text:
A test of drone delivery this week by manufacturer AgEagle and startup Valqari successfully delivered food and beverages to golfers while on the course.
Autonomous delivery company Nuro has acquired Ike, a trucking technology startup founded by veterans of Apple, Google and Uber ATG.
Will the coronavirus accelerate contactless delivery services?
The rules are expected to trigger a rush on new commercial delivery pilot projects.
Tune in to the Net-Zero Carbon Summit to hear industry experts discuss strategies to decarbonize the transportation sector.


text:
Northern Light Technologies’ (NLT) newest cap lamp, the Genesis, has received an Intrinsically Safe (IS) certification from the Mine Safety and Health Administration. “What’s exciting about the MSHA approval,” said Heidi Levitt president of NLT Global, “is that mines in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico can now ensure miners who enter underground are being tracked for safety purposes — the tag is enclosed and powered by the Genesis cap lamp. The fact that the Genesis battery is powering the Aeroscout tag means that as long as your lamp is working, you know the tag is, too. No other company offers an IS-approved cordless lamp/tracking tag combination today. And no other company offers the flexibility of tagging choices within a cordless lamp as NLT does with the Genesis, with a selection of RFID and WiFi enabled tags.”
The MSHA approval for Genesis came with the Aeroscout tracking tag installed, but their “tag ready” lamps have also been approved. This means the cap lamp on its own has MSHA approval; if the customer wants to install a tag in the future — the Wavetrend, for example — it may be submitted for MSHA approval.

domain: news


text:
The tech companies have faced severe selling pressure on concerns over the Fed raising rates several times this year to control multi-decade high inflation. While a rising-interest-rate environment could mar the growth of technology companies, it could be wise to consider FAANG stocks, which represent Meta Platforms (FB), formerly known as Facebook, Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Netflix (NFLX), and Alphabet (GOOGL), due to their stable and low-risk nature.
Even though global supply chain disruption could dampen the technology industry’s expansion, increasing demand for advanced technologies amid the accelerating digital transformation should drive its growth.
Given the market dominance of FAANG, analysts are highly optimistic about the near-term performance of AMZN and NFLX. So, it could be wise to add these stocks to your watch list.
Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN)
E-commerce giant AMZN engages in the retail sale of consumer products and subscriptions internationally. It operates through North America; International; and Amazon Web Services.
On March 01, 2022, AMZN announced that its Luna cloud gaming service is now available for all customers in the mainland United States with an expanded library of games and new features. This could lead to increasing demand for its solution.
AMZN’s net sales increased 9% year-over-year to $137.40 billion for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2021. The company’s net income grew 98.6% year-over-year to $14.30 billion. Also, its EPS came in at $27.75, up 96.9% year-over-year.
For fiscal 2023, analysts expect AMZN’s EPS and revenue to increase 49% and 17.2% year-over-year to $72.89 and $634.73 billion, respectively. It surpassed Street EPS estimates in three of the trailing four quarters. Wall Street analysts expect the stock to hit $4,192.55 in the near term, which indicates a potential upside of 37.7%.
Netflix, Inc. (NFLX)
NFLX provides entertainment services. It offers TV series, documentaries, and feature films across various genres and languages. The company provides members the ability to receive streaming content through a host of Internet-connected devices.
On March 2, 2022, NFLX announced that it had entered into a combination agreement to acquire Next Games. Michael Verdu, Vice President of Games, NFLX, said, "We are excited for Next Games to join Netflix as a core studio in a strategic region and key talent market, expanding our internal game studio capabilities.”
NFLX’s total revenue increased 16% year-over-year to $7.72 billion for the fiscal fourth quarter ended December 31, 2021. The company’s net income came in at $607 million, representing a 12% year-over-year increase. Also, its EPS came in at $1.33, up 11.76% year-over-year.
Analysts expect NFLX’s EPS and revenue to increase 30.8% and 12.5% year-over-year to $14.40 and $37.58 billion, respectively, in fiscal 2023. It surpassed the consensus EPS estimates in three of the trailing four quarters. Wall Street analysts expect the stock to hit $511.59 in the near term, which indicates a potential upside of 41.1%.
AMZN shares were unchanged in after-hours trading Thursday. Year-to-date, AMZN has declined -5.69%, versus a -7.14% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.
About the Author: Nimesh Jaiswal
Nimesh Jaiswal's fervent interest in analyzing and interpreting financial data led him to a career as a financial analyst and journalist. The importance of financial statements in driving a stock’s price is the key approach that he follows while advising investors in his articles.2 FAANG Stocks Wall Street Predicts Will Rebound by More Than 33% appeared first on StockNews.com


text:
HPS presents its new Business Innovation Unit
By Edlyn Cardoza
In the continuity of the reorganization of HPS Group implemented on January 1, 2022, the Board of Directors met on February 3rd, 2022, to validate the creation of a new organizational entity: the entity “Business Innovation.”
HPS Group has decided to structure and set up a team dedicated to identifying and developing new business opportunities around payments to support its development plan.
The rapid changes in the payment industry favour the emergence of new players and/or new business models for which the Business innovation Entity will develop solutions and offers adapted around the PowerCARD technology. The Business Innovation entity will carry these new activities until maturity, where the other entities of the Group will then take them over to make them new sources of growth.
The Business Innovation entity will have the following mission:
- Identify new areas of growth around the payment business
- Build complete offers around PowerCARD to address the identified needs and support these new activities until maturity
- At maturity, transfer these activities to other Group entities to bring their development to an industrial scale
- Identify opportunities for external growth to accelerate the launch of new activities within HPS Group
The General Management of the Business Innovation entity is entrusted to Garry Ceaplen.
Garry Ceaplen began his career in the payment industry in 1986 when he joined TSB Trustcard, one of the then leading card issuers in the UK. With more than 35 years of experience, including Visa, American Express, and various banks, Garry has an excellent understanding of the payment industry and the future challenges related to its rapid transformation. He was Chairman of the Kuwait Banking Association’s Bank Cards Committee from 2016 to 2018 and was a member of the Visa CEMEA Risk Board.
IBS Intelligence reported that the payment solutions provider HPS had announced a new partnership with IT security solutions provider Utimaco.
IBSi Daily News Analysis
March 01, 2024
Banking Sector and regulatory framework: addressing India’s growing demand for secure lockersRead More
IBSi FinTech Journal
- Most trusted FinTech journal since 1991
- Digital monthly issue
- 60+ pages of research, analysis, interviews, opinions, and rankings
- Global coverage


text:
(Reuters) -Consumers eager for post-pandemic normalcy shrugged off higher prices to keep spending on Lyft Inc rides in the first quarter, and the company on Tuesday surpassed expectations for revenue and operating earnings.
The number of Lyft riders and drivers rose from a year ago and the company said it maintained the ability to charge higher prices. Active riders were down from the previous quarter, which is normal for the colder start of the year, following the year-end holidays.
Shares traded close to closing levels after-hours.
“That tailwind coming out of the pandemic is much more impactful to our business … than is the impact of inflation,” Lyft President John Zimmer said in an interview with Reuters.
Lyft reported first-quarter revenue of $875.6 million, beating average analysts’ expectations for $846 million, according to Refinitiv data.
At $54.8 million, the company’s operating earnings, a metric known as adjusted EBITDA that excludes stock-based compensation and some other costs, significantly surpassed its own guidance and analyst expectations. Analysts had expected $17.8 million in adjusted EBITDA after Lyft guided for a top range of $15 million.
Lyft executives have repeatedly talked about the company’s pricing power, a trend Zimmer expects to continue even as consumers face wider price increases for goods and services across the economy.
“We’ll keep an eye on it, but we’re very confident in our ability to balance supply and demand,” Zimmer said.
Average U.S. per-ride prices for Lyft and its larger competitor Uber Technologies Inc were 37% higher in March than during the same month in 2019, according to research company YipitData. Uber is scheduled to report results on Wednesday after the bell.
Zimmer said demand overall still remained 30% below pre-pandemic levels in the fourth quarter of 2019, giving the company “quite a bit of headroom.”
The number of drivers, many of whom left as demand dwindled during the pandemic, increased by 40% in the first quarter on a yearly basis, Zimmer said.
But overall driver numbers remained below pre-pandemic levels and a full recovery of driver supply was taking longer than Lyft had hoped, Zimmer said. Uber and Lyft have tried to lure back drivers with added incentives in recent quarters.
Drivers have also been burdened with surging fuel costs brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, prompting some to stop driving or drive less.
Lyft and Uber have instituted a temporary fuel surcharge in an effort to help drivers.
Source: Read Full Article


