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The average consumer likely has a negative perception of targeted ads, but new data from Visual Objects reveals several key benefits of targeted advertising for small businesses — specifically, search retargeting strategies.
Updated March 28, 2022
Search retargeting strategies help small businesses effectively get their advertisements in front of the right audiences. But how does search retargeting work?
Consider this scenario:
Spring weather is just around the corner and you’ve already planned several weekend hikes to take advantage of the warmer temperatures.
You’ve spent a few hours searching online for trails and choosing the best routes to take. In your planning process, you realized your hiking boots are a few years old and could use an upgrade.
You search Google for top-rated hiking boots and click on a few product round-up articles like this one. After a bit of reading, however, you’re still unsure about making a final purchase.
A few days later, you’re catching up on the news from an online publication and see a display ad on the side of the page for top-tier hiking boots with strong traction, high breathability, and a lot of cushion that perfectly align with your needs — and, the brand is offering a discount on this boot style.
Would you click on the ad and make a purchase?
Most consumers can probably relate to this scenario, especially since online shopping habits spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, 54% of people have made an online purchase in the early months of 2021, including 12% who made more than 20 online purchases. But do consumers know that this is a prime example of search retargeting?
Online shopping leads to prime opportunities for search retargeting for businesses to boost sales and drive revenue, but it’s often hard for smaller players to break into markets and compete with large competitors.
What Is Search Retargeting?
Search retargeting is a form of digital marketing where businesses use data on consumer search behavior to create custom audience groups, then direct specific display ads to each of those groups based on what keywords or phrases they’ve searched for in the past.
This strategy can help small businesses and digital marketing agencies reach more customers who have already demonstrated interest in their products or services through the following benefits.
Learn how small businesses are advertising their services and products in our 2022 Small Business Advertising Report.
Site Retargeting vs Search Retargeting
For marketing agencies, the phrases “search retargeting” and “site retargeting” come up frequently in this day and age. While both retargeting efforts have benefits, they are also different.
Search retargeting allows companies to target potential customers through search engines using keyword retargeting efforts as an example. Site retargeting focuses on targeting individuals that have already visited your website.
For example, if a site visitor leaves without converting, they can be targeted with your advertisement later on.
Search and site retargeting benefit companies by focusing on different pools of customers.
Additional Reading: ‘CRM Retargeting: Remarketing to Existing Customers’
For many, search retargeting is a viable targeted advertising strategy.
Targeted advertising, however, generally has a negative connotation among consumers. So, does it really work?
Visual Objects surveyed 500 consumers in 2021 to understand their online shopping habits and found that while some people have a negative outlook on targeted ads, there are several clear benefits for small businesses to invest in targeted advertising, especially search retargeting.
Benefits of Search Retargeting
Cost-effective marketing option: 52% of consumers make a purchase within 3 days of seeing an interesting product. As traditional PPC and SEO become more competitive, search retargeting can help small businesses reach consumers within this critical period.
Brand awareness: 59% of consumers frequently notice ads for brands they’ve previously searched for, implying increased name recognition.
Traffic and engagement: 26% of consumers are likely to click on ads for brands they have searched for in the past, driving users to company websites.
Appeal to all customer groups: 52% of consumers can identify at least one benefit of targeted advertising, implying that these targeted ads can resonate with both new and existing customers.
Results: Despite the 58% of consumers that have a negative outlook on targeted advertising, search retargeting can still help small businesses expand their audience and drive sales.
Search Retargeting Offers a Cost-Effective Alternative to PPC or SEO
Consumers vary in their approach to online shopping — some know what they want and are ready to buy it immediately. Others, however, spend time browsing and researching before making a purchase.
In 2021, most consumers (52%) made an online purchase within three days of seeing a product or service that interests them.
These three days are critical for businesses that want to reach interested users before they make a purchase.
Outside of search retargeting, businesses often implement various SEO and PPC strategies to ensure they stay top of mind (and top of page) for interested users.
Businesses use SEO tactics such as optimizing their website for topic relevance and algorithm recognition to help their website or specific webpages rank at the top of organic results pages on Google and other search engines.
While investing in SEO has lasting benefits, effective strategies can take a long time and generally rely on unique or authoritative content, making it harder for small businesses to compete with large companies with flexible resources.
Companies that choose PPC strategies pay to appear at the top of search results pages. Small businesses will see quicker results from PPC ads, and it is easier to tell if their efforts are successful. PPC strategies, however, require financial investment that will likely increase and too many paid ads can actually turn users away from a brand.
With the increased competition around SEO and the costs associated with PPC, small businesses can still get their brand in front of the right audience through search retargeting.
Businesses can place targeted ads to nurture consumers’ interest before they’ve made a purchase.
For example, Thomas Flutz, CEO and founder of home-brewing company Coffeeble, was looking for a coffee mug with a heating pad to keep his drink warm. He didn’t make a purchase at that moment, but was later served a targeted ad.
“I clicked on the ad after I had looked at the page myself a couple of days ago, and it just popped up again,” Flutz said. “I was very happy with the purchase.”
This search retargeting experience highlights the importance of reaching consumers between the moment they decide they are interested in a type of product or service to when they make an actual purchase.
This timeframe, however, will vary from consumer to consumer, or even from product to product.
Stephen Light, CMO of mattress company Nolah Mattress, explained that his approach to online shopping depends on the price point of the product.
“For cheaper products, I compare prices and reviews in a single e-commerce platform,” Light said. “For high-ticket items, however, I do extensive research and comparisons before purchasing — sometimes, it can take up to a month if I am undecided.”
Small businesses can use search retargeting strategies to ensure they are getting their brand in front of consumers during the research phase of their online shopping journey without having to invest in SEO or PPC strategies.
Search Retargeting Increases Brand and Product Awareness
Brand building is one of the most challenging tasks for both new businesses and small businesses, but it’s also one of the most rewarding. Small businesses can use targeted ads to increase their name recognition with the right audience.
Visual Objects found that 59% of consumers frequently notice ads for brands they have previously searched for in 2021.
After finding out about a brand, consumers may be more likely to recognize that same brand’s display ads as they appear on their screens. A clear benefit of search retargeting.
Search retargeting strategies are a great option for small businesses or brand consulting firms looking to build name recognition.
Jacob Fitzpatrick, owner of creative agency Fitz Designz, agrees that both large and small businesses can benefit from targeted online advertising.
“Brand awareness is crucial for online success,” Fitzpatrick said. “Digital ads can serve as a visual nudge to increase top-of-mind awareness and recognition for potential customers.”
Using data on consumer search behavior, small businesses can place targeted ads in front of interested users who could either be reminded of the brand or introduced to it for the first time.
One of the oldest rules in the advertising world is the rule of seven: prospective buyers should hear or see a brand’s marketing or advertising efforts at least seven times before they buy.
Targeted digital display ads are a quick way for small businesses to get their name in front of potential customers multiple times.
Ney Lins, a marketing and events expert, believes that display ads are a win-win when it comes to building brand awareness. There are two possible outcomes when users interact with display ads: They click on them because they are curious, or they ignore them
“Both scenarios still increase brand awareness because users will learn about the brand and get interested or they will at least establish familiarity and the chances of remembering are good,” Lins said.
Targeted display ads can help small businesses make a name for themselves in the market, but it’s still important to approach search retargeting efforts strategically.
“To increase brand awareness with digital display ads, pay attention to segmentation,” Lins said. “Brand awareness is not all about reach, it’s about relevant exposure.”
Small businesses may be tempted to place tons of display ads to get their name in front of as many users as possible, however, it’s better to look critically at consumer search data to build a search retargeting strategy that avoids oversaturating users or coming off as spammy.
If done right, search retargeting strategies can help small businesses establish name recognition with potential customers and build brand awareness with their target audience groups.
Search Retargeting Increases Website Traffic and Engagement
Seeing an ad is one thing, but clicking on that ad is what really matters for small businesses looking to grow.
In 2021, one in four consumers (26%) were likely to click on display ads for brands, products, or services they have searched for in the past.
This data is encouraging for small businesses, considering the low clickthrough rates for display ads.
Using search behavior data and search retargeting strategies, small businesses or advertising agencies can serve relevant display ads to interested audience groups that are more likely to click through and visit a company’s website.
Beyond targeting, small businesses can even further optimize their display ads to stand out and visually appeal to casual online shoppers by following some common best practices:
- Creating multiple ad formats
- Including your brand logo and colors
- Presenting a unique value proposition
- Highlighting a clear and urgent call to action
- Using simple fonts, formats, and frames
- Sharing strong images and visual
When in doubt, ask family, friends or colleagues for insight into what makes them click on digital display ads.
Ethan Taub, CEO of fintech platform Goalry, likes to stay current with new technology and recently clicked on an ad for a new mobile phone.
“When I saw the ad for the phone I was instantly attracted,” Taub said. “I am more likely to click on ads with high-quality images of the product that is clearly visible — I don’t like it when other information distracts from the image because it looks messy.”
Visual aspects of display ads are important in initially catching the eye or potentially interested consumers — but the content of the ad itself is just as important in generating a direct response.
“Small businesses should make sure they have a strong promise stated in their copy and a clear CTA.” Lins said, implying that small businesses should craft digital display ads around offerings that resonate specifically with their target audience.
“Focus on people,” Lins said. “Their behaviors, desires, and needs are key to success.”
“Their behaviors, desires, and needs are key to success.”
Using search retargeting strategies and display ad best practices, small businesses can get their name in front of the right audience, increase clicks, and drive traffic to their website.
Search Retargeting Offers Access to New and Existing Customers
It is widely believed that targeted ads carry a negative connotation for many consumers who find them too frequent, intrusive, and even creepy.
The truth is, however, that more than half of consumers (52%) in 2021 said that they could identify at least one benefit to targeted advertising.
While privacy concerns still prevent many from supporting targeted advertising, most consumers appreciate the benefits.
Consumers believe targeted advertising helps them:
- Find promotional sales and incentives (15%)
- Find new brands (14%)
- Get personalized product or service recommendations (13%)
- Identify local businesses (12%)
- Access a more efficient online shopping experience (11%)
When done well, search retargeting can provide all of these for consumers.
With the overwhelming amount of products available online, most consumers welcome targeted ads because the content is more relevant to their interests.
“It only sucks if you want it to,” Flutz said.
Flutz agrees that targeted ads make his shopping experience more efficient. “At least I am seeing the stuff I want to see rather than something that doesn’t appeal to me at all,” he said.
Other consumers, like Taub, find targeted ads helpful to finding new brands.
“I like targeted display ads because sometimes the items shown are a little different for what I’ve been browsing for,” Taub said. “It makes the experience a little more interesting.”
Search retargeting strategies can help small businesses resonate with both potential customers looking for new and interesting products or existing customers that already know what they like.
It’s important, however, for small businesses to be careful with targeting strategies and avoid being grouped into the negative stereotypes around targeted ads.
Chris Laan, founder of Designer Sheds, admits that search retargeting is one of the best top-of-funnel search marketing tactics for businesses to use, but he also highlights some potential cons.
“If a company’s ads appear too often — say, in more than half of a single user’s searches across a variety of websites — it may come off as spammy,” Laan said.
“If a company’s ads appear too often — say, in more than half of a single user’s searches across a variety of websites — it may come off as spammy."
Search retargeting can help small businesses reach new customers and build loyalty with existing customers, but if done wrong, oversaturation can have negative impacts on both sales and brand reputation.
Search Retargeting Generates Tangible Results for Small Businesses
In 2021, only 12% of consumers admitted to having a positive outlook on targeted advertising despite its benefits.
On the other hand, 58% of consumers viewed targeted advertising negatively and 30% have neutral feelings.
Despite overwhelmingly neutral and negative perceptions from consumers, the real value of targeted advertising is for businesses: Targeted advertising strategies actually work, even if consumers consider themselves immune.
As the director of marketing at social media software company HeyOrca, Datis Mohsenipour is very well versed in the search marketing world.
“I’m definitely more receptive to targeted ads when I am browsing in my spare time and I am a strong advocate professionally,” Mohsenipour said. “There is data that shows targeted advertising is an effective and often low-cost method of generative conversions.”
“There is data that shows targeted advertising is an effective and often low-cost method of generative conversions.”
With the right targeting strategy and ad frequency, small businesses and marketing experts have been able to accomplish many objectives with search retargeting:
- Boosting conversions: “Our company uses search retargeting to reach a warm audience that has already shown interest in our business, allowing us to develop more mid-and bottom-funnel messages to convert the customers.” Geoff Crain, digital director at Kingstar Media
- Finding new audience groups: “Because search retargeted is highly specific, you can reach a broader audience instantly.” John Li, co-founder of Fig Loans
- Engaging new customers: “Search retargeting is a great way to find new customers. They have already been searching for something similar, but never actually landed on our site — it’s like we’re reaching out to say hello!” Jerry Han, business development manager at PrizeRebel
As with any marketing strategy, tracking performance in search retargeting is important because it can help small businesses identify areas for improvement.
Laura Caveney, digital marketing manager at Ruler Analytics, believes the most important aspect of a targeted advertising strategy is reporting.
“For B2B marketers in particular, it can be difficult to qualify the success of advertising because users might convert in other ways,” Cavaney said. “We recommend using a marketing attribution tool to properly track targeted advertising strategies.”
Compared to other commonly tracked metrics such as cost per lead or total conversions, attribution tracking connects results with revenue to help small businesses fully understand how their ads impact the company’s bottom line.
While most consumers have negative perceptions of targeted advertising strategies or believe it doesn’t work on them, experts agree with the data — search retargeting works.
Small businesses can use consumer search data with search retargeting to direct ads that boost conversions, find new customers, and broaden their audience.
Additionally, it’s important to implement a clear tracking system to understand how these campaigns are impacting revenue and identity opportunities for improvement.
Search Retargeting Benefits Small Businesses
Search retargeting allows small businesses to reach audiences that have already demonstrated interest in their products or services.
While consumers generally have negative opinions of targeted advertising strategies, their online shopping habits reveal that there are clear advantages for small businesses that choose to add search retargeting to their digital strategies.
- Search retargeting is a cost-effective alternative to PPC and SEO, allowing small businesses to get their name in front of potential customers without investing the time and money required for traditional search marketing.
- Serving digital display ads to targeted audience groups can help small businesses build their brand and product awareness.
- Search retargeting strategies tied with best practices for display ads can help increase clickthrough rates for small businesses, driving traffic to their websites.
- Small businesses can reach new customers and build name recognition with existing customers through search retargeting strategies.
- If done correctly, search retargeting can help small businesses by reaching more interested customers boost conversions, and drive increases in revenue.
The search retargeting benefits are clear, but small businesses still need to be wary of oversaturating users with too many targeted ads. This could come off as creepy or spammy and have negative impacts on brand reputation.
A balanced search retargeting strategy with clear success metrics offers small businesses the opportunity to grow their audience, build their brand, drive traffic and increase revenue.
Convinced about the benefits of search retargeting? Hire a digital marketing agency to get started for your small business.
About the Survey
Visual Objects' 2021 Search Engine Marketing survey included 500 U.S. consumers.
Thirty-four percent (34%) of respondents are female; 44% are male, and 22% chose not to disclose this information.
Respondents are located in the Midwest (32%), South (31%), West (22%), and Northeast (14%).
Fifteen percent (15%) of respondents are under 35 years old; 25% are between 35–55 years old; 37% are over 55 years old; 23% chose not to disclose this information.


