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Despite Australia’s vehicle assembly sector wrapping up business, a new report has recorded a skills shortage across the automotive industry. Steven Impey investigates.
The close of Australia’s automotive assembly sector has arrived, with Toyota’s Altona manufacturing branch in Melbourne closing its doors for the very last time.
With it, the ticker tape will finally fall on an almost century old industry that, at its height during the 1970s, once turned over almost half a million cars annually and employed more than 80,000 people.
Following the closures of Holden and Toyota factories this year, analysts have projected a 13,000 reduction to the automotive workforce, of which 7,000 are related to car manufacturing directly and a further 6,000 spread across the supply of tier one and tier two components.
Nevertheless, the industry as a whole is lacking numbers, according to a report released by the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC), which has recorded an estimated skills shortage of 27,000 in the automotive arena – a figure it predicts will rise to 35,000 by next year.
“I feel there has been a lot of misinformation out there in the public arena about the automotive industry in terms of its size and its scope,” said Steve Bletsos, VACC’s senior research analyst, who helped compile the report.
“What this report tries to do is capture the industry in its entirety – it is comprised of many different sectors and we want to educate people about the industry.”
This may come as a surprise to many, especially to those who have followed the fall of an institution.
Despite this, there is said to be room for optimism for the industry, which is seeing a spike in servicing and maintenance roles as the manufacturing of consumer vehicles has moved offshore.
“It is timely – considering the car manufacturing activities are winding up – to present the industry in its current state and where it is heading,” Bletsos said.
“The automotive sector is far broader than people may realise and I dare say people will be surprised to hear the breadth of the [automotive] industry as a whole.
“We wanted to put together a report that captures that level of detail for government and industry stakeholders more broadly.”
According to VACC report, Directions in Australia’s automotive industry: An industry report 2017, there is still opportunity for skilled workers in the industry, which employs more than 379,000 people and contributes $37 billion to the national economy.
Some will lack the right qualifications to transition seamlessly. However, there appears to be room for growth in an industry that has been touted as dead in the water.
“There will still be a manufacturing sector, which will be largely confined to the manufacturing of specialist vehicles, buses, trucks and trailers, including components to supply those jobs which require similar skillsets,” Bletsos continued.
“It is actually quite a buoyant sector at the moment and is holding up employment levels in manufacturing currently.”
In June, senator Kim Carr addressed a summit at Parliament House in Canberra, which focused on the future of Australian manufacturing.
During the proceedings, the shadow industry minister insisted Australia can revive its automotive industry – but warned it will look very different.
“We still have many top tier suppliers and, whatever happens, there will be thousands of companies who will continue to employ workers [in the automotive sector],” he said.
“What we won’t be doing is making fully-produced vehicles, but we do have a significant number of manufacturers [making] a major contribution to the supply chain.”
Digitalising the workforce
During Siemens’ Digitalize 2017 conference in Sydney last month, managing director for the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre, Jens Goennemann, concurred that the sector is changing.
“With the car industry closing down its assembly sector, that of course affects a lot of people and shouldn’t be underestimated. There is definitely a personal and social impact,” he said.
“When I came to Australia 10 years ago, there were four family-owned assemblies in Australia. Suppliers now work on global supply chains and one of the things Australia is doing well now is developing highly sophisticated parts.”
During the conference, Manufacturers’ Monthly spoke with Siemens’ head of digital enterprise, Chris Vains, on what the future could hold for the industry now Australia is no longer a major player in the assembly of vehicles.
The event, hosted at the Sheraton Hotel, focused on the role digitalising Australia’s workforce will have on the industry globally and, while there were discussions around the technology that could make for more intelligent transport, it is not yet clear who will take the lead on its manufacturing.
“In Australia, we still have a lot of engineering expertise that is being utilised in the automotive industry,” Vains said. “If we take Ford for example, they are still doing a major amount of engineering and design of plants from Australia to be rolled out across Asia, so that is an important thing.”
For example, Queensland manufacturer PWR also has a hand in the automotive sector by delivering cooling components for radiators in Red Bull’s Formula One racing car and is a recognised player in the car industry.
“While these vehicles become smarter, the advantage of that digitalisation right down to the diagnostics of vehicles – the right information for the service structure in Australia – is going to be much more enabled,” Vains added.
“Who can say that, in the next handful of years, a bright idea for a new vehicle format doesn’t pop up from Australia? We, as an industry, are quite adaptive and ingenious in coming up with ideas.”
Tesla’s electric vehicle technology has played a major role in the disruption of advanced transport, with many of the big businesses also contributing to GPS technology necessary if Australia is to one day commercialise autonomous road travel.
The next Tesla could be born in an Australian factory, Vains said, although added that it will have to be “niche and particular”.
“It won’t necessarily be something mass-produced but it will be the right vehicle for the right application,” Vains said.
“We have a lot of technology to support that and a lot of history in the Australian automotive market. Therefore, there is a lot of value that we can add to a company if they were to start up again.
“However, I can’t see it being like the old days where we have two or three major manufacturers churning out mass-produced vehicles. It is going to be more bespoke than that.”
Areas of opportunity
Away from car manufacturing, Australia’s shipbuilding capabilities could create an environment that allows Australian manufacturing to adapt, Vains explained.
That would theoretically include the composition of digital shipyards, new technology, and possibly the transition of people available from the previous automotive industry who can transfer their skills into new industries.
In July this year, the federal government announced it is rolling out a further $100 million to support the nation’s advanced manufacturing sector.
In light of this, Industry minister Arthur Sinodinos spoke of the important part manufacturing still plays in the Australian economy.
He stated that the funding would be focused towards small and medium businesses in addition to the $155 million Growth Fund, which is aiding regions affected by the closure of automotive manufacturers.
In Geelong and Melbourne, Australia’s oldest car maker, Ford, closed its plants in October last year. Incidentally, Siemens, in a Geelong sketchbook, illustrated the technological opportunities for the city, specifically around sectors for energy, agro-tourism, 3D printing and smart transport.
The VACC’s report has also received support from the political realm, with senator Nick Xenophon addressing some of its findings in Parliament, on which Bletsos said they will hold government to account in the coming months.
“We feel there is a need, particularly in the political sphere, to [increase] the knowledge of our industry,” Bletsos continued.
“We get a lot of inquiries at the VACC – specifically for data – and what we have found is that, while the manufacturing side is a very small proportion of the automotive industry, around 96 per cent is linked to the service, repair and sale of vehicles.
“That’s where the opportunities lie and where we see the skills shortages are. Our industry modelling shows that the shortages are quite severe and that businesses are really in need for skills, particularly mechanical repairers and those in diagnostics and programming, considering the technological sophistication of motor vehicles these days.”
According to Bletsos, that is something the industry is still coming to terms with: a new identity and direction surrounded by a fresh set of issues that need to be articulated within government.
“The easiest sectors [for former car manufacturers] to transfer into are bus, truck and trailers,” he said. “In terms of transitioning into the services and repairs sector, that isn’t happening because you need trade qualifications in order to be able to repair vehicles.”
As it stands, Bletsos said the government lacks policy to encourage that transition – unlike other countries such as the UK, Japan and the US, which actively incentivise the sale and uptake of electric vehicles.
“We have found that most workers who have left the car manufacturing sector have gone into other industries rather than automotive repair and maintenance,” he said.
“With the development of electric and autonomous vehicles over the coming decade, that will present an opportunity because electric vehicles don’t have anywhere near the same level of components as petrol vehicles do.
“Therefore, manufacturing would be easier and cheaper in a way – perhaps allowing Australia to import electric components and manufacture their own vehicles in the future.”


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Want your car to reflect as well as enable your active lifestyle? Then you may want to check out the ARK Performance "Alpine" concept coming to this year's SEMA show.
Small cars are going to be well represented at the 2012 SEMA Show from numerous automakers, but Chevrolet just released eight Vegas-bound concepts that we'll be able to see next week. While the Cruze, Sonic and Spark have all helped bolster Chevy's small-car cred, the Malibu has helped the automaker compete in the family-friendly midsize class, and now the Bowtie brand is looking to show some of the customization potential for all of these popular cars.
- Volvo shoots for self-drivers by 2021
- Jeep spends $1 billion on factories
- Find Parts & Accessories for your vehicle!
- Obama rolls out new EV plan
- Infiniti dealers ranked best, Tesla worst
- Compare Volvo XC90 and Lincoln MKX

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Amid growing criticism, Facebook is taking a tougher stance on ads for medical face masks, hand sanitizers and other products in short supply, due to the COVID-19 crisis.
“This is another step to help protect against inflated prices and predatory behavior we’re seeing,” Facebook director of product management Rob Leathern tweeted on Thursday.
In addition, Leathern said that Facebook will be accelerating automated enforcement for ads and commerce by next week.
“If we see abuse around these products in organic posts, we'll remove those, too,” Leathern said.
Earlier this month, Facebook committed to banning ads for face masks. As of Thursday, however, ads for such products were still appearing on the social giant’s flagship platform.
Around the world, public officials have pleaded with citizens to stop stockpiling face masks, which have become scarce among medical professionals and first-responders.
However, consumers seem committed to acquiring the increasingly precious products. Indeed, nearly half (47%) of consumer clicks went to ads for face masks during the first two weeks in March, according to data from Kantar.
Policymakers are going after tech giants for not controlling the distribution of essential medical products.
Earlier this week, two Senate Democrats urged the Federal Trade Commission to go after Google for failing to enforce its own ban on ads for face masks.
“Google has made repeated representations to consumers that its policies prohibit ads for products such as protective masks,” Sens. Brian Warner (D-Virginia) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) said in a letter sent to the FTC. “Yet the company appears not to be taking even rudimentary steps to enforce that policy, such as easily automated and scalable actions, like flagging ads with relevant terms in the outbound URL.”
Facebook is going to great lengths to position itself as an ally in the global fight against COVID-19.
Among other efforts, Facebook just committed to promoting related news and updates from the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control, and local health and government organizations.


