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Ford and GM are going all in on electric cars, and thousands of jobs hang in the balanceJune 10, 2022
By Jaclyn Trop
June 1, 2022
In Dearborn, just outside Detroit, the auto industry’s past and future face each other across an access road.
The location is Rouge River, the sprawling century-old factory complex where Ford Motor Co. made Model A’s for the masses. One of the busiest plants on the 600-acre campus churns out the gas-powered F-150 pickup, America’s bestselling vehicle for the past four decades and Ford’s most profitable model.
But just across the street stands a building whose signage places it in a new era: the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center. In late April, that plant produced the first batch of the Lightning battery-electric version of the F-150—a model that could be poised to become the first Detroit-made EV hit.
The juxtaposition of Ford’s past and future represents not only the company’s $50 billion bet on EVs, but the larger story playing out across the global automotive industry. The new Rouge plant is a litmus test for American consumers, and the Lightning is Ford’s most important launch since the Model T. It’s a way for Ford to prove that it can master the transition to software-based, battery-electric vehicles—to successfully build and sell something that’s less like a workaday truck and more akin to an iPhone that can tow 10,000 pounds.
“That gives us a chance to redefine the company like we did in the teens and ’20s with the Model T,” Ford CEO Jim Farley tells Fortune.
Detroit’s three legacy automakers—General Motors; Ford; and Stellantis, the European joint venture that owns Chrysler—are all in the redefinition business. They’re investing a combined $120 billion to put millions of EVs on the road by 2030. And that collective investment—even more than the automotive industry’s past twists and turns—is remaking the Motor City, creating a seismic shift in how its residents think, work, and live.
People want to work for a company that’s going to change the world. When we announced that we were going to make the whole light-duty fleet electric, we saw applications go up.
MARY BARRA, CEO, GENERAL MOTORS
Some of this remaking is literal rebuilding, as the Detroit Three repurpose factories for the EV era. Some is corporate, as they develop and acquire businesses that focus on software and EV battery tech. But the trickiest remaking is one of human resources—as the electric transition ripples through an automotive industry that employs 290,000 people in Michigan.
What most people in Detroit acknowledge, but few like to discuss, is that even a successful transition means fewer traditional jobs in the auto industry. The forces driving the change are twofold: Battery packs have fewer parts than internal combustion engines (ICEs)—so EVs require about 30% fewer hours of labor on the assembly line. As Farley puts it, “The manufacturing jobs are going to go from making oily things to digital things.”
At the same time, the electrified powertrains of EVs require electrical engineers, software developers, and all manner of technicians. And the increasingly complex software systems that EVs rely on will need their own cadres of programmers, researchers, and designers. The industry’s center of gravity, in short, is shifting from the assembly line to the computer workbench.
In its best-case scenario, Michigan’s state government forecasts the creation of up to 300,000 new jobs across the electrification ecosystem, from battery manufacturing and recycling to service and charging networks. But some existing jobs are bound to disappear. Over the next few years, the U.S. will start shedding nearly one-third of its automotive factory jobs, according to Don Grimes, a labor economist at the University of Michigan. And state officials have estimated that the overall shift could affect 60% of Michigan’s automotive workforce, putting 170,000 workers in a position where they’ll need to learn new skills—or find work in another industry.
More than any other American companies, Ford and GM—which employ 50,000 and 52,000 people in Michigan, respectively—will make the decisions that reshape that workforce. And as they become more digital, they’ll face a different dilemma: They’ll be competing for talent not only with each other and other legacy automakers, but with EV pioneer Tesla and with countless other tech-driven industries that need programmers and engineers.
Those applicants are signing up for a bumpy ride. Despite their eye-popping investments and production goals, the legacy automakers’ electric future is not guaranteed. For now, Detroit’s accelerated EV pace is fueled more by government mandates than by consumer demand: EVs represented just 4% of the 15 million new vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2021, though the share is quickly growing. And supply-chain challenges, including shortages of semiconductors and raw materials for batteries, rising inflation, and disruptions stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and COVID-related factory shutdowns in China, are making the logistics and finances of EVs even thornier.
Amid that uncertainty, the only certainty is that the city that put America on wheels needs to buckle in for the most momentous transition in its history.
Mary Barra, for one, is bullish about the talent battle. “What we’re finding when we hire is that people want to work for a company that’s going to change the world,” GM’s CEO tells Fortune during an interview in a mid-century modern office at the GM Global Technical Center in Warren, Mich. “They want to work for a company that shares their values. When we made our announcement that we were going to make the whole light-duty fleet electric by 2035, we actually saw applications go up.”
Both Ford and GM have experimented with EVs for years, but it’s hard to overstate how much they’ve recently accelerated that commitment. Barra announced in January 2021 that GM would phase out ICE vehicles by 2035. Ford hasn’t committed to a full phaseout, but it now aims to get 50% of sales from EVs by 2030. This March, Ford formalized its transformation with a restructuring that separated its EV business, now called Ford Model e, from its ICE business, Ford Blue. Wall Street embraced Ford’s decision, positing that strong cash flows from Blue could support Ford’s EV expansion.
That dynamic, of internal-combustion profits paying for a zero-emissions future, has already helped both companies overhaul their physical assets. It shows most dramatically in factory footprints across Metro Detroit, where they’re closing old plants, opening new ones, and retooling gas-engine factories to build EVs instead. These real estate decisions have far-reaching repercussions, from the tax base for municipal water to the vitality of the 24-hour Coney Island diners where second- and third-shifters gather after work.
One of the highest-profile conversions is Factory Zero, GM’s new name for its nearly 40-year-old plant in Hamtramck. GM spent $2.2 billion to retool it for EVs, including the battery-electric Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Hummer pickup trucks; President Biden flew into town for its grand opening in November, and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan gave his State of the City address there in March. Ford, meanwhile, has invested $700 million outfitting the Rouge complex to build the Lightning; $185 million building Ford Ion Park, a battery laboratory near Detroit Metro Airport; and $250 million on smaller local plants to increase production capacity for the Lightning.
Barra argues that all this production infrastructure gives Detroit a distinct advantage over other cities in the electrification race. Even as software becomes a core part of the vehicle, “we’re still very proud of the fact that we make things,” she says. “As others come into this industry, they’re recognizing the manufacturing piece is hard.”
“We actually have a position of strength that we took for granted for many years,” agrees Glenn Stevens, executive director of MICHauto, the association for Michigan’s automotive companies. “There is no denser cluster in the world of automotive and mobility engineering and manufacturing than in Michigan.” Converting the cluster, Detroit’s honchos argue, is easier than starting from scratch.
GM and Ford are also building more new businesses around EV platforms. At GM, for example, the in-house Innovation Lab has incubated BrightDrop, a commercial-delivery EV maker that has contracts to produce vans for FedEx and Walmart; BrightDrop is now hiring hundreds of engineers, software developers, and product designers in Palo Alto, Detroit, and Atlanta. GM also expects the self-driving car company Cruise, of which it is majority shareholder, to produce its first commercial model, the Cruise Origin shuttle, next year at Factory Zero: GM believes Cruise sales to ride-hailing and rental-car companies could become a $50-billion-a-year business by 2030.
In our conversation, Barra gets particularly animated about Ultifi—the cloud-based subscription software service GM is developing. Slated to arrive next year, Ultifi will essentially be the operating system for GM vehicles, capable of regularly upgrading itself like your smartphone does (and Teslas do): The company says it could generate as much as $25 billion a year in revenue by 2030. Ultifi owners could essentially download automotive features that are currently on the drawing board—like using cameras for facial recognition to start the vehicle, or communicating with drivers’ smart-home applications—without having to buy a new car. Ultifi will interact with third-party apps too; and in an era when software controls more functions on every vehicle, it’ll be an efficient way to repair any bugs.
“The whole concept is that your vehicle can get better as you own it,” says Barra. “Two or three years from now, I can get a feature that didn’t even exist when I bought the vehicle, which is a whole way to reimagine the business.”
Reimagining the business, of course, means reimagining the workforce: The lingering question is who will fill the retooled factories and at what kind of wages. The skills to build, say, a Ford Mustang are not the same ones needed to create an iPhone on wheels.
All three legacy automakers are quick to dispel the idea that metro Detroit’s traditional assembly line jobs could fade away, to be supplanted by a smaller, savvier workforce. “That’s the first important expectation—that we should not be afraid of change,” Stellantis’s Amsterdam-based CEO, Carlos Tavares, tells Fortune. “There will be some change in the general assembly of the vehicles, but nothing that would be scary.”
GM points to Factory Zero to refute fears of layoffs. “The notion that we’re shrinking, that electrification means less jobs, is not the way that we see it,” says Jim Quick, the plant’s executive director. “We’ve announced that we’re going to have about 2,200 jobs–plus. We haven’t had 2,200-plus jobs here in quite some time.” Most of those jobs are unionized: The United Auto Workers union has leaned on the Detroit Three to make sure its members don’t get left behind in the transition.
The EV revolution is going to cost a lot of jobs, but so does almost all technological progress. Think of how many secretarial jobs have been eliminated by computers.
DON GRIMES, LABOR ECONOMIST, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
That said, for workers with “analog” backgrounds, building EV powertrains and batteries requires new training. At GM’s Orion Assembly plant, the entire 1,000-plus person workforce pivoted in 2020 from making gas-engine cars to building the Chevrolet Bolt EV, retraining along the way. (GM says the plant’s workforce will more than triple when it starts making EV pickup trucks.) Many Factory Zero staff underwent reskilling, too. Barra sees retraining as having benefits beyond job preservation: It’s a chance to retool the culture so that opportunities are based on workers’ skills rather than academic credentials. “I think that’s going to open up [advancement] to a whole other realm of people, who don’t think everything has to be done by a four-year degree,” she says.
A wide range of other public and private stakeholders are also developing new educational programs around EV skills. The State of Michigan is awarding grants for groups to develop curriculums for certifications for EV occupations, including dealership technicians and electricians for charging stations. Even Silicon Valley’s behemoths are getting in on the act. Last summer, Apple opened a Detroit developer academy; it just finished providing its first 100-person cohort, ages 18 to 60, with 10 months of free training in coding and app development. And Google plans to hold free coding classes in the city to help prepare high school students for high-tech jobs, starting next year.
Duggan, Detroit’s three-term mayor, has done his share of lobbying to keep EV jobs local. Talking with a reporter in his 11th-floor City Hall office, Duggan recalls making his case to the Big Three: “I told them, ‘I want you not just to build your electric vehicles here, but I want the entrepreneurs who are designing the electric and automated vehicles of the future to want to locate here.’ ” When Fiat Chrysler was mulling where to build its new Jeep Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrid models, the city offered to handle hiring through job fairs and prescreenings for Detroit residents. In exchange, the automaker made a $1.6 billion commitment to convert its Mack Avenue Engine Complex into a factory that can build EV powertrains; it reopened in June 2021.
“If you put your plant in Detroit, you’re going to have huge help with the workforce,” Duggan says. “If you want to build someplace 40 miles out of Chicago in a cornfield, your hiring is going to be more challenging.”
Still, not every current worker will have a job waiting for them in the electric era. “The EV revolution is going to cost a lot of jobs,” says Grimes, the labor economist. “But so does almost all technological progress. Think of how many secretarial jobs have been eliminated by computers.” That said, he adds, “it has been a challenge for people to change careers and to move to new towns, but it has ultimately been worth it.” The long-term challenge in Detroit: making sure that retraining and reskilling give people the skills to keep working, even if it means changing professions.
Running in parallel with the retraining is the automakers’ campaign to attract white-collar tech types—which doesn’t necessarily mean attracting them to Detroit. When GM began a few years ago to replace retirees with fresh software talent, the recruitment pitch was not unduly difficult, Barra says. But not all of them are coming to Michigan. The automaker is also staffing up in San Francisco; in Tel Aviv; and at its technical center in Markham, Ontario, where the nearby University of Waterloo is, as Barra notes, “a huge feeder pool to Silicon Valley.”
GM plans to hire 8,000 technical workers this year alone, but it’s giving business-unit managers discretion about where to hire. “This approach helps us compete with tech companies, especially in areas like software, analytics, and AVs [autonomous vehicles],” a spokesman says. “With the remote economy and the absolute thirst for software engineers, [automakers are] going to be flexible, just like Microsoft or Google or Amazon,” says Stevens of MICHauto.
Detroit isn’t terra incognita for coders and engineers: Ford and GM already employ thousands of developers here, and younger techies are already reshaping the city on the surface. If assembly line workers tend to live in bungalows in Sterling Heights or St. Clair Shores and spend weekends at their cottages in Mid-Michigan or the Upper Peninsula, the software crowd is more likely to own condos downtown and spend nights at dining spots like Shelby, a James Beard Award–semifinalist cocktail bar housed in a former bank vault.
But automakers are also developing the kinds of collaborative spaces that draw adventurous STEM talent. Ford is investing $525 million in workforce development around the U.S. by 2026, and one of its most visible efforts is its Research & Engineering Center in Dearborn, a 2-million-square-foot campus that it is redesigning to educate 20,000 Ford designers, engineers, and product developers—the foot soldiers of the EV revolution—by 2025.
Other spaces reach across corporate boundaries. On one downtown artery, an unassuming parking garage houses the Detroit Smart Parking Lab, a new joint effort among Ford, parts supplier Bosch, the State of Michigan, and Bedrock, the commercial real estate firm owned by Quicken Loans cofounder Dan Gilbert.
Operated by the nonprofit American Center for Mobility, the space serves as a collaborative test bed for automotive technology, from charging stations to cloud-based services. Participating companies range from Enterprise Rent-A-Car to Hevo, a startup focused on wireless charging for EVs. “Many of the projects we see, they’re one piece of a puzzle,” said Reuben Sarkar, president and CEO of the mobility center. “By having this laboratory space, we’re actually forming collaborations that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.”
Perhaps the most striking emblem of collaboration is Michigan Central Station. One of the city’s most visible examples of urban blight since the last Amtrak train departed in 1988, the once-grand Beaux Arts building in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood is still surrounded by barbed wire to discourage vandals and squatters. But Ford has invested $950 million to develop the property as a hub for cooperation on transportation tech. Slated to open next year, the complex will house a big cadre of techies from Ford, as well as “landing pads” for other companies, like Google and self-driving car company Argo AI. The center will be a place where innovators can develop, test, and launch technology around autonomous vehicles, public transit, smart roads, and EV infrastructure. And about half of the 5,000 employees on the campus will come from Ford’s workforce—creating a pipeline from the innovation frontier back to the parent company.
Detroit has been synonymous with the U.S. auto industry for so long that it’s easy to forget that most of its domestic production takes place elsewhere. Each of the Big Three makes the majority of its traditional vehicles outside Michigan state lines, and the same will be true of EVs.
GM spent $2 billion retooling its complex in Spring Hill, Tenn.—already its largest facility in North America—to build a range of EVs, including the Cadillac Lyriq, the first battery-electric model from that brand. And that’s a fraction of the $11.4 billion Ford and South Korea’s SK Innovation are investing in Tennessee and Kentucky: The Blue Oval City complex—which will build electric F-Series pickups and advanced batteries—in Stanton, Tenn., and twin battery factories in Glendale, Ky., will together create 11,000 jobs.
Indeed, the increasing globalization of Ford and GM have prompted some local officials to question whether taxpayer money spent on retraining auto workers and attracting tech talent might be better spent elsewhere, including on infrastructure and public education. (Barra, in her conversation with Fortune, highlighted the city’s beleaguered school system as an obstacle for families considering moving to Detroit.)
At the same time, Michigan and Detroit are less dependent on the auto industry than they were in the 20th century. The logistics, finance, health care, and IT industries have all created steady job growth in the region. Detroit’s unemployment rate remains much higher than the national average, at around 10%, but the local economy is in far better shape than it was in the Great Recession, when GM, Chrysler, and the City of Detroit itself all declared bankruptcy.
In short, Detroit is no longer a comeback story. The stakes for the city in the EV transition have to do with quality rather than quantity: Ford, GM, and local officials don’t necessarily want to make more cars here, but they want the Motor City’s workers to remain at the heart of EV innovation—in design, in connectivity, in autonomous driving.
“After decades of struggling to redefine the city’s identity,” Ford’s Farley says, “we’re starting to find our mojo again.” That mojo is palpable in new EV-centric spaces like Factory Zero and the Parking Lab, where Detroit seems to crackle with new energy.
Next year, in downtown Detroit, some of that energy will be made visible. On a stretch of blacktop in the Michigan Central Station district, local officials will unveil the country’s first public electrified roadway. Developed by Israeli company Electreon and the Michigan Department of Transportation, the infrastructure embedded beneath the road will recharge EVs wirelessly while they drive, park, or wait in traffic. The roadway won’t be far from the intersection where Detroit introduced the country’s first three-color, four-way traffic light more than 100 years ago—yet another hopeful juxtaposition of Detroit’s future and its past.
The great electric bet
America’s Big Three automakers—Fortune 500 giants Ford and General Motors, and Chrysler, now owned by Amsterdam-based Stellantis—have collectively pledged more than $120 billion over the next few years to convert more of their production lines to electric vehicles. Here’s how their bets stack up.
Ford Motor Co.
50% of sales to come from EVs by 2030
$50 billion in EV plants, software, and training through 2026
Ford will focus first on electrifying its top-selling models, most notably the F-150 Lightning pickup, whose gas-powered version has been a top seller for four decades.
Key early EV models:
F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E SUV, and E-Transit commercial van (all on sale now).
100% of global sales to come from EVs by 2035
$35 billion in EV and autonomous-vehicle technology through 2025
GM plans to launch 30 new EVs globally by 2025, almost all of them new models rather than updates of older ones. KEY EARLY EV MODELS: Cadillac Lyriq luxury sedan and GMC Hummer pickup (on sale now); Hummer SUV and Chevrolet Silverado pickup (2023).
Key early EV models:
Cadillac Lyriq luxury sedan and GMC Hummer pickup (on sale now); Hummer SUV and Chevrolet Silverado pickup (2023).
100% of European sales and 50% of North Ameri- can sales to come from EVs by 2030
$35.5 billion in electrification, software, and technology through 2025
In North America, Stellantis has focused to date on plug-in hybrid versions of popular models, but it plans to launch at least 25 new EV nameplates.
Key early EV models:
Chrysler Pacifica and Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe (on sale now); Jeep Wagoneer 4xe (later this year).


