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Image from Harrods’ August Made With Love magazine issue
British department store Harrods is showcasing the passion behind the handcrafted luxury goods it sells with a month-long storewide campaign that brings artisans and consumers together.
During Made With Love, the store will host a number of limited-edition and exclusive items designed specifically for the retailer and will also bring in representatives from brands to provide demonstrations or personalization services. Introducing the makers of its luxury goods to consumers may boost consumer loyalty while also justifying purchase price.
“Harrods’ focus on craftsmanship is a great way to elevate the exclusivity and uniqueness of its luxury merchandise,” said David Naumann, director of marketing at Boston Retail Partners. “Watching an artisan create or customize a product is entertaining for customers who enjoy the theater of shopping.”
Mr. Naumann is not affiliated with Harrods, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Harrods was unable to comment directly before press deadline.
Made With Love is returning for a second time this year, following a successful inaugural event in 2014 (see story).
Throughout the store will be items special to Harrods, including exclusive versions of Chloé’s Drew bag and three exclusive styles of carpets from The Rug Company. There are also limited-edition dresses from Alexander McQueen and Mary Katrantzou, and one-of-a-kind jewels on display from Bulgari.
Chloé’s Drew bag
To showcase the people behind the coveted merchandise, Harrods will use “retail theater,” bringing the artisans in-store.
From Aug. 14-16, a Ferragamo artisan will be on-hand to demonstrate how the brand’s Tramezza shoe is made.
In the watch and jewelry room, Officine Panerai, Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC and others will create watch straps embossed with the Made With Love logo.
Harrods Made With Love logo
Aspinal of London will be offering a free illustration with purchase from Aug. 14-16, and from Aug. 21-23, the brand will be hosting a competition in which consumers can design a bag for a chance to win a bespoke tote bag.
The founders of French perfume house Henry Jacques will host a meet-and-greet with consumers, and will be available for one-on-one consultations.
Louis Vuitton, Anya Hindmarch and Mulberry will monogram or personalize consumers’ purchases. In the men’s shoe salon, Tod’s will provide complimentary monogramming on its Gommino driving shoes, available in 15 leathers and 20 lace colors.
In women’s shoes, shoppers can build their own Casadei Blade pumps from scratch, picking heel height, material, color lining and embellishments, while men can do a similar bespoke consultation with Paul Smith.
Santoni display at Harrods for Made With Love
Similarly, Harry Winston will be highlighting its Bespoke Ultimate Bridal collection, allowing customers to create their ideal engagement ring.
The experience also extends to Harrods’ food halls and home goods department.
Display featuring the Original Sofa Co.
Fendi will pop-up in Harrods’ ground floor exhibition windows Aug. 6 with a virtual display that mimics its Rome’s Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana. This will host exclusive products and limited edition colors of handbags such as the 2Jours and By The Way.
In addition to the events, footage will play on screens and the store guide will feature details.
Harrods will also promote Made With Love through its digital and content channels. Its Web site will contain ecommerce edits of merchandise, while its monthly magazine features a dedicated section for the initiative.
The magazine, available online and via a mobile application, shows a model swinging from a giant heart-shaped pendant on the cover.
Cover of Harrods magazine
In the editor’s letter, Jan Masters explains, “This issue is our way of celebrating those who see their work less as a job, more as a passion.”
Inside, the issue runs down some of the special merchandise available in-store, including Miu Miu’s first scent, an exclusive Elie Saab gown and Jimmy Choo’s bespoke pumps.
Content also includes an interview with Karl Lagerfeld on the 50th anniversary of his tenure at Fendi and a conversation with perfumer Roja Dove, whose scents are the result of passion.
“The August issue of Harrods magazine features top designers, artisans and chefs that reinforces the Made With Love campaign and inspires customers to visit the store to meet the craftsmen and personalize their own products,” Mr. Naumann said.
Made With Love will run through Aug. 29.
Multi-brand retailers are uniquely positioned to host this type of bespoke event.
With spring right around the corner, a number of luxury department stores are appealing to male consumers looking for a wardrobe update with made-to-measure appointments.
Bergdorf Goodman, Harrods and Lane Crawford are all bringing together tailors from a bevy of menswear labels to assist customers in crafting a suit just for them. Due to the range of brands carried, retailers are uniquely positioned to host this type of large-scale event, allowing consumers access to insights from many different experts (see story).
Brands have selected Harrods as a destination for their customization programs.
British fashion label Anya Hindmarch began offering its bespoke services in Harrods, the first time they could be accessed outside of the brand’s independent stores.
The arrangement features furniture by Italian designer Matino Gamper and allows consumers to customize products on-site. As the brand expands, it is important to send out credible representatives to ensure a smooth transition (see story).
This type of personalization creates a lasting impact.
“Inviting customers to see and meet the artisans in-person creates a personal connection to the brand,” Mr. Naumann said. “Shoppers can customize merchandise for their preferences of size, color, fabric and engraving to make the product one-of-a-kind and more personal.
“When customers wear or use the personalized merchandise they customized at Harrods, it will elicit a positive memory of the experience and the brand.”
Sarah Jones, staff reporter on Luxury Daily, New York


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LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Who will be the lucky customer to fly to Dubai for week long holiday with Airtel Boola Mtambo, this the question lingering around just a day before the grand draw of promotion?
The promotion which was launched on October 29, 2021 will end on December 24, 2021.
So far, the leading smartphone service provider Airtel Malawi has managed to splash over MK75 million in cash prizes in the promotion.
Airtel Malawi Marketing manager Thoko Sande told the virtual media briefing after the 5th draw of the promotion on Wednesday, December 22, 2021 that the promotion has managed to splash out MK75, 635, 000 in cash prizes while bringing excitement to customers.
Sande said the expectation is that customers will continue buying volume bundles to stand a chance of winning the grand prize of an already paid trip to Dubai.
“When we launched the promotion we wanted to light up the end of the year for our customers and results have indeed showed that the promotion has done just that. We have observed that the consumption of volume bundles has risen translating to the fact that customers are trying their luck in the promotion,” she said.
Sande added that the promotion was introduced to promote volume bundles on the network.
During the 5th draw, 623 Airtel Malawi customers went away with mK5,000 cash prizes each whilst 125 others went away with K50,000 each.
Since the start of the promotion 4337 customers have won MK5, 000’s each as daily prizes, 875 others winning MK50, 000 each as weekly prizes while 100 other lucky winners have won MK100, 000 each in monthly draws.
To enter into the promotion, Airtel Malawi subscribers are required to purchase Airtel PaNet Volume bundles.
Airtel Malawi Subscribers can buy PaNet Volume bundles through dialing 301, 211 or 121, My Airtel App and though Airtel money agents.

domain: news


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The beautiful soundtrack of A Plague Tale: Requiemcomposed by Olivier Deriviere, was the protagonist of a concerto symphonic on the occasion of launch of the game, concert that Asobo Studio and Focus Entertainment have decided to publish in video today at 18.00.
The idea is to celebrate not only the excellent debut of Amicia and Hugo’s latest adventure against the backdrop of medieval Europe, but also the prestigious nominations for The Game Awards 2022, which see Requiem compete in five different categories, including for Game of the Year.
“Part of this success undoubtedly goes to soundtrack of the game, also a finalist at the TGA 2022, composed by Olivier Deriviere and played by internationally renowned musicians”, reads the press release.
“The orchestra performed an outstanding concert for the release of A Plague Tale: Requiem, which will be available to watch on YouTube to celebrate the success of the first weeks and the nominations for The Game Awards 2022.”
It goes without saying that you should read our review of A Plague Tale: Requiem if you haven’t already.


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AMD today announced a collaboration with Adobe Systems Incorporated to optimize a new set of GPU-accelerated features for Adobe products including the newly announced Adobe Photoshop CS6. Implementing GPU acceleration and incorporating OpenCL optimization improves the end-user experience by dramatically speeding up critical imaging features and generating real-time results when editing with key tools in Adobe Creative Suite 6.
After five WebGL Camps in the USA, WebGL Camp is now coming to Europe being hosted by the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland. WebGL Camp Europe is now looking for speakers. A limited number (1-2) of non-European based presentations via Skype will be possible too. WebGL Camp Europe takes place July 3rd, 2012 in Muttenz/Basel, Switzerland. On July 4th there will be optional WebGL workshops/tutorials. More information at: http://www.shader.org/webglcamp
The Khronos Group has posted video presentations from Barcelona. Speaking in Barcelona were Neil Trevett, Khronos Group President, Erik Noreke, Kristof Beets from Imagination Technology, Enrica Filippi from ST-Ericsson and Sri Kannan Iyer from ARM. A complete presentation list, photos and video list is also available from the Khronos event page.
Adobe announced that they will be using their newly enhanced Adobe Mercury Playback Engine that incorporates OpenCL™ heterogeneous compute for the very first time on a number of Apple® MacBook Pro laptops with AMD Radeon™ graphics.
The Khronos WebCL Working Group is pleased to announce the availability of the first WebCL public working draft. Many thanks to the editors Tomi Aarnio and Mikael Bourges-Sevenier, and to everyone who contributed to and reviewed the draft, and participated in the discussions.
Jon Peddie has a great write up on GFX Speak about The Khronos Group turning 12 this year.
Altera Corporation announced that goHDR achieved a significant reduction in development time and a dramatic increase in performance leveraging Altera's OpenCL for FPGAs. Working closely with Altera, goHDR ported its proprietary C-code to the OpenCL standard and implemented the code in an FPGA in less than a week - a process that typically requires 3-6 months using a traditional HDL flow.
WebGL: Up and Running is a new book by Tony Parisi. This book will help you get off and running with a quick introduction to WebGL. From the O'Reilly website "Tony Parisi is an entrepreneur and career CTO/architect. He has developed international standards and protocols, created noteworthy software products, and started and sold technology companies. Tony's passion for innovating is exceeded only by his desire to bring coolness and fun to the broadest possible audience." The Khronos group has had the privilege of working with Tony in the past. Tony Parisi is also the founder of the WebGL Meetups in and around the San Francisco area.
A series of three OpenCL webinars will be presented by Rob Farber on April 10th, April 24th and May 1st 2012. Complete details and registration are available in the AMD Developer Zone.


