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A family business thrives helping customers enjoy the outdoors together.Watch video
Grand Junction, CO
This recipe for success may not be traditional, but it’s working out well for the Johnson family. Inspiration for their small business came in the form of a family camping trip, some unseasoned hamburgers, and a side of disorganization.
“It’s really funny how we came up with the idea,” said Ron Johnson, owner of Tailgate N Go. “I went camping with my daughter and my son. My daughter says, ‘I’ll bring everything.’ We start making hamburgers, and she forgot a spatula, she forgot the salt …”
Ron noticed the campers cooking next to them were loaded with bags and boxes. Everything was a mess. He went home that weekend inspired to devise a better way.
A year and half later, the Johnson’s business was born. Their flagship product is the Tailgate N Go, a portable, modular outdoor kitchen and dry box that you can take anywhere. They also sell accessories, including grills, griddles and collapsible sinks.
Ron runs the family business with his daughter Taylor, 27, and son Kobe, 18. Kobe, who is deaf, helps show the products and handles marketing. Taylor is responsible for day-to-day operations, including handling payments.
“We have a blast doing it,” Ron said.
They recently made a serious upgrade — from the past to the future — by trading paper invoices for Vital® point of sale. Getting Vital was a “huge relief for us,” Taylor said.
Getting up to speed was easy, she said. Taylor learned how to use the Vital Mobile card reader in five minutes. Being able to take credit card payments quickly and securely, instead of writing down orders, has been an important step for a growing, modern business.
“We sell a premium product. We see a lot of credit cards, and a lot of Discover cards,” she said.
Vital Mobile® has been especially beneficial when it comes to selling their products at events, Ron added. No more watching the line back up while they search for paper and pens to record transactions.
“Our last show, we went to Flagstaff, and we had Vital Mobile. It makes you just totally at ease because right then, the person comes up, we slide the card … the transaction is done. I think we sold double because we were quick,” Ron said.
They also weren’t waiting long for funds — another game changer for a small business.
“When you’re starting your business, you’re watching every dollar that you bring in,” Ron said. “Using Vital Mobile was just so easy and so simple.”
The Johnson family has come a long way since that evening eating hamburgers at the campground. They were even featured on the hit show “Shark Tank” and scored a deal with shark Matt Higgins, vice chairman of the Miami Dolphins.
Thanks to their dedicated family, an innovative product, and helpful tools like Vital POS, Tailgate N Go is growing every day. But the business has always been — and always will be — about much more than earning big money.
“At the end of the day, the best thing about inventing the Tailgate N Go is bringing families together in the outdoors,” Ron said.


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Airbnb CMO on using ‘uncomfortable truths’ to power campaigns
Humanity, creativity and diversity are words Airbnb CMO Jonathan Mildenhall uses a lot, but "uncomfortable truth" is his phrase of the moment.
Mildenhall has spent a lifetime confronting uncomfortable truths, and it holds him in good stead as he runs the marketing at a company with an in-built suspicion of the subject. "I often describe myself as the chief dirty word officer", he laughs.
The company’s first global campaign, "Never a stranger", last year addressed the "uncomfortable truth of our business". Mildenhall explains, "If you said to somebody you were staying with Airbnb, they’d say: ‘Why would you stay with strangers?’" They'll say it less often now, after the campaign generated massive brand awareness and a surge in bookings.
This year’s uncomfortable truth is how "modern travel is sick", Mildenhall says. "Why would people want to be shepherded around when they can hang out in local neighbourhoods with locals? The campaign says ‘Live there’, anywhere around the world, even if just for a night. That’s what a younger millennial audience wants."
Coke’s marketing director on why a good marketer is a good caretaker
Coca-Cola has just replaced Coke Zero with Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, which has a formulation that tastes more like classic Coke and packaging that looks more like that of the flagship product.
Bobby Brittain, marketing director at Coca-Cola Great Britain, says this is motivated by keeping the main brand as strong as possible. "We’ve been around for 130 years; the stewardship of this brand dictates that we all leave it in better shape than we found it. That is our internal objective and everything we do is designed to improve the legacy, the overall standing of the trademark.
"Innovation – not just in terms of product and packaging, but also things like the ways we derive insights from consumers – that’s a critical enabler of the brand’s overall standing."
Sponsoring the Premier League isn’t just about football, says Carling brand boss
Carling’s return to the Premier League, this time as its official beer partner, is not just about scoring more sales with football fans, said brand director Jim Shearer – it’s about being at the heart of the national conversation.
"In a way we’ve never been away from football," he said. "Football and beer are absolutely a common language – Carling has a desire to be part of that and the stories that flow from it.
"But the main thing for us is that we can use that association to create a conversation. It’s about the chance to be a part of the most prevalent conversation in this country." Research in 2015 by Populus found that 44% of UK adults were interested in football, while 35% actively followed the Premier League.
"We’re a sociable brand that’s about broad friendship groups – it’s not necessarily about going to watch the game itself," he added. "The kind of attitude that we want to adopt is one of entertainment rather than pure football content."
Why Halfords got in touch with its emotions
Halfords had a problem: people knew its brand and had an idea of at least some of the things it offered, but didn’t have a clear sense of its identity, or any emotional attachment to it. This is what marketing director Karen Bellairs wanted to change with Halfords’ recent brand relaunch, which is built around the idea of journeys.
"Our marketing has been kind of schizophrenic in terms of look and feel over the years – we haven’t had this kind of brand platform before," she said. "With that comes consistency, creative glue, the right look and feel. This is a big step change for us.
"We’ve learnt that consumers really know Halfords, but when we go a bit deeper, we start to see that they don’t really know why the brand exists, the part it plays in their lives. Our marketing spend has been very driven by price and promotions, and we’re trying to move that forward into really celebrating the brand.
"We learnt that we can be the difference between a good and a bad journey. Consumers’ time is really precious. People spend a lot of time on their journeys, whether that’s bikes or cars, and actually they really want to feel in control of that."
Why Hyundai scaled up for its Euro 2016 activation
Hyundai is a brand of significant scale – it recently sold its one millionth car in the UK – but it doesn’t yet have the level of recognition of larger, more established car brands, says marketing director David Pugh.
So in order to make the most of its sponsorship of Euro 2016, Hyundai set out to do something truly spectacular that visitors would never forget, and that would reverberate across social media: the FanDome, a 1000-capacity, 360 degree viewing experience at London’s King’s Cross.
"We think the event will stand out because it is truly unique – there’s never been anything like it before," said Pugh. "We think the experience inside the dome will be a truly memorable event in a way that conventional sponsorship activity probably won’t."
"It will have a life beyond the confines of King’s Cross through audience amplification – our hope is that everyone will share it with their friends and relatives through social media because they’ll never have seen anything like it before. And you’ll go home in absolutely no doubt about who was organising the experience you’ve just had."
Don’t pat yourself on the back too hard, says Barclaycard CMO
Barclaycard recently turned 50 – but despite the milestone, chief marketing officer Katherine Whitton was determined to avoid the common faux pas of brand birthdays.
"Often brands kind of get it wrong – anniversary comms tend to be a little bit self-congratulatory," she says. "In the UK landscape, 50 years isn’t actually that long – our parent company is 325 years old."

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BANGKOK – The Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM) and Thailand Post will be singing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the distribution of herbal medication containing cannabis to hospitals, in order to keep up with growing patient demand.
The DTAM’s Director General Marut Jirasetasiri revealed the department has authorized the distribution of medication containing cannabis to 25 hospitals in Thailand for some 2,000 patients. The medications are provided in Sook Saiyas and Tamlai Khao Phra Sumeru recipes, along with cannabis oil, by Dr. Decha.
The department is now working to expand the availability to more hospitals. It is now planning to sign a MOU with Thailand Post to become a logistic provider for cannabis-contained medication to appropriate hospitals.
The DTAM chief said the manufacturing capacity for medical cannabis products will meet the increasing demand, as Rajamangala University Of Technology Isan Sakhon Nakhon Campus, which is one of the authorized manufacturers, has received two lots of cannabis for production, while the production line at Kasetsat University Sakhon Nakhon Campus and National Farmers Federation have already started.
The department is confident in the safety of these medications. To increase confidence among patients and medical practitioners, the DTAM will be conducting research involving 1,000 patients receiving the various formulations of the medication. The research will help assess the efficacy of these medications.


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The flip phone we all have been waiting for is finally out and it’s as impressive as it could be. After waiting for a year, Moto has finally launched its much anticipated Moto Razr.
If you remember the golden era of Moto phones, we bet you loved one of the most iconic phones from the company, Motorola Razr V3. The flip phone that took the phone market by storm is now back with a revamped design.
When folded Moto Razr looks just like another ordinary flip phone, however, when you open it, that’s when you will find out how futuristic the phone really is. Even the launch invitation said, “You’re going to flip.”
Does it remind you of good old days and you want to know more about it? Well, here are the technical specifications if you are into it.
Moto Razr packs a 6.2-inch OLED panel, which is the primary display, and a 2.7-inch OLED secondary display. The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC coupled with 6GB RAM.
For photography, the phone is equipped with a 16MP primary sensor, can be used as a selfie camera, that comes with features like EIS and Night Vision mode and a 5MP secondary lens inside. Other features of the phone include Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C and a 2510 mAh battery. The phone is available in 128GB storage model only.
With a foldable display design, Moto Razr will compete against smartphones like Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei’s upcoming Mate X.
So, if all of this sounds interesting and you want to get your hands on it, the phone is at $1,500 in the US and a promise that it’s coming to India very soon.


