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Wall Street has high hopes for lithium miners, including S&P 500 component Albemarle (NYSE: ALB)which reports its third quarter after the bell on November 2nd.
The stock is up 19.86% in the past three months and 16.01% year-to-date. It also rose a whopping 13.70% in the past week. That recent rally followed the broader market, although Albemarle broadly outperformed its index as the S&P 500 rose 4.66% this week.
Other US-listed lithium stocks, including: Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (NYSE: SQM), Piedmont Lithium Limited (NASDAQ:PLL), Livent Corporation (NYSE: LTHM) and Lithium Americas Corporation (NYSE: LAC) also outperformed the broader market last week.
Those moves even came as Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) missed revenue expectations for the third quarter. Nevertheless, the stock rose 4.61% last week, just below the index.
Even with more bad news from Tesla, including a price drop for cars in China as demand declines, the future looks bright for EVs and companies involved in the lithium industry.
Analysts predict a strong market for lithium in the next 8 years. For example, global consultancy McKinsey says lithium demand will rise from about 500,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) in 2021 to between three million and four million tons in 2030.
It is quite clear that lithium producers and battery manufacturers, such as Norway’s Freyr Battery (NYSE: FREY), are well positioned for big gains in the future. But there are more immediate reasons for optimism.
A development that fueled Albemarle’s advances last week: The Charlotte-based company is the beneficiary of a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to increase lithium-processing capabilities.
The grant is part of a broader program, in which the DOE awarded a total of $2.8 billion to develop lithium processing facilities in 12 states. Albemarle received $150 million as one of the first projects funded by the infrastructure law.
In a releaseAlbemarle says it will use the grant “to expand domestic production of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and the grid, and for materials and components currently imported from other countries.”
Albemarle plans to build a new commercial-scale lithium concentrator facility in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.
In the press release, the company’s CEO, Kent Masters, noted that Albemarle is one of the few companies “currently producing battery-grade lithium from US sources.”
The company previously announced a new lithium conversion facility, for which it is yet to select a location. According to the company, this new facility is “expected to eventually produce up to 100,000 tons of battery-grade lithium per year to support domestic production of up to 1.6 million EVs per year.”
When Albemarle reports next week, analysts expect earnings of $6.84 a share on revenue of $2.12 billion. That would be an increase of over 550% and 155% respectively. For the full year, Wall Street sees Albemarle earn $21.14 a share, an annualized gain of 423%.
Albermarle’s chart shows a consolidation that began in mid-September after the stock pulled back from a high of $308.24. On October 13, as the broader market made a stunning upward reversal, Albemarle found support near the 200-day moving average. While the stock still ended the week ending October 14 with a loss, that rally started last week’s uptrend.
Still, Albemarle remains below the 50-day moving average, although that line is moving higher, which is a lagging indicator of a stock’s momentum. Albemarle is trading above short-term lines, including the 10-day and 21-day averages.
As the company is due to report profits next week, investors should be cautious. Even a slightly reduced guidance or an unexpected miss can send a stock lower. Choosing to wait until after earnings, even if it shoots higher on a better-than-expected report, can result in a profitable trade in the medium term. A large price increase after earnings is generally a signal that institutional investors are convinced of a stock and are entering at what they believe will ultimately prove to be a reasonable valuation.


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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- New-car buyers crowded dealer showrooms in July, extending a run jump-started by price discounts in what might turn out to be the strongest month ever for sales.
“'It was quite a month by any standards.'”
Also Tuesday, GM renewed its "Employee Discount for Everyone" program, matching Ford's announcement a day earlier. GM also slashed prices for many of its 2006 models. See full story.
The incentives and lower costs could mean July light-vehicle sales, on a seasonally-adjusted annual basis, of almost 21 million units. The final figure will come close to, if not beat, monthly selling-rate records set in October 2001, said George Pipas, U.S. sales analysis manager at Ford.
That would be well ahead of a Thomson Financial survey of estimates at an 18.5 million rate for July, on an adjusted basis.
In the fall of 2001, General Motors and Ford unveiled huge discounts, including 0% financing, not long after the Sept. 11 attacks to stave off any big drop in demand. The October 2001 seasonally-adjusted rate soared to 21.3 million units, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association. See full story.
Paul Ballew, GM's director of global market analysis, agreed with Ford's assessment and said the adjusted rate for all vehicles could exceed 21 million units.
"We are experiencing the strongest month in history in retail units," Ballew said. "It was quite a month by any standards."
Ford and GM credited the discount programs with slashing dealer inventories of 2005 models and reversing drooping sales.
"These manufacturers have become so aggressive," said Tom Libby, an industry analyst at Power Information Network. "GM waited just one day to come back with [a renewal of its] employee discount. It appears they're sort of like kids in a sandbox -- they're just not letting up."
The GM "You Pay What We Pay" advertising slogan was a simple, easy-to-understand message that had the desired effect: clearing inventory and reversing a downward trend in GM sales, said Libby. A customer who "knows he's getting the same [deal] as the employees," he said, is likely to believe a better price can't to be found.
GM and Ford executives deflected questions during conference calls Tuesday about how long the price cuts and discounts would continue, and the likely impact on sales of 2006 models when the incentives cease.
"You find magic in the bottle sometimes in these programs," said Ballew.
"Discounting and promotions are part of the fabric of American retailing," said Ford's Pipas. "We played our part."
Strong GM sales of its Silverado pickup truck in June probably turned up the heat on Ford to rev up sales of its own F-series brand, Libby said.
The F-series pickup had what Ford said was the best month for any vehicle since the days of the Model T. See full story.
Other automakers also reported record sales figures:
-0.47%U.S. sales reached a record 216,417 cars, trucks and minivans -- a 12% increase from July 2004.
Nissan North America
-0.29%reported a record month of U.S. sales in July for a total 107,300 Nissan and Infiniti vehicles -- a 19% increase over last year for the best month in the group's history.
+20.00%(710000) reported U.S. sales rose to 260,937 vehicles, as new vehicles like the Dodge Charger sedan helped drive demand.

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It makes perfect sense that Spotify would chase TikTok.
TikTok is what all the kids love and so of course every major brand here is trying to get a slice of that highly sought after market, but Spotify’s new redesign with videos and a vertical scroll mimicking the wildly popular social media app favored Gen -Z will fail just as surely as Spotify will try anyway. We’ve seen this story play out a thousand times before, and it doesn’t get any less sad by repetition.
It’s the sort of thing that’s so transparently lame that Gen-Z will no doubt shrug it off if it doesn’t roundly laugh at it, and all Spotify is doing in this attempt is to risk offending the people who actually use the music service. to alienate.
I’m not saying Spotify can’t try something new, it absolutely should, but let’s put the emphasis on it new.
Kids are not going to use a boomer music app
Whether it’s Instagram or Spotify, every legacy tech company is having pretty much a midlife crisis right now and buying the proverbial sports car on the premise that this is what will make them young and attractive again, and TikTok is definitely to blame.
There’s something about a new app coming onto the scene to steal away the hearts and minds and screen time of a highly sought-after 12- to 18-year-old demographic to make an old app question its own. Apps, like people, hate the feeling of time running out.
I, too, have felt the sting of no longer being the young millennial who seemed to know what the latest trends were. But the only thing worse than hearing 1996’s Doom being called a Boomer Shooter by a 14-year-old is talking to that 14-year-old like I was one of their cohorts.
And that’s what all these tech companies pivoting to TikTokify are doing themselves, at its core, and kids can smell the poser reeking of the effort half a world away. Gen Z is married to TikTok and no company is shaking them up no matter how much they try.
Change is good, but not like this
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with shaking things up, and redesigns can be great. New UI experiences can streamline a service and give your user base more of what it wants, and there’s always the appeal of a new look.
Spotify even has a real reason to make the necessary changes. It’s expanded far beyond just a music streaming app, and changes to the UI are therefore certainly warranted.
But change should be driven by need, and an all-new redesign should come from the needs of the existing user base, not an attempt to completely capture another. I can tell you that many existing users will absolutely hate the new design and may go elsewhere. Apple Music doesn’t pull this sort of thing.
So all Spotify is doing is risking existing users to dress up as the Steve Buscemi meme.
Change has to come from within if it is going to work
The strangest thing about the whole TikTok obsession is that there are plenty of social media and tech companies that already have incredibly strong brands.
As much as we’ve tried to get away from it over the past few months, nothing really beats Twitter and Spotify has an equally strong brand ID. Why risk throwing that away to be a TikTok clone for Zoomers to point to as they roll their eyes from the backseat of the car?
Spotify should work within that structure to find the necessary change it will inevitably have to make, as that ultimately has the greatest chance of success. No, you might not win over the Gen Z crowd, but Spotify never would.
Build a strong enough brand and eventually many Gen Z’ers will migrate to Spotify over time when TikTok no longer meets their needs – or when another upstart app comes on the scene and wins over how the younger brothers and sisters of Gen Z are also called and TikTok is turning its entire business interface upside down to chase that app audience.
Hopefully, Spotify and other tech brands will have learned to age gracefully by then, just like the rest of us.


