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This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on February 14, 2022 - February 20, 2022
The Full Movement Control Order (FMCO) no doubt disrupted the country’s economic recovery plan. Looking at the financial figures, however, the impact of the second nationwide lockdown was not as bad as expected.
According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), the country recorded 3.7% growth in gross domestic product (GDP) in the first nine months of 2021, compared with -6.3% a year ago. DOSM also forecasts 3% to 4% growth in GDP for 2021, largely attributable to the restrictive measures under Phase 1 of the National Recovery Plan.
Meanwhile, the Consumer Sentiment Index in 3Q2021 rose to 101.7 from 64.3 in 2Q2021 and 98.9 in 1Q2021, showing the overall upbeat mood of the market. This is thanks to the improved financials and job confidence recovery.
The overall optimistic mood is also reflected in the real estate market performance.
According to the Property Market Review 2021/2022 report by Rahim & Co International Sdn Bhd, which was officially launched on Jan 27, in the first nine months of 2021, Malaysia recorded a total of 201,065 property transactions worth RM98 billion, a slight drop of 1.8% year on year in volume. However, there was a notable increase of 21.4% y-o-y in value.
Rahim & Co director of research Sulaiman Sahed says that after property market transactions fell in 2020 (-9.9% in volume and -15.8% in value) from 2019’s pre-Covid environment, the first half of 2021 saw a significant rebound as the economy and market gradually adjusted to a pandemic environment with a 21% jump in volume and 32.1% in value. However, the overall performance was dragged down in 3Q2021, when the FMCO kicked in. Among others, the residential sector has seen the most significant slowdown in terms of transactions.
“[Residential property] transaction activities showed growth in the first half but slowed down in the third quarter, resulting in an overall growth of 2.6% for the first nine months of the year. On the supply side, new launches in the primary market had dropped, as developers were still adjusting and affected by the pandemic and the country’s containment measures,” Sulaiman says, in presenting his speech at the launch of the report, adding that sporadic quick sales were observed for owner-occupier and domestic-focused markets.
It is also worth noting that several states in Malaysia have recorded encouraging residential property transaction performance, such as Kuala Lumpur (+10.1%), Selangor (+11.5%), Penang (+18.8%) and Sabah (+8.4%). Overall, residential property transactions in Malaysia grew 2.6% in the first nine months of 2021.
“The [residential] market recovery efforts were further supported by the extended HOC (Home Ownership Campaign) till the end of 2021, the exemption of RPGT (real property gains tax) and the initiatives provided under Budget 2022. A more holistic support was also given by the economic stimulus introduced throughout the year that aimed to restore the livelihoods of Malaysians and revive the business sectors,” Sulaiman explains.
As at 3Q2021, there were 56,734 residential overhang units (including serviced apartments and small office/home office [SoHo] units) worth RM41.59 billion in Malaysia, the majority of which comprised high-rise dwellings.
“The overhang units seen across all price segments signify that the root cause is not just the properties’ absolute selling prices, but also the size, psf price, type, location as well as buyers’ personal preference and considerations when making a purchase decision,” Sulaiman says.
According to the report, residential property priced between RM500,001 and RM700,000 is the category with the most unsold units in 3Q2021, at 14,061 units, or 24.8%. It is worth noting that 83.2% of the properties in this category are high-rise residential properties.
Meanwhile, property priced between RM300,001 and RM500,000 came in second, with a total of 12,229 units, or 21.6%. Similar to the above category, the majority (87.8%) of the property in this category are high-rises.
Johor had the most overhang units in 3Q2021, with 23,224 units worth RM19.29 billion, followed by Kuala Lumpur (8,955 units, worth RM7.94 billion), Selangor (6,970 units, worth RM4.82 billion) and Penang (5,023 units, worth RM4.12 billion).
Despite the country’s overhang easing slightly quarter on quarter (q-o-q) in 3Q2021, the overall number of unsold dwellings (overhang, unsold under construction and unsold but not yet constructed), which stood at 205,217 units, is the highest since 2016.
“[One of the reasons is] the buying incentives have not made enough impact, as disposable income levels [remain low] and economic uncertainty persists. This brings forth a problem of completed units rivalling newer incoming units, and the longer a dwelling remains unsold after completion, the less appeal it holds for buyers,” Sulaiman explains.
Citing Rahim & Co’s Capital Cities Average House Prices report, he says the current key challenge of overhang property is that income levels in the past year have fluctuated because of the pandemic, which has worsened the ongoing issue of housing affordability.
According to the report, it takes an average of 6.9 years for a household to save up enough money to afford a property in Kuala Lumpur. In Penang, it takes 6.4 years; Johor, 5.8 years; and Selangor, 5.7 years.
Looking ahead, Rahim & Co expects residential property prices to undergo a correction and attain only moderate growth in the immediate future. The firm also urges the government to consider reviewing and revamping the HOC, which just ended in 2021, to put more focus on the secondary market.
“The secondary residential market accounts for 70% to 80% of total property transactions in the country, and it will continue to dominate the market. The government should introduce something for the secondary market to help purchasers make faster decisions, thus driving the entire property market forward,” Sulaiman says.
On the other hand, the commercial property sectors remain mostly under pressure, especially in the tenancy performance and rental levels, a trend that Rahim & Co expects will carry on into 2022 as the incoming supply continues even though demand is still being shaken up by the pandemic.
According to the report, transactions for the office and retail segments in the first nine months of 2021 declined 3.2% and 0.9% y-o-y respectively, where Kuala Lumpur was the biggest loser. It saw the number of office transactions decline 5.4% and retail drop 0.4%.
“As the biggest contributor to the nation’s supply of purpose-built office space, the Klang Valley has seen its supply surpass 150 million sq ft in total existing office space, with the completion of several new buildings. This has heightened the level of concern about the sustainability of such market capacity when [placed alongside] a demand pace that has slowly declined over the years,” Sulaiman notes.
As at 1H2021, the office occupancy rate in the Klang Valley was at 72.1% after a further fall from 75.4% in 1H2020. He pointed out that at this tenancy level, the Klang Valley’s office market has a vacancy of 41.9 million sq ft.
Upcoming significant purpose-built offices in the Klang Valley include Merdeka 118 (lettable area: 1.65 million sq ft), The MET Corporate Tower (lettable area: 628,000 sq ft), Kompleks Dayabumi Phase 3 (lettable area: 1.5 million sq ft), Cititower (lettable area: 1.72 million sq ft) and Pavilion Embassy Corporate Towers (lettable area: 720,000 sq ft).
“Factors that contribute to the challenging situation faced by office building owners include new workplace practices that focus more on remote working for social-distancing purposes and staying relevant to the current trend in demand by new and existing tenants against a highly competitive supply market,” Sulaiman says.
He believes the market will take time to reach a new equilibrium, as demand is still struggling to cope with uncertain economic conditions, whereas new supply is keeping its pace to enter the market.
Moreover, the traditional purpose-built office segment is also facing the challenge of the rise of co-working spaces.
New co-working spaces have been mushrooming in the past few years. In November 2021, for instance, Switzerland-based International Workplace Group plc announced two new luxury flexible workspace locations in Kuala Lumpur — Spaces Exchange 106 and Regus Bukit Bintang City Centre (BBCC).
Located on the 23rd floor of The Exchange 106 at Tun Razak Exchange, Space Exchange 106 offers 38,309 sq ft of workplace solutions with a 360-degree panoramic view of the city skyline. Meanwhile, Regus Bukit Bintang City Centre is located in The Stride at BBCC and will be officially launched in 1Q2022.
Similar challenging sentiment and conditions were also seen for the retail sector, which had been heavily affected by the pandemic because of the significant loss of foot traffic from strict local MCOs and international border controls. The national occupancy rate declined 2% y-o-y to 76.6% in 1H2021. Of the existing retail complex space in the Klang Valley, 14.7 million sq ft of the total of 73.6 million sq ft was vacant.
Asked about the retail sector’s outlook, Sulaiman says there may have been several more closures of retail brand outlets in 2021 but new openings and expansions were also observed, signalling a resilient market that is adapting to a new business environment.
“While the Covid-19 containment measures in 2021 had been a dampener at certain points of the year, 2022 is projected to have a better growth trajectory as high vaccination rates allow physical visitor traffic movement. As such, seasonal sales periods are viewed [as having] better prospects. And while e-commerce has established its position as the new way to shop, physical shopping malls and retail outlets have maintained their relevance, as evidenced by the returning footfall during [looser] movement restrictions.”
He also believes that, at present, industrial properties will continue to attract more attention than others.
“Viewed as one of the more stable sectors in a pandemic environment, it is especially so owing to the logistics, warehousing and healthcare segments. This is further boosted by the overwhelming demand for e-commerce transactions, which will continue to hold the spotlight moving forward.
“Considering the slower relative pace of incoming supply, especially for managed industrial parks with built-to-suit arrangements, industrial property investments will be keenly observed this year,” he concludes.
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Sellers in the current housing landscape often have the luxury of listing their homes “as is” without fixing it up or with only minimal window-dressing since demand for homes has been high and inventory low. It’s common for sellers to receive multiple bids, and in the hottest markets, sell for over asking price.
An inventive idea is just the jolt needed for a seller’s market rapidly rushing toward an era of opportunity seemingly unimaginable only 20 years ago. And these days, the seller’s spot is hot, especially at home in California where the market is also experiencing billowing levels of appreciation. According to CoreLogic President and CEO Anand Nallathambi, “Home prices are continuing to soar across much of the U.S. led by major metro areas such as Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, and Denver.” Needless to say, competition in a sea of hopeful buyers remains nothing short of titanic. From the watchtower, Housingwire.com points to the Federal Housing Administration’s move to “increase conforming loan limits for 2017” as a smoke signal revealing that “the market already hit pre-recession levels.” Hopefully, this domestic buyer’s boost steadies the tide because international buyers are riding the next wave, drawn to shore by innovative selling tactics.
With this flow of new trends, buyers abroad are crashing into homeshore on a breaker that makes surfing the luxury market feasible without ever dipping toes into U.S. sand. Agents intent on riding the rapids are beginning to get very creative. According to Bloomberg.com, Jack Ryan, founder of surging online brokerage REX, decided to “turn to virtual reality to sell a $57.5 million home in Malibu, California” by offering the client a view of the home “as though they were really there by looking through a piece strapped to their head.” And virtual reality is just one wave in a seller’s expanse, changing the way homes are being sold. Beyond the horizon of luxury homes speckling shores like Malibu remains the steady uprise of prices “fueled by a potent cocktail of high demand, low inventories, and historically low interest rates,” as reported by CoreLogic.
Times are indeed changing! With over 10 years of experience in the Southern California home lending market, I’d be happy to talk about how these changes in home selling and buying might affect you.
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Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday that it will be nearly impossible for the central bank to beat inflation without hundreds of thousands of Americans losing their jobs.
Fed officials expect the unemployment rate to rise to 4.4 percent next August from 3.7 percent as they raise borrowing costs and slow the economy, according to forecasts released Wednesday.
Experts say that such a rise in the unemployment rate in one year would likely push more than 1 million workers out of their current jobs and leave millions more unable to find better jobs or higher wages.
“We certainly haven’t given up on the idea that we can get a relatively modest increase in unemployment,” Powell said Wednesday after the Fed’s next massive rate hike.
“Nevertheless, we must complete this task,” he said.
Simply put, the Fed knows that past and future interest rate hikes will lead to higher unemployment, so it won’t stop fighting inflation.
But rising unemployment isn’t just a side effect of the Fed’s plans: it’s the goal.
Powell and many other economists believe that the US labor market is too strong to allow inflation to fall. The combination of very low unemployment and record high jobs has fueled rapid wage growth, they argue, forcing businesses to raise prices to cover higher labor costs.
Powell has argued for months that the Fed must bring the labor market to “balance” in order for inflation to return to normal levels. But that means putting people out of work and giving them fewer opportunities to find work after two years of rapid inflation.
“It will be very painful for the families who will be hit with a double blow. Not only do prices continue to rise, they may also lose their jobs at this very high rate of inflation,” said Derek Tang, co-founder and economist at research firm Monetary Policy Analytics.
The Fed is required by federal law to keep both unemployment and inflation as low as possible. To do this, the bank lowers interest rates to stimulate the economy when unemployment is high and raises rates to slow the economy when inflation starts to rise.
After cutting rates to near zero at the start of the pandemic, the Fed waited too long to start raising interest rates as the economy recovered and inflation picked up in 2021. hill
“The question is, are we going to hit the brakes or not?” Preston Mui, an economist at the research nonprofit Employ America, wrote in an email Friday.
“Pulling the economy into recession is likely to ease inflation, but it will do so at a very high cost.” These unemployed people will not only be out of work for a year; these workers will likely see depressed employment and incomes within a decade.
But Powell and supporters of the Fed’s rapid rate hikes say it’s a necessary trade-off to avoid a worse downturn.
The Fed failed to suppress inflation for decades as it soared in the 1960s and 70s, leading to an ever-increasing spiral of prices and wages. Rising inflation hit the economy hard until the Fed, under former chairman Paul Volcker, deliberately triggered a recession with a shock rate hike.
Powell has argued for months that a temporary recession that helps keep inflation down for good is better for the U.S. than letting inflation spiral out of control and lead to a deeper, more painful recession.
“If we’re going to usher in another era of very strong labor markets, we have to put inflation behind us. I wish there was a painless way to do this. No,” Powell said Wednesday.
Experts say the pain is coming first, as is the overall decline in wage growth, with incomes likely to fall even further than prices. At that time, companies will likely be forced to scale back open jobs before some face the need to cut hours or employees due to declining sales in a weak economy.
“As interest rates rise, it becomes more expensive to do business. So I think everybody’s worried they’re going to slow down hiring,” said Jane Oates, a former Labor Department official and president of WorkingNation, a research and advocacy nonprofit.
Oates added that the slowdown will also raise questions about the strength of hiring during the holiday season, which is often a re-entry point for workers who drop out of the labor market. There were still about 1.6 million fewer Americans in the labor market in August than there were in February 2020, and a slower labor market may provide few opportunities for them.
Critics of the Fed’s approach also believe the central bank is overestimating how much damage it would have to do to the labor market to bring down inflation.
Mui of Employ America argued that the Fed’s focus on the ratio of jobs to unemployed workers is misguided because the jobs data “doesn’t reflect how the job search is actually happening.” He added that relying on the Fed to suppress demand would do little to remove the supply constraints that drive up prices.
“The bulk of the current inflation we’re seeing is driven by supply issues, particularly in industries, caused by the pandemic,” he said.
“The Fed’s projections show that it is poised to absorb more than a million jobless workers over the next few years. I think it’s a very expensive way to go, given the weakness of the evidence that it’s necessary.


