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Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December 27, 2011
The market for computer network equipment is expected to expand slowly over the next five years after slower growth and declines in recent years. With the entry of new participants to this industry, and more mergers and acquisitions, competition will be more intensive in the future. In the five-year period to 2016, poor-performing enterprises will be forced out of the industry, according to IBISWorld, America’s largest publisher of industry research.
The Computer Network Equipment Manufacturing industry in China comprises establishments that produce computer network equipment, including routers, switches, network safety equipment, WLAN equipment, fiber optic access equipment, ADSL equipment, hubs, modems and network cards.
From 2006 to 2011, industry revenue is estimated to have increased at an average annual growth rate of 14.6%. Exports as a proportion of industry revenue increased from just 5% in 1998 to a peak of 59.8% in 2007 as foreign demand for industry products increased strongly and foreign companies established manufacturing facilities in China to export their products. However, export growth slowed in 2008 and dropped 18.2% in 2009 as increased global competition reduced pricing levels and foreign demand weakened.
The market for computer network equipment is expected to expand slowly over the five years to 2016 after slower growth and declines in recent years. From 2011 to 2016, industry revenue is forecast to increase at an annualized growth rate of 9.0%, reaching US$33.78 billion in 2016.
For more information, including profit levels, market shares, product segmentation and more, download IBISWorld’s report on the Computer Network Equipment Manufacturing industry in China.
Follow IBISWorld on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/IBISWorld
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Computer Network Equipment Manufacturing in China – Key Report Topics
Key External Drivers
Industry Life Cycle
Products & Markets
Products & Services
Globalization & Trade
Market Share Concentration
Key Success Factors
Cost Structure Benchmarks
Barriers to Entry
About IBISWorld Inc.
Recognized as the nation’s most trusted independent source of industry and market research, IBISWorld offers a comprehensive database of unique information and analysis on 200 Chinese industries. With an extensive online portfolio, valued for its depth and scope, the company equips clients with the insight necessary to make better business decisions. Headquartered in Los Angeles, IBISWorld serves a range of business, professional service and government organizations through more than 10 locations worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.ibisworld.com.cn or call 1-800-330-3772.

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This article is more than 1 year old
HP chairman Lane yields to 'here's you hat, what's your hurry?' pressure
Two other beleaguered directors also exit, stage left
Succumbing to pressure to shake up the board of directors of HP, chairman Ray Lane is stepping down from running the board. However, he said in a statement, he will remain on the HP board – even if he doesn't run it.
Lane, a former hotshot at software giant Oracle and a managing partner at venture capitalist Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Buyers, became non-executive chairman of the HP board back in November 2010, and became executive chairman in September 2011.
What had HP shareholders miffed last month as some tried to oust the current board was the fact that the Lane was in command when HP ponied up $10.7bn to acquire Autonomy in August 2011. Lane was chairman and Whitman was a board member that he brought in.
No one seems to be calling for Whitman to step down, however, even though she approved of the Autonomy deal. In a financial statement, HP subsequently said the deal was a a very bad idea, and tried to pin the blame on the top brass at Autonomy, alleging malfeasance, and on former HP CEO Leo Apotheker. Last November, HP wrote down $8.8bn of the Autonomy acquisition, saying that Autonomy "misrepresented" around $5bn of its value during the acquisition.
"After reflecting on the stockholder vote last month," Lane said in the statement, "I've decided to step down as executive chairman to reduce any distraction from HP's ongoing turnaround."
While all of the board members received more than 50 per cent of the vote to stay in office, Lane was apparently not pleased with his 59 per cent showing.
"Since I joined HP's board a little over two years ago," he said, "I've been committed to board evolution to ensure our turnaround and future success. I'm proud of the board we've built and the progress we've made to date in restoring the company. I will continue to serve HP as a director and help finish the job."
Now, as temporary chairman of the board, activist investor Ralph Whitworth, who runs Relational Investors and has put $800m of the firm's money into HP stock, gets to sit in the hot seat that Lane is vacating.
In his own statement, Whitworth said that HP would be looking for a new chairman and replacement board members, and that in the coming months there would be "further evolution of our board of directors."
Whitworth did not elaborate on what that might mean, but he did say in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that Lane did not believe he had "a mandate from the shareholders" and therefore decided to step down.
Whitworth joined the HP board in late 2011, and had been one of those pesky activist investors through Relational Investors since it was founded in 1996.
Whitworth gave a glowing review of CEO Whitman in his statement, and said that the HP board was behind the current HP team, and were "100 percent committed to supporting Meg and their efforts to turn around HP and restore it to its rightful place at the pinnacle of global business."
Two other board members who were also around when the Autonomy deal was approved – G Kennedy Thompson, formerly CEO and chairman of the former financial services giant Wachovia (which disappeared into the gaping maw of Wells Fargo during the financial crisis), and John Hammergren, chairman of healthcare company McKesson – will serve out their terms through May, and then step down. They got 55 per cent and 54 per cent of the vote to be re-elected on March 20 – obviously not votes of confidence. ®


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Aqua City Inc., a producer of water filtration products and bottled water, today announced that it plans to establish a new production facility in Marion County. The $1.5 million investment is expected to generate 50 new jobs.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to begin our new operations in Marion County. This new facility is a big step for our company, and will help us better serve our customers. South Carolina offers us an excellent business environment with a dedicated and skilled work force. We are overwhelmed by the support and kindness we’ve received from state and local officials and businesses,” said Robert Potts, president of Aqua City Inc.
Aqua City Inc. will locate its new bottled water plant in an existing building in Mullins, located at 310 S. Cypress St. Initially, Aqua City will produce 500 milliliter and 1-liter bottles of water, provide delivery of 5-gallon bottles to homes and businesses, and also will offer private labeling for businesses.
“Today’s announcement is another win for one of our state’s rural areas. We celebrate Aqua City’s decision to invest $1.5 million and create 50 new jobs in Mullins. South Carolina is becoming the ‘it’ state for business, and more and more companies like Aqua City are seeing the benefits of putting down roots here,” said Gov. Nikki Haley.
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Would the Covid have carried the blow to cash? According to a recent study by the European Central Bank (ECB)cash payment, still used for 59% of transactions, has lost twenty points since 2016. At the time, on the continent, it was preferred to the bank card in 79% of cases.
With the pandemic and the fear of contracting the virus, the use of bank cards, most often contactless, has become even more entrenched in habits. Card payment at the point of sale has increased from 25% in 2019 to 34% in 2022 and Europeans are increasingly refraining from inserting it into the machine. Today, this payment method, also called NFC (Near Field Communication), represents 62% of card transactions, compared to 41% in 2010.
The increase in its ceiling to 50 euros in 2020 will undoubtedly have been a boost for its democratization.
Read alsoBanks: has the Covid accelerated the disappearance of cash dispensers?
Purchases under 5 euros
From now on, beyond 50 euros, the chances of seeing Europeans plunge their hand into their purse to bring out a few banknotes are dwindling. According to the study, the majority of cash transactions are used for purchases of less than five euros and for the first time, the total value of card payments exceeds that of cash payments.
But the bank card is not the only one to steal the show from cash. Apple PayPaylib or even Google Pay… more and more individuals are choosing to digitize their wallet, some even going so far as to leave their homes, their telephone as the only means of payment.
However, payment by mobile remains marginal in Europe, unlike other regions where it has definitely become commonplace, such as Asia or the United States. Although it has tripled since 2019, it still represents only 3% of transactions today.
Still, in Europe, as in France, the number of ATMs has been inexorably declining since 2016 (-12%). However, according to the study, Europeans still cherish this means of payment which they find more anonymous and which allows them to keep control of their expenses.
Cash circulation record
This is also why cash is not quite on its way to becoming obsolete. Under the mattress or in the cookie box, the French keep more and more money outside the wallet. Since the start of the Covid-19 crisis, the amount of these free banknotes in households has increased by 63 billion euros according to the Banque de France.
And the war in Ukraine may well have taken over, since the trend is still on the rise. At the end of the first half of 2022, households held 275 billion euros in coins and banknotes, compared to nearly 10 billion euros more than at the end of December 2021, a record according to data from the institution.
Companies, too, do not drop tickets. In France, 95% of them accept cash and 99% plan to continue to do so in the years to come, according to a recent study by the ECB.
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Long-time Publix VP of marketing to retire
LAKELAND — After 48 years of working for Publix Super Markets, its vice president of marketing will retire at the end of February 2022, a press release stated.
With the retirement of Mark Irby early next year, the company announced Monday, Malinda Renfroe will be promoted to vice president of marketing.
Supermarket expanding:Publix to open second Kentucky store in Louisville
Irby, 66, started working at Publix in 1973 at the company's sign shop in Lakeland, the release explained. The experience led to several positions gained within the department, including marketing and research manager. In 1988, he was promoted to director of marketing and advertising. By 1989, he had assumed his current responsibilities.
“Mark’s dedication to helping build, promote, protect and bring to life the Publix brand has made us a better company,” said Publix President Kevin Murphy in the release. “He’s given meaning to our 'Where Shopping Is A Pleasure' slogan and shaped opportunities for customers to connect with us in authentic ways, creating memorable moments with 'my Publix' stories."
Making moves:Publix's growth leads to more officer promotions
Renfroe, 42, holds an MBA from the University of South Florida and will take over the grocer's marketing responsibilities.
“Malinda is a strong leader with extensive experience across all marketing functions,” said Murphy in the release. “Her ability to foster collaboration and team building, along with her passion for developing associates, will be instrumental as she takes this next step in her Publix career.”