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Ride-sharing company halts UberPop -- the subject of riots by taxi drivers last week -- until a French court decides whether it's constitutional.
Minecraft: Windows 10 Beta Edition adds more controls and GameDVR support, and won't cost a dime for existing Minecraft PC owners.
Find out why this electric racing series has a shot at becoming huge -- and how its technology could change the cars we drive for the better.
You don't have to use any force at all when building your own "Star Wars" weapon with these modular plug-and-play parts from Adaptive Saber.
The enormous touch-screen monitors meant to replace entire conference room setups may put you back the price of an entry-level sedan. But that's cheap, Microsoft says.
Schiit's cheap 'n' cheerful headphone amp and digital converter wow the Audiophiliac!
Unlike Spotify, the new incarnation of the streaming music service under Apple won't have a way to listen to anything on demand for free, according to a report.
Linksys ships high-gain antennas designed to quickly extend the Wi-Fi coverage of any router with an RP-SMA detachable antenna.
The chief executive of Facebook's virtual-reality outfit won't say exactly how much its consumer headset will cost when it launches next year. But he has a ballpark range.
Just ahead of its Tech World event in Beijing, Lenovo reveals three new low-cost consumer laptops, including the entry-level 14-inch ideapad 100 starting at just $249.


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Miss World contestants took part in a fashion show at the Yas Hotel in the capital on Thursday.
- By Nathalie Farah, Staff Reporter
- Published: 12:24 November 14, 2009
Thursday evening saw glamour being brought back to the capital as contestants from the Miss World pageant participated in a fashion show in Yas Hotel.
Image Credit: Ravindranath/Gulf News


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DALLAS--A Verizon executive confirmed today that prices will go up soon for Verizon's newly announced tiers of Fios broadband service. But more flexibility in the bundles that include Verizon Fios video service may actually result in some Verizon Fios subscribers paying less each month.
In an interview at the Telecommunications Industry Association's trade show here, Verizon's Chief Marketing Officer Mike Ritter confirmed that the company will be raising prices on the newly upgraded broadband services. Verizon announced last week that it is doubling the speed of its Fios high-speed broadband service. The company's fastest speed Internet … Read more


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Yesterday a report from Experian revealed that incidents of identity theft in the United Kingdom have risen 66 percent in the last year, with most victims living in London.
According to Experian, residents in College Gardens in Tooting, south London, were almost five times more likely to fall victim to identity thieves than average. Other hotzones – which saw more than four times the usual level of reported ID fraud according to Experian – were scattered across the country. Great Cambourne near Cambridge, the village of Far Cotton, Northampton and the large housing estate of Ingleby Barwick, Stockton-on-Tees were singled out for attention.
The fact is, however, that cybercriminals looking to steal information for financial gain will take whatever they can get their hands on, and that users everywhere should ensure their identities are protected online and that their computer security is up to date. This includes ensuring no personal information is posted on social networking sites, software is patched and up to date, and PCs are running effective anti-malware and anti-spam solutions.
While young professionals living in Kensington are likely to be attractive targets for cybercriminals, the reality is that British computers from Lands End to John o’Groats are at risk – hackers will steal identities from anyone who leaves their personal information open to snooping crooks.
What’s more, fraudsters are increasingly turning to corporate identity theft – the rewards can be much greater and often the effort is the same. Home workers using their own PCs are often the weakest link in corporate defences, so businesses and consumers alike mustn’t get complacent and must ensure all vectors of attack are protected, including ensuring remote workers’ PCs meet company security settings.
So whether you live in Tooting or Timbuktu, make sure you’re making life for the identity thieves as hard as possible by properly defending your personal information.


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How Does Vietnam Benefit by Joining the RCEP?
- The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was signed on November 15 by 15 countries including ASEAN members, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand.
- The RCEP further builds on free trade agreements within ASEAN and will build on economic integration and shape future trade policy.
- As Vietnam is a party to several trade agreements, joining the RCEP will further help it reduce trade barriers and improve market access for its goods.
On November 15, 2020, 15 countries, including all ASEAN members, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The free trade agreement is seen as the world’s largest trading bloc. The deal has been in the works for over eight years and was signed virtually at the ASEAN Summit. The RCEP leaves the door open for India, which withdrew from the trade pact due to disagreements over agricultural tariffs.
Just like the recently ratified EVFTA and the CPTPP, the RCEP will reduce tariffs and set trade rules, and help link supply chains, particularly as governments grapple with COVID-19 effects. The FTA is expected to cover all aspects of business including trade, services, e-commerce, telecommunications, and copyright though negotiations over some aspects still need to be finalized. Tariffs are expected to be reduced within 20 years.
The RCEP can take effect after at least six ASEAN countries and three non-ASEAN countries ratify the deal. This is still expected to take some time, but nevertheless sets the tone for future trade in ASEAN. The RCEP will further build on previous trade agreements within ASEAN but also include first time agreements with other countries such as Japan and South Korea. In this context, trade within ASEAN may be negligible.
RCEP: Quick facts
The RCEP covers a market of 2.3 billion people and US$26.2 trillion in global output. This accounts for about 30 percent of the population worldwide and over a quarter in world exports.
Like the EVFTA, the RCEP is a modern trade agreement taking countries of different sizes, populations, and GDP into account. Documents from the World Bank forecast that countries part of the RCEP will see GDP increase by 1.5 percent. Economists note that the deal could add almost US$200 billion to the global economy by 2030. Nevertheless, it is important to note that it will take years to see the benefits of the RCEP and it may not be as significant as the CPTPP and EVFTA for Vietnam.
Opportunities for Vietnam
The RCEP was signed at the ASEAN Summit hosted by Vietnam. Fitch Solutions notes that for Vietnam, major export categories that are expected to benefit include IT, footwear, agriculture, automobiles, and telecommunications. The FTA would help Vietnam access large consumer markets double the size of those included in the CPTPP.
As Vietnam moves to become a high-tech manufacturer, the RCEP can help local firms increase exports and attract high-quality goods for its consumers. In addition, with demand for Vietnam’s exports like agriculture and fisheries products, Vietnam is set to benefit.
In addition, the simplification of procedures such as customs and rules of origin, will help reduce bureaucracy allowing more SMEs to participate. SMEs account for 98 percent of all enterprises in Vietnam, contributing to 40 percent of GDP, and thus the RCEP presents significant opportunities for Vietnamese SMEs to move up the value chain.
Rules of origin
Guidelines on rules of origin may also have a significant impact. For example, as described in our previous articles, rules of origin can be complex and require careful examination to qualify for preferential tariffs with member countries already having guidelines on rules of origins.
But the RCEP simplifies this. Under the FTA all member countries would be treated equally, which also gives investors incentives to look for suppliers within the trade bloc. For example, previously, a product made in Vietnam but with parts from South Korea may face tariffs somewhere else in the ASEAN free trade zone, but with the RCEP in effect, the product would qualify to meet rules of origin guidelines.
With Vietnam sourcing a significant portion of its production inputs from countries like China and South Korea, which were earlier not part of trade pacts, it stands to benefit and further enjoy preferential tariffs. A single rule of origin document would be sufficient to cover all RCEP countries.
Therefore, the RCEP should also help in reducing manufacturing costs and make life easier for companies by letting them export products anywhere within the bloc without meeting separate requirements for each country.
Nevertheless, analysts have also noted that once the RCEP takes effect, Vietnamese businesses would face competition both domestically and for export markets as well.
Plan ahead for ratification
Investors looking to take advantage of manufacturing in Asia should study the FTA text carefully to learn about the advantages. Manufacturers in more advanced countries such as China, South Korea, and Japan can look at how to minimize costs by outsourcing final processing in less developed ASEAN countries to benefit. This will also help in transferring know-how technology to bring operations of less developed countries up to speed by leveling the playing field.


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IHS Markit had expected 2018 U.S. car and light truck sales to end up at 17 million, about half a million short of 2016’s record. But after September’s seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 17 million, the analysis firm is increasing that number.
How? It’s statistics. “Seasonally adjusted” means just that.
“This September bounce back, and expectations that the pace of sales in the fourth quarter should not move drastically from this level will likely push full-year light vehicle sales volume to 17.1 million units in total,” says Christopher Hopson, manager of IHS Markit’s North America light vehicle forecasting.
Seasonal adjustments mean that July and August historically are very strong sales months as consumers take advantage of warm weather and end-of-model-year prices, while September traditionally is a transitional month as new model-year cars and trucks arrive.
Even though Ford Motor Company, Toyota Motor Sales, American Honda, and Nissan North America saw


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Despite big brands being predominantly recognised in emerging markets, only half of consumers are planning to spend with these brands – and Amazon is far behind the competition.
That’s the key takeaway from a survey by mobile marketing provider Upstream, who found that Amazon was recognised by significantly fewer customers who also wanted to spend less with the retail giant.
The most recognised brand in emerging markets Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and Vietnam, according to the research, was Samsung with 88% recall, just ahead of Google (87%) and Apple (85%), with Microsoft slightly back on 82%. Just over half (52%) of respondents said they currently spend money on Apple or would like to in the future, compared with Microsoft (48%) and Google (43%).
By contrast, Amazon was recognised by only 56% of those surveyed, with a miserly 21% saying they currently or are hoping to spend money with the brand.
In a lot of these instances, global brands are fighting with local brands for market share and revenue. According to the research, the biggest reason consumers prefer local brands is because the content is in a more familiar language (78%), is easier to understand in general (76%) and can make purchases easier (74%).
These are understandably valid reasons, especially given payment structures vary in different countries. Interestingly however, 69% of those who say they used a global brand cited their trust of the company as a key reason.
Understandably, cost remains an issue in emerging markets. More than one in three of the 4,500 plus respondents believe mobile content remains expensive, with a quarter (24%) saying it was difficult to find relevant content on their mobile device.
The result is a war between global and local brands for market share in emerging areas – and according to Upstream CEO, Marco Veremis, the big brands should be doing more.
“The challenge for Western brands in a diverse range of different emerging markets is to be able to deliver interesting and relevant content to each consumer, in a way and language that they easily understand,” he said, adding: “The key to success is clear: local content is king.”
This report follows on from research released in February, which revealed that Apple was the most desired mobile brand in emerging markets.


