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With summer in full swing, millions of Americans are taking vacations they hope will be relaxing breaks from their daily routines or memorable adventures (or both). In fact, recent studies show travel rates are on pace to be higher than usual this year.
According to a report released by AAA prior to the July 4 holiday, 44.2 million Americans were anticipating travel for the Fourth of July weekend alone, a 2.9 percent increase from last year. The same AAA report found 3.44 million people were planning to fly over the holiday, a 4.6 percent increase in air travel from last year’s AAA-reported figures.
These numbers echo similar findings from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which noted U.S. airlines transported 823 million passengers last year, a new record for the industry.
But not all vacations turn out to be gems, and some lose their luster before they even begin. Unfortunately, no matter how much planning goes into a trip, sometimes unexpected circumstances — like lost or stolen luggage, or severe inclement weather — can ruin the best-laid vacation plans. That’s why some travelers purchase travel insurance — as a fallback against unforeseen developments that can ruin a vacation.
An increase in travelers helped the travel insurance market grow to $3 billion last year, according to a recent report. But the travel expense claim process can be just as infuriating as filing a claim for any other type of insurance. Once the claim is processed, policyholders must wait several days for a check to arrive in the mail. For inconvenienced travelers, that means not having access to their claim money until they arrive home. The waiting itself can break the mood of even the most meticulously planned trip.
Travel insurance provider Allianz Global Assistance recently launched a new service to ease the potential frustrations involved in processing travel insurance claims. The service allows users to file claims through the company’s mobile app, and enables funds to be deposited directly into a traveler’s bank account or sent to a debit card. PYMNTS recently spoke with Joe Mason, Allianz Global Assistance’s chief marketing officer, about how the company’s newest payment solution is bringing innovation to the travel insurance market.
Preparing Travelers for the Unexpected
When unexpected circumstances throw a wrench into vacation plans, travel insurance policyholders can file a claim to get compensated for their inconvenience. But even if a claim is filed right away, consumers must typically wait until a check arrives in the mailbox before they can use the funds.
To help inconvenienced travelers get faster access to the funds they need, Allianz recently partnered with Mastercard to allow travel insurance claims to be disbursed directly — to a bank account or a debit card — using Mastercard Send. The company also launched new claim forms and is allowing customers to file claims online or through a mobile app.
Once the claim is filed, Mason said the reimbursement process can take between two hours and two days, considerably faster than waiting up to 10 days for a paper check to arrive via snail mail.
Since the service debuted, Mason said, roughly half of Allianz’s subscribers have opted for electronic reimbursement over a physical paper check. He also said the new claims options provide additional conveniences for both consumers and the company.
“The consumer gets timeliness more than anything,” Mason said. “It’s not just the time it takes to receive the payment. It’s also the corresponding hassle with having to cash a check, as opposed to having money directly deposited into an account, which is both more convenient and quicker.”
In addition to helping customers get faster access to their claim funds, Mason noted that the push payment option also offers Allianz a simpler method for processing payments.
“It’s more efficient from our standpoint just in terms of payment processing,” Mason said. “It’s also less expensive to send payments electronically than it is via a hard-copy check. There are no postage [or] printing costs, and things are more streamlined and more efficient.”
Growing Concerns Give Rise to Greater Travel Insurance Demand
Mason pointed out several reasons why travelers might consider investing in travel insurance.
First, there are minor problems like lost luggage. According to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation, 1.92 million airline passengers (or 3.24 reports for every 1,000 passengers) experienced some type of “mishandled” luggage in 2015. For the thousands of passengers who experience lost or stolen luggage, this inconvenient and disconcerting development means they must replace essential items like clothing and toiletries while on vacation.
In addition to the headache of lost luggage, there are more serious circumstances that can derail a vacation. These fall under the category of “trip interruption.” Trip interruption coverage exists to reimburse travelers for pre-paid trip costs when travelers are forced to shorten or cancel their travel plans.
“They could return home because of a crisis,” Mason said. “They could return home because of a terrorist event, [or] because they were asked to come back to work earlier than they anticipated. All of these sorts of events fall under trip interruption.”
Uncertain global events have become a growing concern among travelers, according to recent data from travel insurance review and comparison company SquareMouth. In late 2016, the company reported an 18 percent increase in the number of insured travelers searching for terrorism coverage, severe weather coverage and greater flexibility to cancel travel plans for reasons typically not covered by travel insurance.
For these travelers, Mason said, getting quick access to funds is important so they can pay for an unexpected, early trip home. In these cases especially, having funds sent directly to a debit card or bank account will be valued higher than waiting for a paper check to arrive in the mail.
‘Moments that Matter’ More than Others?
While Allianz’s latest innovations are geared specifically toward travel insurance, Mason said he sees opportunity for other types of insurance to adopt similar payment options.
“We’re not doing anything that should be unique to travel insurance,” Mason said. “There is no reason why auto insurers, home insurers or boat insurers shouldn’t be able to reimburse their customers more quickly and efficiently through a couple of the ways we’re doing it.”
Overall, Mason said he is encouraged by what other insurers are undertaking to improve customer satisfaction, including reviews of the end-to-end experience, how products and services are offered and how they are delivered. This type of attention helps companies to pinpoint the “moments that matter” most to customers, he said. These “moments” cover customers’ various points of interaction with a company’s interface to get the product or service they need.
“The ease in which claims can be filed and the ease in which you can get reimbursed or payments are generated … those are incredibly important moments that matter,” Mason said.
Insurers working to simplify the insurance process by developing clearer policy language — and offering new payments tools like push payment for claims — are helping to better deliver these moments to customers, he explained. According to Mason, this type of investment is a “win-win” for both parties.
“It’s better for the insurer because it’s efficient and more appealing,” he said. “And it’s certainly better for the customers, because they get their funds more quickly and can use those funds for other things.”
Beyond insurance providers, Mason said, retail businesses are recognizing the importance of delivering customers the service they want, promptly and conveniently. He pointed to notable players in the tech space that are “raising the bar” for how to deliver on customer expectations.
“We look at some of the stalwarts in the innovation and technology space [like] Google, Apple [and] Amazon,” he said. “All of these companies are doing really, really important things to condition customers to expect more from the companies with which they transact.”
Mason praised Google for the company’s work in curating content related to customers’ travel plans, and airline companies for their efforts to improve mobile app experiences to give customers real-time updates about flight status and other relevant information. Developments like these, Mason said, are raising consumer expectations in travel experiences which, in turn, are pushing businesses to deliver greater efficiencies.
“There’s a universal desire to use technology in ways that make the experience more enjoyable, more fulfilling and more engaging for the customer base,” he said.
As millions of travelers hit the road or the sky for their vacations this year, there will no doubt be an unlucky few whose plans unexpectedly veer off course. But as disbursement tools become more widely available in insurance and other industries, the pain of a disrupted trip can be kept to a minimum.
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Columbus, Ohio (PRWEB) June 13, 2006
The online habits of Black Internet users are changing, and iZania.com is making rapid changes to adapt to those new Internet habits. There is a growing interest among African Americans to collaborate more effectively to strengthen the Black economic community. Capitalizing on the thrust of Black entrepreneurship, the developers of http://www.iZania.com are focusing their attention on helping Black-owned businesses gain traction on the Internet with a cost effective entree’ into e-commerce and Internet Marketing. The goal is to accelerate the growth of online Black economic activity.
“We have built an online community around our online entrepreneurs,” says Roger Madison, CEO. “We started our effort three years ago with a focus on building a large and comprehensive directory of Black-owned businesses. That directory has grown to nearly 12,000 businesses in 45 states. We then added features to help those entrepreneurs increase their visibility with online visitors. We offered a Mentoring Program, feature articles with advice from other Black entrepreneurs, a forum to discuss topics of interest, and low cost advertising.” Our user community has offered encouragement along the way.
Roxanne Ravenel, President / Owner SOHO Support Solutions LLC, recently wrote, “I wanted to sincerely thank you for putting together such an excellent resource for the African-American community. It is inspiring to see such a comprehensive list of minority business owners across a variety of industries. Whether I am looking for a local vendor, or another virtual professional to build a long-term collaborative relationship with – I know that there is an excellent chance to make that connection through iZania. I have discovered both vendors and contractors through your business directory. It will continue to be my first line of action when seeking new business relationships.”
Anthony Redic, Vice President of Marketing, adds, “We are developing a complete relationship with our members. Our goal is for our community members to be able to do everything in the virtual Black community at iZania that they would do in their local communities –buy, sell, shop, find the latest Black news, debate issues, solve problems, look for jobs, connect with others with similar interests. We have grown to 5,000 subscribers, and we have reached up to 47,000 monthly visits. We introduced the iZania Market (http://www.iZaniaMarket.com) to stimulate selling and buying activity among the visitors to iZania. While iZania Market hasn’t become the Black eBay™ yet, our users are learning the nuances of auction site buying and selling. iZania Market provides an introduction to e-commerce for many Black entrepreneurs, and a secondary channel of distribution for others who already have websites that offer online sales.”
iZania provides a weekly Newsletter, daily updates of news from the African Diaspora, and our forum focuses on discussions of current community issues like The Covenant With Black America. “The success of an online community like iZania lies in the collaborative options we make available to our target audience,” says Madison. “The emphasis at iZania is on collaboration. Our goal is to become the e-commerce and networking hub for the virtual Black community. We are looking to partner with others to provide stronger linkages that connect Black entrepreneurs, professionals, and consumers economically by offering services that accelerate the growth of other Black online businesses. We are betting that this collaborative approach can result in a sustainable business model.
About iZania, LLC
iZania LLC (http://www.iZania.com and http://www.iZaniaMarket.com) is a Columbus, Ohio-based company, formed to connect Black entrepreneurs, professionals, and consumers online. iZania’s goal is to create the world’s most extensive “Virtual Black Community,” to accelerate the growth of e-commerce, and help the descendants of Africa act in our self-interests.
For more information visit http://www.iZania.com.
Press Contact: Roger Madison, Jr., President/CEO