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Getting some shut-eye at a stylish hotel will cost you significantly more in certain cities.
As part of the bank's annual survey of global prices, Deutsche Bank analysts released a report on where in the world a stay at a five-star hotel will cost you the most.
To come up with the ranking, Deutsche Bank compared the cost of a one-night stay at a Hyatt Regency property in a king- or queen-size room in mid-November. If a city did not have a Hyatt Regency location, analysts considered Park Hyatts or other hotel brands of similar quality.
Here's where a one-night stay at a luxury hotel will cost you the most.


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Eva Hurt â€“ NestlÃ©â€™s top global regulatory affairs executive and a keynote speaker at the 6th Dubai International Food Safety Conference â€“ calls for an evidence-based approach to policymaking
Regulatory authorities in the region must work in tandem with the food industry and the academia to ensure a strong scientific base for food safety standards, a leading industry expert opined on the sidelines of the 6th Dubai International Food Safety Conference.
Emphasizing the need for food industry stakeholders to work concertedly in evolving a more advanced and scientifically informed safety and quality system, Eva Hurt, Corporate Regulatory & Scientific Affairs Manager, NestlÃ© S.A. and one of the keynote speakers at the conference, said, â€œFor policy and regulatory framework in the region to be at par with international best practices, regulatory agencies, food industry and the academia must work as partners in health to develop effective food safety strategies that are rooted in science.â€
â€œRegional economies should look to adopt an evidence-based approach to addressing food safety challenges and assign a greater role for scientific knowledge and expertise in policymaking,â€ she added. â€œEnsuring strict regulatory compliance and fostering a culture of innovation is crucially important as food safety requires constant vigilance and continuous improvement.â€
One of the foremost international experts in food regulatory affairs, Hurt will be chairing a workshop entitled â€œResponsible Consumer Information on Nutrition and Health Claimsâ€, which will be held on the second and final day of the conference. During the workshop, Hurt will discuss NestlÃ©â€™s global approach to Regulations on Nutrition and Health Claims as well as the companyâ€™s strict consumer communication policies including its pioneering initiatives in food labeling.
â€œNestlÃ© is committed to responsible, reliable consumer communication that empowers consumers to exercise their right to informed choice. Through our various initiatives such as the NUTRITIONAL COMPASSÂ® – an innovative nutrition labeling panel implemented on all NestlÃ© products in more than 80 countries in the world – we continually strive to ensure that consumers are always provided clear and transparent nutrition information,â€ Hurt said.
NestlÃ© was last year honored by the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) with its prestigious Presidentâ€™s Award, in recognition of its efforts to advance global food science and technology for the benefit of everyone and in particular for its commitment to food safety.
A gold sponsor of the conference, NestlÃ© Middle East has partnered with Dubai Municipality at the annual conference since the eventâ€™s inception in 2006.
The Dubai International Food Safety conference will be held at the Al Multaqa Hall of the Dubai World Trade Centre from February 28 to March 1, alongside Gulfood, the largest food exhibition in the Middle East. The conference will focus on food safety challenges in emerging economies and will discuss ways and means to devise achievable, reliable and sustainable solutions to enhance food safety in these economies.


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When VUHL launched the 05 sports racer at the Goodwood Festival of Speed , it came to the event knowing that it needed to garner significant interest from buyers if the car was ever going to be produced.
Well, it appears that its objective was met after VUHL automotive director Guillermo Echeverria announced that the company would be proceeding building a first batch of the top-grade Edition One 05 sports cars .
“Our aim for Goodwood was quite specific – to accrue sufficient orders for a batch of 20 ‘Edition One’ (top specification) models and," Echeverria said in a statement. "With the serious enquiries already received from the UK, Central Europe, USA and Mexico, we are well on the way to achieving that and more."
That’s good news for a start-up company like VUHL that’s trying to make a dent in the industry. It’s even better news for those customers who signed up to buy the car, paving the way for the company to build them.
The first orders of the VUHL 05 are expected to enter production with a delivery date some time next year. The company is still accepting orders, too, which means that if you have £55,000 ($86,225 / €64,505) to spare, you can be one of the first in the world to own this highly unconventional, albeit ridiculously fast open-top sports car.
Click past the jump to read about the VUHL 05
Born from the minds of brothers Iker and Guillermo Echeverria, the VUHL 05 sports car isn’t your typical high-powered coupe.
It doesn’t look like one, thanks to an open-type set-up that makes good use of a monocoque that weights just 171 pounds, which helps ensures a dry weight of just 1,532 pounds. It’s track-specific configuration also makes for an ideal track-day racer, highlighted in no small part by a 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine that develops 285 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque while connected to a six-speed manual transmission.
The 05’s performance numbers allow it to hit 62 mph in just 3.7 seconds to go with a top speed of 152 mph.
Gallery VUHL 05
Mexico City, Mexico, 21 August 2013 – As a result of its highly successful world public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where a complete car and separate chassis were displayed and a further example was demonstrated on the hill by Mexican F1 rookie Esteban Gutierrez, the innovative VUHL 05 is due to enter production this November.
Said VUHL Automotive director Guillermo Echeverria: “Our aim for Goodwood was quite specific – to accrue sufficient orders for a batch of 20 ‘Edition One’ (top specification) models and, with the serious enquiries already received from the UK, central Europe, USA and Mexico, we are well on the way to achieving that and more. Production will therefore commence in November as planned, with the first cars due to enter customers’ hands during the spring of next year.
“We could not have wished for a better response from the media and public alike and, as hoped, it is clear the car is just as appealing to those wanting an ultra-cool car for the road as the serious track-day enthusiasts seeking an alternative to the offerings of more established manufacturers.
“The enthusiastic feedback we’ve received has been very rewarding. People generally love the car’s unique design, build quality and highly competitive power to weight ratio. We’ve been asked everything from whether a coupé version is on the cards to whether the roadster will form the basis of a one-make race series. The answer is ‘watch this space’, for anything is possible!”
The V?HL 05 programme benefits from funding by the Mexican Government as well as private enterprise and recently enjoyed a starring role in Mexico City’s annual ‘Entrepreneurs Week’, where it was unveiled by the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, who delighted attendees by not only trying the new supercar for size, but starting and revving the engine too.
Salon Prive debut
The next public outing for the silver and black prototype driven at Goodwood by Gutierrez is the premier lifestyle event Salon Privé, London, September 4-6, where VUHL will form a key part of the supercar display alongside such hallowed company as Ferrari, Aston Martin, McLaren, and Noble.


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In a USA Today story (can you tell I’m traveling?) with the headline “Burger King kids meals come with wearable cardboard crowns,” we learn that the non-leading burger chain is equipping its non-happy-meals – “BK Crown Meals” (real creative: they used to be called BK Kids Meals) – with a cute little crown your tyke can wear on her cute little head. She can also check out interactive games that will, assuming BK is following the lead of other marketers of junk, encourage further purchases.
“The boxes also direct kids to a website where they can choose one charity — wildlife, environment or education — to which BK will donate one penny of the meal’s proceeds,” the report said. We’re all in favor of charity, and it’s nice of BK to donate what amounts to something like a third of one percent of the meal’s cost, but I can guarantee you that the Web site kids will be directed to will contain yet more marketing of BK products.
Every argument, movement, effort to limit the marketing of junk food to kids is met with fierce industry opposition. (The broader statement is that every effort to limit the marketing or sale of any junk food to anyone is met with fierce industry opposition.) San Francisco, as far as I know, is alone among U.S. cities in banning toys from meals for kids. McDonald’s, as far as I know, is alone among junk-food marketers to make even token changes to the food they offer to kids.
Yet this piece claims that Burger King’s daring move to give away crowns and offer oatmeal at breakfast is representative of the “torrent of changes” junk-food chains are making “to their often-criticized kids meals.” Elaborating on these changes, the piece says:
– Burger King will send a BK-crowned barge down the Hudson today. (Wish I were home for that! Times staffers, please move to the west-facing windows!) Um, how does this represent change, exactly? I mean, it’s unusual, but even if they sent a barge a day down the Hudson, unless it were carrying real food to stores kids going to BK would still be eating junk.
– McDonald’s will be offering more apple slices and fewer fries in Happy Meals. It’s “testing” blueberries, carrots, snow peas and mango, according to the piece. O.K., we knew that, but it’s an actual response. Score one for the torrent.
– Wendy’s declined to comment. I’m not sure whether that’s a change or not.
– Jack in the Box removed toys from its meals for kids, obviously in response to the San Francisco law.
What all of this tells me is that the torrent of changes is in the future, not the present, and it’s only in the future if parents and their advocates make more noise about the marketing of junk to kids, and if a government is in place to respond to that noise. Because the food industry will make minimal and token changes until they’re forced to do otherwise.