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Today Motorola showed off its upcoming smart watch, the Moto 360, which uses Google’s new version of its Android software for wearable devices, Android Wear. Though I haven’t yet seen the Moto 360 in person, I’m intrigued by the first images released and Motorola’s description of how the company approached building a smart watch, which included both old and new elements.
Motorola says it committed to keeping the overall shape and look of a traditional watch, with a circular face mostly free of mechanical buttons, and the device comes in numerous styles. At the same time it offers the Google Now assistant app and alerts when e-mails, calls, and social-network updates come in.
It actually sounds a bit like the kind of smart watch I was yearning for when I examined several of them last year (see “So Far, Smart Watches Are Pretty Dumb”)–good-looking, easy to read, and, if Google Now works as it does on a smartphone, easy to interact with via voice and capable of offering intelligent alerts. My main concerns would be how well the device can handle background noise that might prevent it from properly recognizing your words, and whether there are other ways to navigate the device besides issuing verbal commands.
We’ll find out more details tomorrow when Motorola hosts a Google+ hangout with the Moto 360’s head designer, Jim Wicks. You can register for the hangout, too, if you’re interested.
Google detailed Android Wear in a separate post on its own blog today. We first heard about the project from Sundar Pichai, Google’s Android head, on March 9 at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas (see “New SDK Shows Google Really Wants to Get on Your Body”). Google says it will let developers integrate Android applications and Google Now into all kinds of wearable devices (smart watches being just the first category) and will also provide the ability to control gadgets beyond your smartphone (such as your TV) from your wearable device.
In addition to Motorola–which Google is in the process of selling to Lenovo–Google says it’s working with companies including Asus, HTC, LG, Samsung, Intel, Qualcomm, and Fossil Group (which worked on an ill-fated smart watch with Microsoft 10 years ago) to release Android Wear smart watches this year.
In addition to clever design work and improvements in components, I have a feeling Android Wear may help deliver some of the major pieces needed to bring smart watches closer to the mainstream. We’ll get a better sense of that in the near future, as Motorola says Moto 360 will be available this summer.
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Car-sharing service set to launch in Columbus on Oct. 26
Car2Go CEO Nicholas Cole is in Columbus today, promoting the car-sharing service that will launch here later this month.
Registration for Columbus users has been open on the company’s website for about a week, but the Austin-based company’s fleet of SMART cars won’t be available here until Oct. 26.
Here’s how it works:
- Users register an account with a credit card and receive an electronic key that allows them to enter the vehicles.
- Once inside, drivers tap a pin into an onboard touch screen that readies the vehicle for startup. Riders are charged based on the amount of time spent in the vehicle.
- It also requires a one-time $35 registration fee, but the company is offering free registration to early adopters by using the promo code “CBUS.”
“You only pay for what you use,” Cole said.
Cars can be located and reserved using the company’s website or a mobile app. The company will have about 50 cars on the ground in Columbus by Oct. 26, with as many as an additional 200 coming by the end of the year, he said.
For more information, click here.


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Boo hoo! The Japanese yen got clobbered by its higher-yielding counterparts as risk appetite surged yesterday. Its only win was against the safe-haven U.S. dollar as USD/JPY closed 4 pips below the 76.00 handle. Read on to find out whether the yen could get back on its feet today or not.
The announcement of the euro zone debt deal, along with strong economic figures from the U.S., brought risk appetite back in the markets yesterday and led traders to dump the lower-yielding Japanese yen. It didn't help that Japan was off to a poor start as they released weaker than expected retail sales data during the Asian session. The report showed that consumer spending dipped by an annualized 1.2% in September instead of staying flat. Now that can't be good, considering retail sales already slipped by 2.6% year-over-year during the previous month!
That was probably why the BOJ decided to keep interest rates at their current low levels during their monetary policy decision. They even decided to add 5 trillion JPY to their asset purchase program in order to boost the Japanese economy. However, this was actually a disappointment for some market participants since they expected more aggressive action from the central bank. Some were even counting on a currency intervention since USD/JPY is lingering at its post-war lows.
The BOJ also downgraded their growth forecasts as they now expect the Japanese economy to expand by only 2.2% in 2012 versus the previous forecast of 2.9%. This year, they're expecting a mere 0.3% GDP growth instead of the original forecast of 0.4%. Inflation expectations were also lowered to account for the negative effects of the rising yen on their domestic economy.
Fresh off the press are the household spending, CPI, and industrial production data. The September household spending report chalked up a smaller than expected decline of 1.9% year-over-year versus the consensus of a 3.4% dip. This was also much better compared to the 4.1% slide seen in August. Another notable improvement was the drop in joblessness from 4.5% to 4.3% in September.
However, the Japanese industrial production report came in worse than expected and showed a 4.0% drop, double the projected 2.0% decline for September. These mixed data could dull the yen's shine again today, but watch out for any shifts in risk sentiment to know whether the safe-havens or higher-yielders would end the day with a win.


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Chief Executive Simon Roberts has a long-term plan focused on value as he seeks to change buyers’ perceptions that Sainsbury’s is more expensive than some rivals.
Last month she pledged to invest more than £500million in lower prices to help shoppers deal with inflation as they grow “worried” about their finances.
Tesco, meanwhile, expanded its Aldi price matching campaign to 650 products in April. However, some items have reportedly been removed in recent weeks to raise some prices as costs rise and supplier demand squeezes margins.
Lidl was the cheapest supermarket in May for the sixth straight year, according to which?, closely followed by Aldi.
A basket of 18 items cost £23.55 and £24.6 respectively at discounters, while the same basket at Waitrose – the most expensive supermarket – was £31.85. Analysts and insiders predict that crowded households will increasingly turn to discounters, whose market share data has been growing since December.
Lidl reached a new market share high of 6.9 percent in May, while Aldi achieved another record with 9 percent.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/06/15/sainsburys-escalates-aldi-price-war-bid-keep-cash-strapped-shoppers/ Sainsbury’s escalates Aldi price war in bid to keep cash-strapped shoppers


