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Pedal Revolution, the nonprofit shop that offered ‘disconnected youths’ paid internships selling and fixing bikes, is the Mission’s latest COVID-19 casualty
Much like the painted gears that circle its entrance, the gears of Mission bicycle shop Pedal Revolution have permanently stopped turning after more than 25 years of service.
What was supposed to be a temporary suspension of operations stretched longer and longer until June 1, when it became clear that Pedal Revolution’s doors would not reopen.
“It is with great sadness that we are announcing the closure of Pedal Revolution, effective June 1. It has truly been an honor and privilege to have been a part of this remarkable bike shop and the staff who made it possible all these years,” the store’s website announced last month.
Pedal Revolution was not merely a bike shop, but rather a social enterprise run by New Door Ventures, a San Francisco-based non-profit. New Door’s mission is to “prepare opportunity youth for work and life, by providing the jobs, training, education, and support they need to discover and achieve their potential,” as stated on its website. To support this endeavor, Pedal Revolution hired “disconnected” local youths between the ages of 16 and 24 as paid interns for three-month stretches. Pedal Revolution employed 20 such young people every year.
See the inside of Pedal Revolution in a video segment from our previous coverage here.
Pedal Revolution first closed on Monday, March 16, one day before a six-county regional shelter-in-place order took effect. Bike shops were subsequently added to the list of essential stores that could, in some form, maintain operations. When the shelter-in-place mandate was announced, Pedal Revolution general manager Steve Fiduccia, AGE, sat down with his team, many of whom commute to work from the East Bay. They collectively decided to stay closed in the short term.
“Trying to wrap my head around how you would carry on doing business safely and keep everyone safe, both us as well as our customers, it just seemed pretty daunting,” Fiduccia said.
Pedal Revolution’s seven employees and interns continued to be paid and receive benefits during the closure. Fiduccia and the shop’s service manager came into the shop “every day” during shelter-in-place to work, and the company’s Facebook page was populated with pictures of bikes being repaired during quarantine. The shop is unique in its emphasis on recycling and refurbishing bikes.
“I think all along we had anticipated reopening,” said Fiduccia, who worked at the shop for nearly 15 years.
When asked when the decision to close Pedal Revolution was made, Fiduccia responded, “I found that out a couple weeks ago.” After being informed that the shop would not reopen, Fiduccia said the process of notifying employees and vendors began.
What drove this decision? On its Social Enterprise FAQ, New Door Ventures noted that “While employment social enterprises do commonly operate at a loss for the sake of their social mission, in recent years, the operating loss has been increasing, detracting from fundraising revenue and forcing New Door to tap into operating reserves to operate the businesses.” While the closure of its social enterprises had been in question for several years, COVID-19 created “additional challenges to our programming and fundraising projection” that greatly altered the timeline of such events. When asked for comment about what spurred the decision to close Pedal Revolution in June when initial plans included reopening, New Door Ventures did not respond.
One of the most painful parts of this decision to close, Fiduccia said, is the loss of Pedal Revolution’s internship program.
A ‘social mission’
Pedal Revolution, which opened in 1993, is impossible to miss when riding down 21st Street. Its iconic facade, painted by San Francisco-based artist Mona Caron in 2016, depicts an array of plants and gears in blue-green and bright red hues.
Though its historic tenure alone makes Pedal Revolution a Mission staple, the shop’s social mission cemented its reputation as an establishment with deep community ties and a desire to invest in the neighborhood’s future.
Over 500 people participated in Pedal Revolution’s internship program that often employed local youths. The internships taught participants skills such as bicycle assembly and repair, or knowledge of tools and bicycle parts, as well as business skills like working in teams or customer service. Interns also committed to a case-management partnership through New Door wherein they were paired with a support person to help them achieve goals ranging from stable housing to education to future jobs.
One of the most special parts of the internship, in Fiduccia’s eyes, was the opportunity for more experienced interns to mentor new recruits. “That’s usually a turning point for them where we get really excited, because it kind of puts them in a position to sort of demonstrate something that they’ve learned,” he said. “It’s a pretty cool thing to see, because a lot of them have never been in that situation before where they’ve actually kind of felt like they have some authority on something and they can confidently explain something to someone else.”
Many interns came from the Mission, as well as Bayview, Hunters Point, the Fillmore and out in the Avenues. Pedal Revolution has drawn a large percentage of its youth interns from the Latinx population of the Mission, recruiting participants through word of mouth, presentations at high schools and outreach via New Door. These community ties have long drawn different elements of the Mission together in support of Pedal Revolution and its mission.
“There’s been a lot of support for it among kind of different elements of the Mission so it’s always been fun to see those elements kind of come together,” Fiduccia said, describing a union of long-time Mission locals, artists, bicycle activists and hardcore commuters. “It’s created a real love and support for the shop and for the social mission, knowing that there’s something else that the money is going towards.”
Good times, bad times
So did COVID-19 kill Pedal Revolution, as it killed many other businesses when it forced them to close their doors? The post-mortem is inconclusive.
Ironically, the spread of the coronavirus and the looming climate crisis have contributed to the biggest bicycle boom in half a century, as people worldwide are scrambling to get their hands on a bike to escape the monotony of being trapped indoors or as an alternative to public transit. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that, overall, U.S. bike sales in April doubled from the year before, while the sale of adult leisure bikes (such as cruisers) tripled.
Fiduccia discussed the energy, surprise and enthusiasm around this new bicycle craze, but added a reminder that the “bike industry, the whole bike business, has really been struggling the last number of years.”
He described the decreasing revenues in the bicycle industry, and their own challenges in the Mission, where housing prices made it increasingly difficult to keep a local staff. The lesson: don’t be fooled by the lines of eager customers outside Box Dog Bike and Valencia Cyclery. Local businesses still need our support, Fiduccia insisted.
As streets fill with the buzz of increasing traffic and new bicycles, the Mission will mourn the loss of a space for buying bicycles and building community.
Keep us reporting. Support Mission Local today.


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Budweiser's Holiday-Themed Beer Cans Are in Stores Nationwide
Beer really is the gift that keeps on giving.
Gift giving is no easy feat and it seems as though with each passing year the task gets that much more difficult. Your mom, brother, and best friend have accumulated plenty of their own unnecessary junk and don't need any more. Which is why you should give the gift that keeps on giving: beer.
Budweiser has unveiled its own holiday-themed stein cans that will not only give you the Christmas warm and fuzzies, but will get you buzzed too. That's exactly what we all need after surviving this year. In honor of the season, the American-style Lager maker has debuted four festive designs to get you in the spirit. The best part? The holiday beer cases are already available at retailers nationwide.
"Budweiser’s 2020 Holiday Limited Edition Stein Cans feature four unique and idyllic winter designs, three with the famous Clydesdales, and one with the return of a fan favorite, our Budweiser Dalmatian," vice president of marketing Monica Rustgi said in a statement to Fox News.
This isn't, however, the first time the St. Louis-based brewery has gotten a holiday-themed makeover. In fact, for years the brand has been outfitting its cans with those iconic Clydesdales.
"For the past two years we have released holiday cans based on the traditional Budweiser Holiday Steins, designs our fans have loved for decades," Rustgi said. "We know that no holiday gathering is complete without Budweiser, and this year our limited edition stein-inspired designs bring back past Budweiser advertisements that span generations."
Of course, if you literally want to wear your brand loyalty on your sleeve, there's an entire Budweiser merch store to shop with pajamas, sweaters, and even denim jackets.

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Autocar magazine 18 May – out today
Source : Autocar magazine 18 May – out today
takes a brand new four-pot Porsche 718 Boxster S on the Lotus Elise Cup 250, exposed Bentley Bentayga we possess the toughest road test, and also also also the Ford Focus RS deals using a spa
packed issue of Autocar This particular week with some of the most important brand new car for 2016.
Porsche ‘s four-cylinder 718 Boxster S will be facing one of the best handling sports cars inside the planet, and also also also Lotus Elise Cup 250 , and also also also Bentley Bentayga put under the microscope to test the full path Autocar.
we also possess the scoop on Alfa Romeo ‘s first SUV, Stelvio , which will be launched next year inside the high-performance V6 guise to take on Porsche McCann Turbo, we reveal the details of the two brand new MG SUV destined to join GS next .
In addition, the Ford races Marino Franchitti and also also also Billy Johnson factory drivers give us some tips on spa treatment inside the RS focus before we have a go ourselves , and also also also visit the British automobile Museum recently renovated to see what’s changed
also in This particular issue:
our way test provides provisions of the brand new Thibault mortality inside the 1.4 T-Jet lounge specifications, and also also also entry-level 2.0-liter Porsche 718 Boxster, Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with the manual gearbox, and also also also. On MINI Cooper SD Clubman in All4 , SUV Star
our long-term car test:
and also also also we say goodbye to our Ford Mondeo slot-hard-working, compared to Skoda Superb real estate for a possible alternative, and also also also Bentayga, and also also also praise we’ve come recently, and also also also Hyundai Tucson .
James Robert back to the recommendation chosen sub £ 15K cabrios four seats, while we buy cars guide apparently used in some of the poshest low tops available inside the classified ads.
by Autocar via RSS


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Huawei announced its Honor 7X smartphone in India back in December last year. The device managed to get appreciation from the Indian consumers due to its power-packed performance and alluring design language. Now, the company has launched another variant of the device called the Honor 7X Red Edition.
Priced at Rs 12,999, the Honor 7X Red Edition is a limited edition smartphone. It will be made available exclusively via Amazon India. Previously, other smartphones like OnePlus 5T and Xiaomi Mi A1 offered limited edition handset models. The 7X handset was previously available in Blue, Black and Gold colour options and the Red Edition will join the family.
As of now, Huawei has not put a word about the availability of the new variant in India, but the registration for the device has now open on the online store. The Honor 7X is certainly a good gifting option this Valentine’s Day.
In case you haven’t heard about the Honor 7X, it is a successor smartphone to the Honor 6X. The phone brags the 18:9 aspect ratio and has a dual camera setup at the rear. The company has recently announced that the 7X models will be manufactured in India and will come with ‘Made in India’ stamp on it.
Honor 7X: Specifications, Features
Coming to the specifications, the Honor 7X flaunts a 5.93-inch Full HD+ and has an 18:9 aspect ratio. The phone is powered by a HiSilicon Kirin 659 octa-core processor paired with Mali T830 MP2 GPU, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, and option to extend external storage up to 256GB via microSD card slot.
The highlight of the Honor 7X smartphone is its dual rear camera setup. The module has a 16MP primary sensor coupled with a 2MP depth sensor. This camera setup allows users to capture portrait photos with blurred background. There is an additional ‘Motion picture’ mode which let users get iPhone-like ‘Live Photos’ mode on their device. Up front, there is an 8MP selfie snapper.
The handset receives juice from a 3340mAh battery. Since the phone flaunts very thin bezels, the fingerprint scanner is offered on the back panel below the dual camera module. The device runs on Android 7.0 Nougat OS with EMUI 5.1 custom skin on top.


