text:
Athens, GA (PressExposure) May 25, 2013 -- The SpyCrushers Spy Camera Pen is a real working ball-point pen that is additionally secretly a high-definition video recorder and camera. The usages can be fun and extremely significant.
At a product presentation occasion held at Crushers, Inc corporate office in Carmel, IN, Ryan Anderson, President of Crushers, Inc said, "Having the capability to shield your track record from incorrect accusations or a baseless threat is every person's right. We've created a secure, completely covert product to assist people in defending themselves.
According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) at least 15,000 instances of sex-related harassment are brought to them yearly by supposed victims with lots more delivered independently by sex-related harassment attorneys. In a study of 9,000 clerical women, 92 % of respondents experienced obvious bodily harassment, sex-related remarks and leering, with the majority concerning this habits as a serious issue at the office. According to the EEOC, the number of sexual harassment issues claimed by men have actually tripled in current years with 11 % of cases being guys claiming against women managers.
A client product testimonial read, "This is an incredible little video recorder. Great tool for all kinds of secret agent stuff."
The new SpyCrushers line will certainly feature unseen video camera tools, stun guns, personal alarms, diversion safes, security gear, survival items and a lot more. "The best aspect of the SpyCrushers line," Anderson points out, "is that the products are inexpensive and some are under twenty dollars.".
As of April 7th, 2013 the SpyCrushers Spy Camera Pen has actually been included on the biggest online marketplace in the world, Amazon. Mr. Anderson has a lot more exciting information to outline the launch of this new product line and its items. Contact details has been given to arrange personal interviews if you would like to talk with him more.


text:
Manchester’s first co-living development to be granted planning permission, Union is drawing tantalizingly close to completion. The new buildings, situated at St John’s have been designed to provide a more accessible gateway into city living. Union comes with all the trappings that modern build-to-rent properties offer such as a resident’s gym, lounge, co-working space, and private dining rooms, […]
Urban regeneration specialist creating tomorrow’s city living, Vita Group has completed a deal with LCR, a commercial development and placemaking specialist, to purchase one of Birmingham city centre’s most exciting development opportunities.
Urban living specialist, Vita Group has published its inaugural Future Living Report, the largest study of its kind reviewing the latest living trends as Britain responds to the cost-of-living crisis, and emerges from the pandemic with a new normal which includes hybrid working, pets and second income streams.
Vita Group has bolstered its senior leadership team at an important time of continued growth with a significant internal promotion following 17-years of dedicated service to the business for Russell Hayes. Russell Hayes has been promoted to Director of Residential and will lead the businesses residential portfolio which includes Circle Square apartments by Vita Living and will include U+nion, […]
This year, Mental Health Awareness Week focused on loneliness and to bring this issue to life across the business, Vita Group created initiatives to bring people together. At head office, events ran throughout the week to encourage togetherness and communication with all members of staff. These include the ‘Cork & Canvas’ event where attendees unleashed […]
Vita Group has added to its C-suite with a trio of top-tier promotions. Max Bielby who was previously Managing Director for Vita Student has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer, Laura Swindells who was previously People Director has been promoted to Chief of Staff and David Ancell has been promoted to Chief Brand Officer. Bielby’s new […]
Taking a moment out of the day to get together and celebrate, staff from across the business celebrated Chinese New Year in the hub with a host of celebrations including learning the art of Chinese calligraphy painting, painting ‘Fú’ for fortune. Great for the mind and creativity, attendees were treated to amazing Jasmine Teas and […]
The Lab takes an in-depth look at the leading youth fashion brands to help trend forecast for future colour inspiration. Inspiration can come from anywhere, but more often than not, this year’s catwalk trends feed into next year’s interior trends helping to inform new hues, fabrics and styles. With a recent study conducted by BeatFreeks […]
Vita Group has appointed Penny Langton as its head of residential marketing to support the business on its build-to-rent brands Union and Vita Living. Penny joins the business with over 20 years’ marketing experience, developing brands and bringing them to new audiences to drive growth, having previously worked for the likes of Morris Homes, Beaverbrooks, […]
Vita Group agrees £190M funding deal for Union development with Cain International and PGIM Real Estate
Vita Group has agreed a major funding deal with Cain International and PGIM Real Estate. The £190M development loan will be used to finance the 500,000 sq.ft Union development at St John’s. Designed to mobilise an army of young professionals, Union will create 1,676 beds, with a mix of studios, duos, trios and quad apartments. […]

domain: news


text:
The fashion industry’s affinity for small sizes is nothing new.
But Universal Standard is helping to change that with an inclusive line for sizes 00 to 40.
The women’s fashion company recently opened a two-story showroom at 1202 Hawthorne in Montrose that features the brand’s easy, comfortable wardrobe staple pieces, including pencil skirts, tunic dresses, denim and athletic wear, mostly in solid colors that can mix and match. Prices start at $18 for camisoles and run up to $240 for cashmere sweaters. Denim is $90.
“About 67 percent of women in the U.S. are larger than a size 14,” said Universal Standard co-founder and creative director Alexandra Waldman, who wears a size 20. “There’s an aversion to bigger bodies in the fashion world, and a lot of brands feel that adding larger sizes will dilute the cachet of their brand. There isn’t a lot of goodwill.”
Universal Standard has found a welcoming audience in major cities, including New York, Seattle and Houston, which is the brand’s No. 3 market.
Waldman, a former fashion journalist, and friend Polina Veksler, a tech and finance executive, launched the brand with their own money in 2015. Their eight-piece capsule collection of wardrobe basics, which they offered out of Waldman’s New York apartment, sold out quickly. That’s when the women moved online with a retail site that amassed a cultlike following.
The brand, which is based in New York with a warehouse in Seattle, also has collaborated on collections with Adidas, J. Crew and Rodarte, allowing those brands to offer extended sizes. Universal Standard recently tapped “Orange Is the New Black” star Danielle Brooks to star in its maternity-wear ad campaign.
In addition to a collection of staples, the brand’s denim was so popular that it had a wait list of 1,700 orders at one point, and it continues to be a bestseller.
Waldman said the company was born out of her own necessity.
In 2014, Waldman and Veksler couldn’t find a dress for Waldman to wear to a networking event. They searched New York’s Fifth Avenue for a dress and found nothing, with the exception of a few unstylish polyester looks. So they got working on a collection that could fit them both.
Universal Standard is also leading the body-positivity movement with ad campaigns that feature women of all shapes, sizes and skin tones.
“We wanted to show the industry that inclusivity could be done really well,” Waldman said. “If J. Crew had done plus sizes when I was growing up, I would have never started Universal Standard.”


text:
Nowadays, consumers are now deciding between purchasing the latest hybrid or the recently unveiled electric car to replace the current internal combustion engine in their garage. Despite the tax breaks and discounts, car owners are still quite wary of electric cars.
This conclusion was reached after a survey was conducted on consumers, whether they prefer gasoline-electric hybrids, compressed natural gas engines, hydrogen fuel cell engines or full electric vehicles. The survey results still showed that fossil fuels still is top choice while the electric vehicle came up last in the survey. A total of forty percent of respondents indicated that electric vehicles are the least preferred fuel engine choice.
The survey’s respondents numbered a total of 4,000 whose main characteristic would be the inclination to purchase a vehicle within five years from the time of the survey. Their main issues are purchase cost, refueling, maintenance cost, and mileage.
Despite the appalling numbers, the major automakers are rushing to cash in on the electric vehicle market. Tesla has its Roadster and the soon to be released Tesla S sedan. Nissan had mass-produced the Leaf while others are following the lead, with Ford with its all electric Focus, Chevrolet with the Volt and even Rolls Royce with its version.
The survey identified the main issues that consumers have in the use of alternative fuels, which can be categorized as money against comfort. The participants said that if they would spend an additional $1,000 for the vehicle, the vehicle must have one of the three characteristics, namely savings of $300 of driving over 12,000 miles a vehicle range of 17.5 miles or a refueling time of not over 7.8 minutes. These characteristics is what makes the hybrid such a viable alternative vehicle option, because all three concerns are addressed with they hybrid.
As for the electric vehicle, only when these are addressed can it make a run against the efficient hybrid vehicle.


text:
DTI-Central Visayas asks 89 business firms to explain ‘overpricing’
CEBU CITY –– The Department of Trade and Industry in Central Visayas (DTI-7) has called out the attention of 89 business establishments in the region for selling basic commodities “above the price ceiling” while the country is placed under a State of Public Health Emergency.
DTI Cebu Provincial Director Rose Quinanola said her office checked on-the-spot the prices of 103 major supermarkets and grocery stores in Cebu and found that 29 of them have higher prices than what was expected.
They found the same trend in 17 stores in Negros Occidental and 43 in Siquijor.
Quinanola said they issued “Letters of Inquiry (LOI)” to store managers asking them to explain why their prices are higher than the price ceiling imposed in their respective localities.
While most of the establishments in Cebu have already adjusted their prices back to the price ceiling, she said they would continue to monitor these stores.
In Siquijor Province, 43 grocery stores were also sent LOIs asking them to explain the higher prices.
DTI Siquijor Provincial Director Angeline Gonzales said most of the 43 stores reasoned out that their suppliers have also increased their prices. They, however, have brought down their prices back to the price ceiling.
In Negros Oriental, at least 17 establishments were also called out for higher prices of basic goods.
In a separate statement, DTI-7 said it would continue to monitor establishments regularly, especially when the country is still under a health emergency because of COVID-19.
Under the law, the price ceiling is imposed on basic commodities like laundry soap, detergent, canned fish, processed milk, coffee, bottled water, and rice.
The prices of medicines, on the other hand, are monitored by the Food and Drug Administration.
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.


