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Will you be able to pick up a bag of pot at a Société du cannabis du Québec, run by the same people who sell you wine and scotch?
Employees of the province’s liquor stores — the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) — hope so.
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But Montreal’s public-health system is dead set against that idea, suggesting the SAQ should not be a model because it promotes the use of alcohol to fill government coffers.
On Thursday, Ottawa announced its long-awaited legalization plan, saying it wants to provide regulated access to recreational cannabis no later than July 2018.
But, like many aspects of the plan, distribution details haven’t been worked out.
The Quebec government is reportedly considering tapping the SAQ to set up a smaller, parallel network of stores to sell marijuana. But it has not ruled out distribution via pharmacies or other private companies.
With just over a year to go before the planned legalization, Alexandre Joly, head of the union representing 5,500 SAQ employees, said Premier Philippe Couillard must quickly answer the fundamental question of how distribution will work.
Otherwise, “other players will fill the void and the government risks losing control.”
Only a state operation “whose social and financial objectives are defined by the government” is in a position to “ensure the strictest respect for government standards and the framework,” said Joly, president of the Syndicat des employés de magasins et de bureaux de la SAQ.
In December, the union released a study that suggested the economic spinoffs would be higher if the SAQ controlled pot distribution.
The SAQ could add $457 million to the provincial treasury in the first year of legalization, according to the study, by the Institut de recherche et d’informations socio-économiques.
Within 10 years, the study said, the value of Quebec’s pot market could climb to $3.2 billion per year.
“The SAQ is better equipped to withstand the pressures from players in the black market and (provide) a more secure framework for the sale of a product that poses risks to public health,” Philippe Hurteau, co-author of the study, said in December.
The study, which the union helped finance, recommended giving the SAQ distribution rights for the first 10 years, after which the government could reassess the situation and possibly open the market to the private sector.
However, Montreal’s public health department says if the government is involved in selling pot, a new provincial agency should be in charge — one that would not be under government pressure to increase profits.
“Such a monopoly should not be regarded as a major source of revenue” for the province, the department said in a recent report. “The SAQ, from which the government demands profits, is not a model.”
Quebec “must take all necessary measures to prevent legalization from leading to an increase in (marijuana) consumption,” it said.
Quebec Finance Minister Carlos Leitão, who oversees the SAQ, seemed to rule out a government role in distribution last year. “I have no plan, no idea, no intention to market cannabis,” he said in February2016. “It will be up to (Ottawa) to determine how to commercialize it. I’m not interested in that.”
But that was before Ottawa announced a plan that leaves the decision on how pot will be distributed in the hands of the provinces.
Quebec has complained that Ottawa’s project is vague, off-loads new responsibilities onto provinces, and fails to explain who will cover the cost of legalization.
In December, a federal task force recommended against distributing pot in stores that also sell alcohol, echoing the public health department.
“Given the wide use and availability of liquor stores, concerns were raised about product promotion and exposing a larger population to cannabis products should sales be co-located, as well as the impact on cannabis consumers who are trying to avoid alcohol,” the task force said in its report.
Selling the two products together could encourage people to use them jointly.
“Research shows that the simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis significantly increases levels of THC in the blood,” the task force said. “This has implications for behaviour while intoxicated, and particularly for impaired driving.
All U.S. states that have legalized cannabis have banned “the co-location of sales of cannabis and alcohol,” the report noted.
Last year, the Jean Coutu pharmacy chain said it was open to the idea of selling medical marijuana, but chief executive François Coutu said he was opposed to the sale of recreational marijuana in pharmacies.


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NEW ALBANY -- Abercrombie & Fitch Co. is struggling to sell its preppy jeans and T-shirts at a time when fashion trends are shifting and a rough economy has left teens around the world on tighter budgets.
The Ohio-based company said Wednesday that its profit plunged by more than half in the second quarter as a key sales figure fell 10 percent. In the U.S., the figure fell for the first time since 2009.
The results weren't as bad as analysts feared, however, after the clothing retailer warned just two weeks ago of weakening sales and slashed its forecast for the year. The company on Wednesday also laid out plans for updating its fashions more nimbly going forward and noted that revenue at stores open at least a year has started to stabilize in the past few weeks. Its shares rose almost 9 percent to $35.23.
In a conference call with investors, Chairman and CEO Mike Jefferies blamed Abercrombie's high inventory levels for preventing it from chasing trends more quickly.
"Did we miss the past two quarters because our assortment was too narrow? Because we were late on trends? I believe so," he said.
But Jefferies said Abercrombie now plans to keep its inventory levels leaner and shorten buying times to give it more room to more effectively "chase and react" to trends.
Despite the disappointing results, Jeffries said he thinks there are opportunities for the company to do better and that he's confident in the global appeal of Abercrombie's brand, citing the successful opening of a store in Hong Kong last week.
For the three months ended July 28, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. earned $15.5 million, or 19 cents per share. That's down from $32 million, or 35 cents per share, a year earlier.
Abercrombie said earlier this month that it now expects to earn between $2.50 and $2.75 per share for the year. It had previously forecast a profit $3.50 and $3.75. For the full year, it expects revenue at stores open at least a year to be down 10 percent.

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The word giant has lost its definition since companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft etc started to reach out for every possible boundaries of the online market which no one had ever expected. To take another tactical leap, Apple has decided to launch TV shows at the cost of 99 cents in order to curb down the likes of Hulu and Netflix.
You can now download tele from the BBC and Sky, along with movies to watch on your PSP with Sony’s new Go! View service. While we still wait for Sony to launch a film and TV download series for PS3, at least we have Go! View for PSP. The Go! View website offers TV shows and films for a free. The current line up includes Lost, Heroes, plenty of comedies and documentaries, along with sporting highlights from Sky Sports and a smattering of recent blockbusters.


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Rumours about a possible second iteration of Sony's handheld console the PSP surfaced on video games website IGN. Citing "several credible sources”, the games website said that the PSP2 would boast touch-screen technology.
But Sony has vehemently denied the rumours saying that there aren't currently any plans on the cards for a next-gen Sony handheld console.
"The internet is rife with rife with rumour," says David Wilson, UK head of PR for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, "and like all rumour and speculation, we don't fuel it by commenting on it"
Last month, video games website Eurogamer cited internet sources stated Sony planned to bring out a PSP-4000 console in 2009. Eurogamer also said that developers were already working on new games for the planned console.
Sony is currently struggling for space in the handheld market against its biggest competitor Nintendo. Last year saw the release PSP 3000 in time for Christmas which boasted a bigger hard drive, an improved screen and a built-in microphone which allowed users to make free calls across the Skype network. However the video game retailer game group reported that DS and DS Lite consoles outstripped Sony handhelds in sales by almost 6 million units.
Competition in the handheld gaming market is set to become even fiercer as Apple's iPhone OS platform is already being tipped to be the next handheld gaming phenomenon.


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Many brands are experimenting with different forms of voice commerce to reach their customers – with very positive results
Today, consumers are talking to different devices and buying more than meets the eye. They especially value the speed, ease, and comfort that voice provides in the sometimes tedious task of buying online. So, the answer to whether consumers dream of talking with ecommerce is that they do not dream of talking to ecommerce stores – they already do that thanks to the voice assistants and devices they buy – with ecommerce.
A recent survey by Mastercard on the use of purchasing assistants in the United States (Is anybody there? Giving Conversational Commerce a voice) showed that 87% of consumers are familiar with the voice and text assistants of various brands, and 66% claim to have used them to buy products.
In Europe, according to the Conversational Commerce study of the Digital Transformation Institute of Capgemini, one in five consumers has used voice aids to buy from an ecommerce or used voice aids to make payments or deposits at a bank. The study delves into the interests of consumers and confirms that convenience is decisive for the use of voice assistants, with 52% of users saying that they prefer these devices over a website or an application. Forty-eight percent of consumers say that voice assistants allow them to tackle multiple tasks simultaneously and do things hands free – which again points to demand for ease and convenience.
Various companies specializing in ecommerce and global consultancies, such as PwC, Kantar, OC & C Strategy Consultants or Deliante, have conducted surveys and research in their quest to understand the expectations of consumers. Although the results differ depending on the objectives of each investigation, the overarching conclusion suggests that voice commerce could become the norm in online buying and ultimately drive the revolution that is electronic commerce.
Who dares to start the conversation online?
Just before the start of the Christmas shopping season in the US last year, electronics ecommerce Best Buy announced the possibility of making purchases using Amazon devices. Using the “Alexa, talk to Best Buy” command, consumers were able to make their end-of-year purchases using voice.
A few months earlier, supermarket giant Walmart (a major Amazon rival in the retail sector), joined the voice commerce revolution when it signed a Google collaboration agreement allowing its customers to make purchases using voice with Google Home.
Many other brands are also experimenting with different forms of voice commerce to reach their customers – with very positive results. Starbucks, with the command “Alexa, tell Starbucks to start my usual order,” lets its customers place an order as they leave home so that they can simply pick it up on their way to the office, for example.
But voice commerce goes beyond voice commands, this is only the first stage of a new scenario in which the voice assistants of the big players (Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana, Alexa), the voice devices (Amazon Echo, Google Home, Alibaba Tmall Genie, Apple Home Pod) and the voice marketing cloud (voice integration systems with marketing solutions, such as Alpine, Invoca, Netcore), all coexist. Of course, there are various initiatives and developments that a brand can develop by combining artificial intelligence and voice technology to create assistants with their own names, as Movistar did with Aura or Bank of America did with Erica.
It seems that voice is set to be the new interface between consumers and brands, and many companies are jostling to take the lead. In this new paradigm, Abba said it best: “The winner takes it all.”
To learn more or to discuss how voice is disrupting ecommerce, feel free to get in touch with me on social media.


