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The United Auto Workers’ expansion Friday of its historic strike against the Detroit automakers to 38 General Motors Co. and Stellantis NV parts distribution centers nationwide promises to snarl parts deliveries to customers and dealers.
The strategy appeared to be a strategic one by the UAW to avoid further layoffs at assembly and powertrain plants while still providing another source of leverage and “inflicting difficulties for automakers,” S&P Global Mobility analysts wrote in a note.
“It moves the strike to the consumer by limiting the parts that they can get to fix their cars,” said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions. “There have been a lot of parts that have been in short supply before this, and this is just going to exacerbate that problem.”
Fiorani expects that GM and Stellantis will do “everything they can to keep their dealers and their customers happy,” including staffing parts warehouses with salaried employees — a move that Ford was prepared to employ in the run-up to the strike.
“Dealers will be hurt because they can’t fix vehicles, and that’s a large portion of their income. Consumers are going to be hurt when they can’t get their vehicles fixed,” he said. “It’s going to cause bad blood among consumers, but it depends on where the consumers’ loyalties lie, who they blame, whether it’s the dealer, whether it’s the manufacturer, whether it’s the union.”
Rival Ford Motor Co., meanwhile, was spared similar strike action Friday against its parts operations because of meaningful progress at the bargaining table.
Experts say the silver lining for auto suppliers already affected by work stoppages at three Detroit automaker plants in Michigan, Ohio and Missouri is that the latest move is unlikely to have much effect on production.
“The aftermarket is the tail,” said Sheldon Klein, who represents auto suppliers for law firm Butzel Long. “The production operations is the dog. The impact on the companies is not as great as 38 plants suggests. As long as it doesn’t affect auto assembly, the impact on suppliers is limited at best. Suppliers don’t have to shut down their plants because they are not able to ship replacement headlights.”
Public support for strike
The UAW so far enjoys strong public support for the strike.
A Reuters-Ipsos poll conducted over two days earlier this week found 58% of Americans support the UAW’s strike. That support was durable across party lines: Democrats and Independents supported the strike by wide margins (72% and 63% respectively), but more Republicans also supported it than opposed it (48% to 47%).
The poll indicated a majority of people supported the strike regardless of age, income, race or ethnicity, but Americans between the ages of 18 and 34, people with a household income below $100,000, and Black Americans were the most likely to agree.
The survey of more than 1,000 people was conducted on Sept. 19 and 20 in English. It has a “credibility interval” of 3.8 percentage points.
It’s possible that delays in car repairs due to the strike could chip away at public support: “Along with the specter of ongoing low inventory and some vehicles perhaps being in even shorter supply as a result, the situation also creates potential challenges for dealers and customers, if repair parts become difficult to source,” said Stephanie Brinley, associate director of automotive intelligence at S&P Global Mobility.
“In announcing this move, the UAW said automakers and dealers could ensure customers aren’t hurt, if they avoid ‘price gouging.’ It is unclear how much patience an average consumer will have if they cannot get a vehicle serviced.”
In detailing the new strike targets, UAW President Shawn Fain said the move was aimed at impacting GM and Stellantis’ repair operations. His message to consumers: “The way to fix the frustrating customer experience is for the companies to end price gouging. Invest these record profits into stable jobs and sustainable wages and benefits. It’s that simple.”
What dealers are expecting
Rhett Ricart, owner of Ricart Automotive Group in Columbus, Ohio, isn’t expecting much of an immediate impact. Dealers have been stocking up on parts in anticipation of a strike, he said, and there are alternatives, such as dealers swapping parts with each other or turning to non-factory suppliers. But if the strike lasts beyond a month or two, customers could start to feel the crunch.
“Everybody’s gonna have to pitch in, but I think we’re gonna be in decent shape here for the short (term),” said Ricart, whose group sells both Ford and GM vehicles. “If … you have a recall part that’s on order or a technical service bulletin part on order, that’s going to cause problems with dealers. But what dealers will do, if we need to, we’ll find a way to get people into a loaner car or something like that.”
Scott Kunes, chief operating officer at Kunes Auto and RV Group, said he didn’t anticipate a strike of the parts distribution centers and is expecting a pretty immediate disruption for customers.
“Most people don’t realize that we get deliveries pretty much five days a week from our parts distribution centers. So oftentimes, a vehicle that we’re working on, we may be ordering that part and receiving it overnight or the next morning,” he said. “And if that is shut down, we don’t stock nearly as many parts as people may think, especially if it’s a special order part or a manufacturer-specific part.”
Leading up to the strike, his dealership group — which has 44 stores, including 23 Detroit automaker dealerships, across Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa — bulked up orders of items like windshield wiper blades and oil filters, but Kunes is more worried about parts needed for repair jobs, especially urgent ones. And he’s concerned that, eventually, supply chains for third-party parts could become constrained if more dealers with GM and Stellantis stores have to look for alternatives to factory parts.
“This is probably the way that the strike was going to have the biggest impact on consumers immediately, to have these parts distribution centers go on strike,” said Kunes. “It is concerning for our business going forward.”
Wall Street reacts
Friday’s news received mixed reactions from Wall Street, where the expanded strike prompted anxiety, but the exclusion of Ford gave rise to hope of at least one settlement being in sight.
“This is an aggressive move that essentially goes at the hearts and lungs of auto operations for GM and Stellantis given the ripple impact/pressure points,” Dan Ives, equity analyst at Wedbush Securities, wrote in a research note Friday.
“The UAW and GM/Stellantis now have crossed the invisible line, and the UAW strike is about to get a lot nastier, which could have a massive impact on GM’s EV plans as well as billions of lost revenue/production depending how long this UAW debacle lasts.”
Following the announcement, shares in the auto companies rallied 1% for GM and Stellantis and 3% for Ford, Garrett Nelson, an equity analyst at CFRA Research noted.
“Investors greeted the news that it is closer to a deal with (Ford) as raising hopes that any agreement could act as a template for deals with GM and (Stellantis). However, the two automakers continue to reject several key demands of the UAW,” he wrote.
“We think the walkout at the parts distribution centers of GM and (Stellantis) could have a debilitating impact on each company’s auto production and repair capabilities, raising the probability that the companies will either make concessions similar to those made by (Ford) or announce countermeasures.
In the first week, the strike has resulted in an economic loss of more than $1.6 billion, according to estimates from East Lansing, Michigan-based consulting firm Anderson Economic Group LLC, which has done business for GM and Ford.
The losses have been concentrated in Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, Kansas, Indiana and Alabama from the walkouts and layoffs. A longer strike, according to the researchers, would spread losses to assembly and supplier plants as well as dealers across the country.
“Because the auto industry is highly integrated across suppliers and assembly plants, shutting down one plant will cause layoffs and shutdowns at other plants,” CEO Patrick Anderson said in a statement. “That includes supplier businesses, especially those that are dependent on a handful of contracts with the OEMs.”
The losses include $107 million in lost direct wages and $511 million in company losses, according to the report. The industry’s economic loss, including at suppliers, is $1.174 billion. Industry consumer and dealer losses represent $470 million. The strike is expected to affect customer selection sooner than in the past, AEG Vice President Tyler Theile said in a statement
“Consumers and dealers are somewhat insulated in a very short strike,” she said. “However, with current inventories hovering around only 55 days, the industry looks different than it did for the last UAW strike. In fact, automakers have only about one-fifth of the inventory they had in 2019.”
©2023 www.detroitnews.com. Visit at detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
This story was originally published September 22, 2023, 9:50 PM.


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Last night’s presidential debate was mostly focused on the Middle East and the ever-popular question of whom to bomb and when. But both candidates did take a timeout from the threat of terrorism and nuclear proliferation to discuss a stranger problem: the risk of American citizens getting a good deal on Chinese manufactured goods.
Neither man could quite say exactly what the problem with this is. Barack Obama kicked things off by repeating a long-standing Ohio-centric boast of his. Earlier in his term, when faced with allegations that Chinese companies were selling really cheap tires in the United States, he sprang into action with anti-dumping policies. “Over a thousand Americans are working today because we stopped a surge in Chinese tires” as he put it in the State of the Union address at the beginning of this year.
That’s 1,200 jobs to be precise, according to Gary Clyde Hufbauer and Sean Lowry of the Institute for Institutional Economics. And good for those workers. But 1,200 jobs in a nation of over 300 million aren’t that many. Indeed, it turns out that many more people buy tires than make them, with consumers paying about $1.1 billion in higher prices in 2011 for the sake of those 1,200 jobs.
The classic economist’s worry about trade protection is precisely this. A small number of people with a large financial stake in the tire industry will extract money from the much larger set of people with a small financial stake in the tire industry. (That’s why silly occupational licensing rules have run amok in the service sector.) Adding more arbitrary tariffs is a poor policy response to cheap Chinese tires. But instead making a free-market response to Obama, Romney promised to go much bigger. Instead of merely protecting us from the scourge of affordable tires, he promised to “label [China] a currency manipulator which allows us to apply tariffs where they’re taking jobs.” Higher tariffs and higher prices across the board!
Imposing tariffs is a policy that will cost most Americans money. And even though Chinese currency manipulation dominates political dialogue, there isn’t much of it actually happening these days. In part that’s because—as Obama said to Romney—the yuan has risen in value relative to the dollar. But the bigger story is that currency manipulation is a policy with a short life-span. Keeping the price of its currency on international markets low made China’s domestic inflation rate considerably higher than America’s, so in inflation-adjusted terms the exchange rate has shifted a great deal.
That isn’t to say that currency manipulation doesn’t happen. Former Federal Reserve official Joe Gagnon made a detailed study of the issue and found that even if you exclude all truly poor countries and all official sovereign wealth funds, there are 20 countries engaged in substantial currency manipulation. The list ranges from close allies such as Israel, Japan, and Taiwan to Azerbaijan, Argentina, Angola, and beyond.
Consistent application of the Romney Doctrine—imposing tariffs on goods from those countries—could reduce U.S. unemployment. Maybe everyone would fear Romney’s new import taxes, and suddenly stop buying dollars. With less demand for dollars out there, demand for domestically produced goods and services would rise and unemployment would fall.
But the consequences also might be disastrous. Newly taxed manipulators from Switzerland to South Korea to Saudi Arabia might retaliate with taxes of their own or reduced orders for American airplanes, defense equipment, agricultural products or other key exports. In that case, U.S. consumers would be paying higher prices, even as American workers face reduced demand for their labor. Global trade would fall in all directions, hurting everyone.
If Romney truly believes that the American economy is suffering from a demand shortfall, a much better approach would be to directly address the demand shortfall. Exchange-rate policy is a crucial tool for stabilizing demand if you’re a small country that’s open to foreign trade and investment. For Israel, Sweden, and many others it’s a key lever since buying and selling goods across international boundaries is as common as crossing state lines in our continent-sized nation.
But foreign trade isn’t that big a deal in the United States. The vast majority of Americans work in providing local services to other Americans, and we spend the vast majority of our money on those same services. If there’s too much overseas demand for U.S. dollars and safe dollar-denominated treasury debt—much of it bought by foreign governments trying to reduce the value of their own currency—then the sensible solution is to increase the supply not engage in a loopy roundabout effort to coerce foreigners into not buying them. That means borrowing more money to finance tax cuts, directly spending to help the unemployed, or giving bailouts to cash-strapped state governments. And most of all it means a Federal Reserve willing to prefer mild domestic inflation over mass unemployment.
And in an economy where relatively few people work in global manufacturing industries, broad fiscal and monetary expansion is a lot more sensible than trying to boost employment one tire factory at a time.