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China Evergrande resolved one coupon payment on a domestic bond this week.
But it also had an $83.5 million offshore interest payment that was due on Thursday - there has been no info from the firm on its plans for this. Evergrande have 30 days to pay it before being in default so its expected they will use that 'grace period'.
There is a $47.5m payment due next week, also with a 30 day grace period.
Expectations are there will be some sort of restructuring arranged. Who said you can't get a haircut during COVID-19, right?


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China’s new draft Foreign Investment Law aims to further open up its markets and address complaints that have been prevalent among foreign investors.
In this week’s China Outbound, we look at import procedures in ASEAN, India’s quality controls on electronic imports, and minimum wage hike in Vietnam.
Hukou is a legal document in China that records a holder’s household registration and basic personal information. Learn how it determines access to jobs and benefits.
Comprehensive bonded zones in China will now benefit from an expanded scope of business activity and services that open access to its domestic market.
China’s new Individual Income Tax (IIT) law came into effect on January 1, introducing new tax brackets and a slew of other changes to the country’s IIT system.
Investors seeking a competitive edge have many reasons to move their business. We discuss what factors influence the decision to relocate in China.
In this week’s China Outbound, we look at the tea industry in ASEAN, preparing for an audit in India, and new laws that come in effect in 2019 in Vietnam.
China’s crackdown on daigou merchants is part of its moves to strengthen cross-border e-commerce regulation.


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Disneyland raised ticket prices Tuesday, breaking the $200 mark for some one-day, two-park tickets for the first time.
What We Know:
- After the Anaheim, California park opened Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Disneyland raised its ticket prices and they will continue to increase.
- “For off-peak days, a one-day, one-park ticket will remain at $104 on weekends of holidays, parkers will now have to pay up to five precent more, with prices ranging from $144 to $154 on the busiest days,” according to Fox News.
- In the last few years, the park has raised their prices; just over a year ago, before it opened Galaxy Edge.
- According to Disney, they stated, “We started a tier system to keep the park from getting too packed on busy days”. However, the Los Angeles Times found the price hikes didn’t shorten wait times.
- There is also a price increase for the MaxPass, which lets people book reservations for rides and attractions online instead of waiting in line.
- The MaxPass went from $15 to $20 and includes approximately 20 popular rides, including the newly added Autopia and Monsters Inc. rides.
- “Park hopper tickets, which allow guest to spend the day at both Disneyland Park and neighboring California Adventure Park, will now cost up to $209. Guests will also pay more for multi-day passes, which range from $235 for a two-day single park ticket to $415 for a five-day park hopper,” according to Fox News.
- When Disneyland broke the news on the increased prices many people were upset that they are now unable to attend the park. One person wrote on twitter, “Some kids will never have the chance of meeting their heroes bc their family cannot afford it. For a family of 5, the tickets ALONE will be about $1000. ugh,”
- For annual passes, the lowest tier, known as the Select Pass, rose from $399 to $419 and the most expensive yearly pass, Premier, went up from $1,949 to $2,199.
Do you believe Disneyland prices are getting out of hand? Some Disneyland lovers believe so!
The last time I was in Disneyland was in 1994 great times with the kids, Lion King parade just great. That was the last time ever for me. $200! Even $100 screw that and they underpay staff too.
— pete hernandez (@phendo23) February 12, 2020


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UK: Sainsbury's introduces health messages
One of the UK's big four retailers has introduced health messages on its own-brand beverage alcohol products.
Retail giant Sainsbury's is displaying information on a drinker's recommended daily intake, number of units per glass and number of units per bottle.
The information on show also includes a message about drinking while pregnant and the Drinkaware website.
Sainsbury's said the move follows research from the UK's Department of Health that showed consumers find it difficult to judge how many units they are drinking.
Warren Anderson, category manager for beers, wines and spirits at Sainsbury's, said: "We are the first retailer to include this level of detail on labels to inform our customers and are confident it will help our customers to drink sensibly."
The first bottles displaying the information are already on sale and, later this month, the labelling will be expanded across Sainsbury's vodka, white and dark rums and basics spirits range. It will continue to roll out across all own-brand beers, wines and spirits, the company added.
Sainsbury's is at the centre of takeover speculation with reports in the UK claiming that a number of private equity consortia are interested in buying the company.
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A new rule, requiring alcoholic content and nutritional information to be added on all alcoholic drink packaging, has been proposed by the US Treasury Department....
Diageo GB plans to launch an integrated marketing campaign for its Smirnoff vodka brand that aims to be the largest ever....
Central European Distribution Corporation has acquired a Polish alcoholic drinks distributor....
Skateverket, Sweden's National Tax Bureau, has started the process of demanding what the tax authority claims are excise duties outstanding on alcohol products bought by residents of Sweden from Inter...
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Mobile app maker Sky-mobi Limited (NASDAQ:MOBI) cut on Friday its first-quarter revenue forecast, citing lower-than-expected handset sales and a more difficult operating environment for mobile service providers.
China-based Sky-mobi said it expects revenues to now be between RMB164 million (US$25.62 million) to RMB167 million (US$26.1 million), down from its previous outlook of RM180 million (US$28 million) to RM190 million (US$29 million).
Revenues for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012 are expected to be in the range of RMB 680 million (US$106) to RMB 690 million (US$107 million).
"We expect revenues for the quarter to be approximately 10% below our original expectations due to our lower than expected overall handset sales in China and a more difficult operating environment for mobile service providers, which has lowered our monetization rate on user activities," said CEO, Michael Tao Song, in a statement.
"At the same time, we have seen strong growth for the Maopao community and expect the growth of the Maopao community to continue in fiscal 2012 and beyond."
The company, which provides applications and content with social networking functions to registered members, said it will announce its first quarter earnings Monday August 22.
Sky-mobi operates a mobile app store in China and works with handset companies to pre-install its Maopao mobile app store on handsets. Users of its Maopao store can browse, and download a range of content like games, music and books.
The China-based company’s shares lost 62 cents to $4.68 Friday in pre-market trade. Sky-mobi’s stocks closed yesterday at $5.30 on Nasdaq Stock Markets.


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Jack Dorsey is one of the several investors who took part in this funding round in which CoinList has raised $10 million. This funding round was led San Francisco-based Polychain Capital and until this date, the company has raised a total funding amount of $19.2 million.
CoinList, a technology company that offers compliance and technology infrastructure solution of token issuer, is planning to launch a cryptocurrency exchange, CoinList Trade, and a cryptocurrency wallet, among other services, according to a Medium blog post.
The company, about the CoinList Trade, said:
“We’ve helped projects with token sales, but there’s a natural next step. Once these networks are live and the tokens liquid, end users need a trustworthy, reliable, compliant exchange to trade them on and who better to provide that service than the company that ran the project’s initial sale of tokens?”
CoinList, based in San Francisco, also known as CoinList Capital LLC, was founded by Andy Bromberg, Brian Tubergen, Graham Jenkin, Joshua Slayton, Kendrick Nguyen, and Paul Menchov in 2017. It offers non-discretionary investment advice to its registered clients, by selecting and recommending token creators who are planning to offer digital assets or other related securities.
The company gained prominence in the early days of initial coin offerings (ICO), a controversial method of fundraising in which startup companies raise money by selling their digital tokens. It has supported more than $800 million worth of token offerings since August 2017.
Jack Dorsey, in a statement, said:
“Crypto needs a trustworthy platform for launching new projects. CoinList leads the industry in that role, and trading is a logical next step.”
Jack Dorsey has long been a supporter of Bitcoin but has no soft corner for Facebook’s Libra project as he said that his popular microblogging site would never join Facebook’s controversial cryptocurrency project. In his views, Facebook proposed cryptocurrency project is not in line with the attributes that are usually associated with decentralized cryptocurrencies.
He also serves as chief executive officer (CEO) of payments company Square Inc. which was founded by him and Jim McKelvey in 2009. It launched its separate cryptocurrency unit, Square Crypto to support open-source bitcoin projects earlier this year. As reported by Crypto Economy on September 15, 2019, Square Crypto granted $100,000 to the BTCPay Foundation.
The post Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Backs Crypto Startup CoinList In a $10 Million Funding Round appeared first on Crypto Economy.


