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Snapchat’s pitch to advertisers is starting to feel as ephemeral as its content — and its Q4 results prove it
Advertisers are finding fewer reasons to spend on Snapchat.
The ad dollars (or lack thereof) Snapchat raked in over the holiday season makes this all too clear.
Ad revenue over the fourth quarter was flat compared to the same period the year prior. This was the slowest rate of growth since the mobile app floated onto the stock exchange in 2017. And the slump looks set to continue for a while yet.
That’s according to Snapchat’s own forecast, which warned ad revenue could drop by as much as 10% over the first three months of the year.
This protracted slowdown makes sense, considering Snapchat’s business problems. Among them are layoffs, axed initiatives like Snap Originals, the loss of its longtime ad boss and Apple snuffing out its ability to give advertisers effective targeting and measurement.
Whether advertisers are willing to see how all these issues shake out is anyone’s guess. As it stands, it doesn’t look like they are.
Snapchat has a lot of work to do to win back advertisers
Take the clients at The Social Standard, for instance. They haven’t inquired about influencer campaigns or paid advertising on Snapchat in over 12 months, said the company’s founder and CEO Jess Philips.
“That’s incredibly telling to us,” said Philips. “Coupled with the banner ads on the platform’s business site pushing discounts, as a public company I think the writing is on the wall.”
The implication here is that Snapchat’s limitations are finally catching up to the company — at least in the eyes of marketers. As Craig Brown, SVP of strategy at digital agency Incubeta U.S., explained, “Snap tends to only be included if it was being used prior to TikTok’s growth, and isn’t a platform that is ever pushed by clients, or asked about by CEOs as ‘are we missing out?'”
While it may be too soon to count out Snapchat’s ads business entirely, rewiring it into something more appealing to advertisers won’t be easy — especially when so many marketers aren’t advertising much there in the first place.
This was certainly the case for the advertisers who employ ad agency Blue Wheel. In the fourth quarter, ad spending on Snapchat rose just 3% compared to the previous quarter, and only 7% on the same period a year ago.
For context, ad spending on TikTok was a lot higher over a similar period for a number of agencies. The disparity between the two platforms looks set to stretch on well into the year.
“Snapchat spend will slow down initially to start 2023, as brands cut budgets and become efficiency focused,” said Eitan Reshef, CEO of Blue Wheel. “Snap will be out because again, it’s more top of the funnel focused, rather than a profitable conversion channel for many.”
The point is that top of the funnel marketing tends to be bottom of the pile for many advertisers in a downturn, when brand building often takes a backseat to more immediate goals. That’s a tough sell for any media owner, even before considering Snapchat’s problems. And it gets tougher still because even if there were marketers chomping at the bit to advertise on the app, there’s a chance they’d be put off by the price.
Granted, Snapchat’s ad prices are not extortionate in the current wave of media inflation. For instance, in the third quarter, the cost to buy 1,000 impressions of ad inventory on Snapchat was 30% compared to Meta for the average advertiser, per agency Tinuiti. But Snapchat’s ads aren’t cheap either — at least not when compared to other platforms. Indeed, the same number of impressions on TikTok are 42% cheaper than Meta.
Put another way: It’s cheaper to advertise on TikTok than it is to do so on Snapchat — something marketers will be watching closely. Indeed, in the midst of a downturn, they’re more sensitive than normal to ad prices. This explains — at least partly — why marketers are taking money they would’ve spent on Snapchat to spend with TikTok.
“Tiktok has almost completely replaced Snapchat as the preferred medium to reach Gen Z for our clients,” said Ellen Prinzi, vp of client service and innovation at entertainment marketing agency FlyteVu. “The app’s growing popularity has created ‘pressure’ on brands to have a TikTok strategy. Another plus is that TikTok has a sleek and easy-to-use ad platform that’s only improving.”
But there’s only so much Snapchat can do to manage this slowdown in the near-term. Not least because it has more ads than ever to sell at a time when demand for them is the weakest it’s been in a while. In the fourth quarter, the volume of ad impressions it could sell rose by 8% versus the year prior, but the company saw a 9% decline in the cost per thousand impressions.
“From our recent conversations with our partners it seems like advertising demand hasn’t improved but it hasn’t got significantly worse either,” said Snap’s CEO Evan Spiegel during the company’s earnings call. “The brand spend has significantly reduced like we saw in the fourth quarter but our direct response business continues to grow in the fourth quarter. In general it seems like our partners are managing their spending more cautiously so that they can react quickly to any changes in the environment.”
Snap’s uncertain future
As grim as the cloud is over Snapchat’s prospects, it has some silver linings. Its audience is one. Time spent on the app may have decelerated to 7% in the fourth quarter of last year, per SensorTower, but engagement there continues to be strong. In fact, it’s increased since the fourth quarter of 2019 from 58% to 63% over the same period in 2022.
With that said, there’s no point in having users if you can’t cash in. It’s only a matter of time before Snapchat is under significant pressure to kickstart its stuttering ads business.
So far, there have been glimpses of what this plan could look like, from Spotlight to the innovation on augmented reality. More needs to be done, however. The narrative around the ads business in marketing circles borders on apathy at times. Worse still, is that Snapchat’s pitch to the market doesn’t seem to have been able to counter this growing indifference.
As far as Baruch Labunski, CEO of Rank Secure, is aware, Snapchat hasn’t done much about changing its pitch or developing new products. In his view, that is a mistake, as the platform should pitch to more businesses or target audiences that would spend money on products being advertised.
It’s a point that gets to the root of one of the key problems with Snapchat’s ads business: It doesn’t offer much variety. A large chunk (90%) of its ad revenue is anchored in the Commercials and Snap Ads served in the Stories and Discover formats, according to New Street Research. Now might be a time for Snapchat to look at ways to diversify its ad revenue.
The platform already took the first leap toward doing so by launching its subscription model, Snapchat+, in August 2022. But as Brown pointed out, the launch indicated that Snap is struggling to find ways to expand its advertising business.
“By being resistant to change and not evolving like other platforms, Snapchat has a long way to go in becoming competitive amongst other ad revenue strategies,” added Alex Payne, founder of Room Unlocked.
More in Marketing
Why does the CMA’s opinion on Google’s Privacy Sandbox matter so much? Stick around to uncover why.
Marketing Briefing: How the ‘proliferation of boycotting’ has marketers working understand the real harm of brand blockades
While the reasons for the boycotts vary, there’s a recognition among marketers now that a brand boycott could happen regardless of their efforts – and for reasons outside of marketing and advertising – that will need to be dealt with.
DTC marketers are pointing fingers at Temu, attributing the sharp surge in advertising costs across Meta’s ad platforms to its ad dollars.


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The giant Google announced the phase-out of third-party cookies starting with 2022. What does it mean for advertisers, and how can we plan ahead to meet the big change?
The CXM team spoke with Andy McNab, VP at Fanplayr, about the challenges coming with the death of third-party cookies. He is an award-winning digital leader that has led teams at Microsoft, AOL and Rocket Fuel and is now fully focused on developing Fanplayr across EMEA. As a behaviour data specialist, Andy shares tips for navigating the cookie apocalypse and introduces new tactics in optimizing the behaviour of web visitors.
Andy, as someone who helps brands navigate behavioural data, were you surprised with Google’s decision to phase out third-party cookies?
Google’s decision to call time on third-party cookies was not a surprise, given the previous moves in the same direction by Apple and Mozilla and the context of increased concerns about privacy. This all follows the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU and the implementation of the California Consumer Privacy Act. The GDPR enforces cookie consent and individual data protection, but there was still a strong body of opinion that third-party cookies needed even more control.
For years, brands have been using third-party cookies to send ads to the right audiences. Could you tell us more about how brands utilize them for advertising?
Third-party cookie providers employ tags on pages to track an individual’s behaviour across the web and feed the data back to brands. They use it to create distinctive profiles from search habits, which indicate people’s preferences and spending potential.
In essence, brands will apply this data to address unique interests and target online ads on consumers who are most likely to become profitable customers. Some brands also combine third-party cookie data with information from other sources or data brokers about consumers’ spending patterns or insights from social media activity.
The Google announcement about phasing out the third-party cookies shook the ad-tech industry to the core. Why do you think this is big news for businesses?
Fairly simply because Google accounts for 60 per cent of the browser market. Chrome is the world’s most popular browser now. There are entire ecosystems of data providers who have depended on Google for their third-party cookies and the information they provide.
Suddenly, all this information is going to be choked off. Brands will have to adopt more advanced solutions that use first-party cookies and are far cleverer about segmenting customers and learning from their behaviour on a brand’s own website.
Otherwise, there is a danger that consumer behaviour will be lost in a fog of data. Such an outcome could take us back to the time before cookies when it was difficult to know who was on a website and identify their intentions and preferences.
A step forward for privacy still doesn’t mean Google will stop collecting user data. What does this change really entail?
Alphabet, Google’s parent, is developing machine learning solutions to track consumers using Chrome without third-party cookies. It’s easy to feel that at the end of all this, Alphabet will be even more dominant. Unless, of course, brands employ alternative technologies and the new artificial intelligence-based platforms that give them their own data and the ability to act on it profitably. That way, they will no longer depend on Alphabet to understand customers and their behaviour.
Following the third-party cookies phase-out, brands will need to reorganize and change strategies for collecting data. How can they prepare for the big change?
Alongside that, brands must seek out new audience segmentation solutions and platforms that transform first-party cookie data. It will enable them to understand each website visitor and their behaviour in real-time, without worrying about third-party cookie data or fear of privacy infringements.
Do you believe the end of third-party cookies to be the start of new tactics in optimizing the behaviour of web visitors?
The death of third-party cookies will see brands turn to solutions that address the whole customer journey on their websites. The new kind of behavioural optimisation will emerge and turn out to be more effective, more subtle, and more sustainable.
By turning back to the data from their own sites, brands will use advanced AI platforms to recognise consumers, track their behaviour and intervene in real-time with a persuasive offer or recommendation. All the given suggestions will be based on the user history on the site and the individual’s decision to put something in the basket or find the way out.
Fundamentally, this will put an end to crude pop-ups that bombard visitors with irritating messages or offers that don’t relate to individual preferences or current behaviour. Brands will achieve greater conversion rates and stop undermining profitability with unnecessary discounts.
There is another important advantage of a single integrated platform. Brands can use the data and analysis to personalise marketing content in SMS messages and emails sent to consumers (who consent), which deliver far better results through precise targeting. The single platform approach is also easier to implement than cobbling together solutions for different parts of the customer journey, such as reduction of basket abandonment or upsell tactics.
As a behavioural data specialist, what new technologies and practices would you suggest for brands who need to reconsider their advertising strategies?
The adoption of artificial intelligence-driven, single-platform solutions should allay many of the fears brands have about “cookiegeddon”.
Single platform AI solutions use first-party cookies to store the user ID without infringing privacy restrictions. This data drives personalisation and will be the rich new source for brands that wish to be free from total reliance on the browser operators and their affiliates.
Advertisers can combine this data with information about customer habits and preferences from across other touchpoints, including social media and other media-related ecosystems. Targeted advertising is not going to end with the death of third-party cookies.