text:
Jamaica stands to increase its earnings from exports to the region by US$138 million should companies consider exploring nearshoring opportunities, a study from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) estimates.
The bank shared data from the study at a meeting of regional trade ministers and private sector leaders in Los Angeles, California, USA, ahead of the ninth Summit of the Americas.
Discussions during the meeting included issues such as value chains, digital commerce, and climate change. The IDB also used the meeting as an opportunity to promote economic recovery through the collaborative and collective action of countries with the involvement of private sector.
According to the IDB, “Nearshoring could add an annual $78 billion in additional exports of goods and services in Latin America and the Caribbean in the near and medium term, with opportunities for quick wins in the auto industry, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and renewable energy, among others.”
It pointed out, in addition, that the reconfiguration of global supply chains, trends in trade sustainability and climate change, and the increasing digitalisation of economies were some of the factors creating opportunities in nearshoring.
“Increased environmental concerns, along with the health crisis and the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia, has presented an opportunity in which the region can contribute to the global economy and the fight against inflation by taking a more active role in global supply chains in a way that is sustainable and equitable,” IDB President Mauricio Claver-Carone said during the meeting.
“This meeting is a demonstration that leaders from the public and private sectors can put aside their differences to find ways to create jobs and improve the well-being of our citizens — and trade is one of the main avenues to accelerate our prosperity,” he added.
The study, which is yet to be released, estimates that the market for exported goods in the region amounts to approximately US$64 million while exported services are valued around US$14 million. Mexico and Brazil would realise the largest gains from nearshoring in both goods and services.
With regard to Jamaica, the IDB estimates that the country could increase its export earnings from “quick-win” industries to the United States by US$84.9, while in Latin America potential earnings could amount to US$25.8 million.
In the medium term, Jamaican stands to earn US$27.8 million from exporting to the region.
Like Claver-Carone, executive director of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association Kamesha Turner Blake believes that supply chain bottlenecks and increased freights costs, which have been exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war, have created opportunities to maximise export to Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Global supply chains continue to have challenges with little goods coming from the Far East. With markets not getting cheap goods from China, Jamaican goods are more competitive. The JMEA continues to encourage local manufacturers to capitalise on this opportunity,” she told Jamaica Observer.
Moreover, Turner Blake said manufacturers should look beyond the small population size of Jamaica and instead take into account the large tourism markets that are serviced by the country.
The IDB indicates that companies which participate in global value chains not only benefit from increasing their revenues and investment, but also improve productivity through transfers of technology while creating jobs. For countries that increase their participation in global value chains by 10 per cent, they can expect growth in per capita gross domestic product between 11 and 14 per cent.
“For the region to take advantage of opportunities that come with increased participation in GVC, the IDB recommends countries focus on a ‘3i’ strategy: investment, infrastructure and integration,” the bank stated.
“In addition, the region must increase the availability of financing for companies, particularly to enable small and medium-sized firms to connect with international markets.”


text:
As regular readers are aware, this website is part of the Radio Heard Here campaign. One of the reasons I was brought on board is because I have a passion for the medium and a broadcast background. I also have one foot in the digital world since I make my living producing content for the web and working with social media. The evolution of radio on the Internet and on mobile devices is a subject I have followed closely since the inception of this blog.
One issue that has arisen consistently is the integration of FM-capable chips into the new generation of smart phones. I know there are those who wonder why we would need an FM chip in phones that can access the Internet, and by extension an incredible array of radio signals via streaming. It really is not counterintuitive once you consider it.
With that in mind I’d like to direct readers towards a new initiative that has just gone live on the Radio Heard Here website, FM Radio in Mobile Phones. The objective is to push for FM receivers to become standard issue in all mobile phones.
There is a lot of great information there, and a lot that touches on my pet topic of emergency preparedness. I’ve been there in the days after Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the New Orleans levees. It was impossible to get a call through to the 504 area code. Overloading of the network brought cell based communications to a standstill. My phone became what some unfortunate iPhone users call “a brick.”
If there had been an FM receiver in that phone I would have been able access pertinent news and information without any regard for the state of the overburdened network. To me that personal experience is irrefutable proof of the need for these chips. Talk is easy, but when you’ve been there, things take on a different level of urgency.
There is already headway being made in this area, as the Radio Heard Here piece demonstrates:
Broadcom recently announced an integrated circuit device that combines WiFi, Bluetooth and FM on a single “chip,” making it easier for manufacturers to integrate essential functionality in one chip.
Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile are including FM radio-capable handsets in their offering and the radio industry is working on getting Apple on board as well. In fact, the Apple iPhone 3GS includes the Broadcom chip described above which has FM receiver capability. It is not a current function of the 3GS but can be easily included in a future upgrade since the FM-capable device is already present in the current design.
Nokia has sold more than 700 million devices with built-in FM radio receivers worldwide, demonstrating consumer recognition of the value.
Tell us your thoughts on this initiative by visiting www.radioheardhere.com/fmchip. Spread the word among your radio industry colleagues and ask them to do the same. Spread the word to listeners over the air and on your radio station websites and ask them to voice their support for FM radio on cell phones. Together, we can mobilize this initiative throughout the industry and the listening population to demonstrate the fundamental necessity for FM radio receivers in mobile devices.
Image: Radio Heard Here logo


text:
Global Trade Magazine
by Anastasia Telesetsky, a law professor at the University of Idaho focused on environmental and public international law
As one of the largest, most comprehensive trade deals in history, it is no surprise that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has elicited much discussion. But despite all of the debate, one thing is clear: the TPP is a huge step forward for the environment because it promotes trade in green goods, protects sovereign rights to legislate for environmental protection, and identifies environmental protection as a priority for trade.
You can read the story here.


text:
Consumers got a glimpse of the latest and greatest in technology as companies big and small showcased their newest products and concepts at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held in Las Vegas from Thursday to Sunday.
This year’s show focused less on traditionally glitzy tech products, such as robotics and concepts that may never see the light of day, in favour of more practical offerings. It also put a spotlight on metaverse and health tech, riding on the trends following the Covid-19 pandemic that led to hybrid work arrangements and concerns about health.
The show is a return to form for CES following two years of truncated events due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Here, we take a look at some of the tech products showcased that will go on sale in 2023.
- ces 2023
- new in tech
- tech products


text:
- En Español
- About us
- Sign In
- For Members
Since the quinoa craze around a decade ago, the question has been thrown around — which ancient grain will rocket to stardom next?
The answer may as well be – all of them. Just recently, we learned 2023 was declared The International Year of Millet by the United Nations, a recent Washington Post article highlights teﬀ’s growing popularity both with farmers and consumers, and fonio is the bright young star waiting to take the market by storm. The term ‘ancient grain’ is seen more and more on grocery store shelves, in products focusing both on a single ancient grain or a delectable mix. Ancient grains are found in chips and granolas, pastas and heat-and-eat items. Even ancient grains that in the past were associated with a speciﬁc culture or heritage diet are breaking out of their molds, and ﬁnding their way into more ‘mainstream’ retail items.
Generally, heirloom and ancient grains are deﬁned as crops that have been largely unchanged over the last several hundred years. Many of these crops have been mostly unknown to western audiences until recently but maintain cultural importance in other global regions. Others were once popular in the western world until the agricultural revolution when they largely replaced by crops like corn and modern wheat with higher yields and easier processing capabilities. Examples of ancient grains include buckwheat, amaranth, teﬀ, and ancient wheats, including spelt, emmer and farro. And, of course, there is quinoa, the ancient grain that broke the mainstream market barrier.
Data shows that consumers are demanding more from their food. With snacking on the rise (accounting for more than 50% of eating occasions), consumers expect snack foods to act like mini meals and less like treats. Consumers are also looking beyond the tag words such as “organic” and “non-GMO”, though those characteristics are still extremely important to their buying habits. They are seeking deeper levels of engagement from their food, looking for farm driven messaging with new tag words like “regenerative” and “biodynamic”. With snacking on the rise, and planetary and personal wellness an increasing concern among consumers, ancient grains seem to ﬁt snuggly into the expectations of the modern consumer.
Ancient grains made their way into the human diet by standing out from the crowd, naturally thriving in their often harsh environments enough to be noticed. Ancient grains are hardy, and tend to thrive with lower levels of pesticides, fertilizers, and irrigation, making them an attractive choice to consumers who choose to shop with their carbon footprint in mind as we wrote in our blog last month.
The category of ‘ancient’ or ‘heirloom’ grains is not centered around a nutritional characteristic. They are certainly more nutritious than reﬁned grain products, but are not necessarily healthier than their non-ancient whole grain counterparts. Like all whole grains, ancient grains contain a diverse and impressive mix of nutrients. Quinoa is a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids our body requires. Amaranth is a complete protein as well and contains lunasin, a peptide believed to have anti-inﬂammatory and cancer-preventive beneﬁts. Buckwheat is a terriﬁc energy source. In its whole grain form, buckwheat has high levels of resistant starch resulting in a low GI response. A large cohort of the ‘ancient grain’ category is gluten free, including the pseudocereals buckwheat, amaranth and quinoa as well as millet, teﬀ, and wild rice. Ancient wheats have also been found to digest diﬀerently than their modern counterparts, and we have heard anecdotally that eating naturally leavened bread made with ancient wheat has led to some gastrointestinal relief in gluten intolerant individuals.
Ancient grains are certainly well primed for this moment, and sure tick a lot of the boxes consumers are seeking. They have a great narrative, they’re good for the soil and leave a small carbon footprint, and they pack a nutritional energy ﬁlled
punch. Baking Business recently published an article on the rise of ancient grains in the baking world. As Don Trouba, senior director at WGC member Ardent Mills is quoted ““Remember, more than ever before, consumers have the ability to choose foods that align with their individual values, whether that’s personal health, planetary health, supporting farmers, etc. Heirloom grains have the ability to reshape modern foods.”
So next time you’re at the grocery store, take a look at the shelves and see what ancient grain products you can ﬁnd. Maybe try something new, and let us know what you think! (Abby)