text:
Turkey: Growth is the headline, but inflation is a worry has been saved
Turkey’s economy is on the upswing, buoyed by strong private consumption, investments, and exports. While the short-term outlook seems promising, rising inflation and a deteriorating current account could derail the growth story.
Turkey’s economy is back in business. After a healthy growth in the first half of 2017, real GDP shot up by the fastest pace in about six years in Q3.1 Private consumption, investments, and exports aided growth during the quarter, highlighting a near-perfect scenario of strong domestic and external demand. With the economy on a strong footing since early 2017, the labor market has improved, and consumer and business sentiments have edged up. And that’s not all. Key production and sales indicators suggest that the economy is poised for a healthy growth in 2018 as well—that is, if rising inflation and a deteriorating current account do not gate-crash the party.
The economy grew by 11.1 percent year over year in Q3 2017, up from a 5.4 percent rise in Q2. Growth was broad based with consumers and businesses both adding to economic activity during the quarter. Households led the charge, increasing spending by 11.7 percent, more than thrice the corresponding figure in Q2 (see figure 1). While a low base aided spending growth in Q3, a strong labor market and continued benefits from fiscal sops, such as tax discounts and cheap credit, also supported household consumption.2
Investments too increased in Q3 with gross fixed capital formation expanding by 12.4 percent. Encouragingly, investment in machinery and equipment rose by 15.3 percent after declining for four straight quarters. Construction growth, despite moderating during the quarter, was healthy at 12.0 percent. On the external front, reviving global trade and demand from Europe meant that exports shone in Q3 as well. However, high growth in imports during the quarter due to strong domestic demand dented the contribution of net exports to overall GDP growth.
Policy makers will likely be encouraged by reviving household spending, which had been muted since the failed coup of July 2016. Slowing spending by consumers had been a worry, given its indirect impact on demand for businesses and hence, production and investment. Such concerns have likely been assuaged by third-quarter figures. Households have propped up spending on both goods—durable and nondurable—and services. In fact, residents’ spending on durable goods shot up by 31.1 percent during the quarter.
The momentum in household spending is likely to continue, although growth may peter down to more manageable levels in the near term. Consumers can benefit from a decline in unemployment and a rise in the participation rate. After touching 12.0 percent in December 2016, the unemployment rate (three-month average) has been on a downward trajectory, declining further to 10.3 percent in October 2017. Youth unemployment has also declined during this period (see figure 2). Wages and salaries have consequently picked up, with low-income households likely to benefit further from a rise in the minimum wage in January. No wonder then that consumer confidence is up, even though the figure still indicates net pessimism.3
Reviving consumer demand is good news for businesses. Manufacturing and services, for example, had a good Q3 2017, growing by 15.2 percent and 20.7 percent, respectively. Latest data indicates that the momentum in manufacturing has continued into Q4, with output rising by 7.4 percent in both October and November. The uptick in production has aided a broad improvement in capacity utilization since mid-2016, despite slight declines in December 2017 and January 2018.
Businesses have also benefitted from strong external demand. Exports to key economies such as the United States, Germany, and France have been steadily going up. And a rise in foreign tourist arrivals is boosting Turkey’s tourism industry (see figure 3). After being in the doldrums for much of 2015 and 2016, total tourism income (in US dollars) expanded for the first time in 27 months in April 2017 (1.4 percent); since then, it has steadily gone up, rising by as much as 37.6 percent in Q3.
With demand reviving and production picking up, business sentiment has turned more optimistic, especially about near-term economic conditions.4 If this momentum sustains, private sector investments are likely to pick up in the medium term. This can not only aid short-term economic activity, but also contribute to long-term potential GDP growth.
The two likely headwinds for the economy are inflation and external balances. After moderating to some extent in the first half of 2017, headline inflation has been on its way up, touching a 14-year peak in November. It edged slightly lower in December, but, at 11.9 percent, is still much above the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey’s (CBRT) 5.0 percent target. External balances, on the other hand, have been deteriorating since late 2015 with the current account deficit likely to widen further in 2017 from 3.8 percent of GDP in 2016. A widening current account is expected to put further pressure on the lira, which has been weakening since September 2017 against the US dollar after recovering some lost ground earlier in the year (see figure 4).
Lira weakening can add to price pressures by pushing up imported inflation. This puts CBRT in a spot—hiking interest rates to keep inflation and lira depreciation in check risks slowing the growth momentum. In its December 2017 meet, CBRT appears to have gone in for a relatively dovish stand by hiking the late liquidity window rate by 50 basis points, lower than what analysts expected.5 CBRT will know from experience that falling behind the rate curve may prop up growth for a quarter or two, but may not be in the economy’s best interests in the medium term. Not to mention the credibility at stake for monetary policy.


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Sign Up for the TechFlash Newsletter
Send this story to a friend
Tippr gobbles up WhitePages' daily-deals site DealPop
- Aislyn Greene
- Contributing Writer
Less than a year after it was launched, WhitePages subsidiary DealPop, a group-buying site, has been acquired by daily-deals startup Tippr.
It appears that the acquisition was made for talent reasons. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but Tippr said in a statement that, through purchasing DealPop, it will gain an "experienced sales force with national reach and a technical team with deep expertise in group buying infrastructure technology."
A spokeswoman for Tippr said the DealPop sales and technical teams will join Tippr in its Seattle offices, though she couldn't comment on the number of people DealPop currently employs.
Seattle-based DealPop launched in July 2010 and expanded nationally over the last year, building off the approximately 20 million visitors per month that its parent company, WhitePages, attracts.
This marks the fifth acquisition for Tippr. Headed by entrepreneur Martin Tobias, the Seattle startup is gunning for a top spot in the crowded group-buying space. In February Kashless, the parent company of Tippr, raised $4 million in funding, likely to continue its buying spree.
In addition to daily deals, the company also offers its white-label PowerdBy Tippr platform, which allows media companies and online publishers to operate their own daily-deals sites.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
- Most popular
- Macklemore sidekick Ryan Lewis buys mansion in Seattle’s Magnolia area (slide show)
- Northwest Homes: Mark and Anne Marie Canlis
- Ryan Lewis bought his Magnolia mansion from Ron and Bonnie Elgin
- Swedish slashes outpatient prices by 35 percent
- Schnitzer ready to roll the dice on $606 million gamble (slide show)
- Premera flexes its lobbying muscle as database for consumers is blocked
- Providence falls short of target on net operating income
- Talon Private Capital working on massive Kirkland Parkplace project
- Brewery could be part of expanded Pike Place Market (slide show) (Video)
- St. Louis was runner-up site for Boeing 777X, leaders suggest
Email Newsletter Signup
Stay on top of the latest tech news from Seattle and beyond.
- US Inside Sales Manager Radiant Zemax | Redmond, WA
- Seaport Capital Project Manager II Port of Seattle | Seattle, WA
- Director of Business Development Asset Recovery Group, Inc. | Federal Way, WA
- Director of Business Development Port of Port Angeles | Port Angeles, WA
- Executive Director SoDo BIA | Seattle, WA


text:
NEW YORK — Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) CEO Tim Cook has long seen as the humorless and unemotional guy running the show from behind the scenes. But he is beginning to reveal a more assertive and eloquent side, hinting that he’s learning to shoulder more of Steve Jobs’ role as a front man and leader.
On a conference call with journalists and financial analysts late Tuesday, Cook showed some fire when talking about competitors, echoing the combative Jobs. He also spouted a vivid metaphor that spread like wildfire over Twitter before the call was over.
Most Apple watchers have sized up Cook as a competent caretaker of the machine that Apple founder and late CEO Steve Jobs created, but if Cook has latent charisma that can be thawed out further, he may turn into the kind of leader some people think is essential for the company.
In a blog post Wednesday, George Colony, the CEO of Forrester Research, predicted that Apple Inc. will go the way of Sony, fading away now that Jobs is not around to inspire.
“Without the arrival of a new charismatic leader it will move from being a great company to being a good company,” he wrote.
Even while Jobs was alive, Cook handled appearances in front of Wall Street analysts. He spoke precisely and calmly, and his language wasn’t very quotable. At a Goldman Sachs investors meeting in February, for instance, he said “our high order bit is we want to please customers.” A “high order bit” is a computer science term for the most important piece of data in a set.
But on Tuesday, when asked if PCs and tablets might someday blend into one device, like rival PC manufacturers hope, Cook extemporized this response:
“I think anything can be forced to converge. The problem is that products are about tradeoffs, and you begin to make tradeoffs to the point where what you have left at the end of the day doesn’t please anyone. You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user.”
The “toaster fridge combo” phrase zoomed around Twitter, and within minutes, someone created a “FridgeToaster” account that started talking back at Cook.
Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw tweeted that Windows 8, the new software that’s supposed to bridge tablets and PCs, is “not a toaster/fridge. It’s a toaster/oven. Those seem pretty popular. Just saying.”
Cook’s attack was reminiscent of an appearance by Jobs on a conference call in October 2010, in which he lambasted the idea of tablets smaller than the iPad. Competitor Samsung Electronics was set to launch a small tablet, in the first real challenge to the iPad. Jobs said 7-inch screens were so small that owners would need to file down their fingers with sandpaper to hit buttons accurately.
Later in Tuesday’s call, Cook was asked if he’d consider settling some of the patent lawsuits the company is waging against competitors. Apple accuses Samsung and Motorola of copying its iPhone and iPad. Again, Cook revealed some emotion.
“You know, I’ve always hated litigation and I continue to hate it. We just want people to invent their own stuff,” he said.
Carmine Gallo, a communications coach and the author of several books about Apple, says that while it’s clear Cook is a much less emotive communicator than Jobs, he could become an effective one.
“Remember, Steve Jobs’ stage presence was honed over decades of trying to improve his style and his communications skills. The Steve Jobs of the mid-70s —and there are video tapes of him— was not nearly as polished and charismatic as the Steve Jobs that we knew until last year,” Gallo said.
One thing Cook does very well, Gallo said, is that when he presents a number he wants listeners to care about, he puts it into a meaningful context.
For example, when Cook wanted to convince the audience at a 2010 event that the Mac business is still very important to Apple, even though iPhones make a lot more money, he didn’t just say that it makes $22 billion a year. Cook added that if it was a standalone company, the Mac business would be number 110 on the Fortune 500 list.
“I thought ‘What a brilliant technique!'” Gallo said. “He does that all the time.”
But most importantly, Gallo said, it’s evident that Cook cares deeply about Apple.
“You can’t teach passion. Every great communicator is abundantly passionate about —not necessarily the product— but what the product means to society. And that is an attitude that pervades Apple’s executive office, and it starts with Tim Cook,” he said.
Cook revealed some of that passion at the February conference. Toward the end of the talk, he said there was “no better thrill” for him than going to a gym or to Starbucks and seeing people using their iPhones or iPads.
“These are the things that bring a smile to my face, and there is no replacement or substitute for that,” Cook said.