domain: news


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J2 Medical Supply is an MBE certified manufacturer and supplier of high-quality medical solutions helping healthcare, government, and business clients lower cost, improve quality, and achieve supplier diversity objectives.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING:
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Let J2 Medical Supply help you stay informed with data driven insights.
The latest rejection of recent sick leave proposals by a freight railroad union has far-reaching supply chain implications for healthcare systems and their suppliers across the country.
As the recent economic uncertainties brought on by COVID start to fade, healthcare systems have continued advancing supplier diversity programs.
Each year, Fortune Magazine publishes a list of the top 1000 publicly traded American companies based on revenue. Recently, supplier diversity has become an instrumental component of the business functions of these Fortune 1000 companies.
Supplier diversity is rapidly gaining momentum in the global business community. By bridging the historic discriminatory gap in business communities, supplier diversity expands the merits of conducting business while economically empowering historically disadvantaged populations.
ploying more than one out of every ten, U.S. workers. Healthcare is also one of the most ethnically diverse sectors, ploying more than one out of every ten, U.S. workers. Healthcare is also one of the most ethnically diverse sectors...
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello Announces Minority and Women-Owned Business Certification Program
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello today announced the county’s new local Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise Certification program alongside a renewed focus on...
COVID-19 has presented challenges beyond what many of us could have imagined during its initial onset in March. And though months have gone by and uncertainties about the pandemic remain, many companies throughout the country are going above and beyond to assist others...


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Leading smartphone and smart TV brand Xiaomi India announced a partnership with GlobalHunt Foundation to support 400 students from economically weaker sections of society in their mobile phone hardware repair course.
The collaboration aims to create a technically skilled workforce that can cater to the rising demands of the Indian mobile service and support industry. The programme will provide the candidates with relevant technical skills and help them advance in their careers, according to the company. “In our continued commitment to creating a positive impact on the communities, we are delighted to partner with GlobalHunt Foundation to upskill and support these students. This partnership will enable students to unlock opportunities and build a promising future with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the digital age, said Muralikrishnan, President at Xiaomi India.
As part of the programme, the company said that two new labs will be set up at ITIs in Delhi and Guwahati, respectively. The labs will be equipped with the latest machinery, tools, and technology to give students a live experience of job requirements in the industry. T-shirts, an ID card, and a course kit containing a curriculum book and stationery will also be given to the students.
Additionally, merit scholarships will be awarded to select 100 students based on their performance in the course, the company said. “The collaboration will enable us in equipping 400 students with the knowledge to succeed in a highly competitive landscape which will further contribute to the development of the wider community,” said Sunil Goel, Managing Director, GlobalHunt Foundation.
Further, the company stated that the collaboration reflects Xiaomi’s firm belief in making technology accessible to everyone and investing in the future to create a skilled and future-ready workforce. SiliconIndia


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News From : DagangHalal.com (09 Jun 2009)
Indonesia’s beef with Aussie and Kiwi beef has come to an end.
Indonesia has released more than 100 containers of Australian and New Zealand beef held at a Jakarta port for nearly three weeks amid concerns it did not meet Islamic halal standards.
Quarantine authorities impounded the meat after Indonesia’s top Muslim body, the Islamic Ulema Council (MUI), sent them a letter saying the beef did not meet its new halal standards.
But it has since become clear that the MUI’s letter was just a warning that new halal standards would come into force in October.
The agriculture department has now instructed officials to release the containers and to let future Australian and New Zealand beef imports into the country without fuss.
Indonesia requires all beef imports to be halal – taken from cattle slaughtered in a manner deemed suitable for consumption by Muslims.


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PS4 speech recognition software tipped by job listing
The next-generation PS4 console could feature voice recognition technology, tipped by a job listing on LinkedIn.
A LinkedIn job listing suggests that Sony could introduce voice recognition technology into the PS4 console.
Advertising for a “Speech Recognition Engineering Intern”, the job role includes assistance with “speech noise reduction, speech detection, recognition, noisy rejection, and grammar processing under various environments.”
The listing goes on to detail job responsibilities including “robust speech feature extraction and signal processing for speech enhancement” and “speech enhance and processing of noisy speech with human voice in the background.”
Any candidate applying for the listed job would be required to “engage [in] some initial research off signal separation and neural network processing,” run evaluation and research on keyword spotting” and also “conduct some experiments on robust small vocabulary CSR with noisy speech.”
Sony could be looking to introduce Microsoft Xbox Kinect-esque features with the PlayStation 4 Eye camera, which was unveiled in February along with the PS4 DualShock 4 controller.
The updated PS4 Eye camera will incorporate two highly sensitive cameras with wide-angle lenses capable of 85-degree diagonal angle views. More importantly for the speech recognition technology, the PS4 Eye has four microphones capable of accurate sound detection and source origination.
The Sony PS4 could potentially introduce hands-free entertainment controls similar to those provided by the Xbox Kinect.
Of course, the LinkedIn job listing doesn’t actually mention the PS4, meaning Sony could integrate such technology into the PS3 or the PS Vita seeing as it already includes a microphone.
We could see Sony demonstrate new PS4 features as well as what the console actually looks like at its pre-E3 briefing on June 10.
The PS4 was unveiled at a dedicated event in February, with the next-gen console playing host to a range of high-end PC components. The next-gen console packs an eight-core x86-64 AMD Jaguar CPU with 8GB of GDR5 RAM.
Next, read our Xbox 720 news, rumours and release date roundup and decide which next-gen console you fancy come release date.


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Of all the things Microsoft unveiled Wednesday at its Windows 10 event in Redmond, none grabbed more attention than its plan to offer Windows "as-as-service," a term that usually means software offered as a subscription and delivered over the Internet.
"We think of Windows as a service. In the next couple of years, one could reasonably think of Windows as one of the largest Internet services on the planet," Terry Myerson, executive vice president of Microsoft's Operating Systems Group, said at the event.
Rumors have swirled in recent years about Microsoft moving to a subscription model for Windows, which makes sense considering the strong customer uptake for the Office 365 suite of cloud apps and the marketplace's broad acceptance of the cloud subscription model.
But "Windows as a service" probably doesn't mean Microsoft is rolling out "Windows 365," at least not yet. The more likely scenario is that Microsoft will continually push security fixes and feature updates to users' PCs, tablets and smartphones without requiring them to download service packs.
A Microsoft spokesperson told CRN the vendor will provide more details on its Windows as a service plans later this year, but did provide the following statement.
"As a service, Windows will scale down to the smallest mobile devices and up to the cloud. Delivering Windows 10 as a service means that Windows isn’t just a product or a SKU, it’s an experience and a relationship—one that will continue giving value. We are committed to keep our customers updated and current with the latest security updates and new features and functionality," said the Microsoft spokesperson.
Chris Woodin, director of Microsoft business development at Softchoice, a Chicago-based Microsoft partner, told CRN that pushing OS updates seamlessly to devices will make customers' environments more secure.
"This is functionality that consumers have been using for some time, but we expect it to become more common in enterprises where devices are increasingly disparate and managed with less central control," Woodin said.
Still, some partners feel Microsoft, by invoking "Windows-as-a-service," is getting customers ready for an eventual Windows subscription model.
By offering Windows 10 as a free upgrade for a year to the vast majority of its consumer Windows user base, Microsoft is trying to make that transition easier by getting everyone onto its latest OS, according to partners.
Delcie Bean, CEO of Paragus IT, a Hadley, Mass.-based Microsoft partner, thinks making Windows available as a subscription would be a step in the right direction -- provided Microsoft's pricing is reasonable.
"We are seeing more and more customers wanting their expenses to be controllable operating costs that are variable based on their growth and needs, not fixed costs that require them to make a four- to five-year projection," Bean told CRN.
NEXT: Why Some Microsoft Partners Want Subscription-Based Windows


