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Chinese living in even the smallest communities are widely going online for entertainment and communication, spending about as much time on the computer as their peers in Shanghai and Beijing, according to a new study of lower-tier markets that seeks to provide a comprehensive profile of China's consumers.
Researchers from Starcom MediaVest Group fanned out to 510 locations across China, targeting less-developed cities and towns where the vast majority of consumers live. The "Yangtze Study" includes interviews with 13,507 people ages 13 to 45 in what Starcom is calling one of the first studies of this scale to be conducted in China.
While marketers have thoroughly analyzed Chinese in the urban tier-one cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, there's much less understanding about how to effectively target the 721 million consumers in rural communities and the other hundreds of millions in less-developed cities.
Many of the study's findings reinforced existing information about consumers in lower-tier markets. They are more pragmatic than their big-city counterparts with realistic life goals -- owning a business was a common response. Young people carry the burden of their families' expectations and are in a hurry to grow up so they can take advantage of work and growth opportunities available to adults. They are more conformist. They want to travel, but dream of visiting Beijing rather than New York or Paris.
These consumers are just as worried about product safety and quality as other Chinese, though they realize they have less access to information and therefore seek reassurances that they're making the right purchase. Price and value are major drivers of purchasing decisions -- a simple giveaway can spur a rural shopper to buy an item.
As for luxury brands: "Luxury is not about the brand of car, it's about having a car because it means you can afford the petrol for it," said Jeffrey Tan, Starcom's national research and insights director for China and Hong Kong. He gave the example of a 33-year-old woman in Anhui province who was given a Louis Vuitton purse as a gift -- not knowing what it was, she used it when she went food shopping at the wet market.
But what researchers didn't expect to find was that media consumption in some of these communities was not far off from trends in the biggest cities.
"The biggest thing that surprised me from a pure media standpoint was the penetration of digital in terms of peoples' everyday lives. (Instant messaging program) QQ was everywhere," said Lisa Richert, Starcom MediaVest 's director of strategy for North Asia. "When we think about the habits of digital and peoples' behaviors -- chatting, entertainment, communications -- it's universal. It's everywhere across China."
(It's not an exaggeration to say that QQ is everywhere. Operator Tencent reports nearly 702 million active instant messaging accounts as of this summer.)
A 21-year-old woman in rural southern China said she hasn't watched TV in a year. Instead, she gets everything she needs on her computer.
"There's a real concern that TV in the lower tiers has become a bit obsolete, I feel," Mr. Tan said. "Right now with content in the hands of people, they're choosing the computer more so than the TV."
The study found that out-of -home ads and TV have the highest reach, both more than 75%, but digital is third at about 60%. And Chinese are spending more of their time on the web: the average consumer is online 3.25 hours per day, vs. 2.21 hours with TV and .51 hours around out-of -home ads. Those in tier-three cities spend the most time online out of all Chinese consumers, 3.57 hours per day on average.
Online video is also hugely popular. The study found that Chinese spend an average of 1.76 hours per day watching videos on computers, with consumers in tier-two markets, which include provincial capitals and economically developing cities, watching almost 2 hours per day.
"TV is still huge, but the comment that comes back is we need to move away from thinking of TV as the only sense of video content. It is truly video content," Ms. Richert said, listing examples such as traditional TV shows, content from brands or programming created by video-sharing sites like Youku and Tudou. "It's about content and people are finding different ways to consume it."


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The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the latest satanic muscle car and is also one of the most hyped vehicle launches in recent time. To top that off, Dodge has made massive claims to match the Demons unveiling.
After weeks of painstakingly watching the teaser videos, the Demon made its debut at the 2017 New York Auto Show. But its jaw-dropping performance is what got people talking.
Packing supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 that delivers 808 horses, 770 lb-ft of torque, and serious drag tech, the Demon can certainly do a wheelie. But that 808 hp can be cranked up to 840 thanks to the Demon Crate package.
Thus, the Demon is able to demolish a 0-60 mph in just 2.3 seconds. But isn't Tesla Model S P100D with Ludicrous Mode faster than the Demon at 2.28 seconds? That is according to MotorTrend that tested this electric luxury sedan.
But depending on how you measure it, the Demon can still demolish a 0-60mph run in 2.1 seconds, in stock form. By stock form, there is no passenger seat or rear seat for that matter, with optional Direct Connection powertrain controller, and running on 100-octane race fuel.
These are serious numbers, though. But this is all thanks to the testing procedure: Rollout.
The rollout is basically the extra 7 inches on the drag strip the car is allowed to roll before the timer starts. In a nutshell, the vehicle is already "rolling." In fact, others view this as "cheating," simply because technically it isn't a "0 to 60" mph time anymore with the additional 7 inches.
In numbers, to put this simply, MotorTrend's measurement for the Tesla Model S P100D with Ludicrous Mode includes a rollout. Shocking? That's 2.28 seconds. Meanwhile, the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon's 2.3 seconds does not include the rollout. Imagine that.
Thus, a 0 to 60 mph time for the Demon could still be improved. FCA North American Head of Passenger Cars Tim Kuniskis said, "Lately some people are trying to go for big stats, so they are including rollout, and they are being honest. Most people don't know what rollout is, so it's kind of a throwaway disclaimer. Zero to 60 pure is 2.3 seconds, but with the rollout, it's 2.1, and that's important because that's the fastest 0-60 mph of any production car, I don't care what the technology is."
So, there you have it. A 2.1-second 0-60 mph run achieved by the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and this is will rollout. Plus, it's legit numbers. Regardless of which is better, a monster muscle car or an electric luxury sedan, what matters is that these are vehicles manufactured and developed in the United States. So, does Porsche, Ferrari, or Koenigsegg have a say in this?

domain: news


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There has been a lot of speculation why Facebook is adding a dislike button to its repertoire. Yes, I know…CEO Mark Zuckerberg said it wouldn’t be a dislike button — that would be too negative — but rather an icon for users to signify that they have read and acknowledged a certain post concerning things like the announcement of someone's death, but didn't "like" it.
Which is all well and good, but chances are no matter how it appears to Facebook users — perhaps this icon will be an emoticon or emoticons of various feelings — it will be acting as a dislike button behind the scenes.
That at least is a theory offered by Geoffrey Hueter, CTO and co-founder of Certona, a provider of real-time personalization technology. Hueter, though, is not a marketer, or rather he doesn’t have a marketing background.
Rather, he has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California at San Diego, where he was part of the team that developed the Gamma Ray Observatory — and where he studied neural networks with industry pioneers Robert Hecht-Nielsen and Bart Kosko.
His CV also includes stints as a staff scientist managing the development and commercialization of an intelligent machine vision system and manager of several Department of Defense Small Business Innovation Research programs for neural network control systems.
So when he says he has a pretty good idea why Facebook is heading in this direction, I am inclined to listen.
In a nutshell, it is this: Facebook needs a better signal about people's preferences. Its like button draws in plenty of information about what people say — and "say" is a key word here — that they want or appreciate or "like." However, that data, as rich and robust as it is, is not enough for targeting, especially if Facebook hopes to make inroads into social commerce, which so far it hasn't. Ads and messaging — oh, heck yes. But not e-commerce. At least not yet.
Remember the curly fries theory?
It is actually an astounding theory, especially considering the immense amount of data that Facebook has been collecting about users via its like button — not only from Facebook itself, but as a recent blog post by Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Stephen Deadman makes clear, also from sites that have embeddable Facebook buttons.
In a LinkedIn pulse blog post, Christian Rudder, author of Dataclysm: Who We Are (When We Think No One's Looking), and co-founder and former president of the dating site OkCupid, reminds us that, based on data generated from Facebook likes, people can tell how smart we are. One indicator of intelligence — liking curly fries.
..can be used to automatically and accurately predict a range of highly sensitive personal attributes including: sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious and political views, personality traits, intelligence, happiness, use of addictive substances, parental separation, age, and gender.
But all that data is not enough, it appears, and Rudder's post hints at why. As he put it, "...while Facebook does know a lot about you, it’s more like a 'work friend' — for all the time you spend together, there are clear limits to your relationship."
We like everything
The problem for Facebook is that people, at least on social media, like everything, Huerter explains.
"Facebook's like button is not the most reliable signal about a person's intent, especially a person's intent to purchase something," he says. "You also need to know what someone dislikes to make the best offer."
Ratings and reviews are very important signals, he adds, because they provide some of this information.
Indeed, a recent study by the Medill Spiegel Research Center found that shoppers are most likely to buy a product ranked between 4.2 and 4.5 stars in online reviews, but as the rating gets closer to a perfect 5.0, purchase likelihood drops. The researchers concluded this is so because buyers assume five stars are too good to be true.
And so it goes with Facebook users clicking at likes with wild abandon — a problem exacerbated by retailers and brands begging consumers to like them on Facebook and offering a discount or deal if they do.
Twitter is the better signal?
Certona is focusing its research on Twitter as a better sentiment signal, Hueter says.
"You can see how people are talking about the brand on an individual and collective basis to see if that will drive sales," he says. Hueter adds that he is not "totally convinced" Twitter is the better signal but that is where it is doing more research.
The problem with big data
This question of which is the better signal — Facebook or Twitter — for future purchases is a side thing with the company. Its focus, instead, is applying advanced computing techniques to understand online interactions and using those interactions to form a description of the subjects studied. That description can then be used to predict their affinity for an item or belief system or, well, anything.
It uses behavioral models instead of relying on the descriptive data that has been collected on the vast majority of people active on the Web. Or, for that matter, stated preferences of people (such as their "like" data).
From there, the firm develops affinity profiles — or multidimensional clusters as they are called in Certona's world — against which to match a subject. One conclusion the firm reached long ago: stated preferences are usually different from how people actually behave.
Another conclusion it has reached: a taxonomic approach is too limiting.
Let's walk through all this. This, according to Certona, is how it can determine intent online:
It monitors interactions of a predefined group of people, including transactions and communications.
It profiles the subject and objects in those interactions.
It compares the subject profiles to profiles of subjects with known characteristics to determine whether the test subject fits in that group.
It doesn’t rely on expert classification or taxonomy, as noted above.
Hueter explains why this is important:
"When you classify something taxonomically — then you only understand the 'things' for which you define associations," he says.
"A taxonomic approach means that you won't know how a coffee cup relates to a car, for example. But that could be important in the population of people you are studying: they will interact with all kinds of things and express affinity for them, either explicitly or implicitly."
The company recently secured a patent for this process.
Certona is about to announce another patent shortly, Hueter says. It is on a segmentation process the company developed using people's purchase history.
Purchase history, of course, is a very definite signal about future intent. Unlike, as is becoming more and more clear after time spent with Hueter, Facebook's "like" data.
This article is published as part of the IDG Contributor Network. Want to Join?