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27 March at 10:12
Images have been leaked online on what is thought to be AC Milan’s new kit next season. The Rossoneri are understood to have signed a new contract with sports giant Puma, to produce the new jerseys after a significantly long time at rivals Adidas.
Twitter account @MilanDigital has released the photographs of what it believes to be all three shirts for next season as Rossoneri fans get excited about wearing the new design at San Siro next term.
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Paying for Praise
Here’s another example of why comment sections of web sites are the cesspool of humanity:
Bloomberg reports that Samsung has been accused of paying students to post anonymous comments on tech sites and forums and bash HTC.
“Posts to online forums are alleged to have included criticism of rival smartphones, including those made by HTC, and praise of Samsung’s products, Sun said. HTC has been asked to provide information, while Samsung has yet to be contacted by the commission, he said.”
Samsung claims that this was a misunderstanding, but someone somewhere initiated this. It is interesting how far companies will take their marketing campaigns to gain a few customers.
I often go to message boards and look at comments to see what people think of a product, because I find it to be a good indicator of quality. But if the allegations are true, it is certainly discouraging and will tarnish Samsung’s repution.


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In this undated photo, a worker inspects yarn at a textile factory in Qutang town, Haian city, Jiangsu province, which provides jobs for locals. (ZHAI HUIYONG / FOR CHINA DAILY)
BEIJING – China's light industry recorded steady growth in the first four months of the year, data from the China National Light Industry Council show.
Investment in major sectors of the industry logged double-digit growth, with that in six sectors, including agricultural and sideline products processing, food manufacturing and leather, rising more than 20 percent, said the council.
In the same period, the sales of daily necessities saw rapid growth. Retail sales of grain, oil and food as well as beverages, climbed by 9.5 percent and 10.4 percent year on year, respectively.
ALSO READ: China tops in output of over 100 light industry goods
During the first quarter of 2022, the combined operating revenue of light industry firms with annual revenue of at least 20 million yuan ($2.97 million) rose 9.9 percent year on year to 5.41 trillion yuan.
Companies in the light industry raked in total profits of 301.02 billion yuan, up 1.2 percent year on year and reversing the downward trend in the January-February period.
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Delays in getting pigs slaughtered in the UK will continue until the spring, a senior government minister has said.
Defra Secretary George Eustice said up to 800 migrant workers for pork processing factories are due to arrive in the UK from next month under a new temporary visa scheme.
Other measures to alleviate pressures in the pig sector have been announced for England only, including private storage aid for pigmeat and an incentive scheme for factories to put on extra kills.
“We have used and deployed every tool to try and deal with this issue. There isn’t much more that we can do beyond that,” Eustice maintained.
“The projections that we have got, based on the policies that we have announced, are that this will be an improving situation and we will have solved the backlog by the end of February or March,” he said.
Another issue is China continuing to suspend pork imports from UK factories that had COVID-19 outbreaks last year. MPs were told that this adds to labour problems in abattoirs as pigmeat for the Chinese market typically requires less butchery than cuts destined for other outlets.
“It is something that we have been raising consistently with China. It has been difficult to get them to re-list some of those abattoirs, but we are making progress,” Eustice said.
During the meeting with MPs, Eustice faced a barrage of questions about the government’s handling of ongoing labour shortages within the UK agri food sector.
Conservative MP Neil Parish accused the government of not doing enough to help farmers and processors get access to foreign labour, which was having an impact on local food production.
“If you talk to the home office, they say there isn’t a problem. Well, there isn’t a problem in a way because we are just reducing our industry. With vegetables, we won’t plant them if we haven’t got the workers, so what will we do? We will just import it all,” Parish said.
Eustice defended the government’s response to ongoing staff shortages in the agri food sector and maintained that policies were being driven by up-to-date data which was coming from industry.
“It is important for our food security that we do have healthy, profitable, domestic food production,” he added.