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Safeway shoppers' bid thumbs-up
FEWER than 15% of Safeway customers want the supermarkets group to keep its independence, according to new research from the Mintel consumer research organisation.
A survey of just over 1,000 consumers quizzed about the five-way takeover battle for Britain's fourth-largest supermarkets chain revealed that fewer than one in seven wanted their local store to remain a Safeway outlet.
Their top choice to replace Safeway was Wal-Mart-owned Asda, which won 17% of the votes. Tesco came second, although Mintel pointed out that fewer than one in 10 wanted Britain's leading supermarkets group to take over their local Safeway. Sainsbury's followed with 8% of the votes, then Morrisons with 7%.
Richard Caines, retail consultant at Mintel, said: 'Asda was by far the most popular choice among consumers to replace Safeway, reflecting the reputation it has built up nationally for good value for money and a strong non-foods offer.
'It seems that few will mourn the passing of Safeway if its stores are converted to one of the major chains.'
Tesco's appeal was strongest in the 16-24 age range, Asda appealed most to the 25-34 age band. Sainsbury's was liked by the more affluent shoppers, particularly in London and the South-East.
Mintel said its findings also showed that customers put choice ahead of convenience for grocery shopping, and three in four said they liked to shop at the store offering the widest range of goods.
Just over half said they tended to shop at the store nearest to them. Some 85% of those surveyed said they found a store's fresh food stock particularly important in choosing a particular retailer.
All prospective bidders for Safeway, other than retail magnate Philip Green, whose possible purchase of the stores has been cleared, are currently being scrutinised by a Competition Commission inquiry.
The Commission is due to report on its findings next month, and has been keen to hear the views of supermarket shoppers. A final verdict from the Commission may not come until the end of September.
The Mintel survey comes as evidence mounts that the bid battle is affecting Safeway's business. Earlier this week the firm said its underlying sales had dipped, as the distractions of the bid meant the firm was underperforming.
Safeway's management also faced protests at its annual meeting this week over its executive pay structure. Safeway chief executive Carlos Criado-Perez is set for a £1.3m windfall should the supermarket chain change hands.
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P&G Regains Top Slot in Shopper Marketing
Procter & Gamble Co. has returned to the top in The Hub magazine's annual ranking of shopper-marketing organizations for the first time since 2009.
P&G had held the top spot for the first two years of the survey, but fell behind others the past three. The survey, designed by shopper-marketing consultant Chris Hoyt and administered by University of Tennessee marketing professor Dan Flint, has shopper-marketing agencies rate brand marketers and brand marketers joining retailers in rating agencies. Results of the 2013 survey will be reported in the May/June edition of the magazine.
P&G was never far from the top (having slid to No. 3 last year) and is seen as "the pioneers in shopper marketing," said Hub founder Tim Manners. "I think there's a sense that perhaps P&G took their eye off the ball for a little while, but they returned with greater focus. And that may explain why they're back on top."
P&G has come under investor pressure the past year after seeing its U.S. sales stay relatively flat for years and losing market share to competitors. But its share momentum in the U.S. has improved of late. Though it still lost U.S. share in its fiscal second quarter, P&G gained or held share in categories representing 50% of its U.S. business in the quarter ended Dec. 31, up from 45% the quarter before that and 30% the quarter before that.
P&G's fall from the top in The Hub rankings in recent years was mirrored in another industry ranking of CPG marketers – the annual Kantar Retail PowerRanking in which retailers vote. In that survey, P&G has remained on top in recent years but with steadily declining ratings and leads on competitors. In the November edition of the Kantar rankings, P&G was rated among the top suppliers by 32% of retailers, but that was down 6 points from the year before.
Unilever, which has been steadily rising in the Kantar rankings in recent years and took the top spot in The Hub rankings last year, fell to No. 8 in the magazine's rankings this year.
Hub's rankings of shopper-marketing agencies also saw a leadership change for 2013, with CatapultRPM replacing Mars Advertising, which had led the agency rankings for the first five years of the survey. CatapultRPM benefited in the rankings from the merger last year of Catapult Marketing with RPM Connect, Mr. Manners said.
The rankings were based on 1,049 usable surveys after screening to eliminate duplicate, incomplete and unidentified ballots. Mr. Flint prevents ballot-box stuffing, for example, by capping the number of votes from one company for another, with the limit set at 20 this year. Respondents are required to identify themselves and verified via email.
- 1. CatapultRPM
- 2. Mars Advertising
- 3. Acosta Mosaic Group
- 4. JWT/OgilvyAction
- 5. TracyLocke
- 6. IN Marketing
- 7. Match Marketing Group
- 8. Arc Worldwide
- 9. Saatchi & Saatchi X
- 10. Draftfcb
- 11. Mass Hispanic
- 12. Blue Chip Marketing
- 13. The Integer Group
- 14. Upshot
- 15. TPN
- 16. Circle One
- 17. G2
- 18. Collaborative Marketing Group
- 19. Alcone Marketing
- 20. Leader Enterprises


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The store will be located in Kochville Township in a building previously occupied by Circuit City on Tittabawassee Road in the Saginaw Shopping Center, which also includes Target, Staples, McDonald’s and Toys R Us.
Currently, the only other Cabela's in Michigan is located in Dundee, though Cabela's has announced plans to construct a store in Grandville.
This is Cabela’s second planned Cabela’s Outpost Store, joining the Union Gap, Wash., location scheduled to open this fall. It is expected to employ about 75 full- and part-time employees. Most will come from the greater Saginaw area, the company said.
Cabela’s Outposts feature a core-flex floor plan allowing products to be rotated to match the season. Customers also will have access to all Cabela’s gear via online order kiosks located throughout the store. Additionally, Cabela’s Outposts will offer a complimentary in-store pickup program enabling customers to order merchandise ahead of time and pick it up at their convenience.


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Lime-A-Rita scores NFL sponsorship to reach female football fans
- Anheuser Busch’s Lime-A-Rita brand will be an official sponsor of the NFL for the first time, reports Beverage Industry.
- Since women compose 45% of the NFL's fan base, according to a company release, it makes sense for the beer giant to position the brand as a go-to drink for female football enthusiasts. "There is a large cross-over between NFL fans and Lime-A-Rita drinkers, especially in the female demographic,” Renie Anderson, senior vice president of sponsorship and partnerships management for the NFL, said in the release.
- The Lime-A-Rita brand is the first in AB InBev’s portfolio to explicitly target women. The margarita-flavored malt beverage has resonated with women since its introduction five years ago, and its consumer base is still predominately female.
The Lime-A-Rita/NFL deal sounds like it could be a touchdown. It's a good way for Anheuser Busch to expand and strengthen its relationship with the NFL beyond the male-targeted Bud Light brand. With women making up nearly half of the NFL’s fan base, it's smart marketing to expose brands and products that appeal to a female audience at and during football games.
Lime-A-Rita is a prime choice for this sponsorship since it has been well-received by female consumers since its launch. Now, the NFL tie-up can build on the brand revamp earlier this year, when AB InBev began marketing Lime-A-Rita as a brand “for women, by women” — highlighting the fact that the marketing team, brewers and agency partners are all women.
It will be interesting to see what Lime-A-Rita does next with the NFL season about to kick off. Beer campaigns typically have been geared toward men, with commercials featuring guys drinking brews and females as mere bystanders.
An NFL partnership can be quite lucrative. When Coors Light gave up its NFL sponsorship in 2011 following the Coors/Miller merger, AB InBev’s Bud Light was quick to swoop in. Bud Light has been the official beer sponsor of the NFL ever since. It’s a deal worth an estimated $50 million a year for the beer brand, along with several other perks. For example, Anheuser Busch has the exclusive rights to use the NFL logo in Bud Light packaging, advertising and on retail displays. Lime-A-Rita should also be able to use the logo in a similar fashion.
While male-oriented brands still dominate NFL sponsorships, some more female-focused CPG brands have broken into the ranks. In an effort to help football fans and their families eat healthy, Dannon became the official yogurt of the NFL in 2015. While Pespi’s NFL sponsorship dates back to 2002, the company’s Quaker division joined the fray in 2012 to become the official hot cereal of the NFL — resonating with female consumers seeking a quick, healthy and nutritious breakfast for their kids.
Although P&G has been teaming with the NFL since 2009 (think Old Spice deodorant and Gillette razors), its Charmin and Febreze brands partnered during last season’s Super Bowl to sponsor the Halftime Bathroom Break to ensure party hosts and TV viewers across the nation were well-stocked. With the NFL set to kick off next week, it will be interesting to see how Lime-A-Rita’s marketing playbook unfolds.
- Beverage Industry Lime-A-Rita partners with NFL
- PRNewswire Lime-A-Rita Activates Sponsorship With National Football League
- Ad Age Fallon Wins Bud Light Lime-A-Rita and Eyes NFL Marketing
Follow Sandy Skrovan on Twitter