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FTC Endorses Bounty for Spammers
The Federal Trade Commission's recommendations are less than originally proposed in Congress.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has given its endorsement to a plan that would reward insiders for information leading to the arrest and conviction of people or companies that produce spam.
In a report released Thursday, the FTC said that some anti-spam proposals, such as a "Do Not Spam" list similar to the agency's highly successful "Do Not Call" list, would not work and could make spam worse. But the agency said in its report that providing monetary rewards for turning in spammers could work in some cases.
To read the full article click here.


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MUNICH, Jan. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Startup Creasphere, the first digital health innovation hub in Europe, has today announced a partnership with the consumer healthcare business unit of Sanofi.
Sanofi will partner with Startup Creasphere and other companies in creating the ultimate hub of digital health innovation in Europe, where forward-thinking corporations and disruptive startups can meet to pilot solutions and services, drive investments, learn and share experiences and facilitate international expansion.
Startup Creasphere is supported by Plug and Play, a global innovation platform and venture fund from Silicon Valley, specializing in the development of early-to-growth stage technology startups.
"We are excited to partner with Startup Creasphere and their network of startups to develop new and innovative healthcare solutions for our consumers, who are looking more and more to the digital space for support that goes beyond the pill," said Oliver Freichel, Corporate Vice President Strategy & Business Development & Licensing, Consumer Healthcare, Sanofi.
"Within Sanofi, we have strong expertise in bringing over the counter healthcare solutions to market, so we look forward to combining these strengths with the ingenuity and innovative mindset of startups to help consumers live healthier, fuller lives."
"We are excited to expand our existing partnership with Sanofi and welcome them as a Founding Partner into Startup Creasphere. With the addition of Sanofi to our platform, we are looking forward to exploring consumer facing technologies in the Healthcare field and providing startups from all over the world with an unparalleled opportunity for business development and investment activities with large corporations," said Saeed Amidi, Founder and CEO of Plug and Play.
Startup Creasphere will run two sessions annually where hundreds of startups from across the globe will be evaluated, with the most promising selected by corporate partners, such as Sanofi, to join each session. In their first session, Sanofi will focus on working with startups in the nutritional health and allergy space.
"As the world becomes more hectic and connected, consumers are demanding more personalized healthcare, and we have seen this come to life through concepts such as personalized vitamin regimes," said Mr. Freichel.
About Plug and Play
Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 20 locations globally giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 10,000 startups and 280 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. We provide active investments with 200 leading Silicon Valley VCs, and host more than 700 networking events per year. Companies in our community have raised over $7 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. For more information, visit www.plugandplaytechcenter.com.
Sanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. We prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative treatments to fight pain and ease suffering. We stand by the few who suffer from rare diseases and the millions with long-term chronic conditions.
With more than 100,000 people in 100 countries, Sanofi is transforming scientific innovation into healthcare solutions around the globe.
The Global Consumer Healthcare Business Unit had sales of €4.8 bn in 2017. Sanofi Consumer Healthcare is one of the top three organizations in the Consumer Healthcare market and provides consumer centric, innovative self-care solutions that are mainly tailored to four global categories: Cough & Cold and Allergy, Pain, Digestive Health and Nutritional Health.
Director Health – Plug and Play
Balanstrasse 73, 81541 Munich
SOURCE Plug and Play


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Currently, milk products and margarine spreads are subject to the requirement. The new proposals would see the fat content of the already included skimmed and semi skimmed milk increased to cover 3% fat milk as well as other products such as lactose-free alternatives like rice and oat milk, cooking oil, butter, yoghurt and soured milk included.
The amount of vitamin D added is also among the proposed changes. Currently milk is fortified at between 3.85 and 5 micrograms per litre; this could increase to 10 micrograms per litre.
For cooking oil the agency suggested 20 micrograms of vitamin D per 100 grams.
The proposal was now open for comments in a period of consultation ending June 5th.
Asked if fortifying products like cooking oil and butter might send mixed public health messages, Dr Hanna Eneroth, a nutritionist and risk-benefit assessor for the agency, told us the agency had taken a common-sense approach.
Whether it was recommended or not, people were consuming these products. The idea was to reflect real world consumption habits, she said.
Fortification was just one way to up national intakes, she said. Sweden also encouraged greater consumption of foods like fish through the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR).
Eneroth said this was part of an effort to improve nutritional status, but added: “There will still be people who do not eat fish and people who do not eat fortified food. It won’t
It also aimed to open up the fortification to vegan and vegetarians through the broader range of foods included.
The authority said that while vitamin D could be gained naturally from dietary sources like fish, shellfish, eggs, chicken and meat, many Swedish people were still not getting enough.
New Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR) noted this was a particular problem for the region given the low levels of sunlight in winter months. People with dark skin were at particular risk of deficiency.
Other Nordic countries like Denmark have also backed fortification in the past.
Vitamin D regulates calcium balance in bones and teeth and deficiency can cause conditions like rickets.
According to the agency’s research back in 2011, about 67% of the population are below the average required intake for the vitamin, although estimating levels of deficiency was more complicated and depended on cut off points used.
While Sweden was not at the point where 67% of its population was at risk of rickets, this could have long-term health consequences if continued.
In Sweden it is recommended that children under 2 and adults and children under 75 years consume 10 micrograms of vitamin D3 per day. For those with limited sun exposure and adults over 75 years this doubles to 20 micrograms a day.
Maximum levels were also considered in the proposal, with the fortification “far from” upper safe level intakes reachable with excessive supplement use.
The proposal was now open for consultation and had also been sent directly to firms that could be particularly impacted.
Eneroth said price was not predicted to change dramatically for the products listed since many companies were already fortifying voluntarily, but this would be established by the stakeholder feedback.


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OKLAHOMA CITY – Collections of the use tax on out-of-state sales, including online purchases, set a record high in January, while total revenue remained relatively flat, state Treasurer Randy McDaniel said Friday.
January total monthly collections were $1.26 billion, up $17.4 million, or 1.4%, from January 2019. Use tax receipts generated $83 million, up 18.9% from the prior year. However, collections from four of the six major revenue streams were less than the same month of the prior year.
Only use tax and corporate income tax receipts rose above prior-year levels during the month. Individual income, sales, gross production, and motor vehicle taxes saw decreases ranging from 11.8% to 0.1%.
January sales and use tax collections reflect purchases made during most of December, a majority of the holiday shopping season. When combined, they are up by 1.7% from January of last year.
“As Oklahoma weathers an ongoing slowdown in oil-field drilling activity, it is encouraging to see total consumption taxes remain positive,” said McDaniel. “Retail sales, both at brick-and-mortar stores and online, reflect healthy consumer confidence.”
Sales tax collections for the month were down from the prior year – as has been the case in seven of the past eight months – but analysis shows most of the slowdown is spillover from reduced spending in the oil and gas industry.
Gross production taxes on oil and gas production, at $88.3 million in January, were down $11.8 million, or 11.8%. January marked the fifth consecutive month of contraction in those revenues.
Total receipts from the past 12 months totaled $13.73 billion, an increase of $660.2 million, or 5.1%, from the trailing 12 months.