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The milk supply chain has been in trouble in several states over the last few months. Industry leaders expect shortages and price hikes to continue until winter. Besides making your next cup of filter kaapi or chai hard on the pocket, this situation reveals a lot about the consequences of government intervention and price distortions.
In his seminal 1945 paper, The Use of Knowledge in Society, economist FA Hayek explained that prices are a vital signal—a decentralised coordination mechanism between dispersed producers and consumers. Increasing prices signal consumers to seek substitutes or rationalise consumption, reducing demand. The same information, in turn, signals producers to increase supply, as they can make more profit. A reduction in prices has the reverse effect on producers and consumers. Eventually, the demand and supply attain equilibrium again. Thus, prices incentivise individuals and firms to make decisions that are in their self-interest but also contribute to society’s overall well-being. The signal called price makes all this magic happen. Prices are “precious”.
This valuable signal loses fidelity when the price system is interfered with. And when governments do this interference, bizarre things happen. The ongoing milk shortage is tailor-made to appreciate Hayek’s insight. Let’s see how.
To be sure, minimum support prices or subsidies for milk producers are popular with governments worldwide. But in India, that’s just the beginning. Classified as an ‘essential’ commodity under the Essential Commodities Act (ECA), 1955, the designation gives governments carte blanche to fix procurement prices, cap consumer prices, and run the supply chain between the producer and the consumer.
Take Karnataka, where milk shortage has been in the news recently.
The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) is the second-largest dairy cooperative in India and procures nearly 50% of all the milk supplied by the state’s farmers. What makes the situation complicated and tragicomic is the state government’s role in supply chain. While the system seemed functional in normal circumstances, the cracks surfaced in recent weeks. As the summer season began early this year, demand for milk rose. After all, a glass of buttermilk is a wonderful refresher in the heat. Simultaneously, supply naturally dropped in the summer, as milch animals produce less than usual in the hotter months. A bout of lumpy skin disease further exacerbated the gap between demand and supply this year.
For another product, a market-based price rise would have quickly ironed out this demand-supply gap. But when governments occupy centre stage, prices become sticky political issues, and a series of bizarre events unfold.
First, electoral concerns circle over pricing decisions like vultures.
The government will not want to touch prices with a barge pole because the state elections are due in May. Instead, it tried a roundabout way by making the packet size smaller while retaining the old packet price.
Second, since the administered price rises have not done enough to make the demand-supply gap go away, milk shortages emerge. The rich can afford to buy premium milk at higher prices from other suppliers. But for the poor, the milk packets disappear from shelves.
Instead of paying a slightly higher price until supply rises again, the less-privileged consumers are only left with empty glasses.
Third, the government resorts to blaming private dairies for offering higher prices to dairy farmers. Given the economic situation of farmers, we should have celebrated private players providing a better deal to them. Instead, they become villains in a story where the government is the sole hero. It’s no wonder some dairy farmers in Tamil Nadu emptied milk containers on the road demanding a better procurement price from the state government.
Fourth, a quotidian issue becomes a front for inter-state tensions. The Karnataka government blames dairies in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu for offering higher prices to farmers within Karnataka. In contrast, the Tamil Nadu government resorted to blaming private companies from Andhra Pradesh. Even the entry of a competitor like Amul that could have quickly reduced shortage gets opposed on the grounds of sub-national pride.
Amazing, the things that happen when governments obstruct a control system called “prices”. Even as this satire unfolds, the root cause of milk shortages isn’t even being discussed. The Bangalore Milk Union president admitted that “many small milk producers have given up on rearing cows as it has become unsustainable”.
Though he doesn’t say why, one reason could be that the 2020 state law banning cow slaughter and frequent attacks on people transporting cattle has discouraged smaller farmers from stepping into this minefield called milk production.
This milk saga reiterates that government intervention in the market must only be done after careful consideration and under specific conditions


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By Paul A. Eisenstein, The Detroit Bureau
Game Boys and backseat monitors are “so five years ago,” suggests Tom Seder, a manager at the General Motors R&D labs.
Working with the Future Lab, at Israel’s Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, GM researchers are exploring ways to turn a car’s rear windows into interactive devices that could permit backseat passengers – children in particular – to have a more interesting experience while traveling.
According to GM, the Windows of Opportunity, or WOO, Project was inspired by studies showing that travelers often feel disconnected from the world outside. The goal of the project isn’t to replace those Game Boys, iPads and seatback monitors as a way to play Mario Brothers, but to actually nurture curiosity about what’s beyond the passenger compartment.
“Traditionally, the use of interactive displays in cars has been limited to the driver and front passenger, but we see an opportunity to provide a technology interface designed specifically for rear seat passengers,” said Seder. “Advanced windows that are capable of responding to vehicle speed and location could augment real world views with interactive enhancements to provide entertainment and educational value.”
GM asked students at Bezalel, Israel’s oldest institute for higher education, to come up with apps that could be presented on vehicle windows. Among those they developed:
- Otto, an animated character that helps children learn about what they see along the road;
- Foofu, an app that helps encourage creativity as children draw with their fingers on steamy windows;
- Spindow, an app that would let children in one car connect with kids in other parts of the world in real time; and
- Pond, a similar app that would also connect children in different vehicles while letting them share music and messages.
“Projects like WOO are invaluable, because working with designers and scholars from outside of the automotive industry brings fresh perspective to vehicle technology development,” said Omer Tsimhoni, lab group manager for human-machine interface, GM Advanced Technical Center in Israel.
So-called “smart glass” is beginning to find a variety of applications in architecture and displays, and it was featured in the recent hit movie, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. It had a much more limited use in Daimler’s Maybach line, where passengers could transition an optional roof panel from clear to translucent with the touch of a button.
For now, GM says it has no production plans for the smart glass system, but in today’s competitive automotive world, that could change rather quickly.
More from The Detroit Bureau:


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You have just searched for "Gran Turismo 5". Here are the results:
According to figures direct from Polyphony Digital, the Gran Turismo series has sold 55.45 million copies worldwide. Interestingly, Europe makes up 44% of this total with a remarkable 25 million copies sold.
It seems Europeans just cannot get enough of the real-life driving simulator.
Gran Turismo 5 was last targeted for the summer in the west, but recently it was announced that the Japanese release was delayed.
Now we hear that it may actually release in Europe in the Autumn!
Gran Turismo 5 and LittleBigPlanet were also present in non-playable form. Gran Turismo 5 and Super Stardust HD have already been shown at CES, so there was nothing more to say about those games.
But apparently LittleBigPlanet actually worked really well in the third dimension…
Wow! There hasn’t been an update this bad in ages. The PlayStation Store updates are off to a bad start this year. Lady Liberty is not amused.
There are no new games this week. There’s a demo for UNO, and DLC for Zen Pinball, Magic Orbz, Rockband, and Guitar Hero. That’s it.
This is easily one of the worst updates ever.
In the western world, many gamers are eagerly waiting for a release date for Gran Turismo 5.
Well we have some bad news that could affect everyone because GT5 has been officially delayed in Japan.
We all know 3D gaming is coming (probably thrown right at your face so as to get the most out of the effect) but reports of how games we’re already somewhat familiar with look and play using the old new technology have been a tad limited.
Another piece of news to come out of the Sony conference at CES this week that should be music to the ears of their investors is that December set an all-time high for sales for the PlayStation 3.
In the five weeks of last month, the PlayStation 3 sold 3.8 million consoles worldwide.
Technology is always changing and we’re continually looking for the next big thing in the industry. That next big thing appears to be 3D.
Announced at the 2010 CES, Kaz Hirai revealed during the Sony Press Conference that the PS3 would become 3D compatible this year.
It is the moment that a lot of you have been waiting for – the announcement of the Gran Turismo 5 box art.
Confirmed for just Europe so far, the cover art in our view looks stunning, and all other games on the shelves will envy its good looks.
After spending the last five years with microphones up mufflers and photographing cars like a Peeping Tom shutterbug, Kazunori Yamauchi’s Gran Turismo 5 will finally make its long awaited appearance in 2010.
It’s been a long journey for the AAA real-driving simulator; a road fraught with delays, criticism aimed toward its precursor Prologue product for being little more than a glorified demo (we wish all demos were this comprehensive), and what has become a level of fan anticipation many fear is impossible to live up to.
It’s the last update of the year and there won’t be another one until the 7th of January. It seems like a long time, but the content in this update is quite delicious and should hold you off until next year.
Aside from Vagrant Story, what more could you possibly want this week? Well, if for some reason you haven’t bought Warhawk by now, the game is on sale. In fact, a lot of games are on sale, so be sure to check the list out and get some games you may have missed out on. Don’t forget Trine!
Sure, Final Fantasy XIII just came out in Japan, but that won’t stop everyone from being excited about the PSN release of Final Fantasy VIII.
Can you believe that it has been 10 years since the game was originally released? Music from Final Fantasy VIII is still loved by fans and played in concerts around the world to this day. Truly a memorable game with a kick ass intro that will give you chills.
The Guitar Hero: Van Halen demo has finally made it onto the PSN after being teased a couple of weeks ago. There are actually six demos to try out this week with Gran Turismo 5 Time Trial Challenge being the highlight.
There’s more than just demos. Puzzlegeddon is the lone PSN game this week, and is joined by a plethora of DLC for Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and even Socom: Confrontation. Enjoy!
Demos, games, price reductions, special offers, and more! There is quite a bit of content this week with games like Blue Toad Murder Murder Files and Braid now available on the PSN. The majority of PSP minis are now playable on the PS3 as well.
In terms of DLC, you know what to expect. New songs for Rock Band and Guitar Hero are a given, but there’s also the free Singstar media viewer and content for Brutal Legend too! Rock on!
Oh, and GT Academy 2010 Time Trial Challenge. Need we say more?
Sony has fully detailed what to expect from the Gran Turismo 5 Time Trial when it releases on the PlayStation Store this Thursday.
This will be the first time gamers get the chance to test the development of Gran Turismo 5 since the Prologue game early last year.
The Spike TV Video Game Awards has come to a conclusion. Trophies were handed out, world premiere trailers were shown, and random celebrities were seen.
While absent for most of the show, Uncharted 2 came out swinging towards to end to receive the award for the coveted Game of the Year, beating out Assassin’s Creed 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Left for Dead 2. Naturally, it would also go on to win Best PS3 Game and Best Graphics.
We have now come to the lastest entry in our special series of articles, and this is the big one.
Triple-A titles have become the norm these days on the PlayStation 3 so it has become harder for gamers to pick that one title that overshadows the others.
GT Academy, the European competition that put the best Gran Turismo 5: Prologue player behind the wheel of a real Nissan 350Z and compete in a real race, is back.
Starting December 17th, European gamers will be able to download an exclusive time trial that will determine who does and doesn’t get into this years Academy.
Though we’d be happy if they just released the bloody thing with cars, Gran Turismo 5 producer and all-round speed-freak Kazunori Yamauci has revealed in an interview with IGN that, if fans really want racing of a two-wheeled nature in the upcoming racing simulator, it’s definitely possible.
A new video has surfaced that shows the concept boxart for the highly anticipated Gran Turismo 5.
Now what makes this interesting is that you can clearly see three cases within the pack, not just one.