text:
just-style authors and correspondents
Articles by Petah Marian
G-Star RAW is taking a unique approach to sustainability, quietly putting organic and recycled cotton, as well as unusual fibres like nettle, at the heart of its denimwear. Global brand director Shubhankar Ray told Petah Marian how the company is helping to create a legion of unknowing ethical consumers, while maintaining its credibility as an edgy denim brand.
Luxury group Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton LVMH has agreed to take a minority stake in UK fahion brand JW Anderson.
UK clothing retailers saw sales growth slow during September, according to an index by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).
H&M Hennes & Mauritz has highlighted how it is working to ensure the health of workers in its supplier factories in Cambodia.
Fashion retailers should re-think their supply chains in response to rapidly changing and often unpredictable consumer behaviour, new research suggests.
Almost a third of the UK's retailers are at risk of insolvency in the next year, according to recent research.
Adidas, the world's second-largest sportswear maker, has lowered its full-year profit expectations on distribution issues in Russia combined with a weak golf market.
A number of the UK's largest retailers including John Lewis, Debenhams and House of Fraser have been accused of fixing the price of sports bras.
The most read stories on just-style this week include a look at the full-year results from department store operator Debenhams, Marks & Spencer's tie up with mobile phone surveying firm Labor Link, and the news that global apparel and textile production rose in the second quarter.
Luxury group Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton LVMH has taken a majority stake in British luxury shoe brand Nicholas Kirkwood.
- Euro decline weighs on Turkish clothing industry
- G-Star RAW pushes the boundaries of denim
- VF Corp confirms interest in Africa sourcing
- Mexico makers see rise in exports and local demand
- Asian union development and the Western response
- UK retailers to answer over human trafficking
- LF Corp to streamline planning and sourcing
- Eliminating risk tops sustainability agenda
- US upgrade paves way for Malaysia in TPP
- Euratex raises rules of origin issues in TPP talks
- Ethiopia – the emerging textile and clothing industry
- Global Database of the Top 1000 Apparel Producers - Company Names, Financial Performance, and Contact Details
- Management briefing: Factory safety and auditing: The key challenges
- Global market review of workwear - forecasts to 2019
- Sustainable Textiles for Apparel: Fact, Fiction and Future Prospects


text:
Hatton Garden stone grader invests in new equipment.
European Diamond Reports is now able to identify CVD synthetic diamonds and HPHT coloured treated diamonds.
The Hatton Garden-based laboratory has spent the past few months researching and developing its in-house offer, investing in new equipment.
A release from E.D.R said: “Research and development in the diamond industry over the past 50 years have exposed us to all manner of diamond treatments, from laser filled to HPHT colour enhancements, and even lab grown synthetic diamonds.
“Due to the advances in such technology, determining these procedures is not an easy task. European Diamond Reports are proud to announce that after months of research and investment, our lab is now equipped with the latest and best technology in determining CVD and HPHT diamonds.”
E.D.R states that it is the only diamond grading lab in the UK to offer this service without compromising on the speed of its service, which takes place at its Hatton Garden HQ.
Since the lab launched the service at the beginning of August it has already successfully detected HPHT and synthetic diamonds submitted for grading.
The company added: “We at E.D.R always recommend that you purchase your diamonds from legitimate sources, but also understand that buying from the public is also a big part of the industry in this day and age.”


text:
Before the 58th Grammy Awards even start Monday night, the biggest names in music will show off their fashionable attire on the red carpet.
Viewers looking to watch their favorite artists stroll down the carpet and dazzle photographers and interviewers alike can catch the proceedings on multiple platforms.
Beginning at 4 p.m. ET, those with the proper cable subscription can watch live coverage on the E! network. First the channel will broadcast Countdown to the Red Carpet, starring Giuliana Rancic, Brad Goreski and Ross Mathews. And then at 6 p.m. ET, the network will go live to the actual red carpet event, hosted by Rancic and Ryan Seacrest.
Those without a cable subscription can head over to E! Online for a live-streamed red carpet event, hosted by Sibley Scoles and Carissa Loethen, and featuring a more interactive version than what's available on television.
Both the online and cable red carpet shows will run until 8 p.m. ET, when the actual awards ceremony is scheduled to begin on CBS.
Speaking of the storied broadcast network, CBS will also live stream its own red carpet coverage, beginning at 7 p.m. ET, only on the CBS All Access streaming service, which is currently available for a free one-week trial, and can be used on most computer, tablets, smartphones, or streaming devices like Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire.


text:
There is still a lot of room to grow for mobility in manufacturing because of the industry's reliance on older machines and legacy business processes.
Manufacturers' traditional business processes are paper-based, time-consuming and require more manpower than mobile processes, but many manufacturers are reluctant to change. Why? Unique budgetary constraints, security concerns over new technologies and difficulty swaying higher-ups, according to VDC Research Group Inc.
About 40% of manufacturing companies do not use any mobile tools for business processes, the research firm said.
'It more than pays for itself'
The IT staff at Ongweoweh Corp., a pallet and packing management company in Ithaca, N.Y., wanted to incorporate mobile technology into the company's pallet manufacturing division, but had a hard time getting it approved.
"No one saw the benefits to it to begin with," said Jim Davies, director of IT at Ongweoweh. "Getting people to buy in was the biggest part."
The company uses 20-year-old machines that build and stack pallets into bundles before a forklift driver transports them. Until recently, workers monitored a graphical display attached to the machines to inform them when the bundles were ready, and then those workers would inform the forklift driver.
Jim Daviesdirector of IT, Ongweoweh Corp.
Six months ago, however, Ongweoweh implemented a custom mobile app that notifies the driver on a mobile device -- cutting a step out of the process and allowing workers to be more productive.
"We can do a lot more with a lot less," Davies said. "We didn't let anybody go, but we didn't need to hire as many people. There was an initial expense, but it more than pays for itself."
Budget restrictions can be a bigger barrier to mobility in manufacturing than other industries because mobilizing a manufacturer requires an understanding of how these companies' machines and equipment operate, according to the VDC report, "Mobile's Place in the Connected Factory." It's a challenge for vendors and systems integrators to connect their new technology with the legacy hardware and software used along with those machines, and that creates an added cost.
"We didn't want to spend hundreds of thousands for new equipment, because the old equipment worked," Davies said.
Manufacturers set in their security ways
Security is another concern among manufacturers, who may not be as familiar with the latest attack vulnerabilities and fear newer technologies could ultimately affect their businesses' productivity, said David Krebs, executive vice president at VDC in Natick, Mass.
"For manufacturers, the greatest fear -- next to industrial or state-led espionage -- is the risk of disruption to one's operations," Krebs said. "It's important to create an organization that is sufficiently agile to be able to stay ahead of threats and to efficiently respond to any breaches."
To secure their business apps and mobile devices, Carlisle Construction Materials, which manufactures and installs roofing materials in Carlisle, Pa., uses identity and enterprise mobility management platform Okta. The company also implemented a custom mobile app that allows workers to take pictures of roofing materials with their Apple iPads, fill out digital inspection forms and submit them over the Box enterprise file-sharing app.
But it can be challenging for manufacturers to get executives to sign off on new processes, often because these companies are more set in their ways and resistant to change. This means getting higher-ups to understand the long-term benefits of mobility after making a large initial investment. But, it's difficult to accurately determine the ROI of implementing mobile business processes.
The IT department at Carlisle Construction Materials knew they had to get everything done right, or they wouldn't get the proper backing to continue their migration to mobile and cloud technologies, said Jeff Janovich, a cloud solutions architect at the company.
"Being mobile and innovative is a big part of who we are and what the world is becoming," he said. "You have to stay ahead of the curve."
How manufacturers are utilizing tablets
Guide for implementing mobility in manufacturing
A review of mobile device trends in manufacturing


text:
The Cubs would be allowed to sell beer and wine from kiosks at an open-air plaza adjacent to a renovated Wrigley Field — and fans would be allowed to bring drinks in plastic cups to the plaza — in the latest in a string of concessions to the team.
Check out the best beer hotels from around the world.
You love beer. You love vacations. So it’s only natural you’ll like this rundown of America’s seven hottest travel destinations with a hopping beer scene.
Warm up to these Halloween inspired cocktails!
The foremost beer experts helped make a list of the 20 best beers not in a single city, or state, or even country, but in the world. And Chicago’s Goose Island was on it!
From guacamole and chips to spicy buffalo wings, what’s the best tailgate food?
A driver allegedly caught with alcohol in his car while dropping off a high school student Friday in west suburban Riverside had previously used a fake name to continue driving despite his prior DUI convictions, police claim.
The Midwest Brewers Fest in Plainfield this Saturday will be the first event at which, under a recent change in Illinois law, homebrewers will be allowed to offer samples of their beers.
A man charged with murdering one man and critically wounding another in a shooting over beer at a Hermosa neighborhood party was ordered held without bond.
Many Americans love their beer and a great way to savor a cold brew is by indulging at the breweries from which they originate. The following are 10 of the best breweries to visit across the nation.
Ever spend $8 on a beer at a baseball game only to have the hot summer sun warm the beer before you could finish it?
From May 16 – May 26, take advantage of Craft Beer Week in Chicago. For eleven days you can enjoy craft beer events, tastings and special menus across the city at participating restaurants, bars and breweries.
Celebrate National Cherry Month with a variety of cherry dishes and drinks in Chicago.
You don’t have to have German roots to enjoy the “oom pah” of brass bands and the headiness of Oktoberfest beers. Just bring an appetite for German dishes and be willing to try a polka or sing with the crowd.
Nightlife in Chicago doesn’t always have to consist of overpriced drinks and unbearable crowds. Check out some local bars in Chicago that cater to College students from the featured games to the drink specials.
The signature Chicago craft brews from Goose Island beer are set to go nationwide.
The best pool halls in Chicago have a relaxed and casual atmosphere that lets you shoot some pool solo or with a group of friends. Check out these five affordable spots that you can play pool for fun or competition.
Brewing beer at home is perfectly legal, but state officials are issuing a reminder that offering homebrew at a public event is not.
Have you been rocking out into a hairbrush in front of the bathroom mirror for as long as you can remember? Working hard on your stage presence in private? Take your passions out in to the open and perform with a live band.


