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Kuwait Telecommunications Company stc has announced that customers can take advantage of the telecom provider’s exclusive offers and services and access all their needs while at home.
stc’s recently launched campaign ‘#while_at_home’, focuses on providing existing and new customers with access to all stc products and services online and with ease. The campaign also falls in line with the Company’s strategy to enable digital transformation in Kuwait, while supporting the Kuwaiti government’s instructions directing people to stay at home in the battle against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In a statement released by stc, the company announced that through downloading the mystc application or by visiting stc’s website, customers can benefit from an array of services from the comfort of their homes, without having to visit one of stc’s branches.
These services include paying bills, recharge prepaid lines, controlling voice and data plans, activating and deactivating services, purchasing gaming devices and cell phones, subscribing to data plans and purchasing routers, accessing the latest offers, in addition to other online shopping services with free of charge delivery.
stc's digital channels also provide several exclusive offers for new and existing customers.
Commenting on the new campaign, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of stc, Haneen Ibrahim Al-Fulaij, said, “As promised, we continue to offer new services and exclusive offers to enhance our customers’ experience while providing the latest devices and uninterrupted services. We will continue to explore innovative methods to allow our customers to gain access to all their telecom needs online while at home.”
She added, “This campaign was launched to enrich our customers’ online experience with instantaneous access to our digital channels. stc is offering all its products and services through our website, mystc mobile application, and E-Store with free delivery in Kuwait. The “#while_at_home” campaign follows the government’s orders to ensure the health and safety of both citizens and residents alike. stc will continue to show its support to the people of Kuwait during this difficult time while implementing its strategy to enable digital transformation in Kuwait.”
Al-Fulaij concluded by saying, “We highly appreciate and are thankful for the preventative measures taken by the local authorities in battling the current global pandemic. In our role, stc will continue to seek collaborative opportunities with the various government entities who have taken precise and diligent action in responding to the crisis and reducing the spread of infection.”
stc previously announced new promotions on voice plans, 5G internet and Jawwy TV packages available through the Company’s online store with deliveries free of charge for both new and existing customers.
To enrich customers’ home entertainment experience, stc recently offered subscriptions to Jawwy TV, stc Kuwait’s exclusive service with original and premium content, with over 120 free-to-air and paid channels. Jawwy TV provides a rich array of free and premium live channels that include MBC, Star, National Geographic, Fox Channels, Fight Channel, in addition to exclusive content from StarzPlay, Wide Khaliji, BluTV and more, all under one subscription, providing an unmatched user experience.
stc has also made switching from 4G to 5G internet packages easier by offering customers 5G service in addition to a 5G router for KD 5 monthly. Customers can stream their favorite shows, play games, surf the web and work remotely at high internet speeds, low latency and instantaneous connectivity using Kuwait’s largest 5G network.
Customers can also get the latest smartphone devices with ultimate convenience through stc digital channels with the all new KD15 postpaid package available on all stc digital channels, offering unlimited local calls in addition to 500GB internet as well as selecting the preferred device from iPhone, Samsung and HUAWEI.


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A talented baker has whipped up the ultimate brownie stack.
Aberdeen-based drinks firm The House of Botanicals has launched a new coffee bean spirit.
An Aberdeen brewery has launched two new beers.
Aberdeen psych rockers The Vapour Trails are set to release their second album on American-based label Futureman records.
An award-winning Aberdeenshire chipper is set to offer grilled lobsters for delivery.
Aberdeen Tex-Mex burrito bar FreshMex has launched its online store.

domain: news


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The EU's General Data Protection Regulation has been in force since 25 May 2018. Companies have been taking high risks since then if they neglect email protection. For totemo, this led to an increase in the number of requests for email encryption in 2018 - and did not subside noticeably until the end of the year. The number of enquiries is increasing again around the anniversary of the GDPR. It is noteworthy that orders now tend to come from other sectors than before. Since last May, companies from the retail and food industry have been increasingly interested in our solutions. By contrast, companies from traditionally highly regulated sectors such as banks, insurances and pharmaceutical companies have been using such solutions for some time.
Last year, an exceptionally high number of small and medium-sized companies demanded solutions for secure communication. These include, in particular, businesses with confidentiality obligations such as lawyers and doctors. These are often very small companies with a maximum of ten employees.
In addition to these, we are also approached by a striking number of other small to medium-sized companies. However, they are not so much driven by legal regulations as by their customers: Large corporations demand that their suppliers only exchange certain information in encrypted form. The large retail chains, for example, force food manufacturers to encrypt emails.
Nevertheless, large companies and businesses from highly regulated sectors are still approaching us. Many are already using email encryption, but are now looking for solutions with more functionalities that cover all use cases in order to fully meet the requirements of the GDPR.
The increasing use of the cloud in connection with the GDPR is also affecting our order situation. Companies that relocate their email infrastructure to the cloud want additional encryption.
In addition, since May 2018 we have seen an increasing number of new providers of secure communications entering the market. However, in many cases they offer isolated solutions with low market penetration, which limits the actual usability in the business sector. In contrast, email has been the universal means of communication for years, which is why totemo has specialized on securing it in a user-friendly way.totemo ag


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Advertising.com Ditches Spyware
So called "Spyware" companies get the old heave ho from Advertising.com that was aquired by AOL last year according to the MediaPost ...
AMERICA ONLINE'S ADVERTISING.COM QUIETLY STOPPED doing business with adware companies such as Claria, WhenU, and 180solutions last year, OnlineMediaDaily has learned.
The move, confirmed by AOL, happened last fall--after the Dulles, Va.-based portal company acquired the ad network Advertising.com in August for $435 million. Shortly after buying the Baltimore, Md.-based Advertising.com, executives from both companies conducted a review of policies regarding adware and spyware, said AOL spokesman Andrew Weinstein. "From that review, we decided to make clear that we would not do business with companies that distribute adware or spyware that interefers with or damages our members' online experience," Weinstein said.
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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Maidenform Brands, Inc. on Friday said it plans to offer 10 million shares at $14-$16 a share in a bid to raise about $150 million in its initial public offering. The Bayonne, N.J. maker of bras plans to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "MFB" with underwriters UBS, CS First Boston and Goldman Sachs.
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More and better credit will be available to businesses in the next six months, continuing into next year. That's the prediction of the American Bankers Association, which this week issued a forecast for U.S. economic performance predicting growth of 11.5 percent this year in loans to businesses.
The trade group, which represents the $14 trillion industry that has taken much of the blame for the U.S. recession, stated that "the significant increase in credit growth shows that the banks are doing their part to make loans that will help drive the economic recovery." Whether or not you agree, additional forecasts made by the group are mildly encouraging for small business owners.
ABA Economic Advisory Committee chairman George Mokrzan said that consumers will also experience more opportunities for credit. An increase of 7.4 percent in loans to individuals will lead to stronger consumer spending in the second half of this year, he said. The group expects consumer spending, which represents 70 percent of the economy, to grow at an annualized rate of 2.4 percent this year.
And an uptick in home sales, a firming in prices, and housing starts are contributing to a more positive outlook in housing sector, the bankers said. Although housing prices are stabilizing at depressed levels, the committee predicts that record-low mortgage rates will drive a rise in new and existing home sales.
Overall, the group predicts moderate economic growth in 2012, with the inflation-adjusted GDP expanding by 2.2 percent this year, compared to 1.6 percent in 2011.
The 12 committee members—economists representing the largest banks in North America including Wells Fargo, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, PNC Financial Services, JP Morgan Chase, and Deutsche Bank—also agreed that jobs will be created. They predict a slow, steady decline in unemployment to 8 percent this year and to 7.8 percent by mid 2013.
"Although economic growth will pick up, downside risks have become more pronounced," said Mokrzan, who is Director of Economics for Huntington Bancorp. "Our consensus forecast is that the economy isn't growing rapidly enough to push the unemployment rate below 8 percent by year-end."
Those downside risks, he said, are the European sovereign debt crisis and the looming "US fiscal cliff" in 2013. The threat of major potential tax hikes and federal spending cuts could discourage businesses from taking on new hires or committing to spending, the committee said.
"We urge Congress and the administration to generate a consensus solution to avoid a devastating impact on the economy," Mokrzan said.


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How the UN helped Benin become the world’s fastest place to start a business on a mobile phone
By Ian Richards, Economist, UNCTAD
New system boosts ease of doing business in Iraq
A new online single window system for business registration in Iraq is supporting an entrepreneurial environment during COVID-19.
How biodiversity-friendly trade can support COVID-19 recovery
A new call to action urges countries to make BioTrade a lever for recovery and resilience in the wake of the pandemic.
Blue BioTrade project set to improve fortunes in the eastern Caribbean
The project is a point of convergence for conservation and sustainable use of marine resources, and a driver for a blue and green recovery from COVID-19.
Developing countries pay environmental cost of electric car batteries
Growth in electric car sales is great news for the fight against climate change, but the mining of the minerals used in their batteries poses serious risks for the environment.
Demand for raw materials for electric car batteries set to rise further
Surging need is driven by boom in electric cars, with 23 million passenger vehicles expected to be produced by 2030, says a new UNCTAD report.
Commodity exports to China could fall by $33.1 billion in 2020, study finds
UNCTAD research shows that total commodity exports to China could fall dramatically as a result of the coronavirus crisis, but there may be a silver lining for some products.
Angola eyes former coffee glory for more sustainable growth
Overdependence on oil has fuelled volatile and uneven growth. Coffee could help the country change course if it can revive production and add value to its beans.
Senegal's e-commerce sector helps country cope with COVID-19
Trade ministry fast-tracks measures to ease access to essential goods and services during the pandemic.