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- Teeltspecialisten Engeland
- Commercial Support Coordinator (32-40 hours)
- Sr Construction Project Manager
- China country manager
- Commercial Key Account Manager
- Agriculture Sales engineer France & European zone
- Cultivation specialist / Growers for Amerika
- Tissue Culture Lab / Operations Manager
- Area Manager South Germany
- Senior Buyer | Fresh Produce | Ireland
Top 5 -yesterday
Top 5 -last week
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- One of Sweden's largest tomato growers to stop cultivation during winter
- Wasabi grower discovering new greenhouse crops
- UK strawberry grower uses UV-light robot to keep powdery mildew at bay
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- Drones fly through tomato rows in International Greenhouse Challenge
Australian veg industry recognised for charitable contributions
The Foodbank Purple Beret Award acknowledges the fruit and vegetable industry’s support in helping to raise awareness of food insecurity and providing fresh produce to help fight hunger in the community.
The award was presented by Assistant Minister for Social Services and Multicultural Affairs Senator Zed Seselja and was received by AUSVEG Director Mr Geoff Knuckey, PMA Australia-New Zealand CEO Mr Darren Keating and Costa Farms and Logistics General Manager Mr Shanon Williams.
“We are proud to accept this award on behalf of the Australian fresh produce industry, which has doubled its fruit and vegetable donations to Foodbank in the last five years,” said AUSVEG CEO Simon Bolles.
“Australia’s vegetable growers have played a key role in donating excess produce to Foodbank this year, in a bid to help families in need benefit from over-supply in the industry.”
“Despite the many challenges that our growers face, including recent adverse weather events, they have continued to support this valuable cause.”
Foodbank is Australia’s largest hunger relief organisation. Through collaboration with the Australian food and grocery industry, which provides surplus and donated product, Foodbank is able to deliver 166,000 meals per day to 2,400 charities and 1,500 schools for distribution to people in need of food relief.
Last year, Foodbank distributed 33 million kilograms of food and groceries, equivalent to 60 million meals, to Australian welfare agencies, charities and schools. Of this total volume, 9.5 million kilograms were fresh fruit and vegetables, which Foodbank has had some difficulty sourcing in the past.
“One of the biggest challenges facing the Australian vegetable industry is over-supply in the domestic market. To help overcome this issue, Australian vegetable growers have been donating to Foodbank to ensure that their fresh produce goes directly to those who need it most,” said Mr Bolles.
“These donated vegetables have been used in prepared meals, food hampers and emergency parcels, with more than 30 per cent of the food heading to rural and regional areas to support local communities.”
“Australian growers and the Australian vegetable industry are honoured by this recognition and value the opportunity provided by Foodbank to donate fresh produce to families in need. Working with an organisation like Foodbank has helped growers ensure that these families across Australia can access fresh produce and enjoy the high quality, fresh vegetables from our own backyard.”
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- 2022-06-28 Wimbledon strawberries tracked by high-tech sensors
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- 2022-06-28 The age of counting sticky traps will soon be over, thanks to AI and vision systems
- 2022-06-27 “This unique tomato variety is a diamond in the rough”
- 2022-06-23 The Australian digital harvesting solution's yielding has improved productivity from pre-commercial trials
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Tech & Science Researchers at technology giant Amazon are reportedly working on a wearable device that will be able to recognize human emotions from a voice. According to Bloomberg, the project is a collaboration between experts in the Alexa division and Lab126, the development team responsible for designing the Amazon Echo, Kindle and Fire tablets. It is reportedly a “health and wellness” device that is worn on the wrist. Based on internal documents, Bloomberg reported that the product is paired with a smartphone app and uses microphones combined with software to detect an emotional state. The publication said the project is currently codenamed “Dylan” but it remains unclear when, or if, it will be made available. The tech appeared to be similar to a 2017 patent which emerged last year showing how a voice assistant could respond to vocal cues of a user. A diagram showed a human coughing, and Alexa offering to order cough drops with a quick delivery. … [Read more...] about Amazon Wearable Device May Soon Be Able to Read Human Emotions
Tech & Science
Tech & Science The first message sent by Morse code’s dots and dashes across a long distance traveled from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore on Friday, May 24, 1844-175 years ago. It signaled the first time in human history that complex thoughts could be communicated at long distances almost instantaneously. Until then, people had to have face-to-face conversations; send coded messages through drums, smoke signals and semaphore systems; or read printed words. Thanks to Samuel F.B. Morse, communication changed rapidly, and has been changing ever faster since. He invented the electric telegraph in 1832. It took six more years for him to standardize a code for communicating over telegraph wires. In 1843, Congress gave him $30,000 to string wires between the nation’s capital and nearby Baltimore. When the line was completed, he conducted a public demonstration of long-distance communication. Morse wasn’t the only one working to develop a means of communicating … [Read more...] about Morse Code Is 175 Years Old and Still as Useful as Ever
Tech & Science Snapchat Want to play your Snapchat videos backwards , but aren’t sure how? Check out our simple tutorial for reversing Snapchat videos here. I’ve been an avid user of Snapchat for several years now, and while the company is always finding new and innovative ways to keep its userbase interested, I’m in constant awe of the ways in which the community takes Snapchat’s many features and finds ways to elevate their use to a whole new level. While Snapchat’s latest gender-swap filter was all the rage last week, this week the backward or reverse recording feature is taking center stage. While the video reversing Snapchat filter has been around for several years, apparently no one has spent much time exploring just what you can achieve with it. That is, until this week. In a viral trend on social media, Snapchat users are urging their friends to record themselves saying the words “Sigh name cuff” and then play it … [Read more...] about How to Play Snapchat Videos in Reverse
Tech & Science Smart technology Walmart Memorial Day 2019 is nearly here and retailers like Walmart are ready to offer consumers deep discounts on their favorite Smart TV brands. Find out all the best deals and price cuts available through May 27, here. For most Americans, Memorial Day means summer has finally arrived. While teachers and kids rejoice at the much-needed reprieve, friends and family look forward to the holiday as a chance to spend quality time with those they care about. Regardless of what your holiday plans may be, one thing is certain: Memorial Day is also a great time for bargain shopping. Many retailers offer deep Memorial Day discounts on everything from electronics to swimming pools. This Memorial Day, Walmart is slashing prices on some of its most coveted items: Smart TVs. While many might consider Black Friday to be the ultimate shopping day, some of the deals Walmart is rolling out this Memorial Day are beating even the best Black … [Read more...] about Walmart Memorial Day TV Sale 2019: Best Deals On Smart TVs
Tech & ScienceWe measure stuff all the time—how long, how heavy, how hot, and so on—because we need to for things such as trade, health and knowledge. But making sure our measurements compare apples with apples has been a challenge: how to know if my kilogram weight or meter length is the same as yours. Attempts have been made to define the units of measurement over the years. But today—International Metrology Day —sees the complete revision of those standards come into play.You won’t notice anything—you will not be heavier or lighter than yesterday—because the transition has been made to be seamless.Just the definitions of the seven base units of the SI (Système International d'Unités, or the International System of Units) are now completely different from yesterday.How we used to measureHumans have always been able to count, but as we evolved we quickly moved to measuring lengths, weights and time.The Egyptian Pharaohs … [Read more...] about The Definition of a Kilogram Has Changed. Here’s Why.


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Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners’ acquisition of Barcroft Apartments in Arlington, Virginia was named 2021’s “Best Financing Deal” by the Washington Business Journal. The monumental transaction closed in December 2021 and is financed via a public-private partnership between Jair Lynch, Amazon Housing Equity Fund and Arlington County. Arlington County loaned $150 million and provided additional financing tools. Amazon committed $160 million in a low-interest loan from the Amazon Housing Equity Fund to support the preservation of the neighborhood’s affordable housing stock. The deal ensures 1,334 units on the 60-acre site will remain affordable with rents up to 60% Area Median Income (AMI) for 99 years. No current residents will be displaced as a result. Hogan Lovells represented Jair Lynch in this transaction.
For the full transaction story, check out the press release here: Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners Completes Acquisition of Barcroft Apartments with Backing by Amazon and Arlington County


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Survey: 82 percent of smartphone shoppers conduct ‘near me’ searches
Over 90 percent of survey respondents also said they were likely to click on the first set of results.
This fact is well established by multiple surveys and behavioral studies over the past several years. Google has said formally and informally at different points that “local intent” search constitutes 30, 40 and even 50 percent of mobile queries. The current official number is 30 percent.
Regardless, the company has also publicized the massive growth in “near me” queries. Many of those queries also carry buying signals, such as “can I guy” or “to buy.”
On Monday, Uberall released data from a new “Near Me Shopping Report.” The survey consisted of responses from more than 1,000 smartphone owners in the US and was conducted between July 23 – 27, 2018. It found that 69 percent of smartphone owners use their devices to help them shop (other surveys have found larger numbers). Of that group 82 percent had done “near me” searches (92 percent for Millennials).
According to the survey, this was the hierarchy of near me query categories:
- Food — 84 percent
- Entertainment — 56 percent
- Banking — 50 percent
- Apparel — 41 percent
- Persona care — 38 percent
For retail-specific lookups, smartphone shoppers were doing the following:
- Product research — 63 percent
- Price comparisons — 62 percent
- Search for coupons/deals — 56 percent
- Store hours — 54 percent
- Store locations — 52 percent
In terms of this retail search category, mobile consumers were looking for:
- Specific store/retailer — 48 percent
- Product category nearby — 29 percent
- Specific brand nearby — 23 percent
The survey also revealed that 60 percent of mobile users were “very likely” to click on the “first two to three search results they saw.” Overall more than 90 percent were “likely” to click on the first set of results. (No surprise there.)
As interesting as some of these numbers are, the survey doesn’t really tell us anything new. It confirms, however, that mobile consumers use smartphones to navigate the real-world and that an optimized and visible presence in search results really matters.
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.


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Soft drink industry experts predict the blending of artificial sweeteners for sugar replacement will be designed as the “foods of tomorrow.” They project manufacturers will continue to blend the various chemical sweeteners available (such as aspartame and sucralose) until they find the perfect mix for taste and shelf life. Just think: one day we may not be able to tell what’s real and what’s not unless we read the label with our chemistry books in hand.
Remember, for the past fifty years we’ve been told margarine is good for us? Now we are horrified to learn its trans-fatty acids damage our arteries. Now, the brave nutritionists, researchers and doctors who knew this from the beginning are hoarse from warning consumers all these years. Well, here we go again! Soft drinks and colas are merely a case of “mix n’ match” chemistry now a days. In essence, you are drinking a chemical cola!
In the past, we basically had two choices of alternative sweeteners: saccharin or aspartame. Today, with the ever-growing number of chemical sweeteners being formulated to satisfy our unquenchable taste buds, the possibilities of new chemical sweeteners is almost endless – but what will these “test tube wonders” do once they enter our bodies? Heed the warnings…
A partial list of the chemicals used in modern-day sweeteners includes: sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame-K, sorbitol, xylitol, high fructose corn syrup, and even cyclamates (a blast from the past: yes, cyclamates may come back. Cyclamates are still used in Canada and Europe and a petition for their return to the US has been filed with the FDA. ).
The two newest and most influential low-cal sweeteners are sucralose and acesulfame K. Interestingly, they originally gained popularity touting their superiority to aspartame’s toxic chemicals, and now are quietly blended with it.
So bottom’s up. I’ll have another chemical cola, please!