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Send us news by text, start your message World News and your send photos and videos to 80360
Post your Halton news and views at our free World postboxes
IT is now easier than ever to share your news and views with us.
You can post your letters and tell us about your community events free by using our new World postboxes at three local supermarkets.
They are in Runcorn Asda’s 24-hour store opposite Halton Lea shopping centre, the Co-op in Granville Street beside the bus station and library and Morrisons in Greenoaks, near Widnes market.
Dee Samuel, Asda’s community life champion regularly raises money for local charities.
She said: “We are part of the the local community and more than happy to have the World postbox in our store.”
Richard Henderson, manager of the Co-op in Runcorn, said: “Our store had two re-fits last year and is now a focal point of the town. We have 13,000 customers a week and do home deliveries.”
Roy Potter, store manager of Morrisons, which has just had a £500,000 refurbishment, said: “We will put your postbox on our customer service desk so people can easily find it.”
The postboxes will be emptied regularly.
Comments are closed on this article.


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Jan. 3, 2014
As the calendar turns the page to 2014 — perhaps the year that digital signage becomes just "signage"? (OK, maybe not) — Digital Signage Today is taking a moment to look back at the year that was.
To get a feel for the year, we asked a handful of industry insiders to weigh in on one simple question: What was the biggest digital signage news story or trend in 2013?
Their wide-ranging answers appear below (and be sure to tune in next week to read 2014 predictions from many of these same sources):
Alan C. Brawn, Principal, Brawn Consulting
To select one top story is to ignore so many, but the biggest outstanding issues were from a business perspective. One constant point of discussion was how to measure the impact of digital signage on the viewer: the whole issue of analytics to "prove" the value of the content being shown not just in ROI but also in ROO.
The second business issue was about accurate research into the market and both characterizing and quantifying the segments: Who does what, and how much do they do as part of the whole? This is tough with so many privately held companies involved and the fact that end-users tend to keep their successes and failures to themselves. We often hear the 20-percent growth number, but this begs the question of where did that number come from and is it pervasive or does it only illustrate a certain segment like retail? Lots of questions with few answers, at least so far.
Lyle Bunn, BUNN Co.
Digital signage became more tightly woven into the tapestry that is communications devices. In particular, its role as "owned" media in the paid-owned-earned media model became paramount as, for example, restaurants installed digital menu boards, banks advanced in-branch messaging and brands used signage for retail promotion.
"Analytics" became an even bigger elephant in the digital signage room. All media investment is based on return on investment, even when those "soft" benefits are described as return on objectives. All funding decisions are benefits based. So as digital signage is measured against other possible communications investments, impact measures such as recall, action intent and measurable outcomes become more important, and, if not captured, an impediment to future funding.
"Context" enters into this impact assessment. The presentation of content (messaging) always has a context based on the location and mindset of the target audience. 2013 saw a heightened appreciation not just for content (as referenced in the DigitalSignageToday.com survey) but for using the inherent capabilities of dayparting and audience targeting to present contextual messages to achieve engagement.
Intel's announcement of its own Retail Client Manager solution raised the ire of content management solutions providers that have based their solution on Intel. As Android solutions hit the market in 2013, and the opportunity for broader-based technology infrastructure service in large markets such as retail have emerged, Intel, as a core technology engine for many operating applications, will no doubt equip and empower its substantial base of global resellers to offer digital signage as a MARTECH application that draws from back office systems and supports revenue achievement.
The enthusiastic entry of sign and digital graphics providers as a channel of digital signage supply to end-users is a win all the way around. These suppliers understand sign communications, can produce content and have excellent customer relations, while also knowing where the budgets reside, so 2013 was a banner year for the digital signage industry's growth in the number of resellers, which will continue.
Jeff Collard, President, Omnivex
Displays continued to get bigger and bezels smaller in 2013. Many installations had to go through upgrades last year as old displays and PCs reached the limits of their capabilities. New displays provided bigger screens, many with integrated touch capabilities. Windows XP was in its last full year of extended support, forcing many users to replace their old Pentium based hardware.
This gave many operators a chance to review their requirements with a sharper focus on returns for their investment. The PC industry is providing much better hardware today, but higher screen resolutions quickly consume better graphics processing capabilities. Intel and AMD introduced much better processors in 2013 that will fuel better PCs in 2014. That will have a significant improvement in the quality of signage available to system operators. Digital signage has become a basic requirement for many businesses. Mobile devices had a much bigger impact on decisions in 2013, but most companies are still trying to define their mobile strategy with regards to digital signage.
Mahesh Hinduja, President, Digital Signage in Minutes provider doPublicity Digital Signage
2013 has been a pleasant surprise, especially considering the past couple years where small businesses were struggling to make ends meet and could not afford capital expenditures, whether it was for upgrading their infrastructure or implementing new technologies.
Our experience this year has shown that one of the largest growth segments is tiny-to-small businesses that are looking at increasing their visibility and sales. These businesses are typically owned by individuals with limited means and even less technical skills. Selling to this segment can get tricky, but if the right balance is met — it can be rewarding.
Keeping in mind this specific segment, the focus should be on delivering low-cost and extremely easy-to-use digital signage solutions that could be set up at less than half the prices what these business thought they would have to pay. In addition, providing content creating tools with ease of use has seen a substantial increase in helping such customers take the plunge into digital signage.
Nathan Remmes, Director of Business Development, NanoLumens
While 2012 was all about 3D capabilities, fear of economic shift and change kept most companies focused on their current technology rather than on innovation. With a bit more security in 2013, digital signage began to focus on the consumer rather than the display technology itself, opening toward greater interactivity and mobility.
It's no longer a question of who has the newest, shiniest technology, but more so of who is offering the best solution. 2013 also seems to be the end of the redundant and overused idea that "digital signage is the future," as markets and manufacturers embrace the mentality that the future is already here; digital signage is now.
Kevin Schroll, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Commercial Displays, Samsung Enterprise Business Division
This year saw an acceleration of the static-to-digital transition trend that we have been anticipating for several years. Notably, several leaders in the "traditional" signage market have added digital media solutions to their portfolios in 2013. FASTSIGNS is offering turnkey digital signage solutions to their network of more than 460 franchise locations nationwide, enabling a whole new set of customers to tap into the benefits of digital media. Separately, N. Glantz & Son, another key supplier in the signage market, joined our distributor network and further expands the availability of large-format displays for signage applications.
Delivering cost-effective, easy-to-deploy digital signage solutions to a broader swath of customers is key to the growth of the industry. We all know the engagement, time-saving and ROI benefits of digital signage, so being able to remove the barriers to entry and provide solutions tiered for organizations small or big has been a major focus this year and will continue into 2014.
Richard Ventura, Vice President of Product Marketing and Solutions, NEC Display Solutions of America Inc.
I think interactive technology in digital signage is what's finally starting to fully express itself in the industry. We've always talked about it with customers, and we've always gotten questions about where do we see interactive, and what's coming. But this last year it was amazing how much people were talking more and more about interactive — not even just in terms of touchscreens, they were asking about interactive with tablets, doing augmented reality, all kinds of different things. That seemed to be the "buzz" topic that everyone was looking at.
And then the other big thing was video walls. I think video walls really came into their own this last year. What we've seen is that so many more people are coming to the table and are asking for video walls and applications in which prior to last year they weren't really being used. For instance, they were being put more into classrooms than ever before; we're seeing new types of vertical markets using video walls — such as restaurants and retailers — as well as the traditional areas like airports and public spaces. Every day I'm seeing projects going out the door or coming to us specifically around video walls.
It's been really nice to see, because obviously for the industry video walls are a lot more profitable for resellers and integrators to sell than just a single screen. So it's definitely been the other big trend, and also toward the end of the year, we've actually seen a great deal of growth in requests around interactive video walls. Organizations have the interactive screens and the kiosks in their environment, and then they have the video walls in their environment, so they think why not tie it all together and have interactive video walls?
Tanya Williams, Business Development Manager, Australian digital signage integrator Prendi
Digital signage is in its infancy in Australia, so we are seeing a significant gap in the market between businesses that are starting to implement it in a very basic way through to the early adopters who understand the clear benefits of the technology and have already put significant investment and planning into digital signage and future rollouts.
General feedback in the Australian market is positive, and we find most brands want to use the technology — however the high initial investment has often been a factor in not implementing it in a more timely manner. As brands begin to understand the costs involved, they are building it into future budgets and also plan to take a phased approach over the next few years to implement into business operations.
This year has seen a shift from businesses using static signage in stores to implementing digital screens. A majority of this has been single screens, small video walls and some touchscreen activations. Changing the mindset of marketers to move from static to digital has been a process for digital signage companies and will continue until digital signage becomes seen as the norm and not an option.
The biggest adopters this year have been consumer-facing industries like restaurants and QSRs, retail stores, auto showrooms, clients at tradeshows and exhibitions, and the education and health care sectors.
Thomas Zerega, Founder and CEO, Magnetic 3D
The key takeaway this year for digital signage is scale. While there is still room for intense growth ahead, signs that the industry is achieving critical mass became clearer in 2013 than ever before.
Furthermore, digital signage has proven to be of incredible value in each of its verticals, so the ROI argument has been less about butting heads and more of a dynamic brainstorming conversation of how to solve brands' challenges.
As is the case with any new disruptive technology, there is always resistance, but the scales seem to have tipped in 2013, giving rise to a new digital frontier — and it appears that the decision-makers, once resistant to technological change (whether for their survival, or to stave off financial investment), are coming to their senses.
Digital signage is here to stay, and it's going to play an important role in supporting information, communication and marketing strategy. The economies of scale were at work in 2013, and the benefits of scale will play an important role in the growth of digital signage in 2014.
Learn more about digital signage trends.


