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Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Thursday that two retailers were fined S$1,000 each for selling illegally modified electric bicycles. In a press release, LTA said that the e-bikes were illegally modified with throttles that enabled the bikes to reach speeds exceeding 35km/h without the rider having to pedal.
The two retailers have been identified as Lim Geok Kay of Teck Bee Brothers Company at 220 Syed Alwi Road and Chia Thuang Chiew of CPP Trading at Block 731 Yishun Street 72.
LTA said that although electric bicycles are currently allowed on public roads, but, throttles are not allowed on roads. The throttles allows the bicycle to function like a motorcycle, which requires the rider to have a licence
The authorities added that the throttle feature can also be misused, allowing the bicycle to travel faster than 25km/h without pedaling. It said that this poses a safety hazard.
Earlier this year, the Road Traffic Act was amended so that a person could be charged in court for selling a non-compliant electric bicycle, or illegally modifying it for use.
According to reports, the first offenders could be fined up to S$5,000, jailed up to three months or both. The repeat offenders could be fined up to S$1,000, jailed up to six months or both.
LTA also urged members of the public, who spot illegally modified electric bicycles, to alert the authorities at 1800-CALL-LTA (1800-2255-582) or by emailing email@example.com.


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China's largest social media and gaming firm said April-June profit fell to 17.87 billion yuan (2 billion pounds), compared with the 19.67 billion yuan average of 12 analyst estimates compiled by Thomson Reuters. Disappointing second-quarter figures have ramped up fears of a slowdown at the web giant, which has seen its market value shrink by $170 billion to around $400 billion this year.
Actual sales revenue in the Chinese game market was CNY105 billion, an annual rise of 5 percent, shows a report on China's first-half gaming sector that the Work Committee for Game Publishing under the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association released. With over 600 million gamers, China is the world's. Revenue from online games topped 25 billion yuan, up 6 percent year on year.
Tencent surprised investors with its first profit drop in at least a decade - a effect of a freeze on game approvals in China that smothered its pipeline. The Shenzhen-based company relies on new content to draw and keep users on its WeChat messaging service, over which it sells in-game items and advertising to a billion-plus users. Although gaming revenue made up 40 percent of the revenue, it is also the business line that is causing the financial woes.
The game publisher has abruptly pulled a popular Japanese-developed title from its platform just days after its release, as the industry struggles under a almost half-year freeze on approval of all new games. Monthly active users of the latter fell to 222 million in June, from 245 million in February, according to Jefferies.
He said the block follows concern over Tencent's ability to monetize "PlayerUnknown Battleground" (PUBG). "The miss, however, was driven purely by regulatory delays to game approvals, meaning the long-term story for Tencent may well remain intact".
Since the ban, the biggest game of the year, Fortnite has vanished from the web.
Iran will create a national crypto to bust United States sanctions
But though he ruled out talks, Khamenei also ruled out the possibility of war with the United States. European signatories still back the nuclear deal.
- Adjusted earnings, excluding share-based compensation and one-off gains, increased 20% to 19.7 billion yuan. Tencent shares fell 3.6 percent in Hong Kong trading before its New York-traded ADRs plunged as much as 10 percent.
"A lot of games have not been approved", said Lau, adding that the government was aware "the restructuring is now affecting the industry as a whole".
Tencent also said players who purchased "Monster Hunter: World" were entitled to a full refund until August 20.
Chinese gaming company Tencent was ordered to remove the blockbuster title from its PC gaming platform WeGame on Monday following "a large number of complaints" without further elaboration.
Shares of South Africa's Naspers, which owns a 31 percent stake in Tencent, slid 8 percent after the results were announced on Wednesday.

domain: news


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In addition to promoting themselves in traditional and digital media, advertisers also spend their marketing budgets on special events and bling, also known as promotional products. The Advertising Specialty Institute reports that the promotional products industry has recovered since the recession. Marketers are once again buying products to give away and analysts contend that the spending on memorable items can often yield a better cost-per-impression return than media formats like radio and TV.
The 2013 State of the Industry report on promotional products indicates that marketers spend about $19.4 billion every year on items they plan to give away. Some industries have more of a tendency to purchase promotional products. The hospitals/health/medical services sector has long been the top spender, accounting for about 13.8% of the industry’s sales. Other leading industries include education (11%), manufacturing (8.1%), and construction (5.8%). Businesses typically favor specific promotional product categories. T‑shirts, bags and writing instruments are stalwarts with spending on t‑shirts averaging about $2.7 billion each year or about 13.9% of total sales. Marketers pay about $1.69 billion to have bags customized. However, spending on bags is down as electronic items, especially USB drives, have become more popular. Last year, marketers shelled out $1.94 billion on electronic giveaways. Political parties also spend heavily on pins during election years.
Marketers are often seeking to use these items as employee or client gifts, especially around the holidays. However, businesses also spend on promotional goodies in order to celebrate special events or new product lines.
Have you found that distributing promotional products gives your bottom line a boost?[Sources: State of Industry Forecasts. Advertising Specialty Institute. 12 Aug. 2013. Web. 23 Aug. 2013; What ASI is all about? ASIcentral.com. 2013. Web. 23 Aug. 2013]


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Source: Business Insider
Tesla now sells a “bulletproof” t-shirt, referencing the viral moment when the company’s Cybertruck reveal went awry in November. The shirt, which costs $45, has an image of shattered glass on the front and the Cybertruck logo on the back. The reference is a callback to the truck’s launch event, when Tesla’s lead designer accidentally cracked the vehicle’s “armor glass” windows in an effort to prove their durability. Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories. Tesla’s Cybertruck unveil in November hit a roadblock when the vehicle’s “armor glass” windows shattered during a live demonstration. But the company is having a sense of humor about the debacle by launching a new t-shirt referencing that moment. Called the “Cybertruck Bulletproof Tee,” Tesla’s website says the shirt was inspired by the vehicle’s launch event. A graphic showing smashed glass is seen on the front, while the Cybertruck icon is located on the back. The t-shirt is priced at $45 and is expected to ship within two weeks.


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One of the promises of fintech is also its capabilities in reducing the unbanked population, which still makes up about 50% of Southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia, the Phillippines, and Vietnam. Fintech in Indonesia and the Phillippines is already enhancing its services to reach out to the unbanked with Vietnam growing its fintech reach as well…
The current pandemic is leading to increased access to (and need for) digital banking services. As many as 50% of Southeast Asia consumers are unbanked; 70% are either underbanked or unbanked. The Covid-19 outbreak has drastically accelerated SEA’s shift to a cashless world, with unprecedented growth in the number of e-payment transactions amid a sharp..
By any number of key metrics, from internet connections to app downloads, both the volume and the growth of its digital economy now exceed those of most other countries. India is one of the largest and fastest-growing markets for digital consumers, with 560 million internet subscribers in 2018, second only to China. Indian mobile data..
Mastercard and Pine Labs will launch their integrated “pay later” solution in five more South East Asian markets early next year. Mastercard research shows 43% of consumers in the region would be willing to increase spending by at least 15% if they were to pay in instalments.


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There’s been another change in the heavy equipment and trucking sector in Houston thanks to the sale of Pacific Truck & Equipment to Inland Truck and Equipment.
Effective Feb. 29, Inland is taking over Pacific’s location in Houston as well as Smithers.
The purchase will add to Inland’s existing 44 location in western Canada and down through southern California, Arizona and New Mexico.
The purchase marks a return of Inland to the region.
“Through the years, our relationship with the Inland team has remained very positive—even following their departure from the area,” said Pacific Truck & Equipment co-owner Kevin Groot in a release.
“Given that several of Inland’s team members are from the region, their connection here is well-established—and I am happy about welcoming Inland back.”
Inland has already been beefing up its presence in central and northern B.C. with redevelopments in Prince George, Fort St. John and Kamloops.
Inland chief operating officer Andrew Johnston said the Pacific purchase means the company can better serve key industries in Houston and Smithers.
The sale follows the decision by Finning to significantly reduce its Houston presence by closing its shop and office property up for sale.
Some of the Finning employees will stay in the area, working either directly in the field or from a smaller office in town.
The company cited a decline in the resource economy as the reason.


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Tech giant Apple has become the first American company to have a $2 trillion value. Apple did not reach $1 trillion until after their first 42 years of business. They’ve now jumped to $2 trillion just two years later. While many businesses have struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, a large part of this recent $1 trillion came during that time span. As recently as March, Apple actually plunged below $1 trillion when the market crashed. In only five months, they’ve managed to double that number. Many investors have poured money into tech giants believing it to be a safe place to ride out an uncertain market. Their bets have paid off as stocks in other companies, like Amazon and Microsoft, have soared. Moreover, Apples huge increases are surprising as the company has not done much in the way of new products over the last two years. But its dominance over the market has proven to be more than enough.
Blake is a writer focused on non-profits and trade industries. He has told the stories of countless peacebuilders while covering international development with the nonprofit Search for Common Ground. He is a graduate of the George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs.