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In Ex-Communist Bloc, World's Big Automakers See New Plants, Markets
Wages are far below those paid in the US and West Europe. Yet in East European nations, such as Czechoslovakia and eastern Germany, workers are well-educated.
WITH the opening of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communist control of Eastern Europe, people have flooded West looking for new opportunities. Western carmakers, however, are making a dash in the other direction. Within the last year, General Motors, Fiat, Volkswagen, and Ford, among others, have committed to investments that could eventually reach $10 billion, or more, behind the once-impenetrable Iron Curtain.
It's a long-term strategy that could, in the short-term, drain their bottom lines, but the payoff could prove tremendous, especially if Eastern European demand for new cars ever approaches the size of the Western European market.
The latest deal was signed by General Motors Corporation earlier this month, a tentative joint venture with Czechoslovakia's Bratislavske Automobilove Zavody. If the deal goes through, the partners will produce 250,000 transmissions a year for export to Western Europe, and 15,000 Opel Kadetts for sale in Czechoslovakia.
General Motors also has ties to Wartburg, one of the biggest carmakers in what had been East Germany, the land some observers believe to be the prize of Eastern Europe - both as a market and as a venue for manufacturing partnerships.
It is ``the center of Europe,'' according to Volkswagen Chairman Dr. Carl Hahn. Mr. Hahn has spearheaded a 5 billion-deutsche-mark (US$3.3 billion) joint venture with IFA, the company that built the smoke-belching Trabant. IFA used to employ 11,800 workers to make only 200 cars a day.
But VW, like other Western carmakers, is looking for other opportunities. It is in a bidding war with French automaker Renault, for example, to land a deal with Czechoslovakia's other auto company, Skoda.
And the list continues. Ford plans to invest $80 million in a Hungarian plant that will produce auto ignition systems. And Italy's Fiat S.p.A. is talking deals with just about any Eastern European carmaker it can find. It has taken a role in Polish and Soviet projects scheduled to build more than 1.2 million cars a year. Japan's Suzuki Motor Company has bought a 30 percent stake in a Hungarian company, with the goal of building as many as 100,000 subcompacts a year.
Why all the excitement?
Wages, for one thing, are far below those paid workers in the United States and West European car plants, and even rival the modest labor costs in South Korea. Yet in many of East European countries, particularly Czechoslovakia and eastern Germany, workers are well-educated and well-trained.
The wage gap isn't likely to remain so wide forever, for the goal of the newly-freed nations is to rapidly raise their living standards.
For that reason, much of the initial investment, such as GM's deal with Bratislavske Automobilove Zavody, is aimed at obtaining components imported from East European plants in exchange for much-needed hard currency.
Eventually, however, that should help expand the new car market in these emerging nations. More cars would give East Europeans more mobility, something of a symbol of their new political freedom.
The promise for enlarged demand was clearly demonstrated in the first year after the opening of the Berlin Wall, when a million automobiles were registered by East German drivers, four times as many as normal. Most were used cars imported from the West, but the implications were clear.
Currently, there are 11 cars per 100 citizens in Eastern Europe, about a third as many as in the European Community, and a fifth the number of cars per capita in the US.
If the car population were just to double, says David Nash, analyst with Autofacts Inc., that would create a potential market for 28 million new vehicles in the East - not including the vast Soviet market.
That isn't going to happen overnight, however, and indeed, some observers are recommending caution. Some plants are unusable. There is an inadequate network of parts suppliers. East European managers and workers have a lot to learn about quality production. It will take years, they warn, to rewrite communist-inspired laws restricting private ownership and the expatriation of profits. And many early ventures have been snagged in a mire of red tape. Ford, for example, had been hoping to launch a massive manufacturing venture with the Soviet Union early in 1989, but the deal was fouled by problems such as Soviet reluctance to allow Ford to expatriate profits.
Still, virtually everyone agrees, there is a need to stake out a presence - if for no other reason than to ensure future market share if and when the Eastern market really does take off.


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Science industry leaders joined online publisher SelectScience® to celebrate the Seals of Quality program, designed to further help scientists make important purchasing decisions.
Seals of Quality recognize the top 0.1% of laboratory products that consistently receive the highest customer review ratings and are designed to enable scientists worldwide to see at a glance the instruments and services their peers love the most. The program has been praised as providing “invaluable” information for scientists.
At a special presentation ceremony hosted by Arif Butt, CEO and Co-Founder of SelectScience, and Editor, Lois Manton O’Byrne, at Lab Innovations 2019, Birmingham, UK, five winners of a coveted SelectScience Seal of Quality were celebrated.
Two manufacturers were presented with Gold Seal of Quality awards:
The latest manufacturers to receive a Silver Seal of Quality award were:
Malvern Panalytical was also awarded a special Seal of Quality as the Lab Innovations exhibitor that received the most reviews from scientists during the month of October.
Seals of Quality are allocated in line with strict criteria based on the quantity of reviews a product has received and the average rating of those reviews. There are four levels: Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze. SelectScience has now awarded Seals of Quality to over 30 lab products. These top-rated products are used in research across the scientific spectrum, but they all have one thing in common — the scientists using them absolutely love them.
“As we mark a fantastic first year for the Seals of Quality, we’re delighted to be joined by some of the leading scientific manufacturers who have really embraced this celebration of excellence and seen the value of cultivating customer feedback through a trusted, independent platform,” said Lois Manton-O’Byrne.
Arif Butt added: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our reviewers around the world for sharing their valuable opinions and also to congratulate the Seal of Quality winners, who have been recognized by the people who matter most, their customers.”
Know a product that deserves a Seal of Quality? Write a review today >>
For further information about the Seals of Quality program and how to win a Seal of Quality, click here


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Archive - Dan Pearson
European Deputy Editor
Dan Pearson joined Eurogamer in 2006 before moving over to GamesIndustry in 2010. He covers all areas of the business and spends much of the rest of his time feeling old and killing dwarves in poorly constructed fortresses.
Page 1 of 72 (1798 items) Next Page »
Yesterday Agencies monitor individuals, recruit players and record conversations
Yesterday LCS competitors now "free to stream any games they want"
Yesterday Founders drop channels as they decide to "be Penny Arcade"
4 days ago $50 a month maximum for under 15s, 16-19 year olds can spend $200
5 days ago Rules of championship contract forbid DOTA, Starcraft broadcasts
5 days ago "100,000 signatures doesn't mean 100,000 sales."
7 days ago PlayMob curating video hub for game-related giving
7 days ago European and South American launches push console past milestone
8 days ago Console is regions fastest ever selling, outsells Wii U LTD
14 days ago Andrew Eades takes sole ownership of a leaner company looking to rebuild
18 days ago London launch event "does not represent Microsoft's endorsement of KSI's personal views." [UPDATE: KSI rep responds, "Sexism is not something he condones or wants to be associated with"]
19 days ago "I can only apologise in advance to anybody who is let down before Christmas," says Xbox boss Phil Harrison
21 days ago EGX and EGX Rezzed booked for September and March, 2014
22 days ago Low taxes and vibrant start-up culture tempt Supercell owner
25 days ago "On Xbox One games are games," Microsoft confirms
25 days ago Firmware update puts strain on US and Canadian network
25 days ago But Dwango Co. share buy is ad-related, not content
26 days ago 45 million Ruzzle downloads attract attention of mobile investor
Opinion 27 days ago Critical Consensus: Resogun impresses, Killzone maintains, Knack disappoints
27 days ago How Finland's capital hopes to grow even more Supercells and Rovios
27 days ago Digital codes available from online retailer
27 days ago Chinese revenues up by 46% as online games reap rewards
28 days ago Revenues up, but increased R&D widens bottom-line gap, year on year
28 days ago New shopfront will offer large collection of discounted titles
29 days ago Logistical issues put microconsole head to head with PS4


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BMW, VW, Daimler and Ford to build 400 fast charging stations in Europe
Four big car makers have created a joint venture under the name Ionity with the objective to build about 400 fast charging stations all over Europe by 2020. The point is to have one charging point each 120 km.
One year ago, BMW, Volkswagen, Daimler and Ford signed a memorandum for the construction of a fast charging station network. On Friday, the four big car makers created a joint venture named Ionity, based in Munich.
20 fast chargers this year
The four manufacturers’ objective is to have build about 400 fast charging stations all around Europe by 2020. “The first European High-Power Charging (HPC) network will play an essential role in the creation of the electric vehicle market”, declared the chairman of the board Michael Hajesch.
Twenty stations will be built by the end of this year and only three countries have been confirmed, namely Austria, Germany and Norway. The end point is to have one fast charging point each 120 km.
Currently not in Belgium
There is currently no further information about the different places chosen by Ionity for its fast charging points, but Belgium should normally play a small role. The country is ideally placed on the cross roads of the Netherlands, Germany and France. “We are currently in the market study phase”, explained Ionity.
“These charging points will charge cars three times faster than the current ones and they will be multi-system”, explains Belgian Daimler communication director Helen Van Nuffelen. The charging points will be equipped with the European standard Combined Charging System sockets, compared to Tesla’s superchargers that are equipped with Type 2 standards sockets.
The first stations will be built in partnership with Tank & Rast, Circle K and OMV and about a hundred stations should be realized in 2018. This network is there to support the car makers’ electric ambitions.
Volkswagen has completely revised its future plans after dieselgate and now invests massively in electric power. VW declared that by 2025 25% of its cars will be electric, or about 2 to 3 million cars each year. Still in the VW Group, Porsche and Audi are also investing in electric power.
“If there’s an electric car boom, we’ll need more charging points”, insists Martin Gillet from Tesla Club Belgium. “Fossil fuel providers, municipalities and even private actors such as retail chain Delhaize are playing a role”, he explains, “but in the day to day life, electric car users can still charge at home”.
Behind this impressive announcement from big European car manufacturers lurks the desire to reassure buyers because range anxiety in combination with price is still one of the biggest obstacles to electric car sales.