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Google Travel: Frommer's Acquisition Strengthens Position
Google has picked up Frommer's travel guides, strengthening its position in the travel-guide space and location, generally. For Google, travel fits in well with its broader strategy, which remains search-centric.
For the IT community at midsize firms, the message is that if a company is developing a travel-related app, or otherwise concerned with travel and location-based tools, it is probably better to be working with Google than to be working against it.
Google has its fingers in many pies. But as Dan Farber reminds us at CNET, Google's basic business is running ads based on search. And it is a very successful business, good for nearly $38 billion in revenue last year.
Which means that for Google, travel-related services and tools fit in very neatly to the company's broader picture. After all, search in its original sense was about locations. And travelers are in particular need of the sort of information Google can provide. On the road, you probably can't rely on prior personal experience to find a good place to eat, sleep, or shop.
Thus, Google's latest acquisition of travel-guide firm Frommer's. It joins previous location-centric pickups such as Zagat. And the ongoing trend could be bad news for rivals such as Yelp and Fodor's. Understandably and unsurprisingly, these firms are raising questions about Google policies and the reliability of Google search results. The search giant has been accused of "cooking" its search results, a claim it denies.
Ruling the Road
In the long run, cooking search results would in fact be a very bad idea for Google. If a critical mass of consumers comes to believe that, say, Bing offers more reliable search results, Google's long virtual road trip could end up going over a cliff.
But for now, Google's dominance of travel-related search, tools, and services is a reality. And for midsize firms and their IT managers, it is a reality to take into consideration in developing travel-related offerings. While alternatives are available, from Bing maps to services such as Yelp, these are not smoothly integrated. For IT departments this would make app development more complex and uncertain.
And Google's position could be good news in ways that extend beyond technology integration. For example, Yelp has come under heavy criticism within the restaurant business. It, too, has been accused of "cooking" results. (A more subtle critique is that Yelp reviewers embody a hipster sensibility, and their reviews don't reflect what most prospective diners are looking for.)
So far, Google's Zagat has taken less heat on these accounts. And Google is robust enough that it may be less tempted to trade short-term gains for long-term risks. For midsize firms' IT departments that are taking their show on the road, this is something to consider.
This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.


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Pill mixup includes painkillers
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning about a potential mixup between powerful prescription pain drugs and over-the-counter medications such as Excedrin and Gas-X manufactured at a Novartis plant.
Some of those over-the-counter pills may have accidentally been packaged with powerful prescription painkillers made at the same facility, the FDA says. The opioid drugs are sold by Endo Pharmaceuticals as Percocet, Endocet, Opana and Zydone.
FDA officials say they are not recalling the drugs because they are medically necessary and the likelihood that they contain stray pills is low.
The products were not sold in Canada, Novartis said.


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The government has decided to appoint Atsumi Gamou, director-general of the Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, as commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency, it has been learned.
Gamou, 59, will succeed Hiroshi Tabata, who will retire as commissioner. The appointment is expected to take effect within July.
The tourism and hotel industries are struggling as sales plunge due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The government will start its “Go To Travel” program July 22, earlier than previously planned, in order to shore up travel demand with subsidies to lower travel and shopping costs.
Gamou will take on the difficult task of achieving a recovery in travel demand amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Gamou joined the Transport Ministry, a predecessor of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, in 1985. He assumed his current post in July 2019 after serving as director-general at the Maritime and Railway bureaus.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.


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According to scientists from the Institute of Food Research, 'addicts' blame the chocolate to explain away guilt at having breached social norms - for example, that chocolate should be eaten with restraint.
They told the Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery Alliance: 'An explanation of excessive consumption of chocolate in terms of dependence may be more personally and socially acceptable than the idea that this is an indulgence for the sake of pleasure.'
Chocolate is the archetypal 'addictive' food, according to Dr David Mela and Dr Peter Rogers, from the consumer sciences department of the institute, part of the Agricultural and Food Research Council. It tops the league of 'difficult to resist' foods - ahead of strawberries and biscuits - and is the subject of 60 per cent of all food cravings. Consumption has increased by half since the mid-1970s.
Two-thirds of food cravings occur in the evenings, Dr Mela said. They are associated with boredom and anxiety and are often preceded by 'dysphoric' or highly negative moods. Although chocolate contains psychoactive ingredients, research indicated it was not addictive. However, studies have hinted that cravings might share a common mechanism with opiate drug addiction.
Sweetness, for instance, has an analgesic property: sucrose solutions calm babies more quickly than water. Dr Mela said it appeared to stimulate the production of pleasure-producing opioids by the body. Chocolate contained substances similar to those released by the brain when a person falls in love.
The Government has set targets of reducing saturated fats by 35 per cent and obesity by at least 25 per cent by 2000. Dr David Buss, head of nutrition at the Ministry of Agriculture, said a Mars bar would use up half a person's daily sugar allowance and up to 30 per cent of the fat allowance. He urged manufacturers to make healthy products cheaper than high-sugar, high-fat ones.
Dentists have called for a 'sweet-tooth tax' similar to that imposed on tobacco and alcohol to pay for NHS treatment of tooth decay. The General Dental Practitioners Association claims pounds 1bn could be raised if a 10 per cent tax was imposed on confectionery.Reuse content


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SINGAPORE, Sept. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — CardsPal has partnered Legacy Music Festival as their official ticketing partner, capitalising on its newly launched e-ticketing feature.
With the introduction of the e-ticketing feature, CardsPal aims to optimise more than users’ spending, and also value add to users’ lifestyle needs.
In addition to current features such as cashback calculator and cards comparison, CardsPal users (commonly referred to as ‘pals’) can look forward to seeing more lifestyle elements which includes e-ticketing to music festivals, events and more, all on CardsPal.
CardsPal, a Singapore-based mobile app start-up, is partnering with Legacy Music Festival as their official ticketing partner for Singapore’s first ever Hard Dance festival event in 2022 – Glowhard. The festival’s focus is to bring hard dance music lovers together, happening on 5th November at The ColiseumTM, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore, Resorts WorldTM Sentosa.
With this partnership, Legacy Music Festival will capitalise on CardsPal’s newly launched e-ticketing feature to enhance the purchasing experience. Pals will be able to seamlessly purchase and manage their event tickets and F&B items, along with other festival-related packages, all within the app. CardsPal’s technology will also make it easier for pals to identify the best card to use for their purchases on the app, with its credit card comparison features and Cashback Calculator. For high-resolution image of user’s purchase journey, you may download from https://bit.ly/GlowhardFestival2022
With Singapore’s music scene growing to be more vibrant and inclusive, Legacy Music Festival will be adding to that variety by organising Singapore’s first-ever hard dance festival. The music festival will feature acts from world renowned music producer Darren Styles, homegrown DJs like Inquisitive, ParaMercy, Our Culture and more over the next couple of weeks.
“The team is excited to bring together exceptional international artists and local DJs for a long-awaited hard dance music festival. At the same time, we are thrilled to be working with CardsPal to deliver a seamless end-to-end experience for both organisers and festival-goers.” says DJ Andrew T, the brains behind Legacy Music Festival– A New Dawn back in 2019. The 2-day music festival took place at Sentosa’s Siloso Beach and saw over 23,000 festival-goers in attendance. The event featured some of the biggest names in the industry including Tiesto, Zedd and Don Diablo, alongside local DJs.
With this pilot initiative, CardsPal goes beyond providing features that help pals to save with card deals and daily promotions, by introducing more features to add to their day-to-day repertoire. “With our newly-launched e-ticketing feature, we make it easier for our pals to explore the latest live entertainment, deals and maximize their savings all on their mobile devices.” says Gary Garcia, Head of Marketing at CardsPal.
Echoing his sentiment, co-founder and CEO of CardsPal Saim Yeong Harng added, “Under this partnership, we have found combinations of features that resonates most with our pals. They can look forward to more new lifestyle features in the pipeline beyond the popular cashback calculator, credit cards comparison feature and Must Buy Deals. We aim to truly bring everyday value to our pals’ lifestyle needs through continuously introducing innovative capabilities and features. This partnership also demonstrates our first step to go beyond just helping our pals to save but to also enrich their lifestyle experience.”
Overseas visitors from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Australia, South Korea, Japan, China and India will be able to download CardsPal and make their ticketing purchases for Glowhard here. For visitors from other countries, they may contact CardsPal’s customer support at email@example.com.
CardsPal is a Singapore-based mobile app that aims to be the lifestyle app to add to your daily repertoire. Enabling our pals to identify their best payment option to allow ease of purchases as they focus on living the life they deserve, CardsPal is backed by Standard Chartered Bank via its innovation arm, SC Ventures
SC Ventures is a business unit that provides a platform and catalyst for Standard Chartered to promote innovation, invest in disruptive financial technology and explore alternative business models.
We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 59 of the world’s most dynamic markets and serving clients in a further 85. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good.
Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges.


