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Deakin University is spinning out a technology start-up to sell products developed within the university's IT team to the wider public.
Chief digital officer William Confalonieri has been given approval to lay out his roadmap for a new start-up that will market his team’s Genie virtual assistant and Scout internet-of-things location-based service.
A working prototype of the Genie platform debuted in late 2016, and it launched fully in August this year. It consists of a suite of chatbots, artificial intelligence, voice recognition, and a predictive analytics engine to allow students to keep track of their campus lives.
The platform was built by Deakin’s internal IT team using a combination of vendor products, their own code, and integrations. It has been bundled into the Deakin iOS and Android mobile app to serve as a personal assistant to students.
The Scout platform taps into the sensors and beacons installed around Deakin’s campuses to provide students with information related to their location, like food and drink specials when a student passes the cafeteria.
Confalonieri said he had been approached by other organisations about the Genie and Scout services.
"The intention is to grow the company until it becomes a serious player in emerging technologies, delivering substantial benefits to Deakin and partners," he told iTnews.
Confalonieri said he already had three alpha customers in finance, health and government ready to go.
For the next few months any Genie and Scout services delivered to external clients will be done from within Deakin University while the structure of the yet-to-be-named start-up is formed.
Deakin is likely to avoid offering the products to its local competitors, Confalonieri said. The start-up is expected to grow to include products other than Genie and Scout as they are developed.
The number of staff that move over to the start-up from Deakin - or that are freshly employed to it - will be determined by the level of activity between now and when the entity becomes operational in the first half of next year.
This project has been named a finalist in the education category of the iTnews Benchmark Awards 2017/18. The full list of finalists can be found here.


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For an Englishman to come to Poland and take the Poles on at their own game, a game they have been playing for at least half a millennium, is bold to say the least.
But this is precisely what Londoner William Borrell has done with Vestal Vodka, a brand of super-premium potato vodkas.
The high-quality, unfiltered, natural vodkas have certainly resonated with discerning drinkers around the world, proof of which is that bottles can be found in 28 of the top 50 bars and in the world, and founder Borrell has just sold a 42-percent stake to one of the UK’s largest drinks companies.
His genius idea was to take Polish vodka, a product that he believed was dominated more by fancy packaging and weirdly shaped bottles than by the quality of their contents, and infuse it with the French concept of terroir.
The Eureka moment came ten years ago when Borrell was spending the summer at the hotel lodge that his father runs in Poland’s Kaszuby region with his Polish wife.
Borrell told TFN: “Just like grapes grown in different vineyards that give different styles of wine, potatoes also live in their terroir and are totally defined by the concept of wind, rain, earth and sun.
“So, I thought that it would be interesting to see what the result would be from making a vodka from different potato varieties grown in different fields.”
Read how Borrell’s experiment turned into a roaring business success – the THEfirstNEWS report can be accessed here

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On-demand home cleaning and laundry service Kisafi has launched in Nairobi, Kenya, aiming to bring consumers convenience at the click of a button and spread across the region.
Kisafi – the name means “it is clean” in Swahili – allows homeowners to use the web or an Android app to have their laundry picked up and taken care of or their homes cleaned.
The platform has been in private beta since December but launched to the general public on Nairobi today, with launches in Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda to follow before a rollout in West Africa at a later date.
Complete with a founding team with backgrounds at McKinsey & Co, Citigroup and Accenture, Kisafi has a quality control and assurance centre with modern commercial cleaning equipment in Nairobi, and offers a marketplace of former and current hospitality and hotel employees.
It has signed partnerships with two of the top laundry and dry cleaning service providers in Nairobi, and also has a tech-enablement suite, including body cameras for the recording of the cleaning process and a high-grade photo filing system for before and after wash clothing pictures.
Co-founder Janet Otieno said Kisafi was trying to make premium laundry and home cleaning a utility that is available to everyone, and save people time.
“Given the rate of growth of the emerging affluent and middle class across Sub-Saharan Africa, coupled with the fast pace of work and life, every minute spent on chores counts,” she said.
“We asked folks that were part of our closed beta why they love the service, and unanimously it was at least two things – ease and affordability.”
Kisafi – which has seed investment from angels in Lagos and New York – said it was aiming to take a significant portion of emerging affluent market, and has a pan-African focus.
“This is reflected in our team composition. Our founding and advisory team is made up of folks from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa,” Otieno said.
The post On-demand home cleaning service Kisafi launches in Kenya appeared first on Disrupt Africa.
from Disrupt Africa http://ift.tt/1Sus3FV


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An international study states that 74% of employees (about three-quarters) want a review of employment practices prior to the Coronavirus health crisis.
Indeed, according to the study conducted by the Kaspersky Company of Technology and Development of Security Programs against Viruses and Espionage, employees around the world hope to create the future of their company based on their conditions, instead of returning to the old way of working.
The study included more than 8 thousand employees from various small and medium sized companies in different fields. They talked about the benefits of the “corona” crisis that they wanted to keep, including spending more time with their loved ones (47%), saving money (41%) and working remotely (32%).
The results of the study, conducted in October in several countries around the world, show that about 39% of employees want to give up fixed working hours in the future and work remotely. Meanwhile, 32% want to end the system of 5 working days per week.
In addition, more than a third of employees worldwide (38%) expect more technological support from their institutions when they work remotely, for greater efficiency. Such support will ensure a good Internet connection and protection of equipment from digital threats.
In order to help institutions to preserve the digital security of their employees while working remotely, Kaspersky recommended equipping them with tools that increase their knowledge of electronic security practices, strengthen their electronic literacy through special awareness platforms and implement protective measures to safeguard company information and its organs, including password protection, encryption of work equipment and regular data backup.
Several companies and enterprises have introduced this remote working system directly after the Covid-19 pandemic.


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The new ENERGY STAR standards took effect on September 15, 2014 and brought a couple of changes to the way fridges and freezers are rated.
Technology is constantly improving, and with a growing awareness for the need of saving energy, electronic devices and home appliances are getting more energy efficient. Many consumers see that buying energy efficient appliances saves money in the long run and is also good for the environment. To keep that development moving, official standards and minimum efficiency requirements are getting changed as technology is involving. Such a change has recently happened for refrigerators and freezers.
The new ENERGY STAR standards took effect on September 15, 2014 and brought a couple of changes to the way fridges and freezers are rated:
Another change that came with the new standard is the way the Department of Energy tests annual energy use of fridges and freezers. The measurements have been improved by adding new methods to measure the volume of compartments, new compartment temperatures, and new volume-adjustment factors. Also new is the way automatic defrosting is tested, the new method should now include all energy use that has to do with the defrost function. Fridges and freezers with a single compressor and multiple evaporators which have separate active defrost cycles can also be tested now. The energy use of fridges that have an automatic icemaker can now be calculated better using a fixed value for those icemakers.
We’ll continue tracking trends in price, efficiency and sales and keep you updated!
Get started to schedule a demo, join our newsletter, or chat with us.


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The new set of stamps to commemorate the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, has been designed by Royal Mail design director Barry Robinson. The set of five 26p stamps shows photographs of the Princess by Lord Snowdon, John Stillwell, Tim Graham and Terence Donovan. The special issue is expected to raise several million pounds for the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. It goes on sale from 3 February. A set of heraldic commemorative stamps, entitled The Queen’s Beasts and created by independent designer Jeffrey Matthews, will also be issued by Royal Mail next month.
We speak to the incoming CEO about why design needs to be at the forefront of “build back better” operations, and how her previous business background will help in her
While challenger investment platforms are reaching a new generation, there are plenty of design obstacles in the developing sector.
We speak to designer Christine Ayre, who was recently made a Fellow of King’s College London, about how design can give a sense of coherency to institutions’ output.
The design studio’s future-facing vehicle concept has Covid precautions and details inspired by the city of London.