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LONDON: Mercedes has come under fire over privacy issues after it admitted to installing secret trackers in its cars to obtain their location.
All cars sold by Mercedes-Benz dealers have been fitted with tracking devices to identify the car’s exact location. Although Mercedes Benz has stated that it does not use this feature actively, it remains silent on how long they have been using these sensors, as published by The Sun.
The company sold more than 170,000 new cars to Britain this year and under EU data protection laws, tracking a vehicle without the driver’s knowledge is illegal. This has escalated the issue, attracting criticism from legal experts and human rights groups like ‘Liberty’, labelling this act as the “creeping growth of surveillance”.
Mercedes customers are also alarmed by this news, worrying what other information the company may have shared after it admitted to sharing this data with third party bailiffs and recovery firms who repossess cars, reports The Sun.
Meanwhile, the company has defended its actions, saying, ‘location services’ was a feature that was agreed to by the customer, when signing the contract upon purchasing the car. They added that: “This clause in the finance contract is in bold print, just above the customer’s signature.”
The automobile firm clarified the data mismanagement allegations by saying that they used this service only when a customer on a financial plan failed to comply, saying: “It is only activated in exceptional circumstances where the customer has breached their finance agreement and repeatedly failed to reply to requests to contact us.”
However, Mercedes’ rivals, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Volkswagen have denied using any such tracking technology, putting Mercedes directly under the spotlight according to the Daily Mail.
Ex-Cabinet minister David Davis has called for the government to investigate the matter and has warned the company to notify its customers about such devices and upgrades beforehand to ensure proper data handling and privacy in the future.


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NS BlueScope Vietnam announces responsible sourcing strategy for addressing climate change
The Forum focuses on sustainability Supplier Code Of Conduct for suppliers in the company's supply chain, updating more standards on addressing climate change
Vietnam is seeing fast economic growth yet suffers significant impacts of climate change. At the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), Vietnam made strong commitments on addressing climate change, heading towards the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. This is a premise for domestic enterprises, as well as foreign-invested enterprises, to pay more attention to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building a sustainable supply chain, working together towards the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
As a galvanized steel company with great passion for social responsibility in Vietnam, in 2019, NS BlueScope Vietnam launched the Supply Chain Sustainability Forum to introduce corporate standards for sustainable development and operating principles, as well as a vision for the company's supply chain. Following the success of the Forum, the Responsible Sourcing program for the 2022-2030 period focuses on sustainability standards for the company’s suppliers with updated standards on climate change.
Ms. Nguyen Dinh Minh Tam believes that the efficient use of raw materials is the key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions
“Over the next eight years, we are on track to reduce our carbon emissions by 30 percent and move towards carbon neutrality by 2050 – in line with the Government’s target. We hope to spread this goal across our entire supply chain to create a business community that is carbon neutral by 2050,” said Ms. Bui Phuong Mai, Vice President of Supply Chain of NS BlueScope Vietnam at the Forum.
According to Ms. Nguyen Dinh Minh Tam, Operation, Compliance and Risk Director of BSI Vietnam, greenhouse gas emissions mostly derive from the use of raw materials, including those for production, transportation, etc. Therefore, this will also be the focus to cut down greenhouse gas emissions. “Firstly, we need to focus on how to use energy or materials efficiently, and secondly is the role of reducing emissions, improving processes, and increasing operational efficiency,” said Ms. Tam at the forum.
In early January 2022, the Government of Vietnam enacted Decree No. 06/2022/ND-CP, providing regulations on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and protection of the ozone layer, which requires the implementation of a greenhouse gas inventory for facilities that emit 3,000 tonnes of CO2 or more (meaning an annual consumption of 1,000 tonnes of oil equivalent or solid waste treatment facilities with an annual operating capacity of 65,000 tonnes). Therefore, achieving the net-zero target not only helps businesses meet government regulations, but also serves future operations when businesses enter developed markets of the United States, Japan, European Union, etc., because net-zero is now a prevailing global trend.
NS BlueScope Vietnam honors partners in the supply chain who have made great efforts to combat climate change
Simultaneously, at the forum, NS BlueScope Vietnam presented awards to supply chain partners who have made great efforts to combat climate change. Hoa Lam Transport Service Trading Company Limited was honored for pioneering efforts in green transportation, transforming means of transport from EURO2 to EURO4 technology. Posco Vietnam was also honored for positive improvements in its production operations, cutting 70 percent of fuel consumption for its boiler systems. In addition, WESTERN Refrigeration was also recognized for its achievements in inspiring the community to address climate change. WESTERN Refrigeration is known for its green material solutions that make green buildings more efficient. For example, the QuadCore insulation core solution for cold storage facilities helps to decrease the building’s electricity consumption by 15-20 percent.
The forum marks the very start of a series of events to educate NS BlueScope Vietnam’s suppliers on the awareness of reducing carbon emissions when the whole industry is entering a ‘new normal’ after the Covid-19 pandemic. The company is expected to organize workshops, seminars, field visits, etc. to train and build a supply chain that is responsible for the environment and for society as a whole.
- Telesis Bio Releases BioXp® Select Kits to Enable DNA Amplification and Scale-up
- Koo Promises Lifetime Free Verification for all Notable Personalities
- China Natural Resources Announces 5-to-1 Share Combination
- CIMC's revenue reached RMB 141.5 billion in 2022, Pursue quality development with greater resilience
- Tianlong Announces Global Release of GeneFlex Nucleic Acid Extractor and Gentier mini+ Real-time PCR System
Britain to join Indo-Pacific trade bloc in biggest trade deal since Brexit
Virtual Conference: Supporting Vietnamese startups to enter the international market effectively
Masan Group Successfully Draws Down First Tranche of its USD650 Million Syndicated Loan, Despite Volatile Global Banking Market
Shares maintain uptrend on rising liquidity
HCMC bans manual pig slaughter and tightens pig transportation control from other provinces


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Booming Bitcoin Value Leads To Rise In Cryptocurrency Malware Criminals are duping customers into paying for advertised products that never existed. Sergey Medvedev pleaded guilty to racketeering charges as part of a $568 million payment card fraud forum, which used Liberty. Coinbase continues to
Given Goldman Sachs’ recent stance on Bitcoin, ARK is revisiting the most common misperceptions weighing on its acceptance.
Business Insider in 2017 characterized this debate as an "ideological battle over bitcoin's future." On 21 July 2017 bitcoin miners locked-in a software upgrade.
How Can I Buy Bitcoin Gold Authored by Juan Villaverde and Bruce NgWhy pay attention to what hedge funds, university endowments, pension funds and other. How do I buy Bitcoin Gold? To buy Bitcoin Gold, log into the Swyftx crypto exchange,
8 Aug 2019.
This is not to debate the schools of thought behind each network.
To overcome these scalability issues, Bitcoin Core's team (BTC) is relying.
12 Feb 2019.
The fall in valuation of Bitcoin has led to a debate over whether.
The successful scalability of decentralised cryptocurrencies would breed its.
cryptocurrencies and assess quantitatively how well such currencies can support bilateral trade.
We abstract completely from such scalability issues that mainly arise.
This insight seems to be very much ignored in the current debate,