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Robotic Vehicles Made With Printers in Mind
CHALFONT, PA—At its recent open house, FMC Corp. demonstrated that automatic-guided vehicles (AGVs) are now being designed with the printing industry in mind.
Technological advancements and streamlined, flexible designs are making AGVs more practical and more affordable for printing and publishing operations.
Major newspapers such as the New York Times, Washington Post and Miami Herald have been pioneers in the use of AGVs for several years. Due to the nature and size of their business, back-end automation is a necessity rather than luxury.
However, that is not usually the case in the printing industry, where businesses typically aren't the size of small cities and back-end operations take a backseat to front-end automation. The cost of these robotic material-handling systems was difficult for printers to justify. Until now.
FMC, along with IMC America (FMC's representative in the commercial printing industry), invited industry experts and representatives from printers—including R.R. Donnelley & Sons, Fry Communications, Quebecor Printing, Spencer Press and World Color Press—to witness firsthand how second-generation evolution has significantly reduced the cost of AGV technology.
Control systems are now available starting at about $250,000, and individual vehicles are priced between $50,000 and $65,000, nearly half the cost of first-generation systems that were introduced a decade ago.
Several new AGV products were introduced at the open house, including the laser-guided AGV2000, which is capable of unloading up to 15 tractor trailers per hour while scanning and recording bar codes.
FMC also introduced its new Layout Wizard software program, designed to put a facility's layout on CAD. With the program, users can perform the bulk of AGV layout on computer, providing greater flexibility, future expansion and reduced installation costs.
In layman's terms, the NAV30 wire-guided AGV follows a wire path in the floor, usually programmed in a straight or semi-straight narrow-aisle format. The laser-guided AGV2000 replaces the wire path with a "virtual" one, which is followed using lasers, targets and encoder feedback sensors, allowing the vehicle to move freely about a facility. By scanning strategically located sensor targets that provide feedback about the vehicle's location, the AGV is guided around obstacles such as walls, structural columns and machinery.
All movement is observed and controlled by the FMC host computer-control system within the plant, as well as at FMC's Chalfont headquarters, where a team of engineers can troubleshoot operations if and when necessary.
The host computer system also monitors input/output devices, which allow the AGV to open doors, stop at intersections and give right-of-way to oncoming AGVs that may cross its path.
With improvements that include easily changeable guidepaths, expandable off-the-shelf software (Windows NT platform), longer range and faster target sampling, improved target accuracy and improved laser reliability, AGV technology is opening the eyes of printers focusing on the future automation of their postpress operations.
Printers interested in the technology attended the function with that purpose in mind. Watching AGVs effortlessly loading, unloading and transporting reams of paper and pallets of other consumables, printing leaders were able to witness tomorrow's technology in use today.
And for those printers already employing that technology, like R.R. Donnelley—a multifacility AGV user—the robotics road to the future is presently being paved.


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These anglicisms now have equivalents in French
The Commission for the enrichment of the French language published Wednesday, January 25 in the Official Journal a dozen terms to avoid the Anglicisms used in the field of fashion and commerce.
English, which has become the international language, is gaining ground in France. The Commission for the enrichment of the French language has published in Official newspaper a dozen terms to avoid the Anglicisms used in various fields, such as fashion or commerce.
Among the French translations recommended for the first sector, we find “icon de la mode” for “it-boy” or “it-girl”, “iconic bag” for “it-bag” and “essai-achat” for “try before you buy it”.
In the field of commerce, which is also fond of Anglicisms, “shop-in-shop” becomes “boutique-space” and “click and mortar” translates to “physical and online”. Finally, the “digital native vertical brand” (DNVB) has the equivalence “integrated brand born online” (MINEL).
From a more general point of view, the English terms “corner”, “lifestyle” and “must have” correspond respectively to “promotional location”, “lifestyle” and “must have”.
facilitate Clear and accessible communication
According to the commission, the objective of this approach is to make “available to State services and economic players a French vocabulary adapted to the needs of clear communication and accessible to the greatest number”.
In 2021, 268 common language items were reviewed by nearly 400 experts before their adoption in the Official Journal, according to the last report of the Ministry of Culture published in 2022.


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On January 23, Procter & Gamble (PG) is expected to announce its results for the second quarter of fiscal 2019 (for the period ending December 31). Analysts expect Procter & Gamble’s financials to remain weak in the second quarter.
Analysts expect Procter & Gamble’s top line to remain soft and mark a YoY (year-over-year) decline. Negative currency rates will likely remain a drag. Increased competition in the value segment could continue to hurt the stock. Persistent challenges in the Middle East and Africa could continue to impact the top-line growth.
Procter & Gamble’s margins are expected to remain weak in the second quarter. Benefits from improved pricing and productivity savings will likely be offset by higher commodities and transportation costs and negative currency rates.
The bottom-line growth is expected to remain low. Sales and margin headwinds are projected to restrict the EPS growth rate. However, the lower effective tax rate and share repurchases will likely support the earnings rate.
Stock performance in 2019
As of January 11, Procter & Gamble stock has been roughly flat in 2019. In comparison, the S&P 500 Index has risen 3.6%. Colgate-Palmolive (CL), Church & Dwight (CHD), and Kimberly-Clark (KMB) shares have risen 4.3%, 2.1%, and 2.9%, respectively. Clorox (CLX) stock is trading weak. So far, Clorox stock has fallen 0.5% in 2019.


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Renault’s upcoming vehicle, the Captur was delayed in the Indian market for unknown reasons. Now the French manufacturer has started dispatching the new vehicle to the Renault dealerships across India. The car is now expected to be launched in the first half of November but the date has not been revealed yet.
Renault has also started taking official bookings for the Captur through their dealerships and through Renault’s official app on smartphones. The Captur will be placed above Duster in India and the vehicle will compete with the likes of Jeep Compass, Hyundai Creta and Mahindra XUV 500.
The Indian Captur is different from the European version. It is based on the same platform as the Duster and Renault sell the same vehicle in Russia has Kaptur. India is the second market where the car will be launched after Russia. Renault will also introduce a new “Platine” version of the vehicle in India. It gets some premium features like leather seats, projector headlamps, stylish chrome grille, new front bumper with stylish silver skid plate, and C-shaped LED daytime running lamps. There is also 17-inch alloy wheel and ‘ripple’ effect LED tail light.
Renault will only sell two variants of the vehicle in India and the company claims that there is no base variant of the vehicle. The Captur is powered by 1,5-litre diesel and petrol engines borrowed from the Duster. The petrol engine generates a maximum power of 105 Bhp and 142 Nm of peak torque while the turbocharged diesel variant produces a maximum of 108 Bhp and 248 Nm of peak torque. The petrol is mated to a 5-speed transmission while the diesel engine gets a 6-speed transmission. There is no automatic transmission option with the Captur as of now and Renault has also ruled out the possibility of adding an AMT to the vehicle as it is a premium vehicle.


text: News OPPO OPPO A9 2020 launched in Pakistan, A5 2020 to Follow Soon – With Hands-On By TPRO TEAM Posted on September 19, 2019 0 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on Reddit Share on Pinterest Share on Linkedin Share on Tumblr OPPO has launched the new OPPO A Series 2020 in Pakistan during an event in Lahore, with A9 2020 available later this month and A5 2020 to follow soon. The OPPO A-Series 2020 is the brand’s latest offering for the mid-range segment and includes currently includes two smartphones — OPPO A9 2020 and OPPO A5 2020. According to the company, the latest “A-series will continue to be the essential handset to generation Z youth.” The Rear Quad-Camera in latest A-series 2020 The OPPO A9 2020 comes with a Quad Camera setup — a 48MP main camera paired with an 8MP ultra wide-angle and a couple of 2MP sensors for portraits. OPPO A5 2020 also comes with a Quad Camera setup but with a 12MP main camera unlike the 48MP in A9. These offer all-around use that can satisfy users’ needs for all shooting angles and scenarios, including the Ultra-Night Mode 2.0 and a whole host of artistic portrait styles. The 48MP primary camera should improve image clarity with higher resolution. It should also help capture more detail and take clearer pictures. The 8MP camera with ultra wide-angle lens offers 119-degress angle of view. One of the two 2MP cameras include a monochrome sensor and the second one features a depth sensor for portrait photos. The combination would allow users to add retro, grainy and atmospheric filters to portrait shots, creating more personalized images for users. Ultra-Night Mode 2.0 ensures efficient noise reduction, while HDR and Multi-Frame Technology provide users with night scene pictures that exceed the brightness and detail that the human eye can perceive. Because people are processed separately from their environment, faces appear bright and detailed, while background light flare is greatly diminished. In summary, images stay bright and clear whether capturing bright city lights or dim country nights. Ultra-Night Mode 2.0 even works while taking Ultra-Wide Angle photos. Front Camera The A9 2020 is equipped with 16MP selfie camera while A5 2020 with 8MP selfie camera, both using AI Beautification technology for tailor-made selfies to better cater to different markets and beauty trends. This technology automatically identifies skin tone, age, gender, and skin color. It differentiates users for customized beautification. An all-new algorithm for smoothing out blemishes on the skin and sharper features create a make-up free look, allowing users to embrace a better version of themselves. OPPO’s latest stabilization technology also meets consumers’ growing demand for high-quality action videos, with a built-in gyroscope on these two handsets. This creates more stable shooting while running, walking, cycling and more, along with improved video filters that allow users to create their own movies with the press of a button, ideal for creating eye-catching content in the era of short video apps. Design and Display The OPPO A9 2020 features 3D gradient designs while both the devices are made from four curved 3D sheets. The design features “Nano-scale patterns that create multi-toned, radiant coloring from different angles and under different lighting.” The OPPO A Series 2020 also comes equipped with more compact Waterdrop notch on top of display. It offers a 31.4% decrease in overall area compared to the previous generation. Both the A9 and A5 2020 have identical displays with a screen size of 6.5-inch and 1600 x 720 pixels resolution. As per the official product details, the new phones have 89% screen-to-body ratio. Both the phones also equip with Gorilla Glass 3+. Other Features Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 mobile platform is driving both the phones with an 8-core processor. The A9 2020’s CPU is improved by 40%, while its GPU has improved by more than 100% when compared to the predecessor A7’s Snapdragon 450. OPPO A9 2020 for now will be available with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Expect another variant with 4GB RAM sooner or later. A5 2020, on the other hand, will offer two memory – 3GB/4GB RAM options and 64GB/128GB internal storage, whenever available. Both A9 and A5 2020 feature 5000mAh battery that, according to the company, offers 19 hours of continuous operation. The new devices run ColorOS 6, based on Android 9.0 and also come with fingerprint and facial unlock features. The system also includes a Smart Assistant, Riding Mode, Music Party, and Gesture Navigation. The new OPPO A-series 2020 come with dual stereo speakers. The new phones support Dolby Atmos sound effects. OPPO said that its new A-series have received Hi-Res Audio certification that “ensures superb sound quality, as well as directional technologies that create a more thrilling, realistic and immersive audio experience.” Official Statements Ali Kakvi, Director Marketing OPPO Pakistan, said while during the launch: “The OPPO A9 2020, named in celebration of the beginning of a new decade not only commemorates the success of the A-series over the past ten years, it also welcomes a whole new generation of mobile users. This new name also reflects our vision for the coming ten years. It highlights the brand’s latest technologies, stunning design, superb photography, powerful performance and perfect tuning to the needs of young people. Now, with these two latest handsets, the OPPO A Series 2020 offers more possibilities than ever before!” With the release of the new A Series, OPPO is giving users more than just a communication device. The A9 is a complete gaming portal that is both heavy on features and light on the wallet. The OPPO A Series 2020 inspires users with its all-purpose 48MP quad camera and a 5,000mAh large battery. It provides outstanding entertainment to users, helping them ease the stress of daily life, while inspiring them to be more positive and explore more of life’s possibilities. Tailor-made and well equipped, it’s an exciting phone for young, motivated consumers who are eager to connect with the world, discover more fun and explore their curiosity. Its impressively versatile camera technology broadens users’ creative horizons, and the whole handset offers an immersive entertainment experience and powerful performance. Pricing and Availability OPPO will start taking pre-orders on September 20th for OPPO A9 2020, while the smartphone will be available from September 28th, in Pakistan. OPPO A9 2020 will be offered in two colours Marine Green or Space Purple. The OPPO A9 2020 will cost PKR 45,999 for an 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant, which is currently the only variant available. OPPO A9 2020 may also be available later with 4GB RAM, which currently has no price suggestion. The company will announce the availability of A5 2020 in coming weeks. The pricing of A5 2020 will also be announced later.