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Asia-Pacific airlines face headwinds from rising fuel prices and high inflation, industry executives said on Friday, adding to a downbeat outlook for a segment where travel demand is struggling to recover fully to pre-pandemic levels.
The region's air travel recovered to just 69% of 2019 levels for the year through September, trailing all other regions, impacted mainly by China's slow reopening of borders after COVID-19, according to the International Air Transport Association.
"Industry recovery has been slowed by inflation, the tight job market, supply chain constraints and fuel prices, which are still higher than in 2019," Subhas Menon, Director General of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, told its annual gathering.
The industry is banking on Chinese travelers returning in full force to kick off a fresh wave of growth, which Menon expects by the first half of next year.
China was the largest air travel market before COVID, accounting for a fifth of international travel within Asia Pacific and 6% globally.
Read original article


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Meijer is deploying two all-electric semitrucks into its daily fleet, operating out of a distribution center in Lansing, Michigan.
The retailer will track the two Freightliner eCascadia trucks’ use in cold weather as part of a grant from the Department of Energy, the company said in a press release.
Meijer received the electric trucks earlier this month, which were partially paid for through the grant.
The eCascadias will make multiple daily deliveries to Meijer’s store network within a 200-mile radius of the Lansing distribution center.
Meijer operates 499 stores across Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin, a region of the country prone to extreme cold and snow during the winter months. Its fleet of 250 trucks delivers products from distribution centers to its store network.
Meijer became a test fleet for Freightliner in 2009 and was selected in 2019 to test the manufacturer's battery electric semitrucks. Freightliner is shipping its eCascadia series truck to customers now, which included Meijer’s two trucks as the first delivery, according to the release.
The retailer will monitor truck data daily for the impact cold temperatures have on mileage, charging times, battery life optimization and driver comfort. Winter driving conditions and cold temperatures can impact an all-electric vehicle’s fuel economy by up to 40%, according to the Department of Energy.
Freightliner's eCascadia truck is suited for short-haul routes that allow for depot-based charging, Meijer said in the release. Initial tests found the trucks delivered a typical range of up to 230 miles and a battery capacity of almost 440 kWh could recharge up to 80% of power in approximately 90 minutes.


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NORFOLK -- The International Festival at Old Dominion University offered thousands of people the opportunity to experience the cultures of Hampton Roads through food and entertainment Sunday.
The crowd of people translates into huge volume for vendors who participate in the annual event.
'Last year, we sold over 5,000 pieces of lumpia in four hours,' said Lisa Mago of Jeepney Food Truck Company, referring to the Filipino version of egg/spring rolls made by the business.
With many languages represented, there was one in particular that stood out at Scratch Bakery, where Najan Bell works.
Bell is deaf, and owner Lashonda Sanford worried that could make communication get tricky.
'Like butter cream or like fondant. We wanted to shorthand those things, so me and her came up with different sign languages for things like fondant and butter cream and things like that to help us so we have our own little sign language too,' Sanford told 13NewsNow. 'She watched me. She learned. She got better, and now, she is hired as a part-time head decorator of our bakery.'
This was the sixth year for the International Festival.


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Gresso, one of the main players in making luxury mobile phones, has again released another luxury piece, called the Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot. Being a luxury phone, the Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot is definitely priced at a huge price tag, and it’s as much as $1 million.
Gold and diamonds are what make this luxury phone up. The Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot is made from 180 grams of pure gold and encrusted with 45.5 carat black diamonds. The back of this phone is adorned with Africa Blackwood, and the keys are all made from a single manually polished and laser-engraved crystal sapphire.
Gresso has announced that it’ll only make three pieces of this super expensive phone. The $1 million price tag of the Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot definitely sounds too much for most luxury phone lovers. We’ve covered a few of Gresso’s luxury phones before such as the Lady Diamond Phone and Gresso iPhone 4, which are only priced in the range of thousands of USD.
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Paccar unveiled to the press last month its new MX-11 engine offering, and the engine was officially announced publicly Monday (Oct. 5).
Overdrive Equipment Editor got a chance to test drive the new engine near Paccar headquarters, video from which you can see below.
The engine is the second option in Paccar’s MX lineup, joining the MX-13. The MX-11 features several new design points that were not available when the MX-13 was on the drawing board. There are new, modularly-designed components, for example. A glimpse of the future can be seen in the MX-11 as well: The engine has been designed from the ground up to be quickly updated with new software and can be programmed to meet specific customer requirements.
Actual engine displacement is 10.8 liters, which works out to 355 to 430 horsepower options with torque ratings ranging from 1,250 to 1,550 pound feet. Paccar says the new MX-11 is 400 pounds lighter than comparably Cummins ISX12 or Paccar MX-13 engines and has a 1 million mile B10 life.
Here’s video of Roberts’ test driving the engine in a Kenworth T880:


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Yesterday, on April 27, 29th Seafood Expo Global concluded in Fira Barcelona Grant Via, Spain. Over 33 thousand experts and 2000 exhibitors joined together setting up a record in exhibitor space and visitors increasing over 20 percent in both compared to 2022.
According to official news, “This has been a busy and productive three days filled with opportunities for decision-makers in the seafood industry to gather and conduct business. The unprecedented number of visitors along with a record in exhibit space continue to position Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global as the must-attend global event in the industry”, said Diversified Communications USA President Liz Plizga.
“Busy and productive three days“ is exactly how the CEO of Ocean Treasure Oliver Nikolovski described our participation in Seafood Expo Global. From the morning of the first day to the evening of the third, our team barely had any free time. Since the beginning of this year, Chinese Covid policies, market trends, and the situation is changing fast. In fact, the EU and USA, as one of the biggest seafood markets are in a difficult position as well. This fair was important for Ocean Treasure not only to meet our dear customers but to collect information and adjust the strategy moving forward.
What insightful perspective should you know?
Recovery of demand
Despite the energy and food crises, demand for many Seafood products showed a downward trend. However after Easter market appeared to have reverse or rather re-establishment signs. Some products, such as salmon, have already started to climb.
Back in the beginning of March Ocean Treasure made an article about Changes in consumer habits. There we discussed reports from the Spanish consumer organization OCU in which consumer habits change towards canned and ready-to-eat products. This time we confirmed this observation with experts. In order to help our clients, Ocean Treasure can offer you canned products with multiple fish species. Contact us to learn more.
Seafood quality control
On the Eve of the exhibition, Seafood Expo organizers made a survey to reveal this year’s market trends. Despite various challenges, consumers still require high product quality and are willing to pay for it. Finding a trustworthy and transparent partner might be a challenging task. However, Ocean Treasure is committed to Quality Control for 16 years in the seafood industry. We provide over 10-page report with more than 100 product pictures to ensure the pristine quality of the products for our clients.
To summarize, a record number of experts joined Seafood Expo Global to share concerns and views on the current seafood industry state. While EU demand is recovering and China is fully open we have a great opportunity to grow. With close communication between Ocean Treasure and our business partners, we can reach new horizons.
Stay tuned with Ocean Treasure for more products and news:
· Facebook: Ocean Treasure | Facebook


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Billtrust Summit Recap Series | Part 3
Checking in on Billtrust’s Business Payments Network
During Billtrust Summit 2019, we had the chance to bring payables platforms, financial institutions and suppliers together to learn more about Business Payments Network (BPN), the supplier-driven, B2B payments network that we launched late last year in collaboration with Visa.
BPN was born out of a perspective we share with Visa that all previous efforts to streamline the delivery of electronic B2B payments have failed due to a lack of focus on what suppliers want and need to support their account receivables (AR) function.
While accounts accounts payable (AP) teams have begun to digitize payments and automate processes, AR teams continue to receive financial data with transaction data via multiple channels, in multiple forms, from multiple parties at multiple times. With disparate software, preferences and approaches to sending payments, the relationship between AP and AR functions remains friction-filled.
During a panel moderated by our own Nick Babinsky, VP and GM of BPN, and Christina Wagner, Sr. Director, B2B Partnerships and Innovation at Visa, we heard from finance executives at FedEx, Thomson Reuters, and Performance Food Group Inc. about where some of this friction stems from. While everyone was in agreement that trends are pushing organizations to create an Amazon-type customer experience built on a bedrock of digitization and bolstered by the ease of automation and self service, the gap that exists between buyers and suppliers makes it difficult to achieve this in today’s B2B payments space.
As a unique supplier-driven B2B payments network, BPN creates the connective tissue needed to sync payables and receivables platforms. This is achieved by providing a transparent registry of suppliers who are interested in accepting digital payments that fit their preferences and processes, and making it easy for buyers to deliver those digital payments directly to the suppliers’ acceptance platforms.
Looking at the other side of the equation, we also had a chance to hear from folks on the payables side about their experience thus far with BPN. Not surprisingly, the benefits that suppliers are realizing from BPN are being shared by their A/P counterparts. Here’s some of what they said:
“BPN increases our value to current and new customers.”
“Integration was seamless and efficient.”
“It’s an ecosystem where everybody wins!”
While estimates show that paper checks still represent roughly 51% of the U.S. B2B payments volume, there is further proof that BPN will cater to a growing need for common ground in payments. Already, Billtrust has automated over $1 billion in payments originating from payable providers now participating in BPN. Traditionally routed through email, automating these payments has eliminated almost 36,000 hours of manual data entry, processing and invoice matching against suppliers’ outstanding invoices. After hearing from happy customers and BPN participants, we know that these numbers can only continue to grow.
As businesses evolve, driven in part by an increased need for an enhanced customer experience, digital payments will play an increasingly important role for their ability to require less manual touch, improve fraud controls, enhance reconciliation, and much more. By closing the gap that exists between B2B payment platforms we can spur the adoption of digital payments and ensure that the benefits associated with them are enjoyed by teams and organizations on both sides of the equation.
We look forward to keeping you updated on BPN. Make sure to tune in again next week for our fourth installment of the Summit 2019 blog series. See you then!