text:
JUNE 2, 2014
Emeryville, CAInnovative, a global leader in library technology, announced today that it has acquired VTLS, a library automation solutions provider to customers in 44 countries. The combined companies will be led by Innovative CEO Kim Massana. VTLS’s products include Virtua, VITAL, Chamo, MozGo and FasTrac.
“This is great news for libraries around the world,” says Massana. “Innovative’s continuing strategic investment in service to libraries worldwide will result in enhanced support for VTLS’s established international customer base and diverse product suite.”
Dr. Vinod Chachra, Founder and former VTLS President and CEO, will take the role of Vice President of Global Expansion, reporting to Massana and play a key role in ensuring a smooth transition of customers, technology and products globally. Other members of the VTLS development, support and sales teams will join the Innovative management group.
The company’s current offices in Blacksburg, Virginia; Barcelona, Spain; and Selangor, Malaysia will be retained and become Innovative centers for operations, along with Syracuse, New York; Dublin, Ireland; and Noida, India. Emeryville, California will remain the company’s corporate headquarters.
As part of the transition, VTLS flagship products will be rebranded, incorporating the company name into the product name including VTLS-Virtua, VTLS-VITAL, and VTLS-Chamo Discovery. “We always appreciated the advanced technology and unique position that VTLS has enjoyed in the library community,” states Massana. “It was important that we didn’t lose the recognition and trust that VTLS has built over the years by continuing the VTLS brand within the product portfolio.”
“For over 30 years, VTLS has dedicated itself to delivering solutions that meet the unique needs of libraries and I am proud of all that we have accomplished,” says Dr. Chachra, “I believe that the combined companies will bring new resources and offer greater opportunities to customers in solving the challenges of the rapidly changing library marketplace.”
“Innovative is committed to strengthening its support for all customers worldwide,” continued Massana. “Bringing our companies together will allow us to provide robust solutions and better support options to all our customers that will, in turn, allow them to better serve their users.”
For more information on this news, see www.iii.com/vtls.
JUNE 2, 2014


text:
The Luton based maker won 17.5 per cent of the market, recording 19,058 sales from a monthly total of 108,691 cars.
This knocked Ford off first place. The blue oval registered 18,188 cars, for a 16.7 per cent market share.
However, Ford still had the number one car. The Ford Fiesta beat the Vauxhall Corsa into 2nd place, while the Ford Focus also topped the Vauxhall Astra.
Vauxhall’s edge was aided by run-out deals on the outgoing Vectra. This model recorded over 4000 sales in December, despite being replaced by the Insignia. Impressively, even in its final month, the Vectra was still a top 5 best seller.
The Insignia arrived at car dealers in January; 307 were registered in December.
Significantly, however, while the Ford Mondeo didn’t make December’s top 10, it still sold more than the Vauxhall Vectra overall in 2008 – 44,150 against 42,555. This illustrates the level of deals that were anecdotally available.
Overall, in a market down 21 per cent, Vauxhall was proud it was able to mark a much lesser decline, of 5.9 per cent. Ford’s decline was over 16 per cent.
Andy Gilson, Vauxhall’s marketing director, said: ‘We’re delighted to be at the top of the UK’s registration league once again, and also buoyed by the Corsa’s strong performance in Scotland, as well as the rest of the UK.
He was also confident the Insignia marked an opportunity for dealers. ‘We now look forward to welcoming customers into our dealerships to test the new, award-winning Insignia.’


text:
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Monday approved a Rs50.69 billion relief package for small businesses reeling from COVID-19 economic shock.
The ECC meeting was chaired by Special Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in the capital.
According to Ministry of Finance, the package is aimed to provide “indirect cash flow support to small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) through pre-paid electricity.”
Earlier, Federal Industries and Production Minister Hammad Azhar in a Twitter statement said the ECC package will benefit 3.5 million small businesses. “For those with 5KW commercial or 70 KW industrial [power] connections, the govt will pay their electricity bills for up to 3 months after they restart,” he said.
He added power consumption data of traders from the past will be used as a benchmark for payment of their bills.
Azhar said that 90 per cent of all commercial and 80 per cent of all industrial connections in the country will benefit from this “cash injection in their businesses.” The businesses that will benefit from the package are of micro, small and medium scale, he cleared.
Detailing the micro aspects of the package, Azhar said: “The sums deposited in their bills will stay valid for utilisation upto 6 months. The sum will be based on actual consumption and total payments made from the meter in the May, June, July 2019 period combined.”


text:
Tesco is Britain’s biggest supermarket chain. The sale of its Asian supermarket stores in Malaysia and Thailand is under consideration.
The consideration came as a part of their rev....
Already a Member?
Click Here to login
Not yet registered?
Subscribe to update with our latest news.
Your email is safe with us. We won't spam.


text:
Displaying items by tag: BelfastBirkenhead (Liverpool)
#FerryNews - One of the two new Stena Line E-Flexer RoPax ferries bound for the Belfast–Liverpool route in 2020 has recently marked an important production milestone by celebrating its official keel-laying at the AVIC shipyard in Weihai, China.
The new RoPax vessels will have capacity for 1,000 passengers, 120 cars as well as 3,100 freight lane meters.
The newbuild pair be among the most energy efficient in the world with significantly lower CO2 emissions per freight unit against comparable RoPax tonnage. Paul Grant, Stena Line’s Trade Director (Irish Sea North) commented: “Everyone on the route is looking forward to welcoming the new generation of ferries to Belfast. We are delighted that two of the new fleet of E-Flexer ships will be entering service on our expanding Belfast – Liverpool route. It’s a real vote of confidence in the future development of our operations in the region.”
Paul Grant added: “The two new ships will be the biggest ships ever to operate on the Belfast – Liverpool service and will increase capacity for freight and travel customers as well as raising the service standards. Our onboard cabin concept will be enhanced to offer comfortable and relaxing day and overnight crossing options. The ships will be ‘drive-through’ making the loading and disembarkation processes faster and smoother for vehicles.”
#NewbuildsBelfast - A newbuild contract announced last year by Stena for a quartet of ropax ferry vessels with a delivery schedule during 2019 and 2020 are planned for Irish Sea service. The vessels are being built at the AVIC Shipyard in China. The plan is to locate the ferries specifically on routes to and from the line's expanding Belfast hub.
The contract also contains an option for another four vessels to be ordered.
“The routes to and from Belfast are strategically very important to Stena Line and during the last number of years we have made significant investments in ports and vessels to improve and develop our capacity offering a frequent high quality service for our customers to and from Belfast. Looking ahead, we intend to continue our ambitious development plan for our business in the region and the new vessels are a part of this strategic plan. During the last few years we have seen a steady growth in freight and passenger volumes and we believe this will continue. Last year was a record year for us when we for the first time carried over 500,000 freight units through Belfast Port. These new vessels will be the largest ferries ever to operate between Belfast and Great Britain”, said Stena Line’s CEO Niclas Mårtensson.
Joe O’Neill, Commercial Director, Belfast Harbour commented: “We are delighted that Stena Line is planning for Belfast as the location for its next generation of RoPax vessels in what is a significant investment in and enhancement of Northern Ireland’s premier freight and tourism gateway. Belfast Harbour has worked in close partnership with Stena Line over the last two decades to help it expand its Belfast routes into a flourishing hub and this very welcome investment news comes on the back of a record year for Stena Line’s freight business in Belfast Harbour. We look forward to welcoming the new vessels and the associated benefits they will bring to Belfast Harbour and the economy of Northern Ireland.”
The new vessels are being constructed in line with Stena Line’s strategic focus on sustainability.
“The new RoPax vessels will be among the most fuel efficient in the world with approximately 25% lower CO2 emissions per cargo unit than current RoPax tonnage. Our aim is to lead the development of sustainability within the shipping industry and set a new industry standard when it comes to operational performance, emissions and cost competiveness. The vessels will run on traditional fuel, but are designed to the class notation “gas ready” and are also prepared for scrubbers as well as catalytic converters, giving us flexibility for the future”, says Niclas Mårtensson.


text:
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Beginning on June 28, Planet Smoothie® is teaming up with KIDZ BOP, the #1 music brand for kids, to celebrate KIDZ BOP’s 20th birthday with two limited-edition kids’ smoothie flavors, Cereal Party and Sweet and Sour Star Power.
“Planet Smoothie is thrilled to get the party started for KIDZ BOP’s 20th birthday!” said Stacey Wopnford, vice president of operations for Kahala Brands™, parent company of Planet Smoothie. “Our two new kids’ smoothies are the perfect way to join in on the celebration and stay cool this summer.”
The first-ever KIDZ BOP smoothie flavors include Cereal Party smoothie, blended with strawberries, bananas, nonfat frozen yogurt, toasted whole grain oats cereal, and the Sweet and Sour Star Power smoothie, blended with raspberries, lemon, and bananas. The limited-edition birthday smoothies will be available at Planet Smoothie locations nationwide beginning June 28 through September 26.
To continue the 20th birthday celebration, KIDZ BOP reached into the vault and re-recorded their original album of Y2K classics, including “Bye Bye Bye,” “Oops!...I Did It Again,” “I Want It That Way,” and many more. ‘KIDZ BOP 1 (20th Birthday Edition)’ is available Friday, June 25.
About KIDZ BOP®
KIDZ BOP is the #1 music brand for kids, featuring today's biggest global pop hits, "sung by kids for kids." In 2021, KIDZ BOP is celebrating its 20th birthday, and since its launch, the family-friendly music brand has sold more than 22.5 million albums and generated over 6.5 billion streams. KIDZ BOP connects with kids and families through its best-selling albums, music videos, consumer products and live tours. The music franchise is expanding internationally and currently records in 5 different languages. KIDZ BOP is Billboard Magazine’s “#1 Kid Artist” for eleven consecutive years. The brand has its own dedicated channel on SiriusXM – KIDZ BOP Radio (Channel 77) -- where it’s all KIDZ BOP, all the time. KIDZ BOP has had 24 Top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200 Chart; only three artists in history—The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Barbra Streisand—have had more Top 10 albums. For more information, visit www.KIDZBOP.com.
KIDZ BOP is a part of Concord.