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BANGKOK: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday launched the inaugural Malaysia Fest 2019 here showcasing the best of Malaysia through food, products and cultural performance.
Despite his tight schedule, Dr Mahathir spent about an hour visiting booths and having a taste of some of the authentic Malaysian street food at CentralWorld Square in the heart of the Thai capital.
The festival kicked off on Thursday in conjunction with the 34th Asean Summit, and will end on Sunday.
Also present were Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Darrel Leiking, Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Malaysian Ambassador to Thailand Datuk Jojie Samuel and Malaysia-Thai Chamber of Commerce (MTCC) chairman Dr Hwee Khim Boo.
More than 80 companies and entrepreneurs from Malaysia, each with their own unique products and services, including frozen food, coffee, cereals, biscuits, confectionery, beauty products and handicrafts, are participating in the fest.
The Malaysia Fest 2019 is co-organised by MTCC and Conceptual Events Worldwide Co Ltd.
It is endorsed by Embassy of Malaysia in Bangkok, supported by Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Malaysia (MITI), Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade), Malaysia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry (MOA) and Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board.
Tourism products, travel package, as well as educational opportunities, healthcare facilities and products are also being showcased at the event.– Bernama


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Even though the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has not mandated the closure of any accounts, Indian banks are tightening the noose on two fronts: shutting bitcoin exchange accounts and restricting customers transacting in crypto currencies. This has led to reduced transactions on bitcoin exchanges, mirroring a global trend.
“There is over a 90% drop in the volume of trade across all Indian exchanges,” said Mohit Kalra, chief executive of bitcoin exchange Coinsecure. “Our volumes are down from around 300-400 bitcoins a day (in December) to about 30-40 bitcoins a day now.”
In December, Income Tax authorities conducted on-premise searches of nine bitcoin exchanges seeking information on customers who transacted on their platforms. Following the searches, the IT department served notices to 100,000 people believed to have made high –volume transactions, the department said in January.
In India, most banks including the country’s largest public sector bank State Bank of India and large private sector banks such as HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Citibank and ICICI Bank have suspended trading accounts of bitcoin exchanges. In addition, HDFC Bank and Citibank have sent out notifications to customers stating that credit, debit and prepaid cards issued by them cannot be used to purchase or trade in cryptocurrencies like bitcoins.
ICICI, HDFC Bank, SBI, Kotak Bank and Citibank did not reply to email queries from ET seeking comment.
Globally, banks like JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup halted purchase of cryptocurrencies in February on credit cards fearing defaults on repayments due to the dropping value of the virtual money.
Bitcoin industry executives argue that the stance taken by the banks is “disruptive.”
“This is a clear case of ‘irresponsible overreach’ by banks in India,” said Ajeet Khurana, Head, Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Committee of India (BACC), a self-regulated organisation. “Without any clear mandate either from the RBI or other regulators, asking us to close down our (exchange) accounts while refusing to give in writing what the reason is just disruptive to our business.”
“Customers are panicking and getting agitated as they are not able to receive their money,” said Hesham Rehman, chief executive of Bixoxo, another Indian exchange. “We are struggling to offer withdrawal since our (exchange) bank accounts are being shut. This has caused delays in withdrawals of up to one week (for our customers) for no mistake of ours.”
Some banks have also withdrawn support from payment gateways of exchanges that process withdrawals. “Our volumes have dropped by 50%. Our average volume was 300-500 bitcoins, it has now dropped to 20-30 bitcoins,” Rehman said. The volumes of top exchanges like Zebpay and Koinex are also down to about 300-500 bitcoins a day, down from the highs of up to 1000 bitcoins four months back.
Experts are of the view that for banks, however, with a larger fiduciary duty to serve, it is better to be safe than sorry.
“At the end of the day you wouldn't know which side you will be when the regulations kick in. These are large financial institutions that cannot afford to be on the wrong side of the law,” said Guru Malladi, Partner, advisory services, EY India.
Globally, bitcoin has lost more than half its value since December 2017 when it reached an all-time high of $ 19,535. To put this in perspective, three months ago the market capitalisation of bitcoin alone was $ 332 billion. Now, the cumulative market capitalisation of the top 1562 crypto currencies is $334 billion, with bitcoins' market capitalization down to $ 140 billion.
Rattled by the rising uncertainty, exchanges like BTCXIndia and ETHEXIndia have stopped trading choosing instead to bide their time and wait for clarity in regulation.
“There is a new law which is slated to come in banning unregulated deposits. We decided it is better to halt trading until we get regulatory clarity,” said Kamesh Mupparaju, chief executive of BTCXIndia and ETHEXIndia.
BACC’s Khurana is of the view that the problem is due to what he termed as “unilateral decision” taken by Indian banks. “If the regulator, RBI or anyone says please do not allow bitcoin purchases to happen via bank account, even we (exchanges) will support it, he said.
Cutting off purchases through cards makes it difficult for enthusiasts to buy into the market. “Whether it is credit or debit card it is my money. Even credit limit is decided on my transaction records. Banks cannot decide where we should spend our money,” said a bitcoin trader who did not want to be named.
These moves only adversely affect the trading community encouraging the use of cash as a channel for trading in bitcoins, say experts.
“If curbing illegitimate transactions is the motive, promoting the use of banking channels only enables tracking and taxing cryptocurrencies. Banning does not serve the purpose,” said Nischint Sanghavi, Head of Exchange, Zebpay, adding that know your customer (KYC) and anti money laundering measures (AML) taken by exchanges can only aide keeping track of user money movement.
As of now buying into crypto market continue to happen through internet banking. Even as many banks are shutting their doors for exchanges, there are others who are opening doors say exchange owners.
"While many banks are closing down accounts, there are other who are approaching us, and inviting us to open accounts with them as well,” Khurana said.
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Tata Group, the promoter of Tata Asset Management Company (AMC), is exploring options to buy about 45% in UTI AMC from four state-owned financial entities, three people with knowledge of the matter told ET.Jhunjhunwala Demise Unlikely to Affect Akasa Air’s Business
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This will allow DrFirst to accelerate its growth in the specialty medication spaceRead more...
Not just a Zynga clone, this startup (funded by Redpoint and Intel) wants to target core gamers
Will the outpouring of financial support to social gaming companies ever slow?
Kabam, a developer of massively multiplayer social games, announced Thursday that it has raised a $30 million Series C funding round led by Redpoint Ventures and Intel Capital with additional funding from original investor Canaan Partners, which incubated Kabam in its seed stage.
Founded in 2006, Kabam has raised $39.5 million to date.
Don't expect to see a bunch of clones like FarmKabam or FrontierKabam cropping up any time soon, however, because this isn’t you’re typical social gaming startup. While most of the most popular, like Zynga, CrowdStar and Playdom, cater to the masses with their dead simple your-grandma-could-play-this games, Kabam is going after the more hardcore gamer.
“Kabam has pursued a distinctly different strategy than other social game companies,” said CEO Kevin Chou. “Rather than target ‘casual’ players, we are focused on creating a new segment of games that appeal to a more core gamer demographic.”
You don’t even have to play Kabam’s games to believe Chou; just read the names: Dragons of Atlantis (screenshot below). Glory of Rome. Kingdoms of Camelot. Though Zynga may have acquired one game studio founded by a team that actually worked on the original Age of Empires franchise in the 1990s, Kabam’s games have magnitudes more of that empire-building flavor than any Zynga game ever released.
Of course, bringing the epicness of those classic games to Facebook doesn’t mean Kabam is ignoring social features. On the contrary, users can chat with each other, as well as form alliances or compete with each other in real-time.
In October 2010, Kabam acquired Wonderhill, a developer of the more classic style of casual social games, like Tattoo City and Furry Farm. The company will use its latest round of funding to continue making acquisitions like these in 2011, as well as expanding its team through new hires.
Despite already having blown up from just 20 employees at the beginning of 2010 to over 200 today, the startup is still aggressively hiring at three studio locations: at its headquarters in Redwood Shores, Calif. and at new studios in San Francisco and in Beijing, China. There are currently over 50 open positions, predominantly in art and engineering categories, but also in game production, human resources, marketing, quality assurance and more.
Kabam says it has several new games scheduled for an early 2011 launch.
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The company initially raised $3 million in seed funding when it launched in OctoberRead more...
This is the company's first fundraising since 2019 and brings its total capital to $103MRead more...
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Zynga is the largest social gaming company with 8.5 million daily users and 45 million monthly users. Zynga’s games are available on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Hi5, Friendster, Yahoo! and the iPhone, and include Texas Hold’Em Poker, Mafia Wars, YoVille, Vampires, Street Racing, Scramble and Word Twist. The company is funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, IVP, Union Square Ventures, Foundry Group, Avalon Ventures, Pilot Group, Reid Hoffman and Peter Thiel. Zynga is headquartered at the Chip Factory in San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.zynga.com.
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Geoff Yang introduces Redpoint Ventures, a VC formed in 1999 with partners from Brentwood Venture Capital and Institutional Venture Partners. These two firms have been successfully investing in technology since the early days of venture capital. The team behind Redpoint has collective experience of over $2 billion under management - with 32 IPOs and 54 upside acquisitions.
In a 2nd video, Scott Raney, partner with Redpoint Ventures, tells what the firm looks
for when evaluating investments in the mobile applications market, and
gives tips for entrepreneurs looking for funding.
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Kabam is an interactive entertainment company leading the next wave in social gaming, developing and publishing massively multiplayer social games (MMSG’s), including the popular and critically praised title Kingdoms of Camelot and Dragons of Atlantis. Our studios focus on combining the best elements of traditional and social gaming to appeal to a growing audience of players looking for deeper, more engaging social games. The first wave of Kabam’s new games for Facebook and leading media sites have been widely recognized for their depth of play and social interaction.