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PRIMARK shoppers can now browse thousands of items online and check stock levels in store as the retailer launched its new website.
The budget fashion chain revealed its new UK site this morning.
It features thousands of Primark products, including fashion, homeware, lifestyle and beauty.
Shoppers will be able to check whether their favourite items are in stock in their size at their nearest store for the first time.
More product information will also be available, including fabrics and materials.
The new website is live in the UK now, and new features will be rolled out in the coming months.
That will include customer accounts, a newsletter, and the ability to create a wish list.
However, shoppers still won't be able to order online for collection or home delivery.
That means you'll still have to head to your nearest Primark store to make a purchase.
Primark boss Paul Marchant said: “We know [shoppers] want to browse the latest collections online and be able to check availability, which is what our new website makes possible for the first time.
Most read in Money
"This new website and new features mark a significant step forward for our business and represent a shift in the role of digital at Primark."
The stock availability tool is based on a traffic light system.
Green indicates the product is in stock, orange shows it is running low and red means it has sold out.
Grey means that the item isn't sold at your chosen store.
Primark announced plans for a new website in January, originally saying it would open at the end of March.
It first teased a new site last year, exciting shoppers.
Previously, shoppers could just see a snippet of the latest products but no stock information.
There was also an option to buy a gift card.
The website has launched in the UK first and will be rolled out to 13 other countries by the end of September.
The retailer has 400 stores globally and nearly 200 in the UK.
It teamed up with bakery chain Greggs earlier this year to launch a clothing collection.
The two high street giants also collaborated on a new Greggs cafe inside Primark's Birmingham Bullring store.
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Grand Alliance enhances its Mediterranean-Asia loop M to include port call at Busan Grand Alliance is adjusting its service between the Mediterranean and Asia (EUM) in response to the increasing cargo volume. Busan will be included as a port of call in the service loop, and an additional eighth vessel will be deployed for the service. Ships deployed in EUM will be in an average capacity of approx. 6,500 TEU, replacing the present 4,400 TEU. The enhanced service will begin in week 25 of 2007. EUM will call at Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Hong Kong, Singapore, Port Kelang, Damietta, Genoa, Barcelona, Fos, Damietta, Singapore and Hong Kong with a transit time of 56 days. The Grand Alliance is an integrated consortium in global container shipping. Its members are Hapag-Lloyd (Germany), MISC Berhad (Malaysia), NYK (Japan) and OOCL (Hong Kong).
The Grand Alliance, founded in 1998, is an integrated consortium in container liner shipping. Its members are Hapag-Lloyd, MISC Berhad, Malaysia, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), Japan, and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), Hong Kong. The four member lines have extended their cooperation for ten more years. The member lines of the Grand Alliance are continuing their successful cooperation, and today Adolf Adrion, Executive Board member of Hapag-Lloyd AG, Niels Kim Balling
Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) announced on Feb. 18 that they will cooperate with ZIM in two strings in the trans-Pacific trade, with immediate effect. The scope includes North China and Japan, South China, South East Asia to Canada and US North West Coast (NWX and PNX services). The services will operate on a weekly basis with a round voyage time of 42 days (PNX) and 35 days (NWX) respectively
Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd (HL), Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), along with Partner ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd (ZIM) are pleased to jointly announce the new co-operation with Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) within the Trans-Pacific All Water sector. The South China East Coast Express 2 (SCE2) will be launched on 12th May 2011, in conjunction with the enhancement of the established South China East Coast Express (SCE)
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL, President: Koichi Muto) , a Member of the G6 Alliance has announced plans to expand their cooperation to the Asia-North America West Coast and Trans-Atlantic trade lanes. The G6 Alliance said the expanded cooperation will provide customers with more service choices and increased sailing frequency. For example, on the Asia-North America West Coast trade, each G6 Alliance member will be able to offer almost twice as many sailings
Günther Casjens, a member of the executive board of Hapag-Lloyd AG, is leaving the company at his own request with effect from March 1, 2004. "I greatly regret the decision, but must accept that Günther Casjens has other plans," stated Michael Behrendt, chairman of the executive board of Hapag-Lloyd AG, adding that he welcomed Mr Casjens' intention to remain linked with the company on an amicable basis. Günther Casjens joined Hapag-Lloyd AG in 1974 and has been a member of the executive
Tsingtao Express deployed between Europe and Far East Hapag-Lloyd AG has expanded its fleet with another containership. The Tsingtao Express was named in Qingdao, China. It can carry 8,750 standard containers. The Tsingtao Express, named in the Port of Qingdao, is the second newbuilding that Hapag-Lloyd has integrated into its fleet in 2007. Five more vessels will follow until 2008. The Hamburg-based shipping line now has a globally deployed fleet comprising about 140 ships capable of
Despite claims that most containerships operate on fixed-day weekly schedules, over 40% of vessels operated in liner services arrive one or more days late, according to a ground-breaking global survey from Drewry Container Shipper Insight. Drewry Shipping Consultants carried out what it believes is the liner shipping industry’s largest schedule reliability survey, based on the tracking of 3,300 vessel arrivals on 23 different east/west and north/south trade routes
Vince Cook, CEO of Grand Circle Cruise Line, informs that the company has acquired the 'M/V Corinthian', a 98-passenger, ocean-going vessel that currently operates in Antarctica. They had chartered the ship for the past year and intend to expand the Corinthian's operations with the launch of three new small ship cruise itineraries in 2015. The ship was acquired for an undisclosed price from Travel Dynamics International, an operator of educational programs aboard small cruise ships
Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) is sailing into the THE Alliance. With the new charter deals it is now “one step closer to becoming a member of THE Alliance”, from which it was excluded when the mega-alliance was announced last month. According to a report in Business Korea, HMM president Lee Baek-hoon met with K Line president and CEO Eizo Murakami in Tokyo to discuss the former’s joining the THE Alliance
Two services will be merged into one until further notice / Reason is change in market demand / All other services remain unchanged. Members of the G6 Alliance today announced a change within their Asia - North America West Coast products in response to changes in market demand
Hapag-Lloyd AG (Hapag-Lloyd) and United Arab Shipping Company S.A.G. (UASC) have signed a Business Combination Agreement (BCA) to merge both companies, subject to the necessary regulatory and contractual approvals. Besides the Business Combination Agreement (BCA) between the
Hapag-Lloyd and UASC have signed a Business Combination Agreement. The Combined company will rank among the world´s five largest liner shipping companies and will operate one of the most modern fleets in the industry / Company will operate 237 vessels with total transport capacity
South Korean shipper Hyundai Merchant Marine Co Ltd said on Thursday that it had signed a preliminary deal to join a 2M vessel-sharing alliance of Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC), the world's two largest container shippers.
Business Korea reports that rumours are now rife in the container business world that Maersk could swoop on Hyundai Merchant Marine and subsume its activities into their own business. The report says that recent moves by Hyundai Merchant Marine to join the 2M alliance led by Maersk
Israeli carrier Zim Integrated Shipping Services (ZIM) might join the 2M Alliance between Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co., Alphaline said quoting industry sources. This news followed the last week's news of South Korea’s Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM)
A merger between United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) and German container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd will create a shipping group that is the 5th largest in the world and will give Hapag-Lloyd access to bigger ships on the important Asia to Europe trade route.
Abu Dhabi Ports and Agthia Group PJSC have signed a lease agreement aimed at expanding the group’s existing Grand Mills Flour and Animal Feed facilities at Zayed Port. The new agreement was signed by Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi
Donjon-Smit, LLC, an OPA-90 Alliance, announced that after a recent Board of Directors meeting Tim Williamson has been promoted to General Manager of Donjon-Smit, replacing Raymond Lord who recently retired. Williamson has been with Donjon-Smit from its inception and has served in several
Blackmer, a company in positive displacement and centrifugal pump and reciprocating compressor technologies, has a relationship with the U.S. Military that dates back to 1914 when it became an official equipment supplier to the Armed Forces.
Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. announced that the Noorderzijlvest district water board intends to award the contract for the Eemshaven-Delfzijl dike reinforcement project to a consortium consisting of Boskalis & KWS Infra. The contract carries a value of more than €60 million
In one of the more bizarre twists in the container shipping market it emerged last week that financially troubled carrier South Korean Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) is in talks with the world’s two largest lines, Maersk Line and MSC about the possibility of joining them in the 2M
There are rumours among observers that the market leader Maersk Line is planning to acquire South Korea’s shipping major Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM). Neither company has commented on the matter. Both companies were tight-lipped today on merger talk.
The second of the largest warships ever built for the U.K. Royal Navy, the Queen Elizabeth Class carrier HMS Prince of Wales, was given the royal seal of approval when HRH The Prince of Wales, (or Duke of Rothesay, as he is referred to in Scotland)
Maersk and MSC have initiated meetings with Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) to discuss the South Korean carrier joining the 2M alliance, says local media reports. According to Korea Herald, Korea’s second-largest shipping company is considering joining the 2M Alliance