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It was a $17.32 charge from an outfit called Cheap2Dial. Neither Marilyn nor her husband, Victor Gebauer, had ever heard of it.
Victor, a 72-year-old Lutheran pastor, called Cheap2Dial, and its representative claimed Marilyn signed up via the Internet. But the signup information had an e-mail address Marilyn has never used and listed her date of birth in 1974, putting her in her mid-30s.
Marilyn is 69.
Victor was doubly incensed. "They even added a billing fee -- they charged us a fee to bill us!" he exclaimed.
The Gebauers had been "crammed" -- they were among more than 2,500 other Minnesotans who had charges worth $179,000 placed on their phone bills in small, almost unnoticeable amounts, for long-distance service they didn't order or use, according to Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson.
The attorney general filed a lawsuit in Hennepin County District Court on Friday charging Harrisburg, Pa.-based Cheap2Dial with fraud and asking that it be stopped from operating in Minnesota and make restitution to its victims.
Cheap2Dial did not respond Friday to a phone message, a faxed question and an e-mail request for comment.
Swanson was joined at a news conference Friday by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who sits on the Senate Commerce Committee. It is investigating a surge in cramming complaints nationwide and could suggest legislation to try to make phone companies pay up for fraudulent fees charged to their customers.
Cramming complaints to the Federal Communications Commission increased nearly threefold from 2005 to 2009, when it received 6,714, according to Swanson's office.
The FCC could not confirm those exact numbers but its chief of consumer and governmental affairs, Joel Gurin, said his office has seen an increase. More than 2,100 people filed complaints to the FCC in the first three months of 2010, according to his office.
The Minnesota case may be larger than it appears because many people don't check their phone bills as carefully as the Gebauers. The actual damage could be in the tens of millions of dollars nationwide, Swanson said.
The Federal Trade Commission last September helped shut down an operation called Inc21 and got a court order for $38 million in restitution.
In another case, a Florida man pleaded guilty last year to mail fraud for running a cramming scheme that reaped $35 million between 2003 and 2005 -- while he was in jail.
The practice of cramming dates back to the 1990s, when phone companies let third-party businesses tack their bills for everything from long distance to e-mail service on a regular phone bill.
Chased by a flurry of fraud complaints, the scam artists shifted their focus to wireless customers, prompting more howls from stung consumers. Then the practice went into remission.
But now it's back, Swanson said.
"Cramming works because people don't know their phone bills can be used like a credit card these days," she said at the news conference.
The scam depends upon most people not scrutinizing their phone bills carefully and not being able to understand what's on them, Swanson said.
The rising usage of automatic payments isn't helping, she said. A lot of those customers should scrutinize their phone statements as carefully as their credit card statements, Swanson said.
Greg Carlson, 48, of Eagan, wishes he had.
"We got scammed because we're on auto-pay, just living our lives, and we weren't looking at our bills every month," he said.
The bills are dense, long and hard to read. Scam artists make up company names and charges that sound legitimate, Swanson said.
She also blamed the rise of middlemen called "billing aggregators" who help third-party businesses put their charges on the bills of the phone companies' customers.
"It works because the phone companies have these relationships with the billing companies," she said.
Klobuchar agreed and issued a warning.
"The phone companies need to crack down on the crooks," she said.
Klobuchar's committee expects to wrap up its investigation in the spring, and she hopes to co-author a bill that makes phone companies liable for fraudulent charges.
The bill would be modeled after a 2004 Minnesota law that requires phone companies to reimburse some cramming charges, Klobuchar said.
Qwest Communications International aggressively investigates cramming complaints, and it has terminated the contracts of third-party billers that violate the rules, Qwest spokeswoman Joanna Hjelmeland said.
Qwest, the dominant phone company in Minnesota, also allows customers to block third-party billing from their bills, and she encouraged customers who are worried about cramming to take advantage of that service.
Qwest will be looking into the allegations against Cheap2Dial, Hjelmeland said.
But for Marilyn Gebauer, the damage is done.
"What it does is it erodes our trust in our business partner, which is Qwest," she said. "We're just wary. Very wary."


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Cannabis sales associated with boost in property values
Published October 15, 2019 at 10:00 pm
Canada’s housing market is experiencing a boost in sales and prices, and the reason is being attributed to cannabis producers.
Canopy Growth, the largest cannabis producer in the world, is being credited with micro-booms to several local economies across the country.
“The impact of Canopy Growth on Smiths Falls cannot be understated, and it’s growing,” Christopher Alexander, Executive Vice President and Regional Director of RE/MAX of Ontario-Atlantic Canada, said in a news release.
“The economy in the Rideau-St. Lawrence area is experiencing a boom, which is triggering home sales, which rose by 27.1 per cent year-over-year, and average prices increased 10.5 per cent. Demand is up and there’s a housing shortage in the region. We expect to see similar cannabis industry-related growth in other regions as well,” he added.
“The legal cannabis industry is already being credited with invigorating some lagging economies and as a result, those housing markets could soon see a flurry of activity,” Alexander continued.
According to Alexander, many Canadians were fearful the legalization would be detrimental to property values in close proximity to dispensaries. However, it appears the opposite is true. “As the retail footprint grows and diversifies into edibles and other formats, buyers and sellers may start to feel less resigned,” Alexander said.
Additionally, according to a survey conducted by RE/MAX, 21 per cent of Canadians currently live near a dispensary. Further, only 25 per cent of people said they would move if a dispensary opened in their neighbourhood, while 31 per cent said learning a house was near a dispensary would deter them from buying it, and 44 per cent said they would like to live near one.
According to the survey, 72 per cent of people didn’t consider living near a dispensary a factor—positive or negative—in their decision to move.insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising


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The advertising technology platform Gadsme recently announced that it had raised $8 million in a seed funding round. This money will reportedly go towards scaling the company’s business and investing in more employees. On top of that, Gadsme will be able to further develop its high-quality inventory of ad games.
Galaxy Interactive led this financing round. Additional participation came from Ubisoft as well as a host of other companies.
“For our seed round we wanted to find partners that could bring vast knowledge and expertise into our business, said Gadsme’s CEO, Guillaume Monteux. “Not just provide capital, but genuine experiences and learnings in the exact industry we operate in. With Galaxy Interactive, Ubisoft, and other major games company founders as shareholders, we’re now poised and ready to execute on our vision.”
Gadsme is a French start-up company that was founded in 2019. The organization works with a number of partners to bring interactive advertising technologies to in-game experiences.


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Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. not only will be India’s first domestic manufacturer to sell vehicles in the U.S., but also the second auto maker in recent years to construct a modern-era vehicle-kit assembly plant here.
Daimler AG (formerly DaimlerChrysler AG) began shipping knocked-down-kit versions of its Mercedes Sprinter commercial van to its Gaffney, SC, plant in 2001. However, the rebadged ’07 Dodge and Freightliner vehicles now are assembled at a specially built facility in Ladson, SC, that opened in March of last year.
Mahindra, which has been producing tractors in the U.S. since 1994, plans to assemble 2- and 4-door light pickup trucks from semi-knocked-down kits starting in 2009 at a greenfield plant in Ohio. Diesel-hybrid models will follow in 2010.
Sources tell Ward’s a number of U.S. suppliers have been contacted by Mahindra to build components for the Ohio plant. Some already furnish parts for tractors built at the truck maker’s U.S. headquarters in Tomball, TX.
Mahindra’s strategy in building from kits, rather than exporting completed trucks from India, is designed to avoid the 25% U.S. “chicken tax” imposed since the 1960s on trucks imported from outside North America. The OEM says it is experienced in kit assembly, which is common among auto makers in India.
But while the company reportedly plans to sell tens of thousands of units annually, it is entering the U.S. small-pickup sector at a time when most manufacturers may be on the verge of getting out. Volume plunged 16.2% in 2007, according to Ward’s data.
Nevertheless, Mahindra’s lead importer executive for the U.S., John Perez, said at the National Automobile Dealers Assn. gathering in San Francisco earlier this month the company has signed about 200 franchised dealers to sell the pickup trucks, as well as completely built-up SUVs to be imported into the U.S.
Perez, a former new-car dealer in Atlanta, also told dealers the Indian company will be assisted in Ohio by a U.S. assembler, which he declined to identify except to say it is not one of the Detroit Three.
Roma Balwani, Mahindra’s corporate communications vice-president, confirms Mahindra will export midsize Scorpio SUVs to the U.S.
Both the trucks and SUVs will be equipped with German-built diesel engines, she says, with the hybrid diesels planned a year after the U.S. rollout. Mahindra sells about 20,000 Scorpios annually in India.
Unlike some emerging-market vehicle manufacturers looking to expand into the U.S., Mahindra has a proven track record, having built tractors for 62 years. The company at one time had a joint venture with Ford Motor Co. to build utility vehicles in India, but ended the relationship to build its own range of SUVs.
Most recently, Mahindra has been in talks to construct a $1 billion JV assembly plant with Renault SA to produce Renault models, as well as piggyback on Renault technology for production of a new 7-seat cross/utility vehicle. Another JV, Mahindra Renault Ltd., already makes the no-frills Renault Logan small car in India.
The plant deal stalled when Mahindra became miffed over Renault/Nissan Motor Co Ltd.’s deal to make a $3,000 car with Bajaj Auto Ltd. and produce light-commercial vehicles with Ashok Leyland Ltd.
Mahindra reportedly also has been talking with Chrysler LLC about building SUVs for Asian markets. The Indian auto maker traces its roots to World War II classic Willys Jeep, after a contract to build the vehicles was awarded to founding brothers J.C. and K.C. Mahindra.
Additionally, Mahindra reportedly has sent feelers to Ford India Ltd. to revive their earlier ill-fated JV. Meanwhile, the company is looking seriously at making commercial vehicles in India for export markets as part of a JV with U.S.-based International Truck and Engine Corp.
Mahindra reported gross revenues worldwide of about $6 billion last year and is the only tractor company to win the coveted Deming Prize for quality. It ranks fourth in U.S. tractor sales and third in global tractor production.
The Indian auto maker employs about 50,000 workers worldwide, with manufacturing facilities also in Australia, China, Italy and South Africa. Mahindra owns Stokes Forgings in the U.K., plus German chassis-supplier Schoneweiss & Co. and Jeco Holding AG, one of Germany’s top-5 forging companies.