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PRESS & Media
July 18, 2016
Boustead Ikano Confident of 85% Occupancy Rate at MyTOWN
KUALA LUMPUR: Boustead Ikano Sdn Bhd is confident that the MyTOWN Shopping Centre in Cheras will achieve a targeted occupancy rate of 85% by the time the mall opens on Nov 15.
General manager Jo Hogsander said most shopping centres usually opened with around 75% occupancy.
He is not worried that there would be stiff competition in the neighbourhood with the upcoming Sunway Velocity – another mall launching this year just 800m away.
“Our occupancy rate is already 70% plus, so we are quite confident of meeting our target,” he told StarBiz, adding that MyTOWN had secured tenants such as Village Grocer, GSC, Mango and Uniqlo, among others.
An added boost would be the linkage to Ikea Cheras, the largest outlet mall in the country. MyTown would have a net lettable area (NLA) of 1.1 million sq ft.
According to reports, about 40 malls would be entering the market in Greater Kuala Lumpur by 2020, of which a dozen would have an NLA of one million sq ft.
“There is still a need for convenient, safe shopping malls,” Hogsander said, despite the slowdown in the current property market and overwhelming statistics of an oversupply of retail space in Malaysia.
Boustead Ikano, a joint venture between the Boustead group and Ikano Retail Asia, built the Mutiara Damansara township in Petaling Jaya and developed the Curve, a hugely popular integrated retail development where the country’s first Ikea outlet is located.
Hogsander said the company wants to replicate its success at the Curve with MyTOWN. “We’ve definitely gotten a lot of knowledge from running the Curve,” he said.
MyTOWN will have 460 retail units on five levels, over 6,500 parking bays and serve more than five million shoppers within a 30-minute drive-time radius.
Hogsander also said the surrounding infrastructure, especially with an MRT station coming up, would make accessibility to MyTOWN better.
He pointed out that demand for brick-and-mortar shopping malls was still there, despite the rise in popularity for online shopping.
“It is still a huge satisfaction to be able to touch, try and spend the whole day out. Today, shopping is different. Gone are the days when you just run into a store, buy something and go home.
“Today, shopping can be considered a day out with the family.”


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Chainalysis: Number of Bitcoin Speculators Grown Over the Last Six Months
June 9, 2018
According to the data published by the blockchain research company Chainalysis, the number of long-term Bitcoin investors is almost equal to the number of speculators who acquire cryptocurrency for quick gains.
According to the report, number of BTC owned by the so called day traders who make deals during trade day to gain profits from rate fluctuations makes 5.1 millions of coins while 6 million BTC are owned by long-term investors.
The report also contains data on BTC daily trade volumes which says they have reduced four times since December 2017. According to the Chainalysis’s chief economist Philip Gradwell, it is sudden growth of cryptocurrency liquidity that caused its price collapse.
In addition, Chainalysis experts have found a mismatch in Bitcoin distribution among investors. Most of the coins are held by few investors called whales. Therefore it is possible for a small group of people to manipulate prices on the market. Thus, data of April 2018 shows, at 1,600 wallets hold at least 1,000 BTC which makes about one third of the total amount of coins in the circulation.


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Google has launched Google Preferred in the MENA region as it seeks to drive revenue through digital advertising and respond to changes in the way media is consumed.
Concentrating on the UAE and Saudi Arabia initially, the roll out targets advertisers seeking to reserve inventory from among the top five per cent of YouTube’s most popular and engaging channels. It will do this via an algorithm that assesses watch time, subscriptions, likes and other engagement metrics to identify the top five per cent of YouTube channels. The platform has already been rolled out in the US and a handful of countries in Europe.
Rayan Karaky, Google Preferred trading lead in the MENA region, said: “Across multiple countries, we have heard from brands who want to better understand what content they’re buying their advertising against, creators who deserve to be rewarded for creating engaging content in a more scientific way, as well as the consumer who showed more willingness to engage with brands featured on their favourite channels. That’s where Google Preferred comes in, Google Preferred will enable us to have conversations with agencies and marketers that we would not have had before.
“Primetime premium content is now defined by the viewers, content that they are truly passionate about and engaged with. Google Preferred offers advertisers and agencies an amazing platform to identify and reach audiences at these key primetime moments.”
A number of advertisers are already on board, including PepsiCo. Commenting on the move, Dani Afiouni, regional director of consumer engagement at PepsiCo Middle East and Africa, said: “The exponential growth of YouTube viewership and the increasing loyalty of audiences to top channels make the platform essential to our consumer engagement and content distribution strategy. With Google Preferred we are now able to distribute our brand content across screens, at scale, with an increased focus on the best creators.”
Across the MENA region, consumers are creating huge libraries of videos, with 68 per cent of viewers sharing or talking about YouTube videos with friends.


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Speaking exclusively to ConfectioneryNews, John Downs, CEO & President of the National Confectioners Association said the Sweets & Snacks Expo will be “a very special show this year”.
With recent safety guidance from the CDC (America’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention), Downs said the easing of social distancing requirements and declaring that domestic travel is safe, this year’s Expo is well-timed for the confectionery and snack industries and its retail partners.
'While the event will be different than in past years, we’re excited to get back to business – and, of course, make meaningful connections, gain category insights, and experience two years of product innovation on the show floor -- John Downs, NCA CEO & President
You can almost hear a collective sigh of relief from the industry that the Expo is going ahead in 2021, in Indianapolis, after the disappointment of last year’s cancellation due to the onset and severity of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sweets & Snacks Expo 2021 comes with a new venue, new city and new date after 22 years of being held in Chicago, primarily at the huge McCormick Place.
“While the event will be different than in past years, we’re excited to get back to business – and, of course, make meaningful connections, gain category insights, and experience two years of product innovation on the show floor,” said Downs.
He said the show’s move to Indianapolis for the 2021 show will allow it to offer an in-person event, “for which we have seen immense support from within the industry”.
Downs confirmed that Indianapolis has invested $7m in the convention centre facilities for enhanced safety measures, including hospital-grade air filtration, touchless doors, Clorox 360 sanitation, hand sanitizer stations and safe concessions and dining areas.
“Additionally, we will have safety protocols in place that reflect guidance from the CDC and local health authorities.
“We are thrilled to have so much support and look forward to welcoming attendees to the must-attend event for leaders within the candy and snack industries. And as for 2022, we’ll be returning to Chicago," he said.
- Safety guidelines for this year’s Expo: Back to Business: Masked and Ready to Go!
Sweet & Snacks Expo Highlights:
The first All Candy Expo is held at Chicago’s Navy Pier with 210 exhibitors and retailer attendees from all classes of trade.
The All Candy Expo moves to McCormick Place Lakeside Center. Retailer attendance is up 80% since the first show. The New Product Showcase makes its debut, along with the International Welcome Center. More than 97% of the US confectionery market is represented on the show floor.
Trade Show Week magazine names the All Candy Expo one of the 200 largest trade shows in the country. The number of exhibiting companies begins to approach 500.
The All Candy Expo is the first trade show in the brand new West Building of McCormick Place. NCA begins to allow exhibitors to showcase an increased amount of snack products to meet the buying needs of retail and wholesale customers. The increased space in the new venue allows NCA to introduce the Gourmet Marketplace (known today as the Specialty Market).
Innovation Alley (now called Innovation Avenue) debuts at the Expo to highlight 10 start-up companies trying to make a name for themselves in the highly competitive world of confectionery and snacks. Trade Show Executive magazine includes the Expo on its list of the 50 fastest-growing trade shows, noting the increase in number of exhibitors. The Expo begins to appeal to a more international audience; international visitors account for more than 15% of total retailer registrations.
NCA launches the prestigious Most Innovative New Products Awards to honor innovation in several product categories including candy, chocolate, sweet and savory snacks.
Expo debuts the Shoppers Solutions Theater (now known as the Sweet Insights Theater), a solutions-driven educational program featuring 20-minute learning lab style sessions with subject matter experts that take place during show hours on the show floor. Rapidly growing retailer engagement catapults the Sweets & Snacks Expo once again onto Trade Show Executive’s Fastest 50 list, this time for an impressive increase in retail and wholesale attendance.
The Expo E.X.C.I.T.E. Awards recognize NCA and the Sweets & Snacks Expo for excellence in marketing, as creative and forward-thinking outreach has led to notable increases in both exhibitor and retailer attendance. The show’s global appeal continues to expand as more than 90 countries are represented at the event.
The growing popularity of NCA’s learning labs sessions in the Sweet Insights Theater leads to the introduction of the Sweet Insights Summer Series, a distance learning initiative that takes a deeper dive into topics presented at the Expo throughout the months that follow.
The new Skyline Hall opens at the Sweets & Snacks Expo, bringing the total number of exhibiting companies to 760 – a 22% increase over 2015. An additional show floor theater is added to meet increasing demand for insights into the sweets and snacks industries; more than 25 speakers are featured in standing-room-only sessions. Attendance eclipses 17,000 for the first time in the show’s history, driven by double-digit customer attendee growth.
The annual trade show floor is sold out with a wait list for the fifth consecutive year. It welcomed more than 17,000 attendees from 90 different countries with almost 800 exhibitors displaying innovative products from confectionery, snack and speciality categories.
New features included:
- The launch of the Small Business Innovator Award as part of the 2017 Most Innovative New Products Program, which highlights companies with net sales of $500,000 or less; and
- The debut of Destination Retail, which encompasses the Merchandising Gallery of Success, as well as new technology pods demonstrating in-store advances from leading companies.
- Trade Show Executive magazine adds Sweets & Snacks Expo to its ‘Fastest 50’ list, recognizing the fastest-growing trade shows worldwide.
New and enhanced features for the 2018 Sweets & Snacks Expo included:
- 150+ first time exhibitors
- New Product Showcase – featuring more than 350 of the hottest new candy, snack, flavor, product, and packaging innovations.
- Most Innovative New Product Awards
- Enhanced Destination Retail experience.
In 2019, the NCA said the Expo attracted:
- More than 825 exhibitors at the show – and more than 200 of these were first time exhibitors
- 1,300+ brand were represented on the show floor with more than 25 cutting-edge education sessions offered
- More than 90 countries represented at the show
- 300+ submissions to the Most Innovative New Product Awards.
Cancelled due to global COVID-19 pandemic.
Sweets & Snacks Expo moves out of Chicago for the first time in its history and is held at the Indiana Convention Center.