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Sep 24 2007
SEATTLE – Attorney General Rob McKenna applauded decisions by TransUnion and Equifax to offer consumers the ability to freeze access to their credit reports. McKenna said it’s important for consumers to understand how TransUnion’s credit freeze rules differ from Washington laws and to not confuse the credit freeze option – which is free for victims and $10 for everyone else – and a costlier product offered by TransUnion that includes credit monitoring.
Sep 18 2007
OLYMPIA – Attorney General Rob McKenna will be in Tacoma Tuesday September 25, as part of the statewide tour on identity theft. McKenna will speak to local businesses discussing ways to improve data security in the workplace and the security of customer information. The campaign is a partnership of the Attorney General’s Office, Federal Trade Commission and AARP.
Sep 5 2007
Attorney General Rob McKenna will visit Vancouver on Thursday, Sept. 6, to help raise awareness of identity theft prevention and assist the public in keeping sensitive documents out of the hands of crooks.
Aug 31 2007
SEATTLE – If your Labor Day weekend plans include catching up the household chores, take note: The Attorney General’s Office has scheduled free community shredding events this September and October to help you safely dispose of those old bank statements, cancelled checks and other sensitive papers that have piled up in your home office or attic.
Aug 30 2007
Attorney General Rob McKenna will visit Shoreline on Tuesday, Sept. 4, to help raise awareness of identity theft prevention and assist the public in keeping sensitive documents out of the hands of crooks.
Aug 29 2007
TACOMA – Attorney General Rob McKenna will visit Tacoma on Thursday, Aug. 30, to help raise awareness of identity theft prevention and assist the public in keeping sensitive documents out of the hands of crooks.
Jul 2 2007
OLYMPIA – Attorney General Rob McKenna will headline a 15-city statewide tour on identity theft this summer and fall to educate business owners and consumers on how to keep their personal data safe. Guard it! Washington is a partnership of the Attorney General’s Office, Federal Trade Commission and AARP.
May 15 2007
OLYMPIA – Washington residents have a new way to protect themselves from identity thieves. Attorney General Rob McKenna said today’s signing of a preventative credit security freeze law, which he pursued during the past two legislative sessions, is crucial in lowering the risk of unauthorized credit or bank accounts being opened. The law also helps shield existing victims from additional harm to their credit reports.
Apr 28 2007
STATEWIDE – Early estimates show that about 6,000 Washington residents turned out today for the first statewide LEGIT Shred-a-thon, carrying bags and boxes of papers containing personal information to be shredded. Organizers deemed the identity theft prevention campaign, which included simultaneous shred events at 29 locations, a huge success.
Apr 27 2007
U.S. Attorneys, Attorney General, Legislators and Police to Blanket State for Saturday’s Shred-a-thon
STATEWIDE – Washington residents and news media can meet with officials from the state Attorney General’s Office, U.S. Attorneys Office, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and local police and sheriffs departments on April 28 when they blanket the state to help educate the public about reducing their risk of becoming identity theft victims. Experts will be present at 29 locations as part of a statewide shred-a-thon organized by Washington’s Law Enforcement Group Against Identity Theft, better known as LEGIT. Consumers and small businesses are invited to bring sensitive documents to be destroyed at no charge by commercial shred trucks, which are donating their services. Details at www.atg.wa.gov/Shredathon.aspx.


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VICTORIA’S peak farmer organisation is continuing to lead the call for the livestock industry to open up its operations to independent scrutiny and improve competition.
The Victorian Farmers Federation Livestock Group made the call in anticipation of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s report into the red meat sector, due to be released at the end of January.
An interim report, released by the competition watchdog last October, highlighted the need for transparency across the whole livestock supply chain.
“We’re expecting the final report to be vital in creating a fairer livestock industry, and we’re committed to working with the ACCC in ensuring its recommendations are followed across the supply chain,” VFF Livestock Councillor Mark Ritchie said.
“We’d still like to see important advantages such as pre-sale weighing at livestock saleyards and the introduction of mandatory price reporting, but we’re optimistic that the approach taken by the Commission will pave the way for a level playing field.”
Mr Ritchie said there also needed to be a compulsory requirement to report carcass dressing percentage for all “over the hook” sales.
“Industry has proposed introducing objective carcass measurement but there also needs to be a measure of dressing percentage to provide additional benefits to producers and the wider industry,” he said.
“The variation in carcass trim across the industry is a real sore point. Transparency in this area would help alleviate that.”
The meat industry committed in its latest strategic plan to ensuring by 2030 that 35 per cent of all Australian cattle and sheep supplied direct to works are paid on a quality and yield basis.
The VFF has suggested that any value producers would gain from objective carcass measurement could be limited unless this Value Based Marketing target is fast tracked by processors.
“We need mandatory carcass feedback and we need to be paid for what we produce; this will improve the quality of the Australian beef herd and keep us on top in the international marketplace.” Mr Ritchie said.
Mr Ritchie said while the red meat supply chain was multifaceted and complex, the VFF would continue to lobby for beef market sector reforms to ensure viability for future generations.
The VFF pushed the ACCC to take action on the power of processors in the wake of Barnawartha saleyards being forced to abandon pre-sale weighing in late 2015.
The campaign led to the formation of the ACCC’s Agriculture Enforcement and Engagement Unit which mounted the investigation, as well as a Senate Inquiry into the consolidation of the red meat processing sector.
“We encourage the ACCC to continue to monitor industry’s progress in implementing their recommendations.” Mr Ritchie said.


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Trewin Restorick is already suffering from election fatigue - not least because the main party's green policies are so uninspiring
Try as I might, I just can't get excited about the election. The debate already seems to have slipped into a tedious game of petty accountancy on which it is virtually impossible to have a considered opinion...
Supermarket plans to phase out own brand, single-use plastic packaging within five years, as rival Lidl announces ban on black plastic across fruit and veg range
Ministers meeting on climate change, oceans and clean energy kicks off with joint UK-Canada commitment to smart grids and energy storage
National Drought Action Group warns water supplies in north of England remain low after scant rainfall this summer proved 'tough on farmers'
BusinessGreen brings you this week's green economy headlines from around the world


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The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has announced a recall of the food supplement, COA FS after tests on samples of the product came out contaminated.
The FDA has also directed the public to return the product to the manufacturer or place of purchase.
This move has become necessary following the testing of some samples of the product that were found to be contaminated.
In a press statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the FDA, Mrs Delese A. A. Darko and dated April 17, 2020, the authority said samples of COA FS picked from the market and the manufacturing facility of COA Herbal Centre in Workroom near Cape Coast showed excessive microbial, mould and yeast contamination.
The samples were also found to contain Escherichia coli (E.Coli) which causes diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.
“In view of the above, those who are in possession of the product are being directed to return the product to the manufacturer, place of purchase or any of the FDA offices across the country,” the statement said.
“Meanwhile, the manufacturer, COA Herbal Centre, has been directed by the FDA to recall the product from the Ghanaian market”.
Read full statement below:


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The cube made a study about ”Privacy” crossed with an opinion survey, questioning different generations (GS, BB, X, Y, Z ) about data protection on the internet. With more than 60.000 mentions about ‘Data privacy’ and ‘Data protection’ per month on a worldwide level, it’s a pretty hot topic. European authorities are negotiating with the United States a number of controversial agreements: Privacy Shields, Umbrella protection, Safe Harbor, Judicial redress act… The issue for the European Commission is to protect the consumer without sacrifying digital opportunities. But finally, what about the consumer? Are opinions changing from one generation to another ? Discover some interesting learnings…
For more information, don’t hesitate to contact Aurélie Tinel, Business development manager at the cube +32-(0)2 508 17 37 email@example.com
(Study presented on the 28th of April at the Digital Society - Survival of Belgian Retail)
Privacy on the Internet remains a pretty hot topic. The European Union is negotiating with the United States a certain number of agreements in order to protect access to private data.
3 main actors have been identified: Public authorities, Brands and consumers. The most concerned remains the consumer while brands are keen to know the issue of privacy negotiations and how they can finally use all these private data.
Remember the recent battle of Apple against the FBI where Apple resisted to unlock privacy data to help law enforcement.
Other brands announce encryption to make users’ data more secure.
Google explains the use and processing of personal data.
On the consumer side, we see that generations are getting more and more close. With the emergence of the digital landscape, technological advances are constantly transforming our codes of behaviour. Each generation lives and interiorizes in a different way the experience of a specific era.
the cube realised an opinion survey in order to see if the opinions differ between the different generations. The survey has been conducted with a sample of 1.000 people from the 11th tol the 19th of April 2016.
The survey reveals that the majority of questionned people think that too much personal data is available on the Internet, no matter the generation. It’s interesting to see the opinion of the young generation
The opinion is the same concerning the total protection of private data.
When it comes to sharing personal data with friends or a restricted circle of friends, no significant differences between the different generations are visible.
The opinion remains more or less identic between the different generations.
Generations do not seem to be inclined to share their personal data in exchange of a present.
Contrary to what one might think, the younger generations are as much concerned about privacy issues as the older generations.