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Advertising lobbyists are carrying out research to thwart Sweden’s
attempts to extend its ban on TV advertising to children across the
The report, to be published next month, aims to expose Swedish thinking
as out of touch and without widespread support.
At the same time, Britain’s Advertising Association is calling a
conference of interested parties from across Europe - to be held in
London in November - to find out if a widely agreed set of rules could
The initiatives are part of a major campaign by advertisers, media
owners and agencies, exclusively revealed by Campaign (5 February), to
fend off Sweden’s plans to crack down on children’s advertising when it
takes over the European Union presidency in January 2001.
Plans for the so-called Children’s Programme were agreed at a meeting
last week between representatives of the food advertisers, TV companies
and ad agencies which together fund the AA’s Food Advertising Unit, as
well as the World Federation of Advertisers and John Hooper, the
director-general of the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers.
Lionel Stanbrook, the AA’s deputy director-general, said: ’Sweden is the
only country in Europe which bans TV advertising to children. Instead of
Sweden setting the agenda, it should be the other way round.’
At present, the initiative is confined to the members of the Advertising
Information Group, whose leading members are the AA and its equivalent
organisations in Germany and Holland. But Stanbrook said the intention
was to extend the initiative to all major European markets.


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That fancy Inception trick in The Crew 2's trailer wasn't just for show.
Players will be getting behind the wheel of more than just cars.
Microsoft kicked off its E3 press conference by officially unveiling Forza Motorsport 7.
The upcoming open world racer is as action-packed as ever.
Now's the time to pick up Ubisoft games you've missed for cheap—or try some of them without spending a dime.
A new trailer for racing sequel Project Cars 2 confirms the game's release date.
Read on to get the lowdown on all the new releases, including our picks for the most exciting games out soon.


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Eurozone business activity contracts but manufacturing sector on the rise
The EU’s economic activity declined in October, according to data released on Friday. Renewed Coronavirus restrictions – introduced in an attempt to control the strong recent rise in cases across Europe – forced many businesses to limit their operations, particularly within the bloc’s dominant service industry. As a result, fresh threats have emerged of a slowdown in the EU’s economic recovery, already devastated by the lockdown earlier this year.
The composite PMI index, which measures economic health, fell to 49.4 in October, down from 50.4 in September. This dip below the 50 threshold points to contraction, although the figure is slightly better than the expected 49.3 forecast.
More evidence of a slowdown in economic activity comes from the Services PMI, which has held below the 50 mark for the second consecutive month and dipped to 46.2 in October from 48.0 in the previous month (also undershooting the forecast of 47.0).
On the other hand, thanks to a strong demand for manufactured goods, the manufacturing PMI rose from 53.7 in September to 54.4 in October – its highest in over two years.
Indeed, prices of manufactured goods rose for the first time since mid-2019, with the increase expected to affect inflation rates and provide relief to policymakers. The ECB wants inflation close to 2%.
At the same time, data from Germany – the EU’s biggest economy – also showed a drop in the services sector in October, but the composite PMI jumped well above expectations of 53.2 and reached 54.5 in October, slightly below September’s 54.7 figure.
Upbeat numbers were also seen in the German manufacturing sector, as Manufacturing PMI jumped to its highest in nearly two and a half years at 58.0, well above September’s figure of 56.4 and a 55.1 forecast. The numbers signal that the sector’s activity remains resilient despite threats of a slowdown.


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Platinum Price Power Slows as Demand Seen Questioned
Johannesburg-SA (Sept 19) During this year’s precious metals resurgence, exchange traded products such as the SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEArca: GLD), the iShares Silver Trust (NYSEArca: SLV) and other gold and silver exchange traded products were the apples of investors’ eyes. However, other precious metals ETFs got in on the act as well.
That included the ETFS Physical Platinum Shares (NYSEArca: PPLT), which was previously boosted by some bullish supply dynamics. Earlier this year, data from the the World Platinum Investment Council showed South Africa, the largest producer of platinum and home to about 80% of the world’s proven platinum reserves, has experienced a precipitous fall in platinum investments from an annual $3 billion in 2008 to $1 billion in 2015, reports Emiko Terazono for the Financial Times.
Related: Gold Demand is Robust
PPLT is in the midst of a lengthy as some market observers are questioning platinum’s demand dynamics.
“Investors are losing interest as the popularity of electric cars, which use less platinum and palladium than gasoline-fueled vehicles, threatens demand for the metals used in auto pollution-control devices, according to John Meyer, an analyst at SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP,” report Joe Deaux and Keving Crowley for Bloomberg.
A strengthening dollar is also weighing on platinum and PPLT. Some traders are wagering dollar disappointment may be near an end as recent commentary from Fed Chair Janet Yellen and other members of the U.S. central bank indicate an increasing level of comfort with the idea of raising borrowing costs sometime over the next several months.
Overseas central banks have implemented low interest rate and even negative interest rate policies, which have helped push down yields across the world – there is almost $8 trillion in global bonds with negative yields. Conversely, many market observers believe the Fed will not indulge negative rates here in the U.S. and that while lower for longer may still be the order of the day, the Fed can still gradually raise rates, which remain near historic lows.
Platinum’s “recent declines have put a halt to an earlier rally in 2016, paring this year’s gain to 14 percent. Investors have speculated that resilient automotive sales would boost consumption. The metal has also increased alongside gold, which is up more than 20 percent in 2016 as the Federal Reserve’s decision to delay raising interest rates further boosted the metals’ appeal as a store of value,” according to Bloomberg.
SEE MORE: Soaring Silver ETFs to Snap Up as Metals Shine
Although platinum is not as heavily traded as gold or silver, it is the third-most traded precious metal in the world and it is more scarce than its more popular rivals. Industry observers also believe that platinum companies have overextended operations during the commodities boom in prior years and have suffered from an oversupplied market as a result.


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Rates reform boost, online sales tax plan dropped
Retailers in Scotland are demanding the Scottish Government follows the Chancellor’s move to freeze the business rates multiplier in England which was described as an important step towards a more fundamental review of the tax.
The UK government also said it will not introduce an online sales tax (OST). Online retailers will see the business rates bills on their warehouses rise by 27%.
By way of rebalancing the sector, some high street retailers will see their bills fall if the valuation of their shops drops. Transitional protection will be in place for those whose bills rise. The government said only 9% of properties in England will see a bill increase of more than 15% in 2023/4.
David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “At the very least Scottish Ministers must follow suit and match the Chancellor in freezing the business rate here in Scotland in the coming year.”
He added: “3,000 Scottish retail premises already pay a higher business rate than counterparts and competitors down south due to the Higher Property Rate. It is unconscionable that even more stores could end up paying a higher business rate than applies in England.”
On the decision to drop the online sales tax idea, Chris Sanger, EY’s head of tax policy, said: “The OST was proposed as part of an effort to fund a reduction in business rates for physical retail stores and instead the Government has relied upon the revaluation in April next year, based on 2021 values.
“Following the revaluation, the total business rates paid by retail will fall by a fifth, while the rates paid by large distribution warehouses will increase by 27%.
“The effect of the revaluation may dampen down some of the calls for reform, but this doesn’t necessarily address the fundamental issues inherent in business rates.
“Many will still argue that this is a ‘colour-blind’ tax, being one that is paid whether profits are in the black or the red, and needs to be more closely linked to ability to pay rather than the rental cost of property.
“This may yet be an issue the Chancellor is forced to return to, like many of his predecessors.”
Relief for 230,000 English businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors was also increased from 50% to 75% next year.
To help businesses in England adjust to the revaluation of their properties, which takes effect from April 2023, the Chancellor announced a £1.6 billion Transitional Relief scheme to cap bill increases for those who will see higher bills. This limits bill increases for the smallest properties to 5%.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said the action on transitional relief “represents the first step towards a more fundamental reform of the broken business rates system.”
For a restaurant chain with 400 restaurants with a rateable value of £45,000 each, it means support worth around £2.7 million over the next five years.
A typical small shop with a rateable value increasing from £20,000 in 2017 to £21,500 in 2023 will receive Retail Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief worth around £8,000 (subject to the £110k cash cap per business).
A typical pub with a rateable value decreasing from £31,900 in 2017 to £27,600 in 2023 will receive RHL relief worth over £10,300 (subject to the £110,000 cash cap per business).