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The concert of the famous American rock band Imagine Dragons, which took place in Kiev on Friday, August 31, failed to get hundreds of fans. As it turned out, people bought fake tickets from the scammers using a fake website. On this fact police initiated criminal proceedings.
The concert itself was rather large, NSK “Olympic” was full. But not everyone could listen to my favorite band, instead they had to go to the police.
People bought tickets through the website, and during the passage control at the entrance it turned out that tickets are fake.
“The incident occurred at the concert of Imagine Dragons. Great bunch of people bought tickets from a fake ticketing operator. The site is made at the beginning of this year in the Ukrainian hosting and accepting money via credit cards” – write one of the users of social networks.
“My daughter went to the concert of Imagine Dragons, it was not allowed… Tickets are fake… She dreamed and waited for almost six months, it was a gift for a birthday… the number of victims more than 1,500 people just in the fanzone, as in in other areas,” writes another user.
Most of the victims report that bought tickets through the website e-ticket.in.ua. Also some say that bought tickets to Instagram and OLX. At the moment the website e-ticket.in.ua not available. The average ticket price for the concert – about 2 thousand hryvnia.
The police 112.ua confirmed that the citizens affected by the actions of fraudsters are turning EN masse to law enforcement. Initiated criminal proceedings under article 190 reads: “Fraud.”