text:
Artificial intelligence (AI) based customer and field service platform Neuron7 has raised $10 million (around Rs 53 crore) in its Series A funding round led by Nexus Venture Partners and Battery Ventures.
The company plans to use the funds to grow its product and customer teams in the US, India and expand its customer service intelligence platform to help companies diagnose and resolve issues in seconds.
Read also – [Funding alert] Agritech platform WayCool raises $40 mn in funding
San Jose, California-based Neuron7 was founded in 2020 by Vinay Saini and Niken Patel,It helps enterprises make accurate service decisions at large.
The company claims to deliver service forecasting in seconds by ingesting and analyzing signals from structured and unstructured enterprise data as well as inputs from top experts.
“Knowledge in an enterprise is siloed. Support, field service and engineering expertise is spread across systems, data and experts. Re-thinking the way intelligence is captured and shared across silos in the enterprise, Neuron7.ai creates an enterprise-wide resolution system of record,” said, Niken Patel, CEO of Neuron7.ai.
Since its inception, Neuron7 claimed to be deployed by companies such as Keysight Technologies, Xilinx, Parkview Healthcare, SoftTek and others.
Commenting on this investment, “We’re thrilled to be increasing our investment in and strengthening our partnership with Neuron7.ai,” said, Abhishek Sharma, managing director at Nexus Venture Partners.
“We like Neuron7’s vision of using artificial intelligence and NLP to help customers resolve any issue within seconds and turn customer service into a profit centre,” he added.
Read also – Pine Labs acquires leading API fintech startup Setu
“Neuron7’s technology is a proven productivity enhancer for its customers. It leads to faster ticket resolution and reduces drag on customer agents—meaning customers are happier because their problem is solved faster,” said, Bill Binch, operating partner at Battery Ventures.
Neuron7 helps customer and field service teams diagnose and resolve complex issues in seconds.
The Neuron7 AI platform works with existing customer service systems and a company’s entire body of structured and unstructured service data to help agents, technicians, bots, and self-service portals diagnose and resolve any issue instantly, accurately, and more profitably.
Read also – [Funding alert] Smartphone re-commerce platform Cashify raises $90 mn in Series E round
Groundbreaking AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology unlocks tribal knowledge so that all service team members perform like experts.
Neuron7 is headquartered in San Jose, CA, and backed by Nexus Venture Partners and Battery Ventures.


text: Craig Sender writes to tell us that PC World has compiled a list of the 20 most annoying tech products of all time. Topping the list was AOL's ubiquitous free trial CD's. "This list hardly covers every annoying tech product ever made. But where did this list of 20 come from? [PC World Readers] picked the worst ones by voting in our Annoyances Poll, and you'll see your Top 10 most annoying products flagged with icons. Just for fun, we've added 10 more products that didn't get enough votes from you in our poll but that we found particularly irksome."


text:
Neptune debuted in a series of sponsored Instagram posts that the influencer produced in partnership with a favorite dog-biscuit brand and the world’s largest retailer.
Legendary American goalkeeper Tim Howard and actress Isabela Moner partnered with a soft-drink giant and a fast food company to create premium branded content around FIFA’s 21st World Cup.
Professional rock climber Sierra Coyle, chef Graham Elliot and MLS goalkeeper Tim Howard partnered with a famous pain reliever brand to create and distribute brilliant pieces of sponsored content.
Kelly Balch partnered with an on-demand transportation company to immortalize the moment ‘Queer Eye’ star Bobby Berk officiated three weddings during the New York City Pride Parade.
Beauty influencers Mini Marley, Jenn Im, Sivan Ayla, Whitney Port, Racquel Natasha and Sydney Leroux partnered with a renown skincare brand to produce a series of sponsored photos and videos.
Gus Kenworthy, Karamo Brown and Tyrann Mathieu partnered with a global clothing-retail company to treat their fans with summery sponsored videos.
Are you as ready as they are, though?
The influencer partnered with a popular brand of baby and toddler products to create outstanding sponsored content around her life as a new mom.
When it comes to taking to the next level, the judge of VH1’s 'America’s Next Top Model' knows exactly what to do.
Adrienne Bosh, tWitch Boss, Candace Parker and DeMarcus Ware created branded photos and GIFs interacting with the legendary film’s merch.
Mother, entrepreneur and influencer Amber Venz Box offered her fans an intimate look into her morning routine in a new sponsored Instagram video.
The famous Arizona twins made it to Austin’s South by Southwest festival.
On Flashback Friday, let’s go back to the time the fashion photographer and television personality partnered with a prestigious home appliances company to offer his fans a look of how he and his wife Christen Chin get inspired at home.
The influencers shared lovely Valentine’s Day-themed sponsored videos.
The actress partnered with Walmart for a branded campaign ahead of Super Bowl LII.
Here’s how the former Destiny’s Child member gets glammed up before every performance, including the Soul Train Awards.
Aspyn Ovard, Brynn Rumfallo, Chloe Lukasiak and Helen Owen are “not being weighed down” anymore.
Manon Mathews’ videos prove what we’ve all known all along: sometimes the best plans are cancelled plans.
Also known as NATALIE OFF Duty, the creative director, designer, musician, writer, model and stylist partnered with XOXO to become our new fashion inspo.
The influencer and ‘Glee’ star takes the “It Can Wait” pledge.
Because who has time to holiday-shop anymore?
CY Eats, Eva Amurri Martino and Derek Theler partnered with Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos to change their minds about all-inclusive resorts.
The NBA pro partnered with the candy brand to produce a sponsored Instagram video that’ll influence all of us.
The influencers partnered with the fast food restaurant chain for their first ever ‘Bring Your Grandma To McDonald's Day.’
The Australian-American professional surfer wants you to ‘grow a f***ing beard, man!’
Mike Wheeler would be proud.
Sabrina Soto, Liliana Vazquez and Jenny Lopez shared sponsored posts to show women they can have a moment for themselves.
Sarah Dussault, Anne Carey, Ian Micheal Crum, Seb & Espe Gomez and Cheryl partnered with XFINITY and they liked it.
The culinary influencers partnered with Macy’s to produce mouth-watering sponsored photos and videos with last summer’s most delicious dishes while highlighting the store’s Martha Stewart Home Collection.
Influencer and lifestyle blogger Oh to Be a Muse, a.k.a. Cheryl, partnered with Macy’s to kick off fall in style.


text:
ASOS has grabbed the number one spot in the latest Google+ league table according to the most recent Social Media Benchmark results from eDigitalResearch. The pure play retailer is turning its attention to growing social sites, such as Google+ and Pinterest, as social media continues to prove its worth to retailers.
Despite having broken through the two million ‘likes’ barrier on Facebook for the first time, ASOS has recently scaled back their presence on the UK’s most popular social media site, choosing to focus its efforts and activity on growing platforms, such as Google+ and Pinterest. Less than 12 months ago, ASOS had a variety of page apps and very high engagement levels with its crowd of devoted Facebook followers. Now, however, just two Facebook page apps remain, whilst their presence of Google+ has grown, including a VIP initiative to help encourage loyal customers to get involved with the brand, helping to promote them to the Google+ number one spot.
Results also show that the use of Pinterest is on the increase, with seven retailers making it straight into the Top 20 league table after launching their Pinterest pages in recent months. However, supermarket chains remain noticeably absent from the Top 20, with just Sainsbury’s and Tesco managing to attract a small pool of followers over the past few months, despite the site offering a simple way to share meal plans and recipe ideas used in marketing elsewhere.
Derek Eccleston, Commercial Director at eDigitalResearch, comments “Established social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, have long proved their worth to retailers. Whilst they failed to make an impact as a valid eCommerce channel, social media sites are a key tool in promoting brands, engaging with customers and supporting marketing messages. As the social media landscape begins to diversify and users grow and adapt, it is important that retailers engage with users across sites and keep aware of developing trends to ensure they are getting the most from their social media strategy.”
Results also seem to suggest that retailers are also focusing less on their Twitter accounts, with engagement levels dropping considerably over the past several months. Whilst top performing brands are still managing to attract a substantial number of new followers, collectively retailers appear to be posting a lot less than they were when compared to the benchmark average across 2012.
Elsewhere in the benchmark, both Topshop and Amazon have stormed past the three million ‘likes’ mark with Amazon continuing to charge up the league table after deploying a successful social media strategy, including the use of sponsored stories.


text:
French liquor giant Pernod Ricard is buying an interest in a mezcal importer, according to this story in Forbes.
In yet another sign of the stunning rise of mezcal, a majority stake of ownership in Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal will be acquired by Pernod Ricard for an undisclosed amount. The deal is expected to be final within 90 days, pending the “usual condition precedents,” according to a press release from the company.
Ten of twelve years ago, Del Maguey owner Ron Cooper was selling mezcal mail-order out of his garage in Ranchos de Taos. Now he’s parlaying his energy and insight into what’s likely a multi-million dollar deal.
(The actual numbers weren’t revealed, but Sidney Frank sold Grey Goose vodka to Bacardi for a more than $2 billion. There’s a lot of money in the liquor industry.)
Pernod Ricard owns Absolut, Jameson, Beefeaters, and Malibu, among other brands.
“I lived in Miami for a stretch 580 and this mezcal reminds me of that place. Not because I had it down there, but because it tastes like charred and caramelized maduros—fried sweet plantains that you often have with Cuban food,” Hawkins says. “I love the way this mezcal unfolds in woodchip smoke to sweet and banana notes. This is another great sipper that should be enjoyed looking out onto the water with a plate of seasoned pork, rice, and black beans.”


text:
The new Santander Trade Barometer report for 2019 and 2020 has just been published. Inside, we will find out about confidence of British businesses, their prospects of growth and their favourable destinations for international trade. The last section is covered by Tom Elliot, Head of International at Medilink North of England.
Tom notes that Brexit uncertainty is one of the most pressing risks for the life sciences industry in the UK. However, foreign direct investment remains strong. With Brexit making it more difficult to obtain the resources available from bodies such as Innovate UK, R&D funding is now a concern.
The UK’s brand, enhanced by the reputation of the NHS, is powerful in foreign markets and continues to attract attention from the Middle East and Asia. Life sciences businesses are particularly interested in exporting to the US, often seeking FDA accreditation in the first place, as a result of delays in CE mark accreditation through the under-capacity notified bodies.
As part of Brexit preparations, Tom recognises that harmonising regulatory standards with key markets could help accelerate the process of launching new products overseas, creating new global opportunities for life sciences businesses.
You can find out more about the risks and opportunities in international trade posed by Brexit in our FREE webinars - click here.