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Everyone wants a fair chance at the American dream. And if you have a big idea, the opportunity to create your destiny should be available to you. Fortunately, the Kauffman Foundation is dedicated to breaking down barriers, empowering the doers, and opening doors of opportunity to people regardless of race, age or where they come from to achieve uncommon things.
As part of building an inclusive society of startup ecosystems, TechCo and Startup of the Year have partnered with the Kauffman Foundation to create The American Cities House featuring a day of events, bringing together entrepreneurial ecosystem builders from cities like Kansas City, MO, Arlington, VA, Memphis, TN, Miami, FL, Minneapolis, MN, Fargo, ND, Albuquerque, NM, Lincoln, NE, Madison, WI and Dallas, TX. Organizations like digitalundivided, Black Tech Week, Global Entrepreneurship Week, and more will be on hand to showcase their entrepreneurial activity within their communities.
Doors will open around 11:00 AM, welcoming SXSW attendees to learn about these regions. You'll have the chance to enjoy a startup lunch on the rooftop, panels, mentor sessions, VC sessions, a special Startup Pitch Jam, and finally, the big party and “must attend” event known as Startup Night SXSW 2018.
“The Kauffman Foundation believes that everyone everywhere has a fundamental right to become an entrepreneur, regardless of who they are or where they come from. We know that this belief has fueled TechCo’s work to support startup communities across the United States through their media channels and their decade long series of events at SXSW, CES and beyond,” said Andy Stoll, Senior Program Officer of The Kauffman Foundation.
“We are thrilled to partner with TechCo to support the American Cities House at SXSW to help provide a platform for the entrepreneurial community leaders and the entrepreneurs they support a place to come together, connect and celebrate the many rising entrepreneurial ecosystems across the United States.”
As the founders of TechCo spin out a new organization specifically focused on Startup of the Year and other programs for startups and corporate innovation, the partnership with Kauffman parallels the team’s ongoing commitment to create opportunities for startups around the world to find the tools, network and resources they need to succeed. They also focus on empowering women in tech and advancing diversity inclusion in the entrepreneurial sphere.
“We are excited to partner with the Kauffman Foundation for The American Cities House and celebrate inclusivity and the hard-working, startup ecosystem builders from around the country. For a decade our startup programs have attracted some of the top startups in the tech industry as well as some of the most diverse founders to the stage and we do that by working with communities everywhere,” said Jen Consalvo, cofounder of TechCo and Startup of the Year.
“Our mission nurtures inclusion and helps startups get noticed by the right people to grow their business. I’m proud to say that our Startup of the Year program is one of the most inclusive startup competitions out there.”
Hey startups and tech enthusiasts! Startup Night SXSW 2018 is one of the “must attend” parties at SXSW. Come check out 25 top startups showcasing their latest innovations while sipping on cocktails and networking with a crowd filled with investors, members of the media, creatives, peers and leaders in the industry.