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MorningStar Farms Cooks up a Healthier New Year With the Meatless Monday Campaign
Every year the New Year brings a new commitment to head to the gym, ditch bad habits and get back on track for living a healthy lifestyle. But while the jury is out on how long this new healthy living will last, MorningStar Farms is joining forces with the Meatless Monday campaign to make every week a new chance to improve eating habits.
"We're happy to welcome MorningStar Farms to the Meatless Monday movement, which is embraced by hundreds of thousands of people including nationally known chefs, schools, restaurants and whole communities in 21 countries around the world," said Peggy Neu, President of the Meatless Monday campaign. "Going meatless just one day a week is a simple, easy change that can have a big impact on your personal health and the health of the planet."
To help Americans have even more meatless choices, MorningStar Farms is launching two new "better for you" meat alternatives in January 2012, Meal Starters Veggie Meatballs and re-introducing Veggie Dogs. The Veggie Meatballs have 80-percent less fat than the leading frozen fully cooked meatballs, and the Veggie Dogs are a low-fat alternative to real meat dogs.
The brand is also launching the "MorningStar Farms Monday Button" on MorningStarFarms.com to help inspire smarter living. Simply click on the button to receive a weekly challenge, and have the chance to collect prizes such as a year's supply of product and a kitchen makeover. In addition, celebrity fitness trainer and author Kathy Kaehler is providing advice on making easy changes to help families be healthier.
"Most fad diets don't last long-term because they're not realistic to maintain," said Kaehler. "I like to take a weekly approach to meal planning, and the meat-alternative products from MorningStar Farms are a favorite of my family."
To help kick-start a meatless Monday routine, Kaehler recommends these simple steps:
>> Sunday Set-Up: Create a list of what to buy. Include a grain, lean protein, fresh fruits and veggies. Opting for seasonal produce is typically easier on your wallet and tastes better anyway.
>> Share the Health: The best way to take on a new behavior is to have the support of friends and family. Enlist your co-workers, spouse, friends or children to go meatless on Mondays. Share recipes and meal preparation tips.
>> Make the Unfamiliar, Familiar: Start incorporating familiar meatless products into your routine. For example, pair your favorite pasta sauce with the new MorningStar Farms Meal Starters Veggie Meatballs and spaghetti. There are more than 30 varieties of meatless products from MorningStar Farms to choose from.
>> The Rest of the Week Counts Too: Exercise is a critical part of the formula for a healthy lifestyle. In addition to reducing meat consumption, try to exercise at least three times each week. Walking around the block is a simple way to get moving!
For more information about Meatless Mondays, visit meatlessmonday.com.


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Original Story (06/24/19): The adidas Yeezy basketball was first revealed as a prototype by Kanye West early last year and has been seen multiple times since then worn by Kim Kardashian. However, details about the shoe are still scarce and we haven’t seen very good close ups of the shoe until now. The shoe looks similar to a 350 V2 with the full boost midsole and the shape of the front of the shoe, but looks more like a classic basketball high-top as you get toward the back of the shoe. The shoe also has some reflective accents that we’ve been seeing more of in recent Yeezy releases.
There is no release details for the Yeezy Basketball “Quantum” as of yet, but the recent pictures show a shoe that looks closer to completion. We will be sure to post more details as we get them, so stay tuned to Modern Notoriety.
Update (02/14/20): adidas has officially confirmed the release of the YZY QNTM. The shoe makes its debut this Sunday exclusively in Chicago at select retailers. Stay tuned for wider release info.
YZY QNTM. AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 16 EXCLUSIVELY IN CHICAGO AT SELECT RETAILERS ONLY. pic.twitter.com/nYRLlVM5ve
— adidas Originals (@adidasoriginals) February 14, 2020
Update (02/13/20): Grab a look at the YZY BSKTBL and YZY QNTM below, courtesy of YEEZY MAFIA. While appearing nearly identical, the performance “BSKTBL” model features a plastic cage over the primeknit upper, while the lifestyle “QNTM” model does not. The BSKTBL model also lacks reflective 3M detailing. Expect a release sometime this weekend.
Update (02/07/20): According to Yeezy Mafia, Kanye West’s basketball silhouette will be making its debut release during the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend. There will be two versions releasing: an on-court YZY BSKTBL QUANTUM version and a YZY QNTM QUANTUM lifestyle version. Retail price is $250. Stay tuned for an official announcement from adidas.


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Back to school? Already? But it’s still July.
But if your child needs a backpack and school supplies, then it’s never too early.
The Cellular Connection, a Verizon premium wireless retailer, will be hosting its “national backpack giveaway campaign” on Aug. 2.
“More than 350 participating TCC stores across the U.S. are inviting local families to bring their children to the store between 10 a.m. and noon to pick up a backpack filled with pencils, paper, a pencil box, folders, glue and more,” according to a release.
Residents of Fife, Graham, Puyallup, University Place and Sumner are welcome to attend.
The participating store in Fife is located at 5310 Pacific Hwy. E.; in 22205 Meridian Ave. E., Suite 2B in Graham; at 10929 Canyon Road E. in Puyallup; 3904 Bridgeport Way W. in University Place; and 15105 Main St. E., Suite 108 in Sumner.
Each participating TCC store will donate between 75 and 300 backpacks. All leftover backpacks will be donated to local schools.


text: General Motors Corp. has green-lighted the Chevrolet Traverse, a truck-based crossover sport/utility first shown at last February's Chicago Auto Show, GM North America President Ronald L. Zarrella says in an interview. The 4-door Traverse, which is based on GM's midsize truck platform (body-on-frame) but features more car-like styling, will mark a new direction for GM in the midsize car category when it bows in 2004, Mr. Zarrella says. "Right now we have more midsize sedans than we need," he says. "During the next round (of product introductions) we will clean up the overlap of products." In addition to the new Traverse, Chevrolet's lineup will be bolstered in 2002 with a new Blazer that will be larger than the current model and feature a new aluminum engine, Mr. Zarrella says. The division also will get a new product in collaboration with Suzuki Motor Corp., he adds.


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It Was Another Lousy Month for Job Creation
Just when economists were getting optimistic about the relatively robust U.S. economy, out come the September jobs numbers to bring the mood down.
According to the government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the economy added just 142,000 in September. This follows August’s lousy 136,000 reading — and contributes to a sense that the economy is losing steam.
Monthly job growth averaged just 167,000 in the July-September period, which was way down from the average of 231,000 jobs added monthly in the April-June period.
Blame the Global Economy
Much of the hiring pullback can be explained by the weakening global economy. Slowdowns in China and other large economies resulted in decreasing levels of new orders for U.S. goods and services during the summer. This caused U.S. employers to pull back on hiring.
The unemployment rate did hold steady at 5.1%, but so did the record-low labor participation rate. Many of the unemployed aren’t being counted because they’ve simply given up on finding a job.
This is a particularly distressing report since it comes at a time when the global economy shows few signs of strength.
No one thought the U.S. would remain unaffected by the global malaise, but economists had observed over the summer that the country had shown resilience despite weakness in many other countries. With the latest numbers, the caution being expressed by companies seems well justified.
However, economists aren’t going so far as to declare the U.S. economy as heading for recession. They cite the still-resilient consumer and housing sectors as being signs of continued strength.
Copyright Today’s Credit Unions


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Artegon Marketplace's two-year experiment with the former Festival Bay Mall is coming under pressure from a new Interstate 4 overpass set to remake the North International Drive area.
After spending millions on marketing and construction, and making millions more by selling two outparcels, mall owner Lightstone Group has put the Artegon property up for sale. Growing interest in North International Drive might create a big demand for the the Artegon parcel.
"Because of this, we received unsolicited interest from numerous investors and decided to engage a brokerage to formalize the process of gauging wider interest," said Lightstone spokesman Rick Fuerman. "Lightstone is extremely proud of Artegon's success and, as we consider all options, we look forward to continuing to own and manage the property."
The new owner would have a strong reason to market the property, said Jorge Rodriguez, director of retail services in Central Florida with Colliers International.
"You've got 14 million people a year at Universal, and with this new overpass it will be a quick drive or an Uber away," Rodriguez said.
A new overpass over I-4 will connect Grand National Drive and Oak Ridge Road on the south side of the highway to Caravan Court on the north side, giving North International Drive additional access to Universal Orlando Resort. Plans also include future access to I-4 express lanes.
Some real-estate professionals say the area around the mall and the International Premium Outlets has become a "no-man's land" because it's hard to access from the interstate.
International Drive at Sand Lake Road and farther south has seen rapid growth with new projects such as I-Drive 360 and the proposed SkyPlex project. But growth north of Sand Lake Road along I-Drive has been slower, partially because it's hard to navigate, Rodriguez said.
North American Properties wants to develop 130,000 square feet of retail, apartments and possibly two hotels on a nearby Grand National Drive parcel, anticipating new traffic. It paid about $16 million for 16 acres.
"I can tell you why we want to build there and it's because of the [infrastructure] that's being built," said Shawn McIntyre, a partner with North American Properties.
The Grand National Drive overpass is expected to be finished in summer 2017, with six to eight lanes.
North International Drive already has one of the area's largest retail attractions with the International Premium Outlet Mall.
Some unoccupied properties on International Drive and the smaller strip shopping centers could be targets for developers as well, said Bobby Palta, a real estate broker and first vice president at CBRE.
"There is a lot of demand in the tourist areas," he said. "There are big new projects and nice restaurants. There's room on the north side for that."
Artegon Mall's owner has already shown there is increased interest in the property since it bought the 100-acre Festival Bay Mall space in 2011 for about $30 million.
A year ago, Lightstone sold the attached Cinemark Theaters property for $13 million. A $4 million renovation is in the works. Then Lightstone sold the Bass Pro Shops property for $17 million. After selling another $3.8 million worth of unused land on the periphery, Lightstone has already made its money back, Rodriguez said.
"They are a big real estate group, so they are there to make money," he said. "Anything they can get out of operating the mall at this point is profit."
But a potential sale could also mean the end of business for about 150 retailers that call Artegon home.
Misty Wheeler-Belin and her Florida Soap Co. business opened at Artegon's debut in November 2014.
"I always knew there was a possibility it would sell when I started," Wheeler-Belin said. "We're owned by a real estate company and this is a business."
Before opening at Artegon, Wheeler-Belin was making her soap at home and selling it at local events. She now operates one of the largest "artisan" shops at the shopping center.
"The price to put a store in another mall was just too much when we started," she said.
Florida Soap Co. recently partnered with Lightstone to put a shop in Manhattan, she said.
Still, she doesn't think Artegon will sell.
"This place has invested in the artisan vendors here and spent millions on marketing," she said. "I think they are just putting it out there to see if there is a price they can't walk away from."
firstname.lastname@example.org or 407-420-5664; Twitter, @kylelarnold


