to avoid paying the much higher taxes.”
However, the lack of corporate or personal income tax can sometimes present a problem for small business taxes. The B&O tax essentially levies a tax on revenue volume rather than profits. While established small and midsize businesses benefit from this structure, startups may struggle with the tax, as they want to reinvest as much revenue as possible.
“Washington doesn’t do a personal or corporate tax off of your profit; it does it off of the top line of sales,” said Jeremy Ames, chief procurement officer and co-founder of Guidant Financial. “It’s not based on profitability; it’s just based on volume. For a business of our size [about 90 employees], it ends up being quite favorable. For your really small businesses, as they’re getting up off the ground, it’s probably more of a negative than it is positive for a business that’s under $600,000 in revenue.”
Wyoming, South Dakota and Alaska are considered some of the best states for small business taxes, while New Jersey, New York and California are among the worst.
7. Access to capital can be challenging in Washington.
Although capital is available in Washington, entrepreneurs report having a tougher time finding investors here than in other tech hotspots like Massachusetts or San Francisco. Accelerators help connect small businesses to venture capitalists and angel investors, but acceptance into those programs is limited, and investments are not guaranteed. Because of the state’s competitive atmosphere, investors have many new companies to consider.
“We found that early-stage companies out here lack capital,” Puri said. “That’s kind of surprising because there is a lot of wealth accumulated over generations. But because of the way it has been accumulated, that’s how it’s also being invested – low-risk types of investments rather than high-risk areas like entrepreneurship.”
“Here are some nuances we see: Overall lending volumes to small businesses have grown,” Ames added. “But in reality, for most of our clients who are in the sub-$1 million range of annual revenue, lending has actually dropped significantly and sort of flatlined. It’s much more difficult for smaller businesses to get capital.”
Frequently asked questions about starting a business in Washington
These questions are commonly raised by entrepreneurs interested in starting a business in Washington. The answers below will help you file the necessary documents, pay the appropriate fees and understand the basics of starting a business in Washington.
How do you start a business in Washington state?
Starting a business in Washington requires selecting a business structure and filing the appropriate tax and employer identification documents.
Here are some helpful resources:
Do you need a business license in Washington state?
Not every business in Washington is required to apply for a Washington business license. Only those that meet any one of the following criteria must apply for a business license:
- Businesses that gross $12,000 or more in revenue per year
- Businesses operating under a name different from their legally registered name
- Businesses that plan to hire employees in the next 90 days
- Businesses that sell a product or provide a service that is taxable by the Department of Revenue
- Businesses that require a specialty license through the state’s Business Licensing Service
These requirements cover most businesses in Washington. However, if you don’t meet these criteria, you can operate indefinitely without applying for a business license. If you expect to meet one or more of these criteria soon, consider applying for a business license immediately.
How do you register your business name in Washington state?
Registering a trade name or business name in Washington state begins with the business license application. While filling out the application, search existing business licenses to confirm that your intended business name is available. You can then register your intended business name online with the Department of Revenue. In addition to the $19 fee associated with the business license application, you will also have to pay a $5 fee per business name registered.
Do you need business insurance in Washington state?
Regarding small business insurance in Washington state, most small businesses are not required to carry commercial general liability insurance to cover property damage, personal injury and legal defense expenses. Businesses that maintain at least one employee must provide workers’ compensation insurance. If a business uses vehicles in the course of its operations, it is also required to maintain a commercial vehicle insurance policy.
What is a Washington state UBI number?
In Washington state, a Unified Business Identifier (UBI) number is a nine-digit number that registers a business with state agencies and allows operations throughout the state. A UBI number is often referred to as a tax registration number, business registration number or business license number. You can receive a UBI number through the state when applying for a business license.
What are the Washington state LLC taxes?
LLCs are considered “pass-through entities,” meaning they are charged no income tax. Instead, LLC members pay a personal income tax on all income derived from the business. In Washington, there are no personal or corporate income taxes. However, LLCs and other companies are required to pay the B&O tax, which applies to the business’s gross revenue. [Related article: What LLC Taxes Must Your Business File?]
What is a Washington state LLC annual report?
An LLC annual report or annual renewal is a document businesses must file online with the Washington Secretary of State. The initial annual report is due 120 days after your business is registered. Subsequently, you should receive a notice from the secretary of state’s office more than one month before your annual report is due. The filing fee for annual reports is currently $60, plus a convenience fee for credit card transactions.
Does a Washington LLC need a registered agent?
All LLCs operating in the state of Washington must name a registered agent who maintains a physical address in the state. The registered agent is responsible for receiving all communications from the state, including annual reports and notices from the secretary of state’s office.
What if I don’t want to start a tech company?
While tech is crucial to Washington’s economy, many other industries thrive across the state. For example, Washington is one of the leading states in clean energy development, producing a quarter of the country’s total hydroelectric power. Clean energy and environmental conservation companies will find ample support in the state. The state’s diverse landscape also offers abundant opportunities in maritime trades, forestry and agriculture. Finally, the influx of workers across industries also increases the demand for restaurants, coffee shops and bars.
Resources for small businesses in Washington
If you’re a small business owner in Washington looking for resources to help you move forward, here are a few organizations to consider:
SCORE’s volunteer business professionals and expert mentors give counsel and guidance to entrepreneurs looking to start or expand their businesses. The services are entirely free and volunteer-driven. Here are some of the chapters in Washington:
U.S. Small Business Administration district offices
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers financing, business grants, consultations and counseling services. There are also opportunities to apply for federal government contracts through the SBA and avenues for obtaining assistance in the wake of natural disasters.
9Mile Labs Startup Accelerator
9Mile Labs, mentioned above, is an accelerator in the Greater Seattle area that focuses on startups, particularly in the tech space. After a four-month program, participating entrepreneurs have the opportunity to pitch their idea to hundreds of investors and tap into the mentorship network that 9Mile Labs has cultivated.
Washington Small Business Development Centers
Washington hosts SBA-affiliated development centers for small businesses. Each is dedicated to supporting the development and retention of small businesses, helping entrepreneurs do everything from craft business plans to navigate the state’s tax code.
Startup Washington is a program run by the Department of Commerce that helps connect entrepreneurs to useful resources, data, funding sources, venture capitalists, accelerators, workspaces and more.
Running a business in the Evergreen State
Washington state’s economy has blossomed into a hub for tech startups and small businesses across many industries. Despite high unemployment, the state’s tech giants make hiring competitive, and businesses are responsible for paying employees relatively high wages.
However, reasonable business tax rates, combined with the state’s substantial community of investors and small business networks, have fostered an atmosphere that encourages small businesses to thrive.
Cailin Potami contributed to the writing and reporting in this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.