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RheTech, Inc., a thermoplastics compounder supplying the transportation, construction, electronics and consumer markets, announces that it has received accreditation for the USDA BioPreferred product label for certified biobased products.
RheTech is one of the first 100 companies to receive this accreditation, which requires that biobased products be composed entirely or significantly from agricultural ingredients. The new label will make it easier for Federal buyers to identify these products and will provide RheTech with preferred supplier status within the Federal government and other markets. The independently certified program and labels will also increase consumer awareness of RheTech’s high-value and ecologically-friendly products.
“We are very enthusiastic about being accepted into the BioPreferred program,” says Jim Preston, vice president of Strategic Growth at RheTech. “Being one of the first companies to get material accreditation helps to further reinforce RheTech’s long-standing commitment to the environment, and opens up a whole new market for us within the federal government.”


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US: Gap Q4 profit falls 40% on lower sales
- Q4 profit slumps 40.3% to $218m from $365m
- Net sales slipped 2.3% to $4.3bn
- Comparable sales fell 4%
Specialty clothing retailer Gap Inc says improving its business in North America is a "top priority" after higher costs, lower sales and promotions contributed to a 40.3% drop in fourth quarter profit.
The San Francisco based company on Thursday (23 February) said it earned $218m, or $0.44 per share, in the three months to 28 January, down from $365m, or $0.60 per share, in the same period last year.
Fourth quarter net sales slipped 2.3% to $4.3bn from $4.4bn, with comparable sales (which include online sales) falling 4%. In its North American units, comparable sales fell 3% at Gap, were flat at Banana Republic and dropped 6% at Old Navy. International sales were down 8%.
Higher costs contributed to a 540 basis points drop in quarterly gross margin to 32.8%.
"There's no doubt that improving our performance, especially in our base businesses, is the top priority in 2012, and we're confident this is the right time to invest wisely to win back customers," said chairman and CEO Glenn Murphy.
For the full year, net income tumbled 17% to $833m, or $1.56 per share, from $1.2bn the year before. Net sales were down 1% to $14.5bn, and comparable sales fell 4%.
By division, comparable sales fell 4% at Gap North America, were down 1% at Banana Republic North America, slipped 3% at Old Navy North America, and dropped 7% at its International stores.
"In spite of 2011 earnings being below last year, we're pleased with the progress we made against our long-term strategic plan, including growing our online business and expanding internationally," Murphy added.
Separately, the retailer said its board of directors has approved a new $1bn share repurchase plan, and that it intends to increase the annual dividend by $0.05 per share to $0.50 during the current year.
The company also expects earnings per share to be in the range of $1.75 to $1.80 for the year.
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In this week’s mobile news, we take a look at the new features Google Maps has to offer and battery issues for iPhones, as well as what the future may have in store for the new Samsung Galaxy S8 and the iPhone 8. So, let’s get started!
Step up your selfie game with the Samsung Galaxy S8
Front-facing cameras have always trailed behind their rear counterparts, but Samsung are taking matters into their own hands with their new flagship device. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is set to include autofocus on its front-facing camera, which would help it stand out from competitors.
How useful it will be is another matter, as autofocus is usually used for far away objects, but it’s sure to make your selfies more intricate.
Battery issues for iOS 10.1.1
If you haven’t already updated your iPhone, you might want to wait a little longer. An increasing number of users have reported that iOS 10.1.1 is severely draining their phone’s battery, with some even saying their handset dies at 30%.
Others are stating their iPhones aren’t restarting when they shut down with a lot of battery left, while some report that their phone isn’t holding a decent charge at all. Currently, there is no known fix available for the issue, but we’ll keep you posted!
Google Maps gets smarter
Getting from A to B just got a whole lot easier thanks to the latest updates to Google Maps. On iOS, we now have a widget that shows traffic in your current location even if you’re not actually travelling somewhere at that moment in time. The feature is also available on Android as a push notification, instead.
What’s more, Google Maps now allows you to search for places along the route you’re travelling while receiving directions. Previously, you had to stop the current navigation to look for a new destination. Now, if you get a bit peckish on your journey, you can search for the nearest restaurant en route.
OLED screen for iPhone 8
While we’re still enjoying getting to grips with the iPhone 7, the rumour mill has already started turning on what we can expect to see next from Apple. The latest news is that the iPhone 8 could feature a curved OLED screen, which is something Samsung already offers with the Galaxy S7 Edge.
This means Apple will need to work hard to develop a resolution that can knock Samsung out the park. OLED technology provides more dynamic images, as well as the foundation for foldable phones which may well be the on the cards for Apple in the future.
That’s all the mobile news for this week – be sure to come back next Friday for all the latest from the world of mobile technology!


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The Nike Air Max 1 could very well be the shoe that turned Nike around. Designer Tinker Hatfield did the unthinkable and proposed to expose the shoe’s Air unit. Innovative (and ridiculed) at the time, the shoe has morphed into an icon that has as much significance today as it did back when it released in 1987.
While the year 2020 is dedicated to the Air Max 90 and its 30th anniversary, the Swoosh is still cooking up some mean colorways of the first Air Max. Recently, it was unofficially announced that the Nike Air Max 1 “Lemonade” from the 2006 Powerwall collection would be released in 2020. Now, another leak is indicating that an alternate pine green version will also release this fall.
Stay tuned as we learn about the pair. Meanwhile, take a look at a mock-up courtesy of Py_Rates on Twitter.
Colorway: Pine Green/Pine Green-True White
Release Date: September 19, 2020


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Feds charge Iowa woman with fraud in Super Bowl ticket scam
IOWA CITY, Ia. — An Iowa woman accused of duping dozens of people into buying non-existent tickets to the Super Bowl and other high-profile events has been charged with fraud in what investigators say was a years-long Ponzi scheme that improperly netted her at least $531,000.
Ranae Van Roekel of Boyden, Iowa, was charged in federal court Monday with mail and tax fraud, four years after the scheme became public.
Prosecutors say the 48-year-old was a self-employed ticket broker who ran the business “Get ‘em Now Tickets” from January 2008 to June 2012 and told a good story to personal contacts she duped. They say she falsely claimed to have personal relationships and ties to events that gave her an inside track for deeply discounted tickets, hotel rooms and VIP passes — once saying she was on the planning committee for the 2012 Super Bowl.
Van Roekel targeted acquaintances she had met through her family’s involvement in youth football activities, investigators say.
After customers would pay thousands of dollars for tickets in advance, Van Roekel later informed them that she couldn’t fill most of the orders. To avoid detection, she issued some victims refunds using money that came in from new ticket orders. But by 2012, many were out thousands of dollars and angry with themselves for trusting her, according to lawyers who represented them.
“She definitely was taking advantage of relationships that she had with people, using that to her advantage to be able to sell them,” said former Waterloo attorney Corey Lorenzen, who represented about a dozen of them. “She had put together a pretty elaborate story.”
Lorenzen said he hoped the case leads to a restitution order that refunds victims at least part of their money.
Van Roekel’s attorney, Jared Weber of Orange City, declined comment.
Van Roekel was charged in a document known as an information, which is typical for defendants who are expected to plead guilty as part of a plea agreement. There is no date set for a court appearance.
The charges list a victim with the initial “S.F.” at Assumption High School in Davenport, Iowa, who allegedly paid $1,664 for four tickets to the 2012 Super Bowl that never arrived.
The Iowa Attorney General’s Office has said that it received more than 50 complaints about Van Roekel’s business and forwarded the information to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
One of the victims included Ames businessman Dickson Jensen, who was defrauded out of $180,000 for tickets to the 2012 Super Bowl and other events. A judge in 2012 issued a default judgment ordering Van Roekel to refund him the money — and pay an additional $180,000 in punitive damages.


