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Travelex, the retail foreign exchange provider majority-owned by private equity firm Apax Partners, reported a 21pc increase in profits on Monday and said it was considering a stock market flotation ...
Top officials at Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) instructed subordinates to override due diligence standards and accept questionable loans, which were later bundled into mortgage investments, news reports said citing documents filed in court by the European bank. FULL ARTICLE AT International Business Times
The international LTE variant of the Samsung (KRX:005935) Galaxy S4 (GT-I9505) recently received another official Android 4.4.2 KitKat update with the baseband version XXUFNBE. The firmware is available in limited markets in Southeast Asia as an over-the-air ... FULL ARTICLE AT International Business Times
Post-protest Thailand is in need of a complete image makeover -- and it hopes you are too. The Tourism Authority of Thailand, or TAT, just kicked off a new digital marketing campaign to promote the beleaguered Southeast Asian nation as a ... FULL ARTICLE AT International Business Times
Jennifer Aniston recently opened up in an interview with a magazine stating that she would want to swap bodies with Brazilian fashion model Gisele Bundchen. Aniston, who gained worldwide recognition for portraying Rachel Green on the television sitcom "Friends," spoke ... FULL ARTICLE AT International Business Times
It has been a long, hard winter — one that likely will stay until at least April. That means fishing opportunities are going to be limited, but anglers who seek brown trout will be luckier than most. FULL ARTICLE AT The Newark Advocate
A team of MIT researchers has used a novel material that's just a few atoms thick to create devices that can harness or emit light. This proof-of-concept could lead to ultrathin, lightweight, and flexible photovoltaic cells, light emitting diodes ... FULL ARTICLE AT PhysOrg.com
For more than a century, scientists have suggested that the best way to settle the debate about how phenotypic plasticity—the way an organism changes in response to environment—may be connected to evolution would be to identify a single ... FULL ARTICLE AT PhysOrg.com


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The Biden administration is planning to propose a ban on menthol cigarettes, according to several reports, after years of lobbying from public health groups and civil rights activists who say that the products frequently have been aggressively marketed towards, and disproportionately harmed Black communities.
The proposed ban will likely be announced Thursday, according to CBS News, in part because the Food and Drug Administration is under a court deadline to respond to a citizens’ proposal to ban menthol products by that day. Any ban will likely take years to take effect, but would be a step forward according to anti-smoking groups.
Menthol cigarettes have been pushed on Black communities in the United States more than other groups, according to The New York Times. Black smokers choose menthol cigarettes like those from Newport and Kool 85% of the time, three times more than white smokers, according to the FDA. The cigarettes are more addictive and harder to quit, researchers have found, likely because the menthol has a cooling effect that makes it easier to inhale more nicotine.
Julie Mazziotta – MSN News – 2021-04-28.

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Duo behind Lloyd tacos opening Hertel Avenue ice cream shop
A popular Buffalo taco company that started as a food truck six years ago has announced plans to open its second brick-and-mortar restaurant on Hertel Avenue. But the latest project from Lloyd Products isn't another taco shop—it's an ice cream store. Churn is scheduled to open this spring right next door to Lloyd Taco Factory at 1501 Hertel Ave. The "secret project" was unveiled Monday on Lloyd Taco Factory's Facebook page.
Co-owner Peter Cimino says like their successful taco business, the idea for Churn came from a place of nostalgia.
"We decided we wanted to take our other love of our youth and turn that into a new endeavor. It's a brand opportunity that complements what we do at Lloyd perfectly. The same standards and values that we apply to our tacos, we'll also be applying to our ice cream," Cimino told WBFO.
Cimino and co-owner Chris Dorsaneo say Churn's ice cream will be made from scratch and will feature local milk from grass-fed cows using minimal processing. The shop will always have a house-made vanilla and chocolate, along with a rotation of other flavors, and will also feature espresso-based beverages and other confections.
"The typical soft serve everybody's been raised on is really good, but it's not typically good for you. There's a lot of additives and preservatives that go into the standard fare that are not the best for you. We're trying to take all that nonsense and get it out of there and provide the best quality product that we can," said Dorsaneo.
The co-owners have hired Ann Tran, formerly the pastry chef at Aro Bar de Tapas in Williamsville, to run Churn's day-to-day operations. They say the space will feature a "fun, quirky atmosphere, with colorful futuristic design and a bustling open kitchen."
Construction is currently underway. The shop is slated to open the first day of spring. If successful, the company's owners say the brand could eventually be spun off as a food truck.
"There's always something really nostalgic and fundamental about ice cream, from the ice cream truck that goes down the road singing the same old song," added Dorsaneo. "We're trying to play on that and take it up a notch."
There are currently four Lloyd taco trucks roving the streets of Western New York.
WBFO's Michael Mroziak contributed to this report.


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The licensed funding specialists at Synergy Merchants have discussed numerous options with their clients concerning…
At Synergy Merchant Services, we make it a point to ensure that small to medium-sized business owners always have an alternative source of extra working capital to grow their businesses. After all, it is small and medium-sized business owners who have been credited for having a big hand in Canada’s economic recovery over the past couple of years.
Therefore, we feel that it’s important for our company to have a big hand in helping entrepreneurs throughout the nation build their businesses through expansion, renovations, advertising or any other venture they are interested in. It’s not always easy for these owners though.
We’re aware that some businesses are seasonal, and quite often there are ups and downs experienced by just about every business anyway. One cannot always count on making as much money one month as he or she did the previous month. But we’re happy that things seem to be moving upward in Canada, as of late.
You don’t have to take our word for it, either. Yesterday, QMI Agency released a report that found that Canadians are making more this summer than they were last year for doing the same amount of work. Statistics Canada, in fact, found that in all industries, there were higher earnings being made overall in 2011.
With the exception of farming, all sectors collectively showed an increase of 0.3 per cent in June for average weekly earnings. Stats also show that the average work week is 32.9 hours, which is the same amount from last year. Wages increased in every province although Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island showed the slowest growth.
Alberta showed the greatest increase with the average weekly pay cheque climbing to more than $1040! According to StatsCan, “the best performing sectors in terms of pay raises were professional, scientific and technical services, as well as retail trade.” Canadians can only hope, of course, that this trend continues on into next year.
For business owners across Canada looking to make more money – perhaps to pay their employees these increased wages! – we encourage you to contact one of our licensed funding specialists. As always, they are happy to discuss with you the ways that a merchant cash advance can help you to grow your business and increase your wages!


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- 2 min read
NERL takes RBL Bank on board for pledge finance
NERL provides India’s first platform for generation of eNWR, the Company has started receiving encouraging response from agriculture participants over the span of just eight months.
National E-Repository Limited (NERL), a group company of National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX), in its eighth month of operation, has taken on board RBL Bank as the repository participant for pledge finance. RBL Bank will participate in Pledge Finance under NERL’s repository ecosystem for registered warehouses under Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA).
Mr. Kedar Deshpande, MD & CEO, NERL and Mr. Harjeet Toor, head, (retail, Inclusion and rural business), RBL Bank signed the agreement recently making RBL Bank a Repository Participant – Pledgee with NERL.
Appreciating the newly-launched ecosystem, Mr. Harjeet Toor, Head - Retail, Inclusion and Rural Business, RBL Bank said, “Pledge Finance will boost productivity and growth in critical sectors of the economy such as agriculture and commodities, where farmers and traders can store their produce in warehouses and against it avail quick and convenient funding options from banks. This will help to bolster farm incomes across agri sectors. The partnership with National E-Repository Limited will enable RBL Bank to participate in the Pledge Finance scheme under NERL’s repository ecosystem for registered warehouses, and offer attractive financing options to stakeholders. Going forward, the partnership will facilitate and strengthen the Warehouse Receipt financing industry in India.”
NERL provides India’s first platform for generation of eNWR, the Company has started receiving encouraging response from agriculture participants over the span of just eight months. So far, leading Banks like ICICI Bank Limited, HDFC Bank Limited, Axis Bank Limited, Bank of Baroda
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IMC Companies News
New Normal for Trucking Remains a Question
Gulf Intermodal Services saw a decline in sales at the beginning of the pandemic, but that stabilized in May. Though the company is expecting a significant uptick in June, GIS President Will Connell doesn’t think things will get back to the way they were.
“We’ll get back to a new normal,” Connell said. “And the question is, what is the new normal going to look like? From our perspective, we obviously want to make sure we’re able to take care of our customers’ transportation needs.”
“Not everyone is going to be able to weather this economic downturn as successfully as we’d hope they can,” he said. “I think you’ll see people determine that they need to consolidate to strengthen their resources.”
Connell added that customers likely will be working more with nationwide carriers to ensure they have continuity in their supply chain. To read more, visit Transport Topics.