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ALOR GAJAH: “I’ll probably visit my friends at the dorms. That’s what I’ll do to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri on campus this year.”
Petrol stations, eateries, convenience stores can open until midnight, says Hisham
KUALA LUMPUR: Petrol stations, eateries and convenience stores will soon be allowed to operate from 6am to 12am, said Senior Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
On or in campus?
We could hit 5,000 daily cases after Hari Raya, warns Ismail SabriSenior minister for security Ismail Sabri Yaakob fears lack of compliance to the SOPs by the public will put Malaysia in the same predicament as India. FMTNews Covid19 Apa susah PKP je le.. Itu kan strategi kome dari dulu.. Kes naik= PKP Shithole government. I thought darurat was to bring down the case. Don't know what to do, step down! PNipu KerajaanGagal ..ismail sabri hopeless. Again and again putting the blame on public seems to be this Governments policy in justifying the increase of new covid cases..
Malaysia's Most Engaging Raya VideoHere’s a round-up of some of the best 2021 Raya commercials. Visit to watch them all now and don’t forget to vote for your favourite videos to win our exclusive merchandise!
Vote for your favourite Raya videoKUALA LUMPUR: The Hari Raya season is upon us and though Malaysians are unable to uphold our annual traditions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we can look forward to the annual showreel of festive commercials. Sudahkah iestatiptra undi?
Kertas siasatan Neelofa diserah kepada Timbalan Pendakwa RayaKertas siasatan melibatkan selebriti popular, Noor Neelofa Mohd. Noor atau Neelofa dan suaminya, Muhammad Haris yang didakwa melanggar prosedur operasi standard (SOP) dengan merentas negeri ke Pusat Perniagaan Nilai 3, Nilai di sini sudah pun diserahkan…
Woman offers free rendang to singletons stuck in the city for RayaRafiqah Parok plans to send rendang, lemang to those spending festive season on their own due to travel bans.


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BENGALURU : German auto component maker Bosch would invest Rs 1,700 crore in India over the next three years, a top official said on Wednesday.
"To meet the rising demand in the Indian market and expand its strong role in our global network, we will invest Rs 1,700 crore over the next three years," Bosch Group Chairman and Chief Executive Volkmar Denner told reporters here.
A major part of the fresh investment will be used to expand the company's smart campus in this tech hub and modernise its manufacturing facilities in the Indian sub-continent.
Bosch has 18 manufacturing sites and seven development and application centres across the country with 31,000 employees, including 18,000 research and development (R&D) associates.
Of the group's consolidated revenue of Rs 19,204 crore, Rs 13,790 crore was generated by the third party, while its flagship company (Bosch Ltd) contributed Rs 10,842 crore in calendar year 2017.
"We will integrate our mobility services and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in India, as we are committed to address its transition to Bharat Standard-VI (BS-VI) from BS-IV by 2020," said Denner on the occasion.


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Blog: CAGE blog: Danone sees easing of input price pressure
Michelle Russell | 21 March 2012
With 2011 proving a tough year for manufacturers battling ever increasing commodity prices, Danone has told analysts it is likely to see some relief for the group in 2012.
Speaking at the Consumer Analyst Group of Europe conference in London yesterday (21 March), Danone's co-chief operating officer Emmanuel Faber told investors and analysts that it faced "significant" commodity headwinds last year, despite having "fought" and "resisted" against them.
Faber said Danone achieved EUR258m in savings from a "very strong" productivity programme last year and it will look to do the same again this year to absorb input inflation.
However, Faber said sugar prices remain "significantly higher" than a year ago, it sees more or less stable market prices for inputs.
"[Input prices] have grown in the second half but are not at the same level overall, which means that we should have less input price inflation this year. Last year it was about 10% last year, it will be mid-single this year," Faber said.
"Sugar is still significantly higher than a year ago, and milk, which is our biggest input overall, we are going to have inflation in first half of year, but we expect we should be neutral at least on the second half, which means there won't be price increases this year compared to what happened last year. Most of the ones needed were passed last year."
After a year in which commodity prices soared, many manufacturers expected costs to ease in 2012.
However, the issue remains a fierce subject of debate within the industry, with raw material prices, in many cases, not falling to the extent that some had hoped.
Indeed, CAGE heard from two key food ingredient suppliers, International Flavors and Fragrances and Givaudan, which said they were confident they could push through price increases to their customers this year.
In the face of continued low consumer confidence and some embattled major retail customers (Tesco and Carrefour being two examples), food manufacturers were hoping an easing in commodity costs would help boost margins.
Danone may be sanguine about commodity cost pressure this year but, elsewhere in the sector, others remained concerned.
The BBC turned to just-food today for insight on the price dispute between Tesco and Unilever....
Just weeks after buying UK turkey processor Bernard Matthews from administration, food tycoon Ranjit Boparan has struck a similar deal....
- Price an underlying tension across European FMCG
- Interview: UK trade body on Brexit's policy impact
- Danone's Q3 sales - what the analysts say
- Interview: UK trade body on the impact of Brexit
- It won't just be Unilever to push for Brexit hikes
- Nestle lowers outlook on "softer environment"
- Bel takes majority stake in MOM Group
- Mars launches Maltesers in the US
- Abbott sees international nutrition sales fall
- Online snack seller Graze makes US retail debut
- The Big 15: Strategies and Priorities of Top Packaged Food Players in Comparison
- Omega-3 in Food and Beverage:Time for a Reboot?
- Global Food Packaging: Innovating for Greater Convenience and Quality Image
- Packaged Food: Quarterly Statement Q3 2016
- Constellation Brands, Inc. (STZ) - Financial and Strategic SWOT Analysis Review


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I once heard a prominent member of the cannabis industry state that unless you have insurance and a bank account, than you aren’t a real business. Getting insurance is not always easy in the cannabis industry, but there are numerous companies that will provide insurance to marijuana businesses. Banking on the other hand is something that has proven difficult for the cannabis industry. Despite federal guidelines that were meant to clarify banking and the cannabis industry, many businesses are still waiting for a bank that is willing to work with them. Native American reservations may even look to be an option for dispensaries needing to bank.
Even banks that want to work with the cannabis industry avoid cannabis businesses out of fear of the federal government. Case in point is Mbank. Per Marijuana Business Daily:
MBank, the Oregon-based financial institution that recently announced it would begin serving Colorado marijuana companies, changed its mind and announced on Monday that it doesn’t have the resources necessary to handle demand.
Jef Baker, the bank’s chief executive officer, said inquiries for service had been “overwhelming,” and consequently the bank decided to cancel its plans to operate in Colorado because it’s simply too far from its headquarters, according to the Denver Post.
“Colorado is the farthest from our market area and the most difficult to provide the quality customer service to,” Baker said.
While the bank maintains that this is purely a customer service related move, there have been many rumors that the federal government stepped in and made it clear that there were not going to allow a bank to work with so many different states. There’s no way to know for sure, but it’s odd to say the least that the bank went from all in on working with Colorado businesses to refusing to work with any of them. The cannabis industry needs comprehensive banking reform at the federal level if it’s ever going to reach it’s full potential.


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With the launch of the Focus RS imminent, one of the next projects from Ford Performance might be a matching RS version of the subcompact Fiesta. A report suggests the tiny hot hatch could offer around 250 horsepower and all-wheel drive.
Kia is teasing what looks to be a concept version of its Soul with e-AWD ahead its Chicago Auto Show debut. The pumped-up take on the hatchback gets an electric all-wheel drive system and slightly more rugged styling.
With its quirky design, the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo doesn't seem like the most-loved model in the BMW lineup. However, sales in the US and China have reportedly been strong enough to warrant a successor based on the next-gen 5 Series platform, likely in 2016.
Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Steve Cannon tells Automotive News that there is more to come from the Maybach sub-brand, suggesting the E-Class could get a piece of the superluxury trim. The company is also considering bringing the next-generation A-Class to the States.
Ford's new video teaser for the upcoming Focus RS shows some of the test cars doing some big slides in the wet and dry. The clip also announces that the Blue Oval's latest hot hatch is being unveiled on February 3.
Smart Fortwo equipped with the 71-horsepower naturally aspirated engine can now be ordered (in Germany anyway) with a six-speed Twinamic dual-clutch transmission, cutting the better part of a second off the 0-60 time but returning no better fuel economy or emissions numbers.
Hyundai has a slight revision ready for the Veloster in its South Korean home market. Along with some interior and exterior styling tweaks, the biggest change is a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox for the Turbo model.
Lexus will run a 30-second spot for the NX during this year's Super Bowl, while BMW announces it will be showcasing the i3 in a 60-second spot. Four other carmakers have announced plans to join the party, down from 11 carmakers who advertised during last year's event.
European workers who need to get small packages through narrow streets may want to check out the new Opel Corsavan, the commercial version of GM's recently updated Euro-market hatchback, introduced at the 2015 Brussels Motor Show in Belgium.
The Ford Focus ST Diesel promises hot hatch performance with better fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions to European customers. But does it? Ford has staged a skewed, one-lap battle around the Castle Combe Circuit with the diesel- and gasoline-fueled versions of the ST to find out.
Alastair Moffatt has twice held the record twice for the tightest parallel parking job, his reign broken twice by Han Yue, who did it last time in November 2014. Moffatt couldn't let that stand, so he provisionally broke it again in a Fiat 500C at the recent Autosport International Show in Birmingham.
After dominating the World Rally Championship two years running, Volkswagen is out to defend its titles with the new Polo R WRC you see here – unveiled in Wolfsburg and set to tackle the Rally Monte Carlo.