text:
A few days after avid online shopper Smith Leong bought a set of drumsticks - priced at $16.40 - from e-commerce site StreetDeal, he was shocked to see a separate $88 charge on his credit card bill.
"I thought I might have accidentally bought something else so I quickly logged on to my StreetDeal account, and checked all my invoices and e-mail. Nothing in the history showed that I had made any other purchase," said the self-employed 31-year-old, who bought the drumsticks last month.
When he contacted the homegrown firm, he was told the extra charge was a premium membership fee, and that it had been outlined clearly during the purchasing process and in the terms and conditions.
"I felt cheated," said Mr Leong, adding that he was refunded the $88 in credit for future purchases after numerous angry e-mail messages back and forth with the firm. "But I would rather just have my money back."
The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) has received 49 complaints against StreetDeal since January last year, more than double the 24 in 2012 and 2013.
Most of the cases are about hidden membership fees - either a one-time charge or in instalments.
Case is investigating the matter. It said the firm could be flouting the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA). Under this Act, it is an unfair practice to use small print to conceal a material fact from a consumer, said Case executive director Seah Seng Choon.
"We feel that it is unfair for StreetDeal to charge consumers for premium membership fees if the consumers did not explicitly state that they want to sign up for this membership, and this could be a misleading claim under the CPFTA," he said.
When contacted, Mr Gregory Costamagna, StreetDeal's chief executive, said the company has received some complaints from customers who claimed it was unclear that they were signing up for a membership. However, they made up only 1 to 2 per cent of its premium members here, he said.
At the checkout page, shoppers need to agree to be charged the membership fee, said Mr Costamagna. When they make payment, they are shown only the amount for the items purchased. The membership fee is excluded because shoppers are given a two-day free premium membership trial before they are charged, he said.
"If they want to cancel before the free trial, they can do so. And once we charge customers two days later, we send them another e-mail to tell them about the charge," said Mr Costamagna, adding that customers will get a refund in credit if they want one.
Launched in 2010, StreetDeal has as many as 10,000 premium members in Singapore. Premium members return to the site to shop three times more than regular members, said Mr Costamagna.
StreetDeal also operates in countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Australia.
But Mr Leong thinks that there is a need for more clarity.
"Yes, I did miss the part where I was told I was going to have to pay $88. But it should be reflected as part of charges and I should receive an invoice," he said.
Mr Een Yuan Long, 27, also missed the part where he was told to pay the membership fee. He bought a $7 dust cover for clothes and was charged the $88 fee too.
"It's very cheeky," said the corporate trainer. "I was so angry about it because it wasn't obvious that I was being signed up for any membership. It was only apparent to me when the bill came."
Ms Vera Ong, 29, was charged $9.90 a month for three months on her credit card for membership. She called StreetDeal and the charges were halted, but she did not receive any refund, she said.
"Sure, it is my responsibility to read the terms and conditions but surely they should have proper forms for us to sign and fill out for subscriptions," said Ms Ong, who is self-employed. "If not, any business can make us pay subscription fees without our knowing."


text:
Social media providers are being advised to tackle the digital attention crisis by encouraging young users to focus more on the quality of what they do and consume online and less on the amount of time those users spend online.
"This can mean developing apps that are less addictive and do not keep children and young people hooked for more than is useful and healthy for them," according to the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) initiative. The presence of young people online should not be seen solely as a profit source of profit, the organization says.
The call comes as BIK and other organizations globally mark Safer Internet Day (SID) on February 5.
The annual event began in 2004 as part of a campaign funded by the European Commission (EC), with the goal of empowering children and young people through awareness and education to make responsible decisions online. The event has grown in scope over the years to encompass topics that range from cyberbullying to social networking.
The first themed SID campaign, “Life online is what you make of it,” launched in 2008 along with a video clip to spread the message. Subsequent years would follow this same model, with new themes chosen to reflect current concerns; the 2019 slogan, as seen in the video below, is “Together for a better internet.”
By 2009, the event had spread to countries outside of Europe. Committees coordinated efforts, which at the time included 500 events held in 50 countries around the world. Since then, various other components have been added to the event. The 2018 hashtag #SID2018 was used in more than 102,000 tweets with a potential reach of 1.5 billion impressions. The SID Thunderclap campaign, described as a way of “making some online noise” on the morning of the event, reached over 300,000 people in 2014; by 2018, that number had grown to a potential reach of over 2.7 million.
Today, Safer Internet Day is marked in around 140 countries, and more than 100 global committees coordinate efforts through a central team in Brussels. In the United States, the event is hosted by Silicon Valley-based ConnectSafely.org, an organization that also offers a variety of research-based safety tips, advice for parents and educators, commentary on tech use and more.
BIK also has published various tools to assist organizations in creating positive digital content, services and apps, such as this checklist.
The hashtags #SID2019 and #SaferInternetDay can be used to show your support.


text:
- Truck driver shortages, port personnel heath checks and other transportation snarls related to COVID-19 containment and mitigation efforts are keeping grain and other commodity supply chains from flowing normally, even as grain is in abundant supply worldwide.
- The impact of the disruption has hiked prices for some basic food ingredients and is likely to hit the developing world first and hardest, according to an April 3 report from the United Nations as interrupted and delayed supply lines lead to untenable price swings. These swings may eventually hit developed economies too, especially if global infrastructure crucial to the movement of grain and other agricultural commodities are compromised by the virus, according to the report.
- Wheat futures in Chicago saw notable jumps in March, while Canadian durum wheat priced at a three-year high this week, according to Bloomberg. Thai rice export prices were also at a six-year high as of Monday.
Food supply chains are running at full tilt downstream, with essential businesses like grocery stores posting Thanksgiving-like sales volumes in recent weeks. But upstream, the global raw materials supply chain is suffering from bottlenecks and diversions caused by varied national responses to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
The global food system's greatest challenge is not supply, but behavior up and downstream, according to the UN report. That behavior includes all manner of coronavirus mitigation efforts constricting the normal pace of global transportation and trade, which affects global ocean shipping capacity, trucking restrictions and trade practices.
Global markets will likely be in flux for months, the UN report found. Concerns about agricultural commodities are growing in the U.S. as harvest seasons approaches and the virus threatens to disrupt usual labor practices.
After initially restricting immigration from Mexico on account of the virus, the Trump administration eventually debuted a new streamlined H-2A visa process April 3 and designated existing farmworkers, with or without proper legal status, as essential workers. But farmers are still concerned laborers will be reticent to cross the border due to health concerns, according to multiple media reports.
Panic buying is also causing drastic shifts in regional supply and demand, according to the UN report, which can artificially inflate prices. Plus, some countries are already restricting trade of agricultural commodities to shore up domestic stockpiles. Russia and Ukraine are capping grain exports through June, according to list of trade restrictions compiled by Reuters.
For the UN, the chief concern is that interruptions in the normal course of global trade will threaten the food security of countries that rely on imports for the majority of their supply. The global state of flux is causing swings in prices for commodities that may eventually need to be passed on to consumers in order to protect margins during a time of increased operational expense across the supply chain.


text:
Honda will move towards a production model of a new electric crossover presented for the first time at the Auto China 2020 show and, according to the Automotive News website, this car is expected to be produced by the American company General Motors (GM). In addition, this manufacturer should be responsible for the production of two Honda electric models throughout this decade and the assembly should start in 2023.
According to the same website, the production of these two models should take place at the GM plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, where this manufacturer already produces the Chevrolet Blazer and Equinox. Automative News also mentions the production of an Acura, Honda’s luxury brand, although it does not reveal the sources. This electric should be part of the same assembly line as the future Cadillac Lyriq, in Tennessee, USA. If confirmed, the production of this model should start only in 2024.
The two Honda EVs already confirmed should, like the Acura, have the same dimensions as the Lyriq and lithium batteries developed by GM, and could reach the market at the same time as the first electric from Cadillac.


text:
International police celebrated Cyber Monday with a cyber bust of gargantuan proportions – shutting down more than 12,500 illegal websites and disconnecting dozens of servers streaming pirated content across thousands of channels.
Europol announced the bust in tandem with its global counterpart Interpol and Eurojust, the culmination of a six-month operation between May and November involving 27 countries in Europe and the Americas.
Though it took in countries as far away as Colombia and Brazil, the operation centered on nailing the alleged ringleaders in Spain, with local police leading the raids and arresting more than a dozen suspects.
“The main issues continue to be intellectual property infringement on trademarks, as well as on copyrighted content available on internet protocol television (IPTV) and movie streaming services, peer-to-peer sharing platforms, and hosting websites,” said Europol.
A good day for the cyber cops
Fourteen suspects were detained, whom Europol accuses of enjoying “lavish lifestyles” on the back of allegedly ill-gotten gains.
“As of this year’s Cyber Monday, law enforcement agencies across several continents have taken down 12,526 websites, disconnected 32 servers used to distribute and host illegal content for 2,294 television channels, and shut down 15 online shops selling counterfeit products on social media sites,” it said.
This was paralleled by good old-fashioned contraband seizures in the “physical realm” as well, with investigators discovering 127,365 counterfeit products, including clothes, watches, shoes, accessories, perfumes, electronic goods, and cellphone cases worth more than €3.8 million in total.
One of the suspects was allegedly raking in €150,000 per month, “living a lavish lifestyle in a luxury house, driving expensive cars and embarking on extravagant vacations all over the world.”
“The criminal network dedicated itself to large-scale marketing and distribution of pirated audio-visual content on the internet,” said Europol. “As part of the operation, Spanish police disconnected 32 servers hosting the illicit content and seized cash, documents, and two luxury vehicles.”
Europol warns shoppers to be especially wary when venturing online in search of a bargain, as the worldwide web also offers organized cyber gangs a considerable degree of impunity.
“The internet offers these criminals a certain level of anonymity and the possibility of covering their tracks,” it said. “Its borderless nature facilitates criminal activities that largely take place at an international level. A domain, an IP [internet protocol] address or a server may be registered in one country, the bank account for payments in another, while packages are sent from yet another country. This is often being orchestrated by criminals who are not located in any of these jurisdictions.”
In particular, Europol urges the public to treat social media sales links with the utmost caution.
“Organised crime groups frequently use established social media platforms to promote their websites and guide potential consumers to online sales platforms,” said Europol. “Websites offering illicit products may also profit from advertisements.”
The waters are further muddied by the fact that even legitimate companies can sometimes “accidentally” stray into the murky stretches frequented by bad actors.
“Occasionally, even prestigious brands may accidentally publish their ads on such domains, which might cause reputational harm and loss of investment,” it added. “In certain cases the advertisements placed on commercial platforms – which are infringing intellectual property rights – may expose the consumer to malware or spyware.”
More from Cybernews:
Subscribe to our newsletter