domain: news


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Atlus has sent over a new trailer for the upcoming Game of Thrones RPG, introducing us to the combat system.
Ubisoft has released episode three of their Believe in Ghosts series for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier.
Square-Enix has released a brand new developer diary for Sleeping Dogs, the game formally known as True Crime: Hong Kong.
In this new trailer, Rockstar shows off the stylish and creative visual cinematic techniques used for storytelling in the upcoming Max Payne 3.
Activision and Hasbro have announced Transformers: Prime, a video game based off The Hub TV show and that will be available exclusively on ...
Warner Bros. has released the first screenshots and a debut trailer for LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes.
Activision has released a new trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man introducing one of Spidey's foes, Iguana.


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Sales of new homes tumbled for the sixth time in seven months while median prices kept dropping, underscoring the depth of the nation’s housing woes. The Commerce Department reports that new homes were sold at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 512,000 units in May, down 2.5 percent from the April level. The median price of a new home sold last month fell to $231,000, down 5.7 percent from a year ago. The report on new home activity in May followed reports Tuesday that showed record home price drops in April, showing that the nation’s housing slump is not only deepening but widening to include previously untouched parts of the country.
A new report says orders to factories for big-ticket manufactured goods were basically flat in May as strength in demand for aircraft and computers was offset by widespread weakness elsewhere. The Commerce Department reports that durable goods showed no change last month after declines of one percent in April and 0.2 percent in March. Economists had expected a flat reading for May as the manufacturing sector continues to be buffeted by the weak overall economy. The hope is that continued strength in demand for exports will compensate for plunging demand for autos and building supplies, two sectors that have been especially hard-hit by the current economic slowdown.
Lawyers for BP and plaintiffs have settled more than 100 cases in the last three weeks related to the Texas City explosion. Just over 50 claims for damages remain, including 14 in the current trial in Galveston, which is in its fifth week. There were 4,000 claims against BP for the 2005 explosion and fire that killed 15 and injured hundreds.
Figures released in Austin show the first collection of the state’s new business tax has so far generated $4.2 billion. Comptroller Susan Comb’s office released an estimate that’s short of the projection the state has been banking on. The tax was estimated to bring in $5.9 billion per year to help offset school property taxes. So far, about 133,000 payments have been received. About 46,000 businesses that requested a deadline extension have yet to pay. Those taxes were due to the state–for the first time—on June 16th. Some small businesses say the tax is hitting them hard and they’ve formed a coalition to lobby the 2009 legislature. Texas budget writers have been watching tax revenues. The business tax makes up about 15 percent of the state’s total tax revenue–second only to the sales tax.
A government report says global energy demand will grow by 50 percent over the next two decades despite high oil prices. And the world’s heavy reliance on environmentally troublesome fossil fuels–especially coal and oil–will continue. The report is the Energy Department’s long-term energy outlook. It assumes no action will be taken to limit global warming. With such energy growth, the report says, the annual amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere will be 51 percent greater in 2030 than it was three years ago. The report predicts that global energy use will increase sharply even though oil will be over $100 a barrel in 2030, possibly as high as $186 a barrel.
A study released by Bankrate shows that 19 percent of Americans feels they’ll never be able to retire, according to the Houston Business Journal. The poll finds that 28 percent think they can retire comfortably, while 33 percent think they’ll just be able to get by when retired. But 70 percent say they have set low expectations about their retirement prospects.
Continental Airlines has agreed to offer voluntary leaves of absence to pilots who agree to leave the Houston-based airline’s work force. Officials with its pilots’ union hope the agreement will reduce the need for layoffs. They say pilots who take voluntary leave for a minimum of 18 months would keep their benefits. They say the incentives are aimed at pilots who are eligible for retirement. Continental announced recently that it will cut 3,000 jobs, ground 67 jets and reduce flights to counter high fuel costs. Continental has offered unionized workers with at least ten years experience a year’s worth of health insurance and travel perks until 2023 if they leave on their own. The pilots, affiliated with the Air Line Pilots Association, had sought a separate deal.
A federal study finds the southwest has the lowest health insurance coverage in the country. The report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that 30 percent of non-elderly adults and 18 percent of children uninsured are uninsured in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. Lead researcher Robin Cohen won’t theorize why the region has higher rates of uninsured people than other parts of the country. But Emory University expert Ken Thorpe says it likely comes from a combination of factors, including state policy decisions and the fact that many jobs in the southwest are service, construction or other jobs without good health benefits. The study found New England has the largest proportion of its population covered with a rate of uninsured people less than half that of the southwest. The study marks the first time the CC has compared different regions of the country by health insurance status.
Plans by American Airlines to cut back flights later this year will fall hardest on passengers in Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago, St. Louis and New York. The Fort Worth-based carrier plans to cut a total of 62 mainline and regional flights in Chicago, and 42 at DFW. The moves come amid rising fuel prices. Flights in and out of St. Louis, once a major hub for American, will drop by 43, while New York’s Laguardia Airport will lose 42 American flights. The cutbacks in St. Louis and New York primarily affect shorter regional flights. In addition, American will quit flying to: Oakland, California; London Stansted; Barranquilla, Colombia; Albany, New York; Providence, Rhode Island; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Samana, Dominican Republic and San Luis Obispo, California.
Cell phone company T-Mobile USA is set to launch a nationwide service that lets customers place unlimited domestic calls with their landline phones over a broadband connection. The service, called T-Mobile At Home, will cost $10 per month with roll out set for July 2nd. Customers will need a wireless plan that costs at least $40 per month. They’ll have to buy a T-Mobile Internet router for $50. The router plugs into the home broadband connection, and the customer’s corded or cordless phones plug into the router. The service is aimed at consumers reluctant to abandon their landline completely in favor of wireless. The monthly prices don’t include taxes or certain fees, which vary from state to state.
The Screen Actors Guild is accusing the major Hollywood studios of offering a contract deal worth less than an agreement tentatively approved by the leaders of a smaller actors union. SAG Executive Director Doug Allen told the Associated Press the offer is worth millions of dollars less over the life of the proposed three-year contract. SAG declined to immediately provide details on the differences in the offers.
J.C. Penney says it will slow the pace of new store openings because of the weak economy. The department store chain also says it’s reducing capital spending for next year. J.C. Penney Chief Executive Myron E. Ullman III said the company expects the coming year to be “very challenging for the American consumer.” The Plano-based company now plans 20 new or relocated stores in 2009, down from the 36 stores it expects to open or move this year. The company had once planned to open 50 new stores per year through 2011. Penney still plans to open its first store in Manhattan late next year. It believes the store will be its sales leader. The company also said it would renovate 10 to 15 stores next year, down from the 20 it expects to renovate this year and well below an original plan to update 65 stores per year through 2011.
Say goodbye to your cubicle and hello to a three-day weekend. The future workplace is likely to be more flexible in design and scheduling. That’s according to predictions from job placement consultancy Challenger, Gray and Christmas. Technology improvements and rising energy costs are likely to change the way we work. The predictions include a four-day work week, as both employers and employees try to cut commuting costs. Laptops and other high-tech equipment will also open telecommuting opportunities and free workers from the office cubicle.


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Joining the Boxster and Cayman in the 2015 GTS department is the new 2015 Porsche Cayenne GTS. Unveiled in a press release issued today is the latest generation of the Cayenne’s GTS range. When the Cayenne GTS was first created in 2007, it was the first time the acronym had been used since the 904 Carrera GTS of 1963.
When compared to the previous model, which was powered by a naturally aspirated V8 engine, the new 3.6-liter V6 bi-turbo engine produces 20 more horsepower and 63 more lb-ft of torque. With this boost in power, the new Cayenne GTS is capable of 440 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. This rise in numbers does not go unused, as the 2015 model can accelerate from 0-62 mph in 5.2 seconds, .5 seconds faster than the previous model.
As far as appearances go, the GTS will definitely be identifiable amongst a crowd of base Cayennes. A minute change that improves both the aesthetic appeal and driving capabilities of the vehicle is the 24 mm drop in ride height due to the Porsche Active Suspension Management damping system. The body itself comes standard with a turbo nose section that features large air intakes and the Sport Design package. This package includes contoured side sills and wheel arch extensions.
(See Also: Porsche Sees Growth in 2014 Thanks to Hybrid Tech)
Contrasting against the brighter body finishes are the black lettering, 20-inch wheels, exhaust tailpipes, housing of the bi-Xenon headlights and fittings of the darkened LED rear lights.
The new Cayenne GTS will have its world premire come Nov. 19 at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. Stay with us for more information regarding its pricing as it is released.
View Porsche Cayennes For Sale
(Image and News Source: Porsche AG)
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Each year, just a few months after the NAMM show in Anaheim, California, Europe has their own industry convention where even more DJ and production gear rises to the surface. Today we're sharing the details on all the new gear that's worth noting - from new controllers to new analog drum machines. Read on for the latest from companies showing in Frankfurt this week.
If you haven’t been updated on MixVibes Cross over the last six months, there was a frenzy of development that saw the 10-year-old French company add crucial features like sample decks, quantizing, multi-effects and much more to this low-cost, open-platform DJ software. With version 2.3, Cross tacks on HID integration with Pioneer CDJs and a […]
Both Mix Vibes and M-Audio have released new versions of their respective software’s with updated features that sound promising. While not the most popular kids in class, both pieces of software bring new options to the table with the Torq release really taking some bold leaps forward by offering Re-wire support among other updates. There […]