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Moventas in Acciona gear deal
Wind drivetrain specialist Moventas has struck a deal with Spanish turbine-maker Acciona WindPower over delivery of a new 3MW gearbox platform.
Moventas said prototype deliveries and serial production of the new technology will both begin in 2015.
The gearbox is based on Moventas’ new Exceed series of high torque-density gearboxes.
The Finland-based wind technology group has been working with Acciona on the 3MW upgrade since 2012.
It provides 20% more torque density with a 10% size reduction, Moventas said.
Delivery of the new product will run in parallel with, and eventually supersede, the existing 3MW Moventas gearbox that Acciona has been using since 2009.


text: Cursed Bonded Leather. Nowadays, in the United States buying pieces of furniture is as risky as straying into a minefield. Scams are around the corner: no wonder, then, customers get deeply disappointed in the end. “Every year Americans spend over 100 billion dollars on home furnishings”- points out the Washington Post, but they often happen to get something different from what they have paid for. Labels and tags are messy and potentially misleading”. The situation is serious: “US government does not monitor the market – adds the daily newspaper -: since 2002 this industry has not been regulated nor supervised by the Federal Trade Commission Act”. Hence deregulation turns advertising and marketing into a total mess: “Business fair players are disaffected by deceitful marketing promoters”. For the records, US consumers are mostly deceived and misled when they purchase “Bonded Leather”, also generically known as leather fibre board. “That’s the upholstery business curse – points out a consultant while talking to the Washington Post -, a thin plastic material that holds some leather particles on one side. Despite the fact that consumers and companies have been mutually engaged in legal arguments because of it, Bonded Leather is still on the market”. How avoiding such trap? “Customers should not buy any items whose label shows PU Leather, Bonded Leather or Bicast Leather – emphasizes the Washington Post -; conversely, they’d better purchase genuine products whose tag shows full grain leather”. Either way, customers should be careful, since price is illuminating: “If it’s too cheap to be authentic – wraps up the consultant -, then it’s fake”.


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HTC U11 has been one of the best phones of 2017 and its update to the Android Oreo was confirmed by the company in August. It was indicated that the phone will run the Android Oreo in the fourth quarter of this year. However, the official date was not known to anyone.
LlabTooFer, the ROM manufacturer of HTC has confirmed on Twitter that the U11 will get the Oreo update in November.
The update is in its final stage and is likely to roll out in the late November- early December phase!
Are you an HTC U11 user? Are you excited for this update too? Let us know!


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Share This: Spanish companies this year for the third time perform at the International Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad, which is a great confirmation of the ever closer cooperation with Serbia.
Share This: According to jury of Novi Sad Fair of Agriculture, MK Commerce, a member of MK Group, has been declared the largest exporter of grains and oilseeds.
Share This: The visitors and participants of the 84th International Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad, which took place from 13th to 19th May, 2017, were given an opportunity to discover affordable electricity.
Share This: For the second consecutive year, eight Spanish companies will present themselves on the International Agriculture Fair in Novi Sad. Under the patronage of the Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of Spain in Belgrade and the Spanish … Continue reading
Share This: Banca Intesa launched a new cycle of Intesa Farmer where the best farmer will be chosen for the fourth consecutive year on the 18th of May in Novi Sad.


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Lordstown Motors EV recalled second time less than one month after first recall
Less than one month after its first recall an electric pickup truck from Lordstown Motors has been recalled a second time for a new reason.
The 2023 Lordstown Endurance pickup truck was recalled again on March 3. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) website, this recall is due to reports of defective parking brakes.
The NHTSA states that parking brakes with weakened clamping performance could fail, allowing the vehicle to roll away after being parked, especially if on a high grade, increasing the risk of crashes.
According to a defect notice sent to Lordstown Motors, the electric park brake calipers may have been built with washers that had not been properly heat treated by the supplier, causing the problem.
The defect notice, dated March 3 2023 states that as of the writing of the report, there have been no accidents or injuries as a result of the defect.
Dealers will replace the electric parking brake free of charge for anyone who has a defective vehicle. Those who may have a defective vehicle should expect to receive a notification in the mail by Friday, March 17.
Owners may also contact Lordstown Motors customer service at 1-248-522-9100 or the NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153).
The 2023 Endurance was previously recalled on February 22, 2023 due to the risk of the loss of drive power, which could increase the risk of crashes.


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In the News
August 20, 2014 - The Washington Post - District-based investors are backing a food delivery service that operates in midsize cities, such as Phoenix, Indianapolis and Denver, where there are fewer couriers offering to bring your dish to the door. OrderUp, based in Baltimore, has secured $7 million from Revolution Ventures and former LivingSocial chief executive Tim O’Shaughnessy. Founded in 2009, the company has expanded into 35 cities across the United States without raising any other money to date.
August 20, 2014 - WSJ.D - OrderUp, a startup that lets users browse menus and order delivery or takeout online, and helps restaurants set up a delivery service if they don’t have one of their own, has raised $7 million in Series A funding.
August 20, 2014 - TechCrunch - A startup called OrderUp based out of Baltimore is bucking that trend with a food ordering and delivery service focused specifically on smaller towns — and it’s already profitable. Today, the company is announcing $7 million in funding, led by Steve Cases’s Revolution Ventures and Tim O’Shaughnessy, the co-founder of LivingSocial — entrepreneurs that have, in their time, understood the power of building businesses outside of urban areas.
August 20, 2014 - Tech Cocktail - This morning, the Baltimore, Maryland-based online food ordering and delivery startup OrderUp announced that it has raised a $7 million round of series A funding led by Steve Case’s Revolution Ventures, with participation from LivingSocial cofounder Tim O’Shaughnessy. With this new round of financing, the five-year-old company has raised a total of $8.25 million.
August 19, 2014 - CNBC - A decade ago Tuesday, as top Google executives ceremoniously huddled at the Nasdaq Stock Market in New York for the search engine's much-hyped trading debut, Lise Buyer, a company director, sat with co-founder Sergey Brin in the Silicon Valley office of lead banker Morgan Stanley. David Golden, a banker at JPMorgan, one of the many banks that served as an underwriter for the IPO, said the big investors decided just before the offering that without a reduction in price, they'd wait until the stock started trading and buy it on the open market rather than pay $100 a share or more in the IPO.
August 12, 2014 - Forbes - The Under 30 Summit, the largest, most exclusive gathering of young entrepreneurs and game-changers in the world, with over 1,000 hand-picked participants culled mostly from the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, has already revealed an all-star lineup of featured speakers. Malala, Palmer Luckey, Questlove. Sean Rad, Steve Case, Pete Cashmore, Lauren Bush Lauren.
August 7, 2014 - Bloomberg TV - Konrad Billetz, co-founder and CEO of Frameri, explains how the company simplifies the process of picking out the perfect pair of eyeglass frames. He speaks with Pimm Fox on "Taking Stock."
August 4, 2014 - Fox Business - Traditionally a field dominated by technology and biotechnology, venture investors have developed an appetite for food. Restaurants are reaping the benefits of venture capital as well. AOL co-founder Steve Case’s Revolution team invested in DC-based salad chain, Sweetgreen. “There’s a huge opportunity to transform the industry and make convenient, healthier options available at more accessible price points,” says Clara Sieg, director at Revolution.
July 31, 2014 - Washington Business Journal - Eyeglass wearers who are tired of buying multiple pairs of lenses or being stuck with only one look are in luck. After a successful Kickstarter campaign and winning investment from AOL co-founder Steve Case, Frameri is launched publicly Wednesday. Frameri aims to help wearers of prescription glasses diversify their collection without breaking the bank. Customers choose their lenses, then frames.
July 30, 2014 - Forbes - The Under 30 Summit promises to be the largest, most exclusive gathering of young entrepreneurs and game-changers in the world – over 1,000 hand-picked participants, culled mostly from the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. All these names join an amazing roster of previously-announced speakers, including Lauren Bush Lauren, CEO and Cofounder of FEED; Pete Cashmore, Founder and CEO of Mashable; Neil Blumenthal, Cofounder of Warby Parker; Sean Rad, CEO and cofounder of Tinder; and Josh Kushner, Managing Partner of Thrive Capital. Mentors attending include Jim Breyer, Partner at Accel Partners and a key early backer of Facebook; Steve Case, Founder of AOL; Jean Case, CEO of the Case Foundation
July 30, 2014 - Inc. - Warby Parker may have changed the face of eyewear, but it's not the only company looking to overhaul the industry. This week, eyeglasses seller Frameri of Cincinnatti opened its online doors to the public. And like its fashion-forward predecessor, Frameri is hoping to make a mark with both budget- and image-conscious consumers. Its key selling point? Interchangeable lenses. The frames come in a variety of colors, but just three models that are standardized to fit for lenses that may be swaped out--depending on the user's needs. Users can choose to swap out their shades for eyeglass lenses, using just the one set of frames, for instance. At Warby Parker, if you want sunglasses and eyeglasses, you'll have to shell out for two sets of frames.
July 31, 2014 - Inc. - As the co-founder of AOL and CEO of venture capital firm Revolution, Steve Case knows as thing or two about scaling up businesses. One of the main differences between growing beyond the startup phase today versus more than 20 years ago, when AOL was still being born, Case says, is the massive competition for attention.