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Despite recent news of a pending liquidation of many Textron Financial Corporation (TFC) assets, the company has emphasized that its commitment to financing turf equipment from Jacobsen, a Textron Inc. company, and Cushman utility vehicles remains as strong as ever. A December announcement by Textron stated the company would sell or liquidate approximately $7.9 billion of the $11.4 billion portfolio of Textron Financial. TFC will, however, continue to finance customer purchases of Textron-manufactured products, including all Jacobsen turf equipment, Cushman and E-Z-Go products related to the golf and turf industries.
“TFC’s support for Jacobsen is unwavering, and our dedication to our customers is resolute,” said Joe Cunningham, Jacobsen’s Vice President of Marketing. “Jacobsen customers can expect the same level of commitment now that we have been known for since we started making mowers in the 1920s—and that commitment includes producing the finest turf equipment available today, financing that equipment, and providing industry-leading product support for each of our machines.”
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Microsoft takes its fight to the cloud
Wednesday 18 November 2009
Microsoft leads its industry in part because a vast army of outside computer programmers design software that only runs on its Windows operating system.
Now, the company is fighting to keep those programmers working with its tools as technology undergoes a massive shift.
On Tuesday, Microsoft's Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie told a gathering of software developers in Los Angeles that Windows Azure, its system for building software that runs over the internet, will come out of test mode in January.
In February, the software maker will begin charging for use of Azure.
Moving forward with its so-called "cloud computing" plans will help Microsoft compete with companies such as Amazon.com and Google.
Amazon has built a set of web-based tools including data storage and raw computing power that is popular among startups.
Google is challenging Microsoft with email, word processing, spreadsheet and other software that runs in a web browser instead of on a PC.
The new tools also put Microsoft firmly ahead of companies such as IBM and Oracle, said Gartner technology analyst Ray Valdez.
Over the past several years, software over the internet has gained momentum.
People pay subscription fees or look at advertising in exchange for the right to access software through a web browser instead of buying it to install on their computers.
The setup also makes it easier for software makers to build different versions of the same product for a PC and a mobile phone, for example, all accessing the same data.
And when the number of users is exceptionally high, software makers can turn on extra computing power, then shut it off when demand dies down.
Web-based email such as Microsoft's Hotmail and Google's Gmail are common consumer tools that operate "in the cloud."
Now, larger companies are starting to make similar moves, letting Microsoft, Google and others take care of installing and running email and other programs in data centres around the world instead of doing it themselves in-house.
And increasingly, they will design their own software using this kind of model.
Valdez said that in recent years, more big companies are building systems based on Microsoft's technology where they once might have used those from IBM, Oracle, Sun Microsystems and others.
The analyst said Microsoft's new cloud computing tools can help the company cement those gains.
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Auto Glass Week™, the three-day international event featuring automotive glass repair and replacement competitions, educational seminars and an exhibition/extravaganza, is proud to announce that Diatech, a manufacturer of superior and innovative products for both the dental and windshield repair industry, has become a Sponsor of the event at the Copper level.
“Diatech has been in business since 1985. We are predominantly a dental supply company but to our surprise, discovered that our drill bits were perfect for glass repair,” says Cheri Corder, the show coordinator for Diatech.
Diatech chose to sponsor Auto Glass Week 2014 to help benefit its brand exposure, and because “we had such a great response from our previous shows that it was a given,” says Corder.
As a Copper Sponsor of Auto Glass Week, Diatech will be featured on the show floor October 7-9. Attendees can expect to see “our drill bits, carbides, larger carbide bits for cutting small metal applications, as well as diamonds,” explains Corder. Diatech will also have “the small 6-bladed carbide bits on sale for $0.89 each” as a show special, adds Corder.
Pre-register now to see Diatech and our full line-up of Sponsors at Auto Glass Week.
The annual event, managed by AGRR™ magazine and co-sponsored by the Auto Glass Safety Council, Independent Glass Association, National Glass Association and National Windshield Repair Association, draws more than 1,000 attendees and features top industry players on the show floor each year. Auto Glass Week will be held in Baltimore, Md. at the Baltimore Convention Center and Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel.
When asked if Diatech had any advice for the 2014 repair and replacement contestants, Corder wanted to remind contestants to “make sure that whatever bit you are using, is a 1-piece unit; avoiding the dreaded breakage!”
Join Diatech for the one event devoted to the automotive glass industry. For more information on attending, competing or sponsoring, visit the official event website.


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Sharetea makes First Hill debut, with bubble tea and more
A new location of international chain Sharetea has opened for business at 530 Broadway in First Hill, bringing an expansive line of bubble teas, smoothies and more. It joins several others in the metropolitan Seattle area.
Look for favorites such as kiwi fruit tea with aiyu jelly; wintermelon tea; coffee milk tea; and strawberry ice blended with lychee jelly and ice cream. Visit the website here for more information and a full list of offerings.
With a five-star rating out of nine reviews on Yelp so far, Sharetea has already made a good impression.
"Drinks were made exceptionally fast for new boba-ristas still learning," Yelper Dana T. wrote. "No longer will Seattle U students have to go to UW for Sharetea."
And Yelper Xiaolei X. added, "Sharetea coming to downtown Seattle. ... Wonderful taste and great space."
Head on over to check it out: Sharetea is open from noon–9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and noon–10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.