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Pre-market Movers: OCGN, QTRX, PETV, SLI, WWR…
The following are some of the stocks making big moves in Tuesday’s pre-market trading (as of 5.30 A.M. EDT).
In the Green
Ocugen, Inc. (OCGN) is up over 21% at $9.31
Quanterix Corporation (QTRX) is up over 16% at $48.14
PetVivo Holdings, Inc. (petv) is up over 12% at $2.88
Standard Lithium Ltd. (SLI) is up over 10% at $8.90
Westwater Resources, Inc. (WWR) is up over 10% at $3.86
Progenity, Inc. (PROG) is up over 10% at $2.37
Geron Corporation (GERN) is up over 9% at $1.47
Zomedica Corp. (ZOM) is up over 4% at $0.53
In the Red
Camber Energy, Inc. (CEI) is down over 7% at $1.50
Elite Education Group International Limited (EEIQ) is down over 5% at $4.01
Indian fintech firm CRED valued at $4 billion in new funding round
BENGALURU (Reuters) – India’s CRED said on Tuesday it had raised $251 million in a new funding round led by existing investors and private equity firms Tiger Global and Falconedge, valuing the fintech company at $4.01 billion.
Paytm earmarks ₹100 cr. for marketing during festive season
Paytm on Monday said it has set aside ₹100 crore for marketing campaigns during festive season to promote UPI, buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) and wallet businesses.
“These campaigns will be aligned to promote digital payments in India and educate users about Paytm UPI for money transfers, Paytm Wallet and Paytm Postpaid (Buy Now, Pay Later) for spends, to drive financial inclusion across the country,” the company said in a statement.
The company also announced ‘Cashback Dhamaka’ starting October 14, where users can win cashback for money transfers, online, offline payments or recharges done through the app. “The programme will be rolled out across all districts in India — from merchant partners’ stores to large retail outlets, as well as online platforms. There will be a special focus on the States of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka,” it said.
As part of the campaign, during October 14-November 14, everyday 10 lucky winners will win ₹1 lakh each, 10,000 winners will get ₹100 cashback, while another 10,000 users will win ₹50 cashback. Closer to Diwali (November 1-3) users can win up to ₹10 lakh daily. it said.
Bank of France head does not expect Evergrande contagion
LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) – Francois Villeroy de Galhau, head of the Bank of France and a member of the European Central Bank (ECB), on Tuesday played down concerns that problems for China Evergrande Group could lead to broader contagion.
Asked if Evergrande could spark effects similar to the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers, Villeroy told France Info radio that “history is not in the process of being repeated”.
“I think that Evergrande is mainly a Chinese problem,” he added.
Evergrande last week missed its third round of bond payments in three weeks.
Highway Holdings Ltd Q2 sales increase
Below are the earnings highlights for Highway Holdings Ltd (HIHO):
-Earnings: $0.24 million in Q2 vs. $0.23 million in the same period last year.
-EPS: $0.06 in Q2 vs. $0.06 in the same period last year.
-Revenue: $3.36 million in Q2 vs. $2.72 million in the same period last year.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam leaves hospital after minor elbow fracture
- Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam was discharged from hospital on Tuesday after staying overnight with a fractured right elbow following a fall at the official chief executive residence.
- The weekly executive council meeting and her news conference were cancelled and her deputy, John Lee, promoted earlier this year will take over other duties.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam was discharged from hospital on Tuesday after staying overnight with a fractured right elbow following a fall at the official chief executive residence.
Media footage showed Lam leaving the Queen Mary Hospital and entering a black seven-seater without answering questions from reporters.
"She attended the hospital by herself and was diagnosed with a minor right elbow fracture," a government statement said.
The weekly executive council meeting and her news conference were cancelled and her deputy, John Lee, promoted earlier this year after contributing to Hong Kong's authoritarian turn as secretary for security, will take over other duties.
Lam's tumultuous tenure, during which the former British colony saw the biggest pro-democracy and anti-China protests since its return to Chinese rule in 1997, ends next year.
The protests ended last year with a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing.
Lam has not answered questions on whether she will seek another term.
Ericsson Q3 Profit Rises – Quick Facts
Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson (ERIC) reported that its third-quarter net income attributable to owners of the parent company rose to 5.75 billion Swedish kronor or 1.73 kronor per share from 5.35 billion kronor or 1.61 kronor per share in the same quarter last year.
But net sales for the third-quarter declined 2% to 56.26 billion kronor from 57.47 billion kronor last year.
Sales adjusted for comparable units and currency for the quarter declined by 1% year-over-year, with growth in two of the five market areas. Sales in Mainland China in Networks and Digital Services declined by 3.6 billion kronor, impacting the growth rate adjusted for comparable units and currency by -6%.
The company noted that investor update, planned for November 9, will be postponed and expanded into a Capital Markets Day in 2022. The aim with the Capital Market Day in 2022 is to host a full-day, in person event with the entire executive management present, specifying the building blocks towards the long-term targets and elaborating on Enterprise driven growth.


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News By Tag
News By Location
Tastea’s Costa Mesa Location Hosts Media Night May 23rd!
Members of the Costa Mesa press and community are invited to visit the city’s newest business, and try free products, on Friday, May 23rd.
“We’re excited to be in Costa Mesa. Our drinks will blend well with the local culture. Plus, we are fully supportive of raising the California minimum wage to help balance the economy and improve the quality of life for so many,” said Ted Vu, Co-Owner of Tastea.
Tastea is using the opening of its Costa Mesa store to also implement major changes within the company. Tastea is launching a recycling program and the introduction of organic teas at the same time. The company’s entire platform in business is to promote honesty, quality products, and to serve a product that its staff can also afford to drink.
“I can promise every single person who hasn’t had a sip of Tastea’s amazing, often fun, drinks that their minds will be blown. We come up with exotic concoctions that are delicious and often described as crack in a cup. Plus, our service is amazing,” finished Vu.
Tastea is inviting members of the press and VIP friends to stop in to their Baker Street location this Friday to have a handcrafted beverage of their choice, in the largest size available, served to them at no charge. The same offer will be extended to the public on Saturday, May 24th.
Members of the press may request to personally meet with Ted Vu for an earlier, private tour of the new location. Ted Vu is also willing to talk about the company’s decision to open the Costa Mesa store and employ more people during a controversial minimum wage hike.
Members of the media should send story requests to Helene Vece at HVece@HireAProWriter.com in advance or they may ask for Ted Vu when at the store’s location during normal operating hours. http://www.tastea.net
About: Tastea is known for flavored iced teas and smoothies, including "Peach Me Sweetea," which is made with peach and strawberry tea, "Ooh La La," a coconut and pineapple smoothie with strawberries, and taro milk tea, a type of boba tea. The store plans to sell a variety of international foods and desserts as well.


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Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Microsoft Now Wooing America Online (But So is Yahoo)
You would think after entering into a disastrous relationship with a technology company, Time Warner wouldn't be all that excited about doing a deal with the uber-tech company, Microsoft, but that's apparently what's being bandied about today.
Time Warner is ready to ditch much of what you know as AOL, instead rebranding the system as an online advertising network -- all the rage these days; meanwhile, Microsoft is looking for a way to broaden its content strategy online, creating a competitor to Google's massive network, which it can in turn monetize with -- you guessed it -- an advertising network.
While it makes sense to me, I'm in the minority here according to a poll over at ZDNet. At 4:53 today, 60 percent of respondents said the potential deal either would make no difference to Microsoft's attempt to compete with Google or would be sillier than a proposed deal with Yahoo. Only 11 percent believed the deal would position Microsoft as a content player.
The ironic part: Yahoo is also courting AOL, hoping to score its content and advertising network as well, making it the logical competitor to Google.
What does it all mean? Right now it means Google is wiping the table with its competition and no company believes it has the technology at its disposal to change that. So Yahoo, Microsoft and AOL -- the Holy Trinity of tech companies -- are desperately looking for a way to elevate its stature without giving up one of the Big Four seats at the table.
By Brad at 04:57 PM | Comments (1)


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May 12, 2009
Congress is considering a bill known as the Medical Device Safety Act to give victims back their rights to sue the manufacturers of defective medical devices. In 2008, the United States Supreme Court decided the case of Riegel v. Medtronic, which took away the rights of all consumers who were injured by faulty medical devices. The Court ruled that consumers can’t sue medical device companies over medical devices that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The decision in Medtronic was in sharp contrast to the Court’s decision in Wyeth v. Levine where the Court held that drug manufacturers cannot block lawsuits by claiming that they provided the minimal warnings required by the Food & Drug Administration when it did not warn of other known dangers. Congress is now stepping in to correct the problems created by the Medtronic decision and to give consumers back their rights to hold manufacturers of faulty medical devices accountable. At Montes Herald Law Group, L.L.P., we see this action as a positive step towards providing better and safer health care for everyone. The threat that a valid lawsuit has in holding these manufacturers accountable for their actions serves as a powerful incentive to test and manufacture safe medical products that are put into the stream of commerce.