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Mobile Insights is the new daily newsletter from BI Intelligence that collects and delivers the top mobile strategy news. It is delivered first thing every morning exclusively to BI Intelligence subscribers. Sign up here for a free trial of BI Intelligence today.
Big Internet Retailers Expecting Mobile To Rise To Half Of Total Sales In Next Few Years (Skift)
Expedia, Fandango and eBay are among online retailers benefiting from surging mobile sales, as on-the-go consumers increasingly use wireless devices to book hotels and buy event tickets. Expedia may see U.S. hotel purchases via handheld devices taking up half its total within two years. Fandango said 30% of movie tickets it sold this summer were through smartphones and tablets. And eBay says more than half its sales could come from mobile but "it’s probably more than two, but less than 10 years away." While mobile computing has been on the rise, on-the-go transactions account for only a sliver of e-commerce sales, or about 7.6% last year according to ABI Research.
Six Major Mobile Trends For 2012 (Daily SEO Tip)
2012 is seen as a breakthrough year when rich user interfaces and next generation mobile apps and games start to emerge. Here are emerging areas where much greater levels of mobile app development are taking place.
- Apps for all platforms
- Bring your own device (BYOD)
- HTML5 a growing trend of web apps
- Hybrid apps generation
- Not fully cooked
- Nokia and Microsoft's joint venture
Tablet devices are also becoming widely accepted and a whole host of new business and educational focused apps are likely to emerge because of the acceptance of this new form factor.
Here's How Consumers Are Shopping With Their Phones (BI Intelligence)
Mobile devices are playing an increasingly large role in commerce. But exactly how are consumers using their phones in the shopping process?
- Buying items directly
- Opening emails for discounts and coupons
- Research and comparison shopping
- In-Store Payments
The full report also looks at most popular mobile activities, growth of the mobile web as well as how users are consuming content on their mobile devices.
Three Dos And Don'ts For Your Mobile Website (Financial Planning)
Is your website keeping pace with the paradigm shift to mobile? If your website isn't easily accessible to mobile users you are missing out on a substantial group of sophisticated consumers. Your website is basically broken. Mobile ready websites are no longer a luxury; they are a necessity. Let's start with what you should avoid in your website:
Now, what should you do to ensure a great mobile experience?
You really only get one chance with mobile users.
Is Mobile Overtaking Desktop Internet Use? (Tim Peter)
Google has data showing that mobile internet use has grown among travel shoppers while desktop usage has declined. Here’s what’s going on with leisure travelers:
Here's going on with business travelers:
As you begin your planning for 2013, don’t think 2013 will be the (long-predicted) year of mobile. Instead, assume that last year already was. Click here for the entire presentation.
Social Gamers Continue Ditching Desktops For Mobile (Gamasutra)
Mounting evidence points to mobile devices replacing social networks as the dominant platform for casual games, a trend underlined by audiences for the top Facebook titles shrinking rapidly. In August, most of the top titles from major social game publishers like Zynga, Electronic Arts, and Disney / Playdom saw their daily active user numbers suffer double-digit declines month-to-month. Meanwhile, free-to-play titles on smartphones and tablets had their most dominant month yet. Across the three top 20 grossing games lists for iOS and Android, 56 out of the 60 titles use the free-to-play model. "We believe that over the last several months, trends in the casual digital gaming space have swung decisively towards mobile and away from PC-based social gaming," says Cowen and Company analyst Doug Cruetz.
Silicon Valley's War For The Mobile Web (VentureBeat)
Advocating for and working on the mobile web is becoming increasingly politicized and divisive. On the one side, you have Facebook drumming up a consortium of heavy hitters (Mozilla, Microsoft, Verizon, Samsung and around 25 other companies) to work within a W3C community group establishing benchmarks for the industry. On the other side, you have Yahoo and Google, which are not participating in the community’s mobile web love-fest, but which have an incredible amount of weight to throw around in this arena. Official statements from all of these companies show the same thing: They believe in the power and potential of the mobile web to flourish and eventually become more prevalent than native platforms. So who are these players, what are they trying to accomplish, and why aren’t they all working together?


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Heritage Sports Collectibles Auction Posts Tremendous Results Heritage Auction Galleries held its latest Sports Collectibles Signature Auction on Friday and Saturday, October 26th and 27th, 2007, in Dallas, Texas. The auction realized $2,752,208 for 966 lots.
News-Antique.com - Nov 05,2007 - DALLAS, TEXAS: Heritage Auction Galleries held its latest Sports Collectibles Signature Auction on Friday and Saturday, October 26th and 27th, 2007, in Dallas, Texas. The auction realized $2,752,208 for 966 lots, although after-auction sales are still ongoing and could push the total even higher.
"Usually it's baseball that gets all the glory in sports collectibles auctions," explained Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Collectibles Auctions for Heritage Auction Galleries, "but this event saw some major challengers from beyond the diamond. The golf bag that carried Tiger Woods' clubs to his first Masters tournament victory in 1997 set a modern golf auction record at $89,625." Ivy also pointed to remarkable results for game worn basketball jerseys, with Nate "Tiny" Archibald's Kansas City Kings shirt realizing $17,925 and a Lebron James' St. Vincent/St. Mary's high school jersey almost doubling the next highest established major auction result at $8,365.
Vintage baseball jerseys likewise posted remarkable results in the Heritage auction. "The jersey believed to be the last Hank Aaron wore in Milwaukee before the Braves moved to Atlanta sold for $59,750," noted Ivy. "And a price of $11,950 for Tommy Henrich's 1949 home New York Yankees jersey is far and away the highest ever realized for Old Reliable's gamer."
"Consignors are aware that Heritage holds several records in vintage sports photography auction results," said Ivy. "Surely this is the reason we were afforded the opportunity to offer this remarkable specimen, and the fantastic price speaks for itself."
1991 Minnesota Twins World Series Championship Trophy:
"An identical example of this trophy sold in a major competitor's auction for $3,600 a few years ago," noted Ivy. "Until now, that was the highest price ever realized for a 1991 Twins 12" trophy at auction."


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Online video advertising network ScanScout has agreed to settle U.S. Federal Trade Commission charges that it wrongly claimed that consumers could opt out of receiving targeted ads by changing their computer's browser settings to block cookies.
AT&T's assertions that its planned acquisition of T-Mobile USA will create up to 96,000 new U.S. jobs are "completely unfounded" and contrary to past evidence of similar mergers, one economist said Tuesday.
LG has joined companies including Samsung, HTC and Research In Motion in deciding to sign a deal with patent licensing company Intellectual Ventures.
The ongoing lawsuit between Oracle and third-party support provider Rimini Street has heated up further, with new allegations that Oracle is "abusing" the pre-trial discovery process and using "scare tactics" against customers in order to hurt Rimini...
Motorola Mobility won a preliminary injunction on Friday, forbidding Apple from selling any mobile devices in Germany that infringe on two Motorola patents related to wireless technology.
Supporters of a controversial copyright protection bill recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives are firing back after several digital rights groups have suggested the legislation could lead to law enforcement officials targeting site...
AT&T has pushed back the expected date of its proposed US$39 billion merger with T-Mobile USA, saying now that the deal will close in the first half of 2012.
A co-founder of NinjaVideo.net has pleaded guilty to a copyright infringement charge, joining two other founders who pled guilty to charges in September.
Romanian eBay hacker Vlad Duiculescu, known online as "Vladuz," lost the appeal to get his three-year suspended prison sentence reduced on Tuesday. The court also dismissed the appeal lodged by prosecutors regarding the hacker's acquittal on organize...
Oracle and Google held another settlement conference on Wednesday in their ongoing lawsuit over alleged Java intellectual-property violations in the Android mobile OS, but failed to reach an agreement, according to a filing in U.S. District Court for...
A judge in the U.S. on Wednesday allowed parts of C Spire Wireless and Sprint Nextel's lawsuits against AT&T's proposed US$39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA.
A new Apple patent reveals the company is looking into ways to integrate more gesturing into the iPad and other devices, a la Tom Cruise's holographic glove-controlled system in Minority Report.
In the end it was a search that let Google down.
Europe's Council of Ministers has said that all European Union countries must make the 800MHz band available for wireless broadband services by Jan. 1, 2013 as part of an ambitious deal agreed on Friday.
Germany and Romania are caught between a rock and a hard place over data retention.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.
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First Blockchain National Currency Platform Ready for Central Banks’ CBDC Issuance
The blockchain national currency platform issued by blockchain company Apollo Fintech was finalized and completed on August 12.
National Payment Platform to Fuel CBDCs
The blockchain-fueled ‘Central Bank Digital Currency’ (CBDC) platform is the first of its kind to exist. Apollo Fintech, who prides itself in “developing world-shaping fintech solutions for a global economy, just announced recently the completion of the platform, dubbed “National Payment Platform”(NPP).
This payments system set in place by Apollo Fintech consists of an innovative cashless digital platform. The blockchain-powered system aims to equip central banks with the proper tools to issue their own sovereign , otherwise known as central bank digital currencies (CBDC) for national adoption. The NPP system also enables government agencies worldwide and central banks to include commercial banks and agents after the issuance of CBDC.
With the blockchain national currency platform set in place by Apollo Fintech, merchants to Peer-to-Peer transactions are made possible, through the leveraging of the National Payment Platform’s features, which include but are not restricted to apps, SMS, QR codes, cards, and offline codes. Furthermore, authorized banks can then process mainstream transactions, such as currency deposits, money withdrawal, currency exchange, transfers, and payments.
Blockchain is The Future
Speaking proudly of his newly founded project, CEO of Apollo Fintech said:
“The National Payment Platform is the only blockchain-powered system that enables users to make digital payments through a sovereign currency. The NPP enables regulated banks and commercial entities to harness the power of blockchain and facilitate frictionless transactions.”
With the NPP set in place, Apollo Fintech advocates that the blockchain-based platform will fuel and power the global economy, enabling investors and economists worldwide to be more efficient and “save large amounts of time and resources.”
Image source: Shutterstock