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The web-to-print (W2P) revolution – for industry analysts predict that such it will be – has been a longer time coming to the UK than other parts of the world. Last year’s The Industry Measure research into the uptake of W2P services found most of the industry’s early adopters had already adopted, but just 6% of printers were intending to invest in W2P systems in 2008 – and of that 6%, only 8% saw it as a key business opportunity. Contradicting that, however, a Canon-commissioned InfoTrends study published in Q4 of last year put the level of growth in W2P at a staggering 68% in the next five years. According to this later study, only 20% of UK printers already have a W2P solution, and this will double to 40% by 2014. “Web-to-print is no longer a phenomenon restricted to digital printers,” remarks Canon’s head of professional imaging, Ben Milford. “Litho printers are also beginning to understand the benefits of reduced administration burden and automated workflows.”
Some suppliers to the UK W2P market maintain that UK printers are taking a deliberately downbeat attitude to promoting their W2P investments, and that there are more W2P systems out there than are known about. “We have more than 1,700 systems installed worldwide, and about 10% of those are in the UK,” says Transeo Media’s product manager Neil Bather, “but only the tip of the iceberg is ever known about in the industry because, at least for now, a W2P system represents a strong commercial advantage, and printers don’t want their rivals to know they have it.”
Which is dismaying for the industry because, as The Industry Measure senior analyst Heidi Tolliver-Nigro says, “it’s important to a developing industry that potential technology users see plenty of successful role models – without those, adoption will be slow”. Interestingly, Bather says that one W2P installation often leads to a cluster of enquiries from rival printers, “who are worried about losing sales to the printer who does have the system, and want to get on board”.
Currently, there are two main models of use for W2P systems: what could be termed ‘closed-loop’ and ‘virtual storefront’. In a closed-loop implementation, a W2P system is used to set up customer-specific micro-sites, that are often branded to the customer’s own visual identity, via which the customer can either order stock call-offs or specify print. By contrast, in a virtual storefront environment a W2P system is open to orders from any customer, including new customers who may not even be businesses but private individuals.
Pretty much all of the W2P systems currently on the market can be used in either or both ways, and both are capable of generating plenty of extra revenue without leaching from existing workstreams. A virtual storefront, properly advertised and pushed up the Google results listings, can pull in business from all over the UK and further afield from entirely new customers who are often attracted by the convenience factor of being able to order print on the web “just like they can order books from Amazon”, says A Local Printer’s managing director Ray Burn. The firm’s self-developed W2P system now generates around £800,000 of extra income each year, “from customers who know nothing about print and don’t want to know anything about print”.
Sealing the deal
The closed-loop system, on the other hand, generates extra revenue by attracting greater levels of work from existing customers, placed “because the ordering process is made easy by the W2P front-end”, says Transeo’s Bather. “We have one user who thought he had all of a big company’s print, but when they switched that customer over to online ordering, they got a big shock because suddenly they were pulling in loads more.” New customers, too, are increasingly beginning to specify an online ordering capacity from their printers; sometimes sales can be made on the basis of having the facility. One South Shields-based printer recently approached one of the big unions and, after a demonstration of their new W2P system, collected a contract for £2m.
In this patchwork way, the UK print industry is moving into wider-scale adoption of W2P, and as it does so the impact on its salesforce is high. But maybe not in the direction that many printers might have expected. As A Local Printer’s experience shows, new business generated by a website is often additional rather than replacement work, and crucially what it can do is to free up sales staff “to have different kinds of conversations with customers”, says Bremy UK’s sales director Colin Sarling. “Plenty of print industry sales staff are in reality just glorified order-takers – they build a relationship with a customer but then just go to see them to take the details of their next order. If you have a W2P front-end scooping up all that kind of work, what you suddenly get is a sales force that’s free to actually sell and develop new business.”
In any case, says Nick Bourne, managing director of MIS developer Imprint, customers still prefer to meet face to face – particularly when you’re talking complex print solutions. “Web-to-print is about order-placement, not about developing relationships in any other sense than simple basics. Once you have salespeople selling more sophisticated print you need a good personal relationship to develop trust and win orders.” Bourne, whose W2P module WebDesk is integrated to the overall Imprint MIS, believes that total automation is “where the possible people savings lie – but it’s much more likely that administration costs, rather than increase, will remain static because the whole administration burden can be automated”.
Bremy’s Sarling reckons that the average W2P solution is more likely to replace administrators than salespeople. “It’s all about business flow automation. Orders from a W2P front-end can be configured so they simply drop into the queue with a job ticket, get printed and delivered, and then the MIS is automatically triggered to send an invoice – you can immediately see that if there are casualties in implementing W2P, they’re more likely to be back-office guys than sales people.”
But if the experience of one West Midlands printer is typical, all it takes is a little creative thinking to avoid redundancies: this printer, 18 months into full implementation of its W2P system, found that the stockholding side of its business was growing “while our bought ledger clerk was sitting around twiddling her thumbs”, according to the MD. “She was happy to retrain, so we made her warehouse manager and now she runs our materials planning side as well.”
With dropping margins, rising equipment prices and overcapacity, the key to survival in a tough market, Sarling believes, is ultimately in printers’ recognition that “at the moment they’re managing customers’ print, but they need to be managing customers’ data”. He believes that a W2P front-end is only the thin end of a very positive wedge: “There are all kinds of services that printers could be adding to their basic proposition, which take the data from the customer and repurpose it to whatever media channel – brochure, email, point-of-sale work. In theory, as long as those jobs can be templated, they can be ordered via a W2P system – which should more properly be called a web-to-fulfilment system, in that case.”
CASE STUDY: PROCO
The Sheffield-based commercial printer got its first W2P system four years ago, but switched last year to PressSense iWay: “We learned first how not to do it, and now we’re putting that to good use,” says managing director Jon Bailey. ProCo runs its system in a closed-loop configuration, selling general marketing communications print to existing customers and enabling them to call off stock from its warehousing facility; the system feeds to both platesetters for conventional litho print, and to the company’s raft of HP digital presses.
Now the W2P system is up to cruising speed, Bailey is free to quantify the benefits: “It has pulled in more work from existing customers,” he says, “but to us the great plus is that it takes away all the little time-consuming tasks like chasing artwork and placing the order – so we get to focus on building the relationships behind the orders.”
Bailey says (“fingers crossed”) implementation hasn’t meant shedding staff. “Instead, we’ve had to recruit people to sit and run the dashboard like an accounts manager, and we’ve also had to take people on to make sure the jobs all fit in our workflow.” He is committed, he says, to using the W2P system, “maybe more like a customer relationship aid than an order processing system – it means our sales people are free to ring up and chat and make the customers feel special. Without that, no W2P system in the world is going to keep our business ticking over.”
Read the original article at www.printweek.com.
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Bredenoord names new rental boss
21 March 2017
Netherlands-based temporary energy provider Bredenoord has appointed Toon Bruining as its new rental manager.
Starting 1 April, Mr Bruining will replace Jeroen Dekker who, after three years of managing the rental division, will now lead the business unit solutions. Bredenoord said Mr Bruining would strengthen the management team at the company.
It said Mr Bruining’s initial focus would be the optimisation and expansion of the current depot structure.
His objective will be to continuously guarantee its customers fast delivery and reliable mobile energy. He previously worked as managing director, Americas regions, at InterBulk Group – an intermodal logistics solutions company to the chemical, polymer, food and mineral industries.
Jaap Fluit, general manager, said, “We sincerely welcome Toon at Bredenoord. With his proven track record in change management in different management positions, he is a valuable addition to our management team. I am looking forward to a successful collaboration.”