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The source confirmed that Morrisons was "seriously looking" at Iceland after its owners officials responsible for the winding up of Icelandic bank Landsbanki put its 67% stake up for sale earlier this month.
But he added that Iceland CEO Walker, who has a 23% share of the business and would be entitled to match any offer, would end up triumphant.
"You have to ask why a trade buyer would want to go through a very expensive and time-consuming bid process, with all the due diligence and anti-trust issues, only for Walker to come in, match the bid and walk off with it."
The sale was likely to be a long, drawn-out affair with the bidding process not officially kicking off until September, followed by months negotiating regulatory hurdles, he added.
Morrisons is not the only supermarket understood to be running the slide rule over Iceland's 776 stores. Asda has been linked to a deal, while Sainsbury's is believed to be interested in some sites. Most experts believe competition concerns would prevent Tesco from acquiring more than a few stores.
The source's comments were echoed by Walker himself. Speaking exclusively to The Grocer this week, the Iceland founder was bullish about his chances of retaining control of the business, while dismissing those of his rivals.
"This speculation about Sainsbury's being interested in a break-up; they can clear off, they'll never get a look in," he blasted. "I am not about to give all my competitors our numbers, but where is the value in a break-up? There is inherent value in this business. The number being quoted in the papers is £1.5bn that is £3m per shop. It sounds a lot if they are just going to convert them into something else. And why would potential buyers pay a top price just for sites?"
Most experts believe a trade bidder such as Morrisons would have no interest in retaining the Iceland fascia or frozen discounter's operating model, which, along with the issue of Walker's remaining stake, would also discourage them from bidding. "Is Morrisons going to run it as Iceland or even its own frozen format? I don't think so," said Evolution analyst Dave McCarthy. "This would make it a very tough conversion job. And the stores are also in the wrong locations," he added.
Deal or no deal: How £1.5bn for Iceland stacks up
Cost: £1.5bn (estimate)
Price per store: £1.9m (based on 100% of chain)
Turnover multiple: 0.7
Pre-tax profit multiple: 11.1
Cost to Asda: £778m
Price per store: £4m
Turnover multiple: 1.1
Profit multiple: 34
Cost to The Co-op: £1.57bn
Price per store: £1.8m
Turnover multiple: 0.4
Profit multiple: 6.7
Cost to Morrisons: £3bn
Price per store: £6.3m
Turnover multiple: 0.3
Profit multiple: 7.5
Analysis: Walmart's plans for Continental Europe


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Shopping centres in Kelowna are evolving into residential housing development options for property owners in the city.
And the city planning department couldn’t be happier.
While the Capri Mall residential redevelopment plan has been in the works for some time, this year has seen new proposals on existing retail strip mall sites.
Construction is underway for a commercial/residential development at the Willow Park shopping centre parking lot in Rutland. A new condo development is also under construction on the former Rexall Drugs site location (now a Dollarama store) in Rutland and last week, a 466-unit apartment/townhome proposal was unveiled for Dilworth Centre with retail and amenity space.
Ryan Smith, the city’s director of planning and development services, said the renewed residential interest in shopping centre land is a win-win for the city. However, any projects still need to meet the city staff and council review criteria.
“Sometimes with these things, the devil is in the details but those will all come out in the staff review,” he said.
In the bigger picture, Smith says these projects encourage higher density residential growth in established areas generally near major traffic and transit route arteries and address the city’s need to provide opportunities for people to live, work and play in the same neighbourhood.
“Where condos are currently being proposed (Dilworth Centre), it is four or five minutes from the rail trail, bus routes are less than 100 metres away to access, and it works for retail property owners looking to make up for the loss of retail leasing space revenue,” Smith said.
“If the city is going to start to alleviate some of our traffic problems, these are the kind of viable developments that can start to make that happen.
“We are not naive as planners that this will mean all people will get rid of their cars. But the transition of development is moving toward placing less reliance on owning a car, so it does help reduce the need for people to drive, which is a positive.”
Smith said the emergence of reassessing shopping centre land for residential potential results from several factors: more people shopping online, the impact of COVID-19 such as more people working at home, and retail rental space not being as profitable as it once was.
“That retail stream of revenue has been interrupted and these shopping centre landowners are looking at alternative ways to generate income into the future,” Smith said.
He noted city planners always ask when retail development proposals come forward near major existing density or main traffic artery areas if there is any interest to include a residential component.
Smith calls it basic planning fundamentals of high-density residential development in turn feeding business service opportunities for population urban centres, reducing the need to travel beyond pedestrian access for lifestyle options from shopping to dining out to recreational pursuits.
While including rental options, Smith acknowledged these new residential proposals won’t in themselves necessarily offer affordable housing solutions. Still, the movement of people will create a chain reaction for the potential availability of other rental stock inventory options.
“If people move up to a different layer of rental housing, that frees up space for the older rental options that may not exist at the moment.”
He said property developers must also find a balance between available parking for commercial entities and surrendering some of that space for residential development.
“As private property owners, that is something they have to sort out and manage.”
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By Rob Scott
January 6, 2013
A favorite pastime of analysts in recent years has been attempting to forecast what will prove to be the top trends emerging from the annual International CES confab in Las Vegas. Of course, this year is no different, as consumer electronics continue to branch out from purely an interest of the technorati, become more intrinsically tied to our lifestyles and subsequently draw more mainstream media attention. As we get ready to hit the show floor when the exhibition opens its doors tomorrow, we take a look at some of the more interesting forecasts recently published. (One of our favorite pastimes is discovering who will be right and who will end up missing the mark.) Continue reading CES 2013: A Look at Some of the More Interesting Predictions
By Dennis Kuba
January 4, 2013
With entertainment spending growing to $18.7 billion according to IHS Screen Digest, the entertainment industry is reaping the rewards of offering consumers more choice and options in how they consume content. TV Everywhere’s multi-channel, multi-device approach is finally complementing rather than cannibalizing. The year saw strong growth in Blu-ray discs. UltraViolet’s 7 million households and 8,500 titles now position the format to grow significantly in 2013. Video streaming or SVOD tripled in the first three quarters of the year to an estimated $1.7 billion. And studios continue to experiment with their windowing strategies for electronic sell-through. In this environment, the CE industry continues to respond and innovate. Continue reading CES 2013: Entertainment Trends Drive New Technologies
By Carolyn Giardina
January 2, 2013
CEA predicts that Ultra High Definition (UHD) will be “prominently displayed” at the International CES. The surge in interest followed an International Telecommunication Union-led agreement on two UHDTV standards (effectively 4K and 8K). That occurred in August and since then the focus in the U.S. and the majority of countries looking at UHDTV has been on the 4K flavor (the main exception being NHK, which is developing its 8K Super Hi-Vision system). Continue reading CES 2013: Ultra High Definition TVs Coming to Las Vegas
By Rob Scott
December 20, 2012
Engadget provides an overview of what it expects we’ll see at CES in early January in regards to display technologies. “The list of tech we’re expecting to see (Ultra HD — aka 4K/8K, OLED, connected TV and second screen interaction) is almost an exact mirror of the high-profile launches from last year’s show,” suggests the post. “The good news, however, is that there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic that this is the year we’ll actually see the technology become available and/or more useful in our daily lives.” Continue reading CES 2013: Display Tech Expected to Highlight UHD and Connectivity
By David Tobia
December 19, 2012
When people reference the number of pixels on movie cameras, they are not literally saying the number of pixels, but rather the type of camera, explains Panavision senior VP of Advanced Digital Imaging John Galt. For example, 4K means the camera has 4096 red, 4096 green and 4096 blue photo sites. But Galt suggests that not all cameras are marketed accurately and distinguishes between “marketing” pixels and actual pixels. Continue reading Panavision Exec Discusses Truth About 2K and 4K
By Rob Scott
December 3, 2012
To help get consumers interested in its 84-inch 4K Ultra HD TV priced near $25,000, Sony will loan buyers a 4K Ultra HD Video Player preloaded with 10 feature films in 4K format. According to the press release, the films include “The Amazing Spiderman,” “Total Recall,” “Salt,” “Bad Teacher,” “Bridge Over the River Kwai,” and “Taxi Driver,” among others.
The Ultra HD Video Player is designed to be updated with additional 4K titles and video clips, says the company. The Sony system includes the 84-inch 4K LED TV and an Xperia Tablet S that serves as a remote control.
“As a standalone unit, the Sony XBR-84X900 TV already upscales all video inputs, including the more than 7,000 Blu-ray Disc titles currently in distribution, to a near-4K resolution through the use of Sony’s proprietary 4K X-Reality PRO three-chip picture engine,” notes the press release.
“While there are other 4K Ultra HDTVs arriving this year — and we expect to see many more at CES in January — at the moment, this is the only one with a content delivery system in place, to go along with its upscaling chops, and the only studio pushing content at this res so far,” reports Engadget.
By Rob Scott
April 12, 2011
Sony unveiled its new F65 CineAlta digital motion picture camera at an NAB press conference in Las Vegas this week. The F65 camera features a 20.4 megapixel, Super 35mm CMOS sensor, a significant jump from the F35′s 12.4 megapixel 1080p CCD. Is this another step away from film as a motion picture medium?
Pictured on the left is Curtis Clark (ASC) who directed a 4K short with the new camera, that is being shown at NAB.
According to Engadget: “…this sensor is fast — not only can it capture up to 72fps on 4K, but it can also crank up to a smooth 120fps on 2K. As for those seeking to squeeze out every bit of detail from their clips, don’t worry: the F65′s got you covered with a 16-bit RAW output (19Gbps) at 4K resolution, or it can be compressed to 5Gbps for the convenience of recording onto the new SR-R4 portable 4K recorder. Looks like Sony’s finally found a candidate that’ll put a lid on film stock, but then again, at the end of the day it’ll depend on the price tag when it comes out in Q3 this year.”
Sony also announced 2 new professional 3D cameras at NAB (and for consumers, the company announced the 3D Handycam and 3D Bloggie cameras at January’s CES).
Read the Sony Blog report on the NAB unveiling: “Sony Kicks off NAB with the announcement of a new 4K professional camera” (4/11/11)
Related Engadget post: “Sony shoots out CineAlta F65 4K camera and PMW-TD300 3D camcorder at NAB” (4/11/11)
The Photography Bay write-up includes video coverage of the NAB press conference and behind-the-scenes footage with Curtis Clark directing a 4K short with the new camera.