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The Belgrade Car Show is an event that everyone is looking forward to. The Covid pandemic has led to the cancellation of this event in 2020 and 2021 to the great disappointment of both exhibitors and visitors. New technologies, electric cars and hybrids will be the focus of this year’s fair.
According to the organizers of this year’s car show, there is a great interest of participants, media, experts, and the public, both in the country and region.
“Practically, after a three-year break, the upcoming event means the continuation of the sequel of car and motorcycle shows at the Belgrade Fair. The last Car and Motorcycle Show was held in 2019, and in 2020, ten days before the start, a fully prepared event was canceled due to a pandemic” says the Belgrade Fair.
This year’s car show in one segment will significantly differ from the previous ones. The automotive industry is at a major technological milestone but at the same time in great trouble. In general, the demand for new vehicles currently exceeds the existing supply. Due to problems with the supply of some key components (semiconductors – chips, but also aluminum parts), there was a big delay in the finalization of production and the lack of new vehicles on the global market. Delivery deadlines are uncertain, they are getting longer and longer, and are often broken.
“Due to the current situation, importers and distributors of vehicles at this year’s Car Show, unlike previous editions, do not prioritize the affirmation of the sale of new cars. They give priority to presenting environmentally advanced vehicles, electric models, hybrids, light hybrids and new vehicle models with conventional propulsion (petrol and diesel), which are supposed to have been improved in terms of reducing the emission of harmful exhaust materials”, the organizers state.
Car and motorcycle shows are primarily business events but also media attractions. Thus, the visitors of this event will have the opportunity to enjoy the attractive accompanying contents. Some of them have become traditional over time, such as the test drive of electric motorcycles and bicycles on specially arranged training grounds, the skills test for safe driving and prize games, as well as the selection for the Car Show Miss.
Keeping in mind the changed concept and format of the event, the Belgrade Fair expects great interest from the professional public in organizing accompanying professional events on more than current issues of environmentally advanced technologies and their application in the automotive industry in the function of environmental protection. The Car and Motorcycle Show organizers are preparing the event with the conviction that the epidemiological situation will not be a reason for cancellation.
During the Car show, all necessary protective measures will be taken that, according to the recommendations of the competent institutions, are appropriate for manifestations of a mass character.
The price of an individual ticket for the Car Show will be 400 RSD, for organized group visits 20 and more visitors 300 RSD per person, and students and pupils will pay 200 RSD per person during the organized visit. The parking price is 150 RSD per hour, the maximum daily price of the parking is 750 RSD.
Prepared by: Milica Radičević
Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine ELECTROMOBILITY.


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The text message, camouflaged under the emphasis of “missed package delivery,” is a new way of spreading Android malware, known as FluBot. Hackers are thus increasingly trying to gain money or user data, given that vulnerable users are already accustomed to the possibility of suspicious email, which they now rarely click on.
According to cyber security company Proofpoint, this specific type of Android malware – one of many to watch out for – seems to be re-emerging. Earlier this year, there was a drop in the activity of that malware, due to the wave of arrests of internet attackers, the Center for Cyber Security of the United Kingdom announced. However, now FluBot malware is once again affecting more and more countries in Europe.
Although it was primarily a threat to Android users, owners of Apple devices do not necessarily have to be immune to the damage that FluBot is able to do, reports BRG.
“Text messages may be redirected to a website from where there may be an attempt to steal your personal information,” the UK national service said in a warning.


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The new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will launch some time in September and we are expecting Apple to launch three smartphones.
The three smartphones in this years iPhone 8 range will include one 4.7 inch iPhone and two 5.5 inch models, one of these will come with an OLED display.
According to a recent report the new iPhone handsets will come with a True Tone display, this is currently used in Apple’s 9.7 inch iPad Pro.
We are also expecting this years iPhones to get a complete re-design, Apple have used the current design since the launch of the iPhone 6.
The new iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are said to come with a stainless steel chassis, the handsets will also feature a glass back and will come with a new Apple processor and also more RAM than the current versions.
We are also expecting the new iPhones to feature updates cameras, the handsets will come with the next version of Apple’s mobile OS, iOS 11 which we are expecting to hear more information about at their Worldwide Developers Conference.
As soon as we get some more details about this years iPhones, we will let you guys know, we are expecting the handsets to launch some time in September.
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Nokia is planning to unveil two new Windows Phone 8 devices at a joint event with Microsoft on September 5th. Sources familiar with the two companies' plans have revealed that Nokia is working on an "Arrow" Windows Phone 8 device that is set to be announced alongside a "Phi" handset. Both the devices are said to be part of Nokia's Lumia range, with the Arrow and Phi codenames serving as temporary monikers.
AT&T will stock Nokia's Phi handset initially as an exclusive hero device, expected to feature a large curved glass display as the successor to the Lumia 800 and 900 range, complete with the typical polycarbonate body. The Arrow Windows Phone 8 handset is said to be a mid-range one that will be available on AT&T and T-Mobile in the US. An almost identical variant, codenamed Atlas, will also be available on the Verizon network — but its announcement is likely to come later. A prototype device and parts for Nokia's Windows Phone 8 devices have leaked to the internet in recent weeks, but Microsoft and Nokia will unveil the final design of both handsets next month.


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Utilities will need to ensure their distribution systems are ready for electric vehicles (EVs) because an overwhelming number of drivers envision they will charge their EVs at home, new Chartwell research shows.
Coinciding with the launch of its EV Customer Strategy Research Council and forthcoming EV conference, Chartwell has conducted a study that reveals 89% of consumers would be “likely” or “extremely likely” to charge their plug-in EVs at home. In fact, the recent survey of 1,500 North American consumers shows that 81% of that group would fall into the extremely-likely category. This was a far greater percentage than consumers who foresee external charging stations as the primary means for fuel.
“We’ve uncovered some interesting findings,” said Stacey Bailey, a Sr. Research Analyst with Chartwell. “You have the vast majority of consumers believing their home will be the primary charging site, and most of those respondents say they will plug in during off-peak, overnight hours, which would be preferable for most utilities.
“Still, we did find a notable percentage of consumers who say they will plug-in during on-peak times, which could potentially stress the distribution system.”
The number of EVs on the road also remains to be seen, and this, for many utilities, is the bigger issue. As part of its EV study Chartwell is also interviewing utilities, who see consumer acceptance and getting information on EV purchases and adoption in their service territories as a bigger issue than any potential stress on the grid.


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In the past year, Sotheby’s reached a number of milestones and broke a host of auction records, including for any painting sold in Asia, any work by a living female artist and the most valuable car ever sold. Amadeo Modigliani’s masterpiece 'Nu couché' became the most valuable work ever sold at Sotheby’s while a 1945 Romanée Conti became the most expensive bottle of wine ever to be auctioned. Sotheby’s continued to partner with amazing artists, activists, and leaders, such as A$AP Rocky, Ai WeiWei, Victoria Beckham and Bono. The magnificent collections of Barbara and Frank Sinatra, Marsha and Robin Williams, Frank and Lorna Dunphy, as well as Pierre Berge all achieved stunning results. And in what was perhaps the biggest surprise in the art world this year, Sotheby’s marked the first time a piece of live performance art sold at auction with Banksy’s Love is in the Bin.
Auctions Records, White-Glove Sales, and a Few Surprises in 2018


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Taiwanese manufacturer Acer is apparently set to launch a dual screen laptop with a 2.67GHz Intel Core i5-580M processor fairly soon.
Techreview Source reports that the device will run on Windows 7 and has two 15-inch interchangeable touchscreens, one of which can be used for the display and the other as a keyboard/trackpad.
Sources say that the device is still at an early stage of development and therefore suffers from bugs and other ailments. It should come out nearly one year from now, around fall 2011.
The laptop dwarfs attempts by others like the Toshiba Folio to popularise the format. No details as to the other features especially pricing and the responsiveness of the system.
We're slightly dubious about the utility of a dual screen laptop especially as it will have a negative impact on the battery life and is likely to be significantly more expensive.