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If you’re lucky enough to live in a part of the world that has access to the Disney Plus service and you’ve been enjoying it, spare a thought for your fellow Disney fans in the United Kingdom. The UK is one of the biggest hotspots for the love of Disney anywhere in the world outside the US, and yet they’ve been kept waiting a long time to gain access to the entertainment mega-corporation’s archives. That long wait is finally coming to an end, though, and the timing could scarcely be better.
Team sports are out of the question while social distancing is happening. If you were looking forward to a new movie or television show that was in the process of being made, you’ll have to stop doing so for now. Almost every major TV and movie studio you can think of has gone into temporary shutdown. The best shows and films from the past are all you have to distract yourselves with at the moment – and Disney has a better archive than most.
For those of you who have somehow managed to miss the long hype period and subsequent launch of Disney’s over-the-top streaming service, here’s the easiest way to explain it. Think about an online slots website, and what such a site is used for. The main reason that people frequently prefer to use online slots website instead of real casinos is that they gather hundreds of casino games and online slots in a single place, accessible with just one username and one password. That’s how Disney has decided to offer people their back catalog. The comparison is a little ironic because Disney actually used to have a range of online slots based on their characters until they withdrew them a little over eighteen months ago, but it’s also apt. Disney fans no longer have to go hunting for DVDs or signing up for multiple streaming services so they can watch everything the company has ever created. It’s all under one roof, and as of March 24th, it’s available for the first time in the United Kingdom.
While we say that Disney Plus will offer Disney’s entire back catalog, that isn’t actually the case. Although Disney claims that the service represents every piece of presentable work they’ve ever done, there’s one very glaring omission in the shape of ‘Song of the South,’ the film you’ve almost certainly never seen but will know from its catchy song ‘Zip a Dee Doo Dah.’ The movie, released in 1946, was deemed controversial even at the time it was made because of its cheery depiction of African American workers living happily on plantations owned by their masters, and making light of the practice and consequences of slavery in the American Deep South. The film has never had a home release of any kind, and Disney has taken the decision to omit it from their streaming output. As a result, it’s probably safe to say that the highly controversial film will never be seen again by anyone outside of Disney’s offices.
While ‘Song of the South’ might be missing, there’s more than enough content available to suggest that fans will get their money’s worth from their monthly subscription payment – and they won’t just be paying for content made by Disney. The company now owns the rights to long-tenured animation classic ‘The Simpsons,’ and every episode from the first twenty-nine seasons of the show will be available on the new platform. They join all of the company’s Pixar movies, all of the Disney Marvel films, and original and exclusive content including a live-action version of ‘Lady of the Tramp,’ sci-fi hit and ‘Star Wars’ spin-off ‘The Mandalorian,’ and all of the ‘High School Musical’ films.
Eventually, Disney will stream all of its content in glorious 4K, but they’re holding off from doing so at the moment. Because of the expected high demand, Disney is limiting their streaming quality to HD resolution at best. That isn’t ideal if you’ve paid for a 4K television and want to make the best of your investment, but it’s the only way the company can ensure that they’re able to cater to as many people as possible at present without buffering, lag, or denial-of-service issues. As soon as the current global crisis has been resolved, 4K will be available for the same price as the rest of the service. In the UK, that price is £5.99 – making them cheaper than Amazon Prime and putting them on level pegging with Netflix.
The reason that it’s taken Disney so long to bring its service to UK customers is complicated and relates to existing television rights. Sky, which is a major cable broadcasting network in the UK and also Europe at large, has several rights deals that extent to Disney products, including many of the Marvel films and several Disney-made television productions. The terms of the agreements made in the past between Disney and Sky prevented the American company from launching a rival service in the same territory while the deals were active. All of the relevant contracts are now thought to have expired, which has cleared the way for Disney’s belated launch.
With so many people looking for new entertainment options and distractions, Disney Plus is expected to be very popular from the day it launches. In the US, it’s believed that more than forty million people have downloaded the Disney app from Apple’s store, and that doesn’t account for people who may have downloaded it from Google’s Play Store instead. Not every single one of those downloads will have resulted in a purchase of the service, but it wouldn’t be unreasonable to believe that Disney is currently earning $100m per month from subscriptions alone. That just goes to show that even in times of global crisis, it always pays to be a TV company with desirable content to sell.


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Quick commerce and instant gratification have become all the rage, and Antwerp, Belgium-based startup AiSPi has been sustainably building a fashion boutique discovery platform on a trunk show model. The company claims a whopping 95 percent of its customers are based in India.
Entrepreneur Aisha notes that a lot of European designer brands remain hidden from the global fashion scene. The ecommerce platform sources products from unique and lesser-known boutique stores and designers across Europe, list them on the fashion website, and make them available at trunk shows.
also serves as a “Michelin guide” for shopping to tell people what’s beyond the main shopping streets of Europe, cataloguing around 20 to 25 stores each in 18 cities as of now.
While Aisha started off believing anybody travelling to Europe could be the target audience, she is happy that a focus on the Indian market developed organically.
“The biggest value that we are bringing is to my audience back home in India. I saw they were the most engaged, the most excited, and it was a really nice feeling. And since then, we’ve pivoted to keep our focus on the Indian market,” she tells HerStory.
The Indian consumer’s appetite for fashion has grown tremendously during the pandemic, with the online fashion industry registering 51 percent overall growth, according to the Fashion E-commerce Report published last year.
After completing her bachelor’s in finance and management from The Wharton School, Aisha worked at Ernst & Young in New York and Belgium, where she now lives with her husband.
In a quest to combine her two passions–fashion and travel, Aisha spent her weekends scouring unique finds from different boutique stores across 14 European cities for two months.
“I would pair up with videographers and photographers and actually visit these boutique stores to talk to the people to understand their concept and learn more,” she says, recalling the initial days of building AiSPi in 2017.
Aisha noted that designer brands in India are either divided between wearing brands like FabIndia and the likes of Sabyasachi or Abu Jani. While the latter brands’ starting price is from about Rs 1 -2 lakh, AiSPi’s average product pricing of about Rs 40,000 appears affordable for luxury brands.
It claims to fill the pricing gap between FabIndia and Sabyasachi, with prices ranging between Rs 10,000 and Rs 80,000 – Rs 1 lakh.
After one year of identifying and curating the products and processes, the website was launched in 2018. Aisha has been successfully juggling the venture till she quit her full-time job in November last year.
Bootstrapped so far, Aisha made the first big initial investment of about €15,000 after establishing a market demand and used it to build the website and branding.
How it works?
The platform strictly operates on a trunk show model and sells only during multi-format experiential trunk shows organised in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Antwerp, as well as virtually during the pandemic.
Aisha explains, “If you visit our website today, we will not be selling to you. We will take your information, note your request, and when we launch our next trunk show, we will make sure that you are invited or send a virtual invitation link if you can’t physically make it.”
In just about 40 to 45 selling days in the last three years, AiSPi has clocked an impressive turnover. While conducting regular business online like any other ecommerce platform is likely to generate more sales, Aisha says the current model allows AiSPi to add greater value to customers by curating for a specific clientele and “not feel pressured to sell for the heck of it”.
Over the years, the trunk show model has helped build trust and create a sense of exclusivity. The startup now has a network of over 10,000 customers that are engaging with the brand, actively communicating and attending its events.
Moving forward, it aims to expand and go beyond Europe to identify boutique stores and eventually look at menswear as well.
While the startup does not have any direct competitors, marketplaces like Ajio Luxe has luxury products in similar price ranges and beyond.
Donning the entrepreneurial hat meant Aisha dabbled with everything–from steam ironing the products to SEO and marketing, website maintenance, public relations, accounting, and every step along the way.
In the initial days, most boutique stores wouldn’t support and value her platform despite unlocking new customers for them, she says.
“I am the one that has come with a photographer and a videographer. All I ask is if we can take some photos and videos of their products, giving free publicity, and they would say that I am disturbing their clients. And that pinches you because you’re talking about their brand so passionately on the platform,” she says, adding that the boutiques are listed for free to ensure independence of curating products.
While the ecommerce venture has generated a lot of excitement and demand for these boutiques, the biggest challenge facing AiSPi today is hiring talent and a good team to expand further.
Having switched from a corporate job consulting startups to running one herself, Aisha best sums up her journey by stating that just like motherhood, entrepreneurship doesn’t come with a guidebook, and one has to do whatever it takes with passion.


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Hey guys, welcome to another edition of “Buy It and Burn It.” Today, I’m giving away the hot stocks early: We’re looking at two of the biggest streaming services available — Disney vs. Netflix.
As we gear up to finish off 2020, we need to take a look at these companies in both the short- and long-term.
In one corner, we have Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS). Everyone’s favorite mouse, amusement park and now streaming platform.
In the wake of COVID-19 shutting down its amusement parks again, Disney still managed to make headlines when it announced a load of new content coming exclusively to Disney+.
In the other corner, the reigning champion: Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX). The former by-mail DVD rental company revolutionized how people watch TV and movies.
Netflix was one of the first and most successful streaming services to produce its own content. Since then, it has inspired a new generation of streaming options — Disney included.
Disney vs. Netflix: Who Will Be King?
We’re finally into the holiday season of a crazy volatile year, but we could see another shake-up on the way.
Netflix has owned the streaming market with over 70 million subscribers in the U.S. alone, and 193 million worldwide as of July. It has been the go-to service for watching holiday movies with your family for years.
Looking past 2020, however, it has some competition. Since its launch in November 2019, Disney+ has already reached over 86 million subscribers.
With the combination of Disney’s multiple streaming services, Disney+, Hulu, ESPN and now Star, the streaming stock market could have a new champ.
So which one should you buy, and which one should you burn?
Check out the video below to get my thoughts on this matchup of Disney vs. Netflix. And as always, let me know your thoughts in the comments or send an email to firstname.lastname@example.org to get your question into our next mailbag segment.
P.S. If you’ve ever felt frustrated trying to trade stocks throughout the week while the fat cats on Wall Street clutter the market…
And you don’t know what to trade due to all the daily market noise and volatility…
You see, while everyone else is focused on Monday through Friday’s price action, two traders have quietly been studying an event that takes place just minutes after Friday’s close.
This after-hours event acts as an indicator for stock prices heading into the next trading week … and has the potential to triple your investments in just two short months.
Trading experts Roger Scott and Josh Martinez are finally ready to reveal their findings in a never-before-seen presentation, where they’ll show you exactly how to profit from these “phantom” trades.