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Yellow Pages Income Fund has shed almost half a billion dollars of market value after analysts at Veritas Investment Research counted thousands of pages of advertisements and concluded the fund's directory publishing business is in "unmitigated decline."
Veritas Investment Research, a Toronto-based company that provides analysis on stocks, went through 33,649 pages of Yellow Pages directories published in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria from 2003 to 2006 and found that major markets are showing fast slippage. The report said Toronto directory pages are down 8.7% so far this year, while Montreal pages have dropped 5.7% and Victoria pages have slumped 12.2%.
"We firmly believe that those investors who sell their YPG units now will reap the rewards of their decision at leisure, while others that hang on for more gains might find the exit door shut in the face of a stampede a year or two down the road," Veritas analysts Neeraj Monga and Chris Silvestre said in the report, which went on to say the units were worth $13.
Yellow Pages units have fallen every day but one since the analysts published their report on July 19, dropping from $15.73 that day to a six-month low of $14.83 yesterday. During that time, the benchmark index of income funds that trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange has risen.
The Veritas analysts were also critical of Yellow Pages' purchases of Trader Media and Trader Classified, the companies that publish books such as Auto Trader, saying the deals "provided testimony to the increasing desperation at YPG to mask the declining trend in its underlying business operations."
Montreal-based Yellow Pages declined to comment when contacted by the Financial Post. However, the fund's management did address the issue in a message Wednesday to the investment community, which has been a strong backer of Yellow Pages.
In the note, which also gave analysts information about the company's planned quarterly conference call Aug. 9, Yellow Pages said it wanted to respond to "recently published research questioning trends and future prospects of the directory publishing industry."
The message emphasized Yellow Pages' strengthened online business and extended directory categories, as well as the increased productivity of its sales force.
"What counts most, in our opinion, is how management positions the company to take advantage of the positive market forces and to avoid or minimize the impact of any negative forces," the note said. "We believe that we are executing well on both counts."
Yellow Pages, the country's second-largest business trust, has been a favourite of investors and analysts. The company has had no trouble issuing extra units to fund acquisitions, selling more than $1.6-billion worth in the past two years, and nine of the 11 analysts tracked by Bloomberg rate the company's units a "buy."
Close: $14.83, down 15 cents
Avg. 6-month vol.: 1,086,334
Rank in FP500: 295


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The feeling of comfort is subjective, especially in footwear.
However, companies such as Heeluxe Inc. are employing data and biomechanics to provide footwear brands a roadmap to ensure their customers have a comfortable experience with their product.
At FMNII’s Footwear Innovation Summit in Los Angeles Tuesday, Dr. Geoffrey Alan Grey, founder of Heeluxe Inc., a biomechanical research and development company that focuses on feet, shared insights from his company’s library of data and revealed there’s a lot more to comfort than a pillowy underfoot feeling.
There’s more to comfort than cushioning
Yes, cushioning is a large part of what makes a shoe comfortable, but Grey said it’s time to start looking at the other areas that can make shoes comfortable. “We need to up our game and we need to find different ways that we’re going to quantify a shoe’s fit,” he said.
Heeluxe measures fit through the Mach 5 Sensor Sock. By partnering with industry leading experts in wearable technology, the company created an easy to use system that produces reliable data on how a foot interacts with a shoe. The socks are embedded with sensors and a small transmitter that produce data on how the shoe is going to fit by measuring specific areas of the foot in 30 seconds.
In order to achieve optimal fit, Grey said brands must consider two factors: Who is your customer and what is the activity that they are going to be doing in your shoes?
For detailed analysis, he said the socks can be worn during an activity such as running, cycling or dancing by a brand’s core customer—say, a 40-year-old female—to better understand how the shoe can move comfortably with the foot in motion.
“We have collected so many volumes of data from all the different fit or shoe categories that I know we can start to make some assumptions now about shoe performance,” he said.
Online returns are a fit issue
Everyone loses in an online return. Grey reported that about 20 percent of footwear purchases made online are returned, and that number skyrockets to 44 percent for children’s footwear. And about two-thirds of footwear returns will result in a refund, meaning someone—either the retailer or consumer—is having to eat the shipping costs for an unsatisfactory purchase.
“We analyzed every pair of running shoes that was returned over a three-month period to a very large online retailer,” Grey said. “What we found is that almost 80 percent of the running shoes that were returned was due to poor fit.”
Women are out of luck with unisex footwear
If the footwear industry really wants to better serve the market, shoe designers need to design footwear specifically for women’s feet.
“Men’s and women’s feet are shaped differently. We have tested a lot of unisex shoes in our lab and generally they fit women like crap,” Grey said. “The majority of time, women are getting the short end of the stick here.”
When a woman wears a unisex shoe, Grey said the shoe tends to be too loose around the heal. “She’s going to get blisters,” he said, adding that pressure will be two-times harder on the ball of her foot, and her feet are going to get squeezed.
Fit can improve your online rating
Americans are generous with their online ratings. Grey said the average rating on Amazon for footwear is 4.1 stars out of five, adding that consumers will give a positive score even if they are not 100 percent satisfied with the shoe. “Because maybe someone else will like the shoe,” he quipped.
However, one way to earn a high score for the right reasons, Grey said, is to ensure shoe design has a loose forefoot fit. “A loose forefoot fit is the thing that absolutely influences customer satisfaction,” he said. A tighter fit is going to be a higher amount of pressure, and that’s going to be correlated with a lower score.
“The thing about this is, that it is true for every single category. It doesn’t matter if you’re making high heels. Doesn’t matter if you’re making basketball shoes,” he said.
Woven shoes with recovery may be the next million dollar idea
Every shoe’s fit changes after its been worn. Cushioning wears down. Leather thins out. But Grey said this fit issue is especially true for the flood of woven footwear in the market.
“Woven materials do tend to stretch out and then that’s also going to change [the fit of the shoe] dramatically. It’s not like a pair of stretch jeans you can throw in the dryer and they shrink back to size,” he said. “It’s a big problem.”


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EU members are thinking about helping Pakistan’s economy by liberalizing tariffs on some of its imports:
The most realistic option, according to some diplomats, would be for the EU to identify a list of products beneficial to Pakistan and then unilaterally reduce the so-called “most-favoured nation” tariffs it charges trading partners. Depending on the products and the tariff reductions, such a move could result in €100m to €150m in additional annual exports for Pakistan, according to preliminary calculations.
One challenge in devising a list, say people familiar with the matter, would be to help Pakistani exporters without providing unintended benefits to their Chinese rivals.
It’d be nice to see “preferential” liberalization come via MFN tariff reductions.
Pingback: How will the EU grant Pakistan temporary trade preferences? « Trade Diversion