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Individuals and companies using electronic media for commercial purposes need to get a media license from the National Media Council (NMC) until 1 June 2018.
An increasing number of users is on social media every day. There are 1 billion on Facebook, 500 million on Twitter, 150 million on LinkedIn and 11 million on Pinterest. Therefore, more and more businesses concentrate on social media, doing e-advertisement, selling their online courses or being social media influencers, promoting products and services to gain revenue.
Who needs to apply for a media license?
The National Media Council recently unveiled new regulations for electronic media, covering online advertising as well as online publishing and online selling of print, video and audio material. Companies and individuals having social media accounts and conducting these commercial activities, for example advertisements on a paid-for basis, need to have a media license with the National Media Council.
The new electronic media regulations apply for individuals and companies monetizing online and via social media in the UAE, including the ones based in free zones. Unfortunately, the term “electronic media activity” is not clearly defined, but the regulations list four activities that need to be licensed. These activities are as follows:
• Websites for trading, offering and selling of audio-visual and print material
• On-demand electronic publishing and printing
• Specialized websites (e-advertising, news sites, etc.)
• Any electronic activity that the NMC may determine to add
It could be possible that a wide range of activities will fall within the scope of “electronic media activities” and consequently would need to be licensed by the National Media Council. For now, the NMC seems to target on the activities mentioned above.
What should social media influencers do?
For sure, the new electronic media regulations will be enforced on influencers. Youtubers, Instagram Photographers and Facebook Influencers have grown from the average individual to superstars with thousands of followers. They are promoting products and services and often charge up to 5,000 AED for one single post. Now, influencers generating revenues by promoting content, need to have a media license.
According to the law, influencers must also provide another license to apply for a media license. They could go for the new RAKEZ Freelancer License or get licensed by Dubai Creative Clusters or twofour54 in Abu Dhabi, before registering for the media license with the National Media Council.
How much is the media license?
The media license registration fees depend on the specific activity. Influencers will most likely pay 15,000 AED (yearly renewal fees 15,000 AED), while e-publishers will be charged 3,500 AED only (yearly renewal fees 3,500 AED). The registration for the media license is offered through all NMC offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, UAQ, Fujairah and RAK.
The registration fees and yearly renewal fees are mentioned in the new electronic media regulations. For your kind information, please find the regulations here: http://nmc.gov.ae/en-us/NMC/Documents/Electronic%20Media%20Regulation.pdf
Who does not need a media license?
The new electronic media regulations apply for individuals and companies generating revenue from online advertising, online publishing or online selling of print, video and audio material.
Please note that websites of licensed traditional media (like television, radio, newspapers and magazines) already fall under the provisions of the electronic media regulations and are not required to apply for a new license.
Please also note that accounts, blogs and personal pages are not subject to the new electronic media regulations, if they are non-commercial in nature. Individuals and organizations that voluntarily promote work are also not affected by the electronic media regulations.


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The New York Post cites several sources that say Amazon is preparing its plan to take on Spotify, holding meetings with music bigwigs to talk about licensing music for a subscription service, though the plan is still in the early stage.
Though Prime members can access about a million songs as part of their $99 per year membership — in comparison to the 30 million tracks or so tracks offered by Spotify — the new service would come with its own monthly fee, and will feature a more robust music selection than Prime. A $3 to $4 discount could be included if the service is bundled with Echo, sources say.
As for when the new service is expected to launch, one source says Amazon is gearing up for a fall debut.
Bezos set to expand empire to take on Spotify: sources [The New York Post]


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- Global corporations including Walmart, Estee Lauder and IKEA are putting their brands and supply chains at risk by failing to disclose deforestation risks.
- This year was all about implementation. “Impact needs to be measurable and intentional,” said Harvard’s George Serafeim in the keynote
- With climate change hard upon us, startups are aiming to scale techniques to suck tons of carbon out of the atmosphere
i(x) launched in 2016 to offer impact companies a more patient alternative to traditional venture capital and private equity-type investments. The holding company has now raised $12 million in its own Series A investment round.
- The pension fund is committing $250 million to Impactive Capital, a woman- and minority-run hedge fund that will take an activist approach to responsible, long-term investing.
- The company's Series B was backed by energy-focused investment firm Energize Ventures, impact investor SYSTEMIQ, and insurance firms QBE, Mitsui MS&AD and Nephila.
- It has become a minor tradition for ImpactAlpha (a media sponsor of the Economist conference) to “name check” the headliners.


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Some agriculture stakeholders have attributed the scarcity and increase in price of fertiliser to restriction of sales of certain brands in some states of the North East for security reasons.
North East states such as Yobe, Taraba, Bauchi, Adamawa, Gombe and Maiduguri, showed that some brands of fertilisers were restricted for sale by the military because they were used for Improvised Explosive Devices (IED).
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), while stakeholders have taken the restriction in good faith, however, farmers were not finding it easy securing the commodity, particularly urea in the open market.
Stephen Maduwa, the Chairman of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in Adamawa, attributed the scarcity and high cost of fertiliser in the state to the ban of NPK and Urea by the security agencies.
Maduwa said the military authorities said the products were being used by insurgent to produce explosives.
“The scarcity situation is worrisome because it is also affecting government’s Anchor Borrowers Programme in the state,” Maduwa said.
Alhaji Usman Bapullo, the National Vice Chairman, National Association of Agro-Chemicals and Allied dealers, said that following the restriction, the cost of the commodity increased by 45 per cent.
He said that a 50kg bag of NPK, which used to sell for N4,300, now goes for N6,500, while Urea which, used to sell for N5,000, is now N7,000.
He however said there was liquid NPK and Urea, which had not been banned, but farmers in the state were not familiar with the liquid one.
In Yobe, the restriction on sales of fertiliser was also on security ground and had created scarcity of the product in the state.
Gov. Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, at a recent town hall meeting in Potiskum, said it took series of discussions between the state government and security organisations to lift the sanction on sales of NPK fertiliser.
“As for urea fertiliser, it is still banned for sale across the state for security reasons,” he said.
The governor said government had awarded contract for the supply of NPK fertiliser to the state.
Meanwhile, a bag of NPK is sold for between N7, 000 and N9, 000, depending on the distance and availability.
Most farmers in the state depended on liquid fertiliser, which five litres sells for N25, 000.
Farmers in Borno, the state hardest hit by activities of insurgents are expressing concern over high cost of fertiliser, in spite of efforts of the state government.
A cross section of the farmers in Maiduguri and Jere local government areas of the state, said they bought the commodities at “very high’’ cost in the market.
Hussaini Usman, a rice farmer at Zabalmari village of Jere Local Government Area of the state, said the high cost of fertiliser was affecting his production.
Usman noted that a small size bag of SSP and NPK brand of fertiliser were sold at N2, 500 and N3, 000, as against the old price of N1, 000 and N2, 000.
In his comment on the development, Maina Binus, the Programme Manager, Gombe State Agricultural Development Project (GSADP) said the high cost of fertiliser was as a result of high demand.
He however said by the time the state government concluded the resuscitation of its fertiliser blending plant, the problem would be addressed.
Alhaji Sabitu Shehu, fertiliser dealer in Gombe town, attributed the high cost of the commodity to increase in transportation costs from Port-Harcourt to Gombe State.
He said they were now paying N520, 000 per truck as against the former N320,000 and selling 50kg bag of NPK fertiliser for N8,500 as against the N7,000 in 2018.
In Bauchi State, the Chairman, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Dr Yahaya Yusuf said farmers in the state never witnessed scarcity of fertiliser for the 2019 planting season.
He said that unlike the previous years when the commodity was allocated to groups and individuals, this time it was allocated through various farmers associations.


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Samsung Electronics will never be able to offer "top-notch platinum" security because of the inherent open nature of Android, according to BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins.Because Android is open source, it is the most susceptible to attacks such as malware, Heins said yesterday in an interview with CNET in New York City. In comparison, he added, BlackBerry 10 was designed from the ground up to be a secure platform. "You don't know how many keys you've given to the main door of your house because it's open software," he said about Android. "So what are you trying to do? You're locking the windows."
While Android has a bad rap when it comes to security, resulting in its struggles to breach the business world, Samsung is looking to turn things around. The Korean electronics giant has shifted its hefty marketing campaign to focus on the work-friendly aspects of its products, and it intends to take a larger share of the enterprise market.Samsung, not surprisingly, sees the situation quite differently. According to Tim Wagner, vice president of enterprise sales for Samsung:
We are committed, and investing significantly, to ensure our devices can be used securely for both work and play. In the second quarter, SAFE with Knox will ship on our...Galaxy S4, which will provide consumers and companies with access to government-level, from the metal to the OS, security that includes a secure container so they can keep their work and personal lives separate. SAFE with Knox is just the beginning for us.Samsung unveiled Knox, a security enhancement that is a part of its SAFE -- or Samsung For Enterprise -- initiative at last month's Mobile World Congress. The Galaxy S4 will be the first phone to ship with Knox. This sounds a lot like BlackBerry's own Balance feature, which the company has long touted as a key advantage of BlackBerry 10.
Samsung previously told CNET that the business segment represents one of the key growth areas for the company. As the broader smartphone market slows, Samsung looks to keep its momentum in mobile with a bigger push in business and with tablets.
Heins said he isn't ignoring Samsung and conceded that for companies needing "good enough" security, Samsung could win contracts with more liberal bring-your-own-device plan in place. But with customers that deem security a major priority, Samsung isn't sufficient, he added with almost a dismissive attitude.
At the same time, he believes BlackBerry will be more competitive with businesses where security is a lower priority."I see this an opportunity for us to address a larger segment in enterprise than what we had before, which was regulated industries and top-notch security," he said.
That's what the BlackBerry Z10 is about, Heins said. Despite the BlackBerry crowd's love of the full keyboard, the company opted to launch the full touch-screen product first. That's because it wanted to prove that it could be competitive in the bring-your-own-device business and consumer element.This is an area where BlackBerry has steadily lost share to the likes of the iPhone, which has made strong inroads in the business and government world despite Apple barely putting much effort into the area. For instance, the U.S. Department of Defense had reportedly ordered 600,000 iOS devices to better mobilize its workforce and apparently to shift away from BlackBerrys -- though that rumor was officially debunked this week by the DoD. Where security inherently matters, Heins said he believes BlackBerry still has the advantage. He touted a contract win in which the German government ordered 5,000 new BlackBerrys. "This platform is designed to be secure down to the OS," he said.
Updated at 10:20 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. PT to clarify the Defense Department's mobile plans and add a statement from Samsung.