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There have been a number of agricultural market movers (issues that change the direction and intensity of price moves) over the past year; however, most of these movers cancel each other out. Weather problems limited supplies and pushed prices higher, but the trade disputes and tariffs limited usage and offset the price impacts. With the passage of the USMCA and the signing of trade deals with China and Japan over the past few months, there is some positive news on the trade front. However, as the market reaction to the US-China trade deal signing indicates, agricultural markets are not interested in the political deals, but in actually seeing trade flows change due to these deals.
International trade has grown into a lucrative component for US agriculture. As figure 1 shows, the values of agricultural product exports and imports have more than doubled since 2000. While crop prices have dropped dramatically since 2012 and livestock prices have retreated from 2014, US agricultural export values have remained fairly firm, holding at $130–$140 billion over the past five years. While imports have also risen significantly over the past couple of decades, agriculture remains one of the few sectors in our economy where the United States holds a trade surplus. The recent trade disagreements have diminished that surplus, but overall trade values remain robust.
The progress on multiple trade deals signals the potential for significant shifts in agricultural trade. The USMCA and Japan agreements concentrate on solidifying existing trade flows, rather than significantly expanding trade opportunities. Canada, Mexico, and Japan have been major agricultural markets for the United States for quite some time. These new deals maintain and protect those relationships, with the prospects for continued, but limited, growth. The China deal, on the other hand, has the potential to radically change global trade flows. To see why, it is important to understand the current agricultural export picture.
Figure 2 breaks down US agricultural export values by market destination. The blue line is the value of agricultural exports to countries where the United States has a free trade agreement. Canada and Mexico represent roughly two-thirds of that volume. The red line is the value of agricultural exports to China. Prior to 2000, China was a very small market for US agriculture; however, trade between the United States and China grew significantly and quickly after, peaking at roughly $25 billion in 2012. Between 2012 and 2017, US agricultural export values to China slowly declined, mainly due to the general reduction in agricultural prices. Trade disagreements between the United States and China and the imposition of tariffs led to the steep drop in export values in 2018. We did see, however, some recovery in agricultural trade flows to China even before the signing of the China trade deal. The green line is the value of agricultural exports to the rest of the world, and shows that we rely on significant trade flows outside of China and free trade partners. To put it another way, agricultural trade is more complicated than the “Big 3” markets of China, Canada, and Mexico.
The Phase One deal alters the agricultural trade landscape—China has agreed to specific targets for agricultural purchases for this year and next year. The deal uses 2017 as the base year for trade, and, as figures 2 and 3 show, Chinese agricultural purchases totaled roughly $19.5 billion that year. For 2020, China agreed to purchase $12.5 billion more in agricultural products than it did in the base year, which puts 2020 US agricultural exports to China at $32 billion (other publications report higher amounts, but they are including forestry and ag-related products, such as infant formula and pet food). For 2021, the agreement is $19.5 billion more than the base year—$39 billion in agricultural sales to China. These two targets alone guarantee a significant surge in sales to China, far eclipsing the record sales from 2012. The text of the deal also includes a statement indicating that the growth in US agricultural exports to China set in these two years is projected to continue through 2025. Figure 3 outlines those projections. If projections from the deal are accurate, agricultural trade with China will grow to exceed what the United States currently ships to its free trade partners or to the rest of the world.
Traders are sorting through three big questions right now. One, will China follow through on these commitments over the next two years and what mix of products will they choose? Two, how secure are those projections for continued agricultural trade growth beyond 2021? Three, what happens to our other markets as this agreement is fulfilled? We feel that it is likely that China will meet the value targets for the next two years as the African Swine Fever outbreak there has created a significant protein gap for China. The deal contains language easing trade rules for meats between the two countries, so it makes sense that China would expand meat purchases from the United States, fulfilling two objectives at once—filling in the protein gap and meeting trade targets. While soybeans were the largest portion of previous agricultural sales to China, we expect meat, especially pork, to take the leading spots in our future sales to China. Thus, the product mix will shift, moving to more value-added products, which helps China hit the dollar value targets.
Sales beyond 2021 are not locked in place. The agreement only states that both countries currently think the trade flows would continue to develop at the same pace as the first two years, implying gains of $7 billion per year. If the projections hold, they imply significant shifts in global trade flows—US agriculture will become even more reliant on Chinese demand. A large concern is what will happen to our other markets—this deal will likely crowd some of them out. China has agreed to buy more agricultural products, but that does not mean we can add that value to total exports. In fact, we are currently already seeing the potential for crowding out. Over the past few months China has re-established itself as the top market for US soybeans. As China has moved back in, however, numerous other markets have reduced US soybean imports. Sales to the European Union, Mexico, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, and Canada have fallen. With trade, there can be significant slippage—gains in one area are often offset by losses elsewhere. In this case, forcing sales to China will likely cost us open sales to the rest of the world.
Hart, C. and L. Schulz. 2020. "The Phase One Trade Deal: Projections and Implications." Agricultural Policy Review, Winter 2020. Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Iowa State University. Available at www.card.iastate.edu/ag_policy_review/article/?a=105.


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Fashion show benefits SafePlace
March 27, 2013 by Mark
‘A Day to Shine’ Fashion Show will hold its sixth annual event at the Austin Hilton in just a couple of weeks.
Proceeds from the event will benefit SafePlace’s program, Expect Respect. Claire and Doug English will be honored with the Lifestyle Award at the fashion show, which signifies commitment to healthy and positive relationships, as well as building and maintaining strong character.
A Day to Shine was launched in 2008 as a means of increasing awareness of prevention of dating abuse. It includes an afternoon dessert treat and then an early fashion show specifically for students and athletes attending schools from surrounding communities, including Austin, Georgetown, and Odessa. The fashion show will present the most modern and popular attire for teenagers and is sure to be a fun event for the youth in the audience.
The evening event provides a delicious dinner, fabulous fashion show, and lovely gala to raise funds to enhance and grow the programs of Expect Respect. The program is an outreach effort providing assistance to thousands of students via support groups, education, and counseling.
Working with local print companies for programs such as this provides a great resource to the event planners. Printing services can include flyers, banners, catalogs, and invitations. Catalogs provide the perfect tool to highlight the models and the sponsors participating in the event.
A variety of sponsorship opportunities are available for this event, and the SafePlace website has complete information about sponsorships, ticket sales, and the complete program. To speak with a representative from SafePlace about this April 13 event, contact 512-356-1689.


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Amazon Acquires Twitch for Nearly $1 billion
Posted by Travis Bridell on Monday, September 1, 2014 at 12:00 AM By Travis Bridell / September 1, 2014 Comment
Wholesaler, tech giant and Kindle-maker Amazon made a $970 million dollar acquisition of video game live-streaming website Twitch last Monday. Twitch is a website devoted to allowing video gamers to live-stream themselves playing video games so others can watch and share the experience. They have even pushed for some unique practices, including playing and finishing games such as Pokémon as a community (which is so awesome).
“Like Twitch, we obsess over customers and like to think differently, and we look forward to learning from them and helping them move even faster to build new services for the gaming community,” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said in a press release.The three-year-old venture hopes to gain a lot from having Amazon's power to back them up. Amazon has been venturing into the growing video game market for a few years now as it has acquired video game developers and published its own Facebook and mobile games (though I can't say I've played any of them).
"Today, I’m pleased to announce we’ve been acquired by Amazon," Twitch CEO Emmett Shear said in his own release. "We chose Amazon because they believe in our community, they share our values and long-term vision, and they want to help us get there faster. We’re keeping most everything the same: our office, our employees, our brand, and most importantly our independence. But with Amazon’s support we’ll have the resources to bring you an even better Twitch."Shear says "chose" because the company was recently rumored to have been sought by YouTube (Google) for a $1 billion bid as well. The autonomy that it seems Amazon will allow Twitch to keep should keep the company pushing forward with its massive growth. Twitch has more than 55 million visitors per month and garnered 1 million monthly broadcasters earlier this year. Photo by: soumit


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Now, I just want to stay in contact with my iPad when I am there visiting. After being in place for greater than 50 years, a ban on non-public corporations in Cuba was lifted in August, enabling many to pursue long-held business projects. Gain insights from the lived expertise of different small business owners. Here are some Business Marketing things to assume about about how to share the wealth and show appreciation to service providers. BlackRock Take $2 Trillion in Assets Out of State Street’s Custodial ControlBlackRock will now not have State Street oversee its change traded funds. Dogecoin prices are erupting higher on Tuesday following a tweet from Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
- The share value and discount are more reflective of latest points than future development, and the inventory should rise because the group expands and develops.
- Surge in commodity costs drives progress in Indonesia Statistics Indonesia reported Friday the nation’s economic growth was recorded at three.51 %, slower than the earlier quarter and beneath authorities expectation.
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Illegal traffic signaling affects road users everyday. – VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hùng
HÀ NỘI – Slack regulation of the use of priority traffic horns and lights recently in Hà Nội is giving residents a headache.
Numerous kinds of lights and horns are being sold widely in markets, many of which imitate emergency vehicles. People can buy these lights or horns from VNĐ500,000 to VNĐ3 million (US$22.4-$134.6).
People are using these illegal devices to take priority in traffic at intersections and during rush hour.
On narrow roads or areas with construction work, citizen vehicles with these priority lights and horns are using them to get ahead of the normal traffic.
Often road users let vehicles using such emergency devices pass, thinking they are an ambulance, fire-engine or police vehicle.
Many taxis and motor tricycles are illegally equipped with illegal horns to allow them to drive faster through busy traffic.
Some cars have been equipped with light signals and horns that emulate police cars.
Road users are getting very annoyed, but don’t know who to complaint to.
“I always let vehicles with priority lights and horns pass, but sometimes I do not recognise which are legal vehicles because they are always behind me,” said Nguyễn Hải Anh, a road user.
“Sometimes, the horn makes me start and quickly move out of the way. It risks causing a traffic accident,” he added.
It is easy to buy these priority traffic devices in Hà Nội’s Hoàng Hoa Thám, Thịnh Yên, and Huế streets, or at giời (open air) markets.
Tuổi Trẻ (Youth) newspaper reported that an online trader living in the northern province of Bắc Ninh has sold these products for many years and supplies Hà Nội and other northern provinces.
He has set up a webpage to advertise his goods to customers, the newspaper said.
He told the newspaper that he has three sets of emergency-type lights that sell best, costing from VNĐ400,000-VNĐ1.2 million each (US$17.9-$53.8).
All of the products are imported from China. The customer can get a discount for bulk orders, and each product is guaranteed for at least three months after purchase, he said.
Lê Mạnh Dũng, a taxi driver, said that authorities should strictly punish those caught using these priority vehicle equipment illegally.
Nguyễn Xuân Ngọc, an official from the Hà Nội Market Management Department, told the newspaper that these products are managed by the police.
While lawyer, Phan Thị Lam Hồng, head of Đông Hà Nội Law Ltd, said the Market Management Department is responsible for the management of these products.
Col Đào Vịnh Thắng, head of the Traffic Police Office under Hà Nội Police, said the police have seized many such illegal devices and dealt with violators strictly.
The relevant agencies should join hands with the police to tackle the use of illegal priority vehicle devices and manage the import, production and sale of these products, Thắng said.
According to road traffic law, each illegal use of emergency vehicle equipment can be fined VND600,000-800,000 (US$26.6-35.5). — VNS