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Tender Price Indicator
A third national COVID-19 lockdown and a historic trade deal with the EU. Will these impact the construction industry for the good or the bad?
As we approached the end of a tumultuous and unprecedented year, it was looking increasingly likely that the construction industry would have to contend with not only an ongoing global pandemic in 2021, but also the shockwaves associated with a no-deal Brexit. Fortunately, much to the relief of the industry, a historic bilateral trade deal with the EU was signed on 30th December 2020, ending a four-year process that was riddled with uncertainty.
The signing of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU ensures tariff-free trade between the UK and the European trading block but construction will have to come to terms with a host of new rules and regulations that will impact the procurement and delivery of projects.
The trade deal will enable construction companies to continue to forecast the cost and availability of products and materials imported from the EU. It also meant the industry avoided any immediate inflationary shocks of tariff and quota introductions, along with any currency depreciation directly associated with a no-deal as the pound has currently held its rate. Yes, the most drastic disruption of a no-deal outcome has been avoided, but in the coming weeks and months the complexities of the EU-UK trade agreement, and the impact it will have on the construction supply chain, will become clearer.
Just days after the trade agreement was signed, the UK was dragged into a third national lockdown - dubbed ‘lockdown 3.0’. Fortunately, under England’s new national lockdown, construction (and its supply chain) was once again given a free pass by the Government to continue, with new business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng saying that the industry is making a major contribution to the economic recovery following COVID-19. In response, the seventh version of the Construction Leadership Council’s Site Operating Procedures was published but with only minimal changes. Whilst construction sites have demonstrated that they can operate safely over the past nine months, contractors are acutely aware that if sites are hit with outbreaks, construction could be accused of not managing sites correctly. Consequently, contractors are being extra vigilant in sticking to the current guidelines and creating COVID-secure working environments.


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Everything Photo Galleries Stories Videos Find
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LOVERS of fashion will have another option in the city with the opening of a new boutique.
fashion hinkler central retail shopping
11th April 2019 12:04 PM
WESTPAC has had a branch on Bourbong St since 1872, but it seems its 147-year history is drawing to a close.
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07th March 2019 5:03 AM
HANDBAG and accessories store Colette by Colette Hayman will close the doors to its Hinkler Central store.
colette fashion accessories hinkler central retail shop closure
04th Feb. 2019 3:02 PM
WHAT was supposed to be a special surprise for her daughter's 15th birthday ended with a Bundy mum pleading guilty in court...
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23rd Jan. 2019 5:01 AM


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The Kazak government plans to spend $58 billion in investment in infrastructure by 2020, half of which will likely go to the country’s railroads in the hopes of increasing transportation and involvement in China-Europe cargo shipments to boost GDP. Kazakhstan is located between China and Russia, bordering Chinese regions expecting growth in manufacturing. By uniting Kazakhstan’s transport assets, the country hopes to increase efficiency to attract shipment to Europe of goods manufactured in China through Kazakhstan. In addition Khazak railroad monopoly, Temir Zholy manages a special economic zone, called Khorgos, on the Chinese border (benefits of which we have discussed in class).
Xinjiang borders Kazakhstan, and expects $104 billion of investment from the Chinese government and manufacturers including Toshiba, Acer Computer International Inc., Suzuki Motor Corp., Ford, and Hewlett-Packard Co. The government is also encouraging production by companies like Apple and Dell.
This example of neighboring countries like Kazakhastan trying to catch the benefit of China’s economic growth is an interesting perspective on China’s success. The Kazakh railway monopoly boasts increasing shipments from China to Europe by 62 percent.


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Take-Two Interactive has got big plans for their leading franchises over the next five years and that could mean big things for Grand Theft Auto on the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Many gamers are hungry to find out what year the GTA 6 release date will be revealed by developers Rockstar Games. There are still hopes that something will be revealed in the coming months, although most leading analysts believe a reveal in 2021 is more likely.
And while parent company Take-Two has yet to discuss its plans for the PS5 and Xbox Series X yet, they have started to tease its schedule for the years to come.
At a new event this week, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick shared some interesting tidbits that are sure to affect the launch of GTA 6.
The Take-Two “pipeline” is a well-known phrase used by the company to describe the lineup of games currently in development.
This covers everything that is in the works and the latest comments made by Zelnick makes it sound like there are big plans being put in place for the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Other platforms will no doubt benefit from this new ambitious pipeline of games but Take-Two is known to favour consoles for AAA titles like Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto.
Speaking during the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference in San Francisco, Zelnick confirmed that big investments were being made.
And with Grand Theft Auto being one of the company’s biggest franchises, it certainly sounds like GTA 6 could take things to new heights.
“We’ve said that we’re making the biggest investment we’ve ever made in our pipeline, and that will be expressed in the next five years,” Zelnick revealed, via Venture Beat.
“We’ve also said that our goal year-in-year-out is to not only have this basis of a great catalog, great annual releases, and great live games, but also to add new frontline releases every year.”
Frontline releases are the games that won’t include titles like Grand Theft Auto, but will instead be focused on new IPs and bringing back older franchises.
“We’re investing more and more so we will get to a point where we will pretty reliably have a great front-line release schedule in addition to our catalog, our live-ops, and our annualized releases,” Zelnick added.


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Sapphire Ventures, a global investment firm closed Sapphire Ventures Fund VI, LP and associated co-investment vehicles, at nearly $2 Billion.
The new capital will allow the firm to continue to ramp investments in Series B through late-stage enterprise technology companies in the U.S., Europe and Israel. The new closing brings the firm’s AUM to $8.8 billion.
With the new capital raise, Sapphire will continue to make investments across the lifecycle of companies in its core sectors including:
- Enterprise SaaS,
- Infrastructure Software,
- Healthcare-IT, and
- Crypto-infrastructure, among others.
Led by Nino Marakovic, CEO, Partner and Co-Founder, and Jai Das, President, Partner and Co-Founder, Sapphire Sapphire is a global technology-focused venture capital firm with team members across Austin, London, New York, Palo Alto and San Francisco. Since its founding, Sapphire has invested in more than 170 companies globally resulting in more than 30 IPOs and 45 acquisitions. The firm’s investment strategies — Sapphire Ventures, Sapphire Partners and Sapphire Sport — are focused on scaling companies and venture funds, elevating them to become category leaders. A global team of more than 40 investment and Portfolio Growth professionals work collaboratively to partner with growth companies in key industry sectors.
Sapphire’s new London-based team is led by founding Partner Andreas Weiskam. Since 2012, Weiskam has driven the firm’s European and Israeli investment activities, which include investments in companies such as Cazoo, Criteo, JFrog, monday.com and Wise, among others. Sapphire Europe has a total of seven team members with plans to add multiple new team members in the coming year.
The firm also expanded its leadership team with the following appointments:
- Kevin Burke – VP of Strategy
- Ralph DeBernardo – Head of IR, Partner
- Cristina Hohlman – CFO
- Ellie Javadi – CMO
- Chloe Steinberg – Partner, Sapphire Sport
- Krupa Vankayala – VP of People & HR
- Rico Mallozzi, VP of Platform, Sapphire Sport


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Is 3D Printing the Future of Consumer Products?
While 3D printing may be the most exciting and innovative development of the past decade, the future of a number of industries may soon be inevitably altered by the introduction of what techies are calling the "3D Printing Revolution." Worries of entire markets being wiped out due to widespread adoption are a bit myopic and premature, but it would be remiss to suggest a few industries aren't sweating the potential ramifications. 3D printing combines the precise creation process of 3D modeling with an equally precise production mechanism capable of mimicking three-dimensional blueprints to the millimeter. Also known as additive [...]