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Why Millennials Are Becoming Franchisees
A decade ago, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in the franchising industry who thought 20 and 30-year-olds were prime franchisee candidates. That has changed.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Around the office, Hao Lam is known as "the old man." By franchise-industry standards, the 47-year-old owner of Best in Class Education Center represents a fairly average age. But Lam's COO is only 27. Everyone else on the corporate staff is in their late 20s or early 30s. And about one-third of Lam's franchisees are Millennials, the generation born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s.
Lam is the only non-Millennial at Best in Class, and he likes it that way. "Millennials are willing to listen and willing to take the help you provide. It's really good," he says. "They may not have the experience of Gen Xers or Baby Boomers, but nowadays the younger generation is so well-rounded."
Ten years ago you would be hard-pressed to find anyone in the franchising industry who thought people in their 20s or early 30s were prime franchisee candidates. For the most part, franchise ownership has been reserved for a small demographic of high-net-worth individuals or executives from corporate America with the desire to go out on their own. But lately that has started to change.
Franchises, especially lower-cost franchises and tech-based systems, have "discovered" Millennials. Despite a media-fed stereotype that Millennials are self-absorbed, avoid hard work and expect praise without accomplishment, franchisors who have worked with them have found many to be energetic, adaptable, smart and industrious.
"The tide has definitely turned, but even more so in the last few years," says Paul Segreto, CEO of the Franchise Foundry, a franchise development firm based just north of Houston. "In home-based and low-cost franchises, Millennials will make up 50 percent of new franchisees over the next two years."
Thanks to the Great Recession, the crumbling job market and changes in employment culture, Millennials are wary of corporate America and more interested in alternatives like franchising.
"Where I saw the tipping point was a few years ago," Segreto says. "Steve Wozniak from Apple was asked if there would ever be another Steve Jobs. He answered that normally he would say no. But after looking at the current generation of young people, he thought there would be more [innovators like] Steve Jobs and Bill Gates and Larry Ellison because there are so many in the younger generation who are unemployed or underemployed and have so much talent. But because of high real-estate and startup costs, it's hard to start an independent business. Millennials are looking for alternatives. That's where franchising fits in."
The International Franchise Association launched a program called NextGen in Franchising to educate Millennials about the industry, and franchise consultants have begun launching social media campaigns to attract the emerging demographic.
It took a few years for Lam to discover the value of this younger generation, but now he sees many advantages. "We really look at adaptability," he says. "Sometimes people who have been teaching for a long time don't want to make changes to their methods or follow our system closely."
However, Millennials (and their younger counterparts) tend to follow the Best in Class business model with fewer problems. Lam also appreciates their openness to new technologies. "Millennials are on their phones all day anyway, so if we release an app to help them run their business more efficiently, they say, "Sign me up.' Sometimes an older franchisee will say that they want to keep using their spreadsheet to run their business. And that's perfectly fine, but it's nice for us to all be on the same page."
To attract Millennials, Lam made some concessions. Because so many younger franchisees are saddled with student debt, may have been unemployed for a long time and lack a nest egg, he set up several programs to help them financially. The company's Teacher Incentive offers a $3,000 discount off franchise fees and waives royalties for three months. Also, if a franchisee is doing well and wants to open a second or third unit but can't afford it, Best in Class invests 50 percent of the costs and gives its franchisees three years to buy the company out. "We have no intention to make money off the deal," Lam explains. "We just want these young, passionate franchisees to be able to grow."
Jonathan Barnett, founder of Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning, which has 270 units across the U.S., was born in 1980 and started his franchise system when he was 26. He hadn't thought much about generational differences, but when he started reading about Millennials, he says he was amazed how well the research summarized him and the majority of his franchisees, who are in the same age group.
"People who own Oxi Fresh franchises are highly motivated to own their own business but might not have the capital to build a McDonald's," he says. "They're adaptable and flexible and aren't tied down to traditional concepts."
In fact, Oxi Fresh seems tailor-made for Millennials. Not only did Barnett build the franchise system as a low-cost, tech-based company, but he also created a new proprietary system for cleaning carpets—one that is greener, cheaper and faster than traditional carpet-cleaning methods.
"In the beginning, I thought our best franchisees would be older, business-savvy guys," Barnett explains. "But it's been the younger guys who were able to get small-business loans who are kicking tail. It's been an eye-opening experience for me."
As a Millennial, he also knows what motivates his peers and is able to harness those qualities. "People say Millennials are lazy, but they can be passionate and work hard," he says. "They just have to believe in something bigger than themselves. Our younger franchisees are really concerned about using less water and saving the planet. The older generation doesn't seem as concerned about being green."
Oxi Fresh breaks from tradition in other ways, too. Instead of recruiting franchisees using coaches and brokers, which is standard in the franchising world, Barnett signed up 99.5 percent of his franchisees through internet-generated leads and referrals from current franchisees.
Like Lam, Barnett also found some weaknesses common among Millennials, and changed his system to address them. "Many Millennials seem less organized than our older franchisees," he says. "So we've really worked to systematize things, and we have a central booking service so they don't have to constantly answer their phone."
Taking some of the back-end duties off their plates also appeals to Millennials in other ways. Unlike other generations that were willing to work long hours, even the most ambitious Millennials are interested in maintaining a work-life balance. "We want our franchisees to be able to go to their kid's soccer game," Barnett says. "So we've built a structure where they can. We want that work-life balance to be a strength in our model, not a weakness."
Another trend among Millennial franchisees has them teaming up with their Baby Boomer parents. "Obviously, the employment situation for Millennials is not very pleasant," notes Terry Powell, founder of The Entrepreneur's Source, a Southbury, Conn.-based franchise and business consulting system. "With limited jobs and a natural drive for independence and stability, [Millennials have found] franchising an appealing career path. Many are convincing their parents to invest their 401k in a franchise venture with them. The parent can be an investor, mentor or partner, and bring along the experience and know-how from their career. It combines the stability and experience of the Baby Boomers with the drive of the Millennials."
It's something that the executives of Anytime Fitness have noticed. The company estimates that about one-third of its franchisees are Millennials, but more and more parent-child partnerships are emerging.
"We have one father and son who have opened 13 clubs together," says CMO Stacy Anderson. "The father's a Boomer who has a lot of business acumen, and the son was looking for a way to get into the work force. They've done extraordinarily well. It's a fascinating phenomenon."
Anderson says Anytime Fitness didn't set out to attract Millennials, but she believes she knows why the system appeals to younger franchisees. "It's not so constrictive that they can't find a way to bring their own personality into it," she says. "The idea of fun and a sense of play are really attractive to that generation. They don't have to sit at a desk and crank out reports from 9 to 5."
Meanwhile, working with Millennials has reinforced some aspects of Anytime's culture. "I think we have a really nice trifecta when it comes to Millennials," Anderson says. "We're in a great category, we have a great business model, a low-cost turnkey franchise and a culture that is tied into purpose and play. That's why we're seeing this trend. There's some serendipity involved, but we're taking advantage of it."
Trevor Kaftan, a 31-year-old Hudson Valley, N.Y.-based franchisee for N-Hance, a cabinet and wood-floor restoration franchise, says he always had an inclination to be his own boss. He sold Cutco knives during college, and became an independent owner for them afterward. He left that job to work at Sears in the home-improvement department, designing and selling kitchen-remodeling projects. When the recession hit, however, sales plummeted.
Kaftan read about N-Hance and thought resurfacing cabinets was a cheaper, smarter alternative to what he had been doing. Three years later, he owns three N-Hance units and employs eight people.
"I have lots of friends who got involved in some sort of business, and they're doing well, but people who went to law school or medical school are struggling," he says. "I have a friend who earned a master's from Georgetown and is just exceptionally smart but doing temp legal work in New York. I think a lot of us saw what our older siblings went through, and we're not going to sit around waiting for the right opportunity. We're going to create it for ourselves."
Creating those opportunities will keep getting easier as the franchise world realizes the potential of Millennials. Andy Bell, CEO and president of Lakewood, Colo.-based Handyman Matters, recently discovered that his top franchisee was only 29. "It opened our eyes big-time," he says. "Once we saw that, we realized we shouldn't discount someone because of their youth. We should celebrate and recruit them. We stumbled across it, but now we're going after it."
In fact, Handyman Matters' lower-cost system, with its focus on technology and support, is a perfect fit for young businesspeople. As a result, the company is making social media and recruiting Millennials part of its marketing platform going forward.
"It's a calculated risk going into a franchise," Bell says. "But Millennials are young enough that they have an attitude that everything is recoverable. They are not averse to risk. They take the caution out of running a business. They're becoming wildly successful because they don't pause when making critical decisions."