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Semiconductor Chip Shortage To Cost Auto Industry $210 Bln In FY21
(RTTNews) - The global semiconductor chip shortage will put back the auto industry by nearly $210 billion in revenues in fiscal year 2021, a forecast released by consulting firm AlixPartners said on Thursday.
The latest projection is double the New York-based firm's earlier prediction of $110 billion loss of revenues released in May. In January when the chip problem had first surfaced, AlixPartners had projected an initial forecast of $60.6 billion loss of revenues for the year ahead.
The consulting firm is now predicting a loss of 7.7 million units, up from the 3.9 million projected in the May forecast. "The biggest hit to production occurred in the second quarter, AlixPartners added.
Commenting on the projections, Mark Wakefield, global co-leader, automotive and industrial practice at AlixPartners, said, "Of course, everyone had hoped that the chip crisis would have abated more by now, but unfortunate events such as the COVID-19 lockdowns in Malaysia and continued problems elsewhere have exacerbated things."
The second quarter has been the worst one in terms of chip shortages. The firm predicts the semiconductor chip problem to extend to the second half of 2021 or even longer, until vehicle inventory levels pick up substantially, without there being issues with labor, transportation and other materials.
Auto giants all over the world like Ford Motors Co. (F) and General Motors Co. (GM) have already predicted huge losses due to the chip shortage issue. However, there is some hope to cheer because higher consumer demand and profits from higher vehicle prices will partially offset these losses.


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Consumers with access to LTE are consuming up to 50 percent more data than those on legacy networks, according to a joint report released Wednesday by Mobidia Technology and Informa Telecoms & Media. The report also found that while Android users consume more cellular data than iPhone users, iPhone users habit of accessing Wi-Fi hotspots increases their overall data consumption to an average of 37 percent more than Android users.
Apple‘s iPhone growth outpaced Google’s Android platform between March and June, according to the latest numbers from comScore. Android rose 0.6 percentage points to 51.6 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, while Apple’s market share rose 1.7 percentage points to 32.4 percent. The two platforms continued to steal market share from BlackBerry, Windows Phone and Symbian.
U.S. Cellular is taking the wraps off two Android smartphones from Motorola Mobility. The Electrify 2 measures in at 8.4 millimeters thick and comes equiped with a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and 4.3-inch display. It went on sale online yesterday for $180 with data plan and two-year contract, and will be available in stores today. The water- and scratch-resistant Defy XT will go on sale tomorrow.
SIM-only MVNO Simple Mobile has dropped the price of its unlimited plan by $10. Its $60 unlimited plan now costs $50 per month for all-you-can-eat voice, text and data access on T-Mobile’s network. Simple Mobile was acquired by Tracfone Wireless in May for an undisclosed sum.


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Reading is an activity that enriches our lives. As well as providing access to vast amounts of information and knowledge, we read for entertainment. Good stories provide an escape where your imagination can lift you away.
When we read, not only are we improving our working memory, but research has shown that it makes us feel better and more positive too. Science has shown that reading has some amazing health benefits, including helping with depression, cutting stress, and reducing the chances of developing Alzheimer’s later in life.
Global English Editing has created an infographic of world reading habits – how much we read, what we read, and where reading is taking place.
The biggest selling book in history is…[more]
Check below for the full story and the global stats/demographics
Annoyed at the rising price of your coffee, and a hipsterisation so extreme that it’s apparently become a symbol of gentrification? Offended at your barista for not rewarding your loyalty with a free latte? You can forget it all on Monday and put your literary talent to use instead, by exchanging a handwritten poem for coffee in 1,280 outlets around the world.
To mark World Poetry Day on 21 March, an Austrian coffee roasting company is offering a shot of caffeine to customers who hand in a poem. More than 100,000 people gobbled up the offer last year according to coffee company Julius Meinl. The firm has now have expanded it from 23 into 34 countries, mostly in central and eastern Europe, but also including locations in London, Edinburgh, the US, Canada and Australia. You can find a map of this year’s participating establishments here.


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Rumors have been claiming that MediaTek is working on a 5G chipset that has a model number of MT6885. Today, the Taiwanese company has took to Weibo that it will be holding an unveil event on Nov. 26. Rumors have it that the MediaTek MT6885 5G SoC will be unveiled at the event.
Past reports have revealed that the MediaTek MT6885 5G chipset is manufacturer with TSMC’s 7nm process. It is expected to power flagship devices. The company is also rumored to announce MT6873 5G SoC on the said date. Rumors have it that it will be aimed towards enabling 5G connectivity on upper mid-range and mid-range devices.
The MediaTek MT6885 is speculated that the SoC is equipped with ARM Cortex-A77 processor along with Mali-G77 graphics. It is expected to carry support for up 80-megapixel rear camera, and it may bring support for 4K video shooting at 60fps. The MT6873 may have its big-core replaced by Cortex A76. It could be used to power phones that are priced around 2,000 yuan ($285).


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Synthon Wins EU Patent Case Against Teva, Paving Way for Generic Copaxone for MS Patients
What looks like the final hurdle to the generics was cleared when the patent office’s Technical Board of Appeal revoked the last of the patents that Teva had received for Copaxone’s manufacturing process. Teva had contended in its patent applications that an improvement it had made in the glatiramer acetate synthesis process was unique enough to warrant patent protection.
The patent feud between Synthon and Teva was related to the use of the chemical hydrogen bromide (HBr) in the Copaxone manufacturing process. Teva had sued Sython in 19 European countries, maintaining that Synthon had infringed on its patents.
Although the Technical Board of Appeal has the name “board” in its title, it is actually a court, so it’s decisions are not just administrative actions but legal rulings.
Until the Technical Board of Appeal rulings, Synthon had lost all of the earlier legal rounds of the battle. The final board ruling revoked the last of Teva’s three so-called HBr patents on glatiramer acetate synthesis.
Synthon said in a press release that the Board of Appeal decision indicated that Teva’s earlier actions against it “lacked legal basis and were unjustified.”
While the legal battle was raging, Synthon had contested Teva’s efforts to obtain preliminary court injunctions to prevent it from making a generic version of Copaxone. It had also appealed injunctions that had already been handed down.
The Technical Board of Appeal decision means that all injunctions against Synthon will be lifted.
While several pharmaceutical companies are making generic versions of Copaxone, Synthon is the only one to have performed a large-scale Phase 3 clinical trial (NCT01489254) to prove that its generic glatiramer acetate is equivalent to Copaxone.
The study, covered nearly 800 relapsing-remitting MS patients, compared 20 mg of generic glatiramer acetate with Copaxone and a placebo.
Synthon’s generic received marketing approval in Europe in 2016, and the company immediately began making it available to its marketing partners. Pfizer holds commercial rights to Synthon’s glatiramer acetate in the United States.
The case against Synthon is not the only patent infringement action Teva has brought. Teva, which is itself one of the world’s leading manufacturers of generics, has taken a number of legal steps to try to market glatiramer acetate exclusively.


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Scottish economy escapes recession
Scotland's economy came close to a double dip recession last winter, according to official figures.
The latest GDP figures showed that the economy barely grew in the first three months of this year, after a sharp fall at the end of 2010.
It rose by only 0.1%, compared with the UK figure of 0.5% in the same period.
The construction sector suffered particularly badly with output falling by 3.6% while the production and service sectors both grew.
The production sector increased by 0.9% while the rise in the service sector was 0.3%.
Today brings grim data on the Scottish economy. Poor weather helps explain why the UK saw contraction in the October to December quarter.
But it's less easy to explain why Scotland's growth in the first quarter of this year - at only 0.1% - was so much weaker than the UK's 0.5% figure, itself seen as a weak rebound.
Only slightly less economic activity, and Scotland would have seen a double dip recession, with two consecutive quarters of contraction.
Underlying the headline figures, construction contracted most, and at the same rate as the UK as a whole. Manufacturing grew more strongly than the UK, but the transport and communications had markedly lower growth than the rest of the country.
Services grew a bit more slowly than the UK, but that sector's dominance of the economy means it has a big impact on widening the gap.
The sharp increases in insolvency and bankruptcy figures, also published this morning, add to the grim picture. They suggest pent-up pressure from people who sought to put off admitting financial defeat.
As with some retail businesses, it seems the recovery is proving so slow and uncertain that people's finances are running out of the hope of a turnaround.
And then there's the retail data, with no growth in spend despite high inflation.
It's no surprise that we're told by the Scottish Retail Consortium that shoppers aren't rushing to buy barbecue food, salads, and sandals, but the lack of consumer confidence isn't all about the weather.
Finance Secretary John Swinney said: "The Scottish economy returned to growth in the first quarter of this year, and since then Scotland's labour market has outperformed the UK as a whole - with lower unemployment, higher employment, and lower economic inactivity north of the border - but both the GDP and jobs figures show that there can be absolutely no grounds for complacency."
He added: "However, Scotland's recovery needs to be strengthened, and the GDP figures underline the urgent need for an economic plan B, or flexibility, from the UK government."
CBI Scotland's assistant director, David Lonsdale, said: "The decidedly modest rebound in growth in the first quarter of this year reaffirms our view that Scotland's economic recovery continues to be choppy and lacks vigour.
"Expansion in some sectors is being offset by weaker performance in others, with the contraction in construction reflecting an overhang from the appalling weather experienced this past winter."
Although the output in construction fell by 3.6%, over the year the figures showed it grew by 13.9%.
However, Michael Levack, chief executive of the Scottish Building Federation, said he was sceptical whether the figures reflected the current state of the industry and said it was very fragile.
He added: "There is still very weak activity in private housebuilding and the commercial construction sector in particular.
"Meanwhile, public budgets are being cut and building firms are being put under huge pressure as the levels of public subsidy available to fund construction of housing and other infrastructure are slashed."
The latest data includes revised GDP figures for 2010 and show the Scottish economy performed more poorly for most of the year than had originally been stated.
In the second quarter of 2010 the economy grew by 1% rather than 1.3% - in the next three months it grew by 0.4% rather than 0.5% and in the final quarter it contracted by 0.5% rather than by -0.4%.