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After a judge awarded nearly $80 million to the attorneys, claimants in the Equifax case are unlikely to receive the $125 payout.
If Wawa customers have shopped in stores between March 4 and December 12, 2019, it is highly likely that their data could have been compromised
"We take the security of our community very seriously," said the food delivery company, which wasn't aware of the May breach until earlier this month.
"We are still investigating this case for legitimacy and relevancy. After refusing to cooperate and continuing with this extortion, this individual has begun distributing the data," Binance said.
"Capital One's lax data security has cost more than 100 million customers their privacy, and we believe legal action is the only motivation to force real accountability to those affected."
The negotiated settlement, including associated fines and penalties, is the most costly agreement stemming from a data breach to date.
"She had a habit of openly struggling with her state of mind in public channels," said an online friend of accused hacker Paige A. Thompson.
"No bank account numbers or Social Security numbers were compromised, other than: about 140,000 Social Security numbers of our credit card customers" and "about 80,000 linked bank account numbers of our secured credit card customers," the company wrote.
The breach has affected personal and small business credit card customers and applicants between 2005 and early 2019.
Capital One says data breach affected 100 million credit card applicants. A Seattle-area woman was arrested in connection with the breach.
FTC believes Equifax did not do enough to protect customers' personal information.
"The airline should have immediately informed those affected," claimed one cybersecurity expert.
The issue existed in a feature that let users search existing FOIA records.
The voter data was available for anybody to find online, according to Kromtech Security researcher Bob Diachenko.
An attempt was made to access a 5.9 million credit cards, while 1.2 million personal records were compromised, the firm admitted.
Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer testified in front of the U.K government's fake news committee.
The U.K. government is studying the effects of fake news as ex-Cambridge Analytica staffer Brittany Kaiser teased fresh revelations.
The Cambridge Analytica scandal shows Facebook users need to know which apps have their data.
Uber didn't reveal a data breach for over a year, and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro thinks the company failed his constituents.
The unidentified hacker reportedly planned the extortion-style hack—the largest data breach in Uber's history—as a way to help pay the bills for him and his mother.
A data breach at drive-in food chain Sonic compromised the security of credit cards from up to 5 million customers. Why is this still happening?
Details of up to 412 million people have been exposed following hack of "sex hookup" site Adult Friend Finder.
Officials have arrested one man on suspicion of hacking government servers.


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Alders Greenlight 87 Union
| Nov 7, 2014 9:05 am
(13) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author
Posted to: Business/ Economic Development, City Hall, Housing, Wooster Square
In a unanimous roll call vote, Board of Alders granted zoning relief to Wooster Square’s latest proposal for new apartments at its regular meeting Thursday night.
87 Union developer Noel Petra asked the city for a zoning change from a warehouse-oriented district to a central business/residential, or BD-1, zone to allow for denser, mixed-use development.
This is the final approval Petra needed.
“We would like to start building in late spring or early summer,” Petra (pictured) said Friday.
The final plan was modified after meetings with the community. Petra withdrew a request for a 3.5 floor to area ration, rather than the 3.0 he ended up with.
“We met with the community. They said, ‘We’d like it to be less dense’” and have more parking,” Petra said. “We modified our plans. We ended up with a slightly less-dense” project.
The project will replace warehouses and a plumbing supply store with a mix of studios, apartments, townhouses, and retail. Petra said Friday he expects to include 285 to 300 apartments in the final development and have storefronts line the entire length of the Olive Street portion, as well as along Union Street. The original plan called for 325 apartments.
Petra’s planned community is the second to receive zoning relief this year on the same block of the western edge of Wooster Square, connecting the neighborhood to downtown with hundreds of new homes.
Spinnaker, the developer for the first project in that immediate area, at the old Comcast building at Chapel Street between Olive and Union, applied for a similar zone change from BA to BD-1 for their parcel. That request was recommended for approval by the City Plan Commission in May and ultimately approved by the Board of Aldermen at the beginning of August.
Board of Alders President Jorge Perez abstained from the vote Thursday night because his wife works for the law firm representing the 87 Union project.
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posted by: TheMadcap on November 7, 2014 9:14am
“We met with the community. They said, ‘We’d like it to be less dense’” and have more parking,”
White liberals: we want cities to be denser and have less parking to encourage less car centric city development….........just not in our neighborhood, where am I supposed to park my car?
posted by: Anderson Scooper on November 7, 2014 9:30am
I just want to point out that despite the call for storefronts, storefronts, and more storefronts,—New Haven is already has quite a few, maybe more than we need.
What happened to the storefronts demanded as part of the Arts High School downtown? Empty! The storefronts in Yale’s Howe Street garage? Empty! Audubon Street as part of Audubon Square? Empty! The first floor office and retail at the Eli? The Temple Square commercial spaces which ultimately got converted to more movie theaters?
Personally, I don’t see any call for retail at this location, what with a sagging Wooster Street right there, and State Street a block or two away….
posted by: BenBerkowitz on November 7, 2014 9:34am
If I said “Black Liberals” and insert stereotypical statement would my comment pass go?
posted by: anonymous on November 7, 2014 9:36am
Limiting the number of apartments and calling for more parking is the elite establishment’s strategy to make housing in New Haven even more expensive. If people want the city to be more affordable, they need to rewrite zoning and eliminate all parking requirements. Let the market provide parking. Each parking space required by law means there is one less apartment that can be built for a moderate income family or senior citizen.
posted by: Pedro Soto on November 7, 2014 11:12am
What frustrates me about this push for less density is that it then opens up space for….more parking! This is one of the reasons why I am 100% on board to build as dense as possible on the city grid, ESPECIALLY is areas that are current wastelands. What is better for Wooster square, 10 new residents and a sea of parking on Union street, or 1000 new residents and relatively limited parking?
Wooster Square becomes a far more vibrant place the more people live there, especially when those people will be occupying the former wasteland dividing Wooster and downtown.
posted by: Esbey on November 7, 2014 11:54am
I will repeat my proposal for solving the parking problem in Wooster Square, and elsewhere.
Make on-street parking subject to a residential parking permit. One time only, give a neighborhood street-parking permit to every residence in the neighborhood, one per house/apartment. Make them re-sellable (with registration changed for a small fee at City Hall) so that you can sell yours to a neighbor or a newcomer. For example, a small landlord could buy a permit and offer it as a perk to a renter, or not. However, do not offer permits to the residents of new developments. Do, however, set aside an appropriate number of metered spots for shoppers and visitors.
Then, drop all parking requirements for new developments. If the developer foresees that residents will want parking, then the developer will provide parking and otherwise will not (just like a developer provides in-apartment washer-dryers if desired, or does not.)
This absolutely protects existing residents from parking problems caused by new development, while letting the market (rather than nimby-driven zoning) determine the number of new parking spaces. The undesired expensive parking spaces that zoning would have required can go instead to tax-generating apartments
posted by: Bradley on November 7, 2014 7:05pm
Sadly, I have to agree with Anderson Scooper. While having ground floor retail makes streets more lively, there simply is not much of a market for retail here. In addition to the vacancies he cites, the three newly renovated storefronts on Church St. across from Chapel Square have been vacant for months.
I also agree with Esbey’s comment, subject to the caveat that this approach won’t address the need for handicapped parking spaces generated by new developments.
posted by: Stephen Harris on November 7, 2014 7:25pm
This is great news. Don’t worry about the retail portion. Retail will find people once there’s a critical mass.
More people means more activity and money spent locally.
posted by: Bradley on November 9, 2014 7:54am
The objections of the folks in Wooster Square reflect what they perceive to be their self interest. Ditto the objections of the folks in Dwight regarding the Marriott hotel.
posted by: Jonathan Hopkins on November 10, 2014 9:58am
“What happened to the storefronts demanded as part of the Arts High School downtown?”
A highrise apartment building was proposed for the site across the street from the High School, but the market downturn in 2008 scrapped that plan. Now CenterPlan is building an apartment building, so we’ll see what effect that has on the Coop Storefronts.
“Audubon Street as part of Audubon Square?”
Think about what’s near Audubon - two enormous blocks that are population with one church and one office building (FBI). If those blocks could be developed with some housing, Audubon Court’s storefronts might activate.
The Ninth Square’s retail component was very slow to catch on for the first 20 years, now it is population with a variety of stores. Retail takes time to mature and its needs a mix of nearby residences, institutions and commercial uses.
posted by: Pedro Soto on November 10, 2014 4:28pm
The most important reason for putting in ground floor retail into as many projects as possible, is that it allows for future retail, but without it, you never will get retail.
Look at the building next to Box 63 and the retail in the Yale dorms on Elm and Broadway. Both were vacant for about 7 years, and now one has a coffee shop bistro, and the other has a Mario Batali restaurant.
Yes, it takes years to get these storefronts filled, you really only get one chance to put it in. Better to be empty and then filled in 5 years, than to preclude it entirely.
posted by: anonymous on November 10, 2014 5:15pm
As the suburbs collapse in on themselves over the next 10-20 years, this retail space will become immensely popular, as it was a century ago.
The developers should be building more of it - instead of being required to devote precious urban space to car parking (luckily, parking garages sometimes can be retrofitted into apartment or retail space).
posted by: Bradley on November 11, 2014 7:42am
Pedro, I take your point with regard to your second comment, but it is an issue of scale.No one expects the retail component of mixed use buildings to be filled immediately. But in the case of the north side of Audubon Street, the bulk of the retail spaces have been vacant for most of the past 20 years. Part of this is due to Yale’s finicky leasing policies. But a larger problem is that e-commerce is obviating the demand for bricks and mortar retail space. Much as I would like to see additional bookstores downtown, I don’t see Amazon going away any time soon.