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Tesla hiring as it ramps up sedan
Tesla Motors Inc. said Wednesday that it plans to double the number of engineers it employs as it expands in Palo Alto and takes over the former NUMMI plant in Fremont.
"We are growing very rapidly," Jim Dunlay, Tesla's vice president of powertrain hardware engineering, told reporters during a media event in Palo Alto. "We are looking for key personnel in every area."
The electric car maker now has about 800 employees, with about 250 of them engineers. It expects to grow that total number to 1,000 in the next year, most of those coming in the engineering ranks.
Tesla needs the engineers to help meet its goal of completing the prototype for the Model S sedan which is expected to begin production in mid-2012 at the former New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. facility in Fremont.
The company gave reporters a glimpse at the battery for the sedan, which is flat and runs nearly the entire width and length of the car. This is quite different from the boxy battery on the $109,000 Roadster, the only car the company has sold until now.
The base price for an entry-level Model S with a 160-mile range will be $49,000, after subtracting a $7,500 federal tax credit. Prices for longer-range models have not been released yet.
Written by Cromwell Schubarth. Contact him at 408.299.1823 or firstname.lastname@example.org.
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Birmingham University is leading a Europe-wide research project called iSense and Conservative MEP Anthea McIntyre recently visited the University’s Physics Department to learn something about their work with cold atom quantum technology.
Accompanied by Kai Bongs, the Professor of Cold Atom Physics, Anthea toured the lab and said:
“This is an amazingly technical specialism but my lay-man’s understanding is that the most accurate measuring devices work by observing how atoms transfer between various quantum states. By observing cold or ultra-cold atoms the transfer takes longer and therefore the measurement is more accurate and can be performed with small, portable equipment.
“This technology has many potential applications including navigation on earth and in space, telecommunications, geological exploration, and medical imaging. In practical terms, that means for instance that it would be possible to accurately map underground pipes and cables, archaeological sites and so on.
“As a non-scientist, I admit that much of the work was totally new to me but the evident dedication and expertise of Professor Bongs and his colleagues made the challenge of grasping the concepts involved in their work thoroughly rewarding. I am very grateful to him and all his colleagues who helped make my visit possible and so informative.
“We should all be pleased that Birmingham University is at the forefront of innovation and research and that it is recognised as one of Europe’s leading research institutions.”
(Photograph shows Anthea McIntyre with Prof. Kai Bongs at Birmingham University)
Speaking at the NFU Conference in Birmingham, Anthea McIntyre MEP, praised the British farming industry for its resilience, adaptability and massive contribution to the UK economy.
“Farming is a growth industry that has weathered the recession, responded to changes in consumer tastes, harnessed technological developments and produces affordable, high-quality foodstuffs whilst protecting and enhancing the countryside.” said Miss McIntyre.
“I am particularly pleased that the industry has given my report, “The future of Europe’s horticulture sector – strategies for growth”, such a warm and positive welcome. The report, the first of its kind, highlights both the challenges and opportunities for this sector of the industry and proposes an number of positive steps to allow it to flourish.
“There is tremendous scope for British farming to increase production, create new employment opportunities and to help further boost the UK economy – few other industries are as well-placed as agriculture to deliver.
“Too often we, as consumers, take the work of the farming community for granted and forget the huge effort and sacrifices that are made day-in day out by so many to deliver fresh produce of all types to the shops and supermarkets.”
(Photograph shows Anthea McIntyre with (left) Dan Dalton, No. 3 on the Conservative Candidates List for the West Midlands and (centre) John Mercer, NFU Regional Director)
Over the last ten years Graduate Advantage have been helping recent graduates to “Shape career dreams into reality”.
The organisation, which is part-funded by the EU’s Regional Development Fund and supported by a consortium of universities and university colleges, is based at Aston University.
To mark its first decade of helping recent graduates gain the experience that is so vital to stand out in today's competitive job market, Graduate Advantage invited local MEP Anthea McIntyre to their celebration event held in Birmingham.
“I was very impressed,” said Miss McIntyre, “This service is unique to the West Midlands and a great means of linking graduates with firms looking for fresh ideas and talent .”
All the internships are sourced locally from West Midlands' employers and can vary in length up to 12 months. Internships are available in all types of business sectors including: Marketing, Management, Design and Engineering, IT, and many, many more. Most are paid and could lead to permanent positions.
Link to Graduate Advantage: www.graduateadvantage.co.uk
(Photograph shows Anthea McIntyre MEP and Peter Shearer, Director of Aston University’s Business Partnership unit.)
Generally speaking, what are the main barriers to the development of the horticulture sector?
There are many challenges facing Europe’s horticulture sector; from adapting to the effects of climate change, to feeding a growing global population with less environmental impact.
The effect of increased temperatures and CO2 will mean the range of current crops will move northward in Europe. Horticultural crops are more susceptible to changing conditions than arable crops. Water deficits will directly affect horticultural production.
Horticulture is reliant on a variety of plant production products and I have great concerns over the European Commission's hazard-based approach to pesticides rather than a risk- based approach. Our decisions must be based on proper scientific evidence. No farmer will use more chemicals than is absolutely necessary. Banning the use of some pesticides before ecologically sound alternatives are developed threatens our food security as well as the livelihood of 1000s of SMEs involved in the manufacturing of these products.
Growers today are operating against a backdrop of diminishing profitability and escalating farm gate costs. Current challenges arise mainly from long-term structural changes. Consumers increasingly demand convenience in food purchasing and preparation, taste and variety, and are increasingly concerned for food safety and quality. Supply chain relationships within the fresh produce sector have become increasingly complex with sales being controlled by fewer and fewer retailers. At the same time, the fresh produce supply base is declining in many Member States, or is losing considerable market share to imports from competing countries within Europe and globally.
This problem has been further exacerbated by the global economic crisis which has caused consumption levels to fall. In more than half of European countries the intake of fresh fruit and vegetables is still below the World Health Organisation’s recommended minimum level.
Lack of trust and confidence within supply chains is arguably the most significant factor impacting on the fresh produce sector. It is often clear from discussions with growers that a lack of confidence, together with low margins, is resulting in low levels of investment within the growing base, which is then translated into lower efficiency and reduced competitiveness.
Innovation in this sector requires investment. Regarding the current crisis (with particular economic weaknesses in the Southern countries), how can innovation be financed in a transversal way across EU?
Investment in research and development is absolutely essential if EU horticulture is to remain ahead of its global competitors; translation of this research into practice is particularly important and must be given priority in EU funded research programmes. With a budget of nearly €80 billion, Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU research programme yet, and one of the biggest publicly funded ones worldwide. In times of austerity, it is also one of only very few programmes in the next EU budget to see a strong increase in funding, a nearly 30% jump in real terms over the current programme. My report calls on the Commission to use this programme to fund applied research that supports, in particular, the development of integrated strategies for pest, disease and weed control. Consumers rightly expect food that is safe, healthy, nutritious and convenient, but without new advances in technology these expectations will become increasingly difficult to meet. In view of this, the Commission should prioritise horticultural crops for funding and research using new and innovative plant breeding techniques. Renewed attention must also be given to the floriculture and ornamental plant sector with the use of Horizon 2020 funds for 'protected cultivation'.
Still regarding investment needs, the report states the importance for retailers to reinvest a proportion of their profits into the sector. What is the assessed economic impact of this measure? In your opinion, do we need larger regulation in the relationship between producers and retailers?
It is difficult to assess the economic impact of this measure. However, with public sector funding for horticultural research under budgetary constraints in Member States, it has never been more important to encourage more sector-led research, and for retailers, as direct beneficiaries of new product research and development (R&D), to reinvest a proportion of their profits from the fresh produce category back into the sector.
Joint investment in research into new varieties, production techniques and products that consumers want to buy will enable EU growers to retain a viable production base and successfully compete in world markets. The translation of research into practice is of particular importance and is essential if EU horticulture is to remain ahead of its competitors.
Codes of Conduct agreed by all actors in the supply chain, backed by a legislative framework and overseen by a national adjudicator in each Member State, as in the UK, can give producers the confidence they need to invest. In the UK, until recently the farmer had to go to the compliance officer of the retailer and people were afraid to do that. What has changed is that they can now make an anonymous complaint. Under the UK Groceries Adjudicator (introduced this year), punishments for breaching the agreed code of practice range from forcing supermarkets to tell their customers about what they have done to, ultimately, fining them. It is early days, but retailers are already beginning to change their behaviour.
Ultimately, the role of any groceries adjudicator should be to talk to the retailers about what they are doing and iron out any bad practices. The first step is to recommend what they can do differently. Then comes the naming and shaming part where you can make them put adverts in national newspapers about what they have done. The last resort is the fine.
You support the importance of Producer Organisations. So far, what has failed in the proper functioning of these entities?
The Fruit and Veg Regime has really helped growers become more market-orientated, it's encouraged innovation, and increased competitiveness through the support to Producer Organizations. But now after 15 years, we still have more than half of all the EU growers not belonging to a PO. Even in Mediterranean countries, which produce large amounts of fruit and veg, still the uptake is relatively low, and I think the membership ranges from about 11% to 46%, so under half.
The Commission has already indicated the need to simplify the rules governing POs, as detailed in its public consultation on the Fruit and Vegetables Regime. The wording in both the Council and Commission Implementing Regulations has led to problems of interpretation at Member State level and to increasing levels of disallowance or suspension as determined by the EU auditors. Some of the problems include:
- Audits and clearance of accounts
- General recognition criteria and the failure of the rules to take into account different market structures across the Member States
- Outsourcing and levels of control
- Environmental measures
- Administrative costs of managing the Scheme
This is why in paragraph 7 of my report, I've particularly called on the Commission in its review of the scheme to look at the work of the Newcastle Group, and to produce some clear and practical guidelines on what we should be doing on the future of POs. Strengthening the position of growers through increased collaboration, better internal organisation and a more professional approach to management will help ensure that growers receive sufficient returns when negotiating contractual arrangements with major purchasers and retailers.
N.B. The Newcastle Group is an open group of Member States that met for the first time at Newcastle in 2012 with the aim of improving the EU Fruit & Vegetable Regime, and in particular improving the wording in Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011 concerning simplification and recognition criteria. Membership initially tended to be northern European Member States, but increasingly the southern Member States have come on board. Regular attendees at meetings now include the Scandinavian countries, UK, Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Hungary, Portugal, Poland and Romania – so there is a good coverage across the Union.
Also important is the need to attract skilled workers to this sector and the need to increase the demand of horticulture related courses. How could this be achieved?
The need to attract skilled workers is particularly important. The careers and the employment opportunities in the horticulture industry are great, and yet we have a huge shortage of skills - plant pathologists, plant scientists - you name it, there's a long list where we have real shortages of skills. And yet in our schools and educational establishments, not enough stress is given to the career opportunities in this sector. So I really hope that we can point the way in saying how valuable these skills are, how much we need them, and how a very worthwhile career can be developed. Too often the professionals that advise our youngsters on careers denigrate horticulture, and in fact all forms of agriculture. This is a huge mistake, and I really hope that in my own country in particular we do a much better job of careers advice and telling our young people what opportunities are open to them.
What are the next procedural steps for this report in the EP? Overall, what has been the general position of AGRI Committee regarding the horticulture sector?
I presented my report to the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament on 17th October and the report was well received. My report takes a sector-wide approach to the barriers facing EU horticulture and is the first of its kind. A number of suggested amendments have been made to my report and I am now working with the committee's shadow draftsman to look at where we can find agreement. The committee will vote on my report the end of January before being voted through Parliament in the spring.
Page 60 of 75


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German tech site WinFuture shared leaked marketing shots of the the OnePlus Open today and claims it will arrive in the US on October 19th for around $1,700.
The pictures show OnePlus’ rebadged Oppo Find N3 is more Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 than Pixel Fold — it’s taller than it is wide when you pop it open — and it has OnePlus’ characteristically circular three-camera array. The images show it in two colors: green and black.
Here, have a gallery of the images WinFuture shared today:
That the OnePlus Open will come on October 19th lines up with previous rumors about its release timeline. OnePlus just shared a shadowy close-up of the phone in a post yesterday, too.
WinFuture says the phone will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. Rumor also has it the phone will come with 16GB of RAM, a 7.8-inch display and a 6.31-inch outer screen, both 120Hz OLEDs. It may also get two 48MP cameras (one an ultrawide) and a 64MP telephoto, then a 32MP selfie camera on the outside display and a 20MP camera inside. It could be rounded out with a 67-watt fast-charging 4,800mAh battery.
If the Open really does show up on the 19th, we’ll have bookish foldables from three different manufacturers in the US: Samsung, Google, and now OnePlus. Microsoft might also return to the game with something that actually has a contiguous, folding screen. Apart from some vague rumors about a folding iPad, Apple doesn’t seem interested in getting bent. Yet.