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Tesla is currently pushing a new software update with a revamp of its in-car driving visualization produced by its Autopilot system. Today, we get a quick first look at it with a new video.
As we reported earlier this month, Tesla started pushing a new software update (2019.16) to its fleet with a bunch of updates to its Sentry mode and Driving Visualization features, as well as a few new features.
Tesla wrote about the new driving visualization in the release notes:
“The driving visualization has been adjusted to automatically zoom in and out to better utilize screen space and inform you when a vehicle is detected in your blind spot. The visualization remains zoomed out when driving on highways.”
The update seems to be slowly making its way outside of the early access owners who have been testing it in beta.
Model 3 owner Daniel Spalding got it and released a quick video demonstrating the new driving visualization:
We can see the new transition between the different angles based on the speed, as Tesla mentioned in the notes, but it also appears to feature other changes.
The rendering of the Model 3 itself seems to have been updated with more details. It looks like a sharper version of the owner’s car.
Also, the rendering turns and shows an angle when the vehicle is turning.
Tesla seems to be leveraging its work from its full self-driving program since the recent self-driving demo that Tesla released also featured some similar new Autopilot graphics.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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Ukash has partnered with epay Australia to launch its Ukash vouchers, which allow consumers to shop and pay online using cash, rather than credit cards.
Based in the UK, Ukash’s epay deal will allow users to exchange cash in store and receive Ukash vouchers in Australian dollar amounts of $10, $20, $50, $100, $200 and $500 with a unique code for users to provide when paying.
The anonymity of buying and spending Ukash means no financial details are required from the consumer, and people can shop online without worrying about the continued risk of online identity theft.
One of the major benefits of using Ukash is that you do not have to have access to a bank account or credit card to shop online.
Ukash will be available to consumers across Australia from 3,600 epay retailers, including petrol stations and convenience stores. This will complement the Ukash Online solution, which allows consumers in Australia to purchase Ukash online directly from their bank account through all major banks – a secure online issuance function which provides comprehensive authentication and verification technology to online consumers.
Mark Chirnside, Ukash CEO, said Ukash was embarking on a period of international expansion.
“By opening up internet shopping to the cash market Ukash allows those without bank accounts or credit cards, or those who have fears of online fraud, to shop securely online using cash.
“We are excited by our move into the Australian market, which we believe will be another strategic success for our company and we are looking forward to working with retailers here to help them develop valuable new revenue streams.”
In September 2008 Ukash received additional funding from South Africa’s giant Blue Label Telecoms, part-owned by Microsoft. Ukash has trebled in size over the last 12 months and by 2010 it will be issuing Ukash vouchers across all five continents.


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Sony bought Insomniac for $229 million
Last year, Sony bought the legendary game developer Insomniac. Now we know how much they paid to acquire one of the top studios in the industry.
According to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Sony paid $229 million US dollars for the studio behind the PS4 hit Marvel’s Spider-Man. The acquisition was “mainly paid in cash,” the filing notes.
As an independent studio for the past quarter-century, Insomniac has created some of the most recognizable video games on the market. They are responsible for everything from the original Spyro the Dragon trilogy to the Ratchet & Clank and Resistance series.
While Insomniac had been mostly known for PlayStation exclusives, the company expanded its efforts in recent years. Among them was the critically-acclaimed Sunset Overdrive for Xbox One and PC. That game did well with critics but sold poorly.
Sony’s purchase means that Insomniac will be developing exclusively for the upcoming PS5 console, which launches later this year. That alone might make the acquisition worth it as exclusives are highly sought after and increasingly rare.


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On 11 February, the Minister of economic development Maxim Reshetnikov of Russia during a working visit to the Novgorod region visited the largest enterprise of the region – JSC "Akron".
The company's products become more affordable for Russian farmers at the expense of localization in Russia.
The group of companies "ALPHA REGISTER" informs its customers that from 1 January 2020, by the order of Rosstandart entered into force national standard GOST R ISO 22000-2019 "management System of food safety. Requirements to organizations participating in the chain of food products." The certificate was developed based on the principles of HACCP to replace GOST R ISO 22000-2007.
From April 2020, the Russian plant "KLAAS" in Krasnodar will start to produce combine harvesters TUCANO 320. The first two years of this model will be produced in Germany and Russia (Krasnodar) in parallel.
11 Feb the Rosselkhoznadzor subordinate all-Russia state Centre of quality and standardization medicines for animals and feed (fgbi "VGNKI") was visited by the Deputy Director General of the OIE Jean-Philippe DOP and Advisor to the Director General of the OIE Romano Marabelli. The organization's representatives met with the Director of VGNKI Leonid Kisom to discuss issues related to the further development VGNKI as the Centre for cooperation with the OIE. The meeting was also attended by the assistant head of the Rosselkhoznadzor Artem Daushev and expert of Rosselkhoznadzor for infectious animal diseases, Nikita Lebedev.
The first products of the company "Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat" sent by the accelerated container train from the station "Salavat" to the Finland station "Buslovskaya".
Now the Russian company can purchase the model MRT-X 2150+, MRT-X-2550+, MRT-X 2470+, MRT-X 3050+ and the MRT-X 3255+, equipped with a new device that allows you to operate the machine in rooms
Region: Volga-don basin, the Azov sea, Black sea, Caspian sea Tonnage: Bonfire


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Quiznos has made steps to consolidate its operations and marketing under two newly created global positions.
The company has appointed George Jeffrey as its Global Chief Operating Officer and Susan Lintonsmith as its Global Chief Marketing Officer, according to a press release.
Doug Pendergast, Quiznos President and CEO, gave his utmost confidence in Jeffrey and Lintonsmith.
“Susan and George bring the tenacity and capabilities necessary to align global efforts and return Quiznos to its rightful place as the leader in the premium hot sandwich category,” said Pendergast.
Jeffrey, former COO of Quiznos Canada since 2009, has been responsible for expanding and overhauling the company’s international operations.
Lintonsmith was previously named as the company’s U.S. Chief Marketing Officer in 2012. She has since overseen the company’s digital and social media efforts, as well as improvement to its U.S. menu.
Quiznos said in a statement that consolidating global leadership allows the sandwich chain to improve customer service, increase profitability, and drive sales growth.


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Titan, a British hand crafted television manufacturer, has designed the largest indoor outdoor TV in the world to date. With 4K resolution to go along with a 370-inch screen, the television is a ridiculous combination of size and clarity.
The giant TV goes by the name of Zeus, and it will make its first public appearance at the Cannes Film Festival where it will be used to display the 2014 World Cup games.
While supplies last, you can be the owner of one of these monstrous televisions. Titan made a limited supply of four television. Two televisions have have already been sold to anonymous buyers.
The Titan team was created following a request by X-BOX in 2013 to build the most beautiful gaming screen ever seen. Four weeks later, the first Titan Screen was built from scratch and became the largest screen ever put into Leicester Square, London in November 2013.
Below are the size comparisons for Titan’s four mammoth sized television displays .


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From beauty boxes to streaming platforms, subscription services are becoming part of the norm. But with more services to choose from, how can brands make their subscription offerings stand out? New research from digital marketing company Digitas sheds light on what keeps subscribers around (49 percent said access to a large selection) and what makes them cancel for good (56 percent cited renewal cost increases).
“Today, there are more subscription services than ever, challenging brands to make their subscription services not just a nice to have, but a need to have,” said Kristin Scheve, svp, media director, Digitas. “There are ways brands can navigate and connect with consumers in the growing economy.”


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In somewhat unsurprising fashion, EA has once again disappointed fans with the announcement that Skate 4 will not be appearing at the EA Play event. We first heard about the next Skate game back in June 2020 when a short teaser trailer was revealed without much other information. Since then, news on the game has been light, but fans of the series are still excited for the first new Skate game in over ten years. After Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2, not a lot of skateboarding games have hit the market, but with such a huge publisher behind the IP, expectations are high for the next game in EA’s Skate legacy.
we’ve been busy. pic.twitter.com/5RbbPZIqTb
— skate. (@skateEA) July 18, 2021
Hopefully, skipping the event will give the relatively new team plenty of time to make sure that the game lives up to the hype. However, the developers have also stated that there will be a “little something” to share on the way. Maybe Skate fans won’t have to wait as long as they think for some new information? Or maybe the studio has some other games in development! Either way, fans should keep an eye out for information coming out of Full Circle, the dev team now working on Skate 4 under EA.
Skate isn’t the only game we won’t be seeing at EA’s next event. It’s also been confirmed by EA Star Wars that there will be no new Star Wars games to check out during EA Play either. Despite the developers of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order getting to work on a sequel to the hard-as-nails Jedi simulator, EA will not be revealing any new information or footage from any Star Wars properties at EA Play. Fans of the franchise will have to tide themselves over with the next-gen updates coming to Jedi: Fallen Order in the next couple of months.
So, what can gamers expect from EA’s event? Well, rumors abound about a remake of the horror classic Dead Space appearing at the event, and there’s been no word on whether or not we’ll see Battlefield 2042, so keep a close eye out for either of these titles. EA Play 2021 will take place July 22nd at 9:30 am PDT.