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Drybar, The Product Line
To call Alli Webb a trendsetter is an understatement—”game changer” is more like it. Since opening her first Drybar in Brentwood, California five years ago, the trained stylist has steadily expanded her blowdry-bar empire across the country, making stops in Arizona, Texas, Georgia, D.C., and finally, New York, in 2011, becoming the first and last word in quick, easy, and affordable strand-smoothing—and inspiring many imitations in the process. Aside from other similar chains that have sprung up in response to Drybar’s astronomical success, even Rachel Zoe and Gwyneth Paltrow have announced plans to finance their own blowout bars this year. None of this has slowed Webb’s steady growth cycle or her knack for innovation, however. “It definitely seems like a no-brainer, natural progression,” Webb says of her new, 17-piece product and tool collection, which just started rolling out to her network of salons—and Sephora—last month. “But [it] really came to be because we were finding early on with the first two or three shops that I was not really satisfied with what we needed.” What Webb needed, she decided, was a cohesive lineup of stylers that “will do the job but won’t leave your hair feeling heavy and weighed down so you don’t feel like you have to wash out your blowout the next day.” A self-proclaimed product junkie, Webb teamed up with Laura Mercier alum, Janet Gurwitch, on what really was a “labor of love,” she says, yielding personal favorites like the 100 Proof Treatment Oil, which boosts shine and tames “crazy flyaways,” and the Hot Toddy, a cuticle sealant that protects hair from heat damage. And there’s more: Not content to rest on her laurels, Webb fully intends on fleshing out the offering. “I’m working as we speak to expand upon them,” she says. We’re ready.
Photo: Courtesy of Drybar


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Rockefeller Art Smashes Records at Christie's
A Pablo Picasso portrait of a pale, slim girl clutching a basket of red flowers sold for $115 million at Christie's in New York on Tuesday, kicking off a week of major auctions of the estate of David Rockefeller, the former chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Bank.
Stakes were high for Picasso's 1905 "Young Girl with a Flower Basket" heading into the sales, in part because Mr. Rockefeller--who died last year at age 101--considered it a gem of his vast artt collection. The painting had previously belonged to the writer Gertrude Stein, and in recent weeks Christie's raised its estimate from $70 million to $100 million.
In the end, that price bump may have spooked collectors from jumping into the fray: The telephone bidder who won it appeared to face down only one rival. It was a rare, anticlimactic moment on a night when plenty of other works drew sustained--and occasionally feverish--bidding.
Still, the $646 million total sale of the Rockefellers' trophy paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries will go down as the biggest single-owner sale ever held at auction. Tuesday's sale also represented only the first of a group scheduled throughout the week to parcel out the Rockefellers' estate. Peggy Rockefeller died in 1996.
Before the series began, Christie's told the Rockefeller family it hoped to get at least $650 million selling off the entire estate, which comprises roughly 1,500 lots. On Tuesday, the house's sale of 44 paintings and sculptures nearly matched that sum.
Records were broken for household-name artists like Claude Monet--whose 1914-1917 "Water Lilies" once hung along a stairwell of one of the Rockefellers' four homes--sold to a telephone bidder for $84.7 million after a 14-minute bidding war. Henri Matisse's 1923 "Reclining Nude with Magnolias," which hung in their home in Westchester County, sold for $80.8 million, over its $70 million estimate. Xin Li, the deputy chairman of Christie's Asia, fielded the winning bid for the Matisse.
Records were also broken for Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Eugene Delacroix and Armand Seguin, whose painted screen from 1892-93, "The Delights of Life," sold to dealer Thomas Seydoux for $7.7 million.
Paul Gauguin's 1888 aerial view of a crashing "Wave" also sold for $35.2 million, over its $18 million estimate.
After the sale, art adviser and former Christie's auction executive Doug Woodham said the fact that Mr. Rockefeller--scion of one of the greatest Gilded Age fortunes--owned these works had likely boosted their sale prices by as much as a third.
Art lawyer Thomas Danziger agreed. "Christie's literally took this sale to the bank," he said.
Write to Kelly Crow at firstname.lastname@example.org


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News - Subaru - Impreza - WRX
Subaru kills off Japan's Impreza WRX
Australia ‘unharmed’ after Japan switches its iconic Impreza WRX for a softer S-GT
14 Jun 2007
SUBARU'S parent company Fuji Heavy Industries has launched the new Impreza range in its Japanese home market - without the model that became a cult car and introduced Subaru to a whole new audience.
While the decision to replace the no-frills WRX performance sedan with a softer luxury performance model called the S-GT in Japan could strike fear into the hearts of "Rex" fans around the world, Subaru has confirmed it will continue to offer a WRX for most export markets - including the US and Australia.
Subaru Australia spokesman David Rowley told GoAuto the WRX was safe.
"It was never really a consideration to not have the WRX in Australia," Mr Rowley said. "It was always going to be an ongoing model."The WRX brand was too well established to let die, Mr Rowley said.
"It is an iconic badge in Australia and we are keen to maintain that link with our customers," he said.
Subaru Australia sells approximately 850 Impreza models on average each month, a figure that includes between 150 and 200 WRXs.
The S-GT sold in Japan is defined by Subaru as a grand touring model. It still has considerable performance thanks to a 2.0-litre turbo boxer engine that pumps out 184kW at 6000rpm and 333Nm at 2400rpm.
The new-generation WRX bound for Australia will continue to use a 2.5-litre turbo boxer engine. While power and torque figures have not been confirmed, it is expected the Australian WRX will not match the output of the S-GT. The current WRX generates 169kW and 320Nm.
Subaru Australia will introduce the new WRX along with the regular Impreza hatch this September. There will be no Impreza sedans, in regular or WRX guise, available for at least 12 months.
An STi version of the hatchback, which Subaru said would represent a significant step up from the WRX, will arrive in Australia next February.
The new Impreza range has gone on sale in Japan with the choice of three engines including an 81kW 1.5-litre, a non-turbo 103kW 2.0-litre and the 184kW S-GT engine. The 2.0-litre engine will power the regular Impreza models in Australia, but the 1.5-litre model will not be sold here.
In Japan, the Impreza is available as a front-wheel drive or AWD, but Australian models will be AWD only. A diesel Impreza engine is being readied for European Impreza models, but the oil-burner is not on the agenda for Australia in the immediate future.
Read more:First official look: Impreza goes mainstream
Impreza reborn - again
Subaru opens its future model pipeline
The Road to Recovery podcast series
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Motor industry news


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Custom injection molder Nypro Inc. plans to start a mold-making shop July 1 in Hong Kong, and company officials say they have stepped up efforts to put a molding plant in Shanghai.
The Hong Kong shop — a partnership with a local designer and Japanese conglomerate Mitsui & Co. — will open with 10 employees and expects to be turning out 80 molds a year.
The total initial investment in Nypro Hong Kong Ltd. will be $2.5 million, rising to $5 million in two years. Nypro said it will own about 60 percent, while the other two partners will own roughly 20 percent each.
Plans for the molding plant in Shanghai, by comparison, are much less developed, and company officials acknowledge that an effort several years ago to build there fell through.
``I don't think they have a facility [in Shanghai] picked out,'' said Nypro spokesman Al Cotton. ``Shanghai was one of a number of options — now it is the goal.''
A Shanghai plant would be Nypro's third molding facility in China, and would give Nypro a plant in the central coastal region to complement facilities along the northern and southern coasts, Cotton said. Most of China's business development is concentrated near the coast, and Shanghai is a good market, he said.
The Hong Kong mold-making plant will be Nypro's first toolmaking facility in China, and it aims to do work for Nypro plants as well as other customers, Cotton said.
The general manager will be W.Y. Tam, a local mold designer and builder, and its 10 mold makers will have more than 100 years of combined experience, the company said. Nypro previously has teamed up with its other Hong Kong partner, Mitsui, in a joint venture in Atlanta.
The plant will start with about 20,000 square feet of production space. Hong Kong has a strong community of mold builders and an active plastics community, Cotton said. Nypro expects sales of $2 million to $3 million a year initially, rising to $10 million annually in three years, Cotton said. The plant's primary end markets are likely to be health care, telecommunications and consumer products, he said.
Nypro's Asian strategy is focused on China, Southeast Asia and India, he said. The firm has eight mold-making shops, including one in Singapore, and 24 molding facilities in 10 countries.