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13 Oct The Sweet-Sounding, Supportive Collaboration Between TikTok And Worldwide DJs
Looks like DJs and TikTok are having a love affair, a good one I assure you. DJ TikToks? Really? Sounds fun. You best believe that it’s a fun way for DJs (especially those who are walking on the early steps of their career) to increase awareness for their music and work. It is a smart way to gather awareness, and a relevant way for nowadays since TikTok is proven to be a highly influential ‘sound-spreader’.
TikTok isn’t just proven to be a formidable social media platform, but an attractive ‘explosion’ platform. Look at how Olivia Rodrigo went from debuting artist in 2020 to the artist whose debut album reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart for five weeks in 2021, all with partial help from the exploding popularity of her songs ‘Good 4 U’ and ‘Driver’s License’ on TikTok (I swear I hear those two songs at least once every time my brother opens his TikTok).
Those kinds of phenomena could happen thanks to TikTok’s interesting algorithm. TikTok’s algorithm is basically a guarantee for one’s content to blow up if it gets viewed, whenever content gets viewed, the algorithm would lead millions after millions of users to watch that content on their TikTok homepage. After the algorithm attracts views, it attracts followers for the content creators. That’s how several disc jockeys (AKA DJs) gain attention big time, even though they’ve never attracted a big amount of followers before.
A feature on MixMag by Niamh Ingram showed that a lot of emerging DJs from around the world have found a new form of opportunity through TikTok. DJ Dougie Fresh from Birmingham, England, admits that he wasn’t exactly sure of the ‘playing around TikTok’ idea. DJ Dougie Fresh was nervous to put out his stuff on TikTok since he thought the platform was a rather comical online platform, so he did it for fun since he (and most of us during lockdown) got nothing much but time.
The results that DJ Dougie Fresh got from TikTok weren’t much, at the time. He posted ten videos and they got ‘no views’, until one day, everything exploded (again, in a good way). Dougie’s content made it to the funky house top 7 mix. From that point, many people start resonating with his content, and many clicks the ‘follow’ button on Dougie’s profile.
DJ Dougie Fresh is just one of the examples of DJs who become super popular on TikTok. While Dougie attracts attention through his DJ and music content, some DJs attract popularity from their content that isn’t actually DJ or music-related. Like DJMANNY for example, whose contents are admittedly authentic without ‘learning’ from fellow viral DJs. After her content went viral and her follower count exploded, DJMANNY decided to keep creating content that she personally likes, content that is always her without having to copy others to seem pleasing for her followers and potential audience.
Although those TikTok DJs received side deals from their increasing popularity in the past year, their journeys on the online world haven’t really affect real-life endeavors. Unfortunately, as TikTok DJs are starting to rise up, so is a stigma around them. According to Amy, whose video went viral a year ago, TikTok DJs are often underestimated and seen as the kind of DJs that are ‘lesser’ than professional, real-life DJs because their popularity rose from TikTok which also still gathers stigma around itself.
However, Amy does believe that stigmas around TikTok (and around TikTok DJs that come around) are slowly vanishing away since many people start to realize how great TikTok is as an online tool thanks to its diverse contents and personalized display style. We all could predict (and hope) that the stigmas are going away soon with real-life impacts coming after the popular DJs, because as good as a match TikTok and DJs are, I believe their ‘relationship’ is just getting started.


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Nissan has announced John
Abraham as the company’s new brand ambassador for its standout models to be
launched in India, starting with the GT-R sportscar and the X-Trail Hybrid SUV.
Nissan has confirmed the cars will soon be on sale in India.
The partnership with John
Abraham is timed with Nissan's plans for further growth as the Japanese
carmaker looks to expand its product range in India. Guillaume Sicard,
President, Nissan India Operations, said, “We are really excited about John
Abraham joining the Nissan team. He will help ignite interest in the
Nissan brand and the special models in our portfolio. John is a perfect fit
with our plan to bring the best and latest of Nissan’s global line-up to India.
John is not only a superstar, but he is an all-out performance enthusiast and
an idol for youth in India.”
Commenting on his new
association with Nissan, John Abraham said, "I’ve always been passionate
about driving. The GT-R is a legendary car that petrol heads like me swear by,
while the X-Trail Hybrid is the right product at the right time for our
country. I’m thrilled to be joining Nissan at such an exciting time for the
company in India and look forward to the journey ahead.”
Tyre major Ceat has partnered with MG Motors India for the launch of the MG Comet, the newest electric vehicle (EV) in India. As part of this partnership, Ceat will provide tyres for the MG Comet with...
Hyundai Motor India Limited has showcased exciting new 1st in segment features of Hyundai Exter. Customers can soak in the sights with smart electric sunroof while also capturing and chronicling memor...
Within the main technologies introduced at Auto Shanghai 2023– booth located in Hall 1.2H, Stand 1BF015– Marelli is presenting for the first time its “In-Cabin Advanced Technology Showcase”. This is a...


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He will be succeeded by Tim Brown, president and CEO of Nestlé Canada, who has been appointed president and CEO of Nestlé Waters North America Inc.
Brown has served as president and CEO of Nestlé Canada since 2010, overseeing global brands including Stouffer’s, Lean Cuisine, Buitoni, Nescafé, Kit Kat and Smarties.
Prior to that, Brown spent 22 years at NWNA, most recently heading retail operations as executive vice president and general manager until transitioning to his current role.
During his time at Nestlé Canada, Brown has had a significant impact on the company and achieved sustained profitability. Brown oversaw the introduction of popular new products, developed the Nestlé Canada Vision and Values with inputs from across the workforce and initiated a continuous excellence process to meet a Nestlé worldwide standard.
Under Brown, Nestlé Canada was recognised as one of the ‘Best Workplaces in Canada’ in 2012.
“I am excited to continue to build on the legacy achieved by Kim Jeffery,” said Brown. “Kim led the company from a single brand to the largest bottled water company in North America, while emphasising environmental responsibility and cultivating the very best corporate culture in the food and beverage business.”
Tim Brown will assume his new position at NWNA in February 2013 and joins the CEOs of the other Nestlé US operating companies, including Nestlé Nutrition, Nestlé Professional, Nestlé Purina PetCare and Nestlé US.
In Canada, Brown will be succeeded by Shelley Martin, who is currently president of Nestlé Canada’s frozen division.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2017


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Cindy Whitehead, the serial entrepreneur who built the company behind the "female Viagra," has a new venture aimed at helping women avoid the pitfalls that nearly ended her career.
In August 2015, a little pink pill designed to boost women's sex drives was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The next day, Whitehead sold the company behind the drug to a pharma giant for $1 billion. That's when everything fell apart.
The buyer, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, became embroiled in scandal for jacking up the prices on some of its drugs. It doubled the cost of Addyi, the libido pill, which some say is the reason it never found its footing in the market. Whitehead stepped down as CEO in 2015.
In an interview with Business Insider, Whitehead said she's since turned her focus to helping female founders make breakthroughs of their own. The Pinkubator, which opens February 1, is a startup incubator based in Raleigh, North Carolina, where entrepreneurs will launch new products and companies under the guidance of Whitehead and handpicked mentors.
Take a look inside.
For starters, it was built with the money Whitehead made from selling her last startup, Sprout Pharmaceuticals, which was responsible for the "female Viagra."
In 2016, she opened the doors to The Pink Ceiling, a hybrid of a venture capital firm and consulting enterprise. The Pinkubator spun out of that endeavor.
Whitehead hopes to leverage her own experience to help female founders find success.
"Being in this position, the best way to pay it forward is to say 'I stepped on that mine. Step left,'" Whitehead told Business Insider in October. "You've been there. You've done that. And hopefully they're advantaged by your own experiences — successes and failures."
Whitehead describes the Pinkubator as a membership service for women-led or women-focused businesses, which means men can join if their startups are relevant to women's needs.
Entrepreneurs can join for $500 a month, or $99 for access to mentorship, networking events, and special pricing on brand-building services, without the office space.