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Celebrating its centenary at last month’s Mostra Convegno Expocomfort tradeshow, Italian compressor manufacturer Dorin was optimistic that CO2 would make greater inroads into the industrial market in the coming decades.
Dorin already boasts over 35,000 CO2 compressors in operation worldwide (2016 figures).
“We’re continually coming out with innovative new products for CO2,” Giovanni Dorin, marketing manager at Officine Mario Dorin S.p.A., told R744.com in an exclusive interview at the event, held in Milan on 13-16 March.
“We’re ready to face the next 100 years with a very strong commitment.”Giovanni Dorin
The firm is currently pushing its new CD500 and CD600 compressor ranges for industrial CO2 applications.
“We’re planning to design even larger compressors,” said Giovanni, citing heat pumps and space heating as examples of the technologies and applications that are ripe for growth.
“We’re ready to face the next 100 years with a very strong commitment,” he said.
Giovanni Dorin is the great-grandson of the first Mario Dorin, who founded the company in 1918.
“My great-grandfather had a big passion for refrigeration,” Giovanni said. “He was a big believer in the fact that the cold chain, at that time, needed innovative solutions.”
Building on the foundations that Mario had put in place, Giovanni’s grandfather incorporated electric engines inside the compressors. “From this moment on, clearly things ramped up very quickly,” Giovanni said.
The company decided to invest time, money and energy in developing compressors for CO2 systems. “Dorin was the first in the market to identify CO2 transcritical as an interesting and viable solution,” Giovanni argues.


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The Plant Production and Marketing Board of Israel predicts that 2019 will see significant increase in exports of the Orri Jaffa mandarin to the US and Canada. The organization set goals for expanding export of its leading, easy-to-peel mandarin in response to the increased demand for high-quality, easy-peelers.
The Jaffa Orri is a mandarin developed by scientists at the Israeli Volcani Research Center. This easy-to-peel mandarin retains an excellent, fresh, sweet flavor with a fleshy texture, and mouthful juiciness, while bearing virtually no seeds. It also carries a particularly long shelf life and appears later in the season compared to other easy peelers – from January into May.
The American citrus market has been growing significantly in recent years and is composed largely of imports. The mandarin sub-category is the largest in the citrus category, accounting for some 40% of the citrus market. More than 230 thousand tons of easy-to-peel mandarins are shipped into the US annually, at a total value of more than $1 billion. This is in addition the 1 million tons produced locally.
Data from studies conducted in recent years confirm a doubling of per-capita consumption of easy-to-peel mandarins in the past two decades. This coincides to a significant increase in the intake of easy-peelers in the American market, mainly in place of traditional oranges. In recent years, this phenomenon has led to a sharp upsurge in the import of easy-peelers to America, leading to the establishment of new groves.
“The US market for easy-to-peel mandarins is substantial and holds promise as a developing target market for Israeli citrus exports,” says Tal Amit, Director of the Citrus Division in the Plant Production and Marketing Board of Israel. “The success of easy-peeler mandarins in particular can be easily credited to the fruit’s great flavor and unbeatable convenience.”
Over the past five seasons, citrus exports from Israel to North America have increased from 3,000 tons to 9,000 tons last season, of which about 5,300 tons are easy-to-peel mandarins. This season, export of Orri Jaffa mandarin alone is expected to reach 9,000 tons, constituting a potential 70% growth.
In spite of this significant rise in consumption of the mandarins in the US, consumption per capita is among the lowest in the world, about 2.5 kg per year. But based on the rapidly increasing demand, that figure is forecast to double. In Canada that figure is almost doubled exceeding 4.6 Kg per capita.
Orri Jaffa mandarin currently is exported to 45 countries worldwide. Most of the yield is exported to Europe (78%). The most prominent outlets in Europe of the popular fruit are: France (39%), the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Russia (7% each). About 18% of the fruit is shipped to North America, and 4% to Asia Pacific.
The Plant Production and Marketing Board of Israel was established in 2004 to assist farmers in advancing their agricultural missions. The board promotes the Jaffa brand and other registered citrus industry brands. It helps kick-start pioneering R&D projects, executes centralized crop protection initiatives, assists organizations in meeting phytosanitary standards and insures growers against weather-related losses.
Bibliography: CIRAD report Agriculture Research for development, Fruitrop, November 2017
SOURCE Orri Jaffa


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Car company bosses have expressed that the 2021 Geneva motor show might not be needed to unveil new models, since makers held their own events after the cancellation of this year’s show. Bentley boss Adrian Hallmark said it could be “not absolutely necessary to attend” in future if feedback is positive and Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer has echoed that sentiment.
Why coupés are dying, according to Peugeot
Coupés and convertibles are dying off in mainstream brands’ line-ups because there simply isn’t the spare investment capital needed to develop them, according to Peugeot boss Jean-Philippe Imparato. Electric cars, 5G connectivity and autonomous cars are huge, sequential investments that will dominate resources for a decade or more. “I love these cars,” said Imparato, “but today there are three other topics first.”
Vinfast's Holden hold-on
Vietnam's only global car company, Vinfast, could rescue Holden workers and facilities after the Australian brand was killed by General Motors. Reports from the region claim Vinfast is setting up an engineering hub that is currently being staffed by a number of ex-Holden employees and is interested in Holden’s proving ground.


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New Jersey bans paper bags
Who's writing these laws?
My home state of New Jersey has banned grocery stores from giving customers single-use paper and plastic bags. Violators first face a warning, then a $1,000 fine that jumps to $5,000 for their third breach and any thereafter.
This law is a huge inconvenience for most people in the state. How can I tell? Because from my experience, the overwhelming majority of people choose not to walk around with a bag full of reusable bags.
It started with plastic bags. Most people begrudgingly accepted the measure, opting to use paper bags if they were caught shopping without their reusable bags. But it didn’t stop there, it never does. When is enough enough?
What about food delivery? In my town the Whole Foods now conveniently packages your groceries in reusable plastic bags and started charging a $10 delivery fee. If there’s anything a person that orders from Whole Foods regularly needs is a dozen reusable plastic bags every few weeks and $10 added to their bill. I’m not sure what other grocers are doing, but I imagine its the same.
Don’t worry, when the politicians get wind of all the waste reusable bags are creating they’ll likely ban those as well. Soon we’ll be getting our organic avocados catapulted to our door steps one at a time.
It’s not about the environment
Here’s something you may not know: reusable bags are still plastic bags. In fact they’re made of a thicker, denser plastic than single use bags or cotton. Or maybe they’re cotton, which is even worse. Here is how many times you would have to reuse a bag to have equal global warming impact:
paper bags should be used three times
low-density polyethylene bags (the thicker plastic bags commonly used in supermarkets) should be used four times
non-woven polypropylene bags should be used 11 times
cotton bags should be used 131 times.
That’s not too bad. How are grocers doing?
A report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Greenpeace looked at grocery stores in the United Kingdom and found that the top 10 stores reported selling 1.5 billion plastic reusable bags so far in 2019, which cashes out to roughly 54 “bags for life” per household. That's up significantly from the prior year, when the top eight grocers sold 959 million of these bags.
That’s a lot of “bags for life”. It’s almost as though these laws are forcing people to use more expensive, wasteful bags as single use bags:
Because the plastic in these reusable bags is thicker and sometimes woven with fine plastic fibers, using them only a few times actually adds more plastic overall to our landfills than if we just used cheap single-use bags every time. Furthermore, those fine fibers become microplastics that can eventually enter our food chain through bioaccumulation.
This is all based on a false notion of landfills being bad or the idea that we’re running out of landfill space. It’s not true. Our plastic bags don’t end up in the ocean. Most of the trash that ends up in the ocean is coming from a handful of countries which are overwhelmed from recyclables sent from the US.
Who is writing these laws?
I’ve noticed a disconnect between the people who write laws and everyone else. It doesn’t take much thought to realize how inconvenient these types of laws are to regular people. It affects poor people the most as they are the most likely to reuse single use bags as garbage liners. But politicians don’t care.
I see this breakdown with mask policies on public transportation as well. Masks are still required on the subway, but from my experience, about half of the people don’t wear them. Even police officers and train conductors often don’t wear masks. Either enforce the rules, or change them. And when that many people disregard a rule, the rule should be changed.
You see the same thing with recreational marijuana laws. A truck is openly selling marijuana illegally in broad daylight. New York passed a law legalizing marijuana but never got around to issuing licenses or a legal framework to retailers. Politicians can’t even get their act together when billions of dollars of tax revenue and consumer protections are on the line.
I have never seen such a disconnect between the political class and regular people. This can’t be good long term for civil society.


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In the middle of its worst economic crisis in decades, Sri Lanka has been hit by a critical shortage of food with the majority of the people now in starvation eating one or two meals per day as prices of food items have become unbearable, consumer protection societies claimed.
A top agricultural official warned last month of impending famine and asked the government to implement an orderly food rationing scheme to avoid such a scenario.
Food shortages have been worsened by the government’s ban on agrochemical imports, which was lifted in November after widespread crop failures and intense farmer protests.
Food and beverage prices in Sri Lanka have skyrocketed due to inflation. People are waiting in queue for hours to buy groceries.
The price of rice in Sri Lanka has risen to Rs.300- 500 per kg. In Sri Lanka, 400 grams of milk powder costs Rs 790. In the last three days, the cost of milk powder has risen by Rs 250.
Dhal (lentils) has risen from Rs.168 to Rs.500 and wheat flour from Rs.65–70 rupees to Rs.200 rupees.
A 450-gram loaf of bread went from Rs.60 rupees in January to Rs. 150 while a kilo of chicken rose from Rs.750 rupees to Rs.1300 rupees. A kilo packet of milk power has gone from Rs. 1,345 rupees to Rs.1,945.
Official food inflation stood at 57.4% in May, the highest ever year-on-year food prices ever recorded since 2004.
Advocata Institute’s Bath Curry Indicator (BCI), which tracks changes in the retail price of food, also recorded its highest ever increase of 71% from May 2021 to May 2022 and an increase of 13% over the past month.
It said this is the largest ever increase in food prices since the index started measuring a basket of commonly consumed food items from 2019.
With food prices increasing at this rate, a family that had to spend Rs. 1140 for a week of food in May 2019, now has to spend Rs 1940 to consume the same basket of food items.
The BCI uses the Pettah retail price for its calculation. Similarly, prices for the same basket in supermarkets for the same basket of goods have nearly doubled since May 2020.
The Colombo consumer price index that looks at overall inflation, stood at 39% in May 2022. This is the highest inflation rate recorded for the past 70 years.