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Senior officials from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are still not clear if concluding a free trade agreement with the UK is a priority for President Joe Biden.
Cynthia Guven from the USDA said that officials had made “a lot of progress” in trade negotiations with the UK during the Trump administration.
“We have a new administration, and we are not quite sure where their priorities are,” she admitted during an online event on Wednesday.
Guven, who is based in the US London embassy, said that USDA officials were still “hopeful” that a trade deal could be concluded soon. “If both sides are still very willing, we can certainly get this done,” she maintained.
In an address to the Institute of Agricultural Management, Guven argued that the international trade of agricultural products leads to “a better bottom line for every producer”.
However, a different view came from Nick von Westenholz, director of trade at the National Farmers’ Union, during his presentation.
“Free trade is predicated on winners and losers. It doesn’t work if everybody wins. You hope in the long term that it brings up productivity and standards of living, but in the short term there are losers,” von Westernholz said.
Von Westenholz appeared critical of the UK government’s approach to seeking post Brexit trade deals and pointed out that all ongoing negotiations are with countries who are major agricultural exporters.
“They will be wanting a share of the UK agricultural market. Of course, there may well be mutual benefits in return, but in reality, there is more offensive agricultural interests for those countries, particularly Australia and New Zealand, than there are for the UK,” he said.
“We expect talks with Australia and New Zealand to be wrapped up this year, notwithstanding any hiccups that might arise. As we all know, when hiccups arise with free trade agreements, its usually agriculture that’s causing them,” von Westenholz added.


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A WIRRAL credit control specialist has backed plans from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) to dish out ASBOs to chronic late payers.
Jenny Esau, managing director of Credit Management Group UK, said small businesses need more support after figures revealed small firms are owed a £25.9bn in outstanding payments.
Ms Esau said: “Large firms around the country, especially well-known retailers, are making changes to their payment agreements with suppliers, resulting in ‘negotiating’ extended terms, sometimes up to 90 days.
“Small traders are then left with no option but to accept these terms and the businesses involved avoid blacklists, such as those operated by the FSB.
“These traders are extremely important in today’s society so they need to be looked after in the right way, instead of being faced with ‘bully boy’ tactics.”


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Fans of Persona 5 have a lot to get excited about at the moment. Following the launch of Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight in Japan earlier this year, the infectious rhythm game has just launched in Western territories, featuring a number of our favorite Persona 5 characters, while also launching simultaneously alongside Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight. Not only that, an anime series retelling the events of the game titled Persona 5 The Animation finished airing at the end of September with a special ‘Dark Sun’ OVA that will conclude the story of the series set to air on December 30, 2018.
If that wasn’t enough for Persona 5 fans, Goodsmile Company recently opened pre-orders for a Phantom Thief version Nendoroid for Makoto Niijima, following its announcement at the China International Cartoon and Game Expo earlier this year. The figure is currently set for a July 2019 release date.
Included with this Nendoroid is 3 different face plates that allow you to change her expression between a more angry demeanor, a standard expression as well as a smiling expression. Not only that, her mask, an iconic part of the character designs for each of the Phantom Thieves within the game, is fully removable, allowing for more variety with how you choose to express her. Accessories include an extra mask that she is able to hold, spiked knuckle dusters and a gun.
Pre-orders have now begun for this figure on Goodsmile Company’s official website for the price of 4,800 yen, and should be a nice addition to the collections of fans who picked up the previously released Morgana Nendoroid that is already available or Futaba Sakura Nendoroid that is due for release this month, or as a solo purchase for fans of the character. Pre-orders are open from now until January 17, 2019, at 12 pm JST, and will not be available for pre-order after this date. Further information can be found via Good Smile Company’s official website.


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CBD: New York City Department of Health Announces Ban for Food and Drinks
"The Health Department takes seriously its responsibility to protect New Yorkers’ health."
On Tuesday, the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene announced a ban on adding cannabidiol (CBD) to food and drinks. CBD, a mostly non-psychoactive component of marijuana that can also be extracted from hemp, has enjoyed a surge in popularity over the past few years, showing up in lattes, gummy bears, seltzer, iced tea, baked goods, and all sorts of candies. Bakeries, coffee shops, and bars have gotten in on the market, too, but the fun may be over as soon as it’s begun.
So far, five restaurants in New York City have been explicitly ordered to stop adding the substance to food and drinks, but according to the DOH, since CBD is not approved as a safe food ingredient, they’re not the only ones who will be affected. No bars or restaurants are permitted to use it, and those with CBD-containing food products have had their stock placed under embargo — which means it hasn’t been seized, it’s just bagged up, and they’re not allowed to sell it.
“Restaurants in New York City are not permitted to add anything to food or drink that is not approved as safe to eat,” a DOH spokesperson told Inverse. “The Health Department takes seriously its responsibility to protect New Yorkers’ health. Until cannabidiol (CBD) is deemed safe as a food additive, the Department is ordering restaurants not to offer products containing CBD.”
This move came just a day after Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services announced a similar ban, citing a vaguely-worded FDA policy that prohibits food additives that haven’t been federally approved.
The concurrent crackdowns have left small business owners confused, especially since all indications suggested that they were operating within the law — CBD thats derived from hemp was declared legal for interstate sales in December under the 2018 Agriculture Improvement Act aka the Farm Bill. But now, with the New York City DOH also referring to the FDA guidelines, it seems that the winds have shifted for CBD products.
For now, it seems that supplements, tinctures, and vape liquids containing CBD are not affected by the ban.
CBD has been marketed as a dietary supplement to the general public for a wide range of effects including sleep, relaxation, and pain, but it’s also the main ingredient of the very first FDA-approved marijuana-derived drug, called Epidiolex. This development seems to have changed the status of CBD in the FDA’s eyes, from a supplement ingredient to a prescription drug.
Regardless of what the FDA had intended, previous messaging from the city government suggests that officials may have had little hint that this change was coming. In fact, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s cannabis legalization task force released a report in December 2018 that seemed to give CBD products a pretty clear stamp of approval:
“Many City establishments already sell CBD products, which are legal in New York State, as CBD is minimally psychoactive and believed not to carry significant health risks,” reads a section of the report. The report cites a World Health Organization paper on CBD that refers to it as “generally well tolerated with a good safety profile.”
There remain a lot of questions about the ban, none of which the Department of Health has answered so far. For instance, if this ban covers restaurants adding CBD to food and drinks, does it also cover CBD beverages and packaged food items that have the ingredient added in the factory? Why did the DOH start banning CBD now?
The coming days may provide answers to these questions, but for now, the DOH seems to be cracking down relatively softly. A spokesperson said that the Department is notifying restaurants, and has not asked restaurants to throw out products. New York Daily News reported on Tuesday that some coffee shops may not have gotten the message yet and were still serving. So get those CBD strawberry oat milk lattes while you still can.


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Nike Drifts Up 13%, Post-Lockdown Demand Forecasts For Online Sales Boost
Nike Inc estimated on Thursday fiscal full-year sales anticipating the Wall Street’s forecasts, placing bets on its online merchandising, increased demand as lockdowns loosen, and its unerring plan of limiting the stock of the most sought-after products.
The company’s share increased almost 13% as the firm reported better-than-anticipated quarterly earnings and revenue.
Thanks to the mass rapid distribution of COVID-19 vaccine, consumers are again interested in buying sneakers for running or hiking that will allow them to go back to their routines, rather than limiting themselves as last year to purchasing comfortable clothing to wear around the house.
According to Chief Financial Officer Matthew Friend, the sneaker maker has already begun to see an increase in its sport performance business.
Nike, based in Beaverton, Oregon, expects revenue to increase by the low double digits in fiscal 2022, surpassing $50 billion. According to Refinitiv, analysts predicted revenue of $48.46 billion in fiscal 2022.
North America, Nike's largest market, saw fourth-quarter revenue more than quadruple to $5.38 billion, beating analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion.
The company's total gross margin increased 8.5 percentage points to 45.8% from the previous year, thanks in part to its direct-to-consumer operation and less charges connected to factory cancellations. According to Refinitiv, analysts predicted a gross margin of 43.96 percent.
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Nigerian artiste and billionaire daughter, Florence Otedola, fondly called DJ Cuppy, has shaved her hair and dyed it to pink colour ahead of the new year.
While sharing the process of her shaving and dyeing her hair in a video she posted on her official Instagram page.
She stated that, “Sometimes all we need is a fresh start, bring on 2022✂??#CuppyDat.”
While some Social Media users have commented on her new look and still termed her beautiful, some had urged her to try other colours other than pink.