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Apple, Google and Amazon have announced that they will team up to develop an open-source smart home standard to make it easier for manufacturers to create new devices that work together.
The goal of the new project is to ensure than any smart device a consumer buys will work in their home regardless of which smartphone or voice assistant their using.
Google Nest's VP of engineering Nik Sathe and the company's principal engineer Grant Erickson explained how the new open-source smart home standard will benefit both developers and consumers in a blog post (opens in new tab), saying:
- Smart home devices are being hit with more cyberattacks than ever
- Protecting your data in the age of smart homes
- Smart home security: 10 hacks to protect your home from hackers
“Developers and consumers will benefit from this new universal smart home connectivity standard. For developers, it simplifies product development and reduces costs by giving them one standard for building their products. You will then have the power to choose how you want to control your homes, independent of which smart home technology you choose. Smart home devices will be compatible with various platforms, so you can choose between Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri or other platforms.”
Project Connected Home over IP
Apple, Google and Amazon have joined forces to form a new group called Project Connected Home over IP that will also be joined by the Zigbee Alliance (opens in new tab) smart home protocol whose board members include Ikea, Samsung SmartThings and Signify, the company behind Philips Hue.
Technology from each of the three tech giants' existing smart home systems, Apple's HomeKit, Amazon's Alexa and Google's Weave, will also be contributed to the new standard and they plan on releasing an initial draft in late 2020.
Project Connected Home over IP will also work alongside existing connectivity protocols such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as opposed to trying to replace them. According to the group, devices will likely have to support Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy or Thread in order to work with the new system.
The new standard will also be based around internet protocol (IP) as should be clear from its name. However, not all devices will need to be directly connected to the internet and IP will be used for sending messages from a smart home device to “another device, app, or service” with “end-to-end security and privacy”.
According to CNBC, Project Connected Home over IP will focus on physical safety devices such as smoke alarms, door locks, smart plugs, security systems and thermostats at its onset with other consumer devices coming down the line.
- We've also highlighted the best VPN services
Via The Verge (opens in new tab)


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We were worried a little bit there, not knowing whether or not Apple decided to stop being environmentally friendly completely.
What was the problem?
But not like a "whoops, we hit the wrong button" kind of mistake, but rather the kind where they heard how upset their customers were about it — even though they said they were withdrawing the products from the list on June 29th, and did not plan to submit products for ratings in the future.
Hell, even the city of San Francisco said it would stop buying Apple computers!
They've backtracked now.
They said their eligible products are back on the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool registry, and says it looks forward to working with EPEAT, the nonprofit organization that runs the registry.
All is well that ends well!
[Image via AP Images.]
Tags: apple, customer, environment, friend, organization, problem, product, products, raw, san francisco, working


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A controversial smoking ban proposal at the St. Louis County Council has prompted businesses to protest stricter policies that they say could hurt their revenues. As we've reported, the policy under consideration, would limit exemptions to the ban so that a majority of establishments could no longer allow smoking.
After a contentious hearing last week, Daily RFT has been in contact with some of the advocates on the ground about all the possible scenarios officials are studying, and we've compiled a list below -- everything from square footage limits to age requirements and more.
Councilman Michael O'Mara, the official behind the proposal, has not returned our repeated calls for comment. But the basic proposal, on full view below, would add new exemptions to the existing smoking ban, such that most bars and casinos -- depending on how much food they serve -- would now also have to ban smoking.
Still, the policy is being debated and could face revisions in response to pressure from business owners.
Here are some possible alternatives:
Exemptions for businesses 21+ This seems to be one of the more popular choices among bars that could be affected by a wider ban. The idea is simple: If the business is a 21 and older establishment, then they can be exempt from any smoking ban.
"The basic idea is if you create a space that a minor can enter, then smokers aren't allowed," says activist Bill Hannegan, who has been vocal in organizing bars to respond to the proposal. "In the bar community...they are in favor of it.... It's so enforceable."
Within this policy, there are a range of possible scenarios. Some would like to see bars allowed to maintain 21 and older -- and smoking permitted -- sections while still having other parts be open to 18 and older guests, if they are a music venue, for example.
There are also questions about whether bars could designate certain times to be 21 plus and thus allow smoking only in designated hours.
Exemptions for businesses 18+ Some bars favor this idea, but it's less likely to have widespread support. Given that at age 18, people can smoke and buy cigarettes, this seems logical to some, but it could get complicated in terms of enforcement; it would, however, pose less of a burden to businesses that do want to continue 18 plus policies -- but also want to permit smoking.
Continue for more of smoking ban proposals.
Raise the food limit to 49 percent Right now, businesses in which food sales are less than 25 percent of total sales are allowed to permit smoking, but some argue that this is very arbitrary and unfairly excludes businesses in which food is still a small portion of revenue. David Kuneman with the Citizens' Freedom Alliance -- who sent us a helpful breakdown -- says that bars that have food sales up to 49 percent likely still rely largely on alcohol sales.
Hardship waivers If the owner can prove, through business tax returns, that revenue fell more than 15 percent as a result of a smoking ban, then they should be given an exemption.
We spoke last week with one small business that predicted a serious drop in sales if a ban were imposed.
Allow e-cigarettes anywhere
This is a simple policy change that would require eliminating e-cigarettes, or electronic cigarettes, from the county's definition of "smoking," thus allowing these in any establishment.
Continue for more of smoking ban proposals.
Exempt all "non-public" establishments, as defined in Missouri Under this proposal, all "non-public" businesses could permit smoking if they choose, which would include bowling alleys, pool halls, bars, cigar shops, taverns and restaurants with fewer than fifty seats.
Square-footage requirement Since some have argued that small bars are unnecessarily burdened by smoking bans, officials are considering a proposal to allow exemptions for businesses under a specified square footage. O'Mara has implied that this is something that he is exploring, in response to the concerns he has heard from bar owners.
The problem, however, is that it can become unfair to have an arbitrary cutoff point.
"If you literally want to protect the small places," Hannegan tells us, "that's one way to do it."
Here's the full proposal.
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Thief escaped capture using realistic masks
A 25-YEAR-OLD man made 40,000 yuan (US$6,520) while committing 20 thefts in which he escaped detection by donning realistic masks that made him look like other people, police said.
The man, surnamed Lang, was detained yesterday by police in Jiaozhou City in east China's Shandong Province.
He had successfully bamboozled police for a year during nighttime thefts in which he hid his true identity using two realistic masks he bought and three he made from pigskin, Qingdao Evening News reported.
He started stealing electric cables from stores last July. Almost all the money the jobless man made was spent on the latest versions of mobile phones, police said.
Authorities found the five masks at his house, the paper reported.