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Launched in March 2012 and coming in with Hyundai’s Fluidic Design Language, the current i20 has served the company well. Even today, in the large hatchback segment, i20 stays at the top of the charts, thanks to its spacious interiors and loads of on board equipment.
However, with the new Elite i20 announced, the company has decided to discontinue the old i20, unlike in the case of i10 and Grand i10, where both old and new i10 co-exist together currently.
New Elite i20 is designed at Hyundai Motor’s Design Centre Europe in Rüsselsheim, Germany. Elite i20 will sit on a longer wheelbase and have an even more spacious cabin with special attention paid to comforts of rear passengers. Hyundai Elite i20 will boast of wide and aggressive styling, larger headlights, trapezoidal grille and sleek tail lamps with LED highlights on boot lid. Other on board features will also include rear AC vent, touchscreen music player, automatic climate control and push start up button.Shah Rukh Khan confirmed he has worked in the new Hyundai car ad
Hyundai Elite i20 which will surpass the current generation i20 in looks, performance and efficiency will come in at an expected price between INR 4.9 lakhs to INR 7.9 lakhs. It will take on competition from the recently launched 2014 VW Polo, Fiat Punto Evo besides the upcoming Honda Jazz and Maruti Suzuki Swift facelift. Engine options will include 1.2-litre Kappa2 petrol, 1.4-litre petrol and a 1.4-litre CRDi diesel which are already on offer on the current generation i20 but will be boosted for even more in fuel efficiency and mileage where the Elite i20 is concerned, thanks to a more aerodynamic design.
Production of the current generation i20 has been stopped and dealers are currently in the process of clearing out final stocks and offering discounts to make way for the Elite i20.


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After that miracle cream from Boots, now there's one for your WHOLE body...get ready for the stampede
By BETH HALE
Last updated at 19:08 11 October 2007
Thousands of women stormed the high street and emptied shelves of the beauty treatment.
Now the maker, Boots, is preparing for more stampedes - after yesterday launching a cream that promises to work the same magic on the body.
Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Body Serum is, as its name suggests, designed for use on a much wider area than the original wonder potion, the Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum.
But experts say the serum will have the best results on more exposed parts such as the neck and decolletage, as well as arms and legs.
The product is the work of scientist Steve Barton, Boots's skincare scientific adviser. Earlier this year the 56-year-old told how he "whooped with delight" when he received the news about the face serum.
Those findings went on to feature on BBC2's Horizon programme in March this year and then in the Daily Mail and a phenomenon was born.
Before the programme, the company was making around 10,000 bottles a month and had been maintaining steady sales for three years.
But suddenly women swooped on the store, some lining up outside at dawn to be sure of getting their hands on the serum.
Production at the Boots Nottingham factory doubled to more than 24,000 a day to keep up with demand.
Since March 4.15million bottles have been sold - the equivalent to one every four seconds. Boots says it has sold the equivalent of 62 years worth of stock in six months.
In early June, etched glass bottles were replaced with plastic tubes, in a bid to meet extra demand.
Boots is expecting the newest product to be "extremely popular".
However, it has not yet received the benefit of the same independent testing on its scientific benefits.
Last night Mr Barton, who uses the facial serum - but not the body serum - said the product had been well-received in consumer trials.
The body serum is composed of the same base as the facial version, meaning it is smooth and sheer. Because it is intended for the body it has greater moisturising qualities.
It also contains some of the same peptides and other ingredients that made the facial product a success.
Unlike the facial serum, which is intended for use under a moisturiser, the body serum is intended to be used alone.
Advertising for the product claims that: "Day by day, it refines texture, evens out skin tone, gives a firmer appearance and restores luminosity, so that after four weeks, skin looks noticeably firmer and more radiant."
However, the most important question for customers will be whether the new product - priced at £25 for 200ml - actually helps turn back time.
Mr Barton, who has a degree in biology and a masters on host nutrition and parasite development, says that for best results customers should still apply sunscreen and choose cleansing products suited to their skin type.
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A robust industrial real estate market has pushed vacancy rates in major Canadian markets to such low levels that rents are soaring across the country due to the space crunch.
It’s having a significant impact on retailers trying to meet the demand in their stores, and more particularly, in the growing ecommerce sector of the business.
“If you look back historically at rising rents, retailers had flexible options and the opportunity to relocate in rural areas, for example. At the end of the day, they’re trying to deliver to their store base. The ability to be in the rural markets with more readily available land, transportation available centrally and enough employees for those operations is essentially what they’re trying to achieve,” said Matt Powers, Executive Vice President, Retail & E-Commerce Distribution, JLL, based out of Chicago and formerly Walmart’s Real Estate Director in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
“What ecommerce has done is turn things on its head,” continued Powers. “Same-day and next-day delivery are highly in demand, which necessitates being in direct proximity to the larger markets. Retailers who have traditionally been low-cost in their approach to locating real estate are now having to swallow much larger leasing costs. When you start weighing everything out, it really is the transportation and labour that are much more expensive than the real estate costs. So, if you’re able to be closer to a metro area, you’re still saving significantly on transportation, and this offsets that increased rent.”
“Occupancy costs are significant but not as big of a number as people may think. We’re in a completely new era right now. Historical data is very tough to forecast with because ecommerce is a complete disruptor. Today, there’s a whole shift in philosophy and in the way retailers have been doing business in the past with the advent of ecommerce. People are working out of fulfillment centres, stores are reducing in their size, and the warehouse footprint is growing,” said Toner.
“With this whole ecommerce disruption, we just don’t know how many retailers are going to embrace it, how big it’s going to get,” added Toner. “I would say forecasting where industrial real estate’s going to go in the next three to ten years is probably going to be the biggest challenge for developers, for the retailers themselves, and for people on the brokerage side. We’re in a game-changing time with less variables to go on for forecasting than we had in the past.”
Matt Powers also said retailers are willing to stay relevant to maintain market share and spend more money to be closer to today’s consumer.
Toner added that with the increasing amount of product coming from Asia, being close to intermodal lines is becoming increasingly more significant, as well. It’s a key part of the supply chain.
“The distribution box of the past was just a box with as many doors as possible. Storage and delivery today are a much different story. When you start moving toward last-mile delivery or fulfillment centres, parking for employees becomes an important factor; so does power for material handling. That wasn’t always the issue in the standard distribution buildings of the past,” added Toner.
A recent third quarter market report by JLL said vacancy has held steady in Canada below the three per cent mark in the industrial real estate market. That has caused rents to surge 10.9 per cent above what they were a year ago. Under construction space also grew to 28.4 million square feet, up 24.5 per cent year over year.
“Tight market conditions in the overall Canadian industrial market persisted in Q3 with vacancy holding steady at 2.7 per cent,” said Thomas Forr, National Research Director, JLL Canada. In Toronto and Vancouver, the nation’s hottest markets, vacancy is below the two per cent mark. Meanwhile, Montreal joined the sub three per cent vacancy club this quarter at 2.8 per cent and Ottawa clocked in at 2.3 per cent. While the major eastern markets and Vancouver all experience sub three per cent vacancy, the Prairie markets remained more balanced with vacancy rates ranging from 4.2 in Winnipeg to 7.3 in Calgary. This mirrors the slower economic growth in the region for the past few years due to a sluggish energy sector, said the JLL report.
“Industrial real estate is a very desired commodity and a very active market segment in commercial real estate,” said Toner. “Total inventory in the Vancouver market is 320 million square feet, Toronto is 800 million square feet and Montreal is 220 million square feet.”
While vacancy has hovered at a cyclical low since Q1 2019, occupier growth has slowed notably over that time. Occupied industrial space grew rapidly between Q4 2017 and Q1 2019, averaging 7.8 million square feet of positive net absorption per quarter over that time. However, the past two quarters saw less than three million square feet of positive net absorption per quarter. While Toronto and Vancouver drove occupier growth through Q1 2019, these markets are now lacking vacant space to accommodate growth. Interestingly, Ottawa accounted for almost 40 per cent of occupant growth despite only accounting for 2.1 per cent of the nation’s industrial inventory. This disproportionate number was due to Amazon’s occupancy of its one million square foot distribution facility on Boundary Road.
The amount of space under construction in Canada rose to 27.7 million in the third quarter, up 22 per cent from a year ago, and a cyclical high
The report also states that ecommerce retailers accounted for 18.9 per cent of the leasing volume in Canada in the third quarter. Amazon’s one-million-square-foot deal at 6351 Steeles Ave East in Toronto helped propel this sector ahead of the pack in third quarter. Another notable Greater Toronto Area deal includes Bridgestone’s 500,000-square-foot deal at Prologis’ site in nearby Hamilton. Other deals this quarter included Diageo Canada Inc., an alcoholic beverages vendor, renewing at 825 Boulevard des Érables for 485,000 square feet in the Montreal area and McKesson Canada inking a 350,000-square-foot deal at the Panattoni Apex site in Edmonton.
“We’re definitely seeing a healthy industrial market [in the U.S.],” said Powers. “Demand is pretty evident if you’re in New York City or on the West Coast in L.A. We’ve seen about 73.6 million square feet of new industrial completions hit the market just here in quarter three of 2019. There’s a lot of faith in what the future holds.”
Exponential growth in e-commerce and a population boom in the heart of Canada’s major urban centers has increased demand for consumers’ goods to be rapidly delivered to these cities. This sudden surge in demand is putting strain on existing warehouse supply resulting in stubbornly low vacancy rates and rapid rental rate appreciation.
The coming years will test the innovation of landlords, retailers and real estate brokers to find solutions to these challenges.


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It's been a few months since we've heard of a Deus Ex name being reserved and ultimately not turning out to be a big-budget game, so we're about due. Square Enix has now registered a trademark for "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided," which according to the registration office covers video game software, printed material like books, and online services.
Before you get so worked up that you paint all your walls yellow, however, keep in mind that Square has been iterating on the brand in some surprising ways lately. Last year, we saw a trademark for Deus Ex: Human Defiance, which turned out to be a film title. Mere days later, we saw domain registrations for Deus Ex: The Fall, which we later learned was a mobile game. There is a chance that Mankind Divided will turn out to be the follow-up to Human Revolution, but it could just as easily be another side-project. We want to trust you, Square, it's just we've been hurt before.
Steve Watts posted a new article, 'Deus Ex: Mankind Divided' trademarked.
Square Enix has registered a trademark for "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided." According to the registration, it covers computer and video game software, printed materials like books, and online services.
"Oh boy, I sure hope it's going to be another iOS/android app title!" - Said no one ever.
The story was actually really cool, too bad the port was so buggy.