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Oslo, 18th of June 2021 – Baltic Sea Properties AS («BALT» or «the Company», and together with the Company’s subsidiaries, «BSP») has signed a binding agreement to sell its retail property in Kursenai, Lithuania, which is leased by Maxima.
The agreed sales price is MEUR 1.31, which is EUR 87 950 lower than the Company’s last valuation of the property.
Final settlement and closing of the transaction is expected by the 30th of June 2021.
For more information, please contact:
Lars Christian Berger
phone: +47 930 94 319


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Tesla's position is clear: the California electric-car maker doesn't feel a union is needed to protect its factory workers from what it claims are only anecdotal stories about worker safety and wage levels.
Last weekend, Tesla continued to punch back at United Auto Workers organizating efforts at its assembly plant in Fremont, California, according to The Silicon Valley Business Journal.
Tesla says that reports surrounding the safety of its workers have not been "data driven," but rather based solely on anecdotes—and that credulous journalists are being suckered.
"We have received calls from multiple journalists at different publications, all around the same time," the company wrote on Sunday, "with similar allegations from seemingly similar sources about safety in the Tesla factory."
"Safety is an issue the UAW frequently raises in campaigns it runs against companies, and a topic its organizers have been promoting on social media about Tesla."
Tesla went on to says that such reports ignore safety data from 2017, which it outlined in a handful of data points.
Tesla factory screencap from SF Bay Area CBS video
Those points proclaim a 52-percent reduction in “lost time incidents” and 30-percent reduction in “recordable incidents” during the first quarter.
Additionally, the automaker's “total recordable incident rate,” a workplace-safety metric tracked by OSHA, sits at 4.6, while the industry average hovers around 6.7.
Hours worked per employee also fell, according to Tesla's data, with a 60-percent reduction in overtime.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has routinely criticized unionization efforts at the automaker's factory and fended off the claims of employees who say they are underpaid and overworked.
Previous reports say Tesla employee wages are $17 to $21 an hour, against the average U.S. autoworker's rate of $25.58 an hour.
The pay discrepancy is heightened, according to some workers, because the cost of living is much higher in California than in the South and Midwest where other auto plants are located.
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk at Tesla Store opening in Westfield Mall, London, Oct 2013
Tesla has not released official compensation data for its workforce, though workers have said overtime is essential to make ends meet.
To counter that claim, Musk told employees in a leaked memo that production workers actually earn far more in total compensation—when the value of stock options are included—compared to other automakers.
He pegged that difference at $70,000 to $100,000 per year.
Tesla stock prices are now close to all-time highs, and the company's market capitalization now exceeds those of GM and Ford.
So it's not clear how much upside there may be in stock options that can't be redeemed until sometime in the future—let alone how much use they are to $17-an-hour workers in the Bay Area's brutally expensive housing market.
1,000th body for 2012 Tesla Model S on display at Tesla Motors factory, Fremont, CA, Oct 28, 2012
The UAW and Musk have battled over accusations an employee was paid by the union to sway other workers into unionizing.
The union told Bloomberg in February that it had a paid labor organizer in California, but that there was "nothing abnormal" about that, UAW President Dennis Williams said.
Finally, it's worth noting that—like any other company engaged in PR battles—Tesla sometimes chooses its statistics selectively.
Last year, an exasperated CEO Musk invited reporters to "do the math" on the safety record of the company's Autopilot system, which includes limited self-driving capability, following the fatal crash of a Model S with Autopilot engaged.
An in-depth analysis of its claims by Green Car Reports produced comparative safety rates rather different than what Musk claimed.
In other words, statistical claims from any company are worth verifying—especially when they come in the heat of an unwelcome PR battle.


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Accountants are key for UK companies when it comes to making business funding decisions, according to a recent survey.
The business finance company MarketInvoice has revealed that 56% of business leaders reported that accountants are their most important external advisers when considering business finance options.
They were rated to be twice as important as commercial finance brokers (23%) by respondents, while only 6% would consider speaking to a bank directly.
The support and guidance provided by accountants is expected to be critical over the next six months as businesses navigate an uncertain period with 38% anticipating a cash squeeze.
More than a third of those surveyed (35%) said that they would turn to invoice finance for additional funding, while 30% would opt for bank overdrafts and 7% would use their business credit card.
Businesses that were unable to remedy their cash squeeze acknowledged that compromises would have to be made, with 34% admitting that they would forfeit expansion plans, 33% would forgo launching new products and 20% would reduce market spend.
“Accountants and commercial finance brokers are increasingly becoming the default go-to for companies seeking advice on business finance, especially where funding is required quickly,” said Darvish Heshejin, head of partnerships at MarketInvoice (pictured above).
“It’s imperative that these professionals are aware of the wider funding opportunities available to provide the best, most comprehensive advice to their clients and find the solution that fits.”


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by Joe Panettieri • Oct 26, 2020
Private equity firm Thoma Bravo has raised $22.8 billion to acquire and/or invest in more technology companies, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The raise, the report says, involves roughly:
Thoma Bravo already owns and/or backs multiple companies in the MSP-centric technology businesses. The investments span Barracuda, ConnectWise, SolarWinds, Sophos and more.
In terms of next industry moves, SolarWinds has been exploring the potential spin-off of its SolarWinds MSP business unit. SolarWinds, which just acquired SentryOne for database performance monitoring, is expected to share Q3 2020 financial results on October 27. We’ll be listening to learn if CEO Kevin Thompson shares an update on the potential spin-off. Also, ConnectWise is expected to share product roadmap updates during the company’s IT Nation Connect 2020 virtual conference in November.
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Apple and Paramount in Talks to Bundle Streaming Services at a Discount
Updated: Jan 5
Apple and Paramount Global are reportedly in discussions to bundle their streaming services at a discounted price, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
The potential offering would combine Paramount+ and Apple TV+ and cost less than subscribing to both services separately. The talks are still in the early stages and it remains unclear what form the bundle would take.
The move to bundle streaming services comes as companies aim to attract cost-conscious customers who are facing rising costs in various areas. Verizon is also planning to offer ad-supported versions of Netflix and Warner Bros Discovery's Max streaming services at a reduced price.
Additionally, grocery delivery app Instacart recently partnered with NBCUniversal's Peacock to provide the streaming service to its paying subscribers at no extra cost.
While Apple and Paramount have not provided official comments on the discussions, the potential collaboration between these two streaming giants could have significant implications for the industry. By offering a bundled package, they could potentially attract a wider audience and provide more value to consumers.
Apple and Paramount are in talks to bundle their streaming services at a discounted price.
The potential offering would combine Paramount+ and Apple TV+.
The talks are still in the early stages and the exact details of the bundle are unknown.


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12 ways to be more creative at work
In today's knowledge-based economy, coming up with new ideas under pressure is essential.
Image 1 of 13
( KRT photo / July 10, 2001 )
Many people think creativity occurs naturally. Marty Sklar, the former executive vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering, the group that designs Disney theme parks, knows better.
Sklar holds regular "gag sessions" in which all kinds of ideas are encouraged and none are dismissed as stupid. He provides employees with time and budget restrictions so they don't waste energy on the impossible. And he seeks diverse perspectives from employees ranging in age from their early 20s to late 80s. "It's about listening and bringing out the best in people," he told participants at a conference. Those strategies helped create Epcot's spacecraft simulator, the Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion, and a Disney resort in Hong Kong.
Sklar is part of a growing number of businesses, organizations, and individuals trying to boost creativity, driven largely by the fact that today's economy requires it. "As the knowledge part of the economy grows, evidence seems to be showing that businesses are demanding more and more conceptual thinking," says Charles Hulten, professor of economics at the University of Maryland.
In other words, it's not just Walt Disney designers who need to be creative at work--it's all of us. "Every job is a creative job," says Gregg Fraley, a Chicago-based creativity consultant. A barista, for example, can create new drinks and greet customers in a variety of ways to add to the coffee shop experience, Fraley says.
That immense demand for creativity inspired Todd Henry to launch a podcast, The Accidental Creative, in 2005, about how people can thrive in our "create on demand" culture. His hobby quickly grew into an online community, e-newsletter, products, and most recently, a book, "The Accidental Creative."
If you find yourself wondering how to constantly create at your own job, here are a dozen ways to rev your creativity engine.
--Kimberly Palmer, U.S. News & World Report; distributed by Tribune Media Services