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St. Petersburg, Fla., Aug. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Centricity Service and Protection Powerhouse announced today that Vice President of Client Services Chris Penn has been named Dealerscope Magazine’s 40 Under 40 Winner. .
Based on nominations from industry peers and the magazine’s editorial consideration, Penn was chosen as one of this year’s winners featured in the August 2022 issue.
The annual issue recognizes 40 of the most distinguished young professionals under the age of 40 for their outstanding contributions to the industry. Each leader is profiled in this month’s issue of the magazine.
Penn has been in the warranty industry for over 17 years, spending most of his career working with hundreds of retailers in the appliance and CE space to launch and grow their extended service plan business. For the past three years, he has led Centricity’s Client Services department.
While at Centricity, Penn led the development of a number of innovative extended service plan programs designed specifically for independent retailers.
“I am very honored to receive this recognition from my industry peers,” said Penn. “I hold fellow winners in high regard and am truly flattered to be recognized for doing work that I love.”
Centricity partners with retailers and manufacturers to provide customized product protection solutions that drive revenue and happy, loyal customers. At Centricity, we put customers at the center of everything we do by creating differentiated products to meet the needs of today’s demanding customers.
Based in St. Petersburg, Florida, Centricity is a 100% privately owned subsidiary of Bankers Financial Corp., a 47-year-old company with a rich history of service and protection. We are committed to evolving with the changing needs of the industries we serve and to being a simple one-stop service provider for our current and future customers.
Karen Blanchard Centricity 727.542.3942 email@example.com
Copyright 2022 GlobeNewswire, Inc.


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According to Techzim, WorldRemit, the online money transfer service has announced a partnership with Econet Burundi. The partnership enables transfer of money to an EcoCash wallet in Burundi from the Diaspora via its Instant Mobile Money service.
The service potentially introduces 2.8 million Econet Burundi subscribers to an alternative channel for remittances. Using the service, anyone in the 35 markets that WorldRemit operates from (including Australia, Canada, Greece and UAE) will be able to transfer money directly into an EcoCash wallet in Burundi.
A similar arrangement already exists in Zimbabwe between the two companies but this is the first of its kind in Burundi.
This partnership further extends WorldRemit’s footprint in mobile money remittances as the company apparently has been tapping into mobile money services as a global expansion strategy.
Speaking to Techzim, WorldRemit, says, “this service is meant to address a market of 350,000 Burundians that live outside the country, while drawing on the huge role played by mobile money services in a largely unbanked country.”


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Borrowing costs down to lowest level in history as Coronavirus continues to damage the economy
Bank of England cuts interest rates in emergency move
- Bank of England slashes interest rates from 0.75% to 0.25%
- The announcement comes ahead of Rishi Sunak’s Budget which is likely to be focussed on alleviating the stress on the economy and support key health services
- Surprise announcement reversed the stock market opening levels from a 1% loss to 2% rise
- This will help cushion the blow to a number of businesses, especially smaller ones, but it may do little to boost spending among consumers preparing for harder times
The Bank of England has followed its US counterpart and other Central Banks by making an unscheduled intervention in financial markets, with a 0.5% cut in interest rates amid rocky conditions in financial markets. It comes ahead of when Rishi Sunak was due to reveal his Budget, which is likely to be focussed on alleviating the stress on the economy and markets, and boosting spending levels that are critical to a well-functioning health service in this crisis.
Co-ordinated monetary and fiscal measures should in theory be complementary, and show consumers and businesses that authorities are acting. Ahead of the announcement, markets indicated that the FTSE100 would open down by roughly 1% and immediately afterwards, indications turned to a 1% rise on the UK stock market with the actual market opening up by 2% at 8am.
However, this is little relief for investors who have lost around 20% over the past month and this morning's moves will just become part of the noise in this crisis. The very small moves in the Pound immediately after the announcement may be a better reflection of the insignificance that global investors place on this event in the context of the current events.
In the UK, lower interest rates come alongside a range of other measures announced, such as the Term Funding for Small and Medium Enterprises (TFSME), reduction of the counter cyclical capital buffers to zero, and that freed up capital is not to be paid out as dividends or bonuses by banks. This will help cushion the blow to a number of businesses, especially smaller ones, but it may do little to boost spending among consumers preparing for harder times. Seen to be doing something is better than doing nothing.
All information given including prices, yields and our opinion is correct at the time of publication. Our opinions on investments can change at any time and for our latest view please go to www.share.com. To understand how our Investment research team arrive at their views please read our Investment Research Policy.