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Record 2010 revenue could spur more jobs in semiconductor industry
- Patrick O'Grady
Semiconductor hiring may be gearing up again two years after the industry plunged into a dark hole of economic cutbacks.
Globally, the industry has experienced what amounts to a V-shaped recovery. After cutting hard in late 2008 and 2009, last year presented record revenue across the board as consumers and businesses purchased technology devices.
“Companies have been running mean and lean for so long, and you can only do that for so long before you have to hire someone,” said Jim Feldhan, founder and president of Phoenix-based Semico Research Corp.
Much of the hiring is based on increased demand for products amid severe semiconductor sector belt-tightening when the Great Recession bore its full weight on the economy.
Chip sales slid from $255 billion worldwide in 2007 to $248 billion in 2008 and $226 billion in 2009, giving the industry two consecutive down years for the first time, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association.
But the industry came roaring back last year, setting a global revenue record of $298 billion, when market research firms such as Gartner were projecting it would rebound to about $233 billion. Companies were scrambling to boost inventory levels and started either buying other companies or looking for capital investment in new manufacturing.
Intel, which has facilities in Chandler, was among the first to join the hiring binge. The company is investing $6 billion to $8 billion in upgrades to its fabs in Chandler and Oregon to handle new production, and it started advertising for positions the day before that announcement was made. Last week, the company announced it will build a new $5 billion facility, Fab 42, at the Chandler site. Although officials wouldn’t comment on how many jobs it might create, company officials said a fab of that size typically has 1,000 employees.
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Continual inflation has hurt Americans, with roughly two-thirds of them reporting their wages cannot keep up, according to the most recent CNBC All-America Economic Survey.
Only 5% of Americans say their household income is outpacing inflation, with 67% stating it is falling behind and 26% saying it is keeping up, according to CNBC. The vast majority of the public is adjusting their spending habits and lifestyles due to inflation, with 81% saying they are taking measures like reducing entertainment spending and travel or dipping into savings to cover expenses.
Inflation disproportionately impacted working-class Americans, with 51% saying they are working more in order to get by, according to CNBC. Three-quarters of them report they are reducing entertainment and eating out less.
54% of Americans across the board said that the increase in food costs damaged them the most, according to CNBC.
In addition to inflation, hiked interest rates and concerns about a recession have led Americans to reach a new level of pessimism about the economy, according to CNBC. Nearly 69% of them have a negative outlook both currently and for the future, which is the highest percentage in the 17-year history of the survey.
Two-thirds of the public state the country is moving toward a recession or is currently in one, according to CNBC.
The economic pessimism is hurting President Joe Biden’s approval rating, with his overall rating droppingto 39% and his disapproval rating rising to 55% when compared to CNBC’s last survey in November. The public disapproves of Biden’s economic management by a 62% to 24% margin as opposed to 57% to 38% in the previous survey.
The first quarter of 2023 was the fifth consecutive quarter where small business owners perceived inflation as their biggest challenge, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and MetLife’s Small Business Index.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact firstname.lastname@example.org


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Despite Tesla’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) legions of supporters, including the hundreds of thousands who reserved a Model III sedan, there is also a growing faction of naysayers that consider Elon Musk’s enterprise a house of cards on the brink of collapsing. While I would not go quite this far, there are definitely some red flags emerging for Tesla investors as of late, especially given that news of the company missing Model III production by a wide margin has begun to emerge in recent headlines. Notably, however, this has done very little to uproot the stock from its current valuation of around $355 per share, yet it could definitely lead to some serious volatility in Tesla’s future.
Naysayers need only look to Tesla’s P/S ratio in relation to it’s competitors as a means of proving the company’s blatant over-valuation.Tesla stock currently trades at around six times sales, yet by comparison, Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) trades at just 1.5 times sales and General Motors Company (NYSE: GM), which currently hovers at yearly highs, likewise trades at 1.5 times book. Due to this, the production and sales of the Model III is integral to validating Tesla’s inflated stock price, as it is intended to finally show returns for a company that, as of right now, costs so much yet has produced so little.
As such, I propose that shareholders ought to take the worsening developments at Tesla more seriously. At the moment, the media is interpreting that Elon Musk’s tweets imply that Tesla is facing serious supply constraints, due to production scaling problems for the highly-anticipated Model III sedan. If this is indeed the case for the company, then the competitive moat Tesla has over its rivals in the auto-industry may begin to narrow very quickly. That is, Tesla’s first-to-market advantage has allowed the company many years of lead time to steal market share in the electric-vehicle domain, but this could alter in an instant if Tesla fails to meet its high production targets.
Ultimately, production delays should raise cause for concern for Tesla investors, as competitors are quickly snapping at the company’s heels. For instance, both Mercedes-Benz and BMW are wrestling with releasing a luxury-class electric vehicle that will compete effectively against Tesla’s current range. What’s more, both Ford and General Motors, two of Tesla’s biggest competitors in the US market, could catch up with Tesla if Model III production does not begin to pick up at a brisker pace. Ford’s CEO has spoken of plans to pivot the company’s cars away from fuel and toward electricity, and General Motors has hinted at restructuring its electric vehicle strategy in the near future.
Nevertheless, Musk’s enterprise is still by far the most valuable electric-vehicle maker in the world insofar that it is well ahead of the competition in terms of it’s advanced automotive technology, so much so that consumers have been reserving Model III orders by the masses. Yet the slow initial production for the affordable Model III should definitely unnerve Tesla investors, as the stock seems to remain valued with the assumption that Tesla will continue growing its market share while keeping competitors out, despite warnings of serious production delays ahead. The notion of Tesla continuing to maintain it’s market-share in the electric-vehicle domain is most certainly at risk until the company ramps up Model III production, so until then, it is advisable to tread carefully when considering Tesla stock.


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Sainsburyâ€™s Hackathon Showcases Digital Lab To Improve Customer Services
In September 2015 Sainsbury’s digital lab hosted a hackathon, where the scene was set by the food commercial director Paul Mills-Hicks virtually roaming around the room, remotely using videoconferencing software on an iPad attached to a Segway.
Sainsbury's digital lab was developed earlier in 2015 to house 180 developers and designers to work on technology for in-store and online use.
The hackathon was designed to bring together the technology teams and the wider organisation.
Employees across the company submitted ideas for systems that would fix a problem or improve customer-facing services.
Jon Rudoe, digital and technology director for Sainsbury’s said: “It’s an example of a real change and transformation of how we make technology.”...


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Google has been secretly building a new OS which is not based on Linux operating system and the rumors of the OS have again started to take some grounds. It was previously rumored that Google has been working on a new Operating system and there were some reports at that time as well that this OS could replace Android but this didn’t turn out to be true. Though, the OS has been in its developement and Google is planning something for this OS. This operating system has been named as Fuchsia OS. This OS is based on ‘Magenta’ kernel which is built by Google in-house and not on Linux Kernel on which Android as well as Chrome OS are built.
Now, we have some more reports in the form of images and video which show that the new operating system from Google, the Fuchsia OS is indeed in developement. This OS has not been optimized much but we can see that the OS has a Google Now cards like UI which can be scrolled up and down to see the events and happenings. The UI is called ‘ Armadillo’ and is built using Google’s Flutter SDK, which is widely used to create code that can run on multiple operating systems like iOS, Android and now Fuchsia.
Here is a short video of the Fuchsia OS’ Armadillo UI shown off in action hands-on
List of Devices which are expected to get Fuchsia OS.
Armadillo seems to be an OS for both smartphones and tablets built around a card-based system for managing applications. The UI includes some Google Now-esque suggestions and also allows for the cards to be dragged around and used in a split-screen format.
The home screen is basically just a vertically scrolling lost of cards – there’s a central card with a profile picture, date, city name and a battery icon. Above that exist the ‘Story’ cards which are nothing but a list of recently used applications. Below the central card exists a Google Now style list of suggestions.
The Google documentation also states that the Magenta’ targets “modern phones and modern personal computers with fast processors, non-trivial amounts of RAM with arbitrary peripherals doing open-ended computation”. This means that the OS will target most of the flagship devices from the past years as well.
Google’s Fuchsia OS is still in the early developement stages and the OS has not been polished just yet. Google has also not given any hints of releasing the Fuchsia OS. We expect Google to release the OS in the near future but it may not replace Android OS entirely.