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That’s right. The weekend release of Crescent Bay, a fresh prototype of Virtual Reality (VR) headset Oculus Rift is yet another step on the path of an immersive experience, especially in the world of gaming. Oculus may have dubbed it as a “giant move”, but many of those lucky enough to have a go at Crescent Bay felt there’s loads of stuff to be done before the product could be released commercially.
Left to them, online gamers and other tech enthusiasts who have been closely micro-tracking all movement on this front for almost two years now, may want to get their hands on the Oculus Rift today itself. Whoa folks, rein in those thoughts. The Oculus team itself makes no bones of it – this shop ain’t about to open yet.
But a forward step it certainly is. Enough to make initial testers of the Crescent Bay stand up, literally. For, this latest version of the Rift even allows the wearer to walk about in VR, though for now, Oculus would prefer you to be seated to enjoy the experience. A vast improvement from V:1 which only allowed a tilt of your head to relish it.
Oculus demoed Crescent Bay at Oculus Connect, its first developer meet held from September 19 in Los Angeles, USA.
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Here’s what’s under the hood:
- New display technology
- 360° head tracking
- Expanded positional tracking volume
- Lighter in weight and ergonomics
- High-quality integrated audio.
By Oculus’ own admission, these enhancements “allow for a level of presence that’s impossible to achieve with Development Kit 2 (DK2).” (DK2 is a development kit for the Oculus Rift that allows developers to build games and apps for the consumer version of the Rift). But before you get confused, no,the commercial version of the Rift is still not out there!
Judging by the experience of those who had a go at Crescent Bay over the weekend, the prototype seems to have left a lasting impression, enough to set off the jungle drums once again. Was the commercial version really around the corner?
The Bay’s screen is vastly better than the DK2, 3D audio’s been added, sensors are placed all around the headset, enhancing the VR experience; there’s even an in-built headphone. The surround-sensors has got everybody pretty thrilled for they allow the user to get up and walk, and turn, even. Some have dubbed this as “the first natural step” in VR motion, constrained, yet organic.
Challenges for developers
But there’s a real world problem that the Oculus team acknowledges and has yet to be tackled – how to stop users from bumping into things. Which explains why these folks are still hestitant in encouraging early users to stand or walk. That may also be the reason why the company is still a bit reticent on the Bay’s specs. Developers are still being told to create stationery games only; Oculus VR top brass insist that the Rift is still a “seated experience.”
One negative note introduced in the initial reviews of the Bay – its grainy image. Though the screen is of higher resolution than the DK2, the visual quality of the immersion needs be improved.
Oculus VR has mentioned on its website, “The demo is designed to demonstrate the power of presence and give you a glimpse into the level of VR experience you can expect to see come to life in gaming, film, and beyond.”
…going on to add… “this is still incredibly early hardware. There are plenty of technical challenges left to solve for the consumer Rift, but Crescent Bay is truly the best virtual reality headsets we’ve ever built.
So, is the Bay the last prototype before the Rift’s commercial launch? Oculus obviously won’t tell. There could be further tweaks and upgrades, though the gaming world grapevine’s betting on an early 2015 release.
Image Credit: Oculus VR


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On the latest Biz Takeouts Marketing and Media Radio show, host Warren Harding interviewed Claire Cobbledick about the IMC Conference Johannesburg...
16 Oct 2015 10:51
Two Degrees Food, a social enterprise food company and Relief International, a global non-profit organisation in Somalia have partnered to launch a national Famine Relief Campaign o help children suffering from malnourishment in Somalia.
15 Sep 2011 11:47
NEW YORK, US: Consumer confidence fell in 25 out of 52 countries in Q4 2010 as hope for a global economic recovery evaporated at the end of last year, according to the latest edition of the Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index, which tracks consumer confidence, major concerns and spending intentions among online consumers.
27 Jan 2011 11:00


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Pop Popcorn combines myriad unique flavors with pretty packaging, perfect for Valentine’s Day.
“We have expanded our offerings to include truffles, featured popcorn flavors, sodas and candy that customers have requested,” says owner Betsy Cummins.
Cummins was brought into the industry by her sister-in-law Carol Davis, who opened Crave Popcorn in Plano nine years ago. After seeing her success, Cummins decided that Lake Highlands and the Dallas area needed a spot of their own.
The shop celebrates one year with champagne Jan. 28, right before their busiest season of the year.
“We are expecting Valentine’s season to be very busy with custom orders for children, schools and businesses,” Cummins says.
The shop plans to introduce three new specialty Valentine’s flavors — “Cupid’s Crush,” “Chocolate Cherry” and “Amaretto Love” — which will be phased in during February.
Producing and selling desserts isn’t always as sweet as it sounds. As such, Cummins is very intentional about making sure her family is deeply involved in the process. Whether it be her Lake Highlands family or her husband, and two children, the shop and its employees have their priorities right in line.
“At any given time, you may see all four of us,” says Cummins, referring to her husband Alden, and her daughter and son, Caroline and Carden. “Our employees are all local, and we treat our employees as family.


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The Label Shoppe has added a 10-color Nilpeter FA-4* servo press, which will help the company handle long and short runs and provide accurate registration. The press will also provide clean-hand technology and complete automation.
A strong combination of sharply printed text and graphics, foiling and tactile doming earned McDowell Label third place in Best of Show in the 30th annual packagePRINTING Excellence Awards.
A flexo wine label run that featured three separate images, tactile elements, holographic imagery and precise registration amazed the judges at the 30th annual packagePRINTING Excellence Awards and earned Best of Show honors for ASL Print FX.
Representatives from MacDermid Graphics Solutions and Esko recently gathered at MacDermid's Atlanta headquarters for a two-day training seminar. MacDermid's sales and technical service teams were trained on Esko's products and workflow enhancement.
Best Label, which specializes in clear packaging that allows the back of the label to be visible through the container, has purchased its second Gallus ECS 340 label printing press. The press is expected to be installed in November.
Gallus will reveal the fastest narrow-web press it has ever created at the second Gallus Innovation Days event, which will be held in September at Gallus's headquarters in St. Gallen, Switzerland. The press can reach a maximum speed of 200 m/min.


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Silver is not just used in jewelry anymore. It can also help save lives.
Noble Biomaterials is a private company that uses silver-laced fibers in everything from military apparel to shirts for pro athletes.
The founder, Bill McNally, appeared on Power Lunch this afternoon. “What I like to tell our customers and our employees is that we are in the business of saving people’s lives”, he said.
The silver fibers are antibacterial and also stop odor, but the one area where they really shine is in military apparel, where they are used in bandages, clothing and shoes.