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A big garbage dump in the Meadowlands is going to be developed into an e-commerce industrial park.
Companies, such as Amazon and other online retailers, use these specialized warehouses to move their goods out to the consumer. And strong internet sales are driving double digit growth in this sector of the real estate market.
The 718-acre Kingsland Tract, a former landfill that stretches into Lyndhurst, Rutherford and North Arlington, was purchased for $42.5 million by Russo Development and Forsgate Industrial Partners.
The two buyers won a competitive bidding process in June 2015 to be able to buy the site. Their plan is to build Kingsland Meadowlands, a new logistics e-commerce development of up to six buildings totaling more than 3 million square feet of industrial space.
The property, which was owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, has been the subject of redevelopment for decades. It even had the attention of Donald Trump, who in November 2007 promised to build a world-class golf course there.
The property then was known as EnCap, and its redevelopment plan consisted a mix of residences and the golf course. Trump stepped in to bail out EnCap after it became mired in financial troubles. But the project fell apart anyway in May 2008 when the NJSEA terminated its agreement with EnCap Golf Holdings because it missed clean-up targets.
Now, 11 years later, the site finally has another plan in place for redevelopment.
“Back when the EnCap project was proposed it was hard not to support a project that was transforming closed old landfills into golf courses with a resort style conference hotel,” said Jim Kirkos, president of the Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce.
“In order to make the economics of their investment work, the developer wanted to build a significant amount of residential housing which eventually was not approved because those units would be built on the landfills.”
“Fast forward to today where a very reputable partnership of developers...will build warehouse and logistics facilities on the Kingsland Property that are currently in very high demand for this region,” Kirkos said.
Russo and Forsgate are both already invested in the Meadowlands. Russo has completed more than 8 million square feet of industrial projects in the Meadowlands. And Forsgate owns and manages more than 3 million square feet of industrial buildings in the area.
“The Meadowlands submarket is one of the strongest industrial/warehouse markets in the United States, and the opportunity to build this project in such an outstanding location is a great accomplishment for not only our companies, but for the region that we have helped develop over the course of more than 100 years of combined history,” said Edward Russo, CEO of Russo Development, whose company, along with Forsgate Industrial Partners, has been active in the Meadowlands since the 1960s. Both are in their second generation of family management.
Alex Klatskin, a general partner at Forsgate, said the idea for an e-commerce development came from demand they’re seeing from prospective tenants in the market.
“They’re not looking for traditional warehouse space,” he said. Their needs are different in that they require the proximity to Manhattan, 24/7 operations, an excessive amount of parking for both cars and trucks because they have a lot of vehicles coming and going.
“One of the great things about the site is there’s no conflict with residential areas,” Klatskin said. “From New York to Kingsland you don’t pass one house. That makes everyone happy.”
The first building is expected to be completed in 2021 and then one building per year is expected to be added after that, he said.
The ancillary parcels around the site might be used for solar energy production, recreation or smaller buildings.
“There’s a lot of land out there,” Klatskin said. “We’re going to take the big bites first and then see what comes a long.”
Allison Pries may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org. Follow her on Twitter @AllisonPries. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.
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Dubai to host 200 Nigerians during DSF 2016
The Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) will host 200 Nigerians during the upcoming Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2016 in a bid to strengthen ties with this influential tourism source market.
The corporation’s regional director, Africa international operations, Stella Obinwa, said paid-for trips to Dubai would be given to loyal Nigerian tourists who frequently visit the city to holiday and shop.
She was speaking as the DCTCM attended the recent Akwaaba Travel Expo in Lagos for the first time where Obinwa and key tourism industry stakeholders promoted Dubai as a “must-visit destination in 2016 with incredible new shopping and family experiences including the shopping festival”.
Obinwa said the DCTCM would “support Nigerian travel agencies and all airlines” to bring more Nigerians to DSF 2016, which will be staged from January 1 to February 7.
Emirates operates three flights daily from Nigeria to Dubai, augmented by additional flights from within the region operated by Ethiopian Airlines. Etihad Airways, Rwanda Airways, Kenya Airways, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines and Royal Air Maroc also operate services that link Nigeria to Dubai.
Obinwa said Nigeria was one of Dubai’s best-performing tourism source markets in Africa with more than 300,000 visitors from the country reported in 2014.
Nigerian tourists also helped drive a 10% surge in consumer spending in the UAE in the first three quarters of 2015 compared to the same period last year, a new report on consumer spend by payment solutions provider Network International found.
Qataris and Nigerians spent the most in the UAE during Q3, with year-on-year hikes of 67% and 38% respectively,
“When it comes to shopping, nobody does it better than the Nigerians and when it comes to shopping destinations, nobody does this better than Dubai,” said Obinwa.


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Google has recently unveiled its plans to broaden its support for real-money games (RMG) on the Play Store throughout the year. The initiative involves allowing a wider range of game types within the category, all while adhering to local laws and regulations.
The expansion of real-money gaming support is set to kick off in June, starting with India, Brazil, and Mexico. Google has outlined its intention to extend this program to additional countries in the future.
In conjunction with this move, Google is contemplating a revised service fee model for subscriptions and in-app purchases associated with real-money gaming. While specific details regarding the fee structure remain undisclosed, Google emphasizes ongoing collaboration with developers to align the new approach with the diverse earning models prevalent in the industry.
Google has already permitted real-money gaming apps that conform to local regulatory frameworks. The recent policy shift signals a departure from this approach, allowing for the inclusion of more types of real-money gaming apps that may be legal but lack specific regulations.
“Based on the learnings from the pilots and positive feedback from users and developers, Google Play will begin supporting more RMG apps this year, including game types and operators not covered by an existing licensing framework,” the company said in a blog post.
The journey towards integrating real-money gaming apps on the Play Store began in 2021, with a pilot program in India allowing fantasy sports and Rummy apps. This initiative continued into 2022, with an extension granted to approved apps until January 15. The latest announcement extends this grace period for pilot apps until June 30.
A pivotal aspect of this expansion is the consideration of a new service fee structure for real-money games. This shift is integral to the Play Store’s revenue stream, particularly as Google faces global scrutiny regarding developers’ ability to utilize alternative payment methods. The company currently offers a 4% discount on service fees through its user-choice billing program, initially piloted in 2022 and still limited to select partners.
“We are working closely with developers to ensure our new approach reflects the unique economics and various developer earning models of this industry. We will have more to share in the coming months on our new policy and future expansion plans,” Google said.
Google plans to release detailed policies in the coming months, outlining the changes and incorporating safeguards such as age limits and geo-restrictions. These measures aim to strike a balance between fostering a diverse real-money gaming landscape and ensuring responsible and compliant app offerings on the Play Store.


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Statement by Journalism Online Co-Founders in Response to American Press Institute Findings
Institute Report Comes as Journalism Online Passes 1,000 Affiliate Milestone
New York, September 14, 2009—Journalism Online, LLC, co-founder Steven Brill said that the results of a study released today by the American Press Institute (API) reporting that nearly 60% of American newspapers are "actively considering" initiating some form of paid access for their online content "is absolutely consistent with what we are finding in the United States and around the world." Brill added, "In fact, we think the proportion is already higher and that it's growing literally every day."
"In August, we announced that more than 500 newspapers, magazines and online-based news sites in the United States and around the world had signed Letters of Intent with us," said co-founder Gordon Crovitz. "Just one month later, we have passed 1,000, reaching more than 100 million online users, and the pace is accelerating." A key factor, Crovitz added, is that publishers have concluded that this is not an either/or choice between advertising revenue and circulation revenue. He said, "Publishers are focused on the revenue potential of a mix of free and paid access to their sites, with the 'freemium' approach increasingly popular."
The API's findings indicated publishers were "seriously considering 11 of 15 different options of which pay models to implement," Brill added. "That flexibility and diversity is also consistent with our view, which is why our Reader Revenue Platform™ has 16 different options for publishers."
"Publishers are crafting their strategies, from charging based on usage, to identifying content just for subscribers, to launching entirely new products," Crovitz said. "Affiliates will adjust our platform's 16 dials as they learn what works best for each site."
Journalism Online also recently announced that it will serve non-profit publishers by allowing readers to use their Journalism Online accounts to donate to their favorite organizations.
About Journalism Online, LLC
Founded in April 2009 by experienced media executives Steven Brill, Gordon Crovitz, and Leo Hindery, Jr., Journalism Online, which has more than 1,000 affiliate newspapers, magazines and news sites, will enable news publishers to generate new revenues from readers and distributors for their digital content and to restore the optimal mix of circulation and advertising revenue necessary to finance original reporting and editing. Journalism Online, whose services launch this fall, is pioneering the effort to make the transition to a paid online model successful for publishers while giving readers easy access to the news they want, when they want it, on the web and through other forms of digital distribution. For more information: www.journalismonline.com.


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Kolkata based Duncans Industries (DIL) has emerged as a totally tea plantations company after a long six years when it filed its case in BIFR. Now the G P Goenka-controlled company is ready to turn the corner. Production capacity of Duncans Tea is 15 million kg and the company wants increase it substantially.
The company has informed BSE that its sales turnover for Q1 FY13 (ending Jun 12) was Rs 24.79 crore and net loss for tha same quarter was Rs 2.75 crore. Last year in the same quarter the sales turnover was Rs 29.99 crore and net profit was Rs 0.61 crore.
The demerger of the fertilizer division, in keeping with the BIFR scheme, has helped bring down the negative networth from Rs 1,098 crore to Rs 14 crore.
The scheme also contemplates restructuring of its share capital, and infusion of equity funds from the promoters.
In accordance with the sanctioned scheme, the fertilizer disvision was demerged to Kanpur Fertilisers & Cement Limited (KFCL), an equal joint venture with the Jaypee Group and 55,000 fixed deposit holders of the company have also been paid their dues, as per the BIFR rehabilitation scheme.Share’s Data :-
BSE Code : 590063
Mkt. Cap : Rs 53.89 Crores
Duncans Industries Ltd. share’s CMP is Rs 10.13 on 3th Aug 2012.
Stay tuned to Fertilizer News Blog
for more news on Duncans Industries Limited !


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Updated Nov. 1, 2023 12:02 am ET
The global semiconductor industry is bottoming out, executives say, signaling a rebound in some areas of technology and providing relief for the U.S. government, which is spending billions on expanding chip production.
In recent weeks, executives at Intel, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Samsung Electronics have expressed confidence that the worst is over for the chip industry, which had been in a prolonged slump.
Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8


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GelaSkins recently released an array of sweet stickers for Apple laptops. If you're looking for a way to make your system stand out, this could be just the ticket.
Join CNET for an exclusive interview with Google Lunar XPrize teams
Five representatives from the finalist Milestone teams told us how they plan to get to the moon and win $30 million next year. Catch up on this exclusive CNET event.