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Following the brand’s controversies in the past few years over labour rights violations, Starbucks is once again under fire from its unions for an alleged “no decorations” policy as Pride month in the US begins. This comes at a sensitive time in the US as many companies have been boycotted for supporting LGBTQ+ causes and states have passed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. While Starbucks denies corporate policy changes on decorations and insists it supports LGBTQ+ causes, this most recent incident shows brands are still struggling to navigate and assess the potential impact of cancel culture on social media and in real life.
Starbucks is no stranger to cancel culture controversies, having been scrutinised for the mistreatment of labour unions in recent years. But the company enjoyed a positive Q2 2023, with earnings beating analysts’ expectations and same-store sales climbing 12% in the US. GlobalData’s 2022 Q3 consumer survey reveals that 46% of Americans strongly or somewhat agree that they will stop buying products from a brand if its values don’t align with their personal beliefs, yet many large companies such as Starbucks that have been implicated in controversy continue to perform well.
Why cancel culture is significant
This suggests a possible disconnect for some consumers between their intentions and actions. But brands should not trivialise controversies which do still alienate certain consumer groups and potential customers. The current economic climate is making it difficult for many foodservice operators to retain a steady flow of customers and stay afloat, making inclusivity of all demographics more crucial than ever.
With specific regard to coffee and tea shops, the first column graph above shows that younger generations – Gen Z and Millennials – are more frequent visitors than older generations. Younger generations are also typically more willing to pay more for products and services supporting social causes such as sexual orientation equality. This shows that while the majority of consumers may not necessarily boycott brands, companies are missing out on opportunities for extra revenue from key customers when they fail to resonate with consumers’ personal beliefs and values.
Recent issues surrounding LGBTQ+ rights in the US are undoubtedly putting brands in a difficult position, as opposing groups are keen to criticise any stance that companies choose to take. Budweiser’s recent U-turn on an endorsement partnership with a transgender influencer – which was seemingly replaced by a pro-America advert – demonstrates the risks when companies fail to commit to certain causes and values. Budweiser’s hasty attempts to avoid further controversy and reverse its narrative also signaled a lack of sincerity, and therefore damaged its brand identity and consumer engagement in the medium to long term.
The key takeaway from these incidents is that while foodservice and consumer brands cannot afford to alienate key demographics, they must make full and carefully considered commitments to social causes to increase customer loyalty and open up more meaningful marketing opportunities.
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Everybody understands the purpose of bulk-buying: prospects who place a big order for a similar merchandise count on to be rewarded with reductions. However whereas that works effectively for corporations, it’s not an strategy that’s usually out there to particular person customers doing their grocery consumers. Till now, that’s. Step ahead Pakistan’s DealCart.
The Karachi-based ecommerce start-up, which is at present saying a $4.5 million funding spherical, is all in regards to the energy of the neighborhood. Utilizing its web site to put orders for staple gadgets, customers can band collectively as a way to place a bulk order and safe a reduction from suppliers.
Launched in March, DealCart has already attracted 50,000 Pakistani consumers and facilitated 40,000 transactions, clarify co-founders Haider Raza and Ammar Naveed. The typical saving on every buy made by way of the location up to now has been 22%.
“We’re having an actual social influence,” says Raza. “In lots of Pakistani households, households are spending greater than half of their earnings on groceries, so something we will do to assist them lower your expenses is important.” The purpose is underlined by the information on the top-selling gadgets on DealCart up to now: staples together with cooking oil, tea, milk and child merchandise all characteristic extremely.
The precept may be very simple. Shoppers be part of DealCart by downloading its app to their telephones and may then begin purchasing. For every merchandise they need to purchase, they will ask different DealCart customers in want of the merchandise – in addition to associates, household and contacts on social media – whether or not they need to be part of a bunch as a way to enhance their buying energy. So long as the group consists of at the least 4 folks, the provider will supply a cheaper price than the patron would in any other case have paid.
It is a mannequin that offers DealCart sure benefits in addition to benefiting the patron, explains Naveed. “It’s within the curiosity of customers to recruit to their teams so our buyer acquisition prices are low, and we will cross on that saving,” he says. “We’re not within the fast commerce market, so we will mixture demand and optimise our logistics prices; we’re additionally direct to client, so there are not any middleman prices for us to fret about.”
Suppliers are eager too, the founder says – significantly these small and medium enterprises struggling to scale their companies. DealCart offers them with a path to the mass market that was beforehand off-limits and offers them a technique to goal the nationwide market quite than native prospects solely.
Whereas the enterprise has made a powerful begin, Raza and Naveed imagine they’ve solely scratched the floor up to now. Pakistan has 220 million folks, they level out, however ecommerce take-up has been very restricted – largely as a result of suppliers have targeted on speedy supply quite than worth competitiveness. By providing households the chance to save lots of on groceries by way of an ecommerce platform, DealCart believes it will probably persuade Pakistanis of the deserves of purchasing on-line. The founders imagine their whole addressable market is price as a lot as $60 billion.
Shoppers are prepared, says Raza. “Pakistan has not too long ago seen a surge in social media customers, a phenomenon that typically precedes these customers transacting on-line for his or her every day wants,” he says. “We will use this chance to allow extra folks to get entry to their favorite manufacturers at extraordinarily reasonably priced costs.”
It’s comparatively early days for the corporate, which continues to be experimenting with its worth proposition. There may be scope to supply bigger reductions to larger teams, for instance, and the founders are additionally satisfied methods equivalent to gamification might have a significant function to play of their future success.
Nonetheless, traders are excited. The corporate’s pre-seed funding spherical is led by Shorooq Companions, with participation from Fatima Gobi Ventures, Vibe Capital, 500 Startups, i2i Ventures, Julian Shapiro, Rally Cap Ventures, and a number of other strategic angel traders.
“Given the broader macro setting and the rising price of residing seen internationally, there may be larger demand for options like DealCart which can be enabling entry to reasonably priced every day requirements,” says Ali Mukhtar, basic accomplice at a kind of traders, Fatima Gobi. It’s an essential level – whereas the corporate’s precedence for the following 12 to 18 months is to construct out its operation in Pakistan, the founders see potential to broaden throughout the area and past.
Within the meantime, the extra monetary firepower the enterprise has secured will enable it to make additional investments in its know-how stack, as a way to give it the resilience required to underpin a speedy scale-up course of. The corporate can be within the means of recruiting a senior management crew, with new hires in product improvement and engineering becoming a member of shortly.


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Starbucks CEO: I don't drink Starbucks, the best coffee is made at home
Explains a lot; Also, MSN advises not buying Starbucks stocks at the moment!
(no, it's not about food), launched a Dump Starbucks campaign recently after it (Starbucks, not #NOM
) got involved in politics, when it (Starbucks, not#NOM
) had claimed to its non-American customers that it did no such thing.
According to the Dumpers in this relationship, that is: #NOM
, Starbucks calls their employees partners, and has endorsed lifelong same sex partnerships, even demanding they be written into law. #NOM
says Starbucks coffee is gay, and therefore should be dumped...
Gay, in modern American slang means pathetic... the exact opposite of that being what the word meant a few decades before, when it meant invigoratingly happy. Unfortunately Starbucks associating its coffee with gayness, is not the reason for the change in the word meaning.
It's been an unhappy bitter move, for Starbucks, in associating their coffee with the word gay, as they missed the generation gap, and are not up and about with the hippitihop lingo of this century. They also neglected to endorse polygamy... despite having more Partners than Jacob Zuma.
In their latest marketing blunder, the Starbucks CEo says that the best coffee is not only French but home brewed...
So be certain to um... dump Starbucks, not just because they (Starbucks, not similarly named Dump Starbucks) are more polygamous than a Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints church member on steroids, but because they (Starbucks and their CEO) say it's better for you... they don't need you and you don't need them ;)!~
And when you are deliciousnessing on your home made brew...
(referring to the food, not the conservatives, who have recently become interested in food... well burnt coffee anyway)
Daily Mail | 'Not exactly the best advert: CEO of Starbucks says 'best cup of coffee known to mankind' is made at home with a simple French press' by JILL REILLY at PUBLISHED: 14:07 GMT, 16 April 2012 | UPDATED: 07:49 GMT, 17 April 2012 UK Time
'The chairman and CEO of Starbucks, has controversially admitted that the best way to make a cup of coffee - is not his brand's way.
Howard Schultz says he uses a Bodum French press - a coffee presser brand - which results in 'the best cup of coffee known to mankind.'
This means if Mr Schultz uses a 1lb bag of Starbucks coffee beans, it works out roughly 46 cents, compared to the $2.01 coffee drinkers in Manhattan pay for a small americano in store.
In an interview with Business Week, Mr Schultz explains that the French press brings out 'oils, flavor and essence of blends.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2130468/CEO-Starbucks-says-best-cup-coffee-known-mankind-home-simple-French-press.html#ixzz1sNyCmwJc
And why Starbucks investors may want to #DumpStarbucks
for business reasons:
MSN Money | 'Is trouble brewing for Starbucks?
It won't take much for this highflying stock's price to cool off.' by InvestorPlace at 12:50 PM USA time
'There are four reasons to make a bearish argument on SBUX right now:
First, I have some concerns about recent insider selling. Five company insiders -- CEO Howard Schultz, officer Paula Boggs, officer Clifford Burrows, director Mellody L. Hobson, and officer Troy Alstead -- have been recent heavy sellers on the open market in the $51 to $53 range. Schultz alone has sold more than $74 million worth of stock since March 13. The stock price is now about 15% higher than where these execs sold. If multiple insiders are nervous at these levels, shouldn't investors be as well?
Second, the technical indicators are overbought -- with a relative strength index (RSI) of around 70 (accounting for Monday's sell-off) and a stochastic of around 90. While overbought does not mean done, it does mean that investors who are long need to tighten their stops and those who are contemplating a purchase should consider waiting for a better opportunity.
Third, Starbucks has decided to expand its core business by taking on Green Mountain with single-serving coffee makers and Jamba Juice (JMBA 0.00%) with a new juice line. When a company begins to deviate from its main product line, it's taking on a greater risk. What happens if consumers don't like the coffee makers or the juice?
Fourth, right now, the price-earnings multiple of SBUX is about 36. While some companies can survive a high P/E for a while, it's not the best time to be chasing a stock.
Then there are the unknowns, such as high gasoline prices and a possible recession in Europe. While markets can climb a wall of worry, I don't want to own a company that sells a nonessential product while consumers figure out how to fill up their cars without busting their budgets.
So for me, Starbucks is a stock to admire -- but definitely not one to own at current levels. It wouldn't surprise me to see it go a little higher, and there are options plays to set up for a possible fall. However, for the moment, rather than assume SBUX can keep climbing, I'd rather sit back with a nice cup of coffee and peer through my charts for a better opportunity.'