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As the 2012 "automotive partner", the German car giant will supply 4,000 vehicles for athletes, officials and VIPs during the Games. The company's range of cars, from limousines to the Mini, will be used.
BMW is expected to be the last "tier one" sponsor of the Games and the deal takes the organising committee, Locog, to within about £100 million of its £700 million sponsorship target.
The four-year search for a car sponsor has included talks with BMW's German rival Mercedes-Benz.
This month BMW reported a 75 per cent fall in quarterly profits on the previous year, although the Munich-based firm said it expects to bounce back next year.
BMW will also supply electric vehicles, motorbikes and bicycles for use by athletes in the Olympic village.
Locog chairman Sebastian Coe said: "Operationally, an automotive deal is vital for any organising committee and so I'm thrilled BMW is on board. They share our vision to stage a sustainable Games in 2012 and will be a valued partner."
Locog, which aims to raise £2 billion in commercial revenues from sponsors, broadcasting and tickets towards the cost of the Games, has signed up 24 sponsors. Other "tier one" sponsors include British Airways, BT, adidas, EDF Energy and Lloyds TSB.
- More about:
- P Funk


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With the Nykaa public issue becoming a huge success, competitor Manish Taneja, founder of Purplle.com, is frequently being asked if he is planning to take the IPO route any time soon. “We will continue to be private for a reasonable period of time,” he says. However, he believes the market is clearly prioritising high-growth companies over historically slow growth, less profit-making ones. “There are hardly any legacy companies one can invest in, which will grow over 40% in the next five-six years. It’s the new-age companies that have the potential to grow at that pace. Hence investors are lapping them up as they feel that growth is important for their portfolio,” says Taneja.
The beauty and personal care marketplace, claims its founder, has been growing by almost 100% year-on-year, much higher than the overall online beauty retail industry, which is growing at 35%. In October this year, Purplle touched an annualised GMV (gross merchandise value) of ₹1,200 crore and the agenda is to grab more market share. The company recently raised a fresh round of funding of $75 million from Kedaara, Sequoia Capital and Blume Ventures. Both Sequoia and Blume have doubled their investment in this round of funding. They first invested in the platform earlier this year along with Verlinvest, when the trio put in $45 million.
Like its competitor, Nykaa, close to 40% of Purplle’s revenue comes from its private brands such as Stay Quirky, Good Vibes and NY Bae. The company acquired feminine hygiene brand, Carmesi, in December last year, and Taneja says it would be continuously on the look-out for differentiated brands. “We will buy differentiated brands, whose capabilities we don’t have. We are also looking at acquiring a high-quality beauty and fashion content platform, as reaching out to consumers at lower costs will be important."
Close to a third of Purplle’s revenue comes from the eastern part of the country and Taneja’s ambition is to become the most-favoured brand of middle-class Indians. He is amazed at the kind of beauty products consumers in Tier II and III cities have started buying. “Not only are they buying all-time favourites such as lipsticks and nail paints, they are also lapping up eye-shadows, make-up fixing sprays and make-up brush sets. They are also buying high efficacy, transparent skincare brands, which tell you the exact percentage of ingredients used.” While most legacy companies have reported a dip in sales in the last quarter due to high inflation rates and job cuts, Taneja claims that Purplle in the month of October itself has grown upwards of 50%.
Meanwhile, Nykaa made a dazzling debut at the stock market on Wednesday, with its share price rising 96% over its IPO price of ₹1,125. It has now joined 54 listed companies which are in the ₹1-trillion market cap club. Its valuation is higher than the likes of Godrej Consumer and Britannia, it is the 55th most highly valued Indian company. The Nykaa success story is definitely reason enough for the likes of Purplle.com to carve out an aggressive growth strategy. Moreover, with India’s online beauty and personal care market penetration being in the region of just 8%, there is ample scope for growth.


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U.S. District Judge Robert G. James for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Pick and Pay Inc./Cili Minerals, a manufacturer and distributor of drugs and dietary supplements, and its owner, Anton S. Botha, requiring the business to immediately cease operations until it comes into compliance with federal laws.
The complaint, filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, sought a permanent injunction against the company and its owners for unlawfully manufacturing and distributing unapproved new drugs, misbranded drugs, adulterated dietary supplements and misbranded dietary supplements.
The company and its owner marketed their products online at www.ciliminerals.com, www.cilihealthstore.com and www.cil-ergy.com. They also sold their products through a retail location in Lafayette, Louisiana.
The FDA inspected Pick and Pay Inc./Cili Minerals four times since 2012. The defendants marketed their products with claims that they could treat medical conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis, autism, bipolar disorder, brain injury and epilepsy. The FDA has not approved Pick and Pay Inc./Cili Minerals’ drugs for any use.
During the inspection, FDA investigators also found numerous violations of the agency’s current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations for dietary supplements.
Before the company and its owners can resume operations, they must, among other things, recall and destroy their existing stock of drugs and dietary supplements, hire labeling and good manufacturing practices experts, and receive written permission from the FDA to resume operations.


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A new survey has revealed that half of young female drivers use their car as a ‘second wardrobe’, with the majority of these claiming to keep extra clothing, accessories and make-up in their vehicle ‘in case of emergency’. The study also looked at the value of the fashion and beauty items kept in respondents’ vehicles, with 77 per cent saying that they thought the items they carried were valuable. The average value of these items was £205.
In other news, the threat of thieves using Twitter and other social media websites to spot car owners who are out for the night or on holiday has been highlighted by Tracker, a company that specialises in stolen vehicle recovery. Thieves often target a house just to get car keys and then drive away with the car unhindered. This avoids the thieves having to bypass sophisticated security devices on modern cars as they have the correct key to unlock it.
If you have some interesting news that you think should feature in the weekly roundup please comment below and we will take it into consideration for next week’s post. Please follow @GottServices on Twitter or check out the Gott Technical Services Facebook page for more garage equipment related info throughout the week.


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from Ubisoft admits to delay for the console editions of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
, saying the tactical shooter sequel is now due on May 22, 2012 in the U.S. and May 24th in Europe, rather than in March, as was previously expected
(thanks Gamer's Hell
). IP Development Director Adrian Lacey says the extra time is "to make sure your experience is perfect," and offers word on plans for console beta testing. More significantly, he also reverses course on earlier indications
that there will not be a PC edition of this game, saying: "And for those PC fans out there, yes, we are announcing officially the PC version of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. You will, of course, get the Ghost Recon Online experience which is a free-to-play game, but Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, that wonderful big blockbuster, is coming to you as well." Update:
Ubisoft sent an official announcement on this indicating the Windows PC edition will follow after the console editions "at a later date."


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Martin McCarron is giving people in the West End every reason to shop local this Christmas.
His West End Garden Centre is now stocking everything you need to make your home look good this winter.
The centre’s new shop on Peel Street has decorations, lights and indoor trees for the festive season.
It means people heading to West of Scotland Cricket Ground to purchase a real tree can also now buy what they need to dress their fir.
Martin said: “We are really excited to be offering a full range of Christmas decorations for the first time. The centre is now a one-stop shop for trees, lights and decorations for the home.
“We always said the new shop would make us a proper garden centre, and now we can say the same at Christmas with the range of products we can offer.
“Again, we will have a fantastic selection of real Scottish Christmas trees, and now we can offer people the decorations to go with them.”
Martin’s new shop, which opened earlier this year, has expanded the range of products the centre is able to offer, such as indoor plants and pots.
We are really excited to be offering a full range of Christmas decorations for the first time. The centre is now a one-stop shop for trees, lights and decorations for the home.
Ahead of Christmas, the space has been transformed into a grotto of light, with baskets and shelves displaying baubles and festive trappings. And much of the stock has been individually-sourced from suppliers in Europe.
Martin said: “A lot of these decorations are not readily found elsewhere. We wanted different stock and the shop to have a lovely quality about it.
“We are also presenting what we have differently. We want the shop to look good and for customers to feel they are stepping into somewhere special.”
Martin will be offering an exceptional range of real Scottish trees when deliveries arrive at the end of November.
His main sellers are Nordmann Firs and Fraser Firs, which come freshly cut or in pots, and start from £39.99. A big incentive is free delivery on all his trees.
Martin said: “We really hope people in the West End will shop local this Christmas. In addition to the Christmas stock, people can enjoy a range of hot and seasonal drinks from the cafe bar.”