text:
KRISPY Kreme superfans queued for three hours in anticipation of a new store opening today.
The eager doughnut-lovers joined the line at the box-shaped stand in the Buttermarket Centre, Ipswich, Suffolk, at 7am this morning.
University students Beth Seddon and Bethany Thwaites waited outside in the rain until the shopping mall opened and were the first customers.
As the first person to be served, 18-year-old Beth won a Krispy Kreme gold card, which entitles her to two dozen free doughnuts every month for a year.
She told the Ipswich Star: "It’s a fantastic feeling to be the first in line and to get my hands on a Krispy Kreme Gold Card – I’ll be sharing my dozens with my family and friends.”
Bethany, 21, added: “I think we are just a bit crazy. We were sitting outside in the rain for quite a bit.”
The company's operations manager, Ricky Turner, said they expect to sell around 2,000 doughnuts today.
The first 100 in got golden tickets which they could swap for prizes.
Those in the queue were allowed to leave shopping bags to keep their place while used the toilet at a nearby McDonald’s and a DJ played music to shoppers to keep spirits up.
It comes as a survey last week revealed the supermarket's shortest queuing times.
Waiting times in Sainsbury’s averaged one minute, 40 seconds, while in Asda queuing times were two minutes and 14 seconds.
Sainsbury’s was the quickest for queues of all five big supermarkets including Morrisons, Tesco, Waitrose and Asda.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at firstname.lastname@example.org or call 0207 782 4368


text:
AutoZone (NYSE: AZO), a leading retailer of automotive replacement parts, is scheduled to report fourth-quarter financial results on Tuesday, September 24, before the regular trading hours. The company has a remarkable history of beating bottom-line estimates with an average surprise of 8.7% in the trailing four quarters.
Analysts expect the automotive retailer to report earnings of $21.80 per share in the fourth quarter, compared to $18.54 per share it reported the year-ago period, helped by another quarter of strong revenue growth.
Total revenues are, meanwhile, projected to jump 10.5% from a year ag to $3.93 billion, driven by strong domestic store sales. Since the fourth quarter of last year, AutoZone has consistently reported solid domestic store sales, riding on improved product placement.
AutoZone is one of the better-performing stocks this year, rising over 38% in the year-to-date period. The S&P 500 index has increased just 19.7% during the same period.
However, the high valuation has led to a recent spike in short interest in the stock. At the end of August, the company had 16.7% more short interest than in July. On the other hand, it may be noted that AutoZone is likely to outperform markets in the event of a recession, as people delay purchases of new cars and keep repairing the old ones.
In Q3, the company reported better-than-expected earnings and sales aided by strong comparable-store sales, sending the stock up nearly 3%.
The US primary markets seem to be having a record-breaking start to the year, with over $171 billion raised in the first half of 2021 compared to $168 billion for
The pharmaceutical industry has been witnessing hectic activity for some time, with most drug makers either channelizing their resources for vaccine development or engaging in COVID care programs. Biotechnology giant
Biotechnology company Monte Rosa Therapeutics is slated to go public this week. In a pandemic-ridden world, this industry is expanding at a healthy pace. The global biotechnology market is estimated


text:
Administration provider Link Group has made an investment in personal finance management software company Moneysoft.
The investment will see Moneysoft’s services both superannuation funds and listed company clients through Link Group’s existing offerings, the company said.
“Initially, Link and Moneysoft will release a number of products designed to help superannuation fund members manage their overall wealth,” Link Group said.
“These will be delivered through Link’s member portal in addition to mobile apps.”
Moneysoft managing director Peter Malekas said the partnership would present both businesses with “a lot of opportunities”, adding that the business was expanding further into the superannuation space.
“Moneysoft is in a period of growth with several new products on the horizon targeting financial advisers and superannuation fund members, complementing Link’s offering and technological expertise,” Mr Malekas said.
By investing in Moneysoft, Link Group said it hopes to “further enhance the suite of products available” to its broader client base and, as the company’s digital and data services chief executive Paul Gardiner remarked, encourage more participation from clients.
“The more people are engaged with their finances, including their super fund balances and overall wealth portfolio, the more engaged they are with budgeting for the future,” Mr Gardiner explained.
NAB has told the fintech industry that it will partner with companies that do what the big bank cannot do, in whatever capacity that may be....
Refinitiv has partnered with PhillipCapital Australia to offer trading of Australian and international exchange traded instruments via the E...
Fintech and innovation leaders have come out against the government’s 2019 budget saying that there was not enough in it to support innov...


text:
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday gave approval for a Rs6billion relief package for Utility Stores Corporation (USC) to bring down the prices of essential commodities.
The price of sugar per kilogram is available on a discount of Rs7 in Utility Stores, the retail price of sugar in the open market it Rs75 and will be available in Rs68 per kg at the Utility Stores. Prices of rice, white chickpeas along with other commodity items will also be reduced.
Official notification of the discounted prices of commodity items has been issued and implementation on it will begin across the country from today (Tuesday).
In November 2019, the government decided to provide Rs6bn to the USC in a bid to provide relief to the people.
The decision taken in a meeting chaired by PM Imran on reducing the prices of essential goods.
During the meeting, the premiere had told the officials that providing relief to the people was the government’s first priority.
He added that his government will try to give special relief to low-income individuals and poverty-stricken families.


text:
SPECIAL PROMOTIONS SECTION
Media & Entertainment
Matthew Muszala, Forbes Insights
In this role, Matthew Muszala will focus on developing the financial and energy sectors as well as managing accounts in the Eastern half of the U.S. Based in New York, Mr. Muszala joins the growing sales team and will report to Forbes Media Chief Insights Officer Bruce Rogers. “Matt is a welcome addition to the Forbes Insights team, and his vast knowledge of the financial industry will help us expand our business in this critical sector. We look forward to working with him to create research and content-based offerings that will both enhance reputations and drive sales for our customers,” said Forbes Media Chief Insights Officer Bruce Rogers.


text:
The Delhi High Court refused to vacate the stay on sale of drugs and prescription medicines by online pharmacies.
The court said the stay will continue till the next date of hearing, that is, February 6, noting the submissions of the Central government counsel that rules are yet to be framed to regulate such entities.
“Keeping in view the averments made by the Union of India in its counter affidavit, based on reports of various committees and the fact that statutory rules are yet to be framed, we are not inclined to vacate the interim order. It will continue till the next date,” a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao said.
The Centre’s counsel said the government is in the process of framing rules in this regard. During the hearing, one of the online pharmacies seeking to be impleaded in the matter informed the court that the division bench of Madras High Court has vacated the stay on online sale of medicines.
The pharmacies also urged the court to remove the prohibition on online sale of drugs, saying they held licences and no medicines were sold illegally. The applications for impleadment were filed in a PIL by Zaheer Ahmed, seeking a ban on “illegal” sale of drugs and medicines online.
In his petition, Ahmed, represented through senior advocate Arvind Nigam and advocate Nakul Mohta, has said that the online illegal sale of medicines would lead to a drug epidemic, drug abuse and mis-utilisation of habit forming and addictive drugs.
It has claimed that the Ministry of Health, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and an expert committee appointed by the drug consultative committee have already concluded that the online sale of medicines was in contravention of the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the other allied laws.
Still lakhs of drugs are being sold on the Internet every day, it has said, adding that some of the drugs or medicines contain narcotic and psychotropic substance and some can cause antibiotic-resistant bacteria which is a threat not only to the patient but to the humanity at large.
“It is a matter of public knowledge that e-commerce websites have been caught on numerous occasions of selling fake products. Unlike consumer items, drugs are extremely potent substances and consuming wrong dose or fake medicine can have fatal consequences on the patient,” it said.
The petition said that as of now there is no mechanism to control the sale of medicines on Internet and this puts health and lives of people at a high risk and affects their right to a safe and healthy life under Article 21 of the Constitution.
“Online pharmacies are operating without a drug licence and cannot be regulated in the present regime. Unregulated and unlicensed sale of medicines will increase risk of spurious, misbranded and sub-standard drugs being sold,” the plea has said.
It has sought direction to the authorities to take action against the entities distributing, selling or exhibiting drugs on Internet.
more recommended stories
AIADMK’s Tie-up with BJP for Nation’s Security: TN CM
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K..
Industry-Innovator Meet & 3rd Technology Conclave 2019 on March 24
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sree ChitraTirunal Institute for Medical.
Tata Memorial Centre Delivering Well-established Treatment
The Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, constitutes.
FDA Approves Device to Treat Heart Failure Patients
WASHINGTON: The US Food and Drug.
SC to Hear Plea in Disproportionate Assets Case Against ex-UP CMs Mulayam, Akhilesh
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court would.
AIIMS Launches Mobile Methadone Vans to Provide Treatment to Opioid Addicts
NEW DELHI: In a first-of-its-kind initiative,.
23-year-old Man Killed Over Love Affair
THANE: A 23-year-old man, who was.
Court Orders Attachment of Mallya’s Properties
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has.
Yasin Malik-led JKLF Banned by Centre
NEW DELHI: The Yasin Malik-led Jammu.
Karnataka Minister Shivalli Dies of Cardiac Arrest
BENGALURU: Karnataka’s Municipal Administration Minister and.


text:
South Tampa’ Swami Juice has new owners, plus a new hipster favorite on its menu.
In a phone call with Creative Loafing Tampa, an employee at the SoHo cold-pressed juice mecca confirmed that the location on 2832 S. MacDill Ave. has new owners — Roger & Ziad Estephan of Lebanese restaurant Byblos — and that the location is no longer affiliated with Swami’s South Florida location.
Also new at Swami Juice? Avocado toast.
The menu item was added along with new ownership alongside avocado salads. An influencer event is supposed to happen on Thursday, October 24, but the menu items are actually available right now for anyone, regardless of how influential you are.
Swami Juice is open at 7 a.m. Monday-Saturday, but it’s new closing hours are 9 p.m Monday-Friday, 8 p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Want to know everything going on with Tampa Bay's food and drink scene? Sign up for our Bites newsletter.