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Intel officials are expected to announce on Sept. 4 the availability of “Avoton,” the company’s next-generation Atom processor aimed at the growing ultra-low-power server space that rival chip maker ARM and its partners also have their eyes on.
The microserver space promises to be a heavily contested market as demand for such systems grow and Intel and ARM maneuver to address that demand. Intel officials have argued that the advantage is theirs: Avoton will be the second-generation follow-on to “Centerton,” it already has such data center features as 64-bit capabilities and greater memory and virtualization support, and offers x86-based tools and software that are familiar with most developers and data center administrators.
ARM executives have said their low-power system-on-a-chip (SoC) designs, which were initially created for the mobile device space, are a good fit for the microserver space, which is expected to continue growing, driven by such trends as cloud computing, big data and mobility. While the bulk of ARM-based server SoCs currently are 32-bit—from such vendors as Calxeda and Marvell Technology—ARM officials note that they expect chips using the upcoming 64-bit ARMv8 will begin hitting the market next year.
A company in the middle of all this is Applied Micro, a smaller vendor whose executives in 2011 announced they would come out with the industry’s first 64-bit ARM-based SoC by the end of last year. With the market heating up now and Intel and other ARM vendors outlining their plans for chips for dense, low-power servers, Applied Micro officials are looking to press what they say is an 18-month advantage over those competing ARM partners.
The company has built a 40-nanometer version of its X-Gene SoC, which executives call the first ARM server product on the market. During a conference call with analysts and journalists in July to talk about the company’s quarter financial numbers, President and CEO Paramesh Gopi said the company has completed testing a 28-nm X-Gene model in the company’s labs, and will tape out the part in late 2013 and begin sampling it to customers in the first half of 2014.
The 28-nm X-Gene also will be complemented by X-Weave, a family of connectivity products that will enable X-Gene to scale to 100 Gb/s and beyond. In addition, Applied Micro announced in April a partnership with Altera to develop joint solutions that will enable Applied Micro to leverage Altera’s field-programmable gate array (FPGA) technology in its products, including X-Gene.
The result will be an ARM-based server SoC that has the enterprise features and capabilities found in Intel’s Xeon server chips, Gopi said in an interview with eWEEK. It will be highly competitive with Intel’s x86 processors—a 30-year-old architecture built to support Microsoft’s Windows—and will be ahead of other ARM chip partners, who are essentially looking to build server chips using ARM’s Cortex-A57 designs, which Gopi said are found in tablets.
“We wanted to build a Xeon-class ARM” chip, he said, noting that other ARM partners are currently working on 32-bit parts. “There is no market for 32-bit in servers. It isn’t there.”
Not only is X-Gene a true 64-bit ARM SoC built exclusively for the server space, but it comes with features such as error-correcting code (ECC) memory, as well as I/O capabilities such as 40 Gigabit Ethernet, Generation-3 SATA and Generation-2 PCI-Express. Such features give Applied Micro a “sustained, differentiated advantage” over other ARM partners, Gopi said.
“If it’s not a Xeon-class chip, [enterprises] are not going to look at you,” he said.


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Homes and businesses in West Molesey have entered a third week without landline telephones after recent bad weather caused a “major break” in a BT cable.
Customers using TalkTalk have been affected with the problems since before the school half term, with dates to fix the problem continually being pushed back.
Kim Bax, manager of Henrietta Playgroup in Walton Road, said the nursery’s line went down more than two weeks ago and is yet to be repaired.
She said: “We thought it was our phone and got on to TalkTalk and they said there was a problem in the Molesey area and it affected everyone.
“We have just started an advertising campaign and we are worried we are going to lose customers because it is ringing but it is not ringing here.”
Mrs Bax said the nursery is using Facebook to communicate with parents, who have been understanding of the problem, and have bought a mobile phone to use in the interim as an emergency means of contact.
She said: “For a very small business, when you have done a massive advertising campaign, it is scary because people might think we are really rude by not answering the phones but it’s not ringing here.”
A statement on TalkTalk’s website said: “You are no doubt aware of the extremely bad weather the UK has been experiencing recently and your area has been particularly badly hit.
“As a result there has been a surge in the number of physical faults with both cabling and network equipment.
“We are very sorry if you are inconvenienced by the situation and are working hard with both Openreach and Ofcom to improve their performance.”
The issue is not believed to be affecting internet or television services.


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The FINANCIAL — U.S. wine exports, 97% from California, reached $1.53 billion in winery revenues and 380 million liters (42.2 million cases) in 2017.
Golden State exports were down 5.5% in value and 7.9% in volume due in part to the strong dollar, heavily-subsidized foreign wine producers and competitors forging free trade agreements in key markets.
“Global premiumization continues and California wines are well-positioned with our range of offerings, aspirational lifestyle, well-earned reputation for high quality and leadership in sustainable winegrowing,” said Robert P. (Bobby) Koch, President and CEO of Wine Institute.
“California wine exports have grown nearly 70% by value in the past decade. Our global marketing efforts focusing on the quality and diversity of California wine continue to gain traction with our trading partners throughout the world,” said Wine Institute Vice President of International Marketing Linsey Gallagher. Gallagher oversees Wine Institute’s California Wine Export Program, involving more than 175 wineries that export to 138 countries, and 15 representative offices conducting programs in 25 countries across the globe.
The top 10 export markets for California wines are: the European Union’s 28-member countries, accounting for $553 million, Canada, $444 million; Hong Kong, $119 million; Japan, $94 million; China, $79 million; South Korea, $25 million; Mexico, $23 million; Singapore, $17 million; Philippines, $14 million; and Dominican Republic, $13 million, according to Wine Institute.
“Free trade agreements that place the U.S. on equal footing with other wine producing countries are absolutely essential to growing U.S. wine exports,” said Charles Jefferson, Wine Institute Vice President of Federal Relations and International Public Policy.
Wine Institute’s Regional Trade Directors in key export markets reported on 2017 exports:
“Despite a flat wine market in Canada and ongoing exchange rate challenges, Canada remains the top dollar value market for California wines. Canadian consumers have confidence in the quality and value offered by California wineries whose wines are successful in all price segments,” according to Rick Slomka, Wine Institute Trade Director for Canada. “Although recent price increases may lead to slower growth, new product introductions and line extensions for popular brands have kept the momentum strong for the California wine category. U.S. wines were the number one table wine category by value in Canada in 2017 for the fourth consecutive year with almost Canadian $1.1 billion in retail sales. “We anticipate continued growth in the liquor board stores and are also looking forward to working with the provincial governments to improve and equalize access to new grocery distribution channels.”
“As the Euro became stronger in the past 12 months, California wine exports to continental Europe improved. In Germany for instance, our key market on the continent, German customs reported an increase in California wine imports of 7% by volume. The data also shows increases in export value to key markets such as Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark,” said Paul Molleman, Wine Institute Trade Director for Continental Europe.
“Sales of premium, super-premium and luxury Californian wines continue to be robust despite very challenging currency-led price increases. In 2016, the pound was valued at $1.46. A year later it dropped 17% to $1.21. Price increases were largely passed through to consumers as increased shelf prices. The pound has strengthened in the past six months, and we expect this will be positive for California wines in the first half of 2018 as importers look to replenish stocks at more favorable prices,” said Wine Institute United Kingdom Trade Director Justin Knock, MW.
“Due to the U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement, all of the U.S.’s wine region competitors will enter Japan duty free by 2019 while the full 15% import duty will continue to be charged on California wines. Japanese importers have been importing U.S. bulk wine to reduce the import duties, but Chilean and Australian bulk wine is already duty free and European bulk will soon have duty free status. Bottled U.S. wine exports to Japan decreased 20% by volume in 2017, but value increased 12.1%. Ultra-premium wines are less susceptible to the import duty disadvantage, and Wine Institute’s Japan office has been consistently promoting the premium category with its wine-by-the-glass restaurant promotions,” said Ken-ichi Hori, Wine Institute’s Japan Trade Director. “U.S. wine importers in Japan hope the U.S. will establish a Free Trade Agreement with Japan as soon as possible to abolish the heavy import duty disadvantage of U.S. wines, which will help the entire American wine category grow in Japan.”
China & Pacific Rim
“U.S. wine exports to Greater China (Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan) were strong with 10% growth to over $210 million in 2017. Also experiencing growth were South Korea, Singapore and the Philippines with value increasing more than volume, signaling the premiumization trend. For Asia, the main story is the economic growth in China, the largest country in the world in terms of population. China has a rapidly growing middle class that is traveling outside the country and adopting many Western tastes and lifestyle preferences. Consumption of imported wine has increased 2.5 times in the last five years on the Chinese Mainland. We expect this trend to continue for the foreseeable future,” said Christopher Beros, Wine Institute Trade Director for China and Pacific Rim.
Since 1985, Wine Institute has served as the administrator of the Market Access Program, a cost-share export promotion program managed by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Wine Institute’s Export Program supports California Wines worldwide with a consumer website discovercaliforniawines.com in eight languages, social media campaigns in 18 countries, educational tools and videos, and a strong partnership with Visit California to increase tourism to California wine regions. Wine Institute organizes California’s participation in international trade shows and trade missions, offers master classes and seminars as well as tastings for trade, media and consumers worldwide. Last year, the program also hosted 155 international media and wine buyers from 20 countries for visits to California wine country.


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From the resolution of Cabinet to shut down all schools, boxing stadium, sport stadium, cinemas, entertainment complex, fitness, spas, Thai massage shops, etc in Bangkok Metropolitan Region for 14 days as a preventive measures against the spread of Covid-19
To “Work from Home” policy raised by several private sectors to ease the risk from the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Leading to an increasing of internet use…!!!
Which should benefit the telecommunication stocks such as Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited (ADVANC), Total Access Communication Public Company Limited (DTAC) and True Corporation Public Company Limited (TRUE).
As a higher data usage…from internet consumption like reading a daily news, watching a movies, listening to music or playing an online game instead of leaving home or some might use for work.
That means the Q1/2020 revenue from internet data service should increase significantly.
And at the same time those mobile service providers snatched an opportunity when people are encouraged to stay at home by launching a new promotion in response to Covid-19.
TRUE was a first operator that released an unlimited internet package, an “Isolated, but not Desolated”, at 10 Mbps. for 30 days with 60 mins free call, starting from March 16, 2020 exclusively for people who work from home to update the news and to enjoy a time watching a blockbuster movies, listening a hit musics and watching a sports competitions via TrueID, an application of the Exter-Tainment.
A little billionaire Suphachai Chearavanont is truly ahead of time.
Meanwhile ADVANC presenting a best value package of Working from Home starting at only 99 baht per month, and allowing the company staffs remotely access enterprise applications and intranets from anywhere, anytime like sitting at an office.
ADVANC also provides a Corporate Internet Bandwidth on Demand services in which adjusting the internet speed up on demand with a special price of 30 baht/Mbps/month and only for this period. And many other solutions.
Plus inviting all mobile network customers who interested in AIS WORKING FROM HOME service be able to register the package from today until 30 June 2020.
What a genius ADVANC .. !!
But in case of DTAC…probably in the process of creating a package to serve the client’s please.
Lets see how stunning will be a DTAC packages
By the way, Mr.Sharad Mehrotra, do not take it too long then can fall behind and other mobile operators might take all customers.
There are some analysts coming out cheering to buy telecommunication stocks specially ADVANC which has a strong fundamental and distributing a dividend of 4.26% while DTAC giving a dividend of 9.73% and TRUE offering at 3.66%.