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Japan’s economy still in a ‘very severe’ state
Japan released its preliminary 1Q GDP figures earlier this week which confirmed the nation’s economy fell back into recession. The data showed a quarterly contraction of -0.9% which was worse than the expected -0.5% and the prior quarter was revised significantly lower to -0.8% from -0.3%. Prior to the release of the data, Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said that the nation’s economy has been in a “very severe” state since the March 11 earthquake. This comes as no surprise as economic activity fell sharply following the devastating earthquake as evidenced by negative growth and declining consumer confidence. Japan’s April trade balance is scheduled for release on Wednesday and is expected to show the country’s first trade deficit in two years due to a significant drop in exports and small advance in imports. Also due next week is April retail sales which are likely to fall further as recent confidence indicators have continued to deteriorate.
As the world’s third largest economy, the downturn in Japan is an impediment to the global recovery. It will likely be some time before the economy can turn around and begin to claw its way out of the recession and as such we would expect the yen to come under pressure. Safe haven flows have benefited the yen, however acknowledgement by policymakers of the severe state of the economy and expectations of additional extraordinary measures to stabilize the economic conditions are likely to limit further yen gains. In USD/JPY, the 80.00 level is the key pivot to the downside which is around the 61.8% retracement of the rally from the March lows to April highs in addition to being a key psychological level. The key levels to the upside are the top of the daily ichimoku cloud and 200-day SMA which can be found in the 82.55/75 area. A sustained break above here may see towards the 84.50 pivot area ahead of the 85.50 prior highs while a drop through the 80 figure may see a further decline.
The Loonie may see weakness ahead
Earlier today the CAD weakened on the back of the Canadian CPI and retail sales figures. April Consumer Price Index remained unchanged from last month at +3.3% y/y, however this was below economists’ expectations of a rise to +3.4%. Additionally, the March retail sales figures came in at 0.0% m/m which was much weaker than the consensus of +0.9% and +0.5% in February. Taken together, this eliminates any chance of a BoC rate hike on May 31st and presumably for July 19th decision as well. Furthermore, provided that inflation expectations continue to stay well anchored, it is unlikely that headline inflation will be able to persist above the target range for much longer.
Given that the world economy is beginning to show signs of slowing and the Fed is about to end QE2, the fundamental outlook for higher commodity prices has abated. This suggests the impact of higher energy on headline inflation and its indirect pass-through effects on core inflation may begin to deteriorate in the second half of 2011. Consequently, it seems the BoC’s decision to keep its policy rate unchanged at 1.00% has been correct. As such, we believe the market will begin to price in the realization that rates aren’t going anywhere anytime soon and this could weigh on the loonie going forward.
Technically, the USD/CAD has been confined in a downward sloping channel since September of 2010 and RSI has confirmed the move lower throughout. Additionally, the 100-day sma has roughly coincided with the top of the trend channel and earlier today the pair tested both of these key technical levels (which is the second time over the past week) and has so far been rebuffed. This 0.9765/75 level also encompasses the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement of the move lower from the middle of March to the beginning of May. Should commodities continue to remain under pressure, especially crude oil, this would be bullish for USD/CAD and we would expect the aforementioned resistance level to give way to an eventual test of the 200-day sma and March 15th high which are both just below parity.
Key data and events to watch next week
United States: Monday – Apr. Chicago Fed Nat Activity Index Tuesday – Fed’s Plosser Speaks, Apr. New Home Sales, May Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index Wednesday – Apr. Durable Goods Orders, Mar. House Price Index, Fed's Kocherlakota Speaks Thursday – 1Q Second Estimate GDP Figures, Weekly Jobless Claims Friday – Apr. Personal Income & Spending, PCE Deflator, May final U. of Michigan Confidence, Apr. Pending Home Sales
Eurozone: Monday –German May Advance Manufacturing & Services PMI, EZ May Advance Manufacturing & Services PMI, ECB’s Weidmann & Mersch Speak Tuesday – German 1Q final GDP Figures, German May IFO Survey, EZ Mar. Industrial New Orders Wednesday – German Jun. GfK Consumer Confidence Survey, ECB's Draghi, Liikanen Speak Thursday – German Apr. Import Price Index Friday – ECB’s Kranjec Speaks, EZ Apr. M3, May Euro-Zone Confidence Surveys, German May CPI
United Kingdom: Monday – BOE’s Tucker Speaks Tuesday – Apr. Public Sector Net Borrowing, May CBI Reported Sales, BOE’s Fisher Speaks Wednesday – 1Q preliminary GDP Figures, Mar. Index of Services, Apr. BBA House Lonas Thursday – BOE’s Tucker Speaks, May GfK Consumer Confidence Survey Friday – May Nationwide House prices
Japan: Monday – Mar. final Leading & Coincident Index CI Wednesday – Apr. Trade Balance, BOJ Governor Shirakawa to Speak Friday – May Tokyo CPI, Apr. National CPI, Apr. Retail Trade
Canada: Wednesday – Mar. Teranet/National Bank HPI
Australia & New Zealand: Tuesday – 2Q RBNZ Inflation Expectations Wednesday – NZ Prime Minister Key & Finance Minister English Speak, AU Mar. Conference Board Leading Index, Mar. Westpac Leading Index, 1Q Construction Work Friday – AU 1Q Private Capital Expenditure
China: Monday – May HSBC Flash China Manufacturing PMI Friday – May MNI Business Conditions, Apr. Industrial Profits
Brian Dolan is chief currency strategist at www.FOREX.com.
Disclaimer: The information and opinions in this report are for general information use only and are not intended as an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any currency. All opinions and information contained in this report are subject to change without notice. This report has been prepared without regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any particular recipient. While the information contained herein was obtained from sources believed to be reliable, author does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness, nor does author assume any liability for any direct, indirect or consequential loss that may result from the reliance by any person upon any such information or opinions.


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Two speed planning, hyper-convenience and empowered but enslaved consumers in the Future of Britain
The growing number of connected devices is significantly influencing the ways in which brands reach consumers and consequently this is changing the nature of media planning, declared Denise Funke, insight manager, OMD, as she introduced the latest findings from the media agency's Future of Britain research series.
A multi-device, hyper-connected media environment is a complex one. But as media consumption occasions increase, so too does the opportunity for brands to create new 'media moments' to reach consumers, Hamid Habib, managing partner of strategy, OMD, said. For example, JCDecaux, the outdoor advertising company, partnered with Twitter, the microblogging site, to launch the @RailBookClub, a digital book club. JCDecaux's digital screens at rail stations throughout the UK display book recommendations from the community of book-loving commuters. This strategy is tapping into the consumers' desire to be able to access 'entertainment everywhere', Habib said.


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Square Enix Posts $134 Million Yearly Loss
Posted on Monday, May 13 @ 07:05:00 PST by Alex_Osborn
Square Enix posted a net loss of ¥13.7 billion (approximately $134 million) for the fiscal year ending March 2013. This news should hardly come as a surprise, as the publisher made it clear that a restructuring would be putting them in the red this year.
Fortunately, Square Enix is expecting a turnaround in the coming months. In fact, the publisher believes the changes will make them profitable on the order of $344 million to $590 million over the coming year.
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Corporate profits are near all time highs, and high earnings multiples indicate the market expects continued profit growth. BlackRock’s 2020 Global Outlook identified two key trends that have underpinned high corporate profit margins in recent decades:
Profit margins of publicly listed companies have been on a decades-long march higher. This has been driven by two key trends: globalization (integrated supply chains and labor markets that have, along with technological innovation, reduced input costs) and rising market concentration (the advent of superstar firms that dominate their industries).
As Blackrock noted, if these trends reverse, profit margins could weaken. As we move into the new decade, there are three main threats to profit margins.
Its not just about the US and China conflict, which seems to alternate between calamity and truce every other day. For the past few decades, global trade gradually moving towards increased openness. That is starting to reverse. The WTO dispute settlement mechanism has effectively shut down the Trump administration blocked new appointments to the appellate body. The collapse of WTO’s appellate body is part of a global trend towards populism and trade conflict. At best, there will be a spaghetti bowl of bilateral agreements, instead of the large open multilateral system that existed during the last couple decades. Companies are now rearranging their supply chains to deal with greater trade policy uncertainty around the world. Companies will need to dedicate more resources to supply chain strategy, ultimately reducing profitability of many companies.
Wages of many lower paying jobs have remained stagnant for many years, but recent data indicates an increasingly tight labor market. Higher wages can boost consumer spending and saving, but also negatively impact corporate profits.
American businesses will heightened regulatory burdens from many angles in 2020. First, large winner take industries such as technology will face increasing antitrust scrutiny. This could drastically alter the fate of BLX Global’s FAANG Revenue Index. Second, the increasing emphasis on sustainability will likely lead to increased environmental regulations. Additionally, the rise of ESG investing has effectively increased the cost of capital for heavy polluting industries. Finally, concern with climate change is now mainstream and will impact how government regulates business. If a left of center Democrat wins the US presidency they will implement strict and costly environmental regulations.
Tariffs, labor costs, and regulations will alter the competitive environment faced by firms. The impact will vary widely across different industries, and different individual companies. Earnings derivatives make it possible to express a view on profit margins of a single company. Using options and ETNs linked to BLX Global Indexes, investors can hedge trends in specific metrics over multi year periods.


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Finding fashionable apparel may be a struggle for plus-size men, but MVP Collections is changing the way the big and tall consumer dresses every day.
Former baseball player and three-time MLB All Star Mo Vaughn launched MVP Collections after several frustrating shopping experiences. As a consumer who didn’t fall under standard men’s sizing and who couldn’t find trendy apparel at big and tall stores, Vaughn decided it was time to change the industry that neglected his fashion needs.
“All these years I was able to afford to get my clothing custom made and since I could never find clothing with style at any of the retailers offering Big & Tall Clothing, I felt there was an opportunity to offer the customer fashionable options,” Vaughn said.
Unlike other men’s retailers, MVP Collections tackles a major issue for the plus-size male consumer, which is apparel fit.
“The average men’s waist size in the U.S. is between 40 inches and 46 inches,” Vaughn said. “Most of the fashionable brands only offer up to 44 inches if you’re lucky enough to find it, not to mention the limited offering on longer lengths on tops and limited inseams on denim.”
MVP Collections currently includes affordable and stylish garments in apparel sizes 1XL to 4XL and denim sizes 38 to 50. The curation features three lifestyle categories, including Althleisure, Weekend Wear and Night Out for versatile wardrobe options. To further expand its clothing merchandise, MVP Collections also debuted a Camo Collection and Velour Collection, which include functional and stylish apparel for everyday needs. All garments are produced in the U.S. to fulfill consumer demand and support domestic manufacturing efforts.
Today, fashion isn’t limited to one shopper demographic. MVP Collections is paving the way for a better men’s fashion industry, one that doesn’t constrain the style needs of the unconventional male consumer, according to Vaughn. From a night with friends to an office meeting, MVP Collections brings trendy, comfortable and functional apparel solutions for big and tall male consumers.
“It’s pretty simple, there are not many brands offering fashionable options and there is very limited distribution of those who are,” Vaughn said. “We feel there will be other players in this lane and plus-size men will finally have some options to choose from.”
LevaData is tapping the power of AI to make strategic sourcing and procurement more seamless for apparel industry members.Read more
Samples, it seems, may soon end up on the endangered list if 3D modeling technology continues to improve and provides the industry with a way to cut down production timelines.Read more
Abercrombie & Fitch continues to rely on Hollister gains, while positioning the Abercrombie brand for similar success. Gap sales up on Athleta, Old Navy performance.Read more
The domestic textile industry and apparel importers have often been on opposite sides of U.S. trade issues, but in today’s political climate they seem to have found some common ground.Read more
U.S. employers added 261,000 jobs in October, pushing unemployment down to the lowest rate since the halcyon days of late 2000.Read more
While everyone’s been focused on the "retail apocalypse," the real story to emerge from 2017 might be the strange bedfellows that have emerged as everyone tries to plot a course forward. The recent partnership between Walmart and Lord & Taylor is the latest to get people talking.Read more
J.W. Anderson’s chief executive, Simon Whitehouse, is exiting the company, plus Dick's Sporting Goods tapped Paul Gaffney as its new CTO.Read more