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Austin indie studio ArtCraft Entertainment has formed a new division to provide fellow game devs with the tools and tech to create their own MMO titles.
Dubbed ArtCraft Technologies (ACT), the new opening will be led by veteran MMO developer Josef Hall, who's worked on various titles including Wizard101, Pirate101, and Shadowbane.
ACT's tech will be based on the Artisan Engine -- used in the studio's flagship MMO, Crowfall -- and will purportedly pack a "robust" feature set designed to handle everything from networking and physics to procedural world generation and dynamic world editing.
"Essentially, the Artisan Engine provides all the interlocking systems that make a virtual world tick," explained company president Gordon Walton.
"Online game budgets have skyrocketed, with development teams of 100+ and schedules that stretch up to seven years. A significant portion of that time is spent reinventing the wheel. We can shortcut that effort, saving devs $10+ million and shaving two to three years off their schedule"


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A Northamptonshire-based company is going from strength to strength with the launch of a newly designed website.
Scotts of Thrapston has a reputation for manufacturing high-quality, specialist timber products including summerhouses, stables, pavilions, timber doors, windows, bespoke joinery, roof trusses and education buildings.
Scotts’ redesigned site provides optimised viewing on any device whether it be desktop, mobile or tablet, giving 24/7 access to videos, blogs, and an ever-growing number of product case studies.
The website launch is part of a business development strategy as the company experiences a sustained period of growth.
Alongside the new website, the company has invested in new machinery, team expansion, and refurbishment of their offices based in Thrapston as it looks to celebrate it’s centenary in 2020, marking 100 years since the firm was established.
Julia Berrie, marketing manager at Scotts of Thrapston, said: “We are excited to launch an enhanced new website as the company looks to the future.
“As a business, we feel that it’s extremely important to advance with technology in order to provide our customers with a more accessible online experience.
“The new website is easier to navigate, provides an extensive amount of information, and has an array of stunning photography to showcase our growing range of products.
“We are extremely proud of our brand’s heritage and look to maintain that as we combine traditional products and high-quality service with modern technology.”
To view the new website and all it has to offer, visit www.scottsofthrapston.co.uk.


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The earlier rendering of the Fiat Topolino showed its strong connection to the Fiat 500. The new rendering of the Fiat's low cost city car for Europe and Asia brings small cars like the Toyota iQ and..
Honda's mini-Jazz will be manufactured in India and Thailand, but specifically meant for the Indian market. Just like how the Accord was designed for the Americans and the City was built for the Thai..
Hyundai has for the past few years been quietly working on a hatchback that will be placed under the Santro to fulfill the growing needs of developing countries such as India. Autobild has re-created..


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Silverdale, Wash. -- They've struck restaurants and shown up in espresso stands. Commercial retail stores have become victims, as has a dentist's office, a casino, a family hosting a garage sale and an Internet entrepreneur on Craig's List.
Counterfeit money has appeared in Kitsap County over the past several years in certain denominations and for brief periods of time. The current spate of phony bills started to show-up around mid-May, according to compiled data. The most recent report was filed yesterday. While numerous case reports have been initiated with the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office, some containing multiple victims, it's highly likely that there are additional victims who haven't yet reported that they have been saddled with worthless money. They may not realize that they're victims.
What deputies are finding this time around are $5 bills that have been "washed" and then re-printed to appear as if they are a larger denomination, typically a $50 bill. However, that's just a start. Some counterfeiters are proficient enough to be able to wash and re-print money in various denominations: $10, $20 and $100.


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March couldn’t go on without another Tilray-owned brand unveiling plans to expand its product portfolio. SweetWater Brewing Company, Atlanta’s craft beer pioneer and the 10th largest craft brewery in the country, knows very well what its consumers want. That’s why the Tilray-owned company recently announced the release of Gone Trippin’, a West Coast-style India Pale Ale (IPA).
The new beverage has been launched to pay homage to the bold, hoppy beers that the brand brought to the South more than 25 years ago. Gone Trippin’ on draft and in 6-packs and 12-packs of 12-ounce cans will be available nationwide by 2023. The 7% alcohol by volume (ABV) beverage is effectively hopped with Cascade, Centennial, Crystal, Chinook, and Citra varieties.
Consumers who love this quintessential West Coast hop variety will experience bittering notes accompanied by citrus, pine, and floral aromas. All of this is perfectly balanced by a malty backbone and a refreshingly dry finish.
The new beer can be found at SweetWater’s flagship taverns in Atlanta and Fort Collins, CO. Residents of Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia were not left out of the equation either. The canned presentations are available at select retailers, including Total Wine & More, Kroger, Harris Teeter, Ingles, Publix and Lowes Food. More states are expected to enjoy Gone Trippin’ thanks to expanded distribution plans later in the year.
“We crafted this beer as a celebration of the long trip that’s taken us from the West Coast to the Southeast and back again – with many stops in Colorado. We’ve Gone Fishin’ and Gone Phishin’ for years, and now we’re Gone Trippin’. We’re getting back to our roots and absolutely stoked to release this hoppy love letter to Cali, wrapped in a funky tie-dyed can,” said Nick Nock, SweetWater’s head brewer. “Gone Trippin’ is a big, yet easy-drinking beer that’s incredibly balanced. It’s perfectly bitter, it’s hoppy, but it’s also rounded out with a malty sweetness.”


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It has been reported that on just the first day of sales Grand Theft Auto V has gathered $800 million in sales. This number completely shatters the $500 million record help by Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
This goes to show that not only are games still getting better, but also that the gaming industry is still growing. Grand Theft Auto V was already sure to be a huge hit, but no one knew how massive its launch day would be.
I can only hope that Rockstar spends some of this money on porting these games to the next generation consoles so we can all enjoy this game without having to wipe the dust off of our aging systems.
Scrolling through Twitter and Instagram, I saw many of my friends in long lines outside GameStops. Were you one of the millions to do the same? If so, how are you liking the game?
First 24 hour sales highest in history of Take-Two Interactive Software and Grand Theft Auto Series
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sep. 18, 2013– Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO) today announced that Grand Theft Auto V delivered the highest first day retail sales of any title in the history of the Company and the Grand Theft Auto series. Launched on September 17 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the title has already received widespread critical acclaim and achieved first day sell-through of more than $800 million worldwide, excluding the upcoming launch in Japan and Brazil, according to Company estimates.
“All of us at Take-Two are thrilled with the initial response to Grand Theft Auto V. Once again, the team at Rockstar Games have outdone themselves, setting the entertainment industry’s new standard for creativity, innovation and excellence,” said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two. “Beginning at midnight on Monday, consumers around the world gathered in anticipation to be among the first to experience the evolution of this remarkable series. In North America alone, more than 8,300 stores opened their doors at midnight to welcome fans whose loyalty and enthusiasm were rewarded with what The New York Times called ‘the most immersive spectacle in interactive entertainment’. We are incredibly proud of Rockstar Games’ creative achievement and could not be more pleased with the success of this launch.”
Following are samples of early reviews:
“No other world in video games comes close to this in size or scope, and there is sharp intelligence behind its sense of humor and gift for mayhem. It tells a compelling, unpredictable, and provocative story without ever letting it get in the way of your own self-directed adventures through San Andreas. It is one of the very best video games ever made.” – IGN, 10/10
“It’s a remarkable achievement, a peerless marriage of world design, storytelling and mechanics that pushes these ageing consoles to the limit and makes it all look easy. As we stand on the brink of a new generation, GTA V sends an intimidating message to the rest of the industry. Beat that.” – Edge, 10/10
“You’ve never seen a game world as thoroughly realized…as irresistible to play as it is to admire.” – Time, 5/5
“GTA V is the culmination of everything we love about the series: It’s big, it’s pretty, and most importantly it’s just nonstop fun.” – Guardian UK, 100%
“One of the pinnacle achievements this generation of games has offered.” – CNET
Developed by series creator Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto V is currently available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The title is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB.
Grand Theft Auto V also includes access to Grand Theft Auto Online, the revolutionary new open world online game launching October 1, 2013 that comes free with every copy of Grand Theft Auto V.
For more information about Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online, please visit http://www.rockstargames.com/V.