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More than 6,000 people have reported defects in Babboe cargo bikes to a website set up by a legal firm to handle claims.
The Dutch product safety board NVWA ordered the company to stop all sales and recall eight models after RTL Nieuws highlighted dozens of cases in which the frames had broken, sometimes leading to accidents and injuries.
Amsterdam-based law firm Birkway said it had received 6,300 responses, including some from France and Germany, after it set up the website bakfietsclaim.nl on Friday.
“The media coverage in other countries has been limited and the site is still only available in Dutch, but that hasn’t put all foreigners off,” a spokesman for Birkway told nu.nl.
Some complainants gave details of the problems they had with Babboe bikes, which were not limited to broken frames. One customer said their e-bike’s battery had caught fire while charging, while others who leased bikes from the company continued to receive demands for payment after their vehicle had broken.
The NVWA said last week it launched its own investigation after it became aware of a number of cases of broken frames. Babboe has been told it can resume sales once it has satisfied the regulator that the electric powered vehicles are safe.
Birkway said it would contact people who had reported problems to get more details before deciding how to proceed with the claims.
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January 20, 2020: "Nourishing the Land and People" - ELF Magazine of the Keene Sentinel
A new twist on Main Street business
Wilton: Local Share brings co-op model to Main Street
Nina Sharff, AmeriCorps volunteer Emily Simasek and Juliane Heydemann watch as Molly Park demonstrates how to make various coffee orders during an employee training at the Local Share in Wilton on Tuesday.
In each nook and corner of Local Share, there is something new to discover. In the front, locally sourced goods. In the back, a coffee shop with comfy chairs and tables overlooking the river. In one corner, a play area for children. And downstairs, connected to the next-door Cadmus library, a reading nook.
“We hope that if there are a lot of different reasons for people to come here, that this will become a central place,” explained Kimberly Dorn of Plowshare Farm on a tour of the new Main Street business, a few days before its official opening.
The store is parented by the Plowshare Farm, and administered by the vendors that sell their goods in the space, along with Plowshare representatives. Vendors maintain the shop for a certain amount of hours in exchange for selling their goods in a central location, instead of an hourly wage, keeping the cost of business low. In addition, 20 percent of the profit from goods sold goes to pay the costs of keeping the space.
“We’re in a unique situation, because all we have to do is cover our costs,” said Dorn. “Our big goal is to cover the $1,300 to $1,500 a month it costs to upkeep materials, our rent and our insurance. That gives us more flexibility.”
The store was formerly located in Greenfield, under the same model, but the space they were in was small with no possibility for expansion, said Dorn. Moving to Wilton not only gave the store more space, but it allowed new features — like the reading nook and coffee shop.
The coffee shop will be a by-donation venture, explained Dorn. While the shop will have a chalkboard menu with “suggested contributions” listed, the idea is for people to pay as much or as little as they can afford or think is fair.
“We want to value the products that we’re selling, but at the same time, people should feel comfortable to pay 50 cents for a cup of coffee if they need to,” explained Dorn. “This is a new model for us, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Though they will not own the space, workers from the Local Share will also begin to administer the next-door and attached Cadmus library. The Local Share’s reading room, filled with comfy chairs and plans for a book exchange, opens into the library through a connecting door, and residents will have access to the library during store hours.
Dorn also hopes to see the store become a local gathering place, hosting various workshops during their off times, some already planned. They also plan to open the space to other groups that want to offer their own education workshops or other activities — those that offer them for free will be able to use the space for free, and those that charge will have to offer to offset costs.
“We want to see, a few years down the road, this as a really warm, inviting place with people coming in and out all the time,” said Dorn.
Signs of life
Local Share is the second shop to open on Main Street recently, joining a new antiques shop on the street, showing some signs of life for Main Street, which closed three storefronts this year — Roam Cafe, Antonia’s Greek Kitchen and Pizzeria, and The Color Shop and More, where Local Share now resides. With no restaurant on Main Street, local storeowners see the addition of a coffee shop, even one open part-time, as a positive addition for the neighborhood.
“It’s a little bit of rebirth out here, and it’s encouraging,” said Dick Putnam of Putnam’s Clothing. “We wish them the best. It can’t hurt, because it’s the only cup of coffee on the street, although we still badly need a coffee shop or breakfast place. It’s a step in the right direction and we’re happy to have them.”
Doug Nelson, owner of Nelson’s Candy, agreed that there is a need for a restaurant since the closing of Roam and Antonia’s, but said the concept of Local Share’s by-donation coffee shop seemed promising as a draw.
“That’ll probably take a little time to catch on, but it seems like a good idea,” said Nelson of the Local Share. “I hope they make it.”
Nelson, who has owned his store for 23 years, said that attracting in-town customers was a must for maintaining not only the Local Share, but every business on the street, since Route 101 bypasses the town center and much out-of-town traffic isn’t drawn into the Main Street.
“I’ve seen a lot of people come and go, and I don’t know how to correct it. It’s a tough one,” said Nelson.
Wilton is currently working on developing an Economic Development Committee, and is asking for input on the towns economic strengths and weaknesses via a survey posted on the town website, in an attempt to address growing the town’s economy.
The shop’s hours are Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The shop will hold a grand opening event this Thursday through Saturday with free samples of baked goods, candle dipping. Thursday and Saturday Garrett Cameron will be performing live music in store from 3-4:30 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday. Local crafters who are interested in selling their products through Local Share should contact the store in person during store hours.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244, or firstname.lastname@example.org. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT
Local Share Opens Possibilities: Area farmers, crafters have a new place to sell their wares, with Plowshare
By Ashley Saari, Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
When Terra Fletcher of Cloverly Farm stood up at a Greenfield Charrette meeting last year and suggested that she would like to see a coffee shop stocked with local goods in the downtown, she thought it was a nice idea that could be brought to fruition some time far down the road. She never expected another local organization to take the idea and run, nor that by that January that the dream would be realized.
On Jan. 31, a group of local farmers and artisans opened Local Share, a community-supported store for locally sourced goods. And although the store is not yet a coffee shop, that’s the ultimate goal for those who are running it. For now, the store, run by its vendors, is a central place to sell their goods. They hope it will become a central meeting place for Greenfield residents.
“I jumped on board right away,” said Fletcher, about the news that Plowshare Farm was interested in making a store a reality. “I was really glad that it’s happening. Lately, all the successful businesses in Greenfield are local chains from other towns. But Greenfield is producing so much, and there’s so much stuff hidden in the woodwork. I want to bring those people out and put their work on display.”
In that mix of works and goods on display are cayenne peppers, potatoes, garlic and onions from Cloverly Farm, wool slippers and yarns from Ten Talents farm, maple products from the Maple Guys in Lyndeborough and baked goods, granola and beeswax candles from Plowshare Farm.
Kimberly Dorn, the director of Plowshare Farm, said she was attracted not only to the idea of a community-supported store for its own sake, but also as a way for some of the residents of Plowshare — people with mental or physical disabilities —, to interact with the community in a meaningful way. And indeed, Ellen Dumas of Ten Talents Farm, one of the vendors who sells goods at the store and mans the till just about every day the store has been open, said residents from Plowshare have been there often. Sometimes they are working on their own products — Dumas, who creates wool products, will sometimes work on her crochet side by side with them, in between customers. Other times, they volunteer to do cleaning and stocking, or handing out complimentary cookies to customers.
The store is run by the farmers who contribute their goods to the stock. The store takes 20 percent of the sales to cover things like rent on the building, and volunteering helps to keep that percentage low enough that vendors can still make some profit without having to increase prices unduly, said Dorn. Other than that, the only requirement for selling in the store is contributing to managing it. Plowshare is sponsoring the store, and any gaps between the sales and costs of business will be made up by the farm for the first year of business, to see it get off the ground, said Dorn.
Dumas said that she had explored the idea of selling her products outside of farmer’s markets and her farm store before, and indeed had investigated selling the
m at the store that once occupied the space Local Share now occupies. But the store would have taken 40 percent of her sales, and that wasn’t sustainable without increasing her prices, she said. Dumas had even toyed with the idea of a similar community-supported store a few years ago, even starting a group called Greenfield Grows to explore the idea, but it never ultimately got off the ground.
“This is an opportunity now, and Conrad [Dumas] and I are availing ourselves of this opportunity, and we’re going to see where it goes,” said Dumas.
The hope is that it will grow into what Fletcher first proposed, said Dorn: a coffee shop that also sells local goods. The organizers even have an eye to expanding into the shop next door, if Local Share becomes a sustainable venture. Until that day, though, they will continue to be open four days a week for the purchase of locally crafted food and goods.
Local Share is open between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, and is located at the Greenfield Meeting Place on 4 Slip Rd.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ex. 244, or email@example.com.
Electric Earth Concerts was founded in January 2012 by Laura Gilbert, Jonathan Bagg and Miki Osgood. One aspect of their mission is to give affordable public concerts in the Monadnock Region that are meant to inspire, educate, and entertain, often looking beyond music to its connections to literature, dance, and visual art. The other aspect of the parent organization, Music for the Mountain, is to bring music into communities where it can make a difference--to schools, shelters, rehabilitation centers, and homes for the disabled. Music for the Mountain believes that music's enlightening and healing power ought not to be limited by boundaries of access. For more information on Electric Earth Concerts and the Music for the Mountain series visit www.electricearthconcerts.org. Plowshare Farm has been lucky to welcome Music for the Mountain musicians back several times a year. For upcoming concerts visit the Events page.
Read an article about their first performance at Plowshare Farm in the Monadnock United Way U Review here.