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On Sunday, Xiaomi Corp., a Chinese smartphone manufacturer, expressed “disappointment” over an Indian order that froze US$682 million of its assets and promised to continue to defend its rights.
An Indian appellate authority on Friday confirmed an April order by India’s federal financial crime-fighting agency, the Enforcement Directorate, to take 55.51 billion rupees, claiming a probe proved Xiaomi had made unlawful remittances to overseas businesses by passing them off as royalty payments.
Check also :
In a statement released on Sunday, the Chinese smart device manufacturer said that the Enforcement Directorate had seized 55.51 billion Indian rupees related to royalty payments made to Qualcomm Group, a US chipset manufacturer.
The statement vowed to “do all means necessary to defend the good name of the organization and the interests of our stakeholders.”
The statement clarifies that Xiaomi India is a subsidiary of the Xiaomi Group and that it has contracted with Qualcomm to use its intellectual property in the production of smartphones.
According to the joint statement, both Xiaomi and Qualcomm consider the royalty payment by Xiaomi India to Qualcomm to be a legal business transaction.
When combined, Xiaomi and Samsung control 18% of the Indian smartphone market, making it the second largest in the world behind China.
A border confrontation in 2020 exacerbated political tensions, making it difficult for many Chinese enterprises to do business in India.
Since then, India has banned over 300 Chinese apps, including the widely used TikTok, citing security concerns, and has also tightened requirements for Chinese corporations investing in India.


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Premier Ltd to source multi-jet engine from Fiat
Premier Ltd has inked an agreement with Fiat for sourcing 1.3-litre multi-jet diesel engine to power its compact SUV Rio. Fiat will be supplying the 28,000 engines for the next three years to Premier Ltd.
May 18, 2012: The compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) Rio will soon be powered by Fiat’s highly successful 1.3-litre multi-jet diesel engine. Premier Ltd has inked an agreement with its former partner Fiat to source 1.3-litre engine for powering the SUV Rio. As per the commercial agreement, about 28,000 units of engines will be supplied by Fiat from its Ranjangaon plant for the next three years to Premier Ltd.
According to the sources, the BS IV engine is in its final stages of calibration and the car maker Premier is expecting the deliveries of the multi-jet engines to start by August or September. Currently, the Fiat produced multi-jet engine powers cars such as Fiat Punto, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Maruti Suzuki Swift and Tata Vista. Premier claims that the multi-jet engine will not only improve the power generation of Rio from 64 bhp to 75 bhp, but also deliver enhanced fuel efficiency of 18 kmpl as against the current fuel economy of 16 kmpl.
Addressing to media press, CMD of Premier Limited, Mr. Maitreya Doshi said, “With multi-jet coming in, it will boost our sales volumes. As it is market is skewed towards more diesel cars and we were handicapped with non-availability of diesel cars in top 10 markets. Now with supply expected to come in, we will be ramping up capacity from 300 units a month to 1,000 units by the end of the year.”
Having signed an agreement with Fiat, the Premier Ltd looks forward to sell nearly 8,000 units of Rio in fiscal year 2013 and touch the 25,000 units mark by the fiscal year 2015. In the last fiscal year, the company could only sell 2,000 units of Rio due to non-availability of BS IV diesel engine. Going by the words of experts, the company will remain a very niche player in the automotive market despite reaching the 25,000 units mark as over 3 to 4 lakh units of cars are annually sold in auto industry.
Apart from the agreement, the company is also preparing for expanding its dealership network from 60 cities to 100 cities, mainly in the top 11 cities. The contribution of the automotive division in the business of Premier Ltd is of only 20%, while the rest of the revenue in the business is generated from the machine tool division. “With volumes of over 8,000 this fiscal, we should be able to touch a turnover of Rs 350-400 crore from the automotive business, which will be almost 50% of our income,” Mr. Doshi said.
In addition to this, the company has also entered into a commercial agreement with the Chinese component supplier Zotye Auto for sourcing 15,000 units of CKD kits every year for Rio. The CKD kits supplied by Zotye Auto are assembled by the company at its Chinchwad facility.


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When speaking at Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference on Tuesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed the importance of privacy, saying that privacy must be present throughout the development process when creating new products, not something you can try to “bolt-on” later.
“You don’t bolt-on privacy,” Cook said. “You think about it in the development process of products. You can see what happens when companies wake up one day and decide they’re going to do something privacy-wise. You just can’t do it. You have to design it in.”
Cook has been increasingly vocal about Apple’s focus on privacy in recent years amid increasing concerns about how large tech firms are handling consumer data. The Apple CEO has said on several occasions that privacy is a fundamental human right, and the company has made privacy the center of some of its advertisements.
MacDailyNews Take: So true. Privacy must be integral and foundational.


text:
First Back to the Future promised us flying cars. Then the future happened and there were no flying cars. That was disappointing.
Then we spent a long time convincing one another they were impractical, pointless and a big ol' fat waste of money.
Now flying cars are happening again? Make up your mind! I can't handle all this uncertainty. Let's add it all up, shall we?
We have an Airbus and Audi partnership, currently trying to build a . We have Uber . Then we have Kitty Hawk, a secret company founded by Google co-founder Larry Page -- it's working on a project called Cora. Yes, it's another flying taxi.
But guess who else is joining the flying taxi race... Rolls-Royce.
Not the Rolls-Royce of luxury cars fame, Rolls Royce the engine company, that split from the car company decades ago.
That Rolls-Royce is looking to get into the flying taxi game and has drawn up plans to create an electric vehicle that could potentially reach speeds of 400 kilometres per hour (around 250 miles per hour). Rolls-Royce believes it could be ready to launch as early as the next decade, a timeline that's consistent with many of its potential competitors.
Rob Watson, head of Rolls-Royce's electric team, believes the company is "placed well to play a leading role in the emerging world of personal air mobility."
"We believe that given the work we are doing today to develop hybrid electric propulsion capabilities," said Rolls-Royce, as reported by the BBC, "this model could be available by the early to mid 2020s, provided that a viable commercial model for its introduction can be created."
Where we're going we don't need roads.
Fight the Power: Take a look at who's transforming the way we think about energy.
'Hello, humans': Google's Duplex could make Assistant the most lifelike AI yet.


text:
Tough new US consumer bankruptcy law takes effect Tom Henry at 3:01 PM ET
[JURIST] After being signed into law [JURIST report] by President Bush last April, an overhauled US bankruptcy law goes into effect Monday making it more difficult for consumers to prove that they should be allowed to clear their debts and make a "fresh start." The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 [PDF text] was prompted by concerns that an increase in personal bankruptcies was adversely affecting retail stores, banks and credit card companies who had to pick up the tab after consumers became insolvent. The changes make it harder for debtors to cast aside credit card and other debt by filing under Chapter 7 [text], the most common type of personal bankruptcy, which currently allows consumers to wipe out most of their unsecured debts. AFP has more.
Paper Chase is JURIST's real-time legal news service, powered by a team of 30 law student reporters and editors led by law professor Bernard Hibbitts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. As an educational service, Paper Chase is dedicated to presenting important legal news and materials rapidly, objectively and intelligibly in an accessible, ad-free format.


text:
A year in review and look ahead at the market Down Under. Editorial is provided by License! Global’s Australian content partner, The Bugg Report.
Talent agency N.S. Bienstock has been appointed as the licensing agent for Veria Living, a media brand devoted to health and wellness.
The new 3D Despicable Me Minion Mayhem attraction is set to open at the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park this spring.
Motor oil brand Mobil 1 has partnered with NASCAR driver Tony Stewart to bring back the classic car film Smokey and The Bandit.
Scooby-Doo is joining forces with the North Shore Animal League America’s Tour for an animal adoption tour across the U.S.
The owner of Albertson’s grocers has announced plans to buy competitor chain Safeway in a transaction valued at $9 billion.
Women's sports apparel brand Tail Activewear has launched a new line of collegiate licensed merchandise.
European fast fashion retailer Etam has launched a new line of lounge and sleepwear featuring The Smiley Brand.
Nine West, a division of The Jones Group, and the fashion magazine InStyle are expanding their limited edition footwear collaboration.
Xcel Brands has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Signal Brands to create a line of Isaac Mizrahi New York suitcases and travel accessories.
Striker Entertainment has tapped Next Games to create a mobile game based on the AMC’s zombie drama series “The Walking Dead.”
Warner Bros. Consumer Products has signed a new deal with the Parisian design outfit ElevenParis for statement t-shirts.
Televisa has signed on to air and manage the licensing program for Entertainment One’s “Peppa Pig” in Mexico.
Maura Regan, SVP and GM of global consumer products for Sesame Workshop, was honored at the Women In Industry Luncheon Thursday.
FIFA has named Hy-Pro International as the licensee for the 2014 World Cup.
BBC Worldwide has appointed Clare Piggott as head of merchandising for its U.K. business.
The K’Nex Limited Partnership Group has tapped Big On Toy Innovation to bring its construction toy line to Europe.
Coolabi has appointed SMC Entertainment Group as the exclusive licensing agent in North America for “Poppy Cat.”
VIZ Media has launched the first issue in an original graphic novel series featuring Pretty Ugly’s Uglydoll brand.
Team! Licensing has been appointed to represent Hello Kitty and other Sanrio brands in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Nottingham Forest, worldwide agent for the TV series “Sendokai Champions” has signed two new back-to-school partners in Iberia.
©2014 ADVANSTAR COMMUNICATIONS INC. All rights reserved.