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Opening its own brick-and-mortar retail stores could help Google sell more of its Chromebooks, Nexus tablets and other hardware, analysts said Friday, reacting to online reports that Google may soon be coming to the local shopping mall.
Facebook said Friday it had been the target of a sophisticated hacking attack but that it had no evidence any user data had been compromised.
Facebook is working hard to assure users that Graph Search, its new search engine designed to uncover all sorts of information buried within the site, does not compromise the privacy rights of minors.
Skype soft-launched a video messaging service on Friday that allows its subscribers to deliver recorded clips to Skype contacts for playback when they come online.
As jumbled news reports of what appeared to be a meteor shower over Russia trickled out of the country, some of the best views of what happened were from the dashboards of Russian cars.
Egypt's telecom regulator says it is not viable for it to follow a court order to block YouTube in the country, and is appealing the ruling.
The popular social-news site Reddit said it will now accept bitcoins, following blogging platform WordPress in embracing the four-year-old virtual currency.
Facebook has expanded its promoted posts program, allowing users to pay to highlight posts made by friends. The move, if successful, could help boost fees Facebook collects from the recently introduced service.
Facebook has scored an initial legal victory in its IPO case following a federal judge's dismissal of a group of investor lawsuits filed against the company.
Oracle is firing back hard at a recently released Forrester Research report that suggested most customers aren't interested in moving up to the vendor's next-generation Fusion Applications, which were released about a year-and-a-half ago following a ...
Samsung Electronics has launched REX, a new series of "smart feature phones" that it will sell in emerging markets.
Twitter will soon give developers the ability to filter messages by popularity and language.
Google is rolling out some enhancements to Google Now, a mobile app that gives Android users personalized information on the fly. The changes could help make the tool a bigger part of people's daily lives.
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer thinks there are problems with checking email on a smartphone, but her company is working on a solution.
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McDonald’s miffed as Thai protesters adopt Golden Arches
Anti-coup activists warned 'cease and refrain' from using the burger chain's M in the word 'democracy.'
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BANGKOK—McDonald’s is not loving it in Thailand.
The burger chain’s famous golden arches have become part of the iconography of anti-coup protests and it is warning activists to “cease and refrain” from using its trademark.
One of the McDonald’s stores in Bangkok has become a gathering place for protests following the May 22 military takeover because of its central location. Some protesters have used the McDonald’s logo in their anti-coup signs, replacing the “m” in democracy with the yellow arches.
McThai, which operates McDonald’s restaurants in Thailand, said it is maintaining a “neutral stance” amid political turbulence in the Southeast Asian kingdom famous for its ornate temples, vibrant nightlife and white sand beaches.
The company said it could take “appropriate measures” if protesters continue to appropriate its logo.
Thailand’s army seized power after six months of protests in Bangkok aimed at ousting the elected government.
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Disney Pays George Lucas $4.05 Billion for ‘Star Wars’ Franchise + ‘Star Wars Episode 7′ Coming in 2015
In a stunning announcement today, Disney said it is buying Lucasfilm Ltd., which is home to the 'Star Wars' franchise, from founder George Lucas in a deal worth $4.05 billion. And more importantly for this fan boy they announced that a new 'Star Wars' movie will be released.
'Star Wars Episode 7' will be released in 2015 with George Lucas on as a "creative consultant." Lucas said in a statement, “It’s now time for me to pass ‘Star Wars’ on to a new generation of filmmakers.”
Disney already has plans to do multiple films, according to Disney CEO Robert A. Iger, "In 2015, we’re planning to release Star Wars Episode 7 – the first feature film under the “Disney-Lucasfilm” brand. That will be followed by Episodes 8 and 9 – and our long-term plan is to release a new Star Wars feature film every two to three years."
This is great news for 'Star Wars' fans, Disney will do a great job with the franchise and bring in the right writers and directors to relaunch the franchise for a whole new generation of fans. Plus look for Disney to incorporate more 'Star Wars' themed rides and attractions into their parks.


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The Estonian delivery startup, Starship Technologies, is rolling into university campuses with its delivery robots, having launched at Northern Arizona University recently.
Starship, together with Sodexo, a provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services, launched the delivery robots at the end of March with Einstein Bros Bagels and five other campus restaurants, the company said in a statement,
Starship and Sodexo say that an extra 1,500 breakfast orders have been delivered autonomously since the two companies joined forces to debut the Starship delivery robots on the campus of George Mason University at the end of January. This follows a similar pattern seen at corporate campuses where delivery robots were added.
Northern Arizona University’s nearly 25,000 students and faculty can now use the Starship app to order food and drinks from local retailers to be delivered anywhere on campus, within minutes. Each on-demand delivery costs just $1.99 and also works in conjunction with the student meal plan. Other participating on-campus retailers include national chain Star Ginger, as well as restaurants Cobrizo Mexican Grill, Turnip the Greens, G’s NY Style Deli, and the Wedge Market and Pizza.
First time in Arizona
This also marks one of the first times that sidewalk delivery robots are operating in Arizona. The state is one of seven that have approved the operation of delivery robots.
Starship operates commercially on a daily basis around the world and its robots have traveled over 150,000 miles.
Sodexo is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 72 countries; it’s a provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organisational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily.
Cover: A Starship robot.


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National Album Day returns on Saturday 14th October14 March 2023 - Press release
Celebrating the Albums of the 90s - presented in association with official broadcast partner BBC Sounds
National Album Day returns on Saturday 14th October and this year will be themed around The 90s, following previous celebrations that included The 80s, Women in Music, and, just last year, Debut Albums. It will also help to honour 75 years of the album LP format.
Now in its sixth edition, National Album Day sees the music community come together each year to celebrate and promote the art of the album. This year’s 90s theme will look to shine a light on a profoundly rich decade for music and album making that skipped between Britpop, Trip Hop and Hip Hop; gave us national treasures Take That and global phenomenon the Spice Girls; and saw diverse genres ranging from dance, house and techno to R&B, rap and reggae and to grunge and industrial rock, among many others, rise to reach their full cultural expression – in the UK and globally.
National Album Day is again presented in association with official broadcast partner BBC Sounds, and will pay tribute to artists who tell their stories behind these significant and influential bodies of work. Artist ambassadors tied into the theme – both those that came to the fore during the 1990s and current new and emerging talent that are inspired by its music; specially reissued albums and new releases; and promotional events and other activities will be announced in due course alongside further updates.
Since its launch in 2018, NAD has been supported by a broad range of artist ambassadors, including Kylie Minogue, Joy Crookes, Sharleen Spiteri, Lewis Capaldi, Mark Ronson, La Roux, Elbow, Paloma Faith, Blossoms, Alice Cooper, Novelist, Tom Odell, Mahalia, Toyah Willcox and Jazzie B. Last year Franz Ferdinand, India Arkin, KSI, The Mysterines, Sam Ryder, and The Staves were the latest talents to add their voices as passionate advocates of the long player.
Typically benefitting from around a week-long build up, NAD has hosted a variety of activities such as listening events with album platforms including Classic Album Sundays, Pitchblack Playback, The Record Club, Tape Notes and Tim’s Twitter Listening Party; live performances; in-store artist appearances and record store promotions, street art murals; and album sleeve artwork exhibitions.
National Album Day is organised jointly by the BPI – the association of UK independent and major labels across the UK (BRIT Awards and Mercury Prize) – and ERA, the digital entertainment and retail association (Record Store Day). The event is supported across the breadth of BBC Sounds radio, TV and online channels, and is backed by the wider recorded music community, taking in UK record labels; AIM, PPL and other trade associations; independent record stores and specialist chains, such as hmv; and online retailers and digital/streaming services including Amazon, Spotify and YouTube.
Sophie Jones, BPI Chief Strategy Officer & Interim CEO, said: “So long as story-telling remains central to making great music, the album will always occupy a special place in the hearts of artists and fans alike – and the 90s were an especially rich decade for the format, with diverse genres, spanning Britpop, Hip Hop and Trip Hop among others, and brilliant artists who went onto become mainstays of our popular culture. We invite everyone with a love of the album to join us on this year’s National Album Day journey of appreciation and discovery that will highlight, as it does each year, the enduring appeal of the art of the album and celebrate a truly memorable decade of albums that are now inspiring the next generation of talent.”
Kim Bayley, Chief Executive ERA said : “With the album celebrating the iconic milestone of 75 years, it couldn’t be a more exciting time to delve into a decade so rich in musical heritage and culture. From giving birth to legendary genres to launching the careers of many much-loved artists, the 90s is a decade that continues to connect and bring joy to music lovers, young and old, to this day. We’re looking forward to not only celebrating the albums that shaped the decade but also to championing undiscovered gems and those that have inspired so many of today’s generation of artists”
Keep track of National Album Day online for regular news updates and for details of how to get involved over the coming months.
Submit news or a press release
Want to add your news or press release? Email Paul or KevinTwo week FREE trial