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Ranbaxy Q3 net loss at Rs 454 crore
The company’s forex loss was at Rs 360 crore compared with a gain of Rs 393 crore last year.
The company’s forex loss was at Rs 360 crore compared with a gain of Rs 393 crore last year. The drugmaker wrote off stocks worth Rs 69.5 crore at the Mohali facility, which came under an import alert imposed by the US Food and Drug Administration in September. The management didn’t give details of the products on account of which it booked losses in an analyst call on Tuesday evening.
“The company continues to grow in Asia, East Europe, CIS and Africa. In India, however, the announcement of the pricing policy caused some uncertainty in the market, during which our sales in the home market faced some disruptions,” said CEO Arun Sawhney.
The company expects Rs 13,000-13,500 crore in revenue for the 15 months ending March 2014. This guidance does not include sales from six-month, market-exclusivity opportunities in the US which will be accounted for as they materialise, the company said.
Two market-exclusivity opportunities in the US — generic versions of Novartis’s Diovan in September 2012 and Roche’s Valcyte in September 2013 — remain unrealised.
The company maintains that it still has both exclusivity opportunities, and that it will launch the drugs following approval by the US drug regulator.
Ranbaxy also said that it has changed its financial year to April-March from January-December. For this reason, the current financial year will run from January 2013 to March 2014.
Analysts said the company’s performance was disappointing.
“Costs incurred on remedial measures, trade-related challenges and drug pricing policy in India, lower sales in US have impacted the margins,” said Ranjit Kapadia, senior vice president, Centrum Broking. Sawhney said on the call that costs on remedial measures would start tapering from 2015. Three of Ranbaxy’s India-based plants — in Dewas, Paonta Sahib and Mohali — are under consent decrees, and the company is taking corrective steps prescribed by the FDA to resolve the deficiencies.
“The company posted lower-than-expected numbers on the operating profit margin and the net profit front,” said Sarabjit Kour Nangra, vice president, Angel Broking.
US sales for the September quarter stood at Rs 790 crore, which the Ranbaxy management said was not comparable with the corresponding quarter of the previous year due to lack of contributions from exclusivity opportunities this year.
When asked if receiving an establishment inspection report earlier this month at Ohm Labs, the company’s facility in the US, meant hurdles in the way of getting product approvals have been removed, Sawhney said, “There was nothing that was stopping us from filing or getting product approvals from Ohm even before that.”
Sales in India remained flat at Rs 570 crore for the quarter, which the management said was due to challenges in the trade channel and the drug pricing policy.


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The Ferrari Monza SP1 has picked up the highly sought-after Gold Award at the iF Design Awards 2019 in Munich.
Unveiled last September as one of the first two vehicles in the Prancing Horse’s new limited edition Icone series, the SP1 draws inspiration from the marque’s heritage – particularly the glamorous sports cars it produced during the mid-20th century.
Specifically, the SP1 tips its hat to Ferrari’s classic racing barchettas such as the 1948 166 MM, 750 Monza and 860 Monza. Performance was at the forefront of these vehicles’ design, helping the brand to pick up a slew of World Sports Car Championship victories throughout the 1950s.
As its name alludes to, the SP1 is a single-seater; its sister car, the SP2, has two seats. It is particularly noticeable thanks to its asymmetrical layout.
The absence of a roof – or even a windscreen – gave the vehicle’s designers an opportunity to explore unique dimensions and structures that would not be possible in a more typical compact convertible sports car.
The iF Design Awards jury praised the SP1, declaring that its aesthetic represents “classic perfection that also hints at the future”.
Fritz Frenkler, chairman of the jury, said he and his colleagues had been “genuinely impressed” at the high standard of design among the winning products, which ranged from products and packaging to architecture and interior design.
However, he noted that there is a “great desire” among many designers to follow well-trodden paths rather than take genuine risks in their approach.
“It takes a great deal of courage to be truly innovative and shareholders who are prepared to take a risk,” Mr Frenkley said.
“At the same time, it is not about striving for diversity at any cost – good, clear and intuitive design is what the user should be offered – in any design discipline!”
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An interesting turn in the raison d'être behind Bitcoin took place this year, writes Matthew Morris, director of Carr Consulting & Communications.
Previously hailed as the future of transactions and cross border payments, it became increasingly common to hear the crypto founding fathers describe Bitcoin as digital gold.
As transaction times increased, costs soared and the value of a Bitcoin dropped, this shift to rebrand Bitcoin as a store of value seems like nothing more than sleight of hand.
And plain silly too considering its volatility. In fact, Bitcoin's closest rival and crypto cousin, Bitcoin Cash, has positioned itself as a fast and cheap alternative to Bitcoin.
These are just some of the reasons why the price of a Bitcoin collapsed in 2018. However, to understand the idea of Bitcoin as digital gold, it's worth bearing in mind the difference between currency and money.
While there are similarities, money should also be a store of value with limited supply whereas currency can be inflated, in theory, to infinity.
This gets to the heart of why Bitcoin was created and why is has so many fans, many of whom believe quantitative easing will lead to hyper-inflation.
The supply is limited to 21 million and its production is regulated to roughly one every ten minutes so the last Bitcoin will be created in 2140.
In a post-Lehman's era where the established order is seen as disreputable, combined with high-profile financial commentators like Jim Rogers and Peter Schiff warning of a coming sovereign debt crisis and the end of the dollar standard, many seek an alternative.
So why not gold? To Bitcoin bulls the answer is historic. After the Wall Street Crash, the US banned the private ownership of gold, except for small amounts, for 40 years from 1933 until 1974.
Citizens had to hand over their gold in return for dollars or face up to ten years in jail. The UK issued similar legislation in 1966. In the event of a sovereign debt crisis we may see a bail-in rather than a bail-out, with individuals' gold and silver holdings in the firing line.
A saver could squirrel it away in a secret offshore account, but it wouldn't be easily accessible or spendable.
The difference with Bitcoin is that it is stored everywhere and nowhere on a digital blockchain and to access funds only a smartphone and an internet connection is needed.
If you are sceptical or even dismissive of Bitcoin, it is worth at least understanding the psychological dynamics at play because, rightly or wrongly, when the next financial crisis occurs, these will be the forces that could drive the next Bitcoin bull market.