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Carpool Logistics CEO, Michael Malakhov, sat down with Tech and Innovation Reporter Zach Armstrong to discuss the future of vehicle shipping. Check out the full article below!
As more people buy cars online, Atlanta Tech Village startup bundles vehicle shipments
The market for automotive logistics is too fragmented, says Carpool Logistics CEO and founder Michael Malakhov.
It is saturated with small businesses that ship less than five cars to auctions and dealerships, all while the industry lacks the technology to optimize transactions for both parties.
Malakhov’s startup, an automotive logistics company based at the Atlanta Tech Village, is providing a platform that cuts costs and emissions of shipping vehicles to their destinations by bundling them.
“When you think of the automotive industry, it’s extremely inefficient when you’re shipping one or two cars with an empty space on a trailer, there are constantly excessive emissions and extra costs,” said Malakhov.
Carpool Logistics’ growth opportunity
By connecting vehicle shippers with auto haulers with available space on their trucks, Carpool Logistics could provide clients between 10% to 15% in savings, Malakhov said.
The company has over 50 auctions and dealership customers and 16 employees. It looks to double both its customer base and staff by the end of the year. Hires will focus on software development and sales to improve its platform and reach more customers, Malakhov said.
The car shipping industry is currently valued at $13 billion, said Malakhov. He believes Carpool Logistics can get a large market share considering the increasing demand for e-commerce. More people are buying vehicles online, and more dealerships are starting to offer platforms to accommodate that trend.
“Automotive is changing more in the next five years than it has in the last 50,” said Malakhov. “E-commerce is growing, and electric vehicles are about to take over the industry. Digital transactions are growing, and the geographical barriers are breaking down, which will require more shipping.”
To date, the company has been bootstrapped with $300,000 from Malakhov and his co-founders’ own money. Now, Malakhov is planning a seed round of $2 million by the end of the year.
The company was launched in May 2021 at the Atlanta Tech Village. While there, Malakhov met two of his other co-founders, and the company’s office footprint continued to expand. The company plans to remain at the ATV thanks to how accommodating the location has been.
Being in Atlanta is something Malakhov also views as an asset, since Carpool Logistics is at the crossroads of both the logistics industry and the automotive industry.
Atlanta is seen as a growing hub for supply chain innovation due to its legacy as a physical distribution hub and burgeoning tech ecosystem. The state of Georgia is also growing its automotive manufacturing industry. Hyundai Motor Corp. and Rivian Automotive Inc. plan to build massive electric vehicle manufacturing plants that will employ thousands of people.
“There’s a great talent pool from a supply chain perspective and a growing tech ecosystem,” said Malakhov. “There are more VCs who are attracted to the Southeast and want to look at companies, so the support ecosystem really has been amazing.”
A background in supply chain
Prior to launching Carpool Logistics, Malakhov had a career in the supply chain industry for nearly 20 years having various kinds of leadership roles.
For 16 years, he worked as a sales associate up to a Regional General Manager at the logistics platform C.H. Robinson. He then worked as executive vice president from 2016 to 2018 at the automotive logistics as a service platform ACERTUS.
His professional experience gave Malakhov the lightbulb moment to build out what would become Carpool Logistics. The idea was to build out a network of consolidation where multiple vehicles are bundled and then built into loads to then be shipped out to clients.
Check out the original article here.


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Comcast Corp. last week said it had conducted an internal reorganization, aligning technology and marketing operations for video, voice and data businesses under one roof.
The move was designed to aid the biggest U.S. cable company as it offers video, data and now voice services — and moves into wireless services — in one bundle, CEO Brian Roberts said at a Citigroup-sponsored investors’ conference in Phoenix.
“I think it’s symptomatic of how we’re looking at the business and how we think about the opportunity that lies ahead,” he said.
David Juliano, who had been president of Comcast Online and Voice Services, will add video responsibilities to his previous realms. His new title is executive vice president of marketing and product development, with marketing and operational responsibilities, and he continues to report to executive vice president of operations Dave Watson.
Juliano’s responsibilities earlier had been expanded to include voice operations, as well as the online business. A former Sony Corp. executive, he joined Comcast in 1999.
Marvin Davis, senior vice president of marketing and sales — who developed the current “Comcastic” ad campaign — will report to Juliano with broadened cross-platform marketing in mind.
Greg Butz’s new title is senior vice president of product development, expanding his role from the online business to a cross-platform role, a Comcast spokesman said.
As the video business shifts to Juliano, Steve Silva, who had been executive vice president of new business development, sees his responsibilities change. He becomes executive vice president of digital development, focusing more on devices (such as set-tops).
As Butz and Juliano rise, other executives are adding responsibilities, too, including Mitch Bowling, who will run online operations, Comcast said. And Tom Nagel, a business-development vice president, has been tapped to run Comcast’s wireless operations.
As reported earlier, Comcast hired John D. Schanz, from America Online Inc., to run network operations. He’ll become executive vice president, national engineering and technical operations, overseeing engineering and network-operations and technology strategy and reporting to chief operating officer Steve Burke.
The smarter way to stay on top of the multichannel video marketplace. Sign up below.


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LinkedIn launched a new service called LinkedIn Surveys last month, which will conduct surveys to help advertisers, reach their target audience. The target audience being professionals and decision makers such as executives and IT experts, who are members of this social network.
This will be possible because LinkedIn possesses a lot of detailed information about their clients, and this data is also regularly updated. By accessing this data, through LinkedIn’s new service, it will be possible for advertisers to decide which of these clients they wish to target for a given ad campaign. Users will also be happy, as they will be seeing ads which are relevant to their needs, and thus they will not waste time on irrelevant ads.
Director for advertising sales, at LinkedIn, Steve Patrizi says, “the LinkedIn audience network offers advertisers one of the most accurate audience data sets available on the web, along with the confidence of knowing that their brands will only appear on sites with high editorial standards”. This service should prove to be effective as LinkedIn is a social network dealing in business and careers and has almost 30 million members worldwide, and is growing at half a million customers every week. as its members find new ways to interact with each other and solve many business related problems.
Scott Spry, COO, Phoenix Marketing International, a client of LinkedIn Surveys, says, “LinkedIn Surveys has allowed us to quickly and cost effectively obtain feedback from real professionals who provide authentic perspectives.”
LinkedIn has been able to raise funds to the tune of $22.7 million from various investors such as Goldman Sachs, Sap Ventures, etc. for this venture of theirs as these investors feel that this service will be capable of creating value and transforming industry.


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Rockstar Games has released the latest explosive trailer for San Andreas Mercenaries, the latest update for GTA Online ahead of its June 13, 2023, release. The trailer showcases story elements, tons of explosions, and intense action that the new update will bring to the game when it launches next week. Check it out below before we jump into additional details:
The new update is all about Merryweather Security and their shady contract killer activities which are scaling up in the streets and squeezing out any rogue competition across Southern San Andreas. Since you are directly affected by this, you will take the fight to them alongside a team of elite pilots and ex-military operators and battle against the monolith forces of San Andreas’ biggest private military.
For fighting this menace, expert aircraft mechanic and ace pilot Charlie Reed is putting together a squadron of proficient aviators and guns-for-hire known only as the Los Santos Angels to take on the new lucrative private work, as you steal sensitive data from server farms, conduct raids and drop explosive payloads on high-value targets across the entire state. Charlie will convert the Mammoth Avenger into an enhanced aerial command center equipped with a new Operations Terminal and weapons system upgrades. Along with this, you will also get to take part in new ventures running valuable contraband on the ground and liberate cash and commodities from lucrative roving targets.
The update will bring a range of new upgrades for Avenger and Hangar owners which include the ability to store and customize your Avenger from your Hangar and even store and customize your Avenger if you do not own a Hangar or Facility property. Apart from this, the update will also add new random events, a brand-new Tactical SMG, daily time trials, and much more to the game. Additional updates are also coming to the game based on player feedback and more such as:
- When calling Mors Mutual Insurance, you’ll be able to claim all destroyed vehicles at once.
- An alternate sprint control option (hold to sprint) will be added to the Settings Menu.
- Custom description tags for garages to help quickly locate your favorite rides.
- The Willard Eudora and Albany Classique Broadway will become eligible for Taxi Work when using Taxi Liveries.
- Updates to the Creator to incorporate additional props and weather options, including snow.
GTA Online: San Andreas Mercenaries is slated for release on June 13, 2023, for all GTA Online players on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. Earlier this year, Rockstar Games released a brand-new garage that allows players to showcase up to 50 cars in a single location.
What are your thoughts on the new trailer for GTA Online: San Andreas Mercenaries and will you be interested in jumping back in GTA Online to try it out? Let us know in the comments section below.