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Wrong Normandy, you idiot.
Nokia is still expected to unveil its Android phone this month. Despite the naysayers saying nay, it seems like it'll happen. It's said the reason is that Windows Phone doesn't work well on the low-end phones that are sold in emerging markets.
Who knows how long this will last.
In IT Blogwatch, bloggers utter "fork" and "fragmentation."
Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment.
Channelling "people familiar with the matter," Sven Grundberg, Shira Ovide, and Rolfe Winkler sit on it:
Nokia...plans to introduce this month a smartphone powered by...Android.
...Nokia engineers had been developing the Android phone before Microsoft struck the...$7.4 billion deal...to buy Nokia's handset business. [It] underscores how badly Microsoft and Nokia each miscalculated in the mobile market. [The] Windows Phone operating system doesn't yet work on...low-cost smartphones [which are] big sources of growth.
...It isn't clear whether [this] is a stopgap measure while Microsoft refashions...Windows Phone...to work on lower-priced smartphones. MORE
Matt Hamblen utters the F-word. And the other F-word:
Phones [that] use forked Android...hurt Google's ability to monetize the Android ecostem. ... An Android variant on Nokia devices gives Nokia a lower priced smartphone to get first-time users.
...In the past two years, Google has been increasingly criticized for allowing too much Android fragmentation across the many Android vendors. MORE
And Ron Amadeo adds 2+2:
The new phone is a low-end replacement for Nokia's S40 Asha platform. ... Despite Nokia's Microsoft betrothal, it doesn't have many options for a low-end device targeting developing markets. ... It runs the open source parts of Android with all the Google functionality removed. ... Nokia will also be heavily skinning Android. ... It's also missing typical Android navigation buttons like Home and Recent, with seemingly only a back button for navigation.
...[But] unless Microsoft has a huge change of company policy, this device is firmly in the "dead on arrival" category. ... It released a Meego version of the N9...before immediately abandoning the platform. MORE
DOA? Miku agrees:
Any smartphone currently in development will end up being under Microsoft’s watch. If this is released, expect it to die as fast as the Kin. MORE
Meanwhile, Nancy Gohring puts a fried egg on top:
The presumption is that [it] would run Microsoft and Nokia services, like Bing, Office, and Nokia's Here mapping service...the same model adopted by Amazon.
...Amazon and a fair number of others have realized the benefits of using a forked [Android]. ... 25 percent of Android phones that shipped [are] forked versions, according to ABI. MORE
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Apple is no longer making the iMac Pro, once the most-powerful computer the company offered.
For those looking to get their hands on the all-in-one-Mac, they can still do so for a limited time. The $4,999 standard model can still be purchased on Apple’s website, but only while supplies last. Once existing inventory runs out, the iMac Pro will no longer be available.
Apple released the iMac Pro in 2017, in which it was deemed “the most powerful Mac ever.” The all-in-one computer aimed at creative and professionals features advanced capabilities for graphics and 3D rendering. However, the machine hasn’t gotten any major updates in the past few years.
In August, Apple debuted its 27-inch iMac, which is the go-to iMac option for most customers. The tech company added that the current model can be configured to address the needs of professionals. But for those desiring a boost in performance and expandability, they can choose the Mac Pro — a Mac tower that exceeds the capabilities of the iMac Pro.
Apple is supposedly gearing up a for new release of iMacs this year to replace its 21.5-inch and 27-inch models later this year.
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously indicated that Apple does have plans to bring all-new iMacs, including a refreshed model of iMac Pro. If Apple is gearing to launch the iMac Pro with its own silicon, the discontinuation of the current lineup is justified.
There’s currently no word on when Apple introduces new iMacs in the market. However, some reports indicate that Apple might launch the new iMacs as soon as March this year.


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New owners will continue to service Island farmers
PROVIDENCE BAY – The Manitoulin Island Community Abattoir (MICA) is no more, long live the Limestone Island Abattoir. After sitting on the market for nearly a year, the abattoir in Providence Bay has been sold by the volunteer board to interests headed up by George McGaffin and Andy Stronach (son of auto parts billionaire Frank Stronach) and partners in the French River Cattle Company.
“It will be business as usual,” said Mr. McGaffin of abattoir operations following the sale, but the company hopes to encourage more local producers to “fatten cattle, lambs, whatever” for retail sale. While the abattoir currently does not cut and wrap product, Mr. McGaffin said that service was high on the priority list going forward. “Stage two will be getting into the process of cutting and wrapping.”
The sale was only 15 days out from closing on Monday, but the partners had already had one consultant in to review the business and more are planned for down the road. “We are gathering opinions in preparation for formulating a business plan,” said Mr. McGaffin. The duo is hoping to have the way forward well mapped out in order to implement things “the first two quarters of next year.”
“I think that it is important that we will be developing the brand of our own beef and bison, but we don’t want to neglect the people for whom this facility was built,” he said, adding that even if it would simply be to sell to friends and neighbours, getting more farmers into finishing beef would have a positive impact. Building an Island brand would bring a lot to the table for Manitoulin producers.
“Manitoulin Island is known for so many things,” noted Mr. McGaffin. “That’s why we named our company Limestone Island Abattoir, because the Island is limestone.”
“You can’t give people smoke and mirrors these days,” he said, noting the importance of authenticity in today’s market. “You can’t just put up a couple of arches and say it’s Canadian beef.”
Currently, the abattoir is experiencing an “upside down” financial profile, said Mr. McGaffin. “That’s why we were able to buy the operation. Job one is going to be putting that to rights. You can’t just fix everything by throwing money at it.”
The MICA board had a significant challenge in managing an abattoir, something with which Mr. McGaffin said he could sympathize. “It’s a big ask (of a volunteer board),” he said. “You have six different opinions around the table and every opinion has to be respected, everyone is a volunteer.” Inevitably, some of the board members would want to make decisions based on emotions rather than a solid business case. Passion, while it can be a powerful driving force, is rarely the best arbiter of commerce.


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by Ieva Zu, Founder & Editor, Fashion Bloc
Interesting things are happening in the fashion industry. You may still be talking about the head-carrying models at the Gucci AW 2018 show. The Internet might still be flooded with celebrities interpreting the Catholic imagination in fashion at the MET Gala 2018. And everyone is still hyped about the Givenchy couture wedding dress of the newly married Duchess of Sussex. The mainstream fashion happenings feed us all. But behind the scenes, fashion is boiling something else for us. A new shift in fashion and beyond. Fashion business has always been an accurate representation of the world’s economics and politics. Today, more than ever, we should look beyond the catwalk and the dress to see the new shift in fashion and make sense of it all.
Going East: New Europe
This May has been an interesting wrap-up in the fashion calendar. It has hosted two significantly different and somewhat similar fashion weeks before the start of the new fashion calendar next month. At the beginning of May well-rested fashion elite packed their bags for Tbilisi. The Georgian capital city has been hosting the 7th edition of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tbilisi with catwalk shows, showrooms, presentations and talks featuring such international names as Vogue Talents godmother Sara Maino and the fashion rebel of the decade Gosha Rubchinskiy. Showing local and international designers, Tbilisi has been gaining recognition as the fashion capital of East Europe with all traditional segments of local designers making waves internationally. From Paris-approved Situationist to the Instagram-babe Anouki, Georgia has it all and it’s not all about Demna Gvasalia. Although it would be fair to attribute the Georgian fashion hype due to the professional success of the Vetements founder and Balenciaga’s creative director, if he would have been the only talented designer originating from this Eurasian country, fashion elite would have stopped going to Tbilisi seasons ago. And they still go and find something new to celebrate.
The New Europe is gaining traction of the fashion industry beyond Georgia. Ukraine has established itself as a producer of fashion talent with designers such as Anna K and Konstantin Kofta dominating fashion media pages and Paris multi-brand showrooms hosting dozens of worth-to-watch brands from Ukraine every season. More recently, the launch of Vogue Poland and the upcoming launch of Vogue Czech Republic-Slovakia has marked a new era for the New Europe on the fashion map. Fashion might be a new industry in the former East Bloc countries, but it is there to stay and, one day, dominate the bigger part of that map.
Going further East: Saudi Arabia
This May also welcomed the first edition of the Arab Fashion Week in Saudi Arabia. Dubai has been hosting the Arab Fashion Week for the 6th season now but the fashion event has extended to the more conservative Saudi just now. It has inaugurated itself as the first ever international fashion week of Ready-Couture and Pre-Collections. The event is invite-only for UHNWI female clients, Press and Buyers and concentrates on ‘more relaxed’ couture model. According to the Arab Fashion Council, the fashion week is equally positioned alongside other international fashion weeks and works in collaboration with all. “It has not been something that wasn’t on the table or in the picture. Our fashion council is trying to bring the fashion industry in Saudi Arabia to a whole new level, a whole new industry”, explains Princess Noura Bint Faisal Al-Saud, honorary president of the Arab Fashion Council in Riyadh.
A recent announcement of the newly formed strategic partnership between British Fashion Council and the Arab Fashion Council is just one step at a time for the Arab Fashion Week. Same works for the British – without the support of the European Union, which will be implied by Brexit, BFC has to look for new allies. Saudi and the whole Middle East with its purchasing power and the urge for luxury fashion might be the perfect solution. When financial aid is no longer available, it’s time to look for other business solutions.
We might still call New York, London, Paris and Milan as the big four of fashion, however, the world is wider and more diverse. The big four will not go anywhere but it might well add the two or three more to the list of the fashion capitals. Don’t even get me started on China.


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The results are in and it should be no surprise that millennials are enjoying and seeing the benefits of cannabis.
Results from a Gallup poll published earlier this week found that nearly one in four American between the ages of 18 and 29 say they “regularly” or “occasionally” consume cannabis.
The results are based on phone interviews taken between July 1 and July 11 of 1,033 adults with a margin of error of plus or minus four percent.
The results are up slightly from previous years showing an ever-increasing acceptable toward cannabis, or at least a willingness to be more honest about cannabis use. Gallup poll results from 2015 and 2017 found that 22 percent of 18-29 year-olds answered “yes” when asked whether or not they consume cannabis regularly or occasionally.
The recent findings about cannabis use among millennials is almost double the that of the rest of the population and far exceeds those aged 50 and older who admit to regular or occasional use.
That said, whether or not cannabis is being consumed, in general, cannabis is more widely accepted among all age groups.
The results show that among all ages, cannabis is more popular than smoking cigars, chewing tobacco or using a pipe. People aged 50 to 64 are just as likely to smoke a cigar as they are to consume cannabis.
Results from the same Gallup poll published in a separate release in July found that 82 percent of Americans believe that tobacco is harmful to health whereas only 27 percent believed the same about cannabis. Eighteen percent of respondents said they didn’t believe cannabis consumption was harmful at all.
The same poll found that only 20 percent of Americans regularly or occasionally smoke cigarettes