text:
Westfield misses deadline to pay off loan on Valencia mall
Debt of $195M sent to special servicing in October
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield has missed its deadline to pay off a $195 million loan connected to the Valencia Town Center mall in Santa Clarita.
The CMBS loan — provided by UBS and Barclays — was due this month, after entering into special servicing in October, according to a Trepp report. A representative for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield did not respond to a request for comment.
A month before the loan was placed into special servicing, Fitch Ratings downgraded it “due to an anticipated increase in defaults,” according to a September report. Fitch said Valencia Town Center was the “largest contributor to losses” among the properties connected to the loan.
Valencia Town Center at 24201 West Valencia Boulevard was about 82 percent occupied in the first half of 2022, with anchors including Macy’s and JCPenney. The 1.1-million-square-foot shopping center is located in the affluent master-planned city of Santa Clarita in northern L.A. County.
Sears vacated a store at the mall in 2018 amid its Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings — a space that has not been filled since — though the loan is not secured by that portion of the property.
Paris-based URW has worked to sell off its regional shopping centers in the U.S. over the last two years. The firm has shown little hesitation to give properties back to lenders: in Florida, URW handed over the keys to four properties in foreclosure.
In August, URW sold the 1.5-million-square-foot Westfield Santa Anita mall to Monrovia-based investor Wen Shan Chang for $538 million. The firm has also sold two Woodland Hills malls to entities run by Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke for a total of $475 million.


text:
Is Sony Teasing a Possible PlayStation 5 Reveal at CES?
Sony's CES press conference is taking place tonight and it seems as though details on the PS5 could be divulged.
The Consumers Electronic Show is just a day away, and it appears Sony is teasing something.
Over on Sony’s official website, a rather nondescript page has appeared with a message stating “the future is coming” alongside a blurb that Sony will be showcasing “a unique vision of the future, bringing creativity and technology together like never before, to unleash new sensations and emotions.” Could it be the PlayStation 5?
Announcing a new console at CES would be a rather large departure for Sony as they’ve never done a first public reveal of a system at the venue before. Sony’s approach to revealing the PlayStation 5, however, has already proven to be a more unique case opting more for a drip-feed of information spread out here-and-there to various outlets. The first of these came back in April 2019 with Mark Cerny’s Wired Interview where we got the first bits of info on the hardware itself.
With the internal shakeups at PlayStation lately, I don’t think this is outside the realm of possibility that Sony could show the PS5 at CES, especially now that Microsoft has publicly revealed the Xbox Series X back at The Game Awards. We live in an age where we are getting a Final Fantasy VII remake, a Resident Evil 3 remake, and where Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony players can play games together. Really, anything is possible these days. That being said, it’s far from being a sure thing and very much is just a rumor, bordering on a pipe-dream.
Sony themselves may have been a little quick on the pull on their website. Various websites are reporting that Sony may have unintentionally featured listings for their upcoming 2020 line of televisions on their website. These listings have since been removed, but these TV announcements would certainly be more in line with previous CES offerings. As always, until official an announcement, these rumors and speculation should be taken with a grain of salt. We don’t have long to wait as Sony’s CES press conference is this evening, starting at 8pm EST.
Sony has already announced that the PS5 will launch this holiday season and with Microsoft revealing the Xbox Series X at The Game Awards, the next generation battle for your money has begun. You can bet if Sony’s tease is in fact the PlayStation 5, DualShockers will be sure to report on it along with any other big gaming tech announcements that come from CES.


text:
Brenda Romero of Loot Drop confirmed that Ubisoft has cancelled her strategy-based Facebook game Ghost Recon Commander. The social game spin-off launched on Facebook in May, but didn't quite get the kind of response Ubisoft wanted. Along with the cancelation of the game, Brenda Romero also revealed that the development team working on the game had been laid off.
"Sad news. Today, Ghost Recon Commander was cancelled. As a result, we laid off a team of kick-ass developers. If you have openings, ping me," she tweeted.


text:
Maker WobbleWorks claims the sales milestone makes the 3Doodler the world's most popular 3D-printing device.
Growing kids are no problem for the Miilo bicycle, a clever design that can be rebuilt to go from a balance bike to a regular bike.
Pedal Power aims to increase environmentally friendly electricity usage with an off-grid, pedal-powered electricity generator that can power a laptop for six hours.
Now that the burden of M&A drama and the Nextel network is lifted from Sprint, the company needs to race to keep up with the competitive environment.
Chalk another one up for awesome geek dads. This particular dad built his son a pedal-powered X-34 Landspeeder from wood and flower pots.
The 3D-printing gadget is no longer a standalone pen. Check out our photos of its accessories, including a foot pedal that's new for IFA 2014.
A Hong Kong-based fashion art house has created a couture dress inspired by seashells -- fabricated almost entirely using the 3Doodler "3D printing" pen.
At the Defcon hackers convention, a security research group proposes an automobile cyber safety rating system that could go far beyond hacking cars.
Using Formula 1 scoring, which wacky racer would mount the podium as the overall winner of the classic cartoon?
UNSW's Sunswift eVe has broken a long-standing electric car speed record and now shifts gears to make the car street-legal. And CNET got to take the car for a spin.


text:
Cape Town Tourism has taken to social media to market the Mother City.
The growing #LoveCapeTown campaign started as a trial when a group of bloggers was asked to experience Cape Town (through the recommendations of locals) and share the conversation about it on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by using the hashtag, explains Velma Corcoran, executive marketing manager of Cape Town Tourism.
“The results were quite remarkable; rather than a fly-by-night campaign it has evolved into a long-term means of getting everyone in on the conversation, so it’s not Cape Town Tourism’s campaign anymore, it belongs to locals and visitors too. In 2013, when we monitored the hashtag, there had been an estimated 42m opportunities to see the #LoveCapeTown conversation across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram,” she says.
Recent research has shown that the biggest age group of travellers is between 16 and 34 – also the age group engaging with social media. Around 30% of tourists are uploading images of their travel experiences to Instagram and 56% are updating Facebook while on the move, Corcoran says.
“Social media is considered ‘word of mouth’ marketing, so for the 47% of people who use word of mouth when planning trips, social media shares are boosting those decision-making processes,” she says.
The use of the #LoveCapeTown hashtag on social media allows Cape Town Tourism to track what people are saying and aggregate the content.
“We get to watch in real time as people share their positive experiences in the city. It’s a form of crowd-sourcing miniature reviews and comments about everyone’s experiences. These could be anything from coming face to face with a penguin at Boulders Beach to enjoying a granadilla lollipop on Camps Bay beach. We have noticed that some Cape Town fans have adopted the hashtag and use it frequently in describing their experiences, from romantic sunset dinners to early morning strolls with their dogs,” she says.
There’s another side to the hashtag, however: it can also be used as a means of researching travel to Cape Town.
“Anyone wanting to visit here who wants to know more about what to see or do can investigate on their social media platforms by looking up the hashtag. It’s a much more personalised and intimate way of discovering the city than by checking out a brochure,” Corcoran says.
Another benefit to the hashtag is that tourism-related businesses can use it to spot trends and marketing opportunities, and in turn to make use of these in providing the kinds of offering that visitors will most enjoy, Corcoran explains.
“It’s special to us: locals can use it to find out more about things to see and do in Cape Town, and, with a simple share, they are helping to tell the whole world about what makes the Mother City one of the best places to be on the planet. I’d encourage everyone to have fun with #LoveCapeTown this holiday season – you’ll find out new places to go and things to do and you’ll be contributing to the tourism economy by encouraging others to visit.”


text:
SunOpta completes $53.8 million share offering
February 13, 2007
by Eric Schroeder
TORONTO — SunOpta Inc. on Tuesday announced it has completed its previously announced public offering of 5,175,000 common shares at a price of $10.40 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $53.8 million.
SunOpta said net proceeds of the offering are expected to be used to repay outstanding indebtedness and for general corporate purposes, including future acquisitions, internal expansion projects and working capital requirements.
"We are very pleased with the support we have received from both our existing shareholders and new investors," said Steve Bromley, president and chief executive officer. "The offering was oversubscribed and sold to a broad range of institutional and retail investors in the United States, Canada and Europe."


text:
Checkbook.io Launches InstantPay
Posted by Checkbook on Apr 03, 2019
What is a Virtual Credit Card (VCC)?
With a virtual credit card, you can create temporary extensions of a pre existing credit card.
Checkbook Integrates With Sage Intacct
Sage Intacct pushes payment information for transactions logged within the system to Checkbook.io and then pulls payment status in real time from Checkbook.io to update and reconcile that on its system.
Digital Check Solution Checkbook.io Makes Headway in Auto Finance
Baxter Credit Union, based in Illinois, has found a new solution to an old, and costly problem. David Brydun, vice president of consumer lending, exclusively told Bank Innovation that the financial institution has partnered with Checkbook.io on a digital check issuance solution that utilizes blockchain.


text:
The Cobra 29 LX BT features Bluetooth technology that allows drivers to connect it to their mobile phone for hands-free mobile calling. Among the features of the device are one-touch operation for initiating or terminating calls; caller ID with voice to audibly announce callers, caller ID display; text-to-speech conversion to listen to incoming email messages and responding to emails by talking; and jacks for external push-to-talk and external microphone.
It also includes 10 NOAA weather channels, 24/7 emergency weather alerts, a four-color LCD display, and noise-cancelling microphone.
“Nearly a decade ago, we anticipated the day when hands-free mobile calling legislation would become a reality for truckers, and we began work on products and technologies to not only address this problem, but to measurably improve the quality of in-cab communication,” said Sally Washlow, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Cobra Electronics. “With the Cobra 29 LX BT, we’re pleased to provide our loyal professional driving customers with a breakthrough product that makes their work legally-compliant, safe, and trouble-free.”
Cobra also introduced the Cobra 25 LX, which leverages the 29 LX model in a compact, full-featured CB radio with four-color selectable LCD display. The 25 LX features day/night illumination with adjustable brightness, a digital frequency display, advanced radio check diagnostics, instant channel 9 and 19, and public address capability.
The 25 LX will be available in April while the 29 LX BT goes on sale in May.