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Russia’s VKontakte, a social network owned by mail.ru Group, has announced it will start connecting to alibaba’s AliExpress in its mobile apps, according to media reports.
Through this partnership, Russian users can purchase goods from China through the VKontakte app or through the pages in their browsers without additional authorization. Users can search aliexpress products, place orders and complete payments without leaving the VK app. In the future, VK plans to build new social e-commerce products with aliexpress, including the user shopping experience, and add Russian sellers and manufacturers to the platform.
Aliexpress can be found in the “services” menu of VK mobile client. Open VK to the personal homepage interface, and you will see the new aliexpress module at the bottom. Directly click enter to enter the aliexpress interface.
Users can click on the products they want to purchase or search directly in the search bar. To make a purchase, they can log in their aliexpress account and link their AilExpress account to the VK page.
In the payment interface, users can use VK Pay built-in wallet, bank card or other payment methods in electronic wallet to complete the experience of aliexpress shopping directly on VK.
E-commerce retail accounts for only 4% of Total retail sales in Russia, but Mail.ru believes the partnership with Alibaba will boost activity in the Russian online shopping market. Boris Dobrodeyev, mail.ru’s chief executive, said VK, which has 97 million monthly users, would be able to use VK apps or websites on Aliexpress shopping. In addition to making it easier for Russian consumers to use shopping online, VK can also use technology similar to Tencent’s WeChat messaging service to recommend products and other content.
Back in June, alibaba group announced a joint venture with Russia’s sovereign wealth fund (RDIF), mail.ru, Russia’s largest social networking and IT group, and MegaFon, a Russian integrated telecommunications operator. The joint venture will build a leading social e-commerce project in Russia and the commonwealth of independent states through the integration of resources from all parties.
In fact, the intention to cooperate was first announced during the 4th Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, last September. The joint venture, called AliExpress Russia, will include the Russian operations of AliExpress, Alibaba’s cross-border e-commerce platform, according to media reports at the time.
Aliexpress, Alibaba’s cross-border e-commerce platform, has about 20 million users in Russia, and the number of cross-border shoppers is likely to increase further as Russia’s postal service improves its logistics system, especially in Vladivostok and routes to Siberia and the Urals.
Notably, one of the joint venture’s investors, Mail.ru, owns VK, Russia’s largest social platform. Alibaba has also said that the cooperation with VK will bring a lot of new users to Aliexpress. It is conceivable how much profit this partnership will bring to Aliexpress. This cooperation may be one of the new projects after the multi-party joint venture.
VK.com (formerly Vkontakte.ru, or VK) is a well-known online social networking service in Russia, the most popular social site in Russia. One and a half billion pages are opened every day, more than all the other big websites in the commonwealth of independent states combined, arguably the biggest social networking site in Europe, VK.com has grown to become Russia’s second-largest site after search engine Yandex.


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Netflix could be near its cap for American subscribers, according to PwC’s Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2019–2023 report. With Disney, Apple, and WarnerMedia set to hit the market with their own cheaper streaming services in the fall, PwC projects Netflix will have to turn to global subscribers to keep up.
“The first-mover advantage in streaming video that Netflix has capitalized on to date continues to be eroded, as the industry begins to fragment, with more and more companies entering the market, from pay-TV heavyweights to specialized, niche players,” PwC said.
Earlier this year, Netflix announced it was increasing its subscription prices, a move that some saw as telling for the company’s finances.
2019 could play out to be another record year for streaming services. According to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), video streaming surpassed cable subscriptions for the first time in 2018.
PwC’s report notes that video-on-demand revenue hit $10 billion in 2018 and is projected to increase 12 percent to $17.8 billion in 2023, in tune with more major companies throwing their hats in the video streaming ring.
Streaming companies are not only in a battle for subscribers, but they are also having a content war. Netflix has proven its willingness to shell out loads of dough for original content, especially as it ramps up its efforts for Oscar wins. Netflix spent $8 billion on shows and movies on a profit/loss basis, according to the report. The company is expected to spend nearly $13 billion this year.
As Netflix focuses on its original shows and movies, Disney Plus will hone in on hit titles from across the Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars franchises. The company will build out its original content after its initial launch this fall. Apple is teaming up with big names like Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry to launch an original docuseries and other shows for its platform Apple TV Plus.
Netflix will have to find new ways to keep its current subscribers while also luring in new customers, which could prove difficult. As the company nears its U.S. cap, it is likely to turn to new strategies internationally.


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Multinational computer technology giant Dell has announced it is now accepting bitcoin from their US customers through a partnership with Coinbase. Dell is now the biggest company accepting bitcoin.
Following today’s announcement, consumers and small business owners in USA are able to purchase all items on Dell.com using bitcoin. To promote the news, the company is offering a 10% discount on all Alienware-brand products to bitcoin buyers. Dell also sells personal computers, servers, data storage devices, cameras and printers.
In a blog post on the announcement, Coinbase indicated that Dell is seeking to provide customers with greater payment flexibility. Once the decision to accept bitcoin was reached, the company moved quickly – implementing payments on the site in just two weeks. Dell CIO Paul Walsh said:
“It is always our goal to respond quickly to our customers and ensure their needs are met. Partnering with Coinbase to implement this solution in 14 days is a prime example of the new, more agile Dell.”
Additional questions centered on the security of bitcoin, with the company noting:
“There are thousands of computers (‘miners’) constantly running software to ensure the safety of the bitcoin network, which has never once been compromised.”
Dell further released a ‘Terms and Conditions‘ page detailing its policies for bitcoin buyers. The company noted that should a purchase qualify for a refund, “any refund due will be remitted to the purchaser via check in US Dollars for the full amount of the purchase price paid at the time of the original transaction, less any applicable restocking fee”.
Refunds for mispayments will be sent to user Coinbase accounts. Those who aren’t able to access a Coinbase account will not be able to receive a refund for missed payment, the company said.
Computer Technology Giant Dell Now Accepts Bitcoin


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Both civil liberties activists and a prominent child protection advocate have criticized the European Commission's Coalition for Safer Internet. The results of the coalition were released to mark Safer Internet Day on Tuesday.
Hailo, the U.K.-based developer of taxi-hailing mobile apps, has landed fresh investment from KDDI, one of Japan's largest mobile operators.
Microsoft is collaborating with the Kenyan government and a local Internet service provider to provide broadband access using TV white spaces and solar-powered base stations, as part of a long-term strategy to spread mobile telephony and Internet con...
Apple modders can rejoice: The latest jailbreak software for iOS 6 was released on Monday.
Japanese telecom operator NTT DoCoMo has licensed a next-generation video compression technology called HEVC for use in future smartphones, where it could improve image quality and lessen network load.
Apple topped Samsung as the leading cellphone vendor in the U.S. in the last three months of the year to become the number-one U.S. vendor by volume for the first time, according to data published on Friday by Strategy Analysis.
The maker of the Path social networking app will pay a US$800,000 civil penalty to settle U.S. Federal Trade Commission charges that it illegally collected personal information from children without parental consent, the agency said Friday.
Mobile app developers should provide real-time disclosures to users on the personal information they collect and get permission to collect sensitive information, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has recommended.
Hewlett-Packard researchers are developing a cloud-based "avatar" to manage all of a user's mobile devices and wireless networks.
On Jan. 13, local developer Wang Jun found that downloads for his app had suddenly skyrocketed, totaling 58,000 in a single day.
Apple software hackers unveiled a website late Wednesday where the latest untethered jailbreak is expected to be released soon.
Russian search giant Yandex is temporarily suspending the development of its Wonder social discovery app just one week after Facebook blocked the app's access to its API data.
BlackBerry 10 launches today, but the firm's European MD adopted a bizarre strategy in promotional interviews this morning.
MacroSolve, an Oklahoma company focused on enforcing its patents, has added Sears to a growing list of companies it has targeted with patent infringement lawsuits, it said Wednesday.
Research In Motion is changing its name to BlackBerry, a move it hopes will signify a fresh start for the company.
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Supply chain pressures and rising costs are the latest pandemic-related impacts affecting fruit and vegetable growers. And while we’re by far not the only sector of the provincial or the national economy dealing with these challenges, as growers we are among the least able to respond to them.
We all know that our industry is one of price takers. In today’s global marketplace, we have very little if any opportunity to pass increased costs at that farm level on to consumers. That means that every price increase to our businesses makes it that much harder for growers to stay profitable or competitive.
Consumers are seeing higher prices at the grocery store, but those higher prices don’t translate into more revenue for growers - however, we are seeing record profits in the grocer retail sector.
COVID-19 has created health, economic and logistical upheaval around the world, resulting in crippling port congestion, skyrocketing shipping costs, product and service shortages, delivery delays and lack of personnel.
This has an even more significant impact in an industry such as produce that deals with perishable products. While delayed delivery of a container with furniture, for example, is an inconvenience, the furniture will still be sellable when it is finally delivered to its buyer.
With produce, it’s a different story. Any delays in delivery impact the quality of fruits and vegetables, meaning they’re less appealing to consumers, have a shorter shelf life and will more likely end up as food waste instead of being eaten.
A car part shortage is inconvenient when you’re waiting to buy a new vehicle but input shortages in horticulture have a more dramatic impact. When the fresh produce supply chain has trouble getting anything from fertilizer, crop protection products and greenhouse building materials to skids, cardboard and packaging, it impacts not just grower profitability but also ultimately what consumers see in the grocery store - and our food security.
As costs for everything continue to increase, so does the price of produce, making it harder for Canadians to afford healthy food choices. And it’s not just the pandemic that has been contributing to price increases. There are also impacts created by government policy.
For example, the federal carbon tax increases the cost of doing business for everyone, and while our sector is supportive of responsible and sustainable food production, we also need time and support to transition to new technologies and invest in innovation.
Here in Ontario, the recently announced raise in minimum wage levels to $15/hour on January 1, 2022 is yet one more price increase that growers will have to try to absorb. The short notice between announcement and implementation doesn’t leave a lot of time for adjustment, and the nature of unexpected announcements gives growers little stability or predictability in being able to manage their costs.
The minimum wage hike comes on top of significantly higher labour costs that growers have already borne since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic - both to ensure Canadians continue to have access to local food and in hopes of better times ahead.
That included costs for everything from hotel quarantines and PPE to inconsistent regulations from local public health units. Increased distancing and fewer international workers able to come to Canada impacted productivity and workflows, and in extreme cases, resulted in crops that simply did not get harvested.
It’s also important to note that although pandemic-related labour challenges continue for growers, the federal government has ended all related support programs that were helping us absorb some of the losses during these challenging times.
We are seeing fruit and vegetable growers being put in a position of unprofitability and unsustainability at a time when domestic food production should be enhanced, and food sovereignty should be a national security issue.
It’s becoming clear that there are more turbulent times ahead for edible horticulture, and we’ve been working to bring the depth and breadth of the challenges to the attention of the provincial government.
As I write this, we’ve just had a meeting with Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Lisa Thompson, to brief her on how our industry is currently being impacted. She is hearing similar concerns from across the agriculture sector - it’s not just horticulture that is feeling the pinch.
It was a positive first meeting on the issue and we’ve agreed to stay in close communication with OMAFRA and the Minister’s Office as this situation continues to unfold.