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Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic Games has decided to cut a voice role from the game that had been contributed by controversial YouTuber JonTron, after he made a series of comments espousing racist, anti-immigrant viewpoints.
“We recently became aware of comments made by voice artist JonTron after development on Yooka-Laylee had been completed,” Playtonic said in a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, adding that “in light of his recent personal viewpoints we have made the decision to remove JonTron’s inclusion in the game via a forthcoming content update.” The game is set for release on April 11.
Playtonic offered a role in Yooka-Laylee to JonTron, whose real name is Jonathan Jafari, in February 2015 — two and a half months before the studio even launched its Kickstarter campaign for the game — after he tweeted about his love for the Banjo-Kazooie series. (Yooka-Laylee is a spiritual successor to that 3D platforming franchise.)
Jafari, who is of Iranian and Hungarian descent, found himself at the center of an internet firestorm earlier this month for his political positions. After tweeting a defense of a congressman who had expressed white nationalist views, Jafari doubled down in a Twitch stream, parroting distasteful and debunked far-right talking points such as the idea of a Mexican “reconquista” and the claim that even wealthy blacks commit more crimes than poor whites in the U.S.
After Jafari’s views were publicized, he lost thousands of subscribers from his personal YouTube channel, JonTronShow, although he still maintains more than 3.1 million followers there. He is a co-founder of Normal Boots, a hub for a number of gaming-focused YouTube channels. A week after getting himself in hot water, Jafari attempted to clarify his comments in a brief video. “I said lots of stuff that could be misconstrued in all sorts of ways,” he said, offering no apologies.
In addition to removing Jafari from Yooka-Laylee, the studio distanced itself from the YouTuber and expressed its support of diversity.
“We would like to make absolutely clear that we do not endorse or support JonTron’s personal viewpoints and that, as an external fan contributor, he does not represent Playtonic in any capacity,” the studio said in its statement today. “Playtonic is a studio that celebrates diversity in all forms and strives to make games that everyone can enjoy. As such, we deeply regret any implied association that could make players feel anything but 100% comfortable in our game worlds, or distract from the incredible goodwill and love shown by our fans and Kickstarter backers.”


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Britons are spending more on a night out than at any point in the last three years, a survey suggests.
Club and bar chain Deltic found the average person spent £70.69 on a night out in the three months to September.
That is up 25% on the same period last year and the highest since October 2016 when the survey began.
Deltic surveyed 2,300 people about all sorts of nights out, including trips to the cinema, restaurants, pubs and nightclubs.
The findings come despite signs of a slowdown in Britain’s night time economy linked to weaker spending and people opting to drink less alcohol.
The survey found that during the three months to the end of September, 61% of people went on a night out at least once a week, up from 56.2% last year.
Spending increased on every component of the evening – from drinks at home and transport, to entry fees, food and alcohol bought at venues.
For example, the average punter spent 10% more than last year on alcohol on a night out, at £19.34, and 17.7% more on food at £16.03.
Despite the apparent increase, respondents reported that they are budgeting carefully when they go out.
‘Seeking best value’
Nearly a quarter said they refuse to spend more once they have hit their limit. Meanwhile, almost a quarter look for deals and discounts, and many cut down their food and drink costs by eating and drinking before they go out.
But there have been numerous signs that Britain’s night time economy is struggling. According to research from property firm Altus Group, nearly around 12,000 UK pubs shut between 2010 and 2018, although the rate of closure is slowing.
Meanwhile, once-popular restaurant chains such as Jamie’s Italian and Byron Burger have had to announce closures after struggling to pay their rents. Live music venues have been hit too.
Peter Marks, chief executive of Deltic, said: “This quarter’s Deltic Night Index demonstrates that consumers are spending a significant portion of their disposable income on going out.
“However, these aren’t impulse purchases. People are clearly thinking about where and when they spend their money, as shown by the percentage of people that budget, and seek out the best value whilst enjoying a fantastic night out.”


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HSBC has agreed to sell its card and retail services business in the US to Capital One Financial Corporation. The business to be sold is HSBC’s monoline US credit card and private label credit card business, comprising gross customer loan balances together with certain real estate and other assets and liabilities. Included in the sale are the business’s MasterCard, Visa, private label and other credit card operations.
The products of the business are offered throughout the US primarily via strategic affinity and co-branding relationships, merchant relationships, direct mail and via the internet.
Stuart Gulliver, HSBC Group chief executive officer (CEO), said: “This transaction continues the execution of the strategy we announced at our investor day on 11 May 2011 to focus our US business on the international needs of customers in commercial banking, global banking and markets, retail banking and wealth management and onshore global private banking. Although dilutive in the short term, this transaction will reduce group risk-weighted assets by up to US$40bn which, together with an estimated post-tax gain on sale of US$2.4bn, will allow capital to be redeployed over time.”
HSBC and Capital One expect no immediate changes to HSBC card programmes and operations.
The annual BNP Paribas Cash Management University kicked off on Thursday morning with treasury professionals congregating in Paris from across Europe.
APIs may be a solution to MT940 challenges, says Karen Fagan, treasury operation manager, for British television company, ITV.
Kicking off the first day of the Singapore Fintech Festival, issues with cryptocurrencies were addressed by MIT media labs director, Joi Ito, and panels of technology leaders discussed how they’re using data analytics.
Sibos 2017 day two highlights: Brexit and banking, and why ‘data is the new oil’ in financial services
How nation first politics can impact global financial organisations It’s clear that data and regulation are the two key topics that are ... read more


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Spotify made its debut on Wall Street on Tuesday with an initial price of $165,9/share, up 26% from the reference price established ($132/share). The Swedish music streaming firm closed its first trading session up 12% at $143/share.
So that is how Spotify started life on the US market, which has recently taken a beating; the Nasdaq 100 lost 2.9% on Monday, the Dow Jones fell 1.9% and the S&P 500 was down 2.2%. It’s not really been a good time for technology stocks, but on the day of Spotify’s debut the Nasdaq closed up 1.06%.
Spotify’s listing was not a conventional one as there was no IPO.
Like many other ‘unicorn’ companies, Spotify has never posted profits.
In a report submitted to the SEC, the company acknowledged its recent losses and problems
The firm’s market debut was steered by the current financial director, Barry McCarthy, who was behind the successful listing of Netflix in 2002. Its shares have revalued over 80% in the last year.
It’s worth highlighting that Spotify’s market listing has happened in the same week as the share prices of the big US techs are taking a severe hit, for a variety of reasons. That said, Link Securities flags that the main reason is the high valuations these companies have reached, which mean they have a big weighting in the indices. At the end of the day, the large tech companies were the ones which led the rise in the US indices over most of last year. Facebook saw a revaluation of 53%, Apple 46% and Alphabet (Google) 33% in 2017. The FAANG – Facebook, Amazon, Apple Netflix and Alphabet – have lost nearly $400 billion in capitalisation since the Nasdaq highs of March 12. The question now is whether Spotify will have the same stock market journey.


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Doogee Launching Doogee S98 Pro Rugged Phone
Doogee is going to launch a new rugged smartphone on June 6. It will not break even if it is tossed on the ground and will not spoil even if it is submerged in water. Let’s know the price and features of Doogee S98 Pro.
Doogee Launching Doogee S98 Pro Rugged Phone: Doogee last month showed off a new rugged smartphone, the Doogee S98 Pro, which has a night vision camera, thermal imaging sensor and an ultra-wide camera. Doogee has finally confirmed that this new game-changer smartphone is set to launch on June 6. A few days before the launch, the features and price of the phone have been revealed. It is considered to be the strongest phone. It will not break even if it is tossed on the ground and will not spoil even if it is submerged in water. Let’s know the price and features of Doogee S98 Pro.
Doogee S98 Pro Price
The company confirmed that the new S98 Pro will be launched and will be available for order on June 6. The smartphone will debut on the AliExpress, DoogeeMall, and Linio (Latin America) shopping platforms. The Doogee S98 Pro is priced at $439 (Rs 34,008), but between June 6 and 10, it will be sold for $329 (Rs 25,500).
Doogee S98 Pro Design & Camera
The one-of-a-kind exotic design of the rugged phone Doogee S98 Pro won the European Good Design Award. The company claims that it will have the best camera system on a rough and tough phone. There is a professional grade thermal camera 48MP Sony IMX582 primary camera and 20MP Sony IMX350 night vision camera on either side. However, the front camera is 16MP Samsung S5K3P9SP, which is placed in the cutout at the top of the display.
Doogee S98 Pro RAM & Display
Inside the Doogee S98 Pro, the MediaTek Helio G96 drives the show. It is an octa-core chipset that is capable of reaching a clocking speed of 2.05GHz, which means it is capable of gaming. It is paired with 8GB + 256GB memory for faster and more seamless operation. Storage can also be increased up to 512GB with the help of micro SD card.
Doogee S98 Pro Battery
Doogee S98 Pro will come with 6000mAh battery and 33W ultrafast Type-C charger. Wireless charging is available with support up to 15W. That is, the phone can run comfortably for 2 days on regular use. The S98 Pro will sport a 6.3-inch FHD+ LCD IPS waterdrop display with Corning Gorilla Glass layer for protection.
Doogee S98 Pro will be the strongest
The Doogee S98 Pro comes with other exclusive features, such as a custom button, NFC, 4 satellites for navigational satellites (BeiDou, GALILEO, GPS, and GLONASS), IP68, IP69K rating and MIL-STD-810H compliant. The phone will also run Android 12 out-of-the-box with a security update guarantee of up to 3 years from the company.