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The Euro Disney S.C.A. Group today officially announced that it will be introducing a new attraction based on Disney/Pixar’s Ratatouille at its annual shareholder meeting. The new attraction is slated to open in 2014 at the Walt Disney Studios Park. According to the announcement, the attraction promises that ‘Disney storytelling and state-of-the-art technology will come together in this romantic, larger-than-life, Parisian experience.’
Also confirmed was an extension of 20th anniversary festivities until September 30, 2013 and the addition of scenes from The Lion King and Brave to its award-winning ‘Disney Dreams!’ night-time entertainment. In addition to the new scenes, Disneyland Paris will also be introducing what it is calling Light’Ears (a play on Lightyear), their counterpart to ‘Glow with the Show’ as featured primarily at the Disney California Adventure Park. The interactive ears will be available at select retail and online locations beginning this summer.


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HIGH POINT – Full home furniture resource Universal Furniture credits the ongoing slowdown in demand for helping it strengthen its “fundamentals.”
“We’re excited about product introductions,” said Neil MacKenzie, Universal Furniture’s, vice president of marketing. “And about getting back in position about things we haven’t been, like stock positions. It’s helping us focus on the fundamentals.
“We’re inherently becoming better as demand stabilizes,” he added. “Folks that work with us actually have the ability to complete an order.”
Like many in the industry, having items in stock was a major issue for Universal over the past few years. The company took steps to mitigate that, however, and with stabilizing demand there is finally light at the end of the tunnel.
“Way back when, before things changed, we had more than 1,200 SKUs,” he said. “Customers used to depend on a certain level of stock. Then it changed and got out of whack. We are normalizing what we were doing prior to pandemic.”
“One thing we’ve done is added an ability to shop in-stock items on our site,” he said. “That’s for everyone and at the item level. We show the quantity of in-stock items. That went live late last fall. At the time, there was a massive need for knowing what was there. But we’re still seeing a significant demand for that information.
“We also added ability to shop for items that would be in-stock in the next 45 days, as well as the number of things that had been top performers that are not yet back in stock,” he continued. “We’ve gotten very good feedback from doing this.”
MacKenzie says the company has hundreds of items now that at least have some stock. Some items have 10 or more in stock. Others have more. “And on the upholstery side for instance, we offer ready to ship items,” he said. “We’re still seeing a need for a need for products right now.”
Nevertheless, business is slowing.
“It’s definitely a more challenging environment,” he said. “We hear anecdotally that the world is taking trips and vacations rather than buying furniture. Consumer confidence is taking a hit. There’s $5 gasoline, record inflation, and a bear stock market.
“But there are still new homes,” MacKenzie said. “There are still new projects. There’s simply a resetting kind of taking place. It’s not crazy.”
Universal doesn’t show at Las Vegas Market, but has new product planned.
“We will introduce two new collections at premarket,” he said. “We will also deliver the two collections we launched last fall before Thanksgiving.”


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By Tammy Mills
A cash-for-cans and bottles scheme to combat Victoria’s recycling and waste crisis will be introduced by the state government.
Victoria had been the only state or territory in Australia without a container deposit scheme or a plan to introduce one, but government insiders have confirmed an announcement is imminent.
The reward program collects drink bottles and cans from commercial industry and consumers, who could recoup 10¢ per drink by returning containers to a drop-off point.
The scheme will be made public within the month, but it won’t be operational until 2023.
The delay was attributed to a need for further consultation with industry and councils on the scheme’s roll-out to avoid issues such as cannibalising kerbside recycling programs and determining what the end product of the recycled material would be.
The announcement is expected to be welcomed by municipal and industry bodies, who have been pressuring the government to introduce a scheme for many months. That push came to a head in August after recycling giant SKM was woundup, unable to repay debts of more than $5 million.
The City of Melbourne was among the more than 30 Victorian councils forced to dump more than 45 tonnes of recycling in landfill every day because of the SKM collapse.
Some councils had already been trialling their own schemes, including the City of Wyndham, which introduced a reverse vending machine where consumers could deposit drink cans and plastic bottles in exchange for rewards including movie tickets and prizes.
What form the state-wide program will take is not yet known.
A scheme has already been backed by the Victorian Waste Management Association and Coca-Cola Amatil.
But it attracted major opposition from the powerful hotels and gaming lobby, the Australian Hotels Association, arguing such a scheme would hit beer drinkers’ hip pocket by increasing prices.
A scheme was one of a number of recommendations out of a parliamentary inquiry into recycling and waste management.
A Parliamentary Budget Office analysis estimated the scheme would cost $9 million over four years and return $253.5 million though uncollected deposits.
South Australia’s cash-for-cans scheme, running since 1977, returned 80 per cent of cans and bottles in 2016/17.
NSW residents returned more than 900 million bottles and cans by November last year, the ABC reported, hampered by a slow rollout of reverse vending machines.
Jeff Angel, the director of environmental group Boomerang Alliance, previously told The Age the recycling programs were operating well interstate with unclaimed deposits funnelled back into operating the scheme.
He said figures showed the average price for non-alcoholic beverages increased by about 10¢ after the container deposit scheme was introduced in NSW while alcohol beverage prices rose by about 5¢.
"It's working just as predicted and recycling of the resulting high-quality material is supporting new jobs and economic activity," he said.


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The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India’s premier container port, handled a record cargo of 5.63 million TEU in the calendar year 2021, against 4.47 million TEU in 2020, registering 25.86% growth over the year.
The total traffic of 76.14 million tonnes and container traffic of 5.63 million TEU is the highest ever traffic handled in a year since the inception of the port.
This is also the highest export-import container traffic handled by any Port in India.
JNPT is a combination of five terminals in India.
Of them, the Nhava Sheva International Gateway Terminal (NSIGT) handled 1.17 Million TEU and Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals Private Limited (BMCTPL) handled 1.17 Million TEU during the year, crossing the 1 million TEU mark in a year for the first time.
The JNPT authority congratulated the employees and stakeholders for their support in port performance while celebrating India’s 73rd Republic Day.
“JNPT’s splendid performance in the calendar year in spite of the challenges of the pandemic is a testament to our commitment to fostering economic growth in India…” said Shri Sanjay Sethi, IAS, chairman, JNPT.
“As the world recovers from the pandemic and to meet the rising demand, the port has set out with the objective of being an end-to-end port operator for our stakeholders, ensuring timely and safe movement of their cargo by helping them optimize their logistical cost,” he said.
This year, the JNPT commenced its trial operations on its newly dedicated berth for coastal shipping under the ‘Sagarmala’ program to provide an impetus for coastal cargo movement.
At JNPT’s ‘state-of-the-art’ Centralised Parking Plaza (CPP), a Mobile App – JNP-CPP and eWallet was launched for users to have access to live data of CPP operations and foundation stone for setting up a customs examination facility for factory-sealed export containers was inaugurated within CPP.
In a step towards streamlining the rail movement of EXIM cargo, JNPT commenced the dwarf container train service via double-stacked dwarf containers, giving the EXIM community a competitive cost advantage by lowering hinterland logistical costs while simultaneously enhancing rail-cargo traffic at JNPT, the authority said in a statement.


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Forget Uber Eats. Unmanned drones may soon be dropping food, coffee and even medicine from local shops into your backyard.
Google's parent company Alphabet has chosen Logan in Queensland to launch its latest drone delivery service after conducting thousands of test flights in rural parts of the state and around the world.
The Wing service allows customers to order a range of items weighing up to 1.5 kg on a mobile app and have them air-delivered directly to their homes.
"Whether you're a parent who forgot to pick up fresh bread for your kids school lunches, or you simply want to order your weekend coffee without having to drive to the shops, Wing is teaming up with local Logan businesses to give customers the opportunity to have a range of goods delivered in a handful of minutes," Wing's Australian head of operations Terrance Bouldin-Johnson said.
Queensland Innovation Minister Kate Jones said the initiative would also create jobs for drone pilots.
"Already we have some of the world leaders in drone tech and we're investing more in this space than any other government in the country," she said.
"Wing has the potential to shift the gear again in the use of drone technology for transportation by increasing access to goods, easing traffic congestion and helping to reduce carbon dioxide emissions."
Logan City Council Director of Strategy and Sustainability David Hansen said Logan was embracing technology as start-ups and tech giants look to the area as a place to set up or expand.
The development application process and community consultations for the project will begin soon, with the first deliveries expected in the suburbs of Crestmead and Marsden by the end of the year.