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Pepsi Max unveils global Beyonce campaign
By Sara Kimberley, campaignlive.co.uk, Thursday, 04 April 2013 03:38PM
Pepsi Max has launched a global ad campaign featuring Beyonce, which will air in the UK from Tuesday.
The "mirrors" campaign launched globally online today across 70 countries.
The campaign by 180 LA features Beyonce’s new track ‘Grown Woman’ and shows the superstar singer in different outfits with various personalities from her past.
They inlcude "Bootylicious" Beyonce, "Sasha Fierce" and "Crazy in Love" Beyonce. As the ad progresses, the singer recreates her most memorable dance moves before being inspired to create a fresh, never-before-seen routine.
The ad was created by Aramis Israel and Julia Tsao. It was directed by Jake Nava through Believe Media.
At the end of last year Pepsi re-signed the pop star as a brand ambassador under its 'Live For Now' campaign.
Beyoncé has worked with Pepsi for more than a decade and has starred in other international campaigns alongside Jennifer Lopez, David Beckham, P!nk and Britney Spears.
Brad Jakeman, president, PepsiCo Global Beverages Group, said: "While this advertising is the first phase of our wide-ranging collaboration, we are also co-developing ways to engage fans around Beyonce’s upcoming 'Mrs Carter Show World Tour' and incubating a lot of other cool creative content together to entertain our fans, create indelible moments and continue to shape pop culture."
This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk
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Mattress Firm to open at Bayshore next week
Mattress Firm, the national franchise chain that entered the market this year, will open another store Wednesday, July 21 at the Bayshore Town Center.
The store at 400 W. Silver Spring Dr. is one of ten that franchise owner Chuck Dawson plans for the state. It will be the fifth location to open, in addtion to stores in Pleasant Prairie, Madison, Brookfield and West Allis.
At the same time, Steinhafel's has been opening competing small mattress stores around the area. Steinhafel's has six standalone mattress stores, including one near Bayshore, across the street from this new Mattress Firm location.
- Meijer store in Sussex to open Tuesday
- National Business Furniture grand opening set for June 14
- Men's retailer Richard Bennett Tailors moving to Brookfield Square from Mayfair
- Bon-Ton Stores Inc. planning to sell, lease back three more stores
- Hallmark aiming for another touchdown: Packer Jordy Nelson is 2016 Keepsake ornament
- Wisconsin's first Akira store opens Friday at Brookfield Square
- Downtown Boston Store's new furniture department debuts Thursday
- Meijer partners with Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin network
- Fox Bros. Piggly Wiggly lands meat contest awards
- TUMI luggage store to open at Pleasant Prairie outlet mall
Retail Business News
Lands' End Inc. on Tuesday said it has promoted a longtime executive to chief marketing officer, quickly filling a post left vacant a month ago.
Named to the position, and to an executive vice president slot, is Becky Gebhardt, formerly chief creative officer with the Dodgeville-based retailer. Gebhardt has been with Lands' End since 1991.
In her new role — a critical one for any retailer — Gebhardt succeeds Steven Rado, whose resignation was disclosed last month in a filing with securities regulators. No reason was given for Rado's departure. Lands' End said in the filing that it planned to search externally for a replacement.
The firm also said Tuesday that it has hired Mike Zhang as vice president for e-commerce, digital marketing and innovation, and promoted Mike Holahan to senior vice president for multichannel marketing. Both men will report to Gebhardt.


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Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. BDS upholds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity.
Este resumen se publicó junto con una declaración del Comité Nacional Palestino de BDS con miras a 2014. Durante 2014, el movimiento de BDS dio un paso más en la corriente principal de la política y vio a las principales instituciones unirse al boicot, señaló la declaración.
Among the sponsors of the Water Festival in L'Aquila, Italy, Sodastream and Veolia, companies complicit with Israeli human rights violations
BDS Italy supports the statement by the Italian Forum of Public Water Movements criticizing the Festival of "privatized" Water being held in L'Aquila, Italy this week.
The international campaign to end Ben & Jerry’s complicity in Israel’s occupation and illegal settlement regime continues to gain momentum. On September 9, Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel (VTJP) released a letter [http://www.vtjp.org/icecream/internatletter.php] to CEO Jostein Solheim signed by 151 civil society organizations. It calls on Ben & Jerry’s “to stand by its Social Mission and to ensure that its products are not
Dutch media reports 2 of country's largest retail chains announce they will not sell more products originating beyond Green Line
Following the European Union announcement regarding official guidelines prohibiting the funding of Israeli bodies and actions beyond the Green Line, it was reported Monday in the Netherlands that at least two large retail chains in the country have stopped selling goods produced in Isra
A professionally-produced video recently appeared on YouTube, taking the viewer on a carefully-constructed tour of the production facilities for the Israeli companySodaStream, manufacturer of carbonated drink machines.
The 8.5-minute video focuses on the firm’s factory located in Mishor Adumim, the industrial zone of the illegal Israeli settlement http://elect
In this latest roundup of news from the global boycott, divestment and sanctions movement:
- Association for Asian American Studies in US unanimously approves academic boycott resolution
- Sussex University students pass referenda to continue boycott of Israeli goods, urge administration to boycott Veolia
- Faculty at Columbia University and Barnard College launch divestment campaign
- Belgian students call for academic boycott
- UC Davis to vote on divestment
- Sodastream protest leads to boycott victory at Milan bar
- Melbourne activists hold boycott action against Sodastream
Most everybody knows that Ben & Jerry’s makes premium ice cream and champions “Peace” and “Love.” What they don’t know is that this socially responsible business and strong supporter of Occupy Wall Street is making ice cream in Israel and selling it in illegal settlements in Occupied Palestine.
Progressive Except for Palestine
Ben & Jerry’s business practices are tethered to a vibrant Social Mission that commits it to
...meet human needs and eliminate injustices in our local, national and international communities by integrating these concerns into out day-to-da
Occupied Palestine, 25 February 2013 – The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), a broad coalition of the largest Palestinian civil society organizations, trade unions, refugee associations and NGO networks, calls on sports merchandize company New Balance and the InterContinental Hotel Group to immediately withdraw sponsorship from the Jerusalem marathon taking place on 1 March 2013.


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Amazon has put up a listing for the Avengers Endgame: Armored Thanos Egg Attack Action Figure, revealing a release date. According to the product page, the Beast Kingdom figurine will be coming out on Nov. 27, 2019, in the U.S. region. If you are interested, you can pre–order the Armored Thanos Egg Attack with this link from the online retailer; furthermore, you can also check out Amazon’s product description and an image of the figurine below.
From Beast Kingdom. With global box office records consistently smashed by Marvel’s Cinematic universe, April 2019 will mark the biggest fight yet for the Avengers. Beast Kingdom is proud to present the ultimate villain, the latest 6-inch egg attack q-version action figure, Armored Thanos from the Avengers: Endgame!
Based on the newest design of Thanos, this cute yet domineering villain faithfully recreates the details of his suit and infinity gauntlet. With high quality textures, metallic paint and sophisticated molding, this version of Thanos features a moveable pair of eyes and more than 27 points of articulation.
Eaa-079 also comes with many accessories including interchangeable faces, giving collectors ample ways to display the figure, as well as multiple pairs of hands for easy posing. With all this, fans can easily set up a variety of Thanos’ Postures from the movie or conjure up new ways for world domination. Don’t miss out on adding the biggest and baddest villain yet in the MCU to your collection!


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Wadebridge-based lingerie boutique, Mish, celebrates its 15th anniversary on Friday (Feb 16).
Founded by Michèle Poynter, Mish offers a comprehensive range of high-quality products tailored to suit all body types, emphasising the “significance of a perfect fit and personalised customer service”.
“From the outset, our goal has been to empower women to feel confident and at ease in their own bodies,” said Poynter.
“Reaching this 15-year milestone is a reflection of our commitment to our valued customers and our passion for providing an inclusive shopping experience.”
To celebrate the anniversary, Mish is hosting a special event at the Wadebridge boutique from February 15-17, featuring exclusive promotions, the introduction of new collections, and personal fitting consultations by appointment.
Mish will also be running a prize draw, with all proceeds going to CoppaFeel!, a charity dedicated to promoting early detection of breast cancer.
Poynter added: “We are delighted to support CoppaFeel! in its vital work towards breast cancer awareness. Participating in our prize draw offers a wonderful opportunity for our customers to win amazing prizes while contributing to a very important cause.
For more information about the anniversary event and how to participate in the prize draw, follow Mish on social media.


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New Delhi: Leading Wi-Fi solutions provider Netgear on Friday launched a new Wi-Fi Mesh product in India, that covers up to 3,750 square feet with blazing-fast speeds of up to 4.2Gbps for over 40 devices.
Available for Rs 35,499, the Orbi RBK752 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh Wi-Fi System (AX4200) will keep the users seamlessly connected as they move inside and outside homes - using one simple network name.
The Wi-Fi 6 will further enable the user to stream 4K/8K UHD movies on multiple devices and a lag-free online gaming experience, while using all of your connected devices at the same time, the company said in a statement.
"With the launch of ORBI RBX752, we are adding another advanced device to our existing portfolio; our latest addition is the best-in-class Wi-Fi 6 Mesh System that comes with the capability of connecting 40+ devices at a go," said Marthesh Nagendra, Country Manager India, ME and Saarc, Netgear.
The device uses a third dedicated Wi-Fi connection between your router and satellites to deliver maximum speeds throughout every square inch of your home, even hard-to-reach places.
The Orbi app can ease the setup for Wi-Fi 6 in the larger homes within a few minutes. The app further enables the user to customise the settings, test/monitor the Wi-Fi speed and control Wi-Fi from anywhere at any time.
"Our new range of routers have been adding value to many homes and we look forward to creating better routers and Wi-Fi 6 Mesh system to provide better Internet speed at every corner of the larger homes and workplaces," said Nagendra.
The equipment, developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics along with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has already been tested to handle 10 million calls simultaneously on a static network. After successful testing on the live network, the broader roll-out will commence, a senior company official said on condition of anonymity.
According to WABetaInfo, the company will bring the new feature to a future update of the app as it is in the developing stage. With this feature, users will be able to transfer chat history to a new device by scanning the QR code.