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Thursday, June 30
Nike created a new tennis dress for the female players at Wimbledon—and the pleated style is not going over well.
Last weekend, traveling pop-up marketplace Ora et Labora came to Los Angeles.
Several bike share docking stations are being set up in the Los Angeles Fashion District.
Los Angeles–based eveningwear designer Sue Wong, is in the process of shifting her business to a licensed operation and has been hosting a series of archive sales at her headquarters in Los Angeles.
Lisa Harper, who has been named the new chief executive of Belk department stores, starts her new job on July 5. She was most recently the chief executive of Hot Topic Inc.
VF Corp. is selling two of its top contemporary brands to Delta Galil, an Israeli apparel manufacturer that is more than 40 years old.
Retailers scrambling to enter the omni-channel world may already be behind their competitors.
Stikeleather Apparel recently announced it acquired the online women’s clothing retailer White Plum, based in Modesto, Calif.
While the Los Angeles Fashion District Business Improvement District searches for a new executive director, the BID’s managing director will step in on an interim basis.
Lowriders & Pin-Ups
The Los Angeles Classic Car Show, presented by Bombs Magazine, roared into Southern California recently, drawing a stylish crowd obsessed with vintage design.
Shop.org, the digital retail division of the Washington, D.C.–based National Retail Federation, added five new board members, bringing the board total to 12.
The retail industry’s tectonic shift toward eco fashion is real, with a renewed focus on clothing made from raw, organic materials; nontoxic dyes or bleaches; low water usage; and made under socially responsible conditions. This is only part of the story of how the retail and fashion industry is building sustainability.
Los Angeles–based technology solutions provider Tukatech Inc. named Marta Maiandi director of Tukatech Europe.
Epson Italia S.p.A., the Italian subsidiary of printing company Epson, is acquiring a 100 percent stake in the Italian textile printing business Fratelli Robustelli S.r.l.
On June 16, students in Santa Monica College’s fashion design and merchandising program showcased their creations on the runway at Santa Monica High School’s Barnum Hall in Santa Monica, Calif.
Roicom USA’s sister production company, ReadyOne, employs the severely disabled to produce apparel and equipment for the U.S. military.
Wednesday, June 29
Fashion designer Jeremy Scott buys house in Palm Springs.
Tuesday, June 28
The California Market Center has teamed up with Wags and Walks dog rescue organization to host a charity sample sale and dog adoption fair on July 29 in CMC’s top-floor penthouse in downtown Los Angeles.
Friday, June 24
Nordstrom says after 31 years it is shuttering its store at Horton Plaza in San Diego.
Thursday, June 23
Rails launched with one hat at Fred Segal in 2008 and has since grown into a global lifestyle brand. Rooted in classic silhouettes reinterpreted with a relaxed, contemporary aesthetic, the brand takes its inspiration from the laid-back lifestyle of LA.
A Vested Interest
A Vested Interest, the menswear collection designed by William Beranek and Bill Beasley, features pieces that bridge the divide between tailored menswear and casual sportswear.
Nearly 60 percent of shoppers say they would buy more often if they could be assured of consistent fit, according to a recently released study by Body Labs, a New York–based company that creates and customises 3-D models of the human body.
Longtime apparel-industry attorney Benjamin S. Seigel has joined Greenberg & Bass LLP as senior counsel to the firm, based in Los Angeles’ Encino area.
Garment factories and fabric mills from around the world will show at the inaugural Apparel Textile Sourcing Expo, which will bow Aug. 22–24 at the International Centre in Toronto.
UBM—producer of the MAGIC, Project and FN Platform trade shows—is adding a sourcing component to its contemporary Coterie trade show in New York.
Forever 21, which launched a small fleet of stores in Great Britain six years ago, is taking another look at its retail portfolio after losing millions of dollars.
McGuire Denim is known for its glossy take on heritage denim, and this Fall, with a foray into sportswear, the brand is poised for growth.
Last year, apparel and textile importers saw millions of dollars in profits sink as congestion at the West Coast ports kept merchandise stuck on boats for weeks.
AIC Runway Show
Students from the Art Institute of California—Hollywood presented their designs at a runway show complete with a sweeping backdrop of the Verdugo Mountains.
Contemporary e-commerce retailer The Dreslyn has added beauty products to its mix.
To celebrate the launch of the first capsule collection by Whimsy + Row, the lifestyle e-tailer/retailer is hosting a pop-up shop at MILKMADE LA in Los Angeles’ Venice neighborhood.
Designer Elaine Kim celebrated the expansion of her retail store with a party in the newly expanded space on Los Angeles’ on West Third Street.
An old California brand comes back.
Tuesday, June 21
Han Kjobenhavn coming to the space next to Mykita.
Monday, June 20
New store opened with help from Woodbury University students.
Friday, June 17
Schumer does Vogue
It's like a modern-day #freakyfriday. Amy Schumer and Anna Wintour trade places for a day. Guess who wins.
Thursday, June 16
Los Angeles streetwear Konus Brand is popping up RIGHT NOW at the Electric Daisy Carnival festival in Las Vegas.
Small is beautiful at this Hex store.
Drop City: Fashion happening north of the intersection.
Designer Sue Wong moving her corporate offices after transitioning into licensing deals.
MRket and Project menswear trade shows will share the same show floor at the Javits Center during the two shows’ July 17–19 run in New Yor
Findings & Trimmings
Findings & Trimmings
Modstalgia @ LBCC
Fashion Design and Merchandising students at Long Beach City College took inspiration from fashion history and added a modern twist at the school’s “Modstalgia” runway show.
California consumers might be feeling a little more pessimistic about the economy right now, but the future looks a bit brighter.
Under Armour launched its first mobile app created to mix shopping with its Under Armour Connected Fitness platform, which includes several applications: UA Record, MapMyFitness, Endomondo and MyFitnessPal.
Usually Southern California retailers in Orange County and San Diego drive long distances to check out the new styles at the various showrooms located in the Los Angeles Fashion District in downtown Los Angeles.
Moschino in LA
Jeremy Scott showed the Moschino Resort 2017 and Menswear collections on June 10 at Made L.A. in downtown Los Angeles.
Wednesday, June 15
In September, a new exhibit opens to highlight decades of work by German fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh.
Tuesday, June 14
Barbara Fields Buying Office is reopening at the California Market Center.
Monday, June 13
CurveNV will move to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, where it will co-locate with UBM’s Project Womens trade show during the shows’ Aug. 15–17 run.
The Bloc, the downtown LA mall under renovation, is celebrating even though no new stores are open yet.
Los Angeles blue jeans company NYDJ Apparel, formerly known as Not Your Daughter’s Jeans, has appointed Lisa Collier to take over the top job at the company.
Brigade LA is moving to a new space at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles.
Friday, June 10
Most large retailers reported sales declines in May, but a recent NRF survey points to increased spending in June.
Cindy Crawford and her daughter Gaia Gerber appear in the latest issue of Chrome Hearts' magazine.
Beauty app Perfect365 is giving Beyonce fans a chance to try on the Laurel DeWitt crown like the one Bey wears in Coldplay's "Hymn for the Weekend" video.
Thursday, June 9
San Jose, Calif.–based enterprise resource planning (ERP) and omni-channel software provider NetSuite Inc. has a new solution designed specifically for apparel and accessories retailers.
Let Consumers Lead
Before the World Wide Web, marketing was relatively simple. Companies chose their paths and consumers naturally followed because, frankly, they did not have another option. But today—with real-time feedback, increasing transparency in supply chains and sponsored content—consumers are more educated and are calling the shots about what they want to buy and when they want to buy it.
House of Harlow
House of Harlow Creative Director and pop-culture icon Nicole Richie celebrated her collaborative project with Revolve clothing on June 2 at theRevolve Social Club on Melrose Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Boutique denim trade show Kingpins will kick off a new multi-city concept in September called Kingpins China City Tour.
A sold-out crowd of 500 people packed Herscher Hall at the Skirball Cultural Center for the annual Black and White Ball, a fund-raising event for National Jewish Health that is hosted by the Los Angeles Professional Services.
Business was surprisingly good during the June 6–9 run of Los Angeles Fashion Market despite a schedule that overlapped with several other regional markets as well as the California primary election.
Stories abound about the death of bricks-and-mortar stores, but retailers in Los Angeles keep setting up outposts and rents keep going up.
Wednesday, June 8
When Beverly Hills philanthropic organization The Colleagues says they practice “Philanthropy through Fashion from the best closets in town,” they’re not kidding around.
Job gains and slow steady growth are the path for the country and California for the next few years, according to economists at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Monday, June 6
Robertson retail chain Kitson may be gone. But in its place is Kitross, the new retail boutique opened by original Kitson owner Fraser Ross.
German eyewear company has a sing out front of its soon-to-open location.
Thursday, June 2
The Local.132 by General Pants Co. opens an outpost on La Brea Avenue.
During the June 6–9 run of Los Angeles Fashion Market, the California Market Center is hosting several business-to-business seminars, events and buyer promotions.
The Anonymous 213 showroom in the Cooper Design Space is a work in progress. Co-owner Eric Wheeler is building a shoe wall, adding a kitchen area with a sliding door and renovating an outdoor patio to make a tranquil seating area with white walls and green plants.
Moving to a new showroom has been an energizing experience for Emmalena Bland and Bea Gorman, who make up the Salt & Pepper Sales showroom.
For three years, Mattson Global has had a large showroom at the Academy Awards Clothing building at 817 S. Los Angeles St. But when more room was needed to show its collections, the company turned to the California Market Center to set up a secondary showroom.
Athleisure is big news. If you’ve been wondering where this major trend stems from and how to incorporate it into your own ranges, read on for an expert lowdown brought to us by global fashion forecasting agency Trendstop.
For the first time in more than a decade, the China Brand Show will be exhibiting at semiannual gift and home show LAMKT, which will be held July 22–25 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Cherokee Global Brands—whose labels include Cherokee, Carole Little, Tony Hawk and Sideout—has signed a deal with Saliluz to create a collection of men’s and women’s casual footwear and flip-flops under Cherokee’s Everyday California label.
After 35 years tracking trends, Barbara Fields is retiring and closing her Barbara Fields Buying Office at the California Market Center in Los Angeles.
If you have not yet seen "Reining Men” at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (or even if you have), now is your chance to see the costume exhibition with the experts.
It was all about the LA nightlife for the third Wolk Morais collection since designers Brian Wolk and Claude Morais relocated from New York to Los Angeles. The designers debuted the collection on the runway on May 24 at Giorgio’s nightclub at The Standard Hotel in Hollywood.
MISA Los Angeles
Inspired by the love of global style and travel, MISA Los Angeles is designed for the modern bohemian. Created by Shadi Askari-Farhat, founder and designer of tbagslosangeles, MISA is an extension and evolution of the brand yet has its own identity.
UBM—the parent company of MAGIC, Project, Coterie and Pooltradeshow—is expanding its Swimlessons bootcamp to bring the networking and educational program to a broader audience.
Wednesday, June 1
Five-time Olympic medalist Missy Franklin helps design new line of performance swimwear for Speedo USA.


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Research conducted by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has indicated that Australia could potentially increase its economic growth by $25b over the next 10 years.
In 2014, Beth Moresi, who now owns her own company BethBuilds, traded her work in fashion for a world of building, construction and the stigma’s tied to being a female in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
“I’ve always had a passion for being hands on in my work and building something really beautiful,” says Beth Moresi.
“Acknowledging women’s place in construction and how integral it is to the industry is long overdue, and its down to innovative, reputable brands such as Blundstone that work tremendously hard to showcase what we do in the industry.”
“Women have an extremely valuable but most importantly, equally role in the construction sector and I am so grateful to have found a profession I love.”
Building and construction is the nation’s second largest industry, but with women currently making up only 11 percent of the industry’s total workforce and only 1 percent of building trades.
However, it is estimated that by 2022, women in the building and construction industry are expected to make up a staggering 46.8% of the workforce.