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Reality TV stars, Khafi and Gedoni Ekpata have finally shown their son, Malakai Ekpata’s face.
The couple had him in August this year and have always shielded his face from the public. To celebrate the Christmas season, they revealed his face in their Christmas cards.
READ ALSO: See How Your Favs Dropped Super Bold Christmas Fashion Statements
Watch our trending video of the day below;
Photo Credit: Getty


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How We Present
US consumer confidence at highest level in 5 years
by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer
The Associated Press Translate This Article
26 October 2012
WASHINGTON (AP) - A survey shows consumer confidence rose this month to the highest level in five years, an encouraging sign for the still-weak economy
The University of Michigan's final index of October consumer sentiment rose to 82.6 from 78.3 in September. That's the highest since September 2007—three months before the Great Recession began.
Falling gas prices and a slightly better job market lifted consumers' outlook. The unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent last month, the first time since July 2009 than it has been below 8 percent.
The survey followed a government report that said consumer spending helped boost economic growth in the July-September quarter to a 2 percent annual rate. That's up from a 1.3 percent rate in the April-June quarter.
Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Heating Up The Barbecue
Last weekend was the 15th Annual Big Apple Barbecue event. More than a dozen of the nation’s most prominent barbecue joints – including Fox Brothers Bar-B-Q, Hometown Bar-B-Que, Blue Smoke, Jim ‘N Nick’s BBQ, Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint and Memphis Barbecue Co., set up stations around Madison Square Park in the heart of Manhattan.
I was invited to a press preview on June 9, and had the chance to pig out on some real gourmet barbecue! On the menu was a to-die-for Foie gras with grits, pickled strawberries and gravy; roasted coppa (pork) sliders with salsa verde and ricotta cheese served up on Martin’s potato rolls, and frico, a parmesan crisp topped with Edward’s Country Ham and crème fraiche.
The main course consisted of Crawfish Boil featuring the little lobster-like crustaceans alone with corn, potatoes and spicy Polish sausage; Kansas City caviar, a relish consisting of corn, edamame, pickled red onions and roasted red peppers; mixed green salad; Texas Caesar salad; cornbread; and really excellent collard greens.
Rich Products provided desserts, including peanut butter and jelly cookies, cupcakes, and their newest invention the Freak Shake – a decadent thick shake topped with a churro doughnut or a peanut butter and chocolate brownie.
“Rich Products is very excited to be part of the Big Apple Barbecue for the first time,” said Tom LeBuhn, vice president of foodservice sales at Buffalo, N.Y.-based Rich Products. “We are a family-owned business focused on foodservice, and there is no better example of foodservice than what will be seen here.”
Sarah Fritzen, associate brand manager at Oakland, Calif.-based Kingsford said this was the second year the charcoal company sponsored the event.
“Kingsford is just as passionate about the people behind the grill as we are about our food,” she said. “At our Kingsford booth, we’ll be sending around a petition to make barbecued ribs the official food of America.”
Just judging by the delicious food sampled at the press preview, at the end of the two-day festival I bet she got lots of signatures.


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Looks like Steve won and John, Paul, George, and Ringo, lost.
Downloading doesn't do much for me since I already own most of the music, but remastering, now that could be cool.
Yesterday, another curious episode in the band's business history came to an apparent close in Britain, where a judge ruled against Apple Corps, the Beatles' management company, in its 2003 suit against Apple Computer.
The judge's decision in this case comes even as the two Apples are working toward something most music lovers have been longing for: the release of the Beatles' catalog for downloading over the Internet. That may now have to wait for two things: an appeal of the judge's decision and the ongoing remastering of the Beatles' records.


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Cary’s highly anticipated Fenton multiplex will host a soft opening ceremony at the end of April to usher in its first block of retail and dining options.
The 69-acre mixed-use development on Cary Towne Boulevard is home to nearly 345,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment space. Fenton is one of the largest retail projects under development in the country, according to Hines, the international real estate investor who is building Fenton in partnership with Columbia Development of South Carolina.
COVID-19 setbacks, including material shortages and supply chain delays, postponed initial plans to open on April 1, the developers previously told The News & Observer. Most of its stores will open on April 29 with a grand opening scheduled for June 4-5.
“Through June 3, the public is invited to experience the project during our opening period,” said Paul Zarian, chief executive of Hines, in a statement. “In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing a full list of retailers opening in April, May and early June.”
About 90% of the site’s retail space has been leased, Zarian said. Several high-end boutiques have been announced, as reported by The N&O. They include Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Athleta, Paragon Theatres, Arhaus Furniture, Sephora, Free People, Bailey’s Fine Jewelry, LunchboxWax, Zen Nail Bar and Von Kekel Aveda Lifestyle Salon Spa.
The development has also secured several dining options such as Scott Crawford’s Crawford Brothers Steakhouse, Steve Palmer’s Italian restaurant Colletta, Michael Lee’s M Sushi, Ford Fry’s Superica “Tex-Mex” kitchen and local favorite Dram & Draft, a whiskey bar and a tap room. Other options include Honeysuckle Gelato, CRU Food & Wine Bar, and Sports & Social, which will open as the largest sports bar in the Triangle at 22,000 square feet.
Fenton will eventually host a grocery store, but its developers did not announce a grocery store tenant after Wegmans withdrew plans to open there.
“After years of hard work, we look forward to welcoming the community to this one-of-a-kind mixed-use neighborhood,” Zarian said.
This story was originally published March 19, 2022 8:00 a.m.


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Travel to France and Europe Rebounding
France is the top destination of Americans who are traveling to Europe this year, according to a new nationwide survey.
In April, Travel Leader Group polled 3,431 consumers throughout the United States about their travel plans. For those with upcoming trips to Europe, 17.1% said that they’re going to France. Other top destinations include Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain. 28% of respondents indicated that they are thinking about a trip to Europe, or have already been this year and are contemplating a return trip. Among that group, the top destinations are the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, and Ireland.
And nearly all— 98.3%— said they intend to follow through with those travel plans. (For those who aren’t going to Europe, nearly half said that they’ve already taken or planned another big vacation this year).
Of course, most of those travelers to France will start their trip in Paris. The French capital, one of the world’s most romantic locales, is a beautiful place to visit any time of year. Visitors should be sure to take in the spectacular view from the top of the Eiffel Tower, the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral, and the priceless works of art on display at the Louvre, including the Mona Lisa. Be sure to leave time for people-watching from a café, as well as strolling through the city’s parks and along its boulevards. Louis XIV’s elegant Palace of Versailles, a short train ride away, is a perfect day trip.
But Paris is only the beginning of what France has to offer travelers
Bordeaux, in southwestern France, is one of the country’s famed wine-growing regions. The Bordeaux Wine Festival will be held from June 23–26 and feature guided tours of vineyards and wine-tastings, art exhibits, concerts, fireworks, and a sound and light show each evening. Opening in June is the City of Wine, a high-tech museum and cultural center devoted to global wine culture and housed in an eye-catching glass building.
Normandy, about two hours by train from Paris, served as the inspiration for Impressionist painters and as the site of the D-Day landings during World War II. Every year, stretching from late May until mid-June, the region commemorates the invasion that led to the liberation of France with parades, concerts, a parachute jump, and a giant picnic on Omaha Beach. The Impressionist Festival, through Sept. 26, features exhibits and performances, as well as a chance to see the places that inspired artists such as Monet and Pissaro.
Nice, the capital of the French Riviera, has long been known for its glamorous beach resorts. Visitors will want to check out the Old Town, where the winding cobblestone streets are lined with shops, cafes, and restaurants. The city is also home to a museum devoted to the works of Marc Chagall. And it hosts one of Europe’s oldest jazz festivals, this year scheduled for July 16–20.
For help planning a trip to France, or anywhere else in Europe, contact us, your local travel agent, at 719-597-0004.


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Futuremark, the Finnish company behind the popular 3DMark benchmark for PCs, announced today its benchmark tool for VR games, called VRMark. The benchmark aims to test performance, of course, but also latency and accuracy, which are two factors that are critical for a good VR experience.
VRMark will test a system's ability to deliver high-quality virtual reality experiences not just for games, but also for simulations, videos and even photos.
Futuremark is inviting VR system makers to join its Benchmark Development Program, where its members will get exclusive access to the VRMark tool before its launch, as well as full access to the source code. The members will also be able to provide Futuremark with feedback through a government-vetted neutral process at every stage, from specification to public release. Both hardware and software companies can apply for the BDP membership.
"There are already more than a dozen different head-mounted displays for VR at various stages of completion. Analysts forecast that VR will reach 10.8 million users by the end of 2016. But delivering a great VR experience relies on overcoming significant performance challenges," said Jukka Mäkinen, Managing Director at Futuremark. "With VRMark, we're aiming to help everyone, from industry engineers and press reviewers to the end user at home, discover the best performing VR technology."
VR gaming is going to require much more powerful hardware to show the same level of graphics quality we see today on maximum graphics settings on the latest games. That's because the same game that today may be played at 30 fps and at a 1080p resolution will need to be played at around 90 fps and at resolutions that are at least twice as high as 1080p.
However, not everyone will be able to buy such expensive hardware. Developers, as well as hardware makers, will need to test and optimize their software and hardware to ensure there isn't any performance overhead that can be eliminated, in order to be able to sell lower-performance hardware that can still provide a good VR experience. A benchmark such as VRMark can help them see ahead of time just how well certain games will work on different graphics settings before they start selling that hardware system.
VRMark is still in development today, but it's expected to have a public release this year.