text:
Krispy Kreme ( KKD) reported its 11th consecutive quarter of earnings growth Wednesday, at a time when doughnuts appear as popular as ever. In the first quarter, Krispy Kreme earned $13.1 million, or 22 cents a share, compared to $8.9 million, or 15 cents a share, a year ago. Total sales rose 33.9% to $148.7 million, vs. $111.1 million last year. Comparable-systemwide-store sales, a key metric for the company, rose 11.2% in the quarter. The results come as doughnuts were the fastest-growing segment of the dining category last year, according to Technomic, a restaurant consultant firm. Sales grew 9%, compared to 3.5% industrywide. "Krispy Kreme's popularity has been exponentially high in the last five years," said Dennis Lombardi, executive vice president of Technomic. "I will leave it to others to say if that is a trend or a fad." Meantime, Krispy Kreme expects to earn 90 cents a share for the full year. It is predicting earnings of 20 cents a share in the second quarter, 22 cents in the third quarter, and 26 cents in the fourth quarter. The company is forecasting comparable-systemwide-store sales of 10% for the full year. As a way to drive sales, Krispy Kreme will continue to build new stores. It is planning 20 openings in 11 markets in the second quarter, compared to 12 openings in four markets in the year-ago period. Analysts support the strategy, noting that there are relatively few Krispy Kreme stores in existence. "They still only have 282 stores," said Kathleen Heaney, an analysts at Breen Murray. "I do not see over saturation as an issue for the company. But it will become harder to maintain sales-growth levels." Heaney rates Krispy Kreme stock a buy, despite its rich valuation (the firm has done no investment banking for Krispy Kreme). The company trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 39, based on 2004 earnings estimates, compared to 16.6 for the S&P 500. "It is selling below its growth rate," Heaney said. "And it is still in the early stages of growth."
Other analysts argue that Krispy Kreme's price-to-earnings ratio relative to growth is appealing. Andrew Wolf, an analyst at BB&T Capital Markets, said Krispy Kreme has a lower price-to-earnings ratio relative to estimates for 2003 growth than other specialty food chains, including Cheesecake Factory ( CAKE), P.F. Chang's China Bistro ( PFCB), Panera Bread ( PNRA), and Whole Foods Market ( WFMI). He rates Krispy Kreme a buy and his firm has done investment banking for the company. Nevertheless, Wolf acknowledges a challenge Krispy Kreme faces in growing sales. Last quarter, the biggest driver of comparable-store sales came from off-premise markets, such as supermarkets. "To keep comps double digit, they will have to continue to generate strong off-premise penetration," he said. In recent trading, shares of Krispy Kreme were moving up $2.36, or 7.4%, at $34.22.


text:
Unfortunately one of the more anticipated video games, “The Evil Within” has been pushed back to an October release date. The news was announced by Bethesda this week.
“The Evil Within” was originally scheduled for an August release but will not hit the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on October 21.
“Shinji Mikami and his team at Tango Gameworks have asked for additional time to further balance and refine the game in order to deliver the polished, terrifying pure survival horror experience they set out to create,” Bethesda said.
It was also announced what players will get if you pre-order. Players will get “The Fighting Chance Pack” which includes:
- Medical Kit – A vital health enhancement to enable Sebastian to fight on.
- Green Gel – Used to upgrade Sebastian’s attributes.
- Double Barrel Shotgun and Three Shells – A larger and more formidable shotgun than the regular shotgun, it’s useful for tight situations with multiple encroaching enemies.
- An Incendiary Agony Bolt – Capable of showering nearby enemies with damaging fire sparks.
- A Poison Agony Bolt – Will draw enemies towards it and poison them, allowing Sebastian time for a quick escape.
The company also released the below players reaction video:


text:
It’s interesting how Kindles and other ebook readers have evolved over the years. They’ve added touchscreens and frontlights and now some models are even waterproof.
One thing that hasn’t changed a whole lot is E Ink screens. Sure, they’ve improved the refresh rate and upgraded the resolution some, and a few devices like the Kobo Forma and Onyx Boox Note have new flexible E Ink screens that are lighter and more durable.
But overall E Ink screens haven’t changed much; the reading experience has basically remained unchanged for 5 years.
Take the Kindle Voyage for example. It was released back in 2014 and it still has better contrast with darker text than any of the current Kindle models.
Back then there was a good bit of optimism that Amazon would eventually release a color Kindle, but now it seems that is very unlikely to ever happen.
5 years ago E Ink was working on color screens for ebook readers but they failed to gain much interest because the colors were too washed out and the resolution was too low, and ever since then color E Ink has basically faded away, at least when it comes to ereader displays.
E Ink still makes colors screens for things like shelf labels and super expensive digital signs, like the ACeP display pictured above, but the resolution is too low for reading. Onyx is working on a textbook device with a color E Ink screen for schools, but it only supports three colors and it’s not very impressive.
So now in 2019 the odds of a color Kindle ever getting released appears slim to none. Unless some alternative low-power color display technology manages to suddenly take off, it’s unlikely that we’ll see a color Kindle in the next 5 years.


text:
The ratio of retail sales of Class 8 trucks to inventories in January ranked second-highest in industry history, trailing only the worst month of the Great Recession a decade ago.
That means that without a rebound in orders, manufacturers will have to cut production further to achieve balance, according to ACT Research.
Overall sales of Class 8 trucks are expected to be down 33-34% this year compared with 2019, one of the best on record.
While inventories are swollen because of sluggish retail sales, the industry is in good shape in terms of how many trucks it is building per day compared to the order backlog, Kenny Vieth, ACT president and senior analyst, told FreightWaves.
The inventory-to-sales and the order-to-build ratios taken together present a picture of the health of the heavy-truck industry. Retail sales follow the hierarchy of orders, backlog, production and inventory. Orders, production and sales are tracked and reported monthly
Inventory to sales
The inventory of Class 8 trucks rose 3,400 units in January over December 2019 because production outpaced weak sales. The inventory-to-sales ratio in January was 3.9 months, the highest since 4.4 months in April 2009, the worst month of the Great Recession.
The ideal inventory-to-sales ratio is 2 to 2.5 months, Vieth said.
That is about where PACCAR Inc., (NASDAQ: PCAR) the parent company of Peterbilt Motors and Kenworth Truck Co., found itself at the end of December, CEO Preston Feight said on the company’s Jan. 28 call with analysts.
“We make sure that what we’re building has a customer name on it, so we’ve been able to adjust our build rates to align with our orders,” Feight said.
Inventory management is critical in a cyclical business like trucking, which depends on how much it can charge per mile for hauling a load of freight. Falling spot rates over the last year led to slackened demand for new trucks after a frenzy of orders in the second half of 2018.
“There comes a time in every cycle when the industry needs to start shedding inventory,” Vieth said. “High inventories were a positive contributor through most of 2018 and 2019. The total amount of inventory is going to be a headwind for production in 2020.”
Simply put, there is no need to build more trucks when sales are slow.
In the U.S. tractor market, which accounts for 60% of the heavy-duty truck sales, the inventory-to-sales ratio jumped to 3.1 months in January from 2.5 months in December.
“Low is better, at least if you are a manufacturer,” Vieth said.
The vocational truck market, which includes off-highway trucks used in construction, also is experiencing lower sales while inventories remain flat. The inventory-to-sales ratio for vocational trucks was 4.3 months in January. The ideal ratio is three months, he said.
Backlog to build
At 5.4 months, the backlog-to-build ratio is in much better shape than the inventory-to-sales ratio, Vieth said.
The industry order bank stood at 119,000 units at the end of January when manufacturers built 1,050 trucks a day. The backlog fell about 4,500 units from December because more trucks were produced than orders placed.
“Where the backlog rates are compared with the build rate, we’re golden,” he said. “This is very sustainable and very good for the industry.”
By contrast, in August 2019, manufacturers built 1,400 units per day with a backlog of 151,000 orders.
If orders continue to be weak and production continues at January’s rate, the backlog will fall further, possibly prompting further reductions in the build rate.
Truck makers acknowledged this possibility in their most recent earnings reports.


text:
The quick-service restaurant is launching new products, expanding its restaurant base and is aiming to reduce its costs to catalyze its financial performance.
The company opened 73 new restaurants globally in fiscal 2019. Some of them were in existing markets, but many of them were in areas where the business did not previously have a presence. This could increase the size of Shake Shack’s potential customer base and may reduce its reliance on a limited geographical area to lower its overall risk.
Shake Shack is testing different layouts to determine which one resonate most effectively with its customers. For example, it is testing restaurants with fewer seats and a larger collection area that makes it easier for customers to pick up their online orders.
In addition, Shake Shack plans to expand its presence in Asia in fiscal 2020 by opening roughly 25 restaurants. It opened its Asia head office in Hong Kong in 2019. This could make it easier for the restaurant chain to co-ordinate its expansion in the region and may improve its potential to win market share from its competitors.
The company is aiming to adapt its menu to changing consumer tastes. For example, it is currently testing new plant-based burgers at several locations. Shake Shack’s gradual release of its plant-based burger across more of its restaurants could increase the company’s appeal to a wider range of consumers.
The business plans to increase the number of new products on its menu in 2020 compared to 2019. For example, it will release new beverage flavors abd expects to test out smaller sizes of its milkshakes to appeal to consumers who are becoming increasingly health conscious.
Additionally, Shake Shack is seeking to introduce a larger number of complementary products that its customers will purchase alongside their existing orders. For example, the launch of its “chick’n bites” (chicken nuggets) in 2019 led to an increase in the average order value. Therefore, the release of other complementary products could boost its sales prospects.
The restaurant chain recently closed the dining areas of all of its U.S. restaurants in response to the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Its restaurants will continue to operate their takeout and delivery functions, but are likely to report a decline in sales due to reduced customer traffic. If stores remain closed for a prolonged period, it could cause investor sentiment toward Shake Shack’s stock to further weaken.
The business could overcome the short-term challenges caused by the coronavirus outbreak through reducing its costs. For example, in 2019, it invested in new technology to organize its staff scheduling more effectively. It also reduced administrative tasks for its staff, enabling them to become more productive. This could help offset the negative pressure on the company’s sales over the next several quarters.
Financially, Shake Shack is in a strong position to overcome the short-term challenges presented by the coronavirus. For example, its interest coverage ratio was 62.3 last year, while its debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14 is lower than 61% of its sector peers.
Additionally, the restaurant chain is expanding its delivery service to new regions through its partnership with Grubhub (GRUB, Financial). This could expand its reach to a larger range of consumers and also enable it to meet heightened customer demand for its products during the coronavirus outbreak.
Market analysts predict the company will post a 17% increase in its earnings per share in fiscal 2021. Its forward price-earnings ratio of 61 is high, but Shake Shack’s long-term growth potential suggests it offers turnaround potential.
Disclosure: The author has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Read more here:
- Why Dick's Sporting Goods Could Be Undervalued
- Why Herman Miller Can Deliver a Turnaround
- Why Wendy's Could Be Undervalued
Not a Premium Member of GuruFocus? Sign up for a free 7-day trial here.