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Coming soon to a streaming service near you: Announcements
Reed Hastings was consistent year after year. Whenever someone asked Netflix’s CEO when he would be introducing ads on his streaming service, he insisted it didn’t make sense. Netflix was a better service because there were no ads, he said.
This was when Netflix was growing. Now it’s shrinks – and now Netflix says there will be ads: Last month, after announcing that his company had lost subscribers for the first time in a decade, Hastings told investors he wanted to introduce a cheaper version of the service that would have ads “in a year or two“, although he was unclear on the specifics. “I’m sure we’ll just go in and figure it out.”
There are plenty of things to do. This week, Netflix moved the schedule forward, notifying employees of a ad level could be rolled out before the end of 2022.
All of this underscores a significant shift in the way streaming video companies view their business – and how some people will watch TV and movies. Television advertising, which seemed destined to be a relic, is suddenly very much alive again, even with services that once staked their identity on the absence of advertising. Last year, for example, HBOMax started selling a cheaper tier with ads; Disney+ is adding one of its own this year.
It’s a turning point for an industry that seemed to be moving away from ads as fast as it could, in part because it was following Netflix’s anti-ads lead. But if you take a step back, there are two easily understandable reasons why streamers are embracing ads, willingly or reluctantly:
- Even in 2022, there’s an awful lot of money in TV advertising, and it’s still growing: Media agency Zenith predicts advertisers will spend $65 billion on TV ads this year, up 4% from last year. Even in 2022, people still watch a lot of TV programs. But they’re watching it more and more on streaming services on their TVs — streaming services now account for 30% of time spent on TV, by Nielsen. Advertisers therefore want to fish where the fish are.
- Streaming wars are expensive to fight. Every new service Netflix is chasing is pouring billions into programming to attract and retain subscribers. Previously, networks and studios had multiple ways to make money from programming — commercials, cable TV subscription fees, and syndication — but the new model removed all of those in favor of a license fee. single for consumers. Adding ads is a way to make more money and/or increase profits, which are increasingly important to investors.
What’s a little harder to figure out is why the ad experience on streaming TV — for people who pay for ads and those who have to watch them — is still lousy.
Conventional TV advertisers know exactly when and where their ads are airing, and at least have some sense that they’re reaching a lot of people with a single purchase. But while streaming platforms offer the promise of more data and better targeting, advertisers have to deal with a bewildering array of different programmers, ad serving companies and platforms.
Streaming viewers, meanwhile, will encounter non-skipping commercials that frequently repeat multiple times per show, and often seem randomly stitched together from TV shows or movies without any rhyme or reason. They are often much too loud – so much so that US lawmakers have proposed regulating them. All of this in a medium that is supposed to be more personalized and smarter than the television of yesteryear. Instead, many seem as dumb and scattered as spam in your inbox.
“We took everything the internet taught us about how to make ads shittier and brought it to TV,” says Joe Marchese, a former internet and TV advertising executive (he sold his company TrueX to Fox in 2014) who now leads Human enterprisesa start-up investment company.
“There is a huge gap between the evolution of digital advertising technology and what will be needed to succeed in a television environment,” says Dave Morgan, a longtime digital advertising executive whose current company, Simulmedia, works with conventional and streaming TV advertisers.
Which makes it somewhat confusing that Netflix, which has long made ad-free streaming a core part of its brand, is now rushing into ads, seemingly without much planning and no apparent infrastructure. Ditto comments on Hastings’ earnings call suggesting he’d like to outsource a lot of the work to “other people.” [who would] do all the fancy ad matching and integrate all the people data, so we can stay out of it. That’s because most people in the TV advertising industry that I talk to argue that the worst parts of the streaming ad experience come from the maze of middlemen that sits between advertisers and streamers, which which often makes it difficult to know where, when and how ads end up on your screens.
None of this matches the history of Netflix trying to control every part of its service – from creating its own distribution system in the days of DVD-by-mail to building a sophisticated system to stream video. So either Hastings has a plan he’s quietly hatching, away from the ad industry, or he’s quickly putting something in place to shore up Netflix’s revenue and share price. Either scenario would be surprising.
Before we go any further: if you’ve gotten used to ad-free streaming on places like Netflix, Disney+ and HBO, you don’t necessarily have to worry, as long as you’re willing to pay. All of these companies have or are working on a tiered service, where the more expensive versions will be ad-free and the cheaper ones will have ads.
But many of the newer — and fastest growing — services are explicitly designed to serve ads, like Comcast/NBCU’s Peacock, Paramount’s Pluto, and 21st Century Fox’s Tubi. Tech-based TV companies are also increasingly interested in ad-supported streaming: Amazon has something called Freevee, which was previously called IMDb TV; Roku has its own free Roku Channel, currently filled with leftover bargains (and those Quibi shows you’ve never watched) but may one day feature Starz Pay TV programming.
None of this is necessarily bad. Programmers rightly argue that ad-supported streaming can give consumers more choice about what they want to watch and how much, if anything, they want to pay for it.
And some advertisers say they’re pretty happy with the benefits that digital TV ads can deliver. Sam Bloom, CEO of Camelot Strategic Marketing & Media, said he spends about $200 million on streaming TV ads for his clients and is happy that technology allows him to eliminate some waste.
Roku, for example, uses “Automated content recognitiontechnology on its smart TVs that allows it to track what people are watching, whether it’s from a streaming service or cable or even live TV. This may sound scary to you, but for Bloom it’s a plus: it allows him to not show ads to viewers who have already seen his customers’ ads, or allows him to target customers who have seen the ads of rivals of its customers.
Still, even the most optimistic digital TV booster will concede that streaming TV ads have a lot going for them. “It’s in an awkward teenage phase,” an executive at a major streaming technology company tells me. But with the money coming in, it’s unclear how that will turn out anytime soon. “Yeah, you’ll see a bunch of tweets about how ‘I watched something and saw the ad three times and hated that experience,'” says an executive who runs a major ad-supported streaming service. “But that person still looked at it.”
Thank you very much for your comments on my recent entries; I don’t respond to all of your notes, but I read them and will occasionally include them here. And let me know what you think of this week’s column – or anything else. You can @me on twitter or email me: email@example.com.


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Nigeria loses N1 trillion annually to port inefficiencies, a loss that maritime analysts and the Organised Private Sector say can be prevented if the country adopts a Single Window that will enable importers and exporters to lodge standardised documents through a single entry point.
A report released yesterday, 24 October by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and the Financial Derivatives Company shows that the N1 trillion losses come from 14 government departments, broken into 20 agencies, whose activities involve a lot of paper work, which could easily have been eliminated with one single window aided by technology.
“What the single window will do for the players is that it will eliminate multiplicity of agencies by creating a single clearance and payment desk with an immediate cost-cutting positive impact at the ports,” said Vincent Nwani, director, research and advocacy at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce in Lagos.
Nigeria has six major ports. They are the Apapa Port, Tin-Can Island Port, Calabar Port, Onne Port, Rivers Port, and Warri Port.
Cargo clearance takes five to 14 days at the ports as against the ideal two days or less in Egypt, South Africa and Morroco. It requires 23 signatures by 18 agencies, whereas exporting a cargo goes through 20 agencies and 33 signatures, research shows.
The impact of this is that Nigeria lags peers in the number of 20-foot equivalent units. The country’s annual turnover is currently 1.1 million units of containers, which is still a far cry from 10 million potential capacity. South Africa currently does 4.8 million 20-foot equivalent units, while Egypt is highest, with 8.8 million container units, says the latest report.
Jonathan Nicole, president of the Shippers Association of Lagos State, said Nigeria needs to protect her cargo through consistent policy and well followed development plans. Nicole added that the country loses over N600 million to the diversion of Nigerian bound vehicles to Cotonou and Lome ports alone.
“Nigerian ports need to be fully automated and the issue of a single window online platform that would connect all the operators and agencies at the ports should be taken seriously if Nigerian seaports would have timely delivery of cargo to the importers warehouse,” Nicole said.
He further observed that this would make Nigerian seaport user friendly and also put an end to the avoidable delays that incur demurrage and storage cost on importers. He called for the reduction of the number of government agencies at the ports, whose presence, he said lead to delays and extra cost for importers.
Lucky Amiwero, president, National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), said the N1 trillion annual loss is even underestimated because the latest report fails to factor in the impact of cargo diversion to other West African ports like Cotonou port, which handles over 60 percent of vehicles and rice that come into the Nigerian market.
The revenue loss, Amiwero observed, is huge because port users, officers of government agencies and operators do not follow import procedure as well as the rules guiding international trade. Government, for its part, has failed to be consistent in its policy formulation and this is also fuelling the losses suffered by businesses.
“To block this revenue leakages, government needs to employ the services of experts to guide them on how to put the industry on track and there is also a need to create the right fiscal and monetary policies to drive the economy positively,” he added.
He said delays at ports and poor infrastructure are frustrating exporters amid Nigeria’s drive for foreign exchange. Exporters of food and other light products complain that 20 percent of their products go bad before they get to the ports because of delays caused by the poor state of roads leading to major ports.
“There is huge infrastructure challenge. Again, we have security agents at the ports who are not supposed to be there. They are poorly trained and most of them are not properly educated,” Jon Kachiukwu, CEO, Jon Tudy Interbiz, produce exporters to the USA, told BusinessDay in a telephone interview.
The reports notes that the introduction of the single window will reduce the 20 government agencies currently operating at the ports to six, enabling the ports to function as a trade facilitator, rather than inhibitor.
They also want to see consistent and proactive policy that will reduce the cargo clearance timeline from between five and 14 days to two days, which is the standard time in Egypt, South Africa and Morroco.
Connect via email
- How CBN is tackling inflation, exchange rate volatility – Emefiele – The Nation
- Nigeria’s Buhari warns off separatists, takes back control after treatment – Reuters
- CBN lifts forex market with $195m – Guardian
- Oil prices fall almost two per cent after end-of-week rally – Guardian
- Dollar to Naira Rate Black Market August 22 2017