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Alibaba’s cloud computing unit has released two open-source AI models, Qwen-7B and Qwen-7B-Chat, marking the first time a major Chinese tech company has open-sourced its large language models. Aimed at helping small and medium-sized enterprises leverage AI, the models’ code, weights, and documentation will be freely available to the global research community and commercial institutions. However, companies with more than 100 million monthly active users will need a license from Alibaba to use the models.
Alibaba launched its closed-source GPT-4 competitor Tongyi Qianwen in April and its DALL-E and Midjourney competitor Tongyi Wanxiang in July.
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Switching data from ElectraLink’s Energy Market Data Hub (EMDH) published today shows that changing energy supplier decreased 2.3 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. January to December 2020 recorded 6.2 million changes of supplier (CoS) – the decrease likely due to the impact of the pandemic which resulted in a dramatic dip in customers joining new suppliers during the first UK lockdown.
GB switches reached the 6 million mark after 493,000 switches completed were recorded in December 2020 – eight percent less than November 2020 and 6.4 percent less than December 2019, but higher than December 2018.
December CoS being lower than November is not unusual. The same pattern has emerged in six of the nine years on record, and the eight percent drop is lower than the average decrease between the months across those years.
There was less of a decrease for CoS started in 2020 compared to the year before. 7.55 million switches were raised during the year, only 0.7 percent less than 2019.
December 2020 racked up 520,000 CoS started – 15 percent less than November 2020 and 7.4 percent less than December 2019.
CoS started numbers are always lower in December. We are interested to see next month how the latest national lockdown affects the number of CoS started after the typical Christmas dip.
In terms of CoS types, all four categories are down on the previous month and fluctuated compared to the same month last year.
- Large to Large switches reached 221,000 – 16 percent less than December 2019 and 45 percent of December 2020’s total switches completed,
- Large to Other switches reached 142,000 – 15 percent more than December 2019 and 29 percent of December 2020’s total switches completed,
- Other to Large switches landed at 79,000 – 14 percent less than December 2019 and 16 percent of December 2020’s total switches completed,
- And Other to Other switches hit 51,000 – 8 percent more than December 2019 and 10 percent of December 2020’s total switches completed.
Overview of switching in 2020
The pandemic appears to have had a minimal effect on changing supplier in GB last year. In terms of annual figures, this is the first year since 2014 that switching decreased compared to the year before. The last year-on-year annual decrease followed a period where there was a month that stood as the record number of switches for over five years. The only real impact stemming from pandemic woes was the April/May totals, usually bringing in extensive switching activity.
The same MPAN that completed 16 switches in 2019 is the record holder again with 17 switches under its belt in 2020. Just shy of 600,000 MPANs switched twice or more during the year.
Looking at net gains over the year, the traditional Big Six brands (now known as ‘Large legacy’) lost over 1.3 million customers – the fifth year in a row with over a million in net losses. Since 2012, the traditional Large legacy suppliers have sustained net losses of a combined 10 million customers.
Interestingly, this year also saw the larger challengers (‘Large other’) lose customers through switching, although they gained market share due to acquisitions and Supplier of Last Resort. The big winners this year were small suppliers (with <1% market share) who gained 639,000 customers. 2020 marks the sixth year in a row that they have made the most gains out of any supplier category.
The above figures relate to electricity CoS in Great Britain only.
We do not include CoS from Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) processes or trade sales in our monthly CoS reporting. We account for only voluntary switches, or instances where the customer made an active decision and took action to change supplier.
CoS started refers to the number of valid switches started, also known as CoS raised.
All data is provided by ElectraLink’s Energy Market Insights (EMI) from the EMDH.
ElectraLink has been granted the governance protections to hold, transfer and analyse CoS and other data.


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NHTSA to Work on 2-3 Year Project for Autonomous Vehicle Rules
October 24, 2012 8:17 PM
comment(s) - last by
The research will include topics such as safety standards (such as crashtest results) and software security (to ensure that hackers don't take over)
are the future of the automotive industry, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced that it is getting ready to create performance standards and regulations for the driverless cars through an extensive research project.
The NHTSA said today that it will partake in a two- to three-year research project that will lead to new rules and regulations for autonomous vehicles. The research will include topics such as safety standards (such as crashtest results) and software security (to ensure that hackers don't take over).
Autonomous cars could prove to be beneficial in terms of reducing congestion and fuel use. They could also assist those who are unable to drive, such as the elderly and those who are blind.
Google is one major technology company that is backing the deployment of autonomous vehicles -- mainly because it has been testing its own driverless vehicles on public roads. The company recently logged
300,000 accident-free miles
Last month, California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr.
signed a bill to create safety standards for autonomous vehicles
after taking a cruise in one himself. Senate Bill 1298 by Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) states that self-driving cars can be used on public roads for testing purposes only as long as there is a licensed operator in the driver's seat.
The Detroit News
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
10/25/2012 1:31:55 PM
I imagine for a while it would still be like commercial aviation where you have the driver sitting in the seat driving in some places ex loading dock and for safety, while the computer does the highway driving. In aviation the pilots basically land and takeoff but don't do much flying in between, they are still managing the systems though.
10/25/2012 2:27:37 PM
Yeah, I share that opinion, a human driver could take "out of the box" decisions when parking those huge trucks and boy they are quite agile on those things!
In my country City roads are not designed for them, nevertheless, you see them loading and unloading cargo using such small space that it turns out in an spectacle worthy of the applause of the passing byers...
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Hannah and Hilly Hindi, creators of The Hillywood Show®, are joining with TWILIGHT fans and the citizens of Forks to celebrate Stephenie Meyer Day. Although the Hindi sisters have visited Forks three times, this will be their first appearance at the annual celebration of Stephenie Meyer and her literary world. Now in its fifth year, Stephenie Meyer Day 2011 encompasses an entire weekend of TWILIGHT-themed events from September 9-11.
Stephenie Meyer Day has grown as an event every year, and with the addition of The Hillywood Show®, this year will be the best yet,” said Staci Chastain, organizer of Stephenie Meyer Day 2011. “The weekend isn’t just a celebration of Stephenie Meyer – it’s a celebration of all TWILIGHT fans.”
The Hillywood Show® will talk with TWILIGHT fans about parody, scriptwriting and filming during a literary symposium. They will also join designer John Henson, owner of The Twilight Costume Collection, for photo opportunities and discussions about costuming. In addition to their other work, the Hindi sisters will screen their immensely popular TWILIGHT, NEW MOON and ECLIPSE parodies.
Read more: Stephenie Meyer Day Blog


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Google sold about 10 million units of its Chromecast streaming TV dongle worldwide in 2014. This is the first time that hard sales numbers have been released for the product. Last week, Google stated that the Chromecast was the number one selling streaming device in the US in 2014 but did not give out specific sales figures.
This news comes from Google Korea, courtesy of reporting by The Korea Times. Chromecast sales in South Korea kicked off in May 2014 after first launching in the U.S. nearly a year prior. Today's article also notes that over 6,000 developers are currently making more than 10,000 Chromecast-enabled apps across Android, iOS, and Chrome platforms.
Source: Korea Times


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However, Tokina managed to announce a new AT-X 11-6mm f/2.8 PRO DX V Cine lens at CP+ show, according to new news positioned online. The lens will also arrive in the market for Micro Four Thirds mount, as stated by Spanish site DSLR magazine. The asking price is still not tagged on this lens.
The little specs in a nutshell.
- close focus 30cm
- 550g weight
- 84mm height


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Internet Of Things By The Numbers: What New Surveys Found
more positive view of IoT today compared to a year ago, according to a survey of 512 IT and business executives by CompTIA. “This reflects greater levels of attention from the C-suite and a better understanding of how the many different elements of the IoT ecosystem are starting to come together,” says CompTIA. Here are the highlights from this and other recent surveys. The number of connected things, from computers to household monitors to cars, is projected to grow at an annual compound rate of 23.1% between 2014 to 2020, reaching 50.1 billion things in 2020.


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Fire erupts in West Long Branch mall
"We were so nervous, we just ran out," said a long-time employee at the nail salon.
WEST LONG BRANCH - A blaze tore through Carriage Square mall on Monmouth Road Saturday morning, damaging at least three stores and snarling traffic nearby.
Nails Limited, Peking Taste Restaurant and Giane, a hair and makeup salon, received "sufficient damage" in the fire, Assistant Fire Chief Pat Joyce said. Traffic slowed to a crawl on Route 36 after the fire was reported at 10:30 a.m.; Monmouth Road between Route 36 and Parker Road also was shut down.
Joyce said there were no injuries but crews worked into the afternoon to extinguish hot spots in the building.
The fire was first reported in the nail salon and began on the ceiling, he said. It remains under investigation and the cause is not yet known.
Van Tran, the owner of Nails Limited, said he was in the back of his store when he smelled smoke and saw a chunk of his ceiling collapse, engulfed in flames. Tran said he quickly tried to spray it with a fire extinguisher but when he looked up at the hole in the ceiling, there was just too much smoke.
"I cannot do it," said Tran, who has operated in the shopping center for 10 years. "I told everybody 'fire!'"
Tina Ly, a 10-year employee at the nail salon, remained shaken up and said everything was a blur.
"We were so nervous, we just ran out," she said. There were two customers in the store and four employees.
Firefighters from more than a dozen other municipalities responded to the scene as black plumes billowed from the building. A thick, heavy cloud of smoke hung in the air, visible from miles away.
Onlookers stood across the street in front of the Walgreens, watching as firefighters doused the building.
Ina Krauscis was in Art's Embroidery, an arts and crafts store two doors down from the nail salon, when she smelled smoke and called the police.
"When I looked in one of the windows, I saw fire dropping from the ceiling," she said. "It was bad."
Her son owns the store and they were both in there receiving a shipment when the fire broke out.
"Everybody screamed right away, 'get out of the store!'" she said.
Firefighters could be heard sawing and hacking around the one-story wooden frame — they were creating holes in the ceiling to release the smoke, said Joyce.
"I really have no idea what I feel," said Tran, as he looked across to his store.
Karen Yi: 732-643-4277; email@example.com


text: The Board of Directors of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) elected, on 2 December, Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat S.p.A. as well as chairman and CEO of Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A., as the association’s president for 2012. Born in Chieti in 1952, he has dual Canadian and Italian citizenship. Marchionne takes over from Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the Board of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars Division, who served as ACEA president in 2010 and 2011. The ACEA, founded in 1991, represents the interests of the major car, truck and bus manufacturers in Europe at EU level. The ACEA Board of Directors elects a new president each year.