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Shares of YY Inc. (YY -0.56%) fell 18% in August, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, after the Chinese live-streaming platform announced strong quarterly results but followed with disappointing forward guidance.
The stock plunged more than 13% on Aug. 13 alone, the first trading day after it told investors revenue had climbed 44.6% year over year to 3.773 billion yuan, or $570.2 million, translating to 34.3% growth in adjusted net income per American depositary share to 13.46 yuan, or $2.03. Analysts, on average, were looking for earnings of only $1.76 per share on revenue of $536.2 million.
YY Chairman and CEO David Xueling called it a "strong performance," noting that the number of mobile live-streaming paying users climbed more than 21% to 6.9 million.
"During the quarter, we achieved solid progress in traffic acquisition, product advancement, and technology enhancement," Xueling added. "Looking forward, we remain committed to continuous product innovation and technology advancement to uphold YY's market leadership in the live streaming industry."
For the current fiscal third quarter, however, YY sees revenue in the range of $610.4 million to $630.8 million, representing growth of 25.8% to 30% year over year. However, that's a notable deceleration from its Q2 growth rate, and most analysts were modeling revenue near the high end of that range.
Still, YY has made a habit of under-promising and over-delivering of late, so I won't be the least bit surprised if it manages to outperform when all is said and done in Q3. But given macroeconomic concerns in China and with the stock up nearly 19% in the year leading up to its report last month, it was hardly surprising to see YY pull back.


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Bedding coming from designer Karim Rashid
January 17, 2007,
“Retailers are looking for designers to give credibility to their assortments.Karim offers this credibility,” said MHS partner John Haesler.
Related Content By Author
The Countdown to the ICON Honors Continues featuring Christophe Pourny


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Vantiv Inc., a Cincinnati provider of payment-processing services and related technology for merchants and financial institutions, has agreed to buy Litle & Co. for $361 million as Vantiv looks to expand its e-commerce capabilities.
Lowell-based Litle & Co. is an e-commerce payment processor for companies that sell goods and services online and through direct marketing.
Litle & Co. will become a subsidiary of Vantiv and keep its location in Lowell, Vantiv said in a press release.
Litle & Co., founded in 2001, has 200 employees.
“Today’s agreement represents the beginning of a new chapter in our company’s evolution,” Litle & Co. chief executive Tom Litle said. “By bringing these two companies together we have created a uniquely valuable partner for merchants of all sizes to help navigate the rapidly evolving payments landscape.”
Chris ReidyChris Reidy can be reached at email@example.com.


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As part of its crackdown on what it calls “junk” fees, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau yesterday issued a compliance bulletin to companies that distribute government payments to consumers via debit cards, making sure they are not running afoul of the Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA) by not forcing consumers to receive benefits at a specific institution and ensuring consumers have choices.
A copy of the bulletin can be accessed by clicking here.
Under the EFTA, entities are barred from requiring consumers to establish an account for receipt of electronic fund transfers with a particular financial institution as a condition of employment or receipt of government benefits. The objective is to ensure that consumers receiving government benefits have a choice in how they receive those funds.
The CFPB is concerned that some entities may be “illegally siphoning money” from consumers by charging fees to allow consumers to access their funds on debit cards that the entities forced the consumers to use — removing the choices that are required under the EFTA and Regulation E. The CFPB pointed to an enforcement action it took against JPay, which was fined $6 million for charging fees when issuing debit cards to individuals who were being released from prison or jail.
“When companies act as gatekeepers for government benefits, they often abuse that power to extract unavoidable fees,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra, in a statement. “Barriers to choice kill competition and can harm families who need every dollar to make ends meet.”
Last month, the CFPB announced a Request for Information seeking to learn more about what it calls “exploitative junk fees” charged by banks and financial services companies. This could include convenience fees that are sometimes charged by companies, including those in the accounts receivable management industry, for allowing consumers to make payments via debit cards.


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Model Anam Malik recently shared her disappointment over unpaid dues by designers for modelling assignments. She posted her thoughts on Facebook on Monday in which she alleged that she, along with fellow model Farwa Kazmi, had done a shoot last month and now the designer is not answering her calls. It was later revealed that she was in fact talking about Tena Durrani.
Talking to Something Haute, Anam said that local models are treated differently as compared to Bollywood superstars like Kangana Ranaut and Kareena Kapoor Khan who are often seen modelling for local designers. “They don’t respect us and even their sub-ordinates do not respond to our queries properly. Models do not voice their concerns because they fear they will not get work in the future,” she said adding, “I did a shoot for Tena Durrani on October 10 and I was expected to be paid within two weeks. I have been trying to contact the designer and her team for over a month and no one took me seriously.”
So, I have never posted any statuses related to media issues but I think now I have to because logon ko izat raas nae…
The model further commented that this is an ugly side of the fashion business which no one talks about. “Some photographers have also faced the same problem when they don’t get paid for their services on time. Models are the face of a brand’s campaign; we do outdoor shoots in extreme climatic conditions and never complain because it is our job. When we are investing so much time and energy in our work, designers should also treat us accordingly,” she said.
We spoke to Taimur Shah — CEO of Tena Durrani — who has denied all such claims who said he has been in the industry for 10 years and no one has ever made such an accusation against their brand.
Taimur Shah with designer Tena Durrani
“The fact is that we follow a normal payment cycle but our team never received any invoice from the said models. This is a simple case of miscommunication as these models were contacting the creative team for the clearance of their payments. It was a non issue because we cleared the air the moment she spoke to me, but later she went on and posted about it,” he said.
“I came across comments where the models are proposing legal contracts as a solution. Well… they must have not put thought into it because if I start putting contracts into place, those who have unprofessional behavior will end up in hot water. Trust me there won’t be any model that would live up to that contract during their entire career,” Taimur added.
According to Taimur the matter is not as simple as it is projected. “A photographer bailed on me on the day of my shoot for my lawn launch; that cost me at least 7 million rupees in delayed product launch. I didn’t sue that guy. As company and designers we generally don’t have people championing our cause. If her claims had any merit, I wouldn’t be facing a social media trial but rather a legal proceeding.”
He says what surprises him are comments about how models are sometimes not offered food and water. “On my shoots, models order food from high-end restaurants like Espresso and Xander’s. We even send riders to get specific orders for them. I have had bills of Rs 20.000 on the shoot and have never complained,” he said adding, “I have heard about designers who don’t pay but nobody takes their name. They are reporting stories on someone who is fulfilling all obligations and even then is being threatened to face a backlash.”


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Arguably Kenya’s leading, most trusted and most advanced media monitoring company, Reelforge is taking the industry by storm with unmatched technological advances, media intelligence techniques, unrivalled strategies and professionalism in a bid to aid corporates understand what impact their company has on customers and the general public and as a tool to deliver insights on how to better angle their business approaches within Kenya and across the African continent. Writes Corporate Watch Magazine’s Ker Mogallo.
- Media monitoring is the process of reading, watching or listening to the editorial content of media sources on a continuing basis, and then, identifying, saving and analyzing content that contains specific keywords or topics
- Reelforge thrives on efficiency, transparency, independence, accuracy and innovation
- The Media Monitoring firm began Kenyan operations in August 2009 and in Uganda in October 2015
- Media monitoring gives companies an insight into how best to leverage on media use to drive their message and reach their target audience by enabling them plan their communication, tailor their messages and place these messages through the correct channels
- Reelforge boasts of the most advanced, accurate and comprehensive web-based media monitoring and intelligence tools such as the Anvil for Ad verification, AdFlite for Broadcast Reconciliation, the ReelMedia for news & editorial monitoring as well as the ReelOnline for digital & social media monitoring.
Established 10 years ago, and with a mission to redefine media monitoring in the region and build brands, Reelforge comes across as the one stop shop for brands to stay on top of what consumers are saying about their products and services.
According to Irene Chelimo, Head of PR Monitoring at Reelforge, media monitoring is one of the most efficient and effective ways of discovering what works, what isn’t working, and exactly what your clients feel about your brand.
‘A large part of media monitoring has to do with managing the reputation of businesses. Companies often ignore media monitoring until a crisis occurs and their reputation is damaged or at risk. Media monitoring is pertinent during the good and bad times because companies can predict a crisis based on patterns and counter it before it occurs,’ she says.
In an exclusive interview at the firm’s offices on 5th floor, Rhapta Heights in Westlands, the Head of PR Monitoring revealed that consumer sentiments could be used in identifying problems; but the best strategy would be the use of media monitoring in a pre-emptive approach rather than countering a setback.
Media monitoring gives companies an insight into how best to leverage on media use to drive their message and reach their target audience by enabling them plan their communication, tailor their messages and place these messages through the correct channels
This in turn leads to improved public reputation for your company and also keeps your company on the top of the minds of consumers. Media intelligence offers insight into how to pursue better business strategies, which gives you the time and knowledge to preemptively change policies and listen to the voice of customers.
‘With that kind of mindset, it is possible to use media intelligence to stay on top of response from clientele and know when there is a problem before it gets out of control,’ she adds.
Bringing on board a management team that boasts of over 14 years’ experience in media monitoring and over 20 years in software development, Reelforge develops innovative tools, products and services to serve the untapped industry in the region.
Reelforge boasts of the most advanced, accurate and comprehensive web-based media monitoring and intelligence tools such the Anvil for Ad verification, AdFlite for broadcast reconciliation, the ReelMedia for news & editorial monitoring as well as the ReelOnline for ditigal & social media monitoring.
These products and services are intended for companies, agencies, media houses, musicians and individuals. Anvil for example, has pioneered the use of automated digital fingerprinting technology. This has allowed clients to track ad exposure on TV and Radio in real-time. The service allows users to verify if ad campaigns are airing, as they should on over 70 TV and radio stations countrywide. An advanced print automation system also allows for the tracking of ad impressions on newspapers and magazines.
Anvil also features a sophisticated and robust on-line archive system called ‘ReelPlay’ that stores all TV and Radio broadcasts 24/7 as well as storing print publications indefinitely. ReelPlay allows for instant playback and viewing of ad exposures or impressions for verification purposes.
The AdFlite product has been developed for broadcast media stations as a way of reconciling all Reelforge client Proof-of-Flight reports in real-time.
One of the most expensive inefficiencies faced by TV and radio stations is the delay in payments from agencies due to delays in reconciling media monitoring reports with media orders. In response, Reelforge employs real-time automated media monitoring based on digital fingerprinting where broadcast media houses are able to use AdFlite to reconcile in real-time proof-of-flight monitoring reports with media orders on a daily basis.
This ensures that stations are paid on time at the end of every month instead of waiting for weeks for media monitoring reports from traditional media monitors.
Another exciting product is the ReelMedia which gives you daily automated mail summaries, on-line access to all media mentions, online access to Kenya’s largest online TV, Radio and print story archive dating back to 2009 as well as access to online PR reports. ReelMedia is fronted as Kenya’s most advanced PR monitoring service that is powered by sophisticated automation tools that improve on speed and accuracy.
‘With over 150 employees, Reelforge is able to monitor over 75 broadcast channels as well as over 30 publications with great ease,’ notes Irene Chelimo.
On the online frontier, the firm engages the ReelOnline, which is an online media-monitoring tool. Reelforge adopted real time social media monitoring in 2011 to offer insights into a brand’s overall visibility on social media.
The service monitors all internet platforms such as blogs, wikis, news sites, micro-blogs, social networking sites, video/photo sharing websites, forums, message boards, blogs and user generated content. The analysis measures the quantity of online conversations, posts sentiments and issues raised about a company or brand.
The online analysis gives you real time access to online activities as they happen, measure the impact of campaigns, Assess competitor activities, identify opportunities for engagement and be alerted to impending crisis. The service is also able to identify conversation drivers and top influencers.
Growth and evolution…
With challenges and technological advancements coming up every new day, Reelforge is focused on ensuring it delivers relevant and accurate insights to its clients by ensuring it grows in its service delivery and evolves to catch up with the world’s best media monitoring firms.
Following the commencement of its operations in Uganda, Reelforge is looking into spreading across Africa as demand for its services continue to rise. The company is soon setting up offices in more countries to increase its footprint to six African countries.