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How can you sell more kiwifruit in Zespri’s longstanding number one market against all trends, in a country where people are bombarded by 18,000 TV commercials a year and where sales of fruit have been dropping over the past decade?
Kanako Inomata, head of marketing for Zespri in Japan, was presented with the New Zealand Kiwifruit Industry Innovation Trophy yesterday for her novel solution to this challenge. The trophy, set up in 2015 by former Chairman of Kiwifruit New Zealand Sir Brian Elwood, recognises outstanding innovation achievements and this is the first year it has been presented.
Zespri General Manager Global Marketing Jiunn Shih explains Kanako’s achievement has been to challenge convention and introduce marketing approach in Japan that makes Zespri Kiwifruit the hero, putting it front and centre in consumers’ minds.
“For many years, our marketing relied on using well-known celebrities to promote the product. Through her work in consumer research and insights, Kanako recognised while this had positive short-term impact, it failed to build the Zespri brand toward its potential, with consumers remembering the celebrity more than the product they’re promoting.”
Working with celebrities can also be relatively costly, while marketing budgets have limits. Responding to consumer insights, Kanako came up with an entirely new approach – two mascots called the ‘Kiwifruit Brothers’. These award-winning characters have proved enormously popular with consumers and helped increase brand awareness and resonance for Zespri in Japan.
Innovation requires more than a good idea however. Kanako’s next challenge was to get Zespri’s sales partners on board with the new programme, involving instore displays across Japan using 13,000 sets of the mascots. It was supported with an integrated animation-based TV commercial, plus communication through digital media, fruit sampling and packaging, to establish the loveable mascots as enduring, iconic characters in Japan.
“The execution of the programme has been excellent, supported by new ways of understanding consumer insights that we are now sharing with other Zespri markets. Through breaking a long-standing marketing approach, Kanako has found a way to engage with younger consumers in Japan and open up significant new potential to grow Zespri sales,” says Shih.
Japan is regarded as a mature market and has been Zespri’s longstanding number one market globally. However, Zespri was able to grow sales by 30 percent in this important market between 2015 and 2017 and has plans to further increase sales by 25 percent over the next five years. This shows that innovative marketing approaches based on consumer insights can unlock further growth potential.
The judging panel for the trophy involved Zespri Chairman Peter McBride, industry regulator Kiwifruit New Zealand (KNZ) Chair Kristy McDonald and NZ Kiwifruit Growers Inc (NZKGI) President Doug Brown.
Commenting on behalf of the judges, McBride said the panel reviewed some excellent nominations, showcasing a wide variety of innovation across the industry.
“Whether the innovation involves science and technology, investment models, marketing or other initiatives, the application of new ideas underpins the long-term viability of our industry. We are delighted to recognise Kanako for her excellent contribution which can create enduring value and we thank all those who have been nominated for the trophy this year.”


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- Organised by The Dubai Mall and Vogue Italia and under the umbrella of Dubai Design & Fashion Council, the event continues to position the city as a global fashion destination
- An unmatched two-day celebration of emerging and high-end fashion and lifestyle events
- Fashion Talks led by renowned fashion designers and icons; free registration for public
- First edition of ‘Who Is On Next Dubai’ – scouting contest for fashion designers from the Middle East, Asia and Africa
- International fashion brands participate with exclusive in-store activities held at The Dubai Mall
Dubai, UAE; June 29, 2015: The world’s who’s who of fashion will once again descend on Dubai for what will be a spectacular celebration of fashion and emerging designer talent at the third edition of Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience, the largest of its kind fashion event in the Middle East, to be held at The Dubai Mall.
The flagship fashion event of Emaar Properties, organised in partnership with Vogue Italia, Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience continues to position the city in the premier league of global fashion destinations. Held over two days, October 29 and 30, 2015, the event is organised with the support of Dubai Design & Fashion Council, which was established to continue to strategically develop and position Dubai as a world-leading and credible fashion destination.
The third edition of Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience will again host an exclusive Designers Showcase organised by The Dubai Mall, BySymphony.com and Vogue Italia, to identify the next generation of fashion creative talent.
This year, Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience will also present the first edition of ‘Who Is On Next Dubai,’ a scouting contest open to all fashion designers from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The contest is divided in three categories - womenswear, menswear and accessories – with the winners from each category chosen from a globally renowned committee. The finalists will have the opportunity to win prizes in 2016 including a fashion show in Pitti Uomo in Florence, Altaroma in Rome, invitation to thevoguetalentscorner.com during Milan Fashion Week, and to retail in a temporary store in The Dubai Mall and on Yoox Premium e-commerce platform. Some of the key committee names from across the fashion industry will include: Carlo Capasa, Raffaello Napoleone, Silvia Venturini Fendi, Franca Sozzani, Federico Marchetti, Salama Alabbar, Christopher Bailey, Christian Louboutin, Nez Gebreel, Noura Binzagr, Naomi Campbell, Godfrey Deeny, Seda Domaniç, Hanneli Rupert, Priya Tanna and Ritu Upadhyay.
As in the past editions, a fashion show featuring emerging international and regional designers selected by Vogue Italia, will take centrestage at The Dubai Mall’s Fashion Catwalk. Exclusive in-store activations by hundreds of participating retailers, live music and other lifestyle events will also be part of the high profile fashion experience.
Natalie Bogdanova, Senior Director, Business Development & Operations, Emaar Malls, said: “The third edition of Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience promises another amazing celebration of fashion and support of emerging fashion talent. In addition to welcoming fashion enthusiasts from around the world and presenting the latest style trends, the event serves as a true facilitator of emerging and undiscovered talent, underlining how Dubai is at the forefront of fostering the next generation of international fashion designers.”
Franca Sozzani, Editor in Chief of Vogue Italia, said: “Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience has achieved impressive stature globally in just two years. Today, it is much awaited by the international fashion circuit not only because of Dubai’s status as the new fashion capital but also to support and encourage next generation of fashion talent.”
Nez Gebreel CEO, Dubai Design & Fashion Council, added: “We are pleased to be officially supporting Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience. The event complements the ongoing concerted efforts of the Dubai Design & Fashion Council to set clear industry standards in the fashion industry and to enhance Dubai’s design scene more generally by continuing to elevate the city’s status as a leading global fashion destination. We are confident that the third edition of Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience will play a key part in taking Dubai’s fashion credentials to the next level by hosting some of the very best local and international talent, and by driving insightful discussion and networking among the world’s who’s who in the fashion industry.”
The second Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience, in 2014, welcomed over one million visitors across three days. In-store activities organised by over 200 fashion retailers in The Dubai Mall also contributed to the significant boost in footfall, further underlining The Dubai Mall’s credentials as the ultimate destination for luxury shopping.
The fashion show was a resounding success and attendees witnessed a creative presentation of the S/S 2015 collections of eight talented international designers. A charity dinner gala was also hosted by Vogue Italia and Emaar, which raised almost AED 4 million towards World Food Programme, and highlighted the role of the fashion industry in making a positive difference to humanity.
Celebrities who attended the event included Janet Jackson, Ciara, Latifa, Elissa, Lira, Soko, Lola Lennox, Franca Sozzani, Philipp Plein, Roberto Cavalli, Peter Dundas, Alberta Ferretti, Emmanuelle Seigner, Elisa Sednaoui, Farida Khelfa, Afef Jnifen, Ali Mustafa, Liya Kebede, and Lily Cole.
Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience also featured the International Talents Showcase, which served as an exclusive stage for 20 upcoming designers, selected by Vogue Italia and The Dubai Mall through a scouting contest. The showcase reported robust interest from buyers and retailers for the collections and several potential leads for business and marketing collaborations.
The Fashion Talks 2014 were led by international designers and fashion icons and saw huge crowds eager to gain insights into the fashion industry. Speakers included: Franca Sozzani, Roberto Cavalli, Peter Dundas, Philipp Plein, Alberta Ferretti and Sara Maino. The talks were moderated by fashion journalist JJ Martin.
The Dubai Mall, world’s most visited shopping and entertainment destination, welcomed over 80 million visitors in 2014. In addition to the 1,200 retail outlets, the flagship asset of Emaar Malls has over 200 F&B outlets and world-class leisure attractions. The Fashion Avenue at the mall has the largest collection of high-end brands under one roof and is currently being expanded by 1 million sq ft built-up area to welcome more than 150 new luxury brands.