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NIO releases Banyan 2.1.0 version officially. This version update includes all NT2 models from Banyan 2.0.0 and above, and the plan is to complete the version update for all vehicles within a week.
The UK is considering delaying the ban on new internal combustion engine cars until 2035. The ban was originally proposed by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in November 2020, with plans to prohibit the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, along with other emission reduction measures. However, the deadline of 2030 is now being reconsidered as it may be too ambitious.
In order to gather global wisdom and discuss development plans, and to promote the development of the world's new energy vehicles, the 2023 World New Energy Vehicle Conference will be held during the Munich Motor Show from September 6th to 7th. This is also the first time that the conference has been held outside of China. During the conference, government officials, institutions, and high-level executives will give keynote speeches and presentations on topics such as "problems encountered in industrial development," "how to deepen cooperation in various fields," and "accelerating the comprehensive marketization process of new energy vehicles."
Being a born global brand, the launch of the GWM TANK 500 in Saudi Arabia is an important milestone for GWM, providing strong support for GWM expansion in the Middle East region.


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Royal Farms Store Rewards
Many business associations, including the NACS, have bristled at the added costs such rules will bring to their members. Currently, few workers in the convenience store industry take advantage of benefits, Lenard said, due to the fact that the workforce is largely seasonal. Tap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you. Royal Farms did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Help us tell more of the stories that matter from voices that too often remain unheard.giolive.ro/wp-content/2020-05-15/taza-ford-escort.php
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Impact: Project Zero. At staff meetings held last month, managers informed workers that the company was transitioning to an almost entirely part-time workforce, said three workers in Maryland, who spoke on the condition that they not be named because they were afraid of losing their jobs.
According to these workers, the managers specifically said the company was reducing its number of full-time workers in reaction to Obamacare, which requires that larger firms provide health care to all employees working more than 30 hours a week or pay penalties. Frustrated employees in his store have been quitting and skipping out on shifts since the announcement, he said. In recent months, several major employers have threatened to cut hours to avoid having to finance medical insurance benefits for more people.
Obamacare requires that companies with more than 50 workers offer insurance to those working more than 30 hours a week by The law was designed in part to extend health coverage to employees in low-wage service-sector jobs like those offered at Royal Farms. Unlike other segments of the retail industry, convenience stores have in recent times experienced market growth, with outlets expanding from about , a decade ago to more than , today, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores , a trade association. In , Royal Farms had about stores. While the convenience store industry once employed mostly younger, less-experienced people, like high school students who stayed in their jobs only a few months, the industry now attracts workers who remain in their jobs longer due to the ailing economy, said Jeff Lenard, the vice president of industry advocacy at the trade association.
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In short -- the people who stand to be deprived of health benefits by the company's new policy are more likely to need medical coverage. She would have qualified for company-provided health insurance later this month had the new policy not come into effect, she said, but now that her hours have been cut to 28 per week, she's ineligible.
Traditionally, convenience stores offering benefits have very minimal packages, with workers shouldering most of the cost through high premiums and deductibles. But under Obamacare, companies will be required to offer plans that meet new standards for what services they cover and how affordable they are for employees.
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In many cases, these plans will offer more comprehensive coverage than currently available to workers, and thus will come at a higher price to employers. Many business associations, including the NACS, have bristled at the added costs such rules will bring to their members. Currently, few workers in the convenience store industry take advantage of benefits, Lenard said, due to the fact that the workforce is largely seasonal. Tap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you.
Royal Farms did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Help us tell more of the stories that matter from voices that too often remain unheard. Join HuffPost Plus.


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Between walled gardens, Safari and Firefox getting rid of cookies and Google’s 18-month (and counting) deadline for the demise of the third-party cookie, it’s more important than ever that publishers take control of monetizing their inventory.
Throughout July 2020, Digiday and LiveRamp are surveying publishers and advertisers on their monetization strategies post third-party cookies. In this webinar, Jason White, senior vice president and head of publishers at LiveRamp joins Mindi Chahal, head of content at Digiday, to discuss the results. They are joined by special guests Chris Pirrone, general manager at USA TODAY Sports Media Group, and Paul Bannister, chief strategy officer at CafeMedia. Together, the panelists will highlight opportunities and solutions for the industry to monetize inventory in a privacy-compliant way.
Sign up for this webinar to learn:
- Insights based on new research into publishers’ revenue and authentication strategies
- How the deprecation of third-party cookies is impacting direct relationships with partners
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Note: By entering your information you agree to be contacted by Digiday and its partners.


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We are in the key month of the year for Marvel. The production company is facing the final stretch so that we can finally see in movie theaters Spider-Man: No Way Home
On the occasion of the film’s premiere on December 17, Insomniac Games has revealed that the Two new costumes that the hero will wear in the film will be available at Marvel’s Spider-Man on December 10. However, it will not be available to everyone, since there is a detail to take into account.
Specifically, they will only appear in Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, the 2018 wall-crawler adventure, but with powerful graphical enhancements. To access the game eIt is necessary to have a PS5 and have the Ultimate Edition
Given this decision, there have been many complaints from the followers of the title, so the study has clarified why it has taken this measure. It’s all due to technical issues.
To ensure fans continue enjoying Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4) at its optimal performance, we’ve made the difficult decision to release these new suits for Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered (PS5) where our PS5 engine allows us to update the game without jeopardizing player experience.
— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) December 6, 2021
They explain from Insomniac Games that there have been 19 free updates that the game has received in three years and that the arrival of a new patch posed a challenge for the PS4 HDD format. To ensure that PS4 players can continue to enjoy optimal performance, they have chosen to opt for Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered on PS5, as that way they will not compromise the player experience.