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AT&T Details 2011 Network and Device Roadmap
Article Comments 3
Jan 5, 2011, 12:29 PM by Eric M. Zeman
updated Jan 5, 2011, 12:54 PM
At its developer summit at CES, AT&T made a slew of announcements, and provided a sneak peek at how it will be unfolding its network upgrades and device roll-outs for the year. AT&T is going to follow T-Mobile's lead, and will market its HSPA+ network as 4G. AT&T didn't define which HSPA+ version would qualify as 4G, but said that it has several test markets running at "4G speeds" of 6Mbps. AT&T said that 100% of its mobile network has been upgraded to HSPA+, though it didn't specify if the base version is 7.2Mbps, 14.4Mbps, or 21Mbps. AT&T did say that its plans to launch LTE by mid-2011 are still on track, and it will complete its LTE roll out by the end of 2013. AT&T didn't say what speeds its LTE network would offer. AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega said that the company plans to launch 20 4G devices throughout 2011, including about 10 HSPA+ devices during the first half of the year, and about 10 LTE devices during the second half of the year. The devices will include smartphones, laptop dongles, and modems.
Feb 9, 2022
Samsung today announced its lineup of flagship phones for 2022: the Galaxy S22 series. The top-end S22 Ultra sees the biggest changes as it essentially absorbs Samsung's Note series with an integrated S Pen stylus and a more Note-like shape and design, instead of the Contour Cut design of the other models.
Mar 23, 2021
OnePlus today announced the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro, its newest flagship phones. The 9 Pro is a true flagship-class phone with a QHD AMOLED display with variable refresh from 1 to 120 Hz, and IP68 water rating, starting at $969.
Aug 10, 2022
Samsung has announced its newest generation of foldable phones: the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Flip4. Both have similar designs and features compared to their predecessors, with a slew of small updates and refinements across the board.
Jan 14, 2021
Samsung today officially unveiled its Galaxy S21 series of flagship phones for 2021. All three models sport a distinctive new "Contour Cut Camera" design where the metal frame extends around one corner to surround the rear cameras.
ATT, all garbage phones!
but i loving my android 2.2 (on samsung captivate) and have no plan to give iphone a try! iphone4 with microSim just turn me off, unable to swap sim and put in another phone!
where is the 4.3" screen phone on ATT? NONE!
where is the Droid clone? (WVGA with qwerty keyboard on ATT) NONE!
wait, ATT does have a phone with wvga and qwerty keyboard, but it' WP7.
but WP7 with those stupid live tiles doesnt excited me. my android with live wallpaper is more impressive!
ATT is coming with some must-have phones!


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We previously heard that Apple had increased its orders of iPhone 13 handsets from its suppliers ahead of September launch. Previously we heard that Apple had ordered 90 million units of the handset from its manufacturing partners.
According to a recent report Apple has now ordered 100 million units of their new Apple A15 Bionic processor for this years iPhones.
Apple is expecting higher demand than normal for this years iPhones over the iPhone 12, according to previous reports, Apple ordered around 75 million units of the iPhone 12 before launch.
We are expecting four models of the new iPhone this year , the iPhone 13, 13 Mini, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max and they will get a number of design changes over the current range.
This will include a smaller notch on the front of the handset and also get a number of upgrades on the cameras and more. The ultrawide cameras on the new iPhone 13 will apparently come with auto focus and the Pro models of the handsets are expected to come with LiDAR.
As well as new processors we can also expect more RAM than the current iPhones and the handsets will also get a number of other updates. This will include the new iOS 15 software which is currently in beta.
Image Credit: Sonny Dickson
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An Adelaide couple were forced to cancel their Bali wedding after 60 of their guests were allegedly conned out of more than $30,000 by an allegedly shonky online travel agency.
Katrina Theel and Justin Brozyna had planned to have their dream wedding next May but the plans were cancelled after 60 of their 80 wedding guests discovered the flights to Bali they had purchased through the Bali Indulgence group had never been made.
Booking agent Chivonne Betts had allegedly taken the money and is now being sought by authorities.
Contact was made between Ms Betts and the 38 year-old bride-to-be in May but things quickly turned sour after the couple noticed a string of complaints on the Bali Indulgence Facebook page.
There has been no contact from anyone at Bali Indulgence since August 22, with guests losing payments and deposits valued at more than $30,000.
The couple still hope to get married in May.
Queensland Police’s Major Fraud Squad has received about 50 complaints about Bali Indulgence from across Australia.
The Office of Fair Trade in Queensland and Consumer Protection in WA have issued warnings about Ms Betts and customers have taken to TripAdvisor to warn people about the agency.
She has reportedly never held a travel agent’s licence in Australia.
© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2018


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You know things are bad when the engineers show up in suits.
In early January, YouTube’s technical chiefs dressed up to meet privately in Las Vegas with several prominent ad agencies. The Google executives in charge of YouTube’s ad sales had arranged the meetings to assure advertisers the video site was working to get its problems under control. Months of outrage had followed reports that YouTube had let terrorist leaders continue to post recruiting videos and aired the juvenile blunders of young stars PewDiePie (who cracked anti-Semitic jokes) and Logan Paul (who filmed the corpse of an apparent suicide). The bigger problem for advertisers: bewildering, sometimes grotesque videos appearing on YouTube’s dedicated channel for children. Think young kids being force-fed or a knockoff of a popular cartoon pig being tortured in a dentist’s chair.
Google’s solution was to safeguard a tiny slice of YouTube, one sanitized for marketers, with every video vetted by human moderators. The rest of the familiar YouTube free-for-all would have far fewer channels running ads. Advertisers would have less reason to worry that their pitches might run ahead of Nazi humor or child exploitation. “The human review is fantastic,” says Jon Anselmo, chief digital officer with ad giant Omnicom Media Group. “The devil will be in the details.”
YouTube has pledged to hire 10,000 people to root out inappropriate clips and train computers to do the same, and it will beef up the rating system for advertisers paying for its Google Preferred premium package. A second tier of YouTube creators will still be allowed to run ads and get a piece of that revenue, but newbies will have to prove themselves. Other details remain elusive. YouTube said in a statement that it aims to “curb bad actors, stabilize creator revenue, and provide greater assurances to advertisers.”
The creation of this walled garden marks a big change for YouTube, which has always presented itself as a playground where any video creator can become popular enough to make a living. Cutting up-and-coming creators out of its ad revenue may threaten its ability to attract and retain talented ones. The shift underlined how eager YouTube is to win back advertisers that have boycotted in the wake of one debacle or another. Royal Bank of Canada estimated that a first wave of defections last year cost the $10 billion site $750 million.
“While there’s still more to be done, we’re encouraged by YouTube’s efforts to fix their brand safety issues,” says Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer for Procter & Gamble Co., which previously slashed its ad spending. “This is important, and they’re on it.” Other ad buyers remain skeptical of the sanitized version. YouTube has never been diligent about purging unseemly content from its site, says one marketing chief who didn’t want to be named, so why should anyone take this bit of crisis PR seriously?
With its new restrictions in place, of course, YouTube will have fewer videos to sell ads against, meaning it will likely charge more for each spot. Now no creator with fewer than 1,000 subscribers will even be allowed to run ads on their videos.
When Google announced the changes in mid-January, it said 99 percent of the affected video channels earn less than $100 a year. That didn’t soothe many creators, some of whom were already furious when YouTube cut some videos it deemed risqué out of its ad network last summer. “Every time I’m so close to a goal and I’m so close to something @YouTube changes the rules and literally knocks me down,” tweeted Tianna Ouellette, a YouTuber who posts makeup and beauty videos.
A few YouTube stars, including Philip DeFranco (6 million subscribers), advised lesser-known video makers to seek donations from viewers on platforms such as Patreon. Phillip Huynh, a director at ad agency 360i, says he expects aspiring YouTube “influencers”—online entertainers with a large, typically young following—to start spending more time on other sites. “You have to be on YouTube, but they won’t go all-in,” he says.
The first true test for YouTube will come in the spring with the NewFronts, the digital equivalent of the upfronts, an annual gathering where TV networks pitch shows to advertisers. In 2012 at the first NewFronts, YouTube “was the only show in town,” says Omnicom’s Anselmo. Now, if they don’t like what they see, advertisers, like the video makers, have other options.
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Grasping the Brexit Moment for Free Trade
The United Kingdom’s surprising vote to exit the EU turned another tricky day into a possible social crisis. But where there is crisis, there is also opportunity, and the vote presents an opening for another step forward of global trade and investment liberalization.
When the U.K. leaves the EU, it will also lose zero-tariff participation in what is now the world’s largest economy, the EU. Beyond tariffs on goods, the U.K. has virtually barrier-free access to service sector opportunities across the EU. These economic opportunities far exceed any relationships the U.K. has elsewhere in the world. The upcoming exit means the U.K. will need to better integrate with the rest of the world as it seeks a new arrangement with the EU.
The European economy, in turn, will lose a dynamic member that has been spurring otherwise dismal EU growth. One thing that will help the EU with or without the U.K. is stronger integration with the United States. But the mechanism for bringing that about, the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) now under negotiation, is stalled.
This opens up the possibility for a difficult but possible and dramatic move by the United States: quickly negotiate a free trade agreement with the U.K., use the U.K.’s exit to emphasize to the EU the desirability for it to integrate with the United States, and drive that deal home as well.
Finalizing any such agreement with the U.K. would have to wait until the U.K. formally withdraws from the EU, but negotiations should start soon. Quick action toward such a U.K. agreement and quickly finalizing the EU agreement could help ease the uncertainties generated by the U.K. vote and restore confidence in the global economy.
Some might object that negotiating with the U.K. would provide an incentive to others to leave the EU. That may be the case, but that view also ignores the opportunity to improve the U.S. and global economies, and to use such a negotiation to complete TTIP and improve the EU economy.
A U.K.-United States deal should be relatively easy. As of 2014, the U.K. economy measured only 17 percent of the U.S. economy, about on par with the combined gross state products of California, Oregon, and Washington.
Like the U.S. economy, the U.K. economy is highly developed and underpinned by openness to globalization, rule of law, strong intellectual property rights, and world-leading universities. It is difficult to see how one or the other country would somehow drive down standards in the other.
Opponents of trade deals often complain that such deals empower corporations at the expense of workers, but that argument would also be difficult to accept given the current economic realities of the United States and the U.K.
U.K. companies are the leading direct investors in the United States, holding a direct investment position of $449 billion, or more than 15 percent of the total invested in the United States by all foreign companies in 2014. Likewise, that same year, U.S. companies were the leading direct investors in the U.K., holding a direct investment position of 253 billion pounds, or 24 percent of the total held by all foreign companies in the U.K. The corporations of the two countries are already deeply intertwined with each other.
There are a number of options for a U.S.-U.K. deal. A bilateral free trade agreement is one option. The current TTIP text could provide a starting point, meaning much of the text will already be completed, opening the possibility of a quick conclusion to the negotiations.
Because of their similarities and historical affinities, the United States and the U.K. could even go further and negotiate the first U.S. customs union – a measure that would create zero tariffs and a common external tariff.
Alternatively, the U.K. could be welcomed into the entire North American Free Trade Agreement. Negotiations on a Canada-EU agreement have been completed, although the treaty is awaiting approval, and Mexico already has a trade agreement in force with the EU, meaning both countries already have an agreement with pre-exit U.K. In fact, Mexico has already prepared a draft proposal for an agreement with the U.K.
This rich set of options may not face a great deal of popular opposition: Although many “leave” voters may have been concerned about the loss of manufacturing jobs from trade, most of the reporting on reasons for voting to leave has focused on immigration, due to EU rules on free movement of people, and on EU rules and regulations themselves, as emanating from an unelected authority that is not answerable to voters. And if voters truly had been concerned about greater free trade and investment, economic dislocations from the U.K. exit might encourage them to be more accepting of a deal, especially with the United States.
What about the EU? The U.K. exit from the EU should actually be of as great concern to the EU, or even more, as it is to the people in the U.K. who wanted to remain.
In 2014, the U.K. constituted 16 percent of the EU economy. Without the U.K., the EU would be the second-largest economy in the world, behind the United States, not the largest.