text:
Victoria Beckham is facing legal action from a pattern cutter who developed carpal-tunnel syndrome while working for her fashion brand.
Kristina Kubiliene who worked for Victoria Beckham’s eponymous fashion brand from November 2011 to August 2019, is taking legal action against Victoria Beckham Limited, as she is no longer able to work following surgery for carpal-tunnel syndrome.
The pattern cutter can “barely open her handbag” after working 15 hour days, seven days a week, without regular breaks or rest, in the run up to fashion week, her industrial disease lawyer Natasha Moyeed said.
Ms Kubiliene’s job involved lifting rolls of fabric, weighing 20 to 35kg, using an industrial iron for up to an hour and cutting fabric with “significant pressure and accuracy” for up to three hours depending on the garment.
Ms Moyeed, from Slater and Gorden, said: “It was these repetitive, awkward and sustained movements which cause carpal tunnel syndrome to advance rapidly in hands and wrists.
“When I last saw her she could barely open her handbag. She is unable to work and has had to undergo surgery to have any kind movement in her hands.”
“Victoria Beckham Limited failed to put measures in place to look after Kristina and prevent this from happening.”
Ms Kubiliene underwent an operation last year to relieve her carpal tunnel syndrome but left her role afterwards as she was unable to return to work and is still unable to return to a similar role.
The Telegraph has contacted Victoria Beckham Limited for comment.


text:
Jingdong Group (JD.com) is a leading Chinese e-commerce company, controlling roughly 30 percent of the business-to-consumer online market in China with 314 million active users, according to Financial Times. The company focuses on the implementation of new technologies in e-commerce, delivery services, and finance.
Per the announcement, JD has collaborated with the Ying Wu College of Computing at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and the Institute of Software at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISCAS) to establish a blockchain technology lab. The lab will be geared towards solving efficiency problems and examining new applications for the technology.
Among other objectives of the lab, JD cites long-term joint research efforts in fundamental consensus protocols, privacy protection, and security in decentralized applications (DApps). Zhong Hua, deputy director of the Software Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated that “through this partnership, we will bring about blockchain innovation and promote industrial applications of blockchain technology.”
Also interesting for you:
- Bitmain is Suffering from the 27.6% US Tariffs on Their Antminer S9
- Waltonchain No 1 Technology Provider to Support One Belt, One Road
- Chinese Consortium Led by Huawei and Tencent to Launch Coinless Blockchain
Last month, JD established the Smart City Research Institute at its headquarters in Nanjing aimed at facilitating the development of “smart city” construction with the use of artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and blockchain technologies. The Institute will reportedly influence “the entire East China region” and aims to reduce industry costs and increase efficiency.
In August, JD revealed its new Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform dubbed JD Blockchain Open Platform. The new product is designed to help commercial customers to build, host and implement blockchain solutions without having to develop the technology from scratch.
Moreover, in August the company revealed plans to issue asset-backed securities (ABSs) on a blockchain in conjunction with Huatai Securities and Xingye Bank. Within the collaboration, the partners would purportedly assess blockchain’s potential to improve asset security.


text:
Impossible Foods, could have an IPO in 2021.
One of the largest producers of artificial meat, Impossible Foods, is set to go public within a year. The startup expects to be valued at $10 billion, which is 2.5 times its valuation from last year.
They said the company is now exploring the possibility of going public either through a merger with a special-purpose shell company (SPAC) or through an initial public offering (IPO). According to the agency’s interlocutors, who wished to remain anonymous, going public through SPAC could reduce the stakes of Impossible Foods’ existing shareholders to a greater extent than an IPO. SPAC is a company that raises funds in an IPO to acquire a privately held company. For the acquired company, a merger with SPAC is an alternative way to go public with less regulatory scrutiny and more certainty about the company’s valuation and the funds to be raised. Reuters sources noted that the company has already discussed plans to merge with SPAC with a financial adviser, and expects to be valued at least $10 billion when it goes public. In a 2020 investment round with private investors, it was valued at $4 billion. Agency sources noted that the final choice of how to go public will depend on market conditions, and Impossible Foods itself may prefer to conduct another round of private fundraising.
The company’s $10 billion capitalization will underscore the growing demand for plant-based meat products driven by environmental and ethical concerns of consumers, the agency noted. A spokeswoman for Impossible Foods declined to comment. Investors in the Redwood City, California-based company include venture capital funds Khosla Ventures and Horizons Ventures and celebrities such as tennis player Serena Williams and rapper Jay-Z. According to PitchBook, the company has raised $1.5 billion in the private market since 2011 (the year Impossible Foods was founded). It sells its burgers and faux-meat sausages in grocery stores, and has partnered with companies such as Burger King and Disney. The number of outlets selling Impossible Foods’ burgers has grown from 150 to more than 20,000 in the past year, the company said.
About the competition
Impossible Foods’ main competitor in artificial meat, Beyond Meat, held an IPO in 2019 with a valuation of $1.7 billion. The company is now capitalized at $11 billion. Deloitte estimates that global plant-based meat sales were about $12 billion in 2020; it is projected to reach $30 billion in five years. And while until recently it was produced by multinationals like Tyson Foods and Smithfield, specialized startups – Beyond Meat, Meatless Farm, Impossible Foods – have entered the market in the era of foodtech. According to a report by the Good Food Institute and the Plant Based Food Association (PBFA), retail sales of plant-based meat products in the U.S. reached $7 billion in 2020, up 27% year over year.


text:
Diamond Trust of London News
Limited numbers, so don't wait too long
Diamond Trust of London, which is actually called Jason Rohrer with Music by Tom Bailey: Diamond Trust of London, is notable as the first successfully player-funded DS title. As we reported back in May, Diamond Trust of London hit its Kickstarter funding target, meaning that game designer Jason Rohrer was able...
A DS publishing landmark
Recently we told you about the launch of Diamond Trust of London's Kickstarter campaign, as after a lengthy approval process game creater Jason Rohrer needed money to pay for the manufacturing of the DS game cards and packaging. For those that have pledged in the hope of getting their hands on the game, there's the good news...
If you want to
Diamond Trust of London — sorry, Jason Rohrer with Music by Tom Bailey: Diamond Trust of London — passed Nintendo's approval process recently and now sits on the verge of release. Before it gets there, though, there's the small matter of money, and that's where crowdfunding site Kickstarter comes in. Citing Nintendo's "large...
Publication details on the way
All the way back in May 2011, creative game developer Jason Rohrer confirmed that Diamond Trust of London would arrive, courtesy of publisher Zoo Games, in late 2011. That period has passed, and Rohrer has confirmed in a blog entry that the title was held up by the 'Nintendo Approval Process'. This unconventional...
Indie developer returns
DSi owners might already be familiar with Jason Rohrer's off-beat games, with Primrose and the Jason Rohrer Anthology offering some of the most unique experiences on DSiWare. Publisher Zoo Games just announced the next game from the developer coming to DS later this year: Diamond Trust of London. Maintaining his reputation for sticking to unexpected inspirations, the game..


text:
One of the big conundrums arising from the pandemic is the sharp fall in rental vacancy rates across Australia despite negative net overseas migration.
Logically, the loss of hundreds-of-thousands of migrants should have seen Australia’s rental vacancy rate rise. However, vacancy rates instead plummeted.
One plausible explanation is that Australian’s desire for additional space has seen the number of people per dwelling fall sharply, thereby lifting rental demand despite sluggish population growth.
Another possible explanation is that short-term rentals like Airbnb have taken homes out of the long-term rental pool.
New York now has more Airbnb listings than apartments for rent, according to Curbed:
There are now bidding wars for one in every five Manhattan rental apartments (and one in three luxury units), according to the most recent Douglas Elliman report. Inventory in all of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and northwest Queens has been hovering well below 10,000 units — as of April, the number was just 7,669. Which is several thousand less than the number of entire-apartment and entire-home Airbnb rentals available in New York City right now: 10,572, according to AirDNA, a third-party site that tracks short-term rentals. Inside Airbnb, another site that scrapes Airbnb for listings data, puts the number even higher, at 20,397.
Ever since Airbnb came on the scene in 2008, there have been concerns that the short-term-rental company would deplete the housing stock by sucking up available rooms, causing prices to rise in cities like New York and San Francisco, where there were already severe housing shortages.
A quick look at Airbnb listings across Sydney shows there are 20,891 places for rent:
So, more than 60% of all properties for let in Sydney are short term rentals according to these figures.
This is obviously a back of the envelope analysis and does not take account of overlap between the two sets. Nor does it compare the impact of Airbnb rentals prior to the pandemic.
Nevertheless, it does suggest that short-term rentals like Airbnb are having a major impact on the rental market and are exacerbating Australia’s acute shortage of rental homes.


text:
Extreme Networks CEO Meyercord On The Battle Plan For Taking On Cisco And HPE Aruba
With $210 million in acquisitions behind it, Extreme Networks is focused now on making sure those newly acquired businesses -- networking and data center assets from Avaya, Zebra Technologies and Brocade Communications -- are integrated smoothly and generating the kind of revenue the company expected when it went on an all-out acquisitions blitz last year.
Ed Meyercord, CEO of the San Jose, Calif.-based company says that while integrating the three major acquisitions wasn't without difficulties, the challenges were relatively minor and of the "one-time" variety. Now, the company is focused on maintaining its newly-found scale as a $1 billion company and pressing what it sees as its advantage in the market for intelligent edge technologies, automation and cloud as it goes head-to-head with much larger competitors like Cisco Systems and HPE Aruba.
Part of Extreme's advantage, Meyercord said, is its strong history with large customers like Walmart, Chrysler, Samsung and other large organizations in retail, health care and manufacturing.
What Meyercord calls Extreme's "pipeline of opportunity" is rapidly growing, he said, indicating eagerness among perspective customers to take advantage of Extreme's offerings. The company, and its partners, he said, have a huge opportunity to realize sizable margins and rapid growth as cross-sell opportunities emerge from within Extreme's newly expanded portfolio.
What follows is an edited excerpt from Meyercord's conversation with CRN.