text:
V-mart opts for IPO
To raise Rs 120 crore through it.
Tags: vmartOctober 08, 2012 | comments ( 0 ) |
The company is also looking to aggressively expand in the North Eastern region and aims to have a presence in all the states. To start with, it will open the first outlet in Assam in 2014.Lalit Agarwal, Chairman and MD, V-mart Retail said, "We have an aggressive expansion plan. We are looking to add 58 stores in 55 new locations by March 2015 and almost all of these will be opened in smaller Tier II and III cities. We are planning to invest Rs 180 crore to fund this expansion programme. Out of this, Rs 120 crore in expected to come from the proposed IPO, while rest will be from the internal accruals"
V-mart Retail has already the filed the draft red herring prospectus with the capital market regulator Sebi and is currently awaiting approval.
- Binny Bansal exits Flipkart
- Britannia Industries records profit in Q2
- Indian food retail market may attract investment USD 827 bln by 2023: study
- Amazon to invest 220 crore more in Amazon Pay
- Gap Inc. accelerates digital transformation with Microsoft Cloud
- Casa Buzallong launches its first store in Vadodara
- Raymond is now present across 500 towns in India with a dedicated retail chain footprint
- Tribhovan das BhimjiZaveri launches first store in Punjab
- ABFRL reports Q2 net profit of Rs 43 crore
- Arvind Q2 profit rises 16% to Rs 75 crore


text:
Highlighting the evolving landscape of the global mobile market, a new report from IMS Research estimated that smartphones will account for nearly 28 percent of all handset sales this year, surpassing 420 million devices sold.
As smartphones continue to capture more of the market, the research firm also predicted other shifts to occur. Most notably, IMS said that Nokia will continue to watch its market share plummet as competitors, such as Apple and Samsung, steadily build upon their shares.
"Clearly one of the key dynamics of the mobile handset competitive environment in recent years has been the inability of many traditional market leaders to recognize and adjust to the growing smartphone tier," said IMS Mobile Technologies Group analyst Josh Builta.
According to IMS, smartphones sales show no signs of slowing any time soon. As Samsung, Apple and others continue to pick up speed, the market analysts predicts more than 1 billion smartphones will be sold annually by 2016.
The shift among smartphone market leaders was recently highlighted by Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Mawston. In a interview with Bloomberg, Mawston noted that Samsung may have surpassed Nokia in the smartphone market during the second quarter this year.


text:
Inflation Is Not Just Inevitable, It’s Part of the Fed’s Plan
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- As inflation measures reach their highest readings in more than a decade, the Federal Reserve faces a crucial test. Officials have so far emphasized that this is a temporary surge, driven by pandemic-related shortages and supply-chain disruptions, and so there is no need to raise rates in response to it. They need to make clear that interest rates won’t increase even if the rise in inflation lasts longer than expected.
The view that inflation is transitory is a reasonable thesis given the challenges associated with bringing the entire U.S. economy back online after an unprecedented shutdown. Yet precisely because this situation is unprecedented — both in the scale of the economic downturn and the size of the government response — it’s impossible to tell how large the spike in inflation will be, or how long it ought to take the economy to get through it.
A number of economists and commentators fear that businesses and consumers may interpret the Fed’s complacency as sign that it’s no longer committed to controlling inflation over the long run. If that happens, they say, then a self-fulfilling cycle will set in: Firms will raise prices in anticipation of higher inflation, thereby helping to bring about the very inflation they fear. At that point, the argument goes, the Fed would have to raise rates so high that the economy would enter a recession.
Then there is the argument that it’s market participants who, after a decade of near-zero rates, have become too complacent. Under this view, sharply rising interest rates are inevitable, and the fact that Wall Street hasn’t yet priced them in means the financial sector is setting itself up for a rude awakening.
Between these two extremes — waiting too long to begin tightening monetary policy or tightening faster and harder than anyone expects — lies the middle ground that Fed Chair Jerome Powell has been striving for the last three years.
The labor market never fully healed under Janet Yellen’s tenure as Fed chair, despite rock-bottom interest rates and trillions in quantitative easing. That’s largely because financial markets were worried that she might suddenly reverse course, raising rates to head off any incipient surge in inflation before it rose above the Fed’s 2% target. As a result, market participants were reluctant to lend to businesses except in fast-growing sectors like technology or to consumers unless they had stellar credit.
Private-sector investment was thus persistently slower, the job market weaker, and inflation lower than they otherwise would have been. Ironically, so many quarters of subdued inflation justified the Fed’s low interest rates — yet didn’t dispel the fear that tightening might be just around the corner.
Under Powell the Fed has adopted a policy known as average inflation targeting. That means the Fed will make up for quarters in which inflation is below its 2% target by allowing inflation to run above target for a while, so that over time inflation averages roughly 2%.
The coming bump in inflation gives the Fed the opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to this new framework. The Fed’s preferred measure of inflation, core PCE, rose 0.9% from March and is likely to rise well above 2% in the second half of this year. That’s fine — because core PCE came in at only 1.4% for all of 2020.
Moreover, it has averaged 2% or less every year since 2007. That’s a lot of ground to make up. The Fed doesn’t specify exactly how long of a period factors into its average. Nonetheless, even if inflation ran closer to 3% for the rest of this year and all of the next, by almost any interpretation the longer-run average would be near or below 2%.
The U.S. hasn’t seen 3% annual inflation since 1992. So it’s understandable that some observers and the financial markets would be rattled. If the Fed simply makes it clear that average really means average, however, its credibility will be strengthened, not weakened.
Keeping this message consistent will be a difficult task, especially as the chorus of naysayers gets louder. But Powell has demonstrated an ability to cut through the noise before. If he does it again, the Fed’s new framework could last for years to come.
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.
Karl W. Smith is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He was formerly vice president for federal policy at the Tax Foundation and assistant professor of economics at the University of North Carolina. He is also co-founder of the economics blog Modeled Behavior.
©2021 Bloomberg L.P.


text:
The start of the year has seen subdued markets due to uncertainty around the PRN/PERN.
Last year, we saw high prices for these and that helped to drive the price of OCC in particular. But as we enter into the 2023 compliance year, nobody is quite certain how the market will develop and which way the PRN/PERN price will head.
We aren’t really used to having to think about the impact of the PRN/PERN. Some materials such as plastics and glass have been used to considering how it is moving in relation to the physical price.
But for traders of paper and cardboard grades, historically it was something that was typically 50p to £1 and we didn’t think about it too much.
Now though it is a strong element of the trading price, and this has changed the dynamics in the market. Will this high PRN/PERN be a long-term trend? It is hard to say and I’m not sure anybody really knows the answer.
Globally, we are starting to see some optimism return. In China, the loosening of Covid restrictions seems to be leading to greater economic activity after the initial spate of infections.
This may lead to more demand from the South East Asian and Indian mills that serve China, but it will depend on how much the domestic Chinese markets wants. I’m also interested to see if China gets the supply chain bottle necks that occurred after UK, Europe and US opened up again.
US prices have risen a bit but still seem low so it could be that this market seems more attractive to Asian buyers. But again, it will depend on the PRN/PERN and how much that makes the UK a destination they want to buy from.
There is also likely to be some stocking up from Indonesia and Malaysia ahead of Ramadan, when it will go quieter again.
Traditionally, February is a low generation month, and the question that needs an answer will be whether there is even lower supply than normal or whether demand will be low too.
Shipping rates are also competitive, but Chinese New Year can often lead to shipping lines introducing blank sailings, containers being stuck in port and resulting increases in shipping rates.
However, markets closer to home are more challenging and we’ve yet to see Europe open up yet this year.
So far, 2023 has been quite a stable year. But having been in this market long enough, I expect something will happen to change the direction of the market at some point.
Colin Clarke is managing director of Winfibre UK


text:
A FOUR year old girl suffered second degree burns to her face after her dad's Samsung phone "exploded" next to her while she slept, he has claimed.
The tot was lying next to a bedside table on which the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 was charging.
According to the child’s father, Feng Lingling, he awoke to sharp cries from his daughter and realised the device had burnt her face as well as the bedding.
She was taken to hospital near her home in Anshun City in south-weatern China's Guizhou Province and diagnosed with serious burn injuries.
She faces permanent disfigurement, according to local reports.
The phone, which was first released by the South Korean tech giants three years ago, was purchased new by Feng last August, and photos of the device appear to show its battery having expanded and exploded.
Feng has since gone back to the retailer, whose staff are in contact with Samsung headquarters over the matter.
Samsung’s China office has reportedly offered £1,189 (10,000 RMB) to the family to cover the girl’s medical bills.
A spokesperson told South China Morning Post: "We would like to express our deepest concern to the injured. At the moment, we are communicating with the customer to find out the cause of the problem.
It recalled three million handsets after the dangerous defect appeared within weeks of its grand launch in August.
The manufacturer launched a vast inquiry into what was behind the problem that is expected to cost the company an estimate 5.3 billion dollars (£4.3 billion).
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at email@example.com or call 0207 782 4368