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Recently, Jack Ma announced his retirement from a 19 year in the making the success of Alibaba Group, at the age of 54. He led the company from his humble beginnings back in his apartment to now what is known as an e-commerce giant worth US$420 billion today.
Along with the announcement, Daniel Zhang was named as the successor of Ma as Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group.
Jack Ma is notably the face of Alibaba, however, there are in fact, 17 other significant individuals that co-founded the e-commerce giant since its inception in 1999. But who are they?
As such, iPrice Group embarked on a research to uncover the 18 founding members of Alibaba Group and summarised our findings in an infographic.
From this report, we found several interesting insights. Among them, the co-founders were from diverse industries such as journalism, investment banking, web developers, education and many others.
Ma’s connections were established through his ex-student, ex-colleagues, mutual friends and like-minded entrepreneurs. Interestingly, there are three couples in the founding members namely: Jack Ma and Cathy Zhang, Shi Yufeng and Jin Yuanying, Toto Sun and Lucy Peng.
Amongst the 18 co-founders were six women who now holds top-level management roles, such as Lucy Peng. She was recently appointed as the CEO of Lazada in March 2018 while a majority of founding members hold significant roles within Alibaba and its subsidiaries.
To discover more about Alibaba’s co-founders, here are further details of how they met Jack Ma, their history prior to the founding of Alibaba and where they are now:
Jack Ma – Executive Chairman, Alibaba Group
Ma was born on September 10, 1964, in Hangzhou, China, at the time of communism. In 1988, Ma successfully earned his degree in English from Hangzhou Teacher’s Institute. Later, Ma even became an English and International Trade lecturer at the Hangzhou Dianzi University. Eventually, he ventured into business and founded China Yellow Pages, the first Internet company in the country. Ma also managed an information technology company for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Trade and Commerce. Later in 1999, Ma initiated a meeting in his apartment together with his 17 co-founders to develop their first eCommerce venture which is now known to be the giant Alibaba Group.
Today, Ma is the CEO and Chairman of Alibaba which has grown exponentially since its inception in 1999. Currently, Alibaba has more than 79 million users in 240 countries with six active subsidiaries namely: Alibaba.com, Tmall.com, eTao, Alibaba Cloud Computing, Taobao Marketplace, and Yahoo! China.
At age 54, Ma announced his retirement as Chairman of Alibaba Group in one year to concentrate his efforts in his philanthropy and education, passing his position to Daniel Zhang.
Jin Jianhang – President, Alibaba Group
Jin Jianhang was a top performing student from Fudan Journalism School and has worked at numerous Chinese Media: Zhejiang Daily, Intl. Business Daily.
Jin and Ma’s first encounter happened during Jin’s interview with the entrepreneur back in his China Yellow Pages.
Later in 1999, Ma started Alibaba Group along with his trusted friends where Jianhang decided to come along.
Joseph Tsai – Executive Vice Chairman, Alibaba Group
Tsai has an undergraduate degree in Economics and East Asian studies and a law degree. Prior to meeting Ma, Tsai was an investment banker earning approximately US$700k annually.
Deeply inspired by Jack’s charisma and his idea for Alibaba, he made a daring move to give up his high-end job to join Alibaba in 1999 and earned only US$50 monthly.
Today Tsai is the Vice Executive Chairman and co-founder of Alibaba Group and ranks as its second-largest individual shareholder after chairman Jack Ma.
Lucy Peng – CEO, Lazada
Similar to Ma, Peng began her career as a teacher at the Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics. She married Sun Tongyu, in 1997.
Peng quit teaching in 1999 to join her husband, Sun Tongyu as part of the 18-strong Alibaba founding team.
She was recently assigned as the CEO of Lazada following Alibaba’s investment of an additional US$2 billion into the marketplace.
Cathy Zhang – Married to Jack Ma, full time homemaker
Zhang first met Ma at the Hangzhou Teacher’s Institute. Soon after graduation, they got married.
In 1999, Jack told Zhang about his plan for Alibaba and along with other partners began working towards the vision.
Zhang was in Alibaba’s management team and now dedicates her time raising a family with Ma.
Eddie Wu – Chairman, AliHealth
Wu graduated with a Computer Science degree from the Zhejiang University of Technology in 1996 and later joined China Yellow Pages where he was acquainted with Jack Ma. Following Ma’s footsteps, Wu joined Ma in building Alibaba Group as the first programmer out of the 18 founders.
James Sheng – Managing Director, Alibaba Singapore
Sheng began learning traditional art at an early age. He turned to commercial art and started his career as a designer. He was acquainted with Jack Ma when James’ company was hired to design China Yellow Pages’ website.
Sheng joined Jack Ma’s meeting in his apartment and became one of the 18 founding members of Alibaba in 1999.
Today, Sheng is known to be the man behind Alibaba’s smile logo and is the Co-founder and Senior Vice President of the Alibaba Group.
Simon Xie – Vice President, Alibaba China Investment Team
Xie obtained his degree in Financial Management from the Shenyang University of Technology and later worked for the China National Air Separation Engineering Co., Ltd. With his interest in computer, he developed his basic skills in Information Technology and managed to practice this skills for work.
In 1996, Xie had the chance to meet Ma during China Yellow Pages. Attracted by Ma’s unique aura, he gave up his high paying job in finance decided to follow Ma’s ventures.
Other co-founders with no information of their current role at Alibaba Group:
Lou and Ma were university mates at the Hangzhou Teacher’s Institute. Lou eventually became one of Ma’s close supporter. Lou decided to join Chinese Yellow Pages after seeing a feature of the company in 1995 Oriental Horizon TV documentary.
Jin was Ma’s student at the Hangzhou Dianzi University and later was encouraged by Jane Jiang and Han Min to join Alibaba Group.
Zhou is a Java architect, Ma was his teacher at the Hangzhou Dianzi University. With his expertise in technology, Zhou developed the core code of MVC framework – WebX, which was used mainly for Taobao early days.
In 1999, Shi was employed by the Central Weather Bureau.
Eddie Wu, one Alibaba co-founders, discovered Shi’s works from the internet. Wu introduced Shi to Ma and Shi was immediately attracted by Ma’s passion for Alibaba and decided to join the ecommerce company.
Click here to view more insights of Alibaba’s co-founders here.
Jeremy Chew is the senior content marketer for iPrice group, the fastest growing product meta-search platform in Southeast Asia. For further information, please visit https://iprice.my.
Source: Borneo Post Online


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The Toyota C-HR is the bestselling vehicle in Japan
Thursday 08 June 2017
Launched in December 2016, the all-new Toyota C-HR has proved to be the bestselling vehicle in Japan for 4 months in a row since its launch.
Adding to that, this glorious car has earned the segment the honor of becoming the #1 SUV since 2007!
While the C-HR hybrid is competing with the Prius in the hybrid platform, it has been told that is it more attractive due to its fuel efficiency. It is proven by far one of the best in the segment.
Toyota plans to market the Toyota C-HR in over 100 countries since realizing the growing demand for compact SUVs worldwide.


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Nigeria is losing about $9bn annually to foreign shipowners because the country has no single vessel that is involved in international freight services, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council stated on Thursday.
According to the council, Nigeria makes nothing from the billions of dollars spent by importers and exporters as freight fees to owners of vessels, as no Nigerian or Nigerian firm has a ship that moves cargo internationally.
Hassan Bello, the executive secretary, NSC, who disclosed this at a one-day seminar for transport and aviation correspondents in Abuja, however, noted that the government was working hard to make Nigerian firms own vessels in order to partake in the revenue being generated from global freight services.
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He said, “In 2015 alone, Nigeria spent $9bn on freight and not a single ship is owned by a Nigerian or Nigerian firm. Meaning that this huge revenue went to foreign vessel owners and this development may have lingered.
“However, with the support of the government in diversifying the economy, we have been engaging stakeholders in order to do something about this. So we are targeting that in about three years’ time, Nigerians will own and operate vessels and benefit from the revenue there.”
Bello noted that a committee that was charged with the mandate of actualising the establishment of a national shipping line had been inaugurated by the government, as he explained that with no Nigerian vessel to share in the movement of cargo on the high sea, Nigeria had continued to suffer massive capital flight.
The NSC boss stressed that about five million jobs could be created in the industry if the estimated $9bn that had been going to foreign shipowners


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The sunscreen label, which received a $1 million investment from a private funding source in May, is the only indie Black-owned brand carried by Target nationwide in the sun-care category.
After a coronavirus-induced pivot to philanthropy, the brand, Woo, is expanding next week.
New data from Klarna indicates younger consumers are gaining more interest in beauty.
The Black-owned Topicals beauty brand targets chronic skin conditions, and amassed a wait list of 10,000 pre-launch.
“There was a real friction point in not having something that could serve everyone.”
“I’m not the typical cookie-cutter artist or person — I do what I want to do when I want to do it and how I want to do it.”
“She’s been wanting to do something in beauty and wellness for quite some time.”
The clean beauty brand spun the coronavirus into an opportunity to accelerate expansion efforts.
“We literally went out and bought a phone, and got a phone number, and you can text us.”
The partnership continues the brand’s skin-inclusive campaigns and initiatives.
The eponymous Eau de Parfum will hit stores this month, and could spell further beauty expansions for the designer.
Item Beauty, backed by brand incubator Madeby Collective, will launch on Aug. 11 with six products.
The ad celebrates Calvin Klein Fragrances’ latest scents.
A variety of high-tech devices help to limit human-to-human contact even in the physical store.
Elaluz, which translates to “she is light” in Coelho’s native Portuguese language, will bow online on Aug. 3 with two products.
Traditionally a category that favors brick-and-mortar, new digital tools and formats like live streaming have helped cosmetics sales soar.
The German chemical and consumer goods company is acquiring a 75 percent stake in Invincible Brands Holding from Capital D private equity fund.
The brand is celebrating its new cleanser launch with a multipronged foray into the world of gaming.


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Similarly, interaction rates for mobile have more than doubled in the last year (up 105.63%) to 22.64% in Q3 2013.
However desktop video has also performed strongly, with CTRs up 151.15% to 5.45% and interaction rates up 170.74% to 15.08%.
The increase in engagement and CTR tallies with an increase in spending on mobile video advertising, which grew by 1,260% from £1.7m in the first half of 2012 to £23m in the first half of 2013.
Overall, mobile adspend in the UK grew to £429.2m in the first half of 2013, with paid search accounting for the majority (63%) of this total with £271m invested in this channel.
The winners in social video among smartphone brands
Previous research from Unruly found that Nokia received 17% of all online video shares among smartphone brands, second only to Samsung which dominated with more than half (52%) of shares.
Apple came third with 9.4% closely followed by Sony (7%) and Blackberry (6.7%).
However Samsung’s impressive performance is thanks in no small part to the high number of videos it has launched over the years, so it’s potentially a case of quantity rather than quality.
Looking at the three most shared smartphone ads of all time, Samsung came first and third with ‘Unleash your fingers’ and ‘S4: sound and shot’ respectively, while the Nokia Lumia 800 came second with its Deadmau5 stunt in London.


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Surprise! HBO has made on-demand streaming applications available on the iPad, iPhone and select Android devices, a few days ahead of their expected launch date. (Hat tip to BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield, who first spotted the iPad app.)
The HBO Go apps were teased in a YouTube ad released last week, promising a May 2 launch date. But they appeared a few days early, enabling subscribers to the premium cable network to access new release movies, as well as every episode from every season of every HBO original series on Apple iOS devices, as well as some Android phones.