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GAC Motors just launched its “Go And Change Campaign” that aptly uses its brand acronym and how the brand intends to position itself with its new strategic direction of focusing on the technology and constantly improving craftsmanship. As one of the news brands in the local automotive scene, Legado Motors, Inc. the official distributor of GAC Motor vehicles came into the market at the cusp of Chinese automotive brands breaking out with more choices and gaining more acceptance.
GAC initiated its QDR (high Quality, high Durability, and high Reliability) Project that established four research and development centers (R&D Centers) at the Silicon Valley, Los Angeles City, Detroit, and Shanghai. These R&D Centers are responsible for the choice of premium materials and the technology used in the manufacturing of GAC vehicles. GAC also funded several R&D Centers across the globe to develop artificial intelligence systems; autonomous, hybrid, and pure electric vehicles, with a strong push towards electrification as it laid out plans on developing a line-up of electrified vehicles in the coming years.
The plants and R&D facilities of Legado Motors can be considered world class with its design team headed by Fan Zhang. Zhang studied industrial design in Shanghai, and joined an international design competition in 2002 where he won Best Branding and Mercedes-Benz’s deputy design director Murat Gunak took notice of him and invited him to be part of his team in Sindelfingen. He left Mercedes-Benz and joined GAC in 2011.
2018 was a breakout year for the brand, as Lim shared that when GAC Motor officially launched its full vehicle line-up — the GA4, GS3, GS8, and the GN8, it had achieved a total of 17,000 unit sales after the official launch, and a total of 535,000 units sold that year. “Due to its aggressiveness and efforts, GAC Motor’s production and sales exceeded 2 million with a positive year-on-year growth, making GAC as one of the fastest growing brands in China. To strengthen the brand’s presence, GAC Motor opened distributorships and dealerships across the 26 countries of the regions of Middle East, South Africa, and Southeast Asia,” he added.
On the local front, GAC Motor Philippines had its official inauguration on November 7, 2018 with no less than President Rodrigo Duterte as the main guest of honor who unveiled its vehicle line-up – the GA4, GA8, GS8, GS4, and the GN8. The following day it opened its flagship showroom, the GAC Motor Metrowalk, Pasig to the public. GAC held its brand debut at the 2019 Manila International Autoshow (MIAS) in World Trade Center on April that year. On February 26th 2019, it opened its second dealership in San Fernando, Pampanga. The third dealership open on July 26th, 2019 and it opened its fourth dealership in Greenhills, San Juan on October 26th, 2020. It plans to open two more dealerships this year and two more before mid-2022.
It also joined the 2019 Petron Kalayaan Cup on June 12th, bagging its first Endurance race championship with a stock GA4 sedan on its maiden effort. The newly formed GAC Motor Racing Team also won the Open Class B and Manufacturer’s Class in the 2019 Petron Bonifacio Cup Endurance Race held on November 30th that year. These two events have proven that GAC vehicles exceed reliability and performance standards of real life road conditions by being subjected to punishing conditions of a 12-hour endurance race. The GAC team successfully concluded its third race campaign by bagging awards at the 2021 Petron Kalayaan and Kagitingan Endurance Cup on June 12, 2021. The race team is preparing for another race this coming November 3oth for its second participation at the Bonifacio Cup. GAC came up with a Champion’s Deals promo in celebration of its recent triumphs by offering up to P270,000 discounts on its vehicle models. The promo will run from August to September 30th.
Despite the pandemic 2021 was a busy year for the brand. It officially launched the all-new GN6 MPV February 26th and will be launching three new vehicle editions in the Philippines — the all-new GS4, the bulletproof GS8, and the GN8 Master’s Edition. To stay connected with its customers, it has also revamped its website and launched the GAC Motor virtual showroom, offering all-in-one dealership service.
Alvin Uy wears many hats, foremost among them being an executive for a home improvement chain and real estate developer and part of a family-owned chemical business. Aside from writing about motoring news and car reviews, he loves to write about traveling, food and wine reviews, mechanical timepieces and classic cars.


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NEW YORK (MainStreet)—When donating money to nonprofits, most consumers look for organizations that send the maximum impact to their causes and keep as little as possible for themselves.
But what about companies with a social mission that aren't officially nonprofits? Wedged in the space between a traditional company and a charity, are these companies at a disadvantage when it comes to competing with either end of the spectrum, or do they have a niche all their own? How do they manage the expectations of ROI against their stated mission?
This topic was of particular interest to the audience at Internet Week New York this year, which voted for an audience-submitted panel on tech startups with strong social missions. Speaking at the panel were Gene Gurkoff of Charity Miles, Su Sanni of WeDidIt and Zack Rosenberg of DoGoodBuyUs to explain how their companies bridge the two worlds.
Are Mission-Driven Businesses at an Advantage or Disadvantage?
It's logical to think that splitting a company's attention between its core business and its social mission could be distracting. Gurkoff agreed that donating a percentage of profits could set a company back: "If you're selling a shirt for $14 and saying 50% of proceeds go to charity, then you could sell it for $7, and someone else will—and that will put you out of business."
Gurkoff said that's why his company doesn't follow that model. Charity Miles is a mileage tracker for runners and other athletes. The more you work out, the more money donated to your cause. The money is provided by corporate sponsors, who participate for the positive publicity and to bolster their own charitable pursuits.
Sanni felt similarly; his company is a business that helps charities fundraise more efficiently. Rosenberg sees his value as helping businesses sell products they make, creating value rather than just donating money (DoGoodBuyUs is an online marketplace for items made and sold by charities, though those items do give a percent of proceeds back to charity, usually 50% or more ).
All the same, Rosenberg disagreed with Gurkoff's general assumption that consumers are driven solely by price. "Not everyone is shopping based on lowest price," he said. "A disadvantage is we can't always go with the cheapest option, if it isn't made sustainably or we don't stand behind it. But I don't think we're going after same audience."
All three entrepreneurs felt that companies with a social mission still need to focus on their success and business plan, same as any company. "It's really hard to start a business, whether it has a social aspect or not," Gurkoff said. Sunni referred to an article in Black Enterprise Magazine last year saying that being a non-profit is not a license to have no profits. Even nonprofits should be run like a business, Sanni said: "Look at the tenets of any profitable or sustainable business and embed that in your mission."
Despite the challenges of all businesses in general and socially driven ones in particular, there is an upside: Hiring.
"A social mission can distinguish you from competitors," Gurkoff said. "There are many other run/walk/bike tracking apps to see how far you went, but there's no other app that lets you feed someone in need when you walk your dog. That allows us to stand out and build a brand around our mission, which is attractive to people."
The fact that these companies are bona fide businesses rather than nonprofits can work in their favor. "Everyone wants to work at a nonprofit, but not everyone can afford to do so," Rosenberg said. "A social business can let you do both."
That doesn't mean they can compete in salary with some of the biggest tech players, but Sunni doesn't attribute this to the mission itself. "We can't pay people a Google salary," he said. "But that's not because of our social mission. That's because it's hard as a startup anyway." So, within that context, the social aspect is a plus. "Like any marketing, we want inbound leads, people who reach out to us, see the vision we have," Sunni said.
Gurkoff adds that there's a movement among charities and startups simply to pay more for top tech talent. Previously, he said, heads of such companies would complain that they can't get the best talent, because they don't pay as well as Google.
Another perk of being a business rather than a nonprofit? You can lure employees with the promise of equity in the company.
Who Are the Target Consumers?
Many people would assume that the majority of customers willing to buy more expensive products because of their philanthropic edge aren't regular people shopping for products, but those looking to mobilize their charitable dollars. Sunni doesn't think they're serving a niche audience.
"A lot of times we work with [nonprofit] organizations trying to partner with different brands and businesses that want to seem more philanthropic." Sunni said. "It seems that now there are more businesses that are conscious of how to give back in a scalable way. We're trying to create different opportunities for those companies and brands to get involved and give back while operating their businesses."
Rosenberg mentioned a Nielsen study from last year asking consumers if they would be willing to pay more for a product that gave back; 48% said yes, they would pay more, up to $20. "That's a very telling story because when they asked the same question a year before, the answer was less than half that percentage," Rosenberg said. "So folks are certainly more aware now that these types of things are out there."
The do-gooder ethic isn't enough to make these businesses successful by itself. Users are looking for a real value proposition. Gurkoff used brands like Warby Parker and Toms as examples of successful companies that also give back. "They're successful because they're great brands with a great product, at a lesser or equal price as competitors," he said. "So they're not just successful because of the social mission."
--Written by Allison Kade for MainStreet


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In a scene that’s grown too familiar in many households, parents and children sit together but with all of them buried in their own screens, whether on smartphones, tablets or TV sets.
Hoping to bring everyone back together in front of a single screen, Fuhu unveiled giant 20-inch and 24-inch tablets on Tuesday that the company said will extend its line of educational apps and tablets to group settings.
“The technology right now, it’s isolating,” said Fuhu founder and president Robb Fujioka. “We’re trying to find a product that enhances collaboration and socialization.”
The Nabi Big Tab HD tablets will go on sale this...