text:
MUMBAI Shares in Tata Motors (TAMO.NS) rose 3.5 percent in early trade after its unit Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said it sold 34,877 vehicles during the first month of 2013, an increase of 32 percent versus the same period last year.
Nomura said in a report on Monday that there is a likelihood that actual volumes of JLR may come in above its estimates or 35,000 units.
(Reporting by Abhishek Vishnoi; Editing by Prateek Chatterjee)
Trending On Reuters
SpiceJet is in talks with Boeing and Airbus to buy more than 150 planes, the airline’s chairman said on Sunday, predicting he would decide which manufacturer to place the order with by the end of March 2016. Full Article


text:
Turkish Cargo maintains its services as 'Dual Hub'
Completing the gradual transition process to Istanbul Airport, one of the largest airports of the world, the global air cargo brand Turkish Cargo maintains its dual-terminal operations with full capacity on 7/24 basis without any sales restriction.
Maintaining its services at Ataturk and Istanbul Airports as ‘Dual Hub’ without any problem and change at the quality and attention level, Turkish Cargo attained a better ranking with respect to the scheduled time of arrival/take-off referred to as ‘On time performance’, compared to 2018.
Successful cargo brand achieved a growth rate of 11.6 percent in the sold cargo tonnage and maintained its 7th rank on the WACD (World Air Cargo Data) list according to the data obtained during the first quarter of the year featuring a shrinkage of -3.1 percent across the industry.
Maintaining its cargo transportation operations by means of passenger flights seamlessly at Istanbul Airport, Turkish Cargo will have a capacity to handle 4 million tons of cargo annually at the cargo terminal that will have an indoor area of 300 thousand square meters upon completion of all phases. The global air cargo brand performs its operations by means of freighter flights from the existing cargo terminal at Ataturk Airport.
Providing service to 124 countries around the world leveraging on its fleet of 336 aircraft, Turkish Cargo takes concrete steps towards its targets set on the way to becoming one of the top five brands of the air cargo industry with its investments and ever-developing fleet.


text:
This news follows last week's announcement of FME's plans to elevate its drama offering to finance and package English-language European drama series for the U.S. market, as well as the rest of the world. As part of its strategy to offer funding to new dramas, FME plans to fund and package "The Drivers" in Europe and then sell it into the U.S. and internationally.
"We are putting significant resources behind our aggressive global drama push," says David Ellender, global chief executive officer of FME. "In addition to 'The Drivers,' we have many projects in development and are currently looking for more. 'The Drivers' is an exciting property with true transatlantic appeal that lends itself to our expertise in extending brands to their full potential across multiple platforms."
Subscribe and receive the latest news from the industry.
Join 62,000+ members. Yes, it’s completely free.


text:
Diageo’s iconic British brand, Pimm’s, is welcoming in the summer with a refreshed design for Pimm’s No.1 bottle, a brand-new marketing campaign “We Will Summer” as well as introducing a new raspberry and redcurrant aperitif which is perfectly crafted for early evening catch ups, Pimm’s Sundowner (18 per cent ABV). Available via wholesale and retailers from 24th May in a 70cl format, the new liquid will also be available in bars of participating venues such as Greene King Metro, Young’s, Fuller’s and Stonegate pubs.
Currently worth £21m in the off-trade, the Pimm’s brand started in the 1840s and has become synonymous with summer and the events which punctuate the British calendar, including Wimbledon – which it has been served at since 1971. Unchanged for over 30 years, the Pimm’s No.1 design refresh gives the bottle a modern new look and feel whilst paying homage to the original. Marketing activity this summer will see over £1m in investment, where the brand seeks to celebrate summer with the new strapline hailing the “summer heroes” that make summer great.
Capitalising on the growing popularity for early evening “aperitivo” moments, currently growing at 46 per cent, Pimm’s Sundowner has been blended with raspberry and redcurrant flavours to create a distinctly fruity aperitif that balances the bitter redcurrant notes in a vibrant raspberry colour.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for the PIMM’S brand,” said Adrienne Gammie, Gins, Pimm’s, Baileys and Non Alc Spirits Marketing Director at Diageo. “Following on from nearly 200 years of success as a popular summer drinks choice, it’s great to see how we can keep the brand relevant to consumers today and continue to innovate and provide delicious new options for our consumers.
“The early evening moment is continuously growing, with 58 per cent of consumers choosing to drink cocktails from 5-8pm. Pimm’s Sundowner has been created just for this occasion and appeals to the growing popularity of Spritz serves by providing people with a new way to spritz this summer’


text:
Swiss Diamond Announces Promotion Winner
July 20, 2010,
PARSIPPANY, N.J.-Swiss Diamond USA has announced that Brooklyn-based retailer A Cook's Companion has won its second-annual Display Your Diamonds promotion for independent gourmet retailers. The retailer has won a trip for two to Switzerland.
"Swiss Diamond is my best selling non-stick cookware line and we are thrilled to be drawn as the winners," said Jennifer Baron, owner, A Cook's Companion.


text:
HTC introduced a trio of phones at this year’s Mobile World Congress. The HTC One X which is heading to AT&T. The HTC One S which will be landing on T-Mobile. And the HTC One V, a device that has been rumored to be heading to a trio of U.S. carriers including MetroPCS, U.S. Cellular and Virgin Mobile. Well, it appears that we now have some information in regards to the device’s pricing on Virgin Mobile and it appears that it will cost under $200.
This is significant because Virgin Mobile does not require customers to sign into a contract.
It’s also exciting because the HTC One V has some things to like on board including Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest mobile operating system from Google. Android 4.0 on the HTC One V will also have the new HTC Sense 4.0 on board.
HTC has said that Sense 4.0 will be its best UI yet as it has returned to what made HTC Sense great in the first place.
It also has a 3.7-inch display that is of WVGA quality, a 1GHz processor, 4GB of on-board storage, 512MB of RAM, and a 5MP rear camera. Not mind blowing by any stretch of the imagination but certainly a phone to look at with a price tag under $200 without a contract.
The device is expected to touch down here in the United States at some point in April but at this point we don’t have a specific date for the One V’s arrival.
It will certainly give Virgin Mobile’s lineup a huge boost when it does arrive, joining the likes of the aging Motorola Triumph and the new, Alcatel Venture.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.


text:
07/2018 Trading Update
Associated British Foods plc today issues a trading update for the 40 weeks to 23 June 2018 which summarises the significant trading developments since the last market update.
The revenue momentum of the first half continued in the third quarter and group revenue from continuing businesses for the 40 weeks ended 23 June 2018 was 3% ahead of the same period last year at constant currency and 2% ahead at actual exchange rates. Excluding Sugar, sales growth from continuing businesses was 6% ahead of last year at constant currency and 5% ahead at actual exchange rates.
For the full year we expect good profit growth in Grocery, Agriculture and Ingredients. Compared to our previous expectation, we now expect a reduced profit from AB Sugar as a consequence of lower EU sugar prices and an increased profit from Primark driven by higher margins. As a result, our full year outlook for the group is unchanged with progress expected in adjusted operating profit and adjusted earnings per share.
References to growth in the following commentary are based on constant currency.
Our grocery businesses delivered revenue growth in the quarter of 4% with the benefit of the Acetum business acquired in October 2017 and good progress at ACH in the US. For the full year, operating margins are expected to increase with further margin improvement at George Weston Foods and continued growth at Twinings Ovaltine.
AB Sugar’s revenue was down 17% in the quarter which, as expected, was entirely the result of significantly lower EU prices which adversely affected our UK and Spanish businesses.
EU sugar prices are continuing to decline driven by low world sugar prices and excess supply following very high sugar production in the EU last year. For our next financial year, this level of EU sugar prices would represent a substantial reduction compared to those achieved this year. As a result, our expectations for sales and profit at AB Sugar, both for this financial year and next, are lower than previously expected.
In the UK, the late, cold, spring delayed sugar beet planting by some weeks but with the warm weather that followed, crops have become well established. In Spain, progress of the crop is good and in China, the campaign ended well with an operating result ahead of last year. At Illovo, weather conditions have been generally more favourable than last year and sugar production has also benefited from improved management of irrigation and crops. However, poor sugar content in the cane in Zambia led to some shortfall in sugar production there.
Revenue in the third quarter was 4% ahead of last year driven by ABF Ingredients. Of particular note was the continued strong growth in enzymes with sales to the bakery, detergent and other technical markets contributing.
Revenue growth in the third quarter at AB Agri remained strong, at 12% ahead of last year, with the benefit of the larger UK sugar beet crop on feed volumes. Good progress was made in Speciality Nutrition, proteins and in China feed. Volumes at AB Vista were driven by higher sales in Europe and North America. Trading at Frontier was held back by adverse spring weather in the UK reducing demand for crop protection products and by weaker margins in grain trading.
Sales at Primark in the year to date were 6% ahead of last year at constant currency and 7% ahead at actual exchange rates, driven by increased retail selling space. This growth is marginally lower than the performance delivered in the first half and reflects the later phasing of space growth this year.
Like-for-like sales in the quarter improved on those for the first half of the year driven by better trading across the eurozone. Sales from our first four stores in Italy continued to be very strong. The UK business performed well and delivered growth in like-for-like sales. This growth built on the strong comparative performance in the same period last year, but was lower than that achieved in the first half. We are encouraged by the trading in the resized stores at Freehold and Danbury in the US.
Operating margin in the first half was 9.8% and compared to 10% in the same period last year with better buying virtually offsetting the adverse effect of the US dollar exchange rate on purchases. We expect margin in the second half to be well ahead of the first half and last year with the continued benefit of better buying and also the beneficial effect of the weakening of the US dollar exchange rate on purchases. Stock has been tightly managed and markdowns, although higher than the very low level achieved last year, will be better than previously expected and as a result, the profit from Primark will now be higher than expected.
Retail selling space increased by a net 0.8 million sq ft since the beginning of the financial year. At 23 June 2018, 358 stores were trading from 14.7 million sq ft of retail selling space which compared to 13.6 million sq ft a year ago. The third quarter was an active period with 0.4 million sq ft of space added, mostly at the end of the period. Seven new stores opened: Munich in Germany, Metz in France, Antwerp in Belgium, Valencia in Spain, Tilburg in the Netherlands, Burnley in the UK and in the Westfield London shopping centre at White City. A small store at Lisnagelvin, Londonderry, in Northern Ireland was closed and selling space in the US stores in Freehold and Danbury was reduced.
We expect to add a further 0.1 million sq ft of selling space by the end of this financial year, with a new store in Brooklyn, our ninth store in the US, and a relocation to a larger store at Islazul Madrid. The opening of new stores at Toulouse in France and Ingolstadt in Germany have been delayed and are now expected early in the next financial year. As a result of these delays and changes in selling space, the increase in net retail selling space for this financial year is now expected to be 0.9 million sq ft.
For further enquiries please contact:
Associated British Foods
John Bason, Finance Director
Tel: 020 7399 6500
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Chris Barrie, Eleni Menikou
Tel: 020 7638 9571
Tel: 07770 321881