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The Vermont Ski Museum
, which used to be on Route 4 near Killington, has pulled up stakes for Stowe, where local innkeepers are now seeking a downtown site with free admission. Currently in storage are 5,000 ski artifacts.
Breaking from their tradition
of no discounts, Attitash and Sunday River have teamed up to offer a $399 midweek “Ultimate Combo Pass,” available until December 5. The two resorts, about an hour apart, are owned by American Skiing Company.
We can’t wait
for Okemo’s new Jackson Gore area to open (tentatively, winter ’01-’02), if only to help ease traffic. Last season, after taking a few runs at 3:45 p.m. one holiday weekday, we found ourselves stuck in endless traffic, from all the parking lots to Vermont Route 100. Picture N.Y.C. on a bad day.
Ascutney’s Advantage Pass
, valid Sunday through Friday, including holidays, costs a mere $229 if you buy it by September 30; a great deal, considering there’s a new detachable quad. (After that, it pops to $429, so hurry.)
Speaking of Ascutney
, we found an amusing typo in The Rutland Herald about the new chairlift. Wrote the reporter: “The lift will raise the vertical drop of the resort to 18,000 feet.” That would make it the highest lift-served vertical in the world. We wonder if Ascutney will supply skiers with complimentary oxygen masks. (The actual new vertical drop is 1,800 feet.)
have put Burke Mountain up for sale. Burke was in the middle of a major overhaul to increase skiable terrain by 50 percent and make improvements. Now, barring any buyers, the Northern Vermont gem may be shuttered this winter.


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Foreign language dramas available on Foxtel VOD from November 1
Nearly half of SVOD subscribers claim to rarely watch FTA TV
New research by Roy Morgan has found that not only do half of Australians now have paid television options in the home,...
TV Week On Demand seeks to inform its readers about everything they need to know about streaming TV
Ten and SBS are promising uninterrupted video streaming to combat ad-blocking
Netflix has been ranked #1 for overall customer satisfaction
Foxtel and the SVOD services are the places to go for your binge viewing this Easter
SVOD user research from emma reveals 21% using FTA catch-up, 13% use Netflix
It's Netflix for reality shows. Next month NBCUniversal will launch hayu in Australia, a subscription video on demand service dedicated to reality...
Research firm Ovum reports that subscriptions to SVOD services will rise from 270,000 in December 2014 to 4.707 million by the end...
Presto to be the SVOD exclusive home of five of the 10 top grossing movies of 2015
The market activity of the major Australian SVOD players from January to August this year outlined


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Real-time sports updates
Facebook (FB) has come up with a new feature called Facebook Sports Stadium. Its purpose is to attract sports fans to follow play-by-play updates, live scores, and commentaries on games. The new feature will allow users to share player statuses and videos as well as discuss major sporting events with fans and followers.
The company will deliver online content for sports events. It’s licensing game data from Sportrader. The feature will be available for Apple’s (AAPL) iOS platform. Later, it will be rolled out for Google’s (GOOG) Android.
Facebook follows Twitter and SnapChat
With Facebook Sports Stadium, Facebook is entering Twitter (TWTR) territory. The microblogging site gives live tweets on games. Like Twitter, Sports Stadium will post information in reverse chronological order so users can relate their posts to the ongoing game. Twitter’s similar feature is Moments, which it launched last year. SnapChat also offers a similar feature called Live Stories for major sports events to attract users who want to share their TV experience in the form of text or pictures.
According to Facebook, during the 2014 World Cup, around 350 million people posted comments during the month-long tournament. Approximately 65 million people discussed the Super Bowl in 2014. The company plans to leverage its Sports Stadium feature for other popular sports events such as cricket outside the United States.


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Takeaway: In one year, Hammes grew revenues, increased circulation on both print and digital platforms, redesigned the magazine and increased web traffic.
Articles by FOLIO: Magazine Staff
• In less than a year on the job, Phillips has increased ad pages, Web traffic and readership. Specifically, ad page totals are expected to be more than 20 percent higher than in 2012.
• Ford oversees the Time Inc. Sports Group, which reaches 32 million readers each month across its portfolio of print, digital,
• Nova oversees more than 1.7 million followers across New York’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
• Young introduced an initiative to streamline the company’s CMS in order to make publishing simpler for editorial, product and technical teams.
Takeaway: McKinney and his design team have been nominated for several industry awards, and have transformed a regional title into a national brand.
• Growing to more than 26 million unique monthly visitors, Business Insider is on track to increase revenue by 80 percent this year.
• Salon posted a 43-percent year-over-year gain in net revenue, including a 57-percent increase in ad dollars, in the second quarter of 2013.
• Binn founded the luxe title in 2012, after heading Niche Media until 2010.


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Google has updated its android app that focuses on offline functions to make its service more accessible to the users. This latest Google offline app helps the users with a better search function. Even if the search fails, it can get results as soon as a connection is available. Thus, the app keeps searching with a single tap.
This new offline search feature has been created to lessen the frustration of waiting for search results to appear during a spotty internet connection. Results will be presented in the form of streamlined search pages, which are lighter on the network as well as on the device.
In a blog post, the company explained the new feature that users may often face inconsistent or spotty network, which means failure in search even the connection is good. Search results are saved and will be retrieved when connection is lost or set into airplane mode.
As for those who are worried about how this might impact battery life or data, Google claims that it will have a minimal impact. Google claims that this new search pattern bears no additional charges on the data usage.
Although Google promises that the new feature will have minimal effect on battery life and data usage, if wanted to turn it off, however, there’s a new always retry searches switch in the offline search settings that will disable it. And it can also see any and delete any pending queries using the new Manage searches option in the sidebar.
Actually, there’s more of an impact away from home. Occasionally spotty LTE connections are problem on all phones, and while this update doesn’t do anything to lessen the issue, it does help make them that much more manageable. It might make us use the Google app more to boot.
You can read the full blog here.


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Vaillant Group, German heating and ventilation manufacturer, set up its first Asian-Pacific research and development (R&D) center in the city of Wuxi, Jiangsu province on Sept 8, the Chinese-language Wuxi Daily reported.
The R&D center was set up to enhance the research, development and manufacturing capacity of Vaillant (Wuxi) Heating Equipment Co., which was built in Wuxi New District (WND) in 2007, said Klaus Jesse, business director of Vaillant's international department, adding that the key factor for Vaillant to choose Wuxi as its R&D base was the fact that the city is home to well-developed related industries.
The Group helped improve China's traditional heat supply mode for decades, by providing household-based heat supply equipment for Chinese consumers. "We are spreading the concept of household-based heat supply, which is more energy saving than traditional centralized heating system, which would also help improve Wuxi's environment," said Wang Weidong, Vaillant Group's general manager in China.
Headquartered in Remscheid, Germany, Vaillant Group is a leading company in the development of heating, cooling and hot water products and solutions, with a history of more than 140 years. With 12,000 employees, it now has a presence in more than 20 countries and regions and its products are sold in more than 60 countries. The company currently has a 27 percent market share in Europe and 23 percent globally.