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HA NOI — Police in Ha Noi have prosecuted four top managers of Muaban24 Online Trade and Training Company for using computers, telecommunications networks and the internet and digital devices for fraudulent activity.
Police arrested company chairman Ngo Van Huy, 39, vice chairman cum deputy general director Le Van Cuong, 37, and technical department head Nguyen Manh Ha, 32. Police are searching for the company's general director, Nguyen Tuan Minh.
Established last year, the company set up a Muaban24 network with 120,000 online shops in more than 30 provinces and cities. Muaban24 invited people to join its online market at the website www.muaban24.com at a cost of VND5.2 million (US$249) per person.
Each member would be given a place to sell and buy goods at favourable prices. Members could also earn VND1.5 million ($72) for recruiting a new member to the market.
However, the website has never focused on trading and instead focused on expanding its customer networks. With the multi-level model, senior members were promised hundreds of millions dong in monthly income.
So far, the company has collected more than VND600 billion ($28.8 million) invested by tens of thousands of members.
Police in the northern province of Hung Yen have prosecuted the provincial branch of the company.
Tran Huu Linh, director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's E-Commerce Department, said at a conference on Monday that the ministry had refused to grant a licence to the company last August due to irregularities in company paperwork.
However, the company continued to operate illegally.
Linh said that a new e-commerce decree was needed to replace the old one from 2006 to stop this type of e-commerce operation.
He said the ministry was completing a draft decree and would submit it to the Government for approval. — VNS


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Crickets, locusts and mealworms could be on Swiss menus and supermarket shelves next year, after being given the green light by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office.
However, the range of insects on offer is currently limited to these three species because of protein allergies and production conditions.
A consultation period on commercialising the consumption of insects runs until October.
At present, a permit is required to serve up insects, as has already been done at museum nights or at a buffet in parliament last year where instead of salmon canapés and bread sticks, politicians were served mealworm hamburgers, cricket rissoles and grasshopper mousse. Feedback was by and large positive.
The authorisation of insects as food is part of a comprehensive revision of the Swiss food law.
Last summer parliament agreed a change to the law which involved on the one hand better declaration of raw materials and on the other harmonisation with EU law.
On Monday the Food Safety and Veterinary Office announced a paradigm shift: all food should be allowed which is safe and corresponds to the law.
Until now it was the other way around: all food that was not explicitly mentioned in the law needed a permit. For example, a milk fat product that doesn’t contain enough milk to be turned into butter will in future no longer need a permit – although it still won’t be able to be sold as butter.
Breeding of insects for human consumption already has the backing of the United Nations. In 2013, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization issued a 200-page report assessing insects’ uses as food for humans and livestock.
According to the report, “it is widely accepted that by 2050 the world will host nine billion people. To accommodate this number, current food production will need to almost double”.
The UN believes bugs should be exploited as a major future food source. Although many people may react to the idea with disgust, insects make up a part of the traditional diets of about a billion people, the report estimates.
More than 1,000 species of insects are known to be eaten in 80% of the world’s nations. Studies show that insects contain significantly less saturated fats than edible animal meat. They also contain comparatively more protein than meat when it comes to size.
In compliance with the JTI standards


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Crypto proponent and CEO of Galaxy Digital, Mike Novogratz, commented on the fiasco between two trade members – Digital Foreign money Group (DCG) and Gemini – and the way it will have an effect on the whole market.
The American investor famous that though the problem “isn’t excellent news” for the trade, it gained’t contain huge promoting that can have an effect on crypto costs because it performs out over the subsequent quarter.
The DCG-Gemini Fiasco
Recall that the DCG debacle began within the wake of FTX’s insolvency in November 2022. Shortly after FTX filed for chapter, Genesis halted customers’ withdrawal, citing “excessive market dislocation and lack of trade confidence brought on by the FTX implosion.”
The liquidity crunch additionally brought about Genesis’ enterprise companion Gemini to halt withdrawals from its lending platform. In response to studies, Genesis owes Gemini Earn’s customers over $900 million. Since then, issues have been piling up for Genesis and its mum or dad firm, DCG.
Earlier this week, Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss wrote an open letter to the board of DCG, demanding its CEO Barry Silbert’s instant removing for deceptive statements about Genesis’s monetary standing.
Crypto Is in a Transition Interval: Novogratz
Like many different crypto proponents, the Galaxy Digital CEO believes the bear market affords the trade a possibility to heal and rebuild.
In response to him, crypto and development shares skilled a “grand washout” final 12 months, and a number of companies have been hampered, resulting in income shrinks.
Novogratz defined that the crypto market is neither in a superb nor dangerous place as it’s dealing with a number of experiences that haven’t been earlier than. Consequently, entities and people should reduce prices to outlive the interval.
Corporations Chopping Jobs Doing the Proper Factor
For the reason that crypto crash in April, crypto firms have laid off 1000’s of staff to remain afloat. The job reduce pattern has continued into the brand new 12 months, with companies like Coinbase going right into a second spherical of layoffs.
Whereas referring to Coinbase’s choice to slash its workforce once more, Novogratz opined that the CEOs of companies which have made such a transfer are doing the best factor.
“2022 was a grand washout for development shares and for crypto and so something related to it…received hampered as most of the crypto shares did. I believe CEOs Brian at Coinbase and any rational CEOs are doing the best factor,” Novogratz mentioned.
Novogratz famous that 2023 can be a 12 months of survival and upturn because the market heals.
“The outlook for crypto just isn’t horrible but it surely’s not nice. We’ve received regulatory headwinds we didn’t have earlier than, we’ve received time to heal and rebuild the narrative and so individuals are gonna reduce prices and survive this transition interval,” he acknowledged.


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How govt is strengthening MSME sector to make India USD 5 trillion economy
The government has launched the Champion portal which will provide all solutions at one place, and we will further promote the portal to make MSMEs more competitive.
Micro, small and medium enterprises are among the most important pillars of India's economy and the government is working to make the sector stronger and more developed, Minister of State for MSME Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma recently said.
Addressing FICCI's Annual MSME Summit, the minister urged the industry and other stakeholders to work with the government to make India a USD 5 trillion economy along with becoming self-reliant.
He said there are 6.3 crore Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country which are providing 11 crore jobs.
Ridhima Kansal, Director, Rosemoore, said, "MSME plays a critical role across numerous segments such as retail, technology, fashion & apparel, food, agribusiness, interiors & home décor, tourism, and much more. The segment has shown tremendous resilience in the face of the recent pandemic and has been instrumental in expediting the process of economic recovery."
"However, despite being an instrumental cog in the wheels of economic growth and nation-building, the interest of MSMEs has largely been ignored in the country. The segments suffer from institutional support to innovate which affects their overall productivity. Likewise, there is a limited impetus to upgrade and upskill, which further affects business growth," she added.
MSMEs contribute around 30 per cent to our GDP and have a share of 50 per cent of the income generated from total exports.
Challenges ahead for MSME sector
Ridhima Kansal opined that the biggest challenge is the lack of credit funding. Only 16% of the MSMEs get access to credit support and they have to mostly rely on personal resources and soft funding from friends and families. Hence, it is important for the government in India to take concentrated steps to support the Indian MSME sector through prudent credit policies. In this direction, governing agencies, financial institutions and banking enterprises will have to work together to help MSMEs with their credit and working capital requirements.
Likewise, the government in partnership with accelerator programs and educational institutes should work toward providing MSMEs with better training on modern marketing and technology support. This will also help in their value chain optimization and enhancement of efficiency.
Expectations ahead of Budget 2023-24
Kumar Saurav, Global Mobile Business Head, AdCounty Media Pvt. Ltd, said, "The primary expectation of the MSME Budget of 2023-24 is to get enhanced access to working capital. However, the Indian government is already looking forward to initiatives like restructuring the Credit Guarantee Scheme and full-fledged integration of Udyam, e-Shram, and National Career Service and ASEEM portals. It has also extended the non-tax benefits for MSMEs for up to 3 years. Alongside this, education in leveraging marketing and technology is pivotal for the growth of MSMEs and indispensable to making India self-reliant."
He further noted that the MSMEs are not only the highest job creators but also the highest taxpayers in the country. However, these small companies, which operate with the sentiment of survival, often face hardships when their working capital becomes stifled due to delayed payments and obstacles in the supply chain.
Accelerating the flow of credit to small enterprises is essential for India to achieve its $5 trillion economy dream by 2025 as the MSME sector has been a significant driver in the country’s rise as the world’s fifth largest economy, suggests KPMG November 2022 report on non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and housing finance companies (HFCs). The report also noted that although the economic losses to the MSME sector from the Covid pandemic were huge, it has been recovering well on the back of solid policy initiatives from the government. The MSME loan market has risen from Rs 31 lakh crore in March 2020 to Rs 36.4 lakh crore as of June 2022, with 88 per cent of registered borrowers hailing from the micro-segment, 10 per cent from the small segment, and only 2 per cent from the medium segment, the report showed.
How govt is strengthening the sector
The government is taking continuous steps to strengthen Indian MSMEs and PMEGP (Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme), launched last financial year. Under this scheme in the year 2021-22, a total of 1.03 lakh new units have been set up in the manufacturing and services sector.
The government is working to ensure that by taking advantage of the full potential of the MSMEs, their contribution to the Indian economy should be doubled.
The MSME ministry is setting up various technology centres across the country to support and strengthen the existing and new MSMEs.
Apart from this, the government is also working with other organisations to help the MSMEs under the 'ZED' certification scheme (providing technology upgradation and quality certification), ASPIRE scheme to promote quality and innovation, Design Clinic, etc.
The government has also launched the Champion portal which will provide all solutions at one place, and we will further promote the portal to make MSMEs more competitive.
The government is also working with the state governments to formulate a coordinated response to the issues faced by the MSMEs, under the 'Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance' (RAMP). Self Reliant India Fund, launched in 2020, has provided growth capital worth Rs 2,335 crore to 125 micro, small and medium enterprises till date.
Other keen awaited initiatives include setting up of technology centres, management information system, formulation of national MSME Policy, addressing quality issues through ZED certification and payment issues of MSMEs. The government has extended non-tax benefits for 3 years in case of an upgradation in the classification of MSME.
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