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Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] is an updated version of Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late that introduces four new playable characters to the roster, Cross Cast Veil Off as the new fighting mechanic, and numerous balance tweaks made to the current cast from UNIEL. Arc System Works first announced UNIST on May 15, 2015 with a brand new website. Japanese arcade location tests were conducted on May 22-24, 2015 and on June 24-July 1, 2015. UNIST was officially released in Japanese arcades on July 23, 2015.
Console versions of UNIST was announced on April 2017 and was released for the PS4, PS3, and VITA platforms on July 20, 2017 in Japan and in North America on February 9, 2018.
New to UNIST


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Despite holiday gatherings changing in a major way for many in light of COVID-19, the barware category is growing for Beatriz Ball as consumers prepare to entertain at home.
Beatriz Ball’s barware collection includes ice buckets, wine coolers, punch bowls, champagne chillers and pitchers.
For wine drinkers Beatriz Ball also offers a selection of wine coolers, champagne chillers and bottle coasters in metal alloy. There are also larger oval ice buckets available for chilling craft beer bottles.
“There is a growing demand for stylish barware and accessories,” said company founder Beatriz Ball. “We are actively developing new products for 2021 and we have launched a comprehensive site for wholesale online ordering.”
Part of those new introductions are metal trays in several new finishes and the brand’s new Croc bar glasses, designed to go with its other existing Croc barware items, all available in the company’s signature signature metal alloy.
“I love the richly textured Croc glasses,” added Ball. “Paired with items from our Croc collection, you bar has never looked cooler.”
The Croc metal barware items include trays, bowls, a triple dip, ice bucket, ice scoop and bottle coaster.
Adelaide “Addie” Elliott is an associate editor focusing on retail coverage for Furniture Today and Casual Living. Previously, she also served as the web editor for both those brands and Designers Today. Before being promoted in May 2019 to web editor, Adelaide worked as Furniture Today’s editorial intern for a year. Get in touch with her on Twitter at @AElliott_Writes or by email at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Friday, March 15th, 2013 - Sunday, March 24th, 2013
If you’re waiting for a signal to jump-start your home improvements, it’s just arrived.
The 89th REALTORS® Home & Garden Show sponsored by Unilock is back with more solutions than ever before.
Speak with industry experts on renovating, landscaping and sustainable applications, plus shop for the latest in home and garden accessories.
For info, visit mkehgs.com
The 2013 REALTORS Home & Garden Show runs Friday, March 15 – Sunday, March 24. (closed Monday, March 18 & Tuesday, March 19)


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Jordan Fly Wade Media Unveiling
Earlier today, Jordan Brand held an event at the luxurious Setai Hotel in Miami to officially introduce Dwyane Wade’s first signature Jordan shoe. Media was brought to a suite where in addition to a showcase displaying four upcoming colorways of the Jordan Fly Wade, Dwyane and footwear designer extraordinaire, Mark Smith, were on hand to discuss the details of the shoe and the process behind it. Wade, who signed with Jordan Brand in July of 2009, has been proudly carrying the Jordan flag by wearing the Air Jordan 2010 and 2011 the past two seasons, but we all knew it was only a matter of time before we saw D-3 get his very own shoe.
While Wade said he was honored to be chosen to wear the Air Jordan 2010 and 2011, he was understandably excited to finally get his own signature in the works. Dwyane noted that while he did have signature models during his time with Converse, this was a whole new kind of excitement now that, according to him, he’s “where he wants to be.” Upon getting started with the design process, Wade presented designers Mark Smith and Tom Luedecke with some ideas on what he wanted from the shoe, with the ideas of lightweight and durability emerging as the key elements to best compliment his aggressive style of play.
The shoe now known as the Fly Wade started out as a concept for the Air Jordan 2011, but was later tweaked to become Wade’s sig once the design team decided to take a different approach with this year’s Air Jordan legacy model. At a mere 13 ounces, the shoe was engineered to be the lightest Jordan shoe ever, relying on no-sew heat bonded construction and a variety of synthetic leathers and carefully considered textile materials to provide the desired result. A full-length Phylon midsole helps with the weight as well, with the comfort of the shoe addressed by using a combination of Zoom and Max Air underfoot for optimum ride and performance.
With everything in place to give The Flash an extra footwear advantage heading into the playoffs, Jordan Brand will make the first two colorways of the Fly Wade available for purchase to the public on Thursday May 5th, with at least two additional colorways soon to follow, but the Fly Wade fun doesn’t end there either. On May 29th, the Fly Wade will hit Nike iD, a move that will leave many of the Jordan faithful out there drooling over the prospects of more JB footwear becoming customizable in the future. For now, keep reading for a look at the Fly Wade unveiling down in South Beach and stay tuned for more photos and info on D-Wade’s Jordan signature model coming soon.


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Coinbase insiders sold over $40 million in COIN during December selloff, SEC data shows
- Alongside an overall dip in crypto markets, the price of Coinbase’s publicly traded stock had a rough December.
- SEC reporting reveals that many of the U.S. crypto exchange’s leaders sold their Coinbase stock during that period.
Coinbase, the first crypto exchange to issue stock publicly in the U.S., has had a rocky couple of months. Government data reveals that company insiders and early investors have been part of a significant selloff.
Per beneficial ownership data gathered by the Securities and Exchange Commission and easier to browse on Dataroma, major players sold $40,631,394 worth of COIN over the course of December. The SEC requires these disclosures of company officers and directors, as well as any shareholders who possess 10% or more of the company's outstanding stock.
In the three months to date, total sales from insiders amounted to $331,744,516. Those insiders reported zero purchases during either timeframe.
Co-founder and board director Fred Ehrsam, now also the co-founder of crypto VC firm Paradigm, sold COIN worth $31,369,991 over the course of December. In the same timeframe, chief product officer Surojit Chatterjee sold $9,007,797 worth of Coinbase stock, while chief accounting officer Jennifer Jones sold $253,606.
According to NASDAQ, Coinbase's all-time high was within days of its April listing, hitting roughly $388. More recently, it peaked at just under $370 a share on November 9, alongside Bitcoin's all-time high.
Coinbase's stock price. Source: NASDAQ
The SEC data shows that Coinbase saw a major insider selloff in early November, featuring many players on the 8th and the 15th. The 4th, however, saw Ehrsam make a single sale worth $63,001,342.
December saw COIN drop from $315 to $252. Today, January 7, COIN is bouncing around the low $220s, with a market cap of $50.095 billion. Relative to that total market cap and daily average volume of over 3 million shares, the sales by insiders are relatively small.
A representative for Coinbase had not responded to The Block's request for comment as of press time.
As Coinbase's November 9 peak reflected Bitcoin's all-time high, its more recent performance appears to reflect broader declines in both crypto and traditional equities markets.
© 2021 The Block Crypto, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
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Walmart Inc. is selling fashion company ModCloth after months of rumors suggesting the retailer was looking to unload some of its acquired e-commerce brands.
Go Global Retail, a brand investment company founded in 2016, said in a news release Friday that the deal is expected to close later this year. It did not disclose the terms of the acquisition.
Walmart acquired ModCloth in March 2017 for an undisclosed amount. The Bentonville retailer purchased other digital brands around the same time, including Jet.com, Hayneedle.com, Shoebuy.com and Moosejaw in deals ranging from $51 million to $3.3 billion.
A Walmart spokesman said Friday that when the company acquired ModCloth, "our primary focus was to build assortment through proprietary, digitally native brands." Since then, the spokesman said, "our approach has evolved and our current focus is on building direct-to-consumer brands that we can leverage in an [omnichannel] way.
"Similar to online grocery, we are putting our investments in areas where our ... capabilities and unique advantages put us in a position to win," the spokesman said.
Technology news website Recode reported in July that "multiple sources" said Walmart is projecting its U.S. e-commerce division will lose more than $1 billion in the current fiscal year, on revenue of about $21 billion. Walmart doesn't publicly disclose these figures, but it reported the division's sales grew 40% in fiscal 2019.
The same sources also told Recode that Walmart chief executive Doug McMillon and the board of directors were pressuring Marc Lore, who heads the U.S. e-commerce unit, to cut losses by selling one of its acquired brands. Walmart didn't comment on these claims.
ModCloth's chief executive confirmed in August that Walmart was getting inquiries about the women's apparel brand from buyers and was "exploring potential opportunities." ModCloth CEO Silvia Mazzucchelli made the remarks in an interview published in online magazine Glossy.
Lore founded Jet.com, an online-shopping site Walmart acquired in 2016 for $3.3 billion. He then became president and CEO of Walmart's U.S. e-commerce unit, leading the acquisition of ModCloth and other online fashion brands such as Bonobos and Eloquii, and is widely credited with boosting Walmart's digital profile to better compete with mammoth online retailer Amazon.com.
Go Global Retail said in its release that ModCloth will continue to operate out of its current offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Pittsburgh. The new owner will invest in ModCloth's digital capabilities, including artificial intelligence and predictive analytics.
"We believe that together with current management, ModCloth has the ability to become a stronger player in the premium fashion market, nationally as well as internationally," said Jeffery Streader, a retail expert with Go Global Retail who helped lead the acquisition.
ModCloth was founded in 2002, and its vintage-inspired clothing, inclusive sizing and strong social-media presence have earned it a loyal following. Besides its e-commerce site, ModCloth has four small stores, called Fit Shops, in which customers can try on samples and order merchandise. The stores are in Los Angeles; New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Austin, Texas.
Business on 10/05/2019
Print Headline: Walmart selling e-brand ModCloth