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In the past, food trucks relied mainly on word of mouth to get the word out about their location. However, with half of all Americans expected to own smartphones by the end of 2011, it is crucial for all businesses – especially those on the move – to maintain a mobile presence. Now, customers can find their favorite trucks just by going to their websites thanks to Mobile Meteor, which optimizes businesses' websites for smartphone users.
In addition, Twitter-savvy food trucks who already tweet their locations to regular customers can now reach new customers with a new Mobile Meteor application that works with a food truck's existing Twitter account: By sending a tweet with "#open" plus the truck's address, a map automatically appears on the business's mobile web site with a link to their location on Google maps.
In the first week of using the feature and their new mobile site, New York's Frites 'N' Meats truck got more than 300 hits. "We move our truck all over Manhattan, and we've been using Twitter (@FritesNMeats) for a while to let customers know where we are," says Frites 'N' Meats owner Moe Beydoun. "Now, people can go right to our own site and see our location. This makes it easier for customers, especially those who aren't on Twitter, to find us."
"Thanks to Mobile Meteor, we can Tweet about things other than just our location, like specials, food news and other bits of information that will help build our brand," says Frites 'N' Meats co-owner Ali Beydoun.
This service is a web application that works on iPhones, Android devices, BlackBerry, Palm and more. There's nothing to download - it's activated from a business's existing website.
RELATED NEWSStudy: What Motives Drive Social Media Brand Followers?


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June 11, 2020
If the phrase prefab home doesn’t conjure up images of health and serenity, there’s a reason for that. In Europe, manufactured housing can be a luxury product, but in the States, the concept has taken a long time to shake the stigma of association with low-cost homogeneity. However, the tides may be turning as a new generation of entrepreneurs explores the possibilities of prefab. This time around, the appeal isn’t just price point—it’s also wellness.


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KICKER has promoted veteran technician Tim Smith to the position of installation and special projects supervisor, the mobile electronics company announced. Smith takes over team management, effective immediately.
“Tim has devoted more than 20 years to KICKER,” said Kevin Campbell, Global Marketing Director. “Over that time, he has learned a great deal. He has evolved into a creative leader of that team. The sky’s the limit with the kind of builds you’ll see coming out of his installation bay.”
A native of Kenai, Alaska, Smith has been fascinated by trucks and audio for much of his life and has been actively working on audio systems for nearly 30 years, the company said. Consumers can find Smith’s handiwork on many KICKER staple demo cars and award winners, including the 1950 Studebaker Champion and the 2011 Chevy Cruze.
“I want to continue the tradition of the supervisors before me of building reliable and impactful vehicles that people remember,” Smith said. “I’m extremely excited to see what’s next for us in the coming years.”
KICKER’s Special Projects division is a team of in-house installers, creating custom audio systems for select KICKER partners and events across the country. The team also designs original product displays and distributes branded public-address systems to KICKER’s stable of marketing influencers, helping promote the brand.


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Download the authoritative guide: Cloud Computing 2018: Using the Cloud to Transform Your Business
Bloomberg: "Two people with knowledge of the plans" tell Bloomberg that Apple will launch a less expensive iPad with a 7- or 8-inch screen before the year ends, possibly as early as October. The Wall Street Journal ran a similar story, saying that Asian component suppliers are already gearing up for the new product.
According to the reports, the "iPad Mini" will come with price similar to Amazon's Kindle Fire and Google's Nexus 7, both of which cost $199. “It would be the competitors’ worst nightmare,” said Shaw Wu, an analyst at Sterne Agee & Leach Inc. “The ball is in Apple’s court.”


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The drama surrounding Tom Brady's stolen jersey continues.
No progress has been made in recovering the uniform worn by the Patriots quarterback worn during Super Bowl 51, and team owner Robert Kraft wants it to be returned.
“It’s very sad to me that someone would do something like this, and it’s like taking a great Chagall or Picasso or something,” Robert Kraft said Monday on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria.”
“You can never display it [if you took it]. And somehow, I feel there’ll be some news that’ll clear this up in the not-too-distant future. … I hope it’ll be cleared up soon. I think that a lot of people spent a lot of time looking into the matter and what happened, and I’d rather not say anything that would cause any problems in the work that’s been done."
Some ridiculous valuations have come in around $500,000, but it's an interesting stretch for Kraft to compare the stolen jersey to some of history's most priceless works.
Either way, Kraft is determined to see the stolen uniform returned to Boston.
“One way or another that jersey will be back,” he said.


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Singapore has a problem. Its population is growing but the country is running out of land to expand. One solution: smart urban mobility. This small Asian city-state wants to be a world leader in self-driving research and testing.
Burgeoning automotive tech is driving new streams of advertising-fueled options. Advertising can help provide free electric charging, gig economy money and free cars to drive. Auto Futures talked to three North American startups to find out how their business models... Read more


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LPGRA president Bernie Bolisay denounced the proposed measure, which is now at second reading at the House of Representatives, as "anti-consumer" as it allows the government to confiscate some six million supposedly dilapidated and substandard LPG cylinders.
said this would result in the shortage of LPG cylinders and the possible manipulation by major oil companies.
said the proposed measure adopts the position of big oil firms.
"The proposed measure only allows the oil majors to continue to dominate and control LPG market," said Bolisay
, adding that monopoly always hurts the end-user -- the consumer.
If House Bill 5052 is passed, the purpose of which is to perpetuate the monopoly of major oil companies, Bolisay
said consumers would be then denied their rights to choose cheaper and quality LPG, which would then result to incessant increases in the prices of LPG.
also noted that the bill does not provide safety nets and subsidy for the confiscation and impounding of substandard and dilapidated cylinders owned mostly by the poor and marginalized sector.
stressed, however, that the LPGRA
is not opposed to re-qualification of LPG cylinders.
But this should be done gradually so that consumers would not be affected by the sudden increase of LPG prices.
"Kung mamadaliin ang pagpapalit ng tangke, tanging ang malalaking kumpanya lamang ang may kakayahang makagawa nito na magbibigay daan upang mamatay ang maliliit na dealers at refillers," he
said the affected LPG owners will be forced to purchase a brand-new LPG tank at a cost of P1,500 each, with an aggregate cost of P9 billion.


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Epic Games was sentenced to pay a fine of 245 million dollars
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has officially finalized the decision of Epic Games Company based on patent infringement. This verdict declares the publisher of the popular game Fortnite He is obliged to pay a fine of 245 million dollars. The FTC says Epic Games used “dark patterns” to trick Fortnite gamers into buying paid in-game items.
meaning of Dark pattern, some deceptive techniques in the design of websites and user interfaces of services and games. Dark patterns are designed with the purpose of tricking the user into a certain scenario and making them do things they didn’t intend to do; Such as buying a product or providing a subscription service. One of the experts in the field of user interface design has found more than 400 examples of dark patterns in the service of companies such as Meta, Google, Amazon and Adobe.
to report single spotEpic Games’ $245 million fine is the result of two lawsuits filed last year. The lawsuits allege that Epic Games is deceiving Fortnite gamers in order to increase the game’s revenue.
Epic Games’ $245 million fine has been finalized while the company is one of the main critics of Apple’s policies. Tim SweeneyThe CEO of Epic Games considers Apple to be a monopolistic company and says that the policies of the App Store to receive a commission of 15-30% are unfair and aimed at generating revenue.
At the end of 2022, another $275 million fine was planned for Epic Games; Fines related to violations of the Child Online Protection Act.
The Federal Trade Commission says people who inadvertently bought into Fortnite’s in-app purchases didn’t get a warning. These people were often children who bought Fortnite items without their parents’ knowledge.
According to the Federal Trade Commission’s findings, the structure of Fortnite’s built-in options is unusual, inconsistent, and confusing, leading the user into a predetermined scenario for in-app purchases. In this particular case, Fortnite gamers regardless of age can make a purchase by pressing just one option. In most cases, the purchase process is done without warning and does not require user authentication.
As a result of Fortnite’s dark pattern, many gamers have inadvertently purchased in-game items. The structure of Fortnite caused some children to buy items without their parents’ knowledge. In addition to criticizing Epic Games’ deceptive policy, the Federal Trade Commission has said that the company locked out the accounts of users who legitimately tried to get their money back.
The $245 million fine received from Epic Games will be used to refund gamers. The Federal Trade Commission has said that Epic Games has no right to close the accounts of users who object to these unwanted purchases.