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Sign up for our daily recaps of the ever-changing search marketing landscape.
Must-Attend Keynote @ SMX West: An Insider’s Guide To Friending Facebook
Unless they’ve been living in a cave, all marketers recognize the value and potential return from engaging with Facebook users. With its vast following of more than a billion people, its multi-faceted and highly targeted advertising options, and the recent introduction of its Graph Search feature, Facebook is a must-do, must-leverage, must-succeed channel for any serious online marketer.
So what’s a marketer to do?
During the keynote conversation at SMX West, you’ll get some great insights from Grady Burnett, Vice President of Global Marketing Solutions for Facebook, who will have a candid exchange with Search Engine Land founding editor Danny Sullivan, about topics ranging from the recently launched Facebook Exchange to the even more recently announced Facebook Graph Search beta.
Looking forward to seeing you in San Jose!


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What does it take to create economic equity?
Making products from the vast creative talents of African-American innovators.
Richard Patterson, the first African-American automaker in a century,, makes the 2,000 HP Trion Nemesis from a dream he had as a teen ager.
National Black Business Month and the Journal of Black Innovation are opening the doors to more manufacturers.
The National Black Business Month Innovation Exchange is more than a competition, but a collaboration of banks, universities and state and local economic development agencies to boost companies which create jobs.


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UNIQUE SALES AND MARKETING SYSTEM GETS US PATENT
"Patent 7,249,064 issued for SampleRewards.Com"
Glendale, California - "America's Inventologist", Billy Carmen, founder and CEO of SampleRewards.Com announced United States Patent 7,249,064 was issued for the SampleRewards.com unique customer referral system on July 24th.
"Our SampleRewards.Com system", says Carmen, "allows us to use the speed-of-light communications of the Internet to connect inventors as well as manufactures with new customers and new retail and wholesale outlets. It’s a unique idea. And the US Patent and Trademark Office agrees."
The SampleRewards.Com system has been in operation for over eight years as a developing business model and has succeeded in placing hundreds of new products into world-wide sales and
"We handle any sort of product", Carmen says. "But we shine especially in handling new inventions. SampleRewards.Com is a system where an inventor can bring his or her product and we will
work directly toward getting it made and sold at both the wholesale and retail levels. SampleRewards.Com works! Our numerous successful product launches and our new US patent proves it."
Carmen began his career as "America's Inventologist" with his own inventions beginning with the Wall Wizard stud finder he developed over a decade ago and continued with dozens of other popular products. "My first inventions brought me to the realization few people or companies actually knew what was involved in making product ideas a success. I began studying "inventology" - or how new products are brought into the real world of sales. After a lot of hardship and hard work, I decided what I learned from my experience in the field could help many others make successes of their inventions too. After all, when you get right down to it helping people is what life is really all about."
Mr. Carmen has appeared on national radio and television programs and is currently available for interviews.
Or log onto: www.inventologist.com or www.SampleRewards.com


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Over the last few years, Panda Express has been innovating different ways to enjoy the classic Orange Chicken dish—from the Orange Chicken Burrito to its newest invention—the Orange Chicken&
Taking guests on a sensorial food adventure with every bite, Panda Express introduces a new, innovative American Chinese comfort food, Crispy Almond Chicken Breast. Combining
Panda Cares Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Panda Express, commemorates its anniversary on August 8 each year with a celebration of giving back.
To cater to guests’ evolving preferences, Panda Express is debuting Beyond the Original Orange Chicken at select locations.
Panda Express, the largest family-owned and operated Asian dining concept in the U.S., was built on a foundation of bridging cultures—and flavors— to bring people together.
Panda Express has surpassed the $100 million milestone of giving to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals), a milestone only nine other partners have achieved.
Restaurant said the allegations are under investigation.
Panda Express just announced its first Cloud Kitchen location in San Francisco.
Panda Express, the largest family-owned and operated Asian dining concept in the U.S., has sparked a celebration in honor of Lunar New Year, one of the world's biggest festivals centered around food,


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The second edition of the East Africa Gaming Convention (EAGC) returns in Nairobi from March 31 to April 1, 2018, in response to the demand by the gaming fraternity. The first edition of the event held last year attracted over 700 gaming enthusiasts per day making it a major e-gaming platform for the entire value chain in the sector.
The 2018 edition aims to bring in gaming enthusiasts from the region including Ethiopia.
The EAGC event provides an interactive platform for entertainment developers, publishers, distributors, service and platform providers, game developers, multimedia and telecom operators, among others to come and meet face to face with their clients, fans and customers. A wide variety of educational and entertainment video games, (online & mobile, Console, PC), education and information software, game related hardware, and next-generation platforms will be featured.


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Companies are being urged to patch their data back-up systems against a number of security holes in the products of two market leading companies.
EMC has issued three patches for flaws in its NetWorker products, and code that takes advantage of a previously reported flaw in Veritas' NetBackup product has been publicly released on the internet.
With the EMC NetWorker flaws, users could either face a system crash or the threat of an attacker taking over the system, according to the company.
The three vulnerabilities in NetWorker 7.2.1 were reported to EMC by security researcher iDefense. Both earlier and later versions of the product are not believed to be vulnerable.
Meanwhile, companies that have not already patched against a flaw in Veritas NetBackup, that was first reported last November, face an attack as a result of code that takes advantage of the flaw being released on the internet.
Symantec, which owns Veritas, issued a patch for the problem last year, and is urging customers to act now.
The NetBackup vulnerability can again lead to a system crash or an attacker taking over the system.
The affected products are versions 5.0.0 and 5.1.0 of the NetBackup Client, NetBackup Enterprise Server and NetBackup Server.