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Visa has no intention of extending the October fraud liability shift deadline for EMV chip cards.
The credit and debit card network will continue its rollout plan for EMV even though a majority of retailers and some banks won't be ready for it in October. That's when lagging retailers or banks will assume liability for fraudulent card use depending on who is least prepared to accept the EMV chip cards.
Many in the retailing universe have called for this deadline to be extended, but Eduardo Perez, Visa's senior VP of risk services, said there will be no delay in Visa's Oct. 1, 2015 deadline. Other networks have broadly stated that "October, 2015" is their deadline.
"Visa laid out our U.S. EMV chip roadmap in 2011 and we remain committed to that roadmap," Perez said in a video interview recorded at last week's RSA Conference. "We know that based on how we've rolled out the EMV chip in other markets that we won't see all merchants chip-enabled by the liability shift date. We are aware of that.
"We do see that over time, as the liability shift takes effect, the merchants and acquirers and issuers have a strong incentive to deploy the technology. There is no mandate to deploy the technology, and we believe that the liability shift will act, as it has acted in other markets, to incent merchants to deploy the technology."
There has been a heated debate over whether the EMV chip cards should be verified at the point-of-sale by a signature or personal identification number. "It is important to know that we provided issuers and merchants a choice on the cardholder verification method that they want to accept," Perez said. "About half of the merchants in the United States today do not accept PIN, so we want to make sure that we are providing cardholder verification methods that meet the needs of the merchant community, and a large portion of the U.S. merchant community does not accept PIN."
Secondly, Visa does not have a lost-and-stolen liability shift that merchants will be subject to. "So from their perspective, they aren't going to be subject to any liability repercussions if they don't do PIN, or if they do not wish to do PIN," Perez said. "Our goal over the long term has been to find solutions that will not cause consumers to invoke a static PIN that we know criminals covet and can be compromised. We are continuing to look for innovative ways to provide other cardholder verification methods, such as we've seen with the deployment of Apple Pay."
Consumers use their fingerprint to activate the device, which is a form of cardholder verification that does not require the cardholder or customer to put their PIN in a PIN pad.
Shoppers who can't remember their PIN at the POS present another issue. "One of the common struggles I have with any password is I forget it, so I am constantly having to reset it on any website that I go to, and we do know that is a challenge," Perez said.
Visa, along with the rest of the payments industry, is developing network solutions that manage risk at the core of the network rather than rely on individuals at the edge of the network to use things like user names, passwords and PINs that require that the retailer or other entities protect that data.
"Some of the network solutions that we have focused on from a Visa perspective are deploying enhanced analytical models that help issuers and merchants to score transactions for possible fraud," Perez said. "Those models have turned out to be very effective in helping both issuers and merchants to mitigate fraud."
Another example is geolocation. "Now that every consumer has a mobile phone in their pocket, we are trying to leverage that information so we can provide that additional data point as part of the risk scoring of the transaction," Perez said, adding that tokenization and encryption are also being implemented to improve security.
Alerts based on parameters set by the consumer can be sent as soon as a transaction is complete, providing another layer of security.
"... There are going to be a plethora of very robust solutions that are going to be provided to consumers and will continue to grow and expand and help consumers to better manage risk, while empowering them as well," Perez said.
The importance of pushing back the EMV fraud liability shift deadline
Banks worried that retailers won't be ready for EMV
Many banks won't be fully ready for October EMV deadline
Card issuers ramp up for EMV, retailers lag
EMV cards to see heavy use by year's end


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We have reported many times that the new Apple TV is getting an App Store. The new A8-powered box combined with a revamped software interface will enable developers to make apps and games for the new hardware, set to be announced at tomorrow’s iPhone 6S/Apple TV/iPad event. TechCrunch is reporting, via sources, that Periscope, the video live streaming app for iPhone and Android, is working with Apple in advance of the unveiling to create a custom Periscope app for the new Apple TV.
Although we can’t confirm the report, it does seem like a natural fit for a TV app. Akin to a live YouTube, you can imagine users opening Periscope on the Apple TV and browsing live streams from users. Periscope is also owned by Twitter, a company known to have a close relationship to Apple. This makes it a logical fit for Apple to partner with ahead of the announcement. Unfortunately, the TechCrunch piece is lacking in detail but there is a chance we could see Periscope demoed on stage tomorrow. Apple will want to evangelize the Apple TV platform to developers as well as advertising to customers, so some number of app demos for the Apple TV 4 are almost a given. We would expect Apple to show off at least one demo of a game running on the new hardware as well.
Apple’s Hey Siri event starts at 10 AM PT tomorrow. The event will feature the announcement of the new iPhone 6S / iPhone 6S Plus, new iPads, Apple Watch accessories, iOS 9 details as well as the unveiling of the brand new Apple TV product. Read all about the event in our roundup.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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Wright Medical Technology has agreed to pay a $240 million settlement to resolve most of the lawsuits involving their metal-on-metal hip replacements.
Keyless ignitions are convenient, and not just for car-owners. Thieves "hack" wireless keys to effortlessly break inside. It is a big problem — about 100 million cars are vulnerable.
A woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using Johnson's Baby Powder on her genitals for 45 years has been awarded $70 million by a jury in St. Louis Circuit Court.
A jury in California has awarded over $18 million to a man who was diagnosed with mesothelioma after exposure to talcum powder in cosmetic products.
Volkswagen pays the largest consumer class action settlement in U.S. history for selling diesels that cheat emissions tests and emit high levels of smog on the road.
Mylan N.V., maker of the EpiPen Auto Injector, is facing tough questions from lawmakers over a massive price increase for the potentially life-saving allergy treatment.


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Summer travel inarguably looks different this summer, and the latest report from Expedia.com sheds light on the emerging priorities and behaviors of Americans looking to get away. Leveraging search and demand data and a national poll of 1,000+ Americans, results from the report include:
- 85 percent of U.S. travelers are likely to take a road trip this summer
- Interest in domestic summer stays is up 10 percent year-on-year, making up nearly 85 percent of hotel searches overall in June
- Demand for staycations is on the rise
- Flexibility is key: 97 percent of stays booked in June were refundable rates, up nearly 20 percent year-on-year
- Health and safety, avoiding crowds prioritized over price
“People miss travel, they have vacation days to use and they also want to stay safe,” says Senior Director of PR and Social for Expedia.com, Nisreene Atassi. “Given how quickly the advice and restrictions are changing, one of our main priorities at Expedia is making sure our customers have the information they need to navigate this summer travel season.”
Read on for more insights and tips from the Expedia 2020 Summer Travel Report.
Summer travelers staying closer to home
Traveling within the U.S. is always a popular option for Americans, but international travel restrictions coupled with health and safety uncertainty has led to a 10 percent increase in domestic summer travel searches, according to data from Expedia.com.1 Nearly 85 percent of hotel searches on the site in June were for accommodations located within the U.S. Furthermore, about a quarter of June bookings were for same-state stays, a slight increase from last year.
Last-minute getaways are also on the rise, with more travelers booking trips 0-7 days out this summer than in previous years.
“While the desire to get away is still going strong for many of us, how and where we’re choosing to go this summer looks different,” says Atassi. “Beaches and national parks remain popular, but more Americans are choosing destinations that are closer to home and drivable, versus going somewhere more exotic. Interestingly, we’ve seen that travelers are making these plans at the last minute. Things are so unpredictable right now with COVID-19, so it’s possible that travelers feel more comfortable making travel plans for the near future vs. planning too far ahead.”
Safety first: road trips seen as the safest way to get away this summer
According to a recent survey of 1,000 Americans commissioned by Expedia2, 85 percent say they’re planning or likely to go on a road trip this summer, driven primarily by the need for a change of scenery (43%) and the desire to enjoy the outdoors (36%).
As travelers venture away from home and destinations open back up to tourism, health and safety takes priority over price when trip-planning. 72 percent of survey respondents said they’re opting for a road trip this summer because it feels safer than flying, and more people listed health and safety (72%) and avoiding crowds (68%) as top concerns over budget (60%). In response to these concerns, the industry is rolling out new sanitation measures to help minimize risks. Expedia displays these hygiene amenities on the site so travelers can feel comfortable leaving home; they’ll know whether a hotel property has enhanced cleaning processes or if an airline requires passengers to wear face masks.
Travelers can also message their hotel or vacation rental right from the Expedia mobile app and ask for more info on their policies, request special arrangements or check whether certain amenities like the pool or spa are going to be open.
With so much uncertainty impacting vacation plans this year, many travelers are opting for plans that can be easily adjusted, canceled or rescheduled. Expedia data1 shows 97 percent of hotel stays booked in June were refundable rates, a 20 percent increase from the year prior.
To make it easier to search for flexible options, Expedia lets travelers filter by hotels that offer free cancellation and airlines that are waiving any change fees for future bookings.
“People often choose non-refundable rates because they’re generally cheaper, but with so many destinations eager to welcome back tourists it’s more realistic than ever to find a great value without having to sacrifice flexibility,” says Atassi.
Planning tips and tricks
Survey respondents2 weighed in with their top advice and considerations for those planning a summer road trip:
- Have a plan. Thinking about where to stop for gas, how long to drive each day and what time of day to drive through a town are all aspects of a road trip to map out in advance.
- Know where to stay. If you’re among the 52 percent of travelers staying in hotels & motels this summer, make sure to research ahead of time or inquire about specific policies such as whether the property will have decreased occupancy. Other accommodation types people will most likely opt for on a road trip this summer include staying with friends/family (31%), vacation rentals (28%) and camping (24%).
- Do vehicle maintenance. Car trouble, especially with kids or pets in the mix, is rarely a fun experience. When planning a road trip, have your car serviced or inspected before leaving. Alternately, rent a car with better gas mileage or more space. Bundling a hotel and car rental on Expedia.com can also mean hundreds in trip savings.
- Download apps. Whether it’s a kid-friendly game or navigation, it’s a good idea to download any apps you’ll need before hitting the road. The Expedia mobile app is a great resource for summer trip planning, for finding flexible, last-minute travel deals and keeping track of your trip while on-the-go.
- Remember to bring cash. Tolls, cash-only services and tipping are just a few things you might need money for during a road trip.
- Pack the essentials. In addition to clothing and toiletries, road trippers advise bringing snacks, an emergency kit, cleaning/sanitary products, valid documents (ID and insurance card) and a spare car key.
For more information and inspiration on trip planning, check out the Expedia Viewfinder Blog.


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Four years ago Burnt Crumbs’ spaghetti grilled cheese sandwich went viral on Instagram, leading to high-profile media attention from the Travel Channel and other outlets. But in April its owners were forced to shutter restaurants in the wake of the novel coronavirus crisis.
Its Irvine locations came back and now the Huntington Beach Burnt Crumbs in Pacific City has been resurrected. On May 16, the restaurant reopened weekends only for takeout serving its signature sandwiches, salads and fries.
Find it: 21058 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, 714- 374-0777, burntcrumbs.com.
Open: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.