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May 8th, 15MINI John Cooper Works new mega gallery released, UK pricing announced
MINI has released the UK pricing information about the MINI John Cooper Works, as well as a new high-resolution gallery with 205 photos
Mar 2nd, 132013 MINI John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4 Dakar special edition announced
MINI is celebrating their Dakar Rally win by introducing a John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4 Dakar Winner 2013 special edition.
Dec 13th, 122013 MINI Paceman John Cooper Works officially revealed
MINI has officially revealed the 2013 Paceman John Cooper Works (JCW), following yesterday's leak.
Dec 12th, 12MINI Paceman John Cooper Works breaks cover
These are the first photos of the upcoming MINI Paceman John Cooper Works. Has the JCW Countryman's engine
Aug 14th, 12AC Schnitzer Raptor tackles the Hockenheim [video]
AC Schnitzer has already unveiled their MINI JCW Coupe-based Raptor, but here's a new video of the car setting an impressive lap at the Hockenheim.
Jul 27th, 12MINI Cooper JCW GP II laps the Nurburgring in 8:23 [video]
The sportiest road-legal MINI ever made, the Cooper JCW GP II, has managed to take a lap of the Nurburgring in 8 minutes and 23 seconds, making it faster than some very serious sports cars.
Jun 15th, 12AC Schnitzer RAPTOR is the fastest MINI [video]
Saying you've got the fastest MINI is quite a bold claim to make. But somehow, after looking at the results of the 2012 Tuner Grand Prix hosted by Sport Auto magazine, it doesn't seem so unbelievable.
May 19th, 12MINI John Cooper Works lineup gets a new engine
MINI has introduced a new engine for their JCW lineup. It promises reduced fuel consumption and emissions.
Jan 27th, 12MINI to turn JCW into a sub-brand - report
MINI's John Cooper Works (JCW) could soon become a proper sub-brand like BMW M GmbH. Learn more inside
Jul 7th, 11MINI Countryman JCW spied at the Nürburgring
A year after the first photos leaked, spy photographers have caught the MINI Countryman John Cooper Works (JCW) at the Nürburgring.
Jun 21st, 112012 MINI Coupe revealed - official photos and videos
MINI introduces new Coupé sport model with four variants including a range-topping JCW Coupé.
Jun 16th, 11AC Schnitzer Eagle based on MINI John Cooper Works [video]
German tuner claims the Eagle is the fastest MINI around that boasts a Hockenheim lap time which beats models such as the BMW M3 and the Porsche 911 Carrera S.
Jun 10th, 11BMW Group boss sees a future MINI lineup of 10 models
MINI brand will share a new platform with BMW where future FWD models such as the next-generation MINI will be made.
Jun 6th, 11MINI Coupe tentatively revealed - official details released
MINI Cooper Coupe comes in 4 different (engine) variants including the range-topping John Cooper Works edition.
Feb 8th, 11Upgraded John Cooper Works Pack for 2011 MINI
Tuning package from JCW includes a body kit and performance upgrades for certain models.
Feb 7th, 11MINI Cooper JCW by CoverEFX
CoverEFX has unveiled a Louis Vuitton-inspired tuning program for the MINI Cooper JCW.
May 4th, 10Nowack tunes MINI Cooper S and JCW up to 260 PS
German tuner adds a stainless-steel sport exhaust system and remaps the ECU to turn the Cooper S and Cooper S JCW into a serious little sports car.
Apr 15th, 10MINI JCW World Championship 50 Edition confirmed for U.S.
MINI has announced plans to offer the John Cooper Works (JCW) World Championship 50 Edition in the United States. It will be priced at a staggering $40,300.
Apr 30th, 09Mini Cooper JCW F1 Special Edition in the Works?
British Racing Green color with White Pepper roof and side mirrors distinguishes this MINI John Cooper F1. The special edition model is meant to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Cooper Car Company taking the F1 manufacturers crown back in 1959.
Mar 17th, 09All Mini Models to get JCW Treatment?
MINI is currently testing performance versions of the Cross SUV at Nurburgring but won't say whether it will be a JCW edition. JCW is MINI's official tuning partner and lends its name to performance versions of MINI models.


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The Obama administration has vetoed a sales and import ban on some models of Apple's iPhone 4 and iPad 2 that had been scheduled to go into effect on Sunday, August 4th. On Saturday, White House Trade Representative Michael Froman overturned the U.S. International Trade Commission's ban citing concerns that the patent in question was a standards-essential patent (SEP).
This is the first such veto from the White House since Ronald Reagan's administration overturned a veto ban in 1987. That ban involved Samsung memory chips.
The U.S. Presidential Seal
In a letter explaining his decision, which was published by The Wall Street Journal, , Mr. Froman said that he "strongly shared" the "substantial concerns" laid out in a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Policy Statement over the practice of using SEPs to gain import bans.
We'll break down his argument in an easily digestible format:
- SEP holders commit to licensing those SEPs on a fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory basis (FRAND).
- FRAND terms are not defined, regulated, or codified.
- Once accepted into a technology standard, SEP holders can use import bans to get higher licensing terms—terms that are essentially not FRAND—than they would have been able to get otherwise.
- There have been increasing occurrences of this happening, and it needs to stop.
- Samsung is welcome to continue pursuing its claims against Apple in the U.S. court system.
Unstated in that last bullet point is that Samsung has had no more luck there trying to assert its SEPs against Apple than it has anywhere else in the world.
Mr. Froman also said that he consulted with all of the interested parties in the case, including the DOJ and Federal Trade Commission.
Commenting on the case to The WSJ, former FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said, "When a company agrees to license what is known as a standard-essential patent at fair and reasonable terms, it shouldn't be able to ban importation of a product into the United States simply because it wants a better deal."
Samsung issued a statement condemning the decisions, saying, "We are disappointed that the U.S. Trade Representative has decided to set aside the exclusion order issued by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). The ITC’s decision correctly recognized that Samsung has been negotiating in good faith and that Apple remains unwilling to take a license."
Image courtesy of Shutterstock.


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GOODS AND SERVICES TAX NETWORK
View: Government should lift the conventional veil of secrecy in Budget-making
Publishing a pre-Budget document will improve transparency and help evaluate measures better.
Businesses to declare mismatch in GST returns form, outward supplies in annual returns: Finance Ministry
While form GSTR-1 is an account of d...
Good time to start accumulating mid, smallcap stocks: Mahesh Patil
One has to see how things move up in the economy in the next couple of qua...
535 cases of fake invoices involving ITC claims of Rs 2,565 cr detected in current fiscal
In 2018-19, 1,620 cases of fake invoices were registered involving fraudulent ITC claim of Rs 11,251 crore under the goods and services tax (GST). As many as 154 persons were arrested.
Birthday wishes: industry wants it simpler and all-encompassing
The CII wanted a reduction of the number of GST slabs to "two or three" as well as make keep the 28% slab to only include “de-merit goods.”
Consider steps to reduce transaction cost, improve ease of doing biz: Commodity market players to FM
CPAI is the apex pan-India association of participants in commodity exchanges and commodity derivative segments.
Bogus IGST refund claims: Government to verify exporters' claims before sanctioning
Tax experts said the move to verify the refund claims would delay the process of refund issuances to exporters.
Sitharaman-led first GST Council meet to decide on tax cut on e-vehicles, NAA extension
The GST Council will on Friday consider slashing GST rate on electric vehicles to 5 per cent, from 12 per cent currently, along with extensi...
5 reasonably valued stocks that are good bets during slowdown
Stocks with stronger return ratios and healthier business potential are good bets during a slowdown.
FMCG, pharma cos to contest retro tax
Top FMCG and pharma companies are planning to move the courts as they face retrospective tax on discounts offered since 2017
Non-residents, not-ordinarily residents in tax tangle: Experts
"CBDT may need to clarify reporting requirement for unlisted equity shares in foreign companies for NR/NOR,” said Sonu Iyer, tax partner and people advisory services leader at EY India.
Soon, GST taxpayers will get 'risk scores'
An extensive plan is being worked out even though annual return filings has been postponed by two months to August 31.
Focus on reforms, reviving investments will return Indian economy to expansion mode: DBS
Regarding reforms DBS said, rather that rollout of another bunch of fresh reforms, there is value in ensuring efficient and effective implementation of the already announced measures.
There’s no slump in demand for phones and white goods
Sales of smartphones and white good have grown at a faster clip in the six months from Jan to June.
Telangana nets Rs 36,000 crore revenue through GST, 4% of India's revenue
Telangana notched up a high Rs 36,212 cr gst revenue in 2018-19 financial year, accruing 4% of overall GST revenues in the country.
Copyright © 2019 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service


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London Stansted will open up the UK’s only direct service to the Senegalese capital, Dakar, from this summer, boosting tourism and trade links for the East of England and London.
Air Senegal, who has chosen London Stansted for its first ever UK service, will operate three flights a week starting on June 26 to the city made famous by the historic long-distance rally.
The news has been welcomed by organisations and businesses in the region who say the flight will give local firms the chance to develop new trade and investment opportunities.
The route will also benefit the 400,000 people in London Stansted’s catchment area who currently travel to Dakar and other key African cities from other UK airports.
London Stansted’s Chief Commercial Officer, Aboudy Nasser, said: “We are delighted that Air Senegal has chosen London Stansted for their first and only direct service from the UK to Dakar. It’s another new long-haul destination to add to London Stansted’s departure boards which will connect people and businesses from the region to a new and important market.
“We know that 400,000 people in London Stansted’s catchment area currently travel to Dakar and other African cities every year from other UK airports, so this new service will not only provide greater choice but help cut down unnecessary journeys. The flight will also provide people and businesses the opportunity to connect onto flights to several countries across Africa via its Dakar hub, including the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Mali, Republic of Guinea and Nigeria.”
Peter Manning OBE, Head of Essex International said: “I would encourage businesses in our region to use the launch of this new air route to Dakar as an opportunity to take a closer look at the vast continent of Africa as a potential new export and investment market. The UK-Africa Summit held just this January focused on sectors where our region has particular strengths, such as renewable energy, housing and technology. Plus, we have the unmatched resources of the City of London to finance projects.”
Dr. Ann Limb, chair of the London Stansted Cambridge Consortium (lSCC), said: “As one of the fastest growing regions in the UK and a key global growth area for life sciences and med tech, this latest new service from London Stansted Airport is a major boost for the London – Cambridge Innovation Corridor.”
Bolaji Sofoluwe, Managing Director ETK Group, the Africa market entry advisory company based in Colchester, said: “A direct route to francophone Africa will create a brand-new range of opportunities for businesses in our region. It is also a great link for Africans in diaspora to the Western part of the continent. We fully support this strategic decision by Air Senegal.”