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Habbo Hotel’s Parent Company Reports Record Year
Sulake, the parent company of Habbo Hotel, the world's largest social game and online community for teenagers, today announced the best annual financial results in the company’s history. During fiscal year 2010, Sulake’s revenue was up more than 20 percent over 2009, resulting in sales of €56.2 million ($78.7 million). Sulake’s EBITDA in 2010 totaled €5.4 million ($7.6 million, 9.5 percent of revenue) and thus significantly improved from the previous year (€0.6 or $0.8 million). Net profit was €1.6 million ($2.3 million).*
Habbo Hotel currently has players in over 150 countries and is available in 11 different languages. 11 million unique users spend a total of 45 million hours playing Habbo Hotel each month. Over 207 million Habbo characters have been created since its launch in 2000.
“2010 was a record year for Habbo Hotel in many ways. Not only did we celebrate our 10 year anniversary, but our user base, sales and profitability continued to increase,” commented Timo Soininen, CEO of Sulake. “The growth was a result of several successful new product features and improvements, like new virtual pets, marketplace tools for virtual item trading, an all new Habbo Club experience and the launch of user customized games.”
“This year, our focus will be 100 percent on growing Habbo Hotel into an even bigger and more engaging social game and community for teens around the world. New social games and features inside Habbo Hotels and Habbo mobile apps, in particular, are a significant growth opportunity for us this year,” Soininen continued.
As part of its new social gaming strategy and Habbo Hotel focus, Sulake has sold IRC-Galleria, a Finnish social networking service for young adults, to its current management.
* All USD figures are for illustration purposes only. Official currency is EUR.
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Search and browse 7 vehicles at the moment accessible from Auto:Market, a car vendor in Bristol. USA AutoMarket, LLC makes a speciality of unique companies for Auto Sellers, and Auto exporters. Get a effectively-maintained, competitively-priced, Used Cars, Pickup Trucks in Oklahoma City at Auto Market. In their gross sales forecasts in the last two months, automotive consultancy corporations J.D. Energy and LMC have stated reductions hit ranges not seen since the recession in 2009.
Automakers have been calling the sales cycle mature” for almost two years now, and market observers are actually looking at 2017 gross sales that have an outside likelihood of besting 2016’s complete for a third report 12 months. That’s prevented other automakers from getting too optimistic about speedy progress within the country. In 2015, automakers bought 21.1 million passenger automobiles, up 7.3% from 2014.
Each automakers have sizable stakes in China, operating in that closely regulated market by native joint ventures. USA AUTOMARKET provides middleman options for US auto auctions, by buying and reselling vehicles to eligible US-primarily based and overseas retail and wholesale patrons (known as Buyer”). We anticipate brisk gross sales of shared autos, which must be replaced extra often than private cars because of heavier use.
She additionally hopes to push the value of imported vehicles nearer to the international market. For example, consumers are getting more details about automotive services via digital channels, although they still trust recommendations from family and friends above other sources. Complete home gross sales have been at 2,47,210 models final month as compared to 2,38,781 units in October 2016, a growth of three.fifty three per cent, Bajaj Auto said in a press release.
Despite the better worth competitiveness of new vehicles, used vehicles have gotten more and more widespread: the survey shows that just about half of consumers thought-about a used car after they final shopped for a automotive (Exhibit 4). Good worth makes used cars attractive: fifty six percent of consumers say they consider purchasing used cars because they wish to pay much less, and 37 % say they think about used vehicles in the hope of getting a nicer automobile for their money.


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According to OnlinePokerReport.com (OPR), partypoker might be looking to enter the Nevada online poker market. The possibility comes from a licensing application filed by partypoker’s parent company GVC Holdings, which has already made it through one regulatory hurdle.
Live Poker Huge in Nevada, Online Not So Much
Even though Nevada is the gambling hub of the world and the 50th World Series of Poker is about to begin in Las Vegas, it is almost a barren wasteland when it comes to online poker. Nevada was the first state to legalize and regulate online poker and was the first state to see an online poker room go live. That room, launched in 2013, was Ultimate Poker (not to be confused with the thankfully dead UltimateBet). Ultimate Poker made the bold decision to develop its own online poker software, which, while fine, was not nearly as robust as previously existing products from other companies.
A few months later, WSOP.com launched, using 888poker’s platform, and quickly overtook Ultimate Poker in player traffic. In November 2014, Ultimate Poker shut down, citing lower-than-expected revenues and partially blaming the state-by-state regulatory process. Ultimate Poker wasn’t a bad site, it just didn’t have the software or brand of WSOP.com and Nevada’s population was not large enough to sustain both sites. Even after Ultimate Poker’s demise, WSOP.com never got particularly large, though it is now networked with New Jersey’s WSOP.com.
Thus, the notion that partypoker could potentially hop into the Nevada market is intriguing. It will be at a major disadvantage, coming in years after WSOP.com, and though it has an established brand, it won’t touch WSOP.com in that department.
Regulatory Process Provides Clues
But first things first. OPR reports that GVC Holdings applied for a Nevada interactive gaming license in order to partner with MGM Resorts International on an online betting product called Roar Digital. As OPR notes, that it is an “interactive gaming” license could be key, because in Nevada, that phrase means online poker (online casino games are not legal in the Silver State). There is no guarantee that GVC is hoping to launch partypoker in Nevada, but it seems that it is making sure the option is there.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board approved the license a couple weeks ago by a 2-to-1 vote. The “nay” came from Terry Johnson, who took issue with Ladbrokes, bought by GVC last year, because Ladbrokes operated in the Turkish market even though online gambling is illegal there. GVC purged its Turkey business in order to get into the good graces of regulators.
GVC must still get the thumbs-up from the Nevada Gaming Commission to then enter a two-year probational period. It will also have to shell out $100,000 to pay for regulators’ investigations into its business.
MGM Resorts International already has plenty of experience with online gaming in the United States, as it owns the Borgata in Atlantic City; Borgata is partypoker’s partner in New Jersey. According to PokerScout.com, partypoker ranks a distant third in the New Jersey online poker market with a seven-day average of just 26 cash game players. WSOP/888 is first with 240 players (remember, it is networked with Nevada, as well as Delaware) and PokerStars is second with 85 players.


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Search Tags: D.C.
>George Washington University has formally launched the largest fundraising campaign in its 200-year history, seeking $1 billion to boost its academic, development and financial aid efforts.
Tags: George Washington University,
Tags: Kennedy Center,
Quadrangle Development Corp., as QC 369 LLC, has submitted a planned-unit development application to construct a 570,000-square-foot, 12-story building at Ninth and L streets NW, adjacent to the new Marriott Marquis. The $230 million project will contain a hotel (really, two hotels, both Marriotts) and multifamily residential.
D.C. chefs have embraced the pop-up concept for a few years now; artists and retailers have also welcomed the model. And now, couples looking to tie the knot can join the pop-up trend.
Not every experience in D.C. is expensive and exclusive to big spenders. Here are some free and low-cost ideas for your next date.
Former Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Terry Gainer wants to see an even larger pedestrian-only area east of the National Mall as a deterrent to car bombings and other forms of terrorism.
Washington barely makes the cut in a Top 10 Foodie Cities list from Livability.com, coming in at No. 10.
D.C. may not have the coffee of San Francisco or the bagels of New York, but food lovers can rejoice nonetheless. The nation's capital was recently ranked in the top 10 cities for foodies.
Hi: 52 °F | Lo: 30 °F


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Shiseido has appointed Alberto Noé as EMEA President and CEO effective March 1, 2024. He will replace Franck Marilly, who will become EMEA Chairman.
Noé joined Shiseido in 2013 as country manager of Italy and was most recently Deputy EMEA CEO. He has previously worked at LVMH, Chanel and L’Oréal.
Marilly has been EMEA President and CEO since 2018. In his new position, Marilly will provide mentoring and guidance to Noé and focus on the expansion of the global fragrances business.