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The first Endless Eight Haruhi DVD sales figures are in, and the news isn’t good. In its first week, the first Endless Eight volume chalked up 14,104 sales. By comparison, the Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody DVD sold 26,265 copies in its first week, meaning Haruhi DVD sales have dropped by around 54% as a result of Endless Eight. Overall, this places Haruhi third on the DVD sales charts for this week, albeit against other weak contenders like Hetalia, Prince of Tennis and Queen’s Blade.
So what does this mean for Haruhi’s future? Well, the franchise certainly isn’t dead; it is, however, a shadow of its former self. Sales figures from 2006 reveal that Haruhi DVDs used to sell between 28,000 and 38,000 copies in their first week; the E8 sales are less than half of that. It is almost certain that another Haruhi season will be animated; however without significant advertising or DVD sales revenue from the current “season”, this means Kyoani has less money to work with for future seasons. Unfortunately, this could mean that the next Haruhi’s production values will be significantly lower.
Back in 2006, Kadokawa marketing director Takafumi Ishibashi claimed that “Haruhi could become Kadokawa’s big pillar like Bandai’s Gundam series.” At this rate, that prediction very well might wind up being Haruhi’s famous last words.


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What if China or Canada Became 51st State?
We have about a $200 billion annual trade deficit with China for goods and services. American consumers and businesses buy about $275 billion of Chinese goods per year and the Chinese buy about $75 billion of goods from the U.S. There is a lot of angst, hand-wringing and concern about our overall trade deficit ($750 billion for 2006) with the rest of the world, and a lot of specific concern about our $200 billion trade deficit with China. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will visit China this week to discuss trade issues.
Think about this simple thought experiment, and for the moment ignore any of the cultural and political implications. Suppose that in 2007, China became the 51st state of the United States. In that case, the $200 billion trade deficit would suddenly disappear. If that is too hard to imagine, assume that Canada became the 51st state in the United States - our $75 billion annual trade deficit with Canada would immediately disappear.
How could the trade deficits with Canada or China be considered a concern or problem now, when those trade deficits would disappear if Canada or China were one of our states? If you're not convinced, when is the last time you heard any concern or hand-wringing about any trade imbalances or trade deficits between two states like Michigan and Arizona?
No doubt, Michigan exports a lot more merchandise (motor vehicles) to Arizona, than Michigan imports from Arizona, leading to a "trade imbalance" between those two states. Michigan probably has a trade surplus with Arizona, and Arizona has a trade deficit with Michigan. Who cares? Nobody. What difference does it make? None.


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Is Flavored Nicotine Banned in 2021?
The United States is one of the largest consumers of nicotine products all around the globe. According to reports 15.1% of adults of the total U.S. adult population smoke cigarettes every day. That is why it is not a shock why flavored nicotine products have gained huge popularity in the country. Flavored nicotine is generally used in Hookah and Shisha which differs from the tobacco in cigarettes and cigars. Flavored nicotine is often used to mask the heavy smoke and flavor of tobacco.
Flavored nicotine products are prominently used in Hookah and Shisha, the popularity of Hookah has increased among the young minds of the country with each passing day, and the reason is its mass acceptance. This is less harmful when compared with cigarettes and vapes as Hookah filters the smoke passing it through cool water, and eventually reduces the burning of smoke and gives the taste of the flavored nicotine.
Over the years, there has been quite a debate on banning flavored nicotine products, here’s a slight history of the events.
FDA Banned Flavours:
In 2009, FDA was authorized to control tobacco products with the Tobacco Control Act, flavors namely vanilla, strawberry, and cinnamon were banned due to their immense craze in between the youths. Though products such as hookah, cigars, e-cigarettes were available in the market for sale.
Over the years, FDA has always looked forward to initiating a complete ban on tobacco products that affect the youth. Recently California issued a ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products, but it was later put on hold.
Back in November 2019, Massachusetts emerged as one of the first states to completely ban the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine vapor products. The bill was signed by Republican Gov. Charlie Barker and got into effect straight away.
The new law came intending to reduce the amount of appeal of these flavored tobacco products to young minds after a wave of illness and deaths was recorded relating them to vaping and e-cigarette issues.
Anti-Tobacco groups came in support of the initiative that resulted in the restriction of the sale and consumption of flavored tobacco products.
Back in 2020, states including Michigan, Montana, New York, Massachusetts, Utah, etc, stood up and imposed a temporary ban and restricted the sale of vaping products.
But later, Massachusetts became the first state to put a permanent ban on all tobacco and nicotine flavored products. This new law restricted the humongous sale of tobacco products in licensed smoking bars, and they were only allowed to be consumed in the licensed site.
The restriction extends to menthol cigarettes and flavored e-cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, and chewing tobacco. It also sets a special 75% tax on nicotine vaping products and gives public health officials new authority to regulate the products.
What Are The Benefits Of Flavored Tobacco Products:
Flavored tobacco products also have benefited some adult smokers to switch from cigarettes to less harmful nicotine products. FDA has also reported that in some cases, flavored nicotine products have helped people to quit cigarettes. FDA also found a shred of scientific evidence for the conversion of adult cigarette smokers.
Flavored nicotine products used in Hookah and Shisha produce less tar, as they pass through a bowl of water which filters the smoke extremely. The device works with burning charcoal that burns the flavored tobacco and heats up the water. The smoke generated by the charcoal moves through water as it gets filtered and ends up in our lungs through the mouthpiece.
It is also important to choose the right tobacco for your hookah. Sometimes these flavored cigars contain up to twice as much nicotine as conventional tobacco. Although in return there are some that do not include this substance among their main ingredients.
Are Flavored Tobacco Products Banned In 2021?
We can certainly conclude that flavored tobacco products are not banned in 2021. In 2016, FDA speared an extension on its regulatory authority and started covering all tobacco products. There are several places in the country where you might find it difficult to get flavored tobacco products though they are not banned yet. The Federal government has given each state the authority to restrict the sale of flavored nicotine products on their own means.
With such conservative restrictions, only quite a few places in the U.S. have smoke-free laws, and buying flavored nicotine products has become a huge headache in some parts of the country, though it has not been banned on a national level.
This is where an online e-commerce website landed and changed the whole narrative of selling nicotine products. You can order them online through https://www.ticktockhookah.com.
How Can You Still Buy Them?
Tons of regulations and a pile of restrictions resulted in a huge downfall in the flavored nicotine products industry, and it resulted in a huge crash. But now, virtual stores like Tick Tock Hookah, have been providing people the products they seek and reviving the industry at their best.
These online stores are 24*7 open unlike the local stores, and you can place your order almost any time of the day. They are easy to access and guarantee a huge variety of products to give you a large space for preference.
In North America, individuals with center eastern foundations are more into getting to hookah smoking since they have or seen their relatives utilizing it at home or when they go back to visit. Yet, with the prevalence of hookah lounges springing up in numerous corners in metropolitan urban areas, I could securely say that nearly everybody understands what a hookah is, or possibly attempted it.
Hookah is generally famous among individuals for its different sorts of flavors. Certain flavors are all-inclusive in their prevalence. Regardless of where you visit, you can discover these flavors there with no obstacles.


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US Mint Shuts Down New York Production Facility
With all of the economic chaos and uncertainty spurred by the government lockdowns in response to coronavirus, the demand for physical gold and physical silver has skyrocketed. That has put a significant squeeze on the supply of gold bullion products.
That squeeze is about to get tighter.
The US Mint has temporarily shut down production at its West Point facility in New York due to the COVID-19 risk to its employees. Mint director David Ryder said in a statement, “The safety of the mint workforce is unwavering and continues to be my highest priority.”
There is no timeline for the shutdown. According to the statement, the mint will resume production “once it is deemed prudent to do so.”
The US Mint sold out of American Silver Eagle coins last month. Meanwhile, demand for American Gold Eagles surged to the highest level in three years. According to sales data, the US Mint sold 56,500 one-ounce American Gold Eagles in the first two weeks of April. Sales for the month were up 465% compared to April 2019.
A Florida coin dealer told Bloomberg, “The timing is awful.”
It’s going to exacerbate the supply shortage in the coin market when demand is soaring.”
The shutdown of the West Point facility will not completely halt production. The US Mint’s Philadelphia facility will remain in operation.
A US Mint spokesperson told Bloomberg that during the temporary suspension of operations at the West Point facility, it will continue to make American Eagle and America the Beautiful silver bullion coins available to its network of authorized purchasers. American Eagle and American Buffalo gold coins will not be available.
This does not mean US Mint coins will be completely unavailable. Contact a SchiffGold precious metals specialist for the availability of previously minted coins. Call 1-888-GOLD-160 or email firstname.lastname@example.org.


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ThisDay Style has unveiled its Nollywood’s Best Dressed list on the cover of its latest issue and it’s got tongues wagging!
Over the weekend, the fashion magazine revealed their list of the best-dressed actors and actresses in Nollywood on its cover. All in their 2016 AMVCA red carpet finery, the list includes: RMD, Genevieve Nnaji, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Dakore Akande, Stephanie Linus, Rita Dominic, Caroline Danjuma, Dolapo Oni, Osas Ajibade, Alexx Ekubo, Oc Ukeje, Chris Attoh, Lilian Franklin, Ik Ogbonna and Beverly Naya.
Do you agree?
Leave your views in comments box below.