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Royal Mail will begin Sunday deliveries to help customers with online deliveries, chief executive Moya Greene said. Shoppers who choose the Sunday service will receive a text message between 30 and 90 minutes before delivery.
Through these new Sunday services we are exploring ways to improve our flexibility and provide more options for people to receive items they have ordered online.
The support of the Communication Workers Union has enabled us to respond quickly to a changing market, underlining the importance of the ground-breaking Agenda for Growth agreement.
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A family has issued an appeal to help find their missing pet turkey - in case he gets gobbled up as someone's Christmas dinner.
The winner of X-Factor Ben Haenow has revealed how keen he is to have the Christmas number one.
The Ministry of Defence has announced that the first British reservists have set off for Sierra Leone to help tackle the Ebola outbreak.


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MAKKAH: Saudi coffee is set to go global after a delegation from Starbucks visited the Jazan region in the Kingdom’s southwest.
Coffee is one of the region’s most important factors in its economic growth and is an important source of income for the people in the mountainous region.
Jazan territories are the home of Khawlani coffee cultivation and establishing a global partnership is seen as crucial in the expansion of the local product.
Director-General of the Jazan Mountains Development Authority, Dafer Ayed Al-Fahad, received the delegation from Starbucks, headed by Vice President Marco Paolucci, to discuss potential areas of collaboration.
The discussion looked at the feasibility of investing in and introducing high-quality Saudi coffee beans into “Starbucks Reserve” coffee shops worldwide.
The visit included representatives from the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Ministry of Investment, the Saudi Coffee Company and Alshaya Group.
The authority is the only governmental source of coffee seedlings in the Kingdom, and Al-Fahad spoke about the achievements and efforts made by the organization to promote and provide services to all coffee farmers.
He told Arab News that the delegation toured the authority’s facilities, including its coffee nurseries and experimental fields, and the sites where it is establishing a state-of-the-art Saudi Coffee Center and an automated facility to increase capacity to over 1 million seedlings per year in partnership with Saudi Aramco.
He said the authority is in discussions with the Ministry of Culture to establish the Saudi Coffee Museum as well as a dedicated academy to train farmers and entrepreneurs in partnership with SCC.
The authority has already proposed Saudi Arabia’s application to the World Coffee Organization, which would ensure the promotion of the industry in line with the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.
During the last International Coffee Day on Oct. 1, it participated in an exhibition and presented a paper at the opening ceremony of the Saudi Coffee Sustainability Forum in Jazan.
Al-Fahad said: “It’s worth noting that the authority has always been a strategic partner and active participant in all coffee festivals and workshops in the Kingdom.”


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Sezmi Launches Video Services Pilot in LA
The move should help showcase the key assets that recently helped Sezmi land a Light Reading "Top Pick" Consumer Services award: the nationwide broadband and digital broadcast service delivery platform it has built out during the past few years; the customer premises equipment and content management interface it has developed for its personalized services; and the real-time and on-demand content pool it has amassed by striking a number of partnerships. (See Sezmi Aims Beyond IPTV and Light Reading Reveals Its 2009 Top Picks.)
Consumers in the Los Angeles area will be able to sign up at Sezmi's Website for a three-month free trial. Registered pilot users will receive a Sezmi set-top box that will provide access to the company’s content package, which includes local, cable, and on-demand TV, as well as thousands of on-demand movies and Web videos.
The content will be delivered using a hybrid delivery strategy that makes use of the pilot customers' existing broadband connections (for on-demand content) and over-the-air digital TV signals that are decoded by receivers built into Sezmi’s set-top box.
What Sezmi, which recently raised more cash and slimmed down its operations, is not yet doing is identifying the partners that have agreed to provide the DSL or wireless broadband pipes over which some of Sezmi's content is delivered. (See Sezmi Raises Cash, Slims Down.)
Two years after the company came out of wraps as Building B (saying it was targeting broadband ISPs), and a year after completing its technical trials, Sezmi is still a few months away from naming its network and sales channel partners, says David Allred, senior vice president of marketing and product management. (See Sezmi Passes Trial Phase.)
"We have partnerships in place with a number of telcos and national retailers," says Allred. "We are still about two months away from announcing all of our actual go-to-market distribution partnerships. We've been in product and consumer trials for the better part of a year with national retailers and telecom service providers."
In announcing its Los Angeles pilot, Sezmi is stressing its partnerships with digital TV broadcasters (which provide the spectrum that enables real-time content to be delivered to the Sezmi set-top box) and its content partnerships that cover most major broadcast and cable networks.
"The pilot will give us a chance to scale up and test the market side of our operations -– the sales, getting partners trained and established, and getting customer service representatives used to answering any questions the customer may have," Allred says.
Sezmi will accept a limited number of pilot customers outside Los Angeles, but those customers will only have access to the Internet-based, on-demand content, since the content normally delivered over digital TV spectrum won’t be available, according to Allred.
One of Sezmi’s launch partners will be an as yet unnamed major national retailer that could compete with broadband ISPs by selling the Sezmi boxes over the counter and letting consumers hook the boxes up to their current broadband connections -- something Sezmi maintains is very easy to do.
Allred says that partner has the capabilities to be much more than just a sales channel: "They own some broadband infrastructure components, they own a large service operation, and they're very interested in bundling the product with other consumer electronics products and services that will be complementary."
That description suggests the partner could be BestBuy, which owns national broadband VoIP provider Speakeasy Inc.
Allred notes that Sezmi would work to avoid direct competition between its unnamed retail partner and telecom service providers as it rolls out in specific markets, and suggests the two bring complementary strengths.
"We have been working for quite some time with telcos, and they don’t have the best physical retail sales capabilities. They have incredible support, but with things like our service, it is important for consumers to see what that experience is like."
Sezmi believes retailers and telcos can work together, perhaps to create "soft bundles" of services that don’t relegate the broadband providers to delivering a dumb pipe, says Allred.
Following the three-month trial period, the Los Angeles pilot customers will be given the option to buy the service from a local service provider at prices as low as $25 per month for the highest-tier offering, although final pricing is up to the partner that delivers the commercial service.
The Sezmi set-top box, which includes massive storage to support a high degree of personalization, and the Sezmi remote control, which includes separate power buttons for up to five family members, are being provided for free for the trial, Allred says. The set-tops are designed for self-installation in less than 30 minutes and don't require truck rolls, he adds.
— Carol Wilson, Chief Editor, Events, Light Reading


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Editor’s Note: Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to retire as company faces needed shake-up (The Guarduan)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has stepped into a new and uncertain era with the announcement that CEO Steve Ballmer will retire within 12 months, triggering a search for a successor to take over the software behemoth. The announcement on Friday surprised analysts and investors and sent shares surging, reflecting belief that the company will benefit from new leadership as it tries to innovate and chase the market for smartphones and tablets.
Microsoft, Motorola set for second round of trial over patents (Reuters)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) takes on Google’s Motorola Mobility unit this week in the second of two landmark trials between the companies that delve into hot disputes over the patents behind smartphone and Internet technology. The jury trial, starting Monday in federal court in Seattle, is set to resolve whether Motorola breached its contract with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) to license on reasonable terms its so-called standard essential patents, covering wireless and video technology used in the Xbox game console.
Paul Krugman On The Inevitable Decline Of Apple And Microsoft (Forbes)
Paul Krugman’s got a couple of posts up that together point out the inevitability of the eventual decline of both Apple and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). One’s already happening of course, the other is still to come. What’s particularly interesting about Krugman’s views here is not that he’s a New York Times columnist, nor even that he’s a Nobel Laureate economist (and forgive me but I rate him very highly as that second and not very much as that first) but that that Nobel was awarded for his findings in exactly the area where Microsoft and Apple operate, what has allowed their success.
Microsoft releases to manufacturing Windows 8.1: Sources (ZDNet)
Word is Microsoft has released Windows 8.1 to manufacturing. There’s still no indication that developers or users are going to get the gold bits before October 18.
Why are Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung so interested in Best Buy? (The Next Web)
Shopping is dead. Long live shopping. Okay, so maybe we should clarify that a bit. Brick-and-mortar stores are becoming a tad bit passé. Customers are flocking to sites like Amazon, eBay, and other online retailers to get what they want. I jokingly asked a friend if they wanted to go to Costco one weekend and they replied that they now order everything through Amazon Prime. You can get anything ordered online.