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Originally printed in the February 2018 issue of Produce Business.
In March, April and May, the Sunshine State casts a towering shadow.
There is nothing like first-of-the-season excitement or the hunger for domestically grown, closer-to-home fresh produce after a winter of imports. That’s where Florida shines. This southern state offers a full season’s jump on traditional summer vegetables and does so during the months of March, April and May, when many growing regions to the north and west are just beginning to thaw.
In fact, a ranking of the Top 10 spring commodities sold in the United States between 2014 and 2017 shows Florida’s average market share represented 100 percent and 75 percent for Temple and Tangelo varieties of orange, respectively. This was followed by sweet corn at 70 percent; escarole, grape tomatoes, green beans and cherry tomatoes each at 55 percent; tangerines (43 percent), tomatoes (41 percent) and endive (40 percent), according to data supplied by the Florida Department of Agriculture.
“During the springtime, the following Florida fruits and vegetables are at their peak: corn, vine-ripe tomatoes, seedless watermelon, strawberries, celery, lettuce, packaged salads, green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, okra, bell peppers, specialty peppers and berries,” says Maria Brous, director of media and community relations for Publix Super Markets, a 1,100-plus-store chain based in Lakeland, FL. “Some of the best sellers include berries, corn and tomatoes.”
The Sunshine State indeed offers a wide variety of produce in the spring.
L&M Companies, headquartered in Raleigh, NC, is one of Florida’s most diverse farming operations. It has farms in seven different counties and grows more than 35 different items, according to Adam Lytch, operations manager. “We farm southern vegetable items like bell peppers (green, yellow and red), cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini and chili peppers in North, Central and South Florida. We also farm items like cabbage, broccoli, greens, potatoes and watermelons. Being the first or only state in production on the East Coast certainly helps, but also the seasonality of the items allows for a longer growing season out of Florida than from any other area on many items.”
Although much of Florida’s produce is delivered throughout the Southeast, many growers do ship to the Northeast and Midwest, as well as to Eastern Canada and Europe.
“Florida’s many products available to retailers in promotable volumes reduce the number of pickups, ultimately allowing for full utilization of transportation,” says Jason Bedsole, sales manager for Duda Farm Fresh Foods in Oviedo, FL. “This allows the retailer to maximize efficiencies while reducing freight costs, thus reducing delivered costs to the warehouse.”
For Florida retailers, “the freshness advantage is a huge plus,” says Earl McGrath, produce director for Freshfields Farm, a retailer with locations in Orlando and Jacksonville. “We can often have items on our displays that were in a field 24-48 hours ago. Customers are always looking for fresh product, and the geographical advantages really help exceed expectations. Another advantage of buying and selling Florida-grown products is it allows us to work with and support growers and organizations that operate within our state.”
Yet, Florida does have its challenges.
“Surges in the volume of imported fruits and vegetables, mostly from Mexico, have created difficult market conditions for many of Florida’s spring crops,” explains Aaron Keller, commissioner’s office press secretary at the Florida Department of Agriculture.
Growers have felt this directly and reacted.
“Because of low commodity prices last year, overall acreage will be down an estimated 20 percent this year on mixed veg items like bell pepper and tomatoes,” says Brian Rayfield, vice president of business development for J&J Family of Farms, headquartered in Loxahatchee, FL. “Supply should meet demand, but there won’t be a glut with oversupply.”
The Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA), whose mission is to enhance the business and competitive climate for the state’s producers of fruits, vegetables and other crops, is currently working to address this issue.
Florida ranked first in the United States in the production value of fresh market snap beans, cucumbers, grapefruit, oranges, tomatoes and watermelons in 2016, according to the August 2017-released Statistical Bulletin by the National Agricultural Statistics Service’ Florida Field Office and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). It ranked second in production value of bell peppers, sweet corn, squash and strawberries, and third in cabbage.
Sweet corn. The volume of sweet corn harvested from the Belle Glade growing area from late March/early April through Memorial Day has remained steady over the past 5 to 7 years, with production totaling 7.5- to 7.8 million boxes (50 ears per box), according to Mike Aerts, the FFVA’s director of production and supply chain management and head of the association’s Agricultural Exchange Management Group, which includes the Sunshine Sweet Corn Growers of Florida.
All three colors of sweet corn grown in the Belle Glade area are in demand, says Jon Browder, sales manager for the Belle Glade-based Pioneer Growers Co-op. “However, there are different demands in different areas. For example, Texas likes yellow and bi-color, the Atlanta market wants all three colors, and in North Carolina it’s white and bi-color.”
Browder says the best-selling remains husk on bulk corn. However, he adds Pioneer does offers retail packs on all three colors.
New this season, Duda Farm Fresh Foods will introduce its tray pack corn, says Bedsole. “The corn will reduce prep time by offering the sweet corn pre-shucked. The new tray pack corn is available with eye-catching seasonal graphics, showcasing the availability all year long as well as seasonally featured recipes and meal-prep solutions.”
Tomatoes. The Florida tomato industry has the advantage of being the primary local, regional and domestic producer in the United States during the winter and spring, according to Michael Schadler, deputy manager of the Maitland, FL-based Florida Tomato Committee. “However, acreage has been declining over the past decade due to competitive pressure from Mexican imports. Currently, there are around 30,000 acres of tomatoes produced in Florida. We expect the spring crop in 2018 to be similar in volume to 2017, which saw approximately 19 million 25-pound equivalent boxes of tomatoes shipped between mid-March and mid-June.”
Round tomatoes continue to represent most of our crop, with about 75 percent of total production, according to Schadler. “The balance of the production is spread between Roma tomatoes (about 12 percent), grape tomatoes (about 10 percent) and cherry tomatoes (about 3 percent).”
One of the major tomato growers in Florida is Philadelphia-based Procacci Brothers Sales Corp., which grows and ships through Gargiulo Inc., based in Naples, FL, and Santa Sweets Inc., in Plant City, FL The company harvests a variety of tomatoes, including conventional field-grown round, organic grape, vine-ripe, Santa Sweets-brand grape and UglyRipe heirloom.
“Demand now is for high flavor and color variations, and we are working on combining these two attributes and others, such as disease resistance in grape, Roma, round and heirlooms. Our test plots of non-GMO natural hybrids look like a rainbow,” says Rick Feighery, vice president of sales. “For example, we have a mixed heirloom tomato that we’re testing in South Florida this spring.”
Cherry tomatoes are strong, says Feighery. “This is because they offer retailers and consumers alike a midrange price point somewhere between $2.99 and $3.99 per pound.”
Other veggies. “Peppers, squash and eggplant are among items we grow in the spring,” says Steve Veneziano, vice president of sales and operations at Oakes Farms in Immokalee, FL. “For these items, the best promotional time is in April.”
In peppers, L&M’s Lytch says, “We have really expanded our acres on both red and yellow open field bell peppers. We have an exclusive seed variety that we are using to produce these peppers and are excited to continue to see it grow.” Lytch adds that L&M has expanded its organic offering and now has 250 acres of Florida land in production, which includes bell pepper, squash, cucumbers, hard squash, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, dinosaur kale, green and red cabbage.
As for green and yellow squash, C&D Fruit and Vegetable Co. in Bradenton, FL, now packs a 5/9 box size, says Steve O’Brien, vice president. “This allows us to compete with the west in the Northeast market. It’s a bigger box with more weight and hopefully will pay more.”
Pioneer Co-op is a large supplier of green beans in Florida from November to May. “We have whole beans and those that are snipped and bagged for cook-in-bag preparation,” says Browder.
Tropicals. While starfruit season closes in April and doesn’t return until July, May marks the beginning of items such as Florida-grown dragon fruit, lychees and passionfruit, according to Mary Ostlund, marketing director for Brooks Tropicals, in Homestead, FL. “Supplies are limited, but there are no limits on color, textures and great taste. That said, the two biggest tips for enticing retail customers to try Florida tropicals is to sign displays well and add slices to fresh-cut fruit programs. Also, on display, it’s important to show the insides of these fruits.”
Marketing And Promotion
Florida growers, commodity groups and the FDACS offer retailers strong marketing and promotion platforms. For example, Duda Farm Fresh Foods works with its supermarket customers to create in-store and online promotions, while ads and in-store point-of-sale materials are something J&J Family of Farms offers its grocery customers.
“Since we have so many different items, we work with our retail partners on the best time to promote. In addition, we tailor production to meet demands for given promotional periods like, for example, cabbage for St. Patty’s Day, broccoli for Easter and watermelons for Memorial Day,” says L&M’s Lytch.
Forty unique Florida commodities were promoted by the FDACS via its Fresh From Florida brand in retail environments during March, April and May 2017, including a number of fruits, vegetables and other agricultural items. Total retail sales estimated resulting from these promotions totaled $41.9 million. Additionally, 580 total promotional events took place during that span, including circular ads, coupons, samplings and displays.
“We work with more than 70 of the largest grocery retailers in the United States and Canada each year, proving that the Fresh From Florida brand has value and that retailers see it as a means to increase sales and raise awareness of their commitment to source Florida product,” says Keller. “Fresh From Florida will continue to support Florida growers during the 2018 season by incentivizing grocery retailers throughout Florida, the eastern United States and Canada.”
Freshfields Farm and Publix Supermarkets use Fresh From Florida brand signage in-store.
“The signage on display bins makes it easy for customers to easily identify produce from Florida,” says Publix’s Brous.
What’s New in Florida Produce?
Florida’s conducive climate and worthwhile spring window mean growers are always searching for something new to meet consumer demand. Here is a sampling of the latest:
- Asian vegetables: These crops, which are being grown throughout the state and in much greater concentration in the St. Augustine/Hastings area of North Florida, includes Chinese cabbage, Bok choy, beans, bitter melon, Chinese Broccoli and many other Asian herbs and vegetables, according to Aaron Keller, commissioner’s office press secretary at the Florida Department of Agriculture.
- Brussels sprouts: Brussels sprouts are another up-and-comer for Florida growers in the Hastings area, as well, says Keller. “Growers in that area have long grown cabbage, but recently branched out to other cole crops such as broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.”
- Cabbage: Koolhead branded, sweet and mild-tasting, flat-shaped cabbage is a new program in Florida for L&M Companies. “What we have is a unique looking item that appears different on the shelf that grabs customers attention, but it also tastes fantastic, which we believe will keep the customers coming back for more,” says Adam Lytch, operations manager. “We are doing some new promotions this year on this cabbage and are excited about that.”
- Peaches: Peaches are still a relatively new item in Florida, says the Florida Department of Agriculture’s Keller. “Consumers and retailers are not conditioned to connect peaches to Florida and we will continue to assist in promoting them.” Peaches harvest in April and May.
- Peppers: A proprietary seed now enables J&J Family of Farms to produce standard-sized, field-grown red and yellow bell peppers with thicker walls and 10 percent heavier than its hothouse counterpart. The Loxahatchee, FL-headquartered company also started marketing last fall its Sunny Sweets, 1-pound, pouch bag of yellow mini peppers. “These are a little bigger, with higher brix and have fewer seeds than other snacking peppers currently on the market,” says Brian Rayfield, vice president of business development. “We plan to have these in red and orange in the future.”


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- Google purchased SOL worth $28 million at $10 apiece.
- The crypto market could get a huge lift from Google’s acquisition of SOL currencies.
- It is yet unknown how Google intends to put the tokens to use.
According to a recent report, Google, an American multinational technology company, has become the 13th largest wallet after purchasing 2.8 million $SOL at $10.
The move comes as a surprise to many in the cryptocurrency industry, as Google has previously been wary of cryptocurrencies. The previous year, they announced that their Play Store would no longer accept any apps related to mining, trading, and other cryptocurrency activities.
However, it appears that Google has officially made its first foray into the world of cryptocurrencies with this transaction. The purchase is reportedly part of a larger effort to build out its web services offerings, which now include cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
Moreover, Google’s purchase of $SOL tokens is expected to be a major boost to the cryptocurrency industry as a whole. The move will likely result in an increase in liquidity as well as more investors and buyers entering the market.
As for $SOL token holders, this is great news. If Google’s buy order is fulfilled, it will help drive up the price of the token and could even lead to more demand in the future.
It is not yet known what Google plans to do with the coins, but speculation is that they may use them for payments or other transactions on their platform. Regardless of how they plan to use the tokens, this will undoubtedly increase the visibility of cryptocurrency and could even spark more interest in investing.
Notably, Google’s foray into the cryptocurrency industry is something that should be monitored closely by investors and industry experts as it could have a major impact in the future.
Read Also :
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Shares of Amyris Inc (AMRS) are jumping by 21.23% to $2.17 at the start of trading on Thursday morning, after the industrial bioscience firm announced a new multi-year collaboration agreement with a global food ingredients supplier. This agreement marks Amyris’s first collaboration in the growing food ingredients sector.
Amyris did not disclose details of the collaboration, but said the agreement includes a “long-term value share provision in regard to future end-market product sales by the partner.”
Shares of NeuroDerm Ltd. (NDRM) were gaining 9% to $18.86 on heavy trading volume Thursday after the clinical stage pharmaceutical company announced the pricing of its public offering of 3.9 million ordinary share at $17.00/share. The move comes on a massive volume too with the issue trading more than 2.4 million shares, compared to the average volume of 99K.
Shares of Voltari Corp (VLTC) are up 36.57% to $7.83 following a Benzinga report saying Carl Icahn has not sold any shares of his VLTC position. Icahn’s last reported a 52.3% stake in Voltari on March 31.
Shares of Mellanox Technologies, Ltd. (MLNX) surged 7.66% to $47.52 in recent trade after some positive Stifel commentary. The broker said it expects the fabless semiconductor firm next Wednesday to deliver its fourth sequential beat driven by multiple new product introductions, and raise quarterly earnings report.
Mellanox Technologies, Ltd. closed Wednesday at $44.14. The name has a current market cap of $2.18 billion.
Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase after clicking a link, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!