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Don Sebastiani & Sons Sees Strong Growth For Trio Of Focus BrandsOctober 8, 2019
California winemaker Don Sebastiani & Sons is seeing strong gains for three of its key wine brands: B Side, Simple Life, and The Crusher. Combined, the three wines soared by 24% in the first six months of 2019, the company tells SND. Don & Sons president and CEO Donny Sebastiani projects about 13% growth to just under 200,000 cases this year for the three brands combined, with Simple Life the largest of the three at about 80,000 cases.
Simple Life ($13-$16 a 750-ml.) has grown by 52% over the past year, according to Nielsen. The strong progress is thanks in large part to heightened marketing efforts in multiple national grocery chains, including HEB, Publix, and Albertsons. Additionally, Sebastiani says the brand’s foundation—Pinot Noir—continues to play an integral role, skyrocketing by 200% since last year. Aside from Pinot Noir, the Simple Life portfolio includes California-sourced rosé, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
B Side is also posting robust gains, rising by 69% in Nielsen channels in the first half, driven by its super-premium pricing ($15-$20 a 750-ml.), North Coast appellation, and, more recently, two new products. “B Side Cabernet Sauvignon has historically been the leader, but there’s now a lot of momentum with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which are driving total brand growth,” says Sebastiani.
The Crusher ($18), which is up 10% from last year, is also a California-appellated brand, with some eight wines in its lineup. Even as red wines spur growth for the company’s other brands, The Crusher is currently benefiting largely from a white varietal. “The label’s Sauvignon Blanc brought some new excitement to the portfolio last year, and has doubled in volume since launching,” Sebastiani says, adding that the wine is positioned to be a growth driver moving forward. The company’s keg business has also contributed to its gains, and Sebastiani is eyeing several additional placements before the end of the year.
Don & Sons has also dipped into the spirits business with two Tequilas, Contigo Plata ($35) and El Macho Añejo ($60). Sebastiani notes that the company’s focus is on building both brands in high-profile “tastemaker” accounts in key markets throughout the U.S. and reinforcing quality distribution, in partnership with 3 Badge Beverage Group—founded by Sebastiani’s brother, August. Both labels launched in 2017, with Contigo posting 10,000 cases in its initial year, and El Macho coming in at just over 2,000 cases. The Tequilas are produced at Destiladora del Valle de Tequila.—Julia HigginsSubscribe to Shanken News Daily’s Email Newsletter, delivered to your inbox each morning.


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Black Country manufacturing firm invests in new staff and machinery after a record year for sales
Howells Patent Glazing based in the West Midlands has invested nearly £50,000 into new machinery following a very successful year, which has marked a record in the company’s sales history.
The Black Country based firm have invested in a new double mitre saw, with a price tag of nearly £50,000 which has revolutionised the manufacturing process. The new equipment accompanied with the in house welding facility has cut Howells’s production time down massively.
The family run business embrace change and development and are also currently providing several apprenticeships within the company for production and welding. As well as investing in new staff & machinery, Howells has recently revamped their reception and showrooms enabling customers to view the products and see the manufacturing process in action.
Image: MECAL Mitre Saw SW453-Reverse Vico-3
Gary Howells, Sales Director commented to say, “Here at Howells we never accept that we should stay still, we are constantly looking for better and more efficient ways of improving our systems for producing our materials, supply chain and customer experience. We have made a massive investment this year into our manufacturing plant with the purchase of the new SW453- reverse Co3 in order for us to streamline and speed up our manufacturing process to enable swifter production of our patented glazing bar system”.
The shop floor isn’t the only department benefiting from restructure and development, the marketing and admin team have also gained additional team members with another admin member joining the team as well as a new employee who has been taken on full time to operate the new machinery.
The family run business has restructured their workforce and streamlined departments in order to help them to cope with increased demand from clients, investing heavily in a complete new computer system for the workforce which has required retraining in computer skills and adult apprenticeships for both the shop floor and manufacturing staff.
Offering a one stop shop for Roof lights and Patent Glazing requirements, complete from concept through to completion, Howells is determined to maintain excellence within the industry which is reflected in the firm’s recent offer of investment from Bournville College, as well as celebrating their 40th anniversary in September this year.
Notes to Editors:
For further information, images and quotes please contact: Becca Underwood at PReach PR via:
Phone – 0800 023 8125
Mobile – 07817 553 299


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Harbor Freight Tools, America’s go-to store for quality tools at the lowest prices, will officially open its new store in Alexandria on Saturday, November 13 at 8 a.m.
The Alexandria store, located at 4525 Highway 29 S, is the 18th Harbor Freight Tools store in Minnesota. The new store brings approximately 25-30 new jobs to the community. The store will be open seven days a week
from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Store photos and logo available upon request.
“We’re ready to serve and deliver value to customers in Alexandria and all of Douglas County,” said Larry Dixon, Store Manager. “At Harbor Freight, we recognize that now, more than ever, our customers depend
on us for the tools they need to get the job done at an affordable price. We are the place for quality tools at the lowest prices for mechanics, contractors, homeowners and hobbyists—any tool user who cares about value.”
The store will stock a full selection of tools and equipment in categories including automotive, air and power tools, storage, outdoor power equipment, generators, welding supplies, shop equipment, hand tools and
much more. Averaging 15,000-square-feet, the stores are much easier to shop than the huge home centers.
Harbor Freight recognizes that its people are key to its success and is committed to being the best place to work in any industry. In 2021, Forbes Magazine recognized Harbor Freight as the country’s number one
employer for Veterans across all industries, one of the top employers in terms of diversity, one of the top employers for women and one of the top 20 large employers in all of retail. Diversityjobs.com has also recognized the company as a top employer for its commitment to diversity and inclusion. As a safety protocol during the COVID-19 pandemic, all Harbor Freight stores have implemented more frequent cleaning and are following the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control. Any individual who has any COVID-19 symptoms is asked to shop on our website, www.harborfreight.com rather than in our stores.
HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS
26677 Agoura Road
Calabasas, California 91302
Harbor Freight Tools was founded in Southern California in 1977, when 17-year-old Eric Smidt began transforming his father’s small sales business into a successful mail order company. That first year, Eric cut out
the middlemen and sourced tools directly from the factories, realizing that if he could buy tools directly for less, he could pass the savings on to the customer.
Harbor Freight has more than 1,200 stores across the country with over 24,000 employees. The company is still family owned and remains true to its humble beginnings while serving more than 40 million customers
who depend on Harbor Freight’s quality and value to earn a living, repair their homes and cars, and pursue their hobbies.
With core values of excellence, continuous improvement and doing the right thing, Harbor Freight Tools is working to constantly improve the quality of its products and is introducing hundreds of new tools and
accessories each year with the features, performance and durability of the best brands on the market—but at a fraction of the price.
In addition to providing customers everyday value, Harbor Freight Tools frequently offers special deals and promotions that offer even more savings. To receive the latest exclusive deals, and be the first to learn about
new tool releases, visit HarborFreight.com/email or text ‘TOOLS’ to 34648.
Another of the company’s core values is giving back to the communities it serves. Harbor Freight Tools is a major supporter of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, an initiative of The Smidt Foundation, established by Harbor Freight’s founder Eric Smidt, to advance excellent skilled trades education
in public high schools across America. The program’s flagship program is the annual Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, which honors 18 outstanding public high school skilled trades teachers and their programs with $1 million in cash awards. This year’s winners were announced October 21, 2021.
For more information, visit harborfreighttoolsforschools.org.
Harbor Freight Tools also supports non-profit organizations that serve K-12 public education, first responders and veterans. To learn more about the company’s charitable giving, visit harborfreightgivingback.org.
For more information about Harbor Freight Tools, visit harborfreight.com. Follow the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.