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According to TMZ, the Evermore fantasy amusement park in Pleasant Grove, Utah recently filed a trademark infringement suit against the star, alleging that her album has caused confusion amongst guests and affected the park's online searchability.
The suit — which is seeking millions in damages plus legal fees — also accuses Swift of infringing on the park's brand to sell her evermore merch, as the owners claim they own the "Evermore" trademark for a number of different applications, including clothing and original music soundtracks. Not only that, but they also allege that Swift's team was aware of this issue before the release of the record, and that they had previously sent her a cease-and-desist last year.
However, Swift's team has since dismissed the lawsuit as "frivolous" and "baseless" in court letter, which also says that the owners of Evermore owe millions in construction costs.
"Put simply, the Swift Parties have not infringed your client's trademark," Swift's team wrote before adding, "It is inconceivable that there is any likelihood of confusion between your client's theme park and related products and Ms. Swift's music and related products."
Read TMZ's full report, here.
Photo via Getty
- taylor-swift - PAPER ›
- Taylor Swift's "No Body, No Crime" Sparks a New Conspiracy Meme ... ›
- Will Katy Perry Appear on Taylor Swift's "Evermore"? - PAPER ›


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Europe, Your Next Nintendo Direct Show is Tomorrow
Posted by James Newton
Meet Mr Shibata
Nintendo Europe's regular series of Nintendo Direct online broadcasts gets another run out tomorrow afternoon at 1pm Central European Time/12pm midday UK Time.
Whereas February's show was a translated version of Nintendo president Satoru Iwata's Japanese presentation, this time around it'll be a unique broadcast hosted by Nintendo Europe president Satoru Shibata.
There's a Japanese Nintendo Direct show tonight, scheduled for 11pm Eastern Time, which should give us some heads-up of what to expect for Europe.


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Google's services & products
Google's Legal Issues
Google Vs China
When you visit a review on Google Play for an app, book, song or movie, you won’t have to worry as much about whether someone is sheepishly hiding behind a computer firing off nasty words, as Google has now flipped on the switch to display your Google+ name and profile picture with all reviews you add to the store. I’m not so sure this is the best thing in the world, 100%, as you don’t have an option to turn it off. I like the idea of inviting people to share their thoughts, and mixing in real names and pictures if chosen by the user. That way, people know what reviews they might want to trust over other ones that are anonymous and thus, perhaps shady. The company seems to be choosing quality over quantity, though. Either way, Google is going all the way with its Plus initiative, as I’ve talked about before. Google Play Gets Real: Reviews Will Now Be Posted With Your Google+ Name And Picture
Google Starts Showing Users Alerts For Accounts Hacked By "State-Sponsored Attackers"
A Columbia University study has found that Google and other search engines are literally changing the way our brains process and retain information. The research was conducted by Columbia psychologist Betsy Sparrow and presented in a paper Science magazine published entitled “Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips.” In that paper, Sparrow makes the case that rather than remembering things, we now simply retain the knowledge of how to find the information we need when we need it. In other words, the Internet as a whole has become what a major example of what psychologists refer to as "transactive memory." The Columbia press release has some nitty-gritty details of the study. Is Google replacing our memory?
As Deal With Twitter Expires, Google Realtime Search Goes Offline Yesterday, we reported that Google Realtime Search had mysteriously disappeared. Today comes the reason why: Google’s agreement with Twitter to carry its results has expired, taking with it much of the content that was in the service with it. Google sent us this explanation: Since October of 2009, we have had an agreement with Twitter to include their updates in our search results through a special feed, and that agreement expired on July 2.
Google is down with New York City. So down, in fact, that the web search titan just dropped $1.9 billion to acquire one of the largest and most historic buildings in all of the Big Apple. At nearly 3 million square feet, 111 Eighth Avenue, the former Port Authority building, sits like a beached, red-brick cruise ship overlooking New York’s Chelsea neighborhood. Google Buys Giant New York Building for $1.9B
Google Said To Have High Level Mole At Twitter, Makes Massive Counteroffers To Retain Employees Google may have paid as much as $150 million in stock grants to retain key product employees Sundar Pichai and Neal Mohan, say multiple sources. Both were offered the chief product role at Twitter earlier this year (cofounder Jack Dorsey eventually filled the position), but Google offered Pichai $50 million and Mohan $100 million, respectively, to stay, say multiple sources. In what could be called an IQ test, both accepted Google’s offer. The stock grants are significantly higher than what we’ve unearthed previously, but the model is the same.
Google Boss: We’ll Fight Anti-Piracy Blocking Laws During a speech on Wednesday, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said that proposals from both the U.S. and British governments to block access to file-sharing websites would threaten freedom of speech. Google, he said, is opposed to such measures and will fight them, presumably in court, if necessary. There can be little doubt that when it comes to hot tools for dealing with sites allegedly infringing the copyrights of the music and movie industries, site blocking and web filtering is absolutely in fashion this year. The United States (with its PROTECT IP bill) and the United Kingdom (with its Digital Economy Act), are both preparing what they believe could be their best chance at a silver bullet approach to piracy – the complete blocking of ‘infringing’ domains. Yesterday though, they discovered that apart from the usual legislative stumbling blocks, an Internet giant intends to hinder their progress.
Google Vs Facebook
Why Facebook Terrifies Google
To be sorted


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iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle have been officially discontinued
Apple today removed the iPod nano and iPod shuffle from its website and online store around the world, and it has since confirmed the iconic portable media players have been discontinued. While the iPod touch hasn’t changed since its 2015 refresh, it’s now a much better value at $199 for a 32GB model (previously 16GB) and $299 for a 128GB version (originally 64GB).
Beyond new colors and storage capacities, Apple had last updated the iPod nano in October 2012 and the iPod shuffle in September 2010. Apple last updated the iPod touch in July 2015 with an A8 chip and an 8-megapixel rear camera.
You can still get your hands on to these devices in retail till stocks last. Who doesn’t want that iconic nostalgia?


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NEW YORK — George Jones, president and chief executive officer of the Saks Department Store Group, will resign on Sept. 30, suggesting that parent Saks Inc. may be close to selling what remains of the unit.
Saks Inc. sold the southern portion of the group — Proffitt’s and McRae’s — for about $620 million to Belk Inc. in July, leaving the 180-unit northern portion. The northern group, consisting of Carson Pirie Scott, Younkers, Herberger’s, Bergner’s and The Boston Store, is up for sale. Saks Inc. also intends to sell its Club Libby Lu girls’ specialty division.
The Saks Fifth Avenue and Parisian divisions of Saks Inc. are not for sale officially, but people familiar with the situation have indicated that the parent company is considering exiting those, as well.
The company received bids for the northern group this week, said a person who asked not to be identified. The offer has been extended because bidders are said to be interested in the Saks Fifth Avenue division of Saks Inc., complicating the situation. Saks Inc. declined to comment.
Jones’ departure is the second of a high-level Saks executive in a week. James Scully, former executive vice president of strategic planning and human resources, joined J. Crew last week as executive vice president and chief financial officer, succeeding Amanda Bokman, who resigned in June.
Jones joined Birmingham, Ala.-based Saks Inc. in March 2001 after a seven-year stint at Warner Bros., where he served as president of worldwide licensing and Studio Stores. Before that he worked for Target, Rose’s and Dillard’s. At Saks Inc., Jones had the Proffitt’s, McRae’s, Parisian, Carson’s, Club Libby Lu and private brand organization reporting to him.
“For the middle market, he made some good choices,” said one former colleague, who asked not to be identified. “But there was never enough money to advertise and market the products.”
Saks Inc. spokeswoman Julia Bentley said Jones was exploring new job opportunities and that his decision to leave was appropriate for both him and the corporation in light of the decision to explore strategic alternatives for the northern group.
Toni Browning has been named president and ceo of Parisian, taking over for Jones, who had direct supervision of the 41-unit division since 2003. Browning was president and ceo of Proffitt’s and McRae’s. She held jobs of increasing responsibility with Younkers between 1993 and 1997, including senior vice president of stores. She previously had store and merchandising jobs at Dayton Hudson Corp. and Federated Department Stores. In her new role, she will report to Steve Sadove, Saks Inc. vice chairman and chief operating officer.
The $2.2 billion northern group is led by Michael R. MacDonald, chairman and ceo, while Club Libby Lu is headed by Mary Drolet, president. MacDonald and Drolet also will report to Sadove, effective Sept. 15.
Jones is considered an innovative merchant and is credited with updating the Saks Inc. department stores with new shops, amenities and food services, and, in particular, giving many of the stores some distinctive merchandise and service features. But the past couple of years have been tough for the regional operation, considering the dominance of larger chains, such as Federated, Wal-Mart and J.C. Penney, and even Belk’s, another regional that has been lately performing better than the Saks department stores.
He tried to revive his regional group, even visiting Selfridge’s in London to get inspiration and ideas for Saks merchandising concepts. In August 2004, Jones launched a prototype, 160,000-square-foot Younkers in the Jordan Creek Town Center in Des Moines, partly a response to the “reinvent” strategy launched by rival Federated Department Stores three years before, which features new technologies and amenities.
Among the features at the Younkers store were a pharmacy with natural health products; a wine bar; a demo kitchen; an outdoor light display; plasma-screen TVs; living room-like areas, including a fireplace in the men’s lounge; a spa, and singing sales associates. Advances at Younkers were later incorporated to certain Proffitt’s locations.
Jones also pushed private label, which, during his tenure, rose from under 12 percent of the total volume to 17 percent last year. Several exclusive brands were added to the mix, including Jane Seymour home and kids’ products, Laura Ashley home goods and Ruff Hewn apparel.
Saks Inc. has not yet reported its second-quarter performance because of government and internal investigations into certain of the company’s chargeback and accounting procedures. While financials dating to 1999 might be restated, the department store group posted operating income of $157.8 million last year compared with $180 million in 2003. In 2004, comp sales grew 1.6 percent.