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This is enough to accelerate the German sedan from zero to 100km/h in just 3.9 seconds, or quick enough to beat out most cars on the road to the triple-digit figure.
In addition to the potent performance, the M3 is also equipped with an array of standard safety features such as a surround-view camera, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition.
If the M3 passes the test, it won’t be the first BMW in the Victoria Police ranks, with 5 Series models having been enlisted back in 2018 to replace the ageing Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores.
In 2019, Victoria Police also assessed the M5 Competition for active duty, though that vehicle has since been returned to BMW.
It is likely this M3 Competition will serve the same fate, as each model wears a recommended retail price of $154,900 before on-road costs, making it much more expensive than the V8-powered Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons that proliferated across the force a decade ago.
It’s not all high-performance and high pricetag models though, as NSW Police have enlisted the help of the Hyundai Kona Electric for duties, while Queensland Police have scored five Hyundai Nexo fuel-cell electric vehicles for general duties.


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In a weekend profile of Apple's campus in Austin, Tex., the company claimed that it has created over 2 million jobs in the U.S. since the iPhone first went on sale in 2007.
Search again or refine your query
Found 1000 Results for: ‘iOS 6 Plan’
Following availability on iOS and the PlayStation 4 game console, Sony on Thursday expanded its PlayStation Vue cable cutting service to the Apple TV.
Adding to rumors of Apple's augmented reality ambitions, a report on Wednesday claims the company is working to bring unspecified AR features to its first-party camera app on iPhone.
Apple is reportedly planning an App Store fee schedule revision that will see its slice of revenue from subscription video services, and potentially other non-video providers, drop from the customary 30 percent to only 15 percent.
The Touch Bar input strip on new MacBook Pro models is itself a Retina Display, but it doesn't show up as a display in System Report. That's prompted Apple to create specialized support in its Grab app to enable capture of screenshots of its current status.
Apple began its promised purge of the iOS App Store in October, pulling some 47,300 titles, according to third-party research data published on Tuesday.
Apple's new Late 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro is the lightest and thinnest MacBook Pro ever, but unlike the company's earlier ultralight MacBook Air, it packs a fast, quad-core Intel CPU and a dedicated AMD Radeon Pro GPU along with 16GB of high speed RAM and other "pro" level niceties. After spending some time with the new flagship, AppleInsider came away impressed at what Apple was able to achieve.
Anticipating the full impact of the election of Donald Trump is difficult because his campaign offered little in terms of real policy proposals, instead favoring high energy crowd rallies and the drawing of media attention through the use of incredible and often shocking comments. There are some clues as to what he might make priorities in his administration however.
One of the regular problems of a multi-platform universe is that sometimes, you'll stumble across a link or file that's better simply viewed on another device. Pushbullet's self-titled app can be a good solution, especially if you live at least partly outside of the Apple ecosystem.
Apple has performed what may be a soft launch of a new Apple Service app in the Netherlands, allowing users in that country to schedule Genius Bar appointments, as well as get live chat-based support for Macs, iPads, and iPhones.
Apple on Tuesday was granted a patent detailing an augmented reality mapping system that harnesses iPhone hardware to overlay visual enhancements onto live video, lending credence to recent rumors suggesting the company plans to implement an iOS-based AR strategy in the near future.
Samsung on Monday confirmed plans to include a new AI assistant with its upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone, which should make use of the technology it acquired from Viv -- a firm founded by some of the people behind Apple's Siri.
News quieted down in a bit in the wake of Apple's Oct. 27 MacBook Pro event, but as usual in the Apple world, there were still rumors about the company's plans -- among them talk about wireless charging in the "iPhone 8," and the unexpected delay of its AirPods.
Last Call! Lowest Prices Ever: 512GB 12" MacBooks for $1,099 shipped ($500 off); new 13" MacBook Pros without Touch Bar in stock
Now through Nov. 7 (or while supplies last), Apple authorized reseller B&H is offering readers $500 off last year's 12" MacBooks, bringing the cost down to a record low of $1,099 for 1.2GHz, 8GB, 512GB models. B&H also has new 2016 13" MacBook Pros (without Touch Bar) in stock with no tax outside NY.
Live streaming service Sling TV on Wednesday began rolling out Sling Kids, a completely on-demand channel aimed at making it easier to find child-friendly video.
Microsoft on Wednesday announced Teams, its own attempt at a workplace chat platform akin to rivals like HipChat and Slack, with support for Mac, iOS, Windows, Android, and the Web.
Less than a week after its launch, Apple has banned a crime-reporting app called Vigilante from the App Store, which may have raised concerns over potential risks and abuses.
Adobe at its MAX 2016 industry conference on Wednesday announced a slew of new software products and app updates for imaging professionals, including an automated service called Sensei, as well as a stock photography and video partnership with Reuters.
As Google, Microsoft and Facebook forge ahead with second- and third-generation augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) systems, consumers waiting for an Apple branded AR product will have to stand by for at least one or two more years, according to well-connected KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Apple's senior VP of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, has already been announced as the keynote speaker for next year's Code Media conference, scheduled for Feb. 13 and 14 in Laguna Niguel, Calif.
The news cycle was largely controlled by Apple's MacBook Pro press event, but the company also posted its first revenue decline in 15 years, and may have let slip new information on the "Apple Car" and 2017 iPhones.
One of the things Apple reportedly plans to showcase at its Oct. 27 event is a new app that will let people find new shows based on what they watch on an Apple TV.
After a bumpy Apple Pay rollout in Japan, Apple this week posted a support an explainer page covering the payments service to its regional German website, suggesting an impending launch in that country.
Apple closed the book on its fiscal 2016 with a quarterly earnings conference call, marking the end of the first year where iPhone sales declined. However, Apple is bullish on its outlook, particularly with the newly released iPhone 7 series and a growing services business.
Whether or not it's ever released, Apple has allegedly toyed internally with the idea of releasing iMessage for Android, going as far as to make mockups for the text messaging client in Google's "Material Design," according to a new report.


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March 29, 2000
For the Small Retailer, Life on the Internet Is One Big Bazaar
By BARBARA WHITAKER
hen GeniusBabies.com, a fledgling business owned by Michelle Donahue-Arpas,
joined the giant online mall Yahoo Stores last April, its sales doubled a month later and reached $20,000 a month by November.
But if Yahoo has served Ms. Donahue-Arpas well -- with a 95 percent customer approval rating she is a featured merchant -- she knows she should expand her horizons.
Nancy Pierce for The New York Times
Michelle Donahue-Arpas, with her daughter, Trisha, at her home office for GeniusBabies.com, which sells educational toys.
"Yahoo giveth and Yahoo can taketh away," she said, referring to the "featured merchant" designation, which raises the profile of her business, a seller of educational and developmental toys for babies and
As a small fish swimming in a very big pond, Ms. Donahue-Arpas, like other small retailers, must make careful decisions about how to expand her company.
In such a world, it would be easy to be overwhelmed, overshadowed or swallowed up if she is not careful.
With a growing number of shopping platforms from which small businesses can choose, a free-for-all is developing in online retailing. Portal shopping centers are offering an increasing number of services like gift registries,
price-comparison tools and reviews to lure consumers while bolstering their base of merchants by making it easy to set up and run an online store. Amazon.com has opened an Internet bazaar it calls zShops, and a growing
number of companies known as e-business service providers are offering retailers free tools to establish and maintain online stores with them.
Each alternative has advantages and disadvantages for merchants, and no clear answers have emerged about the best way to go.
"Most retailers are still unclear on how to do it and, more importantly, who to do it with," said Kneko Burney, director of markets and computing at Cahners In-Stat Group, a research group in Scottsdale, Ariz. "The
big hurdle for them is building a Web presence that makes sense and making it known."
In-Stat estimates that 60 percent of the small companies in the United States have Web sites and about 80 percent use the Internet, but few do an effective job of selling products or services online.
"There are a lot of platforms that offer a quick fix for big bucks," said Sue Schwartz, who developed YarnXpress.com, which
sells specialty yarns, with the help of an e-business service provider called Freemerchant.com. "It's really 'Let
the buyers beware,' " she said, referring to the merchants.
Yet if caution is in order, analysts think there is also opportunity. Seema Williams of Forrester Research, which analyzes e-commerce, observed, "A bit of a free-for-all is actually a good thing," opening up options
for small retailers. It is important to remember where interests lie.
For example, she noted, Amazon.com is foremost a store, and its interests will come first. Shopping portals like Yahoo, which is not a retailer, will always have more allegiance to their big-name merchants, who pay more money
to be on the site.
The bottom line is that small merchants must look out for themselves, getting their names out in any way possible and using resources as long as they are cost-effective.
Ms. Schwartz, of YarnXpress, could not agree more. She said she was pleased with the set-up features offered by Freemerchant.com, but played down the links it provided to search engines as a way of generating business. More
valuable, she said, was the link to eBay, which led to the sales on which she built her business. Rather than pay to put her business on established sites, she has used other strategies, including starting an online group
for knitters and advertising in a knitting magazine.
Freemerchant sees itself as giving small businesses "a techno grub stake," offering free site construction, free hosting and back-office support like inventory control and sales-tax calculation. But it stops short
of being a shopping destination.
By contrast, online malls and portal shopping centers have the benefit of traffic and built-in name recognition that can give an instant lift to a merchant. While the cost of aligning with some of these sites remains prohibitively
high, other sites are lowering monthly fees and offering business-related services.
AltaVista, for example, is adding a variety of direct-marketing capabilities to its Shopping.com service while plugging more stores -- large and small -- into the search and product listings areas.
But such a relationship costs a few thousand dollars a month, more than what many small retailers can afford. In addition, analysts said, the big shopping sites' focus on comparison shopping, particularly regarding price,
is not often advantageous for small retailers, who will be undercut by larger merchandisers.
At Yahoo, whose goal is to be the leading shopping site on the Web, Jennifer Dulski, a brand manager for Yahoo Shopping, which includes Yahoo Stores, said services were geared to buyers as well as sellers. Yahoo Shopping, which
includes 9,500 stores and an auction, offers tools to merchants to help them establish and manage Web sites. The cost is about $100 a month to post 50 items, but rises from there.
In late September, Amazon.com introduced zShops, which offers merchants the chance to list their stores for $9.99 a month. Amazon can process credit-card orders for an additional 2.25 percent of the total sale. Merchants can
also take advantage of Amazon's one-click shopping feature, which allows consumers to store their shipping and credit-card information in a database.
Ms. Williams, a senior analyst with Forrester Research, said that while Amazon would provide a retailer with traffic for a while, "the worry is, you're going to lose your category if Amazon decides to offer your product."
Still, linking with a site that has a customer base of 17 million people is enticing. "I believe the people who have the financial resources to advertise their Web site or latch on to those who can advertise for them are
the ones that are going to be successful," said John Arnold, a customer service manager with the Pacific Cookie Company in Santa Cruz, Calif.
Pacific Cookie has established a Web presence mainly through partnerships in which it provides goods to sites wholesale but pays nothing up front. It began with sites like Greatfood.com, and then established relationships with
entities like Givechocolate.com, a gift site.
When approached by Amazon about joining zShops, Pacific Cookie readily agreed. "We haven't seen a lot of orders from them," Mr. Arnold said, "but just to be on a site like Amazon we thought was worth the
cost we were putting forward."
Pacific Cookie will not stop there. By this summer, Mr. Arnold said, the company will be listed on about 10 shopping platforms, most of which cost the company nothing.
By contrast, Bryan Matthews, who sells antique books in Los Angeles, has stuck mostly to putting his books on databases. Although he said he was approached daily by online virtual malls to join their sites, he has gone with
zShops because of his longstanding relationship with Amazon.com.
Instead, Mr. Matthews is investing his time and energy in developing the first online cooperative of booksellers, which he thinks will protect his business interests in the long run.
"It will let people know there are all these independent booksellers and turn them away from the brands and the big platforms," he said. "We want to let buyers know they are better off dealing with personalities.
We're the ones that have the books."
These sites are not part of The New York Times on the Web, and The Times has no control over their content or availability.