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Welcome back for the second episode of The Ripple Drop, a web video series covering the latest news about the company’s customers, technology, products and culture.
On the first segment this week, we’re talking Kahina Van Dyke, Ripple’s new SVP of business and corporate development, about why she joined and how removing friction from global payments can change the world for the better.
Next, we sit down with Jinal Surti, Ripple’s director of business operations, to discuss the University Blockchain Research Initiative. He provides updates on how this select group of schools from around the world are training the next generation of blockchain entrepreneurs, developers and researchers.
Our final segment will feature Asheesh Birla, Ripple’s SVP of product. Asheesh previews his new monthly newsletter called BUIDL that will focus on the most interesting and impactful products and offerings in the blockchain space. Follow Asheesh for more on how to sign up for BUIDL before it goes live next month.
We hope you enjoy this episode and as always let us know via comments who or what you’d love to hear about in the future.


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US: American Beverage Association says voters reject "ineffective" soda taxes
Voters in two Californian cities turned down proposed soda taxes because they are “wrongheaded and ineffective” in tackling obesity, the American Beverage Association (ABA) has told just-drinks.
Richmond and El Monte residents are not opposed to taxes but their rejection of the local government plans on Tuesday (6 November) show soda taxes are “bad policy and politics”, the ABA argued. Some 67% opposed the US$0.01 duty for every ounce of sugary beverage in Richmond, while 77% voted it down in El Monte.
“The overwhelming defeat of two beverage taxes in California is a continuation of what we’ve seen from other states and cities that have tried to tax beverages - voters understand it’s futile to fight obesity with new taxes,” the ABA said.
“Richmond and El Monte voted for other taxes on the ballot Tuesday night, but they threw out the idea of taxing beverages.”
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“Mobile-first” is a marketing term that gets thrown around often, but Doritos is taking it a step further, reaching Millennials with a mobile-only campaign.
Doritos has teamed up with social media influencers, who have created videos promoting new, limited-edition flavors. The only way consumers can access that content, along with a sneak peek of the upcoming Sharknado 3 movie, is by scanning a Dorito – an actual corn chip, not a QR code on a bag – with their smartphones. However, to unlock the content, the Dorito must be one of the new flavors: Jacked 3D Bacon Cheddar Ranch or Jacked 3D Jalapeño Pepper Jack.
Myles Kleeger, chief revenue officer of mobile marketing automation platform Appboy, says the nature of the promotion illustrates the value of mobile. According to Millward Brown, the market research division of London agency WPP, Millennials spend 172 minutes daily using the Internet or apps on their phones, as opposed to 60 minutes on tablets and 93 minutes on computers, so a mobile-only approach makes sense. But more than that, he thinks the campaign is clever because it takes a purchase to participate.
“Try it once, and even if you never create a video or send it around to your friends, it’s a brilliant way to do a sampling,” Kleeger says. “You’re forcing people to try the product and you’re using content as the currency to encourage them. It’s better than sampling because you’re not giving [Doritos] away for free.”
The content is made by popular influencers such as YouTube gamer Freddy Wong and Vine magician Zach King. To keep with the 3D theme, the videos are 3D as well and require special glasses, which are free with purchase.
Kleeger thinks its smart of Doritos to keep this campaign on the mobile web, as opposed to in an app. If people don’t already have a positive impression toward a particular product, they’re less inclined to download an app.
“Doing it through the mobile web is a better way to generate buzz because it’s quicker and easier for people to participate,” he says. “In this promotion, it doesn’t need to be that the relationship is formed through the experience. Scanning the chip, seeing the video, sharing the video on social media and tasting the chip accomplished the mission, as opposed to a classic approach with database marketing. By using the mobile web, [Doritos also] doesn’t have to worry about different platforms.”
Kleeger thinks the fact that Doritos, a consumer packaged goods brand that isn’t driven by e-commerce, did a promotion like this speaks volumes.
“I think these mobile-only programs are going to be the centerpiece of what we see going forward and traditional media channels are going to be what we use to drive awareness of them,” he says. “Invariably, brands are going to realize that.”
Homepage image via Shutterstock
In 2015, Verizon purchased AOL for $4.4 billion. Now, the mega wireless carrier is leveraging its wireless network as part of a new ad offering called BrandBuilder by AOL.
As the ball drops on December 31st, make sure your media strategies are stacked with timely resolutions to make the most of 2017.
Easily spotted on the mobile web: holiday ad next to plane crash story; Muslim dating ad next to KKK story; beauty ad next to domestic violence story; car ad next to emissions scandal story.
There will be an estimated 20.8 billion connected devices in the world (up from the current figure of 6.4 billion), the advent of 5G represents an enormous opportunity within the world of mobile.


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Tommy Hilfiger is going all out to win the consumer vote this fall with a Pop-Up Fairground in NYC
In a “see-now-buy-now” Pop-Up show that’s aimed equally at a consumer and an industry audience, Hilfiger will create “Tommy Pier,” at Pier 16 in South Street Seaport in New York City for his fashion show, which will take place outdoors on Sept. 9. Featured on the pier will be iconic fair rides and games, including a 40-foot Ferris wheel, classic fairground foods such as pretzels, hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream sandwiches, cotton candy, lobster rolls, doughnuts and French fries. And fashion.
The designer will showcase the fall 2016 Tommy x Gigi Collection designed in collaboration with Gigi Hadid. A shoppable live-stream will take place on tommy.com at 7 p.m. EST, at the same time that the show goes live. Half of the show’s 2,000 guests on Friday night will be consumers. They will be invited via a combination of best customers through “Hilfiger Club” loyalty program from retail, registering for free tickets on NYC Go and through I Heart Radio starting at 8 a.m, E.S.T., on Aug. 29 and the brand working with select print media partners for e-mail outreach to sign up for free tickets. “Tommy Pier” will open again to consumers again on Sept. 10 from noon to 9 p.m. as the show is rebroadcast on large LED screens throughout the venue. Two Tommy x Gigi Pop-Up Shops, a vintage Tommy Hilfiger shop, Pop-Up record shop, nail art and temporary tattoos will be housed along on the pier.
Twenty-one-year-old Hadid and Hilfiger teamed to launch her first collaborative collection with the designer last December. Putting her West Coast stamp on Hilfiger’s East Coast classics, the company describes the partnership as a “new take on nautical with a playful, romantic edge.” There are marine, utility and maritime influences mixed with embroideries, sailor stripes and sporty details. Key fabrics include feminine chiffon, cozy cable-knits and sleek leathers.
All lines shown on the runway, which include styles from the fall 2016 Tommy x Gigi collaborative capsule and Hilfiger Collection, will be immediately available for purchase after the runway show. The Tommy x Gigi collaborative capsule collection will be sold at the Tommy Hilfiger retail locations, on tommy.com globally and through its global wholesale network.
Hadid caused a media stir when she walked down Hilfiger’s Mustique-inspired runway in a crochet bikini last September. She was then named the label’s global brand ambassador, beginning in fall 2016. In addition to walking the runway and collaborating on a capsule collection, she will attend launch events in key markets. The collaboration aims to blend the model’s Millennial take on fashion with Hilfiger’s classic American heritage. Hadid’s wide social following, which includes more than 21.8 million followers on Instagram, is expected to help the Hilfiger brand to expand its global reach. After her appearance on last September’s runway, Hilfiger said, “We were the most viewed show on Snapchat, and we’ve been having so many requests for the crochet bikinis and everything else Gigi wore. She is the definition of today’s ‘Tommy Girl’ given her optimistic personality and effortless, confident style.”
Hilfiger has never been low key when it comes to his fashion presentations. In previous seasons, Hilfiger has transformed his show space into a football stadium with a Jumbotron capturing the models walking on the AstroTurf runway or a beachfront complete with sand. Last April, the company created a Pop-Up island during Milan’s furniture and design trade show, Salone del Mobile. The brand built a 3,229-square-foot island with sand, palm trees, lounge chairs and straw huts in the buzzing Tortona district on a roundabout traffic, where visitors could take a break during the city’s Design Week events. Hilfiger offered video games that simulate a jet-ski race and a photo booth. Last August, Hilfiger created a Pop-Up tennis court in the middle of Bryant Park to launch his collaboration with Rafael Nadal for underwear, tailored clothing and fragrance, TH Bold.
And who could forget when Hilfiger built a Cape Cod-styled shingled Pop-Up house complete with a dog house in the front yard, curtains on the windows, a weather vane perched on the roof, and a mailbox and outdoor furniture, and dropped it down on the Meatpacking District? Inside was the Prep World collection featuring 60 pieces of women and men’s sportswear, as well as tennis racquets, ping-pong paddles, badminton rackets, croquet sets, bamboo bicycles and surfboards — all for sale. The 800-square-foot Pop-Up Store / beach cottage, which was open to the public, was set up in various cities around the globe for similar events.
Feeling as creative as Tommy? Look at our vast range of incredible retail spaces to launch your own Pop-Up Event!
- Pop Up 101: How To Design Your Pop-Up Store Layout - September 7, 2020
- 5 Reasons Why Your Brand Should Host a Holiday Pop-Up Store - December 10, 2017
- 4 Ways To Capitalize On The “Retail Crisis” in NYC - August 4, 2017