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SEARCHED FOR:DOMESTIC AUTO INDUSTRY
Bullish on long-term growth story of domestic auto industry despite hiccups: Maruti Suzuki
The auto major, which has close to 50 per cent market share in the domestic passenger vehicle segment, noted that there remained a close connection between the state of economy and demand for automobiles.
Domestic steel industry showing signs of recovery: RINL CMD
The pandemic had severely disrupted the steel sector in the first quarter of the ...
Government should announce special stimulus package for auto industry: Bosch
While addressing shareholders at the company's 68th annual gener...
PLI scheme to be beneficial for auto industry over the 2020-25 period: Fitch Solutions
On November 11, the Cabinet approved PLI for 10 more sectors, including auto and pharmaceuticals, with an outlay of about Rs 1,45,980 crore over a period of five years. Under another PLI scheme, an outlay of Rs 51,311 crore has already been approved.
PLI scheme for auto will enable India become a part of global value chain: Industry
The Department of Heavy Industries (DHI), the implementing ministry for the plan, is expected to shortly detail the eligibility criteria to identify ‘scalable champions’ on the metrics of turnover, exports, and growth history. Companies meeting the criteria will be eligible for incentives intended to boost local factory output and exports, said a senior industry executive.
Long-term policies, stable regulatory roadmap required for auto sector: Toyota
Speaking at SIAM annual convention here, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Vice Chairman Vikram Kirloskar said long-term policy framework is important to safeguard industry competitiveness.
What is the factor behind rising steel demand in domestic market? JSW Steel joint MD explains
JSW Steel reported net profit of Rs 1,595 cr in the September quarter against a loss of Rs 582 crore in April-June period. And according to Seshagiri Rao, there is a definite reason why.
Toyota Kirloskar sales drop 48 per cent to 5,386 domestic vehicle units in July
The first month post unlock, June, witnessed demand rekindling and retails being very good due to several factors, including pending customer orders as well as pent up demand accumulated as a result of the extended lockdown, he said.
Why one can't rule out a market correction in next couple of weeks
The risk of correction is greater in sectors which have been overbought by investors, says Sandip Sabharwal.
How other states may replicate Haryana's new bill reserving 75% jobs for locals in private sector
While the bill awaits the governor’s assent, a rattled industry has been holding multiple consultations with the government to try and convince them not to go ahead with the legislation in its current form. “Our hiring is based on skills and talent, not domicile.
Coronavirus impact: Bajaj Auto total sales drop 33 per cent to 2,55,832 units in July
Domestic sales in July this year were at 1,58,976 units as against 2,05,470 units, down 23 per cent, Bajaj Auto said in a regulatory filing. Total motorcycle sales stood at 2,38,556 units, a decline of 26 per cent, as compared to 3,22,210 sold in July last year.
India’s industrial production up by 2.8% in October: Morgan Stanley
Indian economy saw a fall in its gross domestic product (GDP) in two consecutive quarters. The GDP contracted by 7.5% between July and September, compared to the same quarter a year before.
Domestic PV sales likely to outperform in October, Maruti leads the pack
According to estimates the, PV sales is expected to be around 3.32-3.35 lakh units in October, a growth of around 15% over September 2020. Interestingly this could be the highest ever monthly sale for PVs.
Ambani-Bezos tug of war weighs on Sensex; Rs 1.92 lakh crore gone
Reliance Industries was the biggest drag on bluechip indices as investors dumped shares fearing it may not be able to complete the acquisition of Future Group assets.
Domestic demand for steel industry to remain subdued during the first half of FY21: EY
“With all hopes pinned on the domestic market revival for the steel sector, the worries are far from over. Despite a number of domestic user industries showing strong demand trends, demand from some segments are likely to remain subdued,” said EY in a sector report.


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Mubasher: The dollar steadied against its major peers on Friday, having tapped its highest level overnight in two weeks and a half as official figures indicated a resilient US economy, according to Reuters.
It is worth noting that most of financial markets were closed for the Good Friday Easter holiday. Although currency markets remained open, the volume is set to be quiet.
By 8:52 am GMT, the US dollar index, which traces the greenback against six major rivals, was at 97.334, after climbing as high as 97.485 overnight, the highest recorded since 12 April.
US retail sales growth recorded the strongest reading since one year and a half last March, mainly fuelled by higher sales of new cars and trucks.
This was the latest of a slew of positive data indicating that the US economic growth picked up steam in the first quarter of this year.
“In addition to the recent upticks in Chinese data, the latest US retail sales numbers have helped to ease investor worries about the global economy,” Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management senior strategist Masahiro Ichikawa was quoted by Reuters.
The strong picture of the US economy was further underpinned by another drop in the number of jobless individuals applying for unemployment claims to the lowest level in almost 50 years.


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NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. consumer confidence unexpectedly slumped in April, according to a private sector report released on Tuesday.
The Conference Board, an industry group, said its index of consumer attitudes fell to 95.2 from an upwardly revised 101.4 in March. Economists were looking for a reading of 102.5, according to a Reuters poll.
The March figure was originally reported as 101.3.
Reporting By Michael Connor in New York; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli


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Editor’s Note: Updated with comments from current and former members of the Consumer Advisory Board below.
Mick Mulvaney, the acting director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, does not appear to take criticism well.
Days after nearly half of the agency’s Consumer Advisory Board spoke out and shared their concerns about Mulvaney canceling another Consumer Advisory Board meeting, the acting director took the bold step of firing all 25 members of the CAB, as well as everyone on the Community Bank Advisory Council and the Credit Union Advisory Council. Mulvaney said the CFPB will look to add new members to all three boards later this year.
There was one member of the Consumer Advisory Board who had direct ties to the ARM industry – Ohad Samet, the CEO of TrueAccord. In a statement given earlier this week, Samet said he was willing to give Mulvaney the benefit of the doubt and was hopeful about still having the two required meetings this year. AccountsRecovery.net has reached back out to Samet to see if he has an additional comment based on Mulvaney’s housecleaning and will update this story as needed.
A CFPB employee said in a call on Wednesday announcing the decision that the bureau will save “multi-hundred-thousand dollars per year” by not hosting the meetings in Washington, D.C. But a number of board members said they were willing to pay their own way to the nation’s capital to participate in the meetings. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the law that created the CFPB and three boards, requires that the Consumer Advisory Board meet twice per year. The Consumer Advisory Board had been meeting three times per year under former director Richard Cordray.
A spokesman for the CFPB, John Czwartacki, took an interesting jab at the Consumer Advisory Board when he said:
“The outspoken members of the Consumer Advisory Board seem more concerned about protecting their taxpayer funded junkets to Washington, D.C., and being wined and dined by the Bureau than protecting consumers.”
Mulvaney’s decision was roundly criticized by Democrats in Congress and by consumer advocates who were on the Consumer Advisory Board.
“The new bureau leadership has never met with any of us to determine, and even have a sense of, whether this is valuable advice that the bureau is receiving,” said Josh Zinner, chief executive of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility.
[UPDATE: 9:20am] Joann Needleman, the leader of the Consumer Financial Services Regulatory & Compliance group at Clark Hill, as well as the immediate past President of the Board of Directors of the National Creditors Bar Association (NARCA), and a former member of the Consumer Advisory Board, shared this comment:
I am disappointed that Mulvaney chose to fire all the CAB members but the structure of the Bureau gives him this right. However, there were a fair amount of members that were set to roll off and he could have replaced them with members more aligned with his vision. While industry members, like myself, never believed our viewpoints were going to change the Bureau’s mission, we were able to bring important perspective to those who may have not otherwise considered an alternative viewpoint. I never really spent time with consumers advocates before the CAB, and I found that we probably had more in common than we had differences. I hope that the Acting Director will continue to bring diverse viewpoints to the CAB.
Ohad Samet, the CEO of TrueAccord, shared this comment:
Every administration chooses its ways to engage with the public and industry stakeholders. While I regret not having more time to serve as part of the CAB, there are many other public ways to engage with the CFPB and provide data about innovation that both protects consumers and works with consumer preferences. Some of them were hinted in the Bureau’s statement. I look forward to continue engaging with Bureau staff in any way possible and encourage others to do the same.


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After YouTube Video Discusses Feud, beauty influencer deletes online account
There have been many influencer feuds making headlines in the past several weeks. The most recent is when Marlena Stell, Makeup Geek CEO, posted a YouTube video discussing confrontations between her and Jaclyn Hill. Hill, then took action and deleted her Twitter account but not after making one last post. Read more.