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PEOPLE IN FASHION
LOOK OF THE DAY
Marc Jacobs Spring 2020 collection brings New York Fashion Week to a close
New York Fashion Week came to a joyful close with the runway show for Marc Jacobs Spring-Summer 2020 Women’s collection....
Ralph’s Club: The Jazz-era revival at Ralph Lauren Fall 2019 Collection
Ralph Lauren Fall 2019 Collection reimagines the decadence and elegance of black-tie dressing as a powerful expression of modern...
Tom Ford Spring 2020 Ready-to-Wear collection
Tom Ford presented his Spring-Summer 2020 Ready-to-Wear collection at New York's legendary Bowery Street Subway Station....
Marc Jacobs Fall 2019 collection
Marc Jacobs brought New York Fashion Week to an intimate close, presenting his women’s ready-to-wear collection for Fall-Winter...
Zadig & Voltaire Fall 2019 collection
Tunnel was an iconic nightclub that featured unisex bathrooms and eclectic décor that attracted the coolest New-Yorkers...
Ralph Lauren Spring 2019 at Ralph’s Café
Inspired by the iconic cafés of Paris, Ralph Lauren transformed his Madison Avenue women’s flagship store into an intimate...
3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2019 collection
For Fall 2019 Ready-to-Wear collection, Phillip Lim used prominent Japanese organizing expert Marie Kondo as a muse and inspiration....
Jason Wu Spring 2019 collection
60 White Street, a historic building in the heart of Tribeca, housed the Jason Wu collection for the Spring 2019 presentation....
Director Emir Kusturica to head the Cairo Film Festival International Competition Jury
Serbian director Emir Kusturica has been chosen to lead the International Competition...
The Gucci Aria campaign
The House’s latest campaign to present the first collection in the centenary year...
Dior Cruise 2022 campaign
Dior unveils the campaign for the Dior 2022 Cruise collection, captured in the heart...
Miu Miu Spring 2022 collection: Basic Instincts
A reaction to and reflection of reality, an economy, a freshness found in iterations...
Ryan Gosling becomes new TAG Heuer ambassador
Ryan Gosling has become a TAG Heuer ambassador, his first-ever brand partnership....
Fendi and Versace light up Milan Fashion Week with Fendace
Fendi and Versace came together during Milan Fashion Week to debut the exclusive...
AZ Factory unites the fashion world for the Spring 2021 collection
AZ Factory unites the fashion world with the Love Brings Love tribute show in honor...
Louis Vuitton Spring 2022 Women's collection
Nicolas Ghesquière presents his Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2022 Women’s collection...
PEOPLE IN FASHION
Look of theDay
Copyright 2010. Vesna Filipović


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The crown offers a first glimpse of his latest Princess Diana.
While Emma Corrin portrayed a truly remarkable ’80s Princess Diana in season four of The crown, the mantle was passed on to Elizabeth Debicki. As with all the other characters in the series, the cast have been replaced every two seasons to show the physical growth and changes with each experience over the decades. And Debicki’s version of Princess Diana looks incredibly promising, with that iconic haircut and ’90s fashion to boot.
Bridgerton receives a drop in merchandise.
If you are a fan of all the drama and fashion (and sex) which was the first season of Shondaland Bridgerton, maybe an upcoming delivery of merchandise will excite you. Netflix and Shondaland have announced a partnership with luxury shoe brand Malone Souliers on a 15-piece collection of Bridgerton-inspired shoes and accessories. The drop is expected to coincide with the release of the second season in 2022. And most importantly, a sign that there will be more to come.
Chanel is organizing a parade in Dubai.
As the world begins to open up more and vaccination rates rise, we are starting to see a return to more in-person parades. Chanel is hosting their Cruise 2022 show in Dubai on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. This will be their second show in Dubai since the 2015 Cruise Collection was unveiled in May 2014. The collection, however, will not be an entirely new collection – the collection has already been unveiled as a digital film in May of this year.
Frame is about to launch biodegradable jeans.
Next October, the denim brand Frame will launch its first line of biodegradable jeans. Made in collaboration with the family-owned and Milan-based denim factory Candiani, Frame’s biodegradable jeans will feature three styles that will each degrade and leave behind no harmful substances. The jeans are sewn together using Tencel threads, no metal rivets, and topped with buttons made from recycled materials (which come off easily so the jeans degrade naturally).
Serena Williams has started an incubation program with Nike.
The Serena Williams Design Crew was formed two years ago to enable designers from communities of color to gain mentorship opportunities at Nike. For six months, 10 talented designers were chosen to apprentice at the brand and worked closely with Nike designers to help create Williams’ latest collection due out in September. Not only does the Serena Williams Design Crew give these designers a boost, it also allows them to help shape the brand’s aesthetic with a more diverse perspective.
Uniqlo U’s latest collection is slated for release on September 17th.
Uniqlo U’s Fall / Winter 2021 edition – arguably the brand’s most consistent and forward-thinking offshoot – is coming soon. Designed by Christophe Lemaire, the collection is fast becoming the usual fare of the reliable and high fashion we all love from Uniqlo U. But at the same time, peppered with more sustainability-focused design influences, such as A recycled down jacket made with approximately 40 percent recycled nylon.
The old and the new are now equal with Vestiaire Collection and Ganni.
Danish brand Ganni has partnered with Vestiaire Collective on a series of videos to promote a more sustainable approach to fashion. The four parts OLD + NEW = NOW The series will each see a starring Ganni girl – Danish models Caroline Bille Brahe and Chili Dia, musician Flame Faire and model, interior stylist and creative director Christine Sofie – share their tips on how to style Ganni pieces from seasons spent with pre-loved items from Vestiaire Collectif.


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It’s a winter morning at the Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) in Kabul, Afghanistan, and an Afghan Rug and Carpet Center trader is standing by a desk while a government employee types hurriedly on a keyboard. A shipment of rugs waits safely in a warehouse nearby. These rugs will be transported by air to be sold in neighboring countries, but first, the trader must get customs clearance for his exports. But he’s not worried: He can obtain all the approvals he needs — from government ministries, agencies, and associations — in this one office. Within an hour, the trader has the necessary paperwork; in just a few days, the rugs will be on their way to market.
Just a year ago, this wasn’t possible. As a landlocked country, Afghanistan historically struggled to expand its market access to other countries in the region and beyond. Land transportation of goods was often plagued by unpredictable trade barriers, poor security, and other costly delays. As technology advanced, air transit emerged as an option with real potential. But for many years, it remained just that: a potential goal.
So, what changed? ATAR piloted an air-cargo incentive program to encourage exporters to ship via air more frequently, and in parallel it created the one-stop shop for exports.
Before the one-stop shop was created, the export process itself needed to change. In 2016, USAID’s Afghanistan Trade and Revenue (ATAR) project, implemented by Chemonics, analyzed the export process and found that traders needed to follow 29 steps to visit different government agencies and get a multitude of required certifications before they could export their goods.