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Cricketers View sees fantastic response to football shirt amnesty
Cricketers View, Linden Homes’ development in Hanham, has had a huge donation of over 300 football shirts thanks to Daniel Tanner and the Bath City Supporters Club.
Daniel and the rest of the club have been working with Kits 4 Causes for the past year, and when Linden Homes joined forces with the charity and created the Kit Up, Kit Out initiative, the club decided this was the perfect opportunity to handover there stockpile of shirts to the Cricketers View development.
The national campaign has received a staggering response and has collected thousands of football shirts for disadvantaged communities.
Kits 4 Causes will now distribute the clothing to community groups in the UK, designed to help tackle social issues, such as reducing truancy through social inclusion. Others will be sent to countries in Africa to help with projects which use sport to bring communities in conflict together.
Linden Homes, sales and marketing director, Adrian Bird said: “The response to our calls for help from local people has been fantastic. The community really embraced the campaign and I’d like to thank them all for taking the time to dig out their old sports kits for such a worthwhile cause.
“As a leading national business we’re excited about helping such an inspirational organisation which shares the same philosophy of neighbourhood engagement that we are so passionate about ourselves.”
Linden Homes ran a prize draw for clothing donors taking part in the shirt amnesty to win a brand new sports shirt of their choice. Teams who donated have been entered into a national prize draw to win £1,000 towards new sporting equipment and the winners will be contacted directly.
For more information about the campaign, please visit www.kitupkitout.co.uk or www.lindenhomes.co.uk/


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This story appears in the November 5, 2012 issue of Forbes. Subscribe
"I was the new guy, and I was buying this new business I didn't know anything about," says Tricoire, now 49, of the reaction he got from his more conservative shareholders. "I lost a lot of sleep over that one."
He shouldn't have. Since Tricoire took over in May 2006, sales at the French conglomerate have risen 90% and earnings have more than doubled, to $2.5 billion in 2011. Tricoire has shaken up the internal culture at Schneider, a 130,000-employee company that was founded in 1838 and prospered with the rise of the global electrical industry.
With operations in more than 100 countries and a history of running its many product lines as separate businesses, Schneider seemed practically impervious to change. The Paris-based company owns a profusion of brands, including Square D circuit breakers in the U.S., and sells thousands of items for industrial automation and building management.
Many of its managers had built prosperous careers selling electrical equipment to outside distributors who had cozy relationships with their customers. There was little incentive for them to work closely with other Schneider divisions on marketing or to develop new products designed to capitalize on the trend toward centrally controlled and monitored networks.
Luckily Tricoire had a mandate. The man who promoted him, former CEO and current chairman Henri Lachmann, "wanted to change things," and he was willing to look beyond France's incestuous business culture to do it. Instead of graduating from one of the top business schools in Paris, Tricoire earned a degree in electronic engineering from a college in Angers. He wasn't a Schneider lifer, having joined the company in a corporate acquisition in 1986. And he'd spent most of his career in the field, including assignments in Italy, China and South Africa. "I loved operations, and I loved operations far from the headquarters," says Tricoire. "I had no passion for corporate."
One of Tricoire's first moves after buying APC was to tell 20 Schneider division chiefs that their products would have to provide integrated electronic monitoring in the same way that APC controls the vast electrical demands at data centers. "Ten of them said no way, not with their product lines," recalls Tricoire, a trim, athletic man who speaks with a heavy French accent. "Those ten weren't with the company much longer."
All of the 13 top executives at Schneider are Tricoire recruits. Average age? In the 40s. They are evenly split among operations in the U.S., Europe and Asia, with Tricoire working out of an office in Hong Kong. Next he pushed executives to develop a new marketing strategy based on energy conservation, again building off the experience at APC, which came to dominate the data-center business by developing new products, including cooling systems that adjust themselves to the demands of individual server racks.
Schneider also poured money into software, including buying Telvent for $2 billion last year. The Spanish company sells traffic-control systems, as well as programs to reduce energy usage in water utilities and weather-monitoring software.
The strategy: Sell a combination of equipment and software that guarantees customers energy savings of 30% or more a year. "Everything is becoming monitored, controlled and more efficient," Tricoire says.


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June 15, 2018 – Mobile advertising today is driven by the countless hours spent by consumers all over the world on their mobile devices. This makes it one of the most effective means to reach the audience. A new app, Mulaah, is creating a win-win business model where advertisers can get closer to their perfect audience, while mobile phone users also earn revenue and pay their phone bills through ads displayed on their devices.
Mulaah is the ‘mobile that pays’. Mulaah converts the ordinary mobile phone into a regular source of income with no work involved. Working as a mobile home screen and digital wallet that refills itself, Mulaah (M!) lets mobile phone users earn some real Mulaah (M!) every time an ad is seen on their home screen. The earned Mulaah (M!) is automatically transferred into the built-in digital wallet, ready for reloading any pre-paid phone around the world.
Mobile reloads are now free, thanks to Mulaah (M!), the downloadable mobile home screen and digital wallet. Those interested in setting up passive revenue streams will love its convenience, as well as the cool, new look of their mobile home screen with better functionality.
“Mulaah adds style to your phone and pays you to use it! In the future we will be finding better ways to give people around the world who need technology but have limited funds better mobile solutions and business models to help them in their everyday life. We are hoping to find the help our community needs without causing the governments and other systems to take the hit,” says a spokesperson for Mulaah.
Using Mulaah is as simple as downloading and registering for an account with Mulaah then using the phone as usual. The app comes with its own Mulaah Store (store.mulaah.com or in-app), where users can also buy and add more Mulaah to their wallet. The digital Mulaah wallet can then be used for pre-paid reloads.
Mulaah has been built on its very own Mulaah blockchain, letting users audit the app and track their personal information with control over portions of blocks. Other attractive features include earning more Mulaah (M!) through surveys and special offers as well as an ability to pay for PayPal cash, gift cards, games, movies and more with Mulaah (M!). The Mulaah app changes only the way the home screen looks, and all other apps and features of the phone work as usual.
The Mulaah team comprises Clifford “T.I.” Harris (celebrity entertainer and integral part of the team), Vernell Woods (one of the first black Presidential Scholars in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech), Scott Dunbar (ex-chief architect of Nokia and CTO of Synchrologic), Eric Usher, Dennis Campbell, and Vishal Khorlipara.
Mulaah is a home screen and digital wallet that refills itself. Advertisers display ads throughout the home screen and the revenue is shared with the user through Mulaah (M!). Mulaah can be spent to reload your pre-paid phone, get new themes, games and more.


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The United States is an affluent society, running water is an afterthought, the indecision on what to eat for lunch can become somewhat of a struggle, and we possess the ability to have clothing shipped to our front door.
However, in a country that rewards the prosperous, the Caribbean-American and American projects that fund development in Caribbean countries are often criticized. There is certainly always a need for philanthropy in the US, should Americans come first?
After going on a vacation to Honduras, Gateway Center Director of Development Melissa Walchli said she wanted to help underprivileged people in the Caribbean.
“In the third-world countries, there are a lot of people who don’t have shoes,” Walchli said. “I’ve seen people with milk jugs on their feet, tied on with raffia. I’ve seen people up on scaffolding with flip-flops or barefoot.”
Through an online organization called Funds to Org, Walchli and volunteers from the Gateway Center and the community geared up to gather as many pairs of shoes as they could.
“These consumers that live here have helped bag these shoes,” Walchli said. “We have a lot of new volunteers, a lot of new support and, you know, the shoes are really going to pay it forward.”
Monterey County residents donated more than 3,000 pairs of shoes sent in April, but the second shoe project shipment of more than 6,000 pairs of shoes went out on a truck Saturday. The total number of shoes sent so far has reached to more than 9,000 pairs.
People in Haiti and other Caribbean countries will receive the shoes to wear or sell for profit. One volunteer said he volunteers because he knows the impact of getting shoes is great.
“Well shoes are important especially in third world countries,” volunteer Jonathan Shu said. “The weather is really hot and without the shoes, it’s almost impossible to even walk and shoes are expensive and getting a new shoe was a big highlight when I was growing up.”
Gateway Center of Monterey County, Inc. is a private, not-for-profit community based organization which provides a wide range of services, including residential care, developmental training, and activity programs for adults ages 18 and over, with intellectual disabilities.