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WAUKESHA, Wis. - A creditor says it would support the proposed sale of the shuttered Golden Guernsey Dairy in Waukesha.
But Accord Financial Inc. says its support depends on its secured claims totaling $7.9 million being paid from sale proceeds.
In a filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Accord Financial says it's owed the money under a loan and the purchase of account receivables.
Golden Guernsey closed in early January. The Los Angeles private equity firm that bought Golden Guernsey in 2011, OpenGate Capital, sought Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in a Delaware court.
An Ohio company, Superior Dairy, has offered $5.5 million for the plant, but the offer rejects the labor contract that was in place.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (http://bit.ly/157lJpz) reports the bankruptcy trustee is accepting bids for the company through May 10.
- Grocery store offers 'ugly' produce to combat food waste
- Silver Alert issued for missing Marathon County man
- Police: Boy, 12, to officers at mall: 'I'm going to kill you, your wife, your children'
- Man shot in face testifies in homicide trial of Sophea Mouth
- Man suspected in another downtown Madison car break-in
- Pharmaceutical center in LaCrosse announces layoffs


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Written by Scott Thompson
In a rapidly changing environment, UK retail banks know that omnichannel success is linked to innovation and significant investment in systems, architecture and new technologies. So, asks Scott Thompson, why are they lagging behind other sectors?
The retail banking sector is facing an unprecedented array of opportunities and challenges. Mobile banking and various other omnichannel innovations are giving banks the opportunity to transform how they serve their customers, reboot themselves for the 21st century and in doing so escape the shackles that came with the financial crisis. At the same time, however, existing players face competition from new entrants, as the FinTech boom continues apace and initiatives like the current account switching service and the introduction of the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) aim to open up access to challenger banks, startups and tech giants like Apple and Google. (Hannah Nixon, managing director at the PSR, has said that she wants “to break open the control of payment systems, so it’s not just the big banks that control who can use them.”)
So, how are the incumbents faring? Not great, it has to be said. Recent research by Transform UK looked at the omnichannel performance of 11 High Street and challenger banks, focusing on two bricks and clicks journeys – from digital to branch and in-branch to digital – as well as benchmarking digital transaction, service and decision support functionality in branch. Barclays and NatWest led the way, the former with its coding playgrounds, digital eagles and beacon technology and the latter with its seamless digital to branch transition.
“Barclays and NatWest do a great job of sharing their digital developments with the public, and while it doesn’t always pay to go first, it does strengthen their reputations. Both have also been in the media recently for their adoption of biometrics technologies,” says Sean Lynskey, a senior consultant at Capco. “Barclays in particular has been demonstrating innovation, rather than omnichannel, with siloed mobile payment solutions such as Pingit, ahead of the Paym initiative. Barclays has also experimented with PayTag (NFC stickers for phones) and bPay bands (wearable payment wristband). NatWest has recently focused on enhancing the in-branch experience with digital signage, iPads, WiFi and trialling digital apps in branches, representing a more omnichannel approach.”
And Barclays and NatWest are not alone. Lloyds Banking Group is investing £1 billion in digital to expand its offering across investments, mortgages and commercial. “It has not only significantly improved its mobile banking app, but also launched a cashback proposition that is fully integrated into a customer’s regular spending – with no additional log-on required. first direct is also worthy of credit for a simplified channel experience, in part due to reduced legacy technology but also as a direct result of their customer centric approach with initiatives such as first direct Lab.”
Banks are generally immature, however, lagging behind the retail sector and typically offering a fragmented and channel-siloed experience with only three of those in the Transform UK study having any kind of click for appointment capability and three failing to integrate digital in-branch. James Goldhill, head of financial services at Transform UK, comments: “The truth is that even the leaders in this field like Barclays and NatWest are at the early stages of their omnichannel journey. There is still significant room for improvement for all the banks and the winners are likely to look beyond the banking sector for inspiration. Instead we expect to see them following the lead of retailers like Apple, Burberry, Argos and Tui, each excelling in different aspects of omnichannel.”
And if they fail to do so, a new generation of challengers are waiting in the wings, keen to whisk away their customers. Digital-only banks like Starling and Atom are certainly talking a good fight, as are the niche players offering single products/solutions, and it would seem that they’re catching the attention of the increasingly digitally savvy man and woman in the High Street. “Today’s consumers are always on and hyper-connected. They want to know what a bank can offer them at any time, in any place, on their own device and they want targeted and relevant offers to suit their lifestyle. These demands are only rising with the advent of low-cost seven-day account switching and comparison sites. Finding new ways to drive efficiencies and become more cost-effective in services and infrastructure will be critical to delivering an improved customer experience and helping banks to increase wallet share,” observes Joshua Lee, director at Informatica.
Merinda Peppard, EMEA marketing director at Hootsuite, flags up recent Intelligent Environments research showing that one in eight UK consumers intend to switch their bank account to a digital-only provider and argues that it shouldn’t come as a shock to the financial industry. Digital tech isn’t new anymore – people have been communicating through social media platforms for a decade and with the adoption of e-commerce and mobile payments, it’s no surprise that they find cheque books and paper statements archaic. “If traditional UK banks want to exist in the future, they must start putting digital first and offer the services that their customers both expect and require,” she says.
Thanks to tech companies like Google, Apple, Amazon and PayPal, who are inherently digital, and the highly anticipated adoption of wearables, traditional banks are at risk of being displaced, Peppard believes. Fear of breaching stifling regulation has been a factor in why traditional financial organisations have been cautious of adopting digital and social services, but with the right guidance, banks can use social and digital platforms to offer the value added services their tech-savvy customer’s desire. “Simple techniques like using social to offer customer service, or providing banking top tips through YouTube, like Virgin Money’s successful “Banking 101” series, are just two examples of how digital services can go a long way in enhancing the customer experience. Social also provides the opportunity for financial brands to better serve their customers on a local scale. Using social listening tools and defining a clear strategy means new services can be tailored to help everyone manage their money. Traditional banks in the UK have a great advantage of long-standing expertise in the financial industry that sets them apart from new competitors. But unless they are able to engage on their customers’ terms they will simply fail in the digital economy,” Peppard states.
Goldhill says that customers’ experience of engaging with retail, travel and leisure companies mean they’re more enlightened about the possibilities of omnichannel journeys. And with the retail banking sector lagging behind, there is significant room for disappointing customers. “Traditional banks are facing stiff competition; they need to find new ways to position themselves as the banking brand of choice and this requires more innovation around the branch network, digital technology and the overall proposition. Coupled with strategic decisions about which channels should be adopted, this will establish a new order when it comes to banking experience and banks that don’t invest in this future will most certainly miss out.”
Metro Bank shook the industry in 2010 when it was granted the first banking licence in over 150 years, and that was on the back of a branch (or store as they like to call it), not an online/mobile-heavy proposition. The pace has picked up considerably since then with a number of firms (many of them digital-only ventures) applying for authorisation to become banks, following the FCA and its sister organisation the Prudential Regulation Authority relaxing rules for new entrants to make the process easier. The size and scale of new entrants varies, observes Lynskey. At one end of the spectrum, divestments and challenger banks such as TSB and Williams & Glyn create similar institutions and competition. At the other, niche players offer single solutions/products that lead to the threat of disintermediation, challenging the status quo of banking services. “The question is, are customers willing to give up the convenience of the hypermarket like High Street bank? In addition, digital-only offerings from the likes of Atom and Moven offer an alternative and are able to move at pace with lighter infrastructure and governance structures. Large banks crave simplicity whereas the new entrants desire the security and trust that comes with the existing retail banks.”
The art of reinvention
Another question, does the retail banking establishment have the stomach for a fight? Or, more importantly, can it achieve omnichannel excellence while at the same time grappling with legacy and regulatory issues? It’s easy to take potshots at ageing FIs and their slow progress in this area, but the size of the task is immense. Lee believes, however, that banks have the necessary expertise and appetite for innovation. “To deliver better and more personalised banking experiences, there will be a greater reliance on the trusted, timely and accurate data that enables financial institutions to improve processes, products and services.”
For Lynskey, the greatest challenge is the tremendous amount of internal complexity which needs to be overcome in order to deliver a truly seamless journey, especially for more complex product needs such as mortgages or investments. “The banks’ crowded and often outdated technology portfolios limit their ability to move at pace. At the same time, they need to shift the mindsets of their teams to operate as more customer-centric, and to innovate, regardless of the product and channel silos they work within. As retail banking evolves, omnichannel will become a hygiene factor. Banks will need to innovate and differentiate over and above seamless customer journeys, adapting to new expectations and demands. The real challenge is whether they are able to respond quickly enough to stay ahead of the growing number of new entrants, particularly from new offerings from existing service providers such as Apple and Google. Many retail banks might do better to join forces rather than compete, as non-organic disruption through partnership ecosystems creates an opportunity to react to changing customer needs at pace, accelerating their ability to reinvent.”
Goldhill argues that legacy is something of a smokescreen. He agrees that a change in mindsets is key. “Although legacy systems and technology platforms are often cited as the primary constraining factors to developing seamless omnichannel experiences, in our opinion the real key to addressing this is to change the way an organisation thinks and operates. Products or technology alone shouldn’t drive the decisions. Customers and the experience they require need to be the primary consideration when redesigning the future of the bank. This requires teams to break out of their organisational silos, drive towards common ‘customer’ goals and consider how they can meet the needs of today’s customers, and prepare for the demands of the future. Fix the organisation and its culture and the door to seamless omnichannel is unlocked.”
All of which sounds straightforward enough, but a long road lies ahead before all the pieces of the omnichannel puzzle fall into place. As Lynskey puts it: “There is still plenty to do. Many core product journeys remain fragmented with banks struggling not only with channel and product silos in their head office teams, but also with legacy architecture, making it both expensive and slow to deliver change.”
In the meantime, the physical and digital worlds are converging rapidly and UK retail banks are increasingly behind the curve in terms of their cross channel offerings. Against this backdrop, we’ll see more and more innovative new business models looking to disrupt the status quo. New technology, increasingly digitally savvy customers and a changing regulatory landscape are shaking things up in a market that has seen little or no innovation for a number of years. Digital first, the old ways last.