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- Chinese hardware technology companies are embracing artificial intelligence (AI).
- The government is promoting AI hubs in a bid to become a global leader.
- Surveillance, including facial recognition, and self-driving cars are poised for growth.
China is rapidly making a name for itself in the artificial-intelligence space. The buzz around this new digital frontier has been growing over the past year, and the government is working with the country’s tech industry, from start-ups to established firms, to promote AI research and infrastructure.
During a recent visit to China, we were surprised but enthusiastic to meet so many innovative, hardware technology companies focused on AI-enhanced tools. The offerings included machine vision — a rapidly growing branch of AI that aims to give machines sight comparable to our own. We were also shown industrial automation, voice recognition devices, and mobile chipsets designed to better tackle machine-learning tasks.
China’s tech sector benefits from a pool of Western-educated engineers and local graduates, along with a wealth of government assistance. Such talent is needed to develop AI hubs. During our trip, we discovered that innovations in technology are no longer exclusive to developed markets. Investors who underestimate China in this space are making a mistake.
During a recent visit to China, we were surprised but enthusiastic to meet so many innovative, hardware technology companies focused on AI-enhanced tools.Bargaining chip
Spurred by concern that China imports $200 billion in semiconductor chips, President Xi Jinping’s government views the development of the tech industry as a key ingredient in moving the country from middle-income to high-income status. Furthermore, the trade rift with the United States, with its possible implication of lost access to high-end U.S. technology, is deemed a national security threat.
Therefore, China has put in place a robust plan for state funds and localization targets. At this stage, however, there is a gap between the proposals and action. Some experts say the government is not concerned about the sector’s profitability as long as its policies guarantee globally competitive Chinese companies. While success isn’t guaranteed, of course, the medium-term targets include South Korea’s Samsung* and SK Hynix, the U.S.’s Micron Technology, Qualcomm Inc., and Intel Corp., and semiconductor equipment makers.
China’s tech ambitions have also played into the ongoing trade dispute with the Trump administration. China has yet to approve Qualcomm’s $43 billion takeover of Dutch rival NXP Semiconductors. The government’s review of the acquisition has languished amid the escalating trade fight between the world’s two largest economies, fueling concern the NXP deal has become a bargaining chip.
Embracing surveillance and facial recognition
There are a multitude of possible AI applications. But the companies we met with are concentrating on two end markets: surveillance and autonomous vehicles. We watched some demonstrations that combined public surveillance and AI.
Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology† , a systems integrator, Sunny Optical Technology Group‡, a maker of optical-related products, and Face++, a start-up that focuses on facial recognition, are among companies that have carved a niche in this space. Given the lack of concern about privacy in the country, Chinese companies are likely to be global leaders in AI-enhanced surveillance and facial recognition technologies going forward.
Major retailers such as Walmart§ may eventually use AI expertise to track customers at its stores, analyze pricing, and assess store layouts and product positioning. But companies that manufacture parts (OEMs or original equipment manufacturers) for use in vehicles, and governments such as China will likely be the among the first to embrace this technology.
China currently regulates traditional and social media, including television and online posts. Surveillance technology backed by AI promises to cement the government’s ability to control and influence every aspect of society and the activities of its more than one billion people.
The autonomous vehicles race
Nowhere is the enthusiasm for self-driving vehicles more apparent than in China, the world’s largest car market. Start-up Horizon Robotics Inc. was chosen by Volkswagen AG’s Audi brand to develop a platform for autonomous vehicles for the Chinese market. Beijing-based Horizon counts Intel and other pedigreed venture capital firms as investors.
Another player in this field is Sunny Optical, the world’s largest supplier of vehicle lenses. The company makes automotive lenses that are used as sensors.
With China’s demand for cars showing no signs of slowing down, it is likely the country will be among the first to make the transition from traditional automobiles to autonomous forms of transport.
Putnam Emerging Markets Equity Fund (PEMMX) portfolio holdings as of March 31, 2018, included stocks quoted in this article:
* Samsung Electronics – common stock, 4.65%
† Hangzhou Hikvision Digital – A 144A/RegS warrants expiring on February 11, 2019, 0.54%
‡Sunny Optical Technology Group – common stock, 1.00%
§Walmart de Mexico SAB de CV – common stock, 1.18%
For informational purposes only. Not an investment recommendation.
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The approval foresees the expansion over five years. The number of bike stations will grow from today's 40 to nearly 300. The JCDecaux system in operation since September 2009, has signed up more than 47,000 subscribers. That is over 100 subscribers per bike. By comparison Paris has around 8 per bike and Washington, DC around 5 subscribers per bike. For many of those Dublinbikers, even with the snow, 5 years can't come soon enough!
image: December 2, 2010 Scholastic Geometry by Mark DennehyRussell Meddin bikesharephiladelphia.org
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The Canadian Dairy Commission says so-called farm gate prices for dairy products will rise another 2.2% from February as the supply management industry says its costs continue to rise.
The Crown Corporation, which oversees Canada’s supply-controlled dairy system, has announced how much farmers will receive for their products from February. This is an indicator known as the farm gate price.
In Canada, the dairy industry operates under a so-called supply management system, with prices paid by producers of milk, cream, yogurt and cheese set at levels that ensure the production and sustainability of the industry. .
Prices can fluctuate at the retail level, but one effect of supply management is to set a baseline price that farmers can expect for basic products when they leave the farm.
The group raised its farmer’s market prices by 8.4% in February, when inflation was raging in all parts of Canada’s economy. The group has since taken the almost unprecedented step of raising prices by another 2.5% from September 1, 2019.
This adds up to about 2 cents per liter.
The new prices will go into effect from February after being approved by various state agencies.


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The Israeli Oded Jeremitsky is a veteran of the dark grey scene of payment service providers. In recent years he has worked as a frontman and Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the Israeli Payobin of Eyal Nachum and Tamir Zoltovksi. Jeremitsky was also CEO of UK-registered Pay O Bin Ltd and as such involved in sensitive court cases. For example, he is listed in the court files of Payobin Ltd’s lawsuit Payobin vs. Umbrella OnlineTech LLC, which used to be Payobin’s US partner. The company was to operate Payobin’s online payment services in connection with the illegal Binary Options Broker ICoption and other schemes in the U.S. under the ePrime Global brand.
The man at the front
Israeli Oded Jeremitsky, 59, is the frontman for the Payobin payment scheme of Eyal Nachum and Tamir Zoltovski according to the data available to us. His involvement is probably due to financial problems he had 10 years ago. But one thing at a time.
It is common knowledge in the scene that Payobin with its group of companies and brands was a prime address for illegal brokers, scammers, and online fraudsters. These have registered as so-called merchants with Payobin via bogus companies and nominee directors and used its payment transaction solutions. Payobin and its sister company Monata International UAB evidently did not take the KYC and AML checks very seriously. Through SeeddPay Ltd, registered on the Marshall Islands, the three Israelis also control Hermes Solution Podgorica DOO, registered in Montenegro, through which bank transfers were received from defrauded clients of illegal brokers and laundered.
From the bank records, one can see that Hermes Solution was also a payment service provider for BinaryBook, a binary options fraud system around the Israeli Yukom and its CEO Lee Elbaz. Currently, US prosecutors have indicted 5 people charging them with binary options fraud around BinaryBook. Four of them have already pleaded guilty to fraud (read the FinTelegram reports here).
FinTelegram received bank statements and payment documents proving that Hermes Solution Podgorica DOO was massively involved as unauthorized payment services provider in dozens of scams. Oded Jeremitsky, as one of the Payobin group’s manager, was also involved in this company and the associated money laundering. Evidently, Eyal Nachum, Tamir Zoltovsi, and their frontman Jeremitsky actually facilitated broker scams and investment fraud.
According to the information available to us, the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Montenegro is already investigating Hermes Solution Podgorica and other unauthori
Money from Avi Shemesh
Oded Jeremitsky obviously had massive money issues almost 10 years ago and borrowed money from the well-known money lender Avi Shemesh in Tel Aviv that he could not pay back. Avi Shemesh sued Jeremitksy in 2010 and was won the lawsuit. Subsequently, Oded Jeremitsky was declared bankrupt by the competent court in Jaffa, Israel, in November 2011. The competent court in Israel has confirmed bankruptcy status.
This Avi Shemesh is also an internationally known person and also appears in the environment of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Eyal Nachum and Tamir may have taken advantage of Oded Jeremitsky‘s financial problems. In any case, according to the information available to us, the activity as a paid frontman for the Payobin scheme started after the bankruptcy was opened.
What is he doing now?
It is currently not certain to what extent Jeremitsky is also involved in the activities of the licensed financial services provider Moneta International UAB of Eyal Nachum and Tamir Zoltovski. According to the information available to us, he has no official function in the company and holds no shares. Nevertheless, he appears on various emails and is still the liaison in the dark grey financial market with illegal brokers, scammers, and fraudsters.