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The Indian arm of German auto maker, Mercedes-Benz, is all prepared for the launch of its new premium hatchback A-Class in the Indian auto market. Reportedly, the model will be introduced to the Indian buyers on May 30, 2013 amid great buzz. With the launch of A-Class in India, the auto maker will enter into an all new segment of luxury sports hatchbacks in the country. It must be noted that as of now, no other luxury car maker has launched a premium hatchback in India, except for BMW, which has introduced its MINI brand in the country.
After the Indian auto market, Mercedes-Benz is planning to route its classy hatchback in Malaysia as well. Interestingly, the auto maker has also started the promotion campaign for its A-Class hatchback on its official Facebook page in Malaysia. Industry experts are of a view that the company will attain a decent success in the country as the same marketing strategy was followed by the German premium car maker in India. However, the official Malaysian website of Mercedes-Benz has not unveiled the video of new A-Class, which showcases the exteriors and interiors of the model.
It must be noted that A-Class will come as the most affordable Mercedes-Benz model for the Indian buyers. In order to cater the demands of a large number of buyers, the model will be offered in both petrol and diesel options. The petrol variant will be packed with a 1.6 litre four-cylinder engine, which will churn out a maximum power of 120 bhp, whereas the diesel version will be equipped with a 2.2 litre four-cylinder engine, producing a maximum power of around 108 bhp. Adding to the performance, both the engines will be mated to a seven-speed dual clutch transmission system.
According to sources, Mercedes-Benz A-Class will be offered as a Completely Built Unit (CBU) in the initial stage. As of now, the auto maker is planning to start the local assemble of the model by the end of this year or most probably by the next year. With its new premium hatchback, Mercedes-Benz is looking ahead to fill in the void of luxury hatchbacks in the Indian auto market as in the coming days the market will witness the launch of other luxury and sporty hatchbacks to entice the young buyers of the country.


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How has Brexit affected road freight transport within Europe?
With the political process of the United Kingdom (UK) leaving the European Union (EU) beginning in 2016, the future was clear that nothing would remain the same even before the island nation officially left the bloc. While the full effect of Brexit is yet to be clear, as more changes will be coming to the border procedures beginning January 2022, some ramifications are already visible.
The supply chains within the country are in a difficult situation, as several factors have negatively influenced the way that goods are delivered throughout the UK, as well as imported and exported from and to the EU. The headlines describing the situation continue to describe the situation in the UK, seemingly offering little light at the end of the tunnel.
Is the situation so dire?
It was clear from the moment that once Article 50 of the Treaty of the EU was activated by the UK, changes would be coming sooner rather than later. The question was how well would the two sides prepare to ensure a smooth supply of goods between the Channel following the departure from the bloc.
In March 2017, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) pointed out that road freight transport providers “must have clarity in order to facilitate proper business planning,” as well as it being “essential that the industry’s views are taken into account during the negotiating process.” According to the IRU, “failure to address these practical issues within the two year negotiating period, laid out in the Treaty, could reduce trade, damage jobs and economic growth, significantly disrupt supply chains and bring confusion and uncertainty to journeys to and from the UK,” harshly concluding that a no-deal Brexit was “not an option.”
The union‘s calculations at the time indicated that over 4.4 million freight vehicles move between the EU and the UK annually, with 4 million of those going through the Port of Dover alone.
KPMG, part of the accounting Big Four, put out a brief in 2016, exploring potential consequences of Brexit. Specifically for logistics and post services, the firm questioned how would the freight traffic between the EU and the UK change, whether new charges would be implemented, and how customs duties and processes would be affected going forward.
“If the costs of doing business between EU/UK were higher due to tariffs and duties, what effect will this have on volumes and customer demand? What impact does this have on existing market operators?” the accounting firm continued questioning the future of the accounting firm. KPMG also pointed out that EU nationals working in the UK could also be affected, and even though the actual impact was still unclear at the time, it was as if the firm was providing a character’s traits in a novel that would foreshadow future events.
A one-two punch
While the negotiations for the exit dragged on, the date was set: the UK left the EU on January 31, 2020. Getting the process over with became a crucial selling point, as the Conservatives used the slogan of “Get Brexit Done” in their political campaign in the 2019 general election.
Though hindsight rarely misses, the leaving date could not have come at a possibly worse time, as COVID-19 began dampening the global economy. In Europe, per Eurostat data, the bloc‘s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) climbed only 0.1% in the euro area, while in the EU, it grew by 0.2% in Q4 2019, while seasonally-adjusted GDP in Q1 2020 decreased by 3.8% in the euro area, while in the whole bloc‘s economic measure decreased by 3.3%.
Still, nobody could have predicted how long and how devastating the pandemic would be. With a brief pause in March 2020, road freight transport had begun its recovery, which was, unfortunately, negatively impacted by several factors across the board. One of the consequences of the pandemic-forced stoppage in logistics’ commercial activity is that some drivers that were close to retirement, or working in the industry for several years, have decided to leave their profession behind and exchanged their truck driving careers for prospects elsewhere. As such, the pandemic worsened the driver shortage across Europe. Yet the United Kingdom faced an unprecedented crisis since Brexit was also the catalyst for many drivers to leave the country for jobs within the EU.
Transport Intelligence, a market research company, called the situation a “Bermuda triangle of Brexit, pandemic and tax reforms/peak seasons, leading to a pressing driver shortage in the UK.”
“Brexit effectively ended recruitment from the EU, making it legally impossible to recruit foreign HGV drivers. The COVID-19 pandemic created a backlog of tests and saw around 15,000 Eastern European drivers returning home. Finally, newly introduced tax reforms exacerbated the exodus of EU drivers from the UK which will only get worse over the coming summer,” read the company’s whitepaper on the situation on the island.
The coverage of the crisis offered little hope for supply chains within the UK and between the country and the EU, as another problem arose as a result of Brexit: few operators wanted to cross the Channel to provide the now-needed capacity across the country. According to separate research by TI, EU-registered truck crossings of the Channel have fallen as much as around 16% in 2021, while UK-registered trucks left the UK almost 24% less than Year-on-Year (YoY).
The UK government attempted to rectify the situation, including the deployment of the army to deliver fuel from processing plants to service stations, as the country entered a fuel crisis due to the shortage of drivers. The shortage of petrol and diesel across locations in the UK was not the only bottleneck in the country’s supply chains, as supermarket shelves were also seen empty, while Felixstowe, the Island’s busiest shipping container port is as congested as ever. “The average shipping container which arrives at Felixstowe is spending more than nine days at the port before it is collected,” twice the number of time it had to spend compared to the busiest periods in 2020, according to ITV News.
“The Department and partners across Government are working closely with the freight industry, including on HGV driver shortages, to work through the challenges some of our ports are facing at an important time of the year,” a Department for Transport (DfT) spokesperson told the publication in early October 2021.
Relaxation of rules
The inclusion of the army in the road transport processes was not the only measure the local government utilized to alleviate the shortage of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers on the road, as the relaxation of several regulations were enacted.
Firstly, the DfT temporarily relaxed the drivers’ maximum working hours rules on July 7, 2021, as the Secretary of State of Transport took to Twitter to announce that the Department was “aware of a shortage of HGV drivers, so I’m announcing a temp extension of drivers’ hours rules from Mon 12 July, giving flexibility to drivers & operators to make slightly longer journeys.” Since, the temporary measure has been extended several times, including the latest update to the rule on October 28, 2021, extending the relaxation of drivers’ hours rule until January 9, 2022. The local government is seemingly preparing for a difficult peak season when supply chains can be pushed to their limits even under normal circumstances.
The DfT reminded operators that they “must assess the risks of using the temporary relaxation and implement suitable control measures and/or mitigations so that the safety of the driver, other road users and those involved in loading and unloading is not compromised.”
Unite, the UK’s leading workers union, was skeptical about the change.
“Unite is highly concerned that the extended driving hours, which the government is reliant on to tackle the shortage of lorry drivers, is having a cumulative effect on driver fatigue. With the increased hours now continuing throughout the autumn and winter months, with longer periods of darkness and poorer weather, Unite fears that accidents will increase,” read a statement by the union. Unite’s national officer Adrian Jones commented that the decision was “reckless” and that HGV drivers “are already working excessive hours and the cumulative effect on fatigue will increase the risk of accidents and damage their health.”
“Rather than short-term fixes to the driver shortage, the government needs to implement long-term solutions,“ concluded Jones.
Another rule that the DfT looked at was cabotage, or foreign carriers’ ability to pick up and drop off cargo domestically. The current rules in the UK defined that a truck could make two cabotage trips within a span of seven days of entry into the country – the interim measures now allow carriers based in the EU, for example, to make unlimited cabotage trips within a two-week period. The changes to cabotage rules came into force on October 28, 2022, and are set to last until April 30, 2022, per the DfT.
There was no shortage of skepticism to the changes to cabotage either, as the Road Haulage Association (RHA) “raised concerns regarding unfair competition for UK hauliers, and that the suppression of haulage rates by international competition could drive UK driver wages down.” The association also pointed out that the negative consequences will outweigh the positive ones, as the downsides of the rule changes would “undermine the Temporary extension to road haulage cabotage 15 positive actions on training and testing already taken by the Government and industry to deal with the shortage of UK lorry drivers.”
Still, the UK lawmakers went ahead with the change, arguing that supply chains in the country “have been managing significant disruption for several months, partly due to the shortage of lorry drivers. There have been reduced fulfilment rates and delays to deliveries, including within the food supply chain,” read the consultation report by the DfT.
“The Department emphasises that the acute lorry driver shortage will only be resolved by growing the UK-resident labour force,” added the report, attempting to affirm that long-term solutions are also actively being looked at.
Will get worse before it gets better?
The combination of the driver shortage, Brexit, and the pandemic could only get worse until the end of 2021, as the peak season within the road freight transport industry reaches its most intense period yet, with December approaching and bringing its associated chaos across supply chains.
In particular, because starting January 1, 2022, changes will be coming to customs procedures for cargo that’s inbound to the UK from the EU, possibly ramping up the number of HGVs moving across the channel.
TI predicts that traffic, for example, on the lane between Lille, France and London, the UK, is “expected to increase up to the end of 2021 as importers stock up prior to potential disruption, providing upward pressure on rates towards the end of Q4.”
The market research company also pointed out that the alteration in customs procedures could further disrupt imports, subsequently putting upwards pressure on transport rates for cargo delivered across the Channel.
According to the UK‘s government website, the changes under a revised timeline are as follows:
- The requirements for pre-notification of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) goods, which were due to be introduced on 1 October 2021, will now be introduced on 1 January 2022;
- Safety and Security declarations on imports will be required as of 1 July 2022 as opposed to 1 January 2022. Full customs declarations and controls will be introduced on 1 January 2022 as previously announced.
The pushback for the deadlines of implementation of new processes, as per David Frost, the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, the “pandemic has had longer-lasting impacts on businesses, both in the UK and in the European Union, than many observers expected in March.”
The government official also pointed out that supply chains are facing pressure globally, something that was “caused by a wide range of factors including the pandemic and the increased costs of global freight transport,” read his statement from September 2021.
In order to clear customs going forward, not only the trucks will have to go to designated border control posts in the UK, namely those products that have to have veterinary health certificates (including meat and dairy products) or/and phytosanitary certificate. Furthermore, a security declaration will have to be uploaded to the country‘s customs officers online. While the first two months of the year is typically a slow-down in commercial activity due to the so-called post-Holidays “hangover”, as consumers are more reluctant to splurge out on items following a very intense spending period. The new customs procedures could also create issues at the border between the two sides of the Channel, especially with potential additional costs just to clear it – and with already strained supply chains due to the plethora of reasons, the situation could only get worse before it gets better, even if less demand for transport is present in the market.