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LUBE e CREO STORE BELLUNO
Via Caduti 14 Settembre 1944, 39
Gruppo LUBE continues its growth and is opening a new Store in Belluno on 2 March. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is due to take place on Saturday 3 March in the presence of the Group CEO and Sales Management and the event will run until Sunday 4 March, with exclusive promotions for all customers.
The store has 600 m2 of floorspace to showcase a wide selection of models from the Cucine Lube and CREO Kitchens collections. Visitors will have the chance to see first-hand the quality of prestigious models such as Clover in the LUBE collection, a perfect combination of elegance and refinement, and admire the innovative Rewind in the CREO collection, the model for anyone seeking a functional but stylish kitchen. A team of three experts will be on hand to assist customers in choosing their kitchen, offering design and sale services.
With inauguration of the new Store in Belluno, Italy's leading kitchen manufacturer is once again confirming the importance it places on broad-based distribution as a cornerstone of a strategy which satisfies the needs of every customer.


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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, US — These are the 12 nations at which World Grain took an in-depth look through its Country Focus series in 2022. Revisit the locations and the perspective they provide.
WASHINGTON, DC, US — Along with corn and wheat, rice, an edible starchy cereal grain, is one of the important staple crops used to nourish the world, providing a food source rich in carbohydrates.
According to the US Department of Agriculture’s World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) November 2022 report, the global production of rice is projected to reach 503.69 million tonnes in 2022-23. Of that total, USDA expects 52.83 million tonnes will be exported to world markets.
China is the largest producer and importer of rice to meet its projected 2022-23 domestic consumption of 155 million tonnes.
These are the top 10 global rice producing countries.
This year’s World Flour Day is planned for March 20 and will be celebrated under the motto “Flour and People-Flour means the world to us.” The focus for this third World Flour Day is the significance of flour for each person.
World Flour Day was initiated by the FlourWorld Museum to honor flour as one of the most important staple foods. The FlourWorld Museum in Wittenburg near Hamburg, Germany, holds the world’s largest collection of flour sacks, with more than 3,700 sacks from 140 countries. Flour.Power.Life is the guiding principle under which the sacks tell about the traditions, history and myths of flour.
As part of World Flour Day, the museum will unveil the Flour Sack of the Year, celebrating a flour sack design that best illustrates this year’s motto. Winners are displayed in the museum, an initiative of Mühlenchemie, a member of the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe.
In honor of World Flour Day, here are six previous Flour Sack of the Year honorees.


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Property has been destroyed and homes have been seriously damaged nearly 800 times a year as a result of faulty or mistakenly used electrical appliances, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) has revealed.
These fires have led to a total of 218 people recorded as having been injured as a result over the past three years – an average of 73 people a year.
Analysis of incidents over the past three years (April 2017 to March 2020), has shown an average of 786 fires a year were traced to a cause involving electrical equipment.
- 409 fires caused by faulty wiring, cabling and plugs
- 111 fires caused by electric lighting
- 96 fires caused by heaters, fires or heating equipment
- 82 fires caused by washing machines and tumble or spin dryers
- 59 fires caused by power generation equipment, such as batteries or generators
- 29 fires caused by fridge/freezers, dishwashers and kettles
The figures – released today (Monday 23 November) to mark the start of national Electrical Fire Safety week – include faults with the electrical appliances and related causes, such as faults with the wiring and with the way the appliance has been used, for example by a heater catching light to furniture or food setting light in a microwave oven.
The impact of these fires can be very serious.
Although in most cases the fire was contained in the room where it started, in seven per cent of cases the fire had spread beyond the room where the fire started, and in three per cent of cases it affected the whole building.
As part of their incident log GMFRS records whether anyone in the property suffered injury, but the seriousness of the injury is not recorded because this is a judgement of the NHS staff who treat the victims.
GMFRS Head of Prevention, Paul Duggan, said: “Faulty electrical equipment, loose wiring, frayed cabling and overloaded sockets can all spark a fire.
“In addition, the way electrical appliances like heaters are used can set light to whatever is next to them – such as curtains, furniture or your own clothing.
“And the contents of something like a microwave oven or a tumble dryer can set light and spread if it is set too hot or runs for too long.
“It’s particularly important to check the safety of electrics at this time of year, when people may be using an electric heater for the first time this winter, or they may be plugging in items like Christmas lights which have been in storage for a year.”
Electrical Fire Safety week is led by the charity Electrical Safety First, in collaboration with the National Fire Chiefs Council.
They are warning this year to beware of buying fake, sub-standard and potentially deadly electronic items from online marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay, where a lack of regulation means sellers are not subject to the same standards as trusted manufacturers.
A fire may start in the charger as well as the appliance and GMFRS has recently had to deal with fires that have started in the charger of e-cigarettes that have been bought cheaply from unregulated suppliers.
Recycle for Greater Manchester, which operates the region’s household waste and recycling centres, is also urging people not to place battery operated electrical items in their general rubbish bin.
This is because the battery may spark a fire, even if it is “dead”, if it later crushed or damaged. This usually happens in the waste disposal site and can lead to serious fires.
Recycle for Greater Manchester is asking instead for these items, along with mains-powered faulty or damaged electrical appliances, to be stored safely at home during the current Covid restrictions and then brought to the household waste and recycling centre when it is safe to do so.
Paul added: “Fires in electrical appliances can become very serious. At the very least they will destroy the appliance, but they can also cause great damage to the room they are in.
“If the fire spreads or takes hold it can cause very serious damage to people’s homes. We can see also that they lead to dozens of people suffering a health injury too.
“However, people can take simple precautions that can minimise the risk, by checking over their electrics and appliances, taking care where they buy products, and making sure what they use is safe.
“A working smoking alarm on each level of your home will also alert you to a fire.”
23/11/2020 08:29 AM


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India is one of the best countries to start an idea. With the surplus advantage of a huge target market, so many needs and a technological strong growing economy, India is stepping towards becoming one of the world’s strongest tech markets with the best startups in India. Having thrived at home for nearly a decade, India’s startup scene went global in 2018. Several young tech companies in India are all set to take on the world this year, some of which are Ola, OYO, Byju’s, Paytm, Swiggy, Zomato.
Indian entrepreneurs have been on a roll this year. The Indian startup ecosystem is brimming with business ideas that continue to enamor investors as well as the global ecosystem. On one hand, we have prodigies exploring entrepreneurship and people leaving their jobs to turn an idea they’re passionate about into reality. Meanwhile, there are others marking second (or even third) coming, leaving no stone unturned to outdo their last best product or service in the sector. Now, as the year comes to a close, bringing the best and most innovative startups launched in 2018.
More than 1,200 startups came up in 2018, including eight unicorns, taking the total number to 7,200 startups. It is important to celebrate startups and their successes, given the cutthroat world they operate in. Reportedly, 90% of startups in India fail within the first five years of inception. So, the ones that make an impact must be put in the spotlight, celebrated, and presented as an inspiration for new startups in the making.
The key growth drivers were enterprise software, fintech, healthtech marketplace and edtech. Data analytics, artificial intelligence and IoT startups have been witnessing fastest adoption across industry verticals. Being right at the centre of the Indian startup ecosystem, startups are just in the right place to judge which ones disrupted the industry and made a mark. Apart from all this, startups can boost the economy as a strong. Fortunately, they can increase the country’s GDP, generating employment opportunity in the economy. So far, startups in India have increased this year in which our country is standing on the second position following the United States of America. Startups hence provide great opportunities those who want diversify their business in the global emerging market.
V. Mahalaxmi Nadar


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Innovation is our new column that highlights the latest emerging technological ideas and where they may lead.
Last night in California a list of 111 teams was announced – one of which may hold the key to motoring’s green future. They are the registered entrants to the Progressive Auto X Prize, a contest that will award prizes totalling $10 million for vehicles that can go 100 miles on the energy equivalent to that in a gallon of fuel.
Notable by their absence were the world’s largest car manufacturers – bar Indian firm Tata – who don’t seem interested in taking part. The list is varied spanning slick Californian start-ups with electric cars, to less-refined backyard efforts still finalising their designs.
But you can be sure that the auto giants will be closely watching the progress of entrants through the design judging and performance testing phases planned for this year, as well as the race events scheduled to start in 2010. The contest offers a chance for smaller players to shake up an industry long dominated by giant, established firms set in their ways.
“This is a huge opportunity for niche players to make a big difference,” Nick Carpenter, technical director of small UK firm Delta Motorsport, told New Scientist. Delta is finalising the design of a “low, sporty four-seat coupe” that will use a unique, lightweight electric motor developed at Oxford University, and is scheduled to begin track tests at the end of 2009.
“Whether we or any of the other small teams can become the next GM or Ford is another matter,” says Carpenter, “but the contest gives us the chance to bring fresh approaches uncluttered by history.” Some of those new ideas may be snapped up by bigger fish, he adds, but even those that don’t still have a chance to shine and influence the future of mass motoring.
The prize looks set to provide both technological entertainment, and practical advances. The entrants are a varied mix ranging from innovative, to tried-and-tested and even downright wild ideas, but the contest rules ensure that the more serious efforts will produce vehicles that are not far from ready to appear on our roads.
That’s because although it is relatively easy to make a road vehicle travel 100 miles on the equivalent of a gallon of fuel the prize comes with other criteria that provide more of a challenge.
The main $7.5-million purse for designs with four wheels, carrying four people requires they travel 200 miles on one load of their chosen fuel – at the target efficiency – and must accelerate from 0 to 60mph in 12 seconds and reach speeds of 100 miles per hour.
The smaller $2.5-million prize for vehicles of any design carrying two or more people requires they go 100 miles on a top-up and reach at least 80 mph. Both categories restrict carbon emissions and require attainable plans to manufacture 10,000 vehicles a year.
Those down-to-earth restrictions, combined with the aim-high mentality of the entrants seem sure to provide a contest worth watching. Who knows, it may even change road transport the world over.
Read previous Innovations: The mobile future of the keyboard, A licence to print gadgets, What next after the megapixel wars?, A clean start for green power, How social networking might change the world, The battle for the paperless book, Robotic faces… for humans, Personal dynamo, Gallery: Designs of the year, Artificial brain for sale, Software that finishes your sentences, The cellphone economy