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SEOUL, July 1 (Korea Bizwire) – Renault Samsung has unveiled a special edition of its subcompact crossover, the QM3, which is a badge-engineered version of the Renault Captur.
The South Korean unit of French auto firm Renault S.A. said that it will only sell 500 units of the QM3 Cannes Blue Special Edition during the summer, which the automaker says is suggestive of the blue sea in the French resort city Cannes. The model is also the carmaker’s third “color revolution” edition.
The QM3 was first officially released in December 2013, and as the model was highly anticipated, the initial 1,000 vehicles allocated to South Korea were sold out in just seven minutes.
Image Credit: Renault Samsung / firstname.lastname@example.org


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(07 Jan 2022) Greater Bay Airlines, a new Hong Kong-based airline, has signed an agreement with Amadeus to make its schedules and fares available to travel agencies worldwide via the Amadeus Travel Platform in the first quarter of 2022.
The airline obtained its AOC on 8 October 2021 and plans to launch flights in Q1 2022, subject to regulatory approvals.
Algernon Yau, Chief Executive Officer, Greater Bay Airlines, said, “We are pleased to appoint Amadeus as one of our service providers for Global Distribution System. Amadeus could support our rapid implementation requirements and the growth of our airline.”
Greater Bay Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 reg: B-KJA
Amadeus-connected travel sellers – including travel management companies, corporations, tour operators, retail travel agencies, online travel agencies and metasearch – will be able to search, book and service reservations on Greater Bay Airlines.
Sellers will have access to the airline’s flight schedules, seat maps, ancillary services and fare families as well as real-time flight updates.
Frederic Saunier, Regional Vice President, Airline Distribution Sales, Asia Pacific, Amadeus, said, “We are excited that Greater Bay Airlines will be utilizing Amadeus’ technology as it embarks on its new journey when it begins flights end of this year. We are very pleased that Greater Bay Airlines has selected Amadeus as its distribution partner, and we look forward to supporting its growth as travel rebuilds.”
GBA has applied for the rights to operate in 104 destinations across the region, including Chinese Mainland, North and Southeast Asia.
The carrier has already leased three Boeing 737-800 aircraft and plans to grow its fleet to 30 aircraft over the next five years.


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A Jaguar insider has today confirmed to Teamspeed that the UK car maker is currently preparing the mass production of the two-seater C-X16 Concept. The wonderful looking concept was released at the 2011 IAA Motor Show in September and got a refreshing new white paint job at the Los Angeles Motor Show two weeks ago.
No timeframe has been set for the car’s launch, but Jaguar’s engineers are on the case, meaning anyone waiting for the British marque’s Porsche fighter can certainly start getting excited.
The two-seater concept marks a new future for Jaguar with respect to technique and design and show a model positioned under the XK-lineup. A next-generation supercharged V6 petrol engine producing 380hp and 450Nm of torque is combined with a Formula 1-inspired hybrid boost system with a steering-wheel mounted button for on-demand acceleration.
Integrated into the eight-speed gearbox is a motor generator which draws power from a 1.6kWh battery pack mounted behind the seats for ideal 50:50 weight distribution. Charged through a brake energy regeneration system, the batteries allow the motor to provide an additional 95hp and 235Nm. The final performance results are 0-100km/h in 4.4 seconds, a top speed of 300km/h and acceleration from 80-120km/h of 2.1 seconds.
Jaguar C-X16 Concept at IAA 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show


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Redmi is getting ready to launch the Redmi A3 on February 14th in India. Along with the launch date, the brand has also confirmed that the smartphone will be available for purchase on Flipkart. The Redmi A3 will be a successor to the Redmi A2, which was introduced in May 2023.
The Redmi A3 will be available for purchase on Flipkart ahead of its India launch. The smartphone’s price has not been officially disclosed. But according to the social media reports, the expected price is between Rs 7,000 and Rs 9,000. This smartphone comes with 6GB of RAM and 6 GB of virtual RAM.
Redmi A3 Display
It has a 6.71-inch HD+ IPS LCD display, boasting a resolution of 1600×720 pixels. It offers a smooth refresh rate of up to 90 Hz, peak brightness that goes up to 400 nits, and Gorilla Glass protection.
Redmi A3 Processor
This smartphone device is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio G36 (12nm) processor.
RAM & Storage
This smartphone comes with 6GB of RAM and an additional 6GB of virtual RAM, paired with 128GB of eMMC 5.1 storage, and the expected price is between Rs 7,000 and Rs 9,000.
Equipped with a 13 MP main camera along with an 8 MP front camera.
This phone comes with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, is equipped with a powerful 5000mAh battery, and supports 10W USB-C charging.


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“Data Driven Thinking” is written by members of the media community and contains fresh ideas on the digital revolution in media.
Today’s column is written by Amit Avner, founder and CEO at Taykey.
With all the buzz about self-serve ad platforms, it might seem as if everyone is using them. But, as the saying goes, appearances can be deceiving.
I recently spoke with 10 peers who run ad-tech companies serving agencies and big brands. Most of these people said their companies either offer a self-service option or are in the process of building one. However, those already offering self-service said less than 10% of their customers use it.
So while plenty of different players — including vendors, publishers and ad-tech companies — are exploring self-service options, it appears that only a small portion of advertisers are actually using them, especially when it comes to the larger brands. The people I spoke with said their clients asked for the option, then ended up rarely using it.
Big advertisers with big budgets don’t want or need to pay for million-dollar campaigns with a credit card. They generally don’t want to set up or optimize campaigns on their own, instead preferring to partner with an expert. And they also often require different features and capabilities — usually unavailable on self-service platforms — than smaller brands.
On a self-service platform, for example, you can’t use and analyze all the stored data to find relevant trends. In order to keep within your search, you have to select some data while throwing out other data that doesn’t add value. Similarly, self-service platforms don’t enable brands to use all the available platforms to meet their goals or target their audience. So if you’re considering a self-service platform, make sure it has the capabilities your brand needs before pulling the trigger.
Given the low adoption, why is everyone building self-service? Because it’s new and attractive to companies looking to cut costs. But it also comes with some potential downsides: Self-service requires significant engineering effort and maintenance that could instead be used to build innovative technology. In my opinion, big brands would be better off investing their money in tools that add real value.
That said, it makes sense for Google, Facebook and Twitter to offer the self-service option to smaller-budget advertisers. However, the full-service option is a much better fit for ad-tech companies working with bigger agencies and larger brand names.


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Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. That’s the predicament facing fashion designers in the midst of the current political climate.
Some say politics don’t have a place in fashion, putting brands on blast for using political statements to sell clothes. Others argue that designers can’t ignore what’s happening outside their tiny bubble of frivolous fun and should shine a light on important issues.
Read more at Rivet.


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Hogan Lovells advises British American Tobacco Group on investment in Sanity Group
A Hogan Lovells team led by Munich Partner Nikolas Zirngibl, has advised British American Tobacco Group (BAT). BAT, via one of its wholly owned group companies, has acquired a non-controlling minority stake in one of Germany’s leading cannabis companies, Sanity Group.
This investment is complementary to other recent investments made by BAT or BAT companies, most notably the strategic R&D collaboration established with Canada’s Organigram Holdings Inc. announced in March last year. The stake in Sanity Group adds a European dimension to one of the many BAT explorations beyond nicotine.
Sanity Group, which is based in Berlin, has a well-established product portfolio of CBD consumer brands and medical cannabis brands. It also has a proven track record in the research, development and marketing of cannabis products.
Hogan Lovells team for BAT
Dr Nikolas Zirngibl (Partner), Andreas Thun (Counsel), Martin Schunke (Senior Associate), Johannes Adam (Associate) (all Corporate, Munich);
Dr Christiane Alpers (Partner), Annika Ullmann (Senior Associate) (Strategic Operations, Agreements and Regulation, Hamburg);
Dr Jörg Schickert (Partner), Dr Tina Welter-Birk (Senior Associate) (Strategic Operations, Agreements and Regulation, Munich);
Dr Martin Pflüger (Partner), Sebastian Eisenberger (Associate) (both Intellectual Property, Munich);
Dr Justus Frank (Senior Associate, Labour Law, Düsseldorf).