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Many people — myself included — have high, high hopes for new tech like Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant, or the Microsoft HoloLens hologram headset, to usher in a new era beyond the smartphone. But even Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos thinksShow More Summary
Barbie has not been messing around during Toy Fair lately. A couple years ago, Mattel showed off the Hello Barbie doll, which had natural voice recognition, and last year Barbie got her own voice-activated smart house. She’s no less tech savvy this year — she’s now going holographic. Show More Summary
Mexican pop music fans were devastated last August when one of the country's most beloved singers, Juan Gabriel, passed away at age 66. But today, Saturday, Feb. 18, fans in Toluca, Mexico will get a chance to see El Divo de Juarez in action once again — courtesy of Hologram USA,...
Over her nearly 60-year life, Barbie has taken on many forms, but she’s never been a hologram. Now, though, she is having a truly out-of-body experience, showing up in her first holographic figure, Hello Barbie Hologram. Barbie parent...Show More Summary
Yes, after pulling herself out of her 1950’s rut as a swimsuit model to become everything from a doctor, lawyer, computer scientist, astronaut and even the President of the United States, Barbie has now become a 3D animated hologram that can serve up the weather, on command. Show More Summary
This fully animated Barbie can sit on a nightstand like a fairy, waiting on your child's commands.
Mattel's Hello Barbie Hologram brings 3-D animation to the voice-assistant space, providing a next-gen IoT solution for your enterprise. The post So, Barbie's a Hologram Now. Oh, and She Responds to Your Voice appeared first on WIRE...
Neon and holograms and drag princesses oh my
Stepping into a virtual or augmented reality is a wholly singular experience; no two people will follow the exact same path. Which is great if you’re hawking a video game or interactive movie. […] The post Share HoloLens Holograms With Microsoft Spectator View Cam appeared first on Geek.com.
Microsoft has added some more content to the Actiongram app for the HoloLens. The new Hello Kitty theme pack for Actiongram features fourteen Hello Kitty holograms, with more of her friends including Badtz-Maru, Keroppi, and Pompompurin joining her in Actiongram soon. The Actiongram app allows users to put holograms on their videos, which Microsoft likes […]
The world seems to be full of illusions—and we’re not talking about fake news from Macedonia. Holograms appear to be all around us now. Long-dead rapper Tupac Shakur showed up at the 2012 edition of the Coachella music festival. Microsoft’s HoloLens seems akin to a wearables version of Star Trek’s holodeck, allowing its user to […]
For the celebrity-obsessed, AR may offer the bizarre opportunity to get closer than ever to pop culture’s most recognizable stars and performers. For the last several years, 8i has been embracing a technology called volumetric capture...Show More Summary
Holographic-tech startup 8i is announcing that it has raised $27 million from media, tech, and telecommunications strategic investors. The company is also announcing Holo, a consumer mobile augmented reality app that lets people express themselves with funny holograms. Show More Summary
8i unveiled its Holo mixed-reality app, and announced $27 million in funding to bolster its vision of 3D content-capture technology. 8i unveiled its Holo mixed-reality app, and announced $27 million in funding to bolster its vision of 3D content-capture technology. The holograms are coming, the holograms are coming. Read Full Story
8i Corp. has robust software. After 42 cameras collect images of a person on a stage, the Culver City start-up’s program renders a realistic 3-D replica of the individual on a computer. The question now is why would anyone want to pay for a hologram of themselves? 8i thought that people would like...
O.T. Genasis will perform a hologram concert for an Orange County crowd later this month, TMZ reports. The hologram will reportedly play a five song set while Genasis is across the country in Chicago. The rapper will allegedly get paid $20,000 for the performance, which will take place at the Heat Ultra Lounge. Show More Summary
In an alternative universe, last week’s music news would have dominated Twitter and Facebook. The Grammy Awards announced an impressive line-up of performers for this Sunday’s event. News broke that a hologram of deceased heavy metal icon Ronnie James Dio would front a live band on tour—a first for the controversial technology. Beyonce revealed she […]
O.T. Genasis is gonna love holograms as much as the coco if they keep lining his pockets with the kinda cash he's getting for the easiest nightclub gig ever. We obtained this video of O.T. performing his hit, "Cut It"... in hologram form. It's a…
TUESDAY 2.7.17 Music Business News From Around The Web Did Lady Gaga make a measured statement of miss a massive opportunity? Either way, fans rewarded her Superbowl performance. Updated continuously under our More News tab
French far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon appeared to supporters by hologram on Sunday in a technological first for a presidential campaign in France.


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As the new 2021 Nissan Navara pickup truck makes its world debut, the all-new U.S.-spec Nissan Frontier makes a quick unexpected appearance. Take a look at the screenshot above. The Nissan design team is taking in the breadth of the latest Nissan truck design. There it is. A front view of a truck that appears to be the next 2021 or 2022 Nissan Frontier.
This truck looks different from the 2021 Navara that makes its debut for other markets. The front-end design is more squared-off and upright. It appears to be wider than the Navara. It also has some family resemblance to the Nissan Titan truck (also shown).
What do you think? Could this be the next U.S.-spec Nissan Frontier? Let us know in the comments below. The screenshot appears at the 11:46 mark in the video below.


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When did Starbucks open in UK
Starbucks indicates business. After announcing 300 brand new outlets into the UK, it's created a coffee specifically for the Uk market. Nothing radical: simply the nation’s favourite coffee (latte), with an increase of espresso and “a brand-new method of steaming milk”, giving it “smoother taste”, but crucially “at no extra cost to customers”.
That'll be a relief to Starbucks consumers: at £2.15, the favoured latte cannot come inexpensive.
Starbucks has 742 shops in UK, means behind Costa’s 1, 342. Costa very first exposed in 1973, while Starbucks failed to appear on the British traditional until it annexed the Seattle Coffee Company’s 50 stores in 1998.
200 of 300 new Starbucks will be, in United states English, “drive-thrus”. They're not going to take city centers, but will take storage forecourts on motorways. 50 % of these “drive-thrus” will undoubtedly be managed under licence by petrol forecourt merchant Euro Garages, with many outlets starting into the Midlands together with north of England.
There may also be 100 standard stores in high streets, buying centres and retail areas. Starbucks says this development reflects people’s desire to have better-quality coffee “wherever they are”.
Five thousands new tasks will be created. Presently, the average Starbucks worker is elderly 24 and works 30 hours weekly.
During downturn, the organization’s growth shows self-confidence as time goes by. It says is is benefiting from dropping rents and desires to be “ahead for the curve”.
Starbucks has actually coped relatively well during downturn, with product sales rising. It is not the sole sequence which expanding. Costa opened 130 outlets last year, while third-placed Caffe Nero was including another 40 annually recently.
While other sectors of this economic climate have-been contracting, it has already been one of the primary development tales. Jeffrey Young, Allegra Strategies
Mr younger informed Channel 4 News: “This has continued unabated through the recession-era duration. While other areas associated with economy have been contracting, this has already been one of the greatest development stories.
“They have exchanged very well through the recession. They’re a really appropriate offer for today’s customer; casual, not expensive, lifestyle-driven. You're spending a few momemts you will ever have indeed there. You’re in a position to have lunch there or a business conference.”
In tough financial times, having a coffee was a treat. “If you’re at a shopping centre, you do not get a dress, you might purchase a coffee.”
The rise of this chains worries people, just who worry for separate shops on the local high streets. Whilst chains have actually 5, 000 stores into the UK, you will find 6, 000 independents.
Channel 4 News asked individuals due to their views via Facebook and Twitter – and responses were mixed.
Christopher Calvert stated: “Before Starbucks and Costas – there have been hardly any indie cafes. Britain ended up being a country high in oily spoons rather than far more. Definitely chain coffee shops have actually nurtured a taste for coffee – and possess allowed indie shops to grow.”
Bryan Donnelly said: “I like to utilize independents in which I can but as long as the coffee warrants it. Way too many basically rubbish. If Costa or Nero fare better coffee versus independent then that’s where I’ll buy it.”
Matt definitely didn't agree. “Coffee chains suck cash from areas to business hq. Independents usually hold additional money in local economy, ” he had written. Jamie Keddie said: “Hackney is basically without huge chain coffee shops as well as the better for this. A Lot Of little neighborhood organizations keep earnings local.”
The final word would go to Julia Brown, whom stated: “i will suggest you come to the east coast … In Bridlington both Burger King and McDonalds shut down, but independent cafes tend to be flourishing, couple of chains indeed there.”
‘Room for growth’
Jeffrey younger believes the independent sector and chains, with a connected turnover of £5bn per year when you look at the UK, can co-exist. “There’s nevertheless numerous space for development for labeled stores, ” he stated. “The quality independent market is also developing. It'll consume to the low-quality, greasy-spoon places.”
Mr Young stated the “incredibly personal occurrence” of coffee stores had a bright future. “It’s type of a pub for teenagers.The younger generation began with this to be regular. It’s 2nd nature for them.”
YouGov also found that people in London had been more likely to drink freshly-brewed coffee for breaskfast than elsewhere in Britain, with those who work in Northern Ireland the least likely.
The poll demonstrates that beverage is seen as synonymous with Britishness. But while Mr younger believes it might be a “close telephone call” if the relative popularity of tea and coffee had been polled, he's adamant that whenever folks visit coffee stores, “coffee could be the rule”.


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MetLife says it has reached its goal of creating more than 1,300 jobs at its U.S. retail headquarters in Charlotte after it announced plans two years ago to establish a hub in the city.
The New York-based insurance company has scheduled an event for April 14 in Ballantyne Corporate Park, where its hub is housed, to celebrate meeting the goal.
“Please join us as we celebrate fulfilling our commitment to Charlotte,” reads an invitation for the event. A MetLife spokesman declined to comment further.
In 2013, MetLife announced plans to consolidate its U.S. retail operations in Charlotte. As part of that announcement, the company also said it would create about 1,300 jobs in Cary and establish a separate global technology and operations hub there.
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In exchange for state incentives, MetLife is required to create at least 2,098 jobs in North Carolina by the end of this year. The company could receive incentives grants totaling as much as $87.2 million over a 12-year period. The amount, to be awarded through the state's Job Development Investment Grant program, is the largest JDIG grant in North Carolina history, according to the state's commerce department.
Its state incentives package also included a $2 million grant the state said is based on the company meeting certain performance requirements.
The city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County also approved roughly $3 million in incentives for MetLife, which is located in Ballantyne Corporate Park’s Gragg and Woodward buildings.


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LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Pizza delivery firm Domino's Pizza UK & IRL PLC (DOM.LN) said Wednesday that sales increased by 9.5% in the last quarter of 2011 compared with the same period last year, reflecting continued growth in online sales, notably from mobile devices.
The company said the strong fourth-quarter sales performance meant it would deliver full-year results in line with market expectations. In December, a survey of seven analysts forecast a 2011 pretax profit of GBP42.1 million, according to FactSet.
Domino's, which operates 726 pizza delivery stores across the U.K., Ireland and Germany, said sales for the three months to Dec. 31 increased to GBP145 million, compared with GBP132.5 million during the same period in 2010.
The firm said online sales in the period increased by 40% to GBP53.1 million, while orders from mobile devices continued to rise and now account for 13% of total orders.