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Steve Madden has announced two key executive promotions. Amelia Newton Varela has been named to the newly created position of President, and Karla Frieders has been appointed to the newly created position of Chief Merchandising Officer.
Newton Varela has over 17 years of experience with Steve Madden in various roles, most recently as Executive Vice President of wholesale. Frieders has more than 16 years of experience with Steve Madden in various roles, most recently as Executive Vice President of product development.
Commenting on the promotions, Edward Rosenfeld, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said “Amelia and Karla are both highly talented executives who have been instrumental to the success and growth of our company. Under Amelia’s leadership, our wholesale business has grown exponentially over the last decade, as we have expanded into new brands, new product categories and new distribution channels. Karla has proven herself to have a deep understanding of product and trends, and we are confident she will be highly successful in her role as Chief Merchandising Officer.”
Added Steve Madden, Founder and Creative and Design Chief, “Amelia and Karla started with the company when they were just out of school – Amelia in customer service and Karla in the stores. Over the years, I’ve been proud to watch them develop into seasoned executives and outstanding leaders that are imbued with the Steve Madden ethos.”


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Many may not remember or be aware of when Michael Jordan completed a monster dunk by shattering the glass but it certainly happen and Jordan Brand is taking a moment to pay homage to that play. Although a release is not known yet, Jordan Brand is planning to release a pair of Orange and Black Jordan’s 1 inspired by the jersey MJ was wearing during the play. The play took place in Italy in 1985 during a Nike exhibition game and not only did MJ break the backboard, he also dropped 30 points. Check out the dunk and the upcoming Jordan 1’s below. Stay tuned to HHS1987 for release information.
© 2015, Eldorado2452. All rights reserved.


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It was only a couple of months ago that Huawei released the Huawei Mate 30 series. But if you thought the Mate 30 was impressive in terms of hardware, wait till you hear about the rumoured specifications of the upcoming Huawei P40.
The information was tipped off by leakster Yash Raj Chaudhary. Since he isn’t in the league of more prominent leakers like EvLeaks and OnLeaks, I’d suggest you take this information with a pinch of salt. Also, it’s not clear if he’s talking about the P40 or the P40 Pro. But anyway, even if there is some veracity associated with the information he’s shared, the Huawei P40 is already shaping up to be a solid smartphone.
The phone is expected to have a 6.5-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate that we recently saw on the Redmi K30 and the ASUS ROG Phone 2. The display is expected to sport a qHD resolution and has curved edges that take up most of the sides, which is more popularly known as a waterfall display. The Huawei Mate 30 Pro and the Vivo NEX 3 employed such displays.
(2/3)Huawei P40 will innovatively apply graphene materials to the positive and negative electrodes and electrolytes of mobile phone batteries. This makes the battery capacity of Huawei P40 reach 5500mAh, but its volume is only 70% of that of lithium batteries#HuaweiP40Pro— Yash Raj Chaudhary (@hereYashRaj) December 8, 2019
More exciting is the purported battery department of the Huawei P40. The phone is expected to pack a whopping 5,500mAh battery with support for 50W fast charging. But topping that is the battery technology that Huawei is expected to use for the phone. The P40 is said to be “innovatively” using graphene technology that will allow Huawei to pack a denser battery at 70%. If true, this will be the first smartphone ever to use graphene tech for batteries. Also, this graphene battery will be able to fully charge in 45 minutes according to the source.
What more? The phone is said to have a penta-camera setup at the back consisting of 64MP Sony IMX686 module, a 20MP ultrawide sensor, a 12MP periscope lens, a macro camera, and a time-of-flight sensor for depth information. The front camera is expected to be a dual-lens setup consisting of a secondary ultrawide sensor. Like the Honor V30 series, the Honor P40 might have a punch-hole display to house the selfie cameras.
Again, these specifications aren’t confirmed and should be taken with a pinch of salt. But with the first wave of flagships only a few months away, we can expect to learn more information in the coming weeks.


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On Monday, US-based computer technology company Dell announced the launch of Aarambh -a pan-India initiative with the aim of leading the use of personal computer (PC) for education.
P. Krishnakumar, Dell India Vice President, Consumer and Small Business, said, “Arming them with new-age skills, enhanced learning and the power of technology, we want to help mould young minds so they are able to find a firm footing in a Digital India”.
The start up was aimed at exposing students to interactive methods of learning in the developmental years to contribute to the well-rounded growth of a student.
The aim of the program is to enable both parents and teachers to actively participate in the educational development of the child, while using a PC and create an enclosing ecosystem and supportive background for the child.
The project aims to reach one million students and 1,00,000 teachers across 5,000 schools and 2,00,000 parents in 75 cities across the country.


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E3 2020 | E3 2020 officially cancelled due to coronavirus fears
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, more commonly known as E3, has been canceled for 2020.
Citing concerns over the growing spread of coronavirus, the Entertainment Software Association (the group behind the expo) will make an official announcement later this morning at 9:30 AM PST. In a private memo to partners obtained by Bloomberg, the ESA has stated interest in putting on the event via an online method.
E3, which is widely regarded as the largest and most important event in the gaming industry, has occurred every summer since 1995. 2020 marks the first year the event has been canceled, adding to the growing list of major events and conferences that have been called off over fears of the coronavirus.
Other major events that have fallen victim to the coronavirus outbreak include Mobile World Congress (MWC) and Google’s annual I/O event.


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This year’s school shopping necessities have changed dramatically compared to past years. With most schools utilizing remote learning, and kitchen tables replacing school desks, how can retailers predict not only what to keep in stock and what to nix, but also evolving back-to-school trends before they happen? Location intelligence may be the answer you’ve been looking for.
Different Locations, Different Rules for Back-to-School
Everything from mask mandates to school closures and openings have been left to the individual states and counties. Because of this, it may be confusing to determine where schools are open and where they are not, especially when those county-lines can be so close together.
Let’s say that you are a large retailer in the state of Florida. Your store is a go-to location for back-to-school supplies and every other year, you’ve been able to use data to know what to keep in stock and how much. This year is very different, especially considering that different counties have different back-to-school rules. How can you know what will sell, what to stock, and how many to keep on the shelves?
By integrating mobile location data into your customer data platform (CDP), you get direct insight into where your potential customers are shopping and when. This data will tell you not only who is shopping, but what they are shopping for.
Unique Back-to-School Trends
With the trajectory that 2020 is taking, every other article on the internet that discusses retail or trends in the space says the same thing, the same word repeated over and over again: unpredictable. We don’t know when schools are going to adopt in-class sessions again; when students will don their school uniforms; when teachers can decorate their physical classrooms instead of their virtual classrooms.
The tides change faster than we can blink. Unlike previous back-to-school seasons, August and September would have seen the influx of in-store shopping sprees for uniforms and supplies. If you are a store manager for the Florida retailer from the example above, then keeping track of when to adjust your stock according to school openings or closings can be especially difficult. Today could be the day of home-desks and laptop pillows, and tomorrow that could change to backpacks and uniforms.
While we are still seeing some of the back-to-school trends stay the same, that could change in the blink of an eye. In order to stay ahead of the curb, use location intelligence to look at what your competitors are doing.
Stay Ahead of the Competition
According to an August Washington Post article, “More than a dozen major chains have already filed for bankruptcy since the pandemic, and many others are on shaky ground as they enter the critical back-to-school season, which is expected to bring in more than $100 billion.”
The competition is rife right now as retailers brace for an unpredictable back-to-school season. Stores are trying to innovate to roll with the times. With every retailer competing for the same customers who already have tighter budgets, using competitive intelligence to stay ahead of the game is the one thing that may help you beat the 2020 slump.
By using location intelligence to gain insight on who your competition’s customers are, when they shop, and what they are shopping for, you can align your methods and laser-focus your marketing campaigns.
Adapt to Change with Location Intelligence
Students, parents, teachers, and retailers have no idea what the future holds for the rest of this school year. Everything about it, along with 2020, is tangled in a knot that we haven’t been able to untie yet. All that anyone can do is prepare in the best way they can for the future ahead.
Take a step in the right direction by using location intelligence and contact us for a consultation today.


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Android continues to dominate the smartphone arena, while fighting between BlackBerry and Windows Phone starts to warm up, according to the latest statistics from IDC. It’s no secret that Android is the biggest mobile operating system and from the last three months of 2012, the Google platform apparently made a huge represented 70.1 percent of the smartphone market. Apple’s iOS still comfortably in second place with a market share of 21 percent, but that is 2 percent less than the same period of 2011. As expected BlackBerry witnessed the biggest drop between the fourth quarters from 2011 to 2012, with its 8.1 percent share dropped to 3.2 percent at the end of last year. However the BlackBerry OS still remains in third place, just ahead of Windows Phone that is growing and now controls a 2.5 percent stake in the market.
BlackBerry will be hoping to regain some lost ground this year on the back of its new BlackBerry 10 platform, while Microsoft will continue the push your Windows 8. But anyone can take Android?