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US consumer debt up $16.2 billion in January
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans stepped up borrowing in January to buy cars and attend school, while staying cautious about using their credit cards.
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The inflation rate in Canada fell to 2.2 percent in September of 2018 from 2.8 percent in August and well below market expectations of 2.7 percent. Month over month, the CPI decreased 0.4% as transitory pressures from the gasoline, air transportation and travel tours indexes, which boosted the all-items CPI in July and August, eased. Inflation Rate in Canada averaged 3.14 percent from 1915 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 21.60 percent in June of 1920 and a record low of -17.80 percent in June of 1921.
Inflation Rate in Canada is expected to be 2.40 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate Inflation Rate in Canada to stand at 2.50 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the Canada Inflation Rate is projected to trend around 2.20 percent in 2020, according to our econometric models.


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Signal messaging app is suddenly the most downloaded free app on iOS and Android. This article offers some in-depth explanation.
The changes have raised a lot of eye brow considering they introduce permissions for Facebook to share some personal details of its users with its Facebook Ads platform. While WhatsApp itself has not been directly monetized with ads, the changes could be a prelude to targetted ads in addition to other things that some might consider an invasion of their privacy.
Will Cathcart, Head of WhatsApp at Facebook, attempted to allay fears and make some clarification via a thread of tweets:
The concerns about Facebook’s practices relative to respecting the privacy of its users had lead some to suggesting other messaging apps, especially Signal.
SA-born entrepreneur, Elon Musk, was very simple and straightforward in his assession:
So was privacy aficionado, Edward Snowden:
Signal is essentially a cross-platform open-source messaging service that is available via apps for Windows PCs, Macs, iPhones and Android smartphones. Security and respect of its users’ privacy is its key selling point.
You can understand the Signal app a bit more by watching this simple video:


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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As the debate about the health attributes and risks of raw milk spills into capitols and courts across the country, a food safety expert in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is urging people to think carefully about the risks before consuming unpasteurized dairy products.
Your search for '"raw milk"' returned 94 news articles
PITTSBURGH, Pa.— A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a couple who reportedly fell ill after ingesting raw milk from a Lawrence County, Pa. dairy. James and Maureen Orchard, of Mars, Pa., reportedly suffered from symptoms in March by Campylobacter. The bacteria was found in raw milk produced by Pasture Maid Creamery LLC of [...]
The raw milk permit for Pasture Maid Creamery, LLC. remains suspended.
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pa. Department of Agriculture has suspended the permit for Pasture Maid Creamery in New Castle, Pa., Lawrence County, to sell raw milk for human consumption. The permit was suspended April 5 after testing found campylobacter in its raw milk samples. The Department of Health recently received new reports of consumers who [...]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit Jan. 22 against Dean Foods Company, challenging its April 2009 acquisition of Foremost Farms USA’s Consumer Products Division.
Facilities producing unpasteurized, or raw, milk products are not covered by any of the food safety regulations proposed so far this year by Congress. Two industry groups want that to change
HARRISBURG, Pa. — On-farm dairy sales and service representatives can learn about innovative retail, dairy manufacturing and service industry businesses during the October series of Dairy Advocacy and Resource Team meetings, hosted by the Pennsylvania Dairy Task Force and the Center for Dairy Excellence. Five meetings Five meetings include tours of the Lancaster DHIA testing [...]
MADISON, Wis. — Thirteen confirmed cases of illness in southeastern Wisconsin have been linked to consumption of unpasteurized milk, public health officials said, and they cautioned residents to discard any unpasteurized milk they have in their homes. Tested positive The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection [...]
Penn State’s Agricultural Entrepreneurship program is helping small farm owners succeed, even in today’s economy.
SCENERY HILL, Pa. — A person can be defined by the books they read and the people they choose to spend time with, says Alisa Fasnacht, co-owner of Emerald Valley Artisan Cheese in Scenery Hill, Pa. For Fasnacht and her husband, Alan, the ability to network and the inspiration they have found in books helped [...]


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RANDOLPH, Vt. -
Eric Truran is zipping along in his Randolph workshop. He's making bags that he says last a lifetime for his business,
"We were the first people in the world to sell messenger bags to anyone else besides messengers," Truran said.
Truran was a bike messenger years ago. He even owned a bicycle courier service in the Boston area with his wife.
"We realized we needed really waterproof bags because we got the calls from customers who had wet deliveries and that was not pleasant," Truran said.
So he whipped up a durable, ergonomic messenger bag that was-- most importantly-- waterproof. The next thing he knew, people who saw his delivery couriers on the street wanted their bags. That was in 1986.
"Our bags are warrantied for life," he said. "We've made 60,000; we might fix five or six a year."
Each bag is made to order. They start around $80 and you can add in every bell, whistle or secret pocket you can think of. There are millions of combinations.
"There's a lot more to it than just a big hole, divider in the back, zippers in the front," Truran said.
The bags are made with a durable synthetic fabric called cordura. It's double-lined to ensure no water can get in. And unlike a backpack, you never have to take off a messenger bag to get something out of it.
In its heyday, CourierWare was selling thousands of bags a year. Now, it's down to around 500 which Truran says he is fine with.
"Waterproof, comfortable to wear all day, easy to get things in and out of," he said.
Field-tested, made-in-Vermont bags that are still going strong 30 years later.


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Three leaked images confirm the next Shelby Mustang will once again be supercharged.
The first image shows a flat top, upside down supercharger embossed with Shelby’s infamous cobra and the now familiar 5.2-liter displacement, finally putting to rest rumors of a 7.0-liter V8.
Little else is known about the motor, but a 700+ horsepower figure wouldn’t be ridiculous considering Ford’s flat-plane 5.2-liter V8 already kicks out 526-hp in the GT350.
Accompanying the first image was a snapshot of a sheet showing engine oil requirements for Ford’s 2020 North American engine lineup, which confirms for the first time that the GT350 will actually live on alongside the GT500.
After being left behind in 2017 by the headline-making Dodge Demon and Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, Ford is clearly looking to revenge themselves with a hot Mustang, and if the size of the GT500’s brakes are any indication, this car’s going to be a scorcher. Gone are the GT350’s aesthetically pleasing cross drilled rotors, for a stronger and higher-performing slotted set, along with what has to be the biggest set of calipers the factory has ever bolted on a Mustang.
The brakes are also stamped with the code KR3V which seemingly points to their legitimacy. GT350 rotors are stamped FR3V where F=2015 R3=Mustang V= specialty vehicle engineering–the K seen here allegedly points to model year 2019, which potentially indicates a debut at some point during 2018.
It’s possible Ford pulls the sheet on its newest cobra bearing creation in and around the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit this January, but Ford has become increasingly tight-lipped and secretive regarding everything Mustang.


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Image Audiovisuals Launches the e-Attend™ Virtual Experience, Making ImageAV Your Single Source for Virtual, Live and Hybrid Events
Image Audiovisuals, one of the most recognized providers of audiovisual event services, announced the launch of enhancements to its e-Attend™ technology platform: a new Virtual Experience platform for virtual and hybrid events. The e-Attend™ Virtual Experience is the cost-effective, fully customizable one stop solution to take virtual experiences and attendee engagement to the next level.
The e-Attend™ Virtual Experience is available today and can be fully customized to fit your branding. The platform includes a main virtual lobby, auditorium, meeting rooms, hospitality suites, networking lounge, expo lobby, exhibit hall and exhibitor booths. Additional features include registration and e-commerce, unlimited sponsor impression opportunities, personalized conference schedules with attendee push notifications, detailed analytics, API integrations, chat functions in each room and award-winning support before, during and after each event.
Marketing Technology News: Khoros Launches New Data Hosting Location in Sydney, Australia
“Meetings and events, like many other industries around the globe, was not spared by the coronavirus,” said Diana Mueller, CEO of Image Audiovisuals. “With over 30 years in the recording and streaming industry, we were fortunate to already have a platform in place to support the rapid shift to virtual events. This latest addition is a natural evolution to our expanding platform and another step forward in developing a suite of services designed for the future of events.”
Marketing Technology News: Ruby Has Triples Las Vegas Space to Support Accelerated E-Commerce Demand
With the launch of the e-Attend™ Virtual Experience platform, ImageAV now becomes one of the first production companies to provide both broadcast-quality recording and live streaming services and a virtual event technology platform, saving clients time and money by working with one partner managing the entire event.
“e-Attend™ has been our source for recording 100+ scientific sessions,” said Doug Dusik, Senior Manager of Communications at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. “The webcasts are made available to nearly 5,000 individual attendees within 24 hours of being recorded. The customer service is excellent, and it continues year-round. We have no hesitation renewing our contract with e-Attend each year.”
Marketing Technology News: Skafos.ai Appoints Jody Stoehr as Chief Revenue Officer as Part of Surging Sales Growth