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On May 17, US skincare brand HydroPeptide held its UK launch at the Dean Street Townhouse in London.
On June 30, Dr Suzan Obagi, will be joining clinical director, Dr David Eccleston and business consultant Marcus Haycock at the Achieving Aesthetic Excellence event held by Healthxchange Pharmacy.
On April 30 skincare company AlumierMD launched its Ambassador Programme for 2018 at Chandos House in London.
Attendees were greeted at the Natural History Museum with drinks and canapés for the CoolSculpting event on September 22.
On November 3, Skin Tech Pharma Group collaborated with educational group, the International Plastic Aesthetic Residence (IPAR), to organise a scientific programme aimed at enhancing the clinical practice of its delegates.
On September 10 guests were invited to join Vida Skincare celebrate the launch of its vegan skincare range Vida For You at The Terrace in London.
Skin and laser clinic Skin Perfection held an open evening on May 18 in Central London to educate their patients about skin.
Aesthetic device company Lumenis is to hold an event at The Royal College of Physicians on predicted trends for patients in 2018.
An introductory day to the aesthetic skincare and product range Circadia was held in Soho, London on November 30, for industry professionals who already stock, or are interested in bringing the range into their clinics.
Skincare developer Alumier Labs UK launched the AlumierMD products to consumer journalists on October 26 at The Rosewood Hotel, London.


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Bitcoin Cash ABC (BCHA), the embattled cryptocurrency venture that has forked away from each Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash, has rebranded to eCash (XEC).
The venture’s re-launch will see it combine proof-of-stake consensus layer “Avalanche,” introducing staking and significantly rising the pace of transactions.
eCash may even scale back its decimal places down from eight to two, with lead developer, Amaury Sechet, (*2*)stating:
“No other money has eight decimal places. Why should crypto? Cryptocurrencies with a lower unit price also enjoy higher bull market appreciation. Because the eCash team is incentivized by both tech and price improvement, this improvement was a no-brainer.”
With the improve, all customers’ BCHA cash might be transformed to XEC at a ration of one-to-one million.
Chinese language crypto media, Wu Blockchain, famous the venture plans to assist EVM-compatibility, signalling eCash hopes to interoperate with Ethereum’s burgeoning DeFi sector.
Bitcoin ABC proponent, Joannes Vermorel, articulated 5 core missions for the venture — guaranteeing transactions are nameless, immutable, low price, and safe in lower than three seconds, and sustaining infrastructure as “a public good funded through the coin social contract.”
Associated: Bitcoin Cash value jumps 68%: Looming arduous fork to increase BCH consumer base?
Bitcoin Cash ABC skilled a rocky experience after rising because the minority chain after November 2020’s Bitcoin Cash fork.
The remainder of the neighborhood didn’t settle for Sechet’s transfer to redistribute 8% of newly mined cash to a pockets beneath his management to fund improvement. This was applied into ABC in November.
In accordance to CoinmarketCap, Bitcoin Cash is at the moment the Twelfth-largest crypto asset with a capitalization of $9.2 billion, whereas Bitcoin Cash ABC ranks 217th with a market cap of $587 million.


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We have tested all our products (Pi Switch , ProdBoard, NanoSound DAC Prod & Basic) with the new Raspberry Pi […]
We are pleased to announce the new Nanosound Plug-in V1.5.1 for Volumio. It contains below improvement Rewind / Fast Forward using […]
We have launched our new Kickstarter campaign – Please support us! Below are the 3 products being introduced: NanoSound Digital – […]
We are excited to announce that we had recently obtained a 5-Star review of our NanoSound DAC from the official […]
We are pleased to announce the new Nanosound Plug-in V1.4 for Volumio. It contains below improvements: Scrolling of song title is […]
We are pleased to announce that NanoSound is available in Raspberry Pi Taiwan (台灣樹莓派).
We are pleased to announce that NanoSound is now available in Sandal Store from Taiwan!
We are pleased to announce that AudioPhonics is now an official reseller of NanoSound.
We are pleased to announce that NanoSound product range is now sold in Volumio Store. Here’s a review by Michelangelo Guarise , […]
Further to our partnership announcement with Volumio, we have more great news for you again: We have developed an Amp […]


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For a long time, ZTE has said that it would launch its Axon series’s newer generation (Axon 30 series). In the past, the company has also revealed some main highlights of the upcoming model too.
Today, the company has officially confirmed that the all-new ZTE Axon 30 series will be launched on April 15. The officials have released a poster in which they confirmed the launch date of their upcoming flagship phone.
As can be seen, the all-new ZTE Axon 30 Pro will feature a Quad Camera setup (3x 64MP lens, as mentioned), which further includes a dedicated zoom lens. The exact launch date is also mentioned on this launch poster.
It is worth mentioning that the Executive of ZTE has previously said that the all-new ZTE Axon 30 Pro will feature the industry’s most potent camera setup. Some leaks also suggest that the all-new Axon 30 Pro will be equipped with Samsung’s 200MP S5KGND sensor.
The Executive further mentioned: “ZTE’s AXON 30 Pro will most likely be equipped with a 200 million pixel main camera sensor, which can bring even better photo effects with the support of the powerful ISP of Snapdragon 888″.
The device is also confirmed to feature the Snapdragon 888 chipset, currently the most robust Android phone chipset. The chipset is based on a 5nm manufacturing process and comes with Cortex-X1 Super Core, bringing the performance to another level.
It is also known that the ZTE Axon 30 Pro will feature 55W maximum charging (confirmed through the Chinese 3C Certification).
We have to wait for more until the officials teased more specifications of the phone.


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Kentucky’s average food prices fell slightly in fourth quarter
A survey by Louisville-based Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation showed that average retail food prices in supermarkets across the state fell slightly during the fourth quarter of 2012.
According to the Marketbasket Survey done in December, the total cost of 40 basic grocery items was $115.53, a decrease of 3 percent from the same 40 items purchased in the third quarter.
The average survey total from all four quarters of 2012 was $115.05, which was a decrease of 1.1 percent from the 2011 average of $116.34. Food prices jumped 10 percent in 2011 from 2009, which was a recent low.
Six food groups are represented in the survey: beef, dairy, fruits/vegetables, grain, pork and poultry. Of the six, only beef showed an average increase in price, at 4.6 percent more than the third quarter. The dairy category showed the greatest decrease, at 2.9 percent.
A gallon of 2 percent milk, however, jumped to $3.28 per gallon in December from $3.08 per gallon September.
“Throughout 2012, food prices were relatively stable thanks to a very slow but steady growth in the general economy coupled with fairly stable energy prices,” American Farm Bureau Federation deputy chief economist John Anderson said in a news release. “For this year, we expect food prices to rise by 3 to 4 percent, which is slightly higher than the average rate of inflation over the past 10 years.”
Kevin Eigelbach covers these beats: Financial services, residential real estate, property and casualty insurance, construction, unions, engineers, architects, agriculture, South End, Southwest County, Bullitt County.
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Samsung put the exclusive Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne Edition on sale today in South Korea and local media is reporting that this special edition of the new foldable was sold out within two and a half hours. That’s impressive, considering the fact that the Thom Browne Edition costs almost double that of a regular Galaxy Z Flip.
It’s unclear, though, just how many units were sold out. Technically, it would be considered “sold out” if there were only a hundred units to sell and they were all sold. These are technicalities, though, which don’t really matter to customers.
South Koreans love their Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne Edition
Samsung started selling the Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne Edition online in South Korea today. Apparently so many people had visited the site to possibly secure the device that it actually crashed for a short while. All of the available units were sold out but Samsung hasn’t confirmed exactly how many units were sold.
The company had also planned to sell the Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne Edition at five offline venues across South Korea. However, it decided to shelve those events and sell the device only through its website. This was done in order to prevent customers from camping outside the points of sale at night due to COVID-19 virus concerns.
Scalpers who flip products that are highly in demand are also working hard to pick up units. Despite its 2.9 million won retail price, the Thom Browne Edition is currently being sold for up to 4.5 million won ($3,700) in the secondary market. Samsung has said that it’s going to make additional units available in the near future so customers who couldn’t purchase one yet will be able to get it. The Thom Browne Edition is also going to be sold in several other countries in the coming weeks.