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Once a wild child, always a wild child!
Angelina Jolie carried a unique fashion accessory to Brad Pitt's Moneyball premiere Friday night in Toronto: a gold clutch that was actually handcuffed to her wrist!The actress, 36, carried the Louis Vuitton Lockit PM Devotion clutch. She paired the shiny gold bag with a sleek black dress.
Earlier this year, Jolie modeled for Louis Vuitton's Core Values campaign, which was shot on location in Cambodia.
The Salt star was reportedly paid millions for the ad, which she donated to charity.movies.yahoo.com/news


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Melbourne dentist referred to regulator over new claims
A Melbourne dentist previously found to have received fake five-star Google reviews from patients that likely did not exist has been referred to the nation's therapeutic goods regulator over new claims her clinic has breached advertising laws.
From July 1, testimonials about medical treatments and health products were banned, forbidding social media influencers from posting content about procedures, including cosmetic dentistry.
But videos posted daily to Gorgeous Smiles' social media sites — and deleted since A Current Affair began asking questions — appeared to breach the new laws.
Changes to the law were implemented with the aim of protecting patients, particularly impressionable young people from splurging cash on unnecessary and risky treatments.
Social media influencers are also now forbidden from accepting payments to advertise health products including vitamins, herbal remedies and protein powders.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration, in charge of regulating medical devices and medicines, told A Current Affair it would come down heavily on healthcare professionals and influencers still thumbing their noses at the law.
TGA chief Adjunct Professor John Skerritt said while the majority of doctors were doing the right thing, some were still trying to push patient limits to "make money".
"There are some groups, including clinics, including dentists, who unfortunately either because of ignorance or perhaps deliberately are still flaunting the laws," he said.
Under the changes, social media influencers are forbidden from saying they have used a particular medical product, whether their post is paid or not.
Paid "endorsements" — where a person merely advertises a product — are generally allowed, as long as it is clear the endorsement is an advertisement and the person does not discuss their personal experience with a product, according to the TGA.
"There will be and there has already been significant compliance action," Skerritt said.
Dr Stephen Liew, the vice president of the Australian Dental Association, said clinics engaged in problematic conduct "discredited" the rest of the profession.
"The cast of Neighbours has a lot more time on their hands right now — I can't go and give them a bleaching kit each and say write me a glowing testimonial because that incentivises people who don't need bleaching to get bleaching," he said.
"This is not what our health profession is about, we're about making your health better."
Gorgeous Smiles principal dentist Dr Minoo Ghamari did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
For more information on the new rules, you can visit the TGA's website.


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The New York Times reported today that Walmart is spending millions of dollars and thousands of man-hours fighting a $7,000 fine assessed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) after a Walmart employee was trampled to death by a crowd at a store on Long Island. Though the company has taken steps to address the problems that led to the unfortunate incident, it is continuing to resist the fine because it feels that “the government is improperly trying to define ‘crowd trampling’ as an occupational hazard that retailers must take action to prevent”:
In contesting the penalty, Wal-Mart has filed 20 motions and responses totaling nearly 400 pages and has spent at least $2 million on legal fees, according to OSHA’s calculations. The dispute has become so heated — and Wal-Mart’s defense so vigorous — that officials at OSHA, an arm of the Labor Department, complain that they have had to devote huge numbers of staff time to the case, including 4,725 hours of work by employees in the legal office.
Walmart’s resistance to OSHA is part and parcel of a Big Business culture that abhors common sense safety regulations. For instance, Massey Energy, which owns the Upper Big Branch mine that exploded in April, killing dozens of miners, was part of “a surge in the number of challenges to mine safety citations [that] has clogged a federal appeals process, allowing 32 coal mines to avoid tougher enforcement measures.” And BP, the company that had a well explode and kill 11 workers, “spent years battling federal regulators over how many layers of safeguards would be needed” at such wells.
The Wonk Room has more.


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Giphy has joined the race to monetise. And so, sponsored GIFs will soon be coming to messaging tabs on a device near you.
How will it work?
Sponsored GIFfs are likely to slot in intuitively for end users, showing up much the same as a sponsored result on a search page.
According to TechCrunch, who cited ‘a source close to the company’, its success will rely on the same principle as Snapchat’s sponsored filters: even though it’s branded content, people will like it because it’s from people they know.
GIFs with benefits
Giphy already has 200 million active users, sending and posting their GIFs daily.
They’ve also got thousands of commercial partners, uploading GIFs to display on social media and across the internet via their branded Giphy channels.
Turning partners into pesos
So far, the selling point for partners has been convenience to get GIFs that play across the internet, including Facebook, Twitter and website embeds.
The new ability to promote a GIF will immediately appeal to many existing partners, and will attract more to the fold too.
As yet, there’s no firm timeline for unveiling sponsored GIFs.
If you’re eager, sign up as a Giphy business partner in preparation.
Have sponsored GIFs caught your eye in the past? What’s your favourite?
Copy Transmission is a Melbourne-based agency :: Better Brands. Loud & Clear.