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Influencer marketing news moves at the speed of social media. Every platform update, algorithm tweak, and current event makes a huge difference to the influencer marketer. We’ll help you keep up.
Brand Communication in Times of Crisis (Twitter)
The Coronavirus has made worldwide news, has already impacted countless brands, businesses, and individuals. On Twitter, #Coronavirus is the second most hashtag of 2020. By no means should brands be capitalizing on a 'marketing opportunity', but in times of crisis, people look to leaders, institutions, and businesses for guidance. Twitter provides some advice for brands navigating their messaging.
‘TikTok Has Taken Over Our Lives’: What Happens When a Beauty Product Goes Viral (Digiday)
Urban Skin Rx expected a spike in DTC sales after a partnership with mega-influencer, but after some digging the brand uncovered that TikTok was the source of the unexpected uptick. While Urban Skin Rx is embracing its newfound fame and increased influencer budgets, the brand certainly had its fair share of challenges to overcome in respect to fulfilling orders and managing its TikTok presence.
Facebook's Testing a New Option to Cross-Post Facebook Stories to Instagram (Social Media Today)


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DIGITAL TUESDAY OCTOBER EVENT
Fuelling FinTech: The RISE of disruptive financial services
With the UK seeing the highest growth rate of FinTech Investment in Europe*, and several financial technology businesses setting up shop in Wales, it’s no surprise that the industry is being heavily backed by private investment and government.
Taking place at Barclays’ recently refurbished branch in Newport, next month’s Digital Tuesday takes a closer look at the emerging FinTech sector; examining how the application of technology in financial services is disrupting traditional business models and creating significant opportunities within the sector.
Book your place now to gain valuable insights into how digital technologies can enhance their business as well as providing excellent networking with industry peers from across the region.
*Accenture – The Future of FinTech and Banking report, 2015
Catering is kindly supplied by The Ruperra Arms, recently awarded ‘Best Restaurant in Wales’
Get your free ticket now by registering here.
Date: Tuesday 6th October 2015
- 17:10 – 17:30 – Registration and networking
- 17:30 – 18:30 – Talk by Matthew Bateman from Barclays with Q&A
- 18:30 – 20:00 – Networking and Drinks
Venue: Barclays Bank, 14 Commercial Street , Newport, NP20 1HE
Please note that due to standard trading hours, access to the venue will be from 17:10.


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Knowing that it is one of the most requested feature by the users, Instagram has now finally rolled out account switching for Instagram on Android and iOS.
Instagram has officially announced the release of the account switching feature for Instagram on Android and iOS. This feature, which is available on version 7.15 onwards, allows users to manage multiple accounts simultaneously on the app. Users can now visit the settings page and add all the accounts they want to manage (maximum five accounts allowed).
Given the increasing use of Instagram in social media promotions, users had multiple accounts to handle (a personal profile and a business profile). Earlier users had to use multiple devices for multiple accounts or had to log out and log in every time they used a different account. The update is currently available to users using the Instagram app on Android and iOS.


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Chinese tech giant Xiaomi is poised to launch a next-generation budget smartphone, the Redmi Note 5 soon. But before that, it is anticipated that the company is going to launch a new crowd-funded product. While there is not much information about the product right now, a teaser posted by the company on the Chinese microblogging website Weibo has revealed that Xiaomi’s Mi Home is all set to launch the product, which is going to become the 153rd crowd-funded product on February 1.
From the teaser image posted, it is likely that the product to be launched may be a camera based product. The reason for the above deduction is because the translation of the Chinese text as seen on the image reads “human eye” and “120 frames per second” as per a report by MyDrivers. Another teaser leaked by a well known Chinese VR company Shanghai Hantu Technology (XPRINT) has words such as “AR technology” “phone” “mobile” “photo” and “video” on it.
Going by these two leaked teasers, we can deduce that the product to be launched tomorrow maybe some kind of portable printer that is going to use the AR Technology. Making use of this advanced technology, the printer is expected to enable its users to embed a video on a printed photograph. It is also revealed that when you point your smartphone at a photograph, the product is going to play a short video about the events that took place before the photo was clicked.
Well, as of now, after going through this information that we have at hand now, we can expect some sort of portable printer, like a pocket-sized printer to be launched tomorrow. We will not have to wait for long before we get all the official information regarding the product as the launch is going to take place in 24 hours time from now. We are going to post more information as soon as we get them. Till then, let us just wait for the product to get unveiled by Xiaomi.


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Cattle prices still high for better or worse
LOCAL producers continue to experience some of the best cattle prices of their careers, with low numbers in the national cattle herd maintaining record-high prices for beef products.
Many Australian farmers have spent the past few months selling off cattle in increasingly high numbers to cash in on the surge in pricing, some Gympie region producers among them.
"The business is certainly the best I've ever known,” Upper Kandanga grazier, Australian Brahman Breeders president and Garglen Brahman co-principal Shane Bishop says.
"There was a stronger-than-expected start to the season as well which has certainly helped our business.”
While Mr Bishop said these record-breaking prices were unlikely to continue to change in the near future, attention amongst farmers is turning to replenishing herd numbers.
Meat and Livestock Australia's most recent quarterly report has described national herd numbers as severely depleted.
Increases in production and significant drought in prime cattle regions including western Queensland is being blamed for the low numbers, which have devastated local businesses.
Low herd numbers have also caused a number of complications for the live export industry, with many trade partners unwilling to front up the costs for Australian cattle and beef.
"It's currently cheaper to have American mince imported here than it is to send local product overseas,” Mr Bishop adds.
However, Mr Bishop is confident the industry will recover, citing a similar situation with the American beef industry.
"There were very similar situations to what we're seeing here over in the States a few years ago,” he says.
"They've managed to repair their industry over a few years; I think by around 2020 we'll have recovered ourselves.”


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Update (from Roger Savoy of Home Brew Emporium): “Homebrew Emporium had a great Big Brew Day on May 4th. Between all our locations we had approximately 125 brewers that crafted over 600 gallons of Portions Proper English Dark Mild. With donations and raffle sales we raised S1,400 dollars for local food banks. We were also able to collect 330 pounds of food. We would like to thank all the local establishments that donated prizes to be raffled off and all the people who brewed and brought friends and family to learn and enjoy the craft brewing. In the Rensselaer location we had 57 brewers who donated 125 pounds of food and helped us raise $750 dollars for the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.”
(Originally posted 4/29/13.)
RENSSELAER — Each year, the local Big Brew Day celebrates National Homebrew Day.
Again this year, Homebrew Emporium will be marking BBD by giving out free ingredients for making beer on the premises this Saturday (May 4), although requesting a minimum donation of a non-perishable food item and $10, all to go to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.
In addition, the store is running a canned food drive at all its stores in New York and Massachusetts through Sunday (May 5).
For the past three years, the store has given all the ingredients away for free to brewers who come and brew in front of the store that day. Throughout the day it will raffle off prizes from local establishments and vendors to help raise money to help support the food bank.
Locally, the free event is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Homebrew Emporium store, 470 North Greenbush Road. Phone: 283-7094.
Go here for the region’s best local food & drinks events calendar.


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After 16 years, Pepsi will change its packaging design; 1997 was the last year Pepsi established its bottle shape and it wasn’t changed since. Now, following their “Live for now” positioning, the brand is changing its packaging to a more ‘playful’ and ‘youthful’ shape.
Beside the new ‘swirled grip’, the biggest difference regarding the new and old bottle is that the 16 oz. and 20 oz. bottles will have a shorter label with a dark border and an enlarged logo, all which will be seen on Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max and Pepsi Next products. The new bottle is “capturing the excitement of now for Pepsi consumers” and it allows them to have a more “stimulating, tactile interaction” with the bottle.
The idea of the redesign is not new though – it emerged over a year a go, with the start of the brand’s “Capturing the excitement of now” campaigns. As AdAge reports, the twisted-bottle shape is a standard the brand hopes to build on, and to do so, the brand’s creative team looked in Pepsi’s archives for inspiration and features; The swirl on the new bottle is supposedly an element that goes back to some of the early glass packages. On that note, Angelique Krembs, VP-marketing, Pepsi, commented that they didn’t create a shape that came out of nowhere:
It’s not uniform, it’s a little asymmetrical, there’s a little edginess and playfulness, which is consistent with Pepsi’s equities and youthful spirit.
It’s not strange that Pepsi decided to refresh its packaging design – after the launch of their new logo and refreshed and youth-targeting global campaigns, this was a logical and somewhat predictable step. Krembs adds:
Our single serve bottle is the most visible and tangible connection point we have with our consumers, and we love how the new bottle expresses our brand DNA.
As the Huffington Post reports, PepsiCo has been working to revitalize the brand after losing market share to Coca-Cola Co. in recent years, and the new bottle is part of the company’s ongoing update of marketing and packaging materials for the cola. However, despite PepsiCo’s stepped up efforts, its beverage volume in North America declined by 4 percent last year.
Will this new effort have a positive impact on the brand and help increase sales? We would love to hear your thoughts.
The bottles will begin rolling out in April this year, however some time will be needed in order for the new bottles to hit all retail shelves. The brand expects that half of the U.S. will be converted to the new package and feature the new design system, including point-of-sale and other marketing, at the end of the year.
Update: Pepsi has released an official image of the new bottle, which can be seen above.