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The skateboard emoji saw the light of day on February 7, 2018. But the original version was retouched and re-released 12 days later.
Emojis aren't new. They're extremely popular in Japan since they first appeared on mobile phones in the late 1990s.
Shigetaka Kurita, a Japanese artist, designed the earliest examples of emojis in 1999 when she was involved in a pioneering mobile internet platform for Docomo, Japan's leading mobile phone operator.
His goal was to develop attractive icons/characters as a means to say something or share information visually. Kurita created a set of 12-by-12-pixel images that could be selected and sent electronically.
Today, the 176 emoji collection can be seen all year round at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
But emojis, as we know them today, only really gained traction in 2007 when Google lobbied for the official recognition of the graphic way of communication at the Unicode Consortium, the non-profit organization responsible for maintaining text standards and compatibility across computers.
Apple joined the emoji revolution, and in 2010, Unicode adopted the new visual communication scheme.
One year later, the Cupertino-based tech company introduced an official emoji keyboard to iOS; in 2013, Android followed Apple's footsteps.
Today, there are hundreds of icons and skin color options, and anyone can submit a proposal for a new emoji.
Skateboard Emoji: From V1 to V2
The story of the skateboard emoji dates back to 2017.
On July 17, 2017, Tony Hawk wrote an unusual tweet: "Hey @Apple: For new emojis, I suggest something like this. Zombies & dinosaurs are cool, but skaters are more in your demographic. Thanks. Tony."
Jeremy Burge, the founder of Emojipedia and member of the Unicode Technical Committee, replied a few months later, more specifically on December 20, 2017.
"Hello, Tony. A skateboard emoji is on the shortlist for 2018! If approved, it should be on iOS within a year," tweeted Burge.
Apparently, someone had already submitted a proposal - a man named Jaron Heard.
Heard, a data visualization analyst and skateboarder from Oregon, listened to a podcast about creating and bringing emojis into real life.
So, in November 2016, inspired by the surfer and snowboarder emojis, he sent his proposal to Unicode - the silhouette of a skater performing a flip trick.
Unicode liked the idea but decided to stick to the skateboard-only option.
Tony Hawk Steps In
An initial version was released on February 7, 2018. But skaters didn't approve V1, so Tony Hawk stepped in.
"Hoping to help bring the skateboard emoji closer to 2018 than 1985," the skater legend joked on the next day.
Tony thought the shape of the board and the die-cut grip tape made it look like those mid-1980s skateboards sold in Walmart.
So, immediately after seeing V1, Hawk sent Jeremy Burge a photo of his board (pictured above), and designers came up with V2.
Tony also felt like there should be a skater riding the board, just like the surfer and snowboarder emojis.
But, apparently, that was too much to ask. The final version of the skateboard-only icon was released on February 19, 2018.
Although not perfect and substantially different across all platforms, the skateboard emoji is finally available for everyone.
"I'll take the blame if the wheels look big. No shame in my 60 mm game," tweeted Hawk.


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Srinagar, Dec 06: Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri on Wednesday said that if consumers use electricity judiciously, the authorities will minimise power cuts further.
He said the government has made sufficient arrangements of power supply for prioritised installations including hospitals.
“You will see better electricity supply this winter. Also if consumers use electricity judiciously, curtailments will be minimised further,” said Bidhuri.
He said the government has made sufficient power arrangements for vital installations. “Directions have been passed to the concerned to ensure better heating arrangements in hospitals. Gensets have been made available to meet demands in exigencies,” he said.
He added that people by and large should realise their responsibility and use electricity judiciously. “Those availing flat rate but not paying monthly fee are doing injustice with consumers in metered areas who are paying tariffs on time,” said Bidhuri.


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by Wolf Richter
The Pandemic Economy Massively Changed How Americans Buy Stuff.
Ecommerce retail sales jumped 44% in the second quarter 2020, compared to a year earlier, to $201 billion, not seasonally adjusted, according to the Commerce Department today. On a seasonally adjusted basis, ecommerce sales hit $211 billion. In dollar terms, the jump of $62 billion compared to Q2 last year was the largest ever in the data going back to 2001.
This confirms what retailers have been saying for months: Nearly everything related to ecommerce was hot, and even some grocery sales, long resistant to ecommerce started shifting to ecommerce during the Pandemic Economy. Ecommerce sales in Q2, both seasonally adjusted (red) and not seasonally adjusted (navy), blew past the holiday selling season (Q4), which has never happened before:


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The NMBS Exhibition has become one of the most prestigious and most anticipated events on the merchant calendar.
The day is renowned for its on-the-day exclusive deals, and the ability to network with suppliers, influencers, and old and new friends in the merchant sector. And who can forget the Gala Dinner - always held the night before the exhibition to get everyone in the mood!
Interested in working in the Merchant sector? Find out more >>
Last year’s show was recognised as the biggest and best in its near fifty year history. The event attracted 906 merchant visitors and in excess of 250 NMBS suppliers took advantage of the opportunity to appear at the show, with all exhibitors offering additional rebate as well as incentives such as spot buy opportunities to encourage trading.
Visitors were also able to benefit from further discounts and deals, as well as free product giveaways thanks to initiatives like the ever-popular NMBS Voucher Book. All told, the 2016 Exhibition broke records for both the number and the value of orders placed on the day.
NMBS EXHIBITION IN NUMBERS
- Over 260 Exhibitors
- Over 850 Delegates attended
- 92% rated the exhibition as Excellent or Good
- 91% rated the location Ricoh Arena as Excellent or Good
- 63% of members increased the number/value of orders
- 56% of suppliers saw an increase in the number of orders placed on the day
- 92% of suppliers see meeting new customers as a high priority
- 16% of members placed over 50 orders on the day
- 98% of those who attended in 2016 will attend in 2017
NMBS MD Chris Hayward said at the time: “Every year the NMBS Exhibition continues to surpass expectation and we’re delighted that this year’s event has maintained that tradition. We’ve had highly positive feedback from both our members and suppliers with most exhibitors commenting on how consistently busy they were from the moment the doors opened to when the show closed.”


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Compact SUVs, priced under Rs 10 lakh, are big on style and talk pretty tough
Compact SUVs, priced under Rs 10 lakh, are big on style and talk pretty tough. No wonder they’re wowing urban India.brunch Updated: Aug 22, 2015 17:02 IST
When Pune-based architect Sachin Nagpal, 28, was scouting around for a car last year, he was spoilt for choice. With a budget of Rs 10 lakh, he could have opted for a premium hatchback such as the Hyundai Elite i20 or Volkswagen Polo or chosen a mid-sized sedan like the Honda City or the Maruti Ciaz.
After some deliberation, Nagpal zeroed in on the Ford EcoSport and the Renault Duster and ended up buying the latter.
"I already had a Getz so even an i20 would not have been that much of an upgrade," Nagpal says. "Five years ago, I would have had no option but to buy a sedan, But I am not a chauffeur person. And a compact SUV such as the Duster is perfect for my lifestyle. It is big, powerful and edgy."
Long considered to be toys for rich brats, sports utility vehicles have suddenly become a rage and everybody wants one. Thanks largely to manufacturers lowering the price barrier and bringing in vehicles under Rs 10 lakh, compact SUVs or high-bodied crossovers are proliferating.
It all started in 2012 with the Renault Duster and was followed by Ford EcoSport next year. A fortnight ago, Maruti and Hyundai, the two big daddies of the Indian automotive industry, threw their hats in the ring with the S-Cross Crossover and Creta. Others such as Mahindra, Tata, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen and General Motors will follow suit soon.
“Compact SUVs have hit the sweet spot defined by constrained urban spaces and the preference for a commanding view of the road. While limited seating capacity renders them somewhat ineffective for rural areas, these vehicles make perfect sense in urban markets, which are characterised by the growing number of nuclear families,” says Anil Sharma, principal analyst at consultancy firm IHS Automotive.
“Sales of these SUVs in the country will see a massive jump in coming years as more and more models are introduced. We estimate 14 new nameplates will be introduced in the market by 2018,” Sharma adds.
The fact that such vehicles have a high ground clearance that gives it a domineering stance on the road without being overbearing like the rickety old SUVs of the past is what makes them so attractive. And it is a trend that finds resonance everywhere else in the world.
“The craze for such vehicles is a global phenomenon. Even in China, otherwise a market where people prefer very large cars, our ix25, which is the precursor to the Creta, is in huge demand,” says Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice president at Hyundai Motor India. “People love that feeling of being in control without compromising on the ease of driving a small car or the features of a sedan. Compact SUVs tick all these boxes.”
The real deal?
While many users are excited about the advent of the soft-roaders, purists like Chandigarh’s Sunny Badyal, who want a rugged vehicle with all-terrain driveability, scoff at pretenders such as the Duster and the Creta.
“The only true SUV priced below Rs 10 lakh is the Thar but it is so dated that nobody buys it. The only other vehicle that excites me is the Pajero but that is very expensive,” says Badyal. “Just higher ground clearance doesn’t make an SUV. Can you cross a rivulet in the hills in these vehicles?” he asks.
The evolution of the segment may throw up something for people like Badyal as well. Mahindra and Mahindra, the market leader in the segment, for instance, will roll out a compact SUV named TUV 300 next month that it says is inspired by a battle tank. “It is positioned at the urban rural segment,”says Pawan Goenka, executive director, M&M.
The entry of Jeep next year will probably complete the SUV chapter for India. Considered the last word on offroading, the Wrangler Rubicon and the Grand Cherokee may not fit the pockets of the majority in India, but their entry will please the SUV fanatic. Jeep will also develop its own version of a small SUV in India. It will not be cheap but will lower the entry point to the brand globally.
“Jeep needs no introduction, marketing or advertising,” says Kevin Flynn, president and managing director at Fiat Chrysler India that owns Jeep. “For those who know Jeep, nothing else will suffice.”
Whether you are a connoisseur or a commoner, your next car could be an SUV.
From HT Brunch, August 23
Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch
Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch
First Published: Aug 21, 2015 15:13 IST


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Swedish state-owned energy group Vattenfall on Wednesday reported a record loss for 2015, blaming a tax on nuclear energy and sliding electricity prices.
Wireless equipment maker Ericsson said Wednesday that an improvement in business in China despite the market turmoil there helped its fourth-quarter profit jump nearly 70 percent.
Electric car manufacturers will have to design futuristic vehicles to entice buyers in order to ride out the challenge of plunging oil prices, Tesla co-founder Elon Musk said Tuesday.
Humanity must stop burning coal, oil and gas to power the global economy or face an irreversible climate catastrophe, scientists, business chiefs and analysts warned at an elite gathering in the Swiss Alps.
Wearable camera maker GoPro says it will eliminate about 100 jobs after its fourth-quarter sales fell far short of its expectations.
By 2017, total advertising spending is expected to approach $136 billion, placing more pressure on management to demonstrate its impact on sales and stock prices. It's the age-old question of advertising effectiveness.
Beneath the hoods of the cars showing in Detroit this week lie engines that are as powerful as ever, but are smaller and, helped by direct injection, guzzle less gas.
The North American International Auto Show opens to the public Jan. 16 in Detroit. Here are some of the things we learned at this week's media preview:
Talk by automakers attending the CES tech show this week in Vegas was nothing short of electric.
New chief executives, especially those appointed from outside an organisation, can see the company's stock price soar if they present their strategy to investors in their first 100 days, new research from Oxford has discovered. ...