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Technology giants such as Samsung, Microsoft, Google and maybe even Apple are just now realizing there may be a future in wearables, but other tech companies have already been dabbling in smartwatches for some time now. Sony is one example, having recently released its second-generation “SmartWatch 2″ in Europe and Asia, and Sony on Tuesday announced that its new wrist-worn computer is now available in the U.S. The SmartWatch 2 is the first smartwatch on the planet to include water resistance, dust resistance and NFC, and it also features a solid build thanks to its aluminum case and silicon strap. The device works with most moderns smartphones — unlike Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, which only works with one for the time being — and it costs $199.95 from Sony’s online store.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is a business advisor and technology consultant. He helps Fortune 500 companies with digital transformation, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn's Top Voice in Technology, he is the co-host of "Think About This with Shelly Palmer & Ross Martin." He covers tech and business for Good Day New York, writes a weekly column for Adweek, is a regular commentator on CNN and CNBC, and writes a popular daily business blog. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.


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Staff at the Tesco store in Bridlington are appealing for community groups to come forward and bag a sizeable cash injection.
The retailer’s Bags of Help scheme sees grants of up to £4,000 being awarded to community projects.
Local groups and charities can apply for funding, while Tesco customers and colleagues can also nominate projects they’d like to see receive some cash.
Lindsey Crompton, head of community at Tesco, said: “The money raised from our customers buying bags is making a big difference and millions have been invested on local projects in the UK.”
To nominate a group just ask in store for more information or visit the Bags of Help website visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp/.


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On June 3, 2022, the New York State House of Assembly passed a bill titled ‘Puppy Mill Pipeline‘ to prevent pet stores and other third parties from selling cats and other pets in the state.
The bill awaits a signature from Governor Kathy Hochul, after which it will take effect throughout the state.
Several animal welfare advocates greeted the bill’s progress with enthusiasm, stating that it would end the circulation of pets produced by mill factories in New York.
According to Matt Bershadker, president and CEO of the American Society For Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the bill will finally end the sale of cruelly bred dogs and cats in pet shops across New York state, which has one of the country’s highest concentration of pet stores that sell kittens and puppies.
Like other pet mills, Kitten mills are facilities set up to produce pet animals commercially. The conditions are often unsanitary, as they operate without licenses.
As stated above, a typical feature of most kitten mills is the lack of attention to the pets’ health and sanitation.
Since most pet mills attempt to cut costs in mass-producing the animals, they leave the breeders and their offspring in unhygienic conditions.
The unclean environment allows for microbial growth, which causes diseases in both adult and young animals. This explains the agitation for prohibiting pet mills across the country.
In agreement, Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, who proposed and sponsored the bill stated that ‘Puppy, kitty, and bunny mills use and abuse animals to churn out pets for sale, which are often riddled with congenital diseases that cost unsuspecting consumers hundreds or thousands of dollars in veterinary bills and incalculable emotional stress.’
Instead of getting cats from mills for sale, pet stores will partner with animal shelters and rescue homes to advertise cats for adoption.
This move aims to reduce the population of poorly bred cats. Maureen Linehan from ASPCA stated that most mills from outside the state sell their cats as healthy, well-bred ones through intermediaries.
Considering the numerous pet stores in New York, the market for such cats is quite vast.
The bill doesn’t restrict the sale of cats within New York. It only prohibits the involvement of intermediaries, like stores, in selling these pets.
In that case, only breeders will be allowed to sell cats to their prospective owners. Also, the bill covers only cats, dogs, and rabbits, commonly sold in the state.
READ MORE: Pros and Cons of Getting a Second Cat
Consistent with ongoing animal rights agitation, the bill targets pet stores that get their puppies from mill breeders outside New York.
While the mill operations are outside of the state’s control, their market within the state will be significantly reduced due to the bill.
Rosenthal said as much as she expressed that the bill will ‘place a dent in the puppy-mill-to-pet-store pipeline.’
David Ceely, executive director at the Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoption Center, agreed that the bill is long overdue, stating that it was a massive plus to the clamor for animal rights.
Among the animal welfare organizations who rejoiced over the bill were the New York State Animal Protection Federation (NYSAPF), the Voters For Animal Rights (VFAR), and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, who co-sponsored the bill, added, ‘our four-legged companions should be treated with respect and not like commodities.’
While the bill attracted so much support, opposing parties like the pet store owners expressed their displeasure on the subject.
Selmer’s Pet Land owner in Huntington Station said that her business benefited greatly from selling pets, and the bill will put it out of business.’
Similarly, the American Kennel club disagreed with the Puppy Mill Pipeline bill. Consistent with their regular stance on pet sale bans, they argued the bill was ‘anti-breeder’ and posed a challenge to the consumers in the pet market.
If Governor Kathy Hochul signs the bill into law, New York will be the sixth state in the US to place a ban on cat retail sales within its territory.
California was the first American state to pass such a bill in 2017. Other states that have followed similar trends include Maryland, Washington, and Illinois.
Originally published here: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-york-lawmakers-pass-groundbreaking-bill-to-end-the-retail-sale-of-dogs-cats-and-rabbits-in-pet-stores-301561312.html
Olfa knows how to get things done and has a keen business sense that others admire. She’s always on the go, coming up with new ideas! Her ability to anticipate the needs of her readers and deliver information that they want is what makes CatVills such a success. She loves cuddling her cat Picaciu. He is her inspiration.


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OUYA, the $99 Android games console that started dev shipping in the US at the very end of last year, will be available in the UK from March.
The final price of the Ouya is also reported to be £99, which is more expensive than the console's US price of $99 (about £61/€75). The device raised $8.6 million from Kickstarter last year, making it one of the most successful crowdfunded projects to date, which fed in to the publicity of the device.
It now seems the money they raised in fund raising will go partly towards developing upgraded devices. The 3D version will offer stereoscopic gaming on a compatible 3DTV.
Currently, the OUYA website says pre-orders will ship in April, but it seems there will be enough stock to get them into customers' hands sooner. Order on their website to recieve an OUYA including a games controller.


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Following renderings and teasers, this week RED shares official images of its much-anticipated Hydrogen One smartphone. The device boasts a holographic display, carbon fiber detailing, and rugged edges, all while featuring a modular design that allows for bolt-on accessories.
The Hydrogen One was originally scheduled to release in August, but has since been pushed back until November 2. Pre-orders will ship on October 9.
Retailing for $1,295, the phone comes in black and shadow, available for AT&T, Verizon, and Telcel users. It’s also worthy of note that a titanium version is due to arrive in 2019.
Red Hydrogen One Brief Description
Red, a cinematography camera manufacturing company has announced that they are launching a brand new smartphone called the RED Hydrogen One. The highlight of this phone is that it offers a 3D holographic experience without glasses. It is likely to sport a 5.7-inch display that will feature nanotechnology, that will seamlessly switch between 2D traditional content, 3D content, holographic multi view content and interactive games. It will run Android OS that will be embedded with H3O algorithm that will convert stereo sound to multi dimensional sound for 3D viewing. It is expected to sport a dual camera set up at the back. Red Hydrogen One will come in two models: Aluminum and Titanium.
Red Hydrogen One is expected to run on Android. The phone in all probability will have a 5.7 inch screen.
Red Hydrogen One Specification
Unofficial rumoured specifications. Product image for illustrative purposes.
- Manufacturer- Red
- Model- Hydrogen One
- Launch date (global)- 30-08-2018
- Operating system- Android
- Type- Smartphone
- Status- Announced
- Product Name- Red Hydrogen One
After getting an official look at the impressive Hydrogen One from RED, be sure to his us with your thoughts in the comments.
Disclaimer – We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct, these are rumoured specifications. If you think that any information for the current product is wrong or missing.


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Vive Digital has rebranded to Vive Digital Consulting shifting its focus to healthcare, medical, and wellness marketing on the web to address and meet growing passion and expertise in the healthcare, medical, and wellness industry within and without the country.
“We believe that leveraging the power of digital marketing can significantly improve access to quality healthcare services within our community and deliver steady growth to our partners,” Aduma Mutiva, the Founder of Vive Digital Consulting said.
According to Aduma, for at least 5 years, they have witnessed the transformative potential of digital marketing across various industries but the team has been particularly drawn to the impact it can have in the healthcare sector.
“Moving forward, we are putting together our best efforts and resources towards healthcare, medical, and wellness marketing on the web for mutual benefit of the Kenyan population and healthcare professionals,” he added.
A statement on Vive Digital Consulting’s website indicates during their period of service they have enabled their existing partners to achieve; increased brand awareness and patient reach, cost-effective marketing solutions, and improved patient engagement and access.
Aduma said his team is confident that this rebranding will allow them to continue delivering exceptional services while making a more significant impact on the healthcare landscape in Kenya.
“We remain committed to providing innovative, data-driven digital marketing solutions that empower our partners to achieve their goals and serve their communities effectively,” he reiterated.
Related Content: Top 10 PR Agencies In Kenya And What Makes Them Tick