text:
SMH Polymers hold Grand Opening in Orange
Published 8:36 am Saturday, January 16, 2016
A new business has opened its doors in Orange.
SMH Polymers is a plastic recycler of baled and flake PET, HDPE, LPDE & PP material.
“We reprocess it to a useable form,” Country Manager Eddie Lewis said. “We do not create finished products but bring plastic back to a raw form.”
Lewis said he is originally from Orange and was excited to locate the company in his hometown.
“I know and like Orange. It is not far from Houston and major cities in Louisiana,” Lewis said. “It is not as convenient as Houston, it’s better.”
The new facility houses the best equipment for what the company does according to Lewis.
“We started this from nothing,” Lewis said. “We expect to be a large company employing a large number of people.”
PET is of the polyester family and is used in beverage, food and other liquid containers. PET can be semi-rigid to rigid and is very lightweight. It is commonly found in soft drink bottles, cooking oil bottles, and peanut butter jars.
High-density polyethelene (HDPE) is harder and more opaque and can withstand somewhat higher temperatures. It is commonly found in milk jugs, distilled water, large vinegar bottles, grocery bags, liquid laundry and dish detergent, fabric softener, motor oil, antifreeze, bleach and lotion.
Low-density polyethelene (LDPE) can be translucent or opaque, is flexible, tough, and almost unbreakable. It is commonly used in dry-cleaning bags; produce bags, trash can liners, food storage containers, bread bags, squeezable containers, six-pack soda can rings, and food storage.
PP is often used for food packaging. It’s not as tough as HDPE, but it is less brittle. PP is less flexible than LDPE, somewhat stiffer than other plastics, and reasonably economical. It is commonly found in bottle caps, drinking straws, hinged containers, battery cases, dairy tubs (e.g. sour cream, cottage cheese), and cereal box liners.


text:
The fine jeweler, a subsidiary of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA, on Wednesday filed suit in local New York court against Saks, part of Hudson’s Bay Co., claiming that the retailer’s $250 million remodel and a related attempt to end years early a five-year lease for a retail space within its Manhattan flagship is damaging its business. Cartier is seeking at least $40 million in damages.
“Saks’ actions were undertaken in bad faith for the purpose of harassing Cartier and interfering with its ability to operate in the Cartier department in the Cartier location and constitute a breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing,” Cartier wrote in its complaint.
Meanwhile, a Saks spokesman declined to comment specifically on pending litigation, per company policy. Nevertheless the retailer’s major efforts to overhaul the layout of the flagship, naturally including the movement of vendors, are clear.
“We have reconceptualized the model of our Fifth Avenue flagship in a way that will revolutionize luxury shopping,” the spokesman said. “In partnership with our many existing and new vendors, our grand renovation will deliver a one-of-a-kind experience to our customers through elevated and dominant category presentations in our reimagined store.”
Saks has previously done major floor-wide changes aimed at enhancing the shopper experience by providing greater vertical transportation, easier sight lines and a less harried environment, while creating more dominant category presentations, such as it did eleven years ago with the launch of 10022-Shoe format on the eighth floor. The recasting of the footwear business enabled Saks to bring in several designer brands it lacked previously, including Louis Vuitton and Manolo Blahnik, and formulate new marketing campaigns for a sharper focus on the business. Saks even made one of its elevators an express to eight to speed traffic to the floor. Shoes had been split on the second and third floors and vendors had been worried than moving shoes to eight would hurt business. But the 10022-Shoe floor evolved into one of the busiest businesses in the store, and the concept was rolled out to other locations.
Saks hopes to have similar success with fine jewelry, which is being relocated to the lower level and branded as “The Vault.” The Vault is expected to open sometime next year. An escalator connecting the main floor to The Vault and the main floor to beauty on two is being constructed. Beauty had long been on the ground floor, but the reception from brands and customers, both given more space and privacy, is said to be positive.
Also as part of the flagship overhaul, which officials have characterized as a “re-imagination and reinvention,” the main floor will be devoted to leather goods and accessories. It’s currently under construction.
For Cartier, however, it seems that the brand wants placement on the ground floor or bust. The jeweler said in October 2016 it renewed a five-year lease for its “specifically selected” location within the Saks flagship, and noted the space was chosen and substantially invested in “due to its nearly unmatched visibility (to maximize brand exposure) and customer foot traffic, security and logistical considerations, as well as the overall shopping experience of Cartier’s customers.”
However, issues purportedly started cropping up this year as the Saks remodel got underway. Despite “repeatedly and consistently” being assured by Saks executives that the construction efforts would not affect Cartier’s lease or its business, that’s allegedly what has happened.
In addition to the “substantial challenges” of dust and construction debris that Cartier claims threatened the health of its workers and required “significant and continuous efforts to clean” the jeweler’s location and its mainly glass displays, the construction allegedly took a toll on shopper traffic, affecting sales and causing “significant damages to Cartier,” according to the complaint.
Nevertheless, Cartier apparently did not want to leave its current Saks location for what is expected to be a new, more cohesive, private and expanded floor for fine jewelry on the lower level within Saks. By refusing to agree to Saks plans, it seems the retailer resorted in August to a letter of termination “demanding” that Cartier vacate its current space by Oct. 13, the suit alleges.
Although Cartier does not detail what, if any, conversations took place between the onset of construction and the termination letter, it points to the typical language of the lease agreement, which purportedly shows the termination letter is “defective on its face.” In addition to the tens of millions in damages, Cartier is asking the court to find the lease termination letter “null, void and of no force or effect.”
For More, See:


text:
How fast can you launch a new insurance product? The usual answer we hear from insurers, regardless of size or line of business, is, “Not fast enough.” According to 2021 industry research, property and casualty insurers need more than eight months, on average, to launch a new product.
Let’s look past the numbers here. Even the outliers who are at the front of the bell curve still report product development and launch as a key area of improvement. Basically, it doesn’t matter where you are on the spectrum – you want to roll out products faster.
That’s easy to say and hard to do. Even the most efficient insurer in the market faces significant regulations to navigate when launching a new product, especially if they’re looking to roll it out in multiple US states. Since there’s no getting around that, we have to look for areas of improvement elsewhere.
We believe one way insurance carriers can speed up product development is to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of how they handle rating content. Verisk’s ISO Electronic Rating Content™ (ERC™) has been a significant tool in that process for our own clients. In fact, we’re proud to be an ISO™ partner. Using ISO™ rating content has long been a way for insurers to speed up product development, giving them a foundation for products they may tailor to their own business strategy and markets. ISO ERC™ digitizes that process, proving to be an important enhancement of capabilities and timelines. Research from analyst group Celent last September has quantified those benefits.
To illustrate these benefits in real life, we invited Bryan Guilbeault, Vice President of Technical Services at Ryan Specialty, to talk about his own experience in accelerating the launch of new insurance products. Bryan explained the best practices in increasing speed to market with ISO ERC™ and how they were able to leverage solutions from ValueMomentum, their long-standing vendor partner. We also welcomed Mark Sheehan, Vice President of Underwriting Solutions at Verisk, to discuss more of the details around ISO ERC™.
We’re excited to showcase our customers and their successes in upcoming webinars! If you’d like to learn more about our customer success stories in the meantime, check out our collection of Case Studies.


text:
Individuals who build App Development technology and mobile apps have found that data management and security is among the largest roadblocks regarding in making use of mobile phone applications as funnel for business. The applications marketplace is buzzing as consumers install applications on their own cell phones in record figures. These consumers complete fundamental details, for example emails and passwords and permit use of data that’s stored on their own devices in a variety of native apps. Application developers still collect private data, assuring that it’ll remain private.
The large real question is, what exactly are App Development really doing to make sure this data stays private? What are the laws and regulations and rules that safeguard consumer data from thievery or illegal access?
Captured, a study in the Ftc gave special focus on the possible lack of transparency in how developers make use of this information. They reported that almost all App Development which were targeting children in California were collecting data which was irrelevant towards the application features and usage. Key application distributors couldn’t give a reason why this data had been utilized and picked up on personal devices.
All the major tech companies including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon . com, Hewlett-Packard and Research in motion sales were advised in Feb of 2012 to supply better coordination in application installations and implementation of online privacy policies. The outcomes of the identical are pretty visible within the application market now with the result that developers are utilizing stricter norms and file encryption algorithms for safety of the data.
The White-colored House “Declaration of Confidentiality”, has released a document that describes guidelines for managing comprehensive and relevant data on user’s devices. Regulatory efforts to keep the privacy of users within the App Development market have established yourself. But they are they being adopted? Most significantly, is everyone conscious of the specter of data thievery as well as their legal rights that safeguard them in the dubious activities of transgressive application developers?