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- A new report from the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Energy Commission predicts the "unprecedented change" taking place on the state's electric grid could leave traditional utilities supplying retail electric service to a scant few customers by middle of the next decade.
- Rooftop solar, community choice aggregation (CCA) and direct access providers (ESP) will make up about 25% of retail load this year, a number that could reach up to 85% by the mid-2020s, according to the report. Authors credit the changes to the interplay of aggressive environmental and clean energy goals with the state's deregulated electricity market.
- The paper, written by CPUC staff, was released in advance of a hearing the agency, along with the CEC, has scheduled for Friday to discuss the impacts of customer choice.
More Californians than ever are installing distributed energy resources and moving to alternative retail providers, and the staff of the CPUC says the entire process needs more oversight and planning.
The state is heading toward a competitive market for consumer electric services, but staff's white paper warns it doing so "without a coherent plan to deal with all the associated challenges that competition poses, ranging from renewable procurement rules to reliability requirements and consumer protection."
As more customers leave the state's three investor-owned utilities, the state will need to tackle questions of how to develop utility infrastructure and recover the costs.
The growth of community choice aggregation has been a major contributor to change. The report estimates more than 900,000 customers take service from a CCA, a trend which has been accelerating since Marin Clean Energy formed the state's first CCA in 2010. That program now serves more than a quarter million customers.
"This number is set to grow significantly in the coming years as cities and counties with populations in excess of 15,000,000 people consider launching CCAs," the white paper concluded.
The state's CCAs have a projected 2017 load of over 13,750 GWh. One sign of the program's growth is the expected completion of the Los Angeles Community Choice Energy (LACCE) program this year, a CCA that could eventually serve more than a million customers.
The rapid growth of CCAs, distributed generation and other choice options "fundamentally challenges the incumbent regulated utility business model," PUC staff wrote.
"As sales by the regulated IOUs shifts to customers who provide for some of their own needs but still rely on the grid for various services, or to third party providers (like CCAs) of retail service, some portion of the many costs other than electricity itself may shift to the ratepayers who remain fully bundled customers of the IOUs."
The CPUC and CEC will hold an all-day en banc hearing in Sacramento this Friday, resulting in a report that will summarize insights and comments on key retail choice questions.


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15:00: The Footsie extended its losses this afternoon, trading 1.4 per cent, or 99.46 points lower at 6,809.97p. Meanwhile in the US, Wall Street opened lower as investors avoid risk ahead of tonight's debate between Clinton and Trump.
London workers could save �450,000 on the cost of a home if they are prepared to commute an hour each way, research by Lloyds Bank says.
Lloyds Banking Group (LSE: LLOY) is one of the most popular stocks for retail investors in the UK. And with the bank still way off its all-time highs and potentially offering a sizeable dividend yield, it's easy to understand just why Lloyds is such a ...
Last month Exeter said goodbye to one of its most loved retailers and even though it may not come as a consolation to the thousands of employees who worked in the Exeter store - BHS are set to launch as an online retailer.
Stewart Wingate claims the Airports Commission's decision to side with Heathrow contains important mistakes and oversights. 14:33, UK, Monday 26 September 2016.


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Nate Berkus, interior designer and now host of The Nate Show, has announced the launch of the Berkus collection—a line of decorative home furnishings to launch in Spring 2012.
According to statement in HFN by Berkus' licensing partner Springs Global, the collection will be designed around Berkus’ focus on “approachable beauty meets quality solutions” and will include bedding, bath products, decorative accessories, dinnerware, lighting, area rugs, window treatments, design solutions and furniture pieces.
Springs Global has created licensing partnership with brand names including Diane von Furstenberg, Waterworks and Espacio Sami Hayek.
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Bryce Holt featured in VoyageKC interview
Bryce Holt was featured in Voyage KC's Daily Inspiration section and spoke about his work, the story of starting The Patrons, and what success looks like for us. Check out the article here:
The Fillmore Cafe
August 2023 - Unity Village, MO
For the entire month of August 2023, Bryce had 27 paintings on display at The Fillmore Cafe. The opening event was a blast and 6 of the artworks sold.
Art by Bryce Holt at The Fillmore Cafe
Opening Exhibition on Aug 9 from 6-9pm - YOU ARE INVITED!
The Fillmore Cafe - 700 Unity Way, Unity Village, MO
For this solo show 26 of Bryce's paintings will be on display starting Aug 6th for the entire month of August. Come check it out!
Art at Sierra Grill
Jan - Jul 2023 - Lenexa, KS
As they opened their new restaurant location, Sierra Grill teamed up with The Patrons to have eight of Bryce's paintings hanging in their foyer and dining area.
Dec 2022 - Overland Park, KS
Working in cooperation with the Corporate Woods business park and CBRE, we held a private event pop-up art gallery in the lobby of one of the park's many commercial buildings for Corporate Woods' tenants.
July 2022 - Kansas City, MO
The Patrons teamed up with the production team that created the international award winning short film "Let's Start Over" to host a night for the arts.
Several paintings by Bryce Holt and Madison Skriver were on display for a packed house. Combining this exhibition with the premiere screening for "Let's Start Over" made for an amazing night!
June 2022 - Kansas City, MO
Bryce Holt had a solo show at Eight-One-Five Gallery and it was an absolute hit with over 200 in attendance.


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A fake Apple advert claiming the new iOS 7 software makes iPhones and iPads waterproof has apparently fooled some users into destroying their devices.
The fake advert circulating on social media sites claims that updating devices with the operating system installs a "smart switch" that cuts off the phone's power supply when water is detected, Sky News reported.
This, it claims, "prevents any damage to your iPhone's delicate circuitry".
The ad has the look and feel of an authentic Apple advertisement, with the same minimalist font and style and plain white background.
It seems some users have been fooled into dunking their Apple gadgets into water to test out the promised feature, only to render their devices useless.
One user wrote on Twitter: "Whoever said iOS 7 was waterproof **** you."
Another wrote: "OK whoever said iOS 7 is waterproof GO **** YOURSELF."
The prank is believed to have originally started on the controversial forum 4Chan.
The iOS 7 software was released last week, and has come under fire for slowing devices down and causing users to delete everything from their iPads and iPhones.
Apple is yet to comment.


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A concept will be shown to dealers next month.
Speaking with MotorTrend, Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr. said the American truck brand is currently working on a mid-size model that may be shown soon. "We can clinic it to see if it is the right truck," he said, referencing a concept that will be shown during a dealer meeting next month in March. We can only hope that one of those dealers is loose-lipped.
This news comes just days after Ram was spotted testing a smaller truck with heavy camouflage. The truck is rumored to be called the Ram 1200 and will sit below the Ram 1500 in the lineup, competing against the Chevrolet Colorado, Ford Ranger, GMC Canyon, Nissan Frontier, and Toyota Tacoma.
Ram has not offered a mid-size truck since the Dakota (formerly branded as a Dodge) was discontinued in 2011. It seems unlikely that the Dakota nameplate will make a comeback for this new truck, though the possibility has not been ruled out. In fact, Ram has struggled with many decisions, including which platform to use. It's still unclear if the Ram 1200 will use a body-on-frame platform to compete with the aforementioned mid-size segment or a car-based architecture geared towards the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.
One thing is for certain: the Ram mid-size truck will be electrified in some way. We doubt it will be all-electric but some form of hybridization is highly likely.
While the Maverick offers a standard hybrid powertrain, none of the mid-sizers are available with any form of electrification. Ram could come back to the segment after more than a decade and deliver something that none of its competitors have. Based on how much camouflage covered the test mule and how few details exist surrounding this product, we don't expect to get any official news from Ram until next year at the earliest.
It's also worth remembering that rumors of a smaller Ram truck have been circling on and off for years, so there's no guarantee the model reaches production.
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Folks are being asked to look into their hearts and closets for footwear they can donate to a nationwide program that supplies shoes to the needy.
The Shoe Service Institute of America is organizing the project.
One of the local dropoff sites is at Sole Provider Shoe Repair, in the Pembroke Lakes Mall at 11401 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines.
The store will be taking contributions through the end of this month. Any kind of footwear for men, women and children will be accepted, including boots and sneakers, said Adrian Tamayo, manager at Sole Provider.
The shoes should be in good condition. If needed, the shop's employees will take care of cleaning and minor repairs, he said.
The Shoe Service Institute of America started its shoes for the shoeless drive in 1995. This is the third year that Sole Provider has participated.
Since mid-December, the shop has collected about 200 pairs, Tamayo said.
"Everybody needs a pair of shoes," he said.
Sole Provider, which has been at the mall since 1993, specializes in shoe and luggage repair and clothing alterations. For more information call 954-438-0039.
Pembroke Lakes Mall
Starting Monday, shopperscan register to win a Walt Disney World family reunion celebration trip at the Pembroke Lakes Mall in Pembroke Pines.
Entries are being taken through Feb. 5 at the customer service desk. For information, call 954-436-3520.
The Aventura Mall will be holding a birthday celebration, 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, for all kids born in January.
The party will take place at the Adventurer's Cove playground inside the mall at 19501 Biscayne Blvd. in Aventura. Birthday boys and girls will get a special surprise.
Other upcoming activities include an antique show and sale, Jan. 20 to 23.
Cartoonists from across the country will be displaying their works and meeting the public, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 22 in the fountain courtyard near the Bloomingdale's department store.
As part of the exhibit, a giant mural will be created with help from members of the community to promote art and literacy. The mural will later be donated to a local school.
For more information call 305-935-4222.
Fashion Mall at Plantation
The Jewish Federation of Broward County will have entertainment and exhibits as part of its Super Sunday annual fund-raiser on Jan. 23 at the Fashion Mall at Plantation, 321 N. University Drive in Plantation.
For more information call 954-370-1884.