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SES and LG Electronics are breaking in the new broadcast technology for High Frame Rate, with an eye for using it for sports broadcasts.
Verizon is tipping its toe into the Ultra HD waters, announcing that it has partnered with SES S.A. for a trial of its UHD delivery solution.
In preparation for UHD subscriber trials that SES plans to launch later this year, four U.S. cable operators have signed up to test 4K content delivery across SES’ UHD platform.
The demand of 4K/UHD content is reaching a fever pitch, as consumers continue to buy UHDTVs despite minimal content being readily available.
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Mondelez World Travel Retail (WTR) revealed its fresh vision for growth in the confectionery category this month.
The Cadbury, Toblerone and Oreo maker revealed the ‘elevated vision’ at a breakfast event attended by TRBusiness at the Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic during the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference in Cannes (2-6 October).
Mondelez WTR’s approach focuses on three key areas: a winning portfolio to address growing need states and changing shopper preferences; elevating category awareness through more physical and mental touchpoints; and delivering unique experiences with outstanding and significant concepts.
It builds on its ‘Delighting Travelers’ vision, launched a decade ago, to attract ‘more shoppers, more spend and more often’.
Delighting Travelers emerged from the need to address critical challenges of stagnant footfall, basket sizes and conversion.
In the years since, Mondelez WTR has supported initiatives to increase confectionery’s visibility with better signposting and engaging POS; unlocking cross-category opportunities and multiplying confectionery touchpoints (including at the cash till area); introducing successful segments like biscuits and snacking; and bringing more engagement to stores with activations in spaces previously reserved for other categories.
Multiple touchpoints, new segments, relevant products
During the event, Anna Szentivanyi, Customers Insights, Strategy and Activation Director at Mondelēz International and one of the chief architects of the ‘Delighting Travelers’ strategy, shared insights about the development of that very vision 10 years ago.
According to Horizon, between 2012 and 2018 the confectionery category grew by 60% in airports alone.
Penetration has increased by five percentage points, with more than two hundred million additional travellers visiting the category.
Among several addresses at the event, attendees heard from Beatriz de Otto, Head of Customer Marketing at Mondelez WTR.
She outlined how the new category vision will come to life via multiple touchpoints, new category segments, and relevant products.
“The Mondelēz International team has analysed global trends and enriched them with data and insights from travel retail to deliver an evolved category growth vision to share with you,” she said.
“While we are happy to celebrate our success and see how the role of the confectionery category has advanced, we acknowledge that we left some growth opportunities only partially fulfilled, and we clearly see new, emerging opportunities.
“Our evolved category vision will increase our precision and speed to progress accelerated conversion.”
Jaya Singh, Managing Director, Mondelez WTR, commented: “Looking back on a decade of such extraordinary hard work, growth and innovation, I could not be prouder of what we have achieved together.
“As we did 10 years ago, Mondelez WTR is extending an official invitation to our partners and the wider industry to join us, once again, on a journey. We will once again be the driving force behind the change. We are here to listen, to collaborate, to inspire, and to achieve accelerated conversion – together.”
Clive Jones, President Central Europe, EU Central Sales, WTR, Global Licensing, Mondelēz International, added: “It is incredibly rewarding to witness the fruits of the changes that Mondelez WTR has driven with our retail partners to alter the travel retail shopping environment.
“As category leaders, Mondelēz International remains committed to investing in and supporting the travel retail industry, which plays such a crucial role in the wider Mondelēz International business, and to continue driving the growth of confectionery in such a hugely important channel.”
New edge for Toblerone
In related news, Mondelez WTR has launched the limited edition Toblerone Golden Caramel 360g bar.
Featuring new-look packaging, the innovation boasts caramelised white chocolate with honey and almond nougat, adding to the existing original milk, dark and white editions of the best-selling travel retail chocolate brand.
The new sku made its travel retail debut at the end of September with a high-profile activation running through October at Madrid-Barajas Airport in Spain.
The space resembles a maximum security safe and challenges travellers to retrieve a bar from the vault to maximise engagement while highlighting the premium value of the new flavour.
Positioned in a glass case, etched and edge-illuminated, it creates the illusion of laser security.
The bar resembles a standard 360g Toblerone, but it has been weighted to increase the difficulty of the challenge.
“It is incredibly rewarding to see travellers so drawn to the new limited edition Toblerone Golden Caramel 360g bar, with such an immersive and exciting in-store activation,” explained Dogus Kezer, Marketing Director at Mondelez WTR.
Behind the bar is Toblerone’s new brand identity, ‘Be More Triangle’.
This encourages adventurous types to ‘embrace their edges’ in unity with Toblerone founder Theodore Tobler.
Additionally, distinctive brand assets have been introduced to reinforce ‘the brave new purpose and bold ambition’ of the brand.
“We will continue exciting consumers by bringing news to Mondelez WTR’s winning portfolio to drive accelerated conversion for the growth of confectionery category,” added Kezer. “The new Toblerone is not only golden in appearance but in terms of how it is unique, bold and special – which is exactly what the new brand identity is about.”
Mondelez WTR says that by combining a new Toblerone iteration with a refreshed identity, it is aiming to recruit new, younger travelling consumers to both the brand and the category, thereby lifting penetration.


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Meijer Earmarks $375M for New Stores, Upgrades
Meijer is investing more than $375 million in new and remodeled stores this year across its six-state footprint, which will include its long-awaited expansion “across the bridge” with its first stores in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Meijer’s multimillion-dollar investment includes the construction of seven new Meijer supercenters and 22 remodels, beyond the new locations slated to open in Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin later this year.
By the end of 2017, Meijer will have remodeled and upgraded nearly 90 stores since 2010.
"These projects represent an investment in our customers, team members and the local communities that have supported us for so long," Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes said. "We're also excited that at long last, we'll cross the bridge and open our first stores in Michigan's Upper Peninsula."
Keyes added that Meijer's continued focus on remodeling stores reflects the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer’s commitment to providing its customers with the best shopping experience.
The company's new-store commitment follows its focus on steady growth throughout its six-state footprint. The opening of each new Meijer store represents as many as 300 full- and part-time jobs. When including this year's stores, Meijer will have opened more than 50 new stores since 2010.
New and remodeled stores have resulted in the creation of thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of tax revenue pumped into local communities. Meijer frequently works with local contractors when building and remodeling stores.
The new Meijer supercenters opening in 2017 include:
- Escanaba, Mich.
- Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
- McCordsville, Ind.
- Franklin, Ind.
- Greenfield, Wis.
- Howard, Wis. (Green Bay)
- West Bend, Wis.
In addition to the new supercenters, Meijer is aggressively remodeling stores in five states, including key markets such as Detroit, Cincinnati, Louisville and suburban Chicago. Six Meijer supercenters in Michigan alone will be updated, with the stores in Mt. Pleasant, Commerce Township and Algoma Township slated for major remodels.
While the depth of the remodel varies based on several factors, these projects include a variety of specific store enhancements, including improved store layouts, expanded grocery and health and beauty sections, as well as lighting, heating, refrigeration and parking lot improvements. Additionally, the introduction of newer technology in key areas during the remodel process will result in more energy-efficient stores.
Meijer operates more than 230 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.


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“MODEST INNOVATION, MODEST PERFORMANCE.”
That’s the slogan splashed across the top of Veil’s kickstarter page, which aims to bring more modest apparel to the fitness and active lifestyle space. With closets overflowing with upper-thigh-hugging shorts, flashy sports bras and thin racerback tanks, there are few options for those who wish to be a bit more covered or those who follow a different type of dress code.
Related: Gear For Any Body
The 23-year-old founder, Ahmad Ghanem, says the goal of the brand’s larger expansion into the fitness space—with pieces like Spark and Halo, furthering the description “most advanced (and stylish) modest sportswear lines ever created”—is to give active people the “most functional, modest and fashion-forward workout possible.” These pieces follow last June’s launch of the Cool Dry Hijab, which was a cooling headscarf, the first of its kind on the market.
The company continues to focus on its three core values: modesty, functionality and style, and it’s inspired by not only those who exhibit a certain dress style according to certain faith or cultures, but also those who don’t wish to race down the streets “flaunting it all.” It’s giving runners and fitness enthusiasts options outside of what might be splashed across the latest billboards.
Modesty in the way one dresses can be the standard in certain cultures or faiths, but the wave has shifted to all aspects of the globe in every segment of the fashion world in recent years. Dressing modestly is not being self-conscious about your body, rather a way to avoid drawing unwanted attention and throwing ‘sexy’ in the backseat. “If you’ve got it, flaunt it” is old news and there is something to be finally said about covering yourself up. What’s more—the brand has already planned to expand its sizing to 3XL to meet consumer demands.


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Over the weekend StockX, a popular sneaker and streetwear buying platform, announced that their servers had been accessed by an unauthorized third party who accessed customer data. Customers became suspicious when, at the end of last week, they started to receive emails from StockX stating that a password reset was required due to a security update. Users who received this took to Twitter to confirm that the emails were legitimate. StockX representatives responded to confirm the truth of these emails. The company confirmed that an attacker had gained access to their system and was able to access customer information that included customer names, email addresses, shipping addresses, usernames, hashed passwords and purchase histories. Researchers were able to confirm, through an unnamed source, that this data breach was for sale on the darknet. The unnamed source provided a small sample of the hacked information to researchers. In response to this breach, StockX stated that they are performing a system-wide security update, a full password reset of all customers, a lockdown of cloud computing and increasing the frequency of credential rotations. The company has not reported as to how many total customers were affected.
Users of the StockX platform are advised to change their password if not already done. All passwords should be made complex through the use of case sensitive letters, unique characters, and numbers. It is also advised to make each password unique to that login and never reuse the same password twice.