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VITAMIN/MINERAL QUANTITATIVE AMOUNTS SHOULD BE INCLUDED ON NUTRITION LABEL
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
VITAMIN/MINERAL QUANTITATIVE AMOUNTS SHOULD BE INCLUDED ON NUTRITION LABEL, FDA determined in a proposed rule implementing the nutrition labeling provisions of the Nutrition Labeling & Education Act for dietary supplements. The nutrition labeling proposal was published in the June 18 Federal Register along with NLEA regs for health claims and nutrient content claims ("The Tan Sheet" June 21, pp. 4 and 9). Although FDA is not requiring that information on the quantitative amounts of vitamins and minerals be included on the labels of conventional foods, the proposal states that "this information is necessary and useful on the labels of dietary supplements . . . by virtue of the way that such products are formulated, marketed and used." In explaining why the agency feels that dietary supplement labeling should include information on quantitative amounts, the proposal points out that supplements "are often formulated and marketed on the basis of offering specific amounts of certain vitamins and minerals to consumers." In addition, FDA noted that consumers often "try to maintain a certain quantitative intake of specific nutrients in their diets." FDA added that most dietary supplement labels currently include quantitative information, and continuing to provide such information "will help ensure that consumers are fully informed about the content of these products." Quantitative amounts for vitamins and minerals may be stated "in terms of the absolute amount by weight of the nutrient or the percent of Daily Value that the amount represents," FDA said. FDA received several comments opposing quantitative amount information for supplements on the basis that "only percent of Daily Value should be mandatory, consistent with the labeling of vitamins and minerals on the labels" of conventional foods, the agency said. One comment maintained that "a requirement for too much information is discriminatory against products with larger numbers of nutrients and might discourage the use of smaller packages that are less expensive to consumers." FDA added, however, that "about half of the comments supported FDA's position on declaring amounts." "To reduce consumer confusion and to ensure that it is readily observable and comprehensible to consumers, the agency is proposing that nutrition labeling on vitamin or mineral supplements be presented in a manner that is as similar as possible to the nutrition labeling of other foods," FDA said. FDA issued regs implementing NLEA for conventional foods on Jan. 6. The agency explained that the heading on the nutrition label should read "Nutrition Facts" and the label should be boxed off with one color type on a neutral contrasting background. Declaration of nutrition information should be "on a 'per serving' basis" (as opposed to a "per unit" or "per day" basis) and should specify whether the serving is a tablet, capsule, packet or teaspoonful. Servings per container also must be specified, FDA said, unless the identical information is stated in the net quantity of contents declaration. "Dietary supplements in liquid or powdered form will always have to declare 'servings per container,'" FDA stated. The agency emphasized that supplement firms must declare every nutrient that is present in a product at more than insignificant amounts, which are defined as the "amount that allows the declaration of 'less than one gram.'" In terms of nutrient order, the agency proposed that all vitamins be listed first, followed by minerals in the following order: calcium, iron, phosphorus, iodine, magnesium, zinc and copper. Like foods, dietary supplement labels must also bear a complete list of ingredients including "fillers, artificial colors, flavors, binders and excipients." The agency also is allowing vitamin synonyms in supplement labeling such as ascorbic acid for vitamin C, thiamin for vitamin B, riboflavin for vitamin B and folacin for folate. The FDA proposal also asks for comments on a requirement for dietary supplements that "percent Daily Values for all nutrients be expressed to the nearest whole percent," which is different from what FDA requires for conventional foods. "Greater precision is possible with formulated supplements as opposed to what is possible for naturally occurring nutrients in foods in conventional food form," FDA explained. The agency added that it believes that "consumers will be interested in this precision on dietary supplements of vitamins or minerals." Many dietary supplements "are currently labeled in this manner," the proposal points out. FDA also suggested that the percentages of RDIs be based on RDI values for adults and children four or more years of age. "FDA intends to revisit the issue of whether to establish RDIs for infants, children under four years of age, or pregnant or lactating women at the time it considers the broader question of the appropriate values for RDIs," according to the proposal.
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Operation GHOST by Sega
Sega are proud to announce the release of the amazing new sequel to Ghost Squad.
Packed with never seen before features, this is set to be the premier video game on the world market. Play the Experiance
Be sure to order early, demand is high and stocks are strictly limited.


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It’s the second week in September and that means one thing – a huge Apple event. A number of new products are expected. The question is whether they’ll live up to all the hype. It’s also a big week for some big consumer brands like Barnes & Noble, Campbell Soup, and Lululemon, which will announce earnings. With that said, here’s what you need to know to prepare for the week ahead.
1. Once again, it’s all about Apple
The time has come for the unveiling of Apple’s new products on Tuesday including an expected iPhone 6 and an iWatch smartwatch. There’s been gallons of ink (real and digital) already spilled by the media speculating about what will be announced. Tune into Fortune for a live-blog of the event starting just before 1 pm EST). The wild card is Apple CEO Tim Cook will mention the latest wrinkle: The nude celebrity photo hackings into Apple’s iCloud service.
2. But don’t forget about TechCrunch
Amid all the attention on the Apple event, it’d be a mistake to forget about TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco running Monday through Wednesday. The annual conference features speakers including Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, who was featured in a June Fortune cover story, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and the always irascible Mark Cuban.
3. Expect a reports round-up, too
It’s time once more for retail sales numbers – in this case for the month of August. The data will be available at 8:30am EST on Friday. Expect those numbers to be a mixed bag, with some stores reporting declines, but others getting a back-to-school lift. But retail sales and consumer spending overall have been suffering, according to Fortune. Other numbers to be released next week? The weekly jobless claims numbers on Thursday at 8:30am EST, while the NFIB’s small business survey comes out at 7:30am EST on Tuesday.
4. Prepare to read up on retail earnings galore
And speaking about retail, Barnes & Noble comes out with its earnings report on Tuesday before the market opens. It’ll be the bookseller’s first quarter results for the 2015 fiscal year. The book retailer is finishing up plans announced back in June to split its retail and Nook units into two public companies in a bid to bolster the e-reader business. That’s expected to be completed by March, according to The Wall Street Journal. Also important: Men’s Warehouse on Wednesday, and Lululemon Athletica on Thursday.
5. Food, glorious, food earnings
Retail aside, it’s a relatively tasty week for food earnings. Campbell Soup will announce its results on Monday before the market opens. Another earnings report to be served up: Krispy Kreme on Tuesday, after the close. The doughnut company made a mark last year for baking up a business turnaround. There’s also Darden Restaurants reporting of Friday in its first full quarter after selling off Red Lobster.
Authored by Benjamin Snyder via fortune.com.


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Local newlyweds can look forward to the holiday of a lifetime after Coleraine based travel agent Briege McAuley is crowned ‘Honeymoon Planner of the Year’ for the second year running.
Briege, who runs her own leisure and corporate travel service from her home, with the support of independent travel company, Travel Counsellors, was delighted to beat eight other contenders to the top spot at the 5th Northern Ireland Wedding Awards 2020.
Around 500 of the country’s top wedding specialists gathered last Tuesday, January 21, at The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Belfast to hear the winners of the annual wedding awards.
Commenting on her win, a delighted Briege said: “It’s an honour to win Honeymoon Planner of the Year at the Northern Ireland Wedding Awards, and a real privilege to help couples to plan their dream holidays, making memories that will last a lifetime.”
With 25-years’ experience in the travel industry, and having travelled all over the globe, Briege uses Travel Counsellors specialised technology to search through thousands of travel options to create tailor-made travel experiences based on customers personal preferences.
A spokesperson for The Northern Ireland Wedding Awards 2020 said: “The awards showcased some of the best wedding specialists that operate in the industry.
“The competition was really tough this year, but these champions are tried and tested specialists that know how to create a stress-free wedding experience, keeping romance in the air.”
Briege joins over 1,900 Travel Counsellors in seven countries across the world who run their own travel businesses from home or shared offices, allowing them to work flexibly around the needs of their customers, including being contactable during the evenings and weekends.
As well as running a top class travel service, Briege is also a mum to three kids and wife to Andrew, so her dedication to work whilst juggling family life has paid off.
Briege added: “Being available during the evenings and weekends means my customers can speak to me at a time that suits them, and running my own business from home means I can take the time to get to know them personally.
“I think my customers really value the personal, caring service and attention to detail I offer through running my business with Travel Counsellors, providing tailored travel experiences you can’t get online.”


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Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corp., which lost its original Philadelphia store on Roosevelt Blvd. in the Northeast section of the city in 2005, is fighting its way back to the area by opening a new store in the Northeast, this time in Fox Chase, hoping to give the chain a fresh start in Philly.
This store, which originally serviced as a Popeyes chicken restaurant on Oxford Avenue near Verree Rd, will serve as a temporary base of operations for the franchise as it plans on opening 20 more retail locations over the next seven years in the greater Philadelphia market, which includes southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and northern Delaware.
The Corporation announced in April that it awarded development rights in the Philadelphia market to Dough Nut, LLC.
Dough Nut, LLC is owned and operated by Keith Morgan, the former CEO of AAMCO Transmissions, and is partnering with Brian Zaslow, who serves as Managing Director of Dough Nut, LLC. with experience in the industry as former Vice President of Marketing for the ARAMARK Corporation.
"Krispy Kreme is an iconic brand with unmatched customer loyalty and serves the best doughnuts found anywhere in the world,” Morgan said in a press release. “Brian and I are excited to develop our stores and create new employment opportunities in the region."
Both Morgan and Zaslow have restructured the prior business model Krispy Kreme applied to the Philadelphia market and have changed the companies approach that they feel will lead to a better result this time around, according to Jacklin Rhoads, a public relations and social media director with Neff Associates, the PR firm used by the Dough Nut, LLC.
The Fox Chase store is set for its grand opening on Nov. 9th and will feature a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:00 a.m. Guests include Philadelphia Councilman Brian O’Neill.
By Gail Austin and Tom Rowan Jr.
Team 2: NE Philly
Posted by Tom Rowan Jr. at 4:47 PM