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USA: HempNut claims to be first to comply with DEA rule on THC in hemp foods
Santa Rosa, California-based HempNut Inc has announced that it believes it is the only Drug Enforcement Administration-compliant hempseed food and importing company in the US.
Pursuant to a new DEA regulation effective 7 February, THC is banned in hempseed products for human consumption. Since 1994 HempNut foods have contained no THC, in anticipation of this move by DEA, the company said today.
DEA gave hempseed producers and importers 14 months to comply. "The DEA rule is reasonable, expected, and was issued with surprising sensitivity to the hemp food consumer," said Richard Rose, founder and president of HempNut Inc. "But it is merely a clarification of the policy which HempNut, DEA, and US Customs have operated on for years; namely, that hempseed products may not contain THC. Other industries have government regulations they must comply with, and this is no different," said Rose.
Recently, DEA spokesman Will Glaspy said "I think there is a lot of misinformation out there, that we are trying to ban all hemp products. That is not the case. I think a lot of people have overreacted to this." HempNut, Inc. made zero-THC products a priority because of customer and quality concerns.
"For the first time ever DEA officially made non-food hemp products legal even if they contain THC, such as body care, clothes, and paper; and made hemp foods legal as long as they do not contain THC. This is a big change in policy for them, a legitimization of hemp's legal status, and a very positive step forward. Now we can continue to import hemp products without the fear of legal issues," said Rose, who is also founder and director of the Hemp Food Association (http://www.hempfood.com), and is the world's most experienced hempseed food producer. With 22 years in the natural foods industry, and eight years in hempseed foods, Rose has long been an advocate for improving technology to remove THC adhering to the outside of hempseed.
Hempseed is mankind's oldest food crop, having been used as a human food around the world for at least 5,000 years.
It's one of the most nutritious foods, with a significant amount of omega-3 essential fatty acid, which many medical journals have recently reported helpful for a variety of diseases. Hempseed is higher in protein than meat and fish, and is very high quality, comparable to egg white.
To read just-food.com's feature of the week on the DEA ruling, click here.
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Deputy email editor
Good morning, Quartz readers!
Here’s what you need to know
The EU wants more say over its supply chain during times of crisis. A new proposal would require companies to share information or prioritize orders to avoid shortages.
The trial of Cardinal Zen began. Along with five others, the 90-year-old former head of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong—and a fierce critic of Beijing—is being tried for setting up a legal fund for 2019 protesters.
Super typhoon Nanmadol slammed Japan. Evacuation orders expanded to cover 9 million people as the country experiences one of its worst storms of its kind.
Southwest Mexico was hit with a magnitude 7.5 earthquake. Buildings in Mexico City shook yesterday (Sept. 19), the anniversary of not only the deadliest tremor in its history in 1985, but also a quake that killed more than 200 people in 2017.
Scenes from the new Grand Theft Auto VI were leaked. Rockstar Games confirmed the hack, and shares of its owner Take-Two Interactive fell more than 3% yesterday.
What to watch for
Luxury German carmaker Porsche is moving ahead with its IPO and plans to issue 911 million shares, Reuters reported, with trading expected to begin on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on Sept. 29. Since 911, a reference to its most famous model, is a number dear enough to Porsche to make financial decisions around, let’s look at some other important figures:
€75 billion: Porsche valuation targeted by Volkswagen Group, making it worth more than rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz
145,860: New passenger cars sold by Porsche in the first half of 2022
5.1%: Decrease in sales from the same period, a year prior
Despite the market uncertainty, Porsche is betting big on electric vehicles. In 2019, it launched the all-electric Taycan model and has said it expects its EV business to equal the size of its combustion cars business by 2024. The sale of Porsche could help fund VW’s expansion into EVs and help it catch up to Tesla.
Twitter’s bots are actually good
Elon Musk, whose $44 billion proposed acquisition of Twitter hangs in the legal balance, said automated Twitter accounts inspired him to purchase the platform—only to later say they were why he was backing out of the deal.
Granted, the Tesla CEO was mostly talking about spam bots that harass users or try to sucker them into scams. Legal experts are skeptical that arguments over the precise ratio of bots to active human users will scuttle the deal. But in the controversy, something important got lost: Bots are great!
Tim Fernholz pays tribute to the good Twitter bots, including art bots, literature bots, earthquake-tracking bots, Musk-plane-tracking bots, and more. But perhaps the most useless, yet satisfying, is @choochoobot, which offers you a train crossing a random emoji landscape.
Cheers to 10 years of Quartz!
Quartz has been bringing you stories that help you understand the global economy for an entire decade. To celebrate, we’re revisiting some of our favorite projects.
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A trail of slime led security at Germany’s Düsseldorf Airport to a bag of giant African land snails. The line between real life and Scooby-Doo is growing thinner.
Chugging tea can help lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Go ahead, slam those four or more cups a day.
Stop murdering lanternflies in extreme ways, please. People in New York and Pennsylvania have been instructed to kill the invasive species, but flamethrowers seem like a bit much.
Are we ever going to get supersonic flights? Probably not, seeing as Boom can’t even find an engine maker to work with.
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Thousands of dollars will be slashed from the price of some electric vehicles in Australia after the Senate approved a tax cut following last-minute negotiations with crossbench senators.
The Electric Discount Car Bill is expected to pass into law Friday after the Senate votes in favor of the bill by a vote of 31 to 24.
The new law is expected to reduce benefits taxes for electric vehicles costing less than $84,916.
Under the new rules, employers can save up to $12,500 on the cost of a package of electric vehicles for an employee, while individuals can save $4,300 on the purchase of a $64,000 vehicle, according to Treasury estimates.
After approval by parliament, the tax cuts will take effect retroactively on July 1 of this year.
But the rebates were only approved after negotiations between the Labor government, the Greens and Independent Senator David Pocock over whether plug-in hybrid vehicles should qualify for the rebate.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles feature both electric and internal combustion engines, and senators from several banks argued that the bill should not subsidize gasoline vehicles.
A deal on the bill will see the tax cut on hybrid vehicles end in April 2025 and prioritize battery electric vehicles in Commonwealth fleets.
Mr Pocock told the Senate that the electric car tax cut was vital to accelerating Australia’s carbon reductions and addressing the cost of living for motorists.
“The slow adoption of electric cars is costing Australians money,” he said.
“It costs Australians money every time they go to the fuel pump, and it damages our climate. We need to look at the transition to electric cars in the context of climate change. This is something we need to accelerate quickly.”
However, Coalition senators opposed the new laws, with Liberal Senator Matt O’Sullivan questioning whether electric vehicles were too heavy, whether they would put a strain on the electrical grid, and arguing that they could not pull large loads over long distances.
“Some on the other hand might say, ‘Well, only 10 per cent of Australians could hook up a caravan or a heavy load at the weekend,'” he said.
“My answer to that is if Labor wants to penalize those in that 10 per cent and put further pressure on their day-to-day living costs simply because they have the guts to own a motorhome, then they need to be at the forefront.”
Despite opposition, Electric Vehicle Council CEO Behyad Jafari called it a “landmark moment” for Australia’s transport industry that would not only encourage more companies to buy EV fleets, but also “turbocharge” the used EV market .
“This law will enable thousands of Australians to get behind the wheel of an electric car, where they can enjoy the benefits of lower fuel bills, less pollution and an enjoyable driving experience,” he said.


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A quick recap - Bloomberg published an article on January 30th that is surprisingly long considering how little factual information it contains, originally stating the previous week Bitfinex & Tether came under investigation because of possible USDT fraud.
From the original article:
U.S. regulators are scrutinizing one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges as questions mount over a digital token linked to its backers.
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission sent subpoenas last week to virtual-currency venue Bitfinex and Tether, a company that issues a widely traded coin and claims it’s pegged to the dollar, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. The firms share the same chief executive officer.
This played into the emotions of traders who have been fed Tether FUD on Reddit for about half a year now and triggered some panic - some people are selling to lock USD value, some people are buying crypto on Bitfinex and selling on GDAX and Bitstamp as these two exchanges are not using Tether. This resulted in premium on Bitfinex. Quarterly futures overall took the biggest and fastest hit thanks to hedging.
Later Bloomberg corrected their article, now stating the subpoena was from December 6th 2017.
Meanwhile, on Reddit’s r/bitfinex subbredit the Bitfinex rep u/social_bfx keeps repeating the subpoena was related to the Tether hack, as another Bitfinex rep ChrisJ already said on December 3rd on Whalepool (footage is still available from YouTube).
Don’t forget to sell the bottom, folks.


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If we cast our minds back to 2012, we may remember the uproar from the technology community, after a hacker broke into tech journalist Mat Honan’s Twitter, Google and Apple accounts. This prompted Google to remind everyone about the safer, stronger protection system built into Google accounts, called two step verification. For an in depth look into what two step verification is, check out the video:
However, more recently, Google has decided that even this process is not the best method of protecting user accounts and instead thought that the whole password method was getting a bit old. The company was looking into ways to supersede the password and replace it with a more secure method. Google described a possible use of USB devices plugging into computers, to grant access, and said that the authentication technology could eventually fit inside a ring.
Google has displayed its clear interest in replacing the password, after joining the FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance, a body dedicated to developing alternative methods to verify a user’s identity when he or she tries to log into websites. Possible approaches include biometrics, voice and facial recognition, USB security tokens, NFC and one time passwords. The goal is to create a standard which will supersede the current password and work with Internet services and one another.
Google joins existing members Lenovo, PayPal, Nok Nok Labs and Validity, with two other companies (semiconductor company NXP and input device maker CrucialTec) also joining the alliance.
Joining the FIDO Alliance is a great way to increase industry momentum around open standards for strong authenticationSam Srinivas, leader of information security efforts at Google.FIDO Alliance
It is clear that many companies are beginning to believe that the password is no longer an acceptable method of verification. That perhaps, there are other, more secure methods to be found. For the meantime, passwords will continue to be the security standard for the web, but if you are truly worried about security, you should think about implementing the two step verification process.
Are passwords old news? What verification method would you prefer to use instead of the password (Perhaps NFC from your phone, or a verification ring)?
Like this post? Share it!
“[quote qtext=” :)
New account protections are always welcome, if someone would steal my Google account, he’d have everything!
I like Google’s two step verification, using the codes from my phone. I always have my phone with me but there are probably other applications that would be easier, but my imagination isn’t as active as some!
There is frankly anything new in this article. I just wonder how much we will need to invest in the hardware to access any of these methods.
I’m sure there’ll be privacy concern if biometrics login is to be used globally.
I think 2-step verification is still secure enough, assuming you don’t store both in one place (i.e. don’t store password and google authenticator app in the same phone, lol).
This is a dangerous step. All these efforts to squeeze your identity into NFC, ring or whatever other gizmo will also bear a strong possibility of misuse.
“Hey, this David Kopnicky, he’s a troublemaker, been posting some anti-war crap lately, let’s switch off his NFC remotely. Now he’s f****d, can’t pay his bills, can’t log into his emails. Thanks Google for enabling this, awesome technology!”.