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The G20 summit took place in Bali, Indonesia, on November 2022…
Facebook Reported Q3 Earnings
Information is not investment advice
Facebook, one of the largest tech companies in the US, has revealed its financial results for the third quarter after the market closed.
- EPS: $3.22 (forecast: $3.19)
- Revenue: $29.01B (forecast: $29.49)
Though FB posted stronger-than-expected earnings, its revenue came out worse than the analysts’ forecasts. The main reason is Apple’s privacy changes.
Tough time for the social media and advertising sector
Social media stocks can be pressed by Apple’s overhaul of its privacy settings, which allows iPhone users to choose not to receive targeted advertising. It is a severe problem for all social media platforms (Facebook, Google) as it would decrease their ad sales.
The stock of Snap dropped almost 30% on Friday after the owner of the Snapchat app cautioned that Apple’s data collection policy has created barriers for advertisers to test and gauge their campaigns.
Besides, small and medium-sized businesses are reducing their ad spending as they face challenges of supply-chain issues and rising costs. The falling demand for advertising is negative for Facebook and other social media companies.
Facebook has dropped significantly since early September. It may continue falling in the short term amid all these headwinds mentioned above. However, the stock will inevitably reverse up in the long term. Thus, the current drop should be viewed as a correction which the stock will overcome. It has recovered after every big crisis based on its past performance. Why? Other businesses have no option to ignore the Facebook platform due to its huge global reach.
Facebook has failed to cross the support level of $320.00 at the 200-day moving average and reversed up. If it manages to jump above the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement level of $333.00, the way up to the 38.2% Fibo level at $343.00 will be open. Support levels are the 200-day MA at $320.00 and the next round number of $310.00.
Don't know how to trade stocks? Here are some simple steps.
The deafening news shocked the whole world yesterday: the British Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully at the age of 96…
After months of pressure from the White House, Saudi Arabia relented and agreed with other OPEC+ members to increase production.
Last year was tough for the Japanese yen. USDJPY gained more than 30% over 2022, striking above 150 in October. While anticipation of slower Fed rate hikes pulled the pair below the 130 level at the start of 2023, the speculations over the destiny of BOJ’s yield control policy grabbed the attention of the Japanese assets in the middle of January. What lies ahead for traders of the Japanese yen?
Today, at 5:00 pm (GMT +2), the Bank of Canada will publish the Overnight Rate, which represents short-term interest rates, and is pivotal to the overall pricing of the Canadian Dollar in the global markets. Let's look at how the markets are faring ahead of the BoC rates release.
In a call scheduled for January 25, 00:30 am GMT+2, Microsoft will publish the company's earnings for the final quarter of 2022 and comment on the results, projections, and outlook for the nearest future of the company.


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Deli Kitchen continues growing in retail with its Sliced Focaccia and new Greek Style Flatbreads hitting the shelves in Waitrose from 28th August.
The Greek Style Flatbreads launched in May this year, supported by a PR and social campaign fronted by Deli Kitchen ambassador Tom Daley, and is the latest addition to the range which aims to help Brits revolutionise mealtimes.
The two additions will bring Waitrose’s Deli Kitchen offering to five, with the products joining the Deli Kitchen Plain Folded Flatbreads, Deli Kitchen Seeded Folded Flatbreads and Deli Kitchen Wholemeal Folded Flatbreads on shelf.
David Laurence, Signature Flatbreads’ Joint Managing Director, said, “We are thrilled to expand Deli Kitchen’s representation in one of our flagship accounts. Innovation is crucial to our business and we are proud to be supplying retailers and consumers with a variety of quality products to help inspire meals.”


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Did you miss a session from GamesBeat Summit 2022? All sessions are available to stream now. Watch now.
As a company that has helped host 25 million guests in more than 35,000 cities around the world since its founding seven years ago, it may surprise you to learn that Airbnb has yet to offer an app specifically built for tablets. Indeed, while the existing iPhone incarnation does work on iPads, it’s essentially a “blown up” version of its smaller-screened counterpart. And while Airbnb for Android already works on tablets too, it also wasn’t built with big screens in mind.
Airbnb itself says that the new creation is “more than a tablet app,” instead referring to the app as a “picture book.” Certainly, with more screen real-estate to play with, this does open things up somewhat, with high-resolution photos and imagery playing a more central role.
From a more practical standpoint, however, the new app now serves up “dual-paned” browsing that lets you view messages and properties at the same time, while new “immersive maps” reveal more information about each listing before clicking through.
This is a common philosophy when companies look to recreate their apps for bigger-screened devices — it’s more of a “lean back” approach. “Our tablet apps were inspired by the elegance of magazines and coffee table books,” said Alex Schleifer, head of design at Airbnb. “Designing for a new platform allowed us to think much more broadly than simply scaling a mobile phone app to a larger screen.”
Founded out of San Francisco in 2008, Airbnb has emerged at the forefront of the peer-to-peer private property rental space. Back in February, the company announced its first ever mobile network partnership, with Deutsche Telekom in Europe, which will see its Android app preinstalled on devices in 13 countries. In a further sign that Europe is embracing the so-called “sharing economy,” Paris nudged New York into second place to become Airbnb’s number one spot for active listings globally.
The new tablet-optimized offerings from Airbnb will be going live around the world today.
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clickindia.com, a free-to-list classifieds portal listing real estate as well as jobs, cars, second hand goods and service providers, has introduced a free search widget that can be added to websites.
A statement from clickindia.com explains that the widget will provide users with a local city search and display recent popular searches.
The website also states that it has just added the ability to filter search results by city, in response to user feedback. clickindia.com now covers 16 cities across India, and currently lists 89,056 properties for sale and rent.
clickindia.com is operating in a highly competitive market that involves many classifieds websites as well as property specific portals.
When clickindia.com released its mobile-to-Internet classified ad listings service early last year, one blogger highlighted the challenge of standing out as an online classifieds portal in India:
“Online classifieds is one crowded segment with specialist players for jobs, matrimony, real estate and cars like naukri, shaadi, bharatmatrimony and carwale and also generic Craigslist clones like click.in, kijiji.in, indianclassifieds.com and others. With so much clutter it does become an important move when a player adds convenience related features for users.”


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NEW DELHI: In a bid to strengthen its position in the e-commerce market, India Post has proposed to invest Rs 322 crore till 2019-20 to augment parcel handling capacity through which it projects to earn a revenue of Rs 1,608 crore.
An official in the Department of Post told PTI that with the current pace of growth in e-commerce segment, India Post would be handling 40 lakh parcels per month in the near future and the capacity needs to be augmented accordingly.
"The Department is proposing to invest Rs 322 crore in the period from 2015-2016 to 2019-20 to augment and develop parcel handling capacities," the official said.
He said India Post centres would be equipped with modern handling devices, conveyor belt and security systems to ensure faster and safe processing.
He added volumetric measurement system will also be introduced to ensure revenue based on volume of the consignment having lesser weight but occupying larger space in trans-shipment.
"With the proposed investments, the revenue projections from e-commerce in all segments is Rs 1,608 crore in five years," he said.
In order to cater to the parcel business, the department proposes to set up automated mail processing centres at Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad with mixed mail sorter and parcel sorter at each location.
The official further said the department is implementing a global positioning system (GPS) in its departmental mail motor vehicles in all the major centres.
The IT modernisation project for India Post is under implementation which would result in electronically connected urban and rural network.
"It would allow increased consistency and reliability in mail, parcels and logistics delivery system in line with global standards," he said.
The department has also initiated a project for parcel network optimisation for developing a comprehensive business and marketing plan based on current trends in the e-commerce market.
In e-commerce space, India Post is serving more than 400 small- and medium-level customers spread all across the country including all major players like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Snapdeal, Paytm, Shopclues, Yepme, Naaptol, Telebrands and Homeshop18, among others.
Bismi is a family-controlled venture owned by entrepreneur VA Ajmal who leads the business as its managing director. The company has revenue of around ₹800 crore. While the Ajmals are seeking a valuation of about ₹600 crore, Reliance Retail is currently negotiating on the valuation which could ultimately be lower, the executives said.
HUL on Sunday put advertisements for the appointment of new distributors for its brands in all major cities in Madhya Pradesh. The company, which owns brands such as Lux, Lifebuoy, Surf excel, Rin, Pond's and Dove, has invited people willing to invest up to Rs 1-3 crore and can arrange a godown with required infrastructure.