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BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross predicted on Monday that Beijing and Washington could reach a trade deal that “we can live with” as dozens of officials from the world’s two largest economies resumed talks in a bid to end their trade dispute.
Ross told CNBC the immediate trade issues would be easiest to tackle while enforcement issues and structural reforms, such as intellectual property rights and market access, would be more challenging to resolve.
“I think there’s a very good chance that we will get a reasonable settlement that China can live with, that we can live with and that addresses all of the key issues,” Mr Ross said in an interview with CNBC.
China’s Foreign Ministry said Beijing had the “good faith” to work with the United States to resolve trade frictions as Chinese officials met their US counterparts in Beijing for the first face-to-face talks since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed in December to a 90-day truce in a trade war that has roiled global markets.
After the first day of talks wrapped up, Chinese importers made their third large purchase of US soybeans in the past month, Chicago-based traders said. But China has bought only around 5 million tonnes since purchases resumed in December, less than 20 percent of the beans it bought a year earlier.
Mr Trump said on Sunday that trade talks with China were going very well and that weakness in the Chinese economy gave Beijing a reason to work towards a deal. Ross told CNBC the talks were being held with appropriate-level staff and would help determine how the administration moves forward.
The two sides agreed to hold “positive and constructive” dialogue to resolve economic and trade disputes in accordance with the consensus reached by their respective leaders, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular news briefing.


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Hockey night heroes
Nothing compares to the excitement of watching these legends take the puck end to end. Canada Post is proud to announce its latest issue of NHL stamps and collectibles, honouring six of the greatest forwards in hockey history.
Makers of environmentally friendly menstrual products, Lunapads wins the Community Impact Award for their empowering global initiatives
New Black History Month stamp
Interpreter Mathieu Da Costa is the first known person of African descent whose time in Canada can be found in the historical records.
Delivery on demand
Centuries ago, settlers and colonists across what would become Canada depended on a parcel delivery network to send and receive goods to survive ...


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Looking for a challenge? Well, you’re in luck. Styleta, a fashion non-profit, is hosting their Second Annual Student Designer Challenge.
Styleta works with college students to teach and inspire the next generation of fashion leaders that fashion can make a difference.
The competition begins on June 1 and the winner will have his/her line featured and sold on Styleta.org. For more information about the organization, visit their website. For full details on the competition, visit their Facebook page.


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for purpose, so a second hand
electrical appliance should still work and your consumer rights would apply if the goods failed to operate.
Now a days, rates of second hand
clothes have also increased by 25 to 50 percent as compared to the last year.
In the study involving 4,800 non-smoking women, the researchers found that those who were exposed to second hand
smoke six or more hours per day as children and adults were at a greater risk of having difficulty getting pregnant and suffering one or more miscarriages.
In the first of a series of studies, AA Financial Services asked a sample of 2,000 motorists if they plan to replace their vehicle in the next 12 months and whether they will be buying new or second hand
PARENTS are being warned not to buy second hand
baby goods like high chairs and buggies from internet auction websites because they could put their children's lives at risk.
Ailsa Rutter, acting director for Smoke Free North East said: "What we know now is passive second hand
smoke is a hidden killer.
Research among 1,000 people showed more men than women visited charity shops, car boot sales and second hand
Piles of second hand
quilts, blankets and rugs are also up for sale here in the weekly markets with crowds of people can be seen bargaining with retailers.
Trading standards officers are giving the following advice to consumers who may be considering buying second hand
19, 2006) from McMaster University concluded that exposure to second hand
smoke increased the risk of heart attack in both former smokers and nonsmokers.
The sale of woollen clothes, particularly the second hand
variety, has shoot up, various customers observed.
A prospective study from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston of 405 children undergoing outpatient surgical procedures found that airway complications during anesthesia or postanesthetic recovery were far more common in children subjected to second hand
Nonsmokers with ragweed pollen allergy were exposed to second hand
smoke and their nasal fluids were studies in new research from scientists at UCLA published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (www.
The used clothes are popular as Lunda bazaars can be found all over the country but now imported Chinese items are also sold with second hand
items to make this business more profitable.
In January, the California Air Resources Board formally classified second-hand smoke as a toxic air contaminant that may cause and/or contribute to death or serious illness based on a comprehensive report on exposure and health effects of second hand


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Google Drive is now official and real, see the press release.
Surprisingly good is the low upgrade prices for those who want to use more than the free 5GB:
- 25GB for $2.49/month
- 100GB for $4.99/month
- 1TB for $49.99/month
Google Drive is therefore cheaper than Amazon S3 (prices here), although Amazon is targeted at enterprise customers, who are much more likely to use up their full allowance.
And substantially cheaper than DropBox.
Leaked a week before it is officially released are leaked details of Google’s storage service named Google Drive.
Here’s how it compares with Dropbox:
Google: 5GB free
DropBox: 2GB free
Google: Very best & fast servers
DropBox: Probably not nearly as good
Google: Loathed as a company
DropBox has first mover advantage. Most likely DropBox will keep their existing customers, because people are loathe to mess with switching providers, no matter how easy it will be. But Google will certainly snare customers from their other products who are considering such a service. With time most internet users will have a need for cloud space, and Google is certainly capable of being the biggest provider.


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BHAKTAPUR, April 1: Minister for Agriculture Gauri Shankar Chaudhary said that the government was preparing to bring a new budget ensuring the agro sector's independency.
While inaugurating a two-day Agro expo organized by the District Agro Cooperatives Association here today, Minister Chaudhary shared that the government was working to uplift and strengthen the agro sector.
The expo was organized to promote and publicize the agricultural products.
According to organizers, over 35,000 visitors are expected to visit the expo.
The expo showcases 45 stalls. The stalls comprise agricultural products and new technologies related to agriculture. RSS


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Revised data released by the University of Michigan on Friday showed U.S. consumer sentiment improved by slightly less than initially estimated in the month of October.
The report said the consumer sentiment index for October was downwardly revised to 95.5 from the preliminary reading of 96.0. Economists had expected the index to be unrevised.
Despite the downward revision, the consumer sentiment index for October was still up from the final September reading of 93.2.
“Sentiment was insignificantly below the mid month level, with the small loss spread over most components of the Index,” said Surveys of Consumers chief economist Richard Curtin.
He added, “The overall level of consumer confidence has remained quite favorable and largely unchanged during the past few years.”
The report said the current economic conditions index rose to 113.2 in October from 108.5 in September, while the index of consumer expectations inched up to 84.2 from 83.4.
With regard to inflation, one-year inflation expectations tumbled to 2.5 percent in October from 2.8 percent in September, while five-year inflation expectations dipped to 2.3 percent from 2.4 percent.
The material has been provided by InstaForex Company – www.instaforex.com


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Volvo Cars reports noticeable sales growth in February by 27.8% year-over-year to 50,795, the company’s best February sales performance ever.
The plug-in lineup, sold under the Recharge name, is growing even faster (almost doubling year-over-year, according to our estimations) and reached a share of 26.6%. That's about 13,500 units.
"Its Recharge line-up of chargeable models, with a fully electric or plug-in hybrid powertrain, continued to grow in popularity among customers and accounted for 26.6 per cent of all Volvo cars sold globally in February."
An interesting thing is happening in Europe, where Recharge cars represented 44% of the overall Volvo sales volume! That would be over 10,500 plug-ns.
But wait a minute, it would also mean that the rest of the world is getting just about 3,000 units (including less than 900 in the U.S.). It sounds low, but Europe is responsible for nearly half of total Volvo sales anyway so no anomaly here.
Volvo Cars detailed results:


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Lowe's Cutting Jobs, Shifting Employee Roles
Lowe’s Cos. is cutting thousands of jobs and shuffling thousands more around as it tries to adapt to shifting shopping habits. A source told MarketWatch that the home-improvement retailer plans to eliminate less than 1 percent of its workforce, or fewer than 3,000 jobs. Also, workers with “back-of-house responsibilities” will be shifted to consumer-facing roles, such as helping answer shoppers’ questions about products or home-improvement projects on the sales floor.
Total Retail’s Take: It seems like every day there’s a new retailer cutting jobs or closing stores. Lowe’s is the latest company to announce job cuts in order to keep up with changing consumer shopping behaviors. The home-improvement retailer is looking to increase face time with customers — shifting employees’ roles is a good place to start.


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A young family is set to open a brand new arts and crafts shop in Hinckley.
Crafty Teapot will open in Regents Court on Saturday June 20 and will sell a range of homemade goods, as well as tea and coffee.
The shop, run by 29-year-old Jamie Roberts and his wife Sam will also give other crafters the chance to showcase and sell their own items.
Sam said: “Crafty Teapot is a family-run business - the idea for the shop came from the many craft fairs we attended.
“We found them to be a very good way at getting our beloved items out to the public, however we did find that the prices were quite expensive.
“We received great feedback from the public and this made us think whether it was worth permanently showcasing our items in a retail unit.
“As most crafters can understand, taking the step from craft fair to store is quite daunting.
“What we are offering fellow crafters is the chance to showcase their items in a town centre store for a low price.
“We will also be offering tea, coffee, as well as cakes in the future, in the store to build a community feel where crafters can come and meet.”
The shop will open with goods on sale from at least 25 crafters, and the duo, who have a baby daughter, Ruby, are hoping that they will soon be able to run craft workshops.
For more information on the new shop or to contact the pair, visit www.facebook.com/pages/Crafty-Teapot/1436966319937729