text:
Indy plumbers flush out common sales tactics
Whether it’s a fast food employee suggesting large fries or a department store offering a credit card, consumers typically face numerous opportunities to spend more money. The plumbing industry has its own common upsells, and as a consumer, it’s important to learn how to distinguish a needed repair from a money grab.
Jay Bedell, owner of highly rated Bedell Plumbing in Carmel, Indiana, says some companies hire plumbers that act as salesmen and work on commission. Bedell says a common upselling method is offering a vague service plan that doesn’t cover a specific need, but still gets them into the house once a year.
Bedell says these contracts can cost $100 to $500 a year, and the companies sell them expecting things to go wrong. “They can find things to fix every time they come out,” he says.
For more: Unnecessary Upsell or Needed Upgrade?
Although Bedell says residential service plans are typically not a good idea, there are exceptions. He says a good plan covers specific maintenance that will benefit the consumer. “If you have a need served by that plan and it’s within your budget [it’s a good plan].”
Russ Hertaus, owner of highly rated Cardinal Plumbing in Fortville, Indiana, says you should be aware of companies offering a free home analysis. “It allows them to go through the home and shop for things that may or may not need [to be] repaired,” he says. According to Hertaus, these “free” services could end up costing you anywhere from $100 to thousands of dollars.
Both Bedell and Hertaus say there are instances where additional work is necessary. If something truly needs attention or is unsafe, they’ll recommend it, but not push it on the homeowner. “I tell them the degree of hazard they’re dealing with and let them make the call,” Hertaus says. Bedell says his plumbers always educate homeowners on the problem and suggested repair. “We tell them everything we know so they’re as well-versed [about the problem] as we are,” he says.
Part of the challenge as a consumer is determining whether you’re being upsold or if the work is truly necessary. Broad Ripple member Patrick Zimmerman contacted highly rated Hope Plumbing of Indianapolis to look at the clogged lateral drain that runs from his house to the sewer system. Zimmerman says they suggested replacing the clay pipe with plastic piping.
Zimmerman says he previously had to have the pipe cleaned about three times a year on average due to tree roots that obstructed it, so he knew replacing the pipe was the right move. Zimmerman says it cost about $150 each time to remove the clog, and the new pipe cost $4,000. “You get to a point when you’re tired of paying to have someone unclog it,” he says, adding that he’s had no issue since Hope completed the repair.
Bedell says the best safeguard against unnecessary service is to do your research to gain a better understanding of the problem at hand. Find literature on the subject and comb the Internet to learn more about the problem. Hertaus says to trust your gut. “If it looks fishy and sounds fishy,” he says. “It probably is fish.”


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A new survey has surprised by its results – it found that Googles Android operating system is the most desired OS for smartphone consumers in the United States.
According to a Nielsen Co. survey of US cellphone consumers,31 percent of those who are planning to buy a new smartphone said that Android was their preferred OS.
About 20 percent of the respondents said they didnt know for sure what they would choose.
The report also said that as of March,37 percent of smartphone owners in the US had phones running Android,while 27 percent owned iPhones.
Half of those surveyed in March 2011 who indicated they had purchased a smartphone in the past six months said they had chosen an Android device. A quarter of recent acquirers said they bought an iPhone and 15 percent said they had picked a BlackBerry phone, the Los Angeles Times quoted the research firm,as saying.


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Find out the shifts in European consumer behaviour in the markets that matter to you. Don’t miss the opportunity to stay one step ahead.
- 7 KEY TRENDS Mintel’s trend experts have identified and analysed the seven key consumer trends set to influence Europe in 2017.
- FREE 44 PAGE REPORT Each trend is packed full of exclusive consumer insight and brimming with real market examples.
- NEW FOR 2017 Our predictions are a must read for brands looking to stay ahead of the curve.
Last year Mintel foresaw virtual and augmented reality technologies entering our homes and businesses and space and time becoming a premium, concepts we have seen infiltrate the consumer landscape in 2016.
Don’t miss the opportunity to stay one step ahead. The sooner you know, the sooner you can act.
The 7 trends set to impact the
European consumer markets are:
Thanks to the simplicity and convenience they offer, people are embracing new payment methods such as contactless cards, smartphones and wearables in record numbers.
Brands are utilising platforms like Snapchat, Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger to instantly connect with consumers and offer superior levels of customer service.
Right Here, Right Now
Brands are using new technology to help consumers decide what to buy, watch, do or eat, based upon pending timeframes from the next 30 minutes to the next 48 hours.
Cultural Social Responsibility
Funding in Europe is in crisis, and yet the region contains the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage sites. Brands are stepping in to fund restoration and repair work.
What must-have products and services are on the horizon?
What will consumers determine is ‘the next big thing’?
The Sweet hereafter
The UK is the latest country to declare a sugar tax, signifying a growing challenge for European brands: namely how to deliver the future of sweetness going forward.
Africa’s rising GDP and improving infrastructure are making it an increasingly credible and powerful trading partner and Europe will start to buy in to and reach out to the benefits of Africa’s growing middle class and rapidly improving connectivity.
Air pollution is harming us right now and consumers will start investing more in pollution protection products, whilst brands endeavour to be part of the solution, not the problem.


text: Popular Japanese gaming publication Famitsu has asked 132 Japanese developers and celebrities to vote for their favourite video game of 2020. Twinfinite reports that PlayStation 4 game Ghost of Tsushima was the winner as it was the most voted for game this year. However, the PlayStation exclusive by Sucker Punch Productions was followed by Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, and Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. The full results will be unveiled in the next edition of Weekly Famitsu magazine which is due to be released in Japan on Thursday. Last year’s winner was Death Stranding and the winner in 2018 was Insomniac Games, Spider-Man.


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April 20, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: Chhattisgarh has selected listed IT firm Ricoh India for supplying 1 lakh tablet PCs to final year degree college students in the state by June. "It is initiative of our Chief Minister. Under the project we will distribute around 1 lakh tablets to students in final year of their graduation in any stream. For tablets, we have given contract to Ricoh India," Chhattisgarh Infotech and Biotech Promotion Society (CHiPS) CEO AM Parial told PTI. He said Ricoh India has tied up with a Chinese manufacturer to supply these tablet and each unit will cost Rs 6,699 for the state government.
April 18, 2013 |
CHENNAI: While Apple and Samsung continue to train guns on each other across device categories, smaller local players like Micromax and Karbonn are catching up fast. Together, the two Indian companies have made significant inroads in the tablet PC market , accounting for around a fourth of the total tablet shipments in the fourth quarter of 2012. These gains mainly came in the third and fourth quarters of the last calendar year. Karbonn has leapfrogged from 5th position in the third quarter of 2012 to 3rd spot in the fourth quarter overtaking Apple, data from International Data Corporation (IDC)
April 17, 2013 |
WASHINGTON: A top tech website has claimed the PC era is over, and Microsoft Windows is coming to a dead end. Calling the latest operating system a "failure" and Microsoft's leaders "idiots," ZDNet's well respected Steven J. Vaughn-Nichols pointed out that Metro-interface operating systems have already failed. Vaughn-Nichols wrote in an essay on the site that 'Microsoft is betting all its chips on the silly notion that Metro will be the one true interface for its entire PC and device line, Idiots'.
April 16, 2013 |
BANGALORE: Simmtronics Semiconductors today announced a tie-up with Digilife Distribution and Marketing Services (DDMS), a 100 per cent subsidiary of HCL Infosystems , to distribute its tablets in India. "Through this tie-up, Simmtronics is looking forward to additional turnover of Rs 300 crore and six lakh tablets in the year 2013," senior Simmtronics officials told reporters here. Simmtronics managing director Indrajit Sabharwal said the company would foray into the smartphones market, with the launch of at least five models soon, at aggressive price points.
April 15, 2013 |
KOLKATA: A city-based scientist has come up with a concept of a " solar summer shirt" which will come with with inbuilt solar cells and fans to keep the wearer cool during hot days. "We are trying to develop technology to fix small solar cells either into the fibre of a shirt or in its pocket," said Santipada GonChaudhury, a specialist in photovoltaic system engineering and design. GonChoudhury says the shirt could produce around 400 watts of energy with the help of solar cells whose size will vary from 2.5 inches to 3 inches.
April 15, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: Panasonic India today unveiled four new rugged mobile computing devices for the Indian enterprise market. The company showcased tablets based on Windows 8 as well as Android platforms, as well as handheld computers for logistics industry. These devices are aimed at industries like automotive, aviation, telecom, utility, retail, manufacturing etc and will not be retailed to consumers. These are latest additions to the Panasonic ToughPad series, which was launched in India in October last year with the unveiling of ToughPad A1 model.
April 15, 2013 |
LONDON: Kamasutra, the 2,000-year-old sex manual, has been sexed up for the 21st century with a new app that enables couples to study its instructions in 3D. The app, developed using state-of-the-art technology, transforms the manual's illustrations into 3D images when viewed through smartphones or tablets, British media reported. "For more than 2,000 years couples have turned to the Kamasutra for advice and guidance on how to have a fulfilling love life," said Hazel Cushion, managing director of publisher Xcite Books.
April 13, 2013 |
LUCKNOW : The state government's tablet scheme seems to have run into yet another roadblock. The government has been unable to finalise vendors for the free tablet scheme. Earlier this year, three companies -- Acer, HCL and HP -- had submitted bids for supplying 26.62 lakh tablets to UP government. Though the government had set March 2 deadline for the companies to submit test reports, only HCL has turned in the test reports. Acer and HP, officials said, have backed out. Since the government wanted multiple suppliers for the scheme, this could mean at least a temporary halt for the chief minister's ambitious poll promise.
April 13, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: It took a while before Google's first tablet reached India. The Nexus 7, made by Asus for Google, was launched in the US in July last year. In India, it became available to consumers only a few weeks ago. But let's not shed tears over it. Now that the device is here, is it worth buying? If you are out in the market to buy a tablet, should you get the Nexus 7? The answer is yes . With a price of Rs 15,999 the Nexus 7 is such an awesome value for money that it's an easy recommendation.
April 11, 2013 |
BELGAUM: Here is some cheering news. The number of HIV positive cases has come down drastically in the district due to awareness among people. Prevention of Parent to Children Transmission Programme has yielded good results. The government introduced free bus travel for HIV positive patients three months ago. Once in a month, the dependents of those below 18 and above 60 can also travel free in buses to ART centres to buy medicines. In the past three years, the HIV positive cases have come down in both pregnant women and the public.