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Podcast | Editor#39;s pick - Volkswagen electric act II: No new gas powered cars post 2026
2018-12-6 06:20 pm
The German car giant has announced that its core brand will develop its final generation of vehicles using combustion engine technology in 2026.
Read The Rest at
Limited Submission Opportunity: Keck Research...
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Portland bottled spring water brand, Lifespan, has officially cemented their interaction with the Jamaican culture with a collaboration production of its first ever self-titled dancehall riddim project, the Lifespan riddim with producer Junior Bloodline.
The Caribbean Producers Jamaica (CPJ) distributed brand, believes that music is an important part of the essence of Jamaica which shapes our society, it is therefore symbiotic to merge that image with the Lifespan Spring Water brand, which has become a household name and connects with Jamaicans from all aspects of society.
“We wanted to celebrate the success of the Lifespan brand by giving back to the culture, and with the Dash and Win promotion underway, the time was now to connect with our Jamaican audience in an organic way.” Rojah Thomas, Marketing Manager for Lifespan Spring Water, explained
The Lifespan riddim is created by known artiste manager, event promoter and music producer – Junior Bloodline for his JR Bloodline label. Artistes featured on the project include; Bugle, Tifa, ZJ Liquid, I-Octane, Tommy Lee, Munga Honorable and newcomer Iwaata.
The project has already been receiving rave reviews since its premiere earlier this month. Partly due to the quality of the project itself as well as the artistes who have added impressive tracks to it.
“The artiste line up is simply phenomenal, it has the right mix of persons who all have their own individual style who each bring something different to this project. Many persons have described it as “infectious,” JR Bloodline did an excellent job and we are extremely proud to simply be a part of it.” Rojah added
Lifespan believes that the project is already a catalyst for a hot project to extend throughout Summer 2019 and sees it as another avenue to connect with their consumers everywhere they party, work and play.
The Lifespan Riddim will be officially launched in a matter of days and will be distributed by Hapilos Digital Distribution.


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Singer Diamond has been named the Nice One brand ambassador.
The singer took to his official Instagram account to share the good news. Diamond, who is known for his latest hit song Yope remix, said that he is greatly honored to be named the firms brand ambassador. He also said that he looks forward to working with the company of the betterment of the lives of the users of its product. He noted that the products from the company are not only tested in the lab but he has also tried and proven that they can do wonders at gone. The singer also said that the product will be available on the market for consumers of different financial needs upon its release.
“I’m really happy and extremely honoured to partner with @niceone_tz as the official brand ambassador of Nice One Washing Powder. It’s a product that is not only dermatological tested but one I have personally tested out as well. A genius product that leaves your laundry looking cleaner than ever with their double power cleansing formula and to top it off can also be used on both hard & soft water. This product is officially the first water quality customized washing powder in the continent! Nice One Wash Powder is now officially available in all stores!! @niceone_tz,” he wrote.


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Latest Campaigns for Innocean
Hyundai welcomes Australia back outside via Innocean
The 'welcome mat' is accompanied by a longer running social campaign.
Hyundai dips a toe into fashion world via Innocean Australia
The car company has teamed up with Australian fashion designer Emma Mulholland to celebrate its new Veloster.
Hyundai’s new Venue fits in and stands out
Created by Innocean Australia, the cheeky integrated campaign highlights the stylish attributes of Hyundai’s new entry-level vehicle.
Hyundai's latest campaign helps find the right i30 for you
The integrated campaign, created by Innocean Australia, takes on a personalised approach to highlight the broad i30 range on offer.
Hyundai unveils Tucson SUV campaign
Hyundai has launched its ‘Made For It. Even If You’re Not’ campaign nationally to promote the Tucson SUV.
Will Kia's new Sorento spot make you smile?
Driving a Kia Sorento is an experience that will make every creature, large or small, smile.
Why you shouldn’t give friends the keys to your Hyundai
Hyundai's latest ad spot shows you what happens when you let your mate behind the wheel of your Sonata.
Danger vs easy riding: Hyundai gets creepy
Even if the creepy old man doesn't convince you to buy a Hyundai, he at least gets you to watch the ad to the end pitching the terrifying terrain of the old road against the new.


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Danone Fights to Fix a Souring Growth Recipe -- Heard on the Street
By Carol Ryan
Despite a focus on trendy health foods, Danone has lost investor
support this year. Winning it back will be hard work as business
becomes more competitive.
The Paris-based company that makes Dannon and Activia yogurts
announced on Monday plans to reduce costs by EUR1 billion,
equivalent to $1.19 billion, over the next three years and return
to its pre-pandemic operating margin by 2022. It will give country
managers more power, strip out head office costs and sell parts of
its portfolio. It recently put its Vega protein powder brand under
strategic review, for instance.
European peers Nestlé and Unilever began this kind of
restructuring three years ago. A 30% fall in Danone's stock this
year shows why it is moving now. Shares in Nestlé and Unilever are
more or less flat, as are those of U.S. food businesses Kraft Heinz
and Campbell Soup, which own less wholesome brands.
Management recognizes it has a problem with shareholders. It
hasn't helped that Danone will miss a 16% operating margin target
previously set for 2020, which cannot be blamed entirely on the
pandemic. Of Europe's three biggest food companies, Danone is the
only one whose margins fell in the first six months of the year
compared with the same period of 2019.
It now has to impress investors just as competition hots up in
important markets and product categories. While Danone was early to
spot the potential of plant-based foods with its $10.4 billion
purchase of dairy-alternative brand WhiteWave back in 2016, trendy
rivals like Blackstone-backed vegan milk business Oatly are
catching up fast.
In China, meanwhile, local baby food company Feihe is taking
market share from international brands made by Danone as well as
Nestlé and Reckitt Benckiser. They may also be fighting over less
business as China's birthrate is projected to fall 8% this year,
according to Barclays. The French company's baby food unit is by
far its most profitable.
Danone ticks many boxes for today's investors. It has been a
leader on environmental, social and governmental issues and began
reporting a pioneering carbon-adjusted earnings per share metric
earlier this year. A portfolio of plant-based brands and products
that boost immunity plays into consumer trends, particularly in the
wake of a pandemic. A new focus on healthy aging has the potential
to offset some of the higher competition it faces in baby food. So
far this year, sales of brands such as Protinex adult nutrition
drinks have grown by 20%.
Even if the right ingredients are there, though, investors still
need proof that Danone can make the best of them.
Write to Carol Ryan at firstname.lastname@example.org
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 23, 2020 09:16 ET (14:16 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.


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A sign at Trader Joe's in Millburn says the store's Westfield location will re-open Dec. 2 at 8 a.m., TapIntoWestfield reported.
A Trader Joe's spokeswoman was not immediately able to confirm the date.
A powerful snowstorm in January caused the roof of Westfield's Trader Joe's to partly collapse and three walls to buckle, forcing the immediate closure of the popular grocery store that drew shoppers from across North Jersey.
Trader Joe's was closed at the time of the roof collapse, and no one was injured.
Two days later, the company announced plans to eventually re-open in the same location. Construction at the Elm Street site began in the spring.


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Aston Martin is expected to name its first SUV Varekai following the application of a new trademark.
But the Varekai name looks set to adorn the final version because it sticks to the brand's naming convention by starting with a V, like the Vantage, Vanquish and Valkyrie. Aston declined to comment when contacted by Autocar.
The production model is currently under development — its design was signed off late last summer — with intentions of drastically boosting the 105-year-old firm's sales. Aston is going from strength to strength, having posted record profits last year totalling £87 million — £250m more than the £163m loss the brand recorded in 2016.
When the DBX production model arrives, it will rival the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, Maserati Levante and top-end Range Rovers and Porsche Cayennes in the luxury 4x4 segment. However, CEO Andy Palmer has previously stated that the DBX will stand apart “because it has not sacrificed any beauty to achieve its practicality or performance”.
The SUV project was envisioned by Palmer before he took up his role at Aston in 2014 and it was officially kick-started on his fourth day in the job. “When you are talking about running a company like Aston, you talk through your ideas with the owners before you are hired,” said Palmer. “My message was simple: if Aston wants to survive, it must do an SUV.
“On my fourth day [as CEO], I got to spend some time with Marek [Reichman, head of design] and I told him I wanted DBX. That was in October and I told him I wanted a concept car ready to show in Geneva by the following March.
“He and his team responded magnificently. One of the many beauties of Aston compared to a large car company is that we can move quickly. If something is agreed, we can leave the room and start working on it immediately, without the need for multi-layer presentations. It’s invigorating and I think we are starting to unlock the benefits of that now. I hope the Aston of today has a swagger — but never arrogance — that it hasn’t had for some time.”
The DBX concept of Geneva 2015 was a two-door, four-seater powered by electric motors mounted inboard of the wheels and powered by lithium sulphur cells. The car featured other high-tech concept flourishes, such as an Formula 1-style kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) to emphasise that it would be at the cutting edge of powertrain technology when it was launched. However, Reichman and his team also made a point of highlighting more practical elements, such as interior and load space.