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There are a lot of commercial applications to explore in the world of VR technology. Expedia, a globally renowned travel company, is currently looking into incorporating this technology. In doing so, the company will effectively let clients “try before they buy” when it comes to booking a tour of Mexico’s cenote pools.
Expedia Takes a VR Gamble
In the world of traveling, visiting exotic locations is something a lot of people look forward to. Unfortunately, there is an increase in travel packages being offered which do not meet clients’ expectations. Expedia acknowledges being more transparent in this regard is never a bad idea. Their new VR venture aims to give clients a better idea of what they can expect exactly.
More specifically, the travel agency is offering trips to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Once the travelers arrive, they can swim in the cenote pools which played an increasing role of importance in the Mayan culture. By bringing this experience to virtual reality, users can see what they can expect from booking this trip exactly. It is an in-house developed solution by ExpediaLabs, the company’s travel tech exploration outfit.
Expedia explains this VR venture as follows:
“We’re continuing to experiment in the virtual reality space to make travel more personalized and inspire customers to book their next trip. ExpediaLabs has created unique VR experiences, and we’re stoked to let travelers explore the world through these immersive experiences.”
Interested parties can check out the Expedia Cenotes VR experience through the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Anyone who views the VR experience to the end can receive a $10 discount on their physical travel, which costs $79 per person. It is not the first time Expedia showed an interest in virtual reality, even though former CEO Dara Khosrowshahi was never a fan of this technology. Instead, the CEO hoped VR in travel failed because it could end up costing Expedia clients.
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County Show: ‘Something is wrong when a bottle of water costs more than four pints of milk’
Meurig Raymond, who was elected last year, spoke in the NFU tent and headed a forum, discussing the challenges currently facing farmers.
He acknowledged “the perfect storm” in the industry with falling milk, lamb and grain prices and thanked the organisations including the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution that are helping farmers in distress.
The collapse in prices has been caused by several factors including trade sanctions, a slow down in the Chinese economy and the strengthening of the pound against the Euro.
And Mr Raymond criticised the marketing policy of some retailers. He said: “Major retailers are using bread and milk as loss leaders to get footfall into the shops. This devalues the products and that culture needs to change.
“We need longer term contracts. In the milk sector, did any of us ever dream we would see some farmers receive as little as 14p or 15p per litre?”
He said these sort of prices were unsustainable when farmers need at the very least 28p to 29p to cover the cost of production and give a small profit, and that ideally it needs to be lifted to 32p per litre.
A round of applause filled the tent when he said: “There is something very wrong in society when a bottle of water costs more than four pints of milk.”
Mr Raymond said the NFU is working with the government and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Liz Truss has set up a working group to look at contracts across the whole industry.
Mr Raymond said: “The market mechanisms around milk need to change otherwise there will be a lot of big decisions made by milk farmers between now and Christmas.”
Mr Raymond said that the crisis in agriculture affects not only farmers, but many others who work in affilitated industries, supplying machinery and inputs to farms.
He said: “My message to government is that agriculture and food production is the biggest industry in the UK. If you want to grow the rural economy you have to have profitable agriculture.”
Mr Raymond said he will argue for better labelling to promote British food, the Single Farm Payment to be paid promptly without delays and longer term contracts.
Mr Raymond also said, with the EU referendum expected next year, the NFU is currently looking at the advantages and disadvantages of being in the European Union, and will publish the results to members when the exercise is completed.
Mr Raymond farms 3,400 acres in Pembrokeshire with his twin brother, their wives, his eldest son and nephew.
The farm grows combinable crops and potatoes and has 620 dairy cows, 600 head of beef cattle and about 2,500 store lambs.During the week Mr Raymond lives in London, Brussels or Stoneleigh in Warwickshire, home of the NFU HQ.
He said: “I am very fortunate, I have a good team around me. I live out of a suitcase during the week.
“I consider it a privilege to be at Bucks County Show and to present some of the prizes to what is the very best in British farming.”


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Consumer Products International Works With Product Manufacturers to Launch New Products
CVS may seem to be all about health, but it carries many consumer goods in its 9,900 stores.
“CVS was already a major retailer when I visited its national headquarters at Woonsocket, Rhode Island,” said Mitch Gould, founder and CEO of Consumer Products International, a global brand management firm based in Boca Raton, FL. “Now, CVS has locations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, as well as 1,100 MinuteClinics where 50 million patients receive medical care.
CVS also operates 26 specialty pharmacies, along with more than 68,000 retail network pharmacies at various locations.
“CVS is always adding new services and products to meet the changing needs of American consumers, most of whom live within five miles of CVS locations,” he added.
Gould said one of the highlights of his career has been visiting the national headquarters of iconic retailers, such as CVS, Walmart, Target, and Walgreens,” he said. “The leading retailers are always innovating.”
During his decades-long career, Gould has represented organizations such as Igloo, Rubbermaid, Sunbeam, Remington, Chapin, Paramount, Miracle-Gro, Native Remedies, Flora Health, Steven Seagal’s Lightning Bolt, Body Basix, and Hulk Hogan’s extreme energy granules.
“You could say I’ve been in retail all my life. My father and grandfather were retail professionals,” he said. “Since I’ve seen so many product manufacturers launch new products, I realized the challenges they faced, some of which they could not overcome.”
To help streamline product launches, Gould developed his ‘Evolution of Distribution’ platform, which brings all the needed professional services together under CPI command.
“CPI and its sister company, InDistribution Media, provide sales, marketing, and operational expertise,” Gould said. “With my ‘Evolution of Distribution’ platform, we coordinate all aspects of the product launch.
For more information, visit consumerproductsintl.com.
MORE ON CPI AND ITS FOUNDER
Consumer Products International specializes in helping companies to launch and market new and existing products throughout the United States. CPI works closely with brand developers, manufacturers, and retail outlets to ensure a smooth transition from product launch through consumer purchase.
Mitch Gould, a global marketing guru, has represented icons from the sports and entertainment worlds such as Steven Seagal, Hulk Hogan, Ronnie Coleman, Roberto Clemente Jr., Chuck Liddell, and Wayne Gretzky.


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U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate why produce-grower prices have stayed stagnant or declined while prices have increased along the supply chain.
With the apple industry racked by trade troubles, U.S. Agricultural Trade Under Secretary Ted McKinney had a tough audience when he spoke Aug. 23 at the U.S. Apple Association Marketing and Outlook Conference.
CHICAGO — The U.S. Apple Association estimate for the 2019 crop is forecast at 247.76 million (42-pound) cartons, 2.2% lower than the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s estimate of 253.09 million cartons.


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Face mask policy: Tesco, Asda and M&S update shopping rules as restrictions change
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Wearing a face mask when out in public is now second nature to many Britons. Marks & Spencer has issued new guidance as shopping rules change in some parts of the UK. What are the rules in Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s?
Face masks have gradually become compulsory in more places as the coronavirus crisis has continued.
Since July 10, covering up in shops has been a requirement in Scotland.
Shoppers in England have needed to wear a face covering since July 24.
Those in Northern Ireland have also had new face mask rules introduced this week which means wearing a mask is compulsory in stores.
Marks & Spencer
The retailer has responded to the change and given new advice to those shopping in retail stores and M&S Foodhalls.
A statement said: “From 10 August, it became mandatory for customers in Northern Ireland to wear face coverings in shops, as is already the case in England and Scotland (with the exception of young children or people with certain health conditions).
“Where it is mandatory we would ask all customers to follow this, unless they have a health condition that exempts them. Where government guidance is that M&S colleagues should wear face coverings (for example in Scotland), they will do so.
“As with customers, the government has made exemptions for some colleagues.”
The retailer also explained customers at M&S cafés do not have to wear a mask when dining in.
In parts of the UK where masks are compulsory, there are signs placed at the front of stores to remind customers of the rules.
Packs of face masks will also be available at the front of stores that can be opened when entering the store and purchased later.
Posting on Twitter, Tesco said: “To help keep you and our colleagues safe in-store and reflect the latest government guidance, customers will be required to wear face coverings while shopping from Friday, 24 July.
“Face coverings will be available to purchase in-store and online.”
The supermarket chain will continue to update policy in line with advice from the government.
A statement said: “Throughout the pandemic our customers have embraced many new rules to help keep everyone safe in our stores, and we are confident they will continue to show care and consideration for each other by wearing a face covering when they visit our stores.
“Whilst we will do all we can to strongly encourage customers to wear a face covering inside our stores, it is the responsibility of the relevant authorities to police and enforce the new rules.”
Sainsbury’s has said it will not challenge customers who do not wear a mask in stores.
Responding to a post on Twitter, it said shoppers were trusted to cover up if they could.
The post read: “We won’t be challenging customers without a mask when they enter or when they are in store since they may have a reason not to wear a mask.”
However, it is still following government advice and those who are able to wear a covering should do so.
Source: Read Full Article


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In an article on automotive innovations at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Bloomberg’s Ian King and Edward Ludlow wrote, “This year, the…show is embracing an increasingly valuable byproduct of all this activity: data.” While they were referencing the growing connectivity of cars and the auto industry’s opportunities to monetize this information, the statement can be applied to CES 2020 more broadly.
This year’s innovations include the Vision S, Sony’s autonomous vehicle featuring 360° audio and a panoramic dash; RollBot, Charmin’s Bluetooth-enabled toilet paper fetching robot; and Alexa-enabled bicycle helmets. While these are certainly consumer-focused products, they are possible only because of the enterprise-grade technology that powers them.
As such, Bill Detwiler points to a key CES 2020 trend being that “the three big enterprise technologies that actually put the smarts in all those smart TVs, smart home gadgets, and smart health devices on the show floor—analytics, artificial intelligence, and the cloud. Whether you’re a CIO, IT worker, developer, or business professional, we all need to understand how these technologies are being used in consumer products and how they will affect our companies, our communities, and our careers.”
The prominent role of data analytics at CES underscores how critical it is to apply intelligence at the edge. As the consumer and business worlds alike become increasingly reliant on IoT, organizations need the ability to derive insights and act on edge data in real time. Or as SiliconANGLE’s Mark Albertson summarized in his CES coverage, “A consequence of the need for AI at the device level is the growing demand for processing at the edge.” That’s why companies looking to capitalize on connected devices for competitive advantage need to first modernize their approach to analytics.
Consumers are likely years away from riding in the Vision S or availing of the RollBot’s convenience. And as NPR’s Shannon Bond states, “…that’s what much of CES is about: glimpsing the future of technology.”But for enterprise companies, that future is now in the form of harnessing the power of IoT through edge analytics. For more on the importance of applying intelligence at the edge, check out previous APEX of Innovation posts here and here.