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Not sure what this is about.
Some woman key'd a Charlotte owner's Tesla for whatever reason and surprise, its all on video!
You see, Tesla has an integrated security feature that turns on the video cameras (front sides and rear as many as 9 on some models) and starts recording anytime someone or "something" comes near the car.
Not sure if this woman has some sort of facial deformity or she's just making this grimace as she grinds away at the pricey car's paint.
This is not something new, Tesla vandals have been caught all over the US many facing online condemnation and a few losing their jobs because the car belonged to a co-worker or in one the jerks boss.
Since Alex Giles story on WBTV aired, the online video has been viewed 10,000 times.
I'd suggest she just turn herself into CMPD and get it over with because she's about to be come a national sensation and not in a good way.
You can find the video at WBTV here.


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The summertime favorite fruit may be out of season, but that hasn’t stopped a research team from the University of Kentucky from releasing promising results that have linked watermelon juice with healthy cholesterol levels.
The USDA-funded research investigated the effects of daily watermelon juice consumption in an animal having elevated cholesterol.
They discovered that watermelon juice significantly lowered levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and helped improve the health of the animal’s arteries.
The scientists note that watermelon’s high levels of lycopene –the antioxidant found in tomatoes—is likely responsible for its cholesterol-lowering benefits.
More healthy ways to reduce cholesterol without drugs…
by Scott Davis


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Australia AiG Performance and Services Index dropped sharply from 57.8 to 49.2 in May, indicating mild contraction. Sales dropped -13.0 pts to 50.7. Employment dropped -10.4 to 47.4. New orders dropped -3.3 to 49.7. Input prices dropped -9.1 o 68.7. Selling prices dropped -3.6 to 61.9. Average wages dropped -9.8 to 57.4.
Innes Willox, Chief Executive of Ai Group, said: “The Australian services sector contracted mildly in May after a period of healthy expansion in the earlier months of 2022. Performance was mixed across the sector with strong growth in logistics, retail trade and personal, recreational & other services offset by sharp declines in business & property services and health & education services.”


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Antique cars dating to the early 20th century will be on display Saturday along with dozens of other vintage automobiles at Dauphin Island's annual Sunset Cruise Car Show.
The show will begin at 9 a.m. in Green Park and last until 3 p.m., when trophies will be awarded. Admission is free.
Councilman Clinton Collier, who heads up the car show, said it will feature dozens of restored cars, hot rods and "rat rods."
"If the weather is good, I expect we'll have at least 200 cars," Collier said. "You'll see everything from 2018 cars all the way back to cars from the early 1900s. They'll span 100 years."
The car show, which is in its fifth year, draws enthusiasts from throughout the central Gulf Coast, he added.
"It always draws a big crowd to the island," Collier said. "People like old cars. They were much more stylish than the cars of today. They had flowing curves, which you don't see much of now. People love those."
In addition to the vehicles, there will be music, raffles of fresh shrimp and a Bayou Classic 60-quart cooler, a karaoke competition, a Poker Run and an Elvis impersonator.
A car buff himself, Collier said visitors especially enjoy seeing restored Chevrolets from 1955, 1956 and 1957. "They were the prettiest cars," he said. "And some of the cars from the 1930s were beautiful, too. People also love Corvettes, and they love the Thunderbirds from 1955, 1956 and 1957. Oh, and don't forget old Mercurys and Mustangs. We'll have some of everything."
For more information, call Town Hall at 251-861-5525.


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A couple of bullish buy orders appear to have pushed BTC/USD rates above what had previously been dubbed as a resistance level. This is the first time bitcoin’s price reached above $1000 in such a fashion after the price fall and the lack of resistance is remarkable. Perhaps the market’s support preventing the price from dropping further did indeed echaust selling pressure.
- Bitcoin prices seem to have easily been pulled out of the bearishness established through preceding trading sessions.
- Trading volumes remain at levels close to the ones reached through recent trading sessions yet selling pressure seems to be having less of an effect on the price.
- Bitcoin prices appear to be settling above $1010 after the upward spike had a somewhat positive reception from bitcoin traders.
Bitfinex BTC/USD charts are indicative of how even strong selling pressure failed to overturn the recovery that started through a few large buy orders pushing bitcoin’s price up. Right after the price rise was met with resistance below $1020 price levels, a large sell order was filled momentarily pushing bitcoin’s price back to $995 price levels, yet the recovery was swift enough to make this spike feel like it never happened.
Futures markets aren’t exactly riding on the optimism live BTC/USD markets seem to harness following the upward spike, at least not yet. However, it’s important to highlight that the negative margin between live markets and OKCoin BTC/USD weekly futures shrunk significantly after today’s recovery.
Overall, it’s now clear that the market kept showing support for levels close to $1000 levels waiting for some positive development to follow up on. As selling pressure was being exhausted, bulls managed to pull BTC/USD markets out of some long running negativity easily just today. Bitcoin traders would only need to come up with some additional support to help promote a more positive mood across bitcoin markets from here on.


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The news that revenue from recorded music worldwide in 2012 grew for the first time since 1999 is surely heartening for an industry struggling to get to grips with digital and overcome piracy – even if it's just by 0.2% to $16.48bn.
It is, however, worth noting that revenue levels are still down more than 40% from the halcyon days of the late 1990s when CDs reigned supreme and online filesharing was still over the horizon.
Looking deeper into the figures published by the international record label body IFPI reveals that things may not be as clear-cut as it first appears. Markets that have traditionally been performing the best are down while those that haven't are up. Revenue in Europe alone was down by 2.4% on the previous year (and down 42% on 1999).
Of the top four markets only Japan saw an increase (4%), while US revenue was down by 0.5%, the UK by as much as 6.1%, and Germany by 4.6%.
Despite the decline at home the UK continued to punch above its weight in the international charts, accounting for three of the four biggest-selling albums in the world – Adele (again) at number one, and One Direction at number three and four. Elsewhere in the top 20 were UK acts Mumford & Sons, Led Zeppelin, Ed Sheeran and Emeli Sandé.
Unsurprisingly, considering last summer's reports on Sweden's soaring digital market, the country has the second biggest increase with 18.7% to a total of $176.7m. Sweden was one of the countries most badly hit by piracy in the past decade, when revenues plunged.
The combination of going after pirates while developing legal alternatives such as Spotify – which is bundled in with some Swedish mobile phone tariffs and used by a third of the population – appears to have worked well to turn things around.
The importance of Spotify, and the less popular Wimp, streaming services is illustrated by the IFPI figures. Now 59% of Sweden's revenue comes from digital, of which only 9% comes from downloads – with a whopping 91% coming from subscription streams (the highest percentage of any country in the world).
As Swedish radio plays more local artists than most other European countries, eight of the country's 10 top-selling albums were by local acts. Only Finland had more local artists (nine) in the top 10. In the UK, seven of the 10 top-selling albums were British.
The country that saw the biggest increase in revenue was India, up by 21.6%, albeit from a low base bringing total income to $146.7m. In other words: though India has a population of 1.2 billion it pulls in $30m less than Sweden – a country with 9.5 million inhabitants.
The nascent music industry in India has traditionally functioned on a buy-out basis with copyright almost non-existent. But perhaps this increase is a sign of things to come, as a change in its copyright law is currently winding its way through the courts.
China, which saw the third largest increase in revenue by percentage (9%), still only brought in $92.4m in revenue from recorded music. As the country is slowly starting to respect copyright, it's still proving difficult to convince its 1.35 billion population to pay for music when it's been viewed as "free" for all for so long.
The other countries in the top 20 that saw revenue rises were Australia, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Norway.
Given the international success of Gangnam Style singer PSY and growing international interest in K-Pop it is perhaps surprising that South Korea's revenue dropped by 4.3%. This may be because although PSY's Gangnam Style was the third biggest-selling single in the world (9.7m), he didn't really sell many albums on the back of it.
Both South Korea and Japan bucked the global trend, however, seeing an increase in physical sales in 2012. This can largely be attributed to K-Pop and J-Pop labels focusing on releasing albums in deluxe packaging in different versions of the same album. "CDs are becoming the new merchandise in Asia," said Sandy Monteiro, south-east Asia president for Universal Music.
Income from the performance rights market (radio, TV, nightclubs, bars, restaurant and shops) continued to advance, growing by 9.4% in 2012. This was most likely due to countries that previously did not have performance rights societies collecting income boosting their efforts.
This part of the market could grow significantly in the future if the US joins the vast majority of the countries on the list in paying performers for radio play.
Finally, there's one detail in the IFPI report that makes the so-called "turnaround" even less impressive: it includes synchronisation income in the total revenue. Revenue from synchronisation deals – for use in TV adverts, films, brand partnerships and games – grew by 2.1% year on year, to account for 2% of total music revenue.
However, it is worth noting that this income stream has only been included in IFPI figures since 2010, skewing like-for-like comparisons with years before then.
No wonder the IFPI report emphasises the importance of subscription streaming services – it hopes and wishes the rest of the world could follow Sweden's trajectory.