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Like its competitors, GM is being lured by the idea of higher production in low-cost Mexico, to the consternation of US unions. The vehicle-maker will invest $5 billion in its four existing factories by 2018Like its main rival, Ford, and most other carmakers which are building vehicles in North America, GM’s production is swinging towards Mexico. In the first six months of this year, almost one-fifth of the cars GM made in North America were produced in Mexico and the OEM is in the process of pouring in more money to increase its presence there. In December 2014, the company said that it would invest a total of $5 billion between 2013 and 2018 to expand at its three vehicle plants in San Luis Potosí, Ramos Arizpe (Coahuila) and Silao (Guanajuato), and at its engine plant in Toluca. In total, the company built 323,335 cars in the first six months of 2016, down slightly on the year before.
GM might be eager to take advantage of cheap labour rates in Mexico, but it is a controversial issue. The gradual shift of production southwards has become a political flashpoint ahead of the US presidential election in November, with Republican candidate Donald Trump threatening to tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that has done so much to increase the appeal of Mexico to vehicle-makers. Meanwhile, workers at GM’s plant in Oshawa near Toronto, Canada, are concerned that the OEM is planning to close the factory and shift production to Mexico.
“In my opinion, GM has a strategic plan of beefing up Mexico at the [expense] of Canada and the United States. That is not going to happen,” said Jerry Dias, head of Canada’s largest private-sector union, speaking to The Oshawa Express in August. GM would not comment on its manufacturing strategy in North America, perhaps due to the heightened political sensitivity at present.
GM has been developing a manufacturing footprint in Mexico since 1935 and today operates four plants in the country, employing 15,000 people
GM first made its first car in Mexico at the Ramos Arizpe factory
GM has a long history in Mexico. It first opened a plant there in 1935, building trucks in the country’s capital using kits imported from the US. After Mexico demanded that makers increase their local parts content in the early 1960s, GM built three engine and vehicle plants over the next two decades. It also invested heavily in parts production and by 1998 its Delphi operation (now independent) was Mexico’s largest private employer, with around 72,000 workers. Today, GM employs about 15,000 people in the country. The expansion to 2018 will take that to just over 20,000, the company said in its 2014 investment announcement.
GM’s long-standing relationship with the country has helped to boost local demand for its cars. In the first seven months of this year, the carmaker’s sales in Mexico grew 16% to 159,733 to give the company a market share of just under one-fifth. However, the vast majority of the vehicles GM builds in Mexico are for export and the company has asserted that its $5 billion investment will help it to become the country’s top exporter of vehicles.
Exports are the key reason that any vehicle-maker sets up in Mexico, taking advantage of the low wages and the country’s wide range of global free-trade agreements. The US-based Centre for Automotive Studies has calculated that a US-sold car built in Mexico (using Ford’s D-segment Fusion for reference) costs a manufacturer $1,200 less than if the same car was built in the US, even taking into account costs of $900 to ship it north. GM first built a car for export to the US in 1981, when it shifted production of the car-based El Camino pick-up from Arlington, Texas, to its new factory in Ramos Arizpe, northern Mexico.
Following the trend toward small carsOne of the two plants on the Ramos Arizpe site currently builds the Chevrolet Cruze C-segment car, along with the B-segment Sonic. Production of the popular Cruze for the local and US market was announced last year, along with a $350m upgrade of the factory. Manufacture of the car started this year to supplement GM’s output in Lordstown, Ohio, and sits within the wider trend to move smaller cars to Mexico. “Labour represents a sizeable share of the production cost of these vehicles,” the Centre for Automotive Studies noted in a report published in July this year.
The second Ramos Arizpe plant has spent most of 2016 being retooled following a halt in Cadillac SRX production (its replacement is being built in the US) and the outgoing Chevrolet Captiva Sport. The factory is being prepared for manufacture of the B-segment Chevrolet Onix, which will not be sold in the US, and the D-segment Chevrolet Equinox SUV, according to the Centre for Automotive Studies. It is the Equinox that is produced by Oshawa in Canada, hence the local union’s fear that Mexico could take its staple vehicle and put the plant out of business.
GM builds its bigger SUVs and pick-ups at Silao in central Mexico. Production at this site started in 1995 and, like Ramos Arizpe, it includes engine and transmission assembly. The $660m transmission plant has a daily capacity of 1,500 units and was opened in 2008, making six-speed gearboxes for use in both cars and light trucks worldwide.
The vehicles produced include the Chevrolet Silverado crew cab pick-up and there has been speculation that GM could move some production from Silao to Flint in Michigan, but in the first six months of the year vehicle production increased by around 10,000 compared with 2015 to reach 204,279.
In 2015, GM bought parts worth $15.1 billion in Mexico, up 8% on 2014 – and accounting for 19% of its total parts purchasing worldwide by value
To the north-east of Silao lies GM’s third vehicle plant, at San Luis Potosí in the state of the same name. The city made automotive headlines earlier this year when Ford announced that it would build a factory there, joining the BMW plant that will open in 2019. At this location, GM builds the Chevrolet Aveo B-segment (aka the Sonic) and the Chevrolet Trax B-segment SUV, but production dipped by 10% in the first half of the year to 78,571 units. The site also has a facility to build six-speed automatic transmissions.
GM’s fourth site in the country, at Toluca just west of Mexico City, builds engines. The OEM started production here in 1965 and last year it opened a new engine plant and aluminium smelter after spending $751m over three years to upgrade its facilities. The plant now builds GM’s new, 1.4-litre turbo gasoline engine, along with larger units including its 5.0-litre and 5.7-litre V8s. It also has a steel foundry onsite, present from the very beginning.
Purchasing parts in MexicoGM might not own Delphi any more but it continues to source a huge volume of parts from Mexico. In 2015, the OEM said that it had bought parts worth $15.1 billion in the country, up 8% on the year before and accounting for 19% of its total parts purchasing globally by value, putting Mexico second only behind the US. The company stated that it used 550 suppliers in Mexico – of which 480 were tier ones – for the acquisition of electrical components, harnesses, stamped parts and interior components. Of the parts sourced in Mexico, 40% were used locally while the rest were sent to GM facilities worldwide, with 700m pieces shipped out of the country last year.
In terms of the OEM’s other activities in Mexico, GM claims to be “aggressively” increasing its use of renewable energy at its four facilities, including collaborations with local wind-energy suppliers. The vehicle-maker had previously announced that wind would help to power three of its factories from Q1 2016, with the aim of using 125MW of such energy by 2020.
The recent push in Mexico, not only from GM but its US rivals, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, will increase production there by around 850,000 vehicles annually from now until 2020, according to the Centre for Automotive Research. This will bring their Mexican production to around 2.5m per annum, up from around 1.6m at the moment. Whether political pressure will start to reverse those gains and bring some production back onto home soil remains to be seen.


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Breaking Ground in AR: Apple Unveils the Vision Pro Headset
In a bold move, Apple Inc. has officially entered the augmented reality (AR) domain with the launch of its much-anticipated Apple Vision Pro headset. Priced at $3,499, this cutting-edge device is poised to challenge Meta Platforms Inc.’s virtual reality (VR) offerings, but its significant cost has sparked discussions about its target audience.
The Vision Pro distinguishes itself with a formidable combination of 12 cameras, six microphones, and five sensors. This powerhouse of technology allows users to seamlessly integrate applications into their surroundings, controlled effortlessly by hands, eyes, and voice commands.
While Meta’s Quest 3 headset, priced around $500, is more budget-friendly, Apple’s Vision Pro justifies its higher cost through a rich feature set. The device operates on the new visionOS operating system and boasts compatibility with over a million apps from Apple’s app store.
Analysts are divided on the potential consumer base for the Vision Pro. International Data Corp. analysts predict that the high price will likely position the device more as a tool for businesses than for individual consumers. In contrast, Deutsche Bank Research takes a more optimistic stance, emphasizing that the launch expands Apple’s ecosystem and diversifies its revenue streams.
Apple’s foray into AR also introduces a new Spatial Video format, compatible with both the Vision Pro and iPhone 15 Pro models. This innovation is designed to let users “relive their favorite memories,” showcasing Apple’s commitment to providing a holistic technological experience.
In a surprising turn, Meta Platforms Inc. announced that the Quest 3 would also be compatible with Spatial Video, setting the stage for a fascinating competition between these tech giants.
While the overall virtual reality (VR) market has experienced a slowdown, analysts are optimistic about the Vision Pro’s potential impact. Wedbush Securities analysts estimate sales of more than 600,000 units this year, surpassing their initial predictions.
As Apple continues to expand its technological horizons, the Vision Pro marks a significant milestone in the company’s journey towards innovation and diversification beyond the iPhone. Whether this pricey AR headset finds widespread adoption remains to be seen, but it undeniably signals Apple’s commitment to shaping the future of immersive technology.


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After 200 years in business, gunmaker Remington filed for bankruptcy for the second time in July of 2020.
Later that year, the company sold its assets to seven different bidders.
One was the Roundhill Group LLC, which bought Remington’s non-Marlin firearms business for $13 million, a deal that included two factories.
Remington’s factory in Ilion, New York, was closed in October after 585 furloughed workers were abruptly terminated without severance pay.
Since then, Roundhill has pursued plans to re-open the plant, but delays caused them to renege on a March plan to bring production workers back in.
This week, Syracuse.com reported that Roundhill has called 230 workers back to the factory.
The plant will reportedly start production with the Model 870 shotgun line.
According to the report, Roundhill hopes to bring back hundreds more workers and continue to ramp up production in Ilion.


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Posted May 02, 2012By wphomicinda
La Puente resident Nanette Naval has recently opened her brick and mortar location for Trunk Trends Clothing Boutique in Old Town La Puente on Tuesday, May 1, 2012. Naval started her business as a mobile boutique last year. The store features unique and on-trend clothing and accessories.
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The workshop was to connect students with leading fashion professionals to show what to take to succeed in the fash
Ninety-three shows, nine days, one fashion-crazed city.
Reflecting on a Milan Fashion Week that marked the re-emergence of denim and the pre-eminence of the flat Birkensto
Pasadena’s Playhouse District celebrates international Parking Day by transforming parking spaces in front of 600
Models showcase designs at Madrid’s Fashion Week in Madrid, Spain.
LONDON (AP) — London Fashion Week swung into Day 3 Sunday, packed from morning to night with next season’s


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Two UK retailers have quietly put a landing page for the Samsung GT-i9023 which landed at the FCC in the US back in January 2011, one month after the official launch of the Google Nexus S phone.
Back in January, Engadget wrote that the phone will come with Android 2.4 (see video below), which according to a report published yesterday, may come as early as April.
The current Nexus S is known as the Samsung GT-i9020 which means that the new model is likely to have only a few minor differences.
The phone comes with a Samsung S5PC110 processor that combines a 1Ghz ARM Cortex A8-based Hummingbird CPU with a PowerVR SGX540 GPU.
It has 512MB DDR memory and 16GB onboard storage; other features include a 4-inch slightly curved glass Super AMOLED touchscreen, support for NFC, Android 2.3 Gingerbread but strangely enough no microSD card reader.