text: First thanks to are own @SnapDragon NY on for posting this here at http://vapingunderground.com/thread...-enablers-lurking.447800/page-38#post-2623551 Sorce: https://www.caixinglobal.com/2019-1...ling-e-cigarettes-to-us-buyers-101469276.html Snip Two of the biggest Chinese e-commerce giants said they will stop selling e-cigarette and accessory products to U.S. buyers amid a proposed ban on certain flavored vaping products after rising lung injury cases associated with vaping. Alibaba Group said Wednesday that starting Oct. 10 listings for vaping products will not be displayed for U.S. users and orders from U.S. buyers will be blocked. JD.com Inc. announced a similar move, saying any shipping of vaping products to the U.S. will be suspended, according to a Chinese media report. Vaping products have been linked to a deadly lung illness that is reported to have led to 18 deaths as of Oct. 1, with 1,080 confirmed and probable cases of the lung injury, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. President Donald Trump recently called for the Food and Drug Administration to ban all non-tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes from the market. Edit : possible connection found by me https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...tm_campaign=newsletter_axiosvitals&stream=top snip U.S. e-cigarettes maker Juul Labs Inc, which faces a widening crackdown on vaping at home, has entered China, with online storefronts on e-commerce sites owned by Alibaba Group (BABA.N) and JD.com (JD.O) to tap the world’s largest market of smokers.


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eBay revealed insights from their top 50 retailers at the ChannelAdvisor Catalyst conference. They covered the top pain points as well as the top five things that retailers wanted to learn and were hoping to pick up from Catalyst. Surprisingly the top 50 retailers have almost exactly the same issues as I as a small seller have.
Top five pain points of selling on eBay
- International Selling
- Seller Protection
- Detailed Seller Ratings
- Stolen goods/Counterfiets
- Item Specifics and Multi-Variation Listings (especially in the fashion categories
There’s no real surprise that eBay fees are the biggest pain point as they are at the highest level ever in eBay’s history.
International selling is something that eBay really need to crack. David Brackin of Stuff U Sell told me “We do sell Internationally, but we could probably sell more if we could market properly. People buy from our eBay shop on eBay.co.uk, but we can’t open a shop on overseas eBay sites on the same eBay ID to fully market our products. To open a store on say eBay Germany we would have to open a brand new eBay ID plus there are different policies and legislation in different countries which means you’re more likely to fall foul of eBay Trust & Safety than sticking to eBay UK“.
The big surprise for me is that Item Specifics weren’t highlighted as a bigger problem, but it’s no surprise that it’s on the list. Recently Littlewoods highlighted Item Specifics as one of the greatest barriers to trading on eBay.
So now we know what the biggest problems are on eBay – what are sellers looking for and hoping to find at Catalyst.
Wish lists for top 50 eBay retailers
- New tools and Services
- Competitive landscape, what are their competition doing well
- Account Management, the opportunity to meet their account managers
- Guidance on Shipping best practices
- Information and updates (and preferably more!) Seller and Buyer protection
That’s the wish list of the top 50 eBay retailers and the biggest pain points they have. What would be on your wish list and what’s your current biggest pain point in selling on eBay?


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Samsung on Monday said it has an 81% market share in the ultra premium smartphone segment, with the flagship Galaxy S22 Ultra dominating it with 74% share in the month of March 2022. The company expects to grow further into double digits in the second quarter of 2022.
This phone tops with 74% share
Aditya Babbar, Senior Director and Head of Product Marketing, Mobile Business, Samsung India, said in a press statement, “We achieved a record milestone of 74% volume market share in the ₹1,00,000+ price segment with our Epic Galaxy S22 Ultra is.”
Pole Position in ₹30000+ Premium Segment
Quoting data from Counterpoint Research, the company also claimed to hold a pole position in the premium segment above Rs 30,000 with 38% volume market share.
The research firm also said that Samsung was the market leader in the overall smartphone segment in March 2022, with Samsung Mobiles accounting for 22% of the volume. With this achievement, the company consolidated pole position in smartwatches and tablets with 73% and 43% volume share respectively in March 2022.
Also read- Two cool phones with curved display, up to 16GB of RAM and up to 100MP camera
The company told this reason for the record sale
Babbar said that this achievement was achieved due to expansion in non-metro areas in India, opening of more experience centers and stocking of premium offerings in more retail stores across the country.
“We have grown our flagship retail footprint to enable consumers to experience our devices, not only in metro cities but also in Tier 1 and smaller cities,” he added.
The consolidation of Samsung’s premium segment has also resulted from new financing schemes such as Samsung Upgrade and Samsung Finance Plus, resulting in higher sales in non-metro areas.
Samsung Upgrade, according to Babbar, gives users an opportunity to exchange their old smartphone when buying a premium Samsung mobile, while the latter acts as a lending service for customers, EMIs for buying premium Samsung smartphones Offers loans with plans.
Premium smartphones in India often launch with discounts on using credit and debit cards. However, Samsung says the credit card population is largely concentrated in metro areas, and there weren’t many options available in the rest of India.
(cover photo credit- the verge)


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The naval war between Amazon and Walmart becomes personal.
Jeff Bezos e-commerce company shed tears on Walmart after the retail war announced plans for the next delivery rollout on Tuesday – just weeks after Amazon said it would invest $ 800 million to offer free one-day shipping to its Prime members. Amazon did not immediately provide a timeline for the new option.
In what many consider a jab to Amazon, Walmart said that this week would offer consumers the next day delivery on a "wide range of public goods" worth $ 35 or more without a membership fee. Walmart's NextDay service will kick in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Southern California, eventually expanding to 75 percent (including "40 of the 50 largest US subways") by the US population at the end of the year.
But Amazon wants to remind customers that its one day delivery options are already available in "thousands of cities".
"Others are trying to make up their fast cargo games. Facts are Amazon customers in thousands of cities in 44 major metropolitan areas already have access to millions of goods with free delivery by the same day," Amazon tweeted Tuesday afternoon. "Customers are ready ̵
Bezos took on Twitter hours later to Amazon's $ 1.5 billion new flying hub in Kentucky, which he says will get customers their packages even faster.
"Three million square feet, and it will create 2,000 jobs. And if you guess driving a front loader was fun, you're right! #amazon #prime " he wrote with a video of himself behind a tractor's wheel at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Amazon has a 50-year lease for approximately 900 acres at Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky International Airport, where it manages its own freight to reduce costs and bring packages to customers faster.
From Wednesday afternoon Walmart has not responded directly to Amazon's tweet. In a press release on the next round of delivery the next day, Walmart has focused on the benefits for both itself and customers.
"Our new NextDay delivery is not only good for customers, it also provides good business sense. You may think it will cost us less – no more – to deliver orders the next day. That's because legitimate goods come from a single fulfilling center closest to the customer, which means that the order is sent in a box, or as few as possible
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Moody's analyst Charlie O & # 39; Shea wrote in a note on Tuesday that Walmart continues to have a "meaningful advantage" over Amazon in the form of 5,300 business locations.
"In addition to giving consumers access to the same day by downloading online orders in the store, these stores complement a world-class proprietary distribution network, as they are also potential shipping points, "wrote Shea.
Fox Business & Brittany De Lea contributed to this report.


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Misleading and problem contracts led to consumers losing £3bn over the past 12 months, according to a study by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The highest instance of problems occured with telecoms and internet access packages, with 10.3% of consumers surveyed affected.
Announcing the results of an investigation into consumer contracts, which comprise 70% of the organisation's workload, the OFT warned businesses to review the small print used in contracts or face enforcement action.
It hopes its findings, when conveyed to business and trade assocations, will reduce the number of consumer problems – it estimates a fifth of the 26m-27m problems experienced by British consumers a year are directly related to goods and services sold via contracts.
The OFT study of 4,000 people who entered into a contract in the past 12 months found that only 23% of consumers read their contracts in full – and those that do experience fewer problems. The over-50s had marginally fewer problems than the under-30s, suggesting more experienced consumers read contracts in more detail than younger people.
Telecoms and internet access aside, of the 32 sectors investigated by the OFT problem areas included home entertainment, home deliveries, home improvement, travel, mobile phones and in-home services and repair.
Common problems included a lower quality of service than expected, firms interpreting contracts to their own advantage, problems accessing a service, and poor customer service.
But the OFT admitted that because enforcement cases involve individual firms and can take a year or more before they can be discussed publicly, there is little preventative work it can do beyond outlining when, how and why contracts cause difficulties for people; as well as identifying which practices and contract terms have the potential to do harm.
"This is a tricky and complicated area," said Heather Clayton, senior director of the OFT's consumer group. "Being transparent about our general enforcement plans across the economy helps businesses because they know what they need to do to comply.
"We hope this study will help them understand the problems that trip up customers, and we are putting together a pack that we will send to firms and trade bodies. But we can't tell businesses that their contracts should read a certain way or that there should be no small print in contracts."
The OFT is urging businesses to consider whether customer contracts contain detrimental terms, such as football season tickets that do not guarantee seats; extended warranties offering limited cover; contracts with deferred charges; or onerous cancellation terms such as those used by some gyms.
The OFT's study also found that consumers are less likely to read a contract in detail if the paper is thin, the contract is too long, or it is packed with jargon. Consumers tend to rely on the reputation of a business for fair treatment.