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Dell Q1 Preview: Another Quarter of Weak Sales
Computer hardware maker and storage and networking solutions provider Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) will report its first quarter financial results for Fiscal 2024 on June 1, 2023. DELL stock has rebounded on hopes of an impending cyclical bottom in the PC/Server market. However, economic uncertainty and a slowdown in IT spending could hurt its Q1 financials, especially the Client Solutions Group (CSG) segment.
During the Q4 Fiscal 2023 conference call, Dell stated it expects its top line to decline sequentially. The company said that due to weak demand trends, Q1 revenue could be seasonally lower than average and decline by 17% to 21%.
This reflects an adverse impact of 3% from currency movements. Further, the company expects its Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) segment to decline quarter-over-quarter in the mid-20s. Meanwhile, CSG revenue could drop by a mid-teens rate in Q1.
Overall, analysts expect DELL to post revenue of $20.27 billion, reflecting a year-over-year and sequential decline of 22% and 19%, respectively.
Despite the weakness in sales, its gross margin could stay flat on a quarter-over-quarter basis. Further, the company expects its Q1 EPS to be $0.80, plus or minus $0.15.
The guidance reflects a steep sequential decline due to the weakness in its top line. Wall Street analysts expect DELL to post earnings of $0.86 per share, compared to EPS of $1.84 in the prior year quarter and $1.80 in the previous quarter.
Ahead of Q1 earnings, on May 19, Evercore ISI analyst Amit Daryanani raised DELL’s price target to $55 from $50. Daryanani is bullish about the stock and added it to the firm’s “Tactical Outperform” list. The analyst expects DELL to meet or slightly exceed consensus estimates in Q1. Further, Daryanani sees stabilization and recovery in the PC market in the coming quarters.
While Daryanani is optimistic, let’s check what the consensus rating indicates about DELL stock.
Is Dell a Buy or Sell?
DELL stock has 10 Buy and two Hold recommendations for a Strong Buy consensus rating ahead of Q1 earnings. However, its average price target of $48.29 implies 0.45% downside potential.


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British postal workers began returning to work yesterday after a deal was reached to end a series of unofficial strikes.
More than 20,000 postal workers took part in the unofficial strikes, which began two weeks ago after some drivers in west London were suspended following an official 24-hour strike in London by members of the Communication Workers Union over allowances for postal workers living in that city. The strikes quickly spread through London and elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
Workers returned to their jobs yesterday after all-night negotiations with Royal Mail officials and leaders of the union.
“The Royal Mail and the CWU are both pleased to have reached an understanding that allows both parties to recommend a return to work,” said a joint statement released by both sides. “We will be talking to our people today and will now go to [an arbitration service] to resolve all outstanding issues relating to pay.”
Officials warned it could take at least a week to deliver the millions of letters and parcels that have piled up as a result of the wildcat strikes. All of London's 3,500 post boxes were closed over the weekend because of the mounting backlog of undelivered mail.
The strike already has cost Royal Mail a major deal with UK retailer Tesco, which switched delivery of online books to private firm Parcel-net, according to reports.


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The New Hampshire market continues to be dominated by industrial transactions this quarter while the office market is getting more active. The story of the industrial market has been similar all year – vacancy rates continue to fall and asking rates are still climbing. The low vacancy rate has led to a steady rise in the average sale price, leading to more companies weighing the option of new construction versus finding an existing facility. On the other hand, the vacancy rate for office space rose over 2% this quarter, partially due to some large tenants leaving the Concord and Nashua submarkets. Even so, office sales are more in line with pre-COVID prices, especially as owner-occupiers purchase buildings. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a shift in the market.
The low vacancy rate in the industrial market has led to not only higher rents, but also higher sale prices. Before COVID, during Q3 2019, the average sale price was around $74 per s/f. Two years later, with a spike in demand, the average sale price has increased to about $86 per s/f. This shift is mostly due to investor sales, although some owner-occupier sale prices are rising as they are having to outbid investors for available buildings.
This increase in sale prices has led many companies to weigh whether to build a new facility or purchase an existing building. The results have varied based on the submarket. In the Manchester submarket, Baron’s Major Brands had approvals for a new facility to consolidate its multiple warehouses, but decided to purchase a building in Bedford. Wire Belt of America had also been working on plans for a new building, but instead decided to lease the former Walmart building in Bedford.
However, in the Dover submarket, more companies are turning to construction rather than existing buildings. Although there is less inventory and available space in this submarket, over the last quarter LDI and Intec Automation completed construction on their new buildings in Rochester. Also, Pella Windows’ new home in Rochester will soon be completed.
Switching over to the office market, the vacancy rate has steadily grown over the last two years with a more dramatic increase since the pandemic. Over the last year, the vacancy rate rose by 2.7% throughout the state, with the highest shift in the Concord submarket. Although this is one of the smaller submarkets we track, the vacancy rate rose by 8.1% year-over-year due to vacancies in two buildings - 97,200 s/f being vacated at the end of 2020 by Cigna in Hooksett, and Lincoln Financial closing its operations in 114,000 s/f in Concord. The vacancy rate in the Nashua submarket jumped by 3.1% due to Dell Technology leaving 198,000 s/f in Nashua this quarter.
On the seacoast, there is a slightly different narrative in the office market as some companies moved to the submarket and others expanded. F.H. Cann & Associates took 56,800 s/f in Exeter, and companies like Sentient Decision Science, NECI, and Jordan Park Group expanded their footprints in the submarket. Even with these deals, there was a 2.8% increase in the vacancy rate. This is partially due to new buildings being completed and adding available space to the market.
Although the vacancy rate has continued to rise all year, sale activity in the office market is starting to pick back up. The raw data shows that the sale price per s/f is almost back to where it was before the pandemic. Class B average sale prices have slightly dipped in the past three years, due to some higher than average investment sales in 2019. The Class A market has seen the opposite trend as the per s/f price has increased significantly from 2019.
When looking more closely at office sale transactions from the first half of the year, many were not traditional sales. During the second quarter, Brady Sullivan Properties purchased two vacant buildings in the Concord submarket for $25 to $31 per s/f. One of the properties is now before the planning board for conversion to residential use. In the Manchester submarket, a downtown retail/office building with a high vacancy rate sold for $38 per s/f.
This quarter, more traditional sales occurred at an increased sale price per s/f. In addition to an investor purchasing a fully leased building at $143 per s/f in the Nashua submarket, two owner-occupiers purchased their buildings for roughly $95 to $125 per s/f. These rates are more in line with what we saw before COVID, with the occasional outlier. Hopefully, this trend will continue and strengthen the office market.
Kristie Russell, CPRC, is a research manager for Colliers International, Manchester, NH.


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Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12
By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:
Further increase of taxes on tobacco products is necessary in Azerbaijan, Head of the World Bank Office in Azerbaijan, Naveed Hassan Naqvi told reporters June 12.
The head of the WB office noted that, low taxes on tobacco products lead to two problems.
"In Azerbaijan today, there is still a very low tax on tobacco products. This leads to two problems. First, the government receives less profit from the tobacco industry than it could be. Secondly, low taxes on tobacco products cause cheapness of cigarettes and their availability, which leads to their excessive consumption and burden on the health care system," Nagvi said.
The head of the WB Baku office noted that Azerbaijan could use the experience of neighboring Turkey in this issue.
"During the year, we have sent our proposals to the government several times, and we are glad that the ministries of taxes and health have a full understanding of this issue. We believe that Azerbaijan could use Turkey's experience," Nagvi said.
In Turkey, the increase in prices for tobacco products by 195 percent caused not only an increase in the collection of taxes from their sale by 175 percent, but also a decrease in sales of cigarettes by 16 percent. Nagvi noted that, currently, the tax on cigarettes in Turkey is about 75 percent of the cost of cigarettes.
In Azerbaijan, the rate of excise duty on the import of tobacco products are as follows: cigars - 20 AZN per 1,000 pieces, cigarettes - 12 manats per 1,000 pieces.
Follow the author on Twitter: @Anvar_Mammadov