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A wireless strategy will be a competitive necessity in the IT industry of the future and channel partners will be the key to implementing the diverse solutions required by users, according to industry research firm IDC.
The claims were made by PC analyst Logan Ringland during a hardware markets presentation at the international IT research company's annual IT industry briefing, which assessed last year's results and made forecasts for the future.
Aptly titled Directions 2001, given the uncertain IT market, the majority of analysts at the briefing conceded 2001 would continue to be a difficult year. But while the PC market will continue to cop a beating for a little while yet, it is not all doom and gloom. 2002 looks set to be a vast improvement, as enterprise moves back into the replacement cycle and new technologies drive the market.
IDC foresees extreme growth in the personal appliances market, which could prove the saviour of PC assemblers, resellers and retailers. Of course it will be the big global brands that will influence the market, but there are huge opportunities for new players to emerge with popular appliances.
"There is a train of thought that the PC industry will come down to three or four organisations," Ringland said. "That is not necessarily true. Personal appliances offer lots of opportunities for PC companies."
An IDC survey of handheld device end users found that information systems departments were increasingly looking to buy handhelds for their employees.
"In the past, companies have been loathe to purchase these products," Ringland said, adding that "key to all this will be the channel".
"[Vendors] have got to leverage their channel partners as they know the customers and have significant influence in the purchasing community."
Notebook sales will also continue to grow, thanks to the increasing availability and affordability of LCDs and other components, while wireless LAN will free people from their desktop shackles.
"This will really drive mobility," Ringland said. "A couple of years ago, notebooks accounted for 14 per cent of PC sales. Last year it was 18 per cent. There is a changing dynamic in the market. Although it is quite soft at the moment, we are likely to see it rebound quite strongly."
According to Ringland, networking will also continue to grow, driven by demand from small business and homes, and the server market will go along for the ride.
"Increasing traffic will demand a new era of servers in areas such as Web hosting, so we may see the number of low-cost racks increasing over the next five years."
This increase heralds the rise of the Appliance Era in the PC market, where component expertise and the degree of modularity will both influence purchasing decisions.
"With appliances, simplicity is the key, but it is what it delivers that counts. Companies can't afford to over-deliver on the technology or someone will come from below you," Ringland warned.
He also claimed the industry will also see the rise of Blades - self-integrated servers that are taking on router technology and form factor. Their vertical, blade-like design allows users to maximise the number of CPUs per rack.
Meanwhile, according to mobile communications analyst Emilia Wasiak, the next phase of growth in the communications industry will come from the wireless market segment.
"Last year, the number of mobile Internet users was very small compared to the number of wireless users - 8 million versus around 100,000 - but we expect the number of wireless users to reach 9 million in 2005."
The main market accelerators at the enterprise level will be the ability to access the Internet at different locations, content, technology and vertical segments.
IDC predicts by 2004, mobile commerce, or m-commerce, will be a $1.6 billion industry in Australia. However, this is still a fraction of total Internet commerce.
"There are lots of players trying to make the value channel work effectively for them. They think they can gain more share if they work in more layers of the market, and it is holding back mobile commerce. We need collaboration, or else we will see the battle continuing and it will inhibit the growth of the industry."
Don't be device or carrier-centric, Wasiak advises, and know that the mobile Internet is different to the wired Internet but it is still part of a whole. He also suggests that resellers bear in mind that the limitations of the devices currently on the market will be sorted out eventually.
"Commerce, content and the customer. That's where the focus of the service provider should be."
But, thankfully, talk of the "new economy versus the old economy" has finally been laid to rest, according to Joel Martin, an IDC research manager.
Martin subscribes to the same theory that many pragmatic pundits have espoused since the beginning of the Internet generation - there is simply one single economy. According to Martin, technological change to business is not the bottom line, it's merely the tools used to affect the bottom line.
Martin predicts service revenues will exceed hardware and software revenues by 2003, reaching a value of $12 billion in Australia.


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|Sugar is stored at the Thành Thành Công Sugar Refinery in the southern province of Tây Ninh. The MoIT will apply trade remedies and import management measures in line with international commitments, ensuring fair competition and reasonable protection of domestic production. — VNA/VNS Photo Lê Đức Hoảnh|
HÀ NỘI — Beginning next year, there will be no limits on the amounts of sugar imports into Việt Nam from ASEAN countries.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) will not apply any import quota from January 1, 2020.
Under the Circular No. 23/2019/TT-BCT, the ministry said the new regulation would be applied to sugar with code HS 1701.
The amount of sugar imported from ASEAN countries is not included in the annual tariff quotas, which are announced by the MoIT under the commitments of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to WTO member countries.
The ministry will continue to coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, relevant State management agencies and Vietnam Sugar Association to study and advise the Government for consideration to apply trade remedies and import management measures in line with international commitments, ensuring fair competition and reasonable protection of domestic production if there is a sudden increase of imports which could damage Vietnamese businesses. — VNS


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Emami Ltd is acquiring 30% stake in Helios Lifestyle Pvt Ltd for an undisclosed amount whereby the stake will be acquired by December 2018 through infusion of required funds. Helios owns the fast-growing male grooming brand ‘The Man Company’ which sells a range of premium grooming products for bath & body, beard, shaving and perfume and sold online through the company's own website.
A release by Emami said the acquisition of stake is significant as it marks the company’s entry in the fast growing online male grooming segment. Male grooming products are becoming increasingly popular and the market is witnessing a rapid growth, it said. Emami is currently present in the male grooming segment through its two brands, Fair and Handsome and HE.
Emami Ltd director Harsha V Agarwal said rapidly growing male grooming portfolio supported by digital marketing and online sales is an emerging growth segment in the FMCG space.
“This investment is in line with the company’s strategy of leveraging online opportunities brought about by rapid digitalisation which is the future and will also help us to be present in the premium end of growing male grooming segment,” he said.
Helios Lifestyle co-founder and MD Hitesh Dhingra said the male grooming space is being disrupted by start-ups globally using digital medium as a platform for marketing and distribution.
Agarwal said while many start-ups entered the male grooming segment in last two years, they focus mainly on beard or any specific grooming segment of men. “Helios is different from them as it provides complete product portfolio for men by offering head-to-toe range of grooming products,” he said.
In a letter to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman dated April 2, seen by ETRetail, Cait said that a strong stimulus package is needed for the small businesses who are the contributor of a major chunk of revenue to the government and are also the backbone of the Indian economy.
The retail industry is staring at losses of about half a billion dollars due to the closure of malls, apparel stores and the recent decision to pull shutters on factory production due to the havoc created by the coronavirus. There are over 15 lakh modern retail stores in India generating a business of almost Rs 4.74 lakh crore and employing over 60 lakh people.


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With Eurocucina just around the corner, some big kitchen industry news – In an official statement, Thursday, Feb. 25th, 2010, Nobia AB chief, Mr. Preben Bager announced that Nobia (the world’s largest manufacturer and seller of kitchens), sold the Pronorm brand and their 50% shares of Culinoma to the Dutch retailer Mandemakers. The price – 493 million SEK, the equivalent of just under 50 million Euro and a book value loss of 77 million SEK(!)
The announcement did not come as a total surprise – according to KBB Review, the Nobia Group’s sales for its 2009 financial year, which runs from January to December, came to SKr 15.4 billion (£1.36 billion), down 4% from the same period in 2008. Also, its loss after tax was SKr 79 million compared to a profit for 2008 of SKr 529 million – a 115% drop! The company blames this on the declining market demand, particularly in the Nordic region, and the cost of restructuring as it closed various factories
The other major brands of the Nobia Group include HTH and Invita in Denmark; Novart with the brands A la Carte, Petra and Parma in Finland; Norema and Sidgal in Norway; Marbodal and Myresjokok in Sweden; Optifit, and Poggenpohl in Continental European countries.


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Three day fashion extravaganza Arise Fashion Week (AFW) is back again this year. Emerging as a luxurious destination for a fusion of fashion, art, and design, the event will showcase a spectacular range of collections from African fashion royalty designers and artists in Lagos, Nigeria. The event will be hosted at the luxurious Lagos Continental Hotel, Victorian Island from March 30th to April 2nd.
Handpicked to showcase her spectacular designs with other 45 designers is Botswana’s internationally acclaimed designer Koki Chiepe of Koki Kamala. Renowned for bringing the first ever fashion week in Botswana, Chiepe has been making a stellar mark in the fashion industry in India, where she is currently based and developing her Koki Kamala brand. “I am very much honoured to have been selected amongst some of my favourite designers to showcase on such a huge platform. I am very grateful for the opportunity to introduce my label, Koki Kamala which I have been developing, to the world. I wanted a strong team of fashion creatives, so I called Tsholo Dikobe to be my creative eye and to facilitate with the styling and give her amazing and boundless creative input. I further roped in Aone Ditirwa, the Botswana luxurious shoe designer of R’alocha so that we can use them for the catwalk presentation, and introduce her to a new market like Lagos which is Africa’s fashion capital. I love what she’s doing and I respect Tsholo Dikobe’s craft so it was important for me that I share the platform and collaborate with them,” explains Chiepe.
Arise Fashion Week has built a striving fashion marketing space panning a representation of African fashion, culture and more, and this year proves no different in celebrating the quintessential in African fashion. It is a platform where authenticity and originality meets innovation and style; where fashion truly matters.
“I am truly ecstatic and humbled by the recognition and opportunity yet again to provide my styling services on such a continental and renowned platform such as Arise Fashion week”, states Dikobe. She added that this is another milestone added in her fashion career and she hopes that this will open more doors for her and Botswana’s fashion talent, and further nudge collaborations with the international market. “Moreover, collaboration is an important aspect of business. I thank Koki for embracing my talent and giving me a creative freedom to her collection. I am excited for it, and for Koki.”
The AFW runway has seen global fashion icons and leading models such as Naomi Campbell, Alek Wek, Liya Kedebe, Oluchi Orlandi and others showcase the best of Africa. The AFW 2018 runway event in Lagos will feature over 50 designers from 14 countries such as South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, France, Morocco, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Caribbean and Nigeria.