text:
December 28th, 2019 | by Steve Hanley
The BMW i4 sedan is about 2 years away from production, but details are beginning to emerge. The new car is said to have an 80 kWh battery and an impressive 373 miles (600 km) of range in the WLTP testing cycle.
March 18th, 2019 | by Steve Hanley
BMW and Mercedes are considering a partnership to develop a new chassis for electric cars. They are also cooperating on autonomous car technology as convergence in the industry continues.
February 13th, 2019 | by Zachary Shahan
People like to bash the BMW i3 for its somewhat quirky looks, or for its less than "ultimate" specs. Others love it. I love it, and I actually drive one. Whether you are an i3 critic or an i3 fan, though, we're definitely at a "Munich, we have a problem" moment
November 29th, 2018 | by Kyle Field
Last night, at an event a few blocks away from the Los Angeles Auto Show, BMW hosted the world premiere of its latest vision vehicle, dubbed the iNext
November 1st, 2018 | by Steve Hanley
Klaus Froehlich, head of R&D at BMW, says 85% of its cars will have a gas or diesel engine in 2030. Is he prescient or clueless?
August 6th, 2018 | by Loren McDonald
The Tesla Model 3 has now moved into the top sales ranks of all cars in the US, not just EVs, as CleanTechnica director and chief editor Zachary Shahan wrote recently in "Tesla Model 3 — 7th/8th Best Selling Car In USA — Is In A Class Of Its Own."
This success and sales volume of the Model 3 in comparison to every other electric vehicle available in the US raises the question: What current or future model will be the next high-volume (“hit”) electric vehicle
May 4th, 2018 | by Carlo Ombello
The BMW iX3 electric concept car was finally unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show (Auto China 2018) last week. The long touted prototype of BMW's first electric SUV was accompanied at the show by the BMW i Vision Dynamics four door concept, previously unveiled at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show and precursor of BMW's future mid-size electric saloon (a Tesla Model 3 competitor). We now have an almost production-ready SUV prototype and a sedan concept indicating two new electric models coming to market over the next two to four years. Will this be enough to compete with Tesla's skyrocketing growth and German rivals' electrification plans in an increasingly crowded EV space
March 23rd, 2018 | by James Ayre
BMW will not begin mass production of plug-in electric vehicles until at least 2020, because the company's current tech won't allow for the company to generate a high enough profit margin to do so, the firm's CEO has been quoted as saying
March 9th, 2018 | by Steve Hanley
BMW told the press in Geneva this week that an i4 sedan based on the 4 Series GT will go on sale by 2020, with a larger i5 sedan following a year later.
October 5th, 2016 | by James Ayre
BMW may be planning to release a new electric hatchback through the company’s i Series sub-brand — if recently surfaced [&hellip
November 1st, 2012 | by Zachary Shahan
And for a preview of a preview, here are some details on the BMW i4, an electric sport coupe, [&hellip


text:
There have been many different names of restaurants that have graced the sign outside of 54 Clifton Country Road in Clifton Park. The last restaurant lasted just ten months. Now there is a new eatery that is going to give it a go. Will it stand the test of time?
We finally have Chick-fil-A in the Capital Region and there are more being proposed. It seems, though they are building in already congested areas. This one is no exception it may be the busiest area in Rensselaer County.
There is a chain restaurant that has been a staple in Guilderland for forty years and this past Tuesday, it permanently closed. Anchoring Stuyvesant Plaza, the eatery is well-known as a family-friendly restaurant.


text:
The bright side is that since today RadioShack. Amplificador Radioshack 250 Watts… has actually officially been purchased by Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV), offering the struggling company a new lease on life. The disadvantage, a minimum of for folks like us, is that there are no immediate strategies to return the renowned electronics merchant to its brick-and-mortar roots. As the name indicates, REV concentrates on online retail, having formerly revamped the Web existence of other insolvent organizations such as Pier 1 Imports and Dressbarn.
While journalism release does not straight-out preclude the possibility of new physical RadioShack areas, it’s clear that REV believes the future of retail isn’t to be found in your local strip mall. As the US mulls even more lockdowns in action to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, it’s difficult to disagree. There will be millions of bored kids and grownups looking for something to do during the long winter nights, and an electronic package or two shipped to their door might be simply the thing.
REV states they plan to relaunch the rather outdated RadioShack website in the nick of time for the business’s 100th anniversary in 2021. Since this composing the website currently says that sales have been temporarily stopped to permit inventory restructuring, though it’s uncertain if this is straight related to the buyout or not. Getting an accurate count of just how much product the company still has on hand after shuttering most of their physical places in 2017 definitely sounds like something the brand-new owners would want to do.
Like the majority of you, we have fond memories of the Golden era of RadioShack, back before they thought offering televisions and phones was in some way a good concept. To their credit, they did attempt and rekindle their relationship with hackers and makers by asking the neighborhood what they ‘d want to see in their shops. We all understand how that story ended. While it does not appear like this news will get us any closer to having a neighborhood shop that stocks resistors, there’s a particular convenience in knowing that RadioShack packages and books will still be around for the next generation.
RadioShack’s shambling remains were provided another shock of life today when they were purchased by another company that prepares to relaunch the once-great retailer as an online-focused brand.
The store’s remains were bought by Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV), a start-up founded in 2019 that’s been scooping up brands from other faded retail giants as well, consisting of Pier 1, Modell’s Sporting Product, Dressbarn, and more. REV states RadioShack’s site currently has “strong existing sales and sales capacity,” and the company is “confident” it can further raise awareness of the brand globally.
REV claims it’s successfully turned around other companies it’s released as online brand names. The Wall Street Journal reported that Dressbarn more than doubled its income between the 2nd and very first quarter of 2020.
RadioShack was founded in 1921 and became a retail staple in the ’80s and ’90s for anyone aiming to grab tech basics. For a long period of time, that implied actual radio components, but wound up consisting of lots of electronic toys (one Brink editor fondly remembers his Armatron) and eventually phones. Its fortunes decreased significantly as online shopping got here, and the company filed for personal bankruptcy twice in the past five years. RadioShack still accredits its name to third-party “authorized” stores and sells branded items within some locations of HobbyTown, a crafts retailer– similar to how you can still discover “Sharper Image” items at Kohl’s even though that merchant shut its physical doors over a years ago. REV didn’t say whether those RadioShack licenses would remain. Amplificador Radioshack 250 Watts
REV says it will “soon relaunch” RadioShack’s website. So for those of you still clinging on to fond memories of the shop, there’ll be a familiar adequate place to go when you want to buy expensive HDMI cables and knockoff earphones.


text:
Receive the latest in Footwear, Fashion, Music and Creativity in our newsletters.
Explore and be inspired by the latest women's fashion news and trends.
Enjoy HYPETRAK's updates, features, and editorials on the dynamic world of music.
Rebellious ethos realized in bikinis.
La Mer Noire references the ’90s for athletic-inspired pieces.
Penelope Cruz ups the temperature with this first swimwear collection.
Polish streetwear brand MISBHV debuts its first ever women’s swimwear collection with its new 2015 spring/summer lookbook.
Designed with style and wearability at its core, Everlane has produced its new swim shorts in three classic colors for the summer. Equally w...
The collaborative project of childhood friends Maurice Maghnagi and Vishal Sani, Made in Paradise merges swimwear with a touch of street app...
Already in time for the sunny weather of the new year, fashion label Christopher Kane has recently showcased their latest offerings in the f...


text:
Wesfarmers expects to make a $130 million pre-tax profit as it prepares to sell down another stake in Coles Group to shore up its balance sheet
Wesfarmers, which owns Bunnings, Kmart, Officeworks and other businesses, told the market late on Monday of the impending sale of a 5.2 per cent stake in the supermarket, worth $1.06 billion.
It’s the second time in two months Wesfarmers has sold down its stake in Coles.
It offloaded a 4.9 per cent parcel worth $1.1 billion in February.
The latest shares will be sold at $15.39 each – an 8.5 per cent discount to Monday’s traded price of $16.82 – and settlement is expected on April 2.
The conglomerate will retain a 4.9 per cent interest in Coles and will retain its remaining shares for 60 days from completion of the sale.
The coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout prompted Wesfarmers to shore up its balance sheet.
Wesfarmers retained a 15 per cent stake in the company when it spun Coles off as a separate entity as part of a $20 billion demerger in November 2018.


text:
Swedish furniture company ikea is now giving consumers the ability to decide how they use their search history for previous purchases, product preferences and product recommendations. The new customer data controls will first be introduced in the app and then reflected on ikea’s website in the uk, france, the netherlands and spain.
Changes made to the app allow users to select private sessions, in which none of their activity is recorded. Ikea will allow customers to specify how long they can keep their data, and will not use browsing history to drive people to digital advertising.
Consumer Data Rights Are A Growing Concern With Europe’s Gdpr
Looked at whether these changes meant a change. For brands that gave control back to customers. Liz miller, vice president. And principal Chile Business Email List analyst at constellation research, described the decision. As “More likely to be seen as a slow transition to compliance rather. Than a rapid transition to security.” she pointed out a series of security. Blunders and breaches in recent years at ikea, the swedish flat-pack furniture gian. Applauded the decision and delivered a cautionary note.
The California Privacy Act,and Numerous Laws And Bills Elsewhere In The United States.
This decision demonstrates that ikea understands. That a great customer experience extends to customer data as much .As it does to customer consumption,” miller said. Today’s global consumers. Are tirof feeling usand abused by brands that entrust them. With sharing their data and wallets.”
But miller understood that the real CH Leads test to loosen the reins on the ability of ikea and all other brands to collect consumer data would come later.
Will this company respect privacy and permission when interacting with customers throughout the process? Or will you reintroduce the question and ask it again, hoping someone will forget it? How will ikea prove that this move is more than a demonstration of regulatory compliance as a bold step in customer focus.