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Myriad Creative has completed a new on-screen identity for writer Lynda La Plante’s TV production company. The design group was appointed by La Plante Productions to design an on-screen sequence based around a panther clutching a quill in its jaws. Corporate stationery has also been designed. Myriad creative director Nick Patterson-Jones says: ‘We were asked to produce a new identity which reflected the gritty and stylish feel of a La Plante drama. ‘We worked closely with Lynda on the work – particularly with the cat. The panther is an elegant and beautiful creature, but with a dark and aggressive side, so it was an ideal image for the task.’
For years those living with dyslexia have faced the stigma attached to their condition, but research from Cambridge University suggests the learning disorder can make creative-led professions like design more
The database aims to be the world’s biggest resource of climate crisis posters.
Much of the work at this year’s event is underpinned by sustainability, with designs from the likes of Mexico, the UAE and Scandinavia all being featured for their eco-friendly credentials.
MarinaTex, an organic and biodegradable alternative to traditional plastic, was developed by University of Sussex student Lucy Hughes.


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On the other hand, silver dropped further by Rs 620 to Rs 49,050 per kg on lack of buying interest. (Agencies)
Traders said pick up in festive season and wedding demand amid a weak rupee against the dollar mainly led the recovery in gold prices.
Import of the dollar-priced gold became costlier as rupee fell against dollar. The local currency fell 25 paise to 62.22 per dollar at the outset in the forex market.
They said silver fell further on stocking selling against reduced offtake by industrial units and coin makers.
Gold of 99.9 and 99.5 percent purity shot up by Rs 190 each to Rs 31,000 and Rs 30,800 per ten grams, respectively. It had lost Rs 120 on Wednesday. Sovereign added Rs 100 to Rs 25,200 per piece of eight gram.
However, silver ready dropped by Rs 620 to Rs 49,050 per kg and weekly-based delivery by Rs 650 to Rs 48,900 per kg after losing Rs 280 in the previous session.
Silver coins remained steady at Rs 85,000 for buying and Rs 86,000 for selling of 100 pieces.
On the other hand, silver dropped further by Rs 620 to Rs 49,050 per kg on lack of buying interest.


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Alliance Bus Group/CAIO Featured in Bus and Motorcoach News
ATLANTA, GA | March 16, 2016 – Alliance Bus Group, a family of bus sales and service dealerships headquartered in College Park, GA, recently exhibited at UMA (United Motorcoach Association) Expo and Alliance Bus Group’s CEO, Doug Dunn, was interviewed by Bus & Motorcoach News and asked to talk about both the CAIO motorcoach product and the company as a whole. You can read both the full article (by clicking on image) and more about Alliance’s representation at UMA below.
At Expo, Alliance had 7 vehicles, including three CAIO models (S3645, S3436, G3600), the new Vicinity transit bus, two Turtle Top models (both a new and used vehicle) and a Dur-A-Bus Sprinter. Alliance is pleased to report that both the CAIO S3436 and the new Turtle Top Odyssey XL have already been sold and delivered and deals are currently in the works for three other vehicles that were on display at Expo last month.
CAIO, an ISO 9001-2000 certified company founded in 1946, is the largest full-line bus manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere. Employing 3,500 employees in a 1.5 million square foot production facility located on 67 acres, CAIO produces 9,000 units annually.
About Alliance Bus Group
Alliance Bus Group is a family of full-service bus sales dealerships with locations throughout North America. With over 100 years combined experience in the bus industry among the executive team alone, Alliance Bus Group has seen growth every year since its incorporation. Offering bus and transportation products from every major manufacturer, Alliance Bus Group is the sole distributor of CAIO Motorcoaches in North America and the largest commercial bus distributor in the nation. For more information on how you can be “Along for the Whole Ride®”, visit www.AllianceBusGroup.com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Nick Corley | Alliance Bus Group


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BMC and Boole & Babbage have teamed up to challenge Computer Associates (CA) in the enterprise systems management market. Under an agreement signed this week, Boole & Babbage will resell BMC's Patrol...
Bitdefender's decryption tool can neutralise the latest versions of GandCrab, as well as retrieve files encrypted by earlier versions
Zhengfei admits he underestimated potential impact of being placed on US 'Entity List'
Huawei is considering pulling launch of Honor 20 smartphone from Europe in order to focus on China
President Trump labelled the New York Times report "a virtual act of treason"


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We are pleased to announce our participation in the conference “” in the framework of the European Artistic Crafts Day 2023 in Geneva, Friday March 31st at 17:00 at Pavillon Sicli.
During the event, we will deepen the discussion on the fair price of a garment created outside mass production processes, with the objective to make consumers aware of the true cost of manufacturing and services provided in short and circular circuits. We are excited to collaborate with fashion creator Lucie Guiragossian from Lundi Piscine and Eliran Ashraf from Black and Yellow concept store on this project.
The conference is hosted by Le geste, a platform supporting local fashion designers, promoting the circular economy, and raising awareness of the challenges of textile overconsumption.
To take part in the event, we invite you to register here:


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The 2019 M2 Competition is the first time since M introduced it’s small car offering with the 1M that they’ve put a proper M engine in one. But that’s not all that M engineers have been toying with on the M2. There are a host of changes on and under the skin of the M2 Competition that are worth digging into. In this video BMW does just that by walking us around the car and going through those details one by one.
For a bit more background on what will likely be an exceptional little car, lets talk about some of the finer points we’re particularly interested in. The S55’s mid-range torque (not something the N55 doesn’t have a problem with on paper) will be a noticeable improvement given how it feels in the heavier M4. While the 0-60 time is only .1 faster, we’d bet a fair amount that this M2 will feel decidedly faster.
Then there’s the suspension improvements. One area that the M2 excelled at from launch was its grip and ability to be predicable at the limit (ironically one area that makes it for better or worse different from the 1M). Having drifted (not completely on purpose) an M2 down the corkscrew of Laguna Seca I can speak to the limits and the general ease of use of the current M2. According to BMW this is now significantly improved thanks to altered steering mapping, spring and damper tuning and recalibrated DSC.
While a few of us look at the race to predicability and grip perfection as contrary to what makes a sporty car enjoyable, there’s little question that these motorsport driven improvements will create a faster and more capable car. So good in fact that BMW is taking away the option of the standard car entirely and just offering the M2 Competition going forward.
For the enthusiast the M2 Competition these are all promising developments. It’s a small BMW with a true M engine being offered in both manual and DCT forms. With seemingly no stone now left unturned by modification, it takes an already excellent product to the next level. In so many ways this is exactly what BMW M has done since the E30 M3. It’s nice to know they can still nail it.
The M2 Competition goes on-sale later this summer for 58,900.