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Leviton announced its climate change goal to achieve company-wide Carbon Neutrality by 2030 (CN2030) and its ambition to achieve Net-Zero Carbon by 2050. The company also announced its CN2030 program which is based on the company’s refreshed commitment to reduce its environmental impact in six focus areas. The focus areas are carbon, energy, waste, recycling, water, and through innovation by empowering and enabling customers to be more sustainable.
Leviton established a Global Sustainability Steering Committee (GSSC) last year comprised of executives from across the company to provide direction, resources, and funding. At the same time, Ross Goldman was appointed as Leviton’s first chief sustainability officer. He takes on this role in addition to his current role as executive vice president and general manager of Leviton’s Network Solutions business unit.
“Every day, Leviton manufactures products that help our customers create more sustainable buildings, factories, and homes, and we are proud to formalize our company’s sustainability commitment through our CN2030 program,” said Daryoush Larizadeh, president and chief executive officer, Leviton. “From earning factory ISO-14001 certifications to developing LED-driven energy-saving products, to recyclable packaging and much more, we have already made major strides in sustainability as a company. As chief sustainability officer, Ross will accelerate our efforts across all of Leviton.”
Mr. Goldman stated he is very proud to have the world’s first network infrastructure business to achieve third-party verified carbon neutral status in accordance with PAS2060 since 2011. The European data business is headquartered in Glenrothes, Scotland and manufactures high quality copper and fiber cabling products. He went on to say that the same factory is now operating on 100% renewable energy.
“At Leviton, we pride ourselves in being a future-focused company, engineering products that help our customers succeed not only in today’s environment but also tomorrow’s. Being future-focused also means being environmentally sustainable and am excited by the challenge we face to reach carbon neutrality by 2030,” said Goldman. “With the launch of CN2030, we have great momentum to build on in the next eight years. I look forward to what we will achieve through implementing CN2030 and we will share our progress with our customers and the industry as we move forward.”
For more information, visit
Every day, Leviton is engineering possibilities that make the future happen, meeting the needs of today’s residential, commercial, and industrial customers globally. From electrical, to lighting, to data networks, and energy management, Leviton develops thoughtful solutions that help make its customers’ lives easier, safer, more efficient and more productive. Driven by its commitment to its customers, the ingenuity of its employees and the safety and quality of its products and solutions, with Leviton, the FUTURE IS ON.


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WTO Says U.S. Consumers Don't Need to Know Where Meat Comes From
This week, the World Trade Organization (WTO) finally issued a decision in the challenge made by Mexico and Canada to the U.S.'s country-of-origin (COOL) labeling rules for meat. And environmental and food safety groups are hopping mad, as WTO upheld the contention made by those countries, supported by multi0national meat packers, that the rules unfairly impede global trade.
“The meatpacking lobby has lost the COOL debate from the court of public opinion to the Court of Appeals to the halls of Congress so they are taking their complaint to the faceless unelected bureaucrats in Geneva,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch. “When the meat cannot get its way here in America, it is trying to use the WTO to overturn the will of the American people.”
The current U.S. rules, which went into effect in 2013, require that meat sold in groceries be labeled to show separately where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered. The WTO's ruling agrees that those regulations unfairly discriminate against imported meat to give an unfair edge to domestic products. In the ongoing dispute, then-Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack suggested last November that WTO should resolve the dispute and that the U.S. would abide by what the WTO decided.
Meat packers insists that the labeling rules have cost them profits, and the Canadian government threatened to put a tariff on U.S. meats and other food products imported from the U.S. The North American Meat Association and the American Meat Institute hailed the decision. But Food & Water Watch said that consumers deserved to know where their meat came from.
“People have the right to know where the food they feed their families comes from," said Hauter. "It is nonsensical that a label that lets consumers know the origin of their food is a trade barrier."
At a telephone press conference yesterday, Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union, and Danni Beer, president of the U.S. Cattlemen's Association, joined Food & Water Watch's Patrick Goodall and Lori Wallach from Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, emphasizing the divide between meat producers and multinational meat packers who may blend meat from different countries, the latter claiming—much as opponents of GMO labeling do—that providing information to consumers is an onerous, unsustainable expense.
Johnson pointed out that meat packers tried to have the COOL labeling regulations stripped during the 2014 U.S. Farm Bill debate making such claims but failed to do so, while Beer said, "We don't think keeping track of the country of origin through the process is that costly. We just want our consumers to have full information and let the free market system work."
Wallach suggested that the overestimate of costs and other inaccurate facts in the ruling, provided by the meatpacking industry, provide grounds for a legal appeal. The U.S. Trade Representatives office has said that is one of the options on the table.
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Jean-Marc Neveu and Olivier Civil never expected to find themselves battling against disposable mask pollution.
When they founded their recycling start-up Plaxtil in 2017, it was textile waste they set their sights on. The project developed a process that turned fabrics into a new recyclable material they describe as "ecological plastic."
Mounting Piles of Waste
It is not only the streets of Chatellerault where pandemic pollution is piling-up, but also the world's beaches and oceans. Once there, they can take up to 450 years to degrade and disappear.

Esther Röling, co-organizer of the annual Adventure Clean Up Challenge held on Hong Kong Island, has seen this waste firsthand. In October the sports challenge pitted teams against one another in a competition to remove trash from 13 hard-to-reach coastal areas around the city.

They find tons of both disposable and reusable masks, said Röling. "You wonder how it ended up there. Was it just thrown on the ground? Or was it in a garbage bag that broke open?"

Almost 10,000 kilometers away in Antibes on the sunny French Riviera, it's a similar picture. For the past few months, divers and clean-up volunteers working with an ocean clean-up non-profit called Operation Mer Propre have been collecting an increasing number of masks found on land and in the sea.

"Since the beginning of the lockdown when we started to count, we've reached 800, 900, [and now in total] 1000 masks," said co-founder Joko Peltier.

According to UN estimates, up to 75% of all coronavirus-related plastic could end up as waste in oceans and landfills.

The Limits of Recycling
Yet not all are convinced the recycling of this waste is possible on a global scale.

"What those citizen groups are doing is really beneficial but once they collect it, it should just go to a landfill or an incinerator. They shouldn't necessarily expect it to get recycled," said Jonathan Krones, an industrial ecologist and visiting assistant professor of environmental studies at Boston College.

That's because mask recycling programs like Plaxtil are few and far between and most don't have the benefit of a readily adaptable production process.

Even in countries with solid recycling infrastructure, he says, the system is designed to separate out specific types of waste like bottles or cardboard.

"I imagine that it would be technically feasible to develop a separation process to filter out masks, but there simply aren't enough of them to make that economical," he said.

Collection is a big hurdle, he adds. Since each mask only weighs a fraction of a gram and they're scattered on roads or mixed with other trash, it is difficult and costly.

"You need a lot of raw material of the right quality to make investing in the recycling technology and the recycling system worthwhile," he said.

Hemp, Sugar Cane and Sustainable Alternatives
Some projects are instead addressing the material used to make masks.

French company Geochanvre have created a mask made primarily from hemp, while in Australia, researchers at the Queensland University of Technology are experimenting with a disposable product made from agricultural waste.

Biodegradable options are exciting alternatives to reduce the fossil fuels needed for the creation of plastic-based masks, said Krones, but they don't absolve the wearer from the responsibility of what happens afterwards.

Bio-based masks often need their own composing solutions, he explains, because in landfill they can produce high amounts of the greenhouse gas methane when anaerobic bacteria feeds on the organic material. Methane is known to be significantly more potent than carbon dioxide.

"I think as long as we have in our mind that we want to have disposability, we're going to have to wrestle with a variety of different sorts of environmental tradeoffs," he said, adding that reusable, fabric masks are the best option available to most people.

Precimask is developing a clear face covering with an optional visor made from hard plastic, designed to be long-lasting.

Air enters either side of the cheeks through a technology normally found in pool filters and car exhaust systems, said company spokeswoman Juliette Chambet.

"We wanted to make ceramic-based filters that would be washable and cleanable, which would allow them to be reused as many times as desired without having to buy a new consumable or produce waste," she said.

Ultimately, encouraging mask wearers to think about the entire lifecycle of a mask is key, explains Neveu.

"We want people who put on the masks to realize that they are also responsible for the waste, he said. "It's not inevitable that this [pandemic] will become an environmental catastrophe.

Reposted with permission from Deutsche Welle.

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Losing weight and reducing fat is a hard battle to fight. Thankfully, there are fat burner supplements that help you gain your target body and goal. However, how would you know which supplement is right for you?


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Bank holiday boost for UK retail footfall says Springboard
Footfall across all UK retail destinations rose 4.9% week-on-week for the seven days from August 22 to 28, boosted by the lead up to the summer’s final bank holiday weekend.
Footfall rose 6.9% in high streets and by 4.8% in shopping centres, with a modest rise of just 0.8% in retail parks, according to Springboard.
Central London rose 5.5% week-on-week and was up 67.6% year-on-year. That means it’s down only 28.4% compared to this time in 2019.
Springboard said patchy weather conditions held back some consumer enthusiasm, especially on the bank holiday Monday, just before the new school term begins.
Footfall across all retail destinations rose by an average of 3.9% from Sunday to Friday compared to the week before, but lifted by an average of 8.2% over the August bank holiday weekend.
Coastal towns were up by 19.8% over the bank holiday weekend, and footfall rose 20.1% in historic towns.
Despite the bank holiday weekend uplift in footfall, there was a sharp dip of 11.7% on bank holiday Monday. A large proportion of this decline came from shopping centres where footfall dipped 10.8%, but rose by 4.5% in retail parks as shoppers headed to food stores to restock on household essentials.
Last week, visitor traffic was also 14.2% higher than in the same week in 2020, and 23.4% higher in high streets.
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