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TechÂ companies worldwide will be breathing sighs of relief today after Evan Blass â the man behind the @evleaks Twitter account that isÂ famous for revealing future products and insider information â announced his retirement in a surprise move.
All good things must come to an end. Thank you for an amazing two years. [RETIREMENT]
â Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 3, 2014
Formerly a writer for tech blog Engadget, Blass rose to notoriety by consistently leaking images and information of future products from an array of companies that includeÂ Nokia, HTC, Samsung, Motorola, LG and more.Â @Evleaks began anonymously, but Blass outed himself last October in an interview with Android Police.
Blass makes money from his leaks by selling ad space on hisÂ website â Evleaks.at â and offering paid-forÂ advertising on the @evleaks TwitterÂ account, which has 187,000 followers at the time of writing. Blass hasnât explained why he is bowing out of the leaking game, but we reached out to him to see if he is willing to shed more light on theÂ decision.
Thumbnail image viaÂ STEVEN CHIANG / Shutterstock


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- July 17, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Business
Price Gouging graphic
KNOTT COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ/Press Release) – Kentucky fuel retailer and convenience store, Brothers Market, in Knox County, has settled with the state allegations of unfair business practices related to excessive fuel prices following the Colonial Pipeline shutdown.
“Thanks to tips from concerned Kentuckians, we investigated increased fuel prices at Brothers Market and reached a settlement with the business for excessively increasing fuel costs to take advantage of consumers following the Colonial Pipeline shutdown,” said Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who announced the settlement.
Following a cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline, which created a disruption in the delivery of gasoline, Cameron’s Office of Consumer Protection received 11 complaints of suspected price gouging of gasoline at Brothers Market in Girdler, Ky.
While investigating these complaints, the Knox County retailer admitted to…


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THE City hailed WH Smith boss Kate Swann yesterday as she marked her last set of results at the retailer with a 5 per cent jump in half-year profits.
Earnings for the six months to the end of February reached £69 million despite a fall in like-for-like sales as Swann’s tactics, of cost cutting while shifting emphasis to higher margin products, paid off. Investors were rewarded with a 13 per cent hike in the interim dividend, to 9.4p a share.
Swann said: “We expect the trading environment to remain challenging, however the business is in good shape and well positioned for continued growth in the UK and internationally.”
Steve Clarke, managing director of the high street division, will take over as chief executive on 1 July.


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Sydney agencies including Reactive, We Are Social and Reborn will open their doors on Wednesday as part of the first agency ‘open house‘.
Organised by online industry hub, Creative Social and conference company, Web Directions, the event will allow anyone to pop in and explore digital creative agencies such as Reactive, Soap, Deepend Group, Digital Arts Network, Reborn, Host & MobeSeek, We Are Social, Pollen, TheFarm, Small Multiples and The Interaction Consortium. People can meet creatives, technologists, producers and strategy minds for a drink and a chat, test prototypes, listen to lectures, explore workplaces and start new relationships.
Visitors can expect to mingle with other conference attendees and some heavy hitters from Web Directions’ speaker roster that includes renowned hand lettering artist Jessica Hische, long-time Twitter creative director Douglas Bowman and Internet of Things entrepreneur Matt Webb.
“We wanted Creative Social to be more visible in Australia’s digital community, so that we could advance our creative agenda together,” says Reactive’s creative director, Tim Buesing. “Web Directions allows us to do it in connection with an event of international standing.”
Web Directions co-founder John Allsopp says: “Our event has always been about dialogue between lots of digital and also non-digital disciplines. I am glad Creative Social teamed up with us and is opening up all these top notch agencies for an afternoon.”
WA car and home insurer, RAC has launched a new campaign to show locals that they understand the priceless relationship members have with their belongings. Created by Wunderman Thompson Perth, the campaign titled ‘We See What You See’ uses computer generated imagery (CGI) to depict the unique relationship a family has with their insured items – […]
Paper Moose has created a campaign for the recently announced carbon-neutral telco brand, felix, due to go to market towards the end of the year. This is the first work from Paper Moose since winning a competitive pitch for the new TPG Telecom brand. The teaser campaign raises awareness of the nearly 1 million tonnes […]
It's your Women In Media picture gallery! The perfect way to have a bludge while pretending to do actual work.
Two of Australia’s favourite broadcasters are returning to radio with Murray Wilton and Murray Olds (aka The Two Murrays) set to deliver five hours of news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle and plenty of frivolity over summer weekends on 2GB and 4BC. Their new show launches this Saturday, October 31, and continues on weekends right through until the […]
The Brag Media, Australia’s number one music and entertainment publisher, has today announced it will exclusively represent Australia and New Zealand audiences for Variety. Variety is the most authoritative and trusted source of entertainment business news, reaching an audience of affluent influencers. For 115 years, influential producers, executives and talent in entertainment have turned to […]
Chello has announced three business wins across its business and four new hires to support recent growth. Joining the agency’s roster is ShopifyPlus APAC along with project work with ShopifyPlus North America, Shef, and Raine & Horne’s national brand. These wins complement the agency’s existing LIV by Mirvac and Qudos Bank accounts. ShopifyPlus APAC Marketing […]
MyDeal.com.au made a splash in the online retail sector last week with its successful IPO on the ASX. This week, however, the brand has made waves on television screens nationwide with the release of its lyrical 2020 Christmas campaign for the all-important December quarter, created in partnership with Cyclone Creative Agency. While COVID-19 has affected […]


text: Netflix Could Top 200 Million Subscribers By 2020: Analyst Greenfield now believes Netflix will exceed 200 million global streaming subscribers by 2020, up from his previous estimate of 176 Netflix hit 20 million international subscribers in the first quarter of 2015, so 24 quarters after that will be the fourth quarter of 2020. Netflix vs. Hollywood Battle Heating up Netflix’ expected 2020 revenue in the US is $7.2 billion. Netflix subscribers today pay an average of $11.56 monthly for the service. (Source: FromeDome) This is over 40% less than what they used to pay 10 years ago. The price back then was almost $20 per subscriber. Additionally, Netflix used to spend close to $48 to acquire a new customer.


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Amazon ships more U.S. smart home devices than any other company and says Alexa is now compatible with 140,000 devices, far beyond the Echo and Fire TV. But privacy advocates are concerned by all the data these devices collect, and are calling on the Federal Trade Commission to block Amazon’s latest smart home expansion.
Chapters:1:41 First to market 4:27 Acquiring iRobot 7:41 How it uses the data 9:45 Privacy concerns 11:33 Ambient home of the future
After acquiring video doorbell maker Ring in 2018 and mesh WiFi system Eero a year later, Amazon’s now looking to buy Roomba smart vacuum maker iRobot. In a rare move, the FTC is asking for more information before approving the $1.7 billion deal. Ahead of Amazon’s annual smart home event, we talked to Amazon’s VP of privacy to find out what really happens to all the data collected by its devices – and sat down with the head of smart home to hear the strategy behind Amazon’s race to dominate the internet of things.
As people’s eating habits change and environmental concerns grow, plant-based protein used as a meat substitute has gained popularity. However, some barriers are preventing it from becoming truly mainstream. Watch what needs to be done to truly realize a future with less meat.
A record number of online returns has created a booming $644 billion liquidation market. As supply chain backlogs cause shortages of new goods and Gen Z shoppers demand more sustainable retail options, pain points for one sector of retail are big business for another. The nation’s only major public liquidator, Liquidity Services, resells unclaimed mail, items left at TSA checkpoints, and outdated military vehicles. It also refurbishes highly sought after electronics, from noise-canceling headphones to the machines that make microchips.
CNBC takes you on an exclusive tour inside a Liquidity Services returns warehouse outside Dallas, Texas, where unwanted goods from Amazon and Target are stacked to the ceiling before being resold on Liquidation.com or a variety of other marketplaces. Inside Liquidity Services’ 130,000-square-foot warehouse in Garland, Texas, the aisles aren’t lined with typical merchandise. Instead, they’re stacked with returns from Amazon, Target, Sony, Home Depot, Wayfair and more, all in the process of being liquidated.
Food prices might be rising but many associated production costs are not currently included in the price we pay. How can we get closer to a system that reflects the true cost and what implication will this have on consumers and wider society?
California’s Port of Los Angeles is struggling to keep up with the crush of cargo containers arriving at its terminals, creating one of the biggest choke points in the global supply-chain crisis. This exclusive aerial video illustrates the scope of the problem and the complexities of this process. Photo: Thomas C. Miller
Today consumers want to buy more sustainable products, employees want to work for firms that share their values, and in the investment world, ESG funds are all the rage. How are companies responding to these shifting demands and can businesses really do well by doing good?
00:00 – Can companies do well by doing good? 00:50 – Environment and climate change 06:50 – Employee wellbeing 09:51 – Workforce diversity 15:50 – Ethical supply chains 19:26 – Environmental Social Governance
The organic food industry is a booming business. U.S. organic sales surged in 2020, jumping by 12.4% to $61.9 billion. With consumers being more health conscious than ever, they’re willing to pay more for what they perceive as better. But, what exactly does “organic” mean?
Can smart gardens really grow delicious vegetables inside your apartment? WSJ asked Timothy Hammond, an urban gardener and educator in Houston, to test out Rise Gardens hydroponic smart garden to see how the vegetables compare with his own outdoor garden. Photo: Ben Hallock for The Wall Street Journal
Retail energy companies compete with local utilities to give U.S. consumers more choice. But in nearly every state where they operate, retailers have charged more than regulated incumbents, meaning you may be paying more for your electricity than your neighbors. Here’s why. Photo Illustration: Jacob Reynolds


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Pulse Points: ISPA 2018 U.S. Spa Industry Study
As mentioned several times in this column, the 2018 ISPA U.S. Spa Industry Study marked record growth in 2017 for each of the Big Five financial statistics. Looking ahead to 2019, the Industry Study will be celebrating its 20th year of gauging the financial health of the spa industry in the United States.
In terms of their plans to continue growth in years to come, respondents aimed to expand the range of choices available to their clients, including the addition or creation of new treatment offerings, the introduction of new product lines and the creation of a new spa menu.
Spas are also focused on strengthening their business through internally focused measures. A large majority of spas said they plan t o introduce new or revised standard operating procedures. Almost one in four (24 percent) said they will introduce new spa management software.
Staffing and employee development also loom large in spas’ plans for the future, with many respondents intending to introduce new employee training and create new jobs.
When asked what key issues respondents were looking to solve in the coming year, a few themes were consistently mentioned. A lack of qualified, experienced talent was the single most important issue. According to those respondents, the number of qualified people is not matching the growth in the industry. Issues around training and education were mentioned by one in eight respondents (12 percent). Self-care and staying healthy for therapists and service providers, especially as they get older, were also prominent issues facing the industry in 2018 and beyond.