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Adidas stock jumped Wednesday nearly $10 a share, 8.96 percent, after the German athletic shoe and apparel company announced another quarter and year of strong sales and profit growth.
Adidas executives offered an upbeat look at the coming year and increased its 2020 profit estimate. It also announced it would buy back $3.7 billion worth of Adidas shares.
Sales jumped 16 percent in 2017 and 19 percent in the fourth quarter of the year, the company reported. The Three Stripes brand again was red hot in North America where sales increased by 35 percent.
Mark King, president of Adidas North America, said the company has successfully diversified beyond the Originals line that led the brand's resurgence in recent years. Running and training have both emerged as important new franchises, he said.
"The headline for me is, we now have a portfolio of product categories that are driving our success," he said.
Adidas tripled its market share during the year in the running category, King said, led by the popular "UltraBoost" line of shoes.
Adidas' ecommerce sales jumped 57 percent in 2017.
Footwear and apparel brands are scrambling to cope with the weakness of some of their key retail partners. Traditional bricks-and-mortar shops are increasingly under fire from online sources. Adidas, like its larger competitor Nike, has had little choice but to build its own in-house e-commerce effort, even though it will compete with its network of retailers.
Total net sales for the year reached 21.2 billion euros, or $26.2 billion. That marked a 14.8 percent jump from 2016. In the fourth quarter, sales finished at just over 5 billion euros, up from 4.5 billion euros in the same period a year ago.
Operating profit jumped to 132 million euros during the period, from 41 million euros during the prior-year.
The company logged a negative one-time tax impact of 76 million euros as a consequence of U.S. tax reform. As a result, Adidas posted a net loss of 41 million euros in the fourth quarter, compared with a loss of 10 million euros a year earlier.
An Adidas sports marketing executive and a consultant were charged last fall with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and other crimes as part of a federal investigation into corruption in college basketball. King said the scandal has had no impact on Adidas' popularity with consumers.
-- Jeff Manning


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Four Australia Post Offices and six 7-Eleven stores in western Sydney now offer around-the-clock access to parcel lockers. But will your mail be safe from theft? ISABELL PETRINIC reports.
The Hills crime manager, Detective Inspector Gary Bailey said he fully supported the idea of parcel lockers.
"Perhaps Australia Post could consider extending this to documents containing sensitive identity information — credit cards and pin number advices — which at the moment are targeted by our criminals," Detective Inspector Bailey said.
He said as recently as June 17, Castle Hill police caught a 26-year-old man rifling through letterboxes and cars in the north Oatlands area, allegedly looking for identity documents.
"He was found to have over 20 items from different mail boxes and was charged with 30 offences.
"Certainly mail theft is on the increase and we encourage people to regularly remove their mail [particularly] at strata addresses."
He said PO boxes and parcel lockers were generally secure.
Lockers are available at post offices in Baulkham Hills and Stanhope Gardens.
Australia Post has installed 100 nationally with plans to install 250 by the end of 2014.
"The locations we choose to place our parcel lockers must be well lit, accessible and secure," a spokeswoman said.
She said the lockers form part of Australia Post's $2 billion investment in transforming its network to better fit with the way people want to receive parcels and access services, with figures showing 70 per cent of all parcels delivered by Australia Post now come directly from online purchases.
In the Baulkham Hills area, more than 1656 parcels are delivered daily by Australia Post.
Another spokeswoman said postal delivery frequency would not be reduced following Australia Post's recent sacking of 900 headquarters and administration staff.
■ Baulkham Hills Post Office;
■ Hassall Grove 7-Eleven;
■ Jamisontown 7-Eleven;
■ Minchinbury 7-Eleven;
■ North Parramatta 7-Eleven;
■ Penrith Post Office;
■ Seven Hills Post Office
■ Stanhope Gardens Post Office;
■ Toongabbie 7-Eleven;
■ Quakers Hill 7-Eleven.
‘‘We've found the bulk of people who live around Kellyville, The Ponds, Kellyville Ridge, work nine-to-five and have to rush to the post office or go on a Saturday to collect their post,’’ said Frank Demasi, the licensee of Stanhope Gardens Post Office.
‘‘The beauty of our new parcel lockers is they get an SMS to tell them a parcel has arrived for pick-up and they have 48 hours to collect it.’’
His lockers arrived about six weeks ago.
‘‘It costs people nothing to register for this service, or to use the 24-hour lockers,’’ Mr Demasi said.
Residents and businesses just need to create a free Australia Post account and then register for the lockers at auspost.com.au/parcel-lockers, selecting the Stanhope Gardens Post Office lockers, for example, as the delivery destination.
They can then use this as their postal address when they shop online.
When the parcel arrives, the customer will receive an email with a unique PIN code to securely access the locker.


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The Latin American television market is set to make a rapid technology transition during the next four years, with LCD TV shipments to the region rising to account for more than 83 per cent of the market by 2012, up from 16.5 per cent in 2007, according to iSuppli Corp
Shipments of LCD TVs to Latin America will rise to 18.7 million units in 2012, up from 3.1 million in 2007. Conversely, CRT TV shipments will decline to 1.8 million units or 8 per cent of the market by 2012, down from 77.4 per cent in 2007.
The rise of LCD TV sales will drive the overall Latin American television market, which will expand at a faster rate than the global TV business, despite a near-term downturn. Latin American television shipments are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6 per cent, from 2008 to 2012. Worldwide shipments will rise by only 4 per cent during the same period.
“Most of the growth in Latin American television shipments now comes from the increased adoption of flat-panel TVs, mainly LCD TVs,” said Riddhi Patel, principal analyst, television systems, for iSuppli. “Most of the countries in Latin America have more than 90 percent TV penetration. Resource-rich countries are undergoing a replacement cycle, wherein consumers are replacing their first-generation CRT TVs—which were typically smaller than 26 inches — with 26-inch and larger LCD sets. LCD is gaining popularity as a technology in mature markets of Latin America, but the adoption is not as aggressive because of their higher price points.”
The Latin American television market underwent a phase of fast gross domestic product (GDP) growth in recent years. The improvement in the regional economy and an increase in exports spurred higher consumer spending through 2007.
However, with the recent downturn in global economies, Latin America is starting to see a slowdown. Latin America countries are resource rich, but they have taken a hit since commodity prices have plunged.
Furthermore, worries about reduced demand for energy, metals and other materials are having an impact on Latin economies. Higher inflation rates, a slowdown in consumer spending and growing economic concerns are all being reflected in the decline in the GDP growth rate for the region.
Latin American GDP growth will decline to 4.4 per cent this year and to 4.1 per cent in 2009, down from 5.4 per cent in 2007 and 6.2 per cent in 2006.
This will cause regional television shipments to decline by 4.6 per cent in 2008, and by 7.5 per cent in 2009. Shipments will return to growth with a rise of 1.9 per cent in 2010.
Shipments won't recover to the 2007 level until 2011, when they mount a vigorous recovery, rising by 12.5 per cent compared to 2011. With shipments increasing by a robust 19.3 per cent in 2012, the market will achieve a 6 per cent CAGR for the period from 2008 to 2012.
Brazil is the largest market in Latin America for LCD TVs, accounting for 34.6 per cent of regional shipments in 2008, expected to rise to 46.7 percent in 2012.
“Brazil has garnered a lot of interest from television OEMs because of the sheer size of its market and increasing interest in consumer electronics,” Patel said. “Although more than 90 percent of Brazilian households have a TV set, quite a few are black and white sets or smaller-sized CRTs. Replacement TVs are driving the growth in the Brazilian TV market. CRT will remain the most dominant technology for the next couple of years but will lose dominance to LCD TVs in 2010, as consumer uptake increases.”
CRT TV shipments to Brazil will decline at a CAGR of 36 per cent between 2008 and 2012 whereas LCD TVs will see a 49 per cent rise in CAGR for the same time period.
“Increased domestic production of LCD TVs, rising awareness, declining prices, availability of consumer credit and consumer interest in replacing older TVs with new technologies are the drivers for increased LCD TV uptake. Because of the state of the global economy and its impact on the Brazilian market, the slowdown in GDP growth and consumer spending as well as the rapid decline in CRT TV shipments will lead to a slight slowdown in the Brazilian TV market between 2008 and 2010.”
For more information, www.isuppli.com


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Earlier this month, Nike unveiled its first yoga-specific shoe, the Studio Wrap. The shoe will be available this coming February for $110. (Read up on yoga, one of the oldest practiced philosophies in the world.)
Shoes worn in the yoga studio—as opposed to those worn before and after yoga—have not generated much interest from target consumers. But Nike hopes to change that. The Studio Wrap, a three-part footwear system—including a wrap, ribbon, and flat—is designed for those who practice yoga in studios that prohibit bare feet.
(Looking for a perfect warm-up/cool-down? Check out STACK’s Yoga for Athletes.)
Yoga shoes are, thanks to the nature of yoga itself, generally unnecessary. However, Nike is hoping its yoga shoes will sell well, based mostly on their aesthetic appeal. Good news for Nike: the timing couldn’t be better. According to the Yoga Journal, yoga participation has increased 30% since 2008, with current participants numbering 20.4 million. Meanwhile, yoga supply spending has seen an even more impressive increase: $10.3 billion in 2012 ($2.2 billion on apparel alone)—an 80 percent increase over 2008.
(Check out our list of 10 Athletes and Teams You Might Not Think Would Practice Yoga.)
Nike announced its move into yoga-inspired clothing in its Women’s Spring/Summer 2013 Look Book, which featured the Tadasana Capri—pants intended to provide range of motion for yoga, barre, and pilates.