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I’ve never had the stuff and maybe it’s much better than I think it is,but I tend to question the sanity of people who pay for the privilege of eating food from a 7-Eleven. Maybe that offends some of the convenience store connoisseurs in the crowd and for that I apologize, but Stephanie Hicks here isn’t doing a whole lot to make me reconsider my approach.
The employee told police that Stephanie L. Hicks had entered the Melbourne store just before 2 a.m. last Thursday, the Palm Bay Daily reported.
She had ordered a sandwich and a cup of nacho cheese.
When asked not to open the hot cheese dispenser, Hicks, 31, replied she didn’t like the employee’s attitude, Palm Bay Daily stated.
The clerk’s feelings were mutual, and she denied her service.
Hicks, just 5-foot-3 and 95 pounds, responded by chucking the full cup of steamy cheese at her.
The clerk, understandably upset, told Hicks she was calling police, to which Hicks responded that “the customer is always right.”
Apparently confident in that position and the centuries of legal precedent on which it was built, Hicks actually waited for police to arrive. Why start acting logically now, I suppose. When they did and had a chance to speak to the clerk and review the film from the security camera, Hicks was arrested and charged with battery. Yes, the fact that there was no mention of intoxication scares me too, you guys.


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The coronavirus has impacted driving nationwide and around the world, but the degree of its impact has varied quite a bit by state here in the US. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued…Read more
Tips for buying a car during coronavirus
The car industry is facing unprecedented challenges in the time of COVID-19, with many Americans coping with fear, uncertainty, and financial anxiety. However, cars are still a necessity in most households. Consumers who venture out to buy a car will find the process has changed considerably…Read more
Americans have a very wide range of ideas on how clean cars should be kept. But concerns about the COVID-19 virus and its transmission have set a new and very high mark for car cleanliness, since the virus can…Read more
Buying a Car During Coronavirus: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Batteries can be drained even when the car is switched off if electrical items remain active (alarms, for example). Taken to the extreme, this could mean your car will fail to start just at the moment you need it. If your car is parked on property you own, you can overcome this danger by plugging into a “trickle charger,” which keeps the battery charged via a conventional wall socket. Failing that, you should start your car and run it for 15 to 20 minutes once a week or so. That will top off the battery as well as circulate fluids around the engine. Running the air-conditioning at the same time will help prevent mold from developing within your system.
- When a car’s brakes aren’t used for a prolonged period, they can begin to rust on the surface. This in turn can make them noisy and cause them to seize. To prevent this from happening, roll the car backward and forward a few times. If you’re parked on private land and it’s flat, you can also leave the emergency brake off to prevent it from seizing. Be sure to leave the car in gear to prevent it from moving.
- By rolling your car a few meters you can help prevent the tires from developing flat spots.
If a consumer needs to replace their vehicle, and concerned about their job security and financial well-being, a lease is a great option to keep monthly payments low. Consumers should also look at the used vehicle market. With used vehicle prices falling, vehicles sitting on dealer lots, consumers may find a great deal on a used vehicle that has already depreciated.
Vehicles that will get a minor update, such as the Chevrolet Traverse, may get pushed back to 2022. While there may be a model year 2021 vehicle, the timing cycle for minor product updates may get pushed back as both automotive companies and suppliers stop production. Automotive companies will do what they can to avoid delays. However, when plants shut down for 3-5 weeks, they can still stay on track for most model launches. However, if production delays extend for months, it may be harder to stay on track.


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At least one of the “fake work” stories may be true.
One TikToker claims on the platform that as a former employee of Meta, she had to work very hard to – well, find work, by insiders.
“They were like hoarding us, like Pokemon cards,” said Britney Levy in the video. “You had to fight to find work.”
Meta, like other tech companies, went on a hiring spree during the pandemic as it faced massive demand for its products and services while people were trapped inside.
meta said it had 44,942 employees as of December 31, 2019. At the end of 2021, the company had noted 71,970 employees in its annual report and wrote it “expect[ed] The growth in the workforce will continue for the foreseeable future.”
But after the Federal Reserve hiked rates and consumer habits changed, Meta and similar companies, including Amazon and Google, suffered a hard landing — and layoffs.
Related: More than 1,600 tech workers will be laid off per day on average by 2023, according to a new report
Meta then said 2023 would be a “year of efficiency” after laying off 11,000 people in November. The company announced more layoffs this week that will affect an additional 10,000 people.
At an event earlier this month, Keith Rabois, a general partner at Founders Fund, added to the criticism that Meta was overloaded.
“There’s nothing for these people to do — they’re real — it’s all fake work,” he said.
As an insider Previously reported, after being fired in 2022, Levy refused to sign the termination agreement because she wanted to be able to discuss her experience with the company. (The outlet verified her job status and layoff.)
Levy, 35, was hired through Meta’s “Sourcer Development Program,” which sought to recruit workers from underrepresented backgrounds. Levy, who is Mexican-American, said after being hired she had no work to do. She was fired in November in the first round of layoffs.
Related: ‘Fake work’ was ‘exposed’ by layoffs at Google and Meta, former PayPal executive says
“I was basically ready to fail,” she told the outlet.
“We just sat there,” she added in the video. “It seemed like Meta was hiring so other companies couldn’t have us.”


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With the Year of the Rabbit approaching in 2023, the Parisian brand -
Maje has released its Lunar New Year collection campaign
"Maje Rabbit Girl On The Moon"
Lunar New Year is about moments of reunion and celebration at the end
of the year. To celebrate the Spring Festival ritual with Chinese consumers,
Maje has launched the Year of Rabbit Lunar New Year collection,
bringing classic Chinese elements to the Maje way of wearing -
the knitted sweaters,
the wool coats and French dresses, piecing out a perfect festive outfit for your
reunion moments, but also staying chic and sublime.


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New Delhi CNN Business — Foxconn, one of Apple’s biggest suppliers, is grappling with a major disruption at its largest iPhone assembly factory in China, as anxious workers flee the locked-down facility, according to videos on social media.
The Taiwanese company is racing to contain a Covid outbreak at its campus in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou. On Wednesday, authorities imposed a seven-day lockdown of the area that houses the Foxconn plant, an order that could affect the iPhone maker’s production and shipments.
The lockdown and exodus is putting Foxconn under enormous pressure just before the key holiday shopping season begins and highlights how the country’s strict zero-Covid policy is hurting international business.
“[We] fully understands your desire to return home,” Foxconn told its employees over the weekend, according to a post on the Zhengzhou government’s official WeChat account.
“For employees who voluntarily stay in the area of the company’s factory, the port government and the company will jointly guarantee the… health and safety of everyone,” he added.
Analysts said the chaos in Zhengzhou could jeopardize production at Apple and Foxconn in the coming weeks. Ivan Lam, senior research analyst at Counterpoint, estimated that between 10% and 30% of iPhone 14 production could be affected in the short term if the situation does not stabilize.
The Zhengzhou campus is the world’s largest iPhone factory and typically accounts for up to 85% of iPhone assembly capacity, according to Lam’s estimates.
A Foxconn spokesman told Chinese state media that the company is trying to increase production at other sites.
“Currently, because now is the peak production season… [there is] a high demand for workers,” a Foxconn spokesman told Henan Daily on Monday, adding that the company was “also coordinating backup production capacity at other sites.”
Foxconn and Apple did not respond to a request for comment from CNN.
Shares of Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, fell 2.6 percent on Tuesday.
Videos of many people leaving Zhengzhou on foot have gone viral on Chinese social media in recent days. The city, which has a population of more than 12 million, imposed wide-ranging lockdown measures early last month after dozens of Covid-19 cases were identified.
State media said many Foxconn workers are among those walking miles to escape the city. Calling it “a helpless move for some employees,” a Foxconn director told Yicai media that workers are scared by the spread of the virus at the factory and lack of access to official information.
Foxconn said it was arranging vehicles for employees wishing to return home, according to a post on the Zhengzhou government’s official WeChat account over the weekend.
The company also quadrupled daily bonuses for workers at the plant this month, it said in a post on its official WeChat account on Tuesday.
While these disruptions will affect iPhone production in the short term, analysts say it may not affect Apple’s iPhone shipments in the key holiday season.
“I think in a week or two, things will be back to normal, given the current state,” Lam said.
“They still have a lot of alternative production sites,” he said, adding that Foxconn had already started moving production to other facilities in China, such as in the southern province of Guangdong. “Now things are under control.”
And, as Beijing shows little sign of moving away from its rigid Covid policies, Apple has begun to push production in other countries, including India, to reduce its reliance on China.