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FedEx Hit by Trade Tensions and Split With Amazon
Date: Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Delivery giant says global economic uncertainty and split with Amazon cut into profit at its struggling Express division
FedEx Corp. FDX -0.36% sharply cut its profit forecast for the year as it faces higher costs to expand services, lower revenue from cutting ties with Amazon.com Inc. AMZN +0.69% and a worsening economic backdrop, sending shares of the delivery company plummeting 10% in after-hours trading.
The Memphis, Tenn., company expects per-share earnings to fall between 16% and 29% in the current fiscal year, compared with an expectation of a mid-single-digit percentage decline issued in June. FedEx also lowered its revenue outlook.
The profit warning comes after the company posted an 11% drop in fiscal first-quarter profit driven by weakness in its Express unit, which delivers packages by jets and is being hampered by global trade disruption.
Meanwhile, FedEx’s Ground unit, where revenue is growing largely due to carrying more e-commerce packages, is spending heavily on additional transportation costs and equipment rentals to keep up with that demand.
The company said it is taking more cost-cutting steps to try to offset the weaker environment, including retiring planes and grounding others after the holiday shopping season.
“The global macro economy continues to soften, and we are taking steps to reduce capacity,” FedEx Chief Executive Frederick Smith said on Tuesday’s earnings call.
One of the challenges to FedEx’s business is the lack of a trade deal with China, which has reduced the movement of goods internationally. Mr. Smith said the company initially expected a trade resolution as it entered its current fiscal year. “We were hopeful of a trade deal and some sort of return to normalcy and that has not taken place,” he said.
For the first quarter ended Aug. 31, FedEx reported a profit of $745 million, or $2.84 a share, compared with $835 million, or $3.10 a share, a year earlier. Excluding expenses related to its integration of TNT Express, per-share earnings were $3.05.
Revenue declined slightly to $17.05 billion.
Analysts polled by FactSet expected earnings of $3.15 a share and $17.06 billion in revenue.
Earnings for the fiscal year ending in May are expected to be between $11 and $13 a share before mark-to-market accounting adjustments and integration expenses.
Last year, FedEx posted adjusted earnings of $15.52 a share.
The weaker outlook comes as shippers and carriers gear up for the holiday shopping season, when planning and upgrades will be put to the test as the number of packages surges.
It also comes as FedEx is in the midst of major reshuffling in the delivery marketplace as demand rises for e-commerce shipments.
It will soon start delivering packages seven days a week throughout the entire year instead of just during the holidays and will bring into its own network nearly all of the two million packages it once handed off to the U.S. Postal Service for delivery to doorsteps. Those added costs are weighing on FedEx’s bottom line.
FedEx will also be trying to expand its e-commerce business without delivering packages for the largest online player in the U.S., Amazon.com. FedEx in recent months ended its two major shipping contracts with Amazon, forgoing about $900 million in annual revenue. Instead, FedEx is aligning itself with retailers like Walmart Inc. and Target Corp. , as well as other online businesses that compete with Amazon. FedEx recently signed on Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. as a customer, for instance, to deliver the retailer’s online orders.
FedEx is continuing to raise prices to offset the higher costs associated with all of the online orders to homes. Next year, it plans to raise rates an average of 4.9% on packages sent through its Express and Ground networks, while imposing a 5.9% rate increase on Freight shipments.
Despite the weakness in the Express division, FedEx continues spending heavily to modernize its air fleet and some processing facilities.


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By providing financing for exports when private banks won’t, the Export-Import Bank helps small businesses in every state reach overseas customers. That means higher-paying jobs at home.
The Export-Import Bank isn’t your typical bank. The independent, self-sustaining agency functions as a key engine of job creation across America.
By helping U.S. businesses sell their goods overseas — through loans, guarantees and export-credit insurance — the Ex-Im Bank helps ensure American-made products can reach 95 percent of the world’s customers.
These exports mean U.S. jobs — 1.5 million of which were supported by the bank over the past seven years, in all 50 states, according to the Ex-Im Coalition’s analysis of bank data. Small businesses are the biggest winners, benefitting from nine out of 10 transactions. That’s not counting the tens of thousands of small U.S. suppliers who gain through partnerships with larger exporters.
“Ex-Im ensures that my company — and others — can compete on quality. And when it comes to quality, `Made In America’ is what our international clients prefer,” says Michael McSweeney, managing partner and owner of McSweeney Holdings. The small automaker, based in Trussville, Ala., has been making specialty vehicles — Southern Comfort Automotive, Starcraft, Star Limo — for General Motors since 1979. About four in 10 of its jobs are dependent upon exports.
McSweeney is joining more than 650 other small and medium-sized exporters in Washington, D.C. this week to urge Congress to reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank before its charter runs out at the end of June. If it doesn’t, he says, “companies like mine will have no other option to continue offering cost effective financial terms, and we’ll have to cut jobs.”
John Dumot, president and CEO of Liberty Electronics, warns that the Franklin, Pa.-based manufacturer could lose a fifth or more of its business. “This could backfire on everyone,” says Dumot, whose company makes wiring harnesses, cable assemblies and other electrical products for the military but also large customers like GE and Westinghouse.
This infographic shows how many jobs the bank has supported across America from 2007-2014 and tells the stories of McSweeney and other small business owners who have benefitted:
Watch Wednesday’s Ex-Im Bank event, Keeping Our Edge: Jobs, Exports and Global Competitiveness, here.
(Top image: Courtesy of Thinkstock)


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Allen's Coffee Brandy, a venerable brand of liquor beloved in Maine, is no longer the top-selling alcohol in the Pine Tree State.
The Portland Press Herald obtained state alcoholic beverage records that say Mainers spent $12.2 million on Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey and $11.7 million on Tito's Handmade Vodka last year. Those sales were enough to eclipse Allen's, which garnered $9.2 million in sales.
Allen's remains the most-purchased hard alcohol in the state in terms of volume, said Gary Shaw, executive vice president of Allen's producer M.S. Walker of Massachusetts.
Sales revenue of Allen's has dropped by about a sixth since 2014. Shaw said consumers in the state have opened up to more brands that are "more national in scope."
Maine is the only significant market for Allen's, which is especially popular in a milk-based mixed drink called a "Sombrero."


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Unilever has confirmed it is seeking a replacement for Mathieu, who writes regularly for Marketing Week.
Mathieu joined Unilever in April 2011 and has since been responsible for the creation of the company’s global marketing strategy based on building “brands with purpose”, which has resulted in above average growth according to the company.
A Unilever spokesperson said: “We thank him for his achievements here and wish him all the best in his new role.”
Mathieu previously held the role of senior vice president of global brand marketing at Coca-Cola, where he was credited for the “Open Happiness” platform.
Read Mathieu’s latest Marketing Week column on how immersive content is the way forward.


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A report today from video game news site Edge suggests the now three-week long PlayStation Network outage is to blame for a marked increase in PlayStation 3 trade-ins in Europe.
The site contacted several retail outlets across the country who related that consumers frustrated with the inability to play some games online have reached a breaking point, trading in their PS3s for Xbox 360s.
One anonymous store manager said that PS3 trade-ins remained static in the days following the massive data breach, but slowly increased “over 200%” in the past two weeks. He also stated that around half of the customers trading in PS3s opted to replace them with a system that offers working online play: the Xbox 360.
Two other sources echoed the statement, both adding that gamers who spent significant time in the virtual battlefields of online multiplayer shooters were chief among those seemingly tired of waiting on Sony to re-launch the compromised service.
One Belgian retailer told Edge some customers were “bringing in PS3s together with all their games” just to get their “Call of Duty: Black Ops” fix.
The latest entry in the popular series has sold over 20 million units to date globally – eight million of which are in PS3 owners’ homes. The title’s UK release earned publisher Activision £400 million in the first few days alone and continues to chart in the country.
MyCE reached out to GameStop, one of the largest video game retailers in the U.S., to find out if the corporation’s stores were experiencing a similar trend. We have yet to hear back from them.
One manager speaking on the condition of anonymity told MyCE that he hadn’t noticed any substantial increase in PS3 trade-ins at his store despite admitting he “thought it would happen.” Our source also claimed more gamers who owned both PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles but traditionally bought multi-platform software for the former were now choosing the latter.
Consumers aren’t the only ones frustrated with the ongoing outage, however. Video game companies that rely on the PSN to sell online content such as downloadable expansion packs are losing money each day the service remains down.
Christian Svensson, Capcom’s Senior Vice President, declared his company was losing “hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars in revenue,” implying that future projects by the Japan-based developer could be directly affected as a result.
Activision executives were similarly concerned during an earnings call this week. Eric Hirshberg, the company’s publishing chief, said he would like to see PSN return “as soon as possible” – and for good reason: the company plans to bring the “Escalation” map pack for “Call of Duty: Black Ops” to the PS3 soon.
Released on May 3rd for the Xbox 360 thanks to a timed exclusivity deal with Microsoft, a date for “Escalation”‘s PS3 launch is now up in the air thanks to the PSN hacking.
PSN was supposed to be available (at least in part) last week, but recent updates suggest it could take all month.
Have you traded in your PS3 due to the Sony/PSN security breach? Or are you weathering the storm? Let us know in the comment section.


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Visit California is a paid sponsor of The Morning Blend.
California’s tourism industry was hit tremendously hard by the pandemic, with nearly one million jobs lost across the state. But as the nation reopens, California's overall economy is expected to rebound faster than the national average, according to economists.
Everyone lost out on so much last year – missed milestones, time with loved ones, travel, and much more. Now it’s time to recapture those moments. California’s hospitality industry has fully reopened and is rolling out the red carpet for travelers this summer and beyond.
About Caroline Beteta
Caroline Beteta serves as president & CEO of the industry-led Visit California, a nonprofit organization created to market California as a premier travel destination to increase the state’s share of tourism-related revenues. She simultaneously serves as a strategic advisor for the Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development (GO-Biz). Beteta is responsible for implementing Visit California’s global marketing program on behalf of the organization’s 21,000 investors and serves as the lead spokesperson for California’s travel industry. In her tenure, she has overseen a decade of growth for California’s travel industry, peaking in 2019 with a record $144.9 billion in economic benefit to the state. She has shepherded the growth of Visit California into a global marketing franchise and helped restore travel and tourism following numerous natural and economic crises.