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The music playback platform, Spotify, gets tired of users jumping over the ad and starting to take drastic measures.
At these times, Spotify enjoys one of the best moments of the time that exists. It has been nearly 13 years since its launch in 2006, and today the company enjoys a good income – 96 million subscribers and a great reputation in the world. However, there is something that has been like a stone in the company shoe: advertising blockers,
If you are a subscriber, this may not be so familiar. When you listen for free Spotify, the platform often automatically launches an ad followed by an invitation to become a subscriberFor some it's so annoying that they install programs that help to jump to every ad easilyObviously, without paying.
Undoubtedly, this is something Spotify does not like. This custom is not new, so the company had to endure its existence for many years. Now, however, when the organization has such recognition, has finally decided to take drastic measures,
Patience is over
Spotify has recently announced that it will begin a process of closing accounts that use ad blocking programsThere will be no warning or warning: these offenders will just see that their account is deactivated,
A few months ago, Digiday revealed that Spotify is already working on the software that will find out what is "unacceptable attitude" for the company. At that time, efforts to reach and perfect a reliable detection system were already remarkable. In the end, the problem was not small: at least two million users blocked ads,
So far, Spotify has already taken some action with this type of offender. But what he has done so far is simply to send a message saying "he has discovered unusual activity" in the application. In addition, he pointed out that he did not need to worry and kindly asked for the modifier to be uninstalled and to download the app back into the Play Store again. Once this has been done, the user can restore the account.


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Notes on the Wharf
Posted by Relte on July 10, 2019 |
Notes released an update today announcingthey've opened their 10th Notes location.
Siutauted in Canada Walk below 20 Canada Square in a high footfall locaion, reporting that the first two days of trading have gone well.
The company also reported that trade continues to be strong across the business with growth averageing 12% for the first half of the year on a like-for-like basis.


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STATESVILLE, N.C. – Specialty consumer finance company EZCORP today announced its move into one of the nation’s premier racing circuits.
EZCORP will join the “Wild Asphalt Circus” at Texas Motor Speedway, partnering with David Gilliland and the Front Row Motorsports No. 38 Ford for the April 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
EZCORP is proud to be part of one of the fastest and most exciting races on the Sprint Cup schedule. Speeds often exceed 190 miles per hour, and the cars shine and the sparks fly in the nighttime setting at the 1.5-mile Forth Worth oval.
“We’re extremely excited about our partnership in the NASCAR event at Texas Motor Speedway,” said EZCORP Chief Marketing Officer Dan Surdell. “We’ve been looking at racing as a marketing tool for some time and this is a perfect opportunity to showcase our brand among a very loyal racing fan base.
“We’re confident that David Gilliland’s No. 38 EZPAWN/EZMONEY Ford Fusion will represent our company well. The car design looks amazing.”
The partnership is a perfect match between EZCORP and Front Row Motorsports, which both started with modest beginnings and grew gradually and strategically to greater levels of success.
“That’s the kind of partner we love to bring into the sport because we have a lot of similarities,” said team owner Bob Jenkins. “And we’re thankful they saw the value in that kind of partnership. Texas Motor Speedway always puts on an exciting show and David loves driving there, so we’re looking forward to putting a fast EZCORP Ford on track.”


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B&B Studio has worked on the naming, design and launch of a new pasta sauce range Incredible! for soupmaker Yorkshire Provender.
The consultancy was approached in January with an idea to “shake up the market,” said B&B Studio creative partner Kerry Bolt who added, “We were keen to create a whole new brand for them.”
The design combines ‘a bold name and logo’ with a collage-style design ‘to reflect the generosity of ingredients’ in each variant, says Bolt.
The collage approach is also a reflection of Yorkshire Provender owner Belinda Williams’ “knowledge of ingredients,” said Bolt.
A set of characters have been created ‘to help bring the brand’s engaging personality to life’ and to draw the consumer’s attention to the inside of packs where recipe ideas can be found, according to Bolt.
B&B Studio is now working on more packaging as the range is expanded beyond pasta sauce, to other products.
Incredible! will launch in supermarkets, beginning with a roll-out across Budgens stores this week.


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Cottage industry training programme closes
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
NINETEEN participants from the Brunei Arts and Handicraft Training Centre and 14 cottage industry entrepreneurs have completed a programme dubbed ‘Comprehensive Training for Cottage Industry: Product Development and Commercialisation’ yesterday. The customised five-day training programme which started on August 29 was organised by the Universiti Teknologi Brunei as one of its community engagement initiatives.
According to a press statement from the Universiti Brunei Darussalam, the programme was designed specifically for cottage industry entrepreneurs especially among Village Consultative Councils and private individuals in the manufacturing and weaving sectors. The aims of the programme are to equip the participants with skills that will enable them to produce more innovative products that have a better competitive edge in the market; encourage cooperation and knowledge transfer between various agencies to empower cottage enterprises and support the economic diversification efforts of the country.
The Brunei Times


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Cannabis sweets packaged to look like bags of Haribo and Skittles are being sold and promoted on social media sites such as Instagram and Tik Tok, Sky News has found.
This screen recording shows a dealer’s channel on Telegram advertising a large number of cannabis gummies in brightly colored bags with fake branding.
Police say the packaging makes them appealing to children and at least six have been taken to hospital after eating cannabis candies. One child was only eight years old.
There are also concerns that the drug is being used to lure children into drug trafficking by county gangs, which are based in major cities but use young people to deliver and sell drugs to users in cities and areas. rural. Police in the East of England have said a third of those arrested in connection with cannabis edibles are under 18.
Candy is regularly promoted and sold alongside Class A drugs, including heroin, cocaine and LSD, as well as large amounts of marijuana.
Sky News found that the dealerships operate openly on the five most popular social media sites: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Snapchat. They also use Whatsapp and Telegram messaging services, and the latter is the most popular platform for resellers to provide pricing and initiate sales.
The story came to light after a dealer added a Sky News reporter on Instagram to an account selling cannabis candy.
The candies are known as gummies and are unrelated to the legitimate brands named on some packaging.
Some products using CBD, a chemical found in cannabis, are on sale legitimately in stores across the country, but these candies are illegal and contain high levels of THC – which is the chemical that gives high an user.
Many appear to have been brought to the UK from California, where drug laws are different.
But some also seem to be homemade.
Bulk orders are encouraged and dealers offer discounts on large orders of gummies and harder drugs.
Searching Telegram for the word ‘gummies’ brings up many groups where the sweets can be bought for just £5. One group has 62,000 subscribers and two others have nearly 30,000 and 16,000 subscribers each.
Typing the word ‘edibles’ on Facebook Marketplace in the UK brought up articles containing drugs. About a third of the first 40 results were advertised as containing cannabis.
Those searching for “uk gummies” on TikTok have seen results showing mostly legal gummies, but the app offers suggestions that direct users to gummies offered by dealers.
These suggestions include searching “how to get edible gummies in the UK” and “telegrampluguk” (plug being a term for a dealer or someone who can put you in touch with a dealer) and “gummies with htc uk” ( htc being a variant spelling of THC).
A dealer network seems to operate on some of the social sites. For example on Instagram, looking at the accounts followed or followed by a seller leads you to discover more sellers.
Cannabis sweets are a problem for police forces in the UK. Almost all police forces in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have had an issue with sweets in their area, and 80% have issued a statement or confirmed it to Sky News .
The Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) has a unit that manages the threat of serious and organized crime in the east of England and covers Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent and Essex.
ERSOU intelligence shared with Sky News suggests boys and girls under the age of 18 are consuming cannabis edibles, primarily those of secondary school age.
A third of those arrested in connection with cannabis edibles in the eastern region are under the age of 18.
ERSOU Chief Detective Inspector Rob Burns says cannabis edibles are illegal and have side effects, such as unconsciousness.
He said: “The way they’re branded to look like candy suggests they’re being marketed to children, but it also means worryingly that they could easily fall into the wrong hands.
“We also know that gangs involved in the counties will use an array of tactics to target vulnerable young people, and reports suggest that social media is being used to advertise the sale of cannabis edibles, potentially to lure young people who use multiple social media platforms. .”
He added that anyone with information about the sale of these items or who believe a child is being exploited to sell them should contact the police.
The social media companies mentioned in this article have all told Sky News they have strict policies prohibiting the buying or selling of any drugs, including sweets containing THC. They say they are actively monitoring this issue on their platforms using a mix of technology and humans to review content.
Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and Whatsapp, said it proactively removed 98% of this content in the past quarter and was working with police and youth organizations to improve their moderation.
Most of the accounts and search terms flagged in Sky News’ investigation have now been banned.
The companies behind the candies and snacks whose brand name is copied by drugmakers have already spoken out against the look-alike packaging, and some have taken legal action.
Sky News has blurred account names to avoid giving sellers publicity.
The Data and forensics The team is a versatile unit dedicated to delivering transparent Sky News journalism. We collect, analyze and visualize data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite imagery, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling, we aim to better explain the world while showing how our journalism is done.


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ON THE BOARD: Goals Soccer Centres appoints Andy Anson as its new chief exec
Five-a-side football firm Goals Soccer Centres has appointed Andy Anson as chief executive.
Anson, 53, joins after stints as the boss of football shirt retailer Kitbag, commercial director of Manchester United Football Club and chief executive of England's failed 2018 World Cup bid.
The firm, which has issued a string of profit warnings, also said Nick Basing would step down as chairman.
Basing added: 'We are confident Andy's skillset will contribute to our recovery strategy.'
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